South Africa: DBE sets record straight on teachers who are not vaccinated

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has disputed misleading reports and misinformation regarding the circular it distributed last week on educators who are not vaccinated.

The no jab, no job narrative emanating from an article carried in a Johannesburg-based newspaper earlier this week, has created confusion and fear among educators, department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said in a statement.

Mhlanga said the department is also aware that an extract from the seven-page circular has been shared on social media platforms resulting in unnecessary anxiety and panic among teachers who did not go for their vaccination.

He said that at the close of the vaccination programme in the sector more than 517 000 education personnel, out of 582 000 had received their vaccines.

Others could not get vaccinated because of various reasons including illness, COVID-19 positive cases, flu vaccines and hesitancy. When schools reopened last week for principals and management teams, the department issued a circular to assist in managing cases where some teachers did not vaccinate.

The purpose of Circular 4 of 2021, dated 23 July 2021 and signed by the Director-General, Mathanzima Mweli, was to provide guidance regarding the operational requirements for educators employed in terms of the Employment of Educators Act of 1998 following the implementation of the Basic Education Sector COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. The circular also serves as a guide to managing vulnerable employees in the context of the current pandemic, Mhlanga explained.

He said the department has strongly recommended that education sector personnel should get vaccinated, but at no stage did DBE seek to compel employees to be vaccinated.

In fact in the circular the department says that it respects the rights of educators who opt not to be vaccinated on constitutional, religious, cultural, comorbidity or medical grounds, Mhlanga said.

He noted that educators who have taken the vaccine or opted not to and are concerned about their comorbidity or medical condition/illness, should apply to the relevant Provincial Education Department for leave.

These educators will be dealt with in terms of the relevant leave and sick leave provisions in terms of the Employment of Educators Act. Where educators who are not in a position to satisfactorily perform their duties required of them or because of a medical condition, such matters will be handled in terms of the Labour Relations Act read, in conjunction with the Employment of Educators Act viz operational requirements and incapacity procedures.

The latter provides that an employer is obligated to take an employee through the ordinary incapacity procedures which provide for a set of steps that an employer needs to follow to try and accommodate the educator in the work environment. Dismissal for operational requirements or incapacity is regarded as the last resort, Mhlanga said.

Where an educator simply refuses to report for duty without a valid reason and based on a reasonable instruction by the employer, Mhlanga said such matters will be handled in terms of the disciplinary procedures of the Employment of Educators Act.

The circular seeks to provide steps that must be taken to accommodate teachers who are not able to vaccinate for a variety of reasons. The department urges everybody in the sector to apply the contents of the circular appropriately in order to meet the intended objective of assisting in creating stability in the schooling system under the COVID-19 conditions, Mhlanga said.  SAnews.gov.za

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RTHK: Malaysian PM urged to quit after rare royal rebuke

Malaysia's embattled leader was accused of treason and urged to quit on Thursday after the king denounced his crisis-hit government for misleading parliament, a rare public rebuke from the revered monarch.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin leads a scandal-plagued coalition that seized power last year without an election, but his government is on the verge of collapse after allies withdrew support.

Parliament convened this week after a months-long suspension under a virus state of emergency, which critics said was a bid by Muhyiddin to cling on to power.

On Monday, the law minister announced the emergency would end on August 1 and that several regulations enacted under it were being cancelled.

But rival MPs were furious, claiming Muhyiddin was just seeking to dodge a debate  and it was not clear the monarch had agreed to revoke the emergency laws, as is required under the constitution.

On Thursday the royal palace confirmed the king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, had not given his consent, and said that he expressed his "great disappointment".

The announcement about cancelling the regulations was "inaccurate and confused the members of parliament", said a statement from the palace.

It "did not just fail to respect the principles of the sovereignty of the law... but it undermined the functions and powers of his majesty as head of state," it said.

It is unusual for Malaysia's constitutional monarch, who is widely revered in the Muslim-majority country, to speak out so forcefully against the government.

After the royal statement was released, the legislature erupted in uproar with calls of "treason" and "resign" from the opposition benches.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim urged Muhyiddin to quit as his government had "gone against the constitution, insulted the institution of the constitutional monarchy and confused parliament".

There was no immediate reaction from the premier, and it was not clear whether the rebuke would have any impact.

The regulations enacted under the emergency give authorities extra powers to punish virus rule breakers, as well as some other tools to fight the pandemic.

Even when the emergency ends, the country will remain under a strict lockdown as it faces a worsening outbreak. (AFP)

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South Africa: SA should reform fragmanted financial services ombuds, World Bank recommends

A World Bank diagnostic study has recommended that South Africa restructure its fragmented financial services ombudsman structure.

The diagnostic study, titled: South Africa - Financial Ombud System Diagnostic, was commissioned by National Treasury and prepared by the World Bank Group (WBG).

It aims to provide an independent review of South Africas financial ombud system. It also seeks to recommend reforms to enhance customer protection and good-quality outcomes in the financial services sector.

Recommendations to address the findings include establishing a National Financial Ombud, a new non-statutory body to replace the current seven schemes except for retirement funds; the proposed reformed Pension Funds Adjudicator would become the Retirement Funds Ombud.

The report also suggests that the country introduces enhancements to the current ombud council framework; as well as implementing an update of complaint-handling requirements to improve consistency among financial services providers.

The technical assistance for this diagnostic study has been provided as part of the South Africa Financial Sector Development and Reform Program (FSDRP) undertaken by the WBG and funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

In this regard, the National Treasury and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) have invited the public to provide written comments on the diagnostic report.

The FSCA, as the regulator responsible for ensuring that customers are treated fairly in the financial sector, also participated in the process.

The Treasury and the regulator in a statement said the study followed the publication in 2017 of the discussion document: A Known and Trusted Ombud System for All, as part of the Twin Peaks financial sector regulatory reform programme in South Africa.

That document sets out initial reforms to the ombud system included in the Financial Sector Regulation (FSR) Act (Act 9 of 2017) as well as the need to undertake further research to inform any future reforms, reads the statement.

The study covered the countrys seven financial ombud schemes. These are the Credit Ombud, Ombudsman for Short Term Insurance, Ombudsman for Banking Services, Ombudsman for Long Term Insurance, Pension Funds Adjudicator, Ombud for Financial Services Providers (FAIS Ombud), and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Ombud. The WBG extensively consulted the ombuds during the assessment.

The Treasury and the FSCA said the diagnostic study identified potential overlaps, gaps and inconsistencies both in the overall financial ombud system and individual ombud schemes, and recommends further reforms.

The studys analysis and recommendations as well as the public comments received will help shape and inform National Treasurys policy approach to reforming the financial ombud system.

Some high-level findings include:

a) The current highly complex and fragmented ombud system with overlapping jurisdictions increases costs for providers and is difficult for consumers to navigate.

b) There is a wide variation in complainant eligibility, processes, powers, and status of decisions among the Ombud schemes.

c) There is insufficient customer accessibility due to language barriers and regional distribution.

d) The lack of socio-economic data on complainants makes it difficult to identify and address systemic issues.

The report acknowledges the many strengths and benefits of the current ombud schemes but findings point to the need for a centralised and comprehensive ombud system that supports greater accessibility and efficiency across the financial sector, reads the statement.

The technical assistance for this diagnostic study has been provided as part of the South Africa Financial Sector Development and Reform Program (FSDRP) undertaken by the WBG and funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

Comments can be sent to ombuddiagnostic@treasury.gov.za. Closing date for comments is 3 September 2021.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: SA not at risk of shortage of COVID-19 vaccines

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured citizens that the country is not going to run short of COVID-19 vaccines.

We now have a much more confirmed good supply of vaccines. We bringing in quite a lot of innovation in the vaccination process, and one of the innovations in drive through vaccinations where people just come, stay in their cars and they are vaccinated, the screening happens and then they move on.

This is a new innovation [and] I think it must be one of the few first in the world, and we keep looking for ways and means in which we can improve to increase the vaccination levels, President Ramaphosa said.

The President made these remarks on Thursday during his visit to the Rabasotho Community Centre, which is one of the vaccination sites in Tembisa, Gauteng.

The Presidents visit aimed to assess progress in South Africas vaccination programme, and serve to motivate greater numbers of South Africans to embrace vaccination as the most effective weapon in the fight against COVID-19.

Speaking to the media outside the vaccination site, the President acknowledged good cooperation with the private sector, noting that the partnership is helping government a great deal in increasing the number of people who are vaccinated.

We are pulling up all stops, we want to have reached [a] very good number of people who are vaccinated by the end of the year, and I think we are in line in doing so. With seven million people who have now been vaccinated in our country, we should be heading towards population immunity soon, the President said.

Manufacturing of vaccines

He said he was also happy with the way the vaccination process is going, with South Africa being named the hub for the manufacturing of vaccines, on behalf of the Continent.

We will in time be able to have the drug substance manufactured here, and it would be filled and finished here, and in other centres on our continent as well, President Ramaphosa said.

While the pandemic has brought devastation on the country and the African continent, the virus has enabled innovative and creative ways of addressing it and future pandemics, a lot more effectively and more efficiently.

Its been a wakeup call and now the continent has woken up [to the fact] that we must be in charge of our own health destiny, and that what we are aspiring to do. Its a wonderful good story as we move forward, the President said.

The President was also pleased with progress at the Tembisa vaccination site and was informed that the centre has never had a shortage of vaccines.

Meanwhile, acting Health Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, who accompanied the President during the visit, said the department is working around the clock in ensuring that all South Africans receive their jabs.

She said that having seven million people vaccinated is a milestone and that work is continuing to reach the Presidents target of 300 000 inoculations per day.

Once we have enough vaccines, ramping up and reaching the targets would be easier, Kubayi said.

Kubayi will later this afternoon join the tourism sector, where she will receive her jab at Sun City in the North West.

Gauteng targets 100 000 vaccinations per day

Meanwhile, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said the provincial government is extending the number of vaccination sites across the province, and working with the private sector to increase the reach. He said the province is targeting 100 000 vaccinations a day.

We have seen in the last two weeks a lot of 60-year-olds and above coming with the younger generation, and 93% of teachers and health care workers have been vaccinated in the province," said the Premier.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Effective government communication instils hope during COVID-19 pandemic

Governments effective communication of the countrys response to the COVID-19 pandemic has helped instil hope that the country, with the help of every citizen, can turn the corner and emerge stronger after the virus has subsided.

This according to initial research that has been conducted, said Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Policy and Research Chief Director, Tasneem Carrim, during a dialogue on Thursday.

The Digital Media Webinar delved into the issue of how government can leverage social media in the fight against COVID-19. It was hosted by the GCIS and the University of Johannesburgs (UJ) Institute for the Future of Knowledge.

Our nation's communication system, spearheaded by the GCIS, has played an instrumental role in the fight against COVID-19, Carrim said.

Research, she said, shows that communication has been effective it reassuring South Africans and guiding their actions through the onslaught of the pandemic.

It did help instil some hope that the country, with the help of every citizen, could turn the corner and emerge stronger after the virus had subsided.

Research also shows that the integrated campaign, in which the GCIS employed social media as one of the bouquet of communication tools, was effective in reaching the public on safety messages and what the public could expect and do to stem the tide of the virus.

In this regard, she said, there had been heightened communication on all fronts.

Carrim said, as the GCIS sought to inform, educate and reassure South Africans, its push has been to constantly remind the public that they are part of the solution.

During this period, the department focused on instilling behaviour change by profiling everyday preventative measures.

We did foster greater compliance with regard to South Africans staying home and wearing masks comparatively speaking. Again, our research shows that South Africa was largely successful. And you want some recognition through the WHO for our efforts in dealing with this infodemic.

So in leading communication in this difficult period, we had to understand that the pandemic changed the way government would communicate and engage with citizens, she said.

Lockdown regulations and restrictions posed limitations on the department executing its mandate. However, she said, it was able to manoeuvre these with apt interventions.

We took a conscious decision towards a strong shift to digital platforms such as national portals, mobile apps, social media, Whatsapp bots, and so on, Carrim said.

Even with communities that had previously not had much access to social media, GCIS messaging had helped accelerate the spread of information to reach all communities.

During this time, GCIS set up a dedicated WhatsApp information service and a 24-hour Coronavirus hotline. The department also had the sacoronavirus.co.za and www.gov.za websites as the first port of call for many South Africans looking for information on the virus in government support.

Government messaging was amplified on the departments social media platforms.

[They] played a role in disseminating information and providing room for engaging with the public to answer the questions and concerns [and] public service announcements were also part of the suite of communication tactics. We worked very closely with the broadcasters and television was used," she said.

While social media has played a positive role in the dissemination of information, it has proved to be fertile ground for the spread of falsehoods and disinformation.

Carrim conceded that the journey had been difficult in this regard. To dismiss inaccurate posts, the department has partnered with agencies such as Africa Check and other organisations that verify or dismiss fake pieces of information.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Minister Kubayi: COVID-19 vaccine is voluntary

Acting Health Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has reiterated that getting the COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory in South Africa.

This stems from reports of some employers threatening to dismiss staff who choose not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine that is currently being rolled out in the country.

We have been very clear and the President has been very clear that we should never force people [to vaccinate]. Its voluntary, she said on Thursday in an interview with broadcaster, eNCA on the sidelines of a visit to the Gallagher Estate vaccination site.

The acting Health Minister and President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the site in Midrand to assess progress in South Africas vaccination programme.

Thats why we do the work that were doing to make sure that theres enough information for people to decide whether they want to vaccinate or not, she said on Thursday.

In addition, it was governments role to ensure there are enough vaccines available for people to choose which jab they would like to take.

Thats what we need to do because I dont think forcing people is the route we should go.

Meanwhile, Kubayi said she was monitoring the work being done by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

The SAHRC has appealed to people who have been threatened with losing their jobs or rented accommodation for refusing to have a COVID-19 vaccine to contact them.

The independent chapter nine institution said people have the right to autonomy  the right to make decisions about treatment after being given all the relevant information and that the principle of autonomy should be respected.

Vaccines are important in curbing the pandemic, however, those that choose not to take the vaccine cannot be discriminated against, said SAHRCs Gauteng Head, Buang Jones.

The Minister said she has requested a team in her office reach out to the commission for them to work together.

In the same way that people have the right, as well, we need to be able to not promote vaccine hesitancy. Thats the balance we need to keep every time.

The Minister was also expected to visit the North West province to monitor the progress of vaccinations in the tourism and mining sectors where she is expected to receive her jab.

According to the Minister, vaccinations for the mining sector remains critical.

However, she said government would like to see all sectors being vaccinated to ensure the nation is protected.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Taking vaccines to the people

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited two COVID-19 vaccination centres in Gauteng on Thursday, says South Africa is banking on mass vaccination sites to reach as many people as possible.

He said he was pleased the province was opening drive-through vaccine sites, where more people can be inoculated.

The objective of coming here was to encourage South Africans to come forward and be vaccinated. We want as many of the age groups that are eligible to come through and be vaccinated, he said on Thursday.

The President said these cohorts must register on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) and get an appointment or they can walk in at the centre nearest to them.

The First Citizen visited a public health facility in Tembisa and a private-public partnership centre at Gallagher Estate.

He said the Gallagher Estate centre can take up to 4 000 people a day, while the waiting period is no more than 30 minutes. It is also open on weekends.

Its been a good day in the office to come visit Tembisa and Gallagher Estate as well.

He was pleased the vaccination numbers were increasing, as the country reached the milestone of over seven million administered vaccines on Wednesday.

The President told journalists that acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has promised him that the Department of Health will meet the target of 300 000 administered shots per day and even exceed it.

Were in full steam when it comes to vaccinations. I think were doing well and we now have a good surplus of vaccines.

President Ramaphosa added that great work is being done in Gauteng and other areas.

Mobile sites

In addition, he said Gauteng will now look to set up mobile sites that will go where the people are.

One of the complaints is a number of our people have to spend money to travel to the vaccination centres and Ive said that I want the vaccination points and centres to go to our people, he added.

Were all learning. This is a new process for all of us. This is the biggest campaign weve had in the history of this country, to vaccinate so many people at one go.  SAnews.gov.za

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Hong Kong: Broadcaster joins jab service

The Governments outreach vaccination team today administered the BioNTech vaccine to around 280 Television Broadcasts staff at TVB City in Tseung Kwan O.

Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip, along with the broadcasters Chairman & Non-executive Director Thomas Hui and Advisory Panel on COVID-19 Vaccines member Dr Thomas Tsang viewed the vaccination situation.

Giving support to those receiving a vaccine dose, Mr Nip said staff, regardless of whether they are artistes performing on stage or crew members working behind the scenes, should safeguard the health of themselves and family members.

He said vaccination is not only the most effective and thorough measure for preventing and controlling COVID-19 but also the key to overcoming the epidemic and resuming normal ways of life.

Mr Nip also appealed to citizens, particularly seniors, who have not yet received their jabs, to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

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Hong Kong: Business fund upgraded

The Trade & Industry Department today announced enhancement measures for the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading & Domestic Sales (BUD Fund) in support of enterprises business development to be rolled out in three phases from tomorrow.

The BUD Funds geographical scope will be broadened progressively from 20 economies with which Hong Kong has signed Free Trade Agreements to 37 economies with which Hong Kong has signed Free Trade Agreements and/or Investment Promotion & Protection Agreements.

In the first phase starting tomorrow, the BUD Fund will additionally cover Japan and Korea, and the cumulative funding ceiling per enterprise will be increased from $4 million to $6 million.

The department noted that the enhancements will further help enterprises develop more diversified markets by utilising the better investment protection under the Investment Promotion & Protection Agreements. More funding support will also be provided for enterprises to capture the business opportunities brought about by the countrys dual circulation development strategy.

Call the fund's secretariat at 2788 6088 for enquiries.

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South Africa: Transnet IT security back on track

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has commended Transnet employees for their hard work to have managed to restore full operations at the ports after a security breach on Thursday.

Transnet has managed to fully restore operations at the Ports which enables the country supply chain and logistics system to resume normal operations.

The return to operations is good news for the economy, as the Transnet ports and rail system are the backbone of the economy.

The preliminary assessment of the cyber-attack indicates that Transnet and its customer data has not been compromised.

Cyber-attacks have been on the increase in the country and globally. Investigations are underway into the events and due process will take place.

The main system responsible for the container operations, the NAVIS N4 terminal operating system has been fully restored and customers are now able to access the customer links to facilitate imports and exports.

The remaining systems will continue to be brought up in a staggered manner to minimize further risks and interruptions.

Transnet Port Terminals, in collaboration with the shipping lines is facilitating the evacuation of urgent containers for the automotive, FMCG and agricultural sectors, Transnet said in a statement.

As of last night, the Durban container terminals were fully functional on NAVIS with a few other interface systems progressing well.

This has brought back both the waterside and land-side operations and the truck booking system has been activated on Wednesday.

The vessels are operating alongside the berths and the shipping lines and cargo owners have partnered with the terminal management to ensure efficiencies are increasing.

In the Eastern Cape, the container operations working with some of the IT functionalities are still being restored and the vessels are working in parallel with the manual processes.

The Western Cape is fully restored and some of the IT functions are still being restored.

By today, the stack registration will be complete, and this will speed up the evacuation of containers in the Cape Town terminal.

Data has not been compromised in all the Transnet operations.

The Bulk, Break Bulk, Automotive sectors which include Iron Ore, Coal and Manganese, cars and some of the agricultural commodities that use the General Cargo system (GCOS) switched immediately to manual.

This resulted in minimal operational disruptions in these operations across the port system.

Rail operations also continue to run on schedule, as per the train plan. Business continuity plans are in place to ensure safe operations during this time.

Platform for engagement

Minister Ghordan started interactions with customers jointly with Transnet management and they established a platform for engagement with CEOs and senior representatives of affected companies.

This platform enabled timeous communications and feedback from both customers and Transnet and enabled exchange of information and of similar experiences faced by other countries and how they resolved such challenges.

As feedback to the daily meetings held between customers and Transnet port management, the customers have expressed their satisfaction on how the process of recovery and contingency planning has been executed.

The shipping lines, accounting for 70% of the cargo moving across the ports, have given the assurance that the South African Ports will not be by-passed and they will continue to work with Transnet during this recovery period.

Government commends the leadership of the affected companies for their patience while Transnet worked to restore full operations. Credit goes to the Transnet IT teams who have ensured that the systems is restored within a week, Transnet said.

Transnet is accelerating the work on strengthening the weaknesses identified in the IT environment. The force majeure is currently in place and under review with the intention to lift it in the coming days.

The speedy recovery has mitigated against the possible job losses that may have been threatened by a prolonged disruption to the IT systems.

The Minister and Transnet management would like to thank the industry players who have taken the time to engage, offer support and collaborations during this difficult time.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Mantashe monitors North West COVID-19 vaccination sites

As governments COVID-19 vaccination programme is underway, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, has visited the Sibanye-Stillwater mineworkers vaccination sites in the North West.

The Ministers visit formed part of the mining sectors COVID-19 vaccination rollout plan.

Though the country has been placed on Adjusted Alert Level 3, the mining sector remains operational as part of governments overarching approach to saving lives whilst protecting livelihoods.

The vaccination of mineworkers  adding to the sectors vigorous screening and testing programme  seeks to ensure that mineworkers are protected against the pandemic whilst they convert investments into wealth and contribute positively to the countrys economy.

Sustainability of the country is dependent on economic section of the population. We are in Rustenburg and Marikana to monitor the vaccination of mineworkers. We must ensure that the youth is vaccinated as the future belongs to them, Mantashe said on Thursday.

The Minister declared the mining sector's support for the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

It is encouraging to have the mining sector leading the country's economic reconstruction and recovery programme. We must save lives whilst protecting livelihoods. As we vaccinate, we must ensure that we continue adhering to health protocols, which include social distancing, wearing a masks, regular handwashing with soap or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser on our hands.

South Africas vaccination rollout programme is accelerating, with over seven million vaccine doses administered to date.

According to the Department of Health, the country has now distributed 7 065 432 COVID-19 jabs, of which 194 891 people received their shot on Wednesday.

The recent statistics show that the total cumulative number of the administered Johnson & Johnson shots now stands at 1 386 580 and 5 678 852 for the Pfizer jab.  SAnews.gov.za

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RTHK: Phuket bans domestic visitors amid Thai Delta surge

Thailand's Phuket will ban travel from the rest of the country from August 3 to 16 to try to stop a surge in coronavirus cases from spreading to the resort island, but overseas visitors will be largely unaffected, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Phuket is at the heart of efforts to revive Thailand's tourism industry, a major revenue earner that has been devastated by the pandemic.

Since July 1, tourists fully vaccinated against Covid-19 have been allowed to move freely on the island, with no self-isolation on arrival, an initiative dubbed the "Phuket sandbox".

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said the new travel rules will restrict movement to Phuket from elsewhere in Thailand, meaning foreign visitors who stay on the island will not be affected.

Tourists who have stayed on Phuket for more than 14 days will be allowed to leave for other parts of Thailand and can re-enter Phuket only if they have international flights booked from the island's airport, Tanee said.

An order signed by Phuket's provincial governor said exceptions would also be made for medical supplies and personnel and supplies of fuel, money and food.

Operating hours have been restricted for some venues on Phuket and some have been ordered to close as authorities try to limit any impact from the rise in infections across the country.

Thailand has in the last few months been struggling with its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the start of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, first detected in India.

The national Covid-19 task force reported 17,669 coronavirus cases and 165 deaths on Thursday, both record highs. It said 21 of the fatalities had died at home.

Hospitals in Thailand's capital Bangkok and the surrounding provinces are running out of capacity due to the surge in infections. More than 1,200 people are waiting for hospital beds and over 6,000 have called a hotline in the last week requesting treatment, health authorities said. (Reuters)

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Hong Kong: SJ calls on Beijing ministries

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng today met officials from the Public Security, Foreign Affairs and Justice ministries in Beijing.

She also met Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Committee of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman Shen Chunyao.

At the morning meeting with Mr Shen, Ms Cheng pointed out that Hong Kong has reverted to a safe, rational and inclusive society after the National Security Laws implementation, while the principle of patriots administering Hong Kong is upheld by improving the electoral system.

She also pointed out that the Department of Justice has been conducting different activities to give young people a proper understanding of the basic concepts of the Constitution, the Basic Law and the National Security Law.

The department will organise the second legal summit on the Basic Law next year, Ms Cheng added.

At the meeting with State Councillor and Public Security Minister Zhao Kezhi and Assistant Minister Chen Siyuan, the justice secretary introduced the departments works along with the officials in her entourage.

She then briefed the ministers on the latest situation after the National Security Laws implementation, and spoke about exploring the arrangements for facilitating people taking part in arbitral proceedings to travel to and from Hong Kong.

In the afternoon, Ms Cheng visited the Foreign Affairs Ministry to meet Vice Minister Ma Zhaoxu and Department of Treaty & Law Director-General Jia Guide.

She said the department will host the Annual Session of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization at the end of this year. The event was postponed last year due to the pandemic.

At the meeting, Ms Cheng also outlined the latest situation of international institutions setting up offices in the Hong Kong Legal Hub.

Ms Cheng then called on the Justice Ministry where she signed a framework arrangement with Justice Minister Tang Yijun to develop more two-way channels for legal talent exchanges and training co-operation.

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RTHK: Israel plans third vaccine shot for over 60s

Israel will begin offering a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech Coid-19 vaccine to people aged over 60, a world first in efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, launching the campaign, said President Isaac Herzog would be the first to receive the booster, on Friday.

Israel was a world leader in the vaccination rollout, with many seniors getting their shots in December, January and February as they were regarded as the most vulnerable sector of the population.

But since the emergence of the Delta variant, the health ministry has twice reported a drop in the vaccine's efficacy against infection and a slight decrease in its protection against severe disease.

"Findings show that there is a decline in the body's immunity over time. The aim of the supplementary dose is to build it up again, and thus reduce the chances of infection and serious illness significantly," Bennett told a news conference.

"I call on all the seniors who received the second dose, go get the supplementary one," he said. "My first telephone call, after I finish speaking, will be to the person dearest to me, my mother, so that I can take her to be vaccinated immediately."

Pfizer said on Wednesday it believes people need the additional dose to keep protection against the coronavirus high.

Last week, the health ministry estimated the vaccine was only 41 percent effective at halting symptomatic infections over the past month. Protection against severe disease remained strong at 91 percent.

Some experts have criticised the ministry's analysis because of possible bias that could be skewing the data. Others said Israel should wait a little longer to receive more information about the safety and effectiveness of a third shot. (Reuters)

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The death toll in the devastating fire has risen to 92, with over a hundred injured. The Chaldean Primate calls for "unity" to "raise the nation" and prevent similar "disasters" in the future. The condolences and prayers of Pope Francis. A doctor at the facility denounces the absence of security systems.

Baghdad (AsiaNews) - The Chaldean Church and its patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, express "deep sadness and sorrow for the tragic incident" at the Imam Hussein Teaching Hospital in Nassiriya "where more than 90 people died and many others were injured".

In a note sent to AsiaNews following the fire that broke out in the Covid ward of the hospital in the southern Iraqi city, just a few months after a similar incident occurred in a facility in the capital, the cardinal wroted "in offering condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims, expresses its closeness and prayers so that God may grant the victims His vast mercy".

The leaders of the Iraqi Church express the hope is that "this national catastrophe" may "awaken the consciences" of the country's officials and administrators, so that "they may be free from absurd fights" that end up only causing division. This, he added, is the time to "fortify ourselves, join hands and take responsibility" to "overcome this difficult phase" and get the nation "back on its feet" in full "security, stability and guarantee of services, so that such disasters are not repeated in the future".

Condolences and spiritual closeness to the victims were also expressed by Pope Francis in a telegram signed by the secretary of state and sent to the apostolic nuncio in Iraq. The pontiff, who recently underwent surgery and who on Sunday in the Angelus recited in the hospital stressed the importance of an efficient healthcare system, "prays in a special way for the dead" and "invokes God's blessing, consolation and peace for the families, staff and caregivers".

The updated toll of the devastating fire that broke out in the night of 12-13 July in the temporary Covid ward set up near the hospital has risen to 92 dead, with over a hundred injured, some of them seriously. An initial investigation by the police and civil defence revealed that the flames originated from faulty wiring and hit an oxygen cylinder, which then exploded, causing the tragedy.

In the meantime, anger is mounting in the country, especially among the families of the victims, and political controversy is raging in Parliament, not sparing the highest government officials, with widespread accusations of negligence and corruption. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called for national mourning, stressing that "what happened in Nassiriya is a deep wound in the conscience of all Iraqis". He then ordered the arrest of the provincial director of healthcare services, the head of civil defence and the hospital director.

Rescue teams used a heavy crane to remove the charred and melted remains of the burnt Covid ward, while relatives watched helplessly and in despair. At least 20 bodies were burnt to a crisp and can only be identified through DNA testing. Most of the patients in the hospital," explains Dr Aws Adel, "were breathing on ventilators and could not move. Doctors and nurses managed to escape. A hospital doctor, interviewed by Reuters on condition of anonymity, confirmed the absence of safety mecchanisms, including a fire-fighting system capable of extinguishing the flames. "We have complained many times in the last three months that a similar tragedy could have happened at any time, even over a cigarette butt," the doctor concluded.
The Philippine president concerned about the spread of the Delta variant. Only 6% of the population completley vaccinated. The Philippines is the Asian country most affected by Covid-19 after Indonesia.

Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) - "Administer vaccines to anyone who wants to be vaccinated," Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday, opening the vaccination campaign to all citizens.

So far, only 6 % of the population has had double doses and Duterte is concerned about the spread of the Delta variant, which has made Southeast Asia the new epicenter of the pandemic. The government would like to vaccinate 70 of the 110 million citizens by the end of the year.

After these statements, it is unclear whether vaccine doses will soon be administered to those outside the priority groups identified by the authorities, namely the elderly, health workers, and people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Duterte then ordered village leaders to prevent those within their communities who refuse to be vaccinated from leaving their homes: "I am telling you not to leave your homes. If you leave, I will tell the police to take you back to your home because you are a pest," the president said. "If you don't want to help the country by getting vaccinated, then you better stay home."

So far, the government has identified 119 cases of infection from the Delta variant, but experts say it could be many more given the slow genome sequencing capacity in the country.

This week, Philippine authorities suspended flights from Malaysia and Thailand and tightened controls on Manila. With 1.5 million cases and more than 270,000 deaths, the Philippines is the Asian country most affected by recent new waves of Covid-19 after Indonesia. The last week has seen an average of more than 6 thousand new infections per day.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Sukhoi Su-30SME multirole fighter jets and military training aircraft delivered . After China, Russia is the main supplier of weapons to Naypyidaw. Like the Chinese, the Russians support Min Aung Hlaing's coup junta. Burma's military leadership relies on the Kremlin to balance Beijing's influence.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - In recent days Russia has delivered a consignment of Sukhoi Su-30SME multi-role fighter jets and military training aircraft to Myanmar, contracted by the regime a few months ago. Head of the Federal Service for Military Cooperation, Dmitry Sugaev confirmed the sale to Interfax over the weekend.

Sugaev says "the supply of these technologies will significantly strengthen the capabilities of Myanmar's military aviation." During the Maks-2021 Air Show, in the presence of Vladimir Putin, he explained that "Naypyidaw remains one of Russia's key partners in Southeast Asia."

Myanmar has been using Russian Mig-29 and Jak-130 aircrafts for a long time; the two countries have a close cooperation in the military field, as confirmed by the head of the Russian war trade agency Rosoboronexport, Aleksandr Mikheev.

Sipri reports that between 2011 and 2020 Moscow sold weapons to Naypyidaw for 649 million euros. With sales of 1.2 billion, China is the leading supplier of armaments to Myanmar.

Russia is actively supporting the Myanmar Armed Forces, which seized power on February 1 in a military coup led by General Min Aung Hlaing. The Russians (like the Chinese) have refused to condemn the action, arguing that the Tatmadaw (the Burmese army) is the only force capable of guaranteeing unity and peace in the multi-ethnic country. The USA, the European Union and Great Britain have imposed sanctions against those responsible for the coup.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin visited Naypyidaw in March. He conducted negotiations with local military leaders and also attended the parade in honor of the 76th anniversary of the establishment of the Burmese Armed Forces. Defense Minister Sergei Sojgu, one of President Putin's closest men, had visited Myanmar in January, signing several agreements even then for the delivery of Pantsir-C1 short-range anti-aircraft missile systems, Orlan-10E reconnaissance drones and radio-location stations.

A Myanmar military delegation traveled to Russia last month to learn about Pantsir production techniques, accompanied by Aung Hlaing himself and Air Force Chief Maung Maung Kiaw.

Military cooperation with Russia serves Myanmar to balance (at least in part) the preponderant influence of China on the political life of the country, of which it is the largest trading partner and the main investor. Myanmar is an integral part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi Jinping's mega-infrastructure project to make Beijing the pivot of world trade.

On his trip to Russia, Aung Hlaing had complained about "foreign state" interference in supporting rebel ethnic minorities on Myanmar's northern border," which faces China's Yunnan province. Balancing Chinese and Russian influence is a political game Myanmar has been trying to play since the 1990s.
The impactor believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs and other life forms on Earth some 66 million years ago likely came from the outer half of the main asteroid belt, a region previously thought to produce few impactors.



Researchers from Southwest Research Institute have shown that the processes that deliver large asteroids to Earth from that region occur at least 10 times more frequently than previously thought and that the composition of these bodies match what we know of the dinosaur-killing impactor.

The SwRI team -- including Dr. David Nesvorny, Dr. William Bottke and Dr. Simone Marchi -- combined computer models of asteroid evolution with observations of known asteroids to investigate the frequency of so-called Chicxulub events. Over 66 million years ago, a body estimated to be 6 miles across hit in what is now Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and formed Chicxulub crater, which is over 90 miles across. This massive blast triggered a mass extinction event that ended the reign of the dinosaurs. Over the last several decades, much has been learned about the Chicxulub event, but every advance has led to new questions.

"Two critical ones still unanswered are: 'What was the source of the impactor?' and 'How often did such impact events occur on Earth in the past?'" Bottke said.

To probe the Chicxulub impact, geologists have previously examined 66-million-year-old rock samples found on land and within drill cores. The results indicate the impactor was similar to the carbonaceous chondrite class of meteorites, some of the most pristine materials in the solar system. Curiously, while carbonaceous chondrites are common among the many mile-wide bodies that approach the Earth, none today are close to the sizes needed to produce the Chicxulub impact with any kind of reasonable probability.

"We decided to look for where the siblings of the Chicxulub impactor might be hiding," said Nesvorny, lead author of a paper describing the research.

"To explain their absence, several past groups have simulated large asteroid and comet breakups in the inner solar system, looking at surges of impacts on Earth with the largest one producing Chicxulub crater," said Bottke, one of the paper's co-authors. "While many of these models had interesting properties, none provided a satisfying match to what we know about asteroids and comets. It seemed like we were still missing something important."

To solve this problem, the team used computer models that track how objects escape the main asteroid belt, a zone of small bodies located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Over eons, thermal forces allow these objects to drift into dynamical "escape hatches" where the gravitational kicks of the planets can push them into orbits nearing Earth. Using NASA's Pleaides Supercomputer, the team followed 130,000 model asteroids evolving in this slow, steady manner for hundreds of millions of years. Particular attention was given to asteroids located in the outer half of the asteroid belt, the part that is furthest from the Sun. To their surprise, they found that 6-mile-wide asteroids from this region strike the Earth at least 10 times more often than previously calculated.

"This result is intriguing not only because the outer half of the asteroid belt is home to large numbers of carbonaceous chondrite impactors, but also because the team's simulations can, for the first time, reproduce the orbits of large asteroids on the verge of approaching Earth," said co-author Marchi. "Our explanation for the source of the Chicxulub impactor fits in beautifully with what we already know about how asteroids evolve."

Overall, the team found that 6-mile-wide asteroids hit the Earth once every 250 million years on average, a timescale that yields reasonable odds that the Chicxulub crater occurred 66 million years ago. Moreover, nearly half of impacts were from carbonaceous chondrites, a good match with what is known about the Chicxulub impactor.

"This work will help us better understand the nature of the Chicxulub impact, while also telling us where other large impactors from Earth's deep past might have originated," Nesvorny said.

The journal Icarus is publishing a paper about this research, "Dark Primitive Asteroids Account for a Large Share of K/Pg-Scale Impacts on the Earth" (Volume 368, 1 November 2021, 114621, Elsevier publications).

A link to the published paper can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114621 , while a preprint is available here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.03458.

For more information, visit Planetary Science or contact Deb Schmid, +1 210 522 2254, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.

About SwRI:

SwRI is an independent, nonprofit, applied research and development organization based in San Antonio, Texas, with approximately 3,000 employees and an annual research volume of nearly $696 million. Southwest Research Institute and SwRI are registered marks in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For more information, please visit www.swri.org.

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Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (Geely Auto or the Company) announced on Wednesday it has signed an agreement with Jirun Automobile and Sunwoda to build a joint venture engaging in the development, production, and sales of hybrid power battery cells, battery modules, and battery packs.

Emgrand EV Pro; photo credit: Geely Auto



Jirun Automobile is an indirect 99% owned subsidiary of Geely Auto. Sunwoda is a China-based company principally working on offering electric vehicle battery-system solutions worldwide.

According to the Company's announcement, the joint venture involves a registered capital of 100 million ($15.417 million), and will be contributed as to 41.5%, 30%, and 28.5% by Jirun Automobile, Sunwoda, and Geely Auto respectively.

Business scope of the joint venture will extend to cover the development, production, sales, and after-sales service of lithium ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, power batteries, energy storage batteries, battery management systems, and rechargeable battery packs. In addition, it will also engage in technical services, testing services as well as consulting services for lithium batteries and related products.

Geely Auto claimed that the joint venture will utilize the strength, resources, and expertise of all parties in the local manufacturing of batteries for new energy vehicles, so as to ensure a stable supply of electric vehicle batteries for the Company and its subsidies.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Lei Jun, founder, chairman and CEO of Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi, on July 28 posted a job ad via his Weibo account for the company's autonomous driving business unit, which intends to enlist 500 technicians for in-house developed Level 4 smart driving capability.

Photo credit: Lei Jun's Weibo account



By scanning the QR code on the job ad, Gasgoo found out that the talents are currently recruited for 27 autonomous driving-related posts, including the engineers specializing in in-car basic architecture, decision-making, millimeter-wave algorithm, development tool, embedded system, high-precision map, algorithm optimization, data center, sensors and simulation platform, and the managers for autonomous driving tests, projects and products.

The job ad shows that staff members are allowed to work in many cities of China. However, most of the aforementioned jobs are distributed in Haidian district, Beijing, where Xiaomi is headquartered.

On July 22, Xiaomi released a slew of job listings for complete vehicle engineering, encompassing the engineers of safety simulation analysis, NVH simulation analysis, and rival product analysis. Notably, Shanghai's Xuhui district is one of the regions where those posts are located.

Xiaomi announced its foray into electric vehicle sphere on March 30, 2021. The company plans to invest about $10 billion over the next decade in manufacturing EVs, and Lei Jun will lead the new standalone EV division.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Beijing-based AI solution provider Horizon Robotics launched on July 29 its new-generation smart driving chip Journey 5. The full-scenario intelligent complete vehicle solution and computing platform built on the newly-launched chip were unveiled at the same time.

The Journey 5 chip is Horizon Robotics' third-generation automotive-grade AI chip following the Journey 2 and the Journey 3.



Photo credit: Horizon Robotics

Used in smart vehicle computing platform, the Journey 5 is available for rapid volume production, the first of its kind in China. The company said it outperforms NVIDIA's Orin in terms of running points. Single chip of the Journey 5 boasts an AI powering power of up to 128 TOPS.

Moreover, the newly-launched chip supports 16-channel camera perception and the demands for multi-sensor fusion, prediction, planning, and control.

The startup claimed the Journey 5 is Chinas first automotive-grade AI chip according with the ISO 26262 functional safety automotive standard.

The computing platform based on the Journey 5 chip features an AI computing power of 200-1,000 TOPS. The company said the platform can create more possibilities for improving intelligent performances of front-view perception, panoramic visual perception, fully automatic driving, multi-sensor fusion, multimodal perception, and positioning decision-making.

In the meantime, the chip developer launched the smart automobile solution named Horizon Matrix SuperDrive that integrates full-scenario driving automation, in-car human-machine interaction, and the connection between the spaces inside and outside car. Riding on the Journey 5-based computing platform, the solution combines up to 47 sensors and can meet the automotive intelligence demands in scenarios like highways, urban areas, car parking, and human-machine interaction.
Commentary: U.S. must treat China equally before bilateral ties normalize

Xinhua) 08:14, July 29, 2021

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The United States must treat China equally, discard its habitual bullying of China, and interact with China with a healthy and normal mindset before bilateral relations move forward and hopefully return to normality.

This is a lesson the United States must learn from Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's recent visit to China, during which in-depth and candid talks were held between her and senior Chinese diplomats including State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng.

While meeting with Sherman, Wang underlined three basic demands as bottom lines that China firmly upholds: the United States must not challenge, slander or even attempt to subvert the path and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics; it must not attempt to obstruct or interrupt China's development process; and it must not infringe upon China's state sovereignty, or even damage China's territorial integrity.

However, it is unrealistic to solve the fundamental differences between the two countries quickly.

The root cause of the stalemate and the difficulties facing China-U.S. relations is that some politicians in the United States see China through colored spectacles or even treat China as an "imagined enemy."

Moreover, given the differences between China and the United States in ideology, culture, and history, and considering the fast-changing global landscape complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is hard for the bilateral relations to improve substantially for now.

In contrast to the United States, China sees China-U.S. relations equally with a positive and open mindset.

China develops itself with no intention to challenge or replace the United States. As Foreign Minister Wang Yi put it, "we take no interest in betting on U.S. winnings or losses. China's development is not based on the premise of U.S. decline."

And China expects the United States to treat China the same way.

Beijing has tried to steer the direction of China-U.S. relations in the right way. It has made great efforts in preventing bilateral relations from further deteriorating or even getting out of control.

Next, it's up to Washington to face up to the propositions made by Beijing and show its sincerity with concrete actions in mending bilateral ties.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China's laws on military personnel, facilities to take effect on Aug. 1

Xinhua) 08:16, July 29, 2021

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- China's brand new law on the protection of the status, rights and interests of military personnel and the revised Law on Military Facilities Protection will take effect on Aug. 1, according to a press conference Wednesday.

As a ground-breaking legal document, the law on the protection of the status, rights and interests of military personnel prescribes the status of military personnel through legislation for the first time, and ramps up targeted measures to protect military personnel's wellbeing, said Guo Linmao, an official with the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

The newly-revised Law on Military Facilities Protection sets forth the principle of coordinating socio-economic development and military facilities protection, and defines the responsibility of local governments and relevant State Council bodies in protecting military facilities during socio-economic and land-use planning, said Tong Weidong, an official with the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee.

Both laws were adopted on June 10 during the 29th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee.

Aug. 1 marks China's Army Day.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China to improve management of central budgetary research funding, give researchers greater discretion in fund use

Xinhua) 08:59, July 29, 2021

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- China will further reform and refine the management of central budgetary research funding to give researchers greater discretion in fund use and better motivate them to concentrate on research, the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Wednesday.

To earnestly act upon the new development philosophy, China will continue to uphold the central role of innovation in the country's modernization drive. In view of acute concerns of researchers, regulations on fund management that are inconsistent with the laws governing scientific research will be overhauled.

"China is giving greater prominence to innovation-driven development. With the guiding principles and broad policies in place, the new policies introduced this time are part of the response to the views and recommendations of research institutes and researchers over some time, and what we need is to ensure their last-mile delivery on the ground," Li said.

Budget compilation will be streamlined. The nine-plus items subject to budget accounting will be cut to three. The power over budget re-assignment regarding equipment costs and others will all be delegated to institutes undertaking research projects. The creation of ceilings in funding that enable the retention of unused funds will be promoted in basic research projects and talent-related programs.

Researchers will be given greater incentives. The proportion of indirect funding in research projects will be increased to see that as much as half of research funding is used for personnel purposes. For purely theoretical basic research projects such as mathematics, the share of indirect funding may be raised to 60 percent. Research institutes may spend all indirect funding on performance-based expenditures.

The scope of labor service expenses will be expanded. Social insurance subsidies and housing provident funds paid by research institutes for personnel hired in research projects will be included in labor service expenses. Cash rewards for the commercialization of research outcomes will not be limited by the total amount of performance-based salary in the institute concerned, or used for approving the performance-based salary base for the next year.

"We must resolutely support basic research. Researchers need to fully devote themselves to their research, and do well in basic research in the same spirit as a blacksmith in the past who would spend years forging a perfect sword. This is of vital and long-term significance in boosting China's strength in science and technology," Li said.

Fund allocation will be made at a faster pace. Funds should be channeled to project undertakers within 30 days upon the signing of project contracts. After a project is complete, project undertakers may keep the surplus project funding for direct research expenditures. International cooperation and exchange expenses listed in research funding will not be counted as spending on official overseas visits, official vehicles and official hospitality.

New formats of budgetary research funding support will be developed. Lead scientists will be given the discretion to decide what to study, how to build teams and how to use funds in line with the priorities and scopes on the country's agenda. A "budget plus negative list" management model will be implemented in new types of research and development (R&D) institutes.

Except for special provisions, research outcomes and intellectual property generated with budgetary funding support will be obtained by new-type R&D institutes in accordance with law, and their application and promotion decided by the new-type R&D institutes.

Research projects will be equipped with financial assistants by relevant parties in providing specialized services such as budget compilation and reimbursement, to ease the administrative burden on researchers. Related labor costs can be covered by the project funding and other channels. Supervision of research funding will be refined, and audit and accounting-based oversight enforced pursuant to laws and regulations.

"Competent departments must rigorously implement the aforementioned policies. The State Council General Office should step up accountability inspections and compliance oversight," Li said. "Real support for researchers cannot materialize unless these policy measures are fully delivered."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Tibetan family's journey to relishing prosperity through adversity

Xinhua) 10:40, July 29, 2021

Photo taken on Jan. 15, 2021 shows a wild yak on northern Tibetan plateau, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

LHASA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Changchub Wangdu, an entrepreneur hailing from Nagqu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, had expected his parents to move to the regional capital Lhasa, as he considers the place more suitable for his ailing mother due to its low altitude and a better climate compared with his hometown.

"My parents have been through a lot of hardships. They deserve a better life," said the Tibetan.

Eighth among his nine siblings, the 26-year-old knows how much his parents toiled all their lives as yak herders.

The couple saved homemade yak butter in exchange for money to support the children, and even the elder siblings used to save yak meat for the younger ones.

"During hospital visits, my sick mother had to carry one kid in her arms and another on her back," Changchub Wangdu said, adding that she had to go and herd yaks the very next day after delivering a baby.

At the age of 15, Changchub Wangdu was admitted to a vocational school in Nagqu, majoring in Tibetan medicine. To reduce the burden of tuition costs on his family, he applied for an internship at a local private clinic operated by a Han man from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Although they were not related, Changchub Wangdu used to call the man "uncle."

"I learned how to fill a prescription and administer an injection in the clinic. Instead of paying me wages, my uncle covered all my tuition fees," he said.

After completing his studies at the vocational school, Changchub Wangdu sold second-hand cars for several months before finding a job in a security company, escorting convoys transferring cash for banks and other companies. He is now the manager at the Nagqu branch of the company, earning more than 100,000 yuan (about 15,400 U.S. dollars) a year.

Taking some money on loan from a bank and borrowing some from his Han "uncle," Changchub Wangdu opened a restaurant serving Tibetan cuisine in May 2019. The eatery generated more than 100,000 yuan worth of profit in the following year.

Last year, Changchub Wangdu spent more than 600,000 yuan on a single-bedroom apartment in Lhasa, where his parents have moved in.

This month, Wangchen, Changchub Wangdu's grandfather, came to visit the new home in Lhasa from the city of Golmud, Qinghai Province, traveling along the very road where the 76-year-old once used to work.

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 28, 2021 shows a section of the No.109 national highway, the Qinghai-Tibet railway, a high-grade highway and a village-level road (L to R) between Lhasa and Nagqu in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.(Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

Wangchen retired in 1997 after working as a road maintenance worker at the Nagqu section of the Qinghai-Tibet highway that links Tibet with the rest of China. Nine years later, the Qinghai-Tibet railway traversing through Nagqu and Golmud went into operation.

"Who could have imagined decades ago that one day we would have highways, railways and our own apartment in Tibet? Life has changed a lot," said Wangchen.

Born in 1945 in Nagqu, Wangchen used to be a serf, sleeping in a sheepfold. His feudal lord often flogged him for trivial things and made him starve.

"In winter, my pants soaked with blood and snow water in the sheepfold would freeze as hard as a wooden board," Wangchen told his grandson, adding that he had to hunt to fill his stomach.

Following Tibet's peaceful liberation in 1951, Wangchen for the first time met the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The soldiers gave him clothes as well as biscuits, a luxury that he had never had before.

Wangchen's life as a serf finally ended in 1959, when the democratic reform was launched in Tibet and feudal serfdom was abolished. Wangchen was later allocated ranch and yaks, and started learning Chinese by himself.

In 1962, eight years after the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet highway, Wangchen was hired as a road maintenance worker and he worked in that position until retirement.

Now, he earns a monthly pension of 9,000 yuan, and volunteers to clean streets and pick up garbage every day.

"I'm grateful that I'm given such a high pension for doing nothing. The cleaning work is the least that I can do to repay the society," Wangchen said.

By the end of 2019, all 628,000 registered poor residents and 74 poor counties in Tibet shook off destitution, marking the end of absolute poverty in Tibet for the first time in history, according to a white paper released in May.

The average per capita disposable income of rural residents was 14,598 yuan in 2020, up 12.7 percent over the previous year and representing double-digit annual growth for the past 18 years, the white paper noted.

Optimistic about the prospects of his restaurant business, Changchub Wangdu has decided to open another outlet, which is currently being decorated.

"I want to create a restaurant chain brand in Nagqu," he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Fight against climate change opens new avenues for China-EU cooperation

Xinhua) 13:10, July 29, 2021

Photo taken on June 17, 2021 shows part of the Qinghai-Henan UHV DC power transmission line in Henan Mongolian Autonomous County of Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo by Xie Lirong/Xinhua)

Having set ambitious climate targets and drawn up sweeping plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions, both China and the European Union are staying on track to pursue sustainable development and thereby to shape a green future, which opens up new vistas for bilateral cooperation.

FRANKFURT, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Shuttling between stations in an assembly hall of a manufacturing base located in the Sino-France Ecology Park in Chengdu, several automated electric trucks carry materials in an orderly and efficient manner, enabling a brand-new car to roll off the production line in less than 20 hours.

The ecology park, home to the manufacturing base of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company Ltd. (DPCA), is a cooperative project between China and a number of European countries. Inaugurated in 2017, the project aims at excelling in smart transportation, smart energy, high-end equipment manufacturing, energy saving and environmental protection.

"By introducing the latest technology from France, we are now able to reduce volatile organic compound emissions when spraying sealer, and make the painting process more environmentally friendly and energy-saving," said DPCA representative Xu Changyu.

According to him, the entire process management at the DPCA Chengdu plant was designed to support a low-carbon economy and to foster environmental protection, and the plant's practical experiences have been highly praised and shared by its France-based parent firm Groupe PSA.

Having set ambitious climate targets and drawn up sweeping plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions, both China and the European Union (EU) are staying on track to pursue sustainable development and thereby to shape a green future, which opens up new vistas for bilateral cooperation.

People are seen on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris, France, on March 20, 2021. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)

FIRM DETERMINATION

As active players in the fight against climate change within the multinational framework, China and the EU share the firm determination to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

China has announced that it will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, while the EU aims to become climate neutral by 2050 and reduce net emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

Furthermore, China has included carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in its overall plan for ecological conservation, and promoted the development of a green and low-carbon circular economy in an all-round way, which paves the way for the largest developing country to complete the world's most dramatic reduction in carbon emission intensity.

China is ready to work with Europe to ensure positive outcomes at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Chinese President Xi Jinping said earlier this month during a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The EU has also unveiled ambitious climate policies, notably the European Green Deal -- a package of measures ranging from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in cutting-edge research and innovation to preserving the natural environment.

"Climate change and the transition to greener and more sustainable growth are surely key areas in which Sino-European cooperation can change the future of the planet," Xu Haifeng, chairman of both the Bank of China (Luxembourg) S.A. and the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU, said at the virtual China-EU Green Economic Cooperation and Development Summit held early July.

The headquarters building of the European Commission is seen through Christmas decorations at Schuman Square in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

PRAGMATIC APPROACH

As bilateral collaboration in e-mobility, new energy and green finance is gaining momentum, China and Europe have significant opportunities to strengthen their win-win relationship in a pragmatic manner.

In fact, the volume of cross-border investment between China and Europe in green tech projects has been on a steady increase.

In the end of June, Envision AESC, the battery arm of Shanghai-headquartered global green tech company Envision Group, announced its intention to build a battery factory at France's second-largest automaker Renault's ElectriCity site in Douai, northern France.

According to Envision AESC, the factory, which is the first digitalized and low-carbon battery plant in France, will reach a capacity of 24 GWh by 2030.

Macron has welcomed the arrival of the Envision Group in France. "With an investment of two billion euros (about 2.37 billion U.S. dollars) on the part of the (Envision) group, the plant will become one of the largest battery producers in Europe," Macron's office has said, adding that it was good news for employment in the Hauts-de-France region as 1,000 jobs will have been created by 2024.

Similarly, with the goal of promoting green and low-carbon energy cooperation between China and the EU, the Shanghai Electric Power Company has focused on building green energy projects in Malta and Montenegro.

The company is in the process of transforming Gozo in Malta into a pilot "zero carbon island." This project will integrate wind energy, solar energy, energy storage, hydrogen and comprehensive smart energy.

Visitors view exhibits at China Building Science Conference and Green Intelligent Building Expo in the national convention and exhibition center in Tianjin, north China, June 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Seres, the electric vehicle (EV) unit of China's Chongqing Sokon Industry Group (Sokon), is among those Chinese EV manufacturers that are exploring the European market as well as expanding cooperation with European partners.

Sokon's EVs have already entered 12 foreign markets, including Germany, Spain, France and Italy, contributing to the local efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, Wan Zhijun, deputy general manager of Chongqing Sokon Motor Imp. &Exp. Co., Ltd., told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, the exchanges of technical and regulatory experiences in green development between China and Europe are becoming increasingly intense.

For example, the UNEP DTU Partnership, a collaboration between the United Nations Environment Programme, the Technical University of Denmark and the Danish development agency Candia, has for several years worked directly with Chinese cities to develop and implement green solutions for district heating.

On July 1, the Danish Energy Agency and the UNEP DTU Partnership signed a strategic collaboration agreement to facilitate the exchange of technical and regulatory knowledge and experiences with selected countries, including China.

"With this new initiative, we will strengthen co-thinking and join forces," said Kristoffer Bottzauw, director general of the Danish Energy Agency.

"In this way, we can stimulate the strategic approach in our cooperation with China and support the transformation of the Chinese energy system for the benefit of us all," he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Fifty countries confirmed participation in fourth CIIE

13:17, July 29, 2021 By Shang Kaiyuan, Luo Shanshan ( People's Daily

Citizens and visitors shop at a commodity fair in Shanghai that gathers nearly 10,000 types of featured products and goods once exhibited at the China International Import Expo from 40 countries and regions, May 1, 2021. (Photo by Yan Daming/People's Daily Online)

Over 50 countries have confirmed their participation in the country exhibition of the fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE), which is scheduled to be held from November 5 to 10 this year in Shanghai.

The six-day event will consist of a business exhibition, a country exhibition, the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, and a host of other activities. All preparations are well under way, and the planned 360,000 square meters of exhibition areas have been booked.

The fourth CIIE 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.

More Fortune Global 500 companies and industrial leaders will join this year's CIIE. Over 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 companies and industrial leaders that attended the last session will again take part in this year's event, and the event will also see 30 newcomers from this group. Large batches of new products, technologies and services will make their world or China debut at this year's CIIE.

Country exhibition of the CIIE is going online this year. Countries disposed will be invited to showcase their national image and present their trade and investment advantages on the official website of the CIIE through VR and 3D modeling technologies.

A commodity fair is opened in Nanjing Road Walkway, Shanghai, turning exhibits showcased at the annual China International Import Expo into commodities. Photo taken on June 14, 2021 shows citizens buying featured products from Africa at the commodity fair. (Photo by Chen Yuyu/People's Daily Online)

The Hongqiao International Economic Forum will include a main forum and several sub-forums, focusing on global economic cooperation in the post-pandemic era. The sub-forums will be held both online and offline, and the discussion will cover topics such as building a new development paradigm, establishing an open world economy, and the new round of technological revolution.

The Lesaffre Group from France is an important player in the yeast and fermentation industry. It has been doing business in the Chinese market for 40 years, and it will be the fourth time straight for the French company to join the CIIE this year. At the third CIIE, the company signed an agreement with Chinese snack giant Bestore. It hopes the fourth CIIE can build a bridge of cooperation between itself and more Chinese enterprises.

Philippe Poulin, president of Lesaffre Greater China, said the CIIE not only is an exhibition platform, but also gathers enterprises in industrial chains with its professional mechanism and helps them carry out cooperation and build partnerships. It's a perfect cooperation platform, he told People's Daily.

American company Edwards Lifesciences attended the CIIE last year for the first time ., where it exhibited a transcatheter aortic valve system. It was the first product exhibited by the company in China, and attracted wide attention from the Chinese medical industry. In less than a year since it was sold on the Chinese market, it has been used in over 200 surgeries in more than 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. This year, the exhibition area of the company will be expanded from 200 to 300 square meters.

A customer buys products imported from Europe at a commodity fair that sells exhibits displayed at the China International Import Expo, May 6, 2021. (Photo by Wang Gang/People's Daily Online)

The broad and intensive influence of the CIIE is bringing frontier technologies to both the public and professionals, and accelerating the translation of innovations in China. A leadless pacemaker produced by medical technology provider Medtronic headquartered in Ireland was exhibited at the first CIIE, and nearly 2,000 such products have been implanted in China during the past three years. A staff member of the company's public relations division said the company hopes to showcase more advanced innovative medical technologies at the fourth CIIE, to bring the charm of these technologies closer to the public and further put innovative treatment into practice in China.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
The "leadership" the US plans to renew hurts the world

13:28, July 29, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily

Tourists are seen near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, July 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Different from its predecessor that frequently withdrew the US from international organizations and treaties, the new administration in the White House has been declaring "America is back" since it was established, vowing to "renew American leadership."

However, Washington's hegemonic and arbitrary attitude on the origin tracing of COVID-19, which is still rampant around the world, is disappointing more and more countries, and presenting a clearer image of the so-called "leadership" that the US is trying to renew.

To duck responsibilities for the failure of pandemic control, and divert people's dissatisfaction with the government's poor performance on solving inter-party conflicts, narrowing social divide and driving economic recovery, the current administration in the White House just returned to the old path of hegemony pursued by its predecessor.

To discredit and oppress China, the US is forming cliques and playing the blame game. It shows no respect to science and runs counter to justice. Facts prove that the so-called "leadership" Washington aims to renew is just huge damage to the global anti-pandemic efforts.

The US is the biggest force driving politicization of origin tracing. It has done everything in an attempt to achieve its secret political goals. Over the past year, the coronavirus mutated frequently as it swept around the world, which has triggered an increasingly stronger demand for joint efforts to cope with the pandemic. However, considering itself as the world's strongest science power and often stressing the importance of investigation, the US has always ignored science and facts. It called its allies to pressure the WHO on origin tracing of COVID-19, made its intelligent departments to find the origins of the virus, and repeatedly speculated the so-called "lab leak theory," blatantly spreading political virus on WHO and other international platforms.

The above dangerous practices of the US have triggered doubts and criticism. Nature magazine said that hostile demands for an investigation into the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) will backfire, because they often sound like allegations. Mexican epidemiologist Gerardo Perez also noted that the US now again raises the issue of origin tracing mainly out of self-interests. However, generating a search for guilty right now is truly idle, he added.

The wrongful remarks and practices of Washington on origin tracing reveal its zero-sum and confrontation mentality in dealing with international affairs. As it is known to all, the last US administration advocated "America first" and withdrew the country from multiple international organizations and treaties, and constantly bullied other countries with its hegemony, which triggered wide opposition from the international society. To rebuild its image, the current administration is acting like it's sorry for the past and spouting multilateralism and international responsibility. However, everyone can still see that the foreign policy of the current US administration is just old wine in a new bottle, no matter how hard American politicians are trying to sell it. To protect American hegemony, the current administration in the White House is also trampling on international rules and destroying international cooperation.

The French newspaper Les Echos said the priorities of Washington are not very different from what they were when Donald Trump was in office. Melvyn Krauss, emeritus professor of economics at New York University pointed out that the foreign policy outlined by the incumbent US President was not all that different from his rococo predecessors America First credo, and the current administration has been following a form of America first policy even in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Compared with the last US administration, the current one obviously has spent more energy on forming cliques. It is more "skilled" and adept at practicing unilateralism under the banner of multilateralism, following the principle of "America first" in a more deceptive disguise.

Many US politicians believe that such fake multilateralism could deceive the world and renew the "leadership" of the US. How ridiculous they are!

Amid the global challenge of COVID-19, the real leadership is embodied only by the concrete efforts to promote solidarity and cooperation, rather than blame game. It lies in the respect to science and facts, not political manipulation.

In the race between mankind and COVID-19, Washington has ignored people's lives and health, prioritized its international influence, and oppressed other countries. Such wrongful practices would only fail the US on its way to renew the so-called "leadership" and trigger more opposition.

Joseph Sullivan, senior advisor at the Lindsey Group said in an article he published on Foreign Policy that the White House is still continuing to pursue US interests in a way that hurts the rest of the world.

Major countries must take their responsibilities when the world is in urgent need of solidarity and cooperation to tide over difficulties. The US, addicted to confrontation games, has become the largest stumbling block for global solidarity and cooperation. In the 21st century, any country that holds onto Cold War mentality, employs outdated Cold War approaches, or forms cliques to oppress other countries would only be abandoned by the times, and there is no chance for it to renew the so-called "leadership."

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Bianji)
China gathers pace in integrating new technologies into transportation sector

13:55, July 29, 2021 By Yu Sinan ( People's Daily

Photo shows autonomous vehicles of Chinese tech giant Baidu parked at the New Shougang High-end Industry Comprehensive Service Park in Beijing. (Photo by Du Yifei/Peoples Daily)

In May, Changsha, capital city of central Chinas Hunan province, put into trial operation its first smart commuter bus, which is connected via the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) to traffic lights at 26 crossings along the bus route from Yuelu district to High-Tech Industrial Development Zone of the city.

When the bus arrives at an intersection, the traffic light automatically turns green on the premise of safety, thus ensuring that it passes smoothly.

Thanks to the bus, I can sleep half an hour longer before going to work, said a resident surnamed Xing in Yuelu district.

Recently, Chinas first batch of shared robotaxis, which are operated by Chinese tech giant Baidu, was officially launched in Beijing. Users can order robotaxi service through a mobile app.

These robotaxis are completely unmanned. Relevant information about the ride, such as the starting point, destination, and speed limit, is displayed on the screen in the vehicle, which is able to decide the route according to road conditions. Human intervention is not needed unless there is an emergency.

Intelligent transportation is the result of comprehensive application of information, communication, and sensing technologies to transportation.

An officer of the urban management and law enforcement bureau in Haigang district, Qinhuangdao city, north Chinas Hebei province, demonstrates how a smart platform records the route of a muck truck, April 8, 2021. (Photo by Cao Jianxiong/Peoples Daily Online)

Unlike the traditional way of improving transportation intelligence mainly through equipment integration, new-generation information technologies including AI and 5G are expected to promote the leapfrog development of intelligent transportation.

Equipped with advanced AI, radar and geographic information technologies, the brain of vehicles has evolved rapidly, which gives vehicles better vision and intelligence quotient that enable them to make decisions on their own, representing a great stride of driverless vehicles.

The rapidly developing 5G technology, which features low latency and wide connection, is considered a powerful tool for pushing ahead intelligent transportation. For example, it has guaranteed accurate, reliable, and extremely quick-response transmission signal for controlling subway trains running in autonomous driving mode.

Photo taken on March 21, 2021, shows a self-driving sanitation vehicle in Suzhou, east Chinas Jiangsu province. (Photo by Lin Hai/Peoples Daily Online)

In April, Shenzhen city, south Chinas Guangdong province, put into operation its first 5G-based driverless subway line.

Various fields of transportation industry are making efforts to advance intelligent transportation, from optimizing the control of traffic lights to establishing a smart platform for urban transportation.

Smart transportation is at its start-up stage, and will soon embrace rapid growth, according to Nie Yuren, general director of the solution department of Baidus Intelligent Driving Group.

Despite the huge potential, intelligent transportation still has a long way to go in terms of large-scale application on the whole. Intelligent transportation cannot run well without a set of mutually supporting systems. The lack of any one single part of these systems may result in failure of the operation of the whole intelligent transportation system.

For example, the realization of high-level autonomous driving requires both smart vehicles and smart roads, which calls for the establishment of a vehicle-road collaboration network involving intelligent infrastructure, data-based decision-making and management systems.

Yunba, an autonomous vehicle developed by Chinese vehicle manufacturer BYD runs in Bishan district, southwest Chinas Chongqing municipality, April 20, 2021. (Photo by Sun Kaifang/Peoples Daily Online)

Chinese government departments and transportation industry players are putting into efforts to improve the weak links of smart transportation. In May, relevant Chinese authorities stressed that the country would further promote the integration of single vehicle intelligence and IoV and speed up the industrialization of intelligent connected vehicles.

Chinas faster new infrastructure construction will provide solid underpinning for the coordinated development of vehicles and roads, said Zhang Yaqin, chair professor at the Tsinghua University as well as head of the Institute for AI Industry Research under the university. Zhang believes the vehicle-road collaboration network will be continuously improved with progressing technical solutions.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China blasts U.S. for political manipulation of pandemic at UN meeting

Xinhua) 14:11, July 29, 2021

UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday blasted the United States for manipulating the COVID-19 pandemic for political purposes, noting the move is doomed to failure.

"We advise the United States that political manipulation cannot defeat the pandemic. It will find little support. It is doomed to failure," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told an informal meeting of the UN General Assembly on pandemic preparedness and response.

Dai criticized the United States for once again abusing the UN platform, and using the study of the COVID-19 origins "as an issue to engage in political manipulation."

Dai said politicizing the issue "completely runs counter" to the intent of the UN meeting. "China categorically rejects this," Dai added.

China has been an active participant in international cooperation on uncovering the origins of the virus, having twice invited World Health Organization experts to conduct joint research, Dai noted.

"The experts visited all the places they had wanted to visit. They met with all the people they had wanted to meet. They reached the science-based conclusion that it was extremely unlikely that the virus was leaked from the laboratory. The experts further proposed the search for possible early cases on a global scale. And these important suggestions have received broad endorsement internationally," he added.

Dai believed that the next phase of origin tracing should focus on the study of "the many early cases that have already been identified in various places around the world," and that origin tracing cooperation should be undertaken in multiple locations around the globe.

The United States "is disregarding facts. It is using political manipulation for the purpose of deflecting the attention to its botched response to the pandemic for the purpose of smearing other countries," Dai said, noting that the United States is "deliberately disinforming" the world.

"They have completely lost their scientific integrity and paid scant attention to moral standards. It has used all sorts of means to interfere with the original tracing international cooperation. This is condemned by the international community," he added.

"My advice to the United States is to respect science, save lives, stop undermining international cooperation in the fight against pandemic and the study of the origin."

"The United States should welcome WHO experts to conduct origin research in the United States with an open and transparent attitude," Dai added.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Infographics: Tibet and its development over the past seven decades

People's Daily Online) 14:17, July 29, 2021

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet autonomous region. Since 1951, the people of Tibet have broken free from the fetters of invading imperialism for good, and embarked on a bright road of unity, progress and development with all the other ethnic groups in China.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Politicizing COVID-19 fight is perilous, says S. African official

Xinhua) 14:25, July 29, 2021

A man receives COVID-19 test at a mobile testing site in Times Square, New York, the United States, on July 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Anwar Adams, a councillor in the City of Cape Town, voiced his concerns that politicizing COVID-19 fight is perilous in an article published by the Pretoria News.

"In particular, the Fort Detrick lab in the United States has been identified as one such location where serious origin-tracing of COVID-19 should be investigated," he said.

JOHANNESBURG, July 29 (Xinhua) -- As the rest of the world tries to fight the COVID-19 pandemic with science, some in the United States have chosen to politicize COVID-19, Anwar Adams, a councillor in the City of Cape Town has said.

In an article published by the Pretoria News on Tuesday, Adams voiced his concerns that politicizing COVID-19 fight is perilous.

Adams noted that one of the recommendations made by the international team visiting China on origin tracing was that future origin-tracing research should also be expanded to other locations outside China.

A pedestrian walks past a COVID-19 testing billboard in New York, the United States, July 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"In particular, the Fort Detrick lab in the United States has been identified as one such location where serious origin-tracing of COVID-19 should be investigated," he said in the article.

Adams said reports suggest that the lab had stored various deadly viruses. Other reports even suggest that anthrax bacterium had been stolen from the lab in the past and a leakage incident in the autumn of 2019, just before the global outbreak of COVID-19, he added.

"Yet despite this evidence, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in particular, has been under pressure from the United States to keep the focus on China and ensure that the U.S. narrative -- that COVID-19 came from Wuhan -- continues," said Adams.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the World Health Organization has cautioned against politicizing the COVID-19 fight, said Adams. "However, it seems that it has finally started to buckle under pressure from the United States."

The continuous politicization of origin-tracing and the propaganda against China point to one thing: the United States has something to hide, he added.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China-U.S. relationship at "new critical juncture": new Chinese ambassador

Xinhua) 14:28, July 29, 2021

China's new Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang makes remarks to Chinese and U.S. media upon arrival in the United States on July 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, July 28 (Xinhua) -- China's new Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Wednesday said the China-U.S. relationship "has once again come to a new critical juncture, facing not only many difficulties and challenges but also great opportunities and potentials."

"As two big countries different in history, culture, social system and development stage, China and the United States are entering a new round of mutual exploration, understanding and adaptation, trying to find a way to get along with each other in the new era," said Qin in his remarks to Chinese and U.S. media upon arrival in the United States.

"Where this important relationship will be headed is vital for the well-being of the Chinese and American peoples and for the future of the world. The two peoples and the international community hope for a sound, stable and growing relationship between the two countries," he said.

"The world's correct path is vicissitudes. As President Xi Jinping put it, we need to forge new paths and build new bridges whenever necessary to take us past all risks and challenges. President Joe Biden said that anything is possible," he said.

The ambassador said he will follow through on the spirit of the phone call between the two presidents on the eve of the Chinese New Year, and seek to build bridges of communication and cooperation with all sectors of the United States.

"I look forward to working closely with them to safeguard the foundation of China-U.S. relations, uphold the shared interests of the two peoples, and endeavor to bring China-U.S. relations back on track, turning the way for the two countries to get along with each other -- mutual respect, equality, win-win cooperation and peaceful coexistence -- from a possibility into a reality," he said.

Prior to his ambassadorship, Qin served as Chinese vice foreign minister. His predecessor, Ambassador Cui Tiankai, completed his tenure and returned to China on June 23.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Science should prevail in origin-tracing of COVID-19, say Nepali experts

Xinhua) 14:31, July 29, 2021

KATHMANDU, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Efforts to probe the origin of COVID-19 could be hamstrung by the politicization of the issue, with a conspiracy theory about lab leaks taking precedence over a scientific conclusion, Nepali health and foreign policy experts have said recently.

"It is unfortunate that politics have muddled the issue of identifying the source of COVID-19," said Baburam Marasini, a former director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Ministry of Health and Population.

In a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) in late March after a field study in China's Wuhan, it was concluded that a lab-leak explanation of the origin of the coronavirus was "extremely unlikely."

Despite advice from its experts that no further studies on lab leaks should be conducted, the WHO recently proposed a second-phase plan into the origin of the coronavirus in China with a focus on the lab-leak theory.

Rejecting the second-phase origin study plan, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that as an independent and sovereign country, China will not and cannot accept any work plan that is not a real plan to find the virus, but a plan to discredit China.

Basudev Pandey, also a former director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, said that even scientific evidence could lose its credibility if it is clouded by politics.

"There should not be any political motive in the origin-tracing of COVID-19," he told Xinhua.

Pandey also saw a certain U.S. influence in the latest WHO proposal, noting that "after rejoining the WHO, the U.S. appears to have increased its influence in the world health body."

Then U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the WHO in 2020. His successor Joe Biden had the United States rejoin the health agency earlier this year.

The focus of the Western countries on origin-tracing of COVID-19 appears to be guided by promoting a global narrative that China is the source of extreme sufferings for people, said Rupak Sapkota, deputy executive director at the Institute of Foreign Affairs, a foreign policy advisory body under the Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"China could bring the pandemic under control excellently while the developed countries failed to do so," he told Xinhua. "So they want to undermine China by directing global outrage against China in the context that so many lives have been lost and the livelihoods of many people affected by COVID-19."

In his view, the WHO should have focused more on how to save the weak and poor economies from a potential new wave of the virus as the developed countries are hoarding COVID-19 vaccines in excess of what they need themselves.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Geo-political rivalry blocks global coronavirus cooperation, says Bangladeshi official

Xinhua) 14:39, July 29, 2021

A medical worker inoculates a woman with a dose of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 19, 2021. (Xinhua)

More unity, solidarity, fraternity and cooperation are needed to combat the pandemic. "But unfortunately we are observing hate, blame game, geo-political rivalry, trade wars and conflicts, unilateralism," said a senior Bangladeshi official.

DHAKA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A senior Bangladeshi official has said that labelling COVID-19 as a Chinese virus is "very unfortunate" and that geo-political rivalry is "engulfing" global efforts to fight the pandemic.

Hasanul Haq Inu, chairman of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Information at the Bangladesh Parliament, called for more unity, solidarity, fraternity and cooperation worldwide to combat the pandemic, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"But unfortunately we are observing hate, blame game, geo-political rivalry, trade wars and conflicts, unilateralism," he said.

A student of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital receives a dose of China-donated COVID-19 vaccine in Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 25, 2021. (Xinhua)

"Viruses do not have any race, religion or country. Viruses are common enemy to the whole mankind," said Inu, who is former minister of information of Bangladesh.

The senior politician noted that before the COVID-19 crisis, the world suffered from uneven and unjust globalization led by America, Europe and other countries, which have miserably failed to reduce the socio-economic-digital divide and properly address climate change.

A medical worker displays a dose of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 19, 2021. (Xinhua)

Now there are "tendencies to engulf corona vaccine within the fume of geopolitical rivalries, trade wars and monopolism," he said.

The former Bangladeshi minister stressed that COVID-19 is a common enemy for mankind and access to vaccines is a basic human right.

"So research, manufacturing, marketing (should) be kept above trade wars, geopolitical rivalries, conflicts and monopolies," he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China's Nanjing launches 3rd citywide nucleic acid testing

Xinhua) 14:42, July 29, 2021

Staff members put on their personal protective equipment in a temporary laboratory for nucleic acid testing at the Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, July 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

NANJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million in eastern China, launched the third round of all-inclusive nucleic acid testing campaign on Wednesday, according to the municipal COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters.

The citywide testing covers all residents, including those who are paying a short visit to the city.

Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, has seen a resurgence of locally transmitted COVID-19 cases since a number of airport workers tested positive for coronavirus on July 20.

The city now has classified four areas as high-risk for COVID-19 and 42 as medium-risk areas, according to the municipal COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters.

On Tuesday, the city's center for disease control and prevention said the virus strain behind the recent spike in COVID-19 cases has been identified as the highly infectious Delta variant.

Officials therefore have urged those queuing up for the test to wear masks, keep at least one meter apart and avoid chitchat.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
U.S. in wrong direction on anti-virus fight, warns Fauci

Xinhua) 15:09, July 29, 2021

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The United States is heading "in the wrong direction" as the country scrambles to fight a new surge of COVID-19 cases because of the Delta variant and a large number of unvaccinated people, Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical advisor, has warned.

"We are going in the wrong direction," the top infectious disease expert told CNN on Sunday.

According to Fauci, the latest surge in new cases was caused by the highly virulent Delta variant, as well as the large unvaccinated population of the nation.

"It is really a pandemic among the unvaccinated, so this is an issue predominantly among the unvaccinated, which is the reason why we are out there, practically pleading with the unvaccinated people to go out and get vaccinated," said Fauci.

While the United States still has the highest number of confirmed cases, India had surpassed America in terms of new daily cases in the past few weeks. However, as infections started to stagnate in India, the United States again surpassed India's tally of new cases.

According to official data, the United States on Monday reported a staggering seven-day average of 52,000 infections. The figures have pushed America's tally of new daily infections past India's, according to Yahoo News.

A new study also found that the U.S. total number of COVID-19 infections may have been undercounted by as much as 60 percent.

According to a study by researchers at the University of Washington, as many as 65 million Americans may have already been infected.

As of Tuesday, the total confirmed cases of the pandemic surpassed 34.6 million, while the country's death toll amounted to over 611,410, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Last week, 48 states have a seven-day average of new cases at least 10 percent higher than the week before. In 34 of those states, the rate of new cases increased by more than 50 percent, said the university.

Meanwhile, Fauci has recently defended the natural origin theory of the novel coronavirus on several occasions.

On July 17, Fauci told CNN that "the most likely explanation is a natural evolution from an animal reservoir to a human."

He had also repeatedly cited a scientific paper that largely dismissed the possibility that the coronavirus escaped from a lab, according to media reports.

According to the weekly magazine Washington Examiner, in the paper, titled "The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review," a group of 20 internationally renowned virologists and evolutionary biologists from all over the world note that theories about a lab leak are almost all based on coincidence, not hard evidence.

Fauci was recently found to express his belief in natural origin theory of the novel coronavirus in his exchanges of emails with British zoologist Peter Daszak.

According to reports by Buzzfeed, Daszak thanked Fauci in an email on April 18, 2020, for "publicly standing up and stating that the scientific evidence supports a natural origin for COVID-19 from a bat-to-human spillover."

"From my perspective, your comments are brave, and coming from your trusted voice, will help dispel the myths being spun around the virus's origins," Daszak wrote then.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese Embassy to Brunei holds reception to celebrate 94th PLA founding anniversary

Xinhua) 15:12, July 29, 2021

Li Jianzhong, defence attache of the Chinese Embassy to Brunei, addresses a reception to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), which falls on Aug. 1, in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, on July 27, 2021. (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua)

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Brunei held a reception here on Tuesday night to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), which falls on Aug. 1.

At the reception, Li Jianzhong, defence attache of the Chinese Embassy to Brunei, said that China and Brunei enjoy a long history of exchanges and the traditional friendship between the two countries has withstood the test of time and grown even more vigorously.

About 100 guests from the Brunei government, armed forces, members of the diplomatic corps, and representatives of the Chinese community in Brunei attended the event.

In his speech, Li said that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the people of the two countries have joined hands to help each other overcome difficulties.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Lhasa-Nyingchi railway in SW Tibet boosts travel and local development

People's Daily Online) 16:03, July 29, 2021

A Fuxing bullet train runs in the Lhoka section of the Lhasa-Nyingchi railway in southwest Chinas Tibet autonomous region. (Photo by Jiao Hongtao/Peoples Daily Online)

The Lhasa-Nyingchi railway in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has been playing an increasingly important role in making travel more convenient for local people and driving local development since it went into service on June 25, injecting more fresh impetus into the plateau region.

The 435-kilometer railway is Tibets first electrified line, and had seen 95,000 passenger trips by July 22.

Yangzom , a native of Mainling county in Nyingchi city and also a worker at the Lhasa railway station, has witnessed the growing number of tourists traveling on the railway. She shared some of her stories with Peoples Daily Online.

Yangzom once helped an elderly couple from east Chinas Shanghai who wanted to take a bullet train trip on the railway, buy tickets and board a train through a green channel as they did not know how to use the automatic ticket machines.

Yangzom has also led children from local welfare homes on a train trip. Sitting on the comfortable seats in the clean carriages with oxygen supply equipment, Yangzom and the children enjoyed the views of some remarkable landscapes at high speeds.

Yangzom said the railway has shortened the travel time between Nyingchi and Lhasa from some seven hours to just over three hours.

In addition, the railway brings new development opportunities for local businesses. Losang Tenzin, 26, from Nang county of Nyingchi, began running a staffing firm in his hometown after graduation. In the past, his biggest headache was sending staff from the county to Nyingchi along mountainous roads during peak seasons, as the only choice he had was minibuses, which were not only costly, but also unsafe.

But this is no longer a problem, as workers can travel to Nyingchi from the county on bullet trains. As greater transport convenience has led to a greater flow of people, Losang Tenzin plans to seize the new opportunities and open a restaurant in Nyingchi.

Moreover, the railways influence stretches to outside Tibet, allowing tourists both in and outside the region to better enjoy its beautiful tourist attractions.

Every spring, tourists and photographers swarm to Nyingchi, which is known for its picturesque peach blossom scenes. This makes flight tickets to Nyingchi very expensive, according to Ma Chunlin, who lives in Chengdu, southwest Chinas Sichuan Province, and works in the tourism industry.

Now, I would advise tourists to fly to Lhasa, and then go to Nyingchi by train, Ma said.

With the opening of the railway, we will launch a wider range of tourism products, and make trips more convenient and comfortable. Im sure tourists will have more options for traveling to Nyingchi in the future, Ma said.

Apart from bringing in more tourists from outside Tibet, the railway will allow more people from Shannan county and Lhasa to visit Nyingchi over the weekend, which will further boost tourism in Nyingchi, explained Zhang Rundong, deputy head of Nyingchis tourism development bureau.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun)
Veteran postman delivers university admission letter to his own son

People's Daily Online) 16:26, July 29, 2021

Lu Zhiqiang sorts out parcels at the postal delivery station. (Photo/hndaily.com.cn)

"I am in charge of delivering university admission notices in July and August every year. Now, I finally got the chance to deliver the letter to my own son," said Lu Zhiqiang, who has worked in postal services for more than 30 years.

According to Lu, in the past, he always felt both joy and envy for those families who celebrated when they got college admission letters from their beloved universities. Now, he finally gets to know what they feel like, as his son will be enrolled in Yuanpei College, Peking University.

"The admission letter from Peking University has arrived at our station. I will deliver it to you. Just wait at home. I will be there soon," Lu said in a message sent to his wife and son. Afterwards, he carefully put this special parcel in his messenger bag and set off for his home along with one of his colleagues.

As Lu's home is near the postal delivery station, he and his colleague arrived there in just ten minutes. After knocking on the door of his own apartment, Lu checked his son Lu Haishan's ID card and examination certification according to standard delivery requirements before handing him the admission letter.

"Open it now!" urged his mother, and Lu Haishan unsealed the express. The family of three gathered together and carefully read the letter, which read: "Lu Haishan, our school has decided to admit you to Yuanpei College for professional study."

After receiving the notice, Lu's family excitedly hugged each other to celebrate the moment.

How did the parents raise such an excellent son? The father revealed that since he and his wife are both frontline postal staff who are often busy with their work, his son has always been highly self-motivated and studied willingly.

"We have to be on duty at 6:30 every morning and can't go home until after 6 o'clock in the evening. Sometimes we have to work late into the night," Lu said, adding that when his son was in primary school, his grandparents were responsible for his care. However, by the time he attended junior and senior high school, the young man had become a boarder.

For Lu Haishan's mother, developing good living and study habits from an early age was essential for her sons success. "He had a regular routine. He always got up at 6:30 a.m. every day, went to bed before 11:30 p.m., took a nap at noon and never burned the midnight oil. Although he was a science student, he loves reading very much," she revealed.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun)
Any form of U.S. military contact with China's Taiwan opposed

Xinhua) 16:35, July 29, 2021

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson on Thursday voiced firm opposition to any form of military contact between the United States and China's Taiwan region.

"There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China," said spokesperson Zhu Fenglian, when asked to comment on Taiwan-related negative remarks made by the U.S. defense secretary recently.

Zhu urged the United States to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.

She warned the Democratic Progressive Party authority in Taiwan that its attempts to seek "Taiwan independence" with the help of the United States and use force to resist national reunification will only push Taiwan people into disaster.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
US needs to stop politicizing origin tracing

Chinadaily.com.cn) 16:58, July 29, 2021

Luo Jie / China Daily

The World Health Organization recently announced a proposal to launch a second phase study into the origin of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) in China, including all the laboratories and markets in China, despite the fact an initial study found the so-called "lab leak" hypothesis to be "extremely unlikely."

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian reaffirmed China's position any move to continue the probe "should be reached by all members through consultation."

"The Chinese side noted the draft plan made by Tedros and the secretariat and the Chinese side is looking into it," Zhao said. "Origin-tracing is a scientific matter. All parties should respect the opinion of the scientists and refrain from politicizing origin-tracing."

Unfortunately, the second phase study proposed by the WHO clearly came about after intense political pressure emanating from a handful of developed countries, led by the US, that are also among the WHO's top contributors.

That's why it's unlikely China will permit a second phase SARS-CoV2 origins study if it is only an elaborate political stunt. As Zhao also noted, China has serious concern "certain countries" (the United States and its allies) would politicize any investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV2.

Those concerns are valid, because that politicization has already happened. Former US President Donald Trump and his top officials made the rounds pushing the same "lab leak" hypothesis that originated on white supremacist internet forums, and was so highly discredited major Western social media companies initially censored its discussion. It was even initially dismissed in major American media outlets.

It was obvious at the time that the Trump administration was trying to peddle this far-right conspiracy in order to hide its own failure at containing the virus, which at that time was spreading uncontrollably and the administration had neither the competence nor will to try and tackle.

In fact, emails from Donald Trump's former science adviser, Paul Alexander, obtained by Politico prove beyond any doubt the administration actually wanted Americans to get infected in order to establish "herd immunity". This laissez-faire approach to basic governance would later lead to the preventable deaths of over 610,000 Americans, by far the highest official death toll in the world and probably much higher in reality.

Rather than try to manage this growing public health catastrophe, Trump blamed China for his own failings in order to help his failed re-election bid in 2020. Even then it didn't work  and the media was right to dismiss such an absurd theory.

However, things have taken a complete 180 since the "lab leak" hypothesis is no longer censored on major social media platforms. Major news media outlets are blasting it across all corners, and President Joe Biden even ordered US intelligence agencies to investigate it themselves.

These are, of course, the same intelligence agencies that falsely claimed there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and lied to the American public about the existence of an NSA mass surveillance program.

The US' recklessness and disregard for objective facts has led to the death and displacement of countless innocent people, as well as spurred distrust at home. China thus has every right to not comply with an investigation on terms pushed by the US and its allies, since it could threaten China's national security. Plus, as mentioned before, there was already a study into the origins of the novel coronavirus in China earlier this year.

International experts from the WHO and China already issued a report that ruled out the "lab leak" hypothesis and gave clear recommendations for the next phase of the origins of study, including researching early cases globally and looking into cold chains and frozen foods in the transmission of the virus. The results of this report must be upheld and built on  not dismissed out of hand simply because the results didn't fit the narrative some developed countries are pushing.

At the same time, the world does deserve clear answers on the origins of SARS-CoV2, and that's precisely why the WHO must follow the recommendations of the broader international community  not just a few developed countries.

For example, permanent representatives from 48 countries to the United Nations at Geneva addressed Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last week, calling on the WHO to launch a global study of the origins of the novel coronavirus and voicing opposition to the politicization of origin-tracing.

The US needs to stop politicizing science to cover up its own failings in containing the novel coronavirus, and also needs to open up its doors for an investigation since studies confirm cases appeared there earlier than previously known. Without transparency from Washington, any origin-tracing study would be meaningless.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Readers: Time for US to work with WHO on origin tracing

Chinadaily.com.cn) 17:04, July 29, 2021

Editor's note: Despite 28-day WHO-led joint studies carried out in China in January, concluding in the joint report that said "it is extremely unlikely that the virus is from laboratories", the WHO proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in the city of Wuhan, which China has rejected. What's behind WHO's change of attitude? Shouldn't the origin tracing be extended to other countries which reported COVID-19 infections much earlier than China? Readers share their opinions.

markwu

Since the virus was already present in Europe and elsewhere earlier than in Wuhan, the call by the West to try and pin the blame on China smacks of presumption of guilt. If they were scientific, sincere and honest, they would have tasked themselves to first find the source upstream rather than downstream in Wuhan - because as long as the real source remains unidentified, we could see more viruses causing new pandemics.

For instance, the US Congress itself had investigated leakages from the US Fort Detrick biowarfare installation of Unit 731's Ishii infamy so it is indeed puzzling why that complex still has not been proposed to the WHO if the US is so concerned about not wanting new pandemics to emerge. Simple research will reveal that like its many military bases, the US also has more biowarfare bases in other countries throughout the world.

Robert

As a world health body, the WHO must make decisions based on science rather than surrendering to the political pressures from some Western countries. If so, how it can represent the common will of people all over the world?!

Leon SAM

The pandemic has been doing a number on humanity, yet the US, which is ranked first by Bloomberg in this pandemic-fighting endeavor and has stockpiled the most vaccines that could have saved many lives in developing countries, boasts the highest number of COVID-19 deaths, and is still preoccupied with blame apportioning underpinned by political calculations.

Anonymous

How can an organization like the WHO be so unprofessional and fickle minded. It's fair to check on China and that was done and conclusions were reached that was not China or its lab. Now it is only fair to check on US, Italy or even Brazil or any other country. It would save the scientific community to starts with US.

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 US non-profit media organization National Public Radio (NPR) has said. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Ian Saunders

COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan. However this does not mean it came from there. With the most likely source being from bats via an intermediate host. If the US really wants an open investigation then they need to open up Fort Detrick. Or perhaps they have something to hide. Like its history of the numerous leaks of pathogens.

George

The US must face the inevitable visit of the WHO as part of a comprehensive international effort on origin tracing. It must stop threatening the WHO at gun point and using dirty tactics to achieve political gains. Otherwise, when the truth comes out, history will judge all of the wrongful evil doings of the US and putting humanity's survival at great risks.

huaqiao

China's Wuhan lab has been investigated already. A responsible and objective way is to investigate all other venues of possible transmission and outbreak, including all bio-labs worldwide if necessary. Fort Detrick is a chief suspect for a virus outbreak because it was set up for creating bio-weapons such as viruses, diseases ... etc. Can this lab be benign? Investigate this lab!!!!

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Scenic ares in east Chinas Anhui province resumed operation as typhoon In-Fa, the sixth typhoon this year, left the province on Thursday morning.

Baogong Park in Hefei, capital of the province, resumed operation on Thursday, according to a notice issued by its administrative office yesterday.

Anhui Museum and the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign Memorial have resumed opening since yesterday.

Huangshan Mountain Scenic Area said in a statement that it would open to visitors from Thursday on as the impact of the typhoon on the scenic area weakened.

Jiuhua Mountain Scenic Area is resuming operation today, but it will not receive tourists from or via medium and high risk areas, its management committee said.




By Wu Shicun

According to the information recently released by the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), UKs aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was heading toward the South China Sea on July 25. British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said in a recent interview with Japanese media in Tokyo that the carrier strike group will sail through disputed waters of the South China Sea and will join a military exercise in the Philippine Sea alongside with navies of Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, ROK and the US. Wallace even claimed that the UK plans to deploy two military vessels in the Asian waters permanently since the second half of this year.

If the British navy indeed entered the disputed waters, it would be the second time that a British military vessel publicly challenged Chinas rights and assertions in the South China Sea after its amphibious transport dock HMS Albion illegally entered the Chinese territorial sea in the Xisha Islands on August 31, 2018.

In fact, the latest voyage of British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth is not simply what London calls a crossing of South China Sea waters in accordance with international law, but is a carefully planned trick serving multiple purposes.

First, it is throwing in its lot with the US by crossing the so-called disputed waters of the South China Sea. Its no secret that the UK has been acting in complicity with the US on the South China Sea issue, closely following its lead and dancing to its tune. From a geopolitical perspective, post-Brexit Britain needs to hold on to the US to keep itself from diplomatic isolation and jump on the American wagon of Indo-Pacific strategy to return to the global stage. The South China Sea issue, which is seen by Washington as an important tool to curb Chinas maritime development, is naturally taken by the UK as a tribute it can pay to the US to show its allegiance.

Second, it is probing the way to project its maritime forces to the Asia-Pacific. The UK released the report Global Britain in a Competitive Age: the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy in March this year, allegedly the most comprehensive report since the end of the Cold War. It announced the countrys diplomatic and military strategies tilted toward the Indo-Pacific region and vowed to reshape its influence in the broad Indo-Pacific region, including the South China Sea. Britains intentions cannot be more obvious as it, still overwhelmed by the pandemic, hurriedly dispatched the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier strike group that had just been fixed to regain primary combat capabilities to sail into the South China Sea escorted by American and Dutch vessels on such a high profile.

Third, it is challenging Chinas rights and assertions in the South China Sea while re-dreaming the colonial dream. The South China Sea was a symbol of Britains glorious colonial past, through which the old-time empire that prided itself on its worldwide colonies shipped back the fortune and treasures it plundered in Asia. Britain is obviously still clinging to that period, as fully exposed by its ambitious plan to keep a permanent military presence in the South China Sea and the Asia Pacific.

Motivated by the desire to retrieve past glory, the ambition to reshape its global influence, and the instigation of the US, it is not impossible for the UK to do something in the South China Sea to please the US and impress the world.

The timing of Queen Elizabeth entering the South China Sea, the information released by the British government, and the carriers agenda items  everything is clearly targeted at China.

As the real owner of the South China Sea islands and the biggest country on its coast, China respects the freedom of navigation enjoyed by the British aircraft carrier in the South China Sea under international law. But if it dares to enter 12 nautical miles of Nansha Islands and trespasses our territorial sea of the Xisha Islands, China must take strong countermeasures to make it pay, hence forestalling other countries from following suit and making similar provocations.

Moreover, China needs to prevent the US and UK (perhaps also Japan, France, Australia and more countries) from colluding militarily and forming a long-standing presence in the South China Sea, and guard against China-targeting subjects during the multi-party military exercise to be held in the Philippine Sea.

(The author is President of China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies and chairman of board of directors of China-Southeast Asia Research Center on the South China Sea)

Editor's note: This article is originally published on huanqiu.com. The article 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.
BEIJING, July 29 -- The Chinese military will host three events of the International Army Games (IAG) 2021 in China from August 22 to September 4, and send troops to participate in 17 other events in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Iran, a Chinese defense spokesperson said on Thursday.

Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense introduced the plan at a regular press conference. China will host three events in Korla, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, namely the "Suvorov Attack", "Clear Sky" and "Safe Environment". Militaries of Russia, Belarus, Egypt, Iran, Venezuela and Vietnam will send troops to participate in the events held in China.

In addition, the Chinese troops will participate in 17 events abroad, including 12 in Russia, three in Belarus, one in Uzbekistan and one in Iran.

Wu stated that, this year, China will continue to host some IAG events and participate in more events in Russia and other countries in the backdrop of the rampant pandemic. This will further tighten the ties between the Chinese military and its foreign counterparts, enhance military exchanges and cooperation, and improve the troops training effects through mutual learning.
BEIJING, July 29 -- According to the consensus reached by the two countries, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will participate in the exercise ZAPAD/INTERACTION-2021 to be held in China in early and mid-August, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for Chinas Ministry of National Defense (MND), at a regular press conference of the MND on Thursday.

The exercise will be held at the combined-arms tactical training base of the PLA Army in Qingtongxia City of West Chinas Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in the theme of jointly safeguarding regional security and stability.

The two sides will establish a joint command. The Chinese participating troops mainly come from the PLA Western Theater Command, while the Russian participating troops from its Eastern Military District. A total of more than 10,000 troops will be dispatched by the two sides, along with multiple types of aircraft, artillery and armored equipment.

The two sides participating troops will be mixed into teams to make plans jointly and conduct training together, in a bid to verify and improve both troops capabilities of joint reconnaissance, search and early warning, electronic information attack, and joint attack and elimination.

The exercise is aimed to consolidate and develop the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era, deepen the practical cooperation and traditional friendship between the two militaries, and further demonstrate the two sides resolve and capability to fight against terrorist forces and jointly safeguard regional peace and security.
BEIJING, July 29  Speak the truth, and stop the lies, said Senior colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, at a regular press conference on Thursday when responding to a recent US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report claiming that the Chinese Navy posed a major challenge to the US Navy, the first of its kind since the end of the Cold War.

Snr. Col. Wu stated that all along, the Chinese military has strived to provide more public security products to the international community. This is a fact obvious to the international community.

The PLA Navy has dispatched naval vessels to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia to carry out regular escort operations, and actively participated in humanitarian rescue operations such as assisting Indonesia in salvaging the submarine wreckage. And the PLA Navys hospital ship Peace Ark has performed multiple medical rescue missions overseas, Wu cited several examples.

He pointed out that the US hypes up the so-called "Chinese military threat" for no other reason but to create public opinion for suppressing and containing China, and to make excuses for seeking its absolute military superiority at the same time.

The words and deeds of the US illustrate its arrogance and prejudice. China does not buy it, Wu emphasized. We ask the US to stop its wrong doing, speak the truth, and stop the lies.
Soldiers take part in the "Dragon Gold 2020" joint drill in Cambodia's southwestern Kampot province, March 24, 2020. Cambodia and China launched the fourth joint drill on counter-terrorism and humanitarian rescue at the Techo Sen Chumkiri live-fire field in Cambodia's southwestern Kampot province on March 15. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, July 29 -- The Chinese and Cambodian armed forces are good brothers and good friends who help each other, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, on Tuesday.

Snr. Col. Wu made the remarks when asked to introduce the military-to-military relationship between China and Cambodia. He said that some Chinese netizens refer to Cambodia as steel-like Cambodia, describing that the China-Cambodia friendship is as strong as steel.

He stressed that in recent years, under the personal guidance and promotion of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the two countries have witnessed in-depth development in their comprehensive strategic partnership, and the two militaries have maintained good exchanges and cooperation in the fields of military training, personnel training, and exchanges among services and arms.

He pointed out that the two militaries have maintained frequent high-level exchanges. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, senior leaders of the two militaries have kept close communication and coordination through video meetings, phone calls and letters. General Tea Banh , Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia, General VongPisen, Commander-in-Chief of the Cambodian Royal Armed Forces (RCAF) , and NemSowath, Director-General of the General Department of Policy and Foreign Affairs under the Ministry of National Defense of Cambodia, have sent messages of congratulations to China on the centenary of the Communist Party of China recently.

The two sides have also carried out anti-epidemic cooperation. The Chinese government and military sent medical expert teams to Cambodia and provided anti-epidemic materials and vaccines in multiple batches; and the Cambodian side also offered anti-epidemic material assistance to China in line with the arrangement of its Ministry of National Defense at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in China last year, which fully reflects the sincere friendship between the two countries and the two militaries in helping and supporting each other.

In addition to these, the two militaries have maintained exchanges in professional fields, the spokesperson added. In March last year, the Golden Dragon 2020 China-Cambodia joint training was successfully held in Cambodia. This was the only live-fire exercise conducted by the Chinese military with foreign troops during the COVID-19 pandemic last year, reflecting the high-level cooperation between the two militaries. In June of this year, the Chinese and Cambodian armed forces held the first video seminar focusing on the defense white papers, marking the debut of the Chinese militarys exchange on defense white papers with a foreign counterpart.

Snr. Col. Wu stressed that in future, the Chinese military will join hands with its Cambodian counterpart to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and maintain practical cooperation between the two militaries in various fields so as to strengthen the bilateral military relationship and push it to a new level.
Japan on Wednesday reported over 9,500 new coronavirus infections, an all-time high, raising fresh questions about whether the ongoing Tokyo Olympics are worsening the country's pandemic situation.

Over 3,000 of the country's infections were reported in Tokyo, which has set a record high for two consecutive days. The numbers were compiled by NHK, Japan's public broadcaster.

Tokyo is already under a state of emergency that some local commentators have criticized as ineffective. Many of the rules are voluntary. For example, restaurants have been asked to close early and not sell alcohol. Not all have complied.

The virus is also spreading outside the capital. The three prefectures surrounding Tokyo -- Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama -- have all seen infections spike. Local media report that officials are considering strengthening pandemic measures in those areas.


The U.S. is now recording more than 60,000 new coronavirus cases each day, the government said, up from fewer than 12,000 a day in late June.

On the Independence Day holiday earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden heralded the strides the country had made in combating the coronavirus. But now he said he was seriously considering requiring that the more than 2.1 million federal workers be vaccinated, and that he would adhere to face mask rules when he visited parts of the country where the virus was surging.

Face mask requirements are returning to the United States in some communities and workplaces, along with directives for mandatory coronavirus vaccinations, in a new push to curb the easily transmissible delta variant of the infection that has already killed more than 611,000 Americans.

The western state of Nevada, where the popular Las Vegas gambling mecca is located, is reimposing mask rules for indoor gatherings, as is the Midwestern city of Kansas City, Missouri. A major newspaper, The Washington Post, said it would require that all its journalists be vaccinated before returning to the office in mid-September.

The requirements follow new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which said Tuesday that new data suggested even vaccinated people could pass on the virus if they became infected. The CDC said masks should be worn inside public places in communities that have seen a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.

"I know this is not a message America wants to hear," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told CNN on Wednesday. "With prior variants, when people had these rare breakthrough infections, we didn't see the capacity of them to spread the virus to others, but with the delta variant, we now see that you can actually now pass it to somebody else."

She stressed that vaccines against the coronavirus were preventing greater levels of hospitalization and death. But millions of Americans remain skeptical of the vaccines and are refusing to get inoculated, or are saying they are unlikely to do so.

Walensky said unvaccinated people were accounting for "a vast majority" of new infections. Two-thirds of the vaccine-eligible population of people 12 years and older in the U.S. have received at least one dose. Still, the government said slightly less than half of the U.S. population of more than 328 million people had been fully vaccinated.

"We can halt the chain of transmission," Walensky said Wednesday on "CBS This Morning." "We can do something if we unify together, if we get people vaccinated who are not yet vaccinated. If we mask in the interim, we can halt this in just a matter of a couple of weeks."

With the new federal guidance, numerous state and municipal governments across the U.S. are reconsidering or rescinding their earlier easing of mask rules.

The CDC also called on school systems across the country to require masks for students, teachers and visitors as they start the new school year in August and September. But some states in the South have passed laws banning masks in schools, leaving it unclear as to how they may react to the new CDC guidance.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has told war veterans that the impoverished state is experiencing a "crisis similar to a war" due to the coronavirus pandemic, the official Rodong Sinmun daily said Wednesday.

"We are faced with difficulties and hardship caused by the unprecedented global health crisis and prolonged lockdown no less challenging than how it was during the war," he said.

The remarks came on the day of a surprise announcement that Kim agreed with President Moon Jae-in to restore overland communication lines between the two Koreas.

The North Korean economy is at its worst since the deadly famine of the 1990s because it sealed its borders with China, which supplies most of its necessities, amid the pandemic.

Domestic food production has plunged after heavy flooding last year and food prices have reportedly doubled in some parts of North Korea. International sanctions and a devaluation of the U.S. dollar and Chinese yuan are making matters worse.


The documentary concludes that Kim Jong-un was behind the assassination and the two women who rubbed the nerve gas on Kim's face -- Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong and Indonesian Siti Aisyah -- were merely patsies.

"Assassins" details the final moments of Kim Jong-nam, former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's eldest son, who was sidelined by his half-brother Kim Jong-un for the leadership of the reclusive state and was killed in a nerve gas attack at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

A film chronicling the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother in broad daylight in 2017 premieres on Aug. 12 here.

Aisyah "was wearing a 'LOL' sweatshirt, so she looked like this very brazen femme fatale that was sort of laughing in the face of this political assassination," director Ryan White said.

White added that he too originally thought the women were guilty, but changed his mind after watching thousands of hours of CCTV footage and filming the documentary.

Since graduating from Duke University, White has made several documentaries about the Beatles, Holocaust survivors and the legalization of same-sex marriages. He won a director's award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014 for his work on the HBO movie "The Case Against 8."

White explained that the most difficult part of making the documentary was trying to recreate the movements of the killers and obtaining the consent of the two women.

In May, the Korean Film Council refused to qualify the documentary as an art film, which would have made it eligible for screenings in arthouse theaters rather than multiplexes, where the competition is much tougher. The council claimed that it did not meet the qualification criteria, a move many saw in the context of President Moon Jae-in's desperate attempts to appease North Korea.

But after persistent efforts by the distributors, the documentary has now been cleared for arthouse theaters.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday the negotiations on salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran "cannot and will not go on indefinitely," signaling it's up to Tehran to move forward soon on the issue.

Blinken spoke Thursday in Kuwait during a news conference alongside his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah. The top U.S. diplomat said the Biden administration is willing to continue negotiations, but that Iran needs to make a decision.

The two sides have held several rounds of indirect talks in Vienna since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January. Discussions have dealt with Iran complying with the international agreement that restricted its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The United States withdrew from the agreement officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, in 2018, and since then Iran has taken multiple steps away from its commitments, including enriching uranium to a higher level of purity and holding larger stockpiles of enriched nuclear material.

"At some point the gains achieved by the JCPOA cannot be fully recovered by a return to the JCPOA if Iran continues the activities that it's undertaken with regard to its nuclear program," Blinken said.
CIIE products on Nanjing Road sold in seconds

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-07-29 14:44

Iranian wool tapestries and saffron, Turkish eye bracelets... Over the past less than three months, the CIIE Fair on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street has become a hit for citizens to experience exotic cultures and imported products.

Since 2018, the city has built up 56 CIIE trading service platforms, importing products valued at RMB 146.47 billion in total. With the help of more product debuts, it is fast becoming an international center of consumption.

The CIIE Fair on Nanjing Rd boasts over 5,000 items from 40 countries and regions. In the high season during holidays, overseas merchants are either on the spot or on their way to replenish the goods, because of their high popularity. Many of the hit items were even sold out within seconds. According to a chief representative at the China-Iran International Handicraft Center, the Iranian wool tapestries are always bought immediately after being put on the shelf. The sales of saffron have also exceeded his expectation. In the peak hours, he can sell one can in 10 seconds. Whats more, the Turkey Pavilion is also crowded with consumers, who are into Turkish jewelry.

Since the fair, which covers an area of 550 square meters and makes more than 150,000 RMB per day, opened in April, 10,000people have visited daily.

Many exhibitors of the fourth CIIE have brought new products for people to try out in advance. The Belgian Beer Association even opened a livestream room at the fair, to launch more than 30 brands and 100 kinds of craft beers, attracting many retailers from Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xian and other places, according to Bruno Jans, consul general of Belgium in Shanghai.
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For more than three years, the Damascus Government has been pursuing its unjust policies towards the Afrinian IDPs in Shahba canton, imposing a severe siege on the entry of essential items into the canton.

Damascus Government emphasizes its arbitrary measures at the crossing points between Shahba canton and Aleppo, which is only 15 kilometres away. In particular, it prohibits the entry of medicines and supplies from hospital equipment, equipment and medical points. This makes it difficult for Afrinian IDPs, as well as to prevent entry the fuel and flour to Shahba canton.

The negligence of the Syrian Red Crescent complicates this

Two months ago, ambulances were prevented from transporting patients to Aleppo hospitals except through the Syrian Red Crescent Organization, which is intended to neglect patients and not transfer them to receive treatment, according to a medical source at Avrin Hospital.

Over the past few days, three children in Shahba canton have lost their lives as a result of the neglect and delay of the Syrian Red Crescent ambulance to transport them on time.

In particular, following the recommendation of the physician overseeing one of these cases that the child should be transferred urgently to a hospital in Aleppo, which is approximately 15 minutes away, but the Syrian Red Crescent ambulance was delayed for several hours, the child lost his life.

Medical Reports Diagnosed with Cases of Children

ANHA agency was able to obtain copies of the medical reports of the cases of the three children from the Avrin Hospital in Shahba canton, which revealed the cases of the children and the causes of the loss of life.

According to the first report; "The girl Joanna Joan Hussein, daughter of Nazliya Sido, she is an infant, was transferred to Avrin Hospital on 21st, of this month, she was suffering from an obstruction in the intestines, in addition to fecal vomiting, after performing the necessary first aid and informing the Aleppo ambulance office of the necessity of referring the child to Aleppo at two o'clock in the afternoon. but the Syrian Red Crescent car arrived at Avrin Hospital at five oclock in the evening, in addition to that the oxygen jar of that car ran out on its way to Aleppo, and the child had to be transferred to a car another ambulance is also affiliated with the Syrian Red Crescent, so the girl's condition worsens, so she loses her life before she reaches Aleppo Hospital."

The second report says that "the girl, Aya Rashid Hamo, daughter of Medya, who lives in Tal Rifaat district, whose age is one- years-old, she was tarnfered to Avrin Hospital in Fafin district due to severe vomiting that she was suffering from. She received the necessary treatment at exactly two o'clock in the afternoon and monitored the child, but without a response. She was entered to the pediatric ward immediately at three o'clock, and cardio-respiratory depression (hypoventilation) was performed, then the child was duly resuscitated and placed in the intensive care unit, and the Aleppo ambulance office was informed of the necessity of transporting the child to Aleppo at four o'clock in the afternoon, so that the Syrian Red Crescent car was delayed for four hours, and the child was transported from Avrin Hospital at eight o'clock in the evening, she lost her life after cardiac and respiratory depression.

As for the third report, it says, The child, Mohammad Amin Musa Kour Hamo, son of Musa, his mother, Yasmine, lives in Ahras district, whose age is 2-month- years- old, was entered Avrin Hospital on the 20th of this month, at exactly five oclock in the evening, and he was suffering from a blood germ, in addition to a respiratory infection, and the necessary action was taken for him, and the Aleppo ambulance office was informed of the need to transfer him to Aleppo, and that he needed a respirator in addition to intensive care, but the referral was not signed until exactly eight thirty in the evening, due to the absence of Dr. The Syrian Red Crescent ambulance arrives only at 11:30 at night, and the child Mohammad was transferred to Aleppo, dead.

Afrinian IDPs are victims of the policies of the Damascus Government

Commenting on the three incidents, Dr. Othman Sheikh Issa, from the administration of Avrin Hospital, confirmed in a statement to ANHA agency that "due to the policies practiced by the Damascus Government against the Afrinian IDPs in Shahba canton, and seeking to displace them again, by preventing entry to the basic requirements of the area, including medicines and supplies. The medical procedures necessary for the operations, lead to civilians losing their lives, thus the displaced are victims of the policies practiced by Damascus Government against Shahba areas.

Sheikh Issa explained that the Damascus Government has been preventing civilians from going to Aleppo to receive treatment in its hospitals. It has also denied access to medical equipment and medicine to the Avrin Hospital in Shahba for more than three years.

Preventing the Avrin Hospital ambulance from transporting patients to Aleppo hospitals

Sheikh Issa noted that the Damascus Government prevented the Avrin Hospital ambulance from transporting patients to Aleppo City hospitals, and restricted the transportation of patients to Syrian Red Crescent ambulances, which further complicated the situation.

Sheikh Issa noted that "over the past few days, because the Syrian Red Crescent medical staff neglected to transport patients to Aleppo hospitals and delayed them for long hours, three children lost their lives."

He points out that "after the moment the decision was made by the patient's supervising doctor to take him to Aleppo, long hours of delay are the cause of the children's loss of their lives."

Doctor indicated that in one day more than 400 citizens of Afrinian IDPs were reviewing the Avrin Hospital to receive treatment, stressing the lack of medicine, medical equipment, laboratory materials, radiology and analytical materials, which made it difficult to treat patients.

Dr. Othman Sheikh Issa concluded that the main reason why man loses his life was primarily the siege that imposed by Damascus Government and arbitrary measures against Shahba areas. He called on the concerned relevant to intervene immediately and expeditiously and to open the crossings and roads leading to Shahba areas in order to transport the sick to Aleppo and to secure medical supplies of all kinds.

T/S

ANHA
Since July 11th, UNICEF has reduced the amount of water supplied to Shahba canton to less than half, from 2,400 cubic metres to 100,000 cubic metres per day. after it was supplied with 2,400 cubic meters to 1,000 cubic meters per day, drinking water has been cut off from many villages and district of Afrin refugees.

Administrator in the Water Committee of Afrin Sido Sido confirmed that the 10 wells in the canton are not sufficient to provide the people with water.

Adding: "After the displacement, the people of Afrin took shelter from semi-destroyed houses and tents to continue their resistance, but this resistance and the people's adherence it did not satisfy the Turkish occupation and the Damascus Government, they sought to harass the resistance by almost daily bombing the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries in Shahba canton and Sherawa district, committing massacres against the people, and imposing a severe siege by the Syrian regime on the people and not allowing any material to pass into the district.

On the rationing of water quantities by UNICEF, Sido said: With flimsy pretexts that they could not afford the costs of water delivery, and that the contract under which it was supplied with water had expired, and as a result, water was cut off from many villages and districts, including Al-Hadath district and Tel Rifaat town and the villages of Ma'arata, Tal Qarah, and a number of other areas

"These policies practiced by Turkey and its mercenaries on the one hand, and the Damascus Government and UNICEF on the other, are nothing but a broad scheme between these parties to weaken and thwart the resistance of the people and re-displace them from this region," Sido said.

Sido confirmed the existence of temporary alternative schemes to supply the water needs of the people.

T/S

ANHA
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Woburn, MA (01801)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 81F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
(The Center Square)  Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar is urging President Joe Biden to put a pause on accepting or releasing those who enter the U.S. illegally, citing the risk of spreading COVID-19, after news reports reveal that those who have tested positive are being released into local Texas border communities.

Its not fair to local communities, people being released there that might have COVID-19, Cueller told Fox News. What Im asking of the Biden administration is to do a pause. Do a pause. They need to prioritize border communities, they need to prioritize the men and women of DHS.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday issued an executive order restricting ground transportation of illegal immigrants who have tested positive for COVID-19 or could be carrying it after having passed through Mexico, where a third wave of the coronavirus is spreading. The Texas Department of Public Safety has been ordered to stop any vehicle upon reasonable suspicion and reroute drivers to their point of origin or a port of entry and impound the vehicle.

"The dramatic rise in unlawful border crossings has also led to a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases among unlawful migrants who have made their way into our state, and we must do more to protect Texans from this virus and reduce the burden on our communities," Abbott said in a statement.

In his amended order, Abbott says, President Bidens failure to enforce the Title 42 order, combined with his refusal to enforce the immigration laws enacted by Congress, is having a predictable and potentially catastrophic effect on public health in Texas.

Title 42 has been used to rapidly expel illegal immigrants who might transmit the coronavirus or other contagious diseases in America.

Both the governors action and Cuellers call took place after it was revealed that Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley arranged for COVID-19 positive illegal immigrants to stay in a hotel in La Joya, Texas. The charity, using federal funds, rented the entire hotel. Hotels in McAllen and other border communities have also been rented to be used for such purposes.

We did not know this, La Joya Sgt. Manuel Casas told reporters at a Tuesday press conference. No one told the city of La Joya. No one told the police department that these people were here. And no one told us that these people were possibly ill.

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On Monday, a concerned citizen told a police officer that she saw family members coughing and sneezing at a Whataburger and the manager had asked them to leave. A police officer learned that the family had recently been apprehended by Border Patrol agents who released them into the general public because they had tested positive for COVID-19. They were being housed at no cost to them at the Texas Inn Hotel, which is fully booked to house migrants who entered the U.S. illegally.

The information we have is that everybody that is staying in that hotel is COVID-19 positive, Casas said.

In response, Hildago County Judge Richard Cortez, said in a statement, We have been doing well as a community in slowing the spread of this deadly virus. But ill-conceived policies by both the federal and state governments are beginning to have serious consequences on Hildago County. I call on federal immigration officials to stop releasing infected migrants into our community.

Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley Sister Norma Pimentel told Border Report that the charity had made the arrangements to book COVID-positive immigrants into local area hotels.

However, a spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection said that Border Patrol was continuing to expel individuals under Title 42, despite the full hotels in McAllen and La Joya and others that have not yet been made public.

RGV continues to expel individuals under Title 42 authorities as part of COVID mitigation efforts and utilizes pathways under Title 8 proceedings to remove those amenable to their home countries, a CBP spokesperson said. During these challenging times, our federal, state, and local partnerships are indispensable as we work to secure our borders and to quickly move individuals out of USBP custody and through the appropriate immigration pathway.

Cuellar says he supports the use of Title 42, especially right now. They need to publicize and show images of people being deported. He asked the host of a Fox News program: I ask you, ... have you seen one single picture of somebody being deported? No. I havent seen one. I see people coming in. But were not showing people being deported.

These numbers are not stopping and with all due respect to the administration, they need to put a pause on this now for the sake of our border communities.
CALUMET CITY  A dispute between two of the city's top elected officials went public Wednesday as Clerk Nyota Figgs and Mayor Thaddeus Jones traded allegations.

In a Wednesday morning rally and news conference across the street from City Hall at Pulaski Park, Figgs said, "I feel like I'm being bullied within the mayor's administration. ... I noticed that every time that I would operate in the capacity of my job ... and I would inform the mayor of policies and procedures or the state statute that relates to my job, I feel like there was some form of retaliation."

Jones responded to Figgs in a written statement released Wednesday afternoon.

"It is unfortunate that Clerk Figgs has stoop(ed) to an enormously low level by disrespecting the hundreds of thousands of women in this country who are victimized through acts of realistic bullying. Clerk Figgs is not being bullied."

Jones added that Figgs "was stripped of her duties in 2012" during the previous administration of Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush.

Figgs, however, said the transfer of her duties to current City Administrator Deanne Jaffrey happened after Jones was sworn in on May 1. Figgs said duties now being handled by the city administrator include business licensing, animal licensing, vehicle licensing, the collection of city revenues and releasing City Council agendas to the media. Figgs added that three employees of the clerk's office no longer report to her.

"Basically, at this time, all I do is minutes (of the City Council meetings)," Figgs said.

Figgs said her work environment had become so intolerable that she has been unable to enter City Hall. As a result, she said she has been working at the Pulaski Park pavilion in recent weeks.

"It was so bad for me that I felt a physical reaction, going into the building," Figgs said.

Figgs previously ally

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She said that she previously had a good working relationship with Jones, including working on one of his early campaigns for state representative.

Figgs said that she was neutral in February's hotly contested Democratic mayoral primary, which Jones won over 18-year incumbent Markiewicz Qualkinbush.

"He used my face (on campaign materials)," Figgs said. "He used my name as the city clerk and those other individuals (to show) how he supports black women. He used my presence, he used my popularity with the voters to get into office  then, to turn around and suppress me and my job duties in the same space."

Figgs was joined by several supporters, including longtime Chicago activist Wallace "Gator" Bradley and 6th Ward Alderman James "JR" Patton.

"What they've done to her in the first three months that they've been in office, it's not right," Patton said. "I'd like to see the clerk given all of her responsibilities and duties back and given her staff back and be allowed to do her job."

Patton also has been at odds with Jones. Last month, he sent an open letter to Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul asking them to remove Jones as mayor because of a city ordinance that prohibits anyone from holding an elected office in Calumet City in addition to another one elsewhere. Jones, who represents the 29th District, has said an Illinois law signed recently by Gov. J.B. Pritzker supersedes the local ordinance and allows him to hold both positions.

Jones' statement alleged that Figgs has made mistakes that cost the city money, including "mismanagement of a federally funded program concerning parking tickets."

Jones said his administration "will soon release the findings from a forensic audit that will detail multiple errors within the office of the Clerk."

Figgs said the pandemic paused the collection of significant amounts of revenue owed to the city. Asked if she expected the audit to reveal improper actions by the clerks office, she answered, Absolutely not.

Gallery: The Times photos of the week
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and Incyte (NASDAQ:INCY) announced today results from an additional cohort of 101 adult patients from the COV-BARRIER trial. In this sub-study, patients with COVID-19 on mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) who received baricitinib plus standard of care were 46 percent less likely to die by Day 28 compared to patients who received placebo plus standard of care (nominal p-value=0.0296; hazard ratio [HR] [95% CI] = 0.54 [0.31, 0.96]; analysis not adjusted for multiplicity). The cumulative proportion of patients who died by Day 28 was 39.2 percent (n/N: 20/51) in the baricitinib arm versus 58 percent in the placebo arm (n/N: 29/50). Similar mortality benefit was observed by Day 60 (HR [96% CI] = 0.56 [0.33, 0.97]) with a cumulative proportion of death of 45.1 percent (n/N: 23/51) for baricitinib compared to 62.0 percent for placebo (n/N: 31/50). These findings are consistent with the reduction in mortality observed in the overall COV-BARRIER patient population.
Press Release

July 29, 2021 De Lima honors PNoy's legacy, says he was always a leader, never a politician Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima honored former President Benigno S. Aquino III for exemplifying decency, integrity, honor and humility for all his years in public service, which she said are the qualities that every public servant should possess in the discharge of their duties. In her Sponsorship Speech for the Resolution honoring PNoy, which was entered into the Senate records last July 27, De Lima said it is fitting to recognize the life and legacy of the former President whom she described as "a leader, and never was a politician." "Today we shed our tears for the man who was born into an obligation, who rose to the occasion, and who ultimately gave his life in the service of the Filipino people just like his parents before him," she said. For all his years in public service, De Lima said PNoy "never did shy away from the greatest challenges that beset his position and our nation. He was neither noisy nor flamboyant, but he would always do the job and get things done." "He earned the respect of people because he delivered on his promises, and always stood like a good soldier in a storm," De Lima added. Last July 27, the Senate unanimously adopted Senate Resolution (SR) No. 760 honoring the life and legacy of PNoy. It is a consolidation of the respective Resolutions filed by Senators, including De Lima's SR No. 764 expressing the profound sympathy and sincere condolences of the Senate to the family of the former president and to a grieving nation. PNoy, who was laid to rest last June 26, was buried at the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque City right next to his parents, democracy icons President Corazon "Cory" Aquino and Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. "Few expected him to step out of the formidable shadows his parents had cast to craft an enduring legacy of his own. He was simple and kind and gentle, but he was also his father's and mother's son. And the apple did not fall far from the tree," De Lima said. During his term as a President, De Lima said PNoy restored the faith of Filipinos in goodness, truth, justice and rule of law as he tirelessly fought against corruption and protected our national sovereignty. "'Kayo ang boss ko' and 'Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap' were PNoy's presidential mantras to the people as he made fighting corruption the centerpiece of his administration, calling his vision 'Daang Matuwid,'" she recalled. "PNoy courageously fought for our country's sovereignty and stood firmly against China when his administration defended the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity through diplomacy, believing that adherence to international law would result not only in regional stability but also in more lasting resolutions to maritime disputes," she added. In January 2013, the Aquino government initiated arbitral proceedings under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to establish the Philippines' sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). The said executive action led to the Arbitral Tribunal's monumental decision that the Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights over the WPS, and declared China's "nine-dash line" as invalid. "He was neither intimidated nor bullied into submission by the superpower that is China. Instead, he was also guided by his mandate to the people and the sacred oath he took to always protect and uphold the welfare and the interest of the nation," De Lima said. Aside from these, De Lima recalled that during his six-year term as President, PNoy helped transform the country from being the "Sick Man of Asia" to "Asia's Rising Tiger", leaving the next administration with strong economic fundamentals and a thriving and vibrant economy. De Lima likewise praised PNoy for not clinging to power after his presidency, stressing how he quietly returned to private life after his watch ended. "He endured the pains of chastisement in silence, letting justice and truth run their course. And even when he got ill, he still stood like a good soldier in the storm - keeping it to himself, and never wanting to be a burden to others," she said.
Press Release

July 29, 2021 'Disaster resiliency is a priority', says Bong Go as his bills creating DDR, mandatory evacuation centers, BFP modernization among legislative priorities in PRRD's SONA Senator Christopher "Bong" Go expressed his appreciation towards President Rodrigo Duterte for supporting many of his proposed legislative measures, especially those that would address natural and human-induced disasters, during the latter's final State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 26. Since being elected as Senator in 2019, Go has been committed to pushing measures that are intended to create a quicker and more unified whole-of-government approach during crisis situations. "Iisa po ang hangarin namin ni Pangulong Duterte kaya naman nagpapasalamat po ako sa Pangulo for mentioning some of my priority bills during his final SONA," said Go. "Naiintindihan po ni Pangulong Duterte na iba't ibang krisis at sakuna ang hinaharap ng mga Pilipino bawat taon. Kung gaano kabilis makasira ng pamumuhay ang mga di inaasahang pangyayaring ito, mas mabilis dapat ang aksyon ng gobyerno upang mapaghandaan at maprotektahan ang buhay at kapakanan ng mga Pilipino," he added. In his sixth SONA, Duterte mentioned the need to establish a Department of Disaster Resilience. Senate Bill No. 205, filed by Go, aims to create the Department of Disaster Resilience, a focused department that will ensure a proactive approach to natural disasters. Under the said bill, DDR will unify and streamline all responsibilities related to disaster preparedness and response, functions that are presently scattered across various departments and offices. "Bago pa dumating ang bagyo, mayroon na hong makikipag-coordinate sa LGUs, preposition of goods at ilikas po ang mga kababayan natin sa ligtas na lugar. At pag-alis ng bagyo, restoration of normalcy kaagad, maibalik kaagad sa normal ang pamumuhay ng mga kababayan natin. 'Yan po ang layunin ng Department of Disaster Resilience," said Go. "Madalas pong tamaan ng bagyo, lindol at iba pang kalamidad ang ating bansa. Kailangan na talaga nating i-scale up ang preparedness to resiliency against disasters," he added. Also, in order to further enhance the capabilities of the Bureau of Fire Protection in addressing fire-related incidences, Duterte also highlighted the need to pass SBN 1832, also known as the Bureau of Fire Protection Modernization Act. Authored and co-sponsored by Go, SBN 1832 mandates the bureau to implement a modernization program that includes upgrading and acquiring fire equipment, recruiting more firefighters, developing specialized training programs, conducting monthly fire prevention campaigns, and many others. "Nasa Bicam na po ito at meron lang pong kailangan i-reconcile sa Bicam report. Ako naman po, ang importante ay maipasa po ito agad. Hopefully po ay sana maipasa na po ito upon resumption ng Congress at matulungan na po natin ang ating kababayan," Go said. "To better protect Filipinos, we need to further strengthen the Bureau of Fire Protection by improving its services and capabilities so that it can efficiently and effectively respond to incidents and other catastrophes," he added. Finally, Duterte stressed his support for the enactment of SBN 1228 that aims to create climate change resilient communities by providing for the establishment of an evacuation center in every local government unit throughout the country. Every year, around 20 typhoons hit the country with at least five of them being destructive. Stronger typhoons require either preemptive or mandatory evacuation of people, often ending up cramped in schools and gymnasiums. The Philippines is also along the Pacific Ring of Fire, causing around 100 felt earthquakes every year. Given the geographic location of the country, Go reiterated that it is necessary to build permanent evacuation centers nationwide to ensure the safety of Filipinos in times of natural calamities and other disasters. "Kailangang magpatayo tayo ng mga safe, permanent and dedicated evacuation centers na mayro'n sapat na mga emergency packs, katulad ng blankets, tubig, gamot, flashlight, at ready na relief goods. Obligasyon ng gobyerno na palaging maging handa sa oras ng sakuna," Go explained. Go, then, urged his fellow lawmakers to unite and continue extending support to these proposed measures, saying "Hinihikayat ko rin po ang aking fellow lawmakers na patuloy natin suportahan ang mga panukalang batas na ang layunin ay makapagbigay ng ma ligtas at komportableng buhay ang mga Pilipino." The President also mentioned in his last SONA other key priority legislation authored by Go, such as Senate Bill No. 1419 or the Unified System for Separation, Retirement, and Pension of the Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP); SBN 393, which seeks to provide free legal assistance to Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel; SBN 1738 or the "E-Governance Bill"; SBN 2158, which seeks to establish a Center for Disease Control and Prevention or the Philippine CDC; SBN 2155, or the "Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines Bill"; and the creation of the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos.
Lacson is New Chairman of Partido Reporma

More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/07/29/sen-ping-lacson-takes-oath-as-chairman-of-partido-reporma/

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson on Thursday formally joined the Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma (Partido Reporma) as its chairman.

Lacson took his oath before party founder and former Defense Secretary Renato de Villa, while former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez took his oath as party president.

"My advocacies are well-aligned with those of Reporma like people's sovereignty and democracy, decentralization and devolution of powers, social justice responsibility, strong economic foundation, environmental awareness, voters' education, among others," Lacson said.

Reporma was founded by former Sec. de Villa in 1997. It aims to "continue and improve the landmark reforms achieved during the Ramos administration that broke up monopolies and leveled the playing field for the improvement of public service, progress of the economy, and the benefit of all Filipinos." It became dormant after the 2004 elections and was revived in 2020 by former Speaker Alvarez.

Meanwhile, Lacson said Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III informed him that officials of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) are open to a dialogue with him after they file their certificates of candidacy in October.

Lacson said he and Sotto are "open to alliances with other political parties who may be willing to work with us for change for the betterment of our country and people."
Terrorist Who Held Senior Positions in IS Arrested in Greece in Coordination with Moroccan Security Services

Based on accurate intelligence provided by Moroccan security services represented by the General Directorate of Studies and Documents (DGED) and the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), Greek security services (EYP) on Tuesday arrested a 28-year-old Moroccan national, who had held senior positions in the operational squads of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in Syria.

According to a security source, the arrest of the suspect is the result of the joint coordination and exchange of intelligence carried out within the framework of multilateral security cooperation, with the active contribution of Moroccan security services and their counterparts in Greece, Italy, England and the United States.

The suspect was the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the Moroccan judicial authorities over his alleged involvement in preparing the implementation of major terrorist plots and the perpetration of sabotage operations in Morocco at the instigation of the previous IS spokesman, the source pointed out.

The suspect, aka Abu Muhammad al-Fateh, had joined IS in Syria in 2014, before holding senior positions in the so-called special division in the Deir ez-Zor region, and in the so-called religious police Or Hisbah in the Wilaya of Raqqa.

According to a top security source, this successful operation, to which Moroccan security services have effectively contributed, underlines the importance of international security cooperation in fighting against terrorism and tracking down terrorist organizations members.

This joint operation also reflects the serious and effective involvement of the Kingdom of Morocco in promoting security and stability at the regional and international levels.
Egypt has awarded Canadian mining company Barrick 4 gold exploration contracts for a total investment of $8.8 million, reports say.

Per the tender launched by the Oil ministry, Barrick will search for gold in 19 blocks in the Eastern Desert.

The investment is the first by the company on its own in the Arab Republic. Barrick Gold was one of 11 companies that was awarded 82 exploration blocks in Egypt in an international bid round in 2020, Arab Finance reports.

Egypt in July signed four gold exploration contracts with Canadian miner B2Gold and Australian gold miner and Sukkari operator Centamin, with investments exceeding $17 million.

In February, Naguib Sawiris-backed Akh Gold, Red Sea Resources, the North Africa Mining and Petroleum Company (NAMC), and Al Abadi Mining signed a deal worth $11 million for 10 exploration contracts with the Egyptian government.
A Nairobi court has ruled in favor of a tenant in a rent deposit dispute against his landlord.

The tenant(FK) had sued the landlord (JM) and a private company, accusing them of refusing to refund a rent deposit amounting to Ksh11,500.

The complainant told the court that he became JMs tenant in November 2020, and after five months, he issued notice to terminate the tenancy.

But the landlord argued that FK, upon the termination of the tenancy, did not return the premises in the condition he found it, and therefore the repairs were met by his deposit money.

FK had also paid a water deposit of Sh3,000 at the beginning of the tenancy.

After considering the submissions made before it by both parties, the court noted that claims by the landlord that he incurred expenses to do repairs on the house are not reason enough to withhold the deposit money.

Magistrate Judith Omollo said there was no evidence presented showing the state of the house before occupation, hence, the repairs carried out could not be said to restore the house to its former state.

In the circumstances, it can be inferred that the respondent may have carried out those repairs to improve the value of its residential premises beyond the condition it was before claimant took occupation, the magistrate held.

The magistrate noted that on the balance of probability, the tenant, FK, proved his claim against the former landlord that he left the house in the condition he found it, hence he is entitled to a refund of the full deposit as there was no need for repairs.

Magistrate Omollo ordered the landlord to refund Sh11,500 deposit. On the issue of water deposit, the court said there was no evidence tendered to show there were water bills left by the claimant.

Consequently, the court ruled that FK is also entitled to a refund of the Sh3,000 water deposit.
Comedian and radio personality Felix Odhiambo Odiwuor alias Jalango earned a cool Ksh2 million to emcee the launch of the Sauti Kuu Foundation that was presided by then-US President Barack Obama in 2018.

The Kiss 100 radio presenter made the revelation during a recent interview with Tanzanian content channel Ayo TV. Jalango said he was paid approximately 20,000 USD.

The multi-faceted showbiz player also revealed that he charges Ksh500,000 for a 2-hour performance.

Jalango Rubbishes Sh10m Net Worth Claims, Thats the Price of one of my Cars

In a past interview, Jalango recounted how he landed the Obama emceeing gig saying he had manifested it.

The news about Obama coming to town was all over; and I told Jeff, on the Jeff and Jalas show on Hot 96, that I would host the event, merely as a joke, he said.

Later on, the team from Gina Din Events watched the recorded show and I was called by Lorna Irungu Macharia, the group MD Gina Din Events. Lorna told me: Do you know some dreams come true?

I asked her: What dream are you talking about?

She went on to tell me that Gina Din Events was handling Obamas PR in Kenya and I was the chosen emcee.

Sometimes what you say is powerful because you never know who is watching or listening, the tongue is very powerful, Jalango said.

Read More on That HERE  How Jalango Landed Obama Emceeing Gig
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for bilateral talks on the second day of the Kenyan leaders official visit to the United Kingdom.

The leaders meeting at Chequers, the Prime Ministers official country residence in Buckinghamshire, discussed the deepening of the Kenya-UK historic ties as well as explored new avenues of bilateral cooperation.

In their broad discussion, the President and the Prime Minister were clear that it was necessary to maximise on the benefits of a strategic partnership they signed when the Kenyan leader last visited the UK.

It is time to fully pick up from the agreements last year. Implementation was affected by Covid-19 but we must start to strongly deliver on that agreement, President Kenyatta told his British host.

On his part, Prime Minister Johnson reiterated his his administrations commitment to continue working with Kenya in expanding British business footprints in Africa so as to reclaim the declining volumes of UK investments on the continent.

President Kenyatta and his host also spoke about the Covid-19 pandemic especially the growing challenge of access to vaccines for Kenya and the rest of the developing world.

Prime Minister Johnson pledged additional vaccines on a bilateral basis, in addition to the 400,000 doses announced earlier on Wednesday.

As friends and allies, we are sharing UK vaccine doses to support Kenyas fight against the pandemic, Prime Minister Johnson said.

The two leaders also discussed several areas of mutual interest including regional peace and security.

President Kenyatta was accompanied to the meeting by Cabinet Secretaries Ukur Yatani (National Treasury), Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs) and Dr Monica Juma (Defence) as well as Kenyas High Commissioner to the UK Amb Manoah Esipisu and State House Deputy Chief of Staff Ruth Kagia.

The photos.
Kenya has secured 817,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from the UK government thanks to President Uhuru Kenyattas working trip to London.

In a statement on Wednesday, the UK government said the jabs will be shipped to Kenya in the coming days.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca doses-half through a direct bilateral donation, and half through a UK donation to the COVAX facility-will be shipped from the UK to Kenya as soon as possible in the coming days, read the statement.

Elsewhere, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Wednesday said the government has acquired 13 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to boost the countrys vaccination drive.

The doses will start arriving in August.

At the same time, Kenya will receive 1,760,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines from the US government, 235,000 doses of AstraZeneca from Greece and another batch of 55,000 doses of AstraZeneca from Latvia.

In preparation for the deployment of Pfizer vaccines which require storage at minus 70 degrees, Kenya will also receive 15 Ultra Cold Chain freezers from the UPS foundation within the next two weeks valued at 150,000 US dollars(Ksh16.3 million).

The freezers will be distributed to the central vaccine store in Kitengela and all the nine regional vaccine stores across the country.

Kagwe said the Ministry of Health had put in place mechanisms to ensure that there are no wastages of these vaccines.

As of Wednesday, July 28, the Health Ministry had administered 1,692,793 doses out of the 1,733,100 doses of AstraZeneca that it has received to date.

Total first doses were 1,052, 343 while second doses were 640, 450.
According to a press release published by NATO on July 27, 2021, Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) conducted Operation Bottom Search German waters near Eckernforde from 19-23 July 2021. The Operation was officially known as Marinekommando Unterabteilung Geoinformation Dezernat Maritime Geo-Unterstutzung (MWDC).

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FGS Elbe (Germany) and mine countermeasures vessels FGS Homburg (Germany) and LVNS Talivaldis (Latvia). (Picture source: Deutsche Marine)

The objective of the operation was to reduce risk posed by sea mines to maritime communities and traffic of the Baltic Sea, and provide enhanced training in mine countermeasures operations to SNMCMG1 participating units.

Following the first and second World Wars several ammunition dumping areas were established in the area. Over time, ordnance drifted from the original sites or became naturally buried in sand and mud. To this day, the presence of historical sea mines and other explosive remnants of war poses a threat to maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea.

Cumulatively SNMCMG1 performed 141 hours of bottom search operations and covered an area of ten square nautical miles. During the operation, the group located and identified one 1940s artillery shell and two sea mines, confirming that a significant amount of military munitions remain present in this area of the Baltic Sea from the two World Wars. While mapping the ocean bottom SNMCMG1 also located and mapped two shipwrecks that were unable to be identified due to their deteriorated conditions.

To locate the maximum amount of objects, SNMCMG1 units use hull-mounted or side scan sonar equipment to detect objects on the sea bed. The objects are then further identified by divers or remotely operated underwater vehicles.

SNMCMG1 provided all collected data of the area to the German Mine Warfare Data Center (MWDC) to facilitate their efforts to map the sea bed in order to ensure the safety of navigation within German territorial waters. All historical ordnance search activities were executed in close coordination and consent of the German authorities.

During the operation, SNMCMG1 consisted of the flagship FGS Elbe (Germany) and mine countermeasures vessels FGS Homburg (Germany) and LVNS Talivaldis (Latvia).

The Tripartite class is a class of minehunters developed from an agreement between the navies of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. A total of 35 ships were constructed for the three navies. The class was constructed in the 1980s1990s in all three countries, using a mix of minehunting, electrical and propulsion systems from the three-member nations.

In 2007, the Latvian Naval Forces acquired five ships (including LVNS Talivaldis) from the Netherlands which had been taken out of service at the beginning of the decade.

In the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Tripartite is known as the Alkmaar class. The Alkmaars were originally of similar design to the Belgian and French versions, with a standard displacement of 520 tonnes (510 long tons) and 553 tonnes (544 long tons) at full load. The displacement later increased to 571 tonnes (562 long tons) standard and 605 tonnes (595 long tons) at full load and then 630 tonnes (620 long tons) standard and 660 tonnes (650 long tons) at full load.

The 20 mm gun that was initially mounted was removed, leaving only three 12.7 mm machine guns. Beginning in 2003, the remaining Dutch Alkmaar-class minehunters were upgraded with improved electronics, including Atlas Elektronik INCMS combat data system, Thales 2022 Mk III hull-mounted sonar, Atlas Seafox Mine Identification and Disposal System and a Double Eagle Mk III Mod 1 ROV.
According to information published by the U.S. Department of Defense on July 29, 2021, the Coast Guards three newest Fast Response Cutters (Sentinel-class cutter) were commissioned during a ceremony presided over by Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guards commandant.

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Sentinel-class cutter Olivier Henry WPC 1140 (Picture source: U.S. Coast Guard)

The Coast Guard Cutters Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139), Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) and Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143) were commissioned during a rare triple-commissioning ceremony at their new homeport at Coast Guard Forces Micronesia Sector Guam.

Like the 30-year old Island-class patrol boats before them, they will support the people of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and our international partners throughout Oceania. The FRCs represent the Coast Guards commitment to modernizing service assets to address the increasingly complex global Maritime Transportation System.

The Coast Guard already has a well-established presence within the region due to its bilateral shiprider agreements with Pacific Island Forum countries. These shiprider agreements allow partnering nations defense and law enforcement officers to go aboard Coast Guard vessels to observe, board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within their exclusive economic zones.

By embarking shipriders, Coast Guard crews are able to support allies in the region and work towards expanding security by addressing regional challenges to peace, prosperity, and social inclusion. The retention of crewmembers from these invaluable missions means the lessons learned from joint operations will carry over to the new FRCs, ensuring goodwill developed by past Coast Guard assets will remain applicable.

Named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes, FRCs are equipped with advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems and boast a greater range and endurance. At 154-feet long, they reach speeds of over 28-knots covering a distance of 2,500 nautical miles over a five-day patrol. They are armed with a stabilized 25-mm machine gun mount and four crew-served .50-caliber machine guns.

These advanced capabilities greatly improve the Coast Guards ability to conduct missions ranging from search and rescue to national defense while also contributing to joint operations between the United States and its regional partners as they work towards common goals such as the prevention of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Each FRC has a standard 24-person crew. This brings over 70 new Coast Guard members to Guam, along with their family members. Prior to the FRCs arrival, the Coast Guard presence on Guam was composed of approximately 250 active duty personnel and 40 reservists.

USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC-1139) is the United States Coast Guard's 39th Sentinel-class cutter. Like her sister ships she was built in the Bollinger Shipyards, in Lockport, Louisiana.

She is equipped with a stern launching ramp, that allows her to launch or retrieve a water-jet propelled high-speed auxiliary boat, without first coming to a stop.

The crew's drinking water needs are met through a desalination unit.
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Report: Amiga at NASA

(Article written by Bob Castro - March 1999)





"So the next time you see a space shuttle launch, you can tell your friends which personal computer is rated for mission-critical use in the United States space program."





Amiga owners know their machines can do a lot with a little. Because of its flexible and integrated video-friendly hardware as well as its tight, efficient multi-tasking operating system, Amigas can be found driving things such as stadium scoreboards, interactive kiosks, agricultural irrigation systems and the flight schedule displays at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport.



The Amiga was chosen for those applications because its reliable hardware and low-overhead software means less down-time for those crucial jobs. But most Amiga owners would be suprised to learn just how much their machines' reliability is trusted to carry out one of the toughest jobs in the world - or outside of it.



For more than a dozen years, Amiga computers have been hard at work at Cape Canaveral's Hanger AE supporting the launches of every American spacecraft including the space shuttle.



Since after all, this IS rocket science, NASA must downlink a tremendous amount of data from each spacecraft; during ground tests, through the countdown and lift-off and out into space. There is no room for error in the acquisition and processing of this data. It must be accurately calculated and reliably sent from the hanger to distant space centers around the world participating in the mission. All in real time and without interruption. Since Hanger AE also supports some telemetry from the space shuttle, that importance is even greater since human lives are on the line.





Amiga screen displays live user data from the orbiting space shuttle!







Gary Jones, principal systems engineer for NASA's software systems at Cape Canaveral told us the Amigas take in all the telemetry data from the spacecraft, scale it by applying coefficients of up to fifth order polynomials and convert the data back to engineering units for display to the engineers working the launch.



Gary went on to tell us that their first choice was the Macintosh, but as it was a closed system, Apple wouldn't give NASA enough information to get into it at the level that was needed. Talk about blowing a marketing opportunity!





Gary Jones (Left) and Hal Greenlee (Right) in Hanger AE, Cape Canaveral Air Station







Hal Greenlee added; "I brought it out and showed it to Dave Brown, and not more than about a month or two later, Dave had one of his own, and we were both saying to Skip, "We need to get some of these babies, and find out if we can make them work for this job"."



Gary Jones replied; "And Commodore was easy to work with back then. When we asked for documentation, they sent us a stack of documentation about four feet high. They were willing to tell us everything about their machine. Since we had to design some custom hardware to go inside, it really helped to know exactly how everything worked."



"It just turned out that it was a good machine. The things that make a machine good for playing games also tend to make it good for processing and displaying data, because you've got some of the same problems. You need a very efficient, very fast operating system, and the Amiga has that and very little overhead too. That's what makes it nice; we don't load down the system running the overhead; we can just process the data."



"Most of our customizing is hardware customizing. The Amiga operating system is flexible enough that we have to drop into assembly only once in a while to initialize some of the special boards we use, but otherwise the operating system is fine; we don't do anything unusual with it. We use it just like it is and build hardware for our interfacing requirements because we have to pull the data out of the data bus in this building, process it, and put the data back in."



Seven Amigas are online assigned to operational support, six are dedicated to routing data to remote space centers and another six are reserved for hardware and software development.









Amiga 4000 development system







Because of way the Amiga is laid out and because the software is all tied together, each machine can actually support more than one spacecraft at a time, if the bit rate isn't too high. A multi-tasking, multi-spacecraft personal computer!



Even though the Amigas play an important role in handling telemetry, they are versatile enough to interface with other NASA computers. Augie Friscia of Boeing Aerospace told us, "I figured out a way of transferring files from the Amiga to a Sun by converting the source files I had on the Amiga to an archive and then transferring them to a Sun machine. With just a few minor adjustments to the top of the program and the declare statements, I could compile and run it on the Sun. I did all the debugging on the Amiga and then took it to the Sun."



Gary Jones: "If its not a PC, NASA gives us a lot of grief when we try to buy anything to go with the Amigas. They want us to buy PCs and run Windows 95 and NT. We keep trying to tell them its not fast enough so they tell us to buy DEC Alphas. We tell them its too expensive. They don't like the Amiga; it doesn't cost enough."



During our January 1998 visit to Hanger AE, the space shuttle Endeavour had just finished retrieving David Wolff from the Russian Mir space station.



Gary Jones: "This is data coming down from the shuttle - the STS-89 flight that was docked with the MIR up until yesterday. These are some of the environmental parameters that the life sciences people use. They take this data, we process it with the Amiga, we remote it to them on another Amiga which then pulls up data and sends it to their PC which controls an environmental chamber so that they can duplicate the environmental conditions on the shuttle down here except for gravity. So that's their control group. They can have a group of animals or insects on the shuttle in zero G and the same animals in the same environmental conditions with normal G about five hangers down the road from here. And the Amiga data is what they use to control their growth chamber to keep the environment the same."





Amiga 4000s photographed at work during Jan. 1998 shuttle mission to Russian Mir.







To prove how useful even stock Amigas can be, we found out that although the 4000s have Workbench 3.1, the 2000s are still running 2.1 because the advantages of the newer operating system were not really needed.



Even after seeing Amigas hard at work in the telemetry lab, another surprise was found in the television center. Hal Greenlee; "We have a toaster system. We add titles during the launch. We might do an effect or two just by way of making the tape look more interesting. But mainly the Toaster is used to overlay time, camera angle or some kind of text data that they want to add to the picture."



Three hundred video monitors are fed by a routing system large enough to run a ommercial TV network. In addition to video, it can also route data over the entire space center.



Future plans for the NASA Amigas include supporting another model of the Titan rocket. They are also in the process of writing software for the next generation Delta rocket called the Delta III. The American Atlas-Centaur rocket is scheduled to have Russian engines installed onboard that will also need new Amiga telemetry software. Gary's team will also build a new display capability for the users that will be driven by the Amiga. "We'll send them the data over an Ethernet system, and they'll use PCs just to do displays."



Although not as easy to purchase and support as other microcomputers, Gary remained cautious about Gateway's purchase of the Amiga platform.



"We've gotten a little feedback from Hal on Gateway's purchase of the Amiga. If we start seeing that they're shipping some hardware we'll get interested then. But it's an uphill battle trying to convince NASA that they want to go with something other than one of the standard, accepted platforms."



So the next time you see a space shuttle launch, you can tell your friends which personal computer is rated for mission-critical use in the United States space program.



Note: this article was based on a ten minute videotape taken during Amiga Atlanta's visit to Hanger AE. Contact Bob Castro (bcastro AT mindspring POINT com) for details.



Special thanks go also to Amiga Atlanta member Mike Ellenberg who grabbed the still frames from the video you see in this article.





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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 29, 2021

2021/07/29

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host the First Meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation on August 5. The conference will be held via video link under the theme of "strengthening international cooperation on vaccines, promoting fair and equitable distribution of vaccines around the world". Foreign ministers or competent ministers of relevant countries, representatives of the United Nations and other international organizations, and representatives of relevant enterprises will attend the meeting on behalf of some 30 parties. As part of the conference, a dialogue between vaccine companies from China and participating countries will be held today.

CNR: What's the consideration for China to hold this First Meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation? And what do you expect out of it?

Zhao Lijian: At the Global Health Summit in May this year, President Xi Jinping announced China's five measures to further support global solidarity against COVID-19, including setting up an international forum on vaccine cooperation for vaccine-developing and producing countries, companies and other stakeholders to explore ways of promoting fair and equitable distribution of vaccines around the world. This initiative has been positively acclaimed and widely welcomed by the international community.

Vaccine is a powerful weapon to defeat the coronavirus, which is still wreaking havoc worldwide. The convening of this forum is to follow through on the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important speech, further promote international cooperation and equitable access to vaccines around the world, and support joint COVID responses to prevail over the epidemic.

As the largest developing country and a responsible member of the international community, China upholds the vision of building a global community of health for all, and has taken the lead in making the vaccine a global public good, contributing with concrete actions to ensuring accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries, and enhancing capacity building of the vaccine industry in developing countries.

Xinhua News Agency: Do you have a comment on the view that China is using its vaccine assistance to engage in "vaccine diplomacy"?

Zhao Lijian: Vaccine is a weapon to defeat the epidemic, not a tool for political gain, still less an excuse to attack and discredit other countries. Since the beginning of this year, despite the need for mass vaccination at home, China has done its best to provide more than 700 million doses of vaccines to the world, especially developing countries, guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. China's actions have delivered much-needed help to countries and helped more than 100 countries save lives and fight the epidemic with no political strings attached. If this is vaccine diplomacy, then China's vaccine diplomacy is welcome and in the common interest of the international community.

Those who accuse and discredit China should first ask themselves what they have done for the world. They should stop "lying diplomacy" and "smearing diplomacy" and focus on doing something for the world's fight against COVID-19.

CCTV: On July 28, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the Conference on Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations. Could you give us more details?

Zhao Lijian: On July 28, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the opening ceremony of the Conference on Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations via video link. Hosted by the China Institute of International Studies, the event is one of a series of commemorative activities to mark the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, and saw attendance of diplomatic envoys of ASEAN member states posted in China as well as experts and scholars from both sides.

State Councilor Wang Yi said that over the past three decades, China and ASEAN have taken the lead in establishing a strategic partnership and building a free trade area, and remained the pace-setter for East Asian cooperation. Guided by the East Asian approach of mutual respect and consensus, China and ASEAN have always accommodated each other's concerns and core interests, and set the example of equal treatment and peaceful coexistence. The two sides are always committed to synergizing development strategies and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, and have set the example of common development and win-win cooperation. We have always provided each other with selfless help as a community with a shared future, and set the example of mutual assistance and solidarity. We are always committed to strengthening people-to-people bonds, carrying forward the Asian values, and have set the example of mutual learning and harmonious coexistence between civilizations. China-ASEAN relations have become a fine example of the most successful and vibrant pair of relations in the Asia-Pacific.

State Councilor Wang Yi stressed that China will work with ASEAN to stay as good neighbors that look out for each other in times of need, good friends sharing weal and woe, and good partners in pursuit of common development. China-ASEAN relations will grow with greater maturity and confidence, and embrace a better and more promising future. State Councilor Wang Yi also put forward a five-point proposal. First, we need to uphold good-neighborliness and enhance strategic mutual trust. Second, we need to put people first and deepen COVID response cooperation. Third, we need to focus on development and foster new growth drivers. Fourth, we need to bear in mind the bigger picture and safeguard peace and stability. Fifth, we need to uphold solidarity and coordination and defend justice and fairness.

Secretary-General of ASEAN Lim Jock Hoi fully agreed with China's proposal, saying that the ASEAN-China strategic partnership has already become one with the richest content in the region. China's support for ASEAN centrality, ASEAN's community building and integration process, as well as active participation in the ASEAN-led regional mechanisms are a concrete embodiment of China's support for regionalism and multilateralism. ASEAN firmly believes that the relations will usher in an even better future.

Bloomberg: According to reports, the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed concern about increasing Chinese military pressure on Taiwan. This was at the first strategic dialogue between lawmakers from Japan, the US and Taiwan. Does the foreign ministry have a comment?

Zhao Lijian: The so-called "dialogue" you mentioned has no influence whatsoever. It is negative and wrong in both form and content. In fact, it plays the same old tune that no one cares to listen.

I want to stress that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan region is an inalienable part of China's territory. China's national reunification and rejuvenation are an unstoppable trend. No one should underestimate the strong resolution, determination and capability of the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" will be like trying to hold back the tide with a broom, and is doomed to fail.

The Taiwan question concerns the political foundation of China-US relations and China-Japan relations. Both the US and Japan have the responsibility and obligation to abide by the principles set in relevant bilateral political documents with China and the solemn commitments they have made to China on the Taiwan question, and stop sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" forces.

CGTN: According to recent media reports, the US is not only weak in its own response to the epidemic, which has led to more infections and deaths than any other country in the world, it is also taking irresponsible measures in outbound travel control and repatriation of illegal immigrants, which has exacerbated the global spread of the epidemic. What is China's comment?

Zhao Lijian: For some time, the US has been fanning the flames, and gearing up political manipulation with regard to origin-tracing. The US is guilty of three sins in epidemic response and origin-tracing:

First, the US has allowed the virus to spread unchecked. The US, a global leader in medical technology, has let political manipulation override epidemic control, leading to infection of some 35 million Americans and lost of lives of more than 610,000. The US has failed to exercise effective outbound travel control measures, and many countries have reported imported cases from the US. In disregard of the opposition of the international community, the US has sped up the repatriation of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants infected with the coronavirus, exacerbating the epidemic in many Latin American countries. The New York Times commented that what the US has done was tantamount to exporting the virus.

Second, the US has hidden the truth from the world. Research by the University of Washington suggests that the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the US could be as high as 65 million and 900,000 respectively, far higher than official statistics. While the timeline of early cases in the US has been constantly dialed forward, and Fort Detrick is shrouded with suspicion, the US still mentions nothing about whether it plans to invite WHO in, and open Fort Detrick and other bio labs. Is this the "transparent and responsible" attitude that the US has been preaching?

Third, the US has been practicing "origin-tracing terrorism". Ever since its previous administration coined the term "China virus", the US has not stopped trying to sell stories that stigmatize China. It attempts to link the origin of the virus with China and even Asian countries as a group, which has caused rising anti-Asian sentiment in the US and some other countries in the West. Many people of Asian descent fear discrimination, oppression and even physical threat. The US also plays dirty tricks on the scientific community, stifling the righteous voice of scientists, subjecting many outspoken scientists to verbal abuse and threat of physical assaults. Some media compare such behaviors of the US with acts of "origin-tracing terrorism".

The above-mentioned three sins are just the tip of the iceberg of the political manipulation conducted by the US. It is the universal consensus of the international community to reject political manipulation of origin-tracing issue. So far, 60 countries have written to the WHO Director-General to state their position.

The coronavirus needs to be traced to its source, and so does the political virus, which needs to be thoroughly dealt with, as some takes advantage of the epidemic to shift the blame, and blatantly engage in discrimination and coercion.

CCTV: According to reports, a few countries including the US have been claiming recently that China refuses the WHO plan for the second phase of studies into the origins of COVID-19. Does China have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: First I want to stress that this plan was put forward unilaterally by the WHO Secretariat without getting the approval of all member states. The WHO is led by member states. The draft plan was put forward by the Secretariat for discussion by member states, who have the right to make adjustments. The mandate of the Secretariat is to provide convenience for member states to have full consultation and reach consensus. It is not entitled to decision-making on its own.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has all along attached high importance to studies into the origins of the virus. We've actively participated in global cooperation in this area with an open and science-based attitude. We've twice invited WHO experts to China for joint research in origin-tracing. We've invested tremendous efforts, achieved important outcomes and reached authoritative conclusions.

Lately many countries, China included, have raised concerns over and voiced objection to the next steps to study the origins proposed by the WHO Secretariat. It is a shared belief that the plan is inconsistent with the resolution of the 73rd WHA and the conclusions and recommendations of the joint WHO-China study report. It failed to reflect the latest outcomes of global research in origin-tracing and cannot serve as the basis for the second phase of joint origin studies. At the same time, 60 countries have written to the WHO Director General saying that they welcome the joint WHO-China study report and reject politicizing origin studies. This is the legitimate appeal and voice of justice from the international community.

To my knowledge, before the WHO Secretariat circulated its plan, Chinese experts, with a view to support and coordinate with WHO efforts to conduct the next phase of origin studies, had submitted to WHO a Chinese proposal based on the previous phase of studies jointly conducted by Chinese and WHO experts and the joint report. The Chinese plan is a science-based and professional solution that has been tested in practice. The main points are as follows:

First, the second phase should be guided by the WHA resolution, rely mainly on scientists, and conduct evidence-based scientific research. The joint WHO-China study report's conclusions and recommendations have been widely recognized by the international community and the science community. This should serve as the basis for the second phase of studies.

Second, the second phase should not repeat what has already been conducted during the first phase, especially where conclusive findings were already reached. In particular, the joint WHO-China study report already stated clearly that "a laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely". The key focus of the second phase should be on possible pathways identified as "very likely" and "likely" by the joint report including introduction through an intermediate host or cold chain products. Efforts should be made to advance origins study in various countries and regions across the world.

Third, the practice, mechanisms and approaches used in the first phase should be drawn on to conduct further studies in an orderly and smooth manner. There should be assessment and analysis of existing research outcomes and new evidence. The regions to be covered by the second phase and the work plan should be determined after comprehensive assessment based on open research evidence. Research in epidemiology, animal products, environmental and molecular epidemiology should be continued to reinforce rather than repeat existing work or tasks that have already been covered.

Fourth, the team of experts should be put together on the basis of the makeup of the first phase team with full respect for their expertise, international reputation and practical experience. Additional experts from other areas can be added to the original team in an appropriate manner if there is indeed such a need. This will not only help maintain continuity of the research but also ensure the authority and impartiality of the next phase of studies.

In the meantime, China will continue to act on relevant work recommendations in the joint WHO-China study report and actively conduct further follow-up research concerning China recommended in the report.

I'd like to stress once again that the study of origins is a serious matter of science. We should let scientists get to the bottom of this virus so as to get better prepared for future risks. We firmly reject origin-tracing based on politics. As to truly science-based studies of origins, we have taken an active part in them and will continue to do so.

RIA Novosti: Does China feel that the WHO Secretariat is politicizing the origin-tracing task?

Zhao Lijian: I have made China's position very clear. The draft plan for the second phase study was put forward unilaterally by the WHO Secretariat without getting the approval of all member states. The WHO is led by member states. The draft plan was put forward by the Secretariat for discussion by member states, who have the right to make adjustments. The mandate of the Secretariat is to provide convenience for member states to have full consultation and reach consensus. It is not entitled to decision-making on its own.

China Daily:There are reports that the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations passed a bill on 28 July to direct the State Department to develop a strategy to assist Taiwan in obtaining observer status at the World Health Assembly. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive issue in China-US relations. The one-China principle is the political foundation of bilateral relations and the consensus of the international community.

The US bill is a serious breach of the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and a violation of the fundamental principle affirmed by UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1. We firmly reject it. The Chinese Central Government always attaches great importance to the health and well-being of our compatriots in the Taiwan region. Under the precondition of abiding by the one-China principle, we have made appropriate arrangements for the Taiwan region's participation in global health affairs.

The US should fully recognize that the Taiwan question is a highly sensitive issue. It should earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and comply with international law and basic norms governing international relations. The US should stop reviewing and pushing the negative Taiwan-related bill, not to send out wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces and not to help the Taiwan region to expand its so-called "international space".

Bloomberg: A question regarding a statement from the Foreign Correspondents Club of China that was issued earlier this week in which the FCCC described the situation where foreign journalists were harassed while doing their jobs covering the floods in Henan. The statement also says that some of the harassment was organized by party-affiliated organizations. Does the foreign ministry have a comment on the FCCC statement?

Zhao Lijian: I have one question for you as well. Do you know that the Chinese netizens refer to BBC as "Bad-mouthing Broadcasting Corporation"? Having long been clinging to its ideological bias against China, BBC has produced fake news time and again, spread false information on issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and COVID-19, attacked and vilified China in serious deviation from the professional ethics of journalism. Everything happens for a reason. The BBC has long been reporting on China through tinted glasses, which has chipped away its credibility bit by bit. Robin Brant, BBC journalist stationed in Shanghai, continued to put ideology above facts in his report about the torrential rain in Henan, turning a blind eye to the fact that the Chinese government has been sparing no efforts in conducting rescue work and local residents have been volunteering to help. Naturally, BBC reports with preconception gain no popularity among the Chinese people and only end up hurting the media's own credit. We hope the BBC can truly abide by professional ethics and conduct, and make up for its "trust deficit" in the hearts of the Chinese public through truly objective and fair reporting.

As for the FCCC you just mentioned, China has never recognized this organization, which groups only a handful of biased journalists and could in no way represent the true voice of the more than 400 foreign journalists in China.

As for the statement you mentioned, I want to stress that the FCCC has been habitually distorting facts to tarnish China's reporting environment. Objectivity is the lifeline of the press. Some Western media should ask themselves as to why their reports have caused public outrage in China. They make no mention of the enormous assistance and convenience China has provided to foreign journalists in their reporting, and instead of criticizing some foreign media for their inaccurate and distorted reports, they made groundless accusations against China over the so-called "reporting environment". This is nothing but blatant attempt to confuse right and wrong with false claims.

I want to reiterate that China is a society governed by law and one of the safest countries in the world. China welcomes media and journalists from other countries to do reporting in China in accordance with law and regulations, ensures the legitimate rights and interests of permanent foreign media outlets and correspondents posted in China, and provides assistance and facilitation for their daily work. The reporting environment for foreign correspondents in China is open and free. Communication channels between foreign journalists in China and competent Chinese authorities are open and unfettered. As long as foreign journalists abide by the law and do reporting in compliance the law and regulations, there is no need to worry. That said, we oppose any ideological bias against China, any attempt to fabricate fake news under the pretext of the so-called "freedom of the press", and any behavior that violates the professional ethics of journalism.

CRI: Yesterday you shared with us some information on the visit of the Afghan Taliban delegation to China. Do you have more on the visit?

Zhao Lijian: Yesterday I already talked in great detail about the major points of this visit by the Afghan Taliban delegation. I'd like to add a few more today.

China, as Afghanistan's largest neighbor, follows closely the trajectory of the Afghan situation and always supports the peace and reconciliation process. We sincerely hope that the Afghan people will grasp the historical opportunity and truly take the nation's destiny into their own hands. We hope the Afghan Taliban will put the interests of the country and nation first, hold high the banner of peace talks, set the goal of peace, build a positive image, follow an inclusive policy, return to the political mainstream in moderate ways, and play an important role in the peace, reconciliation and reconstruction process. We hope all factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan will be united and establish through dialogue and negotiation a broad-based and inclusive political framework in keeping with their national realities so as to create a future together for Afghanistan.

Following the "Afghan-owned and Afghan-led" principle, China has all along been promoting peace talks and facilitating the peace and reconciliation process on the basis of fully respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty and the will of parties to the talks. This is also the major objective China has in mind by receiving the Afghan Taliban delegation. As a military and political force to be reckoned with in Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban has in recent years maintained dialogue and contact with the Afghan government and the international community. China will continue to uphold an objective and just position and play a constructive role in advancing the political settlement of the Afghan issue.

I would like to stress two last points. First, the US is the culprit of the Afghan issue and the major external factor that can influence the situation. It started the Afghan war in the name of fighting terrorism 20 years ago. However, today, terrorist forces in Afghanistan remain rampant and peace still hasn't come. The hasty withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from Afghanistan marks the complete failure of the Afghan policy of the US. It must shoulder responsibility for what it has done and mustn't shift the blame and responsibility to others and simply take to its heels. It needs to take concrete actions to prevent the terrorist forces from festering and make sure the withdrawal doesn't lead to turbulence and fighting. It also needs to play its due role in peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Second, the ETIM is a terrorist organization designated by the UN and is a common enemy of the international community. China will continue to work with regional countries and the international community to fulfill the shared responsibility of fighting the ETIM until the evil is rooted out. We hope the Afghan Taliban will make a clean break with all terrorist organizations including the ETIM and resolutely and effectively combat them to remove obstacles for security, stability, development and cooperation in the region. We hope the Afghan Taliban can earnestly honor its commitment that it will never allow any force to use the Afghan territory to engage in acts detrimental to China.

Bloomberg: I just wanna follow up on your earlier comment regarding the BBC. You said that "everything happens for a reason". Are you saying that the harassment is justified? Is that the point that you were making?

Zhao Lijian: I've just made China's position clear. Some Western media should ask themselves as to why their reports have caused public outrage in China.

Bloomberg also needs to reflect upon itself as to why it put the US on top of its recent COVID Resilience Ranking when the country holds the world record in both infection and death tally.

I want to reiterate that the reporting environment for foreign correspondents in China is open and free, and their legitimate rights and interests are fully protected. Permanent foreign media outlets and correspondents posted in China should abide by China's laws, regulations and rules, observe the professional ethics of journalism, and conduct reporting in an objective and fair manner.

Reuters: US-listed shares of Chinese education companies as well as Didi have been hammered by sudden Chinese regulatory moves. We're also seeing new volatility in the Chinese markets. Is the Chinese side concerned that global investors are becoming wary of regulatory risks associated with investing in Chinese companies?

Zhao Lijian: I want to stress that China regulates enterprise investment and operation in accordance with the law and regulations, and provides them with a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment.

Global Times: On July 28, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price released a readout on Secretary Blinken's meeting with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, where Blinken "affirmed U.S. support for the WHO's plans to conduct additional studies into the COVID-19 origins, including in the People's Republic of China", "stressed the need for the next phase to be timely, evidence-based, transparent, expert-led, and free from interference", and "emphasized the importance of the international community coming together on this matter". I wonder if China has any comment?

Zhao Lijian: I would like to stress a few points in response.

First, China agrees that studies into origins of COVID-19 should be evidence-based, expert-led, and free from interference. But that is not what the US has been doing. While calling for evidence-based origin studies, the US has falsely accused China of a lab leak and fabricated the rumor that three WIV researchers fell ill though it couldn't even provide their names. While calling for expert-led origin studies, the US has ordered the intelligence community to do the job and resorted to sidelining and muzzling objective and rational scientists and professionals. While calling for origin studies free from interference, senior US government officials reportedly halted an origin-tracing project on the ground that it interferes with the origin-tracing agenda against China and is detrimental to US national security and sealed blood samples collected before January 2, 2020 from further testing after the NIH found COVID-19 antibodies in blood samples collected in the US in early January 2020.

Second, China has contributed to the global origin-tracing efforts with concrete actions. Early this year, leading experts from ten countries and China formed a joint team and conducted 28 days of joint study in China, after which a joint report was released. The report identified areas in need of further follow-up study, where the Chinese side is actively supporting relevant institutes and scientists in continuing and redoubling efforts. That being said, it is China's view that what has already been conducted during the first phase, especially where conclusive findings were already reached, should not been repeated. The second phase should be conducted in multiple countries and regions across the world based on wide consultation by member states.

Third, the COVID-19 situation in the US is the worst in the world. The US government hasn't taken any investigative action in the face of waves of suspicions surrounding containment breaches from the biological laboratory at Fort Detrick and the clusters of unexplained cases of pneumonia in Maryland in 2019. To date, over 18 million Chinese netizens have signed an open letter calling on the WHO to investigate Fort Detrick. If the US truly intends to support studies of origins, then it should respond to the call, demonstrate its openness and transparency, and let WHO experts conduct investigations in the US.

Shenzhen TV: The Forum on Win-win Cooperation for Common Development of China-Latin America and the Caribbean was recently hosted in Beijing. Could you provide more information?

Zhao Lijian: On 27 July, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) hosted the Forum on Win-win Cooperation for Common Development of China-Latin America and the Caribbean in Beijing. It was attended by senior diplomats from over 20 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) embassies in China, President of the CPAFFC Lin Songtian, and representatives from Chinese organizations, institutions and companies.

President Lin Songtian said that, the forum is hosted under the theme "win-win cooperation for common development", which demonstrates the global vision and the sense of historical responsibility of the Communist Party of China and goes with the prevailing trend of peace, development and progress for mankind. LAC countries is a natural extension of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and an important partner in Belt and Road cooperation. As developing countries, both China and LAC countries endured sufferings of Western colonial plunder in history. Today, we face the common task of development and share broad common interests. As we provide important markets for each other and face enormous opportunities for two-way investment, there are broad prospects for China-LAC cooperation on infrastructure connectivity and high-quality development.

Uruguayan Ambassador to China and Dean of LAC diplomatic corps in China Fernando Lugris said, the forum provides a platform for LAC embassies in China to connect with local governments and companies, which will advance China-LAC cooperation for mutual benefits and common development. As one of the first LAC countries to participate in Belt and Road Initiative and sign an MOU with China, Uruguay is ready to expand its investment in western China and facilitate further investments in LAC countries from Chinese companies.

Beijing Youth Daily: According to reports, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken just met a representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: Tibetan affairs are purely China's internal affairs that allow no foreign interference. The 14th Dalai Lama is by no means just a religious personnel, but rather a political exile who has long been engaging in anti-China separatist activities and attempting to split Tibet from China. China firmly opposes any form of contact between foreign officials and the Dalai Lama. Any form of contact between the US side and the Dalai clique is a violation of the US commitment to acknowledging Tibet being part of China, to not supporting "Tibetan Independence", and to not supporting attempts to split China. The US side should honor its commitment, stop meddling in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Tibetan affairs, and offer no support to the "Tibetan independence" forces to engage in anti-China separatist activities. China will take all necessary measures to defend its own interests.

Prasar Bharati: As per reports, they were two persons arrested in Pakistan for the bus blast that took nine Chinese lives. Do you have more to share on this as to what result came from the investigation by Chinese team in Pakistan?

Zhao Lijian: I take note that the Pakistani police have arrested two suspects allegedly involved in the attack on the shuttle bus for Dasu hydropower project. China and Pakistan are carrying out a joint investigation into the bomb attack incident. China will continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Pakistani side to see to it that a thorough investigation is made and the perpetrators are severely punished. In the meantime, we will earnestly protect the safety of Chinese projects, personnel and institutions in Pakistan to make sure such things do not happen again.
Contracts For June 24, 2021



Tactical Air Support Inc., Reno, Nevada, is awarded a $14,800,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract provides for the procurement of six block upgrade system kits, consisting of four F-5N+ kits and two F-5F+ kits, in support of the F-5N+/F+ avionics reconfiguration and tactical enhancement/modernization for inventory standardization program. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida (28%); Olathe, Kansas (15%); Carlsbad, California (11%); Clarksburg, Maryland (10%); Grand Rapids, Michigan (7%); Woodland Hills, California (6%); Franklin, North Carolina (6%); Salt Lake City, Utah (4%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (3%); Warner Robbins, Georgia (2%); Camarillo, California (2%); Jupiter, Florida (2%); Avenel, New Jersey (1%); Fairborn, Ohio (1%); Deerfield, Illinois (1%); and Auburn, Alabama (1%), and is expected to be completed in August 2022. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,800,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-21-C-0037).



Contracts For June 25, 2021



Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a $735,903,127 modification (P00004) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N00019-20-C-0047. This modification increases the scope for nine Lot Five low rate initial production CH-53K heavy-lift aircraft and associated aircraft, programmatic and logistical support. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut (36.71%); Wichita, Kansas (9.86%); Salt Lake City, Utah (6.19%); St. Louis, Missouri (4.30%); Bridgeport, West Virginia (3.19%); Redmond, Washington (1.91%); Quebec, Canada (1.66%); Kent, Washington (1.63%); Rochester, United Kingdom (1.59%); Cudahy, Wisconsin (1.39%); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (1.19%); Jupiter, Florida (1.01%); various locations within the continental U.S. (CONUS) (27.37%); and various locations outside CONUS (2%), and is expected to be completed in December 2024. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $735,903,127 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.



Contracts For June 28, 2021



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Contracts For June 29, 2021



Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, New York, is awarded a $129,000,000 modification (P00027) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N00019-19-C-0013. This modification increases the scope for the production and delivery of three MH-60R aircraft as replacement-in-kind for the Navy. Work will be performed in Owego, New York (52%); Stratford, Connecticut (40%); and Troy, Alabama (8%), and is expected to be completed in May 2025. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $129,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.



Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $24,963,736 modification (P00003) to cost-plus-fixed-fee order N00019-20-F-0443 against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0008. This modification increases the scope to procure a redesigned end product for the following systems: gun system controller unit, communications, navigation, identification dual channel transceiver and multi-channel receiver, electrical power generation and conversion voltage converters and inverters, and aircraft exterior lighting approach light for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in January 2025. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $10,259,599; fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,259,594; and non-DoD participant funds in the amount of $4,444,543 will be obligated at time of award, $10,259,594 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.



Collins Aerospace, Richardson, Texas, is awarded an $18,159,063 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N00019-21-F-0213) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0031. This order procures one high power transmit set (HPTS) modernization validation kit and one HPTS modernization verification kit and installation of each in the E-6B Mercury aircraft. Work will be performed in Richardson, Texas (70%); and Tinker, Oklahoma (30%), and is expected to be completed in August 2023. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $18,159,063 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.



Contracts For June 30, 2021



Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a not-to-exceed $1,803,683,878 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, and fixed-price-incentive-firm undefinitized contract action. This contract provides for the procurement of recurring logistics services for delivered F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter air systems in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Services to be provided include ground maintenance activities, action request resolution, depot activation activities, automatic logistics information system operations and maintenance, reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support, supply chain management and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (61%); Orlando, Florida (24%); Greenville, South Carolina (8%); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (4%); and El Segundo, California (3%), and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $91,083,695; fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Air National Guard) funds in the amount of $40,478,232; fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $56,922,784; fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $27,192,677; non-U.S. DOD participant funds in the amount of $76,946,111; and FMS funds in the amount of $41,266,703 will be obligated at the time of the award, $215,677,388 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001921C0020).



Raytheon Missile and Defense, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $328,156,454 fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract. This contract provides for the production and delivery of Lot 21 as follows: 483 AIM-9X Block II all up round tactical missiles (212 for the Navy, 187 for the Air Force and 84 for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers); 82 AIM-9X block II plus all up round missiles (eight for the Navy, eight for the Air Force and 66 for FMS customers); 156 Block II Captive Air Training Missiles (82 for the Air Force and 74 for FMS customers); eight Block II Special Air Training Missiles (two for the Air Force and six for FMS customers); 198 all up round containers (75 for the Navy, 73 for the Air Force and 50 for FMS customers); six spare advanced optical target detectors (two for the Air Force and four for FMS customers); five spare advanced optical target detector containers (two for the Air Force and three for FMS customers); 29 spare Block II guidance units (live battery) (13 for the Navy, four for the Air Force, and 12 for FMS customers); six spare Block II plus guidance units (live battery) for FMS customers; 41 guidance unit containers for FMS customers; 72 spare Captive Air Training Missile guidance units (inert battery) (22 for the Navy, three for the Air Force, and 47 for FMS customers); two spare Block I propulsion steering sections for the Air Force; seven spare Block II propulsion steering sections (two for the Navy, four for the Air Force, and one for FMS customers); 72 spare Block II electronics units (68 for the Navy and four for the Air Force); two classroom explosive ordnance disposal systems trainers for FMS customers; one practical explosive ordnance disposal systems trainer for a FMS customer; 11 multi-purpose training missiles for various FMS customers; 135 tail caps (eight for the Navy, 16 for the Air Force and 111 for FMS customers); 35 tail cap containers (two for the Navy, four for the Air Force, and 29 for FMS customers); one lot of spares assets for the Navy; one lot of spares assets for the Air Force; and one lot of spares assets for the governments of Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (31%); North Logan, Utah (10%); Keyser, West Virginia (9%); Niles, Illinois (8%); Vancouver, Washington (5%); Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (5%); Goleta, California (4%); Cheshire, Connecticut (4%); Heilbronn, Germany (3%); Simsbury, Connecticut (2%); San Jose, California (2%); Valencia, California (2%); Anaheim, California (2%); Cajon, California (2%); Cincinnati, Ohio (1%); Anniston, Alabama (1%); San Diego, California (1%); Chatsworth, California (1%); Amesbury, Massachusetts (1%); Claremont, California (1%); Sumner, Washington (1%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (4%), and is expected to be completed in June 2024. Fiscal 2021 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $98,204,232; fiscal 2021 missile procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $102,681,830; fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $802,382; fiscal 2020 missile procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $257,638; fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $108,826; fiscal 2019 missile procurement (Air Force) in the amount of $295,576; and FMS funds in the amount of $125,805,970 will be obligated at the time of award, $295,576 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001921C0723).



Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd., Middlesex, United Kingdom, is awarded a $28,925,000 firm-fixed-price order (N0042121F0096) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0042119G0004). This order procures the production and support of Lot 3 SKU-10A/A and SKU-11A/A survival seat kit assembly for the enhanced emergency oxygen system for the Navy. Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (52%); and Ronkonkoma, New York (48%), and is expected to be completed in July 2024. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $25,995,250; fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,670,152; and fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $259,598 will be obligated at time of award, $259,598 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.



Bell Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is awarded a $17,303,517 modification (P00011) to a firm-fixed-price order (N0001918F1645) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001917G0002). This modification increases the scope to procure 12 MV-22 Integrated Aircraft Survivability Equipment (IASE) A-kits configuration B to C; 24 MV-22 IASE A-kits configuration A to C; and 60 MV-22 IASE fuel tank Delta A-kits. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed in September 2026. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $17,303,517 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.



United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, Defence Business Services Finance, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom, is awarded a $15,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract procures one E-3D aircraft for use as an in-flight trainer in support of the E-6B aircraft program for the Navy. Work will be performed in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and is expected to be completed in September 2021. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001921C0045).



Mercury Defense Systems Inc., Cypress, California, is awarded an $11,794,811 firm-fixed-price order (N6833521F0130) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N6833517G0017). This order procures 12 Type I.v1 Advanced Digital Radio Frequency Memories (DRFM) production units, each configured with two 18 GHz radio frequency converter modules and two micro-DRFM modules; seven Type II.v3 Advanced DRFM production units, each configured with four 7-11 GHz radio frequency converter modules and four micro-DRFM modules; and data deliverables in support of the Small Business Innovation Research Phase III effort for topic N06-036 titled, "Advanced Techniques for Digital Radio Frequency Memories (DRFM)" for the Navy and Air Force. Work will be performed in Cypress, California (83%); and West Caldwell, New Jersey (17%), and is expected to be completed in December 2022. Fiscal 2021 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,278,140; fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,197,136; and fiscal 2021 working capital (DoD) funds in the amount of $1,319,535 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.



Raytheon Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded a $10,931,121 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001921F0497) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001921G0005). This order provides transitional support and services for the Defense Logistics Agency and U.S. Transportation Command to provide the North American warehousing and global transportation for the F-35 propulsion system. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $5,465,561; and fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,465,560 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.



Contracts For July 1, 2021



No applicable data.



Contracts For July 2, 2021



Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, is awarded a $171,629,206 fixed-price incentive (firm target), cost-reimbursable contract. This contract procures three Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band low rate initial production Lot One ship sets, associated spares, gold units for operational test program set development and associated technical data. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas (44%); Forest, Mississippi (33%); El Segundo, California (20%); Ft. Wayne, Indiana (2%); and Andover, Massachusetts (1%), and is expected to be completed in October 2023. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $171,629,206 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001921C0053).



Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $12,970,550 modification (P00005) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001920F5008) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001920G0005). This modification exercises an option to provide continued support for integrated test team operations in executing advanced development experimentation flights and development testing in support of future delta system software builds for the Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in July 2022. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,632,077 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.



Contracts For July 6, 2021



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Contracts For July 7, 2021



No applicable data.



Contracts For July 8, 2021



No applicable data.



Contracts For July 9, 2021



MZA Associates Corp., Albuquerque, New Mexico, is awarded an $11,150,425 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a five-year ordering period for technical and subject matter expert services for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Virginia. Work will be performed in Dahlgren, Virginia (70%); and Albuquerque, New Mexico (30%), and is expected to be completed by July 2026. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $230,000 will be obligated at the time of award, of which funds in the amount of $230,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole-source award in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations 6.302-1(a) (2) (iii)only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00178-21-D-4413).
Map of land-ocean temperature index anomaly (change) in June 2021 relative to the 1951-1980 base period. High values indicate temperatures that are generally higher than those in the base period. The number in the top right is an estimate of the global mean temperature anomaly. All values are in degrees C. CREDIT NASA GISS Surface Temperature Analysis

Twenty months after declaring a climate emergency and establishing a set of vital signs for the Earth, a coalition headed by two Oregon State University researchers says the updated vital signs "largely reflect the consequences of unrelenting business as usual."

Authors led by OSU's William Ripple and Christopher Wolf, in a paper published today in BioScience, are calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels in response to the climate crisis. They also want strategic climate reserves for the storage of carbon and the protection of biodiversity, and a global price for carbon high enough to induce "decarbonization" across the industrial and consumption spectrum.

The scientists note an unprecedented surge in climate-related disasters since 2019, including devastating floods, record-shattering heat waves and extraordinary storms and wildfires.

"There is growing evidence we are getting close to or have already gone beyond tipping points associated with important parts of the Earth system, including warm-water coral reefs, the Amazon rainforest and the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets," said Ripple, distinguished professor of ecology in the OSU College of Forestry.

2020 was the second hottest year in history, with the five hottest years on record all occurring since 2015. And three key greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide - set records for atmospheric concentrations in 2020 and again in 2021.

In April 2021, carbon dioxide concentration reached 416 parts per million, the highest monthly global average concentration ever recorded.

"Priorities need to shift toward immediate, drastic reductions in greenhouse gases, especially methane," said Wolf, a postdoctoral scholar in the College of Forestry.

"We also need to stop treating the climate emergency as a stand-alone issue - global heating is not the sole symptom of our stressed Earth system," Ripple said. "Policies to combat the climate crisis or any other symptoms should address their root cause: human overexploitation of the planet."

With its myriad economic interruptions and shutdowns, the COVID-19 pandemic had the side effect of providing some climate crisis relief but only of the ephemeral variety, the scientists say.

"Global gross domestic product dropped by 3.6% in 2020 but is projected to rebound to an all-time high," Ripple said. "Likely because of the pandemic, fossil fuel consumption has gone down since 2019, as have carbon dioxide emissions and airline travel levels. All of these are expected to significantly rise with the opening of the economy."

A major lesson of the pandemic, the authors say, is that even colossally decreased transportation and consumption are insufficient to tackle climate change and instead transformational system changes are required, even if politically unpopular. Despite pledging to "build back better" by globally directing COVID-19 recovery investments toward green policies, only 17% of such funds had been allocated that way as of early March 2021.

"As long as humanity's pressure on the Earth system continues, attempted remedies will only redistribute the pressure," Wolf said. "But by halting the unsustainable exploitation of natural habitats, we can reduce zoonotic disease transmission risks, protect carbon stocks and conserve biodiversity, all at the same time."

Other key vital signs the authors highlight:

Ruminant livestock now number more than 4 billion, and their total mass is more than that of all humans and wild animals combined.

Brazilian Amazon annual forest loss rates increased in both 2019 and 2020, reaching a 12-year high of 1.11 million hectares deforested in 2020.

Ocean acidification is near an all-time record. Together with thermal stress, it threatens the coral reefs that more than half a billion people depend on for food, tourism dollars and storm surge protection.

"All climate actions should focus on social justice by reducing inequality and prioritizing basic human needs," Ripple said. "And climate change education should be included in school core curriculums around the world - that would result in greater awareness of the climate emergency and empower learners to take action."

Ripple, Wolf and OSU colleagues Bev Law and Jillian Gregg, along with collaborators from Massachusetts, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Germany, call for a "three-pronged near-term policy approach" that includes a globally implemented serious carbon price, a phase-out and eventual ban of fossil fuels, and strategic climate reserves to safeguard and restore natural carbon sinks and biodiversity.

"The carbon price needs to be linked to a socially just fund to finance climate mitigation and adaptation policies in the developing world," Ripple said. "We need to quickly change how we're doing things, and new climate policies should be part of COVID-19 recovery plans wherever possible. It's time for us to join together as a global community with a shared sense of cooperation, urgency and equity."

The paper by Ripple, Wolf and collaborators comes out as the International Panel on Climate Change prepares to release its report, on the physical science of climate change, on Aug. 9. The IPCC says the report will include an assessment of scientific knowledge about the warming of the planet and projections for future warming.

Joining the OSU scientists on the paper are Thomas Newsome of the University of Sydney; Timothy Lenton of the University of Exeter; Ignacio Palomo of the University of Grenoble Alps; Jasper Eikelboom of Wageningen University and Research; Saleemul Huq of Independent University Bangladesh; Philip Duffy of the Woodwell Climate Research Center; and Johan Rockstrom of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

The 2019 climate emergency paper, also published in BioScience, at the time had more than 11,000 scientist signatories from 153 countries. The signatories now total nearly 14,000 from 158 countries.

"Almost 2,000 jurisdictions including 23 national governments have declared or recognized a climate emergency," Ripple said. "But given all of the alarming climate developments, we need to keep providing short, frequent and easily accessible updates on this emergency."



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New Book Offers Christian Response to Jordan Peterson

NEWS PROVIDED BYJuly 29, 2021IRVING, Texas, July 29, 2021 / Standard Newswire / -- The person most responsible for reintroducing God and the Bible into mainstream secular culture today is not a pastor, a Scripture scholar, or a bishop, but a psychology professor with no church membership. Jordan Peterson's lectures and writings on psychology, philosophy, and religion have been a cultural phenomenon, attracting tens of thousands to arenas and millions to his social media sites, and prompting many to leave behind secularism and reconsider Christianity.Yet Peterson's own thought is marked by a tensive suspension between archetype and realitybetween the ideal of Christ and the God who acts in history. When asked if he himself is a believer, Peterson responds, "I try to live as if God exists." More recently, in the wake of great personal suffering, Peterson's wrestling with the figure of Christ and, in his own wording, the profoundly "sane" quality of Catholicism, has reached a kind of crescendo in both his life and work."Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity: The Search for a Meaningful Life," a new book from the Word on Fire Institute, is the first systematic analysis, from a Christian perspective, of both Peterson's biblical series on YouTube and his bestselling book "12 Rules for Life," with an epilogue examining its sequel, "Beyond Order." Christopher Kaczor and Matthew R. Petrusek draw readers into the depths of Peterson's thought on Scripture, suffering, and meaning, exploring both the points of contact with Christianity and the ways in which faith fulfills Peterson's project. Taking the "mere Christianity" of C.S. Lewis as its point of departure, "Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity" is an indispensable analysis, not only for Christians hoping to better understand the significance of the Peterson phenomenon, but also for Peterson fans who are, perhaps for the first time in their lives, thinking seriously about what it might mean to believe."I find many aspects of Jordan Peterson's thought fascinating: the serious reading of Scripture, the integration of science and religion, the various sources of human insight including psychology and history brought into fruitful conversation," Kaczor explains. "It seemed to me that diving deeper into these issues in this book would be helpful not only for Peterson's many fans but for anyone who is concerned about issues of ultimate importance." Petrusek adds, "I started co-writing this book out of curiosity about Jordan Peterson the phenomenon; I ended writing it with great admiration for Jordan Peterson the man, even if I don't agree with all his ideas. Along the way, I've become convinced that everyone who cares about TruthChristian and non-Christian alikehas good reason to listen to what he has to say about God, morality, and human nature, and, equally important, to learn from the way he is willing to say it: standing up straight with your shoulders back."Word on Fire Catholic Ministries ( wordonfire.org ) exists to draw people into the Body of Christ, which is the Church, and thereby give them access to all the gifts that Jesus wants his people to enjoy. To be most effective in this mission, Word on Fire places an emphasis and urgency on the use of contemporary forms of media and innovative communication technologies. The Word on Fire Institute imprint, the publishing arm of the Institute, features high-level books written by Fellows of the Institute and other authors on a range of specialized topics related to theology, spirituality, evangelization, and more."Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity: The Search for a Meaningful Life"by Christopher Kaczor and Matthew R. PetrusekJuly 29, 2021Hardcover | 240 pagesWord on Fire InstituteSOURCE Word on Fire Catholic MinistriesCONTACT: Will Sipling, Communications Director,866-928-1237, communications@wordonfire.org Related Links
Saudi Arabia has announced that it has delivered around 500 residential villas as part of its Al Ahsa Housing Project in June under the Sakani programme. These housing units are spread over more than 470,660 sq m area in the southern side of the city of Hofuf in the Eastern Province.

The key initiative come as part of the government's continuous efforts to provide housing options and various financing solutions to meet the housing desires of Saudi families, said a statement from Sakani.

The ministry's ready-made housing projects are being distributed in a number of cities and governorates of the kingdom.

Under this plan, around 42 projects are being implemented that, on completion, will provide about 14,000 villa housing units, each with an area of 500 sq m, and are characterized by the integration of infrastructure and the availability of green spaces and public parks, in addition to the allocation of sites for utilities.

According to senior officials, Sakani has managed to serve 100,449 families from the beginning of this year until the end of May, of which 78,349 families lived in their homes, through the various housing and financing options provided by the programme.

These included residential plot and the option to obtain a subsidized real estate loan to purchase ready and under construction housing units, in addition to the option of self-construction, they stated.

With this, the total number of families benefiting from Sakani during the first half has reached 111,568 families.

It is in continuation with Sakani's efforts to enable Saudi families to have their own homes and also to boost the percentage of Saudi families' ownership to 70% in the next 10 years in accordance with the

objectives of the Housing Program - one of the programs of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, they added.-TradeArabia News Service
UAE-based Azizi Developments has announced the release of its last retail and commercial units across phases one and two of Riviera, its new French Mediterranean-inspired landmark destination in Dubai, following the markets rapid absorption of its existing inventory.

This move comes in light of a substantial surge in demand for units facing the newly announced lagoon, which will allow residents to swim in crystal blue, filtered and desalinated waters and unwind on its beach-like shores, said Azizi in a statement.

Following the surprise announcement of the lagoon last month, Azizi has sold out its existing released inventory of lagoon-facing units within just days, it added.

"The gigantic crystal lagoon, which is akin to a massive swimming pool over 2.7 km long, that will cover an area of more than 130,026 sq. m and will stretch across the entirety of the Riviera development in MBR City, is a major selling point to investors," said its Chief Development Officer Mohamed Ragheb Hussein.

"Adding the lagoon to this already outstanding master planned community enriches the lives of Riviera residents immeasurably. This, needless to say, is very well reflected in the number of inquiries we are receiving for - and sales volumes of - units that are adjacent to it," he explained.

"Not only our residential units are flying off the shelves, but also our retail units, which, evidently, now hold a much higher potential for investors. Our overarching mission to build world-class, master planned communities that foster a true sense of belonging, offer growth-inclined ROIs and enhance lifestyles, is underpinned by initiatives such as this stunning lagoon. It is a win-win situation in which our tenants and investors benefit from recreational and convenience options, while commercial organisations will have a vibrant, lively atmosphere to successfully conduct businesses in," he added.

Beyond Riviera, Azizi is also expanding its retail offerings in other projects, such as in Creek Views I, which is situated on the iconic Dubai Creek in Dubai Healthcare City.

Retail units on Azizi Rivieras 1.6km integrated boulevard and 2.6km lagoon walk are considered to be an exceptionally smart investment with the community being home to over 16,000 families, and it being forecasted to welcome a sizable volume of visitors as a landmark and cultural hotspot, stated the developer.

Azizi Developments' engineering team is collaborating closely with its marketing team to create the best-possible customer experience for visitors of its retail units, observed Hussein.

"Azizis marketing department is deeply involved in setting the appropriate retail-unit mix, layouts, and other factors to ensure that that they meet investor and retail-shop owner needs and wants, helping them meet and exceed their product and service sales targets," he added.
Airports Council International (ACI) World and the Duty Free World Council (DFWC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding fostering a closer strategic partnership for training of front-line and management staff.

The strategic cooperation will include the hosting of DFWC Academy online training courses in ACI's Online Learning Centre to provide new staff training and advanced training for professionals in the aviation sector and also in the maritime sector and across the broad sweep of brands found in travel retail  all accessible through the same platform.

ACI Global Training and the DFWC Academy will apply advanced training methods and modules to develop other future joint education programmes that will benefit both organisations members.

The partnership will provide more opportunities for industry employees to access professional development and education, executive leadership, professional accreditation, subject-matter competency, and training courses.

Around 60% of aviation jobs are at airports and airports recognise the importance of commercial activities as job generators, such as retail and duty free, ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. The airport community recognises that learning and development - how staff are developed, how they work, and how they are supported in their professional goals  is a key contributor to success and this partnership will help enrich this work. Working together with other organisations in our ecosystem will improve cooperation among the stakeholders and will help not only on the recovery of the industry but in forging the way forward into the future."

DFWC President Sarah Branquinho said that learning and development will be more important than ever in the near future as our industry recovers from the enforced closures and disruptions of the last twelve plus months.

A lot of retail experience and expertise has, unfortunately, been lost and our industry will welcome many new staff members as stores re-open across all travel sectors, aviation and maritime, Branquinho said.

The provision of high-quality training programmes that will enable retail staff to deliver the best possible in-store experience for travellers and optimise revenues for our industries will be critically important. Our partnership with ACI on online training recognises the key role the duty free and travel retail industry plays in the broader aviation sector and reinforces an already strong and valuable co-operation.-- TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabia yesterday (July 28) has inaugurated the 4th Industrial Revolution Centre in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), local media reported.



This was announced by Abdullah Amer Al-Sawahah, Chairman of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) on the sidelines of the first Saudi Forum for the 4th Industrial Revolution, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA).



Al-Sawahah pointed out that the flexibility and speed in setting policies and regulation is a key element to move forward in the 21st century, citing Saudi Arabia's experience in "THE LINE" project in NEOM, which was announced by HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.



He considered what is happening in NEOM today is the largest innovative platform for planning urban models and future cities for the next 150 years.



The Founder and Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Professor Klaus Schwab, congratulated Saudi Arabia on inaugurating the 4th Industrial Revolution Centre, which aims to harness new technologies with the best principles of flexible governance, which need government, business, and civil society together to make technology a force for good and ensure that society benefits from it.



The President of KACST, Dr Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki indicated that our country needs cooperation and coordination efforts in the public, private and non-profit sectors and open channels of dialogue to increase awareness about the fourth industry and identify potential risks.



He also said that Saudi Arabia has a solid economic base to build on, through recent reforms to the governance model and the establishment of new entities such as the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the National Cybersecurity Authority, the Digital Government Authority, and the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority.



The forum began with the first session, which discussed "Harnessing the techniques of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to serve the development and the application of flexible governance between the government, business sector, and civil society.



President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), Dr Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, said in the session that the national strategy for data and artificial intelligence that will enhance the use of artificial intelligence in the Kingdom and will increase the number of startups companies in this field and the speed of development and acceleration that drives technology applications, and enhances the development of our infrastructure.



The Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef stated that all our industrial and metal services are carried out through a unified platform that simplifies and speeds up the investors journey, through the Kingdoms possession today of a strong industrial base that includes more than 10,000 factories and 40 specialized and integrated industrial cities.



He stressed that all these efforts will help the manufacturing and mining sectors in comprehensive growth and it will create excellent opportunities in these sectors for entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized companies to be the primary beneficiaries of these efforts.



The first Saudi Forum for the Fourth Industrial Revolution will continue on July 29 with four sessions discussing clean-energy transformations, building smart cities for the future, restoring the ecosystem, and the future of finance.
UAE-based Etisalat Group has reported a consolidated net profit after Federal Royalty of AED4.7 billion ($1.28 billion) for the first-half (H1) of the year, representing a year over year (YoY) increase of 3.9% and resulting in a net profit margin of 18%.



Consolidated revenues amounted to AED26.4 billion representing YoY increase of 3.2 percent, while consolidated EBITDA reached AED13.4 billion resulting in EBITDA margin of 51%.



In the UAE the subscriber base reached 12.1 million subscribers in H1 of 2020, while the aggregate subscriber base reached 156.1 million, representing a year over year increase of 7%.



Other highlights:



 Board approval of interim dividend for H1 2021 of 40fils per share.

 Credit Ratings agencies S&P Global and Moodys affirmed Etisalat Groups high credit rating at AA-/Aa3 with stable outlook.

 Etisalat successfully completed a bonds issuance worth one billion Euros to refinance the maturing Euro bond tranche.

 Etisalat crowned strongest brand in the MEA region across all categories.

 Etisalat recognised as worlds fastest mobile network by Ookla.

 Etisalat forays into 6G-the next generation of the mobile network by conducting research and developing international standards.

 Etisalat expands its SmartHub footprint with a third location opening in Kalba complete with a state-of-art Tier 3 data centre facility.

 Etisalat launched the regions first online Mobile Service Centre, offering real-time visibility and control over business customers mobile usage.

 Etisalat collaborated with Smart Dubai to provide cyber security services to Dubai government entities.

 Etisalat joins programme led by Khalifa Fund for Small &Medium Enterprise Development.

 Etisalat Misr completed the first VoLTE call using Virtual IMS technology.

 Etisalat Misr signed an agreement with Canal Sugar Company, the first of its kind in the agricultural sector to digitally transform their financial transactions.

 PTCL starts transformation of its IP Edge & Optical Transport Network.

 UAE Trade Connect (UTC)s digital trade platform went live with seven banks.

 E-Vision launched the Television Audience Measurement (TAM) to identify viewership trends from eLife TV.

 Digital Financial Services partnered with Lulu Group International and Al Futtaim to enable secure and contactless payments.

 Etisalat partnered with Aruba to offer managed wi-fi and networking solutions.

 Etisalat collaborated with Cisco to simplify Emirates Internet Exchange (EMIX) operations by building the regions first open and autonomous and secured network.

 Etisalat launched the Smiles food order and delivery service in the UAE.

 Smiles partnered with Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) to support the global 100 Million Meals humanitarian campaign.

 As part of its commitment to support and empower People of Determination Etisalat partnered with Ministry of Community Development to launch a web extension to make accessing the web autistic friendly.



Jassem Mohamed Alzaabi, Chairman of Etisalat Group, said: Etisalat continued to demonstrate strong performance showcasing growth across its operations for the first half of the year, thanks to our continuous efforts and focus on our vision of driving the digital future with a strong commitment towards the societies we serve and adding value to our shareholders.



We are confident that Etisalat Group will maintain its leadership position in the telecom industry while remaining focused on our core business and exploring new growth opportunities ensuring that we are well geared for the future with all our digital capabilities and solutions.



I would like to thank UAEs wise leadership for their continuous support to the telecom sector and the Etisalat Groups management team in making the digital vision a reality by staying focused on the companys long-term strategy to drive stakeholder value. Thanks to both our shareholders and loyal customers for inspiring us to set new global benchmarks and reach new business heights, he added.



Hatem Dowidar, CEO, Etisalat Group, said: Etisalat Groups strong results in the first half of 2021 is an outcome of our sincere efforts to drive growth and generate efficiencies, with an unwavering commitment to key strategic priorities to enable a digital future and drive digital innovation across our operations. Despite the challenges in our key markets, our businesses delivered growth in revenue, net profit and operating free cashflow.



We are proud that Etisalat Group was a key contributor to positioning the UAE as the fastest mobile network in the world and among the top fixed broadband networks globally, meeting the ICT aspirations of the countrys leadership.



With our success in deploying 5G as well as taking the global lead in fibre penetration, we ensured that our networks are future-ready for the next generation of mobile networks and technologies. As we look ahead with confidence, we will focus on expanding our capabilities, maintaining industry leadership to achieve our long-term goals of enriching customer lives and empowering governments, businesses and societies across our footprint.



Etisalat remains grateful to the wise leadership of the UAE, thankful to our customers and shareholders for their constant encouragement, and to our employees who are the cornerstone of our success. We will remain focused on investments in futuristic solutions and next-generation technologies, enhancing the overall customer experience while delivering long-term value for all our shareholders, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Batelco, Bahrain's leading telecom provider, reported a 3% increase in net profit attributable to equity holders of the company of BD17.8 million ($47.2 million) for the second quarter (Q2) compared to BD17.3 million ($45.9 million) for Q2 2020.

Net profits attributable to equity holders of the company for H1 2021 was BD37.5 million ($99.5 million), an increase of 5% from BD35.9 million ($95.2 million) for the corresponding period of 2020.

The increase in net profit is mainly attributable to steady increases in revenues for the first six months of the year, Batelco said.

Earnings per share (EPS) are 10.7 fils for the second quarter of 2021 compared to 10.4 fils in Q2 2020 resulting in an EPS of 22.7 fils for the period compared to an EPS of 21.7 for H1 2020.

Total comprehensive income attributable to equity holders for Q2 2021 reported at BD17.3 million, an increase of 30% from BD13.3 million for the second quarter of 2020. Total comprehensive income attributable to equity holders of the company for the first half of 2021 is up by 87% from BD25.2 million in H1 2020 to BD47.2 million in H1 2021.

Revenues for the second quarter in 2021 of BD98.4 million ($261 million) was an increase of 7% compared to BD92.2 million in Q2 2020. Similarly, revenues for H1 2021 were BD198.2 million ($525.7 million), an increase of 4% when compared to BD189.8 million ($503.4 million) of revenues in H1 2020. The increase in revenues is mainly due to YoY increases in fixed broadband, adjacent services and wholesale revenues of 18%, 16% and 5% respectively, it said.

Operating profit for Q2 2021 is up by 4% to BD23.8 million from BD22.9 million in Q2 2020; while year-on-year operating profits increased by 4% from BD47.4 million ($125.7 million) in H1 2020 to BD49.3 million in H1 2021.

The statement said the company's EBITDA stood at BD41.7 million ($110.6 million) in Q2 2021 compared to BD40.3 million ($106.9 million) in Q2 2020, an increase of 3%. For the first half of 2021, EBITDA increased by 4% from BD81.8 million in H1 2020 to BD85.4 million, with a healthy EBITDA margin of 43%.

Batelcos balance sheet remains strong with total equity attributable to equity holders of the company of BD487.9 million ($1,294.2 million) as of June 30, 2021, 3% higher than BD473.2 million ($1,255.2 million) reported as of December 31, 2020. Total assets of BD1,007.4 million ($2,672.1 million) as of June 30, 2021 have increased by 2% compared to total assets of BD992.2 million ($2,631.8 million) as of December 31, 2020. Net assets as of June 30, 2021 stands at BD526.5 million ($1,396.6 million), 3% higher than BD512.1 million reported as of December 31, 2020.

The companys cash and bank balances are a substantial BD196.4 million ($521 million), which reflects the 2020 final dividend of 16.5 fils per share paid in April 2021, it said.

Batelco's Board of Directors have approved an interim cash dividend for shareholders of 13.5 fils per share or 13.5% of paid-up capital for the six-month period of 2021. This is in line with the 2020 interim dividend payment and the Board of Directors commitment to continuously deliver strong returns to shareholders, the statement said.

The total subscriber base increased to 3.8 million in H1 2021 from 3.7 million in H1 2020, 4% increase. (The numbers exclude that of Sabafon, Batelcos associate company in Yemen, and Etihad Atheeb Telecom, Batelcos investment in Saudi Arabia).

Commenting on Batelcos performance for the first half of 2021, Batelco Chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said: Batelcos board is pleased with the companys performance for the first half of the year. Following a positive start to the year, we are glad to maintain the momentum, which is reflected in our financial results for the second quarter. Batelco achieved a 4% increase in revenues, contributing to a 4% increase in EBITDA and 5% increase in net profit for the six months ended June 2021. We appreciate the efforts of the executive team for their diligent management and commitment to implementing the strategic objectives.

Delivering strong returns for Batelcos shareholders is a priority for the Board of Directors and accordingly, we are glad to note an increase in Earnings Per Share (EPS) of 22.7 fils for the six month period, up from 21.7 fils in H1 2020, the Chairman added.

Were proud of being the first telecom company in the GCC to receive a license for Open Banking, with the establishment of Batelcos new licensed company, Batelco Financial Services. This step reflects the Boards aspirations to advance steadily towards digital transformation while enhancing and growing Batelcos core business, he continued.

Shaikh Abdulla concluded: Investments in growing our digital portfolio is in line with international trends and continues to be an important step in our strategic plans to ensure that Batelco is in a position to be a key player in the growth of Bahrains digital economy."

Batelco CEO Mikkel Vinter said: We are proud of the strong financial results for the first six months of 2021, which are supported by year-on-year increases in fixed broadband, adjacent services and wholesale revenues.

Its been rewarding to make good progress in converting key strategic plans in the digital space into actions, including the successful roll-out of key projects such as the launch of Batelco Financial Services, to provide both consumers and SMEs with a broad range of financial related services such as digital wallet creation and cards issuance services.

During the first half of 2021, Batelco focussed on delivering exceptional speeds and innovative products for the enterprise, consumer, and global business sectors. Key achievements included introducing new 5G Mobile Broadband packages to deliver speeds six times faster than 4G, and redesigned Home Fiber Broadband packages with speeds as high as 1Gbps.

The development of Batelcos Data Centres remains high on the agenda and in line with world class standards in Data security, our teams worked hard to achieve PCI DSS Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard compliance, for Batelcos three Data Centers, thus ensuring a reliable and highly secure data storage environment for our customers, he said.

The successes of the second quarter reflect the dedicated efforts of the entire Batelco team who worked together to achieve the desired results. I am grateful to each team member and encourage them to keep up the positive momentum to execute our ambitious business plans for the second half of 2021, Vinter concluded. - TradeArabia News Service
Mastercard has released its 2020 Corporate Sustainability report, highlighting how the company has responded to the challenges of the last year through innovation and trusted partnerships. It is also delivering on its mission to build a more inclusive, sustainable world with a digital economy that works for everyone, everywhere.

This unprecedented year reinforced how important it is for us to help those in need today and continue to build a more inclusive and sustainable world, said Michael Miebach, chief executive officer, Mastercard. For us, sustainability means ensuring everyone has the same opportunities to grow and thrive in alignment with the planet. This years report is a reflection of all that we have achieved and marks an important moment to share the progress we continue to make together."

Highlights from the report include:

Inclusive Growth

 Made a five-year $250 million commitment to provide small businesses with financial tools, technology, products, funding, and data insights necessary to weather the pandemic;

 Committed $500 million over five years to help close the wealth and opportunity gaps faced by Black communities in the US.

 Achieved its goal of financially including 500 million people and expanded its commitment to reach a total of 1 billion people, 50 million micro and small merchants, with an emphasis on 25 million women entrepreneurs, by 2025.

 Launched more than 100 government relief programmes in response to Covid-19 to assist with inclusive recovery around the world.

Our People and Culture

 Tied executive compensation to ESG goals and priorities, including carbon neutrality, gender pay parity and financial inclusion.

 Supported workforce with no Covid-related layoffs in 2020 and invested in new mental and physical wellbeing policies and programmes.

 Launched Investing in You programme, increasing our employer 401K match to 10% for every 6% contributed by employees.

 Reached the million-girl milestone since the start of our STEM-based Girls4Tech programme, leading us to commit to engaging five million girls by 2025.

Environmental Stewardship

 Disclosed the results of our initial Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures analysis.

 Committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 across its operations and value chain, building on its existing science-based targets.

 Issued a $600 million sustainability bond to support carbon reduction, supporting environmental choices for customers, and fostering inclusive growth.

 Launched the Priceless Planet Coalition with now more than 60 partners with a goal to restore 100 million trees over five years.

 Exceeded 10 million cards made from approved sustainable materials using Mastercards Sustainable Card Materials Directory.

Ethical and Responsible Standards

 Committed to increase annual spending with Black suppliers by more than 70%, to $100 million annually by 2025.

 Extended its Specialty Merchant Registration programme that require banks to certify strong control measures related to materials published on adult content sites.

 Announced the new Enhanced Contactless (Ecos) specifications, applying the latest quantum-resistant technologies to deliver enhanced privacy, security and trust for the next generation of contactless payments. -- TradeArabia News Service
As the Covid-19 pushed millions more people into hunger and poverty, the UNs International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) increased its support for the most vulnerable and marginalised people.

According to the IFAD Annual Report 2020, with 203 ongoing projects around the world and total financing of $7.5 billion, IFAD was able to reach 123 million people globally in 2020.

IFAD works in 26 countries across the Near East, North Africa, Central Asia and Europe, with 23 ongoing programmes and projects for a total investment of $1.389 billion. This includes an additional $61.6 million approved in 2020.

Despite the challenges of 2020, we remain convinced that our vision of a world free of poverty and hunger is attainable and should remain in focus, said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD. Doing more to build the resilience of rural people does not only mean scaling up investments. It also means going further to reach the people most likely to be left behind, to ensure the rural women and men IFAD serves are better prepared to overcome the challenges they face.

As the impacts of the pandemic threatened to roll back years of development progress, disrupt food system and cause a secondary hunger pandemic, IFAD country teams immediately began working with governments to adjust ongoing projects so rural people could maintain their income-generating activities and not be forced to sell their meagre assets.

Rural people across the Near East, North Africa, Central Asia and Europe have been affected, in particular, through the collapse in global commodity prices, disruption to supply chains and an overall decline in economic activity. It is estimated that an additional 14.3 million people in the region, mostly living in rural areas and often in fragile or post-conflict situations, have fallen into poverty. Lockdown measures have limited mobility, adding significant pressure on already strained rural areas.

The Covid-19 crisis has opened a door for IFAD to build back better by strengthening the resilience of rural communities to multiple threats. The use of digital services and solutions is being accelerated to help them adapt to climate change and improve their access to markets. The promotion of inclusive food systems and social inclusion are strong themes across the organisations investment portfolio, with women, youth and ethnic minorities receiving particular attention.

In Tunisia, the Agropastoral Value Chains Project has provided microcredit along with innovative approaches to digital marketing to create opportunities for rural women. And, In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Rural Competitiveness Development Programme mobilised 1 million ($1.19 million) to respond to the adverse effects of the pandemic, providing a support package for 9,000 vulnerable households. Across the region, digital tools and other innovations were important in enabling IFAD to support governments in assessing impacts and designing responses to the pandemic.

In April 2020, IFAD launched the Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF) with support from its Executive Board and member states such as Canada and Germany that made contributions. The Facility has helped rural people hang on to their livelihoods in this difficult period while also maintaining the supply of food. With supply chains and transportation disrupted, small-scale farmers have received seeds, fertiliser and other support to continue planting and production. Support for digital services like e-marketing and e-money were increased. Djibouti, Lebanon, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are among the countries to receive assistance from the RPSF.

Also in 2020, IFAD stepped up its work with particularly marginalised groups including women, youth, disabled persons and indigenous peoples. New grass-roots activities were started, and 10 times as many people participated in the Fifth Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Forum as ever before.

The report outlines how IFAD is revamping its financial infrastructure to be able to invest more and reach more rural people while managing risks. In 2020 IFAD obtained AA+ credit ratings from Fitch and Standard and Poors, creating opportunities to mobilise more resources. Ongoing decentralisation, with a third of IFAD staff now in the field, means that IFAD can increase partnerships and policy engagement and improve results by being closer to its clients.

IFAD received record commitments of funding from Member States following the launch of the Twelfth Replenishment of its resources (IFAD12) in February 2020, with the goal of doubling the Funds impact by 2030. With a target programme of work of at least $11 billion for 2022-2024, IFAD expects to raise the incomes of 83 million people by at least 20 per cent. New programmes will increase attention to climate change impacts and resilience (ASAP+), and leverage new investment by the private sector (the Private Sector Financing Programme, or PSFP).

IFAD invests for long-term sustainable results and targets the root causes of hunger, poverty and marginalisation. It works exclusively in rural areas, where three-quarters of the worlds poorest and hungry people live. IFAD is bringing its experience to the preparations for the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit and is already planning how to help build back better after the pandemic, ensuring that food systems work for the people who work in themespecially the small-scale farmers who grow a third of the worlds food.-- TradeArabia News Service
WTM London has announced that China Travel Online is the shows newest buyer partner and media partner in China.

China Travel Online is a leading China outbound travel portal that connects destinations, attractions, hotels and other travel suppliers around the world to Chinese operators and professionals.

It is also one-stop-shop for resources, e-commerce, news and networking for Chinese travel and tourism companies and professionals.

The new partnership means that China Travel Online will invite up to 50 Chinese buyers to network and do business with suppliers and destinations across the globe during WTM Virtual on November 8 to 9.

Furthermore, China Travel Online will assist with the organisation of WTM China Forum, a high-level event which will take place on day one of WTM London November 1 at ExCel London  to explore key issues and challenges for the rapidly growing Chinese outbound market  which is the largest in the world.

Marcus Lee, Chief Executive at China Travel Online, said the company was eager to work with WTM London because of the global opportunities of such a major partnership.

Becoming the China buyer partner and media partner means that our profile will be raised around the world, said Lee.

It enables us to help many Chinese buyers to make new business connections and seal important deals as the travel industry looks to rebuild in 2022.

China Travel Online is a leading portal which connects Chinese outbound tour operators and tourism professionals to businesses and organisations around the world  so this partnership with WTM London will expand our reach across Asia, Africa, Europe, America and beyond, and help the sector bounce back.

Also, it will further raise the profile of WTM among the Chinese travel sector and lay the foundations for future growth and partnerships.

Simon Press, WTM London Exhibition Director, said: Were delighted to welcome China Travel Online as the China buyer partner and media partner in China.

We have seen participation from Chinese travel and tourism firms grow over the years and last year, at WTM Virtual, we held a very interesting online debate with top China tourism experts. Were building on that success with this new partnership in 2021 and I look forward to welcoming the buyers to WTM Virtual.

Furthermore, the WTM China Forum will be a must-attend event for anyone in the sector who is interested in the multibillion-pound Chinese outbound market.

In May, our sister event in Dubai held the ATM 2021 China Tourism Forum, which heard about the robust recovery of outbound travel from China.

As the global travel trade comes together in November to reconnect, rebuild and innovate, our partnership with China Travel Online will help delegates to capitalise on enormous opportunities for business in 2022 and 2023.

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, will take place as a physical event on November 1 to 3 at ExCel London, to be followed by WTM Virtual on November 8 to 9.-- TradeArabia News Service
The UK government said that passengers arriving from European Union (EU) member states and the US will not have to quarantine when entering England, as part of new measures to continue to drive reopening of international travel.



From 4am August 2, 2021, passengers who are fully vaccinated in the EU with vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or in the USA with vaccines authorised by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or in the Swiss vaccination programme, will be able to travel to England without having to quarantine or take a day 8 test on arrival.



Amber arrivals who have been fully vaccinated in the USA and European countries will still be required to complete a pre-departure test before arrival into England, alongside a PCR test on or before day 2 after arrival. Separate rules will continue to apply for those arriving from France. Those vaccinated in the US will also need to provide proof of US residency. Passengers from all countries cannot travel to the UK unless they have completed a passenger locator form.



Following the close monitoring of epidemiological evidence, gained through the restart of the domestic cruise industry earlier this year, the UK government has also confirmed the go ahead for international cruise sailings to restart from England in line with Public Health England guidance.



International cruise travel advice will be amended to encourage travellers to understand the risks associated with cruise travel and take personal responsibility for their own safety abroad.



To further support the safe restart of international cruise travel, the government and cruise industry have signed a breakthrough memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help the industry build back from Covid-19 while protecting British nationals from future pandemic-related disruption.



Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: Weve taken great strides on our journey to reopen international travel and today is another important step forward. Whether you are a family reuniting for the first time since the start of the pandemic or a business benefiting from increased trade  this is progress we can all enjoy.



We will of course continue to be guided by the latest scientific data but thanks to our world-leading domestic vaccination programme, were able to look to the future and start to rebuild key transatlantic routes with the US while further cementing ties with our European neighbours.



IATA statement on UK recognition



Recognizing vaccinated travellers from the US and Europe is a positive, logical and long-overdue development. Along with restoring the individual freedom to reconnect and the ability of businesses to operate in global markets, it will help rescue livelihoods in the travel and tourism sector, said a statement from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).



Todays announcement is an important step in the UKs recovery. But it also raised questions about next steps on the road to restoring UK connectivity. Why is the scope restricted to US and EU instead of open to all those who have been vaccinated? Why are travellers forced to test twice, the second time using expensive PCR tests? Whats the plan to enable unvaccinated people who have tested negative to travel without quarantine? And when will the US reciprocate?  TradeArabia News Service
Saudi citizens who have taken two doses of any of the coronavirus vaccines approved in the Kingdom will only be allowed to travel abroad effective from August 9, a report quoting the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said.

The directive is contained in a new circular issued by the GACA on Wednesday to all airlines operating in the Kingdoms airports, including public airlines and private airlines, with regard to updating procedures for citizens travel outside the Kingdom onboard international flights, said the Saudi Gazette report.

According to the GACA statement, there is an exemption for minor passengers under the age of 12 years with a condition that they submit an insurance policy approved by the Saudi Central Bank that covers the risks against coronavirus infection outside the Kingdom, as well as those who have recovered from coronavirus infection within less than six months, and those who have been infected with the virus and received one dose of the approved vaccines in the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Interior had on Tuesady warned Saudi citizens against traveling to countries that have been put on the no-travel list and such action could invite travel ban of up to three years.
The first cruise ship terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port has been inaugurated on Wednesday, Saudi Ports authority 'Mawani' and the Saudi Cruise Company were quoted as saying in a media report.



The step comes two days before the launch of the first cruise from Saudi Arabia for "Bellisima" giant ship towards local and regional destinations, where the giant ship will depart from Jeddah Islamic Port to stations in Jordan and Egypt, reported Saudi Gazette.



Managing Director of Cruise Saudi Arabia Fawaz Farooqi said: "The inauguration of the first cruise ship station represents an important step that contributes to the promotion and development of tourism trips on the Red Sea coast, and supports the growth of the tourism sector in the Kingdom."



"We're targeting creating 50,000 job opportunities by 2025, increasing cruise ships, inaugurating additional ports beside Jeddah Islamic Port, and reaching 1.5 million visitors annually by 2028," Farooqi said.



For his part, the General Authority of Ports President Omar Hariri considered choosing Jeddah Islamic Port to be the first gateway where cruise ships will dock and leave in the Kingdom for its pivotal strategic location.



"We worked with our partners to develop infrastructure, marine, and logistical services in Jeddah Islamic Port, by inaugurating a passenger terminal for cruise ships after developing it to accommodate more than 2,500 passengers," Hariri said.
Tourism 365, part of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec), is conducting a European business travel trip to highlight how it presents robust travel opportunities for European holidaymakers coming to Abu Dhabi.



The promotional tour is taking place in Europe, with nations including Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. The trip will focus on Tourism 365, showcasing how it supports in creating experiential travel opportunities for tourists coming to Abu Dhabi. Tourism 365 consists of Capital Experience, a high-quality destination management company, and Capital Travel, a premium travel operator.



The launch of the company earlier this year comes in line with Adnecs broader role to support the growth of Abu Dhabi as a tourism destination, increasing leisure visitors, enhancing guest experiences, and extending their stay in the UAEs capital.



Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, commented: Tourism 365 plays an integral role in showcasing Abu Dhabi as one of the Middle Easts leading tourism destinations. Our relationship with European markets will enable the wider growth of the tourism sector in the UAE and wider region, which Adnec consistently seeks to promote.



Roula Jouny, Executive Director of Tourism 365, said: Abu Dhabi is seeing an increased supply of travellers coming to visit its leading tourism attractions. With so many tourists looking to make the most of a post pandemic world and experience all that Abu Dhabi has to offer, this trip cements Tourism 365s reputation amongst some of Europes largest travel markets.



Tourism 365 is integral in enabling innovation across the tourism sector, increasing the emirates attractiveness to international visitors, and showcasing all that Abu Dhabi has to offer to international tourists.



Adnec Groups has a wide diversity of tourism offerings under its portfolio. Alongside Tourism 365, the Group has six hotels in its portfolio, which includes, Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island, Anantara Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, Andaz Abu Dhabi Capital Gate, Aloft Abu Dhabi, Aloft ExCel London and DoubleTree By Hilton Excel London.  TradeArabia News Service
Help India!

Prominent Interfaith organizations call on US State Department to take definitive action to safeguard Indias minorities.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.  In a Congressional Briefing cosponsored by a group of 17 human rights and interfaith organizations, including the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Amnesty International and Hindus for Human Rights, a panel of eminent speakers raised awareness on the escalating persecution of Christians in India, and urged the US government to take definitive action in this regard.

The briefing was held as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wraps up his visit to India. Advocacy organizations across the United States including IAMC, have called on Mr Blinken to raise the issue of religious persecution; they have also urged the US State Department to formally designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).

India is home to 30 million Christians, who have peacefully coexisted alongside other faith groups for centuries. With the rise of Hindu nationalism, however, attacks against Christians have increased at an alarming rate, taking the form of physical violence, disruptions of church services, restrictions on access to food and water, and false accusations of forced conversions. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), the first half of 2021 saw 145 cases of violence against Christians nationwide. As EFI General Secretary Reverend Vijayesh Lal stated, These incidents are all verified this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Rev. Lal also highlighted the hypocritical nature of Indias religious freedom laws, which in practice are anti-conversion laws that are weaponized against minority groups. Anti-conversion laws are being used against Christians in a major way in the eight states where they are enforced. All you need to do is put forth an allegation  [this person] tried to convert me, and theyll be grappling for the rest of their life, trying to prove themselves innocent in the process, and the process becomes punishment.

Isaac Six, Advocacy Director of Open Doors USA, stated, India has a commitment to religious freedom. Its enshrined in its constitution. Over the last few years, the situation for Christians is getting worse. It has become increasingly difficult to practice faith as a Christian in India We would like to see Secretary Blinken raise the issue of religious freedom with Indian officials during his current visit, [and] we would also recommend that the State Department implement the USCIRFs recommendation to designate India as Country of Particular Concern.

Rev. Peter Cook, Executive Director of the New York State Council of Churches, recounted what he calls a traumatizing encounter with Hindu nationalism in an Indian airport. I led a team of 10 people to India in 2018, he said. All of us were heavily interrogated at the airport in Chennai. One officer straight up told a team member that Christians were not welcome in India.

Sydney Kochan, Government Relations and Special Projects Coordinator of the Jubilee Campaign USA, highlighted the importance of recognizing Indias severe human rights violations at a government level: Yes, it is true that India is the largest democracy in the world, and that it is one of the United States primary strategic partners; however, this should not serve as a justification for overlooking the accelerating persecution of Indias religious minorities We must ensure that our diplomacy and dialogue with India is contingent upon concrete improvements in religious freedom and human rights.

Matias Perttula, the Director of Advocacy for International Christian Concern, stated: This is not about hating India, but about encouraging our dear friend and ally [Secretary Blinken] to cultivate a climate that embodies the highest standards of our mutually loved values of our precious democracies.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Despite the growing tension with NATO, the Russians maintain good relations with the Turks. Erdogan does not want a conflict in the Black Sea. The Turkish president could broker a solution for Crimea, which Putin wrested from the Ukrainians in 2014.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Kremlin continues to attack NATO, except for one of its members: Turkey. Russian Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov said on July 27 that the recent passage of the British destroyer Defender near the Crimea coast (denied by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson) "will not be the last Atlantic Alliance provocation in the Black Sea."

Despite the ambiguities of Ankara's policy, Russian-Turkish relations have become much warmer since the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The Turkish government has not yet recognized the annexation of Crimea to Russia, but continues to sell arms to Ukraine, without this arousing Moscow's indignation.

On July 10, NATO's "Sea Breeze" exercises, in which Ukrainian naval forces also participated, ended in the Black Sea. Navigation and passage through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus is still regulated by the 1936 Montreux Convention, signed by Turkey, France, Greece, Romania, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union (in 1938 Mussolini's Italy had also joined).

Without this agreement, a huge western fleet would roam the Black Sea, opposing Russia's war ambitions. It is precisely Turkey's rigidity in protecting the terms of the convention that has also preserved Russia's interests, preventing the passage of NATO ships except to a minimal extent and for limited periods.

As Hassan Unal, professor at Istanbul's Maltepe University, said in an interview with Lenta.ru, "even if Russia is nowadays a country that Westerners do not like, Turkey has no interest in starting a war against it over Crimea or Ukraine, which is not part of NATO". Unal notes that "it is NATO that needs to do its own math better, without playing with fire, while [the Turkish government] remains prudently equidistant between the two disputants."

Turkey has supplied Ukraine with about twenty Bayraktar TB2 assault drones, and has promised to build the Ukrainian fleet an ultra-modern corvette, keeping itself on the edge of the two fronts with great acrobatic skill.

After all, Moscow and Ankara need each other too much, not only on the Black Sea, but also in Syria and the Caucasus, to let other nations and other situations come between them. As Unal argues, Turkey is an atypical member of NATO, not Luxembourg or Belgium, and always maintains an autonomous political line. "Even during the Cold War," the Turkish lecturer explains, "it had a privileged relationship with the Soviets.

Turkey's good relations with the Russian and Ukrainian disputants could, one day, give Ankara a chance to mediate between the two, furthering its own interests. Recognition of a somewhat autonomous Crimea is already suggested to Moscow by the Turks, along with simultaneous Russian recognition of the Turkish republic in Northern Cyprus. The move would prevent the unified island from one day becoming a member of NATO, which would greatly annoy the Russians.

It would be difficult for Ukraine to react to Russian-Turkish agreements, needing Turkey's support to join NATO in turn. Ankara has agreed to be part of the "Crimean Platform," a diplomatic initiative of Volodymyr Zelenskyj, which will be inaugurated on August 23, 2021. With it, the Ukrainian president aims to reunite Crimea with Ukraine by finding an agreement with the Russians; the understanding would also include the protection of the rights of Crimean Tatars.

The aim of the Ukrainians is to review together with the international community the "true history" of the peninsula, which in the past was also in possession of the Tatars, Greeks, Turks and even the Genoese. Zelenskyj challenges Putin to expose his version of history, with Turkish President Erdogan in the background to act as referee in the dispute.
by Steve Suwannarat

At least 300,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing sector are likely to close by the end of the year. The government is reluctant to impose a new national lockdown, even though some 17,000 new coronavirus cases were reported today. According to a manufacturers association, some 1.2 million Malaysians are out of work.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews)  Until recently, Malaysia better handled the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic than other countries in Southeast Asia; however, the health emergency is beginning to badly affect its export-oriented trade and manufacturing sector.

As coronavirus cases rise across the region, foreign markets are shrinking and multinationals move production elsewhere, leaving the Malaysian economy in dire straits.

Under the circumstances, domestic demand cannot fill the gaps left by medium- and long-term decline at the international level.

Out of 900,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that make up the backbone of the countrys manufacturing sector employing half of the active population, 150,000 closed last year, and another 300,000 might follow this year if the current lockdown (in force until 1 August) were extended.

Last year the manufacturing sector shrank by 3.9 per cent compared to 2019. Things could get much worse this year; for this reason, the government wants to avoid a new nation-wide lockdown, which could be very bad for the economy and employment.

The Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (Samenta) is concerned about the numbers, including the 1.2 Malaysians who are out of work.

SMEs generate more than US$ 42 billion in economic activity per year, more than half of the entire manufacturing sector (US$ 75 billion).

At present, the government is planning a gradual restart of production activities when the number of cases drops below 4,000 cases per day.

For now, however, that is distant goal, given that today's figures reached a new record with more than 17,000 new cases.

This is happening despite the fact that more than 500,000 doses of vaccine were administered each day for the last three days.
by Nirmala Carvalho - Nayak Purushottam

Rallies and liturgies were held across the country to remember the Jesuit who died after months in prison on false terrorism charges. For Card Oswald Gracias of Bombay, this is a way to keep alive in our hearts the desire to work for the poor and the abandoned.

Mumbai (AsiaNews)  Catholic communities across India remembered Fr Stan Swamy yesterday marking a National Day of Solidarity.

The Jesuit clergyman from Jharkhand died from COVID-19 on 5 July. The 84-year-old contracted the disease in prison after he was arrested in October 2020 on terrorism charges for his work on behalf of tribal communities.

Following a request from the local province of the Jesuit order, Card Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay (Mumbai) and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), invited all Indian dioceses to publicly remember the clergyman.

For the prelate, this is a way to keep alive in our hearts the desire to work for the poor and the abandoned as Fr Swamy did.

A public meeting was held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi, during which Prof Apoorvanand of Delhi University noted that in prison Fr Stan did not ask for mercy, but respect for his rights.

Similar initiatives took place in many other cities, including Ranchi, Kolkata (Calcutta), and Jamshedpur.

In Bangalore Jerald D'Souza, director of St Joseph's College of Law, one of the promoters of the commemoration, said: Some ask us why a priest cannot stop at his pious devotions. They fail to see the greater issues of democracy and the defence of legality; they tend to allow themselves to be misinformed. Others, however, have come here anyway; his death has awakened many.

A poignant ceremony was held yesterday in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, where Fr Swamy joined the Jesuits in 1957. His ashes made a stop in this city where a prayer was recited in the Cathedral of St Joseph, followed by a public rally.

Even in Odisha (Orissa), scene of the worst anti-Christian pogrom in 2008, local communities remember Fr Swamy for his work.

His death, said Archbishop of John Barwa Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, sparked outrage across the country.

We are not here only to keep his memory alive but also to support his work among the marginalised, especially tribal people, said the prelate. Fr Stan raised a new generation of people with a deeper sensitivity for the poor.
Sun Dawu, a businessman and philanthropist, was accused of "creating unrest" and financial crimes. Critical of the leadership, he has long been targeted by the regime because of his support to dissidents and activists. Family members and employees of his company were sentenced with him. Large private groups that could threaten the power of the Chinese Communist Party have come under attack.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - Yesterday the People's Court of Gaobeidian (Hebei) sentenced agricultural entrepreneur and philanthropist Sun Dawu, to 18 years in prison, after he came under fire from the Chinese authorities for his commitment to social justice and humanitarian activists like Xu Zhiyong.

Sun was charged with multiple offences, including "provoking riots" and organising illegal fundraising. With sentences ranging from 18 months to 12 years, the judges also sentenced two of his sons, as well as the businessman's brothers and several employees of his company.

The Dawu Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Group will have to pay a fine of more than 30 million yuan (3.9 million). The authorities confiscated 14 million yuan (1.8 million euro) from the agricultural company, which is also being asked to return one million yuan (130,000 euro) it had on deposit from its workers and residents in Hebei.

In an attempt to save his family and co-workers, Sun assumed all responsibility for the alleged crimes. The defence has already announced its intention to appeal. According to the businessman's lawyers, the prosecution collected "inadmissible" testimonies during pre-trial detention, as they were obtained while the accused were in "excruciating conditions".

A protege of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in its early days, 67-year-old Sun is the founder of a billion-dollar agricultural empire. Until his arrest in November, the entrepreneur used his group's profits to promote social justice, especially in China's poorest rural areas.

Sun had already gone on trial in the past for his harsh criticism of the country's leadership. The former farmer-turned-manager has openly criticised the CCP's agricultural policy and helped democratic dissidents such as those belonging to the "New Citizens" movement; in 2019 he also accused the authorities of hiding the real damage caused by African swine fever outbreaks.

Analysts note that Sun's conviction will fuel further fears in the private sector. The party is worried about losing political control in the face of businessmen who amass vast wealth, such as Sun or Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

The regime's clampdown on private groups has not spared even tech giants such as Didi and Tencent, which like Ma's business empire are being investigated for alleged regulatory violations.
by Mathias Hariyadi

The archbishop condemns the harassment of a disabled Papuan by two Air Force officers, calls for targeted training and legal action based on loving care, not revenge and violence.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Merauke issued a letter following an incident involving a native Papuan man and two Indonesian Air Force officers. In it, the prelate writes that "Papuans must be treated with dignity and respect.

A video has recently gone viral showing an altercation between a disabled Papuan man and a food stall owner.

At some point, two uniformed officers intervene with one forcing the Indigenous man to the ground with his hands behind his back, while the second presses his boot on the man's face.

Human rights and West Papua pro-independence activists immediately expressed their outrage.

After looking into the event, the authorities confirmed that the man was unarmed, disabled and had not resisted, so that the officers' behaviour was "beyond the applicable standards and procedures, reads a statement by the presidential chief of staff.

In a press release, the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force, Air Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo, also condemned the excessive use of force by the two soldiers.

"We shall evaluate our personnel in Merauke and take the case to a military court, the statement said.

The two officers involved are currently held in custody pending an investigation.

I urge the Indonesian military to treat our fellow Papuan citizens with dignity and respect, says Archbishop Mandagi in his letter.

The prelate thanked the Air Force chiefs in Merauke and Jakarta for responding promptly to the question" and condemning the incident.

However, he reiterates the need to treat the Papuans more humanely. The latter have been discriminated for a long time, especially by Indonesias military.

For a long time, the archbishop writes, Papuans have been badly treated by Indonesian authorities. Based on the latest episode of violence, I strongly urge the military to change its approach towards Papuans.

In a subsequent passage, the prelate emphasises the need for targeted training and proper and professionally conducted legal action, based on loving care, not revenge and violence.

Finally, he expresses his appreciation for the local military who carry out their work with seriousness and efficiency.

My respects go to the dozens of officers who maintain an exceptional moral conduct. I support them in winning over the hearts of Indigenous Papuans.

West Papua is rich in resources. Annexed by Indonesia in a controversial vote in 1969, it saw the outbreak of protests in 2018 because of racist discrimination by the security forces against the local indigenous population.
by Mitsuaki Takami *

In a message marking the anniversary of the first atomic bombs (6-9 August), Archbishop Takami, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, lists today's most serious threats to peace. These range from human rights violations in Myanmar and Afghanistan to disparities between rich and poor countries in the fight against COVID-19. He also renews his appeal to the Japanese government to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Nagasaki (AsiaNews)  In a few days Japan will to mark the sad anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which took place on 6 and 9 August 1945 respectively.

As she does every year, the Catholic Church of Japan urges the faithful to commemorate this anniversary by dedicating 10 days to prayers for peace.

For the occasion, Archbishop Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, who is also president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, released a message inviting people to look at today's most serious threats to peace.

These range from the "new cold war" between China and the United States to human rights violations in Myanmar and Afghanistan, from the suffering of refugees to the disparities between rich and poor countries in the fight against COVID-19.

Finally, the prelate renews his appeal to the Government of Japan to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force on 22 January this year.

Archbishop Takamis message follows.

Protect all life was the theme of Pope Francis visit to Japan in November 2019. As we once again this year mark the Ten Days of Prayer for Peace by reflecting about peace, praying for peace and acting for peace, I want to share with you my conviction that protecting all life is the way to peace.

Now, in addition to armed conflicts and the plight of refugees around the world, a new Cold War confrontation between the United States and China is having a significant negative impact on the political and economic stability of the international community. We must strongly hope that countries will always make patient efforts to build better relations. In addition, though the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on January 22, 2021, the nuclear powers and countries like Japan under the nuclear umbrella claim it is unrealistic and therefore refuse to ratify it.

I believe that Japan, the only country to suffer atomic bombings, should be among the first to ratify the treaty. I pray that many non-nuclear countries will ratify the treaty so that the nuclear powers will feel pressured to ratify it as well because confrontations between nations and weapons of mass destruction threaten peace. In countries such as Myanmar and Afghanistan, human rights are ignored by oppressive regimes and people are forced to live without peace. Are we sacrificing people to claims of national security and prosperity?

More than 189 million people have been infected by the coronavirus pandemic and as of mid-July more than four million have died. Countless people are in need. Unfortunately, not only infected people and those who care for them are subjected to discrimination and prejudice; even healthcare professionals who treat them suffer as well. Poorer countries are being put on the back end of vaccine allocation, increasing the risk to life and social disruption.

We are all suffering. Prosperous nations must understand, help and support poorer ones. Because we depend upon countless others to live, we must protect not only our own lives but those of others as well. To do so, we need to share the spirit of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together signed jointly by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar on February 4, 2019, and the popes encyclical Fratelli tutti (October 3, 2020). We must respect the dignity of life of all people and deepen mutual trust as sisters and brothers.

No matter what the natural or social environment, our priority must be the protection of all life. In doing that, we hope to create peace. And life is more than individual life; we must keep in mind that our lives are interconnected. Therefore, protecting those connections will protect individual lives at the same time. Peace is the state in which individual lives are fulfilled, there is harmony, and all life is filled with happiness.

* Archbishop of Nagasaki

President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Japan
Mohamad al-Alam passed away last night in the hospital from his serious injuries. The soldier struck him in the chest with a bullet while the boy was in a car with his father. According to the Israeli army, the car was involved in suspicious activity and did not stop for a check. More than 320 Palestinians injured in clashes in recent days.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was seriously wounded when shot by Israeli soldiers, during a patrol carried out in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank died yesterday evening.

His death was confirmed by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, according to which the victim, Mohamad al-Alami, was killed in the town of Beit Omar, northwest of Hebron.

The statement released by the ministry explains that the boy was shot in the chest while he was with his father inside the family car. Israeli military sources confirm the incident, stressing that one of the soldiers shot at the wheels of the car after detecting that the car was involved in previous "suspicious activities."

An official army memo states, ""The troops attempted to stop the vehicle using standard procedures including shouting and firing warning shots into the air. After the vehicle did not stop, one of the soldiers fired toward the vehicle's wheels in order to stop it."

Palestinians present at the time of the incident have a different version and claim the soldier aimed at the boy who later died in a hospital in the southern West Bank from his serious injuries.

Yesterday's is just the latest in a series of bloody events in the area in recent days. On the evening of July 27, a 41-year-old Palestinian was killed by an Israeli bullet in a West Bank town, the scene of clashes between protesters and security forces in recent weeks. On July 24, a 17-year-old Palestinian teenager, wounded the previous day during a heated confrontation with Israeli soldiers, died in the hospital where he had been admitted.

At the origin of the clashes, the demonstrations promoted by Palestinians against the Israeli occupation and the presence of soldiers in the West Bank. In the violence between the two sides there are at least 320 injured Palestinian demonstrators, most of them hit by tear gas, as reported by the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The settlements are communities inhabited by Israeli civilians and military personnel and built in the territories conquered after the Six-Day War of June 1967, in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip.

In 1982 Israel withdrew from the settlements in Sinai after signing the peace agreement (1979) with Egypt and in 2005 former Prime Minister Sharon ordered the dismantling of 17 colonies in the Gaza Strip. At the moment the colonies - illegal according to international law - are located in East Jerusalem, West Bank and Golan Heights and within them live about 470 thousand people.
African American history in Kent County dates back to the 17th century. According to the Chesapeake Heartland project, the ancestors of many present-day African Americans nationwide arrived in and around the Chesapeake region during the 17th and 18th centuries before dispersing around the country. Many were sold and relocated by force, while others moved as free people or freedom seekers on the underground railroad. This has left a complex, and often painful cultural legacy in Kent County that Chesapeake Heartland, Washington College and its Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience are trying to preserve. Part of that effort is the Hip Hop Time Capsule Internship, a summer program at Washington College, which concluded on July 22.
My thoughts about what happened is, because of what was damaged and destroyed, that it leans more toward a crime against the Black school, said Bordenave, who graduated from Harriet Tubman High in 1962 and has worked to preserve its history through the community center. Because nothing else was destroyed; the only thing historic were the doors and the memorabilia. There were microwaves and all kind of construction stuff that was in there that someone could have taken that had some monetary value to it, but they destroyed this history.
Like millions of other Americans in this country, my client(s) owed taxes and have since paid them. There is nothing criminal about that. To my knowledge, based upon the governments request, the investigation appears to be partially related to the corporate entities identified. However, we also know that its related to the lack of production of tax documents for certain years to the Maryland Bar. Essentially, what Isabel Cumming and Lydia Lawless could not obtain, the US Attorneys Office is attempting to obtain and now, criminally scrutinizing those documents. On its face, it is completely inappropriate and a waste of government resources. To be sure, any concerns the IRS has regarding my clients federal taxes or her returns or her separate businesses or second homes, should simply be subject of a IRS civil audit  not a federal criminal investigation. If I am wrong, then every elected official in the State of Maryland, who has or had a tax lien, owns separate businesses and owns more than one home, should be under federal criminal investigation, and they are not. Nor should they be, nor should my client be in this position.
To pair a photo op with a cup or cone of homemade ice cream, visit Rocky Point Creamery in Frederick County, which plants two acres of sunflowers every year. The patch hasnt bloomed just yet, but is likely to between late August and early September. The blooms usually stick around for two weeks, although its weather-dependent. Visitors are asked to donate at the entrance to the field or at the creamerys register. To cut and take home a flower, visitors can pay a dollar. All of the proceeds go to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. In past years, the creamery has raised more than $4,000 with the promotion, according to their website. For more information on the sunflowers bloom, check out updates on the creamerys Facebook page. The shop is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
HANOI (AP): US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is seeking to bolster ties with Vietnam, one of the Southeast Asian nations embroiled in a territorial rift with China, during a two-day visit starting Wednesday.



In a speech in Singapore, his first stop in the region he is visiting for the first time as member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet, Austin said on Tuesday he was committed to pursuing a constructive, stable relationship with China, including stronger crisis communications with the People's Liberation Army.



But he repeated that Beijing's claim to virtually the entire South China Sea "has no basis in international law" and "treads on the sovereignty of states in the region."



He said the US continues to support the region's coastal states in upholding their rights under international law, and remains committed to the defense treaty obligations the US has with Japan and the Philippines.



"Unfortunately, Beijing's unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isn't just occurring on the water," Austin 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."



Austin is scheduled to meet his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, on Thursday morning. He leaves for the Philippines on Friday.



Vietnam and the Philippines are among China's fiercest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has ignored its neighbours' protests and has constructed several islands equipped with airstrips and military installations. Vietnam has previously accused China of obstructing its gas exploration activities off its southern shores.



Austin's visit comes as Vietnam is in the grip of a coronavirus surge, with Hanoi and half of the country in lockdown.


Research News

Aga named director of UB RENEW Institute

Diana Aga, the Henry M. Woodburn Professor of Chemistry at UB, has been named director of the UB RENEW Institute. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

By CHARLOTTE HSU

My research is inspired by my desire to prevent the continuous deterioration of our environment as a result of industrialization and population growth. 

Diana Aga, Henry M. Woodburn Professor of Chemistry in the 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 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.

When I was growing up in the Philippines, I lived in a small village near a river where we swam and played every day, Aga says. We fished there, and ate the fish  everything was so pristine. Years later, population increased, and gradually the river became black and very polluted. My research is inspired by my desire to prevent the continuous deterioration of our environment as a result of industrialization and population growth.

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, Aga says. UB has the extensive expertise needed to create synergistic solutions to these global problems. RENEW-affiliated faculty can realize bold ideas and apply for research grants to address the grand challenges we are facing today and will be facing in the future.

There is no question that Professor Agas scholarly achievements, her passion for RENEW, her communication skills and her ability to cultivate collaborations will serve both the university and RENEW well, said A. Scott Weber, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Venu Govindaraju, vice president for research and economic development, in an announcement of Agas appointment.

A prolific scholar whose research has been supported by more than $18 million in state and federal funding, Aga has published over 180 refereed papers, edited two books and serves as editor of the Journal of Hazardous Materials, an international journal that publishes scientific articles in environmental science and engineering. At UB, she has mentored 31 PhD students and five masters students, who have gone on to careers in industry, government and academia. She served as director of graduate studies in chemistry at UB for six years.

Aga has also mentored more than 50 undergraduate researchers in her lab, including participants in the chemistry departments National Science Foundation-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer research program. Many of these students have gone on to pursue graduate studies in chemistry or environmentally related programs.

Aga has received numerous honors, including two Fulbright awards, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Schoellkopf Medal, the NSF CAREER Award, the Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship, the Koh Lectureship Award in Science from the Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering, the Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award from UB, the Menzie Environmental Education Award from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and the AGRO Fellow Award from the ACS AGRO Division.

Aga joined UB as a faculty member in 2002 after earning a PhD in analytical and environmental chemistry from the University of Kansas and a bachelors degree in agricultural chemistry from the University of the Philippines Los Banos.

She was a postdoctoral research fellow with the U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Division, and with the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) in Dubendorf, Switzerland. Prior to joining UB, she worked as a research scientist at Bayer Corporations agricultural division.
Today

Partly cloudy early. Thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High near 80F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and some clouds. High 86F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
And theyre all still around, the elder Mr. Jordan said. He did the ads for Colt 45 and Ball Park Franks  They plump when you cook them  now all franks plump when you cook them, but he was the first guy to brand that. When we were in business, I was the writer and he was the artist for Snyders pretzels, and we had that account for 20 years. That doesnt often happen when youre a small agency.
In his written answers, Bolden presented a theory for what started the case, saying he believes it resulted from a referral to federal investigators by Lydia Lawless, the bar counsel for the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission, because the investigation started after Marilyn Mosby refused to provide certain financial records to Lawless. However, other than that timing, he has not offered details about why he thinks Lawless is responsible for getting the federal investigation started.
Too little time and focus have been paid to the teaching of history and civics, according to the report, but it applauded Maryland as one of the few states that require students have at least four doses of U.S. history through 12 years of schooling. United States history is taught in fourth and fifth grades, and students begin a two-part course in eighth grade and complete it in high school. A year of American government is required in high school, as well.
I have already gotten so much from being part of the ambassador program and continue to gain skills and traits every day, Elena said. During the fair, we assist the judging process by helping to clerk and moving entries onto shelves for display to the public. We judge the clovers projects and entries by giving them positive feedback on their crafts and other projects. We also help out around the cake auction and livestock auction to ensure both events run as smoothly as possible.
Administrative specialist with the health department Felicia Grant-Hopkins said the goal is to build trust with the Edgewood community and find how to better serve these communities through a sustained effort. When the health department first reached out to the community in June, it found that many did not know about available county programs and services, she said.
Sometimes when you audition for stuff, youre never really given the opportunity because they see you as somebody who didnt quite have the experience, Penny said. When you get the chance, its really memorable and really honorable, and you can see the joy in your heart when youre honored to do something that youve never done before.
Investigators said the teenager and Lombr did not know each other before their encounter on Townsend Avenue. The investigation is still active, police said, and ask anyone with information to come forward by calling the Anne Arundel County Homicide Unit at 410-222-4731.
India has termed elections in Pakistan occupied Kashmir as a cosmetic exercise to camouflage illegal occupation and has lodged a protest with Pakistani authorities.

India has asked Pakistan to vacate the territory illegally occupied by it.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at the regular media briefing on Thursday that the exercise of so-called elections has been protested and rejected by the local people.

"Let me make very clear. The so-called elections in Indian territory under illegal occupation of Pakistan are nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and the material changes undertaken by it in these territories," he said.

Huge protests and rigging were reported in recently held elections in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Imran Khan's PTI has won the majority by bagging 25 seats in the so-called elections.

India has totally rejected the exercise in the occupied territory and said Pakistan has no local standi on the issue.

The MEA spokesperson said the cosmetic exercise can neither hide the illegal occupation by Pakistan nor the grave human rights violations.

"India has lodged a strong protest with the Pakistani authorities on this cosmetic exercise, which has been protested and rejected by the local people. Such an exercise can neither hide the illegal occupation by Pakistan nor the grave human rights violations, exploitation, and denial of freedom to people in these occupied territories. Pakistan has no locus standi on these Indian territories," he said.

"We call upon Pakistan to vacate all Indian areas under its illegal occupation," he added.

Many locals have reportedly been injured and widespread manipulation has been carried out by Pakistan's ruling party. Locals have held huge protests against elections conducted by Pakistan on July 25.

(ANI)

Also Read: India rejects reference of Jammu and Kashmir, CPEC in Pak-China joint statement
We expect it to be our busiest weekend that weve had to date since we opened, and are prepared to handle it. The store is fully staffed  it will be the first time we will have all 12 registers open, said Jason Erkes, a spokesman for Chicago-based Cresco Labs, the large multistate cannabis operator that owns the dispensary.
After the state agency learned that the facility was performing mammograms without the proper accreditation or certification, the agency issued an emergency order in August 2020 for it to cease operations pending accreditation by the American College of Radiology and certification by the state. The agency also asked the American College of Radiology to review mammogram images from the facility. That review found that 16 of 30 cases did not meet the colleges criteria, and the college said that the facilitys imaging posed a serious risk to human health, according to the agency.
Well leave most of the police-defaming work to our friends at Fox News, like Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, who will mock the emotions the officers show, minimize the trauma they experienced and generally belittle them in a manner so cruel and shameless some will wonder how America managed to sink so low. Should anyone point out that Carlson or Ingraham would likely soil their undergarments if an angry-looking bunny glanced at them sideways, simply shout that person down by yelling BACK THE BLUE! without recognizing your own hypocrisy.
I do not understand how a piece of cloth that is mass produced and sold in the grocery store is suddenly a lifesaving device, Corcoran said, adding: All of the mama bears are on high alert right now and we all want what is best for our own kids.
Guss World Famous Fried Chicken knows what its doing with a fryer too. I dont understand how it keeps the crust so thin, while still managing to hit you with so much heat, but its impressive. You can order larger portions, or you can get an individual wing for $3.50, which makes for a fantastic handheld snack in between sets. Once again, its hard to pick a winner here, especially since both are so different.
After meeting with legislative leaders in the days after the breach, his budget got an $8 million boost. Much of it is expected to help the office recover from the attack and beef up cybersecurity. Along with his efforts to strengthen and rebuild the computer system, the attorney general said each of the agencys nearly 800 employees is getting a new laptop and mobile phone. The office also is sending letters to people warning their personal information may be compromised.
The man said that the two of them went for a walk around campus and McCarrick groped him before they went back to the party. The man said McCarrick also sexually assaulted him in a coat room type closet after they returned to the reception, authorities wrote in the documents.
Its basic math that if we take those federal dollars, and we use those federal dollars to create full-time positions at high numbers, that within a couple of years, when those federal dollars are gone, we will not have the funds to pay for those positions, Board President Miguel del Valle said before issuing a warning: The cliff is going to be there. And so as a board, its our obligation to make sure, as I said, that we mitigate it, that we try to lessen the blow thats inevitable.
The citys average number of daily new cases inched up to 190 on Thursday, up from 185 the previous day and 117 over the previous week, but far below an April peak of nearly 650 new cases per day. Hospitalizations remain low, averaging eight new instances daily, while the average number of daily deaths related to COVID-19 remains below one.
After the crash, a group of people approached the vehicle, and you basically had a swarm of people attack the car and were beating and pulling on the two victims ... punching them, trying to pull them out of the car, Brendan Deenihan, who oversees the detective division for Chicago police has said.
Fortunately no one died as a result of these shots being fired back and forth, said Navarro, who presided over the case. But its just that that cant be a definition of success, that we say, no one died. This is still a demonstration of threats of safety to the community; this is the definition of violence right here.
With no signs of a breakthrough on clean energy legislation in Springfield, we have no choice but to take these final steps in preparation for shutting down the plants, Exelon Generation Chief Nuclear Officer Dave Rhoades said in a statement. We will never stop fighting for policies to preserve Illinois nuclear fleet, knowing that the minute these plants close our customers will experience dirtier air and higher energy costs. But with time running out, we must plan for the future and do everything we can to prepare our employees and the communities they serve for what lies ahead.
As a result of some of the existing monuments, we dont see ourselves, said state Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, who is chairwoman of the task force. And if we do see ourselves, its not in a light that we would be proud of or our children or grandchildren would be proud of.
Rosenzweig first listed the mansion in 2010 for $2.5 million and reduced his asking price to $2.35 million and then to $2.09 million before offering it for rent in 2011. He also listed it in 2011 for $1.999 million before taking it off the market and then relisting it in 2013 and 2014 for $2.199 million. It was relisted in 2018 for the unusual asking price of $2,397,747. After that, it went under contract twice in 2020, but both deals fell through, and it was relisted in November for $1.475 million. Its price was reduced one final time to $1.25 million in January.
By 1 p.m., John Schoen, a ComEd spokesman, said crews had gotten to nearly all the calls, with power already restored to some 36,000 customers. The main damage from the storm system, most of which hit north of the Wisconsin border, was downed tree limbs and power lines, according to meteorologists.
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host the First Meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation on August 5. The conference will be held via video link under the theme of "strengthening international cooperation on vaccines, promoting fair and equitable distribution of vaccines around the world". Foreign ministers or competent ministers of relevant countries, representatives of the United Nations and other international organizations, and representatives of relevant enterprises will attend the meeting on behalf of some 30 parties. As part of the conference, a dialogue between vaccine companies from China and participating countries will be held today.

CNR: What's the consideration for China to hold this First Meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation? And what do you expect out of it?

Zhao Lijian: At the Global Health Summit in May this year, President Xi Jinping announced China's five measures to further support global solidarity against COVID-19, including setting up an international forum on vaccine cooperation for vaccine-developing and producing countries, companies and other stakeholders to explore ways of promoting fair and equitable distribution of vaccines around the world. This initiative has been positively acclaimed and widely welcomed by the international community.

Vaccine is a powerful weapon to defeat the coronavirus, which is still wreaking havoc worldwide. The convening of this forum is to follow through on the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important speech, further promote international cooperation and equitable access to vaccines around the world, and support joint COVID responses to prevail over the epidemic.

As the largest developing country and a responsible member of the international community, China upholds the vision of building a global community of health for all, and has taken the lead in making the vaccine a global public good, contributing with concrete actions to ensuring accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries, and enhancing capacity building of the vaccine industry in developing countries.

Xinhua News Agency: Do you have a comment on the view that China is using its vaccine assistance to engage in "vaccine diplomacy"?

Zhao Lijian: Vaccine is a weapon to defeat the epidemic, not a tool for political gain, still less an excuse to attack and discredit other countries. Since the beginning of this year, despite the need for mass vaccination at home, China has done its best to provide more than 700 million doses of vaccines to the world, especially developing countries, guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. China's actions have delivered much-needed help to countries and helped more than 100 countries save lives and fight the epidemic with no political strings attached. If this is vaccine diplomacy, then China's vaccine diplomacy is welcome and in the common interest of the international community.

Those who accuse and discredit China should first ask themselves what they have done for the world. They should stop "lying diplomacy" and "smearing diplomacy" and focus on doing something for the world's fight against COVID-19.

CCTV: On July 28, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the Conference on Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations. Could you give us more details?

Zhao Lijian: On July 28, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the opening ceremony of the Conference on Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations via video link. Hosted by the China Institute of International Studies, the event is one of a series of commemorative activities to mark the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, and saw attendance of diplomatic envoys of ASEAN member states posted in China as well as experts and scholars from both sides.

State Councilor Wang Yi said that over the past three decades, China and ASEAN have taken the lead in establishing a strategic partnership and building a free trade area, and remained the pace-setter for East Asian cooperation. Guided by the East Asian approach of mutual respect and consensus, China and ASEAN have always accommodated each other's concerns and core interests, and set the example of equal treatment and peaceful coexistence. The two sides are always committed to synergizing development strategies and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, and have set the example of common development and win-win cooperation. We have always provided each other with selfless help as a community with a shared future, and set the example of mutual assistance and solidarity. We are always committed to strengthening people-to-people bonds, carrying forward the Asian values, and have set the example of mutual learning and harmonious coexistence between civilizations. China-ASEAN relations have become a fine example of the most successful and vibrant pair of relations in the Asia-Pacific.

State Councilor Wang Yi stressed that China will work with ASEAN to stay as good neighbors that look out for each other in times of need, good friends sharing weal and woe, and good partners in pursuit of common development. China-ASEAN relations will grow with greater maturity and confidence, and embrace a better and more promising future. State Councilor Wang Yi also put forward a five-point proposal. First, we need to uphold good-neighborliness and enhance strategic mutual trust. Second, we need to put people first and deepen COVID response cooperation. Third, we need to focus on development and foster new growth drivers. Fourth, we need to bear in mind the bigger picture and safeguard peace and stability. Fifth, we need to uphold solidarity and coordination and defend justice and fairness.

Secretary-General of ASEAN Lim Jock Hoi fully agreed with China's proposal, saying that the ASEAN-China strategic partnership has already become one with the richest content in the region. China's support for ASEAN centrality, ASEAN's community building and integration process, as well as active participation in the ASEAN-led regional mechanisms are a concrete embodiment of China's support for regionalism and multilateralism. ASEAN firmly believes that the relations will usher in an even better future.

Bloomberg: According to reports, the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed concern about increasing Chinese military pressure on Taiwan. This was at the first strategic dialogue between lawmakers from Japan, the US and Taiwan. Does the foreign ministry have a comment?

Zhao Lijian: The so-called "dialogue" you mentioned has no influence whatsoever. It is negative and wrong in both form and content. In fact, it plays the same old tune that no one cares to listen.

I want to stress that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan region is an inalienable part of China's territory. China's national reunification and rejuvenation are an unstoppable trend. No one should underestimate the strong resolution, determination and capability of the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" will be like trying to hold back the tide with a broom, and is doomed to fail.

The Taiwan question concerns the political foundation of China-US relations and China-Japan relations. Both the US and Japan have the responsibility and obligation to abide by the principles set in relevant bilateral political documents with China and the solemn commitments they have made to China on the Taiwan question, and stop sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" forces.

CGTN: According to recent media reports, the US is not only weak in its own response to the epidemic, which has led to more infections and deaths than any other country in the world, it is also taking irresponsible measures in outbound travel control and repatriation of illegal immigrants, which has exacerbated the global spread of the epidemic. What is China's comment?

Zhao Lijian: For some time, the US has been fanning the flames, and gearing up political manipulation with regard to origin-tracing. The US is guilty of three sins in epidemic response and origin-tracing:

First, the US has allowed the virus to spread unchecked. The US, a global leader in medical technology, has let political manipulation override epidemic control, leading to infection of some 35 million Americans and lost of lives of more than 610,000. The US has failed to exercise effective outbound travel control measures, and many countries have reported imported cases from the US. In disregard of the opposition of the international community, the US has sped up the repatriation of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants infected with the coronavirus, exacerbating the epidemic in many Latin American countries. The New York Times commented that what the US has done was tantamount to exporting the virus.

Second, the US has hidden the truth from the world. Research by the University of Washington suggests that the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the US could be as high as 65 million and 900,000 respectively, far higher than official statistics. While the timeline of early cases in the US has been constantly dialed forward, and Fort Detrick is shrouded with suspicion, the US still mentions nothing about whether it plans to invite WHO in, and open Fort Detrick and other bio labs. Is this the "transparent and responsible" attitude that the US has been preaching?

Third, the US has been practicing "origin-tracing terrorism". Ever since its previous administration coined the term "Chinese virus", the US has not stopped trying to sell stories that stigmatize China. It attempts to link the origin of the virus with China and even Asian countries as a group, which has caused rising anti-Asian sentiment in the US and some other countries in the West, where many people of Asian descent fear discrimination, oppression and even physical threat. The US also plays dirty tricks on the scientific community, stifling the righteous voice of scientists, subjecting many outspoken scientists to verbal abuse and threat of physical assaults. Some media compare such behaviors of the US with acts of terrorism.

The above-mentioned three sins are just the tip of the iceberg of the political manipulation conducted by the US. It is the universal consensus of the international community to reject political manipulation of origin-tracing issue. So far, 60 countries have written to the WHO Director-General to state their position.

The coronavirus needs to be traced to its source, and so does the political virus, which needs to be thoroughly dealt with, as some takes advantage of the epidemic to shift the blame, and blatantly engage in discrimination and coercion.

CCTV: According to reports, a few countries including the US have been claiming recently that China refuses the WHO plan for the second phase of studies into the origins of COVID-19. Does China have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: First I want to stress that this plan was put forward unilaterally by the WHO Secretariat without getting the approval of all member states. The WHO is led by member states. The draft plan was put forward by the Secretariat for discussion by member states, who have the right to make adjustments. The mandate of the Secretariat is to provide convenience for member states to have full consultation and reach consensus. It is not entitled to decision-making on its own.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has all along attached high importance to studies into the origins of the virus. We've actively participated in global cooperation in this area with an open and science-based attitude. Twice we've invited WHO experts to China for joint research in origin-tracing. We've invested tremendous efforts, achieved important outcomes and reached authoritative conclusions.

Lately many countries, China included, have raised concerns over and voiced objection to the next steps to study the origins proposed by the WHO Secretariat. It is a shared belief that the plan is inconsistent with the resolution of the 73rd WHA and the conclusions and recommendations of the joint WHO-China study report. It failed to reflect the latest outcomes of global research in origin-tracing and cannot serve as the basis for the second phase of joint origin studies. At the same time, 60 countries have written to the WHO Director General saying that they welcome the joint WHO-China study report and reject politicizing origin studies. This is the legitimate appeal and voice of justice from the international community.

To my knowledge, before the WHO Secretariat circulated its plan, Chinese experts, with a view to support and coordinate with WHO efforts to conduct the next phase of origin studies, had submitted to WHO a Chinese proposal based on the previous phase of studies jointly conducted by Chinese and WHO experts and the joint report. The Chinese plan is a science-based and professional solution that has been tested in practice. The main points are as follows:

First, the second phase should be guided by the WHA resolution, rely mainly on scientists, and conduct evidence-based scientific research. The joint WHO-China study report's conclusions and recommendations have been widely recognized by the international community and the science community. This should serve as the basis for the second phase of studies.

Second, the second phase should not repeat what has already been conducted during the first phase, especially where conclusive findings were already reached. In particular, the joint WHO-China study report already stated clearly that "a laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely". The key focus of the second phase should be on possible pathways identified as "very likely" and "likely" by the joint report including introduction through an intermediate host or cold chain products. Efforts should be made to advance traceability research in various countries and regions across the world.

Third, the practice, mechanisms and approaches used in the first phase should be drawn on to conduct further studies in an orderly and smooth manner. There should be assessment and analysis of existing research outcomes and new evidence. The regions to be covered by the second phase and the work plan should be determined after comprehensive assessment based on open research evidence. Research in epidemiology, animal products, environmental and molecular epidemiology should be continued to reinforce rather than repeat existing work or tasks that have already been covered.

Fourth, the team of experts should be put together on the basis of the makeup of the first phase team with full respect for their expertise, international reputation and practical experience. Additional experts from other areas can be added to the original team in an appropriate manner if there is indeed such a need. This will not only help maintain continuity of the research but also ensure the authority and impartiality of the next phase of studies.

In the meantime, China will continue to act on relevant work recommendations in the joint WHO-China study report and actively conduct further follow-up research concerning China recommended in the report.

I'd like to stress once again that the study of origins is a serious matter of science. We should let scientists get to the bottom of this virus so as to get better prepared for future risks. We firmly reject origin-tracing based on politics. As to truly science-based studies of origins, we have taken an active part in them and will continue to do so.

RIA Novosti: Does China feel that the WHO Secretariat is politicizing the origin-tracing task?

Zhao Lijian: I have made China's position very clear. The draft plan for the second phase study was put forward by the Secretariat for discussion by member states, who have the right to make adjustments. The mandate of the Secretariat is to provide convenience for member states to have full consultation and reach consensus. It is not entitled to decision-making on its own.

China Daily:There are reports that the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee passed a bill on 28 July to direct the State Department to develop a strategy to assist Taiwan in obtaining observer status at the World Health Assembly. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive issue in China-US relations. The one-China principle is the political foundation of bilateral relations and the consensus of the international community.

The US bill is a serious breach of the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and a violation of the fundamental principle affirmed by UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1. We firmly reject it. The Chinese Central Government always attaches great importance to the health and well-being of our compatriots in the Taiwan region. Under the precondition of abiding by the one-China principle, we have made appropriate arrangements for the Taiwan region's participation in global health affairs.

The US should fully recognize that the Taiwan question is a highly sensitive issue. It should earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and comply with international law and basic norms governing international relations. The US should stop reviewing and pushing the negative Taiwan-related bill, not to send out wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces and not to help the Taiwan region to expand its so-called "international space".

Bloomberg: A question regarding a statement from the Foreign Correspondents Club of China that was issued earlier this week in which the FCCC described the situation where foreign journalists were harassed while doing their jobs covering the floods in Henan. The statement also says that some of the harassment was organized by party-affiliated organizations. Does the foreign ministry have a comment on the FCCC statement?

Zhao Lijian: I have one question for you as well. Do you know that the Chinese netizens refer to BBC as "Bad-mouthing Broadcasting Corporation"? Having long been clinging to its ideological bias against China, BBC has produced fake news time and again, spread false information on issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and COVID-19, attacked and vilified China in serious deviation from the professional ethics of journalism. Everything happens for a reason. The BBC has long been reporting on China through tinted glasses, which has chipped away its credibility bit by bit. Robin Brant, BBC journalist stationed in Shanghai, continued to put ideology above facts in his report about the torrential rain in Henan, turning a blind eye to the fact that the Chinese government has been sparing no efforts in conducting rescue work and local residents have been volunteering help. Naturally, BBC reports with preconception gain no popularity among the Chinese people and only end up hurting the media's own credit. We hope the BBC can truly abide by professional ethics and conduct, and make up for its "trust deficit" in the hearts of the Chinese public through truly objective and fair reporting.

As for the FCCC you just mentioned, China has never recognized this organization, which groups only a handful of biased journalists and could in no way represent the true voice of the more than 400 foreign journalists in China.

As for the statement you mentioned, I want to stress that the FCCC has been habitually distorting facts to tarnish China's reporting environment. Objectivity is the lifeline of the press. Some Western media should ask themselves as to why their reports have caused public outrage in China. They make no mention of the enormous assistance and convenience China has provided to foreign journalists in their reporting, and instead of criticizing some foreign media for their inaccurate and distorted reports, they made groundless accusations against China over the so-called "reporting environment". This is nothing but blatant attempt to confuse right and wrong with false claims.

I want to reiterate that China is a society governed by law and one of the safest countries in the world. China welcomes media and journalists from other countries to do reporting in China in accordance with law and regulations, ensures the legitimate rights and interests of permanent foreign media outlets and correspondents posted in China, and provides assistance and facilitation for their daily work. The reporting environment for foreign correspondents in China is open and free. Communication channels between foreign journalists in China and competent Chinese authorities are open and unfettered. As long as foreign journalists abide by the law and do reporting in compliance the law and regulations, there is no need to worry.

That said, we oppose any ideological bias against China, any attempt to fabricate fake news under the pretext of the so-called "freedom of the press", and any behavior that violates the professional ethics of journalism.

CRI: Yesterday you shared with us some information on the visit of the Afghan Taliban delegation to China. Do you have more on the visit?

Zhao Lijian: Yesterday I already talked in great detail about the major points of this visit by the Afghan Taliban delegation. I'd like to add a few more today.

China, as Afghanistan's largest neighbor, follows closely the trajectory of the Afghan situation and always supports the peace and reconciliation process. We sincerely hope that the Afghan people will grasp the historical opportunity and truly take the nation's destiny into their own hands. We hope the Afghan Taliban will put the interests of the country and nation first, hold high the banner of peace talks, set the goal of peace, build a positive image, follow an inclusive policy, return to the political mainstream in moderate ways, and play an important role in the peace, reconciliation and reconstruction process. We hope all factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan will be united and establish through dialogue and negotiation a broad-based and inclusive political framework in keeping with their national realities so as to create a future together for Afghanistan.

Following the "Afghan-owned and Afghan-led" principle, China has all along been promoting peace talks and facilitating the peace and reconciliation process on the basis of fully respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty and the will of parties to the talks. This is also the major objective China has in mind by receiving the Afghan Taliban delegation. As a military and political force to be reckoned with in Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban has in recent years maintained dialogue and contact with the Afghan government and the international community. China will continue to uphold an objective and just position and play a constructive role in advancing the political settlement of the Afghan issue.

I would like to stress two last points. First, the US is the culprit of the Afghan issue and the major external factor that can influence the situation. It started the Afghan war in the name of fighting terrorism 20 years ago. However, today, terrorist forces in Afghanistan remain rampant and peace still hasn't come. The hasty withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from Afghanistan marks the complete failure of the Afghan policy of the US. It must shoulder responsibility for what it has done and mustn't shift the blame and responsibility to others and simply take to its heels. It needs to take concrete actions to prevent the terrorist forces from festering and make sure the withdrawal doesn't lead to turbulence and fighting. It also needs to play its due role in peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Second, the ETIM is a terrorist organization designated by the UN and is a common enemy of the international community. China will continue to work with regional countries and the international community to fulfill the shared responsibility of fighting the ETIM until the evil is rooted out. We hope the Afghan Taliban will make a clean break with all terrorist organizations including the ETIM and resolutely and effectively combat them to remove obstacles for security, stability, development and cooperation in the region. We hope the Afghan Taliban can earnestly honor its commitment that it will never allow any force to use the Afghan territory to engage in acts detrimental to China.

Bloomberg: I just wanna follow up on your earlier comment regarding the BBC. You said that "everything happens for a reason". Are you saying that the harassment is justified? Is that the point that you were making?

Zhao Lijian: I've just made China's position clear. Some Western media should ask themselves as to why their reports have caused public outrage in China.

Bloomberg also needs to reflect upon itself as to why it put the US on top of its recent COVID Resilience Ranking when the country holds the world record in both infection and death tally.

I want to reiterate that the reporting environment for foreign correspondents in China is open and free, and their legitimate rights and interests are fully protected. Permanent foreign media outlets and correspondents posted in China should abide by China's laws, regulations and rules, observe the professional ethics of journalism, and conduct reporting in an objective and fair manner.

Reuters: US-listed shares of Chinese education companies as well as Didi have been hammered by sudden Chinese regulatory moves. We're also seeing new volatility in the Chinese markets. Is the Chinese side concerned that global investors are becoming wary of regulatory risks associated with investing in Chinese companies?

Zhao Lijian: I want to stress that China regulates enterprise investment and operation in accordance with the law and regulations, and provides them with a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment.

Global Times: On July 28, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price released a readout on Secretary Blinken's meeting with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, where Blinken "affirmed U.S. support for the WHO's plans to conduct additional studies into the COVID-19 origins, including in the People's Republic of China", "stressed the need for the next phase to be timely, evidence-based, transparent, expert-led, and free from interference", and "emphasized the importance of the international community coming together on this matter". I wonder if China has any comment?

Zhao Lijian: I would like to stress a few points in response.

First, China agrees that studies into origins of COVID-19 should be evidence-based, expert-led, and free from interference. But that is not what the US has been doing. While calling for evidence-based origin studies, the US has falsely accused China of a lab leak and fabricated the rumor that three WIV researchers fell ill though it couldn't even provide their names. While calling for expert-led origin studies, the US has ordered the intelligence community to do the job and resorted to sidelining and muzzling objective and rational scientists and professionals. While calling for origin studies free from interference, senior US government officials reportedly halted an origin-tracing project on the ground that it interferes with the origin-tracing agenda against China and is detrimental to US national security and sealed blood samples collected before January 2, 2020 from further testing after the NIH found COVID-19 antibodies in blood samples collected in the US in early January 2020.

Second, China has contributed to the global origin-tracing efforts with concrete actions. Early this year, leading experts from ten countries and China formed a joint team and conducted 28 days of joint study in China, after which a joint report was released. The report identified areas in need of further follow-up study, where the Chinese side is actively supporting relevant institutes and scientists in continuing and redoubling efforts. That being said, it is China's view that what has already been conducted during the first phase, especially where conclusive findings were already reached, should not been repeated. The second phase should be conducted in multiple countries and regions across the world based on wide consultation by member states.

Third, the COVID-19 response in the US is the worst in the world. The US government hasn't taken any investigative action in the face of waves of suspicions surrounding containment breaches from the biological laboratory at Fort Detrick and the clusters of unexplained cases of pneumonia in Maryland in 2019. To date, over 18 million Chinese netizens have signed an open letter calling on the WHO to investigate Fort Detrick. If the US truly intends to support studies of origins, then it should respond to the call, demonstrate its openness and transparency, and let WHO experts conduct investigations in the US.

Shenzhen TV: The Forum on Win-win Cooperation for Common Development of China-Latin America and the Caribbean was recently hosted in Beijing. Could you provide more information?

Zhao Lijian: On 27 July, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) hosted the Forum on Win-win Cooperation for Common Development of China-Latin America and the Caribbean in Beijing. It was attended by senior diplomats from over 20 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) embassies in China, President of the CPAFFC Lin Songtian, and representatives from Chinese organizations, institutions and companies.

President Lin Songtian said that, the forum is hosted under the theme "win-win cooperation for common development", which demonstrates the global vision and the sense of historical responsibility of the Communist Party of China and goes with the prevailing trend of peace, development and progress for mankind. LAC countries is a natural extension of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and an important partner in Belt and Road cooperation. As developing countries, both China and LAC countries endured sufferings of Western colonial plunder in history. Today, we face the common task of development and share broad common interests. As we provide important markets for each other and face enormous opportunities for two-way investment, there are broad prospects for China-LAC cooperation on infrastructure connectivity and high-quality development.

Uruguayan Ambassador to China and Dean of LAC diplomatic corps in China Fernando Lugris said, the forum provides a platform for LAC embassies in China to connect with local governments and companies, which will advance China-LAC cooperation for mutual benefits and common development. As one of the first LAC countries to participate in Belt and Road Initiative and sign an MOU with China, Uruguay is ready to expand its investment in western China and facilitate further investments in LAC countries from Chinese companies.

Beijing Youth Daily: According to reports, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken just met a representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: Tibetan affairs are purely China's internal affairs that allow no foreign interference. The 14th Dalai Lama is by no means just a religious personnel, but rather a political exile who has long been engaging in anti-China separatist activities and attempting to split Tibet from China. China firmly opposes any form of contact between foreign officials and the Dalai Lama. Any form of contact between the US side and the Dalai clique is a violation of the US commitment to acknowledging Tibet being part of China, to not supporting "Tibetan Independence", and to not supporting attempts to separate China. The US side should honor its commitment, stop meddling in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Tibetan affairs, and offer no support to the "Tibetan independence" forces to engage in anti-China separatist activities. China will take all necessary measures to defend its own interests.

Prasar Bharati: As per reports, they were two persons arrested in Pakistan for the bus blast that took nine Chinese lives. Do you have more to share on this as to what result came from the investigation by Chinese team in Pakistan?

Zhao Lijian: I take note that the Pakistani police have arrested two suspects allegedly involved in the attack on the shuttle bus for Dasu hydropower project. China and Pakistan are carrying out a joint investigation into the bomb attack incident. China will continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Pakistani side to see to it that a thorough investigation is made and the perpetrators being severely punished. In the meantime, we will earnestly protect the safety of Chinese projects, personnel and institutions in Pakistan to make sure such things do not happen again.
On 26 July, during his talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng urged the U.S. side to address its own human rights issues first.

Xie Feng pointed out that historically, the United States engaged in genocide against Native Americans. Presently, the United States has lost 620,000 lives because of its halting response to COVID-19. Internationally, the frequent U.S. military action and the wars caused by the United States lying about the facts have brought undue catastrophe to the world. How can the United States portray itself as the world's spokesperson for democracy and human rights?

Xie Feng said that the U.S. side is in no position to lecture China on democracy and human rights. Without the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, an effective political system and a development path suited to China's circumstances, or if people on the street in China were all denied democracy, freedoms and human rights, how could it be possible for the Chinese people to ever generate such immense creativity and productivity? Without those, how could a super-sized country like China

with over a billion people ever achieve the twin miracles of rapid economic growth and sustained social stability? And how could it be possible for the Chinese nation to make the great transformation from standing up to growing rich, and to becoming strong within just a hundred years? Western surveys have shown that over 90 percent of Chinese are satisfied with the Government, which is quite remarkable for any country in the world.
A centuries-old shipwreck off the coast of Guangdong province was finally salvaged in 2007, two decades after it was found completely by chance. Archaeologists named that famous shipwreck, dating to the Southern Song era (1127-1279), Nanhai One.



The ill-fated ship was carrying a full cargo when she, as is believed, sank shortly after setting off from Quanzhou, Fujian province, which was one of the world's busiest ports at the time.

While it was unfortunate for the vessel at the time, for today's researchers, the wreck is a perfect time capsule, sealing the prosperity of ancient maritime trade within its cabinsover 170,000 porcelain artifacts, many of which remain intact, have been found among its ruins. And it is estimated that about one-third of them are white glaze produced in Dehua, a county about 70 kilometers from what is today downtown Quanzhou.

The precious underwater treasure trove unveils one piece of a grand picture depicting the area's porcelain industry, which, according to archaeological findings, formed and blossomed over the course of 3,700 years.

According to Li Jian'an, a veteran researcher of ceramics, who is also the former director of Fujian Provincial Archaeology Research Institute, the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties represented the industry's peak in ancient China.

As "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China "newly gained the UNESCO World Heritage status, the site of Dehua Kilns, which is included in the inscription, is ready to tell stories of the booming trade on the high seas from the mountainous area inland.

"Dehua porcelain is an outstanding representative of ceramic varieties exported from ancient China," Li says. "Thanks to maritime trade, its development leapt between the 10th and 14th centuries," Li says. "It was aimed at the high-end markets overseas due to its refined nature."

In Europe, Blanc de Chine (the white from China) that was produced in Dehua became a popular variety and later influenced the renowned Meissen porcelain in Germany.

Without flamboyant decorations, the white glaze is usually printed or carved with simple but elegant floral patterns.

According to Li, articles including bowls, plates, boxes and vases are among the main types of products exported during the Song and Yuan periods (960-1368). The white porcelain was found in large quantities, not only aboard Nanhai One, but also among shipwrecks from Indonesia, Malaysia, and other areas across South China Sea. Samples of Dehua white porcelain have also been found at archaeological sites in West Asia and East Africa.

Crafting such exquisite products requires time. According to The Travels of Marco Polo, a book chronicling the 13th century Venetian traveler's adventure in China, the way to make the clay base for the porcelain is to take a particular variety of soil from a quarry, and spend 30 to 40 years exposing it to sunshine.

"Fathers take it, and only their sons can use it," the book says.

"White porcelain evidence proves the powerful industry and trading capacity of Quanzhou," Li further explains. "It also shows local people's continuous creativity."

Unearthing new clues

More details of how the white glaze was produced have been gradually unearthed, even as preparations for the World Heritage bid were ongoing.

From 2019 to 2020, archaeologists unveiled Weilin-Neiban, a cluster of seven porcelain kilns, along two banks of a stream in the mountainous area. The kilns, ruins of a processing workshop and waste dumps were excavated. According to Zheng Jiongxin, director of Dehua Ceramics Museum, the new findings provided key clues for the studies of ceramics production techniques at the time.

Several "dragon kilns"named after their long shape, which resembles a dragonwere found on the site and they are viewed by academia as a milestone in the evolution of ceramics production. The longest one stretches over 160 meters along a hillside.

Zheng says unearthed ceramic shards on the site also match previous findings from Nanhai One and patterns recorded in ancient documents.

"This kiln is so huge, and tens of thousands of pieces can be processed at a time," Zheng explains.

"As such, we also found that different workshops had inked their own family names on the bottom of the ceramics to distinguish their products from the others, but they shared the kiln and production resources.

"It's like an early-stage cooperative."

The new findings also contribute to a bigger picture of the area's booming ceramics industry.

In 1976, another "dragon kiln", dating to the Song and Yuan dynasties, was found in nearby Qudougong. However, this long kiln includes 17 separated chambers, which means it operated at various temperatures, with each chamber providing a different level of heat, and is thus an upgraded facility compared to the kilns in Weilin-Neiban. This type is known colloquially as a "cage kiln".

Locals also show gratitude for the craftsmanship that has been passed down. At the Qudougong site, a temple was established during the Song Dynasty in memory of Lin Bing, who was said to have started the dragon kiln. People have worshipped this master by bringing their own products as tributes in sacrificial ceremonies.
The organizers of the 11th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) announced on Tuesday popular young actor Jackson Yee will serve as its Youth Publicity and Promotion Ambassador.

A new poster starring Jackson Yee for the 11th Beijing International Film Festival. [Image courtesy of BJIFF]

An official promotional short film released by the BJIFF Organizing Committee shows Yee, a pop-idol-turned-actor and the representative of young filmmakers, forging ahead on a journey to explore the mystery of film "from blank to how colorful it is today" with the strong determination of the new generation of filmmakers.

The organizers said Jackson Yee's identity as "a new generation or a new force of the film industry" was closely aligned with the theme of the 11th BJIFF, "New Opportunity  New Horizon".

At the beginning of another "new decade" of the BJIFF, they would join hands with Yee to keep on exploring and creating the diversity and miracles in the film world with "new power," and forge ahead with hope.

In 2019, "Better Days", Yee's critically-acclaimed debut film, was released, followed by "A Little Red Flower" and "Chinese Doctors", both of which were highly praised. His upcoming works include the war epic "The Battle at Lake Changjin" to be released on Aug. 12 and "Miracle" by director Wen Muye.

This year's edition of the BJIFF will be comprehensively upgraded and transformed: the Beijing Film Panorama will expand to reach more movie fans across Tianjin and Hebei outside of Beijing for the first time, allowing them to experience the charm of film art; the Beijing Film Market will launch BJIFF TALENTS for the first time to push the new generation of filmmakers forward; the Film Carnival will launch night activities for the first time, among others.

Organizers said the additions were a clear statement of the courage of the BJIFF to welcome the "new decade" with a high-spirited attitude and its determination to bring a film festival full of new opportunities, new horizon and new surprises to movie fans at home and abroad.

The 11th BJIFF will run from Aug. 14 to 21 in the capital city of China.
A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday said the mainland will keep an eye on the moves of those elements seeking "Taiwan independence" on the island and punish them in accordance with the law.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, warned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority in Taiwan and "Taiwan independence" separatist forces not to misjudge the situation and act willfully on the path for "Taiwan independence," which leads to nowhere.

"Our country must be reunified, and will surely be reunified," Zhu said, vowing that any provocation from "Taiwan independence" forces will be defeated.

Zhu made the statement when asked to comment on recent remarks advocating "Taiwan independence" from the head of the island's legislative body.
China has deployed personnel, allocated funds and equipment amid consolidated efforts for emergency rescue and disaster relief after record-heavy downpours in Henan triggered severe floods, an official said Wednesday.



The country has sent about 46,000 personnel from the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force as well as about 61,000 militia members to Henan for flood control and emergency rescue, Zhou Xuewen, vice minister of the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) and the Ministry of Water Resources, told a press conference.

The MEM has dispatched about 4,000 fire and rescue personnel from 12 provinces to Henan, carrying a large amount of equipment, including boats, drainage trucks and large and medium mobile drainage pump stations, Zhou said.

China has earmarked 3 billion yuan (about 462 million U.S. dollars) from the central financial reserve to support post-disaster recovery and reconstruction work in Henan and will provide more support according to the flood situation, he said.

From July 17 to 22, Henan was lashed by heavy rain, with daily precipitation at 19 national meteorological stations in cities including Zhengzhou, Hebi, Anyang, Xinxiang and Luoyang reaching historical highs, said Wang Zhihua, spokesperson of the China Meteorological Administration.

Government departments have deployed professional rescuers as well as equipment such as emergency bridges and excavators in Zhengzhou for emergency rescue, drainage and desilting. The country has dispatched professionals and equipment from emergency authorities and enterprises to help with rescue and drainage work in Hebi, Zhou said.

He also noted that central state-owned enterprises have shored up disaster relief in Henan by sending personnel to several cities to support emergency rescue and repair of power facilities.
China will further reform and refine the management of central budgetary research funding to give researchers greater discretion in fund use and better motivate them to concentrate on research, the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Wednesday.

To earnestly act upon the new development philosophy, China will continue to uphold the central role of innovation in the country's modernization drive. In view of acute concerns of researchers, regulations on fund management that are inconsistent with the laws governing scientific research will be overhauled.

"China is giving greater prominence to innovation-driven development. With the guiding principles and broad policies in place, the new policies introduced this time are part of the response to the views and recommendations of research institutes and researchers over some time, and what we need is to ensure their last-mile delivery on the ground," Li said.

Budget compilation will be streamlined. The nine-plus items subject to budget accounting will be cut to three. The power over budget re-assignment regarding equipment costs and others will all be delegated to institutes undertaking research projects. The creation of ceilings in funding that enable the retention of unused funds will be promoted in basic research projects and talent-related programs.

Researchers will be given greater incentives. The proportion of indirect funding in research projects will be increased to see that as much as half of research funding is used for personnel purposes. For purely theoretical basic research projects such as mathematics, the share of indirect funding may be raised to 60 percent. Research institutes may spend all indirect funding on performance-based expenditures.

The scope of labor service expenses will be expanded. Social insurance subsidies and housing provident funds paid by research institutes for personnel hired in research projects will be included in labor service expenses. Cash rewards for the commercialization of research outcomes will not be limited by the total amount of performance-based salary in the institute concerned, or used for approving the performance-based salary base for the next year.

"We must resolutely support basic research. Researchers need to fully devote themselves to their research, and do well in basic research in the same spirit as a blacksmith in the past who would spend years forging a perfect sword. This is of vital and long-term significance in boosting China's strength in science and technology," Li said.

Fund allocation will be made at a faster pace. Funds should be channeled to project undertakers within 30 days upon the signing of project contracts. After a project is complete, project undertakers may keep the surplus project funding for direct research expenditures. International cooperation and exchange expenses listed in research funding will not be counted as spending on official overseas visits, official vehicles and official hospitality.

New formats of budgetary research funding support will be developed. Lead scientists will be given the discretion to decide what to study, how to build teams and how to use funds in line with the priorities and scopes on the country's agenda. A "budget plus negative list" management model will be implemented in new types of research and development (R&D) institutes.

Except for special provisions, research outcomes and intellectual property generated with budgetary funding support will be obtained by new-type R&D institutes in accordance with law, and their application and promotion decided by the new-type R&D institutes.

Research projects will be equipped with financial assistants by relevant parties in providing specialized services such as budget compilation and reimbursement, to ease the administrative burden on researchers. Related labor costs can be covered by the project funding and other channels. Supervision of research funding will be refined, and audit and accounting-based oversight enforced pursuant to laws and regulations.

"Competent departments must rigorously implement the aforementioned policies. The State Council General Office should step up accountability inspections and compliance oversight," Li said. "Real support for researchers cannot materialize unless these policy measures are fully delivered."
China's brand new law on the protection of the status, rights and interests of military personnel and the revised Law on Military Facilities Protection will take effect on Aug. 1, according to a press conference Wednesday.

As a ground-breaking legal document, the law on the protection of the status, rights and interests of military personnel prescribes the status of military personnel through legislation for the first time, and ramps up targeted measures to protect military personnel's wellbeing, said Guo Linmao, an official with the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

The newly-revised Law on Military Facilities Protection sets forth the principle of coordinating socio-economic development and military facilities protection, and defines the responsibility of local governments and relevant State Council bodies in protecting military facilities during socio-economic and land-use planning, said Tong Weidong, an official with the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee.

Both laws were adopted on June 10 during the 29th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee.

Aug. 1 marks China's Army Day.
Greater international cooperation on combating the COVID-19 pandemic is needed and less politicization of scientific issues, such as tracing the origin of the virus that causes the disease, according to Chinese scientists and scholars.



Gao Fu, head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said investigating the origin of the virus is a scientific question that should be answered scientifically.

"Nobody should be blaming others. Probing the origin of the virus cannot be politicized," he said during the 23rd Annual Meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology, which started on Tuesday and ended on Wednesday.

Gao said the pathogen may gain new properties by mutating and then breaching the body's immune system. Therefore, it is important to enhance international scientific cooperation based on openness, trust and collaboration, he added.

Wang Hongyang, a noted oncologist and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the current public health challenges are unprecedented. "People are starting to realize that when a public health crisis hits, there is no such thing as a safe harbor," she said at the meeting. "We are all in this together, and only through international cooperation can we ensure global public health security."

Wang said that since the COVID-19 outbreak, China has taken the "most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures" to curb the disease, allowing the country to go from being the most vulnerable to the virus to one of the safest nations in the world.

China has also taken concrete actions to improve global public health in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, including monetary donations to the World Health Organization and providing vaccines and aid to other countries.

"Only by respecting human lives as the upmost priority, along with enhancing cooperation and mutual assistance, can the international community form a collective force to tackle emerging public health crises and embrace a  healthy future," she said.

Xue Lan, dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, said that after the end of the Cold War, international cooperation on science and technology rapidly expanded, but in recent years, political issues between major countries have undermined this momentum.

"All of humanity has benefited from global cooperation in science and technology," Xue said.

Now, there are politicians whose agendas are interfering with the collaborative consensus among scientists, namely, that science has no borders, and science and technology should benefit all mankind, he said.

"The international scientific community must adamantly push back against these political challenges," he said.

Kazuki Okimura, former president of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, said science exchanges and cooperation, such as those between China and Japan, are important for training talented people, building ties and promoting progress.

From 2013 until the COVID-19 outbreak in December 2019, Japan invited over 10,000 Chinese students and researchers to the country for exchange programs, Okimura said. However, the pandemic has put the program on hold for over 18 months.

Although COVID-19 is largely under control in China, the rest of the world is still suffering the impact of the coronavirus and its variants. As a result, international relations will likely witness major changes in the future, he said. "This means China-Japan cooperation is growing more important than ever, and we look forward to building a relationship with China based on mutual learning and win-win collaboration."

In an online opinion poll conducted by CGTN Think Tank, 80 percent of global respondents believe that the issue of COVID-19 origin tracing has been politicized.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that the United States was politically manipulating the origin probe, a move that has received widespread opposition in the international community.

"We solemnly inform the USin the face of facts, science and justicepolitical manipulation will not win hearts and is doomed to fail," Zhao said.


Speakers:



Guo Tingting, head of the Comprehensive Department of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM)

Zhu Xiaoliang, head of the Department of Market Operation and Consumption Promotion of the MOFCOM

Li Xingqian, head of the Department of Foreign Trade of the MOFCOM

Zong Changqing, head of the Department of Foreign Investment Administration of the MOFCOM

Chairperson:

Xing Huina, deputy head of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

July 22, 2021

Xing Huina:



Friends from the media, good afternoon. Welcome to this briefing held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Today's briefing will introduce China's commerce work and operations in the first half of 2021, followed by questions from the media. Today, we are joined by Ms. Guo Tingting, head of the Comprehensive Department of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM); Mr. Zhu Xiaoliang, head of the Department of Market Operation and Consumption Promotion of the MOFCOM; Mr. Li Xingqian, head of the Department of Foreign Trade of the MOFCOM; and Mr. Zong Changqing, head of the Department of Foreign Investment Administration of the MOFCOM.

Now, let's give the floor to Ms. Guo.

Guo Tingting:

Thank you. Friends from the media, good afternoon. I'll start by briefly introducing the overall statistics.

Since the beginning of this year, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the MOFCOM has grounded its work in the new stage of development, applied the new development philosophy, and contributed to fostering a new pattern of development. Three new guiding principles have been put forward for China's commerce work, which include making commerce work a key part of the domestic economic circulation, turning it into a key joint linking domestic and international economic circulation, and giving full play to its role in establishing a new pattern of development. In accordance with these new guiding principles, the MOFCOM is sparing no effort to promote the dual circulation development pattern while ensuring the smooth flow of domestic circulation. Generally speaking, in the first half of this year, China's commerce work has seen rapid growth, achieved stable performance, and moved in a positive direction. New progress has been achieved in the high-quality development of commerce work, and new contributions have been made to the sustainable and sound growth of the national economy.

First, domestic consumption continues to pick up. In the first half of 2021, China's retail sales of consumer goods totaled 21.2 trillion yuan, up 23% year on year. Its two-year average growth stood at 4.4%. Final consumption expenditure contributed to 61.7% of economic growth, which reflected its prominent role as a "stabilizer." The consumption of commodities rebounded significantly. From January to June, the retail sales of commodities increased by 20.6%, of which, spending on automobiles, cosmetics, and gold, silver and jewelry increased by 30.4%, 26.6% and 59.9%, respectively. Service consumption recovered at an accelerated pace as it accounted for 52.5% of household consumption, up 3.2 percentage points. Catering revenue basically recovered to pre-pandemic levels. New types of consumption boomed. From January to June, China's online retail sales reached 6.1 trillion yuan, up 23.2% year on year. Shipments of 5G smartphones increased by 100.9%. Offshore duty-free sales in Hainan province increased 3.7 times. We have effectively ensured supply and price stability, strengthened the market surveillance and early-warning system, and adjusted meat reserves. The supply of daily necessities was sufficient, and prices were generally stable. China's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.5% in the first half of 2021.

Second, foreign trade posted rapid growth. From January to June, China's total imports and exports of goods reached 18.1 trillion yuan, up 27.1% year on year. Exports and imports grew by 28.1% and 25.9%, respectively. The two-year average growth of total foreign trade in goods, exports and imports stood at 10.8%, 11.3% and 10.3%, respectively. The vitality of market entities was enhanced significantly. The number of enterprises with actual foreign trade business reached 479,000, up 8.1% year on year. The imports and exports of private enterprises increased by 35.1%, which is 8 percentage points higher than the overall growth of foreign trade. New business forms and models developed at an accelerated pace. The imports and exports of cross-border e-commerce increased by 28.6%. Market procurement exports grew by 49.1%, and there were more than 1,900 overseas warehouses. China's trade with its major trading partners registered rapid growth. Its imports and exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European Union (EU), and the U.S. increased by 27.8%, 26.7% and 34.6%, respectively. Its foreign trade with countries along the Belt and Road increased by 27.5%. The commodity structure of China's foreign trade was further optimized. Exports of mechanical and electrical products increased by 29.5%, accounting for 59.2% of the total export volume. Specifically, the exports of automobiles, machine tools and home appliances grew by 101.4%, 39.6% and 35.8%, respectively. Trade in services saw innovative development. From January to May, the total imports and exports of trade in services reached 1.9 trillion yuan, up 3.7%; the imports and exports of knowledge-intensive services accounted for 46.4% of the total amount.

Third, substantially more foreign investment was utilized. In the first half of 2021, foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, surged 28.7% year on year to 607.84 billion yuan. Its two-year average growth stood at 12.7%. The number of enterprises also increased rapidly. More than 23,000 foreign-invested companies were set up, representing an increase of 47.9% and bringing the total number of foreign-invested firms to over 1.06 million. The composition of foreign investment was further optimized. FDI into China's manufacturing industry, in actual use, increased by 9.9%, the highest growth rate over the same period in a decade. FDI into China's service sector, in actual use, grew by 33.4%. Foreign investment from major source regions saw stable growth. Investment from countries along the Belt and Road, ASEAN countries and the EU increased by 49.6%, 50.7% and 10.3%, respectively. Actual investment from China's Hong Kong, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Germany increased by 35.5%, 53.6%, 29.9% and 32.4%, respectively. The exemplary role of opening-up areas became rather prominent. FDI into 21 pilot free trade zones, in actual use, amounted to 100.88 billion yuan, attracting nearly 17% of the country's total amount of FDI with less than four thousandths of the country's land area. Newly established foreign-invested firms and the actual use of FDI in the Hainan Free Trade Port increased 4.9 times and 6.7 times.

Fourth, outbound investment cooperation was stable and orderly. In the first half of this year, non-financial direct investment decreased by 3.7% year-on-year to 348.83 billion yuan, (equivalent to $53.9 billion, up 4.7%). Investment cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was deepened. The investment into countries along the Belt and Road grew by 8.6%, up 2 percentage points to 17.8% of total outbound investment. The investment structure continued to improve. Investment into information technology, scientific research services and the transportation sector jumped by 26.8%, 74.2%, and 98.7%, respectively. The level of cooperation was steadily upgraded. The turnover of overseas contracted projects increased by 3.2% to 439.76 billion yuan. The number of newly signed projects worth more than $50 million went up by 6% to 404. Win-win cooperation was fully demonstrated. By the end of the first half of this year, overseas economic and trade cooperation zones had invested $47 billion accumulatively, paid about $6 billion in taxes and fees to host countries, and created 380,000 local jobs.

Next, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) will continue to follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and adhere to the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. We will comprehensively promote consumption, improve the modern circulation system, advance high-level opening-up to the outside world, firmly stabilize the overall performance of foreign trade and foreign investment, actively participate in global economic governance, and accelerate efforts to interlink markets, integrate industries, promote mutual innovation and connect rules, so as to better serve the fostering of a new development paradigm.

That's all for my introduction. Thank you.

Xing Huina:

Thank you for your briefing, Ms. Guo. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify your news outlet before asking your question.
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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of Afghanistan's Taliban.



The Afghan Taliban, as a critical military and political force in the country, is expected to play an important role in the peace, reconciliation and reconstruction process of Afghanistan, Wang said.

He called on the Afghan Taliban to put their national interests first and foremost, hold high the banner of peace talks, establish the goal of peace, create a positive image and adopt an inclusive policy.

The sudden withdrawal of forces by the United States and NATO from Afghanistan marks the failure of the United States' Afghanistan policy, and Afghan people now face an important opportunity to stabilize and develop their own country, he said.

Wang urged all factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan to stay united, truly implement the "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" principle, promote the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan to achieve substantive results as soon as possible, and independently establish an inclusive political structure in line with Afghanistan's own national conditions.

China, as Afghanistan's largest neighbor, always respects Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, sticks to not interfering in Afghanistan's internal affairs and adopts the friendly policy in view of the entire Afghan people, he said.

"Afghanistan belongs to the Afghan people, and the country's future and destiny should be in the hands of its people," he added.

The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an international terrorist group listed by the UN Security Council, poses direct threats to China's national security and territorial integrity, and it is the common responsibility of the international community to fight against it, he said.

Wang called on the Afghan Taliban to draw a clear line from ETIM and other terrorist groups, and resolutely and effectively crack down on them, so as to remove obstacles and create favorable conditions for regional peace, stability and development.

Baradar expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to visit China.

"China has always been a trustworthy friend of the Afghan people," he said, expressing appreciation for China's fair and positive role in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Taliban, with sincerity for achieving peace, is willing to work with all parties to establish an inclusive political structure in Afghanistan that is accepted by all Afghan people and protects human rights as well as the rights and interests of women and children, Baradar said.

Baradar said that the Afghan Taliban would absolutely not allow any forces to do anything harmful to China in Afghanistan's territory.

Baradar said that the Afghan Taliban held that Afghanistan should develop friendly relations with neighboring countries and the international community.

The Afghan Taliban hoped that China would be more involved in Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction process, and play a bigger role in the country's future reconstruction and economic development, Baradar said, adding that the Afghan Taliban would make its own efforts in creating a favorable investment environment.
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Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe said on Wednesday that China will never make concessions in safeguarding its core national interests.



China is committed to maintaining world prosperity and stability, and its development will benefit mankind and the world at large, Wei said at the 18th session of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, noting that China has never bullied others and will never allow others to bully itself.

China has just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and entered an irreversible historical process of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, he said.

On issues concerning Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and the South China Sea, China will never compromise or make concessions, Wei stressed, adding that the country has the ambition, backbone and confidence to withstand all external pressure, overcome all risks and challenges, and firmly safeguard its core national interests.

Since the SCO's founding 20 years ago, thanks to the efforts of the heads of state of the countries and the guidance of the Shanghai Spirit, defense departments of the member countries have constantly strengthened their strategic mutual trust and advanced practical cooperation, Wei said, adding that the SCO has grown into an important and constructive force in international and regional affairs.

He said that the SCO member states should continue to maintain close communication and exchanges, improve cooperation mechanisms, deepen cooperation in professional fields, innovate cooperation models in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and strive to create a security landscape featuring joint contribution and shared benefits, so as to make greater contribution to the building of the SCO community with a shared future.

Wei noted that the world is far from peaceful as the once-in-a-century pandemic and profound transformations rarely seen in a century are intertwined.

In times of crisis, he said the international community should unite closely and support each other, jointly oppose hegemonism, unilateralism and interventionism, uphold and practice true multilateralism, and jointly shoulder responsibilities, meet challenges and overcome difficulties.

As the situation in Afghanistan is undergoing major changes and regional security risks are rising, the SCO member countries need to step up coordination and cooperation to jointly prevent and combat the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and cement regional security barriers, he said.

During the meeting, the defense ministers spoke highly of the SCO's achievements in maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting defense and security cooperation over the past 20 years.

They decided to continue to strengthen communication, build consensuses and expand cooperation so as to create favorable conditions for the sustained development of the SCO.

All parties underlined the need to actively support Afghanistan's peace and reconciliation process, beef up counter-terrorism cooperation, combat terrorists and safeguard regional security and stability.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Wei held talks respectively with defense ministers of Pakistan, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, exchanging views on the international and regional situations, bilateral and military-to-military relations and counter-terrorism cooperation.
 Flash

Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu pledged on Wednesday to safeguard regional peace, security and stability.

Wei and Shoigu made the remarks during their meeting on the sidelines of a meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and profound changes across the globe, China-Russia relations have shown great resilience and become a very important stabilizing force for today's world, Wei said.

He noted that the two heads of state jointly announced the extension of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation during their talks via video link in June, demonstrating to the world the common will of the two countries to carry forward the spirit of the treaty, strengthen good-neighborliness and friendship, and firmly support each other.

Wei said the two countries should continue to strengthen all-round and all-weather strategic coordination, and maintain the steady and high-level development of China-Russia relations.

In response to the changing situation in Afghanistan and Central Asia, and to jointly fight terrorism, the two sides should coordinate each other's position, reach consensuses, strengthen cooperation, concert actions, resolutely safeguard the core interests of China and Russia, and firmly uphold international equity and justice as well as regional security and stability, he added.

For his part, Shoigu stressed that Russia's relationship with China is an important priority of its foreign relations.

In recent years, cooperation between the two militaries has been continuously expanding and has achieved fruitful results, reaching an unprecedentedly high level and setting an example for countries around the world, he said.

Shoigu said Russia is willing to further strengthen military and military-technological cooperation with China, and maintain the sound momentum of bilateral cooperation in joint exercises and training, army games and exchanges between military academies.

At a time when there are increasing uncertainties in the regional security situation, Russia pays close attention to the new developments in Afghanistan and Central Asia, and attaches great importance to China's position on the Afghan issue, he said.

Russia is ready to coordinate and cooperate with China and other countries in the region to make positive efforts to safeguard regional peace and stability, he added.
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The United States and Russia on Wednesday held a high-level "Strategic Stability Dialogue," to which U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin committed when they met in Geneva last month.

The dialogue, led by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, held here behind closed doors.

A U.S. government statement issued Wednesday said that the U.S. delegation discussed U.S. policy priorities and the current security environment, national perceptions of threats to strategic stability, prospects for new nuclear arms control, and the format for future "Strategic Stability Dialogue" sessions.

"The discussions in Geneva were professional and substantive. The two delegations agreed to meet again in a plenary session at the end of September, and to hold informal consultations in the interim, with the aim of determining topics for expert working groups at the second plenary," the statement said.

A statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Wednesday's meeting covered a number of "comprehensive" topics.

"In accordance with the instructions of the Presidents of the two countries, a comprehensive discussion of the sides' approaches to maintaining strategic stability, the prospects for arms control and measures to reduce risks was held," the Russian statement said.

"Various aspects of the further development of cooperation on this topic were also touched upon," it added.

In a joint statement issued following their Geneva summit on June 16, Biden and Putin reaffirmed their commitment to arms control and risk reduction.

The two leaders also agreed that diplomats and military experts from both countries would meet for what was called a "Strategic Stability Dialogue" to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.
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China on Wednesday blasted the United States for manipulating the COVID-19 pandemic for political purposes, noting the move is doomed to failure.



"We advise the United States that political manipulation cannot defeat the pandemic. It will find little support. It is doomed to failure," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told an informal meeting of the UN General Assembly on pandemic preparedness and response.

Dai criticized the United States for once again abusing the UN platform, and using the study of the COVID-19 origins "as an issue to engage in political manipulation."

Dai said politicizing the issue "completely runs counter" to the intent of the UN meeting. "China categorically rejects this," Dai added.

China has been an active participant in international cooperation on uncovering the origins of the virus, having twice invited World Health Organization experts to conduct joint research, Dai noted.

"The experts visited all the places they had wanted to visit. They met with all the people they had wanted to meet. They reached the science-based conclusion that it was extremely unlikely that the virus was leaked from the laboratory. The experts further proposed the search for possible early cases on a global scale. And these important suggestions have received broad endorsement internationally," he added.

Dai believed that the next phase of origin tracing should focus on the study of "the many early cases that have already been identified in various places around the world," and that origin tracing cooperation should be undertaken in multiple locations around the globe.

The United States "is disregarding facts. It is using political manipulation for the purpose of deflecting the attention to its botched response to the pandemic for the purpose of smearing other countries," Dai said, noting that the United States is "deliberately disinforming" the world.

"They have completely lost their scientific integrity and paid scant attention to moral standards. It has used all sorts of means to interfere with the original tracing international cooperation. This is condemned by the international community," he added.

"My advice to the United States is to respect science, save lives, stop undermining international cooperation in the fight against pandemic and the study of the origin."

"The United States should welcome WHO experts to conduct origin research in the United States with an open and transparent attitude," Dai added.
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The second Cambodia-China Think Tank High-Level Forum was held Wednesday in Beijing, with the theme of "Towards New Development Phase of Cambodia-China Bilateral Relations."



More than 150 experts, government officials and business leaders from the two countries attended the forum either in person or remotely. They exchanged ideas on three major topics, namely COVID-19 response, economic recovery and state governance; bilateral economic cooperation; as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The event was co-hosted by the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC) and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a keynote speech via video link at the opening session.

Huang said the joint COVID-19 fight had further elevated the bilateral ties to a new high. "We can say that in the fight against COVID-19, China and Cambodia have stood together through thick and thin, and our joint pandemic fight clearly demonstrates the profound friendship between our two peoples," he said.



Huang added that China is willing to work with Cambodia to deepen strategic communication, continue working hand in hand to fight the pandemic, boost economic and trade cooperation, uphold multilateralism, continue to carry forward the traditional friendship of the two countries, and further promote the building of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future.

He also called for close cooperation between think tanks of both countries and the strengthening of discussions and exchanges.

Bin Chhin, Cambodia's standing deputy prime minister and cabinet minister, said that Cambodia and China share a long tradition of friendship, and the bilateral relations have reached an unprecedented height.

Chhin said that the two countries' signing of a free trade agreement last October started a new chapter in the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.



He said the forum, which offers a communication platform for researchers, will help both countries enhance their mutual understanding, practical cooperation, and people-to-people friendship.

CASS President Xie Fuzhan said the think tank high-level forum represents an important effort by the CASS and the RAC to implement the action plan for building a China-Cambodia community with a shared future, which was signed by the two countries in April 2019.



Sok Touch, president of the RAC, said that as a platform of people-to-people diplomacy, the forum will contribute to consolidating traditional friendship and promoting cooperation between the two countries.

To help support the fight against COVID-19 in Cambodia, the CASS donated 100,000 medical masks to the RAC at the forum.

The event also witnessed the release of a new book titled "Cambodia-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Toward a Community with a Shared Future." The book collects essays submitted by 22 academics to the first Cambodia-China Think Tank High-Level Forum held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in December 2019.
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Two U.S. biology professors have clarified publicly that their signatures on a letter to the Science magazine in May over COVID-19 origin tracing should not be interpreted as support for the lab-leak hypothesis.

In a recent letter to TWiV, or This Week in Virology, a weekly podcast about viruses, Pamela Bjorkman, professor of Biology and Biological Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), admitted that she had been too naive to anticipate that the letter would be used to promote the lab-leak scenario, widely considered by scientists as a conspiracy theory.

"I thought the letter would have the effect of prompting more funding for searching for natural viruses in animal reservoirs, which I personally have always assumed represent the origin of SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans," she said. "Perhaps naively, I did not anticipate that the letter would be used to promote the lab origin hypothesis."

On May 14, 18 researchers published a letter in the magazine calling for more investigation to determine the origin of the pandemic, and noting that "theories of accidental release from a lab and zoonotic spillover both remain viable," according to the website of the magazine.

The letter was interpreted by many in the West as giving "a big credibility boost" to the COVID-19 lab-leak hypothesis, and was used as ammunition to up pressure on China in regard to the origin tracing of the deadly virus.

After seeing what's happening around the letter in Science, Bjorkman seemed to try to back away from it.

"Looking back on the wording of the letter, however, I now think that I should have realized this would happen and should have been more proactive -- either not signed the letter at all or else requested more wording changes to make my position clear," said the professor.

In a recent email to Xinhua, Marta Murphy, Bjorkman's administrative assistant, confirmed that Bjorkman signed the Science letter to "advocate for increased funding for researching the origins of SARS-CoV-2."

"Although she believes that SARS-CoV-2 more likely passed into humans from an animal source than from a lab, she is not an expert in determining the origins of viruses and therefore defers to experts in this area, strongly supporting their funding for origin studies," said Murphy, who is also a lab coordinator at the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering of Caltech.

Another co-signer of the Science letter, Professor Michael Worobey, head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the University of Arizona, also spoke out recently against misinterpretation of his viewpoints on the lab leak scenario.

On July 23, Worobey retweeted a post of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which voiced support for "an animal origin of SARS-CoV-2," saying that the reposting was to "explain why I (continue to) think that a zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-2 is more likely than a lab leak scenario -- even though I signed 'The Science Letter'."

Meanwhile, he also reposted a report by The New York Times, titled A Group of Scientists Presses a Case Against the Lab Leak Theory of COVID, noting that he "wanted to clarify this since a couple of very good recent press articles may leave the impression that as a co-author of the Science letter I used to think the lab leak scenario was more likely."
Imagine every single vulnerable child in primary school being mentored by an adult every week during the school term for one hour. Imagine being able to prepare children at a young age so you dont have to repair them later. Imagine being that constant person in a young childs life week in, week out and the purpose it would give you.

Well, welcome to Kids Hope! A Christian, not for profit organisation whose primary aim is bring hope to the life of every child by partnering one church with one local state school. Where one volunteer from a church is matched with one child for one hour a week. Simple, right?

Family dysfunction, bullying, social disconnection, and mental health issues are increasing. Sadly, anxiety, depression and self-destructive behaviour have reached primary school children. The Kids help line have experienced a 40% increase in the number of calls from children. Our schools waiting list for the program is increasing. There is greater need than ever before but there is hope.

Somebody who believes in them

Recently I got to speak with a local Kids Hope coordinator who shared this incredible story about a young boy who couldnt even look his mentor in the eyes. After the second session the mentor leaned across the table where they were seated and asked the young boy what it was that he wanted to do with their time together. The young boy asked his mentor if he owned an allen key. The mentor replied, I think so, I should have one at home. The young boy asked him if he could bring it in. The mentor curious to know why asked how come, the young boy replied Because I have been walking around this school and there is that much money sitting in these drains. I just need an allen key to lift the top up. The following week the mentor brought in his allen key and for the duration of their hour together they walked around the school collecting coins from the drains. You know after their hour together this young boy never had an issue looking at his mentor in the eyes again.

Earvin Magic Johnson says that All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them.

Wayne Butcher gets it. He has left his current job to circumnavigate Australia in his helicopter raising awareness and funds for Kids Hope. Waynes own mother has been mentoring a child for years now and he has witnessed the benefits firsthand.

Offers wellbeing support to students

Dr Michael Carr-Greg says that the five keys to child resilience are: social and emotional connection; having a significant adult (other than a parent) in their life; a feeling of hope and self-control; positive talk; and spirituality. Kids Hope is responding with a unique and highly effective mentoring model which focuses on early intervention to maximize the possibility of success.

Brene Brown writes in her Dare to lead book We must be guardians of a space that allows students to breathe and be curious and explore the world and be who they are without suffocation. They deserve one place where they can rumble with vulnerability and their hearts can exhale. And what I know from research is that we should never underestimate the benefit to a child of having a place to belong-even one- where they can take off their amor. It can and often does change the trajectory of their life.

If youd like to learn more about Kids Hope, please head to www.kidshope.org.au

If youd like to keep up to date with Waynes helicopter tour, follow KIDS+CHAMPIONS on Facebook.
July 29, 2021

 The International Space Station has gained a new room after a 13-year wait for its launch and a week-long journey in Earth orbit.



Russia's Multi-purpose Laboratory Module (MLM), named "Nauka" ("Science" in Russian), docked to the space station on Thursday (July 29), eight days after its more-than-decade-long delayed launch. The 22-ton (20-tonne) MLM connected with the orbiting complex at 9:29 a.m. EDT (1329 GMT), using an open port that was recently vacated by the Pirs docking compartment on the Earth-facing side of the Zvezda service module.



"Congratulations, that was not an easy docking," Russia's mission control radioed Novitskiy, who monitored the approach and was ready to take over manual control from on board the space station.







Update: About three hours after the Nauka MLM docked, as work was underway to open the hatches leading into the new module, the MLM began to unexpectedly fire its thrusters, throwing the space station out of its normal orientation by about 45 degrees. Thrusters on the Zvezda service module and a Progress cargo craft were used to counteract the errant MLM firings, and attitude control was regained about 20 minutes later. The station does not appear to have suffered any damage from the loss of attitude control and the crew was never in danger. Russian flight controllers are now working to disable the thrusters to avoid the issue reoccurring.







Now secured in place by hooks and latches, the 43-foot-long by 14-foot-wide (13 by 4.3 m) Nauka will live up to its name, providing expanded science capabilities for the Russian segment of the station, as well as fulfilling multiple other purposes.



"It will provide roll control for the International Space Station; it will provide propellant transfer between the Progress vehicles  the unpiloted cargo ships  that will arrive in the months and years to come; and it will serve as a docking port for piloted Soyuz and unpiloted Progress vehicles," NASA commentator Rob Navias said of the new module. "It will also serve as a docking port for a node module  a multi-hatched docking port  that is to be launched by the Russians later this year for additional vehicles and components to be attached to it, as the ever-expanding Russian segment of the International Space Station continues."



The Nauka module also delivers and will serve as a base of operations for the European Robotic Arm, a 36-foot-long (11-m) manipulator built by the European Space Agency (ESA) to become the first exterior-mounted appendage designed specifically to service the Russian segment of the station. The module will also provide an additional crew quarters, a new toilet and house water and oxygen regeneration equipment, improving the conditions of cosmonauts' stays on the station and increasing the safety of the entire International Space Station crew.



Launched on July 21 atop a Proton-M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the MLM conducted six corrective maneuvers, firing its engines to refine its approach to the space station. The eight-day rendezvous also provided the time for Russian flight controllers to test the module's communication antennas and its automated Kurs docking system, which were in use on Thursday.



It was only after Nauka was known to be in good working order that Roscosmos, Russia's state space corporation, proceeded with detaching the Pirs docking compartment to free the port on Zvezda for Nauka's arrival. The nearly 20-year-old Pirs, guided by an uncrewed Progress cargo spacecraft, was destroyed during its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere on Monday (July 26).



Developed jointly by RSC Energia, the prime contractor for Russia's activities in space, and the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, a division of Roscosmos, the Nauka module was based on the design of Russia's Almaz and Salyut space stations of the 1970s, leading up to the Zarya functional cargo block (FGB) and its backup for the International Space Station.



Originally targeted for launch in 2007, a series of technical issues delayed Nauka's deployment more than 13 years.



Nauka now joins four other pressurized modules to comprise the Russian segment of the International Space Station. In addition to the Zvezda service module and Zarya FGB, the segment also has two mini-research modules, Poisk and Rassvet. Nauka is Russia's largest contribution (by size) to the station and the country's first new addition since 2010.



Together with the U.S. operating segment, the space station now has a total of 14 pressurized modules.
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Another man was shot and injured early Sunday morning attempting to fend off a thief rummaging through his car on Addison Street. The man survived and told police he had seen the thief get into a blue Infinity M35, which police learned was connected dozens of break ins across the North End that night and was tied to incidents in West Hartford, Newington and on the Berlin Turnpike over the previous few days.
But municipal police leaders say the surge in auto-related crimes continues this year. In Manchester, 114 motor vehicle thefts in 2019 increased to 174 in 2020, and as of July 1 of this year, theres already been 101, according to Manchester Police Captain Anthony Palombizio, who shared the numbers at the Glastonbury forum. He added that two years ago there were only three incidents of shots fired and as of July 1 of this year, that number had increased to 13.
In this Saturday, July 17, 2021, photo, a copy of a covenant for property now owned by Fred Ware is seen in Manchester, Conn. Fred and Dave Ware recently found a whites-only covenant on his property dating back to 1942 when researching the title chain. The covenant described as letter "F" states that "No persons of any race other than the white race shall use or occupy any building or any lot, except that this covenant shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of a different race domiciled with an owner tenant." (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) (Jessica Hill/AP)
Im new in this position as the first Black, openly gay person to hold this role, Goodwin said. I wish ... I would have been welcomed to this state with Welcome, Darrell, were so excited. But instead I was welcomed with threats and concerns, not only for my bodily safety but the safety of many of the churches I was so excited to come here to serve. My first letter to my board of directors was about how we would figure out safety precautions at my multiple conference offices so that as their new leader I might have the privilege and honor to serve the people.
The mandate, effective Wednesday, applies to any facility owned by the DoD in places with substantial or high community transmission level. All Hampton Roads cities, except Williamsburg, fall under the two highest levels for transmitting the coronavirus, according an online data tracker.
But as other states across the country introduce legislation restricting educators from teaching about race, Virginia has gone in another direction. The state has started an initiative to incorporate more African American history into its public schools curriculum. More Black history is included in all history classes now, but students like OShea who want to explore it deeper have the option to with the new elective.
During nearly three hours of public comment, many speakers said they opposed the policy, asking the board to hold the line, the tagline of a newly formed interest group called Chesapeake Parents for Freedom. James Davids, an attorney from the FFLC, urged the board to do what at least one other board in the state has done and reject it.
Dave Ress Staff writer

Dave Ress covers the military. He's been a reporter in Virginia since 1990 and before that for Reuters in Canada, Britain and Africa. Dave has a PhD in history from the University of New England (Australia) and is the author of 4 books on U.S. and Australian history.
VIRGINIA BEACH  When Carol Jester goes to the beach on the Chesapeake Bay, she likes to sit at the waters edge and let the waves lap over her feet. She only wishes there was more sand between her favorite spot and the beach entrance, just a few steps away.
There is no official decision on the NEP so far, vis-a-vis covering all 33,000 primary schools in 13 districts, but nearly 3600 of these schools have preliminarily been identified to shift the Classes III-V to the nearest 3,172 upper primary or high schools from August 16. Representational Image. (PTI)

Vishakhapatanam: The AP government's ambitious plan for rejuvenating the school education system via the new National Education Policy-2020 (NEP) from August 16 has evoked mixed responses from academics, teachers, and parents.

There is no official decision on the NEP so far, vis-a-vis covering all 33,000 primary schools in 13 districts, but nearly 3600 of these schools have preliminarily been identified to shift the Classes III-V to the nearest 3,172 upper primary or high schools from August 16. This is when the government will reopen schools after the Covid19 lockdowns and curfews.

Srinivasa Rao, parent of a primary school student here said, The governments decision for revamping school education is good, but it should not be at the cost of the students life and the parents strain. The government would do well not to take any hurried decision about the NEP.

Balasubramaniam, MLC from Chittoor, Nellore, and Prakasam constituencies, said the government seemed to have realised the issues in the implementation of the policy at the ground level after going through the publics feedback and requests from teachers.

"If the government wants to club primary schools with high schools, it should shift the entire primary classes from Class I to V to high schools, instead of breaking them into two parts  like merging the Class I to II with pre-primary schools and Class III to V with the high schools," said Balasubramaniam, who earlier worked as an adviser to the Bihar school education department.

UTF state secretary Prabhakar Varma said, "The government did not conduct a meeting with teachers' unions on the implementation of the NEP. We have certain fears about loss of jobs. The government should clear our doubts. Moreover, if all the primary schools are shifted to high schools, the existing well-developed school buildings under Nadu-Nedu will become useless."

According to Varma, there is only one government school in the state at Rajahmundry where the Class I to Class X is administered by a single management.

State education minister Audimulapu Suresh said, We have identified nearly 3,600 primary schools to shift to the nearest 3,172 upper primary or high schools from August 16. We have not taken a decision on the remaining schools. We will have a review meeting with the chief minister before August 16.

AP School Pattern

- 33,000 primary schools

- 6,000 high schools

- 5,000 upper primary schools

- Nearly 42 lakh students studying in all schools

- 20 lakh students come under primary schools

- 8 lakh students may be shifted from the primary schools to high schools

- Nearly 3,600 primary schools identified to be shifted to nearest high schools from August 16

- CM Jagan to review the NEP policy before August 16
College heads are working on the algorithms, as the Coronavirus is difficult to understand and the safety of the students is the prime concern. Representational Image. (AFP)

Hyderabad: MBBS and post-graduate medical students will be attending practical classes in person from Thursday. Strict health precautions will be taken during the classes and only vaccinated students will be allowed to attend these classes.

College heads are working on the algorithms, as the Coronavirus is difficult to understand and the safety of the students is the prime concern.

Since the time of the lockdown, these colleges are holding classes via online. The normal classes resume with 50 per cent attendance, by adopting a rotation system of 15 days per month.

The state government has permitted Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) to allow all affiliated medical colleges to reopen from Thursday in a phased manner.

Following this, KNRUHS has directed medical colleges to reopen so that they can conduct the practical classes. However, they must conduct academic activities in batches and in a phased manner to prevent overcrowding in colleges and hostels.

Principal Dr Shashikala Reddy at Osmania Medical College said, Theory classes are on through online as per instructions from the authorities. Osmania Medical College has a strength of 1,000 in MBBS and 400 in post-graduation. It is mandatory for every student to get vaccinated and we will see to it that all Covid protocols will be maintained.

We are arranging accommodation at the hostels by following the new normal rule; there are four girls hostels and three boys hostels, the principal said.
Official sources said that Chandrashekar Rao is considering August 15 for launching the scheme to commemorate the Independence Day. (PTI)

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will transfer Rs.500 crore into the bank accounts of 5,000 Dalit families in Huzurabad constituency next month under the Dalita Bandhu scheme. Each family will receive Rs.10 lakh each.

The finance department on Thursday issued orders releasing Rs.500 crore for the purpose.

Official sources said that Chandrashekar Rao is considering August 15 for launching the scheme to commemorate the Independence Day. Works are going on at a war-footing in Huzurabad to enable the scheme.

A beneficiary can choose from a wide range of choices for self-employment such as buying a power tiller, harvester, paddy planting machines, auto-trolleys, or tractors for their farms to setting up a poultry farm, dairy farm, oil mill, grinding mill, steel, cement and bricks business, furniture shops, cloth emporiums, mobile phone shops or even tiffin centres and eateries.

Special task forces are being set up to monitor how the beneficiaries are utilising the money, and their economic progress after availing the scheme.

The state government roped in many survey teams, comprising officials from various departments. They have been visiting every Dalitwada in Huzurabad for the past two days to gather details about their choices on using the scheme benefits.

There are 139 Dalitwadas in Huzurabad constituency with over 20,000 Dalits. Officials were asked to complete a door-to-door survey of each household and submit a report to the state government. The Chief Minister will randomly select 5,000 families in the first phase and transfer Rs.10 lakh cash each in August.

With 5,000 families in each phase, the entire Dalit population in Huzurabad constituency would be covered in four phases. The plan is to transfer cash in August and September and assess the pros and cons of the scheme till the end of the current financial year in March and rectify possible defects before extending the scheme to the entire state in the 2022-23 fiscal.

Meanwhile, the government has engaged 136 engineers to survey dalitwadas on existing infrastructure facilities and suggest measures to improve the same and the funds required for the purpose.

Chandrashekar Rao will also announce special funds to improve infrastructure facilities in dalitwadas like roads, drainage system and drinking water supply.
Thanks to Nadu Nedu, parents are now keen on putting their children in the districts government schools. Representational Image. (ANI)

Anantapur: In a significant development, the beatification of government schools under Nadu Nedu has stopped migration of children to private schools in Karnataka border. At least seven children of Somagatta village in Rolla mandal located in Sira Taluka borders of Karnataka were back in the village. All of them were studying in a private school at Baraguru in Karnataka.

Corporate style facilities and beatification of local schools have attracted them to study locally. Not only Somagatta, a big number of children from border areas preferred to study at native villages after taking TCs from their respective schools in Karnataka.

Thanks to Nadu Nedu, parents are now keen on putting their children in the districts government schools. Left neglected for decades together, some of the institutions in the interiors are suddenly bearing a new-look and they boast of all facilities. At least 29,402 students from private schools have enrolled in government schools in the 2020-21 academic year. More than eight per cent excess admissions were recorded as against last years normal enrollment. A total of 3.95 lakh students are studying in government schools.

A total 1254 upper primary and high schools were selected under phase-I of Nadu Nedu for providing amenities and an attractive ambience.

Rolla mandal educational officer C. Sridhar told Deccan Chronicle that children were enjoying the climate and facilities in the refurbished schools. The building housing Somagatta upper primary school in Rolla mandal located closer to Sira taluka of Karnataka was in a terrible mess a year ago. Now it has been transformed with attractive wall paintings, TV, RO plant for drinking water and toilets with water facility.

Even during holidays, students visit schools and prefer to spend more time because of the inspiring classroom atmosphere, Sridhar observed.

Thimmanna, a parent from Agali mandal said his son was studying at Rentavala private school in Karnataka, and he is now set to join a government school.
Farmers have often lamented that it was the middlemen and brokers who exploit tomato farmers and make huge profits by selling them at Rs 50-70 per kg, , while the farmers incur losses because of damage caused to tomato crop by fog and bad weather conditions.  Representational image/Pixabay

ADILABAD: Farmers, who have been cultivating tomato crops for a long time, are now looking up to the state government for setting up a tomato-based food processing unit in Adilabad district.

The farmers feel its necessity as many tomato farmers have been suffering losses due to a fall in demand when the yield is high and in the absence of cold storage facilities.

There are instances whereby farmers dumped their crop on roads or fed animals instead of taking the produce to the market as they wished to avoid high transportation costs.

The state govt is setting up food processing units in the districts and identifying places where there is feasibility.

Rythu Swarajya Vedika district president Sangepu Borranna said if a tomato-based food processing unit is established in Indravelli, tomato sauce, chips and pickles could be manufactured with the locally produced tomato crop.

He said the tomato products can be marketed locally and elsewhere and it can add value to the tomato crop and benefit local farmers with a good price.

Officials from the infrastructure development wing recently inspected the available government land near Kajjarla in Talamadugu mandal for the proposed food processing unit.

Tomato cultivation is high in Gudihathnoor, Ichoda, Indravelli, Utnoor, Kerameri, and Jainoor mandals.

Farmers have often lamented that it was the middlemen and brokers who exploit tomato farmers and make huge profits by selling them at Rs 50-70 per kg, while the farmers incur losses because of damage caused to tomato crop by fog and bad weather conditions. Some progressive farmers are cultivating tomato crops using Polyhouse method with the subsidy given by the state government and they are even supplying the produce to markets where there is huge demand.

But, small and marginal farmers are at the receiving end as they do not have cold storage facilities.
The bills are landmark legislations aimed at completion of investigations within seven days and trial within 14 days in heinous crimes of sexual offences against women and children where substantial and conclusive evidence is available.  PTI

VIJAYAWADA: Women MPs from YSR Congress, including G. Madhavi, Vanga Geetha, Chinta Anuradha and BV Satyavathi met union minister for women and child development Smriti Irani in New Delhi on Wednesday and urged her to approve Disha Bill.

The MPs said that Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly had passed the Andhra Pradesh DISHA (Special Courts for Specified Offences against Women and Children) Bill 2020 last December and the Andhra Pradesh Disha-Criminal Law (Andhra Pradesh Amendment) Bill 2019 in December 2019. The bills are landmark legislations aimed at completion of investigations within seven days and trial within 14 days in heinous crimes of sexual offences against women and children where substantial and conclusive evidence is available. The bills also provide for establishment of special courts for speedy justice and stringent punishment.

They said that the state government has already taken steps in the interest of the safety and security of women and children under which two officers each from the IAS and IPS will oversee the implementation framework of DISHA bills. There are 18 DISHA women police stations headed by DSP's in 18 police units. The DISHA app and emergency SOS app were launched as an emergency response system to offences against women and children. The app has become popular among women with 19.83 lakh downloads.

They told the minister that forensic capabilities are also being strengthened, both in terms of infrastructure and manpower. Women help desks have been set up in 700 police stations. Around 900 patrols have been launched.

The MPs asked Irani to approve comments and send a favorable response to the Ministry of Home Affairs in order to ensure safety and security of women and children.
Under the performance-based challenge fund of Rs.8,000 crore for incubation of new cities, Rs 1,000 crore are available for each proposed new city. (Representational image: DC)

NELLORE: The 15th Finance Commission, in its report pertaining to 2021-22 to 2025-26, has emphasized the need of both rejuvenation of old cities as well as setting up of new cities.

Under the performance-based challenge fund of Rs.8,000 crore for incubation of new cities, Rs 1,000 crore are available for each proposed new city.

Minister of state for housing and urban affairs Kaushal Kishore informed this while replying to a question of a member Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. According to the minister, one state can have only one new city under the proposed scheme. Thus, a maximum of eight states can avail this grant for eight new cities over the award period of the commission.

The 15th Finance Commission recommended that the ministry of housing and urban affairs would set up an expert committee, which would include independent domain experts and representatives from state governments. This committee will specify the minimum eligibility conditions for competing for the award and release of funds.

This committee will also specify the bid parameters for evaluating the competing proposals by states, make it publicly available and call for bids from states.

The expert committee will announce the winners and recommend release of the first tranche of the grant and indicate how progress of the project should be evaluated vis-a-vis specified benchmarks for release of subsequent tranche(s).
The CM will hold a day-long meeting in Halia on August 2 to review the status of his promises made during the bypoll with minister Jagdish Reddy, party MLAs, MLCs, MPs and other elected representatives of TRS in Nalgonda district as also with the district collector and other officials. Reddy said the CM is committed to the development of the Nalgonda region as a whole, as was promised to the people.  Twitter

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will visit Nagarjunasagar on August 2 to review the development works in the Assembly constituency.

The CM had made several promises regards launch of development programmes while addressing two public meetings in Halia during the

Nagarjunasagar assembly bypoll in April last, which the TRS retained with a huge margin.

The CM had also promised to visit Nagarjunasagar within 15 days of winning the bypoll to speed up development programmes in the area. But the outbreak of Corona second wave and subsequent political developments in the TRS in May, following the sacking of Etala Rajender from the state cabinet delayed the CM's schedule for Nagarjunasagar.

Opposition parties are highlighting this issue in bypoll-bound Huzurabad --about the CM ignoring the promises he made to the voters of Nagarjunasagar and Huzurnagar after winning the bypolls. The Opposition is cautioning voters that the same will be repeated in Huzurabad, which will have assembly bypoll soon.

The CM's sudden visit to Nagarjunasagar is being viewed as a strategy to counter the criticism from Opposition parties.

The CM will hold a day-long meeting in Halia on August 2 to review the status of his promises made during the bypoll with minister Jagdish Reddy, party MLAs, MLCs, MPs and other elected representatives of TRS in Nalgonda district as also with the district collector and other officials. Reddy said the CM is committed to the development of the Nalgonda region as a whole, as was promised to the people.

Addressing the TRS election meeting at Halia on April 14, the CM vowed to visit Nagarjunasagar within a fortnight after a TRS victory in the assembly bypoll held on April 17, to fast-track projects and show the people what development of a constituency really meant.

He had said that his party will not seek votes in the 2023 Assembly polls if it failed to complete the Nellikal lift irrigation project in Nagarjunasagar within a span of 18 months. He promised to complete this project even by seeking alms, not just funds, if required.

The CM had also promised to sanction one more degree college in Nagarjunasagar apart from the recently sanctioned degree college at Halia. He also promised to provide new Aasara pensions and ration cards besides giving ownership rights to people who constructed houses on irrigation department lands in Nagarjunasagar. He also promised to hold a praja darbar in Nagarjunasagar to resolve the podu land issues of tribals across the state by hectoring the entire state government machinery to the constituency.
Rama Rao spoke about the TS-iPASS Bill which gives the investor the right to get time-bound clearances to start business.  Twitter

Hyderabad: Industries minister K.T. Rama Rao on Wednesday proposed to set up the first Taiwan specific industrial cluster in Telangana state to

attract more investments from Taiwan. He made this proposal during a meeting with a team from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC), Chennai, headed by its Director General Ben Wang.

"We can jointly work with industry and trade organisations of Taiwan to help set up the first Taiwan Specific industrial cluster in India. This would help bring more Taiwanese investments into the state, said Rama Rao.

Economic and trade cooperation between Telangana state and Taipei were discussed during the meeting.

Rama Rao spoke about the TS-iPASS Bill which gives the investor the right to get time-bound clearances to start business. The delegation was presented with the recently-launched Pink Book and the minister explained the measures adopted by the government to improve the ease of doing business in the state.

Wang appreciated the various steps initiated by government to improve ease of doing business and congratulated the state for being amongst the best in the country. He assured the minister of continued support and said that they would help facilitate a virtual event with important organisations in Taiwan in electronics, EV and other tech domains which would be followed by a physical event in

Taipei when the travel restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic are relaxed.

IT secretary Jayesh Ranjan appreciated the teams gesture of undertaking travel in such a restrictive post-pandemic environment.

Apart from actively working on economic and trade fronts, we would also work on improving cultural ties and try to initiate some student exchange programmes between the universities in Taipei and the universities in Telangana. The startup ecosystem of Telangana with institutions like T-Hub and T-Works can also look for collaborations with companies in Taipei, he added.
New Delhi: On the third day of her politically surcharged visit to the national capital, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee met several Opposition leaders and called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also present. It was the TMC supremos first meeting with the Gandhis after her sweeping third term victory in the West Bengal elections, where the Congress had been decimated.

Speaking to reporters outside Mrs Gandhis house after the 45-minute meeting on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Banerjee said: Soniaji invited me for a cup of tea and Rahulji was also there. We discussed Pegasus and the Covid-19 situation in the country. We also discussed the unity of the Opposition. It was a very good meeting, a positive meeting. To defeat the BJP, everybody needs to come together. Everyone will have to work together.

The Congress and the TMC appear to be warming up to each other after the meeting, and Ms Banerjee also said a positive result should come out of it in the near future.

Asked by reporters if she would be the face of the Opposition to take on the BJP in the run-up to the 2024 general election, Ms Banerjee was non-committal. She said: I am not a political astrologer. It depends on the situation, the structure. I have no problem if someone else leads. When the matter is discussed, we can decide. I cannot impose.

The TMC supremo is being seen as a central figure after her sensational win in the West Bengal elections to ensure Opposition unity. She told the reporters: Poore desh me khela hoga. Its a continuous process When the general election comes (2024), it will be Modi versus the country.

On the leadership issue, she said: I want to help all Opposition parties to bell the cat. I dont want to be a leader, but a simple cadre. Taking potshots at the BJPs slogan, she said: I want to see sachcha din, bahut achcha din dekh liya (I want to see truthful days, we have seen enough of the good days). On the Pegasus controversy, she said: The Centre should have taken a suo moto move to have a probe into the allegations. In a democracy, you need to respond. The situation is very bad, its worse than the Emergency. She had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and asked for a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry and an all-party meeting on the Pegasus issue.

On Tuesday, Ms Banerjee had met senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Anand Sharma and Abhishek Manu Singhvi. After meeting Mrs Gandhi on Wednesday, she met AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. They discussed the current political situation and the need for Opposition unity to take on the BJP.

Ms Banerjee also hinted that after the Parliament session there will be more reach outs to Opposition parties and there should be a common platform to work together. She had earlier said that she was open to an Opposition front, but any such grouping will be impossible without the Congress. The TMC chief will meet more Opposition leaders Thursday and leave for Kolkata on Friday.
Although the visiting US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, brought up human rights concerns as slated (especially in the context of the CAA which is tilted against a particular religious community, and also rights violations in Kashmir), these were no different from anxieties which are staple fare in Indias intense domestic debates since the first Modi government took office in 2014, occasioning former US president Barack Obama to speak of a democracy deficit as early as 2015.

Even so, Mr Blinken engaged in no rhetoric. He did not lecture. He did not permit the question of human rights to become headline news. Showing statesmanship, the visitor noted that democracy was a work in progress wherever the system was in existence, including in his own country. This was an indirect acknowledgment of the tawdry events of January this year when far right thugs assaulted Capitol Hill, threatening Americas 250-year-old democracy. Whats more, the secretary of state spoke of the free thinking people of India and the successful system of voting in this country, which is a tribute.

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar, in this context, could have skipped the temptation to brandish the questionable proposition that it was a moral obligation on polities to right the wrongs of history. This is the sort of thing the Chinese chauvinists  and other nativists  come up with when they wield the club while straying outside their borders or to repress sections of their own people.

Other than announcing a US 25-million-dollar support for anti-Covid vaccines for India (which did push us in the category of supplicants  not a role we envisioned at the start of the fight against the virus when we thought wed play the part of saviours on the world platform), this was evidently not a visit for specific announcements. Rather, Mr Blinken used the opportunity to lay out the ideological horizon of the US-led Western powers since the demise of the Soviet Union and the Cold War in which communism was the adversary.

In a world of democratic recession  to use an expression of Mr Blinken  which occurred after the Cold War, the ideological fight on the international stage that the US would like to head is against authoritarianism, of which Beijing has emerged as the headquarters. To seek to draft India into this is only natural.

In this context, the US sees China as a competitor and an adversary in some fields, but notably also as a country with which cooperation is possible  say in the field of trade, climate change, and inducing it to accept a rules-based international order. Also, unlike India, the US does not have a territorial dispute with China. Therein lies Indias challenge  how to manage a powerful neighbour with which both bilateral and international cooperation are indeed possible while deterring its aggressive actions against this country. In the larger sense, New Delhi may expect to do its own accounts as far as China goes.

It seems a pity that the discussion on Afghanistan, which is of immediate and significant concern to us, yielded only generalities from the US side. We either did not press the Americans enough on being more specific in the event of a military takeover by the Taliban, or that our efforts did not bear fruit. It was too general of Mr Blinken to say that Afghanistan would become a pariah state if the Pakistan-backed insurgents took over forcibly. In any case, that has been said before. It is evident that India would have to use its own wits in the Afghan context. On the whole, the Blinken visit seems to have been only to touch base.
AeroSafe Global, a provider of cold chain solutions for the safe, sustainable delivery and effective use of biopharmaceuticals across the supply chain, is locating a branch of its manufacturing operations to Olive Branch in the I-22 Logistics Park. The project is a $2.5 million corporate investment that will create 100 jobs.
Nearly 750 participating TCC and Wireless Zone stores are inviting local families to their locations on Sunday, August 1, between 1-4 p.m. to pick up a backpack filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, a ruler, folders and glue. One backpack per child present will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Each store location will adhere to local and CDC guidelines to provide a safe environment for event attendees and TCC employees. TCC Olive Branch is located at 8100 Camp Creek Rd 101.
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FILE - In this Friday, March 20, 2020, file photo, a merchant displays masks for sale in Los Angeles. Retail analysts expect mask sales will get another jolt after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Tuesday, July 27, 2021, changed course on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where cases of the coronavirus are surging.
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Fort Hood Fire Chief Sergio Campos poses in a photo with his mentor and former Fort Hood Fire Chief Billy Jack Rhoads, who served as fire chief from 2006-2015. Campos retired on June 30 after 31.5 years of service.
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Justin Frolli, 25, of Redwood City, and Benjamin King, 40, of Stockton, led law enforcement on a 16-mile pursuit, which culminated in their arrest on Wednesday, July 21.
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Those with long-term COVID-19 symptoms may be eligible for disability benefits under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides additional assistance and resources, according to US President Joe Biden.

During his remarks marking the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Joe Biden said those who suffer long-term health problems from COVID-19 could qualify for disability benefit. However, not everyone who suffers from protracted COVID-19 symptoms would be eligible for disability, according to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.

Biden says disability benefits for long COVID-19 sufferers is the first of its kind

The ADA is a "victory of American values" that should be applied to Americans dealing with the long-term consequences of the new coronavirus, says the president. According to research, millions of people worldwide have been diagnosed with "long COVID," or symptoms that last for up to nine months after initial recovery. Per UPI, Biden claims that the impact of the prolonged symptoms fulfils the criteria of disability.

He described it as "the first of its kind" to assist Americans dealing with the long-term consequences of COVID-19. As the Delta variant strengthens its grip on the country, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to climb quickly across the United States. Vaccinations are on the upswing, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, especially in states with low rates.

On Sunday, 15,711 new cases were reported in the country, with a seven-day rolling average of 52,116, up 291 percent from the 13,305 average three weeks earlier. According to a DailyMail.com review of Johns Hopkins statistics, infections have risen or remained stable in every state and the District of Columbia in the previous week.

In addition, there were 56 COVID-19 fatalities on Sunday, with a seven-day rolling average of 281. Fatalities, which are a lagging indicator, have not risen drastically but have climbed by 17% from the previous three-week average of 239 deaths.

Health experts believe this is because vaccinations now protect people; however, as the more infectious Delta variant spreads, hospitals in states with lower vaccine uptake begin to fill. Hospitalized patients record high levels in Florida, Missouri, and Texas, which account for 40% of all US cases, and physicians are preparing for a fourth wave.

Read Also: Russia, China Offer Support to Syria as Joe Biden Moves to Wind Down Afghanistan-Iraq War

What benefits may long COVID-19 sufferers be eligible for?

Long COVID-19 can qualify as a disability under federal civil rights laws if it "substantially restricts one or more significant life activities," according to guidance issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.

This implies that those with long-term COVID-19 symptoms who become disabled have access to services and are protected from discrimination under federal disability legislation, CNBC reported. Additional time on a test for students who have trouble concentrating, refilling help at a gas station for a client with joint or muscular discomfort, and enabling a person with dizziness to accompany a service animal are all examples of these measures.

Businesses and state and local governments may also be obliged to make additional changes to accommodate a person's long-term COVID-19 symptoms that have progressed to the point of impairment. According to the guidelines, an individual evaluation is required to establish if a person with extended COVID-19 qualifies for rights and services.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Long COVID-19 describes a wide variety of new or persistent symptoms that might occur four or more weeks following a COVID-19 infection. This includes, among other things, tiredness and fatigue, joint or muscular discomfort, loss of taste or smell, and fever.

Related Article: Joe Biden Loses Track in Another Blunder While Speaking to Half-Empty CNN Town Hall

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China is cooking up an experimental laser mounted on the tip of their hypersonic missiles. The laser is believed to help the rocket go faster than Mach 5 as it is touted to travel.

Equipping the laser on the tip would lessen the air resistance of the flight and drag, slowing down anything flying. This new technology will challenge the US as China wants to dominate the world with advanced weapons.

The goal, according to sources, is that China wants to unseat the US as the most potent superpower by 2050. Except most of the technology of China is at the expense of others through espionage or other was to purloin advanced tech.

Laser-adapted technology on hypersonic missiles will boost speed and accuracy

The CCP is pushing for a laser-adapted technology for use on hypersonic rockets. A special hypersonic laser gun will be mounted to hypersonic missiles achieving burst of speed makes super-duper Chinese nukes faster and accurately noted Newsweek.

This laser lessens airflow at the front of a jet or a missile. The said laser makes the travel path very slippery-reaching speeds more than Mach 5+ will give adversaries a little time to defend themselves from a direct hit.

The Space Engineering University, a military institute, strives to evaluate the performance, power, speed, and devastating impact of these advanced hypersonic missiles.

One of the institutions working with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is developing an experimental laser to quicken a Chinese hypersonic missile, reported the Sun UK.

Read Also: Russian Destroyers and Fighter Jets Engaged in Drills Near Hawaii, Carrier Strike Group Deployed as a Response

How the small laser will work

Once the laser fires to the front of any speeding object, laser light makes a teardrop-shaped plasma core which reduces air resistance in front of it, allowing the hypersonic missiles to go faster on their course.

Chinese engineers hope to master the technology to achieve this technical feat before the Americans.

According to Shi Jilin and Wang Diankai, who have made studies on the tech applications of lasers in several publications, say the application is possible with laser-plasma drag reduction technology.

This new technology will be favorable for aerial flight weapons, whether a missile or an aircraft speeding at more than five times Mach speed ('Mach 5'). The laser will transform the sonic boom in the front of vehicles. Findings say that air drag and resistance is about 70% reported by Chinese scientists.

A laser is used to stop a shockwave from forming, stop heating, and have almost no air pressure to cause problems. China boasts that Shin and Wang will develop a laser small enough to be fitted in front of a hypersonic weapon but so powerful that it can reach its target.

The US Congressional Research Service had a report on hypersonic weapons this month. It outlines the development of hypersonic technology from the early 2000s.

Russia and China have the drop on the US when it comes to this technology, so further research and developments are done to keep pace with this challenge. One contrast is that the US has not been keen on using nukes, but things may change eventually.

The advanced technology of using an experimental laser to make Chinese hypersonic missiles faster and hit targets accurately will be on watch, and it needs a counter tech which is what the US needs soon!

Related Article: Russia Launches Secret Missile, Military Jets in Test Flight as NATO Allies Practice Drills in Black Sea

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China's foreign minister met with a group of high-ranking Taliban leaders on Wednesday as relations between the two countries improve ahead of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Talks Between Taliban and Chinese Officials

In a recently published article in ALJAZEERA, Chinese Foreign Prime Minister Wang Yi told the nine Taliban officials who arrived on Wednesday, including the group's co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, that Beijing expects them to play a key role in Afghanistan's peaceful reconciliation and rebuilding efforts.

Wang said that China respects Afghan sovereignty and territorial integrity and that it has never interfered in the country's internal affairs. According to him, the United States and NATO's hurried departure exposes America's policies' failures and provides the Afghan people with a significant chance to stabilize and build their own nation.

While the meeting's topic has yet to be revealed, China has an interest in pressuring the Taliban to deliver on peace negotiations or at the very least decrease the amount of bloodshed as they encircle Afghan government troops, according to a published article in the Associated Press.

Read Also: US Troops Afghanistan Withdrawal: It Has Began, Top General Says

China and Afganistan's Common Ties

China and Afghanistan share a thin border high in the mountainous Wakhan Valley, and China has long been worried about an Islamic militancy spilling into its already dangerous Xinjiang province. China has also inked agreements with Afghanistan for oil, gas, and copper mining; but they have remained inactive for a long time.

Meanwhile, Wang expressed China's hope that the Taliban would prioritize the country's and people's interests, focusing on peace negotiations, setting peace objectives, establishing a "good image," and working for unity among all factions and ethnic groups, according to a published article in The Hill.

Moreover, Wang also expressed China's hope that the Taliban would "deal firmly" with the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, which, according to China, spearheads an independence drive in Xinjiang; however, many analysts question its operational form.

Taliban Claims Control of 85 Percent of Afghanistan's Territory

The Taliban has effectively seized control of numerous Afghan areas since the Biden administration announced the departure of American forces. The Taliban claimed earlier this month that they have control of 85 percent of Afghanistan's land, but Afghan government authorities refuted this assertion.

In a recently published article in The Washington Post, since May, when US-led foreign troops started the last stage of their departure, which is expected to be completed by the end of August, the Taliban has achieved significant advances throughout Afghanistan.

However, civilians have been killed and displaced as a result of the conflict with Afghan government troops. At the same time, Taliban officials have increased their foreign diplomacy in recent months, hoping to gain world legitimacy once they reclaim power.

The U.S. Secretary of State Gives Comment About U.S.-Taliban Meeting

In a CNN interview on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the meeting, admitting that nations like China, which borders Afghanistan, would be interested in its affairs. He said, "And as it happens, those interests largely align. No one, whether it's the United States, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Central Asian countries - no one has an interest in Afghanistan falling into an enduring civil war."

On Wednesday also, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in India for an official visit, warned that if the Taliban took power by force, Afghanistan would become a "Pariah State."

Related Article: US Troops Will Continue to Launch Airstrikes Against Taliban If Needed



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Steven Avery's second plea for a new trial was denied by an appeals court on Wednesday, delivering another setback to the subject of the famous Netflix documentary series "Making a Murderer."

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals dismissed his request for a hearing to evaluate new evidence in preparation for a potential new trial in the high-profile case, which garnered national attention after the controversial show raised concerns about Avery's and Brendan Dassey's guilt. For the 2005 murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, both are receiving life sentences.

Steven Avery's legal team challenges the jury's verdict

In connection with Halbach's death in 2007, Avery was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and sentenced to life in prison. Brendan Dassey, his nephew, was also found guilty of Halbach's murder. Throughout the 14 years after Avery's conviction, his legal team has been challenging the jury's verdict, as per Newsweek via MSN.

According to a Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruling issued Wednesday, Avery's demands were insufficient on their face to entitle him to a hearing, and the circuit court did not erroneously use its discretion in refusing the motions to vacate and reconsider.

According to the court, in the years following his conviction, Avery has given a range of different theories about who else may have been responsible for Halbach's killing. However, the court stated that the request his legal team submitted, upon which the court was giving its decision, was missing specific vital components.

Per Daily Mail, the documentary raised doubts about Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, being convicted of Halbach's murder. Because Avery was appealing the lower court's denial of a request for a new trial without having an evidentiary hearing, the appeals court's inquiry was mere whether a hearing was needed, according to the decision. It concluded that the lower court made the proper decision in rejecting the request for a new trial without a hearing.

The series sparked speculation regarding the pair's innocence. Still, many who worked on the cases accused the filmmakers of omitting significant evidence and portraying a skewed version of events. The filmmakers defended their work and backed demands for Avery and Dassey's release.

Read Also: Australian Man Who Claims to Be Prince Charles, Camilla's Secret Child Uses Son as New Shocking Proof

Netflix's 'Making a Murderer' gained international attention

Dassey admitted to investigators at the age of 16 that he assisted his uncle in raping and killing Halbach at the Avery family's salvage yard. In 2016, a court overturned the confession, saying that it was forced by detectives using misleading techniques. A federal appeals court eventually reversed the decision, and the United States Supreme Court declined to consider his case.

Before DNA evidence exonerated Avery, he had spent 18 years in jail for a separate crime. He launched a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against his conviction after his release, but he was apprehended in 2005 and convicted of Halbach's murder while the case was still underway.

After the Netflix documentary hit "Making a Murderer" in 2015 raised concerns about whether Avery and his fellow life-sentenced nephew Brendan Dassey were unjustly convicted, the story gained international attention. Teresa's remains were allegedly discovered in a burn pit on Avery's property, according to cops.

The legal setback occurred only weeks after Avery's mother, Dolores, passed away. Despite their convictions in court, the mother never changed her belief in Steven and Brendon's innocence.

Avery's attorney, Kathleen Zellner, even launched a campaign to have his case re-examined in 2016, claiming that his rights was violated and that investigators overstepped when they obtained evidence that went much beyond the scope of their search warrant. The 83-year-old mother was without contact with her jailed son for months and was allegedly suffering from dementia and in hospice care when she died.

The struggle for Avery's release appears to be ongoing. In an attempt to get a new trial, Avery's defense team indicated a witness named Bobby Dassey, who was purportedly seen pushing Halbach's vehicle. While the documents imply the potentially exculpatory evidence might be evaluated on its own, the court wants to know why the evidence has not been submitted until now, The Sun reported.

Related Article: Angelina Jolie Scores Victory Over Brad Pitt Divorce After Court Disqualifies Judge for Committing "Ethical Breach"

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The Taliban's killings of government officials and civilians, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, are "deeply troubling."

Blinken Condemns Cruel Act of Taliban Across Afghanistan

In a recently published article in the New York Post, Blinken said that they were seeing the Taliban fighters making some advances across Afghanistan last week most especially in district centers. He also added, "We've also seen these reports of atrocities committed by the Taliban in areas that it's taken over that are deeply, deeply troubling, and certainly do not speak well to the Taliban's intentions for the country as a whole."

He said that the United States is dedicated to assisting the Afghan government, particularly its security forces, as well as diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful end to the longstanding war. However, he anticipated that the Taliban's activities would isolate Afghanistan from the rest of the world.

The Taliban, according to Blinken, is seeking worldwide recognition, international assistance for Afghanistan, and the lifting of sanctions and travel restrictions on its leaders. However, there is "just one route" to accomplishing those goals, which is "at the negotiation table," according to a published article in MSN News.

Read Also: Taliban Fighters Raise Flag Above a Key Border Post Between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Taliban Controls Most Districts in Afghanistan, Denies Atrocities

In the last few weeks, the Taliban has gained control of dozens of districts by force or via surrenders while they dawdle at talks with the Afghan government intended to negotiate a ceasefire and settle on the country's future administration.

Meanwhile, the Taliban group's leadership has also denied responsibility for the atrocities mentioned by Blinken, such as extrajudicial killings, forced displacements, and attacks on civilian infrastructure, indicating that their promises are still empty and that they believe they can take power by force or that they do not have full control of their dispersed forces across the country, according to a published report in Everett Post.

Indian External Affairs Minister Agrees With Blinken During the Bilateral Talks

During Blinken's visit to India, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar agreed with Blinken that they were the sole answer to Afghanistan's conflict. However, he refused to specify how worried India's government is about the worsening security situation. According to him, the consequences would be a "normal" and "inevitable" result of the U.S. military departure.

After the day's talks, a senior State Department official said the two sides made no explicit requests of one another but pledged to increase collaboration and information exchange on the issue. They said, "It's a chance for us to talk about, sort of, the way forward and really where we can find points of leverage to try to bring the Taliban along and get toward a negotiated settlement," according to a published article in The Washington Post.

Additionally, the two foreign ministers were friendly, making jokes and applauding U.S.-India collaboration. With collaboration on COVID-19, military, commerce, investment, climate change, and regional problems, Jaishankar said the two countries have "entered a new era."

According to a senior State Department source, the Biden administration intended to share three million COVID-19 vaccines with India, but they are still being held up by Indian bureaucracy, which must first authorize their import.

Related Article: Peace Talks: Afghan Officials Meet Taliban Negotiator



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On Wednesday, the Kremlin criticized US President Joe Biden's characterization of Russia and said that it was inaccurate and showed a lack of understanding of the nation. Biden recently has blurted out that what Russia only possesses are nuclear weapons and oil.

Biden Boasted U.S. Intelligence Against Russia

Pres. Joe Biden, during his speech on Tuesday, stated that if the U.S. got into a "real shooting war" with a "major power," it might be the consequence of a massive cyber assault, underlining what Washington views as increasing dangers posed by Russia and China.

Biden bragged that the United States intelligence agencies were superior to their Russian counterparts and that Putin had "a serious issue," according to a recently published article in MSN News.

Biden said, "He's sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and oil wells and nothing else. Nothing else. Their economy is, what?, the eighth smallest in the world now, largest in the world? He knows he's in real trouble, which makes him even more dangerous, in my view," US News reports.

Read Also: Russia Conducts Massive Pacific Drills in Asia, Intercepts US Spy Plane

Kremlin Spokesman Released a Statement

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, recognized Russia's nuclear capabilities and huge oil and gas industry but questioned Biden's claim. According to Peskov, saying that there is nothing else in Russia is incorrect. He also stated that it is a misunderstanding of contemporary Russia and erroneous information.

In a recently published article in NDTV, Biden, who delivered the speech while visiting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), seemed to have customized his message for his country's intelligence community and intended to make an impact, according to Peskov.

Despite attempts to normalize relations, Peskov said that the U.S. was an adversary of Russia. Senior U.S. and Russian officials started discussions on strategic nuclear stability on Wednesday. Meanwhile, he also said "[The United States] can hardly be called a partner. It is more like an opponent or a 'vis-a-vis'. Still, the fact that experts are sitting in Geneva today is a positive sign."

Biden Says Russia Is Messing 2022 Election

Biden delivered his anti-Putin comments to a group of approximately 120 US intelligence officials gathering at the office of the director of national intelligence (ODNI) in northern Virginia on this day, according to a recently published article in POLITICO.

On Tuesday, Joe Biden accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of attempting to sabotage the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, which are set to take place in November of next year and will see all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate up for grabs. The U.S. president described Putin as "scary," alleging that his Russian counterpart is in charge of an economy based only on nuclear weapons and "nothing else."

Biden stated that Russia is already doing something about the 2022 elections and disinformation, based on information he got during his daily briefing. Without going into detail, Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's activities constitute a "pure breach" of US sovereignty. The U.S president also mentioned an uptick in cyberattacks, including ransomware, purportedly carried out by Russia.

Related Article: Russia, China Offer Support to Syria as Joe Biden Moves to Wind Down Afghanistan-Iraq War



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In an effort to alleviate constipation, a man in Jiangsu province put a 20-centimeter-long eel into his rectum from the anus.

Man's Idea of Healing Constipation

In a recently published article in IFLScience, a guy from Xinghua in East China's Jiangsu Province tried to treat his constipation by putting a large live eel into his anus. Unfortunately for both eels and anuses, this isn't a one-off occurrence.

The guy had grown constipated and had rejected or been unaware of conventional medical advice on constipation relief, choosing instead for the traditional cure of shoving an eel up there and letting it do its job. Unfortunately, its plan was to move up his rectum and into his colon, where it punctured the colon wall and entered his abdomen.

The guy was in agony, but he was too embarrassed to seek medical help. He eventually gave in after a day and sought medical assistance at a nearby hospital, where doctors informed him he might have died, according to a published article in Global Times.

Read Also: Jellyfish Resembling Alien Spaceship Discovered In Marianas Trench [VIDEO]

Doctors Removed 20-centimeter Live Eel

The 20-centimeter (8-inch) eel was removed from the unidentified patient after surgery. Surprisingly, the eel had survived the ordeal and was still alive when doctors extracted it from him. The man learn the hard way about the importance of avoiding placing live eels in your anus.

A "folk cure" that claims an eel may assist with bowel movement prompted the guy to do so. Instead of relieving the man's constipation, the eel swam from his rectum to his colon, biting through it and into his abdomen, according to a published article in Thats Mags.

Other related Incident

Others have recently been affected by this "traditional treatment." Following his own effort to alleviate constipation, a guy had a 50-centimeter (20-inch) eel removed from his stomach in 2017. A guy in his fifties put an Asian swamp eel into his anus in June 2020, which also penetrated his abdominal cavity. Feces and pus entered the cavity after the injury, causing a serious infection.

The guy, who was in his 50s, informed physicians who saved his life that he had put the eel into his body as a "traditional medicine," but that the treatment had not gone as intended. After suffering from stomach discomfort for a week, he sought medical help at Dongguan Huangjiang Hospital in China's southern province of Guangdong.

Doctors had to remove a 15-inch Asian swamp eel alive from a man's intestines before he confessed he had put it through his anus to "treat his constipation." The wiggling monster ripped a hole in the man's intestines, and he ended up in the hospital with severe sepsis and septic shock.

According to Li Jian, the director of general surgery, the man's condition was such that he was unable to speak properly. Doctor Li said that he had a septic shock when he arrived. They suspected a foreign body in his abdominal cavity during a CT scan, but could not determine what it was.

Doctors opened into the patient's belly and discovered it packed with waste stuff, including feces and pus from his serious illness, and performed emergency surgery to remove the eel from his intestines.

Related Article: Scientists Discover Underwater Volcano in Australia the Eye of Sauron, After the Dark Lord of Mordor



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Billionaire mogul Elon Musk indeed gave encouraging remarks on The B Word Conference about Bitcoin, saying Tesla would resume accepting payments in the world's largest cryptocurrency given its increasing use of renewables.

But the Tesla CEO made further comments echoing the ideas he had always expressed on making Dogecoin and Ethereum to "max transaction rates and lower transaction costs," a Forbes report said. During the panel discussion with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and ARK Investment Founder and CEO Cathie Wood, Musk argued that Bitcoin could not "scale to become the monetary system for the world at base layer," further stressing that it will "struggle to become peer-to-peer cash" without a second-layer network.

Dogecoin Value: Musk Sees 'Merit' in Combining Doge and Ethereum

Because of this, Musk said that there would be "some merit in combining something like Ethereum and Dogecoin," as he revealed that he, Tesla and SpaceX own Ethereum, Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Following his remarks, Bitcoin and Ethereum surged by six percent and 10.6 percent, respectively.

Previously, Musk had indicated he would support proposals to reduce Dogecoin transaction fees.

Musk had also previously warned that Bitcoin and Ethereum are "pursuing a multilayer transaction system," which he said has a "base transaction rate (that) is slow and transaction cost is high." Dogecoin, he claimed, stands out better than Bitcoin and Ethereum in terms of transactions and emphasized there is "merit (in my opinion) to maximizing base transaction rate and minimizing transaction cost," as exchanges would serve as the "de facto secondary layer."

Read Also: Dogecoin Price Prediction: Is Elon Musk's Doge Influence Fading Amid Crash?

In June, Musk tweeted that he "pretty much agree(s) with Vitalik (Buterin)" when the Ethereum co-founder was asked in a podcast if it would be possible to upgrade Dogecoin to "beat Bitcoin hands down," the Forbes report shared. Buterin said that if Dogecoin would act as a "bridge to Ethereum" that would allow an increase of "thousands of times per second" for people to trade Dogecoin, "that would be amazing."

As Musk made his comments, Dogecoin had already been on an immense 34 percent rally that went on from July 20 to July 22, Yahoo! Finance reported. As of this writing, Dogecoin is pegged at $0.19--up 1.38 percent in the last 24 hours, according to Coindesk.

Coinbase Commerce Accepting Dogecoin!

Contributing to Dogecoin's stronger bark and bite is Coinbase Commerce's announcement that it has started accepting payments in the meme-based cryptocurrency, Yahoo! Finance further reported.

Dogecoin joins six other assets the e-commerce platform supports for merchants in Shopify and WooCommerce, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Stablecoins DAI and USD Coin.

Coinbase Commerce allows merchants process payments in cryptocurrencies and convert them into FIAT currencies or alternative cryptocurrencies through a Coinbase account.

Its addition to Coinbase Commerce follows Dogecoin's listing on Coinbase on June 3 and support for the meme token on Coinbase Pro. These listings and integrations has been part of Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong's roadmap for a decentralized app store, self-custody options, and to draw more assets to Coinbase faster.

Related Article: Dogecoin Value, Investments Get Major Positive Forecast: Will It Break Through $1 Price?
Microsoft's Xbox Summer Sale 2021 has just kicked off. There are some really sweet deals, like games being sold for as low as $5 each and an Ultimate subscription for a dollar! Microsoft is also handing out free gift cards.

Find out the different game titles that cost $5 or less!

Xbox 'Star Wars' Games on Sale

Star Wars fans who are also Xbox players are getting quite a deal, as the opportunity to go on a bunch of adventures in a galaxy far, far away can be as cheap as $5.

All of these games were originally meant for the original Xbox and Xbox 360 and came out from 2003 to 2011; however, they are compatible with the next generation Xbox Series X and Xbox Series as well as the Xbox One consoles thanks to the company's backwards compatibility, Cnet noted.

Classic "Star Wars" games such as "The Force Unleashed" and "The Force Unleashed II" are on sale for $4.99 until Friday, August 6.

Other Xbox "Star Wars" games on sale include "Knights of the Old Republic" and its followup "KOTOR II." For those who want to trade the lightsaber for a blaster, The 2005 "Battlefront II" and "Republic Commando" are also offered at the discounted price.

Lego "Star Wars" games are also up for sale for those interested in some buildable fun. "The Complete Saga," "The Original Trilogy," "The Clone Wars," and "Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy" are also on sale for the next eight days.

The original - and BEST - Star Wars Battlefront is on sale for only $5 on Xbox.

Battlefront II, KOTOR & KOTOR II are only $5 too! https://t.co/PtzhFZ9ojt pic.twitter.com/oe73b1wOGo  New York Comic Con (@NY_Comic_Con) April 30, 2021

Read Also: 'Monster Hunter Rise' July Update: How to Get Amaterasu in Okami Crossover

Xbox Summer Sale 2021

Microsoft's Ultimate Game Sale offers massive discounts with sales up to 80 percent off on select Xbox games, according to Game Rant.

Microsoft is also offering up the first month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1, a 93 percent discount form its regular $14.99 price. The subscription offers over 100 high-quality games for console, PC and tablets, rolling up the benefits of Xbox Live Gold and an EA Play membership into one nifty package.

To really ramp up the celebrations, batches of free gift cards are also being handed out to various users at random. Reports have only been of U.K. users receiving such gift cards, but it is very likely U.S. and Canada will also hold similar giveaways.

Currently, the cheapest game on sale is "Defunct" for $0.99, an indie adventure game with the players using a broken robot trying to get back to its ship after falling out onto a post-human Earth. "Among Us" Skins and Pets are also available for $1.59. Other add-ons like "Halo 3: ODST" and "Final Fantasy XV" Episodes are available for half the price as well.

Aside from console games, PC games are available at a reduced price. Games like "Halo Wars 2: Complete Edition" is currently 75 percent off at $14.99. "Call of Duty" games including "Modern Warfare" and "Black Ops Cold War" are being sold for $29.99, saving users 50 percent off.

Haven't got your hands on the next generation Xbox consoles yet? We've listed down five major mistakes you could be doing that is preventing you from successfully purchasing an Xbox Series X when it gets restocked.

Related Article: 'Halo Infinite' Beta Sign Up: How to Join Flighting Program for First Multiplayer Beta




Retail investors talk with employees at a branch of Korea Investment & Securities located in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday, the last day of a two-day subscription period for KakaoBank's IPO stock allotment for retail investors. Yonhap
The headquarters of Financial Supervisory Service located on Yeouido, Seoul / Yonhap



Group of victims not satisfied with regulator's decision



By Anna J. Park



The dispute settlement committee of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) ruled that Daishin Securities should compensate 80 percent of losses incurred by consumers from the brokerage's mis-selling of Lime funds. It is the highest percentage of compensation ever advised by the financial authority involving the soured fund.



The FSS explained Thursday that the decision was made because violations of the capital market act on the part of Daishin Securities were confirmed through local trials. The country's appellate court handed a two-year prison term in May to an employee of Daishin Securities on charges of knowingly mis-selling about 248 billion won ($217 million) worth of the problematic Lime funds to hundreds of customers. The employee continued to sell the funds to customers, even when he knew about their problems.



"Regarding the case of Daishin Securities, it was the first time a violation of the nation's capital market act was legally confirmed through trials, unlike other dispute settlement cases where such violations were not confirmed through the judiciary," the FSS explained.



In its previous rulings, KB Securities was advised to pay 60 percent of losses, while Woori Bank, Shinhan Bank and Hana Bank were told to compensate 55 percent of customers' losses.



However, victims of Daishin Securities' mis-selling are not satisfied with the FSS's decision.



"The FSS's recommendation is absolute nonsense, far inferior to the conservative rulings made by the court, which acknowledged Daishin's guilt," a statement released by the group of victims on Thursday read.



Saying they cannot accept the recommendation, the victims have sought a full refund of the money they invested.





Daishin Securities headquarters in central Seoul / Courtesy of Daishin Securities




By Jun Ji-hye







Andaz Seoul Gangnam, a lifestyle hotel brand of Hyatt International, has launched the "Andaz Summer Package with Bamford" package, targeting summer vacationers.







The package, which can be purchased until Aug. 31 and available for stays by Sept. 5, is a collaborative product with Bamford, a British brand featuring natural products.







It includes a one-night stay in either a deluxe or premium room, Bamford amenities and kids' amenities for families (bath products and chocolate lollipops) as well as breakfast at the Jogakbo Restaurant.







The package also offers a 20-percent discount for a Bamford spa treatment and 10-percent off Bamford retail items at Ocelas Spa, in addition to access to the indoor pool and fitness center.







The two room types feature a king-sized bed and are equipped with an air purifier.







The fitness center and indoor pool may be subject to restrictions in accordance with the government's social distancing guidelines for COVID-19.







During the promotion period, the lobby will also be transformed into a special photo zone in collaboration with Bamford.







The staircase from the lobby floor to the second floor will be decorated with herbs, an ivy arch tunnel, as well as a sculpture of hay and wood.







Artist Jeon Ye-ji's drawings will also be exhibited at Cafe A'+Z in the lobby.


Co-founders of Hangang Brewery, Koh Sung-yong, left, and Lee Sang-woo / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery



Using locally sourced rice, Seoul-based brewery produces additive-free, homemade-style drinks



By Lee Gyu-lee



Makgeolli, a cloudy white rice-based beverage, is one of the country's oldest alcoholic drinks. And throughout its long history, it has undergone changes, from being traditionally homebrewed during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom to being mass-produced in factory breweries starting in the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of Korea.



This mass-produced modern makgeolli has resulted in stereotypes today that the drink is old-fashioned, cheap, mediocre and gives the worst hangovers.



Two young entrepreneurs at Hangang Brewery, Koh Sung-yong and Lee Sang-woo, are striving to challenge these notions by "rewriting the standards" and offering the real taste of makgeolli.



"These are really quality drinks but were really underrated by many people, and previous commercial breweries could be somewhat to blame in terms of marketing and quality," Koh said in an interview with The Korea Times, Monday, at the brewery in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul. "So we thought it would be fun to get our hands on creating quality drinks that people can enjoy and find tasty. That was the starting point of our brewery."





Hangang Brewery's Naroo Makgeolli, with an 11.5 percent alcohol version on the left and 6 percent version / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery



Since its launch in June 2019, Hangang Brewery's first product Naroo Makgeolli has been creating a buzz among younger drinkers with its trendy branding and additive-free makgeolli, breaking new ground for the industry.



The company takes more of a home-brewed approach to making makgeolli, compared to previous commercial brands, which added chemicals for an unnaturally sparkly, sweet taste.



Traditional-style makgeolli is a diluted drink made with the cloudy sediments of wonju, a filtered rice fermentation primarily brewed with rice, water and nuruk, which is a Korean wheat-based fermentation starter. The clear, top layer of wonju can be strained and served separately as yakju or cheongju depending on the percentage of nuruk used, or can be distilled to make soju.



Naroo Makgeolli, characterized as having a smooth, refreshing taste, was selected earlier this month as the best makgeolli of this year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.



Despite their rapid success, the two co-founders come from completely different backgrounds: marketing and architecture.



Koh used to work in the marketing field for five years before running his own cafe in eastern Seoul's then less-populated area Seongsu-dong. Lee had been running an architectural business for seven years before starting the brewery.



"I've always wanted to have my own brand," Koh said. "When I was young, it was vaguely about starting a fashion brand, but brand doesn't always have to be about fashion. So I thought I should take something that I like and make it into a brand, which started with a cafe."





The brewery teamed up with Daehan Flour Mills' main flour brand Gompyo to launch its latest product Pyomoon Makgeolli / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery



The two business owners, of the same age, met when Lee took an interior design job for Koh's cafe building, and the two soon became friends.



"Even though we were in different fields, we would talk about our business together we would confide with each other about issues and difficulties in running the business," Lee said, adding that the two would discuss their own future and dreams with each other.



Although Koh ran the cafe for five years and business was booming, he felt the need to take another leap forward in his dream, leading him to make a bold decision to shut down the shop. "I felt the need to expand the business and wanted to put myself into a more meaningful business," he said. "And if I'm tied up with running the cafe, I felt like I wouldn't be able to do anything else, so I decided to close it first, then think about the next step."



Around the same time, Lee also quit his business, hoping to find the next phase of his career. "We never talked about starting a business together, even when we found an office space for us to recharge and think about our next move," Lee said. "We just wanted to discuss and help each other separately come up with business ideas."





The brewery makes its products with Gyeongbokgung Rice, harvested in Seoul. Courtesy of Hangang Brewery



They came up with the idea to start a makgeolli brewery purely by chance, the co-founders said. The two drinking buddies sought out different variations of drinks other than just beer and green-bottled soju, one of the most commonly consumed drinks in Korea, when they came across different types of Korean traditional drinks.



"The timing was just right," Koh said. "We were both looking for the next business idea. And (as usual) we went out for drinks but wanted to try out different types of alcohol because we grew tired of soju and beer. Then, we started drinking makgeolli, yakju and other traditional-style spirits and really enjoyed the taste of them."



He added that's when the idea of getting their hands on the traditional drink business hit him. Taking their personal encounters with the lesser-known alcoholic beverages, they wanted to offer the same experience to those who are not familiar with makgeolli and other traditional drinks.



The two started by taking a brewing course for about nine months to learn the process of hand-brewing makgeolli, its history and its market.



"Because we didn't have any background in traditional alcoholic beverages, we became familiar with the drinks by learning to brew and filter them. We tried to learn if there's a vision in that area like we first thought through that process," Lee said.





Makgeolli fermentation batches at the brewery / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery



Koh added that the more they learned about the drinks, the more they saw potential in its market and decided to found the brewery in 2018.



"We compared it to beer because it was a time when the beer industry was booming in Korea. Beer isn't our specialty, meaning even though we compete with other beer breweries in Korea, we are always going to be a sidekick in the global beer market. But with traditional alcoholic drinks, we can top the global market by dominating the local market," he said, adding that they felt they can run the business more sincerely and seriously by focusing on something unique from their own country. "So we decided to freely express our belief and philosophy through this industry."



Each part of its brand's storytelling, from the name and logo to the brewery's location, holds the co-founders' philosophy.



"It's such a shame that our splendid, great culture has been labeled with negative images. So we used the name Hangang  or Han River  to symbolize its meaning in parallel with our purpose," Koh said. "The Han River has been always been there, since the past to this day, and it is the most important river in Korea, and metaphorically speaking reaches into our future. So it represents our intention to take something of the past and bring it into a modern-style drink and culture that people can enjoy nowadays."





A collaborative product with local cosmetic brand About Me / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery



Another mission of the brewery was to create a Seoul-based makgeolli brand. "Other regions in the country have specialty drinks specifically made with local ingredients but on the other hand, even though Seoul is the capital and a most populated city, it didn't have any," Koh said.



However, making its product with Seoul-grown rice, the primary ingredient, did not come easy at first, as there was only one brand of rice harvested in Seoul. "After we decided to use Gyeongbokgung Rice, it took a long time to brew it into the taste that we were looking for," Koh said.



Since they did not want to use artificial sweeteners or other additives that are usually used to lower production costs, the balance between the natural sweetness from rice and acidity from fermentation was crucial, he added.



"We thought it was time to change the notion that makgeolli is cheap and gives the worst hangovers," Koh said. "As our society develops and the economy grows, I think people are now more willing to spend their money on something meaningful rather than cost-effective."



After months of trial and error, even delaying their scheduled product launch, they finally came up with the quality that would set their product apart from previous commercial makgeolli brands.



Along with its quality, the co-founders took several approaches to break the long-established notions of makgeolli and win the hearts of drinkers with a product that cost almost double the market price of previous brands.





The Pyomoon Makgeolli bottling process / Courtesy of Hangang Brewery
gettyimagesbank



Medical students shun surgery departments due to heavy workload, insufficient compensation



By Lee Hyo-jin



In television shows and movies, surgeons are often portrayed as heroes, not only for their medical knowledge and surgery skills, which save lives, but also for their sacrifice and commitment putting patients first.



But the reality is different. In Korea, the surgery department has long been one of the least popular specialties among medical students due to poor working conditions and significantly lower salaries, compared to the heavy workload.



Students who have graduated from medical schools here go through a one-year internship in a hospital after which they choose a department to go through three to four years training as a resident.



But surgery-related departments have been failing to fill their slots for residencies for the past few years.



In 2021, only 141 trainees applied to the general surgery departments at 55 hospitals across the country, leaving over 30 slots empty among the total 178. The cardio-thoracic department filled only 25 out of 60 places. In 2020, 128 interns applied for the general surgery department, leaving some 50 seats empty.



During the same periods, the competition for dermatology and plastic surgery departments was high, filling all of the available places in those fields completely. Those two departments are some of the most profitable majors here if trainees later run private practices, due to the high demand for those services.



According to a survey conducted of 1,768 doctor trainees conducted by the Korea Medical Association in 2017, when asked why they found surgery-related specializations less attractive than other jobs, around half, or 52 percent replied, "the lack of appropriate compensation relative to the difficulty of work."



It was followed by "poor working conditions" and "difficulties in the training process," along with an "uncertain future," accounting for 17.5 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Another 11 percent cited "the large risk of possible medical malpractice claims."



This situation has led to concerns that Korea will face a serious shortage of surgeons in the coming years.



"It will be a disaster in 10 years," warned Lee Woo-yong, head of the Korean Surgical Society. "Things are manageable now, but at this rate, there will be almost no young surgeons to fill the places of doctors in their 50s and 60s after they retire in a few years."



Lee viewed that the dearth of surgeons will pose a serious risk to Korean society, where the demand for major surgeries is expected to surge in the near future with the population aging rapidly.



In line with the survey results, Lee suggested that the main reasons as to why medical students are turning away from surgery are the low compensation compared to the heavy workload, along with the high risks of getting involved in medical disputes.



"Being a surgeon is not only physically challenging due to having night duty as well as multiple surgeries in a single day, but also, doctors suffer from extreme mental stress. But they are simply not being paid enough."



Under the current medical system, dermatologists and plastic surgeons are paid more for conducting cosmetic procedures than surgeons who perform high-risk surgeries, he explained.



"Those times are gone when medical students opted to become surgeons to feel the sense of accomplishment and to do something meaningful for others. Now, the young generation wants suitable rewards and benefits for their work," Lee added.



In addition, surgeons, who often perform high-risk surgery procedures, are much more likely to be involved in legal disputes than doctors in other medical fields.



Lee said, "The government should revise the current measure so that surgeons can be relieved of the liability in medical malpractice claims, if the claims are proven to be unintentional."


gettyimagesbank



By Park Ji-won



The Korean Catholic Church has come under fire for allegations of crimes committed by its clergymen recently, facing criticism for its poor handling of the case.



Local broadcaster MBC reported last week that a priest, who is also the head of the Catholic Church-run SOS Children's Villages Korea, a non-government organization providing care for those children without family care, will be suspended from duty from Aug. 6 after it made public that he was recently investigated by the police in Daegu as a suspect in a sexual harassment case involving two female staff members of the organization in 2018.



The facility was founded in Daegu in 1965, and later expanded its operations to Seoul and Suncheon in South Jeolla Province. Until the mid-1980s, the facility was run to support Korean War orphans but later expanded its scope to all children in need of parental care.



The priest is suspected of touching two staff members in 2018 during a company dinner. The priest reportedly touched one employee's waist and thigh and the other employee on an unspecified body part while saying, "I love women," to the latter.



One of the victims reported the incident to the facility, but the priest reportedly denied the allegation. The woman ended up quitting her job after failing to become a full-time employee there.



The Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu confirmed what is said in the report of MBC and said it will take further steps after the police investigation.



Criticism has arisen against the Church for this incident and another recent crime by a priest.



On July 7, another priest was fined 3 million won ($2,620) for verbally and physically assaulting a police officer in a karaoke bar. He did so after being denied entry, as he had tried to bring a hostess into the premises. In response, the Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu suspended the priest from duty.



A group of 34 civic organizations in Daegu raised the possibility in a joint statement that the Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu may have neglected its duty to properly handle the cases and urged the church and the police to ensure that justice is served.



"Based on the attitude of the Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu, the strict atmosphere of the facility, it is hard to believe that the archdiocese did not know what happened about the priest allegedly sexually harassing staff  There should be no safe haven for such crimes. We urge the police to carry out a thorough investigation."






Senior diplomats of South Korea and the United States held phone talks Thursday, the foreign ministry said, after this week's restoration of inter-Korean communication lines raised hopes for the resumption of nuclear diplomacy with North Korea.







First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, had separate talks with their U.S. counterparts, Wendy Sherman and Sung Kim, respectively, to discuss cooperation for "substantive" progress in joint efforts to foster a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said.







The two Koreas reactivated communication lines on Tuesday, 13 months after the reclusive regime unilaterally severed them in anger over South Korean activists sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.







In the phone calls, Choi and Noh said that continued efforts for dialogue and engagement with North Korea are important after the restoration of the communication lines, the ministry said.







The U.S. officials reaffirmed Washington's support for inter-Korean dialogue, noting they view the reactivation of communication lines as a good development, according to the ministry.







"The two sides agreed to continue close communication regarding the Korean Peninsula issue based on the diplomatic efforts coordinated between the South and the U.S.," the ministry said in a press release.







Following the reopening of the communication lines, South Korea has been cranking up diplomacy with the U.S. and other concerned countries to advance its drive to build peace with the North.







The reactivation came amid growing skepticism over Seoul's peace drive, which had been hamstrung by the North's explosion of a joint liaison office in June last year, its hardening rhetoric and unceasing drive for its nuclear program. (Yonhap)


A bus carrying members of the Cheonghae unit leaves an air base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, July 20, for medical facilities. The 301-strong unit on an anti-piracy mission in waters off East Africa was flown home after 247 members tested positive for COVID-19. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seok



A total of 261 out of 272 service members who contracted COVID-19 while on anti-piracy missions in waters off Africa have fully recovered and are expected to reunite with their families as early as this week, the defense ministry said Thursday.



All members of the 301-strong Cheonghae unit were airlifted home last week, cutting short their peacekeeping missions in Africa, after 247 service members tested positive for the new coronavirus. Fresh tests found 25 more cases, raising the total caseload to 272 as of Thursday.



Of the total, 261 individuals are scheduled to be released from medical facilities around Saturday, as doctors have judged that they are fully recovered and there are no concerns that they may transmit the virus to others, according to the ministry.



"The sailors will be in quarantine either at their homes or bases for about a week as a prevention step in accordance with health authorities' guidance," a ministry official said.



Eleven other sailors who tested positive still had symptoms and needed further treatment, he added.



Twenty-nine members who tested negative have been in isolation at a Navy facility, and they will undergo another round of virus tests Monday to exit quarantine the following day, according to the defense ministry.



"No Cheonghae unit members are in critical condition as of now. We will fully support them to help them stay healthy and return to mission," the ministry said in a release.



All of the Cheonghae unit members are expected to receive COVID-19 vaccine shots next month, officials said. None of them have been vaccinated, as they left South Korea in February, weeks before the country began the vaccination campaign.



The military has come under fire for poor initial responses to the outbreak and the failure to thoroughly implement antivirus measures for service members on overseas missions. The ministry is conducting an audit into the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Navy and other related agencies to figure out what caused the worst-ever cluster infection in the military. (Yonhap)






By Jun Ji-hye







A man in his 50s has been detained for stabbing a veterinarian and attacking an animal hospital director after his dog died while being neutered there.







The Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul said on Wednesday that they are investigating the man on suspicion of inflicting injury.







According to police, the man allegedly stabbed the veterinarian in the arm with surgical scissors at the animal hospital in Seoul's Yangcheon District at about 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, after becoming enraged at the death of his dog during surgery.







The man left the hospital after stabbing the veterinarian, but came back 30 minutes later. This time, he was drunk and hit the hospital director in the head with a soju bottle.







The victims underwent medical treatment for non-life threatening injuries to their arm and head, respectively.







"We will investigate the details of the incident and decide about whether to seek an arrest warrant," a police officer said.


Vacationers enjoy surfing at a beach on Jeju Island, Monday. Yonhap



Over 1 million people expected to visit island in July amid soaring virus cases



By Bahk Eun-ji



Jeju Island is seeing a growing number of tourists, despite the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people weary of the year-long-plus quarantine measures are heading to the resort island as a summer vacation destination.



The large number of visitors from mainland Korea is inevitably pushing up the number of coronavirus cases on the island, increasing the concerns for the health authorities and residents there.










The government will push for a video-linked reunion of divided families with North Korea as the most urgent inter-Korean project, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.







A presidential official made the remark when asked to comment on speculation that the government is seeking a video-linked reunion event with the North, following Tuesday's restoration of communication lines between the two Koreas.







"It is an issue agreed upon by the leaders of South and North Korea, and (video reunions are) the most effective way to immediately move forward in the face of the coronavirus situation," the official said.







President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed in April 2018 to "swiftly resolve the humanitarian issues that resulted from the division of the nation" including the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.







The two Koreas held their last face-to-face reunion of separated families in August 2018.







"The separated families are the most urgent humanitarian issue, and must be resolved as a top priority," the official said, vowing efforts to continue consultations with the North on the matter.







The speculation on the reunions arose after South and North Korea announced their leaders' agreement to improve ties on Tuesday, restoring communication lines that had been cut off for more than a year amid stalled nuclear negotiations.







During a weekly session of the National Security Council (NSC) standing committee on Thursday, South Korea's top security officials discussed ways to improve relations with the North, checking progress made after the two Koreas reopened their communication channels.







The participants decided to strengthen consultations with related countries for a prompt resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks, Cheong Wa Dae said.







The NSC meeting was chaired by Suh Hoon, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae. (Yonhap)






Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl said Thursday he will join the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to run in next year's presidential election.







The leading conservative presidential hopeful confirmed his intention to join the party for the first time during an interview with Yonhap News TV.







"If I enter the PPP, it would be for a change of government," Yoon told the network. "I should run in the election joining hands with the PPP, having entered the PPP, shouldn't I?"







He declined to comment on the timing of his entry, neither confirming nor denying a report that he will join the PPP as early as next week.







He also confirmed that he briefly met former PPP interim leader Kim Chong-in twice. (Yonhap)


In this photo from Jan. 3, 2020, Pyeongtaek Dangjin Port is filled with Korean eco-friendly vehicles for export. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae



By Ko Dong-hwan



Korea's fifth largest harbor will become 100 percent hydrogen-based starting in 2040, as part of the central government's bid to neutralize carbon emissions and join international efforts to slow down global warming.



Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port on the west coast has been selected to become the country's first major harbor that produces net-zero carbon emission. The Pyeongtaek Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, Gyeonggi Provincial Government, Pyeongtaek City Government, Korea Gas Corporation, Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Port Corporation, Korea Gas Technology Corporation, Hyundai Motor Company, Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering, Hyundai Glovis, and the business operators' association from the national industrial complex in Pyeongtaek's Poseung signed an agreement on July 26 aiming for that goal.



The upgraded harbor is expected to produce, import, store, transport and use hydrogen through its own ecosystem, according to the Port Policy Division under the Ports and Harbors Bureau of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port was selected among other major Korean ports because of a nearby liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. The facility can be utilized to produce and transport hydrogen to nearby cities and industrial complexes, and also fuel vehicles, according to the ministry.



"Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port is adequately equipped with infrastructure to produce, transport and use hydrogen," Oceans and Fisheries Minister Moon Seong-hyeok said. "With the latest deal, the harbor will become a model for hydrogen-based ports and pave the way for other harbors to deploy their own hydrogen ecosystems."



The participating parties in the new project will start building a hydrogen complex inside the harbor, expand hydrogen vehicles for services there and set up facilities to import hydrogen, test hydrogen-fueled ships, trains and harbor facilities.



In 2020, Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port ranked fifth in Korea in terms of shipment volume totaling around 106,845 tons. Busan ranked at the top, followed by Gwangyang, Ulsan, and Incheon ports. During the same year, Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port handled about 1.26 million imported and exported vehicles, the most in the country.



Starting with Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port, the ministry plans to make other major ports 100 percent hydrogen-based by 2040, establishing a nationwide network of harbors running under the same ecosystem. This plan was originally introduced during the "2021 P4G Seoul Summit" in May. At that international forum seeking ways to fight climate change, the Korean government also revealed its plan to design ammonia-fueled supersize container ships, develop a smart harbor at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands in cooperation with Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, reduce plastic waste in the oceans and cooperate with ASEAN countries to monitor marine waste.


By Richard Pennington





Having visited former President Park Chung-hee's birthplace in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province and the Park Chung-hee Presidential Library and Museum in Seoul twice, and having read Lee Chong-sik's biography of him along with a mountain of other material, I would like to proffer my views on this man  the most significant figure in modern Korean history. He is loved by some and loathed by others, but forgotten by none.



Park staged a military coup in 1961 and installed himself as the country's de facto ruler, taking over from a government that had long been in disarray. Octogenarian Syngman Rhee, president since 1948, seemed to have no vision and no plan, and even if he did he could not get things done. His successor, Yun Bo-seon, was hamstrung by political infighting, and thus Park  "a short man but whose visage indicated 'I mean business'"  took control.



President John Kennedy reluctantly acknowledged Park's new regime, but many Americans wondered why nearly a decade after the conclusion of the Korean War the Republic of Korea (ROK) government was being run by a military dictator. He instituted a curfew that lasted 26 years, for crying out loud.



Park jailed numerous people without trial, used torture freely and dismissed the National Assembly whenever it was insufficiently docile. He abused the electoral system without shame; in the 1971 presidential election, he devoted 10 percent of the national budget to ensure that he remained in office.



Just as that is not a complete list of his sins, what follows is a mere summary of the good he did. Park hired some foreign-trained economic specialists and listened to them. In the mid-1960s, to the amazement of just about the entire world, South Korea's economy began to boom. He employed loans and other forms of assistance from Europe and the United States, and money paid by Japan to atone for its brutal 36-year colonial reign to build the country's infrastructure.



It was not just Seoul and Busan (and Gumi) that flourished; he instituted the Saemaeul Movement wherein dozens of rural villages experienced growth and a far better quality of life. Korea became self-sufficient in terms of rice, the armed forces were strengthened, and areas that had been denuded after the Korean War were seeded with trees. A nation that previously could not provide for itself soon did that and more, becoming a major exporter. (Admittedly though, Park had little concern for free trade.)



One of the best examples of Park's abilities and can-do attitude pertains to the Gyeongbu Expressway, the highway running between Seoul and Busan. He came up with the idea after visiting West Germany in 1964 and driving on the autobahn. When Park first proposed the highway, many people  quietly  scoffed. This could not be done, it would be too expensive, and nobody would use it since Korea had so few cars. It would almost certainly be a boondoggle.



Park ignored them, drew up plans, and work commenced. He was essentially the self-appointed foreman of the project, with 24-hour-a-day crews. It was completed in just over two years, and what do you think happened? The highway, well used from the start, was an economic engine and tangible evidence that Korea was up to the task.



The military had been involved, as had the chaebol, and valuable experience was gained in building not just roads but bridges and tunnels. Other large-scale civil engineering projects were boldly undertaken. Korean firms began to contend for and sign multi-billion-dollar contracts with foreign countries.



In the same way, few thought Korea could become a steelmaker, but Park said, "Stand back, non-believers" and started POSCO in Pohang. It is today the fourth-biggest steelmaker in the world. Korea is a leader in shipbuilding, car production, chemicals and other heavy industries primarily because of Park. It must also be mentioned that Park was an honest man.



Sure, there were scandals and corruption was not eliminated. If anything, a culture of corruption grew over the course of his regime. But Park himself lived simply and would not entertain any thought of luxury. Men who tried to bribe him got nice, long prison sentences.



Park, who often lamented that Syngman Rhee stayed too long (12 years) did him one better by hunkering down at the Blue House for 18 years. Rhee had wrongly considered himself indispensable, and yet Park did the very same thing. An attempt on his life in 1974 failed but did to kill his wife, Yuk Young-su.



It was done while he was giving a nationally broadcast speech on Independence Day; incredibly, he finished his speech before going to check on his wife. Park's time came in 1979 when an inside man, his hand-picked director of the intelligence agency, shot him to death during a boozy dinner banquet. Thirty-four years later, Park Geun-hye was elected to the nation's highest office primarily on the basis of being his daughter.





Richard Pennington (raput76@gmail.com), a native of Texas in the U.S., works as an editor at a law firm in southern Seoul. He is the author of 23 nonfiction books. The most recent is "Travels of an American-Korean, 2014-2020," published by JisikGonggam. The views expressed in the above article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.


By Donald Kirk





The U.S., North Korea and China were still at war, rhetorically speaking, on the 68th anniversary earlier this week of the signing of the armistice that formally ended the Korean War. The North Koreans declared the armistice a victory after the Americans and South Koreans and contingents from 16 other countries had fought to a stalemate.



Few Americans are aware the United Nations Command remains at the apex of an alliance in which Americans and South Koreans, under the Combined Forces Command, are committed to defense of the South. Fewer still know that the Korean War, technically, remains unfinished. That is, the armistice never morphed into a peace treaty.



That's just as well, since treaties are often signed to be dishonored if not broken. The Versailles Peace Treaty ending World War I never made it to its 20th anniversary before Europe was in the throes of World War II. The post-war history of South Korea has been one of miraculous economic recovery and evolution toward democracy while the North has plunged into economic distress made worse by one of the world's most repressive dictatorships. Under the circumstances, calls for a peace treaty seem irrelevant.



Not so ridiculous, however, would be a simple end-of-war declaration. What would be wrong with North and South Korea, also the U.S., signing a paper saying we're no longer fighting? Maybe South and North Korean officers can talk about it over that cross-border hotline that reopened Tuesday on the armistice anniversary, 14 months after the North had shut it down in a show of anger over propaganda leaflets flown from the South by defectors from the North.



While South Korea stopped the leaflet drops, an end-of-war declaration would not be so simple. For one thing, North Korea does not appear too interested. The North insists the U.S. and South Korea not only end sanctions but also forget about the alliance under which the U.S. still keeps 28,500 troops in the South. The U.N. Command would fade into history, and South Korea's armed forces would be on their own against a nuclear-armed power that still has more than half its 1.2 million combat troops within 50 kilometers of the demilitarized zone and several thousand artillery pieces within range of Seoul and Incheon.



Then there's another huge snag. North Korea and the U.S. were not the only signatories to the armistice, which South Korea's President Rhee Syngman spurned as perpetuating the division of the Korean Peninsula. The other signatory was China, whose "volunteers" "rescued" North Korea from U.S. and South Korean forces. The Chinese might not be averse to an end-of-war declaration, even a peace treaty, but they have problems to clear up first with the Americans.



These were evident when U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met her opposite number, China's Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng, in Tianjin after dropping by Seoul to make sure she and the South Koreans were on the same wavelength. She said the right things in Seoul about looking for talks with the North Koreans but did not fare so well with the Chinese.



China's support for North Korea, from the Korean War onward, was hardly an issue at Tianjin. China wanted it known that its problems with the U.S. go far beyond the Korean Peninsula. Outraged by the relatively hard line of President Joe Biden toward China, the Chinese put out a statement accusing the Americans of "demonizing China," making China an evil enemy as a scapegoat for America's "own structural problems."



At least Sherman, Xie and Foreign Minister Wang Yi were not reported to have shouted and snarled. There was no repetition of the angry exchange when Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Wang and elder statesman Yang Jiechi, a former ambassador to Washington, in Anchorage in March. Sherman ran through sensitive stuff that could not have made the Chinese happy, including genocide of the Uyghur population, theft of technology, cybersecurity, threats against Taiwan and takeover of the South China Sea. North Korea, if it was on the agenda, was almost an after-thought.



Neither the Chinese nor the Americans, however, will be forgetting North Korea. As the U.S. and South Korea decide how seriously to stage joint military exercises next month, China will be watching carefully. There can be no end-of-war declaration while the Americans and Chinese remain dangerously at odds and the North Koreans refuse to give up their nukes and missiles amid a pandemic they stoutly deny has killed anyone.





Donald Kirk, www.donaldkirk.com, writes from Seoul as well as Washington.


Homeplus CEO Lee Jae-hoon delivers a congratulatory a speech during an award ceremony held on YouTube for its children's drawing contest on Thursday. Courtesy of Homeplus



By Kim Jae-heun



Homeplus together with its ePARAN Foundation and the Korea Association for UN Environment held an online drawing contest for children.



The young contestants featured their artworks on the ePARAN Foundation's official website. The award ceremony was broadcast on the official YouTube channel of Korea Association for UN Environment.



The creations by the winners are also available on the foundation's website.



The contest celebrates its 19th anniversary of being hosted by ePARAN Foundation this year. The aim is to teach children the importance of preserving the environment in the era of global warming.



The contest was held between April 29 and May 31 with 11,200 elementary school students participating.



The top awards went to sixth-grader Kim Joo-hwa at Dongseong Elementary School in Busan and third-grader So Hee-seob at Mansu Elementary School in Jeonju. Kim drew a sprout growing on a spot that a child cleaned up before and So depicted himself traveling over a clean country flying on the back of a seagull.



"I hope more children will participate in this contest and become interested in the environment," Kim said during the award ceremony.



Prof. Hong Chang-ho of Child Art College at Hanseo University, who was the head of the judging panel for the drawing contest, said there were many fresh works that highlighted the theme of protecting the environment through fresh ideas and expressions of emotions.



Meanwhile, Homeplus also hosted an event handing out "eco-friendly kits" to the first 10,000 participants. The kit consisted of three types of plant seeds: carrots, kidney beans and lettuce. This is part of the retailer's education program for children to get them to participate in environmental protection activities by experiencing the process of planting and growing plants.



In addition, Homeplus also opened courses such as "Homeplus Culture Center" for children to learn about green projects online.



"I am more glad and grateful to be able to join a special award ceremony in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that children with good ideas who care about the environment come together and create a healthy Earth," Homeplus CEO Lee Jae-hoon said.




FIRE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION

NOTICE OF TESTING

COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION AND

CERTIFIED LIST OF ELIGIBILITY FOR THE

POSITION OF FIREFIGHTER/EMT-BASIC IN

THE MARTINSBURG FIRE DEPARTMENT Notice is hereby given that the Martinsburg Fire Civil Service Commission is accepting applications to test for the position of Firefighter/EMT-Basic in the Martinsburg Fire Department. The individuals that successfully satisfy all the requirements will remain on a list of eligible candidates for a period of three years in the event an opening does occur. In order to be placed on the list of eligible candidates, an interested person must: Be between the ages of 18 and 35 at the time of application. (Copy of birth certificate MUST be submitted along with application). Secure from the City Recorders office, or online at cityofmartinsburg.org (employment section), an application for the position of Firefighter/EMT-Basic. Applications must be completed and returned to the City Recorders office no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, September 3, 2021 Undergo and achieve a passing score on a physical agility test on Saturday, September 18, 2021. Failure to achieve a passing score will eliminate candidates from proceeding further through the process. Candidate MUST get clearance from physician to participate in physical agility test. Form is included with application. Undergo and achieve a passing score on a competitive written examination on Friday, September 17, 2021. Appear for appropriate oral interviews. Undergo a complete medical examination testing the applicants general physical condition in a manner prescribed by the Commission. Possess a high school diploma or G.E.D. Copy MUST be submitted along with application. Must possess a valid drivers license. Copy MUST be submitted along with application. Must obtain certification as an EMT-Basic by the WV Office of Emergency Medical Services within one-hundred-fifty (150) days of employment with the City of Martinsburg Fire Department. Individuals with a current EMT-Paramedic or EMT-Intermediate certification are encouraged to apply. Must live within 50 air miles of the Courthouse at the corner of S. Queen Street and W. King Street within 90 days following employment. Anyone not meeting the above requirements, as set by the Fire Civil Service Commission, will not be placed on the list of eligible candidates. The starting pay for Firefighter/EMT-Basic is $15.03 hourly/$22.54 overtime. Employees of the City of Martinsburg are offered a range of fringe benefits including; vacation leave, sick leave, personal leave, health/life/vision and dental insurance benefits, longevity pay and fire pension plan, all of which the Firefighter is entitled to. The City of Martinsburg reserves the right to amend date and/or location to remain in compliance with any COVID-19 guidelines in effect at the time of testing. New hires that possess a current EMT-Paramedic through the West Virginia Office of Emergency Services or are certified elsewhere as an EMT-Paramedic and are able to obtain legal recognition as an EMT-Paramedic by the WV Office of Emergency Medical Services within ninety (90) days of first date of employment will receive a $3,000 sign-on bonus, with new hires being required to sign a minimum of two-year commitment with the City. MARTINSBURG FIRE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION EEO/AA. Women and Minorities encouraged to apply.

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Job Title: Specialist, Job Placement



Office: Office of Teaching and Learning



Date Posted: 7/26/2021



Salary Range: 1-5 / $82,007 - $92,534



NTE Date: N/A



Position Overview The Office of Social Emotional Academic Development works with the Chancellor to ensure coherence in the educational experience for our students, families, and schools. Our goal is to initiate change and lead DC Public Schools into the highest performing school district in the nation. We are currently in the process of creating our next strategic plan. After engaging with over 3,000 internal and external stakeholders to help shape the future of DCPS, our draft strategic priorities include: Promote Equity: Define, understand, and promote equity to close achievement gaps and interrupt institutional bias.

Empower Our People: Recruit, develop, and retain a talented, caring, and diverse team.

Educate the Whole Child: Provide rigorous, joyful and inclusive academic and social emotional experiences for all students.

Ensure Excellent Schools: Increase the number of high quality schools across the district by defining blended autonomies for schools and creating opportunities for innovation.

Engage Families: Deepen partnerships with families and community. The mission of the Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) is to deliver high-quality instructional resources, enhance classroom practice and scale effective programs to increase DCPS student achievement and prepare all students for success in college, career, and (see application details) spans four core competency areas: Curriculum; Professional learning; Enrichments and interventions; and Formative assessment. Team members support school-based staff in implementing DCPS's existing academic programs while simultaneously working to rethink and redesign school programming, academic and curricular resources and educator professional development. The Division of Specialized Instruction (DSI) works to provide a high quality continuum of services in an inclusive environment so every student with disabilities is prepared for success in college, career, and life. The division works with schools to design, implement, and monitor programs and supports for students with disabilities. The Specialist, Job Placement is responsible for overseeing and identifying skills related to career clusters and soft skills training across multiple work sites within the assigned agency, as well as managing the alignment of student interests to integrated, competitive employment. This position is a safety-sensitive position. As a result, throughout employment this position will be subject to the Employee Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy. The Specialist, Job Placement will report to the Director, Transition. Essential Duties and Responsibilities The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned. Develops community partnerships with private businesses and government agencies that could serve as internship, job sampling, and paid employment opportunities for students.

Works with the local workforce development boards, one-stop centers, and employers to develop work opportunities for students with disabilities, including internships, summer employment, apprenticeships, and other employment opportunities available throughout the school year.

Researches data about industries, companies, labor market statistics, and employment trends.

Provides services to employers, such as teaching them the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.

Performs job analysis to determine job requirements.

Works with employer supervisors to educate them on how to identify the needs of students who require auxiliary aids, services, or other accommodations while on the job.

Consults with the personnel or human resource department about hiring practices.

Reviews IEP transition plans with students to ensure that it aligns with the employment goal on their individualized plan for employment (IPE), which is supported by the students' interests and abilities.

Instructs students in motivational training, job seeking skills, and job retention skills, as well as any other topics beneficial to the students' needs.

Ensures accurate record keeping, including student demographics, case files, and referrals.

Maintains an active employer contact database.

Matches employer needs to student skills and vice-versa.

Maximizes the number of students who achieve competitive integrated full-time employment or part-time employment. Qualifications Bachelor's degree and three to five years of related work experience.

Master's degree preferred.

Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.

Knowledge of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended in 2004.

Knowledge of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act of 2015.

DCPS Values STUDENTS FIRST : We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.

: We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do. COURAGE : We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.

: We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success. EQUITY : We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.

: We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds. EXCELLENCE : We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.

: We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions. TEAMWORK : We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.

: We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically. JOY: We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.




Location: United States of America (remote)

Location: Canada Saint John (remote)

Location: Mount Pearl

Job Description **This position can be located in the US or Canada. The OEM Technical Consultant Manager is responsible for leading a team of Global OEM Technical Consultants (GOTC) in OEM customer engagements and consulting activities to drive technology adoption of Rockwell Automation products. This individual has primary responsibility for qualifying investment of GOTC resources for customer engagements such as system architecture review / recommendations, customer visits as required by GOTC, application programming consultation, machine development, and machine debug assistance prior to FAT (Factory Acceptance Test). This individual will also be responsible for leading and developing skills around application, product, technology, and industry domain knowledge for a team of GOTC engineers. This individual will have a strong relationship with the territory OEM Account Sales and Sales Management teams, Program Management Team, OEM Segment Leads and Business Unit Partners. The Technical Consultant Manager will lead and manage a team of 5 to 12 GOTC's on customer engagement activity. Manage a team of high performance engineers capable of supporting the suite of Rockwell Automation control, software, motion, drives and component products in the target application segments. Develop and manage the process and systems to track technical consultant (TC) resource requests and project activity; verify the requests are qualified and define work scope. Work with the Industry sales teams to identify new application solutions and determine strategies to expand in new customer segment areas to promote sales growth. Execute plans through the TC team. Assure the TCs are aligned to support assigned Strategic Accounts and when applicable, are in synch with the Systems & Solutions team for engagement process execution and internal product requirement development activities. Work with Industry sales teams as required to ensure customer engagements are successful through proper project definition and execution. Engage as necessary on customer / project escalations. Work with senior management to understand the strategic direction for the Industry sales teams. Define and implement plans to meet the needs and effectively communicate to the TC team members. Engage with the project management team as required to establish project team resources and develop a project plan for execution. Work with the Commercial Engineering team to develop application solution specific tools for the TCs. Work with the territory sales teams to support local customer activity and competency needs. Verify local resources are being utilized properly and provide support when product or application knowledge is needed for pre-sales support. Ensure (through interface with Product Marketing, Strategic Marketing, and Development Engineering) that products meet customer expectations of functionality, ease of use, and maintenance. Work with the Global and Regional Industry Managers to drive customer requirements for application and product solutions into the Industry Business Strategy Review (BSR) process and to ensure alignment between target applications and the TC team's capabilities. Create development plans as required. Work with the other regional Technical Consultant Managers to align strategies, organizations and procedures. Work with the Application Code Manager team (or similar) to align resources to meet the development needs for standards, libraries and best practices. Provide performance management and development of the TCs including performance appraisals, career guidance and counselling, measurable goal setting, and development planning for each engineer in the group. Ensures thorough familiarity with company policies and procedures. Appropriately applies policies and procedures. Policies and procedures include, but not limited to: Standards of Business Conduct, Intellectual Property, Control Environment, Information Protection, ISO 9000 & 14000, government regulations (e.g. health, safety, quality and environmental), and functional policies published on the Rockwell Automation Information Network.

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science degree in an Engineering discipline, additional business-related degree/experience preferred.

Typically 10+ years of automation control experience with RA control architecture (Logix, View etc.)

Typically 5+ years management experience leading an engineering or technical team.

Technology knowledge/experience specific to mechatronics, including motion control, independent cart, Motion Analyzer, CIP Motion, etc. is highly desired for this role.

Experience and knowledge of the OEM customer base and the value propositions is desired. This is a summary of the position's responsibilities and does not reflect the entire scope of work expectations. #LI-MM1 #LI-SC1 For the right candidate, the location can be anywhere in the US or Canada. The base compensation range for this role in Colorado is 124,000.00 - 155,000.00 USD Annual with an annual target bonus of 8% of base salary. Rockwell will not provide sponsorship for this position. 25% Travel to be expected We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans. If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (see application details).




** To be considered, please submit a cover letter in Spanish **

About Us: Want to join a company on the cutting edge of technology and travel? Want to be part of a fantastic and fun company thats revolutionizing the online travel advertising space? Built on a decade of expertise analyzing the complete traveler path to purchase, Sojern drives travelers from dream to destination. The company delivered $13B in bookings for its clients to date by activating multi-channel branding and performance solutions on the Sojern Traveler Platform. Recognized on the Top Company Cultures list by Entrepreneur Magazine, Sojern is headquartered in San Francisco, with teams based in Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, New York, Omaha, Paris, Singapore, Sydney, and Istanbul. The Role: You are a driven, self-motivated, and hungry to learn individual, who is looking to build a career in digital advertising. As part of the entry-level Business Development Program, you will have the opportunity to work with small and mid-sized travel businesses that may benefit from Sojerns media products and solutions in the fast-paced, online, travel-advertising environment. You will play a critical role within the company as a talented hunter that excels at researching, qualifying and prospecting leads. This role is intended to prepare you to grow and succeed in our Inside Sales environment. Identify and investigate leads, qualifying them using online research to establish prospects and corresponding contact information.

Engage qualified and interested leads by making calls to book appointments to drive sales presentations for the Sales Executives.

Meet monthly goals by excelling on the phonein both activity and presence.

Perform operational marketing tasks including; performing prospective email campaign, lead nurturing activities and managing a full schedule of follow up tasks while leveraging Sojern technology.

Build an organizational foundation for the sales process.

Take an opportunistic and strategic approach to prospecting.

Proficiently utilize Salesforce, with Sojerns architecture and guidelines. What you bring to the table: LATAM: English and Spanish proficiency (verbal and written) required.

Bachelors degree in Business or related field.

At least 1 year of general business or sales experience required.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills for phone and email-based outreach.

Strong resolve and unwavering persistence.

High energy partnered with a positive attitude.

Entrepreneurial spirited with a forward-thinking mindset.

Ability to multitask, prioritize and manage time effectively.

Desire to grow, learn and advance within the Inside Sales team. Perks: Opportunities: Be part of a growing team with training and support to help you grow

Ownership: Lead creative and challenging projects

Give Back: We give 40 hours a year to volunteer and organize office volunteer programs with local organizations

Culture: Strong core business values, focus on teamwork, vibrant, social and fun environment

Snacks: Variety of snacks in the office

Meals: Monthly catered lunches & happy hours

Competitive Localized Benefits

Time Off: Flexible vacation days At Sojern, we value diversity and always treat all employees and job applicants based on merit, qualifications, competence, and talent. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.


New virus cases appear to be motivating the unvaccinated
Next Time You See "4 Times as Many Stock Market Bulls as There Are Bears," Remember This



See how stock investors' "historic optimism" served as a warning

After a 12-year uptrend, just when caution might be in order, investor psychology has remained highly and stubbornly optimistic.

As the July Elliott Wave Financial Forecast, a monthly publication which provides Elliott wave analysis of major U.S. financial markets, said:

Large traders are more exuberant than ever. On June 11, large trader buy-to-open call purchases jumped to 45%, a new record.

A highly bullish outlook was also expressed in this July 10 Marketwatch headline:

The bull market in stocks may last up to five years -- here are six reasons why

Notice that the headline's suggestion is that the bull market has just started.

That five-year forecast might turn out to be correct -- but then again, keep this in mind from an earlier 2021 Financial Forecast:

A top never feels like a top. The bigger they are, the more permanent they seem.

And here's yet another recent look at sentiment via a chart and commentary from the July 14 U.S. Short Term Update, a thrice weekly Elliott Wave International publication which provides near-term analysis of key U.S. financial markets:

The most recent result of the weekly Investors Intelligence Advisors' Survey (InvestorsIntelligence.com) shows that the percentage of bulls rose to 61.2%. ... With the percentage of bears dropping to just 15.3%, there are now four times as many bulls as there are bears. Since the stock market crash of 1987, a span of a Fibonacci 34 years, only 1.5% of the total weekly readings in the II bull/bear ratio have been higher than the 4-to-1 ratio of this past week.

Interestingly, just two days after this analysis published, the Dow Industrials dropped nearly 300 points on Friday (July 16) and on the following Monday, as of this writing, the Dow has tumbled more than 900 points.

To stay independent from the sentiment of the crowd, it's a good idea to employ Elliott wave analysis and other technical indicators. They will help you stay on track -- objectively, independently from the "bullish" news that inevitably fools the crowd.

If you'd like to learn about Elliott wave analysis, or need to brush up on the subject, there's great news: You can access the online version of Frost & Prechter's Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior -- 100% free.

All that's required for free access to the book is a Club EWI membership. You can join this Elliott wave educational community for free, and membership allows you free access to a wealth of Elliott wave resources on financial markets, investing and trading.

Getting back to the book, here's a paragraph from the first page of Chapter 1:

In the 1930s, Ralph Nelson Elliott discovered that stock market prices trend and reverse in recognizable patterns. The patterns he discerned are repetitive in form but not necessarily in time or amplitude. Elliott isolated five such patterns, or "waves," that recur in market price data. He named, defined and illustrated these patterns and their variations. He then described how they link together to form larger versions of themselves, how they in turn link to form the same patterns of the next larger size, and so on, producing a structured progression. He called this phenomenon The Wave Principle.

Get more insights by following this link: Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior -- free access.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Next Time You See "4 Times as Many Bulls as There Are Bears," Remember This. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.






Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
At the Dixie cup plant, the July 23 certification came more than four months after a union official filed the TAA petition, arguing the longtime facility was closing not only because of a lack of demand amid the pandemic but also due to the effect of competitors outsourcing manufacturing processes.
The Northwest Arkansas Council has a program offering select workers $10,000 and a free bicycle if they relocate there within six months. In Georgia, the city of Savannah has targeted tech workers with an award of $2,000 to those selected workers willing to live in the city for at least two years. Tulsa, Oklahoma started its Tulsa Remote program in 2018, offering workers $10,000 to those willing to relocate to the city for a year.
President Joe Biden found a receptive audience for his Made in America talking points during his trip. Generations of Lehigh Valley residents have worked at Mack Trucks, and the company offers the strong union jobs Biden wants to create. Biden also name dropped OraSure, a Bethlehem-based pharmaceutical company, during his address, noting the business has been hard at work creating COVID-19 tests that have been an asset during the pandemic. Regardless of political preferences, these types of talking points are likely to attract wide spread support in the Lehigh Valley with its longtime manufacturing legacy.
The crash was reported at 11:47 p.m. in the 1800 block of Mount Bethel Highway/Route 512, about a half-mile east of Heiden Road, state police at Belfast said. The truck was heading east when it went off the road and hit a utility pole and then a house, police said.
In Upper Macungie Township, the impressive new Air Products global headquarters will have 2,000 employees on 50 acres, 40 jobs per acre. Thats an exceptional number because Air Products chose to go vertical instead of building a sprawling campus, making much better use of available land. The location next to existing infrastructure also offers its employees direct access to Route 222 while returning outstanding value to the community.
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.
News

Former Bradford County coroner charged with stealing more than $400K from Western Alliance ambulance service

Carman

Former Bradford County Coroner Tom Carman has been arrested for allegedly stealing more than $400,000 from the Western Alliance Emergency Ambulance Service while he was the companys CEO.

Carman was the CEO and had complete control of the finances at Western Alliance until his resignation in 2019. During the time of the alleged theft  between 2014 and 2019  he was also serving as the Bradford County coroner.

Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office conducted a joint investigation, including an audit which they say found Carman had stolen $431,913 from Western Alliance.

According to the criminal complaint, the Western Alliance Emergency Services Board of Directors discovered that Carman had embezzled money in February 2019 when the non-profit was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Carman resigned from the CEO position on March 4, 2019, after serving in that role since the turn of the century.

An audit, which was focused on the period of Jan. 1, 2014 to March 31, 2019, was carried out by Monique Ericson, a senior forensic accountant with the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office. During that time, she uncovered $28,495 in spending on concerts and events; $40,046 for music, games and movies; $62,477 for restaurants and $38,108 for clothing and department stores.

The audit also uncovered that Carman used $1,000 for legal representation following his December 2016 DUI arrest while he was driving a Bradford County Coroners Office vehicle. In addition, police said Carman operated his coroners office from the WAES-owned building rent free without board knowledge until his resignation in 2019, which deprived Western Alliance a total of $75,000 during the time period.

An arrest warrant was obtained for Carman on Wednesday and he was taken into custody without incident, according to police.

Carman was charged with felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property, theft by unlawful taking, and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities.

The former county coroner was arraigned by District Judge Jonathan Wilcox and bail was set at $175,000. Carman was remanded to the Bradford County Jail.

Carman resigned as county coroner on June 30 after screenshots of an alleged conversation appearing to be between Carman and a man posing as a 15-year-old boy started to spread on social media.

A man who calls himself the Luzerne County Predator Catcher then posted a video on Youtube showing him confronting a man who appears to be Carman outside of a gas station in Kingston, Pennsylvania.

When the man in the video says hes going to call the police, the man who appears to be Carman said I didnt send you anything inappropriate, nor did I tell you I would meet you.

The Luzerne County District Attorneys Office is reportedly investigating that case.
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State

Nagaland exports king chillies to UK

Kikheto Sema during the virtual flag-off event of the fresh king chili consignment. (NP)

Correspondent/Dimapur KOHIMA, JUL 28 (NPN) | Publish Date: 7/28/2021 1:22:38 PM IST

The State on Wednesday exported 250 kg of king chilli, popularly known as raja mircha, to the United Kingdom. This is the first export consignment of the chilli that has Geographical Indication (GI) tagging.

Agriculture production commissioner (APC) and commissioner secretary Y Kikheto Sema, Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) chairman Dr M Angamuthu and APEDA director Tarun Bajaj and Nagaland State Agriculture Marketing Board (NSAMB) CEO Ikuto Zhimomi jointly flagged off the first consignment from Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati virtually.

Sourced from Peren district, the consignment is expected to reach London on Thursday.

Interacting with media persons after the flag-off, Kikheto said the State intended to export more food items like pineapple to Netherlands.

He mentioned that the State government was initially not looking for profit and assured to give handholding until the agricultural produce reached the targeted markets, adding the farmers would be encouraged to take up king chilli farming on a large scale.

Kikheto said the Northeast, Nagaland in particular, was endowed with rich bio-diversity and had a suitable climatic condition for growing a wide range of crops, from tropical dragon fruits to sub-tropical pineapples and temperate fruits like kiwi.

Pointing out that the crops grown in Nagaland were by default organic, he said currently about 70% agriculture was shifting cultivation in which no chemicals were used, adding that the whole State could be declared as agro-chemical-free State.

He, however, remarked that the traditional practice of jhum cultivation was not economically viable, nor ecologically sustainable.

The APC said the agriculture & allied department identified few agricultural produce with export potential like king chilli, pineapple, tree tomato, kiwi, bamboo shoot, Naga cucumber, passion fruit, rajma (kholar), etc, as niche and premium crops, adding creation of markets for these niche produce was being emphasised.

He thanked APEDA for constant support and guidance, besides Nagaland State Agriculture Marketing Board (NSAMB) for its tireless efforts in marketing States agricultural produce.

He said State Level Coordination Committee (SLCC) had on July 27 held a virtual meeting with all HoDs, AHoDs, National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD), National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) and Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium (SFAC) in connection with formation of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and to identify the right FPOs for production and marketing of viable niche products of the State.

Mentioning that king chilli as worlds hottest chilli was preferred by many for its aroma and flavour, Sema it was the States first agricultural crop to have got GI registration in August 2008 and was grown in jhum field as well as in homesteads.

The APC termed the export of first consignment of king chilli to Europe as a historic day for the farming community of the State.

He hoped that the event would increase awareness about king chilli and thereby expand its market, which would ultimately benefit the farmers. He assured that the State government would assist and support the farmers in this regard.

In his address, Bajaj lauded the initiative of the officials of agri & allied department and NSAMB to export king chilli overseas and assured to assist in every ways possible even in future.

Speaking on the occasion, the NSAMB CEO acknowledged APEDA for the support and for which king chilli could be exported, adding that exporting pineapple was in the pipeline.

Referring to the State governments initiatives of introducing air cargo, AC organic product market and cold storage, Zhimomi hoped all this would help in increasing supply to the international market.

APEDA officials from Delhi and different regions and officials from agri & allied department attended the flag-off.

Meanwhile, interacting with the media at Dimapur, Ikuto mentioned that laboratory test conducted on king chilli by a Delhi-based test agency qualified it for export to European market, adding that second consignment would be exported as per demand.

He said the produce would remain fresh for a period of 15 days, if kept under the right temperature.

Claiming that Naga organic produces were in high demand in Australia, Dubai and European markets, Ikuto added that produces like pineapple, Naga kiwi, ginger, large cardamom, etc, were in the pipeline for export to international markets.
State

Ugandan national nabbed for travelling on forged visa docs

Recovered items and instructional manuals.

DIMAPUR, JUL 29 (NPN) | Publish Date: 7/29/2021 12:50:44 PM IST

Dimapur Police arrested one Ugandan national on July 26 for travelling on forged visa documents.

According to ADCP (Crime) & PRO, Dimapur police the accused has been identified as one Michael Philip (35 yrs), he was also found to be in possession of 4,000 black paper in the size of foreign currency notes, three bottles containing suspected chemicals, clearly indicating his involvement in black dollar/wash scam, which was corroborated by additional seizure of instructional manuals for converting the black paper into US dollar and Euro currency notes.

The black dollar scam is basically a hoax whereby a fraudster attempts to obtain money from victims through deception that a bundle of bank note-sized papers are actually currency notes that had been dyed to avoid detection by law enforcement agencies and can be brought back to original dollar bills, if treated with a particular chemical. A case has been registered in this regard at East Police Station.
Baysider PMHS alum to speak at Oscar Foss Library

BARNSTEAD  Gordon Unzen, a Prospect Mountain High School alumnus, will be our first speaker for the Oscar Foss Memorial Library's new program, Oscar Talks, which looks to disseminate information on a broad spectrum of topics and skills found right here in our community. He will be presenting on "Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity," in the Meeting Room at OFML on Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m.



According to Unzen, "Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to change the world of humans forever."



He postulates that AI is a powerful yet dangerous technology that has the potential to greatly impact the future and cause real harm to our species. During his talk, Unzen will use his background in philosophy, technology, and law to discuss AI, its benefits and drawbacks, and how it should (and should not) be used in society.



Unzen recently graduated summa cum laude from the University of New Hampshire with a triple major in Philosophy, Psychology, and Justice Studies. His research specialties are in social psychology and political philosophy, specifically where the fields intersect with the topics of artificial intelligence, criminal justice, and governance. Unzen was a recipient of the competitive SURF research fellowship and has several years of experience as a research assistant in the UNH Legal Socialization Lab. Most recently, he presented his work at the 2021 Law and Society Association conference. He was awarded the Herbert A. Carroll and Susan O. White Awards for his academic achievements and placed first in the Paul M. Barlow Memorial Essay Competition for his work in philosophy. He will be attending the University of Minnesota Law School in the fall on a full-tuition scholarship to study criminal justice and civil rights law. BARNSTEAD  Gordon Unzen, a Prospect Mountain High School alumnus, will be our first speaker for the Oscar Foss Memorial Library's new program, Oscar Talks, which looks to disseminate information on a broad spectrum of topics and skills found right here in our community. He will be presenting on "Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity," in the Meeting Room at OFML on Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m.According to Unzen, "Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to change the world of humans forever."He postulates that AI is a powerful yet dangerous technology that has the potential to greatly impact the future and cause real harm to our species. During his talk, Unzen will use his background in philosophy, technology, and law to discuss AI, its benefits and drawbacks, and how it should (and should not) be used in society.Unzen recently graduated summa cum laude from the University of New Hampshire with a triple major in Philosophy, Psychology, and Justice Studies. His research specialties are in social psychology and political philosophy, specifically where the fields intersect with the topics of artificial intelligence, criminal justice, and governance. Unzen was a recipient of the competitive SURF research fellowship and has several years of experience as a research assistant in the UNH Legal Socialization Lab. Most recently, he presented his work at the 2021 Law and Society Association conference. He was awarded the Herbert A. Carroll and Susan O. White Awards for his academic achievements and placed first in the Paul M. Barlow Memorial Essay Competition for his work in philosophy. He will be attending the University of Minnesota Law School in the fall on a full-tuition scholarship to study criminal justice and civil rights law.

Baysider Rotarians learn about AHC everyone should! Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Baysider New Durham Library hosting children's book giveaway

NEW DURHAM  "I can't think of a better way to wind up a summer reading program than with a book give-away," New Durham Public Library Director Cathy Allyn said. "Once again, that's possible next Tuesday due to the Children's Literacy Foundation."



Referred to as CLiF, the nonprofit organization works with libraries and schools to inspire a love of reading and writing among low-income, at-risk, and rural children in New Hampshire and Vermont. The work is done through a variety of different grants, and the library has been fortunate enough to receive several.



"Through the past few years, grants from the foundation have beefed up our Easy book section, funded early literacy programming, and brought in presentations to augment the summer program," Allyn said. "So many children in New Durham have books from CLiF at home. I cannot say enough good things about this group."



A CLiF Summer Readers grant for 2021 provides a presentation and book give-away. On Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. at the New Durham School, children's author Marty Kelley will talk about the books from CLiF, tell an interactive story, and share a book.



"Marty is a dynamic performer," Allyn noted. "The kids just absolutely fall down laughing when he gets going."



"After that," Kelley said, "I let the kids choose their free books."



The books cover all different reading levels from pre-K to sixth grade.



"Each child is allowed to choose two to take home," Allyn said.



Those who cannot attend are asked to contact the library at 859-2201 or newdurhamlibrary@gmail.com so staff can pull books for them.



"Everyone is invited to this presentation," Allyn said. "We want to share this wealth of books." NEW DURHAM  "I can't think of a better way to wind up a summer reading program than with a book give-away," New Durham Public Library Director Cathy Allyn said. "Once again, that's possible next Tuesday due to the Children's Literacy Foundation."Referred to as CLiF, the nonprofit organization works with libraries and schools to inspire a love of reading and writing among low-income, at-risk, and rural children in New Hampshire and Vermont. The work is done through a variety of different grants, and the library has been fortunate enough to receive several."Through the past few years, grants from the foundation have beefed up our Easy book section, funded early literacy programming, and brought in presentations to augment the summer program," Allyn said. "So many children in New Durham have books from CLiF at home. I cannot say enough good things about this group."A CLiF Summer Readers grant for 2021 provides a presentation and book give-away. On Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. at the New Durham School, children's author Marty Kelley will talk about the books from CLiF, tell an interactive story, and share a book."Marty is a dynamic performer," Allyn noted. "The kids just absolutely fall down laughing when he gets going.""After that," Kelley said, "I let the kids choose their free books."The books cover all different reading levels from pre-K to sixth grade."Each child is allowed to choose two to take home," Allyn said.Those who cannot attend are asked to contact the library at 859-2201 or newdurhamlibrary@gmail.com so staff can pull books for them."Everyone is invited to this presentation," Allyn said. "We want to share this wealth of books."

Baysider Rotarians learn about AHC everyone should! PMHS alum to speak at Oscar Foss Library Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Berlin Reporter City Council discusses EMS, Fire Department

by Tara Giles

Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter write the author BERLIN  The Berlin City Council held their work session last week and kicked things off discussing a request from Monique Lavertu who wishes to use the pedestrian bridge on Bridge Street to host the 'Dinner on the Bridge' fundraising event on Sept. 12. The Council approved the request via majority.



The conversation then moved to discuss a request to fill the position of Recreation Director, as current Director Terry Letarte will be retiring in October.



Fire Chief James Watkins also relayed that he will have a full time position available and requested permission to fill said position. Both requests were approved.



Mayor Paul Grenier then moved on to discuss municipal staff answering ambulance calls from a private contractor.



Watkins said, "Shortly after Butler took over Berlin EMS, myself and the Assistant Fire Chief Peter Donovan met with Butler's management team and discussed how to bridge the working relationship between Fire and EMS. Scott from Butler had asked why the Fire Department didn't go on medical calls with EMS."



Watkins stated that at the time, the fire department would go on calls when requested.



"Most municipal Fire Departments that work with a private EMS agency will do what is called first response which means they will respond with the private ambulance to provide manpower, backup, a driver or whatever they need. Scott from Butler comes from the Conway area and the Fire Department goes on every medical call with the private ambulance," he added.



Watkins relayed that he doesn't feel that the Fire Department should go on every call with EMS.



Councilor Lucille Remilard asked the Fire Chief if two trucks go on each call, to which Watkins replied in the affirmative but stated that could be changed.



"I'm working on standardizing the equipment so all vehicles would have the same equipment on it," said Watkins.



Councilor Diana Berthiaume stated that she had budgetary concerns.



"We have a for profit company (Butler) getting a subsidy from the city, but we also show an 80 percent increase in Police Department calls assisting EMS. My concern is that we are paying subsidy but are also subsidizing a private company with City staff from two different departments. The Fire Department is given a budget to work with every year and the City is also giving EMS a subsidy which I feel they should be able to work with," Berthiaume said.



Berthiaume agrees that the Fire Department should not have to go on every EMS call, as tax payers are paying twice. Watkins did say that in 2021 EMS calls have gone up, but fire calls have gone down. BERLIN  The Berlin City Council held their work session last week and kicked things off discussing a request from Monique Lavertu who wishes to use the pedestrian bridge on Bridge Street to host the 'Dinner on the Bridge' fundraising event on Sept. 12. The Council approved the request via majority.The conversation then moved to discuss a request to fill the position of Recreation Director, as current Director Terry Letarte will be retiring in October.Fire Chief James Watkins also relayed that he will have a full time position available and requested permission to fill said position. Both requests were approved.Mayor Paul Grenier then moved on to discuss municipal staff answering ambulance calls from a private contractor.Watkins said, "Shortly after Butler took over Berlin EMS, myself and the Assistant Fire Chief Peter Donovan met with Butler's management team and discussed how to bridge the working relationship between Fire and EMS. Scott from Butler had asked why the Fire Department didn't go on medical calls with EMS."Watkins stated that at the time, the fire department would go on calls when requested."Most municipal Fire Departments that work with a private EMS agency will do what is called first response which means they will respond with the private ambulance to provide manpower, backup, a driver or whatever they need. Scott from Butler comes from the Conway area and the Fire Department goes on every medical call with the private ambulance," he added.Watkins relayed that he doesn't feel that the Fire Department should go on every call with EMS.Councilor Lucille Remilard asked the Fire Chief if two trucks go on each call, to which Watkins replied in the affirmative but stated that could be changed."I'm working on standardizing the equipment so all vehicles would have the same equipment on it," said Watkins.Councilor Diana Berthiaume stated that she had budgetary concerns."We have a for profit company (Butler) getting a subsidy from the city, but we also show an 80 percent increase in Police Department calls assisting EMS. My concern is that we are paying subsidy but are also subsidizing a private company with City staff from two different departments. The Fire Department is given a budget to work with every year and the City is also giving EMS a subsidy which I feel they should be able to work with," Berthiaume said.Berthiaume agrees that the Fire Department should not have to go on every EMS call, as tax payers are paying twice. Watkins did say that in 2021 EMS calls have gone up, but fire calls have gone down.

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Berlin Reporter Community events at Great North Woods libraries

REGION  Most north country residents and visitors are drawn to the great north wood's beautiful wilderness, waterways, and mountains. Spending time outdoors responsibly is essential. Contact your local Great North Woods Library to join in exciting programs celebrating our beautiful "back yard" this summer and fall!



The Berlin Public Library is hosting local expert forager Doug Gralenski, on Wednesday. Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. for a program on edible wild plants. On Sept. 16, at 11 a.m., New Hampshire Fish & Game biologist Jill Killborn will deliver a presentation on animal tracks. These are both family-friendly events. Call the BPL at 752-5210 for more information and to register for these free programs.



The Gorham Public Library is planning three events, including a local book discussion of Ty Gagne's "The Last Traverse" on Aug. 4 at the Gorham Town Common at 5 p.m.bring your own chair. Books can be picked up at the GPL. On Aug. 11 at 6 p.m., Gorham resident Larry Davis will present tales from the trails about his experience with hiking and photography in our mountains and community. A mountain-scape painting class with local artist Ben Murphy is planned for Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. Contact the Gorham Public Library at 466-2525 for more information and to register for these programs.



In Randolph, artist Erik Koeppel will speak about his work to revive the methods and philosophy of the 19th Century American landscape painters known as the Hudson River School on Aug. 25. And, a book discussion of Ty Gagne's "The Last Traverse" will be held outdoors on Sept. 1. Please contact the Randolph Public Library at 466-5408 for more information, to register for programs, and to reserve copies of "The Last Traverse."



The White Mountains Community College's Fortier Library is pleased to host the program Adventure Outdoors Safely, via Zoom on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Presenter Wayne Saunders is a retired Lieutenant Conservation Officer from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department who will explain some of the ways to be prepared when heading into the woods. Register for this program with the Fortier Library at 342-3087.



Everyone is invited to meet the author of "The Last Traverse," Ty Gagne, in a Zoom event on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. To attend this Zoom event, preregister at wmcc.edu/fortier-library/ Participants must have an email address and have access to a computer or phone with video and/or microphone capability.



These events are part of the Great North Woods Libraries Community Read 2021. Contact your local Great North Woods library for more information about events--many will be weather dependent. Covid-19 and other safety protocols will be followed during all gatherings. All events are free, but space and supplies are limited; preference will be given to GNW library members. REGION  Most north country residents and visitors are drawn to the great north wood's beautiful wilderness, waterways, and mountains. Spending time outdoors responsibly is essential. Contact your local Great North Woods Library to join in exciting programs celebrating our beautiful "back yard" this summer and fall!The Berlin Public Library is hosting local expert forager Doug Gralenski, on Wednesday. Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. for a program on edible wild plants. On Sept. 16, at 11 a.m., New Hampshire Fish & Game biologist Jill Killborn will deliver a presentation on animal tracks. These are both family-friendly events. Call the BPL at 752-5210 for more information and to register for these free programs.The Gorham Public Library is planning three events, including a local book discussion of Ty Gagne's "The Last Traverse" on Aug. 4 at the Gorham Town Common at 5 p.m.bring your own chair. Books can be picked up at the GPL. On Aug. 11 at 6 p.m., Gorham resident Larry Davis will present tales from the trails about his experience with hiking and photography in our mountains and community. A mountain-scape painting class with local artist Ben Murphy is planned for Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. Contact the Gorham Public Library at 466-2525 for more information and to register for these programs.In Randolph, artist Erik Koeppel will speak about his work to revive the methods and philosophy of the 19th Century American landscape painters known as the Hudson River School on Aug. 25. And, a book discussion of Ty Gagne's "The Last Traverse" will be held outdoors on Sept. 1. Please contact the Randolph Public Library at 466-5408 for more information, to register for programs, and to reserve copies of "The Last Traverse."The White Mountains Community College's Fortier Library is pleased to host the program Adventure Outdoors Safely, via Zoom on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Presenter Wayne Saunders is a retired Lieutenant Conservation Officer from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department who will explain some of the ways to be prepared when heading into the woods. Register for this program with the Fortier Library at 342-3087.Everyone is invited to meet the author of "The Last Traverse," Ty Gagne, in a Zoom event on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. To attend this Zoom event, preregister at wmcc.edu/fortier-library/ Participants must have an email address and have access to a computer or phone with video and/or microphone capability.These events are part of the Great North Woods Libraries Community Read 2021. Contact your local Great North Woods library for more information about events--many will be weather dependent. Covid-19 and other safety protocols will be followed during all gatherings. All events are free, but space and supplies are limited; preference will be given to GNW library members.

Berlin Reporter City Council discusses EMS, Fire Department Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
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Carroll County Independent Carroll County Conservation Legacy Award winner announced



(click for larger version) EFFINGHAM  In honor of the 75th anniversary of New Hampshire's conservation districts, Carroll County Conservation District is presenting a Conservation Legacy Award to an individual who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to the stewardship of natural resources in Carroll County. Nominations were accepted from January, 2021 through March, 2021. After a rigorous review and selection process, it is our privilege to offer Carroll County's Conservation Legacy Award to Blair Folts, an activist, artist, and outdoorswoman of Effingham.



During the worrying drought in the early Summer of 2021, I met with Folts to better understand her perspective of the path she has taken through life. The day we chose to convene was in the midst of a heatwave, for which the roiling, steely clouds behind Folt's Effingham farmhouse promised no relief. Warmly, she welcomed me onto her porch with tea and chocolate. From there, we observed the storm rolling in as monarch butterflies flitted through her milkweed patch. Over the pattering rain and sonorous murmurs of thunder, I learned what Folts believed had led her to being considered for the Legacy Award.



Blair Folts is best known as the Founder and former Executive Director of Green Mountain Conservation Group, "a community-based, charitable organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of natural resources in the Ossipee Watershed in central Carroll County." From 1997 to 2020, Folts led GMCG in its transformation from a small group of concerned citizens around Folts' kitchen table to a formidable force for conservation research, education, activism, and land protection. GMCG is now complete with a board of directors, donors, town representatives, staff, volunteers, and a service area that includes more than 10,000 residents of Carroll County. "Blair is very quick to give credit to the others who were involved in the formation of this organization," note her nominators, "but it is Blair who has been the spark plug and the glue that has been instrumental in the success of GMCG."



From Folts' memory, she has been an activist since childhood, and it is perhaps an unrelated series of events that gave her the tools needed to build Green Mountain Conservation Group into what it is today.



During her first year at University of Maine in Orono, Folts was assigned to the forestry dormitory. Studying Art and English, Folts told me that she looked at her roommate's hatchet hanging on the wall and thought, "Is this really the place for me?"



Despite her initial trepidation, Folts now credits her connections with the School of Forestry for much of her success as an activist. Existing in this liminal space between the humanities and sciences, Folts continued to expand her practice in reaching across disciplinary and political divides.



"Natural resources don't know political boundaries," she said, explaining the necessity of collaborating across the aisle. This is also in line with Folts' belief in community-driven change, and is one of the reasons that GMCG incorporates representatives from each town within its service area into its leadership team.



Following this philosophy of non-partisanship, transparency, and focus on the footprint of the Ossipee Watershed as opposed to human-imposed town borders, Folts was able to truly make conservation -not politics- the focal point of her activism.



As for her art, Folts has studied Art and English at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England and earned a diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1985. According to her mission statement, her work attempts to "convey the peacefulness and strength found in nature through painting, printmaking, installation, photography, performance and writing." An avid rock -and ice- climber, Folts translated her intimate relationship with nature into experiential pieces, with subjects such as the inside of a snow storm or the top of an ice floe. Within her art, as within her advocacy, Folts seeks to be educational, powerful, and purposeful.



"My art is a message," she explains, "it can't just be hedonism."



Currently, Folts is working primarily with lithography.



"It's layered," she informs me, "like conservation- the prints inform each other."



One of her projects features photos of land in present day, incorporated with original deeds and pictures of people who initially lived there. It displays the processes of conservation or degradation.



Folts' work has been showcased in dozens of exhibitions, publications, and collections, but she specifically notes her ongoing relationship with Peregrine Press in Portland, Maine.



"The studio where I work is 100 percent non-toxic," Folts says, when I ask about the sometimes conflicted relationship between the means of making art and protecting the environment. "We use soy-based ink and clean our brushes with olive oil the artists demanded it."



She also mentions her inclusion in Gods in Granite: The Art of the White Mountains of New Hampshire by Robert McGrath, a well-respected former professor of Art History at Dartmouth College. In it, Folts' landscape paintings are showcased alongside renowned artists.



Notwithstanding her numerous and impressive aforementioned achievements, perhaps one of Folt's most admirable traits is her tireless belief in humanity's ability to come together and make positive change. As affirmed by her nominators, "the word no is not in her vocabulary."



Towards the end of our interview, Folts recalled to me a visit from the Appalachian Mountain Club several decades ago. They came to discuss acid rain. It was one of the foremost environmental issues of the day.



"It's been solved," Folts tells me. "Climate change could be solved, too."



This is the hope she has for upcoming generations. I have hope, too, if we could all be a bit more like Blair Folts.



About Carroll County Conservation District



The Carroll County Conservation District serves the residents of Carroll County, New Hampshire by working to protect and improve our local agriculture, natural resources, and scenic beauty.



About NHACD



Since 1946, the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts (NHACD), has provided statewide coordination, representation, and leadership for Conservation Districts to conserve, protect, and promote responsible use of New Hampshire's natural resources. NHACD works collaboratively with county districts, federal, state, and local agencies, nonprofits, and other conservationists as a volunteer, tax-exempt, nonprofit organization. EFFINGHAM  In honor of the 75th anniversary of New Hampshire's conservation districts, Carroll County Conservation District is presenting a Conservation Legacy Award to an individual who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to the stewardship of natural resources in Carroll County. Nominations were accepted from January, 2021 through March, 2021. After a rigorous review and selection process, it is our privilege to offer Carroll County's Conservation Legacy Award to Blair Folts, an activist, artist, and outdoorswoman of Effingham.During the worrying drought in the early Summer of 2021, I met with Folts to better understand her perspective of the path she has taken through life. The day we chose to convene was in the midst of a heatwave, for which the roiling, steely clouds behind Folt's Effingham farmhouse promised no relief. Warmly, she welcomed me onto her porch with tea and chocolate. From there, we observed the storm rolling in as monarch butterflies flitted through her milkweed patch. Over the pattering rain and sonorous murmurs of thunder, I learned what Folts believed had led her to being considered for the Legacy Award.Blair Folts is best known as the Founder and former Executive Director of Green Mountain Conservation Group, "a community-based, charitable organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of natural resources in the Ossipee Watershed in central Carroll County." From 1997 to 2020, Folts led GMCG in its transformation from a small group of concerned citizens around Folts' kitchen table to a formidable force for conservation research, education, activism, and land protection. GMCG is now complete with a board of directors, donors, town representatives, staff, volunteers, and a service area that includes more than 10,000 residents of Carroll County. "Blair is very quick to give credit to the others who were involved in the formation of this organization," note her nominators, "but it is Blair who has been the spark plug and the glue that has been instrumental in the success of GMCG."From Folts' memory, she has been an activist since childhood, and it is perhaps an unrelated series of events that gave her the tools needed to build Green Mountain Conservation Group into what it is today.During her first year at University of Maine in Orono, Folts was assigned to the forestry dormitory. Studying Art and English, Folts told me that she looked at her roommate's hatchet hanging on the wall and thought, "Is this really the place for me?"Despite her initial trepidation, Folts now credits her connections with the School of Forestry for much of her success as an activist. Existing in this liminal space between the humanities and sciences, Folts continued to expand her practice in reaching across disciplinary and political divides."Natural resources don't know political boundaries," she said, explaining the necessity of collaborating across the aisle. This is also in line with Folts' belief in community-driven change, and is one of the reasons that GMCG incorporates representatives from each town within its service area into its leadership team.Following this philosophy of non-partisanship, transparency, and focus on the footprint of the Ossipee Watershed as opposed to human-imposed town borders, Folts was able to truly make conservation -not politics- the focal point of her activism.As for her art, Folts has studied Art and English at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England and earned a diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1985. According to her mission statement, her work attempts to "convey the peacefulness and strength found in nature through painting, printmaking, installation, photography, performance and writing." An avid rock -and ice- climber, Folts translated her intimate relationship with nature into experiential pieces, with subjects such as the inside of a snow storm or the top of an ice floe. Within her art, as within her advocacy, Folts seeks to be educational, powerful, and purposeful."My art is a message," she explains, "it can't just be hedonism."Currently, Folts is working primarily with lithography."It's layered," she informs me, "like conservation- the prints inform each other."One of her projects features photos of land in present day, incorporated with original deeds and pictures of people who initially lived there. It displays the processes of conservation or degradation.Folts' work has been showcased in dozens of exhibitions, publications, and collections, but she specifically notes her ongoing relationship with Peregrine Press in Portland, Maine."The studio where I work is 100 percent non-toxic," Folts says, when I ask about the sometimes conflicted relationship between the means of making art and protecting the environment. "We use soy-based ink and clean our brushes with olive oil the artists demanded it."She also mentions her inclusion in Gods in Granite: The Art of the White Mountains of New Hampshire by Robert McGrath, a well-respected former professor of Art History at Dartmouth College. In it, Folts' landscape paintings are showcased alongside renowned artists.Notwithstanding her numerous and impressive aforementioned achievements, perhaps one of Folt's most admirable traits is her tireless belief in humanity's ability to come together and make positive change. As affirmed by her nominators, "the word no is not in her vocabulary."Towards the end of our interview, Folts recalled to me a visit from the Appalachian Mountain Club several decades ago. They came to discuss acid rain. It was one of the foremost environmental issues of the day."It's been solved," Folts tells me. "Climate change could be solved, too."This is the hope she has for upcoming generations. I have hope, too, if we could all be a bit more like Blair Folts.About Carroll County Conservation DistrictThe Carroll County Conservation District serves the residents of Carroll County, New Hampshire by working to protect and improve our local agriculture, natural resources, and scenic beauty.About NHACDSince 1946, the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts (NHACD), has provided statewide coordination, representation, and leadership for Conservation Districts to conserve, protect, and promote responsible use of New Hampshire's natural resources. NHACD works collaboratively with county districts, federal, state, and local agencies, nonprofits, and other conservationists as a volunteer, tax-exempt, nonprofit organization.

Carroll County Independent Wakefield Lions award scholarships Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Meredith News Mason and WWII vet receives prestigious honor

by Erin Plummer

Chuck Estano with representatives from the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire. From left to right: John Gordon, John Lobdell, Jeremy Sawyer, Estano, Paul Leary, and Grand Master Dave Collins. (Photo by Erin Plummer) (click for larger version) HOLDERNESS  A World War II veteran and 66-year Freemason from Moultonborough was presented with a high honor from the Grand Masonic Lodge of New Hampshire.



On Thursday representatives from the Grand Lodge presented the Maj. Gen. John Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service to Chuck Estano at Chocorua Lodge in Holderness in front of his lodge brothers and their family members.



Estano has been a Mason since 1955, he also served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.



The award was a surprise and presented to him during a lodge meeting. Before the presentation he was asked to entertain guests. During the meeting David Collins, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, presented him with the medal.



Masons in New Hampshire can get a silver medal for 10 years of membership and a gold for 20 years, though the Distinguished Servivce Award is one if the highest awards in the Grand Lodge.



"There's very few given, but they're given to brothers like Chuck right here," Collins said.



Collins and Estano's brother Masons recognized the many stories he is fond of telling from his life and Estano told several of them after the presentation.



Estano was born in South Boston to a family of 15 children, including eight other brothers and three sisters, or as he called them "three informers."



His grandmother came from Castlecomer, Ireland, where her family were driven from their land during the potato famine. She worked in the kitchen of a hospital in Salem, Mass., and lost an arm in a bread cutter six weeks after arriving. He said she wore a wooden prosthesis on a harness and "never complained."



Estano and his eight his brothers served during World War II and all of them came home safe. Estano himself flew a B-24 bomber in the South Pacific during the war.



He said his mother sent his oldest brother a $5 bill, he initialed and dated the bill and sent it along to the next oldest and the process continued. Estano got the bill, initialed and dated it, and carried it with him through the war.



"My mother passed away at 91 in Boston," Estano said. "Guess what she's holding in her hand? That same $5 bill."



His brother John served in the Navy and was aboard the USS Helena during the attack on Pearl Harbor and was on the ship when it was struck by Japanese torpedoes two years later. He was stationed in Alaska as a military photographer, where he photographed five ships coming towards Sitka with no flags or identification. The ships turned out to be Japanese ships engaging in that would be the invasion of Alaska, John's report brought out a massive military response to defend the islands. The response earned John a citation from Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt.



"John just passed away at the age of 101-years-old just last year and I'm so proud of him," Estano said.



Estano and his wife Gail have been married for 66 years and they have two children.



Estano would later go on to serve as Chief Investigator of the Office of the Attorney General in Massachusetts under Elliott Richardson.



"(I'm) a kid with a South Boston accent and a large family, no college that was for the rich kids because tuition was something like $2,700 a year," Estano said. "We did not have college and so I worked my way up through the ranks. I became and I couldn't still wonder if I believe it, I was retired chief investigator to the Department of the Attorney General."



Richardson was famous for quitting as US Attorney General under Pres. Richard Nixon after Nixon ordered him to fire investigator Archibald Cox.



He became a Freemason in 1955 after working as an occupational therapist at the Massachusetts state hospital and volunteering to help at the Masonic Home in Charlton, Mass., for seven years. He was so impressed with what he saw he joined the organization.



"I have always said I have known many Masons in 66 years and with only one exception in all those years that I wouldn't trust, I shook hands with many men knowing my word was bond and their word was bond too and so I'm grateful to be here thank you," Estano said.



Estano helped build the Chocorua Lodge. He has also served as Grand Historian for the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire.



"I remember being a young Mason coming to this lodge and I'm a history buff right, so I love hearing stories and what I love about you, Chuck, you have more stories," Collins said. "I haven't heard a lot of them, so I always get a new one from you."



Estano said the primary word that describes much of his life is "grateful."



"So I'm grateful," Estano said. "Grateful is the word I use to describe my life. I've had great and wild and great experiences." HOLDERNESS  A World War II veteran and 66-year Freemason from Moultonborough was presented with a high honor from the Grand Masonic Lodge of New Hampshire.On Thursday representatives from the Grand Lodge presented the Maj. Gen. John Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service to Chuck Estano at Chocorua Lodge in Holderness in front of his lodge brothers and their family members.Estano has been a Mason since 1955, he also served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.The award was a surprise and presented to him during a lodge meeting. Before the presentation he was asked to entertain guests. During the meeting David Collins, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, presented him with the medal.Masons in New Hampshire can get a silver medal for 10 years of membership and a gold for 20 years, though the Distinguished Servivce Award is one if the highest awards in the Grand Lodge."There's very few given, but they're given to brothers like Chuck right here," Collins said.Collins and Estano's brother Masons recognized the many stories he is fond of telling from his life and Estano told several of them after the presentation.Estano was born in South Boston to a family of 15 children, including eight other brothers and three sisters, or as he called them "three informers."His grandmother came from Castlecomer, Ireland, where her family were driven from their land during the potato famine. She worked in the kitchen of a hospital in Salem, Mass., and lost an arm in a bread cutter six weeks after arriving. He said she wore a wooden prosthesis on a harness and "never complained."Estano and his eight his brothers served during World War II and all of them came home safe. Estano himself flew a B-24 bomber in the South Pacific during the war.He said his mother sent his oldest brother a $5 bill, he initialed and dated the bill and sent it along to the next oldest and the process continued. Estano got the bill, initialed and dated it, and carried it with him through the war."My mother passed away at 91 in Boston," Estano said. "Guess what she's holding in her hand? That same $5 bill."His brother John served in the Navy and was aboard the USS Helena during the attack on Pearl Harbor and was on the ship when it was struck by Japanese torpedoes two years later. He was stationed in Alaska as a military photographer, where he photographed five ships coming towards Sitka with no flags or identification. The ships turned out to be Japanese ships engaging in that would be the invasion of Alaska, John's report brought out a massive military response to defend the islands. The response earned John a citation from Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt."John just passed away at the age of 101-years-old just last year and I'm so proud of him," Estano said.Estano and his wife Gail have been married for 66 years and they have two children.Estano would later go on to serve as Chief Investigator of the Office of the Attorney General in Massachusetts under Elliott Richardson."(I'm) a kid with a South Boston accent and a large family, no college that was for the rich kids because tuition was something like $2,700 a year," Estano said. "We did not have college and so I worked my way up through the ranks. I became and I couldn't still wonder if I believe it, I was retired chief investigator to the Department of the Attorney General."Richardson was famous for quitting as US Attorney General under Pres. Richard Nixon after Nixon ordered him to fire investigator Archibald Cox.He became a Freemason in 1955 after working as an occupational therapist at the Massachusetts state hospital and volunteering to help at the Masonic Home in Charlton, Mass., for seven years. He was so impressed with what he saw he joined the organization."I have always said I have known many Masons in 66 years and with only one exception in all those years that I wouldn't trust, I shook hands with many men knowing my word was bond and their word was bond too and so I'm grateful to be here thank you," Estano said.Estano helped build the Chocorua Lodge. He has also served as Grand Historian for the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire."I remember being a young Mason coming to this lodge and I'm a history buff right, so I love hearing stories and what I love about you, Chuck, you have more stories," Collins said. "I haven't heard a lot of them, so I always get a new one from you."Estano said the primary word that describes much of his life is "grateful.""So I'm grateful," Estano said. "Grateful is the word I use to describe my life. I've had great and wild and great experiences."

Meredith News Rafting for Wishes raises more than $285,000 Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Newfound Landing Old Home Day celebrates the history of Hill

by Donna Rhodes

When the Town of Hill holds its Old Home Day festivities on Saturday, July 31, the public is invited to not only celebrate the 80th Anniversary of New Hill Village, but enjoy a self-guided tour of Old Hill Village, where local Eagle Scout Tylet Kulacz recently placed new signs designating places of interests along the Pemigewasset River where the town was first built in 1753. (Courtesy Photo) (click for larger version) HILL  There will be fun for all in the Town of Hill this weekend, when their Old Home Day celebration kicks off bright and early on Saturday morning and continues until the last of the fireworks fade away in the evening sky.



Unlike many communities that hold annual Old Home Day celebrations, Hill holds its celebration every 10 years. The exception to that tradition was five years ago when, in the middle of their 10-year cycle, "New" Hill VIllage turned 75 years old and a special Old Home Day was held to celebrate the landmark anniversary. After 2021, the next Old Home Day in Hill will not take place until 2031.



The original Town of Hill was founded along the banks of the Pemigewasset River in 1753 under the name of New Chester. In 1837 the residents decided to rename the community Hill after New Hampshire Gov. Isaac Hill. In 1937 plans for a flood control dam along the river, which would affect the riverside town, was announced and so the resilient residents picked up their community and moved it up the riverbank. The town gathered at the "old" town hall in June of 1941 to announce the completion of the move then reconvened in "new" Hill Village town hall later that same day. All this and more is what people can discover on July 31 at the Hill Library where the historical society will have an exhibit of the town's unique history. The historical society will also hold a fun and educational Scavenger Hunt and the gate at Back Rd. leading into Old Hill VIllage will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. for those who want to reminisce or come explore the riverside community that used to be. Hill Historical Society members will also be on hand in the old village that day to sell maps of the original town for those who want to take the self-guided tour. New this year will be signs that were recently created and erected as an Eagle Badge project by local Boy Scout Tyler Kulacz, pointing out where places of interest once stood more than 80 years ago.



The day will include much more than that, however.



The celebration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a 5K road race through both the old and new village. There will also be a pancake breakfast in the Jenny D. Blake School cafeteria from 8:30-10 a.m.



At 9 a.m. the rest of the fun gets underway. It will all start with "Kids Corner" on Maurice Wheeler Ball FIeld (behind the school and the town library) where there will be games, races and all kinds of fun for children to enjoy. At 10 a.m. a Bouncy House will also join the action.



Out on the Common (in front of the school) and beside the pond, on the other side of Crescent St., crafters and "Carnival Vendors" will be ready to welcome the public from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.. Committee member Lynn Christopher said among those vendors will be local nonprofit organizations, with all proceeds from their booths benefiting their individual causes.



Food vendors will open up at 11 a.m., and from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. a Dunk Booth will provide additional fun on the Common.



At noon, crowds will gather along Crescent St. when this year's Carnival-themed parade will kick off. Christopher said the committee hopes this year's parade will be extra special with horses, floats, antique cars and more rolling through the village.



Immediately following the parade, there will be opening ceremonies in front of the flag stand at the pond as well as words delivered by town officials who will dedicate a tree that was recently planted in honor of Selectman James Michael Brady who passed away on Oct. 30, 2020 while still serving the community.



From 1-2 p.m., a car show will take place around the Common along with a Touch-A-Truck event for kids of all ages to enjoy. On Maurice Wheeler Ball FIeld Pony RIdes will be available from 1-3 p.m. and kayak racing on the pond will be held during that same time period. Kayaks will be provided and safety officials will be on hand to oversee the event.



Rounding out the afternoon excitement will be a special comedic performance on the Common from juggler Bryson Lane, who will entertain folks of all ages from 3-4 p.m.



Throughout the day DJ Dean Ward will be on hand to make announcements and keep the crowd entertained, but from 4-6 p.m., it will be Errol Wayne on the bandstand to provide music as everyone enjoys a chicken barbecue, available from the Hill Fire Department and served at the school cafeteria.



From 7-9 p.m., the band Beechwood will take over the bandstand for a Street Dance that will lead up to the fireworks on the ballfield at dusk, which will end the fun-filled day. HILL  There will be fun for all in the Town of Hill this weekend, when their Old Home Day celebration kicks off bright and early on Saturday morning and continues until the last of the fireworks fade away in the evening sky.Unlike many communities that hold annual Old Home Day celebrations, Hill holds its celebration every 10 years. The exception to that tradition was five years ago when, in the middle of their 10-year cycle, "New" Hill VIllage turned 75 years old and a special Old Home Day was held to celebrate the landmark anniversary. After 2021, the next Old Home Day in Hill will not take place until 2031.The original Town of Hill was founded along the banks of the Pemigewasset River in 1753 under the name of New Chester. In 1837 the residents decided to rename the community Hill after New Hampshire Gov. Isaac Hill. In 1937 plans for a flood control dam along the river, which would affect the riverside town, was announced and so the resilient residents picked up their community and moved it up the riverbank. The town gathered at the "old" town hall in June of 1941 to announce the completion of the move then reconvened in "new" Hill Village town hall later that same day. All this and more is what people can discover on July 31 at the Hill Library where the historical society will have an exhibit of the town's unique history. The historical society will also hold a fun and educational Scavenger Hunt and the gate at Back Rd. leading into Old Hill VIllage will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. for those who want to reminisce or come explore the riverside community that used to be. Hill Historical Society members will also be on hand in the old village that day to sell maps of the original town for those who want to take the self-guided tour. New this year will be signs that were recently created and erected as an Eagle Badge project by local Boy Scout Tyler Kulacz, pointing out where places of interest once stood more than 80 years ago.The day will include much more than that, however.The celebration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a 5K road race through both the old and new village. There will also be a pancake breakfast in the Jenny D. Blake School cafeteria from 8:30-10 a.m.At 9 a.m. the rest of the fun gets underway. It will all start with "Kids Corner" on Maurice Wheeler Ball FIeld (behind the school and the town library) where there will be games, races and all kinds of fun for children to enjoy. At 10 a.m. a Bouncy House will also join the action.Out on the Common (in front of the school) and beside the pond, on the other side of Crescent St., crafters and "Carnival Vendors" will be ready to welcome the public from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.. Committee member Lynn Christopher said among those vendors will be local nonprofit organizations, with all proceeds from their booths benefiting their individual causes.Food vendors will open up at 11 a.m., and from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. a Dunk Booth will provide additional fun on the Common.At noon, crowds will gather along Crescent St. when this year's Carnival-themed parade will kick off. Christopher said the committee hopes this year's parade will be extra special with horses, floats, antique cars and more rolling through the village.Immediately following the parade, there will be opening ceremonies in front of the flag stand at the pond as well as words delivered by town officials who will dedicate a tree that was recently planted in honor of Selectman James Michael Brady who passed away on Oct. 30, 2020 while still serving the community.From 1-2 p.m., a car show will take place around the Common along with a Touch-A-Truck event for kids of all ages to enjoy. On Maurice Wheeler Ball FIeld Pony RIdes will be available from 1-3 p.m. and kayak racing on the pond will be held during that same time period. Kayaks will be provided and safety officials will be on hand to oversee the event.Rounding out the afternoon excitement will be a special comedic performance on the Common from juggler Bryson Lane, who will entertain folks of all ages from 3-4 p.m.Throughout the day DJ Dean Ward will be on hand to make announcements and keep the crowd entertained, but from 4-6 p.m., it will be Errol Wayne on the bandstand to provide music as everyone enjoys a chicken barbecue, available from the Hill Fire Department and served at the school cafeteria.From 7-9 p.m., the band Beechwood will take over the bandstand for a Street Dance that will lead up to the fireworks on the ballfield at dusk, which will end the fun-filled day.

Newfound Landing Climbing walls, dragons, and a little Rock 'N Roll  it's all happening in Bristol! Recent Donna Rhodes Dancing Under the Stars event supports Voices Against Violence

2021-Jul-22 Dancing Under the Stars event supports Voices Against Violence

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2021-Jul-14 More... Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Zimbabwe has pledged 304 soldiers to the SADC Standby Force Mission in Mozambique to train an infantry battalion size unit at a time, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri has said.

Briefing journalists at Defence Headquarters in Harare on Thursday morning, Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the contingent will consist of 303 instructors and one specialist officer to the coordinating mechanism of the SADC Force Headquarters in Maputo.

While other countries have to deploy combat troops, Zimbabwe pledged to assist in the training of Mozambique armed forces to enhance their capability to combat terrorism, she said.

She said the contingent will be sent to Mozambique once the Status of Force Agreement has been signed.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said in terms of Section 214 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Parliament will be informed accordingly.

During the 16-member regional bloc Extraordinary Summit that was held in Maputo, Mozambique last month, SADC member states resolved to deploy a force to help Mozambique contain insurgency in its northern provinces where terrorists have left a trail of destruction that also threatens regional peace. Herald
HARARE provincial development co-ordinator (PDC) Tafadzwa Muguti has banned all non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private voluntary organisations (PVOs) which defied a directive to report to him.

Muguti yesterday said government would unleash law enforcement officers on NGOs, PVOs and civic society organisations (CSOs) that continued operating despite the ban. Only 40 NGOs will remain operating in Harare following Mugutis action.

Yesterday, Muguti published the names of the organisations that submitted their credentials to his office, giving them the greenlight to continue operating, but under his offices regulation.

The organisations include ActionAid Zimbabwe, Plan International, Caritas Zimbabwe, Goal Zimbabwe, Youth Advocates and Helpline Zimbabwe among others. Several human rights organisations are not part of the list.

Muguti last month wrote to all NGOS, PVOs and CSOs ordering them to report to his office, a move viewed by NGOs as intended to clamp down on them.

In the letter, he ordered the NGOs to submit monthly work plans of their intended activities and summoned directors of the NGOs to his office.

Two weeks after Mugutis order, his counterpart in Masvingo, Jefta Sakupwanya also summoned NGOs operating in the province and ordered them to report to him.

But NGO representatives yesterday insisted that they will not comply with Mugutis directive, claiming that his office was established outside the dictates of the Constitution.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, ZimRights and youth organisations among others, told Muguti that they would not report to him because his directive was ultra vires the Constitution.

The enlisted NGOs have been permitted to conduct their operations within Harare Metropolitan province subject to complying with the outline procedures, Muguti said in a statement.

Those that failed to comply with the request on June 30, 2021, shall with immediate effect be stopped by law enforcement from conducting any operations whatsoever until they fully comply with the policy, in particular obtaining a resolution from the provincial development committee and recognition by the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution.

A coalition of 10 youth CSOs recently wrote to Local Government minister July Moyo imploring him to rein in his subordinates, vowing that it would not take orders from Muguti.

On several occasions, the Zanu PF regime has threatened to deregister NGOs accusing them of operating outside their mandates and/or propping up the opposition.

Zanu PF acting commissar Patrick Chinamasa last month accused CSOs of being sponsored by hostile Western powers to cause regime change in the country.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, while giving a state of the nation address last year, said government would craft laws to regulate NGOs. He also accused them of straying from their core business for which they were registered. Newsday
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The policy change, announced by the company Wednesday night, is based on guidance from health and government officials. It will apply to all employees and visitors under the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status, at both the Orlando, Fla. and Anaheim locations.
Overall, 2,500 people have been infected across Transylvania County, which has been designated a high virus transmission area by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier this week the agency urged even those who are vaccinated to wear masks inside when in such areas.
There are many reasons to support smaller classes, and health concerns are the most immediate, United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew said Thursday. Making sure that we are not cramming too many children into each classroom is an important step to reassuring parents that we have learned from this pandemic, that it is not business as usual.
The level of indifference and audacity that he displayed, that haunts me as well. This was not somebody that was fearful of being held accountable. This was not someone who was fearful of being caught. Not someone who had remorse or even questioned his actions. This was truly evil personified.
The Westchester Bee-Line bus was rolling along Jerome Ave. near Bainbridge Ave. in Woodlawn when the SUV smashed into its side with enough force to hurl the bus into a pillar supporting the No. 4 line tracks overhead, authorities said.
Lawyer Anthony T. DiPietro, who represents hundreds of Hadden accusers, predicted thousands of additional victims could come forward if the bill is signed into law. The bill follows the successful push at the state level for the Child Victims Act, which allows victims of child sexual abuse to have their day in court.
Now the grieving family of the 47-year-old Brooklyn Lyft driver  already tortured by what they see as an incomprehensible and slow-moving legal system  is furious the accused killer, Erik Chimborazo, has twice failed to show up in court and is now in the wind.
As alleged, Trevor Milton brazenly and repeatedly used social media, and appearances and interviews on television, podcasts, and in print, to make false and misleading claims about the status of Nikolas trucks and technology... criminal charges against Milton are where the rubber meets the road, and he now will be held accountable for his allegedly false and misleading statements to investors, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said.
Im requiring this defendant to return to court, said Judge Anne Swern in imposing the six-figure bail. Because of that criminal record. Because of the fact that he was not reachable by phone. Because I know he goes by a number of different names. Because he has 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ... a number of different Social Security numbers.
Only the shooter knows all the reasons why he committed this horrific act of violence, Paul Keenan, special agent in charge for the FBIs Indianapolis office, told reporters, according to CNN. However, at this time, the FBI is confident that based on the evidence collected, the assessment of the Behavioral Analysis Unit is accurate, and the shooter did not appear to be motivated by bias or a desire to advance an ideology.
Mensah, who is also Black, told investigators at the time that he spotted a weapon in the vehicle, prompting him to pull out his own firearm and order the 25-year-old to put his hands in the air. According to an investigative report obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Anderson complied with the order, but started to lower his right arm toward the front passenger seat, where the gun was stashed, on at least four different occasions.
He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side, a statement said. The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery.
According to the National Catholic Reporter, the Vatican announced its decision saying that McCarrick was guilty of solicitation in the sacrament of confession and sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power.
The 70-year-old first lady visited Hawaii on Saturday and Sunday to promote COVID-19 vaccines at a high school and to attend a barbecue with military families at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. She flew there from Tokyo after joining the Olympics opening ceremony in her first solo international trip since her husband took office in January.
The woman did not open the front door and, instead, jumped over a fence and walked around the house to speak with the officers, according to the report. Doss then told them her child had escaped without her knowledge, but she refused to let them go into her home, saying they would probably call the Florida Department of Children and Families if they saw the inside of the house.
The resident at the home told police he moved there in 2019 and knew nothing about the dead body in his basement, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by local newspaper The Oklahoman. The man said he allowed a friend to store items in the basement but hadnt seen him since May 2020, authorities said.
This survey confirms what we all know, the vitriol, verbal and physical abuse from a small group of passengers is completely out of control, and is putting other passengers and flight crew at risk, AFA President Sara Nelson said in a statement. This is not just about masks as some have attempted to claim. There is a lot more going on here, and the solutions require a series of actions in coordination across aviation.
The bottom line is that people have been murdered, raped, stabbed, beaten and victimized by hate crimes because of the cashless bail law that Todd Kaminsky wrote, Nassau County Republican Committee chairman Joseph Cairo said. Anne Donnelly has spent her career as a prosecutor, putting dangerous criminals behind bars, while Todd Kaminsky spent his time in the Senate coming up with new ways to turn dangerous criminals loose from jail.
She had just passed away when talk came up about a name, Lipyanskaya said in an interview. She represents a story thats similar to a lot of our patients and our staff  a little girl from an immigrant community who rose to greatness  so it seemed like an obvious fit. There are so many stories of that around here.
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The science didnt change; the virus changed. Compared to bad old alpha that socked us last year, delta is far easier to catch and spread, even among the vaccinated. So vaccinated people, like us, are now potential modern versions of Typhoid Mary, carriers who can infect  and, yes, kill  others without getting too sick themselves. The fact that those killed are almost certain to be unvaccinated, most by choice and a tiny fraction for health reasons beyond their control, is cold comfort. We care about everyone.
New Yorks jails are not crowded with people whose only crime was jumping a subway turnstile or smoking weed; the average number of people held in Rikers on a given day in 2019 for fare beating was two, and for pot possession, one, he writes. Typically, around 11% of the population is there for murder, attempted murder, or manslaughter; 20% are in for robbery or burglary; and another 25% face charges involving weapons, felony assault, sale of drugs or rape or other sexual offenses.
Harvey Weinstein was charged with the same charge based upon the same conduct against the same victim on the same incident date in an amended complaint filed on April 10, 2020, the new wording for Count 5 states. The indictment supersedes and took the place of the prior complaint, which alleged Count 5 identically.
The Black Mirror actress said she and Chibnall  with whom she also worked on Broadchurch  knew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together. So here we are, weeks away from wrapping on the best job I have ever had. I dont think Ill ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons Ive learnt forever.
Its been a real financial challenge for Port Canaveral over the last 16 months just to run our operations, support our business lines and maintain a level of readiness for when and how the cruise industry may begin sailing from our port again, said Port CEO Capt. John Murray at an event held at the ports new Cruise Terminal 3, where Carnivals new ship Mardi Gras will depart with paying customers for the first time ever on Saturday.
Its heartbreaking seeing her like that in that condition, not being able to talk to me, not able to smile and tell me, Mommy, Im OK. I just want to encourage the public to take this virus seriously because its very, very dangerous, she said. If youre able to get vaccinated, please do. That way, you can save, not only your life, but save other peoples lives.
Health officials in Oklahoma on Tuesday urged Gov. Kevin Stitt to issue an emergency declaration that would allow for expanded care for those with COVID-19  something the Republican has said he will not do.
We can confirm Bob is in stable condition after experiencing a heart related incident, the statement said. He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side. The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery.
Here is a great example of See something, say something, and these animals only had minutes to spare, Sheriff Rick Staly said. The Florida heat is dangerous and animals do not belong in vehicles without proper air flow as the result can be deadly. Thank you to all the agencies who came together to rescue the 17 animals from the U-Haul.
Walt Griffin, who recently retired as superintendent for the Seminole County school district, had predicted math scores would be lower this year. Thats because parents were likely more comfortable helping with reading lessons when their children were home last spring  when all classes were remote  and if those youngsters did online classes for the 2020-21 school year. Parents typically are more unsure about how to help with math, Griffin had said.
Miami resident and nurse Teresa Ripoll lends a hand in removing the tails from 60 lobsters caught by the team of five divers after their early start and return to Matheson Hammock Park Marina on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Miami. There's a 12-lobster limit in Florida, except in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park, where the limit is six per person. The two-day lobster mini season started for residents and visitors to get their share of lobsters ahead of the commercial and regular season. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald via AP) (Carl Juste/AP)
AIF has no involvement in either of these political committees, AIF said in the statement. We have numerous tenants in our building, all of which receive mail at our address. We are not going to provide a list of our tenants to the media as they are private companies and it is for them to decide what they share with the media on their behalf.
When I first took office, I was asked if I wanted DAVID access, and I declined, Kroll said in a statement released by his office. There is simply no reason why I would need to access anyones information or use the system at all in the scope of this job. If someone comes to me for assistance, we have a very capable team of professionals who I refer them to who can help them.
Have you talked to @HealthyFla [the Florida Department of Health] about it? DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw wrote on Twitter in response to Fried spokesman Franco Ripple. I suggest you do. They are apolitical professionals who can walk you through the process for infectious disease data collection and reporting and can address your concerns. Lets be adults here. Not everything has to be political theater.
For most of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis has followed a set strategy: protect elderly residents at greater risk of serious illness and death but impose no other restrictions and prevent others from imposing their own. Now that strategy is being tested as never before, as cases and hospitalizations surge around the state at numbers near Floridas peak at the beginning of the year, taxing hospitals and putting pandemic-weary residents on edge as cities, counties, school boards and businesses contemplate reimposing safety protocols.
The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions latest guidance that everyone should wear masks in crowded indoor situations again might be just the start of further government action to combat the latest surge in cases, he claimed.
Leading the nation in new COVID-19 cases is not something to be proud of, in fact, it is downright shameful. Because it didnt have to be this bad, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried told reporters Wednesday. While some may want to stick their head in the sand and pretend that this pandemic is over, or even worse  that this is just a seasonal virus that will go away  we are very much still in a major health crisis in our state.
London, Britain (PANA)  Kenya and the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday signed two key agreements in the health sector, on the third day of President Kenyatta's official visit to the European nation
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FTSE 100 rose as a wave of results and reopening optimism boosted the mood on investors. Anglo American and Shell were good, BT not so much and the blue-chip index was up 45 at points at 7,061.

Lloyds Banking Group ( ) PLC declared its first interim dividend after the recent removal of the s cap and said it is buying investment and retirement platform Embark Group. Net income in the second quarter of 2.74bn was just ahead of City expectations.

Facebook grew at its fastest since 2016 in its latest quarter but warned things are set to slow markedly. Revenue hit $29bn, above forecasts, and profits doubled to $10.4bn thanks to a boom in online advertising.

( ), the maker of Smirnoff vodka and Guinness stout, reported organic net sales growth across all regions over the past year but warned it expects volatility in some markets in the coming months. Chief executive Ivan Menezes said the group expects organic net sales momentum to continue into the new financial year.

Among the small caps, ( ) ( ) found wide, high-grade intersections of gold mineralisation at the Nielle Concession in northern Cote d'Ivoire. The miner will soon move to the next phase of drilling.

( , ) ( )( ) will go ahead with the phase I clinical trial of a potential next-generation COVID-19 vaccine in the second half of the year. The pharma group received the green light by South African regulators.

( , , ) ( ) has secured a credit facility for up to US$30mln with Oxford Finance. The initial tranche will provide enough cash to carry on with activities for the whole of 2022.
Putting a CEO's nose out of joint is seen as the job of activist investors. Some appear not to like it when a CEO muscles in on the game.

Its not the handbags at ten paces dust-up many of us would like to see but a Twitter spat between the bosses of equally iffy takeaway food delivery firms has provided amusement for everyone except investment companies that have stakes in the companies.

Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi appeared to kick it off with some friendly advice to Jits Groen, his counterpart at ( , ) to stop griping about the financial illiteracy of research analysts who had the temerity to undervalue the Anglo-Dutch company.

Advice: pay a little less attention to your short-term stock price and more attention to your Tech and Ops, Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted.

The prompted an acidic but admittedly bang-on reply that if Khosrowshahi is so interested in chief executives (CEOs) dishing out advice to each other, perhaps the Uber CEO might consider directing Uber to start paying taxes, minimum wage and social security premiums before giving a founder advice on how he should run his business.

Such well-directed advice, written in clear English long since thought beyond all chief executives (based on stock market announcements) nevertheless attracted the ire of activist investor, Cat Rock Capital Management, which sees it as its job to put CEOs noses out of joint.

Cat Rock has a 4.7% stake in Just Eat and believes that Groens Tweets have damaged the brand; Just Eats brand, that is.

The activist investor said Groens outbursts have led to a fantastic business being deeply undervalued and vulnerable to takeover bids at far below its intrinsic value.

Cat Rock would prefer Just Eat sell some assets to raise the money it can use to take over some other fantastic business at far below its intrinsic value/

Alex Captain, a partner at Cat Rock, said response should not happen on Twitter, it should happen on a credible forum.




( , )'s ( ) Stephen Lilley talks to Proactive London about their 'solid' half year performance for the six months ended 30 June 2021.

During the period the firm acquired the remaining 50 per cent of Braes of Doune wind farm, increasing net generating capacity to over 1.2GW. Lilley also mentions the strong support shown by both existing and new investors in February's oversubscribed share placing.

Portfolio generation for the period was 20 per cent below budget at 1,476GWh. Low wind resource was partially offset by high power prices, which were above budget as a result of high gas and carbon prices. Net cash generated by the Group and wind farm SPVs was 103.6 million, providing cover of 1.5x dividends paid during the period. Full year dividend cover is forecast to be 1.7x.
( )'s ( ) Charles FitzRoy talks to Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam about the significance of doubling the size of its acreage in Western Arizona through staking ground adjacent to its existing land package.

The new claims are next to the existing Burro Creek East, Burro Creek West, and Wikieup clay deposits and also mean the firm has the largest landholding in the Burro Creek-Wikieup lithium district.
The proposals are aiming to raise around US$28bn in tax revenues to help fund a massive infrastructure spending bill working its way through Congress

Senators in the US have reportedly added proposals to expand the taxation of cryptocurrencies to a major bipartisan infrastructure bill in a bid to raise around US$28bn in additional tax revenues.

The proposal will introduce tighter rules on businesses handling crypto as well as widen reporting requirements for brokers. Any digital asset transactions worth more than US$10,000 will also need to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), according to a report in Bloomberg Law.

The additional revenues from the crypto tax proposals will be used to partially fund a US$550bn investment in transport and electricity infrastructure that has been hashed out by Republicans and Democrats in Congress as part of a larger US$1 trillion spending package.

The move also comes amid growing scrutiny of crypto and other digital assets in the US from both politicians and regulators after their popularity exploded earlier this year.

Earlier this month, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, the chair of the Senates Subcommittee on Economic Policy pressured the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Gary Gensler to come up with answers on the crypto market with a view to crafting new legislation to regulate the sector.

Warren also said that the highly opaque and volatile crypto industry posed growing risks to consumers and financial markets in general, adding that the lack of regulation governing the market was unsustainable.

The reports appeared to have shaken crypto markets on Thursday, with Bitcoin down 2.2% in the last 24 hours at US$39,694 in early afternoon trading in London, while Ethereum dropped 1.4% to US$2,295.
She-what? Analysts at Shore Capital say investors may not have heard of them but they should "watch out"

Asos PLC and ( ) have not only lost their crowns as the former kings of AIM but are facing increased competition from fast-growing Chinese upstart on both sides of the Atlantic that is reported to be eyeing an IPO before long.

Keeping itself relatively under the radar in recent years, shrewd observers in the retail world have been taking increasing note of Chinese online fast-fashion retailer Shein.

While based in China, Shein is focused exclusively overseas and, thanks to its aggressive online marketing spend on both sides of the pond, is starting to grab sizeable chunks of market share.

Shein has maintained strong momentum this year, grabbing the largest market share in US online fast-fashion, and was reported to now have a valuation of US$47bn  making the privately owned outfit a 'unicorn' many times over.

Founded in 2008 by American-born entrepreneur Chris Xu as a wedding dress business, with a change of name and focus to fast fashion in 2015, the business has reportedly doubled revenues for the past eight years to around US$10bn last year, making Shein the largest pure-play online fashion retailer in the world, according to Euromonitor.

Sharp-eyed investors might have noticed increasing online adverts for Shein, and that it was in the race to buy Topshop, which was eventually snapped up by Boohoo.

UK investors should take note, said analyst Eleonora Davi at Shore Capital. Sheins business model is reminiscent of that of boohoos test and repeat variety and targets the same demographics (the cheap and nasty, as a distinguished industry veteran called it).

Investors should be aware of the risk of intensified competition in the online and offline value spaces, initially in the US and progressively in the UK and Europe.

Analysis of web traffic by Shore Cap has highlighted how Shein has dramatically increased market share in the US this year thanks to aggressive online marketing spend and is seeing similar dynamics in the UK.

Market share data showed Shein began 2021 with 13% of US fast-fashion sales, compared to 23% for H&M and Fashion Nova with 11%, but latest numbers showed Shein had jumped into the lead with a 28% share, with H&M down to 20% and Fashion Nova to 8%.

She-what is here and now, said Davi, boohoo and others would be wise to take note.

She added: Despite the presence of many and very similar fashion businesses, only a few survive and prosper; customer acquisition and the rise in retention costs make it difficult for undifferentiated pure online players, in particular, to break even and stick around for the long haul.
( , ) (AIM:UOG, ) chief executive Brian Larkin joins Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam about the divesting their North Sea assets as it focuses on low-cost growth in Egypt.

The deal is to sell the assets to Quattro Energy Limited for 3.2mln, with 2mln paid in cash up front.

As Larkin explains in detail, the sale follows a strategic review with the proceeds providing flexibility to allow further growth in its low-cost production business in Egypt and the Greater Mediterranean area.
The biggest rise was seen at JPMorgan China Growth & Income, which has the biggest exposure to Tencent of the trusts

Shares in ( ) and many China-focused investment trusts bounced back on Thursday as China's big tech companies staged a comback.

Earlier in the week, Tencent, Meituan and other technology companies in the People's Republic had seen sharp declines as regulators widened their recent tech crackdown.

As research this week showed, many London-listed investment funds are heavily invested in the fast-growing Chinese tech scene.

On Tuesday, the Hang Seng stock index rose 3.3% and the Shanghai Composite over 1.5%, led by Tencent Holdings Inc rising 10%, Meituan jumping 9%, Alibaba up over 7% and others like JD.com and Bilinili making double-figure gains.

Market analyst Danni Hewson said after the debacle involving a big sell-off in China-related stocks earlier in the week, the stocks were climbing on the back of "chatter that Beijing wouldnt be overtly draconian towards Chinese companies with listings in foreign markets if they kept in line with local laws".

The Scottish Mortgage trust, which has made its name as a backer of big tech in the US and increasingly in China, rose 1.5%, as did Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust PLC, while ( ) rose 1%.

Bigger rises were seen at JPMorgan China Growth & Income PLC, which has the biggest exposure to Tencent and jumped over 6%, while JPMorgan Asia Growth & Income PLC was up over 3%.

Templeton Emerging Markets Inv Trust plc, however, with one of the largest stakes in Tencent among its peers, was in the red and the shares are around their lowest since early December.
South Harz is aiming to upgrade the resources at Ohmgebirge Potash Project in Germany with completion of the scoping study expected in Q1 of calendar 2022.

( ) shares are currently trading at 0.26x NAV, with an implied return of 3.78x to the current share price, according to a research update by ( ).

Cenkos sum-of-the-parts valuation gives South Harz a fair value of about A$0.28 per fully diluted share, based on modelling at US$300 per tonne muriate of potash (MOP) price and a 0.25x NPV multiple to account for the current stage of development.

The broker sees significant potential for value accretion as South Harz meets development milestones at the Ohmgebirge Potash Project in Germany.

Following is an extract from Cenkos quarterly research update:

Quarterly Update

South Harz Potash is expected to start drilling its first of two planned confirmation holes at Ohmgebirge in Q4/CY21. The Company has submitted supplementary detailed information to regional mining authorities to support the final step in the permitting process.

As a result of the delays experienced in procuring landowner and tenant approved drill sites and the competition for drill rig availability, South Harz Potash now expects drilling of the second confirmatory twin hole in Q1/CY22. The two confirmatory drill results will enable South Harz Potash to deliver a revised Ohmgebirge Mineral Resource Estimate, with the aim of upgrading Inferred resources to the Indicated category and so completion of the scoping study is now also expected in Q1/CY22.
Marmotas Aurora Tank gold discovery is about 100 kilometres southwest of Coober Pedy and 50 kilometres northeast of the Challenger Gold Mine in the Woomera Prohibited Defence Area of South Australia.

Gold grains panned on site yesterday by one of the drillers from some loose sandy material in the core barrel while drilling at Aurora Tank.

( ) has had a welcome early, although unexpected, result from diamond drilling at the Aurora Tank gold discovery in South Australia.

Drillers at the project yesterday panned gold grains from loose sandy material in the core barrel while drilling one of the holes.

What is even more encouraging is that the diamond hole, planned hole 6, is only 50 metres.

Diamond drill program

Marmotas diamond drilling program of 14 holes for around 1,000 metres at a maximum depth of 200 metres, which kicked off in early July, is designed to provide detail on the project and advance it towards production.

This includes the design of optimal pit walls, bulk density measurements required for completing resource estimations and scoping/feasibility studies and bulk samples to enable the final phase of metallurgical testing across weathering zones and different areas of the deposit.

Diamond drilling is underway at Aurora Tank.

To date, more than 43% of the diamond program has been drilled with what the company believes to be generally very good recoveries.

The diamond drilling program is now expected to complete by late August, which allows for a likely expansion to the program.

Jumbuck acquisition

During the June quarter, Marmota made an outstanding $2.4 million cash payment to acquire ( , )s Jumbuck Gold Project, adjacent to MEU ground in the Gawler Craton.

The Jumbuck Project more than doubles Marmotas Gawler Craton gold exposure from around 5,000 square kilometres to more than 12,000 kilometres.

With this hurdle achieved, it leaves only Ministerial Consent (for a subset of tenements) to enable completion.

Planning activities for first work programs will kick off this quarter.

Uranium

The company's Junction Dam Project is 15 kilometres east from the Honeymoon in-situ recovery uranium mine.

MEU's board recently commenced a strategic review of its uranium assets to add value to shareholders.

The company is particularly well-placed for an upturn in the uranium sector and is watching this space with interest.

Next on the agenda

Marmotas diamond drilling program at Aurora Tank is set to continue until August with a reverse circulation (RC) program to follow.

The company's phase-2 Accelerated Discovery Initiative (ADI) saw the high-priority infill sampling of two strong gold-in-calcrete anomalies completed in May.

Both gold anomalies are in the tenements adjoining Marmotas Aurora Tank gold discovery and adjacent to the same shear zone as the Aurora Tank gold discovery.

Marmota is awaiting final biogeochemical assays, prior to selecting potential drill targets.
There is no anticipated impact on production levels in FY23 and beyond, with full production run-rate from primary salts still anticipated in the June 2022 quarter.

( , , , ) is moving towards first SOP delivery as it works through Stage-4 of its load commissioning process for the Lake Way process plant near Wiluna in Western Australia.

The SO4 operations team, together with consultants from the plant designer and component manufacturers have been systematically working through the plant to ensure each unit is working within design parameters and the plant chemistry is established.

The company has also announced plans to implement a revised ramp-up strategy to enable more salts to precipitate before commencing continuous harvesting activities.

There is no anticipated impact on production levels in FY23 and beyond, with full production run-rate from primary salts still anticipated in the June 2022 quarter.

Delivery first SOP

SO4 managing director and CEO Tony Swiericzuk said: The entire SO4 team is committed to the success of the Lake Way project and has been working tirelessly through the harvest salt pond management system and plant commissioning challenges over the last few weeks.

We are disappointed these challenges have pushed out our expected ramp-up profile, however, the project fundamentals remain attractive.

I am grateful for the support and patience of our shareholders and our lenders as we work towards delivering first SOP and positive cash flow.

Process plant commissioning continues

Construction and practical completion of the Lake Way process plant have been finalised with GR Engineering Services handing over the plant in late June.

Each of the 34 process units in the plant has been individually commissioned and the SO4 operations team is now working through the Stage 4 load commissioning process.

COVID-related border restrictions have impacted the travel arrangements of key commissioning personnel, as well as affecting the timely transport of certain commissioning supply items, impacting the commissioning schedule.

The commissioning process has involved calibrating and fine-tuning several mechanical components in the plant, including crushers, screens, cyclones, thickeners, centrifuges, control valves, agitators and pumps, as well as the electronic control systems.

More recently work has focussed on the calibration of the flotation circuit to achieve the designed waste mass pull.

Batch trials each using 500-800 tonnes of low-grade feed salt have been run, with mass-pull performance achieving variable results.

The company continues to work with the flotation circuit vendor and design engineer to bring performance up to modelled targets and expects the issue to be resolved this quarter.

Revised ramp-up strategy

The revised ramp-up strategy involves suspending the initial plant feed program following the processing of the first 90,000-110,000 tonnes of harvest salts, to enable more salts to precipitate before commencing continuous harvesting activities.

As such, forecasted SOP production for the financial year 2022 has been reduced and the company will require further funding.

Discussions have commenced to address the issue and the market will be updated once the talks are completed and agreed.
The company is encouraged with recent soil sampling results along the southern portion of Carnage Shear Zone, an area of limited historic drilling, which supports the potential to host a gold deposit.

Ora Banda South Project covers about 25 square kilometres within the highly endowed Yilgarn Craton.

( ) has expanded gold in soil anomalies after completing a soil sampling program and gathering 1,100 samples across the Ora Banda South Project in the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia.

The sampling has confirmed historic anomalies and identified multiple coherent plus-50 parts per billion (ppb) anomalies within broader plus-20 ppb anomalous zones.

There were also additional gold anomalies identified in the northern tenement areas.

In addition to the extensive gold anomalism, CAV has also identified abundant associated arsenic anomalism that is commonly identified with gold-bearing mineralising fluids.

Positive shallow bedrock results

Carnavale chairman Ron Gajewski said: Exploration is underway in earnest with an aircore rig scheduled to drill in a few weeks.

The recent soil sampling by CAV and the existing positive shallow bedrock gold results in the limited historic drilling along the southern portion of the Carnage Shear Zone provides support to our view that this area has the potential to host a significant gold deposit.

The project is very under-explored with a geological setting analogous to more than 2.5 million ounces at 4 g/t Invincible deposit at St Ives.

These new and historic gold anomalies including the presence of the historic pits have confirmed the fertility of the geological setting and has encouraged CAV to further progress exploration at OBSP.

Ora Banda South Project

Ora Banda South Project covers around 25 square kilometres area and is 65 kilometres northwest of Kalgoorlie in the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia.

The Ora Banda region is well endowed with gold, with numerous mines to be found in the area. The historic mines of Ora Banda, Siberia, Bullant, Mt Pleasant, Cashmans and Lady Bountiful are within 15 kilometres of the project.

CAV plans to systematically explore analogous geological settings to the 2.5 million ounces at 4 g/t Invincible Gold Mine, discovered by Goldfields Ltd near Kambalda in 2012.

Soil sampling

The company has gathered 1,100 soil samples on a nominal 50 metres x 200 metres grid covering the residual soil profile along the Carnage Shear Zone as defined by Sentinel and aeromagnetic imagery.

This program has the objective of identifying drill targets and defining the scale of the anomalism present within the tenement package.

Program going forward

Looking forward, CAV is planning an aircore drilling program to target regolith gold anomalism and this is expected to start in August 2021.

Subject to additional results, the company is planning to undertake reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drill for testing the primary source of the regolith gold anomalies.
The company achieved production guidance for all its products.

( , , ) highlighted ongoing strong demand and said all its products are supported by price increases in the quarter.

The company, in its quarterly update, additionally told investors it has achieved production guidance for the 2021 financial year. Rutile production totalled 73,248 tonnes (against guidance of 70,000 to 80,000), 317,276 tonnes of ilmenite (300,000 to 320,000) and 27,122 tonnes of zircon (26,000 to 28,000).

For 2022, it is anticipating 73,000 to 83,000 tonnes of rutile along with 310,000 to 340,000 tonnes of ilmenite and 24,000 to 28,000 tonnes of zircon.

During the period it advanced key pieces of work towards mine development, with pre-feasibility completed for the Kwale North Dune project and begun pre-feasibility study for the Bumamani mine.

The company ended the period with US$64.9mln of net cash and the company noted that its quarter end position was impacted by the majority of sales occurring late in the quarter, resulting in a US$28.6mln increase in receivables.

Base also noted that its Tanzanian prospecting licences conditionally granted, adjacent to the Kuranze prospecting licence applications in Kenya.

It additionally added that talks with the Government of Madagascar on Toliara Project fiscal terms continued to progress.
The company has been operating in Greenland, with a focus on the Kvanefjeld Rare Earth Project, since 2007.

The Kvanefjeld Project has an initial mine life of 37 years, based on a 108 million tonnes ore reserve.

( , ) is continuing the permitting process for its flagship Kvanefjeld Project in Greenland and is now awaiting the second consultation phase, which has been extended to September 13.

Public meetings have been earmarked for late August and will be attended by Ministers in Igaliku, Nanortalik, Narsaq, Narsarsuaq, Qaqortoq and Qassiarsuk in southern Greenland, followed by subsequent casework.

This comes after a new Coalition Government formed in Greenland with the Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) and Naleraq parties in February 2021.

Although the new Governments leadership has stated an intention to oppose the development of Kvanefjeld, the government has agreed to a second round of public meetings during August.

Public consultation status

On December 17, 2020, the Greenland Government approved the commencement of the statutory public consultation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for the Kvanefjeld Project, and immediately initiated the consultation period.

This kicked off on December 18, 2020, for initially 12 weeks with Greenlandic, Danish and English versions of the EIA and the SIA made available on the Greenland Governments public hearing portal.

It was then extended to June 1, following the election, and then further extended to September 13 to accommodate another round of public meetings.

Public consultation White Paper

After the consultation period has been completed, the next step is to respond to issues raised during the process.

These responses are then collated in a document referred to as the White Paper.

So far, issues raised in the public meetings during February 2021 have been lodged via the Governments online portal, however, additional questions are expected during the next round of meetings in August.

To ensure that the process proceeds as efficiently as possible, Greenland Minerals has started preparing detailed responses to each of these issues for the White Paper with support from key consultants.

Responses are being prepared by reference to material already contained in the impact assessments themselves or in the consultants reports prepared to support the assessments.

Environmental baseline studies

Through the Greenland summer, GGG has completed additional environmental baseline studies in the broader project area to further increase its understanding of chemical dispersion by natural processes.

The company had intended to conduct an extensive field program this year, which was carefully planned with input from Greenlands independent scientific advisors with approvals in place for the planned drilling and engineering studies from Greenlands Mining Licence and Safety Authority.

Drilling was also planned to generate data for the next steps in permitting beyond an exploitation licence (operations and closure approvals), as well as geotechnical data for engineering studies.

With the change in political sentiment and resulting uncertainty, GGG has postponed the drilling program.

Draft legislation concerning uranium

The Greenland Government has put forward draft legislation for consultation to ban the exploration and exploitation of uranium, which would reverse some of the steps implemented by previous governments that aimed to establish a critical minerals industry in Greenland.

Critical minerals are those classed as being important to future technologies and in particular green industries (renewable energy, electric vehicles) with projected future supply shortfalls.

As the proposed Act is in draft form and in consultation, Greenland Minerals is not able to advise how such legislation could potentially affect the Kvanefjeld development proposal, nor how it would impact other mining projects in Greenland as well as the exploration for a variety of mineral deposit types.
The 21,031 hectares Neita Concession is the largest single project within the 75 kilometer-wide Cretaceous-age area known for hosting major gold-copper-silver deposits

In 2002, Unigold purchased the concessions as part of a governmental effort to entice explorers to the country

When thinking of the Dominican Republic most people conjure up images of lush vegetation and pristine beaches, however, the island nation is increasingly becoming a go-to gold destination.

Home to the joint venture Pueblo Viejo gold mine owned by Barrick Gold Corp and Newmont Corporation, the project is the fourth-largest gold mine in the world, establishing the Dominican Republic as a formidable gold-producing nation.

Pueblo Viejo produces 850,000 ounces of gold annually with an all-in sustaining cost of roughly US$750. The mine life for Pueblo Viejo was recently extended beyond 2040, with a measured and indicated resource of 15 million ounces including reserves.

In 2020 the mine produced 903,000 ounces, while the countrys entire gold output was 905,600 ounces (28.3 tons) and that number is on the rise.

In fact, Dominican Republic gold mining exports rose by 79.6% during the first three months of 2021, as the country makes a robust recovery following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In addition, Pueblo Viejo has been a major economic driver in the Dominican Republic. Gold exports between 2013 to 2020 averaged around 31% of national exports.

In addition to gold, the Dominican Republic also hosts several other strategic and in-demand metals. Like Barricks Pueblo mine, there is also the Falcondo nickel laterite mine owned by private company Americano Nickel Ltd and the Cerro de Maimon copper-gold mine owned by Australias .

There are a further 101 active mining operations in the Dominican Republic extracting marble, limestone, salt, kaolinite, aggregates and semi-precious larimar. The first quarter of 2021 saw exports of these other metals increase with the total mining sector climbing by 16.2% year-over-year.

Versatile exploration

One of the islands exploration projects is Unigold Incs Neita property that boasts polymetallic potential. The 21,031 hectares Neita Concessions is the largest single project within the 75 kilometer-wide Cretaceous-age area known for hosting major gold-copper-silver deposits.

In 2002, Unigold purchased the concessions as part of a governmental effort to entice explorers to the country. Prior to acquiring Neita, Unigold had a presence in Cuba and had become familiar with island jurisdictions, as well as the wealth of mineral deposits that lie beneath the Caribbean countries.

The same group of rocks carry on through the Greater Antilles, from Cuba, through Haiti, to the Dominican Republic, and then over to Puerto Rico, Unigold CEO Joe Hamilton explained to Proactive in an interview.

In 2002 Haiti wasn't favorable for exploration investment, but the next country over, the Dominican Republic, certainly was favorable in the early 2000s. It was a relatively stable country, good rocks and land was available, which is always one of the big things for an exploration company: the ability to get a fairly large concession, Hamilton added.

Like the polymetallic make-up of the island, Unigolds Candelones deposit is a multi-metal deposit. Contained within the Neita Concessions property are 15 gold/copper and five copper targets. Presently, Unigold is focused on this Candelones deposit: a polymetallic zone hosting gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc deposits.

Unigold released a Preliminary Economic Study for a starter oxide project at Candelones in April 2021. The three-year oxide project showed annual production of about 31,000 at an all-in cost of about $744.

The oxide project is a perfect starter for Unigold, commented Hamilton. It allows us to start the permitting process, train a local workforce and get our supply lines set up before we move into the larger sulphide project.

In May 2021, Unigold unveiled an updated sulphide resource estimate for Candelones, which showed measured and indicated resources of about 20 million tons averaging 1.62 grams per ton (g/t) containing 1.065 million ounces of gold with 2.5 million ounces of silver and 65.7 million pounds of copper. The inferred resource adds an additional 1,190 ounces of gold with about 2.0 million ounces of silver and 45.9 million pounds of copper.

The diverse metallic nature of the deposit offers valuable versatility to Unigolds future development plans at Candelones. But it is the regional exploration that has Hamilton excited.

It's interesting, because we've got copper targets, we've got gold targets, we've got copper-gold targets, we've got zinc-copper targets, there's a little bit of everything, said Hamilton. Primarily the metal of choice, and the one we're really looking at is gold, principally because that's where we started.

The Unigold CEO went on to note that the company is metals agnostic and is mobilizing an exploration team to begin mapping a massive 10-kilometer-long copper anomaly.

Gold obviously has more sexiness in the market. People like to see gold, but you know, copper is bread and butter, explained Hamilton. Copper mines are usually very long-lived, usually lower cost (and) usually somewhat easier to mine than gold.

He continued: We've got a number of really good copper targets that we'll be looking at, in conjunction with our regional exploration this year.

Prices of the red metal surged to an all-time high of $10,724.50 a ton earlier this year and continue to trade in 10-year high territory.

We won't take our eyes off gold, it's in our name, said Unigolds Hamilton." But we are agnostic, we're metal miners. So, whatever metals we can find, if they show good economics, we will certainly look at those.

Contact the writer at georgia@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @MissInformd
LeafWorks proprietary supply chain certification service is a DNA-based testing method that tracks and verifies a clients cannabis material as it moves across the supply chain

It will provide the means to secure sample tracking, batch consistency, DNA-level quality control via the blockchain and offer traceability throughout the supply chain

TruTrace Technologies Inc. has signed a letter of intent with AgTech genomics company LeafWorks Inc. to create a blockchain-secured platform for supply chain validation to meet the growing standards in the cannabis industry.

LeafWorks proprietary supply chain certification service is a DNA-based testing method that tracks and verifies a clients cannabis material as it moves across the supply chain.

LeafWorks third-party verification service tracks samples, assesses batch consistency, incorporates DNA-level quality control measures, and mitigates fraud both in and out of a clients supply chain.

TruTrace said it will provide the means to secure this information via the blockchain and offer traceability throughout the supply chain, giving cannabis cultivators a critical tool for incorporating validation testing into their operations to meet US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and cGMP-level compliance.

As the cannabis and hemp industries continue to evolve, it will be absolutely vital for manufacturers and cultivators to provide validation within the supply chain, said LeafWorks Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Kerin Law in a statement.

Whether via the implementation of regulations or commercial standards, we are leading the market with data-driven solutions to meet the demands of a maturing marketplace.

TruTrace CEO Robert Galarza added: The days of cannabis prohibition are numbered, and the roles of cannabis in both medical and recreational settings will continue to gain acceptance. For cultivators, this means taking a mature approach to their supply chain in order to meet the growing demands of larger distribution partners. This partnership provides a foundation for continued advancement, as the extensive testing and profiling provided by LeafWorks will now be secured on the immutable ledger of the TruTrace blockchain.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
Katz, a former news anchor for WINK TV will create segments that cover healthcare technology, physician interviews, news about women's health and HealthLynked's suite of technologies

Content will be created around HealthLynked's core technologies and its mission to improve healthcare for its users through care management and personalized healthcare recommendations

( ) Corp, a global healthcare network focused on patient care management, has announced the addition of Sabrina Katz, former news anchor for WINK TV based in Fort Myers, Florida, as multimedia executive producer and spokesperson for ( ).

The Naples, Florida-based group, whose cloud-based ( ) Network connects patients to over 800,000 physicians across the US, said Katz will oversee creating a wide range of educational, informative, and unique video content for the company

Content will be created in multiple styles to include one-on-one interviews, news segments and featured focused stories, ( ) said.

The company noted that segments will cover healthcare technology, physician interviews, news segments about women's health and ( )'s suite of technologies to engage patients and improve healthcare.

Upcoming healthcare topics will include telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, genomics, artificial intelligence and more, said the company. It added that news segments will feature common health issues starting with women's healthcare covering menopause, hormone replacement therapies, breast cancer, cervical dysplasia and more.

Lastly, content will be created around ( )'s core technologies and its mission to improve healthcare for its users through care management and personalized healthcare recommendations.

"HealthLynked is truly dedicated to making a difference in healthcare. The team of people working behind the scenes to help make that happen is incredible, and I am honored to be a part of the team," Katz said in a statement.

Katz is a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University with a BA degree in Communications. She worked at Waterman Broadcasting as a production assistant and was a news anchor for WINK TV for three years. She is a well-known TV personality in Southwest Florida.

"We are excited to have Sabrina join HealthLynked as our multimedia producer and company spokesperson, said HealthLynked founder CEO Dr Michael Dent. Miss Katz is a well know TV personality and she will be responsible for creating unique video content for our users that message the value of the HealthLynked Network and our suite of unique tools and services we offer to patients and healthcare providers."

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
( , )'s ( ) CEO Harry Hyman and CFO Richard Howell explain to Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam the round up of their half-term results.

Their update shows the occupancy level is up 99.7% for the six months which ended on June 30th, while net rental income grew 4.5% to 67.7mln over the period, giving adjusted earnings of 40.7mln, up 13.1%.

Hyman explains that as lockdowns and restrictions in the UK and Ireland are lifted, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the need for modern, integrated, local primary healthcare facilities. He also highlights the continued problem with Covid-19, namely long Covid and addressing the backlog of procedures missed over the last two years.
( , ) Ltd ( ) ( ) CEO Alain Ghiai tells Proactive it has launched over a hundred new billboards advertising its Sekur messaging platform throughout New York Citys transit system.

Ghiai says the billboards  156 in total  will be displayed in six New York City subway stations as it roll out its Swiss-hosted secure messaging technology in the US.

The billboards will feature a 15-second commercial promoting Sekur, with its logo, website and GlobeX ticker symbol displayed prominently.
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.
Dismissal of bankruptcy plea against firm of ex-head of Russian troubled refinery upheld

 Moskva news agency, Sergey Kiselev

10:29 29/07/2021

MOSCOW, July 29 (RAPSI)  The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld dismissal of a bankruptcy application filed by Russias troubled Antipinsky refinery against New Stream oil and gas company chaired by the former co-owner of the refinery without prejudice, according to court records.

The refinery has thus failed to challenge the ruling of the Moscow Commercial Court delivered in June.

The applicant has not met obligatory requirements of the current bankruptcy law and therefore it has not received a right to seek for the New Streams insolvency, the court held then.

In late December, the Supreme Court of Russia has refused to overturn a ruling declaring board chairman of New Stream oil and gas company and former co-owner of troubled Antipinsky refinery Dmitry Mazurov charged with embezzling 4 billion rubles (about $55 million at the current exchange rate) insolvent, according to court records.

In mid-June, the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals declared Mazurov bankrupt. The ruling was delivered upon an application filed by Persit Services Inc. Its 2.08-billion-ruble claim was included in Mazurovs creditor demands list.

In late April, the Moscow Commercial Court received an application from Sberbank against the debtor. The loan organization seeks to add a debt of Mazurov estimated at more than 128 billion rubles ($1.7 billion) to the creditors list.

Earlier, Promsvyazbank filed a claim to include in a creditors list a 22 billion-ruble (about $295 million) debt of Mazurov. In March, Absolut Bank and Credit Europe Bank lodged applications demanding 3.3 billion and 854 million rubles respectively from Mazurov. In February, Sberbank Capital filed a similar application demanding 28.45 billion rubles (about $450 million) from Mazurov.

On January 29, the court ruled to initiate the debt restructuring process with respect to Mazurov in favor of Persit Services Inc., which had the respective petition.

Earlier, the Moscow City Court upheld detention of Mazurov in a 1.8-billion-ruble (about 28 million) embezzlement case.

The businessman was arrested on July 13, 2019, on suspicion of embezzling 1.8 billion rubles (nearly $30 million) from Russias Sberbank through default on a loan given to one of his companies.

A felony complaint was filed by Sberbank and Antipinsky refinery, in construction of which Mazurov was involved in 2004  2019.

Mazurov pleads not guilty.

Antipinsky is a private, not a state-run refinery which capacity exceeds 9 million tonnes per year. The refinery occupies its rightful place among the largest players of the Russian oil refining industry, forming the Urals and West-Siberian oil refinery market, and is known abroad, the companys official website says.

In December 2019, the enterprise was declared bankrupt.
One more man faces trial for publishing Nazi criminals photo on Immortal Regiment website

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

11:48 29/07/2021

MOSCOW, July 29 (RAPSI)  A court in Volgograd will consider a Nazi rehabilitation case against Denis Vorontsov accused of publishing the photo of the chief of the secret state police (Gestapo) Heinrich Mueller on the Immortal Regiment website, the press service of Russias Prosecutor Generals Office reports.

Vorontsov knowing that the Nuremberg Tribunal had confirmed the Nazi criminals participation in the crimes against humanity during World War II published the image of Mueller on the website for online translation along with the war veterans on May 12, 2020, the statement reads.

According to prosecutors, Vorontsov attempted to tie investigators up into a knot and deleted all information from his cell phone.




Google fined over $40,000 for refusal to localize data of Russian citizens

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

13:00 29/07/2021

MOSCOW, July 29 (RAPSI)  A magistrate judge on Thursday fined U.S. company Google 3 million rubles (over $40,000) for refusal to locate personal data of Russian users in the Russian Federation, the Moscow Tagansky District Courts press service told RAPSI.

In April, Russias communications watchdog Roskomnadzor urged several foreign companies to submit documents confirming that they keep and process Russians personal data within the country.

The operator must ensure recording, systematization, keeping, updating, changing and recovery of data of Russian users with the use of databases locating within the country, according to the agency. These rules provide the sufficient level of data security, Roskomnadzor states.




Russias security officers clamp down on activity of terrorist cell in Tyumen region

 TASS, Vitaly Nevar

15:33 29/07/2021

MOSCOW, July 29 (RAPSI)  Officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Tyumen have clamped down on the criminal activity of several members of a cell of the Islamic State terrorist organization banned in Russia allegedly planning terrorist attacks in the region, the FSB press service reports.

During the arrest overnight July 28 into July 29 morning, an alleged group leader and his accomplice fought back militarily and were killed.

According to the statement, a self-made bomb, firearms and ammunition, communications tools and religious literature were found at their places of residence.




Prohibition of regional cell of foreign extremist movement upheld

 flickr.com/ wp paarz

16:15 29/07/2021

MOSCOW, July 29 (RAPSI)  The Eighth Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction on Thursday dismissed an appeal lodged by the representatives of a cell of Falun Dafa movement (Chinese religious doctrine Falun Gong) in Russias Republic of Khakassia against prohibition of the organizations activity as extremist, the courts press service told RAPSI.

In November 2020, the Fifth Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction granted a prosecutors motion to ban the cell of Falun Dafa. The court thus overturned the republican Supreme Courts refusal to prohibit the organization as extremist.

According to the appeals instance, the organization has operated since 2006 using and distributing literature labeled as extremist.

In July, seven foreign organizations supporting the followers of Chinese religious doctrine Falun Gong or Falun Dafa were declared undesirable in the Russian Federation.

Falun Gong or Falun Dafa is a religious movement founded by its leader Li Hongzhi in China in the early 1990s. After the movement had been banned several its leaders received long prison terms for organizing illegal mass events, infliction of harm to life and health of the doctrines followers and espionage. Certain Falun Dafa information materials have been declared extremist in Russia.
Sentence passed on former banker for $725,000 embezzlement upheld

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

17:51 29/07/2021

MOSCOW, July 29 (RAPSI)  A judicial panel of the Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction has upheld sentence passed on the former chair of board of the bank Universaltrust Igor Petrov for embezzling over 53 million rubles ($725,000), the courts press service told RAPSI.

In September 2019, Moscows Zamoskvoretsky District court convicted Petrov, sentenced him to 3 years in penal colony and ordered him to compensate more than 53 million rubles to the credit organization. Later, the Moscow City Court reduced his jail sentence by 3 months.

Petrov pled not guilty to the accusations. According to investigators and prosecutors, after the banks license revocation in April 2012, the banker took decisions to issue multimillion loans in cash to the bank employees and managing organizations. Moreover, the bank and a firm under Petrovs control signed an agreement for the assignment of claim that resulted in the embezzlement of funds from Universaltrust.




Civic activists to monitor voting of convicts at September elections in Russia

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

14:48 29/07/2021

MOSCOW, July 29 (RAPSI)  Convicts are to take part in the September elections voting under public control, the respective agreement has been signed in the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.

An agreement on cooperation in public observation of voting in penitentiary facilities, since convicts by law have the equal Constitutional right to vote as all Russian citizens, and the Civic Chambers task is to ensure public control over this process, according to Chamber Secretary Lydia Mikheyeva.

The signed agreement implies the exchange of experience, information, best practices of public observation and provides for joint training events for observers. Mikheyeva expressed her hope that the relevant authorities were to support this agreement and provide the necessary assistance.

According to the Chambers Vote public control coordination board Maxim Grigoriev, it is important to protect the electoral rights of all Russian citizens, including those who are in places of detention and are not deprived of such a right taking into account that there are more than 100,000 such people. A special training program on election monitoring is to be separately developed for members of public supervisory commissions, the civic activist added.

In his turn, Chairman of Coordination Council of regional public supervisory commissions at the Civic Chamber Alexander Vorontsov stressed that it was necessary to take into account every single vote of those who have the right to vote, including convicts and administrative detainees.
Hindustan Times, July 26, 2021

By Meenakshi Ray

The Taliban shot and killed 43 civilians and security force members after the group attacked the Malistan district in Afghanistan's central province of Ghazni earlier this month, residents have said. Taliban fighters after entering Malistan district committed war crimes and killed civilians who were not involved in the fighting," Mina Naderi, a civil society activist from Ghazni, said at a press conference in Kabul on Sunday, according to Tolo News.

"They attacked peoples homes and after looting their property, they burned residential houses. In the centre of Malistan district, they also destroyed and looted shops, Naderi read a joint statement from Malistan residents.

The Taliban has rejected the claim by the residents of Malistan.

According to Tolo News, Haji Nadir said his sons Ramazan Ali, 29, and Ishaq Ali, 31, were killed by the Taliban 10 days ago and they were not government employees or members of the country's security forces. Nadir said they were trying to leave Malistan with their families as fighting in the area escalated.

The wives of the men who were killed said the Taliban blindfolded their husbands in front of their children, took them near a mosque in the area and then opened fire on them.

We were on our way when we were stopped by the Taliban. The two were taken (Taliban) and both were killed, Jamal, Ishaq Alis wife, was quoted as saying by Tolo News. They were taken out and were taken a bit far (from their home) and were martyred, Ramazans wife Zulaikha said

The men have five children, who are now in Kabul, and the eldest of them is seven years old, Tolo News reported.

Those who have been displaced after the fighting in Malistan have also said the Taliban collected food from people and issued an announcement saying that they will treat people, especially women, based on the Islamic emirate rules.

Tolo News cited figures saying at least 3,000 people have been displaced from Malistan in the last 10 days following the attack by the Taliban.
Ariana News, July 27, 2021

A well-known local comedian, Nazar Mohammad, who was known as Khasha Jawan, was gunned down on Tuesday, allegedly by the Taliban, in Kandahar, sparking widespread condemnation.

According to sources, Khasha Jawan was assaulted by the militants before being killed.

He was allegedly then dragged out of his house, with his hands tied behind his back and his body dumped in the Dand district of Kandahar.

A video doing its rounds on social media shows the militants assaulting Khasha Jawan before killing him.

Vice President Amrullah Saleh wrote on his Facebook page that Khasha Jawan was executed by the Taliban in a kangaroo court.

Footage of the moments before the execution of Khasha Jawan Kandahari in a kangaroo court shows that the Taliban does not abide by Sharia; they have no court, no law, and no humanity, Saleh said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture and Information stated that Khasha Jawan sent out strong messages through art and allegory to the people.

Waheed Omer, Director General at the Office of Public and Strategic Affairs of the Afghan government, stated: Footage of Taliban killing a bound local comedian in Kandahar is a drop [in the ocean compared to] the massacre campaign that the Taliban has waged across Afghanistan.

Please dont look the other way. Raise your voice on whatever stage that you have access to. These savages are after rooting our people out, Omer tweeted.

The Taliban, however, stated that Nazar Mohammad was a member of the Afghan security forces.
Aljazeera, July 28, 2021

By Ali M Latifi and Abdul Matin Amiri

Kandahar, Afghanistan  Last week, Kawsar Sama and her family packed up their belongings and got on a flight to the capital city of Kabul. For the 21-year-old and her family, life in the southern city of Kandahar had become dangerous as the Taliban has pushed into the districts surrounding Afghanistans second-largest city in recent weeks.

Its too risky for people to send their children to school. Youd only go to the market if you absolutely had to, and even then, so many of the stores would be shut. Life had stopped, Sama said from her familys temporary home in Kabul.

Though she says the Taliban is yet to enter the city centre itself, the fighting has come to the districts. Residents Al Jazeera spoke to said this has left them feeling trapped, in constant fear that the Taliban could arrive any day.

For the Taliban, taking full control of a city home to hundreds of thousands of people a month before the final withdrawal of US-led foreign forces would be a big victory, but to the Kandahari people that all-consuming thought is a nightmare.

Navid Amini, 23, has spent his entire life in the city of Kandahar, but he says he has never seen anything like what has been going on in the province in recent weeks.

Its chaos

Like Sama, Amini says each Taliban advance in the surrounding districts exacerbates the fear among the people.

There is war all around the city, Amini said by phone from Kandahar. On Wednesday, residents told Al Jazeera that there was fighting in four different districts, and that the Taliban had captured a key commercial building.

Last week, Human Rights Watch released a report accusing the Taliban of summarily rounding up and executing people believed to work for the government and members of the Afghan National Security Forces.

The HRW report came just after the United Nations issued a warning to all parties to the conflict that they are tracking the many allegations of harm to civilians in the province.

The Taliban says it categorically rejects the accusations, which it called propaganda.

The group went on to say: We invite all humanitarian and international organisations along with the media to visit Spin Boldak district. We will facilitate their travel and let them prove where and when anyone was killed?

Dur Mohammad, 42, does not buy the Talibans words. He says his nephew, Ahmadullah, who had been part of the police, was taken in the night more than a week ago. He has not been heard from since.

Mohammad says the family was lied to by the group when they first took over Spin Boldak district earlier this month.

He says they sent letters assuring anyone who had worked with the government or foreign forces that no harm would come to them so long as they reported to the leadership and admitted to their crime.

So, we told him to come back. For four days he was fine, then one night they just took him and we havent heard from him since.

Just tell us where the roof is

However, as the war between the two sides grows more violent, the possibility of travelling to the districts is proving more difficult.

Earlier this month, Danish Siddiqui, an award-winning Reuters photojournalist, was killed in crossfire while embedded with the Afghan National Security Forces in Spin Boldak. The government blamed the Taliban for his July 16 killing.

But the government too has taken worrying action towards journalists trying to report from embattled areas.

On Tuesday, there were reports that the Afghan government had detained four journalists for trying to enter Spin Boldak district, bordering Pakistan.

The Ministry of Interior has accused the reporters, working for local radio and TV outlets, of spreading propaganda for the enemy.

Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of the journalists. These journalists were returning from Spin Boldak district after investigating about civilian casualties. We call for their release, the rights group tweeted.

Sama says one does not have to go far to hear of the Talibans cruelty, though.

Even in the outskirts of the city, they come to peoples houses, take what they want and kick entire families out of their homes.

Zainab, 21, says that her family home, only 20 minutes from the city, was recently raided by the Taliban.

It was all us women at home when they came storming in, they said, Dont worry, we wont do anything to you. Just tell us where the roof is.

Zainab said the fighters went straight to the roof, where they started firing on buildings belonging to police with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and rockets. Their home, she said, had become the target of crossfire between the warring sides.

This is a dark place for everyone

Amini says that in Mirwais Mina, a community 15 minutes from the city, residents have noticed a change in the Talibans demeanour.

Theyre not the same Taliban as even two weeks ago, Aminis friends relayed to him, saying that even in the last several days the nature of the Taliban has changed.

Most worrying is the fact that the fighters have been seen digging and placing wires into the ground surrounding the main roads and civilian areas.

They have dug bombs into the ground. Its obvious the civilians cannot even cross a metre to somewhere safer, Amini said.

A recent United Nations report found a threefold increase in the number of civilian casualties from the use of IEDs. According to the UN, the first six months of 2021 saw 501 civilians killed by IEDs and a further 1,457 injured.

In recent weeks, crossfire has also become a prime cause of casualties in the province.

Both the Taliban and the government have killed people, whether its by mistake or on purpose, they have killed people, Amini said of what is causing thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

One camp in the city is now home to more than 22,000 internally displaced people who come from the neighbouring districts and provinces. Overall up to 150,000 people have been displaced due to the war raging in rural areas of Kandahar.

Nasir Ahmad, 24, said his brother, sister-in-law and mother were shot by what he believes to be Taliban fighters.

They were on a motorcycle on the street with my brother when they were shot during a cross-firing, Ahmad told Al Jazeera. My mother was hit in the stomach. My brother has bullet injuries in his back while his wife sustained chest injury.

Amini, the 23-year-old, says the current situation has changed the way he sees the city he has called home his entire life.

I see children scream, old women crying. Everything a young man should not see. This is a dark place for everyone. This is not the place you want to live.
Espanola, NM (87532)

Today

Mostly sunny skies this morning will give way to mostly cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda on Wednesday evening held a meeting with party MPs from three of six regions of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and state in-charge Radha Mohan Singh were also present in the meeting held at the Constitution Club here.

BJP MPs from western, Kanpur and Braj region of Uttar Pradesh were present in the meeting. It is learnt that Nadda told party MPs that BJP government in state under guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leadership of Adityanath fulfilling the developmental agenda. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members from the three regions of Uttar Pradesh were present in the meeting.

Sources said that the chief minister Yogi Adityanath spoke about the his government's development and welfare initiatives.

Nadda will meet the BJP MPs from remaining three regions -- Awadh, Kashi and Gorakhpur -- on Thursday evening.

Sources said that meeting has called to discuss party preparedness for next year's assembly polls. It is learnt that newly inducted seven ministers in the union cabinet has been asked to visit five or more Lok Sabha constituencies to take out Ashirvad Yatra after Independence day to seek blessings of people.

"MPs are asked to spent maximum time in their constituencies and reach out to the people with the developmental agenda and works of BJP government at centre and state," a party insider said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said that it has arrested Raj Singh Gehlot, owner of Ambience Mall in a bank fraud case.

An ED official told IANS that Gehlot has been arrested from Haryana's Gurugram and will be produced before a court in Delhi later in the day.

According to ED officials the bank loan fraud case is worth Rs 200 crore.

Gehlot is also being probed by the CBI.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the CBI to probe the case for the alleged illegal construction of a commercial building on approximately 18.98 acres of land in Gurugram by blatantly flouting the building by-laws and statutory provisions in collusion with others.

It was alleged that the land where the Ambience Mall was built was meant for a housing project.

The CBI has registered a case against a private person, Gehlot, Ambience Ltd and Ambience Developers and Infrastructure Pvt Ltd and unknown officials of HUDA, Town and Country Planning Department and unknown private persons on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The ED and CBI had carried out searches at several locations of Gehlot last year.

For clarifications/queries, please contact IANS NEWS DESK at
Delhi Assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Thursday accused the Centre of snatching away the powers of Delhi Assembly through amending Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Bill, 2021, saying that it is nothing but the murder of democracy.

Ram Niwas Goel, who is a senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Shahdara, said the amendment of GNCTD (Amendment) Bill-2021 was "a clear murder of democracy by the Centre."

Goel said the day GNCTD Bill was passed, he had decided to resign from Speaker's post. "It was painful for me. I could not sleep since the Delhi Assembly's rights were snatched by the Centre. The opposition (BJP) here is talking about their rights in the Assembly. In reality, the opposition has lost this right. I was expecting, BJP MLAs would come to me and say something. They are members of the Delhi assembly and they must have acted against GNCTD Bill, but they did nothing. It pained me. Today, I am saying with full responsibility and with full of emotion that Delhi's power was snatched," Goel made this statement during the first day of the monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly.

GNCTD Act (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Parliament in March this year.

The (Amendment) GNCTD Bill 2021, says the 'government' referred in any law passed by the legislative assembly, would mean Lieutenant Governor.

After the Bill was passed from both the Houses of Parliament, it stated that the Delhi Government must obtain the opinion of Delhi L-G before implementing any policy decision.

The Delhi assembly is meeting for the first time after the Bill was passed by the Parliament.

Goel said, "I would not allow the opposition more than 20 minutes for discussion. It's up to you where you use these 20 minutes for debate or disrupt the session. But, I won't allow you (BJP) more than 20 minutes."

The monsoon session of Delhi assembly began with disruption by BJP MLAs who prompted Speaker to direct to marshal out BJP MLA Anil Bajpai.

Disruption continued during 'Question Hour' and the Speaker suspended one more BJP leader O.P. Sharma and ordered to marshal out former leader of opposition and BJP MLA Vijender Gupta.
A day after the Centre appointed former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana as the Commissioner of Delhi Police, the 1984 batch Gujarat cadre IPS officer took charge on Wednesday and said that he aims to focus on core policing matters.

Asthana arrived at the police headquarters here on Wednesday morning and took charge in the presence of several senior officials. He was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour upon his arrival.

After taking charge, Asthana addressed the top police brass.

Hailing Delhi Police as the premier police force in the country with a formidable reputation in delivering services and handling challenging situations, Asthana outlined the basic policing duties -- prevention and detection of crime and maintenance of law and order -- and drew attention to the special tasks that need to be carried out on priority.

He also praised the track record of Delhi Police in handling law and order situations and stressed upon continuing the good work in busting cyber crime, terror module, narcotics racket, gun smuggling etc.

He also stressed on community policing initiatives like YUVA, senior citizen services etc.

Asthana said detection of crime and strong preventive measures not only reduce the crime burden, but also ensure a feeling of safety and security in the city, particularly among women and vulnerable groups, for which the police should keep making more and more efforts.

Asthana also emphasised on team work to achieve the goal of making Delhi Police one of the best metropolitan force in the world.

Asthana will be in-charge 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".

Asthana had also served as the police commissioner of Vadodara when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was serving as Gujarat Chief Minister.

The government had given additional charge of Delhi Police to Balaji Srivastava after the retirement of S.N. Shrivastava on June 30.

Asthana was currently holding the post of Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) and chief of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

Asthana as the DG of NCB was at the forefront of drug seizures and had directed the investigation into the influx of cocaine and synthetic drugs in the Mumbai film industry.

He also led the NCB probe into the drugs angle in the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput last year.

As BSF DG, Asthana had pushed the force to make the borders more secure by unravelling tunnels used by Pakistan-based terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
Italy has authorized the Moderna Spikevax coronavirus vaccine for minors aged between 12 and 17, the country's health authority said on Wednesday.

The decision came after European Union Medicines Agency (EMA) on July 23 had recommended extending the use of the vaccine to this age group, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Spikevax vaccine (previously Covid-19 Vaccine Moderna) is already authorized for use in people aged 18 and above in the European Union (EU).

The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) has accepted the recommendation, saying that its technical-scientific committee had also greenlighted it after reviewing the available data, which "prove the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine also for people in that age group".

According to the EMA, the effects of Spikevax on minors have been investigated in a study involving 3,732 children aged between 12 and 17. The study showed that the vaccine had produced "a comparable antibody response in 12- to 17-year-olds to that seen in young adults aged 18 to 25 years (as measured by the level of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2)," the EMA said last Friday.

In addition, none of the 2,163 children vaccinated with Spikevax have developed Covid-19 symptoms compared with four of the 1,073 children given placebo. The EU agency therefore concluded that the efficacy of Spikevax in minors aged 12 and above "is similar to that in adults".

To date, over 31 million people in Italy -- or 57.4 per cent of the target population aged 12 and above -- have already been fully immunized, according to the Health Ministry.

Some 66.4 million vaccine doses have been administered so far. Yet, Prime Minister Mario Draghi's cabinet is trying to accelerate the vaccination campaign across the country in light of the new rise in infections brought about by the Delta coronavirus variant.

The seven-day incidence rate of new Covid-19 cases in Italy increased to 31 per 100,000 population in the week of July 12-18 compared to 14 cases a week earlier, the National Health Institute's (ISS) latest monitoring report showed.

Italy has recorded 4.3 million Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic in February 2020. This total includes 70,310 active infections, over 4.1 million recoveries and 127,995 fatalities.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/29/2021 -- According to the new market research report "Aerospace Valves Market by Aircraft Type, End Use (OEM, Aftermarket), Type, Application (Fuel System, Hydraulic System, Environment Control System, Pneumatic System, Lubrication System, Water & Wastewater System) Material, Region  Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market size is projected to grow from USD 11.4 billion in 2021 to USD 14.0 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 4.1% from 2021 to 2026. The market is driven by various factors, such as increase in global aircraft fleet size, short replacement cycle of aerospace valves and growing demand for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.



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The aerospace valves market includes major players like Eaton Corporation PLC (Ireland), Safran (France), Woodward, Inc. (US), Triumph Group (US), and Parker Hannifin Corporation (US). These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well. Industry experts believe that COVID-19 has affected aerospace valves production and services by 710% globally in 2020.



The Environment Control System is projected to witness the largest revenue during the forecast period.



Based on application, the environment control segment is expected to be the largest market by value. The growth of the environment control system segment of the aerospace valves market can be attributed to the many sub-systems it comprises of such as air supply, thermal control, cabin pressurization, avionics cooling, smoke detection and fire suppression. Aerospace valves are also used in other important systems such as pneumatic system, hydraulic system, fuel system. Aerospace valves used in the lubrication system keeps the oil pressure in check, whereas in water and wastewater system, valves allow the flow of potable water to the water distribution system that is then used by passengers and crew onboard.



The butterfly valves segment is projected to witness a higher CAGR during the forecast period



Based on type, the Butterfly Valves segment is projected to be the highest CAGR for the aerospace valves market during the forecast period. The growth of the butterfly valves segment of the aerospace valves market can be attributed to the extensive usage in various applications due to their compact size, less space requirements, and ease of use. These are used commonly in fuel system and pneumatic system of aircrafts.



The stainless-steel segment is projected to witness the highest revenue during the forecast period.



Based on material, the stainless-steel segment is projected to have the highest share of revenue in the aerospace valves market. The extensive use of stainless steel for manufacturing aerospace valves can be attributed to its properties and advantages such as easy availability, low cost, resistance to heat and good strength. It is used in high applications where there is a higher chance of corrosion, high operating temperature.



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The fixed wing aircraft segment is projected to witness the highest revenue during the forecast period.



Based on the aircraft type, the fixed wing aircraft segment is projected to have the highest revenue in the aerospace valves market during the forecast period. Fixed wing aircraft segment consists of commercial aviation, business and general aviation and military aviation. The fixed wing segment consists of the greatest number of aircrafts in terms of absolute numbers. However, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles segment is projected to have the highest CAGR in the aerospace valves market.



The OEM segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



Based on the end use, the OEM segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR for the aerospace valves market during the forecast period. OEMs are responsible for the installation of aerospace valves in an aircraft during the assembly stage and are then made available for delivery to aircraft manufacturers. Over the years, there has been a significant rise in the demand for different aircraft types across regions. According to Airbus, it delivered 863 commercial aircraft to 99 customers in 2019. The aftermarket segment is projected to have more revenue in the aerospace valves market.



The North America market is projected to contribute the largest share from 2021 to 2026.



North America is projected to be the largest regional share of the aerospace valves market during the forecast period. The key factor responsible for North America, leading the aerospace valves market owing to the presence of a large number of aerospace valves manufacturers in the region. Also, the region has been witnessing a rise in the newer aircrafts getting delivered. In North America, the rise in aircraft orders and supplies is encouraging manufacturers of aerospace valves to increase their sales year on year. The increasing demand for commercial aircraft and the presence of some of the leading players operating in the market, such as Honeywell International, Triumph Group, Woodward, Inc, Collins Aerospace, Parker Hannifin Corporation, are expected to drive the aerospace valves market in North America. These players are focusing on R&D to increase their product lines and using technologically advanced systems, subsystems, and other components for manufacturing aerospace valves.



Related Reports:



Aircraft Hydraulic System Market by Type (Open-Center, Closed-Center), Component (Reservoir, Filters, Pumps, Accumulators, Actuators, Hydraulic Fluid), Platform (Fixed, Rotary) and Region - Global Forecast to 2021



Aircraft Fuel Systems Market by Application (Commercial, Military and UAV), Engine Type (Jet engine, Turboprop engine, Helicopter engine and UAV engine), Component, Technology & Region - Global Forecasts to 2020



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.



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Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/29/2021 -- According to a new market research report "Digital Identity Solutions Market with Covid-19 Impact Analysis by Component (Solutions and Services), Solution Type (Biometrics and Non-Biometrics), Authentication Type, Deployment Mode, Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026" published by MarketsandMarkets, In the post-COVID-19 scenario, the digital identity solutions market size projected to grow from USD 23.3 Billion in 2021 to USD 49.5 Billion by 2026, recording a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.2% from 2021 to 2026. The market's growth in the market can be attributed to the increase in instances of identity-related frauds and data breaches and the need for compliance with various upcoming regulations.



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Based on solution type, the Biometric segment is estimated to lead the market in 2021.



Based on solution type, the digital identity solutions market has been bifurcated into two segments: biometrics and non-biometrics. These solutions play a vital role in every organization. Most organizations are moving toward digitalization and cloud-based infrastructure, which help them drive businesses forward and strengthen customer relationships. Biometric segments market to hold the largest market share in the digital identity solutions market.



Based on Vertical, Retail and eCommerce segment is estimated to lead the market in 2021.



Retail and eCommerce is growing at an unprecedented rate in North America, Europe, and APAC. This vertical is targeted to extract highly confidential and sensitive data of critical sectors, including government, prime contractors, and suppliers.



North America is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period.



North America is considered the most mature market in terms of adopting digital identity solutions, due to factors such as the rise in identity and authentication frauds and the presence of key vendors in the region. Cyber threat is becoming a global issue right from individuals to large enterprises. Companies of all sizes are focused on removing security gaps and vulnerabilities from their critical business applications and network infrastructure. Both SMEs and large enterprises are adopting digital identity solutions to maintain the physical security of infrastructure.



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Market Players



Major players, namely, include NEC (Japan), Samsung SDS (South Korea), Thales Group (France), GBG (UK), TELUS (Canada), Tessi (France), Daon (US), IDEMIA (France), ForgeRock (US), Jumio (US), iProov (UK), ID R&D (US), Refinitiv (UK), ImageWare Systems (US), OneSpan (US), Smartmatic (UK), Verisec (Sweden), Vintegris (Spain), AU10TIX (Cyprus), Signicat (Norway), RaulWalter (Estonia), Duo Security (US), Syntizen (India), HashCash Consultants (US), and Good Digital Identity (Czech Republic).



About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.



Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, and strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.



MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.



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MarketsandMarkets INC.

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Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/29/2021 -- According to a research report "Vibration Monitoring Market With COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Offering (Hardware, Software, Services), Monitoring Process, Deployment Type, System Type (Embedded Systems, Vibration Analyzers, Vibration Meters), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Vibration Monitoring Market was valued at USD 1.3 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 1.9 billion by 2026. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period.



Rising need for remote operations owing to the spread of COVID-19, adoption of wireless communication technology in vibration monitoring, advent of secure cloud computing platforms used for vibration monitoring, rising focus toward predictive maintenance in the industrial sector, and deployment of vibration monitoring technologies in the ecosystem of smart manufacturing, and realization of benefits of vibration monitoring systems by manufacturers across the world are contributing to the growth of the vibration monitoring market. Rising adoption of machine learning and big data analytics, strategic partnerships and collaborations among different market players, and advent of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) act as a growth opportunity for the market players.



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Hardware to account for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market



The hardware segment is expected to hold the largest share of the vibration monitoring market. The hardware segment led the vibration monitoring market in 2020, holding a larger share of the market. Vibration can be measured through various types of sensors. Based on different types of vibrations, there are sensors designed to measure displacement, velocity, and acceleration, with different measuring devices and sensors such as accelerometers, proximity probes, velocity sensors, and transmitters. These devices are considered to be the main components of vibration monitoring systems. They are the main sources through which the data related to vibration levels in machinery is obtained well in advance. The data extracted by hardware components enables an effective predictive maintenance program to avoid costly downtime.



Oil & Gas industry accounted for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market in 2020



The oil & gas industry accounted for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market in 2020. The industry has been emphasizing increasing its profitability owing to the rising pressure of high operating costs of oil & gas plants. Fluctuations in oil prices in the global market are another factor contributing to the increasing pressure on the oil & gas industry to reduce its operating costs. Thus, this industry is expected to adopt vibration monitoring systems and solutions to maintain the efficient working of its critical assets and reduce downtime. The overall ecosystem of machine condition monitoring ensures uninterrupted operations of production machinery with minimized downtime; this helps reduce maintenance costs and increase the productivity of the machinery used in oil & gas plants. Moreover, the increasing demand for online vibration monitoring solutions is expected to further drive the vibration monitoring market for oil & gas industry. Though the industry accounted for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market in 2020, there was a sharp decline in oil prices owing to the COVID-19 in the same year. This may adversely affect the deployment of new vibration monitoring systems and solutions in the industry in 2021, as it is expected to start recovering in the same year, and the deployment of new vibration monitoring systems and solutions will result in increased expenses for oil & gas companies.



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North America to account for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market by 2026



North America to account for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market by 2026. Factors such as increased focus on optimum asset utilization; tight government regulations for workplace and personnel safety; and stringent quality control in the oil & gas, chemical, and food & beverage industries drive the demand for vibration monitoring systems and solutions in North America. Emphasis on plant asset management and presence of prominent market players such as Emerson Electric, General Electric, Honeywell International, National Instruments, and Parker Hannifin in the US contribute to the high demand for vibration monitoring systems in the country. The aerospace and oil & gas industries are developing at a rapid pace in Canada and Mexico. This is also expected to drive the market in North America. The post-COVID-19 scenario is expected to be characterized by supply chain disruptions and suspension of commercial and industrial activities. Consequently, the demand for semiconductor devices in these segments is anticipated to reduce remarkably. The US, which is home to the majority of manufacturers of vibration monitoring systems, has witnessed the impact of the COVID-19 on the production of sensors and other components owing to disruptions in the manufacturing activities caused by lockdowns and shutdowns of production facilities.



A few of the key players in the vibration monitoring market are General Electric (US), Honeywell International (US), Emerson Electric (US), SKF (Sweden), Schaeffler (Germany), Parker Haniffin (US), Rockwell Automation (US), Meggit (UK), Analog Devices (US), and National Instruments (US).



Related Reports:



Machine Condition Monitoring Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis, by Monitoring Technique (Vibration Monitoring, Oil Analysis, Corrosion Monitoring), Monitoring Process, Deployment Type, Offering, Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026



Machine Safety Market with COVID-19 Impact, by Component (Presence Sensing Safety Sensors, Safety PLCs, Safety Modules/Controllers/Relays), Implementation, Application (Assembly, Packaging, Robotics), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025



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Nearly all my earliest memories came from Burma, where we stayed for a little over three years. Some of what I remember was clearly real, such as the beautiful palace in Mandalay, with a charming moat around it, the striking views from the banks of the Irrawaddy River and the presence of shapely pagodas wherever we went.

Following excerpts adapted from the Author's latest book, Home in the World, published by Penguin Publishers

by Amartya Sen

One of the earliest memories from my childhood is being awakened by the loud hoot of a ship. I was nearly three years old. The sound made me sit up with some anxiety, but my parents reassured me that all was well and that we were sailing from Calcutta to Rangoon through the Bay of Bengal. My father, who taught Chemistry at Dhaka University in what is now Bangladesh, was about to begin three years teaching in Mandalay as a visiting professor. When the hoot woke me, our ship had just completed the hundred-mile journey from Calcutta to the sea on the Ganges (in those days Calcutta was still serving as a port for quite big ships). My father explained to me that we were now going to be on the open sea until we arrived in Rangoon in a couple of days. I did not, of course, know what a sea journey would be like, nor anything about the different ways that people travelled from one place to another. But I did experience a sense of adventure, and an exciting feeling that something serious was happening to me which had never happened before. The deep blue waters of the Bay of Bengal looked as if they had been conjured from Aladdins lamp.





Nearly all my earliest memories came from Burma, where we stayed for a little over three years. Some of what I remember was clearly real, such as the beautiful palace in Mandalay, with a charming moat around it, the striking views from the banks of the Irrawaddy River and the presence of shapely pagodas wherever we went. But my memories of the elegance of Mandalay may not match the accounts some others give of a very dusty city, and the striking beauty of our typical Burmese house was, I expect, exaggerated by my love for it. The fact is, I could not have been happier.

I travelled from my earliest days. After my childhood in Burma, I went back to Dhaka, but then moved again fairly soon to live and study in Santiniketan, where Rabindranath Tagore, the visionary poet, had established his experimental school. He was a great influence on me and my family. The title of this memoir is inspired by his book The Home and the World, and reflects his influence.

After ten engaging years at Tagores school in Santiniketan, I went to Calcutta to begin my college education. I had some excellent teachers and great classmates there, and the work of the college was well supplemented by a coffee house next door in which wonderfully engaging discussions and debates often occurred. From there I went to Cambridge, England, which started with another captivating boat journey, this time from Bombay to London. Both Cambridge and my college, Trinity, drew me into their splendid old history.

Then came a year spent teaching at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and at Stanford in California. I made brief attempts to put down roots in various places before returning to India (via Lahore and Karachi in Pakistan) to teach at Delhi University, offering courses in economics, philosophy, game theory, mathematical logic, and  a relatively new subject  social choice theory. The recollection of the first three decades of my life ends with happy days as a dedicated young teacher, with the anticipation of a new  and a more mature  stage of my life.

As I found my feet in Delhi, I had time to think a little about my earlier years, filled with a wide range of experiences. I decided that there were two quite different ways of thinking about the civilizations of the world. One approach takes the fragmentary perspective and sees a variety of features as manifestations of quite distinct civilizations. This approach, with the additional feature of hostility between the fragments, has come much into vogue recently, threatening a lasting clash of civilizations.

The other approach is inclusive, and concentrates on looking for different manifestations of ultimately one civilization  perhaps we should call it a world civilization  which generates different flowers through an interrelated life of roots and branches. This book is not, of course, an investigation of the nature of civilization, but, as the reader will see, its sympathies are with an inclusive rather than a fragmentary understanding of what the world offers.

From the Crusades in the Middle Ages to the Nazi invasions in the last century, from communal clashes to battles between religious politics, there have been tussles between varying convictions, and yet there have also been forces for unity working against the clashes. We can see, if we look, how understanding can spread from one group to another and from one country to the next. As we move around we cannot escape clues to broader and more integrative stories. Our ability to learn from each other must not be underestimated.

Being in reflective human company can be an enormously constructive experience. At the end of the tenth century and the beginning of the eleventh, the Iranian mathematician Al-Biruni, who spent many years in India, remarked in his book Tarikh al-Hind that learning about each other contributes both to knowledge and to peace. He presents a wonderful account of mathematics, astronomy, sociology, philosophy and medicine in India a thousand years ago, and also shows how human knowledge expands through friendship. Al-Birunis fondness for Indians contributed to his interest and expertise in Indian mathematics and science. This fondness did not, however, prevent him from teasing them a little. Indian mathematics is very good, Al-Biruni says, but the most unusual gift Indian intellectuals have is something quite different: it is their ability to talk eloquently on subjects about which they know absolutely nothing.

Would I be proud of that gift if I had it? I dont know, but perhaps I should begin by talking about things I do know. This memoir is a small attempt to do just that, or at least to talk about things I have experienced, whether or not I actually know them.

***

Click Here to Buy the Book

***

About the Author: Amartya Sen is Professor of Economics and Professor of Philosophy at Harvard. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1998 to 2004, and won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1998. His many celebrated books including Development as Freedom (1999), The Argumentative Indian (2005), Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny (2007), and The Idea of Justice (2010), have been translated into more than 40 languages. In 2012 he received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama and in 2020 he was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade by President Steinmeier.
Heather Fleming, founder of Missouri Equity Education Partners, responded to Missouri's Joint Committee on Education's exclusion of testimonies during the invite-only hearing on Critical Race Theory in schools, "As an equity educator I was disappointed in the way that they misrepresented exactly what I do on a daily basis. What we do when we are teaching equity is we're teaching each other how to love one another better."
Civil Rights Leaders meet with President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on July 8, 2021 (from left): Melanie Campbell, president/CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and Convener, Black Womens Roundtable; Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Marc Morial, president and CEO, National Urban League; Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, national chair and president, National Council of Negro Women, Inc.; Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president, National Action Network; Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel, NAACP Legal Fund; and Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP (not pictured: Damon Hewitt, president and executive director, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law).
Dr. Daniel Mamah says growing up in Nigeria opened his eyes to lack of healthcare in Africa and led him to pursue a career in medicine.
Members of the "Bridge 2 Hope" activist group protested outside SLPS headquarters during the July 14 school board meeting. The group is advocating for more personalized reading and mathematics to increase the number of SLPS students reading at grade level.
Until Friday, guests will operate under the same procedures: masks are optional for fully vaccinated guests in most areas except on resort transportation, including the Skyliner, monorail and buses. Guests who are not fully vaccinated are expected to wear face coverings while indoors and upon entering attractions and transportation, per Disneys guidelines. Disney does not require proof of visitor vaccination.
The morning of the fire, two Hollywood police officers were dispatched to the Carriage Hills apartment complex at 100 Berkeley Road. They arrived at around 4:15 a.m. and helped get the couple outside. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames and evacuated other residents from adjacent units.
No one else is being sought in connection with the shooting, according to police spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi.
If DeSantis had been governor at the time of the introduction of the polio vaccine, Florida would have had the highest rates of that illness, just as it now claims the dubious distinction of the most COVID-infected individuals in the country. I only hope that the 56% of Floridians currently vaccinated will remember the governors irresponsible, pandering attitude at the next election in 2022.
A 27-year-old man has been arrested on Spain's Costa del Sol for allegedly grooming 37 girls in the USA and Canada, after a tip off from law enforcement authorities in the States.

Officers from the National Police forces Central Cybercrime Unit pulled together the threads that finally led to the arrest of a young man from Marbella as the main suspect of cyberbullying and sexual harassment, using the Instagram app.

It was Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) branch of the North American police that, through the USA Embassy in Spain, led to the Spanish investigation. They reported that two American girls had reported a sexual harasser who could be located in Spain.

Cybercrime officers in Spain found the suspect used online anonymisation tools and used different virtual identities to hide his tracks. They found that the stalker gained the trust of victims by posing as girls of similar age by using dozens of fake profiles. Once they fell into his trap, he began the cyberbullying process, during which police said the young man from Marbella showed extremely high aggression towards the minors, subjecting them to great pressure and threatening to spread the intimate photographs he had obtained of them among their contacts.

National Police followed the stalker's trail to the Costa del Sol. The command of English that the suspect used, made officers think that it could be a long-term foreign resident in Marbella.

However, finally, the investigations focused on a Spanish family, residing in the Costa del Sol town. The National Police revealed that thanks to the analysis of seized devices, a total of 36 victims have been identified in the United States and one more in Canada.
The US president Joe Biden has appointed Julissa Reynoso as the countrys new ambassador to Spain, a position that must be still be confirmed by the Senate.

The president was not expected to put a political heavyweight in Madrid, but neither was he expected to steal the head of the Office of the First Lady from his wife.

Julissa Reynoso was born in January 1975 in the Dominican Republic. She immigrated to the United States in 1982.

Educated at Catholic schools and a Bronx High School her brilliant grades allowed her to study law at Harvard (1997) and Columbia, and philosophy at Cambridge in England.

"She is an incredible friend and leader," Jill Biden told the Associated Press when the White House announced her appointment on Wednesday.

The rising star of the Democratic Party participated in Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2008 and moved with her to the State Department as her assistant for the Western Hemisphere. She has an activist heart that she uses to seek justice for immigrants.

The West Wing of the White House also relied on Reynoso for gender equality policies.

No matter what degrees she has from Harvard and Columbia, or what positions she has held in the State Department and the White House, she will always be a 'Latina' from the Bronx. When I came to Harvard in 1993, I was not a Latina, I was just 'Julissa', and sometimes 'the Dominican'.

After all these years amongst the political elite, she still confesses to hankering for rice with pigeon peas from her homeland, especially if the music of Juan Luis Guerra is playing in the background.
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'Born to Run' hitmaker and New Jersey legend Bruce Springsteen turns down an offer to have a rest stop named after him in his hometown.
LOBAMBA  The arrest of the two Members of Parliament was not politically motivated, according to Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini.

He said this in the House of Assembly yesterday when presenting a ministerial statement. The two currently incarcerated MPs are Hosea MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Ngwempisi MP Mthandeni Dube. The PM said as government, they were aware that there was talk that the MPs were arrested for voicing out their political views. We wish to put it on record that these allegations are unfounded and the arrests are in no way politically motivated, said Dlamini. He said they trusted that the justice system would give them a free and fair trial.

For now, they remain innocent until proven guilty and we cannot engage on this matter any further as it is now subjudice, said Dlamini. However, in response Lobamba Lomdzala MP Mawrick Khumalo informed the PM that the perception both internationally, on social media and for the ordinary man on the street was that the arrests were politically driven. He said the country needed to allow political debate and that the MPs must be allowed to speak freely otherwise they would be of the view that they were not allowed to speak freely yet the Constitution allowed it. Before the PM read his statement, Nkilongo MP Timothy Myeni had asked the Attorney General Sifiso Khumalo if they as MPs were safe to address political issues both in and out of the House freely. Where is the freedom for us to speak, because we will all clearly end up in jail, wondered MP Myeni.

Funerals

He asked if MPs were free to speak at Tinkhundla centres, at funerals or even to respond to things which were asked by journalists without the risk of facing arrest. We were elected to represent the people, but today we do not have three members in this house because they spoke their mind, he said making reference to MP Mabuza, MP Dube and Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi Simelane. In response, the AG said he had not heard of any person who was arrested for what was said in Parliament. He said arrests had been carried out on people who had looted and others for allegedly contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act and the Public Order Act. He said however, once a person spoke outside Parliament there were certainly limits to that freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression has restrictions and it is not absolute as stated in Section 24 (1) of the Constitution, said Khumalo. The AG said freedom was limited especially if it touched on issues of public order or safety especially if it was inciting violence.

However, the Nkilongo MP wondered which of the speeches made had incited violence. Meanwhile, Lobamba Lomdzala MP asked how the MPs had been charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, because they had read somewhere on social media that the Act had been declared unconstitutional by the full bench of the court. The AG said the information was partly true and stated that government had noted an appeal on that ruling which was why the status quo was to the effect that the law was still in place. The AG further said the inciting of violence was in the Public Order Act in Section 15. Meanwhile, the PM informed the House that they would recall that the violence sprung out from the process of delivering petitions to 51 Tinkhundla.

Violence

What became concerning was the level of violence that erupted at the delivery of these petitions to some of the Tinkhundla, coupled with the blatant disregard of COVID-19 regulations and protocols at a time when the kingdom was at the brink of a third wave, said Dlamini. However, he said threats and violence against those people do not agree with are misplaced under the banner of freedom of expression and so was hate speech. We need to make a clear distinction between freedom of expression and inciting violence that threatens lives. The rule of law should be upheld at all times and government will not hesitate to bring to book anyone who instigates violence under the guise of freedom of expression, said Dlamini. He said as government they strongly discouraged threats and intimidation against those seen to be of different political views, including the cyber bullying that was recently witnessed in the country.

Such a level of violence is foreign to our country and should never be allowed to surface again. The level of disinformation peddled by agents and instigators of violence on different platforms is condemned, he said. On another note, about 23 MPs debated the PMs speech from the initial 40 who had indicated that they wanted to debate it. The House sitting had to be adjourned as the MPs highlighted that due to the COVID-19 regulations the curfew was at 8pm. The Speaker Petros Mavimbela then postponed the sitting to this afternoon and the House was adjourned at around 6:20pm.
MBABANE  MP Bacede Mabuza and MP Mthandeni Dube face up to 15 years in prison without an option of a fine if found guilty.

This is according to the principal investigator of the case, Clement Sihlongonyane. He told the court that the evidence against the two was overwhelming and their guilt would be established beyond reasonable doubt. He further said a conviction under Section 5(1) of the Suppression of Terrorism Act 2008 as read with Section 2(a) to (d) of the Act as amended attracted a mandatory custodial sentence of not more than 15 years imprisonment without an option of a fine. Sihlongonyane submitted that the strength of the Crowns case, coupled with the severity of the prescribed possible sentence, would induce both accused persons to flee the country.

He stated that the Crown had a strong case against the accused persons in the nature of video recordings allegedly capturing them committing the offences and statements by witnesses who reportedly witnessed the commission of the offences. In their bail application, Mabuza and Dube told the court that they were innocent of the charges levelled against them as they allegedly never committed them. They said it was clear that their charges emanated from the execution of the mandate that was given to them by people under their constituencies.

Immunities

Dube informed the court that the charge sheet indicated that what they were alleged to have done was in furtherance of their duties as MPs, as such they were protected from arrest as a result of parliamentary immunities. He argued that this was a complete defence. Dube also submitted that it was common cause that he operated a feedlot business and was married with children. The legislator argued that he was not a flight risk. He also pleaded with the court to consider that during his arrest, he fully cooperated with the police. Mabuza and Dube also told the court that they feared being poisoned in prison and preferred to be remanded in police custody. However, they have since been remanded at Matsapha Correctional facility.
MANZINI  The police are still looking for Siphofaneni Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane.

This was disclosed by Deputy Police Information and Communication Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni. She said Simelane, by yesterday evening, had not been apprehended. We are still looking for him as there is a warrant of apprehension that was issued for his arrest, Mnguni said. Simelane is one of three legislators who have been calling for political reforms in the country. Two of his counterparts  Hosea Constituency MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Ngwempisi Constituency MP Mthandeni Dube  were apprehended on Sunday.

.They were arrested for allegedly contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act while Mabuza was also separately charged for allegedly contravening Regulation 4 of the Disaster Management (COVID -19) Regulations 2020 under the Disaster Management Act 2006. Since the pairs incarceration, Simelane has been said to be on the police wanted list. On Monday, the Crown said an arrest warrant for Simelane was issued on the same date as the ones for the pair  July 8, 2021. Meanwhile, in an interview published by this newspaper on Monday, MP Simelane denied that he was in hiding. Simelane said; I am a resident of Siphofaneni. As I speak, I am here but doing all I can to be safe as we do not trust these people we are dealing with. He said he had not received any communication from the State, adding that he did not want to act based on rumours. When questioned on whether he had offered support to his incarcerated colleagues, Simelane said they were in constant communication each time they got an opportunity to do so. He stated that physically, he was not there to offer support in court, but they agreed to keep each other updated.

It is a challenging moment but we saw it coming and I am happy that we are so solid and together all the way, said the legislator. Simelane said they were now at a point of no return in the pursuit for freedom of the people. He said fear was no longer an option, adding that the question would only be as to how they navigated in the face of the tribulations. Further, he assured that before they embarked on the journey to call for political reforms, they knew that they would have to cross such rivers. If the likes of Chris Hani of South Africa had to cross the crocodile infested Zambezi River risking their lives to quench their thirst for democracy, then who are we to fear such? he questioned.
MBABANE - The Crown says releasing Hosea MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and his Ngwempisi counterpart, MP Mthandeni Dube, will endanger the safety of the public.

According to the principal investigator of the matter, Senior Superintendent Clement Sihlongonyane, some public officials have already started receiving threats as a result of the duos arrest. On Monday, the two MPs moved an urgent application for bail, which is, however, being met with resistance from the Crown. In their application, they both denied committing the offences. They are alleged to have incited the public to revolt against a constitutionally established government. As such, they were charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008. In the second charge, Mabuza is alleged to have contravened the COVID-19 regulations in June. In his opposing affidavit, Sihlongonyane submitted that the claim by the accused persons that they were innocent of the charges against them was neither here nor there. He told the court that the State would lead evidence to prove commission of the offences they were charged with.

Release

Sihlongonyane told the court that the release of the pair would endanger the safety of the public. This is because some public officials have already received threats as a result of their arrest. May I further state that the release of the applicants will jeopardise public confidence in the criminal justice system. The offences committed by the applicants resulted in the loss of life, bodily injuries and destruction of private and public properties. The society expects protection from the courts, the principal investigator said. He also submitted that the accused persons were a flight risk. According to Sihlongonyane, Mabuza and Dube would allegedly interfere with Crown evidence, jeopardising public peace and stability. He said, therefore, it would not be in the interest of justice to grant the MPs bail. He pointed out that when Mabuza allegedly committed the offences, he was out on bail in another matter and that, according to Sihlongonyane, demonstrated that he had a propensity to commit offences.

Innocent

Sihlongonyane further submitted that it was neither here nor there that Mabuza and Dube told the court that they were innocent of the charges because the Crown would lead evidence to prove that they committed the offences. These offences do not emanate from the mandate given to them by the people under their constituencies. The applicants do not state where and when they were given the said mandate by the people from their constituencies. In any event, in law, peoples mandate is not a defence against a criminal charge, contended Sihlongonyane. The principal investigator informed the court that he had been advised that the immunities of Parliament fell into two broad categories. He said the first was the immunity of Members of Parliament and other people taking part in proceedings of Parliament, usually referred to as freedom of speech. This immunity, according to the Crown, means that members and persons participating in proceedings of Parliament cannot be sued or impeached in the courts for anything they may say there. Sihlongonyane said the second was the immunity attached to proceedings in Parliament, including decisions of the House and public debates and proceedings. Wherefore I state that when the applicants committed these offences, they were not acting under parliamentary immunities, as such cannot claim protection from arrest as a result of their utterances to the effect that the public must revolt against the constitutionally established Government of Eswatini.

Utterances

The basis of the charges against the applicants emanated from utterances and conduct made outside Parliament or parliamentary proceedings, he added. Regarding MP Mabuza, Sihlongonyane submitted that he was not aware how many businesses the former had. He said even if Mabuza had businesses, that would not outweigh the fact that he was allegedly a flight risk and would interfere with Crown witnesses. The investigator told the court that Mabuza would know the names and identities of the Crown witnesses during the course of the trial. He said some of the witnesses were from Hosea. Further to that, the applicant (Mabuza) is a renowned businessperson and, therefore, has financial means to interfere with the said witnesses. On the other hand, once the applicant is released on bail, the Crown will not have the necessary resources or mechanism to monitor or police against the said likely interference. Sihlongonyane said both applicants, regardless that they had businesses, family and emotional ties in the country, nothing could prevent them from selling their businesses and assets and relocate together with their families to another country. He argued that with their financial resources, the two could easily re-establish a new life elsewhere, possibly in the Republic of South Africa, especially where Mabuza has a biological brother in Pretoria.

Extradition

Sihlongonyane also submitted that even though Eswatini had an extradition agreement with the Republic of South Africa, experience has taught us that it is very difficult to extradite fugitives from the Republic of South Africa. The success rate of extradition applications sent to the Republic of South Africa has been minimal. There are other countries which Eswatini does not have extradition treaties or agreements with, which the applicants can flee to. He said revealing the names of witnesses at this stage would be a high risk. According to Sihlongonyane, Mabuza was capable of looking for the concealed witnesses, due to the prevailing situation in the country, if granted bail and would allegedly mobilise many people to join his unlawful activities of revolting against government. The investigator also told the court that Mabuza allegedly took the warrant of arrest and locked himself in his car for one and half hours and in no time the warrant went viral on social media, instigating his followers. Therefore, the applicant is misleading the court that he is a law abiding citizen. The bail application will be heard today at 2:30pm by Judge Mumcy Dlamini. Mabuza and Dube are represented by Advocate Mduduzi Tsotsi Mabila, who has been instructed by Sifiso Jele of S.M. Jele Attorneys.

The charges

First count

The accused persons (Bacede and Mthandeni) are guilty of contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act. In that during the month of June 2021, in the Hhohho, Manzini, Lubombo and Shiselweni regions, the said accused persons each or all of them acting in furtherance of a common purpose with Mduduzi Magawugawu Simelane (who is a fugitive of justice) did unlawfully commit a terrorist act by inciting the people of Eswatini to revolt against the constitutionally established Government of Eswatini. Whereas, as a consequence of the incitement made by the said accused persons, there were riots in all the regions of the country. These riots caused loss of life, bodily injuries and destruction of private and public properties.



Second count:

Accused NO.1 (Bacede) alleged contravened Regulation 4 of the Disaster Management (COVID-19) Regulations 2020 under the Disaster Management Act 01/2006: In that upon or about June 5, 2021 at Hosea in the Shiselweni Region, the said accused failed to keep a register as required by the reglations for any gathering and sanitise participants in a gathering he had convened and thereby committed the said offence.




IBM has appointed Saad Toma as the general manager for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. He succeeds Takreem El Tohamy, who has been named the general manager for its global strategic sales.

With industry, services and technology expertise, Toma has more than 30 years of experience at IBM working across multiple geographies. He will be responsible for IBMs overall business operations across Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

IBM EMEA General Manager Marta Martinez Alonso said: Toma is a respected leader with a reputation for developing high-performing teams and being a true partner to our clients, helping them with their transformation journeys."

I would like to thank El Tohamy for his role in driving IBMs business and footprint in Middle East and Africa over the past decade and wish him success in his new role," Alonso added.

Toma previously led IBMs Global Technology Services (GTS) business in MEA from 2011 until 2016. He most recently held the position of General Manager, GTS for Asia Pacific (APAC) where he was responsible for guiding clients on their digital transformation journeys through Hybrid Cloud, Data and AI.

On his new role, Toma said: We are at a pivotal point in shaping the future of our industry. Technology adoption is not only vital to a successful, more competitive business but a key driver to economic development and growth.

I am privileged to lead IBM Middle East and Africa and, together with my colleagues, work with governments and clients across the region to help them leverage IBMs hybrid cloud and AI solutions, services and our ecosystem partners to transform and drive innovation," he added.

Both appointments are effective immediately.-TradeArabia News Service
CHANDIGARH, India, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "Multinational companies all over the world have to strategize by making futuristic products and technologies available to the customers with changing time.



Companies that fails to innovate are slowly extinct from the market," said world renowned author and Father of Modern Marketing, Prof. Philip Kotler during the inauguration ceremony of the TechInvent 2021 organized by Chandigarh University.



Budding technocrats from all over India are participating in the month-long virtual TechInvent in which more than 50+ category of events based upon 16 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals would be organized were students from technical countries, central universities, Private Universities and Colleges would be competing with each other to grab exciting cash rewards worth Rs 20 Lakhs.



Dr. Waldemar A. Pfoertsch, Prof. Emeritus for International Business at Pforzheim University, Germany, Dr. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman AICTE and Anantha Duraiappah, Director UNESCO MGIEP were amongst the dignitaries who were present during the inauguration ceremony. While delivering his inaugural address to the students Prof. Kotler said, "The emergence of digital marketing has opened up new avenues for the smaller companies while on the other hand it has offered access to more variety for the consumers. Marketing 5.O has just introduced the idea of using Artificial Intelligence in understanding the mood and requirement of the consumers." He further said that today when we go online shopping the search algorithm used by the digital platforms show results that is based on the historical consumer behavior. While laying stress on using the mix blend of traditional and modern marketing methods, Prof. Kotler said, "The traditional marketing techniques are based on consumer experience while the modern-day digital marketing techniques are based on historical consumer behavior. My advice to the young and budding innovators is to first study the problems that are currently be faced in the society which should be followed by searching the possible solutions to address those problem by innovating new products and technologies."



Dr. Waldemar A. Pfoertsch said, "Young and inquisitive mind helps in building the technology driven products which are the future of the global markets. If we see the technological advancement that were held during the last decade, we will find that most of them have been the brainchild of youth innovators who through their futuristic vision have put their expertise in the development of products that we are using today." Dr. Waldemar further added that university and higher institution play a critical role in breeding the next generation of innovators as it is important for the student community to learn the art of practically applying the theoretical concepts studied in classroom.



"Global pandemic has affected the practical learning of the student community. As the student community has been dependent on online learning it has been observed that the technical knowledge could not be passed successfully during the pandemic period" said Prof. Priestly Shan, Dean Academic Affair, Chandigarh University. TechInvent 2021 is an attempt to provide an International platform to the students where they cannot only show there technical skills but also gives them an opportunity to learn new technologies from industry experts. During the month long TechInvent 2021 hosted by Chandigarh University 50+ events in the field of engineering, business management, mass communication, hotel management, fine arts, law, sciences and technology, fashion designing, industrial design, architecture would be held. The students can register online https://techinvent.cuchd.in/ to participate and submit their entries till than more than 10000 students have already registered, and the initial rounds of the events are underway while the final rounds would be organized on 3rd and 4th September 2021.



While giving details about the TechInvent 2021, Dr. R.S Bawa, Pro-Chancellor, Chandigarh University said, "42 flagship events, 21 International Workshops, 6 National Level Conferences, 3 Entrepreneurship Summits would be organized during the month-long National level TechInvent 2021. Dignitaries from Ministry of Power, Ministry of Earth Sciences, UNESCO, PEDA, AICTE, Asian Climate Change Education Centre would be taking part while representatives from more than 20 industries would also interact with the students during the International Level TechInvent.



About Chandigarh University



Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and an autonomous educational institution approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.



Website: https://techinvent.cuchd.in/



Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583002/Philip_Kotler_Chandigarh_University.jpg



(Disclaimer--Features may vary depending on the regions; subject to change without notice.)
Afghanistan, NATO discuss further cooperation after troop withdrawal : Foreign Ministry 03 Aug 2021 | 5:51 PM Moscow, Aug 3 (UNI/SPUTNIK) Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar has met with NATOs Senior Civilian Representative for Afghanistan Stefano Pontecorvo to discuss further cooperation after the international troops withdrawal, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. see more..

Wildfire raging near Jerusalem, evacuation underway, highway blocked 03 Aug 2021 | 5:41 PM Tel Aviv, Aug 3 (UNI/SPUTNIK) A major wildfire has broken out in a forest on the outskirts of Jerusalem, more than a dozen firefighting crews are involved in extinguishing the blaze, Israel's Fire and Rescue Services said. see more..

New Iranian President Raisi vows to rid country of US sanctions 03 Aug 2021 | 5:02 PM Moscow, Aug 3 (UNI/SPUTNIK) -Ebrahim Raisi announced on Tuesday during his inauguration as the new Iranian president that he would seek the lifting of US sanctions that have targeted the country for years. see more..

Russian ISS cosmonauts set to have 2 spacewalks in Sept to work on Nauka Modul : Roscosmos 03 Aug 2021 | 4:57 PM Moscow, Aug 3 (UNI/SPUTNIK) Russian crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov are expected to enter open space on September 2 and September 8 to try to integrate the Multifunctional Laboratory Module Nauka with the ISS, Russia's state space agency Roscosmos said on Tuesday. see more..
UW Wool Throw Sales Begin, Funds to Benefit States Sheep Industry

Sales from the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources wool throw project will be sown back into the states sheep industry.

Wool shorn from sheep at UWs Laramie Research and Extension Center was processed and knitted into limited edition UW-themed throws at Mountain Meadow Wool in Buffalo. Each throw contains a certificate of authenticity with a QR code that documents the story behind the blanket from raw wool to finished throw, and a UW Department of Wool canvas bag from the 1950s.

Pre-sales began July 27 for the first 20 blankets, which also includes non-fungible token digital artwork tied to the blanket edition. The remaining blankets will be on sale Aug. 17.

The money will help expand research and training opportunities for students in the sheep industry, says Whit Stewart, a UW assistant professor and extension sheep specialist.

It allows us to be really flexible to really solve problems that Wyoming sheep producers are experiencing and to help give them more opportunities, he says.

Many of the broad research efforts to help the sheep industry are at the whim of various grants, which can be hindered by time and resources, and determined by individuals far removed from the actual operation, Stewart says.

What we will be able to do with these monies, even though it will take a while to build those up, I think it is responsive to how things are changing, he says. Not only does it create awareness for a college thats always been working for Wyoming, but it just shows we are adopting to the changing dynamic of your institution and our state.

Funds will go toward graduate students, such as Courtney Newman, who recently started her masters in animal science at UW, Stewart says.

Her research is looking at the feasibility of blockchain technology in the sheep industry.

Within that, we have three different components we are looking at, with the live animal side, the meat side and also the wool side, says Newman, a Fort Collins, Colo., native.

Newman and Stewart hope to do some feasibility studies and then some application.

On the basic level for the producers, we are hoping this will allow them new technology for recordkeeping, Newman says. But also, we are hoping to have source-verified and provide that value-added component with it.

Previous research provided a surface-level look at using blockchain within the sheep industry, she says.

There is a big need on the consumer side of being able to show them the processes that go into these products and agriculture as a whole, and giving them increased confidence with the technology, Newman says. On the producer side and the state agriculture as an industry, it is giving them a new way to market their products with that value-added aspect that will give them more tangible evidence of what their processes are, and the time and energy they invest into those.

Funds also will provide undergraduate students opportunities to experience hands-on learning to potentially travel the state to see first-hand problems within the industry and help them begin to think with an entrepreneurial mindset on how to solve these issues, Stewart adds.

With changing budgets, the only thing I have any certainty in is if we raise resources to train our students in the way we know they need to be trained and not some distant dictate from a federal agency, he says. We are going to be much more beneficial to our state, and we are going to be training people who are sought after nationally and internationally.

It is not a slush fund, Stewart says. It is building capacity and expanding efforts so we are being successful.

For more information, visit www.sheepchain.org/blanket-project.
ELIZABETH URBAN is News Editor for The Vidette. Urban can be contacted at emurba1@ilstu.edu. Follow Urban on Twitter at @eliizabethurban.

IF YOU SUPPORT THE VIDETTE MISSION of providing a training laboratory for Illinois State University student journalists to learn and sharpen viable, valuable and marketable skills in all phases of digital media, please contribute to this most important cause. Thank you.


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Man Arrested After Pursuit Appears in Court

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A man facing multiple charges from a two-state pursuit has been arraigned.The McCracken Circuit Court Clerk says a not guilty plea was entered for 26-year-old Steven J. Youman of Metropolis. His next court date is a pre-trial conference on September 27.On June 30, Massac County Sheriff's Deputies had pulled Youman over, but say he drove away, almost striking an officer. They were pursuing Youman's vehicle when he crossed the I-24 bridge into Paducah. Even though stop sticks punctured his tires, Youman reportedly continued to flee on Husband Road until he eventually crashed into a field along Krebs Station Road. Deputies say he fled on foot, but a K-9 officer found him a short time later.Youman faces charges of speeding, reckless driving, fleeing or evading police in a vehicle and on foot, two counts of wanton endangerment, criminal mischief, DUI with aggravating circumstances, failure to register the transfer a motor vehicle, and failure to produce an insurance card.On the Net:
Man's Burglary, Endangerment Case Moves Forward

By West Kentucky Star Staff





PADUCAH - A man facing burglary and wanton endangerment charges was in court on Tuesday.Twenty-four-year-old Lyndon Phillips was arraigned in McCracken Circuit Court, and after a not guilty plea was entered, a pre-trial conference was scheduled for September 20.Phillips was arrested June 1 after an incident on Olivet Church Road. McCracken Sheriff's Deputies say someone purchased an item from Phillips, but he showed up later at the person's home and attempted to get the item back. There was an argument, and officers say Phillips attempted to strike the victim with a handgun, then allegedly shot at the victim and fled. He was spotted later and arrested after a vehicle pursuit and foot chase.Phillips faces charges of wanton endangerment, burglary, criminal mischief, fleeing or evading in a vehicle and on foot, resisting arrest, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic control devices.On the Net:
Paducah Shooting Suspect Arraigned

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A man involved in a shooting in Paducah in June was arraigned in court this Thursday.The McCracken County Circuit Court Clerk said 29-year-old Stanley D. Crume of Cairo, Illinois was arraigned and entered a not guilty plea in charges from a shooting incident in June. His pretrial conference is set for September 27.On June 13 Paducah Police officers were called to multiple reports of shots fired in the area of Glenwood Drive. No injuries were reported, but one home on Glenwood Drive was struck by gunfire.Officers allege that Crume was looking for someone related to 20-year-old Darrius White, who was killed in the Colony Drive shooting on June 8. Crume reportedly produced a handgun, and an argument ensued. Authorities say that Crume then fled and fired multiple shots as he ran.Crume was arrested later in the week after turning himself in. He is charged with five counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.
Symsonia Woman Draws Drug Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A Symsonia woman was charged Wednesday night following a traffic stop in Paducah.According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Department, a deputy conducted a traffic stop for a traffic violation on South 21st Street at C Street.The operator was identified as 50-year-old Darla M. Ryan.During the course of the investigation, methamphetamine was allegedly found.Ryan was taken to the McCracken County Regional Jail, charged with speeding 10 mph over the limit, careless driving, and first degree possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine.
Calloway Co. Fair Donates to Defibrillator Program

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CALLOWAY COUNTY - The Calloway County Sheriff's Office received a donation Thursday for its Automated External Defibrillator program.Patricia Parrish and Jacie Watkins, with the Calloway County Fair, presented a check to the Calloway County Sheriff's Office for the program. The donation will be used to purchase an additional AED, which will be placed in one of the department's patrol vehicles.The Sheriff's Office first implemented a defibrillator program in 2004 with help from the Murray-Calloway County Hospital Endowment and the Murray Women's Club.Over the last 17 years, the AEDs have been used numerous times by Calloway County deputies.The Sheriff's Office announced a revitalization of its AED program in May due to its previous AEDs being taken out of service. At that time, The Murray Bank donated five, and Mitchell's Towing donated three.The Sheriff's office hopes to acquire four additional AEDs to equip the remaining deputies.On the Net:
Dorena-Hickman Ferry Back Open Today

By West Kentucky Star Staff

HICKMAN - The Dorena-Hickman Ferry plans to reopen on Thursday.The ferry was shut down for one day to allow engine maintenance work. That work was completed earlier than expected, allowing the ferry to reopen this morning.The ferry is back on the regular summer schedule at 7 am.
Marshall County Lays Out School Return Plan

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MARSHALL COUNTY - Marshall County Schools has laid out its plans for returning to school on August 5.New Superintendent Steve Miracle shared the highlights of the schools' return plans in a letter.The school district says school will be held in-person five days a week, but teachers may hold class outdoors as weather permits. The school says they will have MC Academy to provide a virtual option for students in grades 6-12. This means that the student will be enrolled in MC Academy, not their home school.Like other schools in the region, they will not require masks to be worn indoors or outdoors, but students and staff are encouraged to make their own decisions concerning mask use and anyone wishing to wear a mask is welcome to do so. However, masks are required on school buses.The school says they will not require physical social distancing of three feet, but will use physical distance as much as possible in classrooms. They will be cleaning once a day and will modify water fountains so that only the water bottle filling station is available for use.For more information read the plan here:On the Net:
Missouri Woman Arrested on Warrants, Drug Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

BALLARD COUNTY - A Missouri woman was arrested in Ballard County Tuesday on warrants and drug charges.Ballard County deputies were notified the Paducah Police Department had located a woman with Ballard County warrantsDeputies met with Paducah police at the Ballard County line and identified 52-year-old LaDonna Lawson. Deputies say they were able to confirm she had outstanding warrants for previous felony charges in Ballard County.In addition, a search of Lawson's belongings reportedly uncovered a glass smoking pipe containing suspected methamphetamine and numerous prescription medications that were not in the original containers.Lawson was arrested and served with the Ballard County bench warrants and charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), drug paraphernalia, and prescription drugs not in an appropriate container.She was taken to the Ballard County Jail.
Vehicle Fire Restricts I-24 Eastbound

By West Kentucky Star Staff

LYON COUNTY - A vehicle fire is restricting traffic along I-24 Eastbound at the 33 mile marker near the Cumberland River Bridge at the Livingston-Lyon County Line.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says traffic is moving through the site along the passing lane and inside shoulder, but eastbound lanes are likely to be closed at some point to allow the fire to be extinguished and the vehicle to be removed.The estimated duration of the closure is two hours.Eastbound drivers can self-detour via the KY 453 Grand Rivers Exit 31 to KY 453 South, then follow U.S. 62 East to return to I-24 at the U.S. 62 Eddyville-Kuttawa Exit 40 Interchange.
Mask Requirement Reinstated for State Employees

By The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - Kentucky's state employees will be required starting Thursday to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.Gov. Andy Beshear announced the new measure Wednesday, saying visitors to state buildings also will be required to wear masks.Beshears announcement echoes recent federal guidance that people in areas of substantial or high transmission of COVID-19 wear masks indoors, whether they are vaccinated or not.Kentucky reported nearly 1,600 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, and 36 of its 120 counties are reported to be at a severe level of community spread.More than 2 million Kentuckians have received the vaccine, or about 62% of those 18 and older.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. PHOTO:Stefani Reynolds/The New York Times via AP, Pool

Rand Paul's 2016 Campaign Committee Fined $21K

By The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - A newspaper is reporting that U.S. Sen. Rand Pauls 2016 presidential campaign committee has been fined $21,000 by the Federal Election Commission for improperly handling contributions.The Courier Journal obtained an FEC letter and revealed details of the fine on Thursday. The penalty follows a complaint made by J. Russell Lloyd, the former chairman of the Louisville Democratic Party.Lloyd died early last year. The FEC said the committee didnt refund or redesignate contributions of nearly $166,000 within 60 days of former President Donald Trump winning the 2016 Republican nomination.A spokesperson for Paul declined to comment to the newspaper.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 00:48:20|Editor: huaxia

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Actor Lan Tianye (C) takes part in the rehearsal of drama "Family" in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 11, 2020. (Photo by Shi Chunyang/Xinhua)

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Imagine performing on stage in front of thousands. You need to put on heavy makeup and costumes, remember and understand long lines and rehearse many times over so that everything is perfect. Now imagine doing all that at 94.

Not many can do this, but Lan Tianye, 94, can.

Lan started his performing career in 1945. For more than seven decades, he delivered countless iconic performances in a variety of performing arts, including stage plays and TV series, in addition to being a critically acclaimed director.

Late last month, he was among 29 individuals receiving the July 1 Medal, the highest honor in the Communist Party of China (CPC). He was the only person in the theater circle to receive the title.

"I joined the Party at the age of 18, and I will always remember my oath: whatever the Party wants me to do, I will do it," he said.

BECOMING A CPC MEMBER

Drama has been Lan's lifelong passion, but his first love was painting.

In 1945, Lan, who was 18, was studying painting at a national art school in Beijing. His sister, a secret CPC member, came to Beijing, and Lan's home became a secret contact site for Party members in the city.

"She brought a lot of pamphlets promoting revolutionary ideas, which left a deep impression on me," Lan recalled. "I remember an article talking about the destiny of China, which said that we should strive for a path toward light and oppose the path leading to darkness."

Lan began to help her write down useful information broadcast on Communist radio. He also delivered documents and supplies between liberated areas and occupied Beijing, riding a bicycle.

"I grew up in an enemy-occupied area, and I know the tragic life people were leading under the rule of Japanese invaders," Lan said. "I remember seeing people starving to death on the streets on cold winter mornings."

Lan believed that only the CPC could bring hope to China, and he applied to join the Party. On Sept. 23, 1945, his application was approved.

"I can never forget that day, just like people remember their birthday," Lan said. "I told myself that I had become a Party member and I would always be loyal to the Party."

BREAKING INTO THEATER

Soon after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Beijing People's Art Theater was established, in answer to Mao Zedong's call to "let a hundred flowers blossom," a policy aimed at encouraging the development of art. Lan became part of the first batch of actors there.

Actor Lan Tianye prepares to perform in the drama "Family" in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 15, 2020. (Photo by Shi Chunyang/Xinhua)

Lan did not immediately start performing on stage. Instead, he began doing a variety of work to accumulate enough experience for his future acting career.

In Beijing, he made cement in a factory, did farm work in the suburbs, fed domestic animals with local villagers, visited almost all teahouses, and even conducted an interview with the last eunuch, a castrated official in imperial China.

All the hard work laid a solid ground for his performance in the play, "Teahouse," in which he played the character Qin Zhongyi. The play debuted to much public acclaim in March 1958.

Since then, Lan has embarked on a journey to act in different plays, which made him a big name in the industry.

He retired in the 1980s and began doing some TV series, before getting involved in painting in the 1990s.

In 2011, at the age of 84, Lan returned to stage by performing in a play dedicated to the CPC's 90th founding anniversary. The play was produced by the Beijing People's Art Theater. During practice, he was always the first to arrive and the last one to leave.

During one of the rehearsals, Lan broke his finger in a fall. He struggled to stand without help, and immediately apologized to colleagues for "scaring people with the fall." He arrived for rehearsal early the next day, not willing to waste one moment of practice.

"This is my job," he said. "As long as the Party and the audience need me, I will be there."

PASSION FOR PERFORMING ARTS

Even after retirement, Lan had a passion for plays and cultivating young talent in the industry.

In 2012, the Beijing People's Art Theater produced another play to celebrate the 18th National Congress of the CPC and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the theater. Lan was appointed the play's artistic director.

During hectic rehearsals, Lan taught the young cast how to "feel" and "experience" the characters they were playing.

"As an actor, you need to get rid of all the fakery and just be real," Lan told the young actors. "Art creation should be based on the people and serve them, and young people should experience more in life in order to make their characters more real."

Actor Lan Tianye takes part in the rehearsal of drama "Family" in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 14, 2020. (Photo by Shi Chunyang/Xinhua)

Under his influence, many seasoned Chinese actors such as Pu Cunxin, Yang Lixin, and Feng Yuanzheng have become major forces in the industry.

In 2015, Lan directed a play by Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt. He explained to every actor every line and move. At one point, he even threw away his walking stick and fell to the ground to show the young cast how to act on stage.

"As long as he is in the rehearsing hall, his strength and his respect for the profession always touch our hearts," one of the cast members said.

"He exudes a respectable quality," said Lan's good friend Su Min.

Lan said he will always have a passion for the performing arts.

"My biggest wish is to direct a play as a gift to the Party, as the CPC celebrates its centenary this year," Lan said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 01:33:45|Editor: huaxia

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A military doctor administers a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Sale, Morocco, on July 28, 2021. Morocco on Wednesday reported 9,428 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single day increase so far, taking the number of infections in the country to 597,876. (Photo by Chadi/Xinhua)

RABAT, July 28 (Xinhua) - - Morocco on Wednesday reported 9,428 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single day increase so far, taking the number of infections in the country to 597,876.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 550,882 after 1,766 new ones were added, the ministry of health said in a statement.

The death toll rose to 9,665 with 27 new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 810 people are in intensive care units.

Meanwhile, a total of 12,971,479 people have received their first vaccine shots against COVID-19 in the country, with 10,015,447 having received two doses.

The North African country launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Jan. 28 after the arrival of the first shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccine.

The vaccination drive has been expanded as of Monday to include people aged 25 and older.

In order to speed up the pace of the vaccination campaign, citizens can now go to the nearest vaccination center, without taking into account the conditions related to residency, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 09:34:28|Editor: huaxia

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FRANKFURT, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Shuttling between stations in an assembly hall of a manufacturing base located in the Sino-France Ecology Park in Chengdu, several automated electric trucks carry materials in an orderly and efficient manner, enabling a brand-new car to roll off the production line in less than 20 hours.

The ecology park, home to the manufacturing base of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company Ltd. (DPCA), is a cooperative project between China and a number of European countries. Inaugurated in 2017, the project aims at excelling in smart transportation, smart energy, high-end equipment manufacturing, energy saving and environmental protection.

"By introducing the latest technology from France, we are now able to reduce volatile organic compound emissions when spraying sealer, and make the painting process more environmentally friendly and energy-saving," said DPCA representative Xu Changyu.

According to him, the entire process management at the DPCA Chengdu plant was designed to support a low-carbon economy and to foster environmental protection, and the plant's practical experiences have been highly praised and shared by its France-based parent firm Groupe PSA.

Having set ambitious climate targets and drawn up sweeping plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions, both China and the European Union (EU) are staying on track to pursue sustainable development and thereby to shape a green future, which opens up new vistas for bilateral cooperation.

FIRM DETERMINATION

As active players in the fight against climate change within the multinational framework, China and the EU share the firm determination to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

China has announced that it will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, while the EU aims to become climate neutral by 2050 and reduce net emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

Furthermore, China has included carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in its overall plan for ecological conservation, and promoted the development of a green and low-carbon circular economy in an all-round way, which paves the way for the largest developing country to complete the world's most dramatic reduction in carbon emission intensity.

China is ready to work with Europe to ensure positive outcomes at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Chinese President Xi Jinping said earlier this month during a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The EU has also unveiled ambitious climate policies, notably the European Green Deal -- a package of measures ranging from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in cutting-edge research and innovation to preserving the natural environment.

"Climate change and the transition to greener and more sustainable growth are surely key areas in which Sino-European cooperation can change the future of the planet," Xu Haifeng, chairman of both the Bank of China (Luxembourg) S.A. and the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU, said at the virtual China-EU Green Economic Cooperation and Development Summit held early July.

PRAGMATIC APPROACH

As bilateral collaboration in e-mobility, new energy and green finance is gaining momentum, China and Europe have significant opportunities to strengthen their win-win relationship in a pragmatic manner.

In fact, the volume of cross-border investment between China and Europe in green tech projects has been on a steady increase.

In the end of June, Envision AESC, the battery arm of Shanghai-headquartered global green tech company Envision Group, announced its intention to build a battery factory at France's second-largest automaker Renault's ElectriCity site in Douai, northern France.

According to Envision AESC, the factory, which is the first digitalized and low-carbon battery plant in France, will reach a capacity of 24 GWh by 2030.

Macron has welcomed the arrival of the Envision Group in France. "With an investment of two billion euros (about 2.37 billion U.S. dollars) on the part of the (Envision) group, the plant will become one of the largest battery producers in Europe," Macron's office has said, adding that it was good news for employment in the Hauts-de-France region as 1,000 jobs will have been created by 2024.

Similarly, with the goal of promoting green and low-carbon energy cooperation between China and the EU, the Shanghai Electric Power Company has focused on building green energy projects in Malta and Montenegro.

The company is in the process of transforming Gozo in Malta into a pilot "zero carbon island." This project will integrate wind energy, solar energy, energy storage, hydrogen and comprehensive smart energy.

Seres, the electric vehicle (EV) unit of China's Chongqing Sokon Industry Group (Sokon), is among those Chinese EV manufacturers that are exploring the European market as well as expanding cooperation with European partners.

Sokon's EVs have already entered 12 foreign markets, including Germany, Spain, France and Italy, contributing to the local efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, Wan Zhijun, deputy general manager of Chongqing Sokon Motor Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd., told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, the exchanges of technical and regulatory experiences in green development between China and Europe are becoming increasingly intense.

For example, the UNEP DTU Partnership, a collaboration between the United Nations Environment Programme, the Technical University of Denmark and the Danish development agency Candia, has for several years worked directly with Chinese cities to develop and implement green solutions for district heating.

On July 1, the Danish Energy Agency and the UNEP DTU Partnership signed a strategic collaboration agreement to facilitate the exchange of technical and regulatory knowledge and experiences with selected countries, including China.

"With this new initiative, we will strengthen co-thinking and join forces," said Kristoffer Bottzauw, director general of the Danish Energy Agency.

"In this way, we can stimulate the strategic approach in our cooperation with China and support the transformation of the Chinese energy system for the benefit of us all," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 10:24:38|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that cooperation between Syria and Iran will continue until all areas of his country are liberated from the rebel fighters, according to the state news agency SANA.

The president made the remarks during talks with visiting speaker of Iran's Islamic Shura Council, Mohammad Bagher Ghlibaf.

Assad stressed that Iran has been a key partner for Syria and has stood alongside the Syrian people in facing "terrorism."

He pointed out that coordination in the fight against terrorist groups in Syria has yielded positive results, noting that it will continue until the "full liberation of territories and the defeat of terrorist organizations."

For his part, Ghlibaf said that recent elections in Syria and Iran have illustrated the failure of Western pressure against both countries and prove that no one can stand against the people's will, according to the report.

During the Syrian war, Iran has provided the Syrian government with significant support, including logistical, technical, and financial support, as well as training and the provision of combat troops.

Pro-Iran fighting groups are largely located in Aleppo province and the eastern province of Deir al-Zour close to the Iraqi border.

The United States and Israel have repeatedly struck Iranian targets on Syrian soil.Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 10:45:39|Editor: huaxia

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China Chat: Two American experts' road trip to #Tibet! What were they expecting to see? And what surprised them the most?

A Xinhua Global Service Production 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 10:50:13|Editor: huaxia

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Pedro Castillo (R) receives the presidential sash during his swearing-in ceremony in the nation's Congress in Lima, Peru, July 28, 2021. Pedro Castillo was sworn in on Wednesday as president of Peru during a ceremony in the nation's Congress in Lima, after weeks of uncertainty following defeating a right-wing rival in a hard-fought presidential runoff. (Peruvian Presidential Press/Handout via Xinhua)

LIMA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Pedro Castillo was sworn in on Wednesday as president of Peru during a ceremony in the nation's Congress in Lima, after weeks of uncertainty following defeating a right-wing rival in a hard-fought presidential runoff.

"It is the first time that our country will be governed by a peasant, a person who, like many Peruvians, belongs to the sectors oppressed for so many centuries," Castillo said in his first speech as president.

Castillo announced a series of reforms, including drafting a new Constitution, after receiving the presidential sash from the highest authority in parliament as the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador looked on.

Priorities for his government include fighting the pandemic, economic recovery, education, and creating a ministry for science and innovation.

"I want you to know that you have my word, we will not disappoint you, I will not disappoint you," Castillo said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 11:00:18|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has recently signed an agreement with the Chinese firm Sinovac to supply developing countries with more COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX mechanism.

The agreement gives hope for broadening access to vaccines in developing countries, UNICEF Representative to Uganda Munir Safieldin tweeted late Tuesday, a day after UNICEF announced the deal.

"This is certainly great news. The more approved vaccines available through COVAX, the more people in middle- and low-income countries can access the vaccines against COVID-19," Safieldin said.

"No one is safe, until everyone is safe," he added.

Through the supply agreement, UNICEF will have access to up to 200 million doses of vaccines in 2021 to supply the countries and territories participating in the COVAX initiative.

According to the World Health Organization, developing countries need hundreds of millions more jabs to fend off surging infections.

"We continue to see a disparity in access to vaccines with developed countries vaccinating their people while developing countries are struggling to get vaccines," Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said, while receiving a French donation of medical supplies on Tuesday.

"We all know now that vaccination is the most sure way to reduce the spread of the pandemic. It also prevents patients from presenting severe symptoms," Nabbanja added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 11:25:19|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on June 17, 2021 shows part of the Qinghai-Henan UHV DC power transmission line in Henan Mongolian Autonomous County of Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Photo by Xie Lirong/Xinhua)

Having set ambitious climate targets and drawn up sweeping plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions, both China and the European Union are staying on track to pursue sustainable development and thereby to shape a green future, which opens up new vistas for bilateral cooperation.

FRANKFURT, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Shuttling between stations in an assembly hall of a manufacturing base located in the Sino-France Ecology Park in Chengdu, several automated electric trucks carry materials in an orderly and efficient manner, enabling a brand-new car to roll off the production line in less than 20 hours.

The ecology park, home to the manufacturing base of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company Ltd. (DPCA), is a cooperative project between China and a number of European countries. Inaugurated in 2017, the project aims at excelling in smart transportation, smart energy, high-end equipment manufacturing, energy saving and environmental protection.

"By introducing the latest technology from France, we are now able to reduce volatile organic compound emissions when spraying sealer, and make the painting process more environmentally friendly and energy-saving," said DPCA representative Xu Changyu.

According to him, the entire process management at the DPCA Chengdu plant was designed to support a low-carbon economy and to foster environmental protection, and the plant's practical experiences have been highly praised and shared by its France-based parent firm Groupe PSA.

Having set ambitious climate targets and drawn up sweeping plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions, both China and the European Union (EU) are staying on track to pursue sustainable development and thereby to shape a green future, which opens up new vistas for bilateral cooperation.

People are seen on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris, France, on March 20, 2021. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)

FIRM DETERMINATION

As active players in the fight against climate change within the multinational framework, China and the EU share the firm determination to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

China has announced that it will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, while the EU aims to become climate neutral by 2050 and reduce net emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

Furthermore, China has included carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in its overall plan for ecological conservation, and promoted the development of a green and low-carbon circular economy in an all-round way, which paves the way for the largest developing country to complete the world's most dramatic reduction in carbon emission intensity.

China is ready to work with Europe to ensure positive outcomes at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Chinese President Xi Jinping said earlier this month during a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The EU has also unveiled ambitious climate policies, notably the European Green Deal -- a package of measures ranging from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in cutting-edge research and innovation to preserving the natural environment.

"Climate change and the transition to greener and more sustainable growth are surely key areas in which Sino-European cooperation can change the future of the planet," Xu Haifeng, chairman of both the Bank of China (Luxembourg) S.A. and the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU, said at the virtual China-EU Green Economic Cooperation and Development Summit held early July.

The headquarters building of the European Commission is seen through Christmas decorations at Schuman Square in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

PRAGMATIC APPROACH

As bilateral collaboration in e-mobility, new energy and green finance is gaining momentum, China and Europe have significant opportunities to strengthen their win-win relationship in a pragmatic manner.

In fact, the volume of cross-border investment between China and Europe in green tech projects has been on a steady increase.

In the end of June, Envision AESC, the battery arm of Shanghai-headquartered global green tech company Envision Group, announced its intention to build a battery factory at France's second-largest automaker Renault's ElectriCity site in Douai, northern France.

According to Envision AESC, the factory, which is the first digitalized and low-carbon battery plant in France, will reach a capacity of 24 GWh by 2030.

Macron has welcomed the arrival of the Envision Group in France. "With an investment of two billion euros (about 2.37 billion U.S. dollars) on the part of the (Envision) group, the plant will become one of the largest battery producers in Europe," Macron's office has said, adding that it was good news for employment in the Hauts-de-France region as 1,000 jobs will have been created by 2024.

Similarly, with the goal of promoting green and low-carbon energy cooperation between China and the EU, the Shanghai Electric Power Company has focused on building green energy projects in Malta and Montenegro.

The company is in the process of transforming Gozo in Malta into a pilot "zero carbon island." This project will integrate wind energy, solar energy, energy storage, hydrogen and comprehensive smart energy.

Visitors view exhibits at China Building Science Conference and Green Intelligent Building Expo in the national convention and exhibition center in Tianjin, north China, June 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Seres, the electric vehicle (EV) unit of China's Chongqing Sokon Industry Group (Sokon), is among those Chinese EV manufacturers that are exploring the European market as well as expanding cooperation with European partners.

Sokon's EVs have already entered 12 foreign markets, including Germany, Spain, France and Italy, contributing to the local efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, Wan Zhijun, deputy general manager of Chongqing Sokon Motor Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd., told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, the exchanges of technical and regulatory experiences in green development between China and Europe are becoming increasingly intense.

For example, the UNEP DTU Partnership, a collaboration between the United Nations Environment Programme, the Technical University of Denmark and the Danish development agency Candia, has for several years worked directly with Chinese cities to develop and implement green solutions for district heating.

On July 1, the Danish Energy Agency and the UNEP DTU Partnership signed a strategic collaboration agreement to facilitate the exchange of technical and regulatory knowledge and experiences with selected countries, including China.

"With this new initiative, we will strengthen co-thinking and join forces," said Kristoffer Bottzauw, director general of the Danish Energy Agency.

"In this way, we can stimulate the strategic approach in our cooperation with China and support the transformation of the Chinese energy system for the benefit of us all," he said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 12:38:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Sierra Leonean counterpart Julius Maada Bio on Thursday exchanged messages of congratulations on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In the message, Xi pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sierra Leone half a century ago, no matter how the international situation changes, the two countries have always understood and supported each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, and have carried out fruitful cooperation in the fields of economy and people's livelihood.

In the face of the severe challenge of the COVID-19 epidemic, the people of China and Sierra Leone have helped each other and fought the epidemic side by side, showing the brotherhood of sharing weal and woe, Xi said.

Xi stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of the China-Sierra Leone relations and stands ready to work with President Bio to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties as an opportunity to consolidate friendship and mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, and promote the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Sierra Leone for the benefit of the two countries and their peoples.

In his message, Bio said that since Sierra Leone and China established diplomatic ties 50 years ago, the two sides have been upholding the principles of mutual respect, mutual trust, equality and common prosperity, committed to sincere friendship, solidarity and mutual assistance, and carrying out sound cooperation at bilateral and international levels, with fruitful results achieved.

Sierra Leone looks forward to working with China to further consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries and deepen bilateral cooperation in all fields, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 13:33:03|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Thursday reported 765 new COVID-19 infections including 328 imported cases, pushing the national total caseload to 75,917, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement.

Eleven more fatalities had been recorded, bringing the overall death toll to 1,350, the ministry said, adding that 694 other patients had recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 68,386.

The Southeast Asian nation launched an anti-COVID-19 inoculation drive on Feb. 10, with China being the key vaccine supplier.

MoH's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said the kingdom had so far vaccinated 7.04 million people, or 70.4 percent, of the 10 million targeted adult population.

"Along with this result, we must put every joint effort to suppress virus transmission by fully implementing Nonpharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs)," she wrote on Twitter. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 13:49:42|Editor: huaxia

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MEXICO CITY, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Washington's crude and relentless campaign to weaponize the coronavirus against China undermines the scientific rigor needed to effectively combat COVID-19, according to Dominican economist and author Eduardo Klinger Pevida.

In an op-ed published on Monday in the Dominican daily Hoy under the headline "The campaign against China: A 'near perfect' strategy," Klinger wrote that the United States is bent on wringing political advantage from the health crisis, even if it harms global institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) in the process.

Despite U.S. insistence that the virus was fabricated in a Chinese lab and later escaped, "elite international scientists chosen by the WHO visited China and concluded that a laboratory accident was 'extremely unlikely' and identified the transmission from an animal as the 'most possible route', emphasizing that this is the subject to be investigated and was the mandate given to it," noted Klinger.

The U.S. ignores the experts' findings and continues to clamor "in a crude, humiliating way" for another investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, knowing Beijing would refuse, as any "decent government" would, said Klinger.

Washington's real intention, he added, is to accuse China of a "lack of transparency."

It is "a near perfect" strategy, except that the "trick is worn out" and "the strategy does not fundamentally dent the respect that most of humanity expresses for China," he noted, adding that the United States lacks evidence to back up its claims.

In the interest of science, not geopolitics, perhaps it is time to heed Beijing, which "asked for investigations into suspected cases registered by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in Wisconsin and other states long before the first official case was diagnosed, in addition to other cases in Florida. Those who demand transparency are obliged to be transparent," Klinger said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 14:59:35|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg and her visiting Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto on Thursday agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties between their countries.

Szijjarto arrived in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator on Thursday for a one-day working visit.

"We exchanged views on expanding bilateral ties and cooperation at international level. In addition, we agreed to further deepen bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, economy and investment, and to support the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the private sector," Battsetseg told reporters after talks with Szijjarto.

Battsetseg also expressed the willingness to work with Hungary to expand bilateral cooperation in the fields of culture, film and archeology.

During the visit, the Hungarian side donated a total of 33 respiratory ventilators to Mongolia to help fight COVID-19. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 15:40:11|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock has said that plans are underway to construct 1,000 greenhouses in different provinces of the conflict-battered country.

According to the ministry's spokesman Akbar Rustami, the work for construction of the said greenhouses had been 71 percent completed and construction of all the planned 1,000 greenhouses would be completed by the year end.

In talks with local media, the official asserted that each greenhouse would be built in 60 to 301 square meters.

Food safety of families, access of people to vegetables in all seasons, boosting families' economy and extending of new methods for vegetables' farming is the main factor for establishing the greenhouses, the official added.

Some 80 percent of the war-torn Afghanistan, according to officials is relying on agricultural products and the government would do its best to increase local products in efforts to reduce dependency on imported goods. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 15:46:10|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson on Thursday voiced firm opposition to any form of military contact between the United States and China's Taiwan region.

"There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China," said spokesperson Zhu Fenglian, when asked to comment on Taiwan-related negative remarks made by the U.S. defense secretary recently.

Zhu urged the United States to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.

She warned the Democratic Progressive Party authority in Taiwan that its attempts to seek "Taiwan independence" with the help of the United States and use force to resist national reunification will only push Taiwan people into disaster. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 16:33:50|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, 29 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has decided to impose a night curfew in capital Phnom Penh, provincial towns and populated areas for two weeks, starting from Friday to Aug. 12, in order to curb the spread of Delta COVID-19 variant, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said.

"Impose curfew from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. in parts or throughout territories under your jurisdiction, especially in Phnom Penh capital city, provincial towns and populated areas," he said on Wednesday night in an instruction to the municipal and provincial governors.

Hun Sen also advised authorities across the country to strictly enforce COVID-19 measures in order to prevent the spread of Delta variant in the community.

On Wednesday night, the prime minister also issued a decision, mandating lockdowns in eight provinces, namely Koh Kong, Pursat, Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Siem Reap, from Friday to Aug. 12.

Phnom Penh Municipal Governor Khuong Sreng issued a statement on Thursday, imposing a night curfew in the capital from Friday to Aug. 12.

"All kinds of travelling, work, and business must be temporarily suspended from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.," he said.

The governor said that any private gatherings with more than 10 people would also be prohibited for two weeks in the capital.

The measures came after the Southeast Asian nation has seen a surge in Delta variant cases in recent days.

Cambodia logged 765 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, pushing the national total caseload to 75,917, the health ministry said, adding that 11 new fatalities were recorded, taking the overall death toll to 1,350. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 16:38:13|Editor: huaxia

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HOHHOT, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists have found a stone house with "temperature adjustment" designs dating back to the early bronze age in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The ancient dwelling at the Xiaotangshan ruins site features archaeological designs that helped it stay cool in summer and warm in winter, said Inner Mongolia's institute of cultural relics and archaeology.

The house is comprised of three circular stone walls, each about one meter apart and with partition walls in between to direct drafts of air. The innermost circle was built about one meter underground, which also helped regulate the internal temperature, said Lian Jilin, a researcher with the institute.

Such an ancient architectural design is the first of its kind ever discovered in China, said Lian, who described it as an "air-conditioned house."

Xiaotangshan ruins site is part of the Lower Xiajiadian Culture, a branch of the northern bronze culture dating 3,500 to 4,000 years ago to the Xia and Shang dynasties. Experts believe that this bronze-age site boasted advanced metal smelting technology. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 16:39:57|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host the first meeting of an international forum on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation on Aug. 5, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian announced Thursday.

Zhao said the meeting, which will be held via video link, is themed on strengthening COVID-19 vaccine cooperation and promoting the equitable and appropriate distribution of vaccines.

About 30 parties including ministers from relevant countries, representatives of the United Nations and other international organizations and enterprise representatives will attend the meeting, Zhao said.

As part of the meeting, an international cooperation dialogue will be held on Thursday between China and vaccine companies attending the meeting, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 16:41:01|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported two new imported cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, taking the total tally to 11,982.

Meanwhile, the CHP was notified of a confirmed case in Britain on Wednesday of a 46-year-old man, who departed Hong Kong to London on July 15 and was tested positive two days later without showing any symptoms.

A total of 25 cases have been reported in the past 14 days and all of them are imported cases.

Hong Kong launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb. 26, and more than 5.46 million doses have been administered so far. Some 3.13 million people, or 46 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one shot of the vaccine, and more than 2.33 million people have been fully vaccinated. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 16:53:06|Editor: huaxia

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TALUQAN, Afghanistan, July 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 fighters have been killed as fighting flared up in Taluqan city, capital of Afghanistan's northern Takhar province on Thursday, provincial police spokesman Abdul Khalil Asir said.

The clash, according to the official, erupted after the Taliban fighters attacked security checkpoints in Sarai Sang area of Taluqan city, triggering a gun battle and the militants fled away after leaving seven bodies behind.

Three security personnel have also been killed in the fighting which sporadically continues, Asir said.

Five more militants and two security personnel have been injured, the official further said.

Taliban militants who have been fighting to capture Taluqan city, 245 km north of Kabul, haven't made comments. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 17:25:53|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- China will adjust export tariffs on some steel products as part of efforts to push upgrading and transformation of the industry.

Starting Aug. 1, China will raise export tariffs on ferrochrome and high-purity pig iron to 40 percent and 20 percent, respectively, according to a circular issued by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council.

Previous rates on the product exports stood at 20 percent and 15 percent, respectively, since May 1.

The move is aimed at pushing industrial upgrading and high-quality development in the steel sector, the circular noted. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 17:25:53|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, July 29 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi army helicopter crashed on Thursday during a mission in the central-north region of Iraq, killing five crew members aboard, the Iraqi military said.

The incident took place at 2:45 a.m. local time (2345 GMT Wednesday) when the helicopter was conducting a combat mission near the town of Amerly, some 150 km north of Baghdad, the media office of the Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

The statement did not give further details about whether the incident was caused by a technical malfunction or hostile fire.

During the past few years, the Iraqi army helicopter gunships have played an effective role in the fight against the Islamic State groups. They provided aerial support to the ground forces to drive out the extremist militants from their strongholds in northern and western Iraq. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 17:29:43|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, July 29 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was killed, and ten people were trapped in a forest fire that erupted in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Antalya, officials announced on Thursday.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said an 82-year-old man died in his burning home in the Kepezbeleni neighborhood of the Akseki district.

According to press reports, 80 percent of the houses in Kepezbeleni were engulfed in flames and burned in the blaze.

Meanwhile, the minister added that ten people, who were believed to be restaurant owners and employees, have been trapped in the Oymapinar Dam area.

"They do not have a life-threatening condition," Pakdemirli also pointed out.

The massive forest fire began at four different points in the Manavgat district on Wednesday but later expanded to other areas by strong winds, forcing the evacuation of 18 neighborhoods.

Over 60 people have been reportedly affected by the fire. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 17:37:46|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese capital Beijing has since Wednesday reported two confirmed locally-transmitted cases of COVID-19, the first resurgence in months, local authorities said Thursday.

The infected -- a married couple -- had traveled to Zhangjiajie, a city known for its pillar-like mountains in Hunan Province, said the municipal health commission of Beijing.

China previously reported some locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases among people who had traveled to Zhangjiajie.

The couple had traveled on several subway lines after returning to Beijing via train on Sunday. The man developed a fever on Monday and tested positive for coronavirus at the fever clinic. The woman was diagnosed after being tested as a companion of the patient, said the commission.

It said authorities had tracked 654 close contacts of the two cases and put them under medical observation. It asked residents who had overlapping travel records to report to authorities.

By Thursday noon, Changping District, where the couple lives, had sampled more than 38,000 people for nucleic acid testing. Over 8,400 samples have shown negative results while the rest are currently being examined, according to Tong Lizhi, deputy head of the district government.

Nine residential compounds, where about 41,000 people live, in Changping, have been put under closed-off management, said Tong. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 18:48:43|Editor: huaxia

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TAIYUAN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Liu Shuang was born in Xiyang County, north China's Shanxi Province. Her hometown is famous for its agricultural development in China. Liu Shuang achieved her bachelor's and master's degrees from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and a Ph.D. degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After graduation, she took her father's advice and returned to her hometown.

In Xiyang, Liu found that locals made a lot of efforts on planting Yuluxiang pears, which boasted both good taste and high economic value. She decided to give full play to her professional training and built an e-commerce platform for the planters and expand the market.

As China announced victory over poverty earlier this year, rural areas have marched on a new journey toward vitalization. Fruit and vegetable cultivation has played an important role in making Chinese farmers rich. More and more young Chinese return to hometowns like Liu Shuang to start their own planting businesses. With professional skills and novel ideas of management, they are bringing new vitality to China's rural economic development.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 19:15:48|Editor: huaxia

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A medical worker prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 29, 2021. Malaysia reported 17,170 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said on Thursday, bringing the national total to 1,078,646. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia reported 17,170 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said on Thursday, bringing the national total to 1,078,646.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that 32 of the new cases are imported and 17,138 are local transmissions.

Another 174 more deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 8,725.

Some 12,930 patients have been released after recovery, bringing the total number of cured and discharged to 890,742 or 82.6 percent of all cases.

Of the remaining 179,179 active cases, 1,043 are being held in intensive care units and 531 of those are in need of assisted breathing. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 19:17:34|Editor: huaxia

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PARIS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Kingdom's decision to maintain restrictions only for French travellers is a "discriminatory" move, French Minister of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune said on Thursday, calling on Britain to review it "as soon as possible."

"It's excessive, it's frankly incomprehensible on health grounds ... and discriminatory towards the French," Beaune told LCI television.

"It's not based on science. There is no justification for this decision, I hope that it will be reviewed as soon as possible," he said.

Starting from Aug. 2, vaccinated visitors from the United States and the European Union will no longer need to quarantine on arrival in England, the British government announced on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, London maintained the quarantine for French travellers, citing the presence of the Beta variant, first detected in South Africa, in France.

Beaune noted that the Beta variant represents less than five percent of the total COVID-19 infections in France mainland as it is circulating in overseas island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean, which did not provide large flows to the United Kingdom.

France was not planning reciprocity measures "for now," he added. "We base our decisions on health criteria." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 19:30:21|Editor: huaxia

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A medical worker takes a swab sample from a woman for nucleic acid test at a testing spot in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, July 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

NANJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, has been on high alert after witnessing over 100 novel coronavirus infections since July 20.

The megacity with a population of more than 9.3 million has reported 173 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases including seven with severe symptoms as of Thursday, said local health authorities, noting that the virus strain behind the latest cluster infections was the highly infectious Delta variant.

On July 20, nine airport cleaners at the Nanjing Lukou International Airport were first found positive for the virus during a routine testing. New infections have now spread among residents of other occupations, including taxi drivers and university staff.

To stem the virus spread, the city launched the third round of an all-inclusive nucleic acid testing campaign on Wednesday.

Nearly 6,900 medical staff helped more than 1.9 million residents in Jiangning District, where the airport is located, complete their tests in just one day during a previous mass testing.

"We are always ready. I only slept three hours to help complete the testing," said Li Jie, a medical staff member in Nanjing. "We all believe that as long as everyone is united, we will soon get through this. I'm very optimistic."

Wang Meijuan, a 58-year-old Nanjing resident who lives about 20 km away from the airport, said that queuing up for nucleic acid testing was not a cozy experience under the scorching sun.

"But preventing the epidemic is now the priority," she added.

Thousands of community workers and volunteers have been mobilized to help maintain order during the mass testing.

"We used a school gymnasium to conduct the tests for our community with about 5,000 residents, as now it is the summer vacation. It was done very efficiently, a test took only about 10 seconds," said Tian Wen, a community worker.

Nanjing has also built advanced COVID-19 testing labs including six air-inflated labs, which can screen up to 1.8 million people every day, to enhance its nucleic acid testing capabilities.

In the wake of the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, authorities in Nanjing have intensified response, implementing measures such as mandatory negative nucleic acid test certificate for passengers leaving the city and closure of cinemas and gyms.

New infections were also reported among flight passengers who had visited the Nanjing airport and their contacts in other parts of China, including the provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan and Liaoning.

The Chinese capital Beijing also reported two locally transmitted COVID-19 confirmed cases as of Thursday noon, who had traveled to Zhangjiajie, a famous tourist city in Hunan Province where several tourists were diagnosed as confirmed or asymptomatic cases. Some of them reportedly came in contact with cases having travel history to the Nanjing airport.

"Those who have been inoculated can also get infected, but the number of infections could be much higher if they didn't receive vaccination," said Zhang Wenhong, a renowned medical expert in China. He added that the epidemic in Nanjing is a stress test for the country and, presses for more reflection concerning future epidemic prevention.

"Most virologists in the world agree that this is a virus with which we must learn to coexist. The epidemic in Nanjing further consolidated the claim that there will always be risks of infections in the future," Zhang said.

"We've won the fight against the virus, and we will surely find a winning formula in the future," he said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 19:38:45|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi security forces Thursday launched an investigation into a rocket attack at dawn in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the Iraqi military said.

The security forces are investigating a Katyusha rocket that landed near al-Rahman Mosque in Mansour neighborhood in western Baghdad without causing casualties, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

The rocket was fired from an area in eastern Baghdad at 4:20 a.m. (0120 GMT), the statement said.

Meanwhile, a security source with the Interior Ministry told Xinhua that three rockets targeted the Green Zone at dawn without casualties.

The heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses some main Iraqi government offices and the U.S. embassy, has frequently been targeted by insurgent mortar and rocket attacks. The zone of roughly 10 square km is located on the western bank of the Tigris River, which bisects the Iraqi capital.

Thursday's attack came after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed on Monday to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of the year while continuing to train and assist Iraqi forces. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 19:55:23|Editor: huaxia

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MAIMANA, Afghanistan -- A total of 23 militants were confirmed dead and three others injured as Afghan government forces backed by air power stormed Taliban hideouts in Pashtunkot and Almar districts of the northern Faryab province on Wednesday, army spokesman in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai said Thursday.

In the operations launched Wednesday afternoon, a large number of arms and ammunitions as well as four motorbikes of the militants were also destroyed, the official said. (Afghanistan-Taliban-Operations)

----

BAGHDAD -- An Iraqi army helicopter crashed on Thursday during a mission in the central-north region of Iraq, killing five crew members aboard, the Iraqi military said.

The incident took place at 2:45 a.m. local time (2345 GMT Wednesday) when the helicopter was conducting a combat mission near the town of Amerly, some 150 km north of Baghdad, the media office of the Joint Operations Command said in a statement. (Iraq-Helicopter Crash)

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ISTANBUL -- At least one person was killed, and ten people were trapped in a forest fire that erupted in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Antalya, officials announced on Thursday.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said an 82-year-old man died in his burning home in the Kepezbeleni neighborhood of the Akseki district. (Turkey-Forest fire)

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MOGADISHU -- Fifteen al-Shabab militants were on Thursday morning killed while dozens sustained injuries after the Somali National Army (SNA) conducted a special operation at Afcad area near Bulaburte town in Hiiraan region of central Somalia.

Ahmed Mohamed Teredisho, SNA Sector 27 Commander told radio Mogadishu that the troops also destroyed terrorist bases during the operation. (Somalia-Shabab)

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KABUL -- At least 40 people are feared dead after a flash flood hit a village in eastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province, according to media reports on Thursday.

The flood occurred in a remote mountainous area and local officials quoted by the media reports said it also destroyed dozens of houses and so far some 40 bodies have been recovered. (Afghanistan-Flood) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 20:02:44|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The French Development Agency (AFD) granted Morocco a loan of 200 million euros (about 237 million U.S. dollars) to finance local projects, official RIM radio reported Thursday.

The funds were granted to the Municipal Equipment Fund, a government development finance institution in charge of financing infrastructure and investment projects of local municipalities in the North African country.

The loan will help finance new investment and public infrastructure projects aiming at reducing territorial and social disparities, and combating the effects of climate changes, the report said.

This is the second loan in less than a month the AFD has granted Morocco.

On July 13, it granted another loan of 150.6 million euros to support Morocco's agricultural Green Generation Strategy. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 20:23:50|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, July 29 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed in an explosion of a landmine laid previously by the Houthi rebels in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Thursday, a government official told Xinhua.

"An explosion caused by a Houthi-laid landmine struck a bus in Durayhmi district of Hodeidah's southern part, leaving four killed," the local government source said on condition of anonymity.

And 11 others were injured as a result of the blast that destroyed their bus at the scene. "All the injured were transferred by local rescuers to a nearby hospital for medical treatment," he added.

Previous reports by humanitarian organizations said Yemen has become one of the largest landmine fields in the world since World War II.

Meanwhile, a number of shells fired randomly by the Houthi rebels landed on a residential neighborhood in Hodeidah's southern parts, a military official said anonymously.

He confirmed that the shelling caused damage to some residential houses in Tuhyata area of Hodeidah in addition to injuring several citizens living there.

The Houthis seized the northern Yemeni provinces including the capital Sanaa in late 2014, forcing President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.

A coalition formed by Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries intervened militarily in the conflict to fight against the Houthis in March 2015, in response to an official request from Hadi to protect Yemen. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 20:28:53|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- China urges the United States to stop advancing a Taiwan-related bill, stop sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan Independence" forces and stop helping Taiwan expand the so-called international space, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing in response to a question on a bill passed by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which directs the U.S. Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue between China and the United States, said Zhao, adding that the one-China principle is the political foundation of China-U.S. relations as well as the consensus of the international community.

The bill is a serious breach of the one-China principle, the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and the fundamental principles of the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and the World Health Assembly Resolution 25.1, said Zhao, adding that China firmly opposes the bill.

The spokesperson said the Chinese central government attaches great importance to the health and welfare of Taiwan compatriots and has made proper arrangements for the Taiwan region's participation in global health affairs.

China urges the United States to fully recognize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan question and remain committed to the one-China principle and the three joint communiques between the two countries, he added.

In response to a question regarding Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe raising concerns over issues involving Taiwan, the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific region during a recent dialogue, Zhao said there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.

No force can hold back the trend of reunification and revitalization of the Chinese nation, and no one should underestimate the resolve, the will and the ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhao said, adding that any attempt to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" is doomed to fail.

The spokesperson added that the Taiwan question is the political foundation of relations between China and the United States, as well as China and Japan, and that both the United States and Japan have the responsibility to observe the principles set in bilateral political documents as well as the commitments they have made to China on the Taiwan question. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 20:34:06|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO -- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday voiced full support for stability and security in Lebanon, the president's office said in a statement.

During his meeting with visiting Lebanon's army chief Joseph Aoun, Sisi confirmed "the existing strong bilateral relations at the official and popular levels."

The Egyptian president also emphasized "the prominent role of the national Lebanese army in promoting stability and balance in the country as a backbone for ensuring the unity of Lebanon," according to the statement.

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MOSCOW -- The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia does not see the United States as a partner but as an opponent.

"To our regret, there are currently no partnership programs and no relations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing.

Nevertheless, he recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had persistently demonstrated his commitment to normalizing ties.

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KHARTOUM -- Sudan's Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Yasir Abbas on Wednesday reiterated the importance of reaching a tripartite binding agreement regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

"Sudan will benefit from the GERD in terms of generating electricity and reducing silt and floods, but only on the condition that there is a binding tripartite agreement," Abbas said at a press conference in the capital Khartoum.

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WASHINGTON -- China's new Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Wednesday said the China-U.S. relationship "has once again come to a new critical juncture, facing not only many difficulties and challenges but also great opportunities and potentials."

"As two big countries different in history, culture, social system and development stage, China and the United States are entering a new round of mutual exploration, understanding and adaptation, trying to find a way to get along with each other in the new era," said Qin in his remarks to Chinese and U.S. media upon arrival in the United States. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 20:52:52|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority's collusion with Japanese and U.S. legislators to seek "Taiwan independence" will be proven futile and will only bring disgrace, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Thursday.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks when responding to a question on the so-called "strategic dialogue" between DPP authority and Japanese and U.S. legislators.

Zhu urged relevant countries to abide by the one-China principle and avoid sending any wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" forces. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 20:53:44|Editor: huaxia

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XINING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A new-generation weather radar station with a ground elevation of more than 4,600 meters has been put into trial operation in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

According to Qinghai Meteorological Administration, the station, which is the highest altitude weather radar station in China, is located at the hinterland of the Sanjiangyuan area.

The Sanjiangyuan area is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze River, China's longest; the Yellow River, the second-longest in the country; and the Lancang River (known as the Mekong River after it flows out of China).

With a ground elevation of 4,672.97 meters, the station is at the top of the mountain to the north of Yushu Batang Airport and about 30 km from downtown Yushu city.

Officials from the Qinghai Meteorological Administration said that the weather radar station has met technical requirements for operation after two months of installation and testing.

The radar station fills the gap of high-altitude meteorological data monitoring in the Sanjiangyuan area. It will provide weather monitoring for animal husbandry production, ecological environment protection, disastrous weather forecasts and early warning, and aviation meteorological services in the region, noted the officials. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 20:56:00|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, July 29 (Xinhua) -- With the spread of unemployment and poverty due to the economic hurdles in Iraq over the past years, some young people resorted to establishing a new profession by opening stores dedicated to Chinese goods to tap into Chinese creativity in making innovative and creative products.

Surrounded by many small household products, 29-year-old Sayf Abu Yousif has been busy organizing and arranging his retail store in the al-Rubaie thoroughfare, one of Baghdad's most bustling markets in the Ziyouna neighborhood in eastern part of the capital.

At the beginning of his career, Abu Yousif was thinking that he needed a new idea to start a profession. He figured out that a store dedicated to Chinese goods that are characterized with new creative concepts would be apt to compete in the market by attracting the customers who are looking for distinctive products.

"The idea of our 'China Shopping Palace' store started in 2019 after we felt that the market needed new products with unique ideas, so we tried to introduce unfamiliar products to the Iraqi market," said Abu Yousif who started his profession with a humble beginning before he becomes known in Baghdad and Iraqi provinces.

Showing some ordinary household products, but ingeniously modified and improved by Chinese manufacturers to attract the customers, Abu Yousif insisted that the old negative vision of Chinese goods has changed among customers as Chinese goods have merits beyond those of similar European goods.

"With its quality and continuous innovation, Chinese goods have made us (stores selling Chinese products) conquer the Iraqi market and make many consumers change their old view toward the Chinese goods," Abu Yousif told Xinhua.

Many passers-by stop at the storefront to look at the merchandise, and some enter the store to take a closer look at the new concept products, including a Chinese-made traditional Middle Eastern water pipe, locally known Shisha, with interesting touches of decoration.

Muna, a customer in her 20s, entered the store looking for new products, knowing from her previous visits that she could find something new and unique.

"I am a frequent visitor to this store and I always buy from here because the products are beautiful and distinctive. The prices are appropriate. And the products always keep pace with developments outside Iraq," Muna told Xinhua after she chose a Bluetooth speaker.

Mustafa Khalid, 30, is the owner of "The Chinese House", another store dedicated to Chinese goods in the al-Ghazaliyah neighborhood in western Baghdad. He said that he chose Chinese goods as a start for his career because they are increasingly gaining acceptance among Iraqi customers.

As his shop was full of customers, Khalid hardly had time to talk. When he finally squeezed some time, he noted that "the Chinese goods are characterized by high quality and reasonable price, and these are the two best advantages that customers prefer."

Speaking with confidence, "Chinese goods are popular with customers because the coveted new concept (for household products) always comes from China," Khalid added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 21:17:03|Editor: huaxia

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PARUN, Afghanistan, July 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 people have been killed, many injured and several villagers went missing after torrential floods hit a village in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nuristan early Thursday, a provincial source said.

"The predawn floods triggered by heavy rains engulfed Mirdesh village in far-flung Kamdesh district. The initial information showed that local villagers found 40 bodies while many others were still missing," chairman of Provincial Council Sadullah Payendazoi told Xinhua.

The village was located at a narrow valley and nearly all the village's houses were affected by the floods, he said.

The floods also swept away many residential houses, cattle, agriculture lands and orchards in the village and demolished a large part of a district road in Kamdesh bordering Pakistan, resulting in the closure of the road.

The office of the State Minister for Disaster Management said in a statement that the agency failed to conduct a search and rescue operation in the area as of midday on Thursday, as the district has been under the Taliban outfit's control.

The provincial directorates for disaster management in neighboring Laghman and Kunar provinces were in contact with the Afghan Red Crescent Society and International Immigration Organization (IOM), seeking their assistance to provide essential aids for the affected people in the mountainous region, the statement said.

Meanwhile, provincial Governor Hafiz Abdul Qayyum told Xinhua that as soon as the Taliban allows the provincial officials to access the area, rescue teams will be dispatched to the area and humanitarian assistance will be sent to the affected people. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 21:25:57|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for further efforts to improve human resource services, promote employment expansion, and optimize the allocation of human resources.

In an instruction to the first national human resource service development conference, Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, urged vigorous support for the construction of the labor market. He also urged supporting the talent market and the gig market to stimulate entrepreneurial and innovative vitality and foster new growth momentum.

The conference took place in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from Wednesday to Thursday.

In a video speech to the conference, Vice Premier Hu Chunhua, also a member of the political bureau, stressed solid work on human resource services to make new contributions to stabilizing the job market and advancing economic and social development.

He called for accelerating reforms in the human resource service industry to optimize resource allocation and effectively ease structural problems in the job market.

More efforts should strengthen social security for workers and protect their legitimate interests, Hu added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 21:26:49|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in China have proposed measures to facilitate the implementation of the three-child policy.

In a notice issued by the National Health Commission on Thursday, the commission called for timely revisions of local family planning regulations and making high-quality medical resources in maternal and child care more accessible.

The commission encourages private actors' participation in providing childcare services and the exploration of setting up a leave system for children from one-child families to tend to their parents, according to the notice.

The notice also laid out measures including streamlining administrative affairs, improving government services, and strengthening population monitoring and research on population strategy. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 21:41:31|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli health ministry said it has reimposed its Green Pass system on Thursday amid a new wave of COVID-19 infections.

Under the outline of the Green Pass, any person above the age of 12 will need a vaccination certificate to enter venues or participate in events with 100 people or more, which include gyms, restaurants, conferences, tourism sites, synagogues, mosques, and churches.

Unvaccinated adults are required to present a negative COVID-19 test to enter gatherings. The measure doesn't apply to those who have recovered from the disease.

The move comes a day after a panel of experts appointed by the health ministry advised the ministry to recommend the elderly to receive third vaccine shots.

More than 62 percent of the country's 9.3 million citizens have been vaccinated with at least one dose and about 57 percent with two doses. Most of them received the Pfizer vaccine. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 21:53:31|Editor: huaxia

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Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah attends a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not seen in the picture) in Kuwait City, Kuwait, July 29, 2021. Washington is fully prepared to continue negotiation with Iran to return to the Iranian nuclear agreement, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said here on Thursday. (Xinhua)

KUWAIT CITY, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Washington is fully prepared to continue negotiation with Iran to return to the Iranian nuclear agreement, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said here on Thursday.

Blinken made the remarks after he met with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues.

Blinken said that the United States is willing to reach an agreement with Iran, urging Iran to make the decision, adding that "the ball is in Iran's court."

The Iranian side has been criticizing the United States for "violating their promises and commitments" to the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

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

Between April 6 and June 20, the JCPOA Joint Commission, attended by a U.S. delegation indirectly, held talks in Vienna to discuss a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the deal.

The parties recently said serious differences remain between Iran and the United States over the revitalization of the deal after six rounds of talks.

Meanwhile, on the relation with Kuwait, the U.S. top diplomat said that his country is committed to strengthening the partnership and cooperation with Kuwait.

Blinken praised Kuwait's role and efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis, saying that Kuwait showed good leadership in resolving regional crises.

For his part, the Kuwaiti foreign minister said they talked about "the importance of strategic dialogue in matters of concern to the two countries and the development of bilateral relations," while stressing the importance of the ties between the two countries in all fields.

Earlier in the day, the Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also held talks with Blinken. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 21:58:25|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Iran's foreign ministry urged on Thursday neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia to overcome tensions and conflicts, and vowed to offer "any kind of assistance" to broker a lasting peace between the two countries.

In a statement published on the ministry's official website, spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh expressed Iran's concern over continuing border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Iranian official voiced regret over the deaths and injuries endured by both countries, and stressed the need for mutual restraint and the respect of internationally recognized borders.

On Wednesday, both Azerbaijan and Armenia confirmed the two sides recently engaged in a new border clash, which caused casualties from both sides. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 22:08:20|Editor: huaxia

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Sunisa Lee of the United States competes in the floor exercise competition of the artistic gymnastics women's all-around final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Lili)

TOKYO, July 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. gymnast Sunisa Lee rallied to take the women's all-around title at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.

The 18-year-old won gold with 57.433 points, followed by Brazil's Rebeca Andrade in 57.298 points. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC)'s Angelina Melnikova settled for bronze with 57.199 points.

Thanks to an excellent performance on the uneven bars, Lee was able to narrow her gap with Andrade and placed second in rotation two by a close margin of 0.066 points to the Brazilian gymnast.

Though she was unstable on the balance beam, Lee led the competition after rotation three, trailing by Andrade at 0.101 points. Her score of 13.700 in floor exercise held off a strong challenge from Andrade, as the latter scored 13.666 points but needed 13.802 for a gold.

Andrade led the first rotation with a 15.300 high on the vault despite a 0.1 penalty for stepping out of bounds, but lost her edge in uneven bars and balance beam after rotation three.

In the last rotation, Andrade stepped out of bounds in the floor exercise twice, leading to a 0.4 penalty which denied her the chance for a gold.

Melnikova was 0.099 points behind Andrade and took the bronze.

U.S. star gymnast Simone Biles announced her withdrawal from the all-around final on Wednesday, after she sat out the team final on Tuesday.

China's Tang Xijing and Lu Yufei finished seventh and 18th respectively in the women's all-around. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:17:26|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A peace conference dubbed National Women's Convention for Peace grouping over 1,000 women from Cameroon's 10 regions opened in the capital, Yaounde on Thursday amid rising security challenges in the Central African country.

The three-day conference, the first of its kind, was organized by grassroots leaders in collaboration with the German-based organization Friedrich Ebert Foundation. It targets essentially women peace activists, displaced women and girls, victims of war-related violence, female traditional and religious leaders, female soldiers and women from civil society and political parties.

"Women have a very important role to play toward achieving a sustainable future and peaceful societies. The majority of women have continued to be neglected during sustainable discussions and meaningful peace-building processes," organizers said in a statement.

The conference will send a strong collective signal that Cameroonian women are longing for peace, it said.

The conference comes in the wake of recurrent attacks by terror group Boko Haram in the country's Far North region and separatist raids in the English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest.

At the end of the conference, the women will make a historic declaration for peace in the country and this will go further to create space for women in peace-building processes, organizers said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:27:16|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Some U.S. politicians have recently stepped up their efforts to smear China by playing up the so-called lab-leak theory in tracing the origin of COVID-19.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday again urged for a second-phase COVID-19 origin-tracing that targets China during a meeting with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Kuwait.

Seeking a "presumption of guilt" against China, the U.S. attempt to manipulate the WHO to politicize the origin-tracing issue is greatly ugly.

In fact, the origin-tracing study report of the China-WHO joint mission released by the health agency in March has drawn the clear conclusion that a laboratory leak is extremely unlikely.

Widely recognized as highly professional -- which it is -- the conclusion drawn on the basis of scientific research has been viciously discredited by the U.S. side.

Regrettably, disregarding the previous efforts and findings, the WHO now sings a different tune on the issue, and proposes a work plan on a second-phase origins study with a research focus that is consistent with the United States' malicious calculation against China.

The WHO's setback has stunned and disappointed scientists and the international community since it deviates from the requirements of the resolution of the 73rd World Health Assembly, and also ignores the conclusions and recommendations of the first-stage joint research report.

The organization's changing tune "is typical of the WHO's inability to function coherently, and a symptom of it being infected and derailed by the broader geopolitical struggle being forced upon it by Washington," said an article recently published on the website of Russian media outlet Russia Today.

Obviously, a motive of the U.S. politicians is to deflect their responsibility for the failed fight against the virus by slandering China.

However, no matter how sophisticated and deceptive their manipulations and tricks are, the U.S. politicians' incompetence in handling the pandemic cannot be concealed.

Now the world's most developed country is facing rebounding numbers of new confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths. But the bloody figures have not changed the minds of those unscrupulous U.S. politicians, who are still wantonly spreading political "viruses" everywhere and disrupting global anti-pandemic cooperation.

The U.S. politicians, as described by media, have turned the deadly virus into a pretext for international blackmail. But such a shoddy ploy is bound to fail. As an independent and sovereign country, China will not and cannot accept any work plan that is not a real plan to find the origins of the virus, but a plan to discredit China.

Meanwhile, the international community is also widely opposed to the politicization of the origin-tracing work. Up till now, nearly 60 countries have sent letters to the WHO, agreeing with the results of the first-phase origin-tracing research and opposing any attempt to politicize the study of the virus origins. Many political leaders, experts and media have repeatedly emphasized that combating the pandemic and tracing the virus origins must be based on science.

Origin-tracing needs cooperation rather than discrediting, truth rather than lies, and respecting science rather than political manipulation.

The U.S. politicians must be aware that whatever platform they will use to play their political tricks, it is impossible to contain China's development, and such despicable moves will only reveal their true hypocrisy. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:27:26|Editor: huaxia

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Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, presides over a bi-weekly seminar held by the CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese national political advisors convened a bi-weekly seminar Thursday to discuss strengthening the network for public health protection.

The seminar, held by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, was presided over by Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.

The network is vital to protecting people's health and safeguarding economic and social stability, Wang said, adding that it also embodies the CPC's original aspiration and mission.

A national public health protection net with Chinese characteristics should be built by giving full play to China's advantage in politics, systems and culture, Wang said.

Ten political advisors and special representatives invited to the meeting put forward their suggestions, while nearly 70 political advisors voiced their opinions via a mobile platform.

The political advisors underlined China has built the world's largest public health protection net, which is tested in containing the COVID-19 epidemic, yet much progress is needed to strengthen the network.

During the meeting, the political advisors stressed advancing the reform of disease control agencies and improving monitoring and early-warning systems.

Calling for efforts to make quality medical resources more accessible at the primary level, the political advisors urged better development of public health disciplines at higher learning institutions. They also stressed enhanced scientific research in the public health field and expanded public health international cooperation.

They also suggested that the law on prevention and control of infectious diseases and regulations on responding to public health emergencies be revised. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:30:15|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi meets with Teresa Cheng, secretary for justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi on Thursday stressed efforts by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government to safeguard national security, sovereignty and development interests, and ensure social stability in the region.

Zhao made the remarks when meeting in Beijing with Teresa Cheng, secretary for justice of the HKSAR government.

"Only by upholding the central government's overall jurisdiction over the HKSAR, and implementing the legal system and enforcement mechanisms of the HKSAR for safeguarding national security, can we ensure the steady and sustained implementation of 'one country, two systems,'" Zhao said.

For her part, Cheng pledged efforts to push forward related work to safeguard the rule of law and social stability in Hong Kong. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:43:15|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Value of Yemen's local currency continued on Thursday to sharply decline against other foreign currencies across the country's provinces controlled by the internationally recognized government.

Banking sources told Xinhua that the exchange rate fell to 1,025 Yemeni riyals against one U.S. dollar in the local markets of the country's southern provinces for the first time, exacerbating the country's already dire humanitarian situation caused by the years-long military conflict.

They said that the devaluation of Yemen's riyal continued despite several financial measures taken by the central bank to curb the economic crisis that made many Yemenis unable to afford basic necessities, including food.

The sources confirmed that the value of Yemen's riyal also recorded a similar sharp decline against all other foreign currencies.

Last week, teams of Yemen's central bank carried out a wide inspection campaign against a number of financial institutions and also targeted speculators of the exchange rates in Aden.

Meanwhile, local citizens in Aden and other major cities complained about the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities due to the sharp foreign currency shortages as the war-torn Arab country imports 90% of its food supply.

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in Yemen warned in December 2020 that the riyal had lost 250 percent of its value since the start of the war in 2015, which has led to an increase in food prices by 140 percent.

In 2017, the Yemeni government floated the national currency, a move that economic observers and analysts said was not well-studied a year after the relocation of the central bank to Aden.

The Yemeni economy is continuing to suffer after all exports were halted following a blockade on the country, which was part of a Saudi-led military intervention in March 2015. The blockade has also restricted imports largely.

All investments, including oil and gas projects, whose revenues used to contribute more than 70 percent of the state budget, were shut down. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:56:13|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the People's Armed Police Force have assisted in emergency rescue and disaster relief in multiple areas hit by torrential rains, a Chinese defense ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

Personnel, vehicles, aircraft and boats have been sent to disaster-hit areas for disaster relief work, said Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.

The army will resolutely accomplish tasks of disaster relief entrusted by the Communist Party of China and the people, Wu said.

Multiple areas in China have been affected by disasters caused by torrential rains. In central China's Henan Province, the death toll from heavy rain had risen to 99 as of Thursday noon. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:59:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military will host some events of the 2021 International Army Games (IAG) in China from Aug. 22 to Sept. 4, a Chinese defense spokesperson said at a press conference on Thursday.

Wu Qian, the spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) would also participate in IAG events in countries including Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Iran.

Hosting and competing in IAG events amid the pandemic will further tighten the ties between the Chinese military and its foreign counterparts, enhance military exchanges and cooperation, and improve the troops' training effects through mutual learning, said Wu.

Wu added that the PLA Army would attend the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise as part of the joint multinational military exercise Cobra Gold 2021 in Thailand via video link from July 30 to Aug. 3. The exercise will focus on flood and earthquake relief, conflict resolution, and civilian protection. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 00:25:17|Editor: huaxia

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NANNING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A seminar on relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan opened on Thursday in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, discussing paths and choice of the development of cross-Strait ties.

Addressing the seminar, Liu Jieyi, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, called on Taiwan compatriots to follow the historical trend and stand firmly on the right side of history.

With a deep connection with Taiwan, Guangxi will contribute to the enhancement of cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, as well as the process of the peaceful reunification of China, said Lan Tianli, deputy secretary of the regional Party committee and chairman of Guangxi.

Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, said the future of Taiwan is closely connected with the fate of the Chinese nation, and "Taiwan independence" will only bring scourging and misfortune.

More than 110 experts and scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait attended the seminar at the scene or via the internet. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 00:29:21|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Thursday slammed the United States over its provocative remarks and acts and urged the country to stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a press conference when asked to comment on the recent provocations by the United States, including advancing a Taiwan-related bill, erroneous remarks made by U.S. officials, and landing a military transport plane in Taiwan in mid-July.

Wu said that China firmly opposes the remarks and acts of the United States as they violate the international law and basic norms governing international relations, seriously interfere in China's internal affairs, gravely undermine China's territorial sovereignty and security interests, and severely threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

He urged the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three joint communiques between the two countries, and warned it not to "play with fire."

At the same time, Wu also warned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority in Taiwan not to misjudge the situation.

Any attempt to seek "Taiwan independence" by banking on foreign forces will only lead to a dead end and bring harm to people in Taiwan and the DPP itself, Wu added.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army will as always be on high alert and take all necessary measures to foil any attempt seeking "Taiwan independence," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 00:33:55|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- An infiltration attempt by the terror group al-Shabab to Ethiopia from neighboring Somalia has been foiled, Ethiopian authorities said on Thursday.

In a press statement, Ethiopia's Somali region communication office said two suspected al-Shabab operatives were intercepted earlier this week.

"Two suspected al-Shabab operatives who tried to enter from neighboring Somalia to Ethiopia were intercepted in the Mustahil locality of Ethiopia Somali regional state," said the statement.

"One suspect was killed in a shootout, while the other suspect was injured and subsequently apprehended," the statement said.

Somalia has struggled with the lack of an effective central government since 1991 when former President Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted from power by armed rebellion, leading to the Somalia Civil War.

The weakness of the central government of Somalia has led to the proliferation of sea piracy, illegal fishing by foreign boats and attacks by terror groups, most notably al-Shabab.

In January, Ethiopia announced the arrest of dozens of suspected Ethiopian extremists linked to al-Shabab. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 00:42:24|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Public Security Thursday launched a one-year campaign to crack down on law violations related to natural resources and those who harbor such crimes.

Police operations against organized crimes involving damaging natural resources should be an important task of the country's regular crackdown on organized crimes, said Du Hangwei, vice minister of public security.

Public security departments nationwide are asked to step up their fight against illegal mining and sand excavation, and bust criminal gangs behind major cases in this field.

The ministry urged efforts to establish and improve long-term mechanisms for information sharing, case reporting, and joint law enforcement, to wipe out the root causes of illegal mining and sand excavation.

During a three-year national campaign targeting organized crime and local tyrants launched in 2018, Chinese police dismantled over 1,090 crime syndicates in mineral resources fields and captured more than 20,000 suspects. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 01:05:57|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Ghana will introduce a gender-focused alleviation program to enable women to overcome the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister for Finance, on Thursday.

Presenting the mid-year review of the 2021 budget to parliament, Ofori-Atta said the initiative would protect the economic well-being of Ghanaian women.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted our women through lesser earnings and savings. The government is, therefore, activating a policy to have 20 percent of its procurements awarded to women to advance the economic well-being of our women," said the minister.

Furthermore, he said the government would support women with specific capacity-building programs to empower them to leverage the lending policies which are to be implemented by the new Development Bank of Ghana. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 02:19:55|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Joint Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition repulsed on Thursday an attack carried out by the Houthi militia in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a military official told Xinhua.

"The Houthis launched an offensive and attempted to achieve on-ground military advancement into Hays district in Hodeidah's southern part, creating tension in the strategic port city," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.

Several elite military units of Tariq's forces, known as the Guardians of the Republic, are currently controlling key strategic areas on the western coast of Yemen and sporadically engage in fighting with the Houthis there.

Following the attack on Hays, Tariq mobilized his troops and began a large-scale military campaign to secure Yemen's strategic areas located on Hodeidah, according to the official.

Hodeidah, a vital lifeline for millions facing starvation, has seen a shaky cease-fire between the government and the Houthi group since they reached a UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in December 2018.

The truce was seen as the first phase toward a nationwide cease-fire to end Yemen's years-long military conflict, but fighting continued across the impoverished Arab country.

Hodeidah is under the control of the Houthis, while the government forces have advanced to the southern and eastern districts.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 03:08:38|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on July 29, 2021 shows a United Nations Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York. United Nations Security Council on Thursday decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a further period ending on Jan. 31, 2022. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Security Council on Thursday decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a further period ending on Jan. 31, 2022.

Unanimously adopting Resolution 2587, the Council urged the sides - and all involved parties - to respect UNFICYP's mandated authority in, and delineation of, the buffer zone separating Greek and Turkish communities in the northern and southern regions of the Mediterranean island since 1974.

By other terms, the Council reaffirmed the importance of the 2018 United Nations aide-memoire to ensure peace and security in the buffer zone and requested the secretary-general to report to its 15 members and troop-contributing countries any actions that impede the force's ability to fulfil its mandate.

Similarly, the Council called on both sides to respect the integrity of the buffer zone, remove all unauthorized constructions and prevent unauthorized military or civilian activities within and along the ceasefire lines. It likewise urged both sides to take "all appropriate measures" to ensure the safety and security of UNFICYP personnel.

In particular, the Council called on the two leaders to urgently provide political support - and overall guidance - to free the Technical Committees from obstructions in their work, empowering them to submit proposals to enhance intercommunal contacts.

The leaders also were called on to engage the committees more actively to ensure coordination on matters carrying island-wide implications, ensure cooperation on criminal matters, promote peace education, improve the public atmosphere for negotiation to secure a settlement and to increase their support for civil society engagement in peace efforts. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 05:57:22|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN -- Iran's foreign ministry urged on Thursday neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia to overcome tensions and conflicts, and vowed to offer "any kind of assistance" to broker a lasting peace between the two countries.

In a statement published on the ministry's official website, spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh expressed Iran's concern over continuing border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia. (Iran-Azerbaijan-Armenia)

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KUWAIT CITY -- Washington is fully prepared to continue negotiation with Iran to return to the Iranian nuclear agreement, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said here on Thursday.

Blinken made the remarks after he met with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues. (Kuwait-U.S.-Iran Nuke Deal)

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JERUSALEM -- Credit rating agency Fitch Ratings has kept its rating for Israel at A+, with a stable outlook, the Israeli Finance Ministry said on Thursday.

According to a Fitch report, Israel's rating balances a diversified, high value-added economy, which proved resilient to the COVID-19 pandemic, strong external finances and solid institutional strength against a high government debt. (Israel-Fitch)

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TUNIS -- Tunisian President Kais Saied has appointed Ridha Gharsallaoui as the new interior minister, the presidency said on Thursday.

During the inauguration ceremony, the new minister "took the constitutional oath before the president," reads a presidency statement. (Tunisia-New Interior Minister-Appointment) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 04:33:29|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A 44-truck aid convoy was heading toward Mekelle in Ethiopia's embattled Tigray region to bolster a food supply expected to run out in two days, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

The convoy left behind about 150 aid vehicles awaiting security clearances in Semera, capital of the Afar region east of Tigray, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. An estimated 500 to 600 trucks of relief items are needed every week to meet mounting humanitarian needs.

The last aid convoy reached Mekelle on July 12.

The World Food Programme (WFP) warns the current food supply in Tigray will only last until Friday. Nutrition partners will soon run out of the essential ready-to-use therapeutic food needed to treat an estimated 4,000 severely malnourished children every month.

A lack of supplies, fuel and communication equipment will effectively halt the humanitarian response in two weeks, OCHA said.

"Fuel shortages have particularly affected health assistance, including vaccinations and other life-saving services, and risk disrupting access to safe water for up to 450,000 people," the office said. "At least 200,000 liters of fuel (four-five tankers) are needed every week to enable operations to continue."

The United Nations seeks restoration of essential services such as electricity, communications, commercial flights and the banking system. It also reiterates the appeal made by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for unfettered humanitarian access to ensure that vital and life-saving assistance can reach people in need as soon as possible.

The United Nations calls on all parties to the conflict in northern Ethiopia to protect civilians and humanitarian workers and their assets in compliance with international humanitarian law. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 10:57:32|Editor: huaxia

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DAR ES SALAAM, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A Tanzanian columnist has called for depoliticizing COVID-19, saying politics should not in any way influence scientific inquiry into the origins of the novel coronavirus.

As the world struggles to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the blame game linking the virus to China has resurfaced, Sweba Unuki, a social affairs analyst in Dar es Salaam, said in a recent article published by The Citizen newspaper.

The World Health Organization and China have been waging a war to fight the virus and help economies return to normal, he said.

Framing the virus as a lab creation originating from China impedes global efforts toward ending the suffering, the columnist said.

The columnist hailed China's contribution in fighting the pandemic globally, saying China has helped many resource-constrained countries in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe fight the pandemic by supplying medical expertise, necessities and equipment.

Comparatively, the West has done far less in fighting the pandemic than China, he added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 19:28:03|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A senior member of al-Shabab on Wednesday surrendered to government forces in Garbaharey, a town located in Southern Somalia, an official confirmed on Thursday.

Mohamed Jama, commander of Somali National Army (SNA) in Garbaharey, told SNA radio that Abdirazak Abdullahi Mohamed, who was a senior al-Shabab operative contacted Somali forces and informed them that he was willing to join the government.

"Mohamed was in charge of assassinations in Garbaharey. He has been fighting along al-Shabab for six years," said Jama.

The senior al-Shabab commander who also spoke to the media said he left the militant group voluntarily.

"I have taken part in several operations in Gedo and Bay regions, but I have decided to quit the militants and join government forces," Mohamed said.

The latest incident comes amid sustained operations by government forces against al-Shabab in central and southern parts of Somalia where the militants still control huge swathes of rural areas where they conduct ambushes and plant landmines. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 19:31:44|Editor: huaxia

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LUANDA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Angola has produced a total of 3.1 million carats (620 kg) of diamond from January to April this year, a government official said Wednesday.

The figure is reasonable considering the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexandre Garrett, director of the Planning and Statistics Office at the country's Ministry of Mineral Resources, said during a local banking and mining forum.

Angola will continue to support producers to increase diamond production to reach the goal of 9.1 million carats (1,820 kg) by the year of 2022, Garrett added.

Also at the forum, Canga Xaquivuila, head of the Geological Institute of Angola, said that his organization will enhance and value the important mineral resources of the country.

"The geological institute serves as a gateway, not only to distinguish and raise the quality and quantity of existing minerals, but also to open new discoveries and contribute to dynamizing the sector, in order to make it more complete and suitable for a good business environment," Xaquivuila said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 22:07:18|Editor: huaxia

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BUJUMBURA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Burundian health minister Thaddee Ndikumana on Wednesday night announced that COVID-19 vaccines can be used in Burundi, after a meeting of the national committee on the prevention and fight against the virus.

"We have accepted the request of the World Bank to avail COVID-19 vaccines. The national committee on the prevention and fight against COVID-19 has however suggested that the ministry (of health) avails needed equipment to receive those vaccines," Ndikumana told a press briefing.

COVID-19 in Burundi is under control, but new cases are still reported in three health districts, including the Bujumbura municipality center health district, the health district of Kiremba in Ngozi province and the health district of Kirundo in the province of Kirundo, according to Ndikumana.

Since Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye took office in June 2020, the government has stepped up measures against COVID-19, including the mass screening campaign and reducing the price of soap with government subsidies. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:15:30|Editor: huaxia

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KIGALI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan troops have killed 14 insurgents in Mozambique during operations since Saturday, a military spokesperson said Thursday.

Rwandan government on July 9 said it would later in the day start deploying a 1,000-member joint force of army and police personnel to Mozambique to support efforts to restore state authority in the latter country's restive region, Cabo Delgado.

"Between July 24 and 28 Rwandan troops conducted several combat operations, in which 14 insurgents were killed and a number of weapons were captured. So far we have not had major casualties except one Rwandan soldier who sustained a minor injury," Rwandan military spokesperson Ronald Rwivanga told a news briefing in the capital city Kigali.

The operations were mounted in the regions of Mbau and Awase, Rwivanga said, adding that one insurgent was killed during an attack on a Rwandan base.

"Rwanda is committed to take any risk for the safety of civilians ... we are ready to take this risk," he added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:23:45|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's exports in the first half of 2021 hit 369 billion shillings (3.4 billion U.S. dollars), according to figures released by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) on Thursday.

The largest export category was tea which generated 625 million dollars in the first six months of 2021 for the East African nation. The bulk of the commodity was purchased by Egypt, Pakistan, Britain, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Horticulture exports generated 624 million dollars to the country between January and June. The key destination for Kenya's fresh produce was the European Union, Britain, Russia and Japan.

Kenya's manufactured goods earned the country 236 million dollars in the first six months of this year. The major destinations for Kenya's industrial products were the East and Southern African regions.

Another significant export commodity was coffee which earned the country 149 million dollars. The rest of the country's exports consisted of chemical products and re-exports. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 00:05:35|Editor: huaxia

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BRAZZAVILLE, July 29 (Xinhua) -- There have been mixed reactions following a decision by the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) to ban all flights from the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the COVID-19 Delta variant is responsible for 84 percent of infections.

The decision, which applies to all airlines serving the DRC, particularly affects Air France flights that connect on a daily basis the two countries' capitals, namely Brazzaville and Kinshasa.

Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation and Merchant Marine, Jean-Marc Thystere Tchicaya of Congo-Brazzaville announced the decision early this week in a letter addressed to the director-general of Air France of the two Congos, Olivier Jallet.

The minister requested that the airline company's flight stopovers in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire have to avoid going through Kinshasa in an effort to prevent people from the risk of infection.

Air France official Jallet in response said there has been no infection record in the flights, noting that changing the route can impact customers.

Brazzaville's decision gets mixed reactions from its citizens. "This is a good decision taken by our authorities because of the contagion of the Delta variant. Prevention is better than cure," Charlotte Kimpouni, 35, a teacher and mother of three, told Xinhua.

"This is a serious measure. It not only punishes passengers, but it will also cause a significant loss of revenue for the airline companies," said Serge Tchitembo, 42, an IT specialist.

Due to the high circulation of the Delta variant in the DRC, France and Belgium have classified the country in the "red zone".

According to the World Health Organization's Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, since last May, Africa has been caught up in a third wave of the pandemic that "is picking up speed, spreading faster, hitting harder" and "threatens to be Africa's worst yet".

The Delta variant, the most contagious COVID variant to date, has been reported in 16 countries, including South Africa, Uganda and the DRC, prompting Brazzaville to decide to ban all flights from Kinshasa from stopping at Brazzaville.

No cases of the Delta variant have been reported in Congo-Brazzaville, which has so far recorded 13,156 cases of COVID-19, including 177 deaths. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 00:30:52|Editor: huaxia

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HARARE, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe will assist in the training of Mozambique's armed forces to enhance their capacity to fight terrorism, Defense Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said Thursday.

While some countries have to deploy combat troops to Mozambique, Zimbabwe had pledged to assist in training Mozambican soldiers to help them combat the Islamist insurgency that has rocked the northern part of the country, said Muchinguri-Kashiri.

According to the official, Zimbabwe will send a total of 304 soldiers to Mozambique, comprising 303 instructors and one specialist officer to the coordinating mechanism of the SADC Force Headquarters in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. SADC refers to the Southern African Development Community.

Zimbabwe's contingent will be deployed once the Status of Force Agreement has been signed, the minister said, adding that the Parliament of Zimbabwe will be informed accordingly about the development.

During SADC's extraordinary summit that was held in Maputo last month, SADC member states resolved to deploy a force to help Mozambique contain insurgency in its northern provinces where terrorists have left a trail of destruction that also threatens regional peace. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 01:02:43|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, on Thursday started a six-day mission to Ethiopia.

"It was important to me that I carry out my first official mission as the UN's humanitarian chief to Ethiopia," a statement by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) issued Thursday quoted Griffiths as saying.

According to Griffiths, humanitarian needs in the East African country have increased this year as a result of the armed conflicts in Tigray and Benishangul-Gumuz, inter-communal violence in parts of Afar, Somali and Southern regions, and drought in Somali, Oromia and Afar regions.

"These shocks came on top of existing challenges associated with floods, the desert locust infestation, chronic food insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of vulnerable people are now struggling and in need of help," he said.

During the visit, Griffiths is expected to meet with high-level Ethiopian government officials and representatives of the humanitarian and donor communities.

According to the UNOCHA, an estimated 5.2 million people need humanitarian assistance in the Tigray region.

The Ethiopian federal government, which announced a unilateral ceasefire in the country's conflict-affected northernmost Tigray regional state since late last month, blames the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) for hindering humanitarian efforts in the region.

The Ethiopian government declared a unilateral ceasefire, which was said to facilitate humanitarian assistance, peaceful livelihood in the region as well as agriculture activities amid the approaching rainy season. The TPLF, however, rejected the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Ethiopian government. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 09:04:28|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A senior Bangladeshi official has said that labelling COVID-19 as a Chinese virus is "very unfortunate" and that geo-political rivalry is "engulfing" global efforts to fight the pandemic.

Hasanul Haq Inu, chairman of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Information at the Bangladesh Parliament, called for more unity, solidarity, fraternity and cooperation worldwide to combat the pandemic, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"But unfortunately we are observing hate, blame game, geo-political rivalry, trade wars and conflicts, unilateralism," he said.

"Viruses do not have any race, religion or country. Viruses are common enemy to the whole mankind," said Inu, who is former minister of information of Bangladesh.

The senior politician noted that before the COVID-19 crisis, the world suffered from uneven and unjust globalization led by America, Europe and other countries, which have miserably failed to reduce the socio-economic-digital divide and properly address climate change.

Now there are "tendencies to engulf corona vaccine within the fume of geopolitical rivalries, trade wars and monopolism," he said.

The former Bangladeshi minister stressed that COVID-19 is a common enemy for mankind and access to vaccines is a basic human right.

"So research, manufacturing, marketing (should) be kept above trade wars, geopolitical rivalries, conflicts and monopolies," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 14:14:42|Editor: huaxia

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MAIMANA, Afghanistan, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 23 militants were confirmed dead and three others injured as Afghan government forces backed by air power stormed Taliban hideouts in Pashtunkot and Almar districts of the northern Faryab province on Wednesday, army spokesman in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai said Thursday.

In the operations launched Wednesday afternoon, a large number of arms and ammunitions as well as four motorbikes of the militants were also destroyed, the official said.

According to the official, the government forces will continue to pursue the militants elsewhere in the restive province.

Taliban militants, who are reportedly in control of major parts of Faryab province and have been fighting to overrun the provincial capital Maimana city, have yet to make comments. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 14:24:07|Editor: huaxia

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TASHKENT, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 cases in Uzbekistan rose by 879 in the past 24 hours to 127,506, the highest daily count since the beginning of this year, the health ministry said Thursday.

The Central Asian nation also reported six new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the nationwide death toll to 859.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev Wednesday again urged the population to be vaccinated as soon as possible against coronavirus.

So far, more than 1.1 million people have been fully vaccinated, according to the ministry. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 21:19:50|Editor: huaxia

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during the inauguration of the China-funded Estrella-Pantaleon (EP) Bridge in Makati City, the Philippines, July 29, 2021. The EP Bridge over the Pasig river is a two-way, four-lane V-shaped concrete girder bridge that connects the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong, two major cities in Metro Manila. An estimated 50,000 vehicles will pass by the bridge per day. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday lauded the completion of a China-funded bridge that highlights the "goodwill of the Chinese people and its government."

The Estrella-Pantaleon (EP) Bridge over the Pasig river is a two-way, four-lane V-shaped concrete girder bridge that connects the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong, two major cities in Metro Manila. An estimated 50,000 vehicles will pass by the bridge per day.

Duterte noted that the new bridge will help ease traffic congestion along major thoroughfares in Metro Manila and will improve the mobility of people and goods between cities in the capital region.

"It will also support our efforts for the gradual reopening of our economy, and improve the resilience of roads and bridges in Metro Manila against natural disasters," he added.

The EP bridge, constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation, is a flagship project under the Philippine government's "Build, Build, Build" infrastructure program.

"I would like to express our gratitude to the government of the People's Republic of China for financing the project," Duterte said, stressing that it "highlights the goodwill of the Chinese people and its government and further cements the good relations between our two countries."

Duterte and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian witnessed together the inauguration of the EP bridge on Thursday.

Huang said the completion of EP Bridge marks major progress of the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the "Build, Build, Build" program, signifying the multiple China-Philippines government-to- government cooperation projects are entering into a new stage of harvest.

"As a Chinese saying goes, building roads and railways leads to prosperity in all sectors," said Huang, adding EP bridge "is expected to greatly enhance traffic, facilitate people's travel across the Pasig river, and promote social and economic development in this region."

Huang noted more projects will break grounds or be completed in succession in the coming years.

"I believe that the progress of the government-to-government projects between China and the Philippines will contribute to achieving Duterte administration's goal and bring more and more benefits to the Filipinos across the country," he added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 21:55:48|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Indian government Thursday said it supports all peace initiatives leading towards a lasting political settlement in Afghanistan.

The statement was made by India's junior foreign minister V Muraleedharan at the upper house of Indian parliament, locally called Rajya Sabha.

"As a contiguous neighbour and strategic partner, India has a steadfast policy to support sovereign, democratic and peaceful Afghanistan, where the interest of all sections of Afghan society including women, children and minorities are protected," the minister said.

"India supports all peace initiatives leading towards a lasting political settlement through an inclusive Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled process which would lead to peace and stability in the region."

The minister said the Indian government was in touch with various stakeholders within and outside Afghanistan, including regional and international partners. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 22:24:34|Editor: huaxia

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HERAT, Afghanistan, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Fighting in Afghanistan has further intensified as Taliban fighters began attacking to gain more ground in the western Herat province and tighten the noose around the provincial capital Herat city.

The militants, in their latest efforts to achieve the goal, launched an offensive against security checkpoints in the tourist destination of Pul-e-Malan area, Karakh and Gazara districts on Wednesday afternoon while the attacks have been repulsed, according to a provincial government official.

"Taliban had military activities last night but their attempts have been beaten back and about 40 militants were killed in Gazara and Karakh districts. Unfortunately, four security personnel sustained injuries in Pul-e-Malan area," provincial government spokesman Jilani Farhad told Xinhua on Thursday.

Farhad also confirmed that sporadic fighting is still going on in parts of the said areas.

Taliban militants, who have captured the dry port Islam Qala and Torghundi in Herat province, have been fighting to overrun Herat city.

The Islam Qala Customs department, which connects Afghanistan to Iran as the main trade crossing point, has yet to be recaptured by Afghanistan forces.

The armed group has also ruled Torghundi dry port along the border with Turkmenistan since its fall to the Taliban last month.

Taliban militants have overrun some 200 districts since the U.S.-led forces started to pull out from Afghanistan in early May.

It will be regarded as a big achievement for the Taliban if the group captures Herat city, local observers said.

Afghan Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammad said that government forces would soon launch counter-offensives to recapture all the districts from the Taliban outfit.

More than 200 militants, according to security officials, have been killed elsewhere in Afghanistan over the past 24 hours. The claim was rejected by the Taliban as baseless. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 05:42:18|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- All the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) have signed a declaration to build a secure quantum communication infrastructure (QCI) that will span the whole bloc, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Commission said Ireland was the last member state to sign the EuroQCI declaration. The initiative is to boost European capabilities in quantum technologies, cybersecurity and industrial competitiveness.

The EuroQCI will be part of a space-based secure connectivity system. The European Space Agency (ESA) is also involved in the project.

By joining the initiative, the EU member states agreed to work on integrating quantum-based systems into existing communication infrastructures, providing an additional security layer.

According to the Commission, the initiative will reinforce the protection of governmental institutions, their data centers, hospitals, and energy grids, becoming one of the main pillars of the EU's cybersecurity strategy for the coming decades.

The initiative will consist of a terrestrial segment, where fiber communication networks link strategic sites at national and cross-border level, and a space segment based on satellites, linking national quantum communication networks all over the EU and worldwide.

The EuroQCI Declaration was launched in June 2019, and since then the participating member states along with the European Commission and the ESA have met regularly to plan the initiative's implementation. The aim is for it to be fully functional by 2027. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 06:22:46|Editor: huaxia

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LISBON, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government published on Wednesday the law creating the Capitalization and Resilience Fund, which initially earmarks 320 million euros (378 million U.S. dollars) for the economic recovery of the country's companies.

The funds, which come from the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the European Union (EU), may reach 1.3 billion euros in the long term, aiming at the recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Portuguese fund is held by the Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation and managed by the Portuguese Development Bank.

According to the law published in the Portuguese Republic Gazette, the money will be used to "provide public support aimed at strengthening the solvency of commercial companies operating in the national territory" and "supporting the capital reinforcement of commercial companies in the process of growth and consolidation."

According to the government, there may be "additional appropriations made possible by other sources of European funds."

The ordinance stipulates that the fund will invest through equity instruments, including common or preferred shares, convertible bonds, debt, guarantees, or a combination of all these instruments. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 18:12:36|Editor: huaxia

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Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic waves to Chinese workers as he walks on the Peljesac Bridge to attend a ceremony marking the connection of the bridge near Komarna of southern Croatia, July 29, 2021. The final piece of steel box girder for the Peljesac Bridge in southern Croatia was lifted and welded with the main structure on late Wednesday night. The 2.4-km cable-stayed bridge over the Mali Ston Bay of the Adriatic Sea connects Croatian mainland and the Peljesac Peninsula of its southernmost Dubrovnik-Neretva County, bypassing a short strip of Bosnian and Herzegovina's territory. (Xinhua/Gao Lei)

KOMARNA, Croatia, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The final piece of steel box girder for the Peljesac Bridge in southern Croatia was lifted and welded with the main structure on late Wednesday night.

The 2.4-km cable-stayed bridge over the Mali Ston Bay of the Adriatic Sea connects Croatian mainland and the Peljesac Peninsula of its southernmost Dubrovnik-Neretva County, bypassing a short strip of Bosnian and Herzegovina's territory.

The bridge, giving Croatia its long-awaited territorial continuity and traffic convenience, will be open to traffic next year when all access roads and relevant constructions are finished.

A Chinese consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) won the bid to build the first phase of the Peljesac Bridge and its access roads in 2018, with a promise to finish the job in 36 months.

"The CRBC performed a marvelous job. We are now witnessing a physical linkage of the bridge three months ahead of the planned deadline despite the COVID-19 and the difficulties in the transport from China to Croatia. I think it is a fantastic achievement," Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told Xinhua at the construction site on the Peljesac Peninsula ahead of a ceremony marking the connection shortly after midnight on Thursday.

"Politically it is great, economically it is fantastic ... but also it brings together three actors: Croatia, European Union and China," Plenkovic commented on the EU-funded project.

"Tonight we have achieved a goal that solves a 300-year-old problem. It is a fascinating strategic achievement of the Croatian people and state and a picture of modern sovereignty that defines how to achieve strategic national interests and what has been the goal of the Croatian people and state for years," the prime minister said in his speech during the ceremony.

The ceremony was also attended by Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic and several ministers, as well as many former and incumbent officials. Hundreds of guests, members from the media, and representatives from the contractor and its subcontractors were also at the scene, a rare occurrence in this part of Croatia.

Some local residents came near the bridge in their small boats to witness and celebrate the historic moment. Fireworks sponsored by the Chinese contractor highlighted the end of the ceremony at around 1:00 a.m. (GMT 0000) on Thursday, followed by another firework show by exhilarated people of the village of Komarna on the mainland-side of the bay. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 21:04:11|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Britain's climate is already changing as recent decades have been warmer, wetter and sunnier in the country than in the 20th century, according to an annual climate report published Thursday.

Year 2020 was the third warmest, fifth wettest and eighth sunniest on record for the country, said the State of the UK Climate, an annual publication providing an up-to-date assessment of Britain's climate published by the national weather service the Met Office.

No other year has fallen in the top 10 for all three variables for Britain.

The report warned that Britain has warmed at a broadly consistent but slightly higher rate than the observed change in global mean temperature.

For Britain, the period 1991 to 2020 has been on average 0.3 degree Celsius warmer than 1981 to 2010 and 0.9 degree Celsius warmer than 1961 to 1990, with warming across all months and countries, said the report.

"A lot of people think climate change is in the future -- but this proves the climate is already changing here in the UK," the report's lead author Mike Kendon, climate information scientist at the Met Office, told the BBC.

"As it continues to warm we are going to see more and more extreme weather such as heatwaves and floods," said Kendon.

The report, based on observations of temperature, precipitation, sunshine and wind speed from Britain's land weather station network as managed by the Met Office and a number of key partners and co-operating volunteers, has been published as a special issue of the International Journal of Climatology.

It aims to provide a summary of Britain's weather and climate through the calendar year 2020, alongside the historical context for a number of essential climate variables. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:26:44|Editor: huaxia

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BUCHAREST, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The leader of Moldova's pro-European Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), Igor Grosu, was elected speaker of the country's new Parliament on Thursday.

Grosu's party won 63 seats in the 101-seat legislature in the parliamentary elections held on July 11.

PAS Vice President Mihai Popsoi from the PAS and Vlad Batrincea from the Socialists and Communists bloc were elected deputy speakers. The two held the same position in the previous Parliament.

Grosu, 47, said he will place Parliament at the service of the people and will transform it into a factory of good reforms, laws and decisions.

He called on his fellow deputies to work to ensure the functionality of the institution, to develop infrastructure and the local communities, to support the business community and create jobs, and to strengthen foreign relations.

Grosu graduated from Moldova State University and has a degree in history. Previously he was deputy education minister and led the parliamentary group of the PAS in the previous legislature.

Last Friday, the Constitutional Court of Moldova confirmed the outcome of the July 11 snap elections, according to which only three political parties are represented in the new chamber -- the PAS, the Socialists and Communists bloc (32 seats) and the Euroskeptic party of businessman Ilan Sor (six seats).

The Parliament of Moldova is elected for a four-year term. The previous Parliament was elected in 2019 but was dissolved by President Maia Sandu on April 28 after two failed attempts to form a government. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 23:53:49|Editor: huaxia

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HELSINKI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Finland-based telecommunications giant Nokia improved both its sales and results during the second quarter (Q2) of this year, the company said in a press release on Thursday.

Nokia's Q2 net sales increased four percent year-on-year, from 5,092 million euros (6,053 million U.S. dollars) to 5,313 million euros. Its comparable operating profit in Q2 grew drastically by 61 percent to 682 million euros against 423 million euros in Q2 2020.

The company's comparable operating margin of Q2 increased to 12.8 percent from 8.3 percent a year ago.

During the first half (H1) of this year, Nokia's net sales grew four percent to 10,389 million euros from 10,007 million euros in the same period of last year. Its comparable operating profit in H1 increased dramatically by 129 percent to 1,234 million euros from 539 million euros in the corresponding half of 2020.

The company said that its "top-line strength continued in Q2," driven by growth across all business groups, especially in network infrastructure.

Nokia's performance surprised local analysts, who had been quoted by the Finnish business daily Kauppalehti as predicting results to the tune of 408 million euros.

Nokia's Q2 sales in the "Greater China business area" increased 11 percent, from 338 million euros to 374 million euros, while its H1 sales in the area grew from 671 million euros to 776 million euros year-on-year.

Pekka Lundmark, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Nokia, told journalists on Thursday that his company's position in the global 5G markets has improved markedly. (1 euro=1.19 U.S. dollars) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 11:46:57|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday blasted the United States for manipulating the COVID-19 pandemic for political purposes, noting the move is doomed to failure.

"We advise the United States that political manipulation cannot defeat the pandemic. It will find little support. It is doomed to failure," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told an informal meeting of the UN General Assembly on pandemic preparedness and response.

Dai criticized the United States for once again abusing the UN platform, and using the study of the COVID-19 origins "as an issue to engage in political manipulation."

Dai said politicizing the issue "completely runs counter" to the intent of the UN meeting. "China categorically rejects this," Dai added.

China has been an active participant in international cooperation on uncovering the origins of the virus, having twice invited World Health Organization experts to conduct joint research, Dai noted.

"The experts visited all the places they had wanted to visit. They met with all the people they had wanted to meet. They reached the science-based conclusion that it was extremely unlikely that the virus was leaked from the laboratory. The experts further proposed the search for possible early cases on a global scale. And these important suggestions have received broad endorsement internationally," he added.

Dai believed that the next phase of origin tracing should focus on the study of "the many early cases that have already been identified in various places around the world," and that origin tracing cooperation should be undertaken in multiple locations around the globe.

The United States "is disregarding facts. It is using political manipulation for the purpose of deflecting the attention to its botched response to the pandemic for the purpose of smearing other countries," Dai said, noting that the United States is "deliberately disinforming" the world.

"They have completely lost their scientific integrity and paid scant attention to moral standards. It has used all sorts of means to interfere with the original tracing international cooperation. This is condemned by the international community," he added.

"My advice to the United States is to respect science, save lives, stop undermining international cooperation in the fight against pandemic and the study of the origin."

"The United States should welcome WHO experts to conduct origin research in the United States with an open and transparent attitude," Dai added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 12:04:58|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Washington's confrontational approach to China has proved to be "counter-productive" as it has alienated China when the world is in need of cooperation on a slew of issues, The Guardian newspaper said in a recent opinion piece.

U.S. President Joe Biden's "combative stance has alienated Beijing," it quoted international affairs expert Jonathan Tepperman as saying. Tepperman noted that this has affected collaboration with China on issues ranging from climate to the prevention of future pandemics.

"U.S.-China relations are already at their worst point in decades, and the administration's strikingly confrontational approach is likely to make things worse," he said.

"Biden's framing of the overall argument in crude ideological terms -- as liberty versus tyranny -- risks further alienating Beijing," the piece added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 12:17:06|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to proceed with a bipartisan infrastructure deal that was struck earlier in the day, clearing the first hurdle toward adopting a long-waited and hotly debated spending package.

In a key procedural vote, senators voted 67-32 to push the bill forward, meeting the 60-vote threshold. All 50 Democrats and 17 Republicans voted in favor.

The vote starts the process to debate and amend the proposal, and the final version still needs approval from both chambers.

The vote came just a few hours after Senator Rob Portman from Ohio, the top Republican negotiator, told reporters that a bipartisan group of senators has reached an agreement on the major issues of the infrastructure plan.

The agreement was reached after months of strenuous negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans. Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he reached a deal with a bipartisan group of senators on a roughly 1.2-trillion-U.S. dollar infrastructure plan.

Over the past few weeks, senators have been trying to nail down details of the infrastructure package. About a week ago, Senate Republicans blocked a procedural vote to advance the infrastructure bill, calling for more time to negotiate the bill and finalize the details.

The bill includes 550 billion U.S. dollars in new spending on infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, passenger rails, drinking water and waste water systems. The rest of the package involves previously approved spending.

In a statement, National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay said the federation is "encouraged by tonight's quick and decisive action" in the Senate to invoke cloture to end filibuster on the bipartisan infrastructure deal, clearing the path for a full Senate vote.

"We look forward to swift passage in the Senate and encourage the House to follow suit," Shay said.

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a budget watchdog group, said, "It is very encouraging that our leaders have put partisanship aside and come together to make important investments in the economy," but "we are deeply concerned that this legislation does not appear to be fully paid for."

Noting that the offsets appear to be a combination of real pay-fors and "budget gimmicks," MacGuineas urged policymakers to identify additional offsets to fully cover the costs and ideally -- as Biden proposed -- reduce long-term deficits.

Between income tax revenue, user fees, and spending reforms, there are plenty of offsets available, she added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 00:37:49|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday released a sweeping strategy to address the root causes of migration from Central American nations to the United States, which has been rising to the point where it is posing an increasing challenge to the administration.

The 18-page report, released by the National Security Council, specifies the strategy by dividing it into several pillars, including addressing economic insecurity and inequality, combating corruption and strengthening democratic governance, and promoting respect for human rights.

The pillars also include addressing violence and crimes committed by criminal gangs and trafficking networks, as well as curbing sexual, gender-based and domestic violence.

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement accompanying the report that although the United States has engaged with Central America for the past decades, "the engagement has often not been consistent. And over the last few years, the United States significantly pulled back from work in the region."

Harris was tapped by Biden in March as the liaison person leading the administration's efforts to address the root causes of migration by engaging with the Northern Triangle nations in Central America -- namely El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras -- and Mexico,

Along with the just-released plan, the White House also rolled out the "Collaborative Migration Management Strategy," which included several "lines of efforts," such as stabilizing populations, improving and expanding temporary labor programs and expanding access to lawful pathways for protection and opportunity in the United States.

The number of migrants encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border reached a yearly high in June, totaling 188,829 people and up 5 percent from the May figure, according to new statistics released earlier this month by Customs and Border Protection.

Polls conducted since the Biden-Harris administration took office have shown that immigration is one of the most poorly-handled policy arenas by the administration. Biden is under pressure from both the Republicans, who attacked him for reversing the restrictive immigration policies during the Donald Trump administration, as well as progressive Democrats and immigration advocates, who said the current administration has not done enough to help migrants.

In the meantime, recent approval ratings for Harris, a longtime state prosecutor boasting ample experience in law enforcement, indicate that the vice president is viewed less favorably than the president.

Harris earned a combined unfavorable rating of 46 percent, according to an aggregate average compiled by RealClearPolitics. That number is 3 percentage points below Biden's 43 percent in the same category.

Specifically on immigration, the vice president sparked criticism from immigration advocates during her trip to Mexico and Guatemala in June, where she told migrants "do not come" and said they would be turned back if they came to the border.

The negative implications of the administration's handling of the immigration issue may continue to loom large as the 2022 midterm elections near. The space for policy errors or failures in communicating its message is very little for the Democratic Party, as it must fight to keep its slim majorities in both the House and the Senate. Enditem
El presidente @PedroCastilloTe tomo juramento al nuevo jefe del Gabinete Ministerial, Guido Bellido Ugarte, en la historica Pampa de Ayacucho, en la provincia de Huamanga. pic.twitter.com/xdNeswK97a
08:30 | Lima, Jul. 29.

Reusche stated that, in recent years, the country has remained consistent in its macroeconomic policy and fiscal management.

Besides, he said this year's public investment promotion was undertaken in a responsible manner, which was financed by the "rebound" in tax revenues.

The Moody's senior credit officer explained that the fiscal deficit had widened sharply in 2020, which in turn led to a fairly significant accumulation of public debt.

"But the deficit reduction process until July has taken place in a very healthy and prudent manner, which is what has always characterized Peru," the Moody's representative said in remarks to Andina news agency
"We are going to continue working to strengthen the strategic partnership with Peru, which meets the fundamental interests of our countries and peoples," he said.

As he remarked, bilateral cooperation has reached a level of strategic partnership and keeps developing in a dynamic manner, so Peru is one of Russia's most important partners in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.
" " The spotted lanternfly is an invasive species from Asia. In seven years, it has spread from Berks County, northwest of Philadelphia, to large areas of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and adjacent states both south and north. Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle/Getty Images

The spotted lanternfly was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since spread to 26 counties in that state and at least six other Eastern states. It's moving into southern New England, Ohio and Indiana. This approximately 1-inch-long (2.54-centimeter-long) species from Asia has attractive polka-dotted front wings but can infest and kill trees and plants. Professor Frank Hale is an entomologist who is tracking this species.

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How Did the Spotted Lanternfly Get to the U.S., and How Quickly Is It Spreading?

It is native to India, China and Vietnam and probably arrived in a cut stone shipment in 2012. The first sighting was in 2014 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on a tree of heaven  a common invasive tree brought to North America from China in the late 1700s.

By July 2021 the lanternfly had spread to about half of Pennsylvania, large areas of New Jersey, parts of New York state, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. It also had been found in western Connecticut, eastern Ohio and now Indiana. To give an idea of how fast these lanternflies spread, they were introduced into South Korea in 2004 and spread throughout that entire country  which is approximately the size of Pennsylvania  in only three years.

" " In only seven years, the spotted lanternfly has infested large areas of the Middle Atlantic and has begun to push into Connecticut. New York State Integrated Pest Management Program

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How Do They Spread So Fast?

The lanternflies lay egg masses in late summer and autumn on the trunks of trees and any smooth-surfaced item sitting outdoors. The egg masses, which resemble smears of dry mud, can also be laid on the smooth surfaces of cars, trucks and trains. Then, they can be unintentionally transported to any part of the country in just a few days. Once the eggs hatch, they crawl to nearby host plants to start a new infestation.

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How Do They Damage Trees and Plants? What Do They Feed On?

They feed by piercing the bark of trees and vines to tap into the plant's vascular system to feast on sap. For a sucking insect, lanternflies are relatively big. They remove large amounts of sap and excrete copious amounts of clear, sticky "honeydew" that can coat the tree and anything beneath. A black sooty mold grows wherever the honeydew has been deposited. While unsightly, sooty mold isn't harmful when growing on the bark of the tree or beneath it. Lanternfly feeding seriously stresses trees and vines, which lose carbohydrates and other nutrients meant for storage in the roots and eventually for new growth. Infested trees and vines grow more slowly, exhibit dieback  begin to die from the branch tips  and can even die.

" " Collected spotted lanternfly specimens on display at the Berks County Ag Center in Berks County, Pennsylvania. MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

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How Are Scientists and Officials Trying to Stop Their Spread?

Biological control shows some promise for the future. Two naturally occurring fungal pathogens of spotted lanternflies have been identified in the U.S. Also, U.S. labs are testing two parasitoid insects  insects that grow by feeding on lanternflies and killing them in the process  that have been brought from China for testing and possible future release.

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How Worried Should People Be About This Lanternfly?

Very worried. Lanternflies easily build to high numbers. The area where host trees live is relatively wide, and lanternflies damage crops, the forest and the landscape. They damage many plants and cause a major nuisance to the general public. The heavy flow of honeydew and the resulting sooty mold makes a mess of the landscape. The adults start to aggregate on plants and structures to lay their egg masses in September. Their sudden, mass appearance can be alarming to people the way periodical cicada populations shock people when they come out of the ground. But lanternflies are more shocking because the few predators that could feed on them, like wheel bugs and predatory stink bugs, do not seem to control the infestations. That is why the introduction of parasitoids from Asia are important for achieving some meaningful level of biological control.

Lanternflies can be a serious pest of grapes, and where found, they have reduced grape yields and damaged or killed vines. Multiple applications of insecticides are often needed to kill them, but this increases the cost of crop production. The pest threatens the major wine-producing regions in the East, such as the Finger Lakes and Long Island in New York; parts of Virginia; and Newport, Rhode Island.

" " This spotted lanternfly nymph is in the fourth instar stage of the life cycle. MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

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Have any Other Pests Similarly Damaged Trees?

Yes, the emerald ash borer, which arrived in the U.S. from China by accident and was discovered in 2002. It has killed millions of ash trees in North America. The Asian longhorned beetle, which feeds on and kills many species of trees, has turned up in multiple locations, most recently near Charleston, South Carolina. Maple, buckeye, horse chestnut, willow and elm would be threatened if this pest ever got widely established.

The box tree moth damages boxwoods and is known to live in Canada. It has been seen in Connecticut, Michigan and South Carolina. It possibly was spread accidentally into the U.S. in shipments of boxwoods from Canada. It is not known to be established in any state, but a federal government order has halted importing host plants like boxwood, euonymus and holly from Canada.

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What Should I Do if I See One?

If it has already infested the region where you live and you find spotted lanternflies on your property, contact your local county extension office for control recommendations.

But if it has not been found in your county or state, report it to your state department of agriculture. If the infestation is caught early before it can become established in your area, hopefully it can be eradicated there. Eventually, it will spread to many parts of the country. We can slow the spread by identifying and eradicating new infestations wherever they arise.

Frank A. Hale is a professor of horticultural crop entomology at the University of Tennessee.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can find the original article here.
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. On July 29, at around 03:00, the Azerbaijani armed forces, violating yesterdays agreement on the ceasefire, again launched a provocation in the Gegharkunik section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, in the direction of Karvachar, by opening fire at the Armenian positions from firearms, the defense ministry of Armenia said in a statement.

The Azerbaijani fire has been stopped after the counter actions of the Armenian side.

As of 07:00 this morning, the situation is calm, there are no shots.

On July 28, at around 03:40, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a provocation and violated the ceasefire in the northern-eastern section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Three Armenian servicemen have been killed, four others have been wounded in action. The Azerbaijani attacking forces have been repelled to their initial positions, suffering losses. The sides have reached an agreement on ceasefire at the mediation of the Russian side.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. The United States condemns the recent escalation of violence along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

We call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to uphold their ceasefire commitments by taking immediate steps to de-escalate the situation.

Continued tensions along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border underscore the fact that only a comprehensive resolution that addresses all outstanding issues can normalize relations between the two countries and allow the people of the region to live together peacefully.

The United States urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to return as soon as possible to substantive discussions under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to achieve a long-term political settlement to the conflict, the statement says.
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. On July 29, at around 08:40, the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces again opened fire at the Armenian positions located in the Gegharkunik section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the defense ministry told Armenpress.

A short shootout took place. The Azerbaijani fire was stopped after the respective actions of the Armenian side.

A servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces received a gunshot wound as a result of the Azerbaijani shooting.

As of 09:30, the situation is calm.

Earlier today the Armenian defense ministry reported that on July 29, at around 03:00, the Azerbaijani armed forces, violating yesterdays agreement on the ceasefire, again launched a provocation in the Gegharkunik section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, in the direction of Karvachar, by opening fire at the Armenian positions from firearms.

On July 28, at around 03:40, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a provocation and violated the ceasefire in the northern-eastern section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Three Armenian servicemen have been killed, four others have been wounded in action. The Azerbaijani attacking forces have been repelled to their initial positions, suffering losses. The sides have reached an agreement on ceasefire at the mediation of the Russian side.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. The letter from the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations Mher Margaryan addressed to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Economic and Social Council has been released, the Office of the Permanent Representative of Armenia to UN told Armenpress.

The letter touches upon the third voluntary national review of Azerbaijan presented at the UN high-level political forum on sustainable development on 12 July 2021.

The letter states that Azerbaijan has yet again abused the important process of voluntary national reviews to disseminate misinformation and falsifications about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. It presents the heavies humanitarian and environmental consequences of the 2020 Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh.

The full text of the letter is available at the following link.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Governor of Armenias Gegharkunik province Gnel Sanosyan briefed reporters on the border situation after the Cabinet meeting today.

He stated that a shootout occurred overnight July 29 in the direction of Verin Shorja, in the position where heavy battles took place overnight July 28.

We have one wounded soldier, he has undergone a surgery, everything is normal, he said.

Mr. Sanosyan said that Russian border guards have not been deployed on the section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border where heavy battles occurred yesterday, adding that he is not aware of the negotiations on this direction.

There has been some process, Russians visited us, there has been some work. But I cannot say in what stage the negotiations are at the moment, the Governor said.

He stated that todays situation is not the same as it was in May when the Azerbaijani troops infiltrated into Armenias territory. In May the Azerbaijani forces were coming with maps for the so-called peaceful purposes. But now its obvious that when they fire at our direction, when there are our residents, our Army cannot just stay silent. Our Army gives a very worthy response, yesterdays actions are the evidence of this, thanks to which we didnt have any change in the contact line, the Gegharkunik Governor said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
STEPANAKERT, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Foreign Ministry has issued a statement on the illegal visit of Parliament Chairmen of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan to the occupied territories of Artsakh.

Armenpress presents the full text of the statement:

We reiterate the inadmissibility of Azerbaijan's attempts to consolidate the illegal occupation of the territories of the Republic of Artsakh, which were seized as a result of the 44-day aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan with the direct participation of Turkey and international terrorists in September 2020. Any actions aimed at making legitimate the results of the violations of international law and the illegal use of armed forces should be strongly condemned.

One of such blatant examples of Baku's policy of creating the basis for recognizing its illegal actions as an acceptable norm is the visit of the chairmen of the parliaments of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan to the town of Shoushi, which is under temporary Azerbaijani occupation.

We consider it necessary to note the unacceptability and provocative nature of such visits by officials of Azerbaijan and other countries to the occupied territories of the Republic of Artsakh, as they are a gross violation of international law, a challenge to the civilized world and aim to exclude the possibility of creating prerequisites for a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabagh conflict.

We reiterate the inviolability of the position of the Republic of Artsakh that the restoration of the territorial integrity and acquisition of international legal personality by Artsakh are indispensable conditions for achieving a comprehensive settlement of the conflict and establishing lasting peace in the region.
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh voiced Tehran's readiness to help restore peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, IRNA reports.

Khatibzadeh expressed concern about continuation of border conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, calling on both sides to exercise restraint.

The Iranian spokesman stressed the need to find a peaceful settlement to the conflict.

Urging both sides to respect the internationally recognized borders, Khatibzadeh said Iran is ready to provide any assistance to establish sustainable peace in the region.
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Giorgi Gogia, Associate Director, Europe and Central Asia Division of the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, referred to the illegal verdict of the Armenian captives by the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. ARMENPRESS reports Gogia noted that the criminal persecution of the Armenian war prisoners on the charges of illegal crossing of the border is a violation of the 3rd Geneva Convention.

'' Captured combatants should have been afforded PoW status and returned after hostilities ended, Gogia wrote on his Twitter page.

Baku Court on Grave Crimes has sentenced 13 Armenian prisoners of war to 6 years inprisonment on trumped-up charges.
B Company, 3 PARA of the British Army have conducted intense training in the desert alongside allied Jordanian forces, building relationships and improving operational capability, as reported on British Armys website.

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British airborne forces are currently in Al-Quwayrah, Jordan, carrying out some of the most professionally rewarding, sophisticated and testing military exercises ever undertaken (Picture source: British Army)

British airborne forces are currently in Al-Quwayrah, Jordan, carrying out some of the most professionally rewarding, sophisticated and testing military exercises ever undertaken. The arid, austere, unyielding landscape and fierce heat provide the perfect environment to prove skills learned and test them against worst-case scenarios.

B Company Group, from the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), working with 7 (Para) Royal Horse Artillery, and other elements of 16 Air Assault Brigade, were chosen to partner with the Jordanian forces from 2 Company, 81st Battalion of the Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ) Quick Reaction Force (QRF) for Exercise Olive Grove. This is a Land Warfare sponsored Overseas Training Exercise whose focus on partnering, interoperability and light infantry (Air Assault) specific training will dramatically benefit both nations forces. It has been a perfect complement to the work already demonstrated by the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment at the start of the Jordanian deployment, where they proved their lightning efficiency at getting troops into the country through Joint Force Entry.

16 Brigades ability to rapidly conduct operations anywhere in the world uses forces already in-country to maximise available combat power. Exercises such as these help establish and develop partnerships with Host Nation forces so that when the situation demands they have an immediately effective, ready and integrated coalition in place to deal with eventualities.

There is already a strong operational bond between 16 Brigade and the Jordanian QRF. At the tactical level, the integration of Jordanian and UK elements through a demanding training progression has proved a demonstrative success.

Planning and executing Aviation operations against limited time constraints, carrying out offensive and defensive operations by both day and night, as well as live-fire tactical manoeuvres, have tested and proven these bonds even more.

For some members of the company, this is their first overseas deployment. The desert terrain, elevation and heat have all tested each individual in their own way. The majestic landscape provides challenges of manoeuvre, offers a marked advantage to the defender, and tried all their capabilities. This is an excellent environment to test procedures as well as new equipment, especially as 16 Brigade modernises within its new role as a Global Response Force.

As well as the tactical understanding, each member of the company has been exposed to new ideas, challenges, risks and failures that enable us to collectively develop and train harder. Importantly, the exposure to different cultures has been formulaic for young soldiers whose experience of the wider world is growing and they are better soldiers for it.

As the world becomes more complex and unpredictable, partnered activity, and the creation of the new Ranger Regiment in the recent Defence Integrated Review, shows the priority which building these relationships has to our future success.

The Chief of the Defence Staff visited the troops on the exercise and, reassured, commended their efforts. That recognition and endorsement is important. While the exercise demonstrated credible support to our Jordanian allies, this enduring relationship is central to the application of strategic effect now and in the future in the region.

B Company, 3 PARA is unique for having the Independent Guards Parachute Platoon in its ranks. It is formed by members of the Household Division who have passed the arduous All Arms Pre-Parachute Selection process to serve in 16 Brigade and have earned their wings (the distinctive badge worn by parachute trained soldiers).

The Parachute Regiment serves as the core of the UKs very high readiness response force and was recognised in the recent Integrated Review for Its unique ability within Defence for its ability to project mass at scale and speed. Within 16 Brigade this will become the Global Response Force; a highly mobile combined arms grouping that is useful, usable and used.



British airborne forces are currently in Al-Quwayrah, Jordan, carrying out some of the most professionally rewarding, sophisticated and testing military exercises ever undertaken (Picture source: British Army)
Russian Ministry of Defense signed a contract with Almaz-Antey on shipment of the first batch of the S-500 Prometey air defense systems, a source in the military-industrial complex told TASS.

July 29, 2021, 11:18 Russian Defense Ministry signs contract on first 10 S-500 air defense systems

STEPANAKERT, JULY 29, ARTSAKHPRESS: "The Russian Ministry of Defense signed a contract with VKO Almaz-Antey on shipment of over 10 Prometey systems to the Aerospace forces. Serial shipments will begin in the first half of 2022," the source said.

The source also disclosed that "state trials of the S-500 currently proceed at a proving ground in southern Russia." The trials are expected to wrap up in late 2021.

According to the source, the current variant is ground-based.

"If necessary, it can become a naval one," he added.
The Armenian government allocated 3 billion 459 billion drams for the purchase of Chinese Sinopharm and German Pfizer vaccines against COVID-19.

July 29, 2021, 13:05 COVID-19: Armenian government allocates over 3 bln drams for purchase of Sinopharm, Pfizer vaccines

STEPANAKERT, JULY 29, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: At the Cabinet meeting today caretaker Minister of Healthcare Anahit Avanesyan said that the share of vaccine recipients in the overall population will increase by 10% (500,000 doses for 250,000 persons).

The activeness towards vaccines is constantly growing in Armenia. We have already carried out 163,000 vaccinations, he said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his turn expressed concerns that the coronavirus cases are gradually growing in Armenia. I want to draw your attention to the vaccination process, we should continue effectively conducting the purchase of the vaccines. We need to actively cooperate also with our partners in this process and continue to keep the traditions of mutual help and support, he said.

He stated that there is a traditiol of quite active cooperation with Georgia in terms of exchanging vaccines. I want to thank the Georgian government for their decision to donate 50,000 doses vaccine to Armenia, he said, adding that when Armenia has such an opportunity, a similar decision will be made.

Anahit Avanesyan informed that the government of Lithuania has decided to donate vaccines (27,000 doses) to Armenia.
Education

EDUCATION

Auburn school listening event a first step to more open communication

Kelly Rocheleau / Kelly Rocheleau, The Citizen The Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education holds a forum Wednesday to allow community members to express their concerns.

AUBURN  The Auburn school board held a listening session Wednesday to hear from the community, and what they heard is that there is still a lot of work to be done.

People gathered in the high school library were asked to give one word to sum up how they feel about the district and a word to sum up how they feel about the school board. For the board, people came up with words such as "unethical," "political" and "bullies." Words such as "unsupported," "burned out," "hurting" and "unprepared" were used for the district.

The district announced the event last week, two days after a heavily attended board meeting on July 20 ended with people shouting at each other and police responding to the high school.

Wednesday night's meeting was co-facilitated by Kara Georgi, trainer of the "community cafe" approach of discussion and a certified trainer in the Protective Factors Framework, and Melissa O'Donnell, the Auburn school district's director of English/language arts, math, and personalized learning. They told the group they wanted them to feel comfortable, and talked about a plan to break everyone into small groups.

Over the last few months, increased numbers of residents have attended school board meetings. During the public comments portion of meetings, residents have brought forward concerns about issues such as the district's handling of bullying, board members implementing personal and political agendas and the process for a possible renaming of Auburn High School, which the board later voted to pause.

Facilitators were originally going to break people up into smaller groups Wednesday, but some attendees said they thought they were going to be allowed to give their specific concerns to the board and get responses back. Though there were clear tensions in the room, the discussion remained civil.

Georgi said the event had been structured for breakout groups because "we heard many more people wanted their voices heard than what that 15 minutes" of a board meeting's public comments portion would be able to provide. Others pointed out that not every school board member was at Wednesday's meeting. Isabelle Wellauer, who ran for a school board seat in May, said she felt the event was "mis-marketed."

The conversation eventually turned to how meetings could be improved for the future, and allowing people time to say the things they wanted to say to the board and get responses back. Georgi said there were plans for more meetings in the future.

"It's not one meeting. This is going to be a lot of meetings. This is going to be a lot of hard work, for us, for the staff, most importantly, for our school board," she said.

Michael Wellauer, Isabelle's husband, said there are specific issues that they and other people in the community want responses from the board on. He suggested having agendas with specific topics for future meetings.
He would take the product-slinging style previously done at state fairs and Woolworth stores to television starting in the late 1950s, offering viewers a chance to skip stores and buy straight from the source with a simple phone call.

As his influence grew, he crafted an enthusiastic, guy-next-door presence that suffused the 1970s with commercials for such gadgets as the the Popeil Pocket Fisherman, a self-contained fishing apparatus, and Mr. Microphone, a then-groundbreaking wireless mic that was amplified through the nearest AM radio.

"But wait  there's more," he'd say in the ads.

Though Ronco Teleproducts went bankrupt in 1984, Popeil started from the bottom again and built himself and his company back up. By the 1990s, as the infomercial gained footing and cable television's influence spread, he was doing full-length shows that evangelized about such devices as pasta makers, food dehydrators and "GLH" (Great-Looking Hair), which was commonly called "hair in a can."

He appealed to consumers in part because he was a classic American showman, equal parts P.T. Barnum and Thomas Edison  an inventor and innovator, yes, but a popularizer as well, a man who saw consumers' needs and then found accessible ways to entice them into making purchases.
The spotted lanternfly (SLF) is the common name for a visually interesting insect, but one that is invasive and creates significant concern. First identified in Pennsylvania in 2014, it has since spread, with adults and egg masses identified in the Ithaca area last fall. Fortunately, no new areas with egg masses have been found in the Finger Lakes so far this year.

Work to stop the spread of the SLF continues around the Ithaca area. This includes removing trees where the original masses were located, with some as high as 30 feet above ground level. This height prevented inspectors on the ground from identifying them and explains why some SLF nymphs are in the same area this year. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets continues to monitor the area and is striving to keep that particular population in check.

In New York, the SLF is in all five boroughs of New York City, as well as a few nearby areas like Westchester and Sloatsburg. These areas are not to the level of major infestations, but the challenge is that SLF is a good hitchhiker. It is believed that hitchhiking is how the SLF arrived in Ithaca.
Wegmans is coming to Manhattan.

The Rochester-based supermarket chain will open its first location in the borough and its second New York City store. The Manhattan store will be located at 770 Broadway in a building owned by Vornado Realty Trust, a real estate investment company. It was previously home to the Astor Place Kmart, which closed earlier this month.

Wegmans will occupy about 82,000 square feet on the street and lower levels of 770 Broadway, which is in Greenwich Village. The store will open in the second half of 2023.

"We are so excited to bring Wegmans to Manhattan," said Colleen Wegman, president and CEO of Wegmans Food Markets. "This is something we've been dreaming about and working toward for a long time."

According to a news release from Wegmans, the company signed an agreement with Transformco to buy out Kmart's lease at Astor Place. It then entered into a 30-year lease with Vornado.

The 1.2 million-square-foot building is located on a full block in the city between 8th and 9th streets and Broadway and Fourth Avenue. It was formerly the home of Wanamaker's department store.
U.S. Rep. John Katko is leading a Republican proposal that aims to bolster security at the southern border and resume the construction of a border wall system.

Katko, R-Camillus, on Thursday introduced the Border Security for America Act. The main provisions of the bill include requiring Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to resume construction of border walls and deploy advanced technologies to support Border Patrol operations.

The legislation would also mandate the hiring of more Border Patrol agents and officers, and increase the number of officers in specialized areas, such as K-9 units and tunnel detection.

Katko's bill is in response to what he has frequently called a "crisis" at the border. He has blamed President Joe Biden for the influx of immigrants seeking to cross into the United States. He said Thursday that there have been more than 1.1 million illegal crossings this year, an increase of 362% compared to the same period last year.
"The bipartisan infrastructure deal will be a building and jobs boon for critical New York needs from Plattsburgh to Jamestown, and everywhere in between," Schumer said Thursday. "Whether it's critical bridge or highway repairs, safety improvements at our airports or for water systems, this deal represents massive investments that will rebuild and review the Empire State's infrastructure."

The deal cleared its first hurdle when the Senate voted Wednesday to advance the legislation. It was a 67-32 vote, with 17 Republicans joining the Democratic majority in allowing a vote on the bill.

Before the vote, President Joe Biden  who has been involved in talks with Democratic and Republican senators on the infrastructure package  called it "the most significant long-term investment in our infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century."

"This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, deliver and do big things," Biden said. "As we did with the transcontinental railroad and the interstate highway, we will once again transform America and propel us into the future."
The campaign will begin early next week as the resurgent coronavirus in the form of the highly contagious delta variant is skyrocketing cases in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

The text message will tell the recipient that the delta variant is here and encourage them to check vaccines.gov to find a provider nearby. Those receiving the text will have gotten their first shot between Dec. 14 and May 14, said the states acting health secretary, Alison Beam.

Beam said the second dose will provide stronger protection against the delta variant. Its not too late to get it, and its not necessary to start over with the first shot, she said.



WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is telling the Pentagon to determine how and when the COVID-19 vaccine will be made mandatory for members of the U.S. military.

Until now, defense leaders have said that the vaccine will remain voluntary for troops around the world until the Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to the drug. The White House on Thursday said Biden will tell the Defense Department to look at when the COVID-19 shot will be added to the list of vaccines already required for military service members.
HANOI, Vietnam (AP)  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday to deepen cooperation in security and pandemic recovery, after Washington vowed support for Southeast Asian nations embroiled in territorial rifts with China.

Vietnam and the Philippines, Austins next stop, are among Chinas fiercest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has ignored neighbors protests and has constructed several islands equipped with airstrips and military installations.

Vietnam has previously accused China of obstructing its gas exploration activities off its southern shores, and the Philippines routinely protests the presence of Chinese fishing and coast guard ships in its exclusive economic zone. Malaysia and Indonesia have also complained about China's activities in parts of the South China Sea that Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.

In Hanoi, Austin and Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang discussed cooperation in resolving the legacies of the war that ended in 1975, including the continuing searches for American MIAs, removal of land mines and the decontamination of the powerful defoliant dioxin Agent Orange used by U.S. troops during the Vietnam War, according to Vietnam's Defense Ministry.
TROY  The Capital Regions three largest cities have coordinated a series of lawsuits against Ocwen Financial Corp., a New Jersey bank that is said to be responsible for failed maintenance of 18 zombie properties, according to mayors of those communities.

In the foreground of a blighted, single-family home thats been relegated to zombie status while amassing 57 state code violations, mayors for Schenectady, Albany and Troy Wednesday said their communities had sued Ocwen Financial Corp., and its subsidiary, PHH Mortgage, which they said had left the 18 homes in limbo by not completing the foreclosure process.

A zombie property is a vacant property facing mortgage foreclosure, but the bank or lender has not finished the foreclosure action. The financial institution has led respective owners to believe they had lost ownership of the properties and then failed to maintain them.

The state zombie law imposes a duty to inspect, secure and maintain vacant and abandoned properties on mortgages or their servicing agents.

Dico Akseraylian, a spokesman for Ocwen Financial, issued the following statement:

We are disappointed that the municipalities of Albany, Troy and Schenectady did not reach out to us in advance to address the properties in question.
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.

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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.
HOUSTON (AP)  ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill, one of the Texas blues rock trio's bearded figures, died at his Houston home, the band announced Wednesday. He was 72.

In their Facebook post, guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard said Hill died in his sleep. They didn't give a cause of death, but a July 21 post on the band's website said Hill was "on a short detour back to Texas, to address a hip issue."

At that time, the band said its longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, would fill in on bass, slide guitar and harmonica.

Born Joe Michael Hill in Dallas, he, Gibbons and Beard formed ZZ Top in Houston in 1969. The band released its first album, titled "ZZ Top's First Album," in 1970. Three years later it scored its breakthrough hit, "La Grange," which is an ode to the Chicken Ranch, a notorious brothel outside of a Texas town by that name.

The band went on to chart the hits "Tush" in 1975, "Sharp Dressed Man," "Legs" and "Gimme All Your Lovin'" in 1983, and "Rough Boy" and "Sleeping Bag" in 1985.

The band's 1976 "Worldwide Texas Tour," with its iconic Texas-shaped stage festooned with cactuses, snakes and longhorn cattle, was one of the decade's most successful rock tours.
The Green Knight is the color of nature and of death, which here are the same things. Lowery's film, shot on misty Irish plains and dank forests, is earthy, with dirt under its nails, and blanketed in wintery fog. It's both of the land and the ether, poised in a dreamy, mythical long ago. Gawain's quest to visit the Green Knight a year later is a haunting journey into an inescapable abyss, a meditation on life and death made with the Green Knight's axe looming.

Lowery, the Texas filmmaker, has a propensity for lyrical legends ( "The Old Man and the Gun," with Robert Redford ) and existential rumination ( "A Ghost Story" ). The latter is a kind of companion piece to The Green Knight, and both, I think, sometimes use obliqueness to mask an inner vagueness. But few American filmmakers of his generation have been quite as keen to pursue difficult philosophical questions or to stretch cinema in new, quixotic directions.
Deaths were not increasing, however, which Maurer called a silver lining.

Even through the increase, we have yet to see an increase in deaths, so thats very good, but still another metric to pay lots of attention to, he said.

The increase has been concentrated in Flagstaff and tribal populations so far, with people ages 25 to 44 years old and younger than 18 seeing the highest number of cases (49 and 24 cases, respectively, according to Maurer). Of those under 18, Maurer said, about two-thirds of cases were in children younger than 12 years old -- with 12 being the youngest age for which the COVID-19 vaccine is approved.

Maurer said the majority of both cases and hospitalizations in Coconino County over the past week were mainly among unvaccinated individuals.

The delta variant is proven to be highly contagious, he said, and people need to be very concerned that if they are at risk for this illness, then [they are] going to be very susceptible to becoming infected with the variant.

Of Coconino Countys population, 53.8% had been vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to their vaccine data dashboard. Maurer said vaccination rates had been fairly steady, though low, over the past month, with around a thousand doses given over the last four weeks.
Its not lack of availability, he said. Theres a lot of distrust when it comes to the vaccine. A lot of people thought (COVID-19) was going away.

Kemp said he hears many people hesitating because the vaccines are still only approved for emergency use.

"Id love to see the Biden administration put an operation warp speed on moving away from the emergency use authorization, the governor said.

The Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday changed earlier guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in areas with substantial or high transmission. CDC figures show 138 of 159 Georgia counties in those zones. The CDC also recommended that everyone in schools wear masks indoors. Kemp said that shift was eroding trust.

When you tell them they can get vaccinated and then take their mask off and then you turn around weeks later and reverse that, whos gonna trust anybody, any politician, Republican, Democrat, or otherwise? Kemp said.

The governor also said he thought it was counterproductive to ask businesses or local police officers to enforce mask mandates.
The proposal to downlist the fish said populations far exceed the benchmark of 5,800 fish in the Green and Colorado rivers, but it noted that the wild reproduction rate was not making up for natural loss. Too many juveniles are still being eaten by nonnative fish before they reach breeding age, and without the ongoing stocking to offset the lack of natural recruitment, the population would quickly fall below the target for a self-sustaining population, the plan said.

McKinnon said that means the Fish and Wildlife Service has not met that core criteria in its own existing recovery plan for upgrading the suckers status.

I expect that one of the main points of revision that they will propose in the new recovery plan will be to eliminate that criteria which they are currently not meeting, he said.

That would eliminate or weaken the requirement for self-sustaining populations of fish for downlisting, and we fear that that would create loopholes and divert the attention away from the critical need to address breeding success of these fish, McKinnon said.

But Clark said the higher population numbers should justify the upgrade, as long as conservation efforts continue.
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 man said that during his brother's wedding reception at Wellesley College in June 1974  when he was 16  McCarrick told him that his father wanted him to have a talk with McCarrick because the boy was being mischievous at home and not attending church.

The man said that the two of them went for a walk around campus and McCarrick groped him before they went back to the party. The man said McCarrick also sexually assaulted him in a coat room type closet after they returned to the reception, authorities wrote in the documents.

Before leaving the room, McCarrick told him to say three Our Fathers and a Hail Mary or it was one Our Father and three Hail Marys, so God can redeem you of your sins," according to the report.

The man also described other instances of sexual abuse by McCarrick over the years, including when the man was an adult, the report said.

Authorities began investigating McCarrick after Garabedian sent a letter alleging the abuse to the district attorney's office, according to the court records.

McCarrick can still be charged in this case because he wasnt a Massachusetts resident and had left the state, stopping the clock on the statute of limitations, authorities said.
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.
The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and the courts 1992 decision in a Pennsylvania abortion case said states may not put an undue burden on abortion before viability. If those rulings are overturned, as Mississippi officials argue they should be, states would decide whether to regulate abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb.

Led by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, the amicus brief argues abortion as a states rights issue and that citizens have the ability to vote out state lawmakers with whom they disagree over abortion policies.

Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process, McMasters attorneys wrote.

The Mississippi law goes beyond Montanas abortion framework, which includes three laws passed in the recent legislative session and a referendum that voters will see on the ballot next year.

In April, Gianforte signed three bills that ban abortions after 20 weeks gestational age, require a woman be informed of the option to view an ultrasound before an abortion and require informed consent before a drug-induced abortion.

Similar legislation was vetoed in the past by Democratic governors.
Other opponents said a persons income could fluctuate with seasonal employment or overtime hours that put them over the income limit one month but not the next.

SJ Howell, the executive director of Montana Women Vote, raised concerns over not knowing what kind of qualification checks the state health department would put into place if it eliminated continuous eligibility. The proposal would change how often the eligibility of a person is checked but does not change the qualifications to qualify for Medicaid programs.

We have not seen a clear proposal of what will replace 12-month continuous eligibility, and without this information, it's really hard to understand what the impact will be on the lives of Medicaid enrollees, Howell said.

Jon Ebelt, a spokesperson for the state health department, said Wednesday there werent specifics available about what the new approach would be. Details would be available closer to implementation, he said, and communicated to Medicaid clients.

Kristin Page-Nei, the government relations director with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said if cancer patients lose health care coverage due to small and temporary changes in their income, it would be difficult or impossible to continue their treatment.
Systemwide staffing shortages, however, leave the small parks ill-equipped to pick up that excess demand, said NPCAs Brengel. During the high-growth years of 2011 to 2019, the NPS lost 16% of its staff capacity, she said.

Some parks have turned to ticketed entry reservations to equalize demand throughout the day. This system has improved the situation at Glacier National Park, though it has frustrated those without tickets, said Kevin Gartland, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce for Whitefish, a tourist hub near the park.

To alleviate parking and traffic bottlenecks, such parks as Acadia in Maine have restricted private vehicles, providing shuttle service in certain areas. Often, we talk about too many people  but actually, were talking about too many cars, said King.

National Parks could expand this transit service if they were allocated money via the infrastructure or surface transportation bills that are currently being negotiated in Congress, Brengel told the senators. This is where we need your help.

Jenn Tyler, a teacher from Pennsylvania, has been taking National Park vacations with her family since the early 2000s. She tells Bloomberg that the parks she visited recently were more crowded than shes ever seen.
A woman who was captured on video being bluff charged by a grizzly bear while she was taking photos in Yellowstone National Park has been charged with two offenses.

Samantha Dehring of Carol Stream, Illinois, has been charged in U.S. District Court in Yellowstone Park with feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentionally disturbing wildlife and violating closures and use limits. She is set to appear in court Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. in Mammoth.

On May 15, Dehring was visiting the Roaring Mountain area of the park when she and a small group of other tourists spotted the sow bear and her two cubs. The sow was about 15 feet from the woman, investigators state in court records.

Witnesses told investigators that when they saw the bears coming closer, they returned to their vehicles and warned Dehring to also get back, but, she did not, charges state. Park regulations require visitors stay at least 300 feet away from bears and wolves.

Video of the encounter was widely shared on social media. On May 25, the park posted a photo of the woman on its Facebook page along with a plea for tips that could help identify her. On the same day, Dehring unfollowed the parks Facebook page, according to charging documents.
The state of North Dakota also has implemented numerous programs, and officials enhanced some of them this week.

The Agriculture Department has added feedlots as an option to its Hay Hotline. Feedlot owners with room to feed livestock and those who can do custom corn chopping are encouraged to sign up. For more information on the hotline and interactive hay map, go to www.nd.gov/ndda.

At some point, we will be asking corn producers to consider listing on the Hay Hotline as an alternate way to market their corn for silage or baling up cornstalks for feed, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said.

Officials also are available to help survey for grasshoppers, which tend to be more of a problem in drought years, Goehring said.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service can provide technical assistance by surveying and coordinating grasshopper control between neighbors. Interested producers can reach the agency's North Dakota office by contacting State Plant Health Director Amy Mesman at 605-224-1713.
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.
One of two people under arrest following the Sunday death of a Watford City man in rural Dunn County fought with the man before shooting him multiple times, authorities allege.

Carlos Mendivil-Beltran, 28, of Mesa, Arizona, also known as Oscar Ortiz, is charged with murder in the death of Brian Rowe, who was in his mid-40s. Mendivil-Beltran also faces felony charges of theft and theft conspiracy, court records show. A woman with the two, Jessica Saueressig, 28, of Cascade, Wisconsin, is charged with theft conspiracy and hindering law enforcement.

Police say the three were traveling on 114th Avenue Northwest in Rowes pickup when an altercation started between Mendivil-Beltran and Rowe. Mendivil-Beltran shot Rowe several times, pushed him out of the vehicle and left him in the roadway, according to an affidavit. Mendivil-Beltran later allegedly crashed the pickup into a ravine, where he and Saueressig abandoned it.

The nature of the alleged altercation and the relationship of the three people are unclear.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.  South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Thursday barred the state's Department of Education from applying for federal grants in history or civics over concerns about how certain teachings on systemic racism would be tied to the grants.

The U.S. Department of Education this month backed away from proposed grant guidelines that suggested using curricula that teach racism is embedded into the country's institutions. After releasing proposed rules for the $3 million American History and Civics Education grant program in April that included references to the New York Times 1619 Project and anti-racism teaching, the U.S. Department of Education had faced backlash from conservatives, who argued it was an example of critical race theory making its way into elementary and high school classrooms.

Critical race theory is an academic framework that examines history through the lens of racism. There is little to no evidence that critical race theory itself is being taught to K-12 public school students, though some ideas central to it, such as lingering consequences of slavery, have been.
Coronavirus variant numbers continue to increase in North Dakota, likely helping fuel a rapid rise in active COVID-19 cases in the state.

North Dakota's state lab has now identified 1,340 cases of five variants, an increase of 29 from last week. There are 1,106 cases of the variant first identified in the United Kingdom, 158 of the two California variants, 39 of the the Japan/Brazil variant, four of the South Africa variant, and 33 of the new fast-spreading delta variant, which was first identified in India.

Delta has spread quickly around the globe and is now responsible for most of the new virus cases in the U.S., according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In North Dakota it's officially been linked to six hospitalizations but no deaths, according to data provided Thursday by Kirby Kruger, head of the Health Department's disease control division and forensic pathology section.

The actual number of variant cases in North Dakota is almost certainly higher than the data indicate, since only a fraction of virus test samples undergo the more complex process through which variants are determined.
The authority has reached out to some railways, including BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, about potentially using their track. The railways are currently neutral on the topic, according to Strohmaier.

He said the group was looking for governments to support the project within the next 30 days due to pending federal legislation that would direct the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct a study of Amtrak service. Board Vice President Jason Stuart said the rail authority is looking for governments or other organizations to contact members of Congress to ask for the restoration of passenger rail service or pass resolutions of support for the project. There was no request for any financial support Wednesday.
Opinions in our community vary. Many North Dakotans show interest in term limits, but others are skeptical of the claim that term limits improve governance. Those who favor term limits for at least some elected positions often disagree on which offices should be subject to the limits and how many terms should be allowed. It is important to point out, however, that these disagreements show that a meaningful debate is emerging in our state. The debate itself should be embraced and disagreements should be explored rather than silenced. All sides of the debate have arguments that are genuinely worthy of consideration.

The term limits debate in North Dakota is fundamentally about our own self-governance. Our states initiated measure process exists so that we can put self-governance decisions like this one to a vote of the people. The debate -- and possible 2022 vote -- on term limits can offer us a refreshing break from the culture war and place our focus on actual governance. What do we want to see from our governors? What do we want to see from our legislators, commissioners and other leaders? Given your answers to those questions, are time limits on political power helpful, or do such limits hamper expertise? These are the questions that we must grapple with.
Food waste is a hot topic with an effort to raise awareness of the changing mindset from allowing food to rot, spoil or in some cases even just taking more than you need or will eat.

For many here in the Midwest, its hard to understand a heritage dating back to our ancestors using every part of a butchered pig. Everything but the squeal, as my dads generation would say.

In a similar message, theres a sign at some North Dakota fishing destinations, reminding anglers of the value of the resources they are about to pursue.

The message is simple: Fish Responsibly. Only Keep What You Will Use. Fish Are Too Valuable To Waste.

The message is intended to get anglers to think about the value of our fisheries and natural resources that belong to everyone and are enjoyed by everyone, said Greg Power, Game and Fish Department fisheries chief. If the fishing is great all summer, do you really need to keep 50-100 walleyes when you are going to only use 20? We are trying to call attention to the sometimes unknowing waste of fish.

This waste goes beyond freezer-burned filets that were stored too long.
Disaster Recovery as a Service with VMware Cloud on AWS

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However, setting up comprehensive DR can be complex, unreliable, and expensive, with solutions often requiring significant and time-consuming manual effort.

Dive into this white paper to learn about DRaaS with VMware Cloud on AWS, a solution that addresses the top 5 challenges of deploying a comprehensive disaster recovery solution.
Aedes aegypti, dubbed the yellow fever mosquito, is a globally invasive, pervasive threat to human health. As the common name suggests, the species can carry a range of diseases, including not only yellow fever but also dengue, the Zika virus, and the chikungunya virus. It is responsible for an estimated 400 million infections each year.[1]

Originating in Africa, Aedes aegypti has spread across the globe, initially transported via ships carrying enslaved people to the Americas. Soon after, trade ships bearing goods like sugar from the Americas brought the species to Europe, and from there it eventually made its way to Asia by way of the Suez Canal. Aedes aegyptis success is secured by its ability to survive in a range of tropical, subtropical and temperate regions and its threat is exacerbated by its ability to breed in clean water supplies and propensity to bite during the day, rendering protective bed nets ineffective. The effects of climate change are expected to increase A. aegyptis potential range significantly, escalating the urgency of implementing effective species control methods.[1,2]

The aquatic insect Notonecta indicaa species in the family Notonectidae, commonly called backswimmers because they swim on their backspreys on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Americas. Gavin Campbell, a PhD candidate at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, is researching this predator / prey relationship as part of his PhD. Specifically, Campbell hopes to quantify the control of Aedes aegypti by Notonecta indica by determining how many mosquitoes each adult predator can consume daily and throughout their lifetimes.

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) has been an invaluable resource for this research.

Thanks to the articles from BHL, I was able to substantiate my data with the foundational data to prove that other researchers have found similar things, shares Campbell. Before I found the BHL resources, I was only able to find a single paper from 2020 that was able to offer anything close to my research. I am very grateful for these and other documents I have come across since then.

Campbell has been studying the aquatic and terrestrial phases of temporary ponds since 2017, with the life history of Notonecta indica and its impact on mosquito populations being a major component of that research. As Campbell explains on his website, temporary waters are bodies of water which recurrently dry, ranging from the minutewater inside a snail shellto the massivethe sizes of lakes and rivers. As these bodies may be freshwater, brackish, saline and even hypersaline (saltier than the sea), a wide variety of species are adapted to live in these diverse ecosystems.[3]

Campbell regularly uses BHL to access historic documents related to his research, typically downloading selected pages as PDF files to read offline.

BHL has been critical in providing me with baseline information for my research as the documents in question were difficult to find, asserts Campbell.

Of all of the titles in BHLs collection, The Genus Notonecta of the World (1933) by H. B. Hungerford has had the greatest impact on Campbells research. Published in The University of Kansas Science Bulletin, the work attempted to assemble all available information about the Notonecta genus, noting that more than thirty years had passed since the last comprehensive account of the genus was published. The publication represented twelve years of research, during which Hungerford consulted both the original descriptions and the types in museums throughout North America and Europe in an effort to account for every named species. The work was illustrated in color by Kathleen Doering.[4]

The Genus Notonecta of the World helped Campbell perform species identifications and capitalize on various behavioral aspects. For example, Hungerford notes that eggs are deposited on hard surfaces. Campbell applied this knowledge to his own work by placing a mesh within his rearing container, which facilitated easy removal of eggs each day. Hungerford also provides useful details about Notonecta behaviour in natural environments. For example, in a pond which N. indica frequents during the rainy season, a large number of branchiopods are present, which Hungerford notes are a food source for N. indicas younger stages. This thus serves as a contributing factor in their dispersal and biology.

The illustrations in The Genus Notonecta of the World were also useful for Campbells research, helping him identify organs and structures within individuals and distinguish males and females for successful mating and to help determine differences in mosquito consumption between males and females.

The BHL was key to providing access to the valuable information in this publication, as few papers at present go into such detail on the family, affirms Campbell. Without the BHL providing access to this foundational article, I would have been set back and hindered in my research.

With Aedes aegypti expected to pose continued, significant threats to human health, we are proud to know that BHL is empowering important research that can help scientists better-understand the species and implement effective control methods. As Campbell shares, With a better understanding of the role of N. indica in mosquito control, I aim to create and support more habitats for these natural predators to suppress mosquito populations, using nature-based solutions to address the extensive effects of climate change.

As Campbells testimonial demonstrates, immediate, online access to biodiversity literature is ever-more important, allowing research to proceed more quickly and efficiently and improving our ability to respond to the many crises facing our planet and our species today. We look forward to continuing to provide researchers like Gavin Campbell with the essential literature they need to empower their workanytime, anywhere.

Thank you @BioDivLibrary for this and so many other treasures pic.twitter.com/qDkfTH0kSc  Gavin Campbell  (@dragonecology) July 1, 2020

References

[1] Sokol, Joshua. The Worst Animal in the World. The Atlantic. 20 August 2020. Accessed on 3 June 2021. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/how-aedes-aegypti-mosquito-took-over-world/615328/ [2] European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Aedes aegypti  Factsheet for experts. 20 December 2016. Accessed on 3 June 2021. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/disease-vectors/facts/mosquito-factsheets/aedes-aegypti [3] Campbell, Gavin. Ph.D. Dragon in Flight. Accessed on 3 June 2021. https://www.dragoninflight.com/phd [4] Hungerford, H. B. Preface. The Genus Notonecta of the World. 1933. pp.6-9. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/38865

An Albany-based alternative energy storage company is proposing to spend $19.6 million on a new power substation project in Hamburg, if the town provides more than $2.1 million in tax breaks.

Key Capture Energy wants to create a large-scale energy storage facility on Electric Avenue, with 17 battery containers and five pairs of inverter/transformer equipment. That's enough to store 20 megawatts of energy.

The 12-acre project also includes a substation with a host of special equipment that safely connects the facility to the public grid and utility lines.

The proposed project at 2026 Electric calls for $6.175 million of construction and $12.15 million in equipment, plus another $1.29 million in soft and professional costs. If approved, it would be finished in July 2022.

The company is seeking a sales tax break of $1.6 million, property tax relief of $446,761 and a mortgage recording tax break of $102,126. Only one half-time job would be created.

The Hamburg IDA also is reviewing an application by William Savage's Billy-Lee LLC and E-One Inc. for additional assistance for a fire-truck production plant at 4760 Camp Road.

Former fire-truck plant to reopen in Hamburg after closing last year The former American LaFrance fire truck manufacturing plant in Hamburg is coming back to life. The Camp Road factory, which closed more than a year ago after its South Carolina-based owner went through bankruptcy, is reopening under the direction of one of the founders of the R.D. Murray fire truck production company that eventually was acquired by American LaFrance.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said today he believes a mask mandate for indoor gatherings in Erie County could be coming as soon as the end of this week because of the rise in Covid-19 cases.

"We will have an indoor mask requirement again, possibly by the end of the week," Poloncarz said Wednesday during an Erie County Industrial Development Agency meeting.

His remarks came a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said masks should be worn indoors in areas of the country where the virus is surging. The increase in cases is a result of the contagiousness of the delta variant of Covid-19 and lagging vaccination rates, officials have said.

The mask mandate likely would apply to indoor gatherings, from bars and restaurants to bowling alleys and meetings, Poloncarz said.

Poloncarz said Erie County has seen a significant rise in Covid cases caused by the delta variant, pushing up hospitalizations from the low levels of early summer.

About 10% of the hospitalizations in the county currently are breakthrough infections involving people who have been fully vaccinated, Poloncarz said, although the number of those cases remains relatively low and affects only three to four individuals.
On May 18, 2018, Buffalo police and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents conducted two raids on Parkridge Avenue in the Kensington-Bailey neighborhood, where authorities seized 14 firearms. During the search, agents recovered a .40-caliber pistol and a 9-mm pistol in the upper apartment, as well as several firearms in the lower apartment. Two of those guns were traced back to an Ashtabula, Ohio, ring, court records show. Thompson had two previous felony convictions, including one for first-degree attempted assault, and was prohibited from possessing a gun.

At the time of Thompson's arrest, Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood said: "To get one gun off the street is a good day, but to get 14 guns off the street, that's a great day."

Also convicted at trial with Thompson was Deonte Cooper of Ashtabula. Cooper was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who handled the case, said that during the course of the conspiracy, Cooper, who also sold heroin, recruited addicts with no criminal record to make straw purchases of more than 100 firearms. The purchases were made at gun shows and gun stores in Ohio. The firearms were then transported to Buffalo, where they were sold to local drug dealers, including Thompson, according to prosecutors.
WASHINGTON  Just as soon as you'll finally be able to cross into Canada again, a lot of really big trucks could be blocking the way.

That's because the unions that represent Canadian customs workers this week voted to strike as soon as Aug. 6  three days before the Canada border is set to open again to vaccinated Americans.

U.S. diplomat offers some hope regarding border reopening "I think we're in a good place and the trajectory is very promising," said Arnold Chacon, interim charge daffaires at the U.S. embassy in Ottawa.

While most Canadian Border Services Agency employees are considered essential personnel and therefore cannot go fully on strike, "a bigger concern is what type of job action will they do  you know, will they take much longer to process a truck and all those types of things?" Ron Rienas, general manager of the Peace Bridge, said on Wednesday.

"So there could be an impact in terms of truck use across the bridge and onto the New York State Thruway system," Rienas added. "That happened a number of years ago, and that obviously creates a very dangerous situation when that happens."

It happened, in fact, in May 2008, when anger over a rejected union contract in Canada led to slowdowns that spilled truck traffic from the Peace Bridge onto Porter Avenue in Buffalo, as well as truck delays of up to two hours at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.

Frustration mounts as U.S. extends border shutdown Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat, called the move "unacceptable." Rep. Chris Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican, lamented "the Biden administration's complete failure on this issue."
Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat, is among those who thinks the bill is less than perfect.

"Something is better than nothing," said Higgins, who has been pushing for a massive federal infrastructure package for the better part of a decade. "But the top-line numbers are suboptimal and it doesn't include a lot of the priorities that cities like Buffalo are needing."

Higgins' main concern is one raised a month ago when the bipartisan negotiators revealed their first infrastructure framework. The final deal, like that initial outline, trims Biden's proposed $25 billion fund to replace highways that destroyed neighborhoods to $1 billion.

The Buffalo congressman has been hoping that fund would be big enough to fund replacing the Kensington Expressway with a rebuilt and much more neighborhood-friendly Humboldt Parkway. Now he's hoping he can boost the size of that fund when the bill makes its way to the House, but it's unclear whether amendments will be allowed or if the House will simply take an up-or-down vote on the bill the Senate eventually passes.
I know that this process will be painful, she said when announcing the probe. It wont undo the heartbreak and loss we feel. But only by acknowledging the past can we work toward a future that were all proud to embrace.

The initiative looks to detail the loss of human life and the lasting consequences of residential Native American boarding schools. A preliminary report is due next spring.

Starting with the Indian Civilization Act of 1819, the U.S. enacted laws and established boarding schools to wrest Indigenous children from their families, and culturally assimilate them.

Lessons of pain: The terrible legacy of the Thomas Indian School remains all too fresh inthe Seneca Nation consciousness It all happened six decades ago, when he was a little boy. But the soft cries he heard in the night at the Thomas Indian School still haunt Reginald Reggie Crouse. Crouse, now 69, is a Seneca Indian, one of hundreds of Senecas who spent their formative years at the state-run boarding school in Irving. His alcoholic parents sent

The Thomas Asylum for Orphan and Destitute Indian Children opened on the Seneca Cattaraugus Territory in 1855. New York State took over the school in 1875 and it became more militaristic in tone. The state changed the name three decades later to the Thomas Indian School. It closed in 1956, and its student residents were sent to neighboring public schools.

It served almost 2,500 poor students, including some from far-flung Native territories. Discipline could be harsh and left a lasting impression among many who lived and worked there that there was something wrong with being Native American.
Six City of Tonawanda police officers who apprehended an armed suspect last year during an exchange of gunfire that left a veteran detective wounded will receive Commendation of Valor awards Tuesday, Police Chief William Strassburg announced this week.

Police Capt. Fredric Foels, who is head of patrol operations for the City of Tonawanda Police Department and is also one of the officers to be honored, called the Commendation of Valor the department's highest honor.

The incident occurred on May 26, 2020 on Morgan and Clinton streets while the officers were investigating a drive-by shooting. The officers were later fired upon by a suspect who was apprehended after a car chase and crash. One of the officers, Detective David Ljiljanich, was shot multiple times during the ambush.

Ljiljanich, a 19-year veteran of the department, took two bullets to his bulletproof vest and was also shot in the pelvis and groin area by the suspect, Matthew Gerwitz, then 28, according to reports at the time. Foels, who spent his first 37 years on the force without being fired upon, was instrumental in helping to protect Ljiljanich from further harm.

"I got up behind my car and got him to safety," Foels said at the time. "My car is shot up, the glass is out of my car."
A new Catholic Health hospital in Lockport received the green light from a state board Thursday, despite complaints that the hospital would not offer services such as abortions that are barred by Catholic teaching.

The unanimous vote by the Public Health and Health Planning Council cleared the way for Catholic Health to break ground this fall for the Lockport Memorial Campus of Mount St. Mary's Hospital.

"We had an active discussion at the committee meeting and the department really is supporting this project to continue access to health care service in an integrated and sustainable way for Niagara County residents," Tracy F. Raleigh, the director of the state Health Department's Center for Planning, Licensure and Finance, told the council.

"We're pleased with the approval and we're excited to continue to maintain and expand critical access to health care in Niagara County," Catholic Health President and CEO Mark A. Sullivan said in an interview. "We're really excited because this is the establishment of a new hospital, which speaks to our commitment to the community as well as the belief in our innovative approach by the state."
While other major technology companies may follow suit now that Google and Facebook have taken stands on vaccines, employers in other industries still may be reluctant, predicted Brian Kropp, chief of research for Gartner's human resources practice.

Google is seen as being such a different kind of company that I think it's going to take one or two more big employers to do something similar in terms of becoming a game changer," Kropp said.

Google's vaccine mandate will be adjusted to adhere to the laws and regulations of each location, Pichai wrote, and exceptions will be made for medical and other protected" reasons.

Getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy in the months ahead," Pichai explained.

Google's decision to require employees working in the office to be vaccinated comes on the heels of similar moves affecting hundreds of thousands government workers in California and New York as part of stepped-up measures to fight the delta variant. President Joe Biden also is considering mandating all federal government workers be vaccinated.

The rapid rise in cases during the past month has prompted more public health officials to urge stricter measures to help overcome vaccine skepticism and misinformation.
PARIS (AP)  Frances top court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of Equatorial Guineas vice president for money laundering and embezzling millions of dollars in public money.

The ill-gotten gains are now to be returned to the central African country's population under a new French legal procedure that seeks to ensure the money doesnt again fall into corrupt hands.

Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the son of Equatorial Guinea's long-serving president, was originally convicted in 2017 by a Paris court. The court handed him a three-year suspended sentence, fined him 30 million euros and ordered property in France worth tens of millions of euros seized.

An appeals court upheld the conviction in 2020, and Frances Court of Cassation threw out Obiangs final appeal this week, according to the anti-corruption groups that filed the original legal complaint against him 14 years ago.

Obiang claimed he has immunity from prosecution and didnt appear for the French court proceedings. His lawyers challenged the jurisdiction of French courts in the case.
If you believe in the masks, go ahead, but dont try to tell me what to do for my childs health and safety and immune system, she said. Its my child. Its my choice.

And in New Orleans, Lisa Beaudean said she was not convinced mask mandates would inspire the unvaccinated  who account for most new infections  to take the virus seriously and get inoculated.

Im very frustrated, the St. Louis woman said as she strolled the French Quarter without a mask. For the last 18 months, Ive done everything Im supposed to do, and there are no repercussions for those who havent done what theyre supposed to do.

Elsewhere, Ford Motor Co. said it would reinstate mask protocols for all employees and visitors at its Missouri and Florida facilities. The two states are among the hardest hit by the summer surge in which the U.S. is now averaging more than 60,000 new cases a day, driven by the highly contagious delta variant.
Scheindlin also ordered what's known as a joint-remedial process seeking input from more than 2,000 people in communities most impacted by police stop-and-frisk and trespass enforcement practices. That process, which led to more than dozen reform proposals, ended in 2018.

Since then, according to lawyers involved in Thursday's court filing, Zimroth has excluded community members perspectives from his semi-annual assessments. Instead, they said, he has relied on NYPD data, statements of police personnel and civilian complaints that have been seen by the court as a dubious measure of whether a stop was motivated by race.

A message seeking comment was left with Zimroth, a law professor and the director of the Center on Civil Justice at New York University. A message was also left with the NYPD.

Plaintiffs in the stop-and-frisk lawsuits held a rally Thursday outside police headquarters on to announce the court filing and demand an end to stop and frisk abuses. They were joined by the city's public advocate, Jumaane Williams, several members of city council and police reform organizations.

The community board proposed in Thursdays court filing would consist of seven members, including three living in public housing and two from the police watchdog organization Communities United for Police Reform.
But let me offer a third-party view, from a letter written by Richard Lanigan, business manager for Local 153 of the Office & Professional Employees International Union:

I can assure you as a negotiator of a recent labor agreement between Local 153 and Highmark Western and Northeastern New York that the union wages, work conditions, benefits and job security it provides strengthens hundreds of racially and ethnically diverse families in Buffalo and will cost tens of millions of dollars over time. In essence, many believe that providing secure employment that pays good wages and includes excellent family benefits, including health care, is one of the best ways of dealing with race and health inequality issues.

I have met and will meet with anyone who wants to discuss Highmarks efforts in these areas. Our critics may not like the fact of our affiliation, but New York State regulators approved it as of March 1, 2021. It is not a merger, but a valid legal structure that preserves our companys assets and invested reserves for the benefit of our members in the communities we serve for decades to come. Highmark is not only in Pennsylvania, but West Virginia, Delaware and now in New York. Our board unanimously approved Highmark as the best partner and we are now proudly Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York.
Its an important relationship. Cooperation between Hochuls office and the Muslim council led to the arrests and convictions of the Lackawanna Six on charges related to their visit to an al-Qaida terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. Later, the relationship helped lead to the arrest and conviction of a Rochester man on charges of recruiting for ISIS.

The deterioration of the link coincided with the arrival of the Trump administration, Qazi said, without drawing a what may seem the obvious conclusion. Regardless, these are different times with a new president, a new prosecutor in waiting and continuing issues.

If she is confirmed, Ross will oversee an office that handles federal criminal and civil cases in the 17 westernmost counties of New York, working out of courthouses in Buffalo and Rochester. She may have more immediate matters to deal with upon her likely confirmation, but this is one the should draw her attention quickly.

While attention by Kennedys office flagged during his service, he did attend an MPAC celebration in May. Thats a baton he should pass to Ross when she moves in.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
Now that John J. Hurley has decided, upon entering his 12th year as president of Canisius College, to leave his office after June 30, 2022, the national search committee should focus its efforts on finding a leader who can navigate the changed landscape of higher education. Its the No. 1 challenge today as small, private colleges fight for survival.

The challenge will require a leader with a depth and breadth of experience in the field, of course. But it also demands someone who is willing and able to think outside of the institutional box at a time when enrollment is shrinking.

It is time to get serious about merging institutions. Some have imagined a Catholic University of Western New York, combining forces to create the powerhouse. This combination works as one, strong entity bringing together resources, knowledge and leverage to deliver high-quality education to students with an equal emphasis on the Catholic religion.

The next president will need a visionary outlook, understanding that higher education is ripe for a rapid period of consolidation, not unlike other industries. Changing demographics demand new relationships among schools. There will be failures. The ones that succeed will think creatively about opportunities and how one plus one can equal three, as Hurley said. It is a big challenge, but one that cannot be avoided.
Not Their Bodies, Not Their Choice: Conservative Republicans Push For an Overturn of Roe v. Wade

With the specter of a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court in front of them, Republicans have increasingly become more brazen in their pushes to overturn Roe v Wade.

This Thursday, 228 Republican members of Congress (184 from the House and 44 from the Senate) asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and stop their vise grip on abortion politics. The request was included as part of an amicus curiae (or friend of the court briefing in which a third party writes the court about a particular case at hand) for the state of Mississippis recently filed Supreme Court case.

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Congressional Republicans were referencing a case recently filed in defense of a Mississippi law that banned abortions after 15 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest: in direct violation of Roe v. Wades legalization of abortions prior to the point of viability (believed by experts to be at about 24 weeks into pregnancy). The law was first passed in Mississippi in 2018 before being blocked by two federal courts. In one such decision, judges on the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the legal precedent, set by Roe and affirmed by 1992s Planned Parenthood v. Casey, that abortion is an absolute right before the point of viability. They then held that states may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not ban abortions, and concluding that the law at issue is a ban.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued in a brief filed to the court last Thursday that the point of viability should no longer be used as a metric for where states can and cannot regulate abortion, saying modern medicine has undercut that line. She also called the argument for overturning Roe overwhelming.

The Supreme Courts decision to take up the case last spring was met with fear from abortion advocates who saw the once looming threat of conservative action against Roe as becoming an actuality.

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These two developments: both the Mississippi case itself and the Republican response to it represent one of the first times Republicans and especially their legal teams have been so publicly and blatantly open about their desire to see Roe v. Wade overturned. Previous legal attempts by conservatives have been aimed at picking around the edges of Roe v. Wades legal coverage in the hopes of slowly but surely eroding practical access to abortion around the country.

Fitchs recent comments even contradict previous statements shes made to the court about the purpose and intent of Mississippis filing. In the petition filed in June 2020 asking the court to take up the case, Finch wrote, the questions presented in this petition do not require the court to overturn Roe or Casey.

Now, however, on the back of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death and the appointment of Republican Amy Coney Barrett, conservatives seem to be seeing an increasingly great opportunity to overturn Roe, and are getting bolder about asking for what they have really wanted all along.

Top Photo Credit: Senate Democrats, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Kelsey lives in New York City and is a student at Barnard College, where she studies Anthropology.
Over the last few years, companies and governments in a number of countries have begun to experiment with the idea of a four-day work week  and some of the results are in. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we talk to experts about these recent trials, explore how they fit into the long history of ever-shrinking work hours, and wonder what this all might mean for the future of work.

Then, we look at the history and politics of how informal settlements in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, got their names.

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Its an alluring idea. Working four days a week instead of five, without a cut in pay. And its a concept thats been gaining traction in recent years, with a number of companies around the world experimenting by moving employees onto a four-day week.

In June, when a report was published about a public sector trial in Iceland, headlines heralded the success of the four-day week. But it wasnt quite that simple, according to Anthony Veal, adjunct professor at the University of Technology Sydney Business School in Australia. What it was not was a trial of a four-day week, he tell us, explaining that there was actually a more limited reduction in working hours. Still, despite the misleading headlines, Veal says the trial was highly successful in its own terms, especially when put into context of the history of how the five-day week became standard in the 20th century.

Read more: The success of Iceland's 'four-day week' trial has been greatly overstated

Elsewhere, in March, the Spanish government gave the green light to a trial of a four-day week proposed by a small left-wing political party called Mas Pais. Jose-Ignacio Anton, associate professor at the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Salamanca in Spain, explains whats known so far about the proposed trial and why hell be watching the results closely. I would have a look first at what happens with productivity, he tells us, but adds that it may also have an impact on work-life balance and sick leave, and that such wider societal benefits should be taken into account too.

Story continues

For Jana Javornik, associate professor of work and employment relations at the University of Leeds in the UK, some big questions need answering before a wholesale reduction of hours works for everyone. I think the whole conversation around a four-day week has been ignoring gender, says Javornik, who spent the past few years on secondment as Slovenias general director of higher education, a role which recently ended. Javornik tells us about a survey she did in Sweden with working mothers, which led her to believe that conversations about workload, organising work and a non-stop work culture must accompany any reduction in working hours.

In our second story, we head to Nairobi, in Kenya, where anger met a recent decision to rename a road in Nairobi after Francis Atwoli, a trade union leader. Many saw the renaming as overtly political. The road sign was vandalised and had to be replaced. But its not just the street names in Nairobi that come with their own politics. The names of the citys informal settlements are themselves born out of a history of colonisation and struggle, as historian Melissa Wanjiru-Mwita from the Technical University of Kenya explains.

Read more: The fascinating history of how residents named their informal settlements in Nairobi

And Catesby Holmes, international editor at The Conversation in New York, recommends two recent stories about immigration in the US.

This episode of The Conversation Weekly was produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can find us on Twitter @TC_Audio, on Instagram at theconversationdotcom or via email on podcast@theconversation.com. You can also sign up to The Conversations free daily email here.

News clips in this episode are from KHOU11, Perpetual Guardian, CGTN Europe, CNN, RTVE Noticias and Kenya Citizen TV.

You can listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed, or find out how else to listen here.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
By Mike Stone

(Reuters) -Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp raised its full-year forecast on Thursday and beat quarterly estimates, propped up by high demand at its fast-growing space unit.

The company's space systems unit reported a 34% jump in quarterly sales, as countries ramp up investment in space exploration and satellite based sensors. Earlier this month, Northrop won a contract worth $935 million to develop living quarters for NASA's planned outpost in the lunar orbit.

Fresh support for the defense industry came last week when the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee rolled out a draft of its 2022 defense budget which boosted spending by $25 billion, potentially benefiting defense companies including Northrop, and signaling defense spending could rise under President Joe Biden.

The United States is modernizing its military in an effort to deter Russia and China, which is likely to boost the company's balance sheet.

Analysts say Northrop's B-21 bomber and GBSD intercontinental ballistic missiles are likely to be the backbone for the company's growth over the next decade.

Northrop now expects full-year adjusted earnings per share between $24.40 and $24.80, up from its prior range of $24 and $24.50.

The Virginia-based company expects full-year sales to be between $35.8 billion and $36.2 billion, above its previous forecast of $35.3 billion and $35.7 billion.

Adjusted net earnings of $6.42 per share beat analysts' estimate of $5.84 in the second quarter ended June 30. Total sales of $9.15 billion also toppled estimates, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington and Shreyasee Raj in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri, Bernard Orr)
The South African government has hit out at the African Union's move to grant observer status to Israel.

The condemnation is shared by Algeria.

A statement from South Africas Department Of International Relations said the step was unjust and unwarranted.

It says the decision was taken unilaterally by the African Union Commission without consulting the 55 member states.

Chad Aleli Admasu, Israels ambassador to Ethiopia, presented his credentials to the AU Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat last week.

Israel had observer status with the Organisation of African Union, the predecessor to the African Union and has tried to regain that status with the new body for nearly two decades.

Celebration

Israels Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, described the decision as a day of celebration for Israeli-African relations.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry statement said the new status could enable Israel and the AU to forge stronger cooperation on various aspects, including the fight against the coronavirus and the prevention of the spread of extremist terrorism.

However the Palestinian resistance group Hamas said: "It enhances the legitimacy of the [Israeli] entity on our land and gives it more opportunities to continue its plans to erase Palestinian rights and continue its brutal crimes against our people.

The statement says the Palestinian people used to consider the African countries as a natural extension of its struggle for freedom and independence.

It called on African states to expel Israel from the AU and place sanctions on the country.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad says the AU Commission decision reflected the extent of the Zionist influence that had reached the point of hegemony over the African Union.

The groups spokesman says the decision posed a serious threat to the security and stability of African countries.

The South African statement said: "The AUs decision is even more shocking in a year in which the oppressed people of Palestine were hounded by destructive bombardments and continue illegal settlements of their land.

Story continues

Embassy downgraded

Two years ago, South Africa downgraded its embassy in Tel Aviv to a liaison office.

A year after the end of apartheid in 1994, democratic South Africa established formal diplomatic relations with Palestine.

The foreign ministry of South Africa, which last year held the rotating chairmanship of the continental body, said that Mahamat must fully brief member states on the decision to grant Israel observer status, which Palestine already has, with the AU.

Discussion

South Africa wants the issue to be discussed at the AU summit of heads of state and government.

South Africa firmly believes that as long as Israel is not willing to negotiate a peace plan without preconditions with Palestine it should not have observer status in the AU, the Department of International Relations said.
STEM

Universities Partner on Industry-Focused Research Center

With the goal of boosting engineering research in the United States, Oakland University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville have joined forces to build a collaborative research center focused on composite and hybrid materials interfacing (CHMI), a field with applications in the aerospace, automotive, national security, biomedical, energy and personal protective gear industries. The Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing is supported by a $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and $900,000 matching funds from industry.

The research center will consist of independent sites at each of the partnering universities, closely coordinated but directed at different economic sectors. The site at Oakland University will focus on automotive applications; Georgia Tech on the aerospace industry; and U Tennessee-Knoxville on infrastructure and the biomedical field.

"Current lack of dedicated, science-based CHMI research often complicates maintenance, repair and overhaul of safety-critical composite and hybrid material joints. Failures in these joined materials can cause injury and loss of human life," explained Sayed Nassar, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering at Oakland University and director of the OU research center site, in a statement. "Research at this NSF-funded center will identify and develop breakthrough technologies, advanced smart materials, artificial intelligence and software tools, and other methods that will revolutionize the science and technology for joining composite and hybrid materials."
A bipartisan bill in the state Legislature would align Wisconsin with a growing number of states that require explicit informed consent before medical students practice pelvic exams on patients under anesthesia, a procedure sometimes done as part of training.

Co-sponsors and proponents of the bill spoke Thursday during an Assembly Committee on Health public hearing to urge lawmakers to join the more than one dozen other states in the country that require hospitals to get written and verbal consent from patients before pelvic exams are done under anesthesia for the educational benefit of medical students. Currently, some hospitals rely on general consent forms that dont specify procedures done for training.

This is going to be the easiest bill of the day, bill co-author Rep. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Appleton, said. Were not asking for anything but consent here.

Speaking at Thursdays meeting, Sarah Wright, a science teacher from Madison, recounted her experience in 2009 when she felt significant vulvar sensitivity after a surgery to remove ovarian cysts by UW doctors at UnityPoint Health-Meriter.
Reconsidering assumptions

The utilities, which have spent $126.4 million so far on the project to import electricity from Iowa, say the project is critical to ensuring Wisconsin can transition to a cleaner, more reliable, and more affordable energy future and that legal challenges could delay thousands of megawatts of new clean energy projects and put constraints on existing generators.

Commissioners have indicated they have no interest in revisiting arguments for and against the line. But opponents say any reconsideration of the permit must include a fresh review of the need and economic benefits in light of more than 2,000 megawatts of solar and battery storage projects approved, which could lessen the need to import electricity.

(T)he past 22 months have seen the applicants assumptions regarding the future of these technologies to be proven very wrong, wrote Corey Singletary, CUBs director of regulatory affairs. Utility-scale battery storage systems, which the applicants represented as uneconomic during the proceeding, have been proposed by three Wisconsin utilities, including one of the applicants.

Howard Learner, lead attorney for the environmental groups, said the data used to justify the project is at odds with todays reality.
(CNN)  Boris Johnson has spent decades agitating against the European Union and the last five years battling to free the United Kingdom from the shackles of regulation from Brussels. Now he's in the awkward position of finding himself at the mercy of EU leaders for permission to rejoin an international treaty, or risk devastating Britain's multi-billion-dollar legal services industry.

The agreement in question is called the Lugano Convention, and essentially it establishes the jurisdiction of national courts, guaranteeing the legal recognition and enforcement of a wide range of civil and commercial judgments in cross-border disputes.

London is widely regarded as the global capital for international dispute resolution, thanks to England's world-class legal system and courts. It is a broad and highly lucrative industry, dealing with everything from family disputes to international business operations. And a long-term failure to rejoin the Lugano Convention could represent a grave threat to the UK's world-beating legal services sector, as well as creating difficulties for large companies and ordinary people alike.

The UK dropped out of the treaty as a consequence of Brexit, and applied to rejoin in April 2020. Yet, while the non-EU signatory states (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) agreed to its re-admission, to date the European Commission has recommended that the EU deny this request, and said that the bloc was "not in a position" to give its consent to UK accession.

This is tricky for the British prime minister, both politically and economically. According to the Law Society, legal services added nearly 60 billion ($83 billion) to the UK economy in 2018, while in 2017 exports of legal services hit 5 billion ($6.9 billion).

Scott Devine, from The City UK, a body representing UK-based financial and professional services, says the legal services sector employs over 350,000 people, with two thirds of those jobs outside of London.

These positions are not all in major commercial law firms. The sector, Devine says, "is anything from a big multinational law firm" working on international contracts and mergers to "the high street solicitor sole operator dealing with family issues," such as wills and property.

The reputation of English law has, Devine says, made it the "preferred law of business and international contracts." According to Devine, in 2019, 77% of claims issues in the commercial court had one party from outside England and Wales, while 43% were based entirely externally.

Some of Brexit's most ardent critics are concerned that the failure to join Lugano and the poor relationship between the UK and European countries following Brexit could diminish the standing of this important sector.

Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general for England and Wales, says his concern is the long-term "viability of London as a center for dispute resolution."

He continues that the longer it goes on, "the more potentially damaging it may become, because there's no doubt that the UK, when it was in the EU, was seen as the place of dispute resolution of choice for EU litigation of every conceivable kind."

One problem London now faces is that outside of the convention and no clear sign of a decision any time soon, EU nations can directly compete with the UK capital for business.

"The alternatives are slowly becoming clear for international companies that want to operate in the EU and don't want any blockages," says Josep Galvez, a former Spanish judge admitted to the English bar at Del Canto Chambers in London and Galvez Pascual in Spain.

"This Lugano limbo the UK finds itself in is the worst situation possible as lawyers on both sides have no clarity on what will happen in the long term. I think the EU wants to make the UK suffer and give EU jurisdictions the opportunity to take business from England."

Galvez believes that over time, more difficulties will arise that could undermine confidence in English courts. He points to a recent decision in a Swiss court, where an English ruling was not upheld, which he believes shows "the rough ride ahead for UK judgments to be enforced across Europe ... I'm afraid Brexit has brought a goat trail where there was a highway for UK judgments."

Others are more optimistic. Devine says that "the confidence in our judiciary" which is seen as "incorruptible" and "experts in the commercial field" should mean the UK retains its appeal.

However, Devine and others have wider concerns about the UK's status outside of Lugano.

Catherine McGuinness, policy chair at the City of London Corporation, thinks that the biggest losers will be individuals seeking justice as consumers or in their personal lives.

"I'd be more concerned about the implications for ordinary people, and smaller businesses operating cross border," she says, adding that very big firms will be able to amend their contracts to ensure they still work.

"It's the person who's buying something across borders or considering how to divorce their partner across borders who's going to find that they don't have access to this really pragmatic route to clarify their legal situation."

Sarah Garvey, chair of the Law Society's Private International Law committee, agrees that the strained political relations between the UK and EU won't have as negative an impact on big commercial contracts, but could severely harm those seeking legal recourse as consumers or in family disputes.

"There was initial concern amongst commercial parties that English judgments would be more difficult to enforce in the EU. But they have been reassured by the UK rejoining the Hague Convention and have been adapting their contracts."

Alongside the high business, reputational and individual costs, for Johnson himself, there is also strong potential for personal embarrassment. It would be a political nightmare for the UK's prime minister, an architect of Brexit, to be seen as at the mercy of the very Eurocrats he claims to have saved Brits from in 2016.

"It's politically uncomfortable for Johnson that the EU is starting to react to what it sees as our bad behavior," says Anand Menon, professor of international politics at King's College London.

"Lots of Brexiteers said from the start of the Brexit process that London taking a hard-line stance wouldn't result in retaliation from Brussels. This is one of the first examples where we are being damaged internationally and the EU holds the keys, and it gives us an idea of how much they think our reputation has changed," he adds.

This standoff does appear to be driven by political disputes between the UK and the EU, and critics of both sides are quick to point out that the people this most affects are British and European citizens.

"In cases that involve victims of corporate human rights abuses, business-versus-consumer cases, and family law -- in those cases, the party that has more financial resources may try to introduce arguments about which country should be hearing the case, and whether a UK court judgment can be enforced," says Zach Meyers, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. "I think that the Commission's being short sighted by treating this solely as a way to withhold a favor from the UK, because this doesn't just negatively affect the UK, it will affect EU nationals too."

Unfortunately, relations between Brussels and London are dire. The UK is currently trying to renegotiate a key part of the Brexit deal that Johnson himself signed in 2019, which is uniting EU member states against the UK once more.

The UK government's official position remains that it wants to rejoin Lugano. Downing Street says convention is not something that should be policed by the EU and the UK should be admitted as soon as possible. Less humble request to join, more anger at Brussels trying to punish it for Brexit.

A Downing Street spokesperson told CNN: "We maintain that we meet the criteria for accession both because it is open to countries outside the EU and all non-EU members already supported the UK's membership. Supporting UK accession is the sensible and pragmatic solution for all citizens."

This incredibly important issue is likely to rumble for some time. It might not be as exciting as sausage wars or fishermen ramming each other's boats, but over time, the consequences of a poor relationship between London and Brussels will become much more obvious to citizens on both sides.

The question for both parties now: how long can you maintain political stances that ultimately harm your own citizens for the sole purpose of saving face and making a point?

This story was first published on CNN.com, "The explosive Brexit spat that no one is talking about could slam the UK economy."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  Food chain giant Jollibee Foods Corp. is expanding its international footprint through a joint venture seeking to establish and operate at least 120 stores in West Malaysia, covering the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Its subsidiary Golden Plate Pte. Ltd. based in Singapore inked a joint agreement with Beeworks Investment Pte. Ltd. for Jollibee's venture in Malaysia.

The deal includes the creation of a company in Malaysia with an initial investment of $8 million, the group said in a disclosure Thursday.

Jollibee's subsidiary will hold 30% while Beeworks Investment will control 70% of the firm.

The deployment of at least 120 Jollibee stores is targeted within 10 years, starting next year.

The Filipino fast-food chain said it has a total of 885 stores in Southeast Asia, accounting for 6.7% of its global system-wide sales.

"The creation of the joint venture for Jollibee West Malaysia will accelerate even more this growth and will help make Southeast Asia a more significant business for the JFC group," it said.

The Jollibee Group of Companies operates 17 brands in 33 countries.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  After running in three national elections as an independent candidate, Senator Panfilo Ping Lacson  the first confirmed presidential bet in the 2022 polls  is now chairman of a political party.

Lacson took his oath as chairman of Partido Reporma before former Defense Secretary Renato de Villa, who founded the party in 1998. The party went dormant after the 2004 presidential elections where it supported the candidacy of then Senator Raul Roco.

In November 2020, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez resigned as secretary general of the ruling PDP-Laban party and assumed as Repormas chairman. Alvarez is now party president as Lacson takes over the chairmanship.

Lacson said Reporma is now consolidating old guards and new members of the party.

"My advocacies are well-aligned with those of Reporma like peoples sovereignty and democracy, decentralization and devolution of powers, social justice responsibility, strong economic foundation, environmental awareness, voters education, among others," Lacson said in a statement.

Lacson was an independent candidate in the 2004 presidential polls, as well as the 2007 and 2016 senatorial elections. Hes now taking another shot at the presidency with Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III as running mate.

Sotto, chairman of the Nationalist Peoples Coalition, said his fellow party officials want to have a dialogue with Lacson ahead of the filing of certificates of candidacy in October.

Lacson said he and Sotto are "open to alliances with other political parties who may be willing to work with us for change for the betterment of our country and people."

Last week, the tandem also met with Vice President Leni Robredo of the opposition Liberal Party. Robredos spokesperson, Barry Gutierrez, said its part of the Vice Presidents commitment to forge the broadest possible unity against the administrations bets in the 2022 elections.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  The United Kingdom is set to donate 415,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the Philippines, the British Embassy announced Wednesday.

In a statement, it said this is part of the nine million coronavirus shots the UK will deliver starting this week to poor countries around the world.

This is part of the first batch of the 100 million doses weve pledged to get to the poorest parts of the world vaccinated as a matter of urgency, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. Were doing this to help the most vulnerable, but also because we know we wont be safe until everyone is safe.

Health Undersecretary Carol Tanio said the shipment is expected to arrive in the Philippines on August 2.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. thanked the UK government for the vaccine assistance and noted that the generous donation of vaccine doses to the Philippines will boost the national governments capacity to provide the countrys most vulnerable sectors with an added layer of protection, particularly our uniformed personnel who put their lives on the line to ensure the safety and welfare of the Filipino people across the country.

So far, the Philippines has received over 32 million doses of COVID-19 shots, of which more than 18 million have been administered.

The government hopes to vaccinate some 70 million Filipinos this year to achieve herd immunity.
(CNN)  Boeing returned to profitability in the second quarter, posting net income for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, a recovery that will save 10,000 jobs at the company.

Boeing earned $567 million in the quarter, compared to a $2.4 billion loss a year earlier. Analysts had forecast another loss of $161 million, and had not expected Boeing to return to profitability until later this year.

But revenue of $17 billion exceeded estimates by nearly $500 million, helping to lift results. Shares of Boeing jumped 5% in midday trading on the news.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun cautioned the company's problems are not necessarily behind it.

"While our commercial market environment is improving, we're closely monitoring Covid-19 case rates, vaccine distribution and global trade as key indicators for our industry's stability," he said.

Layoffs canceled

But Calhoun did announce that the company is shelving plans to cut staff by another 10,000 workers this year. In a message to employees, Calhoun said Boeing will keep its workforce at its current level of approximately 140,000 employees due to "encouraging recovery trends."

The company had previously announced plans to reduce its workforce to about 130,000 by the end of 2021. "Going forward, the pace of the commercial market recovery, trade relations with China and our own performance will be key enablers to overall employment levels," he said in the message.

Boeing first announced plans to cut 19,000 jobs in April of last year as air travel cratered and losses mounted. It announced a second reduction target of another 7,000 jobs in October. The company had completed about about 16,000 of those job cuts before Wednesday's announcement.

Although thousands of Boeing employees took voluntary buyout packages there where thousands who were involuntarily laid off. Among the cuts, Boeing closed a unionized plant in Washington that built the 787 Dreamliner and consolidated production to a non-union factory in South Carolina.

Air travel has rebounded in recent months, particularly in US domestic markets, with a surge of leisure travel this summer, driven by pent-up demand. Business travel is expected to rebound in the fall.

Most major US airlines said they expect a return to profitability in the second half of this year. But international travel, a key to the many overseas airlines operations, remains stalled by pandemic-related measures limiting cross-border flights.

Still, expectations of a rebound in air travel is good news for Boeing. Last month, United Airlines booked the largest plane order in its history  for 270 737 Max jets.

Boeing's commercial airline business still lost money in the quarter, but it shaved its operating loss significantly, to $472 million from $2.7 billion a year ago.

'We are turning a corner'

The company overall was able to turn a profit thanks to improved earnings from its other units. The defense, space and security division posted operating income of $958 million, up from $600 million a year ago. Its services business swung to a $531 operating profit from a $672 million loss a year ago. Boeing Capital also swung from a narrow loss to a narrow profit.

"While there are still ways to go before a full recovery, we're encouraged by the continued progress on vaccine distribution and the uptick in domestic travel," Calhoun told investors in a conference call. "We are turning a corner, and the recovery is gaining momentum."

Boeing's problems predate the pandemic. Its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, was grounded in March 2019, halting deliveries for 20 months, following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. Orders for more than 1,000 of the jets were canceled during the grounding, especially when the pandemic hit demand for flying and caused airlines to conserve cash. Boeing is still working to deliver the jets it built during the grounding, sometimes looking for new buyers for some of the completed aircraft.

Although most airline regulators around the world have approved the 737 Max to fly again following the FAA clearance in November, Chinese aviation authorities have not cleared the plane as of yet, blocking deliveries to airlines there. Deliveries are a key for Boeing since it gets most of its revenue at the time of delivery.

Dreamliner problems

Boeing continues to deal with other quality problems. Earlier this month it disclosed a new issue with the 787 Dreamliner widebody jet, which has been dogged with problems since August. The company said some of the planes' fuselage was not joined together to meet precise standards and there are questions about the verification process to make sure those standards are met. Those questions will delay the delivery of some of those jets that Boeing has already built.

Analysts said though it was the defense and services business that carried Boeing over the line into profitability in the second quarter, its commercial airline business is still the key to its success going forward.

"A key driver for shares will be the pace of travel recovery and Boeing's ability to deliver commercial planes," said Jeff Windau, an analyst for Edward Jones who has a buy recommendation on Boeing shares. "Longer-term, we believe there will be demand for commercial aircraft as travel improves and global flights get back to pre-coronavirus numbers. We like Boeing's position."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Boeing returns to profitability, drops layoff plans."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  Filipino billionaires have backed homegrown financial technology startup NextPay in its $1.6-million (80.7 million) investment round.

The Sy Family, which runs SM Investments Corp., led the oversubscribed seed financing round through its private investment vehicle Gentree Fund, together with Singapore-based venture capitalist Golden Gate Ventures.

Local investors, including Ayala Group's Kickstart Ventures and Lisa Gokongwei of JG Summit, also participated in the financing round.

Other investors were Tribe Capital, Broadhaven Ventures, 1982 Ventures, Saison Capital, and Razorpay, Rohit Mulani of GoTrade, and Abhinay Peddisetty, and Chinmay Chauhan of BukuWarung.

Goodwater Capital  which has invested in Facebook, Spotify, and Twitter  also supported the funding exercise.

NextPay provides digital invoicing, cash management, and batch payments to any bank or e-wallet in the Philippines.

The company  which has already processed over $9.1 million in digital transactions despite launching in the market just last year  said proceeds will finance its target of developing new digital financial solutions for micro, small, and medium enterprises.

NextPay's portfolio is expected to be boosted with digital banking solutions such as corporate cards, loans, and integration with other platforms focused on MSMEs, NextPay chief experience officer and co-founder Aldrich Tan said.

Its chief executive officer and co-founder Don Pansacola is optimistic about the group's growth prospects, as efforts of Philippine companies to ramp up digital transformation got the coronavirus push.

"We believe that business banking will continue to digitally evolve, as the Philippines accelerates its digital transformation initiatives," Pansacola was quoted as saying in a statement issued Wednesday.

"This investment supports our goal of putting the power of big banks in the hands of small businesses," he added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  The Philippines' first ever Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz's "Ginto't Pilak" sold out shortly after she won at the Tokyo Games, so her publisher is reprinting the book about the weightlifter's life story, launched nearly a year ago.

"The Anvil Shopee and Anvil Lazada stores and website ran out after two days, so we've had to turn it off for a while but we're reprinting so that a lot of people can share in the story of Hidilyn," Anvil Publishing President Xandra Ramos-Padilla told CNN Philippines' New Day on Thursday.

Ramos-Padilla said the public can also get a copy of the book through National Book Store if there is stock. But as of this writing, Diaz's book is out of stock in the National Book Store's online store.

Ginto't Pilak tells a "very inspiring story of grit and determination, and you can see her journey from when she was at home in Zamboanga carrying pails of water and fish to the market and, that's how she started," Ramos-Padilla shared. She added the book is about how the four-time Olympian overcame misconceptions about women in weightlifting.

The book was co-authored by Eugene Evasco and Noel Ferrer, who is also Diaz's manager.

Ferrer said they are eyeing a follow-up to Ginto't Pilak, but added there is no concrete plan yet.

"It might be the nation talking about what the gold means to us," Ferrer hinted.

For now, Diaz, who arrived home Wednesday after over a year of being away for training and competition, will be focused on "giving back to the Filipino people and giving them more inspiration now," Ferrer said.

He also thanked everyone who supported Diaz, including tycoon Ramon Ang, who earlier committed to give cash incentives to Filipino athletes who will achieve a podium finish, and P10 million if they take home the gold medal, at the Tokyo Games.

Diaz will receive at least 43.5 million cash and other rewards from the government and private companies.

On Monday, Diaz lifted the spirit of Filipinos in the throes of pandemic when she ended the country's 97-year gold-medal drought in the Olympics, pulling off an upset against the world record holder in the womens 55-kilogram weightlifting category.

Prior to her latest Olympic victory, the weightlifting star also clinched a silver medal in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  The Bureau of Internal Revenue on Thursday addressed the confusion over the financial rewards and incentives for Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, saying the cash prize from the government will not be taxed.

Diaz may also not need to pay taxes on donations given to her by businesses, private individuals, and entities  provided the donor's tax has already been paid, the BIR added.

In times when a fellow Filipino represents the Philippines and wins in the international arena, the BIR always gets asked on the taxability of their prizesbe it a medal, a crown, or cash, the BIR said in a statement.

Ending the country's 97-year Olympic gold medal drought, Diaz has secured 10 million cash incentive as mandated under Republic Act No. 10699. This reward, the BIR noted, will not be taxed.

Given Diaz's rare feat, gifts from local businesses have also flooded the athletefrom cash incentives to house and lot, amounting to over 50 million.

READ: LIST: Rewards, prizes for Hidilyn Diaz after Olympic gold victory

"The donations given to her by businesses, private individuals, and entities shall also be excluded from the computation of her gross income under Section 32(B)(3) of the Tax Code," the agency said.

"The latter, however, presupposes that the generous donors have already paid the donors tax on these items," it added.

The BIR said the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion Law lowered the donors tax rate to 6% in excess of 250,000.

"Otherwise, the maximum donor's tax would be 1,004,000 + 15% in excess of 10million," the BIR said.

In an interview with CNN Philippines earlier this week, GoNegosyo founder Joey Concepcion said Diaz will live a "comfortable" life as he sees up to 100 million incentives from various brands.

Diaz is also expected to witness "a long list of commercial endorsements."

The 30-year-old weightlifter returned to the country on Wednesday, two days after clinching the historic first gold medal in the Olympics.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that he still has no copy of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court signed by the Philippines.

During his weekly address, he explained he has no copy of the statute because it was not published in the Official Gazette. Publication in the Official Gazette is a requirement before any law takes effect in the country.

"Wala akong kopya hanggang ngayon sa Rome Statute (I don't have a copy of the Rome Statute up to now). Wala akong copy (I don't have a copy). I do not know what I committed, whether it's a crime, a wrong, I don't know," Duterte said.

The President also said his move to withdraw from the statute in 2019 was an empty gesture.

"I've never read that document and so wala talaga akong alam kung ano iyang demonyo na yan (I really do not know what that devil is) now you want me prosecuted," he said.

"Ang winithdraw ko (what I withdrew) was nothing really. It was an empty gesture kasi (because) there was nothing to withdraw in the first place. Ginawa ko lang iyun (I did it) just to impress upon everybody. I was really withdrawing nothing," he added.

The Philippines became a signatory to the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2000 and ratified it in 2011, becoming its 117th State Party.

In 2018, Duterte said the country would pull out from the ICC "effective immediately" following criticisms of his administration, which he said were "engineered by the officials of the United Nations", as well as the attempt by the ICC special prosecutor to put him under jurisdiction.

But the Supreme Court said the Philippines is still obliged to cooperate after former ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda requested for an authorization to look into the crime against humanity allegedly committed in the Duterte administration's war on drugs.

Duterte has repeatedly shrugged this off and said that he would only face a Philippine court if his anti-illegal drugs campaign would be investigated.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday told unvaccinated individuals to avoid going out, directing local authorities to escort the "spreaders" back to their homes. He also said the unused vaccination slots should be given instead to those who are eager to be inoculated.

In a speech past midnight, the chief executive said those who refuse to get vaccinated should not be tolerated. He said they should be contained in their homes to stop the spread of COVID-19.

"Walang katapusan ito kung pagbigyan ko lang kayo. Pag mahina ang loob ko dahil mag-iyak-iyak kayo diyan, eh ibang istorya ito, adre. Bayan itong pinag-uusapan natin kaya kung ayaw ninyong makatulong by having the vaccines, eh di huwag na lang kayong lumabas ng bahay," he said in a taped address.

[Translation: This will not end if I let you do what you want, don't go crying about it. We are talking about our nation. If you do not want to help by getting vaccinated, then don't go out of your house.]

A vaccinated person, although protected against severe COVID-19, can still spread the virus.

Duterte said barangay captains can give warnings to those unvaccinated who are roaming the streets. If they refuse to go home, they should be escorted back. He said he will take responsibility for his order despite the fact that there is currently no law prohibiting the movement of unvaccinated individuals.

"Kung may idemanda, ako na. Iyan ang utos ko, ibalik ka doon sa bahay mo. Harapin ko 'yan. I assume full responsibility for that," he added.

He said there should be a law prohibiting the movement of those who refuse to get vaccinated since they are endangering others, especially since some people are getting impatient waiting for their vaccines.

"Iyong ayaw, huwag na, huwag mo nang hintayin [Don't wait for those who don't want it]. Let's give it to the people who want it," he said.

However, many Filipinos who are part of the A4 or economic frontliners are still waiting for their vaccination appointment. There are also instances where some local governments have to pause their inoculation drive for lack of supply.

The government is prioritizing vulnerable sectors in the national vaccination program by simultaneously vaccinating healthcare workers, elderlies, people with comorbidities, and economic workers. Those outside of these categories have to wait for their turn.

The country has received over 32 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, the biggest chunk of which are Sinovac shots. Over 11 million Filipinos have received their first dose, while 6.8 million individuals are now fully vaccinated.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  Residents in the four areas under enhanced community quarantine will receive cash aid from the government, Malacanang announced on Thursday.

These are Iloilo province, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog City, where the strictest lockdown status has been imposed until August 7 to curb coronavirus spread.

"Nandyan na po ang assistance na sinabi ng Pangulo na kinakailangan ibigay kapag tayo po ay nag ECQ," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing. "Ito po ay 1,000 kada tao or maximum na 4,000 kada pamilya."

[Translation: The aid that the President promised to give if we implement ECQ is now here. It amounts to 1,000 per person or a maximum of 4,000 per family.]

Roque said the funds are now being downloaded to the recipient local government units.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development will distribute the cash aid through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program.

As COVID-19 infections rise in Metro Manila, some experts monitoring the pandemic have also pushed for the imposition of ECQ in the country's capital region-- a proposal backed by the mayors.

READ: NCR mayors to seek two-week ECQ in meeting with IATF

Despite these calls, the national government retained the more lenient general community quarantine status in the region until August 15. This is still subject to appeal, with the mayors and the national COVID-19 inter-agency task force set to meet on Thursday over the matter.

However, Roque said financial aid for Metro Manila residents remain uncertain should another stringent lockdown be enforced.

"Ngayong hapon, pakikinggan po ng ating IATF ang ating mga alkalde, pero kung ang kanilang rekomendasyon po para sa ECQ ay kasama ang pagbibigay ng ayuda, hindi ko po alam kung meron po tayong ayudang maibibigay," he said.

[Translation: This afternoon, the IATF will listen to our mayors, but if their proposal for ECQ requires the distribution of cash aid, I'm not sure if we have the funds to do that.]

In an earlier briefing, he said President Rodrigo Duterte has made it clear he will not allow ECQ unless subsidy is given to those who will go jobless because of it.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  The government still needs 42.6 million COVID-19 shots to address the supply and demand gap, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said.

Kung makikita po natin, malaki po talaga iyong gap mayroon po tayong gap na 42.6 million between supply and demand, Galvez said during President Rodrigo Dutertes weekly address, noting that they are expecting to meet demand over supply by October.

[Translation: As we can see, there is a big gap... we have a 42.6 million gap between supply and demand.]

Galvez explained that around 70.8 million is the projected number of Filipinos eligible for vaccination. Of this, around 59.92 million belong to the targeted population, or those from A1 to A5 priority groups.

However, the government has so far only received over 31 million vaccine doses, which translate to two doses for 17.3 million persons. This already includes more than 3 million shots of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Although malaki ang deliveries natin, in reality, kung i-open up natin mula A1 to A5 kulang na kulang po tayo ng vaccines in terms of actual doses, Galvez said. Humihingi po tayo ng patience sa mga LGUs at tsaka sa mga provincial governors and cities na talagang kulang pa iyong ating mga vaccines.

[Translation: Although we have big deliveries, in reality if we open up A1 to A5 groups, vaccine supply it is still not enough in terms of actual doses. We are asking for patience from LGUs and provincial governors and cities since vaccine supply is very limited.]

He added that this is why the Department of Health and the governments pandemic task force have recommended to focus on A1 to A3 groups, which include health workers, elderly and people with comorbidity to achieve population protection by shielding these vulnerable sectors.

As of July 27, a total of 18,174,405 doses have already been administered. Of this, more than 6.8 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, government data shows.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  The quarantine classification imposed on Metro Manila for Aug. 1 to 15 may still change before the end of that period, as officials will meet again Thursday to discuss the government's next measures, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has disclosed.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Duque reiterated President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement that Metro Manila is still under the general community quarantine (GCQ) "with heightened restrictions" until August 15. Duque dispelled what he called "rumors of a looming lockdown" but clarified that the current status of the capital region is "not yet final."

READ: Metro Manila to remain under GCQ with heightened restrictions until August 15

"That can change, correct," he said when asked if the quarantine status in the region can still change considering the IATF will meet again with Metro Manila Council on Thursday. He added that any change may likely cover August 1 to August 7 up to August 15.

"The NCR mayors, we met yesterday and since they are the implementing units on the ground, they have broached the idea that a higher community quarantine, if not, the highest community quarantine classification is something that they would welcome, endorse or recommend to the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases)," Duque said.

He added: "And that is why this afternoon, the IATF is meeting once again to address the NCR and also other regions where spikes or a relatively huge increase in cases has been observed."

The Metro Manila Council and the IATF already met on Wednesday to discuss the situation. But despite calls for a hard lockdown to arrest the ongoing surge in the capital region, Duterte approved the recommendation to retain the current community quarantine status for now.

Metro Manila mayors pushing for ECQ

In a media briefing, Metro Manila Development Authority chair Benhur Abalos said all mayors of cities and municipalities in the capital region will appeal to revert to the strictest measure, the enhanced community quarantine.

"ECQ talaga ang gusto namin (ECQ is what the mayors really want). If the funds of the national government will allow it, we are ready for that," Abalos said, referring to the fund that may be tapped to provide aid to lockdown-affected households.

He also noted that he was on mute for a long time during Wednesday's IATF meeting so he was not able to present appropriately the stand of the mayors.

The Metro Manila Council resolution which will be submitted to the IATF meeting at 2 p.m. also includes the mayors' request for at least 4 million vaccines from the national government to be administered to the general population if stricter measures will be implemented for two weeks.

Should their request be ignored, Abalos expressed hope that the IATF will consider imposing even stricter measures such as barring dine-ins in restaurants and encouraging more work-from-home arrangements for employees to reduce virus transmission.

Duque explained that the IATF will consider the availability of funds for subsidy and the available vaccines.

Business groups earlier expressed support for the two-week ECQ due to the Delta variant.

Cecilio Pedro from the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry told CNN Philippines that while they are against a hard lockdown, the country really has no choice but to implement this, citing problems on the pandemic response like vaccine supply and contact tracing efforts.

"We are very strongly against total lockdown but at the same time wala naman tayong ibang (we do not have any other) solution. Other than a lockdown, what else can we do to contain the virus? It's the only way out," he said.

"The most important thing that the government should do at this point is to hasten vaccination, bring in the vaccines from all over the world and try to vaccinate all our people the soonest time," he added.

Pedro also said the lockdown should be implemented as early as possible while also allowing the private sector to continue its vaccination program to ensure the protection of workers, since they are greatly affected by economic restrictions.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  The national government on Thursday said the request of Metro Manila mayors for four million vaccine shots amid the possibility of a hard lockdown is not feasible.

The 17 mayors unanimously said they are in favor of imposing a two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) amid the threat of the Delta variant if four million vaccine doses can be allocated to the region, which will all be administered to the general population sans prioritization.

But Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the government can only allocate half of the request, at most.

"Narinig po yan ni Secretary Galvez. I think what he can guarantee for now is around 2 million or so kasi kinakailangan nga po na magkaroon din ng equitable distribution ng mga bakuna," Roque said during a media briefing.

[Translation: Secretary Galvez has heard the request. I think for now he can guarantee 2 million or so because we need to have an equitable distribution.]

Health Undersecretary Carol Tanio, meanwhile, said other regions experiencing surges need to get vaccines, too, such as Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro.

All mayors of cities and municipality in the National Capital Region will appeal to the Inter-Agency Task Force to shift to the strictest quarantine, according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  The Philippine Coast Guard evacuated dozens of residents from barangays in Bataan Thursday due to floods caused by nonstop rains.

At least 70 people from Barangay Pag-asa in Bagac were moved to safer ground after floods reached waist-level.

They are temporarily staying at the Bernabe National High School, which is serving as an evacuation center.

Two families from Barangay Panilao, Pilar were also evacuated and were brought to the Pablo Roman National High School.

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Hermosa shared images of the flooding in Barangay Almacen.

"Anim na talampakan na ang taas ng tubig sa daan dahil sa baha na dulot ng Habagat," the office said.

[Translation: Flooding in roads reached six feet due to the monsoon rains.]

Flooding was also reported in Balanga.
(CNN) -- Beijing recorded its first Covid-19 case in nearly six months on Wednesday, as Chinese authorities scramble to prevent the spread of the Delta variant amid an outbreak linked to an airport in the populous eastern city of Nanjing.

China recorded 49 new cases on Wednesday, including 24 local infections from three additional provinces, according to the National Health Commission (NHC), taking the total number of cases associated with the new cluster to at least 175.

Though the latest nationwide count marks a slight drop from the 86 cases recorded Tuesday -- the highest single day increase since January -- the virus' spread across provincial borders is sparking alarm among the country's leaders, after more than a year of low case numbers and resumed daily life.

A second new case was reported in Beijing on Thursday afternoon, with health authorities describing the two local cases as a husband and wife who had recently traveled to a city in Hunan province that has been linked to the latest outbreak. Close contacts of the couple have been placed in quarantine.

The coronavirus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, rapidly spreading across China and the world. Yet despite being the first country to succumb to the virus, China has since managed to successfully contain its spread. Since March 2020, the official case figures have remained low, and occasional flare-ups have been quickly contained with mass testing and severe restrictions, including mass lockdowns of hundreds of millions of people across the country.

The current outbreak, however, poses a new threat, with the more transmissible Delta variant identified in the eastern city of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province and a major industrial and transport hub home to more than 9.3 million people.

It will also be a test of the efficacy of China's massive vaccination program, which has administered more than 1.5 billion doses so far -- a scale and speed unrivaled by any other country in the world.

Other countries in the region, including Thailand and Australia, have also been hit by the Delta variant and are currently battling outbreaks. But these countries have also struggled with a slow vaccination rollout beset by delays and shortages. This is in sharp contrast to China, which is on track to reach its goal of achieving so-called "herd immunity" -- the point at which enough people have either been infected or vaccinated to end community transmission -- by December this year.

Airport cluster and flights grounded

The latest outbreak first emerged last week after more than a dozen cases were detected among cleaning staff at Nanjing Lukou International Airport. The airport is one of China's busiest, and handled more than 30 million passengers in 2019, according to Chinese authorities.

The outbreak prompted officials to launch mass testing for more than 9 million residents starting July 21; a second round of mass testing was completed over the weekend, and a third round began on Wednesday.

So far, at least 175 cases are connected to the airport cluster, which officials have linked to the more infectious Delta variant.

"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 (Delta) strain," said Ding Jie, vice director of Nanjing's center for disease control and prevention, at a news conference, state media reported Tuesday.

Despite the rapid and aggressive testing campaign, the virus appears to have already spread beyond Jiangsu province.

Infections have been reported among travelers who flew from Nanjing to other parts of the country, according to state-run news agency Xinhua, including the provinces of Guangdong in the south, Sichuan in the southwest and Liaoning in the northeast.

On Wednesday, state-run tabloid Global Times reported that the airport would look to suspend all flights until August 11, citing an insider source. Nanjing airport authorities told CNN that all flights have been canceled since Monday for disinfection works, and would resume once the process is finished. They did not say when that would likely occur and there has been no official announcement relating to the cancellation.

'Whole country' at risk as officials probe Hunan connection

Concern is also growing over a possible secondary cluster, connected to a popular live show in Zhangjiajie national park in Hunan province. Three confirmed cases in the city of Dalian, Liaoning province, are thought to have visited Nanjing airport before traveling to Zhangjiajie for the live show last week, according to state media outlet, The Paper.

More than 3,000 spectators watched the live show in close quarters on July 22. The Beijing cases are among those linked to the live show, according to authorities, ending the capital's 179-day run without any reported infections.

The Zhangjiajie city government sent out a notice on Wednesday, warning those who attended the show they were "high risk" and needed to self-quarantine and test for infection.

In a rare public show of concern, a number of high-ranking provincial party leaders, governors and health officials met on Wednesday morning in Jiangsu to discuss the outbreak. In a news release posted on their site, the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China acknowledged the current outbreak was "severe," and said the Nanjing cluster could influence the "whole country."

The statement urged stronger prevention and containment measures, including "closed communities and enclosed areas" -- a striking call to reimpose restrictions more than a year after China relaxed its nationwide lockdown and reopened businesses.

Some parts of Nanjing are now under "high" Covid risk alert, while other areas have been raised to "medium."

Under these new restrictions, indoor venues like cinemas, gyms and bars have closed, large gatherings have been reduced, and authorities are urging people to cancel "non-essential" events. Airport employees are facing restricted movement; the city has also stepped up health monitoring measures and testing for high-risk groups like taxi drivers and security guards.

The city has also built six makeshift testing sites in exhibition centers and train stations, with a maximum capacity of testing 7 million people per day, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Pharmacies have been ordered to suspend the sale of over-the-counter medicine for fever and cough, that could potentially suppress or hide Covid symptoms. Residential complexes in the city have also tightened their rules by barring the entry of delivery services.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Beijing reports first Covid case in 179 days as alarm grows over Nanjing Delta cluster"
(CNN)  A third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can "strongly" boost protection against the Delta variant  beyond the protection afforded by the standard two doses, new data released by Pfizer on Wednesday suggests.

The data posted online suggest that levels of antibodies that can target the Delta variant grow fivefold in people 18 to 55 who get a third dose of the vaccine.

Among people ages 65 to 85, the Pfizer data suggest that antibody levels that should protect against Delta grow 11-fold more than following a second dose.

The data, which involved tests of 23 people, have not yet been peer-reviewed or published.

It's not clear if boosted antibody levels actually correlate to better protection, or if that extra protection is even needed. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the current vaccines protect people well against all the common variants.

During a company earnings call on Wednesday morning, Dr. Mikael Dolsten, who leads worldwide research, development and medical for Pfizer, called the new data on a third dose of vaccine "encouraging."

"Receiving a third dose more than six months after vaccination, when protection may be beginning to wane, was estimated to potentially boost the neutralizing antibody titers in participants in this study to up to 100 times higher post-dose three compared to pre-dose three," Dolsten said in prepared remarks. "These preliminary data are very encouraging as Delta continues to spread."

The data also show that antibody levels are much higher against the original coronavirus variant and the Beta variant, first identified in South Africa, after a third dose.

Separately, Pfizer and its partner BioNtech released new safety and efficacy data for their coronavirus vaccine Wednesday, and said it shows protection holds up for at least six months, although it may start to wane slightly towards the end of that time.

The pre-print paper, posted Wednesday to the online server medrxiv.org, updates results from Pfizer's trial involving 44,000 volunteers around the world.

It found the overall efficacy was about 91% during the six months. Vaccine efficacy against severe Covid-19 was about 97%, the data show. The paper has not yet been peer-reviewed nor published in a journal.

The data show that the vaccine's efficacy peaked at more than 96% from a week to around two months after receiving a second dose of vaccine, and then appeared to gradually decline to 83.7% four to six months later, with an average decline of about 6% over the last two months.

Earlier this month, Pfizer announced it has seen waning immunity from its coronavirus vaccine, saying it is picking up its efforts to develop a third dose that will protect people from variants. The company also specified it would seek emergency use authorization under the US Food and Drug Administration for a third dose in August.

But in an unusual move, the FDA and CDC said at the time Americans don't need third doses quite yet and that it was not up to companies alone to decide when an additional dose might be needed.

US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy repeated that point Wednesday morning, telling CNN's Poppy Harlow, "People do not need to go out and get a booster shot."

Also, there is much more to the immune system than antibodies.

For instance, experts say it remains unclear how antibody levels correlate with real-world immunity, and to what extent other parts of the immune system -- such as B cells and T cells -- could factor into protection.

Pfizer to submit third-dose vaccine data to FDA soon

Pfizer said it anticipates submitting data on a third dose of its coronavirus vaccine to the FDA as soon as next month, Dolsten said during Wednesday's earnings call.

"We are in ongoing discussions with regulatory agencies regarding a potential third-dose booster of the current vaccine and, assuming positive results, anticipate an emergency use authorization submission as early as August," Dolsten said.

In order for third doses to be administered to people in the United States, the emergency use authorization that the FDA issued for the vaccine would either need to be amended or, if the vaccine were fully FDA approved, a third dose could be given off label.

"We continue to believe it is likely that a third-dose booster may be needed within six to 12 months after full vaccination to maintain the highest level of protection, and studies are underway to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a third dose," Dolsten said, adding that data suggest antibody levels appear to decline around eight months after receiving a second dose of vaccine.

"Pending regulatory approval, we also plan to start an immunogenicity and safety study in August to evaluate an updated version of our vaccine specifically designed to target the Delta variant," Dolsten said.

He mentioned how the Delta variant is the "most transmissible" yet seen and now represents about 83% of sequenced Covid-19 cases in the United States.

Surgeon general: 'People do not need to go out and get a booster shot'

At this point, the decision on if and when booster shots are necessary will be made by agencies such as the FDA and CDC, Murthy said on CNN on Wednesday.

"This data from Pfizer, we've been in talks with them about what they're seeing with regard to their studies related to boosters," Murthy said, when asked about Pfizer's new data. "But at this point, I want to be very clear: People do not need to go out and get a booster shot."

Murthy said government agencies would be "looking at the whole breadth of data that will come from companies, that will come from cohorts that the CDC is now following, where they're tracking whether or not there is any waning in immunity or increase in breakthrough rates.

"Ultimately, that collective information is what will drive any decision about boosters."

Murthy also said that the question of whether it was ethical for a third booster shot to be recommended while there is a major vaccine supply shortage in the developing world was a "critical question" because the ability to reduce the likelihood of future variants depends on tamping down spread of the virus around the world.

"We as a country have a vested interest in getting the rest of the world vaccinated," Murthy said. "It's one of the reasons why we don't want to have to choose between giving our population boosters, if it's required, and vaccinating the rest of the world."

This is why the United States is making sure it is increasing manufacturing capacity in other countries, he said, working with vaccine companies such as Pfizer and Moderna to ensure they are producing more for the rest of the world and donating excess supply to other countries.
Columbus Music Owner Mike Moser  who organizes the band  said this performance will be special as the group didnt play together last due to COVID-19. Columbus Days was also canceled in 2020 because of the same reason.

I think everybody is excited to get together again, Moser said. It was kind of a letdown to have to cancel it last year but the virus hit us fairly hard.

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Phillips said the group has had everywhere from 30-50 members in a given year. He doesnt have an exact number currently but he said he expects to have a better count by next week.

According to information provided by Columbus Music, a community band in Columbus has been around off and on since the 1870s. The first one began then but disbanded a few years later. Another one was started in 1881 but then dispersed because of the Spanish-American War.
The Court should take this opportunity to correct the mistakes in its abortion jurisprudence and recognize that the text and original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment have nothing to do with abortion, McMasters attorneys wrote. Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process.

McMasters attorneys also argued that the high courts landmark abortion decisions have upended the careful balance that the Constitution strikes between the Federal Government and the States.

The arguments are similar to the ones made by Mississippi's attorney general.

Also Thursday, an amicus brief from 184 U.S. House members and 44 U.S. senators, all Republicans, also argued in favor of delegating governance over abortion-related issues to the states, calling it "long overdue for this Court to return lawmaking to legislators."
The facilitys account was $2.1 million in the red as of April, requiring subsidy from the countys general account, something which Eichelberger and DiFilippo said would necessitate a tax hike if carried on for too long, which they were unwilling to do.

Opponents of the sale have encouraged the county to halt its plan until a better picture of the post-COVID environment emerges, and to use federal stimulus funds to buoy the facility in the meantime. The countys cut of the American Rescue Plan Act aid is calculated at nearly $50 million, of which half has already been received.

I believe this is the wrong decision and the wrong time to do it in the middle of a pandemic, said Morgan Plant, one of the local activists who has pushed back against the sale, citing Pennsylvanias fraught history with the privatization of struggling county-owned nursing homes.

Facilities that have been privatized generally have lower ratings on common metrics. A York Dispatch study in 2018 found that 15 formerly county-owned facilities sold since 2005 had an average rating of 1.9 stars out of five on the common scale used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, while the states 21 county-owned homes averaged 3.1 stars.
The campaign is very simple, he said.

Snyder said he will ask every candidate in the primary to answer two questions: did Biden fairly win Pennsylvanias presidential election in 2020? And was the Jan. 6 event at the U.S. Capitol a violent attempt to block the peaceful transfer of power in the United States?

Theres only one acceptable answer to those questions, and that is yes and yes, without any equivocation, Snyder said.

Snyder predicted that he will be the only candidate who will answer both questions affirmatively.

He may be right.

Snyders entry into the race comes as Barnette, Bartos, Parnell and Sands are to one degree or another embracing Trump-inspired calls for an audit of Pennsylvanias 2020 election, a cause pushed by Trumps most ardent supporters and fellow conspiracy theorists.

None has taken Trump to task for his election falsehoods, or blamed him for whipping up the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6.

In recent days, Barnette went online to say she had secured the endorsement of Michael Flynn, the convicted-but-pardoned former general and a favorite of the former presidents who is a leading purveyor of right-wing conspiracy theories.
Earlier this month, the Federal Office of Army Cemeteries exhumed the remains of one Alaskan Aleut child and nine Rosebud Sioux children who died at the Indian School, which was in operation from 1879 to 1918.

Paza draws its name from Native American symbolism that all mankind can stand together as a tree of life bound by common roots.

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The ceremony this Saturday is an idea developed by Fiddler and Maria Ragonese, director of administration and program development for the organization. Ragonese lost a sister-in-law and a firefighter cousin when the World Trade Center in New York City collapsed.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Lower Manhattan and on the Pentagon along with the deaths of the Flight 93 passengers in the skies over Shanksville.

There have been media reports lately of plans to identify burial sites and to return the remains of other Native American children who attended Indian boarding schools throughout the U.S. and Canada.

These two developments made Fiddler and Ragonese realize that Native American families have something in common with the families of 9/11 victims.
We can support staffing to meet the residents needs and provide quality outcomes, but it must be fully funded. The administration indicated it would increase Medicaid Assistance to help pay for the new mandate, but were long past the point where we can just take them at their word. The track record simply isnt there. After all, Gov. Wolf has never proposed or provided a Medicaid funding increase. He also has never supported any funding initiatives by the General Assembly.

In fact, Pennsylvania is so far behind in meeting the needs of seniors who rely on Medicaid care that it will take years to catch up. Had the Wolf administration funded Medicaid adequately through the years, those dollars wouldve gone to staff to continue providing quality care to residents.

The pandemics financial burden has only exacerbated the funding crisis created by Gov. Wolf. These regulations ignore that the pandemic is far from over for long-term care facilities, which remain in a daily battle with a virus that targets our oldest citizens. Costs for personal protective equipment (PPE), ongoing testing and other pandemic-related costs continue to total in the millions of dollars.
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection has opened the first part of the two-part exhibition Irrititja Kuwarri Tjungu (Past & Present Together): 50 Years of Papunya Tula Artists, tracing the Papunya Tula Artists movement from 1971 through the mid-1990s. It can be seen through Feb. 27, 2022. The second part, celebrating the role of women artists and featuring paintings created during and since the 1990s, will be open from March 17, 2022, to Feb. 26, 2023. Dub Leffler: Darkish can be seen through Aug. 8. Breathe with Me: A Wandering Sculpture Trail can be seen outdoors through Oct. 21. Make reservations to visit; a reservation allows up to 30 people to visit for a self-guided visit. Masks are required for visitors who are not fully vaccinated; masks are not required for people who have been vaccinated. Make reservations at kluge-ruhe.org. 400 Worrell Drive. (434) 244-0234.
Gov. Ralph Northam, working closely with Democratic budget leaders, already has proposed to spend almost $3 billion of the federal funds on some of the same priorities as Youngkin, such as expanded broadband telecommunication access and protection of employers from higher payroll taxes to pay for unemployment benefits.

The General Assembly will not address the expected $2.6 billion budget surplus during the special session next week, which will deal only with one-time federal funding and election of judges to the Virginia Court of Appeals.

After the surplus is certified early next month, Northam will report the results to the assembly money committees in mid-August and reflect the additional revenues in the two-year budget he will propose in December. The new assembly  and governor  will consider the budget proposal during a 60-day legislative session that begins Jan. 12.

Youngkins proposal for the usable surplus acknowledges that more than $1 billion must be deposited in the rainy day reserve fund and water quality improvement fund under the state constitution.

Tax refund Youngkin, according to the plan unveiled Thursday, is urging lawmakers to instead return that surplus to Virginians in the form of tax refunds and with a 12-month break on the new, higher sales tax on gas.
WASHINGTON  Gunfire erupted in my city on the night of July 22, at the intersection of 14th and Riggs streets NW. For those unfamiliar with Washington, D.C., 14th Street serves as the main commercial artery for some of the citys densest neighborhoods, and Riggs crosses its most affluent stretch. When the shooting started around 8 p.m., the intersection was filled with people out for dinner.

This follows the July 17 gunfight outside Nationals Park, while a game was in progress.

These events may be high-profile because of their proximity to the privileged, but they are in fact part of a horrific surge in gun violence and homicides. Murders rose nearly 20% above their pre-pandemic level last summer. Those numbers are basically unchanged this summer, even as the city reopens.

We cant afford the false comfort of irrelevant comparisons to the early 1990s, when crime was at its peak. Nor should we be cheered that other kinds of crime are down, since many of those acts, such as burglary or muggings, are hard to commit when many people are parked at home due to COVID restrictions.

A number of U.S. cities are at risk of entering a vicious cycle whereby crime begets more crime. That chases out jobs and residents, begetting still more crime. Mayors must act decisively before that happens.
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

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These officers from the Capitol Police and the Washington, D.C., police department are heroes. They defended the temple of American democracy as crazed supporters of President Donald Trump besieged the complex, seeking to disrupt a joint session of Congress meeting to certify Joe Bidens election. It was the only time the Capitol had been overrun since a British invasion during the War of 1812.

Much more detail about the attack will be revealed as the select committee examines the causes of the Capitol riot, as well as the security vulnerabilities it exposed and the delayed response of the other police and armed forces who eventually arrived to help. But it is difficult to imagine testimony more compelling, vivid and frightening than the accounts of the officers who put their lives on the line to prevent an even greater calamity than the deaths of five people, including one officer. We now know that numerous leaders, including Vice President Mike Pence, would surely have been beaten or even killed if quick-thinking officers had not kept them from harm.
PORTLAND  The state of Oregon will require students and staff in K-12 schools to wear masks indoors this fall, Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday.

The decision follows this weeks updated national masking guidelines and a spike in COVID-19 cases in Oregon, due to the highly transmissible delta variant.

My priority is to ensure our kids are able to safely return to full-time in-person learning this fall, five days per week and with minimal disruptions," Brown said. "With many children still ineligible to be vaccinated, masks are an effective way to help keep our kids safe in the classroom, the learning environment we know serves them best."

As cases continue to increase across the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced updated masking guidelines on Tuesday, recommending that people  vaccinated or not  return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant is rampant.

The CDC also recommended masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors inside of schools, regardless of vaccination status.

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The European Commission has granted conditional approval for Orange Group to acquire a 54% controlling stake in Telekom Romania Communications (TKR).

The deal was first signed in November 2020, with Orange Romania agreeing to acquire the stake for EUR268 million (US$317 million). This placed TKRs enterprise value at around EUR497 million.

The EC noted the transaction, as initially notified, would have raised serious competition concerns in the market for retail mobile telecommunication services, and made its approval contingent on TKR divesting its 30% holding in Telekom Romania Mobile Communications (TRMC).

Since TRMC competes directly with Orange Romania, the parent group would have gained an uncompetitive advantage if it retained a minority stake in TRMC. TeleGeography notes that the holding would have afforded Orange Group financial insight into TRMC that could have been used to harm the operator by vetoing a strategic acquisition or investment.

Orange is acquiring the stake in TKR from Greek operator OTE, which is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. To allay the ECs competition concerns, Orange has stated that it will not complete its acquisition until it has arranged and confirmed a binding agreement between OTE and TKR that will see the former buy back the latters stake in TRMC.
Serbian state-owned telecommunications operator Telekom Srbija is in talks to acquire Posta Net, the cable TV and internet business of another government-owned entity, Posta Srbija.

According to Demostat, although Posta net has only a small market share, by acquiring it the telco would see its cable market share in terms of subscribers increase to 54.6%, exceeding the 46.7% of its main competitor SBB.

In the cable content sector, SBB was the dominant player at the end of last year (45.5%), followed by Telekom (29.2%), Supernova (14.8%), and Posta net (2.7%).

Telekom acquired Supernova, which was officially merged within it on June 1, 2021, and if the acquisition of Posta Net succeeds, Telekom will have a 54.6% market share observed by the number of subscribers, and as for the cable content, it will exceed its main competitor, SBB, reaching 46.7%.

The acquisition of Posta Net would give Telekom a small lead in market share in the content distribution segment.

Telekom Srbija  which operates under the MTS brand  had confirmed earlier this month that the two parties were involved in talks but did not provide any further information at that time, promising instead to explain the matter in detail shortly.

The newspaper revealed that the two parties have subsequently refused to comment further on the proposed tie-up.
Libya's state-owned operator Hatif Libya has signed an agreement to improve its fibre-optic network with US-based company Infinera. Hatif Libya is a subsidiary of the Libyan Telecommunication Holding Company (LPTIC).

The agreement was signed during a ceremony attended by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah, the minister of telecommunications of Libya, and the U.S. ambassador to Libya, the statement said.

According to a press release, the multi-million USD project will provide access to the internet and mobile services in areas not reached previously by the network and improve the quality and reliability of services for all customers.

"The project leverages universal switching and transport capabilities, enabling the national network to dynamically switch traffic over diverse paths to ensure the continuation of services in the case of interruptions caused by physical damage to cables or power outages. To do this, Infinera will deploy Automatically Switched Optical Network (ASON) technology," said the release.

The need for secure digital transport capacities has increased with the rapid development of the telecommunications sector in Libya and the growing demand for mobile phone services, internet, and digital transformation, it said.

Once completed, the LPTIC said the network will deliver capacities and cyber protection for 60 sites throughout the Libyan territory using advanced optical equipment and technologies to reach an operational capacity of 600 GB on the coastal strip and 200 GB in the southern region, which can be expanded and developed to reach 9 terabytes.
The Coffee County Republican Club will hold its next meeting on Saturday, Aug. 14th at 8:30 a.m. at the Enterprise Country Club. The guest speaker will be State Representative Wes Allen, candidate for Alabama Secretary of State, which is the Constitutional office responsible for running elections in the State. For more information please call, 334-494-2427

Enterprise Womens Day Class of Community Bible Study will begin Aug. 16. The class will meet on Mondays from 10 a.m. until noon in the chapel of First Baptist Church located on 302 North Main Street. For those who cannot meet in person, a dedicated online Core Group will be offered. The class will spend 30 weeks studying 1 and 2 Peter and Revelation. Online registration is open now for the in-person class or the online Core Group at enterprise.cbsclass.org, or interested parties can contact the Class Coordinator by phone at 334-494-2039 or by email at bandL894@yahoo.com. Registration will be offered throughout the year. A Childrens Ministry is in progress, and children will be put on a waiting list.
Masks will again be required at indoor county facilities in Floridas populous Miami-Dade following new federal guidance recommending that even people vaccinated against COVID-19 should wear facial coverings. And in Orange County, home to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, the mayor went a step further and announced all 4,200 nonunion county employees will be required to get their first coronavirus vaccine shot by the end of August, and the second shot by the end of September. Disney World announced on its website Wednesday evening that beginning July 30, face coverings will be required for all guests ages 2 and up while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions. Face coverings remain optional in outdoor common areas.
Founder and president Michael Capponi said an upcoming event should raise enough money to cover a year's rent. He said the group's goal is to help fill the gap between the short-term charitable and government help that arrives immediately after a disaster and long-term solutions such as insurance and legal settlements that can take a year or more to develop.

This community is the world to me and we decided this is how we are going to give back, said Capponi, a former real estate developer and Miami Beach nightclub promoter.

Rabbi Zalman Lipskar of the Shul of Bal Harbour, which has partnered with GEM, told the survivors that he learned long ago from a Holocaust survivor that they shouldn't try to comprehend a reason why they lived. He said that would mean there was a reason their friends and neighbors perished.

What we do know is that we are here, we are alive, Lipskar said. Many of the building's residents attended his synagogue.

For some survivors, the news conference was the first time they had seen each other since immediately following the collapse. They hugged and wept with each other.
Chip Powell said he had worked with Janness for eight years when she had been the bar manager at a local improv theater.

Katie was the most down to earth, beautiful spirit that you would ever meet, Powell told WXIA-TV. So many people in the community knew and love her.

Janness and her girlfriend, Emma Clark, had been together for about seven years and considered themselves married, said Clarks father, Joe Clark.

They wouldve been together forever, Joe Clark told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They were that couple.

Janness was an avid reader who collected books, he told the newspaper. She had also taught herself to play guitar and sang songs that she'd written, he said.

Mourners on Wednesday left flowers, as well as dog treats, near the park entrance where her body was found.

Hampton said its too early to determine a motive for the killing.

Investigators are offering a $10,000 reward for information regarding the slaying.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP)  Armenia's acting prime minister proposed stationing Russian border guards along the country's border with Azerbaijan, as tensions between the two ex-Soviet nations continue to simmer Thursday.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan floated the idea a day after three Armenian troops were killed in cross-border hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which for decades have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The two countries accused each other of starting Wednesday's fighting, which wounded soldiers on both sides.

Azerbaijan said Armenian forces opened fire at its positions on the Kalbajar section of the border, and the Armenian military said its personnel were attacked by Azerbaijani forces.

Pashinyan said Thursday that stationing Russian border guards along the border would allow to carry out the demarcation and delimitation of the border without the risk of military clashes."

We plan to discuss the issue with our Russian partners," the acting prime minister told a government meeting.
Weve spent the past 17 months living within the COVID-19 pandemic. The toll has been excruciating to us mentally, spiritually, physically and in seemingly countless other ways. To date, the coronavirus has killed some 610,000 Americans and about 4.16 million worldwide.

So whenever we hear the word normal or the phrase return to normal we instinctively breathe a sigh of relief. But normal may be much further away than wed like.

Due to new coronavirus variants (including the delta variant, which is more contagious than the original virus) and many peoples refusal to be vaccinated, often because of unfortunate continuing disinformation campaigns, the number of new COVID-19 cases has increased this month in every state. And the number of cases continues to rise.

We have a tool  the vaccines  that could help us tamp down the insidious virus. Of 10.4 million Georgians, only 38% of us are fully vaccinated. Closer to home in Whitfield County, only 33% of our approximate 100,000 residents were fully vaccinated as of July 19. In Murray County, that percentage is even lower  27% of the countys 41,000 residents were fully vaccinated as of the same date.
After emerging as Southeast Asia's largest steelmaker this year, Hoa Phat Group aims to solidify its position by breaking ground for a $3.7-billion blast furnace plant early next year.

"Demand for steel remains strong in Vietnam, and we have a lot of faith in this investment," Nikkei quoted Hoa Phat chairman Tran Dinh Long as saying about the plant to be built in the central province of Quang Ngai.

The expansion comes as Vietnam accelerates efforts to increase production of key industrial materials as the pandemic and geopolitical tensions highlight the risk of overdependence on Chinese supply.

The new blast furnace will add another 5.6 million tons to its annual capacity, including 4.6 million tons of hot-rolled coil and one million tons of steel bars and wire rods.

Overall, it is expected to expand annual crude steel capacity by 70 percent by 2024 to around 14 million tons.

Hoa Phats moves are driven partly by China curtailing steel exports, according to Nikkei.
Workers sleep in tents in a factory in Binh Duong Province. Photo by VnExpress/An Phuong.

Many factories in the southern industrial province of Binh Duong continue to see workers testing positive for Covid-19 despite staying on-site to keep production going.

Estec Vina at the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) 1 has recorded over 340 cases since July 19, though its workers have been staying in the premises since July 19.

Truong Hung Dung, head of the companys labor union, said the entire workforce of 1,700 was supposed to be tested on July 19, but health authorities were only able to dispatch personnel four days later, and by that time 136 people had already contracted the infection.

Over 700 people have now been isolated in the factory.

"Many areas in the factory are closed and with air-conditioning, and the delay in testing resulted in the spread of the disease," Dung said.

Estec Vina is one of 18 companies at the VSIP to have found Covid cases after workers began to live on-site.

Several other industrial parks in Binh Duong have also found infections. Two factories in Tan Uyen Commune have reported 270 cases, while in Di An Town, a wood manufacturer has had 248.

Head of the park labor union, Dang Thi Kim Chi, said one of the reasons is that many companies let workers stay before testing them.

Bui Thanh Nhan, secretary of the Di An Party committee said there are over 4,000 companies in the town, and some let their workers have quick tests and begin working before reporting to authorities.

The large number also meant authorities did not have enough time to check all of them, he said.

Nguyen Hong Chuong, director of the province health department, said another reason is that factories do not strictly impose social distancing and let outsiders come in.

They should have staff dedicated to isolating and taking care of workers who have contracted the disease, and a quarantine area, he added.

One company that has done this is Chinese electronics manufacturer TCL which has had a quarantine area since July 7.

Workers manufacture electronics products at a factory of TCL Vietnam in Binh Duong Province. Photo by VnExpress/An Phuong.

This keeps the factory with over 1,000 workers operational, head of the companys labor union, Dao Minh Tinh, said.

Over 3,700 companies have registered to have 390,000 workers stay in their premises.

The province has had over 9,500 Covid cases in the latest wave, including 2,000 factory workers.
The stringent social distancing period in HCMC needs not last for months if it is implemented properly, experts say, but others point out worrisome vagaries and uncertainties.

HCMC imposed strict social distancing order requiring people not to leave home except for buying food or seeking medical care on July 9 and has announced plans to extend it by one or two more weeks from the end of this month.

Starting Monday, the city has also banned people from going out between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next day.

Professor Jin Dhong-Yan, The University of Hong Kong, said: "HCMC will not need to apply the lockdown for (many) months, until you have sufficient vaccine. You can do it for around two months like Taiwan has done."

Jin said the situation in HCMC and Taiwan was similar with a rapid surge in new cases though the former had a bigger scale of infection than the latter.

Taiwan announced it would ease its Covid-19 restrictions on Monday, after more than two months (from mid-May) as rapidly falling case numbers gave authorities confidence to further lower the coronavirus alert level, Reuters reported.

HCMC has been Vietnams Covid-19 epicenter in the ongoing fourth wave, with nearly 79,000 cases of the national total of 119,812.

Police officers check people going out after 6 p.m. on Hoang Minh Giam Street, Phu Nhuan District, HCMC, July 26. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen.

Jin suggested that Vietnam could also emulate Japan, focusing on avoiding the so-called "Three Cs" (closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings) to prevent a strong outbreak while seeking to revive the economy without stringent lockdowns. Three Cs are major risk factors that could lead to the occurrence of Covid-19 clusters.

However, he noted that it may not be easy for HCMC to implement the "Three Cs" strategy because of its population density of people, which puts people into close contact with each other and put them at high risk of contracting the virus.

Jin said the HCMC administration may not know the scope of the pandemic yet, if they have tested sufficient numbers of people or not. It is possible that there are many people who are infected but not diagnosed. For example, in Wuhan, China, 80 percent of the cases were asymptomatic, even during mass testing. With current developments in HCMC, the pandemic numbers can go much higher, creating a "challenging" situation for Vietnam, he said.

Agreeing with Jin that the lockdown status in HCMC does not have to last long, Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist with the Griffith University Australia, said it may be in effect for four to six weeks, or twice the incubation period.

Besides, authorities should make their moves depending on epidemiological indicators like hospital bed occupancy, the increasing number of deaths and the growth in the number of patients. They need to see if the citys healthcare facilities are overwhelmed, and whether the current cluster could become bigger.

If the rate of people testing positive for the virus is less than 5 percent for at least two weeks, it is one indicator that the epidemic is under control, he said, citing criteria published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020.

Budiman noted that a lockdown should not be seen as the main intervention. The focus should be on strengthening measures like testing, contact tracing, quarantining and early treatment.

He also said that HCMC and Vietnam should avoid the "lockdown trap" of repeating this measure over and over again, imposing huge burdens on the economy and society at large.

Worrying situation

Expressing "deep concern" about the situation in HCMC in particular and in Vietnam in general, Dr Thu Anh Nguyen, Epidemiologist and Country Director, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, said the key issue was peoples compliance.

She suggested that the authorities establish a mechanism to measure the percentage of people wearing masks and avoiding crowds in order to assess the effectiveness of lockdown.

Thu Anh felt the social distancing period in HCMC could be extended to October this year and the total number of infections increase to around 270,000.

In the worst scenario, she said HCMC will reach "herd immunity" by the number of people infected instead of by vaccination, and the death rate could be around 2-14 percent, depending on the capacity of the healthcare system, she said.

Thu Anh recommended that authorities in HCMC not talk about the "pandemic peak" as the number of new cases keeps rising continuously.

"They should consider turning social distancing on and off until vaccine sufficiency is achieved."

Local authorities should change the testing method to reduce crowds, allowing people to test themselves at home to reduce the risk of transmission, she said.

Around 1.3 million people in HCMC, home to 13 million people, has received Covid-19 vaccine, although less than 50,000 have received two shots.

Take care of people

Jin stressed that the Vietnamese government should take due care of people affected by the lockdown. There are people who need food and those that should be compensated for the economic loss suffered. Citizens will also need psychological support, he said.

He said a humane approach was needed to gain peoples support in containing the pandemic. If people do not understand the seriousness and cooperate willingly, it would be impossible to stop the transmission of the virus. Peoples impatience during the lockdown is "dangerous," Jin said.

Some regulations can be loosened in order to help people withstand the hardships, he suggested. For instance, people who have been vaccinated or tested negative can be allowed to do "several things."

Thu Anh suggested that HCMC and other provinces can use civil society more effectively to care for people at the community level. Vietnam already has different associations for labor unions, veterans, women and other groupings that can be used to support affected people in all areas including counselling and providing guidance for infected people and their close contacts to monitor their health status at home. This can help reduce the burden on the healthcare system, she said.
After growing accustomed to Vietnamese traffic, Ivan Os had spent the past six years traveling to many parts of the country before the new Covid wave sprang up.

"Before visiting Vietnam, I thought the country was not impressive and maybe similar to many other places. However, I completely changed my mind after my trips and now want to tell the world about interesting things of Vietnam," the 53-year-old Russian said.

Os came to Vietnam in 2015 and settled down in the south central province of Binh Thuan. At first, it was not easy for him to immediately adapt to the lifestyle, culture, cuisine or even traffic in Vietnam.

Although he had previously driven large displacement motorcycles in other Asian countries, he said learning to ride a motorbike and getting accustomed to traffic in Vietnam took him much longer.

In his early years in Vietnam, he spent time exploring the sand dunes, famous beaches and Champa temples of Binh Thuan, home to famous resort town Mui Ne, much loved by Russian expats.

Impressed by Vietnam's mystery, Russian man conquers tourist route on motorbike Impressed by Vietnam's mystery, Russian man conquers tourist destinations on motorbike Ke Ga Lighthouse in Mui Ne, Phan Thiet. Video taken by Ivan Os.

Then, he drove his motorbike to famous tourist towns like Da Lat, Nha Trang and Phan Rang. The more he learned about the country and its people, the more attracted he became.

During summer last year, he traveled by motorbike from Mui Ne to Da Lat past coastal destination like Nha Trang and Da Nang onto northern provinces including Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Hanoi, Cao Bang, Son La and Lao Cai. For nearly three months, he drove to even the most remote northern mountains on a journey of over 7,000 kilometers. However, he has yet to reach the southern part of Mekong Delta.

He said the place he loved most was Mu Cang Chai, a remote rural district in Yen Bai Province famous for its winding terraces and distinctive ethnic minority identity.

During his trips, Os suffered minor traffic accidents, causing damage to his camera and motorbike.

"Vietnam has diverse nature and a rich culture preserved for generations. Maybe that's why I fell in love with this country. Vietnam is like my second home," Ivan said.

He said he was also impressed by the cuisine in the northern region. Pho (noodle soup), banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich), seafood and Vietnamese beer are all his favorites. On the way, he was also invited to try "specialties" like pipe tobacco, but he had to refuse it for fear of getting high.

Compared to other places he used to visit like Russia, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines, Vietnam has a quite pleasant climate. At any time, you can find a cool place to remove all sorrow and stress like a sunny beach or highlands retreat, he said.

Due to the new Covid wave that resulted in travel restrictions, his planned trips have been suspended. Os said he now spends most of his time making documentaries about Vietnam via video clips he has recorded during his journeys.

"Vietnam is a rapidly developing country but I still hope urbanization would not hurt nature and that the traditional crafts of ethnic minorities would not be lost," he said.
You graduate with a perspective on medicine that is unlike those who came before you. Your perseverance through these difficult times has made you stronger and better equipped to deal with the challenges that lay ahead. You are now in a position to combine that unique perspective with your new knowledge and skills to bring about real change in a changed world. You are a privileged few who have been afforded an opportunity to do this.

Graduating PA student and Class of 2021 President Carrie Holloway said that being a PA student during the COVID-19 pandemic fueled her passion for health care. I was fortunate enough during this last year to rotate through health care systems across rural Nevada, California, and New Mexico, and seeing them adapt to provide the best care for patients and protect others was extremely motivating.

Those rural rotations also fueled Holloway and her classmates passion for rural health care, she said. Many individuals in the Class of 2021 are committed to serving rural communities, whether immediately after graduation, or later in our careers. Clinical rotations made me extremely aware of the health care disparities that exist for rural populations, she said.
The passport resolution also states that the board of commissioners prohibit the use of vaccine passports by any county office, board or agent and strongly discourages the use of vaccine passports by any other agency or business within the county.

Everyone should be free to choose whether or not to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and no one should be discriminated against in any way for the decision they make, the resolution says.

Lander County Commissioners passed a recent resolution that goes the extra step of prohibiting businesses from requiring customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or coronavirus recovery before entering a business.

That resolution also prohibits basing employment on proof of vaccination, according to the resolution.

The school board stated in its letter to Sisolak that it recognizes the importance of choice for parents and guardians when it comes to the welfare of their children.

Indeed, this is a basic Constitutional right protected by the 14th Amendment, the letter says, listing three concerns: potential extension of the mask mandate, the possibility of mandatory COVID-19 immunizations, and potential restrictions on participation in school activities based on immunization.
Notably, Carson City School District announced last week that it would not require face coverings but would encourage them for students and teachers who have not been vaccinated for Covid-19.

Meanwhile, in Clark County, the school district said on Tuesday in response to high transmission rates it would require masks for pupils and staff regardless of vaccination status. However, exemptions would be allowed for medical or developmental reasons.

With the upcoming mandate, Smith explained reopening plans  locally and statewide  would be undergoing revisions, noting that he learned Carson Citys school district revised the plan at least seven times.

The reason for that is because guidance changes on a daily, hourly  I wish it was monthly  basis. But it changes quickly, Smith said. Thats why its a complex issue. Its a moving target. We dont know what to expect from one day to the next, whether youre talking about CDC or guidance from the state.

Nevada Health Response announced the state would automatically adopt updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data showing 12 out of 17 Nevada counties had a substantial or a high transmission of Covid-19, including Elko County.

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Sunisa Lee was inspired by Simone Biles' presence as she claimed gold in the women's all-around gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lee makes it five golds in a row for US in all-around gymnastics

Lee is the first Hmong American to compete for the United States at the Olympics and, in Biles' absence, stepped up to deliver the nation's fifth successive gold in the event.

The 18-year-old joins Carly Patterson (2004), Nastia Liukin (2008), Gabby Douglas (2012) and Biles (2016) on that list.

"Just to have her in the arena was very helpful to me" - Lee pleased to have support of "inspiration" Biles

Biles, a four-time gold medallist at the Rio Games, competed in only one event in Tuesday's team competition at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre, registering the lowest score of the first rotation before she then left the floor with a trainer.

She then withdrew from the event, revealing she had chosen to prioritise her mental health and stating she had been "fighting demons".

Biles, 24, subsequently chose not to compete in Thursday's final, but was on hand to support her team from the sidelines.

"It sucks that I couldnt have Simone on the floor with me, but just to have her in the arena was very helpful because she is an inspiration to me and someone I look up to," said a jubilant Lee.

Biles' absence did present its own challenges, however.

"I just had to switch gears because we came in competing for second place. So when the opportunity was there I knew I had to do what I normally do because this whole season I was second to her [Biles]," Lee added.

"I felt there was a lot of pressure on me because I have been second to her the whole season, so I knew that people were kind of counting on me to either get second or win a gold medal.

"I tried not to focus on that because I knew I would get too nervous, and I probably would have gotten in my head."

Lee also hailed the advice she received from the more experienced members of her team, continuing: "They told me to go out there and not worry about anything else. I was starting to put a little too much pressure on myself. Knowing that Simone was gone, I was starting to put that pressure on myself that I had to come back with a medal.



"I tried not to think about it and just focus on myself. That is what they told me to do, to just do what I normally do and that is when I compete the best."

Brazil's Andrade: "People need to understand we are not robots"

Rebeca Andrade of Brazil claimed silver, and she paid tribute to Biles' decision to withdraw to focus on her own wellbeing.



"It was different for me because Simone is incredible," she said.

"Knowing why she left the competition was very difficult. People need to understand we are not robots. We are human beings, and we have feelings like anyone else. That is the same in the competition.

"We know what it feels like to feel the pressure, but I tried to keep my cool. I tried to put into practice everything that I learned with my psychologist, and it worked. I did what I could and I could not be happier. I wish the best to everyone."
Zhabsang (R) and her mother who live in Shannan travel to Nyingchi by train in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 26, 2021. The Lhasa-Nyingchi railway, Tibet's first electrified railway, officially began operations on June 25. Compared with road transportation, it reduces the travel time from Lhasa to Nyingchi from 5 hours to about 3.5 hours. As of July 25, 435-km railway had sent 106,000 passengers. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's, GMW.cn makes no representations as to accuracy, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information.
People queue to receive nucleic acid tests at a community in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2021. Chengdu reported two new COVID-19 confirmed cases and one asymptomatic carrier Wednesday, all locally transmitted. Currently, the city has recorded five locally transmitted confirmed cases and one asymptomatic carrier, all linked to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

CHENGDU, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, reported two new COVID-19 confirmed cases and one asymptomatic carrier Wednesday, all locally transmitted.

The local cases were registered on Wednesday as of 6 p.m., said the municipal health commission at a press conference Wednesday evening.

Currently, the city has recorded five locally transmitted confirmed cases and one asymptomatic carrier, all linked to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province.

All five confirmed cases had recently traveled to the neighboring Hunan Province. The asymptomatic carrier had been on the same plane with a previously confirmed case.

They have gone into quarantine, and authorities are conducting epidemiological investigations and tracing their close contacts.

Chengdu has launched an emergency response plan for epidemic control and prevention. The city has sampled more than 27,000 residents in its massive nucleic acid testing campaign. Enditem

7

1

Editor: Zhang Zhou
BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The claim that the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is made by humans is a terrible regression of scientific thinking, said a leading Chinese evolutionary biologist.

Professor Wu Chung-I with the School of Life Sciences at Sun Yat-sen University said in a recent interview with the China Science Daily that Chinese scientists have proposed a series of models to trace the origin of COVID-19. He hopes that his international counterparts could find a way to the truth by an objective discussion with a scientific attitude.

Wu and 21 other scientists working with universities and hospitals in China, or with institutions affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, published an article titled "On the origin of SARS-CoV-2 -- The blind watchmaker argument" on July 16 in the latest issue of the journal Science China: Life Sciences.

"The article discusses the origin of SARS-CoV-2 in two ways. First, why can nature evolve such a virus? Second, why can't humans create such a virus?" said Wu.

He mentioned the classic argument of the blind watchmaker in the history of science.

"As we can see, all kinds of creatures in nature are perfectly adapted to their living environment," he said.

In 1794, William Paley, a British priest, argued that this complex and perfect adaptability of natural creatures is like a delicate clock. He said it is impossible for people to imagine such adaptability comes from nature, and there must be a watchmaker, or a god, who designed and made it.

About 200 years later, famous evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins refuted Paley's argument in his popular book "Blind Watchmaker."

"Dawkins emphasized that natural species evolve without special purpose. If nature is a watchmaker, it could only be a blind one. A species that perfectly adapts to its environment is not created all at once but is the culmination of a series of small improvements from a large number of random mutations over a long period of time.

"When some people claim the novel coronavirus is human-made or leaked from a lab, one of their main ideas is that how could a virus such as novel coronavirus, which perfectly adapts to the human body, come from a blind and aimless nature?

"Such claim is a terrible regression of scientific thinking, a regression to the same level with a priest more than 200 years ago," said Wu.

"SARS-CoV-2, as the most 'perfect' virus so far in human history, has to be the product of natural selection," he added.

He said nobody, even the elite scientists, could know in advance how to create a virus that perfectly adapts to humans. He compared the process to mobile phone marketing -- even the most skilled electronic laboratory could not design the world's most popular mobile phone in one attempt.

"The perfect product must be based on market testing and repeated adjustments," he said.

"Therefore, we infer that the virus had gone through repeated mutual infections between wild animals and people before the first reported outbreak of COVID-19 and, gradually, accumulated mutations adapted to the human body.

"In the process of human infection, the virus experienced repeated defeat until it evolved into the current strains that are extremely suited to mass transmission," he added.

The evolution history of human coronaviruses relating to the common cold, such as types OC43, 229E and NL63, also proves this point. These coronaviruses have been infecting and spreading among humans and wild animals for hundreds of years before spreading globally.

"People are trying to find a strain in a wild animal that is very similar to SARS-CoV-2. Given the current extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection, if such a wild animal could be found, it was most likely infected by humans, instead of the other way around," he said, adding that such efforts need guidance from scientific theories and models.

He mentioned that Chinese scientists are working on various models and hypotheses. His team published an article "A theoretical exploration of the origin and early evolution of a pandemic" in the journal Science Bulletin.

The article proposes an incremental evolution model of SARS-CoV-2, in which the virus is believed to have originated in a habitat of animal hosts, or PL0, sparsely populated by humans, and the frequent and long-term animal-human interaction allowed it to evolve.

Both the animal and human hosts develop a degree of herd immunity. Then the virus could occasionally spread to somewhere outside the habitat with a large human population that does not have herd immunity, resulting in the first outbreak.

Wu explained that the place of the first outbreak is different from PL0 because the human population in the place of the first outbreak does not have herd immunity. The flu pandemic in 1908 and the AIDS epidemic all prove the possibility of this model.

The human population in PL0 may have established herd immunity to novel coronavirus a long time ago, and the trace of such herd immunity is likely to be stored in T cells rather than in antibodies.

T cells are one of the primary types of lymphocytes that play a crucial role in the immune response.

"It is a great challenge for our current detection technology to find such traces, but I believe sooner or later, we can solve this technical problem.

"More importantly, even if somewhere is proved to be PL0, there is no so-called original sin in PL0. The origination of novel coronavirus is a natural disaster rather than a human-made disaster, and humans can only choose how to deal with the epidemic," said the biologist.

"The COVID-19 pandemic concerns the lives and health of all people and the global community. We hope the global community can return to scientific rationality on this issue as soon as possible, and face up to the challenge and seek the truth." Enditem

Editor: Zhang Zhou
70th anniversary of the Refugee Convention  a legal instrument which remains as relevant today, when forcible displacement has reached record levels

Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine

The right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution is a fundamental human right  enshrined in Article 14 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and safeguarded under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (the Refugee Convention), as a key part of international law.

The Refugee Convention is a life-saving instrument of protection. In the context of continuing wars, conflict and persecution, and record levels of displacement, it continues to protect the rights and lives of refugees. It is as relevant today as it was in 1951.

As stated by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres We cant deter people fleeing for their lives. They will come. The choice we have is how well we manage their arrival, and how humanely.

The 1951 Refugee Convention was one of the first treaties to be adopted after the Second World War, forming part of the nascent human rights legal framework. It sought to formalize a minimum set of rights for persons fleeing persecution  first and foremost the right not to be returned to the country of persecution (something that had happened, with terrible consequences, to groups of Jews and others fleeing Nazi Germany). It remains one of the most widely ratified treaties globally.

The Refugee Convention is the modern embodiment of the age-old institution of asylum, underpinned by fundamental humanitarian values, and has saved millions of lives. It provides a set of shared principles for States to manage the determination of an individuals application for asylum, and the rights accorded to refugees.

Refugees have the following rights under the 1951 Convention:

 Protection from being returned to a country where he or she risks facing serious threats to life or freedom  this is called protection against refoulement and is also a rule of customary international law.

 Non-punishment for irregular entry into the territory of a State to seek asylum

 The right to freedom of movement within the territory of the State

 The right to be issued with identity and travel documents

 The right to work

 The right to housing

 The right to education

 The right to public relief and assistance

 The right to freedom of religion

 The right to access justice and have a fair hearing before the courts

On 10 January 2002, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law acceding to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, making Ukraine the 144th country party to the Convention.

Today, Ukraine is home to 2,172 refugees and 2,430 asylum-seekers of the 30,5 million refugees and asylum-seekers displaced across the world, according to the 2020 Global Trends Report released on 18 June this year. As stated in the Global Trends report, 86 percent of the worlds refugees live in developing or the least developed countries.

Ukraine offers both refugee status and complementary protection to those who have fled persecution, generalized violence and conflict in their own countries. The majority of refugees and asylum-seekers in Ukraine are renting private accommodation in Kyiv, Odesa and Kharkiv, while some are living in Lvivska and Zakarpatska oblast. They originate from over 60 different countries, with a majority from Afghanistan (refugees - 38%; asylum-seekers  25%), Syria (refugees - 24%; asylum-seekers  7%), Russian Federation (refugees - 6%; asylum-seekers  9%), and Somalia (refugees - 4%, asylum-seekers  5%).

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 14 December 1950 with an international protection and solutions mandate to, inter alia, promote the conclusion and ratification of international conventions for the protection of refugees, supervising their application and proposing amendments thereto[1]. UNHCR is the guardian of the Refugee Convention, with a unique mandate under international law.

In this capacity, UNHCR greatly appreciates Ukraines accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the work done by the Government to establish a national legal framework for the protection of refugees in Ukraine. Indeed, the State Migration Service of Ukraine, as well as Members of Parliament, the Ombudsperson and other government and non-governmental actors have recently worked on a new Law on Granting Protection to Foreigners and Stateless Persons. The draft is now officially registered with the Parliament under # 3387 and awaits its first reading review in the next parliamentary session. The draft law aims to improve the procedure for the determination of the refugee status and strengthen the protection of refugees in Ukraine. UNHCR has contributed to several consultations on the draft law and has shared its views on areas where the text can be further aligned with the standards set out in the Refugee Convention.

On this 70th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, UNHCR encourages all relevant actors to bring the draft Law on Granting Protection to Foreigners and Stateless Persons fully in line with the 1951 Refugee Convention and table this important law for adoption. That would be the most remarkable way to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention and express Ukraines commitment to the principles and human rights it enshrines.

[1] See Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UN General Assembly Resolution 428(V), Annex, UN Doc. A/1775, para.8 (a), available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/ 3ae6b3628.html (Statute)
Iryna Zhdanova, Founder of the NGO Open Policy Foundation and Klym Churyumov Scientific Lyceum, Ph.D. in History

I know that according to all the rules of any information campaign, there should be a post about the admission campaign. After all, July 21 is a newsworthy event. It was a deadline for submitting documents through the Donbas/Crimea  Ukraine Education Centers to study on a state-funded basis. Nevertheless, this post is not about the 2021 admission campaign for the temporarily occupied territories, but about the strategy. It is about education development strategy for the temporarily occupied territories and communities near the contact line. What are the three key messages?

1. We lost the information war with the Russian Federation. For today. We need to accept that there will be fewer and fewer people who want to study at Ukrainian schools remotely and there are more children who want to carry out external studies. To just get a state standard document.

2. There will be more and more people, who will use the procedure of simplified admission through the Donbas/Crimea-Ukraine Education Centers. Motivation? Live in safe areas, have a job abroad, or in Ukraine. To do this, they must obtain a Ukrainian diploma. No, they are not for Ukraine; they are just tired of the war. The fantasy about the Mother Russian is over At the same time, they perceive Ukraine as a stepmother at best, and as an enemy at worst. And only a few consciously choose the values of independent Ukraine. Parents keep pace with them.

3. The hope for a quick peace is illusory. Reconciliation will last long, and we will not expect a truce soon. Nord Stream is not a fantasy, but a reality that should be in the focus of Ukraine's international policy. The highest-quality professionals should be involved in the negotiations. It is no longer a question of political preferences, but a question of the country's survival. When you look at the negotiators from Ukraine, who today are involved in the creation of international strategic relations, it is no longer moms laughing but moms crying... Therefore, we must stop planning fantasies and consolidate professionals regardless of political preferences and ambitions. Although maybe it's also a fantasy... because new elections are coming soon...

Why is education today the cornerstone of reintegration?

No, the reason is not that it is now one of the priorities of international donor support, but because education has always been a matter of values and geopolitics. And that is why the imperial analysts of the RF clearly understand its significance. And donors, as well. That is why the militants do not allow children to take part in the Independent External Evaluation... That is why any information campaign on humanitarian issues in the occupied territories, conducted by UN organizations, is possible, except for... access to education in Ukraine. Here I can give many specific examples of double standards, but not today.

There are still many questions about Ukraine's national, regional, and local policies.

Why do many schools in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which are not hubs, but provide distance learning, external studies, still not have computers and laptops? Why do most schools still not have fiber-optic cable for high-speed Internet? Why is the MOODLE learning platform (created with public and donor funds for the occupied territories) hanging and difficult for teachers and children with their parents? Why are the lessons from this platform still not open for use by other teachers and children? Why are schools/teachers not paid for external studies of children? Why is the issue of payment for distance learning of children who are registered at schools after the beginning of the new school year still not settled? And how to find an IT specialist, if a salary is UAH 3,400 and this specialist has to maintain 356 computers in a hub school with several branches Why is there no effective management? Why do we have no plan of action during distance learning? Why does no one teach cloud SCRUM management and why do education departments spam schools with reporting requirements. And why does the teacher have to pay for advanced training at state and municipal institutions, if millions of hryvnias are allocated for training according to resolutions #800? And how to provide distance learning in the absence of not only the Internet and light but also Ukrainian television? So There are even such areas along the contact line that Ukraine CONTROLS by fails to provide with Ukrainian television or radio, and the radio stations of so-called DPR-LPR sound in transport

What kind of responses have schools received to these questions today?

Choose the platforms you want, study them on your own, pay for them yourself. Maintain a paper journal and an online one You have absolute freedom to choose and do so here. How? This is your right to do it but... without wages for a technical administrator and site moderator. And you must coordinate every step with the education department... listen to dirty language... And let schools and teachers take part in endless competitions for the sake of rating ... Upload photos, videos on the website, on Facebook, in Excel forms, send reports as quickly as possible... Duplicate, count, look for money...

Why? Why did they put everything on the shoulders of the founder, which works in the DEPRESSIVE area, where the war continues, where only rusty checkpoints remain of factories, and young trees grow now in place of blast furnaces...

I understand that these are rhetorical questions. The MoES is not a controlling body. Teachers do not write such letters about these pains because they are afraid that their position will be reduced and schools will be optimized. And if the Open Policy Foundation summarizes and inquires, the answer will be sent to local authorities - the vicious circle of Ukrainian decentralization

It is the circle I think about after the completion of the Open Policy Foundations series of training courses titled Distance Education for Students from the Temporarily Occupied Territories (supported by #USAID).

Why does no one want to hear them?..

Perhaps, are these questions and the search for answers not part of the reintegration strategy? Are we going into an even bigger conflict with Russian politicians and pro-Russian parties in the region? After all, politicians in both Russia and Ukraine are well aware of the importance of education as a tool for the self-identification of voters, and, hence, the cultivation of electoral sympathies, political education, and the strengthening of independence in the long run.

Probably, it results in changing not only the staffing table, job descriptions, but the state budget as well, and looking for additional extra-budgetary resources. But if school funding comes from Kyiv, it is also a tool for consolidating citizens around the national idea. Today, local authorities (and hence local political parties) determine the fate of school funding, their participation in international projects, which institutions are subject to optimization, and what will be the results of the competition for a director position. He/she should be comfortable for local authorities and political parties. It is not difficult to predict which one. These are realities. Do people in Kyiv know of examples when a school director in the East was fired because of a pro-Ukrainian position and the school was optimized?.. Who should monitor this?..

Therefore, in my opinion, in order to ensure real access to education for children affected by the war, it is necessary to develop local communities and educational space in frontline areas, the policy of decentralization. And, most importantly, it is subject to political will and the networking of teams.

And to make Ukraine truly European, you need to invest in resources. Stop illegal trade. Make economic development strategies effective. For example, when mines are closed and DTEK leaves the community in Dobropillya, it is necessary to create an IT cluster Maybe it is not profitable to have a strong economy here? Maybe, it is profitable for illegals to go to the occupied territories at night, and for illegal trade to continues; there were cars which do not go from Lysychansk to Rubizhne, but they go in the opposite direction to the territory There were carriers and the whole infrastructure of services: from the place in a queue at the checkpoint to information about mined areas for newly arrived contractors... War is big business.

We need the willpower to break this business. It takes courage to admit it. And we need a team of those who can make real changes in local communities in the East through horizontal networking.

Unequivocally, this will provoke opposition from Russia and pro-Russian political parties in Ukraine

And this is another vicious circle - already political and geopolitical...

P.S.

Do you know the difference between flying and whistling? a young history teacher asked me when we were swimming in a waterfall near the Green School in Kosmach and having fun like children, together with other teachers from the frontline schools... I didn't know the answer Now I know It's about shelling It is whistling when it is near, and it does not make sense to run away

I was silent and thanked myself that at the International Green School/Kosmach, after the waterfall, they can ask and talk about this pull out of the depths what hurts them And then we danced and brainstormed studied online platforms and painted Easter eggs analyzed the risks of regulations and ... sang because it was impossible not to sing, not to shout.

It seems to me that what is happening today in the policy of education is no longer flying... it is whistling ... and an explosion may threaten not only Kyiv...

Kosmach, July 21, 2021
Anton Rovenskyy, Master of International Relations, International Political Scientist

The agreement between Germany and the US on the Nord Stream - 2 appears to be one of the key events for the international politics in 2021. A lot of politicians and experts seem to estimate the project as a vital one, however there is a vast variety of other significant infrastructure projects, which may influence global politics and economics even in a more drastic manner. We provide a brief outlook of such projects in the material below.

New Silk Way (Belt and Road Initiative)

Announced in 2013, the Chinese New Silk Road (or Belt and Road Initiative) project gradually becomes the world's biggest transit way, increasing a number of Eurasian countries involved. The economic effect of the project's realization is estimated over USD20 tn, with the PRC to become the main beneficiary.

A number of allegedly unrelated events and processes  be it the destabilization of the countries of Central Asia, the Near and Middle East, protests in Belarus etc.  are partly echoes of the confrontation around the New Silk Road. Nevertheless, the economic potential of the project is so large that any particular political cataclysm is able to call into question its further implementation and the strengthening of China's position in the global arena.

Ukraine can also use the projects potential in a way more active manner, considering the benefits of its geographic location.

Projects in Myanmar

Myanmar, despite the 2021 winter coup detat, remains a strategic point for China and India considering the realization of large-scale infrastructure projects.

For instance, Myanmar can provide direct access for the PRC, its largest trading partner, to the Indian Ocean, which neutralizes risks of blocking Chinese transit through the Straight of Malacca. The project for the construction of a deep-water port in Myanmar and a special economic zone, which will be included to the New Silk Road project, is one of the Chinese priorities for the region. As for now, the official Beijing, considering its economic interests, blocks the pressure of the international community on the Myanmar new, post-coup detat, political regime.

In return, India is interested in Myanmar as a transit corridor in order to increase its presence on the ASEAN markets. It includes, for instance, the construction of the Kaladan transport and economic corridor within the Indo-Japanese partnership, as well as the India-Thailand highway.

In the near term, Beijing is set to be the main player in Myanmar economy, considering its profound experience in the realization of infrastructure projects in politically unstable countries. However, one should bear in mind the US interests, which may block such Chinese initiatives.

International NorthSouth Transport Corridor

In a particular way, the North-South transport corridor, which stretches for more than 7000 km and is set to connect the countries of the North Eurasia with India through Iran, competes with the New Silk Road, being both cheaper and quicker. On the other hand, one cannot exclude the possibility of their mutual development and connection in the future.

The project was launched in 1999-2000, when both public and private actors from India, Iran and Russia had signed a set of respective agreements. As for now, the project is presented as a number of segmented transport sections, which are not connected into a single system due to a number of various reasons.

During the realization of the project, a number of countries, such as the Central Asian states as well as some Gulf monarchies (for instance, Oman is a signatory to a complex of agreements within the project). The main obstacle to the project lies within the lack of resources for the construction of infrastructure and low levels of mutual trade within the India-Iran-Russia triangle, the founders of the initiative. By the end of the decade, one will see whether the potential of the North-South corridor will be dully realized.

Northern Sea Route

In recent years, the Arctic region has become a stage for the US-Russia confrontation. In 2019, the Pentagon has presented the Arctic doctrine to the Congress, which also contains the variants to block the Northern Sea Route for both China and Russia. According to the document, Russia plans to use the Northern Sea Route not as an economic project, but as an instrument of influence on the key points and trade routes in the region. However, the scale of cargo shipping across the Route are constantly increasing  by 10 times in a recent decade.

One should point out, the development of the Northern Sea Route is an important element of the competition on the financially reliable LNG market of the Northern Europe, a target for both Russian and American companies. For these reasons, one should wait for a more brutal competition in the Arctic region between the great powers.

Nicaragua Canal

The preparatory works for the construction of the Canal, which connects the Atlantic and the Pacific, were launched in the late 2014. By then, the Chinese were considered as the main investor in the estimated USD40-50 bln project. The construction of the Nicaragua Canal would provide significant geopolitical advances for the PRC and would increase the Chinese trade and military expansion in the Central and South America. Obviously, the US are not interested in the project. Having in mind its profound experience in the Third World, the official Washington will use every instrument to block its construction.

However, such a scenario looks rather hypothetical. Nowadays, the Nicaragua Canal is frozen due to the financial problems. Anyway, the restart of such a big project in the international politics is the matter of principle, not the money.

Istanbul Canal

The start of the construction of Istanbul Canal, which will connect the Black and the Sea of Marmara, was launched by the president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in June 2021. The main motivation for its construction lies within the necessity to unload the Bosporus and reduce a number of risks related to the transportation of the explosive cargos. The construction of the canal is planned in 2027.

The main intrigue is whether the provisions of the 1936 Montreux Convention will be effective for the new channel. The comments of Turkish officials on the matter are rather vague and provide a wide room for diplomatic maneuvers of the official Ankara  a typical feature of the Erdogans international relations. The renunciation of the Montreux Convention, considering the Istanbul Canal, which guarantees the free passage of civilian vessels in peacetime, and restricts the passage of naval ships not belonging to Black Sea states, will become an additional instrument of Turkish pressure on the countries of the region. Ankara definitely wants to hold such a trump card, however the number and quality of fallbacks and preferences for Turkey for the use of the Convention remains in question.

Leviathan

Leviathan, a natural gas field near the Israeli coast, with the estimated gas reserves more than 500 bln cubic meters, was explored in 2010. In 2019 the countries of the Energy triangle (Cyprus, Greece and Israel) have signed a treaty on the construction of the EastMed pipeline to provide natural gas to Southern Europe, with Italy being the biggest projected customer. In 2020, the gas from the Leviathan was provided to Egypt, where it can be transported to Europe as LNG.

One should point out, EastMed project is not under the EU Third Energy Package, and in 2022 the official Brussels has to decide, whether the EU will provide funding for the construction of the project. USA support EastMed, as they consider the project as an alternative to the Russian natural gas in Europe.

However, EastMed is likely to face sharp reaction from Turkey, which in the recent years has become one of the main natural gas hubs in Southern Europe. EastMed will definitely strengthen Turkeys regional opponents, therefore, one may project a big number of various intrigues considering the project. The dispatch of a Turkish military contingent to Libya in early 2020 in support of the so-called Government of National Accord clearly demonstrates that Ankara will actively discourage attempts to challenge its leadership in the Eastern Mediterranean.

TAPI Pipeline

The TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline, with the estimated capacity of more than 30 bln cubic meters, has become a matter of interest in the 1990s, but the framework agreement on its construction was signed only in 2010 on the summit of the parties to the project in Ashgabat in 2010. By now, the necessary infrastructure for gas transportation and intake has been successfully built in Turkmenistan and India respectively, with the sections in Pakistan and Afghanistan being the most problematic. The construction of these sections was re-scheduled several times.

Despite the Taliban delegation, which is very likely to come in power in Kabul, holds negotiations with the official Ashgabat, providing all necessary security guarantees for the TAPI project, the start of the construction in Afghanistan is not the matter of the near future.

Nevertheless, TAPI may become one of the construction sites for a post-American Afghanistan and act as instrument to smooth internal tension for the achievement of a significant economic result. Moreover, TAPI may potentially cool down a long-lasting rivalry between two neighboring nuclear states  India and Pakistan. For instance, India may become the worlds biggest consumer of energy resources within the perspective of the current decade.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva.

The press service of the head of state said on Wednesday evening that Zelensky thanked Georgieva for supporting Ukraine in the difficult year of the pandemic.

"The $2.1 billion tranche we received helped us support people, SMEs, our medical industry during several lockdown periods," the press service said, quoting the head of state.

The parties also discussed progress in the implementation of the current IMF Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), namely, Ukraine's implementation of the SBA benchmarks. This is about two key bills, which are aimed at enhancing corporate governance in banks, as well as amendments to the Law of Ukraine on the High Council of Justice, the Law of Ukraine on the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.

"Ukraine's position remains unchanged: relations with the IMF are very important for us, and we will continue implementing agreements with international partners," Zelensky said.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the progress of reforms and institutional changes that are taking place in Ukraine, in particular, regarding the launch of the land market, reform in the infrastructure sector, the bill on de-oligarchization passed by the parliament at first reading.

The head of state said that he keeps the implementation of the judicial reform under personal control and makes every effort to implement it successfully.

In addition, Zelensky and Georgieva discussed the bill on the National Bank of Ukraine, which is being developed with the participation of international partners and will be considered by the Verkhovna Rada after the resumption of its work this autumn, as well as the adoption of the law on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine at the final reading.

The pace of Ukraine's economic recovery, including the implementation of Ukraine's state budget and specific indicators of its growth, were discussed separately. Agreements were reached on intensifying the joint work of representatives of the Ukrainian government and the IMF.

The President invited the IMF Managing Director to visit Ukraine and personally discuss the next steps of fruitful cooperation.
Govt authorizes finance minister to agree on terms of mandate letter between Oschadbank and EBRD to raise loan of up to EUR 100 mln

The Cabinet of Ministers has authorized Minister of Finance Serhiy Marchenko to agree on a mandate letter between Oschadbank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) regarding the start of work on a project to attract a long-term loan of up to EUR 100 million.

The decision was made by the government at a meeting on Wednesday.

According to an explanatory note to the draft order, the signing of the mandate letter will allow the bank to attract a loan on terms of subordinated debt in the amount of up to EUR 100 million in equivalent with the option of converting into bank shares.

As Board Chairman of Oschadbank Serhiy Naumov said, this decision is a significant progress in enhancing cooperation between the bank and the EBRD.

"Firstly, this is another significant step towards the privatization of Oschadbank, which the government has identified as a strategic goal. Secondly, this is a future investment in Oschadbank, and therefore in the Ukrainian economy. The bank plans to use these funds to support domestic business," Naumov said on Facebook on Wednesday.

In 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers updated the Fundamentals of Strategic Reform of the State Banking Sector, setting one of the priorities to reduce the state's share in the banking sector of Ukraine. And in 2016, the government, the EBRD and Oschadbank signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which provides for the provision of support to Oschadbank from the EBRD in the development and implementation of a comprehensive transformation program in order to commercialize it and prepare for privatization.

According to the preliminary roadmap for the potential entry of the EBRD into the capital of Oschadbank, one of the conditions is the approval of the Strategy by the Cabinet of Ministers and the signing of the mandate letter between the bank and the EBRD, according to the explanatory note to the draft order.

Oschadbank was founded in 1991. Its sole owner is the state. According to the statistics of the National Bank, as of March 1, 2021, Oschadbank ranked second in terms of total assets (UAH 279.702 billion) among 73 banks operating in the country.
Nova Poshta has tested delivery using a drone, the test parcel rose to an altitude of 300 meters at 07:00 from the Chaika airfield (Kyiv region) and arrived at Korotych airfield (Kharkiv region) at 12:00.

According to the press service of the company, the parcel departed in the opposite direction at 14:00 from Korotych and will arrive in Kyiv at 19:00.

The test dispatch was carried out on a Discovery drone of the Ukrainian company Aerodron.

"For the first time in the world, a drone with a parcel flew a distance of 480 km. In addition to Nova Poshta, no other logistics company has dared to do this. Our plans are to reduce the flight time to three hours and scale the delivery by drones, making it available for the majority of clients," CEO of the company Oleksandr Bulba said.

Nova Poshta notes that the next test flight is planned to Lviv and will take place in August. In the future, the flight time will be reduced to three hours, and the total weight of the cargo to be transported will be 250 kg or more.

The company plans to launch the service into commercial operation as early as 2022.

Speaking about how the package is delivered by a drone, Nova Poshta said that first it is delivered from the sorting terminal to the airfield, where it is loaded into a special compartment of the drone. Then it goes along a preprogrammed route.

"For parcels, this type of transportation is absolutely safe. In the sky, the drone behaves like a real plane and is able to recognize any obstacles in its path. In particular, the drone is equipped with a special parachute. Therefore, in case of unforeseen circumstances, the protective system will work, and it will land with its help. In addition, the drone is monitored by an operator who controls the device in case of dangerous moments and can take control. During testing, the parcel was additionally accompanied by an aircraft in the air," the company said.
Mikheil Saakashvili, the head of the executive committee of the National Council of Reforms, presented the Act on Freedom of Entrepreneurship, proposing a number of measures to deregulate small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

"The Act on Freedom of Entrepreneurship is a change in the framework philosophy of attitudes towards business in Ukraine. This was the president's consideration during the discussion of the law on deoligarchization, let us talk about how to help small and medium-sized businesses. If we cannot deregulate small and medium-sized businesses, we are losing 2% or 3% annually in economic development," he said at a joint meeting of the Presidium of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President and the National Council of Reforms in Kyiv on Thursday.

According to Saakashvili, the act envisages the introduction of a unified standard and principles for the activities of state and local authorities in the direction of promoting business. Thus, the document provides for a ban on the creation of new regulatory agencies in the field of entrepreneurship, as well as the introduction of new permits and reporting, de-bureaucratization of business processes.

The project also proposes conducting unscheduled inspections and stopping the activities of a business entity solely by court decision, introducing insurance and a risk management system during inspections.

In addition, it is proposed to introduce self-regulation of activities in some areas and the possibility of choosing a subject for the provision of administrative services from among accredited third parties.

"I want to emphasize that this is a framework document. It should be sent for discussion to the committees and the government," Saakashvili said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has relieved the chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the commander of Kyiv's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in the east of the country of their duties.

"President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided to change the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the commander of the Air Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the commander of the Joint Forces Operation. Accordingly, Serhiy Korniychuk, Yevhen Moysiuk and Volodymyr Kravchenko have been dismissed," according to a statement published on the Ukrainian presidential website on Wednesday evening.

Serhiy Shaptala has been appointed to the post of chief of the General Staff, while Oleksandr Pavliuk has been appointed the JFO commander. The relevant decrees are available for viewing on the presidential website.

As reported earlier, commander of the Pivnich (North) operational command, Maj. Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny, was appointed as chief commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, replacing Ruslan Khomchak.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on Wednesday approved the draft decree on the signing of an agreement between the government of Ukraine and the government of the United States on projects in the field of research, developments, testing and evaluation, the authority to sign the agreement was given to Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Taran, according to the Press and Information Office of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

"The signing of this agreement will give the Ukrainian side the opportunity to: conduct joint research and development work on the development of weapons and military equipment, their individual components; obtain information about advanced defense technologies, trends in their development; conduct of tests and testing of military equipment using equipment and technologies that are not available in Ukraine," the office said.

The agreement also opens up the possibility of attracting foreign funding for research work by Ukrainian research institutions, as well as increasing the research potential of Ukraine through cooperation with partners in joint projects.

The ministry said that the implementation of the agreements will take place under project contracts within the framework of the agreement concluded between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the U.S. Department of Defense.

"The signing of the Agreement is planned during the visit of the President of Ukraine to the United States and will be another important step in the development of strategic partnership with the United States in the field of armaments," the Defense Ministry said.
Topical issues on the agenda of Ukrainian-Israeli relations and preparation for a number of important events were the subject of a meeting between the Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Israel Yevhen Korniychuk and members of parliament representing various political parties in the Knesset. The Embassy of Ukraine reported this at Facebook .

During the meetings, important issues of mutual interest for Ukraine and Israel were discussed, in particular, holding events on the occasion of the anniversary of Ukraine's Independence and establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Ambassador of Ukraine informed his interlocutors about the plans of the Ukrainian government to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy and about the events that will be held in October this year in Kyiv, - the statement says.

It was also discussed Issues, related to the preparation of the annual visit of pilgrims to the city of Uman during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah.

In this context, Ambassador Korniychuk stressed the benefits of signing an intergovernmental agreement on mutual recognition of Covid certificates for the safe resumption of tourist trips between the two countries, - the Embassy noted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the international charitable organization East Europe Foundation signed a memorandum of cooperation to support the expert network of the Crimean platform, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"The subject of the de-occupation of Crimea will unite the largest in the history of Ukraine, a global expert network of analysts and scientists. We already have almost 180 Ukrainian and foreign experts from 33 countries. And these numbers will grow," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

The memorandum provides for the establishment by the East Europe Foundation of a separate program that will support research projects of independent analytical centers from many countries of the world and civil society, provide information support to the Crimean platform, support events, conferences, workshops and roundtable talks within its framework.

"The liberation of Crimea is a historical task of the Ukrainian state. For this, in particular, Crimea must be constantly present in the expert and scientific thought of the world ... I am convinced that such a high interest in the network already at the start indicates that experts feel: the Crimean platform is a real mechanism, which will have long-term consequences for Ukraine and the world," the minister said.

The Foreign Ministry explained that the network will bring together representatives of Ukrainian and foreign non-governmental organizations, analytical research centers and human rights defenders who investigate the entire spectrum of problems of the Russian occupation of Crimea.

President of the East Europe Foundation Viktor Liakh emphasized that the Foundation shares the goals and objectives of the Crimean Platform. "I am convinced that the consolidation of the efforts of the state and civil society will contribute to a better awareness of the international community about the real situation in Crimea and effective counteraction to all the negative consequences of the Russian occupation," he said.

The Crimean Platform is a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of the international response to the ongoing occupation of Crimea, increasing international pressure on Russia, as well as achieving the main goal - the de-occupation of Crimea and the full restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty over the peninsula. Officially, the activities of the Crimean Platform will be based on the inaugural summit, which is scheduled to be held on August 23, 2021 in Kyiv.

The presentation of the Crimean Platform expert network took place on June 7. The expert network will bring together representatives of Ukrainian and foreign non-governmental organizations, analytical research centers and human rights activists who are involved in researching the entire spectrum of problems caused by the Russian occupation of Crimea.
Servicemen of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, with the support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and NATO partners, took part in the Cossack Mace 2021 exercise, which took place at the Shyroky Lan training ground.

"Over the course of two weeks, the border guards learned how to act and interact with their swore brothers in the Ground Forces and with partners from the armies of the North Atlantic Alliance countries. The exercises were held according to NATO standards, taking into account the experience of our military formations gained during the ATO/JFO. The training of the participants was carried out by the instructors of the UNIFIER mission and the 235th inter-service training center for military units and subdivisions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said.

During the exercises, the actions of the units in the defense and in the offensive were worked out. The officers drills algorithms for making military decisions in accordance with NATO standards, the mutually compatible work of multinational headquarters.

Among other things, during Cossack Mace 2021, border guards trained to identify saboteurs, defend the state border, as well as restore control over a section of the border, which, with the support of the Armed Forces and partners, was recaptured from a mock enemy.

Colleagues from Great Britain, Canada, Sweden, the United States, representatives of the ORBITAL Operation and the UNIFIER military training mission took part in the exercises with Ukrainian military personnel. Together with the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the soldiers of the border commandant's office of rapid response of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky detachment took part in the exercises.
KYIV. July 29 (Interfax-Ukraine)  The majority of Kharkiv residents (55%) trust secretary of Kharkiv City Council Ihor Terekhov, 29% of the city residents do not trust him, according to the results of a survey conducted by Human Research on the initiative of Kharkiv Sociological Network from June 24 to July 5, and presented at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.

According to the study results, MP Yulia Svitlychna and businessman Oleksandr Yaroslavsky are trusted by 38% of respondents, 36% and 17%, respectively, do not trust them.

The rest of public figures have a negative balance of trust: MP Oleksandr Feldman is trusted by 36% of respondents, while 45% do not trust him, ex-mayor of Kharkiv (2006-2010) Mykhailo Dobkin is trusted by 32%, while 56% do not trust him, MP Yevhen Murayev is trusted by 23%, while 25% do not trust him, and ex-head of Kharkiv Regional State Administration Ihor Rainin is trusted by 6%, while 24% of Kharkiv residents do not trust him.

Some 65% of respondents assess Terekhov's perfomance as secretary of Kharkiv City Council positively, 18% see it as negative. The work of deputies of Kharkiv City Council for six months is positively assessed by 39% of respondents, 26% assess it negatively. The work of head of Kharkiv Regional State Administration Aina Tymchuk for six months was positively assessed by 9%, and negatively by 27%.

Some 50% of Kharkiv residents note the presence of changes for the better in the city over the past six months, 9% declare a deterioration, 41% did not notice any significant changes in Kharkiv over the specified period.

In the course of the study, 1,200 respondents were interviewed using face-to-face interview method at their place of residence in a two-stage sample using systematic and random mechanical selection schemes. The statistical sampling error does not exceed 3%.

The company notes that the results of the study cast doubt on the stereotype that Ukrainians have a negative attitude towards the authorities and do not believe that the country is developing in the right direction, and a survey in Kharkiv showed that public opinion is rather positive at the local level.

"After the postponement of the elections of the mayor of Kharkiv until autumn, there were fears that the city authorities would not be able to keep the situation under their control and keep the living standards of Kharkiv residents at the same level. But the fears did not justify themselves. The team of acting mayor Ihor Terekhov showed a decent level of work. Improvement of the city, the work of utilities, public transport were and remain examples for other cities ... Sociology also shows a qualitative improvement in the image of Kharkiv in recent years," said Director of the Institute for Global Strategies Vadym Karasiov.

Political expert Oleksandr Kochetkov believes that Kharkiv sociology is of great interest and at the national level suggests taking Kharkiv as an example for other cities in Ukraine. "It's time to understand that the impulse should not come from the central government. It should come from cities and communities ... It's time to become realistic and not rely on Kyiv. We need to move from the bottom to top. First, it is necessary to create viable management models on the ground, as happened under Hennadiy Kernes and now under Ihor Terekhov. And then scale the approach to the whole of Ukraine," he said.
KYIV. July 29 (Interfax-Ukraine)  All delegates were admitted to the congress of the Holos party, leader of the political force Kira Rudyk said.

"All delegates were admitted to the congress, we had a credentials committee, which was just checking the availability of documents and all preliminary preparations. All delegates who wanted to take part in the congress took part in it, representatives of 22 regions," Rudyk told Interfax-Ukraine in Kyiv on Thursday.

In turn, member of the political council of the Holos party Andriy Osadchuk said that two guests from each regional organization were invited to the congress, who could accompany the congress delegate, since the premises for the congress did not allow physically accommodating a larger number of guests.

"We have been communicating about this for the last, probably, a week and a half with all regional organizations, and indeed, all regional organizations, except for Lviv one, reacted with understanding to this. And only Lviv organization really brought with it a little more people, who simply did not physically have where to place in the room where the congress was held," he said.

Osadchuk also said that a new version of the party's statute was adopted at the congress, on which they had been working for almost five months.

"It was a difficult five months of political struggle, attempts to attack the party, etc. But, nevertheless, we came out with a document that today was supported by the congress and, I sincerely hope, which can give a significant impetus for the further development of the party," he said.

According to the MP, the ideological foundations of the party were improved and concretized.

"At the moment, after today's vote at the congress, the main goal of the party's activities is as follows. This is the development of Ukraine as a liberal democratic republic, dominated by democracy, the rule of law, a free market economy without preferential administrative advantages, where economic growth and the ability of every person to realize itself, where the long-term security of the people of Ukraine and every citizen is guaranteed through Ukraine's membership in NATO," Osadchuk said.

He said that in the first place in the tasks of the party is the preservation and protection of the constitutional order, the development of Ukrainian state institutions and advancement towards the security system of the Euro-Atlantic alliance.

According to him, the statute also provides that at least 50% of the members of the political council represent the regions. In addition, changes to the statute transferred all powers between congresses from the head of the party to the political council.

"We have ensured the complete independence of the process of nominating candidates for MPs and participation in the political process from the sole will of the head of the party, as it was before," Osadchuk said.
Karina Avramenko, one of the video authors, a student and deputy president of the Student Parliament of International European University, said that she decided to carry out the experiment after seeing a sticky situation. Coming home after classes, she saw how a foreign student asked pedestrians for money to get to a place of residence because his purse was stolen. It triggered her to initiate the shooting of a social video in order to raise a topic of good deeds, as it is, unfortunately, quite a rare phenomenon nowadays.

Since childhood, parents have been teaching me to help others and not to leave someone to their fate. I always follow their advice and cant ignore similar situations. Therefore, I try to help people facing difficulties if I have such a possibility, Karina Avramenko states.

The video shows Geneva, a student from Nigeria, near the metro station, who addresses pedestrians asking for money for a trip because somebody has stolen his bag with all his stuff, including a purse, and he needs to get to the hotel where he lives. Geneva, without knowing the language, talked to passersby in English and asked them to help.

Thus, students of International European University appeal to other people not to ignore individuals who, in certain circumstances, are in trouble and become more kind. No one knows what you will face tomorrow.

The International European University was founded in Kyiv in 2019. The university has its own educational building at 16a Mahnitohorska Street in Kyiv. Ukraine and Austria are its co-founders.

The university specializes in teaching foreign students and Ukrainians, studying in scientific and educational institutions in seven areas: business schools, architectural and engineering, language, medical, IT, law and art schools.
On July 27, 2021, the Commercial Court of Kyiv in case No. 910/5617/21 rejected the request of Ukrainian Railways (the Company) to invalidate the contract by which VR Global Partners, LP (VRGP) acquired debt claims against the Company. In so doing, the court confirmed the legality of the purchase and sale agreement dated February 22, 2019 by which VRGP concluded its purchase of a portfolio of loans with a principal amount of $153 million owed by Ukrainian Railways.

Despite the fact that VRGP has received six judgments from the Ukrainian Supreme Court in its favor, Ukrainian Railways has failed to settle its obligations under the loans. In its latest effort to avoid payment, the Company asserted that VRGP was not entitled to the benefit of the contract under which it purchased the loans on the basis that the transaction was an impermissible factoring agreement. This argument has now been rejected by the Kyiv Commercial Court.

"We welcome this court decision which confirms, as we have always asserted, that VRGP's acquisition of this debt, which took place in an open, transparent auction sanctioned by the National Bank of Ukraine, was lawful. Attempts by Ukrainian Railways to characterize it otherwise have been nothing other than a spurious attempt by the company to avoid its legal obligations to repay borrowed money," commented Richard Deitz, President of VR Capital.

"This decision comes on top of 6 Supreme Court decisions and an even greater number of lower court decisions upholding VRGP's right to recover debts from Ukrainian Railways. We call on Ukrainian Railways and its shareholder, the Ukrainian government, to uphold their legal obligations and put an end to this matter. With President Zelensky's upcoming visit to Washington, it is an opportune moment to send a signal to its partners that Ukraine is committed to upholding the rule of law," added Mr. Deitz.

As previously reported, on April 20, 2021, the Supreme Court announced its decisions in four cases on the recovery of the debt from Ukrainian Railways in favor of VR Global Partners, L.P. On July 8, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in a fifth case, and on July 15, 2021, in a sixth one. In all cases, the Supreme Court upheld the position of the lower courts and denied in full Ukrainian Railways cassation appeals.

VR Global Partners, L.P. ("VRGP"), is an investment fund managed by VR Advisory Services Ltd ("VRASL"). VRASL is registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and VR Advisory Services (UK) LLP, a sub-investment adviser for VRGP and certain other funds, is authorised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. VRGP began operations in May 1999.

VR Capital is an international asset management firm serving an institutional investor client base with approximately $5 billion in investor assets under management via pooled fund structures. VR Capital is one of the largest western investors in Ukraine with a portfolio of holdings in excess of $1 billion. With a proven track record of over 22 years, VR Capital focuses on investments in emerging and developed markets. The firm operates via its principal offices in New York and London.

For more details please contact +380 95 618 15 64
A mob of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump storm the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Leah Millis)

A California man accused of attacking police guarding the U.S. Capitol with bear spray and a large metal sign during the Jan. 6 riot pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal charges including riot-related felonies.



During a video hearing before U.S. District Judge John Bates, Maria Jacob, a lawyer for accused rioter Sean McHugh, told the court her client was entering not guilty pleas to all charges currently pending against him, which include assaulting police using a dangerous weapon and engaging in violence on the Capitol grounds or in the building.



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McHugh, 34, who listed an Auburn, California address on an airplane reservation he made for a Jan. 5 flight to Washington, is being held in pre-trial detention.



More than 535 people face charges for taking part in the riot. Then-President Donald Trump made false claims that he lost the 2020 presidential election because of widespread electoral fraud. The riot interrupted the formal congressional certification of President Joe Biden's victory over Trump.



Federal prosecutor Jacob Strain told the court the government would be willing to engage in plea negotiations in McHugh's case. Judge Bates set a further hearing for September 30.



In an affidavit laying out the grounds for McHugh's arrest, an FBI agent said that videos taken during the riot show McHugh "assaulting" Capitol Police officers by shoving a large metal sign at them and spraying them with what the affidavit described as an "unknown chemical."



A July 7 indictment explicitly alleged McHugh attacked police with bear spray.



The FBI said McHugh was currently on probation following a 2018 conviction for driving under the influence. A Superior Court official in California's Placer County confirmed to Reuters that McHugh in 2010 had pleaded guilty to engaging in unlawful sex with a minor.


Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya attends a meeting with German Federal Government's Commissioner for Culture and the Media Monika Gruetters (not pictured) during 'Berlinale Summer Special' film festival in Berlin, (Photo : Christoph Soeder/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)

U.S. President Joe Biden met with Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Wednesday and expressed support for democracy and human rights in the former Soviet republic.



"I was honored to meet with @Tsihanouskaya at the White House this morning. The United States stands with the people of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human rights," Biden wrote in a Twitter post.



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Tsikhanouskaya has pressed for stronger action from the United States against President Alexander Lukashenko's government during a visit to the country. She met earlier with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the top U.S. diplomat, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.



Last week, she asked U.S. officials to impose sanctions on companies in her country's potash, oil, wood and steel sectors.



"Thank you, @POTUS, for a powerful sign of solidarity with millions of fearless Belarusians who are peacefully fighting for their freedom. Today, Belarus is on the frontline of the battle between democracy and autocracy. The world stands with us. Belarus will be a success story," Tsikhanouskaya wrote in her own Twitter post.



Tsikhanouskaya was meeting again with Sullivan on Wednesday morning when Biden dropped by briefly, a senior administration official said. It was an opportunity for the U.S. president to express his support for the people of Belarus in person, the official said.



Lukashenko has kept a tight grip on Belarus since 1994 and cracked down on peaceful street protests that began over a disputed presidential election last August.



Tsikhanouskaya, 38, was a candidate in the election instead of her husband Sergei Tsikhanouskiy, a video blogger who has been jailed since May 2020 on charges such as violating public order, which he denies. Tsikhanouskaya fled to neighboring Lithuania after Lukashenko's crackdown.



In June, the United States, the European Union and Britain imposed sweeping sanctions on Belarusian entities and officials, and called on Minsk "to end its repressive practices against its own people."



The allies, along with Canada, also told Lukashenko's administration to cooperate with investigations into the forced landing of a Ryanair jet in Belarus in May to arrest a reporter and his girlfriend on board.


Troy Mullins, 20, and father Cosam Mullins, 86, pose for their portrait at an Abandoned Mine Land reclamation site where they both operate heavy equipment in Clinchco, western Virginia, U.S (Photo : REUTERS/Dane Rhys)

Cosam Mullins mined coal in the western hills of Virginia for much of his working life. Now, with mining jobs hard to find, he's cleaning up the mess the industry left behind.



The 68-year-old operates a bucket loader scraping away red, rocky waste dumped years ago by failed coal mine operators in a valley in the town of Clinchco, Virginia.



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The $17.50 an hour before overtime he makes cleaning up massive "gob piles," as the locals call them, is less than what he earned in decades as a miner. But it's a paycheck.



"If this work goes away, I don't know what I would do," Mullins said.



Appalachia, long the heart of the U.S. coal-mining industry, may be set for a surge in jobs like Mullins' if President Joe Biden is successful in his ambitions to transition the United States to a cleaner energy economy to fight climate change.



As part of that effort, the Biden administration wants to spend around $16 billion to help begin to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells and abandoned mine sites, many of which have been leaching toxins into the soil and spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere for decades. There are up to millions of abandoned wells and tens of thousands of mine sites.



The proposal, which is included in the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package being debated in Congress, could help transform regions scarred environmentally and economically by the boom-and-bust cycles of drilling and mining.



While the cleanup jobs won't last forever, they will buy precious time for fossil fuel-producing regions like Appalachia and parts of the West to diversify their economies to something new, the administration says.



The White House sees the proposal as bolstering a more comprehensive program to invest in energy communities that includes providing essential infrastructure like broadband internet, which is also in the bipartisan bill.



The U.S. Department of Commerce last week also announced an additional $300 million in funds for hard-hit coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities - intended to be used for boosting new industries or scaling existing ones, infrastructure development, and workforce training.



"I'm glad that somebody recognizes the problem," said Lee Booth, a regional director at Savage Services, the private company that employs Mullins, his 20-year-old son Troy, and roughly 30 other workers in Clinchco.



Scott Freshwater, 62, the owner of ConServ Inc in West Virginia, said Biden's plan would be good for business. More than a third of his 80 employees plug leaky wells, with the rest working on projects like maintenance of compressor stations and pipelines.



"This federal funding will accelerate this work," he said.



Some, however, say the cleanup jobs alone may be too few, too temporary and too poorly paid to have much of an impact.



"The only way to fully replace jobs that are at risk is to establish major manufacturing centers in coalfield areas that will employ hundreds at a time for decades, not dozens at a time for four to five years," said Phil Smith, a spokesman for the United Mine Workers of America, which represents U.S. coal workers.



Critics say the funding could amount to a taxpayer bailout for industries that should have been forced to clean up their own mess.



A report from West Virginia-based environmental consulting firm Downstream Strategies said the funds proposed by the administration for coal cleanups would create around 2,700 new jobs in West Virginia, Ohio, and Virginia.



SMOLDERING



Waste piles are common at former mine sites across Appalachia, and sit smoldering in places because they contain trace amounts of flammable coal.They are also structurally dangerous. The piles in Clinchco are up to 40 feet (12 m) thick and at risk of collapse, as are other features of abandoned mines. Last year in Dante, a few miles away, heavy rains on abandoned coal mine entrances caused two landslides that temporarily evacuated 16 homes.



"It's detrimental to economic development," said Erin Savage, a senior program manager at the nonprofit Appalachian Voices, which advocates for coal mine reclamation.



"Why would you want to go and build a new business in a place where you might have to worry about some sort of mine feature potentially damaging your investment?"



Many of the companies that ran the mines are long gone - bankrupted by the ups and downs of a notoriously volatile industry, leaving the federal government to pick up much of the cleaning bill.



Biden's infrastructure bill would inject about $11.3 billion into an under-funded federal program called Abandoned Mine Land (AML), which was set up to handle cleanups of mines abandoned before 1977 but has been struggling to keep up with the costs.



The bill also has something for industry: it could reduce fees on coal production that mining companies must pay to ensure cleanups are funded, but which detractors say add to the pressures that send companies into bankruptcy.



A deal worked out by West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin and Republicans, including Senator John Barrasso of top coal-producing state Wyoming, proposes cutting the fees for surface miners by nearly a third from 2012 levels.



The senators did not respond to requests for comment about the fee cut.



Some affected communities have already felt the impact of cleanups.



Daniel Kestner, a reclamation program manager at Virginia's Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, said reclaimed coalfields in Appalachia have started to attract tourists in recent years, including all-terrain vehicle riders who come to gawk at reintroduced populations of elk in the hills.



But any new influx of federal money should have ambitious goals, including economic diversification, Kestner said.



"It should be flexible enough to be used not just for reclamation but for repurposing, for things such as battery storage, and solar plants and if there is the option for wind power," he said. Money could also be used for agriculture projects and public parks, he said.



For Mullins and his son Troy it's the work itself that matters.



"I'm hoping that there will be enough work for me to do this for the rest of my life," said Troy Mullins.


PowerSchool valued at over $3 billion in NYSE debut as shares rise

Signage for PowerSchool (NYSE:PWSC) is seen ahead of their Initial public offering (IPO) at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Andrew Kelly)

Shares of PowerSchool Holdings Inc rose 2.8% in their New York Stock Exchange debut on Wednesday, giving the cloud-based education software provider a valuation of about $3.57 billion.



PowerSchool's listing comes as school districts have steadily increased investment in cloud-based software solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic.



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"It (pandemic) put a bright shining light to the digital divide as well as need for digital transformation for school districts," Chief Executive Officer Hardeep Gulati told Reuters.



"We are at an unique position to help provide these unified platforms to these districts and help them support this digital transformation explosion," he added.



PowerSchool was unofficially started by Greg Porter as a teenager when he developed record-keeping software at his high school in 1983. The school in California paid Porter and his friend $350 for the program.



Fourteen years later, Porter sold the first version of PowerSchool Student Information System. The company now has customers in more than 90 countries and its software is used by 45 million students globally.



PowerSchool, which is backed by private equity firms Vista Equity Partners and Onex Corp, sold 39.5 million shares in its initial public offering (IPO) at $18.00 apiece, the bottom end of its target range.



The Folsom, California-based company raised $710.5 million in the IPO, making it the largest listing in the K-12 education software space in North America, PowerSchool said.



For the quarter ended March 31, 2021, PowerSchool reported a 29.1% jump in adjusted core earnings to $37.6 million.



Goldman Sachs & Co LLC, Barclays, Credit Suisse and UBS Investment Bank were lead underwriters on the offering.


CEO and founder of U.S. Nikola Trevor Milton attends a news conference held to presents its new full-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell battery trucks in partnership with U.S. Nikola (Photo : REUTERS/Massimo Pinca)

Trevor Milton, the billionaire founder and former chief executive of Nikola Corp, was criminally charged on Thursday with defrauding investors by lying to them about the electric- and hydrogen-powered truck maker.



Milton, 39, pleaded not guilty at a hearing in Manhattan federal court to two counts of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud over statements he made from November 2019 to September 2020 about Nikola's products and technology.



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Authorities said Milton relied on a public relations blitz of social media posts as well as TV and podcast interviews to drive up Nikola's stock price, become one of the world's 100 richest people and "elevate" his stature as an entrepreneur.



"Milton lied about nearly every aspect of the business," U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan said at a news conference. "Today's criminal charges against Milton are where the rubber meets the road."



A judge allowed Milton to go free on $100 million bond, partially secured by two homes that the Oakley, Utah, resident owns.



Each criminal count carries a maximum prison term of 20 or 25 years. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed related civil charges.



"Trevor is innocent," Milton's lawyer Marc Mukasey said in an email. "There was no fraud. We're ready to fight this case at trial."



Nikola was not charged. It said in a statement it cooperated with the government and is focused on delivering Tre battery-electric trucks this year.



In afternoon trading, Nikola shares were down $1.43, or 10.1%, to $12.76, after falling as low as $12.60.



WARY OF SHORT-SELLERS



The charges mark a steep downfall for Milton, who founded Phoenix-based Nikola in 2014 and was its CEO until June 2020, when it went public after merging with a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC.



Milton stepped down as Nikola's executive chairman last September, two weeks after short-seller Hindenburg Research labeled the company a "fraud" and said it made many misleading statements about its technology.



Prosecutors said Milton's improper statements included that Nikola had built an electric- and hydrogen-powered "Badger" pickup from the "ground up," developed batteries in-house that he knew it was purchasing elsewhere, and had early success in creating a "Nikola One" semi-truck he knew did not work.



Strauss said the closest the Nikola One ever came to driving was when company engineers rolled a prototype down a hill so it could be filmed for a commercial.



The indictment said Milton also became preoccupied with keeping Nikola's stock price high.



It said that on March 2, 2020, the day before Nikola revealed it would go public, Milton emailed a board member that "(we) need to make sure we are getting retail investors on our side. That is what prevents the stock short selling. This is super important to me."



The SEC said Milton targeted ordinary investors he called "Robinhood investors," portraying himself as a "different" type of CEO who would be forthright about his trailblazing company.



"Corporate officers cannot say whatever they want on social media without regard for the federal securities laws," SEC enforcement chief Gurbir Grewal said at the news conference.



Prosecutors said Milton's Nikola stake was worth at least $8.5 billion soon after the announcements regarding the Badger.



Although Nikola's share price has fallen more than 85% from its June 2020 peak, Milton is still worth $1.2 billion, Forbes magazine said on Thursday.



Tesla Inc is among Nikola's rivals in the electric truck sector.



Both companies' names derive from Nikola Tesla, an inventor whose work included electric power, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now among the world's richest people.



In 2018, Musk and Tesla each agreed to pay $20 million in civil fines to settle SEC charges over a Musk tweet.



ACCOUNTABILITY



Nikola initially denied Hindenburg's accusations, but in February said a review by an outside law firm uncovered statements by Milton and the company that were partially or completely wrong.



"We commend regulators for acting expediently to protect investors and hold Milton accountable for his egregious lies," Hindenburg founder Nathan Anderson said in a statement.



Hindenburg issued its report two days after General Motors Co agreed to supply batteries, chassis architecture, fuel cell systems and a factory for the Badger pickup, in exchange for an 11% Nikola stake and $700 million.



The companies reworked that relationship last November, eliminating the equity stake and plans to build the truck.



Stephen Girsky, a former GM vice chairman who ran the SPAC that merged with Nikola, replaced Milton as Nikola's chairman.



SPACs are a faster way than initial public offerings to take private companies public.



But critics say the process is prone to conflicts of interest and shoddy due diligence, and U.S. authorities have stepped up their scrutiny of SPACs.



Prosecutors and the SEC are also investigating electric pickup truck maker Lordstown Motors Corp, which went public last October, about the terms of its SPAC and its statements about vehicle pre-orders.


Sudans Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok reiterated on Wednesday his countrys stance concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), rejecting any unilateral and ill-considered action taken by Ethiopia in this regard.

During his meeting with United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Hamdok said that Khartoum does not oppose the idea of building the GERD, but rejects the unilateral actions taken by Addis Ababa on such a critical issue.

Sudan is looking forward to securing a legally binding agreement ahead of the completion of the GERDs construction and filling, he said.

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 a few days later that it completed the second filling of 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.

Sudans Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas also said on Wednesday that his country is not ready to participate in the GERD negotiations under the same methodology adopted in previous talks, which Abbas described as a waste of time.

Our demand is still to involve an international quartet in the talks to boost the [mediating] role of the African Union, Abbas said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Hamdok's meeting with DiCarlo also touched on the current Tigray war and the Sudanese-Ethiopian border crisis, as Hamdok stressed the importance of neighbouring countries' stability, especially Eritrea and Ethiopia, pointing out that Khartoum could play a role in making peace between both countries and South Sudan.

For her part, DiCarlo urged Hmadok to partake in the UN General Assembly talks that are due to be held in September.

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The Panama-flagged giant container ship, Ever Given, which ran aground in the Suez Canal in March and blocked trade in the international trade route for six days, finally arrived in the port city of Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The ship is scheduled to dock at the ECT Delta terminal in Rotterdam for unloading until 3 August and to depart then for Felixstowe, England, the Rotterdam port said.

Egypt earlier this month allowed the Japanese-owned ship to leave Egyptian waters, where the vessel had been seized for around 100 days, after signing a settlement agreement with the ship owner.

The settlement followed a legal dispute where Egypt asked for $550 million in compensation, down from $916 million, to cover salvage efforts, reputational damage, and lost revenue.

The Ismailiya Economic Court agreed to lift the impound order against the ship ahead of signing the settlement with Shoei Kisen, the Japanese owner of the vessel.

The actual value of the compensation Egypt has received as per the settlement and the terms of the agreement have been kept confidential, but Egyptian officials said the deal has been satisfactory and preserves both parties mutual interests.

The 400-metre vessel, operated by a Taiwanese Evergreen Marine Corp, had set sail from China and was on its way to Rotterdam. It veered off course late in March and ran aground diagonally while it was passing through the international trade route.

The gigantic ship left hundreds of vessels queued in the waterway or at anchor, awaiting transit through the canal.

Egypt succeeded in refloating the mega container ship less than a week later, thus allowing navigation into the strategic waterway to resume.

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Ethiopian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Dina Mufti on Thursday claimed that the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was implemented in accordance with the Declaration of Principles (DoP) signed with Egypt and Sudan in 2015.

In a biweekly briefing, Mufti said a meeting between Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary A. DiCarlo on Tuesday has underlined this information.

The 10-principle DoP was signed in March 2015 by the three countries in Khartoum to settle the GERD crisis.

The declaration obliges the three countries to take all the necessary procedures to avoid causing significant damage among them while using the Blue Nile.

A state whose use of the Blue Nile causes significant harm to any of the other two countries, in the absence of an agreement, should take all appropriate measures in consultations with the affected state to eliminate or mitigate such harm, according to the DoP.

Egypt and Sudan have warned that implementing the second filling of the dam before a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam is reached can cause significant harm to their water rights and peoples lives.

The two countries reiterated that they support development in Ethiopia but said a binding deal should be reached so that all parties interests can be preserved.

Ethiopia, however, has completed the filling phase this month while claiming that this phase would not pose any significant threat to both downstream countries.

Ethiopia also called for a win-win solution on the GERD in July but refused to sign a permanent comprehensive deal.

Among the major points discussed during the Mekonnens meeting with DiCarlo was the need to resume the African Union led tripartite talks over the GERD, Mufti said during the briefing.

The meeting also warned against attempts to internationalise and securitise the GERD issue, claiming such measures would not be helpful to negotiating parties, according to Mufti.

Sudans Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas affirmed on Wednesday his countrys rejection to participating in GERD negotiations under the same methodology adopted in previous talks, which he described as a waste of time.

He also reiterated Sudans call to involve the international quartet of the United States, United Nations, African Union, and the European Union in the talks to boost the AUs mediating role.

Egypt agrees with Sudan on the need for the international community to get involved in the talks to help the tripartite reach a legally-binding deal.

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Egypt will receive 148.2 million coronavirus vaccine doses between August and the end of the year, which are enough to vaccinate 83.7 million people, Health Minister Hala Zayed said on Thursday.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in New Alamein city, Zayed said that Egypt is cooperating with UNICEF to provide the country with 63 vaccine storage refrigerators free of charge, a Cabinet statement read.

The refrigerators, with a total storage capacity of around 619,000 doses, will be used to store the Pfizer vaccine doses scheduled to arrive in Egypt within days, the minister said.

From August until the end of the year, the country will receive 20 million Sputnik vaccine doses, 20 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 35.6 million AstraZeneca doses and 2.4 million Pfizer doses, Zayed said.

Egypt will also receive during this period raw materials required to locally produce 70.2 million doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine, according to the minister.

For Egyptians wishing to travel abroad, the ministry has prepared 125 offices in all governorates for citizens to register and print coronavirus vaccination certificates with QR codes, Zayed said.

Egypt is working to make available the vaccines required for traveling to the European Union, the United States and the Arabian Gulf countries, Zayed added.

Egypt has announced plans to vaccinate 40 million citizens against the coronavirus by the end of the year. However, it has only vaccinated a few million so far reportedly due to a delay in vaccine delivery.

We were expecting 20 percent 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, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Egypt Naeema Al-Gasseer said in an interview this month.

During her meeting with Madbouly today, the minister also referred to the World Hepatitis Day marked annually on 28 July, saying the World Health Organisation has hailed the Egyptian model of concerted efforts to deal with Hepatitis.

Last year, Egypt celebrated becoming free of Hepatitis C after a seven-month presidential initiative, which started in 2018, screened citizens for Hepatitis and non-communicable diseases.

The initiative, dubbed 100 Million Health, screened 60 million people, according to the health ministry.

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Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou received on Thursday an Egyptian, Greek, and Cypriot youth delegation as part of the fourth edition of the Nostos: Reviving Roots Presidential Initiative.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Greek leader shed light on the deeply-rooted historic ties binding the three countries.

She said the three countries are keen to consolidate the principles of peace, stability, territorial integrity, and sovereignty, according to a statement released by the Emigration Ministry.

The fourth edition of the initiative was launched in April during the visit of Emigration Minister Nabila Makram to Nicosia.

The initiative seeks to benefit from the soft power of the communities that once lived in Egypt, as well as to strengthen relations between the Mediterranean peoples through peoples diplomacy.

It also profiles Egypt as a country of refuge that has opened its arms to foreign communities throughout its history. These communities in turn have enriched Egypts cultural diversity.

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received earlier in July a delegation of Greek and Cypriot youths of Egyptian origin as part of the initiative.

El-Sisi said launching the Egyptian Greek Cypriot initiative was based on the three countries shared history, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said.

The president asserted Egypts keenness to continue maintaining bridges of communication between the peoples and societies of the three countries, noting that trilateral cooperation represents a model to follow in the Mediterranean region.

The president told the youth delegation that their visit is a key step towards helping to deepen communication between the current generations of the three countries.

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The Damanhur Criminal court sentenced on Thursday 16 people to death for bombing a police bus in 2015 in Beheira governorate.

Ten of the defendants attended the trial while the others were sentenced in absentia.

According to the State Security prosecution, the defendants belong to a terrorist cell affiliated to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

In 2015, the terrorists bombed a Beheira Security Directorate bus carrying more than 50 policemen and police personnel who were on their way to work at the Rashid police station one early morning.

Three policemen were killed and 36 others were injured.

The prosecution accused the defendants of joining a banned militant group, funding a terrorist group and supplying it with money, arms, and ammunition as well as of murder and attempted murder.

The sentence is first-degree and can be appealed.

The Damanhur Criminal Court also sentenced eight people to death for the murder of a policeman in Beheira governorate in 2014.

Six defendants attended the trial and two were sentenced in absentia.

According to the court, the defendants are members of a terrorist organisation in Beheira. In December 2014, they shot 38-year-old policeman Rabie Mohamed Ali to death as he was leaving his house, injuring another man in the shooting.

This is also a first-degree sentence that can be appealed.

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Egypts Cabinet approved on Thursday a draft resolution submitted by the Central Agency for Organisation and Administration (CAOA) pertaining to the promotion of state employees to higher job titles.

The draft resolution, which covers as many as 800,000 employees, stipulated that state employees are entitled to be promoted to a higher job title as long as they meet the promotion requirements.

With that, the wages of those promoted will increase according to the value referred to in the law at an estimated percentage of 5 percent of their fixed salaries or their basic wages, plus the latest bonus they have received or whichever is of a higher value.

Under the decision, employees who occupy first degree jobs and who have been serving in their positions for over a period of three years are entitled to receive a bonus of a minimum limit of EGP 100 and a maximum limit of EGP 150.

The draft resolution comes in light of the state's interest in encouraging employees in state administrative bodies, as well as ushering in young people to higher jobs with the aim of upgrading the levels of human cadres operating in the different departments of the state. The move also complies with the state's policy to help more youths to advance their careers.

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Ethiopias Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen has asked that Algeria play a role in correcting what he described as the Arab League's misperceptions about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Mekonnen made the request on Wednesday to Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra.

Mekonnen asked Lamamra, who is currently on a visit to Addis Abbas, to correct the Arab Leagues perceptions about the GERD issue, underscoring Ethiopias intentions to fair and equitable utilisation of the Nile water, the Ethiopian foreign ministry said in a statement on the meeting.

In June, the Arab League issued a resolution after convening in Doha, rejecting any measures that would undermine the water share of Egypt and Sudan, in reference to Ethiopias second filling in July despite of the lack of an agreement between the three countries on the filling and operations of the dam.

The Arab League had also called for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to intervene in the crisis, which it said risks aggravated tensions in the region.

At the time, Ethiopia denounced the resolution, expressing its dismay at the misguided position of the regional organisation.

The Ethiopian deputy prime minister also expressed in the meeting with Lamamra Ethiopias firm commitment to resuming the trilateral negotiations under the auspices of the African Union.

Demeke also said that Ethiopia concluded the second filling last week in accordance with the Declaration of Principles (DoP) that was signed in 2015.

Both Egypt and Sudan have said that the first and second filling of the dam, in 2020 and 2021 respectively, actually violate the 2015 DoP.

Ethiopia has also asked Algeria to persuade Sudan to solve their border issue peacefully according to existing joint mechanisms and refrain from using force, since it would never settle the matter amicably.

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Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the latest developments in Tunisia as well as the latest developments concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam GERD with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian over the phone on Thursday, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

According to the Egyptian Foreign ministry, the two ministers expressed the same views concerning the developments in Tunisia asserting their respect of the Tunisian peoples will, as well as voicing their support to the Tunisian state institutions in its quest to achieve stability and ending the current economic crisis.

Shoukry also discussed with Le Drian the latest developments concerning GERD, reiterating Egypts stances, most importantly reaching a legally binding agreement for the filling and operation of the dam that secures Egyp's water rights.

The Egyptian foreign minister told his French counterpart that he is looking forward to continuing consultation and coordination with France on GERD, considering that France is a permanent member in the UN Security Council.

The two top diplomats also discussed the latest developments in Lebanon where they agreed on the importance of forming a government as soon as possible to put an end to the political crisis in the country as well as adopt reform policies to resolve Lebanon from its current economic crisis.

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Hundreds of Eritrean refugees protested in the Ethiopian capital on Thursday, calling on the United Nations refugee agency to relocate friends and family who they say are trapped in two refugee camps by fighting in the Tigray region.

Clashes between armed groups have escalated in and around the camps - Mai Aini and Adi Harush - and two refugees have been killed this month, the UNHCR said on Tuesday. The agency said it lost access to the camps on July 14.

The United States said on Tuesday it was deeply concerned about the fate of Eritrean refugees in Tigray.

"We need UNHCR to move (the refugees) from the camp because the area is a war zone," said Hermon Hailu, 22, an Eritrean refugee participating in the protest in the capital Addis Ababa.

He told Reuters he was worried about his mother in Mai Aini camp whom he had not been able to reach by phone for weeks.

The UNHCR said on Tuesday it had relocated about 100 refugees from the two sites and was in discussions with Tigrayan authorities to secure safe passage out of the camps for others.

The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Conflict broke out between the Ethiopian central government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in November with the government seizing control of the regional capital Mekelle three weeks later and declaring victory.

But the TPLF kept fighting and retook Mekelle along with most of Tigray at the end of June after government soldiers withdrew.

The refugee camps, which have existed for years and house Eritreans who have fled repression in their home country, were caught up in violence that now threatens to escalate.

In the wake of the TPLF's successful counter-offensive, Ethiopia's other nine regions have pledged to send forces to support the military against the Tigrayan fighters.

Demonstrators on Tuesday held a banner reading "Protect the rights of Eritrean refugees".

Medihn Mehari wept as she recalled the death of her infant son shortly after he was born, just after war broke out last year in Tigray.

She said she fled to safety in Addis Ababa from Hitsats, another refugee camp in Tigray, in January, but did not know where her husband was.

"We want those who are there to leave the camp," she said. "I don't want the same thing to happen to them," she said.

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Two rockets were fired early Thursday against Baghdad's fortified Green Zone which houses the US embassy, without causing any casualties or damage, an Iraqi security source told AFP.

The dawn attack came as Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi was flying home from Washington after White House talks in which President Joe Biden announced an end to US combat operations in Iraq.

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The top diplomat of the United States on Thursday began a visit to Kuwait, where he was set to hold talks with high-ranking officials in the Gulf Arab sheikhdom that has long been a staunch U.S. ally in a turbulent region.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed a group of American diplomats and headed to the royal palace to meet with Kuwait's ruling emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah. The State Department said Blinken would advance discussions with tiny oil-rich Kuwait on military cooperation, regional security and investment during his short visit.

Blinken arrived in Kuwait City late Wednesday from India, where he sought to strengthen a regional front against Beijing's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and boost cooperation in Afghanistan. American forces are completing their withdrawal from war-scarred Afghanistan after a 20-year military campaign, a drawdown that's rippling through the wider region.

The country hosts some 13,500 American troops, most based at Camp Arifjan south of Kuwait City, and the forward command of U.S. Army Central.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday the negotiating process with Iran could not go on indefinitely.

Addressing a news conference in Kuwait, he said the United States had demonstrated good faith and the desire to return to compliance with the nuclear deal, adding that "the ball remains in Iran's court."

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Six civilians including several children were among 19 people killed Thursday in the fiercest clashes to rock Syria's Daraa province since it was captured by the government, a war monitor said.

Artillery shelling by regime forces on the village of Al-Yadudah, northwest of Daraa city, killed a woman, her child and three other youngsters, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Regime artillery fire also killed a sixth civilian in the district of Daraa al-Balad further south, according to the Observatory.

The deaths bring the toll for Thursday's clashes to a total of 19 across the province, which is located in southern Syria.

The figure includes at least eight Syrian regime fighters and five gunmen affiliated with former opposition groups, the monitor said.

Syrian army and allied forces recaptured Daraa from rebels in 2018, a symbolic blow to the anti-government uprising born there in 2011.

State institutions have returned but the army still has not deployed across the whole province, and tit-for-tat bombings and assassinations between former opposition figures and regime forces have since become routine.

Tensions flared on Thursday, leading to what the Observatory called the "most violent and broadest clashes in Daraa since it came under regime control".

Fighting started when regime forces fired artillery shells towards the former opposition hub of Daraa al-Balad in tandem with a ground push, the Observatory said.

In response, gunmen launched a counterattack across many parts of the Daraa countryside, where they seized several regime positions and captured more than 40 regime fighters, according to the Observatory.

Both sides have since upped artillery attacks.

Citing a medical official in a regime-held part of Daraa city, the official SANA news agency said mortar attacks by armed groups on Thursday killed two civilians, including a child.

Many former rebels stayed in Daraa instead of evacuating under a Moscow-brokered deal, either joining the army or remaining in control of parts of the province.

Daraa al-Balad, a southern district of Daraa city, is among the areas controlled by former opposition forces.

The pro-government Al-Watan newspaper on Thursday said the Syrian army had started "a military operation against hideouts of terrorists who thwarted a reconciliation deal".

SANA said that the "Syrian army has deployed in several areas neighbouring Daraa al-Balad to tighten security", accusing local fighters there of carrying out attacks against soldiers and civilians.

In March, gunmen in Daraa killed 21 Syrian soldiers in a bus ambush.

The soldiers were en route to Al-Mzairib district in the rural west of the province to arrest a former opposition commander when they came under fire.

The war in Syria has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011.

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Iran's foreign ministry urged on Thursday neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia to overcome tensions and conflicts, and vowed to offer "any kind of assistance" to broker a lasting peace between the two countries.

In a statement published on the ministry's official website, spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh expressed Iran's concern over continuing border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Iranian official voiced regret over the deaths and injuries endured by both countries, and stressed the need for mutual restraint and the respect of internationally recognized borders.

On Wednesday, both Azerbaijan and Armenia confirmed the two sides recently engaged in a new border clash, which caused casualties from both sides.

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The United Kingdom's decision to maintain restrictions only for French travellers is a "discriminatory" move, French Minister of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune said on Thursday, calling on Britain to review it "as soon as possible."

"It's excessive, it's frankly incomprehensible on health grounds ... and discriminatory towards the French," Beaune told LCI television.

"It's not based on science. There is no justification for this decision, I hope that it will be reviewed as soon as possible," he said.

Starting from Aug. 2, vaccinated visitors from the United States and the European Union will no longer need to quarantine on arrival in England, the British government announced on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, London maintained the quarantine for French travellers, citing the presence of the Beta variant, first detected in South Africa, in France.

Beaune noted that the Beta variant represents less than five percent of the total COVID-19 infections in France mainland as it is circulating in overseas island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean, which did not provide large flows to the United Kingdom.

France was not planning reciprocity measures "for now," he added. "We base our decisions on health criteria."

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Egypts Arab Contractors Company has won a bid to develop Tripoli port and its facilities, Egypts Ambassador to Lebanon Yasser Elwi announced on Thursday.

The ambassador made the announcement during his visit to the port in north Lebanon, where he was received by head of the port Ahmed Hatem and a number of senior Lebanese officials.

He added that this step reflects Egypts keenness on supporting Lebanon on all levels, especially developing its ports.

This will be followed by a number of projects to enhance Egypts economic presence in Lebanon, especially in the fields of technology and expertise exchange in Tripoli city, the ambassador added.

Hatem hailed Egypt for providing financial and technical aid to the Lebanese port sector after the blast that destroyed Beirut port in 4 August 2020.

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The Ministry of Health and Population is receiving complaints about the lateness of Covid-19 vaccination messages sent to applicants who have registered for the shots on the ministrys website.

Mohamed Ahmed, 55, a businessman who registered on the ministrys website to get the vaccination almost four months ago, has not received the vaccination message yet that stipulates when and where the shot will be taken. I registered on the ministrys website in April and did not receive any messages whereas my wife who registered last month received the message and has already got her first shot. I dont know what I should do to receive my shot, complained Ahmed.

Egyptians must register to receive the vaccine on website https://www.egcovac.mohp.gov.eg. According to Naglaa Sallam, media coordinator at the Ministry of Health and Population, the vaccination messages are sent first to eligible groups, those who suffer chronic diseases and the elderly. The ministry was giving priority, in coordination with the Ministry of Education during the last several weeks, to teachers and education staff members especially those working during the Thanaweya Amma [high school] exams, said Sallam who added they were prioritised because they were among the people categorised as high risk.

Vaccinations were also temporarily halted during the week-long Greater Bairam holiday. They resumed on 25 July at the countrys 400 vaccination centres, Sallam added.

But some people with chronic diseases did not get their messages. Afaf Suleiman, a 63-year-old housewife who is diabetic and suffering from hypertension, registered for the vaccine but has yet to receive any messages. Two weeks ago, I complained on the ministrys 15335 hotline about not receiving the vaccination message and they told me I will receive it within the coming few days, but I am still waiting, Suleiman said.

According to Khaled Megahed, the spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Population, citizens who registered on the ministrys website and are suffering from more than one chronic disease will be prioritised over people suffering one chronic disease. And a person suffering one chronic disease would be prioritised over those who do not have any illness, Megahed told Al-Ahram Weekly. This would explain why many people have not yet received their vaccination messages, Megahed said.

Where people live was another factor in the delay. Megahed said heavily populated cities like Cairo and Alexandria have long waiting lines.

Moreover, he noted, the ministry had to put on hold sending vaccination messages until it secured enough quantities of vaccines. In mid-June, Egypt was scheduled to receive 1.9 million AstraZeneca doses through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) but the shipment was delayed. COVAX is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines directed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organisation. A few weeks ago, according to Megahed, Egypt obtained more than two million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, which were subjected to the necessary checks and analysis by the Egyptian Medicines Authority; 610,000 doses were distributed to vaccine centres earlier this week.

According to Megahed, Egypt will receive two million doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine in the coming few days. Shortly afterward, Egypt will receive Johnson & Johnson shipments. Egypt signed a contract to buy 20 million doses of Johnson & Johnson. Moreover, Egypt is due to receive the substance needed to produce Sinovac vaccines.

The Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) has already produced the first one million doses of Sinovac, the Chinese biopharmaceutical company, and the ministry will start using it in August. This would help end the waiting lists faster. Egypts daily production for Covid-19 vaccines currently is 300,000 doses, Megahed said, adding that the government is currently discussing doubling the raw materials Egypt imports to increase the countrys daily production to 600,000 doses. Manufacturing the Sinovac vaccine is part of an agreement signed between VACSERA and Sinovac.

Rumours had gone viral that the ministry had stopped vaccinating people due to the lack of sufficient amounts of vaccines.

The ministry is planning to vaccinate around 40 million of Egypts over 100 million population by the end of this year, Megahed added.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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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.

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A new round of Libyan negotiations on the presidential and parliamentary electoral law which began in Rome on Monday is scheduled to conclude on Thursday. The negotiations started with the participation of a committee made up of the House of Representatives and the Chairman of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) Emad Al-Sayeh, in the presence of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

The meetings are intended to bring views closer together on legislation that awaits the development of a constitutional foundation  the fate of which remains unknown  for the general elections slated for 24 December. The bill was drafted by the HNEC, with the participation of the UNSMIL. It divides Libya into three electoral districts in the east, west and south, using a hybrid of the individual- and party-based electoral systems.

According to the bill, the House of Representatives members will increase to 234, up from the current 200-member house, with 82, 117 and 35 members for the east, west and south districts, respectively. The bill identifies 32 electoral districts, up from 13 in the last general election conducted in June 2014.

The draft on the new House of Representatives elections prompted oppositional reactions primarily because it was prepared by the HNEC, the division of electoral districts, and the demographic representation in the new House.

House members decried the bill, saying it does not achieve equality or justice and does not serve the principles of the rule of law and citizenship countrywide.

In western Libya, a member of the House of Representatives from Tarhuna city, Abu Bakr Said, criticised the draft because it doesnt state the conditions on which it based the distribution of seats in the upcoming house for a total of 234 members.

He added that the distribution of seats is unjust and uneven, and doesnt take into consideration the population density and ignores equality between regions. Said noted that the people of Tarhuna reject the unfair seat distribution in the form mentioned in the bill and demand that the HNEC should clarify the details on which the draft is based.

In the east, parliamentary member Abdel-Motaleb Thabet objected to a distribution of seats that doesnt take into account the population density in the Jabal Al-Akhdar district. He said if it turns into law, the bill will stand in the way of holding the general elections on schedule.

To the south, many observers stressed that national reconciliation should be achieved before delving into the details of the electoral law and identifying the electoral districts. They pointed out that without national reconciliation the elections will not be held and the Libyans will not have access to their long-awaited rights.

In response to such criticisms, Al-Sayeh said on Clubhouse on Thursday night that the proposal for the distribution of seats and districts was based on the request of the speaker of the House of Representatives. He explained that the distribution was determined on the basis of population density and geographical distribution. In preparing the proposal, the commission relied on the figures of the Civil Registry Authority for 2020, which showed that the population of Libya stands at 6.9 million. He pointed out that the leaked copy of the proposed law was manipulated and forged and contained incorrect information.

On Sunday night a nine-member committee from the Libyan House of Representatives arrived in Rome to meet with Al-Sayeh and a delegation from the UNSMIL. The Spokesman of the House Abdallah Belihaq said the four-day meetings will discuss the steps necessary to organise the presidential and parliamentary elections to be submitted to the House for approval.

The UNSMIL said on Monday at the invitation of Libyas House of Representatives and in line with its mandate to facilitate the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections on 24 December 2021 and provide electoral assistance as set out in Security Council Resolution 2570 (2021) and the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum Roadmap, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya accepted the invitation to provide support to the work of the House of Representatives Committee.

The mission added that the role of UNSMIL during this meeting will be to provide technical support and advice to the House of Representatives Committee and the HNEC in developing draft electoral laws, based on UN principles of electoral assistance and human rights principles.

UNSMIL stresses the importance of an inclusive electoral process and of including the High Council of State in the preparation of the electoral laws, including during the meeting in Rome, in line with relevant provisions of the Libyan Political Agreement and the Tunis Roadmap regarding the preparation of electoral legislation. UNSMIL urges the House of Representatives and the High Council of State to act in good will towards these objectives and to coordinate in line with the relevant provisions of the Libyan Political Agreement.

Khaled Al-Mashri, president of the High Council of State, didnt take part in the Rome meetings, but the head of the UNSMIL spoke to him about the need to agree with the House of Representatives on the laws governing the elections and continued communication between the council and house on all relevant cases, the media office of the High Council of State reported.

On Sunday Libyan Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah convened the fifth ordinary assembly of the year in Sabha city in the south. The meeting saw a number of ministers requesting emergency measures to counter the deteriorating situation as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, security imbalance and the delay in approving the state budget in the House of Representatives.

During the meeting the cabinet approved the allocation of 500 million dinars to the Ministry of Health to support the medical facilities with the needed equipment and medicine to treat coronavirus patients. It also imposed a curfew from 6pm to 6am in cities where the pandemic situation is deteriorating, allocating 500 million dinars to the Ministry of Interior to back security directorates in the south.

The cabinet meeting was held in tandem with the visit of a high-level military delegation headed by the Chief of Staff of the General Command of the National Army, Lieutenant-General Abdel-Razek Al-Nadori, to the city of Sabha as part of a military tour in the southern regions to follow up on the security operation announced by General Command weeks ago to pursue terrorist elements and African mercenaries in the southwestern regions of the country.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) signed a partnership agreement with Danone, an Egyptian private sector company, to improve agricultural and nutritional practices and food safety measures in Egypt.

The partnership is meant to raise awareness and encourage better eating habits in Egypt through various measures, such as sharing data on food consumption and nutritional intakes.

Other measures include the exchange of information on food safety problems. FAO will give courses and digital certification to private sector stakeholder employees and promote compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and responsible corporate behaviour in global agricultural supply chains.

In a joint statement, the partnership stakeholders stressed that sustainable food and farming practices should be bolstered, and people need to have access to more diversified and healthier nutritious meals.

This partnership will assist in promoting efforts to enhance food security and nutrition and improve the sustainability of food systems, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said.

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Keeping up with the growing demand for translated literature, several publishing houses put out a wide range of translations for this years Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF).

Some were titles translated from English and French, but many were from languages that are less familiar to the wider Egyptian audience that consumes foreign languages.

Portuguese and Spanish, as the case has been during the past 10 years, were perhaps the highest on offer, given the very high demand.

There were also translations from Italian, German, Russian, and some Chinese, among other languages.

On its shelves at the CIBF, the National Centre for Translation (NCT) had the most interesting title to offer as a perfect prelude to the story of translated literature in Egypt: a title of around 450 pages by no other than prominent Egyptian novelist Latifa El-Zayyat that reviews the path of literary translation from English to Arabic from 1882 to 1925.

El-Zayyats book sheds light on the inevitable association between social development, translation, and political awareness  at least historically. The book also shows the relatively delayed start in Egypt of translating literary titles from English.

According to El-Zayyats book Harkat Al-Targama Al-Adabiyah Min Al-Ingliziyah Ila Al-Arabiyah fi Masr (1882-1925), the early literary translations started in Egypt in the beginning of the 19th century, basedon the interest shown by then ruler Mohamed Ali in promoting education and learning foreign languages in order to build a modern and strong army.

However, translations from English started in earnest after the British occupation of Egypt in 1982.

Prior to this, according to El-Zayyat, the vast majority of translations were done from French, the dominant foreign language among Egyptians and foreign communities in Egypt at the time.

The first play that was translated from English into Arabic in Egypt was in 1885 while the first novel also translated from English to Arabic came out in 1886.

For years, most translations were of orientalist works before translators ventured into romance, historical novels, and more.

At this point in time, when Egyptians focused mostly on reading translations from French and English, translations from English to Arabic of works in other languages allowed the Egyptian audience to read the great works of Russian authors like Leo Tolstoy, whose Resurrection came out in 1907.

Then, El-Zayyat wrote, translation became a successful business, with plays being adapted for the newly launched Egyptian theatre, and novels serialised in the thriving newspapers and magazines.

By 1925, translations for very popular detective stories started to roll, she wrote.

In this years CIBF, most of the translated literature on offer was not of English or French texts. According to the representatives of the publishing houses in the CIBF, the audience of today is interested to learn about far and remote cultures, especially in Asia and Latin America, or about the history of European countries that have gone through democratic change.

A selection of Chinese short stories that Al-Kotob Khan published in Arabic in 2017 was in demand.

Another favourite was Azhar Al-Barkouk (Plum Blossoms) is a selection of some 30 short stories by modern Chinese and Taiwanese writers, which were translated beautifully by May Ashour.

Most of these now-sought-after translations have appeared during the past decade in several literary magazines in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world.

Overall, the selections on offer show an eastern culture that took its time to open up to the norms of western modernity. This is especially the case in the titles of authors of the early years of the 20th century  and of people struggling with making ends meet along with struggling with expressing sentiments of love and affection.

In Sentiments of Endearment, a shorty story by Wu Niam Zhen, the reader meets a traditional Chinese father whose ability to speak of his love for his wife and children is so limited to the extent that they are not sure whether he really loved them. I would think he lost his mind if he came to tell me loving words, the mother once told the inquisitive son.

However, this son knows that his father holds strong sentiments of endearment for him. He knows it when the father sacrifices the two small fish balls in the soup can for the son and watches with profound contentment as the son eats, or when the father goes way beyond his limited financial means to buy his son an expensive fountain ink pen when he gets high grades at school  although the gift comes with a strict warning of severe punishment if the expensive pen is lost.

In Buying Hope for 40 Years, Bi Shumin, a psychologist-turned-novelist, tells the story of a poor man who saves from his very limited income to buy a lottery ticket that carries the birth date of his first love. He does this every week of every month for 40 years in the hope that one day he would win, and his name and the date will be published in the papers for his former lover to see and to know that he still keeps the memory of their love.

Odd paths of love and compassion also figure prominently in Ingo Schulzes Simple Stories, a German text that tells the layered and complex story of the reunification of Germany in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The novel starts months after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 when a couple from East Germany, which was still waiting for the merger with its Western sister in October 1990, decides to go on a dream trip to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their wedding in Italy.

The couple has to first go through West Germany to get documents necessary for travel into Italy, and they come face-to-face both with their past as a couple who lived in the east under communism and now struggling to manage with a liberal future about which they are not so sure.

'Simple Stories' is about the parallel stories of this and another couple and of families and individuals separated and reunited, more by the force of peoples own choices than that of politics, and the disappointed dreams of young people who had hoped for a better day after the unity, but their dreams of welfare were poorly met.

Schulze himself was born in Dresden, previously East Germany, in 1962. In 1989, he was part of the students protest movement that brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The translation available at this years CIBF, and also in bookstores, is a publication of Al-Arabi Publishing that came out in 2018 by Samir Grace. In 2004, the NTC had put out a translation of this widely acclaimed novel of Schulze that has been read widely.

Another novel that recalls the uneasy lives of young people under the rule of communism comes from Georgian novelist David Turashvili. Turashvili was born in Georgia in 1966 under the rule of the Soviet Union.

Turashvilis A flight from the USSR is based on the true story of an attempt by a group of young Georgian students to hijack an Aeroflot in 1983. As the novel shows, the story of the hijack starts with the anger and frustration of a group of university students, and it ends in a drama.

The novel starts with the ending scene of the hijack but smoothly travels through the lives of each of the young men and women involved in the failed attempt and into the lives of Georgian people at the time. It captures some of the famous images of the risk some people would take only to buy and keep a smuggled pair of original Wrangler jeans or a disk of Mick Jagger.

However, A flight from the USSR also offers a very insightful take on how the violation of the right of property got people to be so keen on beautifying their tombs, given that it is the only thing they could own  provided that they died naturally, unlike those who ended up being eliminated by the security services for violating political orders, like the young men and women whose parents had to go through one ordeal after the other to try to find the graves where they were buried with no tombstones."

Al-Kotob Khan offers its 2015 publication of Samar Gaafars skillful translation of A flight from the USSR, quite a passionate narration that gives politics a human face.

Then, in a 2019 publication of Ibiidi Books, there is another translation of another novel of another group of perplexed students. Those, however, are not suffering the agonies of communist dictatorship but rather the bewildering questions of liberal times.

They are a group of students, all Italians and one American, Heddi, who live and study oriental languages, fine arts and geology in Naples. They share food, philosophic arguments, and a passion for American rock stars.

Lost in the Spanish Quarter is an Italian text of American novelist Heddi Goodrich, who was born in 1971. It came out in 2019, exactly the same year when its translation by Amira Badawie came out in Egypt. Goodrich herself had translated her own novel from Italian into English.

On the face of it, the novel comes across as a romance of Heddi, lamericana, and Peitro, litaliano. However, it is a lot deeper text that reflects on the meaning of love, attraction, friendship, belonging, and life that could at times be like a short and bitter sip from a cup of espresso."

The start of Goodrichs novel carries a reference to one of Naples oldest and most passionate and intense neighbourhoods: the Spanish Quarter. It, however, starts in New Zealand, where Heddi had moved to after leaving Italy, when she receives an email from Pietro, who himself had went up north of the European content. As of then, the search for the past starts through full beautifully translated 400 pages plus.

Salvatierra is yet another novel that starts with the search for the past. Two sons are hard at search for a missing roll of drawing from a set of painting canvas that their father used to document every year of his life through drawing his thoughts after having lost his ability to speak following a horse accident at the age of nine. At a storage of the family house in a village off Buenos Aires, the sons found a roll missing  that of 1961  and the search starts.

The Missing Year of Juan Salvatierra is actually the title of the English translation of Mairals novel. This was the first text of this 1970-born Argentinian novelist to be translated into English and to attract international attention to this atypical voice of contemporary Latin America writers.

In 2016, Al-Karma Books put out a smooth Arabic translation, by Gamal Marc, of this very witty and sensitive novel. The book is a perfect walk through a segment of the history of Argentina.

The Hour of the Star is yet another walk through yet another segment of the world of another Latin city: Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil.

Rodrigo takes the reader on a walk through the sad and harsh-living reality of the slums of Rio de Janeiro  if only to tell the story of Macabea, a 19-year-old woman who is so oppressed by her own reality.

The reality of Macabea as the narrator is often describing to the reader is perhaps that of those who are so pushed aside by life to the extent that even when they walk on the streets to smile to passers-by, those smiles go unnoticed.

The Hour of the Star is considered one of the finest works of Clarice Lispector, a Brazilian author who was born in 1920 to a Jewish family in Ukraine. Her family had immigrated to Brazil where she eventually died in 1977 after having travelled the world.

The novel came out shortly after her death. Lispector had given her manuscript 13 alternative titles, including The Right to Scream; Singing the Blues; A Sense of Loss; and A Discreet Exit from the Backdoor.

This line of 13 titles that Lispector had put one after the other sums up the entire essence of this under 200-page text that talks not just of poverty and aimlessness but also of the acceptance of the inevitable unfairness that the world has chosen for some people who are not at all trying to change their luck but simply to live around it.

Maged El-Gebali is the translator of the novel in the edition that was put out by Al-Kotob Khan in 2018.

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When victims seek revenge, they become the offenders. At this point the picture becomes fuzzy and it becomes difficult to tell the victim from the assailant.

The desire to retaliate and avenge oneself is a common human reaction, but it leaves a sour taste in everyones mouth because the victims hardly notice that their actions, in some cases, may reap results akin to what they personally went through.

On 20 July, the Egyptian Coptic congregation in Vancouver, Canada, lost their beloved church to an arson act. In a grotesque, morbid photo, only the facade of the building remained standing. The congregation of approximately 500 families were in total shock. Father Paul Guirgis of the Church of Virgin Mary and St Athanasius in Mississauga, Ontario, said: We will rebuild. I have no doubt of that. But I hope we do not rebuild at the expense of allowing hatred to dwell in our hearts, especially for the person(s) who've committed this heinous act.

The loss of this particular church hit home with me, too. I know many of the members of the congregation who considered the church their home away from home.

This was not a unique crime though; actually it was an act like many other attacks on churches in Canada. Father Guirgis said, The pain we are experiencing due to the destruction of our beloved church in Surrey, BC, is the same felt by dozens of other Christian communities across Canada, communities whose churches have witnessed similar acts of vandalism and arson in recent weeks.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but I doubt anyone will be arrested or charged. Arson attempts on churches are acts of redemption that subdue the anger and fury amongst many indigenous Canadians. And here comes the perplexity that exists in retaliatory measures.

For over 110 years, approximately 150,000 indigenous children were obliged to attend residential schools run by mainly the Catholic Church to assimilate them into the Canadian society, depriving them in the process of their origin, be it their language or culture while subjecting them to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Though the exact figure may never be known, it is estimated that about 6,000 indigenous children never returned to their families and died of disease and other perils.

Today, hundreds of unmarked graves are being discovered at former Catholic-run residential schools across Canada, some of children three years old. Since their loved ones never returned, indigenous Canadians always knew of the high rates of death among their children and that their bodies were routinely buried and never returned to their families. Now everyone realises the horrifying facts as grief and sorrow engulfs indigenous and all Canadians.

Once the unmarked graves were discovered, a destructive practice emerged. Churches, in particular those on indigenous lands, were destroyed, one by one, by arsonists. Nearly two dozen churches, and counting, have been burned or vandalised across the country. The fury and revenge are directed against all churches not necessarily Catholic ones, as many are being reduced to rubbles and piles of ash.

Here is the trauma. How does one overcome the will to harm attackers or those affiliated to them when grief and sorrow engulfs one? Those who survived residential schools and their descendants are subduing their pain by acting out.

For many indigenous Canadians, emotions towards the church are juxtaposed. Some have suggested that indigenous communities consider cutting all ties with the religion they say was imposed on them. Others value the churches for they are where they were baptised and married and where their parents were buried, but the same churches caused them too much grief and loss to their identity and culture.

Indigenous band leaders dont agree with the retaliatory measures, and many have pleaded with the arsonists to spare the churches despite their understandable anger and fury. Band Chief Keith Crow said, I dont see any positive coming from this and its going to be tough. Lower Similkameen Band leader said, It is not our place to say who to worship and what historical relevance it has to our community members, we are all free to choose and it is our place as a community to support that freedom.

Many indigenous elders are also upset about the burning of the churches. When a Catholic church in Morinville, Alberta, was burned, Carrie Allison, an elder who helped maintain the church, said in a statement, The church meant so much to all of us, especially our ancestors. When your hurt turns to rage it is not healthy for you or your community. Carrie Allison, another elder from the Similkameen Indian Band said, A lot of us suffered, but this is not how we do things, and this is not our way. It makes me so sick, sad, and I can only hope I do not know you. I feel sorry for you.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau found the act of revenge futile, saying I cant help but think that burning down churches is actually depriving people who are in need of grieving, healing and mourning from places where they can grieve and reflect and look for support.

Revenge comes at a price; it creates even further vendettas and leaves the avenger dwelling on hate and immersed in aversion forever. Still, is it easy to bear no malice and let bygones be bygones? I doubt it.

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Over 1600 exporters applied to obtain their arrears through cash repayment initiatives 3rd stage : Finance minister



Doaa A.Moneim, , Thursday 29 Jul 2021



The initiative allows export companies to obtain their arrears from the Development Fund as instant cash repayments



Over 1600 export companies submitted their requests to benefit from the cash repayment for exporters initiative in its third stage, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait announced on Thursday.



The Ministry of Finance launched the initiatives third stage on 30 June, allowing exporters to submit requests as of 4 July through 29 July.



The initiative allows export companies to obtain their arrears from the Development Fund as instant cash repayments.



It was launched in implementation of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis directive to support the export sector, particularly amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis that affected the sector severely.



Maait explained that the arrears of this stage are expected to be disbursed by the end of September through the end of October with an acceleration discount of 15 percent.



In September 2020, the government launched the first stage of the initiative that targeted instant cash repayment of export companies arrears before the end of 2020, which came into effect in November.



A sum of EGP 16.4 billion was disbursed to 2,000 export companies that registered in the programmes two previous stages, according to the finance ministry.



Since the launch of all initiatives that target cash repayments for exporters arrears in October 2019, beneficiaries have received EGP 28 billion  the biggest support extended to Egypts export sector ever.



Nevine Mansour, an advisor to the deputy finance minister for financial policies, said that 2,500 export companies benefited from the other five initiatives, with a total of EGP 5.6 billion disbursed to exporters in FY 2019/2020 and EGP 2.4 billion handed out from July to November 2020.



The cabinet has approved five initiatives since October 2019 to settle exporters arrears through June 2019.



The initiatives included repaying small investors a maximum of EGP 5 million, the repayment of 30 percent of all arrears to exporters, holding a set-off between exporters arrears and the payable tax and customs obligations on them, the repayment of the total sum of arrears over four to five years while expanding their investments in return, and the land allocation initiative.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/417950.aspx
Zalika Souley, doyenne of African cinema, dies at 74



AFP, , Thursday 29 Jul 2021



For much of her career she collaborated with Niger's pioneering director Oumarou Ganda, taking a lead role in 1969's "Cabascabo", in which she played the lover of a veteran from the French Colonial army returning from Vietnam



Zalika Souley, who won fame and money that did not last as the first sub-Sahara African woman to star on the silver screen, has died at the age of 74, her family said on Wednesday.



"We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Hadja Zalika Souley on July 27, 2021 following a long illness," said a statement from her relatives.



Souley, who was born in 1947 in the Niger capital Niamey, won a leading role in Moustapha Alhassane's "The Return of an Adventurer" at the age of only 19.



In this 1966 African-style Western, Souley donned blue jeans, hat and pistol and, mounted a white horse, embarked on an adventure accompanied by young men -- drawing controversy in the newly independent former French colony for what critics saw as immodest behaviour.



For much of her career she collaborated with Niger's pioneering director Oumarou Ganda, taking a lead role in 1969's "Cabascabo", in which she played the lover of a veteran from the French Colonial army returning from Vietnam.



The film was screened in the International Critics' Week of that year's Cannes Film Festival.



A year later she starred in Ganda's "The Polygamous Wazou", where, mad with jealousy, she targets the new third wife of her husband but mistakenly murders her maid of honour.



The film won the first Yennenga Stallion award at the 1972 Ouagadougou Pan-African Film and Television Festival and the International Critics' Prize at the Dinard Francophone Film Festival the same year.



That year she again worked with Alhassane in his prize-winning "WVCM: Women, Cars, Villas, Money" depicting the clash between tradition and rising consumerism among the growing ranks of middle class Africans at the time.



The film was revived as part of a retrospective of Alassane's work at the 2010 Rotterdam International Film Festival.



In "If the Riders" (1982) Zalika played a spy in the pay of French colonists, while in the 1983 Ivorian-French-Nigerian drama "Petanqui" she played alongside Senegalese actor Douta Seck and Ivorian actor Sidiki Bakaba.



By this time, the Nigerien movie industry had begun to decline and "Souley did not earn (or save) much from her career", according to the Historical Dictionary of Niger.



"At the beginning, I played for fun" but "what I have always received... and which is more than money, is honour", she told an Ivorian newspaper in 2009.



In the documentary "Al'leessi" (destiny in the Djerma language), which appeared at the 2005 Cannes festival, the Nigerien director Rahmatou Keita paid tribute to Zalika, by retracing her glory days on the big screen.



Souley was buried on Wednesday afternoon, a relative told AFP.



For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter [email protected] on Facebook atAhram Online: Arts & Culture



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/417980.aspx
Ethiopia foils infiltration attempt by terror group al-Shabab



Xinhua, , Thursday 29 Jul 2021



'One suspect was killed in a shootout, while the other suspect was injured and subsequently apprehended,' the statement of Ethiopia's Somali region communication office said



An infiltration attempt by the terror group al-Shabab to Ethiopia from neighboring Somalia has been foiled, Ethiopian authorities said on Thursday.



In a press statement, Ethiopia's Somali region communication office said two suspected al-Shabab operatives were intercepted earlier this week.



"Two suspected al-Shabab operatives who tried to enter from neighboring Somalia to Ethiopia were intercepted in the Mustahil locality of Ethiopia Somali regional state," said the statement.



"One suspect was killed in a shootout, while the other suspect was injured and subsequently apprehended," the statement said.



Somalia has struggled with the lack of an effective central government since 1991 when former President Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted from power by armed rebellion, leading to the Somalia Civil War.



The weakness of the central government of Somalia has led to the proliferation of sea piracy, illegal fishing by foreign boats and attacks by terror groups, most notably al-Shabab.



In January, Ethiopia announced the arrest of dozens of suspected Ethiopian extremists linked to al-Shabab.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/417990.aspx
Egypts FM discusses developments in Tunisia, GERD with French counterpart



Ahram Online , Thursday 29 Jul 2021



The Egyptian foreign minister told his French counterpart that he is looking forward to continuing consultation and coordination with France on GERD, considering that France is a permanent member in the UN Security Council



Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the latest developments in Tunisia as well as the latest developments concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam GERD with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian over the phone on Thursday, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.



According to the Egyptian Foreign ministry, the two ministers expressed the same views concerning the developments in Tunisia asserting their respect of the Tunisian peoples will, as well as voicing their support to the Tunisian state institutions in its quest to achieve stability and ending the current economic crisis.



Shoukry also discussed with Le Drian the latest developments concerning GERD, reiterating Egypts stances, most importantly reaching a legally binding agreement for the filling and operation of the dam that secures Egyp's water rights.



The Egyptian foreign minister told his French counterpart that he is looking forward to continuing consultation and coordination with France on GERD, considering that France is a permanent member in the UN Security Council.



The two top diplomats also discussed the latest developments in Lebanon where they agreed on the importance of forming a government as soon as possible to put an end to the political crisis in the country as well as adopt reform policies to resolve Lebanon from its current economic crisis.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/418002.aspx
A South Korean archer who has bagged two Olympic gold medals in Tokyo was flooded with messages of support from women Thursday after her short hair became a lightning rod for online abuse from men.

Male commenters had said An San's choice of hairstyle suggested she was a feminist, some of them demanding she apologise and even that she give back her Olympic medals.

While South Korea is the world's 12th-largest economy and a leading technological power, it remains a male-dominated society with a poor record on women's rights.

The outbreak of online misogyny comes as an anti-feminism backlash grows in the country, with companies accused of endorsing "extreme feminism" facing boycotts by men and issuing public apologies.

An, 20, has won two gold medals in the women's team and mixed team archery. She scored 680 to top the women's individual qualification at the Tokyo Games, breaking an Olympic record that has stood since 1996.

She is aiming for her third gold medal in Tokyo in the ongoing women's individual event.

Many South Korean women, including well-known figures, came out to condemn the comments.

"Even if you win an Olympic gold medal with your own skills and abilities, as long as sexism persists in our society, you get insulted and asked to be deprived of your medal just because you have short hair," tweeted Jang Hye-yeong, a woman lawmaker.

"We are facing a strange day in which Korean archery is now the best in the world, but the national dignity is thrown to the ground because of sexism."

At least 6,000 photographs of women with short hair were posted on social media platforms to show support for An, according to local reports.

Among women posting the images were actress Koo Hye-sun and lawmaker Ryu Ho-jeong -- the country's youngest MP, who was once criticised for wearing a dress to parliament.

The website of the Korea Archery Association -- which did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment -- was flooded by at least 1,500 messages in support of her.

The men whose angry messages sparked the storm had further accused An of having used expressions with anti-male undertones.

"We didn't train and feed you with tax money so that you can commit feminist acts," one of the men wrote on An's Instagram account.

Young South Korean women have enjoyed unprecedented campaigning successes in recent years -- fighting to legalise abortion and organising a widespread #MeToo movement, and taking action against spycam videos secretly filmed in public places, which led to the largest women's rights demonstrations in Korean history.

There have also been protests against the country's strict beauty standards -- with campaigners sharing viral videos of themselves cropping their hair short and smashing up their make-up products.

But it has also triggered a strong backlash in the country, and feminism is often framed as selfish, and anti-men.

"It's been very disheartening to see women, including an olympic champion, being pressured to explain and even apologise about their own choices and bodies, when it really should be no one's business," women's rights activist Kwon Soo-hyun told AFP.

"This incident yet again shows the scale of sexism in our society."
KYODO NEWS - Jul 29, 2021 - 02:09 | All, Japan

The United States has urged Japan to shoulder more for hosting American troops during preparatory talks on a fresh cost-sharing agreement from fiscal 2022 and onward, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

The two allies will launch full-fledged, working-level talks in early August in the United States to conclude the multiyear agreement as Tokyo seeks to convince Washington it cannot massively increase its burden due to strained finances, the sources said.

The United States is urging Japan to increase its burden as it seeks to raise the presence of the U.S. military in the Indo-Pacific region in the face of China's military expansion, according to the sources.

The two countries aim to conclude the negotiations by the end of this year, the sources said.

Japan will be represented by Yutaka Arima, deputy director general for the Foreign Ministry's North American Affairs Bureau, and Taro Yamato, deputy director general for defense policy at the Defense Ministry.

Donna Welton, senior adviser for security negotiations and agreements at the State Department and former political minister-counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Japan, will continue to take charge under the administration of President Joe Biden.

Welton had led the U.S. side's talks under the administration of former President Donald Trump.

For fiscal 2021 through next March, Japan will shoulder 201.7 billion yen ($1.84 billion) in so-called host nation support, around the same level as the previous year.

The spending covers some of the expenses for the approximately 55,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan, including utility and labor costs.

Japan wants the United States to understand that it is contributing as much as possible under tight finances and is also financially supporting works related to U.S. forces' realignment, the sources said.

Japan also hopes to avoid increasing its contribution by convincing the United States that it is doing its part in strengthening the bilateral security alliance, including in cyberspace and outer space where China is increasing its clout, they said.

Japan will establish a new organization at the Air Self-Defense Force's Space Operations Squadron next March and construct a space surveillance radar in the western prefecture of Yamaguchi that will be operational in fiscal 2023.

Bilateral host nation support agreements are usually signed to cover a five-year term. But for fiscal 2021, Japan and the United States settled for a one-year extension of a five-year pact that expired in March 2021, as bilateral talks were affected by the transition of power in Washington from Trump to Biden.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2021 - 02:12 | World, All, Coronavirus

South Korea informed Japan and the United States via diplomatic channels before announcing earlier this week its agreement with North Korea to restore inter-Korean communications lines, Japanese and South Korean diplomatic sources said Thursday.

The advance notice about the Tuesday announcement signals the government of President Moon Jae In placing importance on cooperation with the United States and Japan on North Korean issues despite having frosty ties with Tokyo over wartime labor and other issues.

The U.S. administration of President Joe Biden is working to restore relations with its allies that frayed under his predecessor Donald Trump's administration and has attached importance to the trilateral framework involving the United States and its key Asian allies.

The Moon government appears to be responding in kind. "We believe South Korea will continue to work in concert with Japan and the United States going forward," a Japanese government official said.

South Korean media have reported that North and South Korea agreed last weekend to restore the lines that had been cut off by the North last year. The Japanese and South Korean diplomatic sources said Seoul reached out to Tokyo before Tuesday.

South Korea also said Tuesday that Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have agreed to improve inter-Korean ties, with Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency reporting that the leaders of the two Koreas "agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation" by restoring the communication lines.

With North Korea keeping its borders closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea hopes to hold inter-Korean consultations online.

It remains to be seen whether the North would agree to hold substantive talks on such issues as the pandemic response and the possible rebuilding of an inter-Korean liaison office the North blew up in June last year.

Meanwhile, nuclear talks between the United State and North Korea remain stalemated after a summit meeting between Trump and Kim ended with no deal in February 2019. It is unclear whether the latest improvement in North-South ties could lead to a restart of the U.S.-North Korea talks.

Observers say North Korea could harden its stance once the United States and South Korea hold a joint military exercise in a scaled-down manner this summer despite the North Korean demand that it be called off. Pyongyang has denounced such exercises as preparations for invasion.

The North had cut off the inter-Korean communication lines in retaliation for anti-Pyongyang leaflets defector groups had sent over the border from the South by balloon.
New Delhi:

In a first, astronomers say they have beautifully captured an image of a planet forming in the dust swiftly swirling around a young star.

The tiny planet appears as a bright spot in the first ever image of it captured using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, say scientists.

Signs of baby planets have been detected before, but astronomers weren't sure whether those observations might simply be features in the swirling dust, said Miriam Kepler of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany.

Also Read | Researchers develop computational method to track spread of cancer

Scientists describe the planet, located about 3 billion kilometres (1.86 billion miles) from the star PDS 70, as a gas giant bigger than Jupiter.

They say it has a cloudy atmosphere and a surface temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit).

The study will be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, according to agencies.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday extended Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambarams interim protection from arrest in INX media case till next hearing on August 1.

The court, however, directed the Congress leader to cooperate and join the questioning session by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the INX media case.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, didnt oppose to the extension of Chidambarams interim protection from arrest.

Mehta, however, informed the court that he will file the counter affidavit prepared by the CBI to prove the point that why it needs Chidambaram custodial interrogation in the case.

The CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) had asked the senior Congress to join the probe after his role came under the scanner of the investigating agencies in the INX Media case.

Also Read | Sunanda Pushkar Death Case: Shashi Tharoor seeks anticipatory bail ahead of court appearance

Earlier in 2017, the CBI had registered an FIR in the INX Media case after alleged irregularities were found in foreign investment approval given to the INX Media, whose founders were Peter and Indrani Mukherjea.

The CBI had claimed that the media house received Rs 305 crore as foreign investment in 2007. The agency alleged that Karti Chidambaram had taken a bribe or easing the FIPB clearance.

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Kochi:

Setting a new high in exports, Indias shipment of 13,77,244 MT of seafood earned USD 7.08 billion during the financial year 2017-18 as compared to figures of 11,34,948 MT and USD 5.77 billion respectively in the previous fiscal, registering a growth of 21.35 per cent.

Frozen shrimp and frozen fish continued to be the flagship export items, the Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA) said in a release in Kochi.

In rupee terms, the exports of marine products were pegged at Rs 45,106.89 crore as against Rs 37,870.90 crore in FY 2016-17, notching a healthy growth of 19.11 per cent, it said.

USA and South East Asia retained their positions as the major import markets of Indias seafood products, with a share of 32.76 per cent and 31.59 per cent in dollar terms,

respectively.

They are followed by EU (15.77 per cent), Japan (6.29 per cent), Middle East (4.10 per cent) and China (3.21 per cent).

In the face of continued uncertainties in the global seafood trade, India has been able to cling on to its position as a leading supplier of frozen shrimp and frozen fish in international markets, MPEDA Chairman A Jayathilak said.

With a string of initiatives and policy support, we intend to achieve an export target of USD 10 billion by 2022, he added.

Read | LPG price hiked by Rs 2.71 per cylinder

Despite the daunting challenges of oversupply as reflected in double-digit shrimp exports by Ecuador and Argentina in 2017, increased supply from Vietnam and Thailand, drop in global shrimp prices, and issues related to antibiotic residues, Indias seafood industry has been maintaining its growth streak, he said.

Frozen shrimp maintained its position as the key contributor to seafood export basket, accounting for 41.10 per cent in quantity and 68.46 per cent of the total dollar earnings.

Shrimp exports during the year rose by 30.26 per cent in quantity and 30.10 per cent in dollar terms.

The overall export of shrimp during 2017-18 was 5,65,980 MT worth USD 4,848.19 million, with USA continuing to be the largest market (2,25,946 MT) for frozen shrimp, followed by South East Asia (1,59,145 MT), EU (78,426 MT), Japan (33,828 MT), Middle East (23,441 MT) and China (13,107 MT).

USA accounted for around 53 per cent of total Vannamei shrimp exports in USD value, registering an increase of 31. 93 per cent in quantity and 33.03 per cent in dollar terms.

Following the US are South East Asia with a share of (21.03 per cent), EU (11.31 per cent), Japan (4.67 per cent), Middle East (3 per cent) and China (1.35 per cent).

Export of chilled items showed a decline of 38.71 per cent, 15.90 per cent and 12.27 per cent in quantity, rupee value and USD earnings, respectively.

Read | GST reverse charge mechanism deferred till Sept 30

Dried items notched a growth of 45.73 per cent and 19. 7 per cent in quantity and rupee value, respectively but declined by 18.14 per cent in dollar value.

The export of live items rose 4.93 per cent in quantity but declined by 29.14 per cent and 25.63 per cent in rupee value and dollar earnings, respectively.

USA, the leading destination for Indian seafood in value terms, imported seafood worth USD 2,320.05 million, registering a growth of 31.37 per cent, 28.63 per cent and 33. 97 per cent in quantity, rupee and dollar terms, respectively.

Overall exports to South East Asia increased by 27.20 per cent in quantity and 29.45 per cent in dollar earnings.

Vietnam alone imported 4, 13,518 MT of Indian seafood, accounting for more than any individual markets like US, EU, Japan or China.

Vizag, Kochi, Kolkata, Pipavav, Krishnapatanam and JNP were the major ports for the marine products cargo.

Read | PMLA court summons Vijay Mallya under new Fugitive Ordinance on August 27

Overall, Indian ports carried seafood cargo to the tune of 13,77,244 tonnes worth Rs 45,106.89 crore (7,081.55 million dollars).

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New Delhi:

Days after the mysterious deaths of the Bhatia family in Delhis Burari, the Delhi police on Wednesday claimed to have solved the puzzling case, saying it was an act of gratitude to God.



The police said that the family committed mass suicide in a thankful gesture to god after their several pending works were completed.

The family committed suicide in a thankful gesture to god. Lalit was giving the family instructions he had received from the soul of his father, Gopaldas who died 10 years ago. The family has been benefitted from the instructions and started believing in Lalit. From just one shop, they have made it to three shops. Also, the marriage of their manglik daughter was fixed, Delhi police said in a statement.

The police said that the incidents of Gopaldas soul possessing family members had also taken place in their native place in Rajasthan.

On Sunday, 77-year-old Narayani Devi, her sons, Lalit and Bhavnesh, their families, including two 15-years-old minor boys, her daughter and 33-year-old granddaughter were found dead inside their house in Delhis Burari area.

While 10 of the 11 family members were found hanging from an iron rod of a ceiling with their eyes covered, mouths gagged and hands tied behind their back, Narayani Devi was lying on the floor of the house.

The case, which initially looked like a mystery plot of a crime series or movie, left the people in a state of shock. At one point, the strange deaths even left the police wondering if it was a case of mass suicide or mass murder.

Read: Burari Deaths | Watch: Family's LAST video from an engagement bash shows no sign of depression

However, the cops later recovered two handwritten notebooks in form of diaries, which revealed the ghastly details about the first-ever kind of puzzling deaths.

The notes revealed that Lalit Bhatia, the youngest son of the Narayani Devi was the brain behind the mass suicide.

Police said that Lalit had been hallucinating about his father Gopaldas. He had told the family that the soul of his father was giving him instructions to lead a better life and attain salvation. He had allegedly convinced the family that they would not die and the soul of his father would save them.



In your last hours, while your last wish is fulfilled, the sky will open up and the earth will shake. But you dont panic and start chanting the mantra louder. I will come and took off your noose and will help you to save others, one of the entries in the diary read.

The mass hanging was planned in advance. Even the day, the time and the way of hanging was pre-planned, police said citing the notes recovered from their home. Lalit has been writing those notes for the last few years.

In the way the family was found hangings: like blindfolded, mouth gagged and hands tied behind their back had strong similarities with the notes written in the diaries.

Read: Burari Deaths | 11 bodies, 11 water pipes, 11 irons rods and morbid fascination
New Delhi:

Goa Governor Mridula Sinha on Saturday asked students to take an oath to not break their marriages on petty issues and suggested setting up a pre-wedding counselling centre in the Goa University.

There is a need to set up a pre-marriage counselling (centre) for the youth in the Goa University. The youth should know how to run a family, she said.

If they have any questions related to marriage, they can be answered (at the counselling centre) and this will help them lead a successful married life, she added.

The Governor is also known as the chancellor of universities in the state.

Sinha, along with President Ram Nath Kovind and CM Manohar Parrikar was addressing the 30th convocation of the Goa University in Panaji.

Sinha asked the students present for the convocation to make five promises by raising their hands.

The first promise was that students will not send their parents to old age homes.

Marriage is a necessity and that is why you will not break marriage on petty issues. You will make your marriage successful and will respect each other, she said about the second promise.

In the third promise, she appealed to the youth to fight against any injustice meted out to women.

The Governor, who has been nominated the ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, asked students to keep their surrounding clean.

Sinha also appealed to the youth to not fall prey to any kind of banned substance or intoxicants.

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New Delhi:

After revolutionising the telecom sector, Reliance Jio has now come up with Jio GigaFiber which was earlier known as Jio Fiber.

RIL CEO Mukesh Ambani made this announcement during the Annual General meeting of Reliance Industries in Mumbai.

The Jio GigaFiber consists of a GigaFiber router along with Jio GigaTV set-top box which will allow its users to make video calls to other GigaTV devices or other mobile connection in India.

The company claims speeds of upto 1Gbps and is expected to be the biggest greenfield fixed line broadband services in the world.

Registrations for Jio GigaFiber will begin from August 15 and can be made through MyJio App and Jio.com

Talking about the GigaTV, users can give voice commands on a microphone-enabled TV remote to access Jio apps including Jio TV, Jio Cinema, Jio TV Call and much more.

Speaking about the TV calling, Isha Ambani, said, "You can call every other TV that is powered by Jio GigaFiber. You can also call a mobile or tablet connected to every network. Of course, the best experience will be on the Jio network. Gone are the days of Mbps, now it will be all about Gbps.
New Delhi:

On the eve of the Congress-JDS coalition governments first budget, Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar on Wednesday said loan waiver should not become a fashion.

Loan waiver is needed to relieve farmers in distress but let loan waiver not become a fashion, Kumar said following the discussions on farm loan waiver ahead of the coalition governments first budget on Thursday.

Kumar then questioned why no one was talking about making farmers capable of paying back.

We will get to know about the Chief Ministers promise on loan waiver in the budget tomorrow. But my question is what will happen if he (farmer) takes loan again and is unable to pay back. Everyone is speaking of loan waiver, but no one wants to speak about making farmers capable of paying back, the speaker said.

Giving farmers remunerative prices for their produce, fixing the price of chemicals, pesticides, fertilisers, seeds and other inputs at favourable rates, along with maintaining the soil quality are the things we need to look into, he said.

The Speakers intervention came during the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address to the joint session of legislature in the assembly, when BJP member Sriramulu said there was no mention about farm loan waiver in it, as promised by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.

The Kumaraswamy-led government is expected to announce crop loan waiver in the budget, to address the farmers plight.

Pointing out that there are Stree Shakti groups whose loans also need to be waived, Kumar said, we will have to look at these things and think about it with fairness.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi:

Amid anticipation for Law Commission's recommendations on PM Modi's 'one nation-one election', Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday pitches the idea of simultaneous election, saying "there should be some stability in electoral process".

"Frequent elections lead to expenditure of public money, posting of officers from outside & governance suffers," Prasad told ANI.

Earlier a statistic prepared by the BJP showed huge expenditure and disturbance of public life during general elections conducted in 2009 and 2014.

The entire process amounted around Rs 1,115 crore and Rs 3,870 crore respectively. The expenditure would multiply by several times together with elections in 31 state assemblies.

Moreover, elections to the 16th Lok Sabha witness 10 million personnel as polling officials across 9,30,000 polling stations across the country, where around 1,349 companies of central security forces were deployed.

Read | Akhilesh Yadav supports PM Modi's 'one nation one election' policy; demands UP polls in 2019

"Our democracy is 70 years old there should be some stability in electoral process. Let's await recommendations of law commission," the RS Prasad, the Union Minister for Law and Justice added.

Frequent elections lead to expenditure of public money, posting of officers from outside & governance suffers. Our democracy is 70 years old there should be some stability in electoral process. Let's await recommendations of law commission: RS Prasad on 'one nation-one election' pic.twitter.com/DYhTHDN85o  ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2018

With 2019 Lok Sabha elections around the corner, the Law Commission will hold discussion with all the major political parties on the possibility of conducting simultaneous election of both Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

The all-party meeting on 'one nation-one election' is scheduled to take place on July 7 and July 8.

Read | PM Modi in NITI Aayog meet: GST relects spirit of one nation, one aspiration, one determination

Earlier in April, the Commission had suggested simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and state Assemblies in two phases from 2019 and also invited suggestions from the citizens of India. The panel also provided that at least two provisions of the Constitution are amended and ratified by a majority of the states.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also reiterated the need for simultaneous elections to be conducted in the country, adding that this would be good for India. While Samajwadi chief Akhilesh Yadav mirrored the idea saying UP should also go for polls during 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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New Delhi:

As many as 883 Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims, who were stranded in Nepals Simikot due to inclement weather, have been rescued in the last three days, an Indian Embassy said in a statement on Thursday.

In the last 3 days a total of 883 stranded pilgrims were evacuated from Simikot to Nepalgunj and Surkhet. Busses facilities were made available at Surkhet to ferry pilgrims to Nepalgunj, the Embassy said in a statement.

Likewise, around 675 pilgrims were shifted from Hilsa to Simikot as the place has better basic facilities including medical. During this period 53 flights were operated and 142 sorties were made by choppers including army as well MI16 Helicopters, the Embassy said.

On Thursday, as many as 143 Kailash Mansarover Yatris were rescued via 10 commercial flights from Simikot to Nepalgunj.

The Embassy said that it was exploring the possibilities of hiring chartered helicopters and operating them on various evacuation routes in a bid to expedite the evacuation process.

In the wake of recent inclement weather condition along the Nepalganj-Simikot-Hilsa route of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nepal, the Indian Embassy also issued a fresh advisory for the pilgrims and tour agencies, asking them to apprise themselves with the Ministrys standing advisory.

Also Read | Amarnath Yatra: Five killed, three injured in landslide on Baltal route in Jammu and Kashmir

All prospective pilgrims should note that Simikot and Hilsa in Nepal are extremely infrastructure lean places lacking basic medical, comfortable boarding and lodging facilities. Thus, they should get themselves medically examined before starting the Yatra as well as carry sufficient medicine for up to one month, the Embassy said in a statement released on Thursday.

The Embassy said that Simikot and Hilsa in Nepal were only connected to the rest of the world by air and there was no other medium to travel to these places.

Also, the dangerous terrain and route make it challenging to operate small aircraft and helicopters, therefore, there were high chances of pilgrims getting stranded in case of poor weather, the Embassy added.

The Kailash Mansarovar in Tibetan region of China is considered one of the holiest places by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. It is believed that Hindu Lord Shiva used to live at Kailash Mansarovar. Every year, hundreds of Indians undertake the yatra which involves trekking on dangerous terrain under unwelcoming conditions.

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Tokyo:

An explosion at a Japanese chemical plant has killed one person and injured several others, officials said.

At least a dozen people were injured after the incident at the facility in central Japan's Fukui prefecture, according to fire authorities.

"A total of 12 people were sent to hospitals after the explosion, one died and another is seriously injured," a fire station official told AFP.

Public broadcaster NHK said the plant manufactures pharmaceuticals and chemical agents, without specifying any further details. An image on NHK's website showed a hole on the plant's roof and some broken windows.

Yellow smoke was reportedly seen billowing from the plant after the explosion but there was no immediate indication that chemicals were leaking from the facility.

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New Delhi:

West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Thursday refuted BJP president Amit Shahs claim that the Narendra Modi-led government had given West Bengal Rs 3.6 lakh crore and Rs 2.85 crore on gross level.

The BJP chief made the claim at a public rally at Purulia district on Thursday, where he stated that despite the funding from the Centre, the people havent been able to enjoy any of the benefits and the BJP will oust the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) from the state in the next years Lok Sabha election.

West Bengal was given Rs 2.85 lakh crore in the 14th Finance Commission, but the amount was less on a net basis, said Mitra while speaking to the media in Kolkata.

Where is the word (in Shahs speech) about the debt restructuring the state has been demanding for long?, the finance minister asked and accused the Centre of drastically reducing its share in funding development projects.

Bengal is compelled to borrow due to the loans taken by the previous Left Front government, he said, adding that even the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) had pointed out that 30-35 per cent of the loan amount was being spent on development projects.

West Bengals spending on infrastructure was Rs 18,000 crore, Mitra said, adding that it had quadrupled under the TMC rule in the state.

He accused Shah of spreading blatant lies about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and defaming the states reputation and said, It is a shame that a person who has no political credibility is accusing Mamata Banerjee, who had been a seven-time MP and a chief minister.

Shah had even gone to the extent of linking Banerjees name with bomb-making, Mitra said, alleging that the BJP was destroying various institutions and that a neo-emergency-type situation was prevailing in the country.

The saffron party was practising divisive politics and not only the people of Bengal, but the entire country will reject it in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he said, adding, Of the last 11 bypolls, the people have rejected them in 10.

Describing the BJP as a militant organisation, Mitra said, What else can you say about them when the state unit chief of the party issues threats of killing and sending people to the crematorium in public.

Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had threatened to retaliate if the workers of his party were attacked by the TMC.

Banerjee too had described the BJP as a militant organisation engaged in dividing people along religious lines and dared it to attack her party.

(With inputs from agencies)

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New Delhi:

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday said mob lynching incidents were part of a conspiracy to create disturbance in the country.

There is a conspiracy to create disturbance in the country, VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain told reporters in Ahmedabad, referring to a string of mob lynching incidents and a spurt in anti-Dalit violence, including the caste riot at Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district in January.

Accusing the Congress for conspiring together with jihadists, Maoists and a section of Church, jain said they presented a false interpretation of the Supreme Court order to incite violence.

Those arrested in the Bhima-Koregaon violence have said they wanted to create disturbance and a violent environment to destabilise the country. I would blame the Congress, jihadists, Maoists and a section of Church for conspiring together. On social media, they presented a false interpretation of the Supreme Court order to incite violence, he said.

Jain was apparently referring to the apex courts order diluting some provisions of the stringent Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The VHP leader demanded that the Union government expose the conspiracy behind the anti-Dalit violence.

The Pune police had recently claimed that Maoists were behind the Bhima-Koregaon violence.

The VHP is taking this issue very seriously, and we are trying to create a new discourse, new narrative, and are also running self-help groups (for Dalits), Jain said.

Jain also said the VHP will chart its next action for the construction of a Ram Temple at Ayodhya after meeting religious leaders.

The VHP will chart its future course of action for the construction of a Ram Temple at Ayodhya after a meeting with religious leaders by August-end if the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case in the Supreme Court drags on, the VHP leader added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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New Delhi:

The high-octane political drama in the national capital region will come to an end as the Supreme Court on Wednesday will pronounce its verdict on the prolonged battle between Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmy Party (AAP) government and the Centre, represented by L-G Anil Baijal over the administrative power in Delhi.

A five-judge bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra will deliver its verdict in order to decide who should weid power in Delhi - Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal or L-G Anil Baijal.

In 2016, the Delhi government moved the apex court challenging Delhi High Court's order to hold the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal as the administrative head in Delhi.

The high court verdict, challenged by AAP had effectively made the "LG as the Viceroy of the British Crown".

During its arguments in court, the ruling AAP had accused the L-G of taking many executive decisions leaving the Delhi government out of the control over land, bureaucracy and police.

The Kejriwal government also alleged that the Centre is using L-G Baijal to rule the national capital region and blocking the state government's high ambitious plans on health, education and several other sectors.

The AAP also stressed on a "harmonious interpretation" of Article 239AA of the Constitution, which deals with power and status of Delhi.

Though the Lieutenant Governor appears to have primacy in Delhi, one of the seven Union territories of India, he cannot "sit over files", did not appear to have the powers to sit in judgment on the democratically-elected government's decisions, the court indicated during its hearing.

The Centre, on the other hand, raised questions over several "illegal" notifications, issued by the AAP government in Delhi. The notifications were challenged in the high court.

The developments came after Chief Minister Kejriwal along with his cabinet colleagues started a nine-day-long sit-in protest at the L-G residence in Delhi.

The protest was basically against the IAS officers who were allegedly holding an month-long unofficial strike and refusing to cooperate with the AAP ministers in the national capital region.

While L-G Baijal criticised the AAP dharna terming it 'unconstitutional', the protest saw several non-NDA political parties join hands to support Kejriwal in pressing his demands.

Amid anticipation for the Supreme Court verdict, the AAP has decided to open 3,000 centres across the city where signed forms in support of the party's full statehood demand for Delhi will be deposited by the party workers.

Under the campaign, the AAP workers will go door to door and collect signatures supporting their full statehood demand for Delhi.

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BEIJING: Sun Dau, a prominent billionaire in China, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. For the first time, such a harsh punishment has been given to a corporate owner. Let us tell you that Sun Dau is one of China's largest private agribusinesses, 67-year-old Sun has spoken many times on human rights and politically sensitive topics. China often vociferously accuses people who raise their voices against its policies in such a way that they have spread social unrest.

Other charges against Sun Dau include illegally occupying agricultural land, mobilizing mobs to attack state agencies, and preventing government employees from performing their duties. He was also fined 3.11 million yuan. Sun Dau's company is the largest company in China, with businesses ranging from meat processing and pet food to schools and hospitals. He was reportedly arrested along with 20 relatives and business associates over a land dispute with a farm run by the previous government.

According to media reports, at that time he said that dozens of his employees were injured in the incident with the police in the dispute. Sun is said to be close to some prominent persons against the Chinese government and has criticized the government's policies in the past.

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New Delhi: Reliance had tied up with Big Bazaar company Future Retail Limited (FRL) to acquire Big Bazaar, but Amazon had filed a petition in the apex court against the deal. The Supreme Court has completed its hearing in the case and reserved the verdict. In fact, reliance retail has a deal worth Rs 24,713 crores for the merger of Future Retail Limited (FRL). But earlier a deal was finalized with Amazon to sell to a subsidiary of Future Retail.

It was on this basis that U.S. giant e-commerce Amazon.com placed the case in the Emergency Arbitration (EA) LLC NV Investment Holdings. Amazon has told the court that Singapore's decision to prevent FRL from a merger deal with Reliance Retail is valid and should be implemented. Senior advocate Harish Salve on behalf of FRL and senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam on behalf of Amazon made their arguments in the case, after which a bench of Justices RF Nariman and BR Gavai said, "So now we close the case(hearing). The decision is reserved.'' Referring to the validity of the award's decision and decisions to be eligible for its implementation, Salve said there is no provision for emergency arbitration under Indian law on arbitration and conciliation and in no case has an arbitration agreement to this effect.

At the same time, Salve referred to a single Delhi High Court judge's order legalizing the emergency arbitration verdict, saying there was no provision for EA under Indian law. Gopal Subramaniam, on behalf of Amazon, said the future group's Biyani family had discussed with him to make some compromises and was forced to accept EA's decision to stop FRL from moving ahead with the merger deal with Reliance Retail. He reiterated that the EA decision should be implemented.

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A major forest fire in Turkeys Mediterranean district of Manavgat has left numerous people injured and one dead the countrys agriculture and forestry minister said late on July 28., Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli said.

Noting that most people who were injured due to smoke inhalation were discharged from hospitals, Pakdemirli said he visited the remaining five to six people who were hospitalized. "Unfortunately, wind conditions, low humidity and other factors are helping the fire spread. There are all kinds of reasons for fuelling the fire right now," the Minister said. Winds of up to 50 km an hour were fanning the flames and the smoke affected 53 people, Pakdemirli said, adding that an investigation has been launched to find out the cause of the blaze. TV footage showed firefighters are dumping water from helicopters on the burning buildings, but the flames have not been under control yet.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes as the forest fire is fanned by strong winds. The flames reached residential areas, but there was nothing to worry about in tourism areas, Manavgat Mayor Sukru Sozen said.

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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Afghanistan's repeated accusations against his country for being responsible for its worsening situation were unfortunate. He said Islamabad has always desired for peace and an inclusive government set up for its neighbour as it goes in favour of the two nations. Khan said Pakistan has been and continues to be willing to go to every extent required to ensure a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.

What the Taliban are doing or not doing has nothing to do with us and we are not responsible, neither are we the spokesperson of the Taliban," he said, adding that "Pakistan has always desired for peace in Afghanistan". However, he ruled out the use of force against the Taliban. "We believe that Afghanistan cannot be controlled from the outside. Our policy is to have the best relationship with whoever the people of Afghanistan choose," he said.

The Prime Minister regretted that his country is being blamed for the promoting and spreading unrest in Afghanistan, insisting that an unsettled Kabul was not in Islamabad's interest. "What interest would Pakistan possible have for a civil war in Afghanistan? We would do everything short of military action against the Taliban as doing so would only drag Pakistan into a conflict.

Khan also spoke about Pakistan's relationship with India, stating that Islamabad will not accept any participation of New Delhi in the Afghan peace process until the latter reverses what he called "illegal decisions of August 4, 2019".

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Writer and political commentator Saurabh speaking on the Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya programme aired on AP1 television on July 19 claimed that a postage stamp issued by the Nepal government in 1958 features a Nepal map with a pointed spur on the northwestern corner.

He made the claim in the context of the immediate past government issuing a new map of Nepal last year by including Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura areas within the Nepali territory. The inclusion of these areas, which are also claimed by India, has added a pointed spur on the northwestern corner of the Nepal map. Nepal adopted the map in June 2020 with the passage of a related bill by parliament.

As far as I remember, the postage stamp issued in 2015 BS [1958-59 AD] had a pointy map [of Nepal]. But, the Nepal map published in the postage stamp issued after 2017 BS [1960] doesnt have that pointy part. He [Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli] brought that pointy part back.

Saurabh, whose real name is Dinesh Satyal, made the claim while reviewing the three and a half years term of the immediate past government led by KP Sharma Oli.

South Asia Check examined the claim.

Postage stamps issued by the Nepal government in 2015 BS (1958-59 AD).

According to the Philatelic and Postal Management Office under the Department of Postal Services, two postage stamps were issued in 1958 and they do not contain the map of Nepal. One of them, Nepals first airmail postage stamp, has an image of a bird flying in the Kathmandu sky, and another issued to mark International Human Rights Day has the image of the Lumbini temple.

A map series of postage stamps issued in 1954 featuring the map of Nepal.

Likewise, a ticket issued in February 1959 to mark the first general elections has the national flag and Nepal map, but the map does not have the pointed spur. Other postage stamps issued in the same year do not have the Nepal map.

In 1954, a map series of postage stamps was issued featuring the map of Nepal, but none contains the pointed spur.

This information is from the publication titled Nepal Postage Stamp Catalogue 1881-2015. We also spoke to the president of Nepal Philatelic Society, Shankar Shrestha, who corroborated the aforementioned information. Therefore, writer Saurabhs claim that the postage stamp issued in 2015 BS featured a pointy map of Nepal is false.

This post first appeared on South Asia Check.
Workforce

A vaccine requirement for feds could get complicated

The White House is considering a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for federal employees, but any such move will create complications with workforce groups and in the area of labor-management relations, experts said.

President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday that a vaccination requirement for feds "is under consideration right now." He added: "If you're not vaccinated, you're not nearly as smart as I thought you were."

A source familiar with the matter told FCW that "no decision has been finalized," but "attestation of vaccination, which means confirming vaccination status or abiding by stringent COVID-19 protocols like mandatory mask wearing  even in communities not with high or substantial spread - and regular testing, for federal employees is one option under strong consideration."

The White House "is expected to share more details after completing policy review later this week," the source said.

The Washington Post, CNN and other news outlets have reported Tuesday evening that a vaccine requirement for federal employees and contractors will be released Thursday.

The Office of Management and Budget has already released guidance to agencies changing masking requirements for vaccinated federal workers, contractors and visitors in federal buildings, OMB confirmed with FCW. In areas with significant or high community spread, everyone needs to wear a mask. That currently involves the Washington, D.C. area -- and more guidance is forthcoming, OMB stated.

Nationwide, 69.1% of American adults have had at least one shot, according to the CDC. A mandate for federal employees would affect a large cohort: the Office of Personnel Management estimates there are 2.1 million civilian federal employees.

The news comes as the number of cases of and deaths from COVID-19 have been climbing. There is also growing concern about the Delta variant of the virus. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control issued guidance recommending that in areas with significant or high spread, fully vaccinated people mask indoors, reversing previous guidance.

Guidance for federal employees, released June 8, states that "COVID-19 vaccination should generally not be a pre-condition for employees or contractors at executive departments and agencies to work in-person in federal buildings, on federal lands, and in other settings as required by their job duties." That guidance also notes that "agencies should not require federal employees or contractors to disclose such information."

The rapid spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 and the slow pace of vaccination is having an impact on the "risk analysis" the government has to do about how to protect the health and wellbeing of employees, and how big of a risk feds are at in the office with coworkers with or without vaccinations or testing, said Stephanie Rapp-Tully, a partner at Tully Rinckey who specializes in federal employment law.

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it will require clinical staff to be vaccinated within eight weeks, citing the spread of the Delta variant. Those employees, fall under Title 38, a different categorization from most federal workers, Rapp-Tully noted.

The potential of a governmentwide requirement also follows the Monday release of a July 6 opinion from the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel that states that federal law "does not prohibit public or private entities from imposing vaccination requirements for vaccines that are subject to [Emergency Use Authorizations."

Currently, the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are operating under emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

Vaccine requirements could violate existing collective bargaining agreements with federal employee unions, Rapp-Tully said. Agreements often have provisions about testing requirements regarding drug testing, as well as sections about how feds can be removed from employment, that a mandate could contradict.

Unions also have statutory rights to bargain implementation and impact, which could involve how a vaccine mandate works, including who it covers and how it is enforced, said Ron Sanders, former chairman of the Federal Salary Council.

National president of the National Treasury Employees Union, Tony Reardon, told FCW in a statement that "should the federal government make a vaccination a condition of employment, our union will work to ensure that employees have adequate time to obtain the vaccine or, in some cases, provide the necessary medical or religious information about why they cannot."

Larry Cosme, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, which represents 30,000 federal law enforcement officers and agents, released a statement Wednesday saying the association is "concerned by any move that would mandate the COVID-19 vaccine among federal employees."

"Forcing people to undertake a medical procedure is not the American way and is a clear civil rights violation no matter how proponents may seek to justify it. We would therefore encourage the administration to work collaboratively with FLEOA and other federal employee groups to incentivize all federal employees to be vaccinated, rather than penalize those who do not," he said.

Regular testing as an alternative could also raise privacy questions, Rapp-Tully said. Depending on how often testing would be required and other specifics, there could be a question of how "burdensome" the requirement is for employees, and whether another less burdensome avenue exists to accommodate feds.

One potential: telework for unvaccinated feds who need accommodations.

"The federal government is going to have a hard time demonstrating that telework is not a reasonable accommodation for someone who cannot or does not want to be for religious reasons be vaccinated or submit to regular testing," Rapp-Tully said. She expects litigation on any potential mandate or directive and told FCW she's already fielding calls on the subject.
IT Modernization

Agencies have proposed more than $2B in TMF projects since new funding was approved

The Technology Modernization Fund is in high gear, meeting 10 hours each week to assess proposals and determine "from a top-down approach" which projects it could have the most impact on in terms of providing financial support, Federal CIO Clare Martorana testified at a House hearing on IT modernization on Wednesday.

Martorana, who serves as a chair of the TMF Board, told lawmakers on the Government Operations Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform that 108 project proposals have been submitted from 43 federal agencies following a $1 billion addition in funds included in the American Rescue Plan. That increase in capitalization to the revolving fund was accompanied by a relaxation of payback requirements that many agencies have found daunting.

Martorana testified that submitted projects so far exceed $2 billion, with proposals still coming in. At least 75% of the new project proposals submitted to the TMF Board focus on cyber, the federal CIO said.

"I am so bullish on the Technology Modernization Fund," Martorana said. "Now that we're in a 2.0 phase with the $1 billion dollars in the American Rescue Plan funding, I see enormous possibility."

The hearing was held to assess progress on implementation of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act and share the results of the latest FITARA scorecard, which gives agencies letter grades for performance in areas covered by the legislation.

"Throughout this pandemic, we've come to realize how vital agile IT and strong IT governance are to the success of the federal government in meeting the needs of the people we all serve," Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said at the hearing.

The latest results from that scorecard showed most agencies were just getting by with a passing "C" grade. Only one, the General Services Administration, received a score in the "A" range, with the agency earning a top "A+" rating.

Only four agencies improved their overall cyber posture so far this year, according to the latest scorecard review, while two have seen their ratings drop. The Department of Justice currently has a "D-" rating, a full letter drop from the "C-" score it received last year, while the Department of Veterans Affairs dropped to "C+" from the "B+" rating it received in December.

The vast majority of agencies maintained their previous scorecard ratings, with 18 in total receiving the same evaluation they earned at the end of 2020.

There were some improvements: The Department of Interior and the Social Security Administration went up full points, receiving two "B+" ratings. The State Department also received a slightly higher score of "C" from its previous "C-" rating.

Carol Harris, IT and cybersecurity director for the Government Accountability Office, and another witness at the subcommittee hearing said her office would work with lawmakers to continue investigating new ways FITARA can be implemented to improve governmentwide cybersecurity efforts, including the possibility of creating a new scorecard solely focused on cyber.

EIS transition

The FITARA scorecard also noted progress on the transition of agency networks to the new, $50 billion governmentwide Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contracts and moving off the old Networx contract. Agencies are expected to have 100% of their telecom inventory under EIS at the end of fiscal year 2022. Networx is set to expire at the end of May 2023.

According to the scorecard, 10 agencies received "A" grades for their transition off Networx, including the Departments of Health and Human Services, Justice, Agriculture and Labor, the Social Security Administration and the Small Business Administration. The Office of Personnel Management and NASA were the only agencies receiving an "F" grade.
FCW Insider: July 29, 2021

Unions and other employee groups are taking a look at what a vaccination requirement might mean for their members.

At a Senate hearing, the TSA administrator updated lawmakers on the implementation of two recent cybersecurity directives issued in the wake of the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline.

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 500,000 records requests from veterans.

Quick Hits

*** The Department of Defense revised its COVID-19 guidelines on July 28 to require masks for all service members, employees, contractors and visitors on facilities located in communities facing substantial or high COVID-19 transmission.

*** A White House national security memorandum issued July 28 calls on government agencies to issue performance goals covering the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure facilities and systems, "to further a common understanding of the baseline security practices that critical infrastructure owners and operators should follow to protect national and economic security, as well as public health and safety"

*** The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence passed Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 on a 16-0 vote. The legislation includes measures supporting the adoption of artificial intelligence and a framework to measure the success of the Trusted Workforce 2.0 security clearance initiative, according to a summary released by the committee.

*** A House panel wants to mandate reporting of vulnerabilities related to climate change and defensive cybersecurity capabilities in the industrial base. The House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee has proposed legislative language in a draft of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act that that would require the defense secretary to annually report the gaps or vulnerabilities facing technology and industrial contractors to Congress.
CALGARY, AB, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - AKITA Drilling Ltd. (TSX: AKT.A)

AKITA Drilling Ltd. Logo (CNW Group/AKITA Drilling Ltd.)

AKITA Drilling Ltd. (the "Company") announces results for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Improvements in demand for drilling services in both Canada and the United States continue as demand for oil increases with countries beginning to open up and economies starting to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Activity for AKITA increased 20% in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2020, which is a positive sign. In the second quarter of 2021, the company recorded a net loss of $6,108,000, compared to a net loss of $5,221,000 in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted funds flow from operations decreased to $1,056,000 in the second quarter of 2021 from $2,099,000 in the same period of 2020 and adjusted EBITDA decreased to $1,559,000 from $2,985,000 over the same period in 2020.

While the Company was more active in both Canada (159 operating days compared to 99) and the US (615 operating days compared to 544), lower day rates in the US, the mix of rigs working in Canada and increased selling and administrative costs had a negative effect on overall results in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2020.

Activity for AKITA's joint venture rigs improved to 112 operating days in the second quarter of 2021 compared to no operating days in the second quarter of 2020. These joint venture rigs are important to AKITA and our First Nations partners and we expect this to continue through the second half of the year.

Linda Southern-Heathcott, AKITA's Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer stated: "The industry is entering a period of increased activity and at AKITA we are focused on balancing continued cost control with readying the fleet and our crews for increased demand. We expect the second half of the year to be busier in both Canada and the United States for AKITA"

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Story continues

($Thousands except per share

For the three months ended June 30, For the six months ended June 30, amounts)

2021 2020 Change % Change 2021 2020 Change % Change Revenue





18,651 26,359 (7,708) (29%) 45,822 79,931 (34,109) (43%) Operating and maintenance

13,900 20,874 (6,974) (33%) 33,912 62,066 (28,154) (45%) expenses Operating margin



4,751 5,485 (734) (13%) 11,910 17,865 (5,955) (33%) Margin %





25% 21% 4% 19% 26% 22% 4% 18%























Adjusted EBITDA(1)



1,599 2,985 (1,386) (46%) 6,133 14,622 (8,489) (58%) Per share





0.04 0.08 (0.04) (50%) 0.15 0.37 (0.22) (59%)























Adjusted funds flow from

1,056 2,099 (1,043) (50%) 4,775 12,253 (7,478) (61%) operations(1) Per share





0.03 0.04 (0.01) (25%) 0.12 0.31 (0.19) (61%)























Net loss





(6,108) (5,221) (887) (17%) (9,759) (57,478) 47,719 83% Per share





(0.15) (0.13) (0.02) (15%) (0.25) (1.45) 1.20 83%























Capital expenditures



3,138 1,612 1,526 95% 4,742 5,139 (397) (8%)























Weighted average shares

39,608 39,608 - 0% 39,608 39,608 - 0% outstanding























Total assets



240,306 292,819 (52,513) (18%) 240,306 292,819 (52,513) (18%) Total debt





74,467 79,650 (5,183) (7%) 74,467 79,650 (5,183) (7%) (1)Non-GAAP Items











CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS







For the three months ended June 30, For the six months ended June 30,









2021 2020 Change % Change 2021 2020 Change % Change Canada





















Operating days

159 99 60 61% 650 712 (62) (9%)

Utilization

9% 5% 4% 80% 18% 17% 1% 6%

Revenue per operating day(1)(2) 26,453 50,505 (24,052) (48%) 28,194 33,239 (5,045) (15%)





















Operating and maintenance 18,629 41,061 (22,432) (55%) 20,442 25,538 (5,096) (20%) expenses per operating day(1)(2)

Operating margin per operating 7,824 9,444 (1,620) (17%) 7,752 7,701 51 1% day United States





















Operating days

615 544 71 13% 1,319 1,652 (333) (20%)

Utilization

40% 33% 7% 21% 43% 51% (8%) (16%)

Revenue per operating day(1) 27,374 39,342 (11,968) (30%) 27,114 37,097 (9,983) (27%)

Operating and maintenance 21,502 31,031 (9,529) (31%) 21,169 29,007 (7,838) (27%) expenses per operating day(1)

Operating margin per operating 5,872 8,311 (2,439) (29%) 5,945 8,090 (2,145) (27%) day (1)Non-GAAP Items

















(2)Includes AKITA's share of Joint Venture revenue and expenses.







United States Drilling Division

The active rig count in the US has continued to increase from the low of 244 rigs in August of 2020, to 470 rigs active at the end of June 2021. This increase has allowed the Company to get more rigs operating, however, industry activity is still very low when compared to historical averages.

Revenue in the US dropped to $16,835,000 for the second quarter of 2021, down from $21,402,000 in the same period in 2020. This drop in revenue is attributable to the decrease in revenue per day, which fell 30% between the two quarters. Demand in the US has not recovered enough to allow for day rate increases, as there is still an oversupply of premium drilling rigs in the US for the current demand. Operators are reluctant to increase capital budgets given the uncertainty around current oil prices and therefore demand for drilling services and the rates contractors are able to charge remain low.

Canadian Drilling Division

Activity in Canada, for AKITA and the industry, has begun to increase from the low seen in the second quarter of 2020. Higher oil prices and the expectation of increased demand for oil as the global economy reopens, have increased the demand for drilling services in Canada. Strong natural gas prices, averaging $3.001 in June of 2021 compared to $1.80 in June of 2020 and $0.70 in June of 2019, are also contributing to the increased demand for drilling services in Canada.

Canadian revenue of $4,206,000 in the second quarter of 2021 was 16% lower than in the second quarter of 2020 ($5,000,000), due to the mix of rigs operating in 2021 compared to 2020, with higher margin rigs working in the second quarter of 2020. Operating margin per operating day decreased to $7,824 in the second quarter of 2021 from $9,444 in the same period of 2020, due the mix of rigs working as already noted. Day rates have not increased materially since 2020 and demand will have to increase above current levels to allow for day rate increases. During the quarter, the Company received $927,000 from the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy, a Federal government program that has greatly assisted the Company through these challenging times.

FURTHER INFORMATION

This news release shall be used as preparation for reading the full disclosure documents. AKITA's unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 will be available on the AKITA website (www.akita-drilling.com) or via SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or can be requested in print from the Company.

____________________________ 1 Alberta Natural Gas Prices (CAD)

NON-GAAP ITEMS

This news release references Non-GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) items. Revenue per operating day, operating and maintenance expense per operating day, adjusted revenue, adjusted operating and maintenance expense, EBITDA and adjusted funds flow from operations are all considered Non-GAAP items. Management feels that these Non-GAAP items are useful in assessing the Company's performance. These terms do not have standardized meanings prescribed under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. For further information, see "Basis of Analysis in this MD&A and Non-GAAP Items" in AKITA's June 30, 2021 Management's Discussion & Analysis.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information.

The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions (including as may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic), and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company.

The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon.

Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE AKITA Drilling Ltd.

Cision

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LONDON, July 29, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a+" (Excellent) of Ocaso, S.A. Seguros y Reaseguros (Ocaso) (Spain). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect Ocasos balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

Ocasos balance sheet strength assessment is underpinned by risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The balance sheet strength assessment benefits from low dependence on reinsurance, excellent liquidity and absence of financial leverage. A partially offsetting factor is the deficiency of the legacy pre-1999 "decesos" (i.e., funeral expense insurance) reserves, following regulatory changes that occurred in 2015. The reserves continue to be strengthened annually, and the deficiency will reduce incrementally until 2033. This is a year before the original regulatory reserving schedule of 2034, with the company benefitting from the recent change in the Spanish mortality tables, which has reduced the total reserve deficiency.

Ocaso has a track record of strong operating performance, supported by very stable and profitable underwriting performance, demonstrated by a five-year (2016-2020) weighted average combined ratio of 83.5%. Profitability of the life business continues to be affected adversely by reserve strengthening of the run-off book of business that contains policies with high guarantees. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the technical performance of the decesos book modestly, given the associated increase in mortality rates. Despite this, the technical result has remained resilient and AM Best expects Ocasos operating performance to remain strong over the medium term.

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Ocaso has a well-established competitive position in Spain, where it benefits from a recognised brand and a broad distribution network. The company has a defensible profile in its domestic market as a leading insurer of decesos, in which it has a stable customer base. Approximately 97% of Ocasos underwriting revenue was sourced from Spain in 2020. Although this high concentration to the domestic market is a potential source of earnings volatility, Ocaso has demonstrated its ability to produce resilient results, even during periods of recession and most recently, a pandemic.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005862/en/

Contacts

Marving Lopez

Associate Financial Analyst

+44 20 7397 4389

marving.lopez@ambest.com



Jessica Botelho-Young, CA

Associate Director, Analytics

+44 20 7397 0310

jessica.botelho@ambest.com



Christopher Sharkey

Manager, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com



Jim Peavy

Director, Communications

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644

james.peavy@ambest.com
Logo: AutoCanada Inc. (CNW Group/AutoCanada Inc.)

EDMONTON, AB, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - AutoCanada Inc. ("AutoCanada" or the "Company") (TSX: ACQ), a multi-location North American automobile dealership group, announced that it will release its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 after the close of markets. The Company will hold a conference call and webcast to discuss the results on Thursday, August 12, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Mountain Time (11:00 a.m. Eastern Time).

The conference call will include prepared remarks from AutoCanada's management team. After the prepared remarks, the Company will accept questions from analysts and institutional investors.

Date: August 12, 2021



Time: 9:00 a.m. MT (11:00 a.m. ET)



Call: 1.888.664.6392 (Canada and USA)

Participants are asked to call at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. For those unable to participate on the live call, a replay will be made available until Thursday, August 19, 2021 by dialing 1.888.390.05411 (Canada and USA), passcode 112625. The public is invited to listen to the live conference call or the replay.

This conference call will be webcast live over the internet and can be accessed by all interested parties at the following URL: https://investors.autocan.ca/investors/q22021-presentation/

For those unable to listen during the live webcast, an audio replay will be available shortly after the conclusion of the conference call for a period of 90 days.

About AutoCanada

AutoCanada is a leading North American multi-location automobile dealership group currently operating 66 franchised dealerships, comprised of 27 brands, in eight provinces in Canada as well as a group in Illinois, USA. AutoCanada currently sells Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, FIAT, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Infiniti, Nissan, Hyundai, Subaru, Audi, Volkswagen, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, MINI, Volvo, Toyota, Lincoln, Honda and Porsche branded vehicles. Additionally, the Company's Canadian operations segment currently operates one used vehicle dealership supporting the Used Digital Retail Division, and two stand-alone collision centres (within our group of 17 collision centres). In 2020, our dealerships sold approximately 66,000 vehicles and processed over 756,000 service and collision repair orders in our 1,098 service bays generating revenue in excess of $3 billion.

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Additional information about AutoCanada Inc. is available at www.sedar.com and the Company's website at www.autocan.ca.

SOURCE AutoCanada Inc.

Cision

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The pristine Milford Sound in the deep south of New Zealand is one of the countrys top tourist destinations (Bevan Hurley)

In the event of a global catastrophe that causes the breakdown of civilisation as we know it, the best place to see out the apocalypse would be New Zealand, according to a new study.

The country famed for its spine-tingling Maori war dance, sheep-filled fields and crisp Sauvignon Blanc would best withstand societal collapse, researchers have concluded.

A team at Anglia Ruskin Universitys Global Sustainability Institute examined the impact of natural and man-made disasters such as climate change, financial collapse or, say, a pandemic caused by a deadly air-borne virus, to reach its findings.

Far-flung island nations with mild weather, low per-capita populations that are well spread out, and which also have stable agricultural sectors and the ability to harness renewable energy, scored well in the survey.

The ability to control unwanted immigration was also a plus.

Other places to score well in the survey included Iceland, Tasmania, a small island just off the south coast of mainland Australia, and Ireland.

Of surprise to the study authors was how highly the United Kingdom scored on the "self-sufficiency" analysis with its "abundant indigenous renewable and non-renewable energy sources, modern high-tech economy and large manufacturing capacity".

The institute warned that this doomsday scenario may be a lot closer than some might believe, describing human civilisation as in a "perilous state".

Perhaps for that reason, billionaires and others with the means to do so have been buying bunker-like properties in New Zealand for some time.

Among those to purchase boltholes are billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who bought a 193-hectare estate near the South Island resort town of Wanaka in 2015.

Since he was granted New Zealand citizenship in 2017 after only spending 12 days in the country, the Donald Trump-backing Thiel has scarcely been seen at the property, according to media reports.

Titanic director James Cameron moved permanently to New Zealand nearly a decade ago and continues to work on Avatar sequels from his reclusive 1,500-acre organics farm in the Wairarapa, near the capital city Wellington.

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Former Today presenter Matt Lauer also purchased a 16,000-acre $9.2 million ranch near Wanaka in 2017.

To purchase sensitive property in New Zealand, non-citizens have to seek approval from the countrys Overseas Investment Office.

Professor Aled Jones, one of the studys authors, said he didnt expect the UK to perform strongly but was not surprised to see New Zealand at the top of the list.

Prof Jones said major global food losses, a financial crisis and a pandemic had all happened in recent years, and weve been lucky that things havent all happened at the same time.

As you start to see these events happening, I get more worried. I hope we can learn more quickly than we have in the past that resilience is important, he said.

With everyone talking about building back better from the pandemic, if we dont lose that momentum I might be more optimistic than I have been in the past.

However, Prof Jones also warns that theres no real reason why potential crises cant all happen in the same year.

The study, published in the journal Sustainability earlier this month, said: The globe-spanning, energy-intensive industrial civilisation that characterises the modern era represents an anomalous situation when it is considered against the majority of human history.

Agencies contributed to this report

Read More

New Zealand scientists say UKs awful experiment on Covid will threaten the country

George Soros: Coronavirus endangers our civilisation

Why we need to give New Zealand sauvignon blanc a second chance

UK weather warning  live: Storm Evert to hit as Met Office warns country not prepared for climate crisis

Climate crisis intensifying conflicts between humans and wildlife

Founder of Tesla competitor Nikola faces securities fraud charges linked to electric vehicle start-up
CAIRO - July 29 (Reuters) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, spoke by phone on Thursday and said they backed Tunisian institutions in the country's quest to achieve stability and security, Egypt's foreign ministry said.

The two countries stressed the importance of respecting the Tunisian people's will, it said in a statement.

They also discussed the situation in Lebanon and stressed the importance of the formation of a government there as soon as possible. (Reporting by Alaa Swilam; Editing by Nick Macfie)
This press release is issued pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 62-104  Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids and National Instrument 62-103  The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues.



NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Electrum Strategic Opportunities Fund II L.P. (Electrum) has sold, pursuant to the terms of certain share purchase agreements dated July 29, 2021 (the Purchase Agreements), 4,411,764 common shares (the Purchased Shares) of Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. (the issuer) to certain third-party purchasers (the Transaction) for $0.27 per Purchased Share for a total purchase price of $1,191,176.28 (the Purchase Price).

As a result of the Transaction, Electrum currently owns no common shares and 8,823,529 warrants (Warrants) representing 15.3% of the issued and outstanding common shares (Common Shares) upon the exercise of the Warrants (assuming that all of the Warrants owned by Electrum immediately following the Closing are exercised and that no other securities, including those convertible into, or exercisable for, Common Shares, are issued, converted or exercised). Electrum Global Holdings L.P., a joint actor (as such term is defined in National Instrument 62-103  The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues) of Electrum, owns 250,000 Common Shares representing 0.51% of the Common Shares of the issuer.

The Common Shares referred to above were sold pursuant to the Purchase Agreements and Electrum and/or one or more of its affiliates may, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease its beneficial ownership of Common Shares or other securities of the issuer whether in the open market, by privately negotiated agreement or otherwise.

The issuer is located at 320-800 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2V6. Electrum is located at 535 Madison Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10022, USA. A copy of the early warning report to which this news release relates can be obtained from Michael Williams (646-365-1600) or on the SEDAR profile of the issuer at www.sedar.com.

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CALGARY, AB, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Ensign Energy Services Inc. ("Ensign") and Nabors Industries Ltd. ("Nabors") are pleased to announce the completion of the purchase by Ensign of the fleet of 35 land-based drilling rigs owned by Nabors' Canadian subsidiary, as well as related equipment, inventory, and real property (the "Transaction"), for a purchase price of CDN $117,500,000 (approximately US $93,250,000). All closing conditions, including the receipt of a "no-action letter" from the Competition Bureau confirming that the Commissioner of Competition does not intend to challenge the Transaction, were satisfied.

RH (Bob) Geddes, Ensign's President and Chief Operating Officer, commented on the acquisition: "We are thrilled to welcome our new employees to the Ensign team and look forward to the smooth integration of both field and office employees. With our now expanded high-spec drilling fleet in Canada, we look forward to leveraging these strong assets and the combined knowledge and experience of our highly trained workforce in the continuing delivery of high-quality performance, safety, and service to our customers."

About Ensign

Ensign is a global leader in oilfield services, headquartered out of Calgary, Alberta, operating in Canada, the United States, and Internationally. We are one of the world's premium land-based drilling and well-servicing contractors serving crude oil, natural gas, and geothermal operators around the globe. Our premium services include contract drilling, directional drilling, underbalanced and managed pressure drilling, rental equipment, well servicing, and production services. Please visit our website at ensignenergy.com.

Ensign's Common Shares are publicly traded through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol ESI.

About Nabors

Nabors is a leading provider of advanced technology for the energy industry. With operations in approximately 20 countries, Nabors has established a global network of people, technology and equipment to deploy solutions that deliver safe, efficient and sustainable energy production. By leveraging its core competencies, particularly in drilling, engineering, automation, data science and manufacturing, Nabors aims to help shape the future of energy and enable the transition to a lower carbon world. Learn more about Nabors and its 100-year history of energy technology leadership: www.nabors.com.

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Nabors' Common Shares are publicly traded through the facilities of the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol NBR.

Advisory Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Forwardlooking information, or forwardlooking statements, have been included in this news release to provide information about the Transaction. This information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forwardlooking statements are typically identified by words such as "subject to", ''anticipate'', ''expect'', ''project'', ''estimate'', ''forecast'', ''plan'', ''intend'', ''target'', ''believe'', "likely" and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forwardlooking information or statements in this news release include statements with respect to the Transaction and expected regulatory approval and satisfaction of all closing conditions.

Although Ensign and Nabors believe these forwardlooking statements are reasonable based on the information available on the date such statements are made and processes used to prepare the information, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forwardlooking statements. By their nature, these statements involve a variety of assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. All subsequent forwardlooking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to Ensign, Nabors and the Transaction are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.

SOURCE Ensign Energy Services Inc.

Cision

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The Six Gynecological Procedures Took Place Earlier This Month at Pacifica Salud Hospital in Panama City, Panama

DUBLIN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), the global leader in medical technology, today announced the first gynecological (GYN) procedures with the Hugo robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system. The six cases included hysterectomies and myomectomies performed by Salomon Zebede, M.D., and Juan Carlos Lopez, M.D., last week at Pacifica Salud Hospital in Panama City, Panama.

Salomon Zebede, M.D., a urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgeon and member of the robotic department at Pacifica Salud Hospital in Panama, gets ready to perform one of the first gynecologic procedures with the Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system.

Advancing access for women to minimally invasive surgical care is a great responsibility & privilege. -Megan Rosengarten

"As the cornerstone of our new robotic surgery program, the Hugo RAS system is playing a critical role in bringing the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to more patients in our region," said Dr. Zebede. "It was energizing to perform the very first GYN procedure with the Hugo system, and encouraging to experience firsthand the possibility this technology brings to women's health."

Globally, more than 60% of hysterectomies are performed as open procedures,1 even though minimally invasive surgery offers fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and faster return to normal activities.2-4

Pacifica Salud is the latest institution to join Medtronic's Partners in Possibility Program, a group of pioneering hospitals that will be among the first in the world to use the Hugo RAS system. Earlier this month, the hospital announced its first five urological cases with the Hugo RAS system. Pacifica Salud is also an early adopter of Touch Surgery Enterprise, a cloud-based surgical video capture solution that allows surgeons to seamlessly record, analyze, and share surgical video.

"We are witnessing the dawn of a new era in robotic surgery," said Mr. Rafael Cohen, CEO of Pacifica Salud. "That is made possible by the Hugo system, our partnership with Medtronic, and our talented team at Pacifica Salud."

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The Hugo RAS system  Medtronic's solution to historic cost and utilization barriers that have kept surgical robotics out of reach for many hospitals  is a modular, multi-quadrant platform designed for a broad range of soft-tissue procedures. In June, Medtronic announced the first clinical procedures with the Hugo system took place in Santiago, Chile. That marked the beginning of the Hugo RAS system patient registry, which is collecting clinical data to support regulatory submissions around the world.

"As an OB/GYN, I'm incredibly passionate about advancing women's health and wellbeing through less invasive solutions that improve outcomes and enable a better quality of life," said Carla Peron, M.D., chief medical officer of the Surgical Robotics business, which is part of Medical Surgical Portfolio at Medtronic. "The first GYN procedures with the Hugo RAS system represent an exciting step toward expanding access to more treatment options, including the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery, to women everywhere."

Medtronic has a longstanding history of making a positive impact on women's health through technology. The Hugo RAS system joins a portfolio of gynecological products designed to enable less invasive surgical treatment of a range of conditions including abnormal uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, and endometrial cancer.

"I'm proud of the work we're doing at Medtronic with our healthcare partners around the world to improve women's health," said Megan Rosengarten, president of Surgical Robotics. "Advancing access for women to minimally invasive surgical care is a great responsibility and privilege, which makes today's announcement about the Hugo system all the more meaningful."

The Hugo RAS system is not cleared or approved in the U.S. or Europe. Regulatory requirements of individual countries and regions will determine availability and approval or clearance timelines. Touch Surgery Enterprise is available in the U.S. and Europe; it is not intended to direct surgery, or aid in diagnosis or treatment of a disease or condition.

For more information, visit medtronic.com/hugo.

About Medtronic

Medtronic plc ( www.medtronic.com ), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies  alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Based on internal estimates and Medtronic report, FY20 market model: procedural volume data. Fitch K, Engel T, Bochner A. Cost differences between open and minimally invasive surgery. Managed Care. 2015 Sep;24(9):408. Tiwari MM, Reynoso JF, High R, Tsang AW, Oleynikov D. Safety, efficacy, and cost effectiveness of common laparoscopic procedures. Surg Endosc. 2011;25(4):1127-1135. Roumm AR, Pizzi L, Goldfarb NI, Cohn H. Minimally invasive: minimally reimbursed? An examination of six laparoscopic surgical procedures. Surg Innovation. 2005;12(3):261287.

Contacts:





Gary Jeanfaivre Ryan Weispfenning Public Relations Investor Relations +1-203-833-2104 +1-763-505-4626

Touch Surgery Enterprise is a cloud-based surgical video capture solution that allows surgeons to seamlessly record, analyze, and share surgical video.

The Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system from Medtronic is a modular, multi-quadrant platform for soft-tissue robotic-assisted surgery.

Medtronic plc (PRNewsfoto/Medtronic plc)

Cision

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SOURCE Medtronic plc
(Bloomberg) -- Even as Chinas regulatory crackdown sparks investor jitters toward the corporate sectors outlook, one part of the loan market is signaling confidence that the nations companies will continue to grow.

Debt deals in which arrangers guarantee the entire commitment before syndication have been climbing in China and Hong Kong. So-called underwritten loans suggest arrangers optimism in the prospects of borrowers, since the managers will be stuck with more of the debt than they intended to hold if not enough creditors subscribe to it in the primary market. They may need to sell it at a cheaper price later to investors.

Those financings raised outside of mainland China for Chinese and Hong Kong firms increased 35% to $9 billion in the first half of 2021 compared with a year earlier, the highest since the first six months of 2019, Bloomberg-compiled data show. At least two deals have been signed so far in July, with bankers saying that more are likely on the way this year.

The popularity of the loans is a sign that in spite of market turmoil in China as regulators clamp down on industries from technology to property, investors are confident that the economy will continue to expand and support the corporate sector as a whole. Chinese firms reported better earnings for the first half, with profit margins for companies on the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index rising to 10.1% from 9.76% in 2020.

Bankers like underwritten loans because offering them can help them get mandates in a competitive market and they typically earn more fees than regular debt deals.

But demand for them could falter if Chinas regulatory crackdown weighs on corporate activity. The curbs have already prompted a decrease in Chinese companies use of debt to pay for overseas mergers and acquisitions, with such debt on track to shrink to a seven-year low.

Read more: China Crackdown Wrecks Demand for Loans to Finance Overseas M&A

For now, ample liquidity in the loan market has kept bankers optimistic about the outlook of underwritten loans for Chinese firms as the nations economic recovery looks set to continue.

Story continues

Signs are emerging that China wants to reassure investors about the outlook for financal markets.

Chinas strengthening economy provides a guarantee and foundation for capital market development, official Xinhua said after a clampdown on online tutoring firms fueled an equities rout. And the securities regulator convened a meeting with major investing banks, including international lenders, on Wednesday night to assuage concerns that the nations recent policies targeting the education sector would hurt other industries.

The loan markets liquidity has rebounded so far in 2021, according to Andrew Ashman, head of loan syndicate for Asia Pacific at Barclays Bank PLC. He says appetite for underwritten loans now matches levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic

(Adds Xinhua comment and China meeting with banks in second-to-last paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Next Digital, the parent company of the defunct tabloid Apple Daily, has been engaging in illegal and fraudulent activities, Hong Kong's government said as it announced a rare appointment of an inspector under the Companies Act to probe the firm's finances

Clement Chan Kam-wing, the managing director for assurance of the accounting firm BDO, has been appointed as inspector to investigate allegations of fraud in the operations of Next Digital Limited, the publisher of Apple Daily, according to Hong Kong's top financial official.

"There are issues that show that the senior management engaged in unlawful and fraudulent activities within the company," Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Wednesday during a press conference. "The management allegedly breached its fiduciary duties. [The company's] corporate governance appeared not to have met the standard of listed companies." The appointment of the inspector was the first since Richard Farrant was picked in 1999 by the government to investigate the collapse of Peregrine Holdings during the 1997 Asia Financial Crisis. It followed the June 30 announcement by Next Digital about ceasing operation, only to retract the statement two days later with an apology to employees.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Copies of the Apple Daily newspaper at a newspaper stall after it looked set to close for good by Saturday following police raids and the arrest of executives in Hong Kong on June 22, 2021. Photo: Reuters alt=Copies of the Apple Daily newspaper at a newspaper stall after it looked set to close for good by Saturday following police raids and the arrest of executives in Hong Kong on June 22, 2021. Photo: Reuters

"Suspicions surround the company's disclosure of its status," Chan said. "While [Next Digital] claimed it had sufficient internal resources to keep operations running, it abruptly closed Apple Daily within a week."

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As of September 30 last year, the group had a total of 2,095 employees, of whom 1,228 were in Hong Kong, 866 were in Taiwan and one in the US, according to its 2020 interim report. The unprofitable company claimed its average net circulation per issue stood at 86,189 copies per day between April and September 2020.

Next Digital's founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was charged with colluding with foreign forces under the national security law, arriving at the Court of Final Appeal in Central on February 9, 2021. Photo: Sam Tsang alt=Next Digital's founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was charged with colluding with foreign forces under the national security law, arriving at the Court of Final Appeal in Central on February 9, 2021. Photo: Sam Tsang

Apple Daily closed abruptly on June 23 after the Chinese-language newspaper became a subject of a crackdown under the national security law. The now-defunct newspaper, founded by Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, was accused of publishing more than 30 articles calling for foreign sanctions on Hong Kong and mainland China.

About a week before the newspaper's closure, Hong Kong authorities froze HK$18 million (US$2.3 million) worth of assets kept in the publisher's bank accounts and warned the company not to handle any related transactions. Next Digital refrained from using internal resources - totalling hundreds of millions of dollars - to pay for the wages of Apple Daily's staff or the bills of its suppliers for fear of breaching the national security law, sources familiar with the matter told South China Morning Post.

On July 22, Next Digital said its unaudited bank and cash balances shrank by HK$183.6 million, or 35 per cent, to HK$337.8 million as of May 31 from the end of March. The money was held at various bank accounts registered under the company's subsidiaries, including those in the frozen bank accounts of three affected subsidiaries, under the Secretary for Security's order in relation to alleged national security offences.

The drop in the bank balance was also due to the April 1 repayment of a shareholder's loan totalling HK$150 million to founder Lai and operational expenses incurred from April to May. A total of nine former Apple Daily personnel including Lai is facing charges of national security law.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Kiyoshi Matsuura was so worried about growing old that he started using an anti-baldness treatment as a teenager.It was an obsession that went on to define his life. The Japanese entrepreneur continued to experiment with various supplements and other products, and founded his own company dedicated to fighting the ravages of time about 12 years ago.Premier Anti-Aging Co. went public in Tokyo in October and quickly became one of Japans best-performing stocks. Its more than tripled
(Bloomberg) -- Investors sent Peruvian bonds sliding in the aftermath of President Pedro Castillos inaugural call for a new constitution and choice of prime minister.

Perus dollar bonds due in a century are the second-worst performers in the world on Thursday, beating only serial-defaulter Belize, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Meanwhile, the yield on the benchmark bond due in 2031 rose to the highest since the close on June 16, a day after the final vote count showed Marxist party-backed Castillo winning the election. The cost of insuring the nations debt against default has climbed six basis points since his speech Wednesday, reaching the highest level in over a month. Perus local markets are closed for a national holiday.

While Castillo had hinted at more centrist economic policies toward the end of his campaign, the former school teacher took some investors by surprise, appointing a hard-liner from the Peru Libre party to be his prime minister and bolstering the influence of the Marxist group.

The trade in Peru was to be underweight before elections, then overweight afterward as most of the volatility was priced in, said Guido Chamorro, an investor at Pictet Asset Management in London. Now that the president has been sworn in, I think its about reducing those overweights. Its downhill until we can see the ability of Congress to stop some of these measures.

A day after taking office, Castillo named Congressman Guido Bellido to be his prime minister during a symbolic speech to commemorate the nations 200 years of independence. Bellido has praised Cubas communist government and denied its a dictatorship. Hes also a close ally of Peru Libre founder Vladimir Cerron.

Markets had already soured to Castillo following Wednesdays inaugural speech in which he said the country needed to embark on a constitutional referendum, recover sovereignty over its natural resources and renegotiate free-trade deals.

Policy Direction in Question

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Theres a lot of tension within Castillos coalition as we would have expected, and investors should get used to that. A lot of this is policy making is going to get made on the fly, said Gorky Urquieta, an investor at Neuberger Berman in Atlanta, whose firm holds about $30 billion in emerging-market debt. Local markets have repriced lower and are more attractive than the external debt now, he said.

Peruvian stocks and bonds plunged over the last three months as polls before the vote showed Castillo leading rival Keiko Fujimori. But the new presidents market-friendly economic advisers and the narrow margin of victory brought relief to investors who saw him as a threat to the macroeconomic policies that have made Peru one of Latin Americas havens. Shortly before his inauguration, Castillo delayed the appointment of his cabinet, once again raising doubts over the policy direction his administration will take.

Theres little space for moderation, said Alejandro Arreaza, an economist at Barclays in New York. He has an radical opposition against him and a party led by Cerron, which has a very clear ideological agenda. If Castillo moderates, he loses support from the party and hes left in the hands of the opposition, which at any moment can try to impeach him.

Low Debt Levels

Former World Bank economist Pedro Francke, who was named Castillos main economic adviser just days before the vote, is reassuring investors that his new boss isnt like Venezuelas Hugo Chavez, whose economic policies set up the stage for the countrys worst recession in decades.

But Thursdays selloff in 100-year debt suggests investors are concerned about the long-term. Thats a very different attitude from when the debt sold in November, just a week after a new president took over following massive social unrest. It was the lowest-yielding century bond ever auctioned by an emerging-market government.

Peru stands out as a good investment among peers in the developing world due to its low debt levels, strong institutions and a robust economy -- even if theres a shift in policy, Dan Shaykevich, the co-head of emerging-market and sovereign bonds at Vanguard Group Inc., said in an interview Wednesday.

We view Peru as a strong credit, said Shaykevich. Strong credits are in a good position to absorb any kind of volatility that comes from policy uncertainty.

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Whether you need to generate ARPA proposals or are looking for a proven method to evaluate and prioritize proposals, the ResourceX concepts and tools offer a full-scale and transparent process for implementation.

DENVER, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ResourceX has assembled a comprehensive approach to develop an ARPA strategy and act on your ARPA plan. Through the ResourceX OnlinePBB software, organizations can create proposals or upload an existing list of proposals.

ResourceX enables local governments to achieve outcomes and impact change at the program level. ResourceX's Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) platform is a leading best practice in local government and can be a powerful lever for change in your community. ResourceX provides the software solution and powerful analytic tools to create program based business intelligence and implement a priority based budget using data and evidence to transparently and exponentially improve results for your community. (PRNewsfoto/ResourceX)

Through this customizable toolset:

Evaluate each proposal with important criteria such as level of complexity or a specific category of Treasury Guidance.

Develop a narrative around each proposal by completing a set of customized proposal evaluation metrics specific to your community.

Apply a scoring method that allows for complete customization of scoring parameters and returns a prioritized list of proposals to consider and incorporate into your budget.

The data created and stored with each proposal is aggregated into an easy-to-use PDF report for budget meetings and Treasury reporting.

ResourceX is hosting a workshop that will demonstrate how local government organizations are already putting this framework into action to ensure their ARPA funds are applied in a manner aligned with Treasury Guidance and their community's priorities.

This is a chance of a lifetime to make sure that we take this bounty of resources and deploy them to make a tremendous difference. At the same time, we have pressures around what is actually eligible. There are other pressures to get resources out the doors as quickly as possible.

For all of those reasons, we understand that this has not been easy to process and to understand what is the best way to use the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of us.

-Chris Fabian, CEO, ResourceX

Join ResourceX for this opportunity to pursue a pathway to action, a true framework for developing and implementing your ARPA strategy. Chris Fabian, ResourceX Co-founder and CEO, will lead this webinar Tuesday, August 10, 2021, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM CST. Learn more and register here.

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ResourceX

Organizations need a reliable, repeatable process that creates accessible data to apply to their decision-making process. The ability to communicate budget decisions increases trust and accountability between citizens and the local government entity. The framework OnlinePBB is built upon provides an important foundation for improving the ability to communicate those decisions.

Contact:

Liz Johnston

Marketing

ljohnston@resourcex.net

www.resourcex.net

Cision

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SOURCE ResourceX
Luxury lodge in Sri Lanka set to fully re-open on October 1, 2021 with special offers

AUGUSTA, Ga., July 29, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aggressor Adventures announces today its five-star Sri Lanka Safari Lodge will re-open October 1, 2021 with special rates for travel October 3 through December 26, 2021 including:

5 days/4 nights back-to-back add on Adventure when booked with the Maldives Aggressor II or Red Sea Aggressor II or III for $999.

7 days/6 nights exploring the wonders of Sri Lanka for $1,250.

"Our team is so excited to welcome guests back to the Lodge and to share the wonder of Sri Lanka once again," says Wayne Brown, CEO of Aggressor Adventures. "With the largest concentration of leopards and sloth bears in Sri Lanka, and up to 5,000 elephants, an Aggressor safari offers close-up experiences not found anywhere else in the world. With our industry-leading health and safety protocols, guests will have peace of mind along with a truly unforgettable adventure."

About the Safari Lodge

The Aggressor Safari Lodge in Sri Lanka offers luxury accommodations, personalized service and intimate experiences. Guests will enjoy being surrounded by nature from each of the eight beautifully decorated, spacious and air-conditioned tented chalets with en-suite facilities and hotel-room-like luxuries. The lodge also includes a swimming pool, two bars, outdoor fire pit for evening gatherings, and the private and tented Aliya Bush Restaurant that features accomplished chefs cooking local dishes with produce from surrounding villages and farms.

Tucked away on six acres on the Kala Oya River, the third longest river in Sri Lanka, the lodge is home to a variety of brilliant and rare native wildlife and other exotic birds protected on the property. Nearby world-renowned Wilpattu and Minneriya National Parks offer guests excellent photography opportunities and wildlife viewing, including Sri Lankan leopards, Sri Lankan sloth bears, buffalo, and sambar, axis, and spotted deer. Minneriya National Park has the largest concentration of Asian elephants that exists today. Also, the park houses two endemic monkey species of Sri Lanka, the purple-faced langur and the toque macaque.

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The Sri Lanka Safari Lodge is near two national parks, two World Heritage Sites, and the famous Smithsonian Primate Research Centers Monkey Kingdom, all included in itineraries available when booking.

About Aggressor Adventures

Since 1984, Aggressor Adventures has offered travelers liveaboard scuba and snorkeling charters, luxury river cruises and exotic wildlife safaris. Worldwide locations the company explores include Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, Cocos Island, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Galapagos, Hawaii, Indonesia, Maldives, Mexico, Oman, Philippines, Palau, Red Sea, Roatan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Turks and Caicos. The companys Clean, Refresh, Sanitize safety standards are industry leading. For more information, visit www.aggressor.com or call (800) 348-2628 or (706) 993-2531.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005790/en/

Contacts

For media inquiries or photos, contact:

Aggressor Adventures

Anne Hasson

anne@aggressor.com

(800) 348-2628 or (706) 993-2531
Exclusive Opportunity to Introduce the Rritual Superfoods Difference to Top Buyers

VANCOUVER, BC, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Rritual Superfoods Inc. ("Rritual" or the "Company") (CSE: RSF) (FSE: 0RW) (OTC: RRSFF) is excited to announce that the Company has been chosen to participate in the Kroger Natural & Organic Innovation Summit, a highly exclusive opportunity to meet with top buyers on a direct basis.

Rritual superfoods Logo (CNW Group/Rritual Superfoods Inc.)

"Kroger, the top grocer in the USA, is holding a focused summit on natural & organic products in an effort to bring the best of the best to their customers, and we are thrilled that Rritual has been chosen to participate," said Mr. David Kerbel, Rritual Superfoods CEO and Director. "Our team has done a tremendous job, raising awareness within Kroger to put us in position to meet some 65 influential buyers and establish the Rritual brand as we advance our sales campaign to put our products within arm's reach of every consumer in the country."

The Kroger Co., operates 2,750 grocery retail stores, serving nearly 11 million customers a day across the United States. The Kroger Natural & Organic Innovation Summit is an exclusive event where approximately 65 buyers meet one on one with selected brands, including Rritual Superfoods, and where Rritual's sales team will have the opportunity to share in-depth knowledge on product characteristics and benefits and discuss the growing superfoods category.

Rritual product offerings are all USDA-certified organic and are a caffeine-free option that can be mixed with other beverages or enjoyed by itself. Rritual's proprietary Immune-Synergy Six Mushroom Blend is the only functional health product on the market that contains a daily prebiotic blend which nourishes a healthy gut microbiome and facilitates balanced digestive function.

About Rritual

Rritual is a fast-growing functional superfood company that creates natural wellness products which support a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle. The company is poised to dominate a segment where demand and sales are growing exponentially. Under the executive leadership with over 100 years of CPG pedigree, Rritual has launched distribution to major retailers and is positioning itself as a leader in the functional health and wellness industry as a superfood platform. Rritual markets organic wellness products in the United States through initial retail rollout which includes over 10,000 points of sale and through www.rritual.com.

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Follow Rritual on Twitter , LinkedIn , Facebook , and Instagram .

Functional Foods Market

According to Grandview Research*, it is estimated that the global functional food market is projected to reach $275 billion by 2025, growing at 7.9% each year with consumers putting more emphasis on health and wellness.





*https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-functional-foods-market





Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements") that relate to Rritual's current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "expects", "will continue", "is anticipated", "anticipates", "believes", "estimated", "intends", "plans", "forecast", "projection", "strategy", "objective" and "outlook") are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. In particular and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Company's plans to leverage third party manufacturing and logistics, the Company's broader retail distribution plans and the Company's other plans, focus and objectives.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Rritual's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact and progression of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors set forth under "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the final long form prospectus of the Company dated February 26, 2021 and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Rritual 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 by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Rritual to predict all of them or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

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SOURCE Rritual Superfoods Inc.

Cision

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(Bloomberg) -- Samsung Electronics Co. predicted the strong memory demand that helped its second-quarter profit beat estimates will continue for the rest of the year, while the recovery of its Austin chip plant drove record sales at its foundry unit.

The adoption of 5G smartphones and consoles as well as new server processors should drive memory demand and lift shipments at Samsungs largest division this year, it said. Chip inventory have fallen substantially low level and should continue to do so, the Suwon-based company projected.

Samsungs forecast comes after crosstown rival SK Hynix Inc. reported strong earnings for the second quarter earlier this week and projected that favorable market conditions will continue beyond the second half of this year. Data center operators and PC makers have pushed memory prices up as they rush to secure inventories in the wake of a chip shortage and growing demand for services and hardware at home.

There is an ongoing trend of higher content on server, especially with the adoption of new CPUs, Jin Man Han, senior vice president of semiconductor business, said during an earnings call Thursday. Server demand will remain sold in the remainder of the year.

South Koreas largest company posted net income of 9.45 trillion won ($8.2 billion) for the three months ended June, beating an 8.7 trillion won average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Samsung disclosed preliminary numbers earlier this month that showed operating profit rose more than 50%. The results included a one-time gain in its display business.

Samsung projected DRAM market bit growth -- a measure of unit demand for memory chips -- to be at mid-20% and increased its estimate for NAND market bit growth to 40%, adding that the companys bit growth will be similar to the market.

Operating profit in the Samsungs semiconductor business rose 28% from a year earlier to 6.93 trillion won. Samsung said its memory chip shipments exceeded bit growth guidance even as average selling prices rose. Its also preparing to start mass production of 14-nm DRAM and 176-layer V-NAND in the second half.

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Despite a slump in phone shipments partly due to supply chain disruptions in Vietnam, Samsungs mobile business managed to remain profitable with more frugal digital marketing and robust sales of tablets and wearable gadgets. Samsung said its Indian mobile production line wasnt directly affected by the recent spread of Covid-19, while it managed to minimize the impact on its Vietnam plant during a nationwide lockdown. Operations in the Southeast Asian nation will normalize this month, the company predicted.

Although smartphone demand contracted globally due to chip shortages and the spread of Covid-19 in India, memory shipments and prices rapidly increased from server clients that helped improve earnings, said Greg Roh, a senior vice president at HMC Securities. A one-time gain from a North America-based client in display and a price increase in mobile OLED products were also positive factors.

Samsungs betting on new technology such as foldable phones and flexible OLED displays to expand its market leadership in the sectors and improve profitabilities. The company, which is set to unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 along with wearable devices on Aug. 11, said its going all-in on marketing this years new foldable phones. The company is aiming to sell more foldable phones to boost adoption, which could see it lower prices.

Samsung Makes Foldable Phones a Key Priority for Mobile Business

As for its display business, the company is seeking to aggressively introduce under-display cameras, while seeking to expand the supply of flexible OLED displays for EV clients as well as portable game devices. Nintendo Co. recently adopted Samsung OLED displays for its newest Switch gaming console.

Samsung expects demand to recover for mobile displays as major customers are planning to launch new flagship models, including high-value products such as foldable phones, the company said in a statement. However, there are concerns that a supply crunch of certain components such as DDIs may affect shipments for some customers.

Samsungs foundry business reported record sales in the second quarter after its Austin fab rebounded faster than expected, said Senior Vice President Shawn Han. Overall foundry demand will exceed supply in the second half and the companys boosting capacity for 5-nanometer and 4-nanometer process-based products, he added. The company is in the product-designing phase with clients for first generation 3-nm GAA technology, an advanced node that is set to start mass production in 2022.

It reiterated plans to seek meaningful mergers and acquisitions within three years, Ben Suh, executive vice president of investor relations, said during the call. Though he declined to specify timing or targets, the companys considering potential deals in various fields such as artificial intelligence, 5G and automotive, he said.

Samsung shares were little changed on Thursday. They had dropped a little more than 2% this year through Wednesday. Semiconductor shares have underperformed the Kospi index as expectations about a supercycle turned to disappointment, said MS Hwang, analyst at Samsung Securities, citing a rise in chip production and concern over the sustainability of pandemic-induced demand.

In the near term, chip prices may lose some momentum and even trend lower but such concerns are already reflected in the market, Hwang said. We believe buying pressure will build in the not-too-distant future.

Meanwhile, there is growing speculation that Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee could be freed from prison, perhaps on Aug. 15, South Koreas Liberation Day. Local media outlets reported President Moon Jae-in is considering granting a special pardon for Lee, while the Ministry of Justice is reviewing the possibility of parole. Lee is currently serving a prison term after being convicted in a corruption case.

Samsung Boss Could Be Set Free by One of His Biggest Critics

(Updates with executives comments from earnings call from second paragraph.)

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Dublin, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Saudi Arabia Food Services Market, By Type (QSR (Quick Service Restaurants), Cafe, Dinning Services, Others (Canteens, Lounges, etc.)), By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2026F" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Saudi Arabian Food Services Market is anticipated to reach USD 26.54 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 7.68%

Growth in the market can be attributed to increasing disposable income, growing tourism industry, increasing urbanization, and rapid expansion of food delivery services in Saudi Arabia. Large base of young adults & working population coupled with social and cultural changes are the major drivers for the Saudi Arabian Food Services Market.

Moreover, the online food services industry has been growing at an exponential rate, with technological advancements facilitating the development of online platform and allowing for a better user experience and convenience.



Restaurants were forced to close their dine-in services during the lockdown in 2020 due to government restrictions, leaving them with no choice but to rely on online delivery services. This increased the overall demand for online food ordering and delivery in Saudi Arabia.

Recognizing a massive opportunity for online food delivery services, the market players adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and began to adhere to no contact delivery, which helped them regain customer trust and, as a result, helped the market recover. Furthermore, the pandemic has broadened the customer base of online food delivery market, pushing it beyond typical younger consumer segment.



The Saudi Labor Law requires employers to fill the majority of positions with Saudi nationals, with the remainder filled by expats. Many positions are still unfilled because restaurant owners are not allowed to hire foreigners, thereby, negatively impacting the food service market in the country.

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Amongst, Quick Service Restaurants segment leads all the types of restaurant segments in the Saudi Arabian Food Services Market and this segment is expected to continue its dominance over the forecast period on account of changing tastes and preferences of people.

Factors such as increased price consciousness and value-seeking consumer behavior, among others, have contributed to an increase in demand for quick service restaurants. Another reason for this segment's rapid growth is the widespread use of the internet and social media, which divulging large number of Saudis to Western food and culture. Cafes are increasing in number in Saudi Arabia, with international brands, like Applebee's, Outback Steak House, Chili's, and TGI Fridays, marking their presence.



In 2020, the Western Region was the highest revenue-generating region in the Saudi Arabian Food Services Market. Furthermore, due to factors such as increased internet connectivity, modern and changing lifestyles and preferences, and so on, the region is expected to remain the most dominant region during the forecast period as well.

Some of the major players operating in the Saudi Arabia Food Services market are McDonald's, Herfy, AL BAIK, KUDU, KFC, etc.



Years considered for this report:

Historical Years: 2016-2019

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2021E

Forecast Period: 2022F-2026F

Key Target Audience:

Food Services owners and franchise.

Food Service end-users.

Research organizations and consulting companies.

Report Scope:



Saudi Arabia Food Services Market, By Type

QSR (Quick Service Restaurant)

Cafe

Dining Services

Others (Canteens, Lounges, etc.)

Saudi Arabia Food Services Market, By Region:

Western

Central

Eastern

Southern

Northern

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Saudi Arabian Food Services Market.



Companies Mentioned

McDonald's

Herfy

AL BAIK

KUDU

KFC

Domino's

Pizza Hut

Burger King

Shawaya House

Tony Roma's

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7bcadm

CONTACT: CONTACT: 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




LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Piedmont Lithium Inc. ('Piedmont' or 'the Company') (NASDAQ:PLL) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investors who purchased the Company's securities between March 16, 2018 and July 19, 2021, inclusive (the ''Class Period''), are encouraged to contact the firm before September 21, 2021.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com.

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Piedmont would not follow the steps or timeline to secure all necessary permits from governmental agencies. The Company failed to inform appropriate governmental agencies and authorities of its planned activities. The Company failed to file applications with relevant authorities including the state and local governments. Despite its claims, the Company did not have 'strong local government support.' Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Piedmont, investors suffered damages.

Join the case to recover your losses.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

Story continues

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.,

www.schallfirm.com

Office: 310-301-3335

info@schallfirm.com

SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm





View source version on accesswire.com:

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NEW YORK, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Oatly Group AB ("Oatly" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: OTLY). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)

The investigation concerns whether Oatly and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On July 14, 2021, Spruce Point Capital Management ("Spruce Point") published a report accusing the Company of a variety of potential accounting improprieties and misrepresenting its sustainability practices. Among other things, the Spruce Point report highlights "signs of revenue overstatement," asserts that a key Oatly U.S manager had verified such revenue overstatement, and points to an alleged divergence between accounts receivable growth and sales growth that suggests "a pull forward of revenue recognition." Spruce Point called for Oatly's board of directors to hire an independent forensic accountant to investigate such matters.

On this news, Oatly's stock price fell $1.85 per share, or 8.76%, over the following three trading sessions to close at $19.28 per share on July 16, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

Story continues

CONTACT:



Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

Cision

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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Coinbase Global, Inc. ("Coinbase" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: COIN). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)

The investigation concerns whether Coinbase and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On May 17, 2021, Coinbase announced a $1.25 billion convertible bond sale. Forbes.com noted that "[i]nvestors were also likely surprised by the timing of the issue, considering that Coinbase just went public in mid-April via a direct listing (which doesn't involve issuing new shares or raising capital), signaling that it didn't require cash." On this news, Coinbase's stock price fell $9.24 per share, or 3.7%, to close at $239.00 per share on May 18, 2021. Then, on May 19, 2021, Coinbase announced technical problems, including "delays . . .due to network congestion" affecting users who wished to withdraw their money.

On this news, Coinbase's stock price fell $14.20 per share, or 6%, to close at $224.80 per share on May 19, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

Story continues

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

Cision

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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against RenovaCare, Inc. ("RenovaCare" or the "Company") (OTCMKTS: RCAR) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and docketed under 21-cv-13930, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired RenovaCare securities between August 14, 2017 and May 28, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").

Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired RenovaCare securities during the Class Period, you have until September 14, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

RenovaCare is a development stage company that has not generated any revenue since its inception and has no commercialized products. Its activities primarily consist of research and development, business development, and capital raises. It owns the CellMist System, which consists of a treatment method for cell isolation for the regeneration of human skin cells and other tissues (the CellMist Solution) and a solution sprayer device to deliver cells to the treatment area (the SkinGun).

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) at the direction of the Company's controlling shareholder and Chairman, Harmel Rayat ("Rayat"), RenovaCare engaged in a promotional campaign to issue misleading statements to artificially inflate the Company's stock price; (ii) when OTC Markets Group, Inc. ("OTC Markets") inquired, RenovaCare and Rayat issued a materially false and misleading press release claiming that no director, officer, or controlling shareholder had any involvement in the purported third party's promotional materials; (iii) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were defective; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

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On May 28, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") issued a litigation release stating that RenovaCare was being charged with alleged securities fraud. According to the SEC's complaint, between July 2017 and January 2018, Rayat "arranged, and caused RenovaCare to pay for, a promotional campaign designed to increase the company's stock price." Specifically, "Rayat was closely involved in directing the promotion and editing promotional materials, and arranged to funnel payments to the publisher through consultants to conceal RenovaCare's involvement in the campaign." When OTC Markets requested that RenovaCare explain its relationship to the promotion, the complaint alleges that "Rayat and RenovaCare then drafted and issued a press release and a Form 8-K that contained material misrepresentations and omissions denying Rayat's and the company's involvement in the promotion."

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $0.66, or 24.8%, over three consecutive trading sessions to close at $2.00 per share on June 2, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

Cision

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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of. DiDi Global Inc. f/k/a Xiaoju Kuaizhi Inc. ("DiDi" or the "Company") (NYSE: DIDI). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)

The investigation concerns whether DiDi and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On or around June 30, 2021, Didi conducted its initial public offering ("IPO"), selling approximately 316.8 million American Depositary Shares ("ADSs"), priced at $14.00 per ADS. Then, on July 2, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China ("CAC") stated that it had launched an investigation into DiDi to protect national security and the public interest. The CAC also reported that it had asked DiDi to stop new user registrations during the course of the investigation.

On this news, DiDi's ADS price fell $0.87 per ADS, or approximately 5.3%, to close at $15.33 per ADS on July 2, 2021.

Then, on July 4, 2021, DiDi reported that the CAC ordered smartphone app stores to stop offering the "DiDi Chuxing" app because it "collect[ed] personal information in violation of relevant PRC laws and regulations." Though users who previously downloaded the app could continue to use it, DiDi stated that "the app takedown may have an adverse impact on its revenue in China." Then, on July 5, 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that the CAC had asked the Company as early as three months prior to the IPO to postpone the offering because of national security concerns and to "conduct a thorough self-examination of its network security."

On this news, DiDi's ADS price fell another $3.04 per share, or 19.6%, to close at $12.49 per share on July 6, 2021.

Story continues

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-alert-pomerantz-law-firm-investigates-claims-on-behalf-of-investors-of-didi-global-inc-fka-xiaoju-kuaizhi-inc---didi-301343844.html

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
IT and Business collaboration proves key to overcoming security and integration challenges; Almost 9 out of 10 organizations agree that IT and business alignment has improved in the last 12 months driving faster innovation, together

SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MuleSoft, provider of the world's #1 integration and API platform, today reported that 70% of automation initiatives are being hindered by security concerns and data silos, as organizations increasingly look to automation to improve efficiency and productivity. However, MuleSoft's IT and Business Alignment Barometer also revealed opportunities for companies to overcome these challenges and enable faster innovation across their organizations. IT and business teams working closely together can shrink or even eliminate organization silos, significantly reducing time to market. The report shows that almost 9 in 10 (87%) say IT and business alignment has improved over the last 12 months leading to a number of benefits, including improved collaboration (64%), operational efficiency (58%), and better customer experience (54%).

MuleSoft logo (PRNewsfoto/MuleSoft)

"IT and business alignment is no longer 'a nice to have'  it's essential to meeting the urgency of today's digital imperatives," said Brent Hayward, CEO, MuleSoft. "Delivering innovation fast requires reusable, secure assets the business can self-serve to quickly launch new digital experiences, products and services. As IT and business teams drive automation initiatives forward, empowering more people - developers and non-developers alike - to connect data and apps in a secure, yet frictionless way will be key to organizations' future success."

Based on a global study of 2,400 IT decision makers (ITDMs) and business decision makers (BDMs), the MuleSoft IT and Business Alignment Barometer also highlights organizations' business priorities and challenges over the next 12 months:

Digital imperatives increase automation adoption

In an all-digital, work-from-anywhere world, it's never been more important to sense and respond to changing market dynamics  and the needs of customers and employees  with speed, agility, and efficiency. Automation has become a rising focus for many organizations to drive convenience, speed, and cost reductions. Organizations report that:

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Operational efficiency is top of mind for businesses: Improving operational efficiency (54%), creating better connected customer experiences (50%), improving productivity (49%), becoming more agile for change (48%), and becoming more data-driven (45%) are organizations' top five business priorities.

There's automation everywhere: 95% of organizations have implemented or are in the process of implementing automation initiatives, such as streamlined employee onboarding processes, to improve productivity. 93% see automation as a means to create better connected customer experiences and to improve operational efficiency.

IT leads automation initiatives: Just over two-thirds (67%) of organizations say their automation initiatives are IT-led (i.e., driven by the IT department and the technology that is available).

Security concerns and data silos slow down business priorities

Security and governance, along with data distributed across multiple apps and platforms, continue to pose a challenge to automation initiatives, and hinder innovation.

Security concerns slowing down the pace of innovation: The majority (87%) of IT and business leaders say that security and governance concerns are slowing down the pace of innovation.

Disparate systems cause security headaches: Almost three quarters (73%) of organizations say the integration of disparate systems has increased their concerns around data security and governance  31% say it had 'significantly' increased concerns.

Organizations still wary of empowering non-technical users: Most organizations recognize the need to empower business teams to help take the operational strain off IT. However, the majority remain wary about the security implications; 87% admitted security concerns were holding them back at least to some degree from empowering non-technical users to integrate data sources.

Collaborative innovation model for IT and business drives agility

To overcome integration challenges and become more agile, IT and business teams need to work together to co-create value and keep pace with the speed of digitalization. IT teams can focus on producing secure and governed reusable assets, and empower business teams to integrate and self-serve these IT-approved assets to deliver innovation faster.

COVID-19 has sparked a new focus on business agility: More than three quarters (78%) of organizations say improving business agility to remain competitive will be extremely important in the future. This is a notable increase from 68% who said it was a focus pre-pandemic.

IT increasingly drives business outcomes: The majority (88%) of business and IT leaders agree that IT has become even more important in driving business outcomes in the last 12 months. Nearly half (48%) say it has become 'significantly' more important.

Value of integration is recognized by the business: Almost nine in 10 (87%) BDMs feel that improved integration will help them meet their business objectives  39% say it would help them "a lot."

Drive agility by empowering business users to create connected experiences: The vast majority (86%) of organizations agree business outcomes would improve if business users were able to use low or no code to securely connect apps and data on their own to create connected experiences. This capability would enable organizations to improve productivity (52%), become more data-driven (48%), improve operational efficiency (48%), create better connected customer experiences (46%), and become more agile for change (45%).

For more insights, view the full report here .

Methodology

MuleSoft's IT and Business Alignment Barometer report, in partnership with Coleman Parkes Research, surveyed 2,400 IT and business decision makers across the globe regarding their business priorities over the next 12 months, and the technological and operational challenges they face making them a reality. An online survey was conducted between April and May 2021 across the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand. Only suitable candidates (as defined below) participated in the survey and were verified by Coleman Parkes Research using a rigorous, multi-level screening process. Respondents are all IT decision or business decision makers  those who hold a managerial position or above. All respondents work at an organization in the public or private sector with at least 1,000 employees.

About MuleSoft, a Salesforce company

MuleSoft, provider of the world's #1 trusted integration and API platform, empowers any company to quickly unlock and integrate their apps and data to create connected experiences, faster. For more information, visit: https://www.mulesoft.com .

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies of every size and industry to digitally transform and create a 360 view of their customers. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com .

MuleSoft is a registered trademark of MuleSoft, Inc., a Salesforce company. All other marks are those of respective owners.

Cision

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SOURCE MuleSoft
A King George County man was arrested this week on charges that he took part in the Jan. 6 uprising at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

According to a Department of Justice news release, James Russell Davis, 45, was arrested Wednesday at his home in Presidential Lakes by FBI agents. He is charged with federal offenses that include assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder.

Davis made his initial appearance in federal court in Washington Wednesday afternoon.

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The release alleges that Davis was on the west front terrace stairs of the Capitol when he confronted officers who were trying to protect the building from rioters. Body camera footage showed Davis charging toward officers while holding a large stick, court records allege.

After an officer shouted for him to move back, court records state that Davis ignored the command and charged at officers again. Camera footage showed him shouting and pushing down the hands of a second officer as the officer tried to stop Davis advance.

The release states that Davis was captured on film pointing to his U.S. Marine Corps ball cap as he pushed officers and saying, I fought for this county ... Im a military [expletive] police.
Mary Washington Healthcare is requiring that all its employees, medical staff and volunteers get the COVID-19 vaccine by Halloween.

We have a responsibility to provide a safe work environment ... while protecting our patients from harm, said Dr. Mike McDermott, president and CEO of the health care system.

Over the course of the pandemic, MWHC has shared information about the virus and vaccine during regular townhalls with the community and communication with staff. In a press release Thursday, MWHC stated the scientific evidence is clear that the vaccines are safe and effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.

MWHC has almost 5,000 employees and more than 700 medical providers in its two hospitals, a third stand-alone emergency room at Lees Hill and more than 40 outpatient facilities throughout the region. It is Fredericksburgs largest private employer, according to the citys Department of Economic Development.

On July 19, the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Associationof which McDermott is a past presidentannounced it supported hospitals and health systems requiring the COVID-19 vaccines for employees.
People and pets should avoid swimming, wading and tubing in the James River in Richmond beginning today, says the Virginia Department of Health.

The water advisory applies to "all of Tuckahoe Creek beginning at River Road, including the Eastern and Western Branches of Tuckahoe Creek, and the James River from Robious Landing Park in Chesterfield, Goochland, and Henrico counties to Belle Isle in the City of Richmond." This includes popular swimming spots like Pony Pasture, Texas Beach and the Belle Isle rapids.

VDH issued the advisory Thursday morning following a Tuesday sewage release from a Goochland County Department of Public Utilities main sewer line into Tuckahoe Creek, which feeds into the James River.

Goochland County estimates that "300,000 gallons of raw, undiluted sewage" was released following a 40-inch rupture around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night that flowed until 11 p.m., according to a news release from the health department. The 300,000 gallons poured into a ditch near River Road.

There is no impact on drinking water at this time, VHD said. And an end date for the water advisory hasn't yet been determined, but it will be based on bacteria levels in the water, VDH said.
This program is: Lets sit down, lets relax and get people into a safe environment, then let a mental health professional do a real analysis on them and decide the services they need, Johnson said.

Sometimes help looks like an ambulance taking the person to a hospital, but, in other cases, it may be developing a crisis or safety plan at the scene with a network of family and friends who can help the individual, CARE clinician Lisa Schaeperkoetter said.

The client has to be agreeable that theyre not going to hurt themselves and that theyre not suicidal anymore, Schaeperkoetter said. They have to agree to let family watch them and agree to go to any scheduled appointments with their psychiatrist.

Schaeperkoetter worked with emergency services for 11 years before taking this role and said when people have to wait at the hospital for a mental health evaluation, oftentimes, the crisis is already over. As a part of the CARE team, shell be able to intervene sooner.

Im hoping this will help so our psychiatric hospitals arent swelling to the brim, Schaeperkoetter said. Im hoping that we can have resources in the community that can address needs before people need to be hospitalized.
BEIJING (AP)  Chinas foreign minister met Wednesday with a delegation of high-level Taliban officials as ties between them warm ahead of the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan.

A photo posted on the ministrys website showed Wang Yi posing with senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his delegation in the city of Tianjin, then sitting down to talks. The highly conspicuous show of friendliness had the appearance of a diplomatic mission at a time when the Taliban are craving legitimacy.

Wang said China respects Afghan sovereign independence and territorial integrity and always adheres to non-interference in Afghanistans internal affairs.

He said the hasty withdrawal of the U.S. and NATO reveals the failure of Americas policies and offers the Afghan people an important opportunity to stabilize and develop their own country.

While no agenda was announced for the meeting, China has an interest in pushing the Taliban to deliver on peace talks or at least reduce the level of violence as they gobble up territory from Afghan government forces.
Fremont Public Schools announced Wednesday that it has released a plan for returning to in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year.

The FPS plan doesnt require daily temperature checks for entry into school. It recommends, but doesnt require masking for individuals, who currently are not fully vaccinated.

In a prepared statement, FPS said guidance in the plan is designed to be flexible and adjust if necessary.

Other information in the plan states that students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate for 10 days following symptom onset or test date if asymptomatic.

Close contacts should social distance and wear a mask when possible. The district tested the proposed protocols during summer school and summer camps and found them to be appropriate.

The statement said FPS has spent considerable time and energy working through the details of each of the various scenarios related to the levels of risk within the community and continues to develop as information related to the response of COVID-19 and guidance continues to flow from different organizations.
Both schools will not require daily temperature tests or masks, but recommend masking for unvaccinated individuals when school starts on Aug. 9 for Bergan and Aug. 10 for FPS.

Students and staff with a fever greater than 100 degrees will be required to stay out of school until they are fever free for 24 hours. Those who test positive must self-isolate for 10 days.

Additionally, Trinity Lutheran School will also be a mask-choice school and begin classes on Aug. 11.

Midland is encouraging its students, faculty and staff to receive vaccinations but will not make it a requirement for when classes start on Aug. 30.

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The university will also not require masks, but recommended their usage for people not vaccinated. It plans on releasing its full Return to Campus Plan soon and is also working with Three Rivers.

MCC has no mask mandate but requires 3 feet of distancing on campus. It will offer a mix of in-person, online and blended classes when its school year begins on Sept. 8.

Both Fremont and Dodge County buildings and facilities will continue to be open to the public and will not require the usage of masks.
The Dodge County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution allowing an Omaha computer services company to provide a technology assessment and planning proposal for the county at its meeting Wednesday morning.

The resolution was passed 4-2, with Supervisors Greg Beam and Dan Weddle voting against. Supervisor Doug Backens was not in attendance.

Supervisor Bob Bendig said the IT Committee, also comprised of Beam and Backens, had made the recommendation to have CoreTech complete an assessment report, technology plan and IT roadmap not to exceed $15,000.

"This is an assessment just to see what they think or feel that the county's structure ought to be for IT," he said. "And that would be whether we should have an outside company and maybe an inside person, kind of a dual type of situation, or hire somebody internally to do it."

However, Beam said he recently met with the City of Fremont and preferred them to provide the county with an IT assessment, as he said they would need to conduct one prior to giving support.

While the city declined to provide IT services to the county around 11 years ago, Beam said it has recently been assisting smaller towns in the area.
"There isn't 15 feet of space where I live between some of the mailboxes, so if you basically had 15 feet required, no one would be able to park," she said.

Councilmember Mark Legband said he liked the new language used in the ordinance.

"If you just talk to people, most of the time it can be ironed out and fixed," he said. "But right now, I think it's a start. I like it and I think it's a good start."

Councilmember Brad Yerger said he believed the ordinance was a "good step" in regard to giving the city and Fremont Police Department more opportunities to deal with the issue of prevention from mail delivery.

"I know that Chief [Jeff] Elliott supports it, and I do as well," he said. "I'm glad we made the change last week to say curbside only. That was an issue that was an oversight, and I'm glad we fixed that."

With the development of more subdivisions in Fremont, Yerger said he wanted the city to do a better job at making sure which side of the streets are marked for parking.

"I'm glad that we're attempting to take some first steps here to give law enforcement an opportunity to at least deal with the circumstances," he said. "Hopefully it'll be a neighborhood-friendly type of environment that only requires a warning."
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.
Lincoln County Treasurer Shelli Franzen was arrested Thursday in connection with an investigation into financial transactions in her office that were personal in nature, the North Platte Police Department says.

Franzen, appointed county treasurer in 2019, is being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center on suspicion of felony theft by deception, $1,500 to $5,000, and official misconduct by a public servant, a misdemeanor.

She assumed the office after county commissioners removed the previous treasurer, Lorie Koertner, in the wake of a State Auditors Office investigation that found multiple problems with the performance of duties in the Treasurers Office.

North Platte police received information Wednesday regarding suspicious financial activity, the department said in a Thursday press release.

Police found several transactions that appeared to be personal in nature. Those transactions were confirmed and probable cause was established, the news release said.

Franzen surrendered to police without incident, it said.

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BEAVER CITY  An Oxford man has been denied a new trial in a Furnas County sex trafficking case.

According to court records, Judge David Urbom overruled William Billy Quinns motion for a new trial last week during a teleconference hearing at Furnas County District Court.

Quinn, 57, was found guilty of 13 counts of sexual assault and sex trafficking of a 15-year-old during a two-week trial in June in Beaver City. He was acquitted of one count of felony first-degree sexual assault.

Quinns attorney, Joseph Howard of Omaha, filed the motion earlier this month saying that statements made by U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse during the course of Quinns jury trial prejudiced his ability to receive a fair trial by improperly influencing the jurys deliberations and verdict.

The court found that Sasses comments did not prejudice Quinns right to a fair trial because on both occasions when the jurors were questioned about the comments, only two of 14 jurors had heard that Sasse made comments about the case. None had heard any substantive information conveyed in Sasses comments about the case.
At least 40 people have been killed and 150 more are missing after flash floods hit the northeastern Afghan province of Nuristan, officials said, while the Taliban, which controls the area ravaged by the waters, gave a much higher death toll.

A rescue operation was under way on July 29 to find the missing people after torrential rains overwhelmed the Kamdesh district of Nuristan, some 355 kilometers northeast of Kabul.

Much of the village of Begha Mirdesh in Kamdesh was destroyed, with hundreds of homes washed away by the swollen waters that ravaged the area late on July 28, killing dozens of people.

"There was a flood in Begha Mirdesh. There were about 700-800 houses there; all of them were destroyed," Abdul Rahman, a resident of the district, told RFE/RL.

"About 40 people were killed last night due to flash floods," Saeedullah Nuristani, head of the provincial council, told AFP.

The spokesman for the provincial governor, Muhammad Sayed Mohmand, said he had received reports of 60 dead but said the toll is likely much higher.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told RFE/RL that the militants would allow access to aid agencies and unarmed government officials.

Mujahid put the death toll at 150, but gave little information about the floods.

Its not clear if the Taliban has the capabilities to deal with emergencies in areas under their control, which are mostly rural areas.

Provincial council head Saadullah Payendazoi said the floods in Mirdesh had swept away houses, people, and animals. He said eight bodies had been recovered so far in the village.

"It is a disaster and people need help," Payendazoi said.

Nuristan Governor Hafiz Abdul Qayyum told RFE/RL that all communication means have been cut off in the area.

The Doab and Noorgram districts of Nuristan have also been affected by floods, with inhabitants telling RFE/RL that no one had reached out to help them.

This story is based on reporting by Radio Azadi correspondents on the ground in Afghanistan. Their names are being withheld for their protection.

With reporting by AFP and AP
What the future may hold for Afghans is becoming clearer in one Afghan province where traders are required to pay taxes to both the Afghan government and the Taliban as civilians scramble for protection amid escalating violence.

Traders and civilians in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar are protesting against being forced to navigate competing authorities whose conflict threatens their lives and livelihoods in one of Afghanistans most strategic regions.

In the name of God and the Koran, we urge both the Taliban and the Afghan government to listen to our cries, Hekmatullah Kakar, a Kandahar resident, told several dozen protesters near a main square in Kandahar, the provincial capital by the same name, on July 28. We are just ordinary citizens crying out for help and demanding peace, he added. People of the world, please listen to us and help us.

Wali Mohmmad Badizai, another Kandahar resident, said more than three weeks of fighting in the province has displaced around 22,000 families, some of whom were forced to move among five different locations as they fled frontlines and fighting. He urged all sides to work toward avoiding a major disaster in Afghanistans second city, which is widely considered the political heartland of the country as the birthplace of modern Afghan empires and a dynasty that ruled the country for more than 250 years until the 1978 communist coup.

We are calling on both sides to spare our lives and give us some love, peace, and quiet, he told the protest. My family has already been forced to move twice, but others have been forced to move even more. The fighting seems to follow us anywhere we could catch our breath.

Noor Muhammad, another displaced man, told the story of a woman who was forced to give birth among hundreds of men as she fled the fighting in one of Kandahars rural districts.

She fled in a taxi with other women from her family, he said of her ordeal. When they reached safety, they were surrounded by a crowd, where she had to give birth amid some 300 men.

The Battle For Kandahar

After launching a multipronged offensive earlier this month, the Taliban has captured 15 of Kandahars 18 districts. The insurgents also control three neighborhoods of its capital, which is a major commercial and agricultural hub. The Taliban first remerged in the region a quarter-century ago when it reeled from a fratricidal civil war. Its recapture would be a major boost for the hard-line Islamist movement.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed and maimed in the fighting so far, and residents are terrified of the random clashes and periodic exchanges of heavy fire. The rival check posts set up by government forces and the Taliban are a stark reminder of the civil war days in 1990s when residents had to pay various warlords in the province to move between their fiefdoms.

The Taliban, however, denies it has committed atrocities. In a statement on July 29, it criticized the government for detaining four journalists who had visited Spin Boldak to interview Taliban members.

When we invited the journalists to come and visit us and see the reality for themselves, the Kabul administration, which cannot face the dissemination of realities, resorted to arrests and threats, the statement said.

But the Afghan government, independent observers, and rights watchdogs accuse the Taliban of atrocities including scores of reprisal killings in Kandahar, where they have allegedly targeted the relatives of government officials and the Afghan security forces.

After the Taliban overran the strategic border crossing of Spin Boldak earlier this month, government officials moved custom officers to Kandahar, where they now require traders to pay import and export taxes and other revenues after they have already paid them to the Taliban members manning the border crossing at Spin Boldak some 100 kilometers to the east.

First, we suffered a lot because of the coronavirus pandemic, but now we are forced to pay taxes both to the government and the Taliban, Jamaluddin, a cloth merchant in Kandahar who goes by one name only, told RFE/RLs Radio Azadi. He recently spent more than $30,000 in in taxes and revenues to ferry his five containers from the Pakistans southern seaport city of Karachi to Kandahar.

But once his goods reached the border crossing of Spin Boldak, he had to pay the Taliban to get into Afghanistan. He was then asked to pay government taxes when his containers reached Kandahar. The traders are in great difficulty, he said.

"We loaded grapes in Kandahar, and on the way we have been extorted at least three times," Hidayatullah Khan, a trucker, told AFP in Chaman, a Pakistani town across the border from Spin Boldak. "Sometimes they charge 3,000 rupees ($20), somewhere else 2,000 rupees, and in some other place 1,000 rupees."

Skyrocketing Prices

The costs of trucking goods and the prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed since the Taliban overran Spin Boldak. The loss of control over the border crossing deprives the Afghan government of more than half a million dollars in revenues daily.

Without consulting Afghanistan, Pakistan unilaterally allowed trucks to enter our country this week, Sebghatullah Ehsas, the head of the provincial customs department in Kandahar, told Radio Azadi. To mitigate this, we established new check posts near Kandahar and have deployed mobile teams to prevent the flight of revenues.

Kandahar residents, however, are afraid of the provincial capital being overrun by the Taliban, which is accused of committing reprisal killings. A video showing the Taliban's brutal murder of a local comedian, Nazar Mohammad Kasha Zwan, attracted widespread condemnation.

Award-winning Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed on July 16 while covering the fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces near Spin Boldak.

There are grave concerns that Taliban forces in Kandahar may commit further atrocities to retaliate against the government and security forces, Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, noted. 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.

In an apparent effort to take advantage of the final withdrawal of foreign forces, the Taliban has swept hundreds of districts in rural Afghanistan since the final departure of the foreign troops began on May 1. The group now controls Afghanistans border crossings with Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan.

The names of RFE/RLs Radio Azadi correspondents in Afghanistan are being withheld for their protection.
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
The founder of Nikola Corp. has been arrested on securities fraud charges alleging he made false and misleading statements to investors about the electric and hydrogen-powered truck startup
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms. High 76F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Carlos Arrendondo arrives for his appointment to get vaccinated, as banners advertise the availability of the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines at a county-run vaccination site at the Eugene A. Obregon Park in Los Angeles Thursday, July 22, 2021. The top health official in Los Angeles County on Thursday implored residents to get vaccinated as the region experiences a coronavirus surge similar to last summer's.
On Thursday, the Court of Appeals ordered a new trial for Hibdon, concluding the judge mistakenly barred the defense from arguing to the jury that Hibdon made a "choice of evils" by committing a crime for the purpose of avoiding imminent harm.
City Editor

Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has cover statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids.
Supporters of the Taliban carry the Taliban's signature white flags in the Afghan-Pakistan border town of Chaman, Pakistan, Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The Taliban are pressing on with their surge in Afghanistan, saying Wednesday that they seized Spin Boldaka, a strategic border crossing with Pakistan, the latest in a series of key border post to come under their control in recent weeks.
European-style health passes for admission to public venues "may very well be a path forward" in the United States, said Centers for Disease C
JERILEE BENNETT THE GAZETTE

Allyson Dones glances over the top of her robotic vehicle while making a few changes to the apparatus during a summer class. Widefield School District 3 was one of several districts that offered summer enrichment courses to help combat the learning loss wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
CENTENNIAL  Connie Bennett had a birthday gift to deliver to her granddaughter for her upcoming 8th birthday, so, at the end of a busy weeken
Barry Fagin is a Senior Fellow at the Independence Institute in Denver. His views are his alone. Readers can write Dr. Fagin at barry@faginfamily.net.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

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Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 77F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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"We are picking up where we left off at the end of the last school year and plan to begin the year with the traditional (pre-pandemic) in-person learning model," he said. "We will remain flexible and adjust as we have been if needed.

"The call to action at this point is that if a student or family does not feel comfortable attending school in-person due to the pandemic, we encourage them to please contact a building administrator to discuss any concerns."

On Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement, 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, Reynolds continued in her statement.
Arts-and-theatre

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Charles City artist paints mural for Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug

When North Iowa native Norman Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, he won it for helping to spark a "Green Revolution" in agriculture that addressed world hunger.

Now Cresco's most famous resident is being honored the last weekend of August for that achievement in a ceremony that would've happened in 2020 for the 50th anniversary of the Nobel award, if not for COVID-19. As a part of the festivities, organizers are unveiling a massive new mural by Charles City painter Robin Macomber that pays tribute to Borlaug and the impact of his work.

"Cresco has a lot of rich history and Norman Borlaug is someone we all should be very proud of in Iowa," Macomber said about her rationale to create the work, which can be seen on the corrugated metal of a garage that's visible from Highway 9.

Image courtesy of Robin Macomber Charles City artist Robin Macomber said she spent about three weeks and six gallons of paint to create this Cresco mural for Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug who was raised there and is being celebrated at the end of the month.

According to the Art Box Painting owner, the work itself took about three weeks and six gallons of paint to finish. The entire mural, which bears the phrase "Feeding The World," is 50 feet by 30 feet and starts about 12 feet up off the ground. Macomber said that Borlaug's face in the mural is about six feet tall while his sheaths of wheat measure 14 feet tall.

Those sheaths were the most difficult part of the work.

"I painted this perfect world behind it. I had everything into perspective and if I got the wheat wrong, I couldnt back out and the only thing Id be left to do is start again," Macomber said. Everything for the work has been hand-brushed and not sprayed.

Catching up with Mason City native and painter Charles Fritz "I always like to go along the Shell Rock River when Im back. The forest I used to go to when I was young. Ill go back and revisit those childhood places and do a painting."

Spiff Slifka, who works with Howard County Business and Tourism, said that Macomber got contacted to do the work because of what she had previously done for the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in Cresco. In addition to Howard, Macomber's also done county work for Chickasaw and Floyd. Her most-involved work for a local government entity took about a year (on and off).

"Shes super easy to work with. Shes so flexible," Slifka said. "Her painting is out of this world. She is just fabulous. The wheat feels like if there was a breeze it would start moving. Shes just that good."

Per Slifka, the mural is just one new addition to Cresco and Howard County that people are excited about. There's a bike trail and new brewery as well.

Jared McNett / Image courtesy of Robin Macomber Macomber needed a lift to create the Norman Borlaug mural, which starts about 12 feet up off the ground.

NIACC Performing Arts Series announces 2021-2022 season lineup Performances include Gatlin Brothers, Righteous Brothers and Jefferson Starship as well as the musicals "South Pacific" and "Rent."

When it came time to find a good location for the mural, Macomber and Slifka said they reached out to Jim and Barb Holstrom who own a jewelry store and pub in Cresco. It was an easy decision for them.

"Well, its really an awesome thing. You can see it from the highway and anything to help promote the town and Norman Borlaug," Jim Holstrom said.

In particular, Holstom said it could folks right in the area get to know the Nobel laureate better.

"Its amazing how many people around here dont know who he is but then you go around the world and they know," he said.

Along with promotion, Macomber said that she wanted to create the mural because she feels indebted to Borlaug in her own way.

"I work for a lot of farmers and farmers being able to produce and make money is all trickle down. Im making money off of livestock and crops and he had something to do with all of that indirectly," she said.

With the mural finished, Macomber said she's already got a few projects she's thinking about. One of them is a beer garden.

"Theres not going to be anybody I have to make look like anybody," Macomber said.

The Norman Borlaug Harvest Fest is set to run Aug. 27 through 29 in Cresco.

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"Well, its really an awesome thing. You can see it from the highway and anything to help promote the town and Norman Borlaug," Jim Holstrom said.

In particular, Holstom said it could folks right in the area get to know the Nobel laureate better.

"Its amazing how many people around here dont know who he is but then you go around the world and they know," he said.

Along with promotion, Macomber said that she wanted to create the mural because she feels indebted to Borlaug in her own way.

"I work for a lot of farmers and farmers being able to produce and make money is all trickle down. Im making money off of livestock and crops and he had something to do with all of that indirectly," she said.

With the mural finished, Macomber said she's already got a few projects she's thinking about. One of them is a beer garden.

"Theres not going to be anybody I have to make look like anybody," Macomber said.

The Norman Borlaug Harvest Fest is set to run Aug. 27 through 29 in Cresco.

Jared McNett covers local government for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at Jared.McNett@globegazette.com or by phone at 641-421-0527. Follow Jared on Twitter at @TwoHeadedBoy98.

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Family cattle farmers are the lifeline of rural communities across Iowa and the country, Sen. Chuck Grassley told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, but theyre currently on life support because of consolidation in the meatpacking industry.

Grassley, a farmer and ranking Republican on the committee, has been expressing concerns about consolidation in agriculture for years. Now four packers  JBS, Tyson, Cargill and National Beef  hold a tremendous amount of market power because they control more than 80 percent of the cattle market, he told the committee.

Independent cattle producers in Iowa and across the country deserve a free and fair market, Grassley said during a hearing, Beefing up Competition: Examining Americas Food Supply Chain. However, the share of cattle traded on the cash market has dropped from more than 50 percent in the early 2000s to about 20 percent today.

The coronavirus pandemic exposed problems in the food supply chain. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for every one dollar Americans spend on food, only 14.3 cents go to farmers even though the supermarket price of beef has increased.
In the Book of Matthew, Jesus is asked: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? He answers: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. But the second admonition, Jesus adds, is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Think about that. All the law, Jesus says. All his teachings flow from two simple ideals: Loving your Lord and loving your neighbor.

That is why the current battle over getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus is so critical  and so confounding. If you really love Jesus, if you really live by his laws, then your choice is clear. Get the shot, not just for yourself, but out of love for others  your family, your friends, your neighbors.

And yet the reddest areas of the country, which also tend to be the most religious, lag far behind the bluer and more secular regions in terms of vaccination rates. Have all those churchgoers stopped reading their Bibles lately? Did they miss the love thy neighbor part? Or have they let politics and partisanship overshadow their religious values?
A few weeks ago, I posted a comment on the Clear Lake Community Facebook page about the condition of the Clear Lake seawall that generated more than 200 reactions from citizens with offers to help, including financial contributions. From this, a small group joined me in meeting with the (new) Clear Lake Parks Director and then attending the July board meeting.

If you haven't seen the destruction that has been occurring, I encourage you to stop and take a look. This is an 85-year-old MONUMENT the city is fortunate to own. It was built in 1936 under President Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration program and I have met numerous citizens in our community who value it and are passionate about preserving it.

Eight Clear Lake citizens attended the July Parks & Recreation Board meeting and none of us were expecting the negative, disrespectful reception we received. In my eight years of city government, we welcomed public input and assistance in projects. After all, these citizens pay city salaries.
The CDC is also recommending indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at all of the nations schools, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated.

Previously, the CDC said those who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 did not need to wear masks in most indoor settings.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that vaccinated people who had been infected with previous COVID-19 strains  so-called breakthrough cases  had lower levels of the virus in their systems than unvaccinated individuals. But with the delta variant, viral loads for vaccinated people who became infected were indistinguishable from those of unvaccinated individuals with the new strain.

That means vaccinated people can spread the disease to others.

Steve DelGiorno, owner of Crema & Vine coffee and wine bar and Lynn Street Market, said of any changes from the CDC, Were going to do whatever they tell us to do. We dont have any choice.

He hopes the surge in cases from the delta variant does not lead to social-distancing and capacity restrictions for businesses again. He also expressed concern there could end up being yet another variant.

Whos to say there wont be another one? DelGiorno said.
The University of Virginia Health System is increasing its collaboration with a Lynchburg-based health care organization to expand cooperation in cancer and transplant treatments, officials announced Wednesday.

UVa Health will work with Centra Health to provide patients from Lynchburg to Danville expertise in blood cell disorders and kidney transplant processes and to combine physician recruitment efforts.

According to information from UVa Health, the two systems will collaborate on the recruitment of specialist physicians in certain clinical specialties with doctors from both systems sharing expertise and offering some telemedicine services.

Centra has more than 8,100 employees, 500 providers and physicians and a medical staff of nearly 800 serving in 50 locations, according to Centras website. Its patient base is drawn from a population of about 500,000 and it is the dominant critical medical service provider in its area, with net system revenues of $1.2 billion in 2020.

I am excited to forge this strategic alliance with Centra, allowing UVa Health to continue to scale our ability to care for more patients closer to where they live, Dr. Craig Kent, UVa Healths CEO ,said in a prepared statement.
Yolo and Los Angeles are the only counties to mandate masks for everyone, while most San Francisco Bay Area counties have been encouraging people to cover up indoors.

In announcing the vaccinate-or-test policy this week, Newsom said he wanted to encourage other employers to do the same. The state policy applies to nearly 250,000 state workers and an estimated 2.2 million people who work in private or public health care and long-term care facilities.

San Francisco is now requiring new hires get vaccinated or get an exemption before they start work, while an estimated 35,000 employees already on the job must show proof of inoculation, seek an exemption or risk disciplinary action once the vaccines are given full approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

California State University, the largest four-year university system in the U.S., said on Tuesday it would no longer wait for full FDA approval and instead will require faculty, staff and students to be immunized against COVID-19 if they plan to be on campus this fall.

In San Jose schools, officials are going a step beyond state guidelines and said everyone will be required to mask up indoors and outdoors.
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP)  A major European Union-funded bridge built by a Chinese company has been connected over the Adriatic Sea, linking two swaths of the Croatian coastline that are divided by a small stretch of Bosnias territory.

The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) in 2018 won an international bid to construct a 2.4-kilometer (1.5-mile) long bridge. The 420-million-euro ($500 million) construction is 85% financed by the EU and is a rare Chinese project in Europe that went through a regular bidding process.

After the final segment of the span was installed, a midnight opening ceremony on the spectacular bridge featured folk dancers, singing and a huge fireworks display.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said during the ceremony that the bridge represents a fascinating strategic accomplishment of the Croatian people and their state that fulfils their long-time dream to have the Adriatic coastline connected.

The bridge and its connecting roads are expected to be completed by June of next year. Until then, road travelers wanting to visit some of Croatias most attractive tourist destinations, such as the Old Town section of Dubrovnik, will still have to pass through two border checkpoints between Bosnia and Croatia at the Bosnian seaside port of Neum.
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.
Set a century ago, Jungle Cruise sees the characters encounter daunting dangers and supernatural scares as they venture into the jungle  while grappling with a ruthless prince, portrayed by Jesse Plemons, whos after the same prize.

The goal was to create a movie that captured the magic of classic adventure films like Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, Blunt said.

Tonally, we just needed to strike a chord that was really well-crafted and that we curated with so much love and was made in the spirit of the films that we all grew up watching, Blunt said.

The movie is directed by Spanish-American filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra, whom Blunt praised for his ability to balance the storys action and heart.

He goes, You know, its about love, Blunt said. It was so perfect, because you couldve talked about all the action and the spectacle and the myths and the legends and all that, but thats when I knew, in Jaume, we had an innate romantic and a world-builder, and thats what you need for this type of movie.

Other cast members in Jungle Cruise include Edgar Ramirez and Paul Giamatti.
Bonhwi Kim, 19 (Seoul, South Korea), will perform Griegs Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16 (mvt. 1). Kim has competed in numerous competitions including Hong Kong Open International Music Competition, Yewon Music Competition, TBC Music Competition, Ehwa Kyunghyang Music Competition, Baroque Competition and Donga Junior Music Competition. He has performed in concerts at the LG Young Artists Chamber Music Concert at Lincoln Center and the Seoul International Music Festival. Kim has also appeared as a soloist with the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, TBC Daegu Philharmonic Orchestra and CCM Philharmonia and Chamber Orchestra. He is studying with Awadagin Pratt at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Kim has also been studying with faculty artist Awadagin Pratt at EMF this summer.

Anastasia Samsel, 19 (Guilford, Conn.), will be performing Chaminades Concertino for Flute in D major, op. 107. Samsel is a sophomore at the Mannes School of Music in New York City, where she studies with Judith Mendenhall. She will be a featured soloist in the Mannes Sounds Festival this fall as part of the Saint Andrew Music Society concert series. This past year, Samsel performed in master classes for distinguished flutists Stefan Hoskuldsson, Walter Auer and Linda Toote. This spring, she was accepted to the Domaine Forget International Music Festival, where she performed in a master class for Emmanuel Pahud. During high school, Samsel was the principal flutist of both the Greater New Haven Youth Orchestra 2018-19 (conducted by Yale University Director of Bands Thomas Duffy) and the CMEA All State Orchestra 2019. Samsel has been studying with faculty artists Les Roettges and Jake Fridkis at EMF this summer.
It had critics debating: Is it a stereotype if you embrace it and use it? Is it exploitive? recalls Klein ... Are the (cast members) laughing all the way to the bank?

Then with Teen Mom, the question became: Is it encouraging teen pregnancy? One study found just the opposite.

While gathering research for her book, Klein was struck by the glaring differences between The Hills and Teen Mom.

One show is very glamorous and made Lauren Conrad a star, she points out. The other results in a long, sad, tragic story that includes domestic abuse, alcoholism and jail sentences. Both shows made MTV a lot of money.

But the granddaddy of them all was The Real World. Its a landmark series that was a breeding ground for mostly everything we now see on Big Brother, Real Housewives, et al. And it spawned the key reality TV components that viewers now take for granted, such as the isolated, fourth-wall confessionals made by cast members.

Before The Real World devolved into what one critic called a sleazy hot-tub Olympics, it was more about social experimentation and the earnest quest to achieve at least a few learning moments.
When the district court judge (a President Barack Obama appointee) who had dealt with the BLinC case ruled in the InterVarsity case, her exasperation was obvious: The court would never have expected the university to respond to that order (for equal treatment of RSOs) by homing in on religious groups compliance with the policy while at the same time carving out explicit exemptions for other groups. But here we are.In ruling for InterVarsity, the 8th Circuit said that when the district court extended qualified immunity to the university representatives regarding BLinC, that court did not have the benefit of the 8th Circuits later ruling in BLinC, where the appeals court reversed the circuit court to hold that the law was clearly established that universities cannot use nondiscrimination policy as an excuse for viewpoint discrimination against RSOs.
RALEIGH  State Auditor Beth Wood released a report Thursday detailing the failure of Roanoke-Chowan Community Colleges leadership to notice that the school overpaid several employees for months and distributed millions of dollars in checks signed by people no longer employed by the school.

When those problems were discovered, the community colleges former interim president took months to address them, the auditor found.

After Woods office received 15 complaints about the schools operation and management, it launched an investigation into allegations that detailed waste, fraud and abuse and found that the community college did not have a chief financial officer employed when some of the financial mismanagement occurred in 2019 and 2020.

Though a permanent president took office in May, the lack of oversight as the school experienced major changes could have led to much more severe financial problems.

The community college is lucky that nobody took advantage, Wood said. Obviously, no one was looking.

Three major findings detailed in the report released Thursday:
Jess Knauft is the Pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran in Santa Ynez.
Topper and Mickey Galloway like to brag that they have the biggest family in the world.

Back when they started their Helena business in 1977, then known as Topper's Custer Avenue Grocer, it was located next door to Four Georgians Elementary School, and Topper said his small store was overrun every afternoon when school let out.

"There would be 40 or 50 children at our counter," Topper said. "Now those kids have grown up and they bring their kids to see us."

Over the past four decades, the Galloways have amassed a "family" of customers, taking the time to know each on a personal level.

"It's never been a dollar and cents business," Mickey said. "We share personal stories with each and every one of our customers, but we don't call them customers. They're our friends."

Topper said "it's been an honor to be involved in their lives."

The couple said those friendships are the most cherished product of their long, storied career. It is those relationships that the couple plans to take with them into their recently announced retirement.

After 44 years of sharing their love of wine with the Helena community and beyond, the Galloways intend to close up shop this August.
There are so many things Mena Suvari never wanted you to know. And there were ghosts of her past all over this town, willing to keep her secrets. Like the woman she ran into once at Whole Foods  a woman with whom she'd had a threesome. I was mortified, because I was famous then, and she knew me when I wasnt, recalls Suvari, one of the most popular young actresses around the turn of the ...
If you go...

What and When: Montana Shakespeare in the Parks 6 p.m. Monday Aug. 2, A Midsummer Night's Dream; Tuesday Aug. 3, Cymbeline

Where: Anchor/Pioneer Park

Cost: Free, but donations welcome

Info: Reserve your place on the days of the performances, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Areas will be designated for blankets or chairs.

Bring non-perishable food items to hold your blanket down and donate items to Food Share.

Note: No rocks or tent stakes. You cannot leave chairs/blankets overnight.

Picnic dinners are encouraged. No pets.

Added note: Cymbeline is also being performed at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 1, in Townsends Pioneer Park.

A Midsummer Night's Dream will be performed at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Boulder.

For more info, visit shakespeareintheparks.org
Bales of hay and fabric sacks have been placed strategically along that route to further collect sediment.

The blockage at the entrance of the mine has also been removed. The slope of earth above the entrance was re-groomed to prevent future collapses.

And the more than 100,000 gallons of contaminated mine runoff and acidic sludge that built up behind the section of mine that collapsed in 2016 was siphoned out and trucked away to Luttrell Repository.

"We're pretty much wrapped up," said Marco San Filippo, a member of the EPA crew working at the site. "We'll be coming back though to monitor."

City staff discovered the spill July 12, the day it occurred, and reportedly contacted the EPA and Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

Helena Public Works Director Ryan Leland previously told the Independent Record the city had not been contacted about work the EPA was doing in the area, nor did the city receive notice of the spill.

"With our water supply being right there, it would have been nice to know about the work they are doing," Leland said.

During Monday's meeting, Harlow-Schalk said the lack of communication by the EPA is concerning.
How long will it take? asks Annie, impatiently, talking of healing Pilgrim, but thinking of herself and Grace, too.

That depends on Pilgrim, says Tom, time and time again.

Grace lives in a dark place.

Who is ever going want me like this? she says. Nobody will.

Someone will look at the woman youve become and they will love you, says her mom.

The horse whisperer nurses the wounds of both ladies by giving them the time and space they need  plus endless faith and encouragement.

Booker loves all creatures enough to let them fail, whether two legs or four.

Hes got a gift that comes from heaven abovea good man, says a rancher.

After 170 minutes, Grace, Annie and Pilgrim have found an almost Buddhist peace  and fallen in love with Montana along the way.

The acting is honest led by Redford who draws a deep, tender performance from 13-year-old Scarlett Johansson. The chemistry between Redford and Kristin Scott Thomas is just as touching, and ends with married city girl falling hard for a cowboy.
This weeks Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mask advisory doesnt require people to comply. The precautions suggested for vaccinated people were already in place for the unvaccinated population, which has remained vulnerable to COVID-19 infection even as restrictions were lifted people who received vaccines. As of July 20, Montana reported 500 breakthrough cases of infection in vaccinated people, though it is a small percentage of recent cases.

Tuesday, Gov. Greg Gianforte said he is concerned, but didnt recommend anyone return to wearing masks in indoor public places.

The federal government was expected Thursday to require most federal workers to get the vaccine. The move comes two days after the Department of Veterans Affairs mandated vaccines for health care workers, a move U.S. Sen. Jon Tester supported. There are more than 13,000 people working for the federal government in Montana, reports the Minneapolis Federal Reserve.

Wednesday, Montanas U.S. Senators encouraged the public to get vaccinated, but didnt endorse the CDC advisory about wearing masks indoors. U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale said that the CDC's advice of a return to mask wearing was deeply concerning. None of the three spoke directly to The Gazette about the advisory, issuing emailed statements instead.
The League of Women Voters has a history of calling for filibuster reform to ensure a functioning democracy. In 2011, the League called for reform to end gridlock and partisan conflict in the Senate. The League supports:

 prohibiting a minority party from blocking the opening of floor debate on a bill;

 instituting a "talking filibuster," where senators must actually debate a bill on the Senate floor, not merely threaten silent holds creating gridlock;

 requiring minority parties to produce 40 actual Senate votes; and

 lowering the cloture vote threshold to bring bills to a final up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.

Why reform the filibuster now?

Today, the League seeks these same reforms. The Senate filibuster is largely a Jim Crow relic, historically used to protect the Souths dependence on slave labor and later to defend segregation and block civil rights legislation. The filibuster, with its ugly racist history of obstructing democratic equality, is threatening the landmark voting and civil rights legislation of this generation: the For the People Act. The act was passed by the House of Representatives on March 3, 2021, and sent to the U.S. Senate.
We see things through the lens of our belief systems. If we look at actions through the lens of equality, equity and fairness then we see things in a certain way. We seek to find justice in actions, and equal, fair treatment for all people.

Other lenses give individuals other views. To the conservative, much of the spending on social justice issues is a waste of resources. And for the white supremacist our governments actions in celebrating the final end of slavery is a distraction from the story of America, from the story of this white, male, Christian nation.

Celebrating freedom is one thing to those who have experienced slavery in the past, either in their lives or in their forbearers' lives. To the white supremacist celebrating freedom from slavery is just another attempt to use history to demean the white race and its superiority.
MATTOON  First Mid-Illinois Bancshares Inc. on Thursday reported second-quarter earnings of $12.2 million.

The Mattoon-based bank said it had earnings of 68 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for costs related to mergers and acquisitions and non-recurring costs, were 98 cents per share.

The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 93 cents per share.

The bank holding company posted revenue of $64.9 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $61 million, which also beat Street forecasts.

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The second quarter reflected very good financial and operating performance with strong earnings and the successful completion of the integration with Providence, said Joe Dively, chairman and chief executive officer. Our earnings, adjusted for the acquisition and branch consolidation costs, are a record high. In addition, we continued our strategic focus on growing noninterest income and expanding our services for our customers by completing an acquisition in each of our insurance and wealth management business lines.

The company also announced Thursday that it has entered into two separate definitive agreements under which it will acquire Delta Bancshares Company and also a loan and deposit portfolio, along with the relationship team, in the St. Louis market.

Delta is the parent company of Jefferson Bank and Trust and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, operating five branches throughout the metro area. As of June 30, 2021, Delta had approximately $697 million in total assets, $484 million in loans and $546 million in deposits.

Delta has a long history providing financial services in the market and the lenders in the loan and deposit deal all worked with our current market president in the past, Dively said.

First Mid-Illinois shares have risen 19% since the beginning of the year. The stock has risen 63% in the last 12 months.

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He estimated that, subtracting Baby Does damages and plaintiffs attorney fees from the $35 million, just over $21 million would remain for local governments to split amongst themselves. But that amount could increase again, he said, thanks to a Tuesday court order requiring Endo and some of its lawyers from Arnold & Porter to pay the plaintiffs attorney fees.

In a joint statement about the settlement released that morning, Staubus, Baldwin and Armstrong said that that money will be divided among participating cities and counties based on population levels, with no restrictions on how the resources are to be expended.

Staubus said that keeping the case in the hands of district attorneys general, rather than passing it to Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, means more local control over how the money can be spent.

...this lawsuit allows...the monies come straight to the communities, Staubus said. No filters from Nashville, no filters from Washington, DC. The money comes straight where its needed. We get to make the calls and we dont have to ask permission [from] anybody else what to do with the money.
When times are tough -- and even when theyre not, its always nice when you can save a dime or two. While many of us are itching to get away with our pet, others may have to due to a move, family matter, or other obligation. Whatever the reason for travel, it doesnt have to break the bank if you plan ahead and find the right accommodations for your budget.
Charges have been dropped in Wise County, Virginia, against 31 individuals as a result of ongoing efforts to restructure law enforcement in the town of Pound.

The dismissals come after the Pound Town Council voted on May 18 to eliminate the towns Police Department. The vote terminated employment for the towns police officers and chief  witnesses in criminal cases. The move was made due to budget issues, council members said.

After the vote, Wise County Commonwealths Attorney Chuck Slemp asked the town to protect evidence at the Police Department. The town then hired a specialist to conduct an inventory of the evidence, and they hired an interim police chief, Chris Wilcox, to assist.

Slemp said the situation, however, brought some evidence into question.

In a motion to dismiss charges, the prosecutor said he works daily to protect the constitutional and legal rights of all persons, including suspects and defendants.

It is for this reason that I will always exercise my discretion to not pursue criminal charges in appropriate circumstances, Slemp wrote.

He formally withdrew cases Wednesday against 31 people facing various charges in Pound. Many individuals faced drug charges.
As of Wednesday, the CDC listed Tennessee  and a slew of other states  as areas of high transmission.

Meanwhile, the state continues to have one of the countrys lowest vaccination rates. As of Monday, nearly 39% of Tennessee residents have been fully vaccinated, while 43.7% have received at least one dose, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Asked what prompted the letter, Lundberg said it emerged from conversations he had with the others who signed it.

We thought there was a misperception out there. ... Lundberg said. We are absolutely against a mandate for vaccines. But a lot of people perceive that [as meaning], well, if youre against a mandate for vaccines, youre against vaccines. Well, thats not true. ... We werent being clear that while were against a mandated vaccine, we would certainly encourage everyone to go out and get vaccinated. Not only for them, but for their families, for their neighbors and for their friends.

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In the letter, the group said that the COVID-19 vaccines in use in the U.S. have been found to be safe and effective against the illness. It states that vaccines helped eradicate polio, smallpox and a string of other illnesses in the previous century.
TOKYO (AP)  American gymnast Simone Biles' decision to withdraw from two marquee Olympic competitions to focus on her mental well-being changes the landscape somewhat dramatically for the U.S. gymnastics team in coming days. Here's a look at what that might mean, with the understanding that the situation is still fluid.

WHAT HAPPENED: After pulling out of the women's team finals after the vault rotation on Tuesday night, saying she felt she wasn't in the right headspace," Biles on Wednesday withdrew from Thursdays all-around competition to focus on her mental well-being.

WHO'LL TAKE BILES' PLACE: Jade Carey, who finished ninth in qualifying, will take Biles place in the all-around. Carey initially did not qualify because she was the third-ranking American behind Biles and Sunisa Lee. International Gymnastics Federation rules limit countries to two athletes per event in the finals.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE ALL-AROUND: The decision opens the door wide open for the all-around, a title that Biles was expected to defend after winning in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil finished second to Biles during qualifying, followed by Lee and Russians Angelina Melnikova and Vladislava Urazova. The four were separated by three-tenths of a point on Sunday.
NEW YORK (AP)  Remy Ma, George Clinton and KRS-One are among the headliners of a series of free concerts next month meant to celebrate New York City's emergence from the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday.

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required for the Its Time for Hip Hop in NYC concerts taking place at outdoor venues in the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens starting Aug. 16.

While a previously announced Aug. 21 Central Park concert will feature performers across multiple genres, the four concerts outside of Manhattan will focus on hip-hop, and particularly New York Citys essential historic contribution to hip-hop and what each borough has contributed, de Blasio said at a virtual news briefing.

The Aug. 16 show at Orchard Beach in the Bronx will include performances by KRS-One, Slick Rick, Remy Ma, Furious 5 featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio, Kid Capri and Soul Sonic Force.

Raekwon and Ghost Face Killah of Wu-Tang Clan will headline at Aug. 17 on Staten Island in a concert that will also feature Crystal Waters, Force MDs and Rob Base.
A faith-based lawsuit seeking to block increased protections for transgender students in Virginia public schools classrooms beginning this fall lacked standing, a Lynchburg Circuit Court judge ruled this week.

In March, at the direction of General Assembly, the Virginia Department of Education created model policies that are inclusive of transgender and nonbinary students. All Virginia school districts by the start of school must adopt policies that are either consistent with or more comprehensive than the VDOEs model policies, according to state code.

The model policies include allowing students to use school bathrooms and locker rooms that conform to their gender identity as well as allowing students to use pronouns and a name that reflects their gender identity.

Christian Action Network, a faith-based organization, and two families whose children attend Lynchburg public schools filed a motion in March with the Circuit Court of Lynchburg requesting the VDOE guidelines be postponed.

The lawsuit eventually merged with one filed in Richmond by the Family Foundation, Founding Freedoms Law Center, and a family whose children attend public schools in Hanover County.
Masks are now recommended in public places for vaccinated and unvaccinated people in North Carolina but not required, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday.

The governors new executive order falls in line with recent recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state previously said vaccinated people did not need to wear masks.

Masks are recommended indoors at public places in areas of high or substantial COVID-19 transmission, Cooper said. Catawba, Burke and Alexander counties are considered to have high transmission, according to the CDC. Caldwell County is considered to have substantial transmission.

North Carolina officials also recommended all students and staff in K-12 schools should wear masks. Last week, Cooper announced a recommendation for K-8 students and staff to wear masks. The new guidance is not a mandate.

The recommendation follows the states rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Cooper said. North Carolina saw 3,268 new cases reported on Thursday, the highest number of cases in 24 hours since February, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Sec. Mandy Cohen said during a press conference.

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In a letter to the editor, Tom Shuford responded to an earlier letter that I wrote in which I noted that scientific studies have found that hydroxychloroquine does not prevent COVID-19 or show any other benefit for those exposed to COVID." Shuford wrote that he has watched countless presentations by doctors who claim efficacy for hydroxychloroquine as an early, at-home treatment option for COVID-19, some of whom are associated with a group called Americas Frontline Doctors. He also cites the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as an early outpatient option.

A simple Google search quickly reveals that Americas Frontline Doctors is a rightwing political organization that has spread disinformation through the pandemic. A video produced by the group was removed by Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube after initially going viral in July of 2020. The video features Dr. Stella Immanuel who has made medical claims including sex with demons during dreams are a cause of health problems in the United States. The Daily Beast has reported that Immanuel believes that the government is run in part not by humans but by 'reptilians and other aliens." The filming of the video was organized by a right-wing group called the Tea Party Patriots.
The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman.

At eight-years-old, 7JE5004 River Valley CeCe CHROME-ET has claimed a new title as Select Sires' lifetime sales leader for the Jersey breed. With 527,517 units sold, demand for CHROME continues to climb as he sires the industry's most successful and profitable daughters.

This new milestone comes just five months after CHROME joined the half million club. Following that announcement, Herby Lutz, Jersey development manager, said, "We have a saying at Select Sires, 'bulls are genomic tested and daughter-proven,' and CHROME is the poster child to illustrate how daughter data helps the accuracy of genomic proofs. Because dairymen provided production and appraisal data from thousands of milking daughters, CHROME set the standard for the Jersey breed in Jersey Udder IndexTM (JUITM) and Type."

CHROME is the result of the partnership between Select Sires and River Valley Farm of Tremont, Illinois. The Sauder family purchased CHROME's dam, Lyon Celebrity CeCe-ET from the world-famous Master Breeder Herd of Lyon Jerseys in Toledo, Iowa. CHROME's maternal side was developed for more than 40 years by the Lyon family, and he is backed by multiple generations of Excellent cows. He is a true, complete package of proven genomics and a time-tested pedigree.



"We're thrilled to see the positive impact CHROME has made in so many herds. He is the kind of bull we love: those that come from great cows and make great udders," said Tim Sauder, River Valley Farm. "We want to thank the Lyons for developing the cow family behind CHROME and for giving us the opportunity to build on that foundation."

CHROME remains competitive on industry rankings for Type, Jersey Performance IndexTM (JPITM) and JUI. Now, with more than 6,322 daughters in his proof, his high reliability provides extreme confidence to his elite rank. High reliability combined with successful offspring have made CHROME a mainstay in breeding programs worldwide. Today, his proof includes daughters from seven different countries and the quality around the world is tremendous.

Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is the largest global A.I. cooperative and is comprised of six farmer-owned and -controlled local organizations in the United States. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen, as well as excellence in service and programs to supply dairy and beef producers with the world's best genetics.


The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman.

Returning September 28 through October 2 for its 54th event, World Dairy Expo is once again bringing those who are Instrumental to the Industry to Madison, Wisconsin to speak on topics centered around technology, management practices, finances and niche markets during this years Expo Seminars. These seminars will be presented daily in the Mendota 2 meeting room of the Exhibition Hall.

Most Expo Seminars are approved for one continuing education credit for members of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS). Continuing education credits for members of the American Association of State Veterinary Boards  RACE Program are still pending.

Sponsors of the 2021 Expo Seminars include Micro Technologies, National Milk Producers Federation, Quality Liquid Feeds, Inc., The National Dairy FARM Program and VAS.



The following is the schedule of 2021 Expo Seminars:

Tuesday, September 28 at 1:00 p.m.

Spreadsheets, Apps and Software for your Dairy

Dr. Larry Tranel, Jennifer Bentley and Fred Hall, Extension Dairy Field Specialists, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach - Dairy Team

Sponsored by: VAS

Continuing Education Credits: ARPAS (1)

Wednesday, September 29 at 11:00 a.m.

How We Are Evaluating Farm Loans - Panel

Panelists: Sam Miller, BMO Harris Bank; Roger Murray, Farm Credit East; and Matthew Wilson, Rabo AgriFinance

Moderator: Millaine Wells, WFRV-TV, Green Bay, Wis.

Sponsored by: Micro Technologies

Wednesday, September 29 at 1:00 p.m.

Dairy Cow Productivity: More Important to the Profitability of Your Dairy Operation Than You Think

Peter Vitaliano, Ph.D., National Milk Producers Federation

Sponsored by: National Milk Producers Federation

Continuing Education Credits: ARPAS (1)

Thursday, September 30 at 11:00 a.m.

The Changing Landscape of Milk Marketers and Processors

Corey Geiger, Managing Editor, Hoards Dairyman

Sponsored by: Micro Technologies

Continuing Education Credits: ARPAS (1)

Thursday, September 30 at 1:00 p.m.

Practical Employee Management Strategies

Dr. Robert Hagevoort, Associate Professor and Extension Dairy Specialist, New Mexico State University

Sponsored by: The National Dairy FARM Program

Friday, October 1 at 11:00 a.m.

The Future of Beef on Dairy, Heifer Inventory Management

Dr. Larry Corah, Emeritus Professor, Kansas State University; Supply Chain Consultant, Select Sires, Inc.

Sponsored by: Quality Liquid Feeds, Inc.

Continuing Education Credits: ARPAS (1)

Friday, October 1 at 1:00 p.m.

Value-Added Products and Niche Marketing - Panel

Panelists: Chris Casiello, Arethusa Farm Dairy; Garry Hansen, Lady Lane Farm; Alise Sjostrom, Redhead Creamery

Moderator: Kaitlyn Riley, Wisconsin Beef Council

Saturday, October 2 at 11:00 a.m.

What Would the Food Supply Look Like Without Animal Agriculture?

Dr. Mary Beth Hall, Research Scientist, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, USDA-Agricultural Research Service

Continuing Education Credits: ARPAS (1)

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo brings together the latest in dairy innovation and the best cattle in North America. Crowds of 60,000 people, from nearly 100 countries, will return to Madison, Wis. for the 54th event, September 28  October 2, 2021, when the worlds largest dairy-focused trade show, dairy and forage seminars, a world-class dairy cattle show and more will be on display. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile event app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Spotify, Instagram or YouTube for more information.


The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman.

National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Executive Committee member Allan Huttema said USMCA enforcement is essential for the agreement to reach its potential for U.S. dairy farmers in testimony today at a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing on the impact of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on U.S. dairy. Huttema operates an 800-cow dairy in Parma, Idaho and serves as chair of the Darigold and Northwest Dairy Association boards, both of which are NMPF and U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) members.

I thank Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo, my own senator, for extending me the opportunity to discuss the impact the USMCA has had on my farm and the thousands of other dairy farms throughout the country, said Huttema. Enforcement of trade agreements like USMCA is important to ensure we retain the ability to supply high-quality cheeses, milk powders and a variety of other dairy products to customers around the world.

NMPF and the dairy producers it represents are grateful to the Senate Finance Committee for inviting Allan to discuss the benefits that the USMCA has brought U.S. dairy producers and cooperatives, said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of NMPF. But as Huttema said so well, adequate enforcement is necessary to ensure American dairy producers are provided the access promised in the agreement. We are grateful to the Senate Finance Committee members for their advocacy in support of the recently initiated dispute settlement proceedings over Canadas dairy tariff rate quotas (TRQs)  a critical step in enforcement of this agreement.



The $6.5 billion worth of U.S. dairy products exported each year underpins the economic health of dairy producers, processors, and manufacturers across the United States. American dairy exports create more than 85,000 direct jobs and have a nearly $12 billion economic impact. Whether it is Canadas TRQ administration or Mexicos array of new regulations intended to limit imports, NMPF and USDEC have urged the U.S. government to ensure the USMCA is fully enforced. Enforcement secures the access extended to U.S. dairy producers in the USMCA and sends a strong message to other U.S. trading partners that attempts to subvert trade obligations will not be tolerated.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council appreciates the Senate Finance Committee and its members for hearing Allans testimony and answers regarding the importance of the USMCA and new trade opportunities to the U.S. dairy industry, said Krysta Harden, President and CEO of USDEC. USDEC agrees with Allan regarding the need to pursue greater market access opportunities for high-quality American dairy products that our international consumers demand. USMCA was an important step forward, but its not enough. We need new trade agreements to expand on Congress hard work in passing USMCA. The EU is filling the vacuum that American trade policy is leaving  an issue that Congress needs to address with additional market opportunities for U.S. exports. We appreciate Allan sharing his insight and concerns with the agreements implementation and its impact on dairy farmers, processors and manufacturers throughout the United States.


Tech giants are telling employees to get the jab. Image: Shutterstock

Facebook and Google will require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to the office in coming months.

Both companies have been largely operating with global work from home (WFH) policies for the duration of the pandemic.

In an email sent to all Google employees  and shared on the companys blog today  Google CEO Sundar Pichai told staff work from home arrangements would extend until mid-October and that a new vaccine mandate will apply to its US offices in the coming weeks.

Anyone coming to work on our campuses will need to be vaccinated, Pichai said.

Were rolling this policy out in the US in the coming weeks and will expand to other regions in the coming months.

The implementation will vary according to local conditions and regulations, and will not apply until vaccines are widely available in your area.

Facebook similarly announced a vaccine mandate this week with the companys VP of People, Lori Goler, saying it will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our US campuses to be vaccinated.

How we implement this policy will depend on local conditions and regulations, Goler said in a statement.

We will have a process for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons and will be evaluating our approach in other regions as the situation evolves.

A Facebook Australia spokesperson told Information Age the company was currently following the guidance from the NSW and Victorian governments regarding its local staff.

How far Googles policy extends  and if it will affect Australian employees  will depend on local regulations and the supply of vaccines.

Will you be mandated to get a vaccine?

According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, it is unlikely your employer can force you to get a vaccine unless there is an existing law  such as public health orders  or employment contract stipulating mandatory vaccinations.

In the current circumstances, the overwhelming majority of employers should assume that they cant require their employees to be vaccinated against coronavirus, a notice on the Fair Work Ombudsman website, updated last week, reads.

There are limited circumstances where an employer may require their employees to be vaccinated.

Whether an employer can require their employees to be vaccinated against coronavirus is highly fact dependent, taking account of the workplace and each employees circumstances.

Fair Work said legality of direct employees to vaccinated needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis and that the pandemic doesnt automatically make it reasonable for an employer to direct their employees to be vaccinated against coronavirus.

Australia has a relatively low vaccination rate  only 14 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated compared to the USs 49 per cent and UKs 55 per cent according to Our World in Data  which would make it more difficult for employers to enforce mandatory vaccinations.

Employers arent exactly rushing to enact vaccine policies either, with a recent Gartner poll of global HR leaders finding only 5 per cent of employers saying they would enforce vaccinations once the vaccine is widely available.

Local workers may be okay with mandated vaccinations, however, as a recent poll of Australian employees from ELMO Software found 62 per cent of respondents believed employers should require their staff to get the jab.

As Sydney faces four more weeks of lockdown and tighter movement restrictions while it battles the dreaded Delta strain of COVID-19, national airline Qantas said it is considering a nation-wide vaccine mandate for aviation staff to complement requirements already in place in NSW and South Australia.

The NSW government has said it will make Pfizer vaccines available to Year 12 students in high risk Sydney council areas before they return to classrooms on August 16.
New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) Slamming Pakistan for holding assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), India on Thursday said it was nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and that it has lodged a strong protest with that country over the issue.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi asserted that Pakistan has no locus standi on these Indian territories and it should vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.

'The so-called elections in Indian territory under the illegal occupation of Pakistan are nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and the material changes undertaken by it in these territories,' he said at an online media briefing.

His strong assertion came days after Pakistan conducted elections to the legislative Assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The elections were marred by allegations of irregularities and violence.

Asked about the polls, Bagchi said India has lodged a strong protest with the Pakistani authorities on this 'cosmetic exercise', which has also been protested and rejected by the local people.

'Such an exercise can neither hide the illegal occupation by Pakistan nor the grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom to the people in these occupied territories,' he said. PTI ASK ASK SMN SMN
Two persons were arrested Thursday in connection with the hit-and-run case of Dhanbad Judge Uttam Anand who died after a heavy autorickshaw rammed into him, a top police official said. Both the arrests were made after recovery of the three-wheeler involved in the incident Wednesday morning.

We have arrested two persons Lakhan Verma and Rahul Verma involved in the incident early Thursday morning. Rahul Verma, a resident of Digwadih, Dhanbad has been arrested from Dhanbad Tempo stand while the other was arrested from Mangrudih police station area in Giridih, Senior Superintendent of Police, Dhanbad Sanjiv Kumar told PTI. Kumar said the three-wheeler was also recovered from Giridih and has been registered in the name of a woman.

A Special Investigation Team has been formed to probe the death of a judge in Jharkhand after chilling security footage pointed to murder instead of what was initially believed to be a hit-and-run case.

Additional sessions and district judge Uttam Anand was out for his daily morning jog when a three-wheeler hit him. The SIT was set up after CCTV footage emerged in which the three-wheeler was seen suddenly swerving to the extreme left of the road and hitting the judge before fleeing the spot.

Judge Anand was rushed to the citys medical college by passers-by but doctors said he was dead by the time he was brought.

His family reported him missing when he did not return at 7 am. The police finally tracked him down to the hospital and established him as the man who had died in a road accident.

The police say the CCTV footage makes it clear the tempo hit him deliberately. Investigations have revealed the vehicle was stolen just a few hours before the judge was hit. In the latest development, the autorickshaw driver along with his two associates has been arrested by the police.

The police are focusing on Judge Anands cases. He had been handling many cases of mafia killings in Dhanbad town and had recently rejected the bail requests of two gangsters.

Story continues

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Thursday asked the top court to take suo motu notice of the killing, adding that CCTV footage of the area should be taken on record. Its an attack on the independence of the judiciary and looks like a premeditated attack on the judge, it added.

Chief Justice NV Ramana said he had spoken with the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. The High Court Chief Justice has taken up the issue and the case is now on at the High Court. We are aware of the case and we will take care, Justice Ramana said.

(With PTI inputs)

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
Leadership Cabarrus, a program of The Chamber, Leading Business in Cabarrus, is a series of monthly class days from September through May, where members are introduced to and examine how leadership in the historical, educational, economic, governmental and cultural segments work together to preserve and advance Cabarrus County and its residents.

We have fondly named this years class The Mask Class due to all the challenges they faced, said Barbi Jones, executive director at The Chamber. We began the year with them meeting in person, socially distancing with masks on, transitioned to hybrid classes, then to fully virtual and finally, the last two months we were able to meet in person again. I am so grateful to our incredible steering committee that plans our program days. Throughout all these challenges, they found ways to ensure the class received the same information and value as a normal year, and sometimes that meant rearranging plans three or four times!
RALEIGH  Gov. Roy Cooper announced in a news conference Thursday that state government cabinet agencies will now be required to verify if their employees are vaccinated. If employees are unvaccinated, they will be tested at least once a week for COVID-19 and will be required to wear a mask.

North Carolinas state mask mandate expired Friday. Cooper did not extend the mandate. Additionally, he recommended, but did not require, masks be worn at all times in all K-12 schools.

Cooper recently strongly urged schools to require masks up to eighth grade and said any unvaccinated individuals in high schools should wear masks.

After that announcement, Cabarrus County Schools made masking optional at all levels in the district. Other districts such as Mooresville and Caldwell also made masking optional, while Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Anson County have since required masks at all levels.

Coopers announcement came two days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance recommending masks be worn at all levels of school up to 12th grade. His focus Thursday  as well as the focus of Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services  was on getting those who are unvaccinated, vaccinated as soon as possible.
Andrew Huggins, 31, has been creating films professionally for about eight years and has had a film in the Joedance Film Festival for the last seven, but this is the first time two of the Harrisburg directors films have played at the festival.

Grave Talk and ... And Then the Darkness both feature Huggins signature suspense, but the two films couldnt be more different.

Grave Talk, a short narrative film, is based on the true story of Willie Earle, an African American man who was lynched in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1947. The film has already played at the Reedy Reels Film Festival in Greenville, the location of Earles death. Running for about 10 minutes, the films story was created by John and Donna Sexton. John brought an extra piece of history to the film with documentary footage. This was the third time that Huggins and the Sextons have collaborated on a film. John Sexton played the lead character

It is really a creation of John and Donna Sexton, and I came in to write a script for them, found the treatment and directed a film, Huggins said. I have never made a film quite like that one. It is very unique in the way it is presented. We had an awesome cast and crew.
Because of the pandemic and its economic damage, Biden has abandoned the governing doctrine of the last three Democratic Presidents: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and, yes, even Barack Obama.

All three were scarred by the Democratic Partys tax and spend reputation from the 1960s. They strove mightily to show they were fiscally responsible and concerned about deficit spending. They made a show of reaching out to Republicans in (usually futile) hopes of finding common ground and governing in a bipartisan spirit.

Biden, the blue-collar kid from Scranton, has followed a more blue-collar strategy. More than any other Democratic President  more even than FDR, who worried about budget deficits  Biden has embraced aggressive government action to rebuild the economy, lift people out of poverty and give every American a better shot at a better life.

He wants to reduce child poverty, make child care and pre-K more available and affordable, make college more affordable, reduce student debt and rebuild the nations physical infrastructure. He wants to attack climate change, and he says its real. He wants to reduce high healthcare costs, lower sky-high prescription drug prices and make housing more affordable. He wants to focus on helping people who live paycheck to paycheck, instead of cutting taxes for the wealthy and big corporations.
Guest Opinion: Lets imagine this scenario and ponder over the tragedy for a second: youre in an important business call. Youre talking to your bosses, shareholders, managers, and every other important head in your workplace. They are all attentively listening to you as you lay out the roadmap to your companys future. Its an important milestone in your entrepreneurial career and you are about to announce something huge thats going to blow their tops off.

Then the mobile signal drops out, they cant hear you, and the call disconnects. Its really frustrating and is, without a doubt, one of the most unpleasant things you can go through. As close as long-distance communication technology has brought us, it has also brought upon a wave of headaches. So, the question is how to improve 4G signal without having to invest in a new phone or talk from a very specific corner in your house?

There are some ways you can improve your mobile network connection and cell signal.

1. Inspect Your Phone

A lot of the time, the problem isnt with the connection itself but with your phone. Our phones come loaded with all kinds of nifty tools and each of them requires its own dedicated hardware to function. Unfortunately, the more things you put in your phone, the higher the chances that they can get damaged. If youve dropped your phone a few times and dont see a cracked screen, this doesnt mean that its still fully functioning.

There may be a little part that is not working as it should after the drop and the only way to know about this is to take it to a specialist for an inspection. So, if your phone is the only one in the household that keeps going out and wont have a stable connection, consider taking it to a specialist and seeing what they have to say.

2. A New SIM Card

Over time, with a lot of use, as well as the constant removal and insertion of the SIM card, it gets worn out. As a result, it may not get those bars as easily as youd like. There is a really easy way to fix this and thats to simply get a new SIM card. Most mobile service providers hand those out for free, so its just a matter of visiting your local carrier branch and asking for a new one.

With that one simple step, you can solve a very big problem.

3. Get a Signal Boost

A cell signal booster or GSM repeater is a kind of device which is used to strengthen your cell connection. Weak phone connections are the result of several factors. Maybe your house is geographically in a really bad spot and cant catch the incoming cell signals. Or maybe you live too far from the nearest cell tower. Or perhaps even your carrier does not cover your local area as well as they should.

Whatever the case may be, a signal booster can easily pick up weak signals from the external receiver, amplify them, and disperse it throughout any given area. When it comes to a cell phone signal booster NZ, Ireland, and plenty of other countries with a large suburban population have invested in these gadgets.

You can find a wide assortment of them and they work in different ways. Look for one that matches all your needs both in terms of coverage distance and how well it boosts your phone signal.

4. Change Your Carrier

As was previously mentioned, some carriers do not cover certain areas of the city. Your mobile carrier may not have local coverage for your area, which is perfectly understandable considering how it may not suit their demographic. Its all about supply and demand, so if there is not much demand in your area for their cell coverage, theyre not going to go out of their way to install a cell tower specifically for you.

In this case, your only option would be to change your cell provider and find one that operates locally, which shouldnt be hard to do considering how there are so many options to pick from. Sit down one day, open their list of plans and service packages and try to find something that suits your needs. Once you find what youre looking for, simply change your cell service provider and you will likely have a stable connection.

5.Check Your Phone Accessories

Some people dont realize this but the accessories on your phone may be messing with the connection. What most people seem to underestimate is the effect that their highly stylized and very attractive skins may have on their phones.

Cell signal isnt magic; it doesnt simply teleport from one point to another. It has to travel from a specific place to another and it must go through physical objects. The more objects there are in its way, the harder it is for the signal to reach the intended point. So, try removing your phone skin and checking your connection without it. You may see the connection improve even if just slightly.

If you want to have a stable connection, but also dont want to lose out on making your phone look stylish and sleek, there are certain kinds of phone skins out there that dont interfere with your cell signal. They are quite affordable, come in all kinds of designs, and are widely available.

But these were just a few of the examples of the little steps you can take in improving the quality of your mobile connection. There are many other little tricks and hacks you can try out, but if you really need to greatly improve the stability of your phone calls, these would be some of your best solutions. Also, dont hesitate to talk to someone who knows their way around mobile networks as they may give you even more tips and advice on how you can improve it.
CHARLESTON  The Coles County Health Department has reported that the Delta variant of COVID-19 has been detected in the county for the first time as the number of local coronavirus cases continue to increase.

Diana Stenger, administrator of the Coles County Health Department, said the Illinois Department of Public Health notified them about this first Delta variant case in the county on Wednesday.

The health department also reported that 39 additional laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified in Coles County from Saturday through Wednesday, up from 35 new cases during the preceding week.

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"Coles County cases are continuing to rise," the health department reported. "To stop the spread of COVID-19, we each have to do our part."

The health department has asked community members to help stop the spread by wearing masks, social distancing, washing their hands regularly and getting vaccinated. Those experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms are advised to stay at home and get tested.

Last week, the health department reported that 17,181 of the county's 50,885 residents, 33.7 percent, have been fully vaccinated. The vaccination rate for Illinois' population as a whole was 50.29% at the time.

According to the health department, the new numbers this week have increased Coles County's total case count since the pandemic began to 6,033. The new total consists of 5,874 recovered, 58 recovering, and 101 deceased.

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Earlier this summer, a stomach-churning plumbing catastrophe straight out of Orange Is the New Black occurred in all-too-real-life when a leaky pipe sent sewer water into the living spaces at Logan Correctional Center, where most of the states incarcerated women are housed.

The plumbing was fixed in less than a day, an Illinois Department of Corrections spokesperson said. Yet, advocates for the women said they were sloshing around in sewer water for days before prison staff moved them back to their regular living spaces, which inmates said still smelled like sewage.

In this case the seemingly routine maintenance issue led to a hunger strike by three of the 49 women who were temporarily relocated to a space that state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, described as uninhabitable.

Like the Netflix drama, real-life problems such as Logans plumbing illustrate the many ways in which the special problems of female inmates are not only episodic but systemic.

Logan Correctional Center in downstate Lincoln has fallen into physical disrepair, among other problems, since its hasty conversion from an aging facility for about 1,500 men in 2013 into a facility for about 2,000 women, including hundreds with mental health problems.

Yet one cannot easily separate the physical disrepair from the social and mental breakdowns that female inmates too often face, as is illustrated in past scandals of strip searches conducted within view of male staff, a practice that has been subject of hotly contested lawsuits.

So far, the courts have ruled in favor of womens privacy rights in similar cases, although it has yet to reach the Supreme Court.

The states womens prison population soared between 1980 and 2014, according to the IDOC, even when the male populations growth began to level off in the 1990s. The growth in admissions to womens prisons caused untold levels of harm that have ripped through the lives of women, their children and generations of families, the report stated.

Is that growth necessary? The task force reports new data showing nearly 68,000 court admissions to state womens prisons in the last three decades, of which over 86% were convicted of nonviolent offenses.

The task force also found an estimated 98% had histories of gender-based violence or other forms of abuse and over 80% are mothers. The task force calls for a new approach: Take the same tools that are used to respond to a crisis-driven public health threat and apply them to the mass incarceration of women, which the task force also views, not inappropriately, as a public health threat.

Its new report, titled Redefining the Narrative, offers an impressive list of some 250 recommendations for policy changes that, in keeping with the reports title, rethinks dangerous myths about women who have so few options that they end up in prison. Those include such myths as Why doesnt she just leave? which ignores the realities of women trapped in abusive relationships.

The groups goal: Reduce the states womens prison population by half.

Overly ambitious? Indeed, the politics of such a goal sound daunting, particularly in these times of surging crime rates in Chicago and other big cities. But the organization does not aim to simply throw open the jailhouse doors for dangerous criminals. They aim instead to restore reasonable ideas of redemption and rehabilitation.

Researchers from Loyola University Chicagos Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy, and Practice worked with task force members to create a detailed breakdown of how many women would be freed today under suggested changes to sentencing laws and classifications.

Among its many other recommendations, the report calls for:

 A prison ombudsman position to investigate allegations of staff sexual assaults on inmates.

 Community-based programs instead of large prison facilities.

 Post-release housing programs that are organized and run by formerly incarcerated women.

 An end to the price-gouging that forces inmates to pay outlandish fees for necessities such as tampons, family phone calls or monthly email access.

The idea of slashing the womens prison population by 50% or more and investing in job training, family support and womens health  mental and physical  may seem like an unattainable goal. But, given the new realities taking shape on the incarceration front, it may not be as unreachable as it might, at first, appear to be.

Chicago Tribune

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A 6-3 conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court said in May that the court would consider arguments over the Mississippi law. Justices are likely to hear the case this fall and could rule on it in the spring.

The 11 other states whose Republican governors also signed onto the amicus brief in support of Mississippi are Montana, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Iowa, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, a group that describes itself as protecting and promoting reproductive health in Idaho, Washington and four other states, condemned Little's decision to join the amicus brief.

Idaho politicians claim to support individual freedoms, while ruthlessly attacking the right of a pregnant person to access the full spectrum of safe and legal reproductive health care," Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, the group's Idaho director, said in a statement. Despite these attacks, we want our patients and the public to know that our doors stay open. Abortion is still legal, and safe, everywhere in the United States and we will continue to fight to keep it that way and to expand access.
Why some vaccinated people contract the virus while others do not, Tierney said, probably comes down to two factors: how well a person responded to the vaccine, which can vary by factors such as age and immune status, and the amount of virus to which theyre exposed.

A person who knows that she doesnt respond well to vaccines, she said, might want to consider wearing a mask when in public.

Tierney said its important for people to be understanding if they see someone wearing a mask. If somebodys wearing a mask, they might be wearing it for a reason, she said.

Bryant, a former reporter and copy editor at the Grand Island Independent, said she only recently stopped masking in public. She didnt wear one in Colorado.

She said she has no regrets about getting the vaccine or complaints about its effectiveness. She said she knows that her symptoms could have been much worse if she hadnt received the shots.

Bryant also recognizes that no vaccine is 100% effective. A couple of years ago, she got influenza, despite being vaccinated against flu every year.

On Monday, feeling a little under the weather but not suspecting COVID-19, she visited her 96-year-old father at his assisted living center.
Justin Smith, a Burt County Sheriff's Deputy and the former police chief of Decatur, died on Wednesday after battling COVID-19. He was 43 years old.

Smith, a deputy since 2008, had been placed on life support in the days before his death, according to the Burt County Sheriff's Office news release announcing the deputy's death. Smith, described as a devoted husband and father, was surrounded by family and friends when he died, according to the release.

A longtime figure in law enforcement in Burt County, Smith had worked in various roles and assignments in his time with the sheriff's office and Decatur Police Department  careers that accompanied his time in the U.S. Army Reserve.

"During this difficult time our thoughts and prayers go out to Justin's family, his Burt County Sheriff's Office Family, and the Decatur Police Department," Sheriff Eric Nick said in the statement. "Please keep them in all your thoughts and prayers."

Nebraska State Patrol Col. John Bolduc said in a statement that the patrol is "deeply saddened by the loss of Deputy Smith," nothing that he served not only Burt County, "but also our country, and will be greatly missed."
He said he expects to hear criticism from advocates of LGBTQ students, who want to see themselves represented in the standards.

Some sex education topics were difficult to remove, he said. For instance, puberty is topic schools are expected to teach about in a human growth and development, he said.

We tried to make sure that things that were widely accepted as part of the normal school expectations in health were still included, he said.

State law does not mandate that the department write health standards, as it does with math and language arts, for instance. Nor is there any requirement that schools adopt them. The standards would be akin to the states standards for fine arts, which is not a core academic area.

Blomstedt said he did not run the revisions past Gov. Pete Ricketts, who sharply criticized the first draft, but he said the two have talked about the governors concerns.

Ricketts has been touring the state calling for scrapping the sex education topics from the standards, saying they were not age-appropriate and that they were developed with input from activists.
The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the original celebration plans. Last year's Super Fair was a blend of virtual and in-person events, where fairgrounds were closed to the public. There, a handful of 4-H and FFA competitors were socially distanced at the event, and all static entries like photography, cooking and clothing were submitted online to be judged and displayed virtually.

This year, event staff hopes to make up for 2020 by bringing in new events and exhibitions and putting a spotlight on the youth who get to compete in-person this year.

"It'll be back to the full fair experience rather than a diluted version like it was last year," Kraeger said.

More than 700 competitors are expected to show 5,000 exhibits during the 4-H and FFA Open Class and Livestock & Horse show, said Tracy Anderson, an extension educator with Nebraska Extension. The 4-H/FFA events will be available only Thursday through Sunday, after which the animals will be removed.

Judging had already began on Wednesday afternoon for 4-H static exhibitions inside the Lincoln Room, which had held a kids' recreation area just a few days before for the NHSFR.
The old saying goes nothing is certain in life except for death and taxes. We agree those two certainties are undeniably true, but we need to continue to make sure that family-owned businesses, including farms and ranches, are not taxed to death -- or excessively after death.

In Nebraska, we have 45,500 farms and ranches. In addition to that, one in four jobs in Nebraska is related to agriculture -- further proving why we need sound tax policies for the current and future generation of farmers and ranchers.

Preparing to transition the family farm or ranch to the next generation is a complex task. Current owners of family farms and ranches not only have to make decisions to keep their operations financially viable in the immediate term, but they also must endure heavy and elaborate generational transfer planning because of potential tax burdens incurred at the time of death of an owner or generational transfer.

In Nebraska, farms and ranches utilize 44.9 million acres, which attributes to 92% of the states total land dedicated to production agriculture. With the average age of a Nebraska principal operator being 56.4, we are looking at generational transfer becoming a more prominent obstacle for business continuity the coming years.
Well, Gov. Pete Ricketts, once again, you are blaming others for what you are doing. You sent the Nebraska State Patrol to the U.S. Mexican border. Who would have thought that Texas was going to pay for it? Only you.

You said in the beginning that you didn't know how it would be paid for. You must have been the only one who didn't know. Now you are telling the taxpayers of Nebraska that they will have to pay for it.

Now you have gone on to blame the lack of the state being paid back on the Democrats in Texas leaving the state of Texas. Did you know they left the state because the Republicans want to restrict voting rights to the people of Texas, or should we say some of the people of Texas?

Don't blame President Biden and the Democrats for things. You sound like Donald Trump; it is always somebody else to blame. You really should stop blaming others for what you do.

Be honest, if you can: Do you want to restrict people's voting rights like they are trying to do in Texas? Can you share with the people what your political agenda really is?

Mike Nickell, Lincoln

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Tom still works to create art and premiere at galleries, selling three pieces at the Northwinds Gallery, 1700 N. Main St., Racine.

Reuniting with classmates

Making the Case High School Class of 1970 reunion come to life has been a journey due to pandemic. It was intended to be a 50-year anniversary celebration; it still will, it just will be celebrated a year later.

We decided we better reschedule and even discussed doing it around homecoming time in October, said Denise Anastasio, the head of the organizing committee for the reunion. Then we decided to give it more time, and thank goodness we waited a whole year because October was worse with COVID-19 cases.

The reunion will be celebrated over two days. On Friday, Aug. 6, there is be a meet-and-greet event at Monument Square in conjunction with the weekly Music on the Monument series. On Saturday, Aug. 7, the Class of 1970 reunion banquet is scheduled for Roma Lodge in Mount Pleasant.

There will be about 100 people from the graduating class of about 600 attending the reunion, Anastasio said.

Our prom king and queen are still together and will attend the reunion, said Anastasio. We also have about seven couples who were high school sweethearts attending.
RACINE  As the federal moratorium on evictions ends Saturday, the city is taking action to stave off an influx of housing insecurity that could destabilize families.

The City Council voted last week to allocate $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money to shore up funds in existing programs that are helping to keep people in their residences and off the streets.

City Administrator Paul Vornholt said the city was taking action in order to be prepared.

The advantage to using ARPA funds, he explained, is they come with fewer restrictions than the federal Community Development Block Grant money the city used previously.

This pot of money would be flexible in terms of how we can use it and where we can place it, Vornholt said.

In other words, they can get unrestricted funds to programs faster; however, agencies who use the funds will have to come before the City Council to get a contract in place.

All ARPA funds must be used within the next four years.

Existing programs
The criminal case against the 19-year-old who allegedly made the straw purchase that provided Kyle Rittenhouse his gun has been put on hold until after the Rittenhouse trial.

Dominick Black, who now lives in Racine according to court records, is charged with two counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to a person under 18 causing death.

According to court documents, Rittenhouse allegedly gave cash to Black  who was dating Rittenhouses sister  to purchase an AR-15 style rifle for Rittenhouse from a Wisconsin hardware store because Rittenhouse was underage.

Court documents allege Rittenhouse retrieved the gun from Blacks stepfathers house in Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020, and that Rittenhouse and Black went together, armed, to protests in downtown Kenosha that followed the Jacob Blake shooting. Later that night, Rittenhouse shot three men, killing two, in what he and his supporters say was an act of self defense. Rittenhouse is charged with homicide.

At a brief hearing Thursday, the prosecution and Blacks defense attorney made a mutual request to adjourn the Black case until after the Rittenhouse trial. The court granted that request and set the case for a status hearing on Nov. 22.
Mensah's attorney Jonathan Cermele criticized the decision and said Yamahiro heard evidence from one side and one side only.

We werent able to be involved, we werent able to cross-examine or provide witnesses, he said. The judge made a call on a very limited amount of evidence.

It will be up to the special prosecutor to decide whether to file charges, said Motley, the Anderson family attorney. But she was confident that the evidence and record created by the judge is clear.

I cant see any lawyer not criminally charging Joseph Mensa," she said.

Anderson was the second of three people Mensah shot to death during a five-year stint with the Wauwatosa Police Department. Prosecutors cleared him of criminal wrongdoing in each case.

Andersons family asked Yamahiro to review that case under an obscure state law that allows judges to directly question witnesses and decide whether probable cause exists to bring charges in whats known as a John Doe proceeding. At least six other states have similar statutory provisions, but attorneys say the process is rarely used in Wisconsin.
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
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On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), along with Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) cosponsored legislation introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to combat the censorship coordination between Big Tech companies and governments across the globe, including the Biden administration.

The Preserve Online Speech Act would require technology companies to disclose any U.S. or foreign government requests or recommendations regarding content moderation.

Johnson also co-sponsored the Disclose Government Censorship Act introduced by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) along with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). The legislation seeks to end the government-directed speech suppression and viewpoint censorship.

The legislation comes after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged that the White House is flagging problematic posts for social media companies.

Johnson sent a letter to President Biden on Monday urging 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 Aug. 9.
A Tomah Health / Versiti two-day blood drive attracted 109 donors this week to Tomahs Recreation Park.

Among them was Kevin Gregar, who said that besides the charitable part of the July 27 and 28 drive, he donates for his own health too.

Its worth giving it a try because there are many more benefits than the second of discomfort. Thats really all it is, Gregar said during his donation. Its beneficial to me too, so its a win-win.

He also appreciated the fact that he is helping with the blood supply at Tomah Health. Its great to help locally. Its an hour of your time and you do a lot of good, Gregar said. Versiti is the sole supplier of blood to nearly 50 hospitals in Wisconsin including Tomah Health.

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Versiti officials said 109 donors registered for the drive, which collected 100 blood products that will have the potential to save nearly 300 lives.

Emalea Cogdill, Versiti Blood Center account representative, said officials see an extra need for blood at this time of the year due to an increase in accidents during the summer.

While the supply is usually at its lowest, demand is at its highest, she said. A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood.
Route 66 has got nothing on us when you look out here, right? Weve got it, said Rep. Jill Billings, D-La Crosse.

The Great River Road is a slice of Americana  I think wed all agree on that, Frels said. Made up of a number of highways, curves and small communities that have their own story to tell.

The presentation Thursday included the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson, a proclamation sent from Gov. Tony Evers, and other state and local leaders. A number of leaders and agencies from the counties the Great River Road runs through participated in redeeming the new title.

The Department of Tourism also awarded the Wisconsin Mississippi River Parkway Commission with a $10,000 Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) grant for its work throughout the area, a boost to the $20,000 JEM grant it received in 2020.

The impact that this new designation will have on the many communities scattered up and down the Mississippi is expected to be big and will help boost economic development possibilities and bring in more tourism dollars, state officials said.
Many of this years awards support revitalizing communities adversely impacted by the pandemic and include a focus on diversity, inclusion, and disparities.

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This is the fifth year of the Community Challenge Grant. Wisconsin communities that have received these grants in previous years include: Oconomowoc, La Crosse, Ashland, Sheboygan, Milwaukee, Deer Park, Goodman, Gays Mill, Bayfield, Beaver Dam, Berlin, Ellsworth, Greendale, Sheboygan, Cuba City, and Spooner.

We are incredibly proud to partner with Wisconsins grantees as they work to make immediate improvements in their communities, encourage promising ideas and jumpstart long-term change, Wilson said. Our goal at AARP Wisconsin is to support the efforts of our communities to be great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities and the coronavirus pandemic has only underscored the importance of this work.

All projects are expected to be completed by Nov. 10, 2021. Here in Wisconsin, other projects besides the one in La Crosse include:

Appleton: the Creative Downtown Appleton, Inc. will receive a $20,836 grant that will help the organization create a new parklet equipped with solar lights, art, a bike rack and a hand sanitizer station will provide accessible public seating on College Avenue.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday it's likely Iowa taxpayers will pay the cost of sending 28 Iowa Department of Public Safety officers to assist Texas officials at the U.S./Mexico border from July 10 through 20.

Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens estimated the total cost at around $300,000 but said $100,000 of that would have been salaries paid to the officers if they'd remained in Iowa, so about $200,000 of the cost is attributable to mission costs in Texas.

A spokesman for Reynolds earlier had suggested Texas may reimburse Iowa but Reynolds said Wednesday that although there may be federal funds to help pay, as of now it looks like it would be the responsibility of Iowa.

Reynolds was among a number of Republican governors who sent staff to the border at the request of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. As the governors deployed the state employees, they criticized the policies of Democratic President Joe Biden.

Reynolds justified the expense, saying problems at the border have contributed to issues in other states and Iowa, which she said has seen an increase in illegal drug trafficking including fentanyl.
His ex-wife, Andrea Bialke, of Hanover, described her former husband as a happy and generous soul who lived to help others.

Ryan had a big heart and he was always laughing and smiling, and he was a great dad to our three children, she told the Star Tribune. He just loved helping everybody.

If there was someone on the side of the road that needed help with their vehicle, he would stop and help. He was just that kind of guy," she said.

It was Ryan Bialkes desire to help others that led him to police work, Andrea Bialke said. He graduated from Rasmussen College and the couple moved to Bemidji when he landed the job in Red Lake. He was not a member of the tribe, she said.

Bialke, who is identified on the Red Lake Nation website as a conservation enforcement officer, was one of 38 sworn law enforcement officers serving Red Lake.

The Red Lake Reservation is in northwest Minnesota, about 160 miles (257 kilometers) from the Canadian border. It covers about 1,260 square miles (3,263 square kilometers) and is home to about half of the tribes 14,000 members.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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The residential real estate market isnt the only hot real-estate market in the county these days.

In a transaction reflecting the strong demand for industrial real estate here, the Henry Schein distribution center in East Cocalico Township has been sold to a Conshohocken-based industrial real estate developer and investor for nearly triple the price it fetched 20 years ago.

Exeter Property Group paid $60.0 million for the 84.5-acre property, including the 627,000-square-foot building, in a transaction recorded in the Lancaster County Courthouse on July 16. Most of the Weaver Road property is in East Cocalico Township. A small portion is in adjoining Denver Borough.

Exeter did not respond to several messages from LNP | LancasterOnline.

The price blows away the $22.8 million paid in 2001 by the prior owner, SK Realty Management, according to courthouse records. SK Realty is a New York-based industrial real estate investor that specializes in distribution centers in the Northeast and Midwest.

SK Realty could not be reached for comment.

However, on a section of its website devoted to its Opportunistic Investments, SK Realty shed some light on why the buildings value went up. SK Realty said that when it acquired the building, the structure was shared by Henry Schein and a second tenant whose lease was priced below market rate.

SK Realty said it negotiated an early lease termination with the second tenant, allowing Henry Schein to expand into the entire building, boosting the amount of rental revenue the property generated and, therefore, its value.

Henry Schein is sticking around for the foreseeable future. The firm signed a 12-year lease extension in January, said Bill Hill, Henry Schein vice president for U.S. distribution.

That long-term deal presumably made the property more valuable, because it assures the owner of a steady, long-term flow of rental income at current market rates. LNP | LancasterOnline previously reported on the shortage of available industrial space here.

Local industrial Realtors note that industrial-space rents have increased dramatically due to high demand for space across the region.

The owner also can justify a higher rent, and a higher price when its time to sell, by improving a buildings value with renovations. SK Realty has done exactly that, spending a total of $1.25 million on a total of seven renovation projects since 2003, borough records show. Most notably, SK Realty spent $800,000 to replace the building's roof and roof membrane in 2017, according to the borough.

Henry Schein is the epitome of a blue-chip tenant. A Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $10.1 billion, Henry Schein is the worlds largest supplier of medical and dental products for office-based practitioners worldwide, serving more than 1 million customers. Its based in Melville, New York, on Long Island.

The arrival of a new landlord will have no impact on the Henry Schein operation, Hill said. The company employs more than 350 people there who ship supplies across the Northeast United States.

Henry Schein began operating in Denver in 1998, a year after the buildings original occupant, F.W. Woolworth, closed its mid-Atlantic distribution center there, idling all 274 employees. The center had opened in 1975.
Small businesses continue to struggle with the impact of the pandemic, particularly when it comes to finding the workers they need to get back to normal.

Local business owners were on hand Wednesday at the Lancaster Chamber for a state Senate hearing on the economic impact of the workforce shortage.

Most of the testimony was about having the government less involved in the marketplace, particularly when it comes to the $300 weekly federal bonus some of the business owners said is making it harder to recruit and gives would-be workers inflated expectations about pay.

Members of the Community, Economic & Recreational Development Committee also heard ideas for how state government could do more, including subsidizing job training for new hires, using leftover federal grant money to replenish a state fund for hotels and restaurants, and making it easier for restaurants to offer health insurance and use that a recruiting tool.

Were struggling to figure out how we pay fair wages when the perception of wages has changed so drastically, said Diesha Cooper, an owner of D. Cooper Works, a metal fabrication shop in Ephrata.

Cooper said a $15-an-hour entry-level wage is no longer seen as generous even though its essentially paid during an employees training period when their work doesnt earn money for the firm. Since she would be strapped to boost wages even more, she suggested funneling money from unemployment payments to a training subsidy for new hires.

Mark Sauder, president of Sauders Eggs, said the state should offer more support to trade schools that train the kinds of employees the Lititz firm needs, especially since it costs a lot to pay employees while they learn on the job.

I dont need any direct money from the government, Sauder said. Lets give people the opportunity to grow their skills and earn higher wages.

Testifying about the challenges facing the restaurant industry, James Longstreet, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, said many restaurateurs went into debt to stay afloat during the pandemic, suggesting unspent federal funds be used replenish Pennsylvanias COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program, which awarded $145 million in grants to hotels and restaurants.

Longstreet also said restaurants might have better luck hiring workers if they could obtain health benefits for employees through association health plans, which could offer better rates and manage plans for restaurants. Legislation allowing such joint buying programs is currently pending.

Yet even as some fixes were proposed to aid recruiting and employee training, restaurant owner Mick Owens described a situation in which even generous incentives dont seem to be enough.

Owens, who owns three Micks All American Pubs and one Maize Mexican Cantina in Lancaster County, said he hasnt been able to hire even one cook so far for a planned new Micks in Lebanon, even though hes offering $18 an hour, double what he paid before the pandemic.

Weve had times when its tough to find employees, but never like this, he said.

The hearing was hosted by Lancaster County state senators Scott Martin (R-13) and Ryan Aument (R-36).
An internationally renowned artist whose work has been displayed in Paris, Rome and Beirut has an exhibit on display at a Lancaster city gallery through Aug. 30.

Rene Romero Schulers Me and My Girls is featured now at Karen Anderer Fine Art, 146 N. Prince St. Formerly known as CityFolk Gallery, the business changed its name earlier this year.

Schulers work depicts doll-like, narrow female figures, and close inspection reveals many layers of paint.

When you get really close to her artwork, its ... very much like impressionistic work, gallery owner Karen Anderer says. Its very chaotic.

That chaos, and each pieces many layers, reveal depth that could be missed with a passing glance  much like real-life people in day-to-day life.

Whoever she has created, it tells you who the person really is, Anderer says.

Schulers personal hardships have, without a doubt, informed her work. Schuler was born to a teenage couple in Chicago, sent to Ecuador to live with her grandparents and returned to the states at age 8, according to Chicagos Sophisticated Living magazine. She endured physical abuse, experienced homelessness as a teenager and overcame other hardships. She now resides in Chicago.

Anderer frequently showcases international artists work at her Lancaster gallery, and says Schuler was happy to display her work on Gallery Row.

She never once said Lancaster, Pennsylvania?  Anderer says. She said, Thank you, Im honored, how can I be part of your world? That was extremely humbling to me.

For more information on Schulers Me and My Girls at Karen Anderer Fine Art, visit karenandererfineart.com. For more information on Schulers work, visit reneschuler.com.
The day before St. Patricks Day, restaurateur Josh Funk tried to come to grips with the ide
Columbia Borough police

THEFT

COLUMBIA: A $150 Poulan Pro push lawnmower was stolen from a residence in the 200 block of Perry Street sometime before noon on July 26, police said.

East Cocalico Township police

DUI

EAST COCALICO TWP.: Brian Lease, 46, of Denver, was charged with two counts of driving under the influence and a summary traffic offense after striking a mailbox in the first block of Bill Drive at 11:34 p.m. on July 20, police said. Lease had a BAC of 0.10%, police said.

Lancaster police

ASSAULT

LANCASTER: Sabron Jemael Blackman, 33, of Lancaster, was charged with strangulation, simple assault and theft by unlawful taking after slapping and punching a woman multiple times, causing pain and bruising, then grabbing her by the neck, causing her difficulty breathing, during a domestic disturbance in the 500 block of Hand Avenue at 12:08 a.m. on July 27, police said. Blackman also took the womans $1,099 cellphone and threw it at her, police said.

Lititz Borough police

HARASSMENT

LITITZ: Eric Wade Lindemuth, 49, of Lititz, was charged with harassment after pushing another person to the ground during an argument in the first block of East Center Street at 5:01 p.m. on July 22, police said.

New Holland police

ASSAULT

NEW HOLLAND: Ward Robinson, 62, of New Holland, was charged with simple assault and harassment after punching a person in the nose in the 100 block of East Main Street at 7:21 p.m. on July 22, police said.

Northern Lancaster County Regional police

ASSAULT

WARWICK TWP.: Hope Lee Rottmund, 47, and Monte Blake York Jr., 42, both of Lititz, were each charged with simple assault after a domestic incident in the 500 block of Furnace Hills Pike at 10:22 a.m. on July 27, police said. Investigators determined that Rottmund and York had assaulted each other, police said.

CRASH

PENN TWP.: A motorcyclist, of Manheim, sustained a serious head laceration and possible broken ribs after losing control of his 2016 Harley Davidson 103 and striking a utility pole in the 1200 block of Lancaster Road at 6:31 a.m. on July 28, police said. The motorcyclist said his back tire felt loose, and he then lost control of the back end after trying to maintain balance, police said. The motorcycle and man then rolled onto its side in a grassy area off the road, while the pole was undamaged, police said.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

PENN TWP.: An unknown vandal damaged a Suzuki sport bike on South Main Street, near Chiques Creek and Shimp Street, sometime between July 23 and July 25, police said. The owner of the bike returned from vacation to find damage to the vehicles stickers as well as a deep cut mark in one of the metal bars, police said.

DUI

PENN TWP.: Rueben Nathaniel Hartley, 20, of Lancaster, was charged with three counts of driving under the influence after hopping a curb and becoming stuck while traveling through a Sheetz drive-through at 1205 Lancaster Road at 3:16 a.m. on July 21, police said. Hartley, who is less than 21 years of age, had a BAC of 0.089%, police said. Hartley was later charged with defiant trespassing and criminal mischief after he attempted to scale a fence and break windows at Garman's Garage at 306 West Newport Road in an effort to retrieve his vehicle at 6 a.m., police said.

FIRE

EAST PETERSBURG: An apartment on Main Street near Hershey Avenue caught fire after a candle was left unattended at 8:06 a.m. on July 27, police said. No injuries were reported and there was no estimate of damages available, police said.

INDECENT EXPOSURE

EAST PETERSBURG: Steven Eugene Stout, 45, of East Petersburg, was charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness and disorderly conduct after he was seen standing with no pants on while touching himself for self-gratification in his doorway in the 2000 block of State Street at 6:45 a.m. on July 17, police said. Stout was spotted by a woman was walking her dog at the time, police said.
THE ISSUE

As LNP | LancasterOnlines Dan Nephin reported, Justo Roberto Smoker, 35, pleaded guilty last Friday to third-degree murder, kidnapping and related charges in the death of Linda Stoltzfoos, the 18-year-old abducted near her familys Upper Leacock Township home as she walked back from her Amish church on Fathers Day 2020. The plea will put him behind bars for 35-1/2 years to 71 years in prison  the maximum possible, Nephin reported. The sentence will officially begin after the outcome of a parole violation hearing related to a series of armed robberies for which Smoker had been convicted previously; he faces about 17-1/2 additional years in prison if found in violation of that parole. All said, Smoker faces the strong possibility of 88 years behind bars  effectively a life sentence, Nephin wrote. The plea agreement was signed in April when Smoker told investigators where he had buried Stoltzfoos body.

It is difficult to imagine  or, frankly, to spend even a minute contemplating  the anguish of a daughters disappearance and not knowing, for months, what happened to her.

An 18-year-old is legally an adult, but still, forever, a parents child. And our most elemental instinct as parents is to protect our children, no matter their age.

The law enforcement officers who worked tirelessly to solve the mystery of Stoltzfoos disappearance were not able to return her safely to her parents, though surely that had been their greatest hope.

As Nephin reported, Samuel Blank, spokesman for the Stoltzfoos family, reflected in court on what Smoker took from the Stoltzfoos family, what now can never happen: no courting, no marriage, no children of Lindas own.

But because of law enforcements efforts, and a plea agreement negotiated by prosecutors, Lloyd and Susie Stoltzfoos were able to bury their first-born child with the dignity and the love she deserved. They got some measure of justice for their horrific loss.

For this, we thank the East Lampeter Township police, the Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI and the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office.

Law enforcement had assistance, of course, from a community eager to help. Deeply rattled by Stoltzfoos disappearance, neighbors and fellow church members joined the search for her.

As Nephin reported, searchers knew from the beginning that something had gone deeply wrong. Linda Stoltzfoos had failed to return to her Upper Leacock Township home on Beechdale Road after a church service. The teenager, who tutored Amish children with learning disabilities and worked as an assistant at an Amish parochial school, according to her obituary, was rooted to her community.

Stoltzfoos had strong family ties with her parents and siblings, and with her Amish faith, Nephin wrote. She was planning to pick up a dessert to take to a youth group meeting that afternoon: She would not have run off.

The searchers could not have known, however, that she had been kidnapped by a stranger. As Nephin reported, its a crime so rare that it has happened fewer than 350 times nationwide between 2010-2017, based on FBI data compiled by the news outlet Reuters.

Tragically, Stoltzfoos subsequently was killed, according to Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams, likely within hours of her abduction, which happened four-tenths of a mile up the road from her home.

Middle Creek Search and Rescue was involved in multiple searches for Stoltzfoos. Susan Stauffer, president of that organization, told Nephin of the emotions she and other searchers experienced in their hunt for the missing teen.

The search was heartbreaking, and I honestly think I left each search crying, she said.

Stauffer resides about a mile and a half drive from the Stoltzfoos home. It grips your heart because its right in my neighborhood, she told Nephin. To think an 18-year-old girl was missing from here was very emotional.  This (search) was just different. Because it was so close to home and because of the community it hit. The Amish live a very upright life. I think a lot of them dont know what goes on in the world.

Tim Hoerner is president of the Hand-in-Hand Fire Company in Bird-in-Hand, which was also involved in the early searches. He told Nephin that as he and others created a command center, huge numbers of people  including Amish folks involved in the fire company  came out, wanting to help.

You almost cant believe it to see when you have 400 to 600 people turn up for a search, he said.

As Nephin recounted, roads, woods, fields, houses, barns and sheds were scoured for traces of the missing teen. The searches involved dogs, radios, sonar equipment, and boats and dive teams to search Mill Creek and farmer ponds.

In total, Nephin reported, more than 2,300 people spent a collective 15,000 hours searching for Stoltzfoos, using dogs, horses, ATVs, drones, a submarine and ground-penetrating radar.

A Beechdale Road residents security camera footage captured a Kia Rio stop and a woman believed to be Stoltzfoos approach that car the day she went missing. On July 10, 2020, police arrested Justo Smoker and charged him with kidnapping and false imprisonment.

That arrest may not have happened without that residents security camera footage  and law enforcement connecting with that resident and scrutinizing the footage.

Nephin cited a May 2021 issue of The Diary, a monthly newspaper for the Amish across the country, in which Henry Fisher wrote, So a group of FBI and county agents searched in vain last Wednesday April 21 until they fetched the hand-cuffed prisoner to the property where he showed them where the grave was. ... About two hours later the news appeared on the Lindas hotline and spread around fast bringing a measured relief to anyone, especially to those who still carried a churning weight in their stomach of questioning grief.

That poignant article  with its references to Lindas hotline and the churning weight ... of questioning grief  conveys the effort and the emotion of the search for Stoltzfoos.

We are glad that search yielded an answer, heartbreaking as it was. And we are deeply grateful to everyone who took part.

The Amish, we know, are people of great faith. Faith will continue to carry the Stoltzfoos family  and their heartbroken community  in the days to come. For that, were grateful, too.
This transcript appears in the July 30, 2021 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

[Print version of this transcript]

Helga Zepp-LaRouche

Time to Dump the Learning-Resistant Establishment: Start the Adult Age of Man!

Helga Zepp-LaRouche is the Founder and President of the Schiller Institute. This is an edited transcript of her keynote address to Panel 2, Energy, World Health and the End of War: The Power of Energy Flux Density, of the Schiller Institutes July 24, 2021 conference, There Is No Climate EmergencyApply the Science and Economics of Development to Stop Blackouts and Death. Subheads have been added.

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Schiller Institute Helga Zepp-LaRouche

Hello, I greet you, wherever you may be. And Im really responding to what was said in the first panel. And as a world citizen, which I pride myself to be, Im also a patriot, and in that capacity, it really gets to me that Germany is becoming the laughingstock of the entire world. Formerly, Germany was a very proud nation, of poets, of thinkers, of inventors, admired by the whole world for these qualities. But since a while, it seems that Germany cant get anything done any more.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will soon be out of office. She was in that office for 16 years, and this is the time when she has to be concerned about how she will look in the history books. And Im quite certain that Merkel will be the synonym for the image of a failing Germany.

You may remember that after the tsunami in Fukushima, she decided, together with some very bad advisors, to have Germany exit from nuclear energy. And I remember, I had meetings in Washington at that time, and people in the Congress and elsewhere were very upset, and they said, What is going on in Germany? You must have an ace up your sleevehave you gotten a breakthrough in fusion? Because nobody could imagine that a high-technology, highly industrialized country like Germany would exit nuclear energy without having an alternative in place. But thats exactly what was the case.

The decision has been made by the European Union, and naturally, Germany as well, to exit coal, and fossil fuels in general. And you would think there is an alternative in place. Absolutely not. You would need a territory of the size of Portugal, to put up all the windmills and solar panels, and that is about the territory of Baden-Wurttemberg, Rhineland-Pfalz, Hessen, and Thuringia, which is a good portion of Germany! And obviously, this is not realistic, and now they want to put these solar panels and wind parks into Africa, even South Africacompletely unworkable!

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Transrapid

Flooding in Germany

Was a Man-Made Failure

Look at what happened with the airport for Berlin, the BER. This lasted, to get finished, about several decades; I think it was more than a decade. Ridiculous! The Chinese put up such airports in two years or three years. The maglev train was invented and tested first in Germany. Do you see any maglev trains, even a test track, in Germany? No. But in China, they now have the first line, going 600 kph, and building more tracks nationwide for fast train systems, of which you can only dream in Europe or the United States.

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CC/Martin Seifert

When the recent flooding occurred in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Pfalz, which we have heard about already, this was emphatically not the result of climate change, but man-made failure: The inability to act in time, despite the fact that the knowledge about the coming heavy rain and danger of flooding was there for one week earlier. Instead of responding to that failure, Merkel, after the flood had devastated the whole region said, Oh, now we have to go faster in the fight against climate change. When she was together with the mayor of the town of Schuld, Helmut Lussi, the mayor contradicted her, not by saying so, but by simply reporting the chronology of floods in Schuld, 1790, 1910, and then now the recent one.

This is very close to my home region. I was born in Trier, and I know the Moselle very well. If you travel along the Moselle, you find everywhere, marks on buildings which show how high the water was in what year, and you can actually see that there were many floods over the centuries. In the 14th century, such a flood may have been a natural catastrophe, but not in 2021, because nine days before, the satellite pictures were there, and they showed, increasingly as the days went on, three days before the flood occurred, before the rain started to pour, they had precise knowledge of which cities and towns would be hit. They named all the towns which are now devastated!

So, why did more than 170 people have to die, and many more are still missing? I mean, this is Germany, this is not Bangladesh! The warning was not communicated, there were no sirens, the radio did not report it, nor TV, there were no appsand within hours the smartphones were dead because there was no electricity.

The Green Ideology Reflects a

Horrible Image of Man

The reason for this horrendous failure, is the absolutely horrible image of man which goes along with the Green ideology. This has so much clouded the thinking in Germany, that they dont get anything straight anymore! And that image of man is actually the same for the Greens and the financial oligarchy. They all refer, in an almost pseudo-religious deification of nature, and this goes actually back to a mythology of a cyclical notion of the world which goes along with a circular economy. And that is the pre-Christian, heathen idea of Gaia. In that ideology, man is regarded as a parasite, as a pollutant, and it is unsaid, but quite acknowledged and agreed upon that the fewer people there are, the better.

This Green ideology unfortunately is no longer only the ideology of the Greens, but in Germany all parties have become green! I mean, we fought this for almost 50 years, since the Club of Rome put out their fraudulent report, The Limits to Growth. We fought against that, and made a zillion conferences, published hundreds of articles, and many books, but the financial powers that be, the City of London, Wall Street, and the like, have poured all their money into the propagation of this Green ideology.

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EU

As a result, in Germany right now, all parties are Green, all the big DAX firms have bought into the Green Deal of Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the EU Commission. A few days ago, Merkel was asked after the flood catastrophe by a Japanese journalist if Germanys exit from nuclear energy would be permanent. And she answered, The die is cast. Any future governments will not change that.

How arrogant is that? What kind of notion and understanding of democracy is that? How can she say something about future governments, which happen to be, or supposedly are the result of the German voters voting? So, she is really the symbol for a failed Germany. I hesitated many times to attack her, because she sometimes made a little thing a little bit better than the worst hawks of the neocons, and in some respects she is not quite that bad. But if I hear something like that, on perpetuating the lie that the flood was the result of climate change, that she will stick to the nuclear energy exit, this is really too much. Merkel says, Apres nous le deluge She is giving that phrase a new meaning.

Will the Western Nations All Vanish?

If this outlook prevails, the prognosis is that Germany will vanish as an industrial nation, or even as a nation altogether, like many civilizations which have disappeared, because right now, it is on course to be a failed nation. And I have said many times, and I repeat it here: that if Germany continues on its present course, you will find in a few years or decades, the relics of Germany in museums in Africa, in China, in India. And for Merkel, who claims to be a natural scientist, to make such remarks after the flood, means this woman is completely either learning-resistant, or she takes the side of the financial oligarchy. Which, remains to be judged.

What is so worrisome, is that this is the characteristic of almost the entire Western establishment. They have had policy failure after policy failure. And in spite of that, and despite the fact that everybody can see it, they have demonstrated a complete inability to reflect on the causes, namely, that infrastructure should not be left to private interests, or to anything like the German black zero policy. Infrastructure belongs to the realm of the common good, and therefore, must be the responsibility of the state. This flooding should be understood as a resounding warning signal that we have to go back to the policy of the common good and the people first.

A Biological Holocaust

Let us look at another example, which seems to be unrelated, but it is not: The failure of the establishment in respect to the corona pandemic. In 1973, my late husband, Lyndon LaRouche, initiated a Biological Holocaust Task Force, which had the job of investigating the impact of the IMF conditionalities policy on the developing sector. It was already clear that that conditionality which prescribed that third world countries had to pay their debt before they were allowed to invest in infrastructure, health systems, education, let alone, industrialization would lower the living standards and therefore, peoples immune systems, by not allowing the populations to develop. LaRouche forecast that if you were to do this over a longer period of time, it would lead to the emergence of old and new diseases and pandemics.

For almost 50 years, virtually nothing was done from the side of the IMF, the World Bank, Europe, the United States, or other industrialized countries to help the developing countries to overcome that underdevelopment. So therefore, the population of the so-called third world, was basically abandoned or worse until China came in with the New Silk Road and started to build railways and industrial parks and similar things which started to overcome poverty in China and in those other developing countries.

What was done in the West, instead of listening to the warnings of LaRouche, governments went ahead with the privatization of the healthcare sector. That led to the outsourcing of the production of medical and pharmaceutical supplies into cheap labor markets; it led to a reduction in hospital beds and hospitals, and a general lowering of the supplies of healthcare to the populations, creating a two-class society, the rich on the one side, and the poorer parts of society on the other side.

When COVID-19 hit, there was an incredibly slow response! There were for months no masks, no protective gear, no respiratory machines, and an enormous amount of time was lost despite the spectacular speed of the later development of vaccines, which is a laudable result, but mainly due to the ingenuity of medical scientists. In the United States, more than 600,000 lives have been lost. In the world, so far, officially more than 4 million, but if one considers that in India alone, it is estimated that the factor of mortality is 5 to 10 times greater than officially counted; in Africa, as well, simply because people are not counted if they die in bed at home. One can actually calculate how many more millions have really died.

The immediate response of the Schiller Institute was to call for the construction of a world health system, meaning to build modern health systems in every single country on the planet. It is clear that when you have a pandemic there will be mutations, and in the worst case, these will make existing vaccines ineffective. If every country would have had a health care system like China had in Wuhan, where they were able to have a rapid response, with immediate testing, isolation, quarantine, building new hospitals with 1,000 beds in one weekthe pandemic was contained after two monthsthen it would not have become a pandemic, because it wouldnt have spread worldwide in the same way.

Instead, vaccines were bought, and in some cases hoarded by the rich countries, which is leading to complete devastation in developing countries. There are now massive mutations. Delta, a very aggressive variant, is very contagious. Theres already the lambda variant, and as a result of the lockdown of the so-called informal economy, we now face a famine of biblical dimensions, as David Beasley of the World Food Program called it, with 270 million people in danger of starvation this year.

Three days ago, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the United States warned about outbreaks of a superbug fungus called Candida auris found in nursing homes in Washington, D.C. and in two hospitals in Dallas. There, the patients were resistant to all categories of treatment. Its the first time there had been such a clustering of resistance, and patients are becoming infected from each other. This is a fungus which was known for years, but it is the first time that it has spread from person to person. It is not a virus; its not a bacterium, but fungi have cells.

Virologists are certain that new pandemics are coming and that we are approaching very quickly the condition Lyndon LaRouche had warned about: that if you suppress the immune systems of entire continents over a long period of time, there will be an interaction of biological processes leading to a biological holocaust. And the pandemic is not over, and with these new developments now branching into other categories, I think we are looking at a very, very serious health condition of the whole world, which is not receiving the kind of attention required yet in any form worth talking about.

Afghanistan: For the Moment,

the Theater of World History

Let us look at a certain area of utter failure of policy: That is the 20 years of the Afghanistan war, or one could say, all the interventionist wars: Iraq, Libya, Syria, where the only thing left is almost scorched earth, millions of civilians dead, populations now living in unimaginable misery. In Afghanistan, $2.2 trillion were spent, 3,300 American soldiers died; 59 German soldiers; far over 100,000 Afghanis were killed. This war was ill defined from the very beginning, and the latest, when the Afghanistan Papers were published in 2018, it should have been acknowledged and troops should have been pulled out immediately.

If the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan leads only to a realignment and redeployment, or a concentration, instead on the containment of China and Russia by focusing on the Indo-Pacific, then people and institutions have learned nothing from this 20 years of futile war. If the confrontation with Russia and China is continued, it can potentially lead to thermonuclear extinction.

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U.S. Army/Mike Pryor

The situation in Afghanistan represents a crossroad. For probably only a short period of time, there is the potential of a change in paradigm. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and the Afghan ambassador to China Javid Ahmad Qaem, have all stated that there is a potential for a cooperation between Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, the United States and European nations, and the integration of Afghanistan into the entire Eurasian Land-Bridge, the Belt and Road Initiative, the New Silk Road, to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan, into Central Asia, replacing opium production with modern agriculture and industry.

Now, this cooperation between Russia, China, and the U.S., in the small, could build the bridge for future cooperation in the large, avoiding strategic confrontation and replacing it with win-win cooperation. This could be the start of building a world health system by building a modern health system in Afghanistan, which has presently no health system worth speaking about. To build modern hospitals in Afghanistan, training programs for medical personnel, provide and build electricity and clean water, build up infrastructure in Afghanistan and the entire region once called the land of the thousand cities. And make it no longer the battleground for the Great Game, the control of the Eurasian continent, but a turning point in human history, of cooperation and mutual benefit of all people.

I think we should start the era of the adult age of mankind and focus on the common aims of our human species. Dont you think its time to overcome poverty for 4 billion people? It cannot be that people live in such miserable conditions like you see in Yemen, in Syria, in many countries in Africa, and Latin America forever. China has demonstrated it can be done.

Finding cures for deadly diseases would be another one of such common aims of mankind. The rapid development of vaccines for COVID-19, again, has demonstrated it can be done, once you mobilize the political will.

International cooperation in space science, to erect villages on the Moon, cities on Mars, to join forces for the defense of planet Earth from asteroidsthese are the common aims of mankind we should be concentrating on.

It is not clear if all of these questions can be addressed, but I think it requires people of good will to hold accountable these establishments which are obviously learning-resistant and have not shown any desire or willingness to reflect on these policy failures. And I would hope that this conference and this discussion will be one big step in this direction.
This article appears in the July 30, 2021 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

November 16, 2009

PERSON & PAIN:

Brainwashed!

[Print version of this article]

Note to the reader: This essay by Mr. LaRouche first appeared in EIR, Vol. 36, No. 46, November 27, 2009.

For those among us with any significant experience with commonplace instances of victims of what is called brainwashing, there should have been nothing surprising in the fact that certain former associates of a political association, who had spent as much as decades of their life briefly either in or long-since departed from that association, should have been changed, by what is appropriately called brainwashing, into a decades-long obsession with hatred against me, not for any actual reason of what I might have done to them, but for what they, seemingly without rational intent, attempted to do on behalf of those well-known enemies of mine on which they had come to depend for the fears which controlled a crucial aspect of their personal mental life.

For many relevant such cases, for which the case history is more or less defined, the nature of their mental aberration should be obvious: the commonplace term which can, and should be used to describe such behavior most efficiently, is brainwashing, as that phenomenon might be described as follows.

Over the recent forty years, there has been an accumulation of what are fairly identified as pathological cases of departed, and somewhat depraved more or less long-departed members of our association. There is a pattern of such cases, chiefly directed by certain intelligence organizations. The behavior of those persons is a clear case of mental illness to be considered as the root of their sick behavior, even years, even decades later, today.

I explain.

The characteristic distinction of those former associates which had largely defined their personalities, as much as decades since I last encountered them directly, is usually obsessively irrational hatred against me. The relevant evidence testifies to the sometimes-powerful role which fear of my enemies provokes among a certain class of my enemies victims and other dupes.

The common term of description for such cases is brainwashed: a fear-driven, obsessive degree of deformation of the victims personality, that in a form and degree which persists like a permanent mental disease-syndrome over a span of decades of the remainder of the life of such persons, and even spreads to other members of their families, and more widely, still today. That obsession by such persons, still, years or even decades later, is not to be considered normal mental behavior. In such cases, the word brainwashing comes to ones lips.

How are once fine, and, relatively speaking, intelligent persons, even of formerly high moral standards, transformed into the often more or less permanent state of depravity exhibited by the types of cases to which I am referring here?

The simpler description of the cause for such failures of formerly superior qualities of once young personalities, is nothing other than fear, particularly, in most relevant cases, fear of my enemies seeming capricious power to deliver fear or favor, a kind of mental and moral weakness often induced among the victims of classroom, matrimonial goals, or employment. This behaviorist type of syndrome among victims of such influences, is sometimes identified as brainwashing, a term which applies in a number of cases which I have been enabled to examine more closely.

I illustrate the nature of the problem so posed for consideration, by a real-life example, from the 1980s transactions within the science organization known then as The Fusion Energy Foundation. The subject is the moral and mental illnesses which are native to the commonplace depravities of a society, or a contemporary scientific community, which manages the human animals in the cages of society who are regulated through the behaviorist instrumentalities of the creatures perceptions of pleasure and of pain.

Consider a case which illustrates the point:

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EIRNS

The Disease Called Newton

Two nationwide assemblies, held in Leesburg, Virginia during the mid-1980s, featured an enraged eruption among a large ration of the scientists participating. The reaction was provoked at the first of these two sessions by my putting on the table, the need to turn attention to the crucial importance of the work of Johannes Kepler for overcoming certain blocks in the work of science at that time.

The wild outbursts against my remark from some of the leading U.S. scientists participating there, are typical of the way in which what is fairly identified as the empiricist mode of behaviorist forms of brainwashing dominates not only the entire policy-shaping of President Barack Obama up to this time, but, also, much of the social life, including national policies, as in the U.S.A. and Europe, still today.

The absolutely unique originality of the crucial, keystone quality of contributions to modern science by such successive keystones as Brunelleschi, Cusa, Leonardo, Fermat, Kepler, Leibniz, Kastner, Gauss, and Riemann, is beyond any competent degree of doubt. Nonetheless, entirely as a result of mass-brainwashing, by behaviorist methods, of many otherwise qualified modern scientists (excepting those of radically positivist persuasions, such as the followers of Ernst Mach and Bertrand Russell), there is absolutely no scientifically competent reason for rejecting the crucial part of Kepler in defining all modern science, especially that of astrophysics. It is only outright incompetence which would permit any ostensibly trained modern scientist to uphold Isaac Newton as a salient intellectual figure of modern science.

Why do some otherwise competent scientists defend the virtually religious form of worship of Isaac Newton on matters such as the uniquely original discoveries for mathematical physics of Kepler and Leibniz? The answer is brainwashing! Fear of being penalized in their careers by a brutish Babylonian priesthood which reigns, through certain career-making-and-breaking agencies, which determine who is appointed and ruined, according to the dictatorial powers enjoyed by what is nothing different in character than a Babylonian priesthood, or that of a Tower of Babel!

Or, the Case of Economy

Although it must be admitted, that the circulation of my economic forecasts, which began as professional reports during the latter half of the 1950s, was not widely presented in a relevant degree among economists until the late 1960s; those forecasts have always been accurate in respect to the claims I made for them, from 1956-57, to the present day. In nearly all cases, every putatively rival economist, had been in error on these matters, consistently, until a recent time. Only recently, have serious forecasts been presented which had any relevant competence in respect to those matters of forecasting in which my work is of outstanding global significance for sane governments of the world today.

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EIRNS/Alan Yue

The case of my December 1971 debate with Professor Abba Lerner at Queens College is exemplary; since then, my forecasting is widely accessible among all relevant economists and governments, all of which had generally failed to come up to the quality of standard which I have represented.

The question should be, therefore, since so many among the news media and other relevant circles, world-wide, spent so much effort on denouncing me, always fraudulently, why has any serious agency of government or major economic functions, doubted the competence of my forecasting? Shall we believe that they are each insane; or, shall we believe, rather, that they have found it more comfortable, to pretend that my forecasts have not been competent, in fact, competent repeatedly, when their own were not?

Politics Generally

Any among a very large number of political leaders from around the world, as also relevant professionals otherwise, have reported that they wish they could meet with me personally on these subject-matters, but that it would not be prudent for their careers to be known to have met with me. They have often added, that it would be very, very difficult to keep any meeting with me from receiving the highest and widest attention from powerful political adversaries from around much of the world. Hostility explains some of this behavior; but, more often, what can be called fear of loss of career, and of heart-felt desires for related comforts of personal life.

In relevant cases of personal associates who have been ostensibly brainwashed into a reversal of their earlier attractions to association with me, there have been indicatively frequent instances in which the threats and offers delivered, such as offers of assistance in securing careers, rather than the alternative of destruction of the comforts of personal and family life, have been a part of the pattern of behaviorist modes of conditioned change of belief, as by what is commonly termed brainwashing, which has become a more or less widespread pattern within a still-active group of so-called defectors, or, if you prefer, defectives, accumulated under the effectively active control of either governmental, or quasi-governmental institutional control. This accumulation dates to even earlier than 1968, but has been much more notable in an accumulation of still-active recruits by such Mutt-and-Jeff methods of virtual brainwashing (conditioned reflex) since 1968.

The evidence assembled through attention to relevant internet activities, provides an excellent sample of the evidence bearing upon what I have identified here as behaviorist conditioned reflex modification of mental habits (e.g., what is called brainwashing).

The case of the rather violent mid-1980s reactions to my presentation of the essential significance of considering the systemic implications of the original, fundamental discoveries of Johannes Kepler, even as echoed in some putatively scientific circles today, is an example of what I mean by effects of brainwashing.

Fear becomes, in the morally weakened victims of the phenomenon I have described, like a renegades life-long fear, which has bred a treasonous quality of capitulation to a life-long hatred of that enemys enemy, ones former friend.
This article appears in the July 30, 2021 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

Fighters for the Truth Join Schiller Conference:

There Is No Climate Emergency

[Print version of this article]

July 25The Schiller Institute held a virtual international conference July 24, on the theme, There Is No Climate EmergencyApply Science and Economic Development To Stop Blackouts and Death, which has quickly drawn thousands of viewers as a rallying point for the battle to defeat the Green New Deal in the United States in particular.

U.S. Energy Risk Areas View full size

Map by U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) 2021 Summer Reliability Assessment.

The two sessions were broadcast just as escalating green hysteria has been blaming climate change and CO 2 emissions for the several severe disasters now hitting internationally, including flooding in North Europe, China and India, the drought and heat wave in Western North America, and warnings of electricity blackouts this summer across large parts of the United States and Europe. The presentations and discussion involved 20 speakers from eight countries, including six U.S. states in which resistance to green dictates is growing. The speakers demonstrated that these emergencies are not from climate change, but instead are weather events, with the degree of damage directly related to lack of infrastructure; and if the green agenda is allowed to continue, there will be mass breakdown and depopulation.

The panelists included scientists, engineers, retired military, farm leaders, a physician, a state lawmaker and others, many of whom have been leading battles within their respective sectors to debunk the green axioms, and mobilize for advanced power and infrastructure systems. Out of the conference, ideas were exchanged for even more concerted action, involving specific projects for water management, nuclear power advancement, and especially for public health security. The specifics included the Transaqua Project to refill Lake Chad in Africa, the North American Water and Power Alliance, and priorities for nuclear power including micro-nuclear, small modular nuclear reactors and more.

One lifelong nuclear technology expert summed up the days discussion by saying the dialogue was so powerful, it was on a par with the Davos Foruma 50-year institutionexcept that the Schiller Institute event was for the good, and Davos is a bunch of billionaire elites.

Green Is MADMutually Assured Destruction

The keynote was given by Schiller Institute founder and President Helga Zepp-LaRouche, and follows this report. She denounced the green axiom that humanity is bad, pollutes and ruins nature. Just the opposite, mankinds creative nature is coherent with the development of the universe. The conference was opened by a video of a 1985 speech by Lyndon LaRouche addressing this topic, titled Science is Good. LaRouche said, The good is the power of the mind to recognize this principle of reason as the lawful ordering of the universe.

The first session, The Economic Effects of Green MADMutually Assured Destruction, included firsthand reports from Europe and the United States on the lack of infrastructure to protect against flooding, subversion of the electric grid, and land use attacks on agricultureall coming from the advocates of the Green New Deal agenda. Jason Ross, Schiller Institute science liaison, opened and concluded the panel, emphasizing humanitys relationship to the environment as actively within our power to affect for the good.

Two of the eleven speakers on this panel were prominent European leaders of public scientific initiatives created to discredit the core lies linked to the climate change models used to assert that human activity is causing CO 2 emissions, which are then used to assert that human activity is causing destructive climate change. Franco Battaglia, Professor of Physical Chemistry, University of Modena, in 2019 was a co-sponsor of a petition signed by many hundreds of scientists, which declared that There Is No Climate Emergency. Professor Augustinus Guus Berkhout, Emeritus Professor of Geophysics, is President of CLINTEL (Climate Intelligence, a foundation) as well as a member of the Dutch Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. His title was, Stop Blaming Climate Change for Your Failures.

Battalgia, using graphics, tore apart the global warming climate models, showing how they could not at all predict any past phenomena or trends in recorded history. Berkhout gave an illustrated history on flooding in the Netherlands, his homeland, which suffered great damage this month. In the Maas Basin, flooding was worst where, in the feeder streams and tributaries, the pumping stations, canals, and inland dikes have not been maintained. There have been worse floods in the past. He presented examples of famously successful Dutch hydraulic defenses such as the Delta Works. Berkhout ridiculed EU Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, who blames all misery on climate change.

A dramatic report on flooding in Germany was provided by Christian Lohmeyer, a farm leader in Lower Saxony, who is on the board of Landvolk Mittelweser. On July 15, Lohmeyer made a three-minute video, after hearing from a fellow farm leader in the Ahrweiler district, near Bonn, of the gross inaction by authorities there, who then blamed climate change for what was in fact their own negligence. Lohmeyer denounced the officials and greens, who blame farmers for damaging the environment by growing food, and then turn around and do nothing while more than 100 people die. He said that 50 farmers came out on their own at 3:00 a.m. in Ahrweiler with their tractors and equipment to save lives and protect what they could, and nothing at all was done by the authorities. There was not even a contact person!

Paul Driessen, a well-known science analyst based in the United States, author of Eco-Imperialism: Green Power, Black Death, gave a review of the track record of green lies in many areas, such as falsifying the number and intensity of hurricanes. He reviewed past blizzards, twisters, and hurricanes, blasting the con artists who blame climate change, not lack of defense from bad weather. He ended with a warning about the consequences of making the green electricity shift to intermittent, unreliable wind and solar. He said, If you do, you deserve what you get.

A presentation on How Future Electricity Security Is Threatened by Wind and Solar Technology and Blackouts, was given by German specialist, Alwin Burgholte, Professor Emeritus, GADE-Hochschule Wilhelmshaven. He reviewed past outages and causesthe 2003 blackout in New York and the European-wide near crash in January 2021, for examplestressing the obvious essentials for stability. The electricity regulatory agency NERC (North American Electricity Reliability Corporation) has issued a map of areas of the United States where the likelihood of blackouts is very high from June through September 2021, because baseload power generation has become insufficient.

Reports from State Resistance

Iowa and Kansas are particularly threatened, as both states have power grids that are nearly half wind and solar. Kansas State Sen. Mike Thompson, a professional meteorologist, reported that his state has 3,100 wind turbines and plans to add another 1,000. In Kansas, 43% of the electricity comes from wind and solar; Iowa is at 49%. But during the February 2021 polar vortex deep freeze, wind and solar virtually disappeared as power sources, as in the Texas disaster this past winter. The potential disruption to farming and food is enormous, given that Kansas and Iowa each rank first or second nationally in wheat, corn, hogs, eggs, and soybeans. Together they are second to Texas in cattle. Thompson showed how renewables subsidies, plus electricity deregulation, play havoc with the electric grid in the state, and how seldom windy Kansas actually has strong enough wind for its big turbines to produce net power.

Minnesota farm leader Andy Olson reported on how fragile the electricity systems are throughout the farmbelt states. He debunked the idea that gas-fueled peaker plants can be counted on as backup when the wind turbines are down. Seven coal-fired plants in Minnesota have been converted to gas, but the logistics and the huge expense of getting and using the gas doesnt work.

Angel Cushing, farm leader and activist from eastern Kansas, reported on the green assault against agricultural land use. It comes in the form of zoning, easements, federal, and green elite maneuvers, done in the name of preserving nature, with fancy code names such as viewscape. There is a heritage area campaign, which is part of the 3030 assault, to remove 30% of U.S. land and water out of any economic use by 2030, outlined in Bidens Executive Order 14008. This week, the federal Bureau of Land Management held a public comment session on a plan in the works for an American Prairie Reserve, centered in Montana, which is to be over 3 million acres, larger than the nation of Lebanon. In it, there will be permitted only bison, and no more traditional livestock grazing will be allowed.

Merkel Is the Symbol of Failed Germany

The second conference panel was a lively symposium, which effectively destroyed the notion that humanity was incapable of using our science to design a new phase of progress. Co-moderator Dennis Speed introduced the event by honoring four scientists who passed away over the last year, following careers in the science of development. They were Tom Wysmuller, a NASA scientist who organized his NASA colleagues and others to present the evidence that those who insisted human progress would wreak havoc on the Earth were knowingly lying; Dennis Avery, who published studies of development science, especially in the field of agriculture; Hal Doiron, a NASA scientist who helped develop the Lunar Landing Module and the Space Shuttle; and Freeman Dyson, an astrophysicist who promulgated the benefits of CO 2 and undermined claims of its malign effects.

That introduction was followed by Helga Zepp-LaRouches keynote, a pointed illustration of the shameful role played by current presumed leaders of the West. She called Germanys Chancellor of sixteen years, Angela Merkel, the symbol for the failed Germany, as proven by her firm decision to shut down nuclear energy production and now coal and fossil fuel production without having any replacement in place to keep Germany functioning as a modern nation.

Zepp-LaRouche especially condemned Merkel for ignoring three days of precise warnings of the floods that killed at least 170 Germans, who could have been saved if the Chancellors government had taken steps to move them to safety. Rather than take responsibility, Merkel blamed the floods on climate change. Zepp-LaRouche said, regarding Merkel and the leadership of the West:

If this outlook prevails, the prognosis is that Germany will vanish as an industrial nation or even as a nation altogether. Its so worrisome that this is the characteristic of almost the entire Western establishment. They have policy failure after policy failure and despite that, and the fact that everybody can see it, they demonstrate a complete inability to reflect on the causes.

South African nuclear physicist and engineer Dr. Kelvin Kemm, who has become known in America outside the Beltway through the Schiller Institute, outlined the necessity of developing nuclear energy for Africa and reported that a growing number of African nations are preparing for that. After a brief lesson in the history of climate on Earth that demolished the myth of anthropogenic global warming, Kemm outlined plans for the future of energy in Africa.

In addition to rejecting the failed solar panel and windmill technologies, Kemm pointed out that even hydropower would not work in Africa because it is susceptible to droughts of up to five years, during which hydropower is as useless as solar energy after sunset.

Dr. Kemm is working on developing what are called Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and micro-reactors. These power generators are mass-produced and can be transported by train or truck and installed to provide energy for limited clients such as an industrial complex or a modest-sized city. They are easier to set up and use than large-scale reactors that form part of a national power grid.

Crucial Importance of Water

Dr. Kemm concluded with an irony:

If you look back in time, whenever there were periods of global warming, they coincided with health, welfare, and prosperity; crops grew; sea routes opened up; ice melted. Passes over mountains cleared up and people could pass easily from one region to another. Its the period of global cooling when crops failed, ice caused trade routes to be closed.

Rear Admiral Marc Pelaez (ret.), former Chief of Naval Research, and vice president of a shipbuilding firm, is currently a member of the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites founded by Helga Zepp-LaRouche and former Surgeon General, Dr. Joycelyn Elders, with the mission of reconciling opposing views to solve the problems humanity is now confronting.

Admiral Pelaez addressed Zepp-LaRouches global reconstruction proposal that begins with constructing modern health care facilities and operations in every nation on the planet. He proposed that a first step in doing this would be to make sanitary drinking water available everywhere. He suggested that the Committee and the Schiller Institute hold a technology conference to discuss planning this project.

There is a water shortage plaguing the U.S./Mexican border regions. Alberto Vizcarra, coordinator of the Citizens Movement for Water in Mexico, presented this as the result of two situations. The first is the nature of the environment of the Great American Desert. The second is that agreements were reached between Mexico and the United States when the population straddling the Rio Grande border was 15 million. Today it is 100 million, so the requirements on both sides have changed drastically.

Vizcarra recalled that during the administration of Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateos, whose tenure roughly coincided with that of President John F. Kennedy in the United States, there was discussion of a massive water project between the U.S. and Canada, which became known as the North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA). At the same time, Mexicos Northwest Hydraulic Plan (PLHINO) was under consideration. Both of these plans were promoted by the LaRouche movement in Mexico and North America. Recognizing that there is no physical or technical barrier preventing the completion of such projects, Vizcarra recommended that Mexico ally with Chinas Belt and Road initiative to finally implement these projects.

Richard McPherson, also retired from the U.S. Navy, had surveyed these major water projects in Mexico. McPherson served as a nuclear engineering officer and on the Board of Inspection and Survey, Propulsion Examining Board. He also represented the U.S. on the International Atomic Energy Agency panel examining the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. He gave a detailed history, much based on his personal experience, of the development of peaceful nuclear power. Having long confronted the factor of public opinion, McPherson said this was the factor that sabotaged President Eisenhowers 1953 offer to provide nuclear technology to the entire world for prosperity and security. He pledged himself to overcome the fact that 800 million people have no electricity or water and two billion go to bed hungry every night.

Energy Use and Life Expectancy

Dr. Vincenzo Romanello, a nuclear engineer and founder of the Italian Atoms for Peace, presented a human history of the annual per capita energy requirements for each technological level humanity has lived through, starting with fire (1.1 million calories) and continuing through nuclear energy (35 million). He left open the requirements of the next breakthrough, nuclear fusion, and explained his belief that the complexities involved in practical controlled fusion development would take longer to resolve than many hope. In the course of the session, several participants remarked on the three maps of the world he displayed. These showed each nation color-coded for energy use level, infant mortality rate, and life expectancy. The distinction, most notably between Africa and the rest of the world, could not be overlooked.

The panels presentations were concluded by John Shanahan, civil engineer and editor of allaboutenergy.net. Unlike many of his collaborators in the nuclear energy industry who present nuclear energy as a solution to anthropogenic global warming, Shanahan, following nuclear power pioneer Theodore Rockwell, views nuclear energy as a solution to natural climate change and other energy challenges.

In brief remarks prior to the open discussion, Helga Zepp-LaRouche emphasized that the political problem characterized by the Green New Deal will destroy all industrial nations, in opposition to restoring creative growth. This enemy is the same for water, energy, the spread of pandemics, the destruction of agriculture, and the continuation of endless wars, she said.

This requires a complete change of the axioms, and in my view, it starts with the image of man. Man is the most advanced part of the Universe. The ideas generated by human creativity, discovering scientific principles of the universethat is the most advanced part of the evolution of the universe. If there would not be a correspondence between what the human mind creates and the laws of the universe, this would not function. This is the proof that the laws of the universe and the human mind are coherent. We are not a parasite. We are not a burden on nature.

In the context of Admiral Pelaezs proposal on water development, Zepp-LaRouche pointed out the movements association with the African TransAqua project proposal for decades. This is a proposal to green the Sahara by moving water from the Congo River to the dry or drying Lake Chad basin. There is now a feasibility study under way that places this high on the agenda of African development requirements.

The discussion was joined by Major Gen. Peter Clegg (ret.), a founding member of the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites. I am tremendously impressed by the presentations so far, Clegg said, and pointed out that the problems we confront are not technological, but do include the politicization of science. He complained of politicians who say we must follow the science, but they are the last person to pay attention to that. He illustrated this by mentioning environmental hero Jimmy Carter, once running around the White House in sweaters talking about global cooling, who has now joined the crowd fighting global warming.

Zepp-LaRouche concluded the conference by discussing the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites. She explained that, so far, the membership were largely healthcare providers, but that it was open to scientists, engineers, and others involved in promoting human creativity.

The conference video is archived on the Schiller Institute site.
This editorial appears in the July 30, 2021 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

EDITORIAL

Resistance to Dark Age Lunacy Mobilized at Schiller Conference

[Print version of this editorial]

July 25The Schiller Institute conference on Saturday, July 24, was a powerful demonstration of the fact that political, scientific, industrial, and agricultural layers of the population across the trans-Atlantic region are mobilizing to fight the Green New Deal policy which is shutting down the productive economy and threatening Malthusian depopulation across the globe. Those who are fighting are also expressing their gratitude to the Schiller Institute for providing a platform to bring these forces together, while providing conceptual direction to the fight.

The conference was titled There Is No Climate EmergencyApply the Science and Economics of Development to Stop Blackouts and Death. It can be viewed here.

Leading scientists from five countries exposed the lie that carbon has anything to do with the climate, and detailed the devastation being imposed through the shutdown of fossil fuels and nuclear power. Farmers from the U.S. and Germany exposed the evil of using this fraud to shut down agricultural land. Helga Zepp-LaRouche described the collapse of Germany, once a leading center of mankinds greatest science and culture, now being pushed into post-industrial degeneracy, with all the political parties backing the Green lies.

And yet the conference exuded optimism. Demonstrating the willingness of citizens to stand up against both popular opinion and demonic leadership, to tell the truth, is the necessary first step for a nation to escape from the onrushing Dark Age. The conference opened with an inspiring video of Lyndon LaRouche speaking in 1985, at a conference celebrating The Year of Saint Augustine, on the meaning of The Good, as the great minds of history, like Socrates and Augustine, fought to understand that concept, and to convey it. The Good, LaRouche said, lies in the power of human beings, acting through the creative power of the mind, unique to the human race, to discover principles of the universe, and apply those principles to the technologies and the arts, which increase the power of labor, thus contributing in ones mortal life to the eternal life of mankind.

In Contrast

In contrast to this conference, in a particularly ugly irony, were mass demonstrations held on the same day in four of the leading nations of the advanced sector: UK, France, Italy and Australia. These mass demonstrations, some peaceful but some quite violent, including confrontations with police, were not opposing the genocidal Green New Deal; were not opposing the mounting danger of thermonuclear war; nor were they demanding an end to the austerity and poverty conditions affecting every industrial nation and threatening mass starvation in the underdeveloped nations.

No, they were anti-vaxxers, enraged people with no sense of solving the actual causes of the global breakdown crisis facing mankind, but driven to near madness over being told to get themselves vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, which has killed over four million people, and is again on the rise almost everywhere in a new variant. A speaker at the London demonstration called for people to report the names of the doctors and nurses administering the vaccine, adding: At the Nuremberg trials, the doctors and nurses stood trial and they were hung. One is reminded of the flagellants in the 14th Century Dark Age.

Do these people truly believe that all the scientists in Russia, China, Europe, and the U.S. who have contributed to the development of these vaccines are trying to kill everyone? It were best if they would join the Schiller Institute in exposing and destroying the Green New Deal, which is in fact a Malthusian movement, launched and directed by Prince Charles in league with the mega bankers of the City of London and Wall Street, to cull the herd of the human race.

Coming Up

On July 31, the Schiller Institute will convene another conference, with a focus on the window of opportunity represented by the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from the 20-year disastrous war in Afghanistan. Will Afghanistan remain a training ground for terrorism and the worlds leading producer of opium, or will the U.S. finally break from British geopolitics, of us against them, of a Hobbesian all against all, to join with Russia and China, and all the other nations of the region, in the development of railroads, industries, agriculture, schools, and hospitals in Afghanistan, to demonstrate the principle of Peace Through Development, as intended by Americas Founding Fathers, by John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon LaRouche. If this is achieved in Afghanistan, it will be a model for the world.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other Chinese leaders in Tianjin on Monday, July 26. While the extreme tensions between the worlds two largest economic powers remain, a basis for constructive engagement was established. Cooperation in Afghanistan was on the table, and perhaps the potential for a Summit of Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping.

Following that, Sherman will lead a delegation to meet with Russian leaders on Wednesday, July 28, in Geneva, to discuss arms control and other strategic issues, set in motion by Presidents Biden and Putin in their June 16 Summit and in their subsequent phone conversation. Again, Afghanistan will certainly be on the agenda.

It is a pregnant moment in history, for good or for ill. We must mobilize for The Good.
SCO Defense Ministers Meeting Takes Up Threat of Afghanistan Destabilization

July 28, 2021 (EIRNS)Afghanistan is very much at the center of the discussion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers meeting which got underway July 27 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement on Defense Minister Sergei Shoigus participation, observing that Military delegations from India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Belarus as an SCO observer state, will take part in the session planned for July 28. Shoigu is also expected to meet bilaterally with his colleagues.

In his remarks, Shoigu stated, at this point, the situation in Afghanistan is particularly important because the country is actively engaged in the SCOs activities as an observer country, reported the Ministry. The peaceful development of the Organization's member states and the well-being of our peoples continue to be threatened by international terrorism, extremism, separatism and cybercrime, he said, and at the same time, pointing out that the situation is aggravated by the pandemic, which has exacerbated international contradictions, traditional challenges and threats.

He emphasized that SCO countries had similar views on how to resolve issues related to regional security and stability. He declared that Russia is taking measures to combat attempts to move militant activity from Afghanistan into Central Asia.

To that end, we seek to improve the combat readiness of Russias military bases in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, by strengthening their ability to respond to crisis situations. We provide assistance to our allies and partners in Central Asia by upgrading their armed forces and equipping them with weapons and military hardware, in addition to training personnel.

In separate talks with Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo, Shoigu warned of the recent upsurge in instability in Afghanistan. Today, joint work on neutralizing threats from the territory of neighboring Afghanistan comes to the fore. The hasty withdrawal of foreign troops from there has triggered a rapid deterioration of the situation and an upsurge and intensification of terrorist activity. This situation calls for appropriate measures, and work on this is already underway, TASS quoted him as saying. Shoigu pledged that Russian support to the Tajik military, including equipment deliveries and training, will continue.

Speaking to media after the meeting, Shoigu characterized some irony regarding the U.S. withdrawal.

The United States has announced to everyone and widely: we are leaving Afghanistan. ... But at the same time, negotiations are underway with all the states bordering Afghanistan on the creation of certain logistics centers, bases for the withdrawal of equipment from there and, of course, the creation of centers where refugees from Afghanistan could be accepted, including those people with whom the United States has been cooperating there for many years. Here I can say only one thing.... Why do you go out if you stand right there behind the fence and, figuratively speaking, try to observe through the cracks what is happening there? Why leave? In order to stay literally on the border? The answer is absolutely obvious: This is an attempt to gain a foothold in the Central Asian regionnaturally, having lost everything that could have been lost in Afghanistan,

the minister remarked.

Shoigu further observed, it is difficult to find a good place on the planet, with good consequences, where the United States came and where they stayed for a long time.
A Day of Celebration in Compton at Lifeline Education Charter School s Summer Bridge Program Graduation and Special Outdoor Products Backpack Giveaway

A day of celebration as Lifeline Education Charter School presented its Summer Bridge Program Graduation and Outdoor Products Backpack Giveaway recently in Compton, CA.

The Lifeline Charter School (LESC) Summer Bridge Program presented graduates with Outdoor Products versatile, top quality, multipurpose backpacks filled with social and emotional items, such as a stress ball, colored pencil, scissors, an emotional bracelet and journal.

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Mrs. Paula DeGroat, executive director of LESC said, This graduation is great, as the students learn and understand the process of how to get to the next level of education, and bonded with the staff.

The LECS Summer Bridge Program is a free, three-week program is designed to introduce 6th, 7th and 8th grade students to their new environment and expectations of the program and prepares them for academic and emotional success for the fall.

Mollie Bell, aka, Ms. Compton was at the Summer Bridge Program Graduation said, Im always looking for a lifeline and this school is a bridge between Black and Brown students of K-12 graders and their families.

LECS has four campuses for grades K-12. It offers physical and emotional support to students in a safe environment which gives them the freedom and comfort to thrive. It is not just a school, but a close-knit community of students, parents and faculty providing vital support to the city it calls home, offering a warm, friendly nurturing environment for all who enter its doors.

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The school extended its community outreach even more during the pandemic by providing students and community residents with food giveaways, including turkey dinners during the holiday season. Dedicated staff did home visits and attendance checks on students to ensure there were no gaps in the learning process. Students were provided the necessary educational tools to sustain the academic excellence of young minds, including hotspots to access the internet for virtual learning, and counseling sessions via zoom for emotional support.

Since opening its doors in 2002, LECS boasts a 95% graduation rate. Its students continue to make an impact on the world. The schools long list of success stories includes student graduates attending of University of Pennsylvania, Penn State, UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Ross University School of Medicine and a student currently pursuing a PhD in Pathobiology, University of Illinois.

To make a tax-deductible donation please visit www.lifelinecharterschool.com
Cal Top Educator Tony Thurmond Says Schools on Track for Safe Reopening

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond says school districts across the state are prepared to open safely in the fall even as COVID-19 cases surge in California and around the country. The new spike in COVID-19 positive rates across the state are driven by infections involving the more contagious Delta variant.

Thurmond was speaking online at a recent Safe Schools for All seminar featuring several California education experts. On the call, Thurmond gave parents a preview of what they will likely face when their children return to class in the fall.

He mentioned that he visited Camarena Elementary School in the Chula Vista Elementary School District and that the school opened July 21 successfully implementing the new mask requirements. About 900 of the 1000-member student body were present, he said.

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Everyone was wearing a mask, he said. Everyone was following protocol.

On Friday, Thurmond visited a summer learning program at Monte Vista Elementary School in Los Angeles County.

The CDC and the California Department of Public Health have already provided guidance that even as case rates increase, if everyone is wearing a mask and everyone who can get a vaccine gets one, we can keep our schools open safely, Thurmond said.

Thurmond also said that vaccines were vital to returning to normal. He also reminded African Americans to make sure to get the vaccines. However, he noted that the Black community was lagging behind the vaccination rate. As of July 19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 4% of vaccinated people in California are Black. African Americans account for 6% of Californias population.

Vaccines are now available for children aged 12 to 18.

Thurmond also added that while many parents have complained about distance learning, some African American parents say they prefer it because their children dont have to deal with bullying or harassment.

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One of the featured speakers at the online seminar was Dr. Naomi Bardach, Safe Schools for All team lead. She gave a presentation on some important facts to know about the coronavirus and how it affects children.

Bardach reminded parents that scientists and medical professionals had gathered a lot more information about the coronavirus since it first hit America more than a year ago.

In 2020, schools closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and children transitioned to distance learning conducted mainly through online classes.

However, Bardach said parents have noticed that there are some downsides to this form of instruction. She said parents have observed that their children are experiencing emotional issues such as depression and sleeplessness. Some children are missing the social interaction of being in school.

Bardach also said medical research has shown that children are less likely to catch the coronavirus than older people.

According to her, most children contract the disease from a close relative, not from fellow students or school personnel.

However, there are things that adults can do to reduce the spread of the virus among children.

Vaccines for adults are key to prevention in kids, she said. Vaccines mean kids can return to the things they enjoy.

Schools plan to return to in-class education with a host of new weapons to fight the coronavirus pandemic. According to Bardach, some of the methods the schools will use to contain the virus are testing, masks, ventilation and increased sanitation.

Masks are very effective in preventing transmission, she said.

There are several ways to get vaccinated, such as at-school sites, health departments and pharmacies. Schools also offer testing. The state has provided schools with $5 million to pay for rapid testing.

Another recommendation to reduce the spread of the coronavirus is to make sure sick children remain at home, said Bardach.
Councilman Curren Price Establishes $1 Million Emergency Relief Fund for Victims of the South LA Fireworks Blast

Councilman Price announces a $1 million Emergency Relief Fund for the victims of the 27th Street LAPD Fireworks Explosion to help with their urgent needs.

On Wednesday, July 21, L.A. City Councilmember Curren Price unveiled details of a $1 Million emergency relief fund that will help District 9 victims of the LAPD fireworks explosion. The initiative draws from Prices $21 million Reimagining Public Safety dollars and will provide immediate relief to impacted individuals and families.

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The new program, established by Councilman Price, will go toward providing longer-term housing for individuals who have been displaced due to home repairs from broken windows to plumbing and other structural repairs; and financial assistance in the amount of $10,000 for 25 pre-identified, severely impacted households.

We dont have time for bureaucracy; we need to cut through the red tape for the sake of the victims, said Councilman Price. As my District reels from the reckless damage done, my focus remains steadfast on sustaining residents and lifting up the victims in their time of need. I am determined to help the affected families get back on their feet.

The June 30 explosion on the 700 block of East 27th Street sent 17 residents and law enforcement officers to the hospital, displaced 75 neighbors, damaged dozens of homes and cars on the block, and financially affected 13 businesses.

The Councilmember added that Team Price has been working around-the-clock to make sure the victims feel supported. Prices office has led efforts to secure housing, clothing, personally delivering meals and organizing food distributions, as well as purchasing furniture and refrigerators.

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Most recently, Councilman Prices office was able to transition 29 households into first-class, high quality, longer-term corporate apartments with a kitchen and laundry facility in each unit.

As we move toward recovery, my community has proven their resiliency, said Price. They have been tried and tested, and they dont need another apology. They want action from their government, and they want it now!

If you are a victim of the LAPD fireworks explosion and are in need of assistance, contact the VCN YouthSource Center at the 28th Street YMCA at (213) 486-8137 or visit www.lacity.org/27thStreet. To get in touch with Councilmember Prices District Office, please call (323) 846-2651.
COVID SURGE IS SPREADING THROUGHOUT LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Local officials are encouraging residents to get vaccinated and follow safety guidelines

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Over 3,000 new cases of the COVID-19 virus have been reported in Los Angeles County over the past several days. This is the largest number of new cases since that Los Angeles County has reported since February of this year. Health officials are reporting that they have seen an 80 percent increase in cases of the new Delta variant which is alarming many since this variant of the virus is highly contagious and even those who have been vaccinated can still possibly spread the it to those who are unvaccinated.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, Supervisor Holly Mitchell and a number of other area local officials are urging residents to remain committed to stopping the spread of the virus. Last week, Los Angeles County reinstituted the mandatory mask wearing requirements in doors and restaurants have returned, in large part, to serving outdoors.

Many local businesses are concerned that Los Angeles is headed back towards another shut down and many businesses, including The Los Angeles Sentinel, have postponed their plans to return staff into the office and will continue working remotely throughout the summer months.

Last week, as reported in the Sentinel, Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital has seen an extreme growth in the number of cases that coming into the hospital. According to health officials, hospitalizations are on the rise once again and the majority of those who are being admitted into the hospital are the unvaccinated. The greater concern is that a large number of those who are now coming down with the virus are younger. Early on, younger people felt that they were invincible and didnt need to take precautions or get vaccinated, but they are quickly learning that is not the case. stated one local health care worker who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Just this week 10 deaths have been reported as a result of COVID that is in stark contrast to just a month ago when Los Angeles County had no deaths for several weeks for the first time in over a year. State officials said that while vaccines still provide strong protection, 20 percent of last months new cases occurred among the fully vaccinated. Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the increase is normal given the continued rise in the number of people who are getting fully vaccinated.

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People who had been couped up for over a year and saw the Fourth of July holiday weekend as an opportunity to finally spend time with family and friends. But this sudden surge in public and private gatherings is seen as one of the many culprits leading up to this new surge of the virus spread. Health officials are repeatedly placing the culpability of current surge in cases on the spreading of the even more infectious Delta variant of the COVID virus.

According to State figures, there were 688 people hospitalized in Los Angeles County due to COVID as of Friday, up from 655 on Thursday and the highest number since late March. There were 146 people in intensive care, down slightly from 148 on Thursday. With the additional seven COVID deaths reported by the county on Friday, the overall death toll was brought to 24,614.

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 in a statement on Friday. 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.

CBS News reported that L.A. County figures released Thursday showed that among roughly 4.85 million fully vaccinated residents from Jan. 19 through Tuesday, only 6,520 tested positive for the virus for a rate of 0.13%. That figure is up from 0.09% last week.
Delta Variant Continues Surge, California Mandates Vaccine for State Workers

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) is reporting that the combination of low vaccination rates and unmasked individuals is giving the Delta variant momentum. The State of California is requiring all State workers and workers in health care and high-risk environments, to present proof of vaccination or be tested once a week. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, director of Public Healths message to overcome this latest surge remains steady.

As we continue to experience significant community transmission fueled by the Delta variant, every effort to reduce spread is important, said Ferrer. This includes the additional layer of masking and testing protections the state health officer order requires at health care and high-risk congregate living facilities.

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She continued, Every worksite in L.A. County also has an opportunity to reduce virus transmission by adhering to the requirement that all employees and customers wear their masks indoors. We need the additional protection while more individuals get vaccinated if we want to get back to low rates of transmission.

We are now dealing with a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and its going to take renewed efforts to protect Californians from the dangerous Delta variant, said Governor Gavin Newsom. As the states largest employer, we are leading by example and requiring all State and health care workers to show proof of vaccination or be tested regularly, and we are encouraging local governments and businesses to do the same. Vaccines are safe  they protect our family, those who truly cant get vaccinated, our children and our economy.

Vaccines are the way we end this pandemic.

As of Monday, July 26, Public Health reported four new deaths and stated 1,966 new cases of COVID-19. There were 745 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with 16% of nearly 7,261,000 individuals testing positive with symptoms.

Public Health identified 1,285,771 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,631 deaths. Cases across the Southland: Los Angeles County shows 1,218,988 cases, Long Beach with 55,133 cases and Pasadena with 11,650 cases.

According to race and ethnicity, COVID-19 statistics show: American Indian/Alaska Native with 2,067; Asian with 58,311; Black with 51,965; Hispanic/Latino with 645,311; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with 4,427; White with 138,184; those of other race and ethnicity with 103,231 and 215,492 under investigation.

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For more detailed information on COVID-19 vaccination plans in L.A. County and to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com

For more information and statistics on COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, please visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

*Los Angeles County Department of Public Health http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

*California Department of Public Health https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/index.html Spanish https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index-sp.html

*World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

*LA County residents can also call 2-1-1
FOX 11 anchor and childrens advocate Christine Devine receives honorary doctorate at Cal State LA Commencement

Christine Devine, the award-winning evening news anchor at KTTV FOX 11 in Los Angeles and nationally recognized advocate for children, received an honorary doctorate on Monday during Commencement at Cal State LA.

Devine, who celebrated 30 years at KTTV last fall, anchors the stations 5, 6 and 10 p.m. weekday newscasts. Her weekly news segment Wednesdays Child, a partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, has helped more than 500 children find adoptive homes since it debuted in 1995.

Cal State LA and the California State University Board of Trustees conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to Devine during an afternoon Commencement ceremony for the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services on July 26. Douglas Faigin, a trustee of the CSU, read the degree citation.

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As one of the longest-serving news anchors on any major Los Angeles television station, Christine Devine is a unique individual who has been instrumental in making Los Angeles one of the worlds great modern cities, Faigin said.

A fellow longtime journalist and president of City News Service Inc., Faigin noted that Devine has provided the people of Los Angeles the information they need for successful personal lives, success in civic engagement and success in building community. In addition, her activities on behalf of children have changed numerous lives for the better.

Cal State LA President William A. Covino conferred the degree on behalf of Cal State LA and the CSU before turning the lectern over to Devine to speak. In her remarks, as Covino did in his, Devine addressed the challenges that the graduates have had to overcome in the last year-plus.

You have persevered through unprecedented politics, a global pandemic, protests in our streets, Devine said. It is the story of your graduation years, and I say years because this is the Class of 2020. We were supposed to do this last year. The coronavirus may have canceled last years Commencement ceremonybut not your accomplishment. You will forever tell the story of how you walked in graduation, in the midst of an ever-changing pandemic, with our masks still in hand.

After acknowledging the heartbreak that many have suffered, including the loss of loved ones, and calling for a moment of silence in their memory, Devine continued: The beauty of the Cal State LA student is that you know how hard you had to work to get here. This is a campus that, as you look around, you can tell welcomes diversity. Its a place that says yes, we want you exactly as you are.

Through the Wednesdays Child segment, Devine and KTTV colleagues have showcased the stories of children in foster care who seek adoptive families. She noted her personal connection to the cause through her mother and father, who were foster and adoptive parents. The greatest contribution of Wednesdays Child, Devine said in her Commencement remarks, is to take away the stigma of children in the so-called system  to acknowledge their story and their self-worth, to allow them to advocate for themselves.

Another of her objectives, Devine said, is to shine the light on the social worker. She introduced Cal State LA professor William Wong, the longtime coordinator, on behalf of the Department of Children and Family Services, with whom she collaborates on Wednesdays Child.

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Devine has won wide acclaim for her work as a journalist. She has been awarded 16 Emmys by the Television Academy and in 2011 received its Los Angeles Area Governors Award. In 2018, the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California honored Devine with a lifetime achievement award.

For her work with foster children, Devine was honored as an Angel in Adoption by the U.S. Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and was named by Los Angeles magazine as one of 2012s 50 Women Changing LA.

Devine is a graduate of Arizona State University and serves her alma mater as a member of its Board of Trustees. In 2001, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the universitys Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where she has funded a scholarship.
Kedren Health Promotes Black and Korean Unity

The latest vaccination clinic hosted by Kedren Health Center served as a unifying event between the Black and Korean communities in Los Angeles.

Titled as A Taste of Korea, the free clinic saluted frontline healthcare workers as well as featured ethnic cuisine and COVID-19 vaccinations. The event was held July 22 on the Kedren campus in South Los Angeles.

The participants included Dr. Jerry P. Abraham, program director for Kedren Vaccines; and representatives of the Korean Consulate General of Los Angeles, the L.A. Korean Cultural Center, the Korean Food Global Association and the City of L.A. Office of Civil and Human Rights.

Another big contributor was Pharmacist Tsega Habte, an Eritrean American dedicated to improving relations between African Americans and other cultural groups, who responded to a request from Janet Burt, a representative of the Korean community, to meet with her, Abraham and Sonny Tran, COO of Kedren Community Health Center.

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Janet told us of her plan to donate food to healthcare workers on the frontline as a way to show respect and gratitude. So, we set up a time and date and the event was put into motion, Habte said.

The Korean Community donated food and drinks and utensils were donated by the African Communities Public Health Coalition.

Scores of people received vaccinations, which perfectly matches Abrahams desire to inoculate as many people as possible in underserved areas and among minorities. Earlier this year, he explained to the Sentinel why Kedren is so focused on vaccinations.

Its because we were dying of COVID, we are getting infected  our nurses, our patients, our families, our communities. We didnt have the luxury of choice, insisted Abraham. This is what we had to do to save our people and end this epidemic! We wont stop  cant stop  until we reach herd immunity and this pandemic is over!

In addition to Abraham, Habte, Burt and Kedren staff, volunteers consisted of Yui Jin Park, director general of the Korean Cultural Center; Jong Lim, president of the Korean Food Global Association; and Son Sung Soo of the Korean Consulate.

COVID-19 vaccinations are available on a daily basis at Kedren Health Center, 4211 S. Avalon in Los Angeles and Monday through Friday at Kedren Health Watts Center, 710 E. 111th Pl., in Los Angeles. For information, visit Kedren.org.
Leadership Legacy Fund Launched at AABLI Tribute

The Yvette Chappell-Ingram Leadership Legacy Fund was officially launched by the African American Board Leadership Institute (AABLI) at its recent tribute to the funds namesake, who is retiring after ten years as AABLIs president and CEO.

The fund will support AABLIs programs for board equity and diversity, social justice and leadership development.

Chappell-Ingram was saluted July 15 at a virtual gathering of community leaders, AABLI alumni and funders, community partners, former board members, friends, colleagues, and family. The event was sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation, with ABC7 Los Angeles Morning News co-anchor Leslie Sykes serving as mistress of ceremonies.

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Speakers cited the departing presidents 30 years as a community servant leader. Chappell-Ingram has devoted the last decade to AABLI, after co-founding the organization with attorney Virgil Roberts in 2011.

AABLIs mission is to strengthen nonprofit, public and private organizations by preparing African American professionals for service on a broad range of governing boards, and by assisting with their placement. During Chappell Ingrams tenure, AABLI has trained more than 750 program participants and placed more than 250 on nonprofit boards, corporate boards and commissions.

What Im most proud of, said Chappell-Ingram, is the environment we created to help build community. Acknowledging the California Endowments role as AABLIs first grantor, she recalled the leaps of faith required to start a nonprofit from scratch. We did not do it alone, but I am thrilled to have played a part in moving this organization forward.

To donate to the Yvette Chappell-Ingram Leadership Legacy Fund, visit https://bit.ly/AABLIlegacyfund.

To learn more about AABLI and its Board Leadership Certificate Program, visit www.aabli.org.
Newsom Signs Jones-Sawyers Bill to Stop Organized Retail Theft

Asm. Reggie Jones-Sawyer sponsored the legislation to extend the sunset date of the crime of organized retail theft

Governor Gavin Newsom called up Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) as Newsom signed into law AB 331 to help the state apply resources to reduce crime and stop organized retail theft.

The signing took place July 21 at The Hangout, a small business in Long Beach. Jones-Sawyer sponsored the legislation to extend the sunset date to January 1, 2026 of the crime of organized retail theft and the California Highway Patrol Organized Retail Crime Task Force.

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Among the African American law enforcement members attending the event were CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray and San Francisco Chief of Police William Scott. Also on hand were mayors of the states 13 largest cities including L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento along with L.A. Police Chief Michel Moore and several other top police executives.

Among the most basic needs for all Californians is to feel safe at home, at the park, or walking to school, Newsom said. As we pursue nation-leading criminal justice reforms  all with an eye to making our communities safer  a more holistic approach is called for. We must invest in public safety while, at the same time, tackling the root causes of these increases.

Explaining why he spearheaded the bill, Jones-Sawyer said, When this first came out with Gov. Jerry Brown, we were really talking about how do we deal with retail theft in a smart way. Number one, we wanted to make sure we went after the organized retail theft felons who were victimizing, not only the people they got involved in this, but also victimizing our retail businesses.

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We also wanted to make sure that we had a heart and that individuals who were homeless or on drugs would be able to get services. So, I want to thank this governor for putting in billions of dollars to make sure those individuals can move into services like drug rehab, education and employment and permanently get out of organized retail theft, he said.

Thats the ultimate goal here  both philosophies coming together to cure a problem thats plaguing California right now. Its so important that we continue this work that the CHP has been doing successfully for the last few years, added Jones-Sawyer.

Commissioner Ray said that in the last three years, the CHP Task Force participated in 668 investigations resulting in 252 arrests and the recovery of over $16.3 billion in stolen merchandise. AB 331 will allow the task force to continue its efforts to reduce retail crime with the following actions:
Pandemic Problems of Food Insecurity Are Not Over

There are still families and individuals in our community who do not have enough to eat each day. While some food distribution has slowed down, the needs are still present.

Many of those providing the distribution of food say they are running into a shortage of volunteers to handle the process. We are also still confronted with the issue of school being out, but not hunger. We still have high unemployment in our high risk communities. And, now we are faced with a new virus at the same time that many continue to resist getting vaccinated even though there is no cost other than their time to get the shot.

This paper does not want our communities of color, in particular, to be misled. Many of those among us who have not taken the vaccine by choice are in some of the most high risk jobs. We saw the impact of the COVID-19 virus on those persons in round one of this virus. So what can we do now? We can continue testing, get the vaccine, and wear a mask, regardless of what the governmental agencies are saying about the safety of going without one.

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We can be mindful that the infection rate among those who have been vaccinated exists, but, so far, has not been fatal even  though there have been some hospitalizations. We can talk to those around and among us who are vaccine resistant. If they dont take the vaccine, then we should limit our contact with them for our own safety and the safety of others even though we have been vaccinated.

We must give very serious personal thought about our children and their return to schools. No one will care about them as much as you, the parent. It cannot be enough to say that we have reduced the number of children in a classroom to 17 or 18 when in the past that number has been 30 or more. If the class is cut in size, then who is teaching the second group; and are they getting the same level of instruction and not being parked with an adult as a babysitter with no skills?

Let us not forget the food insecurity of our children at school even though a number of schools are now preparing backpacks to go home with our children for weekend meals.

The problems of the pandemic continue and food insecurity is only one of them. We can do much to help each other if we just make a decision to personally get involved in helping others. What are you doing?
Profile: Sydney Kamlager Carries the Weight of All Black Women in California Senate

In a faded photo from 1975, is a smiling woman, a formerly enslaved person, sporting a metallic gray birthday hat. In front of her is a 3-year-old Sen. Sydney Kamlager.

Gram was born a slave and freed by Lincoln. She carried her papers to prove her freedom every day of her life, the California Senator tweeted, sharing her great-great grandmothers photo with her followers.

Kamlager, the only Black woman serving in the California Senate, spoke with California Black Media about her career, what inspires her and the priorities she has fought for since her term began.

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It is a heavy and awesome responsibility, feeling like I am speaking for millions of women like me, Kamlager said, talking about being the only Black woman in the state Senate.

I dont take it lightly and Im trying to get more of us in there, she said.

Kamlager says her great-great-grandmother is one of her greatest inspirations.

When she was born, she was not free, and her DNA is inside of me. Thats the thing that motivates me, that this woman in my family was strong enough to live through that circumstance. Its something that I wake up and think about every day, said Kamlager.

Kamlager attributes her success to her parents and counts them as another source of inspiration.

My parents were social justice activists in Chicago, fighting to make sure that community members had access to healthcare and housing, she said. I come from a family that was denied housing because they were interracial.

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Her life in public service started in Chicago, she says.

I got my first taste of politics helping my grandmother work to get Harold Washington elected as the first Black mayor of Chicago, Kamlager recalled.

Kamlager left Chicago to attend the University of Southern California. She was there when the 1992 Los Angeles riots broke out. That experience helped strengthen her resolve to enter public life, she says.

It was the first time I saw what happens when a city stops listening to its communities, she said. The next summer, I spent time working to figure out how we could both rebuild LA and build bridges between communities.

Kamlagers journey to becoming a California elected official began in 2017 when she threw her hat in the 54th Assembly District race to complete the term of former Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas. The next year, she won the special election and was sworn into office in April.

Then, in November 2020, she announced her run for the State Senate when former Sen. Holly Mitchell resigned. Kamlager won that special election in March.

Now, as the state Senator representing the 30th District, criminal justice, health care, housing and racial equity are among Kamlagers priorities.

I spend a lot of time in the criminal justice space. I have a number of bills this year that focus on criminal and legal issues, Kamlager said.

One is AB 333 which is a due process bill as it relates to gang enhancement charges. Another bill AB 127 got signed into law by the governor this Monday which says that prosecutors can also attest to an arrest warrant of a police officer involved in a police shooting. And ACA 3 which is about taking involuntary servitude out of the state constitution, she continued.

The Senator also spoke about economics and how it impacts the lives of Black Californians.

It is incredibly important to talk about the economics of Black America and Black California and to connect that to issues of housing, transportation, jobs and education, Kamlager said.

For her, an important part of the Black economic power conversation is reparations.

Ive been incredibly supportive of the reparations task force that is moving along and making sure that some of these things get agendized, she said.

Kamlager mentioned the ongoing inequity in the medical sector, an issue that the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare.

I introduced a number of implicit bias bills to have training in our medical community because we saw who was getting treated and who wasnt, she said.

Kamlager says her office used the Budget Act of 2021 to help fund local programs, including art, healthcare and housing initiatives. About $400 million of the states $267.1 billion budget this year supports projects to which Kamlager and her team helped steer funding.

I was very active in this years budget negotiations, Kamlager continued. I was instrumental in the work to get $30 million to our public hospitals, which we know were ground zero for so many of the COVID cases.

Childcare providers were heroes who stepped up during the pandemic, she says. They took care of children as their essential worker parents soldiered on to make sure the economy and health care systems kept running.

Another one of her priorities is housing equity through efforts like Project Room Key, a state program created in response to the pandemic. It provides motel and hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness.

Programs like that expose some of the same inequities they were designed to diminish, Kamlager points out.

With Project Room Key, the majority of the homeless individuals that got placed during the pandemic were White homeless individuals even though we know 62% of the folks who are homeless are Black, she said.

The senator also addressed the rise of hate crimes.

We can elevate the issues of African Americans when we are on the floor giving speeches, she continued. We have done that. We will do that. But there is an element of fear that is predicated on the history of this country, and its based on the fact that Black people, one, are feared, and two, are not valued.

Legislation doesnt fix that, she added. It is the collective energy and voices of Black Californians, Black Americans and their allies elevating those discrepancies and disparities so that folks are able to reflect on them.
Summer is Almost Over but Still Time for Fun and Free Outdoor Activities at your LA County Parks

Summer is quickly coming to an end but theres still time to enjoy some family fun as the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (LA County Parks) continues to offer a variety of free programs for youth and families to enjoy.

Families can cool off and enjoy some safe time together enjoying activities such as Every Body Swims, Learn to Swim, Splash Pads, and their Free Lunch and Snack Program that promotes a healthy lifestyle to the community and positive and enriching experiences to youth. LA County Parks teamed up with the Department of Arts and Culture and the Board of Supervisors and will also continue to offer their free community program, Parks After Dark.

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Dont miss out on the fun and come enjoy what your local LA County Park has to offer:

Free Summer Lunch and Snacks Program:

In an effort to provide access to nutritious foods, the program is providing healthy meal alternatives to children at select parks. Anyone 18 and under will receive a Grab and Go lunch and snack that includes fruits and veggies, seeds, and healthy dairy products. Lunch will be served from 12  1 p.m. and snacks are served from 3  4 p.m. Monday thru Friday to August 6th.

Every Body Swims:

All County run aquatic facilities will be offering their pools for the community to practice their aquatic skills, get physically active and enjoy their summer to all ages. The facilities will be open Monday-Friday 12:30 pm  2:30 pm and Saturdays 12:30 pm  2:30pm and 3:00 pm  4:45 pm through August 22nd.

Every Body Plays Drop-in Summer Adventure:

Offered from 11 am to 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday at 56 parks and nature centers, this FREE 8-week drop-in program launches June 14 and runs until August 6. All COVID-19 safety guidelines are fully adhered to. Children can enjoy lunch and snack at the park with their friends and family before joining the fun at select parks from 12-1 pm daily via a grab-n-go service delivery. The program provides children ages 7 thru 17 with access to caring and trained park staff who serve as mentors and lead an array of programs and activities. These activities range from sports, fitness, arts and crafts, STEM, group games, story time and so much more. Every day is an adventure in LA County Parks!

Splash Pads:

Open 7 days a week from 10 a.m.  6 p.m., Splash Pads offer a fun area for kids throughout the county to cool off during the hot summer months. With 23 locations throughout the area, these popular attractions make for a fun, safe, and easily accessible way for families to enjoy their summer.

The Parks After Dark programming includes:

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Free Friday Movie Nights:|

Every Friday to August 6, 2021, you can enjoy free movie nights under the stars for the entire family to enjoy including Onward (2020), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), and Tom and Jerry (2021) among others.

Free Saturday Night Concerts:

Discover new music and sounds every Saturday to August 7, 2021. Mark your calendars for this music exploration experience and diversify your musical palette with a diverse group of musicians and artists. Enjoy musical acts such as Pablo Sune, Opa Opa, Stix, and Kotolan among others. For programming schedule and details visit your local park for information or visit Parks.lacounty.gov/pad

Participating Los Angeles parks include Belvedere, Salazar, Obregon, East Rancho Dominguez, Helen Keller, Jesse Owens, and Roosevelt among others. For programming schedule and details, visit your local park for information or visit parks.lacounty.gov/pad

For a complete list of activities offered this summer at your local LA County Park, visit park.lacounty.gov/summer

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THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION (AAFCA) ANNOUNCES 2021 SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT TV HONOREES

Honorees include Steve McQueen, Wanda Sykes, Naomi Ackie, Michaela Coel, HBO/HBO MAX, Lupin and Queen Sugar

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) announced the Special Achievement Honorees for the 3rd annual AAFCA TV Honors. The 2021 ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 21st at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, CA. Individual winners will be announced at a later date.

Honorees are selected by a special committee within the association who identify exceptional content & performances in television and streaming that offer profound & refreshing representations of the world in which we live. The AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Awards recognize exceptional companies and individuals whose contributions have helped make the medium a powerful tool of change. Our 2021 Class of Honorees is a special group who are using their considerable gifts to extend televisions legacy as a shaper of culture and a connector of people, said AAFCA president Gil Robertson.

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Director Steve McQueen will receive the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Game Changer Award for Small Axe, his Amazon Studios five-part limited series chronicling the lives of the West Indian community in London from the 1960s to 1980s. Anchored by powerful storylines, Small Axe gave voice to the history of this community on television for the first time ever in a move that should have ripple effects for years to come.

Comedian/Actress Wanda Sykes will receive the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Salute to Excellence Award for expanding the parameters of diversity and inclusion for both the Black and LGBTQ communities, as well as women everywhere in all stages throughout her illustrious career. The Netfix series The Upshaws, for which she serves as executive producer and co-star, is just the latest of her many notable television roles.

Actress Naomi Ackie will receive the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Horizon Award for her standout performances in Master of None and Small Axe. These television performances are promising indicators of even greater work to come.

Multi-hyphenated creative Michaela Coel is the recipient of the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Breakout Creative Award (presented with ADColor) for her transformative limited series I May Destroy You, which tackled sexual assault in the 21st century. For the series, which aired in both the UK and the USA, Coel wore several hats, stretching herself as a writer, director, producer, and actor, among other roles. In addition, she raised her voice in support of fair compensation for creatives, as well as diversity and inclusion.

Lupin, Netflixs cat-and-mouse series set in Paris and starring French trailblazer Omar Sy, nabs 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Best International Production Award for expanding the terrain, as well as possibilities, for accessible global stories with a Black leading actor.

Queen Sugar, spearheaded by Ava DuVernay on OWN, is the recipient of the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Impact Award for its outstanding season five in which it tackled the COVID crisis in the Black community, proving how television can be both compelling while also serving the greater public good.

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HBO/HBO MAX rounds out the honorees earning the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Inclusion Award for the networks long history of producing transformative diverse and inclusive programming, including Lovecraft Country, I May Destroy You, Tina, Insecure, A Black Lady Sketch Show, In Treatment and more just over the last year. The consistency in diverse and inclusive content has made HBO, and its now companion HBO Max, a model for what the industry can do and continue to do.

We couldnt be prouder to bestow AAFCAs highest honors to this remarkable group of honorees responsible for diverse and inclusive content that uplifts and inspires, said Robertson. Our hope is that our industry will continue its tremendous strides towards a landscape with diversity and inclusion at its core. Over the past year especially, we have gotten that & more and look forward to a glorious event celebrating the very best of what we can strive to be in both our creative and earthly realms.
Words of the Week  Evangelize Everywhere You Go

There is a hurting world out there, not just in the church, but outside of the church  the body of Christ  and that world is in dire need of some ready saints to go out and witness to it.

In order for this to happen, the people in the church should take kingdom business seriously.

Church should never be looked at, especially by those who it comprises, as a social club. Yeah, though you join church, you dont join the kingdom. In other words, the saints should have a church that they are a part of, and Ill dare to say a home church where they assemble, be it brick and mortar or teleconference, that they connect with for spiritual growth.

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The kingdom is Gods way of doing things. Its His dominion here in the earth, His jurisdiction. Kingdom living is just what it is, living a life that gives glory to the King of kings and Lord of lords. That means sharing the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ beyond the walls of a physical building; it means allowing the Spirit of the Lord within your heart to lead you as you minister to others in the work place and wherever else there are people.

A kingdom lifestyle is the conscientious and subconscious practice of doing things Gods way, being Gods expression here in this earth, being compassionate toward others, being understanding toward others, demonstrating wisdom and understanding that boggles natural minds.

When you do godly deeds conscientiously, consistently and with a willing heart over a period of time, you will then find yourself doing those deeds subconsciously. In other words, doing godly deeds, for the right reasons, I must add, goes from These are the acts I do to This is who I am. Its going from ritual to lifestyle; from religious to spiritual.

Too many people are caught up in rituals or religious acts and shun kingdom lifestyle, as in the acts being mere expressions of who you are and your undying, everlasting commitment to the Lord Jesus the Christ.

James 1:22-25, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

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What the Word calls for each of us to do is to take the message we hear in church service and then go out and put it into practice by sharing it with as many people in our communities as we can possibly reach.

We must understand that to go to church or call a teleconference line and hear a powerful Word from God and to be inspired, but to not do anything with what we hear does a disservice to God. But to hear that Word and then go to our places of employment and share what weve heard is pleasing to God.

Im talking about places of employment, because much of our time is spent in the workplace, at our jobs. Yet in no way is this to suggest that the workplace is the only location we are to share the Word.

Know, friends, that I do understand that your place of employment  they say  is no place to share your spiritual beliefs. They say prayer is to be left out of the schools and that one shouldnt impose his personal spiritual (or religious) beliefs on others.

But we have to remember that our heavenly Father has each of us on assignment, and that if He has to have us to go into places as undercover evangelists to set the captives free from spiritual bondage, which transfers into this natural sphere of existence, then we have no choice as saints of God but to do what our Father says. We trust that He gives His angels charge over us and He gives us favor to do what we do.

As an undercover evangelist in the workplace, you may have a colleague who may be going through a bitter divorce through no fault of his (or her) own. This person could be a nervous wreck, and it causes their work to suffer, thus putting them in a dangerous situation as it relates to their job security.

But, as an undercover evangelist, a prayed-up man or woman of God, you can have confidence in knowing that the Lord has placed a Word down on the inside of you to share with that person that would change his (or her) whole outlook on his (or her) personal storm.

People go through so much in life. They need to hear that there is a God who loves them and who loves them so much that Hed send His servants to their rescue, to share a word of edification or exhortation with them.

Sometimes, were called to witness in less-than-ideal settings. But with the Holy Spirit as our Guide, we have the power to speak a word that would translate tears of agony into tears of joy.

Doing this doesnt require the quoting of scriptures, but demonstrating them through your compassionate personality.

Donald Lee, an author and freelance journalist, is founder-pastor of Kingdom Living Christian Center, based in the Dallas area. He can be contacted at 225.773.2248 or [email protected] or visit donaldjlee.com. Also, visit http://www.DonaldJLee.com.
Tanzania's president stressed that the vaccine is voluntary, and other citizens welcomed the arrival of doses. The action by the president to take a new direction in the battle against the coronavirus has brought relief to Tanzanians, said Dar es Salaam resident Hawa Bihoga.

Tanzania went well over a year without updating its number of confirmed virus cases but has now resumed reporting the data to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which showed 858 cases in the country as of Wednesday.

Critics of Tanzanias past stance on COVID-19, however, have long warned that many more people have been infected.

The country is trying to catch up as many parts of the African continent face a devastating resurgence of infections. We are making efforts to ensure that we import more vaccines to meet the demand, Hassan said.

Tanzanias president has even pledged to invest in vaccine manufacturing, according to the Africa CDC; the agencys director, John Nkengasong, met with Hassan on Tuesday. African countries, hit hard by so-called vaccine nationalism as rich nations prioritize doses for their own citizens, are embracing the need to have more control over vaccine production.

Just two African countries still have yet to start COVID-19 vaccinations, Burundi and Eritrea. Burundi, whose late President Pierre Nkurunziza also had been criticized for downplaying the pandemic, has said vaccines aren't needed yet. And Eritrea has long been criticized by human rights groups as one of the world's most closed-off, repressive countries.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The U.S. on Monday finally reached President Joe Bidens goal of getting at least one COVID-19 shot into 70 percent of American adults  a month late and amid a fierce surge by the delta variant that is swamping hospitals and leading to new mask rules and mandatory vaccinations around the country.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The UW System serves about 165,000 students throughout the state.

The tension between lawmakers and UW campuses comes as Wisconsin, like the rest of the country, faces an uptick in COVID-19 cases primarily attributed to the rapidly spreading Delta variant.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases, reported by the state Department of Health Services, is 556 as of Thursday  double what it was a week ago and nearly eight times what it was a month ago.

State health officials are urging Wisconsinites to get vaccinated; 49.3% of residents have completed their vaccination series.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that even people who have been vaccinated should wear a mask indoors if they're in a COVID-19 hot spot. Public Health Madison & Dane County hasn't issued any new mandates, but has also recommended all people  vaccinated or not  mask up indoors.

Thompson  who has encouraged mask-wearing and vaccination, and urged students to "SMASH COVID" by smashing an assortment of objects, Gallagher-style  told the Board of Regents last month that the UW System will not require vaccines, but will promote them with an "aggressive campaign."

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A 2011 Canadian study of 102 women ages 21-94 found that 62% of those surveyed would consent to a pelvic exam under anesthesia, if asked.

The bill is supported by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health and the Wisconsin Nurses Association. The Wisconsin Hospital Association and Medical College of Wisconsin are registered to lobby on the bill, but their status is undisclosed.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - Wisconsin Section is also registered to lobby on the bill, with this note: "ACOG supports current patient-centered informed consent practices. ACOG has not recommended separate, procedure-specific, written consent."

No one testified against the bill on Thursday, but Jacque acknowledged that some may oppose it. In other states that have considered or passed similar bills, medical professionals have argued the legislation is unnecessary. The Yale School of Medicine argued, when a similar bill was introduced in Connecticut in 2019, that medical societies  not lawmakers  should set these standards.

Some health care providers have adopted their own policies on the issue, regardless of whether a state law requires it. UW Health adopted a policy in 2019 requiring informed consent for educational sensitive exams. Previously, UW Health  like most teaching hospitals  received general consent from patients to allow medical students to train during their procedures, but did not specifically mention pelvic exams. The policy is up for review in 2022.

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No other big game species is regarded with such disdain and callous treatment as wolves. It is clear that illegal killing, government-implemented revenge killings for alleged livestock predations and traffic fatalities added significantly to the already massive overkill that occurred in February. Despite this the Wisconsin DNR wants to present a rosy picture that will justify a second trophy killing slaughter this year. This cannot be allowed to go forward.

If the threat of more permissive and reckless hunting programs in the fall isnt bad enough, we are now in the midst of the bear hound training season in Wisconsin. The very same hounds that were used to chase, fight and help kill wolves in February are now being set loose by the thousands in our state and national forests in Wisconsin. This is the time of the year when wolves are weaning their pups and gather in rendezvous sites where the pups remain until they are old enough to join pack hunts.
Dear Editor: The zeitgeist of the Donald Trump presidency and months thereafter includes an intense, visceral divide this nation has not seen since the first American Civil War. I say first because there are those who envision, and are even advocating for, a second.

Talk of secession runs rampant.

Sixty-six percent of Republicans in 13 southern states, including Texas and Florida, are in favor of seceding, according to a July Bright Line Watch poll. Thats significantly up from the 50% in Februarys poll.

Texas Republican state Rep. Kyle Biedermann, who marched on the Capitol with pro-Trump insurrectionists, has filed a bill giving Texans the option of seceding from the United States.

Mississippi Republican state Rep. Price Wallace has called for Mississippi to "succeed (sic) from the union and form our own country."

Social media is rife with talk of coups and insurrections and of taking up arms. Zealous post-Trump-presidency rally interviewees, sporting Trump-touting accoutrements, have enthusiastically expressed similar sentiments to reporters.
This recommended added layer of protection is meant to promote the safe return to in-person instruction, help us do our part to further reduce transmission of the virus in our community, and to maintain continuity of operations, the district said in a news release. The Columbus-based district said it was following guidance from a local advisory panel, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

So far, a small fraction of Georgia's 180-plus school districts are requiring masks. But the districts that have done so include six of the 11 largest districts in the state and represent more than 28% of all students statewide. A number of other districts have said they're considering tightening mask optional stances, and more announcements could be coming ahead of next week, when most Georgia districts start class.

Kemp had vowed in May that Were not going to have a mask mandate for our kids," but an executive order he issued that month fell short of actually banning masks in schools. Instead, the governor said school districts couldn't cite Georgia's public health state of emergency as a basis for requiring masks.
SEATTLE (AP)  Three schoolteachers in Washington state who sued chemical company Monsanto over exposure to materials in fluorescent lights have been awarded $185 million.

The law firm that represented the teachers, Friedman Rubin, said a jury returned the verdict Tuesday in King County Superior Court. The teachers, who worked at the Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe, Washington, said they suffered brain damage from exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in the fluorescent lighting at the school.

This is a big step in holding Monsanto accountable, the teachers attorney, Rick Friedman, said in a statement.

Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, said the company disagreed with the verdict and may appeal.

The undisputed evidence in this case does not support the conclusions that plaintiffs were exposed to unsafe levels of PCBs at the Sky Valley Education Center (SVEC) or that any exposure could have possibly caused their claimed injuries, Bayer spokesperson Susan Skiles Luke said in a statement.

The company said the light ballasts that were the focus of the lawsuit were obsolete.

These are historic claims that relate to products Monsanto has not produced in more than 40 years, Luke said.
Hours later, one man died when he crashed his vehicle into a fallen tree and power line near the town of Ripon at about 6 a.m. Thursday, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

The National Weather Service surveyed hard-hit areas in southeastern Wisconsin and confirmed one tornado, probably rated EF1, caused damage around the Jefferson County community of Concord, toppling farm buildings. Cows could be seen grazing among debris that landed in farm fields. By Thursday afternoon, the weather service confirmed at least two other tornados were also responsible for damage near Waukesha and Watertown.

Gov. Tony Evers signed a declaration imposing a state of emergency in Wisconsin. Evers order directs state agencies to help those impacted by the storms. It also allows the National Guard to be activated to support local authorities with recovery efforts.

The weather service on Wednesday warned that the severe weather sweeping across upper Midwest states could include hurricane force winds and tornadoes and develop into a derecho  a rare type of storm thats often described as an inland hurricane.

Andy Boxell, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sullivan, said a derecho did not materialize. Thats not what we had last night, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Utility crews worked to restore service to thousands of power customers. Electricity was knocked out to about 90,000 customers across Wisconsin, according to the tracking website

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week earlier this year finally reached the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands on Thursday to begin unloading its cargo.

As dawn broke over the sprawling port, the Ever Given eased into the Amazonehaven container terminal months later than originally planned.

The Panama-flagged vessel was heading for Rotterdam when it plowed into the sandy bank of a single-lane stretch of the canal about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez on March 23.

A massive salvage effort freed the skyscraper-sized vessel six days later, allowing a traffic jam of hundreds of waiting ships to pass through the canal.
The girl told police the male began following her on Snapchat and Instagram on June 29, 2020, and soon asked to meet up with her. She said she had also sent him photos of herself. When he drove up from Chicago, they met outside the YMCA on OKeeffe Avenue in Sun Prairie, drove around and talked for a bit, then parked in a Walmart parking lot for a while before deciding to go to a park.

The girl said the assault occurred in the mens room at the park. Although she told police she agreed to have sex with the man, under state law her age renders her incapable of giving consent. She also said she suspected he was older than 17, possibly in his early 20s, when she first saw him. He was 28 at the time.

Afterward, she told police, he drove to a Walgreens drug store where he bought her a Plan B morning after contraception pill. He dropped her off back at the YMCA. Based on what the girl told police, Walgreens was able to find security video of a man who bought the pill, which was paid for using a credit card.
Andrew Hitt, who has led the Republican Party of Wisconsin for a little over two years, announced Wednesday he will be stepping down as chair.

Hitt, who took on the voluntary role shortly after Republicans lost every statewide race in 2018, including former Republican Gov. Scott Walkers run for a third term, said in a statement he will be stepping down to focus on his family and private sector career.

With the 2022 midterm elections rapidly approaching, Republicans are looking to take back the governors seat from Gov. Tony Evers, who is seeking a second term, and hold onto the U.S. Senate seat currently held Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, who has not yet said whether he will seek reelection.

Its bittersweet to step down now with such an exciting election cycle ahead, but I know it is the right thing to do for my family and employer after the sacrifices they made so I could provide steady leadership at a crucial time, Hitt, 43, of Appleton, said in a statement.

Hitt took on the job in April 2019 and spent his time rebuilding the GOPs organizing efforts and opening the partys first office in Milwaukee. Despite efforts to secure the state for former President Donald Trump in 2020, President Joe Biden ended up winning the state by about 21,000 votes.
Positive cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin on Wednesday were twice as high as a week ago and seven times as high as a month ago, fueled by the more contagious delta variant, leading state health officials to again urge everyone to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.

There were 792 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday, and the seven-day daily average was 478, up from 239 last week and 69 a month ago.

To stop the spread, we need everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated now, said Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary of the state health department. Increased spread also increases the danger of new variants developing and those new variants could be even more dangerous than the ones we have now.

As of Wednesday, just over 49% of the state was fully vaccinated. Since January, more than 98% of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin have been in people who are not fully vaccinated, the state health department said.

This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people who live in areas with substantial or high disease transmission wear masks while indoors, whether they are vaccinated or not.
At the heart of the problem is the failure of the G20 to agree on actions and timetables to achieve global net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This is umbilically linked to the similar failure to set the more ambitious global goal of restricting global heating to an increase of 1.5C in the same period. Reports suggest that the ministers will recognize that 1.5C is preferable to 2C but not do enough about it.

This is unacceptable, but it is characteristic of a world struggling to recover economically from the pandemic. Governments recovery plans are increasingly falling short of what is needed to reach existing climate goals, never mind new ones. Globally, carbon emissions are again set to rise in 2023, not fall. The world is in danger of losing the path toward net zero. That failure comes down partly to money and partly to politics.

Responsibility should be widely shared. European countries, the UK included, often talk a better game than they play. Angela Merkel recently admitted as much about Germanys record. We cant continue at the current pace but have to up the tempo, she conceded.
The reason significant voter fraud doesnt occur in Wisconsin is pretty simple: The potential cost of trying to dupe our democracy is much greater than any potential gain.

Just ask Michael Ray Overall, who contends he unintentionally voted twice in last falls election. Prosecutors dont believe him, saying he registered to vote with a Beloit address just one day after he signed an absentee ballot that was sent to St. Croix County, where he hadnt lived since 2019.

The 64-year-old, who isnt saying who he voted for in last falls presidential election, faces four felonies in St. Croix County for voting as a disqualified person, providing false information to an election official, registering to vote in more than one place and voting more than once. Each charge comes with a maximum $10,000 fine and 3 years in prison.

The mans mountain of legal trouble serves as a stark warning to anyone reckless enough to seek an unfair advantage at the polls. It also should reassure the rest of us that our system of fair elections is being protected.
The strength of the department is staff and how they have all bought into providing customer service to the public.

Our job is to serve and protect, and at the end of the day all our officers provide customer service, Pinther said.

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Pinther attended Ricks College and received an associates degree in law enforcement from the College of Southern Idaho in 1989. He received training Peace Officers and Standards Patrol Academy and Idaho State Police Advanced Training Academy along with training at the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Command College.

He worked for the Idaho State Police, as a bailiff for Minidoka County and as chief deputy under Sheriff Eric Snarr, who is retiring at the end of the month.

He also owned The Trading Post in Rupert for 15 years.

His term will take effect Aug. 1.

He will hold the appointment until the next election.

Pinther also ran for sheriff as an independent candidate in 2004 in Minidoka County against Kevin Halverson and Paul Fries.

He told the commissioners when his appointment expires that he intends to run for the office in 2022 as a Republican candidate.
BOISE (AP)  An Idaho man is suing the Boy Scouts of America for failing to warn children that took part in the youth program that they could be exposed to sex abusers.

The man, who uses the name Mark Doe 14 in the federal lawsuit because he was a victim of child sex abuse, said an assistant troop leader raped and sexually abused him when he was 11 or 12 years old and threatened to kill his family if he reported the abuse.

Doe was a member of the Mountain West Council of the Boy Scouts for a troop in Gooding in the 1970s and 1980s, the lawsuit said. A spokesperson for the Mountain West Council was out of the office and couldnt be immediately reached for comment.

The trauma of the abuse left Doe with permanent and progressive pain, suffering and disability, he said. A phone number for the assistant scout leader could not be located and it wasnt clear if he was still living or in Idaho.

Doe said in the lawsuit that by the time he joined, the BSA was well aware of the danger boys faced because there was a longstanding and internally documented problem with volunteers sexually abusing them. Still, Doe said, BSA kept that knowledge from parents and children who participated in the organization and failed to take effective steps to root out abusers and keep the children safe.

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BOISE  An Idaho Lottery ticket sold in Twin Falls County matched the first five numbers and the Powerball number of Wednesday nights $185.7 million Powerball draw and is worth $150,000.

The ticket includes PowerPlay. The winning numbers are 25, 30, 53, 59, 60 and the Powerball was 5. The PowerPlay multiplier was 3.

We are encouraging everyone who played Powerball for last nights draw to check their tickets carefully for winners, Idaho Lottery Director Jeff Anderson said in Thursday a statement. Too often we see players not realize they have a big winning ticket because they did not win the jackpot. In this case, the ticket matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball, plus has PowerPlay, which turns what would have been a $50,000 winner into a $150,000 winner!

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Beginning on Aug. 23, all Powerball tickets in Idaho will include PowerPlay. PowerPlay multiplies non-jackpot winning tickets 2, 3, 4, 5, or ten times, depending on the number randomly selected before the draw.

Including the $150,000 winning ticket there were over 4,100 winning Powerball tickets in Idaho from last nights draw.

The Idaho Lottery also encourages everyone to sign the back of their tickets immediately and prior to presenting them for payment.
To conclude, Id be willing to consent to take the COVID vaccine after it is approved, not created, or tested on human fetal cells, the VAERS database does not indicate thousands of possible injuries and deaths, and it is proven to be more effective than natural antibodies (which I have). It is my deeply held belief that any society that uses body parts of their aborted offspring to facilitate the health of the population is an egregious violation of natural law. This fascist push to force medical experimental without consent free from coercion, which you are a part of, is in violation of the International Human rights code, the Nuremberg Code, will not stop with the healthcare system, it will soon spread to many private businesses probably culminating in the unvaccinated being singled out and excluded. History shows this class division never turns out well. Until you start giving serious answers to my questions and the questions of others, many will resist the vaccine and the coercion.
A tsunami warning for Alaska was canceled early Thursday when the biggest wave, of just over a half foot, was recorded in Old Harbor. A tsunami watch that also had been issued for Hawaii was canceled, and officials said there was no threat to Guam, American Samoa or the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.

The tsunami warning for Alaska covered nearly a 1,000-mile stretch from Prince William Sound to Samalga Island, Alaska, near the end of the Aleutian Islands.

In the Kenai Peninsula community of Homer, a steady stream of cars was seen evacuating the Homer Spit, a jut of land extending nearly 5 miles into Kachemak Bay that is a draw for tourists and fishermen.

In King Cove, up to 400 people took shelter in the school gym.

"We're used to this. This is pretty normal for this area to get these kind of quakes, and when the tsunami sirens go off, it's just something we do," school principal Paul Barker told the Anchorage Daily News. "It's not something you ever get used to, but it's part of the job living here and being part of the community."

There have been numerous reports of minor damage, such as glasses or plates being broken in the temblor.
MIAMI (AP)  Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing the previous peaks of last summer's surge, prompting calls by local officials for the governor to declare an emergency.

A large hospital system in Jacksonville said its hospitals were at maximum capacity, its emergency centers also at a critical point as the state grappled with the new and more infectious delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

In Brevard County, two hospitals began setting up treatment tents at its emergency departments. And at a Fort Lauderdale park, a long line of cars snaked around a testing site, recalling the first weeks of the pandemic last year.

Florida hospitals reported more than 8,900 patients with COVID-19 on Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Florida Hospital Association said the state peaked at 10,179 cases last July.

The patient number on Thursday was five times higher than a month ago, and it quickly climbed from about 5,500 in just one week.
While Robertson is not accused of personally committing any violent acts on January 6, the strong weight of evidence shows that he participated in the Capitol riot, which posed a grave danger to our democracy as well as our national security, Cooper wrote. His 14-page order included language from other federal judges who have found that insurrectionists should not get special treatment and no jail time just because they did not commit a violent act.

The judge also cited online comments that Robertson has made since the Jan. 6 insurrection, which came as Congress was meeting to certify the results of an election that Trump still claims was rigged against him.

His recent social media posts may contain elements of bravado and hyperbole, but they provide evidence that Robertson is sympathetic to calls for a violent revolution ... and had been further radicalized by his pending prosecution, Cooper wrote.

In asking that Robertsons bond be revoked, prosecutors said that as recently as June, Roberson wrote that he had learned very well that if you dip your toe in the Rubicon ... cross it. Cross it hard and violent and play for all the marbles.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Congress overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation Thursday that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.

The $2.1 billion bill now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. The Senate approved the legislation early Thursday afternoon, 98-0, and the House passed it immediately afterward, 416-11.

Senators struck a bipartisan agreement on the legislation this week, two months after the House had passed a bill that would have provided around twice as much for Capitol security. But House leaders said they would back the Senate version anyway, arguing the money is urgently needed for the Capitol Police and for the translators and others who worked closely with U.S. government troops and civilians in Afghanistan.

The bill loosens some requirements for the visas, which lawmakers say are especially pressing as the U.S. military withdrawal enters its final weeks and Afghan allies face possible retaliation from the Taliban.
The king's statement immediately sparked an uproar in Parliament, with opposition lawmakers shouting treason" and demanding Muhyiddin resign.

The king's statement shows the Cabinet led by Muhyiddin has violated the constitution, insulted the royal institution" and that Takiyuddin has deliberately lied to the house, said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who filed a motion of no-confidence against Muhyiddin.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and members of the United Malays National Organization, the biggest party in the ruling coalition, have echoed calls for Muhyiddin to resign.

Muhyiddin was defiant and defended his government's action. The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement later Thursday that Muhyiddin had written to the king on July 23 to advise him on the Cabinet's decision to annul the ordinances, and had advised him again during an audience on July 27. It said that under the constitution, the king must accept the Cabinet's advice and act based on it.

The government is of the view that all the actions taken are in order and in accordance with the provisions of the law and the federal constitution," the statement said.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri, an UMNO member, insisted in a statement that the government still has majority support.
While in Santa Claus, Indiana to cool off at Holiday World, the Tyree family took a side trip to tour the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in nearby Lincoln City.

But I thought Abraham Lincoln was from Kentucky! a co-worker objected.

True, Honest Abe was born near Hodgenville in the Bluegrass State on February 12, 1809, and he would make a name for himself as a storekeeper, lawyer and politician in Illinois, before settling in Washington, D.C. as chief executive. But from 1816 to 1830, the Thomas Lincoln family lived in a pioneer community in Indiana.

This is billed as the 16th presidents formative years. Alas, I am still in my formative years  forming ear hairs, forming superfluous chins and emancipating my tummy every night when I arrive home from work. But I digress.

Coincidentally enough, the Tyrees wound up making this excursion via a traditional presidential thought process. (What do YOU want to do next? I dont know. What do YOU want to do next? I dont know. Lets flip a coin. Ooooo  Luxembourg, youre back on the Least Favored Nation list. And your ambassador has to cluck like a chicken!)
In a series of short films, actors portray 'real world' situations to highlight subtle social interactions. Credit: Flinders University

Autistic adults may have different behaviors or perspectives in the workplace or in social situations which may lead them into compromised situations. Some might be excluded from social and job opportunities, taken advantage of financially or by criminals.

With this in mind, Flinders University and other experts have developed a new screening system to give autism researchers and clinicians working with autistic adults fresh insights into "perspective taking" difficulties.

A tool to give an initial assessment of the theory of mind in autistic adults (A-ToM-Q) has been evaluated by experts in the field from Australia and the United Kingdom.

They used a simple questionnaire and series of short clips to test reactions and responses from about 100 autistic (diagnosed with autism, ASD, Asperger syndrome, etc., in South Australia and England) and a sample of non-autistic adults matched for verbal abilities.

The research showed that limitations in drawing the appropriate inferences from these stimuli is predictive of individuals' social-behavioral and interpersonal interaction difficulties, as well as the ability to extricate oneself from misplaced suspicion of involvement in some criminal activity.

While diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in children and young people is widespread, diagnosis of adults living with autism has not been widely adopted.

Flinders University researchers in the field, led by Professor of Psychology Robyn Young and Emeritus Professor Neil Brewer, have prepared a special series of 'real world' videos to expand on previously used methods of assessment using pen and paper written responses.

"The movie vignettes, scripted and filmed at Flinders, expand on previous theory of mind (ToM) Strange Stories test items, which provide a means of testing responses from higher functioning children and adults," says Professor Young, who previously worked on a screening tool for autistic disorder suitable for use in children as young as 12 months of age.

"Played out in real time, this series gives participants an opportunity to respond to subtle social inferences as certain events and interactions unfold.

"As an online delivery, our data showed this was a more efficient and accurate way to get timely responses from participants, particularly when they are guided as individuals by an administrator with experience in the field," Professor Young says.

Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor Brewer says the new approach could be quickly used and scored, providing the opportunity to highlight individuals' perspective-taking difficulties that may affect their social interactions.

The researchers have shown that limitations in drawing the appropriate inferences from these stimuli is predictive of individuals' social-behavioral and interpersonal interaction difficulties, as well as the ability to extricate oneself from misplaced suspicion of involvement in some criminal activity.

"The value of this tool is that it provides a brief, reliable and valid tool to detect deficits in perspective taking among adults," Professor Brewer says.

"While ToM deficit was not universal in autistic people, we might be able to better measure ToM to assist in identifying this deficit, and for whom it is an issue and hence target intervention more appropriately."

The study, "A Quick Measure of Theory of Mind in Autistic Adults: Decision Accuracy, Latency and Self-Awareness," (2021) by Neil Brewer, Robyn L Young (Flinders), Jade Eloise Norris (University of Bristol, England), Katie Maras (University of Bath, UK), Zoe Michael and Emily Barnett (both Flinders University) has been published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Explore further Poor judgment of autistic adults
(HealthDay)It is often said that stroke affects men and women differently. Now, scientists say the location of the stroke's damage in the brain may help explain why.

Women have more strokes, and are more likely to have symptoms such as fatigue and mental confusion rather than classic indications such as paralysis. Women also tend to have more severe strokes, according to the authors of a new study.

"We frequently take care of stroke patients whose outcomes we cannot explainand when I say outcomes, I mean disability as a result of stroke," said study co-author Dr. Natalia Rost, chief of the stroke division at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"Many times we can't predict which patients will do well and why, and this is further complicated by the differences in outcomes between men and women," Rost said in a hospital news release.

To learn more about sex-specific differences in stroke, the researchers examined more than 1,000 brain imaging scans of ischemic stroke patients. An ischemic stroke is caused by blocked blood flow in the brain.

They found that stroke severity in women is associated with lesions (areas of tissue damage) in the left hemisphere of the brain, in the vicinity of blood vessels at or near the back of the brain.

"In our study we had the opportunity to link specific lesions to stroke severity in men and women, and we could actually show that lesions in the left posterior [back] part of the brain lead to higher stroke severity in women than in men," said study co-author Dr. Anna Katharina Bonkhoff, a stroke research fellow at MGH.

Identifying gender-specific areas of brain damage that are linked with certain disabilities after ischemic stroke could lead to more "sex aware" treatments, according to the researchers.

For example, women with stroke damage that affects vulnerable areas might benefit more than men from surgery to remove a blood clot, they suggested.

"Sex-informed acute stroke care has the potential to alleviate the burden of disease on an individual patient level, as well as broader and socioeconomically relevant levels," the researchers wrote.

The findings were published recently in the journal Nature Communications.

Explore further Sex differences in death after stroke

More information: The U.S. Office on Women's Health has more about Journal information: Nature Communications The U.S. Office on Women's Health has more about stroke

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Graphic showing the relative size of PM2.5 particulate matter. A new Johns Hopkins Medicine study shows long-term exposure to air pollution with PM2.5 may lead to chronic sinusitis. Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a 12-week or longer condition during which the sinuses get infected or irritated, become swollen, are severely congested and secrete mucus into the throat. CRS also can cause facial pain, pressure and loss of smell, and in some cases, it may be associated with depression, anxiety, impaired sleep and low quality of life. Although the factors leading to CRS are unknown, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have provided what may be the first evidence that long-term exposure to tiny particulate air pollution is one of them.

A report on the findings was published June 28, 2021, in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"We assessed patients experiencing chronic rhinosinusitis in areas where exposure to environmental air pollution known as PM2.5inhalable, particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in size [about 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair]may have been high," says lead author Murugappan "Murray" Ramanathan, M.D., rhinologist and associate professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PM2.5 (the PM stands for "particulate matter") is the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. PM2.5 consists of many materials that vary with location, including dust, dirt, soot, smoke, organic compounds and metals. It has been linked to cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, decline in cognitive thinking ability, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and premature death.

Previous research by Ramanathan and his team linked PM2.5 to loss of smell.

In their latest study, the Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers looked at a population of 6,102 patients age 18 and older, including 2,034 with CRS who did not have the disorder for up to five years before it was diagnosed. Mean PM2.5 exposures were calculated for each patient based on his or her residential address postal code at 12, 24, 36 and 60 months prior to CRS diagnosis.

Air pollution data for the study came from the EPA's Air Quality System. The researchers fed the data into a complex computer modelincorporating meteorological and satellite-based environmental measurements, land-use information and simulations of airborne chemical movementto estimate the PM2.5 pollution levels within the participants' residential ZIP codes. The model was created by study lead author Zhenyu Zhang, a Johns Hopkins Medicine otolaryngology postdoctoral fellow.

The research team found that patients exposed to higher PM2.5 concentrations over a long period of time were more likely to be diagnosed with CRS, regardless of how the exposure occurred. For example, exposure over 60 months was associated with an approximately one-and-a-half-fold increase in developing the disorder. There also was a nearly five times greater risk of developing severe pansinusitis (inflammation in all four sinuses).

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to report that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution increases the odds of developing CRS, particularly the most severe form of the disease," says Ramanathan.

This research validates a 2017 study by Ramanathan's team demonstrating that long-term PM2.5 exposure in mice resulted in chronic sinonasal inflammation.

The Johns Hopkins Medicine team is conducting ongoing research to seek a better understanding of how race and socioeconomic status may contribute to air pollution exposure, and in turn, development of chronic rhinosinusitis.

Explore further Researchers show how air pollution may contribute to loss of smell

More information: Zhenyu Zhang et al, Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Non-Allergic Patients, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2021). Journal information: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Zhenyu Zhang et al, Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Non-Allergic Patients,(2021). DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202102-0368LE
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

British pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca said Thursday that its COVID jab generated $1.2 billion (1.0 billion euros) in sales in the first half of the year as global vaccination programmes accelerated.

Sales more than tripled to $894 million in the three months to June, from $275 million in the three months to March, it said in a statement.

AstraZeneca shipped 319 million doses in the first half, including $572 million of sales in Europe and $455 million in emerging markets.

The jab is one of the world's leading vaccines and has been vital in the UK's speedy vaccination drivewhich enabled England's economy to fully reopen this month.

Astra's news came one day after US drugmaker Pfizer lifted its annual revenue and profit projections on surging demand for its rival COVID-19 vaccine made with Germany's BioNTech.

'Dramatic progress'

"We have made dramatic progress with our COVID-19 vaccine Vaxzevria," said AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot.

"As of today, AstraZeneca and our partners have released one billion doses to more than 170 countries."

Soriot led the charge to make AstraZeneca one of the first pharmaceutical companies in the world to produce a vaccine against COVID-19.

The development of the vaccine with scientists at Oxford Universityand their decision to make it available at cost without making a profithas made the Anglo-Swedish firm a household name.

Due to this decision, Astra's performance is dwarfed by that of Pfizer which forecasts $33.5 billion in COVID jab sales this year.

The Astra jab has meanwhile faced safety doubts and suspensions in some European nations over reports of rare blood clots.

The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have declared however that the benefits outweigh any risk.

AstraZeneca added Thursday that group net profit jumped 40 percent to $2.1 billion in the first half.

Total revenues increased by almost a quarter to $15.5 billion.

Stripping out the COVID vaccine, total revenues increased by 14 percent to about $14.4 billion.

"AstraZeneca has delivered another period of strong growth thanks to robust performances across all regions and disease areas," said Soriot.

"As a result, we have delivered further earnings progression, supported ongoing launches, and continued our investment in research and development."

'Enormous milestone'

Longer term growth would be supported by the $39-billion purchase of US biotech company Alexion.

The blockbuster deal was cleared by Britain's competition watchdog earlier this month.

"Just last week, we completed the acquisition of Alexion, an enormous milestone that will enable us to enhance our pipeline in rare diseases and immunology," the CEO added.

As a result, the company lifted its full-year 2021 guidance.

Revenues excluding vaccine sales are now forecast to grow by a low-twenties percentage this year.

In early afternoon deals, AstraZeneca's share price declined 0.2 percent to 8,254 pence on London's rising benchmark FTSE 100 index.

Analysts argue the stock has suffered in recent months because many considered that the Alexion price tag was too high.

Explore further AstraZeneca Covid vaccine sales hit $275 mn in first quarter

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Although more than four billion doses of anti-COVID vaccines have been administered around the world, poorer countries are still struggling to secure precious shots despite recent donations.

At least 4,014,302,550 doses had been injected into people's arms by 1100 GMT on Thursday, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.

Global injections have slowed slightly: the fourth billion dose was reached in 30 days, while it took 26 days to reach the previous one. The first and second billion were reached after about 140 and 40 days respectively.

Forty percent (1.6 billion) of the four billion shots have been administered in China. India (451 million) and the United States (343 million) make up the trio of countries that have administered the most jabs.

Emirates lead the race

In terms of population among countries with more than one million people, the United Arab Emirates is the leader: 168 first and second doses administered per 100 inhabitants. Uruguay follows (137), then Bahrain (134).

The UAE is close to having 70 percent of its population fully vaccinated while Uruguay and Bahrain have both reached more than 60 percent.

After this the leading countries are Qatar, Chile and Canada (129 shots per 100 inhabitants), Israel (128), Singapore (125), the United Kingdom, Mongolia and Denmark (124) and Belgium (122).

These countries have fully vaccinated more than half their populations.

Not far off are China (111), the United States (104) and the European Union (103). The US and EU have fully vaccinated nearly half their population. China does not communicate this information.

US slow down

However the United States, whose campaign kicked off with gusto, now is vaccinating much more slowly.

Over the past week it jabbed only 0.2 percent of its population every day, far behind China (1.1 percent) and the EU (0.7 percent).

In terms of speed, Bhutan is currently leading the vaccination race, jabbing 4.9 percent of its population every day.

As with first doses of its vaccines earlier this year, the country has administered second doses to nearly 60 percent of its population in the space of 10 days, a rapidity unmatched by any other country.

Malaysia and Sri Lanka are next in the speed rankings, jabbing 1.5 percent of their population every day.

In Europe the quickest countries are Denmark, Ireland and Turkey (1.1 percent each), before Belgium and France (one percent).

Africa lags behind

Most poor countries have now started to vaccinate, mainly thanks to the Covax scheme and donations of unused doses by rich countries.

But the vaccination coverage remains very unequal.

High-income countries (as defined by the World Bank) administered an average of 97 doses per 100 inhabitants compared with just 1.6 doses in low-income countries.

Injections in these countries have picked up recently after donations mainly of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Africa remains the continent which is most lagging behind, with 4.8 doses administered per 100 habitants, 10 times less than the world average of 52 shots.

While many rich countries are already vaccinating their adolescents, three countries are not yet vaccinating at all: Burundi, Eritrea and North Korea.

Haiti and Tanzania were the latest countries to start their campaigns, on July 16 and 28 respectively.

 2021 AFP
People arrive at a vaccination center on the first day of a three-day COVID-19 vaccination campaign for people over age 35 in the Complexo da Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brazil, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Some recipients will be monitored to study the rate of protection the vaccines provide and the extent to which virus variants are circulating. Credit: AP Photo/Bruna Prado

Brazilian health authorities on Thursday began the mass immunization of Rio de Janeiro's Mare neighborhood in a novel bid to control COVID-19 in a poor community while studying vaccine effectiveness and the prevalence of worrisome variants.

The bayside Mare complex is comprised of more than a dozen so-called favelas and home to some 130,000 people, and the study is Brazil's first to target a low-income area. The Brazilian researchers leading the effort aren't aware of another elsewhere in the world that has specifically focused on slums.

Rio is currently providing first vaccine doses to 34-year-olds. As such, the Brazilian government's Fiocruz Institute aims to inoculate more than 30,000 Mare residents aged 18 to 33, and bring vaccine coverage of the adult population to near 100%, according to Dr. Fernando Bozza, the study's coordinator. First doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered over the course of three days at 30 locations across Mare.

"This is important for Mare and for Brazil as a whole. Here in Rio de Janeiro, more than 1.5 million people live in favelas. Research is usually done in hospitals and health units," Dr. Valcler Rangel, Fiocruz's adviser for institutional relations, told reporters.

Before one station opened its doors in the early morning, already 100 people were lined up outside.

A woman prepares to get her shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19 on the first day of a three-day vaccination campaign for people over age 35 in the Complexo da Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Some recipients will be monitored to study the rate of protection the vaccines provide and the extent to which virus variants are circulating. Credit: AP Photo/Bruna Prado

Those who choose to can also participate in Fiocruz's study, for which the institute intends to recruit 2,000 families.

After her shot, Jennifer Cardoso Nunes, 27, signed a consent form and answered survey questions about her medical history, recent experience with anxiety, whether she works from home and the number of people with whom she lives. She shares her home with her grandmother and five aunts and uncles, all of whom will receive blood tests at the study's 3-month and 6-month marks.

"I think it's important we participate in this research precisely so they can monitor this pandemic," said Cardoso.

Any positive COVID-19 tests in Mare over coming months will be genomically sequenced, which at present is scarcely done in Brazil. That will allow for observation of worrisome variants, like the highly contagious delta strain that has begun circulating in Rio and other Brazilian cities after ravaging majority unvaccinated populations in other nations.

Homes stand in the Complexo da Mare, where the Fiocruz foundation is located, behind, top left, on the first day of a three-day vaccination campaign for people over age 35 in this favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Some recipients will be monitored to study the rate of protection the vaccines provide and the extent to which virus variants are circulating. Credit: AP Photo/Bruna Prado

A health worker prepares a shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine on the first day of a three-day COVID-19 vaccination campaign for people over age 35 in the Complexo da Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brazil, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Some recipients will be monitored to study the rate of protection the vaccines provide and the extent to which virus variants are circulating. Credit: AP Photo/Bruna Prado

A health worker applies a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19 during the first day of a three-day vaccination campaign for people over age 35 in the Complexo da Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Some recipients will be monitored to study the rate of protection the vaccines provide and the extent to which virus variants are circulating. Credit: AP Photo/Bruna Prado

A health worker applies a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine during the first day of a three-day COVID-19 vaccination campaign for people over age 35 in the Complexo da Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brazil, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Some recipients will be monitored to study the rate of protection the vaccines provide and the extent to which virus variants are circulating. Credit: AP Photo/Bruna Prado

A health worker gives a resident a COVID-19 test on the first day of a three-day vaccination campaign for people over age 35 in the Complexo da Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Some recipients will be monitored to study the rate of protection the vaccines provide and the extent to which virus variants are circulating. Credit: AP Photo/Bruna Prado

A health worker gives a resident a COVID-19 test on the first day of a three-day vaccination campaign for people over age 35 in the Complexo da Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Some recipients will be monitored to study the rate of protection the vaccines provide and the extent to which virus variants are circulating. Credit: AP Photo/Bruna Prado

Homes stand in the Complexo da Mare, where the Fiocruz foundation is located, behind, top left, on the first day of a three-day COVID-19 vaccination campaign for people over age 35 in this favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Some recipients will be monitored to study the rate of protection the vaccines provide and the extent to which virus variants are circulating. Credit: AP Photo/Bruna Prado

Evaluating the vaccine's effectiveness against new variants like delta is one of the study's focuses, said Bozza.

"The intensification of vaccination is necessary to control the spread of the new variant," he added.

Less than half of Brazilians have received a first shot and less than one-fifth are fully vaccinated, according to Health Ministry data.

Brenda Ferreira da Silva, a law student who received her first shot, criticized Brazil's "vaccine sommeliers"a moniker for those who refuse AstraZeneca or Sinovac that comprise the vast majority of available vaccines and instead seek out Pfizer or Jannsen shots.

"If we keep trying to get X or Y vaccine, it delays the collective vaccination and herd immunity from having everyone vaccinated. So I think it's very sad, and people need to stop with that," said da Silva, 20. Based on Rio's vaccination schedule, she wouldn't have received her first shot until Aug. 16.

Fiocruz has already carried out a mass vaccination program with AstraZeneca on the Paqueta island in Rio's Guanabara Bay, as well as in Botucatu, a city in Sao Paulo state. Sao Paulo's state-run Butantan Institute conducted a mass vaccination study in another city of its interior, Serrana, using the Sinovac vaccine.

Explore further Brazil city offers COVID shots to all 18-60 as part of test

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease are neurodegenerative diseases whose progression cannot be stopped with the currently available drug therapies. Numerous new drug candidates have proved disappointing in clinical trials. According to Myohanen, one of the reasons for this could be that drugs are often targeted at one disease mechanism only, such as protein deposits in the brain, which are typical of these diseases. In Parkinson's disease, a protein called alpha-synuclein accumulates in the brain, while in Alzheimer's disease, deposits are formed by beta-amyloid and tau proteins.

"I personally think that drug development should focus on targets that have the potential to affect several disease mechanisms at the same time. This may help to achieve sufficient effectiveness and, in a best-case scenario, to find a treatment that is suitable for several diseases, since different neurodegenerative diseases share many similar mechanisms."

A strong candidate for this type of a drug target is the PREP enzyme, which can be found in brain cells and other parts of the body as well. In neurodegenerative diseases, the activity of PREP changes. Myohanen and his research group have shown that PREP can affect several factors that promote cell death in the brain, such as the emergence and spread of protein deposits from one cell to another, the decline of cell waste removal, and oxidative stress.

The research group has developed compounds that regulate the activity of PREP and tested them in, e.g., mouse models of Parkinson's disease with promising results: motor symptoms typical of the disease subsided and protein accumulations were cleared from the brain. It is significant that this response was seen in animals whose treatment was begun only after symptoms emerged.

"When symptoms start to show, the disease is already well advanced. However, it is at this point when people, too, start to seek treatment, so it is not realistic to develop treatments that would be initiated earlier, unless a good biomarker is found. Currently, Parkinson's disease is difficult to predict from genes or other biomarkers," Myohanen says.

The research group is currently looking for partners in the pharmaceutical industry to commercialize promising, yet unpatented PREP regulators in a Research to Business project funded by Business Finland.

For PREP, this is a second coming as a target of drug development. At the turn of the millennium, it looked like clinical trials with PREP inhibitors had come a dead end worldwide, failing to produce the expected results. According to Myohanen, this was partially caused by the research settings used.

"For example, efforts were made to improve the memory of healthy older people, which I would say is an impossible goal.

There has also been a change in our understanding of PREP's activity in neurodegenerative diseases.

"In the past, PREP was mainly thought to degrade small mediators affecting signaling pathways, and efforts in drug development sought to prevent this. Now, however, we know that PREP works in many other ways, too. Based on our own research, the interactions of PREP with other proteins, such as alpha-synuclein and tau, are probably more significant, and may prove to be a better starting point for drug development than old PREP inhibitors."

The research findings are based on persistent work, as Myohanen has studied the topic already in his Master's and doctoral theses in the then University of Kuopio. Following the transfer of Myohanen's Ph.D. supervisor, Professor Pekka Mannnisto, to the University of Helsinki, Myohanen also ended up there, continuing his research on PREP. For the past ten years, he has led a research group focusing on PREP at the University of Helsinki and, since last year, also at the University of Turku.

In addition to working in three universities in Finland, Myohanen has also been a post doc researcher at the University of Antwerp in Belgium and at Georgetown University in the United States.

"New perspectives, operating models and partners gained from different research environments have been very useful for my own research, and as a professor, I will certainly try to encourage young researchers to go abroad. However, if cuts in the funding of science continue at the current rate in Finland, there is a risk that they will not be tempted to return and to advance research in Finland," he points out.

Myohanen will start as Professor of Pharmacology and Drug Development at the University of Eastern Finland in the beginning of August. Once in Kuopio, he will also focus his PREP research increasingly on Alzheimer's disease.

"This aspect has risen alongside Parkinson's disease in recent years, and the preliminary results encourage us to continue. Kuopio is a great place to conduct research on Alzheimer's disease in particular: there are extremely good research groups and networks working around the theme. On a compact campus, everything is easily accessible, including the university hospital that has a positive attitude to research."

"Alongside PREP, the idea is also to look for other similar drug targets that affect several disease mechanisms. I think this could be the key to effective treatments unless clinical trials prove otherwise."
In this file photo dated Saturday, July 17, 2021, people on the beach during a summer's day, in Laredo, northern Spain. Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From France's Mediterranean coast to Italy's Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, FILE

Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against the coronavirus are not taking a break.

Instead, with lockdowns easing despite concerns about variants and nations looking to breathe new life into their ailing tourism industries, vaccinations are being taken to vacationers. It's all part of an effort to maintain momentum in campaigns to protect against the pandemic that has killed more than 1 million across the continent, including in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Russia.

From France's sun-kissed Mediterranean coast to the azure waters of Italy's Adriatic beaches and Russian Black Sea resorts, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much part of this summer as sunscreen and shades for those who are not yet fully vaccinated.

The new drive to take shots to tourists is a way of adapting to Europe's annual summer migration, when it seems whole cities empty of their residents for weeks. Those long absences from home pose a particular challenge for many nations European, where public health systems often focus on delivering vaccines to people based on where they live.

In Britain, where 70% of adults already are fully vaccinated, campaigns now are aimed at the younger generations with walk-in pop-up clinics in parks, a recent event complete with DJ at the Tate Modern museum and shots on offer to music lovers at the Latitude Festival.

In this Friday, July 23, 2021, file photo, people enter a vaccination center at the beach in Carry-le-Rouet, southern France. Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From France's Mediterranean coast to Italy's Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades.Credit: AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga, File

Mickael Bomard, from Le Plessis-Robinson in the Paris region, recently took his 15-year-old son Nolan to a squat building just meters (yards) from the gently lapping waves of the Mediterranean at Carry-le-Rouet, a popular holiday spot near the port city of Marseille.

"Given the measures that are being taken now and the obligations when school starts again in September, we have decided to get him vaccinated," Bomard said.

The vaccination center is giving shots to about 200 people each dayvacationers and localssays Agnes Gatto, a nurse who runs the facility.

In France, where resistance to the vaccine has been particularly stubborn, a new rule came into effect last week that forces those who want to visit public sites ranging from cinemas to casinos to the Eiffel Tower to get a pass that shows they are either fully vaccinated, have tested negative for the coronavirus or recovered from COVID-19. The measure will be extended to restaurants and cafes from next month. That's part of the reason more people are leaving the sand for a shot in the arm.

In this Friday, July 23, 2021, file photo, people line up in front of a mobile testing site in Paris, as visitors now need a special COVID pass to visit French museums or movie theaters. Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From France's Mediterranean coast to Italy's Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades. Credit: AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh, File

It was enough to push Bomard to take Nolan: "Not being able to go out for dinner together with the family, go to restaurants, and maybe having to find at the last minute an appointment in a packed vaccination center in September in order for him to go to middle school."

After a slow start to vaccinations, 57% of adults in the European Union are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the bloc's executive says.

Even so, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is warning against complacency given the well-established presence in Europe of the highly contagious delta variant.

She recently said that the "variant is very dangerous. I therefore call on everyonewho has the opportunityto be vaccinated. For their own health and to protect others."

To that end, flexible vaccination initiatives are cropping up across Europe.

Camper vans are parked outside a cultural center on the outskirts of Milan, Italy, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, where people can receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19. A camper van will tour Milan and the Lombardy region to provide easy vaccinations without bookings in an attempt to boost the vaccination campaign. Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From France's Mediterranean coast to Italy's Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades. Credit: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni

In Italy, a vaccination van is set to start circulating in the popular Adriatic Sea destination Rimini this weekend, following a similar mobile campaign at Lazio's beaches, where many Romans have second homes. At Rome's main airport, meanwhile, authorities this week opened a "Vax&Go" area where any traveler passing through can get a vaccine just before departure.

Ilaria Iannuzzi, a doctor at the airport facility, said Thursday that its main goal "is to bring vaccination closer to people, especially by facilitating those who need it, those who couldn't book it or couldn't respect their appointment."

Still, some have complained of difficulties of getting vaccine shots outside of their home regions. Milan residents on vacation along the Ligurian coast have not been able to get a second shot, Corriere della Sera daily reported, for instance. But Liguria's regional governor, Giovanni Toti, said the bureaucratic bug responsible could be ironed out in days.

In Russia, which is struggling with widespread vaccine skepticism, the popular southern vacation destination of Krasnodar, a region home to the renowned Black Sea resort of Sochi, is trying to persuade the hesitant: Starting Aug. 1, it will only let visitors into hotels and spas if they have a negative coronavirus test or a vaccination certificate. Tourists with a negative test will be required to get vaccinated locally within three days of arrival.

Medical workers administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19 to Carlo Picella at a cultural center on the outskirts of Milan, Italy, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. A camper van will tour Milan and the Lombardy region to provide easy vaccinations without bookings in an attempt to boost the vaccination campaign. Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From France's Mediterranean coast to Italy's Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades. Credit: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni

"We will provide the vaccine," Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said.

In France, the pandemic pass appears to be having the desired effect of pushing some people skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines to get the shot anyway.

"I wasn't really in favor of the vaccine because I'm young. I haven't settled yet, I have no children, etc. so I'm a bit afraid of the long-term side effects," said 24-year-old Carry-le-Rouet resident Noemie Cienzo. "But now, with the PCR tests we have to do every time we want to go out, I think I will (get vaccinated) otherwise it will become complicated. "

Explore further Brussels says 70% of EU adults have at least one COVID shot

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Carlos Arrendondo arrives for his appointment to get vaccinated, as banners advertise the availability of the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines at a county-run vaccination site at the Eugene A. Obregon Park in Los Angeles Thursday, July 22, 2021. The top health official in Los Angeles County on Thursday implored residents to get vaccinated as the region experiences a coronavirus surge similar to last summer's. Credit: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Federal health regulators on Wednesday again extended the expiration dates on Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, providing health workers with six more weeks to use millions of doses of the shot.

The Food and Drug Administration said in a letter to J&J that the shots remain safe and effective for at least six months when properly stored and refrigerated. It's the second time the FDA has extended the shelf life on the vaccines since June, when the agency said they could be used for up to 4 1/2 months. When first authorized in February, the FDA said the vaccines could be stored for three months at normal refrigeration levels.

Health authorities in many states had recently warned that they could be forced to throw out thousands of doses of the one-shot vaccine without an extension.

The change gives health providers more time to use remaining shots sitting at pharmacies, hospitals and clinics. After plateauing earlier this summer, vaccination rates have begun climbing again as the contagious delta variant surges across many parts of the country.

Vaccine expiration dates are based on information from drugmakers on how long the shots stay at the right strength. J&J previously stated that it continues to conduct stability testing with the aim of further extending the shelf life of the shots.

The FDA has been reviewing expiration dates on all three U.S.-authorized vaccines as companies have continued to test batches in the months since the shots first rolled out. Vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, authorized in December, have a six-month shelf life.

J&J's vaccine was highly anticipated because of its one-and-done formulation and easy-to-ship refrigeration.

But rival drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna, which started shipping shots months earlier, have already supplied more than enough doses to vaccinate all eligible Americans. More than 150 million Americans have been fully vaccinated with the companies' two-dose shots. By comparison, just 13 million Americans have been vaccinated with the J&J shot.

Use of J&J's vaccine has been hurt by several rare potential side effects. Earlier this month, U.S. health regulators added a new warning to the vaccine about links to a potentially dangerous neurological reaction called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

That followed a pause in the use of the shot in April after it was linked to a rare blood clot disorder. In both cases, government health advisers said the overall benefits of the shot still greatly outweigh the risks.

Explore further US extends expiration dates for J&J COVID vaccine by 6 weeks

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
(HealthDay)An "astounding" rise in COVID-19 cases in Mississippi is putting intense strain on the state's health care system.

Compared to the first half of July, the number of infections more than doubled in the past two weeks and deaths rose by 51%. In Mississippi, deaths lost to COVID-19 now average between three and four a day, health officials said at a news conference held Wednesday, The New York Times reported.

More than 300 COVID-19 patients are currently in intensive care or on a ventilator, compared with a few dozen at the start of July. In hospitals where intensive care units are full, some patients are being treated in emergency rooms, according to the officials.

Mirroring moves made earlier in the pandemic, hospitals in Mississippi have been ordered to delay some elective surgeries and to transfer patients to other facilities with available beds when necessary, the Times reported.

Many health care workers are "absolutely worn out" and some hospital nurses are quitting, which could make dealing with the ongoing spike more difficult, warned Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the state health officer.

The recent surge in daily infections is "astounding," said Dr. Paul Byers, the state epidemiologist, the Times reported.

Byers singled out 72 long-term-care facilities where unvaccinated workers have been largely spreading the virus, but also blamed settings such as summer schools and cheerleading camps.

He added that it's likely that cases will continue to rise in the coming weeks. When asked where outbreaks are most severe, Byers said: "We are covered up with outbreaks," the Times reported.

Mississippi's efforts to get the situation under control are being hampered by rampant misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, Dobbs said.

Fewer than half of adults in the state have received at least one shot, the lowest rate in the nation, the Times noted.

"We're going to make the vaccine available, but you know, there's a mountain of opposition to us from some folks," Dobbs said. "We have gotten ourselves into this mess together, and we need to get ourselves out together."

Explore further Tunisia hospitals struggle with COVID 'tsunami'

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The old saying, "Home is where the heart is," has some new science to back it up. A study has found photos of a person's living space can accurately point at personality traits and the mood of the people who live there, especially as a person gets older.

For the study, scientists at The University of Texas at Austin studied 286 people over the age of 65. They took photographs of the rooms where the subjects spent the most time (typically the living room) and found that certain characteristics of a person's personality were reflected in core elements of room decor. Applying the findings could help lead to happier lives, including for older adults with frailty or cognitive impairment that has led them to be transferred from their homes to long-term care facilities.

"People who have a match between personality and living space report better well-being, and they feel better about their life and have a better mood," said Karen Fingerman, professor of human development and family sciences at The University of Texas at Austin and director of the Texas Aging and Longevity Center. "Home is where we can express ourselves."

The researchers analyzed participants' personalities and took photos of the room where each person spent the most time. As part of a first-of-its-kind study, independent examiners looked at the photos and rated characteristics of the room, such as brightness, cleanliness and newness. The results were published online in the journal The Gerontologist earlier this month.

Extraversion was expressed in room decor with newness of items in the room and cheerfulness of decor. This may come from a desire to make the room appealing to visiting friends and family, researchers said.

Conscientiousness was associated with newness and comfort. Because orderliness and organization are key components of that personality trait, that may explain the association.

Agreeableness, openness and neuroticism were not associated with room decor for everyone, scientists found. But openness was evident in the decor for older adults who live alone, suggesting that people who live with others may not have as much latitude to express their personalities in their room decor.

Importantly, when a living space matches the personality and preferences of the person who lives there, older adults reported enhanced well-being.

The goal for many older adults is to grow older in their own homes, but as they encountered functional limitations, such as not being able to walk or climb stairs, their homes became out-of-date, uncomfortable, dim and cluttered. Scientists said this may be because those adults have less energy to maintain their spaces.

Surprisingly, for adults with functional limitations, clutter was associated with fewer symptoms of depression.

"Clutter may represent an effort to exert control over the environment," Fingerman said. "They may also wish to keep items close at hand to compensate for mobility issues."

Researchers said this study suggests that older adults with functional limitations may benefit from a little help around the house, but cleaning and maintenance should be done in collaboration. What looks like clutter to one person may be an arrangement that makes an older adult more comfortable.

Long-term care facilities that allow for greater latitude in room decor to improve the mood of residents also may see benefits.

"There is no one ideal way to create a living space," Fingerman said. "It has to match the person."

Yijung K. Kim, Shiyang Zhang and Yee To Ng at UT Austin and Kira S. Birditt of the University of Michigan also contributed to the research. The research was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

More information: Karen L Fingerman et al, Late Life in the Living Room: Room Decor, Functional Limitations, and Personality, The Gerontologist (2021). Karen L Fingerman et al, Late Life in the Living Room: Room Decor, Functional Limitations, and Personality,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnab093
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Spain's Catalonia on Thursday extended for a second time a nighttime curfew that was imposed on the tourist hotspot to fight a COVID-19 surge.

A Catalan court approved the regional government's request to extend the nightly curfew between 1:00 am and 6:00 am in 163 cities including Barcelona and popular beach resorts like Sitges and Salou.

The measure was imposed in the northwestern region bordering France in mid-July and this is the second time that it is extended.

Catalonia has Spain's highest COVID-19 incidence rate. Before imposing the curfew, the region had instituted other virus restrictions such as limiting gatherings in public and private to 10 people.

The surge in infections has put pressure on Catalonia's hospitals, with 45 percent of the region's hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, compared to 17 percent nationally.

Several other regions, including Andalusia in the south and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, have also moved recently to reimpose limits on nightlife to fight a rise in infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.

Spain's infection rate per 100,000 population over 14 days stabilised on Wednesday at nearly 700, a level about five times higher than it was a month ago. In hard-hit Catalonia it stands above 1,000.

"We have started to see a certain stabilisation in the infection curve," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday.

Spain's vaccination rollout has gathered speed and the country has one of Europe's highest COVID-19 immunisation rates, with 66 percent of its population having had at least one dose.

Explore further Barcelona to reimpose curfew to fight virus surge

 2021 AFP
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we've all had questions about vaccines. Will a vaccine against COVID-19 be found? Will it be effective? When will the vaccines arrive? When will it be my turn to be vaccinated? And most recently: Will the reluctance of some to be vaccinated hamper our efforts to bring the pandemic to an end?

From the outset, evidence suggested most Canadians intended to be vaccinated. In February, as vaccines became available, we and our research partners completed the first of two representative national surveys of more than 5,000 Canadians. Three in four said they would "definitely or probably" get their shotan encouraging start.

But only one in two said they definitely intended to get the vaccine. The rest said it was probable but not certain. One in four were actually vaccine-hesitant, with a three-way split among those who said they definitely would not get vaccinated, probably would not, and could not say what they would do.

Hesitancy decreased

Since then, the situation has become more encouraging. When our second survey was conducted in June, the proportion of Canadians who had either already been vaccinated or who definitely or probably intended to do so had risen to 82 percent. The hesitant group had fallen to 18 percent. This is the good news: as more people get vaccinated, the number of vaccine-hesitant Canadians is falling.

Importantly, the decline was among those who said they probably would not get vaccinated or who did not commit either way. This shows public education and outreach have changed minds.

Vaccine hesitancy has also declined more for women than menexactly where progress was most needed. In February hesitancy was higher among women (29 percent) than men (20 percent). The situation has since evened out: the more recent survey finds that hesitancy among men is more or less unchanged (18.5 percent), whereas among women, hesitancy has fallen by more than 10 percentage points to 16.5 percent.

Indigenous people and younger adult Canadians (between the ages of 18 and 24) have also become noticeably less hesitant. While younger Canadians were last in line for the vaccine, they are currently less resistant to being vaccinated than their middle-aged counterparts.

And while Indigenous people appeared more hesitant than Canadians in February, this is no longer the casealthough the decline in hesitancy seems sharper among those who identify as First Nations, and especially Inuit, than among Metis. The Inuit experienced one of the biggest changes in the country, with a dramatic increase in their acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in concert with accelerated vaccination campaigns in the North.

The role of ethnic, racial identity

Ethnic or racial identity is somewhat of a factor in Canada, although many racialized groups are more, not less, positive about being vaccinated. Canadians of south or southeast Asian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese and Korean descent are especially keenvery few expressed reluctance to be vaccinated.

Black Canadians, by contrast, are more reluctant, but only slightly more so than Canadians who identify as white. And that gap closes once other factors, such as age, education or income, are taken into account.

Immigrant Canadians, including recent immigrants, were less likely than non-immigrants to express hesitancy, and this difference persists even after adjusting for age, income and education. All of this is more good news for the vaccine rollout in Canada.

It suggests low vaccination rates in certain neighborhoods or communities have more to do with limited access to vaccines and vaccination centers than with any reluctance to get a shot. This is especially clear in the case of Black Canadians.

Despite these positive developments, about 18 percent of Canadians are still vaccine-hesitant. About one in 10 holds very strong views in this regarda figure that did not budge between February and June.

This group may be especially hard to convince. They are not clustered in any defined demographic segment or province. They are, however, less likely to have a post-secondary education and more likely to have low household incomes.

Rural/urban differences

It does appear that Canadians in rural areas are more likely than others to be vaccine-hesitant. Still, given that many more Canadians live in urban areas, it would be a mistake to think most vaccine-hesitant Canadians live in cabins rather than condo buildings. They are 3.7 times more vaccine-hesitant people in Canada's big cities than there are in the country's rural areas.

It's too soon to celebrate. Vaccine hesitancy is declining in Canada but has not disappeared. Our surveys show many of those initially less sure have been convinced. With continued targeted efforts, others can still be reached in weeks ahead.

Lower levels of educational attainment and household income remain strongly associated with reticence about the vaccine. Finding ways to reach these more marginalized Canadians will be important to everyone's health and safety.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

It's four more weeks of lockdown for Sydneysiders, with no end yet in sight. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is still to outline a roadmap out.

Sydney feels like it is going through COVID Groundhog Day right now. And not just because many are having to cope with being confined to home or struggling to stay on top of homeschooling.

Australia's public policy approach to COVID also hasn't significantly shifted from the settings of 2020. Despite the advent of astonishingly powerful vaccines and lessons from across the world, we still seem fixated on getting cases down to zero. We are also reliant on lockdowns.

Even Berejiklian, once so resistant to lockdowns, has now fallen into line.

It is vital, of course, that we vigorously control the current outbreak. We can't afford to let the virus run rampant. Too many remain vulnerable as most Australians have not yet been offered the opportunity to be fully vaccinated.

But we have to prepare for a new future. Despite frequent promises, we have no focus on the more fundamental question about how we transition to reopening and rebuilding.

How can we learn from the examples of other countries that have adapted their public policies in the face of the Delta variant? What plans can we start putting in place now to safely reopen to the rest of the world when our vaccination rates eventually catch up?

Wrote last weekend about how NSW may not get back to zero and that vaccination is the key to reopening - getting more true every day I think https://t.co/NrH1k88Yem  Michael Koziol (@michaelkoziol) July 29, 2021

The lessons learned in other countries

COVID-19 will be with the world for at least the foreseeable future. Experts tell us it will become endemic. The challenge then is to learn to live with the virus effectively, protecting public health while restoring freedoms and reconnecting with each other.

Countries around the world have taken different approaches to this challenge.

The UK has placed most of its confidence in vaccinations, with almost all pandemic restrictions now lifted and a plan to allow people who were fully vaccinated in the US and the European Union, and arriving from safer countries, to begin travelling to the UK without quarantining.

While there are many critics of the UK's overall strategy, the country is also widely deploying rapid antigen home testing, which enables people to ascertain their own risk to others before they step out into crowded streets. Infection numbers have fallen in recent weeks, with some suggesting the country is perhaps reaching endemic equilibrium.

France is taking another route, with a firmer focus on mandating vaccinations. Parliament this week approved a bill that will require a health pass (proof they are fully vaccinated, recently tested negative or recently recovered from the virus) to enter restaurants, bars, trains and planes.

In the wake of President Emmanuel Macron's announcement of the new policies, more than 2.2 million vaccination appointments were made in under 48 hours.

And in the US, President Joe Biden has unveiled a new door-to-door campaign in which health workers are literally knocking on doors to counter misinformation about vaccines and convince people to get the jabs.

Meanwhile, many countries that have pursued a zero-COVID path have struggled. Taiwan, once a success story in countering the virus, has only just emerged from more than two months of partial lockdown.

Like Australia, it has failed to vaccinate its population quickly enoughjust 28% of Taiwanese people have had a single dose and only 1% are fully vaccinated.

Plans we could put in place now

For Australia to plan its next steps, we need to break the psychological hold that "zero COVID" has had on us for many months. We need to shift our attention to a long-term strategy for minimising hospitalisations and death.

Two months ago, a taskforce we convened published a "roadmap to reopening" that called for a staged, controlled and safe re-engagement with the world.

We recommended the creation of travel bubbles prior to the conclusion of the nationwide vaccination programnamely, piloting programs for fully vaccinated foreign nationals with negative COVID tests to enter Australia for education or to work in specific industries, such as horticultural agriculture.

We also called for improving government messaging on vaccinations to challenge the terrible misinformation that has been spread, particularly about the AstraZeneca vaccine. And we argued that fully vaccinated people within Australia should be granted specific exemptions from some of the more onerous restrictions as a way of incentivising vaccinations further.

In addition, Australian states should be working to keep our schools openeven during outbreaksby vaccinating our teachers, improving ventilation, mandating masks where required and deploying rapid testing. The NSW government's plan to introduce rapid antigen testing at schools for Year 12 students is a welcome announcement, but more needs to be done.

Rapid Antigen Testing of year 12s to enable return to school is the sort of focussed, tactical policy decision that is required in this situation. Understand and balance the non COVID negative effects of lockdown. Use all tools in the arsenal. #COVID19nsw #auspol  Dr. Nick Coatsworth (@nick_coatsworth) July 27, 2021

Lastly, we urge the prime minister to make a more concrete plan to reopen the country. There should be a clear target date set for easing our domestic border restrictions and reopening our international borders. We should also move to home quarantine restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers and those travelling with negative tests from safer countries.

All of these measures should be in our grasp. If we look beyond ourselves, we see other forward-looking, democratic countries have chosen to work towards a staged, controlled and safe reopening with the rest of the world. Once the immediate crisis has passed, it's time that became our choice, too.

Explore further Canada to let vaccinated US citizens enter country on Aug. 9

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
By Jessica Rivinius, university news and communications

City of Oxford Mayor Mike Smith (right) presents John McCandless with a proclamation at the July 20 city council meeting.

Before John McCandless is ankle deep in the Florida surf this fall, Miami University and the city of Oxford will send him out in style, celebrating Chief John McCandless Day on July 31, 2021. The city is honoring Miamis retiring police chief for his 17 years of service to the community and his work building a collaborative partnership with Oxford Police and other law enforcement agencies in Butler County.

John McCandless has been a selfless leader during his service to Miami University, Oxford, and the surrounding communities, Miami University President Gregory Crawford said. We are very thankful for the service he has provided and his dedication to developing a well-rounded, compassionate team. His leadership and collaborative style will leave a lasting impression that makes me confident that the Miami University Police Department will continue to build upon his legacy of excellence."

McCandless began his career in law enforcement 40 years ago in Michigan, majoring in criminal justice at Ferris State University and working for the Midland County Sheriffs Department. There he worked as a marine deputy alongside his older brother, Jim.

I was in middle school when Jim graduated and started his first job  he is what drew me to law enforcement, McCandless said. I listened to him and learned from him. And not just with the career stuff. With life. He was the best man at my wedding.

After graduating from Ferris with his degree and state certification, McCandless worked as a patrol officer for the city of East Lansing for six years before an opportunity with the local university came knocking. Michigan State University Police had an opening.

Back in the 90s, community policing was still a relatively new concept, and Michigan State University Police were on the cutting edge of it, McCandless said. I wanted to be a part of that.

The police chief there took an interest in McCandless, supporting and encouraging him to pursue a masters degree and take on new areas of responsibility. Among those many responsibilities, McCandless commanded the special events division and supervised an area narcotics team. He supervised major cases and managed the field training program. He created the departmental report-writing manual.

He rose to the rank of lieutenant and served as the platoon commander for the patrol divisions, with responsibilities including overseeing a patrol shift, supervising community policing teams, and liaising with campus groups.

Others took notice of McCandlesss accomplishments and management style. A few universities recruited him and made job offers, but it wasnt until Miami University asked him to become police chief in 2004 that McCandless made a move.

McCandless speaks with students during a Student Advisory Board meeting (image, 2015, by Scott Kissell).

Miami is a special place, and its the people that make it such a special place, McCandless said. I knew that from the time I first visited, and that holds true today. We have great officers, great administrators, and our students  they are something special.

McCandless can say that with some authority  three of his kids are Miami graduates, and the fourth is a senior now.

There are nuances to working with college students, and our officers get that, McCandless said. They appreciate that you have to police things a little differently. Its very easy to write tickets and arrest people. Whats hard is thinking through the tough decisions to turn a situation into a teachable moment.

Teachable moments arent just for students though, McCandless said. When he arrived in Oxford 17 years ago, there was some tension between the Miami University Police Department (MUPD) and the Oxford Police Department. At the time, the memorandum of understanding between the two departments was more about what each couldnt do in the others jurisdiction, rather than how they could work together.

We began to build relationships with the city; its something that has taken time, but I am so proud of where we are now, McCandless said.

Under McCandlesss leadership, the Miami University Police Department has also strengthened relationships with law enforcement agencies throughout Butler County and made strategic investments in resources, equipment, and training for its officers.

McCandless with MUPD Captain Stephen Van Winkle (right), who becomes the new police chief Aug. 1.

I take a lot of pride in the strides we have made over the past 17 years to professionalize our police force, McCandless said. Law enforcement professionals come to MUPD to make a career here. This is as much of a career destination as any other police in the area. I take a lot of pride in that.

McCandless said that wouldnt have been possible without the support from the administration at Miami. He said people like David Creamer, treasurer and senior vice president for finance and business services, have really helped push the needle in the right direction.

Creamer, however, credits McCandless.

Chief McCandless is an exceptional leader whose ability to understand the changing needs of policing and adapt MUPD to these changing expectations has brought regional and national attention to the department, Creamer said. It is known for its expertise in computer forensics and for being one of the first police departments to deploy body cameras and to achieve Ohio's certification for police departments.

Creamer added, Chief McCandless will be missed, but the impact of his leadership on the department will continue to benefit the Miami University community into the future.

Miamis new police chief, Steve VanWinkle, will take the helm Aug. 1, at which time McCandless will begin his goodbye tour, visiting family and friends before heading South to Florida for retirement. He said he and his wife are looking forward to spending time with their children and grandchildren, and finally relaxing.

Whatever the next chapter is, it wont be anything tied to a cell phone, McCandless said.
Also this week, Rovner interviews Samantha Young, who reported the latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month feature about an Olympic cycling hopeful with an Olympic-size medical bill following a bike accident. If you have an outrageous medical bill youd like to send us, you can do that here.

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too:

Julie Rovner: HBOs The Weight of Gold, by Brett Rapkin, Michael Phelps, Peter Carlisle and Michael OHara Lynch

Mary Ellen McIntire: The APs OK Not to Be OK: Mental Health Takes Top Role at Olympics, by Jenna Fryer

Anna Edney: The New York Times Erin Gilmer, Disability Rights Activist, Dies at 38, by Clay Risen
Kelleen Roseboom, legal services administrator, said the civil workload is increasing and that it's more cost-efficient for a support staffer  rather than an attorney  to handle many routine tasks.

The department is also asking for $2,500 to support extra training and travel for the city's victim witness coordinator. An additional $8,100 was requested for salary and fringe benefits for "continuation of advocacy and prevention program services for the City Attorney's Office and Missoula Police Department."

Roseboom mentioned that many of the same issues for municipal courts will be shared with the attorney's office. There will likely be change when the new judges are seated halfway through the fiscal year.

"It's an unknown for us until we have three judges seated to know what the new calendar looks like and all on that, we are kind of on the fence of how it's going to affect both our prosecutors as well as our support staff," Roseboom said.

The Missoula Redevelopment Agency is funded out of tax increment money and did not have any new requests for council, though updates were provided on several capital improvement projects, including sidewalks in several tax districts.

The parking commission had just one new request  a baseline adjustment to offset utility fees.

The commission did mention two capital improvement projects, including one that will update every parking meter in the city with the hope of improving service times. The second involves outfitting another vehicle in its fleet with hardware to make it available to be used by traffic officers for enforcement.

Jordan Hansen covers news and local government for the Missoulian. Shout at him on Twitter @jordyhansen or send him an email at Jordan.Hansen@Missoulian.com

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There are no homes or communities threatened at this time, nor roads that are likely be closed. A Type Two incident command team has been assigned to the fire, and is currently setting up its headquarters in Hardin.
There are currently 146 residences under evacuation order, including from Cougar Creek south to the intersection of Blue Slide Road and River View Lane, as well as the east side of Blue Slide Road in Graves North and South, on the east side of the power lines in Harlow, and the northeast side of the power lines in Ashley.

No structure damage has been reported.

Hay Creek

The Hay Creek fire, burning around four miles west of Polebridge, has grown slightly to 2,020 acres and is 0% contained. There are 139 personnel working on it.

A community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at the Sondreson Community Hall. A Type 2 Incident Management Team from California will take over fire operations on Sunday.

Crews and equipment "continue to make progress" strengthening fuel breaks and trying to hold the fire from Hay Creek Road, according to a Forest Service news release.

The fire is threatening Glacier National Park and an evacuation warning has been issued for the North Fork area, including Logging Creek, Quartz Lake, Polebridge Ranger Station, Bowman Lake Campground and the Kintla Lake Campground. No evacuations are in effect yet and nothing in Glacier is closed, but wilderness permits for the area are being restricted.
Instead, they are asking the military to support the lawsuit and pull its amphibious assault vehicles out of the water until the problem is resolved by the manufacturer. The Marine Corps did that for months while the accident was investigated, but recently troops have been back inside them in the water.

The troops who died were inside a decades-old amphibious vehicle, but lawyers said the newer ones, including a line now in production, have the same issue, which is why they are suing.

BAE Systems has a $366 million contract with the Marine Corps to produce 72 amphibious combat vehicles, which will replace the AAVs.

The Marine Corps said in a statement that a comprehensive review of amphibious operations is being conducted by senior Marine Corps and Navy personnel" and that it is taking numerous actions to improve safety standards, including training troops to escape amphibious vehicles and ensuring the units using them are proficient in their skills. But it stopped short of saying it would stop using the AAVs.

It said it continues to mourn the loss of troops and is making safety a priority.

Christiana Sweetwood of Danville, Virginia, said she never wants another mother to experience what she has over the past year.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia is asking a judge to toss out a Department of Justice lawsuit challenging the state's sweeping new election law.

In a motion to dismiss filed Wednesday in federal court in Atlanta, lawyers for the state called the lawsuit a politicized intrusion into the state's constitutional authority to regulate its elections. The state's election laws are reasonable, non-discriminatory, and well within the mainstream of election laws across the country, they wrote.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the lawsuit last month, saying that Republican state lawmakers in Georgia had rushed the election overhaul through with an intent to deny Black voters equal access to the ballot.

The move by the Biden administration came two weeks after Garland said his department would look closely at Republican-led efforts to tighten state voting rules. He said the federal government would act if prosecutors found unlawful activity.

Many of the more controversial proposals for Georgia's new voting law were ditched before it passed, but its scope and new powers given to the state over local election offices are notable.
The summer has been one of the hottest, one of the driest, certainly in my memory. Sharla and I see it on our farm. I've heard it from farmers all over the state. And, I understand vividly how hard folks have been hit by this drought, Tester said. I've been monitoring the situation closely and pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make sure Montana's farmers, ranchers have access to the technical assistance and relief they need to make to keep themselves whole and stay in business. There are a host of programs available to producers suffering from the drought. I would just recommend, stay tuned into your FSA agency. Stay tuned into my website. And you'll know what those programs are.
Those who have been displaced by the fire can find shelter at the Crow Tribal Multi-Purpose Building at 178 Multi-Purpose Road in Crow Agency.

Crow BIA firefighters, including a helicopter and helitack personnel, were among those working Wednesday to prevent the fire from crossing the Little Bighorn River and reaching its west side, Kohn said. If the fire were to reach the west side of the river, homes in the community of Dunmore could be threatened.

At one point the fire did make it over the river, but BIA fire and the Apsaalooke Service Corps "jumped on it," Old Horn said.

"They stopped it at approximately a quarter of an acre."

Old Horn also noted that with so many large fires going on a lot of firefighting resources were already engaged as BIA fire and Big Horn county worked to get resources.

"It's good that a team is coming in," he said, adding that they will be able to help secure more resources.

At a morning fire briefing Wednesday, Old Horn said people working on the fire were informed that there had been an automobile accident the night before on Sarpy Road.

"All I heard was the smoke was heavy, visibility was poor, and fortunately there was no fatalities," he said.
There has never been a better opportunity to influence federal climate legislation than today. After over a decade of congressional inaction, the Senate Budget Committee is calling for policies to lower U.S. emissions to include in the reconciliation bill.

Over 3,500 U.S. economists, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the American Petroleum Institute and 52 Republican House Members, who formed the Conservative Climate Caucus, agree putting a fee on carbon pollution is the fastest way to decrease emissions and simultaneously create jobs and grow our economy. It incentivizes private innovation. Not having a price on carbon also puts us at a disadvantage because most of our international trading partners, not only have carbon pricing built into their economies, but they are now implementing border adjustments that will tax U.S. imports based on carbon content.
The war would trillions of dollars and devastate millions of lives (Getty Images)

A few weeks after Joe Biden was sworn in as Barack Obamas vice president, he held a private dinner.

The location was his official residence in the grounds of the Naval Observatory in Washington DC, a landmark in the city for more than a hundred years. The topic up for discussion was Afghanistan.

The half-dozen guests were US experts on the country, and its reputation as the graveyard of empires - firstly for the British Empire, whose troops tried and failed in the first half of the 19th Century to seize it, and then the Soviet Union, which invaded in 1979, triggering a massive insurgency led by mujahideen fighters, and backed by the CIA. Its forces left a decade later, having lost at least 15,000 men, with 50,000 injured. (The Islamist fighters, among them a young Osama Bin Laden, suffered 90,000 casualties.)

By February 2009, when Biden held that dinner, it was increasingly turning into such a place too, for the United States.

Memories fade over a dozen years. Some of those who attended cannot for instance, remember what Biden served for dinner, though they recall his wife, Jill Biden, now the first lady but then the second lady, saying hello to the group when she returned home from an evening engagement.

On one issue, however, there is utter clarity: Afghanistan was not a place where Biden thought more Americans should be losing their lives.

He started by saying Dont tell me were there to reform the whole society and stuff, Barnett Rubin, director at the Centre on International Cooperation at New York University, and one of the experts on Afghanistan who was present that evening, tells The Independent. were not going to use our young men for that.

By that stage, the US had 67,000 troops in Afghanistan, but the USs original mission - capturing or killing Bin Laden - looked like a lost cause. The US, Britain and other allied forces were confronting increased and persistent military opposition from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

Story continues

And though America had already lost around 600 men in that war, Barack Obama, recently sworn in as president, was under intense pressure from his military commanders, to send more soldiers to join the battle.

Later that year, Obama did just that, dispatching 33,000 personnel to bring the total of American troops to 100,000, with large numbers of additional private contractors, contracted by the CIA or State Department.

The presidents hope had been that by agreeing to the surge in troop numbers, he would be more quickly able to order their withdrawal.

I do not make this decision lightly, he said, in a half-hour address from the West Point Military Academy in New York. Let me be clear: none of this will be easy. The struggle against violent extremism will not be finished quickly, and it extends well beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan. It will be an enduring test of our free society, and our leadership in the world.

There is concern over the plight of women and young girls in the absence of US forces (Getty Images)

A dozen years later, Biden is president, rather than someones deputy. He appears determined to avoid repeating that previous policy, even that it had been the policy of administration he had been part of, and a policy in which he would become inextricably involved.aSince he had held that dinner at the official residence, located half-a-mile from the British Embassy, plenty had changed.

The total number of US and coalition troops in Afghanistan stood at 2,500, while the number of American casualties had risen to at least 2,372.

At least 250,000 Afghans had lost their lives, with 3 million displaced internally and 2.1m leaving the country, mainly for Pakistan and Iran. In 2001, the population of the country was estimated at 37.5m, while today it stands at 38m.

Strategic momentum appears to be sort of with the Taliban

Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The price tag for the 20 year war stands at somewhere close to $2 trillion. Critics say there is little to show for it

And while the US in 2011 US located and killed Bin Laden in neighbouring Pakistan - having fled Afghanistan very quickly after Western forces invaded- Taliban and extremist forces are now resurgent.

A US general recently suggested that the insurgents control as many as half of the countrys district centres.

Strategic momentum appears to be sort of with the Taliban, Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently told reporters in Washington.

He said more than 200 of the 419 district centres were under Taliban control. Last month, he had said the Taliban controlled just 81 of them.

Yet, he claimed that a Taliban automatic military takeover is not a foregone conclusion, referring to the estimated $90bn spent training the Afghan security forces.

The two most important combat multipliers actually are will and leadership. And this is going to be a test now of the will and leadership of the Afghan people, the Afghan security forces, and the government of Afghanistan, he said, according to Reuters.

Another major difference, is that Joe Biden is also inheriting a deal for the US military to withdraw, that was brokered by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

When he campaigned for the presidency, the former reality television star had broken with many Republican orthodoxies, including on foreign policy issues. Among them was a determination that US troops should be brought home from both Iraq and Afghanistan, though perhaps not immediately.

Since the attacks of 9/11, the US operations in both had been tightly viewed by much of the Washington establishment through the prism of the broader so-called war on terror. a

We made a terrible mistake getting involved there in the first place, Trump told CNN in October 2015. It's a mess, it's a mess and at this point we probably have to [leave US troops in Afghanistan] because that thing will collapse in about two seconds after they leave.

By February 2020, the US and the Taliban had brokered a deal during talks in Qatar, to end the conflict and for America to withdraw. Pointedly, the deal did not include representatives of the US-backed Afghan government.

I really believe the Taliban wants to do something to show that were not all wasting time, Trump said in Washington, after the agreement was signed.

If bad things happen, well go back.

During his campaign for the presidency - his third run at the job - Biden had also made clear his views about Afghanistan.

He wanted troops out too, though, as with many things, he sought to avoid being nailed down to a rigid timetable. There was speculation he might opt to retain a small counter-terrorism force in the country.

Americans are rightly weary of our longest war; I am, too. But we must end the war responsibly, in a manner that ensures we both guard against threats to our homeland and never have to go back, he said in September 2020.

Anyone looking for proof of Bidens opinions on the matter, was often pointed to the journalist George Packers biography of US diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who served as Obamas special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan until he died in December 2010.

The book, Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century, quotes, a private meeting between Biden and the diplomat, in which Holbrooke argued against a US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden, whose son Beau, had deployed to Iraq for a year in 2008 as a major with Delaware Army National Guard, reportedly told Holbrooke: I am not sending my boy back there to risk his life on behalf of womens rights, it just wont work, thats not what theyre there for.

Biden, whose son Beau died from brain cancer in 2015, had not always been opposed to the USs military effort in Afghanistan.

When in September 2001, Al-Qaeda attacked New York and Washington, killing almost 3,000 people and delivering an agonising gut-punch to the nation, Biden was a member of the senate, and chair of its Foreign Relations Committee.

Shortly afterwards, he, along with almost every member of Congress, voted in favor of the Authorisation for Use of Military Force, a piece of legislation that gave George W Bush, power to invade Afghanistan, to topple Taliban leadership that had hosted Bin Laden,

The sole member of both chambers to vote against, was Democratic congresswoman Barbara Lee. The California congresswoman was concerned about the vagueness of the language of the resolution, fearful that Bush and neoconservative supporters would use it to expand its original intention.

Biden said the war had now crossed into two generations (AFP via Getty Images)

Two years later, when the same legislation was used to invade Iraq, a war justified on false intelligence about Saddam Husseins alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, Lee found herself with company.

But Biden, along with Hillary Clinton, voted in favor of the invasion. By 2005, when it had long become clear Saddam had no such weapons, Biden and others were calling their vote a mistake.

In late 2005, he told NBC News he believed the US had a six-month to turn around a deteriorating situation in its military operation in Iraq, and said of his 2002 vote to empower Bush: It was a mistake. It was a mistake to assume the president would use the authority we gave him properly.

This April, Biden told the nation that he was bringing the troops home.

Biden was able to implement what was in his heart, because the context has changed

Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington

Despite pressure from senior military commanders to retain the 2,500-odd personnel it still had there to give Afghan forces more time to fully take responsibility, he stuck to the plan he had set for himself.

War in Afghanistan was never meant to be a multi-generational undertaking, Biden said in a 15-minute address from the White House.

We were attacked. We went to war with clear goals. We achieved those objectives.

He said he was now the fourth president to have been commander-in-chief of US troops in Afghanistan.

We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for withdrawal, and expecting a different result, he said.

In July, images of Bagram Air Base, empty and abandoned after the US departure in the middle of the night, underscored the reality of what had taken place.

The base, which was rapidly pored over by Afghans in search of scrap or equipment to sell, had not just operated as the major entry and exit point for coalition forces over to decades. It was also one of many black sites where the CIA tortured prisoners to extract information about Bin Laden or other terror leaders.

Biden was among those watching the 2011 US military operation that killed Bin Laden (Getty Images)

Hundreds of alleged terrorists, swept off the battlefields or sold for bounties to the US by Pakistans intelligence, were flown from Bagram to Guantanamo Bay, even though there was no evidence on the vast majority of them.

Of the 800 men once held at the prison camp on the tip of Cuba, 40 remain. Perhaps ten men, among them, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, have been charged, and two decades after the Twin Towers were brought down in a cascade of horror, proceedings against those charged are still at a preliminary stage.

Both Biden and Obama vowed to close the prison.

Defending the decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, Biden said this summer: Let me ask those who wanted us to stay: How many thousands more of Americas daughters and sons are you willing to risk? How long would you have them stay?

While most Republicans were silent, there were some high-profile critics.

George W Bush, the man who had pushed for the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and who now spends his time painting, and working with groups that helped injured military veterans, claimed Afghan women and girls will suffer unspeakable harm.

In an interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle he was asked if the move was a mistake. You know, I think it is, yeah, because I think the consequences are going to be unbelievably bad, he said.

Laurel Miller, a former State Department specialist on Pakistan and Afghanistan, says Biden had long been opposed to the presence of US troops.

She says it appeared his decision to keep a small counter-terrorism force in the country, had been dropped once it was judged it was not a viable stand-alone policy option, and the Taliban would not agree.

Troops were initially dispatched in aftermath of 9/11 terror attacks (Getty Images)

Miller, Director of International Crisis Groups Asia programme, says Biden is not in any doubt that the security situation in Afghanistan will likely get worse once US troops left.

Instead, he judged that, although undesirable, that deterioration of conditions in Afghanistan is tolerable for US national security interests, says Miller.

Another factor, helping make it easier for Biden, is that because Trumps primary foreign policy concern was immigration and building a wall on the USs southern border, Americans were able to step away from the shadow of 9/11 and a national obsession with counter-terrorism.

Biden was able to implement what was in his heart, because the context has changed, says Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.

Nasr, who served as a senior advisor to Holbrooke at the State Department, says Obama had also wanted to get out of Afghanistan, close Guantanamo and have the Department of Justice take over the prosecution of the 9/11 plotters from the Department of Defence.

He adds: Obama could not implement what was in his heart, because he was in the headwinds of domestic American political pressure.

Medea Benjamin was among those opposed to the US invasion of Afghanistan, and who repeatedly called for the withdrawal of the troops.

A veteran peace and womens rights activist, Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, does not doubt that the Afghan people face fraught and challenging times.

She is adamant, however, things cannot improve in the longer term while Americans soldiers are there. Their presence has made the Afghan armed forces and authorities an excuse not to step up. Is has also contributed to massive corruption.

Weve always been working with peace groups and women's groups in Afghanistan and we'll continue to do that. We feel that its unfortunate the Taliban is as strong as it is, but it's been strong for quite a long time now, she says, when asked how US activists can help ordinary Afghans.

Our friends in Afghanistan, often say to us, they're fighting on many fronts - theyre fighting the Taliban, they're fighting the warlords, they're fighting their own corrupt government, and they're fighting outside forces, she says.

Well, now there'll be fewer outside forces there, and that's one less thing for them to be focusing on.

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Watch as Biden delivers remarks on economy in Pennsylvania
Some people in Missouri are dressing in disguise and begging doctors to not publicly reveal they've received a COVID-19 vaccine, a doctor said.

Priscilla Frase, Ozarks Healthcare hospitalist, said patients voiced concerns on how their family members, friends and co-workers would react if they got vaccinated.

"Nobody should have to feel that pressure to get something that they want. We've got to stop ridiculing people who do or don't want to get the vaccine," Frase said in a video produced by the hospital.

Frase told CNN's Anderson Cooper she fears people are gathering their vaccine-related information from unreliable sources, including social media. She urged the public to look to the medical community for answers.

Latest on vaccines: Why don't COVID-19 vaccines have full authorization? An FDA official explains

"Yes, it's a new vaccine; yes, it's the first time this technology has been used for a vaccine, but hundreds of millions of people around the world have been vaccinated  and how they do after getting vaccinated is much better than if people are not vaccinated," Frase said.

As a health care worker in the pandemic, Frase said it's "heart-wrenching" to see COVID-19-related hospitalization.

Missouri has 41% of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state is one of many experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Tuesday, the CDC urged fully vaccinated Americans to wear masks indoors in areas of high coronavirus transmission.

Mapping CDC's new guidelines: High transmission areas where you need to wear a mask indoors

"It's really disheartening to be at a place where health care providers maybe thought that things were finally getting back to whatever our new normal is going to be after this pandemic and then to get this surge, to see the impact on some of the staff is heartbreaking," Frase said.

Story continues

While the delta variant is on the rise, Frase said, hospitals are bracing for more hospitalizations. She said patients who contracted the delta variant need more oxygen than usual COVID-19 patients.

Frase advised people to do what's best for their health before it's too late.

"Get vaccinated, so you don't get COVID and end up like some of the patients I've taken care of who are really sick and then get to a point where they're asking me if they're going to die," Frase said.

Follow Gabriela Miranda on Twitter: @itsgabbymiranda

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missouri doctor says people in disguise are coming for COVID vaccine
You could just buy the car at a bargain price and keep it or quickly resell it at a profit. Or you could just negotiate for your dealer to buy the car from you, said Wiesenfelder.

"Not everyone is built for this sort of transaction, playing those negotiations, but it's doable," he said.

Also, it will require some patience to wait for all the paperwork to go through, he said. But it can pay off for those with the perseverance.

Cash in on your current car

There is some good news for car shoppers in this current crazy market. If you have a car to sell or trade in, it's worth way more than it would have been before.

Sean Kalist, who lives in the southeastern part of Illinois, said he recently bought a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid -- not the plug-in version -- after selling his 2014 Volkswagen Passat. He had bought the Passat as a used car 18 months ago, he said, and sold it for exactly what he had paid for it back then.

"So we drove it for free for a year and six months," he said.

He also traded in a 2019 Toyota Sienna minivan, he said, which was also worth nearly the amount he'd paid for it two years ago.
VALDESE  This Friday night, the town of Valdese will welcome back a Valdese Family Friday Nights summer concert series favorite, Little Johnny Trailer Trash.

Guests are invited to join the fun at Temple Field, located behind the Old Rock School, on Friday from 7-10 p.m. for another night of music in the series.

Little Johnny Trailer Trash hails from the Piedmont of North Carolina and infuses traditional and contemporary music with a touch of bluegrass, rock and Americana. Americana Music best describes the band with simple, true and catchy tunes that make fans want to tap their feet and sing along. Soaring harmonies and smooth melodies help fill out the bands sound.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Little Johnny Trailer Trash recently was featured as a Top 32 band on CMTs show called CMTs Music City Madness, which featured the original song, They Sang Country. The band is currently touring the Carolinas and recording its upcoming CD between shows.

Little Johnny Trailer Trash members include Johnny Scott Connell (lead vocals), Jay DeVine (guitars/vocals/mandolin/harmonica), Jamey Taylor (bass guitar) and Joe Husko (drums/vocals). Together, the band performs more than 175 shows a year.
Zep, a blue heeler, whined and lifted his paws after standing at the fringe of a slickens along the Clark Fork River. Acidic mining and smelting wastes inflamed the canines feet.

I ended up rinsing him off in the river and he was fine, recalled Nathan Cook, the dogs owner and a fisheries mitigation biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Zeps encounter occurred last year when Cook and Alex Leone of the Clark Fork Coalition conducted an annual assessment of slickens along the upper river.

Slickens are contaminated tracts of ground along the river devoid of vegetation due to heavy metal contamination dating back to the early 20th century.

These dead zones provide the most obvious evidence of contamination and also pose the risk of fish kills from thunderstorm runoff.

Huge volumes of contaminated soils linger decades after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added the Clark Fork River to a long list of Superfund sites around Butte, Anaconda and the Deer Lodge Valley contaminated by wastes from historic mining, milling and smelting. The slickens stubborn persistence speaks both to their toxicity and to the slow crawl of Superfund cleanup.

Leone, restoration policy manager for the non-profit Clark Fork Coalition, stood June 28 atop one of the many slickens along the reaches of the upper river. He said the dead zones offer evidence of something else  that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality needs to modify its approach to remediating the contamination still haunting the river, its habitat and fishery.

He said DEQ could opt to continue what he described as the Walmart approach, in which the riverbanks and floodplain resemble a flattened, vegetation denuded parking lot after cleanup. Or the agency could do more to leave existing vegetation and address hot spots like slickens instead of the wholesale removal of soils and riparian willows and water birch, he said.

The Clark Fork Coalition isnt really advocating wholly that the state take one direction or another with the cleanup, Leone said. What we would like to see is a more open and transparent discussion with the broader public on the challenges facing the cleanup and what can be done to modify the states approach for the better going forward.

What seems clear is that the Upper Clark Fork River has a constituency. People in the region, ranging from fishing guides and anglers to ranchers and bird watchers, seem to love the long-battered river.

They want to have a voice, Leone said.

On June 28, as Leone and a reporter floated the Clark Fork River from Perkins Lane to the Galen Road, heavy equipment worked between the river and Interstate 90 to excavate tailings from the floodplain as Phase 3 of the rivers cleanup got underway.

The DEQ is the lead agency responsible for the cleanup. Missouri River Contractors is handling the Phase 3 cleanup, with workers operating huge excavators and haul trucks and trailers that transport the contaminated soils to a section of the Opportunity Ponds.

Joel Chavez, DEQs project manager for the Clark Fork River cleanup, stood July 7 along the river as contractors worked around him. (Chavez received accolades for his work remediating and restoring Silver Bow Creek upstream.)

He said he is well aware of criticisms that remediation of other stretches of the river has included the removal of vegetation and stream bank features.

Were trying to leave more vegetation, Chavez said. Were trying to leave the water birch. They dont come back very easily, so were trying to leave them.

Beau Downing is restoration coordinator for the states Natural Resource Damage Program, which focuses on restoration of the river corridor during and after Superfund remediation. In April, he too described an effort during the design of Phase 3 to leave whenever possible features that support trout habitat.

For Phase 3, we really looked for opportunities to go to stream banks that DEQ and NRDP both really like and add in some complexity, he said. Are they as good as a really well defined undercut bank? Maybe not. But at least its not some homogeneous, smooth-faced, double-vegetated lift.

Kathy Hadley has advocated for years for a thorough yet heedful cleanup of the Clark Fork River. Her husband, Wayne Hadley, is a retired fisheries biologist. His former territory for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks included the Clark Fork River and his research about fish kills in the upper river played a key role in identifying the toxicity of streamside tailings as the cause.

During Kathy Hadleys time with the Montana Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resource Damage Program and the National Wildlife Federation, for which she was chair, Hadley developed a reputation for seeking common ground.

Yet she is not confident that the Phase 3 cleanup will be much different from the phases already completed.

Im skeptical that they will do a good job going forward, Hadley said.

She said people clearly identified important habitat to DEQ in the stretch of river near the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site yet that habitat did not survive cleanup, she said.

DEQ is lowering stream bank elevations, which are abnormally high because of tailings deposits, so the river can periodically overflow the banks  as it did before being radically altered by contamination. That work does not seem controversial.

Many of the exposed banks reveal thick layers of tailings.

In those situations, Chavez said, the EPAs Record of Decision very specifically calls for removal.

Kevin Stone, a DEQ spokesman, expressed similar thoughts in late May.

While existing bank structures may provide fish habitat in the present the contaminated materials that they contain pose long-term negative impacts to the Clark Fork ecosystem, Stone said. Removing that contamination is a critical step to ensuring a sustainably healthy river.

Leone said the coalition supports lowering elevations to encourage overbank flows during flooding, events that will naturally create conditions that support flourishing diverse woody vegetation (willows, water birch, cottonwood) on the floodplain.

Chavez anticipates the Phase 3 work will continue through December 2022, barring major delays caused by weather. Part of that work will include planting roughly 150,000 willows along the streambanks. Cuttings will come from willows adapted to the regional climate.

Weather affects rivers as they naturally evolve, a process that helps keep the streams and riparian zones healthy, he said.

A cataclysmic flood in 1908 transported contaminated tailings downstream and spread them in deep drifts across the Clark Forks floodplain.

Later, the Anaconda Co. built the Warm Springs settling ponds upstream to try to capture contaminated sediments to help guard against a reoccurrence.

In 1977, Atlantic Richfield Co. acquired the Anaconda Co. Three years later, Congress passed the legislation creating the federal Superfund program. And ARCO became responsible for addressing the massive pollution left behind by the once-powerful company that mined and smelted ore.

The EPAs Clark Fork River Operable Unit stretches from the rivers headwaters near Warm Springs to the former Milltown Reservoir east of Missoula. But the majority of the cleanup will occur from Warm Springs downstream to Garrison  a section of roughly 45 miles referred to as Reach A. Pollutants include heavy metals  cadmium, copper, zinc and lead  and arsenic.

In 2008, 25 years after the state sued ARCO for damage to natural resources, the parties reached a settlement. The final settlement totaled $169 million. Of that, about $96 million was earmarked for DEQ for remediation of the Clark Fork River.

About $72 million remains after DEQs remediation of more than nine river miles during completion of Phases 1, 2, 5, 6, 15 and 16.

To date, DEQ has spent about $78 million toward completing the work outlined in the Record of Decision, the agency said. The settlement account accrues interest.

In addition to completed remediation of about 10 river miles and removal of millions of yards of contaminated material, DEQ said it has completed pre-design work, test-pitting and site characterization, and geomorphological studies for future phases of remediation.

An additional $72.5 million was allocated for natural resource restoration work at three sites: Butte Area One, Smelter Hill Uplands and the Upper Clark Fork.

One key concern for people who want the Clark Fork cleanup and restoration to be both comprehensive and more attuned to habitat is whether theres enough money to fund it.

Chavez responded.

Thats past my pay grade, he said. Were actually trying to save money wherever we can and still do the remedy.

He said DEQ is working to maximize efficiencies and streamline the remediation process. A decision matrix based on logic instead of passion could enhance discussions, he said.

Stone weighed in.

DEQ is working with the Natural Resource Damage Program to develop a synchronized, long-term roadmap and timetable for remediation and restoration activities on the Clark Fork, he said. It is our belief that this concerted coordination will help to maximize available resources.

An array of people who participated May 25 in a Clark Fork Coalition sponsored meeting in Deer Lodge complained the DEQs cleanup of other stretches of river had removed vegetation long-adapted to heavy metals and stream features such as undercut banks important to fish habitat in the Upper Clark Fork  once known as a remarkably productive fishery for brown trout.

Brown trout numbers have declined precipitously in recent years. Chavez has said he does not believe the decline is related to contamination released during cleanup. But he has acknowledged that removal of key trout cover could be a factor in the spiraling numbers of brown trout.

Chavez has said removal of streamside tailings could lead to a short-term loss to the fishery but a long-term gain over time.

Several members of the group that met May 25 in Deer Lodge emphasized that river stewards and people in rural Deer Lodge Valley do not have the political clout of larger communities or cities like Missoula or even Butte.

There was discussion of seeking renewed funding from DEQ or EPA to revitalize the Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee, or CFRTAC. The volunteer citizens organization would seek to help residents make informed choices and encourage participation in the Superfund remediation and restoration process.

Like the Citizens Technical Environmental Committee in Butte, the group would occasionally hire contractors to advise them.

DEQ has said the EPA is the entity that would fund CFRTAC again.

Chavez said the citizens need to keep talking to the EPA about funding.

If there was a CFRTAC, wed certainly support it, he said.

The EPA could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Leone said CFRTAC could give river advocates a more active role in refining the cleanup.

With some dedicated funding and a freshly revitalized CFRTAC, were hoping that cleanup processes will become more transparent and accountable, Leone said.

A functioning and vibrant community group that represents the interests of people that live and recreate on the river would go a long way towards increasing clout, he said.

The DEQs Stone said the cleanup process does include opportunities for public input. He said the 2004 Record of Decision and the 2008 Consent Decree were developed with significant public involvement.

The public involvement process preceding the Phase 3 work occurred in 2016, he said. And design work for the next phase will begin by the end of 2021.

But people who question the DEQs approach say they want to have more frequent input than once every five years. They have observed that the agency, citizens and scientists studying the river are constantly learning about what works and what does not.

The Upper Clark Fork Rivers challenges are not limited to contamination from past mining, milling and smelting. Drought can be an issue, as can sediment loads and de-watering from irrigation.

This year, a combination of comparatively low snowpack, an abnormally hot, dry summer and irrigation have sapped the rivers flow.

Low flows, the elimination of shade offered by riparian vegetation, the loss of cover from osprey and other predators and high water temperatures can doom the trout already beset by heavy metals, especially copper.

A fishing guide who attended the May 25 meeting in Deer Lodge said the brown trout fishery in the Upper Clark Fork once qualified as the states best.

Many people believe it could achieve that status again and even exceed it, absent current contamination but featuring suitable habitat.

The lingering questions are: How long will that take? Whats the best way to get there and how much will community input matter? And will the money run out before the work is adequately done?

Meanwhile, the river and its habitat keep changing.

Last year, following a fish kill in 2019, straw bale berms were placed at strategic spots near slickens to capture toxic runoff before it washed into the river. Cows from a nearby ranch consumed the berms they could reach.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality plans to offer a public tour of the Phase 3 Cleanup along the Clark Fork River in late August or early September. Details to follow.

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According to police reports, Schadler had gone to a home in the 1900 block of Florida and kicked the door. He left, but returned and knocked a window out, causing the air conditioner to fall to the ground. When officers arrived at 9:30 p.m., Schadler had left the area and when they left, he returned and again tried to break into the home.

Officers quickly responded and took him to jail.

Arrested, jailed

At about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, two Butte women, Brittany Lynn Birkoski, 32, and Mary Celeste Gardipee, 35, took items from Safeway, 310 W. Front, and fled the store.

Officers caught up to them on Montana Street. Both women had warrants out for their arrest and were taken to jail. In addition, neither woman is allowed in Safeway any more.

Clear intentions

A woman living in the 800 block of South Main Street reported a man, James Carl Pierce, 26, of Butte, in her car just after 7 p.m. Monday.

When she confronted him, he took off and fled in another car. Officers would later catch up to Pierce, who allegedly admitted to being inside the vehicle because he wanted a new car for himself and intended to steal it.
If you close your eyes, you just might think youd walked into the Grand Ole Opry in the late 1950s.
Another intersection also may reopen this week. According to Heuer constructions, crews may be able to open northbound traffic on the intersection of Grandview Avenue and Oregon Street/Warren Street.

So far, crews have been able to complete most of the underground work under Warren, with efforts stretching up toward the Canadian Pacific Railroad crossing.

There are still a lot of questions marks going on in that intersection with Oregon, Warren and Grandview. The contractor is still trying to wrap up the underground work, Jenison explained.

Once the underground work is completed, crews will focus efforts on preparing the west half of Grandview Avenue for repaving, which is expected to begin in mid-August. During this, all southbound traffic on Grandview Avenue will be detoured to Oregon Street and travel along Steward Road and Sampson Street before going back onto Grandview. That detour will remain in place until it is time to work on the east half of Grandview.

Jenison estimated that the west half of Grandview would potentially open in about two weeks. However, with all the construction work still being done, he still recommended that residents use alternate routes if possible.
The resolution is not a law or ordinance and not legally binding. It emphasizes the county's opposition to any laws deemed unconstitutional that govern legal gun ownership on Cedar County citizens, including by administrative rule and executive orders. Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington who brought the resolution to the board, explained it includes presidential executive orders being approved as laws as well as changing the definition of a firearm to include something that is not a firearm.

Laws are made by legislators, not by a single person, Wethington, also an executive member of the Iowa Firearms Coalition, said.

The countys sanctuary status will not change day-to-day operations.

On July 21, during a CNN town hall meeting, President Joe Biden said: The idea that you need a weapon that can have the ability to fire 20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots from that weapon whether its a 9 mm pistol or whether its a rifle is ridiculous. Im continuing to push to eliminate those things, but Im not lucky enough to get that done in a near term. Biden has not introduced legislation regarding this.
We already have an ordinance, Huston said, although he agreed that Salazars new proposal could be used to update the original regulations.

Maybe look at each circumstance, he said, adding that a permit requirement would also be appropriate.

So we have a record that says (a resident) could (make ditch modifications), Huston said.

Council member Darin Mapel suggested a fee.

They are getting a benefit out of it if they do it right, he said.

The possibility some modifications might not be correctly completed also raised questions during the discussion.

Huston said the citys right of way extended beyond the actual travel portion of a street and if the modifications caused a negative effect, the city had the right to repair the ditches and assess a charge.

They filled our ditch, he said before reminding the council the issue would be discussed further at the Aug. 10 meeting.

In other action, the council agreed to allow LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) to use the former community development office in city hall for its activities.
Griffin said that guarantee could only happen if the county utilized the new law and took over the systems and funded them through taxes.

Its not going to be a cheap deal, he said.

Griffin reminded the group that the state would begin assuming the cost of mental health services next year, which might mean the county could assume the ambulance costs without causing a substantial boost in property taxes.

He said the current 62 cents per $1,000 taxable valuation levy in Louisa County for mental health expenses had generated around $433,000 for Fiscal Year 2022. However, county auditor Sandi Sturgell said budget adjustments caused by the state law that transferred the mental health expenses to the state had actually lowered that levy to around 31 cents per $1,000.

Delzell also pointed out the new EMS law had a 67 cents per $1,000 tax levy limit, which could impact the amount of revenue available for any countywide/operated system.

Quigley said he felt other revenue, such as from Medicaid, Medicare and other insurance, would help reduce the actual amount of tax revenue needed.

Griffin agreed and said a key issue would be establishing the current level of expenses of each operating service.
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.
Security officers check cars along a road in Suva after the Fijian capital entered a 14-day lockdown after a leak from a quarantine facility and a funeral caused Covid-19 to spread in the community in April 2021.
Mount Carmel Schools face-to-face parent orientation will be held on Aug. 9 and 10, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call 234-6184 or visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com
A street is closed due to work in the road in Jersey City, New Jersey on March 31, 2021.
Editor

Zaldy Dandan is the recipient of the Best Editorial Writer Award of the Society of Professional Journalists, and the CNMI Humanities Award for Outstanding Contributions to Journalism. His three books are available on amazon.com
Local

Hospitality

Napas Meritage and Vista Collina resorts for sale; price could top $500 million

Jennifer Huffman, Register Napas Meritage and Vista Collina resorts are for sale for an undisclosed price. The resorts total 467 rooms over 36 acres. Together the two resorts are one of Napa's largest resort properties. Jennifer Huffman, Register Napas Meritage and Vista Collina resorts are for sale for an undisclosed price. The resorts total 467 rooms over 36 acres. Together the two resorts are one of Napa's largest resort properties. Jennifer Huffman, Register Napas Meritage and Vista Collina resorts are for sale for an undisclosed price. The resorts total 467 rooms over 36 acres. Together the two resorts are one of Napa's largest resort properties. Jennifer Huffman, Register Napas Meritage and Vista Collina resorts are for sale for an undisclosed price. The resorts total 467 rooms over 36 acres. Together the two resorts are one of Napa's largest resort properties.

Between this Wednesday and Friday, a different kind of visitor is expected at Napas Meritage and Vista Collina resorts. Instead of vacationers, potential buyers were invited to tour the properties.

The resorts, totaling 467 rooms over 36 acres, are for sale. An asking price was not provided.

However, compared to other such hotel sales, the dual property could be sold for as much as $500 million, according to one industry expert.

Both of the south Napa resorts are owned by Pacific Hospitality Group of Irvine, Calif. The adjacent Vino Bello timeshare property was not included on the sales listing.

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According to a property summary from CBRE, the sale includes the 322-room Meritage Resort & Spa, the 145-room Vista Collina Resort, a fully operational 9-acre vineyard, a 5.39-acre fully entitled 253-room AC and Residence Inn development site and three commercial condominiums providing back of house space.

In total, the space offers 80,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting and event space including the two largest ballrooms in wine county, stated CBRE. Together, it is one of Napa County's largest hotel/resort complexes.

The listing was first reported in Paul Franson's NapaLife newsletter.

Built 15 years ago, the Meritage property presents tremendous potential upside via renovation and rebranding, said the sales document.

The Meritage Resort includes five food and beverage restaurants or cafes, a 22,000 square-foot wine cave, spa, chapel and bowling alley.

Vista Collina Resort, which opened in 2018, includes four food and beverage operations, a retail center and expansive lawn.

Both are located on Bordeaux Way in south Napa.

A representative from Pacific Hospitality Group was unable to provide additional information about the sale.

We arent ready to comment, said Garrett Busch, vice president of capital markets at Pacific Hospitality Group.

A representative from CBRE could not be immediately reached.

The prices that are being paid for California hotels today are setting new records, said Alan X. Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality Group.

There is a tremendous amount of capital sitting on the sidelines and trophy California hotel assets are setting some very high prices, this is why you are seeing owner's bringing assets to market, said Reay.

For example, the Montage in Healdsburg sold at over $2 million per room and the Four Seasons Resort in Calistoga is rumored in escrow at $2.1 million per room, said Reay.

These are both smaller hotels, but I could see the Meritage trading for well over $1 million per room, which would put the value for the whole project over $500 million.

John Evans, managing director of Napas Silverado Resort, said he thinks the sale, will ultimately be good for the hotel community and Napa Valley.

The best case scenario would be for a recognized national brand to acquire the resort or take over as the management entity, said Evans.

A major brand would have more reach across the nation and bring awareness of the resort to its data base of frequent travelers. I have always said that we need all the hotels and resorts in the Valley to be successful and I believe there has been a strong collaboration among the entire hospitality industry in Napa Valley to make that happen.

Of course, a selling price depends on the market, said Evans.

However, what hes seen from recent sales for much smaller assets, would lead me to believe the value at $800,000, or more per key.

There are many factors that will go into the purchase price  such as the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization used as an indicator of the overall profitability of a business, Evans noted.

Hotel and resort assets in Napa Valley have shown to be selling at a premium in part due to the high demand producing occupancy levels and average daily rates that place us in the upper 10 percent on a national scale. Napa showed its demand strength as it rebounded relatively quickly from the pandemic at a level that also placed it at the upper tier based on national comparisons, said Evans.

Evans pointed out that Napa Valley has high barriers to entry for new hotels.

The entitlement process can take two to three years and the build process depending on the complexities of the build can take three to five years, or more.

The Meritage first opened in 2006 at an estimated cost of $50 million. A later addition of a spa and cave totaled $11 million.

In 2011, it underwent a $40 million expansion, adding 165 guest rooms to the original 155 rooms and an extra 28,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

Photos: A walk around Napa's Vista Collina and Meritage resorts Close
We are seeing a large influx of families traveling to Napa Valley this summer, and are also seeing many guests traveling with pets, Gallagher said.

It seems, post-pandemic, that there is somewhat of a no man left behind mindset around travel. As those of us who live here know very well, the Napa Valley experience is best when shared with friends, family, and loved ones.

International travel is still difficult, however, we think we have seen some benefit from that as a luxury wine region, said Gallagher.

Those travelers who arent able to go to Bordeaux or Tuscany this summer are coming to Napa Valley instead. Napa Valley is a bucket-list destination, and people are looking to take those big trips after not being able to travel during most of 2020.

The high occupancy rates are pretty typical for summer and harvest season, said Gallagher.

Its a good sign that Napa Valley was able to rebound so quickly, but we still have a lot of catching up to do as we look ahead to our typically slower shoulder season, which is December through March.
Twenty more people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Napa County, bringing the total number of local cases to 10,420, officials announced Thursday afternoon.

The number of people hospitalized in the county with COVID-19 symptoms also increased for a second straight day, from seven to nine, according to Napa Countys daily update on its informational website on the virus. In all, 461 patients have been taken to hospitals as a result of COVID-19 since the pandemic arrived in California in early 2020.

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New infections in the county have increased for four straight weeks, reaching 102 for July 16-22. That total included 46 positive cases reported July 22, the largest single-day total since Feb. 5, although the caseload remains below the 100-plus infections reported daily in February during a wintertime surge in COVID-19 spread.

Eighty-four people in Napa County have died of coronavirus-related causes, the most recent on July 22, according to the county Health and Human Services agency.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A California inmate died of natural causes while awaiting execution for killing his physically disabled mother, officials said Wednesday. He was 68.

Donald R. Millwee died at an outside hospital Tuesday evening, correctional officials said. He had been housed at a state prison in Corcoran, midway between Bakersfield and Fresno.

He was sentenced to death in Riverside County in 1990 for the fatal shooting of his mother, Esta Millwee, in 1986. She was paralyzed on one side of her face after suffering a brain aneurysm in 1981, according to court records.

Millwee was living on the streets of Riverside at the time. He didn't get along with his mother but was seen near her home that day.

His father hired Millwee for odd jobs from time to time so his son wouldn't be penniless, according to trial testimony, but the day of the shooting the two had argued because Millwee had shown up at their meeting place dirty, barefoot and smelling of alcohol.

Prosecutors said after his father left, Millwee went to his parents' house and shot his mother. His father found the body and noticed a rifle missing from a closet, authorities said.
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP)  Frustrated with delays in obtaining European Union membership for their countries, three Balkan leaders signed agreements Thursday to open their national borders to each other's citizens and products in 2023 without restrictions.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the prime ministers of Albania and North Macedonia, Edi Rama and Zoran Zaev, signed three agreements during an economic forum in North Macedonias capital, Skopje, organized by the three countries' chambers of commerce.

If we manage to overcome the administrative problems, from January 1, 2023, there will be borders, but there will be no stopping for our citizens," Vucic said. "There will be no stopping from Belgrade to Tirana and vice versa. It will be a historic moment.

The Balkan leaders signed deals facilitating trade and movement, cooperation in dealing with disasters and freeing the labor market by removing work permit requirements and simplifying procedures.

Visa-free travel and customs-free trade are among the most highly touted features of the 27-nation EU.

The initiative to allow the free flow of goods, capital and people between Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia began in 2019, and has now been dubbed Open Balkans.
The view was glorious. The house on a small hill had a 180-degree view of the twinkling Pacific Ocean from three large windows as well as from the patio deck  but over four years, that view slowly was obscured by the growth of large seaside trees that no one wanted to trim.

We could still hear the surf and the seals on the rocks, but the view had transmogrified. The vast blue water was slowly replaced by treetops and azure slivers.

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Wine is just as dynamic, starting out with overt fruit and later offering a radically different, expanded presence. Wine isnt immutable. After an initial obviousness, it settles down, goes through a dumb phase, and emerges years later as a different creature.

We all hope that the fine wines we buy gain as they go. Some do not and its sad when they fade too soon.

Some people complain about this inevitable transformation in wine over time. Fruit lovers occasionally want that fruit to remain forever. But we understand it when our children grow up and evolve, so why dont we all remember that wine also is like that?
Today representatives of the opposition Armenia and I Have Honor blocs of the National Assembly had a meeting and discussed the attack on Armenian military posts by Azerbaijani troops which have infiltrated into the sovereign territory of Armenia, as well as the casualties suffered by the Armed Forces of Armenia and the escalation of the situation along the entire length of the border. This is stated in the statement issued by the opposition I Have Honor bloc. The statement also reads as follows:

The Armenia and I Have Honor blocs express deep concern about the created situation and deem it necessary to declare the following:

1. The ongoing provocations and reckless behavior of the enemy on the borders of Armenia and, in this context, the inaction and impotence of the authorities of Armenia prove once again that, unfortunately, the recent elections failed to solve the primary security issues and challenges facing Armenia.

2. The Armenian society needs to be officially informed about the content and course of the possible Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations stated in the press release that the Ministry of Defense of Armenia issued today.

3. The dictator of Baku needs to clearly understand that a new situation has been created in Armenia as a result of the recent parliamentary elections, according to which a national and healthy opposition has been formed in parliament which will use all of its resources and leverages to suppress the enemy in the international arena and serve the national and state interests of Armenia.

4. We express our full support to the Armed Forces of Armenia and assure that we will support our soldiers and officers by all means in order to give a worthy counterattack to the enemy.

5. We express deep condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers of the Armed Forces of Armenia and wish the injured soldiers a speedy recovery.
Armenia President congratulates new parliamentary speaker

Saudi Arabia changes rules of entry into country

Exchange rates in Armenia

Diplomatic rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary conferred upon Lilit Makunts

Yerevan Council of Elders member is in critical condition, on ventilator

IMF to allocate $ 650 billion to restore global economy

New York Times editor bans employees from investigating COVID-19 origin

Rotation of Armenian peacekeepers takes place in Kosovo

Armenia parliament considering election of the other two deputy parliamentary speakers (LIVE)

Armenia president appoints 6 ministers

Armen Sarkissian has phone talks with Nikol Pashinyan

Ruben Rubinyan elected as one of 3 Armenian parliament vice-speakers

Forest fires start in vicinity of Jerusalem

Mher Grigoryan appointed as Deputy PM of Armenia

Armenian journalists holding petition in parliament with the demand to lift restrictions on them

Pashinyan proposes to appoint another Deputy PM and 6 ministers

Azerbaijan cannot invade Armenia when it pleases

Anti-record in Georgia: 4,827 new COVID-19 cases reported per day

237 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Armenia per day

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
The United States calls on Azerbaijan and Armenia to take immediate steps to de-escalate the border situation. This is stated in a statement by the head of the press service of the State Department Ned Price.

The US condemns the recent escalation of violence along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to fulfill their ceasefire commitments by taking immediate steps to de-escalate the situation, the US administration official said.

According to him, the continuing tension on the border underlines that only a comprehensive solution that will address all remaining issues can normalize relations between the two countries and allow the inhabitants of the region to live peacefully together.

In addition, the US State Department called on Baku and Yerevan to return to negotiations as soon as possible under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Russia, the United States and France).

The United States calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to return to substantive discussions as soon as possible under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to achieve a long-term political settlement of the conflict, the text says.
Units of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan at about 8.40 am on July 29 again opened fire on Armenian positions in the Gegharkunik province of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the press service of the Armenian Defense Ministry reported.

As a result of the provocation of the Azerbaijani side, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Armenia received a gunshot wound.

As of 09.30, the situation is calm.
The direction in which Azerbaijan's actions have a clear defamatory and destructive tendency is the CSTO, acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during the government's meeting.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces not only continue to illegally stay on the territory of the Republic of Armenia, but also take provocative actions, thereby trying to discredit the CSTO system.

In parallel with provocative actions to implement this program, Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of alleged provocations. Armenia, being a member of the CSTO, which from September this year will take over the chairmanship of the Organization, understands its responsibility for not creating security threats for the CSTO, not involving allied countries in hostilities. I officially rule out any provocative actions on the part of the Armenian Armed Forces.

At the same time, I think that in order to clarify the reality of mutual accusations on the part of Armenia and Azerbaijan, one of the solutions could be the deployment of the CSTO monitoring mission along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which is provided for by the legal regulation of the Organization's activities.

In conditions of impossibility of carrying out such a mission within the CSTO, internationally recognized other formats, including the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group, may be acceptable to us."
Contrary to the efforts of Armenia and the international community, the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is not stabilizing, acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.

"Azerbaijan continues its aggressive rhetoric and actions, leaving unanswered the proposals of the international community aimed at long-term stabilization of the situation.

As an example, I would like to cite the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on April 13, in which they called on the parties to begin a high-level political dialogue at the earliest opportunity, under the auspices of the co-chairs.

But to this day, Azerbaijan has not responded to the call, while Armenia has repeatedly noted its readiness to start the negotiation process at any time in the proposed format.

We also expressed our readiness for dialogue on issues that go beyond the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group. Nevertheless, by its actions, Azerbaijan is trying to exclude any possibility of dialogue, discrediting the trilateral statements of November 9 and January 11 with rhetoric and actions.

In particular, despite paragraph 8 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, trumped-up trials of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees continue in Azerbaijan, as a result of which they are sentenced to many years in prison.

It should be especially noted that practically all the convicts were recently taken prisoner after November 9, in the zones of responsibility of the peacekeepers. If we compare this fact with the widespread propaganda that is being conducted in Azerbaijan against the latter, and with the fact that Baku has not yet signed a mandate on peacekeepers, it becomes obvious that this is a series of actions carried out against peacekeepers, that is, against peace and stability in Nagorno-Karabakh."
Azerbaijan is taking consistent steps to discredit the topic of unblocking regional communications, the acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan noted.

According to him, despite the fact that neither in the 9th paragraph of the statement of November 9, nor in the statement of January 11, there is any expression or definition regarding the corridor, and no specific routes are indicated, Azerbaijan continues to raise the issue of some kind of corridor. indicating specific routes and directions.

I have already said many times that Armenia did not discuss, does not discuss and will not discuss any issues within the framework of the corridor logic, he noted adding that all transport and economic communications in the region must be unblocked.

Pashinyan noted that Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan should have communication with Russia, Central Asia and Iran, and Azerbaijan, in turn, should have communication with Nakhichevan, Georgia and Iran through the territory of Armenia.

To implement this program, it will be necessary to create customs checkpoints in the relevant sections, Nikol Pashinyan said, citing checkpoints operating on the borders of the CIS as an example.
Azerbaijan's attempts to show that Armenia is against the process of delimitation and demarcation of borders have nothing to do with reality, acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted during the government's meeting.

"Back at the meeting of the Security Council on May 27, I voiced our vision regarding the start of work on the delimitation and demarcation of borders. It is as follows: the withdrawal of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops from the line of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the Sotk-Khoznavar section, the deployment of strong points of the Russian border troops along the entire border line and monitoring of the border line, then the start of demarcation work, which we spoke of readiness for many times.

Taking into account the current situation, I think it makes sense to consider the issue of placing strong points of Russian border guards along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which will allow demarcation and delimitation work to be carried out without the risk of military clashes. In any case, we are going to discuss this topic with our Russian colleagues," he noted.
On July 29, 2021 at around 3:30-3:45 a.m. a group of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, in the sector of Verin Shorzha settlement of the border located in the administrative territory of the city of Vardenis of Armenia, with the motive of national, racial or religious hatred or religious fanaticism, with the intention to murder two or more persons, opened fire with firearms in the direction of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Armenia, as a result of which Senior Lieutenant H. S. received a gunshot wound at the military post in the area of maintenance of a military unit of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia.

As reported the Investigative Committee of Armenia, in relation to the incident, the criminal case launched by the military prosecutors office of the garrison in Sevan has been accepted by the Fifth Garrison Investigation Department of the General Military Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee for proceedings, and preliminary investigation is in progress.
The Armenian public started paying more attention to Traditional Chinese Medicine after Chinese doctors held a series of meetings with their Armenian colleagues. This is what Ambassador of Armenia to the Peoples Republic of China Sergey Manasaryan said during the opening of a forum devoted to traditional medicine in the city of Nanchang of Shanxi.

The coronavirus pandemic showed that Chinese medicine is in demand, and its importance has always been highlighted by the Communist Party of China and Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, President of the Peoples Republic of China Xi Jinping. They have always declared that Traditional Chinese Medicine is Chinas business card, the Ambassador said, noting that there are problems with the perception of Traditional Chinese Medicine beyond the borders of China since many people accept it as a product of Chinese culture and dont treat it seriously.

In reality, it is a symbiosis of culture and science that traces back to the 5th century B.C. when Confucianism and Daoism laid the foundation for traditional medicine. Now there is also a demand for Traditional Chinese Medicine in Armenia. I believe these meetings arent sufficient and that our cooperation will grow and develop in the future, Manasaryan said.

By Paruyr Sinyavsky and Maria Asatryan
The sector of Kut village of the border is closed for reporters for security considerations. This is what Governor of Gegharkunik Province of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan told reporters following todays government session.

The adversary [Azerbaijan] has somewhat advanced in the territory near Kut village since May 13-14, and the government took into consideration yesterdays incident when it decided to not let reporters enter Kut village. For the same security considerations, the employees of Sotk gold mine and some technical equipment have been removed. The gold mine is not operating for the time being and will probably start operating again when the security issue is solved, Sanosyan said.
The Kremlin has no comment on acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyans idea of deploying Russian border guard points along the length of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Spokesperson of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday, TASS reports.

The contacts with Yerevan continue, I have nothing more to say, Peskov said in response to a question about the Kremlins comment on Pashinyans initiative, adding that Russia has made great efforts for resumption of the ceasefire regime on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and that work is in progress.

Yesterday there was escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and Russia continues its contacts with Yerevan and Baku in order to ensure full implementation of the trilateral agreements, Peskov said.
The soldier who was injured from the adversarys [Azerbaijan] gunshot is still in extremely critical condition, acting Minister of Health of Armenia Anahit Avanesyan told reporters today.

According to her, all the soldiers injured after Azerbaijans provocation are currently at the hospital, and the health condition of the soldier in extremely critical condition hasnt changed.
We reiterate the inadmissibility of Azerbaijan's attempts to consolidate the illegal occupation of the territories of the Republic of Artsakh, which were seized as a result of the 44-day aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan with the direct participation of Turkey and international terrorists in September 2020. Any actions aimed at making legitimate the results of the violations of international law and the illegal use of armed forces should be strongly condemned. This is stated in the press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), which also reads as follows:

One of such blatant examples of Baku's policy of creating the basis for recognizing its illegal actions as an acceptable norm is the visit of the chairmen of the parliaments of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan to the town of Shoushi, which is under temporary Azerbaijani occupation.

We consider it necessary to note the unacceptability and provocative nature of such visits by officials of Azerbaijan and other countries to the occupied territories of the Republic of Artsakh, as they are a gross violation of international law, a challenge to the civilized world and aim to exclude the possibility of creating prerequisites for a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabagh conflict.

We reiterate the inviolability of the position of the Republic of Artsakh that the restoration of the territorial integrity and acquisition of international legal personality by Artsakh are indispensable conditions for achieving a comprehensive settlement of the conflict and establishing lasting peace in the region.
The Armenian authorities have demanded the resignation of head of Geghamasar village Hakob Avetyan, Pastinfo newspaper reports.

During a conversation with Pastinfo, Avetyan confirmed the news about the demand for his resignation. The regional governor [of Gegharkunik Province] personally offered me to resign, but I specifically told him I wont because the people voted for me, he said.

During the snap parliamentary elections in Armenia, head of Geghamasar village had declared that he endorses the opposition Armenia bloc.

Touching upon the reasons why he was in Yerevan on July 28 when the situation was tense along the length of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, particularly in Gegharkunik Province, Avetyan stated that he was in the village when the shootings were taking place and came to Yerevan only after the ceasefire was established, and he had a serious reason to come to Yerevan. Moreover, he had initially informed Governor Gnel Sanosyan about this.

Today Sanosyan told reporters that the division of the National Security Service in Gegharkunik Province had summoned Avetyan, but it turned out that he was in Yerevan, and so he was summoned to the Yerevan Department of the National Security Service.

Responding to the regional governors statement, Avetyan stated that Sanosyan hadnt fully presented the situation. Sanosyan was well aware. He only said what favored him. I can surely say that there was a serious reason why I was in Yerevan. I dont want to talk about it now, but being in Yerevan wasnt by chance, Avetyan said, adding that he always climbs to the military posts when there are shootings and does whatever he can to help the soldiers.

After the ceasefire was established, I came to Yerevan with the hope to return soon, but in Yerevan I was summoned to the National Security Service.

During his phone conversation with Pastinfo, he was in the village and informed that there were no shootings and the situation was calm.
The Azerbaijani authorities are directly responsible for the damages caused to the borderline residents, for violating the right of servicemen protecting the peaceful population to life by killing them and for causing harm to health through the committal of acts that are prohibited by international law. This is stated in the statement issued by Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan.

Due to the real criminal acts of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the residents of villages have been deprived of grazing fields, grasslands and arable fields.

For instance, Azerbaijani Armed Forces are physically present on the territories of 500 hectares of grazing field, 500 hectares of grassland and 20 hectares of arable land in Kut village. In Norabak village, they are present on the territory of at least 1,000 hectares of grazing field, 200 hectares of grassland and 25 hectares of arable land.

Moreover, they also arent able to use the lands located right in front of these territories since they are under the target of Azerbaijanis.

The residents of Jaghatsadzor, Geghamabak and Norabak villages dont have drinking water or irrigation water. The problem is that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are present in the territories of water basins and rivulets from which the drinking water and irrigation water are formed.

On June 5, 80 large cattle were stolen in Kut village and were never returned to their owners, and four of them were killed. Were talking about cattle that belonged to five families.

Due to shootings, the rights of the employees of Sotk gold mine are violated on a regular basis, and damage is caused to the mining companys entrepreneurial activities.

All this means that, in addition to security, the people face serious social issues.

The peaceful and normal lives of people have been completely undermined everywhere.

The Azerbaijanis gunshots are prevented due to the preventative gunshots fired by the Armed Forces of Armenia.

The Azerbaijani authorities are directly responsible for the damages caused to the borderline residents, for violating the right of servicemen protecting the peaceful population to life by killing them and for causing harm to health through the committal of acts that are prohibited by international law.

The Human Rights Defender visited along with head of Geghamasar village Hakob Avetyan, the heads of Kut and Norabak villages, as well as a representative of the regional governors office of Gegharkunik Province.

The results of the visit will be presented to international organizations (United Nations, Council of Europe, European Union, etc.), as well as the relevant state bodies of Armenia, he wrote.
In the same week in mid-July, both the United States and the European Union introduced legislation for a carbon border tax, a trade-based tool that aims to cut world pollution by penalizing the worst perpetrators of emissionsand stave off climate-related devastation.

Caroline Bradley, a professor at the University of Miami School of Law and specialist in international law and finance, and David Kelly, academic director of the Miami Herbert Business Schools Master of Science Sustainable Business program, recognize that the proposals are complex and politically challenging to advance, but tout them as a powerful incentive to cut pollution at a time of critical reckoning.

Climate change is something that affects us all and can only be addressed effectively by action that is global other than in individual countries, said Bradley, whose course on climate finance examines threats to the worldwide financial system. These changes in weather have huge impacts on businesses, and its obvious that increasingly this is becoming an issue that financial systems have to worry about.

The proposals represent a much-needed shift in attention and behavior, Bradley said. This is particularly interesting in the U.S. because the EU has been much more determined and their efforts more visible to force financial actors to pay attention to these issues, she said. A carbon border tax is not just about peer pressure and saying its the right thing to do, its making it costly to not go along. So, its a more aggressive form of encouraging because the stakes are so high.

Environmental controls and business innovation have helped reduce carbon emissions in both the EU and the U.S. in recent years, Kelly pointed out. In contrast, China, India, Vietnam, and other nationsvoid of controlshave increased emissions that offset reductions here and in Europe.

A carbon border tax aims specifically to reduce carbon leakage, where for reasons of costs of complying with climate change regulations, businesses in certain industry sectors and sub-sectors transfer production to other countries with less stringent emission controls.

Kelly explained that businesses have been motivated to act on their own. Reducing fuel costs by shifting to alternative energy sources and addressing the concerns of increasing environmentally and socially conscious investors and consumers have proved to be business-savvy decisionsyet more pervasive action is required.

A carbon tax ensures that the emissions reductions occur and so succeed beyond what these voluntary efforts can achieve, Kelly said, and has the definite advantage in that it reduces always in the cheapest possible way, better than anything elsewind subsidies, fuel economy regulations, whatever your incentive of choice.

As many as a dozen variations on a carbon tax are under legislative consideration and, while his research leads him to favor a cap-and-trade option, Kelly proposes that any of the tax systems provide critical progress.

Many proposals allow for part of the carbon tax to be rebated to households as a dividend. Carbon regulations impact fuel and energy costs, and they tend to impact low-income populations more severelya major criticism. Yet a carbon tax plus dividend resolves this regressivity impact, Kelly explained.

He offered the scenario of someone who, unable to work remotely, must drive a long distance to get to work. They will pay more when the gas tax goes up, yet the tax will generate revenues that would be returned to them in the form of dividends.

That dividend will matter more to the low-income population, or it could be restricted to be paid solely to them. And with it you still have the incentive for people to drive less, so they pay less, he said.

That helps solve the regressivity problem and gives people a stake in itseeing that check come every month for your carbon dividends creates good will, he noted.

The European Commissions proposal for a carbon border tax to be phased in beginning in 2026 must ultimately be decided by the 27 nations of the union.

According to media reports, the U.S. proposal is to be included along with a range of climate change initiatives as part of the $3.5 trillion budget package proposed by the Biden administration. Proponents suggest that it would generate $16 billion in tax revenues that could then be invested in research and development for alternative energy.

Kelly cautioned that any carbon border tax should be small and uniform to avoid the perception of protectionism that would devolve into a trade war with China or other nations, as has happened in recent years.

The World Trade Organization, whose job it is to prevent trade wars, could play a vital role, he suggested.

If the tax is uniformly applied to all countries and they approve it and say its not protectionist, then its a harder case for the country to make the claim that it is, he explained. But you cant just submit legislation and expect the WTO to say: Okay, this is green, so its fine. 

Bradley noted that because of cost and competitiveness issues, U.S.-based businesses might be resistant to the idea of increasing environmental regulation to deal with climate change and be tempted to pursue production elsewhere.

These types of carbon border taxes foreclose the opportunity to go somewhere cheaper in regulatory terms to compete, but also mean that other competitors of yours coming from less regulated jurisdictions dont have a price advantage, she said.

So, the leveling of the playing field that this is supposed to achieve has to be beneficial to domestic producers, Bradley added. Still, it depends on the details and the extent that there are sectors that are subject to stringent regulations in the U.S. that arent covered by the border tax.

For two weeks in early November, the G20 industrialized nations convene for the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, the United Nations summit that many suggest is one of the last chances to put the world back on track to meet 2015 Paris Agreement metric of reducing world emissions by half by 2030.
When Hawaii native Carissa Moore rose from the roiling sea east of Tokyo on Tuesday to claim the first womens gold medal in the new Olympic sport of surfing, she was widely regarded as a most fitting championthe embodiment of legendary surfer Duke Kahanamokus dream of seeing surfing in the Olympics.

Surfing is Hawaiian. It was the Hawaiians who developed it into a sport. It was the Hawaiians who view surfing as an integral part of their culture and society, said Martin Nesvig, a University of Miami history professor who recently taught a class on how Hawaiis surf culture changed the world. So, its really great that someone is bringing the gold back to Hawaii. In so many ways, the sport belongs to Hawaii.

Duke Kahanamoku

Photo: Library of Congress

While not yet a household name, Moore is a four-time world champion whose hometown of Honolulu had already declared Jan. 4 as a holiday in honor of her significant accomplishments. Far more well-known is Kahanamoku, a captivating figure central in the course Nesvig taught for the first time last semester. A five-time Olympic medalist in swimming, Kahanamoku expressed his hope of seeing surfing in the Olympics during his first trip to the podium at the 1912 Stockholm Games.

Duke was one of the main people in the teens and 1920s who introduced surfing to the rest of the world, said Nesvig, who ordinarily focuses on 16th- and 17th-century Mexican history, particularly the Spanish conquest, inquisition, and Catholicism. He traveled the world doing demonstrations in the surf and would draw thousands of people who were fascinated by this sport they had never heard of. He was really instrumental in bringing Hawaiian culture to the rest of the world where it was not well known.

Introducing students to a radically different culture was one of Nesvigs main goals in developing a course that he said is really out of his comfort zone. But the surfing class evolved from another rather unique history course on a subject Nesvig was more familiar with. A native of San Diego who left his surfing days behind when he moved to Miami Beach to join the faculty in 2005, he has long been obsessed with coastal cultures and began teaching the history of beaches about nine years ago.

Offered periodically, that class covers a range of topics, including bathing suits, tourism, shipping, fishing, real estate, public access, and the Jim Crow-era policies and practices that, until 1965, barred Black people from Floridas beaches. Similar attitudes, Nesvig said, prevented Kahanamoku from staying in beachfront hotels when he traveled the world, and from playing Tarzan in Hollywood. He was considered too dark-skinned for the movie role, and his friend and swimming rival Johnny Weissmuller landed the part instead.

Martin Nesvig

Every time I taught the beach class, everyone, including me, was kind of sad when the Hawaii segment ended. They were like, Oh, but we want to keep going, its so interesting,  recalled Nesvig, who speaks fluent Spanish and has a decent Hawaiian vocabulary. So, the more I taught about Hawaiian history, the more I thought this material is just too good to pass up and I developed it into an entire class just about surfing and Hawaii.

Titled Hawaii and the Pacific World: Or, How Surfing Colonized California and the World, Nesvig plans to offer it again next fall. The course traces how the 50th U.S. state went from being a kingdom with a complex and sophisticated culture to a missionary outpost to a U.S. territory that disenfranchised native Hawaiiansand tried to suppress the sport that was so intertwined with the cultural fabric.

I loved it, said rising senior Rachel Stempler, one of the 43 students and few history majors who took the inaugural class. I learned so much about Hawaiian history that is so relevant to the world today. What was really fascinating about Duke was he wasnt just an amazing athlete. He founded an organization that fought colonialism and was involved in the resistance movement against white supremacy.

Just like how some people today scoff at surfings admission into the Olympics, Nesvig indicated that Calvinist missionaries regarded it as a waste of time and spearheaded laws to make it illegal, for example, to surf on Sundays. They basically said surfers are a bunch of losers and lay abouts who need to get to work, he said. But surfing was never really suppressed. In the areas that had large concentrations of white missionaries, like Honolulu and the west coast of Maui, social pressures and economic penalties prevented surfing during workdays, but in the rest of the island chain surfing never really died out.

Yet, just like the Spaniards arrival in Mexico brought diseases that wiped out indigenous Mexicans, Nesvig said, the arrival of westerners in the 1790s brought diseases that decimated native Hawaiians. Today, he noted, those who can trace their roots to precolonial Hawaii are estimated to be less than 15 percent of the population.

Still, thanks to the efforts of legendary figures like Kahanamoku, who was elected Honolulus sheriff 13 times, and new generations of Hawaiians like Carissa Moore, surfing and its influence on the culture arent going away.

Just look around at what students wear on our campus. A lot of the clothing originally designed as surf gearflip-flops, Vans, and clothing like Hurley and Billabongare now just mainstream, hot-weather clothing, said Nesvig, who wholeheartedly agrees that surfing belongs in the Olympics. Its a very serious and dangerous sport that requires a high level of skill. People break their legs doing it. They get concussions. They get attacked by sharks. They drown. But you cant keep them from chasing waves.
An Air Tran Airlines flight attendant learns how to deal with a knife-wielding attacker in a self-defense course at the company headquarters in Atlanta, Ga. Linda Rosier/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Nearly 1 in 5 flight attendants said they experienced a physical altercation with unruly passengers.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA surveyed 5,000 workers regarding aggressive passengers.

The AFA has requested the federal government step in to prevent violent altercations.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Nearly one in five flight attendants has been in a physical altercation with unruly passengers this year.

In a survey of 5,000 flight attendants by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union, 17% reported experiencing a physical incident in the first half of 2021.

More than 85% of respondents said they had dealt with unruly passengers this year, and 61% of flight attendants said they heard racist, sexist, or homophobic slurs during altercations.

"This survey confirms what we all know, the vitriol, verbal and physical abuse from a small group of passengers is completely out of control, and is putting other passengers and flight crew at risk," said Sara Nelson, president of AFA-CWA. The union is asking for more support from federal agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Read more: Delivery's richest CEO Tony Xu has been quietly funding 2 ghost kitchens built by Uber Eats and DoorDash alums - and his bets reveal the next big trend in the industry, experts say

"It is time to make the FAA 'zero tolerance' policy permanent, the Department of Justice to utilize existing statute to conduct criminal prosecution, and implement a series of actions proposed by our union to keep problems on the ground and respond effectively in the event of incidents," Nelson said.

Aggressive, disruptive passengers have become commonplace in the air, flight attendants told Insider. As of early July, the Federal Aviation Administration proposed fines of nearly $700,000 for disruptive passengers this year.

The AFA survey found 71% of flight attendants who filed incident reports received no follow-up and a majority "did not observe efforts to address the rise in unruly passengers by their employers."

Story continues

About 75% of reports of aggressive passengers involved disputes over masks, the FAA said. President Joe Biden mandated Americans wear masks while flying soon after taking office.

But Nelson said "this is not just about masks as some have attempted to claim. There is a lot more going on here and the solutions require a series of actions in coordination across aviation."

Several flight attendants said their mental health has deteriorated due to the increase in passenger aggression. A Harvard psychologist told Insider's Avery Hartmans the aggression stems from the fear and anxiety COVID-19 placed on Americans the past year and a half.

"This is not a 'new normal' we are willing to accept," said Nelson, the union president. "We will be sharing survey findings with FAA, DOT, TSA, and FBI to help more fully identify the problems and our union's proposed actions to affect positive change."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Illustration of Melvin McNair

CAEN, France  The hijackers played music  Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops  thinking it would keep the 86 passengers of Delta Airlines Flight 841 calm.

Most never knew that one of the hijackers had held a gun to a flight attendant's head. Or that they'd threatened to shoot passengers one by one unless their ransom demand was met. Or that if things spiraled out of control the plane might end up out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean and everyone would drown.

"We just didn't want anyone to panic or get hurt," says Melvin McNair.

Next year marks 50 years since McNair, 72, hijacked a plane with his wife and three other Black Americans.

This series explores the unseen, unheard, lost and forgotten stories of Americas people of color.

On July 31, 1972, they forced the Delta airliner, bound for Miami from Detroit, to divert to Algeria after demanding $1 million from the U.S. government. They wanted to connect with Eldridge Cleaver and other members of the Black Panther Party, the revolutionary-minded and controversial political organization that had established an international chapter in Algeria's capital, Algiers.

The United States, the hijackers concluded, was not always what it said it was  or what it wanted to be. McNair and his associates saw the hijacking as a surefire way to escape racial violence, police brutality and government repression. But they found that the Black Panthers, and life on the run, was not what they wanted it to be, either. After less than two years in Algeria, they moved to France where in 1976 they were arrested, imprisoned and exiled. They ended up on the FBIs fugitive list. If McNair steps back onto U.S. soil, he faces arrest.

McNairs radical decision cost him his life in the United States. For the first time, he is telling his story to a U.S. media outlet.

"Maybe it was a miscalculation," McNair says when USA TODAY spoke with him in July in Caen, the small city in Normandy, France, that has been his home for nearly half a century. "But I'm at peace with what I did."

Story continues

We felt we were facing death

McNair was 24 when he helped hijack Delta Airlines Flight 841.

He never formally joined the Black Panthers. He was neither Black nationalist nor separatist. The racism he encountered as a Black man growing up in 1950s Greensboro, North Carolina, and later in the U.S. military, was similar to that faced by others from his generation: including segregation, slurs and limited opportunities.

There is no single moment, as McNair tells it, that prompted his act of desperation.

"But I can't deny our backs were against the wall. We felt we were facing death, he says. We had to make a decision.

After nearly four years of prison in France for air piracy, McNair disappeared with his family into French society. He became a government social worker and a mentor to troubled French youth in Caen.

Baseball was the medium McNair used to impart his life lessons: make the most of opportunities thrown your way; stay positive in the face of adversity  lessons McNair feels he himself failed to heed as a young man.

"Baseball is like a liberation in itself," McNair says. "You need logic and strategy and technique. There are many options. You need to pick the right ones. You need to do it quickly. You need to be the master of yourself."

In Caen, McNair became Mr. Baseball. He draws effusive praise from former colleagues, parents of young children and teens he has coached and mentored and just about everyone he encounters  from the area optometrist to a group of landscapers pulling weeds from an underpass. He has played in various French semi-professional leagues and volunteered as a trainer with French national and Olympic youth teams.

But on occasion, he longs for the smell of honeysuckle or to see the peach trees of his native North Carolina, especially when he talks with his sister or cousins by phone, which isn't often.

"Sometimes when I look back on it now I think, if at some moment in my life I had taken another direction, then maybe things would have worked out differently," he says.

McNair spends most of his time in a Caen neighborhood called La Grace de Dieu  which in English translates as "The Grace of God."

La Grace de Dieu's state-built rectangular apartment blocks are neat if a little drab. Wide avenues accommodate space for bike paths and a modern-looking tram system. A central square hosts a dozen small shops and a community center.

Melvin McNair made a life for himself and his family in Caen, France. A retired social worker, he spends most of his time in a neighborhood called La Grace de Dieu.

Though McNair retired from social work in 2014, he maintains a busy schedule of meetings with local officials who seek his advice on a broad array of community issues. He regularly checks in on former pupils.

In 2013, the city named a baseball field after him and his late wife, Jean McNair, in recognition of their work with disadvantaged kids.

Terrain de Baseball Melvin et Jean McNair is little more than a stripped-down diamond on the edge of a large multipurpose field, but it signifies McNair's influence.

"Melvin was like a dad for people like me," says Mohamed Belaidi, 52, a former student.

Hear from the journalists behind this story by clicking play below

I liked the discipline of the Army. The racism cut my ambitions short

McNair says the hijacking was the result of an accumulation of experiences with racism that began in earnest for him after he left Greensboro to join the U.S. Army.

Despite growing up in a city intimately connected to the civil rights movement  notably through the 1960 Woolworth lunch counter sit-in  McNair did not feel compelled to participate in protests.

"You'd get hostile insults, stuff like that. However, I was never in a position where I felt physically threatened or abused or something like that," McNair says.

McNair was born in 1948. His father left the family when McNair was 4. His mother worked long hours in a tobacco factory and later as a domestic servant for a wealthy white family. A favorite uncle, one of Greensboro's first Black police officers, took responsibility for raising him.

"I was brought up to defend myself and was planning on being a professional baseball player. I kept getting told that Superman was white. I wasn't so sure," McNair recalls.

In 1966  the same year Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California  a baseball scholarship took McNair to Winston-Salem State University, a historically Black public college.

He soon met Jean Carol Allen, a bookish and reserved woman from Winston-Salem with a strong social conscience. "She was the brains, I was the brawn," he says. "Before I met Jean I was little more than a jock."

The young couple started attending the growing number of civil rights marches, protests and demonstrations in and around Winston-Salem.

But McNair found living on campus alienating. He was frustrated by what seemed like pointless and contradictory rules and demands, such as curfews mandated by the terms of his scholarship, from the college's coaches and athletic staff.

"It was like they were trying to break my spirit," McNair says.

Before long, McNair lost his scholarship because of various discipline-related transgressions. He had a bad attitude and talked back to the coaching staff. He was kicked out of campus housing, and, eventually, he decided to leave college altogether. He was then drafted into the Army.

At Fort Bragg, McNair was singled out for his intelligence and leadership qualities.

Yet time and again, McNair was passed over for promotion in favor of white soldiers who, he says, had done little to prove themselves. The Army identified McNair as a top athlete. When his battalion handed out a sports award, that, too, went to a white man.

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"I liked the discipline of the Army. The racism cut my ambitions short," McNair says.

McNair decided to become an Army clerk, an office logistics job that would mostly keep him away from the front line. In 1969, shortly after passing his clerk qualification at a military school in Virginia, he became one of the 25,000 Black American troops stationed in West Germany.

Army life in Germany soured quickly for McNair, even though Jean McNair, now his wife and pregnant, had joined him in Berlin after getting her degree.

One time, during a basketball game he was playing in, the wife of a white soldier shouted from the stands in McNair's direction.

"Get the n***** off the court!"

McNair turned to his lieutenant, who was also his coach: "You hear this stuff?" The coach said there was nothing he could do about it.

McNair began resisting the Army in small ways.

He let his afro grow.

He refused to stand for the national anthem.

Instead of saluting, McNair raised a fist, the gesture used by the Black Panthers to signal the civil rights struggle, Black empowerment and moral conviction.

Soon, word came that McNair was being sent to Vietnam. McNair was concerned he would be asked to take on a combat role.

At first, McNair sought a legal exit from the Army on the grounds of racism. He enlisted the help of an aunt who worked at the Pentagon and American Civil Liberties Union lawyers.

When that failed, he decided to desert.

He told his Army bosses that before deploying to Vietnam he needed extra money to get Jean and the baby settled back in the United States. That bought time and a financial cushion.

The McNairs settled on Detroit because Jean had a friend from college who lived there. The city also had a large Black population, along with a strong base of Black nationalists who advocated for economic self-sufficiency and racial pride.

Jean McNair got a job teaching. McNair trained to be a manager of an Italian fast food restaurant named Gino's.

Meanwhile, they were drawn to the Black Panthers' charitable work. In the early 1970s, the group was running health clinics nationwide and feeding thousands of American children every day before they went to school.

LEFT: Detroit policemen search a member of a Black Panther splinter group which surrendered after a nine-hour armed standoff in Detroit on Saturday, Oct. 25, 1970.

RIGHT: A crowd of 4,000 to 5,000 people, some carrying Black Panther flags, staged a protest march and rally in downtown Detroit against the police STRESS unit, Thursday, Sept. 24, 1971.

Still, the McNairs decided against making contact with the Detroit chapter because they knew the FBI was closely watching anyone affiliated with it.

Since the 1950s, the FBI's COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) unit had been surveilling, infiltrating and harming political groups, activists and anyone it deemed subversive in what is now regarded as the darkest period in FBI history. Black Panthers bore the brunt of COINTELPRO operations.

In late 1969, for example, Fred Hampton, a young rising star of the party, had been killed in an FBI-orchestrated police raid as he slept in his Chicago apartment.

In May 1971, 21 members of the Black Panther Party, including two who fled to Algeria, were acquitted of a conspiracy to bomb department stores, police stations, railroads and a large botanical garden in New York City. During the trial, it was revealed FBI infiltrators organized the plot.

"We knew we had to get out of the USA because we knew American police and the FBI were terrorizing Black people like us," McNair says.

The would-be hijackers assemble in Detroit

McNair is reluctant to go into too much detail about how the hijacking plot was hatched.

What's clear is that it was formed in the immediate wake of the shooting in Detroit of a friend of McNair's named George Brown.

Brown was shot by police as he walked home one evening from a movie. Detroit police said he had a knife and shot him during an assault. Brown's French widow, Annie Brown, says her husband was shot six times with dumdum bullets  designed to expand on impact  and nearly died. A court accepted Brown's claim he was ambushed by police and threw out the charges.

McNair had been introduced to Brown by another friend, George Wright, who McNair met while they both worked at Ginos.

The McNairs, Brown, Wright, and Wrights girlfriend, Joyce Tillerson, comprised the core hijacking gang.

Jean McNair died in 2014. Brown died in 2015. Tillerson died in 2000.

Wright, through his lawyer, declined to be interviewed for this story. He is living in Portugal and is still wanted by the Justice Department.

Not long after they met, all five adults  plus three children  moved into a house near the Detroit River.

The McNairs now had an additional child to Berlin-born Johari, a daughter named Ayana. Tillerson's daughter Kenya also joined the group at the house.

What the McNairs didn't know at the time was that Brown had been imprisoned in 1968 for armed robbery. And Wright had been convicted as an accomplice for the 1962 murder of Walter Patterson, a World War II veteran who was shot as Wright and three other people robbed a gas station in Wall Township, New Jersey. In 1970, Brown and Wright had escaped together from Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, New Jersey, by hot-wiring a car that belonged to the jail's warden. After fleeing, the two convicts went underground, eventually surfacing in Detroit.

Still, for McNair and the others, Brown's Detroit shooting was a highly emblematic close call: A controversial undercover Detroit police program called STRESS (Stop the Robberies and Enjoy Safe Streets) was in full swing with a violent repression campaign against Black rights organizations. Civil rights leaders, historians and activists say the unit also used unchecked and excessive force against the city's Black population more generally.

"We felt cornered," McNair says. "We had to do something."

Look at America for the last time. Were never coming back

The hijackers had spent weeks doing research. First, they identified a plane  a DC-8  they were confident could be flown nonstop to Algeria.

They established the plane was completely inaccessible from underneath. They did not want the FBI to storm the aircraft via the luggage hold.

William H. May, the pilot of Delta Airlines Flight 841, says he was in the bathroom when the hijacking began. The plane was about an hour from landing.

Wright was disguised as a priest. He hid a gun in a hollowed-out Gideon Bible. Brown impersonated a disheveled college student. McNair pretended to be a businessman.

map of hijacking

The McNairs and Tillerson had brought their children along. Johari and Ayana were 2 and 1, respectively. Kenya, Tillerson's child, was 3. Jean McNair and Tillerson entertained the kids with coloring books and games.

May's account has been corroborated by McNair; by court testimony from the other hijackers, passengers and flight crew stored in a restricted-access national archive in Paris; by CIA-FBI correspondence; by snippets of eyewitness testimony published in contemporary newspaper stories; by a 2012 interview with Wright by the American writer Michael Finkel; and by FBI agents, including retired agent William Brown, who spoke with Wright from the airport's communications tower when the plane landed in Miami.

Wright tapped a flight attendant on the shoulder as she passed through the plane. "Excuse me," Wright said. "Can I ask you something?"

As the attendant leaned down to see what he wanted, Wright showed her the gun hidden in the Bible. "Keep cool," Wright told her. "Just take us to the cockpit."

When May exited the lavatory, he says, he turned around to find McNair pressing the barrel of a handgun into his belly, a .45-caliber, he thinks. May was taken to the cockpit, where he found the flight attendant, a flight engineer and the co-pilot had been taken hostage by Wright. (McNair says he doesn't remember pointing a gun at May, but he concedes it's possible he has forgotten some details of how the incident unfolded.)

In the cockpit, Wright held a gun to a flight attendant's head.

"Everybody up there was white as a sheet," May recalls.

May says it was Wright who took charge during the hijacking.

"Wright was certainly the most talkative," says May, who was 41 then. He's now 90 and, like McNair, is from North Carolina.

"I asked the priest how many gunmen he had. He acted like he was counting and said something like '13.' I told him, 'I don't believe it.' Turns out he was lying," May says.

After some back-and-forth with the hijackers about their demands, and a successful plea to Wright to uncock the gun he was holding to the flight attendant's head, May sent a coded message through the plane's communications dashboard.

"Are you squawking 7500?" came the reply from a Miami air traffic controller.

It was the code for a hijacking.

"Affirmative," replied May.

The hijackers were calm, polite, even courteous, according to May.

"You shouldn't cry, little girl. It's not gonna be that bad," passenger Sam Gardner, a Detroit criminal lawyer, overheard one of the male hijackers say to a young woman who was weeping, according to an account published in the Miami News.

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"Nobody really knew what was happening until they walked off the plane. I'm amazed at what a clever plan those cats had," Gardner added.

But the hijackers had not known that May had never flown overseas. And the plane they had chosen to hijack was a domestic model that lacked the large fuel tanks needed for an international flight.

As the plane taxied to an abandoned runway at Miami International Airport, May told Wright: "You know this airplane won't make it all the way to Algeria. It doesn't have the fuel range. We'll go down in the ocean. We'll all drown. Are you ready for that?"

Wright was ready with an answer.

"Yes," he said. "We're Black Panthers and we're going to our homelands."

The plan all along had been to collect a $1 million ransom in Miami, when they would drop off the aircraft's passengers, then fly to North Africa. They came up with the idea of demanding $1 million because that was the amount Brown had wanted to sue the city of Detroit for after police shot him.

But May's inexperience with navigating across an ocean and the miscalculation on the plane forced a change of plan.

As the FBI scrambled to come up with the ransom money, the hijackers decided the plane would fly from Miami to Boston to refuel, then make its way to Algeria with an internationally experienced navigator brought aboard. They decided to let the passengers off the plane in Miami.

Still, the hijackers took no chances.

In Miami and Boston, the hijackers insisted that anyone who approached the plane be dressed in a bathing suit to prevent a concealed weapon.

Archival footage from this time, viewable in a short documentary from 2012 about the McNairs called "Melvin & Jean: An American Story" by Maia Wechsler, shows an FBI agent in Miami in skintight swimming trunks delivering the $1 million in a blue suitcase.

LEFT: An international navigator at Logan International Airport in Boston, clad in a bathing suit and carrying a briefcase of charts, gets ready to board the Delta Airlines plane hijacked by Melvin McNair and his associates on July 31, 1972.

RIGHT: In this July 31, 1972 file photo, an FBI agent wearing only a pair of swim trunks carries a case containing a $1 million ransom to the opened door of a hijacked Delta Airlines jet in Miami. Melvin McNair and his associates demanded the ransom in exchange for freeing 86 people on board and passage to Algeria.

As the plane took off from Boston, Jean McNair positioned Ayana so she could look out the window: "Look at America for the last time," she whispered to her baby daughter as the New England landscape receded into the distance. "We're never coming back," she said, according to French trial testimony housed in an archive in Paris.

The overnight flight from Boston to Algeria passed without incident.

Way out over the Atlantic Ocean, the men slept while the women kept watch.

On the approach to Algiers, May flew low over the city, and he thought to himself that the landscape appeared bleak, impoverished, unwelcoming.

"The hijackers kept telling me they were escaping Detroit's ghettoes. I told them I didn't know how bad things were in Detroit, but I'm not sure you'll like it here either," May says.

We had to learn how to be in a hostile environment

May's comments turned out to be prescient.

When the plane landed, it was surrounded by the Algerian military. The hijacker's guns were confiscated, and they were told they were free to go.

But there was a catch: By prior arrangement with the FBI, Algeria's President Houari Boumediene agreed to return the $1 million, possibly in a bid for a restoration of Algeria's severed diplomatic ties with the U.S.

There were other setbacks.

The Black Panthers the hijackers met in Algeria, especially Cleaver, the party's charismatic though troubled spokesman, were a disappointment.

"The only thing that interested (Cleaver) was the money," Brown says in a 2011 documentary, "Nobody Knows My Name." Brown goes on: "They weren't dealing with the struggle. They were women-hunting in Algeria. We risked our lives for believing in the cause. When we got there, the cause wasn't there."

McNair was more hesitant to directly criticize Cleaver or other Black Panthers in Algeria because he says that "everybody was naive and young and there were all types of manipulations, disinformation and stuff like that going on from the FBI and elsewhere."

In all, the hijackers lasted about 18 months in North Africa.

They lived comfortably in government housing. But without a car, it was difficult to get around. They didn't speak French. They met few Algerians. They were warned by the Algerian secret service to be on the lookout for U.S. spies who might try to harm them.

"We had to learn how to be in a hostile environment," McNair says.

They also had another big decision to make. "We knew we had to leave Algeria," McNair says. "We also knew we couldn't move with the kids."

Tillerson's uncle flew to Algeria to take Johari, Ayana and Kenya back to the United States.

In 1974, all five hijackers left Algeria for France on forged passports. They calculated that France's relatively large Black community would afford them a degree of anonymity not possible elsewhere in Europe. Strong links between Algeria and France had also brought the hijackers to the attention of activists and human rights organizations in France willing to help shelter them.

In Paris, McNair found work in a printing shop.

By 1976, all the hijackers  except for Wright  were in a French jail. They were arrested in a coordinated police operation after pressure from the U.S. government.

A debt repaid?

After he was apprehended in 1976 in the printing shop, McNair served just under four years in jail. He was let out early for good behavior, which included learning French.

Brown served a similar amount of time.

Jean and Tillerson were freed right after the trial, which took almost two years to come before the court, so they could be reunited with their children.

Wright separated from the group after they arrived in France and refused to tell the others where he was going. In 2011, Wright was discovered living near Lisbon in a beach town. After spending time in Guinea-Bissau on West Africas Atlantic coast, Wright had built a secret life for himself as a family man in Portugal under the name "Jorge dos Santos."

The United States tried to extradite Wright from Portugal to finish the murder sentence he was serving when he escaped from prison in 1970, and to face charges for the hijacking. Portugal ruled he could not be extradited because Wright had become a Portuguese national. Officials there also seemed satisfied he was rehabilitated.

The French government has long refused to extradite McNair, because it did not believe he would get a fair trial. His supporters point out that no one was physically hurt during the hijacking. The ransom money was returned. After he served his sentence, McNair devoted his life to helping others.

And although air piracy is a serious crime and the hijackers threatened to shoot passengers, USA TODAY found no evidence  either in published news reports, passenger testimony or interviews with May, FBI agent William Brown and others  that anyone believes McNair should continue to pay for what he did.

"He's a very special person who has meant so much to our city. His contributions have been positive in every way," says Joel Bruneau, who has been Caen's mayor for the past six years and has known McNair's community work for several decades.

"There's no question in my mind Melvin has paid his debt to society," says David Mann, director of Fort Wayne, Indiana-based World Partners, a faith-based group involved with humanitarian work. Mann has staged a series of baseball clinics with McNair in Caen.

"He obviously did something horrendous with the hijacking, but he has proven himself over and over. What would be gained by putting him in a U.S. prison?" Mann asks, noting that France's justice system has allowed McNair the opportunity to achieve what many caught up in the U.S. system often don't get: the ability to rehabilitate himself.

The U.S. Justice Department is neither actively pursuing the case nor willing to abandon it, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official says McNair would be given a fair trial in a Miami court if he chose to return to the U.S.

Susan Tipograph, a retired American criminal defense lawyer who represented dozens of former Black Panthers and political prisoners, says there's an overdue reckoning with how the U.S. treated scores of young radicals and Black rights activists from this time who, while not entirely guilt-free, deserve fresh appraisal.

Tipograph says there are people in prison or overseas whom the Justice Department "just won't let go of who are old and infirm and in some cases dying."

McNair says he doesn't regret the hijacking. Yet he wouldn't do it again.

In Caen, Melvin McNair is known as "Mr. Baseball," a mentor who uses the game to teach life lessons to troubled French youth.

"Sometimes I think it was simply the arrogance of youth," McNair says. Anger blinds you.

He is concerned his life's work in France will be obscured by his association with Wright, who has more serious charges to face. McNair says he "has a lot of love and respect" for Wright, but it was also a shock to learn of the murder conviction.

McNair worries, too, that were he to return to the United States, he either may not recognize the country he left behind or would struggle to find a role for himself in social justice movements now dominated, he suspects, by brighter, younger, more nimble activists.

"I found a way to be constructive and productive in Caen," he says. And his links to the area have deepened.

The city plans to name a street after Jean McNair in honor of her work.

She is as lauded in Caen as is her husband  for her tireless work with after-school programs, a concept she helped pioneer in France.

Jean McNair is buried in Caen. So is McNairs eldest son, Johari, who in 1998 was shot dead on a street in Winston-Salem, targeted by a local gang in a revenge killing.

There are grandkids to consider.

Three from Ayana, two more from another son, Tumaini, who was born in France, and three  one of whom died recently  from Johari. McNair is not able to see Joharis children often because they live in the U.S.

One thing McNair has learned: Be careful whom you trust.

But he trusts baseball despite its ever shifting velocities, movements, its life-mimicking curveballs and swift reversals of fortune.

In fact, McNair's best baseball pitch, like the arc of his life, is a slow curveball.

"I've learned that if you want to change the system, you have to be part of the system. That's part of being an effective resistance. It's no good just attacking it," he says.

Watch Melvin & Jean: An American Story

Almost 50 years after hijacking a plane from Detroit to Algeria, Melvin McNair is still coming to terms with the lifelong consequences of his actions. Watch this 2012 documentary directed by Maia Wechsler, produced by Maia Wechsler and Matthieu Belghiti and edited by Sophie Brunet.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 1972: Melvin McNair hijacked a plane to join Black Panthers in Algeria
Two New York Police Department police officers were fired in March after a judge at in internal disciplinary trial found them guilty of sexual abuse and rape of a 15-year-old girl, according to a searing ruling made public last week.

The ruling found that the officers  Sanad Musallam, 34, and Yaser Shohatee, 41  targeted the minor as a particularly vulnerable individual they were morally obliged to protect but chose to take advantage of to satisfy their depraved interests, Paul Gamble, the department's assistant deputy commissioner of trials who was acting in the capacity of a judge, said in a 41-page report recommending their termination.

Between 2015 and 2016, records claim Musallam and Shohatee carried out months-long relationships with the teen during which they raped her and exchanged hundreds of texts.

"The insidious and sinister nature of his repeated actions would cause any responsible adult, let alone a parent, to recoil in horror," the judge wrote of Musallam following December 2020 and January 2021 court dates.

The girl's mother filed a complaint with NYPD's internal affairs, and the department began an internal investigation in 2018.

Gamble determined in March that both officers raped the girl, who was 15 years old at the time and unable to consent. Acting on Gamble's recommendation to terminate the officers, who denied the allegations, the NYPD fired Musallam and Shohatee.

Neither officer has been criminally charged. Brooklyn District Attorneys Office said in a statement to USA TODAY that the teen chose not to pursue a criminal case.

"While investigating the trafficking of a teenage girl, our office learned of troubling allegations that she was sexually abused by two police officers years earlier," the statement said. "While the young victim repeatedly refused to participate in any criminal or other legal proceedings, we referred our findings to the Internal Affairs Bureau, ultimately leading to the officers termination."

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Musallam, who joined the NYPD in 2008, met the girl after her mother asked him to "look out" for her daughter when she returned home after running away. The mother gave the officer the teen's phone number, and Musallam recommended the girl join the New York Police Department Explorers, a youth program for 14- to 20-year-olds, according to disciplinary reports.

Musallam exchanged 742 text messages and 80 phone calls with the teen between July 2015 and the end of 2016, Gamble found.

The girl told her mother that Musallam had coerced her into performing a sexual act while in his car and had her send him a revealing photo of herself.

Roger Blank, the attorney representing Musallam, told USA TODAY that his client denies any sexual contact with the teen. He said "there is not a single inappropriate text from my client to the complainant" and added that the girl was only in the officer's car for "about five minutes" while her mother was outside. He said there was little opportunity for any sexual misconduct to occur under those circumstances.

Blank also said the 742 text messages were spread out over time and only amounted to a few texts a week, which he said is not a concerning number.

He said the NYPD "lacked political courage to say these allegations are serious but that we are not going to terminate and ruin someone's career when the evidence is not sufficient."

"He's an expendable police officer, and they don't want to take the political heat for saying the evidence is not there," Blank said.

Musallam testified that the revealing photo the teen sent him was unsolicited, according to the ruling. He denied requesting the photo and said he told her not to send such photos again.

But Gamble said Musallam never reported the revealing photo to his superiors or to the girls mother, saying the officer admitted to keeping the photo as "insurance" in case the teen accused him of misconduct.

"I find that its incriminating nature should have been immediately apparent to any reasonable adult, let alone a police officer," the report said.

"If his relationship with The Minor were wholly appropriate...it would be unnecessary to retain such a photograph 'just in case,' the ruling added. "It is more likely than not that Respondent Musallam kept this photograph, being aware of his guilt of the misconduct charged in this case, in a corrupt scheme to undermine The Minor's credibility by suggesting that she possessed an unchaste character."

After Musallam learned the mother had reported him to NYPD's internal affairs, the report said he called her to tell her that he "had a family" and "didn't want any trouble."

"While no explicit threat was made during the conversation he had with her, his assertion that he "had a family" and "didn't want any trouble" could easily be interpreted as a thinly veiled invitation to recant her statements," according to the ruling.

Shohatee, who joined the department in 2005, met the teen through the Explorers program, which she participated in from fall 2015 to the following spring. He said he was trying to mentor the girl, a claim refuted in the ruling and by the teen's mom.

The investigation found the two exchanged over 800 texts and communicated over Snapchat. The teen alleged Shohatee requested nude photos over Snapchat and asked if she "would be down to have sex," the victim alleged. She also alleged Shohatee raped her "four or five times at his apartment," according to the disciplinary documents.

Shohatee acknowledged in his testimony that he exchanged the text messages with the girl and spent time with her after work hours, including times that she visited him alone in his apartment, court documents said.

The officer admitted he met the girl three times at night  one time in his car and the two other times in his apartment. The officer, however, denied any sexual contact and maintained he was only trying to help the girl.

At the time, Shohatee said he didnt see anything wrong with having the girl in his apartment alone and late at night, and he didnt report the incident to his superiors.

Gamble found these justifications "self-serving and largely unworthy of belief," He expressed doubt that the officer would not see "anything problematic" with him either having the girl alone in his apartment at night, calling it "absurd on its face."

Gamble determined Shohatee raped the girl at least twice inside his apartment.

The trauma  Shohatees conduct caused (the girl) is incalculable and may well last a lifetime, he said in the ruling.

Musallam and Shohatee both admitted to texting and meeting with the teenager, the ruling said, but the officers denied having any sexual contact with her.

Blank, the attorney representing Musallam, said the trial commissioner made a mistake in trying the two cases together, saying he "used a broad brush stroke to lump the two cases together," thereby not giving his client "a fair chance."

"It should have been separate trials because they were very different defenses and very different allegations," Blank said.

The attorney listed in court documents as representing Shohatee did not respond to requests for comment.

The New York Post reported the officers remained on the force at full pay until they were fired three weeks after Gamble's ruling and four years after the allegations were initially reported.

"There is zero tolerance in the NYPD for corruption of any kind and these two former officers forfeited their privilege to be part of our proud Police Department by disgracefully violating their oaths of office and the public trust," the NYPD said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. "These individuals are no longer members of this Police Department as a result of an internal NYPD disciplinary trial."

Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NYPD officers fired after judge finds them guilty of sex abuse, rape
TOKYO  Sunisa Lee was standing in the middle of Ariake Gymnastics Centre, standing on the verge of Olympic glory, standing 90 seconds from fulfilling a goal that seemed impossible from her first tumbles as a 6-year-old daughter of immigrants in Minnesota until, well, about 48 hours ago.

John Lee was sitting half a world away watching his 18-year-old daughter on television, sitting in the wheelchair that has mostly confined him since an accident left him partially paralyzed, sitting in the middle of a watch party for the local Hmong community where moments like this  Olympic greatness  simply dont happen.

They were separated, father and daughter. Yet, somehow, they couldnt have been closer.

This, Suni Lee said, a gold medal draped around her neck after coming through on floor and winning the women's all-around competition, is our dream.

It was an improbable one. Oh, Suni had talent from Day 1, but what did her family know about elite gymnastics? Besides, she said, within the Hmongs exists a cultural hesitation to push toward big goals, to even step too far outside their close-knit families.

The Hmongs are a people from Southeast Asia who fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam War, got left behind and had to flee as refugees. Some made it to America, only to struggle for recognition, let alone acceptance.

They tend to stay within, Suni said, leaning on brothers and sisters and cousins and grandparents. Yet here was John Lee, who had come from Laos, not only never holding his bold, fearless daughter back, but also pushing her to consider even unthinkable heights  American heights.

You come so your children can have a better life. Why not the best life?

Why not you, hed say? Why not us, hed ask?

He and his wife, Yeev Thoj, would drive Suni to practice, drive her to meets, find ways to pay for new leotards and extra training. When Suni needed a balance beam at their home so she could put more hours in, John balked at the cost and simply built one himself.

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They would find a way.

Gold medalist Sunisa Lee of the United States displays her medal for the artistic gymnastics women's all-around at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

To Suni a gold medal was too much to consider. She had almost quit in 2020 during the boredom of quarantine  and again when she returned to training only to break her foot and it didnt seem to heal. None of it seemed worth it in 2019, when two days before nationals, her dad fell while helping a neighbor trim a tree. The accident changed the course of everything.

Even when she made the Olympic team, gold wasnt a consideration.

Her idol Simone Biles was here as well, the greatest gymnast ever, the reigning Olympic champion sitting on a nearly decade-long unbeaten streak. Biles had degrees of difficulty in her routines that made her nearly unbeatable. The gold was hers for the taking.

I was competing for a silver medal," Lee said.

Then on Wednesday, Biles withdrew from the all-around to work on her mental health. She cited an inability to focus on a vault during Tuesdays team event. She would spend Thursday evening in the first row, cheering Suni, American Jade Carey and just about every other gymnast here on.

Come on, Suni, Biles shouted as Lee stood out on that mat, about to begin the final floor routine.

Suni tried to block it all out. The stakes. The score. The voices. Even the family back at home, crowded into a banquet hall just outside St. Paul, just waiting to go wild, just waiting to chant USA! USA!

She could feel her dad, though, always, even as he sat so far away, sporting a Team Suni T-shirt and seemingly dying of nerves.

Ive just been telling myself, Do nothing less, nothing more, because everything I've been doing has been pretty good so far, Lee said.

She delivered a strong performance and surged into first place. She waited out a final routine by silver medalist Rebeca Andrade before clinching gold.

She then tried to find her phone and a quiet spot amidst the frenzy to call home.

The medal ceremony was about to begin but that wasnt her priority. Shed climb that podium and take her necklace of gold and proudly stare up as the American flag was raised and the American anthem was played.

But first things first.

I FaceTimed him, Suni said.

I was like, I did it  and we all started crying.

No, this was never the plan, except somehow this was always the plan. A father and a daughter and an immigrant family's why-not spirit?

Here in a back area of the gymnastics hall, trying to make sense of it all, Suni Lees eyes welled up again.

We always talked about, If I won a gold medal, he would come out on the floor and do a backflip with me, she said.

The accident and the pandemic made that impossible. And yet neither distance nor disability mattered right then.

We were all just crying on the phone, Suni said. It was a very, very surreal moment. I am super proud of them. My parents are just the most amazing people in my life.

I love them so much.

Team USA gymnastics over the years slideshow embed

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A worker at a smelting plant at Anglo American Platinum's Unki mine in Shurugwi, Zimbabwe. Photo: Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters

FTSE 100 (^FTSE) mining giant Anglo American (AAL.L) has reported a 1,000% increase in half-year profits, as the reopening of economies around the world leads to surging demand for metals.

Revenue rose 114% in the first six months of the year to reach $21.7bn and profit attributable to shareholders hit $5.2bn, compared with $471m in the same period last year. The company's half-year profits are more than double what it made in 2020 as a whole.

Surging sales and profits partly reflect comparisons to an extremely tough period last year when demand collapsed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the blockbuster numbers also reflect a building and manufacturing boom in parts of the world like China since economies began reopening.

"The first six months of 2021 have seen strong demand and prices for many of our products as economies begin to recoup lost ground, spurred by stimulus measures across the major economies," Anglo's chief executive Mark Cutifani said in a statement.

"The platinum group metals and copper  essential to the global decarbonisation imperative as we electrify transport and harness clean, renewable energy  and premium quality iron ore for greener steelmaking, supported by an improving market for diamonds, all contributed to a record half-year financial performance."

Anglo announced plans to return $4.1bn to shareholders in light of the results. The company will pay a $2.1bn interim dividend, a $1bn special dividend, and buy back $1bn-worth of shares.

Shares rallied 4% on the news.

Anglo American shares jumped on news of the deal. Photo: Yahoo Finance UK

News of the bumper payout comes a day after rival miner Rio Tinto (RIO.L) announced a record $9.1bn dividend on the back of similarly surging sales and profits.

Anglo American makes the bulk of its money from iron ore (TIO=F), copper (HG=F), and platinum group metals. The company said copper prices surged 66% in the first half of 2021 "with demand rebounding sharply in China, ahead of other regions".

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Platinum group metal prices jumped 47% in the first half, as the closure of two Russian mines hit supply and demand surged from the rebounding car industry. Automakers use platinum group metals in catalytic converters.

Iron ore saw prices roughly double across Anglo's various mines. China is the largest importer of iron ore globally.

Nickel, a key component in electric vehicle batteries, forms a small but growing part of Anglo's business. Prices rose 40% in the period thanks to "particularly robust consumption in stainless steel and batteries".

"Our business is increasingly geared towards providing the future-enabling metals and minerals for a low-carbon economy and to meet global consumer demand trends," said Cutifani. "Combined with our commitment to carbon neutrality across our operations by 2040, we are working to meet the expectations of our full breadth of stakeholders."

Watch: Why Tesla still has more room to grow after a record-breaking quarter
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) blasted Senator Kyrsten Sinema on Wednesday after the Arizona Democrat came out against Democrats $3.5 trillion spending plan.

Good luck tanking your own partys investment on child care, climate action, and infrastructure while presuming youll survive a 3 vote House margin  especially after choosing to exclude members of color from negotiations and calling that a bipartisan accomplishment,' Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a tweet.

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Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), who is a member of the progressive Squad alongside Ocasio-Cortez, was also critical of Sinema.

Tlaib accused the senator of caring more about making friends with Republicans than addressing the countrys infrastructure.

Sinema seems not to care that her own state is flooding, the west is burning, and infrastructure around the country is crumbling. Sinema is more interested in gaining GOP friends and blocking much needed resources, than fighting for her residents future, Tlaib wrote in a tweet.

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In a separate tweet, she added that its time for the White House to play hardball.

We didnt elect Sinema as President and we wont let her obstruction put a Republican in the Oval Office in 2024, Tlaib said. Its the reconciliation bill or GOP controlling every level of government again, period.

Democrats are attempting to pass a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan alongside the $3.5 trillion proposal.

Though Sinema said she supports the goals of the $3.5 trillion proposal, such as job growth for Americans, she cannot get behind the price tag.

I have also made clear that while I will support beginning this process, I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion, Sinema told the Arizona Republic in a statement.

In the coming months, I will work in good faith to develop this legislation with my colleagues and the administration to strengthen Arizonas economy and help Arizonas everyday families get ahead, Sinema added.

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Sinemas comments signal a tough road ahead for Democrats, who need the support of every Democratic senator to advance the package.

More from National Review
Gov. Asa Hutchinson reinstated Arkansas' public health emergency Thursday, and announced he is calling a special session of the legislature to amend the law banning mask mandates to allow more flexibility for schools.

What's happening: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are out of control in the state. And Act 1002 prohibits school districts from requiring masks when classes start again in a few weeks.

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Hutchinson stressed school districts need to be allowed to require masks, in particular to protect kids under 12 who cannot get vaccinated.

Threat level: Four COVID-19 patients were forced to wait in ambulances Thursday until EMTs could find open hospital beds, Hutchinson said.

A federal surge response team is coming to Arkansas to evaluate how to handle the uptick in hospitalized patients.

Why it matters: The emergency declaration will allow the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management to seek emergency staffing assistance and will ease licensure requirements for health professionals, speeding up the process for those going into health care and making it easier for retired health professionals to re-enter the field.

By the numbers: The state added more than 2,800 new cases between Wednesday and Thursday, and 1,055 people were in the hospital as of Thursday.

Arkansas Children's Hospital had 24 COVID-19 patients, Hutchinson said. Half the patients were under 12.

1 important thing: 29.4% of Arkansans ages 1218 are partially vaccinated, and another 17.5% are fully vaccinated, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

What's next: The legislature will likely meet next week to reconsider the mask ban.

Spokespeople for Bentonville, Springdale and Rogers school districts tell Axios they do not yet have specific plans if Act 1002 is amended.

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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
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, blamed the "defund the police" movement as Austin is seeing what's been described as a "grim milestone" for homicides in 2021.

Earlier this week, the Austin-American Statesman reported that despite five months remaining for the year, the number of homicides in 2021 had already reached the level seen for all of 2020.

"This is what happens when you villainize law enforcement and defund police," McCaul tweeted on Thursday. "Now more than ever, Austin police need extra support and resources to combat the surge of crime."

AUSTIN POLICE SHORTAGE AT CRISIS' LEVEL, 911 CALLERS FORCED TO WAIT

The Austin-American Statesman reported that Police Lt. Brett Bailey said he didn't expect the number to improve in the near future as the most violent months are usually August and September.

Last year, the Austin City Council cut $21.5 million from the police budget and diverted another $128 million away, injecting it into other city departments. That reduction accounted for a third of its total police budget.

Interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon has said his hands are effectively tied.

With fewer officers on the streets and no major recruitment plans in the works, law enforcement experts say its having a major ripple effect through one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities .

Many large cities pursued defunding measures after a wave of high-profile police encounters with Black Americans.

Defenders have generally argued that police aren't equipped to handle things like mental illness as well as other professionals, and should therefore transfer that funding to other government agencies.

Color Of Change PAC, a group backed by billionaire George Soros, has described policing as a "violent institution that must end."

"We imagine a country where there is enough money to educate our children, care for our sick and feed those who are financially unstable. Defunding the police allows for this vision," the group's president previously said.

Fox News' Casey Stegall and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
A man accused of punching a police horse at an anti-lockdown protest in Australia will remain in jail after refusing a COVID-19 test.

Kristian Pulkownik, 33, was arrested Saturday after he allegedly punched a police horse called Tobruk at the protest.

Sydney police charged him with animal cruelty, joining an unlawful assembly, affray and failing to comply with a COVID-19 directive, The Guardian reported.

Pulkownik refused the COVID test in jail despite the fact that it is a requirement to appear in court. He therefore has not yet applied for bail since his arrest.

NYT's BRET STEPHENS HITS FAUCI IN SCATHING OP-ED: COVID MISINFORMATION COMES FROM THE TOP, TOO

The protest Saturday followed weeks of strict lockdowns in Australia as the delta variant has driven up COVID-19 infections in the country. Many of the "Rally 4 Freedom" protesters gathered unmasked.

Pulkownik was quickly identified after an image of him allegedly punching Tobruk was plastered across social media.

NEW ZEALAND SUSPENDS TRAVEL BUBBLE WITH AUSTRALIA OVER RISING CORONAVIRUS CASES

Magistrate Mark Richardson read a note from Parklea Prison, where Pulkownik is being held, saying prison staff could not bring the suspect to the video link room because he refused the virus test.

"Your client is in custody and has been in the community and is a risk to others as he could be Covid-positive," the magistrate told barrister Hollie Blake. "Your client is in isolation."

US EXTENDS EXPIRATION DATES ON J&J COVID VACCINE TO 6 MONTHS

Blake had claimed that prison staff were making it impossible for her to speak to her client, Sky News Australia reported. Richardson suggested Blake lodge a supreme court application if she continued to take issue with the situation and protocols.

The 10-year-old horse, who was fine following the incident, received an outpouring of support, with the New South Wales police reporting that people have sent gifts of "carrots, apples, licorice, chocolate and bunches of flowers."

"Tobruk being extra spoilt by the yummy gifts today!!" the police posted on Facebook. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Pulkowniks next scheduled appearance will be on Aug. 11 when his lawyers will make a bail application.
With their creamy consistency, eye-catching color and surprising health benefits, avocados add wonderful texture, flavor and nutrients to so many delicious dishes. Some people like to "put an egg on it," but go ahead and put avocado on it too!

Here are 16 easy, healthy and delicious avocado recipes that are perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner  and even dessert!

Al's Garlic Avocado Toast by Al Roker

TODAY's Al Roker likes to keep his avocado toast super simple. "Nothing fancy," he told TODAY Food. "No huge pieces of bread like they serve at restaurants. All I need is a nice piece of whole wheat bread toasted." But the thing that really sets Al's avocado toast apart from others is the fact that he rubs garlic on the bread after he toasts it. It's a garlic bread-avocado toast mashup.

Perfect Guacamole with Pico de Gallo by Gabriel Kolofon

This TODAY Food staff-favorite guacamole has the perfect ratio of ingredients, plus a great backstory. The fresh ingredients represent the green, white and red colors of the Mexican flag.

Baked Eggs in Avocado by Adam Richman

"I'm an avocado junkie!" chef Adam Richman told TODAY. "If you like them too, then you'll love these baked eggs in avocado boats. They take only five minutes to make and are a delicious way to start the day."

Creamy Avocado Pasta by Laura Vitale

Fresh avocado makes this pasta incredibly creamy without adding unhealthy calories. The no-cook sauce and bright cherry tomatoes make this pasta the perfect summer dish.

Valerie Bertinelli's Salmon Salad-Stuffed Avocados by Valerie Bertinelli

Valerie Bertinelli makes the most of versatile avocados, plus adds the delicious goodness of fresh salmon with this easy recipe that uses leftovers. Eating healthy never tasted so good!

Grilled Avocado with Dungeness Crab Salad by Mark Jeffers

Stuff grilled avocado with crab, shrimp salad or tuna poke for a light and delicious lunch or dinner. The avocado becomes slightly smoky when it's grilled and is a lovely foil to shellfish and fish. Don't love seafood? A scoop of chicken salad is another delicious alternative.

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Quinoa Avocado Spinach Power Salad by Elizabeth Heiskell

This satiating salad hits all the healthy notes in one nutrient-dense dish. The quinoa is packed with protein, avocado boasts plenty of good-for-you fats and spinach is full of vitamins.

Avocado Fries with Cilantro Crema by Lorena Garcia

Avocado fries combine the crispy goodness of french fries with the creamy richness of avocados into one awesome snack. Serve these tasty bites with a cooling cilantro crema for a flavorful addition to any fiesta.

Avocado brownie bites by Kristin Kirkpatrick

Avocado is the surprising secret ingredient in these moist, fudgy brownies. The fresh fruit deepens the chocolate flavor and adds creaminess. These bites are so rich and decadent that you may only need to eat one to feel super satisfied.

Kale and Avocado Salad by Wendy Bazilian

"Not only does the creaminess of the avocado complement the crispness of the leafy kale, it also helps to unlock its nutritional benefits," nutritionist Wendy Bazilian told TODAY Food.

Avocado Deviled Eggs by Courtney Roker

Dress up deviled eggs with a delicious twist. Mash avocado with the egg yolk filling for an unexpected, party-perfect snack.

DIY Avocado Toast Bar by Siri Daly and Gretchen DeBoer

This DIY avocado toast bar from TODAY's Siri Daly takes the dish from basic to brilliant. "Think of the toast as a blank canvas for your appetite," Daly told TODAY Food. "While avocado toast is 100 percent delicious as is, it's much more fun to design your own creations with a variety of tasty toppings."

Avocado Ranch Dip by Martha Stewart

Little and big kids will love Martha Stewart's spin on the traditional ranch dip. "You can also thin this tasty dip with a little water to turn it into salad dressing," she told TODAY Food.

Kourtney Kardashian's 3-Ingredient Avocado Pudding by Kourtney Kardashian

Kourtney Kardashian calls this avocado pudding her "power meal in a cup." She likes to serve it in a short glass with a spoon. Whip up this three-ingredient recipe for breakfast or a satisfying snack.

Marvelous Melon, Mango and Avocado Smoothie by Wendy Bazilian

The flavors of the fresh ingredients meld beautifully to create a creamy and refreshing smoothie that's not overly sweet. It's also loaded with potassium from the cantaloupe and avocado, vitamin C from mangoes, heart-healthy fats from the avocado and protein and essential nutrients from the Greek yogurt and milk. A hint of ginger and a squeeze of lime connect all the delectable parts.

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Pudding by Joey Skladany

Avocados give this decadent pudding its richness without the use of heavy cream, making this dessert less of an indulgence.

Related:
White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday would not rule out further lockdowns to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 if scientists recommended such action.

During a press briefing, Fox Newss Peter Doocy noted that President Biden had previously promised that no further lockdowns would be implemented.

However, Doocy asked why Americans should trust Biden, given that he had made a similar promise regarding masks, which the CDC began recommending again this week in areas of high or substantial spread, even for vaccinated people.

Well, because we listen to the scientists, Jean-Pierre said. We listen to the experts. This is a public-health situation; this is not about politics at all.

This is about saving lives, and this is what the president is all about, she added. He wants to make sure that we are saving lives.

The deputy press secretary argued that data on the virus from the past six months shows that Biden has saved lives.

Now were at a point where we have to double down and make it very, very clear to people that we cant let the pandemic win, Jean-Pierre said. We have to continue to fight.

Doocy then asked if the administration would support additional shutdowns if scientists recommended lockdowns and school closures.

Well, like I said, we listen to the CDC and the experts and their guidance; the CDC is a body that is very well-respected, Jean-Pierre said.

More from National Review
By David Shepardson and Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Thursday that all civilian federal workers will need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or face regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and travel limits, a source familiar with the matter said.

Biden, who will deliver remarks on COVID-19 at the White House at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Thursday, will not mandate vaccines for federal employees and those who decide against getting a vaccine will not be at risk of being fired, the source said.

The United States has about 2.18 million civilian employees and another 570,000 people work for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), according to 2020 data. It is not clear if Biden plans to apply the requirement to the postal service or to contractors who work for the federal government.

CNN first reported Biden's plan late on Tuesday.

Some states and New York City have announced similar requirements, said the source, who declined to be identified.

For example, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday that state employees will be required to be vaccinated or get tested weekly.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday mandated that its doctors and other medical staff get COVID-19 vaccines, becoming the first federal agency to impose such a requirement.

The VA comprises the largest U.S. healthcare system, employing more than 367,200 full-time healthcare professionals and support staff at 1,293 facilities, according to its website.

On Tuesday, Biden said his administration was considering the requirement for federal employees.

Numerous U.S. agencies on Wednesday mandated masks at federal buildings in COVID-19 hot spots in line with instructions issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), according to an OMB email seen by Reuters.

The Defense Department said late Wednesday that the masking requirements would apply to the Pentagon.

The White House also said masks are required indoors in federal buildings for all employees and visitors, whether or not they are vaccinated, in those areas experiencing sharp increases in infections.

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On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said nearly 67% of U.S. counties were at substantial or high transmission rates, up from 63.4% on Tuesday.

The federal government is racing to contain the pandemic in the hope of avoiding nationwide shutdowns, as the virulent Delta variant of the coronavirus blazes through parts of the United States and immunizations lag.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told C-SPAN that the union supports vaccine mandates.

"If you come back in and you are not vaccinated, everybody in that workplace is jeopardized," Trumka said Tuesday.

The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) said it opposes a vaccine mandate for federal employees and expressed concern about Biden's expected announcement.

"While the APWU leadership continues to encourage postal workers to voluntarily get vaccinated, it is not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent," the group said in a statement.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Nandita Bose in Washington; editing by Grant McCool, Robert Birsel)
Just two days before it is set to expire, US President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Congress to extend the federal ban on evictions as the Delta variant of the coronavirus threatens to delay the country's recovery.

The 11-month old moratorium was intended to remain in place through September, but a recent Supreme Court ruling signaled it cannot continue beyond July 31 without authorization from Congress, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

Ordered by the Centers for Disease Control in September 2020, the measure "prevented hundreds of thousands of Americans from experiencing the heartbreak (and) homelessness" of eviction if they lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Psaki said in a statement.

"In light of the Supreme Court's ruling, the president calls on Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay."

Meanwhile, the Treasury Department launched a campaign this week to get the word out about the Emergency Rental Assistance program that provides funds to help pay housing and utilities costs.

The Treasury said it sent $25 billion out to states and localities under the program in February, and another $21.5 billion is available, but indicated that as of June, less than $3 billion had reached renters.

Republicans in Congress accused the administration of mismanaging the program.

"This is a full-scale failure by the Biden Administration," Representative Patrick McHenry, the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, said in a statement Thursday. He noted that he has been "demanding answers on the status of why these rental assistance dollars weren't out the door."

Psaki said that amid the recent spread of the Delta variant -- which has caused some localities to reimpose mask requirements -- "Biden would have strongly supported a decision by the CDC to further extend this eviction moratorium to protect renters at this moment of heightened vulnerability."

The White House also asked government departments involved in housing to extend eviction bans for federally-insured properties they control.

hs/cs
REUTERS

Before President Joe Biden took office, he said he didnt think vaccines should be mandatory. And he said in May that he didnt think masks should be required for vaccinated people either.

But with the Delta variant of coronavirus continuing to spread, and more than 40 percent of Republicans refusing to get vaccinated, Biden is now preaching a different message.

On Thursday, Biden announced that vaccines would be mandatory for nearly all federal employees, and he said the Justice Department was looking into whether the government could mandate vaccines for the whole country. But mostly, Biden spent the majority of his nearly 30-minute address pleading with the unvaccinated to get their shots.

He highlighted new federal programs that will reimburse some employers who offer paid leave so that workers can get themselves and their families vaccinated, and he encouraged states to use money allocated from the American Rescue Plan to provide cash incentives to boost vaccination rates.

In addition to providing incentives to encourage vaccination, its time to impose requirements on key groups, to make sure theyre vaccinated, Biden said.

Every federal government employee will be asked to attest to their vaccination status, he continued. Anyone who does not attest or is not vaccinated, will be required to mask, no matter where they work, test one or two times a week to see if they have acquired COVID, socially distance, and generally will not be allowed to travel for work.

Biden added the administration was taking steps to apply the same standards to federal contractors.

White House Isnt Enforcing Its Own Vaccine Mandate

But while the mandate could provide a blueprint for local governments and private businesses to implement their own vaccination requirements, there are major obstacles standing between the presidents directive and universal vaccination for government employees.

Biden is now signaling to them that its lawful, and its effective, and that could be a game changer, said Lawrence Gostin, director of the ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. The public are dazed and confused. I would be shocked if we saw a major change in behavior at the population level, and thats why we need a mandate.

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The president stressed the need to re-implement mask mandates to stop the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, and he again urged the depoliticization of the vaccine process. In typical Biden fashion, he also thanked prominent Republicans who have actively worked to convince their constituents to get the shot.

From the start, I have to compliment Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he hasnt made it political, hes encouraged people to get vaccinated and is continuing to do so in the states in pretty good shape, Biden said, also praising Alabama Republican Gov.Kay Ivey, who recently encouraged vaccines.

Look, Biden added, this is not about red states and blue states; its literally about life and death.

States and cities around the country have implemented similar requirements in recent days, as did the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has ordered all 115,000 frontline health care workers to get vaccinated within the next two months.

Obstacles both bureaucratic and political, however, mean that Bidens vaccine mandate is not yet as comprehensive as public health experts might hopemost notably in regards to the Department of Defense.

With nearly 1.4 million people in active duty service, and another 732,000 civilian personnel, the Pentagon is the nations single largest employer. But due to Department of Defense rules requiring that servicemembers give their informed consent to medical treatment, Bidens vaccine mandate wont apply to active duty personnel until the Food and Drug Administration officially approves the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use.

Troops are currently required to be vaccinated against more than a dozen illnesses, from chickenpox to rabies, depending on the location and duration of their employment, and while Biden could issue a waiver for the FDA approval requirement, he has publicly stated that he wants to put that decision in the hands of Pentagon leaders.

I dont knowIm going to leave that to the military, Biden told NBC News in April, calling the matter a tough call that he was not yet prepared to make. Im not saying I wont. I think youre going to see more and more of them getting it.

Asked about the same issue on Thursday, Biden gave a similar answer, explaining that he remained committed to not pressuring the FDA for approval. But Biden said he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were considering the idea of mandating the vaccine before the approval process was complete.

Hes open to it, Biden said of Austin. And the question is when is the right time to get the most bang for the buck when you do it. A lot of this is timing.

Dr. Timothy Brewer, a professor of epidemiology at UCLAs Fielding School of Public Health and of Medicine, called the lag on a mandate for active duty military silly.

Thats crazythats absolutely crazy, Brewer said. In the military, youre close together, youre in tight groups, youre spending lots of time together. Every single person thats military should be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.

A fact sheet released before the presidents remarks noted that Biden has ordered the Department of Defense to look into how and when they will add COVID-19 vaccination to the list of required vaccinations for members of the military. But the fact sheet outlines no timeline or process for doing so.

Although the militarys vaccination rate has actually outpaced that of the general population, some service members have reportedly expressed reluctance to get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has introduced legislation that would forbid the government from compelling members of the military to get vaccinated.

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Massies bill, which has 28 cosponsors, is unlikely to become law, but it indicates the broader political problem facing Bidens vaccine mandate push. While the lag time for military vaccinations could be resolved by the end of the summerArmy Times reported earlier this month that the U.S. Army had issued an internal notice ordering commanders to prepare for a directive to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for service members by September, pending full FDA licensurethe vaccine mandate faces steep opposition from some of the nations most powerful public-sector unions.

The American Postal Workers Union, which represents more than 200,000 postal workers, announced its opposition to Bidens mandate before it was even formally announced, noting that while its leadership encourages postal workers to get vaccinated voluntarily, it is not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent.

The International Association of Fire Fighters, a close political ally of Bidens, has also pushed back against mandates.

Were not doing any mandates. Were not advocating any mandates for vaccination, Tim Burn, press secretary for the IAFF, told Politico. At this point we want to make sure that our members have what they need to stay safe on the job.

Other unions stayed conspicuously quiet ahead of Bidens announcement: the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 700,000 federal workers, initially did not comment on news of the proposed mandate, issuing a cautious statement on Thursday afternoon noting that the union expects details of the policy to be properly negotiated with our bargaining units prior to implementation.

Based on todays announcement, it is our understanding that under President Bidens proposal the vast majority of federal employees would not have to be vaccinated as a condition of employment, Everett Kelley, the unions national president, said in a statement, but that those who choose not to receive the vaccine may face certain restrictions.

Why This Coronavirus Surge Is Different From All the Rest

Bidens announcement, just like mask-wearing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a change in both strategy and rhetoric from the federal government. Last year, Biden declared that he did not feel that vaccines should be mandatory, and he promised not to do so as president.

But continuously changing public guidances from the CDC, as well as the hardened opposition to vaccines from some conservatives, have made it clear that the government response needs to be more stick than carrot at this stage, public health experts said.

You need to separate out what makes sense from a public health perspective from what makes sense from a political perspective, said Brewer. From a public health perspective, everybody should be vaccinated over the age of 12they would mandate vaccinations for the whole country if the only thing you were basing it on was risk-benefit.

As Biden exited the press conference, a reporter asked about the presidents declaration in May that if youve been fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask and whether that still remained true.

A visibly annoyed Biden, who had already walked away from the podium, yelled back at the reporter, It was true at the time!

Just before he left the room, Biden explained the lack of vaccinations, paired with the rise of the new variant, had changed the situation.

What happened was, this variant came along, they didnt get vaccinated, it was spread more rapidly, and more people were getting sick, he said.

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President Joe Biden. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration said it would not renew a federal eviction ban.

It said its hands were tied due to a recent Supreme Court ruling that said Congress needed to act.

At least 6 million renters will be at risk of losing their homes in the near-future.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The Biden administration isn't extending an eviction moratorium that expires in two days, citing the likelihood of a challenge that would wind up at the Supreme Court. Instead, it says the ball is in Congress's court.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that the administration's hands were tied because of a recent Supreme Court ruling that stated Congress needed to renew the ban.

"Given the recent spread of the Delta variant, including among those Americans both most likely to face evictions and lacking vaccinations, President Biden would have strongly supported a decision by the CDC to further extend this eviction moratorium to protect renters at this moment of heightened vulnerability," she said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has made clear that this option is no longer available."

Psaki was referring to a high court ruling late last month with a 5-4 decision, only days after the administration renewed it for what officials intended to be the final time. Two conservative justices joined the majority, including Justice Brett Kavanaugh. In a short ruling, Kavanaugh warned the administration not to renew it beyond July 31, arguing that "clear and specific congressional authorization" would be needed for such a renewal.

Housing advocates had raised alarm about the slow distribution of emergency rental aid in the last few months. Treasury data indicates only $3 billion out of $47 billion has gone out to renters. The problem is also compounded by mounting virus infections from the Delta variant in most parts of the country.

"Congress can't pass a law by Saturday, especially w/no Republican support for extension," Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, wrote in a tweet. "If the federal government won't/can't act, states and cities must."

Story continues

Some Democrats had urged the Biden administration to renew it, saying many people would be in jeopardy of being evicted. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is among them.

Around 6 million people are at risk of getting evicted in the coming months, or 16% of all renters, per Census Pulse Survey Data. Around one in four Black renters reported being behind on their payments.

Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-ranked Senate Democrat, said in a brief interview the White House should renew the federal eviction ban. "I think they should," he told Insider on Wednesday. "There are a lot of people still struggling. Let me tell you, a wave of evictions in America is not good for landlords or tenants."

House Democratic leadership is crafting a bill that would extend the moratorium until sometime at the end of the year, a person familiar with the matter told Insider. The vote may come sometime on Thursday or Friday.

But it faces long odds in the Senate given 10 Republicans would have to join every Senate Democrat in approving it.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Biden will meet with 11 Democratic members of Congress at the White House Thursday to discuss the next steps for providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrants brought to the U.S. as children, a White House official told Axios.

Why it matters: Congressional Democrats plan to try to pass pathways to citizenship for so-called Dreamers, TPS holders and undocumented essential workers in the upcoming reconciliation package. Biden also has consistently called on Congress to pass legislation to protect Dreamers.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

On Sunday, Biden said it "remains to be seen" when asked about Congress including pathways to citizenship in the reconciliation package.

Flashback: The president met with a group of Dreamers in May.

Just last week, Vice President Kamala Harris met with participants in the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and other Dreamers.

The meeting followed a recent federal judicial ruling that blocked the administration from approving new DACA applicants.

The recent ruling has added even more urgency to congressional efforts to protect and provide pathways for Dreamers.

Afterward, the president expressed his disappointment and again urged Congress to pass legislation helping that population of undocumented immigrants.

Details: Those scheduled to meet with the president are:

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.)

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.)

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.)

House Hispanic Caucus Chairman Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.)

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.)

Rep. Lucille Roybal Allard (D-Calif.)

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.)

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With millions of Americans behind on rent, President Joe Biden urged Congress to extend the freeze on evictions. Biden also called on states to give out $100 in cash to incentivize vaccines. And ex-Cardinal Theodore McCormick is facing sexual assault charges.

 It's Laura, with a whole bunch of news on this fine Thursday!

But first, these fossils are older than dirt.  Literally. A geologist in Canada might have found fossils of ancient sponges dating back 890 million years.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here.

End of eviction ban looming

A nationwide freeze on evictions is set to expire Saturday. But President Biden wants to keep it going, urgently asking Congress on Thursday to extend the moratorium. The president said a Supreme Court ruling had left his hands tied, unable to act on his own to extend the eviction freeze that was put in place last September by the CDC to protect Americans who have fallen behind on their rent during the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of Americans are behind on rent, and policy experts and analysts said more needs to be done to avoid the largest housing crisis in more than a decade. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president was concerned the uptick in cases is hitting Americans who are most likely to face evictions and lack vaccinations the hardest, calling on Congress to act "to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay."

Eviction moratorium: Millions of renters still haven't been able to pay back rent.

A house divided: As millions of Americans face evictions, others buy dream homes.

Maricopa County constable Lenny McCloskey evicts a tenant for non-payment of rent on October 6, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. Thousands of court-ordered evictions continue nationwide despite a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) moratorium for renters impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

$100 cash for newly vaxxed

Unvaccinated and could use a hundred bucks? President Joe Biden asked states and cities to use federal rescue funds to provide $100 payments to individuals who get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus as an incentive for them to get the shot. The Treasury Department announced the move Thursday after releasing new rules allowing state and local governments to use their share of $350 billion in direct aid from Biden's American Rescue Plan on incentivizing vaccines.

Story continues

In other news: Biden said that federal employees and contract workers will be required to show they are fully vaccinated or undergo COVID-19 tests once or twice a week, wear face masks on the job and socially distance from other employees and visitors. The president also directed the Defense Department to review adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for members of the military.

 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are once again over 2,000 per week, and new cases are averaging more than 60,000 per day for the first time in more than three months after dropping to around 11,000.

High transmissibility areas: See map of where you need a mask indoors.

Breakthrough COVID-19 infections can lead to long-lasting symptoms.

Why is it taking so long to fully approve COVID-19 vaccines?

A health care worker inoculates Evelyn Pereira, right, of Brooklyn, New York, with the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as her daughter Soile Reyes, 12, looks on.

What everyone's talking about

Goodbye, 'Arthur': Beloved animated children's show to end 25-season run.

He masterminded a plot to kidnap his estranged wife. It all went south when the men he hired drowned.

Who left the light on? For the first time, light has been spotted from behind a black hole.

Let them eat cake: Or not. A slice of Princess Diana's wedding cake  from 40 years ago  is up for auction.

Massive earthquake rattles Alaska

Residents scrambled to higher ground or to evacuate coastal towns late Wednesday and early Thursday after a massive earthquake struck off Alaska, triggering aftershocks and now-canceled tsunami warnings. Pat Branson, mayor of Kodiak, told CNN the magnitude 8.2 earthquake was the strongest in the area since the 1960s. The quake hit 56 miles east southeast of Perryville, Alaska, at 8:15 p.m., and was felt throughout the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak, the Alaska Earthquake Center said. Alaska is along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, which is a horseshoe-shaped geological disaster zone and hotbed for tectonic and volcanic activity. The Anchorage Daily News reported that the earthquake was the third major quake in the area in 13 months.

Ex-Cardinal charged with 1970s sexual assault of teen boy

Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was charged with the sexual assault of a teenage boy, the first criminal charge to be brought against the prelate since he was accused years ago of abusing seminary students. He is the highest-ranking church official to face such charges. Online court records show McCarrick was charged Wednesday with indecent assault and battery on a person 14 years old or older. The Boston Globe reported that the charges are related to an allegation that McCarrick abused a 16-year-old boy at a wedding at Wellesley College in the 1970s. McCarrick, 91, was among the most powerful officials in the Catholic Church for decades until he was removed from ministry in 2018 when the church deemed an allegation of child sexual abuse against him to be credible. He was defrocked a year later amid accusations that he abused children and adult seminary students.

McCarrick report: Vatican blames John Paull II, others in abuse scandal.

Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is pictured speaking during a memorial service in South Bend, Indiana.

Real quick

Feds investigate after USA TODAY report on massage school accused of ties to prostitution.

US rower says seeing Russians win a silver medal leaves 'a nasty feeling.'

50 years ago, Melvin McNair helped hijack a plane, wanting to escape US racism.

Cycling coach removed from Olympics after yelling racist comments during race.

Gold for Suni Lee is gold for the Hmong

When Sunisa Lee stood on the Olympic platform to accept a gold medal in front of the world, the Hmong community felt like they were finally seen. Representing an ethnic community that has never had a home, she won gold in the Tokyo Olympics gymnastics all-around competition Thursday as the first Hmong-American to make the U.S. Olympic team. Hmong communities made up less than .001% of the U.S. population in 2019, according to U.S. Census data. From fleeing war and violence as refugees to assimilating to the U.S., Lee's victory is said to be a reflection of the Hmong people's drive and spirit. Before the Tokyo games, John Lee predicted just how historic an Olympic medal would be for not only his daughter but for his people. "It would be the greatest accomplishment of any Hmong person in the U.S. ever," John Lee told Elle Magazine. "It will go down in history."

Suni Lee in photos: Incredible images from the Tokyo Olympics.

Who are the Hmong? What is Hmong culture? These questions, and more, answered.

July 29, 2021: Shyenne Lee, 18, left foreground, the older sister of St. Paul Olympian Sunisa Lee, reacts alongside Souayee Vang and other family and friends as they watch Sunisa Lee clinch the gold medal in the women's Olympic gymnastics all-around at the Tokyo Olympics in Oakdale, Minn.

A break from the news

 Fight the Sunday scaries: How to make your post-vacay return to work less terrible.

 Pucker up! For National Lipstick Day, here's how to create a trendy two-tone look!

 Save cash on masks: Here's where you can get face masks on sale right now.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eviction ban, Ex-Cardinal McCarrick charged, COVID-19, Alaska earthquake, Sunisa Lee. It's Thursday's news.
Google in Manhattan. Mark Lennihan/AP Photo

Major tech companies recently said employees must get vaccinated before returning to the office.

Facebook and Google are among the firms mandating vaccines for in-person workers.

The EEOC says employers can require employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine or bar them from the office.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

As return-to-work plans clash with rising COVID-19 cases in many states and the spread of the Delta variant, some tech giants are joining the growing chorus of companies requiring their employees to get vaccinated against the virus before coming into their offices.

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has said employers can require employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine or bar them from the office.

On Wednesday, Facebook as well as Google's parent company, Alphabet, announced that any employees coming into their US offices must be fully vaccinated, reversing course from earlier this year and marking a major shift among industry leaders.

Several other tech companies had already announced similar policies for employees working in person over the summer, including Adobe, VMware, Twilio, and Asana, Protocol reported earlier in July.

While employers are continuing to adapt their policies in light of evolving data, here's where things stand with some of the biggest tech giants.

Facebook

Vaccines required: Yes, for employees to work in US offices.

Office-reopening plan: 50% capacity by early September, full capacity by October.

What they're saying: "As our offices reopen, we will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our US campuses to be vaccinated. How we implement this policy will depend on local conditions and regulations. We will have a process for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons and will be evaluating our approach in other regions as the situation evolves. We continue to work with experts to ensure our return to office plans prioritize everyone's health and safety," Facebook's vice president of people, Lori Goler, said in a statement.

Google

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Vaccines required: Yes, for employees to work in US offices.

Office-reopening target: 50% capacity by early September, full capacity by October 18, according to Reuters.

What they're saying: "Anyone coming to work on our campuses will need to be vaccinated. We're rolling this policy out in the US in the coming weeks and will expand to other regions in the coming months. The implementation will vary according to local conditions and regulations, and will not apply until vaccines are widely available in your area," Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post Wednesday.

Netflix

Vaccines required: Yes, on US productions for actors and production staff working in "Zone A."

Office-reopening target: Netflix said last year that its corporate offices wouldn't reopen until "a majority of people" were vaccinated and that it was eyeing a return after Labor Day, on September 7, according to WWD.

What they're saying: Netflix on Wednesday became the first major production studio to standardize a vaccine requirement across all US productions, requiring it for cast as well as crew members working in close proximity to them, according to Deadline. A Netflix representative confirmed the accuracy of Deadline's reporting but declined to comment further.

Amazon

Vaccines required: No.

Office-reopening target: Amazon has said most of its offices are already open, employees are starting to return, and it expects many to be back in the office on a regular basis by September. Corporate employees will have flexible hybrid work options, while "employees in roles which require onsite work, such as hardware engineers and frontline operations," will keep working onsite, according to a recent blog post.

What they're saying: Amazon told Insider that employees who weren't fully vaccinated must wear masks in the office and that it's keeping an eye on the situation, getting input from health professionals, and prioritizing employee safety.

Uber

Vaccines required: Yes.

Office-reopening target: Uber delayed its reopening plans by one month to October.

What they're saying: Uber had been reluctant to require vaccines, but Insider's Tom Dotan reported Wednesday that the company reversed course after an Uber board-meeting attendee who had COVID-19 was believed to have infected other employees.

Lyft

Vaccines required: Yes, for corporate employees. A Lyft representative said "we strongly encourage both drivers and riders to get vaccinated, but there is no requirement."

Office-reopening target: Lyft said it recently extended its return-to-office target to "February 2, 2022, for the majority of our US locations including SF, Seattle, NYC, Denver, Los Angeles, and DC" in light of the Delta variant, a rise in cases, and the CDC's guidance on indoor mask mandates.

What they're saying: Lyft told Insider 88% of employees it surveyed were fully vaccinated, while 91% planned to be by September, adding that "We have a process in place to handle accommodations and exemptions for team members who have medical, religious, or other personal reasons for not receiving the vaccine."

DoorDash

Vaccines required: Yes, for employees returning to the office in 2021. DoorDash said it didn't have a formal policies for delivery workers but had marketed vaccine information to and surveyed them about their vaccination status.

Office-reopening target: January, with employees returning two to three days a week under a hybrid plan.

What they're saying: "Employees voluntarily returning to any of our US corporate offices this year will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (where permissible by local law) - and in accordance with current public-health guidance, any employee who is fully vaccinated does not need to wear a mask indoors at the office," a DoorDash representative told Insider.



Salesforce

Vaccines required: "Voluntary vaccinated cohorts" have started returning to Salesforce's global headquarters in San Francisco, and vaccines will be "encouraged" as more offices reopen, the company says.

Office-reopening target: A hundred Salesforce employees returned to Salesforce Tower in May, while 17 offices, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region, had started phased reopening at that point.

What they're saying: Salesforce's plan consists of voluntarily vaccinated cohorts, then limited-capacity reopenings, then full reopenings, with the timing dependent on COVID-19 data and local guidance.

Microsoft

Vaccines required: No.

Office-reopening target: September 7 at the earliest for return to the office without health restrictions .

What they're saying: Insider's Ashley Stewart reported in April that Microsoft pushed back its July reopening date to "afford additional flexibility for employees to make summer plans." In January, Kurt DelBene, who's heading up the company's pandemic response, said Microsoft wouldn't require vaccines.

Twitter

Vaccines required: Yes, for employees to return to its offices.

Office-reopening plan: Paused indefinitely.

What they're saying: "After careful consideration of the CDC's updated guidelines, and in light of current conditions, Twitter has made the decision to close our opened offices in New York and San Francisco as well as pause future office reopenings, effective immediately. We're continuing to closely monitor local conditions and make necessary changes that prioritize the health and safety of our Tweeps," a Twitter spokesperson told Insider in a statement.



Correction: A previous version of this story misstated that Twitter did not require vaccines for employees returning to the office. Twitter did require vaccines, though it has closed the offices it had reopened and has paused future reopenings.

Read the original article on Business Insider
With less than half the United States population fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and as the delta variant sweeps the nation, the U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory that called misinformation an urgent threat to public health. The advisory said efforts by social media companies to combat misinformation are too little, too late and still dont go far enough. The advisory came more than a year after the World Health Organization warned of a COVID-related infodemic.

Theres good reason to be concerned. A study in the U.K. and the U.S. found that exposure to online misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines reduced the number of people who said they would get vaccinated and increased the number of people who said they would not.

As a researcher who studies social media, I can recommend ways social media companies, in collaboration with researchers, can develop effective interventions against misinformation and help build trust and acceptance of vaccines. The government could intervene, but a bill to curb medical misinformation on social media filed in July is revealing some of the challenges  its drawing scorn for leaving to a political appointee decisions about what constitutes misinformation.

The threat

A serious threat in online settings is that fake news spreads faster than verified and validated news from credible sources. Articles connecting vaccines and death have been among the content people engage with most.

Algorithms on social media platforms are primed for engagement. Recommendation engines in these platforms create a rabbit-hole effect by pushing users who click on anti-vaccine messages toward more anti-vaccine content. Individuals and groups that spread medical misinformation are well organized to exploit the weaknesses of the engagement-driven ecosystems on social media platforms.

Social media is being manipulated on an industrial scale, including a Russian campaign pushing disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. Researchers have found that people who rely on Facebook as their primary source of news about the coronavirus are less likely to be vaccinated than people who get their coronavirus news from any other source.

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While social media companies have actively tagged and removed misinformation about COVID-19 generally, stories about vaccine side effects are more insidious because conspiracy theorists may not be trafficking in false information as much as engaging in selectively distorting risks from vaccination. These efforts are part of a well-developed disinformation ecosystem on social media platforms that extends to offline anti-vaccine activism.

A woman in a white lab coat sitting in a kitchen points a laptop screen to the viewer

Misinformation on social media may also fuel vaccine inequities. There are significant racial disparities among COVID-19 vaccine recipients so far. For example, though vaccine-related misinformation is not the only source of these differences, health-related misinformation is rife on Spanish-language Facebook.

Here are two key steps social media companies can take to reduce vaccine-related misinformation.

Block known sources of vaccine misinformation

There have been popular anti-vaccine hashtags such as #vaccineskill. Though it was blocked on Instagram two years ago, it was allowed on Facebook until July 2021. Aside from vaccines, misinformation on multiple aspects of COVID-19 prevention and treatment abounds, including misinformation about the health benefits of wearing a mask.

Twitter recently suspended U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for a couple of days, citing a post of COVID misinformation. But social media companies could do a lot more to block disinformation spreaders. Reports suggest that most of the vaccine disinformation on Facebook and Twitter comes from a dozen users who are still active on social media referred to as the disinformation dozen. The list is topped by businessman and physician Joseph Mercola and prominent anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Evidence suggests that infodemic superspreaders engage in coordinated sharing of content, which increases their effectiveness in spreading disinformation and, correspondingly, makes it all the more important to block them. Social media platforms need to more aggressively flag harmful content and remove people known to traffic in vaccine-related disinformation.

Disclose more about medical misinformation

Facebook claims that it has taken down 18 million pieces of coronavirus misinformation. However, the company doesnt share data about misinformation on its platforms. Researchers and policymakers dont know how much vaccine-related misinformation is on the platforms and how many people are seeing and sharing misinformation.

Another challenge is distinguishing between different types of engagement. My own research studying medical information on YouTube found different levels of engagement, people simply viewing information thats relevant to their interests and people commenting on and providing feedback about the information. The issue is how vaccine-related misinformation fits into peoples preexisting beliefs and to what extent their skepticism of vaccines is accentuated by what they are exposed to online.

Social media companies can also partner with health organizations, medical journals and researchers to more thoroughly and credibly identify medical misinformation.

[Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

Researchers who are working to understand how misinformation spreads rely on social media companies to conduct research about users behavior on their platforms. For instance, what researchers do know about anti-vaccine disinformation on Facebook comes from Facebooks CrowdTangle data analysis tool for public information on the platforms.

Researchers need more information from the companies, including ways to spot bot activity. Facebook could follow its own example from when it provided data to researchers seeking to uncover Russian fake news campaigns targeted at African American voters.

Data about about social media will help researchers answer key questions about medical misinformation, and the answers in turn could lead to better ways of countering the misinformation.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Anjana Susarla, Michigan State University.

Read more:



Anjana Susarla does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that nuclear talks with Iran "cannot go on indefinitely" but that Washington was "fully prepared" to continue negotiations.

The US is indirectly involved in Iran's talks with world powers to revive a nuclear deal that gave Iran some relief from international sanctions in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme.

The deal was torpedoed in 2018 by then US president Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and imposed punishing sanctions.

"We're committed to diplomacy, but this process cannot go on indefinitely... we look to see what Iran is ready to do or not ready to do and remain fully prepared to return to Vienna to continue negotiations," Blinken said during a visit to Kuwait on Thursday.

"The ball remains in Iran's court."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's government has been holding talks with major powers in Vienna since April on bringing Washington back into the agreement.

But a deal now seems unlikely until after he hands over to President-elect Ebrahim Raisi early next month.

Raisi is an ultraconservative but has expressed support for the nuclear talks, arguing Iran needs an end to US sanctions.

Iran's ultraconservative camp, which deeply distrusts the United States, has repeatedly criticised Rouhani over the 2015 deal.

- 'Guarantee national interests' -

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that experience has shown "trusting the West does not work", referring to the US withdrawal from the deal and its fallout.

Raisi has said his government will support talks that "guarantee national interests", but will not allow negotiations for the sake of negotiations.

One of the major criticisms of the 2015 deal raised by Trump was its failure to address Iran's ballistic missile programme or its alleged interference in regional affairs.

But Tehran has always rejected bringing non-nuclear issues into the agreement, which is known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

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Khamenei also criticised the US for refusing to "guarantee that (it) will not violate the agreement in the future" by pulling out unilaterally, as Trump did in 2018.

Trump's successor Joe Biden has signalled his readiness to return to the nuclear deal and has engaged in indirect negotiations with Iran alongside formal talks with the agreement's remaining parties, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

Iran's chief negotiator Abbas Araghchi said this month that the talks must "await our new administration" as Tehran is "in a transition period".

A sixth round of talks concluded on June 20 and dates for the next round have yet to be fixed.

Rouhani, in office since 2013 and preparing to leave after the maximum two consecutive terms, had repeatedly promised to secure relief from sanctions before the end of his term.

But earlier this month, he expressed hope that his successor can clinch a deal to lift sanctions, insisting that from his administration's side, "the work was ready" to be done.

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A knee, a back, an ankle, the back again and a shoulder were all ailments that landed Khalil Mack on the injury report last season.

The Chicago Bears outside linebacker was designated as questionable for 10 of the 16 regular-season games but didnt miss one on his way to leading the defense with nine sacks, 6 which came in the first eight games.

Mack, who seldom was available to media during the 2020 season, never blamed injuries but after the season general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy indicated the shoulder issue was plaguing the six-time Pro Bowl selection late in the season.

Predictably, Mack didnt want to dwell on the physical issues he played through a year ago when he spoke Wednesday afternoon at Halas Hall following the first training camp practice.

I mean, thats the whole point, Mack said. Im out there, Im 100%. Im not blaming anything on anything, you know what Im saying? When Im out there, Im doing whatever I can to help the team win. Thats ultimately the kind of guy youve got with me.

Was the shoulder issue, which first popped on the injury report before the Dec. 13 meeting with the Houston Texans the worst?

For the most part, he acknowledged. It is what it is. But I (dont) want to keep talking about (it) as if it had too much of an affect. Everybody in the building knows what it was.

Few outside the building know and the reality is Mack remained a marked man by opponents all season. His best game came in the most impressive win of the season when the Bears defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-19 in Week 5. Mack had three QB hits, two sacks of Tom Brady and one pass deflection.

Those are the kind of momentum-shifting plays the Bears are seeking more  many more  of in 2021, and that discussion begins with the teams highest-paid player. Sack production is hardly the only measuring stick for production when it comes to Mack. Thirteen players had more but Pro Football Focus still ranked him as the leagues top edge defender in its postseason player ratings.

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Even so, the defense as a whole slumped during the second half of the season and everyone involved knows the Bears need to be better to improve on consecutive 8-8 records. That raises the question of how the team can unlock more splash plays for Mack or how he can help elevate the play of those around him.

Hes going to get doubled and tripled, Nagy said. How do we help alleviate that with him so that when he does get singled he can have more chances to win?

Figure that probably was one of the big assignments for first-year defensive coordinator Sean Desai this offseason, designing ways to unleash Mack within the framework of the system. With Desais history working under former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, whom Mack previously dubbed the Evil Genius, here are three possibilities:

 More multiple front defenses. In passing situations, the Bears can have a four-man front but tilt it with three defenders to one side and a backside defensive end. Mack can be on the three-man side and in this situation the Bears can manipulate protection, forcing the offense to slide three linemen to that side for 3-on-3 or man-to-man rush for Mack. Off of that, the Bears can run twists to get Mack inside. Fangio used a five-man front in the past, particularly against the Los Angeles Rams, and this creates one-on-one blocking and a multitude of games the defense could run upfront. If the offense slides the running back to Macks side, Desai can counter by moving him around.

 Line up Mack as a standup three-technique defensive tackle or go to a five-man front and line him up as a standup nose. Both guards will be occupied and the center has to deal with Macks speed, power and lateral ability.

 Walk up inside linebackers in the A gap. Now, theyre counted in protection and the Bears can create situations that should be in their favor on passing downs.

Mack still is going to be double-teamed with regularity and the Bears cant design action for him on every passing down, but there are creative ways to play to the strength of their personnel. The San Francisco 49ers were fantastic at manipulating matchups under former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, now the New York Jets coach. They had a wealth of talent with Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead and Saleh had success with tilted fronts.

Its a numbers game and the Bears have to do a better job of winning that Xs-and-Os battle to put Mack in position to shine more consistently as a 30-year-old in the prime of his career.

The Bears know they have a special talent and maximizing his ability when he has shown that he will play through injuries is paramount, especially if this unit is going to rediscover its nasty edge. New outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey doesnt need to teach Mack how to defeat an offensive tackle. But he can help with the little things, and described potentially making film study more efficient during the week as he diagnoses the opposing offense.

Hes an interesting guy because hes so intrinsically motivated to be the very best, Shuey said. So for me, its to be a support for that, to challenge him, he sets the stamp  the crazy thing is those guys that are great and elite, they typically are going to be their own toughest critic.

Ive just got to make sure that I help him detail and stay on the course on the daily grind of things because hes going to put in the work.

Mack said he always falls back on a message imparted to him by Charles Woodson, the Hall of Fame defensive back who was finishing his career in Oakland when Mack broke into the league.

You cannot waste time, Woodson said. This (stuff) is very valuable.

Theres always a sense of urgency, Mack said. Especially from our standpoint. You dont get too many years in the NFL, too many chances to win ballgames and too many chances to get to the playoffs and go all the way.

I understand that now going into Year 8 and only been in the playoffs three times so far and losing in the first round every one of them. (Stuff) is very valuable. Time is of the essence.
Jul. 28A Calais man died Wednesday morning when the vehicle he was driving collided with a logging truck on Route 9 in the town of Crawford.

Bruce Pierce, 63, was killed in the crash, according to the Maine State Police.

Pierce was driving west on the highway and the logging truck was eastbound when the collision occurred around 5:20 a.m. The highway, which connects the Bangor area to Calais and is heavily used by trucks crossing the Canadian border, was shut down after the crash for more than 8 hours. It reopened at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday

Pierce's vehicle crossed the centerline of Route 9 into the path of the oncoming truck, Shannon Moss, spokesperson for Maine State Police, said. Pierce died at the scene, not far from the Alexander town line. The other driver, 59-year-old Kenneth Stairs of Greenbush, was taken to Calais Regional Hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Edward Burgess, fire chief in Alexander, said that when the highway was closed, eastbound traffic was diverted onto Route 192 in Wesley toward Machias and westbound traffic was rerouted onto Route 191 in Baring. Normally a half-hour trip from Wesley to Baring, the traffic detour through Machias added 45 minutes of travel between the two locations.
(Bloomberg) -- Stocks in China and Hong Kong jumped Thursday, after authorities intensified efforts to calm fears about a crackdown on the private education industry and as the central bank pumped liquidity into the financial system.

The CSI 300 Index closed 1.9% higher, led by materials and industrial stocks. Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index rallied 3.3%, as Meituan and Tencent Holdings Ltd. both climbed at least 9%. Technology shares extended gains after a report said China will continue to allow its companies to go public in the U.S. as long as they meet listing requirements, following Didi Global Inc.s controversial debut.

In a bid to alleviate investor anxiety, the nations securities regulator convened a video conference with banking executives Wednesday night, conveying a message that education policies were not intended to hurt companies in other industries. Confidence was further bolstered after the central bank broke out of its usual pattern of daily operations to add cash. The liquidity-sensitive ChiNext gauge of stocks rose 5.3%.

The Wednesday meeting had given some reassurance to investors, said Jun Rong Yeap, market strategist at IG Asia Pte. But whether this is just a temporary reprieve or a longer-term upward trend, the answer still lies in whether Beijing can calm investor nerves about subsequent regulatory clampdowns and the impact on the growth of domestic firms.

The Hang Seng Tech Index surged 8%. Education firms, some of which are moving swiftly to overhaul their business to adjust to new regulations, were also higher after being heavily sold earlier in the week. New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. added 13% while Koolearn Technology Holding Ltd. gained 20%.

READ: Tencent Is Worlds Worst Stock Bet With $170 Billion Wipeout

Its a good relief rally after the trauma of recent days, said Gary Dugan, chief executive officer at the Global CIO Office, noting that authorities were trying to draw a line under this weeks market turmoil. International investors are bloodied by the experience and will remain suspicious that overseas quoted Chinese companies are under heavy scrutiny by policy makers.

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Wednesdays hastily arranged meeting led by China Securities Regulatory Commission Vice Chairman Fang Xinghai was the latest sign of Beijings discomfort with a selloff that sent the nations key stock indexes to the brink of a bear market. State-run media have published a series of articles suggesting the rout is overdone, while some analysts have speculated government-linked funds have begun intervening to support the market.

However, the meeting wont dispel investors concerns completely as the regulatory policy wasnt from CSRC, said Daniel So, a strategist at CMB Internatioal Securities Ltd. The PBOCs net injection is good news to the stock market, but we still need to monitor if this would become a longer-term trend.

Interbank borrowing costs declined after the Peoples Bank of China pumped in a net 20 billion yuan ($3.1 billion) of liquidity into the financial system with seven-day reverse repurchase agreements. That was the first short-term cash addition of more than 10 billion yuan since June 30.

The yield on Chinas most actively-traded contract of 10-year government bonds dropped for the first time in three days, after rising by the most in a year on Tuesday.

Steep stock market declines earlier this week were triggered by Chinas shock decision to ban swathes of its booming tutoring industry from making profits, raising foreign capital and going public. It was the governments most extreme step yet to rein in companies it blames for exacerbating inequality, increasing financial risk and challenging the Communist Partys grip on key segments of the economy.

A front page editorial on Thursday by the Economic Daily reinforced the message that recent policies on tech and tutoring sectors were not aimed at restricting or suppressing the development of certain industries, while state-run Xinhua said Chinas strengthening economy provided a guarantee and foundation for capital market development.

Todays rebound is encouraging, but regulatory risks have been anchored in investors minds, said Margaret Yang, strategist at DailyFX. Many investors were trapped with unrealized losses and may attempt to sell the rebound. This may weigh on near-term sentiment for HK tech firms.

(Updates market moves throughout)

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Chris Cuomo may regret inviting Huntington Beach, Calif., restaurant owner Tony Roman onto Cuomo Prime Time Wednesday. Roman, owner of Basilicos Pasta e Vino, recently made headlines for posting a sign in the window saying they would only serve unvaccinated customers, adding, We have zero tolerance for treasonous, anti-American stupidity.

Tony, is this a little bit of a joke? Cuomo asked. Can you give me some hope that you really don't want people to not get vaccinated so they can come to your restaurant? That's a good question. You're a smart guy, Roman replied. It's an IQ test.

Roman, who would later admit there is no way to prove someone has not been vaccinated, said in his own way that the sign is to keep out those who would be upset by the sign.

Like I say to people when they ask me, if they're so blinded with their rage and their hate, Roman said, I tell them, You know what, if you don't understand it, maybe we should put up a sign that says you're too stupid to come into the restaurant. I mean, its very simple.

Things really began to get testy when talking about vaccination status. Roman admitted that he is not vaccinated, then asked Cuomo if he was. Though Cuomo answered immediately, Roman accused him of hesitating then very awkwardly asked him again.

While Roman originally said he thought Cuomo understood why the sign was posted, following this interaction, he told Cuomo that he was failing the IQ test, which was expected.

Tony, it doesn't make sense. It really doesn't. I gave you a chance to make the case.Chris Cuomo

Roman would go on to list far-right talking points on COVID-19 restrictions, then brought up Cuomos brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been accused of grossly mishandling the pandemic, and has a very different view of vaccines from Roman. Gov. Cuomo urged all New York businesses to serve only vaccinated patrons.

You have the freedom not to take the vaccine, Cuomo said, I just dont know why you dont think its a good move. To which Roman responded, Maybe  maybe we should ask your brother about protecting people, right?

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Roman said his stance on the vaccine is about freedom, so Cuomo reminded him that he had a no-mask policy last year as the pandemic worsened, and the interview soon came to its inevitable conclusion.

Youre pro-freedom but people can't wear masks. Tony, it doesn't make sense. It really doesnt, Cuomo said. I gave you a chance to make the case. I wish you well. I hope your family stays safe. I made my case, Roman replied. You didn't have much to say. You didnt have much to say. I mean, honestly, you sound like an idiot, Cuomo responded, so theres not much to say. Tony, good luck with it. See ya. And so do you, Roman retorted. Yeah, only for having you on the show, Cuomo said as Roman disappeared from the screen.

Cuomo Prime Time airs weeknights at 9 p.m. on CNN.

Watch Geraldo Rivera accuse Sean Hannity of 'gaslighting' his viewers on the Jan. 6 insurrection:

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Jul. 29OXFORD  Granville County school board members got a lot of advice this week from a pair of public hearings asking for opinions on what it should do about consolidating schools on the southern end of the County.

The first of the hearings, on Monday, focused on the possible closure of Creedmoor Elementary School or Wilton Elementary School.

Much of the crowd of parents, former students, teachers and community members pleaded with the board to keep Wilton Elementary open, reminding members of Wilton's high-achieving students and that the school is a "lighthouse school"  one of 30 such in the state.

Tuesday saw board and community members return to Tar River Elementary School to discuss two proposals addressing the fate of Hawley Middle School. One calls for closing Hawley, reassigning its seventh- and eighth-grade students to other schools, and relocating all of Granville County's sixth-grade students to elementary schools.

The other would move Hawley to the South Granville High School campus, and consolidate South Granville High School and Granville Central High School into one school on the current Granville Central campus.

Once again, the school board was joined by parents, former students, teachers, and community members. There was a mix of emotions in the crowd. Some preferred closing Hawley and possibly moving students to other middle schools in the district and going back to K-6 elementary schools. Others wanted to keep a K-5 setup in elementary schools and relocate Hawley.

Most agreed that the board has to make a decision about the middle school immediately due to the condition of its building.

Parents also expressed their concerns about merging Granville High School and Granville Central High School into one high school. Most parents asked the board to consider keeping the high schools separate.

"Put middle schoolers first and [in] their own space," parent Anna Elliot told board members.

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Elliot said the lack of attention and current conditions of the middle schools in the district is why her own family had chosen to send their children to private school. Her two daughters are looking forward to attending both middle school and high school in the district.

School board Chairman David Richardson said he thinks officials have to make a decision soon.

"I think we have kind of drug this out as long as we can. and the public is telling us they want a decision made to do something or to [not] do something," he said. "We're hopeful that when we come together [on] Aug. 2, we'll take what we've learned from those meetings and public comments we've got, and decid[e] what our next step will be or make a decision for the consolidation."
The number of COVID patients in UK hospitals has fallen for the first time in a month. (Getty)

The number of people with COVID-19 in hospitals has fallen for the first time in a month.

Coronavirus hospitalisations in the UK dropped from 6,035 on Tuesday to 6,034 on Wednesday, in the latest government statistics.

It was the first time this number had decreased since 23 June when it fell from 1,538 to 1,492.

But those being admitted to hospitals with the virus increased from 826 to 932, government data showed.

The UK also reported 31,117 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, an increase on 27,734 a day earlier.

It was a second consecutive rise in the daily total after cases fell each day over the previous week.

Watch: UK COVID-19 deaths rise by 85

Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who has previously warned that there could be 100,000 daily cases over the summer, said on Wednesday he hoped recent falls in the numbers would be sustained but it was important not to be too optimistic.

He said: The truth is, when it comes to case numbers no-one really knows where they are going to go next.

I hope that the falls that were seeing now are sustained. Thats of course what I want to see.

But weve already seen with the Delta variant, a new variant that emerged over the last year, thats more infectious than the previous one, that things can change.

And so, I think its important to remain cautious, not get too optimistic.

The UK reported its highest number of deaths (131) and people in hospital with coronavirus (5,918) since March on Tuesday, with Boris Johnson urging caution despite a week of lower reported numbers of infection.

The prime minister said: "It is very, very important that we don't allow ourselves to run away with premature conclusions about (lower case numbers).

A COVID-19 testing centre in Cumbria, northwest England. (Getty)

He noted it would take a while for the lifting of restrictions in England on 19 July to feed through to the data.

Johnson added: "People have got to remain very cautious and that remains the approach of the government."

The PM also made reassurances restrictions for the double vaccinated would be removed as planned on 16 August.

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People who are fully vaccinated will no longer have to self-isolate from that date if a contact tests positive for coronavirus.

The prime minister told LBC: August the 16th is nailed on.

"Theres never been any question of a review date for August the 16th. We will go ahead with the move.

Watch: How the world could be better after COVID
Records were broken across the High Plains on Wednesday as above-normal temperatures persisted throughout the region and into the south-central U.S. -- but when will relief from the heat arrive?

Not just yet, but soon, AccuWeather forecasters say. The sweltering pattern that's been locked in across the middle of the nation will continue through the weekend for most places.

Afternoon temperatures across cities such as Houston and Lubbock, Texas; Oklahoma City; Wichita, Kansas; and Little Rock, Arkansas; have been about 2-5 degrees above normal, on average, since last weekend.

This image shows temperatures (F) as of noon CDT Friday, July 30, 2021. (AccuWeather)

Dallas hit the 100-degree mark for this first time this year on Sunday then surged into the lower 100s F again on Monday and Tuesday, and then once more on Friday. On average, Dallas typically reaches 100 degrees by the first day of July, and the latest date on which Dallas recorded its first 100-degree reading of the year was on Aug. 23 in 1989.

The heat will continue in Dallas with temperatures flirting with 100 through Sunday, AccuWeather forecasters predict, and the AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature could soar as high as 108.

Triple-digit heat will make a run at cities farther north and west over the southern Plains, too.

The catalyst behind this heat wave, AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert explained, has been a weather feature high in the atmosphere.

"A large area of high pressure at the upper levels of the atmosphere has been responsible in part for the increased heat across the region this week," said Gilbert.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

Airflow around this area of high pressure allowed the heat to spread northward along the High Plains, just east of the Rocky Mountains. Several new record-high temperatures were set across this region on Wednesday afternoon.

Temperatures in Denver climbed above normal earlier this week and continued to trend higher into the middle of the week. By Wednesday, the Mile High City reached 100 degrees, breaking the old daily record of 98 degrees set in 1867.

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Normal high temperatures for the end of August range from around 90 F in Denver and Kansas City to 97 F in Dallas.

"Temperatures a few degrees above normal will likely continue for much of the south-central U.S. over the weekend," said Gilbert, as the area of high pressure is forecast to remain over the region.

Little Rock is expected to approach the triple digits on Saturday. Highs across the rest of the region are expected to be in the middle to upper 90s on Saturday.

Gilbert warned that the risk for heat-related illnesses will remain elevated throughout the weekend.

"Anyone spending extended periods of time outdoors should try to limit that time to early morning or late afternoons to avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day," she advised.

However, if this is unavoidable, AccuWeather forecasters say it's essential to take breaks in the shade and drink plenty of water to avoid becoming overheated and dehydrated.

By late Saturday and into Sunday, the area of high pressure will begin to break down and shift west into the southwestern U.S., allowing a cold front to sink south over the center of the country.

"Some places, like Oklahoma City, will begin to encounter relief from the heat as early as Sunday," Gilbert explained. "Locations farther south may have to wait until Monday for cooler conditions."

With the arrival of this cooler air mass, temperatures across the south-central U.S. are forecast to drop a few degrees below normal.

Dallas can return to the low 90s by Monday, while Oklahoma City and Wichita can dip below 90 by early next week.

Through Sunday, Denver, where the average high temperature is around 90 degrees, may struggle to reach the 80-degree mark.

"Interestingly, despite the recent heat surge, a majority of locations across the south-central U.S. are still running cooler than normal for the month of July," Gilbert said. "As of Saturday, Dallas and Houston are running just over a degree below normal for the month, while Oklahoma City is running nearly two degrees below normal."

The temperature for the month is taken using an average of high and low temperatures recorded each day.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Jul. 28Ten years ago this summer, Tucker Poolman drove across the Midwest with his father, Mark, hoping to find a junior hockey team.

Poolman had just graduated from East Grand Forks Senior High and didn't have a lot of options. United States Hockey League teams weren't interested and North American Hockey League teams continued to turn him away, too. One, in fact, told him not to even waste the time or money to attend their tryout camp out of a courtesy, because he had no shot at making the roster.

Poolman had applied to attend UND strictly as a student and was on the verge of moving on from hockey when the Wichita Falls Wildcats of the NAHL offered him a roster spot.

Poolman took the offer, launching an uncommon ascent from Wichita Falls to the USHL to UND to the NHL.

Now, on the 10-year anniversary of that fateful summer where he was close to moving on from the sport, Poolman has signed a four-year, $10-milion deal with the Vancouver Canucks.

The contract was first reported by Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff on Wednesday morning as the NHL's free-agency period opened.

It will be a new home for the 28-year-old Poolman, who has been with the Winnipeg Jets since turning pro in 2017. He played 39 regular-season games last season, registering one assist. In the playoffs, he suited up for all eight games, scoring one goal and two points as the Jets swept Edmonton in the first round and got swept by Montreal in the conference semifinals.

In all, Poolman has played 120 regular-season NHL games and 14 playoff games for Winnipeg.

In Vancouver, Poolman will be reunited with Brock Boeser. They won an NCAA national championship as UND teammates in 2016.

Poolman played three seasons with Senior High from 2008-11. As a senior, he had 22 points in 23 games from the blue line.

He took off in Wichita Falls, tallying seven goals and 29 points in 59 games, attracting the interest of USHL teams. Poolman landed in Omaha and had immediate success, drawing an offer from UND.

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Poolman spent a second year in Omaha, earning USA Hockey's Junior Player of the Year award.

At UND, Poolman showed his versatility by playing both forward and defense as a rookie. As a sophomore, he moved strictly to defense and was a key cog in the Fighting Hawks' NCAA national championship team.

Poolman came back for his junior year, earning All-American honors.

Poolman earned his undergraduate degree in three years and signed with Winnipeg, which drafted him in the fifth round in 2013.

Poolman's last contract  three years, $2.325 million  expired this spring and he became an unrestricted free agent.

The Canucks have been remaking their defensive core this offseason, adding Oliver Ekman-Larsson in a trade with Arizona and signing Luke Schenn as a free agent from Tampa Bay.

Vancouver finished in last place in the North Division last season.
Sherrod Brown. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

House and Senate Democrats are scrambling to renew a federal eviction ban after Biden urged them at the last-minute.

In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson for Sen. Sherrod Brown said he was working with Schumer on legislation.

Nearly six million people are at risk of eviction starting in two days.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Congressional Democrats are rushing to assemble legislation to renew a federal eviction ban before it expires

Democrats in both chambers are trying to draft a bill and put it to a rapid vote sometime in the next two days. The moratorium expires on July 31. After that, around 6 million people are at risk of getting evicted in the coming months, or 16% of all renters, per Census Pulse Survey Data.

The Biden administration on Thursday said it would not renew a federal eviction ban and the matter was ultimately left up to Congress, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling. The high court's decision stated that Congress needed to renew it.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said though the administration "strongly supported" renewing the federal eviction ban, the Supreme Court ruling essentially tied its hands. The administration instead called for the quick dispersal of emergency rental aid which has been slow to get to renters. Psaki also said Biden is asking various federal agencies to implement limited eviction bans through September's end.

Banking and Housing Committee chair Sherrod Brown initially held off pushing for an extension, saying it should be left up to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency intervened and put the moratorium in place last year under President Donald Trump, citing the urgency of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Now Brown is playing a key role assembling a bill to renew it past July 31.

In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson for Brown's office said he "supports an extension of the eviction moratorium and will work with Leader Schumer to pass legislation that will allow our nation's renters to stay in their homes during this crisis."

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It was unclear what date House and Senate Democrats would ultimately agree on. A person familiar with the talks in the House said their version would attempt to extend it sometime until the end of the year.

Democrats in recent days had stepped up their calls for the administration to renew the ban. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranked Senate Democrat, were among them.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Jul. 28Detroit  A longtime city councilman and a member of his staff are accused of accepting more than $35,000 in bribe payments to be "influenced and rewarded" for votes over several years, federal authorities contend.

City Councilman Andre L. Spivey, a churchgoing representative for the city's east side, is facing one federal count of conspiracy to commit bribery on claims that he and another unnamed official, identified in federal filings as "Public Official A," accepted the funds in exchange for votes on the Detroit City Council and in subcommittees from 2016 to 2020. The federal filing notes the findings are "concerning an industry under review by the council."

According to the filing, Spivey accepted a $1,000 cash bribe payment from an undercover law enforcement agent on Oct. 26, 2018. Spivey was formally charged Wednesday in a criminal information, waiving his right to a grand jury.

The criminal information specifically notes Detroit received more than $10,000 in federal assistance during each year of the alleged conspiracy, with no other context given. The charge of theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds carries a penalty of returning the funds and imprisonment of not more than five years, or both.

The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment Wednesday.

Spivey's Detroit-based attorney, Elliott Hall, has said Spivey "did nothing in his official capacity as a city councilperson that they're claiming." On Wednesday, Hall noted in regards to the councilman's charge: "Spivey is only being charged with the $1,000, but that he and Public Official A collected together over $35,000."

Some legal experts view the lack of details in the criminal information as significant.

"The fact that this is an information instead of an indictment tells me it's likely he's pleading guilty," said Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan who now teaches at the University of Michigan.

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More would be needed, she added, if authorities were building a case to present and prove in court. "If he's pleading guilty, then you don't need to include all of those details."

Larry Dubin, an emeritus professor of Law at the University of Detroit Mercy, added: "Perhaps the facts are vague to help facilitate the further investigation of other people involved in this matter."

Spivey is out of town until Tuesday, Hall said, and an arraignment is anticipated later next week.

He also has said Spivey has not resigned his seat: Federal authorities "might require him to," but "we're trying to keep him in to finish his term."

Spivey is among a handful of incumbent council members who announced earlier this year that they would not be seeking another four-year term in this year's election. President Brenda Jones and member Raquel Castaneda-Lopez also aren't seeking reelection in the Aug. 3 primary.

Spivey is the second Detroit councilman this term accused of accepting bribes in favor of votes at the council table. This spring, indicted City Councilman Gabe Leland resigned after pleading guilty to a state charge of misconduct in office.

Spivey was first elected citywide in 2009. He was subsequently elected to represent the council's District 4 in 2013 and 2017. He lives in the district's historic East English Village.

Residents in shock

Although Spivey has been less visible in recent months in his district, residents and community leaders said Wednesday that they are saddened and blindsided by the allegations.

For Donna Givens Davidson, president and CEO of the Eastside Community Network, who has known and worked with Spivey even before he became a public official, it's been a painful shock.

"He's always opened his door and extended his hand when I've asked for help," said Givens Davidson, noting Spivey has been responsive and supportive and his council staff has aided her group in events and with holiday meal giveaways.

She hasn't always agreed with Spivey's legislative decisions and, at times, wished he'd been more forceful in addressing some concerns. But has "always believed him to be a man who acted according to his vision of what the community needed."

"I want people to understand that you have the politics and you have the person. This is a man, a husband, a father, and from what I understand, he's good at those roles," she said. "I don't want to have all of his years of public service defined by this one thing, especially when we don't know what, if any role he played or whether he's guilty or not."

Toson Knight, a resident and candidate for the District 4 seat in the August primary, said he has offered his prayers to Spivey, with whom he often interacted during Knight's time working for Mayor Mike Duggan's administration.

The claims, he said, make it challenging for Knight and others seeking office who are working to rebuild public trust.

"We don't need any more bad coverage. We have enough of it," he said. "It (the allegations) doesn't reflect the entire city of Detroit. We've come a long way from that type of behavior. Hopefully, this is just a bump in the road."

Other candidates for District 4 include former journalist M.L. Elrick and retired judge Virgil C. Smith as well as retired social worker Ane Bomani, former Wayne County sheriff deputy Kenneth Snapp, veteran Daivon Reeder and community advocate Latisha Johnson.

Maureen Dritsan, a 29-year resident of the neighborhood and an executive board member of the East English Village Association, said she and other board members were also shocked and disappointed.

"His first term, he showed up regularly at our meetings and was very responsive with his staff," said Dritsan, adding she was disappointed that Spivey "waited until the very last minute to note that he was not going to run for an at-large council position, but certainly gave the impression that he was to a number of people that live in D4."

Dritsan contends Spivey didn't talk to constituents following recent historic flooding that hit the city's east side particularly hard, nor did he show up at a planned July 19 meeting with the directors of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and the Great Lakes Water Authority.

"We now know why he was keeping a low profile," said Dritsan, 73. "I think he needs to resign."

Duggan, meanwhile, said Wednesday it's "not my place" to weigh in on whether Spivey should resign.

"Just like everybody else in this country, he's entitled to be presumed innocent," he said. "We'll see how the criminal justice process plays out."

Earlier this year, Duggan said Leland's case had been a "negative cloud" over the city and that Leland's plea and resignation were allowing Detroit to move forward.

Leland was sentenced last month to two and a half years probation on a state charge. The 38-year-old Democrat was accused of agreeing to accept $15,000 in cash and free car repairs from a Detroit businessman in exchange for his vote on a controversial land deal.

The state case came after Leland was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2018 on bribery conspiracy and two counts of bribery stemming from the allegations. The federal case against Leland was dismissed as part of his plea agreement.

Leland was the highest-ranking Detroit politician to be charged with a federal crime since former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was indicted a decade ago and subsequently sentenced to 28 years in federal prison. Kilpatrick was released in January after former President Donald Trump commuted his sentence. He served seven years.

The Detroit council has long been mired in other public corruption cases and scandals.

In 2006, former Detroit councilman Alonzo "Lonnie" Bates was convicted of theft and bank fraud for placing "ghost employees" on his payroll. Bates was sentenced to 33 months in prison for taking $800,000 in bribes while he was a member of the Detroit School Board.

Former Detroit City Council President Monica Conyers and former Councilwoman Kay Everett also were convicted of taking bribes while in office. Conyers pleaded guilty to corruption charges in 2010 and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for accepting money in exchange for her vote on a $1 billion sludge-hauling deal. At the time of her death in 2004, Everett was under indictment for taking a bribe from a city contractor, who flavored the deal with 17 pounds of sausage.

Former council President Charles Pugh resigned in 2013, months after leaving City Hall amid allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a teenage boy. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges and was sentenced to 5 1/2 to 15 years in prison.

'It's all a mystery'

Scotty Boman, chair of the District 4 Community Advisory Council, said at its July 12 meeting the advisory council passed a resolution calling out Spivey for not appointing a youth member to the advisory group nearly six months after the deadline and after the board provided a list of candidates to select from.

"He has not been doing his job following the city ordinances as far as community appointments are concerned," said Boman, 59, who lives in the city's Morningside neighborhood. "It shows a disrespect for the legal process. Up until this disagreement, he had shown integrity."

As an ordained itinerant minister, Spivey has served as pastor of several African Methodist Episcopal Churches and is executive minister at the Oak Grove A.M.E Church on Cherrylawn Avenue in Detroit.

"Rev. Spivey has faithfully served Oak Grove AME Church with honor and distinction," Senior Pastor Cindy Rudolph said Wednesday. "As his church family, we are offering prayers and support for him and his family during these challenging times."

Detroit Councilman Scott Benson declined to comment Wednesday on the allegations involving Spivey. Other council members could not be reached.

Jackie Grant, who ran against Spivey in 2016, said she had assumed Spivey decided not to run this cycle because he's been in law school, with hopes of going in a different direction. But now, "it's all a mystery," she said.

Grant, a 35-year resident of Detroit's Morningside community, noted Spivey appointed her to the city's board of zoning appeals. She's worked closely with people in his office about community issues especially, blight, she said.

"I'm blindsided by this," said Grant, 73. "We have a history of people behaving badly. I'm so disappointed, and I really can't wait to see a new council."

Detroiters, Grant said, need to pay attention to who is running for office and not just pick candidates based on name recognition.

"It has to be about who can do this work," said Grant, adding she wouldn't run for council again because "it's a dirty business." "And it's a heavy lift for whoever is on council if they're doing their job."

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_

Staff Writer Mark Hicks contributed.
About a year before the inaugural sailing of the Disney Wish, Disney Cruise Lines continues to unveil experiences that make the fifth ship in the line stand out from the rest.

In April, it was revealed the ship would have Star Wars, Frozen and superhero themes in restaurants and lounges, among other experiences.

This month, Disney gave a look at how adults can indulge in its first outdoor spa retreat and standalone salon experiences, plus upscale bars and lounges.

With the Disney Wish, we wanted to design an experience that allows our grown-up guests to relax, recharge and reconnect in unique ways that only Disney Cruise Line can create, Laura Cabo, portfolio creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, said in a statement. Not only did we infuse more storytelling and enchantment into the adult-exclusive venues, but we added more variety and made them more accessible than ever before.

After more than a year without cruises during COVID-19, Disney Cruise Line announced this month it will resume U.S. cruises Aug. 9.

Disney Wish is set to sail in the summer of 2022 from Port Canaveral, Florida.

Disney cruise restarting: Disney Cruise Line resumes US sailings from Florida in August with Disney Dream

Here is a look at some of the latest reveals:

Disney Wish Senses Spa will have open-air oasis

For the first time aboard a Disney ship, Senses Spa will feature an outdoor relaxation space where guests can enjoy whirlpool spas or take part in yoga sessions.

This open-air oasis is an extension to Disney Cruise Lines signature Rainforest experience, which has been reimagined for the Wish to provide even more ways to relax and rejuvenate. The Rainforest will introduce the fleets first ice lounge, allowing guests to combine thermal therapies. It will include heated ergonomic loungers, sensory spa showers and sauna, steam and dry chambers.

Senses Spa will feature private treatment rooms and lavish spa villas for couples. In addition to a menu of massage, facial and acupuncture therapies, passengers will be able to select from a menu of specialized treatments customized to their needs, such as pain management and sleep improvement.

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Adjacent to the spa, the reimagined Senses Fitness will offer exercise and wellness facilities, including a main room with exercise equipment, a cycle studio and an aerobics room.

Adults will indulge in sun-drenched serenity at Quiet Cove, a peaceful refuge dedicated to lounging, sipping and soaking. Set away from the bustle of family activities, this secluded adults-only district will feature a luxurious infinity pool, poolside bar and chic cafe.

Disney Wish will have onboard salon and barber shop

The Disney Wish will premiere two salon experiences  the fleets first standalone venues for hairstyling and beauty services  where adults can treat themselves in environments designed with inspiration from classic Walt Disney Animation Studios films.

At Untangled Salon, adults can enjoy an experience inspired by Rapunzel  the Disney Princess known for her long, flowing tresses.

This high-end salon will be adorned in shades of purple and gold, decorated with floating lantern light fixtures and outfitted with custom cut-metal privacy screens depicting Rapunzels paintings.

One side of the space will gleam and glow with the golden light of a signature chandelier that evokes the flower that gave her hair its magical qualities.

In addition to haircuts and styling, the menu of services at Untangled Salon will include manicures, pedicures, teeth whitening and skin treatments.

Hooks Barbery will be a twist on a traditional European mens salon, offering cuts, shaves and nail and skin care.

Decked out in dark woods, leather chairs and golden mirrors, the space will brim with narrative details inspired by its namesake, Captain Hook: an inlaid wooden map of Never Land, a hidden pocket watch and  of course  a hook, to name a few.

It will boast the ultimate toast to a pirates life: a hidden bar. This treasure trove of pre-Prohibition bourbons, vintage whisky and port, aged rum and premium spirits will be a liquor enthusiasts paradise.

Favorite Disney treat: Celebrate Dole Whip Day with this Disney recipe for a homemade frozen pineapple treat

Disney movies: All the Disney live-action remakes (including 'Cruella'), definitively ranked

Bars , lounges on Disney Wish will offer adult-only time for parents

Like every Disney Cruise Line vessel, the Disney Wish will offer a collection of bars and lounges reserved exclusively for adults each evening. For the first time, these venues will be spread out among the ships other core gathering places for a more flexible, free-flow experience that will allow guests  particularly parents  more opportunities to enjoy me time throughout their cruise.

Also new is the prevalence of storytelling in these spaces, providing a variety of ways for adults to experience some of their favorite Disney stories in sophisticated ways designed especially for them.

Keg & Compass is a pub that celebrates the adventure and romance of the sea, designed in the rustic architectural style of a late-1800s Norwegian sailors map room. Drawing inspiration from the folklore of Norse seafaring, period-style oil paintings will depict tales of the deep, and intricate carvings of tentacles, barnacles, compasses and more will accentuate porthole frames.

Spanning the ceiling will be a grand, fantastical map in old maritime style that features, among other references to ocean lore, an homage to Disney characters and stories related to the sea. In addition to such characters as Ursula and Moana (appearing in the geographically accurate locations of their stories), the map will call out important locales related to Walt Disney and the design and construction of the Disney Wish.

Passengers will be able to kick back and watch live sports, news and more while sampling a specialized selection of beers, including three custom craft brews available exclusively aboard the Disney Wish, along with an assortment of liquors, wines and cocktails.

Setting sail in summer 2022, the Disney Wish will be a celebration of Disneys rich legacy of enchanting storytelling that brings to life the fantastical worlds and beloved characters at the heart of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars adventures like never before.

Nightingales is a refined piano bar inspired by Cinderellas lyrical rendition of Sing Sweet Nightingale in the 1950 film, offering a menu of fine wines, bubblies and hand-crafted cocktails. Classically modern, the predominant design feature will be a glittering chandelier perched above the piano. The lounge will be a thematic extension of the fairy tale-inspired Grand Hall from which it stems, with large doors that allow the twinkling tunes to spill out across the atrium.

Passengers looking for a New Orleans-inspired good time can go down to The Bayou, an informal lounge themed to The Princess and the Frog. The space will evoke the magical marsh where Tiana and Naveen take refuge in the film. A bronze statue of each character will be prominently displayed, and two gazebos inspired by the citys wrought iron metalwork structures will provide intimate seating for small groups on either side of the bar. The centrally located venue will offer creative cocktails, specialty coffees and beignets alongside live entertainment and musical performances.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disney cruise: Disney Wish shares adult amenities, including spa, bars
Jul. 28Career criminal Eddie Ray Hall, the 57-year-old convicted of multiple felonies spanning decades, is in Whitman County Jail facing allegations he violated the terms of his release last year from federal prison.

Hall, who had been serving a 16-year sentence for dealing methamphetamine, was released from prison in August 2020 after successfully petitioning U.S. District Court Judge Robert Whaley that he would likely face severe health complications if he contracted COVID-19 while behind bars.

Hall was one of 2,549 inmates, including 16 in Eastern Washington, who successfully petitioned courts for release in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to a report from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. The request was made under a provision included in a 2018 criminal justice reform bill allowing defendants to ask the courts for their release, rather than Bureau of Prisons officials.

In his motion asking to be released from prison, Hall's attorney said the spread of the virus in the Milan federal prison in Michigan, where he was being housed, "is a potential death sentence for Mr. Hall, who has hepatitis C, chronic kidney disease, and lost his spleen and most of his bowel after a gunshot wound in the 1980s." That wound was received during a break-in at a Spokane Valley appliance store in August 1987, when Hall was shot by a security guard. He pleaded guilty to a felony burglary charge in the case, one of at least 16 felony convictions prior to the federal criminal case in 2011.

A 1998 estimate by The Spokesman-Review found that Hall's incarceration to that point had cost taxpayers roughly $1 million. He was arrested at least six more times after that date, state court records show.

Gordon Stoa, the attorney representing Hall, declined Wednesday to comment on the case or why Hall is being housed at the jail in Colfax. Hall was moved there July 21, according to jail records.

Hall is accused of using heroin, morphine and methamphetamine shortly after his release from prison to a home in Montana, according to drug test results included in court records. Hall denied using methamphetamine in September, telling his probation officer "he may have been exposed to the substance while remodeling his current residence," according to court records.

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Hall remained out of custody under supervision until February at residences in Montana. Following multiple failed drug tests and disregard of an order to remain at his home, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Hall was arrested by Spokane police at a motel on Feb. 19, and inside his car authorities found more than a half-pound of methamphetamine, according to court documents. He's been in custody since then.

Judges continue to approve so-called "compassionate release" petitions as COVID-19 cases are being recorded in federal prisons across the country.

In May, U.S. District Court Judge William Fremming Nielsen granted release to Robert S. Berry, one of the co-conspirators in the domestic terrorist bombing of a Planned Parenthood building in Spokane Valley in 1996. Berry, who was resentenced to 58 years in prison following a new sentencing hearing in 2020, argued for release because of a cancer diagnosis. Berry was released May 14, with the judge ordering, "at the resentencing hearing Mr. Berry demonstrated he had reformed and no longer presents a risk to the community."

Berry will be under probation for the next five years, according to the terms of his sentence. His release is in addition to 16 other cases reported by the U.S. Sentencing Commission in Eastern Washington, as it was decided after Dec. 31.

There has been no court date scheduled for Hall, who has been ordered held by the U.S. Marshals.
Maybe its the law of averages, but every blue moon or so a political party leader will make a valid point about governance in Virginia not (entirely) wrapped up in bald partisanship.

In a notable instance, reported this week, House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, wondered about the upcoming special legislative session and the rather restrictive thinking involved.

This is a special session, beginning Monday, called for the purpose of acting on assorted budgetary proposals  quite substantial ones, too  and it seems that the Democrats would like to get it done, but without a lot of fuss.

Fuss meaning any discussion and debate.

Or consideration of alternative proposals.

You know, the things that generally characterize a legislative process.

If theyre just going to shove this down everyones throat I have no idea why we need to be there more than two hours, said Gilbert.

Two hours might be excessive for what the Democrats have in mind. No amendments to the proposed amendments, all lawmakers have been told.

Let it be written, let it be done, in short.

In a way, this conjures up past legislative habits, emblematic of less democratic eras in Virginia, when an oligarchic mentality held sway in the State Capitol  otherwise known as the very eras that these progressive Democrats are constantly telling us that they wish to leave buried in the past.

Buried, unless it seems useful to dredge up again.

Which is exactly what the Democrats are doing and Gilbert is calling them out on it.

Not that Gilbert wouldnt be inclined to do the very same thing had his GOP the majorities presently enjoyed by the Democrats. That part is obvious to one and all.

But the core point remains valid: Why bring everyone to Richmond and sit them down in the Capitol, if the principal chore is to smile at each other and, on cue, go thumbs up.

Of course, we dont want to tempt the Democrats too much with that idea, particularly not the House Democratic leadership.

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Last year and this, the Democrats appeared entirely too enthusiastic for stripped-down, COVID-driven legislative arrangements, whereby the human element of the legislative process is reduced to an absolute minimum.

That includes public involvement and press access, by the way, too. One of the compressed state legislative sessions in the U.S. was also made to be nearly unapproachable.

Yes, yes, we know it was all about staying safe and uninfected. Fine.

But if you cannot hold a traditional legislative session, while keeping people healthy, then do not attempt to do so. Do not fundamentally change the nature of the process (which the Democrats did) and then claim that you have satisfied the base requirements.

So, what unpleasantries do the Democrats hope to avoid in this August special session?

Apparently anything that might test or challenge their plans for spending $4.3 billion in federal pandemic relief money.

There will be no amendments to the governors spending proposals, says House Appropriations Committee Chairman Del. Luke Torian, D-Prince William. He so decreed last week.

And decree is the right word for it. It was not presented as a suggestion.

The justification? The oldest and lamest excuse in the legislative handbook: Its an emergency. We cannot tarry, cannot linger, the Democrats cry. We must get help to the needy.

It simply would be impossible to thoroughly evaluate those items in what is expected to be a short and expeditious Special Session, Torian wrote.

Ever so impossible. The last special legislation lasted, what, about a year or so?

An exaggeration, granted.

But when Del. Gilbert says, The only input on how these billions of dollars will be spent will be from a select few Democrats, hes not exaggerating.

The oldest ongoing legislative body in the New World is all of a sudden being turned into a rubber stamp for the governors ideas.

Yup. Everything old is new again.
Greg Hallgrimson, the former police chief of Greenwood, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a handcuffed man who was being held in a police station for allegedly trying to drown his own infant daughter in an icy pond.

Hallgrimson, 51, entered a guilty plea in the Western District of Missouri on Wednesday morning, according to court records. He was indicted by a federal grand jury with violating the civil rights of a man identified in court documents as J.Z. by throwing him to the ground and striking him in the face while he was restrained in a chair.

Robin Fowler, the former chiefs defense attorney, told The Star his plea marks the next step in being able to resolve the case and move forward with his life.

He believes that the plea terms are fair, and hopes they will be given consideration by the Court, Fowler said in a statement.

An excessive force investigation of Hallgrimson was opened after the former top cop was accused of beating Jonathan Stephen Zicarelli, who had shown up at the Greenwood Police Department in December 2018 and told police he had killed his infant daughter. Hallgrimson and another officer quickly rushed to an icy retention pond and found an unconscious infant floating face up, her lungs filled with water.

Hallgrimson and the other responding officer removed the childs wet clothes and wrapped her in the chiefs shirt to warm her body. Paramedics arrived and took over reviving the child and rushed her to a hospital.

The child was treated for severe hypothermia. Jackson County prosecutors filed an assault charge against Zicarelli later that day.

According to court records, Zicarelli told investigators he had been planning to kill his daughter for more than 24 hours after having bad thoughts. He said he wanted to make things easier for his wife. He said he was stressed by the holidays and by trying to provide for his family.

Hallgrimson was later accused of using excessive force against Zicarelli at the police station. A former attorney for Zicarelli, Susan Dill, previously told The Star that Hallgrimson was captured on video grabbing Zicarelli by the throat, throwing him to the floor and punching him in the face.

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According to Dill, the police chief told Zicarelli: You deserve to die.

Hallgrimson was put on administrative leave by Greenwoods Board of Aldermen shortly after the assault accusations came to light. He resigned in May 2019.

Zicarelli, meanwhile, remains in Jackson County jail on pending felony charges of domestic assault and child abuse.

The Stars Luke Nozicka contributed to this report.
Five Republican senators are questioning why the Department of Health and Human Services redacted a portion of an email between Dr. Anthony Fauci and Peter Daszak, the president of a research organization that worked with the Wuhan Institute of Virology on coronavirus studies before the pandemic.

Their inquiry is the latest attempt from the group to get public health agencies to turn over documents related to the way pandemic policies have been set behind the scenes.

The email in question gained widespread attention last month because Daszak, a key figure in research linked to the hypothesis that COVID-19 may have escaped from the Wuhan lab, thanked Fauci for downplaying the likelihood of a lab leak. It also gained attention after being released to media outlets under the Freedom of Information Act because the administration redacted a portion of the email using an exemption reserved for information related to pending law enforcement proceedings.

But HHS officials this week sent the senators an unredacted version of the email, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner, in response to one of two document requests the group had sent out weeks earlier  this one in pursuit of unredacted emails to and from Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Sens. Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, James Lankford, Rick Scott, and Josh Hawley sent a letter Thursday to the Democratic chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Gary Peters, pressing him to subpoena the Biden administration over documents that the agency has refused to produce.

They cited a law that requires agencies to comply with records requests backed by five or more members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

This law requires federal agencies to produce documents when five members of this Committee request the information, the senators wrote to Peters. "We, therefore, ask that you hold this administration accountable and show your support for Congress right to information by initiating proceedings to serve subpoenas to compel compliance with our lawful demands.

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Beyond the Fauci emails, which they requested on June 11, the senators sought records regarding coordination between teachers unions and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which they requested on May 19. Documents released through the Freedom of Information Act earlier had suggested the leaders of teachers unions had unusual influence over CDC recommendations for school reopenings.

In their Thursday letter to Peters, which was also obtained by the Washington Examiner, the senators noted that health agencies had, in response to both requests, handed over only documents that had already been released under the Freedom of Information Act, with the same redactions in place.

Congress is not subject to the same limitations on documents that the public does when asking for information under the act.

The one exception, according to the Republican lawmakers, was the email between Fauci and Daszak, which had been unredacted. The senators said it appeared HHS may have forgotten to redact the portion of the email that was previously hidden under the law enforcement standard.

It's been a very hard few months as these conspiracy theorists have gradually become politicized and hardened in their stance, Daszak wrote to Fauci and others in the unredacted version of the email.

Especially because the work we've been doing in collaboration with Chinese virologists has given us incredible insight into the risks that these viruses represent, so that we can directly help protect our nation from bat-origin coronaviruses, Daszak continued. We're fighting to keep the communications open with our Chinese colleagues, so that we can better address future pandemics like COVID-19.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Republican lawmakers questioned in their letter why that section had been previously redacted.

The paragraph above does not appear to contain any information that could reasonably be expected to interfere with [law] enforcement proceedings, they wrote. This example calls into question HHSs redaction process, not only for FOIA requests from the public but also for documents produced to Congress.



Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Anthony Fauci, Wuhan Lab, Coronavirus, Teachers Unions, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley

Original Author: Sarah Westwood

Original Location: EXCLUSIVE: Republican senators raise questions after receiving unredacted Fauci email about Wuhan lab
By Mei Mei Chu

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Rights group Liberty Shared has asked U.S. customs authorities to investigate the Malaysian operations of U.S. firm Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co over accusations of abusive labour practices, the group told Reuters.

The Hong Kong-based anti-trafficking group said its June petition to U.S. customs, based on lawsuits and police reports by migrant workers, was probably the first such effort against a subsidiary of an U.S.-owned company in southeast Asia.

"The conditions and treatment they have endured seem to satisfy the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) forced labour indicators," the group's managing director, Duncan Jepson, said in its first comments to media on the issue.

The ILO said it is concerned by the allegations at Goodyear Malaysia but is unable to validate them, as it works at the policy and sectoral levels.

Goodyear, one of the world's largest tyre makers, said it was not aware of any petition on the matter.

Malaysia, which employs millions of foreign workers, has faced growing accusations of exploitative labour practices, and received the worst ranking this month in an annual U.S. report on human trafficking.

Similar petitions to U.S. customs, including one last year by Liberty Shared regarding Malaysian palm oil producer Sime Darby Plantation, have led the United States to block imports over suspected use of forced labour.

Goodyear's Malaysian unit was asked by an industrial court to pay back wages to migrant workers and comply with a collective pact, after dozens of foreign workers sued over unpaid wages and unlawful overtime, Reuters reported in May.

It has challenged two verdicts in the High Court.

In its response to the rights group's comments, Goodyear added that it had strong policies to protect human rights.

"We take seriously any allegations of improper behaviour and are committed to ensuring that our business practices and those of our associates, operations and supply chain adhere to all applicable legal requirements and the requirements in our policies," a spokesperson said in an email.

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In the past, the company has declined to comment on the workers' accusations, citing the court process.

Malaysia's largest fund manager, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, which owns 49% of Goodyear Malaysia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it does not comment on whether specific entities are being investigated.

Jepson said he understood U.S. customs was pursuing the petition he filed. In an email, the CBP told him it had received the petition on forced labour conditions and was reviewing the information. Reuters reviewed the email.

The July 19 email does not name Goodyear Malaysia, but Jepson said the petition was only about the company, based on civil cases and police reports filed by its workers.

Last year, after Liberty Shared accused Sime Darby of forced and child labour, the CBP blocked its products from entering the United States.

Sime Darby has appointed auditors to evaluate its practices and said it would engage with the CBP to address the concerns.

(This story removes redundant text, paragraph 5)

(Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; editing by Clarence Fernandez and Jason Neely)
Emergent BioSolutions announced Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration is allowing its Baltimore plant to resume manufacturing materials for vaccines after it was shutdown in April due to contamination problems.

Why it matters: The plant, which had been producing vaccine materials for Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, conflated ingredients between the two different types of vaccines last year and destroyed 15 million doses of J&J's vaccine.

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The FDA launched an inspection of the plant and found unsanitary conditions near sensitive manufacturing areas, including peeling paint, waste that was not decontaminated and workers mishandling medical waste.

What they're saying: Emergent said Thursday that it addressed the contamination issues revealed through the inspection in coordination with J&J and FDA.

The American people should have high expectations of the partners its government chooses to help prepare them for disaster, and we have even higher expectations of ourselves, Emergent CEO Robert Kramer said in a statement.

We have fallen short of those lofty ambitions over the past few months but resumption of manufacturing is a key milestone, and we are grateful for the opportunity to help bring this global pandemic to an end," he added.

The big picture: The error and the unsanitary conditions halted the potential production and shipment of tens of millions of J&J doses and prevented the company from distributing its vaccine in multiple countries.

The European Union, Canada and South Africa withheld J&J vaccines produced at the plant for several days this year to conduct safety testing.

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Florida recorded its fourth highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began 16 months ago, reporting 17,589 new cases Wednesday to the federal government and deepening the states exposure to the virulent delta variant.

This is the eighth consecutive day Florida has reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 12,000 new daily COVID cases. On June 28  one month ago  Florida reported only 1,312 new COVID cases, a 1,241 percent increase to the July 28 level of 17,589 cases, according to the CDC.

Florida, which represents about 6.5% of the U.S. population, is accounting for about 20.4% of the countrys new cases, based on the data the state is reporting to the CDC. The state also reported 56 new deaths.

The high caseloads  and the most severe cases  are primarily due to unvaccinated individuals contracting the virus, public health experts say, calling it a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

The states three highest days of new COVID cases, preceding Wednesdays totals, all occurred during Floridas peak in January: 19,816 cases on Jan. 7; 19,530 cases on Jan. 8; and 17,783 cases recorded on Jan. 6, according to state data.

January was the worst month of the Florida pandemic, with daily case counts routinely topping 10,000. That followed a surge last July, when daily case counts also topped 10,000.

The latter half of July 2021 has been Floridas third COVID-19 surge.

Floridas seven-day percent positivity rate climbed to 17.21% on Monday, up from 16.79% on Sunday, the state reported to the federal agency.

Cumulatively, Florida has recorded at least 2,551,923 confirmed COVID cases statewide and 38,896 deaths as of Wednesday, according to the CDC.

More than 12.2 million Floridians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or about 57.2% of the states total population, according to the Floridas weekly COVID reports. About 49 percent of Floridas total population is fully vaccinated, in line with the U.S average.

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Counties, businesses revive COVID safety measures due to surge

After the CDC recommended all people, vaccinated or not, should be wearing masks indoors and in areas of high transmission, governments, schools and businesses have been reviving mask policies.

On Wednesday, Walt Disney World announced that starting Friday all guests  vaccinated or not  over the age of 2 will have to wear masks while indoors and on Disney transportation. Masks still wont be required outdoors, it said.

This came after Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings had reinstated a state of emergency in the county due to high rates of COVID-19 transmission on the same day, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Also on Wednesday: the Broward School Board voted unanimously to institute a mask mandate for all students, teachers and staff when school begins on Aug. 18.

In Miami-Dade County, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava mandated masks at all county facilities on Wednesday, including libraries and recreational centers. She also urged businesses to require facial coverings indoors.

Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach is also reversing policies starting Friday, saying it will not allow visitors at its medical center or physician locations, while having limited visitation at its emergency centers in Miami Beach, Aventura and Hialeah.

Jackson Health System suspended visitations to most of its inpatient units in early July with exceptions for rehabilitation, pediatrics, the neonatal intensive care unit, maternity ward and non-COVID end-of-life cases. Visitors are also not allowed in all adult emergency departments.

Miami-Dade County, Orange County and 64 other Florida counties are considered areas of high transmission by the CDC. The state has 67 counties.

Listen to today's top stories from the Miami Herald:

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COVID-19 vaccines in South Florida

The Miami Herald can no longer include new deaths by county because the state stopped classifying deaths by county in its report. The CDC does not display daily case totals for counties, only weekly averages.

 In Miami-Dade County, 2,009,205, or 74% of the countys total population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. Only 1,652,516 people are fully vaccinated, or 60.8% of the countys total population.

85.5% of the population 12 years old and over, 88.1% of people 18 and older, and 99.3% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The countys seven-day positivity rate was 12.74 percent from July 19-25.

 In Broward County, 1,215,157 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 62.2% of the total population, according to the CDC. Only 1,002,929 people are fully vaccinated, or 51.4% of the countys total population.

72.2% of the population 12 years old and over, 74.5% of those 18 and older, and 94.8% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The countys seven-day percent positivity was 15.03% from July 19-25.

 In Palm Beach County, 866,797 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 57.9% of the total population, according to the CDC. Only 752,132 people are fully vaccinated, or 50.3% of the countys total population.

66.1% of people 12 years old and over, 68.4% of people 18 and older, and 88.6% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The countys seven-day percent positivity rate was 16.4% from July 19-25.

 In Monroe County, 51,813 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 69.8% of the total population, according to the CDC. Only 43,749 people are fully vaccinated, or 58.9% of the countys total population.

77.8% of people 12 years old and over, 80.5% of people 18 and older, and 99.9% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine,

The countys seven-day percent positivity rate was 14.22% from July 19-25.

 In Manatee County, 216,626 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 53.7% of the total population, according to the CDC. Only 186,560 people are fully vaccinated, or 46.3% of the countys total population.

60.7% of people 12 years old and over, 63.4% of people 18 and older, and 86.7% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The countys seven-day percent positivity was 17.56% from July 19-25.
Melissa Doss, 43, was arrested after police found her autistic daughter had been kept in a wood and metal cage in her Florida home. (Brevard County Sheriffs Office)

A woman in Florida was arrested after police discovered she had been keeping her autistic child in a locked wooden and metal cage.

Melissa Doss, 43, was arrested on Sunday after her law enforcement officials found the cage inside the bedroom of her home in Palm Bay, Florida.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that police found a pillow and blanket inside the cage. Ms Doss told the police that she kept her autistic daughter in the cage to prevent her from running away or hurting herself in the night.

A day before the arrest, the girl escaped and was wandering around the yard of a neighbour. Police found the girl, who they reported could not speak and suffered from a disability. Once they made contact with the girl, she led them back to Ms Doss's home.

Initially, Ms Doss refused to let the police enter her home. After police knocked several times, Ms Doss exited the house from another door and climbed a fence to talk to them outside. She said she was unaware that the girl had escaped, and told officers she would not let them in because if she did, they would call the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The police called the FDCF anyway.

When they returned the next day, Ms Doss again denied them entry, but eventually allowed the police to enter.

According to the incident report, police found the house was filled with garbage and had been infested with spiders, fleas and other bugs. According to the report, officers could not see any part of the floor due to the buildup of trash.

In addition to the squalor, parts of the ceiling were collapsing or missing, and there were no working bathrooms in the home, resulting in a persistent smell of urine and faeces throughout the residence.

According to police, the cage the girl was being kept in was large enough to fit a twin size bed.

Ms Doss was charged with three counts of child neglect without bodily harm as well as aggravated child abuse as aggravated assault, according to the police report.
Gordon Felt knows the old mining land in Pennsylvania where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on September 11, 2001, by heart. He's been there about a hundred times since the attacks.

His brother Edward was on the plane that went down in wooded hills outside Shanksville after passengers stopped hijackers from crashing it into a target in the US capital Washington, 155 miles (250 kilometers) away.

Felt, a teacher specializing in educating children with disabilities, has become a spokesman for the families of the 40 passengers and crew who died that day -- "heroes" who averted an even greater tragedy.

The 57-year-old made it his mission to ensure that their memory was not eclipsed by the stories of the three other hijacked planes, which struck the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Edward was a 41-year-old engineer with two daughters when he died.

Felt sees himself as a "facilitator" and "a communicator," while his brother was a "problem solver" and "more of the doer" among the siblings.

As president of the victims' families association, Felt was key in building the Flight 93 memorial, a roughly 2,200-acre (890-hectare) park that follows the plane's final trajectory to a white marble wall with 40 engraved names.

Felt and other families first stood on the site at the end of September 2001, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation took them there after barring access for two weeks while it carried out a probe.

They arrived by bus from a center set up by the Red Cross. On the journey through the countryside, locals stood at crossroads waving American flags in homage to them.

"That was really the first time that I think it hit a lot of us that this is really huge. This is much bigger than just the loss of a brother," Felt recalls.

- 'Horrific' -

Felt visited the site with his mother, Edward's wife and his other brother.

"We looked down on a crater with burned trees. It was wreckage, it was raw, it was horrific for us," he says.

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Like the other families present, Gordon was asked to donate DNA samples to help identify the human remains found. All victims were eventually identified.

Before leaving, they were asked if anyone would speak to journalists waiting outside. Felt volunteered, taking on the role of spokesperson, which he has continued to this day.

On May 2, 2011, he was awakened to react on behalf of victims to the news that Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the attacks, had been killed in a US raid in Pakistan.

In September that year, he prevented photographers from following then-president Barack Obama to the precise spot where the plane crashed during the inauguration of the memorial.

It is considered "sacred ground," as only five percent of victims' remains were found. Only families of the dead can step on that spot.

To mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 this year, Felt and those in charge of the memorial are planning a week of events. Felt is also preparing to dissolve the association.

The memorial was completed in 2019 with the installation of a tower with 40 wind chimes, symbols of the "voices" of the departed.

"We have reached our goal," says Felt, without regret.

On the contrary, he feels gratitude for his years of visits to Pennsylvania and to elected officials in Washington as he drove forward the memorial project.

- Trial -

"I was angry. There was a really black hole I could have fallen into. This process has given me perspective, it's given me hope, it has given me purpose.

"I chose not to be bitter," he says.

But the story is far from over. Much remains unknown about what occurred on Flight 93 in the 35 minutes between the start of the hijacking and the crash at 10:03 am.

Felt hopes the trial of accused plotters being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison will bring new information that can be included in the memorial's museum.

The trial has been postponed by the coronavirus pandemic and no date has yet been set.

Felt hopes to attend and see the suspects convicted, even if he has to travel from New Zealand, where his wife is from and where they are due to move later this year.

Even once he's settled thousands of miles away, he still plans to regularly visit Edward's final resting place.

"I will always come back. I feel very at home here," he says.

cat/pdh/sw
Lugging gallon jugs of water, migrants walk along footpaths just north of the Mexico-Arizona border in 2007. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Pedro Loza, now 74, recalls the exact moment he realized he would have to settle in the United States, despite his dream of returning to reside once again in his beloved Mexico.

He was working in construction in Chicago in the 1990s, watching Spanish-language TV news reporting on Californias spate of anti-immigrant policies, including the notorious Proposition 187, which targeted people without papers. President Clinton had begun construction of a steel border fence in San Diego and invested in helicopters, sensors, night scopes and all-terrain vehicles for the U.S. Border Patrol.

Loza and millions of others who previously zigzagged across the border  working seasonally in the U.S, while investing in a dream house or small business in Mexico  were trapped. Having come without papers, many feared if they returned home, they might not be able to reenter the U.S. to earn the wages they needed to see their dreams through.

We realized that if we wanted to work in the U.S., we had to immigrate, Loza told me. We had to live here.

That decade, Loza applied for citizenship, and for the first time, he began to accept the U.S. as home.

The average profile of arrivals at the Southwest border has changed dramatically since then, from single adult Mexican laborers to Central American families seeking asylum. Yet a new uptick in single adult economic migrants from Mexico is driving a familiar wave of anti-immigrant hysteria.

A recent Breitbart article  Report: Mostly Single Male Border Crossers Bussed to Louisiana Cities  inspired comments such as Their job is to vote communist democrat and rape women and They are REPLACING YOU, Louisiana.

Now for the irony: The people who are so concerned about brown men entering this country are arguably the most responsible for the recent demographic shifts.

Most Mexicans who came before border militarization never planned to stay  only to work. The U.S. offered great pay but it felt foreign, with its English language and colder culture. Loza, for example, wanted to save to buy a tractor in Guanajuato, where he sent money to family and even purchased a cattle ranch. My dream was always to return to Mexico, he told me.

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His daughter, Mireya Loza, is an associate professor of history at Georgetown University and author of Defiant Braceros, about the 1942-1964 bracero program for temporary migrant workers to fill wartime labor shortages. After employer abuses came to light and the program was abolished by Congress, many continued to cross the border for the same seasonal work. But now, they crossed illegally, stepping over trampled, paltry barbed wire in San Diego and elsewhere.

In the 1990s, California politicians cast those workers as criminals to pander to white racial anxiety. The resulting hysteria and enforcement closed off reverse migration.

Is it time for a new bracero program? Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador proposed one. Currently, visas for temporary agricultural laborers, known as H-2As, are uncapped. Lopez Obradors plan would increase the legal pipeline of nonagricultural guest laborers to the U.S. But Mireya Loza isnt sold. Guest worker visas, she maintains, often mean deplorable working conditions and low wages. She argues for greater green card access instead, enabling people to exercise their labor and civil rights.

This year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has encountered more than 441,000 single adult Mexicans at the Southwest border, up 72% from last year. These people are coming to harvest our food, build our homes and heal our post-pandemic economy. Whining about them displacing white people will cut off this labor and trap those who are here, just as U.S. policies did in the 90s.

For many Mexicans, the dream was never about living in the U.S. Rather, the sueno is about returning to live large in Mexico with hard-earned U.S. dollars. The popular misconception that all migrants want to stay here is rooted in the myth of U.S. exceptionalism.

I hate to break it to the believers, but many Mexicans have no interest in the American dream. What theyre chasing is the return-to-Mexico dream.

Gil Kerlikowske, former U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, recalls that before the Secure Fence Act of 2006, many single adult migrants crisscrossed the border. People would come in to work during the day or during the week, he told me. And then, because enforcement and security wasnt that strong, theyd return back to Mexico.

Todays Border Patrol is unrecognizable from the agency of earlier years. Since 1986, the number of officers ballooned from 2,000 to 20,000, and its budget from $200 million to $5 billion. During that period, the undocumented population swelled, from around 2 million to 11 million. Border militarization did not work to prevent migration  but it closed the path home.

Douglas Massey, a Princeton University sociology professor, has studied for decades how border militarization backfires on racist politicians. Theyre the ones who cut off the return flow of immigrants, he told me.

The way to discourage economic migrants from contributing to the dreaded browning of America  for those who fret about such things  is to allow freer movement across the Americas, as between the U.S. and Canada.

As long as the U.S. allows the free movement of weapons and cash, and not humans, many will be forced to make a one-way trip here. If thats what nativists want, pouring billions into more border walls and enforcement is a perfect strategy. Carry on.

@jeanguerre

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Jul. 29Washington  Members of Congress from Michigan and Texas renewed their calls Thursday for Russia to release prisoners Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, directing a bipartisan message to Vladimir Putin that the men are a priority and the U.S. won't give up its demands.

"This is entirely unacceptable and will never stand in the United States of America," said U.S. Rep Haley Stevens, the Rochester Hills Democrat who represents Whelan in Congress. "We believe and we continue to envision, and pray and push for their return home."

The lawmakers gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol as Novi's Whelan marked 944 days in detention and the families of both men have gone weeks without hearing from them. It's been nearly a month of silence in the case of Whelan, who has been in solitary confinement but whose exact whereabouts are unknown, his family said.

"Our main concern right now, quite frankly, is the well-being of our brother," said Elizabeth Whelan, Paul's sister, who joined the eight House lawmakers at the Capitol.

"We're assuming he's still at the prison IK-17. We actually don't know because he has been put in solitary for reasons we don't understand."

Whelan, 51, of Novi is expected to remain in solitary until early August, continuing four weeks of no contact with his family, according to his brother, David Whelan. Stevens said Paul had previously been forced to work six days a week at a prison garment factory, sustaining a repetitive use injury to his arm.

Reed's father said his family hasn't heard from him in two weeks, since his transfer presumably to a labor camp.

The U.S. Senate last week adopted by voice vote a resolution calling for Russia to provide "credible" evidence or to immediately release Whelan.

A companion resolution has been reintroduced in the U.S. House by Stevens and Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and is expected to be taken up by the chamber in September.

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Walberg represents Whelan's parents, Ed and Rosemary, in Manchester, Michigan, who are in their 80s and expect that it's possible they will never see their son Paul again in their lifetimes.

"I can't fathom it," Walberg said. "We are not going to give up."

Elizabeth Whelan said her family appreciates the lawmakers' support but "the frustration is building" that more has not been done.

"Things are reaching a bit of a boiling point, and we want this addressed. We want these Americans to come home," she said.

President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June and said afterward that he is "not going to walk away" from the situations of the two "wrongfully imprisoned" Americans, referring to Whelan and Reed.

"The families of the detained Americans I have hope for," Biden told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, after the summit. "It came up, and we discussed it. We're going to follow through with that discussion. I am not going to walk away on that."

Lawmakers a week ago received a classified briefing about Whelan's case. U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Thursday there have been some "high-level" meetings on the matter with Russian officials since the Biden-Putin summit, but he didn't elaborate.

"I think there potentially could be some progress," McCaul said. "And I think fundamentally that's because the family and bipartisan members of Congress raised it to a level where President Biden put it on the agenda. That was hugely important."

McCaul also noted the Biden administration's recent decision not to sanction Russia's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline in Europe and said he doesn't want to see any more concessions to Putin "until we get these men home."

Massachusetts Rep. Bill Keating, who chairs the Foreign Affairs subcommittee with jurisdiction over Russia, said Putin should be on notice that the U.S. will use "all our resources ... to make this message clear," including imposing sanctions and calling on U.S. corporations with investments in the Russian economy to act.

Asked what specific actions the U.S. government might take, Keating did not offer details.

"We have a lot of leverage that could be used. We have a lot of options that can be used. But in the course of these kind of delicate negotiations, it's really better to keep those private, but we'll use them when they're necessary," Keating said.

Whelan has been in custody in Russia since his arrest at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and later conviction on espionage charges that he's vehemently denied. He is now serving a a 16-year sentence of hard labor.

He last spoke to his parents in Michigan by phone either July 2 or 3 and was then placed in solitary confinement for 15 days, his brother, David, said.

"Apparently a guard found some food in a bag, which sounds like a pretext to me and he has been there ever since," David said Thursday.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has not been able to speak with Whelan but learned that he had been given a second 15 days, David said. If the solitary confinement is not extended, the family expects him to be out of it around the middle of next week.

It has been the longest stretch of time that Whelan has been isolated and unable to call his parents or have contact with any embassy staff since he arrived at the labor camp in Mordovia last fall, David said.

The family last month had released an audio message from Whelan recorded during a May 30 phone call with his parents. In it, Whelan had implored Biden to secure his release when he met with Putin to "bring this appalling case of hostage diplomacy to an end."

"I remain innocent. No crime of espionage occurred. The secret trial, without evidence, proves those facts. The abduction of an American tourist cannot stand. Congress, American citizens and supporters throughout the world echo my call for immediate, decisive action," Whelan said in the recording.

"Please bring me home to my family, and my dog, Flora, where I belong. Thank you, Mr. President, for your commitment to returning me home and bringing this deplorable hostage situation to an expedient conclusion."

A former security executive, Whelan was convicted about a year ago after a secret trial. His family has said he was in Russia to attend a friend's wedding.

The State Department has called Whelan's closed trial a "mockery of justice," noting Russian prosecutors produced no evidence, and Whelan was not able to produce witnesses in his defense.

Like Whelan, Reed is a former Marine who traveled to Russia as a tourist. Reed was arrested following an altercation with police in Moscow in 2019. U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan described Reed's trial as a "theater of the absurd." He was sentenced to nine years in a prison camp.

A spokesman for the State Department, Ned Price, last week told reporters that he had no update to share with them.

"Of course, we continue to be concerned over their plight," Price said. "We will continue to speak out on behalf of their cases. We will continue to do all we can, both publicly and behind the scenes, to effect their safe return to their families in the United States. We do so and we will do that knowing that they have been deprived of their freedom for far too long."

Reed's father, Joey, said Thursday he believes the State Department is doing all it can for his son, but "we wish they'd move faster."

The last time he spoke to Trevor he was in good spirits, in part because Biden and members of Congress had stated their belief in his innocence by way of a formal resolution, Joey said.

"He has low hopes of being returned," he said. "Of course, we have high hopes, especially because of the people with us here today."

mburke@detroitnews.com
Illegal migrants let in during the Obama era and long promised amnesty by Democrats have been cleared to work for House members as part of a massive budget approved this week on a party-line vote.

Liberal members led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez heralded the $4.8 billion bill, which she said included a 21% increase for staffing.

Washington Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton gave it two thumbs up because it also cleared the way for scooters on Capitol Hill and permitted the locals to sled there after snowstorms.

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Norton called it a salute to D.C. residents, who should have full use of the complex, one of the best parks in the District.

The bill funds House and Capitol operations, including the Capitol Police, which would receive $603.9 million  a 17% boost over last year, during which the pro-Trump protest occurred. The funding would cover unfunded overtime from that crisis.

A Senate version has yet to pass. The House bill passed 215-207 with just one GOP vote.

One unusual element of the legislation is the approval of allowing members and House offices to hire Dreamers, those allowed into the country during the Obama administration under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. There are an estimated 800,000 people in the program.

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During the Trump administration, liberal efforts to grant the illegal immigrants amnesty were stalled. President Joe Biden has promised to grant them a path to citizenship.

The vote came two weeks after a federal judge ruled that the Obama DACA program was illegal, ending applications into it and putting the citizenship status of "Dreamers" into doubt.

The bill would also expand pay for interns.

"I am also pleased that we are helping ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of our nation, including by increasing funding for paid internships and allowing DACA recipients to work in the halls of Congress, said Ohio Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who leads the legislative appropriations subcommittee.

Story continues

Ocasio-Cortez was one of several House members who pushed for the staffing increase and funding to bring in a more diverse workforce.

Last night, Congress passed the 21% increase we asked for back in June. This is an important step towards retaining staff, increasing Hill diversity & growing the practice of paid internships, she tweeted.

The bill did not raise pay levels for House members or leaders.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: Washington Secrets, Biden Administration, DACA, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Immigration, U.S. Capitol Police, Congress

Original Author: Paul Bedard

Original Location: House OKs hiring illegal migrants on staff, fattens budget 21%
Myanmar's military called for international help on Wednesday as the country battles a surging wave of covid infections.

It marks a shift in tone for the military, left largely isolated by the rest of the globe when they seized power in a coup earlier this year.

The junta leader said vaccinations needed to be increased, and called for cooperation with fellow ASEAN and quote "friendly countries."

Nations including the U.S and Britain have slapped sanctions on the military rulers over the coup and repression of pro-democracy protesters.

Efforts to contain the virus have been hampered by floods. In Karen State bordering Thailand, photos reveal scenes of horror as healthcare workers wade through floodwaters carrying patients on beds, weak and desperate for oxygen or worried that staying at home could spread to other family members.

The fast-growing outbreak amid ongoing chaos in the wake of the coup has exacerbated efforts by medics and funeral services working around the clock.

The military has been wary of outside help in past disasters, forcing Myanmar's people to help each other, though a previous administration did allow in aid via ASEAN after a devastating cyclone in 2008.

Only three percent of Myanmar's population are vaccinated, according to a Reuters tracker. 40,000 inmates in densely packed prisons are a major concern.

The official infection number since June is nearly 5,000, but medics and funeral services say the actual infection and death toll is much higher.

Myanmar's military has also arrested several doctors treating COVID-19 patients independently.
Israel was already offering booster jabs to adults with weak immune systems. (Getty)

Israel will become the first country to offer older citizens a coronavirus booster vaccine, according to reports.

People aged over 60 will soon be offered a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 jab despite criticism from the World Health Organization (WHO), which wants richer nations to focus on helping poorer countries vaccinate their people first.

Israelis will be able to get the booster shot as long as they received their second dose more than five months ago, local media said on Thursday.

Its hoped the booster campaign, expected to be announced formally soon, will help slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Israel was already offering booster jabs to adults with weak immune systems.

Israel will begin offering booster jabs to over 60s. (Getty)

Earlier this month, WHOs director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus criticised plans from some rich countries to start a booster campaign while poorer nations were still struggling to vaccinate their population.

He said: Its becoming a two-tier system, and higher-income countries who are vaccinating their population significantly are starting to see the COVID-19 pandemic as if its not their problem. That is dangerous.

He asked G20 nations to focus on increased vaccine manufacturing so they could donate more to poorer countries and to delay booster jabs for their citizens.

Englands deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam said the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation (JVCI) wanted people over 50 and those with high-risk conditions to get booster jabs in the autumn.

Northern Ireland head of the vaccination programme, Patricia Donnelly, also confirmed booster jabs would be rolled out in September.

Pfizer says it could apply for US emergency authorisation for booster shots as early as August and is also expected to apply to European regulators.

Israel was a world leader in the vaccination rollout, with many seniors getting their jabs in December, January and February as they were regarded as the most vulnerable sector of the population.

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But since the emergence of the Delta variant, the health ministry has twice reported a drop in the vaccine's effectiveness against infection and a slight decrease in its protection against severe disease.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said the JVCI wants booster jabs in autumn. (Getty)

Reports said the head of Israel's health ministry gave health maintenance organisations the go-ahead to administer the third shot after Israeli experts approved the campaign late on Wednesday.

Last week, the health ministry estimated the vaccine was only 41% effective at halting symptomatic infections over the past month.

Protection against severe disease remained strong at 91%.

Around 160 people are hospitalized with severe symptoms and daily infections have spiked to more than 2,000, up from just a handful of cases per day a few months ago.

The cabinet hopes that the vaccines will allow it to avoid costly lockdowns by protecting those most vulnerable to severe disease, even as infections climb.
A person receives a coronavirus vaccine in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 6. Sebastian Scheiner/AP

Israel will begin offering booster shots of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine this weekend.

The vaccine's protection against severe illness waned over time from 97% to 81%, officials said.

With the rise of the Delta variant, many countries are considering booster doses.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Israel will start offering booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to its older citizens on Sunday, as health officials described new data showing a decline in the vaccine's protection against severe disease over time.

A key unknown with the COVID-19 vaccine is how long protection will last. The emergence and spread of the Delta variant has intensified that uncertainty, with the variant showing the ability to partially evade the vaccine's protection.

In response to the latest data, Israel is offering a third dose of the vaccine to its citizens who are 60 and older and at least five months removed from their second shot. Other countries are also considering if and when to roll out booster shots. Israel had already begun offering booster shots to some people with compromised immune systems, such as cancer patients.

There has been a trickle of studies in recent weeks suggesting protection from Pfizer's vaccine starts to wane after several months. Israel's decision was motivated by signals of decreased efficacy, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Read more: Pfizer doubles down on the case for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots

In particular, one Israeli scientist said the country had data showing the vaccine's protection against severe illness among this 60-plus age group dropped from 97% in April to 81% in July. Those results have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal or posted on a preprint server.

Eric Topol, the director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said on Twitter that if these results held up, they would be "the first sign of a significant dropdown of protection against hospitalizations and death for these vaccines."

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"I hope all of the data will be shared ASAP as the implications are big," he tweeted.

Israel's findings appear at odds with reports from the UK in June, with one large observational study finding Pfizer's vaccine reduced the risk of hospitalization from the Delta variant by 96%. One difference between the two findings is that Israel's results are specific to an older population.

Pfizer presented more results on Wednesday supporting the company's stance that boosters would be needed six to 12 months after initial vaccination. Laboratory testing by Pfizer showed neutralizing antibodies, a key part of the immune response, significantly declined eight months after the second dose of its vaccine among all age groups.

The New York drugmaking giant also posted new, detailed results from its clinical trial that enrolled more than 40,000 volunteers. Longer-term follow-up showed the vaccine's ability to prevent symptomatic COVID-19 cases, regardless of severity, dipped to 84% starting four months after the second dose, compared with 96% efficacy in the first two months.

The vaccine's overall efficacy against severe disease in that study was 97%, with 30 cases occurring among people who received placebo shots and one case in a person who got the vaccine.

Pfizer's findings have also yet to be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, and the company said it would submit an application to US regulators in August to begin offering booster shots.

Read the original article on Business Insider
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli troops killed a Palestinian man in clashes that erupted on Thursday during the funeral of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy shot dead by soldiers a day earlier, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Witnesses said hundreds of Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli forces during the burial near the town of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military said troops "responded with riot dispersal means, 22 caliber bullets and live fire into the air".

The Palestinian health ministry said Shawkat Awad, 20, was hit by the Israeli gunfire and died in hospital. They said another 12 protesters were wounded.

Palestinian officials said the 12-year-old, Mohammad Al Alami, was fatally shot in the chest by Israeli forces on Wednesday as he was riding in his car with his father.

According to the Israeli military, a soldier shot at the vehicle's wheels after concluding it had been involved in suspicious activity earlier in the day. The military said the incident was being reviewed by senior officers.

The West Bank is among territories where Palestinians seek statehood. Violence has simmered there since U.S.-sponsored talks between the Palestinians and Israel broke down in 2014.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta; Writing by Nidal Almughrabi; Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Steve Orlofsky)
By Giuseppe Fonte and Gavin Jones

ROME (Reuters) -The Italian government has reached an accord over a contested reform of the judicial system, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, apparently putting an end to weeks of friction in Mario Draghi's multi-party coalition.

For decades, justice reform has been the most contentious area of Italian politics, and an overhaul of the system is one of a series of measures Draghi has promised the European Union to unlock billions of euros in Recovery Funds.

The 5-Star Movement, the largest ruling party, had demanded changes to a reform proposed by Justice Minister Marta Cartabia that was approved in cabinet on July 8, but has not yet been passed in parliament.

Bogged down by the justice reform dispute, Draghi, who took office in February, has had to slow other promised reforms of the tax system and competition rules.

The main sticking point of the judicial reform was changes to limit the length of trials by simply ending them if a final verdict had not been reached within a given time limit.

5-Star, as well as many prosecutors, said Cartabia's proposal would have truncated tens of thousands of trials, undermining justice, allowing criminals to escape sentence and posing a threat to public safety.

"The cabinet has unanimously approved the technical adjustments proposed by the government," Draghi's spokesperson tweeted after a meeting that lasted most of the day.

Under the deal, the changes proposed by Cartabia will not apply in the same way for offences related to organised crime, terrorism, sexual violence or drug trafficking, and they will be phased in gradually over a three year period, a government statement said.

Italy's justice system has three degrees of judgment, meaning defendants can make two appeals. Far more cases expire under the so-called statute of limitations than in other advanced countries.

5-Star's justice minister in the previous government removed time limits on prosecutions once an initial verdict was reached, arguing that many offenders, especially white collar criminals, avoid justice by using legal tactics to delay court proceedings.

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The new reform by Cartabia, aimed at reducing backlogs and speeding up court proceedings, would freeze the statute of limitations at the end of the first trial but set strict time limits for the two appeals.

Under her proposal, which has now been amended in cabinet, if the first appeal was not completed in two years and the second in one year, all cases bar those punishable with a life sentence would expire without a verdict unless judges grant special dispensation for the trial to continue.

Nicola Gratteri, one of Italy's best-known anti-mafia prosecutors, told parliament the reform would have meant 50% of trials would be ended in the appeals stage.

5-Star leader and former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he was satisfied with the compromise reached.

"This isn't our reform but we have worked constructively to make a contribution to improving it," he told reporters.

He added that he was "absolutely confident" that 5-Star lawmakers, who are often divided, would now back the reform in parliament.

Cartabia says she can speed up trials thanks to measures to encourage defendants to seek plea-bargain deals and the hiring of thousands of support staff in courtrooms.

(writing by Gavin JonesEditing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Cynthia Osterman)
By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday ordered pre-trial detention of a former Virginia police officer who had 34 firearms on order at a gun dealership months after his arrest and initial pre-trial release on charges related to the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot.

In a court order, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper found there was "probable cause to believe that Robertson committed a felony - willfully shipping or transporting firearms and ammunition despite being under felony indictment - while on pretrial release".

The judge said that on June 30, prosecutors sought Robertson's arrest, resulting in the judge issuing a warrant leading to his arrest and detention on July 7 pending a ruling on the government's request to revoke his pre-trial release - the ruling the judge issued late on Wednesday.

A lawyer for Robertson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Arguing for Robertson's pre-trial detention, prosecutors said Robertson, then still serving as a police officer in Rocky Mount, Virginia, was photographed in the Capitol during the riot making an obscene gesture in front of a statute.

Prosecutors cited social media postings by Robertson touting the Capitol riot and appearing to endorse further political violence.

Following his initial release, prosecutors said the FBI learned Robertson was still "buying firearms and ammunition online and shipping these items in interstate commerce."

In a June 29 search of Robertson's home, the judge said, the FBI found a loaded M4 military-style assault rifle as well as what "appears to be a partially assembled pipe bomb."

And on June 29, a Roanoke, Virginia gun dealer told the FBI Robertson had 34 guns waiting to be picked up.

"Robertsons procurement of these dangerous weapons under the surrounding circumstances heightens the risk to public safety," the judge said, ordering Robertson's continuing detention.

(Reporting By Mark Hosenball; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Larry Nassar, the longtime doctor for USA Gymnastics and convicted sex offender accused of having sexually assaulted hundreds of girls and women, still owes five of his victims nearly $58,000 even as he has had more than $12,000 deposited into his inmate account in federal prison, authorities said.

Prosecutors have asked for "the Bureau of Prisons to turn over any and all funds in Nassar's inmate trust account ... in an amount up to $62,488.52," according to court documents filed Wednesday on behalf of Andrew Byerly Birge, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan.

Nassar, who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 10 minors in a Michigan court in January 2018, is serving up to 175 years in prison. He is expected to be behind bars for the rest of his life.

Since December 2017, when he was sentenced to 60 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing and receiving child sex abuse images, Nassar has paid only $300 in sentencing fees, court records say. He still owes $57,488.52 to five victims and $5,000 more pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, records show.

Representatives of the Bureau of Prisons could not immediately be reached for comment late Wednesday.

According to court records, Nassar has fired multiple attorneys and appears to be representing himself. Three former attorneys said Wednesday that they no longer represent him.

Nassar has spent more than $10,500 while in federal lockup, based on his balance and previous deposits.

Prosecutors requested that a freeze be placed on Nassar's inmate account, which showed a balance of $2,041.57, according to records.

Court documents provide a thorough record of Nassar's prison account since his time at a Florida prison, including his having received two government-issued Covid-relief stimulus checks totaling $2,000 this year.

"Nassar has received approximately $12,825 in deposits since February 2018. This total has included a stimulus check for $600 issued in January 2021 and a stimulus check of $1,400 issued in March 2021," the documents say.

Story continues

Wednesday's filings also say: "Since incarceration, Nassar has paid $300, all in the form of the minimum $25.00 quarterly payments. ... In other words, Nassar has paid approximately $8.33 toward his criminal monetary penalties per month, despite receiving deposits into his account over this period totaling $12,825.00."

The victims' restitution law requires Nassar to pay his victims upon receiving money during his incarceration, records say.

"If a person obligated to provide restitution, or pay a fine, receives substantial resources from any source, including inheritance, settlement or other judgement, during a period of incarceration, such person shall be required to apply the value of such resources to any restitution or fine," court documents say.

Nassar receives deposits "no less than once per month, from outside third parties via Money Gram or Western Union, typically in the amount of $200 or more," court records say.

The Washington Post reported that the Bureau of Prisons allows inmates to keep unlimited amounts of money in their accounts and effectively shields much of the money from collection. Nassar's government-run prison account covers commissary, email and phone expenses, the newspaper reported.

A 119-page report this month by the top watchdog at the Justice Department said the FBI failed to interview victims who accused Nassar of abuse in a timely manner.

USA Gymnastics first took allegations about Nassar to the FBI in July 2015.

"From July 2015, when the allegations were first reported to the FBI, to September 2016, Nassar continued to treat gymnasts at Michigan State University, a high school in Michigan and a gymnastics club in Michigan," the inspector general's report said. "Ultimately, the investigations determined that Nassar had engaged in sexual assaults of over 100 victims and possessed thousands of images of child pornography, led to his convictions in federal and state court, and resulted in Nassar being sentenced to incarceration for over 100 years."
In The Know

In a TikTok that has gone viral, a young woman filmed her neighbor who appeared to be perched in a tree and peering into her window. User @lucy.2481 shared the footage and explained this is her response when "people ask why [her] curtains are always closed". The middle-aged man in the tree hid after he apparently noticed her filming him. Despite advice and reassurance from her audience, @lucy.2481 certainly did not feel safe . while she and others said they didn't think the police would do anything to handle the situation because he has not yet trespassed, . others assured her that she already had the evidence necessary to file the report
By Joseph Sipalan

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin faced calls to resign on Thursday from the opposition and the biggest bloc in the ruling coalition, after a rare rebuke by the king over the government's handling of emergency ordinances.

Muhyiddin's government said earlier this week that on July 21 it had revoked all ordinances that had come into effect since a national state of emergency was imposed in January.

King Al-Sultan Abdullah imposed the emergency on the advice of Muhyiddin, who had said it was needed to curb the spread of COVID-19. But critics have slammed the move and accused the premier of trying to cling to power amid a slim majority.

In a statement on Thursday, the palace said the revocation of the ordinances was done without the king's consent and thus ran counter to the federal constitution and the principles of law.

Muhyiddin's office said his government had acted in accordance with the law and the Malaysian constitution.

The move comes after over a year of political upset in the Southeast Asian country following the unexpected exit of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in February 2020 amid infighting in his governing coalition.

Muhyiddin has governed with a razor-thin majority and led an unstable ruling coalition since coming to power in March 2020.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy in which the king has a largely ceremonial role, carrying out his duties on advice from the prime minister and cabinet.

Some analysts say the monarch has discretion over whether an emergency should be declared, however. Consent from the king, much revered across Malaysia's multi-ethnic population, is also needed to name a prime minister.

The UMNO party, the biggest bloc in the ruling alliance, called on Muhyiddin to resign for disobeying the king's decree to debate the emergency ordinances in parliament and revoking them without his consent.

UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Muhyiddin's actions were a "clear act of treason towards the King".

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Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he had filed a motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin, and claimed a majority of lawmakers no longer supported the prime minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government had the support of 110 of Malaysia's 222 parliamentarians.

(Additional reporting by Liz Lee; writing by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Ed Davies and James Pearson)
Associated Press

It was one of the most gruesome mass killings in North Dakota history; four workers at a business who gathered early one morning for coffee club were slain in a matter of minutes. The ghastly 2019 scene that gripped Mandan, a community of 22,000 just outside the state capital of Bismarck, is set to be rehashed this week at the trial of Chad Isaak, a Navy veteran and chiropractor whose trailer home is managed by the business police say he targeted. Investigators say the evidence against Isaak is overwhelming, including clothing, handgun parts, a knife and used shell casings, surveillance footage, bank records, and Facebook and phone data.
Jul. 29Looking for a new job? Miami Valley Hospital is hosting an in-person and virtual job fair today.

The hospital is currently looking for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and patient care technician for all shifts. Full-time, part-time and support positions are available.

The in-person job fair is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the virtual portion is from 2 to 4 p.m. Those attending the in-person job fair should bring multiple copies of their resume.

Free parking is available in the main garage. Applicants will receive a parking token during the job fair.

Applicants should use the hospital's main entrance. Greeters will be available to direct people to the event.

People who cannot make it to the in-person job fair can sign up to interview here.
By Keith Weir

LONDON (Reuters) -Carmaker Volkswagen, plane maker Airbus and energy major Royal Dutch Shell all posted bumper financial earnings on Thursday reflecting a generally buoyant mood among European companies emerging from the coronavirus pandemic.

European stocks hit record highs, taking their cue from the positive outlook and increased investor payouts offered by many companies reporting on one of the busiest days on the financial calendar. [.EU]

There were some clouds on the horizon - strong sales figures from Swiss foods group Nestle and brewer Anheuser Busch InBev were offset by concerns about the impact of higher costs on their businesses.

Volkswagen trimmed its estimate for an increase in car deliveries to customers because of a shortage of computer chips, and Finnish telecoms equipment maker Nokia also warned that the same issue was putting the brakes on its healthy growth.

But business is clearly picking up from the lows of 2020 when efforts to contain the coronavirus forced consumers to stay home and businesses to cut output.

Analysts at investment house Pictet said equities in developed markets were enjoying "a positive feedback loop in 2021, with stronger economic recovery increasing sales growth, improving margins and earnings set to rebound by 40% in 2021 in the US and Europe".

Airbus, now the world's largest planemaker, led the way by doubling its full-year profit forecast and raising the outlook for jet deliveries.

Shell boosted its dividend and launched a $2 billion share buyback programme after a sharp rise in oil and gas prices drove second-quarter profits to their highest in more than two years.

It joined peers TotalEnergies and Norway's Equinor in announcing share buybacks as companies throw off more cash than they can reinvest.

Figures earlier in the week showed the luxury goods industry had rebounded strongly since the start of the year, fuelled by robust demand in Asia and the United States for European brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci.

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"In Europe, having more industry than tech is good for index profits, which I expect to be revised upwards," said Angelo Meda, head of equities at Banor SIM in Milan.

NOT OVER YET

Both U.S. and European equities have been hitting record highs but some see better prospects in Europe.

Daniel Grosvenor, Director Equity Strategy at Oxford Economics, said in a research note on Wednesday that the Eurozone recovery was "continuing to pick-up speed at a time when growth momentum looks to have peaked in the U.S."

The "relative growth gap between the two economies will continue to close as we go into 2022, and this is an environment in which European equities have typically outperformed", Grosvenor wrote.

In Britain, Lloyds Banking Group swung to a first-half profit and announced an interim dividend, boosted by a house-buying frenzy and improved economic outlook.

The positive update from the bellwether mortgage lender came after rival Barclays also posted upbeat earnings on Wednesday, and showed how banks' profits are recovering as fears of pandemic-related bad loans ebb.

Quarterly revenue at AB InBev, whose brands include Budweiser and Stella Artois, rose above pre-pandemic levels as bars reopened around the world and drinkers emerged to toast the end of lockdown.

Increased costs of cans and distribution weighed on profits in its two biggest markets, the United States and Brazil, amplifying inflation warnings from consumer goods giants Unilever and Reckitt Benckiser this month.

Monetary policy experts around the world are pondering how to respond to higher costs and debating whether the trend is temporary or more deeply rooted.

"Inflation has been virtually absent for a number of years and then pointed up very sharply. It hit us directly," said Nestle CEO Mark Schneider, adding he believed the problem was transitory.

Smurfit Kappa, one of the world's biggest packaging groups, warned on Wednesday that prices would keep climbing.

"It's very hard to see that inflation is not here to stay. Since the end of last year I've been saying we're seeing very significant increases and it's hard to see that they're temporary because there is still so much demand out there," CEO Tony Smurfit told Reuters.

There are also concerns that coronavirus could once again upset the best laid business plans, given the risk posed by the Delta variant.

"COVID-19 is not over," Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury told reporters on Thursday.

"Levels of vaccinations are very diverse around the world and we cannot exclude that after the Delta variant there will be another one, so we believe we have to remain very prudent," he said.

"It is going to a bumpy road in terms of recovery."

(Additional reporting by Danilo Masoni in Milan and Megan Davies in New York; Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Nick Macfie)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Nearly 230 Republican members of Congress called on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Lawyers for the lawmakers said the court should "release its vise grip on abortion politics."

In its next term, the court will review a Mississippi ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Nearly 230 congressional Republicans on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade.

Lawyers representing the 44 senators and 184 House members said in a brief that the court should use an upcoming Mississippi case to "release its vise grip on abortion politics" and leave abortion-related legislation up to states to decide.

"Congress and the States have shown that they are ready and able to address the issue in ways that reflect Americans' varying viewpoints and are grounded in the science of fetal development and maternal health," the brief said.

Two of the prominent Republicans who signed on to the brief are Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

The brief is tied to a major abortion case that the Supreme Court will review next term, concerning whether a 2018 Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional. The state's only abortion clinic, Jackson Women's Health Organization, challenged the ban, and lower courts have ruled against it.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, in the fall.

Under President Donald Trump, the court reached a 6-3 conservative majority. The court's latest justice, Amy Coney Barrett, refused to offer her views on Roe v. Wade during her confirmation hearings last year. Barrett replaced Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an abortion-rights advocate, after her death in September.

The GOP brief came a week after Mississippi called on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade so that the state could uphold its restrictions to abortion access. The state called Roe v. Wade "egregiously wrong" and outdated.

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"The conclusion that abortion is a constitutional right has no basis in text, structure, history, or tradition," Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch wrote in a brief.

Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Mike Lee of Utah also filed a brief this week urging the court to overrule its decision on Roe v. Wade.

"This status quo is untenable," the GOP senators wrote in a press release.

Roe v. Wade is the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Read the original article on Business Insider
MILAN  Patrizio Bertelli could easily tout Pradas first-half figures with a resounding, I told you so.

Reporting a return to profit and a 60 percent jump in revenues in the first half of the year, the strategic moves that Pradas chief executive officer began to implement years ago are proving to be fueling the growth of the luxury group  despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include raising Pradas luxury positioning, slashing wholesale accounts, endorsing full-price sales by canceling markdowns and investing in online sales, marketing and communication.

More from WWD

As the group also reported an encouraging month of July, Bertelli said during a conference call with analysts on Thursday that he was confident in the second half, barring traumatic events, and that he was planning to continue to invest in the direct control of Pradas supply chain, which gives us a competitive edge  leading observers to believe additional acquisitions of specialized manufacturers could be in the cards.

As reported, in June the Prada and Ermenegildo Zegna groups joined forces to acquire a majority stake in Filati Biagioli Modesto SpA, which specializes in the production of cashmere and other precious yarns. Prada has, over the years, structured its own supply chain and today has 20 production sites in Italy and three in Europe.

Prada returned to the black in the first half of the year, lifted by a strong performance in its retail business, triple-digit percentage growth in its online channel, and solid gains in the Asia Pacific and U.S. markets.

In the six months ended June 30, the group reported a net profit of 97 million euros, which compares with a loss of 180 million euros in the same period last year.

Revenues amounted to 1.5 billion euros, up 60 percent compared with 938 million euros in the first half of 2020.

Operating profit amounted to 166 million euros, compared with an operating loss of 83 million euros in the same period last year. In the first half of 2019, operating profit totaled 150 million euros.

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Also signaling Bertellis determination, the executive once again expressed his confidence in the growth of the Miu Miu and Churchs brands, as he has on several occasions before, defending their value when analysts often compare them with the Prada label, which continues to account for the lions share of revenues, representing 86 percent of the total.

In the first half, we reached break-even with Miu Miu, which is going through a turnaround, adapting products to different requirements, and it has a huge potential to express, Bertelli said. I strongly believe in the second half it will increase its margins and that we will see strong results in two years. Miu Miu is extremely successful in China and [South] Korea and we will extend this positive [business] to other markets.

Bertelli also underscored the success of the Upcycled by Miu Miu project in collaboration with Levis, which was launched in May and gives new life to pre-loved denim.

Sales of the Prada brand climbed 64 percent to 1.1 billion euros compared with the first half of 2020. Compared with 2019, its revenues rose 13 percent. Miu Miu represented 13 percent of total revenues and grew 43 percent to 166 million euros. Compared with 2019, sales were down 8 percent versus 2019.

Sales of the Churchs brand amounted to 11 million euros, down 1 percent compared with last year, but falling 52 percent compared with the first half of 2019.

Bertelli defended the know-how and industrial capability of Churchs Northampton plant and said the brand suffered in the first half due to a dependence on the European market  90 percent of its business  and the store closures in the U.K. After the pandemic, it will return to pre-COVID-19 levels, he predicted.

In any case, he told analysts that the smaller brands are not a fundamental factor to examine, and emphasized how their expertise is translated and incorporated into the bigger brands.

By category, the group reported outstanding growth in ready-to-wear, which saw a 71 percent increase in revenues to 334 million euros, accounting for 26 percent of total sales. Apparel was up 24 percent compared with the same period in 2019.

Ready-to-wear is fundamental for the development of the brand, said Bertelli, while still supporting the growth of leather goods.

Leather goods remained the groups core business, representing 55 percent of sales, and this category was up 51 percent to 703 million euros. Compared with 2019, sales were up 4 percent.

Revenues of shoes, which account for 17 percent of sales, grew 77 percent to 224 million euros. Compared with 2019, they were up 5 percent.

Bertelli touted the extension of high value products in all categories, improving brand equity and identity. He also underscored the importance of avoiding differentiating the product depending on the geography.

Sales in Asia Pacific amounted to 599 million euros, up 65 percent compared with the same period last year, and a 35 percent gain versus 2019. The region accounted for 47 percent of the total. Compared with 2019, sales in China climbed 77 percent; in South Korea, they soared 108 percent, and in Taiwan, they were up 74 percent.

Sales in the Americas rose 163 percent to 232 million euros, and gained 53 percent compared with 2019. The region in the first half of 2021 represented 18 percent of total revenues, and shopping was driven by locals.

Europe was up 19 percent to 263 million euros but was still down 29 percent compared with 2019, although sales improved with local customers.

Russia showed strong growth, Bertelli said.

Japan was up 25 percent to 129 million euros, but compared with 2019 sales were down 24 percent due to the pre-Olympics lockdowns. The country is now showing good signs of recovery, the executive said.

The Middle East grew 129 percent to 59 million euros and was up 28 percent compared with 2019.

The company did not expand its retail network in the period but is investing in 76 renovation projects and has secured a new location in Athens.

During the first half of 2021, an average of around 17 percent of stores were closed, but retail sales nonetheless climbed 60 percent to 1.28 billion euros compared with the first half of 2020, accounting for 90 percent of the total. At constant exchange rates and compared with the first half of 2019, they were up 8 percent, showing strong acceleration in the second quarter. The latter showed double-digit growth compared with the second quarter of 2019. Bertelli said the group had invested in consumer engagement in stores and in special pop-ups within its own network. He also pointed to more jewelry presented in the boutiques.

Its very simple, to improve sales you need to improve product and positioning, he offered.

Wholesale revenues decreased 37 percent to 196 million euros compared with the first half of 2019, in line with the groups selective approach to the channel. Compared with the first half of 2020, wholesale was up 119 percent.

E-commerce has grown at a triple-digit rate for five consecutive quarters, said chief financial officer Alessandra Cozzani. The online channel now accounts for 7 percent of retail sales.

Lorenzo Bertelli, marketing director and head of CSR, trumpeted the successful launch of Prada and Miu Miu flagships on Tmall and the increased visibility of the brands on digital platforms.

Pradas mens spring 2022 video garnered 2.9 million views and was ranked first on IGTV Mens Fashion Weeks, up 53 percent compared with fall 2021. It also ranked first in fashion weeks reach and engagement rate.

Miu Mius fall 2021 fashion show video on YouTube scored 2.1 million views, up 950 percent compared with spring 2021.

He also said the Prada Cup generated the most audience engagement of all the tournament phases, defining the Luna Rossa sailing boat as a longstanding element of the activewear identity of the Prada brand.

The company has also doubled down on its inclusive strategy, engaging talent from diverse backgrounds and different sectors, from music to sports. The group will announce its Sustainability Roadmap in the fall, further embedding ESG in its strategy, he concluded.

Cozzani said gross margin of 74.3 percent was at the highest level since the IPO in 2011 due to the successful channel mix and product elevation, as well as full-price sales.

Capital expenditures amounted to 75 million euros, compared with 49 million euros last year.

The net financial position stood at a negative 102 million euros, improving from a negative 311 million euros at the end of December last year.

Bertelli revealed a Capital Markets Day in the fall.
(Bloomberg) -- Peruvian assets tumbled on concern new President Pedro Castillos top economic adviser may not take a cabinet role, further fueling investor anxiety over his governments plans to remake the economy.

An ETF tracking Peru stocks fell more than 7%, the currency had its worst day since 1994 and overseas bonds due in 2031 slipped to the lowest in seven weeks. Peru equity funds recorded their biggest outflow in more than eight years this week, according to EPFR Global data, continuing a streak of market volatility thats upended the Andean nations reputation among investors for relative stability and reliable policy making.

Castillo, a former schoolteacher and union leader affiliated with a Marxist party, emerged out of relative obscurity this year to win the presidency after consolidating support from Perus left-wing. While investors have been unsettled by some of his proposals, they took solace from the expectation that his chief economic adviser, former World Bank economist Pedro Francke, would take over as finance minister and largely preserve macro-economic policy, albeit with a greater focus on social spending and fighting unemployment.

But Francke left a ceremony to swear in cabinet members shortly before it got underway Thursday, stoking speculation he was upset at the radical stances of some of the ministers and wouldnt be taking the post. He didnt reply to a request for comment. Health Minister Hernando Cevallos said in a radio interview Friday that Francke is still analyzing his participation in Castillos cabinet. Later, he said the president should reveal the name of his finance minister in the coming hours.

If Francke or someone seen as moderate doesnt lead economic policy, investors will likely sour further on the outlook for the South American country, worried it could veer toward policies embraced by Venezuelas government that have devastated the economy there and scorched investors.

Medium-term, Castillos presidency is on shaky grounds, said Carlos de Sousa, an emerging-market strategist and portfolio manager at Vontobel Asset Management in Zurich.

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Guido Bellido, a lawmaker who considers the communist government of Cuba to be a democracy, was named prime minister. Later in the day, he tweeted that he backs Franckes policies.

Pedro Francke has our full support for the application of the economic stability policy expressed in the bicentennial plan without corruption in the country, Bellido said. We will work together for the country.

Castillo named Hector Bejar, a writer and former Marxist guerrilla leader, to be his foreign affairs minister. Some of the other ministers were from Castillos Marxist Peru Libre party, while others were from allied leftist parties, or were independents.

It seemed the market was starting to price in a more moderate version of Castillo compared to his campaign rhetoric, said Malcolm Dorson, an emerging-market portfolio manager at Mirae Asset Global Investments in New York. The selections will be seen as a setback.

Read More: Perus New President, Prime Minister Raise Risks as Debt Tumbles

Deep Slump

Whoever eventually becomes finance minister will need to steer a country that has struggled to recover from one of the worlds deepest economic slumps last year and the worst death rate from the Covid-19 pandemic. The sol fell 3.3% to 4.06 per dollar Friday, while the iShares MSCI Peru exchange-traded fund slumped 7.4% to the lowest since May 2020.

Still, Perus investment-grade credit ratings are among the best in the region, and its assets arent pricing in a calamity. Its benchmark bonds are trading above par and credit-default swaps show just a tiny chance of default over the next five years.

I believe Castillo is going to have to take a step back, said Victoria Faynbloch, a strategist at TPCG Valores in Buenos Aires. The moment Pedro Castillo becomes more radical, he loses governability. Its not about whether hes a moderate or not, but hes going to have to negotiate.

Francke is popular with investors, having called for inflation-targeting, fiscal prudence and respect for private property. Investors were spooked by Castillos inaugural address this week, in which he called for Peru to retake control of its natural resources, renegotiate its-free trade deals and dramatically boost social spending.

Castillo took office Wednesday promising to rewrite the constitution in order to make responsible changes to the nations economic model.

(Adds Bellidos comment on Franckes policies in eighth paragraph.)

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People in Pennsylvania said they were approached by members of an election integrity committee inquiring about their votes in the 2020 election, prompting accusations of intimidation, according to a new report.

Residents of York County reported knocks at their doors by people wanting to know who they voted for and by what method, causing officials to contact police over the incidents.

I received some emails from residents who live in the southern part of York County, said York County President Commissioner Julie Wheeler, according to the York Dispatch. Ive spoken with the individuals, and weve turned the matter over to law enforcement.

PENNSYLVANIA SENATOR TO SEEK SUBPOENAS FOR ELECTION AUDIT

Steve Snell, a former Democratic candidate for the commonwealths House of Representatives, said two women claiming to be with the committee came to his door on Saturday seeking to speak with his 89-year-old mother-in-law.

They did not ask who she voted for, Snell said. If they had, I would have thrown them out. I regret that I was not more persistent in asking about the committee that they said they represented.

There is an intimidation factor, and thats what their intent is, Chad Baker, chairman of the Democratic Party of York County, said of the door-to-door visitors.

The Washington Examiner reached out to York County's three commissioners for comment on the incidents.

The incidents occurred in a state in which former President Donald Trump and his campaigns legal team asserted was rife with voter fraud after the election, and they come on the tail of recent requests from one Republican state lawmaker who is seeking a forensic investigation into the 2020 election in Pennsylvania.

York County, along with Tioga and Philadelphia counties, received letters from state Sen. Doug Mastriano on July 14 requesting information and materials to perform an election audit in the swing state, similar to the one underway in Maricopa County, Arizona.

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Commissioners in Tioga County said they wouldnt fully comply with the request, telling Mastriano they feared offering up "extremely expensive" election machines would result in their decertification, as has been the case with Maricopa County.

York Countys commissioners expressed similar concerns about complying with Mastrianos request. Officials in Philadelphia County said earlier this month they were in receipt of the letter but declined to comment on whether they would comply.

We do want to be clear, however, that Sen. Mastrianos letter reiterates claims about the November 2020 election that have been resoundingly rejected by courts, Nick Custodio, deputy commissioner for Philadelphia Chairwoman Lisa Deeley, told the Washington Examiner on July 16.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Mastriano, who is chairman of the Intergovernmental Operations Committee, has since signaled the committee will seek subpoenas for the counties as part of the investigation.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Pennsylvania, 2020 Elections, Voting, Voting Machines

Original Author: Jeremy Beaman

Original Location: Police notified of 'election integrity committee' asking Pennsylvania county residents how they voted
By Catarina Demony and Sergio Goncalves

LISBON (Reuters) -Portugal on Thursday announced a three-stage plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions, including scrapping a night-time curfew, as the country's vaccination rollout speeds up, helping to bring a recent surge in infections under control.

From Sunday, the 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew will no longer be in force and restrictions on the opening hours of restaurants and shops will also be lifted, Prime Minister Antonio Costa told a news conference.

Fans can return to sporting events under certain conditions, which have yet to be clarified, and although working remotely is still recommended, it will no longer be compulsory.

"Vaccination has contributed very significantly to (allowing) these measures... but we cannot ignore the fact that... the virus continues to circulate.... the pandemic has not disappeared," Costa said.

A new wave of COVID-19 cases hit Portugal earlier this month, returning to February levels when the country was under a strict lockdown to tackle what was then the world's worst coronavirus surge.

But daily deaths and hospitalisations remain well below February levels, with new cases primarily reported among younger, unvaccinated people who are less likely to fall seriously ill.

More restrictions will be slowly lifted over the next few months as more and more people get their coronavirus jabs. Around half of the population is now fully vaccinated and all those aged 18 or over can now book appointments.

In the second phase of the plan, which starts in September when 70% of the population is fully vaccinated, the compulsory use of masks in outdoor areas will end but will still be required in big gatherings. Masks will remain compulsory indoors.

Nightclubs and bars, which have been shut since last March, are expected to reopen the following month but the EU digital certificate or a negative coronavirus test will be required to enter.

The digital certificate or a negative test is also needed to stay in hotels, dine indoors at restaurants at the weekend, and attend fitness group classes at the gym, spas, casinos, weddings and big events.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony and Sergio GoncalvesEditing by Sonya Hepinstall)
The L.A. Times investigation highlighted numerous allegations of harassment and other misconduct against women at ICM Partners by several male agents and executives, including Steve Alexander. (Photo illustration by Nicole Vas / Los Angeles Times; ICM Partners)

ICM Partners confirmed Thursday that prominent agent and partner Steve Alexander has left the Century City talent agency.

Alexander's departure comes less than three months after allegations about his behavior were raised in a Los Angeles Times investigation. The investigation highlighted numerous allegations of harassment and other misconduct against women by several male agents and executives, including Alexander.

An ICM representative declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding Alexander's exit.

The company, including three female ICM board members, acknowledged that it was part of a "challenging, competitive and labor-intensive industry," but denied that it fostered a hostile work environment.

In a May statement, ICM said it does not tolerate harassment, bullying or other inappropriate conduct. HR investigates all reports received and addresses each with appropriate disciplinary measures.

A person familiar with the matter said that Alexander was planning to launch his own management firm. Alexander did not immediately return a request for comment.

Alexander represented clients including Tatiana Maslany and John Travolta and had been with ICM since 2014. He previously worked at the short-lived firm Resolution, and before that, was a high-profile agent at CAA.

Alexander honed a reputation as a hard-charging agent who fights for his clients.

But The Times article described inappropriate behavior by Alexander and other high-level executives at the agency. A film finance executive alleged that Alexander had exposed himself to her inside a car, according to three people with knowledge of the matter who declined to be named.

In spring 2016, the executive met Alexander for business drinks at the Peninsula Beverly Hills and was driving Alexander to his car when he unzipped his pants and started touching himself in his genital area, according to one of the people with knowledge of the incident.

The executive later told a female senior leader at ICM about the incident and Alexander was put on leave, according to the three sources. A source close to the company said it conducted an investigation and took appropriate actions, which they did not specify. Alexander denied the allegations.

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The female film finance executive declined to comment. The Times does not identify victims of alleged sexual assault without their consent.

Another alleged incident happened in August 2019, when Alexander sent a flirtatious direct message to a former ICM assistant, not his own, who had quit the agency months earlier after clashing with her boss, according to two people with knowledge of the exchange. The message on Instagram, which included a fire emoji, was in response to a selfie posted by the young woman that accentuated her cleavage.

Several other ICM agents also have been accused of inappropriate behavior by women who brought complaints to human resources or the agency's senior leaders. Since 2017, nearly a dozen women reported allegations of mistreatment by male agents and managers companywide, according to interviews with the women and those with direct knowledge of the incidents.

When The Times reported on the issue in May, the company said its human resources department did not have records of the complaints, although a source close to the company acknowledged that it did investigate some of the complaints and took appropriate actions.

After The Times article was published, Time's Up, an organization that was formed to raise awareness about sexual harassment and gender-based workplace discrimination, called for ICM to take "every step to fully investigate these allegations in a fair, safe and productive manner."

"Allegations of inappropriate behavior in any workplace are deeply troubling and should be addressed immediately," Time's Up said in a statement in May.

Since then, ICM has made changes, including setting up hotlines for employees or talent to report misconduct, according to two people familiar with the matter.

But some critics have said the agency's reforms do not go far enough, and that more of ICM's talent roster should publicly demand changes.

"They should stand up and say something and embrace those who have been ostracized through no fault of their own by this behavior and by these men," said director-producer-actor-photographer Anna Wilding, a former ICM client.

"Its all part of Hollywoods day of reckoning, whether its diversity or sexual harassment," Wilding said. "Everyone should feel confident about not letting it happen, about stopping it happening and speaking out and supporting those who have been through it."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Thursday named ambassadors to Egypt and Libya, his office said, as the Gulf Arab state moves to improve ties with some regional states.

Salem bin Mubarak Al-Shafi was named envoy to Egypt, while Khalid Mohammed Al-Dosari was appointed for Libya.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed in January to end a dispute that saw them boycott Qatar since 2017 over charges it supports terrorism, a reference to Islamist groups, which Doha denies.

Cairo had in June appointed an ambassador to Qatar, following a similar move by Riyadh. The UAE and Bahrain have yet to restore diplomatic ties.

Qatar had closed its embassy in Libya in 2014, when many foreign missions in Tripoli shut down as the country split between warring administrations.

Since fighting in Libya ended last summer, the factions have accepted a new unity government mandated to unify institutions and prepare for elections in December.

(Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Money Mitch

Money Mitch/Instagram Money Mitch

Rapper Money Mitch died on Friday, July 23 from a self-inflicted gunshot after a shootout with Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies.

Authorities did not initially identify Money Mitch (born Marcus Pettis)  who was 23 at the time of his death  as the deceased, but later confirmed it to the Sun-Sentinel and the CW 34.

Pettis was under surveillance in connection to a murder investigation when officials executed a traffic stop around 4 p.m. as he was in an Uber by Evergreen Drive and 9th Street, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chief Frank DeMario said in a press conference.

"About 10 minutes to four our tactical unit was surveilling a suspect for murder. They also have probable cause on him for drugs," DeMario explained.

RELATED: Snoop Dogg Thanks Fans for Prayers amid Mother's Hospitalization: 'She Still Fighting'

The deputy chief said once the rapper's Uber was pulled over, he "jumped out of the car, and started shooting at us. I don't know how many rounds were fired, six or seven but he did it in several different locations."

Two PBSO deputies returned fire and then Pettis then attempted to flee the scene, according to a release by the Sheriff's Office.

"We followed him to a building and on the second floor, we noticed some blood droppings on the first floor. We thought he was wounded," DeMario said at his press conference. "When we got up there he had [died by] suicide."

Officials said they didn't exchange fire with Pettis inside the building and "didn't have any involvement in the shooting."

Money Mitch

Money Mitch/Instagram Money Mitch

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Two of the deputies involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave as "standard department protocol."

An investigation is being conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, PBSO Violent Crimes detectives and the State Attorney's Office. The agencies did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request to comment.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said Thursday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might as well come to his office and arrest his entire staff for not wearing masks.

U.S. Capitol Police officers were directed to arrest staff members or visitors who refuse either to comply or leave the premises after being asked, according to a bulletin from Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS RAGE AND DISOBEY RETURN OF MASK MANDATE: 'ABSOLUTELY ABSURD'

"This is INSANE," Massie tweeted. "I support the Capitol Hill Police, but the Chief of Police made a mistake here. The physician and chief of police don't have this authority."

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Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican, echoed Massie.

"This is insanity," Biggs wrote on Twitter. "Threatening arrest for not wearing a mask is unlawful and tyrannical!"

Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, sent a challenge to the speaker in a video.

"I had COVID. I've had two vaccinations. I'm washing my hands," she said. "I'm even wearing my mask inside the chamber, but I'm not going to wear it anywhere else. So, Madam Speaker, come and get me."

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Rep. Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican, posted the bulletin issuing the order, calling it the most recent "edition of Pelosi's abuse of power."

"[Effective] immediately, to promote the good health and well-being of our employees, all USCP personnel must wear a mask at all times when in interior spaces throughout the Capitol Grounds," it read.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

If staff members or visitors fail to wear a mask after they are requested to do so, they will be denied entry to all House office buildings and areas of the Capitol. Any person who does not comply to leave the premises upon request is subject to arrest, the bulletin stated.

Members of Congress should not be arrested over charges of failure to comply with the mandate, the bulletin noted. Instead, they should be reported to the House sergeant-at-arms office.

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Rep. Roger Williams, a Texas Republican, said Pelosi is a socialist tyrant who appointed herself dictator of the House of Representatives.

"She's ordered Capitol police to arrest our staff if not wearing a mask," he tweeted. "She's a tyrant and disgrace to the PEOPLE's House."

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, House Republicans, Congress, Nancy Pelosi, Coronavirus

Original Author: Luke Gentile

Original Location: Republicans challenge Pelosi after Capitol Police are ordered to arrest those not complying with mask mandate
Jul. 28River Valley Community Bank recently announced its financial results for the second quarter.

Assets totaled $503.3 million as of June 30, compared to $514.8 million as of June 30, 2020, and $506.8 million as of March 31.

Net income for the quarter totaled $1.3 million, compared to $652,000 for the quarter ending June 30, 2020, and $1.2 million for the quarter that ended March 31.

Net interest income totaled $3.9 million for the latest quarter, compared to $3.5 million for the quarter ending June 30, 2020, and $3.8 million for the quarter that ended on March 31.

"We remain very pleased with the execution of our team and the continued growth we have achieved in our core deposits and loans," said CEO John Jelavich in a press release. "We continue to experience significant interest in the relationship brand of banking we offer and, with recent investment we have made in new systems and expanding our lending capacity, we are very well positioned to continue to meet the banking needs of our communities."

The bank has offices in Yuba City, Marysville, Grass Valley, and Auburn.
The Taliban's capture of a key Afghan-Pakistan border post has sent trucking costs soaring, with insurgents and government officials separately taxing traders, and bandits demanding bribes to allow safe passage of goods.

Thousands of vehicles cross daily from Chaman in southwestern Pakistan to Spin Boldak on the other side, carrying goods destined for Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-biggest city.

On the way back they usually ferry agricultural produce bound for Pakistan's markets or ports.

The bilateral trade -- worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year if not more -- ground to a halt earlier this month after the Taliban seized the dusty border town, but resumed this week with the insurgents seemingly firmly in charge.

They have captured a vast swath of the country since early May after launching a series of offensives to capitalise on the final stages of the withdrawal of foreign troops.

While they have not yet taken any provincial capitals, they have captured a string of key border posts -- with Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Pakistan -- which provide vital revenue from customs duties on goods arriving in the landlocked country.

"We loaded grapes in Kandahar and on the way we have been extorted at least three times," trucker Hidayatullah Khan told AFP at Chaman.

"Sometimes they charge 3,000 rupees ($20), somewhere else 2,000 rupees, and in some other place 1,000 rupees," he said.

That was on top of the taxes he had to pay Taliban officials in Spin Boldak and Afghan government customs officials who have opened shop in Kandahar.

- Chaos and confusion -

Truckers interviewed in Chaman this week told of chaos and confusion on the Afghan side of the border.

Imran Kakar, vice president of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce, gave one example of a truck carrying fabric from Karachi destined for Kandahar.

The Taliban charged the driver 150,000 rupees (about $1,000) as duty in Spin Boldak, but when the vehicle reached Kandahar government officials were also waiting.

Story continues

"We had to pay even higher customs duties as they don't acknowledge the payments made to Taliban," said Kakar.

The scenes were reminiscent of Afghanistan during its brutal civil war in the 1990s, when a patchwork of militias held stretches of key trade routes and extorted truckers and residents using the roads at will.

Hundreds of trucks were lined up Wednesday on the Pakistan side of the border, waiting for permission to cross.

On a dusty plain this week, with rugged hillocks as a backdrop, drivers and "spanner boy" apprentices tinkered with their vehicles ahead of the journey.

While the distance is just 100 kilometres (60 miles), the journey is fraught with danger.

Vehicles and roads are poorly maintained in Afghanistan, police and army checkpoints routinely demand "tea money" or more from every driver, and bandits also lie in wait -- either to steal goods or demand further payment for safe passage.

There is also the risk they could be caught in crossfire during fighting between the Taliban and government forces.

Still, traders and drivers say they have little option but to keep on trucking.

"War has been going on, we know that, but we don't have any other choice," said Abdul Razzaq, a driver carrying hatchling chicks to Kandahar.

"Transportation of goods is the only means for us to feed our families," he told AFP.

str-ak/fox/ds/mtp
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors introduced a resolution on Tuesday to rename a street after Vicha Ratanapakdee, the elderly Asian man who was killed in an unprovoked attack in January.



The proposal: Supervisor Catherine Stefani proposed to rename Sonora Lane, located in the Anza Vista neighborhood, as Vicha Ratanapakdee Way, according to KTVU.



Stefani said Ratanapakdees case was one of several senseless attacks against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community here in San Francisco," adding that our friends and neighbors should not have to fear the unthinkable when they walk our streets."

Southeast Asian Development Center, a non-profit organization, and Ratanapakdees family supported the resolution.

Monthanus Ratanapakdee, the 84-year-old mans daughter, said this will remind future generations that violence against our AAPI elders has no place in our society."



Other details: Ratanapakdees death sparked a movement, from changing profile pictures to paying tribute and holding an emergency rally against racism.



Meanwhile, his attacker, 19-year-old Antoine Watson, pleaded not guilty to the murder.

Ratanapakdees family expressed outrage in March after San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin compared what happened to a temper tantrum.



Featured Image via GoFundMe

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"Black Widow." Disney/Marvel Studios

"Black Widow" actor Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over the movie's dual-release.

The lawsuit argues that Disney violated her contract by debuting the film online and in theaters.

A source said the move cost her up to $50 million since her salary is largely based on box-office performance.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney after the company simultaneously released her film "Black Widow" on its Disney+ streaming platform and in theaters, according to court documents shared with Insider.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.

Johansson argues that Disney violated her contract, potentially bilking her out of significant income, because her salary was largely based on box-office performance. A source told the paper the actor could be missing out on $50 million.

According to the report, Johansson was concerned about the movie being released in part on Disney+. Her representatives contacted Marvel to ensure that the movie would solely be released in theaters. The report also said Marvel's chief counsel said they would speak with her if those plans changed.

"Black Widow" raked in $158 million in its global box-office opening, while Disney saw $60 million in sales from at-home viewing purchases.

"It's no secret that Disney is releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company's stock price - and that it's hiding behind Covid-19 as a pretext to do so," John Berlinksi, Johansson's attorney, told Insider in an email. "But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights and we look forward to proving as much in court."

He also said this won't be the "last case where Hollywood talent stands up to Disney and makes it clear that, whatever the company may pretend, it has a legal obligation to honor its contracts."

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A Walt Disney Company spokesperson told Insider that "there is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson's contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date."

Disney+ and other streaming services took the unprecedented step and debuted movies at the same time online and in theaters in 2020 because of the pandemic. For example, Disney's live-action Mulan remake saw a dual release, as did "Wonder Woman 1984" And "Zack Snyder's Justice League" on Warner Bros.' HBO Max.

Read more: Hollywood insiders say there's growing tension at Disney as CEO Bob Chapek chafes at Bob Iger's 'long goodbye'

But the move prompted backlash from the filmmaking world, including from directors Christopher Nolan and Patty Jenkins, who helmed the "Wonder Woman 1984" project. Many speculated how traditional filmmaking could be affected by releasing high-budget, high-quality movies online.

You can view the lawsuit in full below.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A 3-D reconstruction of cells from the MICrONS data set shows the complexity of shapes and branching axons and dendrites in a mouse brain. Each cell is labeled with a different color. (MICrONS / Allen Institute)

Neuroscientists from Seattles Allen Institute and other research institutions have wrapped up a five-year, multimillion-dollar project with the release of a high-resolution 3-D map showing the connections between 200,000 cells in a clump of mouse brain about as big as a grain of sand.

The data collection, which is now publicly available online, was developed as part of the Machine Intelligence From Cortical Networks program, or MICrONS for short. MICrONS was funded in 2016 with $100 million in federal grants to the Allen Institute and its partners from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, the U.S. intelligence communitys equivalent of the Pentagons DARPA think tank.

MICrONS is meant to clear the way for reverse-engineering the structure of the brain to help computer scientists develop more human-like machine learning systems, but the database is likely to benefit biomedical researchers as well.

Were basically treating the brain circuit as a computer, and we asked three questions: What does it do? How is it wired up? What is the program? R. Clay Reid, senior investigator at the Allen Institute and one of MICrONS lead scientists, said today in a news release. Experiments were done to literally see the neurons activity, to watch them compute.

The newly released data set takes in 120,000 neurons plus roughly 80,000 other types of brain cells, all contained in a cubic millimeter of the mouse brains visual neocortex. In addition to mapping the cells in physical space, the data set traces the functional connections involving more than 523 million synapses.

Researchers from the Allen Institute were joined in the project by colleagues from Princeton University, Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions.

Baylors team captured the patterns of neural activity of a mouse as it viewed images or movies of natural scenes. After those experiments, the Allen Institute team preserved the target sample of brain tissue, cut it into more than 27,000 thin slices, and captured 150 million images of those slices using electron microscopes.

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Princetons team then used machine learning techniques to turn those images into high-resolution maps of each cell and its internal components.

The reconstructions that were presenting today let us see the elements of the neural circuit: the brain cells and the wiring, with the ability to follow the wires to map the connections between cells, Reid said. The final step is to interpret this network, at which point we may be able to say we can read the brains program.

The resulting insights could help computer scientists design better hardware for AI applications, and they could also help medical researchers figure out treatments for brain disorders that involve alterations in cortical wiring.

Allen Institute scientists sectioned and scanned 27,000 slices of brain tissue for the MICrONS project in the institutes electron microscopy lab. (Allen Institute Photo)

Our five-year mission had an ambitious goal that many regarded as unattainable, said H. Sebastian Seung, a professor of neuroscience and computer science at Princeton. Today, we have been rewarded by breathtaking new vistas of the mammalian cortex. As we transition to a new phase of discovery, we are building a community of researchers to use the data in new ways.

The data set is hosted online by the Brain Observatory Storage Service & Database, or BossDB, and Amazon Web Services is making it freely accessible on the cloud through its Open Data Sponsorship Program. Google contributed storage and computing engine support through Google Cloud, and the database makes use of Neuroglancer, an open-source visualization tool developed by Google Research.

MICrONS emphasis on open access is in keeping with the principles that Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen championed when he founded the Allen Institute in 2003. The Allen Institute for Brain Science is the institutes oldest and largest division, and since Allens death in 2018, it has sharpened its focus on studies of neural circuitry and brain cell types.

More from GeekWire:
TALLAHASSEE  Floridas Covid crisis has wedged Gov. Ron DeSantis between two competing forces: public health experts who urge him to do more and anti-vaxxers who want him to do less.

The Republican governor has come under attack from the medical community and Democrats as the Delta strain of Covid-19 sweeps through Florida, turning it into a national coronavirus hotspot. The state recorded more than 73,000 infections last week  four times as many as the start of July  leading to overcrowded hospitals and more than 300 deaths in the most recent seven-day period. Florida is now home to one in five new cases of Covid-19 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But as DeSantis encourages vaccinations  he said vaccines are saving lives  he is facing a backlash from the anti-vaccination wing of his political base. Its the same group that praised him and helped thrust him onto the national stage for his hands-off approach to the virus. DeSantis, with 2024 presidential ambitions, has to walk the line between keeping his conservative base satisfied and keeping his state from becoming more of a disease hot spot.

Dont let political correctness get in the way of health choices, former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said recently of DeSantis comments, speaking on The Right Side with Doug Billings, a conservative radio host and podcaster.

Another conservative radio host, Stew Peters, last week called DeSantis a sellout and suggested the governor was taking bribes, though didnt specify from whom.

As infections and hospitalizations surge in Florida, DeSantis has largely encouraged vaccinations while still rejecting restoring any Covid-related lockdowns or mask mandates. He remains one of the most vocal voices pushing for schools to do in-person learning, and successfully pushed to prohibit local governments from instituting pandemic regulations.

Its a strategy that helped him rise through the GOP ranks nationally and allowed for early claims of success as the pandemic in Florida did not live up to the worst fears of the national experts, despite spring 2020 photos of packed spring break parties in the state and fears of superspreader events. But as Covid infections swell across the state, DeSantis major achievement has the potential to backfire on him ahead of his 2022 reelection campaign and potential 2024 presidential bid.

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DeSantis office brushed off the criticism from conservatives, calling a story reporting on Flynn and Peters comments clickbait.

Most conservatives in politics and media do not find the Governors statements the least bit controversial and have not made such baseless accusations, said Christina Pushaw, DeSantis press secretary.

Brian Ballard, a prominent Republican lobbyist and DeSantis supporter, said DeSantis conservative credentials are beyond rebuke.

I saw the Flynn comments and thought they were outrageous, Ballard said. If Ron DeSantis is not within the four corners of being a conservative, I dont know what is.

There is so much disinformation that its literally crazy and killing people, he added.

Yet DeSantis strategy so far also has the governor running afoul of some local governments and public health officials, who appreciate DeSantis pro-vaccination rhetoric but continue to lament what they say is a lack of urgency to tackle the virus.

Officials in Palm Beach on Monday announced that they would require people to wear masks inside city buildings or on town property regardless of vaccination status. This follows Californias move on Monday to soon require state and health care staffers to provide proof that theyve been vaccinated. DeSantis banned such vaccine passports in Florida.

Health officials, meanwhile, are also pressing the governor to provide more assistance to frontline health care workers.

Our city emergency leaders now have daily meetings with hospitals, and while our city and fellow hospitals are all in tune to the ongoing emergency and working to help each other, were not getting the level of support from the state we were previously in the pandemic when the Covid burden was much lower, said Chad Neilsen, the Infection Prevention Director at University of Florida Health in Jacksonville.

He said the state needs to restart releasing daily Covid-19 testing data, which ended in January, and again declare Florida under a public health emergency, which lapsed on June 26.

By declaring a [public health emergency], activities can then be authorized to help support essential services and functions in response to the emergency, Nielsen said. This may be emergency funds to help pay for staffing, or equipment, activation of certain support offices, and can even open up availability to federal support.

Pushaw, however, said calls for a renewed public health emergency are misguided.

People are entitled to their own opinions, but there is an unfortunate tendency among some of the governors critics to demand a state of emergency on different issues without any indication of what, concretely, they believe such a declaration would accomplish, she said.
A worker tends to marijuana plants in Santa Barbara County, California. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

The Senate is preparing to wade into a controversial conversation about federal policies on marijuana after Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat from New York, released draft legislation this month that would legalize weed at the federal level.

The draft bill, known as the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, follows a similar bill that passed the Democratic-controlled House in December and comes as recent polling from the Pew Research Center shows that about 60% of Americans support legalizing marijuana for recreational and medical use.

But Senate Democrats have a lot to balance over the next several months, tasked with drafting and passing legislation on issues such as infrastructure, policing and immigration that President Biden has marked as priorities. As the draft bill jump-starts discussion on Capitol Hill, heres a look at where marijuana legalization might go.

Isn't pot already legal in many states? What would a federal bill do?

Weed has been fully legalized for recreational use in 18 states, starting with Colorado and Washington in 2012. A total of 37 states have approved medical marijuana. In California, cannabis has been legal for medical use since 1996 and for recreational use since late 2016.

But cannabis is still illegal under federal law, where it is classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

Possession of marijuana remains a federal offense, punishable by up to one year in jail and a minimum fine of $1,000 for a first conviction.

Because of federal restrictions, marijuana producers and retailers face significant logistical challenges with banking, transporting goods and paying taxes, even in states where the drug is legal.

In 2019, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and California's then-Sen. Kamala Harris, now vice president, introduced legislation in both chambers of Congress that would have decriminalized marijuana and expunged some criminal records, among other things.

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The House passed the legislation in a 228-164 vote in December 2020. It was the first time legislation to remove cannabis from the Schedule I list made it to a floor vote.

The bill ultimately failed to move out of committee in the Senate.

What does the new draft legislation do?

The bill draft is partially based on last year's failed effort. It proposes removing federal penalties for marijuana, expunging criminal records for nonviolent offenders of federal cannabis laws, earmarking funding for restorative justice programs, establishing tax rates for cannabis products and formally allowing states to decide whether to legalize pot.

John Hudak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who researches state and federal marijuana policy, said the draft legislation gives states "quite a bit of deference."

For marijuana producers and retailers in states where recreational use is already legalized, removing federal penalties for marijuana will solve banking, taxation and transport problems, cannabis reform advocates say.

In places where weed is still illegal, state governments can opt to keep it that way.

However, without federal prohibition, pot-unfriendly states wouldn't be able to prevent interstate transport of marijuana. Those states would also miss out on tax revenue. Marijuana advocates predict state governments could be pushed toward legalization if the federal draft bill was to be signed into law.

"While it wouldn't tell Nebraska you have to legalize marijuana, it would say you have to allow marijuana that's being transported from California to Ohio to be able to pass through on your interstate highway system," said Justin Strekal, political director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "That is going to trigger a tectonic shift in thinking."

Would the federal government stop all regulation of pot?

No, not under the current proposal.

Hudak said the draft legislation takes "a comprehensive approach" and lays out a detailed plan for oversight and regulation of recreational marijuana.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau would regulate the production, distribution and sale of marijuana.

In an effort to address past injustices caused by federal marijuana prohibitions, the Justice Department would establish an office to help people convicted of nonviolent marijuana-related violations transition out of incarceration.

What are advocates and critics saying?

Advocates of the draft legislation see it as a rare opportunity to push federal reform on marijuana.

Still, Strekal said the draft legislation continues drug testing for federal employees and, under its proposed taxation structure, would tax medical marijuana. He hopes to see those items changed in the final version.

"Fifty years from now, the implications of the initial bill passed are going to be massive," Strekal said. "And there's no perfect legislation, but we want to make sure it's as close to right as possible."

Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an organization that supports decriminalization but opposes legalization of cannabis, released a letter from its research advisory board calling for the final legislation to include limitations on potency, advertising restrictions and a ban on flavored products that could appeal to children.

Kevin Sabet, president of the organization, said he would also like to see further discussion about whether legalization might increase the number of DUIs on the road and other public health consequences.

"There's a lot of protections for people who use marijuana and not a lot of protections for people who don't use marijuana, which obviously is the majority of people, believe it or not," Sabet said.

How would federal legalization affect scientific research of cannabis?

Jennifer Bailey, a principal investigator with the University of Washington's Social Development Research Group who has studied cannabis use, said an end to federal prohibition of marijuana would be "immensely beneficial to science."

Research on both the harm and potential benefits of cannabis has been slim because it's difficult for scientists to gain funding and access to marijuana.

Does legalization lead to an increase in use among children?

Researchers believe that adolescent use of cannabis has not risen in states where marijuana has been legalized. In fact, some early studies suggested it could be decreasing.

However, Bailey does see cause for concern when it comes to young children accidentally ingesting edible marijuana products, such as cookies, brownies and candy.

She said states where marijuana is legal have seen rises in accidental ingestion of cannabis by children  even in Washington, where state law bans advertising that could appeal to children.

"I mean, who doesn't want to eat brownies," Bailey said. "And of course, children want to eat brownies and gummy bears and large lozenges and things that look like candy."

Will it pass?

Because the bill is still just a draft, Schumer and other lawmakers could change it substantially. But in its current form, most experts believe the bill will not pass.

Hudak called the bill "a good conversation starter." Sabet said he is "not losing a ton of sleep over this."

But Strekal said similar comments were made about last year's bill having "no shot," and it surprised many by passing the House amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schumer acknowledged at the draft bill's unveiling that he does not yet have the votes to push it through the Senate. He would need total support from Democratic senators plus at least 10 Republican votes to overcome a filibuster.

If passed, it's unclear whether Biden would sign the legislation into law. He has expressed support for decriminalizing marijuana, but not for full legalization. At a recent briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said "nothing has changed" regarding Biden's views on cannabis reform.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Nqobile Dludla

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Recent unrest in South Africa damaged hundreds of businesses but property developers and retailers say they remain committed to the fast-growing consumer markets of its predominantly Black townships.

Riots broke out this month after former President Jacob Zuma handed himself in to start a 15-month jail term for contempt of court.

More than 300 people died and about 3,000 stores were looted, over half of them belonging to major retailers and fast food brands.

At least 161 shopping malls, 11 warehouses and eight factories suffered heavy damage, sites that include tenants such as grocery chain Shoprite and Walmart majority-owned Massmart.

The hardest hit areas included Durban's uMlazi and Johannesburg's Soweto and Alexandra townships in KwaZulu-Natal and the economic heartland of Gauteng.

Graphic: South African stores looted and damaged during unrest - https://graphics.reuters.com/SAFRICA-ZUMA/RETAIL/zdpxoynrkvx/chart.png

Exemplar REITail had five of its 27 malls damaged, including three which are expected to take up to four months to return to normal operations, CEO Jason McCormick told Reuters.

Yet McCormick said the company remained committed to not only repairs, but the development of another 30 malls in the pipeline.

"What happened was tantamount to a black swan event. I don't think anyone ever foresaw the extent of this ever happening," McCormick said at one of the group's malls in Johannesburg.

McCormick's views reflected those expressed by six other CEOs and executives of listed property companies and two retailers interviewed by Reuters.

Vukile Property Fund, for example, will repair its damaged Daveyton Mall in Johannesburg, one of the first township malls, and will forge ahead with a 90 million rand ($6.1 million) upgrade of the site, CEO Laurence Rapp said.

"It's one of our most successful malls in the portfolio in terms of all its trading densities and trading statistics," Rapp said, adding that the current book value of the six damaged properties is around 2.8-3 billion rand.

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Real estate developers and retailers have spent the last two decades targeting rising consumer spending by the Black middle class in areas that were disadvantaged for decades under white minority rule.

For such communities, the benefits include jobs and the convenience of having shops nearby, eliminating the cost of travelling to other towns, and these developments in turn attract other retailers and services such as banks.

Fraym, a U.S.-based company which analyses data on communities across the world, in 2019 identified South Africa's townships as the biggest and fastest-growing retail market over the previous 10 years.

Leon Kok, chief operating officer at Redefine Properties, the second-biggest listed property firm in South Africa, said the company was committed to maintaining its presence but opening new shopping centres at this point was unlikely, not due to the unrest but rather to the pandemic's impact on the economy.

The companies said where security and risk mitigation measures are not strong enough to fight lawlessness, they ensure that they have adequate insurance cover to manage the risk.

COST OF DOING BUSINESS

Dipula Income Fund's damaged malls will take about four to eight months to rebuild at an estimated cost of 250-300 million rand, CEO Izak Petersen told Reuters.

Arrowhead Properties' Montclair Mall in the port city of Durban will take three to six months to be up and running, with the damage estimated at 30-50 million rand, Chief Investment Officer Alon Kirkel told Reuters.

Although the scale of the looting and damage was unexpected, Ninety One Portfolio Manager Ann-Maree Tippoo said this type of unrest was already priced in and the risk return profile of these investments were reasonably well understood by property firms.

"So the commitment to these types of assets and areas will remain because the return profile is quite astounding compared to other retail assets," Tippoo told Reuters.

She noted the total return on township retail (including capital valuation changes) was 5.7% in 2020 versus minus 6.7% for suburban retail, citing data from the South African Property Owners Association.

Vukile's Rapp said: "For us it's a cost of doing business in these areas but the returns are really, really good. So therefore you accept the cost, the risk, for the return."

Still, some players may delay further investment beyond repairing damage pending economic growth, cautioned Sasfin senior equity analyst Alec Abraham.

Many are still assessing the extent of the damage from the violence which began on July 9 and lasted until July 15.

($1 = 14.7808 rand)

(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; editing by MacDonald Dzirutwe and Jason Neely)
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  A Spanish judge investigating alleged tax fraud by Colombian musician Shakira recommended on Thursday that the case go to trial after concluding there is evidence that the pop star could have avoided her fiscal obligations to the state.

Judge Marco Juberias wrote that his three-year probe found there existed sufficient evidence of criminality for the case to go to a trial judge.

The decision can be appealed.

Prosecutors charged the singer in December 2019 with not paying 14.5 million euros ($16.4 million) in taxes in Spain between 2012 and 2014, when she lived mostly in the country despite having an official residence in Panama.

Shakira, 44, denied any wrongdoing when she testified in June 2019. Her public relations firm said that she had immediately paid what she owed once she was informed of the debt by the Tax Office.

Shakira faces a possible fine and even possible jail time if found guilty of tax evasion. However, a judge can waive prison time for first-time offenders if they are sentenced to less than two years behind bars.
The Head Ball Coach still has some jokes.

Retired college football coach Steve Spurrier, who coached 23 of his 26 seasons in the SEC, poked fun at the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma for their decisions to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC.

"I can understand Texas jumping over," Spurrier said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. "They get to play Texas A&M again. They get to  they cant win the Big 12 anyway.

"I think theyre only won two in the last 30 years or so. What is it?"

The Longhorns have recently struggled to stay among the top teams in college football. Texas last won the conference in 2009 after previously winning it in 2005 and 1996. The Longhorns are on their third head coach since coach Mack Brown resigned in 2013.

Steve Spurrier spent 23 of his 26 seasons as a college football head coach in the SEC.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, has won the Big 12 the last six seasons.

"Im sort of surprised Oklahoma," Spurrier said, according to the Sentinel. "I just dont think theyre going to come over to the SEC and win with any regularity the way that they win the Big 12. Their fans might say, Yeah, now we can beat Alabama and LSU and all these dudes. It may not happen like that.

"I dont know. Its obviously more money."

On Tuesday, Texas and Oklahoma formally applied to join the SEC after announcing their intent to withdraw from the Big 12.

It is widely expected that both schools would be able to leave for the SEC in advance of that 2025 date, though not without coming to a buyout agreement with the Big 12.

"I feel sorry for the other schools, Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State, all those guys, because they obviously need those two schools there," Spurrier said of Texas and Oklahoma. "It (the move to the SEC) looks like its going to happen. Maybe it will work out for the best."

Contributing: Paul Myerberg

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steve Spurrier weighs in on Texas, Oklahoma leaving Big 12 for SEC
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels waged a spate of mortar attacks on Syrian army checkpoints in the southern province of Deraa in the biggest flare-up of violence since government forces retook the restive region three years ago, rebels, residents and the army said on Thursday.

The widespread attacks at army outposts near the Damascus-Deraa highway leading to the border crossing of Nassib with Jordan also disrupted passenger and commercial traffic at the main gateway for goods from Lebanon and Syria to the Gulf.

Multiple army checkpoints around key towns and villages from the town of Nawa north of the province to Muzarib near the border with Jordan were also seized, they said.

The army has sent reinforcements from its elite Fourth Division, run by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher, senior military defectors said, confirming army leaks.

The attacks came after the army launched a dawn operation against the rebel-held old quarter of the city of Deraa, where peaceful protests against decades of autocratic Assad family rule began in 2011 and were met by deadly force before spreading across the country.

The army has sought to reassert its control after the collapse of talks earlier this week to get local elders and former rebels to allow the army to extend its control inside the old quarter, known as Deraa al Balad.

The Syrian army, aided by Russian air power and Iranian militias, retook control of the strategic province that borders Jordan and Israel's Golan Heights to the west in the summer of 2018.

Russian-brokered deals at the time forced rebels to hand over heavy weapons and return state institutions in the enclave but kept away the army from entering their neighbourhoods.

"The rebels have waged a counter offensive after the army operation against Deraa whose intensity has taken the regime by surprise," said Zaid al Rayes, a political opposition figure in touch with local groups in Deraa.

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State media said terrorists had fired at the main hospital in Deraa and the army had evacuated hundreds of fleeing families from rebel held neighbourhoods.

Thousands of former rebels had chosen to stay with their families rather than head to remaining rebel-held areas in northern Syria, where tens of thousands of others displaced from recaptured areas had gathered.

The province saw a widespread boycott of last May's polls that extended Assad's presidency in what officials saw as a defiance of state authority.

Western intelligence sources say growing dissent is aggravated by the presence of Iranian-backed local militias who now hold sway and act with impunity since the central government is too weak to impose its authority on the area.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Texas' deputy attorney general apologized Wednesday after receiving backlash for tweeting that Simone Biles was a "national embarrassment" when she withdrew from the team gymnastics final.

Aaron Reitz on Tuesday tweeted a video of the gymnast Kerri Strug, who competed with an injured ankle to help Team USA win gold in 1996, writing, "Contrast this with our selfish, childish national embarrassment, Simone Biles."

Biles, 24, who is from Houston, has mostly received overwhelming support after she pulled out of the team final and then decided not to compete in the women's individual all-around gymnastics final in an effort to focus on her mental health.

Strug on Tuesday tweeted: "Sending love to you @Simone_Biles -Team UNITED States of America."

Biles' teammates and other former Olympic greats have also lauded her decision.

Meanwhile, Reitz's tweet sparked outrage, and he eventually deleted it.

On Wednesday, he posted an apology on Twitter.

"My personal social media comments do not represent Attorney General Paxton or the office of the attorney general," the Republican began. "In a moment of frustration and disappointment, I opined on subjects for which I am not adequately versed. That was an error. I can't imagine what Simone Biles has gone through."

"Simone Biles is a true patriot and one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. I apologize to her and wish her well," he wrote.

Biles has been cheering on her teammates from the sidelines, writing in an Instagram post that they "stepped up when I couldn't."

She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not she should participate in next weeks individual event finals, USA Gymnastics said in a statement.

Biles said on Twitter that the outpouring love & support Ive received has made me realize Im more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before.
Jul. 28ROCKLAKE, N.D.  Carie Moore got all of her fields seeded in the drought year of 2021.

That's one of the upsides of the dry conditions for the Rocklake farmer who typically has to seed around about 50 acres of sloughs and ponds.

On the downside, her crops now are struggling and showing signs of going backward because of lack of rain. Only about 7.5 inches of rain have fallen in 2021, and last fall also was dry, Moore said.

Moore, and her husband, Jason, like other farmers across northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, are dealing with abnormally dry conditions after years of being excessively wet.

North Dakota topsoil moisture supplies were rated 41% very short, 46% short and 13% adequate for the week ending Sunday, July 25, according to National Agricultural Statistics Service-North Dakota.

The Moores, who have been farming since 2012, switched their roles three years ago. Jason, who had been farming full-time and trucking part-time, became a full-time trucker, and Carie, who had worked as Towner County Conservation District director, quit that job to farm. The arrangement gives her the flexibility to stay home with the couple's three children when Jason is gone overnight on long hauls.

Among Carie Moore's duties as full-time farmer is scouting her fields. A recent check indicated the drought has taken a toll on the wheat and barley, she said.

Wheat stands, for example, are uneven. Some fields haven't headed out, others are starting to head out and still others are beginning to turn from green to gold. Part of the wheat that is headed out doesn't look like it should, Moore said.

"There are a lot of heads that didn't fill right. They're half the size and really deformed. They were trying to fill with seed when it was really hot," Moore said. "Half of the stuff I walked through was like that. I don't know if that will cut our yield in half, because the head is half the size."

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Just two years ago, in 2019, wheat and barley fields were so wet that the Moores couldn't harvest them. Instead, they burned most of their wheat crop the following spring. The fields still were too wet to plant in spring 2020, even after burning.

"It's one extreme to the other. I wish we could find a happy medium," Moore said during a break from haying on a field in Crocus Township, just outside of Egeland, N.D., which is about 20 miles south of the Moores' Rocklake farm.

Moore puts up big, round bales of hay for Nelson Angus Ranch near Egeland. The hayfield she was baling on a mid-July day was poor quality, but the Nelsons, like other ranchers who are short on feed, will mix it with other forage to boost its nutritional value.

Cattle producers are searching for feed because the drought has devastated their pastures and drastically reduced forage yields. Many ranchers already have reduced herd numbers, and they're concerned about finding enough feed for the remainder of the year.

"This year, in the drought, we're trying to get quantity over quality," Moore said. Meanwhile, water holes are drying up, and many of the ones that do remain contain blue-green algae, which is toxic to livestock.

A lack of available water also appears to have discouraged bees from pollinating the Moores' canola fields, she said.

"I'm glad we didn't fertilize it because I'm worried about pollination. There's no water for pollinators  no puddles, nothing," Moore said.

While it's unlikely the wheat, barley and canola will yield well this year, she still has hope for good soybeans yields because a couple of July rains fell in time to benefit that crop. Meanwhile the Moores' soybean input costs so far are low, because they didn't fertilize the soybeans.

Moore hopes flea beetles won't attack the soybeans, since spraying for them would raise production costs.

"As long as we don't have to spray for those, I think our soybeans are going to pull us through," Moore said.

The Moores' fields will need rain if they are going to get soybeans or any other type of crop next year.

"It's going to be tough going into next year if we don't get anything," she said. "I don't know what we'd do."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan U.S. congressional commission has called on Hilton Worldwide not to allow its name to be associated with a hotel project on the site of a mosque bulldozed by authorities in China's Xinjiang region, where Washington says minority Muslims have been victims of genocide.

In a letter on Thursday to Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Jim McGovern raised concerns about reports that a Hampton by Hilton hotel was being constructed on the site of the mosque destroyed in 2018 in Xinjiang's Hotan prefecture.

"The site is emblematic of the Chinese government's campaign of widespread destruction of Uyghur religious and cultural sites in the XUAR and official efforts to eradicate Uyghurs' religious and cultural practices," the letter said, referring to minority Uyghur Muslims and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The letter, a copy of which was made available to Reuters, was co-signed by the senior Congressional-Executive Commission on China Republicans, Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Jim Smith.

Hilton Worldwide did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

The letter said the destruction of Uyghur religious and cultural sites had contributed to the U.S. government's determination that genocide and crimes against humanity were being perpetrated against Muslims in Xinjiang.

"Hilton should not allow its name to be used to perpetuate and promote the cultural erasure and repression of the millions of Uyghurs living in the XUAR," it said.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest U.S. Muslim advocacy organization, this week called on Hilton shareholders to seek details on the hotel plan, revealed in June by Britain's Daily Telegraph.

It quoted Hilton as saying the hotel was a franchise development overseen by a Chinese firm, Huan Peng Hotel Management, which said it had purchased the land as a vacant lot via a public auction. The firm added that it would "comply fully with all local laws, authorities and Hilton brand development standards."

According to CECC research, authorities in Xinjiang demolished or damaged around 16,000 mosques and more than half of the regions other religious sites such as shrines and cemeteries in recent years.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Dan Grebler)
(Corrects name of Chinese envoy to Dai Bing)

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The United Nations Security Council on Thursday extended a Central African Republic (CAR) arms embargo and targeted sanctions regime for another year, however China abstained in the vote because it believes the measures should be removed.

The 15-member Security Council imposed the arms embargo on CAR in December 2013 when mainly Muslim Selaka rebels ousted then president Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias. A targeted sanctions regime was agreed in 2014, when U.N. peacekeepers were also deployed to the country.

The gold and diamond-rich country of 4.7 million people has since been mired in violence.

"There appears to be a growing disconnect between the Security Council sanctions and the evolving situation on the ground," China's deputy U.N. Ambassador Dai Bing told the council after the vote.

"The intention was to help CAR restore national stability and normal social order. In reality, however, the arms embargo has increasingly become an obstacle that hampers the CAR government's efforts to strengthen security capabilities," he said.

The remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favor of extending the arms embargo. The CAR government is able to import weapons with the approval of the U.N. Security Council's CAR sanctions committee.

Russia's deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy encouraged the CAR government to meet U.N. benchmarks that would allow the council to consider lifting the arms embargo next year. Moscow has been jockeying for influence in CAR with France.

A U.N. report, seen by Reuters last month, accused Russian military instructors and CAR troops of targeting civilians with excessive force, indiscriminate killings, occupation of schools and large-scale looting.

The Kremlin has said it is a lie that Russian instructors had taken part in killings or robberies.

Russia recently sent a group of 600 military instructors to CAR to train the army, police, and national gendarmerie, Russia's foreign ministry said earlier this month.

(Reporting by Michelle NicholsEditing by Alexandra Hudson)
The United States called on all parties of the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia to halt attacks on refugees as the humanitarian crisis worsens.

"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," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter said, according to Reuters. "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."

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Babar Baloch said Tuesday that 24,000 Eritrean refugees living in two separate refugee camps are facing violence and intimidation in an area cut off from humanitarian assistance. These people are in the same situation as an estimated 1.9 million internally displaced Tigrayans, who have been displaced over the current conflict, according to an analysis of the humanitarian situation.

ETHIOPIA DECLARES CEASEFIRE IN TIGRAY CONFLICT

The war in Tigray began in November of last year, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched an invasion of the Tigray region in an effort to overthrow the ruling TPLF, which he had accused of attacking federal army bases in the region, according to Al Jazeera.

The Ethiopian National Defense Force was joined in the assault by former adversary Eritrea, known as the "North Korea of Africa," according to Daniel Haile of National Interest. Despite initial gains, the TPLF turned the tide in June in "Operation Alula," when the Tigrayan rebels routed both armies and retook the majority of Tigray.



Following the defeat, Abiy withdrew his forces from most of the region and declared a unilateral ceasefire on June 28, claiming it was for humanitarian reasons. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield echoed the sentiments of many international observers when she declared that the so-called humanitarian ceasefire was actually a siege. The Ethiopian and Eritrean governments are accused of cutting off all humanitarian aid to Tigray in an attempt to strangle the region into submission.

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At the start of the conflict, the Ethiopian government imposed a complete communications blackout in Tigray, cutting off internet access and all other telecommunications, making it difficult for journalists and observers to get a full picture of what is going on, according to Al Jazeera. Despite the blackout, 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy's forces have been accused of a litany of human rights abuses, including massacres, ethnic cleansing, mass rape, the seizing or diversion of humanitarian aid, and more.

A scathing in-depth report examining the humanitarian situation in Tigray, published on July 8 and compiled by researchers from Ghent University, painted a bleak picture. The paper, which was posted to researchgate.com, documented 245 massacres since November, most of them committed by Ethiopian and Eritrean government forces. The number of "fully documented" civilian fatalities is about 3,000, although the total number of deaths is expected to be far higher, despite Abiy's claim that during the height of the fighting in November, "not a single civilian was killed."

A joint press release by Tigrayan opposition parties claimed in February that the true number of deaths was 53,000, according to the Eritrea Hub.

The current siege phase of the conflict has led to a new crisis, as the Tigrayan people are denied food and vital humanitarian aid, the report documenting the humanitarian situation found. A senior Tigrayan activist reported that cutting off aid to Tigray is part of a wider strategy to starve the rebellious region into submission. "The military have a clear intention, sometimes speak it out loudly, to starve the public to punish them and then to make the TDF [rebels] surrender," he said.

On Tuesday, the head of the U.N. World Food Program, David Beasley, declared that the organization's food aid to Tigray will run out this week. Many of its aid trucks are "stuck," as they rely on a single road that serves as the only route into Tigray, which has recently come under attack, according to PBS. Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers routinely confiscate or redirect the humanitarian aid to use for their own purposes. Local humanitarian nongovernmental organizations that are needed to disperse the aid have been largely dismantled by the government, eyewitnesses told researchers.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The U.N.-aligned Integrated Food Security Phase Classification's Famine Review Committee found that 400,000 Tigrayans are currently at a "high risk" of experiencing a famine, while 4 million others face the possibility as well. The disruption of farming due to the fighting and manpower requirements of the rebels means that most Tigrayans are unable to cultivate their fields. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that 5.2 million Tigrayans are in dire need of humanitarian aid.

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Tags: Ethiopia, Africa, USA, Eritrea, Human Rights, News, National Security

Original Author: Brady Knox

Original Location: US calls for halt to attacks against refugees as humanitarian crisis worsens in Tigray
Authorities said the flames had spread to the town center as well, where many buildings were evacuated.

Turkish prosecutors launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

Agriculture Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said authorities were battling the flames with a firefighting plane, 19 helicopters, 108 vehicles and some 400 personnel.
A Windsor woman who officials say was part of an extensive network of grab-and-go thieves who stole from stores in five states has been sentenced in federal court to three years in prison.

Aysia Ryan, 22, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Hartford Wednesday to 36 months, followed by three years of supervised release, said Leonard C. Boyle, acting U.S. Attorney.

Ryan was part of what authorities say was an extensive ring of thieves who went into clothing stores  many of them high-end  grabbed as much as they could and rushed to a getaway car without paying, Boyle said in a news release. The suspects committed more than 50 thefts in 2019 and 2020, grabbing clothes from Polo Ralph Lauren, T.J. Maxx, Balenciaga, Burberry, Macys, Marshalls, Dicks Sporting Goods, Tommy Hilfiger and other stores.

The stores were in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York; the suspects would transport the stolen goods to Connecticut to sell them on the Internet or on the street, he said in a news release.

Ryan participated in at least 23 thefts, resulting in losses of more than $40,000, Boyle said. Judge Vanessa L. Bryant ordered her to pay $22,900 in restitution.

A grand jury returned a six-count indictment charging Ryan and seven others on Sept. 15, and she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport and possess stolen property on April 28, he said. She has been in state custody since Nov. 6.

South Windsor police arrested Ryan on Jan. 5, saying she was the getaway driver in an Aug. 28 liquor store robbery during which her male accomplice stole $800 worth of booze. She struck an employee as they made their getaway, police said.

Ryan is suspected of being involved in similar Hartford-area thefts. She has 10 ongoing cases listed on state court dockets, including charges from the South Windsor robbery, a Glastonbury car chase, a Manchester assault and a Hartford credit card theft among other alleged crimes.

The grab-and-go thefts are being investigated by the FBI and police in Hartford, New Canaan, Wrentham, Mass and Nassau County, N.Y.

Christine Dempsey may be reached at cdempsey@courant.com.
A woman looking at her laptop screen. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  A Singaporean man has successfully applied for a court order against a former employee who defamed him on Facebook, after the Vietnamese woman breached an order to stop posting defamatory allegations.

Do Thi Minh Diep, 25, was found guilty of contempt of court before District Judge (DJ) Seah Chi-Ling and ordered to commit to five days jail in Singapore after she was found to have breached an order issued under the Protection from Harassment Act by repeating defamatory allegations.

The original application was taken out by David Ang, a 43-year-old Singaporean, who had hired Diep in January last year by his firm in Singapore and was handling administrative and other duties.

Diep resigned in October 2020 and returned to Vietnam in December that year, and has since remained in her country.

The order, made on 9 July by DJ Seah, was served on Diep via Facebook messenger on 26 July, according to Angs lawyer Clarence Lun from Fervent Law Chambers.

Diep will have to serve jail in Singapore if she were to return. She was also ordered to pay Ang $2,500 in costs, which Lun will be attempting to obtain through proceedings involving Dieps bank account in Singapore.

From 5 February this year, Diep began publishing false and defamatory allegations against Ang and his companies in several Facebook posts, claiming that she had been forced to work up to 300 hours a month.

In her statements, she also alleged that she had been employed under an incorrect working visa, and that Ang's companies had withheld or refused to pay her renumeration in breach of her contract. She threatened to complain to the Ministry of Manpower.

Two days later, she published several more allegations on a Facebook page Chilli Do through a Facebook Live video, alleging that Ang and his companies had falsely declared her salary and engaged in a practice of remitting her monthly salary of $2,700 by GIRO before clawing back $1,000 in cash monthly.

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Diep published another two defamatory Facebook posts, including photos of Ang with an unnamed woman with the caption KTV GIRL, claiming that Ang, a married man and father, had met a hostess named Serene and immediately fell for her sexy curvy looks with deep attraction. She claimed that Ang had two children with Serene and that one had to be sent to Vietnam as a result of a fallout from the "affair". She further claimed that Angs actual wife had no idea of his affair.

Lun argued in submissions that Diep had made abusive and insulting remarks against (Angs) alleged sexual promiscuity".

The photos had been taken at the rental premises of one of Angs offices, which only three persons, including Ang and Diep, had access to.

Following the libellous posts, Ang sought an expedited protection order against Diep, demanding that she remove the Facebook posts and desist from publishing further allegations. The application under the Protection from Harassment Act was heard and granted in March this year. It was served to Dieps email and via Facebook message to Dieps Facebook page on 29 March 2021.

A series of exchanges between Diep's and Ang's lawyers in March confirmed that Diep had been aware of the expedited protection order against her. Diep further posted about these messages on her Facebook page, seeking assistance.

Diep did not remove the 7 February Facebook post, in breach of her order. Instead, Diep added to her Facebook post, "When speak truth, nothing scare (sic). I pray to God that justice can come."

She continued publishing Facebook posts with similar allegations against her former company and Ang.

Speaking to Yahoo News Singapore following the contempt of court order, Ang said that he had felt "hurt, embarrassed and harassed" by Diep's Facebook posts.

"Now that the court has found (Diep) to be in contempt of court, I felt that justice has been done, and a sense of relief.

"I know that even though Do Minh Diep has returned to Vietnam, it is a relief that if she chooses to return to Singapore, she has to meet the punishment sentenced by the court."

Ang also thanked Lun for his help, adding that he wished to move on with life from the difficult episode.

Under the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016, contempt of court carries a jail term of up to 12 months and/or a fine of up to $20,000 for a case not presided by the High Court or Court of Appeal.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

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A Yellowstone tourist got out of her car and walked toward a grizzly and cubs, video shows. Now shes been charged.

The woman from Illinois was charged in U.S. District Court on Tuesday with feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentionally disturbing wildlife, according to court documents.

The charges come after the tourist was spotted on video posted May 12 standing within feet of a grizzly bear. It appears in the video she was taking photos or videos with her phone when the bear started to run toward her.

The woman gasped and walked away. Yellowstone park officials then investigated the incident.

Wed like to emphasize the importance for people to stay in their vehicles if grizzlies with cubs are less than 100 yards away, Yellowstone park officials told McClatchy News in a May 17 email. The people in the video got out of their car to view a mother grizzly and two cubs that were much closer than 100 yards away.

Grizzly runs toward woman in Yellowstone, video shows. Shes now under investigation

Yellowstone officials said animals within the park are wild and unpredictable. They can also be dangerous. Tourists should always stay about 300 feet away from bears and wolves, and about 75 feet away from other animals.

Every year people are injured when they approach animals too closely, and animals that attack people may need to be killed, park officials said.

Park officials didnt say what kind of punishment there could be for getting too close to the grizzlies. The woman is set to appear in court Aug. 26.

The Billings Gazette, which first reported the charges, also reported the woman was charged with violating closures and use limits. Yellowstone officials have not returned McClatchy News request for confirmation on those charges.

Tourists have been sentenced to jail time for harassing wildlife in the past.

In 2018, an Oregon man was sentenced to 130 days in jail after he was seen on video taunting a bison that stopped traffic, the Associated Press reported. The man was also banned from Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier national parks for five years.

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Video shows the man getting out of his car, yelling and gesturing to the bison. The bison then charges toward the man.

If you cause an animal to move, youre too close, park officials said. Its illegal to willfully remain near or approach wildlife, including birds, within any distance that disturbs or displaces the animal.

Volunteers killed dozens of mountain goats at Grand Teton. This year theyll kill more

Messy camp at national park lures bear and earns Idaho woman $5,800 fine, judge rules

Grizzly shot in Montana was the one that pulled woman from tent, DNA confirms
Jul. 28York's police chief has been placed on administrative leave for reasons that the town hasn't made public.

That decision was made on July 21 after Chief Charles Szeniawski met with Town Manager Steve Burns at the York Town Hall, according to the Portsmouth Herald.

Burns declined to specify what prompted Szeniawski to be placed on administrative leave, calling it an "HR issue."

It's unclear how long Szeniawski will remain on leave, but his deputy, Owen Davis, will lead the department in the interim, the Herald reported.

Szeniawski took the helm of the York Police Department in 2019, when he was promoted from captain following 39 years with the force. He replaced Douglas Bracy, who retired in July of that year.
From those lights, colorful epoxy resin circles will be installed that will twist and turn, creating movement overhead.

She said there also will be some doors in the alley painted to create fun photo opportunities for pedestrians.

A large-scale mural will be painted at the very end of the alleyway, where a cinderblock building is located.

Brown said a garage door will be replaced as artists will paint a feature mural created from words DLA Instagram followers said they thought of when they think of downtown Lynchburg.

It was very sweet to see what people thought of vibrancy of downtown was, she said. So we gave those to the artists, and those are going to get incorporated in some way, shape or form and its going to be abstract with some realistic elements.

Brown said she hopes for a September installation and October opening for the alley.

Art Alley elements have been designed by professional artists from all over Central Virginia.

The project costs $60,000 but is being funded by various companies and fundraising efforts.
Shares of Emergent rose $1.31, or 2%, to $66.47 in afternoon trading Thursday.

Emergent is one of several J&J contractors that produce its one-shot vaccine in bulk. The concentrated vaccine then is shipped to other factories for final steps, including diluting them to the correct strength, putting them in vials and packaging them up.

The lapses at the Bayview factory have hampered J&Js efforts to be a major player in vaccinating people, particularly in remote areas and poor countries, given that its the only drugmaker with an authorized vaccine that only requires one dose and standard refrigeration. Its also cheaper than some other vaccines.

The productions problems have forced J&J to import millions of doses from its factory in the Netherlands to the U.S. and to miss supply commitments.

Emergent Chief Executive Robert Kramer said the company had fallen short of the publics expectations.
Hello! Heres a look at how APs general news coverage is shaping up in the Mid-Atlantic, covering North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to 919-510-8937, 202-641-9660, 410-837-8315, 804-643-6646 or metro@ap.org. AP-Mid-Atlantic News Editor Steve McMillan can be reached at 804-643-6646 or smcmillan@ap.org.

A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. For up-to-the minute information on APs coverage, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org

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Kyodo - Aug 03

The Japanese government said Monday it will tighten border controls for travelers from three U.S. states, Finland and some other areas in response to the spread of highly contagious variants of the novel coronavirus.
Japan has confirmed more 10,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time.

The nationwide record is fueled by a surge of infections in the capital and surrounding area.

That spike has the central government looking to expand the current emergency declaration to include four more prefectures.

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said, "The government is dealing with the situation with a strong sense of urgency. At the request of local governments, I decided to call a meeting of experts on Friday to discuss the state of emergency and quasi emergency measures meant to curb the virus's spread."

Tokyo and Okinawa are under a state of emergency while four other prefectures have less restrictive "quasi-emergency" measures in place.

The government plans to expand the emergency to include Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Osaka.

If the plan becomes final, five other prefectures would enter a "quasi-emergency".

Tokyo's case count topped 3,800 on Thursday, continuing a record-breaking upward trend.

One expert within the Metropolitan Government called it an unprecedented, explosive surge.

The head of the government's expert panel is also concerned.

Government advisory panel chief Omi Shigeru said, "Now, there are barely any factors that could curb the number of infections."

Omi warned that Japan's health care system will soon be overwhelmed unless society shares a sense of crisis. - NHK
As Japanese universities fall further in global rankings, the government is launching a new 10 trillion yen ($91 billion) endowment fund designed to help them better compete with top institutions around the world.

Just two Japanese universities made the top 200 in the World University Rankings 2021 compiled by British magazine Times Higher Education last year: the University of Tokyo at 36th and Kyoto University at 54th. China's Tsinghua University was the top-ranked Asian institution at 20th.

"The University of Tokyo and Kyoto University have hit a wall in their rankings, while Tohoku University, the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Osaka University have fallen significantly," opposition lawmaker Takae Ito said at a meeting of the upper house education committee in May.

Japan also ranked 11th in the world in the number of top 10% most-cited papers between 2016 and 2018, down from fourth between 1996 and 1998.

Universities say reduced government grants for operating expenses, which cover such items as staffing and research costs, bear a portion of the blame. The government has allocated 1.08 trillion yen in operational grants to national universities for fiscal 2021, down from the 1.24 trillion yen of fiscal 2004.

Japanese universities also have much smaller endowments than top American and European institutions. Keio University has around 73 billion yen, while the University of Tokyo has 15 billion yen, according to the education ministry -- a fraction of Harvard University's $41.9 billion, or roughly 4.6 trillion yen.

But with little room to spare in the government budget, Japan is looking to plug the shortfall instead through a new endowment fund under the education ministry's Japan Science and Technology Agency. The government is allocating 4.5 trillion yen to this new fund to start, including through its Fiscal Investment and Loan Program, and aims to expand the fund to 10 trillion yen as soon as possible. - Nikkein
New Delhi: The Taliban are not some military outfits but normal civilians, said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, asking how the country is supposed to hunt them down when it has three million Afghan refugees at the border.

In an interview with PBS NewsHour aired Tuesday night, Khan stressed that Pakistan hosts three million Aghan refugees of which the majority are Pashtuns, the same ethnic group as the Taliban fighters. Now, there are camps of 500,000 people; there are camps of 100,000 people. And Taliban are not some military outfits, they are normal civilians. And if there are some civilians in these camps, how is Pakistan supposed to hunt these people down? How can you call them sanctuaries? he argued.

When asked about alleged Taliban safe havens in Pakistan, the Prime Minister responded: Where are these safe-havens? There are three million refugees in Pakistan who are the same ethnic group as the Taliban

Pakistan has been long accused of helping the Taliban militarily, financially and with intelligence inputs in their fight against the Afghanistan government, but Imran Khan dismissed these accusations as extremely unfair.

He said that thousands of Pakistanis lost their lives in the aftermath of the US war in Afghanistan when Pakistan had nothing to do with what happened on September 11, 2001, in New York.

According to a report prepared for the UN Security Council, about 6,000 terrorists of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are operating on the Afghan side of the border. While the TTP has distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives, it also supports the Afghan Taliban militants inside Afghanistan against Afghan Forces, the report by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said.

UN monitors note that TTP has distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives but also supports the Afghan Taliban militarily inside Afghanistan against Afghan government forces.
Facade installation is continuing to progress on 227 West Street, a pair of 30- and 40-story residential towers with complementary stepped cantilevers and setbacks in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Designed by OMA with Beyer Blinder Belle as the architect of record and developed by both Brookfield Property Partners and Park Tower Group, the mixed-use project is part of the 22-acre Greenpoint Landing development along the East River. James Corner Field Operations is the landscape architect, DeSimone Consulting Engineers is the structural engineer, Thornton Tomasetti is the facade consultant, and Highbury Concrete is responsible for building the reinforced concrete superstructures, which are rising right off the corner of Eagle and West Streets.

Since our last update in late April, the exterior panels have reached the parapet of the shorter, stepped building, while the taller, cantilevering towers facade is rapidly catching up.

The taller, 40-story tower features one of the most dramatic architectural flourishes on the East River waterfront with its cantilever, which stretches out 48 feet to the east and forms a diagonally stepped void with its residential counterpart to the northeast. The resulting puzzle-piece effect is most apparent when looking north and south across the East River from Manhattan. The eastern and western sides of 227 West Street are more slender and uniform in appearance, and one can also see the pattern of angled setbacks.

The project is surrounded by a growing cluster of high-rise developments in Greenpoint and Hunters Point South, Queens across the Newton Creek waterway.

Residential amenities for 227 West Street include a swimming pool and a fitness center, both housed in the adjoining podium section. The waterfront property will also include 8,600 square feet of retail space. Thirty percent of the 745 rentals is planned as income-targeted apartments marketed in accordance with the Affordable Housing New York program. Greenpoint Landing as a whole is planned to yield 5,500 residential units, with 1,400, or roughly 25 percent, designated for permanent affordable housing.

YIMBY predicts that 227 West Street will be finished sometime in the first half of 2022.

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Its this kind of treatment endured by Black men and women in law enforcement that policing experts say makes recruitment and diversity among U.S. police forces challenging. The law enforcement profession has also struggled with its origins in America, dating back to the slave patrols in the early 1700s formed to capture people who escaped slavery and terrorize the enslaved into submission. Although many African Americans have served valiantly on local and federal police forces since the civil rights movement, data shows Black Americans are still arrested in disproportionate numbers and more likely to be fatally shot by police.

Another Capitol Police officer, Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, wiped away tears as he recalled the story of his immigration to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, only to face fellow Americans who considered him a traitor for defending the Capitol on Jan. 6.

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It was very disappointing, Gonell said. I saw many officers fighting for their lives against people, rioters (and) citizens, turning against us.

Gonell, an Iraq War veteran, also called out the disparate law enforcement response to the overwhelmingly white crowd of rioters and the response to racial justice protests in 2020 that followed the murder of George Floyd and the police involved deaths of other Black Americans.
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Stocks on Wall Street bounced back from a two-day slide Thursday, placing the S&P 500 on pace for its second straight weekly gain.

The S&P 500 index rose 0.4% to 4,419.15, powered by broad gains. It is just below its most recent record high.

The modest rally came as the latest government data showed continued economic growth and investors reviewed another batch of mostly positive corporate earnings reports.

Online brokerage Robinhood made an underwhelming debut on the Nasdaq, closing at $34.82, or 8.4% below its offering price of $38, which was the low end of its expected range.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% to 35,084.53, while the Nasdaq added 0.1%, to 14,778.26. The Dow and Nasdaq also hovered just below their record highs set on Monday.
During my time as a senator I have sensed an antagonistic attitude by the Legislature toward parental rights. Our juvenile statutes show a preference towards the states maternal instincts taking precedent over a parents constitutional rights. Those rights are guaranteed by our U.S. Constitution, exemplified by the words in the Supreme Court case Quilloin v. Walcott: We cannot overlook or disregard that the best interest standard is subject to the overriding recognition that the relationship between a parent and a child is constitutionally protected.

Nebraska has led the nation in the ratio of children who are placed in out-of-home foster care. Although Gov. Pete Ricketts has directed his Health and Human Services Department to follow federal guidelines and prioritize placement of children with close family members, we still are a national leader in home removal.

Led by Floridas successful example, many state legislatures have expanded parental choice in their childrens education. Nebraska has not, going back to the sad episode in the early 1980s when a minister at a church-run school was incarcerated until the children were returned to a public school. Thankfully, that event did rile the public enough to demand broader rights for parents to home-school their children. Still, there is a strong minority of senators with the attitude that our childrens education is solely the priority of the state. They fight any attempts to broaden parental choice. They defeated LB 364, the creation of Opportunity Scholarship Grants, offering families in poverty a glimmer of hope toward someday affording school choice. The opposition considered the bill an attack on Nebraskas secular public schools, even though the bill was voluntary and did not appropriate state funds, instead only allowing a tax credit to taxpayers who donated to one of the Opportunity Grant funds.
This is the Sixth International Location for the World's Largest Barbecue Chain

Dickey's Barbecue Pit is open in Lahore Pakistan. The 2,300 square foot restaurant is open from 11am until midnight. The Texas Style barbecue restaurant features Short Ribs, Lamb Shank and Beef Sausages.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit is open in Lahore Pakistan. The 2,300 square foot restaurant is open from 11am until midnight. The Texas Style barbecue restaurant features Short Ribs, Lamb Shank and Beef Sausages.

Dallas, Texas, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dickeys Barbecue Pit in Lahore, Pakistan is open. The Texas Style barbecue restaurant features Short Ribs, Lamb Shank and Beef Sausages.

Representatives Azam Bhatti and Mazhar Zaidi from the A.J. Corporation inked their master franchise agreement with Dickeys Barbecue Pit to develop Pakistans first American-based barbecue franchise and bring true, Texas-style barbecue to Pakistan. We are so proud to be expanding Internationally and offer slow-smoked meats and sausages in Pakistan says Roland Dickey Jr. Chief Executive Officer of Dickeys Capital Group.

Dickeys Barbecue Pit is proud of the work Mazhar Ziadi, our master partner in Pakistan has done to drive the opening of our first location in Pakistan, Islamabad. Says Jim Perkins, Executive Vice President of International Sales and Support for Dickeys Barbecue Pit. Under normal conditions opening a first location in a distant land is based on commitment and teamwork. Mazhar and his team forged forward under extreme Covid19 conditions and opens our Flagship store in Pakistan, I am proud of him, his team, and Dickey's Regional Manager in Dubai, Mansoor Saeed who made this available to the guests in Pakistan. Adds Perkins.

Since the barbecue chain opened their first overseas locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 2018, this new deal now marks the 6th international location for the worlds largest barbecue concept who plans on opening in Cairo, Egypt in August of 2021.

The A.J. Corporation acquired full franchising rights for Pakistan that includes a total development of 20 stores spread out over the next 10 years and plans to offer a variety of menu items, delivery, and catering options at their first location.

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We have a love for barbecue, because of its unique taste and we are excited to introduce Pakistan to Dickeys Legit. Texas. Barbecue., says Azam Bhatti, founder of the A.J. Corporation. The 2,300 square foot restaurant is open from 11am until midnight.

To learn more, about Dickeys Franchise opportunities, click HERE. Follow Dickey's Franchise infomation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Download the Dickeys Barbecue Pit app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the worlds largest barbecue concept, was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey. For the past 80 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions of guests Legit. Texas. Barbecue. At Dickeys, all our barbecued meats are smoked onsite in a hickory wood burning pit. Dickeys proudly believes theres no shortcut to true barbecue and its why they never say bbq. The Dallas-based, family-run barbecue franchise offers several slow-smoked meats and wholesome sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. The fast-casual concept has expanded worldwide with international locations in the UAE and Japan. Dickeys Restaurant brands have over 550 locations nationwide. In 2016, Dickeys won first place on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list, was named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur in 2018 and was named to Hospitality Technology Industry Heroes in 2021. Led by CEO Laura Rea Dickey, who was named among the countrys 50 most influential women in foodservice in 2020 by Nations Restaurant News and was recognized as one of the top 25 industry leaders on Fast Casuals 2020 Top 100 Movers and Shakers list, Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Fox News, Forbes Magazine, Franchise Times, The Wall Street Journal and QSR Magazine. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com.

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CONTACT: Chrissy Bachman Dickey's Barbecue Pit 972-248-9899 cbachman@dickeys.com




GEORGETOWN, Texas (AP)  As Rebecca Flores set out on a nearly 30-mile voting rights march to the Texas Capitol on Wednesday, she recalled another long distance: the drive her parents made from the outskirts of town in the 1950s to cast their ballot, after paying a $3 poll tax.

They just want to keep us in our place, said Flores, 78, an activist from San Antonio. And I am frankly, Im sick of it. Thats why Im here."

As far as protests go over tighter voting laws, the march in Texas that began with more than 100 people shuffling out of a suburban Austin church parking lot before dawn is not the largest. Organizers said they limited the size over COVID-19 precautions, and asked participants to show proof of vaccination.

But it was laden with symbolism and political purpose amid a GOP push to enact restrictions following former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Black church leaders and Democrats set off down the road on the three-day demonstration making comparisons to the civil rights era and the landmark Alabama voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. The new movement is an extension of that fight, they say.
Despite the recent spike in cases caused by the highly contagious delta variant, Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said this week that she feels comfortable with Lollapalooza going ahead as planned because of the precautions organizers are taking, saying they have gone above and beyond." In addition to the entry requirements, organizers have looked at air ventilation for any indoor spaces, made sure backstage workers are vaccinated, will make masks available and will test ticket-takers.

I would not feel comfortable moving ahead with Lollapalooza without COVID protocols in place, Arwady said. I dont think I would feel comfortable if this were an indoor event, either. And I frankly dont think I would feel comfortable if we were sitting in Louisiana right now, where cases are looking like theyre looking.

Although the number of new daily cases in Chicago has climbed, from 104 a week ago to 176 as of Wednesday, the city hasn't had the kind of surge many other parts of the country have experienced in recent weeks, and its daily average number of deaths and hospitalizations have dropped slightly.

"We're taking COVID seriously, Arwady said.
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 Dixie's 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.
Fortunately for the Christian movement, Saul did escape and with a new life and a new name, he fulfilled the mission Christ gave him as the Apostle Paul.

Pauls basket is symbolic of what often happens to Christs followers. There are occasions when each of us is a basket. At times, each of us is called to hold the rope for others.

The lesson is clear: if you belong to Christ, you belong also to everyone who belongs to Christ, and you will sometimes have rope burns on your hands! If you never have rope burns, then you do not belong to that fellowship known as the Body of Christ.

I have been a basket case more than once. I know what its like to be humiliated by circumstances beyond my control. And I know the joy of having friends get rope burns on their hands holding the rope for me. The love of such friends prompts me to be available when someone needs me.

Take a good look at your hands. If you do not find some fresh rope burns on your hands, it is not be too late to offer your help to some hurting friend. Believe me, you will never be ashamed to see rope burns on your hands.

Surely the cry of every heart is the same: When I am in the basket, please dont let go of the rope!

Walter Albritton is a Methodist minister and writes a column for the Opelika-Auburn News. Contact him at walteralbritton7@gmail.com.
The CDC Guidelines are Changing Again to Protect Americans

The delta variant is spreading at a rapid pace and causing COVID-19 cases to soar, leading the mask mandate to make a comeback.

Its just as we thought things were turning up again after the long haul of the pandemic and lingering mask mandates across the country were finally being lifted. Now, it seems to be starting all over again. The CDC initially gave the thumbs up for vaccinated Americans to take off their masks. However, the highly contagious delta variant is turning the rules around.

Tuesday, the CDC recommended that fully vaccinated Americans in locations with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19 should return to wearing masks indoors. Going back to square one, the CDC also says masks should be required for everyone inside K-12 schools while remaining to full-time, in-person classes with proper prevention strategies in place. The agency also recommends that vaccinated people wear a mask if someone in their household is unable to be protected by the vaccine, including those with compromised immune systems or children who are too young to get the shot.

The new guidance comes as local and state health officials returned to wearing masks indoors, with cases of the virus rapidly increasing among unvaccinated Americans. According to the CDC, 63 percent of U.S. counties currently have a high or substantial spread of the virus. The Biden administrations mask mandate isnt binding outside of planes, buses and other forms of public transportation. The CDCs guidance is also not binding on most local officials from levying their own mask mandates. Some states also banned local officials from levying their own mask mandates. However, the agency reversing its policies will most likely influence schools to revise their rules as the country is seeing outbreaks of COVID-19.

"I really do believe that masking right now, especially for those unvaccinated, is a temporary measure. What we really need to do to drive down these transmissions, in the areas of high transmission, is to get more and more people vaccinated, and in the meantime to use masks," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Appointed CDC Director, said.
To say that the six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) live and breathe hydrocarbons is hardly an exaggeration. About 60 years ago, the average city in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman was home to maybe a few thousand people; fast forward to the present and many cities have transformed into world-class metropolises thanks to the region's vast oil and gas riches. Saudi Arabia alone owns 16% of the world's proven oil reserves and is also the world's second-largest oil producer, responsible for 15% of global output. Unfortunately, the GCC's heavy reliance on oil and gas exports has proven to be a major Achilles heel during the energy crisis.

Last year, GCC nations led by Saudi Arabia put on a brave face and continued touting the strength of their economies, claiming they could withstand any scale of shocks. However, available evidence suggests pretty much the opposite: that Gulf economies have been in dire straits thanks to low commodity prices and overreliance on oil and gas.

With oil prices averaging below $40/bbl in 2020, nearly all GCC nations faced massive budget deficits.

Despite being the lowest cost producer, the IMF estimates that Saudi Arabia requires oil prices at $76.10 to achieve fiscal breakeven, leaving the country with a huge budget deficit of 11.4% of GDP.

Other GCC countries have not been much better off.

The UAE has a fiscal breakeven oil price of $69.10/barrel; Kuwait's is $61.10, while Bahrain and Oman need oil prices of $95.60 and $86.80, respectively, to balance their books.

Only Qatar, with a fiscal breakeven oil price of $39.90, was barely able to balance its books.

In the current year, oil prices appear set to remain range-bound in the $70-75/bbl range with global energy use in the current year expected to be only 0.5% above pre-Covid-19 levels as per the IEA's Global Energy Review 2021 report.

It's this kind of backdrop that has been forcing Gulf nations to restrategize and diversify their economies away from oil--and Saudi Arabia is leading the way, again.

Saudi Arabia: Solar, Wind, and Hydrogen

Although Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman recently made waves in the oil community after telling Bloomberg News that Saudi Arabia intends to pump every last drop of oil and is going to be the last man standing, Saudi Arabia owns of the most ambitious clean energy blueprints: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 economic plan.

In the economic plan, Saudi Arabia has set a target to develop ~60GW of renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade, which compares with an installed capacity of roughly 80GW of power plants burning gas or oil.

So far, Saudi Arabia has only made limited progress deploying renewables with just 300MW of utility-scale solar in operation while 400MW of wind power is under construction.

With its sun-scorched expanses and steady Red Sea breezes, Saudi Arabia is prime real estate for renewable energy generation. Last year, Saudi Arabia's national oil company Saudi Aramco sent shockwaves through the natural gas markets after it announced that it was kicking off the biggest shale gas development outside of the United States. Saudi Aramco said it plans to spend $110 billion over the next couple of years to develop the Jafurah gas field, which is estimated to hold 200 trillion cubic feet of gas. The state-owned company hopes to start natural gas production from Jafurah in 2024 and reach 2.2 Bcf/d of sales gas by 2036 with an associated 425 million cubic feet per day of ethane.

This year, Aramco announced that instead of chilling all that gas and exporting it as LNG, it will convert it into a much cleaner fuel: Blue hydrogen.

Related: Goldman Sachs Predicts Drastic Rise In Power Demand Due To EVs

Saudi Aramco has told investors that Aramco has abandoned immediate plans to develop its LNG sector in favor of hydrogen. Nasser said that the kingdom's immediate plan is to produce enough natural gas for domestic use to stop burning oil in its power plants and convert the remainder into hydrogen. Blue hydrogen is made from natural gas either by Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) or Auto Thermal Reforming (ATR) with the CO2 generated captured and then stored. As the greenhouse gasses are captured, this mitigates the environmental impacts on the planet.

Last year, Aramco made the world's first blue ammonia shipment--from Saudi Arabia to Japan. Japan--a country whose mountainous terrain and extreme seismic activity render it unsuitable for the development of sustainable renewable energy--is looking for dependable suppliers of hydrogen fuel, with Saudi Arabia and Australia on its shortlist.

The Saudi government is also building a $5 billion green hydrogen plant that will power the planned megacity of Neom when it opens in 2025. Dubbed Helios Green Fuels, the hydrogen plant will use solar and wind energy to generate 4GW of clean energy that will be used to produce green hydrogen.

But here's the main kicker: Helios could soon produce green hydrogen that's cheaper than oil.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimates that Helios' costs could reach $1.50 per kilogram by 2030, way cheaper than the average cost of green hydrogen at $5 per kilogram and even cheaper than gray hydrogen made from cracking natural gas. Saudi Arabia enjoys a serious competitive advantage in the green hydrogen business thanks to its perpetual sunshine, wind, and vast tracts of unused land.

Germany has said it needs "enormous" volumes of green hydrogen and hopes Saudi Arabia will become a key supplier. Two years ago, Germany's cabinet committed to investing 9B (about $10.2B) in hydrogen technology in a bid to decarbonize the economy and cut CO2 emissions. The government has proposed to build an electrolysis capacity of 5,000MW by 2030 and another 5,000MW by 2040 over the following decade to produce fuel hydrogen.

The European economic powerhouse has realized it cannot do this alone and will require low-cost suppliers like Saudi Arabia, especially as it doubles down on its green energy commitments following a series of devastating floods in the country.

UAE: Nuclear, Wind, and Waste-to-Energy

Back in April, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced the commissioning of the country's first-ever nuclear power plant--the Barakah unit 1.

The 1,400-megawatt nuclear plant has become the single largest electricity generator in the UAE since reaching 100% power in early December and is now providing "constant, reliable and sustainable electricity around the clock."ENEC says Barakah unit 1 is "now leading the largest decarbonization effort of any industry in the UAE to date."

Following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia, the UAE is also laying a strong foundation for the energy transition.

Masdar, the clean energy arm of Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, is building renewable capacity in central Asia after signing a deal in April 2021 to develop a solar project in Azerbaijan.

Since its inception in 2006, Masdar has built a portfolio of renewable energy assets in 30 different countries, having invested about $20bn to develop 11GW of solar, wind, and waste-to-energy power generation capacity.

And now Masdar says it intends to apply the lessons gleaned abroad to develop clean energy capacity back at home.

"Solutions we have developed in our international operations will definitely have applications here in the UAE", says Masdar's El-Ramahi.

For instance, Masdar plans to bolster the UAE's comparatively weak wind resources by developing domestic wind farms using the latest class three turbines that are able to harness electricity even from low wind speeds.

Further, the company is also constructing a $1.1bn facility that will burn garbage to generate power in one of the world's largest waste-to-energy plants. Once complete, the plants will incinerate almost two-thirds of the household waste that the country generates every year.

Though not typically considered a clean energy source, modern waste-to-energy plants are much cleaner as per the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). By using advanced technologies, these plants are able burn waste at extremely high temperatures, thus ensuring complete combustion while missions are specially treated, leaving minimal amounts of toxic byproducts like flue ash. In fact, tests have shown that the air emitted by certain waste-to-energy chimneys can be cleaner than the air flowing in.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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Earlier this year, the Biden administration said it planned to build offshore wind power generation capacity to the tune of 30 GW by 2030, creating more than 44,000 direct jobs and close to 33,000 indirect ones. To date, the United States has wind power capacity of 118 GW. Of this, only 42 MW is offshore wind. And According to IHS Markit, the 30 GW additional capacity target will almost certainly be missed.

Last year, the United States set a record in wind power capacity additions, at 14.2 GW added during the pandemic year. That was a continuation of another strong year in 2019, which also set a record in wind power additions, according to data from the Energy Information Bureau. However, the reason for this boom in wind power generation capacity was not a simple response to greater demand for wind power. In fact, the reason for the records set in both 2019 and 2020 was the looming phase-out of the production tax credit, which spurred the mass deployment of wind and solar installations.

In December, Congress extended the production tax credit, which provided wind farm operators with a credit of $0.025 per kWh, until the end of this year. There are other incentives available to the wind industry, too. The biggest is the investment tax credit, which covers between 12 and 30 percent of investment costs at the start of the project. As of December, Congress has established a 30-percent investment tax credit for projects that start construction by December 2025.

So, with so much government help for the wind power industry, the 30 GW target in offshore wind should be a no-brainer. Yet, there are other factors at play besides government incentives and it is these factors, according to IHS Markit, that would make hitting the 30 GW target impossible.

For starters, the permitting process for offshore wind projects is lengthy and complicated, IHS Markits Andre Utkin wrote in a recent analysis of the topic. Then, there are not enough manufacturing facilities for the turbines, blades, and other equipment that goes into a utility-scale wind farm. The installation process is also tricky: per U.S. legislation, only U.S.-flagged vessels can sail along the countrys coasts. And there are not enough U.S.-flagged wind turbine installation and service vessels, according to IHSs Utkin.

Related: The 3 Nations Vying For Global LNG Dominance

Then there is the issue of transmission infrastructure. This is insufficient to accommodate an additional 30 GW of wind power capacity, according to the research firm. The transmission infrastructure problem is a global one, by the way. Earlier this year, IHSs Utkin reported that global offshore wind power capacity was set to expand sixfold by 2030 thanks to technological advances, cost reductions, and government incentives. However, he added, the industry needs to rapidly develop and invest in new infrastructure to achieve these ambitious plans.

Finally, there is a regulatory hurdle, albeit not an insurmountable one. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management tends to conduct lengthy investigations of the impacts of wind farm construction on the environment, which will also likely delay projects.

In all fairness, many of these challenges can be dealt with by legislators, a majorityalthough slimof whom are clearly in favor of building the countrys offshore wind power capacity. Some, however, are trickier because they do not depend on favorable policies. One example is the cost of building the necessary transmission infrastructure.

The recent $550-billion bipartisan infrastructure deal struck between the Senate and the White House envisages $73 billion in funding for clean energy generation and transmission. Yet copper prices are rising, and the offshore wind takes massive amounts of copper for its infrastructure. The $73 billion might simply be not enough for that and modernizing the U.S. aging grid.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Worry about oil demand sparked by the resurgence of Covid-19 in some parts of the world and a fund selloff in oil futures has reversed the recent price rally. OPEC+ reaching a deal about future production lent an assist.

New Covid-19 infections are on the rise across all 50 states, and there have been jumps in new cases in some European countries as well, notably the UK and France. In the UK, the latest wave is ebbing, according to the latest reports, but optimism is in short supply as it is still unclear why it is ebbing.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates struck a deal about production baselines, so OPEC+ is moving ahead with its plans to release more oil to the market, pressuring prices.

Last week, Reuters John Kemp reported in his weekly column, hedge funds and other market makers sold oil and fuel futures at one of the fastest rates in ten years. The total sold was equivalent to 172 million barrels of crude. The most sold contract was West Texas Intermediate, at 74 million barrels, followed by Brent crude, at 51 million barrels.

But besides OPEC+ and new Covid-19 infections, there is also another reason worrying oil traders about the immediate prospects for prices. China is targeting independent refiners with the aim of curbing their output, which is causing a glut.

Earlier this year, the government told state-owned oil majors to stop trading their crude oil import quotas with independents, commonly called teapots, and then, later, it cut the second 2021 batch of crude oil import quotas for teapots by 35 percent. Beijing is also investigating independent refiners for environmental law violations and tax evasion.

This crackdown in independent refiners, combined with higher oil prices, could plunge Chinese oil imports to the lowest in 20 years, Reuters reported earlier this month, citing analysts from Rystad Energy, Energy Aspects, and Independent Commodity Intelligence Services. For now, however, imports continue at a near-record pace.

There is seemingly a battle within the energy complex between the prevailing supply deficit engineered by OPEC+ and the threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant in regions with low vaccination rates, Reuters quoted Stone X analyst Kevin Solomon as saying this week.

The slow take-up of vaccinations will continue to limit some upside in oil demand in those regions, and there will be intermittent spells in the recovery in the coming months, Solomon also said.

Indeed, oil has yet to come out of the woods. According to Societe Generale, We think we could be back to a normal year at the end of the year in terms of previously recorded values, but the entire oil market is still far from being back to normal. GDP growth has increased oil and product demand, but jet fuel demand will remain an issue although this is showing signs of normalisation.

And yet it bears noting that although both Brent and WTI took a plunge the day after OPEC+ announced its new agreement, both recovered pretty quickly, suggesting that there exists at least some perception of some resilience in demand, despite the rising Covid-19 case count in key markets such as the United States and parts of Europe.

In the United States, for example, there has been a surge in air travel, which has caused a jet fuel shortage in combination with supply constraints and a labor shortage. In China, refinery run rates hit an all-time high last month, at 14.8 million bpd, supporting prices at current levels.

All in all, the oil picture right now is more mixed than it was a month ago. Whether it would become even more mixed is anyones guess amid uneven vaccinations, vaccine opposition, and new Covid-19 infections, without even counting factors such as Irans potential return on international oil markets, which by now must be factored into prices.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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About a week ago, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman made waves in the oil community after telling Bloomberg News that Saudi Arabia "...is going to be the last man standing, and every molecule of hydrocarbon will come out."

The comments by bin Salmanheralded as the most powerful man in the global oil and gas industrycame shortly after the latest OPEC+ agreement and mirrored those by Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, who expressed similar sentiments back in January 2019.

And this might not be idle bluster: In late 2019, Neil Atkinson, head of the oil industry and markets division at the International Energy Agency, told CNBC that, "There's going to be rising demand for at least the next decade for oil products, possibly longer, and this is cementing [Saudi Arabia's] role as the cornerstone player in global markets, the most reliable and biggest supplier in markets."

Atkinson also highlighted another rarely discussed oil demand headwind: Shrinking populations in key demand locations. According to Atkinson, population growth remains the key driving force for oil demand, which he estimated could peak in the 2030s.

'Jaw-Dropping' Population Declines

Source: BBC

Over the past few years, most of the energy community's attention has been focused on seemingly more existential crises such as climate change. Now, the focus is on the Covid-19 pandemic. But seldom is population decline mentioned as a major headwind for the long-term oil demand outlook.

Maybe that's the case because, unlike the other two risk factors, population decline really is a success story being driven by more women in education and work, as well as greater access to contraception, leading to women choosing to have fewer children. Another reason is because population decline is a much slower process whose full effects could take decades to be felt.

But make no mistake about it: Experts are now warning that the world's population is declining at faster than anticipated rates, which could end up having a dramatic effect on major sectors of the global economy, including energy.

In early July, Researchers at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation warned that declining and aging populations are no longer a problem for developed economies but, rather, most of the world is currently transitioning into natural population decline.

In 1950, women were having an average of 4.7 children in their lifetime; the fertility rate nearly halved to 2.4 in 2017 and is projected to fall below 1.7 by 2100.

That's well below the 2.1 children per woman that's considered the replacement level for developed nations, meaning the global population will be experiencing massive contraction by the turn of the century.

Indeed, the researchers have projected that the global population will peak at 9.7 billion around 2064 before falling down to 8.8 billion by 2100.

Population Declines by Major Oil Consumers

What makes the long-term situation murky for the oil and gas bulls is the large population declines expected in major oil and gas consumers.

By 2100, China and Japan could see their populations drop by roughly 50%. China is the world's second-largest oil consumer in the world, with a daily consumption estimated at 12.8 million barrels per day, while Japan is the fourth largest with a daily consumption of 4.0 million barrels per day.

India, the third-largest oil-consuming nation, will fare a bit better but will still lose a quarter of its population by 2100. Russia, the 5th largest, is projected to see its population drop between 15-50%.

The U.S. population is projected to expand from the current 331 million in 2020 to 404 million in 2060, when it's expected to plateau.

The Eurozonea region that consumes as much oil as the United Statesis one of the few bright spots. Europe is projected to continue growing its population from 507 million in 2020 to 708 million in 20175 before falling to 689 million by 2100.

However, Europe also has also set some of the world's most aggressive climate targets, with the European Union having announced a raft of climate change proposals aimed at pushing it towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

The problem of falling populations is likely to be aggravated by an aging crisis.

The world's number of 80-year-olds is expected to rise from 141 million currently to 866 million by 2100, according to the BBC.

In the United States, the number of Americans aged 65 or older will jump nearly 75% by 2060 from 56.4 million to 98.2 million. This translates into a demand drop for gasoline of about 5% when looking at 2019 usage statistics and assuming an average of 20 miles per gallon, per driver. Miles driven per year drops dramatically from the 55-64 age bracket (11,972 miles per year) to 7,646 for the 65 and over age bracket.

Aging will also adversely affect the economy, with a 10% increase in the fraction of the population ages 60+ estimated to decrease the growth rate of GDP per capita by 5.5%.

The African Situation

Rapid population growth in Africa could take up some of that slack but will likely be far from adequate to stem the tide in the developed world.

Africa is an interesting case not only due to the fact that demographic forecasts of coming decades diverge in a way that could be crucial but also due to the fact that the continent has a huge population that consumes 4.3 million barrels of oil per day, or slightly less than India.

The UN expects Africa's population to double from 1.3 billion in 2020 to 2.5 billion by 2050 and 4.3 billion people by 2100. The UN reckons that fertility rates in Africawhich have dropped to about 4.4 from 6.7 in 1980will take another three decades to fall below three children per woman.

However, that underestimates the impact of a big jump in the number of girls who are now going to school across large parts of the continent. In the 1970s, little more than half of all children in sub-Saharan Africa were enrolled in primary school, a proportion that has since shot up to almost 100%.

Lessons garnered from other parts of the world that have recorded such dramatic increases in enrollment rates suggest that this factor cannot be underestimated in predicting the population growth curve. For instance, Iranian women went from having seven children each to fewer than two between the early 1980s and 2006 after a big rise in female education.

Further, although emerging economies have mostly been missing in the ongoing ESG boom, Africa is catching up with the IMF predicting a meaningful shift in African power consumption to renewables by 2050, with most power expected to come from solar and wind by 2100.

Overall, we can surmise that population trends across the globe pose a slow yet real and insidious threat to the long-term oil demand outlook even in lieu of increasingly hostile climate policies by the world's governments.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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French TotalEnergies and Norwegian Equinor will exit their oil joint venture with PDVSA, Bloomberg has reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

TotalEnergies held a 30-percent stake in the Petrocedeno venture, and Equinor held 10 percent in the company. But now, both have transferred these stakes to the Venezuelan state-owned oil firm, according to the Bloomberg sources. The report said the news was expected to be confirmed by the Venezuelan government on Wednesday, but as of the time of writing, there was no official confirmation.

Petrocedeno operates an oil field in Venezuelas oil heartland, the Orinoco Belt, and an upgrader that blends the heavy crude produced in the Orinoco Belt with lighter hydrocarbons to make it easier to transport.

Both TotalEnergies and Equinor have been present in Venezuela for decades. The companies stuck to Petrocedeno despite U.S. sanctions. Now, however, both companies are embarking on a course towards more renewable energy and less oil and gas, and, like others in the industry, focusing only on their best core business assets.

Venezuela, meanwhile, continues to make plans for reviving its struggling oil industry, targeting oil production of 1.5 million bpd by the end of this year. This would be a threefold increase over current production rates. Before the U.S. imposed sanctions on the oil-rich country, Venezuela pumped some 2.4 million bpd.

Last month, troubled PDVSA enjoyed a surge in oil exports as well, as traders rushed to sell Venezuelan crudeoften masked as Malaysianto Chinese buyers before the entry into effect of a new tax that would make imports costlier.

Production of crude in Venezuela also increased in June, thanks to the restart of the Petrocedeno upgrader and a blending plant.

Without any financing, with our own money, weve been able to invest enough to stop the slide and start a gradual recovery, oil minister Tareck El Aissami said in early July.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Earnings season is here with us once again, with a quarter of S&P 500 companies having reported second-quarter 2021 earnings. According to FactSet data, 88% of S&P 500 companies have reported a positive EPS surprise, while 86% have reported a positive revenue surprise.

The good news for oil and gas investors: The long-suffering sector is on course for a repeat of a stellar first quarter by posting blowout earnings, again, in large part due to an increase in oil and gas prices.

Three-quarters of energy companies that have reported earnings have exceeded expectations, while half have managed to surpass revenue expectations.

Even better: The energy sector's expected revenue growth of 92.1% is a high watermark for the entire U.S. market.

The energy sector is expected to report earnings of $13.9 billion for Q2 2021 compared to a loss of -$10.6 billion in Q2 2020, thanks to vast improvements in commodity prices especially crude, which averaged $$66.17/bbl in Q2 2021 compared to $28/bbl in Q2 2020 and $61/bbl in Q1 2021.

All five sub-industries of the energy sector, namely Integrated Oil & Gas, Oil & Gas: Exploration & Production, Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing, Oil & Gas Equipment & Services and Oil & Gas Storage & Transportation, are reporting (or are projected to report) a year-over-year increase in earnings.

Here's where it gets interesting: American oil and gas supermajor ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) and Chevron (NYSE:CVX) are expected to be the largest contributors to the improved earnings for the sector, with the two companies expected to account for $13.3 billion of the $24.6 billion year-over-year increase in earnings for the sector.

The major themes

That said, Wall Street is warning that the earnings season might not be smooth-sailing because investors will not only be looking at the usual top-and bottom-line numbers but will also focus on three major themes: Dividend distributions, energy transition, and climate risk.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley have noted that energy major share prices are becoming increasingly anchored by their dividend distributions. Unfortunately, Big Oil's dividend expectations remain "rather static" despite substantial increases to free cash flow forecasts, the bank has said.

MS says energy investors are only valuing the cash flow paid to them and are giving little credit to cash flow retained within companies for expansion purposes.

It's a sentiment that has been supported by Clark Williams-Derry, energy finance analyst at IEEFA, a non-profit organization, and Kathy Hipple, a finance professor at Bard College in New York.

Williams-Derry has warned that there's a "tremendous degree" of investor skepticism regarding the business models of oil and gas firms, thanks to the deepening climate crisis and the urgent need to pivot away from fossil fuels. Indeed, Williams-Derry says the market kind of likes it when oil companies shrink and aren't going all out on new production but instead use the extra cash generated from improved commodity prices to pay down debt and reward investors.

Meanwhile, Hipple has argued that oil and gas companies can no longer afford to brush off the ongoing climate crisis from flooding in Europe and China to extreme heat in the Pacific Northwest.

"Oil companies that ignore climate in their earnings calls will be seen as laggards. Long-term investors will conclude they are financially risky," she has told CNBC.

The numbers

Here's how American oil and gas supermajors are expected to perform in the current earnings season:

#1. ExxonMobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation is expected to report second-quarter earnings on 30th July, 2021, before the market opens. The report will be for the fiscal quarter ending Jun 2021.

Exxon has a consensus EPS forecast for $1.01 compared to $-0.7 posted during Q2 2020 and revenue of $63.96B. Exxon has exceeded earnings expectations for three straight quarters.

All eyes will be on ExxonMobil's climate goals after the company lost three board seats to Engine No. 1, an activist hedge, in a stunning proxy campaign. Engine No. 1 told the Financial Times that Exxon will need to cut fossil fuel production for the company to position itself for long-term success. "What we're saying is, plan for a world where maybe the world doesn't need your barrels," Engine No.1 leader Charlie Penner told the FT.

#2. Chevron

Chevron Corporation is expected to report earnings on 30th July, 2021, before the market opens. The report will be for the fiscal quarter ending June 2021.

Chevron has a consensus EPS forecast for the quarter of $1.59 compared to an EPS of -1.59% for last year's comparable quarter and a revenue estimate of $35.98B. Chevron has missed the last two earnings estimates.

Chevron was one of the companies that were recently downgraded by HSBC's Gordon Gray, saying that Big Oil stocks will struggle to make progress amid market concerns about its ability to switch swiftly to renewable energy despite improving cash flows.

"With low-carbon assets set to contribute only 10%-15% of estimated earnings by 2030, it is far too early for many investors to consider them plays on the transition theme: our analysis shows that the oil majors lag at least a decade behind utilities and autos on relative exposure to clean energy," Gray writes.

#3. ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) is expected to report earnings on 3rd August, 2021, before market open. The report will be for the fiscal quarter ending June 2021.

COP has a consensus EPS forecast of $1.10, a huge improvement over $-0.92 reported for last year's corresponding period, while revenue is expected to clock in at $10.21B. COP has beat earnings estimates for two straight quarters.

Last quarter, Bank of America upgraded COP shares to Buy from Neutral with a $67 price target, calling the company a "cash machine" with the potential for accelerated returns.

According to BofA analyst Doug Leggate, Conoco looks "poised to accelerate cash returns at an earlier and more significant pace than any 'pure-play' E&P or oil major."

Leggate COP shares have pulled back to more attractive levels "but with a different macro outlook from when [Brent] oil peaked close to $70."

But best of all, the BofA analyst believes COP is highly exposed to a longer-term oil recovery.

But BofA is not the only Wall Street punter that's gushing about COP.

In a note to clients, Raymond James says the company's stock price is undervaluing the flood of cash the oil and gas company is poised to generate.

Earnings and revenue estimates for the other four members of the supermajors are as follows:

Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) is expected to report earnings on 29th July, 2021, before market open. The report will be for the fiscal quarter ending June 2021. Shell has a consensus EPS forecast for the quarter of $1.16 and a revenue consensus of $57.97B.

BP Plc. (NYSE:BP) will report second-quarter earnings on 3rd August, 2021, before market open. The report will be for the fiscal quarter ending Jun 2021. BP has a consensus EPS forecast for the quarter $of 0.59 with a consensus revenue estimate of $38.26B.

TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) is expected to report earnings on 29th June, 2021. The French supermajor is expected to report EPS of $1.26 and revenue of $42.20B.

Eni S.p.A (NYSE:E) is expected to report second-quarter earnings on 3rd August, 2021. No EPS estimates are available for the Italian oil and gas giant though analysts have a consensus revenue estimate of $17.04B.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com



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Global oil supermajor ExxonMobil is investing heavily in South America seeing it become the driving force behind Guyanas offshore oil boom. The integrated energy company is reporting stunning successes in the offshore 6.6-million-acre Stabroek block where it is the operator and holds a 45% interest with partners Hess and CNOOC owning 30% and 25% respectively. Since 2015, Exxon has made a notable 20 oil discoveries in the Stabroek block, the latest being the June 2021 Longtail-3 discovery, giving the energy supermajor estimated recoverable resources of around nine billion barrels of crude oil. Those high-quality discoveries are comprised of light sweet crude oil which is experiencing strong demand growth because of ever-stricter sulfur emission regulations causing the popularity of heavier sour crude oil grades to decline. When combined with low breakeven prices of $35 per barrel for Liza Phase 1 and $25 a barrel for Liza Phase 2, which comes online during 2022, it is clear why Exxon chose to prioritize investment in offshore Guyana and embark on an extensive 2021 drilling campaign. Aside from the 15 wells planned for the Stabroek block, in January 2021 Exxon launched a three-well drilling program for the adjacent Canje block, which is to the northeast of the Stabroek block. The integrated oil supermajor is the operator of the block and holds a 35% interest, with partners Total Energies, JHI Associates, and Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas controlling 35%, 17.5%, and 12.5% respectively. Despite expectations that the Canje block possesses considerable hydrocarbon potential on a similar scale to the Stabroek block Exxons drilling campaign has yet to experience any success. In January 2021 the oil supermajor spudded its first exploration well, Bulletwood-1, in the Canje block which failed to find any commercially exploitable quantities of hydrocarbons. The second exploration well, Jabillo-1, was then spudded with partner JHI Associates announcing in early July 2021 that no commercial quantities of hydrocarbons were identified. Those poor results have not deterred Exxon from pressing ahead with its drilling campaign with the company moving on to drill the Sapote-1 well, which will be spudded over 100 kilometers to the southeast of Jabillo-1. This is it is believed will place Sapote-1 closer to the hydrocarbon fairway where most of the Stabroek block discoveries were made and contains Apache and Total Energies four discoveries in offshore Suriname Block 58. This will bolster the likelihood of Exxon making commercially exploitable hydrocarbon finds in offshore Guyana, after a year where drilling activity failed to yield any notable successes. The poor results include the Tanager-1 well, the first drilled by Exxon in the Kaieteur block offshore Guyana, located to the north of the Stabroek block, which came up dry in November 2020. In January 2021 Exxon failed to find commercially exploitable quantities of hydrocarbons with its Hassa-1 well drilled in the Stabroek block, although it has since made two significant discoveries with the Uaru-2 and Longtail-3 wells. Even if Exxon continues to drill dry holes in the Kaieteur and Canje blocks these will be more than compensated for by the companys stunning successes in the Stabroek block.

Related: Natural Gas Prices Still Have Room To Run

Toward the end of a very difficult 2020, Exxon announced it was focusing on those assets with the highest future potential value, offshore Guyana, Brazils pre-salt offshore oil basins, and the Permian. It is easy to see why Exxon shifted its focus to those assets and is investing considerable capital in offshore Guyana. The oil supermajor was able to secure a sweetheart deal from Guyanas government for the Stabroek block. The Production Sharing Agreement sees the consortium, comprised of Exxon, Hess, and CNOOC, splitting oil profits 50-50 with Georgetown. In conjunction with a very low 2% royalty payable on gross oil revenues, which is among the lowest globally, Guyanas government is liable to reimburse the consortium for all development, abandonment, and operating expenses. Such a highly beneficial contract significantly reduces the risks associated with developing the Stabroek block and will boost Exxons profitability, especially after the low break-even prices are considered. Exxon expects after the Liza Phase 2 and Payara assets come online in 2022 and 2024 respectively, to be pumping more than 750,000 barrels daily from the Stabroek block by 2026. This will add a considerable quantity of highly profitable light sweet crude oil, with an API gravity of 32 degrees and 0.58% sulfur content, to Exxons liquids production, which averaged 2.26 million barrels daily for the first quarter of 2021. If Exxon can capitalize on its substantial success in the Stabroek block and make other substantial crude oil discoveries in offshore Guyana, then the supermajors low-cost liquids production and ultimately profitability will keep growing.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Lawsuits are now threatening made-in-America lithium, the mineral that analysts believe is one of the key metals bound to enable the energy transition.

U.S. battery manufacturers and the U.S. Administration, past and present, want to reduce the influence of China in the global supply chain of critical energy minerals such as lithium. In light of this, several projects have been proposed on American soil.

But environmentalists and Native Americans are suing to stop one of those projects, Lithium Americas' Thacker Pass Project in Humboldt County in northern Nevada.

In January, in the last days of the Trump Administration, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued the Record of Decision for the Thacker Pass lithium project, following the completion of the National Environmental Policy Act process. Thacker Pass is 100-percent owned by Lithium Nevada Corp., a U.S. corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Lithium Americas.

Environmental groups filed in May for a preliminary injunction, asking the federal district court in Reno to prohibit the construction of the Thacker Pass lithium mine because of the fast-tracked approval of the project they say would endanger wildlife in the area.



Related: Goldman Sachs Predicts Drastic Rise In Power Demand Due To EVs

The four groupsWestern Watersheds Project, Great Basin Resource Watch, Basin and Range Watch, and Wildlands Defensefurther argued in May that "BLM failed in its duty to protect public resources by allowing a mine that will be a source of groundwater pollution for at least 300 years and not requiring long-term financial assurances."

On Wednesday, chief judge Miranda Du of the U.S. District Court for Nevada allowed Native American communities to join the lawsuit filed by the environmental groups. The tribes say that the lithium mining project would damage their sacred religious and historical grounds.

Last week, the same judge denied the environmentalists' request for an injunction to stop preliminary mine work at the Thacker Pass lithium project.

"We are disappointed in the court's ruling allowing the company to dig up and remove cultural and historical artifacts, but mine construction is not slated to begin until next year and the court stated that it would rule on the merits of the case by then. Due to the various legal errors in the BLM's review and approval of the mine, we look forward to briefing on the merits of the case in the coming months," said Western Watersheds Project attorney Talasi Brooks.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) awarded as much as US$2.8 billion worth of renewable energy projects in the first half of 2021, compared to not a single contract award for oil- or gas-fueled power stations in the region, MEED Insights new report Middle East Energy Transition showed.

To compare, the average value of contract awards for oil- or gas-powered stations stood at $4.8 billion annually between 2017 and 2020, according to the report. Last year alone, $6.2 billion worth of oil and gas power plant contracts were awarded.

This year, the focus is on emission reductions and raising the share of renewables in the domestic power mix of the countries in the MENA region, according to the report.

Currently, MENA has 28 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity installed, most of which21 GWis hydropower. Renewables, including hydropower, account for just 7 percent of MENAs power generation capacity. But countries, including major oil producers and exporters such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), plan to install significant solar power capacity in the coming years, the report says.

As much as 98 GW of renewable capacity is planned to be added in the MENA region, 39 GW of which is expected to come online by the middle of this decade, according to the report.

Green hydrogen is also a trend in MENA countries, MEED Insights notes.

The biggest oil-exporting region in the world, the Middle East, has set its sights on becoming a major clean energy exporter of green hydrogen. Hydrogen is expected to play a prominent role in lowering carbon emissions from energy-intensive industries. And the Middle East doesnt want to miss out on this opportunity.

On the one hand, it wants to show the world it can export clean energynot only crude oilas the global energy transition accelerates. On the other hand, the oil-dependent economies of some of OPECs largest producers are determined to diversify into green energy exports and away from oil.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Health-med-fit

topical

40 counties in Nebraska have substantial or high COVID transmission

Forty of Nebraskas 93 counties, including Douglas County, are considered communities with substantial or high rates of transmission of COVID-19.

Under the revised recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that means even vaccinated people in those communities should mask up in indoor public places.

And, yes, its a recommendation, not a mandate. While school districts and governmental entities in some states have rushed to require masks, what appears to have been Nebraskas last mask mandate  the one enacted by the Omaha City Council  expired in late May.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said Tuesday that the state will not be adopting the CDCs recommendation. Ricketts repeatedly has opposed mandates for masks or vaccines.

On its Data Tracker website, the CDC defines high-transmission counties, shown in red, as those with more than 100 cases per 100,000 people during the previous week, or a positivity rate of 10% or more. The CDC defines substantial transmission as 50 to 99 cases per 100,000 people over the preceding seven days, or places where between 8% and 10% of tests are positive for infection over that period. Those counties show up in orange.

On the map, Douglas County is red. Sarpy County, in yellow, is categorized as having moderate transmission. Lancaster County, in orange, is considered to have substantial transmission.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDCs director, said some counties and states now have 300 cases per 100,000 residents, an extraordinary amount.

Some of the Nebraska counties with substantial or high transmission, however, actually may not have a large number of COVID cases. In counties with smaller numbers of residents, even a relatively small cluster of cases can skew the numbers. Rates also can fluctuate from week to week.

Bob Rauner

Dr. Bob Rauner, president of Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln, said the organization looks at numbers in the states multicounty public health districts to smooth out some of those variations.

Dr. James Lawler, a co-executive director of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Global Center for Health Security, acknowledged that there is some subtlety and nuance in setting such metrics. But the lines that the CDC has drawn, he said, are reasonable.

James Lawler

Cases in the state as a whole have been on the rise for the past five weeks. Wednesday, the state reported an additional 1,406 cases over the preceding week, an average of about 200 new cases a day. In early to mid-June, the state was recording between 200 and 400 cases a week.

Locally, Douglas County had a positivity rate late week of more than 17%. Tuesday, the county was reporting 65 cases a day on a seven-day rolling average. Neither number has been that high since early May.

Both Rauner and Lawler voiced concerns that the elimination of the states data dashboard has made it more difficult for Nebraskans to track the virus in the state and their communities. The dashboard went dark June 30, when Ricketts ended the states coronavirus state of emergency.

The state now reports less-detailed case and vaccination data once a week.

Rauner said other factors also may be affecting tracking and reporting of cases. People now can buy COVID-19 tests over the counter at drugstores. And not all those people are reporting the results to local health departments.

Both Rauner and Lawler stressed that increasing vaccination is the most important way to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

We really would be done with the pandemic that way, Lawler said. The sad fact is thats all within our grasp. We just need to reach out and take it.

Even with breakthrough cases among vaccinated people apparently increasing, the vaccines still prevent most such infections and virtually eliminate the risk of hospitalization and death, even from the delta variant. As of Wednesday, 49.9% of Nebraskans were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the states report.

Masks then become another tool to prevent transmission of the virus, as they were before the vaccines rolled out. The benefits of face masks in reducing COVID-19 transmission, the data are unassailable, Lawler said.

Rauner said its most important for an infected person to be wearing a mask to prevent virus particles from escaping and finding others to infect. But masks also protect the wearer. And theyre most effective when both parties are wearing them.
Locally, Douglas County had a positivity rate late week of more than 17%. Tuesday, the county was reporting 65 cases a day on a seven-day rolling average. Neither number has been that high since early May.

Both Rauner and Lawler voiced concerns that the elimination of the states data dashboard has made it more difficult for Nebraskans to track the virus in the state and their communities. The dashboard went dark June 30, when Ricketts ended the states coronavirus state of emergency.

Rauner said other factors also may be affecting tracking and reporting of cases. People now can buy COVID-19 tests over the counter at drugstores. And not all those people are reporting the results to local health departments.

Both Rauner and Lawler stressed that increasing vaccination is the most important way to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

We really would be done with the pandemic that way, Lawler said. The sad fact is thats all within our grasp. We just need to reach out and take it.
On Wednesday, the atmosphere in the UNO student center was one of celebration and remembrance as dozens of the Omaha 54 arrived from across the country to commemorate that day.

UNOs recently inducted chancellor, Joanne Li, kicked off the ceremony by thanking the Omaha 54.

Earlier this month, I became the first woman of color to serve as UNOs chancellor, Li said. It is because of activists and scholars like you that a first-generation student from Hong Kong had this chance. I want to say thank you, thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve you and the community.

John E. Butler didnt know how much of an impact he would have when he took a seat in the chancellors office as a 20-year-old undergrad at UNO.

Its very rewarding, also humbling to know that we did something 50 years ago had a far-reaching impact on young people and the community for years to come, Butler said.

Cynthia Robinson, the director of UNOs Department of Black Studies, said she was grateful for the efforts of the protesters.
He said he expects to hear criticism from advocates of LGBTQ students, who want to see themselves represented in the standards.

Some sex-ed topics were difficult to remove, he said. For instance, puberty is a topic schools are expected to teach about , he said.

We tried to make sure that things that were widely accepted as part of the normal school expectations in health were still included, he said.

State law does not mandate that the department write health standards, as it does with math and language arts, for instance. Nor is there any requirement that schools adopt them. The standards would be akin to the states standards for fine arts, which is not a core academic area.

Blomstedt said he did not run the revisions past Gov. Pete Ricketts, who sharply criticized the first draft, but he said the two have talked about the governors concerns.

Ricketts has been touring the state calling for scrapping the sex-education topics from the standards, saying they were not age-appropriate and that they were developed with input from activists.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  Northern Nevada's top health officer said Wednesday that the return to an indoor mask mandate in most of the state is an unwelcome but necessary move amid a spike in COVID-19 infections he blames on the 43% of eligible residents who have not gotten vaccinated.

Health officials reported 1,179 new coronavirus cases statewide Wednesday, their highest level since February.

Our COVID-19 transmission is driven by our unvaccinated population, Washoe County Health District Officer Kevin Dick told reporters in Reno.

He said hes especially frustrated by those who argue the decision on whether to get vaccinated is a personal choice that should be left to an individual because it only affects them.

That is false. Whether somebody is vaccinated or unvaccinated affects our community. It affects everybodys risk of being infected, Dick said Wednesday.

State health officials say 47% of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated and about 57% have received at least one shot.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Health care, school and food workers who risked their lives at the height of the pandemic made pitches Wednesday for a piece of the $250 million in COVID-19 relief money that Minnesota plans to allocate as bonuses to essential frontline workers.

They told their stories of sacrifices as a bipartisan panel of nine state lawmakers began sorting out who should get the money and how much. The hearing made clear what difficult decisions the working group faces over the next six weeks to determine which groups of potentially hundreds of thousands of workers are the most deserving. The more workers who get the money, the smaller the payments must be.

Mary Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, told how she and her fellow COVID intensive care nurses at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale struggled with shortages of masks and long hours without days off, often getting seriously ill themselves as they cared for dying patients and tried to protect their families.

I can't tell you enough the risks that my profession has taken, the sacrifices they have made, and the PTSD that still follows us," Turner said.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Two of Michigans largest health systems will require all employees and physicians at their hospitals and other facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Spectrum Health, a 14-hospital network, and eight-hospital Beaumont Health announced the mandates Wednesday. At least five major hospital systems in the state have announced such requirements.

Grand Rapids-based Spectrum has 31,000 employees. Beaumont, based in Royal Oak, has 33,000 workers. They join the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Livonia-based Trinity Health and Ascension Health, which is headquartered in Missouri but has 15 hospitals in Michigan. About 70% of Spectrum's onsite staff are vaccinated, a spokesman said.

We must do all we can to take care of each other and our community, Spectrum President and CEO Tina Freese Decker said in a statement that cited the coronavirus vaccines' effectiveness in reducing the risk of hospitalization, death and long-haul symptoms. Together, our actions will serve to save lives and shorten the impact of the pandemic  both clear benefits to the public good.

Both Spectrum and Beaumont said their requirements will go into effect after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approves one or more of the current vaccines. Three vaccines currently have emergency use authorization.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Illinois regulators plan to warn the owner of Ben & Jerrys to reverse the company's decision to stop selling ice cream in the West Bank and east Jerusalem or face divestment by the state, an official said Wednesday.

The Israeli Boycott Restrictions Committee of the Illinois Investment Policy Board will meet to approve setting a 90-day deadline for Unilever to reverse the decision by Ben & Jerrys, committee chairman Andy Lappin said.

There is no date set for the meeting but it will be called specifically to address the July 19 announcement by the Vermont-based confection-maker that continuing to market its product in Palestinian-sought territories is inconsistent with our values.

Its considered one of the strongest condemnations by a well-known company of Israels policy of settling citizens on war-won lands. Lappin said that the egregious nature of the statement is almost unprecedented.

The Illinois Investment Policy Board monitors compliance with state law prohibiting the investment in certain companies that do business with Iran and Sudan as well as companies that boycott Israel.
DES MOINES  Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday its likely Iowa taxpayers will pay the cost of sending 28 Iowa Department of Public Safety officers to assist Texas officials at the U.S.-Mexico border from July 10 through July 20.

Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens estimated the total cost at around $300,000 but said $100,000 of that would have been salaries paid to the officers if theyd remained in Iowa, so about $200,000 of the cost is attributable to mission costs in Texas.

A spokesman for Reynolds earlier had suggested Texas may reimburse Iowa. However, Reynolds said Wednesday that although there may be federal funds to help pay, as of now it looks like it would be the responsibility of Iowa.

Reynolds was among a number of Republican governors who sent staff to the border at the request of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. As the governors deployed the state employees, they criticized the policies of Democratic President Joe Biden.

Nebraska agreed to pay for its state troopers deployment to Texas.

Reynolds justified the expense of the Iowans mission, saying problems at the border have contributed to issues in other states including Iowa, which she said has seen an increase in illegal drug trafficking including fentanyl.
I am asking you to please consider supporting the well-being of our children and their communities by requiring that our elementary and middle school children who are too young to be vaccinated wear masks this upcoming school year.

The children attended last year wearing masks and did a wonderful job! I know it was likely not easy, especially at first, but the resilience of children tells us that they will always find ways to keep having fun with learning despite our adult perception of what may or may not be a barrier to them. If children see adults modeling the right behavior and receive reminders about the right behavior, they will follow suit.
Approval of the resolution would break with the regents tradition of leaving curricular matters to administration and faculty  a separation of powers that the Higher Learning Commission, the organization through which NU is accredited, describes as fundamental to sound university governance. Management of a university system is the responsibility of administration, and faculty are to oversee academic matters.

Pillen is running for governor, and his focus on critical race theory  spurred by his rivalry with candidate Charles Herbster  risks warping the role of the regents in the way it has already warped the 2022 Nebraska governors race. The contest for the Republican nomination so far is focusing on hot-button issues pegged to inflammatory claims on social media and cable TV. Thats woefully shortsighted. The election needs to be about the future  about how Nebraska can best position itself to maximize economic opportunity, keep communities strong and send the message that the state is a welcoming place for all.
"Spanish Town": Street Names in Western San Francisco

by John Freeman

Have you ever driven south from Geary Boulevard on Park Presidio and noticed the names of the streets you pass? The alphabetical streets seem to be in a pattern. The first street is Anza, then Balboa, followed by Cabrillo. You say to yourself "ah, there is an alphabetical pattern here. They named the streets after Spanish explorers." If you are on 19th Avenue or Sunset Boulevard, heading north, you'll observe a similar pattern of alphabetical street names that seem tied to early exploration and settlement by Spaniards in this region.

The theory seems very valid until your reach the streets on the south side of Golden Gate Park lettered I, J, K and L. These are NOT Spanish. They are alphabetical, but they seem an aberration of a pattern. There is an interesting story of how Irving, Judah, Kirkham and Lawton streets got their names.

In the post-earthquake period, there was an attempt to correct a great many street names that were confusing for mail delivery. In 1909, a special commission was created by the Board of Supervisors to address these confusions and recommend changes to the Board. One of the biggest problems the Street Naming Commission encountered was the confusion between the numbered streets running from First Street downtown out to 34th street in the Mission District, and the numbered "avenues" in the western part of the city. After the earthquake and fire there had been a lot of new residents moving out to the avenues and in a pre-zip code era, the mail confusions were greatly increasing. To further complicate matters, the Bayview District was also using numbered streets, but as Avenue, "south" or just "S". The Richmond and Sunset had streets lettered A through X and the Bayview had streets lettered A south through U south (O was never used for a street name there).

To address this numerical and alphabetical confusion, the Commission hit upon a novel solution. They proposed eliminating all the numerical avenues and lettered streets in the Richmond and Sunset and replacing them with Spanish names in alphabetical order. In the Bayview, they proposed a similar elimination, but replacement with names of historic civic and military men in an alphabetical pattern.

The pattern proposed to replace the numerical avenues in the Richmond and Sunset was simple. The streets would run Arguello, Borca, Coronado, De Soto... to Zamorano for 26th Avenue. Some of the proposed names had historical significance; others were Spanish names that fit the pattern. After the 26th letter, the pattern would be Spanish saints, so that 27th Avenue would be San Antonio and 47th Avenue would be Santa Ynez. Unable to find a saint's name for K, Q, W or Z the Commission had two streets left over and recommended Alcatraz and La Playa to end the sequence.

After the proposal had its first reading before the Board of Supervisors on November 8, 1909, the western neighborhoods had an immediate hostile reaction. The more populated Richmond District took the lead and fiery orators were chosen to speak out at the Board meeting a week later. When the Board met on November 15, the speakers from the two western neighborhoods decried the idea of changing streets to these "unpronounceable" Spanish names. Orators got up and berated the Board for "selling out" to the Spanish we had so nobly defeated only a few years previously in the Philippines. The over-riding sentiment was that the accepting of these names would be a humiliation and henceforth the Richmond and Sunset would be mocked as "Spanish Town". Despite the vigorous oratory, the Board of Supervisors voted 12 to 5 to accept the recommended changes.

Outraged, the residents of the western avenues got organized to fight this imposition of Spanish names on their streets. The Richmond District had the oldest continuous neighborhood improvement club and had actively been fighting City Hall for years to get services for its growing population. (They had just won a battle against the Ocean Shore Railroad, which had proposed a steam train system running from the end of the United Rail line at 11th and Fulton, out to the beach.) Meetings were held, petitions were signed and the population of the two neighborhoods was mobilized to fight against this imposition of foreign names for its avenues.

Responding to the intense political pressure, the members of the Street Naming Commission agreed to a community meeting at Richmond Hall on Saturday November 20. The residents spoke passionately against street name changes and the Commission backed down. They agreed to go back to the Board of Supervisors with a new recommendation. The "save face" compromise was that the two western neighborhoods could have back their numbered avenues, but would retain two of the Commission's changes. Since La Playa is Spanish for "beach" no objection was raised. Two choices were suggested for First Avenue, either Arguello or St. Francis Boulevard.

At one of the meetings in late November, a lawyer got up and attempted to read a letter from one of the Arguello family, complaining about the slandering of their honored name. When the Chairman ruled him out of order he yielded the floor reluctantly, pausing before taking his seat to shout angrily, "Talk about Arguello being a bandit! Let me remind you that when you propose to call First Avenue 'St. Francis Boulevard' you suggest giving it the name of one of the very worst pirates who ever sailed the seas. That's what your St. Francis was."

"St. Francis a pirate?" queried the dazed Chairman. "Why, of whom are you talking, Sir?"

The attorney shot back "I mean St. Francis Drake, the pirate!"

"But our St. Francis," the chairman mildly reminded, "was St. Francis of Assisi, a priest, not a sea rover." Amid uproarious laughter, the lawyer beat a hastily exit from the chambers. This was indicative of the farcical tenor of the hearings. Since it seemed like the new park to be made from the City Cemetery at 33rd Avenue and Clement would likely get named St. Francis Park, Arguello was recommended for First Avenue.

With a compromise on Avenues completed, the attention turned to the cross streets in the Richmond and Sunset Districts. There remained the question of the alphabetical streets A through X to be named. A - C would need to be named. D Street was already being called Fulton, since it was an extension from downtown. Golden Gate Park had eliminated E - G. It was suggested that H Street be renamed to honor President Lincoln with no objection. That left I - X in the alphabetical sequence to be named.

There was a solidarity pact between the two neighborhoods now. Still stinging from the "Spanish Town" controversy, the mood in the neighborhood was for names of American heroes. The Richmond only had 3 streets to name, the Sunset had 16. The Richmond toyed with "Custer" for it's C street, but ended up giving it back to the Bayview District (Although only suggestions, many patriot American names had been assigned to the Bayview.) Instead the Richmond went with three Spanish explores, Anza, Balboa and Cabrillo.

The Sunset had a more difficult task. The powerful Parkside Realty Company, who were developing the southern portion of the Sunset, had already been using Pacheco, Quintara, Rivera, Santiago, Taraval , Ulloa, Vicente and Wawona for its tract. That left I through N to name, plus X. Xavier had been passed by the Board, but was deemed too confusing to pronounce and it was dropped for Yorba. The Sunset representatives borrowed two names from the proposed Bayview street name list and suggested Irving and Judah.

A literary American, Washington Irving was deserving of recognition. Theodore Judah, the engineering genius who got scant credit for the monumental task of planning the transcontinental railway through the Sierra to link the East and West, was an ironic choice. The railroad tycoons who made the fortunes eclipsed him, but he was the most deserving of recognition for his truly heroic contribution to the West. Ralph Wilson Kirkham had the right credentials as a general from the Civil War and Mexican War, so his name was chosen. Henry W. Lawton was an Army general recently killed in the Philippines, so he more than met the American patriot criteria.

The Sunset men had made their point by choosing names of Americans. We can only assume they had no fight left in them when it came to the last three letters (M-O). Moraga had been second in command under Anza. Noriega had been the commander of both the Santa Barbara and Monterey presidios. Ortega deserved credit for discovering San Francisco Bay while on the Portola expedition.

On November 29, 1909 the final vote on the street name changes for the entire city (with the exception of the Bayview) was unanimously approved. The Richmond and Sunset street names had used up so much time and energy, that the Board of Supervisors delayed those name changes until there was full community input from the Bayview District. (see http://sfhistoryencyclopedia.com/articles/s/streetNaming.html)

The streets that run east and west through the Richmond and Sunset Districts do have a pattern. There is alphabetical integrity and there once was an attempt to maintain recognition of our Spanish heritage. But in attempting to create that pattern, the bureaucrats offended the residents. The Sunset District asserted their muscle and proudly chose four American-born heroes to represent them.

Read a fuller account from John Freeman on the Street Naming controversy on the Encyclopedia of San Francisco site.

Images: The Sunset District objects to wearing the "Spanish Clothes" put on by the Committee on Street Names while Mayor Taylor looks on. Cartoon from the San Francisco Examiner, November 23, 1909.

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Dean of the School of Performing Arts of the University of Ghana, Professor Kofi Agyekum, has called on the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to present a mid-year budget that addresses the plight of Ghanaians.



The Finance Minister will present the 2021 mid-year review to Parliament in accordance with Section 28 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) today.



A statement issued by the Ministry said the presentation would provide the economic and fiscal performance of the economy for the first half of 2021 as well as provide an update on the implementation of key programmes including strategies by the government to create employment for Ghanaians.



The review is also expected to focus on revenue, expenditure, and financing performance for the first half of 2021 and provide an overview of the implementation of the 2021 Budget, the statement added.



Commenting on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Professor Kofi Agyekum, popularly called Opanyin Agyekum reminded the government about the challenges of Ghanaians stressing these are very difficult times.



He appealed to the government, through the Ministry of Finance, to review taxes in order to ease the financial pressures on the citizenry.



Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi, Opanyin Agyekum said; ''If we can't remove some taxes, we should reduce them.''





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Supreme Court has by a majority decision prohibited the judge handling the trial of a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, from presiding over the case.

A five-member panel of the apex court presided over by Justice Jones Dotse in a 3-2 majority decision also quashed a ruling of the trial judge, Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, a Justice of the Supreme Court, with additional responsibility as a High Court judge in the case.



Other members of the panel were Justices Gabriel Pwamang, Agnes Dordzie, Avril Lovelace -Johnson and Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu.



The reasons for the courts decision, according to the panel will be available at the court registry by Friday, July 30 this year.



Accused persons



Dr Opuni, and Seidu Agongo, CEO of Agricult Ghana Limited, an agrochemicals company, are on trial on accusation of causing financial loss of more than GH271 million to the state.



Agongo is accused of using fraudulent means to sell substandard fertiliser to the COCOBOD for onward distribution to cocoa farmers, while Dr Opuni is accused of facilitating the act by allowing Agongos products not to be tested and certified as required by law.



The two have denied any wrongdoing and have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.



Opunis case



Dr Opunis application at the Supreme Court is his fourth attempt to have Justice Honyenuga, taken off his trial.



He invoked the supervisory jurisdiction of the apex court, seeking an order of certiorari to quash Justice Honyenugas ruling dismissing his submission of no case.



He is also sought an order of prohibition to have Justice Honyenuga removed from the case, with an accusation that the judge had been bias towards him.



Lead counsel for Dr Opuni, Mr Samuel Codjoe, who moved the application in court previously, argued that Justice Honyenuga violated the Evidence Act, N.R.C.D 323 (1975) when he rejected an exhibit during the ruling on the submission of no case.



It was his contention that per Section 8 of the Evidence Act, before the judge could reject the exhibit, there was supposed to have been an objection from the prosecution.



A-Gs response



Mr Tuah -Yeboah in his response also urged the court to dismiss the application, arguing that Dr Opuni had failed to meet the requirement for the invocation of the courts supervisory jurisdiction.



The Deputy A-G argued that the trial judge did not violate any law when he rejected an illegal evidence and that before the judge could decide on whether or not a prima facie case had been made against the accused persons, he must evaluate the evidence on record.



Mr Tuah-Yeboah further argued that even if the trial judge erred in rejecting the exhibit, the remedy available was an appeal at the Court of Appeal and not a judicial review application at the Supreme Court.

With regard to the allegation of bias, the deputy A-G said all that the judge did was to establish whether a prima facie case had been made against the accused persons.



That, he said, did not mean Justice Honyenuga had determined the guilt of the accused persons, adding that the accused persons would have their day in court when they opened their defence.





















Source: graphiconline.com









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The Director of Pantang Hospital, Dr Frank Baning has made a passionate appeal to institutions and individuals to assist mental health advocacy in the country.



According to him, the psychiatric wings in the various teaching hospitals in the country are doing well but the policies that need to be implemented to ensure smooth operations in the mental institutions are not done.



Addressing the media to show appreciation to the Johnwick Nathan Foundation for providing funds to renovate the general medical patient ward that leaks whenever it rains, Dr Baning again mentioned that the mental health sector faces many challenges.



He explained that the mental health sector is challenged with medication, psychological and social issues; thus, the mental health medicines are expensive, creating a deficit where sometimes they may have no medicine for the entire year.



He added that the government does not hire a lot of people to take the psychological aspect of the mental health treatment in terms of counselling and also the area of social care where it does not exist as there are no rehabilitation and social interventions that are targeted towards people who suffer from mental disorders.



Housing is absent, and steppings are also absent, skills acquisition among that category and even putting policies in place that protect them are absent. We need a lot of advocacy for mental health in Ghana so that the policies will be right but not even the policies but the implementation because there are a lot of policies but the implementation is the main problem, Dr Baning posited.



Commenting on the renovation project at the Pantang Hospital, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Harbor Health Integrated Care, Johnwick Nathan, has indicated that investing in the renovation of the Pantang Hospital in the Ga East Municipality, is his priority.



According to the 27-year-old American entrepreneur, adding his quota to the face-lift of the health facility is part of his agenda to meet the needs of mental healthcare in the country as it has been neglected for many years.



Tackling the issue of maintenance culture in the country, Johnwick Nathan indicated that the maintenance of the project he is embarking on at Pantang Hospital is captured in the contract with the contractor to ensure the facility he is renovating is in good shape for a long time.



As I discussed with my contractor, and part of creating the contract, what we have decided is that, we are going to have a warranty. Maintenance becomes paramount when there is a warranty involvedit can sometimes cost more but that is the cost we want to pay for the sake of longevity, he indicated.



The renovation project of the block is no cost to the government or the hospital. As part of the initiation, it is simply awareness of the mental health in the country; there are a lot of things that need to be promoted and it is not just talking about it but also take care of some of the primary needs as well of the mental health sector, Johnwick Nathan noted.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Commercial Division of the Accra High Court has refused an application by the Founder of the defunct Capital Bank, William Ato Essien, which sought to halt the trial pending a review of the courts ruling which dismissed the accused persons submission of no case.



In a ruling today, Thursday, July 29, 2021, the court, presided over by Justice Eric Kyei-Baffuor, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, sitting as a High Court Judge, held that the application for stay of proceedings did not demonstrate exceptional circumstance for the court to halt the trial.



Essien, together with Fitzgerald Odonkor, the Managing Director of the bank, and Tettey Nettey, the Managing Director of MC Management Services, a company said to be owned by Essien, have been accused of stealing depositors funds leading to the collapse of the bank.



They have all denied the accusation of conniving and stealing GH620 million liquidity support given to the defunct Capital Bank by the Bank of Ghana (BoG).



Submission of no case



After the prosecution brought its case to a close, lawyers for the accused persons in June this year, filed a submission of no case in line with Section 173 of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30).



However, the court on July 18, this year, ruled that the prosecution was able to establish a prima against the the accused person and, therefore, ordered them to open their defence.



On July 22, 2020, Counsel for Essien, Mr Baffour Gyawu Ashia Bonsu, notified the court about the stay of proceedings pending his application for review at the Appellate court.



Motion



Mr Bonsu, who moved the motion in court today argued that exceptional circumstances exist in his clients application because there was a viable chance of the success of his clients appeal at the Appellate court.



The grounds of appeal raises very serious and fundamental issues to be determined by the appellate court, Counsel said.



Opposed



In her response, a Chief State Attorney, Ms Marina Appiah Opare who opposed the application urged the court to dismiss the it.



She argued her position on three grounds.



She argued that that the appeal had no chance of success and that the applicant had not demonstrated any exceptional circumstance to warrant the grant of stay of proceedings.



Lastly, Ms Opare said the application for stay of proceedings, when granted will delay the trial as it would affect the other accused person in the case.



It will cause an undue delay and inconvenience to the other accused persons who are not likely to derive any substantial benefits from Ato Essiens application for stay, she said.



By Court



Justice Kyei-Baffuor in his ruling said, Reading the application together with the affidavit, and examining the whole processes, the court can only state that the chance of success on the applicant at the appellate court is very bleak.



I find no justification or compelling reason to grant this application. Same is declined, he held.





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a free $100 incentive to anyone who goes to a city-run vaccination site for their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, starting this Friday July 30.



The mayor made the announcement on Wednesday at a press conference. "It does not get better than that," de Blasio said.



The announcement comes just days after the mayor said all city workers would have to be vaccinated or go through strict weekly testing protocols.



Beginning Friday, the cash reward will be handed out to city residents and employees who make an appointment at city-run vaccination sites.

An official said at the press conference that first-time shot takers will either be mailed a pre-paid debit card or be issued a digital one immediately via email.

"I personally believe that the guarantee that right then and there you're going to be rewarded, I think that's going to make a big difference to people," the mayor said.



When he was questioned about those who have already been vaccinated, de Blasio thanked them for doing "the right thing."



"It was the right thing to do for yourself, for your family, for your community. You did the right thing and the reward is you were kept safe and you're alive because of it," he said.

"But, we understand it's been a huge amount of misinformation ... particularly through social media getting anything but the truth. We got a lot we've got to overcome."



More than 9 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the city.



The mayor said over 59 percent of the city's population has received at least one Covid-19 shot, but that's not enough.

"That misinformation, that fear has hurt," he said. "And what's in all of our interest is to get every single additional person vaccinated."









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The surest way to break the duopoly of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and build inclusive governance is for minority parties to come together and forge a common goal.

The continuous reliance on the two main political parties for support during elections is fuelling the long-standing duopoly and that could destroy Ghana's multi-party democracy.



PNCs 29th anniversary



This was the resolution of some minority parties who participated in a symposium to mark the 29th anniversary celebration of the People's National Convention (PNC) in Accra last Tuesday.



The parties include the PNC, the Convention People's Party (CPP), the Progressive People's Party (PPP) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).



The PNC, which follows in the Nkrumah-Egala-Limann tradition, was formed by former President Dr Hillla Limann in 1992  the same year that Ghana returned to democratic rule, marking the beginning of the Fourth Republic.



The party's 29th anniversary is on the theme: Consolidating multi-party democracy, sustaining minority parties.



Call for unity



Opening the discussion, the General Secretary of the PNC, Ms Janet Asana Nabla, expressed worry about the continuous dominance of the NPP and the NDC, a situation, she said created the impression as though Ghana practiced a two-party system.



She argued that minority parties such as the PNC played instrumental roles in strengthening the countrys democracy and called for deeper collaboration among the minority parties to break the cycle of the two main political parties.



She also underscored the need for the minority parties to be self-reliant by exploring innovative ways to raise funds to support their activities.



The position of the PNC as a formidable political party cannot be under estimated despite the many challenges the party faces like most minority parties. The countrys political space is gradually becoming polarised and seems to becoming a two-party state which is detrimental to our accepted multi-party democracy, she said.



The General Secretary of the CPP, Nana Yaa Akyimpim Jantuah corroborated the position of Ms Nabla, stressing that minority parties, in spite of not having representation in Parliament, contributed immensely to safeguarding the countrys democracy.



She said the time has come for all political parties who believe in the Nkrumahist ideology to unite and build a formidable force to wrest power from the ruling NPP.



Threat



The National Chairperson of the CPP, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong-Kumankumah said the continuous dominance of the two major political parties threatened the survival of small political parties and the general stability of the multi-party system.



Nonetheless, the General Secretary of the GCPP, Mr Citizen Ato Dadzie blamed the inability of smaller parties to unite on the lack of commitment on the part of the leadership of the various parties to build a united front.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A former political science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Richard Amoako Baah, has revealed that he is forced to wear a nose mask and hat just so he could hide from members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) who constantly accost and attack him for the lower-than-expected performance of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



According to Dr. Amoako Baah, things are not looking good under the Akufo-Addo-led government.



Speaking on Accra FM on Tuesday, 27 July 2021, Dr. Amoako Baah, who is also a leading member of the NPP, expressed disappointment in his own government.



He said Anytime I come to Accra, I wear face mask and a hat because when people meet you they want to attack you.

He said he would not say Nana Akufo-Addo has failed as president but it is evident that all is not well in the country.

They insult me and say NPP knows nothing and they even say this in Kumasi.



On two occasions, Ive been told this in the face and one is a big businessman who said NPP is a disgrace to itself, Dr. Amoako Baah said.



This is the truth because the aspirations people had for this party has not materialized, he told host Bobie Ansah, adding: Before the elections, I told Nana Addo in his house that he will win even without campaigning because people were fed up with NDC and Mahama and we put all our trust in Nana Addo

Some in the party feel they are the only wise ones; they dont consult anyone, he complained.

Who in Ghana today can confidently say all is well in the country? he asked.

Its not true. All is not well, he insisted.



Dr. Amoako Baah said: Nana Addos government does not belong to only Nana Addo, it is his uncle Danquahs government.



The aspirations people had in J.B Danquah was transferred to Nana Addo and that is why when Nana Addo came, people compared him to Kwame Nkrumah. I wouldnt go far to say Nana Addo has failed but things are not going well.



The finance minister said the country is broke and have you seen a country that is developing or improving that is broke?

Source: classfmonline.com









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Pollster and Managing Editor of the Dispatch, Ben Ephson has predicted a victory for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Assin North by-election following the annulment of the 2020 parliamentary election results in that constituency by a Cape Coast High court.



Mr Ephosn on 3FM Wednesday July 28 said electoral statistics favour the NPP going into the by-election.



This seat is more of an NPP seat than NDC. In 2020 there was a split in terms of the NPP in this constituency. In 2016 the NPP won the seat 15553 votes and NDC 10751, margin of victory for NPP was 4802.



In 2020 NPP had 14,793, NDC had 17,498, and margin of victory for NDC was 2733. In the run up to the 2020 elections there was a split in the front of the NPP .When the margin is not huge in such by-elections the incumbent government always wins so yes he may go for appeal, if the appeal is thrown out, it is going to be fresh elections and likely NDC might lose.



The Court on Wednesday July 28 annulled the 2020 parliamentary election result.



A cost of 10, 000 has been awarded against the Electoral commission and 30 thousand against Joe Gyekye Quayson who until the cancellation of the result was the Assin North MP.



the presiding judge, Justice Kwasi Boakye said Mr. Quayson was restrained from holding himself out as Member of Parliament-elect for the Assin North constituency within the Central Region of the Republic of Ghana and further presenting himself to be sworn in as Member of Parliament-elect as such until the final determination of the petition.



One Michael Ankoma-Nimfah, a mason and resident of Assin Bereku filed a petition against over dual citizenship.



Private legal practitioner and member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B) has said the cancellation of the Assin North parliamentary election results by the Cape Coast High Court is a victory for rule of law.



Speaking to the media after the court ruling, Nana B said Today is another victory for rule of law. This a petition that was filed by our own friend Michael Ankomah-Nimfah.



Today the court, after almost six months has upheld our position and the petitioners position for that matter.



We had repeatedly said Honourable Quayson at the time of filing his nomination to contest as an MP was a Canadian and also a Ghanaian.



Mr Alex Segbefia, a private legal practitioner for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) disagreed with the court saying this is a matter that the Supreme Court has to make pronouncement.



If they nominate a judge to be in any position when does he become judge? At the point of nomination?



 It is when he is sworn in so there are three separate dates and this is a matter we think the Supreme Court has to actually rule on.



There is a time of filing, there is a time of election in this particular case. When the elections took place was he a citizens of this country or not, and then there is a time of when he actually swore that He is a Member of Parliament.





Source: 3news.com









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Foreign Minister Wang Yi said ties with Southeast Asia were a priority for China and called for multilateralism with Asian characteristics, as the country seeks to counter US moves in the region.

Wang said Beijings relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was the most successful and active in the region, during a virtual symposium on Wednesday marking 30 years of dialogue between China and Asean.

China has always made Asean its priority for diplomacy in the region  and firmly supports Aseans central role in regional cooperation, Wang said, according to the Chinese foreign ministry readout on Thursday. Both sides should conduct frequent communication on all levels, and continue with mutual understanding and support for each others core interests.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Wang also urged the two sides to adopt what he called multilateralism with Asian characteristics as well as an open and inclusive regional cooperation mechanism that he said would contribute to building a more just, peaceful and safe world.

The meeting was held in parallel with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austins Southeast Asia visit, which included stops in the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Austin said the tour was to deepen Americas bonds with the allies and partners on whom our common security depends.

China has repeatedly urged the United States and its allies to adopt multilateralism rather than what it describes as small groupings disguised as multilateralism, while the US under President Joe Biden has sought to boost alliances to counter Beijing, including with the Group of Seven and the Quad.

Beijing has also stressed the need to build a more just and inclusive global order, according to the foreign ministrys rhetoric  an order China views as tilted towards Western democracies.

Story continues

On future relations with Asean, Wang called for more cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and on the pandemic, and he also pushed for more talks on a code of conduct for the South China Sea, which has long been a sticking point in relations. The overlapping claims of China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei in the resource-rich waterway have remained unresolved for decades. China has been trying to push forward an agreement on a code of conduct but no significant progress has been made since a first reading of the draft negotiating text in July 2019, partly because it has been harder to hold face-to-face talks during the pandemic.

But wariness over Chinas growing assertiveness in the region has also made rival claimants such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia less willing to push forward negotiations, according to Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, a think tank in Hainan.

In a meeting with his Asean counterparts in June, Wang called for the relationship to be upgraded to that of a comprehensive strategic partnership  which China has already established with some member states  but so far there has been no upgrade.

More from South China Morning Post:

This article Relations with Asean are Chinas priority, says foreign minister as US also courts Southeast Asia first appeared on South China Morning Post

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The first research to be simultaneously co-published in an academic journal and on Instagram shows the lasting legacy of one of Algeria's most influential modern artists.

The painter Mohammed Racim is generally known for his depictions of historical scenes produced in the colonial era. Such work has been used to illustrate book covers, tourist brochures and postage stamps, and has generally been seen as backward-looking and artistically conservative.

Using Instagram has allowed Professor William Gallois, from the University of Exeter, to publish almost 200 high-quality colour images with his academic article to illustrate the meaning and aesthetic value of Racim's work.

The research is published in the American Historical Review, where there is a QR code to the Instagram account showing the images and article together.

Because much of Racim's work was treated as having no intrinsic value, little effort was made to record and analyse its presence in the world. Professor Gallois hopes his research will counter this loss of cultural memory.

The rare pictures shown as part of the article are from Professor Gallois' own archive of 10,000 photographs, postcards, advertisements, cigarette papers and other forms of ephemera, collected over the past decade.

Professor Gallois said: "Instagram is a great platform to show an unlimited number of high quality images, reach people across the world and potentially younger audiences too. There are already a huge number of people consuming research via Twitter, but Instagram is a place where I believe more productive and positive discussions can take place.

"The editors of the American Historical Review deserve credit for their willingness to innovate; they have been really good partners on this endeavour. I am enthused about the use of Instagram as a resource. The medium has given me the ability to present this research in the way I really wanted. I think Instagram will become a significant place for academic discussion to happen in the future."

There are an increasing number of accounts on Instagram which catalogue, archive and critique images made by both indigenous and colonial groups during periods of imperial rule in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisiawork previously ignored, erased or misunderstoodwhich have tens of thousands of engaged followers.

Mohammed Racim, who lived from 1896 to 1975, was the son and nephew of two of its most significant makers of Islamic art. His brother Omar was jailed from 1913 until 1921 for the seditious distribution and production of Islamist literature.

During the early part of his career Racim lived in Paris, working as an artist for the publisher Editions Piazza. At this time he began to create his own works on canvas, illuminated miniatures in a style dominant in the Persianate and Ottoman worlds, which were admired by painters and patrons in France and north Africa. The pictures depict Algiers as a pre-colonial urban idyll, as well as historic characters such as the Barberousse brothers who had successfully defended the city against European invaders.

On his return to Algiers in 1932 Racim would go on to exhibit a small number of other miniatures, whilst working primarily as a teacher of the traditional arts. These thirty or so miniatures have been in more or less constant circulation since, serving as illustrations for book covers, tourist brochures, postage stamps and other icons of everyday design.

Professor Gallois' research shows how the un-modern form of Racim's work also effectively neutered any potential for the paintings to be seen as politically defiant.

Nathan Draluck, Managing Editor of the American Historical Review, said: "This was an exciting challenge, because we had to think about the best wayin the confines of a print journalto best direct readers to William's fascinating and, frankly, cool Instagram pagewhich is itself the actual "article."

Alex Lichtenstein, Editor of the American Historical Review, said: "When William came to me with the idea of presenting his research on Mohammed Racim in the form of an Instagram post, I confess I was sceptical. But I have been keen to experiment, so we went with it. Peer review and production posed some challenges, but in the end I think the result is rigorous, fascinating, and widely accessible. Moreover, the content matches the formthat is, William uses the life of Racim to ask probing questions about the nature of history and representation. He asks us to contemplate "learning to read a text whose significance was not seen in the moment in which it was made"I like to think the same can be said of using a popular social media platform to present historical scholarship."

The first research to be simultaneously co-published in an academic journal and on Instagram shows the lasting legacy of one of Algeria's most influential modern artists.

The painter Mohammed Racim is generally known for his depictions of historical scenes produced in the colonial era. Such work has been used to illustrate book covers, tourist brochures and postage stamps, and has generally been seen as backward-looking and artistically conservative.

Using Instagram has allowed Professor William Gallois, from the University of Exeter, to publish almost 200 high-quality colour images with his academic article to illustrate the meaning and aesthetic value of Racim's work.

The research is published in the American Historical Review, where there is a QR code to the Instagram account showing the images and article together.

Because much of Racim's work was treated as having no intrinsic value, little effort was made to record and analyse its presence in the world. Professor Gallois hopes his research will counter this loss of cultural memory.

The rare pictures shown as part of the article are from Professor Gallois' own archive of 10,000 photographs, postcards, advertisements, cigarette papers and other forms of ephemera, collected over the past decade.

Professor Gallois said: "Instagram is a great platform to show an unlimited number of high quality images, reach people across the world and potentially younger audiences too. There are already a huge number of people consuming research via Twitter, but Instagram is a place where I believe more productive and positive discussions can take place.

"The editors of the American Historical Review deserve credit for their willingness to innovate; they have been really good partners on this endeavour. I am enthused about the use of Instagram as a resource. The medium has given me the ability to present this research in the way I really wanted. I think Instagram will become a significant place for academic discussion to happen in the future."

There are an increasing number of accounts on Instagram which catalogue, archive and critique images made by both indigenous and colonial groups during periods of imperial rule in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisiawork previously ignored, erased or misunderstoodwhich have tens of thousands of engaged followers.

Mohammed Racim, who lived from 1896 to 1975, was the son and nephew of two of its most significant makers of Islamic art. His brother Omar was jailed from 1913 until 1921 for the seditious distribution and production of Islamist literature.

During the early part of his career Racim lived in Paris, working as an artist for the publisher Editions Piazza. At this time he began to create his own works on canvas, illuminated miniatures in a style dominant in the Persianate and Ottoman worlds, which were admired by painters and patrons in France and north Africa. The pictures depict Algiers as a pre-colonial urban idyll, as well as historic characters such as the Barberousse brothers who had successfully defended the city against European invaders.

On his return to Algiers in 1932 Racim would go on to exhibit a small number of other miniatures, whilst working primarily as a teacher of the traditional arts. These thirty or so miniatures have been in more or less constant circulation since, serving as illustrations for book covers, tourist brochures, postage stamps and other icons of everyday design.

Professor Gallois' research shows how the un-modern form of Racim's work also effectively neutered any potential for the paintings to be seen as politically defiant.

Nathan Draluck, Managing Editor of the American Historical Review, said: "This was an exciting challenge, because we had to think about the best wayin the confines of a print journalto best direct readers to William's fascinating and, frankly, cool Instagram pagewhich is itself the actual "article."

Alex Lichtenstein, Editor of the American Historical Review, said: "When William came to me with the idea of presenting his research on Mohammed Racim in the form of an Instagram post, I confess I was sceptical. But I have been keen to experiment, so we went with it. Peer review and production posed some challenges, but in the end I think the result is rigorous, fascinating, and widely accessible. Moreover, the content matches the formthat is, William uses the life of Racim to ask probing questions about the nature of history and representation. He asks us to contemplate "learning to read a text whose significance was not seen in the moment in which it was made"I like to think the same can be said of using a popular social media platform to present historical scholarship."

Explore further Instagram adds safety features after critics fret over service for children

More information: William Gallois, An Illumination of a Floating World, The American Historical Review (2021). William Gallois, An Illumination of a Floating World,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/ahr/rhab221
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

American prisons and jails currently hold more than 2 million peoplemany of them jailed while awaiting trial or serving extremely long prison sentences. New research by Professor Christopher Slobogin, who holds a Milton R. Underwood Chair in Law at Vanderbilt Law School, indicates that a risk-prediction algorithm could help reduce those numbers.

"We have a huge incarceration problem in this country, but none of the current solutions work," he said. "We can use algorithms to help figure out who poses a danger to the community if they're released."

The United States currently incarcerates 0.6 percent of its populationa rate six times higher than in European countries.

"Research shows that measures like decriminalization and elimination of mandatory minimum sentences barely made a dent in the incarceration rate," Slobogin said. "That said, the public won't buy any reform unless you can assure them of their safety."

An ideal algorithm would indicate the probability that a given individual would commit a serious crime during a given time period, in the absence of a particular intervention.

In newly published research, Slobogin explained that by making criminal punishment decisions more transparent, algorithms could force long overdue reexamination of the purposes and goals of the criminal justice system. He argues that risk assessment algorithms can:

help reduce pretrial detention (the likelihood of a someone committing a crime while out on bail is 8 percent) and the length of prison sentences without increasing the risk to the publica particularly important goal as COVID-19 spreads through penal facilities,

mitigate excessively punitive bail and sentencing, which disproportionately affect low-income people and people of color,

allocate correctional resources more efficiently and consistently,

provide the springboard for evidence-based rehabilitative programs aimed at reducing recidivism by diverting from prison the candidates most likely to succeed.

Calculated risks

Using algorithms to decide the fate of a human life is controversial. Critics claim that algorithms are not effective in identifying who will offend and who will be responsive to rehabilitative efforts. Critics also argue that algorithms can be racially biased, dehumanizing and antithetical to the principles of criminal justice.

Slobogin said that, though the critiques have merit, current methods of predicting risk may be worse. "At least algorithms structure the analysis in a consistent way."

Unstructured decision-making by judges, parole officers and mental health professionals is demonstrably biased and reflexive, he added, and often relies on stereotypes and generalizations that ignore the goals of the justice system. Algorithms can do better, he said, even if only in a limited way, and if they are designed to compensate for the influence of racialized policing and prosecutorial practices.

If algorithms are validated and used proactively during the pretrial process, most people who are arrested "can keep their jobs, keep their families intact, and help their attorney with their defense by helping track down witnesses," Slobogin said. "By using algorithms to inform sentencing, we can release people earlier, which could help them become productive instead of languishing in prison, where they lose all hope and learn how to be a better criminal."

Explore further Removing human bias from predictive modeling

More information: Christopher Slobogin, Just Algorithms: Using Science to Reduce Incarceration and Inform a Jurisprudence of Risk, Christopher Slobogin, Just Algorithms: Using Science to Reduce Incarceration and Inform a Jurisprudence of Risk, www.cambridge.org/us/academic/  dence-risk?format=PB
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A report co-authored by the University of Strathclyde and Goldsmiths, University of London has highlighted the barriers to elected office faced by disabled people.

Disabled people comprise around one in five of the UK population but are thought to be under-represented in politics across the country and internationally.

The report, commissioned and published by the Government Equalities Office, found that barriers including accessibility, formatting of materials, perceptions and finance were present throughout all stages of political recruitment and the representation lifecycle.

The report was produced by Dr. Stefanie Reher of the School of Government and Public Policy at Strathclyde and Dr. Elizabeth Evans of Goldsmiths.

The authors conclude that there is a widespread problem in making politics accessible for disabled people at both local and national levels.

Challenge perceptions

They interviewed 45 disabled MPs, former MPs, local councilors, prospective candidates as well as those considering standing for election across England and Wales. Many reported barriers to participation, selection, election and representation in office.

Interviewees also identified various strategies for overcoming the barriers including: the development of personal and informal support networks; the use of social media to make their work and campaigns visible; assistive technologies; developing a sense of assertiveness to challenge perceptions; and securing funding, from schemes such as the Access to Elected Office Fund.

Whilst the Access to Elected Office Fund Scotland has supported candidates in Scottish elections since 2016, the UK-wide Access Fund supporting disabled candidates in the general election was terminated in 2015, and the interim EnAble Fund only existed in England in 2019/20.

The Equality Act 2010 states that political parties must not directly or indirectly discriminate against disabled members or candidates and must make 'reasonable adjustments' to ensure that disabled people are not treated unfairly.

Equal rights

Dr. Reher said: "A core principle of representative democracy is that all sections of the public have equal rights and opportunities to participate in political decision-making, both as citizens and as representatives.

"Yet, as this report shows, disabled people who stand for elected office or seek to do so face a multitude of barriers. The nature of the barriers varies between individuals, and depends, for instance, on a person's impairment, political experience, and the levels of support they receive from their party. At the same time, the research reported here also finds many similarities in the experiences of disabled people in politics as well as continuities across the various stages of the representation process at both the local and national level. All of the interviewees emphasized the importance of reducing the barriers and improving access in order to increase the presence of disabled people in politics."

The report acknowledges that since disabilities are often invisible or 'hidden' it is only possible to obtain reliable data on disabled politicians by asking politicians directlysomething political parties are often hesitant to do as information is perceived as personal and confidential.

Stigma about being disabled can also mean elected representatives are reluctant to disclose their disability even if asked confidentially.

After the 2017 General Election only five MPs publicly identified themselves as disabled, whereas The Speaker's Conference on Representation report from 2010 suggested that the House of Commons would include 130 disabled MPs if it were to be representative of the UK population.

Financial barriers

A second report explores financial barriers in greater detail by surveying those who have applied for the EnAble fund, which provided support for disabled candidates in English local elections in 2019.

The report outlines the scope, procedures, and funding awarded by the EnAble Fund and provides an evaluation by applicants as well as the administrators at Disability Rights UK and the Local Government Association.

The response to the Fund by disabled candidates was overwhelmingly positive; 92% of those who responded to the survey had a positive experience with the EnAble Fund, reported that it helped decrease barriers in the election process, and believe that the provision of funding is "extremely important" for increasing the numbers of disabled people in politics.

In its National Disability Strategy, published on the same day as the reports, the UK Government pledges to launch "a new scheme from April 2022 to support those seeking to become candidates andas importantlyonce they have been elected to public office."

Explore further Voters perceive political candidates with a disability as qualified for elected office
This image taken by NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows ice sheets at Mars south pole. The spacecraft detected clays nearby this ice; scientists have proposed such clays are the source of radar reflections that have been previously interpreted as liquid water. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/JHU

Three studies published in the past month have cast doubt on the premise of subsurface lakes below the Martian south pole.

Where there's water, there's life. That's the case on Earth, at least, and also why scientists remain tantalized by any evidence suggesting there's liquid water on cold, dry Mars. The Red Planet is a difficult place to look for liquid water: While water ice is plentiful, any water warm enough to be liquid on the surface would last for only a few moments before turning into vapor in Mars' wispy air.

Hence the interest generated in 2018, when a team led by Roberto Orosei of Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica announced they had found evidence of subsurface lakes deep below the ice cap at Mars' south pole. The evidence they cited came from a radar instrument aboard the ESA (European Space Agency) Mars Express orbiter.

Radar signals, which can penetrate rock and ice, change as they're reflected off different materials. In this case, they produced especially bright signals beneath the polar cap that could be interpreted as liquid water. The possibility of a potentially habitable environment for microbes was exciting.

But after taking a closer look at the data, along with experiments in a cold laboratory here on Earth, some scientists now think clays, not water, might be creating the signals. In the past month, a trio of new papers have unraveled the mysteryand may have dried up the lakes hypothesis.

A Scientific Ecosystem

Martian polar scientists belong to a small, tight-knit community. Not long after the lakes paper was published, about 80 of those scientists met for the International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration in Ushuaia, a seaside village at the southern tip of Argentina.

Gatherings like these provide an opportunity to test new theories and challenge each other's perspectives. "Communities can generate their own little scientific ecosystems," said Jeffrey Plaut of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, one of the scientists who traveled to the conference. He's also the co-principal investigator, along with Orosei, of the instrument behind the intriguing radar signals, called MARSIS, or the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding. "These communities can be self-sustaining," he continued, "because you bounce a question off someone and maybe a year or two later they help you figure out an answer."

Lots of talk centered on the subsurface lakes. How much heat would it take to keep water liquid under all that ice? Could brine be lowering the freezing point of the water enough to keep it liquid?

The colored dots represent sites where bright radar reflections have been spotted by ESAs Mars Express orbiter at Mars south polar cap. Such reflections were previously interpreted as subsurface liquid water, but their prevalence and proximity to the frigid surface suggest they may be something else. Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time an exciting water-related hypothesis set off a flurry of investigations. In 2015, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter found what looked like streaks of damp sand running down slopes, a phenomenon called "recurring slope lineae." But repeated observations using the spacecraft's HiRISEor High-Resolution Imaging Science Experimentcamera have since revealed this is more likely the result of sand flows. A paper released earlier this year found many recurring slope lineae after a global dust storm on Mars in 2018. The finding suggested that dust settling on slopes triggers sand flows, which, in turn, expose the darker subsurface materials that give the lineae their distinctive coloration.

As with the damp-sand hypothesis, several scientists began thinking up ways to test the subsurface-lakes hypothesis. "There was a feeling that we should try to address this," said Isaac Smith of York University in Toronto, who organized the conference in Ushuaia and led the most recent study showing that clays can explain the observations.

Too Cold for Lakes

Among those scientists was Plaut. He and Aditya Khuller, an Arizona State University doctoral student who was interning at JPL, analyzed 44,000 radar echoes from the base of the polar cap across 15 years of MARSIS data. They turned up dozens more bright reflections like the ones in the 2018 study. But in their recent paper published in Geophysical Research Letters, they found many of these signals in areas close to the surface, where it should be too cold for water to remain liquid, even when mixed with perchlorates, a kind of salt commonly found on Mars that can lower the freezing temperature of water.

Two separate teams of scientists then analyzed the radar signals to determine whether anything else could be producing those signals.

Carver Bierson of ASU completed a theoretical study suggesting several possible materials that could cause the signals, including clays, metal-bearing minerals, and saline ice. But York University's Isaac Smith, knowing that a group of clays called smectites were present all over Mars, went further in a separate, third paper: He measured smectite properties in a lab.

Smectites look like ordinary rock but were formed by liquid water long ago. Smith put several smectite samples into a cylinder designed to measure how radar signals would interact with them. He also doused them with liquid nitrogen, freezing them to minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 50 degrees Celsius)  close to what they would be at the Martian south pole.

"The lab was cold," Smith said. "It was winter in Canada at the time, and pumping liquid nitrogen into the room made it colder. I was bundled up in a hat, jacket, gloves, scarf, and a mask because of COVID-19. It was pretty uncomfortable."

After freezing the clay samples, Smith found their response nearly perfectly matched the MARSIS radar observations. Then, he and his team checked for clays present on Mars near those radar observations. They relied on data from MRO, which carries a mineral mapper called the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer, or CRISM.

Bingo. While CRISM can't peer through ice, Smith found smectites scattered in the vicinity of the south pole's ice cap. Smith's team demonstrated that frozen smectite can make the reflectionsno unusual amounts of salt or heat are requiredand that they're present at the south pole.

There's no way to confirm what the bright radar signals are without landing at Mars' south pole and digging through miles of ice. But the recent papers have offered plausible explanations that are more logical than liquid water.

"In planetary science, we often are just inching our way closer to the truth," Plaut said. "The original paper didn't prove it was water, and these new papers don't prove it isn't. But we try to narrow down the possibilities as much as possible in order to reach consensus."

More information: Aditya R. Khuller et al, Characteristics of the Basal Interface of the Martian South Polar Layered Deposits, Geophysical Research Letters (2021). Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters Aditya R. Khuller et al, Characteristics of the Basal Interface of the Martian South Polar Layered Deposits,(2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GL093631
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

What has been the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in the digitalisation of the hospitality industry? Domenico Morrone, Nicola Raimo, Annunziata Tarulli, and Filippo Vitolla of the Department of Management, Finance and Technology at LUM University, in Casamassima, Bari, Italy, hope to answer that question in the International Journal Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism.

The pandemic has pushed many normal activities into the online realm in unprecedented ways leading to the notion of e-tourism or smart tourism. However, the way in which hotels have been affected by the pandemic has not been investigated in detail in terms of the drivers for digitalisation until now. The team hopes to fill this gap through a case study investigation of hotel structures. Digitalisation in other realms might involve the use of information and communications technology (ICT) not only in communication and marketing areas but also in production, sales, customer relations, and beyond.

The researchers have found that the motivation is mainly concerned with a desire to improve the quality of the hotel structures, to adapt to competitors, and increase financial performance. Digitalisation has had a series of positive effects related to boosting revenues and reducing costs as well as improving corporate image. COVID-19 has significantly accelerated the digitalisation processes, the team writes.

The team suggests that digitalisation is perhaps the only way forward for hotels during the pandemic and perhaps beyond. "Through digitalisation, in fact, it is possible to guarantee and certify the sanitation of the structures, maintain social distancing, guest traceability and other measures, making people free to enjoy hotel holidays," they write. This implementation will allow tourists to be relatively safe in hotels, allow hoteliers to resume many of their normal activities. Digitalisation will also give the hotel industry a way to face possible future crises with more security.

Explore further Digitalization did not increase productivity as expected

More information: Domenico Morrone et al, Digitalisation in the hospitality industry: motivations, effects and role of Covid-19, International Journal of Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism (2021). Domenico Morrone et al, Digitalisation in the hospitality industry: motivations, effects and role of Covid-19,(2021). DOI: 10.1504/IJDCET.2021.116475
An example of deep-sea soft sediment ecosystem. Credit: NOAA OER and Ocean Exploration Trust; A. Thurber camera loan / Lisa Levin.

Which is more important for the richness of deep-sea animals, temperature or food? Dr. Moriaki Yasuhara from the School of Biological Sciences, the Research Division for Ecology & Biodiversity, and The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), in collaborating with Hideyuki DOI from University of Hyogo and Masayuki USHIO from Kyoto University, have used long-term fossil datasets and a novel statistical method to detect causality and found that the answer is climate control of deep-sea biodiversity.

Deep-sea covers more than 90 percent of the ocean. So, understanding biodiversity drivers in deep-sea is critically important to project future changes in the function of Earth's ocean system. Recently, two main factors of the deep-sea biodiversity control have been actively debated, which are food supply via marine snow (sinking particulate organic carbon originated from surface primary production) that is the main food source for deep-sea animals (given no sunlight penetration and yielding no phytoplankton production in deep sea); and climate-driven deep-sea temperature change. These two hypotheses of marine-snow or temperature control of deep-sea biodiversity are difficult to fully test by traditional modeling frameworks, because the environment-diversity relationship that facilitates deep-sea biodiversity can be complex.

The research, published inBiology Letters, used long-term fossil records from sediment cores and recently developed statistical method that can detect causality in a complex system instead of simple correlation (degree of linear relationship between two variables) to address this issue of marine-snow or temperature control of deep-sea biodiversity. The research team used benthic foraminifera (small shelled protist) as indication for the deep-sea fossil biodiversity time series and applied Convergent Cross Mapping (CCM) for the causality detection, and the results detected causality of temperature on deep-sea biodiversity but not of marine snow, which is supporting evidence that climate change affected long-term changes in deep-sea biodiversity. This temperature-diversity relationship detected indicates that ongoing and future human-induced climate change may affect deep-sea ecosystems via changes in global deep-water circulation rather than those in surface primary production. However, their study is based on a relatively limited number of data, and further comprehensive studies with better spatial and temporal coverage are needed to confirm the generality of this conclusion.

In addition, this study is the first application of the causal inference method, CCM, to deep-sea long-term fossil time series from sediment cores. The researchers successfully showed that this framework of using CCM on diversity time series can apply not only to relatively short ecological-biological time series, but also long paleontological-paleoclimatological time series broadly.

"It's a long term debate, which of temperature or marine snow is the main driver of deep-sea biodiversity. Our new causality analysis result is the strong support for the temperature hypothesis," co-lead author Moriaki Yasuhara concluded.

Explore further Past deep-water dynamics in the western tropical Pacific

More information: Hideyuki Doi et al, Causal analysis of the temperature impact on deep-sea biodiversity, Biology Letters (2021). Journal information: Biology Letters Hideyuki Doi et al, Causal analysis of the temperature impact on deep-sea biodiversity,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0666
A research diver tags giant kelp stipes to track the turnover of fronds in a kelp forest. Credit: SBC LTER

For almost 20 years, researchers at the Santa Barbara Coastal Long-Term Ecological Research (SBC LTER) site have conducted detailed censuses of the majestic kelp forests off Santa Barbara. By counting fish species and placing them in the context of their environmental conditions, UCSB coastal marine ecologist Robert Miller and his colleagues can look at the effects of human activity and natural drivers on kelp and its ability to maintain the kelp forest communities.

Miller heads the research at this National Science Foundation-supported site. For him and his collaboratorsincluding UCSB marine ecologist Thomas Lamy (now at University of Montpelier), postdoctoral researcher Christie Yorke and colleagues Francisco Chavez and Kathleen Pitz from MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)taking a census is more than just a matter of deploying divers to take a headcount; the researchers are also interested in beta diversity, which can be a somewhat convoluted concept for even seasoned ecologists.

"There are a lot of different ways to measure it, but the way I think of it is that it's the turnover of species as you go from one place to another," said Miller. "How many new species are in a place compared to the last place you went to? And so that obviously increases the farther you go."

Beta diversity is useful for measuring the overall state of biodiversity between given areas over time, which in turn provides some indication of those areas' ecological health. A higher beta diversity number (more differing species) could indicate robust systems that are able to support various, interconnected forms of life. A lower beta diversity number (fewer differing species) might signal that conditions have become such that only certain organisms are able to survive, with effects that could reverberate into adjacent spaces.

But, counting species at SBC LTER has its challenges. For one thing, it's underwater, requiring divers to conduct underwater visual surveys or to deploy and monitor special equipment, such as cameras. For another, many species are mobile and often not represented during these surveys.

"Some might be there outside the time you are sampling, say at night or at different times of day," said Miller. Others, he added, are cryptic or too small to notice.

Enter environmental DNA.

"As organisms move through the water, they leave behind molecular traces of themselves through shed, excreted, or sloughed off material that contains their DNA," explained Kathleen Pitz, a research associate at MBARI in Moss Landing, California. "We now know it's possible to detect this discarded DNA in seawater and identify which species it originated from."

In a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers demonstrate the effectiveness of eDNA analysis in the measurement of beta diversity in aquatic environments. Sampling the water and analyzing its DNA results in an inventory of the species that were in the vicinity during the time the sample was taken"a Rosetta Stone for biodiversity," according to the paper.

For the studya collaboration with the Southern California Bight Marine Biodiversity Observation Network and Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CenCOOS) Central California Marine Biodiversity Observation Networkthe researchers compared the results of eDNA samples taken from nine sites along the Santa Barbara coast and two off Santa Cruz Island to the results of underwater visual censuses (UVC) taken at those same areas. "By comparing these two sources of data, both visual and eDNA-based, we could begin to answer some of the questions around how well eDNA would detect different fish species that we know are present in the area from this long visual time series," explained Pitz.

"The eDNA was able to detect a lot more species than the diver counts, which is not particularly surprising because fish shed their DNA into the water, through their slime and breathing, et cetera," Miller said. The higher resolution of eDNA results compared to the underwater survey data gave the researchers a clearer picture of the presence and distribution of the different fish species and fish families in the region. "This study demonstrates that eDNA performs as well, or better than, visual diver surveys in capturing biodiversity in kelp beds," said Francisco Chavez, a biological oceanographer at MBARI. Importantly, "eDNA provides a means to scale observations in support of improved coastal management."

In terms of abundance, the eDNA species detections align with the information taken via UVC, according to Miller.

"They matched up pretty well with the diver surveysthe really abundant fish that were seen by the divers are really abundant in the eDNA samples as well," he said. "The difference is really in the rarer species, or the commonly less counted species, we see these more consistently in the eDNA than in the diver surveys." Species such as the senorita, black surfperch, sheephead and garibaldi were found in higher relative abundance by both eDNA and visual surveys.

Meanwhile, eDNA succeeded in capturing the presence of leopard sharks and bat rays where visual surveys did not. It also, for the first time at the LTER, detected species such as California lizardfish and barred surfperchfish that are known to live in nearby sandy bottom areasand the highly mobile great white shark.

Is this the end of the diver survey, given eDNA powerful detection capabilities? No, Miller said.

"The nice thing about eDNA is that it does provide that temporal integration, to give you a better idea of what might be there outside of the time you're sampling," he said. "But it can be hard to conclude whether they were really at the site." The DNA may have traveled a long distance, and some fish may shed more than others.

"We're still learning about the different factors that control the presence of eDNA in seawater, such as how long DNA lasts in the water before degrading or how quickly a fish leaves behind enough material for us to detect its DNA within a sample," added Pitz.

In addition, the fish DNA databases against which the metabarcoding results are referenced need to be improved. (Several DNA sequences detected could not be found in the library.) "More research," Miller said, "will improve the confidence in interpreting eDNA data.

"We don't think it's something that's going to replace traditional methods, but it's a really good additional data source that could be used to look at whether these fish communities and other communities are changing," he added. "eDNA will be a very useful way to expand ocean monitoring, particularly of rare species and habitats that are hard to observe, like deep water, with much less effort and cost than sending out teams of expert fish-counting divers or submersibles."

Explore further Filter paper can reveal species under the sea
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

New research from the Work Foundation and Newcastle University Business School has found that over a quarter of workers across the North of England were still working remotely in 2021, and that hybrid working is set to become a feature of northern workplaces in the future.

Researchers reveal that employers across the North of England are now actively preparing for a shift to a hybrid working model over the coming months, with many employees unlikely to return to 'on-site working' five days per week. However, they also identified a series of challenges for employers, workers and places across the North in doing sowith particular risks around workplace culture, health and wellbeing and the potential displacement of economic activity out of town and city centers:

Key challenges

Managing blurred boundaries between work and personal life, supporting workers to 'disconnect' from work

Building and maintaining meaningful communications between team members and re-establishing corporate culture through a hybrid model

Building trust within teams to allow colleagues to manage their own workloads, and shifting to an outcomes-focussed approach to measuring performance.

Rebecca Florisson from the Work Foundation said: "Our recent findings suggest there are many positives to take away from the experience of working throughout the pandemic, such as the greater levels of trust between managers and employees, and the greater sense of autonomy that many workers felt while working from home.

"However, employers can't risk the bad habitssuch as staff feeling unable to take breaks or step away from their computersbecoming a legacy of the pandemic. New policies need to be introduced quickly, with employees' health and wellbeing front and center. A 'right to disconnect' policy developed with staff and trade unions would be an extremely useful starting point, to clearly set out expectations around working hours and technology use, and encourage open and honest conversations between managers and their teams about what is expected."

Based on a study of the Understanding Society survey data and 33 in-depth interviews with employers in manufacturing and professional service firms, along with local stakeholders from across the North of England, the new report offers the following recommendations to make hybrid working a success:

Key recommendations

For employers:

Help employees manage their work-life balance and consider introducing an organizational right-to-disconnect policy.

Consult with staff and trade union representatives on broader preferences for flexible work, taking account of the importance not only of flexibility in where employees work, but also how and when they work. This should be aimed at providing access to flexible work particularly for those in jobs that cannot be carried out remotely.

For policymakers:

Government's Flexible Working Taskforce should set out proposals to amend legislation around flexible work, for example introducing a day-one right to request flexible work; narrowing the range of reasons employers may give to deny such a request; and shoring up avenues for workers to appeal decisions without fearing reprisal.

The taskforce should also develop clear guidance for employers around their duty of care towards employees while they are working exclusively remotely, or in a hybrid model.

"With 31.5 % of UK employees working from home earlier this year in comparison to just 5.7 % pre-COVID-19, and with 85% of those working remotely saying they would expect a mix of remote and on-site workingor 'hybrid' workingin future, there is no doubt that the future of 'work' will look different to many in the UK", Dr. Laurence Vigneau from Newcastle University Business School said. "But, to make this effective and sustainable in the long run, employers need the right support from the Government's to guide them through this massive change now, when decisions are being made about future working arrangements. Legislation also needs to be updated, starting with giving employees the right to request to flexible working from day one of employment."

Researchers also suggest workforce segregation is a real risk in futurewith certain roles lending themselves to hybrid work far easier than others.

"With furlough ending and firms that had to temporarily close now getting back up to speed, there's a real chance that an 'us and them' divide could be felt within some organizations, with manual workers forced to be in the workplace while other roles work off site, for example," adds Rebecca Florisson.

"To make this sustainable and fair for the long term, all workers need equitable access to some form of flexible work and workplace opportunitiesso employers need to be mindful of all roles when planning for the future."

Explore further Apple faces employee resistance in office return plan: report

More information: Hybrid and remote working in the North of England: Impacts and future prospects: Hybrid and remote working in the North of England: Impacts and future prospects: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-found  and-future-prospects
Pygmy killer whale live stranded during a mass stranding event on a New Zealand beach. Credit: Rebecca Boys, 2020

New research on the euthanasia of stranded marine mammals has highlighted the need for increased reporting and improved data collection on the euthanasia of sick, injured or debilitated stranded marine mammals globally.

The Massey University-led study assessed national and international data submitted by various nations including New Zealand to the International Whaling Commission (IWC). A review of the data submitted to the Commission since 2007 revealed a low reporting rate on cetacean (whales and dolphins) euthanasia practices, with most data originating from New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The study, "Deathly Silent: Exploring the global lack of data relating to stranded cetacean euthanasia" recently published in the journal Animals, also revealed a significant lack of information on the specific procedures used to euthanise stranded cetaceans globally, including clarity on the equipment and procedures required.

First author Rebecca Boys, a Ph.D. student at Massey's Cetacean Ecology Research Group, says the natural phenomenon of marine mammal strandings is likely to become more common around the world because of escalating human activities in the marine environment.

"We need to assess the methods and effectiveness of marine mammal euthanasia so we can be sure we are improving animal welfare outcomes for whales that cannot be returned to the sea."

Ms Boys says very limited data on the welfare impacts of the procedures, including time taken until death were highlighted in the findings of the study.

IWC Executive Secretary, Dr. Rebecca Lent says, "Best practice protocols for cetacean euthanasia were published by the IWC following a meeting of global experts in 2013, and support for those undertaking this difficult work continues through the IWC Strandings Initiative. Like so many issues, gathering of data is key to increased understanding and improved responses, as has been identified in Massey's latest research."

Research Director for the Cetacean Ecology Research Group Professor Karen Stockin says the review was timely and needed to be considered in the appropriate context.

"New Zealand's continued aim to save whales when they strand should not change, but what does need to change is how we assess welfare and fitness of those to be returned to the water and how we determine the efficacy of all human interventions, whether that be to rescue or euthanise."

In other related research, this Massey University team in collaboration with Dr. Isabella Clegg from Animal Welfare Expertise, has highlighted the limited use of welfare science in conservation efforts for marine mammals. The paper, also published in Animals, states there is a need to improve cross-disciplinary collaboration between these scientific disciplines. It says using welfare evaluations in marine mammal research and management will benefit conservation outcomes.

Explore further Killer whale DNA reveals distinct ties

More information: Isabella L. K. Clegg et al, Increasing the Awareness of Animal Welfare Science in Marine Mammal Conservation: Addressing Language, Translation and Reception Issues, Animals (2021). Isabella L. K. Clegg et al, Increasing the Awareness of Animal Welfare Science in Marine Mammal Conservation: Addressing Language, Translation and Reception Issues,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/ani11061596
Ashley Williams Watt walks near a wellhead and flowline at her ranch, Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. The wells on Watt's property seem to be unplugging themselves. Some are leaking dangerous chemicals into the ground, which are seeping into her cattle's drinking water. And she doesn't know how long it's been going on. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Rusted pipes litter the sandy fields of Ashley Williams Watt's cattle ranch in windswept West Texas. The corroded skeletons are all that remain of hundreds of abandoned oil wells that were drilled long before her family owned the land. The wells, unable to produce any useful amounts of oil or gas, were plugged with cement decades ago and forgotten.

But something eerie is going on beneath the land, where Watt once played among the mesquite trees, jackrabbits and javelina and first drove the dirt roads at 10 years old. One by one, the wells seem to be unplugging themselves. They're leaking dangerous chemicals that are seeping into groundwater beneath her ranch.

Now 35, Watt believes the problems on her ranch, which sprawls across the oil-rich fields of the Permian Basin, are getting worse. In April, she found crude oil bubbling from an abandoned well. In June, an oil company worker called to alert her that another well was seeping pools of salty produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction containing toxic chemicals.

"I'm watching this well literally just spew brine water into my water table, and then I have to go home at night, and I'm sweaty and tired and smelly, and I get in the shower, and I turn on the shower and I look at it, and I think, is this shower going to kill me?" Watt said.

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A GROWING THREAT

The crisis unfolding on Watt's 75,000-acre ranch offers a window on a growing problem for the oil industry and the communities and governments that are often left to clean up the mess. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells exist in the United States. About a third of them were plugged with cement, which is considered the proper way to prevent harmful chemical leaks. But most haven't been plugged at all.

In this June 2021 photo provided by rancher Ashley Williams Watt, the Estes 24 well leaks on the Antina ranch near Crane, Texas. Chevron, which is responsible for the abandoned well, has been working to re-plug it. Buried under the sand, it became unplugged and started leaking produced water, a byproduct of oil production that is considered a toxic substance. The rancher's biggest worry is that it will get into her drinking water supply and the watershed, which flows into the nearby Pecos River. Credit: Ashley Williams Watt via AP

Many of the wells are releasing methane, a greenhouse gas containing about 86 times the climate-warming power of carbon dioxide over two decades. Some are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into fields and groundwater.

Regulators don't know where hundreds of thousands of abandoned wells are because many of them were drilled before modern record-keeping and plugging rules were established. They are a silent menace, threatening to explode or contaminate drinking water and leaking atmosphere-warming fumes each day that they're unplugged. Without records of their whereabouts, it's impossible to grasp the magnitude of the pollution or health problems they may be causing.

The problem isn't confined to Texas. In recent years, abandoned wells have been found under brush deep in forests and beneath driveways in suburbia. On the Navajo Nation, a hiker stumbled across wells oozing brown and black fluid that smelled like motor oil. In Colorado, a basement exploded, killing a man and his brother-in-law who were repairing a water heater, after an abandoned flowline had leaked methane into the house.

An oil well worker helps to re-plug an abandoned well on the ranch of Ashley Williams Watt, Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. The wells on Watt's property seem to be unplugging themselves. Some are leaking dangerous chemicals into the ground, which are seeping into her cattle's drinking water. And she doesn't know how long it's been going on. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

A Wyoming school shut down for more than a year after students and teachers complained of headaches for weeks. Air quality tests revealed high levels of benzene and carbon dioxide, most likely from a nearby abandoned oil well. A garage in Pennsylvania explodeda consequence, the state suspects, of abandoned gas wells.

Experts believe the problem is getting worse. Even before the viral pandemic, producers were declaring bankruptcy and abandoning oil fields after spending more on fracking operations than they ultimately could afford. Then the coronavirus halted travel, obliterating demand for fuel and leaving less money to properly plug wells.

President Joe Biden, who has built much of his domestic policy around a transition to cleaner energy sources, wants to spend billions to put unemployed wildcatters to work plugging the wells. But Congress is unlikely to allocate enough money to seriously confront the issue.

Ashley Williams Watt watches as a workover rig is used to help replug one of the abandoned wells at her ranch, Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. Some of her wells are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into fields and drinking water. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

"If, all of a sudden, we could switch to all green renewable energy, that's great, but these wells don't disappear; they're still going to be there," said Mary Kang, an assistant professor of civil engineering at McGill University in Montreal who was among the first scientists to call attention to the danger of abandoned wells.

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TRACES OF BENZENE

After the discoveries on Watt's ranch, traces of benzene showed up in the well that supplies her cattle's drinking water. Chevron, which owned at least two of the oil wells that recently came unplugged, began trucking in drinking water while its crews tried to fix the leaks. But Watt worried that her animals might have consumed contaminated water. So she had her 600 head of cattle hauled off to another part of her ranch.

"At this point," she said, "I cannot sell my cattle at market in good conscience, because I have no idea what is in them."

Ashley Williams Watt looks at a flag Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas, marking a spot where soil samples were taken at her ranch by one of the biggest spills she's found. She calls it the "elephant graveyard," named for a barren wasteland in the movie "The Lion King." Rather than hulking animal bones, her version of the graveyard contains the blackened skeletons of mesquite trees. The sand there is dark and reeks of oil. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Though Chevron officials maintained that the cattle could safely return, Watt disagreed.

She's haunted by a memory of crude oil bubbling up in a toilet bowl at her family's ranch when she was a teenager. Horrified, they turned off the well that supplied their water and switched to another well. They never found the source of the leak.

Representatives for Chevron said the company is committed to re-plugging the two wells that recently sprang leaks.

But Watt fears that dozens of other plugged and abandoned wells on her ranch might be deteriorating, and Chevron has no plans to check its other wells for problems. If Watt should inform Chevron of another leaking well, "if we have to take responsibility, we will and we'll do the right thing by the landowner," said Catie Mathews, a company spokeswoman.

In this undated family photo provided by the Watt Family, Mary Williams Watt rides a horse on one of their ranch properties in west Texas. Watt died in 2018 following a diagnosis of adrenal cortical carcinoma, a rare cancer that affects the glands associated with the kidneys. Though not able to prove it, Watt's daughter, Ashley, wonders if toxic substances from abandoned oil wells on the property contributed to her mother's death. Credit: Watt Family via AP

Hailing from a long line of cattle ranchers, Watt never thought she'd be fighting this fight. After high school, she graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and worked in intelligence for the Marines. Even after she obtained an MBA from Harvard, she returned to the ranch.

She packs a gun, but only on her own land. Though she's passionate about protecting it, she doesn't want to be called an "environmentalist"that's a dirty word out here. But she has to save her ranch.

"The story of my family," Watt said, "is a story of land, if nothing else."

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LAYERS OF CONFUSION

Dispiriting as her situation is, Watt is luckier than some. She knows Chevron bears responsibility for two wells that recently sprang leaks on her property. But not every well has a clear responsible party. Some abandoned ones are so old and records so scarce that landowners or states are left to clean up the damage.

Brine-covered soil cracks as it dries in the hot sun on Ashley Williams Watt's cattle ranch Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. The disaster unfolding on Watt's ranch offers a window into a growing problem for the oil industry and the communities and governments who are often left to clean up the mess. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Molly Rooke, who co-owns a family ranch near Corpus Christi, Texas, faced that predicament in 2019, when an orphaned well blew out on her property, spewing chemicals. The 15,000-acre ranch contained dozens of orphaned wells, with exposed pipes not much taller than her own frame. Some pipes stuck out of the ground. Others were hidden in brush.

"We have problems finding the well head, and that's above the ground," Rooke said. "Then you have all these pipes underground, and there's no record of where those go."

Her only records of these wells that were drilled in the 1920s were scattered old photos and papers. She tried to contact companies that used to pump oil from the wells. No luck. One well had already leaked into a nearby river.

Rooke's father tried for years to get the state to plug them. When he died, she took over the fight. Rooke and the consumer rights group Public Citizen sued the Texas Railroad Commission over its decision during the pandemic to suspend rules requiring operators to plug abandoned wells within a year. After her lawsuit sparked attention, the state sealed her wells.

In this undated historical image provided by the University of Southern California library, people enjoy the beach in front of an oil field in Playa del Rey, Calif. There are 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. About a third were plugged with cement, which is considered the proper way to prevent harmful chemical leaks. But most, about 2.1 million by the EPA's count, haven't been plugged at all. Credit: USC via AP

"All the wells were so old, they were ticking time bombs," Rooke said.

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SEARCHING FOR LOST WELLS

The first successful commercial oil well in the U.S. was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. But few detailed records survived that early oil boom, which lasted several decades. Not until a century later would the industry develop modern plugging standards, which require filling abandoned wells with cement to prevent leaks.

These days, some abandoned wells have metal casings intact. But others were stripped of metal during World War II, making them hard to find. Still others were constructed from wood that rotted away and left only a hole in the ground.

Pennsylvania has located roughly 8,700 orphaned wells, mostly unplugged and in rural areas. Yet the problem is far larger. Based on historical photos and surveys, Pennsylvania estimates that between 100,000 and 560,000 additional unplugged wells remain scattered around the state.

This undated family photo provided by Ashley Williams Watt shows Watt's great-grandfather, Glen Joseph Allen, and his wife, Helen, surveying land in West Texas. Allen was a cow buyer in Fort Worth and eventually moved to sandy terrain in the Permian Basin to raise cattle. His great-granddaughter, Ashley Williams Watt, is carrying on in their traditionbut worries that pollution from abandoned oil wells on some of her land may threaten the legacy. "What if that history ends with me?" Watt says. Credit: Watt Family via AP

"We're not plugging fast enough to keep up with the wells we're discovering," said Seth Pelepko, an environmental program manager in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. "Our list is not getting smaller. It's getting larger."

Some states have taken to hiring well hunters who specialize in finding abandoned wells. They use metal detectorsfirst in helicopter surveys, then on the groundto seek steel well casings. But metal detectors can't detect wells cased in wood. So they fly drones with laser imaging to seek depressions in the ground.

On her Texas ranch, Watt uses some of the same techniques to seek problematic aging wells. She has driven her land, looking for signs of trouble.

Sometimes, she finds a dark patch of earth using a drone. She calls one of the biggest the "elephant graveyard," after a wasteland in the movie "The Lion King." Rather than animal bones, her graveyard contains blackened mesquite trees.

In this May 4, 2017, file photo, workers dismantle the charred remains of a home at the location where an explosion killed two people in Firestone, Colo. Fire officials said an investigation revealed that the April 17, 2017, explosion was caused by natural gas that was leaking from a small, abandoned flowline from a nearby well. Credit: AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File

The sand there is dark and reeks of oil. But Watt's worry is the water below. Without it, she and her longtime ranch foreman, Marty White, and his wifeand their cattlecan't live here. Water is the lifeblood of this place and all of West Texas.

"I told him, 'I'll take care of you,' " Watt said of White. " 'You're going to have to trust me, and I don't know what it looks like, but I'll take care of you.' "

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LEAKING CHEMICALS AND MONEY

In addition to polluting groundwater, the wells are accelerating global warming. Unplugged, abandoned wells in the U.S. leaked 5,000 times more methane than plugged wells did, according to a 2015 study cited by the EPA. Unplugged wells leak 280,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere each year, according to an estimate by EPA, though experts have estimated far higher totals.

A wildflower blows in the wind near an old pump jack on Molly Rooke's ranch, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, near Refugio, Texas. Oil and gas drilling began on the ranch in the 1920s and there were dozens of orphaned wells that needed to be plugged for safety and environmental protection. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

That amount of methane packs roughly the same climate-warming power as the carbon dioxide emitted by all the power plants in Massachusetts in a year, according to Daniel Raimi, a fellow at Resources for the Future, a research group.

Many states require companies to plug wells that are out of production and to post bonds in case they go belly-up. But the amounts are typically far lower than what's required to plug the wells, leaving states or the federal government with hefty bills.

At the end of June, Texas reported 7,268 orphaned wells, up 17% since 2019. An additional 146,859 were considered "inactive": They were no longer producing oil, but the owners hadn't yet been required to plug them. Many inactive wells may actually be orphaned wells, said David Wieland, regional organizer with the Western Organization of Resource Councils, a network of grassroots groups focused on land stewardship. Some producers will let a well sit idle for a year or two, he said, and then produce just enough oil to avoid being required to plug it.

A well worker moves equipment at a site on Molly Rooke's ranch where an orphaned well was plugged, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, near Refugio, Texas. Oil and gas drilling began on the ranch in the 1920s and there were dozens of orphaned wells that needed to be plugged for safety and environmental protection. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

"That sort of hidden inventory is likely true in almost any state," Wieland said.

Some states, like Texas, use fees collected from the oil and gas industry for cleanups. In 2018 alone, oil-producing states spent $45 million plugging orphaned wells and $7.9 million restoring surrounding land, according to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

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CLEANING UP THE MESS

As the financial and environmental tolls of abandoned wells grow, policy makers are searching for solutions. In his initial infrastructure proposal, Biden suggested spending $16 billion to put people to work plugging old oil and gas wells and coal mines. Yet even that wouldn't be nearly enough to solve the problem.

Raimi, of Resources for the Future, estimates that a federal program to plug 62,000 wells over a decade could create 15,000 to 33,000 year-long jobs. At a per-well cost of $76,000, it would take roughly $160 billion to plug all the wells and reclaim the surrounding land, whether it's companies or governments who pay the price.

Cattle graze near aging oil storage tanks on the Rooke family ranch, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, near Refugio, Texas. Oil and gas drilling began on the ranch in the 1920s and there were dozens of orphaned wells that needed to be plugged for safety and environmental protection. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Wyoming and North Dakota channeled millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief funds into employing workers to plug abandoned oil and gas wells over the past year.

Watt's family never owned the mineral rights to the land and thus never profited from these wells, many of which were drilled in the 1950s and were plugged in the four decades that followed.

She isn't looking for a drawn-out legal battle with Chevron or any other oil company with wells on her land. She simply wants assurance that the water is safe for her cattle, and the people in her life, to drink. She wants the land to be restored. And she doesn't know if that's possible.

"I do not want to sue," Watt said. "All I want is everything cleaned up."

Knowing that benzene has seeped into some of her water, she has a nagging suspicion that the rare cancer that killed her mother might have been related to wells leaking toxic chemicals on her ranch. She will likely never know for sure.

Ashley Williams Watt looks at an abandoned well wrapped with locks and chains on her ranch, Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. Some of her wells are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into fields and drinking water. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Ashley Williams Watt walks across the site of an abandoned well at her ranch, Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. Some of her wells are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into fields and drinking water. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Molly Rooke checks on an abandoned well at her family ranch that was being plugged, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, near Refugio, Texas. Rooke, who co-owns the family ranch had an orphaned well blow out on her property, spewing chemicals into the air. The 15,000-acre ranch contained dozens of orphaned, unplugged wells, with pipes not much taller than her own frame. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

An oil well worker moves equipment at a site on the Rooke family ranch where an orphaned well was plugged, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, near Refugio, Texas. There are 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. About a third were plugged with cement, which is considered the proper way to prevent harmful chemical leaks. But most, about 2.1 million by the EPA's count, haven't been plugged at all. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Oil well workers prepare to plug an orphaned well on the Rooke family ranch, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, near Refugio, Texas. Oil and gas drilling began on the ranch in the 1920s and there were dozens of orphaned wells that needed to be plugged for safety and environmental protection. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

An equipment valve handle is seen at a site on the Rooke family ranch where an orphaned oil well is being plugged, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, near Refugio, Texas. There are 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. About a third were plugged with cement, which is considered the proper way to prevent harmful chemical leaks. But most, about 2.1 million by the EPA's count, haven't been plugged at all. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

A well worker moves equipment at a site on the Rooke family ranch where an orphaned oil well was plugged, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, near Refugio, Texas. Oil and gas drilling began on the ranch in the 1920s and there were dozens of orphaned wells that needed to be plugged for safety and environmental protection. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

In this June 2021 photo provided by rancher Ashley Williams Watt, cows stand in the roadway near the Estes 24 well on the Antina Cattle Co. ranch near Crane, Texas. An oil worker noticed salty brine bubbling up near the site in early June. It was later determined that the source was the Estes 24, a "plugged and abandoned" well that was first plugged back in 1995. Buried under the sand, it became unplugged and started leaking the brine, a byproduct of oil production that is considered a toxic substance. Credit: Ashley Williams Watt via AP

More than anything, she wants justice for the land, her cattleand the legacy her family bequeathed to her. This is where she spread the ashes of her parents.

"My greatest fear when I lay down every night, even before this well became unplugged, is what if I do something to screw up the history of this ranch, that's still being written?" Watt asked.

"What if that history ends with me?"

Explore further New study reveals key factors for estimating costs to plug abandoned oil and gas wells

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: ESA/Hubble Information Centre

When it launches in the mid-2020s, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will revolutionize astronomy by building on the science discoveries and technological leaps of the Hubble, Spitzer, and Webb space telescopes. The mission's wide field of view and superb resolution will enable scientists to conduct sweeping cosmic surveys, yielding a wealth of information about celestial realms from our solar system to the edge of the observable universe.

On July 23rd, the Roman Space Telescope successfully completed the critical design review of the mission's ground systems, which are spread over multiple institutions including the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland; NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; and Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California. STScI will host the Science Operations Center (SOC) while Goddard will provide the Mission Operations Center and Caltech/IPAC will house the Science Support Center. The passing of the critical design review means the plan for science operations provides all the necessary data processing and archiving capabilities. The mission will now proceed to the next phase: building and testing the newly designed systems that will enable planning and scheduling of Roman observations and managing the resulting data, anticipated to be over 20 petabytes (20,000,000 GB) within the first five years of operations.

"At STScI, we are really excited about the opportunities for discovery that Roman will bring. All areas of astrophysics will benefit," said STScI deputy director Nancy Levenson. "We are developing novel tools and new ways of working so the global research community can make best use of the advanced capabilities of this survey-oriented, 'big data' space mission."

"A lot of work is required to reach this stage in any space mission, and our team faced the added challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. The successful completion of the critical design review is a testament to all of their efforts," said Cristina Oliveira, SOC deputy head at STScI.

In its role as Science Operations Center, STScI will plan, schedule, and carry out observations, process and archive mission datasets, and engage and inform the astronomical community and the public. STScI will collaborate closely with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, which manages the mission and will host the Mission Operations Center (MOC). The MOC is responsible for overall spacecraft operations and overseeing the data transmitted between the spacecraft and the ground. The collaboration also includes Caltech/IPAC, home of the Roman Science Support Center (SSC), which works with the other ground system elements to achieve the scientific and operational goals of Roman.

The Science Support Center at Caltech/IPAC is tasked with issuing calls for Roman proposals to the general science community and managing the proposal process. It will also lead the Coronagraph Instrument observation planning and data products, and provide a data analysis environment for the instrument and community team. In addition, it is responsible for community outreach for both exoplanet science and science enabled by spectroscopic observations. The SSC is also developing and operating science data pipelines to process data from the Wide Field Instrument spectroscopic modes and for exoplanet microlensing science.

Goddard is developing the Wide Field Instrument to perform the major science surveys, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing the Coronagraph Instrument to perform exoplanet direct imaging observations.

Expanding our view

Roman will be able to capture an area over 100 times larger than Hubble in a single snapshot. This will give it the unique ability to do wide-field surveys at space-based resolution, which will be the observatory's primary operating mode.

"Unlike Hubble and Webb, Roman is a survey mission first and foremost," explained acting SOC mission scientist John MacKenty of STScI. "Our role is to help gather input from the astronomical community, make those surveys ready for the community to do science, and give the community the tools they need to do their research."

Roman's surveys will generate mountains of data, creating new challenges for scientists seeking to analyze those data. As a result, STScI is spearheading the use of cloud-based computing for Roman data processing.

"Instead of sending the data to the astronomer, we're bringing the astronomer to the data," said SOC mission systems engineer Chris Hanley of STScI.

All of the data collected by the Roman Space Telescope will be accessible via the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) at STScI. Those data will be publicly available within days of the observations  a first for a NASA astrophysics flagship mission. Since scientists everywhere will have rapid access to the data, they will be able to quickly discover and follow up on short-lived phenomena, such as supernova explosions.

The science of the Roman Space Telescope

Roman will enable new science in all areas of astrophysics. It can search for dwarf planets, comets, and asteroids in our solar system. It will image stars throughout our own galaxy to measure its structure and investigate its formation history. It will also survey the birthplaces of stars, giant nurseries of gas and dust which Roman's large field of view will be able to fully image at high resolution for the first time.

By staring deeply at wide swaths of apparently blank sections of sky, Roman will image an unprecedented number of galaxies with high resolution. Roman will map the distribution of dark matter within large clusters of galaxies and discover thousands of galaxies at very high redshifts, which will provide the tools to study how galaxies change over cosmic time.

Roman's surveys will deliver new insights into the history and structure of the universe, including the mysterious "dark energy" that is making space itself expand faster and faster. This powerful new observatory will also build on the broad foundation of work begun with Hubble and other observatories like Kepler/K2 and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) on planets outside our solar system. It will discover thousands of exoplanets using its wide-field camera. Its Coronagraph Instrument will conduct a technology demonstration and, depending on its performance, may provide studies of the atmospheres of giant gaseous planets orbiting other stars.

Explore further Ground system for NASA's Roman Space Telescope completes major review
Gband sky image of 1.5'  1.5' in size centered on YMCA-1. Credit: Gatto et al., 2021.

Astronomers from Italy report the detection of a new star cluster as part of the YMCA (Yes, Magellanic Clouds Again) survey. The newly discovered stellar grouping, designated YMCA-1, may be an old and remote star cluster of our Milky Way galaxy. The finding is detailed in a paper published July 21 on the arXiv pre-print repository.

Star clusters are groups of stars sharing common origin and gravitationally bound for some length of time. They are important for astronomers as they can help study and model stellar evolution processes. In general, star clusters are divided into two broad categories: open clusters and globular clusters.

YMCA is an optical survey carried out with the 2.6-m VLT survey telescope (VST), aimed at exploring the outskirts of the Large and the Small Magellanic Cloud (LMC and SMC). One of the goals of YMCA is searching for unknown stellar systems, such as star clusters in the periphery of the LMC and SMC. So far, the survey has found about 80 clusters in the LMC and its surroundings.

Now, a team of astronomers led by Massimiliano Gatto of the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, reports the finding of a new star cluster from the YMCA data. The new cluster, which received designation YMCA-1, was identified during a search for small scale overdensities in the photometric data of the YMCA survey.

YMCA-1 was first spotted as an uncatalogued stellar system placed about 13 degrees to the East of the center of LMC. This stellar overdensity has a significance of 12.2 sigma over the local background and is easily visible as an agglomerate of stars.

The data allowed the team to obtain fundamental parameters of YMCA-1. It was found that the cluster is about 12.6 billion years old and is metal-poorwith a metallicity at a level of -2.0. The system is located some 342,000 light years away from the center of our galaxy and its half-light radius is estimated to be approximately 15.6 light years.

According to the researchers, the results suggest that YMCA-1 may be an old and remote star cluster of the Milky Way galaxy. If this hypothesis is true it would mean that it has rather unusual properties compared to other star clusters at similar galactocentric distances.

"If this scenario could be confirmed, then the cluster would be significantly fainter and more compact than most of the known star clusters residing in the extreme outskirts of the Galactic halo, but quite similar to Laevens 3. (...) YMCA-1 could be one of the faintest star clusters ever discovered hitherto and definitely the most compact beyond 50 kpc [from the Galactic center]," the authors of the paper explained.

However, follow-up deep photometric observations are required to confirm the nature of YMCA-1 and to reliably estimate its distance.

Explore further Astronomers discover an oversized black hole population in the star cluster Palomar 5

More information: YMCA-1: a new remote star cluster of the Milky Way?, arXiv:2107.10312 [astro-ph.GA] YMCA-1: a new remote star cluster of the Milky Way?, arXiv:2107.10312 [astro-ph.GA] arxiv.org/abs/2107.10312

 2021 Science X Network
Mars south pole  which looks like creamy swirls in cappuccino  is an icy cap with carbon dioxide and other geologic traits. About a mile below the cap is smectite, a hydrated version of clay. Credit: ESA/Mars Express

Bright reflections observed at Mars' south pole serve as evidence for water. But, seeing may be deceiving.

After measuring the area's electrical properties with orbiting, ground-penetrating radar, an international group of scientists now say that reflections of the red planet's south pole may be smectite, a form of hydrated clay, buried about a mile below the surface, according to a July 29 report in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The research, led by Isaac B. Smith of York University, Toronto, with major contributions by second author Dan Lalich, research associate in the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the presence of liquid water requires implausible amounts of heat and salt.

"Those bright reflections have been big news over the last few years because they were initially interpreted as liquid water below the ice," Lalich said. "That interpretation is inconsistent with other observations that imply the ice isn't warm enough to melt, given what we know about conditions on Mars."

Even on Earth, Lalich said, it is rare to see subsurface reflections from radar that are brighter than the surface reflection.

The reflection is about a mile below the planet's surface, where "you don't expect as bright of a reflection," he said. "We were getting radar reflections that were much brighter than the surface. And that's really weird. It's not something that we had really seen before and it's not something we expected."

The group had pored over data from the MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) instrumenta radar that examines the Martian subsurface with a 130-foot antenna via the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. The MARSIS instrument, jointly developed by the Italian Space Agency and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, can probe the planet to a depth of three miles.

Lalich and the other scientists used a diagnostic physical property in ground-penetrating radar called dielectric permittivity, which measures the ability to store electric energy. The group used the reflection strength to estimate the permittivity difference between the ice and the base of the polar cap, and then compared that estimate to lab measurements of smectite.

"Smectites are very abundant on Mars, covering about half the planet, especially in the Southern Hemisphere," said York University's Smith. "That knowledge, along with the radar properties of smectites at cryogenic temperatures, points to them being the most likely explanation to the riddle."

Lalich said the data to confirm the hydrated clay was easily reproduced from the observed data, meaning that liquid water is not necessary to generate bright reflections. The scientists were hoping to find lakes and other geologic forms.

"Unfortunately, that's a bit of a downer," he said, "because lakes below the ice cap would have been very exciting. We believe the smectite hypothesis is more likely and it's more consistent with other observations."

In addition to Smith and Lalich, the co-authors on "A Solid Interpretation of Bright Radar Reflectors Under the Mars South Polar Ice," are Craig Rezza, graduate student, York University; Briony Horgan, associate professor, Purdue University; Jennifer L. Whitten, assistant professor, Tulane University; and Stefano Nerozzi, postdoctoral research associate and Jack Holt, professor, University of Arizona.

Explore further Study sheds new light on composition at base of Martian southern polar cap

More information: I. B. Smith et al, A Solid Interpretation of Bright Radar Reflectors Under the Mars South Polar Ice, Geophysical Research Letters (2021). Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters I. B. Smith et al, A Solid Interpretation of Bright Radar Reflectors Under the Mars South Polar Ice,(2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GL093618
The future of nature conservation lies in identifying where science and policy can save the most ecosystems and species. Credit: Robert Streit

A new study raises questions on whether current conservation science and policy for protected areas could be saving more biodiversitywith political and economic expediency often having taken precedence in the past.

Lead author Professor Bob Pressey, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University (JCU), said the term 'save' in conservation needs to be better defined.

"Across the world, protected areas are established where they least interfere with commercial activities, even though those activities can cause decline and extinction," Prof Pressey said.

"But 'saving' means intervening in a way that prevents the loss of ecosystems and species," he said.

"There lies the problem. Business as usual means expanding protected areas where they make little difference while threatened biodiversity continues to disappear."

Prof Pressey said measures other than saving are used to assess conservation progress, and these are often politically convenient: money invested, km2 protected areas established and the number of species contained in national parks. These measures can hide a lack of progress in real conservation.

"What do these measures actually tell us about saving?" he said. "Not much. Real progress in saving biodiversity is measured by how much loss we have avoided."

While political, institutional and communication barriers are difficult to overcome, conservation measures need to be redefined. As an example, the study suggests the Aichi global Target 11 to increase protected areas to 17% of land and 10% of oceans hampers conservation. The target has instead motivated a race to increase coverage in the most expedient ways, both politically and economically.

Prof Pressey said there is a real risk that post-2020 targets will do the same unless they focus on avoiding loss.

"The future of nature conservation lies in identifying where science and policy can make the most differenceand then measuring, year by year, the difference made," he said.

The study brought together a team of scientific and policy experts from across Australia, Austria, and the U.S.. Their results will contribute to ongoing global discussions about the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

"Better science is needed to demonstrate that we can predict where, when, and how we can most effectively save biodiversity," Prof Pressey said.

"And global policy makers need to revise their expectations and targets to address conservation impact, or avoided loss."

He said saving biodiversity means developing global guidance for all jurisdictions to implement local interventions.

"With this, we can achieve smarter and more meaningful conservation targets that go beyond the extent of the area being protected."

Explore further World meets protected areas target, quality needs improving

Provided by ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
Emily Leyden sampling mangrove-salt marsh environments at Sandy Point, North of Adelaide. Credit: Emily Leyden

University of Adelaide scientists have developed a new simple, inexpensive and fast method to analyze sulfur isotopes, which can be used to help investigate chemical changes in environments such as oceans, and freshwater rivers and lakes.

Published in Talanta, the research opens up potential for new environmental applications of the method, such as tracing the effect of sea level rise, including detection of seawater intrusion into freshwater systems.

"Sulfur isotopes can tell us a great deal about Earth cycles both now and in the past," said lead author Ph.D. student Emily Leyden from the University of Adelaide's School of Biological Sciences.

"Different water sources have different levels of sulfur isotopes within them. The processes that occur within an environment such as the intrusion of seawater into freshwater systems, and oxidation of acid sulfate soils, can change these ratios. By analyzing sulfur isotope ratios we can gain important insights into how environments are changing."

The traditional method of measuring sulfur isotopes is known as mass spectroscopy (MS), where samples are ionized (split into their ions) and the ions of interest in the samples are measured depending on their mass to charge ratio, which differs between isotopes of the same chemical element.

The traditional method has been notoriously difficult, as the mass to charge ratio amongst ions can disperse and overlap, which can make the results hard to differentiate. Sulfur can usually only be measured reliably if there is complex chemical purification before analysis, which is time consuming, difficult and expensive.

As part of Ms Leyden's Ph.D. study, a team including members from the University of Adelaide's Metal Isotope Group with the School of Physical Sciences, the School of Biological Sciences and Adelaide Microscopy, with scientists at Flinders University, worked together to develop a novel method to measure sulfur isotopes using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) MS instrument.

The new instrument enabled the team to solve the overlapping issue (known as spectral interference) by combining sulfur with another element (oxygen in this case) to increase the mass to charge ratio in order to lower the risk of spectral interference. The sulfur isotopes can then be measured accurately without the need for complex and time consuming sample purification.

In the study, the University of Adelaide scientists simulated how the method would work in a real world scenario by tracing seawater flooding into a range of different coastal environments in South Australia.

Following flooding, the original sulfur isotope of the soil water clearly changed to that of the seawater isotope. The sulfur isotope ratios of the samples also gave clues to their individual and unique makeup before seawater flooding. For example, acid sulfate soil impacts were detected in two soils, and the signature of historical upstream silver sulfide mining could be detected from a site in the upper Onkaparinga River.

Co-author and Principal Ph.D. Supervisor Associate Professor Luke Mosley from the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences says, the new method opens up sulfur isotope measurement to a range of new environmental applications for scientists across many different disciplines.

"Using this new method, scientists can measure sulfur isotopes in environmental samples easily following only simple dilution of the sample of interest," said Associate Professor Mosley.

"It is particularly timely and important given there is rapid global environmental change, and the method enables easier detection of seawater intrusion into freshwater systems due to sea-level rise."

More information: Emily Leyden et al, A simple and rapid ICP-MS/MS determination of sulfur isotope ratios (34S/32S) in complex natural waters: A new tool for tracing seawater intrusion in coastal systems, Talanta (2021). Emily Leyden et al, A simple and rapid ICP-MS/MS determination of sulfur isotope ratios (34S/32S) in complex natural waters: A new tool for tracing seawater intrusion in coastal systems,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122708
Patrick Champey, an optical engineer in the Engineering Directorate at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, grabs a selfie with the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer, or MaGIXS, during integrated payload testing at Marshalls world-class X-ray & Cryogenic Facility. Credit: NASA

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer, or MaGIXS, mission is about to take flight. The launch window opens at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on July 30.

Led by Dr. Amy Winebarger at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, MaGIXS will fly aboard a sounding rocket, a launch vehicle that lifts scientific instruments above Earth's atmosphere for a few minutes in space before falling back to Earth for recovery.

MaGIXS is a specialized scientific instrument designed to peer at the Sun in X-ray light that is invisible to the human eye. Focusing in on the Sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, MaGIXS will scan an active regionwhere solar eruptions such as flares and coronal mass ejection often formto measure its X-ray emissions in high resolution. The data will help scientists understand how active regions form and become heated to multi-million degree temperatures.

Explore further NASA rocket chasing the source of the sun's hot atmosphere
Collecting and pollution have pushed the nudibranch F. californiensis to the brink of extinction. Credit: WikiCommons

Blue Cavern Point on the eastern edge of Santa Catalina Island, some 25 miles off the coast of San Pedro, California, is a hotbed of life. In the shallow edges of the water cling starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. Farther out in deeper seas, bright orange garibaldi and giant sea bass the size of pianos make their home in rippling forests of giant kelp reaching hundreds of feet from the ocean's surface to its floor.

The area is divided into two protected areas: offshore and onshore. The onshore region encompasses the first three square miles of the preserve. Its offshore area reaches out about eight miles into deeper ocean. Since 1988, the area has been fiercely protected from fishing or specimen collection.

Despite this area's exceptional biodiversity, no one had completed a comprehensive survey of all the creatures that call these waters home. In 2015, David Ginsburg, professor (teaching) of environmental studies at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Audrey Looby, then an undergraduate majoring in environmental studies, set out to change that.

Their study, "Nearshore Species Biodiversity of a Marine Protected Area Off Santa Catalina, Island, California," an inventory all of the species of this unique preserve, was published in the March 2021 edition of Western North American Naturalist.

They documented more than 1,000 different kinds of marine macroalgae, plants, invertebrates and fishes. Their research also revealed that human activity and climate change appear to be altering these pristine waters.

Partners in cataloging

Their project was first inspired by a routine environmental impact inspection of the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island, where a pipe funnels seawater through the lab's aquariums and back into nearby Big Fisherman's Cove.

As the inspection process began, Ginsburg soon discovered that no complete inventory of the marine life inhabiting the area existed. This posed a problem.

"Here you have this marine-protected area and you're supposed to know what's in there, but no one really knows," says Ginsburg. Only a scattering of research papers or incomplete catalogs gave an idea of the biodiversity. His interest in undertaking a more comprehensive survey was piqued.

The scope of the project was intimidating, however. Cataloging every species would require both diving for specimens and diving into archives. Simply surveying the present environment would not capture the full spectrum of what lived in the point. Some species passed in and out of the cove, were seasonal or perhaps so endangered they were rare to find in the present day. He'd have to go back and find everything that had ever been recorded in the area.

"I talked to a lot of people about this," says Ginsburg. "My friend Gordon Hendler [curator of echinoderms] at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles said, "You'll never find a stopping point.'" Hendler encouraged Ginsburg to pursue the project with a more realistic goal of cataloging as much as he could, given that anything would be an improvement.

Luckily, Ginsburg would not have to go it alone. Looby received a Research Summer Undergraduate internship at the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, headquartered at USC Dornsife. She would be spending the summer on the island and readily agreed to assist with Ginsburg's plans. Perhaps, between the two of them, such a complex study had a chance for completion.

Although great white sharks are rare close to the shores of Catalina Island, undergraduate researcher Audrey Looby sighted one during a research dive. Credit: Griffin Srednick

Under the sea (and into the archives)

Looby's enthusiasm was due in part to her new-found love of diving. She'd become certified thanks to USC's AAUS Scientific Diving Course and was eager to get as much time in the water as possible.

Exploring life bobbing beneath the water line was like encountering a different planet, says Looby. A neon nudibranch, a mollusc so vivid it could easily be mistaken for a Salvador Dali invention, twisted along algae covered rocks. Stingrays glided through the currents.

"The first time you see them, you suddenly see the ground moving underneath you and there's a whole fever of rays swimming along," says Looby, who is now a fisheries and aquatic sciences Ph.D. student at the University of Florida.

Ginsburg and Looby completed visual surveys of five intertidal reefs around the point, meticulously identifying and recording everything from the smallest microalgae on up to those piano-sized bass.

Some of their encounters were newsworthy. On Looby's last dive of the summer, she and her fellow divers sighted a 15-foot, pregnant great white shark, one of only a handful of sightings ever recorded in the area.

The project also required less adventurous work. The duo scoured thousands of pages of documents from 1960 to the present for recordings of specimens sighted in the area. Resources included old research papers, museum and herbarium specimen records and citizen science recordings.

From these efforts, the list of specimens sighted in the cove reached some 1,100 unique species all within the less than three square miles of the preserve.

Shifting seas

Ginsburg and Looby's work also produced more ominous findingshow human hands are changing the cove, despite protective efforts

Some changes are more benign than others. As they perused studies, they discovered that there was no mention of sea grasses, or any of the species that typically live among the grasses, prior to the 1990s.

"The leopard sharks and the rays that Catalina divers remember probably weren't here before the dock," says Ginsburg. "That was another part of the story that I really thought was cool. It's not just about naming all the species; it's also about recording some really big ecosystem shifts."

Other discoveries were bleaker. The Dali-esque nudibranch, for example, has declined severely in number, likely due to pollution and collecting for home aquariums. Sea stars like the bat star and spiny star, despite frequent recordings in past surveys, weren't found on their dives. Unusual sightings of subtropical species like the finescale triggerfish in the area point to warming oceans.

These ecological discoveries combined with their catalog of speciesthe most complete in historymake Ginsburg and Looby's study an important baseline for keeping this treasured area intact.

Explore further These underwater photos show Norfolk Island reef life still thrives, from vibrant blue flatworms to soft pink corals

More information: Audrey Looby et al, Nearshore Species Biodiversity of a Marine Protected Area Off Santa Catalina Island, California, Western North American Naturalist (2021). Audrey Looby et al, Nearshore Species Biodiversity of a Marine Protected Area Off Santa Catalina Island, California,(2021). DOI: 10.3398/064.081.0110
Life aboard the ISS for Russia's cosmonauts should become more comfortable with the extra legroom provided by Nauka.

Russia said it successfully docked the Nauka laboratory module with the International Space Station on Thursdaythough the troubled unit caused yet another fright after accidentally firing and briefly throwing the entire station out of position.

The mission comes after more than a decade of delays and as Russia seeks to boost its space industry, which has fallen behind since the collapse of the Soviet Union and struggles to keep up with competition from the United States.

A few hours after docking, Nauka's propulsive devices unexpectedly fired, forcing personnel aboard the multinational manned orbital platform to fire thrusters on the Russian segment of the station to counter the effect.

The module started firing "inadvertently and unexpectedly, moving the station 45 degrees out of attitude," NASA said on Twitter. "Recovery operations have regained attitude and the crew is in no danger," it added.

In a press call, NASA's human spaceflight program chief Kathy Lueders called the incident a "pretty exciting hour", and praised the crew for stabilising the situation.

The US space agency also revealed that the SpaceX Dragon docked to the orbital station was powered up and ready to evacuate crew if needed.

An uncrewed test launch of a Boeing Starliner crew capsule to the ISS will be pushed back from Friday until at least August 3 while an investigation is underway.

Earlier, the Russian space agency Roscosmos showed the new addition to its segment of the ISS docking with the nadir (Earth-facing) port of the Zvezda service module at 1329 GMT.

"There is contact!!!" Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin tweeted as Russia completed the first docking of an ISS module in 11 years.

It will now take several months and multiple spacewalks to fully integrate the module with the space station.

Decades in the making

The Nauka module blasted off last week from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carried by a Russian Proton rocket.

Naukawhich means "science" in Russianwill be primarily used for research and storing laboratory equipment.

'We won't lie... We had to worry for the first three days,' Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said of hiccups on the unit's eight-day voyage to the ISS.

It will also provide more storage space, new water and oxygen regeneration systems and improved living conditions for cosmonauts of the Russian ISS sector.

The Nauka multipurpose laboratory module was conceived as early as the mid-1990s when it was intended as a back-up for the Russian control module Zarya.

It was later repurposed as a science module but joined a line-up of stagnating Russian space projects that have fallen victim to funding problems or bureaucratic procedures.

The launch of the 20-tonne Naukaone of the largest modules on the ISSwas initially scheduled for 2007 but has been repeatedly delayed over various issues.

While last week's launch was successful, Nauka experienced several "hiccups in orbit" during its eight-day journey to the ISS, the European Space Agency said.

"We won't lie... We had to worry for the first three days," Rogozin told journalists after Nauka had docked, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

Russia's future on ISS

Launched in 1998 and involving Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency, the ISS is one of Russia's few remaining collaborations with the West.

The ISS is divided into two sections: the Russian Orbital Segment, and the remainder run by the US and other partners.

For years, NASA was reliant on Russia to ferry its astronauts to the ISS and paid millions of dollars for a seat on a Soyuz rocket.

But last year Russia lost its monopoly for manned flights to the ISS after the successful mission of US billionaire Elon Musk's Space X.

In April, Russia said it was considering withdrawing from the ISS programme citing ageing infrastructure, and was planning to launch the first core module of a new orbital station in 2025.

Russia has announced a series of projects in recent years, including a mission to Venus and a station on the Moon, but as the Kremlin diverts funding to military ventures, analysts question the feasibility of these ambitions.

Explore further Russia to launch new International Space Station module

 2021 AFP
Shown here in composite view, ALMA data (red/orange) reveals filament structures left behind by ram pressure stripping in a Hubble Space Telescope optical view of NGC4921. Scientists believe that these filaments are formed as magnetic fields in the galaxy prevent some matter from being stripped away. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Dagnello (NRAO), NASA/ESA/Hubble/K. Cook (LLNL), L. Shatz

A new study from scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) suggests that previously displaced gases can re-accrete onto galaxies, potentially slowing down the process of galaxy death caused by ram pressure stripping, and creating unique structures more resistant to its effects.

"Much of the previous work on ram pressure stripped galaxies is focused on the material that gets stripped out of galaxies. In this new work we see some gas that rather than being thrown out of the galaxy never to return is instead moving like a boomerang, being ejected out but then circling around and falling back to its source," said William Cramer, an astronomer at Arizona State University and the lead author on the new study. "By combining Hubble and ALMA data at very high resolution, we are able to prove that this process is happening."

Ram pressure stripping refers to the process that displaces gas from galaxies, leaving them without the material needed to form new stars. As galaxies move through their galaxy clusters, hot gas known as the intra-cluster mediumor, the space betweenacts like a forceful wind, pushing gases out of the traveling galaxies. Over time, this leads to the starvation and "death" of once-active star-forming galaxies. Because ram pressure stripping can speed up the normal life cycle of galaxies and alter the amount of molecular gas within them, it is of particular interest to scientists studying the life, maturation, and death of galaxies.

"We've seen in simulations that not all of the gas being pushed by ram pressure stripping escapes the galaxy because it has to reach escape velocity in order to actually escape and not fall back. The re-accretion that we're seeing, we believe is from clouds of gas that were pushed out of the galaxy by ram pressure stripping, and didn't achieve escape velocity, so they're falling back," said Jeff Kenney, an astronomer at Yale University, and the co-author on the study. "If you're trying to predict how fast a galaxy is going to stop forming stars over time and transform into a red, or dead galaxy, then you want to understand how effective ram pressure is at stripping the gas out. If you don't know that gas can fall back onto the galaxy and continue to recycle and form new stars, you're going to overpredict the quenching of the stars. Having proof of this process means more accurate timelines for the lifecycle of galaxies."

Viewed face-on, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) reveals the distribution of young stars and dust in the spiral galaxy NGC4921. The galaxy is under ram pressure from its galaxy cluster, the Coma Cluster. This process is stripping gas away from the galaxy, altering its structure and the distribution of molecular gas, as traced by ALMA (seen here in red). Eventually, ram pressure can strip away enough gas to stop the formation of new stars. The combination of data from HST and ALMA provides a 3-dimensional view of gas distribution and movement in NGC4921. Here we see that some clouds of molecular gas are actually behind the galaxy and falling back towards the host, opposite the direction of ram pressure. This re-accretion of gas can slow the strangulating effect of ram pressure on the life of the galaxy. This is the first observational evidence of the fallback process. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Dagnello (NRAO), NASA/ESA/Hubble, K. Cook (LLNL), L. Shatz, W. Cramer et al (Yale)

The new study focuses on NGC 4921a barred spiral galaxy and the largest spiral galaxy in the Coma Clusterlocated roughly 320 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices. NGC 4921 is of particular interest to scientists studying the effects of ram pressure stripping because evidence of both the process and its aftermath is abundant.

"Ram pressure triggers star formation on the side where it is having the greatest impact on the galaxy," said Cramer. "It's easy to identify in NGC 4921 because there are many young blue stars on the side of the galaxy where it's occurring."

Kenney added that ram pressure stripping in NGC 4921 has created a strong, visible line between where dust still exists in the galaxy and where it doesn't. "There is a strong dust line present, and beyond that, there's almost no gas in the galaxy. We think that that part of the galaxy has been almost completely cleaned out by ram pressure."

Using ALMA's Band 6 receiver, scientists were able to resolve carbon monoxide, the key to "seeing" both those areas of the galaxy devoid of gas, as well as those areas where it is re-accreting. "We know that the majority of molecular gas in galaxies is in the form of hydrogen, but molecular hydrogen is very difficult to observe directly," said Cramer. "Carbon monoxide is commonly used as a proxy for studying molecular gas in galaxies because it is much easier to observe."

The ability to see more of the galaxy, even at its faintest, unveiled interesting structures likely created in the process of gas displacement, and further immune to its effects. "Ram pressure appears to form unique structures or filaments in galaxies that are clues as to how a galaxy evolves under a ram pressure wind. In the case of NGC 4921, they bear a striking resemblance to the famous nebula, the Pillars of Creation, although on a much more massive scale," said Cramer. "We think that they are supported by magnetic fields which are preventing them from being stripped away with the rest of the gas."

This side-by-side composite shows ALMA (red/orange) data laid over Hubble Space Telescope (optical) images of NGC4921. A new study of the spiral bar galaxy revealed filament structures similar to the Pillars of Creation but significantly larger. These structures are caused by a process known as ram pressure stripping, which pushes gas out of galaxies, leaving them without the material needed to form new stars. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Dagnello (NRAO), NASA/ESA/Hubble/K. Cook (LLNL), L. Shatz

Observations revealed that the structures are more than just wisps of gas and dust; the filaments have mass and a lot of it. "These filaments are heavier and stickierthey hold on to their material more tightly than the rest of the galaxy's interstellar medium can doand they seem to be connected to that big dust ridge both in space and in velocity," said Kenney. "They're more like molasses than smoke. If you just blow on something that is smoke, the smoke is light, and it disperses and goes in all directions. But this is much heavier than that."

Although a significant breakthrough, the results of the study are only a starting point for Cramer and Kenney, who examined one small part of just one galaxy. "If we want to predict the death rate of galaxies, and the birthrate of new stars, we need to understand if and how much of the material that forms stars, originally lost to ram pressure, is actually recycled back," said Cramer. "These observations are of just one quadrant of NGC 4921. There is likely even more gas falling back into other quadrants. While we have confirmed that some stripped gas can 'rain' back down, we need more observations to quantify how much gas falls back and how many new stars form as a result."

Zoomed in view of an ALMA (red/orange) and Hubble Space Telescope (optical) composite of NGC4921. This composite highlights filament structures resulting from the effects of ram pressure stripping. Ram pressure stripping is a process known to strip gas out of galaxies, leaving them without the material needed to form new stars. A new study indicates that some material may not be stripped away from the galaxy, and is instead, re-accreted, potentially with the help of magnetic fields, slowing down the process of galaxy death. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Dagnello (NRAO), NASA/ESA/Hubble/K. Cook (LLNL), L. Shatz

"A fascinating study, demonstrating the power of ALMA and the benefit of combining its observations with those of a telescope at other wavelengths," added Joseph Pesce, NRAO/ALMA program officer at the NSF. "Ram pressure stripping is an important phenomenon for galaxies in clusters, and understanding the process better allows us to understand galaxy evolutionand naturebetter.

The results of the study will be published in an upcoming edition of The Astrophysical Journal.

Explore further This galaxy is no match for a hungry cluster

More information: W. Cramer et al, "Molecular gas filaments and fallback in the ram pressure stripped Coma spiral NGC 4921," arXiv:2107.11731v1 [astro-ph.GA] Journal information: Astrophysical Journal W. Cramer et al, "Molecular gas filaments and fallback in the ram pressure stripped Coma spiral NGC 4921," arXiv:2107.11731v1 [astro-ph.GA] arxiv.org/abs/2107.11731
A true-color satellite image and topographic map of a field near Clear Lake, Iowa. Scientists took advantage of the contrast between the dark-colored topsoil and lighter-colored poorer layers beneath to estimate the Corn Belt's soil loss. Light-colored areas outlined in black are predicted to have lost topsoil. Topographic map shows widespread erosion on slopes: Red pixels mark convex slopes, or hilltops, while blue pixels mark concave slopes, or the hollows between hills. Hilltops appear lightest, while dark, displaced soil pools in the valleys. Credit: Evan Thaler et al. 2021/2013, DigitalGlobe; NextView License/Maxar, Inc.

After the corn harvest last fall, Illinois farmer Paul Jeschke planted a fraction of his fields with cereal rye: 60 acres of the 4,500 he farms with his wife, nephew and brother-in-law, tucked behind a pasture, out of neighbors' sight. That way they could experiment with cover crops, Jeschke explained, and no one could view potential failures.

In the coming months, the rye would sprout into a rolling sea of grass. Below ground, it would feed soil microbes and scavenge nitrogen leftover from the corn, preventing it from entering the Illinois River 10 miles away. Above, the thick stand would protect the field from the wind and water that strip soil.

"This is a radically different farming system, and it takes an adventurous mindset to risk growing a crop in such a manner," Jeschke said. Cover crops are grown not to be harvested, but to shield and improve soil when a cash crop isn't growing. "My thought is we're going to have to figure this out sometime or another, and I'd rather do it on the early side than when it may be required."

Soil is the foundation of our food systems, and sustainable farming depends upon healthy soil, which has impacts far beyond the field on air, water and climate. Wind and water, hastened by human activity and climate change, erode the richest soil at the surface. The United States loses around five tons of soil per acre each year, 10 times the rate at which it forms. That's the equivalent of a layer as thick as a dimewhich may seem slight, but soil is precious and the layers add up in the long-cultivated Corn Belt.

Building soil health is the leading strategy for controlling erosion. Healthy soil is rich with biodiversity and organic matterthe better to glue and anchor clumps of earth. Practices like cover crops and no-till planting are proven to boost soil health. But adopting new ways comes with obstacles, something Jeschke is familiar with in his fourth year of trials.

Hundreds of miles above the Corn Belt, NASA satellites provide critical views of the region. They're helping scientists study soil loss over time and develop tools to support farmers as they adopt and manage conservation techniques.

"The good that conservation practices do is significant," said Laura Gentry, a University of Illinois adjunct assistant professor and director of water quality research at the Illinois Corn Growers Association. She is a partner with NASA Harvest, NASA's food security and agriculture program within the Earth Science division. "Whatever the hurdles are, it's worth it to help farmers address them."

Tracking soil erosion

The Corn Belt is home to the nation's most productive soils. "They should be viewed as a national treasure," Gentry said. "If we aren't doing a good job of protecting them, people all over this country will feel it."

A true-color satellite image and topographic map of a field near Clear Lake, Iowa. Scientists took advantage of the contrast between the dark-colored topsoil and lighter-colored poorer layers beneath to estimate the Corn Belt's soil loss. Light-colored areas outlined in black are predicted to have lost topsoil. Topographic map shows widespread erosion on slopes: Red pixels mark convex slopes, or hilltops, while blue pixels mark concave slopes, or the hollows between hills. Hilltops appear lightest, while dark, displaced soil pools in the valleys. Credit: Evan Thaler et al. 2021/2013, DigitalGlobe; NextView License/Maxar, Inc.

Bit by bit, wind, water and gravity strip away valuable topsoil. That much is natural, but extreme weather and tillageoverturning soil to prepare it for plantingaccelerate erosion. Eroded soils are less productive and leach nutrients. The poorer they are, the more they erode.

Once it's uprooted, soiland everything in itis considered pollution. Farmers may compensate for lost nutrients with more costly fertilizers. That sends more pollution into waterways, which impacts local water supplies, and, at worst, leads to disturbances downstream like the Gulf of Mexico's dead zones.

"Erosion affects people on that farm, in that rural community, and in the larger watershed, statewide, regionwidereally the whole country," said Skye Wills, national leader of soil science research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Soil Survey Center in Nebraska. "It just scales up."

Soil also stores carbon: the remnants of once-living things like plants, microbes and insects. When it's disturbed, it releases that carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas. As one of Earth's biggest carbon sinks, meaning an area that absorbs large amounts of carbon, soil represents an important part of the global carbon cycle.

Views from space help researchers study big-scale problems. NASA's MODIS, or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, instruments on board the Terra and Aqua satellites, along with the joint NASA-U.S. Geological Survey's Landsat satellites, provide regular observations across the region. Starting with the launch of Landsat 1 in 1972, Landsat's record stretches nearly 50 years back, helping scientists track decades-long changes.

Assessing the extent of erosion has long required time-consuming surveys, but the availability of satellite data and powerful computing tools has led to novel, region-wide approaches.

The Corn Belt is known for its fertile topsoil, the product of millennia of deep-rooted prairie grasses. From space, it looks like dark chocolate, while poor, eroded layers are a lighter milk chocolate. "You can see this driving around or scrolling through Google maps across the Midwest," said Evan Thaler, a University of Massachusetts Amherst geosciences Ph.D. student.

In a recent NASA-supported study, Thaler and his colleagues took advantage of this contrast to estimate the region's total soil loss. Combining topographic data and satellite imagery, they found widespread erosion on slopes. Hilltops appeared lightest, while dark, displaced soil pooled in the valleys.

This pattern suggests tilling is responsible for the most dramatic displacement, Thaler explained. When soil is overturned, it slips down hills, little by little.

Since 2008, the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, or NASS, has drawn on Landsat data to monitor dozens of crops in the lower 48 states as part of NASS's Cropland Data Layer program. Credit: NASA/Matthew R. Radcliff

Overall, the group estimated roughly one-third of the region's farmland has lost its topsoil entirely. They estimate farmers shoulder up to $3 billion in resulting annual losses.

Much has changed over time. Tilling is far less intense than it was just 50 years ago, said Brian Gelder, a soil scientist at Iowa State University in Ames. Erosion results from many processes occurring at different rates. As climate change leads to more extreme rainfall or drier fields, the picture will continue shifting.

By regularly tracking erosion, researchers can examine how these different processes interact. Gelder co-leads the Daily Erosion Project, which provides farmers and watershed managers estimates of erosion and runoff in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kansas and Wisconsin. The team's model is based on topographic and weather data, as well as Landsat and Google Earth Engine to identify tillage practices and the Cropland Data Layer from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, which draws upon Landsat to identify what grows where each year.

"Satellite views allow us to stay current," Gelder said. "Without them, we wouldn't be able to continuously update our models."

Building soil health

Nationwide, soil conservation was born of the 1930s Dust Bowl, which showed how devastating erosion can be. In response, the U.S. government formed the USDA Soil Conservation Service (now the National Resources Conservation Service), which encouraged methods like cover crops and no-till farming, where new crops are planted directly into the residue leftover from the previous year's harvest. The USDA continues to survey erosion nationwide and help land users design and implement erosion control systems.

"This small handful of in-field practicesreduced tillage, cover crops and nutrient managementare the heroes of multiple natural resource concerns," Gentry said. Together, they reduce erosion, improve water quality, enhance biodiversity and increase soil organic matter. "We're doing all of this with the same practice on the same acre."

Still, no-till acres represent just 21% of U.S. farmland, though combined with reduced-till, they outnumber intensively tilled acres. Cover crops, like Jeschke's cereal rye, are less prevalent, but the landscape is changing rapidly. In 2017, cover crops were grown on 3.4% of croplanda 50% increase since 2012, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture.

While the numbers are rising, they reflect the fact that adopting these techniques isn't simple. Besides financial barriers, farmers must learn to control weeds, manage new crops and balance the needs of the cover crop with their primary ones.

Satellite mapping of frequency of conservation tillage in the Corn Belt from 2005-2016, based on data from Azzari et al. 2019. Credit: Jillian Deines et al. 2019

Extreme rainfall associated with climate change in the Midwest presents another hurdle. Intense spring rains delay planting, lowering yields, and higher erosion rates follow delayed planting if summer thunderstorms hit fields before crops establish. Yet conservation methods can boost climate resiliency; healthy soil, for example, effectively filters and stores moisture.

Ultimately, Jeschke said, "the bottom line is the yield." In previous years, he planted the cereal rye by plane, releasing seeds as it flew over the field. But he never achieved much germination that way, and last year opted for the pricier method in which a specialized machine pushes seeds directly into the ground. This is the first season he has enough growth to even begin to assess how the cover crop fields perform against conventional ones.

Satellites provide big-picture insights. Stanford University postdoctoral researcher and NASA Harvest partner Jillian Deines used a combination of machine learning and data from Landsat, MODIS and ESA's Sentinel-1 to examine conservation tillage's impacts on yield across the Corn Belt. Between 2005 to 2017, she found long-term low-till fields experienced an average yield increase of 3.3% and 0.74% for corn and soybeans, respectively.

"Some farmers might see reduced tillage as something they want to try for soil health, but they're worried about hurting their yields," Deines said. "What we see is you can use these practices without hurting your yield in a way that's likely to matter to your bottom line, particularly since reduced-till also reduces fuel and labor costs."

Other researchers are building tools to support farmers with the transition and management. Kaiyu Guan, a University of Illinois professor and computational environmental scientist also working with NASA Harvest, built a model that marries Landsat, MODIS and ESA's Sentinel-2 observations to create a deep data record. Integrated with information on soil and weather, the model leverages a field's history to make informed decisions.

Guan likened the effort to medicine, where patients receive individualized prescriptions. "Satellite data helps us understand the field's conditions and history, and provide a customized 'prescription,'" he said.

Farmers must decide when to plant their fields and when to kill the cover crop, when to apply fertilizers and how much. Left to grow too long, cover crops compete with cash crops when they absorb nutrients or water. Guan's lab is developing complex models alongside field experiments to provide such recommendations to farmers.

Six months after it was planted, the grass' job was complete. Jeschke killed the crop in late May and planted soybeans into the green. Within a month, it faded to a blanket of golden straw. Not long after that, soybean leaves began to peer from beneath.

The plants appeared healthy: They were the same size as those planted in the fields without cover crops. "The results of the yield this fall will be the big determination as to how successful the practice will be for us this year," Jeschke said. "Time will tell."

Explore further Corn belt farmland has lost a third of its carbon-rich soil
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Crystallization studies conducted in space laboratories, which are costly and unaffordable for most research laboratories, showed the valuable effects of microgravity during the crystal growth process and the morphogenesis of materials. Now, a research study led by a scientific team of the University of Barcelona, has created an easy and efficient method to achieve experimentation conditions of microgravity on Earth that simulate those in space. The results were published in the journal Advanced Materials in an article highlighted on its front cover.

To get these simulated microgravity conditions, the researchers used custom-made microfluidic devices. These are instruments that use small quantities of fluids on a micro-chip to conduct laboratory tests. With these devices, the 2D porous crystalline molecular structures have been created (formed by one layer of atoms). According to Josep Puigmarti Luis, ICREA researcher at the Department of Physical Chemistry and member of the Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), "we confirmed that the experiments under these simulated microgravity conditions have unprecedented effects on the orientation, compactness and generation of 2D crystalline and porous materials."

To create this new system, the research team, which counts on the participation of members of the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), designed a microfluidic device which consists of two interlinked substrates with a fine silicone film with variable thicknesses (from 200 to m). The objective was to create a microfluidic environment of 6cm long and 1.5cm wide. One of the surfaces has two machine inlet ports that enable the complete filling of the microfluidic environment and prevent the appearance of air bubbles. The system enabled the growth of a 2D metalorganic framework prototype (MOF), which forms a millimetric layer without defects with conductivity properties that act at a long distance under environmental conditions. The research group used the light line NCD-SWEET from the ALBA Synchrotron to study crystallinity, structure and orientation of the created 2D material.

"The spatio-temporal control in the growth of this material obtained with the simulated microgravity conditions is unprecedented in the scientific literature. The microfluidic device has allowed us to develop centimeter-long thin layers and study the previously undescribed electronic properties of the material," explains Noemi Contreras Pereda, from ICN2.

To date, the obtained value with this new method had been achieved outside an inert atmosphere with pellets prepared under high pressures. "This new simulated microgravity system will be like a 'playground' for chemists, physicists, and materials scientists who want to process 2D functional devices and materials," concludes Contreras Pereda.

Explore further Research paves way for next-generation of crystalline material screening devices

More information: Noemi ContrerasPereda et al, Synthesis of 2D Porous Crystalline Materials in Simulated Microgravity, Advanced Materials (2021). Journal information: Advanced Materials Noemi ContrerasPereda et al, Synthesis of 2D Porous Crystalline Materials in Simulated Microgravity,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202101777
Oil and natural gas wells require concrete to seal the area between the well casing and the surrounding borehole, but because of the high temperatures and pressures at depth, it has been hard to study how these specialized cements harden. Now, a new method developed at MIT can help to fill in that missing knowledge. CC0:Public Domain

Researchers at the Stockholm Environment Institute (Somerville and Seattle, U.S.) and Earth Track, Inc. (Cambridge, MA, U.S.) examined 16 subsidies and environmental regulatory exemptions, providing one of the first estimates of how government subsidies will affect investment decisions for new gas fields in the coming decade. Their results are published on 29 July 2021 in the IOP Publishing journal, Environmental Research Letters.

Despite repeated pledges to phase out "inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies, the United Statesthe world's largest current oil and gas producercontinues to provide billions of dollars each year to the oil and gas industry through various support measures. The study not only looks at tax incentives, but it is one of the first of its kind to also account for the effects of regulatory exemptions that reduce the costs for hazardous waste and wastewater management for oil and gas producers.

"Besides two federal tax incentives that have existed since 1916, we were surprised to find that less widely recognized forms of government support can also be highly beneficial," said SEI Scientist Ploy Achakulwisut, a lead author of the paper. "The public ends up footing the bill for services like well closure and hazardous waste disposaldirectly with their tax money and indirectly with their health."

For their analysis, the study's authors developed a cash-flow model, using Rystad Energy's UCube database and their own assumptions regarding commodity prices. They then evaluated the effects of 16 subsidies and regulatory exemptions on the expected investment returns of thousands of oil- and gas-producing fields that are projected to be developed between 2020 and 2030.

The results show that, depending on future oil and gas prices and the minimum required rates of return, subsidies (including exemptions) either encourage more extraction than would otherwise be economically viable, or flow to excess profits. In the former instance, subsidies would help lock in higher greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increase air and water pollution and health risks. In the latter case, they would not be fulfilling their stated economic purpose.

For example: at 2019 oil and gas pricesor $64 per barrel of oil and $2.6 per mmbtu (million British Thermal Units) of gasonly 4% and 22% of new oil and gas resources would be subsidy-dependent. In this case, over 96% of subsidy value would flow directly to excess profits. This scenario assumes that investors require a 10% minimum rate of return, or "hurdle rate".

However, if oil and gas prices are as low as they were in 2020or $40 per barrel of oil and 2 per mmbtu of gasthen more than 60% of new oil and gas resources would depend on subsidies to be economically viable. This scenario assumes that investors would require a higher 20% hurdle rate, which may already be the case as risks increase for oil and gas investments.

The authors also examine the extent to which subsidies to fossil-fuel producers affect CO 2 emissions by depressing oil and gas market prices and incentivizing higher consumption. They estimate that, under a 10% hurdle rate, the subsidy-induced decrease in oil price could result in an additional 374 million barrels of oil being burned in 2030, adding 150 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions.

"In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, our results illustrate how different choices about economic recovery and tax reform can shape the US oil and gas industry and energy infrastructure in the years to come," said co-lead author and SEI Senior Scientist Peter Erickson. "In addition, fossil fuel subsidies can have symbolic effects, since their continued existence may be read by other nations as a sign that the US is not taking its commitments to subsidy reform, or to climate action, as seriously as it should be."

"Good governance requires transparency on who is receiving subsidies," added co-author Doug Koplow from Earth Track. "Our study helps to shine a light on the effects of subsidies on the expected returns of US oil and gas producers and their investment decision-making. The same methods could be applied to inform ongoing subsidy reform efforts in other countries." G7 governments continue to provide billions of dollars in subsidies each year.

Explore further Fossil fuel subsidies need global reform, say experts

More information: Ploy Achakulwisut et al, Effect of subsidies and regulatory exemptions on 20202030 oil and gas production and profits in the United States, Environmental Research Letters (2021). Journal information: Environmental Research Letters Ploy Achakulwisut et al, Effect of subsidies and regulatory exemptions on 20202030 oil and gas production and profits in the United States,(2021). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac0a10
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Primates who are more tolerant of each other use vocal communication more than their stricter counterparts, research from the University of York shows.

The study looked at how dominant primates behave towards those of lower status,with some demanding deference and punishing challenges from subordinates harshly (despotic), whilst others are more relaxed (tolerant).

Japanese macaques are an example of a despotic species in this study, while black howler monkeys are an example of a tolerant species.

Researchers say this characteristic called "dominance style" is an important factor in understanding the evolution of communication. They expected that tolerant primates would use more communication than despotic primates to achieve their goals or to maintain their dominant position, instead of using aggression.

Using behavioral data from 26 primate species, the researchers quantified dominance style for the first time in many of these species.

Lead author, Dr. Eithne Kavanagh a former Ph.D. student from the Department of Psychology said: "We found evidence that dominance style was related to vocal communication at both individual and species levels.

"Notably, we found that more despotic species had richer repertoires of hierarchy-related calls in their evolved vocal systems, but that individuals who were more tolerant of lower-ranking partners vocalized at a higher rate.

"This indicates that tolerance within a relationship may place pressure on the dominant partner to communicate more during social interactions."

The study concluded that overall, the findings suggested that the strictness of the dominance relationships of individuals and species provides important context for understanding primate vocal usage and evolution.

Partners in the research included Professor Katie Slocombe from the University of York, Dr. Adriano Lameira from University of Warwick and Dr. Sally Street from Durham University. This project was only possible with a great collaborative effort, with 64 primate researchers from 59 institutions working together to build the data set necessary to test these ideas.

The paper, "Dominance style is a key predictor of vocal use and evolution across non-human primates," is published in Royal Society Open Science.

Explore further Primate voice boxes are evolving at rapid pace

More information: Eithne Kavanagh et al, Dominance style is a key predictor of vocal use and evolution across nonhuman primates, Royal Society Open Science (2021). Journal information: Royal Society Open Science Eithne Kavanagh et al, Dominance style is a key predictor of vocal use and evolution across nonhuman primates,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210873
CeO 2 catalyzes the direct polymerization of flow CO 2 and diols to provide polycarbonate diols in high yields, which are useful chemicals for polyesters, polyurethanes, and acrylic resins. Credit: Osaka City University

By combining a CeO 2 catalyst with atmospheric carbon dioxide, researchers from Osaka City University, Tohoku University, and Nippon Steel Corporation have developed an effective catalytic process for the direct synthesis of polycarbonate diols without using dehydrating agents. Their method, published in Green Chemistry, does not rely on toxic chemical feedstock like phosgene and carbon monoxide, making it the world's first high yield "green" reaction system.

There is a worldwide need to reduce carbon dioxide, one of the major greenhouse gases, and converting it into a useful chemical compound has attracted much attention in recent years. Various effective catalyst systems have been developed but they rely on toxic chemicals that churn out unmanageable by-products. Processes using substrates that are easily available and safe, with water as the only by-product, have emerged as an alternative. Yet, high levels of water by-product keep these processes from synthesizing enough polycarbonates.

"Most processes use a dehydrating agent to keep water levels low to overcome an equilibrium," said Masazumi Tamura of the Osaka City University, "but some of the issues to address are the high pressure of carbon dioxide needed, the recovery and regeneration of the dehydrating agent, and contamination of by-products generated by its use."

To bypass these issues, the research team developed a catalytic process that does not use a dehydrating agent. By focusing on the difference in boiling points between the chemical product/diol and water, the research team predicted a high carbon fixation yield by blowing in CO 2 at atmospheric pressure to evaporate excess water.

"It became clear that among the metal oxide catalysts we used," stated Keiichi Tomishige of Tohoku University, "CeO 2 showed the highest activity." This simple catalytic reaction system is the first ever to successfully synthesize polycarbonate diols from carbon dioxide and diols at atmospheric pressure. "This process, without the need of dehydrating agents, can chemically convert carbon dioxide using any substrate with a boiling point sufficiently higher than water," concluded Kenji Nakao of Nippon Steel Corporation, "and can be applied to the synthesis of carbonates, carbamates, and ureas, which are useful additives for lithium-ion batteries and/or raw materials for polymer synthesis."

More information: Yu Gu et al, Direct synthesis of polycarbonate diols from atmospheric flow CO2 and diols without using dehydrating agents, Green Chemistry (2021). Journal information: Green Chemistry Yu Gu et al, Direct synthesis of polycarbonate diols from atmospheric flow CO2 and diols without using dehydrating agents,(2021). DOI: 10.1039/D1GC01172C

Provided by Osaka City University
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

New research has examined the factors that could lead to the collapse of global civilisation, with New Zealand identified as the country most resilient to future threats.

The study, carried out by Nick King and Professor Aled Jones of the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), focuses on "de-complexification"a widespread reversal of the trends of recent civilisation, potentially seeing the collapse of supply chains, international agreements and global financial structures.

Published in the journal Sustainability, the study explains how a combination of ecological destruction, limited resources, and population growth could trigger a reduction in the overall complexity of civilisation, with climate change serving as a "risk multiplier," exacerbating existing trends.

This could happen during a "long descent," over years or decades, or very rapidly, in the space of less than a year, with no warning of the coming disruption. The academics suggest that a hybrid of these might also occur, with a gradual initiation which then gains momentum through "feedback loops," leading to an abrupt collapse. The effects could spread quickly due to the increasing hyper-connectivity and interdependency of the globalized economy.

The study identified five countries with the most favorable starting conditions to survive a global collapse by examining self-sufficiency (energy and manufacturing infrastructure), carrying capacity (land available for arable farming and overall population) and isolation (distance from other large population centers which may be subject to displacement events).

It found that New Zealandalong with Iceland, the United Kingdom, Australia (specifically Tasmania) and Irelandwere the nations currently most suited to maintaining higher levels of societal, technological, and organizational complexity within their own borders if a global collapse were to happen.

All five are islands or island continents, with strong oceanic climatic influence. They currently have low temperature and precipitation variability and therefore have the greatest likelihood of relatively stable conditions continuing despite the effects of climate change.

New Zealand, Iceland, the UK, Australia (Tasmania) and Ireland were then qualitatively assessed for their individual, local-scale energy and agricultural characteristics. This identified New Zealand as having the greatest potential to survive relatively unscathed thanks to its ability to produce geothermal and hydroelectric energy, its abundant agricultural land, and its low population.

Iceland, Australia (Tasmania) and Ireland also have favorable characteristics, while the UK presents a more complex picture due to its complicated energy mix and high population density. Although the UK has generally fertile soils and varied agricultural output, it has low per capita availability of agricultural land, raising questions about future self-sufficiency.

Professor Aled Jones, Director of the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:

"Significant changes are possible in the coming years and decades. The impact of climate change, including increased frequency and intensity of drought and flooding, extreme temperatures, and greater population movement, could dictate the severity of these changes.

"As well as demonstrating which countries we believe are best suited to managing such a collapsewhich undoubtedly would be a profound, life-altering experienceour study aims to highlight actions to address the interlinked factors of climate change, agricultural capacity, domestic energy, manufacturing capacity, and the over-reliance on complexity, are necessary to improve the resilience of nations that do not have the most favorable starting conditions."

Explore further Overseas climate change could devastate U.K.

More information: Nick King et al, An Analysis of the Potential for the Formation of 'Nodes of Persisting Complexity', Sustainability (2021). Nick King et al, An Analysis of the Potential for the Formation of 'Nodes of Persisting Complexity',(2021). DOI: 10.3390/su13158161
GLENS FALLS  A 17th century oil sketch discovered in an upstate barn and created by the renowned Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyck is now on display at The Hyde Collection for a limited time.

The painting is a preparatory sketch for Van Dycks St. Jerome, which is currently on exhibit at a museum in the Netherlands. He was just 18 or 19 when the painting was completed, according to a news release.

The oil sketch was discovered in a barn in Kinderhook in 2002 and was later acquired by Albert B. Roberts, an art collector from Hudson. Roberts was convinced the work was special and began researching the piece over the course of several years.

After consulting several art historians, the panel was authenticated as a work by Van Dyck in March. Its unclear how the piece ended up in New York.

Im very happy that the Van Dyck sketch will be at one of my favorite museums, The Hyde Collection of Glens Falls, and that fellow New Yorkers will have the opportunity to see it, Roberts said in a statement.

The sketch, which will be returned to Europe at the end of the exhibit, was painted from a live model and focuses on the physical effects of aging on the male body, according to a news release.
The defendants had, in fact, conducted no such due diligence. They were instead endorsing ACNs business opportunity because they were being paid millions of dollars to do so  a fact that they deliberately failed to disclose," the appeals court said the lawsuit alleged.

The appeals court said the Trumps were not entitled to take advantage of agreements between the plaintiffs and ACN that disputes would be resolved by arbitration. ACN is not a defendant in the lawsuit.

In a statement, ACN said it has been in business for 28 years and operates in 27 countries, earning an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

ACN is not a political organization and is proud to welcome individuals from all walks of life. ACNs business relationship with Mr. Trump started and ended before his run for national office," the statement added. It is unfortunate that ACNs name and business have been impugned in connection with this politically-motivated and funded lawsuit. To be clear, ACN categorically denies the allegations made in the lawsuit against it and its business."

Lawyers for the Trump Corp., Trump, Donald J. Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Editor:

Support our police. I see these words on signs and flags as I drive through the North Country. I wonder what this statement means to people.

I listen with deep sadness to testimony by members of the Capitol Police Department and the Metropolitan Police Department to the House of Representatives committee investigating the violence that occurred at the Capitol Building on January 6, the day lawmakers were counting electoral college votes in order to declare a winner in the 2020 presidential election when former President Trump held a rally sending thousands of marchers to take our country back.

Through tears, the officers described the injuries they and their fellow officers incurred while protecting lawmakers and others from the violent mob. These injuries include severe beatings, choking and being sprayed in the face by chemicals including bear and wasp spray. The officers sustained concussions and traumatic brain injuries, chemical burns to face and eyes, lacerations, broken bones and emotional trauma from death threats.
Ahiarakwe said once the repairs are completed he expected the limit to be raised so buses could resume their routes.

It will (be inconvenient), but were trying to make it a very soft landing. Were going into the neighborhoods to talk to them (residents), he said.

Reached after the meeting, Sylvester Showell, president of the Westside Neighborhood Protective Association, said he was concerned about how the detours will work while both bridges  the Venice Lagoon bridge and the nearby Penrose Canal bridge  are under construction.

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The school kids would have to walk along Route 30. It was a hassle last time they had a detour, Showell said. So thats my main concern, how the kids are going to get to and from school.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a 3-ton weight limit on a bridge prohibits five common agricultural vehicles from crossing, anything from a small tractor to a tractor trailer.

Ahiarakwe said making immediate repairs to the bridge will save money in the long run because when the bridge goes under reconstruction, it can be done in stages.
DENNIS TOWNSHIP  While attorneys are still awaiting discovery from State Police in the case of a veteran preschool teacher facing charges of assaulting a 4-year-old student, they can begin to review school investigation records, a judge ruled Thursday.

Dennis Township teacher Dawn Stadler, of Upper Township, appeared via videoconference before municipal Judge James R. Birchmeier for a status update on her case.

Stadler was charged May 11 with simple assault after two classroom aides reported to Dennis Superintendent Susan Speirs that on March 9, they witnessed Stadler strike in the head a 4-year-old student with a developmental disability in retaliation for the student pushing her.

This month, Stadlers attorney, Robert Agre, filed a motion to review the schools investigatory records, which Birchmeier approved, and a second motion to review investigatory records held by the state Department of Children and Families Division of Child Protection and Permanency, which Birchmeier denied.

The judge said Agre could refile the motion at a later date if it becomes necessary to review the documents.

Dennis Township preschool teacher facing assault charges A Dennis Township preschool teacher is charged with simple assault after her colleagues repo

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He said it was too early as the attorneys had still not received discovery.
Atlantic Cape Community College was just starting to see enrollment increases after years of decline in 2019, with total enrollment up 2% over 2018.

"We were obviously negatively impacted by COVID. Nationally, community colleges went down by 11.8%. We were better than that, but we were down," said Atlantic Cape Vice President of Academic Affairs Josette Katz. "Right now, we're really concentrating on helping our students get back to a routine and focus their attention."

With offerings of tuition-free college to eligible students through the state's Community College Opportunity Grant, and loan forgiveness made possible through federal COVID-19 relief funds, as well as incentives such as a free laptop for students who register for six credits and three free credits for any registered student, Katz said Atlantic Cape is hopeful to have positive enrollment growth not only over 2020, but over 2019 as well.

At Stockton, the number of first-time students dropped by 8% from fall 2019 to fall 2020. The number of transfer students also dropped by 19% over that same time. Kesselman called it a blip.

I think what will happen, I think we'll be up on new students this year, he said.
ATLANTIC CITY  Students can earn both their bachelors degree and a masters in business in five years under a new agreement signed this week between Atlantic Cape Community College and Stockton University.

On Tuesday, Stockton President Harvey Kesselman and Atlantic Cape President Barbara Gaba met at the Atlantic City campus to sign the agreement for whats billed as a 2+3 program, where students earn their associate degree in two years at Atlantic Cape, complete their bachelors degree at Stockton in two years, then earn their MBA in one more year through Stocktons Accelerated Dual Degree Program for Business Majors.

Business Studies is the largest program at Stockton, Kesselman said. We are currently expanding our business programs and are thrilled to partner with Atlantic Cape on this opportunity to help their students earn an MBA in five years.

This is another great opportunity for area students to obtain higher education degrees without accumulating additional student debt, said Gaba. We are happy to partner with Stockton to offer this accelerated MBA program.
Cain emphasized they do not want to dissuade drivers from using the road, as the traffic is much needed for the small businesses on the route.

However, we need control and safety, he said. Ive seen drivers going over 60 mph.

As the mayor said, its a delicate balance, Dixon said. We dont want to make it so restrictive that it causes drivers to start using other roads less designed for added traffic.

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Cliff Melder has lived on Main Street for many years.

My wife walks every day and loves the new bridge, he said. Cars are going faster because the potholes on and near the bridge have been replaced with a newly paved surface.

"While it was much easier to pull out of our driveway when the bridge was closed, its nice to again hear the firetrucks going down our street. Our children, and now our grandchildren, always enjoy watching them go by.

Mike Frampus, owner of Frampys Beef Jerky on Main Street, is concerned about the speeders.

It is absolutely a problem, he said. I have also seen cars going 60 mph. I have three children who I often bring to the store with me, and I wont allow them to go outside.
We will share more about our plans in coming months, Smith-Ellis said. We dont have to spend it all at once. We hope to be prudent and use it over the course of time we have  until 2024.

New Jersey essential immigrant workers need an infusion of $1 billion in relief, said Jorge Torres of the National Day Labor Organizing Network. Essential immigrant workers kept working, many got sick and many died so New Jerseyans could stay home safe.

He said there are 165,000 undocumented immigrant parents and 127,000 undocumented children in the state, and they have received none of the federal payments others have received and have not been included in aid in the 2022 state budget.

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NJ sets aside $4 million for Wildwood boardwalk repair WILDWOOD, N.J., (AP)  New Jersey has set aside $4 million in its recently enacted budget fo

Henal Patel of the New Jersey Institute of Social Justice focused on increasing poll worker pay to $400 per day  about double the current rate at a cost of about $13.6 million for the general election.

She and Jesse Burns of the League of Women Voters also asked the state to use funds to purchase new voting machines for counties, do more to encourage voting by mail and improve the states Voter Registration System.
WWE NXT UK REPORT: DEVLIN/A-KID NEXT WEEK, SATOMURA STIRS THE POT, AND MORE

We are in London, England and your announcers are Andy Shepherd and Nigel McGuinness.

Match Number One: Jordan Devlin versus Tristan Archer

They lock up and Devlin with a side head lock. Devlin with a shoulder tackle and he gets a near fall. Devlin with a wrist lock and take down. Archer with a reversal and wrist lock take down but Devlin holds on to the wrist lock. Archer with a firemans carry but Devlin holds on to the wrist lock. Archer with a reversal and he finally gains an advantage. Devlin with a drop kick and forearm to Archer for a near fall.

Devlin chokes Archer in the ropes and then follows with a chop. Archer with forearms and knees. Devlin with a boot to the head. Devlin with a back elbow. Devlin works on the leg and connects with an elbow drop. Devlin with forearms and a back breaker from a belly-to-back set up. Archer with forearms and punches. Archer with an Irish whip but Devlin floats over and connects with a forearm and a European uppercut.

Devlin with a rear chin lock. Devlin with an elbow to the nose and then he works on Archers neck. Archer with punches and Devlin with a forearm. They go back and forth. Archer with a back elbow and clothesline. Archer with a slam and he goes for a back senton but Devlin gets his knees up. Archer sends Devlin to the apron and Archer with a knee lift in the ropes followed by a Codebreaker in the ropes for a near fall.

Archer goes for a Go 2 Sleep but Devlin blocks it and hits a head butt followed by Devlin Side for the three count.

Winner: Jordan Devlin

After the match, Jordan Devlin has a story to tell everyone. He says Johnny Saint called him into his office and he says that A-Kid wanted to face him in an Iron Man Match and Johnny says he sanctioned that match. Jordan says he told Johnny that is fine but A-Kids career is on the line. Jordan says if you let that little Spanish delinquent into the ring, then his career is on the line. There is not one match that is more suited to the Irish Ace than an Iron Man Match.

A-Kid makes his way out on crutches and Jordan calls him Tiny Tim.

Devlin says he is struggling to imagine what A-Kid is thinking by coming into the ring with him. He says if A-Kid gets in the ring with him, he wont have these crutches, as Devlin kicks one of the crutches away.

Devlin says there is not one thing between me and you and ending your career, as Devlin kicks the other crutch away. He tells A-Kid to think real hard before facing the franchise . . .

Devlin sees that A-Kid is standing without any problem and he stops talking.

A-Kid with a forearm to Devlin and more forearms. A-Kid with more forearms and a German suplex and drop kick. A-Kid clotheslines Devlin over the top rope and then he swings the crutch at Devlin and misses.

A-Kid says you thought you could get away with this and injure me. You failed. I am fully recovered. Next week, you will have 30 minutes to fail again.

We go to Jinny who says she will expose Aoife Valkyrie for the weak, fragile, little girl you are and you will not survive.

Aoife Valkyrie says she is here to be the best and she has watched and learned all there is to know about Jinny. I dont think you are ready to take off your high heels.

Jinny says she will be the one truly destroys you.

Valkyrie says you pick a fight when the odds are in your favor, and you have picked on the wrong person.

We have a video package for the announcement of WALTER versus Ilja Dragunov at Takeover.

WALTER says enough of the talk and he will come to the point. He tells Ilja when I step in this ring at Takeover, I do it for the greater good and the love he has for this great sport. You walk in this ring because you are jealous and not in my position. At Takeover, I will expose you. One thing will never change . . . me being the NXT UK champion.

We go to commercial.

We are back in the womens locker room from earlier this week and NXT UK Womens Champion Meiko Satomura enters.

Meiko says as your champion she says as your champion, she wants everyone to try to challenge her like Amale did.

They all start to argue and get in everyones face. Satomura smiles and leaves the room.

Stevie Turner will face Aleah James tonight.

Match Number Two: Aoife Valkyrie versus Jinny (with Joseph Conners)

They lock up and Valkyrie with an arm bar into a wrist lock. Valkyrie with an uppercut to the arm and she takes Jinny to the mat. Jinny with a reversal and snap mare but Valkyrie holds on to the wrist lock. Jinny with a head scissors and Valkyrie escapes. Valkyrie with a leg trip but Jinny with a kick. Valkyrie floats over and then gets a near fall with a sunset flip.

Valkyrie with another rollup for a near fall. Jinny with a forearm to the back and she avoids the spinning heel kick from Valkyrie. Conners gets on the apron and the distraction allows Jinny to connect with a forearm to the back. Jinny with a side head lock and take down. Jinny with a shoulder tackle. Valkyrie with a leg sweep and Conners shakes the ropes when Valkyrie goes for a springboard move and Valkyrie falls to the mat.

Jinny with kicks while Conners has some words for Valkyrie. Jinny with a snap mare and she hyper-extends the arm by falling back to the mat. Jinny with an arm wringer for a near fall. Jinny with a surfboard Valkyrie with a kick to the chest followed by a head butt to the midsection. Valkyrie with a hip toss for a near fall.

Valkyrie with a rollup for a near fall and then she goes for a bridge but Jinny grabs the hair. Jinny with a rocking chair and she kicks Valkyrie in the back. Valkyrie with a reversal and Jinny gets to the ropes. Jinny with a kick but Valkyrie with a forearm. Jinny with a knee and she slaps Valkyrie. Valkyrie slaps back and she kicks Jinny in the leg.

Valkyrie with clotheslines and a kick. Valkyrie gets Jinny on her shoulders but Jinny gets to her feet and connects with a forearm to the lower back. Valkyrie with a spinning heel kick and she gets a near fall. Valkyrie with an enzuigiri and Valkyrie goes up top but Conners gets on the apron and Valkyrie leaps over Jinny. Valkyrie with an enzuigiri.

Conners gets on the apron again and Valkyrie knocks Conners off the apron. Jinny with a forearm to the back followed by a rolling kick for the three count.

Winner: Jinny

We go to a Joe Coffey and Rampage Brown video package. Joe says they each have one victory and that nothing will make him happier than knocking you out. Joe says he has had hundreds of kilograms on his back time after time. He wants to find out who is truly the best. At the end of the day, I will be taking care of business because it is my kingdom.

We go to commercial.

We are back and A-Kid is asked for comments about next weeks Iron Man match and how is he feeling. A-Kid says he is very confident. He says he will make history next week by winning the first Iron Man Match on the brand.

Match Number Three: Aleah James versus Stevie Turner

They lock up and Turner with a wrist lock. James tries to reverse the hold but Turner holds on. James with a reversal. Turner with a snap mare and a reverse chin lock. James with a wrist lock and Turner with a snap mare and she goes for a head lock but James with a wrist lock. Turner with a side head lock. James with a handstand to escape and a matrix into a rollup for a near fall. James with a drop kick.

Turner pulls James down by the hair and she kicks James. Turner with kicks. Turner with back elbows in the corner and then she runs James face across the rope. Turner with a face wash but she misses a boot and James with a rollup. Turner with a bicycle kick for a near fall. James with a kick but Turner kicks back. James with a jaw breaker and a running forearm or two. James with a drop kick. James with a springboard cross body for a near fall. Turner kicks James away and she sends James into the turnbuckles. Turner with a kick to the back and an elevated elbow drop. Turner with a springboard flatliner for the three count.

Winner: Stevie Turner

We take a look at Dave Mastiff and Jack Starz at the Performance Centre and they are asked about their upcoming tag match. Jack says he is showing Dave what it is like to be fast. Jack avoids Dave until Dave knocks Jack down with a shoulder tackle. He says that Jack is pretty quick, but Dave says he is immovable and that will make them great.

We go to commercial.

We are back and next week we will have the Iron Man Match between Jordan Devlin and A-Kid.

Match Number Four: Primate and T-Bone (with Eddie Dennis) versus Tyler Bate and Trent Seven

Primate and T-Bone attack Seven and Bate before the bell rings. Bate pulls out nunchuks and that sends T-Bone and Primate to the floor.

The referee regains control and starts the match.

Seven and T-Bone start things off and T-Bone with a kick to the midsection followed by a forearm. Seven is sent into the turnbuckles but Seven with a kick and chops. T-Bone with a side head lock and shoulder tackle. T-Bone with a kick and Seven with a cross body. Seven with a slam and leg drop for a near fall. Bate tags in and Seven with an accordion slam. Bate with a senton off the turnbuckles and Sevens shoulders for a near fall.

Bate with a side head lock and punch. Seven tags back in and Seven with an arm bar. Dennis grabs Sevens ankle and Primate makes the tag. T-Bone with a hot shot and then he holds Seven on the top rope and Primate with a splash to the back. Primate with a punch and Seven goes down to his knees. Primate with a forearm to the lower back. Seven is sent into the turnbuckles and T-Bone tags in.

T-Bone with a knee to the midsection. T-Bone with a hard Irish whip. Seven with punches and kicks to T-Bone and Primate but T-Bone grabs Seven and sends him to the mat. Primate tags in and connects with forearms when T-Bone catapults Seven to Primate. Primate with an elbow drop for a near fall. Seven with a kick and Primate kicks Seven. Primate with a forearm to the back and T-Bone tags in. They send Seven into the turnbuckles and then to the mat.

T-Bone gets a near fall. T-Bone with a back breaker for a near fall. T-Bone with a rear chin lock. Seven with chops and a drop kick to the knee. Primate distracts the referee and Seven with an enzuigiri. Dennis pulls Bate off the apron as Seven gets to the corner. Bate with a shot to Dennis. Seven with a chop to the leg and a DDT. Bate makes the tag and he connects with punches to Primate. Bate with a knee lift and he goes to the turnbuckles for a corkscrew uppercut. Bate with a running European uppercut and then he catches Primate and hits an exploder.

Bate with a jab to Primate followed by a shooting star press for a near fall. Bate gets Primate up and he gives Primate an airplane spin. T-Bone tries to interfere and Bate uses Primate to kick T-Bone. Bate tosses Primate to T-Bone and follows with a drop kick to Primate and T-Bone. Seven sends Primate back into the ring and Bate with a kick and he hits Tyler Driver 97 but T-Bone breaks up the cover. T-Bone makes the tag. Bate with a knee lift and he goes to the turnbuckles but T-Bone catches Bate off the turnbuckles and hits a German suplex.

T-Bone with a running power slam and Primate tags in. T-Bone with a shoulder tackle to send Seven to the floor. Primate with a diving head butt off the turnbuckles for a near fall. Bate is sent to the apron and Bate chokes Primate in the ropes. Seven and T-Bone fight in the ring and the referee deals with them while Dennis comes over and hits Splash Mountain into the tingside barrier.

T-Bone tags in and Primate with a pop up power bomb and T-Bone with a splash for a near fall that is broken up by Seven. Primate sends Seven to the floor. Primate tags back in and Bate leaps over Primate and hits a double rebound clothesline. Seven tags in and Bate with a plancha onto Dennis and T-Bone. Seven with a Seven Star Lariat for a near fall. Tyler tags in and Seven gets Primate up and Bate with a knee off the turnbuckles while Seven hits the Burning Hammer for the three count.

Winners: Trent Seven and Tyler Bate

After the match, Dennis is in shock at the result.

While Bate and Seven celebrate on the turnbuckles, NXT UK Tag Team Champions Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley make their way to ringside to applaud Trent and Tylers effort.

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It is our goal to educate children all year. We hope we dont run into those periods of high transmission and spread of COVID-19, like which impacted us the last year and a half, Lawrence said. The goal is to work with you to ensure our children stay in school all year.

He told forum attendees the district is adhering to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health. The CDC on Tuesday updated its guidelines, calling for universal masking in schools. Additionally, Lawrence said, further guidance from the state may be soon forthcoming as the governors office often will make announcements Friday afternoons.

Lawrence reminded families that guidance on COVID-19 mitigations continues to be fluid and he urged patience. He said the district would continue monitoring metrics and would make adjustments to its safety plans as needed.

We ask all our families, just be flexible and work with us as we get all of our students back in school five days per week full-time, he said.

Some parents Wednesday wanted more information about how lunch times will work at the elementary level. Lawrence said students would be distanced as much as possible and students would resume mask-wearing when not eating.
Most Texas lawmakers have other jobs where they make their real money. But for much of their staff, a state salary is how they pay their bills.

Some members of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus have pledged to cover their staffers' salaries themselves. And while Republicans have been less vocal as a group about their staff salaries, the potential pinch has not gone unnoticed.

"The implications to the operations of the House are significant, Republican Rep. William Metcalf, who chairs the Committee on House Administration, said in a memo this week.

Beyond payroll, the memo said, Abbott's veto means staff will be responsible for fully funding their own health insurance. Leases and phone lines for lawmakers' district offices will be canceled. And cleaning and disinfection services for the House Chamber will stop as COVID-19 infection and hospital rates are rising again in Texas and much of the U.S.

For now, Rodriguez will carry on. On a recent workday, his wife and 15-moth-old daughter joined him on the 70-mile trip from their home in San Antonio to his office at the Capitol in Austin. At one point he held the toddler on one side and a phone on the other, speaking softly on a work call as his wife set up a crib. He likes to keep them nearby  a family unit that appreciates the value of hard work and public service.
The U.S. ignored the facts, deliberately smeared China, interfered in Chinas internal affairs and sowed discords among regional countries with the aim of serving its own geopolitical interest," Zhao said at a regular news briefing. "We admonish the U.S. side not to make an issue about China at every turn and do more for the benefit of peace and stability in the region.

Austin is scheduled to meet his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, on Thursday morning. He leaves for the Philippines on Friday.

Vietnam and the Philippines are among China's fiercest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has ignored its neighbors' protests and has constructed several islands equipped with airstrips and military installations. Vietnam has previously accused China of obstructing its gas exploration activities off its southern shores.

Austin's visit comes as Vietnam is in the grip of a coronavirus surge, with Hanoi and half of the country in lockdown.

The U.S has donated 5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, part of the 80 million doses that Biden pledged to lower-income nations around the world.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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As many as 40,000 Commonwealth Edison customers lost power in the Chicago area overnight when severe thunderstorms moved through the northwest suburbs with winds as strong as 75 mph beginning around 2:10 a.m., according to a spokesman for the utility and the National Weather Service.

By 8:30 a.m., John Schoen, a ComEd spokesman, said crews had gotten to about half the calls, with power already restored to some 20,000 customers. The main damage from the storm system, most of which hit north of the Wisconsin border, was downed tree limbs and power lines, according to meteorologists.

Forecasters Wednesday had warned of the possibility of a derecho in the Chicago area overnight but the city and suburbs seem to have been widely spared significant damage from severe weather that rolled through.

Among the damage reports the weather service compiled overnight were:
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Prospects for federal support are uncertain given partisan gridlock in the U.S. Senate, but we also cant rush headlong into what might be a mistake, Cunningham said.

But from the companys perspective, any help from Washington wouldnt come in time to preserve the plants. Byron, near Rockford, is slated for closure in September, with Dresden, in Grundy County, to follow in November.

State Sen. Sue Rezin, a Morris Republican whose district is home to Exelons Dresden and Braidwood nuclear plants, said residents in her district are on edge about the potential plant closures and lawmakers need to act with urgency.

For the people who think that this is a bluff, this is not a bluff, Rezin said. This is very real, and youre playing with peoples livelihoods here.

Some lawmakers at the negotiating table faulted Exelon for using what they see as pressure tactics while all the parties work through complex energy issues.
Matnat Chaim, a nongovernmental organization in Jerusalem, coordinated the exchange, said the group's chief executive, Sharona Sherman.

The case of the Gaza boy was complicated. To speed up the process, his father, who was not a match for his son, was told by the hospital that if he were to donate a kidney to an Israeli recipient, the boy would "immediately go to the top of the list," Sherman said.

On the same day his son received a new kidney, the father donated one of his own  to a 25-year-old Israeli mother of two.

In some countries, reciprocity is not permitted because it raises the question of whether the donor has been coerced. The whole ethic of organ donation is based on the principle that the donors should give of their own free will and get nothing in return.

In Israel, the father's donation is seen as an incentive to increase the pool of donors.

For Segal, the gift that had sparked such conflict in her family accomplished more than she hoped. Her kidney has helped save the boy's life, generated a second donation and established new links between members of perpetually warring groups in one of the world's most intractable conflicts. She said she visited the boy on the eve of his surgery and maintains contact with his parents.
Handicapped Development Center (HDC) Enterprises will be featured on Manufacturing Marvels, a two-minute segment on the Fox Business Network, at 9 p.m. Aug. 12.

HDC Enterprises, located in Davenport, employs people with disabilities in part-time assembly and packaging work for local companies, including John Deere, Little Trees and Springfield Armory.

Producers for Manufacturing Marvels, which spotlights North American manufacturers, called Jeff Ashcraft, president and CEO of HDC, to schedule a visit to its facilities after they found the HDC through online research.

Ashcraft said the large audience of the Fox Business Network would help to expand HDC Enterprises outreach.

If it brings more business to us, that's a win, Ashcraft said. If it brings more advocacy on behalf of the people that we are here to serve, that's a win. Anything that it can do to help promote what we do here is a win in my book.

HDC Enterprises aims to supply workers with disabilities with the skills they need to financially support themselves and potentially work in mainstream assembly and packaging factories.

Ashcraft said workers took pride in their skills that they developed at the facility.
Pat Bereskin, owner of Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, knows that art has the ability to take us away to a different place and transform our mood.

She has built the next exhibition at her gallery around the theme of Golden Light: Summer of New Beginnings. It opens July 30 and continues through Aug. 26 at the gallery at 2967 State St., Bettendorf.

The public is invited to an opening reception on Friday, Aug. 6, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Bereskin said the pieces from the 10 artists in the exhibition reflect expressions of hope and light.

Artists whose works will be featured, in addition to Pat Bereskin, are Larry Jon Davis, Rose Moore, Pat Halverson, Dean Kuegler, Debora Stewart, Hans Olson, Brad Bisbey, Steve Sinner and Troy Swangstu. The artists and their works have received wide acclaim and are well-known to patrons of the gallery.

I had a day where I was trying to do too much  a bit stressed you could say, Bereskin remembered. She opened an email from artist Larry Jon Davis telling her what he was working on.

The image stopped me dead in my tracks and gave me such a sense of peace and calm, she said. I took a deep breath and let the image wash over me. It was a total restart to my day.
Efforts to demolish the old Rock Island County courthouse remain stalled as the county works to complete a lengthy regulatory process required by the Illinois State Agency Historic Resources Preservation Act.

Meanwhile, Rock Island County has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees fighting preservationists in order to raze the building.

According to documents, the county has paid $212,000 to Bozeman, Neighbour, Patton & Noe, the legal firm hired to defend it against efforts by preservationists to save the historic building, 210 15th St., Rock Island.

"Legal counsel has been in communication with Illinois DNR," Rock Island County Board Chairman Richard Brunk said. "At this point, I'm hopeful that the consultation process will be wrapping up in the near future, which will allow the county to move forward with plans for the (courthouse) site."

Brunk said nothing could be done at this point to stop demolition.

"I would be surprised if we are looking at too much further out," he said. "I think all the questions have been answered, and we are to the point where I would anticipate (demolition) would be sooner rather than later."
Federal prosecutors resolved the MS-13 cases fairly, said veteran Columbus defense attorney Diane Menashe, who represented Aguilar-Rivera and noted he took responsibility for his actions.

The gang culture of MS-13 is far deadlier than U.S. gangs, with neither membership nor leaving the group an option, Menashe said Thursday.

The trauma that they lived through that caused them to come here, literally, its nothing like Id ever seen before, Menashe said. And nothing like gang culture within this country.

That background does not excuse the defendants' behavior, said Brian Martinez, an assistant U.S. attorney involved in the investigation. Most people fleeing Central American poverty and violence who come to the U.S. don't make the choices these individuals did, he said.

Nothing that ever happened to these individuals excuses the conduct to which they admitted in this case, Martinez said. And it is particularly insulting for them to bring to this community the very violence from which they claim to be escaping.

Across the country, federal authorities have brought multiple charges against MS-13 members in recent years.
Now, there no longer needs to be alternative theories about what might've happened. On Saturday at Calvary Cemetery in Elma, Mulick was reinterred after about 80 years away from his hometown.

Closure

"My wife and myself will be there. And our families. And were just looking forward to the closure. Its going to be a nice thing," Adams said.

Unfortunately Mary won't see her brother finally laid to rest. Adams said that she died several years back. As did Mulick's brother, Bob, who also tried to find out as much as he could about John and served in the military as well. In fact, he enlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

"They didnt know anything except that he was MIA, and that fired Bob up enough that he enlisted," Adams said.

Adams and his cousins, Maureen and Theresa Gaffey, had a hand in helping to confirm Mulick's identity, which started the process for his reinternment.

According to Adams, he got ahold of the Department of the Navy and asked them for a DNA kit. He then sent in a sample that he said was relevant in determining a match for Mulick's body. "They did that by his teeth," he said.
It is quite noticeable to my wife and I that it is more dangerous driving and walking in our city at times, with speeding, cars driving through red lights, shots fired incidents and car thefts. With a little investigating it turns out we are down over 20 police officers in our city. Evidently, three are getting hired, possibly even over this past week.

Our leaders are working to fill the positions, even offering a sizeable bonus, yet they are not getting a lot of applicants. Based on the national discussion and tension right now, it is not surprising that the City of Davenport may be struggling to get positions on the police force. It is not surprising that we now in our community feel it is more unsafe. Because, yes, we are more unsafe. It should make us all full of admiration for those police officers that we do have that are willing to still serve our community.

It should help us all understand even more that if the police do not feel we as citizens support them, then their job becomes much more difficult. I would bet this trend will continue until we as citizens work harder together to help our police feel more valued and appreciated. It is up to us.

Gary Thrapp

Davenport

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Spearfish city employees are celebrating safety successes following the implementation of an updated safety program in 2019.

Today marks 900 days without a lost-time accident, Tyler Ehnes, safety coordinator, said July 21.

Ehnes said so far in 2021, there have been seven minor workers compensation claims, compared to approximately 36 a year during the three years prior to the implementation of the updated program.

The safety program states, The City of Spearfish and its employees will integrate occupational safety and health practices into all activities and related operations, planning, and decision making to achieve superior health and safety performance. Simply stated: Safe operation is our only standard.

Ehnes said about a month ago, Safety Benefits, the third-party that works for the South Dakota Public Assurance Alliance, which provides insurance coverage to public entities, conducted its annual inspection of the citys facilities/operations. The inspector asked if he could take Spearfish's safety documents, including its safety manual and checklists back to Safety Benefits in order to share them with other municipalities in South Dakota.

Weve been knocking it out of the park, which is something to celebrate, Ehnes said.
The Deadwoods Days of 76 rodeo, honored in 2020 as the PRCA Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year, becoming the first rodeo in history to be honored as the Small, Medium and Large outdoor rodeos of the year, kicked off the 99th rendition of the historic rodeo on Monday.

Barrel racing slack kicked off the six-day run on Monday with Molly Otto establishing the time to beat with a 16.58-second spin through the cloverleaf. And on Tuesday, Texan Scott Snedecor claimed the first event title of this years event roping and tipping three steers in 34.8-seconds to win the steer roping title.

In Wednesday nights first of the five PRCA performances that run through Saturday evening, Oklahoma bareback rider Will Martin opened the proceedings with a nice spurring, 83.5-point ride aboard Burch Rodeos Fire Fly. Martin, a two-time national college champion, bested a talented field that included four NFR qualifiers.
Staff and inmates at South Dakota prisons are no longer required to wear masks following an order from Gov. Kristi Noem lifting the requirement.

The Republican governor's move, made after a meeting with prison staff Friday, comes as virus cases have seen a recent uptick and defies a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that masks still be worn in facilities like prisons where large numbers of people are in close proximity to each other. Among neighboring states, South Dakota is the only one to lift a mask requirement in prisons, the Argus Leader reported

Noem's move was spurred by a meeting she had with employees at the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls. They cheered when she told them they could remove their masks. The governor was at the prison to respond to an ongoing human resources investigation into complaints of low employee morale, shorthanded prison staff, and insufficient tactical gear for corrections officers.

Noem's spokesman Ian Fury told the Argus Leader the governor would have made the move even sooner if she was aware of the Department of Corrections policy. He said it was common sense given the rate of virus cases and would help boost employee morale.

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The revised proposals from the US Department of Education still advocate critical race theory in all but name, Noem said in a statement. We are the Mount Rushmore State, home to our nations greatest monument to our history. And we take the study of American history seriously. Our classrooms are meant for education, not indoctrination, and that is how we will continue to operate in South Dakota.

Critical race theory is a framework for understanding systemic racism and how it pervades American society. It began as an academic movement in the 1960s to examine U.S. law's intersection with race but has since expanded to other academic circles. The main tenet of CRT is that racism is embedded in every American institution, which are used to create and maintain racial inequality.

Noem's order says that the 1619 Project and the work of Kendi are "infused with factual errors" such as the idea that the nation was founded in 1619 with the first slave ship entering the American colonies rather than with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The federal grants, she continues, have "open-ended and vague requirements" that evaluate potential grant-receiving programs on the basis of an interpretation of American history that she views as antithetical to American principles.

The state DOE is currently in the process of developing its own new curriculum for history and civics, as well as its own set of pilot grants to strengthen history and civics education in the state.

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Representative Rosendale voted against a bill to support the translators of the Afghan war. These Afghan translators took great risks of their lives to help our troops that fought in the Afghan war. If the United States does not help these translators to get out of Afghanistan they will be hunted down and killed. The United States asked for help in Afghanistan and promised they will be taken care of when the war ends.

During the Vietnam War, our country helped the people that helped us during that war. The U.S. helped move them to Guam to be vetted and apply for citizenship. The same situation happened in the Iraq War, but we did not do a proficient job of protecting the people that helped our troops. Our effort was late and many Iraqis died because of the delay.

Only 12 representatives, all Republicans, voted against this bill and our Matt Rosendale was one of the dirty dozen.

So Rep. Rosendale did not want to support the Capitol police that protected him from the rioters. He went against a holiday for Juneteenth in memory of the bloodshed that happened in Tulsa. He went against removing a bust of a racist judge in the Capitol building.

Now he does not want to support people risking their lives, to help our troops during the Afghan War.
Tesla, whose CEO is tech industry tycoon Elon Musk, has contended that no franchise dealers can profitably operate under its direct-to-consumer, fixed-price business model in a manner consistent with the public interest.

The Virginia Automobile Dealers Association, a trade group for independent dealers, had opposed Teslas previous attempts to open its own stores in the state, including one that opened at 9850 W. Broad St. in western Henrico in 2017.

The trade group did not formally oppose Teslas application for the latest planned stores, but two dealerships in the Charlottesville area did notify the DMV that they believed they could own and operate a Tesla franchise.

In his decision, Holcomb said evidence presented at a hearing in March indicated that the two dealerships in Charlottesville region would need to change Teslas business model in order to sell its cars profitably.

Holcomb also said members of the public and public officials, in the Charlottesville, Arlington and Norfolk areas have expressed support for the Tesla stores.

Much of that support revolves around the fact that Teslas business model is unique and outside the traditional model of motor vehicle dealerships in Virginia, Holcomb wrote in the decision.
But therein lies the problem with Jungle Cruise: Youd rather think about the references and extra-textual meanings of all the moving parts than the on-screen action itself, which is as muddled as the bottom of the Amazon River. The macro plot is fairly simple and a familiar one, wherein an adventurer sets out to find a precious item in the deepest jungle which may or may not be the stuff of legend. But all the stuff around this plot is just too busy.

The adventurer at hand is Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt), who is, of course, plucky, scrappy and radical because she wears pants . With her fastidious brother MacGregor (the films MVP Jack Whitehall) in tow, she hires Frank (Johnson), through a series of absurd mishaps, to take them up the river in search of the Tears of the Moon flower, which can heal anything, and also has the aforementioned German prince in hot pursuit, for vaguely World War I reasons.

There are too many capers, high jinks, antics and escapades at play in Jungle Cruise, and it all starts to feel rather harried, with little modulation in tone and dynamic. Its so manic at times that none of the choreographed action sequences has any suspense or heft.
Setting the hyperbole aside, the crime for which Ms. Sowell is to be sentenced was a serious crime and, recognizing the seriousness of the conspiracy and her part in it, the defendants position is that 51 months is sufficient to recognize the gravity of the crime for which she is to be sentenced, Donner argued.

The U.S. attorneys office said Sowell was suspended without pay from the Postal Service after her arrest and that the determination of her employment status would be made after her sentencing. Authorities did not identify Sowells post office.

Three other people involved are identified in court records only as co-conspirators 1, 2 and 3. In pleading guilty, Sowell admitted that from August 2019 to August 2020, she distributed 10 packages and that she was paid $500 each time.

Authorities said she identified addresses where the co-conspirators could ship the packages  including her home  and that after they were shipped she would remove the parcels containing the cocaine from the postal stream and deliver them to Co-Conspirator #1 and Co-Conspirator #2.
As COVID-19 cases rise and vaccinations lag, the College of William & Mary is changing course and accelerating its vaccine requirement.

In May, the university had announced it wouldnt require its students and employees to be vaccinated until one of the shots received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

On Thursday, William & Mary changed direction, saying it will now require students and staff to have their first shot by Aug. 10.

The decision comes as the number of coronavirus cases in Virginia is increasing. The seven-day moving average of cases has risen every day since mid-June, when there was an average of 140 cases in the state. That figure rose to 603 last week.

The number of vaccines administered in the state has declined since early April. In Virginia, 60% of residents have received at least one shot, and 54% are fully vaccinated.

There have been more than 20,000 cases at four-year colleges in Virginia since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a Times-Dispatch survey of school-reported figures.

The rise of the delta variant and an effort to protect immunocompromised people and unvaccinated children helped drive the universitys change of direction, it said in a statement.
Chesterfield County is gearing up for redrawing its five magisterial districts in the coming months.

County Attorney Jeffrey Mincks brought the countys Board of Supervisors up to date with the local redistricting process during a Wednesday afternoon work session.

After Chesterfield receives 2020 U.S. census data by Aug. 16, which will include in-depth demographic statistics, the county will begin the redistricting process among its five districts: Bermuda, Clover Hill, Dale, Matoaca and Midlothian.

The county is required by law to change the boundaries of its five districts once a decade, with the modifications based upon population size. Chesterfield also needs to establish voting precincts every decade.

Mincks said several requirements must be followed when reconfiguring magisterial districts, including that they roughly resemble either a circle or square; have equal populations between districts, with less than a 5% deviation between each; and have clear boundaries, such as streets and rivers.

Clover Hill is expected to see the least growth, followed by Midlothian, meaning both districts will need to gain some territory, Mincks said. The average district population size is 68,710 residents, according to Mincks presentation.
The utter lack of competition involved here is very likely to have driven up the price, Martin said in his statement. Certainly the $1.8 million included a substantial profit to the contractor. Taking a profit ... in a transaction with a government entity is not, however, criminal.

Martin said its still debatable whether Stoneys administration violated procurement rules or the states recently amended law on war memorials, which allowed localities to take them down effective July 1, 2020.

City officials argued that it hurried the removal of the statues in July because of a state of emergency, as protesters had toppled several other monuments in June.

The city began taking down the statues July 1 without a vote by the City Council, which is required under the state law.
A New Zealand man who was shot and wounded by the mother of a Goochland County girl, after the man showed up at the familys home in 2018, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to production of child pornography.

Troy George Skinner, 28, faces a sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced Feb. 11 by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. His unusual conditional plea allows him to appeal his First and Fifth Amendment challenges to the charges which Lauck ruled against earlier.

Should he win before a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the case would go back to district court for retrial. Skinner also reserved the right to challenge his sentence.

Skinner, a burly man with close-cropped dark hair wearing a dark blue jail jump suit, told Lauck he was under the care of the jail psychiatrist where he is being held and taking medication.

His lawyer, Laura Jill Koenig, told Lauck that Skinner has a long history of psychiatric care in New Zealand that has included hospitalization. The psychiatric problem is the result of trauma he has suffered, Koenig said without elaboration.
Virginia could set aside up to $1 billion in uncommitted federal aid as the General Assembly prepares to decide next week how to handle the $4.3 billion the state received under the American Rescue Plan Act.

The budget that Gov. Ralph Northam will propose would leave $800 million of the federal funds uncommitted, after rolling out plans to spend about $3.5 billion over the next 3 years.

Its the responsible thing to do, Secretary of Finance Joe Flores said Thursday.

House and Senate budget leaders say they want to push that number to $1 billion as a hedge against an uncertain recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic going into a potentially perilous fall and winter.

We dont have to spend it all right now, House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, said on Thursday.

The money can be spent through the end of 2024  six months after the end of the two-year budget that the assembly will adopt early next year.

We have plenty of time to appropriate those resources, Torian said. We dont need to do it all in one fell swoop.
The CDC on Tuesday walked back earlier guidance that said vaccinated Americans could opt out of wearing masks in most settings. Now, the CDC says that even those who are vaccinated should resume wearing masks inside indoor public spaces if their localities are reporting more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, or if the seven-day positivity rate is higher than 8%.

That includes most localities in the state, including all localities in the Richmond area, with the exception of Powhatan County, according to the CDCs COVID-19 data tracker.

The CDC urged local and state health officials to examine its figures weekly and adjust local restrictions accordingly.

The Northam administration, which controls public restrictions in the state, has declined to impose new requirements on Virginians, and will instead encourage people broadly to wear masks indoors.

A Northam administration official said the CDCs new guidance would be confusing and practically impossible to enforce. The fast-changing local COVID-19 data could leave local health officials and businesses operating under new rules from one week to the next, and under different rules from one local county line to another.
You bet, Youngkin said. In fact, were already working on it. He added: We are absolutely focused on not just getting our state income tax down, but how can we in fact eliminate it?

Small businesses

As for the states federal relief funding, Youngkin is proposing a $2.7 billion expenditure to shield small businesses from state taxes, fund universal broadband, boost cybersecurity infrastructure and provide matching funds to localities for critical environmental projects.

The plan proposes funneling $1.3 billion into the Virginia Unemployment Insurance Fund to protect businesses from an expected increase in payroll taxes. That increase is a product of the large drain on the states unemployment insurance fund that stemmed from the pandemic.

This week, Northam pledged to deposit $862 million in the Virginia Unemployment Trust Fund to avoid a potential fourfold increase in payroll taxes for employers to restore the depleted fund after a record 1.6 million unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Youngkin is also proposing a 12-month tax holiday for businesses with fewer than 50 employees and less than $250,000 in income.
Chief Grinch might be U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who tweeted about the new CDC guidance: Hell no. This is politics, not science. Thats absurd.

U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the House minority leader, claimed the masking guidance was conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in perpetual pandemic state.

Hes such a moron, reporters heard House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., say as she was getting into a car.

So, now, conscientious Americans are helping protect the reckless. Fully vaccinated people need to mask up again indoors in areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates, per the CDC. These include many counties in Virginia.

While 80% of those infected with the delta variant are unvaccinated, vaccinated people rarely become infected as well, and their viral load is similar to the unvaccinated, meaning both the unvaccinated and the vaccinated can spread the variant.

The delta variant is showing every day its willingness to outsmart us and be an opportunist, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday in a briefing. This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendations.
In public spaces across Virginia, various forms of messaging have urged people to take caution amid the spread of COVID-19.

Prior to the development of vaccines, markers were placed on the floor of offices, telling people to Stop the spread. Stay six feet apart. Signs were put in the windows of retail stores saying, No mask. No entry.

What would it take to make these symbols of a public health crisis disappear? On May 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its mask guidance, confident the widespread availability of vaccines would do the trick.

Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy.
Cocktails to go OK

in post-pandemic times

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Cocktails to go are a practical reaction by restaurants to consumer demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Legislatures across the country legalized the practice to provide critical support to businesses while maintaining public safety guidelines.

Regardless of whether the purchase of alcohol is made by a 21-year-old college student at home, in a grocery store or from a restaurant, all state laws pertaining to alcohol still apply  meaning every single one of these purchases requires the buyer to show proper identification. No alcohol can be legally sold to anyone without purchasers verifying they are of legal drinking age.

Just as with ID verification, all laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol while operating a vehicle remain in place.

Cocktails to go, specifically, are intended for home consumption. Virginia requires these products be placed in sealed, secured containers to prevent opening while in transit. Both third-party delivery companies and the local restaurants and bars that use them must follow strict guidelines to prevent illegal use of alcohol.
Northam pushes efforts

to attract business, jobs

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Michael Watson, in his recent op-ed in the RTD on Virginias selection as CNBCs Top State for Business, asserts that Virginias policymakers will boast about this selection." Indeed, all Virginians should be proud that again we were selected best state in which to do business. Watson noted, the only selection that really matters is where employers choose to invest. I agree. He then says that a simple web search for economic announcements will demonstrate just how poorly we fare. Thats plain wrong.

Since Gov. Ralph Northam took office, Virginia has attracted $45.2 billion in new private capital investment and more than 90,000 well-paying jobs. To put that into perspective, this level of capital investment is three times higher than any previous governor achieved full term. Everyone knows about Amazons HQ2 project in Arlington County, but there have been numerous economic development projects throughout the commonwealth. To date, the Northam administration has announced 809 projects around the state, 264 of which will provide more than 20,000 jobs and more than $7 billion in capital investment to distressed communities.
We want to be as competitive as possible and offer an enticing package to all of our employees to attract the best talent to come work for us, he said.

Early in the year, Quonce said it was much harder to attract new employees, but as vaccines have become widely available and the fear of being infected is dissipating, interest has slowly risen.

Operations have not been significantly impacted by the reduced staff, but Quonce said the hotel would like to expand hours at its Regency Room restaurant and needs more people to do so.

Were so excited to see the hotel industry coming back to life, but at the same time it goes into that whole hiring situation where weve got to get the team back in, he said.

An employee market

Though the majority of Mac and Bobs employees who were laid off when the restaurant closed during the pandemic have since returned, co-owner Bob Rotanz said it has been difficult to fill vacancies, which include not only servers but also a couple of cooks, as one recently left for a new job and another for training as a welder.

Its definitely the most challenging time in my 40 years as far as getting people to apply for jobs, Rotanz said.
Keegan Jacko

Country covers and originals, including Night Lights (youtu.be/Yd9SAh0Gf04) from this act.

Details: 9:45 p.m. each night. Sidewinders Steak House and Saloon, Roanoke. $10 each night. 904-2777, sidewindersaloon.com, facebook.com/keeganjackomusic

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Sinkland Farms Sunflower Festival

With The Worx (Friday), LP Kelly and the Streetsweepers (Saturday) , Howlin Mudbellies (Sunday)

Christiansburg rural venue celebrates the pretty giant flower on 8 acres, with 175,000 sunflowers in 20 varieties, plus live music, over three weekends.

Details: Noon Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday, noon Sunday. Sinkland Farms, 3020 Riner Road, Christiansburg. $10; $8 ages 2-10; $9 seniors, military and first responders; free 2-younger. sinklandfarms.com/sunflower-festival-about, theworxband.com

SATURDAY

Reggae By The River

With Sol Roots, Lazy Man Dub Band
Some 64 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Roanoke City and Alleghany Heath Districts on Wednesday, according to director Dr. Cynthia Morrow.

That single-day total accounts for more than a quarter of the 230 infections logged in the region during the past seven days, and Morrow said in her weekly update that the figure represents an ongoing rise in local totals. The districts had been averaging about 75 new cases per week over the previous two months.

Morrows announcement came one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended universal masking in K-12 schools, and for fully vaccinated people to wear masks in indoor public spaces in areas with substantial to high rates of transmission. Thats defined by the CDC as having between 50 and more than 100 infections per 100,000 people; its a bar that most Virginia localities currently meet.

I think all of us are waiting to hear how Virginia is going to interpret the most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Morrow said, calling it an ongoing discussion.

In my conversations with the superintendents, I know that they are all truly invested in doing whats best for their communities, she said.
A counselor at a pain management and addiction clinic in Western Virginia has pleaded guilty to illegally distributing prescription medication.

Charles Wilson Adams of Dobson, North Carolina, worked for L5 Medical Holdings, which has locations in Christiansburg, Galax and Lynchburg, according to federal authorities.

At a hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon, Adams admitted that he and other non-medical professionals controlled the treatment of patients, including prescribing them pain medications and Suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Adams chose to use his position to assist in the illegal distribution of powerful opioids rather than their use for legitimate medical purposes, thus causing additional harm to the community, Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar said in the release.

It was not clear if Adams, 50, still works for L5 Medical Holdings. A call to a clinic official was not returned Thursday. Efforts to reach his attorneys were also unsuccessful.
Mims said he does not yet have any specific plans but has an interest in teaching. He said he has been an adjunct professor at the George Mason University School of Law, now the Antonin Scalia Law School, and the Appalachian School of Law, as well as a guest lecturer to undergraduate and law school classes.

He added that he will be at Christopher Newport University regularly this fall at the invitation of the Wason Center for Civic Leadership.

If eligible, he said he would appreciate continuing to serve on the Supreme Court as a senior justice who would be voted upon each year by the court. There is a maximum of five senior justices on the court and there are currently three.

Not all retired justices are eligible. Affiliation with a law firm or holding a position involving fundraising are among the things that can rule out eligibility, he said.

In April 2010, Mims was sworn in as Virginias 100th justice and only the second one to have previously served in the General Assembly and as Virginias attorney general.

Mims represented Loudoun County in the House and the Senate before leaving the legislature in 2006 to become chief deputy attorney general under then-Attorney General Bob McDonnell.
CRNAs skills and training also put CRNAs at the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. CRNAs and SRNAs stepped forward in ways that few advance practice nurses can, particularly in airway and ventilation management and advanced patient assessment. Not only were CRNAs in Virginia leading ICU intubation teams, but many other CRNAs voluntarily deployed to New York and New Jersey to help colleagues in need. CRNAs in Virginia heard the call to action, and we responded both at home and afar.

CRNAs are qualified to make decisions regarding all aspects of anesthesia care based on their education, licensure, and certification. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government and several governors across the country have made the important decision to remove cumbersome barriers to CRNA practice. Recognizing the critical care skills and airway and ventilatory support we bring in combating this crisis has helped increase the capacity of our healthcare delivery system, meeting the growing demand. As our country recovers from this historic time, it is important to maintain this commonsense approach to improved access and reduced cost.
We are asking the Virginia General Assembly to assist the people of Southwest Virginia with the existing health care crisis.

The crisis was ongoing prior to the pandemic and now has been worsened by the COVID-19 virus.

The federal government has sent $4.4 billion to Virginia to help cope with a broad range of health needs, including COVID-19 and many other dire health problems so prevalent in Southwest Virginia.

The Health Wagon desperately needs financial support to continue healthcare delivery and expand much needed healthcare services to vulnerable patients.

We are respectfully asking for a small share to accomplish three main things which will strengthen healthcare access to Southwest Virginia residents.

First, to help operate, supply and staff a new free-standing dental clinic in Wise. The Health Wagon will, on its own, raise $1.2 million to build the clinic, but we need operating and supply help for two dentists, a dental hygienist, dental assistant, as well as supplies, personal protective equipment and more.

Southwest Virginia is now a dental desert: in wealthier areas, one dentist typically serves a population of 700 people. In one of our counties, there is only one dentist available for a population of 14,000.
So whats the priority for the commission: Keeping the 9th District rural, even if that means drawing some strange lines? Or keeping the lines simple and changing the districts rural nature by giving it even more of the Roanoke Valley?

2. If the 9th District avoids the Roanoke Valley, where should it grow? At that point there are only two options  loop around Roanoke to the north and take in some of the Shenandoah Valley. Or push east into Southside.

3. Should the Roanoke Valley and the New River Valley be in the same congressional district? They increasingly function as overlapping economic units. In the state legislature, one state Senate district includes Roanoke and Blacksburg. Should they share the same member of Congress?

If the answer is yes, there are two ways to accomplish that. One is to subsume the Roanoke Valley into the 9th, with the consequences described above. The other would be to carve the the New River Valley out of the 9th altogether, and use the Roanoke and New River valleys as the core of a new district that might go to  well who knows?

This might produce a logical economic unit at the center of that new district, but it would force the New River Valley-less 9th District to expand even more dramatically, almost certainly into Southside.
Mr. DOAN DINH HOANG, a consultant on marketing strategy and branding, spoke with Saigon Investment about many important issues that businesses are currently facing and have to tackle in the future.

JOURNALIST: - Sir, what solutions do businesses need to immediately apply to be able to survive this fourth wave of the pandemic, without having to suffer for the next few months?

Mr. DOAN DINH HOANG: - It is an obvious fact that we all have to find ways to live with the ongoing pandemic, and not just deal with it in the short term. Across the world, countries that have been vaccinated to achieve herd immunity are still at risk because of new strains of coronavirus, so we are no exception.

Therefore, we have to accept a new normal way of life, and so do all businesses if they want to survive. This means that we all have to adapt and live in harmony together. In the short term, businesses will still have to struggle on a day to day basis, and face continual and unexpected risks. Now it is imperative that all businesses must have access to vaccines for their workers and staff. Currently, businesses in Vietnam are waiting for State regulations on vaccines, while some foreign businesses are proactively sourcing vaccines by themselves.

In the medium and long term, enterprises must think about restructuring and moving strongly towards the digital platform to prevent risks such as in the supply chain network. In fact, in the previous waves of the pandemic, there were businesses already moving towards a digital transformation, but this time the need is for a larger digital transformation of many businesses, which should be accompanied with more determination.

However, digital transformation will be a big challenge, especially for SMEs. First, they need more capital, because investing in infrastructure for digitization requires a lot of money. Companies that do large-chain digitization need a budget of upto millions of dollars. In addition, it is necessary to resolve the human resource problem as well. For example, in the education sector, teachers are qualified people, but when switching to online teaching, many of these teachers have not kept up with technology. This shows that the role of people in operating the digital platform is very important.

- Sir, in your opinion, when switching towards an online business model, what are the most important factors that businesses should pay attention to?

- Basically, online sales have a different operating structure from the traditional model, forcing businesses to make changes that cannot be maintained in the traditional way. It is being seen that some businesses have already made the necessary preparations, such as the retail industry. Manufacturing businesses that have not yet organized their own distribution network must get used to it when switching to a digital platform, and they need to pay attention to factors such as branding, which must be characterized by an online interactive platform. This must have newer, faster communication techniques, and greater than the role of influencers to interact with customers.

When I worked as a consultant for businesses, I realized that many businesses have well prepared themselves, but they want to build a more complete and effective website. Of course, it's a bit late to prepare at this point but better late than never. Businesses need to be prepared to go along with the pandemic in the long term, and not just deal with it for a few months or in a specific situation.

In addition, when doing business online, you also need to understand that the cost for the online segment is as high as the offline segment. There are many people who think that switching to online sales will not cost much for staff or rental of premises. In fact, selling online also costs a lot to run an effective platform. One must not think that when moving to an online platform, profits will be better. We need to anticipate profits and pitfalls and have appropriate investment.

The cost of selling online is not cheap, so when the market stabilizes again, the offline segment could restart and then it is a question whether online selling will be abandoned or not. In my opinion, online and offline selling will both run side-by-side from now on. This is also the reason why the term multi-channel selling is being mentioned a lot nowadays. One of the barriers to traditional selling is the failure to measure customer response, but with the multi-channel platform, this barrier is resolved easily with instant communication. In addition, online business will be a tool to bring goods without borders, which offline businesses cannot do without lengthy procedures and documentations.

Currently, not only businesses, but individuals also are taking advantage of the online business platform very well, especially during the ongoing pandemic. Even farmers are selling goods online on e-commerce platforms. More recently, in Ho Chi Minh City where many traditional markets have been closed, there have been proposals to support small businesses by selling on e-commerce channels. It is being seen that each individual needs to be proactive when going for digital transformation and learn how to adapt to the new normal.

- Sir, the shift towards an online business model in the context of social distancing in the current pandemic conditions originates from the needs of the consumer. Will consumer behavior change in the online segment after the pandemic is finally over?

- To be able to understand this very clearly, it is necessary to look at the e-commerce platforms such as Tiki and Lazada. So far they have not made a profit, but they still continue to pour capital and receive capital to promote the online shopping habits of consumers. Similarly, businesses that are more active on the online platform will contribute to changing the behavior and habits of buyers. Once these habits have been formed, consumers will find it very difficult to change or drop these habits.

In fact, at any time in any crisis situation there always emerges an opportunity to cease upon. Likewise, with this pandemic, if we look at it more positively, we will see that the pandemic is actually making businesses and consumers better able to adapt and change for the better. In the future, we can look forward to healthier businesses and a better economy.

- Thank you very much.

Thanh Dung (interviewer)
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CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers.
She cared for me, not a COVID patient. While caring for me, she took the time to talk with me about my circumstances at home. She wasnt rushed even though I could tell that she was busy. She didnt make little of my concerns. She offered suggestions on how my family could help, and then she helped me understand how important it was to take care of myself. She prayed with me and was genuinely concerned.

She explained the treatment, what to expect, when to come back to the hospital and what to look for at home with my child and family. She set my heart and mind at ease. I went home and began to recover quickly. My family took the suggestions April provided, and everyone pitched in to help. I often thought of April and how much she gave me through a simple infusion.

I saw on social media that April was one of several to receive the challenge coin from the South Carolina National Guard. When I saw this, I realized she must have touched so many people. People who have their own story that is equally as important. I knew that I had to let you know how special this nurse is.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Florence-Darlington Technical College has narrowed its search for a new president to three finalists.

Irvin Clark is the vice president for economic development for Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC), a public two-year technical college outside Atlanta.

James Dire has served 16 years in college administration. Eight of those years were at private institutions in North Carolina and Illinois. He most recently was the chancellor at Methodist College, a health science college, in Peoria, Illinois.

Jermaine Ford is the vice president for workforce and economic development at South Louisiana Community College in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The Florence-Darlington County Commission for Technical Education has called meetings that will be held at 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday in the executive board room of the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology Center on the FDTC campus. The agenda calls for executive session/review of finalists for the presidency.

Ed Bethea has served as Florence-Darlington Techs interim president since Ben Dillard retired in March 2018 after serving as president for five years. Bethea now is retiring.
COLUMBIA, S.C.  A second South Carolina elected official has joined the fight over a Mississippi law that would ban abortions 15 weeks after conception with exceptions for medical emergency or severe abnormalities.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is leading a coalition of 12 governors in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization.

The governors joining McMaster in the brief are Kay Ivey of Alabama, Doug Ducey of Arizona, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Brad Little of Idaho, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Michael L. Parson of Missouri, Greg Gianforte of Montana, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Greg Abbott of Texas.

There is no fight more important than the fight for life, McMaster said in a media advisory. That is why South Carolina has stood tall and fought for life at every turn and will continue to do so until the lives of the unborn are protected once and for all. Todays action is another step closer to overturning Roe v. Wade and securing the precious gift of life for an untold number of children.
TIMMONSVILLE, S.C.  Members of the Florence Four Board of Trustees are filing a complaint with the United States Department of Justice.

Gary Burgess, spokesman for the board, said Wednesday evening in an email that the board was in the process of filing a complaint over the South Carolina Department of Educations cancellation of an election for three seats on the board.

Burgess also provided copy of a letter from board Chairwoman Lillie Mae Joe asking Gov. Henry McMaster to hold a special election. In that letter, Joe says she was told by the South Carolina Election Commissions Chris Whitmire that the only statutory way for the special elections to be ordered is through an order from the governor.

Regardless of whether the elections are held, the board would have no power. The budget proviso that South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman used to declare a state of emergency authorizes her and the Department of Education to assume management responsibilities for the district.

The three seats were scheduled to be up for election in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election.
 CCJ releases June 2021 update on "Pandemic, Social Unrest, and Crime in U.S. Cities." | Main | Federal judges expressing some concern about lenient plea deals for some Capitol riot defendants 

July 29, 2021

BJS releases notable new recidivism data for 2012-released state prisons

The Bureau of Justice Statistics released this notable new report about the recidivism rates over five years for a set of state prisoners released in 2012. The full title of the 34-page report is "Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 34 States in 2012: A 5-Year Follow-Up Period (20122017)." Here is the introduction and "Highlights" from the first page of the report:

Among state prisoners released in 2012 across 34 states, 62% were arrested within 3 years, and 71% were arrested within 5 years. Among prisoners released in 2012 across 21 states with available data on persons returned to prison, 39% had either a parole or probation violation or an arrest for a new offense within 3 years that led to imprisonment, and 46% had a parole or probation violation or an arrest within 5 years that led to imprisonment. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) used prisoner records from the National Corrections Reporting Program and criminal history data to analyze the post-release offending patterns of former prisoners both within and outside of the state where they were imprisoned. This study randomly sampled about 92,100 released prisoners to represent the approximately 408,300 state prisoners released across 34 states in 2012. These 34 states were responsible for 79% of all persons released from state prisons that year nationwide. HIGHLIGHTS About 6 in 10 (62%) prisoners released across 34 states in 2012 were arrested within 3 years, and 7 in 10 (71%) were arrested within 5 years. 

Nearly half (46%) of prisoners released in 2012 returned to prison within 5 years for a parole or probation violation or a new sentence. 

Eleven percent of prisoners released in 2012 were arrested within 5 years outside of the state that released them. 

Eighty-one percent of prisoners age 24 or younger at release in 2012 were arrested within 5 years of release, compared to 74% of those ages 25 to 39 and 61% of those age 40 or older. 

During the 5-year follow-up period, an estimated 1.1 million arrests occurred among the approximately 408,300 prisoners released in 2012. 

Sixty-two percent of drug offenders released from prison in 2012 were arrested for a nondrug crime within 5 years. 

The annual arrest percentage of prisoners released in 2012 declined from 37% in Year 1 to 26% in Year 5.  Of prisoners released in the 19 states in the 2005, 2008, and 2012 recidivism studies, the percentage arrested within 5 years declined from 77% of 2005 releases, to 75% of 2008 releases, to 71% of 2012 releases.

July 29, 2021 at 02:05 PM | Permalink

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MACUNGIE, Pa. (AP)  President Joe Biden checked out the big rigs at a Pennsylvania truck factory on Wednesday and promised workers that his policies would reshape the U.S economy for the working class  a message clearly aimed at a group of voters who have drifted to Republicans.
She said she has no regrets about getting the vaccine or complaints about its effectiveness. She said she knows that her symptoms could have been much worse if she hadnt received the shots.

Bryant also recognizes that no vaccine is 100% effective. A couple of years ago, she got influenza, despite being vaccinated against flu every year.

On Monday, feeling a little under the weather but not suspecting COVID-19, she visited her 96-year-old father at his assisted living center.

Later, she developed fatigue, body aches and other symptoms. By Friday, she was feeling better but still had coldlike symptoms  a congested head, tiredness and a bit of a runny nose.

She remains concerned about her father contracting the virus. But he is vaccinated, and the center where he lives requires residents and visitors to mask during visits, which they did.

Hopefully, that was enough, she said.
You may want to reference The African Queen when you talk about Jungle Cruise but, really, its more like Pirates of the Caribbean.
In its news release last week, Endo said the settlement involving two of its subsidiaries will include no admission of wrongdoing, fault or liability of any kind by Endo, and the settlement value should not be extrapolated to any other opioid-related cases or claims.

Stranch said he expects that all the local governments involved  nine counties and 18 cities and towns in northeast Tennessee  will have signed on by early next week, and the money will start flowing out to communities within a week of that.

He said the money for the child born dependent on opioids, nicknamed Baby Doe, will be deducted and put in a trust fund, and legal fees and expenses will also be taken out. The counties will each receive a lump sum big enough to fund a mobile addiction unit with the remainder divided among the counties by population, Stranch said. The counties can use the money however they want, he said.

Endo, which has a U.S. headquarters in Pennsylvania, is the last remaining active corporate defendant in the 2017 lawsuit after Mallinckrodt and Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy. The plaintiffs sued for $2.4 billion. The judge, Sullivan County Circuit Court Chancellor E.G. Moody, wrote that they have expert testimony that supports that amount.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Congress has overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.
One of those critics was her predecessor, Will Humble. He worked under Republican Gov. Jan Brewer and left two months into Ducey's first term.

I hope we dont get someone who sees their job as working for the governor, said Humble, who leads the Arizona Public Health Association. Then you will be getting somebody unwilling to push back and consider the ramifications of the coming decisions.

During his tenure, Humble wasn't always in sync with Brewer's office but that wasn't unusual.

State health officials work for the people of Arizona. Yes, they report to the governor but they work for us, Humble said.

Pam Kehaly, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona president and CEO, said in a statement that Christ will work in the areas of medical policy and provider relations. She described Christ, who she collaborated with at mass vaccination sites, as someone known for thinking big, approaching health strategically, and leveraging the best of medicine and science.

Christ's departure comes as Arizona reported 1,361 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths on Wednesday. The state, like others in the U.S., is seeing another surge in coronavirus cases, but the newest numbers are a slight drop from figures documented over the past week.
Former Republican Secretary of State Ken Bennett, the Senate's unpaid liaison to Logan and the audit contractors, was the only audit leader with substantial experience in elections. His departure threatened to further erode the legitimacy of the unprecedented partisan post-election review.

Bennett was banned from the building where the audit is taking place because he gave data to outside election experts without informing the Senate leader or Logan. He said he wouldn't put his name behind the audit without full access.

Its the audit that belongs to the people of Arizona, and if Im going to put my credibility on the line that its something that they can trust and believe in, I cant be locked out until the last moment, Bennett told conservative radio host James Harris on KFYI-AM.

Bennett later said in a text message that he'd reached an agreement with Fann, the Senate president, to stay on but did not release details.

The audit has come under fire from election experts who say Cyber Ninjas and other contractors are biased and using unusual procedures that won't produce reliable results.

The county Board of Supervisors met privately Wednesday to discuss a new subpoena issued by the Senate this week for materials related to the election. Afterward, Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican, said the board discussed various options with our legal counsel and will take the coming days to do our research.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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A primary change in the new law allows the state to hire private contractors to kill wolves and provides more money for state officials to hire the contractors. The law also expands killing methods to include trapping and snaring wolves on a single hunting tag, using night-vision equipment, chasing wolves on snowmobiles and ATVs and shooting them from helicopters. It also authorizes year-round wolf trapping on private property.

The state Department of Fish and Game reported in February that the wolf population has held at about 1,500 the past two years. The numbers were derived in part by using remote cameras.

About 500 wolves have been killed in the state in each of the last two years by hunters, trappers and state and federal authorities carrying out wolf control measures.

Wildlife authorities in Montana, following new laws, have been looking at changes such as increasing the number of wolves an individual can hunt to between five and 10. A decision is expected in August.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  Four jobless South Carolinians have sued Gov. Henry McMaster over his decision to exit the federal unemployment programs providing extra money to jobless residents earlier this summer.

The residents said in a lawsuit filed in state court Wednesday that they are still struggling to make ends meet and have been unable to find work despite extensive job searches. The unemployed workers are asking a judge to order state officials to rejoin the coronavirus pandemic assistance programs that provide additional federal funds to the jobless.

The suit alleges McMaster exceeded his authority when he ordered the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce to exit the programs June 30, about two months before the extra benefits were set to end. The workforce agency estimated jobless South Carolinians would lose out on about $585.3 million in additional federal benefits.
FRANKFORT, Ky (AP)  State employees will be required to wear masks indoors starting Thursday regardless of their vaccination status, Gov. Andy Beshear announced amid a new surge in COVID-19 cases.

The governor also said Wednesday that visitors to state buildings in Kentucky also must wear masks.

Listen, I didnt want to have to go back to this, Beshear said in a video posted to social media. Nobody wants to have to go back to this, but at the same time we pledge to protect one another, to be there for the people of our commonwealth.

The new surge in cases and hospitalizations has revived masking recommendations on both the state and national level.

We hope that this is temporary, I truly believe it is, Beshear added.

On Monday, the Democratic governor urged schools to require mask-wearing indoors in an effort to avoid quarantines that prevent children from in-person learning.

He noted then that he hadn't yet ruled out imposing a mandate depending on the conditions on the ground, but insisted that local school leaders would follow the recommendations for the safety of their students and staff.
Of the 79,226 Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses wasted in Louisiana, nearly 17,000 simply weren't used before their expiration date, according to the Health Department. More than 48,000 were wasted because the vials were opened but hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and other providers couldn't find someone to take the doses, the data shows. The remaining doses were lost to power outages, storage problems, mishandling and other problems.

Neel said some rural health care providers in particular are having difficulty distributing the doses because one vial of vaccine can contain as many as two dozen doses that must be used within a short time before they spoil.

In a few instances, we are beginning to see that the increase in Moderna doses per vial from 10 to 14 is being reported by providers as a factor for increased loss, she said.

The silver lining to the delta variant and Louisiana's fourth surge of the pandemic is that it appears to be renewing interest in the COVID-19 vaccine. First doses of the shot grew 40% two weeks ago and then grew another 87% last week, according to Health Department data.

Still, Louisiana has a long way to go to reach the vaccination rates of many other states.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  There were cheers and screams and happy tears for one of their own, and unending delight for what many saw as an Only in America story.
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP)  A Virginia judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by faith-based conservative groups challenging guidelines on the treatment of transgender students in public schools, ruling that the group lacked standing.

Lynchburg Circuit Court Judge J. Frederick Watson, who dismissed the suit Tuesday, questioned whether suggested policies would actually affect the groups that filed the lawsuit, news outlets report.

At the General Assemblys direction, the Department of Education created model policies that are inclusive of transgender and nonbinary students. All school districts must adopt policies consistent with or more comprehensive than the model policies. They include allowing students to use school bathrooms and locker rooms that conform to their gender identity and allowing students to use pronouns and a name that reflects their gender identity.

Christian Action Network, a faith-based organization, and two families whose children attend Lynchburg public schools filed a motion seeking to have the guidelines postponed. The lawsuit was merged with one filed by the Family Foundation, Founding Freedoms Law Center, and a family whose children attend public schools in Hanover County. The lawsuit argued that the model policies violate parental child-rearing rights and student rights to freely exercise their religion.
Anita Wells, an activist who helps fellow Nicaraguans on their way to the U.S. and recent arrivals, said she is overwhelmed with work.

We have tons of people, of young men, in detention centers. Some are hurt, some are former political prisoners, and still, some of them are not allowed in (the U.S.), she said from her home in Virginia.

Wells is one of the founders of Abuelas Unidas por Nicaragua (Grandmothers United for Nicaragua), a group that raises and sends money to Nicaraguans in need. She is also one of the founders of the Nicaraguan American Human Rights Alliance, which has increasing work because it assists with asylum applications and tries to avoid the expulsion of Nicaraguans at the border.

Like Reyes Picado, Jose Olivera also fled Nicaragua, leaving behind a wife and two children.

A sales executive in an appliances company based in the north of Nicaragua, Olivera took buses and walked towards the U.S. border in May after being fired for not accepting an ID card indicating support for the official political party, the Frente Sandinista.

Government officials would knock on his door insisting he accept the card, and soon the threats started, he said.
And it alleges that Lincoln Public Schools was negligent for allowing the production to go forward knowing that it was not properly lit and that another student had fallen earlier that day.

Friedman said about 15 minutes before Lincoln East's play was to begin, LPS faculty learned that a girl had fallen off the stage in an earlier performance. She wasn't hurt and "tried to play if off as part of the production," Friedman said.

A faculty member also discovered that the glow tape used to mark the edge of the stage wasn't lighting up. Students used flashlights to quickly try to put down new glow tape, he said.

Friedman said before the play started, students from Lincoln East asked whether they should use the thrust extension in their play.

"LPS students were simply told to be careful by LPS faculty," the attorney said.

During a scene in the one-act play, "Rumors of Polar Bears," Strauss was pretending to be unconscious as another student carried him to another part of the stage.

The actor was meant to carry Strauss out of a spotlight, which lit the main part of the stage. But they both fell and were taken to the North Platte hospital with injuries.
Our students should learn Americas true history by studying both our triumphs and our mistakes, she said in a statement. "Only then will students learn that America remains the shining example of exceptionalism throughout the history of the world.

Before the U.S. Department of Education changed the guidelines, Noem's Education Secretary Tiffany Sanderson had criticized the proposed guidelines and said that she had not planned to apply for the grants. South Dakotas Legislature had also instructed her not to apply.

The U.S. Department of Education's finalized application notice, published this month, encourages curricula that reflect the diversity, identities, histories, contributions, and experiences of all students and creates inclusive, supportive, and identity-safe learning environments.

President Joe Biden's Education Secretary Miguel Cardona had explained in a blog run by the department that the grants would not come with specific strings attached. He wrote that the program was aimed at promoting a more active, engaged society," but added, This program, however, has not, does not, and will not dictate or recommend specific curriculum be introduced or taught in classrooms. Those decisions are  and will continue to be  made at the local level.

South Dakota lawmakers plan next month to consider instructing the state's public universities to refrain from applying for federal grants for history or civics teaching.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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TOKYO (AP)  As Olympics host Tokyo saw another record number of coronavirus cases Wednesday, Japans vaccination minister said the speed of the countrys inoculation campaign is less urgent than getting shots to young adults, whom some health experts are blaming for the current surge in infections.
Maisie Williams is thinking of going back to school.

The 24-year-old actress - who was just 12 when she signed up to play Arya Stark in 'Game of Thrones' - is "mortified" that she never got to complete her education but is considering doing a course in languages now she's old enough to choose to focus only on subjects that she enjoys.

Asked how she finished her education, she said: I didnt. Im mortified, absolutely mortified...theres still time

'Table Manners' host Jessie Ware then asked if Maisie would go back to school and she replied: "Ive been thinking about this recently. While I was in France last year, I was taking loads of French lessons and I loved it and I loved learning again and I feel like I was so traumatised from school that I thought that I didnt enjoy learning but actually I do.

"Especially now that Im in a lucky enough position that I can do one-on-one education in any subject that I wanted. I have been thinking that, hmm, I dont know, but it would be languages you know. I love languages.

"[I can only speak] French really. And maybe Japanese, but I can only say, like, two phrases."
"There could not have been a more fitting tribute to dad," said Tom Bedell, son of Berkley Bedell. "There's not a project around the Iowa Great Lakes that doesn't have dad's fingerprint on it somewhere. When he was here, there were very few mornings when he didn't get up early and wade out on one of the points or go out in his fishing boat. It was common for people to get up and have their morning coffee and see Berk out on their lake shore casting his fly-rod."

The Pier at the time was in the middle of a $1 million-plus renovation and enhancement, the work of the group Imagine Iowa Great Lakes and donors. A new decorative fountain with mosaic tiles and three stainless steel sails was added to the Pier, along with a new stainless steel railing with LED lighting and new decorative granite pavers with the names of people who gave money to the preservation efforts at Arnolds Park.

A flurry of letters, written by the likes of Sen. Chuck Grassley, retired Sen. Tom Harkin, Richter and others, were sent to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in support of the renaming.

"In his 98 years on God's green earth Berkley strived to set a good example for everyone who crosses his path. I encourage the state of Iowa to make this Pier an example of servant leadership and conservation by naming it after Berkley Bedell," Sen. Grassley's letter read in part.
Flasher arrested

Almost three months after it happened, a Sioux City man was in connection with an incident in which he allegedly exposed himself while on a porch.

Steven S. Demey, 49, of Sioux City, was arrested July 23 on a charge of harassment and booked into the Woodbury County jail on $750 bond.

According to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed July 22, around April 25, Demey was on his front porch "when he dropped his pants" and exposed himself to a victim and her children, who were in front of a nearby residence. The victim found the incident alarming.

A warrant for Demey's arrest was issued and served July 23.

It all began with the tinted windows

A Sioux City man is facing multiple misdemeanor and felony charges after he allegedly assaulted a state trooper during a traffic stop and search of his vehicle, which yielded controlled substances and a loaded pistol stolen two years ago.
Theres no Republican or Democratic way to pick up the garbage, goes a famous quip usually attributed to New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. The meaning is clear: Running a city government requires elected officials to be pragmatic, deliver services, and check their ideology at the door. Its a witty but misleading quote. Providing public services might technically be a nonpartisan matter, but its hardly a nonideological one. How to distribute power between the public and private sectors, which services to cut first when budgets are tight, whether decisions should be made by civil servants or elected officialsthese are values-based questions, not empirical ones.

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New Yorkers have had more immediate reasons lately to think about garbage pickup: 1) Its summer and therefore Hot Trash Season; and 2) the citys former sanitation commissioner, Kathryn Garcia, came within one percentage point during ranked choice voting of winning the Democratic primary for mayor. Garcia was a lifelong civil servant whose pitch to voters was almost entirely about her own competence and managerial skill; she promised to get shit done, a wry nod to her past in sanitation and sewage. Her policy positions were mostly moderate, but her message contained a kernel that the citys progressive left can adapt and make its own after a disappointing showing in the mayoral race. The most electorally successful leftists in U.S. history ran and governed on this very kernelthe belief that delivering basic services, building public works, and running a functional local government are inseparable from what it means to govern from the left in a major city.

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That Garcia came so close to victory, despite no political experience and almost no name recognition before the race, means her message hit a nerve. Theres a lesson there for candidates across the country. Maya Wiley, the left-most major candidate in the race, mostly campaigned on nonprofit-esque platitudes after serving as Mayor Bill de Blasios counsel. Garcia offered New Yorkers a clear value proposition instead: improving the public services they rely on for daily life. The eventual primary winner and now presumptive next mayor Eric Adams was always going to be a formidable candidate, given his rock-solid support from some of the citys largest voting blocs and his close ties to labor, real estate, and the traditional Democratic machine. But Adams has vulnerabilities: He is openly tolerant of corruption, and said the party hacks at New Yorks patronage-riddled Board of Elections did a great job. (Narrator: They did not.) If Adams wont promote good governance, the citys progressive left should do it instead. Voters who lack strong ideological beliefs but simply want the citys many public services to work well might be willing to take a chance on something new in order to avoid dysfunction and stagnation.

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When I say the progressive left, its shorthand for the forces ranging from loyal liberal Democrats to leftists who reject capitalism and are hostile to the Democratic Party. Most major U.S. cities have some version of this formation, which in New York is anchored respectively by the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America (who only endorse self-identified socialists, and thus didnt endorse for mayor). These groups hardly form a single, unified movement, but if theyre a big tent, Garcia was still outside it. She was against reducing the New York Police Departments budget, supported raising the cap on charter schools, and rejected calls to raise taxes on the wealthy. Garcias focus on her own managerial skill almost recalled Michael Bloomberg, the consummate neoliberal politician. But theres a key difference: While Bloomberg preferred business to government and expressed his desire to make New York a luxury product, Garcia is a creature of the public sector. She was reportedly beloved by her staff  a rare feat, since rank-and-file bureaucrats are often surprisingly progressive and often resent agency managers and electeds who maintain a complacent culture of mediocrity. (I say this from personal experience as an ex-bureaucrat.) Some of her more progressive proposals, including free childcare for low- and middle-income families and an extensive climate platform with a Green New Deal for public housing, would have required a significant expansion of New York Citys fiscal authority and governmental capacity.

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Not only can good governance and public services jibe with leftist ideology, the two have gone together before. For 38 of the 50 years between 1910 and 1960, and under three separate mayors, Milwaukee was run by a democratic-socialist political faction nicknamed the Sewer Socialists. The first mayor, a woodworker named Emil Seidel, was swept into office on the Socialist Party line as a response to the deep corruption of the incumbent Democrats, and immediately got to work raising the minimum wage, strengthening the power of the civil service against patronage appointees, and laying the groundwork for what would become a nationally famous network of parks centered on the citys lakefront. His successors opened the first municipal public housing project in America, built libraries, pioneered adult vocational education, and required the citys private streetcar company to pave streets and run frequent service in exchange for its city-granted monopoly. As racist urban renewal schemes took hold in the 1950s, socialist mayor Frank Zeidler refused to participate in slum clearance unless integrated public housing was built for displaced residents.

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As their nickname indicates, the Sewer Socialists achievements were most famous in the realm of public health. Daniel Hoan, the second of their three mayors, ran public vaccination campaigns and built water-treatment plants around the city to end the longstanding practice of mixing raw sewage with drinking water. They instead recycled sewage sludge into fertilizer using a city-operated plant that continues operating today (you can take tours). The sewer moniker actually began as a way for more theoretically minded leftists to mock the Milwaukeeans obsession with clean government and direct services, but they refashioned the term as a badge of pride. Seidel memorably dismissed their critics as Eastern smarties and wrote, We wanted a chance for every human being to be strong and live a life of happiness. And, we wanted everything that was necessary to give them that: playgrounds, parks, lakes, beaches, clean creeks and rivers, swimming and wading pools, social centers, reading rooms, clean fun, music, dance, song and joy for all.

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If bureaucratic excellence and honest, frugal government seem like small ball compared to global socialist revolution, its partly because U.S. cities face serious limits to their legal and political power. As Richard Schragger writes in his book City Power, cities are creations of their state governments with few rights of their own. They rarely have permission to raise and spend revenue as they see fit, must balance their budget every year, and are hobbled by the U.S. lack of serious regional government structures. Partly because of these difficulties, the original Sewer Socialists were almost fanatical about their commitment to fiscal discipline. In 2021 most Americans would associate this attitude with austerity-loving conservatives, but theres another way to look at it: Every dollar in the municipal budget thats saved by rooting out inefficiency and graft is another dollar to be spent on better public services.

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What would running on Sewer Socialism look like in 2021? Start with (obviously) sanitation.

What would running on Sewer Socialism look like in 2021? Start with (obviously) sanitation. New Yorks residential garbage collection is under the purview of the citys Sanitation Department (formerly run by Garcia), but commercial collection is handled by unaccountable, dangerous private companies that overwork and underpay their drivers. We know a unionized public agency can do the job better than the unregulated private sector, so let them take it over. Theres also New Yorkers infamous habit of leaving trash bags on the sidewalk, since the city doesnt have alleys. The obvious solutionreplace some parking spaces on every block with rat-proof garbage containersis currently being implemented, but the pilot program to do this makes applicants go through neighborhood groups or business improvement districts. The Sewer Socialist rejoinder: You shouldnt need an intermediary to get usable trash cans.

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Speaking of parking spaces: The streets are a mess. Increased car ownership during COVID has led to more congested roads, reckless and unaccountable drivers, and the highest number of road deaths since 2014. Sewer Socialists could run on a platform of managing the streets with separated bus and bike bus lanes in every corner of the city, for rich and poor alike. They could replace curb parking with loading zones to prevent double-parked delivery trucks, and implement a parking-permit system to raise revenue and stop rampant car-registration fraud. The result would be safer streets for the citys nondriving majority and proof that our public realm does not have to be chaotic and dystopian.

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Eventually, any Sewer Socialist movement in New York will have to contend with the political and financial might of the police. Last summer, Bill de Blasios impotent response to the NYPDs brutal treatment of anti-racist protestors confirmed the agency is effectively outside civilian control. Even if the Defund slogan is a nonstarter with the incoming mayor, theres a more utilitarian argument: The police are doing too many jobs they simply arent good at. A new city pilot program to replace police with social workers for mental-health-related 911 calls has shown promising early results. Several elected officials have proposed getting the NYPD out of routine traffic stops, which would be a win for both street safety and racial justice. (Theres strong public support for doing this, especially since police are famous for breaking the citys traffic laws with impunity.) Public attitudes on defunding or reforming the police are complex, and usually hinge on how the question is framed. But the worldview that Sewer Socialists champion, rooted in competence, anti-corruption, and democratic public life, provides a useful framing to understand why power and money need to be taken from the NYPD.

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Because New York is a large, wealthy city with a vibrant progressive movement, there are more resources to make Sewer Socialism work here. (Likewise, when Milwaukee was run by socialists it was the 12th largest U.S. city and frequently annexed its suburbs.) Elsewhere the task might be harder, but the tradition still inspires. In Somerville, Massachusetts, DSA-backed candidates are running for City Council this September as sidewalk socialists, promising to invest in municipal plows to clear the sidewalks and provide union jobs during snowy Boston winters. On the same day that Eric Adams won in New York City, Buffalo, N.Y., picked socialist India Walton in its Democratic mayoral primary. In addition to running a dogged field operation, Walton heavily criticized incumbent Mayor Byron Browns investments in overpolicing and big-ticket economic-development schemes instead of basic public services. In Jackson, Mississippi, 38-year-old Mayor Chokwe Lumumba began his first term in 2017 promising to both deliver high-quality services and pursue racial justice. Jackson is a poor, majority-Black city in a state run by white conservatives, and Lumumba has had trouble summoning the tax base he needs to fulfill his promises, but he won re-election in a landslide this spring.

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All these struggles fit within a long history of Americans stripping cities for parts, hoarding the wealth in the suburbs, and then claiming urbanites cant govern themselves. That process has accelerated since the 1970s, as U.S. cities have embraced private sector-driven solutions to what we might normally think of as being in the realm of the state or public resources, in the words of historian Kim Phillips-Fein. New York has been at the forefront of this trend starting with the citys 1975 fiscal crisis emergency financial controls that are still in effect. And while progressive candidates recent primary victories are partly a backlash to this neoliberal turn, its noteworthy that these candidates also defeated allies of the citys Democratic machine. Eric Adams will be a machine mayor, one with strong working-class support and deep roots in the citys governing institutions. Offering a better vision will mean electing progressives with their own community roots who care about urban policy, but will also mean stacking the city bureaucracy with committed leftists and progressives who are inspired by the promise of public life and unafraid to speak up and act when their values and expertise are aligned.

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The progressive left will have a hard time getting every item on its urban-governance wish list, because the rules of our political system conspire to make cities weak and underrepresented. American public-benefit programs at all levels of government are also designed so theyre aggravating for citizens to access and hard for civil servants to implement well. Changing all of this is a necessary long-term project for the left. In the meantime, take it from Cea Weaver, the lefty housing organizer behind the coalition to pass New York States historic tenants-rights package in 2019, who tweeted in May, I need the left to get someone like Kathryn Garcia. Delivering safe streets, joyful parks, affordable housing, and a livable planet will take the organizers in the streets and the nerds with the spreadsheets, working together.
Slate senior editor Jeremy Stahl has watched a lot of hearings on Capitol Hill, and even he says Tuesdays House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was different. Four police officers testified before Congress about the violence they endured and the scars it left. Just seeing these horrific clips over and over and over again and having that memory of watching that unfold live that dayits not the same thing, Stahl says. Its not the same thing as seeing this person up there talk about it and tell you what happened and what they actually lived through. On Thursdays episode of What Next, I talked to Stahl about what made this hearing so powerful and what, if anything, the committee can achieve. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Mary Harris: In this hearing, you really could see how Democrats were trying to give this investigation a bipartisan feeling. The second person to speak after the chairman was Liz Cheney, a Republican.

Jeremy Stahl: Yeah. And whether or not that helps allay any of this concern over this is going to be a purely partisan inquiry and all that, I dont think that does as much as the fact that they just held a really good hearing. They just held a hearing with four witnesses, Aquilino Gonell, Michael Fanone, Daniel Hodges, Harry Dunn, who had just these incredible and tragic and horrifying stories to tell, and they were able to get through their stories and tell their stories and give their perspective on what the next steps need to be in this committee, without it being turned into a showdown over cancel culture and proceduresthat didnt happen.

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Instead what you had was Sgt. Gonell testifying about being horribly assaulted and then going home to his wife and not being able to hug her, after not being in contact with her all day, and being very, very badly attacked because he was covered in bear spray and other poisons, basically. And you had Michael Fanone talking about nearly being beaten to death and basically begging for his life, saying Ive got kids to escape this mob that had taken over the Capitol. And you had Daniel Hodges, who had that famous image of him being trapped in the door and getting crushed, crushed by this mob, and holding on to that and then having to be pulled out. And then you hear this Capitol Police officer, Harry Dunn, describe how he was accosted by these people, this crowd, called the N-word, describe exactly how it happened, when it happened, where it happened, what the circumstances were. And justjust wow. All of it was just wow. And they got to tell their stories without this other nonsense.

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I was legitimately surprised when Officer Daniel Hodges talked about the Jan. 6 attackers as terrorists, said they were a member of a cult. Im just not used to police officers speaking that way, I guess, and it seemed like a little bit of a line in the sand.

I feel like its a reasonable line to have, to have an angry mob of thousands drag you, electrocute you, beat you to within an inch of your life, nearly kill you, and theyre doing it while theyre waving these political flags and trying to accomplish this political result. I think at that point you might view them as a terrorist. Yeah. And I think, you know what? Its probably good language. Its language that a lot more people should be using, I think, because this was a case of domestic terrorism, whether or not its been widely described as that or whether the language has shifted to describing it as an insurrection instead. It was a violence for political purposes. Thats the definition of terrorism.

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It was clear to me from watching the testimony of these officers that they want accountability. Harry Dunn, the Black officer who testified, said, If a hit man is hired and he kills somebody, the hit man goes to jail. But not only does the hit man go to jail, but the person who hired them does. There was an attack carried out on Jan. 6. And a hit man sent them. I want you to get to the bottom of that.

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What do you think this committee can do in terms of accountability for these officers? Is that even in their brief?

I think that Bennie Thompson, the chairman of this committee, has shown very, very, very, very good instincts so far.

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What do you mean by that?

Theyre not messing around.  Jeremy Stahl

In the way that the first hearing went off, and in the way that his opening statement went off, it was just very somber, not overhyped rhetoric, just straightforward, just-the-facts kind of thing, and the presentation of the entire hearing yesterday. But also he very explicitly after the hearing said a thing that I hadnt really heard or seen from previous oversight efforts from Democrats, which was we are going to go straight to subpoenas. Were not going to mess around with letters requesting people to cooperate with our hearing that we know might not cooperate. Were not going to waste time on that two weeks, three weeks notice to come up with your legal defense and try to block participation. Were going to send subpoenas directly to people. And this came shortly after the Department of Justice had broadcast that it was taking the position that former administration officials, current officials, whoever, needed to cooperate with any subpoena and they could not cite privilege or any sort of protections to stymie such subpoenas.

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Do you feel like this is a lesson learned from the impeachment experience?

I think that theyre not messing around. Theyre not messing around. And I also think that a problem of the impeachment experience and the various experiences was there was always some issue making it difficult to actually enforce thingsspecifically the fact that you had a DOJ and an administration that the baseline policy was zero cooperation, that you as Congress are not entitled to anything and you will get nothing. We will tie you up in court for months and years if need beand they didand so that sort of prevents subpoenas from being really all that effective.

And now you have an administration that is explicitly saying they will cooperate, and you have the ability, as members of Congress, to subpoena White House archives. And you have the DOJ saying, yeah, you can do that. So theres a difference, to a certain extent, of not necessarily will alonebecause the will is definitely feeling a little bit more therebut will and ability. So, yeah, there are multiple differences.

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But once they have that information, what can they actually do?

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To me, truth and reconciliation is a noble goal. And if all they accomplish is they find out exactly what happened on that day and how it all played out, if theyre not able to charge officials with inciting an insurrection or anything like that, which are very, very hard crimes to even contemplate, if theyre able to get at the truth of the matter and put that into the public domain, which hasnt happened yetto me there is the utmost value in that. And that is necessary. Its essential.

I cant tell if its enough for those officers, though. I just cant tell. I dont know.

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Its a start. But youre right. I dont know either.

You talk a lot about how Democrats dont seem to have the guts to do the right thing, the hard thing. Is your take changing at all after this hearing?

I want to see what subpoenas they send, and I want to see who they send the subpoenas to. But so far, they have done exceptionally well, in my view, in sort of playing the hardball that is needed to do the things necessary to get the truth that the public needs to hear. Its cheesy to say, but democracy works better, society works better, everything works better, when people have the truth. And in order to do that, you need public officials willing to find the truth and to fight to find the truth. Like I said, its a good start.

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Do we know what the next hearing for this committee looks like?

I think that some of the next steps will be talking to some of those in leadership, in the leadership of the Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police, and those who had authority over the National Guard that day, and to try to do more to square that circle of why was the response and why were the reinforcements for these men, who were so horribly attacked, so slow to come. One of the officers said the craziest thing, which to me just put it all in perspective, which was we had no reinforcements. There were a small number of us. That crowd and that mob was so big compared to the few amount of officers they had. And one of the key questions, if not the key question that they need to answer, is how did it get to a point where it was so many against so few, and they did not have the backup they needed to protect the seat of American democracy.

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On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings for a number of Joe Bidens nominees, including Hampton Dellinger, whom the president selected to serve as assistant attorney general in the Justice Departments Office of Legal Policy. An outspoken progressive, Dellinger surely expected Republican senators to grill him about his past political tweets on controversial topics, including abortion. He probably did not expect these senators to ask about his religious beliefs, which the Constitution expressly forbids. But thats what GOP Sen. John Kennedy did during a startling exchange in which the lawmaker asked Dellinger: Do you believe in God?

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Heres Republican Sen. John Kennedy imposing a religious test on Hampton Dellinger, a Biden nominee to the Justice Department. Do you believe in God? pic.twitter.com/Q9Mk3OpsRY  Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) July 29, 2021

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Kennedys question arose in the context of a tweet in which Dellinger asserted that male Republican politicians are the driving force behind abortion restrictions. If there were no Republican men in elected office, he tweeted, there would be no abortion bans. Kennedy read this tweet aloud, then asked Dellinger: Do you think that my votes with respect to abortion are based on the fact that I want to control women? When Dellinger responded that he cannot speak to that, the senator responded: Then whyd you say it in front of God and country? Dellinger told the senator that, to his mind, the Supreme Courts decisions protecting reproductive rights are important. After further back-and-forth, Kennedy asked the nominee whether he believed in God. When Dellinger told him that I have faith, I believe, the senator shot back: A lot of people have faith. Did it ever occur to you that some people may base their position on abortion on their faith?

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At no point did Kennedy mention the fact that seven ministers sent the Senate a letter in support of Dellinger, who was christened in the Catholic Church. Several of these ministers lead churches in which Dellinger has worshipped. Throughout his career, Hampton has advocated for just causes and operated with care and concern for his fellow human beings, the ministers wrote. He has displayed the kind of compassion, humility, and integrity we should demand for our public servants, affirming the dignity of all fellow citizens in the process. Nor did Kennedy note that, while serving in the North Carolina attorney generals office, Dellinger helped to combat a wave of arson against Black churches.

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Grilling a nominee about their past tweets is certainly fair game at a Senate confirmation hearing, even if Kennedy spent the better part of four years pretending not to see Donald Trumps Twitter feed. The obvious problem here is the senators demand that Dellinger tell him, under oath, whether he believes in God. In addition to guaranteeing free exercise of religion, the Constitution states that no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

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Whether or not Kennedys question crossed the line as a matter of constitutional law, it certainly qualifies as an impermissible religious test under Republicans own standards. When Amy Coney Barrett first came before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017, several Democratic senators asked whether her Catholic faith would interfere with her duties as a jurist, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein notoriously quipped that the dogma lives loudly within you. Four Republican senators promptly suggested that these questions amounted to an unconstitutional religious test. When Barrett came before the committee again in 2020, Republicans warned that any questions about her faith would violate the Constitution. Several GOP senators, including Kennedy, also alleged that any such question would amount to religious bigotry against Catholics. Sen. Josh Hawley even declared that asking Barrett about Griswold v. Connecticut, the landmark Supreme Court decision establishing a right to contraception, somehow constituted a bigoted attack on her faith.

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If a Democratic senator asked Barrett, or any other nominee, whether they believed in God, the GOP outcry would be swift and severe. But a very different standard applies to members of the GOP. Republicans can apparently ask anything they want, including explicit questions about religion. In fact, Kennedy previously asked Brett Kavanaugh if he believed in Godalbeit in a very different context, as a softball question preceding his request that Kavanaugh swear to God. Democrats, meanwhile, cannot go anywhere near the topic of religion when questioning Republican nominees, lest they be tarred with the brush of bigotry.

Dellinger was not, before Wednesday, a controversial nominee. He has the strong backing of his home state senator, Republican Thom Tillis, who supported him at his hearing. Several other GOP senators, including Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham, are poised to vote for Dellinger as well. Kennedys ambush seems to have been a last-minute bid to tank his nomination, one that is guaranteed to fail. Do not expect his Republican colleagues to issue angry statements accusing the senator of religious bigotry. To their mind, it appears a religious test only violates the Constitution when a Democrat is asking the questions.
The judge-made doctrine of qualified immunity has received significant attention over the past 14 months as the nation has grappled yet again with the persistent abuse of Black people at the hands of law enforcement.

The focus has centered on how qualified immunity protects law enforcement officers who abuse civilians, including children, on the streets and in neighborhoods. But as the debate over reform continues, it is important to keep in mind that qualified immunity extends beyond just police-civilian interactions. As two recent decisions by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appealsthe federal appeals court that covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippilay bare, the doctrine is also wreaking havoc on children in school.

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In June, the 5th Circuit published two opinions that allow public school employees to physically abuse students without fear of liability under federal civil rights law. The 5th Circuit is uniquely restrictive of students rights, and because of the doctrine of qualified immunity, there is little reason to believe that the court will change its jurisprudence on the issue anytime soon.

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In T.O. v. Fort Bend Independent School District, the 5th Circuit dismissed a complaint brought on behalf of a first grader who claimed that a teacher seized him by the neck, threw him to the floor, and held him in a chokehold for several minutes. Six days later, in J.W. v. Paley, the court tossed a lawsuit filed on behalf of a special education student who was tased by a school resource officer multiple times, including after the student was lying face down on the ground and not struggling.

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Both students brought claims under the Fourth Amendment, which protects civilians from unreasonable seizures, including excessive force at the hands of government actors. Typically, Fourth Amendment excessive force claims arise in the law enforcement contextwhere police beat or kill a person in the course of detaining them, for instance. The amendment applies to state actors writ large, not just the police, and therefore should presumably apply to public school employees. But the 5th Circuit has been unwilling to say that students have a Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force in school.

The driving doctrinal force behind T.O. and J.W. losing their Fourth Amendment claims was qualified immunity, which requires that a constitutional right be clearly established before a state actor can be held liable for violating the right. Because the courts prior cases did not clarify whether students are protected against physical abuse under the Fourth Amendment, the teacher who choked T.O. and the school resource officer who tased J.W. could not be held liable, regardless of how unreasonably they acted.

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Qualified immunitys implications do not end at T.O. and J.W. losing their cases. Under qualified immunity, the court is allowed to conclude that a right is not clearly established and dismiss the case on that basis, without addressing the substance of the underlying right. The practical effect is that it is still unclear whether students have a Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force in school and the court can therefore continue to dismiss these types of cases on qualified immunity grounds, without clarifying the right, in perpetuity.

The upshot of these cases is that students in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi do not have an enforceable constitutional right to be free from physical violence at the hands of school employees.

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The legal landscape is indefensible and leaves children vulnerable to significant abuse. Texas and Mississippi account for a nationally disproportionate number of incidents of corporal punishment. Black boys are twice as likely as white boys to be corporally punished, while Black girls are three times as likely as white girls.

Its also nonsensical given the significant police presence in schoolsand especially in schools with high Black and Latinx populations. In fact, the employee who tased J.W. was a school resource officer, which is just an allusive title given to police officers assigned to work in schools.

The crisis of police brutality against Black people is a national emergency that requires reform on many levels, including ending qualified immunity. Abolishing the doctrine will also help deliver on the promise of school as a safe space for learning and thriving.
Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Zoo announced that some of its animals would soon receive an experimental COVID-19 vaccine for some of its high-risk animals. Several other zoos have already begun to vaccinate their animals, with no sign of any major issues. To understand how a zoo comes to decide which animals are high-risk and how to balance the concerns about a new vaccine with the risk of COVID, Slate spoke with Dr. Keith Hinshaw, the director of animal health at the Philadelphia Zoo. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Slate: Can you explain how this came about?

Keith Hinshaw: We have lots of very endangered primates here at the zoo that are closely related physiologically to human beings and so are susceptible to many of the same viruses and bacteria and parasites. In January of 2021, there was an outbreak of COVID-19 in the gorilla troop at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. To protect the other troop of gorillas that live at the actual San Diego Zoo, they had obtained a small amount of an experimental vaccine from the Zoetis Farm Animal Health company. When we found out that information, we contacted Zoetis directly. Those discussions happened in February. After learning about their vaccine, we asked if we could be put on a list of zoos and other facilities that would be interested in using it on their animals. So we submitted a list to them of the animals that were highest up on our list of priorities.

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Which animals did you decide were at risk?

All of our primates. We also submitted our carnivores, which in our case is bears, animals in the weasel families such as otters, animals in the canid families such as our maned wolf, and then a few other miscellaneous carnivores, such as the red pandas, the meerkats, and a thing called a fossa. We did not submit our list of bats because our bats are behind glass, so theres not really any air exchange with guests. And we didnt think that they would be as susceptible to actual illness. So 81 primates and 37 carnivores. In their press release, Zoetis said theyre donating 11,000 doses to zoos and sanctuaries and other institutions, so two doses for each of the animals that I mentioned is 236 doses.

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How did you determine what the at-risk animals were?

There are actual studies where they would see if they could demonstrate that an animal could get infected with the COVID virus. And then there was also a paper published where they did computer modeling to see if the actual shape of the receptor on the lung cells of different species of animals would match up with the shape of the spike protein on the SARS CoV2 virus. It is very theoretical, but it did predict, as you might expect, primates would be susceptible, and cats were up there.

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So you presented all of these animals as equally at risk, as equal priorities?

For our request to obtain the vaccine, we simply submitted the list, not in any particular order. In reality, once we obtain the vaccine, there is probably a logical order: the great apesgorillas and orangutansand then the big catslions, tigers, leopards, jaguarbecause those are the animals that we know have already been infected at other zoos.

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Were constantly monitoring both the lay and the scientific press for stories about animals that could potentially be susceptible. And every zoo has to make their own decisions. Some zoos may not use it at all. And some have decided to use it in an even wider-ranging group of animals. If evidence came up that other species appeared to be susceptible, we would certainly add them to that list.

Is this vaccine different from human COVID vaccines?

Yes. This is what I would call a standard vaccine for animals. It does not contain a live virus in it. And it doesnt contain mRNA. It just contains the antigen, which is a synthesized version of that spike protein from the SARS CoV2 virus, and then a chemical thats added to make your bodys immune system pay more attention. Theres no virus in there or anything else that might cause any sort of illness. The Zoetis people are recommending two doses three weeks apart, which is pretty standard.

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Would you administer different doses to, say, a gorilla and a lemur?

No, they get the same dose. For most vaccines we use in the zoo, its the same dose no matter what size the animal. There are some exceptionsthe rabies vaccine, for examplebut in general, its a set amount. Youre using the vaccine to get the attention of the immune system, and you dont necessarily need to use a lot.

What have you heard from other zoos that have already begun vaccinating their animals?

I havent heard anything bad. I do know that theyve done safety trials. And I know they did those trials with dogs and cats and demonstrated that you get an antibody response. The American Association of Zoo Veterinarians has a very active listserv, and there is a lot of interest from the veterinarians to know how things are going with zoos that are starting to implement this vaccine. And when I communicated with Zoetis last week about this, they had not received any reports from anyone of adverse reactions.

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If there were adverse reactions, would you reassess?

Exactly. We will always be paying close attention to whether or not theres any problems with this vaccine or any other medication in zoo animals. One of the things that makes veterinary medicine interesting is that other than maybe a few parrotsand were not totally clear on what is going on therethey cant tell you what theyre feeling. But I will say that the animal keepers are very observant and will pay very close attention to their animals behavior. Theyll know what side of the mouth the animal chews food on, how fast they blink, how fast they stand up and lie down. And so if they see anything that seems different, theyll give us a call.

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What would it take for you to call off the vaccinations?

Say we gave an animal this vaccine, and for a day, it only ate half as much food as it normally would eat, and then from that point on, it was back to normal againI would not consider that a serious side effect. If we gave the vaccine and the animal went off food completely and seemed like it was in a lot of discomfort, then we would think more carefully. Or say it developed an abscess at the vaccine site, like a severe kind of localized reaction. That would be a little bit concerning, and we would have to think carefully about using this vaccine in that species. But other zoos are implementing the vaccine and have not reported any severe side effects. So, so far, so good. And then the more tricky ones, I guess, would be longer term side effects; you might not know for a long time if theres an issue. But given the technology of the vaccine, which is a fairly standard animal vaccine, I dont anticipate that we will see those effects either.

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Did you have to have a serious conversation about risk before you agreed to do this?

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We did have the conversations. We have a weekly meeting with the zoo veterinarians, the nutritionists, the curators, the director of the zoo, our records people, and so on. We felt it was important to talk about it. Every zoo is going to have to make their own decision. Like if youre in an area of the country that has low community transmission of COVID, and your keeper force is fully vaccinated, and if youre in a climate where a lot of the animal housing and activities happen outdoors, you may not see that as necessary.

There was an outbreak of COVID-19 in a group of lions at a zoo in India in May with the delta variant. The outbreak that you heard about in the Bronx Zoo in April 2020 was with the original strain. Those cats went off feed for a little bit; there was some coughing and some nasal discharge, but they didnt really require any intervention. These lions in India got really sick, and two of them died. So now if youre a zoo veterinarian, and before you werent too worried about this, now maybe the delta variant is a little more of a potential hazard. That could sway your opinion.

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Is your concern just about the animals getting sick?

Theres been little evidence that animals can transmit the virus back to people, at least from domestic dogs and cats and so on. The CDC says that pets are not really considered as a major source of the virus. But there were some issues when this virus got into mink farms in Europe, and they detected the virus was going back into the workers at those farms. We dont have mink here, and were not ever planning on having them, but we do have otters and theyre in the same family as mink. So one of my concerns is that if we did have an infection in our animals, does that put our keepers at any risk? So that would be a second reason. The third reason is that anytime that a virus infects a person or an animal, you can get more variants created, so we want to minimize that.

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How hard will it be to actually administer the vaccines?

We do have a vaccination program already in place. At our zoo, a tiger for example would normally get three vaccines every year. Most of the cats and the great apesthe gorillas and orangutansare trained for voluntary vaccination, so they will be easy to vaccinate. And then the smaller animals are trained to go into a little mesh box, so those will be fairly easy. The trickier ones are going to be some of the mid-sized primates that maybe arent so interested in voluntarily being injected and are also super smart. In our caseother zoos may have better behaved onesour gibbons are ridiculously smart, and they have not responded as well to the operant conditioning for training voluntary injections. So if I would have to pick [the hardest] one, I would say the gibbons. For those animals, we would probably do the vaccine as part of a regular physical exam under anesthesia.

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So where do things stand now for your plans?

We submitted our list of animals that we were interested in vaccinating in late February. Zoetis needs to get approval from each individual state Department of Agriculture. In our case, its the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and there are some forms and paperwork that they need to complete. When I communicated with them a couple of weeks ago, I think they said they were working on 85 different approvals. Were hoping to receive our first doses some time in the next month or so.

Is there anything else that you wanted people to know?

We would love it if more people would get vaccinated. The virus is actually on the upswing because of the delta variant, and so were a little concerned that we could still have our animals exposed one way or the other. So heres one more person telling you that if you are eligible to get the vaccine, and you havent gotten it yet, please do so because its going to also protect our animals here at the zoo.
The monument was unveiled in 1960, marking the 15th anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava.

The WWII monument Slavin is one of sites visited during the Bratislava Communism Virtual Tour. (Source: Courtesy of Authentic Slovakia)

This article was published in Bratislava City Guide. With this detailed, pocket-sized guide, it is impossible to get lost in the Slovak capital.

The Slavin monument remembers the lives of the 6,845 Soviet soldiers who died during the liberation of Bratislava in April 1945, many of whom are buried in six mass and 278 individual graves.

The monument was designed by the Slovak sculptor and architect Jan Svetlik and was built between 1957-60 to be officially unveiled on April 4, 1960, the 15th anniversary of the liberation. On the same day every year since, representatives of the Slovak government lay wreaths to commemorate the victims.

The central and dominant section of Slavin is a ceremonial hall tiled with marble, which is surrounded by a monumental colonnade. The entrance door is decorated with a bronze relief by Rudolf Pribis.



Above the ceremonial room there is a monumental granite pillar, towering 39.5m, and topped by an 11m-tall sculpture, designed by Alexander Trizuljak and depicting a soldier carrying a flag and crushing the Nazi swastika beneath his boot.

Related article

Related article Having survived countless lightning strikes, Slavin gets a makeover Read more

A list of Slovak towns liberated by the Red Army adorn the walls of the memorials basement. The monument is surrounded by a park containing trees from various parts of the former Soviet Union. Slavin also affords spectacular views over major parts of Bratislava, including Bratislava Castle.

Opening hours:

The monument is open non-stop.

Ticket prices:

Admission is free.

Slavin Memorial (Slavin) Address: Pazickeho, Bratislava

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Related article Bratislava travel guide: Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with this City Guide! Read more

29. Jul 2021 at 7:00 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Rare historical photos uncover the story of Bratislava's Old Market Hall

Bratislava owes its rich market history to its location on the crossroads of ancient trade routes.

The open-air exhibition about the Old Market Hall (Source: Courtesy of Bratislavske Rozky)

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The tradition of Christmas markets in Bratislava dates way before the years after the fall of the communist regime, contrary to typical collective knowledge.

Bratislava's Old Market Hall, or Stara Trznica in Slovak, used to hold such a market in the 1950s. A historical photo of the market hall invitation for The Winter Market of Dedo Mraz (Grandfather Frost, the Russian counterpart of Santa Claus) proves that. This is a rare photo presented for the first time ever as part of the Trh-Piac-Markt open-air exhibition, Multicultural Space in Pressburg, on markets in Bratislava in general and especially the Old Market Hall.

The Bratislavske Rozky civic association, dedicated to documenting and popularising Bratislava's history, prepared the exhibition in cooperation with the Aliancia Starej Trznice (Old Market Hall Alliance). The Slovak-Hungarian-English language exhibition will be on display at Velvet Revolution Square, in front of the Old Market Hall, until mid September.

The exhibition takes place on the occasion of the 111th anniversary of the iconic market hall, Sandor Papp of Bratislavske Rozky told The Slovak Spectator.

"The story of this venue shows that even in the digital age, shopping in markets is still fashionable," he said.

Markets in Pressburg, today's Bratislava, demonstrated the coexistence of all nationalities who used to live or work in the city.

The Hungarian, German, Slovak, Jewish, Croatian and Bulgarian elements met here. Everything from fruits, vegetables, meat and bakery products to animals was traded, said Papp.

How the market hall looked in the sixties

29. Jul 2021 at 7:49 | Jana Liptakova
Five beech forests localities in eastern Slovakia entered in the UNESCO list

The extension adds to the outstanding universal value and integrity of the property, which now comprises 94 component parts across 18 countries, UNESCO said.

Five localities in east Slovakia have been entered onto UNESCOs World Heritage List, as an extension to an existing transnational natural site in Europe.

Vihorlat, Prales Havesova, Rozok, Udava and Stuzica  Bukovske Vrchy in Presov Region were re-listed as sites of Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, originally inscribed in 2007.

Though the Kyjovsky Prales locality was not added, the organisation recommended that Slovakia extend the protection zone and connect it to Vihorlat, the TASR newswire reported.

Outstanding example of relatively undisturbed temperate forests

The extension by 10 European countries adds to the outstanding universal value and integrity of the property, which now comprises 94 component parts across 18 countries, UNESCO wrote on its website.

Slovak primaeval forest made cover of prestigious magazine Read more

The extended property represents an outstanding example of relatively undisturbed, complex temperate forests and exhibit a wide spectrum of comprehensive ecological patterns and processes of pure and mixed stands of European beech across a variety of environmental conditions, the organisation added.

Apart from Slovakia, the site includes localities in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Northern Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Will the borders of Slovakia's primaeval beech forests finally be set? Read more

Great news for Slovakia

Slovakias Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok considers it great news for Slovakia.

These are unique primeval forests with rare biotopes in which some beeches are 240 years old, he said, as quoted by the SITA newswire. The inscription ended years-long efforts of Slovakia to secure the adequate protection of this precious locality.

The Environment Ministry added that the aim was to remove the insufficient protection of the locality and some flaws emerging from the original inscription in 2007.

The components of this international locality on the territory of Slovakia cover nearly 4,000 hectares of the most protected rare beech primeval forests with a buffer zone of another 15,000 hectares, the ministry said, as quoted by SITA.

29. Jul 2021 at 11:38 | Compiled by Spectator staff
An ecologic disaster in central Slovakia results in mass death of fish

Hron River polluter can be fined with up to 165,000.

Dead fish had to be fished out of the Hron River. (Source: TASR)

More than 5.3 tonnes of dead fish has been removed from the Hron River following a digestate leak from a biogas station in the village of Budca, near Zvolen.

The Slovak Environmental Inspectorate (SIZP) can fine the polluter with up to 165,000.

Eco disaster

The dead fish were first spotted near the village of Trnava Hora on the morning of Monday, July 26 by some fishermen. The water was turbid and it stank, as Richard Stencl of the local branch of the Slovak Fishermen Association told the TASR newswire.

They quickly contacted the SIZP and the police, which started investigating the case. Firefighters were called to the site as well.

29. Jul 2021 at 11:46 | Compiled by Spectator staff
US and Germany made a declaration on Nord Stream 2. Where does it leave Slovakia?

Slovakias official position to Nord Stream 2 has gone from slightly critical to silent, analyst says.

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While Poland and Ukraine expressing displeasure over the US-Germany deal allowing completion of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Slovakia did not join the criticism.

The Slovak side expects some of the Russian gas to be transited via this pipeline through Germany and the Czech Republic to Slovakia, and then on to Austria and Italy. The semi-state company Eustream, a natural gas transmission network operator in Slovakia, does not see Nord Stream 2 as representing a loss of position for the country or the company, its spokesperson Pavol Kubik told The Slovak Spectator.

The 1,200 Nord Stream 2 running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany will have a total transport capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

Related article Slovakia expects the Nord Stream 2 to not affect the usage of existing infrastructure Read more

In the most recent development, on July 21 the United States and Germany announced a deal to allow the completion of Nord Stream 2 without the imposition of further US sanctions.

Energy sector analyst Karel Hirman has pointed out that the US-Germany deal is only a political declaration without any enforceable obligations. He expects the impact on Slovakia to only be visible once it is applied in real life.

"With this declaration, Berlin has paradoxically swept its (and Russian) long-term argument from the table, that Nord Stream 2 is a purely commercial thing and that it does not threaten anyone in Europe; on the contrary, it is even supposed to strengthen Europes energy security."

The US - Germany declaration

29. Jul 2021 at 19:49 | Jana Liptakova
Volkswagen prepares Bratislava plant for Passat and Superb

Current recruitment of new staff not related to the planned expansion of production.

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Volkswagen in Bratislava is gradually preparing for its announced major investment. Once the plant is ready, it will produce the Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb vehicles in the Slovak capital.

Investment Advisory Guide Well-arranged information about the economy, labour market, investor support, legislation, and real estate as well as investment opportunities in Slovakia. For more details visit ouronline shop.

The automobile manufacturers spokesperson, Lucia Kovarovic Makayova, told the SITA newswire that the preparatory and administrative work has already begun. The two subsections of the corporation that are the focus of the investment project right now are the planning and manufacturing divisions.

Volkswagen originally planned to build a new plant for Passat and Skoda Superb in Turkey but decided against it. The company officially confirmed the investment in mid-November 2020. In aggregate, the group plans to invest a total of 1 billion in Slovakia within the entire product range; about 500 million of that sum will go into producing the Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb models.

Hiring new staff not investment-related

29. Jul 2021 at 16:26 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Reports are surfacing of the possibility of a modern, dual-breed horse racing venue in Metro Vancouver  one that, should it come to fruition, could offer horsepeople in British Columbia an up-to-date replacement for Hastings Racecourse and Fraser Downs.

Hastings Racecourse, located in the heart of Vancouver proper on the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition, boasts over 130 years of Thoroughbred racing history. However, the infrastructure of the Exhibition  which includes the Pacific Coliseum  inhibits any further expansion of the five-furlong bullring which overlooks Vancouver Harbour. Similarly, Fraser Downs, which opened in 1975 on the property of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds in Surrey, expanded from a original half-mile footprint to its current five-eighths-mile track, but the locations of the barn area and the grandstand  which also houses Elements Casino Surrey  limited the scope of that expansion, as is evident by the long stretches and tight, flat turns.

While the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation was reported to have invested over $90 million in property renovations at both the Hastings and Fraser racinos in the past 20 years, a brand new venue to replace both of these racetracks is reportedly being pitched by officials in the Township of Langley, on the eastern edge of the Vancouver metropolitan area. That said, development of the project  and even the process to determine the viability of an endeavour of such a large scope  is very much in its introductory stages.

"The Township of Langley is in the early stages of exploring the idea of a new horse racing facility in our community," Jack Froese, mayor of the Township, recently told Daily Hive's Vancouver bureau. "Langley has a long and rich history in the equine industry, and while the facility concept seems to be a good fit, a lot of work and stakeholder engagement needs to be done as next steps."

The article states that early visions for the project include a one-mile all-weather racetrack, a teletheatre and a casino  amenities that, if they come to fruition, could make for a viable dual-breed venue.

"If they are proposing a one-mile track and an all-weather facility, then clearly that is the kind of facility that would make a lot of sense in British Columbia, both for the Thoroughbreds racing at Hastings Racecourse and the Standardbreds currently racing during the normal season at Fraser Downs," said Brian Butters, interim chair of the British Columbia Horse Racing Industry Management Committee. "Its exciting to hear the concept of a one-mile track; it is the industry standard for a racetrack."

The new facility would become just the third one-mile track in western Canada, following The Track On 2 and Century Mile in Alberta.

In addition to the BCHRIMC, the article states that Langley officials have consulted with the provincial government, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, and the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. When asked by the Daily Hive about the project, the BCLC directed the inquiry to the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, which stated that the province is "aware of the Township of Langleys interest in relocating Fraser Downs and Hastings racetracks to Langley and in hosting a casino, community gaming centre or teletheatre," while also adding that regulation of the locations of such facilities does not fall under provincial jurisdiction.

The land reportedly staked for the project is just northeast of downtown Langley, halfway between Vancouver and Abbotsford, and conveniently located to both metropolitan areas along the Trans-Canada Highway. It includes an undeveloped municipally-owned parcel along with a 32-acre plot that currently is home to the Sunny Riding Stables.
Veteran reinsman Dave Ingraham guided the winner of the fastest of two $9,690 divisions of the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes (MSBS) for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Wednesday (July 28) at Cumberland.

Ugotaearnyrstripes and Ingraham took command right from the start, scoring from post position two, and led the field into battle and through all the checkpoints to earn a seasonal mark of 2:00. The son of Deuce Seelster paid $6.60 to win, races for trainer Stephen La Casse, and was bred and remains the sole property of Edward A. Blash.

The Ron Cushing-owned and driven Daughtry finished second with Use Yah Blinkah finishing third for Heath Campbell and Valerie Grondin.

The aforementioned team of Campbell and Grondin joined forces once again to capture the second MSBS $9,690 division with their pupil Bandolito Blaze.

Wagering favoruite Ranaldi, owned and driven by Ron Cushing, left swiftly from the inside starting position and led the field through all the stanzas and into the Cumberland stretch drive. A battle for second developed with Pas Black Magic (Matt Athearn) sitting in the catbird seat until challenged past the half by Storm Artist (Andy Harrington), who came first up and was making forward progress.

But Heath Campbell had other ideas as he swooped them all with Bandolito Blaze. Coming from off the pace, Campbell pulled the Western Maverick colt three-wide around the final turn and utilized the long fairgrounds stretch to outstep the colts that were fully engaged in their own front end fracas.

Bandolito Blaze paid $9.60 to win for breeder-trainer Grondin, who shares ownership with Rhonda Underhill. Ranaldi finished second; Storm Artist was third.

This weekend features the Jake Phipps Memorial, to be held at Cumberland on Saturday (July 31). The introductory edition of the event pays homage to a young man beloved by all and whose passion for harness racing inspired those around him. The winners circle presentation will be filled with members of the Phipps family, as well as many of the friends that Jake made along his lifelong pursuit of the sport and love of Standardbreds.

First post time is 2:30 p.m. The special event has been carded as race nine on the 12-race program, which is the final Saturday card of the Maine track's inaugural spring/summer extended pari-mutuel meeting.

(First Tracks Cumberland)
Top Ontario-sired three-year-olds have emerged to battle for the lion's share of $56,200 and the title of Dream Of Glory champion on Saturday (July 31) at Hanover Raceway.

This years Dream Of Glory field is arguably the in the history of the event. A deeper look at each finalist follows.

1. Sweet Soul David

The 2020 Balanced Image champion was quite impressive in his Dream Of Glory elimination, pulling the pocket down the backstretch to win well in hand for driver Louis-Philippe Roy. With a very favourable post position, Sweet Soul David will be among the favourites and looks to join Traverse Seelster as the second horse ever to sweep the Hanover Raceway Stakes double.

2. Century Highness

This Royalty for Life filly faced a stacked elimination, squaring off against Publicity Seeker and Highland Mowgli, but was able to capture third place to earn a spot in the $56,200 final. Century Highness will face a tough field in the final, but with an inside post, she could pick up a cheque.

3. Publicity Seeker

Publicity Seeker captured the first of three eliminations by upsetting favourite Highland Mowgli. The Muscle Mass gelding, driven by Doug McNair, pulled the pocket at the top of the stretch and outkicked competitors. Publicity Seeker will likely be put into play early and should be a favourite to take home the Dream Of Glory title.

4. Tipsy In Dixie

Tipsy In Dixie has been very impressive this season, winning four of five starts, including her win in last weeks Dream of Glory elimination. This daughter of Muscle Mass went coast to coast, while posting the fastest of three eliminations in 2:01 (track was off four seconds). She will take on top Ontario Sires Stakes Gold-level colts in the final, but fans certainly expect her to be in the hunt for the title.

5. Muscle Jack

This Blake Macintosh trainee was second in his Dream Of Glory elimination. Driver Jody Jamieson gave the Muscle Mass gelding an aggressive steer, but couldnt hold off Sweet Soul David. With the right trip, Muscle Jack could be a threat to win.

6. Kilauea

Kilauea had a strong showing in the third and final elimination to pick up a second-place finish behind Tipsy In Dixie. He will have overcome post position 6 and a very strong field of three-year-olds to pick up a cheque in the final.

7. Top Of The Bar

Top Of The Bar had to overcome post position 7 in his elimination and was able to capture a third-place finish with a strong closing kick in the closing stages of the race. The Muscle Mass filly has shown the ability to compete with this group, but will need a good trip. Her trainer, Mark Etsell, was a member of Hanover Raceway's Board of Directors in 2001-02, when the Dream of Glory race was created by the Raceway.

8. Highland Mowgli

Highland Mowgli looked to be the one to beat heading into last week's eliminations, but after a loss to Publicity Seeker, the favourite for the final isnt so clear. Despite drawing the trailing post position, the Amanda Fine-trained Archangel colt has shown the speed needed to overcome this spot and should be in the hunt for the title.

The $56,200 Dream Of Glory Final takes place on Saturday with post time for the afternoon card set at 1:30 p.m. The final is complemented by the $10,000 Gail Murray Invitational, which hosts a field of top-class pacers. Wagering enhancements for Saturdays race card includes a $2,000 guaranteed Pick-5 beginning in race 1 and $2,500 Pick-4 starting in race 7. Fans can catch all the action by visiting hanoveraceway.com to register to attend the races or view the HD live stream.

(Hanover Raceway)
When Mysweetboymax races in Saturdays (July 31) $375,000 final of the Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids at The Meadows, Alison and Scott Liroff and their family will be watching from their Basking Ridge, N.J., home with more than the usual interest.

Thats because the horse was named for their late son Max, who succumbed to cancer in 2018 at the age of 25. Mysweetboymax leaves from post six with David Miller aboard in the Adios, which goes as race 15.

The Adios anchors a blockbuster program that includes five other stakes: the $106,745 Quinton Patterson Adioo Volo for three-year-old pacing fillies; a pair of Arden Downs Grand Circuit events for freshman pacers, and a $143,132 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and a $40,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series event, both for three-year-old trotting fillies.

In addition, the Adios Day program features five pool guarantees totalling $90,000, including a $40,000 Super Hi-5 guarantee  with a mandatory payout  on the Adios. A livestream of the Adios Day card, produced by the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association (MSOA), will be available on the MSOAs Facebook and YouTube channels as well as Meadows Live! First post is noon.

Max Liroff was a good friend of Casey Horowitz, whose brother Brandon and father Bob bred and own Mysweetboymax and honored their late family friend by naming their horse for him. At two, though, it wasnt clear the son of Sweet Lou and Faster Faster would live up to expectations. He earned nearly $62,000 and took a mark of 1:52.1, but wasnt facing or beating top competition.

He was a little immature, says his trainer, Sam DePinto. I knew he would be a late bloomer. The more he does it, the more he gets the idea what hes supposed to do. He has no physical issues, so I think hell be a very nice horse.

He showed how racy hes become in his Adios elimination when, dismissed at 42-1, he rallied inside to finish second to Hellabalou, beaten two lengths and individually timed in 1:49.3.

DePinto is no stranger to this territory. In 2010, his horse We Will See, finished fourth in the Adios final by challenging for the lead down the backside but tiring in the lane, beaten only a half length by winner Delmarvalous. Thats not the kind of trip DePinto wants Saturday.

I would have to believe he needs to be up close and get good fractions and a covered-up trip. If he can get that, he has a heckuva shot, considering the way he raced last Saturday.

Mysweetboymax is eligible for most major late-season stakes; DePinto and the Horowitz and Liroff families have several reasons for expecting big things.

Hes maturing, and hes maturing at the right time, DePinto says. He might turn around and start winning some of the big ones. Bob Horowitz wants everyone to know that Max Liroff fought like hell to beat that cancer. This horse races with Maxs heart.

(Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)
During this Adios Season, The Meadows is honouring the memory of four longtime important horsemen and contributors: owner-breeders Roy D. Davis and Bob Key; trainer Pat Thomas, and broadcaster Jim Jefferson Rhone.

Inspired after watching a match of the Tottenham Spurs of the Premier League, Davis formed Team Spur with trainer-driver Dick Stillings (and sometimes trainer Buddy Stillings). Team Spur copped victories in the sports biggest races, including the Little Brown Jug, the Adios, the Breeders Crown, the Cane Pace and the Yonkers Trot.

Davis also was a successful travel industry entrepreneur; his Royal Travel Corp. was headquartered on property adjacent to The Meadows. Stillings was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2013. Saturdays Grand Circuit event, formerly called the Gov. Lawrence, now will be known as the Roy D. Davis Arden Downs Stake for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

A successful industrialist based in Leechburg, Pa., Key may be best known for winning the 1993 Hambletonian with the homebred American Winner and for breeding and campaigning the millionaire half-siblings Winning Mister and Win Missy B, both out of American Winners daughter Winning Missbrenda.

His results as an owner may be unmatched in the sport. He finished in the top 10 in owner earnings for each of the last 13 years he raced and in the top 4 in each of the last 11 years. Key-owned horses have won 2,868 races since the United States Trotting Association began compiling and archiving owner statistics in 1992.

Fridays Grand Circuit stake for freshman colts and geldings will now be known as the Robert J. Key Arden Downs Trot. The stake formerly honoured the memory of Ed Ryan, longtime operator of The Meadows, noted amateur Standardbred driver, entrepreneur and philanthropist. His name will now grace Thursdays Edward M. Ryan Arden Downs Trot for freshman fillies.

Few trainers have fashioned the kind of year Pat Thomas enjoyed in 1976, That year, he compiled a Universal Training Rating of .546, believed to be the highest ever at the track. A fixture at The Meadows for decades, he was a member of the horsemens colony when the track opened in 1963, and over the years he campaigned such fan favourites as Berg Hanover and Roger Lobell. His memory and contributions will be honoured in Fridays fifth race, the Pat Thomas Memorial Pace.

Rhone, who used the on-air name Jim Jefferson as news director for radio station WJPA in Washington, Pa., was a familiar, universally liked figure at The Meadows, whether conducting paddock interviews for Meadows Live! or greeting fans at WJPAs Adios Week Cash Wheel.

Jefferson famously refused to handicap, opting instead to bet the No. 4 horse in any race he played. Thus, the Jim Jefferson Memorial Pace goes on Adios Day as, fittingly, race four.

(Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)
This weekend kicks off the celebration of the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Societys 25th anniversary at Standardbred racetracks across Ontario.

On Sunday (Aug. 1) Dresden and Clinton Raceways will start the ball rolling with the first OSAS Days at the Races on their matinee cards, which get underway at 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively.

Each card will feature a race called the OSAS 25th Anniversary Race, the winners of which will receive a cooler with the special OSAS anniversary logo sponsored by the Central Ontario Standardbred Association. The winners will also receive OSAS swag, including boxes of ambassador cards created especially for the occasion by noted equine artist Michelle Hogan and sponsored by Ontario Racing. The cards feature beautiful portraits of OSASs most famous ambassadors: Reverend Hanover, Ruff Me Up, Hiltons Hot Stuff and The Painted Pony.

Established in 1996, OSAS is the official adoption agency for harness horses in Ontario and has found forever homes for more than 1,000 horses since its inception. The dates for the Ontario tracks hosting an OSAS day are as follows:

OSAS 25th Anniversary At The Races

Sunday, Aug. 1: Clinton Raceway and Dresden Raceway

Wednesday, Aug. 18: Grand River Raceway

Sunday, Aug. 22: Leamington Raceway

Tuesday, Aug. 31: Georgian Downs

Saturday, Sept. 4: Hiawatha Horse Park

Saturday, Sept. 18: Hanover Raceway

Thursday, Sept. 30: Flamboro Downs

Friday, Oct. 8: The Raceway at the Western Fair District

Saturday, Oct. 23: Woodbine Mohawk Park

Thursday, Oct. 28: Rideau Carleton Raceway

(OSAS)
Fifty-three freshman pacers head to Eldorado Scioto Downs for their second leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series on Thursday (July 29). Six divisions will each have a purse of $17,500.

Six first-leg winners will be looking for their second series victory.

Trainer Brian Brown will send three previous winners to the gate. In the first division, Dirge (McArdle) will be handled by Cameron McCown. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. will drive Sea Luck (Downbytheseaside) in the fifth division and Dragons Fly Creek (Fear The Dragon) in the final division.

Sea Luck will face two other winners: Western Ready (Western Vintage), with Aaron Merriman driving for trainer Scott Ferguson; and Parkland Hill (Racing Hill), who competes for the father-son combination of Jeff and Tyler Smith.

In the fourth division, trainer Timothy Lane sends out Moved Bythe Spirit (Western Vintage), who will be driven by Jeremy Smith.

Thirty-three trainers have entered the Buckeye Stallion Series second leg, with seven of the trainers starting three two-year-olds each.

First post at Eldorado Scioto Downs is set for 6:15 p.m.

(Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association)
I think that if girls are given the opportunity to do the queen contest they definitely should, said Vogel. Even if you dont get a crown you still go through a lot of things that youre going to go through in life like an interview or having to connect with people on a new level and getting a new experience.

Serving as queen Ive been able to interact more with our communities and the younger generation and advocate more for the fair and the queen contest, she added. By getting a crown you get so much but also by just getting up on stage and facing that fear and putting yourself out there you get so much more. I have so many new friendships from the queen contest and from those on my court and I also have been able to connect with the board members, activity directors, and community members. Overall it has been a very rewarding process and I am so thankful that I did it and I would recommend that everybody puts in sales out there if they have the chance and do the queen contest because you never know what the outcome might be, Vogel said with a smile.
Asked Wednesday if she was concerned about infections at the Iowa State Fair, Gov. Kim Reynolds didn't directly answer but advised potential fairgoers to get vaccinated and noted most people hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated.

So its a decision that theyve made, she said. Theyve made the calculation on whether to do it or not and so I dont feel that we should punish everybody because some have made the decision not to.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that 49% of Iowans were fully vaccinated, ranking the state 21st in the nation. In at least 18 of Iowa's 99 counties, fewer than 40% of the population is vaccinated, and CDC data shows 35 counties with a high rate of spread and 12 counties with substantial spread of the virus.

Iowa also has the sixth-lowest testing rates in the nation among states reporting the data, which could make it difficult to pinpoint an outbreak if one occurs.

Srinivas said she's also concerned by RAGBRAI, an annual week-long bike ride across Iowa that continues through Friday, drawing about 15,000 cyclists from around the country to small towns in counties with some of the state's lowest vaccination rates.

She called it the perfect environment for outbreaks to occur.
Many Republican leaders, however, are blocking preventative measures, potentially making it harder to tame virus outbreaks in conservative communities.

At least 18 Republican-led states have moved to prohibit vaccine passports or to ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccination. And some have prohibited schools from requiring any student or teacher to wear a mask or be vaccinated.

In its announcement, the CDC cited troubling new  thus far unpublished  research that found that fully vaccinated people can spread the delta variant just like the unvaccinated, putting those who havent received the shots or who have compromised immune systems at heightened risk. The CDC also recommended that all teachers, staff and students wear masks inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

The backlash was swift.

We wont go back. We wont mask our children, declared Trump, who routinely cast doubt on the value of mask-wearing and rarely wore one in public while he was in office. Why do Democrats distrust the science?

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called the new guidance disappointing and concerning and inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results.
She was a humble, small woman from a humble, small town in the big quiet of north-central Nebraska.

She had watched her Newport flourish and fail. The grocery stores, gone. The churches, gone. The post office, gone. The steakhouse and convenience store at the highways edge, gone.

But Betty Christensen wasnt going to watch her town die. She was in her 80s when she hatched an improbable plan: to raise more than $200,000 to replace the community center and the fire hall.

The buildings were important to Newport. When Christensens husband, Elmer, was mayor in the 1950s, hed helped convert the former granary into a gathering place. Generations of Rock County families attended parties, potlucks and reunions there, to celebrate what they still had, and funeral dinners, to mourn who they lost.

Her husband also helped build the fire hall, a small, second-hand Quonset for the 30 or so volunteers who serve 350 square miles, the eastern third of the county.

But both buildings were beyond repair. The volunteer firefighters struggled to squeeze all of their rigs in through its single door, and to even afford to pay its heating bills, which could soar to $5,000 annually. The community center would flood during heavy rains and become a refuge for snakes.
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The Rowlett Police Department will receive CDBG funding to start a new initiative where off duty officers can build positive interactions with residents in low-income neighborhoods.
The decision was made to lay off all but eight employees and consolidate the companys work in Ohio for the pandemic. Chandler did note that Speyside was concerned about their staffers health insurance and paid their premiums throughout the layoff. When the call to return to work was made, he said, 95% of their employees returned. The plant employs about 85 people today.

A current challenge, Chandler said, is the supply of raw materials. White oak logs, he said, are hard to come by, especially since exports to China have picked up. White oak is also used to make furniture. He noted that the Glade Spring stave mill is currently only running two of its four lines because of the log supply issue.

Chandler, who previously worked at a sawmill, said much of the problem is not having loggers in the woods. The average age of existing loggers, he said, is in the 50s. Its hard work with long, hot days, he noted. You just dont see people going into it.

However, Chandler observed, its a problem because barrels, furniture, lumber and even toilet paper require loggers.

Steel inventory is also low while prices remain high, the plant manager said. He noted that an order was coming in Friday to the Atkins plant after having been on the books for three months.
In a conference call with analysts, Zuckerberg called the metaverse the next generation of the internet and next chapter for us as a company, one that he said will create entirely new experiences and economic opportunities.

For now, though, Facebook still has to contend with more mundane matters such as antitrust crackdowns in the U.S. and elsewhere as well as concerns about how it handles vaccine-related and political misinformation on its platform. The company said, as it has before, that it expects challenges in its ability to target ads this year  including regulatory pressure and Apples privacy changes that make it harder for companies like Facebook to track people who can opt out of that form of surveillance.

Although the social network doubled its profit in the second quarter, in part because of higher average prices it charged for the ads it delivers to its nearly 3 billion users. But the company said it doesnt expect revenue to continue to grow at such a breakneck pace in the second half of the year.
A lot of times, with more serious crimes, it opens wounds, Jurvakainen said. Obviously, theres some frustration.

Backlog

The office currently has about 250 unresolved cases related to the Blake decision flagged in its computer system, but Jurvakainen said there are likely thousands more. The prosecutors office has about 5 to 10 hearings on Blake cases a week.

Prosecutors handle Blake cases in addition to a backlog of court cases created by the pandemic. Jurvakainen said pending trials involving felony and misdemeanor charges have doubled for his office, where resources are tough anyway.

As of July 20, Cowlitz County Superior Court reported it was facing roughly 43% more active felony criminal cases and 33% more active family dispute cases than average pre-pandemic levels.

About a month ago, Jurvakainen said 85 cases required defendants to be summoned to court for their first appearance. Newly arrested people can only be held for 72 hours if charges are not filed. Defendants from those 85 cases missed the deadline and now have to be called back. The delay may affect the amount of witnesses available and witnesses memory, Jurvakainen said.
The Longview School Board race for position 2 has two active candidates, incumbent Crystal Moldenhauer and challenger Melissa Richards, who both support parent choice, but differ on the districts relationship with its unions.

Robert Kohr Jr. is also on the ballot, but wrote in his voters guide statement that he is endorsing Richards and ending his own campaign.

Moldenhauer was appointed to Phil Jurmus seat last year after he resigned. She said she is running for another term because she enjoys the position and to bring more diverse representation to the board.

Were low income, I live in the Highlands, I have a special needs child, she said. I feel like Im a voice for the families that dont always make the meetings because theyre single parent households.

Richards did not respond to requests for comment, but in her Voters Guide statement she wrote that she is a parent and a strong opponent to the draconian anti-social measures that have become the norm for education.

Issues facing the district
According to the investigation, the city administrator and clerks still could be exposed even if they were sitting six feet from the unmasked councilmembers.

These meetings take place in an indoor environment where air is recirculated, the investigation states. Furthermore, there is potential either the city administrator or clerk could have to get up and walk near the councilmembers where they could be less than six feet from a councilmember not wearing a facial covering.

The violation was corrected during the L&I inspection, according to the citation.

Plaza and Fredricks said the city shouldnt have been fined in accordance with the L&Is Division of Occupational Safety and Healths compliance manual, which states if an employer meets several defenses, it will not be cited.

Councilmember Janice Graham said she had taken her mask off during the meetings in question because of a medical condition. She asked the councilmembers sitting around her if it bothered them and it didnt, she said.

Councilmember Monte Smith said he never felt pressured to attend the meetings in person and participated virtually sometimes. A conversation between L&I and the city could have better addressed the concerns, he said.

Fredricks, Plaza, Smith, Chapman and Graham said they would each pay $171.42, one-seventh of the fine, because the taxpayers shouldnt be on the hook for it.

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Obviously, most homeowners have no idea that these covenants ... actually exist and theyre in their deeds, Washington state Rep. Javier Valdez, a Democrat from Seattle, said during a floor speech in March. "I think if they knew that these restrictions existed in their documents, even though theyre not enforceable, they would want to do something about it.

Several bills concerning covenants are currently before the California legislature, which previously passed legislation allowing property owners to address restrictive covenants. One bill would redact any illegal and offensive exclusionary covenants in the property records as part of each sale before they reach the buyer.

In Minnesota, where thousands of racial covenants have been discovered by a team of historians, activists, geographers and community members, a law was signed in 2019 that allows residents to fill out a form seeking to clarify that the restrictive covenant is ineffective, and subsequently discharge it from the property.

Rep. Jim Davnie, a Democrat from Minneapolis who pushed for the legislation, said even though such covenants no longer have any force of law, residents should have the ability to address the dated racist stains on their homes' titles.
The Poco X3 GT smartphone has been in the news for quite some time now and fans have been waiting for launch information and updates. The phone was first spotted on the site of the Malaysian certification platform, SIRIM, in June. Now, the company has finally, launched the much-awaited smartphone. However, Poco X3 GT has arrived only in Malaysia and Vietnam. In case you are wondering when the Poco X3 GT will arrive in India, the thing is, it wont. Poco has confirmed that the Poco X3 GT, which is the rebranded version of the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G, will not be making its way to India, at least not anytime soon.

Poco X3 GT price

The Poco X3 GT costs MYR 1,299 ( 22,800 approx.) in Malaysia for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. The other variant with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space, on the other hand, will be available at a price of MYR 1,599 ( 28,000 approx.). It will be available in Cloud White, Stargaze Black, and Wave Blue colour variants in the country via a flash sale starting August 3.

In Vietnam, Poco is offering the newly launched Poco X3 GT in a single 8GB RAM and 256GB variant. It costs VND 7,990,000 ( 25,800 approx) in the country where it will be available via a flash sale on August 5.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

Poco X3 GT display

The Poco X3 comes with a 6.6-inch full HD+ display with a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels and a screen refresh rate of 120Hz. It comes with Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Poco X3 GT processor

The Poco X3 GT is powered by MediaTeks Dimensity 1100 system-on-chip that is paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage space. It has 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.2, and GPS for connectivity.

Poco X3 GT camera

The Poco X3 GT features a triple-rear camera setup, which includes a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. On the front, it has a punch-hole display consisting of a 16MP camera.

Poco X3 GT battery

Coming to the battery, the Poco X3 GT is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging technology.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that if the United States ended up in a "real shooting war" with a "major power" it could be the result of a significant cyber attack on the country, highlighting what Washington sees as growing threats posed by Russia and China. Cybersecurity has risen to the top of the agenda for the Biden administration after a series of high-profile attacks on entities such as network management company SolarWinds, the Colonial Pipeline company, meat processing company JBS and software firm Kaseya hurt the US far beyond just the companies hacked. Some of the attacks affected fuel and food supplies in parts of the United States.

"I think it's more than likely we're going to end up, 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 and it's increasing exponentially, the capabilities," Biden said during a half-hour speech while visiting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

During a June 16 summit in Geneva between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden shared a list of critical infrastructure the US considers off-limits to nation-state actors.

Since then, senior members of the Biden administration's national security team have been in constant contact with senior members of the Kremlin over cyber attacks on the United States, the White House has said.

Biden also highlighted the threats posed by China, referring to President Xi Jinping as "deadly earnest about becoming the most powerful military force in the world, as well as the largest and most prominent economy in the world by the mid-40s, the 2040s."

During his speech to about 120 ODNI employees and senior leadership officials, Biden also thanked members of U.S. intelligence agencies, emphasized his confidence in the work they do, and said he will not exert political pressure on them. The ODNI oversees 17 US intelligence organisations.

"I'll never politicize the work you do. You have my word on that," he said. "It's too important for our country," he said.

Biden's comments offered a clear departure from remarks made by his predecessor Donald Trump, who had a contentious relationship with intelligence agencies over issues such as its assessment that Russia had interfered to help Trump win the 2016 election and its role in revealing that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden.

Trump went through four permanent or acting directors of national intelligence during his four years in office.
The hunting has been good for bug bounty hunters! Google on Tuesday disclosed that it had paid out over $29 million in bug bounties to 2022 researchers as part of its vulnerability reward program (VRP), while simultaneously announcing that it was changing the program. The company revealed that it has paid $29,357,516 for 11,055 bugs that have been successfully identified on its apps and services over a period of 11 years.

As part of the bug bounty hunters scheme makeover, the company announced on its security blog that it has rebranded its VRP program which will now be known as Bug Hunters for which the company has now launched a new website. Google has also decided to unify its efforts for some of its other VRP programs such as the bug bounty program for Google, Android, Google Chrome, and Google Play.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

This means that Google will now have one Bug Hunters website which will accept vulnerability disclosures for these products, which should streamline the process of reporting bugs across the companys platforms. However, the company has decided to take things a step further using gamification system, which will show leaderboards for disclosures per country, while also assigning awards and badges for certain bugs  which could also help those applying for a job with the companys VRP team, the company says.

When we launched our very first VRP, we had no idea how many valid vulnerabilities - if any - would be submitted on the first day. Everyone on the team put in their estimate, with predictions ranging from zero to 20. In the end, we actually received more than 25 reports, taking all of us by surprise, Google stated in the blog post. Since then, the company has paid researchers in 84 countries for reporting bugs on the platform.

The new website will also have a stronger emphasis on learning for users, according to Google. Bug hunters can improve their skills through the content available in our new Bug Hunter University, the company stated while adding that even patches for open-source software are eligible for a reward, along with rewards for research papers on open source security.
Kazakhstan said on Thursday it had restored access to Microsoft subsidiary LinkedIn's website, after briefly blocking it this week over what the Central Asian country's government said were online casino advertisements and fake accounts.

The Ministry of Information and Social Development said in a statement it had held talks with LinkedIn representatives and the company had already removed the content deemed illegal by the Nur-Sultan government.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

It is illegal to advertise online casinos in Kazakhstan.

LinkedIn said this week it was investigating the issue, saying its own policies prohibited ads relating to gambling and fake profiles.

About 720,000 Kazakhs are LinkedIn members, according to Ukraine-based analytics firm Linked-Promo.

In neighbouring Russia, with which Kazakhstan has close political and economic ties, LinkedIn has been blocked since 2016 when Moscow said the company failed to transfer Russian user data to servers located in the country.
TV personality Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan, seen in a 2012 picture, sued Gawker Media over publication of a sex tape, eventually forcing the group into bankruptcy.

Gawker, the gossip website forced into bankruptcy following its posting of a celebrity sex tape, is relaunching under new ownership, the publisher said Wednesday.

Bustle Digital Group said it had hired Gawker's former writers and editors to relaunch the site, which went into bankruptcy after being ordered to pay $140 million to former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan over publication of a sex tape.

The Gawker case divided media and press freedom advocates after it was revealed that Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel had funded Hogan's case as part of an effort to drive Gawker out of business.

The case ended in 2016 with a settlement calling for Hogan to be paid $31 million plus a share of Gawker Media assets sold in bankruptcy.

The Gawker Media brands were sold to media group Univision, and the Gawker website was acquired in 2018 by Bustle owner Bryan Goldberg in a bankruptcy auction.

Leah Finnegan, the new Gawker editor who had worked at the publication from 2014 to 2015, said she decided to accept the challenge of a relaunch after some initial hesitation.

"Who in God's name would want to edit a website that was cratered by an evil tech lord and sullied by a botched relaunch?" she said in a blog post.

"The Gawker name was toxic, but also weirdly revered; an intractable combination... I thought about it. I thought about how I missed laughing at things on the internet. I laughed a lot when I previously worked at Gawker, and I Iaughed a lot reading Gawker," she wrote.

"Sometimes I would read old Gawker posts just to see if I still had the ability to laugh... There were no good sites to read. The world was lost in darkness and desperately needed light."

Gawker faced fire for its no-holds-barred approach to celebrity coverage, but the court the case raised questions about whether powerful interests can use their resources to silence media for unfavorable coverage.

Thiel, a prominent Silicon Valley investor and supporter of Donald Trump, acknowledged funding a legal battle against the gossip website that "outed" him as gay.

 2021 AFP
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Following the Surgeon General's July 15 advisory on health misinformation and social media, President Joe Biden remarked that Facebook and other social media platforms are "killing people." Though Biden quickly backpedaled on his remark, Facebook rebutted it, citing instead its own study that showed increasing "vaccine acceptance" by U.S. Facebook users.

So, does Facebook play a role in COVID-19 misinformation? New survey results from researchers at Northwestern, Harvard, Northeastern and Rutgers universities show that it does.

While the researchers state that their results do not indicate that social media platforms are "killing people," as Biden said, they do find, however, that those who relied on Facebook for COVID-19 news had substantially lower vaccination rates than the overall U.S. population. Those who received most of their news from Facebook also displayed lower levels of institutional trust and greater acceptance of misinformation.

"We certainly cannot say the platform causes vaccine hesitancy, but it does seem like a place where such people gather," said James Druckman, the Payson S. Wild Professor of Political Science in Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and associate director of the University's Institute for Policy Research."That makes it all the more important to ensure the provision of accurate information on Facebook."

Between June 9 and July 7, Druckman and his colleagues from the COVID States Project asked 20,669 people across the U.S. to name news sources they rely on for COVID-19 updates, vaccination rates and information.

The researchers found Facebook is a significant source of COVID-19 news. Three in 10 people (33%) reported visiting Facebook in the last 24 hours to find news about COVID-19. When compared with other possible responses, the results show people use Facebook about as much as mainstream news sources like CNN (32%) and Fox News (30%).

Vaccination rates

The vaccination rate of respondents who said they find COVID-19 news from Facebook and other sources is 10% lower (61%) than those who said they do not use Facebook (71%). This vaccination gap widens to 40% between people who used multiple sources (87%) but not Facebook, and those who only used Facebook for COVID-19 news (47%).

Even when the researchers accounted for respondents' race, age, home location, education and other demographic characteristics, they still observed those who received COVID-19 news from Facebook had lower vaccination levels and showed higher levels of vaccine resistance.

Trust in institutions, vaccine misperceptions

In examining institutional trust, the researchers discovered that respondents who relied on Facebook for COVID-19 information tended to be less trusting of the news media, as well as other government and scientific institutions. For respondents who said they only received news from Facebook, only 37% said they trusted the mainstream media "some" or "a lot," compared to 47% of other respondents.

Druckman and his colleagues also asked respondents whether common COVID-19 misperceptionssuch as if vaccines alter people's DNA or contain microchips to track peoplewere factual. Respondents who exclusively used Facebook were more likely to believe the false claims, with 22% believing at least one. This result was on par with people who only watched Fox News (21%), and much higher than those who relied on multiple new sources (7%).

Druckman and his colleagues say their survey results do not suggest that Facebook prevented Americans from being vaccinated; still, they do provide key insights into social media news consumption and COVID-19 vaccination rates.

More information: The pre-print study is available at The pre-print study is available at osf.io/uvqbs/
Close-up of the optical components used to stabilise the light of the infrared laser for the precise reference frequency. Credit: METAS

Many scientific experiments require highly precise time measurements with the help of a clearly defined frequency. Now, a new approach allows the direct comparison of frequency measurements in the lab with the atomic clock in Bern, Switzerland.

For many scientific experiments, today's researchers require a precise reference frequency that allows them to calibrate the time measurements made by their equipment. Such experiments include spectroscopy investigationsin which chemical reactions between molecules are examined in real timeand physical studies on natural constants.

Access to exactly this kind of highly precise reference frequency could soon become standard for Swiss research institutions. In a joint project funded as part of the Swiss National Science Foundation's Sinergia program, researchers at ETH Zurich, the University of Basel, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS)  Switzerland's "guardian of measurement units"and the SWITCH Foundation, which operates Switzerland's academic data network, have demonstrated that such a precision reference signal can be sent via conventional telecommunications infrastructure.

"Initial results show that this permits chemical spectroscopy analyses that are 100 times more accurate than before," reports Stefan Willitsch, Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Basel and coordinator of the project. "With this precision, the laws of nature are verified by spectroscopic measurements on molecules with unprecedented accuracy," adds Frederic Merkt, Professor of Physical Chemistry at ETH Zurich.

Continuous correction

Specifically, the project established a trial network that connects the METAS site in Wabern near Bern with the University of Basel and ETH Zurich. A clever process synchronizes the output signal with the METAS atomic clock. This signal is transmitted via the fiber-optic network operated by SWITCHwhich manages IT network infrastructures for Swiss universitiesto Basel and Zurich, where researchers can use it to calibrate their measuring devices.

"To ensure that the signal reaches the researchers with the desired level of precision, transmission must be continuously adjusted. Even the slightest variation in the length of the fiber-optic cablecaused by vibrations or temperature changesaffect the frequency," explains Jacques Morel, Head of the Photonics, Time and Frequency Laboratory at METAS. Therefore the signal is bounced back from Basel and Zurich to Bern, where the output signal is corrected as required.

Dominik Husmann adjusts the optical setup used to generate a precise reference frequency based on an infrared laser. Credit: METAS

High quality, lower costs

"In Switzerland, we're only now beginning to establish this kind of network," says Jerome Faist, Professor at the Institute for Quantum Electronics at ETH Zurich, who contributed his expertise in laser technology to the project. "Other countries like Italy, Germany and France are already a step ahead in this area."

In these countries, the reference frequencies have, up to now, been transmitted in one of two wayseach with its own specific drawbacks. Either the signal is sent via a dedicated cable, which produces an optimum physical result but is expensive, or the signal is transmitted via the telecommunications provider's existing infrastructure. While this is much cheaper, it is technically inferior because the reference signal for measuring time is transmitted within the C band, in other words at a similar base frequency to data traffic. Not only does this leave the reference signal open to potential disruption by the rest of the data traffic, it blocks a channel that would normally be used for data transmission, which in turn complicates operation.

"We've now developed a third option," explains Fabian Mauchle, project manager at Switch: "For reasons of cost, we use the existing SWITCH network. But instead of transmitting the reference signal within the physically optimum C bandwhich is largely taken up by data trafficwe use the L band, which is still mostly uncongested and has a different base frequency." The results now show that the L band is also a viable option for transmitting reference signals at excellent quality without encountering disruption from data traffic. This did, however, require SWITCH to make certain modifications to its network infrastructure.

International networking

The next step will be to further expand the network to include other Swiss institutions such as CERN in Geneva, EPFL or the University of Neuchatel. There are also plans to take the network to an international level. The goal is to establish a transnational network capable of comparing signals from various atomic clocks.

This would pave the way for an even more precise time measurement for defining the second as an SI unit. To ensure consistent time measurement worldwide, atomic clocks are currently compared with satellite signals in the gigahertz range. Synchronizing atomic clocks using optical signals in the terahertz range would allow measurements of the second up to 18 decimal places instead of the "mere" 16 decimal places previously achieved. But the only way this can work is if the signals used to compare these optical clocks are transmitted as light via fiber optics.

Interesting for other disciplines

Faist also points out that it's not just chemists and physicists who could benefit from the new network. It could provide geoscientists with new insights, too. Geoscientists might not require highly precise time signals for their experiments, but since even the tiniest disruption will affect the signal frequency, they could use the approach to detect subsurface vibrations that are too subtle for today's measuring devices to register.

Explore further How astronomers can leverage fiber nets and listen to deep space

More information: Dominik Husmann et al, SI-traceable frequency dissemination at 157206 nm in a stabilized fiber network with ring topology, Optics Express (2021). Journal information: Optics Express Dominik Husmann et al, SI-traceable frequency dissemination at 157206 nm in a stabilized fiber network with ring topology,(2021). DOI: 10.1364/OE.427921
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

University of Arkansas English professor Adam Pope and his colleague at San Jose State University examined lax oversight of advertising on Facebook during the 2016 political campaign and found a systematic bias toward ad buyers, specifically a Russian internet troll farm that sought to sow discord within the U.S. political system.

In "Rubles and Rhetoric: Corporate Kairos and Social Media's Crisis of Common Sense," published in Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society, Pope and Sara West, assistant professor at San Jose State University, argue that social media ethics must be a central component of technical and professional writers' training.

Facebook and other social media platforms create advertising algorithms that are capable of targeting specific audiences in minute detail, but, as Pope and West found, the popular platform simply chose not to use that power to screen ads that violated federal and state laws. Instead, due to a systematic bias toward companies purchasing advertisements, Facebook failed to identify and prevent abuse of political advertising on the platform. The authors said the behavior demonstrated a corporate culture designed to leverage user data to serve paying customers in message placement rather than users.

"The Facebook platform can be understood as operating primarily to provide timely and targeted placement of advertisements for commercial clients," Pope said. "We framed this phenomenon as corporate 'Kairos,' a term that simply means the ability of paying customers to precisely time and target their posts and content to audiences who will be favorably inclined to their message."

The researchers found that rights of users connecting and communicating on Facebook were deemed less valuable than the so-called corporate-Kairos' paid targeting. In other words, the marketing-first culture at Facebookcreated primarily by an automated systemenabled bad actors with virtually no checks on their posting powers, even in extreme circumstances.

The extreme circumstance in this case was the 2016 presidential campaign, during which Facebook accepted rubles from a Russian troll farm, known as the Internet Research Agency, to place political advertisements on the platform. A troll farm is a group of individuals who try to influence political opinions and decisions on the internet. The use of foreign currency by a foreign nation to influence a U.S. election is prohibited by the Federal Election Commission.

The advertisements were focused on divisive political topics: LGBTQ+ rights, guns, the legal status of undocumented immigrants and others. The goal of these ads was to sow seeds of discord within the American political system, stoke racial and cultural tensions and even infiltrate political movements, such as Black Lives Matter.

"Understanding how these systems work and the ethical landscape of these platforms is essential as we train the next generation of technical and professional writers to operate in these spaces for their employers," Pope said. "When these systems exist in a regulatory vacuum with questionably ethical automation, it behooves us as educators to critically engage our students and future working professionals on the risks and strategies of working with social media."

Explore further Facebook to resume political ads, joining Google

More information: The study is available at The study is available at www.presenttensejournal.org/vo  sis-of-common-sense/
Volkswagen is betting its future on electic vehicles, like this ID 3.

German carmaker Volkswagen posted strong first-half profits on Thursday but cut this year's forecast for car deliveries over a worsening semiconductor chip shortage.

The 12-brand groupwhich includes Porsche, Audi, Seat and Skodasaid high demand for luxury vehicles had powered a "record" performance over the first six months.

Adjusted operating profits, before special items, reached 11.4 billion euros ($13.5 billion), higher than the 10 billion achieved over the same period in pre-crisis 2019the year before coronavirus lockdowns pummelled the auto industry.

VW said it had managed to contain the impact from the chip crunch so far, but the fallout was likely to be "more pronounced" in the third quarter.

Like other carmakers, VW has been forced to trim production at some plants because of the semiconductor supply disruptions, fuelled by a pandemic-driven surge in demand for home electronics.

The effects were already being felt in key market China, where VW said sales had slowed.

In a conference call with reporters, Diess said his teams had offset some of the lost production by "prioritising the semiconductors towards their higher profitable brands and markets".

With the semiconductor bottlenecks set to intensify, VW lowered the group's full-year deliveries forecast.

Chief financial officer Arno Antlitz said deliveries to customer were now expected to be up 10 percent on the year, down from a prior estimate of 15 percent.

But the group remained optimistic overall, buoyed by what Diess called a "record result" in the first half of the year.

"The premium segment performed especially well with double-digit returns," Diess said.

The group said it was now targeting an operating return on sales, a closely-watched measure of performance, of 6.0 to 7.5 percent for 2021. The previous goal had been 5.5-7.0 percent.

Diess also noted that VW's e-offensive was "picking up momentum", with 171,000 all-electric vehicles delivered worldwide over the first six months, a jump of 165 percent year-on-year.

The group, which is spending tens of billions of euros on the industry-wide shift towards greener cars, has set its sights on become the world leader in electric vehicle sales.

VW expects battery-powered cars to make up half its sales by 2030, and "almost 100 percent" by 2040.

VW shares were up 0.5 percent in midday trading, just beating the 0.4 percent overall gain on the DAX 30, but they trailed the gains of over 1.0 percent made by shares in German automaker rivals Daimler and BMW.

Explore further Volkswagen profits rise but chip shortage impact not over

 2021 AFP
Schell & Hogan LLP, a leading accounting firm in Brunswick, has its beginnings 65 years ago in Jacksonville, Florida, when it began as a branch of Smoak, Davis and Nixon LLP. In 1967, J. Powell Schell and Terry D. Hogan, already partners in the firm, acquired it to operate it independent
STAYING ELIGIBLE: Ex-Firefighter Rob Serra, who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks and is a WTC Health Program participant, communicates with Uniformed Firefighters Association officialsincluding President Andy Ansbro (at right) and their attorneyJuly 28, a day before the deadline for those who'd been certified with the program for two years to register with the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund for a possible monetary award. Registering preserved their right to file a future claim.
Baylor Scott & White Health announced Wednesday it will require employees to be fully vaccinated; St. Joseph Health said it is not requiring vaccinations for its employees but does strongly encourage inoculation against COVID-19.

In a statement, Baylor Scott & White said all employees, volunteers, vendors and contract staff must receive one of the COVID-19 vaccines by Oct. 1. The release cited delta variant-related surges in infection and hospitalization rates.

With rapidly rising COVID-19 case counts due to the highly contagious Delta variant and the start of the flu season fast approaching, we believe now is the right time to take the next step in achieving a fully vaccinated workforce, Baylor Scott & White Health said in a statement.

St. Joseph Health, in a statement to The Eagle Wednesday afternoon, said it is not requiring employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, but added that all employees are strongly encouraged to do so.

The vaccines are safe and have been proven effective in preventing and reducing the severity of COVID-19 infections, the St. Joseph statement reads. With this surge, we are seeing an increase in the number of individuals needing hospital-level care. Over 90 percent of these individuals are unvaccinated.
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.

Oceans of Plastic at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station. A collection of art made from plastic pollution acquired from beaches along the Texas Gulf Coast. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults, and tickets must be purchased at bush41.org/visit/admission.

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.
There is nothing insidious or anti-American about acknowledging this fact. One can love America and simultaneously be critical of the ways that structural racism has perpetuated racial inequities such as in health care, a fact acknowledged in a recent article by the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

Law professor Kimberle Crenshaw, who coined the term critical race theory, has suggested that a lot of what is being called critical race theory in the media are ideas that no proponent would agree with.

For example, a critical race theory bill introduced in West Virginia forbids teachers from teaching divisive concepts such as teaching that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex and an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex.

However, there is nothing in critical race theory that advocates these beliefs.

As a professor of psychology and Black Studies for over two decades, the acknowledgement of historic and current systemic racism has long been an important focus of my teaching. For those who believe that teaching critical race theory or teaching about systemic racism is hostile, divisive, race-obsessed, and anti-American, I would beg to differ.
Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 88F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
An unidentified threat actor has been exploiting a now-patched zero-day flaw in Internet Explorer browser to deliver a fully-featured VBA-based remote access trojan (RAT) capable of accessing files stored in compromised Windows systems, and downloading and executing malicious payloads as part of an "unusual" campaign.

The backdoor is distributed via a decoy document named "Manifest.docx" that loads the exploit code for the vulnerability from an embedded template, which, in turn, executes shellcode to deploy the RAT, according to cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, which spotted the suspicious Word file on July 21, 2021.

The malware-laced document claims to be a "Manifesto of the inhabitants of Crimea" calling on the citizens to oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin and "create a unified platform called 'People's Resistance.'"

The Internet Explorer flaw, tracked as CVE-2021-26411, is notable for the fact that it was abused by the North Korea-backed Lazarus Group to target security researchers working on vulnerability research and development.

Earlier this February, South Korean cybersecurity firm ENKI revealed the state-aligned hacking collective had made an unsuccessful attempt at targeting its security researchers with malicious MHTML files that, when opened, downloaded two payloads from a remote server, one of which contained a zero-day against Internet Explorer. Microsoft addressed the issue as part of its Patch Tuesday updates for March.

The Internet Explorer exploit is one of the two ways that's used to deploy the RAT, with the other method relying on a social engineering component that involves downloading and executing a remote macro-weaponized template containing the implant. Regardless of the infection chain, the use of double attack vectors is likely an attempt to increase the likelihood of finding a path into the targeted machines.

"While both techniques rely on template injection to drop a full-featured remote access trojan, the IE exploit (CVE-2021-26411) previously used by the Lazarus APT is an unusual discovery," Malwarebytes researcher Hossein Jazi said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "The attackers may have wanted to combine social engineering and exploit to maximize their chances of infecting targets."

Besides collecting system metadata, the VBA RAT is orchestrated to identify antivirus products running on the infected host and execute commands it receives from an attacker-controlled server, including reading, deleting, and downloading arbitrary files, and exfiltrate the results of those commands back to the server.

Also discovered by Malwarebytes is a PHP-based panel nicknamed "Ekipa" that's used by the adversary to track victims and view information about the modus operandi that led to the successful breach, highlighting successful exploitation using the IE zero-day and the execution of the RAT.

"As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine over Crimea continues, cyber attacks have been increasing as well," Jazi said. "The decoy document contains a manifesto that shows a possible motive (Crimea) and target (Russian and pro-Russian individuals) behind this attack. However, it could also have been used as a false flag."
Intelligence agencies in Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. issued a joint advisory on Wednesday detailing the most exploited vulnerabilities in 2020 and 2021, once again demonstrating how threat actors are able to swiftly weaponize publicly disclosed flaws to their advantage.

"Cyber actors continue to exploit publicly knownand often datedsoftware vulnerabilities against broad target sets, including public and private sector organizations worldwide," the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) noted.

"However, entities worldwide can mitigate the vulnerabilities listed in this report by applying the available patches to their systems and implementing a centralized patch management system."

The top 30 vulnerabilities span a wide range of software, including remote work, virtual private networks (VPNs), and cloud-based technologies, that cover a broad spectrum of products from Microsoft, VMware, Pulse Secure, Fortinet, Accellion, Citrix, F5 Big IP, Atlassian, and Drupal.

The most routinely exploited flaws in 2020 are as follows -

CVE-2019-19781 (CVSS score: 9.8) - Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and Gateway directory traversal vulnerability

(CVSS score: 9.8) - Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and Gateway directory traversal vulnerability CVE-2019-11510 (CVSS score: 10.0) - Pulse Connect Secure arbitrary file reading vulnerability

(CVSS score: 10.0) - Pulse Connect Secure arbitrary file reading vulnerability CVE-2018-13379 (CVSS score: 9.8) - Fortinet FortiOS path traversal vulnerability leading to system file leak

(CVSS score: 9.8) - Fortinet FortiOS path traversal vulnerability leading to system file leak CVE-2020-5902 (CVSS score: 9.8) - F5 BIG-IP remote code execution vulnerability

(CVSS score: 9.8) - F5 BIG-IP remote code execution vulnerability CVE-2020-15505 (CVSS score: 9.8) - MobileIron Core & Connector remote code execution vulnerability

(CVSS score: 9.8) - MobileIron Core & Connector remote code execution vulnerability CVE-2020-0688 (CVSS score: 8.8) - Microsoft Exchange memory corruption vulnerability

(CVSS score: 8.8) - Microsoft Exchange memory corruption vulnerability CVE-2019-3396 (CVSS score: 9.8) - Atlassian Confluence Server remote code execution vulnerability

(CVSS score: 9.8) - Atlassian Confluence Server remote code execution vulnerability CVE-2017-11882 (CVSS score: 7.8) - Microsoft Office memory corruption vulnerability

(CVSS score: 7.8) - Microsoft Office memory corruption vulnerability CVE-2019-11580 (CVSS score: 9.8) - Atlassian Crowd and Crowd Data Center remote code execution vulnerability

(CVSS score: 9.8) - Atlassian Crowd and Crowd Data Center remote code execution vulnerability CVE-2018-7600 (CVSS score: 9.8) - Drupal remote code execution vulnerability

(CVSS score: 9.8) - Drupal remote code execution vulnerability CVE-2019-18935 (CVSS score: 9.8) - Telerik .NET deserialization vulnerability resulting in remote code execution

(CVSS score: 9.8) - Telerik .NET deserialization vulnerability resulting in remote code execution CVE-2019-0604 (CVSS score: 9.8) - Microsoft SharePoint remote code execution vulnerability

(CVSS score: 9.8) - Microsoft SharePoint remote code execution vulnerability CVE-2020-0787 (CVSS score: 7.8) - Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) elevation of privilege vulnerability

(CVSS score: 7.8) - Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) elevation of privilege vulnerability CVE-2020-1472 (CVSS score: 10.0) - Windows Netlogon elevation of privilege vulnerability

The list of vulnerabilities that have come under active attack thus far in 2021 are listed below -

The development also comes a week after MITRE published a list of top 25 "most dangerous" software errors that could lead to serious vulnerabilities that could be exploited by an adversary to take control of an affected system, obtain sensitive information, or cause a denial-of-service condition.

"The advisory [...] puts the power in every organisation's hands to fix the most common vulnerabilities, such as unpatched VPN gateway devices," NCSC Director for Operations, Paul Chichester, said, while urging the need to prioritize patching to minimize the risk of being exploited by malicious actors.
If you thought Wednesday was hot, imagine being Louis and Aiden Ardine.

The two brothers traveled 40 miles on foot, traveling from Grand Island to Kearney on U.S. Highway 30.

In the middle of a 3,000-mile journey, the brothers like the treatment theyre receiving in the middle of the country.

Even Nebraskans of few words assist the Ardines on their journey.

On Wednesday, a man stopped, handed them two cold Gatorades, didnt say anything and just drove away. The beverage hit the spot.

The Ardines, who are from Red Bank, N.J., had a good time in Ohio. But, they say, Nebraska is right up there.

The two men, who are in the hospitality industry themselves, are walking across America to raise awareness and money for restaurant workers whose lives have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

The journey, entirely on foot, began May 1 in Asbury Park, N.J. Theyre hoping to finish in San Francisco the first week of October.

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Aiden is 28 and Louis 27.
The closing of the Grand Island office leaves Lincoln and Omaha the only cities in Nebraska with a Planned Parenthood location.

This is welcome news, said attorney Bob Sullivan, who is opposed to abortion.

I believe Planned Parenthoods retreat from central Nebraska speaks well for the people of central Nebraska, who recognized Planned Parenthoods misinformation and called them on it, Sullivan wrote in an email to The Independent.

The lack of local support was obvious when people started to take a stand against Planned Parenthood, and that is the most likely cause of the decision to close their office. The writing was on the wall, and Planned Parenthood obviously knew that continued attempts to gain a foothold in the Tri-City area were going to be a failure.

Sullivan, a former Hastings resident, now lives in Wahoo. He still maintains a practice in Hastings.

On Nov. 21, 2019, Planned Parenthood supporters assembled at the Grand Island office and met the next day for a five-hour policy summit.
Nebraska VA Director John Hilgert called the day a very important milestone.

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Without this day, we could not go forward, Hilgert said. Without the achievement of the Grand Island and Hall County and central Nebraska community coming together to raise these funds, we would not be going forward today.

The site is perfectly situated between Nebraskas national cemeteries in Maxwell and Omaha, he noted.

Draw a dot in between those two, it lands right here in Grand Island, Hilgert said. This will really complete our services for memorial recognition to Nebraskas veterans all the way across the state.

To help meet the fundraising deadline, Hall County approved meeting the difference through inheritance tax funds, which would be repaid using Grand Island Tourisms lodging tax dollars.

The amount needed was further reduced Wednesday.

Kearney Mayor Stan Clouse not only cheered the local effort, but presented a $50,000 donation to the Hero Flight Association on behalf of the city of Kearney.
Nebraska Department of Education has released the second draft of Nebraska Health Education Standards.

The draft, released early Thursday morning, contains few sex education guidelines.

Draft one had caused an uproar since its release in March, largely because of the sex education guidelines in that proposal. The guidelines suggested in draft one contained references to varying types of family structures.

For example, in the first draft, part of the human development guidelines for kindergarten lessons on human growth and development state: Discuss different kinds of family structures, e.g. single parent, blended, intergenerational, cohabitating, adoptive, foster, same-gender, interracial.

Sexual identity and sexual orientation were also covered in draft ones guidelines.

In its second draft, there is virtually no mention of family structures, sexual identity or sexual orientation.

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Draft two specifically states:
YORK  As the York County Commissioners continue to work toward formulating the budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, it was mentioned this week (during their regular meeting) that $250,000 was spent on outside legal defense counsel over the course of the last fiscal year.

Thats on top of the $206,000 budget for the public defenders office, Commissioner Randy Obermier pointed out.

Outside defense counsel is required when there is a conflict of interest that prevents the public defenders office from representing an indigent defendant. One source of conflict of interest, as an example, could be that the public defender is already representing a co-defendant. Thats just one of many sources.

Looking back on past years, it appears the 2020-21 total of $250,000 for court-appointed counsel from the outside is the most spent (in a fiscal year) for this purpose in the countys history.

Also during Tuesdays meeting of the county board:

 As the board of equalization, the board approved an application seeking motor vehicle tax exemption for a bus owned by the Nebraska Lutheran High School.
Lincoln County Treasurer Shelli Franzen was arrested Thursday in connection with an investigation into financial transactions in her office that were personal in nature, the North Platte Police Department says.

Franzen, appointed county treasurer in 2019, is being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center on suspicion of felony theft by deception, $1,500 to $5,000, and official misconduct by a public servant, a misdemeanor.

She assumed the office after county commissioners removed the previous treasurer, Lorie Koertner, in the wake of a State Auditors Office investigation that found multiple problems with the performance of duties in the Treasurers Office.

North Platte police received information Wednesday regarding suspicious financial activity, the department said in a Thursday press release.

Police found several transactions that appeared to be personal in nature. Those transactions were confirmed and probable cause was established, the news release said.

Franzen surrendered to police without incident, it said.
YORK  This week, the York Planning Commission said it will recommend an ordinance that would allow facilities such as horse racing tracks in the A-L Agricultural District, by special permit.

The commissions recommendation will be sent on to the city council next week for consideration, as the council will have to approve the ordinance for it to take effect.

An application has been made to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, as a non-profit corporation from York wants to build such a facility here. The state commission has made no decision regarding that particular project, as of yet.

The matter before the city planning commission was not in regards to that particular project. The matter before the planning commission was whether such an allowance could be made in that particular zone within city limits, should someone apply for a special permit.

York City Attorney Charles Campbell explained to the planning commission, This request has been made to amend the A-L Agriculture District, to allow this type of use by special use permit, so it would not be automatic. The applicants would have to come to the planning commission and the city council.
YORK- After teaching at St. Joseph Catholic School for the past nine years, Kathy Quinlan announced her retirement. However, she said this wont be the end of the road for her in education.

Quinlan was born in Iowa. Not too long after, her family moved to St. Joseph, Mo. Later on, they moved again to Horton, Kan. Quinlan said she was interested in school even when she too young to attend.

One day, I decided to meet my brother at school and walk him home, Quinlan said. I felt like I was lost, but I knew what the school looked like. When I got there, my dad was there. I got in a little trouble for taking off without letting anyone know.

Quinlan was the second oldest out of eight kids. Her father owned a farm paper, and it was the familys business. Their home garage was turned into a printing shop, and all of the children helped with a part of the print every day.

Quinlan said her first job was being a typist at her family newspaper. She said she enjoyed working. She was even able to teach her youngest brother how to spell his name on a typewriter.

In the summer, Quinlan and her siblings would visit her grandmother who was a teacher before she got married. She said she remembered telling her grandma that she wanted to teach because of her.
The affidavit says further, it should be noted the York County Sheriffs Department had taken multiple reports of burglaries and suspicious activity calls in the Bradshaw area in between the hours of midnight and 1:40 a.m. (that night). Earlier, a burglary was reported at Klutes Steel. And there had been an earlier attempted break-in at the Cornerstone Bank branch in Bradshaw where someone broke the glass on the front door but then drove off. There was also an earlier potential larceny from a vehicle in Bradshaw with the reporting person saying two people came into his yard and were looking into his vehicle.

Back to the night in question, in the vehicle where Kuester was found, the deputy saw a Crown Royal bag and a butane lighter, along with several tool boxes.

The deputy says in the affidavit he saw Kuester had two knives on the right side of his pants and a search of his person was conducted. The deputy alleges that during that search, he found a butane lighter, two wallets, bandanas, a ring, money and a lot of change. Inside one of his wallets was a large amount of cash. When asked, Kuester told the deputies he was unemployed.
Obermier and Wiens predict masks will be similarly incorporated by the industry, though perhaps not so rigidly as now should COVID fade.

Of the delta variant on the local scene, Obermier said it is definitely here in York County. Unlike the original COVID, this new strain is bearing down on young, healthy people, including children.

Vaccinated and non-vaccinated people can both get it, however those who choose not to vaccinate get it way worse, Obermier reports. By all legitimate accounts the same is true nationally and globally. For vaccinated patients, delta symptoms are universally mild with no hospitalization needed. To the contrary, nearly every delta hospitalization and all deaths are taking place within the non-vaccinated population.

Obermier said some folks indignantly declare: This is a public building! You cant make me wear a mask!

They believe, incorrectly, York General properties are public buildings like the tax-supported courthouse or city hall, but not so. York General, Obermier clarified, is a not-for-profit business that receives nary a dime of local tax money.

So, yes we can require you to wear a mask in our buildings. We have masks for people across the spectrum of York Generals facilities, said Obermier, adding we know there will be exceptions to their use in special circumstances. We are just asking people to be respectful of our staff. Please be screened on arrival, wear a mask  wear it up  and wash your hands.
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?

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Institutions of higher education are reconsidering mask mandates and other protocols following new guidance from state and federal health officials in the wake of increasing COVID-19 infection rates. Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Southeastern Illinois College are both requiring students, faculty and staff to wear masks in public areas of their campuses.
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois regulators plan to warn the owner of Ben & Jerrys to reverse the company's decision to stop selling ice cream in the West Bank and East Jerusalem or face divestment by the state, an official said Wednesday.

The Israeli Boycott Restrictions Committee of the Illinois Investment Policy Board will meet to approve setting a 90-day deadline for Unilever to reverse the decision by Ben & Jerrys, committee chairman Andy Lappin said.

There is no date set for the meeting but it will be called specifically to address the July 19 announcement by the Vermont-based confection-maker that continuing to market its product in Palestinian-sought territories is inconsistent with our values.

Its considered one of the strongest condemnations by a well-known company of Israels policy of settling citizens on war-won lands. Lappin said that the egregious nature of the statement is almost unprecedented.

The Illinois Investment Policy Board monitors compliance with state law prohibiting the investment in certain companies that do business with Iran and Sudan as well as companies that boycott Israel.
An Illinois woman who was captured on video being bluff charged by a grizzly bear while she was taking photos in Yellowstone National Park has been charged with two offenses.

Samantha Dehring of Carol Stream has been charged in U.S. District Court in Yellowstone Park with feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentionally disturbing wildlife and violating closures and use limits. She is set to appear in court Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. in Mammoth.

On May 15, Dehring was visiting the Roaring Mountain area of the park when she and a small group of other tourists spotted the sow bear and her two cubs. The sow was about 15 feet from the woman, investigators state in court records.

Witnesses told investigators that when they saw the bears coming closer, they returned to their vehicles and warned Dehring to also get back, but, she did not, charges state. Park regulations require visitors stay at least 300 feet away from bears and wolves.

Video of the encounter was widely shared on social media. On May 25, the park posted a photo of the woman on its Facebook page along with a plea for tips that could help identify her. On the same day, Dehring unfollowed the parks Facebook page, according to charging documents.
STOCKTON, Iowa  An autopsy shows an Illinois scuba diver who died inside a million-gallon farm tank in eastern Iowa accidentally drowned.

An autopsy report for Robert Baenziger Jr., 54, of East Moline, Illinois, was released Wednesday, The Gazette of Cedar Rapids reported. The report showed he died June 8 in an anaerobic digester, a large tank in which cow manure and food waste are combined with water and broken down by microorganisms to create methane. Officials had initially described the tank as a manure tank.

Baenziger was a self-employed contractor exempt from federal workplace oversight who had been hired by Sievers Family Farm in Stockton to dive into the murky liquid in the tank to repair an agitator cable.

"As his fiance was trying to pull him up, there were complications, and he didn't surface," Scott County Sheriff's Capt. Joe Caffery said last month. "For whatever reason, he relayed to her through radio communications that he was taking his helmet off. So when she pulled the rope up, the helmet came up."
Some patients have been skittish because the vaccines don't yet have full approval from the Food and Drug Administration; they are offered based on the FDA's emergency-use authorization process.

Scott Winningham, 31, of Springfield, a dispatcher at the Illinois Department of Transportation, got his first Pfizer shot Tuesday after recovering from COVID-19 in December.

He said he was hesitant about getting a vaccine because of "the newness and speed at which it came out" but was convinced after having a talk with a friend who is a doctor.

"We need more educational efforts and FDA approval of the vaccines," he said.

Some patients have been fed misinformation, and some focus on the vaccines' rare side effects rather than the overwhelming impact vaccines have had to reduce serious illness and death from COVID-19, Kirby and her fellow nurses at the drive-through clinic said.

Some parents are getting vaccinated for the first time when they bring in their children for shots as schools prepare for in-person learning in the fall. Some vaccine seekers are being told they need to get shots to keep their jobs.

And some are finally taking action after a relative or friend is in an intensive-care unit with COVID-19 or dies, the nurses said.
But I'm not here to talk about the variant or about face masks. I'm here to talk about what's actually going to give us a fighting chance: Getting vaccinated.

I'm personally vaccinated, as is (most) everyone in my family and my core circle of friends. Before signing up for an appointment, I'll admit I obsessed over the research and had fleeting worries of getting the shot.

We so easily  and with little question  put toxic substances in our bodies all the time. We drink alcohol to excess. We chain smoke. We chase our heart-attack-inducing double cheeseburger and fries with cholesterol medication that has a litany of potentially dangerous side effects.

Cigarettes have long been proven toxic; chronic alcohol use is a serious documented, problem in this country  and yet we have people questioning the safety of this vaccine?

I understand some people believe taking  or not taking  the vaccine is a personal choice. But at this point in the pandemic  with a more contagious, Delta variant spreading like wildfire in our communities  your seemingly insignificant personal choice is not occurring in a vacuum.

The severe implications of not getting vaccinated resonate within your own body, and with your friends, family members, and neighbors.
Many people in southern Illinois are still struggling to make ends meet and either cant pay their rent, or are months behind on payments. With Illinois eviction ban expiring soon, we must do everything we can to help keep people in their homes. Thats because eviction is more than just a single, negative event in someones life. It causes a ripple effect of devastating consequences for both families and communities. People often lose everything  from their possessions, to their jobs, to their support systems.

The good news is legal help is available. Eviction Help Illinois is a network of nonprofit organizations, funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, providing free legal assistance and mediation services to people facing potential eviction. People can call (855) 631.0811 or text Eviction Help to (844) 938.4280 to connect with a legal aid expert. You can also visit evictionhelpillinois.org. Eviction Help Illinois also connects tenants to resources like rental assistance. You can visit illinoisrentalassistance.org to find available assistance programs. Landlords can apply for these funds too. Because just as important as keeping renters in their homes, is helping landlords regain lost income and avoid foreclosure. Were proud to partner with the state of Illinois on its eviction response. By making it easier for people to access legal help, we can help prevent a tidal wave of evictions that could overwhelm our court system and irrevocably hurt our communities.
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editor's pick alert featured

$1M going to Orangeburg facilities for preservation; Trinity UM Church, All-Star Bowling receiving funds

LARRY HARDY, T&D FILES Trinity United Methodist Church on Boulevard Street will receive a $500,000 Historic Preservation Fund grant for preservation and repairs from the U.S. Department of Interior's National Park Service. LARRY HARDY, T&D The All-Star Bowling Lanes Center for Creative Partnerships will receive a $500,000 grant for the restoration of the Russell Street building. The money will be used for architectural plans, removing all hazardous materials, replacing the roof and putting in new electrical, plumbing and security systems.

The federal government is providing $1 million to help preserve two Orangeburg facilities with ties to the civil rights movement.

Trinity United Methodist Church on Boulevard Street will receive a $500,000 Historic Preservation Fund grant for preservation and repairs from the U.S. Department of Interior's National Park Service. It will be used for the third phase of the church's preservation project.

The All-Star Bowling Lanes Center for Creative Partnerships will also receive a $500,000 Historic Preservation Fund grant toward the restoration of the Russell Street building.

I can't tell you how excited we are about the grant, All-Star CCP President and CEO Ellen Zisholtz said. It is huge. It is really exciting. We are going to get going on it.

10 new resources added to the African American Civil Rights Network WASHINGTON  National parks, historic homes, websites, songs, oral histories and more can be discovered on the National Park Services African American Civil Rights Network, which welcomed 10 new resources. The network makes connections across public and private organizations to honor and preserve the people and stories of the civil rights movement and educate the public about its diverse and complex stories.

All-Star Bowling Lanes was recently added to the African American Civil Rights Network, a group of properties, facilities and interpretive programs which present a comprehensive narrative about the people, places and events associated with the African American civil rights movement in the United States.

Preliminary plans for the All-Star renovation project include developing space for films, museum exhibitions, education programs and community meetings, as well as what Zisholtz described as the first-ever civil rights bowling alley.

The $500,000 grant will go toward architectural plans, removing all hazardous materials, replacing the roof and putting in new electrical, plumbing and security systems.

Claflins Downtown Center opens in Orangeburg; president: university is committed to city Claflin University has expanded into downtown Orangeburg.

The targeted completion date for the work is the summer or fall of 2022.

On Feb. 8, 1968, three students were killed and 28 others were injured when S.C. Highway Patrol troopers opened fire on a crowd of protesters following three nights of escalating racial tension over efforts to desegregate the All-Star Triangle Bowl. The incident has come to be known as the Orangeburg Massacre.

South Carolina State College students Henry Smith and Samuel Hammond, along with 19-year-old Wilkinson High School student Delano Middleton, were killed.

All-Star CCP, which is a social justice organization, purchased the Russell Street All-Star Triangle Bowl last year for the eventual location of the Orangeburg National Center for Justice.

It has purchased the bowling alley, the large empty space next to the bowling alley and half of the parking lot.

This will be a huge tourist attraction, Zisholtz said.

She said, The Orangeburg Massacre is not known around the country even though it was a few years before Kent State and a few years before Jackson State. We will get this known nationally.

In addition to the bowling alley, Zisholtz said the building will include a lunch counter with plans also for a gift shop and outdoor dining.

Trinity UMC

Over the past three years, Trinity has received $1 million in African American Civil Rights grant funding through the Historic Preservation Fund.

Members and friends have contributed over $100,000.

Grants have been used to update the church's electrical system, the waterproofing of the walls in the educational wing of the church, the installation of a new HVAC system in the educational wing and addressing water intrusion and safety issues.

The money has also been used to restore and refurbish the windows in the sanctuary of the church and address water intrusion problems with the churchs exterior walls.

The total restoration is estimated to cost over $2 million.

Founded in 1866, Trinity served as the headquarters for the civil rights movement in Orangeburg.

National leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and Roy Wilkins visited Trinity for events attended by people across the region.

Strategy meetings and training sessions were also regularly held at the church.

Students from South Carolina State and Claflin would gather in the churchs basement where they were fed and trained on how to execute nonviolent protests.

Due to its prominent role in the civil rights movement, Trinity was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

The churchs edifice, completed in 1944, is being restored to return it to its original grandeur.

The ongoing restoration project, once completed, will allow for the expansion of the churchs ministries and ensure that a sound foundation remains for future generations.

TheTandD.com: Full access for 3 months for just $1 Support local journalism by becoming a member at www.TheTandD.com The editor's limited time offer is full access to all the website has to offer for just $1 for three months. https://go.thetandd.com/june3

Preserving history

The USNPS announced Tuesday it has awarded $15 million toward African American civil rights history. There are 53 projects in 20 states.

Established in 1977, the HPF is authorized at $150 million per year through 2023 and has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations.

For more information, visit: www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/07-27-21-nps-awards-15-million-to-help-preserve-african-american-civil-rights-history.htm
The $500,000 grant will go toward architectural plans, removing all hazardous materials, replacing the roof and putting in new electrical, plumbing and security systems.

The targeted completion date for the work is the summer or fall of 2022.

On Feb. 8, 1968, three students were killed and 28 others were injured when S.C. Highway Patrol troopers opened fire on a crowd of protesters following three nights of escalating racial tension over efforts to desegregate the All-Star Triangle Bowl. The incident has come to be known as the Orangeburg Massacre.

South Carolina State College students Henry Smith and Samuel Hammond, along with 19-year-old Wilkinson High School student Delano Middleton, were killed.

All-Star CCP, which is a social justice organization, purchased the Russell Street All-Star Triangle Bowl last year for the eventual location of the Orangeburg National Center for Justice.

It has purchased the bowling alley, the large empty space next to the bowling alley and half of the parking lot.

This will be a huge tourist attraction, Zisholtz said.
The owner of the peanut patch reported that the man pulled approximately 30 feet of planted peanuts and caused about $500 in damage.

The peanut farmer provided deputies with photographs of the person he claimed took the goober-laden vines.

A deputy went to the home of the person in the pictures.

The deputy allegedly found a small cart with the remains of peanut vines just outside of the residence near the door, however, he wasnt able to reach the man the farmer accused of stealing from him.

In other reports:

 An employee of Sleep Inn hotel, located at 119 Sleep Inn Drive in Orangeburg, reported that someone stole his work truck on Monday morning.

The man reported he left the keys inside of the 2006 white Ford F-350 pickup due to maintenance issues, according to a sheriffs office incident report.

The truck has multiple dents on its body, Lynches River Contracting decals on both sides and roadway stands in the bed.

The value of the truck is $5,000.

 Someone stole an unsecured 1998 burgundy GMC Sierra from a Firethorn Court property in Eutawville on Monday morning.
But she stressed that the vaccines are working by preventing greater levels of hospitalization and death. Unvaccinated people, she also noted, account for the vast number of new infections. Two-thirds of the vaccine-eligible population in the U.S. has received at least one dose.

I know this is not a message America wants to hear, Walensky told CNN. With prior variants, when people had these rare breakthrough infections, we didnt see the capacity of them to spread the virus to others, but with the delta variant, we now see that you can actually now pass it to somebody else.

In Provincetown, Massachusetts, where officials earlier this week re-imposed an indoor mask requirement following a surge in COVID-19 cases this month, store owner Patrick Patrick says he doesnt mind asking customers to mask up once more.

The owner of Marine Specialties, a long running Army-Navy store, had been leery of officials dropping virus safety mandates ahead of what many expected would be a busy summer season. He even tried to require customers to mask up in his store through the summer, before finally relenting in June.
McMaster added that some experts have failed to listen to parents in the debate around how to best keep schools running during the pandemic. He has previously called it the height of ridiculosity for a school district to require a mask over any parents wishes that their child go without one.

Vaccination rates remain among the lowest in the country, with just over 44% of eligible residents having been fully immunized, according to data updated Monday by state health officials.

And COVID-19 cases are climbing again in South Carolina, with a 92.6% jump in cases over the last week, the agency reported.

Since South Carolina first shut down in March 2020, the Republican governor has resisted calls to implement a statewide mask mandate, instead emphasizing personal responsibility in following public health suggestions and getting vaccinated. He has repeatedly defended the state's approach to keeping most businesses open and limiting other virus restrictions.

If we listen to the national press and some of the so-called experts in their dissemination of hysteria, hyperbole and exaggeration, everybody would be scared to death, McMaster said. I say do not listen to that. Listen to competent sources.
Over the past few months, parents across the United States have risen up against the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in school districts their children attend. As we have seen on video, the outcry comes from multiple racial demographics of parents.

The political left initially defended the teaching of CRT, however, most began backing off when a June poll (YouGov and Yahoo) found that of those Americans who knew about CRT, 49% were against exposing students to it, while only 37% of that group favored such exposure. Since that poll, the left (including the Biden administration) has denied students are being exposed to CRT even while evidence refutes that claim.

Instead, they now argue opponents of CRT are actually concerned about exposing students to any history involving slavery or other racism. Since those opposing CRT do not propose restricting the teaching of racism in history, its become more important to delineate the important differences with CRT. In doing so, I also offer a Christian perspective for opposition to CRT while still tackling racism and teaching all history.
As the father of two young boys, if theres one thing I know, its that raising children can be expensive. I know too many parents who are working multiple jobs but still struggling to make ends meet.

For many working families, a few hundred dollars can make a huge impact on a household budget. It can mean back-to-school shopping for new clothes instead of hand-me-downs. It can mean another present under the tree at Christmastime. For some families, it can even mean the difference between buying groceries or going to bed hungry.

The good news is that help is here. The Child Tax Credit, which is part of the American Rescue Plan signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this year, will be transformative for many families in South Carolina.

Thanks to the law, families with children will receive a monthly payment  up to $300 per month per child under age 6 and up to $250 per child ages 6 to 17. The first payments went out on July 15, without most taxpayers having to do anything. If you are eligible but did not receive your payment, visit www.ChildTaxCredit.gov.

This is a huge tax cut for middle-class families, but you wont have to wait until you file your taxes to get your money back, since the payments are automatic every month.
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At Casper Pride in June, there was a whiteboard covered in neon-colored sticky notes.

Visitors to the Casper LGBTQ Advisory Committees booth at the event wrote their hopes for Caspers future on the notes. The wish list they comprised included protections from workplace discrimination, more welcoming schools and just feeling safe existing in Casper.

On Tuesday, the group presented some of its findings to Casper City Council for the first time since it was formed in February 2020.

The committee spent the last nine months collecting feedback to inform their recommendations, but they know theres still a long way to go until they start seeing results.

And in light of recent homophobic incidents across Wyoming, conversations on queer acceptance and equality are top-of-mind for many in the state.

That just gave us the extra push, said committee co-chair Kody Allen-Sambrano. Were here for a reason, the city council made this committee for a reason. And its to stop instances like that.

Looking ahead, the committee plans on continuing to work with local schools to improve student safety, gathering more tangible data from the community and establishing a more visible presence in Casper.

As for the two recommendations the group brought to the council on Tuesday  passing a non-discrimination ordinance in the city and joining a police-led bias incident reporting program  the ball is now in the citys court.

Making a resolution a regulationIn 2018, the council listened to about four hours of public comment before passing a pair of anti-discrimination resolutions that affirm the rights of LGBTQ to live free of discrimination in all of its forms and state that the city rejects discrimination against all people.

Recently, the LGBTQ Advisory Committee scored a small win when the city agreed to display a link to those resolutions on the bottom of its website.

But a resolution isnt binding, and doesnt do much other than make a statement the current members of city council can agree upon.

It really just shows that the city cares, but that they havent really done anything about it yet, said Allen-Sambrano. We wanted to get that ordinance in there where there are actual consequences for biased activities.

The next step, Wagner said, is to take that sentiment and cement it as part of the citys code with an ordinance. Wagner said the group would be fine with the ordinance adopting the similar language to the resolution, in the interest of simplicity, but will likely be tweaked and shaped during the approval process.

We really do know whats going onWagner said the group also hopes to become more visible in the community, whether thats with a Facebook page, mailing list or a P.O. box where people can send in feedback.

That was one of the takeaways from the committees booth at this years Casper Pride event in June  people need to know how to contact them and share their ideas for the citys future.

Feedback the group gathered at Pride helped solidify their areas of focus going forward, Wagner said, but the groups diversity also makes it easier for members to hear testimony from people in their own circles. There are queer people, allies, teachers, nonprofit leaders and parents on the committee who regularly work with Caspers LGBTQ population and know first- or second-hand the biggest challenges the community faces.

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Collecting that information was an essential first step to making the committees first set of recommendations to the council, Wagner said.

I think this is probably one of the most comprehensive efforts that the city has ever undertaken in terms of getting the voice of LGBT folks here  so that we really do know whats going on, Casper City Council member Amber Pollock said Tuesday.

Based on the feedback the committee has received, Allen-Sambrano said the most pressing concern among Caspers queer population is safety. That includes safety from other residents while walking down the street with a partner, safety from discrimination or firing at work and students feeling safe in bathrooms and hallways at school.

Wagner said hed heard stories of kids refusing to use the restroom at school, going home at lunch instead. Allen-Sambrano said that he and his husband have been turned down for housing, and have experienced discrimination as a couple in public spaces.

Making Casper a Safe Place

The Casper Police Department must now decide whether to participate in the Safe Place program proposed Tuesday by the committee.

The system, first developed in Seattle and now present in nearly 300 law enforcement agencies across the U.S., Canada and Europe, is simple.

Businesses that want to participate get a rainbow sticker to display, and have to go through training by the police departments designated Safe Place liaison. Thatll help them be ready if someone needs to call the police to report a biased incident  employees can call 911 and provide a safe, public space for the person to wait for help to arrive.

The program seems like its there to decrease the amount of hate crimes, but thats not what its for, said Allen-Sambrano. Its there to improve the relationships between the marginalized communities of Casper  not just the LGBT community, but the disabled community, racial minorities, any sort of community that faces bias on a regular basis.

Dorian Korieo, who heads the program in Seattle, said the rainbow on the sticker is meant as a signal of acceptance for all, not just queer people.

According to data from Seattle, the program generally leads to an increase in reported hate crimes and other biased incidents  not to be confused with an increase in the incidents themselves. But investigations (or prosecution) cant happen if these things arent reported.

Korieo said these incidents are often severely underreported because people from these vulnerable groups dont trust their local law enforcement, and cant guarantee theyll be treated fairly by an officer without adequate training. The program aims to overcome that mistrust.

Tracking biased incidents, even if they arent illegal, also helps police identify a pattern of biased behavior that can be referenced as motivation if the perpetrator does eventually commit a hate crime.

Seattle has 17 protected groups that fall under the police departments hate or biased crime reporting system, covering race, religion, age, political belief, homelessness, disability and more. Casper, regardless of statewide definitions (or lack thereof) of hate crimes or protected identities, could come up with its own list.

To be part of the program, police departments have to adopt training policy and procedures for hate or bias-motivated crimes. Those educate officers on how to address people and write reports using preferred pronouns, how to deal with gender-affirming clothing during a search and how to respond to reports and interact with victims.

If Casper enters the Safe Place program, it will be the first municipality in Wyoming to do so.

Follow city and crime reporter Ellen Gerst on Twitter at @ellengerst.

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The cause of the fire is still unknown, but the leading theory is that it was sparked by a burning coal seam in Campbell County.
Today is Thursday, July 29, 2021. Let's get caught up.

Here's what you should know today: U.S. swimming star Caeleb Dressel soaks up his first individual gold medal in Tokyo; President Biden to announce new vaccination rules for federal workers; and "Better Call Saul" actor Bob Odenkirk in stable condition after collapsing on set.

Keep scrolling for today's top stories, this date in history and celebrity birthdays.

TOP STORIES

Living up to the hype: Dressel wins 1st individual gold

TOKYO (AP)  Caeleb Dressel climbed atop the lane rope, a look of wonder in his eyes. He gazed all around the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, eager to soak up every last moment of something hes never done before.

Win an individual gold medal at the Olympics.

The most dominant swimmer of the post-Michael Phelps era filled in the last hole on his resume, winning a gold all by himself with two furious laps of the pool Thursday.

***

Biden to launch vaccine push for millions of federal workers
A federal ban on evictions is set to expire this weekend as new data suggests two out of every five Wyoming renters could be at risk of losing their housing.

Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau suggest more than 37% of Wyomingites are at risk of eviction or foreclosure as the Center for Disease Control and Preventions eviction moratorium comes to an end. The estimate comes from a statistical model based on over 500 survey responses from Wyoming residents.

Those statistical models estimate 43% of Wyoming renters are somewhat or very likely to be evicted from their homes in the next two months. The Census Bureau data is accompanied by a high margin of error, meaning the bureau isnt fully confident in the accuracy of the figures.

Still, local experts say evictions are happening in Wyoming, and theyll likely increase when the moratorium officially expires this month.

We are still dealing with evictions, Samantha Daniels, an attorney for Legal Aid of Wyoming, said. I expect an uptick, I expect were going to spend a lot of time in court.
The news comes as the West struggles through another brutal wildfire season that has pushed fire agencies to the brink and left a haze over much of the region.

In the last couple days, a number of wildfires have ignited in Wyoming. There are currently five blazes over 1,000 acres in the state and four between 100 and 1,000 acres. On Wednesday night, the Deer Creek 2 fire outside of Buffalo grew over 2,000 acres. It now spans nearly 5,300 acres with only 15% containment. The 641-acre Crater Ridge Fire has been burning since July 17, still with 0% containment and more than 200 personnel on the blaze.
BILLINGS  A fire burning outside of Hardin, Montana, has scorched more than 50,000 acres in less than a day, and has prompted the Montana Red Cross to open a temporary shelter in Crow Agency.

The Poverty Flats fire started burning Tuesday east of Hardin through the grass and pines that cover private, state and tribal lands. The area is about 50 minutes north of the Wyoming border.

As of 4:30 p.m. there were no evacuations in place on the Crow Indian Reservation for the fire, according to Jon Kohn, a public information officer with Crow Agency BIA Fire and Aviation. Kohn said he was aware of rumors in Dunmore about evacuations but reiterated that no evacuation orders were in place.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire had reached about 54,000 acres, or 84 square miles, according to Jeff Brown with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The blaze is by far the biggest in the region, where firefighters have faced one of their busiest fire seasons in years.

Brown said the crews had yet to reach any containment of the fire, and its cause is still unknown at this time.
Finally, Lummis is giving out financial advice without regard to the laws, regulations, and standards we have for financial advisors. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 exist to protect people from investment advice that does not follow protective guidelines, such as not understanding the persons individual financial situation and risk appetite.

In the same CNBC interview, Lummis offered brazen investment advice to everyone, such as I see bitcoin as a great store of value; I encourage [Americans] to save bitcoin for their retirement; and I think one of the strongest stores of value for the long run is bitcoin.

If your grandmother had taken her advice last April, when she said in a national interview, Save money in bitcoin  Im a big advocate for bitcoin, your grandmother would have lost a third of her investment in a matter of weeks.

There is no question that Lummis is a genuine and honest fan of cryptocurrency. She owned bitcoin long before becoming a senator and I believe her enthusiasm is driven by a genuine passion for cryptocurrency, not self-dealing. But none of this matters when it pertains to a senator separating her personal interests from that of her official duties.

If Sen. Lummis wants to use her power in Congress to increase demand for cryptocurrency generally, she must first eliminate her own personal financial interest. We need to know that those who use their power and influence to shape and advocate laws and regulations have neither the appearance, nor the actual existence, of conflicts.

David Dodson is a resident of Wyoming and an entrepreneur who has helped create over 20,000 private sector jobs. In 2018, he was a candidate in the Republican Primary for Wyomings US Senate. He is on the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he teaches courses on small business and entrepreneurship. He is a frequent guest on Fox Business and CNBC.

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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.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Blue Yonder Holding, Inc. (Blue Yonder), announced unaudited results for the fiscal second quarter ending June 30, 2021. SaaS revenue grew to $90 million in Q2 2021, up 49% compared to Q2 2020 and comprised 33% of total revenue. SaaS annualized recurring revenue (ARR) for Q2 2021 was $398 million, up 55% compared to Q2 2020. Total subscription revenue 1 represented 69% of total revenue.

Blue Yonder is partnering with our customers to co-create modern supply chains that foresee accurate demand and fulfills at optimal rates. Our Q2 results portray the increasing traction of the Luminate Platform, which brings agility and resiliency to our customers, said Girish Rishi, chief executive officer, Blue Yonder. The Blue Yonder team continues to get due recognition for our innovations and global scale. Microsoft recently recognized Blue Yonder with the coveted Global Independent Software Vendor of the Year award. We were also just named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems Report, and continue to be the only company recognized a Leader in three Gartner Magic Quadrants covering supply chain planning, transportation management and warehouse management.2
Virtual care for addiction is here to stay, Pauley said. More than a stopgap solution during the pandemic, telehealth is filling important gaps in the behavioral health care system, empowering many patients to take a first step they might have otherwise delayed, and significantly expanding access. If these preliminary results hold long-term, virtual care stands to create transformative new possibilities for the thousands in Arizona and New Mexico and millions across the nation who struggle with substance use.

The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nations leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient addiction and mental health care for adults and youth, the Foundation has treatment centers and telehealth services nationwide as well as a network of collaborators throughout health care. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction. Learn more at www.HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter.
It was boring. Living on a boat for eight months, that will do it to you, Girardi said, his Italian accent still thick after decades of living in the United States.

Girardi and his wife, Kristine, docked in Florida and decided to head back to Edmonds to catch up with their two older daughters who attend college in Washington. It was on that drive home, through the South and down into Texas and New Mexico and into Southern Arizona, that they passed through Tucson.

We kind of fell in love with the city, said Girardi, who was originally from France, the son of an Italian father and French mother. We drove by Tucson and we liked it.

Back in Washington, they did some research and discovered that Tucson was a foodies paradise. They also learned that aside from our monsoons in the summertime, Tucson doesnt get natural disasters.

That was it; they were sold.

In January, they came back, bought a house and started looking for restaurant locations.
PHOENIX  Ken Bennett is unhappy with whats going on at the Senates audit of the 2020 election and threatened Wednesday to quit his role, though hes now staying on.

At the same time, the U.S. Justice Department is sending warnings of possible violations of federal laws as ballots wind up in the hands of private and inexperienced auditors.

Maricopa County supervisors wont say just yet what they intend to do about the Senates latest subpoenas for more materials to audit, despite a 1 p.m. Monday deadline.

And Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said shes already preparing a prebuttal of whatever is produced by the Senates contractors, calling the process so flawed that anything that comes out of the yet-to-be-produced report will be meaningless.

All this comes as the auditors wrapped up the last bit of counting and are preparing to send the ballots and equipment back to Maricopa County on Thursday, July 29.

Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, has said she hopes for a report about what was found  and any recommendations for changes in state law  by the middle of next month.
Staff from both PCAO and Ward 1 will be on hand to assist anyone with questions and in fillng out the necessary paperwork, although almost everything will be done on tablets and computers, Watson pointed out.

The big difference between this clinic and others, though, is it will be closed to media and anyone not part of PCAO and Ward 1 staff.

Thats to protect the privacy of anyone looking to apply for expungement, due to the stigma that already surrounds marijuana-related charges and convictions, and to prevent a further record for people who may have already faced hardship because of their criminal record, Watson said.

It just makes sense that people who want their records expunged dont want a separate media record created of their conviction, he said.

Santa Cruz alluded to how a marijuana charge or conviction can hit Black, Indigenous and other people of color and their communities the hardest.

A criminal record is a burden ... that makes it harder to find work, harder to find housing, and impossible to receive financial aid for college, Santa Cruzs statement said.
A bolt of lightning had struck the corner of the house and lanced through a 25-foot-tall saguaro a few feet away.

The sudden surge destroyed some of the Butlers electronics and scrambled others, seemingly at random. The air conditioner and internet modem were both fried. So was the Playstation 4, though a TV plugged into the same surge protector was undamaged.

The camera and internet link also still work on their Ring doorbell, but Butler said he had to disable the bell part of it because it wouldnt stop buzzing.

And our alarm panel started talking, which I didnt know it did. It was like an Exorcist thing, Butler said.

He and his wife spent the next morning cleaning up debris in the front yard, including the gruesome remains of a dove family that had built a nest in the saguaro.

No more than a minute after they went back inside, they heard another loud noise out front. Two of the saguaros 5-foot-long arms had crashed to the ground, right where the couple had just been working.

The next day, a saguaro arborist told Butler the cactus was an immediate danger to the house, so within 30 minutes there was an emergency landscaping crew in his yard to cut down the massive plant.
HOLBROOK, Ariz. (AP)  An Arizona man already facing assault charges for allegedly plowing his pickup truck into people participating in a bike race nearly six weeks ago has been charged with murder.

An indictment made public Wednesday adds a murder charge against Shawn Michael Chock in the death of 58-year-old Jeremy Barrett.

Barrett was one of those injured on June 19 when Chock sped into a crowd gathered for the annual 58-mile (93-kilometer) Bike the Bluff race in Show Low, a mountain city about three hours northeast of Phoenix, authorities say.

He is also charged with aggravated assault of nine other people, leaving the scene of an accident and fleeing from law enforcement. Chock previously pleaded not guilty to some of the charges, though he hasnt yet entered a plea on the murder charge.

Hunter T. Lewis, an attorney representing Chock, declined to comment on the indictment.

After plowing into the crowd, Chock hit a a telephone pole, and backed out of the crowd as cyclists pounded on the trucks windows, screaming for him to get out, witnesses said. He then drove down the road, turned around and headed back toward the cyclists before driving away, witnesses said.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP)  The city of Berkeley will start serving vegan food at public events, jails, senior centers and other city buildings after the city council approved a resolution that calls for the progressive city to cut by half its spending on animal-based products by 2024.

The first-of-its-kind measure approved Tuesday and co-authored by Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin requires the city to offer plant-based foods, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds at public buildings.

It is the result of advocacy efforts by the Berkeley-based animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, which is working for similar policies to be enacted in other major cities, including San Francisco and Chicago.

The group had advocated for the city to serve 100% plant-based food but city officials did not want to go that far yet. The resolution does call on the city manager to present a report by next summer on the feasibility of offering only vegan food.

The resolution does not apply to schools, which are operated by an independent school district.

Cutting meat and dairy consumption is part of the citys efforts to fight climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, according to the resolution.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A former suburban Kansas City police chief who helped rescue a baby from an icy pond and later assaulted the man accused of trying to kill the infant has pleaded guilty in the case.

Greg Hallgrimson, 51, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday, the Kansas City Star reported. He was indicted in 2019 on a single count of violating the civil rights of Jonathon Zicarelli.

Prosecutors have said Hallgrimson threw a handcuffed Zicarelli to the ground, punched him in the face and told Zicarelli, You deserve to die, after returning from the rescue mission to the Greenwood, Missouri, police station. Zicarelli had walked into the police station in December 2018 and said he had tried to drown his 6-month-old daughter in a nearby pond, police said.

Hallgrimson and another officer rushed to the pond and found the unconscious infant floating face up and her lungs filled with water. Hallgrimson and the other officer worked to warm and revive the baby until paramedics arrived and rushed her to a hospital, where she was treated for severe hypothermia.
Harris' task, which Biden assumed when he was President Barack Obama's vice president, is enormous in scope and complexity, and the administration has struggled for short- and long-term responses.

U.S. border authorities reported large numbers of arrivals at the Mexican border in June, with significant increases in people arriving in families and children traveling alone. The trend appears to be continuing in July, when soaring temperatures often deter people from coming.

A group of 509 migrants from Central and South America turned themselves in Monday night in Hidalgo, Texas, hours after another group of 336 migrants was encountered nearby, said Brian Hastings, the Border Patrol sector chief in Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings.

On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said it resumed fast-track deportations, known as expedited removals, for certain families that don't express fear of being returned home. While it never announced a suspension, many families that enter the country illegally have been getting released in the United States with orders to appear in immigration court or report to immigration authorities.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Former Republican Secretary of State Ken Bennett, the Senate's unpaid liaison to Logan and the audit contractors, was the only audit leader with substantial experience in elections. His departure threatened to further erode the legitimacy of the unprecedented partisan post-election review.

Bennett was banned from the building where the audit is taking place because he gave data to outside election experts without informing the Senate leader or Logan. He said he wouldn't put his name behind the audit without full access.

Its the audit that belongs to the people of Arizona, and if Im going to put my credibility on the line that its something that they can trust and believe in, I cant be locked out until the last moment, Bennett told conservative radio host James Harris on KFYI-AM.

Bennett later said in a text message that he'd reached an agreement with Fann, the Senate president, to stay on but did not release details.

The audit has come under fire from election experts who say Cyber Ninjas and other contractors are biased and using unusual procedures that won't produce reliable results.

The county Board of Supervisors met privately Wednesday to discuss a new subpoena issued by the Senate this week for materials related to the election. Afterward, Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican, said the board discussed various options with our legal counsel and will take the coming days to do our research.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP)  Three men who were found dead last week at the entrance of a Wisconsin quarry were forced to kneel on the ground before they were shot multiple times over a $600 debt, officials said Thursday.

Khamthaneth Rattanasack, 44, and Nya Thao, 33, have each been charged with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

They are accused of killing Peng Lor and Nemo Yang, both 24, and Trevor Maloney, 23, whose bodies were discovered shortly before 5 a.m. on July 23 outside the Romskog Quarry in western Wisconsin by two workers, La Crosse County Sheriff Jeff Wolf said.

Wolf said that hours after the bodies were found, a woman told authorities that she was with the victims the night before they were killed and the four of them were staying in the same hotel room in Onalaska. The woman said that early on the morning of July 23, she and the victims believed they were being followed by a black Mercedes Benz. They briefly stopped at another hotel and she went inside to drop off some items. She returned to her car to find the Mercedes next to it.

Thao was sitting in her vehicle, behind the drivers seat, and Rattanasack was in the Mercedes, with one of the victims who had been in her car. The woman said Rattanasack had a gun, Wolf said.
For students younger than 12 and those unable to get vaccinated, masks are a simple way to offer protection, Hoffman wrote.

Particularly for our youngest learners who have not yet had the opportunity to get vaccinated, wearing a mask is a simple way to continue to protect the students we work with.

Although Arizona law prohibits public schools from legally requiring vaccinations of students, Humble said, there are community options to encourage families to get the jab.

Perhaps what you could do at a microlevel is to get a group of parents to come in to the homeroom teacher and urge him or her to strongly encourage mask wearing among students, he said. Ultimately, because of the law that Governor Ducey signed and Director Christ supported, the teacher cant actually require that. But they can make it normalized in the classroom.

Humble noted there are grounds for legal action to change the law.

Until somebody challenges this law that Governor Ducey signed and Director Christ supported that restricts school districts from requiring masks in the classroom, its really just up to the parents if theyre K-5 to just really talk to their kids honestly and seriously about the importance of wearing a mask in the classroom, Humble said.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The Belarusian Association of Journalists on Thursday called on authorities in Belarus to transfer a jailed journalist to a civilian hospital so he could get treatment for a coronavirus-induced pneumonia he has reportedly developed in detention.

The association said it filed a request with the Interior Ministry's penitentiary department and the Health Ministry to urgently hospitalize Andrei Skurko, head of the advertising and marketing department of the prominent Nasha Niva newspaper. Skurko, who used to be the paper's chief editor from 2006 to 2017, was arrested three weeks ago and is in a pre-trial detention center in Minsk, the capital.

Nasha Niva reported this week that Skurko has been transferred to the facility's medical ward with structural changes in his lungs, and his cellmates were placed in quarantine because Skurko was suspected to have been infected with COVID-19.

The newspaper said before Skurko, 43, was moved to the detention facility he is in now, he had spent 13 days in another detention center that is notorious for its harsh conditions, without a bed or a mattress and lacking access to his diabetes medications.

Andrei Skurko is an insulin-dependent diabetic. For people like him, coronavirus can be deadly, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said.
TULSA, Okla. (AP)  City employees in Tulsa who are unvaccinated for the coronavirus will not receive hazard leave if they contract the illness, Mayor G.T Bynum said.

Hazard leave is paid leave that is not counted against sick days or vacation days, city spokesperson Michelle Brooks Wednesday. Affected unvaccinated employees could use sick days or vacation if they become ill with the virus.

Ascension St. John Hospital in Tulsa announced its employees would be required to become vaccinated by Nov. 12, with exemptions possible for medical or religious regions.

Tens of thousands of Ascension associates have already been vaccinated with the available vaccines, as have millions of people across the country and the world, Ascension said in a statement. "But we must do more to overcome this pandemic as we provide safe environments for those we serve.

Ascension joins OU Health, Mercy and SSM Health as hospitals in the state requiring employee vaccinations.

Meanwhile, a group of 19 Republican state lawmakers is asking Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, who is acting governor while Gov. Kevin Stitt is in Azerbaijan, to issue an executive order prohibiting vaccine mandates for Oklahoma health care workers.
A 40-year-old hotel in downtown Tulsa has a new owner.

The DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, 616 W. Seventh St., was purchased this month for $20,986,146, according to land records.

The buyer is Tulsa 7th St. Hotel, LLC, which is registered under Oklahoma City developer Mark Beffort, Oklahoma Secretary of State records indicate.

Beffort is CEO of the Oklahoma City-based commercial real estate firm Newmark Robinson Park, which has an office in Tulsa. Tulsa Hotel Property, LLC, purchased the DoubleTree in 2018, according to the Tulsa County Assessors Office.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Tulsa Downtown has a longstanding, robust presence in Tulsas urban core, Beffort wrote in a statement to the Tulsa World. This asset will remain branded as a DoubleTree as we continue to build a strong relationship with Hilton and value them as a partner in our hotel strategy.

The 17-story DoubleTree downtown was built in 1981 and has 417 guest rooms and an adjacent parking garage. It is connected by a sky bridge to the Cox Business Convention Center, which last year celebrated the completion of a $55 million, two-year Vision Tulsa renovation.
Work is expected to take place during nights and weekends, with traffic narrowed to one lane in each direction on both I-44 and the Broken Arrow Expressway at the interchange.
LONDON (AP)  AstraZeneca said Thursday that it intends to seek U.S. approval for its COVID-19 vaccine in the second half of this year, further delaying the long-awaited application.

The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker announced the new timetable as it said the company and its partners have delivered more than 1 billion doses of the vaccine to over 170 countries where it is already authorized for use.

AstraZeneca said it has decided to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for full regulatory approval of the vaccine, rather than the fast-track emergency use authorization originally anticipated. As part of this Biologics License Application, the FDA has requested extensive data from clinical trials around the world, as well as data on real world use of the vaccine.

We have an enormous amount of data, clinical data and all of the data coming from the work weve done around the world, CEO Pascal Soriot said on a conference call with reporters. A BLA is a much bigger submission than the emergency use approval.

The news on the U.S. filing is being closely watched because the timetable has slipped in recent months. When AstraZeneca released data from its U.S. trial of the vaccine on March 22, company officials said they expected to seek FDA authorization in the first half of April.
Vietnams coffee exports in the first seven months of the year are expected to register a drop of 9.3% from a year earlier to 953,000 tonnes, and rice exports will likely show a drop of 10.6%, government data released on Thursday showed.

Coffee

Coffee exports from Vietnam are estimated to have fallen 9.3% in the first seven months of this year from a year earlier to 953,000 tonnes, equal to 15.8 million 60-kg bags, the General Statistics Office said in a report on Thursday.

Coffee export revenue for Vietnam, the worlds biggest producer of the robusta bean, likely decreased 1.7% to $1.25 billion in the seven-month period, the report said.

The countrys coffee shipments in July are estimated at 110,000 tonnes valued at $207 million, it said.

Rice

Rice exports in the first seven months of this year are estimated to have dropped 10.6% from a year earlier to 3.6 million tonnes.

Revenue from rice exports in the period was expected to drop 0.6% to $1.9 billion.

July rice exports from Vietnam totalled 500,000 tonnes, worth $289 million.

Energy

Vietnams Jan-July crude oil exports were seen falling 41.6% from the same period last year to an estimated 1.6 million tonnes.

Crude oil export revenue in January to July is expected to fall 10.9% to $815 million.

Oil product imports in the first seven months were estimated at 5.7 million tonnes, down 20.5% from the same period last year, while the value of product imports is seen rising 15.1% to $2.7 billion.
Hanoi authorities on Wednesday announced that the second phase of the national high school graduation exam, which was initially slated for August 6-7, will be canceled due to concerns over the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community.

Traditionally held in July, the national high school graduation exam is an annual assessment that 12th-grade students in Vietnams K-12 system are required to sit after they finish their studies.

Results of the test are needed for graduation and to help universities and colleges enroll undergraduates.

On account of the coronavirus, this years iteration of the exam is implemented in two phases.

While the first, carried out on July 7-8, involved the majority of candidates, the second phase is intended for students who were unable to finish their tests because of the pandemic.

In a recent guiding document, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training decided to pass all candidates who signed up for this years exam and did not get disciplined by the exam panel in the first phase, but were not able to complete or enter the first phase because of unforeseeable circumstances.

The department requires all high schools and educational centers to inform the eligible candidates about their granted privilege.

Those who wish to qualify for the privilege would need to apply to their respective education facilities through emails, so that the school officials can compile a list of candidates to submit to the municipal education authority.

In their statement, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training also ordered education facilities to notify their students of the upcoming aptitude tests for the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City campuses of the Vietnam National University, which will supersede the national high school exam results to decide entrances to these higher institutions.

Other higher education facilities are encouraged to devise their own tests, instead of using the national exam results, to evaluate their applicants.

The capital city has reported 1,082 COVID-19 infections since April 27, when the fourth wave started wreaking havoc in Vietnam.

On Saturday, Hanoi authorities began the implementation of the prime ministers Directive No. 16, which requires all residents to stay home unless for essential duties, plus banning all public transport, taxi, ride-hailing, and food delivery services.

Vietnam on Thursday morning reported 2,821 new cases of COVID-19, increasing the countrys tally to 123,640 with 27,457 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health.

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A Texas man has pleaded guilty to involvement in a scheme to fraudulently sell 50 million N95 respirator masks he did not have for $317.6 million to the government of New South Wales in Australia, U.S. prosecutors said.

Arael Doolittle entered his plea to a wire fraud conspiracy charge on Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes in Houston.

Prosecutors said Doolittle and co-defendant Paschal Eleanya tried to sell 3M-branded masks at five times the list price, hoping to collect up $275 million with the rest going to their "broker" and to representatives of New South Wales' government.

The U.S. Secret Service broke up the transaction before it was completed, an indictment last November said.

Doolittle, of Houston, faces up to five years in prison at his scheduled Oct. 25 sentencing, and will remain in custody until then.

Kevin Cobb, a federal public defender representing Doolittle, declined to comment on Wednesday.

Charges remain pending against Eleanya. In an email, his lawyer Ali Fazel called Eleanya a "middleman" who tried to ensure the parties got what they were negotiating for.

"We are working hard to demonstrate his conduct was above board and hope the government will dismiss his charges," Fazel said.

Doolittle separately pleaded guilty in June to wire fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud investors in oil and gas transactions.

Prosecutors in that case agreed to recommend he spend four years in prison in addition to his sentence in the mask case.

3M Co, the world's largest maker of N95 masks, has tried since the COVID-19 pandemic began to stop price-gouging and other improper sales for its masks, including by filing 36 lawsuits and seizing more than 41 million counterfeit masks.

In a statement, the St. Paul, Minnesota-based company said it was pleased with the guilty plea, and appreciated U.S. Department of Justice efforts to stop people from illegally exploiting demand for its masks.
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday afternoon for his official visit to Vietnam on July 28 and 29.

The visit was made at the invitation of Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang.

Following a welcome ceremony in Hanoi on Thursday morning, Secretary Austin and Minister Giang held talks to discuss bilateral defense cooperation, which has achieved practical results and contributed to their two countries comprehensive partnership.

Both sides have cooperated in overcoming war consequences and addressing non-traditional security challenges.

The U.S. has also assisted Vietnam in joining United Nations peacekeeping missions, as well as improving law enforcement at sea and military medicine.

Austin announced that the U.S. will provide equipment to help Vietnam combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang hold talks in Hanoi, July 29, 2021. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

He agreed to step up the implementation of the dioxin decontamination project at Bien Hoa Airport, located in southern Dong Nai Province, and other humanitarian projects in Vietnam.

The two officials exchanged views on international and regional issues and agreed on the importance of peacefully solving disputes at sea in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They then witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on searching, gathering, and identifying the remains of Vietnamese martyrs.

The U.S. official is scheduled to pay courtesy visits to State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

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Derek William Page, a Canadian national living in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, is a prominent member of a charity group which has been delivering free meals to the needy throughout the pandemic.

In the last few days, Page and his friend Tran Thi Minh Van have prepared more than 100 meals for needy residents in District 10 and Tan Phu District.

He has been in love with Vietnam ever since his first visit in 1995.

I was astonished by how positive and clever Vietnamese people were," he said.

"It really inspired."

In fact, he was so inspired that after years of working in the Philippines, China, Switzerland, and several other countries, the Canadian man decided to make a permanent move to Vietnam

Along with Van, Page is now doing his best to give back to the country he has called home for the past 15 years.

Derek and I run a photography studio, but the pandemic stalled our business," Van said.

"Instead of standing by and watching the situation unfold, we decided to register with Go Volunteer, a group that serves isolation centers in Go Vap District and District 12."

Their experience with Go Volunteer motivated them to seek out new ways to help the community, driving them to team up with two more friends to launch Ganh Bep Tu Thien (Charity Kitchen).

Each day, the kitchen prepares free meals for laborers living in isolated areas in particular neighborhoods. To date, they have delivered over 1,400 meals.

We spend around VND2-3 million [US$87-130] each day," Page and Van said.

"At first, we paid for everything ourselves, but after a few days people started donating to our cause after they saw our pictures on social media."

Given current regulations to curb the spread of COVID-19, the two have faced many obstacles getting their charity group off the ground.

Under current guidelines, we have to provide our meal distributors with face shields, medical gloves, and medical face masks, Van said.

We also had to reduce the size of our delivery team to just three active members due to pandemic-related restrictions.

Ganh Bep Tu Thiens work has caught the attention of authorities who have allowed the group to use its vehicles to deliver meals each day.

I can feel peoples happiness when they hear us coming, Page said.

Everyone is so friendly and appreciative.

Ho Chi Minh Citys current social distancing measures were recently extended to August 1.

Under these restrictions, people are prohibited from leaving home between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am, except in emergency situations.

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Authorities in Hanoi have sealed off a tower in the Vincom Ba Trieu complex, one of the busiest shopping malls in the capital, after a security guard reportedly contracted the coronavirus.

All residents and employees working in Tower A at Vincom Ba Trieu, located at 191 Ba Trieu Street, Le Dai Hanh Ward, Hai Ba Trung District, have been asked to remain in the building until further notice.

Initially, we identified 14 colleagues who had been in close contact with the security guard suspected of having COVID-19, Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, chairwoman of Le Dai Hanh Ward, said on Wednesday afternoon.

Healthcare workers have sprayed disinfectant, taken samples for testing, and are waiting for test results before carrying out further pandemic prevention measures."

The Ministry of Health on Thursday morning confirmed 2,821 new domestic COVID-19 cases, taking the countrys tally to 123,640, including 27,457 recoveries, as recorded since early 2020.

Of the latest cases, one was detected in Hanoi while 1,715 infections were logged in Ho Chi Minh City, which has recently led the country in daily new infections, with thousands of patients confirmed per day.

Since April 27, when the pandemics fourth wave appeared in Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have accounted for 1,082 and 78,904 cases, respectively, of the countrys total of 121,433 domestic infections

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Ho Chi Minh City authorities have prepared plans to vaccinate citizens against COVID-19 after 6:00 pm each evening during the extensive social distancing period.

The arrangement of functional forces participating in the vaccination drive and the inoculation process will be simplified to speed up the progress, Phan Van Mai, standing deputy secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Each ward will establish two vaccination sites, while elderly residents will receive jabs at hospitals.

Vaccine recipients and staff involved in the vaccination will be provided with paperwork in order to pass through COVID-19 checkpoints after 6:00 pm in light of the citys ban on being outdoors between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am.

Ho Chi Minh City has launched its fifth immunization phase for residents belonging to designated priority groups, with a target of administering 930,000 jabs from three brands -- Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca -- from July 22.

Some 300,000 residents of the city's nine-million population had been inoculated as of 4:00 pm on Wednesday, according to Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.

The speed of vaccination has gradually increased, with about 70,000 people being injected per day.

At this rate, the campaign is expected to conclude in two to three weeks.

Before the city granted permission for vaccination to continue past 6:00 pm each day, inoculation teams had been racing against the clock to finish by 5:00 pm.

People injected at 5:00 pm were monitored for 30 minutes until 5:30 pm before being allowed to go home.

Authorities have administered more than 5.3 million vaccine shots, including over 977,400 doses in Ho Chi Minh City, since Vietnam rolled out inoculation on March 8.

About 496,000 people have been fully vaccinated, with more than 62,200 of them living in the southern metropolis.

City authorities have proposed the Ministry of Health allocate more COVID-19 vaccines to add to its remaining number of about 600,000 doses.

The Ministry of Health on Thursday morning confirmed 2,821 new domestic COVID-19 cases, including 1,715 infections in Ho Chi Minh City, taking the countrys tally to 123,640, with 27,457 recoveries, as recorded since early 2020.

Since April 27, when the pandemics fourth wave appeared in Vietnam, the city has accounted for 78,904 cases in the countrys total of 121,433 domestic infections and recently led the nation in daily new infections, with thousands of patients registered per day.

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Another batch of 659,900 COVID-19 vaccine shots which Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC) purchased from AstraZeneca has been delivered to the Southeast Asian country.

VNVC confirmed on Thursday morning that the shipment had arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City earlier the same day.

With the support from the Ministry of Health, the Vietnamese company previously signed a contract with AstraZeneca to buy 30 million doses of coronavirus vaccine.

AstraZeneca has sent nearly 3.8 million doses out of the 30 million shots to the Southeast Asian country in six shipments.

The previous five batches arrived on February 24, May 25, July 9, July 15, and July 23.

Vietnam has so far received nearly 9.3 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through purchase, the COVAX mechanism, and donations from other countries.

The nation has also received 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by China, five million doses of Moderna provided by the U.S. via the COVAX scheme, 1,000 shots of Sputnik V gifted by Russia, and nearly 200,000 jabs of Pfizer through purchase.

To date, Vietnam has obtained over 14 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in total from different sources, including COVAX, contractual purchases, and donations, the Ministry of Health reported.

A total of 5,321,839 doses have been administered since the inoculation was rolled out on March 8, while 496,630 people have been fully vaccinated.

The Vietnamese government expects to obtain 175 million shots of various vaccines 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.

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Medium to heavy rains accompanied by occasional thunderstorms will lash southern Vietnam over the weekend.

A strong monsoon is forecast to trigger downpours across the region from Thursday to Saturday, according to Le Dinh Quyet, an official from the southern hydro-meteorological station.

In Ho Chi Minh City, rainfall will reach 20 to 24 millimeters per 24 hours during this period.

The rainy weather pattern will then dissipate before returning to the southern localities on August 4, Quyet added.

On Thursday, it will remain sunny in most provinces and cities in the region in the morning.

Medium to heavy rains accompanied by occasional thunderstorms will begin dampening the southern localities in the afternoon and may linger until dusk.

The highest precipitation will be recorded in Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, Tien Giang, and some other provinces.

After 7:00 pm, downpours will stop, while light showers may continue in several areas.

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Vietnam is going to receive a total of 665,000 coronavirus vaccine jabs as donations from the UK and Czech governments amid accelerated vaccination efforts to curb surging COVID-19 cases, local diplomatic sources have said.

Among the vaccine donations, 415,000 AstraZeneca doses are from the UK and will be delivered directly to Vietnam this week, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.

The remaining 250,000 vaccine jabs, whose brand has yet to be revealed, will come from the Czech Republic, as announced by Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech several days ago.

The UK government said on its website on Wednesday that the batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses for Vietnam is part of the nine million shots it plans to offer developing countries.

The UK is sending nine million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, the first batch of the 100 million doses weve pledged, to help the most vulnerable parts of the world get vaccinated as a matter of urgency, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the same day.

These first nine million doses will begin to be delivered to recipient countries on Friday, the diplomatic official added, emphasizing that Britain does this for the benefit of the whole world.

Meanwhile, the Czech government has announced that the 250,000 jabs intended for Vietnam is part of the 2.39 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine that it plans to offer countries in Africa, Asia, and the Balkans by the end of this year.

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic said it is coordinating with relevant agencies from both sides to bring the vaccine doses to Vietnam soon.

Vietnam has also obtained vaccine gifts from other countries, including over five million Moderna doses from the U.S., nearly three million AstraZeneca shots from Japan, 1,000 Sputnik V doses from Russia, and 500,000 jabs of Sinopharm from China.

Australia has promised to offer Vietnam 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and AU$13.5 million (US$10 million) through the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for vaccine purchase from now to the year-end.

To date, Vietnam has received over 14 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in total from different sources, including COVAX Facility, contractual purchases, and donations, the Ministry of Health reported.

The Southeast Asian country aims to secure 150 million vaccine doses to vaccinate two-thirds of its 98 million population by the first quarter of next year to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus.

As of Thursday morning, more than 5.3 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered nationwide, with the number of people receiving the first and second shots reaching over 4.8 million and nearly 497,000, respectively, the health ministry said.

Since the pandemic hit the country in early 2020, Vietnam has recorded 123,640 COVID-19 cases, including 121,433 domestic and 2,207 imported cases, of which 27,457 patients have recovered.

Among the domestic infections, as many as 119,863 cases, or 98.7 percent, have been logged since April 27, when the pandemics fourth wave erupted in Vietnam.

The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus has been dominant among such infections.

During this wave, Ho Chi Minh City has become the largest epicenter in Vietnam, with nearly 79,700 cases documented as of Thursday morning, including 929 deaths, according to the municipal Center for Disease Control.

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The Ministry of Health recorded almost 7,600 locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases in Vietnam on Thursday, along with over 4,300 recoveries.

Thirty-eight provinces and cities reported 7,593 locally-infected patients while one separate infection was imported from abroad, the health ministry said.

A total of 1,536 cases were detected in the community whereas the remainder were found in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities.

Ho Chi Minh City reported 4,592 of the latest domestic infections, Binh Duong Province 1,144, Long An Province 499, Dong Nai Province 325, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 185, Dong Thap Province 157, and Tay Ninh Province 139.

Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, the country has registered 124,635 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities.

Ho Chi Minh City is in the front with 81,781 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 10,684, Bac Giang Province with 5,735, Long An Province with 4,430, Dong Nai Province with 3,310, Dong Thap Province with 2,798, and Tien Giang Province with 1,855.

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 4,323 recoveries on Thursday, bringing the total to 31,780 recovered patients.

The death toll has risen to 863 after 233 fatalities were announced the same day, including 189 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Southeast Asian nation has overall recorded 126,205 domestic and 2,208 imported cases since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it on January 23, 2020.

Health workers gave 307,273 vaccine doses today.

Over 5.3 million jabs have been administered to medical workers, teachers, factory workers, and other frontline staff since Vietnam rolled out inoculation on March 8.

Nearly 497,000 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.

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HANOI -- Vietnam's major cities may extend or tighten restrictions on movement to contain the spread of COVID-19 as new daily cases have surpassed 6,000 for seven consecutive days, authorities said on Wednesday.

After successfully containing the virus for much of the pandemic, Vietnam has been facing record daily surges of infections since an outbreak which emerged in late April.

Vietnam reported 6,559 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, raising its total number since the start of the pandemic to more than 120,000. Around 450,000 people in the nation of 98 million people have been fully vaccinated, according to official data.

The government has imposed strict curbs on movement in about a third of the sprawling Southeast Asian country, including the commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City in the south and the capital Hanoi in the north.

"Hanoi may impose stricter measures in high-risk areas in order to fight the outbreak more fiercely," city chairman Chu Ngoc Anh said in a government statement.

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City said the city might need to prolong its social distancing period by one or two weeks after Aug. 1 as infections were continuing to rise.

Due to the mounting outbreak, the National Assembly, the country's lawmaking body, decided to cut short a session in Hanoi by three days to end on Wednesday.

The current outbreak has raised pressure on the government to shore up its vaccine supply and speed up inoculations.

Vietnam has received over 14 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from multiple sources including donations, the global COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme and its procurement.

A post linked to a British government statement on the donation of 9 million vaccines said the United Kingdom will donate 415,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Vietnam.
Mondays Four Corners is Lockdown: How Australia became trapped by COVID-19, reported by Adam Harvey.

Its been disappointing. Weve been let down. Theres no point in sugar coating it. Its just been a massive disappointment. Resident

For weeks, millions of Australians have been trapped by outbreaks of COVID-19 around the country with five states and the Northern Territory plunging into lockdown.

The risk is real and we need to act quickly. We need to go hard, we need to go fast I dont want to see people end up in our hospitals on ventilators. Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

At a grim press conference in Sydney, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian bluntly told the nation that with case numbers on the rise, the threat of COVID-19 had reached an unprecedented level.

The situation that exists nowis regarded as a national emergency. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian

Now, despite millions of people being told to stay at home, the number of infections is climbing with the virulent Delta strain.

We should be very worried about Delta. Delta is many times more infectious than the original wild type of virus. It is really easy to transmit, and it is slightly more problematic when it comes to people whove only had one dose of vaccine. Former Health Dept Secretary

This type of outbreak is exactly what the nations leading experts warned of when Four Corners reported on the failings in Australias vaccine rollout in May.

Its clear the virus hasnt gone away. It will come back in this country and if we have really low levels of vaccination at that point in time, then the impact of that will be far greater than it would have been otherwise. Dr Paul Griffin, May 2021

Their warnings have become a grim reality. On Monday Four Corners examines how Australia was left dangerously exposed.

A leak from quarantine was probably inevitable. But the problems were having now all go back to the decisions that were made last year. Former Health Dept Secretary

As the program shows, the slow and sometimes faltering vaccine rollout has made the task of beating COVID-19 that much harder.

Were going to have to increase our supply and increase our injecting rate by a third, every day, seven days a week, until December 31. Epidemiologist

For those struggling to get back on their feet after a horror 2020, there is frustration that they are facing even more pain.

There is a high level of anxiety bordering on depression for many people, but the real frustration from the business community is around the lack of vaccination rollout right now. And we know that vaccinations are our only way of getting out of these lockdowns. Retail spokesperson

Experts warn that there will be more to come if the issues of supply and hesitancy arent overcome.

The longer a variant spreads, the greater the risk of it learning mutations and changing, and becoming a super variant. Epidemiologist

Monday 2nd August at 8.30pm on ABC.
Talent juggernaut The X Factor has been axed in the UK after a 17 year run.

There are no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage, an ITV spokesperson said.

Created by Cowell, The X Factor began airing in 2004 and ran until 2018 discovering dozens of artists including One Direction, Little Mix, Leona Lewis and Olly Murs.

The Australian version on Seven, after a brief dalliance by 10, was mostly hosted by Luke Jacobz, with talent discoveries Dami Im, Samantha Jade, Reece Mastin, Johnny Ruffo, Cyrus Villanueva, Isaiah Firebrace, Taylor Henderson, Jess & Matt, Nathaniel Willemse and Altiyan Childs.

Cowells next venture will be musical quiz show Walk The Line in which musical acts face a decision in their bid to be crowned champion  to either go home with a cash prize, or walk the line and play on.

Source: Variety
Nostalgia for the administration of President Obama predicted negative attitudes toward the Trump presidency. Adam Fetterman, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Houston, is reporting the impact of political nostalgia on future political attitudes.

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. Fettermans 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.
Qatar's ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, gives a speech to the Shura Council in Doha

CAIRO - (Reuters) - Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani appealed to all parties in the current political crisis in Tunisia to adopt a path of dialogue in a phone call with Tunisian President Kais Saied on Wednesday, the emir's office said.

The emir also stressed "the importance of fixing foundations of the state of institutions and establishing the rule of law in Tunisia."

Tunisia's young democracy faces its worst crisis in a decade after President Saied ousted the government and suspended parliament with help from the army on Sunday, a move condemned as a coup by the country's main parties, including Islamists.

Neighboring Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have said they support measures that would help achieve stability in the north African country.

(Reporting by Alaa Swilam and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Chris Reese and Sonya Hepinstall)
The first part of the drive was on familiar roads, the same roads I take daily to get my kid to camp over the border in Vermont. What was different was that this time, I kept going. East Mountain Farm is only a few minutes from my house, but it's further down Henderson road than I had driven before. Not surprisingly, it is beautiful: contented brown and white cows resting in the shade, rolling hills and pasture, a series of red barns. I was there to pick up chicken to put in my freezer, and eggs to eat.

Two springs ago, when the pandemic was new and our grocery supply chains got fouled, there were anxious months of going to the grocery store not knowing what I might find on the shelves. I know how lucky I am that I never experienced that until my mid-forties. Even so, the unpredictable absence of staples like flour and dried beans and toilet paper was deeply unsettling. Chicken, too, was hard to find for a while there -- because of COVID outbreaks in the places where poultry is processed.

I know how lucky I am that I live near farms. I've been a member of Caretaker Farm (the local CSA) for almost thirty years, which means I get an abundance of beautiful local produce. I know how lucky I am to be able to afford that, too -- and now to be able to afford sustainably-farmed meat. I feel good about supporting a local farmer in his desire to honor the land and its animals. I feel good knowing that these chickens lived well. I feel good knowing that I will have plenty to eat next winter.

I know that my support of this local farmer doesn't do a thing to repair the harms caused by big agribusiness. I've read about the harms that factory farms perpetrate on animals and on their ecosystems. Then again, there's something wrong with the whole idea that our individual purchasing choices or habits (to recycle this soda can, or not to recycle; my personal grocery budget) will make or break the planet. We need large-scale change, corporate change, systemic change. And how likely does that seem?

I pull my mind back from that rabbit hole. Thinking too much about agribusiness and corporate greed and political gridlock will lead me to despair, and despair does not help anyone -- not those whom I serve, not me, not the world. I return to a mantra from an old REM song: not everyone can carry the weight of the world. It is not my job to carry the weight of the world. It is my job to do the best I can with what I've got, and right now the best I can do is to support a local farmer and his flock.
Serbia has been waiting since 2012 for the European Union to respond to its application to become a full member of the EU, Modern Diplomacy writes. In spite of exhausting negotiations, this response is slow in coming and the main cause of the stalemate has a clear name: Kosovo. Before accepting Serbias application for membership, the EU requires a definitive solution to the relations between Serbia and that region that broke away from it after the 1999 conflict  when NATO came to the aid of the Kosovo Albanians  and proclaimed its independence in February 2008.

Serbia has never recognised the birth of the Kosovo Republic, just as many other important countries have not: out of 193 UN members, only 110 have formally accepted the birth of the new republic, while the rest, including Russia, China, Spain, Greece and Romania  to name just the most important ones  refuse to recognise the independence of the Albanians of what was once a region of Serbia. The European Union cannot accept that one of its members is in fact unable to guarantee control over its borders, as would be the case for Serbia if its membership were accepted. In fact, since the end of the war between Kosovo and Serbia, there is no clear and controlled border between the two countries. In order to avoid continuous clashes, Kosovo and Serbia have actually left the border open, turning a blind eye to the smuggling economy that thrives on both sides of the border. In this situation, if Serbia were to become a full member of the European Union, it would create a gap in the borders of the entire Schengen area, as anyone passing through Kosovo could then move into all EU countries.This is not the only obstacle to Serbias accession to the European Union.

Many European chancelleries are wary of Serbian foreign policy which, since the dissolution of the Yugoslav Federation, has maintained a privileged relationship with Russia, refusing to adhere to the sanctions decided by Europe against Russia. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Serbia even agreed to produce the Russian vaccine Sputnik V directly in its own laboratories, blatantly snubbing EUs vaccine offer.

For the United States and some important European countries, Serbias formal accession to the European Union could shift the centre of gravity of Europes geopolitics towards the East, opening a preferential channel for dialogue between Russia and the European Union through Serbia. This possibility, however, is not viewed unfavourably by Germany which, in the intentions of the CDU President, Armin Laschet, the next candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as Chancellor, has recently declared he is in favour of a foreign policy that develops in multiple directions, warning his Western partners of the danger resulting from the interruption of the dialogue with Russia and China. In this regard, Laschet has publicly stated that foreign policy must always focus on finding ways to interact, including cooperation with countries that have different social models from ours, such as Russia, China and the nations of the Arab world.

Today we do not know whether in autumn Laschet will take over the leadership of the most powerful country in the European Union, but what is certain is that Serbias possible formal membership of the European Union could force Europe to revise some of its foreign policy stances, under the pressure of a new Serbian-German axis.

Currently, however, Serbias membership in the European Union still seems a long way off, precisely because of the stalemate in the Serbia-Kosovo negotiations. In 2013 Kosovo and Serbia signed the so-called Brussels Pact, an agreement optimistically considered by European diplomats to be capable of rapidly normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo, in view of mutual political and diplomatic recognition.

An integral part of the agreement was, on the one hand, the commitment of Kosovos authorities to recognise a high degree of administrative autonomy to the Kosovo municipalities inhabited by a Serb majority and, on the other hand, the collaboration of the Serbs in the search for the remains of the thousands of Kosovar Albanians presumably eliminated by Milosevics troops during the repression that preceded the 1999 war.

Neither of the two commitments has so far been fulfilled and, during the meeting held in Brussels on July 21 between Serbian President Alexander Vucic and Kosovos Prime Minister Albin Kurti, harsh words and reciprocal accusations were reportedly exchanged concerning the failure to implement the Pact, to the extent that the Head of European foreign policy, Josep Borrel, publicly asked the two parties to close the chapter of a painful past through a legally binding agreement on the normalisation of mutual relations, with a view to building a European future for its citizens. This future seems nebulous, to say the least if we consider that Serbia, in fact, refuses to recognise the legal value of degrees and diplomas awarded by the Kosovo academic authorities also to members of the Kosovo Serb minority.

Currently, however, both contenders are securing support and alliances in Europe and overseas.

Serbia is viewed favourably by the current President of the European Union, Slovenian Janez Jansa, who is a supporter of its membership because this would definitively mark the dissolution of the Yugoslav Federation. The vast majority of European right-wing parties, ranging from the French Rassemblement National to the Hungarian Fydesz, also approve of Serbias membership application and openly court the Serbian minorities living in their respective countries while, after the years of US disengagement from the Balkans under Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump, the Biden administration has decided to put the region back on the list of priority foreign policy commitments, entrusting the Serbia dossier to the undersecretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Matthew Palmer, an authoritative and experienced diplomat.

With a view to supporting its application for European membership, Serbia has also deployed official lobbyists. Last June, Natasha Dragojilovic Cirics lobbying firm ND Consulting officially registered in the so-called EU transparency register to promote support for Serbias membership. ND is financed by a group of international donors and is advised by Igor Bandovic, a former researcher at the American Gallup and Head of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, by lawyer Katarina Golubovic of the Committee of Human Rights Lawyers and Jovana Spremo, former OSCE consultant.

These are the legal experts deployed by Serbia in Brussels to support its application for formal European integration, but in the meantime, Serbia is not neglecting its eastern alliances.

Earlier this month, the Head of the SVR, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin, paid an official visit to Belgrade, a few weeks after the conclusion of a joint military exercise between Russian special forces (the Spetznaz) and Serbian special forces. In the Serbian capital, Naryshkin not only met his Serbian counterpart Bratislav Gasic, Head of the Bezbednosno Informativna Agencija, the small but powerful Serbian secret service but was also received by the President of the Republic Alexander Vucic with the aim of publicising the closeness between Serbia and Russia.

The timing of the visit coincides with the resumption of talks in Brussels on Serbias accession to the European Union and can clearly be considered as instrumental in exerting subtle diplomatic pressure aimed at convincing the European Union of the possibility that, in the event of a refusal, Serbia may decide to definitely turn its back on the West and ally with an East that is evidently more willing to treat the Serbs with the dignity and attention that a proud and tenacious people believes it deserves.

A piece of news confirming that Serbia is ready to turn its back on the West, should Europe continue to postpone the decision on its accession to the European Union is the fact that China has recently signed a partnership agreement with Serbia in the field of pharmaceutical research, an agreement that makes Serbia one of Chinas current largest commercial partners on the European continent.
The aim of those who want a special status for Armenians in Azerbaijan is not to solve the problem, but to deepen it, and even to create new areas of intervention in the future by providing a special status and even acting as its guarantor, Farid Shafiyev and Cavid Veliyev from the Baku Center of Analysis of International Relations write for National Interest.

As a result of the forty-four-day war in the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated its territories that had been under Armenian occupation for thirty years. After the war, Azerbaijan offered a peace treaty to Armenia and declared that it was ready to negotiate the provisions based on the territorial integrity of the two states. Meanwhile, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, who won his countrys parliamentary elections on June 19, has stated that the status of the former Nagorno-Karabakh is an important issue in achieving the final peace agreement between the parties. The Armenian side still demands the right to self-determination for Armenians living in Azerbaijan, an issue that has caused two wars and led to the occupation of internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory from 19932020. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, on the other hand, stated that Armenians who are citizens of Azerbaijan will not be granted special status.

There are ten reasons why Armenians living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan are not entitled to special political status.

First, the Armenian nationalist movement began in 1988 in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) with the slogan miatsum, which in Armenian means unification. Thus, it is an irredentist project to expand Armenian territory, rather than to pursue self-determination.

Second, the regions autonomy, which was granted by the Soviet authorities to the former Nagorno-Karabakh on July 7, 1923, was given to everyone; not just the Armenians living in the region but also to Azerbaijanis. It is worth mentioning that, historically, Karabakh was a single unity comprising a mountainous part and a lowland region. The former Nagorno-Karabakh was an artificial Soviet creation to make Armenians a majority in the newly created communist administrative unit. On February 20, 1988, Armenian deputies to the former National Council of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to unify that region with Armenia contrary to Azerbaijani and Soviet laws. This move was illegal from the viewpoint of Soviet legislation.

Third, Baku patiently acted upon the demands of the Armenians living in Karabakh between the years 1988-1991, promoting socioeconomic programs despite the fact that, on average, Karabakh Armenians had better living standards than Azerbaijanis elsewhere. Moscow created a special administration in Nagorno-Karabakh, but Armenian nationalists continued to promote an irredentist agenda of unification with Armenia. On December 1, 1989, the Armenian Soviet Parliament adopted an illegal decision to unite the NKAO with Armenia: this decision was annulled by the Soviet Supreme Assembly.

Fourth, when the Armenians started an attack on the civilian population, the autonomous status of former Nagorno-Karabakh was abolished on November 26, 1991, by the Azerbaijani parliament. Therefore, according to the constitution and laws of Azerbaijan, there is no such region as the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. Azerbaijans territorial integrity was recognized by the international community and reconfirmed by four resolutions of the United Nations Security Council adopted in 1993 in response to the occupation of Azerbaijani territories.

Fifth, contrary to Armenian claims, according to the Soviet Constitution, only fifteen Soviet republics had the right to self-determination. Nagorno-Karabakh, on the other hand, had no constitutional right to secede from Azerbaijan. The Armenian side argued that Nagorno-Karabakhs so-called proclamation of independence was exercised in accordance with the April 3, 1990, law of the USSR On the Procedures for Resolving Questions Related to the Secession of Union Republics from the USSR. According to this law, during the initiation of the succession process by a Soviet republic, any autonomous entity also has the right to make its independent choice to remain in or leave the Soviet Union. However, Azerbaijan, similar to Armenia and other Soviet republics, left the Soviet Union on the basis of the Belovezha Accords after the collapse of the USSR on December 8, 1991. Therefore, one cannot cite the abovementioned law, dated April 3, 1990, as neither Azerbaijan nor Armenia used this law to secede from the USSR.

Sixth, international law does not grant a right of self-determination to any given group of people. There is a complex of conditions that determine whether this right is applicable and, contrary to the assumption of Armenian nationalists, Armenians in Karabakh do not fit the definition of a people for the purposes of self-determination. It is also worth mentioning here that the expulsion of 700,000 Azerbaijanis and the total destruction of infrastructure and cultural heritage also undermine any moral ground for an Armenian supposed self-determination claim. Moreover, on June 16, 2015, the European Court of Human Rights released its judgment in Chiragov and Others v. Armenia, finding that Armenia had effectively controlled the Azerbaijani-occupied territories.

Seventh, when the decision of the Armenians living in Karabakh to illegally secede was not approved by Baku, they tried to carry out this act through an armed operation. This armed attack caused the deaths of 30,000 people in the first war, with 4,000 people missing. In the second war, about 5,000 people from Armenia and 2,906 people from Azerbaijan lost their lives. The Helsinki Final Act and other relevant provisions of international law stipulate a peaceful separation with the consent of the central government, which is not the case with the Armenian irredentist armed movement.

Eighth, after the ceasefire agreement was signed in 1994, a diplomatic negotiation process started between the parties with the mediation of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. Azerbaijan offered the status of autonomy in return for the withdrawal of Armenian troops in and around the region of the former Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia, however, did not accept this and, in March/April 2020, essentially abandoned the Madrid Principles elaborated under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairsa factor that helped lead to the 2020 war.

Ninth, according to the latest figures, 20,00025,000 Armenians live in Karabakh. This corresponds to 0.2 per cent of Azerbaijans ten million population. Thus, the population of other ethnic groups living in Azerbaijan is much higher than the number of Armenians. They can all freely exercise their cultural and religious rights as citizens of Azerbaijan.

Tenth, Armenian minorities also live in the surrounding countries and so far, none of them has been given a special political status. However, they exercise their religious and cultural rights. Azerbaijanis residing in neighbouring countries also live in the same way. President Ilham Aliyev, in one of his interviews, gave the example of Azerbaijanis and Armenians living together in Georgia and Russia, meaning that this could be a real possibility in Azerbaijan as well.

Apparently, the aim of those who want a special status for Armenians in Azerbaijan is not to solve the problem, but to deepen it, and even to create new areas of intervention in the future by providing a special status and even acting as its guarantor. Today, after the war, there is a real opportunity to reach a durable security solution based on mutual respect of the two countries territorial integrity and minority rights. This is the only possible peaceful vision of the future.
U.S. President Joe Biden met Wednesday with Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya at the White House, where he expressed support for the Belarusian people's aspirations for democracy.

"I was honored to meet with @Tsihanouskaya at the White House this morning," Biden said in a tweet, referring to the exiled opposition figure who is on a visit to Washington.

"The United States stands with the people of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human rights," he added.

Tikhanovskaya, previously a stay-at-home mother, ran for the presidency in place of her husband who was detained before the election. She fled to Lithuania for safety as security forces cracked down on protests.

This week before her Biden meeting she held talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and said she presented him with a list of companies on which she hopes the United States can impose further sanctions.

She also met Tuesday with Biden's national security advisor Jake Sullivan, as well as members of Congress.
Iran will next week become the first country outside of Cuba to start producing one of the Communist-run islands homegrown COVID-19 vaccines on an industrial scale, Cuban state-run media said on Wednesday.

The allies are under fierce U.S. sanctions that they say have long encumbered access to medicines and medical inputs, motivating them to be self reliant. Both have produced a raft of experimental COVID-19 vaccines, some with patriotic names like Cubas Soberana 2 - or Sovereign 2.

Preliminary Cuban data from late-phase clinical trials suggests Soberana 2 and its other most advanced COVID-19 vaccine Abdala are among the worlds most efficient, with more than 90% efficacy, although critics say they will remain skeptical until it publishes the figures in international, peer-reviewed journals, Reuters reported.

Iran's Pasteur Institute agreed earlier this year to collaborate here with Cuba's Finlay Institute, which developed Soberana 2, to implement phase three clinical trials of the shot in the Islamic Republic, leading to its approval for emergency use early in July.

Iran and Cuba will produce millions of doses of Soberana 2 in the Middle Eastern country under the name PastuCovac, Finlay Institute chief Vicente Verez Bencomo said during a visit to Tehran this week, according to Cuban state-run media on Wednesday.

Usually you need 15 years to develop a vaccine from zero to the industrialization phase but we did all the steps in a year, he was quoted as saying, and the evidence is that it works very well.
Authorities in the Turkish resort city of Marmaris are evacuating local residents and tourists from hotels in connection with a wildfire, the broadcaster NTV reported on Thursday.

The broadcaster's footage shows the forest burning in the immediate vicinity of residential buildings and hotels. People are being evacuated as a precaution, as the direction of the wind inspires hope that the fire will not reach the buildings. Many witnesses have also uploaded videos, allegedly depicting the wildfire coming close to hotels and houses.

Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast is known for its scorching summer heat, which often causes wildfires. Officials have said the latest fires are the biggest to date.

Agriculture Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said an 82-year-old man had been found dead during the evacuation of Kepezbeleni, 16 km northeast of Manavgat, and two people were found dead in Degirmenli, 20 km east of Manavgat.

Pakdemirli said there had been 41 wildfires in 13 of Turkey's 81 provinces since Tuesday, of which 31 were under control. Blazes in Osmaniye and Kayseri were still burning.

The forest fires have erupted over the last few days in the southern provinces of Mersin, Osmaniye, Adana, Antalya, Kahramanmaras.

The blazes also burst out in the southwestern province of Mugla and central provinces of Kirikkale and Kayseri.

The county's efforts to bring 10 ongoing fires under control are continuing as 1,832 personnel, three planes, 29 helicopters, and 458 water tenders are joining the mission.

Forest fires first erupted on Wednesday in Antalyas Manavgat district and spread over a large area.

"Three of our citizens lost their lives and 122 others were affected from fires while treatment of 58 citizens continues," AFAD said on Manavgat fires.

With the latest announcement, the number of people who died during fires in Antalya has risen to four, Anadolu Agency reported.

Along with Antalya, Adana, and Mersin, firefighters are working selflessly to bring fires under control in other provinces.

In Mersin, people living in areas near fires were evacuated on Wednesday.

Authorities said that the powerful wind fanned fires to rage through the region and it hampers efforts to put out the blazes.
Iraq reported on Wednesday 13,515 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since the outbreak of the pandemic, raising the nationwide caseload to 1,590,528.

A statement by the Health Ministry also confirmed 66 more deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 18,484, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 8,217 to 1,437,759.

A total of 12,914,493 tests have been carried out in Iraq since the outbreak of the disease last year, with 57,971 done during the day, it said.

The statement also said a total of 117,078 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number of doses administered to 1,575,559.

The spokesman of the Health Ministry Sayf al-Badr warned in a statement that Iraq now is witnessing "the most dangerous wave of infections since the outbreak of the pandemic."

The critical conditions are the highest so far, and the country's health institutions are under heavy pressure due to the admission of increasing numbers of critical cases, he said.

In addition, the increase in COVID-19 infection recent days pushed the Ministry of Health to impose new restrictions late on Tuesday, including closing swimming pools, gyms, and parks, as well as tightening health control over restaurants, malls, and other social gatherings.

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.
Nearly 20 mln Russians have been fully vaccinated with Sputnik V, about 1 mln with the EpiVacCorona jab and about 300,000 with CoviVac, head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova stated on Wednesday.

"Today, our data shows that a huge number of people have been vaccinated already. Some 20 mln people have been fully vaccinated with Sputnik V, about 1 mln have been fully vaccinated with EpiVacCorona and about 300,000 have been vaccinated with the Chumakov Institute vaccine," she said during a live feed organized by the Znanie Society to discuss COVID-19 vaccines.

The official expressed hope that soon, COVID vaccine certificates recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) will be approved for Russian jabs, TASS reported.

Since the start of the pandemic, about 195.3 mln people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 globally, and over 4.1 mln have died. Russia has documented 6,195,232 cases of COVID-19, 5,547,529 patients have recovered and 156,178 have died.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Stephane Visconti of France, Andrew Schofer of the United States of America, and Igor Khovaev of the Russian Federation) made the statement, Trend reports.

The co-chairs view with concern recent incidents along the Armenia - Azerbaijan border, including reports of casualties and the loss of life. The co-chairs call upon Armenia and Azerbaijan to de-escalate the situation immediately, refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions, and implement fully their commitments under the November 9 statement and other jointly agreed ceasefire arrangements.

The co-chairs reiterate the need for a comprehensive, and sustainable settlement of all remaining core substantive issues of the conflict.
Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed today that Russian border forces be stationed along the length of Armenia's border. He also suggested deploying a CSTO monitoring mission along the border.



Bringing a number of traditional accusations against Baku, against which Yerevan is organizing border provocations, Pashinyan concluded that the Armenian government alone cannot stabilize the situation, and therefore, it should turn to its allies for external assistance.



"I think it makes sense to consider the question of stationing outposts of Russian border guards along the entire length of the Armenian-Azeri border," the acting Prime Minister of Armenia said.

He said that Yerevan was preparing to discuss that proposal with Moscow and that the move would allow work to be carried out on the demarcation and delimitation of the border without the risk of military clashes.



For the same purpose, Pashinyan suggested contacting the CSTO.
More than half of the territory of Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban radical movement (outlawed in Russia), Special Russian Presidential Representative for Afghanistan, Director of the Second Asian Department at Russias Foreign Ministry Zamir Kabulov told an online briefing on Thursday.

"In any case, this is certainly more than a half," the Russian envoy said in response to a question about the extent of the Talibans control of the territory of Afghanistan.

The Russian envoy said, however, that the Taliban movement would hardly be able to seize the entire territory of the country. "We do not think that this scenario [the seizure of Afghanistan by the Taliban] will prevail, but we are ready for any development," TASS cited the Russian diplomat as saying.

The retreat of the Afghan government forces is the cause for the Talibans mounting offensive, he added.

Clashes between the Afghan government troops and the Taliban radical militant group intensified after U.S. President Joe Biden announced a decision on April 14 to wrap up the operation in Afghanistan that had been the longest overseas military campaign in U.S. history.

As of July 13, the United States pulled out more than 95% of its troops from Afghanistan. Afghan officials have repeatedly stated that the Taliban is intensifying its offensive in the country.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price urged Azerbaijan and Armenia to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation at the border.

"The United States condemns the recent escalation of violence along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to uphold their ceasefire commitments by taking immediate steps to de-escalate the situation," Price wrote on Twitter.

"The United States urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to return as soon as possible to substantive discussions under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to achieve a long-term political settlement to the conflict," the statement reads.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said the Georgian Dream partys withdrawal from the agreement brokered by European Council President Charles Michel will create a threat of a new political crisis in the country.

"The Georgian Dream Partys withdrawal from the April 19 Agreement undermines an agreed upon way forward for the country through needed reforms and risks a return to political crises. We call on all parties to work together to advance Georgias Euro-Atlantic integration," Price said.
Myanmar is at risk of becoming a super-spreader Covid state that fuels outbreaks across the region, the UN special rapporteur for the country has warned as he urged the security council to call for a ceasefire.

The south-east Asian country is facing its most severe outbreak yet, on top of a deep political and economic crisis brought about by the military coup in February. Its vaccination programme has ground to a standstill, testing has collapsed, and government hospitals are barely functioning.

The exact number of cases and fatalities in Myanmar was unclear, said Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, in an interview with the Guardian. The targeting of journalists and doctors has made it hard to obtain accurate information about the crisis.

We know that this is a spike upward. Its a very rapid, an alarmingly rapid rise, said Andrews.

According to the ministry of health and sports, 4,629 people have died of Covid since 1 June. The figures are thought to be an underestimate, The Guardian reported.

In Yangon, its common to see three types of lines, Andrews added. One before ATMs, one for oxygen supplies  which is very dangerous because people are literally being shot at by the Myanmar forces for standing in line for oxygen  and the third being lines at crematoriums and morgues.

There is a severe shortage of oxygen, medical equipment and medication in cities across the country. Outside homes, people have hung yellow and white flags to signal that they need food or medicine, while social media have been flooded with pleas for help and death notices.

Myanmar is becoming a super-spreader of Covid-19 with these very virulent variants  Delta and other forms of the disease, [which are] extremely dangerous, extremely lethal, extremely contagious  This is very, very dangerous for all kinds of reasons, Andrews said.
The COVID-19 cases in Uzbekistan rose by 879 in the past 24 hours to 127,506, the highest daily count since the beginning of this year, the health ministry said Thursday.

The Central Asian nation also reported six new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the nationwide death toll to 859.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev Wednesday again urged the population to be vaccinated as soon as possible against coronavirus, Xinhua reported.

So far, more than 1.1 million people have been fully vaccinated, according to the ministry.
The World Health Organization doesnt recommend Covid-19 booster shots at this time, the groups top vaccine doctor said Wednesday, citing a lack of data on their effectiveness.

The WHOs director of immunization, vaccines and biologicals Kate OBrien said the organization is still researching whether a booster shot is needed to increase protection against highly contagious mutations of the coronavirus.

Executives from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, which make the three Covid vaccines authorized for use in the U.S., have all said Americans would eventually need a booster following their first series of vaccinations. Pfizer plans to submit its application to U.S. regulators for a booster dose in August, the company said earlier Wednesday.

Were very clear on this, theres not enough information to provide a recommendation at this point, OBrien said in a Q&A interview posted on the organizations social media accounts. Again, this is a very hot topic, and theres a lot of research going on to be able to provide an evidence-based recommendation, CNBC cited her as saying.

If the WHO endorsed a booster shot, OBrien said it would likely only be for select groups of recipients, like the elderly or people with other conditions that make them vulnerable to severe disease. She added that the WHO is also evaluating whether to approve booster shots on a product-by-product basis, because not all the products are exactly the same.

OBrien said the WHO is studying the durability of the vaccines, meaning how long protection lasts, as well as their effectiveness against different variants before recommending a booster.
Vietnams electronics industry has been affected by the pandemic, a trend that could increase global chip shortages and lower electronics output.

Recent pandemic impacts have put a strain on manufacturers that provide the world with beloved electronics. VIR Photo Le Toan

Vietnam has four core electronics sectors  computer hardware, components and parts, communication, and audio-visual devices  each with the participation of large international corporations like Canon, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Intel, and Apple, as well as their suppliers.

Chang Hung Chun, partner at KPMG Vietnams Chinese Desk, said that Vietnam also boasts two major electronic clusters. The north is dominated by Samsung, LG, and Foxconn, while the south is home to players like Intel, Toshiba, Nidec, and Jabil  all with export-oriented manufacturing activities.

Vietnam is home to 2,000 international manufacturers in the electronics industry, employing more than 600,000 people. Last year, the country attracted $30 billion of foreign capital into the electronics sector. Many manufacturers shifted their production from China to Vietnam during the United States previous administration, and this trend continues, he stated.

However, Vietnam and regional electronics bases like Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines are experiencing large outbreaks of the coronavirus, forcing a number of manufacturers to lower capacity and suspend operations. It threatens to exacerbate global supply chain issues, especially for products that require semiconductors.

Since late April, Vietnam has reported a record daily increase in COVID-19 infections, most of which have been in Ho Chi Minh City, and the northern provinces of Bac Giang, and Bac Ninh, which are home to electronics facilities.

Samsung has been forced to cut back production at one of its large consumer electronics factories in Ho Chi Minh City after an outbreak sparked the government to find accommodation for thousands of workers at the industrial complex.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the South Korean tech group has been negotiating with the government over the issue.

Taiwanese electronics researcher TrendForce indicated that the recent wave of outbreaks has influenced Samsungs manufacturing operations. Likewise, the Indian operations of Samsung also fell victim to a huge surge of COVID-19 cases. Samsungs smartphone production in the second quarter underwent a sharp on-quarter decline of 23.5 per cent to 58.5 million units.

Samsung has been gradually relocating its smartphone production southwards to Vietnam since 2009, mostly to Bac Ninh and Bac Giang.

Anti-pandemic measures have not affected the internal operations of Samsungs local facilities, but they have disrupted the supply of components and materials to the facilities. As a result, the capacity of its smartphone production lines fell to around 60 per cent at one time, said TrendForce.

Meanwhile, Filippo Bortoletti, senior manager of International Business Advisory at Dezan Shira & Associates said, Vietnams electronic industry is exposed to the global chip shortages. Logistics costs are increasing, and shipments are slowing as companies are hunting for chips. Even the cost of semiconductors is increasing. The higher prices for components brought on by the chip shortages are matched with raising prices of electronic devices.

Most electronics  mainly smartphones  produced in Vietnam are exported to the US, Bortoletti said. However, delays in shipments and increased prices arent likely affecting the US market.

In addition to Samsung, many leading electronic manufacturers may face challenges with expansion plans. South Koreas LG Display has received an investment certificate to inject another $750 million into its factory in the northern port city of Haiphong, making it one of the largest investments in the first six months of 2021.

Meanwhile, Taiwans Foxconn received the green light to put $270 million in a laptop and tablet project with a designed capacity of eight million units per year in the northern province of Bac Giang.

Last October, Goerteks factory project in the central province of Nghe Ans WHA Industrial Zone 1 (IZ) was also launched. The factory specialises in manufacturing electronic equipment, with an annual capacity of 381 million items.

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Pegatron in March 2020 also received approval for a $19-million facility to manufacture electronic devices in Haiphong. Pegatrons next project is slated to be initiated in 2021 at a cost of $481 million. Another project is scheduled for 2025-2026 with a budget of $500 million.

According to Bortoletti, the latest outbreak caused a sharp decline in manufacturing industries. As far as electronics are concerned, four IZs in Bac Giang were temporarily closed in May due to the rapid surge of cases. Despite the conditions, however, exports of electronics performed well in the first half of 2021, especially smartphones.

Vietnams electronics industry focuses on mid-stream assembling activities and is heavily reliant on imports such as electronic chips. Therefore, the impact of the latest outbreak on local manufacturers is not as relevant as the upstream disruption due to worsening conditions in other countries, he added.

Source: VIR

Manufacturing industries face difficulties due to shortage of chips The shortage of electronic chips is causing difficulties for businesses and electronics manufacturers as chipsets are used in most electronic products and technological devices.
In a recent meeting with local officials, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that social distancing measures at a higher level than those stipulated in Directive 16 could be applied to quickly prevent the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.

A Hanoi street during the time of social distancing. Photo: Pham Hai

The Government Office announced the Prime Ministers instruction at a recent online conference on implementing the note of the Permanent member of the Party Central Committees Secretariat on the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic.

According to the Prime Minister, Ho Chi Minh City and many provinces and cities have implemented social distancing according to Directive 16 and have achieved certain results.

However, the implementation of Directive 16 in some localities has not been serious, lacking inspection and supervision. Some people have not fully and seriously complied with the regulations. There is also subjectivity, neglect and loss of vigilance in some localities, agencies and organizations.

The number of people returning from epidemic-hit areas to neighboring localities is high, but management and control have not been implemented in accordance with the Government's regulations. Congestion in transportation and goods circulation has occurred in some places.

The Prime Minister requested ministries, agencies and localities to promptly and effectively deal with these problems in order to implement social distancing effectively.

Based on the actual situation, the Prime Minister asked ministries, agencies and localities to be proactive, creative and flexible in applying social distancing measures suitable to the actual situation.

Social distancing measures at higher levels than Directive 16 can be applied (under the direction of the National Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control, the Ministry of Health and relevant ministries and agencies) to restrict exchanges and contact between people to quickly prevent the spread of disease.

At a vaccination site in HCM City. Photo: Thanh Tung

However, the Prime Minister asked local authorities to not set up regulations and procedures (such as regulations on essential and non-essential goods and services) that are contrary to general regulations, especially the law.

For the provinces and cities that are implementing social distancing under Directive 16, the Prime Minister requested that implementation be done under the motto "clear, strict, reliable, effective".

The secretary of each Provincial Party Committees and the chair of each Provincial People's Committee directly should guide the implementation of social distancing in their locality in a drastic, strong and effective manner.

Localities must make the most of the "golden" time when implementing social distancing to speed up the cleaning of epidemic-hit areas, outbreaks in the first week of isolation, and to detect outbreaks in the area and prevent new outbreaks.

Localities have to ensure timely and adequate human resources and facilities, particularly ventilators and oxygen.

Localities must firmly grasp the situation and handle it immediately so as not to let any people lack food, clothing or essential necessities.

Localities should organize vaccinations to the right subjects in a timely, safe and effective manner, and strictly and publicly handle vaccination-related violations.

The Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Health to issue detailed instructions on the use of traditional medicine in the treatment of Covid-19 in a scientific, effective way and close to reality.

The Prime Minister also asked provinces and centrally-run cities to strictly manage and control people returning from Ho Chi Minh City and epidemic-hit localities.

Relevant ministries, agencies and localities must consolidate and ensure the safety of "green areas" with a low risk of epidemic spread so as to promote production and business activities.

Thanh Nam

Hanoi during days of social distancing under PMs Directive 16 Hanois bustling streets have turned quiet during days of social distancing under the Prime Ministers Directive 16 starting from 6am on July 24.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is on an official visit to Vietnam on July 28 and 29 at the invitation of Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang.

Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang hold talks with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin hold talks in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

After an official welcome ceremony chaired by Gen. Giang on July 29, the two ministers held talks, during which they appreciated the results of bilateral defence cooperation, and said that the cooperation has achieved practical results, that conform to the comprehensive partnership between the two countries, especially in overcoming war consequences, addressing non-traditional security challenges, supporting Vietnam in joining the United Nations peacekeeping missions, and improving the law enforcement at sea and military medicine.

The US official took the occasion to provide equipment to serve Vietnams efforts to combat the pandemic.

They agreed to continue promoting collaboration following the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Defence Cooperation signed in 2011 and the Joint Vision Statement on Defence Relations signed in 2015, with priority given to the settlement of war consequences, the improvement of law enforcement at sea, military medicine collaboration in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and training.

The US Secretary of Defence agreed to step up the implementation of the dioxin decontamination project at Bien Hoa airport and other humanitarian projects in Vietnam.

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Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin inspect the guard of honour of the Vietnam People's Army at the welcome ceremony in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

At the talks, the two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern, especially traditional and non-traditional security challenges that directly affect the region. They affirmed ASEANs central role in enhancing cooperation within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM ) in order to maintain an environment of peace and stability in the region and the world.

They shared views on the importance of respecting the legitimate rights and interests of coastal states, peacefully solving disputes as well as maintaining peace stability, safety, order and freedom of aviation and navigation at seas and oceans in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

The two ministers then witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in searching, gathering and identifying the remains of Vietnamese martyrs.

The US Defence Secretary is scheduled to pay courtesy visits to State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The visit will contribute to strengthening friendship and trust between the people and armies of the two countries, and implementing defence cooperation contents signed between the two defence ministries and agreements reached by the two nations high-ranking leaders, thus contributing to the framework of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership./.

Source: VNA
Vietnam hopes the US Government will continue giving priority assistance to Vietnam to access coronavirus vaccine supplies and create favourable conditions for partners to research and transfer virus vaccine production technology to the country.

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made the statement during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Ha Noi on Thursday.

He thanked the US for donating COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and materials to Viet Nam.

The PM said Viet Nam wanted to promote the comprehensive partnership with the US on the basis of mutual interests, and for peace, stability and development in the region and world.

Viet Nam is expected to enhance cooperation with the US in various fields, including commerce and investment, climate change, science and technology, education and infrastructure, the PM said.

PM Chinh applauded the US Department of the Treasury and the State Bank of Viet Nam for reaching agreement on an action plan for currency practices and proposed both sides seriously implement the agreement in the future.

The PM spoke highly of results of talks between the two defence ministers held earlier the same day.

In the future, the PM suggested the two sides continue promoting cooperation in settling the war aftermath, including Agent Orange/dioxin detoxification and MIA searches.

He affirmed that Viet Nam would create favourable conditions for defence ministries and armies of the two countries to increase exchanges and cooperation.

US Secretary of Defense Austin said the US attached great importance to the comprehensive partnership with Viet Nam and appreciated and supported Viet Nam in playing a more active role in ASEAN and the UN Security Council.

He said the US would continue to support Viet Nam and other countries to soon get access to vaccine supplies to fight against the pandemic.

The US would continue supporting Viet Nam in tackling the war aftermath, improving maritime security capacity and joining peace keeping forces of the UN, he said.

The two sides discussed regional and international issues of common concern, including the importance of ensuring peace and maritime and aviation security and safety in the East Sea.

Meeting with President

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President Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for the US Secretary of Defense earlier the same day, during which the former affirmed that Viet Nam always considered the US as a leading partner in its foreign policy and wanted to further develop bilateral cooperative ties in areas of mutual interest.

The Vietnamese leader thanked the US for giving valuable and timely support to Viet Nam in the fight against the pandemic, especially its donation of 5 million doses of coronavirus vaccine.

Viet Nam hopes to receive more assistance from the US in accessing more COVID-19 vaccine supplies to speed up the countrys vaccination campaign, he said.

President Phuc underlined the significance of promoting defence cooperation between the two countries, adding that Viet Nam expected close coordination from the US in settling war aftermath, MIA search, bomb and mine clearance, Agent Orange/dioxin detoxification as well as search and rescue operations, humanitarian relief and disaster mitigation.

The Vietnamese leader pledged to create optimal conditions for the two defence ministries to foster collaboration in areas in which both sides have demand.

Viet Nam hopes that the US will further deepen its partnership with ASEAN for peace and prosperity in the region and the world, President Phuc added.

Austin said that the US wanted to continue witnessing Viet Nams prosperity and strong development, and to cooperate with Vietnamese agencies more closely and effectively in the future.

The US will continue to partner with Viet Nam in developing COVID-19 vaccines, and will do its best to support Viet Nam in pandemic prevention and control, he stated.

Austin affirmed that the US would continue to strengthen collaboration with Viet Nam in settling war aftermath and assist the Southeast Asian nation in dealing with Agent Orange/dioxin consequences, especially through the project to detoxify dioxin at Bien Hoa airport, thus building and reinforcing mutual trust.

Asserting that the US and Viet Nam could expand their cooperation to areas where the two nations held potential, Austin proposed both sides consider lifting bilateral ties to a strategic partnership in the future.

He also affirmed that the US would continue to foster ties with ASEAN in maintaining peace and security in the region, and commit to build stronger and better relations with countries in the region.

President Phuc asked Austin to convey his regards to US President Joe Biden and expressed his hope that President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris would visit Viet Nam in the near future.

Source: VNS
Nguyen Tuan Anh, security expert of Viettel Cyber Security, surpassed more than 25,000 "white hat hackers" in the world to top the June 2021 rankings of Bugcrowd, the world's largest security vulnerability search platform.

Tuan Anh found 55 security holes on Oracle's E-Business Suite product, a widely used software suite in the corporate environment, including a serious vulnerability could allow hackers to take control of the software remotely.

Previously, Nguyen Tuan Anh also topped Bugcrowd's ranking in April 2021. With nearly 200 discovered security holes, Tuan Anh has received the title Most Valuable Professional (MVP) of Bugcrowd for 4 times.

In 2020, he found 55 security holes on Oracle's E-Business Suite product, a widely used software suite in the corporate environment, including a serious vulnerability could allow hackers to take control of the software remotely. E-Business Suite is a popular product used by large enterprises and organizations in the world (with 20% of enterprises in the Top 500 fortune globally using it).

In April 2021, another expert of Viettel Cyber Security, Pham Van Khanh, won the world's largest cyberattack competition Pwn2Own 2021.

The achievements of Vietnamese cybesecurity experts contribute to affirming Viettel Security's pioneering and leading position in the field of information security in Vietnam.

As a member of Viettel Group, Viettel Cyber Security has more than 300 employees, including leading Vietnamese experts in the field of network security, who hold many prestigious information security certificates.

Vietnamese cybersecurity expert topped the ranking of white-hat hackers in the world.

To date, Viettel Cyber Security has discovered more than 300 0-day vulnerabilities - undetected errors of major global information technology systems. In 2020 alone, its experts detected nearly 100 0-day vulnerabilities. As a result, the company received the "Vietnam's best network security management service provider" award from Frost & Sullivan.

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has set a goal that Vietnam must develop into a powerhouse in cyber security. To achieve this goal, Vietnams network security rating cannot be low. Vietnam currently ranks 50/194 countries. MIC issued a plan to raise Vietnams position to the 40th in 2025 and 30th in 2030.

Phan Hoang Giap, Head of Integrated Solutions Department, Viettel Cyber Security Company, said that Vietnam has relatively enough factors to achieve the above goals. These factors include: MIC issued a fairly complete legal framework to orient information security work in all fields; Vietnam already has a fairly strong community of network security firms, with many businesses mastring important core technology of information security; Vietnam is always highly appreciated for human resources in the field of cybersecurity.

According to Nguyen Thanh Dat, Deputy General Director of VNCS, besides the market size, Vietnam needs to pay attention to the growth rate. Vietnam has a very high growth rate compared to the regional average. The growth of Vietnam's cyberinformation security services is approximately 35%/year, compared to 25% of Thailand and 15% of Singapore.

Thai Khang

Vietnam hit by 2,900 cyber attacks in first half of 2021 Vietnam recorded 2,915 cyber attacks in the first six months of 2021, an increase of 898 compared with the same period last year.
Vietnam recorded 4,773 new COVID-19 cases from 6am to 6pm on July 29, including one imported case, according to the Ministry of Health.

Ho Chi Minh City, the country's current largest hotspot, documented 2,877 infections, followed by Binh Duong with 738, Long An 320, Dong Nai 166, Dong Thap 142 and Ba Ria-Vung Tau 133.

The national tally of COVID-19 infections reached 128,413.

A total 4,323 patients were given the all-clear during the day, raising the number of recoveries to 31,780.

Among patients under treatment, 346 are being cared for in ICU, while 19 are being treated with ECMO.

The sub-section on treatment of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control announced 233 deaths due to COVID-19 from July 19-26, pushing the total death toll to 863.

Meanwhile, more than 5.32 million doses of vaccines had been administered. Some 496,630 people have fully got two shots.

By 5pm on July 29, Vietnams COVID-19 vaccine fund had received 8.418 trillion VND (around 367 million USD) contributed by 491,185 organisations and individuals.

At a working session with Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long, Ho Chi Minh City officials reported that 650 teams are conducting vaccination across the city, administering 70,000-80,000 doses a day amid strict social distancing measures.

The city aims to give the first shots of vaccine to about 70 percent of the city population in August./.

Source: VNA
Hanoi has started to administer Covid-19 vaccines to people at health centers of districts and towns.

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In this campaign, three types of vaccines, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna, are being used.

The Hanoi Department of Health says that this is the largest Covid-19 vaccination campaign in the history of the capital city, which will last for more than nine months, from July 2021 to April 2022.

In this campaign, over 5.1 million people will be vaccinated. They will be people from 18 to 65 years old, who will be divided into 10 groups in order of priority to ensure accuracy and transparency in accessing vaccines.

The campaign began in Hoan Kiem District on July 28. The district plans to administer some 4,000 doses a day at seven vaccination sites.

People will not be allowed to choose which type of vaccine they get. The doses are administered free of charge.

Prior to the shot, everyone will have their medical records (especially known allergy history against any ingredient of the vaccine), temperatures and heart rate and blood pressure checked in order to prevent avoidable reactions.

Those with problematic health issues detected during the screening process will be referred to get their shots at a hospital for proper observation.

After getting the shots, all must remain at the site for one hour before they are allowed to leave.

People will receive a copy of their vaccination records seven days later.

As many as 270,000 doses of vaccine had been administered in Hanoi as of July 28, mostly to frontline workers.

A vaccination site on Hang Bai Street, Hoan Kiem District.

The central district of Hoan Kiem has seven vaccination sites.

Hoan Kiem district has received 16,000 vaccine doses, including nearly 7,000 doses of Moderna vaccine and the rest are Astra Zeneca vaccine.

A vaccination site at Nguyen Du Primary School (Ly Thai To ward, Hoan Kiem district).













Vaccination site at Trung Vuong Secondary School - Hanoi.

Pham Hai

Hanoi to use market coupons in all districts Believing that the market coupon model first applied in Tay Ho ensures social distancing, Hanoi Party Committee Secretary Dinh Tien Dung said the model should be used in all districts.
To speed up mass vaccinations, Ho Chi Minh City will vaccinate its people after 6pm, even though local people are banned from going out from 6pm to 6am.

They will receive a document allowing them to go to a vaccination site.

The information was released by Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Phan Van Mai at a press conference on the situation of Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control in the city on July 28.

Two vaccination sites will be set up at each ward. Only people 65 and over and those who have underlying illness must be vaccinated at hospitals.

Regarding the policy of allowing Covid-19 patients who have mild or no symptoms to be treated at home and the treatment of Covid-19 patients at concentrated centers in districts, Mai said that, because 70-80% of patients have no or mild symptoms and will recover on their own, if all patients are quarantined at concentrated sites, it will be overloaded. Home quarantine will reduce the load on hospitals.

The city will focus treatment on severely ill patients, and those with underlying diseases, besides monitoring and taking care of patients at home.

Mai said that a community online consultation network with the participation of many professors and doctors has been deployed in the city. Each doctor will be in charge of a certain number of patients at home. Doctors will keep in touch with patients and consult with them every day.

The function of treatment hospitals will be changed, to both treat patients of Covid-19 and those with common diseases.

"Treatment is the most important task now. When the number of Covid-19 patients increases, and 20-30% of them in severe condition, it is necessary to focus on treatment and prevent fatalities," Mai said.

Mai said that after two nights of banning people from going out after 6pm, it showed that the people had obeyed the rules well. However, during the day, there were still many people on the street, so he asked relevant agencies to take strict measures in this regard.

According to Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy director of HCMC Department of Health, the city had inoculated 300,000 people as of 4 p.m. on July 27 in the fifth vaccination drive.

The vaccination speed has improved, with 70,000 more people being vaccinated on July 27. With such speed, the vaccination drive is expected to be completed in 2-3 weeks.

Quang Dinh - Ho Van

HCM City: 171,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses given so far in 5th phase of vaccination drive 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.
On the evening of July 28, Vietnam announced 106 new Covid-19-related deaths in six provinces, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 630 cases.

The new fatalities were recorded from July 19-26 in 6 southern provinces and cities, specifically:

Ho Chi Minh City (July 19-26): 91 cases.

Long An (July 22-26): 9 cases.

Dong Thap (July 23-24): 2 cases.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau (July 20): 1 case.

Dong Nai (July 25): 1 case.

Kien Giang (July 26): 2 cases.

So far, Vietnam has recorded 630 Covid-19-related deaths, including 595 cases in the 4th outbreak since April 27.

The current fatality rate caused by Covid-19 in Vietnam is 0.52%. The mortality rate in the world is 2.15%.

The country has administered more than 5.3 million vaccine shots, fully vaccinating 450,836 people with two shots.

By 5pm on July 28, the Vietnam Vaccine Fund had received VND8,345 billion (US$362.55 million) contributed by 488,906 organisations and individuals.

Thuy Hanh
Phu Quoc island off the southern province of Kien Giang has been listed among the worlds 100 greatest places to explore in 2021 by US Time news magazine.

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Time magazine says known as the jewel of Vietnam, this teardrop-shaped resort and fishing island has become one of the fastest-growing destinations in Southeast Asia.

In 2019, Phu Quoc attracted 5 million visitors, a 30% increase from the year before. Currently, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism is collecting feedback on its draft pilot programme, which aims at opening the island to international visitors with vaccine passports for six months beginning in October.

Under the scheme, Phu Quoc is expected to welcome 2,000 to 3,000 visitors per month via charter flights in a limited number of locations during the first phase, which will last three months. In the second phase, also lasting for three months, the island will host 5,000 to 10,000 visitors per month./.

Source: VNA
Keep travelling when you are young to enrich your experience, open your eyes and know more people When you know a lot, dont hesitate to share your helpful experiences Then you will be soon considered a travel blogger, an influential person.

So goes the advice of Nguyen Thi Than Uy, 25, a popular travel blogger.

She has been widely known through her quality reviews on travelling and cuisine and impressive photo collections among popular food and travel communities in HCM City and Da Lat, her hometown in the central province of Gia Lai.

Besides working as a travel blogger, food reviewer, she has also reviewed cosmetics and clothes, and been active in marketing online services and PR.

The woman has been an active travel blogger on social networks. Photo courtesy of Nguyen Thi Than Uy

Graduating from HCM City Teachers Training College, Uy has discovered her favourite field is marketing, which she has studied since the second year in the college.

I especially like travelling, eating and taking photos as well as sharing my experiences, she tells Viet Nam News. After each trip, I spend time writing down my notes at the destination.

Her name is a favourite of various social groups like Ghien a Lat (Addicted to Da Lat); Viet Nam Oi (Oh Vietnam), O Nha Vui Thay Ba (So Happy at Home) and Review Pleiku Gia Lai.

My sharing habit started first as I was a student travelling with my friends, she says. I posted reviews on my Facebook and groups, and was surprised at receiving warm feedback.

I was also lucky to be invited to restaurants and destinations in various regions to write reviews. Thats how people know who I am now.

She likes travelling and sharing her special experiences. Photo courtesy of Nguyen Thi Than Uy

Uy says writing travel reviews has offered her chances to not only reach fresh regions from the northern province of Ha Giang to Ca Mau Cape, the southern most part of the country, but also learn useful tips and lessons.

The love for travelling helps me be more active and energetic to spread worthy values to the community, she says.

Uy likes to explore beauty of her hometown Gia Lai.

I have been to many popular destinations throughout the country. Yet I like my homeland most. Though the services are limited here, the pristine natural landscapes give me pride to tell my friends on social networks.

Whenever she returns home she takes the time to take photos of local wild flowers on volcano Chu Dang Ya and posts them on social networks.

I believe my homeland is as beautiful as other destinations in Vietnam, she says.

Uy has always paid attention to photos, especially of her outfits, when she goes on trips.

Uy in a food review working session. Photo courtesy of Nguyen Thi Than Uy

Im actually rather short, she says. I eat a lot to write reviews. So I apply tips on combining costumes to hide my body disadvantages, she says.

She often chooses simple colours, no big-sized clothes, and dresses with a high waist to make her legs look longer.

You should prepare eye-catching clothes for photos at a beautiful landscape as a way to show your respect to yourself and to audience, she says.

One of her most memorable trips was when she visited Da Lat with her team.

We camped on Da Phu Hill overnight to capture scene of clouds in early morning, she says.

I slept in the same tent with two couples. I tried to show them I was fine but deep inside me there was loneliness.

Uy advises people to plan in detail before each trip.

First, you should save money and arrange your work to choose the most convenient time to travel, which should be the best season to visit that destination, she says.

You should go with someone who can take good photos. Dont forget necessary medicine.

After each trip, Uy feels happy yet exhausted.

Happy as I have fresh experience and been warmly welcomed by hosts, she says.

We are often exhausted as we have to use up time to take photos, and make clips despite the harsh weather, to produce the best quality reviews, photos and videos.

Uy has stayed in her hometown for the last two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, during which time she has written reviews on local destinations and food.

Uy says Gia Lai possesses great tourism potential, with scenic landscapes, special food and warm-hearted people. Her reviews of her homeland have received much feedback.

The pandemic affects everyone not only me, she says. But I keep in high spirits to enjoy the time at home with my family.

Uy (left) and her parents on a trip to Da Lat City. Photo courtesy of Nguyen Thi Than Uy

Uy has often joined charity work to help needy people in remote areas. During Tet (Lunar New Year), when her homeland was a pandemic hotspot and her local hospital was isolated, she helped raise VND60 million (US$2,600) for local people in need.

She has also joined local authorities and pagodas to send vegetables, cereals and other food to lock-downed areas in HCM City.

I want to help as many people as I can, she says. I just need my parents to support and understand me as they have been doing. Thats enough for me to concentrate on my tasks.

Source: Vietnam News

Vietnamese prefer travelling to finding a lover According to a recent survey, 69% of Vietnamese tourists prefer to go on vacation than seek a love partner.
Josh Tetens walked into an open meeting full of officers ready to address concerns. He had real answers to their questions. He also promised to keep McLennan County our county by not imposing ideologies that have crippled law enforcement in our area. This county deserves a prosecutor who will have the backs of its citizens. It takes more than a Facebook profile and a handshake to get this done. It takes boots on the ground. Josh Tetens will work with local officers.  After all, we are all supposed to be on the same team.

Bond also was critical of the DAs office for kicking back cases or dismissing them outright with what he called little to no communication from prosecutors. He also said plea bargains recommended by prosecutors have been unusually lenient under Johnsons watch.

We all understand that not every case can be tried, and we get that, Bond said. The plea agreement is an important part of the system. But when you represent the citizens of McLennan County, and traditionally McLennan County has been a tough-on-crime area, these victims are citizens as well. Yes, you have to move cases, and yes, you have to get cases through the system as efficiently as possible. But you also have to take into consideration that these victims will carry that trauma with them forever and they need to feel included and feel like they received some justice, as well.
Leading opposition figures have been jailed -- including Tsikhanouskayas husband who had sought the presidency -- or been forced to leave the country, while independent media outlets have had their offices searched and their journalists arrested.

The West responded to the crackdown by imposing sanctions on Belarus. The European Union and the U.S. ramped up restrictions after Belarus in May diverted a passenger jet to Minsk to arrest a dissident journalist. The government in neighboring Lithuania has accused Belarusian authorities of organizing a flow of migrants from the Middle East and Africa in retaliation.

Tsikhanouskaya explained that Lukashenkos power is based on money and law enforcement, and the opposition is now seeking to put pressure on the economy, which would cut one of these pillars, by urging even tougher sanctions.

Economic pressure on the regime, on cronies, on sectors like oil, potash, steel, wood, financial sphere -- this constant pressure will help to split allies inside the regime, she said.

Any trigger can happen, Tsikhanouskaya said. We are listening to the people on the ground, what they are prepared for, and impatience of people is growing, and nobody know what can be the trigger for new mass demonstrations for fall of this regime.
We knew it was coming, we've been talking to the prosecutor, Rosenzweig said, declining further comment.

Factitious disorder is when someone falsely claims another person is ill in order to deceive other people, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The boy, who was adopted by the couple in 2014 when he was 5, was treated at hospitals in Little Rock, Cincinnati and at the Mayo Clinic, according to the lawsuit, which identifies him by the initials L.S.

In February 2019, the child was taken to a Little Rock hospital for end of life care, accompanied by numerous law enforcement and first responders, a trip widely covered by media, the lawsuit states. The boy subsequently improved.

Rather than viewing this as a positive development, the Schneiders put L.S. back on (a feeding tube) ... and flippantly remarked that L.S. did a bad job of dying, according to the allegations.

The child is better, Rutledge said. He was placed in state custody in 2019 when he was 11, based on a tip to the Arkansas Department of Human Services, according to court documents.

The Arkansas Supreme Court in September rejected the Schneider's lawsuit seeking to regain custody.

The lawsuit also seeks fines for violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and attorneys fees.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Lorenzo de Zavala was a man of great ideas. He was an outspoken writer and editor as well as a diplomat, businessman, physician and statesman. With all these accomplishments in his short life, he became revered as one of the architects of Texas independence.

He was born in 1788 in the Yucatan in southern Mexico when it was still under Spanish rule. From a young age, it was clear he had a brilliant mind, voraciously reading any book he could find. His family arranged for the best education possible, and he eventually learned to speak four languages.

He started several newspapers as a young man, writing against the Spanish monarchy and its oppressive rule over the region. Because of these stands, he was arrested in 1814. Unswayed, he continued his writings and also began studying medicine. By the time he was released in 1817, he had become a practicing physician.

After Mexicos independence in 1821, he was elected to the national Congress in 1822 and to the Senate in 1824. He briefly served as governor of the State of Mexico, the largest state in Mexico and briefly served as the secretary of the treasury.
Along with this memory with his father, Burnett also gained the memory of the trek he made in May.

The trip started with Burnett leaving from Ceresco on Highway 77 on May 13 after grabbing a cup of coffee at the Ceresco Quick Shop. He took the highway all the way to Sioux City and then headed west on Highway 12/20. Burnett camped under the stars in Niobrara State Park.

Burnett then traveled to Cottonwood Lake in Merriman. While he described the trip as uneventful, Burnett did get stuck here when the asphalt road changed to deep sand as he was searching for a campsite. He found aid from a father and young child fishing in the area to pull him out.

After spending the night camping in Merriman, Burnett made his way to the Wyoming border at Van Tassel on May 15. Returning to Nebraska the same day, Burnett spent the night in Crawford.

On May 16, Burnett made his way through the Sandhills from Crawford to Broken Bow where he spent the night at a Pump and Pantry. Burnett completed his journey the next day driving from Broken Bow to Ceresco.

Some challenges he encountered along the journey included rain and impatient drivers. He tried to stay on roads and highways that werent heavily populated.
WAHOO  Doris Karloff is still reeling.

The District 2 Saunders County Supervisor was and still is in disbelief after learning on July 22 her that a constituent had filed a recall petition with the intention of booting her from the county board.

On July 21, the day before Karloff learned of the petition, Rhonda Carritt of Wahoo filed a petition to recall the Yutan supervisor. Carritts reasoning for the filing stems from Karloff allegedly not representing the best interests of the district.

The residents of Saunders County District 2 hold that our elected Supervisor Doris Karloff has not represented the best interests of the district, the statement read. Choosing to ignore recommendations of the county planning board, favoring big business over its residents, putting personal and family gain above the residents and being out of touch with her constituents. For this, Karloff should be recalled.

Karloff said she believes Carritts reasoning is not valid and assumes the petition is related to the controversial solar farm conditional use permit the county board unanimously approved with stipulations at a meeting in May. Karloff did not attend that meeting and did not vote on the agenda item.
COMPANIES

General Dynamics' chip supply issue is far from its alone

But still enough to impact second quarter

The world does not have enough computer chips to go around for reasons far too long to list and complex to run through here. But one reason is because more of everything in the world runs on computer chips.

Including substantially all defense electronics as the U.S. government works through how to bring more chip manufacturing back to the United States as the pandemic puts stress on the supply chain.

During General Dynamics second quarter earnings call Wednesday, CEO Phebe Novakovic told investors the company is working through a chip shortage of its own with respect to the IT hardware and software business.

(For context: this the first mention I have heard on a publicly-traded government technology company's earnings call about the global chip supply crunch since it started to become a very big deal. This episode of Project 38 from June delves into that topic and what it means for federal agencies and industry.)

Novakovic told analysts that lack of chips for certain products was one reason for a modest decline in second quarter revenue at General Dynamics Mission Systems, which makes communications and cyber products for predominantly defense and space customers.

GDs second quarter regulatory filing indicates sales at Mission Systems fell approximately 6.1 percent year-over-year to $1.1 billion.

Mission Systems is one of two units alongside the IT services business that make up the Technologies segment, which saw sales climb 3.2 percent over last years second quarter to $3.1 billion.

Factor number two Novakovic cited as part of the decline at Mission Systems was the divestiture of its satellite antenna business to CPI, which closed in June of last year.

General Dynamics is of course far from the only company to feel the pinch of disruptions to the overall chip supply chain. As Novakovic said, we and others have had to deal with the shortage and are working assiduously to address that problem.

She expects the Mission Systems business own issue with acquiring the chips it needs to be remedied in the second half. Both Novakovic and Chief Financial Officer Jason Aiken believe that resolution will free the unit to realize measured gains this year.

Assuming that business can overcome some of the supply chain issues that theyve seen, which at this point theyre getting good signals that theyll be able to in the second half, we ought to see some modest organic growth out of that business for the full year, Aiken said.

General Dynamics now expects this years revenue out of its overall Technologies segment to total $13 billion, down roughly $200 million from the initial guidance in January. But GD also lifted its expectation of the segments operating margin to 9.8 percent versus the initial outlook of 9.5 percent.

Last years revenue split in the Technologies segment was $7.9 billion in the GD Information Technology services business and $4.7 billion at Mission Systems, according to the company's 2020 annual report.

On the other hand, GDIT posted a 9.9-percent revenue gain in this years second quarter to $2 billion as the company began to work on new contracts it had been awarded previously.

Novakovic said GDIT is also awaiting protest rulings over another $4.6 billion in potential contract value, including two sizeable awards challenged by competitors, the unit could secure if those decisions go its way.

Protests are one of two factors GDIT is dealing with today that Novakovic cited, one of which remains an overhang she has spoken of before.

We have seen a delay in contract awards from two fundamental factors. One, theres been an increasing elongation in the customers decision cycle and two, weve seen increasing propensity of many in the IT industry to protest repeatedly; early and often seems to be the mantra, Novakovic said. Its going to make the recognition of that revenue a little bit lumpier.

GDIT has $34 billion in proposals that are in the source selection phase and expects to submit another $20 billion in bids through the end of this year.

Opportunities at civilian agencies fall under those categories as many within that group of customers were slated to get increases under the Biden administrations budget blueprint.

I would imagine as they receive more funding and the ubiquitous-ness of IT infrastructure to all of their missions, I would see that as some additional upside and potential for us, Novakovic said.

When that comes will depend on a whole series of issues around timing, but you can (be) rest assured that in that pipeline on a go forward basis that were looking at, weve got some good civilian work in there.

On a company-wide basis, GD lifted its sales outlook for this year by $200 million to $39.2 billion with an operating margin of 10.6 percent.
CONTRACT AWARD

GSA makes awards on ASTRO manned & unmanned product contract

The General Services Administration has made dozens of awards for its much-anticipated and massive ASTRO contract vehicle to acquire manned, optionally manned and unmanned platforms and services.

No dollar value has apparently been attached to the contract, but given the specs and large number of awardees it could be measured into the billions versus millions.

GSA broke out the awards into 10 pools covering several aspects of the technology ranging from the platforms themselves and services wrapped around the products, including those with robotics capability.

Companies could pursue more than one pool for the contract, of which the full list of awardees revealed Wednesday can be seen here.

GSA primarily developed the contract for the Defense Department and especially the military's combatant commands.

Price was not a factor to get a seat on ASTRO. Pricing will be set through competitions at the task order level. Bidders did have to use a self-scoring method for detailing their capabilities and past performance with the needed supporting documentation.

ASTRO will start with a five-year base and GSA has the option to extend the contract for five more years. GSA can conduct on-ramp competitions to bring new companies into the fold and use the off-ramp method to eliminate businesses the agency sees as not fulfilling the requirements enough.
The danger in Bezos' $2B offer to NASA

I didn't give much initial thought to news reports that Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin offered to essentially subsidize the work on a lunar lander to the tune of $2 billion.

First -- I knew it would be a long shot for NASA to accept the offer and add Blue Origin to the program alongside SpaceX, which won the contract a few months ago.

SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics competed for the lunar lander contract. They understood that NASA wanted to award two contracts. But when the prices came in, NASA balked and gave a single $2.9 billion contract to SpaceX.

Blue Origin and Dynetics have both filed protests with the Government Accountability Office, arguing that NASA only opened discussions about price with SpaceX and that was unfair. A decision is due in just a few weeks.

Fresh off his successful journey in space, Bezos made his $2 billion offer. It was easy to ignore as it just seemed too outlandish and frankly a little arrogant. The richest man in the world is going to buy his way into a NASA contract.

Bezos argued in his letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson that picking just one company to build the lander would hurt competition.

In my mind it was easy to dismiss and not take very seriously until I got a piece of analysis from Morgan Stanley's defense market research team.

They apparently dont want to risk any temptation NASA might feel and point out several dangers that Bezos offer holds.

Contrary to Bezos argument about competition, Morgan Stanley's analysts see the opposite danger.

Adopting a loss leader approach could price out competitors and emerging players with potentially exciting new technologies but shallower pockets, they say in a research note for clients.

Being willing to take such a substantial loss drives down profits, which will make the sector less attractive for investors. As profits are squeezed, competition can be stifled as Morgan Stanley's analysts see it.

Bezos and Blue Origin offered to take a fixed-price contract to build the lunar lander. Any cost overruns would be the responsibility of Blue Origin and not NASA.

As tempting as that might be, I still think it is a long shot that NASA will award a second lunar lander contract to Blue Origin.

But what about future contracts? Has Blue Origin planted a seed? They have extremely deep pockets. I could see Elon Musk perhaps making a similar offer from SpaceX. But who else can do that?

I cant see Leidos or Boeing or nearly anyone else saying the following -- "Yeah, Ill eat the overruns of developing a multi-billion system."

What about the smaller emerging tech players? Who is going to develop new technologies and solutions under a firm-fixed price scenario?

So far NASA hasnt publicly responded to Bezos letter, but I think they should with a strong "No, thank you."
Brooks, now a candidate for U.S. Senate, has come under fire for telling the pro-Trump rally that preceded the Capitol riot that, today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass. Brooks has maintained his words were intended to fire up the crowd for the next election cycle.

Anyone with a brain larger than a pea knew that I was not advocating violence, Brooks told The Associated Press earlier this year.

According to court filings, Brooks had argued that his appearance at the rally was within the scope of his office or employment because it was about the upcoming certification vote. He also noted that his constituents overwhelmingly supported Trump in the 2020 election.

Federal law known as the Westfall Act authorizes the Justice Department to determine whether an employee was acting within the scope of their office or employment in an incident that is subject to a lawsuit claim. If the Justice Department certifies that the employee was doing so, the employee is dismissed and the action proceeds against the United States.

In rejecting Brooks request for certification, the Justice Department wrote, it appears that the fundamental purpose of the rally was to advance the electoral success of a presidential candidate.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A Tennessee man pleaded guilty on Thursday in federal court to taking part in the raid at the U.S. Capitol.

Jack Jesse Griffith, 26, of Gallatin admitted to knowingly entering restricted areas of the Capitol in a videoconference plea hearing before U.S. District Chief Judge Beryl Howell, The Tennessean reported.

Griffith, known online as Juan Bibiano, faces up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine on the misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He also agreed to pay $500 in restitution.

Prosecutors dismissed four other misdemeanor charges in exchange for the plea.
Mickael Bomard, from Le Plessis-Robinson in the Paris region, recently took his 15-year-old son Nolan to a squat building just meters (yards) from the gently lapping waves of the Mediterranean at Carry-le-Rouet, a popular holiday spot near the port city of Marseille.

Given the measures that are being taken now and the obligations when school starts again in September, we have decided to get him vaccinated, Bomard said.

The vaccination center is giving shots to about 200 people each day  vacationers and locals  says Agnes Gatto, a nurse who runs the facility.

In France, where resistance to the vaccine has been particularly stubborn, a new rule came into effect last week that forces those who want to visit public sites ranging from cinemas to casinos to the Eiffel Tower to get a pass that shows they are either fully vaccinated, have tested negative for the coronavirus or recovered from COVID-19. The measure will be extended to restaurants and cafes from next month. That's part of the reason more people are leaving the sand for a shot in the arm.
She says the street violence and looting in major cities is not only the fault of judges and district attorneys, but also overcrowding in our prison system. Theres less funding for the judicial system so they release individuals instead of putting them through the process of prosecution and sentencing, or through rehab. Its a problem that hasnt been addressed for many, many years (and) has gotten worse as the violence has escalated. When theres no consequence for it, law and order goes away.

Asked about the state of the Republican Party, she responds, Its the party that is bringing hope. If you look at what Democrats are embracing  socialism, communism, lack of personal responsibility. Every problem that presents itself they think some bureaucrat in Washington, D.C., would handle it better than a Mom or a Dad, or a cousin or grandparent. ...

The Republican Party has a unique opportunity to talk about what we stand for and have always stood for and have proven to be the policies and the values that create opportunities for families and states and businesses. ... When you look at some states that have done what we believe in you can see overwhelming prosperity and families healthier and in school getting educated and thats what the American dream is and what the Republican Party needs to be talking about.
Lets say theres an outbreak of deadly parvovirus in your neighborhood. Your beloved golden retriever Red, however, goes into a full-scale panic attack at the sight or smell of a veterinarian. You know the disease is highly communicable and potentially fatal.

Theres a reliable vaccine, but the dog wont listen. Runs and hides under the porch. Fights the leash like a smallmouth bass on a hook. Rolls over on his back and has to be dragged, panting and drooling. Maybe even bites the hand that feeds him.

God forbid you should force the issue. No vaccine shot for Red. Even a dog has his rights, after all  among them the right to die in agony while shedding the deadly virus all over the neighborhood.

Put that way, the whole national debate over the COVID-19 vaccine seems kind of crazy, doesnt it? When the vaccine refuser is a golden retriever, we take action because we understand that the dog cant be reasoned with.

(When I lived in the country, I learned to administer my own vaccinations. I also prevented the animals from watching Fox News. It only riles up the cows.)
William Mullen, EdD, has been appointed vice president for enrollment management at Willamette University, where he will provide leadership for and oversee institutional admissions, financial aid and marketing. Mullen will assume his role on Sept. 1.

Mullen brings a wealth of strategic leadership experience in enrollment management. He served most recently as the vice provost of enrollment and communications at St. Marys College in Moraga, California. He previously served as vice president of enrollment and marketing at Franklin University in Lugano, Switzerland, vice president of enrollment management at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota and vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Throughout the interview process, we were impressed by Williams enthusiasm and the strategic enrollment management plans he implemented at several universities, which led to increased access, diversity and graduation rates, said Willamette president Steve Thorsett. His data-informed approach, relevant experience and depth of understanding of the kind of innovative interdisciplinary education offered at Willamette are what is needed to guide us through the important work we have ahead of us. We look forward to welcoming William to the Willamette community.

Among his accomplishments, Mullen has redesigned financial aid strategies, implemented new technologies and created partnerships to improve yield and student diversity. He created new methods to increase enrollment to record levels and new pathways with college-bound organizations, community colleges, businesses and community organizations to provide multiple enrollment channels and ensure stability in highly competitive markets.

I consider it a privilege to join Willamette University and to be a part of such a forward-thinking institution, Mullen said. In todays global market, universities need to offer programs that prepare students for successful lives and careers. With Willamettes recent programmatic additions and the merger with Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, they are well positioned to do so. Im looking forward to working with the faculty, enrollment and marketing teams to bring a data-driven, enrollment management approach and strategy to the university.

Mullen earned his bachelors degree from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, his MBA from Capella University in Minneapolis and his doctor of education from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. In 2013, he served as a Fulbright Fellow and focused on contemporary educational issues in Japan.
Kelly Guenther/The New York Times/Redux Pictures

Investigator Green: I saw the second plane come around and go into the building. I told my colleague, This is no accident. We're under attack."

Michael Lomonaco, chef and director of culinary operations at Windows on the World, a restaurant on the North Tower's 106th and 107th floors: I'd been in the shopping center on the lower level when the North Tower was hit. They evacuated us very quickly. I made a couple of calls to let people know I was safe. Then I heard a roar of jet engines. I looked up at the South Tower and saw the moment of impact. A fireball exploded. This was a tremendous shock. I thought of all my friends and colleagues at the restaurant, and I started to do a mental list: Who's up there now? Who's working? We had 72 of our Windows family working that morning. We also had more than 100 people in a private dining room. So, after the second plane hit, I became emotional and felt tears well up in my eyes.

Lolita Jackson, an assistant vice president for Morgan Stanley Investment Management's Mutual Fund Sales Department, who worked on the 70th floor of the South Tower: We were told to listen to our company's head of security, Rick Rescorla, and he told us to leave. It took about 35 minutes to get out of the building. I didn't know the towers got hit by planes, but standing there on the street, it looked like something from The Towering Inferno. It's hard to remember that 20 years ago there was no Twitter. There was no Facebook. There was no internet the way we know it now. So, we had no way of knowing what was going on unless somebody texted you. The Port Authority was telling people not to leave. The only reason we all lived is that Rick ignored what they were saying.

Salvatore Cassano, a Fire Department assistant chief of operations who became chief of operations right after September 11: The World Trade Center was built to withstand a plane crash. Well, it withstood the plane crash. It just didn't withstand a fire from the thousands of gallons of jet fuel that were incinerating everything in there.

Systems analyst Lazaros: We got into the stairwell, and it was so quiet.

Everybody knew something really bad had happened, and everybody just wanted to get out of there. We all just started walking and walking and walking down. We saw the firefighters, a lot of them. They started coming up the stairwell. So, we all moved over for them. They had so much equipment on them. And it was smoky, and they were sweating already. They were walking up the stairs. We asked them, Where are you going? Where do you have to go? They said, Oh, we have to get underneath the fire. But you go.

They had all these ropes and things, and all those guys never got out of there. Never.

We got to the end of the stairwell and went through the open door. At first we had no idea where we were. I said, This must be some kind of old subbasement, somewhere that's full of debris. It was the lobby we had come into in the morning, but everything had been destroyed.

Stanley Praimnath, an assistant vice president for Fuji Bank, who worked on the 81st floor of the South Tower: I'd seen huge chunks of fireballs falling from the North Tower. I took an elevator to the 78th floor of my building to switch to an express elevator, to leave. The security guard said, Your building is safe, is secure. Go back to your office. I stepped back into the elevator, went back into my office, and the phone was ringing, so I answered it. I'm standing up with a phone in my hand, and I see something gray, a plane, small at first, then larger and larger. I'm mesmerized, not realizing a plane is coming toward me. The plane starts to tilt, and it looks like time just stopped, and it's happening in flashes of a minuscule second. I can hear the revving sound of the engine, and the plane is coming closer, closer, closer. I dropped the phone and I screamed, and I dove under the desk. All I remember saying at that time was, Lord, I can't do this. You take over."

The bottom wing took out most of the floor I was on. It looked like a demolition crew came and ripped the entire office apart. Every piece of furniture was mangled. The only desk that stood firm was the desk I was hiding under. My Bible was on top of that desk. That's the only reason I can attribute to why I was saved.

The ceiling above me collapsed, and the sprinkler system came on. I was screaming for somebody to help me: Please don't leave me to die. Somebody on the floor heard me, and the person had a flashlight.
MargaretW/Getty Images

Things to do

Drive to viewpoints: Marvel at the unparalleled vistas from BCNP's 14 official viewpoints, which deliver that perfect photograph for your slideshow or Instagram grid. The park's shuttle bus stops at four of them: Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunrise Point and Sunset Point. Sunset Point, accessed just after mile marker 2, ranks as the most popular, thanks to its proximity to Thor's Hammer, the best-known and most recognizable hoodoo, while Bryce Point (accessed via a road between mile markers 2 and 3) is best viewed early in the morning, when magical sunrises appear to set the hoodoos on fire. The other viewpoints can all be reached by foot or car. Just past mile marker 12, don't miss Natural Bridge, which dazzles with a scene that's pretty enough to be a painting: Think verdant ponderosa pines peeking through a reddish natural arch.

Take a hike: If you have time, go for a hike  you'll find one for every skill level. On the easier end of the spectrum, take in excellent views of the Bryce Amphitheater on the Sunset to Sunrise Trail, a paved one-mile segment of the Rim Trail. Due to the park's terrain, only a half-mile stretch of this portion of the Rim Trail is officially wheelchair-accessible. Alternatively, the hard-surface Bristlecone Loop at the park's southern end can accommodate some wheelchair users with assistance.

Another easy and especially popular (read: crowded) walk, the 0.8-mile Mossy Cave Trail ends at a grotto with icicles in winter and its namesake moss in summer. For a more moderate challenge, opt for the 1.8-mile Queen's Garden Trail, which takes you down into the canyon for a glimpse of a hoodoo that looks remarkably like Queen Victoria.

If you're a hiking pro, set aside about five hours for the 8-mile Fairyland Loop; you'll cut through a ponderosa pine forest and past the ridged China Wall, which stretches along the horizon like its namesake, and the Tower Bridge, which features a precariously freestanding span. Be warned that you'll be navigating a calf-burning elevation change of 1,716 feet (almost exactly as tall as Chicago's Willis Tower).

To maximize the number of hoodoos you can see on one hike, McCutcheon suggests taking advantage of the shuttle bus system to find great one-way routes that start at one bus stop and end at another. For one of her favorite hikes, get off the bus at Bryce Point and then hike down into the amphitheater along the Peek-a-Boo Loop Trail, following the path clockwise. After you view Cathedral Wall, pick up the Queen's Garden Trail to ascend back up to Sunrise Point and the shuttle bus.

See the sights on horseback: Channel your inner cowboy or cowgirl on a guided horseback or mule tour with concessionaire Canyon Trail Rides. From April through October, book two-hour ($75) or three-hour rides ($100) online at canyonrides.com, then meet your guide at the corral between the park's lodge and Sunrise Point. Both routes take you down to the canyon floor; the longer option then traces Peek-a-Boo Loop Trail, whisking you past the famed Wall of Windows, which looks a bit like a fortress dotted with holes from which medieval knights might have fired their arrows and cannons. To appreciate Bryce Canyon, a visitor really needs to get below the rim by foot or on horseback, says Crystal Mortensen, of Canyon Trail Rides, and the horse rides offer a way for someone who physically can't walk up and down the canyon trails to be up close and personal with the rock formations.

Spot wildlife: A variety of animal species roam these acres, including mule deer, pronghorn, smaller critters such as feisty golden-mantled ground squirrels (they're so prevalent at picnic areas and overlooks that the NPS website calls them trip-over common"), and the reintroduced Utah prairie dogs, which reside in the roadside meadows near the park entrance. Because of the higher altitude and cold winters, reptiles and amphibians are not as common as you might expect, but keep your eyes peeled for the masters of camouflage, short-horned lizards (or horned toads). And, depending on the season, you can view 175 bird species, including various hummingbirds that flit around thistles and other flowers, from May through July.

Enjoy the park after dark: Named an International Dark Sky Park in 2019, BCNP delivers a coveted trifecta for stargazers: high elevations, pristine air quality and a remote location far from the nearest sources of light pollution. Most people in the United States living in urban areas don't get to see the Milky Way, but our dark and frequently clear skies and high altitude make viewing the Milky Way a very special experience, McCutcheon says. The galaxy appears as a hazy band of light stretching across the sky like a rainbow.

If you visit during a full moon, enter the park's lottery for one of the few slots on a two- to three-hour guided nighttime hike. Submit your name between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Visitor Center and check whether you've been selected between 4 and 4:15 p.m. The moon's glow bounces off the oddly shaped hoodoos, creating an eerie interplay of light and shadows. The park usually offers one of two hikes, depending on ranger staffing: an easier one along the rim, and a harder one that descends into the canyon.
Getty Images

Employer attitudes toward providing training to their employees have shifted over the past 20 years. In the first decade of this century, employer spending on training decreased by 28 percent, but as skill needs began to change more rapidly, the need to provide training to help employees bridge their skills gaps became more and more apparent. In 2020, LinkedIn reported that 38 percent of executives with enterprises of 5,000 employees or more [believe] that closing skills gaps is an urgent business priority.

And this trend shows no sign of stopping. The World Economic Forum's Future Jobs 2020 report estimated that in less than five years, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labor between humans and machines, while 97 million new roles may emerge. As a result, 40 percent of workers will need to learn new skills. That level of displacement creates a business imperative for employers to provide upskilling and reskilling opportunities to their current employees rather than expecting to satisfy all their skill needs via new hires.

With as many as five generations in the workforce, age-inclusive learning and development approaches are a must. Traditionally the youngest and oldest workers have been the least likely to receive training from their employers, while workers toward the middle of the age range receive substantially more opportunities. But the pace of change and the need for skilled workers is pushing organizations to realize that all employees, regardless of age, need access to training.

Here are 6 ways to approach skills training with an age-inclusive lens.

1. Adopt a growth mindset.

To effectively foster an attitude that promotes employee growth requires intention and sponsorship from executives. Start by shifting internal opinions and assumptions away from the idea that people's abilities are fixed and finite and instead move toward the idea that everyone can grow and learn new skills.

This shift can be supported by a number of actions. First, acknowledge learning as a valuable activity in and of itself. It can come in a variety of ways  formal training, on-the-job training, ideation and innovation sessions, job swapping, group problem-solving, and individual creativity. Second, support and promote learning activities across the organization by providing training options, giving managers incentives to encourage learning opportunities among their staffs, and rewarding/recognizing employees who develop new skills or try new approaches. Third, establish an environment that nurtures those who suggest new ideas and take risks. Remove punitive measures that often are attached to failed ideas and projects. Instead, acknowledge the courage that it sometimes takes to be willing to fail in order to achieve success.

2. Promote upskilling and reskilling across all age groups.

Avoid making decisions about training and career advancement opportunities based on stereotypes about an employee's age. Life stage is a better indicator of the types of opportunities that may be of interest to an individual. Don't assume older workers aren't interested in learning emerging skills or that younger workers aren't interested in leadership and management courses. When communicating training opportunities to a group or the entire workforce, disseminate information equally and simultaneously. Remove any language from communications that hints at ageist stereotypes or assumptions of who would be most interested in training.

3. Provide training in a variety of formats.

There are many different learning styles, yet it's common that only visual and verbal techniques are provided in training. Try to offer a variety of learning opportunities for the same material. For example, self-paced and online learning might be helpful to an employee juggling caregiving responsibilities for both young children and aging parents. In-person learning may be effective to social learners who benefit from direct support from trainers and opportunity to engage with face-to-face questions. Offering the curriculum in printed materials, in addition to online content, can benefit solitary or visual learners who do best when they can diagram or jot down notes. Additionally, consider no- or low-cost ways to provide opportunities for employees to grow, such as job-swapping and temporary assignments.

4. Accept different learning styles.

Be mindful that there isn't one particular learning style that best results in the mastery of new skills or retention of knowledge. While it is tempting to equate speed with intelligence and ability, speedy course completion may not automatically result in improved skillsets. Some older workers may initially appear to be slower in their learning curve relative to younger workers, but the older group's ability to contextualize new information based on decades of experience might also improve retention and thoroughness of comprehension. On the flip side, younger counterparts may absorb information more quickly and swiftly master short-term tasks, making them excellent helpers for those requiring additional assistance. The cross-pollination of several generations in the workforce may allow those with different learning styles to exchange information and strengthen development of the overall group.

5. Leverage age diversity for informal soft skills training.

Soft skills such as leadership, communication and critical thinking are most effectively learned over time, through work and life experiences. For this reason, younger workers can benefit from their older colleagues knowledge of those non-automatable, uniquely human skill sets that can difficult to identify and predict when hiring. A buddy system or mentoring program where younger and older employees can work together to solve current problems hands-on can offer an accelerated form of training and a valuable addition to structured professional development courses. Additionally, older workers can learn just as much from their younger counterparts, so frame mentoring opportunities as a two-way exchange of skills and knowledge.

6. Partner with external organizations.

As employers lay the groundwork for age-inclusive training programs, they may discover they don't have the funding to support a full-fledged internal professional development program. One affordable alternative can be to start with a tuition reimbursement program for employees. Leverage internal communication channels such as an intranet or internal newsletter to publicize the reimbursement program and communicate the intent to close the skills gap. As its use grows among employees, your company eventually may find it more cost-effective to provide more in-house training programs.

Or you may want to work more closely with local educational institutions to provide highly tailored offerings. Community colleges and university partnerships can be excellent resources and are increasingly open to tailoring training programs specific to the needs of your industry, business challenges and employee skill gaps. Working collaboratively with these institutions on selecting course materials, instructors or specific equipment or working environments can help ensure employees are getting the training needed for future growth, both theirs and yours.


Provides Drilling Update at Marymia Gold Project

Sydney, July 29, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Vango Mining Limited ( ASX:VAN ) is pleased to provide the following update on its ongoing 2021 drilling campaign at the Company's flagship Marymia Gold Project (Marymia, the Project) in the Mid-West region of Western Australia.Highlights- Vango's 2021 drilling campaign at flagship Marymia Gold Project is well underway- 14 holes for a total of 2,465m of RC drilling completed to date of a minimum 15,000m campaign - ability to further expand the campaign subject to results- Drilling is targeting 11 priority open pits not currently part of the Marymia Project's 1.02Moz @ 3.0 g/t Au JORC 2012 Resource- First-pass drilling at highest priority open pits - Skyhawk, Parrot and Apollo - complete, and drilling currently underway at Prickleys open pit- Initial assessment is highly encouraging - shows geological continuity of previously identified structures, including alteration and sulphides consistent with gold mineralisation at Marymia- Drilling has been extended in some holes at Skyhawk and Parrot to test structures and alteration zones not previously encountered in historical drilling- Assays from initial holes submitted for laboratory assessment - results to be released when available- Vango aims to deliver a substantial Indicated and Inferred resource increase to the existing Marymia resource this yearVango commenced its latest phase of drilling at Marymia earlier this month (ASX announcement, 9 July 2021). Drilling is focused on 11 priority open-pit targets, not currently part of the Marymia JORC 2012 resource base (Figure 1*). It is designed to add significant, near-surface resources amenable to open pit mining as part of any future mining operation at the Marymia Project.To date, the Company has completed 14 holes for a total of 2,465 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling at its highest priority open pits targets. It plans undertake a minimum of 15,000 metres of RC drilling in this drilling campaign, with the ability to expand the campaign subject to results.First-pass drilling has completed at the priority Skyhawk (7 holes), Parrot (4 holes) and Apollo (3 holes) open pits, and drilling is currently underway at the Prickleys open pit.Vango is highly encouraged by its initial assessment of the drilling to date, which has demonstrated the geological continuity of structures, including alteration and sulphides, consistent with previous results from these deposits.At Skyhawk and Parrot in particular, drilling was extended in several holes. Previous drilling in these areas had concentrated heavily on the oxide material and the strong continuation of the structures in the current drilling with associated alteration is significant. Some of the prospective zones appear to be new structures, not previously been recognised or significantly tested.It is important to note that the presence of these structures and alteration zones may not correlate with economic gold mineralisation, but assay results are keenly awaited. Second and third phases of drilling have now been planned at Skyhawk and Parrot, and, subject to the initial results, will test the systems to around 120m-150m below surface.Assays from these initial holes have been submitted for laboratory assessment, and results will be released when they become available.Details of 2021 Drilling CampaignThe 11 open pits to be targeted in the 2021 drilling campaign are; Apollo, Exocet, Ibis, Kookaburra, Parrot, Pigeon, Prickleys, Redfin, Rosella, Skyhawk and Speckled (Figure 1). The Skyhawk, Parrot and Apollo open pits have been assessed as the highest priority targets, and drilling has commenced at these targets.The 11 open pit targets have been ranked in order of priority, based on historic gold inventory and a review of historic drilling, and the proposed drillholes at each target have been designed.Drilling is specifically designed to deliver a substantial (Indicated and Inferred) resource increase to the existing Marymia resource base. It will also enhance the understanding of the mineralised zones within the targeted open pits for the benefit of Vango's mine planning, and for assessing funding requirements for the Company's proposed stand-alone mining operation.This campaign is also designed to deliver 'critical mass' to increase the mine life of a proposed future mining operation from Marymia's resource base, specifically targeting an increase in total ounces to ensure that mill capacity of any future mining operation is maximised over the Project's total mine life.Background to 2021 Drilling CampaignVango completed an extensive 20,000 metre reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling drill campaign in 2020, and all results from this campaign have been released to the market. The program focused on priority targets at the Trident gold corridor and PHB gold corridor at Marymia.Vango has completed an extensive geological review and modelling of the Marymia Project, incorporating results from the 2020 drilling campaign. The results of this work have formed the basis of Vango's 2021 field season, focusing on open-pit targets designed to add significant, near-surface resources to the existing Marymia JORC resource base.The Company plans to release an updated and expanded JORC 2012 resource for the Marymia Project, including results from the 2020 and 2021 drilling campaigns, in the second half of calendar 2021.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Vango Mining Limited

Vango Mining Limited (ASX:VAN) is an exploration mining company with ambitions of becoming a high-grade WA gold miner by developing the 100% owned Marymia Gold Project (Marymia) located in the mid-west region of Western Australia, consisting of 45 granted mining leases over 300km2.

Marymia has an established high-grade resource of 1Moz @ 3 g/t Au, underpinned by Trident - 410koz @ 8 g/t Au, with immediate extensions open at depth/along strike.


Drilling Shows Growth Potential Of Greater Boorara Area

Perth, July 29, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) is pleased to announce new drilling results from the 100% owned Boorara gold project area located 15 km east of Kalgoorlie - Boulder in the heart of the Western Australian goldfields (Figure 1*).HIGHLIGHTS- First pass exploration drilling completed along the 10km Boorara - Golden Ridge corridor located 18km southeast of Kalgoorlie - Boulder in the Western Australian goldfields- Drilling comprised 25 RC holes (including 3 pre-collars) for 2,833m to a maximum depth of 234m testing a number of near mine and regional base load targets between the 448koz Boorara deposit and the 31koz Golden Ridge deposit 4km to the south- Significant mineralisation, outside of current resource envelopes, intercepted adjacent to the Golden Ridge North pit with results including:o 3m @ 1.08g/t Au from 94m and 26m @ 1.12g/t Au from 130m (GRRC21010)o 3m @ 1.41g/t Au from 100m and 12m @ 1.11g/t Au from 128m (GRRC21011)o 9m @ 1.35g/t Au from 50m and 2m @ 1.07g/t Au from 81m (GRRC21009)- Two emerging prospects and trends confirmed near Boorara at Beehive and Chappell Bore with results including:o 8m @ 1.35g/t Au from 64m and 2m @ 1.14g/t Au from 60m (BORC21010)o 1m @ 1.46g/t Au from 38m, 3m @ 1.98g/t Au from 46m and 1m @ 1.13g/t Au from 61m (BORC21005)- A further developing prospect is located 1.8km northwest of Golden Ridge with one RC test hole returning:o 8m @ 1.30 g/t Au from 53m and 1m @ 1.31 g/t Au from 70m (BORC21015)- Mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth with follow up drilling planned in the current Quarter to test the potential continuity between the two deposits- Drilling will also test a number of targets to the north of the Boorara deposit 10km up to the Kanowna south prospectCommenting on the drilling results, Horizon Managing Director Mr Jon Price said:"These latest drilling results continue to demonstrate the prospectivity within the greater Boorara project area in close proximity to the large scale Boorara deposit and the proposed mill site. With over 20km of strike to be tested beyond the current Boorara resource, we see significant potential for near mine extensions and new discoveries in this mineral rich geological setting and look forward to releasing further results in coming months."The drilling forms part of the 50,000m CY21 program testing high priority resource definition and new discovery targets across the 1,100km2 portfolio. The aim of the program is to organically grow the project pipeline within a 75km radius of the proposed Boorara mill adding to the six core development projects under evaluation as part of the consolidated Feasibility Study.The greater Boorara area drilling completed to date is part of a 13,000m near mine project generation program along 20km of strike from Golden Ridge in the south to Kanowna and Balagundi in the north. The drilling will test both gold and polymetallic targets along the Boorara shear and along strike from the Nimbus silver-zinc project within a relatively untested VHMS style mineralised system.*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.


Drilling Rig Secured for Horse Well

Melbourne, July 29, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cohiba Minerals Limited ( ASX:CHK ) is pleased to provide an update in relation to the current status of exploration activities being carried out.Highlights:- Contract signed with Titeline Drilling to undertake an additional deep hole at Horse Well wedging from HWDD04 as well as the drilling at Pernatty C.- Despite having all the necessary documents in place Durock Drilling were not able to get authorisation from the South Australian Govt to mobilise its drill rig cross border from NSW due to COVID related concerns.Horse Well and Pernatty C DrillingCohiba has contracted Titeline Drilling to undertake the angled hole from the same collar location as HWDD04 (Horse Well) and to also undertake the drilling at Pernatty C targeting Zambian Copperbelt (ZCB) style mineralisation as well as potential deeper IOCG targets.The previous contract with Durock Drilling could not proceed . Whilst Cohiba submitted all of the necessary documentation for essential services personnel to the relevant authorities in both South Australia and New South Wales well ahead of schedule the drill rig was not allowed to enter South Australia from New South Wales. Following a 16-day wait the Company was informed that the approvals would not go ahead, and the rig would not be allowed to travel to SA from its location in Cobar, NSW.The Company was invited to re-submit applications via the Health Exemption route but was also informed that this process may take many weeks to pass through the review committee.It was decided to seek out alternative arrangements, where possible, culminating in the aforementioned agreement with Titeline Drilling.An actual start date for the drilling has not been set as it will be subject to possible quarantine conditions with drilling personnel which the Company will be informed about in the near future. In any circumstances the program will commence at the earliest possible time.The Company is totally committed to this and future drilling programs and has identified multiple additional targets at both Horse Well and Pernatty C that are worthy of detailed investigation. The work completed to date by the subject matter experts has provided much confidence that the Horse Well and Pernatty C areas are key IOCG target zones.Cohiba's CEO, Andrew Graham says, "This has been an exceedingly frustrating period for Cohiba with two previous stalled attempts at securing drilling services. We have exhausted every possible avenue to ensure we can proceed with our planned program of work and are pleased to be able to secure Titeline Drilling for this very important program. We are also in negotiations regarding the next program of work at Horse Well and are seeking to secure drilling services for that work in advance. We also wish to thank Durock Drilling for their efforts in trying to accommodate our drilling program."About Cohiba Minerals Limited

Cohiba Minerals Limited (ASX:CHK) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with the primary focus of investing in the resource sector through direct tenement acquisition, joint ventures, farm in arrangements and new project generation. The shares of the company trade under the ticker symbol CHK.

The Company recently acquired 100% of the shares in Charge Lithium Pty Ltd, which holds exploration licences in Western Australia.


Expands into Brazil

Sydney, July 29, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - DroneShield Ltd ( ASX:DRO ) ( FRA:DRH ) ( OTCMKTS:DRSHF ) is pleased to advise that it has commenced expansion into the Brazilian market.As part of the entrance into the Brazilian market, DroneShield has received formal approval from Anatel, the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency responsible for issuing the concession of new radio frequencies. Following the approval earlier this month, the Company has now sold a quantity of its DroneGun Tactical units to Brazilian Government.Oleg Vornik, DroneShield CEO, commented, "Brazil is a large and sophisticated market for military and security equipment, and we are pleased to commence active presence in the country, deploying equipment to the customers. We look forward growing our presence in Brazil with the urgent counterdrone requirements mirroring what we are seeing in other countries."About DroneShield Ltd

DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (OTCMKTS:DRSHF) is an Australian publicly listed company with its head office in Sydney and teams in the US and UK. We specialise in RF sensing, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Sensor Fusion, Electronic Warfare, Rapid Prototyping and MIL-SPEC manufacturing.

Our capabilities are used to protect Military, Government, Law Enforcement, Critical Infrastructure, Commercial and VIPs throughout the world.

Through our team of primarily Australian based engineers - we offer customers bespoke solutions and off-the-shelf products designed to suit a variety of terrestrial, maritime or airborne platforms.

DroneShield is proudly exporting Australian capability to customers throughout the world and supporting Australia's defence, national security and other organisations protect people, critical infrastructure and vital assets.

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Police have arrested a man accused of robbing 10 businesses at gunpoint over the past month in Albuquerque.

Police have arrested a man accused of robbing 10 businesses at gunpoint over the past month in Albuquerque.

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Marty Padilla, 34, who is charged with 10 counts of armed robbery, was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center early Wednesday morning.

Padillas wife declined to comment, and it is unclear if he has an attorney.

Court records show detectives identified Padilla as a suspect through a Crime Stoppers tip, video surveillance and his getaway vehicle. Court records indicate Padilla was unemployed for the past month and, before that, worked at Walmart for half a year. Prosecutors filed a motion to detain Padilla until trial.

Carrying a firearm and threatening people with it while engaging in armed robbery greatly increases the chance of violence and increases the potential threat to the community, the motion states.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court:

The robberies began July 11, when officers were called to West Mesa Market, a few blocks from Central and Old Coors. The clerk told police a man walked in, threatened him with a pistol and took $500 before fleeing in a black Dodge Avenger.

Between then and July 26, Padilla went on to rob eight more businesses  including two in one day  all over town and got away with at least $1,500 in cash.

Then, on Tuesday, police were called to an armed robbery at the Maverik gas station near 98th and Interstate 40. The clerk told police a man came inside, grabbed a cookie, told her he had a gun and demanded all the money in the register.

The clerk said she gave him $289 and he fled in a black Dodge Avenger. When a detective viewed the surveillance video, they were positive it was the same man responsible for the other eight robberies.

Police found the Dodge Avenger shortly after the robbery and followed it to a home near Bridge and Atrisco SW, where Padilla was arrested.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  As the delta variant fuels another explosion in cases, Human Services Secretary David Scrase urged New Mexicans  regardless of whether theyre vaccinated  to get tested if they show any symptoms of COVID-19.

He also encouraged residents, even if vaccinated, to wear a mask in indoor settings outside their own household.

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In a public briefing Wednesday, Scrase said the more-contagious delta variant now makes up 75% or more of the infections in New Mexico and is contributing to a rise in cases similar to the rapid growth the state endured last year after Labor Day.

Large hospitals in Albuquerque are over full, he said, and its critical to stay on guard against the disease through increased testing, mask-wearing and vaccination.

The Department of Health reported four recent COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, one death from a month or more ago and 329 new cases of the disease.

Coronavirus hospitalizations climbed to 133 patients  more than twice as many as June 30.

Scrase said people who are fully vaccinated still have a role to play in managing the pandemic. Given how contagious the delta variant is, he said, people should get tested for the disease and isolate themselves if they test positive, regardless of vaccine status.

Even if youre vaccinated, health officials said, you could still spread the delta variant. Individuals who are vaccinated may experience only mild symptoms, such as a cough, runny nose, congestion or fever.

But if you have symptoms, Scrase said, get tested. Its the only way we can contain this disease.

He and Deputy Health Secretary Laura Chanchien Parajon also pleaded with New Mexicans who arent vaccinated to get the shot.

It provides strong protection, they said, against the delta variant.

Parajon estimated that 97% of hospitalizations are among people who arent vaccinated.

Its a personal choice, we understand that, she said, but we really encourage people to talk to their providers, talk to people they trust to get their questions answered.

Scrase said New Mexico is seeing some concerning trends, including a four-fold increase in new daily cases this month. He estimated 75% to 80% of the cases are the delta variant.

The rocketing growth is similar to the spike in cases New Mexico saw after Labor Day last year, though Scrase said New Mexicos vaccination rate will ensure cases dont reach the same peak they did last year.

About 65% of New Mexicans 18 and older have completed their vaccine shots.

New Mexico hospitals, Scrase said, are largely full  a result of COVID-19 cases, routine medical procedures and emergency care necessary after people delayed treatment at the height of the pandemic.

But he said hospitals also have some ability to stretch their capacity if needed.

State Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce questioned whether anyone would follow the Lujan Grisham administrations recommendation for increased mask-wearing.

The Governor has become irrelevant as she arbitrarily makes these COVID-related decisions, he said in a written statement.

Scrase said New Mexicos public health order simply directs people to follow the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers on Disease Control and Prevention for masks. The CDC guidelines were updated this week.

Scrase also shared an anecdote from a fellow physician who listened as a patient expressed regret about not getting the vaccine. The patient and his wife, both in their 80s, died.

Ending a life because of a choice not to take a proven therapy  Im just pleading with New Mexicans to really think this through, carefully, Scrase said.

The states official coronavirus-related death toll stands at 4,407 residents.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Maria Rosita Brenda Gallegos spent the last moments of her life covered in blood and trying to help her mortally wounded husband and son. Prosecutors say Gallegos begged her other son, Damian Herrera, not to kill her.

Then, prosecutors say, Herrera loaded a single bullet into the revolver and shot her in the back of the head.

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In opening statements Wednesday morning, attorney Jennifer Padgett Macias painted a brutal picture of the events she said unfolded over four hours on June 15, 2017, in the small Rio Arriba County community of La Madera.

Herreras public defender, meanwhile, instructed the jury to only consider whether the state had met the burden of proof for the 11 charges he is facing. He said prosecutors need to demonstrate that Herrera is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Herrera, now 25, is facing four counts of first-degree murder, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and other charges. He is accused of shooting and killing 49-year-old Gallegos, his stepfather Max Trujillo Sr., 55, and his brother Brendon Herrera, 20.

He is also charged with shooting out a car window, striking 59-year-old Manuel Serrano three times in the back as he filled up his car at a general store and gas station in Abiquiu. Serrano died at the scene.

Police say after he shot his family but before he shot Serrano, Herrera shot and killed 61-year-old Michael Alan Kyte  a stranger who gave him a ride after he ran out of gas in Tres Piedras. Herrera was arrested after he crashed Kytes car near Abiquiu. The trial in Kytes death will be held separately, at a later date, in the 8th Judicial District Court in Taos County.

Herrera is being tried for the deaths of Gallegos, Trujillo, Brendon Herrera and Serrano in the 1st Judicial District in Santa Fe. Judge Jason Lidyard is presiding over the trial, which is scheduled to last through Aug. 20.

Family members filled nearly every seat in rooms set up around the courthouse to accommodate social distancing protocols. Many teared up, riveted to the television screens live-streaming the proceedings. Two relatives  an aunt and uncle  attended the trial in support of Herrera.

Herreras defense attorney, Michael Rosenfield, told the jury there is an excellent chance that his client will not testify. He also said he will not call any witnesses.

These are allegations, Rosenfield said. You must listen to us as we try to explain whether all this information youre going to hear really does indicate that Mr. Herrera is guilty.

Prosecutor Padgett Macias, however, said the case against Herrera includes eyewitness testimony from his family members, security camera footage and extensive forensic and ballistic evidence.

This case has it all, she said.

Following opening statements, Herreras younger sister, Carissa Herrera, testified.

Carissa Herrera, who had just turned 16 at the time of the homicides, choked up listening to her own frantic 911 call and recounting what she saw happen. She said she saw her brother in conversation with her father and then heard four shots ring out.

Then, Carissa Herrera said, she saw her other brother Brendon Herrera run out of the house and try to get the gun while her mother tried to help her father. She said Brendon Herrera was on his knees when he was shot in the back of the head.

My mom went to Brendon, she picked him up a little bit and was holding him and was asking Damian why he did that and what was wrong with him and to not do it to her, Carissa Herrera said.

At that point what happened after that? asked prosecutor Anthony Long.

Damian shot my mom, Carissa Herrera replied.

In cross-examination, Herreras defense attorney Todd Farkas questioned his sister about how well she could see through the curtains hanging in the windows and confirmed that she could not remember what her brother was wearing or which hand he was holding the gun in.

Carissa Herrera explained that the curtains did not fully cover the windows.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

A former high school teacher in the Four Corners area is accused of repeatedly sexual assaulting a student for the better part of 2017.

Elizabeth Vigil, a former teacher at Aztec High School, is charged with eight counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, 12 counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

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The 32-year-old woman, also known as Elizabeth Kaul, was arrested in Albuquerque on Thursday. She is currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Magistrate Court:

On April 5, an Aztec police officer was contacted after a therapist reported her client was abused by a teacher when she was 15 years old, between April and December 2017. A principal at Aztec High School told police the school was aware of an incident between Vigil and the girl but nothing was sexual in nature and they moved the girl to another class.

On April 16, police met with the girl who told them the abuse began after she was moved to another classroom. The girl said Vigil told the girl she was attracted to her and asked if she would want to do sexual things.

The girl told police Vigil began to assault her almost every day when they were alone at the school. At one point, the girl said she told Vigil she wanted to stop and Vigil told her she was in love with her and would kill herself if she left.

The girl told police she was scared Vigil was suicidal and continued seeing her into summer break. She said the abuse continued into the next school year and Vigil began to talk about a future and the two getting married.

In December 2017, the girl told police she exploded on Vigil and told her how she felt manipulated and emotionally blackmailed by the teacher.

The girl said after the fight Vigil assaulted her for the last time and they didnt talk again.

The girl told police she repressed everything until 2019 and began speaking to a therapist at her school.

In May 2017, detectives went to speak with Vigil at her home in Albuquerque, where she had since moved. Vigil declined to speak with police.
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GALLUP  The application process for the final distribution from the tribes hardship assistance program opens Aug. 1 and closes Sept. 30, the Navajo Nations Acting Controller Elizabeth Begay said during a virtual town hall meeting on July 12.

Tribal leaders recently approved dispensing $41.97 million that was left from the total amount the tribe received from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

This phase of the program is designed to help enrolled tribal members who did not apply for the relief fund last year. Those who already received payment from the program are not eligible to apply.

The application is available on the Navajo Nation Office of the Controller website, www.nnooc.org, along with instructions and how to submit completed forms.

The office has set up a new telephone number for the program at 1-888-291-9748, where callers can leave their full name and phone number.

During the online town hall on July 12, tribal President Jonathan Nez explained that the program is being managed by the controllers office rather than using an outside company like last years rollout.

The livestream of the town hall is available on the Nez-Lizer Facebook page. It will also re-air on local radio stations this week, according to the presidents office.

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Begay said her office is working on hiring temporary employees to help with the application process, including visits to chapters to help applicants file forms.

The controllers office is still addressing the 1,865 applications that were received last November but have encountered problems ranging from lacking copies of Certificates of Indian Blood to returned mail.

Begay said her office is reaching out to those applicants to resolve issues as soon as possible.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Albuquerque police are investigating a fatal overnight shooting in Southeast Albuquerque.

Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department, said officers were dispatched early Thursday morning to a shooting at the Quick Track convenience store at 1720 Central SE.

When officers arrived at 12:42 a.m. they located a deceased male with a gunshot wound, he said in a news release.

Gallegos said homicide detectives are investigating, but details are limited.

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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart  the first African American to hold the states top education job  said Thursday he is stepping down as his father struggles with an increasingly severe illness.

A longtime New Mexico educator, meanwhile, is set to take Stewarts place.

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the appointment of Kurt Steinhaus  the recently retired superintendent of Los Alamos Public Schools  as the states next secretary of public education.

The appointment will require confirmation by the New Mexico Senate, but Steinhaus can begin working even before a vote.

Stewart, meanwhile, said he will stay on temporarily to aid in the transition. He is set to leave at the end of August.

The shake-up comes at a critical time, as New Mexico scrambles to help students catch up after more than a year of pandemic restrictions and disruption. The Public Education Department also faces a court decision that found New Mexico is violating the rights of some students by failing to provide a sufficient education.

Steinhaus, 67, has deep roots in New Mexico. He served as Los Alamos superintendent for six years, as a deputy public education secretary under then-Gov. Bill Richardson for two years, and as a teacher in Alamogordo from 1976 to 1988.

He made an energetic introduction Thursday during a news conference inside the Governors Office, declaring that he hoped to make the upcoming return to school a year of literacy. He broached the idea of districts sending every student home with a book and finding other ways to encourage reading.

Steinhaus outlined a series of goals ranging from improvements in teacher and student well-being to academic achievement. He said he wants New Mexico to lead the nation in academic growth in the next three years.

Im all in, he said of the work ahead.

Steinhaus also called on New Mexico school districts to focus about $1 billion of their federal stimulus funding on teaching and learning, such as tutoring, before-school school programs and, perhaps, home visits to students families.

Districts have spent much of their earlier federal funds on equipment, ventilation repairs and similar projects.

I want to see that money spent in a way that it creates a system of long-term improvement in New Mexico, Steinhaus said.

His appointment drew favorable reviews.

He has a really good pedigree and understands New Mexico, said Stan Rounds, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders.

Leadership challenges

Stewart, in turn, will leave New Mexico two years after his appointment in 2019, when Lujan Grisham tapped him following the abrupt dismissal of his predecessor, Karen Trujillo.

Stewart served during a tumultuous time as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the state, triggering school closures and a shift to online learning. Many of New Mexicos families lack access to high-speed internet service.

It hasnt been easy, and weve had to make some difficult choices, Stewart said as he joined Lujan Grisham and others for Thursdays news conference.

Stewart is a former algebra and science teacher who had served as a school executive in Philadelphia before joining Lujan Grishams administration.

He faced some criticism for working from Philadelphia during parts of the pandemic.

But Stewart said it was time for him to focus on his family, a decision he called difficult.

Over much of the last year, he said, my family and I have been struggling as weve supported my father who has had an illness that has increased in severity over time.

In a joint statement Thursday, Senate Republican leaders said the instability in the Public Education Department is adding to the challenges already facing students and teachers in New Mexico.

The constant leadership turnover in this administration is beyond troubling and we are deeply concerned about the short- and long-term impacts on our state, Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca of Belen, Minority Whip Craig Brandt of Rio Rancho and Caucus Chairman Mark Moores of Albuquerque said. In this case, the department charged with overseeing public education in New Mexico will have its third Cabinet Secretary in less than three years.

New public safety chief

Lujan Grisham also announced a second Cabinet appointment  Jason Bowie, deputy police chief in Rio Rancho, as the states new secretary of public safety.

Bowie, 49, takes over from Timothy Johnson, who had served as the acting Cabinet secretary and will now return to his position as State Police chief.

Bowie said he would work with law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to reduce crime, support officers and promote constitutional policing practices.

To young police officers, he said, You are absolutely loved and supported  you are absolutely needed  but that love is not unconditional. We expect a lot from our police officers.

Lujan Grisham also said she expects to deploy 50 officers to help address crime in certain parts of New Mexico.

When asked for specifics, State Police Lt. Mark Soriano said the agency is still in the process of developing a plan and will have more information once its finalized.

The New Mexico State Police is and will continue to be committed to proactively protecting the citizens of Albuquerque in collaboration with law enforcement agencies in and around the metro area, he said.

Journal staff writer Matthew Reisen contributed to this report.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico will require state employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face regular testing as the state endures a spike in cases driven by the more contagious delta variant.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order Thursday covering about 17,000 state workers, and vowed to encourage other employers  such as school districts and colleges  to issue a similar mandate.

Were not safe if were not vaccinated, the governor said in a news conference at the Capitol. Its as simple as that.

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Under the order, state employees who are not fully vaccinated must be tested every two weeks and wear a mask when working indoors, with exceptions for eating and drinking.

Failure to comply can result in disciplinary action, including termination. The order takes effect Monday.

Lujan Grisham is also evaluating whether to mandate vaccination as a condition of employment in certain high-risk settings under her executive authority  a move that would mean some employees would not have the option to choose testing over vaccination.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in New Mexico have doubled over the past three weeks, reaching 140 patients Thursday. The number of daily cases has also exploded as health officials plead for more people to get vaccinated.

The Department of Health reported 401 new COVID-19 cases Thursday and one more death, pushing the official coronavirus-related death toll to 4,408 residents.

New Mexicos vaccine mandate for state workers comes after similar announcements in New York and California. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that federal employees will have to sign forms showing theyre vaccinated or conduct weekly testing.

In New Mexico, state Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce accused Lujan Grisham of overstepping her authority and having government make personal choices for its citizens.

The mandate, he said, is unjustified and a slap in the face to hardworking state employees.

House Minority Leader James Townsend, R-Artesia, suggested Lujan Grisham should focus on getting more state employees back to work in their offices.

New Mexicans, he said, should reasonably assume they can count on government to work for them instead of  being discouraged to complete necessary business due to the hurdles in contacting any government office in the state.

About 65% of New Mexicans 18 and older have completed their vaccine shots.

In some state facilities, Lujan Grisham said, about 80% of employees are vaccinated.

But she said she is shooting to exceed 90% in the state workforce. Some people will be exempt for religious or medical reasons.

Native American communities in New Mexico, Lujan Grisham said, have achieved incredibly high vaccination rates, including 98% at Sandia Pueblo.

We know thats achievable, she said, and our goal is to get as close to those kinds of numbers as we can.

The governor added that she is confident the vaccine-or-testing mandate can withstand a court challenge.

She said she hopes the states move will be an example to private employers and other public agencies. The executive order doesnt apply to teachers, but Lujan Grisham said she hopes school districts will issue their own directives.

Despite the spike in COVID-19 cases, the governor said she doesnt expect New Mexico to reimpose capacity limits on businesses.

Nonetheless, she called the sharp growth in hospitalizations a very troubling trend.

I will do what it takes again to keep New Mexico safe, Lujan Grisham said.

Human Services Secretary David Scrase encouraged New Mexicans to take the delta variant seriously, noting that its much more contagious than other strains of the coronavirus. It seems to emerge in clusters of people, sweeping quickly through an entire family.

The attack rate of the delta variant is three to five times higher than what weve seen up to this point, Scrase said. This indoor masking  this extreme caution  is really important.

The Department of Health announced that, starting Monday, New Mexicans will be eligible for a $100 incentive for getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Register at vaccineNM.org to be eligible. The incentive will last through August.
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HOUSTON  Camden Property Trust (CPT) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations.

The Houston-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $131.2 million, or $1.28 per share, in the period.

The average estimate of eight analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of $1.27 per share.

Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization.

The company said it had net income of $30.2 million, or 30 cents per share.

The real estate investment trust posted revenue of $276.5 million in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $271.6 million.

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For the current quarter ending in October, Camden expects its per-share funds from operations to range from $1.30 to $1.36.

The company expects full-year funds from operations in the range of 17 cents to $5.37 per share.

The companys shares have climbed 49% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $148.75, a climb of 63% in the last 12 months.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CPT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CPT
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AUSTIN, Texas  Digital Realty Trust Inc. (DLR) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results fell short of Wall Street expectations.

The real estate investment trust, based in Austin, Texas, said it had funds from operations of $445.8 million, or $1.54 per share, in the period.

The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of $1.58 per share.

Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization.

The company said it had net income of $127.4 million, or 45 cents per share.

The real estate investment trust posted revenue of $1.09 billion in the period, beating Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.08 billion.

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Digital Realty Trust expects full-year funds from operations in the range of $6.45 to $6.50 per share, with revenue in the range of $4.33 billion to $4.43 billion.

The companys shares have increased almost 8% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $150.49, a drop of slightly more than 4% in the last 12 months.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on DLR at https://www.zacks.com/ap/DLR
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HOUSTON  Authorities on Thursday released the names of two workers who died in a chemical leak at a Houston-area plant that also injured dozens of others.

Dustin Day, 36, and Shawn Kuhleman, 32, died after about 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) of a mixture that primarily included acetic acid was released in the leak that started Tuesday evening at LyondellBasells La Porte complex.

The cause of their deaths was still pending, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Thirty other workers were taken to hospitals and two were still there on Thursday, LyondellBasell said in a statement.

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The company said the cause of the leak is under investigation and that it is cooperating with the authorities. The chemicals involved in the leak can severely burn skin and are toxic if inhaled, according to officials.

The leak occurred inside a unit that produces acetic acid and had been shut down for planned maintenance. The acetic acid produced in the unit meets food grade requirements for shipping in the food industry and is also used in textiles, plastic bottles and other chemicals.

Harris County Pollution Control spokesperson Dimetra Hamilton told the Houston Chronicle that a cap had burst on a pressurized line of acetic acid.

In an initial report to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, LyondellBasell said preliminary information indicated that during preparation for a maintenance activity, valve isolation measures may have led to the release.

When asked to provide more information on this possible cause, LyondellBasell referred all questions about the leak to a company statement from Wednesday that said the cause was still unknown.

Various agencies are investigating the leak, including the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The boards investigation team was conducting interviews Thursday afternoon and met with LyondellBasell officials earlier in the day.

On Wednesday, at least 10 workers who were injured during the chemical leak filed a lawsuit against LyondellBasell seeking more than $1 million in damages.

The La Porte Complex, located on about 550 acres (223 hectares) along the shore of the Houston Ship Channel, has more than 600 employees and contractors.

Last week in La Porte, evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were temporarily issued after a chemical release at a Dow Chemical plant there. A tank truck trailer had over-pressurized, causing the chemical hydroxyethyl acrylate to escape through a safety valve.

La Porte is located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
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PHOENIX  Groups connected to prominent supporters of former President Donald Trumps movement to cast doubt on the 2020 election results have raised $5.7 million for Arizona Republicans election audit.

Doug Logan, CEO of Cyber Ninjas, the little-known firm hired to lead the audit, ended months of silence about who was paying for it and how much it cost Wednesday night. The money from pro-Trump groups dwarfs the $150,000 contributed by the Arizona Senate, which commissioned the audit and hired Cyber Ninjas.

Among those leading the fundraising groups are Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor; Sydney Powell, his attorney who filed a number of baseless lawsuits challenging election results; Patrick Byrne, a former chief executive of Overstock.com; and correspondents from the pro-Trump One America News Network.

The confirmation that the audit is being overwhelmingly funded by groups promoting false narratives about the election will raise further questions about the validity of the final report. The audit has already been widely discredited by election experts who say Cyber Ninjas and other contractors are biased and using unusual procedures that wont produce reliable results.

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When the sources of the money, and the activity thats being paid for, and the people being paid are all putting forth falsehoods  its incredibly troubling and problematic, said Tammy Patrick, a senior adviser at the Democracy Fund and a former Maricopa County elections official.

Republican Senate President Karen Fann says the audit is only meant to see whether improvements are needed to state election laws. But the audit has long been associated with the stop the steal movement, and Trump has predicted it will uncover evidence to support his discredited theories of fraud.

Before he was hired to lead the audit, Logan promoted Trumps false narrative that the election was stolen from him, and pro-Trump media has aggressively promoted the effort.

By far the largest funder is The America Project, led by Byrne, which Logan said has so far contributed $3.25 million. Americas Future, which lists Flynn as its chairman, contributed just over $976,000. Voices and Votes, led by OANN correspondents Christina Bobb and Chanel Rion, contributed $605,000; and Powells Defending the Republic gave $550,000. Election Integrity Funds for the American Republic, which Logan said is led by attorney Matthew DePerno, contributed $280,000. DePerno unsuccessfully sued Antrim County, Michigan, over the election.

Logan said several of the groups have also provided operational support and advice pivotal in executing the audit.

Still unclear is where those groups got their money. They are organized as nonprofits and do not have to disclose their donors.

Logan has fought to keep the funders secret, though he acknowledged at the beginning of the audit that his $150,000 contract with the Senate wouldnt cover the cost of the work the Senate hired him to do. He released the figures on the deadline for him to voluntarily comply with a request for information, including donor information, from the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee. Several public records lawsuits also seek information from the Senate and Cyber Ninjas.

A news release from Cyber Ninjas said the audit received $5,711,514.43 in outside donations, but the itemized list of amounts contributed by each of the five groups adds up to $50,000 less. A spokesman for Cyber Ninjas, Rod Thomson, did not respond to an email seeking clarification on the discrepancy.

Thomson declined to say how much of the $5.7 million has been profit for Cyber Ninjas and other contractors, whether they expect to get more money and whether there are plans for what to do if the contributions far exceed the costs of the audit.

The auditors on Thursday began returning the 2.1 million ballots and election equipment to Maricopa County, three months after they were delivered to the state fairgrounds for a review that was originally expected to take 60 days.

The Senate got access to the materials after top senators issued a subpoena late last year, as Trump and his allies tried to convince members of Congress not to certify Joe Bidens win on Jan. 6. Maricopa County turned them over after a judge ruled the subpoena was valid.

Fann and Judiciary Committee Chairman Warren Petersen this week issued new subpoenas demanding more information as well as materials they say the Senate withheld from the original demand. Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican, said the board members are discussing their options with their lawyers and expect to say more within the next week.
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DENVER  A coroner in southern Colorado has not yet been able to determine what caused the death of a spiritual leader whose mummified body was found decorated with Christmas lights and glitter in what appeared to be a shrine.

Saguache County Coroner Tom Perrin told The Denver Post he doesnt know when Amy Carlsons autopsy will be finished because he cant find a lab to test her body for heavy metals. Carlsons group, Love Has Won, used electrolysis to break down metals into various solutions that its members sold online as health aids.

Authorities want to know if Carlson had been ingesting those substances.

Carlsons body was discovered in a home in Moffat on April 28, and a member of the group reported it to police. Sheriffs deputies found her mummified remains covered in a sleeping bag and wrapped in Christmas lights with glitter makeup painted around her eye sockets.

Investigators believe Carlson died in California, and some of her followers then drove her body to the groups Colorado compound.

Four of those followers were charged with tampering with a deceased human body, and three were charged with abuse of a corpse. Prosecutors have since dismissed charges against one person, and the other cases are pending in court.

Carlson, known as Mother God by dozens who followed her in-person and online, had for years predicted she would ascend to a fifth dimension to save humanity.

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SANTA FE  A state appeals court on Thursday upheld a trial judges dismissal of charges accusing a former New Mexico sheriff of embezzlement, fraud and other financial crimes.

A Court of Appeals panel disagreed with parts of now-former District Judge Charles Browns decision dismissing the case against Heath White, but said prosecutors failed to provide evidence that probable cause existed to warrant making the ex-Torrance County sheriff stand trial.

After New Mexico State Police investigators found guns and other sheriffs office-owned items on Whites property during a raid, White was accused in 2019 of using taxpayer dollars to buy personal items.

However, the Court of Appeals said there was evidence that White after he left office had contacted the sheriffs department about returning items that had been stored at his home and that it was a regular practice for county equipment to be stored at other deputies homes.

Also, purchase orders presented as evidence by prosecutors during a preliminary hearing in Whites case had all been approved by the purchasing department, the Court of Appeals said.

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Bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard confirm that the bassist died at his home in Houston, Texas, and rocker Jeff Scott Soto is among the first to pay tribute.

Jul 29, 2021

AceShowbiz - ZZ Top star Dusty Hill has died, days after a hip issue forced the bassist to pull out of a gig in Illinois. The 72-year-old passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, Texas on Wednesday, July 28.

His bandmates, Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard, have confirmed the sad news. "We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX," an Instagram statement from the pair reads.

"We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the 'Top'. We will forever be connected to that 'Blues Shuffle in C'. You will be greatly missed, amigo."

It is not yet clear if Hill's death is linked to his recent hip injury.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, real name Joseph Hill, was ZZ Top's bassist for more than 50 years. Born in Dallas, Texas in 1949, he met future bandmates Gibbons and Beard, while touring the Texas club circuit with his brother's band.

Hill and Beard formed a band in the late 1960s and moved to Houston, where they eventually joined Gibbons' ZZ Top.

The trio celebrated its 50th anniversary at a San Antonio, Texas concert in February, 2020.

As a member of ZZ Top, Hill appeared on hits like "Tush", "La Grange", "Sharp Dressed Man", "Gimme All Your Lovin' ", "Legs", "I Gotsta Get Paid", "Got Me Under Pressure" and "Rough Boy".

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Hill had suffered a number of health scares in recent years - in 2000, ZZ Top canceled a European tour after he was diagnosed with Hepatitis C.

On Friday, Beard and Gibbons played their first ZZ Top show without Dusty, revealing he was on "a short detour back to Texas, to address a hip issue."

Jeff Scott Soto paid tribute to Dusty Hill.

Rocker Jeff Scott Soto was one of the first to pay tribute to Hill on Wednesday, tweeting, "I hate that my social media has become more of an obituary but such is life, young or old, we are but mere mortals when our time comes. RIP to the GREAT Dusty Hill of @ZZTop. Thank you for the decades of music!!"
WENN/Avalon/Charlie Steffens Celebrity

Odenkirk's other 'Breaking Bad' co-star Aaron Paul, comedian-turned-politician Al Franken and actor David Cross have also sent support for the 'Better Call Saul' star.

Jul 29, 2021

AceShowbiz - Bryan Cranston has urged "Breaking Bad" fans to send Bob Odenkirk positive thoughts and prayers as he recovers from an on-set collapse.

The actor was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday, July 27 after passing out on the set of "Better Call Saul" in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

His condition is unknown but famous friends and fans are rallying around the ailing star, hoping for the best.

"Today I woke up to news that has made me anxious all morning," Bryan, who co-starred with Odenkirk on "Breaking Bad", wrote on Instagram on Wednesday, July 28.

"My friend, Bob Odenkirk collapsed last night on the set of 'Better Call Saul'. He is in the hospital in Albuquerque and receiving the medical attention he needs but his condition is not known to the public as yet. Please take a moment in your day today to think about him and send positive thoughts and prayers his way, thank you."

The pair's "Breaking Bad" castmate Aaron Paul also jumped on social media to share his thoughts, writing, "I love you my friend," while comedian-turned-politician Al Franken added a tribute tweet, stating Bob is "universally loved by all who have had the pleasure of working and laughing with him." He continued, "Everyone is rooting for you, Bob!"

David Cross and Michael McKean were among those wishing the actor a speedy recovery after news of his hospitalization broke.

"I will share what I know when I can but Bob is one of the strongest people I know both physically and spiritually. He WILL get through this," Cross, who co-starred with the "Nobody" star in 1990s sketch comedy series "Mr. Show with Bob and David", tweeted.

"Sending huge love to our @mrbobodenkirk. You got this, brother," added McKean, who plays the brother of Odenkirk's character on "Better Call Saul".

Seinfeld star Jason Alexander also shared his concern for the actor, adding, "I barely know @mrbobodenkirk but the person I've met and the artist I've come to admire is getting my prayers tonight. To his family and friends, my family's best wishes."

Initial reports from TMZ indicated that the actor was filming in Los Angeles, but it has since been reported that he was actually filming in New Mexico, which also served as the setting of Breaking Bad.
Instagram Celebrity

Lisa Wilkinson voices her complaint on her Instagram Story timeline after the 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' star shares her shot of a market stall in Positano on Italy's Amalfi Coast.

Jul 29, 2021

AceShowbiz - An Australian TV reporter has slammed Khloe Kardashian for posting a photo of she took in Italy without credit on her Instagram Story timeline.

The reality TV star recently shared the shot of a market stall in Positano, on the country's Amalfi Coast, without crediting the person who took the snap, news personality Lisa Wilkinson.

The Aussie explained she'd never have known if a fan hadn't noticed the post and asked Lisa if the image was hers.

The gorgeous picture, of a citrus fruit stall with a coastal view in the background, was reposted on Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop wellness site on June 14, with permission. Now it seems Khloe, or a member of her social media team, loved the photo and shared it, without thinking to contact the owner for the OK.

"Yes this is definitely my photo," Lisa fumed, reposting Khloe's post on her own timeline, and adding, "Blown up and with no credit???"

Australian reporter called out Khloe Kardashian over a photo.

Lisa previously raved about being contacted by Paltrow's social media staffers last month, who asked her if they could share her image with a credit.

"That moment when Gwyneth Paltrow slides into your DMs [direct messages] 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...," she wrote last month.

"And you say sure Gwyneth, no probs, that'd be fine. And she bloody well does!! Thanks @gwynethpaltrow. Loved you in Sliding Doors! 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 Goop... But hey, that's closer to Gwyneth than I've ever got!"

Lisa tagged Khloe on her angry Story post, but the Good American boss, who has been busy dropping new images of her Good '90s line on her own Instagram timeline, has yet to respond.
WENN/Instagram/Avalon Celebrity

Also paying tribute to the late ZZ Top bassist after news of his passing broke out are the likes of Jason Isbell, Christopher Cross, David Coverdale and Red Hot Chili Peppers star Flea.

Jul 29, 2021

AceShowbiz - Slash and John Fogerty are among the rockers leading tributes to late ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill.

The 72-year-old "Sharp Dressed Man" hitmaker passed away in his sleep on Wednesday, July 28, and now a handful of rock and country luminaries are paying their respects, with former Creedence Clearwater Revival star Fogerty confessing he is devastated by the news.

"We were so blessed to share the stage with the great Dusty and ZZ Top many times, and if that wasn't rock 'n' roll heaven, I don't know what is," Fogerty tweets. "The show we did together just last week would be his last. So heartbreaking."

Slash added a photo of Hill onstage and added the caption, "RIP."

There have also been tributes posted to social media from the likes of Jason Isbell, Christopher Cross, David Coverdale and Red Hot Chili Peppers star Flea, who tweeted, "Ahhhh man, I love Dusty Hill. A true rocker. What a straight jammer."

Meanwhile, ZZ Top have canceled their Wednesday night, July 28 concert in Simpsonville, South Carolina to mourn the rocker's death.

A "hip issue" forced Hill to pull out of a gig in Illinois on Friday, and longtime guitar technician Elwood Francis replaced him onstage. In a statement at the time, ZZ Top wrote, "Per Dusty's request, the show must go on!"

That gig was Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard's first without Hill in more than five decades. Following Hill's passing, the pair issued a statement that read, "We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX."

"We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the 'Top'," they added. "We will forever be connected to that 'Blues Shuffle in C'. You will be greatly missed, amigo."
Instagram Celebrity

According to his lawyer, the 'Money Over Fallouts' rapper did not violate the terms of the order though he and the 'Savage' rapstress performed at the same music festival.

Jul 29, 2021

AceShowbiz - Tory Lanez might have violated Megan Thee Stallion's protective order with his surprise appearance during DaBaby's Rolling Loud set. At the festival in Miami, the "Say It" spitter was seen near the "Savage" rapper despite the restraining order against him. On Sunday, July 25, the 29-year-old musician, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was spotted backstage at the same time as the 26-year-old rapstress.

On Wednesday, July 28, however, the "Most High" rapper's lawyer Shawn Holley told Page Six that her client did not violate the terms of the order. "Though they both performed at the same music festival, Mr. Peterson went out of his way to ensure that he would not cross paths with Ms. Peete or otherwise violate the terms of the protective order," she explained.

Back in October 2020, Megan, whose real name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, was granted a restraining order against Tory. The order came after the "Money Over Fallouts" rapper allegedly shot the "WAP" rapstress in the back of the foot during a Hollywood Hills party together.

Although the alleged shooting incident has not been legally resolved yet, the court has ordered Tory to stay at least 100 yards away from Megan. The protective order also prevents Tory from commenting on the shooting. He was additionally required to turn in any guns he owned. Tory, however, has pleaded not guilty to felony assault and firearms charges.

After the incident, Tory took aim at Megan in his song "Money Over Fallouts" from his 2020 album "Daystar". In it, he believed that he was "framed" in the shooting incident as he rapped, "Megan people trying to frame me for a shooting/ But them boys ain't clean enough."

Tory appeared on Funk Flex's Hot 97 radio program on July 20 and made a similar claim in another freestyle rap. He spat, "What I'm about to say is gonna sound a little crazy/ But it's true so don't play me/ Y'all all would've got your awards if they didn't frame me."
Instagram Celebrity

Explaining why she chose to abandon her academic dreams in her 20s, the 'Underworld' actress reveals that her old French tutor would welcome her back with open arms.

Jul 29, 2021

AceShowbiz - Kate Beckinsale is considering picking up her studies at Oxford University after a recent visit with her daughter.

The actress abandoned her academic dreams after a friend died, but now she admits she'd like to go back. And her old French tutor would welcome her with open arms.

"My friends [at college] were party people and I wasn't," she tells the MailOnline. "They'd all moved into a house and I stayed in the college, where I then got mono [infectious mononucleosis] and went home. While I was home, one of my dear friends there ended up jumping out of a window and dying. All my other friends were rusticated - basically expelled for a year and then you come back."

"When I was considering going back, nobody was there and there was this horrible whiff of death everywhere. That was the reason I didn't go back."

"I took my kid to my college and my French tutor was still there. She said, 'You know you can come back any time?'"

And the "Serendipity" star insists she'd make a much better student now she's in her late 40s.

"It's such a shame university is at this time of your life when you're thinking, 'Who should I get off with and am I a lesbian and what posters do I want on my wall?' Wouldn't it be better once you've actually lived a bit to go, 'I really like this'."

Kate recently reunited with daughter Lily Mo Sheen after being kept apart by the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 23, the "Underworld" actress was caught on camera with Lily at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
REDDING, Calif. - A 35-year-old was arrested by Redding Police Department after running a red light and taking off from police, the Redding Police Department said.

Police attempted to pull the vehicle over around 10:19 a.m. Wednesday for a vehicle code violation.

Daniel Hillemeier of McKinleyville ran a red light and took off from police on foot while the passenger, Delmar Allen, remained in the vehicle.

California Highway Patrol Air Operations spotted Hillemeier as he was tunning through yards.

Officers and a K-9 located the suspect on foot when Hillemeier was hiding in a chicken coop in a backyard.

Hillemeier and Allen were in possession of stolen items from two burglaries in Redding, police said. The truck Hillemeier was driving was also stolen.

The two were booked into the Shasta County Jail and are facing multiple charges.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Following the federal government's lead, California is recommending that people wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Wednesday's announcement comes a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that fully vaccinated people mask up in public indoor settings in places where community spread is high or substantial.

The new CDC guideline is a flip-flop from May, when federal officials said fully vaccinated people could ditch masks in most indoor places.

California officials said more than 90% of the state's nearly 40 million residents live in areas where community spread is now high or substantial.
BOSTON (AP)  Disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a wedding reception in Massachusetts in 1974.

Court documents show that McCarrick is charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14.

McCarrick was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after a Vatican investigation confirmed he had sexually molested adults as well as children.

An attorney for the man alleging the abuse by McCarrick says he is the first cardinal in the U.S. to ever be criminally charged with a sexual crime against a minor.

A lawyer for McCarrick told The Associated Press that they "look forward to addressing the case in the courtroom" and declined further comment.
BUTT CREEK VALLEY, Calif. - One of Californias oldest original barns was saved from the Dixie Fire by firefighters, Henry Lomeli, the Ranch Manager said.

Lomeli said CAL FIRE has engines around the barn despite having other tasks while battling the fire that has now burned over 215,000 acres.

The fire came within about 400 yards of the barn but Chico locals and firefighters were able to work together to save the barn.

Anton and Josephine Dotta, Swiss Italian immigrants, settling in Butt Creek Valley in 1867 and had four children.

Three of their four children died from diphtheria and Mary was the only one to survive.

Mary married Chico resident William Keefer as the ranch was named the Keefer Ranch, which is still standing today.

Lomeli said it was scary and lonely when firefighters had to leave the barn but calming to see them arrive to help protect it from the flames.

The barn will continue to host dinners and will continue to do so as it was saved from the states 14th largest fire.
REDDING, Calif. - Shasta County Health and Human Services worked with multiple agencies to acquire 100 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for local firefighters.

Shasta Health said the initial request for these vaccines was made by the U.S. Forestry.

Shasta County needed help filling this request in a timely manner, so California Highway Patrol volunteered their Air Operations Team to help deliver the vaccines. The vaccines were delivered early Tuesday morning.

The one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccines are easier for firefighters with unpredictable schedules to get vaccinated.

"It's super convenient for them to get the one dose and be done so they dont have to come back for a second dose, or try and remember, or theyre out on a fire, and all of those different types of challenges that come up," said Deputy Branch Director of Shasta Health and Human Services Kerri Schuette. "So, this allows them to get that one dose and be protected."

Shasta Health is partnering with the U.S. Forestry to provide vaccines to firefighters who want them. The vaccines are available through mobile clinics through a partnership with Shasta Health and Dignity Health.

Schuette told Action News Now how important it is to get the vaccine to these firefighters.

"Theyre often in close spaces, theyre resting together, theyre in vehicles together. Its really an opportunity for the virus to spread if somebody does have COVID. We know that our firefighters would rather be out there fighting fires than home in quarantine, so its a great easy way to protect themselves with that one quick shot," said Schuette.

These vaccines are open to any fire service or fire camp incident management teams in Shasta County.
CHICO, Calif. - California is following the CDC in recommending everyone once again wear masks while indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Some people are fine with re-masking, even if they are fully vaccinated and they feel like we're taking a step backward in our pandemic progress.

"It's frustrating," said parent Henry Schleiger.

"It's somewhat disappointing," said Don Miller.

Just six weeks ago, California fully reopened, giving private businesses the power to require masks or not.

"We've been mentally preparing for this for like a week or so," said Danceaway Co-Owner, Megan Grandfield.

For Grandfield, watching other counties re-mask made her feel like it was bound to happen again.

"We're gonna do what the county asks us to do," she said. "We kind of figured this was the direction we're going in, let's start remaking some masks."

RELATED: California follows CDC, advises indoor masks for vaccinated

It's only a recommendation for people to re-mask while going indoors regardless of vaccination status, and for Danceaway in Downtown Chico, they said they'll make it easy for people to have that extra layer of protection.

"We had free masks we were offering for people," said Grandfield, and she said they'll begin to do give them out again.

Butte County Public Health told Action News Now roughly 50% of the county is fully vaccinated.

Still, that number is off from the above 80% health experts recommend.

In the county, cases have nearly doubled every week, going from 60 to 110 to 210.

The whole state is seeing an upward trend, with just last week, two days of over 6,000 new COVID-19 cases.

"The virus is doing what it's doing, it's not so much interested in what we're doing, and it's changing," said Miller. "I do think we need to be flexible and respond to those changing conditions."

It's this rise in cases that are making Grandfield worried.

"I have a four-year-old son who comes to work with me," she said. "And he's not eligible to get vaccinated, and we're trying to keep him healthy so."

She's not the only parent feeling this way.

"I have a four-year-old, he's obviously unvaccinated," said Schleiger. "I can't help but be out and around people so I'm trying to protect myself, I'm trying to protect him."

"I actually kept wearing mine and proves that I did the right thing," said Tricia McCutchen.

A few people told Action News Now off-camera, they will not be re-masking.

A Disney spokesperson said the theme parks will now require masks indoors for everyone regardless of vaccination status, beginning this Friday.
Bomanbridge Media, a content distribution and production company, has entered a newly forged global distribution partnership with the premium Indian infotainment channel EPIC, from the house of the IN10 Media Network which has businesses in broadcast, digital, and production under its umbrella.

This alliance will see Bomanbridge exclusively selling more than 500 hours of Indian original content from EPICs burgeoning catalogue which features factual content, including highly successful series, such as Raja Rasaoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan and Regiment Dairies.

In addition to distribution of original finished content, the partnership shall also explore co-productions and other mutually beneficial IP projects in efforts to increase cross border storytelling.

To kickstart the new collaboration, Bomanbridge is excited to announce the first milestone deal on the factual documentary special, Royal Enfield - Brands of India (1x60) with SBS Australia. The 1 x 60 programme will be airing later this year.

The series follows the legendary brand, Royal Enfield, and its unique story - a vintage motorcycle company that has an English pedigree but an Indian upbringing. Royal Enfield Bullet, is the worlds oldest continuously made motorcycle which has legions of fans and followers who love it's sound, looks and riding comfort. This is the story of the rise, fall and rise of Royal Enfield - an iconic motorcycle company.

We are so impressed with the growth of IN10 Media Networks channels and overall service expansion. Its clear to us they are ambitious and we are keen to share this adventure with them, support the growth through sales of their high quality content, and embark on a new slate of projects together says Sonia Fleck, CEO of Bomanbridge Media.

Commenting on the partnership, Mansi Darbar, Network VP  Corporate Strategy & Development, IN10 Media Network said, We are elated to partner with Bomanbridge Media, whose expertise will take our flagship channel EPICs premium content to a global audience. At the Network, we are committed to associate with captivating content which has a universal appeal and caters to a wide set of viewers. This strategic partnership strengthens our commitment towards factual content.
Get ready for a fun-filled Sunday as Colors Tamil, the youngest GEC of Tamil Nadu, prepares to captivate you with the World Television Premieres of two highly lauded films, Naaye Peyae and College Kumar. These movies, with interesting narratives across genres as diverse as horror-comedy and social drama, will be screened as a part of Sunday Cine Combo, are sure to keep the audiences glued to their screens this weekend. Tune in to watch these fun-packed entertainers only on Colors Tamil on Sunday, August 1st, at 1.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m.

Naaye Peyae, a 2021 horror comedy film, directed by Shakti Vasan, stars Aishwarya, Dinesh Kumar, Aadukulam Murgadoss, and Sayaji Shinde in key roles. This gripping thriller follows Karna (played by Dinesh Kumar) and his friends as they kidnap a girl named Karina (played by Aishwarya), who they later discover is a ghost. The rest of the film comprises of what happens after that, making it a perfect comedy feast with some amazingly funny and thrilling moments.

College Kumar is a remake of the 2017 hit Kannada movie by the same name. The story revolves around the ambitious dream of a peon, Thirumurugan (essayed by actor Prabhu), who dreams of making his son a successful auditor after being insulted by his boss. With a famed ensemble star-cast including veteran actor Prabhu, alongside Madhoo, and Nasser, the story takes an unexpected turn when his son Shiva Kumar (Rahul Vijay) is expelled from college after being accused of malpractice. The plot revolves around Thirumurugan's quest to realise his desire.

Don't forget to tune in to Colors Tamil on Sunday, August 1st at 1 pm and 4 pm, to make your weekend more entertaining and enjoyable. Colors Tamil is available on all leading cable networks and DTH platforms - Sun Direct (CH NO 128), Tata Sky (CHN NO 1515), Airtel (CHN NO 763), Dish TV (CHN NO 1808) and Videocon D2H (CHN NO 553).
While the global pandemic has bought economies to a halt and massively disrupted businesses, it has also fuelled start-up dreams and we even saw several Indian start-ups achieve Unicorn status during the pandemic period. The times have never been better for the budding entrepreneurs to give wings to their start-up dreams.

The Government, too, has come up with various schemes to support its Vocal for Local drive. A case in point is the recent Rs 1,000 crore Start-up India Seed Fund announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Start-up India International Summit 2021 held earlier this year.

Adgully is turning the spotlight on the entrepreneurs who fought against all odds to bring their dreams to fruition in our special series  START-UP STARS. We at Adgully wholeheartedly support the Vocal for Local movement and over the next few months will be featuring all local/ homegrown businesses, brands and Apps.

During his stint as a healthcare advertiser, Harshit Jain, Founder & Global CEO, Doceree, worked extensively with consumer brands. It is around that time he noticed how pharma industry was almost a laggard in digital adoption. On the contrary, consumer marketing evolved remarkably by adopting digital technologies in over a decades time. Trying to understand why this was so, the underlining issue turned out to be the mental block pertaining to regulations that stopped pharmaceutical brands from taking the big digital leap. This is when Jain thought to address the gap through Doceree. The platform is disrupting the physician marketing landscape much in the same way digital ad networks transformed the consumer marketing space.

In conversation with Adgully, Harshit Jain, Founder & Global CEO, Doceree, speaks at length about how his company is streamlining the scattered pharma marketing landscape as well as how boundaries have expanded to digital which has grown at a skyrocketing pace.

What need gap did you want to fulfil with your start-up? What is the core business proposition?

Doceree is streamlining the scattered pharma marketing landscape. Right now, pharmaceutical brands are acting independently with not much in-depth knowledge of digital  for them it is more of a checkbox activity that doesnt lead to satisfactory business outcomes. On the other hand, digital platforms are also operating as standalone entities in the absence of a unified platform, losing on the monetising opportunities available via network effect. Doceree is the first global platform in the programmatic physician marketing space to integrate physician-only digital platforms across the globe and enable pharmaceutical brands to precision target Physicians at the right moment with the right message to be able to drive behaviour change and help them achieve desired business outcomes.

How did you identify your TG? Did you carry out any feasibility study prior to starting your business?

Our target audience is physicians. Through our platform, we are enabling pharma brands reach out to them on digital platforms meant for healthcare experts. Also, simply drawing parallels between digital consumer marketing and digital pharma marketing made it evident that pharma industry was not very open to digital mediums and that was pretty much for us to think about a solution that elevate digital adoption in the industry.

What were the challenges that you faced in your start-up journey and how did you overcome them?

Compared to other start-ups, challenges were actually limited for us. We launched our services last year and by the time we spread our wings, COVID-19 happened. This was a blessing in disguise for 2 major reasons: 1) The situation was already turbulent for Pharma companies, and 2) Our product acted more as a solution to issues Pharmaceutical brands were facing on the front of regulations and compliance. While marketers and business teams were already scrambling for solutions and were quick to convert in this time of emergency, their legal, compliance and regulatory departments werent prepared. For them, Docerees regulatory compliant product proposition was a huge breather in the uncertain times. What our product could deliver in terms of regulations and compliance could not be matched by digital platforms, and that reduced the challenges substantially for us.

What were the clearances that you required for your venture from various authorities?

To start our venture, we made an application with Corporate Affairs Ministry and some formalities were then performed, including announcing the shareholding pattern. Post that, we got our TIN number and then we were good to go.

Funds/ finance is the prime issue of almost all start-ups. What can the industry and the Government do to address this issue and ease the capital requirements of start-ups?

The Government has started a lot of funding initiatives for start-ups, which is encouraging. But I feel we are still away from the stage where start-ups have access to these funds. I feel private sector should come in and join hands with the government so that Pharmaceutical organisations can set up start-up funding organisations.

Prime Minister Modi announced a Startup India Seed Fund earlier this year. How do you see start-ups benefiting from it?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pro-start-ups. I feel setting this kind of fund encourages entrepreneurs and helps create a nurturing environment for them to come with innovative ideas and take risks to bring them to fruition without any constraints.

How is digital helping you further your business?

Doceree is all about digital. Surviving without digital would have been extremely challenging for us. Marketing does not happen anymore in just the traditional way of doing meetings in person. The boundaries have expanded to digital which has grown at a skyrocketing pace.

What were your key learnings from 2020? How do you see the start-up ecosystem progressing in 2021?

The very learning was that there is an opportunity in every challenging situation. It was just at the time when the COVID-19 outbreak happened that we launched our services. While that was panicking, we gathered ourselves and thought of how valuable our product would be for pharma brands at a time when sales representatives were locked indoors. Our digital solution turned out to be a big breather for pharma marketers in providing them access to Physicians. The pandemic accelerated adoption of digital among pharma brands. I see extensive use of digital technologies going forward for marketing purposes as it is now an essential tool to reach out to the target audiences. The outbreak has certainly given a fair taste to Pharma brands about how important digital tools are. Having gained from the experiences from the current situation, Pharma brands will now be far more receptive to digital means going forward.

What would be your message for the budding entrepreneurs?

Follow Your Dreams. It is the only advice I give others as I follow it myself. I quit my well-placed job to start Doceree. It is a difficult decision to make when you are in a leadership position, spoiled with all kind of comforts. It certainly wasnt easy for me to leave everything and start building everything form scratch. But when you are passionate about fulfilling your dreams, you are courageous to take that leap.
The latest Advertising Association/ WARC Expenditure Report, the only source to collect advertising revenue data across the entire media landscape, predicts that UK adspend will grow by 18.2% this year to reach a total of 27.7 billion. This is an upward revision from the 15.2% rise forecast in April and includes an estimated 54.7% rise during the second quarter of the year  by far the highest on record, albeit coming on the back of an exceptional downturn due to the pandemic.

This growth will recover the entirety of 2020s 1.8 billion decline and is expected to precede a 7.7% rise in 2022, by when the market will be worth a record 30 billion. The projected figure of 18.2% growth this year would be the largest rise on record, surpassing the previous high of 15.9% growth set in 1988.

Ancillary forecasts from WARC also suggest that the UK is on course to achieve the fastest ad trade recovery of any major European market this year, and one of the strongest growth rates across 100 global markets.

Adspend growth forecast for all media in 2021

Particularly strong results are expected for the media most adversely affected by the pandemic, namely cinema at +315.6%, out of home at +29.3%, of which digital out of home at +43.7%. Online classified investment is set to rise by a fifth (21.5%).

Online display  inclusive of social media and online video  is set to see growth accelerate this year (+17.2%), as is the case for search (+19.7%). TV adspend is expected to increase by 15.1% in 2021 (a significant upward projection from the 8.8% forecast in April), reflective of increased activity during the Euros.

The picture in Q1 2021

The latest dataset includes actual adspend figures for Q1 2021, which show UK advertising spend rose 0.8% to 6.5 billion during the first three months of the year. This is behind the 1.8% rise estimated in April.

Online formats  most notably search, online display and BVOD  were seen to grow by double-digits during the quarter. Out of home spend was down by almost two-thirds and cinemas remained closed as the UK adhered to lockdown and social distancing restrictions.

Among other industries that also saw year-on-year decline in Q1 were direct mail (-16.5%), national newsbrands (-18.7%) and regional newsbrands (-22.4%).

Caroline Dinenage, Culture Minister, remarked, It is brilliant to see that, following a record year, the future of UK advertising is set to deliver bright prospects for the entire media landscape. With the UK having the fastest growth in Europe, we should take pride in the excellence of this industry and its vital contribution as we build back better from the pandemic.

Stephen Woodford, Chief Executive, Advertising Association, added here, These are hugely encouraging figures for the UK advertising industry and reflect the strong outlook in the wider economy. Advertising is a vital engine for growth, with each 1 invested in advertising delivering 6 back to GDP. The upward growth revision in spend growth this year  to reach a record of 18.2%  would mark an exceptional recovery, after the record declines in 2020.

He further said, UK adspend growth also looks set to race ahead of European markets, reflecting the success of the vaccine rollout and fast-rising corporate and consumer confidence. The UK is the global hub for advertising and will also benefit from faster growth in major export markets for UK advertising services. If the AA/WARC expenditure estimates turn out as forecast, then the ad industry will contribute strongly to the nation's economic resurgence this year and into next.

James McDonald, Head of Data Content, WARC, commented, Seventy pence in every pound spent on UK advertising is invested in digital formats, a rate which accelerated greatly last year and is now surpassed only by China. It is these formats that will lead absolute growth over the coming terms and none more so than paid search, which is seen to be benefitting from burgeoning e-commerce trade. Our forecast update since April is demonstrative of the current strength of this sector in particular, though it is notable that online formats across the board are set to see growth after a tumultuous 2020. That the ad market will generate more value this year than before the crisis is testament most to its role within the lives of the connected consumer.
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

Bern, 29.07.2021 - On 29 July President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin and Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer met Mr Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in Bern. Among the issues they discussed was the OECDs new vision for the future, which Switzerland has actively helped to shape. In a bilateral discussion, Mr Maurer reiterated Switzerland's conditions regarding the future global minimum corporate tax.

OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, who took up his post on 1 June 2021, joined President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin and Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer on 29 July in Bern for a working meeting to discuss current OECD issues. The Swiss authorities took the opportunity to underline the good cooperation between Switzerland and the OECD and are looking forward to pursuing this cooperation with the new Secretary-General.

The discussions focused on the OECDs vision for the future, an initiative launched by State Secretary Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch in November 2019 at a meeting of the Global Strategy Group she then chaired. In the new vision statement, member countries reiterate the importance attached to the OECD's founding principles of democracy based on the rule of law and human rights, and of open and transparent market economics. The vision statement will be adopted by ministers in October 2021 on the occasion of the OECD's 60th anniversary. Mr Parmelin also noted the quality and usefulness of the analyses and recommendations made in the latest OECD Economic Survey of Switzerland, which will be published at the end of the year.

For his part, Mr Maurer met with Mr Cormann to discuss current and future challenges of international tax policy. Mr Maurer took the opportunity to reiterate the conditions under which Switzerland supported the key parameters of the Inclusive Framework: Switzerland explicitly called for concrete measures to appropriately address the interests of small, innovative countries. In addition, the new rules should be applied uniformly by the member countries and a balanced solution should be found between tax rate and tax base in the case of minimum taxation.

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Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 29.07.2021 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis travels to three states in Southeast Asia from 1 to 6 August 2021 to cultivate good relations and look to the future. : Switzerland has maintained bilateral relations across a broad range of areas with Thailand for 90 years and with Vietnam 50 years. Both countries are among Switzerland's most important economic partners in the region. Switzerland maintains close cooperation with Laos in the area of development cooperation. . During this trip, Mr Cassis also plans to meet with members of the Swiss community to learn how they are coping with the COVID-19 crisis. To help Thailand cope with the pandemic, Switzerland sent respirators and antigen test kits to Bangkok yesterday.

A focus of Mr Cassis' visit to Southeast Asia is the Foreign Policy Strategy 202023, under which Switzerland is to expand its engagement in Asia and step up cooperation. Switzerland aims to achieve this objective through bilateral exchanges and a dialogue partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Switzerland is also taking an active role in efforts to contain the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region. In view of the health situation in Thailand, Swiss Humanitarian Aid sent about 100 respirators and over one million antigen test kits to Bangkok on Wednesday.

Extending cooperation in trade and other areas

Mr Cassis will hold talks with the prime ministers and foreign ministers of the three countries. In Thailand, Mr Cassis will also meet with the minister of health to discuss measures to cope with the pandemic and with the minister of the environment to discuss the challenges posed by climate change. The trip will also focus on the situation of the Swiss community in the Mekong region. In addition, Mr Cassis will meet with representatives of Swiss and Thai companies and business associations to explore ways to strengthen economic and consular cooperation.

Switzerland is also seeking to strengthen economic cooperation in Vietnam. In Hanoi, Mr Cassis will launch the cooperation strategy 202124 of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Vietnam was for decades a priority country for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Since 2016, SECO has been responsible for Swiss economic cooperation with Vietnam and has run a series of programmes in the country. Since 2012, Switzerland has also been negotiating a free trade agreement with Vietnam, which it expects to be concluded in the near future.

The main focus of the visit to Laos is development cooperation. The SDC opened a Swiss cooperation office in Vientiane in 2006 and is currently developing a new programme for the period 202225. In Vientiane, Mr Cassis will sign a cooperation agreement with the Laotian minister of planning and investment aimed at facilitating effective implementation of the Swiss development programme in Laos.

Anniversaries and 1 August celebrations

During his trip, Mr Cassis will celebrate the 90th and 50th anniversaries of bilateral relations with Thailand (1931) and Vietnam (1971). Mr Cassis will also deliver a virtual 1 August address from Bangkok to the Swiss communities in the region. Thailand is home to the largest Swiss community in Asia, with around 10,000 Swiss nationals.

Mr Cassis will be accompanied on his trip to Southeast Asia by Celine Vara, who is a member of the Council of States and its Foreign Affairs Committee, and by Laurent Wehrli, who is a member of the National Council's Foreign Affairs Committee and of the board of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad.

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Alton, IL (62002)

Today

Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High near 80F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A clear sky. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
ORANGE CITY, Iowa  Woudstra Meat Market was bustling with activity on a warm July afternoon. While some customers were buying brats at a sidewalk stand, others carried out bags of assorted products.

It was a fairly typical day for this northwest Iowa business.

We keep pretty busy, says Vonda Post, who owns the Sioux County establishment with her husband Steve and their partners, Junior and Kim Hoogland.

The Posts grow grain and finish hogs, while the Hooglands have a dairy operation. The quartet took possession of the business May 1 with an eye on the future.

They are in the process of building a new processing facility on the edge of town. Once thats done, the current building will host all the retail business.

It will be bigger, and with the inspection process, we will be able to sell meat from our own livestock, Post says. Our goal is to have it running by the end of the year.

She says expanding the processing capacity was part of the plan prior to the purchase of the market.

We did a lot of research, maybe 6 to 8 months of it, Post says. We saw an opportunity to grow the business.

Many other processors and meat lockers are seeing similar opportunities, says Christa Hartsook, small farms program manager for Iowa State University Extensions Farm, Food and Enterprise Development program.

Concerns over meat shortages in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted consumers to reach out to livestock producers directly. While animals were available, locker space was not.
Its not all about the wall. Its not even all about the border or security. The immigration debate in America is also about agriculture and
MALTA, Mont.  The Merrimans hosted a nice organic farm tour last week at their farm. They took organic producers and Montana Organic Association officers and members around their farm, showing them their crops, their rotation and the integration of livestock and cover crops.

I was happy with the turnout. It was a cooler day - the one day we had in the 80s, so it wasnt as hot. It was a nice tour, said Anna Merriman, who operates 4M Farms with husband, Cliff, and kids, Beau and Courtney.

Cliff said they talked about soils and our cropping rotations, weeds, such as bindweed and Canada thistle, the drought and the grasshopper influx.

The Merrimans went to their mustard fields with the tour participants. On the way, they pointed out their livestock that were grazing in the cover crops.

We took them out to our mustard fields to demonstrate how rough the year has been. Our mustard is totally done. Where it came back up, the grasshoppers ate most of it to the ground.

Grasshoppers and the drought were discussed at length since there have been so many Montana farms and ranches in the region inundated with the insects this summer.

Everybody got to see a grasshopper and take home a grasshopper, he said.

Discussion on the tour about the hoppers included the fact that there was nothing that any of us could have done about the hoppers. When the hoppers hit that level countywide, there were just too many of them to even start spraying. It would just be a waste of money.
Family and friends of Ryan Whitaker demonstrated about two months after his slaying, demanding that the officer who killed him be criminally charged. The county attorney eventually ruled against that.
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Courtesy of JNS; Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the inauguration of the newly relocated U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, May 13, 2018.
Regular communication with a parent or loved one is the first step toward protecting them from online threats, financial missteps, poorly organized medications, and more.
A December 2020 report by the U.S. Department of the Navy divulged the following on China's methods for projecting its "true maritime power":

China's aggressive actions are undermining the international rules-based order, while its growing military capacity and capabilities are eroding U.S. military advantages at an alarming rate. China has implemented a strategy and revisionist approach that aims at the heart of the United States' maritime power. It seeks to corrode international maritime governance, deny access to traditional logistical hubs, inhibit freedom of the seas, control use of key choke-points, deter our engagement in regional disputes, and displace the United States as the preferred partner in countries around the world.

China's aggressive fishing policies coincide with its aggression in other areas as well:

 Reuters reports China's aggressive building of dams, dikes, and levees controlling the water flowing from Tibet has choked the Mekong River, which provides water to tens of millions of people, basically weaponizing water.

 According to Breitbart, China is violating its treaties with India by building at least 20 military camps along their border, called the Line of Actual Control. The added military personnel escalated tensions between the two Asian nations to levels not seen since the mid-'70s.

 China and India are considering building competing dams along the Brahmaputra river  called the Yarlung Tsangpo river in China  further heightening tensions. The Express U.K. quoted Brahma Chellaney, a reporter on India and China's relationship: "India is facing China's terrestrial aggression in the Himalayas, maritime encroachments on its backyard and, as the latest news is a reminder, even water wars."

China is using its Belt and Road Initiative to invest in infrastructure in dozens of countries. It then uses that debt to pressure those countries into cooperating or face a debt trap in which they owe China more money than they can pay back, expanding China's global influence. The University of Pennsylvania posted a podcast in which Marshall W. Meyer, Wharton emeritus professor of management and a China expert, said of the Belt and Road Initiative,

While U.S. foreign aid or the Marshall Plan to rebuild economies following World War II is not expected to be repaid, the BRI is a "Chinese investment that expects a return." Its banking institutions loan money to the partner countries for BRI projects and use Chinese companies to do the work, resulting in a Chinese company benefitting from the loan. The host nation got the debt.

Pearl Risberg of the Center for Strategic International Studies explains what happens when the host nation is unable to repay the loan:

The BRI is often critiqued as so-called "debt-trap diplomacy." According to this narrative, China provides infrastructure funding to developing economies under opaque loan terms, only to strategically leverage the recipient country's indebtedness to China for economic, military, or political favor. The debt-for-equity swap of Sri Lanka's Hambantota port is an oft-used example, where China excused Sri Lanka's $8 billion debt in exchange for a 99-year lease of the Sri Lankan port in 2017.

Yet even with all of the above taking place, the West has consented to and even encouraged Chinese expansion, ceding to China her path to a dominant role in world governance, allowing and even promoting more significant Chinese influence in the U.N. other world organizations.

As of April 2020, Chinese nationals now head four of the 15 U.N. specialized agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the International Civil Aviation Organization. According to the Diplomat, China's U.N. monetary contribution has risen to 12 percent. But, as the World Health Organization's handling of China's role in the COVID-19 pandemic  essentially deflecting blame for the pandemic from China  clearly shows, money covers a multitude of sins.

Under the guise of environmentalism and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, China openly uses its control over the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to further its Belt and Road Initiative. In 2018, Chinese communist Liu Zhenmin, the incumbent head of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, wrote:

In this regard, the Belt and Road Initiative has provided a new open and inclusive platform for international development cooperation, which can make a great contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). While the Belt and Road Initiative and the 2030 Agenda are different in their nature and scope, they share a similar vision and a set of basic principles in many respects. Both of them serve the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

The U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs is even endorsing China's Belt and Road plan, saying that China would strengthen "the effects of international development cooperation under the Belt and Road on the achievement of the 17 SDGs in the participating countries, with positive spill-overs to the achievement of the SDGs in the rest of the world."

And as Beijing pushes globalism with a Chinese twist  through its investments in capital improvements overseas  the American ideals of freedom and human rights are losing influence. China is exploiting most of the poorest nations and peoples on Earth and removing them from the American sphere of power with the blessings of global elites.

Though the dangers to the world of China becoming a global powerhouse are evident, a few frilly words from China seem to be all that is needed for Western elites to disbelieve their eyes. On January 25, 2021, President Xi gave a virtual speech that, in the words of the Wall Street Journal, "wows" the "global luminaries" at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. In his speech, Xi stated:

The right choice is for countries to pursue peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect and only finding common ground while shelving differences, and to promote exchanges and mutual learning. This is the way to add impetus to the progress of human civilization. China will get more actively engaged in global economic governance and the push for an economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced, and beneficial to all.

It is said that some things are so crazy that only an academic would believe them. Maybe it should read "only a globalist would believe them." Imagine, if you will, a leader of a country whose warplanes are even now threatening Taiwan, Japan, and even Pearl Harbor and is responsible for numerous acts of global bullying, preaching the perks of "mutual respect" and "finding common ground" and promising to become even more involved in "global economic governance," for the benefit of "all."

Photo: Pixabay license

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Gobsmacking, as defined by a simple internet search:

Adjective, British, informal; utterly astonishing; astounding.

The hypocrisy of the man is gobsmacking

It has been, at least for me, a gobsmacking couple of weeks. I have watched while the Democrat Party, its partisans in state-controlled media, and their ever-so-virtue-signaling but absurdly never-self-aware politicians have had just about everything they say and do boomerang on them and hit them square in the noggin. I cannot have been the only guy to have observed this spectacle and have been, well gobsmacked. Please pardon me for the sarcasm inherent in the commentary, but the issues and actions presented are just over-ripe for it and are pristine targets for sarcasm and scorn.

Lets review the past few weeks events and news stories that have been given a good bit of attention.

1. Michael Avenatti

The brash lawyer who represented porn star Stormy Daniels, and the man who claimed he was the only man who could bring down Donald Trumps presidency; who was lauded and praised by every Never-Trumper and state-controlled media as the Savior of the Republic and Trumps worst nightmare; who would be The One to satisfy their deranged fantasies of having President Trump indicted, removed from the Oval Office and perp-walked out of the White House

Michael Avenatti has himself been indicted, tried by a jury of his peers, convicted of extortion, and sentenced to 30 months in prison. In addition, he is facing future legal jeopardy and more prison time for embezzlement.

2. Defund the Police and The Rise in Crime

Amid the turmoil and trauma in the aftermath of George Floyd dying in police custody (for which Officer Derrick Chauvin was convicted and sentenced for murder), the outpouring of emotion and outrage became a call to Defund the Police. In the summer of 2020, Americans witnessed scenes of violent riots, looting, and assaults on police officers increase and sustain themselves at levels unseen in decades.

However, amid the calls to transform policing, there were many who were rightly alerting any who had the capacity to listen to a rational, reasoned discussion that removing the police presence from communities beset by crime would only result in more crime and devastation. Nature abhors a vacuum, and human nature is just the same. It is a sad fact that we live in a fallen world and when lawful authority exits or is diminished, criminals will enter and increase.

It was entirely predictable and has happened as predicted. There is a crime wave sweeping the nation in those cities and municipalities run by liberal, woke Democrat politicians. Minorities and the poor have suffered the most. This has not helped but has added immeasurable suffering, misery, and devastation.

Do these elected Democrats display any sense of accountability or responsibility for such a poorly conceived policy? NO! They trot out talking points and try to blame Republicans for the mess they made. At least they can be relied upon to do that. Thank goodness the fact-checkers could not escape reporting the truth.

3. Texas Election Integrity

Much has been reported about the Texas state legislators who fled the state and abrogated their responsibilities, all in the name of voter rights and Democracy. State legislatures across the country have witnessed the consequences of the 2020 election and the Democrat partys activist success in subverting or outright violating election laws during the pandemic to engineer election victories. In politics as in sports, once you reveal your trick play, then the other team will learn to defend against it. Therefore, state legislators are passing bills that governors then sign into law to prevent their constitutional authority from being further eroded in future elections.

The Texas Democrats took to social media and publicized their walk-out, revealing a photo on their bus in which is also a pictured a case of beer. They protest an election integrity bill that requires a valid ID to vote either in person or by absentee ballot, but (wait for it) somebody had to have a valid ID to buy the beer.

Theres more! Aboard their private charter bus and their private charter jet (all at taxpayer expense), they are not wearing their COVID masks. What? Dont they believe the masks are effective? Dont they know they need to set an example? More likely, they just want us to do as they say  you elected me, so I make rules are for you. I will do as I wish.

Not surprisingly, their escape to Washington DC turned into their very own super spreader as members of the Texas delegation, along with staff members of both the House of Representatives and the White House with whom they conducted un-masked, in-person (no doubt closed-door) meetings, have tested positive for COVID. Its just too much, and many of their allies have been forced into a palm-to-the-face moment and are acknowledging this has become a disaster.

Perhaps worst of all for Texas citizens, their elected Democrat party legislators went to the friendly territory of the DC swamp to (wait for it) lobby for Congress to enact laws that would diminish their states rights  and the rights of those citizens whom they supposedly represent  to ensure election integrity while also ensuring every citizens right to vote is not disenfranchised by an illegal vote.

4. Joe Bidens Follow the Constitution Teleprompter Script

The nugget to which I will refer was delivered in his Philadelphia address about the big lie and Jim Crow 2.0, and was an attempt to lay the foundation for an argument challenging Republican-led state legislatures passing election integrity bills. Biden and Democrats paint these bills as backlashes against voter rights, Democrats alleged fair-and-square election victories, and the oft-repeated bald-faced lie that the 2020 election was the most secure in American history. Here it is:

In America, if you lose you accept the results, you follow the Constitution, you try again. You dont call facts fake and then try to bring down the American experiment just because youre unhappy.

Read it again, please. Let it sink in. Please.

What!? Joe Biden has never followed the Constitution, so who does he think he is to preach the Constitution to American citizens who know it, understand it, and hold it in reverence while he and his handlers so obviously do not?

Just what exactly, did all those Democrats and other leftists do on the morning of November 9, 2016? They surely did not accept the results of the election. Instead, they spent every moment drafting, designing, implementing, and colluding with their media allies to assert the Russia collusion hoax. They schemed and plotted to find some way to impeach a president-elect before he was inaugurated and have never stopped investigating in search of a crime even after their man was installed on January 20, 2021. They have run roughshod over the Constitutional and legal rights of members of President Trump, his allies, and continue to do so to anyone who dares to question them today.

Only a Democrat party political regime, its allies in the state-controlled media, and the deep-state bureaucracy they have carefully constructed and staffed are capable of such gobsmacking irony, absurdity, and dishonesty.

Jeff M. Lewis is a Christian, husband and father, a Veteran, and self-employed small business owner who resides with his family in South Texas.

IMAGE: By Andrea Widburg, using Adobe Spark.

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The January 6 commission held a dramatic first hearing with lots of crocodile tears and a few real ones. As usual, the Democrats, and the two Democrat-friendly Republicans, seemed to agree on an emotional approach to the topic at hand to gain an advantage over their political opponents. However, they failed to ask and answer important questions.

Also, they based their hearing on a false premise: the Jan. 6 event was an insurrection. No, it wasnt. If the hundreds of thousands of Americans who attended the peaceful rally before the riot had wanted an insurrection, we would have seen a much larger, and probably an armed presence. That was not the case.

Another thing: The commission emphasized how our democracy is in danger from people who think like those who breached the Capitol. Its not hard to imagine that this is justification for government to crush Americans who disagree with it.

Here are some primary questions that are unlikely to come up:

First, who shot Ashli Babbitt and why? Perhaps she shouldnt have been where she was and doing what she was doing, but she did not need to die. The American citizen and Air Force veteran was unarmed. Federal bureaucrats have kept the information on who shot Ashli from Babbitts husband, as well as from the American people, who have a right to know. Why?

Second, did congressional leaders and other elected representatives, or their staffs, instigate the storming of the Capitol? The fact that the security profile at the Capitol that day was woefully inadequate and National Guard troops were doing other duty and then were later denied to Capitol Police begs this question. Also, the Big Show the Democrats made afterward, and are still making with the sham commission, shows consciousness of guilt; in other words, are they trying to cover something up?

Third, why have American citizens who have been accused of only relatively minor crimes, such as trespassing, been held in jail without trial for more than six months? Why were they roughed up initially and kept in solitary confinement, as if they were political prisoners in Cuba? Why are their civil rights being violated? Does this mean that our Department of Justice (DoJ) has been politicized and is corrupt?

Fourth, why are American citizens from many states who attended the peaceful rally before the storming of the Capitol, being hunted down and prosecuted by the FBI? Examples include a couple in Homer, Alaska whom the FBI raided and a DEA agent who has been persecuted. The First Amendment protects Americans from such government abuse of power, and the civil rights of many have been violated after the Jan. 6th event. Has our government completely forgotten its place under the Democrats?

Fifth, speaking of the FBI, why were there so many FBI agents present in the crowd in the Capitol? Some have called that a crazy conspiracy theory but investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald says no, its what the FBI does. Was the storming of the Capitol exploited by the FBI to entrap people? Did bureaucrats and elected officials collude with the FBI? Citizens see that the FBI has been politicized and corrupted; events since 2016 prove that. Perhaps the Jan. 6th storming of the Capitol was another of their machinations to destroy Trump and his supporters.

Sixth, was the October 2020 attempt to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer prior to the Jan. 6th event in D.C. a dry run for the storming of the capitol? It has come out that it was an FBI setup meant to entrap individuals. There is a suspicious parallel between the October event in Michigan and the January event in D.C.

Seventh, what role did RINOs who hate Trump play regarding the Jan. 6th storming of the Capitol? Were they just political opportunists or did they have some deeper role with the intention of hurting their adversaries within their own party? Have they participated in post-event persecution of Trump supporters by the federal government? It seems unlikely that representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger would throw their political careers away just because of Trump derangement. However, we have seen that Trump derangement made many people do things that made no sense.

There are certainly more important questions to be asked in addition to these. But dont expect that to happen at hearings of the partisan commission or through mainstream media. They are all busy emoting, exaggerating, and letting us know how sad and traumatized they are. Dont you feel sorry for all of them?

C.S. Boddie writes for Meadowlark Press, LLC, these days.

Image: Ted Eytan

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This week in history witnessed a small band of Christian knights terrify and brutally defeat a massive horde of Muslims -- at the Battle of Jaffa.

On July 27, 1192, Saladin, the great hero sultan of Islam, surrounded and besieged the tiny Christian-held town of Jaffa. According to chroniclers, the Muslims numbered around 20,000 and covered the face of the earth like locusts.

Messengers were instantly dispatched to King Richard I, who was then in Acre, preparing to sail back to England. Before the battered and bruised messengers had finished relaying their message, With God as my guide, Richard declared, I will set out to do what I can, and instantly disembarked on his fleet with slightly over 2,000 fighters.

Meanwhile, Jaffa was fighting for its life. According to Saladins confidant and court historian, Baha al-Din, after one of its walls collapsed, all the Muslims rushed into the city, and there was not an enemy heart that did not tremble and shake. Even so, the Christians were more fierce and determined in the fight and more eager for and devoted to death.

When the main gate was finally battered down and an adjoining wall collapsed from the bombardment, a cloud of dust and smoke went up and darkened the sky. Once it cleared, the Muslims saw that spear-points had replaced the walls and lances had blocked the breach. Only death would release the crusaders of their charge to defend Jaffa.

Due to the great masses of rushing Muslims, the garrison was eventually driven to and holed up in the citadel, even as the sackers turned their attention to Jaffas civilian populace: Alas for the pitiful slaughter of the sick! recalls the chronicler. They lay weakly on couches everywhere in the houses of the city; the Turks tortured them to death in horrible ways.

Due to contrary winds, Richards fleets finally arrived on the evening of July 31 but did not disembark. As Baha al-Din explains, the crusaders saw the town crammed with the Muslims banners and men and they feared that the citadel might have already been taken. The sea prevented their hearing the shouts that came from everywhere and the great commotion and cries of There is no god but Allah and Allahu Akbar.

To make matters worse, When the Turks saw the kings galleys and ships approaching, masses of them ran on to the shore, writes the chronicler, raining down spears, javelins, darts and arrows densely so that they would have nowhere free to land. The shore was seething, so covered with crowds of the enemy that there was no empty space left.

Then, on the morning of August 1, a fighting priest took his chances: he jumped out of the citadels window, into the sea, and swam to the fleets. On learning that, although the Saracens had taken the castle and were rounding up the Christians as prisoners, a remnant of the garrison was still holding out, Richard exclaimed that, If it so please God we should die here with our brothers.

Without donning his full armor, the king armed himself with his hauberk, hung his shield at his neck and took a Danish axe in his hand. With his crossbow in the other hand -- and crying death only to those who do not advance! -- he hurled himself into the water and forced himself powerfully on to dry land, all while firing his crossbow at the wild throng assembled along the shore and swiping incoming arrows away with his axe.

Instantly, the rest of the crusaders followed their king; they hurled themselves into the water and boldly attacked the Turks who obstinately opposed them on the shore. Before long, and at the sight of the king, whom the Muslims dreaded from earlier encounters, none of them dare[d] approach him. Rather, they fled down the shore. The chronicle has the rest:

Brandishing his bared sword, the king followed in such hot pursuit that none of them had time to defend themselves. They fled from his weighty blows. In the same way the kings comrades constantly assailed the fugitives, driving them on, crushing, rending, beheading and tossing them about until all the Turks had been violently expelled from the shore and left it empty The king fell on them with unsheathed sword, pursued them, beheaded and slew them. They fled before him, falling back in dense crowds to his right and left.

Once Richard, drenched in Muslim blood, became visible to Saladins entourage, a horrible howl went up, even as another hail of Turkic arrows rained on the Christians. Undeterred, their berserker king continued to cut to pieces all he met without distinction in his mad dash to Saladin, prompting the latter to flee like a frightened hare [H]e put spur to horse and fled before King Richard, not wishing to be seen by him The king and his fellow-knights steadfastly pursued him, continually slaying and unhorsing for more than two miles.

It was a disorderly retreat -- everywhere plunder was seen hurled aside -- and rout of the most ignoble kind; and it was the most humiliating defeat Saladin suffered.

Indeed, due to his exploits at Jaffa and elsewhere, it is the name of Richard Lionheart that, in the popular Muslim consciousness till this very day, most personifies the archetypal crusader enemy -- a testimony to the havoc he wrought singlehandedly.

This article was excerpted from the authors Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.

Image: British Library

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Among the many weeping people paraded before the House on Tuesday to testify about how deeply traumatizing it was for conservatives, rather than the usual left-wing activists, to protest at the Capitol, was one Harry Dunn, a giant of a man who claimed that he was intensely traumatized by the fact that protesters called him the "N" word. The horror of it all! Except there's reason to believe that Dunn may have been lying. There's no footage of this alleged racial outrage. Additionally, it turns out that Dunn is a BLM activist, a Trump-hater, and a supporter of political violence  his political violence, not your free speech or protest.

Leftists were incredibly affected by Officer Dunn's testimony. As far as they were concerned, he proved that not only were the people at the Capitol on January 6 (who killed no one, looted nothing, and set no fires) the worst mob ever in the history of America, but they were racist. Before that horrible day, he said, "No one had ever, ever called me n----- while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer."

The way I read those words, Dunn is saying that none of his fellow Capitol Police officers called him "n-----," but, apparently, they did so on January 6. Shame on them!

But that's the grammarian in me, poking fun at his dangling modifier. Clearly, what he meant is that January 6 was the first time since he became a Capitol Police officer that a member of the public had treated him that way. But is that the truth? There's reason not to believe him.

First, there's no footage of a heavily videotaped event  videotaped by leftist provocateurs in the crowd, media types, FBI informants, FBI agents, as well as by the protesters. It's certain that, if the first four in that list had such footage, they would have handed it over to the Capitol Police. Likewise, when the FBI began its postReichstag Fire hunt for anybody even near the Capitol on January 6, had such footage existed, they would have found it.

This reminds me strongly of the Tea Party protests in 2010 when Democrats claimed that Tea Party members yelled the N-word at members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Again, this was an event that everyone and his uncle were recording. However, even when the late, great Andrew Breitbart offered a $10,000 reward for anyone who could prove that Tea Partiers had hurled racist insults, no one came forward to claim the money. It almost seemed as if the whole thing was a slanderous lie. Dunn's statement has the same feel.

Second, Dunn flat-out lied about fellow officer Brian Sicknick's death, claiming that protesters beat him to death. According to the D.C. medical examiner, Sicknick died of a stroke  a tragedy, to be sure, but not the same as being beaten to death by a mob.

Third, Dunn is a Trump-hater who found it incredibly funny when Trump's Secret Service agents thought he was at risk of being assassinated:

Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn thought it was hilarious gold when Trump was rushed off stage during an active shooter threat at a rally pic.twitter.com/UmZlxJZ2Oi  Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) July 28, 2021

By extension, this means that he hates Trump supporters.

Fourth, and we're getting to the motive behind the lies and bias, Dunn is an ardent Black Lives Mattersupporter:

Capitol Officer Harry Dunn and his daughter at a BLM protest in DC pic.twitter.com/mVDENqpb6Q  Jewish Deplorable (@TrumpJew2) July 28, 2021

Dunn is one of those "to a hammer everything is a nail" guys who sees racism everywhere:

More from the crybaby Capitol PD Officer Harry Dunn who I believe lied to Congress about racial slurs being directed at him.



He needs to show us video proof or face a criminal referral for the 1001 violation. pic.twitter.com/BXBJJEVK5Q  John Cardillo (@johncardillo) July 27, 2021

Capitol PD Officer Harry Dunn: Impartial witness. pic.twitter.com/RMCILULUMn  John Cardillo (@johncardillo) July 27, 2021

Oh, and Dunn's horror, his absolute horror about political violence? Well, that was faked, too. He thought it was fine when it was Kenosha burning, something that he classified merely as "property damage":

Harry Dunn said the burning of Kenosha was an appropriate response pic.twitter.com/b5MRPnuPK4  Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) July 28, 2021

Dunn was obviously saying that Kyle Rittenhouse was guilty of murder just to defend property  but of course, the evidence shows that Rittenhouse was defending his life against some murderous perverts trying to kill him. And it wasn't just property damage in Kenosha, something that sounds like a keyed car or a smashed window. The damage in Kenosha, which is not a wealthy community, totaled more than $50 million, with innumerable Black-owned businesses destroyed.

Given Dunn's insouciance about property damage in Kenosha and claiming that it didn't justify murder, it's strange to hear him defend the murder of Ashli Babbitt as an appropriate response to minimal property damage on the Hill.

What's currently happening in the Capitol building is political theater of the kind in which tyrants routinely engage to distract people from the tyrants' own corruption and brutality. Dunn was just an actor in the show, reciting the lines he was told to say. The problem for the casting director is that Dunn is a lousy actor with a resume that belies all his poorly mouthed claims.

Image: Harry Dunn, hanging with his good pal, Nancy Pelosi. Source unknown.

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Why do the media and the White House always lie and blame low vaccination rates for the increase in cases when counties in California with low vaccination rates are doing better than counties with high vaccination rates?

Why do they lie and blame Trump voters for not being vaccinated when there are people of all races and political parties who aren't getting vaccinated?

Why are they giving V.A. workers eight more weeks to get the vaccine? Why have so many health care workers and other federal workers not received it yet, since they have had plenty of access?

Why won't Jennifer Psaki say how many people at the White House haven't been vaccinated? Shouldn't they require the vaccine for themselves before they require anyone else to get the vaccine? They clearly don't want the public to know the answer.



July 27, 2021 press briefing.

Where are the data that show that vaccinated people without masks are spreading the virus? Shouldn't they follow the science?

Where are the data that show that 2-, 5-, 10-, and 17-year-olds without masks are spreading the virus? Shouldn't they follow the science?

Higher COVID Rate Found In Some Counties With Higher Vaccination Rate  Why, And What It Says About The Delta Variant Statewide data analyzed by the Bay Area New Group found the five counties, Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco, have both a higher percentage of people who are fully vaccinated than the state average and a higher average daily case rate. Compare that to these five counties: Modoc, Glenn, Lassen, Del Norte, and San Benito, which have below-average vaccination rates and decreasing case rates.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab.

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The fascinating thing about Ben & Jerry's founders' "guest essay" in the New York Times defending their board's decision to stop sales in what they call "occupied Palestinian territories" is how utterly clueless they are.

The company's stated decision to more fully align its operations with its values is not a rejection of Israel. It is a rejection of Israeli policy, which perpetuates an illegal occupation that is a barrier to peace and violates the basic human rights of the Palestinian people who live under the occupation.

Based on that, let's ask ourselves: how much do Ben & Jerry know about the "occupation"?

The answer is "nothing."

At least they should have asked themselves an obvious question: "why is there occupation in the first place?"

Is it because Israelis are ogres bent on dispossessing the innocent Palestinians? That seems to be Ben & Jerry's answer  but this answer exposes them as clueless ignoramuses. There is occupation for the simple reason that the alternative is Israel's destruction. Palestinians don't have to be occupied. (For that matter, the huge majority of them aren't  about 95% of West Bank Palestinians live in Area A, under full Palestinian Authority control. One hundred percent of Gaza Palestinians are not occupied, either, living under Hamas.) Palestinians had ample opportunity, from back in the 1930s, to have their own state, with its borders defined through a negotiated partition. This they invariably refused, as a matter of principle: they cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the legitimacy of Jewish presence in Palestine. It hurts their pride. When one points out to them that the land was, for some millennium and a half, a Jewish homeland centuries before Arabs came to the area on the wave of Arab conquests that commenced after the death of Mohammed, they stop their ears. They don't want to know, because if they knew, they would have had to agree that the presence of the Jews is reasonable and legal. They would rather stay willfully ignorant and claim that they are victims of settler-colonizers  but not the descendants of Arab invaders who in their prime gobbled and settler-colonized half of the then known world, from Spain in the West to the border of India in the East, Palestine included.

While it is somewhat understandable why the Palestinians insist on staying ignorant, teaching lies and hate to their children, and strenuously opposing facts, that same tendency in the Western "progressives" is much more puzzling. Yet it is a fact of life  Ben & Jerry clearly don't know the history, clearly have no clue that "occupation" came about because Jordan attacked Israel, and is maintained because Palestinians refuse any reasonable accommodation with Israel  only its destruction will do. To Ben & Jerry, just as to Palestinians, ignorance is an appealing shield. Almost touchingly, in their essay, Ben & Jerry plead idiocy as a defense of their views: "Ben & Jerry's is a company that advocates peace. It has long called on Congress to reduce the U.S. military budget. Ben & Jerry's opposed the Persian Gulf war of 1991." To them, it's simple: if only the U.S. disarmed (and gave Saddam what he wanted  Kuwait and whatever else), there would have been peace. They apply the same principle to Israel: if it only ended the "occupation," there would be peace. Well, Israel ended the occupation of Gaza in 2005 and got back Hamas and its rain of rockets; it ended the occupation of south Lebanon in 2000 and got a war with Hezb'allah and the present threat of its massive arsenal. No, Ben & Jerry, Israeli occupation is the vital bedrock of peace.

It indeed may be that Ben & Jerry are not malicious, but are genuine fools who believe in peace through weakness and submission, contrary to all historical evidence. Apparently, they were too busy playing with ice cream mixes to learn some history. Clearly, they genuinely think Palestinians want peace rather than the destruction of Israel.

In a word, Ben & Jerry are willfully ignorant  just as Palestinians are, though perhaps for a different reason: Palestinians out of a latent hope to push the Jews out into the sea one day, Ben & Jerry because they are just fools  useful idiots, to use Lenin's official term. But birds of the feather flock together; the ignorant  and well-meaning  Ben & Jerry are making the nest with the equally ignorant, but not too well-meaning Palestinians.

Very few people are universally talented. Genius businessmen are not necessarily good at understanding politics  and when they make political pronouncements, they come across as fools. That's exactly how Ben & Jerry came across on the pages of the New York Times  as ingenious businessmen and very rich people who are utterly clueless on issues that are not their forte  like the Middle East.

Image: MrsBrown via Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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Have you been watching economists around the world discussing the American economy? Extremely interesting conversations. One of the things they have in common is that they are unable to arrive at a logical reason why there exists no financially sound basis for the high public spending the government is doing.

This leads us to a bright ray of hope coming our way. For as long as I can remember, the economy has always been the number-one concern of voters, always, and therein is the light.

The influence of the radical left on our government is about to be its downfall. This government is leading us down the path to a financial crisis. Although investors may find an opportunity to profit, the rest of us will see the costs for goods and services higher than we have ever seen. It's already happening.

Well, that's good for government. The bureaucrats still get what they want: investors make money, and we pay the bills.

We have elections coming up. By that time the economy (meaning us) will be struggling, and it will be clear to all how high these bills are that we're paying. This administration has placed itself in a situation where it will lose the House and Senate, at which point the rest of us can begin the healing. In this election, premised as it is on the state of the economy, it is irrelevant to the person voting what party he is in. That's because people will be voting for a standard of living. To achieve that, they need a change in government to improve that standard of living. At that point, we have a united America, all voting together for change.

It's all about which party is going to raise the standard of living, regardless of which party a voter may belong to. The Democrats (who have lost their party to the radical left) have injured their own supporters; they have reduced everyone's standard of living for no logical reason and are doing other harm to America. All voters' concerns will be to keep the government from doing further harm. It comes down to basic survival instincts for the voter.

So I predict that the upcoming elections, around a year away, will result in a change in government that will improve our lives. Yes, there is a bright light, very bright: if government fails to give us honesty in these elections, we will win with fairness, and that will be the result of massive numbers of voters exercising their most valuable right. I believe that this voter turnout will make history. It will clearly define what the majority of Americans want from government. The majority will always win if they make the effort. Once they clearly feel the effects of our economy (not to mention crime, immigration, etc.), I know that each and every American will make that effort. This will be the most massive election in American history.

Now, for the party in control of the People's House after the elections: Be attentive. You also have some amends to make. Some of you have not acted in America's best interest, and we know who you are. No more games, deals, no acting in your best interest. You are there to act in our best interest, and the time is coming to do so. We are sick and tired of what is going on in America, and we expect change. We tell you what we want, and you make it happen  that is how this republic works. The time is coming for all American patriots from all parties to make a change in government for their own best interest.

We have the rights, and we have the tools. Now we just need to stand up and use them.

Have you signed and shared the petition at the bottom of this writing? I have more than 1,300 patriots on an email list. You'll get writings directly instead of via social media. Send an email to americanpatriotnow@yahoo.com. https://www.change.org/SaveTheRepublic

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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Back in the day, when Dianne Feinstein was a lowly San Francisco supervisor, she proposed an ordinance making it a crime to say something that isn't true in a political statement. Irrespective of the First Amendment, I wondered then what kind of star chamber was needed to constantly monitor the utterances emanating from the political class...with flawless accuracy. At about that time, she also pioneered the use of absentee voting as a way of harvesting ballots long before the actual election.

In my brief career as a journalist, I learned by observation that I had no obligation to tell the truth, but perceived credibility was essential to my success. Words like "virtually" (meaning "not actually") were particularly valuable. If you're obviously wrong much of the time, you won't get very far  unless you're doing satire. But good satire needs a significant element of truth.

Why is there all this concern over divergent opinions of vaccines and other related topics? After all, only folks who opt out of vaccination are at risk of becoming seriously ill. The rest of us don't have a dog in that fight. Could it be that the authoritarian pseudo-experts are getting just a wee bit desperate, now that they've seen Dr. Fauci implode over his lame denials regarding his connection to the Wuhan virus lab?

We are supposedly entering the age of information. There are, as a result, multiple sources for this stuff called information. Some of them are bogus. But how can we tell? There used to be a thing called critical thought. This implied that we were expected to test what we were told in order to ferret out the hoaxes and other BS.

A common substitute for serious argument is to attack the pedigree of the source rather than intelligently dispute the facts presented. I once had a conversation about tax rates with a Berkeley clone: "If only the rich would pay their fair share...," she said. So I told her that the top 5% of income earners already pay almost 60% of the income tax. "You probably just heard that on Rush Limbaugh  and I don't believe it." "You don't have to believe it. It's still a fact, according to official IRS statistics." As the late, great Walter E. Williams used to say: "I wish there was some humane way that we could get rid of the rich...so we could have an honest discussion about tax policy."

The foot soldiers of the crusade against misinformation are the fact-checkers. They're a lot like hairstylists: they attract clients by delivering a particular desired result. Checking up on the fact-checkers is a lot like watching the watchman: it tends to be a circular process.

It used to be that nonconformists were respected. They were considered creative, inspirational, opening doors to alternative views of the world. Not so anymore. There is now a militant orthodoxy employing "cancel culture" to enforce its norms. How else could these people adopt the methods of the Orwellian "Ministry of Truth" with such ease?

Donald Trump is a nonconformist. He smashed the idols of authority worship  and prosperity began to explode. Those were scary times for the corrupt bunglers of the Deep State and the political establishment, and they'll do just about anything to keep Trump or anyone like him from rising to a position of power again. They tried to blame Ron DeSantis for an imaginary lack of urgency over the condo collapse, and they're not through taking shots at him. Kristi Noem is a tough target to acquire, since she's a girl, but that didn't stop them from going after Sarah Palin. And they've got only a few weeks left to mortally wound Larry Elder  but don't think they're not trying. And they're still beating up on Trump.

Image via Pxhere.

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When Israel became a country in 1948, it implemented conscription for all persons turning 18. It seems to have worked well. Everyone who turns 18, both male and female, is conscripted for a period of time. The length of service has varied over the years but, currently, males serve 30 months and females 24 months. There are certain exemptions for mental or physical disabilities, as well as religious grounds. Of late, it appears that the exemption for religious reasons is under review. Druze and Circassians (males only) are also conscripted. Arabs are exempt, but they can volunteer.

About a third of Israeli women avoid conscription for religious reasons. Orthodox Jews have sought exemptions for years, but it has been met with resistance from the government. Hasidic Jews claim that their religious studies are critical for the continuing preservation of the religion and do not want to serve in the defense of Israel. As of 2017, there were about 80,000 ultra-orthodox Jews who claimed to be studying full-time and therefore exempt from service in the IDF.

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) staffs its military with these conscripts. There are three categories: career, (permanent) reserve, and regular. About 68% of military specialties are available to females. However, only a small minority of women serve in combat roles. If a woman marries during her service in the IDF, she is released from her duties and responsibilities. It is the belief of the government of Israel that the conscripted service in the military builds national identity, patriotism, unity, and a sense of readiness.

South Korea has also had conscription for military service since 1957. Only males are required to serve, and the conscription is for between 21 months and 36 months. The system varies and is similar to Israel, but some of the terms of the service differ. Males in South Korea who are fit for service must serve, or they are jailed. Some exemptions are given, but they are difficult to get. Some men can choose when to begin active duty, and a lot do two years in college before opting for the active service. The South Korean birth rate is shrinking, and there is consideration now for beginning to conscript females.

This might be a good option for the United States to begin to turn back the tide of the brainwashing that the colleges and universities inflict on America's students. A break in the left-wing indoctrination of the education system may be just what the country needs. A strong military history education during conscription as well as a few courses on the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights might go a long way for turning the tides of socialism and the lurking communism in our society today.

It would be good timing to begin this service upon graduation from high school. Higher education enrollment would suffer for two or three years, but that may be a good thing. Doing real work and jobs would be an epiphany for many of the snowflakes. Being without a cell phone and computers for most of the days would bring reality into their worlds.

Image: Public Domain Pictures.

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This will not be an anti-vaccine post. It will, however, be an attack against the CDC for using discredited and inapplicable authority to justify its latest mask and vaccine guidelines and for ignoring credible opposing authority. I'll also take a stab at answering why all this craziness is coming from the Biden administration. I've got two theories (one of which I discredit), so stick around for them.

First, the Biden administration, having said all Veterans' Affairs employees must be vaccinated, will soon announce that all federal employees must be vaccinated or lose their jobs; that children should wear masks all day in school; and that everyone else should wear masks, too, whether they're vaccinated or not. All those orders and guidelines are ludicrous, and they're ludicrous for multiple reasons.

In December, Biden promised there would be no mask or vaccine mandates. And keep in mind that he has no legal authority to make such a mandate national in any event. However, he does have authority over the administrative state, and the federal government is the largest single employer in America. This will affect a lot of people.

I've already discussed here why the new guidelines for children, coming as they do from the American Academy of Pediatrics, are complete garbage. In addition, Tucker Carlson's people checked the data about children dying from the virus and found that the CDC's own data contradict it, although CDC head Walensky went ahead and lied anyway:

Tucker: Politicians can't part with the enormous amount of power they amassed | https://t.co/MQIdFHobrP  Bookwormroom (@Bookwormroom) July 29, 2021

As for everyone wearing masks, whether vaccinated or not, that's just crazy talk. Either the vaccine works or it doesn't. If it does, we shouldn't have to wear masks. If it doesn't, why the push to vaccinate people? This is especially true given that ivermectin works pretty well as a treatment.

The current explanation for pretending the first round of vaccines never really happened is that the delta variant is different. Do you know what this all sounds like? It sounds like a flu vaccine.

Every year, people over 60 or with compromised immune systems are encouraged to get their flu shot, which may or may not work, and which needs to be redone annually. So maybe that's all that this feared COVID vaccine is  a fancy flu shot that made the pharmaceutical industry very, very rich.

But aside from that  and here's the really shocking thing  the basis for the CDC's latest guidelines about masks and vaccines is a study that not only was not peer-reviewed but also has nothing to do with America, right down to its studying a different vaccine:

UPDATE: I took the time to read the India study. It's based on 100 (??) healthcare workers in India using a vaccine not approved in the U.S.



EVEN WORSE, the study doesn't even say what they claimed. It compares viral loads between variants, not against unvaccinated. pic.twitter.com/zOTW9M4wi2  AG (@AGHamilton29) July 28, 2021

And of course, there's the little problem (which Tucker mentions) of the millions of illegal aliens pouring over the border carrying COVID with them. While you're being pressured to take a shot you don't want and forced to wear a useless, germ-ridden mask, these germ-ridden people are streaming in (including carrying in germs from lots of other even more horrible diseases, including TB, which was once America's biggest killer).

So what's going on here? I don't believe that the Democrats are trying to kill us all. Remember, the most ardent people when it comes to the vaccine are leftists. If Democrats secretly know that the vaccine is dangerous, they're killing their base. These lefties, after all, are the ones virtue-signaling all over my Facebook page about how they're vaccinated and you're a moron.

Also, the federal workforce that Biden wants to vaccinate is the backbone of his presidency. It's the Deep State that attacked Trump non-stop and will destroy anyone who threatens it.

That leaves only one reason for this push: the government is doing it because it can. The whole point is to accustom you to take whatever the government dishes out. George Orwell understood this, writing in 1939, nine years before he published 1984, that "[i]t is quite possible that we are descending into an age in which two plus two will make five when the Leader says so."

When it comes to the shot and masks, we are being trained to stop asking questions and to remember that 2+2=5.

Image: Whats wrong with this picture of Kamala Harris telling us that, once you're vaccinated, you don't need the mask? (Fox News screen grab.)

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It was, arguably, The New York Times that first played fast and loose with January 6 truths when it printed a fictional account of the death of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, reporting, January 8, that the officer had died as a result of being struck with a fire extinguisher.

To use a term hurled by the media at Donald Trump, that report was a "false claim."

The Times has yet to explain how it came to print this false report of Officer Sicknick's death, a report intended, it seems fair to say, to encourage Americans to view the Capitol occurrence January 6 as an act of "insurrection." And now The Washington Post has checked in with two columns July 28, that suggest the writers are alumni of the George Orwell School of Journalism.

Dana Milbank, wrote a venomous column the day after Pelosi's select committee held its first session. The column carried this false claim in its heading: "As hearings begin, Republicans side with the terrorists."

In his lead sentence, Milbank accused Republican lawmakers, the day Pelosi's select hearings got underway, of "demand[ing] justice  for the terrorists who took up arms against the U.S. government on that terrible day." "Terrorists"? Taking up "arms"?

This is not a political column. It is an exercise in creative writing.

Milbank acknowledged that six GOP House members, including Rep. Louis Gohmert, Rep. Paul Gosar, and Rep. Andy Biggs, went to the Department of Justice to call, essentially, for fair treatment for the January 6 demonstrators jailed these many months, who, for the GOP legislators, seem to qualify as "political prisoners."

Milbank does not explain what the protesters, held without bail or trial, did to justify his charge that they are terrorists, a charge also raised in testimony from the uniformed officers who appeared before the Pelosi committee in its opening round. Nor did Milbank explain his assertion that the January 6 demonstrators "took up arms against the U.S. government." What were they "armed" with  fire extinguishers?

But as with the false claim of the Times concerning the death of Officer Sicknick, commitment to honest reporting is not important at The Washington Post  not when the aim is to ignite a firestorm of opposition to the Republican Party. Apparently, for Milbank, it is a very bad thing "to demand justice" for individuals held for months on misdemeanor charges  without bail or trial  if those individuals are not violence-prone Antifa thugs or people whose way of demanding racial justice is to loot, pillage, and burn down businesses in urban areas.

Milbank's hostility to Republican lawmakers seeking due process and equal protection of the law for pro-Trump demonstrators was also evident when he sarcastically noted that the six Republicans cut short their demonstration in front of the Justice Department building due to leftist heckling. For a leftist apologist like Milbank, free speech is an issue only for activists who cater to his skewed sense of justice. From a Milbank, no criticism of heckling from leftists that drowns out conservative speakers.

Milbank went on, again without explanation, to call Rep. Jim Banks "a saboteur." Is "saboteur" now a term to be applied to any Republican who challenges leftist hegemony? It is clear that, for Milbank, epithets can be hurled willy-nilly, provided they are hurled at hated Republicans who don't genuflect before Pelosi. (Pelosi's select committee might, with justification, be known as the Committee Against Proud Republicans In Congress and Elsewhere [CAPRICE]. Pelosi, after all, abhors proud Republicans, and her style of government reflects caprice.)

Before ending his column of political hate, Milbank called the Republican House members seeking fair treatment for January 6 demonstrators "[t]he insurrectionists' allies." For Milbank, "insurrectionists"  and their "allies"  must be put down, severely.

The "I" word also was thrown about in the column by Karen Tumulty that, in the print edition of WaPo, appeared below Milbank's mendacious and malign morsel of morbid misinformation. In addition to referring to the January 6 demonstrators as insurrectionists, Tumulty said Republicans are trying to "whitewash" the events of January 6, and that "the rioters were there at the instigation of President Trump"  encouraging "violence," to boot. For a leftist  activist or writer  the proof is in the accusation.

Tumulty promoted a comparison that is an insult to the memory of the souls lost on September 11, 2001. She wrote:

[The Republicans] rejected a proposal to appoint an independent commission, modeled on the panel that looked into the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Let's pause here a moment. Tumulty, along with the left, would equate a demonstration at the Capitol where the only person shot and killed was an unarmed Trump-supporter, Ashli Babbitt, with the dastardly attack of 9/11 that snuffed out, most horribly, the lives of almost three thousand people.

Tumulty should explain that reasoning to Debra Burlingame, sister of one of the pilots who perished on 9/11. In a Wall Street Journal column, Ms. Burlingame wrote that it was "a travesty" to compare "Jan. 6" with 9/11.

Tumulty went on:

Given an opportunity to appoint five members to the select committee, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R.-Calif.) attempted to stack it with bombastic stuntmen such as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)  a gambit that Pelosi wisely blocked.

(Pelosi's gambit to clear out the GOP presence on the committee worked like a charm, though.)

Tumulty ignored the pertinent fact that Pelosi named fierce anti-Trump  and anti-GOP  partisans to a majority on the committee. How could Mr. McCarthy have stacked the committee by appointing a minority of the members? Tumulty's accusation makes no sense. But that is the way with leftists. Confident in their own strident canards, their assertions, their arguments, their attacks founder on the rocks of ordinary common sense. With an inflated sense of self-esteem, leftists likely assume that the public will accept their blatherings at specious value, but these blatherings make no more sense than Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky."

Matching Milbank, invidious remark for invidious remark, Tumulty, before ending her column, asserted as "truth" that the January 6 demonstrators "carried out what has rightfully been called an insurrection and an assault on this country's democratic system." Nonsense, indeed. Note how quick the left is to accuse conservatives of acting to undermine democracy, when it is precisely the partisans of the left who represent the mind of the enemy of freedom by their assault on freedom of speech, the right to dissent, end runs around the Constitution, resistance to duly elected presidents  the wokeness of intolerance.

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Prabhas is done with the shoot of Radhe Shyam:- Young Rebelstar Prabhas is focused on Radhe Shyam and the shoot of the film commenced in 2018. The film hit several roadblocks and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic delayed the project further. A major schedule happened in Italy right before the first wave of pandemic. The pending portions of the film are canned recently in Italy. The last schedule of Radhe Shyam started recently in Hyderabad and the entire shoot of the film got completed yesterday. The film's director Radha Krishna Kumar announced the news and the pictures from the after-shoot party went viral this morning.

All done with the last schedule of #RadheShyam  I spread my love to all our darling fans !! This pandemic had a a toll on all our expectations!! An update is on the way  Radha Krishna Kumar (@director_radhaa) July 28, 2021

"All done with the last schedule of #RadheShyam. I spread my love to all our darling fans !! This pandemic had a toll on all our expectations!! An update is on the way. 3 days more for the official update !!! Lets all wait" posted Radha Krishna Kumar on his official page. Pooja Hegde is the heroine and Justin Prabhakaran is the music director. Radhe Shyam is set in Europe in 70s and several sets are constructed in Hyderabad for the shoot. The film is said to be made on a budget of Rs 250 crores and it will have a pan-Indian release soon. UV Creations and Gopikrishna Movies are the producers. An official release date of Radhe Shyam will be made soon. Prabhas is also busy with the shoots of Salaar and Adipurush. The actor will join the sets of Nag Ashwin's film that started shoot recently.
(Image source from: Telugu360.com)

Bigg Boss 5 Telugu Latest Updates:- Bigg Boss Telugu gained the best ever TRP for any television show. The makers decided to continue the reality show and the recent installments garnered top TRP. Tollywood actor Nagarjuna has been hosting the last two seasons. Though the makers staged a hunt for a replacement they decided to go ahead with Nagarjuna after all the stars are occupied with multiple projects. NTR was approached but the top actor is hosting Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu for Gemini TV. Nagarjuna will host Bigg Boss 5 and the arrangements are currently made. A huge house set is constructed in Annapurna Studios for Bigg Boss 5 and the shoot will start in the last week of August.

As per the coming news, Bigg Boss 5 will start on September 5th and it will be streaming on Star MAA and Disney Plus Hotstar. A huge budget is allocated for Bigg Boss 5 which will continue for 100 days. The contestants are finalized recently and it would have actors, hosts and Youtube actors along with actresses. Star MAA will make an official announcement about Bigg Boss 5 in August. Nagarjuna resumed the shoot of his action entertainer in the direction of Praveen Sattaru recently and he will start the shoot of Bangarraju in the direction of Kalyan Krishna from September. Both these films will release next year.
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(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 29 - A cabinet meeting was suspended on Thursday amid tension within Premier Mario Draghi's government over a reform drafted by Justice Minister Marta Cartabia aimed at speeding up Italy's criminal-law system.

Speeding up Italy's notoriously slow judicial system is necessary, among other things, because the granting of EU COVID Recovery Plan funds is conditional upon it.

It its current form, the reform sets a two-year limit on the time it takes to rule on first appeals, and a further one-year limit on appeals to the supreme court - barring mafia and the other most serious crimes that would have the one-year extension.

The judiciary's self-governing body, the CSM, has said a huge number of cases would end up being shelved if the reform is approved as it is.

The 5-Star Movement (M5S) has demanded changes to the reform to stop this happening.

There is speculation the M5S could abstain in a cabinet vote on the reform if it is not possible to reach a compromise. (ANSA).


VALLETTA - The conclusions have been released in the final report of the public investigation into the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, conducted following very strong pressure from the Council of Europe, by a commission composed of the former presidents of the court Michael Mallia, Joseph Said Pullicino and Justice Abigail Lofaro and concluded last spring.



The judges were unequivocal in their assertion that "the State should take responsibility for the murder".



Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb on 16 October 2017, and instead of being protected, she was exposed to her enemies by a corrupt government whose "tentacles" reached to the highest levels of the police.



The purpose of the public investigation was to establish whether the Maltese government had done everything possible to protect the journalist, and then prosecute those responsible for the murder.



The investigation lasted almost two years and those called to testify in dramatic hearings included former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri and former Minister of Energy and then of Tourism Konrad Mizzi (the only one who refused to respond in court).



The judges' 437-page report was first transmitted on Wednesday to Prime Minister Robert Abela and then to the Caruana Galizia family.



Abela authorised its public release on Thursday morning despite having eight days to decide, and it has been published in full by the Maltese media.



In their report, the judges wrote that the government "created an atmosphere of impunity, generated by the highest levels of administration within the Auberge de Castille (the seat of the Maltese government in Valletta), whose tentacles spread to other institutions, such as the police and regulatory authorities, leading to the collapse of the rule of law".



The judicial investigation, which is still underway, had a sudden acceleration in the summer of 2019, almost two years after the arrest of the three main suspects, with the identification of the murder middleman Melvin Theuma.



That led to the arrest of tycoon Yorgen Fenech as the instigator, followed by the fall of the Muscat government and, in February, the arrest of local mafia bosses who supplied the bomb.



A series of other corruption and money laundering investigations have sprung up from the investigation, leading to the arrest of Keith Schembri.
Covid: Paris ready to receive patients from West Indies

(ANSAmed) - PARIS, 29 LUG - Faced with the surge in coronavirus cases in the French West Indies, Paris hospitals are "ready to very quickly receive" Covid-19 patients from those areas, said Martin Hirsch, director general of the Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris (AP-HP), in an interview Thursday morning on RTL radio.



"We are preparing so that we can very quickly receive" some patients from the French West Indies, said Hirsch, adding that the transfers could take place "in the next few days".



He said although health authorities will make the final decision regarding when to transfer patients, the hospital is ready to receive them as early as Thursday.



Martinique will go into a new lockdown for at least three weeks starting Friday.



Nearby islands of the French West Indies - Guadeloupe, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy - declared a health state of emergency on Wednesday. (ANSAmed).




NGOs file suit with Rome prosecutor over migrant shipwreck In April, 130 migrants died. Associations file suit

(ANSAmed) - ROME, 29 LUG - Representatives from some NGOs and some attorneys filed a formal complaint with the Rome prosecutor's office to determine possible criminal liability in conduct that led to a shipwreck off the coast of Libya on 22 April in which 130 migrants died.



The NGOs include: the Nuovi Desaparecidos Committee, the Open Arms Foundation, the Association for Juridical Studies on Immigration (ASGI), Alarm Phone, Mediterranea Saving Humans, ARCI and Progetto Diritti.



The individuals include: Senator Gregorio De Falco and attorneys Alessandra Ballerini, Emiliano Benzi, Michele Calantropo, Stefano Greco, Serena Romano and Arturo Salerni.



"This shipwreck, just like the long series of similar events that preceded it, is not the result of chance and is not politically neutral," those presenting the complaint said in a statement.



"It is the punctual result of actions and policies of Italian and European institutions. We have the historic responsibility to continue to repeat this everywhere it is relevant: it is essential to overturn the logic that governs the central Mediterranean and to prepare, in a rapid and effective manner, structural and public rescue operations at sea". (ANSAmed).




Between 345 and 485 million dollars are needed for the reconstruction of Gaza after the devastation caused by the 11 days of fighting last May, said United Nations Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Lynn Hastings, in a briefing before the UN Security Council, based on estimates by the World Bank and the European Union.



"The conflict in May was a human tragedy for both Palestinians and Israelis, but it has further exacerbated the existing humanitarian and economic crisis in Gaza," Hastings said.



She recalled that the UN has already raised the first 45 million dollars of a requested 95 million for urgent relief, but "further significant steps" are needed.



"It is essential that Israel permit access for necessary humanitarian aid, including materials to implement the 2021 aid plan," she said.



In addition, she said without a regular and predictable flow of goods into Gaza, the ability of the UN and its partners to carry out humanitarian interventions will be threatened.



"Although urgent humanitarian interventions can provide crucial relief in the short term, any sustainable future in Gaza requires political solutions. I reiterate the need for the return of a legitimate Palestinian government to Gaza," Hastings said.


West Bank: mass funeral for 11-year-old killed by soldiers Teen boy injured in new clashes. Warning from Islamic Jihad

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, 29 LUG - An emotional crowd in Beit Ummar (southern West Bank) on Thursday attended the funeral for Muhammad al-Alami, the 11-year-old Palestinian boy who was killed Wednesday by shots fired by Israeli soldiers.



Islamic Jihad warned it intends to "get revenge for his blood" and accused Israel of "true terrorism" against Palestinian youth.



In recent days in other clashes with the Israeli military, a Palestinian 17-year-old boy was killed and a 42-year-old Palestinian man was killed.



At the end of the funeral for Muhammad, new clashes broke out in which a young man was wounded in the chest, said WAFA news agency.



Several others suffered tear gas intoxication.



On Wednesday night, the Israeli military said it had opened an investigation into the boy's death.



Preliminary evidence revealed that the soldiers came across a suspicious vehicle whose passengers had recently buried the body of a newborn.



A short while later, the car in which Muhammad and his father were travelling appeared in the same area.



The soldiers said Muhammad's father did not obey the order to stop and that the soldiers aimed for the vehicle's tyres, but the boy was hit by one of their bullets. (ANSAmed).




Zaki says will 'continue to fight until back in Bologna' Letter to girlfriend published on 'Free Patrick' FB page

(ANSAmed) - BOLOGNA, 29 LUG - Patrick Zaki, an Egyptian researcher who attended the University of Bologna and has been detained in a Cairo prison on sedition charges since February of last year, wrote a letter to his girlfriend that was delivered to his family during a prison visit and published Thursday on the "Patrick Libero" Facebook page.



"I will fight until I return to study in Bologna," Zaki wrote.



"My investigation has resumed, which could mean that one day I will go to court and have a trial, and this is much worse than I expected. After a year and a half, I thought I would have my freedom, but now it is clear that won't happen soon," he wrote.



"In our wildest dreams we never could have imagined a situation like this. Since the time I left for Bologna we had made many plans, that you would come visit me to travel Italy together. It makes me extremely sad that this won't be able to happen. My situation is getting worse day by day".



Zaki has been in pre-trial custody in prison for 18 months with very few hearings, and has been subjected to torture, according to his attorneys.



Egyptian authorities accused him of subversive propaganda and instigation to terrorism, which could land him in prison for 25 years, based in particular on a dozen or so Facebook posts posted to an account that Patrick said is not authentic.



His physical and psychological health, in the meantime, has become alarming, as Amnesty International and other NGOs have denounced on numerous occasions. (ANSAmed).




Tunisia: expert advises civil society to stay vigilant

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, 29 LUG - Tunisian political scientist Hatem Mrad, in an interview with French daily La Presse, highlighted the great strength of civil society in Tunisia contrasted to the the superpowers of Tunisian President Saied, and recalled the important role of public opinion in the country.



"We must not forget that after the revolution, for a time there was no Parliament, but civil society was there to keep watch," Mrad said.



"With its women, young people and NGOs, it represented a constituent power at the time of the protests against inequality against women, against Sharia as the source of law of the 2014 Constitution, and against the plan of the Islamic High Council.



Before the 2011 elections, civil society was the driver of the political agenda in Tunisia," he said.



"The suspension of Parliament in my opinion strengthens in some way the pressure and the role played by civil society," he said.



"Its vigilance now must be strengthened even more, in particular because the president is monopolising all powers for himself, including the 'constituent' one, which allows him to create new rules," Mrad said. (ANSAmed).




Google is postponing a return to the office for most workers until mid-October and rolling out a policy that will eventually require everyone to be vaccinated once its sites are fully reopened.

The announcement comes as the more contagious Delta variant of coronavirus is driving a dramatic spike in Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions.

Googles announcement was shortly followed by Facebook, which also said it will make vaccines mandatory for US employees who work in offices. Exceptions will be made for medical and other reasons.

In an email sent to Googles more than 130,000 employees worldwide, CEO Sundar Pichai said the company is now aiming to have most of its workforce back to its offices beginning on October 18 instead of its previous target date of September 1.

The decision also affects tens of thousands of contractors who Google intends to continue to pay while access to its campuses remains limited.

This extension will allow us time to ramp back into work while providing flexibility for those who need it, Mr Pichai said.

And Mr Pichai disclosed that once offices are fully reopened, everyone working there will have to be vaccinated.

The requirement will be first imposed at Googles headquarters in Mountain View, California, and other US offices, before being extended to the more than 40 other countries where Google operates.

This is the stuff that needs to be done, because otherwise we are endangering workers and their families, said Dr Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University and a former health commissioner for the city of Baltimore.

It is not fair to parents to be expected to come back to work and sit shoulder-to-shoulder with unvaccinated people who could be carrying a potentially deadly virus.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  One of the Republican Partys most prominent rising stars is mocking new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge.

Did you not get the CDCs memo? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked Wednesday before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City. I dont see you guys complying.

From Texas to South Dakota, Republican leaders responded with hostility and defiance to updated masking guidance from public health officials, who advise that even fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors if they live in areas with high rates of virus transmission. The backlash reopened the culture war over pandemic restrictions just as efforts to persuade unvaccinated Americans to get shots appeared to be making headway.

Egged on by former President Donald Trump, the response reflects deep resistance among many GOP voters to restrictions aimed at containing a virus they feel poses minimal personal threat. The party is also tapping into growing frustration and confusion over ever-shifting rules and guidance.

But the resistance has real implications for a country desperate to emerge from the pandemic. Beyond vaccinations, there are few tools other than mask-wearing and social distancing to contain the spread of the delta variant, which studies have shown to be far more contagious than the original strain.

Many Republican leaders, however, are blocking preventative measures, potentially making it harder to tame virus outbreaks in conservative communities.

At least 18 Republican-led states have moved to prohibit vaccine passports or to ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccination. And some have prohibited schools from requiring any student or teacher to wear a mask or be vaccinated.

In its announcement, the CDC cited troubling new  thus far unpublished  research that found that fully vaccinated people can spread the delta variant just like the unvaccinated, putting those who havent received the shots or who have compromised immune systems at heightened risk. The CDC also recommended that all teachers, staff and students wear masks inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the American Legislative Exchange Council Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The backlash was swift.

We wont go back. We wont mask our children, declared Trump, who routinely cast doubt on the value of mask-wearing and rarely wore one in public while he was in office. Why do Democrats distrust the science?

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called the new guidance disappointing and concerning and inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results.

He, like others, warned that the measure would undermine efforts to encourage vaccine holdouts to get their shots by casting further doubt on the efficacy of approved vaccines, which have been shown to dramatically decrease the risk of death or hospitalization, despite the occurrence of breakthrough cases.

Last week, White House officials reported that vaccination rates were on the rise in some states where COVID-19 cases were soaring, as more Republican leaders implored their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside and get the shots to protect themselves. That includes Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who has pleaded with unvaccinated residents, saying they are the ones letting us down.

This self-inflicted setback encourages skepticism and vaccine hesitancy at a time when the goal is to prevent serious illnesses and deaths from COVID-19 through vaccination, Parson tweeted. This decision only promotes fear & further division among our citizens.

The announcement will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials  people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates, echoed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who has banned mask and vaccine mandates in his state.

In his Wednesday speech, DeSantis took particular aim at the CDCs call for kids to wear masks in the classroom.

Its not healthy for these students to be sitting there all day, 6-year-old kids in kindergarten covered in masks, he said  though there is no evidence that wearing masks is harmful to children older than toddler age.

And in South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem called out the CDC for shifting its position on masking AGAIN. She said that those who are worried about the virus can get vaccinated, wear a mask or stay home, but that Changing CDC guidelines dont help ensure the publics trust.

On Capitol Hill, some Republicans were in revolt after the Capitols attending physician sent a memo informing members that masks would again have to be worn inside the House at all times.

The change set off a round robin of insults, with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy a moron after McCarthy tweeted, The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.

The mandate also prompted an angry confrontation, as Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., verbally assailed Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, who exited the House chamber and walked past her without a face covering.

Conservatives also forced a vote to adjourn the chamber in protest to the mandate, which was defeated along mostly party lines.

We have a crisis at our border, and were playing footsie with mask mandates in the peoples House, railed Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the motions sponsor. The American people are fed up. They want to go back to life. They want to go back to business. They want to go back to school without their children being forced to wear masks.

The nation is averaging nearly 62,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, and the vast majority of those hospitalized and dying havent been vaccinated. As of Sunday, 69% of American adults had received one vaccine dose, and 60% had been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Last year, early on in the pandemic, public health officials told Americans that masks offered little protection against the virus (and could even increase the risk of infection). The guidance was driven by a lack of knowledge about how the novel virus spread and a desire to save limited mask supplies for medical workers. But the CDC soon changed course and advised Americans to wear masks indoors and outdoors if they were within 6 feet (1.8 meters) of one another.

Then in April of this year, as vaccination rates rose sharply, the agency eased its guidelines, saying fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks outdoors unless they were in big crowds of strangers. In May, the guidance was eased further, saying fully vaccinated people could safely stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.

Subsequent CDC guidance said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks at schools, either.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, on Wednesday defended the changes, saying the CDC did exactly what it was supposed to do.

The CDC has to adapt to the virus, she said, and unfortunately because not enough Americans have stepped up to get vaccinated, they had to provide new guidance to help save lives.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that efforts to address root causes of migration from three Central American countries won't produce immediate results as she unveiled a broad strategy that expands on principles the Biden administration previously outlined.

Harris said the United States alone cannot tackle deep-seated motives for people to leave Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, including corruption, violence and poverty. The governments of Mexico, Japan and South Korea, along with the United Nations, have committed to joining the push, she said without elaborating.

The plan, which avoids deadlines, supports short-term relief for migration pressures like extreme weather while committing sustained attention to long-term motivations for people to leave their countries.

We will build on what works, and we will pivot away from what does not work, Harris wrote in an introduction to the 20-page plan. It will not be easy, and progress will not be instantaneous, but we are committed to getting it right.

Related video: Harris meets DACA recipients after federal ruling

Harris noted that she recently traveled to Guatemala, where one of the largest challenges is corruption. On Tuesday, the Biden administration said it suspended cooperation with Guatemalas Attorney Generals Office after the firing of the agency's top anti-corruption prosecutor, saying it "lost confidence in the country's willingness to fight corruption.

The White House also released a Collaborative Migration Management Strategy, which President Joe Biden ordered in February to outline how the United States will work with other countries to address migration flows. The 14-page document summarizes earlier announcements and espouses goals that Biden and top aides have outlined before. They include expanding protections and job opportunities in countries where people are leaving, creating more legal pathways to come to the United States and fostering secure and humane management of borders.

Harris' task, which Biden assumed when he was President Barack Obama's vice president, is enormous in scope and complexity, and the administration has struggled for short- and long-term responses.

U.S. border authorities reported large numbers of arrivals at the Mexican border in June, with significant increases in people arriving in families and children traveling alone. The trend appears to be continuing in July, when soaring temperatures often deter people from coming.

A group of 509 migrants from Central and South America turned themselves in Monday night in Hidalgo, Texas, hours after another group of 336 migrants was encountered nearby, said Brian Hastings, the Border Patrol sector chief in Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings.

On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said it resumed fast-track deportations, known as expedited removals, for certain families that don't express fear of being returned home. While it never announced a suspension, many families that enter the country illegally have been getting released in the United States with orders to appear in immigration court or report to immigration authorities.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) threw cold water on the idea being pushed by other prominent Democrats that President Biden could enact student loan forgiveness through an executive order.

"People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness  he does not," Pelosi said during her weekly press conference on Wednesday. "He can postpone, he can delay, but he does not have that power. That would have to be an act of Congress."

Other Democratic lawmakers, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), have repeatedly urged President Biden to enact student loan forgiveness of $50,000 per federal loan borrower.

President Biden can undo this [student] debt  can forgive $50,000 of debt  the first day he becomes president, Schumer (D-NY) said in December 2020. You don't need Congress. All you need is the flick of a pen.

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On Tuesday, Warren said that extending the student loan pandemic payment pause  currently set to expire at the end of September  and debt forgiveness "is a matter of economic justice. It is a matter of racial justice. The President of the United States can remove this sword. The president can prevent this pain. The president can cancel $50,000 in student loan debt."

One of Biden's campaign promises involved cancelling $10,000 in federally-backed student loan debt for all borrowers, but the president has been skeptical about enacting broad-based cancellation of up to $50,000 in student loan debt via executive action (as opposed to legislation passed by Congress).

The basic argument for the president to being able to forgive student debt through executive action, as detailed by the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School in a letter to Sen. Warren, is that the Education Secretary has the power to cancel existing student loan debt under a distinct statutory authority  the authority to modify existing loans found in 20 U.S.C.  1082(a)(4).

US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, holds her weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 28, 2021. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

In March 2020, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told Politico that President Biden had asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to compile a memo on whether the president has the legal authority to forgive $50,000 in student loan debt through executive order.

The Education Department (ED) has not responded to requests for comment on the memo, though ED recently hired Toby Merrill, who founded the Project on Predatory Student Lending at Harvard Law School and co-authored the legal analysis provided to Warren.

Asked about the discussion with the White House on Tuesday, Schumer said that they are "making good progress" regarding both the payment pause and forgiveness.

"I think we've made progress  in fact some of the arguments that they used to make, they no longer make," Schumer said. "One is it'll get taxed  we took care of that ... another is they don't have the legal authority  we don't hear much of that anymore, because we think they do. So we're making progress and we're going to keep at it."

Pelosi, speaking on Wednesday, went the opposite direction.

"Suppose ... your child just decided they, at this time, [do] not want to go to college, but you're paying taxes to forgive somebody else's obligations  you may not be happy about that," Pelosi said. "But you know what, we want all of our kids to reach their fulfillment to the extent that they want to go to college. We do not want them to be prohibited from doing that for financial reasons."



Aarthi is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.

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Amid the rise of the Delta variant of COVID-19, the push to immunize school age children is taking on more importance  especially for Pfizer (PFE), currently the most effective shot on the market.

The company, which reported second quarter earnings on Wednesday that topped Wall Street estimates, continues to see revenue from its COVID-19 vaccine skyrocket with the end of each quarter, now projected to reach $33.5 billion by the end of the year.

That outperformance is likely to be aided by the increasingly urgent push for a COVID-19 immunization for children under 12. With the new school year just weeks away, Pfizer has been asked by the FDA to expand its trial enrollment for the trial involving kids aged 5 to 11  largely due to a heart inflammation (myocarditis) issue seen in the under 30 population after receiving an mRNA vaccine.

The company does not anticipate the regulatory request will disrupt its trial timeline, and anticipates it can file for emergency authorization by the end of September. But in an interview with Yahoo Finance, Pfizer's chief scientific officer Mikael Dolsten said the conversation with regulators is ongoing, and voiced confidence in what the company is seeing in the results thus far.

Regulators are finalizing exactly how many more kids need to be enrolled, and for how long the trial needs to last, he said.

"We know (kids) develop very nice immunity. And...in our clinical trials from 12 upwards, we really didn't report any issues," Dolsten said.

'Standing ovation' for 'saving the world'

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla talks during a press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after a visit to oversee the production of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine at the factory of U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer in Puurs, Belgium April 23, 2021. John Thys /Pool via REUTERS

Pfizer's soaring revenues, and COVID-19's stubborn resurgence, means the vaccine would account for more than 42% of the company's annual revenue, now projected to be between $78 billion and $80 billion, the company announced Wednesday.

In an interview with Yahoo Finance, CEO Albert Bourla said he was pleased the company was doing so well financially, but he was more heartened by the impact it has had on the globe.

"Im satisfied that the company is doing financially very well, but even more satisfied when I go into a restaurant and get a standing ovation because everybody feels that we saved the world," he said.

Pfizer anticipates producing 3 billion doses this year, and "a significant amount" of this year's vaccine manufacturing capacity will go to middle and lower-income countries at a reduced price, Bourla told investors on Pfizer's earnings call Wednesday.

The commitment to middle- and low-income countries would account for 40% of vaccine production for 2021, Bourla added.

That could also impact the revenue growth for the second half of 2021, for two reasons, CFO Frank D'Amelio said.

"Many of the doses that we'll supply will be the low- and middle- income countries, which will have a lower price. And...internationally, we our accounting calendar ends the end of November, so December shipments would actually hit 2022 revenue," he said.

'Added muscle'

Meanwhile, the upcoming month is shaping up to be a busy one for the company. Pfizer expects to file for an emergency use authorization for a booster shot in August  the same month it plans to begin studying a Delta variant-specific shot, pending regulatory approval.

The company met with U.S. regulatory officials to discuss the need for a booster shot six to 12 months after the second dose, which officials have not yet said will be required.

Israel has already begun to offer boosters to immunocompromised individuals, and said its data shows 39% efficacy against the Delta variant  far below the 96% efficacy rate that made Pfizer's vaccine the best on offer.

However, Israel's data is vastly different from other data, including in the U.K. and U.S., and experts have questioned the results.

Bourla said the data differs because Israel began vaccinating earlier. and has up to six months data for their general population. In the U.K., meanwhile, the government spaced out the two doses more than the three weeks authorized by the FDA, which may have affected how the data looks there.

Even if the regulatory process, and supporting data, ultimately leads to the U.S. recommending boosters, when that booster will be required will be different from other countries, Bourla said.

On Wednesday's earnings call, Dolsten said the company is leaning on Israeli data for its push for a booster.

"We do see some lowering in...protection in risk groups such as older adults, immunocompromised," he said, adding the third dose would give "extra muscle" to protection.

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Not at all. It just seems like a lot of back-and-forth talk.

Yes. I'm growing very worried over what might happen.

If it keeps up, I might be a little more concerned.

I think there are much larger things to concern us as a country.

It's hard to tell; I can't take the leader of either country seriously.

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga.  The Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce has been named a finalist for the national 2021 Chamber of the Year award. The Forsyth Chamber is the only group from Georgia to be selected as a finalist.

It is a tremendous honor to be recognized among the very best chambers in the nation, Forsyth County President/CEO James McCoy said. The Chamber is a direct reflection of the strong support of the prosperity-building mission from our Board of Directors, strategic partners, investors and community.

The award is given by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, a group of 1,600 chambers of commerce and economic development organizations.

The Chamber of the Year award recognizes the leadership role chambers of commerce have in their communities. Those honored with the Chamber of the Year designation have demonstrated organizational strength and made an impact on key community priorities, such as education, transportation, economic prosperity and quality of life.

This year marks the second straight the Forsyth Chamber has been named a finalist.

Chambers of commerce interested in competing for the award first must qualify by participating in a vigorous multi-stage process. Chambers compete based on meeting key performance criteria and qualifying chambers enter the competition with a written application addressing all aspects of organizational operation and programmatic work. Applications are scored by peer chamber executives to determine finalists. Winners are selected from among finalists based on an interview before a panel of experienced chamber professionals.

 Joe Parker
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YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan not only continues to be illegally located in the territory of Armenia, but also is constantly taking provocative actions, attempting to discredit the system of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said at the beginning of the Cabinet meeting today.

Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of launching provocation. Armenia, being as member of the CSTO, which will assume its chairmanship from September, understands its responsibility of not creating security threats for the CSTO, not engaging the allied states into military operations, and I officially rule out any provocative actions by the Armenian Armed Forces. One of the possible solutions to reveal the truth of mutual accusations of Armenia and Azerbaijan could be the deployment of the CSTO monitoring mission along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. If such mission would be impossible, there could be other acceptable international formats for us, Pashinyan said.

He says Azerbaijans attempts to show that Armenia opposes starting the border demarcation and delimitation process has nothing to do with the reality. We support the process, moreover, we have received a mandate from our own people to start such a process and establish peace and stability in the region. Back to the May 27 session of the Security Council I have raised our approaches on the launch of demarcation and delimitation works, Pashinyan said.

He said it is necessary to consider the deployment of Russian peacekeeping posts along the entire length of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border which will allow to carry out the demarcation and delimitation works without a risk of a military clash.

We are going to discuss this topic with our Russian partners. Our government is going to take all necessary measures for ensuring peace, security and stability in the region. We will act in accordance with the mandate gained from the citizens of Armenia, the caretaker PM said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Governor of Armenias Gegharkunik province Gnel Sanosyan informed today that the Sotk gold mine doesnt operate at the moment for security purposes.

The employees and some of the equipment of the Sotk mine have been removed for security purposes. The mine is not operating at the moment. It will probably resume operation when there is no security issue, he told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The Governor added that the section of the village of Kut is closed for reporters for the same security purposes. The Azerbaijani side has somewhat advanced in the territory near the village of Kut since May 13-14. Such decision was made because of yesterdays incident on border, Gnel Sanosyan said.

On July 28, at around 03:40, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a provocation and violated the ceasefire in the northern-eastern section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Three Armenian servicemen have been killed, four others have been wounded in action. The Azerbaijani attacking forces have been repelled to their initial positions, suffering losses. The sides have reached an agreement on ceasefire at the mediation of the Russian side.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Armen Grigoryan held a phone conversation with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, during the conversation the sides discussed the situation resulted by the Azerbaijani encroachments on the sovereign territories of Armenia. In this regard, Armen Grigoryan presented the consequences of the recent days offensive operations by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the Armenian positions located in Gegharkunik Province.

It was emphasized that parallel with the provocative military measures, Azerbaijan makes also territorial claims from Armenia aimed at distorting the regional security and peace.

The sides underscored the importance of making all possible efforts for de-escalation. In this context, Armen Grigoryan emphasized the necessity for the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia to their May 12 positions.

During the conversation the need for a just and lasting solution to the Karabakh conflict through peaceful negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs was emphasized.

The interlocutors highlighted the repatriation of all the POWs and civilian detainees in line with the international humanitarian law. In this context, Armen Grigoryan condemned the criminal prosecution of the Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan based on trumped up charges.

The sides also exchanged views on Armenia-EU cooperation and Eastern Partnership agenda.
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Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Bill to protect bank deposits of up to Rs 5 lakh

New Delhi: In a big relief to depositors, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Bill to protect bank deposits of up to Rs 5 lakh if the RBI freezes withdrawal of depositor money at a bank.

Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Bill would insure an amount of Rs 5 lakh stored in bank accounts. The law will protect 98.3 per cent of the bank accounts. The Bill also increases deposit insurance coverage and reduces the time taken for depositors to recover sums if a bank comes under financial stress, she said.

The finance minister further said that in the first 45 days after a bank is placed under a moratorium by the Reserve Bank of India, the bank will collect all their accounts where claims have to be made and then these will be given to the DICGC, which will take another 45 days to check the accounts and then hand over the money.

On the 91st or 95th day after the bank is placed under moratorium, you will get your money as the new rules will not wait for the eventual liquidation or resolution, Sitharaman said.

Apart from the DICGC Bill, the Cabinet has also cleared the proposed amendment of the Limited Liability Partnership Act (LLP). The Act came into existence in 2008-2009. To provide ease of doing business, criminality has been removed.
A delegation of Cabinet ministers led by Singhal visited the trouble-torn border areas on Thursday

Guwahati: Amidst the simmering tension between Assam and Mizoram, Assamese minister Ashok Singhal on Thursday alleged the Mizoram government had not removed its police from the disputed site while the Mizoram government has sought the intervention of the Central government in clearing the blockade on the national highways and rail tracks in Assam.

A delegation of Cabinet ministers led by Singhal visited the trouble-torn border areas on Thursday and assured the residents of Assam living there not to fear any onslaught from the neighbouring state. He said: The Union home ministry has ordered the CRPF deployed in the border areas, we have given our post to the CRPF but the Mizoram government has still not removed its people from the post, which is sad. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the dispute can be resolved by talks.

As the incident has completely blocked all movement between the two states, Mizorams home secretary Lalbiaksangi said Thursday no state agency or entity or the general public has any right to block the national highways and railway tracks.

He said miscreants from Assam have removed the railway tracks and blocked National Highway 306, disrupting movement in the state. Seeking the early intervention of the Centre in the simmering border dispute, Mizorams home secretary said that the only railway line leading to Bairabi railway station in the state had been blocked.

In a related development, the Assam police on Thursday said it had filed a case against Mizoram Rajya Sabha MP K. Vanlalvena, who had publicly threatened the Assam police, saying they would all be killed if they dared to cross over into the Mizoram side.

Assam special DGP G.P. Singh said: An Assam police team, including officers of the CID, is leaving for Delhi to take lawful action relating to the conspiracy behind the incident in light of the media interview of Rajya Sabha MP K. Vanlalvena, which indicative of his active role in the conspiracy (behind) the July 26 border clash that left six Assam police personnel dead and many others injured.

The Mizoram MP, in an interview, had also said: Hundreds of Assam police personnel entered our territory, pushing back our forces from our posts and also shot first. They are lucky that we didnt kill them all. If they come again, we shall kill them all.

Mizo Students Union president J. Lalmuanzuala, in an open letter to the Assam Chief Minister, said: You have initiated violence against civilians in Mizoram knowing fully well that your actions can hamper the cordial relationship we have with the Indian Union for your selfish motives to take away the land that our ancestors had fought for through blood and sweat. This has led to the unfortunate death of seven precious lives.

The student leader added: This havoc you have created has a hidden agenda and political motif and interest from your part we are not ignorant (about) this. Within the Inner Line Reserve Forest Area of 509 sq miles, there are many illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who reside in the area. Your attempt to appease this population and give them an autonomous district council to strengthen your political ambition must end immediately.
A senior leader who was present in the meeting said that Rahul Gandhi spoke about the possibility of Prashant Kishor joining the Congress

New Delhi: Speculations in the Congress are rife over poll strategist Prashant Kishor joining the party. The speculation gained further currency when senior leader Rahul Gandhi shared with the Congress leaders about his meeting with Prashant Kishor recently.

He reportedly laid out a plan for the Congress party with a role for himself in it. A senior leader who was present in the meeting said that Rahul Gandhi spoke about the possibility of Prashant Kishor joining the Congress rather than being just an advisor from the outside.

The pros and cons of such a move were discussed and suggestions taken. The larger sense was that Prashant Kishor could well add value to the party. The meeting in which Gandhi spoke about his meeting with Kishor was attended by A.K. Antony, Mallikarjun Kharge, K.C. Venugopal amongst others.

Interestingly, both sides are keeping their cards close to their chest regarding the new entry. Alarm bells started ringing earlier this week when the Congress sent out a message that an eminent personality will be joining the party. After the initial adrenal rush it turned out that a former Lok Sabha MP from Haridwar was joining the party.

Insiders claim that Kishor feels that it is the umbrella organisation of the Congress that can forge a broad spectrum Opposition alliance to stop the BJP Juggernaut in the ensuing polls. Since he had publicly announced that he no longer will be doing an advisory role many feel that he may join a political party soon. After the spectacular victory in the West Bengal elections of the TMC that was being advised by Kishor he has met several opposition leaders.
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Take a look at the Warn Elite front bumper with a grille guard tube. It looks very nice indeed, but its a second-rate design because it blocks the forward-facing camera. In order to retain the cameras functionality, the off-road specialist from Oregon offers the Elite front bumper without a grille guard tube and an optional relocation kit for the winchs control pack from atop the winch. But anyway, the installation instructions reveal another problem.This product is not compatible with factory driver-assist systems such as adaptive cruise control and parking assist systems, reads the said document, although the latter part isnt correct because the bumper features two sensor brackets. As if that wasnt bad enough, the elephant in the room is the winch. If you equip the bumper with a winch, you also block the rectangular opening that feeds air to the intercooler. Considering that a Warn-equipped Bronco is certain to see off-road shenanigans, you need as much cooling as possible.If aftermarket companies would do a little bit of research before pushing out a design before competing aftermarket companies, the automotive world would be a better place. As such, youre better off purchasing the heavy-duty modular bumper from Ford. Be warned, however, that the automakers front bumper also obscures the front-facing camera if equipped with a winch.Care to guess how much Warn is asking for the cool-looking bumper with a guard tube, minus the relocation kit and winch? Make that $1,700, which is quite a bit more than Fords $825 modular bumper and $300 brush guard.
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Slowly, but steadily, all secrets of the third-generation subcompact crossoverare being unraveled. Officially, because it seems that Honda likes to give us information with a teaspoon. As far as the 2022 HR-V in Euro-spec is concerned, we just found out the e:HEV will be the sole offering. No more regularversions for the Old Continent, as the automaker tries to honor its pledge of electrifying all mainstream models in Europe by the end of 2022.So, after the last partial revelations about the specifics of the Old Continent HR-V, its time for more exact details. The new iteration is scheduled to hit European dealerships from late 2021, but again there are no prices to discuss. Instead, we do know a little more about Honda's two-motor hybrid technology that is now offered as a standard perk.It seems the 96(131 PS/129 hp) and 253 Nm (186 lb-ft) rating was for the e:HEV powertrains total power output, not just the 1.5-liter i-VTEC gasoline engine as we initially thought. Disappointing, right? Well, at least the automaker promises the effect is an effortless and comfortable journey, whether traveling through urban areas or cruising at high speed on motorways.And its also going to be an efficient one. The hybrid system produces CO2 emissions from 122 g/km () and is rated for fuel efficiency at 52.3 mpg / 4.49 l/100 km (WLTP). Of course, Honda's exclusive use of the hybrid powertrain isnt a surprise, considering that both the larger CR-V and the Jazz hatchback are also solely offered with a hybrid powertrain in Europe.And it does come equipped with a B-range for the auto box with selectable energy recovery levels, as well as a sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) in a sensible 10.6 seconds.
People who've never driven on the Autobahn imagine its "no speed limit" nature transforms it into total mayhem. However, cross the border into Germany and you might be surprised to notice that the traffic is likely one of the most civilized, organized, and free flowing you've ever encountered.There are mainly three reasons for that: one, the "no speed limit" rule doesn't apply everywhere, so you'll still need to watch your speedo most of the time or face the fines; two, drivers know the rules and tend to play by them, which means that even when they do go fast, everyone's actions are largely predictable; three, nobody goes fast just for the sake of it.Well, we say "nobody", but that's not entirely true. If you had the key to a Porsche 911 GT2 RS parked on the side of a no speed limit Autobahn section, would you really stop at 155 mph (250 km/h), or would you go all the way? If your answer is anything but the latter, we're sorry to say it but you're doing it wrong.Joking aside (nobody should drive above the speed they feel comfortable at regardless of the environment and the vehicle they're in), it would be hard to resist the temptation, particularly when the GT2 RS at hand had even more power than the 700 hp it gets when stock. In this case, thanks to modifications from LCE Performance, we're looking at 800 hp and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm).The GT2's cornering abilities might go to waste on the often straight Autobahn, but it's one of the few places that offer the required conditions (long-enough piece of asphalt and no speed limits) for this extreme 911 can stretch its wings to the max. Originally, the 911 GT2 RS is capped at a top speed of 211 mph (340 kph), but after the mods, the limit was pushed to 223 mph (360 kph).The road seemed pretty busy that day, but the driver manages to find an open patch where he could push the Porsche GT2 RS to the limit. He decides to stop at 217 mph (349 kph) despite the fact there was no apparent reason not to carry on, but he might have seen or felt something we're missing just by looking at the clip.However, we haven't become so spoiled that we can't enjoy a car doing that kind of speed on what is a public road, particularly since it offers a very interesting (if useless) insight: at 217 mph, the sound of the 3.8 turbocharged flat-six is completely overpowered by the wind noise the 911 makes. Well, it's not like a track-focused car like the GT2 RS has the best soundproofing on the market anyway.
The history of the Continental can be traced back to 1939 when Ford commissioned a one-off design as a personal vehicle for company president Edsel Ford. A production model was launched in 1940, discontinued in 1948, and revived in 1956. From then on, the Continental evolved into one of America's most popular premium vehicles.Built in large numbers over the decades, the classic Lincoln Continental remains an affordable collectible. Sadly, many of them still populate junkyards, left to rot beyond recognition. This 1969 had a similar fate. Abandoned sometime in the 1980s, it became one with the mud and vegetation that took a hold of its wheels. But this massive two-door got extremely lucky when it was discovered by the folks over at Budget Buildz, who pulled it out of its resting place and revived its V8 engine.Saving a car that's been sitting outside for more than three decades is no easy business. It usually loses the integrity of its frame due to direct contact with wet soil and the tires are among the first to become unusable. But these guys got lucky. The Continental seems to be in one piece despite sitting for so long and all four tires inflate enough to help the car roll onto a trailer.Once they take it back to the shop, the guys at Budget Buildz set out to fire up the old V8. Fourth-gen Continentals were fitted with massive engines. These cars tip the scales at more than 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg), so Ford went with big-block units only.This 1969 Continental is fitted with the biggest mill ever fitted in the full-size vehicle, in the form of a 462-cubic-inch (7.6-liter) V8. Part of the MEL series, this big engine powered the Continental from 1966 to 1969 and generated a solid 340 horsepower and 485 pound-feet (658 Nm) of torque when new.It's a rather troublesome engine, but it agrees to fire up after a bit of work and a bit of fiddling with some of its components. And it runs surprisingly well for an engine that hasn't turned for 32 years. It's not yet ready to push 5000 pounds worth of car just yet, but we should be seeing it hit public roads soon.I don't know about you, but I'm always happy to see luxo-barges from the 1960s get a second chance at life. Check it all out in the video below.
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While the latter arrived with a competitive price of $25,795 (excluding other charges), the ultra-popular plug-in hybrid version has remained a 2021 model year. It still comes with the same outdated design as the previous generation Outlander and only keeps things fresh from a technical standpoint. It does so by including powertrain revisions, a larger battery pack, along with more performance. All for the same price of $36,295.We gave you this quick rundown because theres a big decision to be made if one is gearing up for aacquisition of the Mitsubishi Outlander variety. The Japanese automaker has just kicked off the teaser campaign for the all-new Outlander PHEV with a new-generation hybrid system . But we feel its a bit premature to check up on the bank account.This is because the company is promising the all-new Outlander PHEV for some time this fiscal year. And said fiscal year lasts between April 2021 and March 2022. So, a big window of time for just the official introduction, not the market release. Bear in mind that one is coming even later, during the second half of the current fiscal year at home in Japan and in the second half of calendar-year 2022 for the United States.To make the wait worthwhile, Mitsubishi says the Outlander PHEV will have improved motor output and increased battery capacity over the current model, which comes with a newly beefed-up total system output of 221 horsepower. Additionally, the current models battery has been ramped up to 13.8(instead of 12 kWh), with anrange of 24 miles (39 km). Most importantly, Outlanders new architecture will allow the PHEV version to retain the seven-seat configuration.
Journalist and YouTuber Misha Charoudin, a long-established name in the auto community, was recently offered an Audi RS6 for reliability tests, he explains in his most recent video (hat tip to The Drive ). Usually, this would mean speed tests on the Autobahn or laps on the Nurburgring but, just a couple of days after he took delivery of the car, massive floods hit Germany.The Ahrweiler region was particularly hard-hit, with the Nurburgring Arena being indefinitely converted into rescue center. That is to say, even if hed wanted to run laps in his brand new (lender) RS6, Charoudin couldnt have done it. Instead, he decided to do whatever he could to help out and, since his personal car had been flushed away in a flood, he opted for the RS6 as his daily.He documented the next few days extensively on his social media and YouTube channel but, to sum up, he used the press car as a relief vehicle.On the daily, he would carry volunteers, equipment, food and perishables, and other types of supplies to the affected areas. Perhaps just as importantly, he also focused on the devastation left behind, the displaced and the injured, the missing and the deceased, and the kind of effort needed to help these people out. He asked for donations and he asked for more volunteers to show up, all the while highlighting the ways in which the RS6 was a very powerful and fast car, comfortable and high-quality, but also competent in real-life scenarios. Extreme scenarios, no less.Then, with days to go until the end of the trial period, he received an email from an Audi PR, letting him know that they werent ok with the way hed been using the car. Hauling emergency supplies and offering disaster relief were not part of the reliability test, the message said. Audi hoped the car would be returned in pristine condition.Though shocked, Charoudin still included an apology in his reply. He also gave Audi what they wanted at the end of the video, including a review of the vehicle while stationary, listing the specs and the features. On social media, he noted that hed cleaned up the RS6 properly at the end of the 2-week period and that, while itd been used heavily, it was never mishandled in any way. As one would expect any reviewer with common sense to do.Needless to say, the whole thing has turned into PR nightmare for Audi, with commenters rushing to note that the tragedy could have been marketing gold for the marque  if only theyd known to read the situation properly. The insensitivity of the remark about the car being returned in pristine condition seems to have struck a chord with most.
In the time that has passed since the EXP 100 GT , Bentley moved down the electrification path, and as of this summer it will make available the Flying Spur Hybrid. Before people get accustomed to that though, theyll have to get past the Odyssean.Based on the hybrid Spur , this one is a limited edition vehicle with exclusive exterior and interior content and the first step on a journey to introduce new sustainable materials as part of its Beyond100 strategy. Some EXP 100 GT connections are to be seen, sadly, at the interior alone, and not the exterior  the 2019 concept was simply breathtaking.Inside is where materials with fancy names were used  things like tweed made from 100 percent British wool, open pore Koa veneer, Piano Linen veneer, Autumn hide, and so on.When it comes to the exterior, the Odyssean will be offered in six colors with Pale Brodgar accents, 21-inch ten spoke wheels, and, other than that, the usual Flying Spur design.As far as the engine is concerned, were talking about a internal combustion unit 2.9-liter in displacement in a V6 configuration that, combined with an electric motor, can churn out 536 bhp and 750 Nm of torque.Bentley did not say anything about the price for the Flying Spur Hybrid Odyssean, neither did it explain exactly what limited means in this case. You can have a look at all the available details for the car in the press release section below.
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With oil burning in mind, the said editor contacted several automakers that were revealed to have issues with oil consumption a few years ago. The editor went even further and discovered that there are still modern cars that can burn enough oil to deplete their engines between manufacturer-recommended oil changes.Yes, you read that right, there are modern cars that can suffer from oil consumption issues so severe that they may run out of oil before they drive enough miles to reach their next service interval. Fortunately, this does not happen to all the cars in a particular model series, and there are things that owners can do to prevent the expensive event of an engine failure due to low oil pressure.Eight manufacturers were identified in CR's study, and most of them have provided the publication with a list of oil-burning engines, while several have already taken action to correct the situation in their cars. Each owner and prospective owner of said models should be aware of the risk and monitor the oil level of those cars.Burning oil was a problem that was almost eradicated at the turn of this Millenium, but ever-increasing fuel economy standards have led to trade-offs in engine design that had an unfortunate effect on durability, as Consumer Reports notes. It is also important to point out that there is no standard on how much oil an engine can burn between service intervals, and each manufacturer has its own guidelines on the matter.In other words, if an engine burns no oil or given quantity of oil between service intervals, it may be in line with manufacturer specification. The situation turns into a problem only if the engine burns more oil than what the automaker considers to be normal. However, it is still the owner's responsibility to frequently check the oil level so that the engine does not run out of it between service intervals.Things go weary in the case of long service intervals , abusive driving styles, extreme wear conditions, and ignoring oil change intervals. With more than two of the above in play, all bets are off when oil consumption is involved. So, if you do not know when was the last time your car got an oil change, or when it is due for the next one, get it done sooner than later, and monitor the oil level to be sure you are not going to face an expensive repair.Oil-burning is not considered to be a safety concern, which means that automakers do not have to issue recalls to get it done. Cars of the last decade are equipped with catalytic converters that are so advanced that they mask oil burning through their effective operation. The only way to be sure that a car does not burn too much of its oil is to frequently monitor its level with a dipstick, a tool that is becoming rare in new cars.In alphabetical order, these are the engines that Consumer Reports' study have shown to be prone to burning oil. Acura 's 3.7-liter V6, used from 2010 to 2013. That engine was used in the Acura RL, TL, MDX, and ZDX. American Honda Motor Company has issued a voluntary warranty extension to cover issues related to oil consumption. Audi 's turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engines built between 2010 and 2018, as well as Audi's supercharged 3.0-liter V6 mill built between 2011 and 2019. Affected models include the A6, A7, Q7, A4, S4, A5, A5 Cabriolet, and Q5. The German brand has a Technical Service Bulletin on the matter, which solves the issue, but owners are requested to contact an authorized dealer regarding their concerns. BMW 's turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 built from 2012 to 2019 has also been prone to burning oil. Affected models include the V8 versions of the 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, X5, X6, and M-badged versions of those cars. The automaker declined to comment at CR's request.General Motors' inline-four 2.4-liter engine used from 2011 to 2015, used on the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain , is also subject to the issue. GM issued a special coverage warranty for the affected cars, and owners are requested to go to a certified dealer to receive a diagnosis. MINI 's turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four engine, employed from 2010 to 2015, should also have its oil checked frequently. The brand's representatives requested their customers to contact the customer care team to discuss any issues. Subaru has three engines that should be monitored for excessive oil consumption, as CR notes. The 2.0-liter boxer-four used from 2012 to 2018, the 2.5-liter boxer-four used from 2010 to 2018, and the 3.6-liter boxer-six used from 2010 to 2018. Affected models include the Impreza, Crosstrek, BRZ, Forester, Outback, and Legacy. The Japanese brand also requests owners to contact the dealer if any problems arise, and the matter will be handled on a case-by-case basis. The Consumer Reports editor had to pay to have his engine's oil replaced to get an oil consumption test, but the automaker replaced his engine at the company's expense. Volkswagen was not exempt from the problem, and owners of cars with its turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four engine employed from 2016 to 2019 should check their oil level frequently. VW replied that they had not seen a significant issue with oil consumption in the field with that engine and recommended that owners check the manual for usage and maintenance guidelines. Owners are instructed to regularly check their oil, along with all engine fluids, and to contact an authorized dealer if they have any concerns with their vehicle. Volvo has two engines that require closer attention, the 3.0-liter inline-six engine used from 2011 to 2015, as well as a 3.2-liter inline-six unit placed in cars built between 2010 and 2014. Affected models include the S80, V60, V70, XC70, XC60, and SC90. Volvo requests its customers to contact an authorized retailer for proper fault tracing, diagnostics, and service operations. The Swedish company explained that all engines consume oil, however there is no specific mileage at which a high consumption rate could be considered normal.
While the dynamic part is still entirely debatable, especially because Apple doesnt allow users to interact with widgets in a different way than tapping them to launch the main app, this new feature has quickly become quite a popular option for everyone with an iPhone.And this is why in the latest few months, more and more developers updated their apps to add support for iOS widgets.This week, Google too joined this bandwagon and released widget support for Google Maps , therefore letting users interact with the app right from the home screen. Version 5.74 is the one bringing iOS widgets, and as you can see in the screenshots here, users can choose from two different versions during the setup screen.First and foremost, its the standard widget called Know before you go, and which determines your address to display things like traffic condition, store opening times, restaurant reviews, and everything else. As said, due to Apples widget restrictions, you cant do anything else than tap the widget to launch Google Maps and see the displayed information on the entire screen.Then, the second widget is called Find places nearby, and this time, its a larger design that allows you to search Google Maps, see the home or work locations, find restaurants and gas stations. But again, because the interaction options with widgets are very limited, tapping any of the displayed options, including the search box, automatically launches Google Maps on your iPhone Google says this is just the first set of home screen widgets, so most likely, the company plans to launch more of them in the coming updates.The widgets certainly look cool, and for hardcore Google Maps users they probably come in handy too. A new version of iOS is due in September, so hopefully, Apple improves the widget interaction options to actually let us conduct a search or do more without leaving the home screen.
The U.S. Air Force didnt get to fight with its F-35A Lightning II variant until April 2019, when a pair of them conducted an airstrike at Wadi Ashai, Iraq, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.That means most of the people involved with the F-35 are still trying to wrap their heads around the thing. So much so that in 2019 the United States Operational Test Team (UOTT) was established to ensure "the interoperability of the three F-35 variants across the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and international partners.The main pic of this piece (click photo to enlarge) was taken at the end of June during a UOTT flight test alongside an F-22 Raptor . The goal of the joint flight was to to test interoperability between the two aircraft platforms as the team is working on making the flying weapons platform deadly for the enemy and reliable for friends.The F-35, which is available in three variants, one for the Air Force, another for the Navy, and a third for the Marine Corps, is powered by a Pratt & Whitney F135 engine that can take it to speeds of Mach 1.6, while generating 43,000 lbf (190 kN) of thrust with the afterburner.The F-22, already a ten-year veteran when the F-35 came into service, uses two engines made by the same Pratt & Whitney and develops 35,000 lbf of thrust. This one is exclusive to the Air Force.
A young company, Lilium started developing its proprietary technology for eVTOLS just 6 years ago. It has already come a long way, with 4 generations of prototypes built and tested, including the current 5-seat demonstrator. Its most ambitious project is the 7-seater eVTOL that has received type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2018.The German company has already partnered with several important players in related industries, including Honeywell, Lufthansa Aviation and Ferrovial, an airport operator who will help develop 14 vertiports in Florida. Customcells is the latest company to join this respectable line-up, as the lithium-ion battery supplier for the electric Lilium jet. It will begin manufacturing battery cells for high-quality series production at its Tubingen location, one of the most modern production lines in Europe.In fact, Customcellss performance was confirmed by Porsche, who selected it as a partner in the Cellforce Group joint venture, which will manufacture high-performance silicon-anode batteries at the Weissach Development Center.The 7-seater Lilium jet is based on the companys Ducted Electric Vectored Thrust (DEVT) proprietary technology, that integrates the electric motors into the wing flaps. This way, the aircraft gains aerodynamic efficiency, better payload, with reduced noise levels, and also allows thrust vector control throughout various flight phases.With a 27.9-foot (8.5 meters) length and 45.6-foot (13.9 meters) wingspan, the Lilium eVTOL is also built with a spacious cabin can accommodate 6 passengers. Its designed to reach a cruise speed of 175 mph (280 kph) and a maximum range of 155 miles (250 km).Both Lilium and Customecells have manufacturing facilities in Germany, so battery supply shouldnt be a problem for the future 7-seater electric jet, set to have its commercial launch in 2024.
The redesigned Hunter T1+ comes with increased suspension travel over its predecessor, along with 17-inch rims that are equipped with 37-inch tires. Previously, Prodrive fitted this model with 16-inch wheels and 32-inch rubber, so you can agree that this is a notable change.According to Prodrive, the suspension travel increased from 280 (11.02 inches) to 350 mm (13.77 inches), while the body's width was also increased from two meters (78.7 inches) to 2.3 meters (90.55 inches). Since things are connected here, the drivetrain and suspension also required further mods.Therefore, stronger driveshafts were fitted along with other components to meet the harsh demands of racing in the Dakar Rally and other similar events. Widening the body also involved a redesign of the shell, which had half of its panels changed. The redesigned windscreen needs to be mentioned as well.Since this vehicle is designed for hardcore competition use, Prodrive fitted it with new onboard jacks that are lighter than their predecessors and can also lift the car faster if the competitors will have to change wheels on the stage. Its functionality has been improved with the addition of an electric pump.The first unit of the Hunter T1+ was built in the UK, at Prodrive's headquarters, and it will start competing in September 2021. Outside of the 2022 Dakar Rally , this truck will be available to customers interested in competing in FIA Cross Country events and Baja rallies.The new regulations for the Dakar Rally should balance the performance of the four and two-wheel drive cars in the T1 class. The next edition of the Dakar Rally will be held in January 2022 in Saudi Arabia.
Frankly, its rather clear this particular 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 thats on consignment from Denver, Colorado-based Worldwide Vintage Autos had a little bit of aftermarket help . That aspect is rather clear without even getting to check up on the description list that was gathered by the selling dealer. Just look at the beefy 33-inch tires and the cool wheels.Or perhaps the first thing that got noticed was the full wrap-around protection for the lower parts of the body? After all, those blacked-out tubular bars bode quite well in combination with the crimson paint . Or maybe it was the huge roof rack that gave it all away? No matter, because we dig the cool, ready for anything looks. And we can already imagine the overlanding trips that will bring many adventures and great memories for the future owner.Even better, theres a wild heart tucked away under the hood. So, instead of an inline-four or six-cylinder gasoline or diesel engine, the Japanese off-roader had a 350ci V8 transplanted inside the engine bay. And thats not all, because the converted FJ60 also gets all-wheel drive, along with a 2-inch (5 cm) lift kit to keep it company.There are just a couple of bummers. One would be that mileage is wrongly displayed as 93k original miles (almost 150,000 km) in the sellers description. Meanwhile, its clear the Land Cruiser has almost 150k miles (over 241,000 km) according to the odometer readout. And theres also the mystery of the price , as the sale has the questionable call for price label.
The document first states that drivers should avoid questions about him because they are extremely common and extremely sensitive. Despite the public fascination people have with Musk, drivers should be as brief as possible when talking about him and do their best to shut down such conversation.The document brings guidelines for common questions as well. If people ask what Musk is like, drivers should say: Hes awesome! Inspiring / motivating / etc. If they ask if these drivers like to work for him, they should answer: Yup, hes a great leader! He motivates us to do great work.For the ones that dare to ask about Musks attitude as a boss or if he smokes marijuana, for example, the answers are also pre-determined: I havent seen that article, but that hasnt been my experience. That can be reinforced with the answer to questions about his involvement with the Loop: Hes the company founder, and has been very involved and supportive.Even his tweets are covered in the expected questions. In this case, the answer should be: Elon is a public figure. Were just here to provide an awesome transportation experience!Loop drivers have to be protective of more than just their boss. They also have to care for the reputation of the system itself. If passengers ask about crashes in the tunnel, the recommended answer is: Its a very safe system, and Im not sure. Youd have to reach out to the company.The last ironic bit about the Loop is that Autopilot is forbidden there. For a tunnel that was conceived as a fast escape from traffic jams with automated carts and vehicles driving at high speeds, it is anything but.
What is even more impressive is that the alternative fuel employed in the Iveco Stralis NP 460 trucks cuts down greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99 percent. Furthermore, the fuel is sourced from whisky production waste and residues, which closes the production loop of the company.Scottish whisky brand Glenfiddich is the first to use the Ultra-Low Carbon Fuel (UCLF) and they installed fueling stations for their trucks at the company's Dufftown distillery in Scotland. The brand is owned by William Grant & Sons, and representatives explained that the waste and residues from the whisky manufacturing process were traditionally sold to be used as high-protein cattle feed.So, how do whisky production waste and residues get turned into fuel? Spent grains leftover from the malting process is broken down by bacteria through anaerobic digestion. The result of that process produces biogas, and liquid waste can be introduced into the process to make fuel for the company's delivery trucks.With this process, the distillery gets to recycle all its waste products, which is impressive. The Scottish whisky industry wants to be carbon net-zero by 2040, as Reuters notes , so this implementation is a big step in that direction.Eventually, the process will be implemented in all the distilleries owned by William Grant & Sons, and other companies could also benefit from the technology. For now, only 20 trucks have been converted to run on the new ULCF gas, and each of those trucks displaces 250 tons of CO2 annually.The Iveco Stralis NP 460 trucks employed as delivery trucks worked on natural gas, so the conversion process was simplified when compared to a conventional diesel truck. The Stralis 460 can deal with light off-road missions but is engineered to operate mostly on-road. It can drive up to 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) on a single fill-up, so most of the company's deliveries can be handled in a CO2-neutral manner.
The 1992 BMW R100GS Paris-Dakar is put in motion thanks to an air-cooled 980cc boxer-twin powerplant, which hosts dual Bing carbs, four valves and a compression ratio of 8.5:1. This bad boy is good for up to 60 hp at 6,500 rpm, while a healthy torque output of 56 pound-feet (76 Nm) will be generated at approximately 3,750 spins.To reach the rear wheel, the oomph travels via a five-speed transmission thats in turn paired with an enclosed driveshaft. Ultimately, the end result is a top speed of 109 mph (176 kph) and a quarter-mile time of just 13.1 seconds. The powertrain modules are nested inside a double cradle skeleton, which rests on telescopic forks at the front and a Paralever suspension setup on the other end.Stopping power is provided by a single 285 mm (11.2 inches) Brembo disc and a twin-piston caliper up front, along with a 200 mm (7.9 inches) drum brake fitted on the rear 17-inch hoop. When equipped with all the necessary fluids, the Beemer will tip the scales at 519 pounds (236 kilograms).Now that weve talked about Paris-Dakar's technical specifications, lets get straight to the point. The bike featured in this articles photo gallery is making its way to the auction block at no reserve, with a current bid of just $5,000. It comes with a limited selection of tasteful adjustments, namely an LED taillight item, Shinko tires and a two-up Corbin saddle with red accents.As of 2021, the engine underwent a rejuvenating service to keep things running smoothly. The 91 MY Bavarian is definitely a head-turner, but we think itd look even better parked in your garage, so make sure you head over to Bring A Trailer within the next four days. The online auction will be open until Monday afternoon (August 2).
A portfolio website, for creatives, is the window to new collaborators, clients, and opportunities from all over the world. This is the place where we communicate to possible clients what we do, how we do it, what sets us apart, and invite them to contact usin just a couple of scrolls. Yep, no pressure. Frankly, your website is your greatest selling tool, so Id say invest your time and money on it.

If done correctly, youll have an impressive ROI, but also, your portfolio website is the place where we can go all out with our design. Without client briefs and constraints, we have a white canvas to have FUN. Even though creating our brand and website is definitely challenging, its a very unique and creative process that every designer will enjoy.

Your website is your greatest selling tool, so Id say invest your time and money on it.

This picture perfectly shows the design style we chose for Antara. Earthy monochromatic tones, editorial typography, and a lot of movement.

As the Founder and Creative Director of Antara Studio, creating my own brand and website was a very introspective process. The quality of Antaras website defines the quality of our approach with clients, so everything about it had to communicate how it is to work with us as a team.

Antara Studios landing page.

Desktop Design

Just like our branding process for clients, I defined Antaras brand essence and concept first, then created a design around it. After giving it a lot of thought, I landed on the final concept: where aesthetics and functionality meet, as these two pillars are equally as important when creating a great design. Derived from this concept came the two gradient blob figures on the landing page. One representing aesthetics and the other one functionality. These then became important design elements throughout the entire site.

Since we dont only offer digital services, our website is designed in an editorial format, and my choice of editorial typography plays an important role. I experimented with large and tiny type sizes to keep the flow interesting and digestible, as it is pretty loaded with lengthy texts. Something I love about editorial websites is how they can break the rules of classic web design. The small-sized texts become a decorative design element or figure, almost like an illustration.

Something I love about editorial websites is how they can break the rules of classic web design.

I chose monochromatic colors because I wanted our work to be in the spotlight, and adding a bright color palette could compete with our portfolios hierarchy. As the visuals started to take shape, the wow-effect didnt really come in until Mario Maselli, the amazing creative developer I partnered with, gave the designs a true spin. Many of the design decisions were taken collaboratively with Mario. The smooth yet edgy typographic animations gave the site the elegant and bold personality found in Antara Studios work.

Our project page design is minimal and editorial. In this section we had fun with the gradient blob figure by making it change color depending on the projects brand colors.

This is how we chose the branded color for the gradient blob, pretty simple.

Our typographic selection: Recife Display for headings and HK Grotesk for paragraphs.

Mobile Design

Designing Antara Studios site in mobile form was challenging because the lengthy texts can make the scrolling times longer. In this case, we made sure to play with animations and typography in a way that the reader wouldnt get bored.

Mobile web design.

Takeaways:

These are the key takeaways to make a website that attracts global opportunities:

Define the most important message you want to communicate and then communicate it in a very memorable way. This can be your value proposition or just something that makes you stand out from the rest. Define your style and personality with your dream client in mind. Design elements like typography, color, and photo selection will communicate your brands personality and resonate with the viewer. Create a layout that highlights your work and that goes in line with your work style. The wow-effect comes from the animations you chose to apply to your design, so partner with a great creative developer to help you create animations that resonate with your personality and design style. Your website communicates who you are in just a few scrolls, and if you communicate quality and trust, chances are more people will hit that contact button.

Technologies

All decisions on the development of the site were made by the amazing creative developer Mario Maselli

JS Libraries

Content

Mario built this site with the help of 11ty, so we are actually generating a static site. It should be really fast (fingers crossed). He used only Javascript (no frameworks) and made use of some libraries that made it possible to achieve smooth page transitions and scroll animations.

Animations

To create animations, Mario used Highway js + Gsap to handle all the page transitions and animations. The page transition is just a simple Fade in/out combined with Gsap Split text animation that gives a smooth feeling throughout the site. Three.js was used in two different places, the first being the works section on the Homepage which is a vertex shader that is attached to the mouse movement to achieve a bending type of animation. The second is the gradient blobs that are just a fragment shader inside a circle.

Content

The content is managed by Sanity a free and Open Source CMS powered by React. It's very powerful and it has the ability to customize almost anything that you want. The only limitation that we found out later is that when you win an Awwwards the amount of traffic to the site is huge and the bandwidth from the free plan ran out. But they have a nice option to pay for the extra bandwidth that you use (so not a big problem).

After generating the Schemas and data structure with Sanity, we created the templates with the help of 11ty. Eleventy is a static generator so when hooked with the data from Sanity it generates static HTML from each page/post from the site.

So how do you put everything together? This is where Netlify comes to the rescue. Sanity has a hook that triggers every time that you make an update to the site. The hook is triggered on Netlify and runs the build (it can take a minute or two), which puts everything together and serves all the static pages and assets.

Mario really loved this setup. Its simple, fast and it lets you focus on the right things. We would totally recommend it for projects that dont need a big amount of modules/components.

Marios selection of animations gave the visuals more life. The Projects page introduces each project with a lot of movement in a smooth and elegant way.

Company Info

Antara is a graphic design studio based in Guatemala specializing in brand identity, packaging, and web design. Only a year after being founded by Isabel Mendez, Antara Studio has been mentioned and awarded by some of the most prestigious international awards, striving to put Guatemala in the spotlight for its amazing and underexposed design talent.
Tensions rose further in recent days at border sections separating Armenias northeastern Gegharkunik province from the Kelbajar district handed back to Azerbaijan after the autumn war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Three Armenian soldiers were killed and four others wounded there early on Wednesday in what the Armenian military described as a failed Azerbaijani attempt to capture one of its border posts in the mountainous area. Baku accused the Armenian side of provoking one of the worst armed incidents reported in the Karabakh conflict zone after the six-week war.

The heavy fighting stopped later on Wednesday after the two sides reached a ceasefire agreement brokered by Moscow.

The Armenian Defense Ministry said that Azerbaijani forces breached the truce and again fired at its troops on Thursday morning. It said an Armenian army officer was wounded as a result.

Contrary to efforts of the Armenian government and the international community, the situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is not stabilizing, said Pashinian. Azerbaijan is carrying on with aggressive rhetoric and actions while ignoring the international communitys proposals aimed at a political and long-term settlement of the conflict.

Given the current situation, I think it makes sense to consider the deployment of Russian border guard outposts along the entire Armenian-Azerbaijani border, he said at the start of a weekly meeting of his cabinet. It would enable us to carry out border delimitation and demarcation without a risk of armed clashes.

We are going to discuss this subject with our Russian partners, added Pashinian.

Russia, which has a military base in Armenia, already deployed army soldiers and border guards to the South Caucasus countrys Syunik province late last year to defend it against possible Azerbaijani attacks. Syunik borders districts southwest of Karabakh which were retaken by Azerbaijan during the war stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire in November.

A senior Armenian official said on July 7 that Russia has begun preparations for a similar deployment to Gegharkuniks volatile border areas. Moscow has still not publicly confirmed that.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quick to comment on Pashinians proposal. The RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as telling reporters that Moscow is making continuous efforts to strengthen the ceasefire regime and help Yerevan and Baku take confidence-building measures.

Asked whether Russia is ready to deploy border guards along Armenias entire border with Azerbaijan, Peskov said: Contacts with Yerevan are going on. I have nothing to add.
The United States condemns the recent escalation of violence along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the State Department spokesman, Ned Price, said in a statement issued on Wednesday after three Armenian soldiers were killed in border clashes with Azerbaijani troops.

Philip Reeker, the acting U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, expressed concern at the deadly fighting in a phone call with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. The latter blamed Armenia for the escalation.

The Armenian military says that the fighting broke out when Azerbaijani troops tried to capture one of its border outposts in Armenias northeastern Gegharkunik province.

Tensions in Gegharkuniks border zone steadily increased over the past week. The U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Lynne Tracy, visited the mountainous area on Monday.

Continued tensions along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border underscore the fact that only a comprehensive resolution that addresses all outstanding issues can normalize relations between the two countries and allow the people of the region to live together peacefully, said Price.

He said Baku and Yerevan should return as soon as possible to substantive discussions under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to achieve a long-term political settlement to the conflict.

In a joint statement released in April, the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the Minsk Group likewise called for renewed talks on a comprehensive and sustainable resolution of the Karabakh conflict based on their pre-war peace proposals.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday again accused Baku of continuing to ignore the mediators appeal.
It took less than 30 seconds to find a man in Nogales, Sonora in Mexico willing to sell the type of deadly counterfeit Percocet pills that are causing a spike in overdoses among teenagers in particular here in the Valley.
COTTONWOOD, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office says search crews have found the body of Faith Moore where she was last seen on Wednesday. After YCSO said on Wednesday around 4 p.m. a body was found, Cottonwood police confirmed hours later it was of the 16-year-old girl. "Tragic, very tragic," said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes. "This is a very difficult day."

Fire crews say Faith called for help around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, saying she was stuck in about 2 feet of water. But the floodwaters continued to swell. When rescuers arrived, they could see Faith's car and a "silhouette" of a person inside. By the time they got to the car, there was no one inside, fire officials say. "The door was open and she was no longer in the vehicle," said Johnson earlier in the search. Johnson says Faith's cell phone and some of her other belongings were found in the wash.

Crews have been searching for Faith for days. Faith has deep ties to the community. She is the granddaughter of the recently retired fire chief from the Verde Valley Fire District and the retired EMS chief from Verde Valley Ambulance. Faith is also the niece of an active Cottonwood firefighter. All those ties had been making it a very personal and emotional search effort.

Hundreds of volunteers have been doing what they can to help search, and donations of food, water, and Gatorade for crews have been pouring in. Cottonwood Police Department volunteer Mark Luffman says he's been amazed by the communitys generosity.

About 300 people held a prayer vigil at Mingus Union High School for Faith Monday evening. Faith's mom, Katie Moore, thanked everyone who showed up to support the family during this difficult time. "Thank you to each and every one of you for being here, for praying, for helping to find our girl," said Katie Moore. "We are living through our darkest hours but to have your support is monumental and we just can't thank you enough."

Wednesday night was a somber one at Mingus Mountain, where dozens of people had gathered to await news.

Brittany Koch had brought supplies for the search parties. "As much as you want closure for the family, you really had faith that Faith was going to be safe and sound, but its really sad and heartbreaking but Im thankful the family will get closure after this," she said.

Ive worked with a lot of great teams in my career and this team is top notch," said Cottonwood PD Commander Chris Dowell. "This is one of the best teams Ive ever worked with so between the team and the community it couldnt have been done without you. Great job great job. Thats what this family needed.
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Astoria Trolley Back Again This Weekend in Historic Oregon Coast Town

Published 07/22/21 at 7:15 PM PST

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Astoria, Oregon)  For 16 months it was gone. That much-loved and famed Astoria Riverfront Trolley was closed due to the pandemic, no longer providing those leisurely and distinctive runs around the historic north Oregon coast town. Now, however the trolley back in action this weekend.. (Photo above courtesy Travel Astoria-Warrenton).

The historic trolley makes its return on Friday, July 23, according to an announcement by the Travel Astoria-Warrenton group.

For now, it's a limited schedule, as the trolley feature does not yet have enough volunteers to serve up the rail rides. The Astoria Trolley will be running from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, until they have had a chance to train more volunteers and get them properly certified.

Riders will make optional payments in a donation box, the agency said.

The car's normal costs were $1 per ride or $2 to ride all day. Regular schedules were daily in the summer before the pandemic.

The Old 300 trolley car (built by the American Car Company back in 1913) takes about an hour to chug around town, but don't look for rigid stop times at Astoria's trolley shelters.

There is no set time that they will be at a particular stop, said Regina Wilkie, with the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce. It is a pretty loose schedule - fun ride versus a means of transit.

Trolley trips are weather permitting as well.

Among the spots to catch a ride include the Astoria Red Lion Inn, Maritime Memorial (near Bay Street); the foot of 6th, 11th and 14th streets; Maritime Museum, foot of 17th Street; East End Mooring Basin, foot of 36th St. Or you can wave a $1 bill at the trolley at any place along the north Oregon coast town to make it stop for you.

Trolley History





This particular trolley comes from a group of cars made by the St. Louis-based American Car Company that are numbered 300 to 313, constructed of steel and wood. It then lived a life of service in San Antonio, Texas, until 1933.

Car 300 was then shuffled off to the Witte Museum in the Texas town, left outside and under increasing weather damage until 1948. After that, it received some TLC from restoration experts, but some of its mechanical parts had been loaned out during World War II and never returned.

In 1968, car 300 reappeared in an outdoor display through the year 1980, during which time it acquired a serious case of rot. In the early 80s, it underwent some major restoration, which included utilizing parts of car 311. That old trolley actually served as someone's residence for a time. The exterior and other parts were used to restore old 300, and mechanical parts were acquired from New Orleans to refurbish its ability to function.

While still owned by the museum in Texas, in the early 90s the trolley found its way to the northwest, serving a trolley line between Portland and Lake Oswego for awhile and then to Gales Creek. As the latter operation began shutting down, the city of Astoria snapped up and it found its home on the north Oregon coast.

More restoration was done here by local devotees to the cause in 1999, and by the early 2000s it was operational, becoming a much-beloved icon of the Oregon coast town.

For more information see the Astoria Trolley page or call 325-6311 or (800) 875-6807. Leave message at 325-8790. MORE PHOTOS BELOW

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S. Oregon Coast Cottoneva Shipwreck a Tense Drama for Port Orford

Published 07/23/21 at 4:45 AM PST

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Port Orford, Oregon)  One of the few shipwreck chunks you can see on the Oregon coast sits at Port Orford: the propeller from the Cottoneva. Its rusted, curmudgeonly shape survives almost 100 years on now, there as a fascinating little tourist attraction near Battle Rock, slightly haunting but always firing up the imagination. (Photo courtesy blog.portorfordhistoricalphotos.org)

It was February of 1937 that the Cottoneva wrecked on the shores of the southern Oregon coast town, a 190-foot schooner that was loaded up with lumber and got hit by a massive storm that the crew had just barely missed being informed about. It's one of those lucky shipwrecks of the Oregon coast: no lives were lost, and the men aboard even got their belongings back. Yet it created some interesting legal wrangling afterwards and somewhat echoed down the decades in that manner, getting brought up again as a legal precedent in 1979.

The Cottoneva had been docked at Port Orford, loading up on lumber, getting ready to make its way to Grays Harbor on the Washington coast. On February 10 of 37, it was ready to depart. Just as it did so, officials got word of a heavy storm that was bearing down on the south coast, but that did not get to captain and crew in time. Reportedly, the Cottoneva was not loaded properly causing the bow to be rather high. This, combined with gale force winds that hit 75 mph, caused the ship to be unmanageable at sea. Captain Eberhard Stahlbaum barked orders to keep trying. The ship tossed about in the fury, veering one direction to the next.

Yet the Cottoneva was still close to the beaches and cliffs of Port Orford  too close in such a tempest. Stahlbaum made one last ditch effort to shove her out to sea, but to no avail. Between the proximity of land and the lack of protection from the wind, he gave up. In a split-second decision, the captain sent the ship up the beach, knowing that was the only way to save the men onboard.

Somewhere in the midst of that, the wooden schooner hit a rock or maybe another shipwreck chunk and one side split open. There she was stuck, next to Battle Rock, languishing in pounding surf and heavy winds, getting gutted.

The U.S. Coast Guard was dispatched quickly, and through their heroic efforts all 26 men were rescued. But this wasn't without its drama. First they fastened lines to the ship. Then a giant winch was placed on the beach, still in the raging surf. A breeches buoy was sent up the lines to get the men out  a kind of giant ring with pants in the middle. Dozens of men worked on shore, pulling lines and saving lives.

The Coast Guard was in the following days able to board the vessel  now a total loss  and snag the men's belongings. All crewmen were eventually all shipped back to San Francisco where the lumber company was based.

Soon began the tourist attraction aspect. Like the New Carissa decades later in Coos Bay and Waldport, it drew hundreds, and at a time when Highway 101 was still quite new to the Oregon coast. Low tide offered people a chance to go see it in person, but largely it simply got smacked by the waves and began falling apart.

Considered scrap, it was quickly sold to someone else in San Francisco, but legal wrangling ensued when insurance underwriters took over, and by March the Knapp family  which owned a hotel in front of the wreck  vied for it. Later in the month, it was turned over to them, and the initial plan was to haul it further up the beach to turn it into a tourist attraction.

That never happened, but chunks of it were either removed or fell away, and eventually nothing was left except the propeller and an engine. The latter disappeared and the propeller made its way into someone's yard for a decade or so, then moved to the viewpoint above Battle Rock for all to gawk at.

A curiosity among shipwrecks, the coast guard crew that rescued the men later that year reenacted the rescue in Portland. A replica of the ship was built, with fireworks and explosives reportedly used to duplicate the drama.

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NEW YORK -- U.S. health officials are expected to release new data about the spread of COVID-19 on Friday that led to their decision to recommend that vaccinated people wear masks in some situations, a reversal of previous guidance.

The report, to be released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comes from a recent investigation of a coronavirus outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts, according to a federal official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the plan.

Earlier this week, the CDC changed its 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 surges in new cases.

Citing new  but unreleased -- 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.

___

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 President Biden pushing federal workers to get vaccinated

 Brazil begins mass vaccine study in poor Rio neighborhood

 Israel to offer 3rd Pfizer booster shot to older citizens

 Global leaders pledges $4B to repair COVID-19 education damage

 Conservative 31-year-old Missouri man in hospital: Will get vaccine

___

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

CHARLESTON, W.Va.  West Virginia will begin offering some fully vaccinated people free tests to measure antibody levels against the coronavirus, a move to study whether some elderly and immunocompromised individuals should receive a third booster shot.

State officials said they are following the lead of Israel, which announced Thursday that the country would offer a third COVID-19 booster shot for fully vaccinated people over the age of 60.

West Virginia officials said the state will offer antibody testing for residents age 60 and over, particularly those living in nursing homes, who received their final vaccine dose at least six months ago.

If the results show their antibody levels are low, a booster shot may be recommended to shore up the bodys protection against the virus. The move comes as the more contagious delta variant takes a hold in the United States, leading to the return of mask mandates in some parts of the country.

___

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas Republican governor is calling lawmakers back to the Capitol to lift the states ban on mask requirements in public schools.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday said hell call the majority-Republican Legislature into session likely next week to amend a state law that prohibits state and local government entities from requiring face masks. Hutchinson said hell propose giving local school boards the power to decide whether to require masks in K-12 schools.

This is not a debate about mask mandates for those that can make their own decisions and have the means to get vaccinated, Hutchinson said a news conference at the state Capitol. This is a discussion about the school environment where schools can make decisions about the public health for their school environment and the children they have responsibility to protect.

Arkansas coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in recent weeks because of the delta variant and the states low vaccination rate. Hutchinson also reinstated an emergency declaration because of the virus, two months after he lifted the declaration he issued at the state of the pandemic last year. The state reported more than 2,800 new cases on Thursday.

___ ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota will join in the Biden administrations plan to provide $100 incentives to residents who get COVID-19 vaccinations by mid-August, Gov. Tim Walz announced Thursday.

President Joe Biden announced the rewards as part of sweeping new pandemic requirements for millions of federal workers as he denounced an American tragedy of rising-yet-preventable deaths among unvaccinated people.

Starting Friday, unvaccinated Minnesotans 12 and older who get their first shot by Aug. 15 will get a $100 Visa gift card to spend however they choose. Beginning Wednesday, Minnesotans can verify their first dose and claim their $100 at: mn.gov/covid19. All Minnesotans qualify for free COVID-19 shots through health care providers, pharmacies and other sources.

We have made so much progress to combat this virus, Walz said in a statement. We cannot give up ground now, especially with students returning to the classroom this fall. Getting paid $100 to keep your family safe is a pretty good deal  all you have to do is roll up your sleeves.

Walz said he will authorize up to $2.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funding to launch the program and will seek legislative approval for more money to sustain it.

___

ATLANTA  Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sought to shift blame to President Joe Biden for Georgias poor vaccination rate Thursday as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continued to sprint upward.

The Republican, speaking to reporters, blamed the Democratic president for not doing enough to push the Food and Drug Administration to upgrade their emergency authorization for the vaccines to a permanent authorization. Kemp said urging people to use masks again is a mixed message that could discourage vaccination.

The governor reiterated his call for people to get vaccinated against the disease, saying he would only seek other solutions if Georgia hospitals began to get overwhelmed. Georgia ranks in the bottom 10 states for vaccination rates.

We know that the vaccines work, Kemp said. I want to encourage people to get vaccinated if youre comfortable doing that.

Democratic State Sen. Michelle Au, an anaesthesiologist with a masters degree in public health, said Kemps approach to increasing vaccination rates is unimaginative and passive.

Georgia recorded more than 4,800 positive tests for COVID-19 on Thursday, the worst number since Feb. 5. The state peaked on Jan. 8, with nearly 13,000 recorded cases.

___

TOPEKA, Kan.  A COVID-19 surge in Kansas fueled by the faster-spreading delta variant is filling up hospitals in some areas.

A survey from the Kansas Hospital Association said four times as many patients with confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized this week as were hospitalized in early June. The association said that 116 Kansas hospitals surveyed this week reported having 399 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. For early June, 125 hospitals reported having 99.

For about a month, the Salina Regional Medical Center has sometimes has been near full capacity and its chief medical officer says it has struggled to find beds for patients who have needed a higher level of care.

___

COLUMBUS, Ohio  State employees will receive $100 for getting the coronavirus vaccine and their spouses will receive $25 if they also get vaccinated, under a new incentive program offered by Gov. Mike DeWine.

The Republican governor announced the offer Wednesday as state vaccination efforts stall amid spiking case numbers and hospitalizations.

Only about 5.4 million people or 46% of the population have completed the vaccination process as of Thursday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio has risen over the past two weeks from 319.43 new cases per day on July 13 to 874.57 new cases per day on July 27, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Also Monday, the Health Departments chief medical officer said that while Ohio doesnt plan to mandate masks in schools this fall, health officials strongly recommend that students and staff wear face coverings if they arent vaccinated against COVID-19.

___

WASHINGTON  The Biden administration is announcing new requirements for federal workers and some contractors who do not attest to being fully vaccinated.

President Joe Biden is set to declare that any unvaccinated federal workers are subject to universal masking, getting tested weekly or twice weekly, physical distancing from employees and visitors, and restrictions on official travel.

The guidelines are aimed at boosting sluggish vaccine rates among the millions of Americans who draw federal paychecks and setting an example for employers around the country.

Rather than mandating that federal workers receive vaccines, the Biden administrations plan would make life more difficult for those who are unvaccinated to encourage them to get the shot.

___

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is asking states and localities to offer unvaccinated residents $100 to get their COVID-19 shots.

The cash reward for vaccination was one idea in Bidens latest plan to boost lagging vaccination rates in many parts of the nation. Rolled out Thursday, the core of his new plan is a requirement for federal workers to disclose their vaccination status to their agencies.

Biden is pointing to anecdotal evidence that a $100 reward will get results. The White House says the Kroger grocery store chain tried it and saw vaccination rates jump to 75% from 50% among employees. New Mexico, Ohio and Colorado have also experimented with the idea.

Biden says states and localities can use money from his COVID relief law to pay for the incentive programs.

___

HARRISBURG, Pa.  Pennsylvanias Department of Health will carry out a text messaging campaign to encourage roughly 254,000 people in the state to follow through and get the second shot of the two-shot COVID-19 vaccine that they never received, officials said Thursday.

The campaign will begin early next week as the resurgent coronavirus in the form of the highly contagious delta variant is skyrocketing cases in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

The text message will tell the recipient that the delta variant is here and encourage them to check vaccines.gov to find a provider nearby. Those receiving the text will have gotten their first shot between Dec. 14 and May 14, said the states acting health secretary, Alison Beam.

Beam said the second dose will provide stronger protection against the delta variant. Its not too late to get it, and its not necessary to start over with the first shot, she said.

___

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is telling the Pentagon to determine how and when the COVID-19 vaccine will be made mandatory for members of the U.S. military.

Until now, defense leaders have said that the vaccine will remain voluntary for troops around the world until the Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to the drug. The White House on Thursday said Biden will tell the Defense Department to look at when the COVID-19 shot will be added to the list of vaccines already required for military service members.

Biden announced that every federal government worker and onsite contractor prove they are vaccinated or wear masks, stay socially distant and submit to testing once or twice a week. Those not vaccinated also would be subject to travel restrictions. Of the more than 4 million federal employees, nearly half are members of the military. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said at least 70% of the force has gotten at least one dose.

___

SALEM, Ore.  The state of Oregon will require students and staff in K-12 schools to wear masks indoors come fall.

Governor Kate Browns announcement Thursday follows this weeks updated national mask guidance in schools and a spike in COVID-19 cases in Oregon, due to the highly transmissible delta variant.

In a statement from the Oregon Department of Education officials say they are working to create a rule requiring face coverings in all indoor school settings  both public and private  for all individuals two years and older. This includes students, staff, contractors, volunteers and visitors.

Officials say the rule will take effect upon adoption, but the exact date is unclear.

___

RALEIGH, N.C.  North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday decided to reverse course from guidance he issued last week and will now urge all K-12 public school students and staff to be masked, even if they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

The Democratic governor and the states top public health official, Dr. Mandy Cohen, pinned much blame on unvaccinated people and renewed calls for them to get the shot.

But at a time when nearly all available metrics show spread of the virus at its worst levels in months, Cooper said hell let the statewide mask mandate expire on Friday.

Cooper on Thursday announced that cabinet workers will be asked to show proof they got a COVID-19 vaccine.

Unvaccinated officials will be required to wear a mask and get tested every week, he said.

This order directs state government cabinet agencies to verify whether their employees are vaccinated, Cooper said. Unvaccinated employees will be tested at least once a week and required to wear a mask.

___

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  More than a dozen vaccinated southwest Missouri patients have died of COVID-19 amid a surge of cases that has led the University of Missouri to reinstate a mask mandate and some St. Louis restaurants to only permit the immunized to eat indoors.

High risk, immune compromised and sadly couldnt muster an immune response, tweeted Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth, in announcing Thursday that there had been six COVID-19 pneumonia deaths among vaccinated patients at its hospitals in southwest Missouri.

Another eight fully vaccinated Mercy Springfield patients have died since June 1, spokeswoman Sonya Kullmann said in a text. She said seven of the patients were over the age of 75 and one was over the age of 65.

They all had other serious health conditions, she wrote. For context, weve had 68 total deaths in that same time frame. 88% were in unvaccinated individuals.

Officials at both health systems have pushed hard to get people vaccinated, saying the vast majority of patients arent immunized.

Just 47.7% of Missouri residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, far lower than the national rate of 57.1%, state and federal data shows. Many counties in southwest Missouri have vaccination rates that are less than less than half the state average.

___

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden will announce strict new testing, masking and distancing requirements for federal employees who arent vaccinated.

Hes hoping to boost sluggish vaccine rates among the millions of people who draw federal paychecks and set an example for private employers around the country.

The move by the federal government  the nations largest employer  comes in a week when major corporations and some local governments are implementing new requirements. But most have not, despite surging coronavirus rates in the U.S.

Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University Law School, thinks the new requirement might work.

People would much rather roll up their sleeves and get a jab, than undergo weekly testing and universal masking, he says. In many ways, this is really not a mandate, its giving workers a choice.

According to the Office of Personnel Management, the executive branch employed more than 2.7 million civilians in 2020, with some of the most significant numbers in Republican-led Southern states including Texas and Florida, where substantial vaccine resistance remains.

About 60% of American adults have been fully vaccinated. Biden had set a July 4 goal to get at least one shot in 70% of adults, and its currently at 69.3%.
Medical groups representing millions of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health workers on Monday called for mandatory vaccinations of all U.S. health personnel against the coronavirus, framing the move as a moral imperative as new infections mount sharply.

"We call for all health care and long-term care employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against covid-19," the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association and 55 other groups wrote in a joint statement shared with The Washington Post. "The health and safety of U.S. workers, families, communities, and the nation depends on it."

IN TEXAS: Here's how Texas metros are holding up against the delta variant

The statement - issued by many groups calling for a mandate for the first time - represents an increasingly tough stance by the medical and public health establishment amid the sluggish pace of national vaccinations. It comes as new cases rip through the nation, driven by the hyper-transmissible delta variant. Confirmed coronavirus infections have nearly quadrupled during July, from about 13,000 cases per day at the start of the month to more than 50,000 now, according to The Post's tracking. Hospital leaders in states such as Alabama, Florida and Missouri have implored holdouts to get vaccinated, citing data that the shots prevent hospitalizations and even death.

But many workers in the health field remain unvaccinated, despite having priority access to coronavirus vaccines, which first became available in December. More than 38% of nursing home staff were not fully vaccinated as of July 11, despite caring for patients at elevated risk from the coronavirus, according to data collected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and analyzed by LeadingAge, which represents nonprofit nursing homes and other providers of elder care.

An analysis by WebMD and Medscape Medical News estimated that about 25% of hospital workers who had contact with patients had not been vaccinated by the end of May.

Health leaders said that the slowed pace of vaccinations, coupled with the threat of the delta variant, compelled them to act.

"We feel that it's important to sign our name onto this," said Rachel Villanueva, an OB/GYN and the president of the National Medical Association, which represents more than 50,000 Black physicians and is calling for a vaccination mandate for the first time.

Villanueva added that new coronavirus cases could disproportionately affect front-line workers - many of whom are African American - and communities of color that continue to lag behind Whites on vaccination rates. "We want to continue to dispel myths, educate, increase confidence and increase vaccination rates in our communities," she said.

TEXANS: Former Texans star DeAndre Hopkins questions NFL future because he won't get vaccine

Ezekiel Emanuel, a University of Pennsylvania bioethicist who organized Monday's statement, said he believes that requiring vaccinations could boost uptake of the shots, beginning with health workers.

"Despite everything - cajoling, making access readily available at any pharmacy, making it free, having the president plead - all of this hasn't really moved the needle very much in the nation," said Emanuel, who spent two weeks organizing the joint statement and praised the buy-in from so many groups.

"One of the things that resonated with people is, 'Look, we're the medical community. This is a health problem. We need to lead - and we need to have the courage of our convictions,'" Emanuel added.

About 60% of all U.S. adults are fully vaccinated, with the rate of new immunizations slowing since mid-April, according to The Post's tracking.

Health-care facilities generally have hesitated to mandate coronavirus vaccines for employees, noting the vaccines have yet to receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration and citing the threat of lawsuits. Fewer than 9% of hospitals have required their workers to get vaccinated, according to tracking by the American Hospital Association, which announced separately last week that it supported such mandates.

Emanuel cited the example of Houston Methodist, which has said it was the nation's first health system to impose a coronavirus vaccination mandate. Some staff vocally opposed the rule - including more than 150 workers who refused to get vaccinated and left the organization. But 97% of Houston Methodist workers complied, with about 2% obtaining exemptions or deferrals. A federal judge also dismissed a lawsuit filed by former staff who refused to get vaccinated, ruling that Houston Methodist was "trying to do their business of saving lives without giving [patients] the covid-19 virus."

Emanuel said that the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which imposed its own coronavirus vaccination mandate two months ago, also has seen a similar uptake in shots.

"The sky didn't fall," Emanuel said. "When we do it, and we have a good justification, people respond."

Hundreds of colleges and universities also have imposed vaccination mandates, which are expected to move forward after a federal judge last week upheld Indiana University's mandate. The White House has said it will not impose mandates but supports private employers doing so.

READ MORE: Florida Attorney General tests positive for COVID after visiting Texas last weekend

Americans' opinions on requiring coronavirus vaccines vary by industry. A Politico-Harvard poll released this month found that 66% of adults supported health-care organizations requiring employees to get the shots, but Americans were about evenly divided over whether other workers or schoolchildren should be required to do so.

"Our take is that there is a substantial opposition to workers and schoolchildren being required to be vaccinated. It may be getting slightly better over time, but that is a lot of employed people who do not want a requirement," said Robert J. Blendon, a professor of health policy and political analysis at Harvard University who studies public attitudes. "If I were a legislator looking at our findings, I would be very cautious of forcing a mandate for employed people and parents of kids over 12, particularly in Republican-oriented states."

Health-care leaders frame vaccinations in their industry as a shared responsibility. Ernest Grant, president of the American Nurses Association (ANA), said his members are reeling from the prospect of another surge of coronavirus cases, many of which might be prevented.

"I get phone calls and emails and conversations on a daily basis from nurses across the country that are saying, 'I just reached my limit, I'm exhausted,'" Grant said. "It is very frustrating when you know there are vaccines out there that are effective and can drive down the spread."

About 83% of nurses were vaccinated as of early May, according to an ANA survey - a figure Grant said was heartening, citing data that about two-thirds of nurses in March 2020 said they had no immediate desire to get vaccinated or else were opposed.

"Nurses are people, too," he said, conceding that some were still raising questions about the vaccines' effectiveness.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about the latest COVID-19 surge and how to stay safe

Other health leaders acknowledged that the statement could draw criticism from some of their own members who oppose the effort, adding that it may require several more months to address workers' questions and give them time to get vaccinated.

"As our members consider a vaccine mandate, they'll do it thoughtfully. They'll do it with lots of education. And the ones that have [already] done it, they've done it with kind of an on-ramp," said Katie Smith Sloan, president and chief executive of LeadingAge, which also signed on to the statement. "It's not something that happens overnight."

"What we've been living through is this tension between the moral imperative to do this to save lives, and the concerns of those who have not yet gotten vaccinated, which are very real," she added. "I don't dismiss vaccine hesitancy at all."

"As an organization, we really have to act in the best interest of public health," said Villanueva of the National Medical Association. "While we respect everybody's opinion, and there may be pushback, knowing what has happened to our patients - and even to our own physician community - during the pandemic, I don't think we can do anything else but to support mandatory vaccination for health-care workers."
Southeast Texas physicians and hospitals are preparing to train the next generation of healthcare professionals as soon as next fall, hopefully opening the door to new resources and opportunities for the students and the region.

On Wednesday, physicians and staff at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont attended a special presentation by Sam Houston State Universitys College of Osteopathic Medicine with information on how they can help teach incoming students learning at the hospital.

It was just the latest step in an on-going partnership between the college and local health systems to bring 24 third- and fourth-year medical students to study under experts at Christus Southeast Texas, Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas and Medical Center of Southeast Texas facilities by Fall 2022.

Dr. Shannon Jimenez, director of the family medicine clerkship program and primary care chair with Sam Houston, said the relationship the school has formed with local physicians and the community already is a positive sign for the programs overall goal: creating more regional opportunity for students and health systems.

The ultimate hope is the students that learn and train here eventually become the doctors that will serve the community, she said. Thats why weve been trying to create a pipeline of programs that can open doors for local students and introduce new ones to the area.

Sam Houston welcomed its inaugural class of 75 medical students in August, during a pandemic peak that created an unclear road for colleges and medical professionals.

Jimenez said that working around the pandemic meant staying flexible, but the size of the program and working on maintaining best practices meant that the program was able to avoid disruptions and still hold in-person labs.

The program was designed to average around 112 students, with a cap at 150 to keep instructional sessions and work loads manageable.

For Christus, which already has seen some 50 physicians commit to teaching roles, the program hopefully will create an environment where physicians continue to grow and stay up-to-date as they teach students.

But there is also another motive for partnering with Sam Houston.

The physician and healthcare professional population in Southeast Texas already was skewing older before the pandemic, with a critical number of care providers reaching retirement age at the same time. As COVID-19 and the pressure it has brought on local hospitals has grown over the last year and half, the industry also has experienced incredible turnover.

Dr. Waqar Ahmad, regional vice president of medical affairs with Christus, said making Christus a learning environment stands to improve several aspects of the system and increases the chances that future doctors will want to stay in the community they trained in.

There are already several doctors in town right now that were physicians trained in the family residency program when we had that at Christus that stayed in Beaumont, he said. This is an area that has proven to have issues recruiting physicians, for one reason or another, but this program improves those chances.

Learning during the pandemic also created a unique experience for medical students, in Southeast Texas and across the world, Ahmad said, but learning to deal with the unexpected is a constant in the medical field.

Eventually, Ahmad hopes that the success of the partnership with Sam Houston will lead the system to create a host of physician residencies, allowing recently-graduated doctors to gain more experience in Southeast Texas.

Administration at Sam Houstons medical college have made efforts to secure a diverse class of students that can understand and meet varying needs of a wide-range of patients.

As the economics of healthcare has changed, rural hospitals and access to care have been greatly affected  just as in Beaumont, where patients in Orange, Jasper and Newton counties now travel in order to receive advanced levels of care.

That has made critical the recruitment of physicians and care providers for rural areas as well as requiring those experts to prepare for different patient needs and attitudes than they might experience while training in urban health systems

Tara Holder, a nurse practitioner with Beaumont Internal Medicine and previous staffer in Christus emergency department, said that working with patients in Beaumont will show students how to reach out to patients that might have little access to or are unfamiliar with medical resources.

The patients we see here, they can be very sick because they havent been receiving the care they need, she said. It takes some experience and understanding to reach them in a way that works.

Holder currently is on her own journey through medical school after taking a transitional period to receive her prerequisites. She plans to apply to medical colleges in the near future. She said becoming a doctor has always been her lifes goal and, although she has been able to help patients in her current role, she felt like there was always more she could offer.

So when she found out that Christus would soon be a hub for medical students, she said it felt like a sign from God.

Beaumont needs something like this so desperately, she said. We need younger people here, and new doctors that can help. It just makes sense that when you get involved with a place, youre not so quick to leave.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
PHOENIX (AP)  Groups connected to prominent supporters of former President Donald Trump's movement to cast doubt on the 2020 election results have raised more than $5.7 million for Arizona Republicans' election audit, according to figures released late Wednesday.

Doug Logan, CEO of Cyber Ninjas, the little-known firm hired to lead the audit, ended months of silence about who was paying for it and how much it cost. The money from pro-Trump groups dwarfs the $150,000 contributed by the Arizona Senate, which commissioned the audit and hired Cyber Ninjas.

Among those leading the fundraising groups are Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security advisor; Sydney Powell, his attorney who filed a number of baseless lawsuits challenging election results; Patrick Byrne, a former chief executive of Overstock.com; and correspondents from the pro-Trump One America News Network.

Republican Senate President Karen Fann says the audit is only meant to see whether improvements are needed to state election laws. But the audit has long been associated with the stop the steal movement, and Trump has predicted it will uncover evidence to support his discredited theories of fraud.

Before he was hired to lead the audit, Logan promoted Trumps false narrative that the election was stolen from him, and pro-Trump media has aggressively promoted the effort.

By far the largest funder is The America Project, led by Byrne, which Logan said has so far contributed $3.25 million. America's Future, which lists Flynn as its chairman, contributed just over $976,000. Voices and Votes, led by OANN correspondents Christina Bobb and Chanel Rion, contributed $605,000; and Powell's Defending the Republic gave $550,000. Election Integrity Funds for the American Republic, which Logan said is led by attorney Matthew DePerno, contributed $280,000. DePerno unsuccessfully sued Antrim County, Michigan, over the election.

Logan said several of the groups "have also provided operational support and advice pivotal in executing the audit."

Still unclear is where those groups got their money. They are organized as nonprofits and do not have to disclose their donors.

Logan has fought to keep the funders secret, though he acknowledged at the beginning of the audit that his $150,000 contract with the Senate wouldn't cover the cost of the work the Senate hired him to do. He released the figures on the deadline for him to voluntarily comply with a request for information, including donor information, from the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee. Several public records lawsuits also seek information from the Senate and Cyber Ninjas.

The fundraising disclosure came the same day that a key figure in the audit said he planned to quit, then reversed course and said he had reached an agreement to stay on.

Former Republican Secretary of State Ken Bennett, the Senate's unpaid liaison to Logan and the audit contractors, was the only audit leader with substantial experience in elections. His departure threatened to further erode the legitimacy of the unprecedented partisan post-election review.

Bennett was banned from the building where the audit is taking place because he gave data to outside election experts without informing the Senate leader or Logan. He said he wouldn't put his name behind the audit without full access.

Its the audit that belongs to the people of Arizona, and if Im going to put my credibility on the line that its something that they can trust and believe in, I cant be locked out until the last moment, Bennett told conservative radio host James Harris on KFYI-AM.

Bennett later said in a text message that he'd reached an agreement with Fann, the Senate president, to stay on but did not release details.

The audit has come under fire from election experts who say Cyber Ninjas and other contractors are biased and using unusual procedures that won't produce reliable results.

The county Board of Supervisors met privately Wednesday to discuss a new subpoena issued by the Senate this week for materials related to the election. Afterward, Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican, said the board discussed various options with our legal counsel and will take the coming days to do our research.
The Malaysian governments announcement Monday that it had revoked emergency ordinances days earlier, on July 21, has caused utter confusion among citizens and lawmakers alike, leaving many to wonder whether enforcements under these laws after that date are still valid.

Parliamentarians and ordinary Malaysians have also expressed disbelief that the government said it would not explain the issue until Aug. 2  the last day of the ongoing five-day parliamentary session and the first one this year.

On Wednesday, an MP from the Democratic Action Party asked in the legislature why the government needed to wait until next Monday to get an explanation about the ordinances.

Surely, you are aware Parliament is only meeting for five days this time. Why isnt there an urgency to hear the matter? Why do we want to delay the matter further? lawmaker M. Kulasegaran, a former Human Resource minister, said.

The [Law] minister is sitting over there. The Prime Minister is here. Just stand up and answer.

Stupidest thing Ive seen

Malaysians who have been closely monitoring the session have taken to social media to ask why the country wasnt told on July 21 that the emergency laws had been revoked or that a nationwide emergency would not be extended beyond its original expiry date of Aug. 1.

How can the Emergency Ordinances revoked for five days and Malaysians have no clue about it? Malaysia Joshua Michael said via Twitter on Tuesday.

Another Malaysian said via Twitter that the government seemed to be taking a national issue such as this one lightly.

Regarding the revocation of the emergency ordinance[s], that is the stupidest thing Ive seen in parliament. They wont answer even the simplest question even though it is the most important thing, Firdaus Zamuri said.

The government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin issued six ordinances since the emergency was imposed and parliament suspended in January. These include a law that raised fines for violating COVID-19 health protocols, and a controversial one that criminalized fake news about the emergency.

Fahmi Fadzil, a lawmaker from the opposition Peoples Justice Party on Tuesday described how the confusion over the emergency ordinances would play out.

He said that more than 2,200 fines were issued between July 21 and 25 for breaches of the lockdown, and most of them were for more than 1,000 ringgit (U.S. $236), according to the ordinance that said the penalty could go up to 10,000 ringgit.

The people are wondering if they have a 10,000 ringgit compound [fine] issued from July 21 onwards, are they required to attend court? Should they plead guilty?

Most of these compounds cost more than 1,000 ringgit. If we wait until Monday, what will happen? That is why we cannot wait till Monday.

UMNO not aware of ordinances revocation

Confounding the issue further is that the revocation of the six ordinances has not been published in the Gazette, or the governments official journal, seven days after the government said these law were ended.

That is why, in the opinion of constitutional expert and lawyer New Sin Yew, the six ordinances are still in force, because there is no proof that they have been revoked or that the king has been informed about it.

First, there is no evidence that the King has revoked the Ordinances. The King must act on the advice of the Cabinet, and he must be presented with the revocation to agree with the same. The Cabinet cannot act on its own and bypass the King, New told BenarNews.

Second, there has been no publication of the purported revocation in the Gazette.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the president of the United Malays National Organization  the largest party in the ruling coalition  said Wednesday that his party did not know about the revocations ahead of time.

UMNO is not aware that the Emergency Ordinances have been revoked since July 21, 2021 even though there are UMNO lawmakers who are part of the federal government, Zahid said in a statement.

The cabinet has nine ministers from UMNO, including Annuar Musa and Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri, who would have attended the July 21 cabinet meeting when the government said the revocations were decided.

For his part, Annuar confused parliamentarians even more with a tweet on Tuesday that said, among other things, what is in the process of revocation is the ordinance[s].

This implied that the emergency laws were still in force.
Lawmakers from the lower house of parliament are seen standing in protest against the administration after the palace rebuked the government for misleading the legislature, in Kuala Lumpur, July 29, 2012.

Malaysias king publicly reprimanded the government on Thursday for allegedly misleading parliament, dealing another blow to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is already facing a leadership challenge.

The current kings first such rebuke, which was about the revocation of emergency laws, caused an uproar in parliament, with lawmakers stridently demanding that the PM resign. Muhyiddin later issued a lengthy statement saying his government had abided by the Constitution.

The Law Minister had said on Monday that the ordinances issued during the emergency had been revoked days earlier, but King Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah said he had not consented to ending those laws, according to a statement issued by the palace.

His Royal Highness is deeply disappointed by the statement made in Parliament on July 26 that the government has cancelled all the emergency ordinances when the revocation is yet to receive His Majestys consent, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, comptroller of the Royal Household, said in the statement.

Articles 150(2B) and 150(3) of the Federal Constitution clearly gives the authority for the enactment and revocation of ordinances to the King. The ministers remark on July 26 is inaccurate and had created confusion among the members of the Lower House.

Ahmad Fadil further said that although the king has to follow the cabinets advice on matters concerning the country, he is obliged as the head of state to advise or reprimand unconstitutional acts performed by anyone in government.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with the king as head of state. While his position is largely ceremonial because he must act according to the wishes of the government, most Malaysians revere the palace as an institution. The throne is occupied on a rotating basis among Malaysias nine sultans, or royal rulers.

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (right) talks to King Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah after their meeting at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 28, 2020. [Handout Malaysia National Palace via AFP]

As opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim read out the kings statement in parliament, irate lawmakers began to rise from their seats, calling for Muhyiddins resignation.

Pagoh, tender your resignation, Democratic Action Party lawmaker Gobind Singh Deo shouted, referring to Muhyiddin by the name of his parliamentary constituency.

Yes, I agree, resign today, shouted another lawmaker who could not be identified amid the chaos and din, with lawmakers shouting betrayal, treason, and traitor.

The Deputy Speaker adjourned parliament three times consecutively  a stalling tactic, opposition MPs said  and announced around 5:30 p.m. that the session would continue Monday.

The government announced Monday that it would not extend the current emergency beyond the expiration date of Aug. 1. That took lawmakers by surprise because they believed the issue would be discussed in Parliament.

But it was the announcement that day that the government had revoked emergency ordinances on July 21, five days earlier, that caused  and continues to cause  confusion among citizens and lawmakers alike.

Many are wondering whether enforcements under these laws after July 21 are still valid.

Public resentment has been growing against Muhyiddins unelected government, which has been blamed for a huge spike in new COVID-19 infections. Confusing lockdown protocols and the decision to keep several business sectors open are the reason, many believe, for the worsening pandemic.

Additionally, the PMs advice to the king to impose an emergency in January, purportedly to stem the pandemic, has also angered Malaysians. Many say it was a political ploy by Muhyiddin to hold on to power because he may have lost even the slimmest of majorities he has in parliament.

King must act according to the cabinets advice

Several hours after the palace statement, Muhyiddin responded via a communique from the Prime Ministers Office. He said his government had not done anything wrong and acted according to the law and the constitution.

[T]he King is aware that His Majesty must accept and act according to the cabinets advice as provided in Article 40 of the Federal Constitution, the statement said.

His office said it had sent the monarch a letter dated July 21  and sent July 23  saying the ordinances would be revoked. It further said the PM and the Attorney-General had met with the king at noon on Tuesday to explain the situation.

The Prime Minister informed the King that in the governments view, that there is no need for the emergency ordinances to be discussed since the cabinet had already advised the King on the revocation, the statement said.

On Thursday in parliament, opposition MP Anwar proceeded to file a motion of no-confidence against Muhyiddin after reading out the kings statement.

The Lower House today makes a resolution on its loss of confidence in [the] Prime Minister  and [says that he] be impeached from his position as prime minister immediately according to the Federal Constitution, Anwar said.

He told reporters that Muhyiddin must be impeached for his failure to abide by the rule of law and for stepping on the functions and power of the king as stipulated in the constitution.



The United Malays National Organization, the largest party in the ruling bloc, also called for the PMs and the law ministers resignation, saying their actions on the emergency ordinances were clearly a form of treason toward the king.

Of course, UMNO had announced on June 8 that it was withdrawing support to the government, but the partys members in the cabinet threw their weight behind Muhyiddin.

UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Thursday again urged UMNO lawmakers to retract their support for Muhyiddins administration, as the partys Supreme Council meeting on July 7 had decided.

Political analyst Bridget Welsh, of the University of Nottingham Malaysia, said that public calls for Muhyiddins resignation were growing.

Resign or resist? Resignation calls and rumors extend to all those involved in handling of emergency ordinances in Malaysia's constitutional/legitimacy crisis, Welsh tweeted.

Key question is IF resignations do happen what comes next?
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Vietnam on Wednesday for talks scheduled on regional security issues, including the South China Sea, where Beijing has encroached on waters and maritime resources claimed both by Vietnam, the Philippines and others.

Austin was scheduled to meet with his Vietnamese counterpart, Minister of Defense Gen. Phan Van Giang, and with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in the first visit to Hanoi by a high-ranking American official since the Biden administration took office in January. From Hanoi, the Pentagon chief was set to travel on to Manila on Thursday, his final stop on a three-nation tour in Southeast Asia.

The talks in Hanoi were likely to focus on efforts by the U.S. and its allies and partners to meet the regions security challenges, and cooperation ins maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, said Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at Australias University of South Wales Canberra, in remarks sent by email to the Vietnamese Service of Radio Free Asia. BenarNews is affiliated with RFA.

The COVID-19 recovery  a theme of Austins speech in Singapore on Tuesday  would also likely be a focus of the talks, Thayer said. The defense secretary had presented a detailed list of U.S. assistance on offer, including testing equipment, oxygen cylinders, ventilators, vaccine storage and mobile clinics, according to Thayer.

The United States has already shipped 5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, already in widespread lockdown to contain the spread of the disease, with 3 million doses sent on Sunday alone, according to news sources.

Secretary Austin was also expected to take part in a ceremony honoring Vietnams war dead, Thayer said, adding that a Memorandum of Understanding reportedly would be signed regarding U.S. assistance to identify the locations and remains of Vietnamese soldiers who died in the Vietnam War.

Strategic partnership

Also in comments sent to RFA, Ha Hoan Hop  visiting senior fellow at Singapores Institute of South East Asian Studies  said that the two sides, in Thursdays talks, will exchange information about security and peace situations in the Indo-Pacific area and in Southeast Asia, especially in the South China Sea.

There is also a possibility that discussions will be held on raising the relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership, Hop said, adding, That [will be] the core topic in the talks between the two defense ministers, as well as in the meeting with the Vietnamese president and prime minister.

This is also an opportunity for the U.S. defense secretary to see how the coastguard ships that the U.S. donated to the Vietnamese coastguard are being used. There might also be some other secret talks that they will not reveal to the public, Hop said.

In his speech in Singapore on Tuesday, Austin repeated the American view that Chinas claim to almost all the South China Sea has no basis in international law and treads on the sovereignty of states in the region, according to a transcript from the Pentagon.

Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isnt just occurring on the water, Austin said, pointing to  among other issues  allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity by China against Uyghur Muslims in the northwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

Speaking in response in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian accused the U.S. of interfering in Chinas internal affairs and sowing discord among regional countries with the aim of serving its own geopolitical interest.

We admonish the U.S. side not to make an issue about China at every turn and do more for the benefit of peace and stability in the region, Zhao said.
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered village chiefs nationwide to detain unvaccinated people inside their homes as a way to prevent a highly contagious COVID-19 variant from spreading, prompting a lawyers group to question the legality of such a move.

The Delta strain is more aggressive than the original COVID-19 virus detected in Wuhan, China, Duterte warned his countrymen in a late-night public address Wednesday. Other Southeast Asian countries were back to square one in trying to contain the variant, he emphasized.

This Delta variant is causing so [many] scary stories for us. It is four times more aggressive, transmissibility is faster than the usual COVID-19. This is scary, Duterte said in his speech.

Those who do not want to be vaccinated, I am telling you, do not leave your home because I will ask the police to detain you at home, he said. You will be escorted back to your house because you are a walking spreader.

Police, he said, would be backed by village chiefs, who would go around communities to see who are vaccinated and who are not. Village chiefs, including those in Metro Manila and other urban areas and towns, are the lowest-level administrative officials who can enforce such an order.

Dutertes order could not be legally justified, said Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples Lawyers.

Restricting movements may be acceptable only if it is pursuant to a reasonable and proportionate regulation in the interest of public health, he told BenarNews.

And while we agree that firm  not strongman  measures must be employed to arrest the pandemic, invoking the law of necessity is dangerous as it is can be nebulous and can be subjective and arbitrary, and therefore, open to abuse, he said.

Duterte acknowledged that there was no law preventing people from leaving their homes but, he stressed, the pandemic warranted such action.

We do not have a law, a punitive action that can be taken against the person who does not have the vaccine and goes around making it dangerous for others to acquire the virus, he said.

Should I wait for a law when there are many dying? There is no law, but the law of necessity is there, he said.

If police and village chiefs meet resistance, he advised them to say they were carrying out the mayors order. He was referring to when he served as mayor of southern Davao city, where, rights groups claimed, he had ordered the killings of dozens of criminals and alleged drug addicts.

Duterte also said he was willing to help local officials, should they be sued for the new policy.

I will assume full responsibility for that, he said.

Vaccines

Despite efforts by the government to push its inoculation program, only about 6.8 million of the nations 105 million people have been fully vaccinated.

The Delta strain, first detected in India earlier this year, is adding to COVID-19 infections in the Philippines, according to OCTA Research Group scientists who earlier this week advised the capital region to implement an ultra-strict lockdown.

In its daily bulletin, the health department reported it had detected 97 additional cases of the Delta variant, including 88 infected in the Philippines, as opposed to those who caught the virus abroad before arriving in the country. The Philippines has recorded 216 Delta cases that have resulted in eight deaths.

On Thursday, the department recorded 5,735 new COVID-19 infections  the most since April  bringing the nations cumulative caseload to 1.57 million. The official death toll from the coronavirus pandemic also rose to more than 27,500.

Mark Navales contributed to this report from Cotabato, Philippines.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin inspects a guard of honor during a welcome ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, July 29, 2021.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang in Hanoi on Thursday for talks on strengthening security in the South China Sea, where China has encroached on territorial waters and maritime resources claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, and other countries in the region.

Austins visit to Vietnam was the first to that country by a high-ranking U.S. official since President Joe Biden took office in January.

After Thursdays talks in Hanoi, Austin traveled on to Manila, where he paid a courtesy visit to President Rodrigo Duterte. He is expected to hold talks with officials in the Philippines where China has sent fishing fleets and coast-guard ships into the nations exclusive economic zone, ignoring repeated requests to leave.

Chinese ships also have intruded into Vietnamese territorial waters in the South China Sea, called the East Sea by Vietnam, obstructing Vietnamese oil exploration efforts and building airstrips and other facilities on disputed island groups.

In a Tuesday speech in Singapore, his first stop in the region, Austin repeated the U.S. view that Chinas claim to almost all of the South China Sea has no basis in international law and encroaches on the sovereignty of other states in the region.

"Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isnt just occurring on the water, Austin said, pointing to recent aggressive moves by China against Vietnam, military threats against Taiwan and genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Ahead of Thursdays talks, Austin assured Vietnam that he was not seeking to force Vietnam to choose between China and the United States, however, saying only that U.S. allies and partners should have the freedom and space to chart their own futures.

COVID assistance

Talks on Thursday also focused on U.S. assistance to Vietnam in containing the spread of COVID-19 amid a new surge in infections in the country. The U.S. has shipped 5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, already in widespread lockdown, to contain the spread of the disease, with 3 million doses sent to Vietnam on Sunday alone, according to news sources.

The U.S. and Vietnam also signed an agreement on Thursday for Harvard and Texas Tech University to create a database helping Vietnam search for missing dead from the Vietnam War, and discussed moves to remove landmines, clean up areas contaminated by the defoliant Agent Orange, and search for missing Americans from the war.

Human rights abuses in Vietnam, where authorities retain tight controls on the media and jail peaceful critics of the government, remain a concern for the United States, though, Austin said in a speech in Singapore on Tuesday.

In discussions abroad, the U.S. always leads with its values, Austin said.

We will discuss those values with our friends and allies everywhere we go, and we dont make any bones about that, Austin said.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha sprays hand sanitizer at journalists in an effort to avoid questions during a news conference in Bangkok, March 9, 2021.

Six leading Thai professional media associations, in a joint statement Wednesday, condemned what they said was an official assault on the publics right to accurate information as well as free speech during a pandemic.

The associations urged journalists to call on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha to stop threatening to sue news organizations that disseminate what he described as fake or distorted reports about the governments handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

We call upon all professionals in the media and news agencies to stand in unison and oppose the governments new measures, the groups said.

They were responding to a Facebook post on Tuesday in which Prayuth ordered agencies to prosecute journalists, celebrities and social-media administrators suspected of spreading fake news.

[R]ecent attempts by [the Thai PMs] government to intimidate and take legal action against members of the public, who simply exercise their constitutional rights to criticize the administration during the COVID-19 pandemic, clearly reveal an intent to crack down on the freedom of expression enjoyed by the media and the public, the associations said.

The statement was signed by The National Press Council of Thailand, The News Broadcasting Council of Thailand, The Thai Journalists Association, The Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, The Society for Online News Providers and The National Union of Journalists.

In his post, Prayuth claimed there had been widespread dissemination of false information or distortions of officials quotes by traditional and social media users, leading to public misunderstanding.

The Digital Economy and Society Ministry, the polices Technology Crime Suppression Division and the national police bureau must take measures to promptly and attentively prosecute major disseminators  be [they] the media, celebs or Facebook page administrators  not small users, he said on Facebook.

Since a spike in COVID-19 cases started in April, activists, doctors, celebrities and citizens on social media have criticized the governments vaccine procurement plan.

They have said the government had mishandled the pandemic and had also been overly dependent on the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine and British-Swedish drug maker Astra-Zenecas jabs, which are being produced by Siam Bioscience, a local company owned by the king.

The media associations said Prayuths comments show the governments refusal to acknowledge the administrations failure in its communications with the public.

They called on all media professionals to stand in unison and oppose the governments new measures, while taking care to make sure their news coverage is accurate and compliant with the highest journalistic standards.

Such efforts would deny the government any excuse to interfere with media operations, which will in turn affect the publics right to information.

On Wednesday, Thailand again reported record new daily infections from COVID-19  16,533 cases this time  bringing the country's total caseload to 543,361. With 133 new virus-related deaths, total pandemic fatalities rose to close to 4,400.

True and false information

Since March 2020, Prayuth has invoked the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations to streamline his administrations efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and also control traditional and social media, said Werayuth Theerakamol, a doctoral candidate in communication and media studies at Loughborough University in England.

Werayuth said some information coming from the government had proven troublesome.

The government gave both true and false information. The orders and policies from various government agencies are inconsistent, causing public confusion, he told BenarNews.

When problems arose, it blamed the media, but those were not all the medias fault.

In May, television station Thai PBS offered a public apology after its assistant editor published a photo on her Facebook page of another woman who she said suffered side effects from the Sinovac vaccine.

The apology came after Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn filed a complaint with police.

Also that month, Chaiwut shut down 18 social media accounts, and a month later, asked court to authorize the closure of another eight Facebook accounts, including of prominent anti-government academics and writers.

The Computer Crimes Act and the emergency decree carry jail terms of up to five years and up to two years, respectively. Those guilty under act and decree could also be fined up to U.S. $3,000, and up to $1,200, respectively.

Kunnawut Boonreak in Chiang Mai, Thailand, contributed to this report.
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Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Areas of patchy fog early. Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High 76F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.
GREAT BARRINGTON  He doesnt think like we do. Hes a mechanical engineer, playwright Mark St. Germains brother Paul says to him of their 
A woman was transported to Boston for medical care after an overnight fire at 25 Hubbard Ave. in Pittsfield on June 23. Investigators have determined that the fire was started by an unattended candle.
HINSDALE  Yes, but.

The people behind a major Hinsdale development say they can tuck 317 sites for RVs onto a summer camp property without messing up the neighborhood.

But Hinsdale officials had questions this week about traffic, water supplies, sewer use, environmental harm and whether an influx of visitors would be simply too much for nearby Plunkett Lake.

Ninety minutes of discussion Wednesday, in the regional middle school auditorium, kicked off official reviews of Northgate Resort Ventures LLCs plan to remake Camp Emerson into one of its nearly two dozen RV parks in 13 states. Along with dozens gathered in person, others watched the proceedings by videoconference.

Historic summer haunt in Hinsdale, Camp Emerson, eyed as home for RV park HINSDALE  A half-century of summer camp history is on the block in Hinsdale, as a deal advances that would transform Camp Emerson into a nati

Much lies ahead. The public gets a chance to comment at the Planning Boards next meeting in mid-August. The Select Board will take a recommendation from planners and later decide, after a formal public hearing, whether to grant Northgate a special permit.

The project will also need to secure a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency and may have to pass muster with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office, according to Brent M. White, the principal and civil engineer with White Engineering of Pittsfield.

Locally, it will need to receive a wetlands review from the Hinsdale Conservation Commission. And, in a sobering moment during Wednesdays discussion, Richard Scialabba, a top Hinsdale official, reminded White that hes been advised that the towns Zoning Board of Appeals may have to grant a variance.

That panels chair, Jeffrey Viner, told White and other Northgate representatives that an RV park is not allowed in the R5 zoning district in which Camp Emerson sits at 212 Longview Ave.

We try to stay with our guidelines, Viner said. Can we really say its not detrimental to the neighborhood?  I would need some convincing that youre not detrimental to the neighborhood.

White, standing on the Nessacus Regional Middle School stage, told Scialabba he didnt recall the caution about possibly needing a variance from the ZBA. And he told Viner that Northgate views the RV park as a continued use of a campground  and said the towns zoning bylaw stance on RV parks is not well defined.

Companys pitch

Over 90 minutes, Northgate representatives made the case that the RV park would not create traffic hazards or congestion, overwhelm the towns sewer system or drain water resources. They said the RV sites would be placed at the middle and rear of the 155-acre property.

The current camps entry off Longview would be widened and positioned closer to the crest of a hill, to improve its visibility.

Chelsea Bossenbroek, Northgates general counsel, said her family-owned business knows what its doing. We are very familiar with how to operate a campground, she said.

In Hinsdale, she said the company would work to keep patrons busy within the site, without a lot of coming and going, and would instruct travelers to come to the property up Michaels Road off Route 8.

When asked whether Northgate would consider reducing the size of the project, Bossenbroek cited the need to make the venture work financially. It models out really well, she said of the proposed 317-site project.

Bossenbroek said that while some of the current camps more rustic bunkhouses will be removed, the project will seek to preserve elements. The camp boasts a central dining hall able to seat 400, built at a cost of a million dollars by the Lein family, as well as a heated swimming pool. We dont go in and just tear everything down, she said.

Robert Michaud, managing principal of MDM Transportation Consultants, Inc., briefed the audience on how his firm reached the conclusion that the park would not overwhelm local roads. He said that while its analysis of current traffic and vehicle speeds was conducted in April, the numbers were revised upward to reflect summer travel as well as dips in volume attributed to the pandemic.

On Friday nights, Michaud said, Michaels Road and Longview Avenue would see an extra RV or car every minute on average, not a platoon of vehicles charging to get up there.

50 RVs, maybe; not 300-plus, Hinsdale neighbors say. 'Its going to be an invasion' The battle for Longview Avenue is joined in Hinsdale: Will a national company win a permit for a "Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park" RV campground? Or will objections raised by neighbors prevail?

Michauds overview led an abutter to the property, James Sullivan, to push back.

How are you going to handle all that extra road traffic? he asked. Youre changing the whole dynamic of that whole neighborhood with the traffic alone.

A small group of Hinsdale residents have shaped a campaign to defeat the application, citing concerns similar to those voiced at Wednesdays meeting.

Ray Bolduc, a Select Board member, told Michaud that the junction of Michaels Road and Route 8 may not be able to safely accommodate large vehicles. Traffic on Michaels Road would also pass the small lakefront property owned by Camp Emerson  and that sites future use also prompted questions.

Bossenbroek acknowledged that the marinas small size and limited parking posed operational issues for Northgate. The special permit application filed in June says the company had not decided on its use. Parking is a huge concern, Bossenbroek said. We would definitely have to take a look at that and it would be extremely limited.

Next steps

Local officials sought to assure residents the town will take a hard look at the proposal. The town is trying to do all the due diligence that is necessary, said Scialabba, chair of both the Select and Planning boards.

We want to be as open and transparent as possible, said Robert Graves, the town administrator.

Graves said residents can comment on the project by sending emails to select.board@hinsdalema.gov. The materials received will be aggregated in posts to the Select Boards page on the town website.

The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 16, but the date may change.
Christopher Ketchen is set to be a full-time employee in Lenox again. The Lenox Select Board voted unanimously Wednesday to terminate a shared services agreement with the town of Lee that had Ketchen serve as town manager in both communities. Instead, Ketchen will just be the town manager in Lenox.
Reporter

Greta Jochem, a Report for America Corps member, joined the Eagle in 2021. Previously, she was a reporter at the Daily Hampshire Gazette. She is also a member of the investigations team.
Donald Morrison is an Eagle columnist and co-chairman of the advisory board. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of The Berkshire Eagle.
Rail bikes of Colebrookdale Railroad. The railroad has obtained grant money for a children's sustainable energy exhibit that will be accessible via train stops or via the rail bikes.
The legendary Whoopi Goldberg has signed on to produce and star in an upcoming film about Emmett Louis Till.

According to Variety, Goldberg will play Tills grandmother Alma Carthan. Danielle Deadwyler, best known for her role in Watchmen, will star as his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. Chinonye Chukwu will direct, and she wrote the screenplay.

Goldberg said in a statement, We have waited a very long time to bring this historically necessary important film to people. And as we watch the repression of American History when it comes to people of color it makes it even that more important.

Deadwyler added, I am charged with humility and great will to embody her life at such an integral moment of personal tragedy and political rebellion, a boon to the civil rights movement, and to represent the joy in the love and life shared between Mamie Till and her beloved Emmett Till.

RELATED: Not Just Tulsa: Five Other Race Massacres That Devastated Black America

In August of 1955, 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant falsely accused 14-year-old Emmett Till of whistling at her in a store (he reportedly had a lisp and could not whistle.) Till, who was visiting from Chicago, was in Mississippi for the summer spending time with family. Within hours, he was kidnapped from his uncles home. The child was tortured, mutilated, and thrown into the Tallahatchie River. His body was weighed down with a fan blade.

Carolyns husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother J.W. Milam, the men that kidnapped and tortured Till, were found not guilty by an all-white jury.

In the 2017 book The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy Tyson, Carolyn Bryant admitted to lying and claimed that she actually didnt remember what happened that day in the store.

Bryant is still alive today, reportedly living in Mississippi at 87 years old. Emmett Till would be 80 years old today.

The 66th anniversary of Tills death is Aug. 28.

Mamie Till-Mobley became an activist after her sons death. She passed away at 81 years old in 2003.
The National Council of Negro Women has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnsons baby powder.

According to CBS News, the lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey and the organization is being represented by Benjamin Crump.

The complaint states, "Internal documents demonstrate that J&J targeted those advertisements to Black women, knowing that Black women were more likely to use the powder products and to use them regularly. These talc powder products were not safe, however."

Crump said at a press conference in Washington, D.C., "This lawsuit is about the lives of our grandmothers, our mothers, our wives, sisters and daughters  all of whom were cynically targeted by Johnson & Johnson. All the while, company executives knew the risk of ovarian cancer from talc.
In Fort Worth, a gunman opened fire on a group of people, killing one and injuring three more before he was stoned to death early Monday (July 26).

According to the Star-Telegram, authorities say the gunman and other person, whose names have not been released, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting happened after a disturbance between a group of people who knew each other at a party. Police say the shooting was reported just before 1 a.m. after a fight broke out.

RELATED: Four Arrested After Deadly Drive-By Shooting Of 13-Year-Old In North Carolina

One person is in critical condition while two others had non-life-threatening injuries in addition to the two people who died.

Police say a man attending the party became angry and left, and then returned with another person. The man then shot one person in the backyard. Other party-goers chased the shooter and threw concrete bricks at him as he tried running away.

The shooter was subsequently taken down by the group but shot three others as they attacked him.

The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene due to his injuries. Police have not yet made any arrests.
President Joe Biden has nominated Suffolk County, Mass., District Attorney Rachael Rollins for U.S. Attorney.

Rollins was elected as the first woman of color to serve as district attorney for the state of Massachusetts in 2018. She ran on a platform of curbing mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system, according to Boston station WCVB.

If confirmed by the Senate, Rollins would be the second ever Black woman to serve as a U.S. Attorney, and the first Black woman to serve as U.S. attorney for Massachusetts.

The Biden Administration announced eight U.S. attorney nominees Monday (July 26). "These individuals  many of whom are historic firsts  were chosen for their devotion to enforcing the law, their professionalism, their experience and credentials in this field, their dedication to pursuing equal justice for all, and their commitment to the independence of the Department of Justice," the Biden administration said in a statement.



OPINION: Bidens First 100 Days In Office Revealed A Hint Of What Black Women Can Do In Government, But Its Time For Much More

A statement from Rollins office reads, "Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is incredibly humbled by the great honor of being nominated by President Biden to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. She remains focused on doing the hard work of keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe."

Rollins has been outspoken about the need for police reform, arguing that people shouldnt be jailed for crimes that result from mental health or addiction problems, according to the Associated Press. In an interview with the AP in April, Rollins said that the U.S. needs to dispel the idea that suggesting the ways the police can improve means that you dont back the blue.

The police have an incredibly hard job, and believe me, I know there are violent people that harm community and police but thats not all of us, Rollins told AP. So we have to acknowledge that its not working and we have to sit together to come up with solutions, but its urgent. Im afraid, Im exhausted and Im the chief law enforcement officer so imagine what other people feel like.

Massachusetts senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren released a joint statement in support of Rollins. "District Attorney Rollins is a national leader on transforming the criminal justice system and shifting away from an approach based on punishment and penalization to one that combats the root causes of injustice, whether it be poverty, substance use, or racial disparity, the statement read.

It continued, She has prosecutorial experience and is dedicated and committed to advancing equal justice for all, and we are certain that she will be a tremendous U.S. Attorney. We will work to make sure she is confirmed as quickly as possible.
Tuskegee University has elected the second woman to be president of the HBCU.

According to a press release from the Alabama institution, Dr. Charlotte Morris was elected on July 26 and she will start her new role on August 1. Morris is also the ninth president in the universitys history.



It is with great humility and honor that I accept the role of president. Having been a member of this remarkable university community for much of my professional career, it will be a pleasure to lead the university into the future.



Morris previously served as the schools Chief of Staff to the 5th President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees. As Chief of Staff, she assisted in the development of a $169 million capital campaign in 2005. Dr. Morris was also the Director of the Universitys Title III Program and served as Interim and Associate Dean in the Brimmer College of Business and Information Science.

Additionally, Morris helped to strengthen the Universitys strategic partnerships with corporations such as Google and Cargill to generate $6 million in gifts and donations for future STEM leaders. In addition to her many honors, Dr. Morris also received Tuskegee Universitys Distinguished Administrative Staff Achievement Award, according to the Tuskegee University press release.

Board of Trustees Chair, Norma Clayton praised Morris, saying in a statement, Dr. Morris has garnered the credibility and respect of key stakeholders across the state and around the country during her near thirty years serving the Tuskegee community.



RELATED: Four HBCUs Receive $20 Million Donations



The first female President of the University, which was from 2018 to 2020, is her predecessor Dr. Lily McNair. Morris was the interim president.
News

Hundreds volunteer in United Ways 'Day of Caring'

Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Julie Richardson of American Bank and Trust helps paint the front door of the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Lindsey Sanson of American Bank and Trust puts painter's tape around the edges of the front door of the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center as she and a couple other volunteers paint the door during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Jacob Fullenwider, center, and Kathy Milam, front, of Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green load boxes of Kindergarten Readiness Backpack learning resource kits into their cars to distribute to nine local daycares and other sites during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey A group of volunteers from Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green get ready to load boxes of Kindergarten Readiness Backpack learning resource kits into their cars to distribute to nine local daycares and other sites during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Jacob Fullenwider of Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green loads boxes of Kindergarten Readiness Backpack learning resource kits into a car to distribute to nine local daycares and other sites during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Lindsey Sanson of American Bank and Trust pours paint into cups as she and other volunteers get ready to paint the front door of the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Ben Wheeler of American Bank and Trust helps repaint one of the administrative offices at the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Michelle Gorman and Ben Wheeler of American Bank and Trust help repaint one of the administrative offices at the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Jason Riffenburg, center, and Bruce Smith, left, of Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green load boxes of Kindergarten Readiness Backpack learning resource kits into the bed of a truck to distribute to nine local daycares and other sites during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey A group of volunteers from Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green get ready to load boxes of Kindergarten Readiness Backpack learning resource kits into their cars to distribute to nine local daycares and other sites during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Josh Browning of Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green loads boxes of Kindergarten Readiness Backpack learning resource kits into a car to distribute to nine local daycares and other sites during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Jason Riffenburg and Kathy Milam of Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green load boxes of Kindergarten Readiness Backpack learning resource kits into their cars to distribute to nine local daycares and other sites during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Lindsey McCarty of American Bank and Trust helps move a stack of children's books into the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center conference hall during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Lindsey Sanson of American Bank and Trust puts the lid back on a can of paint after pouring the paint into cups as she and other volunteers get ready to paint the front door of the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Lindsey Sanson and Julie Richardson of American Bank and Trust help paint the front door of the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Grace Ramey / Grace Ramey Julie Richardson of American Bank and Trust helps paint the front door of the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center during United Ways Day of Caring" event on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com)

More than 1,000 people across the Barren River region participated Wednesday in United Way of Southern Kentuckys annual Day of Caring extravaganza.

The initiative was created 13 years ago to foster support for nonprofits that need extra assistance.

United Way Director of Marketing and Communications Elizabeth Newbould said the regional effort saw more than 50 companies completing close to 60 projects for dozens of nonprofit organizations.

The event kicked off with United Way and Fruit of the Loom delivering kindergarten readiness backpacks to child care facilities. The backpacks consisted of different items for the facilities to give children when they return to school in a few weeks.

Whatever the nonprofits submit that they need, our companies will step up to the plate and help them, Newbould said. The main goal is to impact and show kindness to as many nonprofits as possible. They are out there every day helping individuals, and any way we can help and support them  we want to do so.

Fruit of the Loom Director of Corporate Communications Mel Cressman said the annual event was a great way to help the community.

Fruit of the Loom Inc. is always looking for opportunities to get involved and give back to the community, Cressman said. We had about 10 employees at this site specifically, but over the area we have about 75 employees at nine sites. Here, we are taking whats been donated and delivering it to different child care and learning facilities around the area.

Elsewhere, about 10 members from American Bank & Trust volunteered at the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center by painting and landscaping different parts of the site.

Lindsey Sanson, assistant vice president of business development/marketing at the bank, said they have been involved with the Day of Caring for several years, but this is the first time they worked with the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center.

Im so excited to do something different this year, Sanson said. We definitely consider ourselves to be a community bank, so we love to be involved and we love to give back. This is just another way we can get together and do so. We are happy to roll our sleeves up and help.

Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center Executive Director Jennifer Bryant said the center has been assisted by United Way for the last several years, and their support has been critical to its success.

They are doing things that we either hate to pay a professional for or find it hard to find time ourselves to do, Bryant said. We pride ourselves on being efficient so that every dollar goes to help kids. We are very fortunate to have the help of United Way through their Day of Caring and their COVID relief fund.

She said one of the projects the volunteers were completing Wednesday was painting the wooden doors of the facility.

Unfortunately, they (the doors) get far too much use, Bryant said. We served over 800 kids last year and their non-offending caregivers. Thats quite a few people in and out of the building.

Some of the other nonprofits in the region receiving assistance during the Day of Caring included the Center for Courageous Kids, Community Action of Southern Kentucky, Curbside Ministries, the Family Enrichment Center and the Historic RailPark & Train Museum.

 To learn how to make donations or offer assistance to any of the above nonprofits, visit uwsk.org/give.
Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries.

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Spearfish, SD (57783)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 89F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Overcast. Low around 65F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
DIXIE, ID - On Thursday, July 29, the Type 3 Northern Rockies (NR) Team managing the Dixie and Jumbo Fires provided an update on fire growth and containment operations. According to the update, the Dixie & Jumbo Fires were last estimated at a combined 42,918 acres and 18% contained.

Dixie Fire

The Dixie Fire increased 650 acres yesterday, for a total of 40,519 acres. The fire is growing to the south along the Salmon River and its expected to reach Tepee and Jersey Creek possibly today.

Suppression objectives for sections of the fire between Mallard Creek and the Dixie and Comstock area are 30 percent complete. This has been a priority area to protect high values at risk.

The Fire is moving to the south along the Salmon River in remote and steep terrain that is difficult and dangerous to access. Fire professionals expect the fire to align with topography and move south to north towards the communities of Comstock and Dixie.

Fire professionals continue to focus efforts on strengthening and reinforcing contingency lines around Comstock and Dixie. Additional pumps and hose lays are being deployed and installed in preparation of the expected fire movement.

To the north, the slop over area along Forest Road 1190/Jack Mountain Road within the Red River drainage has direct fireline in place. Firefighters continue to work on holding the slop over area and monitoring contingency lines. Control lines are established and fire professionals are monitoring them.

Firefighters continue to hold the north portion of the fire and the approximately 10 miles of fireline along the Forest Road 1190 / Jack Mountain Road and along Forest Road 421 in the Mallard Creek area.

Fire in the Mallard Creek area has not been moving to the east, fire professionals are continuing to monitor this area.

Fire professionals will be closely monitoring the expected east winds and changing fire behavior through the weekend that will test fire lines on the west side of the fire. They will reinforce contingency lines for potential fire movement to the west following the easterly winds taking action to protect high values at risk.

Jumbo Fire

The Jumbo saw an increase of 53 acres yesterday, for a total of 2,399 acres. The fire sits at zero percent containment. The fire is moving to the south towards the Salmon River and continues to be evaluated for further actions from the air and fire professionals on the ground.

Salmon River Recreation Advisory

Boaters on the Salmon River are directed to stop at Whitewater Ranch for updated fire information prior to continuing downriver. Expect active fire on the north side of the river from Allison Ranch south to Mackay Bar. Camping is open on both sides of the river below the highwater mark, however, be alert for rolling, flaming debris on river canyon slopes.

Weather and Smoke

Temperatures will begin to trend upward in the coming days, maxing out Friday and Saturday between 100-110 degrees for low elevations and in the 80s and 90s for mid and upper elevations. Low temperatures will range between 60 and 70 degrees, providing little relief. An easterly wind will develop late Friday and last through Sunday before turning more southerly, bringing a slight chance of monsoonal moisture into the area. Potential exists for isolate thunderstorms to develop Sunday into Monday and a slight cool down in temps.

Smoke will move out due to more atmospheric instability throughout the day.

Smoke settles in our many valleys overnight, later in the day smoke is moved out with help from the suns radiant heat and winds. Transport winds can move smoke in from other fires from adjacent regions, this will likely continue until we see significant widespread precipitation.

The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Alert for central Idaho. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has issued an Air Pollution Forecast and Caution for residents of Idaho County and surrounding counties. For more information on smoke conditions visit https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Evacuations and Closures

Evacuation orders continue to be in place in the communities around the fire perimeter including the Dixie/Comstock Area, Mallard, and Whitewater Ranch. For evacuation information and updates, please call Idaho County Sheriffs Office at 208-983-1100.

The Payette National Forest has issued a closure order south of the Dixie fire for multiple trails on the Krassel Ranger District, including a portion of the Idaho Centennial Trail.
BOISE - On Thursday, July 29, GOP Candidate for Idaho Governor Ed Humphreys released a statement calling mandatory vaccines immoral, and called for the Idaho Legislature to act immediately to stop mandated vaccines from some large health care providers in Idaho.

On July 8, St. Luke's and Saint Alphonsus, two of the largest employers in the state, both announced that they would begin requiring hospital employees and contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk termination.

Humphreys' statement can be read in full below:

Our hospitals, our churches, our businesses, and our children all face the onerous onslaught from the conformist movement in Idaho. Im grateful to the great nurses, physicians, and other staff at St. Lukes who did an incredible job helping us to bring our baby girl, Ruby, into this world. They were great people. After many private chats with different nurses during our recent hospital stay, Ive walked away with a unique perspective.

Many nurses expressed to me that they feel its wrong for the hospital to force them to undergo an experimental medical treatment as a requirement for their employment. Some have extensive experience and tenure, yet their loyalty is rewarded by telling them to shut up and get whatever medical treatment theyre told to. Its the height of arrogance when corporate executives feel theyre the most qualified to make healthcare decisions for healthcare professionals. Its heartbreaking and immoral.

Sadly, much of our leadership in Idaho and in America today celebrate mass conformity and any question from us regular folks are scorned as ignorant. But conformity and conscience dont go hand in hand. Forcing others to undergo medical treatments to satisfy your need for control is wrong, plain, and simple.

Not only is the need to control your neighbor an immoral one but equally distasteful is the obvious conflict of interest in which the hospitals have undertaken. St. Lukes alone has received almost $130 million from the federal Health & Human Services Provider Relief Fund. On top of that is a COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund which guarantees healthcare providers money for each vaccine administered.

Herein lies the conflict of interest; being compensated to administer an experimental medical treatment and then mandating your workforce to receive that same treatment.

This issue isnt just a political one for my family, the concern hits home. My wife, Holly, is a Nurse Anesthetist at St. Lukes and she is currently breastfeeding our newborn baby girl. Holly received an email from St. Lukes which effectively told her to get the vaccine or dont come back to work from maternity leave. Interesting to me how a healthcare provider could have so many processes in place to address postpartum depression and then also feel perfectly comfortable telling a healing mother that her job is at risk if she doesnt expose her newborn baby to an experimental medical treatment.

The legislature MUST act immediately to prohibit employer mandated experimental medical treatments. About 100,000 Idahoans work at only 10 employers in the whole state. St. Lukes and St. Als collectively have about 20,000 (excluding contractors). When your entire workforce is approximately 750,000 then its clear this is a huge problem. Do the right thing, protect Idahoans ability to protect themselves.

Ed Humphreys

4535 W. Prickly Pear Dr.

Eagle, Idaho 83616
BOISE - The Idaho Department of Insurance (DOI) was honored by Governor Little at his Rules Reduction Awards Ceremony this week, in recognition of the agencys efforts to streamline its rules in accordance with Littles Zero-Based Regulation order.

Rules are administrative statements written by state agencies that implement procedures in order to carry out laws passed by the Legislature. In an effort to reduce regulatory burdens on Idaho citizens and businesses, Little asked state agencies to further simplify their rules this year.

Regulation affects, either directly or indirectly, the income statement of all businesses, said Little. Its simple mathless regulation and fewer taxes equal more opportunity. Congratulations to the DOI for reducing their rules and doing what is best for Idahoans.

When accepting the award, DOI Director Dean Cameron emphasized how Littles trailblazing methods have made Idaho a trendsetter in insurance regulation.

Other states are following our example, said Cameron. Were trying to help them be successful in reducing regulation because it better protects consumers and saves their hard-earned income.

Following Governor Littles Red Tape Reduction Act in 2019, the DOI drastically updated its rules, eliminating 35 percent of its total word count, 40 percent of its pages, 33 percent of its chapters, and 99.83 percent of its restrictive words, helping to make Idaho the least regulated state in the United States.

After finalizing their rules this year, Director Dean Cameron expects the DOIs rules will be reduced by another 20,455 words for a total reduction of 106,645 words. The DOI efforts decreased their rules by 360 pages and 25 chapters.

By removing redundancies and unneeded rules, were making our rules easier to understand and easier to follow, all while maintaining necessary oversight, said Cameron. Governor Littles efforts have allowed us to be more transparent so that we can continue to do what is best for Idaho and its consumers. It is effective in lowering costs as well as retaining and attracting carriers, therefore fostering competition
Specialisations will be offered in plant biotechnology and microbial biotechnology

TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, (A Deemed to be University) has revised one of its programmes. The programme earlier known as M Sc (Plant Biotechnology) has now been revised to M Sc (Biotechnology). M Sc in Biotechnology (BT) is aimed at exploring sustainable solutions for agriculture, energy, environment and health sectors.

Specialisations are offered in plant biotechnology and microbial biotechnology. The eligibility criteria is a Bachelors degree in Sciences/Engineering/Technology.

Applications are invited from candidates through advertisements published on TERI SAS website (www.terisas.ac.in) and also in leading national newspapers and social media platforms. Admission to the M Sc Biotechnology Programme is made based on a combined entrance examination followed by an interview conducted by a faculty panel from the Department of Biotechnology, TERI SAS.

Apart from the classroom/online lectures, students will have access to laboratory practicals, case studies, classroom discussions, and guest lectures by experts. During the fourth semester, students are involved in full-time research for their major projects.

The M Sc Biotechnology programme is a two-year programme divided into four semesters. A student is required to complete 75 credits for the completion of the programme and the award of degree. The programme provides options for specialisation by completing a set of specialisation specific courses. The entire M Sc Biotechnology Programme consists of core courses (51 credits), elective courses (audit only but equivalent to minimum 4 credits), Specialisation specific courses (8 credits) and a Major Project (16 credits). In addition, two courses, Technical Writing and Communication Skills and Applied mathematics have been added as compulsory audit courses.

The specialisation specific courses will be offered during the second and third semesters. A student can opt for specialisation specific courses related to only one of the available specialisations. The elective courses are to be taken only as audit courses only and the grades in those courses will not be considered while calculating the CGPA. A minimum of four credits equivalent to elective courses needs to be completed during the programme. There is no upper limit for the number and credit equivalent for Elective courses. The elective courses may be taken in any semester when offered by the concerned department and provided it doesnt conflict with any other course taken by the student.

At the start of Semester 2, the students will be required to choose any one of the two specialisations. A maximum of 60 per cent of the total number of students can be allotted a particular specialisation. Allotment of specialisation will be done based on a combination of merit (as per the Semester 1 grades) and preference. A strong component of Bioinformatics in the form of hands-on practical equivalent to 3 credits has been included in Semesters 2 and 3. This is in addition to the theoretical orientation on Bioinformatics of 2 credits that will be provided in Semester 1.
This marks Roche's foray into rare disease treatment in India.

Roche has announced the launch of Evrysdi (risdiplam), the first and only approved treatment in India for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) patients.

Evrysdi was first approved by the US FDA in August 2020 and is available in India within 11 months of US approval. Since its launch, over 4,000 SMA patients across 50+ countries have benefitted from Evrysdi.

Evrysdi is administered daily at home orally (it is supplied as a powder which is constituted into a liquid solution and taken once daily by mouth or feeding tube if required) and is designed to treat SMA by increasing production of the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) protein. It is approved for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in adults and children 2 months of age and older.

Evrysdi was approved by Indian health authorities after reviewing its efficacy and safety data from three global clinical studies designed to represent a broad spectrum of people living with SMA.

V Simpson Emmanuel, CEO and MD, Roche Pharma India, says, "The launch of Evrysdi in India is a fine example of Roche living its purpose of 'Doing now what patients need next'. This also marks our foray into rare disease treatment in India."

Roche has announced its Patient Support Programme (PSP) for Evrysdi. In the first two years of treatment, Roche provides three bottles free for every two bottles bought by the patient and from the third year onwards, Roche provides two bottles free for every one bottle bought by the patient. Roche will provide free home delivery of Evrysdi to every patient following consent from the patient/ caregiver and their HCPs.
Rosebank Mall in Johannesburg will soon be home to the first Soko District, a new multi-brand retail concept that aims to re-tell the retail story. The shopping space will feature various brands across apparel, footwear, fashion accessories, food, babywear, furniture and homeware.

Source: Supplied

Source: Supplied

How SpaceMatch is simplifying retail rentals in SA The online platform allows retail landlords to list their available space for potential tenants to easily view and secure for rental...

Incorporating the Swahili word for market , Soko District aims to create a platform that "enables purpose-driven brands to create meaningful connections with their customers" through a flexible digital leasing platform, without the significant financial commitments in the traditional retail environment.The district will partner with like-minded entrepreneurs who want to encourage customers to experience products first-hand rather than online, in a relatable space that fosters a sense of community and support for brands. It also plans to showcase new brands with the potential to grow beyond what may have been possible in a traditional retail setup."Soko District wants to enable retailers because if they succeed in this space, then Soko District does well too," the company said in a statement.Each brand within the district has a completely customisable space, which means customers can easily recognise their favourite store. From a shopfitting perspective nothing goes to waste, said Soko District, with even shop branding being recycled into stylish shopping bags after use.The first Soko District at Rosebank Mall will open on 30 July 2021. Below is a list of brands that will form part of the initial offering:Nu NuesAnnapatat KidsOliver VagaryRialheimFlightMahone the Quiet JunkieBummel ShoesMos WearKayla StamKoiKoi ClothingDanielle FrylinckEra by DJ ZinhleJust Rrrraw ChocolateDarling SweetLedikanaGrazeThe Chairman Homeware & Furniture Co.Mpahla Sneaker & ApparelLebo Got EatsThe Lollipop League
Dates rescheduled to 15-21 November 2021

#IATF2018: Paving the way to increased intra-African trade According to Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, the African continent is an "extremely important" market for South African business, especially those that trade in value-added products...

The second Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2021) has been rescheduled to take place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa from 15 to 21 November 2021. The Trade Fair was previously due to be held in Kigali, Rwanda from 8 to 14 December 2021.The decision to move the Trade Fair to Durban was made by the Advisory Council of IATF2021 at its 10th meeting held virtually on 25 May 2021. This decision was arrived at after formal consultations with the government of Rwanda, which indicated that logistical constraints related to the Covid-19 pandemic had adversely affected the progress of construction of a new facility to host the event.Commenting on the decision, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, IATF2021 advisory council chairman and former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, commended the government of Rwanda, Afreximbank, the AU, the AfCFTA Secretariat and all IATF stakeholders for showing great resilience in adapting to the uncertain environment arising from the Covid-19 pandemic situation.We have, once again, been able to shoulder the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is affecting all sectors worldwide and forcing governments, corporates and individuals to take unprecedented measures to ensure public safety and keep economies running, said Chief Obasanjo.Relocating IATF2021 to Durban saves us time on the calendar and will enable African countries and corporates, as part of their recovery strategy, to take full advantage of the trade fair, which is also an important component of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement under which trading commenced this year.Having undertaken a comprehensive assessment of the measures that are being taken by the AU and Afreximbank under the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) as well as other initiatives to procure vaccines for the continent, we believe that a significant number of people would have been vaccinated by November and this will allow us to have a successful event. We will continue working with the government of South Africa to ensure that all the Covid-19 measures are complied with during the Trade Fair as the safety of both residents and visitors is paramount.We congratulate the government of the Republic of South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government and thank them for the swift efforts that are being made to ensure that IATF2021 safely accommodates the growing number of participating governments, exhibitors, buyers, conference delegates and visitors that have confirmed their participation in the event, added Chief Obasanjo.Welcoming the conference, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said: As KwaZulu-Natal, we are honoured to host this important gathering of the world as we implement our own economic reconstruction, recovery and transformation plan. Our approach is to carefully balance the protection of lives against promoting and sustaining livelihoods.Based on plans announced by our President Cyril Ramaphosa on rolling out the Covid-19 vaccination programme in South Africa, we will be ready in November to host our brothers and sisters in Durban for this Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2021), said Premier Zikalala.We look forward to welcoming the delegates to the trade fair. This gathering is one of the most significant strategic interventions to remind us of our interconnectedness, and of the urgent need to promote intra-Africa trade to reignite economic opportunities and create much-needed jobs for all our people. In this regard we applaud the IATF2021 advisory council under the leadership of former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for this bold decision as we soldier forward to a better Africa for all, added Premier Zikalala.Organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union (AU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the second Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2021) will take place in Durban from 15 to 21 November 2021.IATF2021 provides a platform to promote trade under the AfCFTA. It will bring together continental and global buyers and sellers, and will enable stakeholders to share trade, investment, and market information as well as trade finance and trade facilitation solutions designed to support intra-African trade and the economic integration of the continent. In addition to establishing business-to-business and business-to-government exchange platforms for business deals and advisory services, IATF2021 also operates IATF2021 Virtual, an interactive online platform that replicates the physical event. IATF2021 will focus on Africas creative economy as well as the automotive industry with dedicated programmes. A conference will run alongside the exhibition and will feature high-profile speakers and panelists addressing topical issues relating to trade, trade finance, payments, trade facilitation, trade-enabling infrastructure, trade standards, industrialisation, regional value chains and investment.To register as a delegate or as an exhibitor for IATF2021 please visit www.intrafricantradefair.com
InnoHealth, a Cape Town-based healthtech startup, recently announced that it has secured an undisclosed seven-figure investment from a Hong Kong-based VC.

L to R: InnoHealth co-founders Dr Chad Marthinussen, Abdul-Malick Salie and Dr Wade Palmer. | Image supplied

Please briefly tell us about InnoHealth

How and why did you get started?

Tell us a bit about the MyPocketHealth app.

What solutions will the app bring to the local healthcare industry?

You recently secured a seven-figure investment for MyPocketHealth app. How will it help position the app as the leading digital healthcare platform in South Africa?

What does the future of the South African healthtech space look like?

What advice would you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly in the healthtech space?

As an entrepreneur, what would you like to see changed in the South African startup landscape?

Where would you like to see InnoHealth in the next five years?

The seed capital will go towards expanding the companys MyPocketHealth app, an AI-based digital healthcare platform that is set to disrupt the South African healthtech space and position InnoHealth at the forefront of digital healthcare in the country.InnoHealth was founded in 2020 by medical doctors Chad Marthinussen and Wade Palmer, as well as chartered accountant Abdul-Malick Salie, with a focus on providing solutions for quality, affordable and equitable healthcare to everyone on the African continent. Since starting out, the InnoHealth team has made massive strides within the healthtech space with their innovations, the latest being the MyPocketHealth app launching later this year countrywide.I caught up with co-founders, Dr Marthinussen and Dr Palmer, to find out more about InnoHealth, MyPocketHealth app and the South African healthtech space.InnoHealth Technology Solutions is a company focused on providing healthcare solutions by leveraging technology and our intimate knowledge of our healthcare industry to overcome barriers to accessing healthcare services from a location, resource and financial point of view. Our objective at InnoHealth is to provide quality, affordable and equitable overall wellness to all South Africans and the greater continent of Africa.Along with healthtech, we are focused on leveraging the latest technology in the biotech space to improve vaccine development in Africa.With both Dr Marthinussen and I having been trained in South Africa and having worked within our public healthcare sector, we both identified multiple points that could be optimised and improved on, taking into account the limited number of healthcare workers, infrastructure, physical access and financial access. Historically, the previously disadvantaged had been excluded from quality and equitable healthcare, and we intend to correct that with the use of technology and our healthcare partners.Chad had started penning his vision for decentralised care in 2015 while studying for exams. The clear lack of technology integration within the healthcare sector drove him to honing his skills as a healthcare entrepreneur.MyPocketHealth app is a wellness platform which, together with remote patient diagnostic devices, will provide access to physical healthcare services, mental wellbeing services and financial wellness opportunities. The intention is to provide a wellness ecosystem that provides low-cost healthcare and financial wellness by bringing the healthcare the patient needs to the device they have.With the use of, amongst other things, our Uwell remote diagnostic device that ties into our virtual consults, the patient is now able to facilitate and be a part of the consultation process anywhere in our country.Additionally, the mental wellness platform will provide access to mental healthcare services aimed at preventative psychotherapy. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the seriousness of the mental health pandemic that now plagues our country. The MyPocketHealth app brings these services to the patients that previously never had access to it.One of the key shortcomings for telehealth in South Africa is the integration of technology. The investment is driving the app development of our ecosystem as well as ensuring that we are able to leverage existing local and international infrastructure.Africa has attracted a large amount of attention from investors. The opportunities to improve patient outcomes through technology are vast and we believe that, through proper partnerships, collaboration and adequate funding, we can put South Africa at the forefront on the African continent.Identify a problem, find a solution and implement it. If a solution does not already exist, create it yourself or in partnership with like-minded individuals. Solutions dont exist until someone takes the leap to create it. Be that someone.I would love to see VC funders having more faith in young South African entrepreneurs. There are thousands of young minds with amazing ideas but no opportunity to execute or bring it to life. All we need is an opportunity and guidance. I'm certain that the young minds of South Africa have a lot to offer our countrys advancement in all areas of the economy. We just need some backing.In the next five years, Id love to see InnoHealth providing solutions and the platform for solutions in healthcare in both the private and public health sector. My hope is that InnoHealth becomes a catalyst for healthcare solutions, not only for South Africa but also the African continent at large.Finally, it would be a great accomplishment if InnoHealth is at the forefront of improving the lives and wellbeing of millions of South Africans and Africans abroad.
Covid-19 vaccines and other scheduled medicines have also been named as goods taken by looters in the recent unrest, which has a potential devastating impact on our already stretched health system. These medical products should be prioritised in the recovery process.

Legislation

Safeguarding public health

Collaboration

According to the South African Government News Agency, one of the approved vaccines currently being administered in South Africa, was registered in terms of Section 15(6a) of the Medicines and Related Substance Act 101 of 1965 (MRSA), which contains very strict provisions relating to the sale of these medicines and the limitation as to the qualified individuals and entities who may do so.The reasons why the MRSA provides strict compliance provisions for scheduled medicines are understandable: the abuse and unregulated use thereof have likely disastrous and even possible fatal consequences. Now, imagine the risks in unqualified individuals administering Covid-19 vaccines in an unregulated environment, not to mention the likely scenario that these stolen vaccines were moved and stored in uncontrolled conditions. Adverse or even fatal reactions as a result, might even lead to further arguments from sceptics advocating against vaccines.None of the looters or other individuals are permitted to sell the medicines or vaccines taken from sites during the unrest. This may seem obvious since these items were stolen, but the advantages of the strict provisions in the MRSA lie in identifying the goods as illegal items, seizing the items and successfully prosecuting the offenders. Section 19 prohibits the sale of medicines unless it complies with the prescribed requirements. Section 22A goes a step further and outlaws the mere possession of any medicine or scheduled substance in contravention of the prescribed conditions. Sections 29 and 30 criminalises the contravention of these sections and provides that an offender may be sentenced for up to 10 years imprisonment upon conviction.Section 28 provides inspectors (usually South African Health Products Regulatory Authority officials) with wide search and seizure powers (under certain circumstances without the need to obtain a warrant) in relation to these offences or attempts to commit them.Despite encouraging undertakings by the South African Police Service (Saps), with the assistance of private citizens, to clamp down on looters for possession of stolen property, the pursuance and successful prosecution of offenders for these offences are not as simple as the threats to kick down doors and arrest every second person with a new TV or fridge. From a practical perspective, the nature of these crimes (presumably offences of theft and charges relating to the possession of suspected stolen property in terms of Section 36 of the General Law Amendment Act) may very well require more extensive investigations and verification processes by the Saps to build and substantiate a strong case.In contrast, the nature of scheduled medicines and vaccines and the statutory offences created by the MRSA in this regard, arguably facilitates a more streamlined process in not only ensuring lawful seizures but also quicker and successful prosecutions. Save for the retribution factor involved in recovering the stolen medicines, there are more pressing considerations: safeguarding the health of the public and preventing further black market and counterfeiting activities.Last year counterfeit vaccines were reportedly seized by law enforcement in Gauteng, months before approved vaccines even landed in South Africa. Although the operation is by now common knowledge, most of the details of the suspected counterfeit vaccines and their intended destination remain confidential at this stage. What is well known, is that counterfeit goods are created and supplied as a result of a high demand for the real, genuine product.The vaccines stolen during the looting provides the opportunity for criminals to duplicate all the information and details of the authorised vaccines (possibly up to the batch numbers). With a third wave of infections and delayed vaccine rollout, there is a high demand in both South Africa and other African countries for Covid-19 vaccines. Now with the looted vaccines, theres a sought-after product potentially in the hands of the wrong people, in a country where dealing in and manufacturing of counterfeit goods is rife, with harbours and easy access to other African countries.During the looting, the role of crime intelligence was placed in the spotlight. In the context of the stolen medicines and vaccines, private investigators can play a vital part in assisting crime intelligence to identify the culprits and locations of stolen goods and possible counterfeit versions. Most anti-counterfeiting law firms use private investigators on a regular basis to identify and investigate counterfeiting suspects and syndicates.Due to the nature of these offences, brandholders often authorise their representative law firms to manage this process with the investigators to ensure proper evidence collection. The same process has been followed in investigating contraventions of the MRSA.The evidence collected in this regard may also help to shut down further unlawful activities and the illegal distribution network. Customs recordal filed under the Counterfeit Goods Act may further assist law enforcement to check for any suspected counterfeit vaccines leaving South Africa.Whatever the approach preferred by law enforcement, it is imperative that action is taken sooner rather than later. Collaboration between the authorities and the private sector has seemingly been effective in combating the looting. This may well be an indication of the way forward to obtain the best results in recovering stolen medicines and vaccines.
Smart Africa Alliance welcomes Google as a member

Smart Africa Alliance has welcomed Google as a platinum member. As a member of the alliance, Google will contribute towards closing the digital gap in Africa through advancing digital skills development.



Google and Smart Africa will also work together to contribute towards Africa's development of broadband connectivity, data governance and the ICT startups as well as innovation ecosystem which are all key initiatives that the alliance is undertaking.



Smart Africa also welcomed the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Republic of Sudan as new country members.
Junior Journalist

Remuneration: cost-to-company Location: Cape Town Education level: Degree Job level: Junior Type: Permanent Reference: #Editorial Motor Company: Highbury Media

Highbury Media (Pty) Ltd is SAs largest independent magazine and digital publishing company responsible for some of the countrys most-loved and best-performing titles. Established 64 years ago, CAR is SAs longest running motoring magazine and an opinion-forming consumer and automotive-interest title. We are currently looking for a Junior Journalist. Researching and assisting with articles on the CAR magazine websiteAssisting on shoots and videos for CAR magazine and CAR magazine websiteAssisting our road test engineers in road testing, including weighing, measuring vehicles, recording specification features and road test dataA tertiary qualification in English or JournalismWork experience in the motoring media.An ability and willingness to work hours as dictated by prevailing news trends.Excellent writing, communication, copy editing, organisational and motivational skills.Proficiency in WordPress CMS, Excel, Photoshop, trending social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc) and the Mac operating system.Knowledge of InDesign, Affinity Publisher and basic video editing a bonus. Excellent technical knowledge of motor vehicles.A passion for driving and motoring media. Posted on 29 Jul 15:01
The Australian had initially received Ecuadorian citizenship in January 2018 as part of a failed bid of then-President Lenin Moreno, an avid supporter of Assange's, to get him classified as a diplomat so that he could safely walk out of the Ecuadorian embassy.

That attempt failed, of course, as on April 11, 2019 UK police were invited into the embassy after his asylum was abruptly revoked. He's remained in Belmarsh ever since, following his seven years holed up in the embassy, at the end of which he had frequently clashed with Ecuadorian staff and officials.

Julian Assange during his time in the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Assange was reportedly notified of the nullity of his naturalization in a letter, with the WikiLeaks organization on Wednesday vowing to fight the decision as it was done without representation and due process, according to his legal team. "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," Assange's lawyer said in a press statement.

Ecuador reportedly based its decision on what government authorities say was a possible fraud in the way the documents for naturalization were prepared. Previously a vocal political enemy of Assange, then-Foreign Minister Jose Valencia, had charged that "false claims" were made in his naturalization application documents.

"A naturalization is considered damaging when it is granted based on the concealment of relevant facts, false documents or fraud," The Associated Press writes of the government's position. "Ecuadorian authorities say Assange's naturalization letter had multiple inconsistencies, different signatures, the possible alteration of documents and unpaid fees, among other issues."

Assange is still facing potential extradition after the US prosecutor was able to appeal the prior decision of a London court which refused to extradite, with the UK judge saying he would face "oppressive" and possibly torturous conditions inside the US supermax prison he would likely end up in. The US has since sought to assure the London court it will not send him to a supermax facility.

US promises not put #Assange in a maximum security facility or subject him to Special Administrative Measures BUT reserves the right to break this promise.



"This undermines the intn'l prohibition on torture" @JuliaHall18 tells @fattoquotidianos @SMaurizihttps://t.co/juNpZISn0t  amnestypress (@amnestypress) July 26, 2021

That appeal will only drag out the legal proceedings, and at the same time he'll stay in prison, which WikiLeaks supporters say is precisely the point - to drag things on indefinitely while legal limbo keeps him locked up.
A new open-source study concludes that Syrian insurgents carried out the Ghouta sarin chemical attack in August 2013. The explosive findings add to a growing body of public evidence that undermines US-led efforts to blame the Syrian government, which almost led to US military intervention.

Hundreds of people were killed and thousands were wounded when sarin rockets hit multiple sites in the Syria area of Ghouta on August 21, 2013. The US and its allies publicly accused the Syrian government of responsibility, and President Obama threatened to bomb Syria in purported retaliation. But Obama ultimately pulled back after reaching an agreement with Russia to destroy Syrias chemical weapons arsenal.

Since then, a growing body of public information has raised questions about US-led claims of Syrian government guilt. The new open-source study, published by Rootclaim, adds to this evidence.

Based on their trajectories, the study traces all seven missile impact locations back to the most likely launch spot where they all intersected: a small area within insurgent-controlled territory. This location is about 2 km from any impact site  the agreed range calculated by experts for the Volcano rockets used in the Ghouta attack.

Video footage has previously surfaced of insurgents wearing gas masks, firing Volcano rockets, and identifying themselves as members of the insurgent group Liwa Al Islam. The video matches several features of a small field that is located within that insurgent-controlled area where, the study found, the rockets were launched from. That same area, matching the field, was also the source of a little-reported sarin attack by insurgents on Syrian government forces just days after the Ghouta attack.

Guests:

Michael Kobs and Adam Larson. Co-authors of a new study on the 2013 chemical attack in Ghouta.

Saar Wilf. Founder of Rootclaim, which published the Ghouta study.

Links:

Read the Ghouta study here.

Read Rootclaims summary of the findings here.

The study builds on previous revelations that have cast doubt on US-led claims of Syrian government guilt, and pointed instead to Syrian insurgents.

A now widely accepted study from MIT Professor Ted Postol and ex-UN weapons inspector Richard Lloyd found that the range of the Ghouta rockets was outside of Syrian government-controlled territory  making a launch from that area impossible.

Reporting in the London Review of Books, Seymour Hersh revealed that US intelligence collected evidence pointing to Syrian insurgent responsibility for Ghouta attack. The Defense Intelligence Agency reported that al-Nusra in Syria maintained a sarin production cell, the most advanced sarin plot since al-Qaidas pre-9/11 effort. Tests by the British military laboratory Porton Down had found that the sarin used in Ghouta did not match the kind known to exist in the Syrian government arsenal. And US intelligence officials raised the possibility that al-Nusra in Syria had acquired sarin from Turkey in a bid to frame the Syrian government and trigger US government military intervention.

In May 2013, more than ten al-Nusra members were arrested in Turkey, reportedly carrying at least two kilograms of sarin. Two Turkish lawmakers later revealed that a probe into the governments role in providing sarin to insurgents was compromised.

In 2016, President Obama confirmed that his Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, (along with other U.S. officials) had warned him that allegations of Syrian government responsibility in Ghouta were not a slam dunk  a deliberate reference to the phony intelligence that led to the Iraq war.
Biden has failed to stop the U.S./Saudi war on Yemen. He is keeping troops in Iraq and Syria . His retreat from Afghanistan turns out to be fake. He is sabotaging a return to the nuclear with Iran.

The U.S. has, in contradiction to its Doha agreement with the Taliban, restarted its bombing campaign against them and is likely to continue it for years to come:

The top American general overseeing operations in Afghanistan declined to say Sunday night whether U.S. airstrikes against the Taliban would end Aug. 31, the date previously given by officials as a cutoff for such attacks. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the head of United States Central Command, refused to commit to ending the United States last remaining military leverage over the Taliban: airstrikes.

...

The Taliban reacted furiously to the strikes, saying they were in breach of the 2020 agreement negotiated between the militant group and the United States. The concentration of strikes against the Taliban reflected a new sense of urgency in Washington about the imperiled Afghan government. Im just not going to be able to comment about the future of U.S. airstrikes after Aug. 31, General McKenzie told reporters after meeting with Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, and his aides earlier in the day.

The Taliban have recently done a lot of diplomacy with visits to Moscow, Beijing and Tehran. Together, with Pakistan, which continues to supply the Taliban with weapons and manpower, those countries are planing for a future where the Taliban will have total control of, or at least a significant role in. the Afghan government. They have promised to invest in a Taliban led Afghanistan.

But the U.S. will not allow a rebuilding of the silk road between China and Iran. It will not allow for safe 'Belt & Road investments in Afghanistan. Instead of controlling Afghanistan for its own purpose, as it did with its occupation, the U.S. will, from now on, do its best to deny others to benefit from the country.

After first pressing the Afghan president to make room for an interim government, Biden is now again backing him. In a phone call last Friday Biden pledged full support for Ghanis continued hardline:

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan. President Biden and President Ghani discussed the situation in Afghanistan and reaffirmed their commitment to an enduring bilateral partnership. President Biden emphasized continued U.S. support, including development and humanitarian aid, for the Afghan people, including women, girls, and minorities. President Biden and President Ghani agreed that the Talibans current offensive is in direct contradiction to the movements claim to support a negotiated settlement of the conflict. President Biden also reaffirmed the United States commitment to continue supporting the Afghan security forces to defend themselves.

But Ghanis government has no way to survive. The Taliban control Afghanistans borders and can finance themselves with customs duties and taxes. Ghani thereby lacks the income to run the state. Now Biden is promising him to give $4 billion per year to the Afghan army while having few control over how that money will be spent. Ghani and his circle will do their best to loot the stash.

Instead of leaving Afghanistan alone and letting it find a new balance Biden is revamping the Great Game in which Afghanistan will be again the foremost casualty.

During his campaign Biden had promised to rejoin the nuclear deal with Iran. But no action has followed. Talks with Tehran started too late and were filled with new demands that Iran can not accept without diminishing is military defenses.

The arrogance of the Biden administration is at full display in its believe that it can dictate the terms to Tehran:

If the U.S. determines that Iran is not prepared to return to full implementation, or that Irans nuclear program has advanced to the point that the non-proliferation limits in the deal cannot be recaptured, it will explore options, including for tightening enforcement of economic sanctions, but he hopes it does not come to that, he said. We will see whether they are prepared to come back, the senior US diplomat said.

It is not Iran that left the UN endorsed JCPOA deal. It was the U.S. which went back on it and re-introduced a 'maximum pressure sanctions campaign against Iran. Iran has said it is willing to again reduce its nuclear program to the limits of the JCPOA deal if the U.S. removes all sanctions. It is the Biden administration that is unwilling to do so while making new demands. That is obviously not going to work.

Today Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei met with the outgoing government of President Rohani and warned the incoming government against any hope that the U.S. will change its unreasonable position:

Khamenei.ir @khamenei_ir - 9:20 UTC  Jul 28, 2021 Others should use the experience of Mr. Rouhanis govt. One experience is distrusting the West. In this administration it became clear that trusting the West isnt helpful. They dont help and they strike a blow wherever they can. When they didnt, it was because they couldnt. Administrations should utterly avoid tying their plans to negotiations with the West, for theyll certainly fail.

This administration too, wherever it relied on negotiations with the West & the US, they were unsuccessful, & when they relied on domestic potential, they succeeded. In the recent nuclear talks, the Americans staunchly insisted on their obstinate stance. When making promises & on paper they say theyll remove sanctions, but in practice they didnt & wont. Then they say new articles should be added to the deal that already exists. The West & the US are totally unjust & malicious in their negotiations. They have no hesitation in breaching their commitments at all. In the previous agreement, they breached their commitments & they give no guarantee they will abide by their commitments in the future either.

If the U.S. does not come back into the JCPOA deal, without any further conditions, Iran will eventually leave the deal and proceed with its nuclear program as it wants. That would be an utter failure of Bidens hardline tactics. One wonders what the Biden administration has planned to do when that happens.

As Larison summarizes:

Bidens foreign policy so far is largely made up of failures to achieve his stated goals and failures to overturn the worst policies that he inherited from Trump. In some cases, Biden has not even made the effort to overturn them. The Biden administration likes to use the phrase "America is back" as its foreign policy motto. Judging from Bidens first six months this just means that America is back to more of the same destructive and inhumane policies that we have had for decades.

Instead of ending the 'forever wars, as Biden promised during his campaign, he is prolonging old ones while preparing the path for new ones.
One of the ways the global cabal is attempting to implement The Great Reset and the Fourth Industrial Revolution is by putting global supply chains at risk to bring the economy to its knees. I warned about this looming threat in my article What the Future Portends: 10 Predictions for 2021 and Beyond.

The narrative being sold to the public goes like this. The new wave of COVID-19 infections caused by various Greek-letter variants, major disruptions due to natural disasters (attributed to climate change), and cyber-attacks targeting key industries are causing worker shortages and the inability for ships and other major transport systems to reach their destinations. This shortage of workers and goods such as food and computer chips plays right into globalist stooges hands. As prices skyrocket, the economy will further deteriorate and panic will rule the day. People desperate for basic necessities will turn to looting and violence which will give governments a new excuse to lockdown and subdue their populations.

The true narrative points to global forces using these unfolding calamities as the perfect convergence of manufactured problem-reaction-solution scenarios. These existential crises are deliberately put in motion to move the world towards global governance based on the UN (Agenda 2030) Sustainable Development goals, a new blockchain based financial system, and a China-like surveillance state.

Pandemics, climate change, cyber terror, and manufactured supply shortages are trojan horses used to remove individual rights, destroy nations and governments, and push people into a new technocratic society. All of these events allow governments to implement emergency measures while consolidating more power. As these scenarios play out, control mechanisms such as biometric surveillance, smart technology, social credit, Universal Basic Income, mandatory vaccination, and digital ID/wallet systems are steadily materializing.

A new article in the Insurance Journal provides details to the changes rapidly taking place as the global supply chain is threatened. The article states:

Events have conspired to drive global supply chains towards breaking point, threatening the fragile flow of raw materials, parts and consumer goods, according to companies, economists and shipping specialists. The Delta variant of the coronavirus has devastated parts of Asia and prompted many nations to cut off land access for sailors. Thats left captains unable to rotate weary crews and about 100,000 seafarers stranded at sea beyond their stints in a flashback to 2020 and the height of lockdowns. Meanwhile, deadly floods in economic giants China and Germany have further ruptured global supply lines that had yet to recover from the first wave of the pandemic, compromising trillions of dollars of economic activity that rely on them. Manufacturing industries are reeling. Automakers, for example, are again being forced to stop production because of disruptions caused by COVID-19 outbreaks. Toyota Motor Corp said this week it had to halt operations at plants in Thailand and Japan because they couldnt get parts. Buckling supply chains are hitting the United States and China, the worlds economic motors that together account for more 40% of global economic output. This could lead to a slowdown in the global economy, along with rising prices for all manner of goods and raw materials. Ports across the globe are suffering the kinds of logjams not seen in decades, according to industry players. The China Port and Harbour Association said on Wednesday that freight capacity continued to be tight. A cyber attack hit South African container ports in Cape Town and Durban this week, adding further disruptions at the terminals. If all that were not enough, in Britain the official health app has told hundreds of thousands of workers to isolate following contact with someone with COVID-19  leading to supermarkets warning of a short supply and some petrol stations closing. Richard Walker, managing director of supermarket group Iceland Foods, turned to Twitter to urge people not to panic buy. We need to be able to supply stores, stock shelves and deliver food, he wrote.

Another recent article from The Conversation details how extensive the shortages are, stating:

It expands to include a whole range of products like lumber and other building materials, tools, foodstuffs, seeds, furniture, cleaning supplies, aluminum cans, jars, pools and pool equipment, chemicals, bicycles, camping gear, household appliances and replacement parts of all kinds. In many cases supply chains have been simultaneously squeezed on both ends  supply and demand.

The empty store shelves that dotted the landscape at the beginning of last years plandemic is only a taste of what is to come. Manufactured famine would be the perfect way to introduce complete control of the food supply. The ultimate goal is to eliminate meat-eating and increase consumption of GMO crops and synthetic food as only a few major corporations would control the entire worlds food supply. This is why Bill Gates is now the largest landowner in the U.S.

Recently there have already been major cyber attacks by mysterious hacker groups on a major U.S. gasoline pipeline (Colonial) and global food supplier (JBS). The power grid failure in Texas this past February created shortages of water, food, and heat for short periods, but caused much devastation and even death. In March, a container ship blocked both lanes of the Suez Canal and kept vessels from crossing for an entire week leading to inflated oil prices and long shipping delays. Current drought conditions in the western United States exacerbated by wildfires and extreme high temperatures are ruining vegetation and impacting the water supply.

These events along with a cyber pandemic could easily trigger a worldwide crisis. World Economic Forum frontman and globalist stooge Klaus Schwab has warned of an event to come that could make the coronavirus pandemic seem like a small disturbance. The World Economic Forum sponsored Cyber Polygon events have been creating simulations of massive cyber-attacks that could completely disrupt finance, global trade, power grids, and life as we know it. Will these simulations go live in the near future?

If youre reading this you are ahead of the curve as most people are still marching along like sheep to the slaughter. But dont wait! Take action now and stock up on needed goods and supplies before it is too late. Discuss these scenarios with your loved ones and formulate a plan that can help you stay above water if and when calamity strikes.
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CALGARY - Alberta is ending isolation requirements for people who test positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts as cases climb in the province.

Visitors to the Calgary Stampede line up for tickets in Calgary on Sunday, July 18, 2021. Alberta Health says 71 people likely acquired COVID-19 while attending the Stampede. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY - Alberta is ending isolation requirements for people who test positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts as cases climb in the province.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, announced a two-phased approach Wednesday to eliminate the few remaining public health orders in the province.

Starting Thursday, close contacts will no longer be notified of exposure by contact tracers nor will they be legally required to isolate  although it still recommended. The province will also end asymptomatic testing.

"With the vaccine readily available, the need for the types of extraordinary restrictions we used in the past has diminished," Hinshaw said.

"We need to make sure that Alberta's health system is able to support all patients. That is why we are making changes to bring COVID-19 measures in line with how we handle other respiratory viruses."

Further measures will be eliminated Aug. 16. People who test positive for the virus will not be mandated to isolate at that time. Isolation hotels will also close as quarantine supports end.

The changes came as the province recorded 194 cases of COVID-19  the highest daily case count since early June.

Active cases now total 1,334 across Alberta. Eighty-four people are in hospital, including 18 in intensive care.

Hinshaw said COVID-19 will not disappear but suggested the steps are crucial to manage health-care resources.

The latest reported R-value, or rate of infection, for Alberta was 1.48 for the week of July 19 to July 25. The rate was slightly higher in Calgary at 1.5  one of the highest R-values seen in Alberta throughout the pandemic.

Dr. Craig Jenne, an infectious disease expert at the University of Calgary, said Albertans shouldn't panic, but recent case numbers are cause for concern.

We have the fewest protected people and yet also the fewest public health guidelines to help limit that spread if an outbreak begins," he said Tuesday, referring to Alberta's lower vaccination rate compared to other provinces.

"It doesn't guarantee that we're going to see a dramatic rise in cases, but it absolutely creates the potential for rapid and sustained viral spread.

Jenne said it's positive to see hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions decline but noted that they are lagging indicators.

If the numbers were to change, he said, the province would need to consider reintroducing some public health restrictions.

The Calgary Zone represents about 60 per cent of Alberta's active cases.

Hinshaw said at least 84 cases in Alberta's rising total were likely acquired at the Calgary Stampede.

Alberta Health spokesman Tom McMillan said Tuesday the 10-day rodeo and festival attended by about 529,000 people isnt a significant driver, so far, in rising infections in the province.

Masks were not compulsory for attendees, but the Nashville North music venue required proof of vaccination or a negative rapid-test result to enter.

Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta, said it's too early to know the repercussions of the Stampede.

"We can anticipate there will be secondary infections from the initial 71," Smith said Wednesday, before the cases linked to the event increased to 84. "We need to look over the next two to three weeks to see if we see a jump."

McMillan said the province does not have figures on secondary exposure from positive cases.

Smith said it's hard to link the current rise in infections to the Stampede alone.

Lifting almost all COVID-19 restrictions in Alberta on July 1, just before the festival, along with spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, which was first identified in India, are likely the key drivers, she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2021.
Approximately a dozen people tied purple ribbons and photos of people around trees in Dinsdale Park on Wednesday afternoon to remember those who have died of drug overdoses.

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Approximately a dozen people tied purple ribbons and photos of people around trees in Dinsdale Park on Wednesday afternoon to remember those who have died of drug overdoses.

"Its to bring honour and respect to those that have lost their lives due to overdose poisoning and substance-related death," said Brandon and Area Overdose Awareness chair Antoinette Gravel-Ouellette.

The aim is to raise awareness about overdose deaths and get people in Brandon talking, which in turn will reduce stigma, she said. In total, the group put up photos of more than 50 people and tied purple ribbons to bridges across the city.

"Stigma causes shame in families and then nobody wants to talk about it so we cant reach out to get help. We need to realize this is not a moral failing for anybody," she said.

The Brandon Harm Reduction Network and Moms Stop the Harm are also involved with the campaign.

The families of people who overdosed decided on the location for the ribbons and photos to be displayed, Gravel-Ouellette said. The park near the Assiniboine River often has significance for their loved ones.

Dee Taylor-John punches holes in an information card for the purple ribbon campaign. (Drew May/The Brandon Sun)

Volunteers in teams of two used long strands of purple ribbon to tie the photos of loved ones around trees. The photos and ribbons will be taken down at the end of August.

The campaign was done with the permission of the City of Brandon and is part of overdose awareness month, which is held every year in August. Gravel-Ouellette said another event is being organized in conjunction with the Harm Reduction Peer Advisory Council for Aug. 31.

People who couldnt make it to Dinsdale Park on Wednesday afternoon are welcome to tie a ribbon or photo to a tree at any point, she said. People can also put up a purple ribbon at their home or business.

The Scoops of Love Campaign is also back for another year to raise money for Samaritan House Ministries, Gravel-Ouellette said. A portion of sales from purple or black cherry ice cream sold at some Westman ice cream shops will be donated.

Overdose deaths nearly doubled in Brandon and Manitoba as a whole in 2020.

In 2019, there were seven deaths attributed to drug overdoses reported in the city  but in 2020 that jumped to 12, the Sun reported in May.

Manitoba as a whole experienced 372 overdose deaths in 2020, an 87 per cent surge over the year before, according to data from Manitobas Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
HALIFAX - Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Iain Rankin defended his party's record on health care and gender issues Wednesday during the first leaders debate of a provincial election campaign that has yet to reach the halfway mark.

This composite image of three photographs shows, from left to right, Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Iain Rankin, taken in Halifax on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021; Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston taken in Halifax on Saturday, October 27, 2018; and Nova Scotia New Democrative Party Leader Gary Burrill taken in Halifax on Thursday, May 25, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan, Ted Pritchard

HALIFAX - Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Iain Rankin defended his party's record on health care and gender issues Wednesday during the first leaders debate of a provincial election campaign that has yet to reach the halfway mark.

Early in the 90-minute contest, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston and NDP Leader Gary Burrill criticized the premier for failing to deal with a chronic physician shortage that has left almost 70,000 Nova Scotians without a family doctor. The opposition leaders also said the province's nurses were burning out and quitting, a persistent problem they said had been aggravated by the pandemic.

"People will remember the Liberals promised a doctor for all Nova Scotians," Houston told Rankin, referring to a promise made by Rankin's predecessor, former Liberal premier Stephen McNeil. "They failed on that. They didn't really try."

Houston, a 51-year-old chartered accountant, has said a Tory government would spend $553 million during its first year in office to fulfil campaign promises, mostly for improving health care.

Rankin, who at 38 years old is Canada's youngest premier, took aim at Houston's big-spending pledge, arguing the Tory leader wants to "overbuild" in the long-term care sector by promising 2,500 new beds.

Several times, Houston made a point of speaking over Rankin, a move that made some exchanges difficult to understand. For his part, Burrill, a 65-year-old United Church minister, kept his cool and waited for his turn to speak.

The Liberals released their party's health-care platform Tuesday, promising an added $131 million. Rankin has said investments in doctor and nurse recruitment and mental health will build on the nearly $400 million earmarked for health care in the Liberals' 2021-22 budget tabled in March.

Burrill picked up on Rankin's comment: "Did you just use the word, 'overbuild?' Do you not acknowledge that in eight years, the grand total was 57 beds you built?"

Rankin responded that his party's investments in health care and long-term care were sensible. "What we don't need is a competition on who can throw the most money at an issue," the former business manager said.

Later in the debate, sparks flew when Houston called attention to national headlines that appeared earlier this month after a female Liberal candidate alleged party staff had pressured her to drop out of the race because she had previously sold revealing photos of herself online.

Shortly after the election campaign began on July 17, Robyn Ingraham also alleged the party had told her to cite her mental health issues as the reason for her departure, which she did in writing before going public with her version of events.

"Your party forced a young lady to lie about the reason that she was resigning as a candidate and forced her to further stigmatize mental health," Houston said.

"That's bad. That's a disgrace actually."

Rankin wasn't rattled by Houston's harsh assertions. The premier said he was proud of the party's slate of 55 candidates, which includes five African Nova Scotians and comprises 40 per cent women.

"I trust my staff," he said, adding that he had tried three times to speak with Ingraham. "And I'm going to continue to reach out to that individual."

Houston asked Rankin if his staff had told the woman to lie.

"In fairness to Robyn, I'm not going to speak to her through you," Rankin said.

Burrill interrupted the heated exchange to say that when it comes to politics and gender, Nova Scotians will be taking part in the first provincial election in which a party has fielded a slate of candidates mostly comprised of women and gender-diverse persons.

"That party is the NDP," said Burrill, who is contesting his second campaign as leader. "And this is a major accomplishment for the entire political culture of Nova Scotia."

The New Democrats' campaign has repeatedly accused the Liberals of planning to impose hefty budget cuts.

Though Burrill maintained a low key during much of the debate, he was outspoken about the environment and climate change.

"We are talking about an emergency," he said. "That means we need action ... that is bold and means business."

Burrill said an NDP government would make sure that 90 per cent of the province's energy needs would be met by renewable sources by 2030. The other main parties have promised an 80 per cent target.

The Liberals are seeking a third term in office, having governed the province since 2013. Rankin was elected to lead the party in February and has served as a member of the legislature since 2013.

Before the election was called, the Liberals were leading in the polls, having won kudos for their handling of the pandemic.

But the premier stumbled just before the campaign began when he revealed he had been convicted of impaired driving in 2003 and 2005, though he provided few details about the second conviction, which was dismissed. Those events were mentioned only once in passing during the debate.

At dissolution, the Liberals held 24 of 51 seats, followed by the Progressive Conservatives with 17. The New Democrats had five seats, and there were three Independents and two vacancies. Nova Scotians go to the polls on Aug. 17.

After the debate, Burrill said he hoped the debate made it clear that the province has two paths to choose from: contraction through cuts or expansion in areas of need, such as long-term care and child care.

"I hope that we have come out of the debate with that demarcation having become that much clearer," he said.

Rankin said he wasn't surprised by Houston's in-your-face approach. "A lot of negativity from Mr. Houston," he said.

Houston said he was simply relaying the concerns he's been hearing from voters.

"I think we got the message across that there are big problems in health care and the PC party is only one that is talking about real solutions to address them."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2021.

 With files from Keith Doucette
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Newfoundland and Labrador Wednesday to announce a $5.2-billion deal to help the province cover the costs of a troubled hydroelectric project ahead of an expected federal election call.

Premier Andrew Furey addresses the media in the Woodward Hanger at St. John's Airport Tuesday, May 4, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Newfoundland and Labrador Wednesday to announce a $5.2-billion deal to help the province cover the costs of a troubled hydroelectric project ahead of an expected federal election call.

Trudeau's visit to St. John's, N.L., wrapped up a two-day tour of Atlantic Canada that featured several major funding commitments, and he concluded his day in Newfoundland and Labrador by announcing the province will become the fourth to strike a deal with Ottawa for a $10-a-day child-care program.

As he addressed reporters, the prime minister was flanked by the six Liberal members of Parliament from the province. He alluded to the mismanagement that led the over-budget Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project to become what Liberal Premier Andrew Furey has called an "anchor around the collective souls" of the province.

"The pressures and challenges faced by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for mistakes made in the past is something that Canadians all needed to step up on, and that's exactly what we did," Trudeau said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey walk at the Confederation Building in St. John's, N.L. on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Furey, who joined Trudeau for the two announcements and was effusive in his praise for the federal government, said the federal funding will help Newfoundland and Labrador avoid a spike in electricity rates that had been expected when Muskrat Falls begins generating power this November.

"Muskrat Falls has been the No. 1 issue facing Newfoundlanders and Labradorians now for well over a decade," Furey said, adding that he is regularly asked by people whether their electricity rates are going to double.

"We landed on a deal today that I think  I know  is a big deal for Newfoundland and Labrador and will finally get the muskrat off our back," he said.

The agreement-in-principle between the two governments includes a $1-billion investment from Ottawa in a transmission portion of the project, as well as $1 billion in loan guarantees. The rest will come from annual transfers from Ottawa equivalent to its annual royalty gains from its share in the Hibernia offshore oilfield, which sits off the coast of St. John's. Those transfers are expected to add up to about $3.2 billion between now and 2047, when the oilfield is expected to run dry.

The money will help cover costs set to come due when the Labrador project comes online, preventing rate increases that would have been needed to pay the bills. Though electricity rates in the province will still rise, to 14.7 cents per kilowatt hour from the current 12.5 cents, that's well below the projected 23 cents that officials had said would be needed to cover the project's costs.

Muskrat Falls was commissioned in 2012 at a cost of $7.4 billion, but its price tag has since ballooned to $13.1 billion. Ottawa previously backed the project with billions of dollars in loan guarantees, and in December, Trudeau announced he had appointed Serge Dupont, former deputy clerk of the Privy Council, to oversee negotiations with the province about financially restructuring the project.

Its looming impact on the provincial budget is set against an already grim financial situation: the province projected an $826-million deficit in its latest budget, coupled with $17.2 billion in net debt.

After visiting with children from a daycare centre in the College of the North Atlantic, Trudeau and Furey announced that in 2023, the average cost of regulated child care in the province for children under six would be cut to $10 a day from $25 a day. Trudeau said that within five years, almost 6,000 new daycare spaces would be created in the province.

"As part of the agreement, a new full-day, year-round pre-kindergarten program for four-year-olds will also start rolling out in 2023," the prime minister told reporters. "For parents, this agreement is huge."

Newfoundland and Labrador is the fourth province, after Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and British Columbia, to sign on to the federal government's child-care program.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2021.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  One of the Republican Partys most prominent rising stars is mocking new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the American Legislative Exchange Council Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  One of the Republican Partys most prominent rising stars is mocking new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge.

Did you not get the CDCs memo? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked Wednesday before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City. I dont see you guys complying.

From Texas to South Dakota, Republican leaders responded with hostility and defiance to updated masking guidance from public health officials, who advise that even fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors if they live in areas with high rates of virus transmission. The backlash reopened the culture war over pandemic restrictions just as efforts to persuade unvaccinated Americans to get shots appeared to be making headway.

Egged on by former President Donald Trump, the response reflects deep resistance among many GOP voters to restrictions aimed at containing a virus they feel poses minimal personal threat. The party is also tapping into growing frustration and confusion over ever-shifting rules and guidance.

But the resistance has real implications for a country desperate to emerge from the pandemic. Beyond vaccinations, there are few tools other than mask-wearing and social distancing to contain the spread of the delta variant, which studies have shown to be far more contagious than the original strain.

Many Republican leaders, however, are blocking preventative measures, potentially making it harder to tame virus outbreaks in conservative communities.

At least 18 Republican-led states have moved to prohibit vaccine passports or to ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccination. And some have prohibited schools from requiring any student or teacher to wear a mask or be vaccinated.

In its announcement, the CDC cited troubling new  thus far unpublished  research that found that fully vaccinated people can spread the delta variant just like the unvaccinated, putting those who havent received the shots or who have compromised immune systems at heightened risk. The CDC also recommended that all teachers, staff and students wear masks inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

The backlash was swift.

We wont go back. We wont mask our children, declared Trump, who routinely cast doubt on the value of mask-wearing and rarely wore one in public while he was in office. Why do Democrats distrust the science?

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called the new guidance disappointing and concerning and inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results.

He, like others, warned that the measure would undermine efforts to encourage vaccine holdouts to get their shots by casting further doubt on the efficacy of approved vaccines, which have been shown to dramatically decrease the risk of death or hospitalization, despite the occurrence of breakthrough cases.

Last week, White House officials reported that vaccination rates were on the rise in some states where COVID-19 cases were soaring, as more Republican leaders implored their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside and get the shots to protect themselves. That includes Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who has pleaded with unvaccinated residents, saying they are the ones letting us down.

This self-inflicted setback encourages skepticism and vaccine hesitancy at a time when the goal is to prevent serious illnesses and deaths from COVID-19 through vaccination, Parson tweeted. This decision only promotes fear & further division among our citizens.

The announcement will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials  people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates, echoed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who has banned mask and vaccine mandates in his state.

In his Wednesday speech, DeSantis took particular aim at the CDCs call for kids to wear masks in the classroom.

Its not healthy for these students to be sitting there all day, 6-year-old kids in kindergarten covered in masks, he said  though there is no evidence that wearing masks is harmful to children older than toddler age.

And in South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem called out the CDC for shifting its position on masking AGAIN. She said that those who are worried about the virus can get vaccinated, wear a mask or stay home, but that Changing CDC guidelines dont help ensure the publics trust.

On Capitol Hill, some Republicans were in revolt after the Capitols attending physician sent a memo informing members that masks would again have to be worn inside the House at all times.

The change set off a round robin of insults, with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy a moron after McCarthy tweeted, The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.

The mandate also prompted an angry confrontation, as Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., verbally assailed Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, who exited the House chamber and walked past her without a face covering.

Conservatives also forced a vote to adjourn the chamber in protest to the mandate, which was defeated along mostly party lines.

We have a crisis at our border, and were playing footsie with mask mandates in the peoples House, railed Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the motions sponsor. The American people are fed up. They want to go back to life. They want to go back to business. They want to go back to school without their children being forced to wear masks.

The nation is averaging nearly 62,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, and the vast majority of those hospitalized and dying havent been vaccinated. As of Sunday, 69% of American adults had received one vaccine dose, and 60% had been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Last year, early on in the pandemic, public health officials told Americans that masks offered little protection against the virus (and could even increase the risk of infection). The guidance was driven by a lack of knowledge about how the novel virus spread and a desire to save limited mask supplies for medical workers. But the CDC soon changed course and advised Americans to wear masks indoors and outdoors if they were within 6 feet (1.8 meters) of one another.

Then in April of this year, as vaccination rates rose sharply, the agency eased its guidelines, saying fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks outdoors unless they were in big crowds of strangers. In May, the guidance was eased further, saying fully vaccinated people could safely stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.

Subsequent CDC guidance said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks at schools, either.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, on Wednesday defended the changes, saying the CDC did exactly what it was supposed to do.

The CDC has to adapt to the virus, she said, and unfortunately because not enough Americans have stepped up to get vaccinated, they had to provide new guidance to help save lives.

Colvin reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Alan Fram in Washington, Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Mo., and Alexandra Jaffe aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.
Harrisonburg, VA (22807)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 78F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.
Liquidators to Bill Papas Forum group of companies are eyeing a sale of waste company Iugis, which has a host of high profile customers including Liverpool Football Club, despite concerns it may have received millions from an alleged $400 million fraud.

Iugis is one of the many subsidiaries within Mr Papass large business empire which is now being broken up and sold by liquidators who were brought in to investigate allegations Mr Papas had orchestrated a major fraud on Westpac by impersonating its customers.

High-end Melbourne restaurant Longrain is one of Iugis clients that have been left in the lurch. Credit: Supplied.

Along with Liverpool FC, Iugis also signed deals with popular Sydney grocery chain Harris Farm Markets as well as high-end restaurant Longrain Melbourne, Woolworths, Stockland and San Lorenzo Wine & Dining in Melbourne as well as several catering businesses in the UK.

Iugiss customers have been left in the lurch after the first set of administrators to the Iugis business laid off all staff. There are currently about 200 of its machines operating which convert organic food waste into water within 24 hours.
The last person standing as a director supposedly overseeing Crown Perth operations says its board lacked independence and the crisis afflicting the broader group at the start of the year had resulted in a vacuum of information.

Seven West Media chief executive Maryna Fewster unloaded at the Perth Casino Royal Commission on Thursday criticising the corporate structure under which Crown operated Western Australias only casino.

Seven West Media chief executive Maryna Fewster arrives at the Perth Casino Royal Commission with her lawyer Anthony Power. Credit:Trevor Collens

Ms Fewster has been a non-executive director on the five-person board of Burswood Limited  the parent company of a subsidiary that has the Perth casino licence, but itself sits under the ASX-listed Crown Resorts Limited  since July, 2019.

She became the longest tenured member of the board at the start of the year, with the exit of every other director, in the wake of a New South Wales inquiry which confirmed instances of money laundering being facilitated by Crown and concluded the company was not fit to hold a licence for its new Sydney casino.
Takeover target Australian Pharmaceutical Industries (API) shareholders are holding out hope that retail powerhouse Wesfarmers will return to the table with a higher offer after having its initial bid rejected by the companys board.

API, which owns the Priceline pharmacy chain along with a range of skincare clinics, knocked back Wesfarmers surprise $687 billion takeover bid on Thursday, telling the Perth-based conglomerate to come back with an offer that appropriately valued the business.

API, which owns Priceline pharmacies, rejected a takeover offer from Wesfarmers. Credit:Jessica Hromas

Wesfarmers, which owns retail chains such as Bunnings and Kmart, first announced its desire to acquire API two weeks ago, offering an unsolicited $1.38-a-share deal in a move to kick off the companys foray into the healthcare and pharmaceuticals space.

At the time, analysts and shareholders suspected the bid was opportunistic and did not reflect the true value of API - a view the board agrees with, telling shareholders a detailed analysis of APIs underlying value had found the offer was too low and not compelling.
A total collapse in passenger numbers and profits, the future of high margin business class travel in doubt, a staggering rise in debt burdens, crippling losses at regional and even major hubs, airports, aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers in dire straits - few if any industries have been quite as badly hit by COVID as aviation. Given whats happened, it is astonishing theres still an airline flying.

Another northern hemisphere summer like the present one and quite possibly there wouldnt be; I exaggerate only a little. Even International Airlines Group, owner of British Airways and one of the more solvent of the big legacy airline companies, would struggle to survive the loss of a third summer.

In anticipation of permanently lower levels of such traffic, the company has already retired the remainder of its fleet of 747 jumbos, three years earlier than originally planned. Credit:Getty

Unlike many of its European peers, BA has so far managed to avoid a government bailout. From Lufthansa to TAP Air Portugal, Air France-KLM, Air Baltic and, inevitably, Alitalia, which has had so many government rescues over the last two decades that I long since lost count - theyve all had oodles of government money since the pandemic began.

State aid was one of the big sticking points during Brexit negotiations, with the EU insisting that Britain establish a similar regime to its own so as to prevent unfair competition. What this means in practice, I imagine, is that it is perfectly fine for EU member states to find ways around the rules - in Air Frances case giving up a few unwanted slots at Pariss Orly airport was enough to do the trick - but not the UK, which will be expected rigidly to adhere to the rules if and when applied. BA had better hope it doesnt come to that.
Scarlett Johansson, star of the Marvel superhero movie Black Widow, is suing the Walt Disney Company, alleging that it breached her contract when it released the movie on streaming at the same time it debuted in theatres.

The dual release strategy reduced Johanssons compensation, which was based partly on box office receipts from what was supposed to be an exclusive run in cinemas, according to the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, local time.

Scarlett Johanssons lawsuit claims that Disney wanted to steer audiences toward the Disney+ streaming service.

Black Widow debuted on July 9 in US theatres and for a $US30 ($40.50) charge on the Disney+ streaming service. Disney has been testing the hybrid pattern for some films during the coronavirus pandemic as the company tries to boost its streaming service.
A world-first global research institute that aims to develop new pharmaceutical-grade psychedelic medicine to treat mental health disorders is launching in Melbourne on Friday.

The Psychae Institute, a collaboration between researchers from leading world universities, plans to advance clinical studies of psychedelics, such as psilocybin, the active ingredient found in magic mushrooms; MDMA, also known as ecstasy; and DMT, an ingredient in South American psychoactive brew ayahuasca.

Psychae Institute co-directors Jerome Sarris and Daniel Perkins with acacia, a native Australian plant containing DMT, a key ingredient used in ayahuasca preparations. Credit:Joe Armao

To be funded with an initial $40 million from a North American biotechnology company and headquartered in Melbournes inner north, it aims to achieve drug registration with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and equivalent overseas regulators.

The company, which has been vetted by the universities and Agriculture Victoria, wants to remain private as part of its strategy to secure private investment.
A refugee detained for almost 15 months in two Melbourne hotels is seeking compensation from the Australian government for what he intends to prove was unlawful detention.

Mostafa Moz Azimitabar, 35, was medically evacuated from Papua New Guinea in November 2019 and brought to Australia for emergency medical treatment for his chronic asthma, post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions.

A lonely view: Moz Azimitabar in the Mantra hotel in Preston in December 2020. Credit:Luis Ascui

Instead, he spent more than a year locked away in motel rooms waiting for medical treatment.

My life was the room inside the hotel, he said. I could walk in the narrow corridor. Or, if I wanted to, go to other rooms. All my life was a room.
Vr0n: And now that theyve been heard and seen, what next? The protest is sure to prolong the lockdown, so its a pyrrhic victory at best. MG: You can blame the pollies for all the disunity and also the inability of some Australians to see the importance of working together to get through this outbreak in NSW and also this pandemic. But the blame does not lie with just some of our pollies. Anyone who reads the comments in MSM or SM will see this division and disunity is being fuelled by some members of the public. You see this on display every day. Interested: No comments should excuse the behaviour of the protesters. Irrespective of the actions of government and perhaps an increasing sense of concern and frustration from the population as a whole, doing what they did is wrong, very wrong. It is not an answer and will not bring change. It was the actions of selfish, misguided, troublemakers and shows a serious lack of common sense. You are going to the opening ceremony Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates inspired much commentary when he seemingly put Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on the spot at a press conference, demanding she attend the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony. In her opinion article, Why I am grateful to John Coates (for his insulting treatment of Queenslands most powerful woman), columnist Jenna Price wrote the public exchange exposed behaviour that was often only experienced by women privately. While some readers believed Coates words and tone towards an elected (female) leader were outrageous, others saw little reason to feel affronted.

John Coates and Annastacia Palaszczuk in Tokyo last week. Credit:Getty Janine: Im so over this public patronising of women. I hope those who appoint Coates successor (may it be soon!) will remember this moment. bratman: Sometimes some people should be offended. Palaszczuk should have told him where his advice should go. Lyssa the Bat: If this behaviour gets called out each time maybe we will eventually see more respect paid to women. Forza Lazio: This says more about the AOC than any gender commentary. What a demeaning and disrespectful way to treat any leader. If there was some protocol that HAD to be observed then this should have, and could have been communicated privately. It speaks volumes about the Olympic movement, pompous and self-important.

Ics12345: The Japanese are particularly careful when it comes to protocol and diplomacy. It would have come across all the wrong way if the Premier had not done the right thing. Sometimes powerful people need to be nudged by those who have more experience. In the IOC forum, Coates has immeasurably more experience than Palaszczuk. Butterfly57: The likelihood that AP will still be Premier in 2032 and therefore have a need to know the traditions of Olympic opening and closing ceremonies is pretty slim (based on Australian political cycles). Not even the public servants will be the same. Ridiculous reasoning. Reader: She shouldnt have been there in the first place. If she wasnt there it wouldnt have happened. Its an insult to the millions still locked down. Dee Jay: I think everyone here is very much missing the point. Palaszczuk put herself into a position by saying that she wouldnt go to the opening ceremony which she should never have done. It was a set-up between the two of them to get her there. It was not bullying as some may think just a way around getting the premier out of a tight squeeze.

Hans Brix: This was a segment involving two complicit actors. It was clumsy by both of them in composition, execution and delivery. Amateur hour really. Miss Riverina: It was staged managed. Everyone now gets what they wanted all along. Equality. Labor ditches negative gearing policy Federal Labor this week dumped its signature housing policy of winding back negative gearing, while also abandoning its opposition to scheduled tax cuts for high-income earners. The decisions, which national affairs editor Rob Harris reported were endorsed by caucus with virtually no objections, prompted blowback from within the partys progressive membership. While many readers were also appalled by the move, others saw reason behind it. The opposition went to two elections promising to halve the 50 per cent capital gains tax deduction and limit negative gearing to new properties only. Credit:Paul Rovere

NewsNitPicker: What! Sydney and Melbourne house prices are tipped to increase by 20 per cent ... this decision almost guarantees it. How about giving us a plan to make basic housing attainable and affordable? Along with supporting tax cuts for the well off ... Labor has just become Liberal Lite. WorldsGreatestCat: No, no no no no no! Sheer insanity, talk about losing their way. torp: If the Greens come up with a sensible way to phase out or reduce negative gearing benefits to the haves I will now be giving them my vote, despite vowing I never would. Negative gearing has to go in some form or another to ensure that housing is available to way more people including the younger generation wanting security and to start a family. Antony Falkingham: Stupid gutless decision. This is an appalling public policy decision given the challenges Australia is about to face with an ageing population and increasing demands on health, welfare and plateauing population. I wont even mention the unsustainable increase in the values of residential property which is an unproductive asset. Sheila Martin: Tax cuts for billionaires and no dental in Medicare.

Border Collie: Its a good call by Albo. Already the Australian tax load falls almost entirely on the top 20 per cent of taxpayers and the bottom 50 per cent pay almost no net tax. How long can we keep stirring up hatred and envy of successful people? ewotpk: Great stuff, I get my tax cuts whoever wins! Might buy an investment property now and take advantage of the negative gearing too. A rort is just a word used by people who arent smart enough to take advantage of the world we live in! JMcK: The tax cuts are legislated. The negative gearing and franking credit situation is in place. If Labor took policies to the next election wanting to reverse any of these the election would become, again, about Labors Great Big New Taxes rather than the Coalitions failures to be a decent, honest, inclusive and competent government. I dont mark Labor down on this - they have to be IN government to make ANY changes and frankly right at this moment these issues arent the highest in importance. Wunderkind: Not surprising, voters punished Labor for tabling progressive, forward-thinking policies that move the nation forward. I can understand them dumping the policy, although I despair that Australian voters have forced this issue. Self interest and tax cuts for the rich get rewarded, so Labor is trying to learn the lesson. only a little nuts: Correct decision in my view. No point gifting a big target on your back for gratuitous attacks when the budget is in such deep debt, a few more billions from taxes will make no difference at all in the conceivable future. Budget repair is dead for at least a generation.
Victorian health authorities have announced a new tier 1 exposure site, in a late night alert on Friday.

The Department of Health said Woolworths Doncaster in Devon Plaza had been added to the list, after a COVID-19 positive case visited the store on Wednesday morning.

Its not immediately clear whether this is a new community case or linked to a known outbreak.

Anyone who visited Woolworths Doncaster in Devon Plaza between 10.20 and 11.25 on Wednesday morning must get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days.

Earlier, five other exposure sites were added in Victoria, but the good news on that front was that they were all from a known apartment complex.

The exposure dates for the Balmoral Apartment Complex in Hawthorn have been extended after a positive case stayed at the Robinson Road building from Monday to Friday last week.

That part of the complex is listed as a tier-2 location, but some individual residents received a letter on Tuesday telling them to go into quarantine until August 6.

Residents of the Balmoral Apartment complex in Hawthorn on Friday. Credit:Eddie Jim

The Department of Health confirmed on Thursday that a high-risk part of the Balmoral Apartment Complex has been designated a tier-1 site and residents who were in those areas needed to quarantine for 14 days.

Other areas in the complex, including the Riversdale Road and Inverleigh Road buildings, have been listed as tier-3 sites on the same dates, those were added to the exposure list last Friday.

People who have attended a tier-2 site at the specified times need to isolate until they test negative for COVID-19, while anyone who was at a tier-3 site should monitor for symptoms but is not required to isolate.

There are now 109 active exposure sites on the Department of Healths site, a sharp drop from the over 400 listed last weekend.
The industrial umpire has confirmed it will explore new ways to recover $175,550 in court-ordered penalties from disgraced former Labor MP Craig Thomson, a week after his NSW Central Coast home was raided by federal police.

Mr Thomson, who misused funds from low-paid Health Services Union members on sex workers and his 2007 campaign for the federal seat of Dobell, has not paid back the debt because his income from his wifes company has stayed lower than the level at which he has to make repayments.

Craig Thomson, pictured in 2014, was subject to AFP raids last week. Credit:Pat Scala

Another $378,180 in compensation and interest that Mr Thomson owes the HSU, which he ran as national secretary from 2002 to 2007, is also still outstanding six years after the Federal Court ruled that the money had to be repaid.

Fair Work Commission acting general manager Murray Furlong told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that the commission remained steadfast in its commitment to recovering the debt Mr Thomson owes.
Western Sydney residents will be required to wear masks outdoors from Thursday in a change to lockdown settings that epidemiologists say will likely have little impact on transmission.

From midnight, anyone living in the Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool or Parramatta local government areas will need to wear a mask at all times when outside their home.

A man wearing a mask in Fairfield earlier this month. The local government area is one of eight where masks will be mandatory outside. Credit:Kate Geraghty

It is the first time masks have been mandated outside in Greater Sydney, where face coverings have only been required in public indoor settings, on public transport as well as in busy outdoor areas, such as markets and takeaway coffee queues.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the new rules were designed to ensure people were not caught out without a mask. The public health order in operation across Greater Sydney already required people to carry a mask when leaving home.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a significant tightening of restrictions for Sydneys south-west and west after 239 new local coronavirus cases were reported on Thursday, the highest total in NSW within a 24-hour period.

The new rules will require those in the Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta local government areas to wear a mask at all times outside their home.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, flanked by Police Minister David Elliott and NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller. Credit:Janie Barrett

Residents of these areas must also stay within a five-kilometre radius of their home, including to access their companion in a singles bubble.

Penalties for not wearing a mask when required across NSW will also increase from $200 to $500 as part of a statewide crackdown on compliance with the public health order.
A principal at a Queensland Catholic school has been arrested and accused of possessing child exploitation material, with police believing they have identified three primary school students through the images.

Justen Orford.

Townsville detectives arrested Justen Orford, 47, who was a principal at a Catholic school in the Mundingburra area.

Mr Orford, from Kirwan, was charged with a range of child exploitation offences.

He was appointed as the principal in 2018, but has since been stood down. There is currently an acting principal at the school.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young is struggling to understand how a high school student in Brisbanes western suburbs has tested positive for COVID-19.

The 17-year-old Indooroopilly State High School student is one of two new COVID-19 cases recorded in the state on Friday.

The second case was a person in hotel quarantine who contracted the virus overseas.

The state has 43 active cases, with 1620 COVID-19 tests conducted in the past 24 hours and 148 people currently in home quarantine.
No new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Queensland after a returned traveller stayed in a Brisbane backpackers hostel for days while infectious.

But mask mandates, which were due to be lifted on Friday, will be extended for 11 south-east Queensland local government areas, including Brisbane, for a fourth time since lockdowns were lifted earlier this month.

Just one new overseas acquired case was reported from more than 25,000 tests, Health Minister Yvette DAth said in a media briefing on Thursday.

Ms DAth said genomic sequencing had confirmed the returned traveller contracted the Alpha variant of the virus on his flights from the Philippines to Papua New Guinea and on to Brisbane on July 3, where he completed 14 days in a quarantine hotel.
Brisbane City Council will establish a new committee to steer its early 2032 Olympic Games planning amid a shakeup of civic cabinet, in one of the first administrative moves of the decade-long preparations.

The reshuffle of Australias largest local government will create an eighth LNP administration-controlled council committee, welcome a new council meeting chair and bring a new member into the fold, while also lifting the overall cost to ratepayers.

Labors council opposition lead Jared Cassidy said it did not matter which LNP councillor sat in what chair as the outcomes would be the same for residents. Credit:File

Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner announced the move on Thursday, ahead of councils return from post-budget recess next week, with the changes still to go through at a future council meeting.

The state government will also look to appoint an Olympics-focused minister but has so far given no indication of when such a decision might be made, as early scuffles emerged this week between the two governments over the proposed international broadcast site in South Brisbane.
Authorities said the Moonee Valley testing site would remain closed for a few days. The traffic controllers work colleagues and household contacts are in quarantine and being tested, as are residents of a Newport apartment complex visited by the man. Residents at a Newport apartment complex are being tested after a positive case visited the building. Credit:Chris Hopkins Acting Victorian COVID-19 response commander Naomi Bromley said on Thursday the traffic controller visited his partner at the complex while infectious. Four students from Bacchus Marsh Grammar, who tested positive to COVID-19 during their day-13 tests, were among six other new cases of locally acquired coronavirus cases reported on Thursday.

Two other cases were household contacts of a positive case who lived at the Lacrosse apartment building in Docklands, and all six were in quarantine throughout their infectious period. Mr Foley said the fact that positive results were being detected on day 13 was a reminder of how vital it was for close contacts in isolation to follow instructions and not leave home before receiving clearance from the department. Its really pretty straightforward. No test, no release, he said. This is actually a timely reminder that cases with the Delta variant turning positive at the end of isolation period is still a real thing, and makes it so important that the system of isolation of primary close contacts gets seen through to the end.

Meanwhile, some residents of an apartment complex in Hawthorn received a letter on Tuesday telling them to go into quarantine until August 6. The Department of Health confirmed on Thursday that a high-risk part of the Balmoral Apartment Complex has been designated a tier-1 site out of an abundance of caution. It confirmed residents exposed to that area have been required to quarantine for 14 days. Some residents of an apartment building in Hawthorn have been told to isolate for 14 days after a neighbour tested positive for COVID-19. Credit:Eddie Jim Authorities declared one building in the complex a tier-2 site last Friday after a resident there tested positive. It remains tier 2. The departments resident support service was operating at the apartment complex to help residents through their quarantine.

Professor Cowie also said on Thursday that COVID-19 fragments have been detected in wastewater in Melbournes inner east. The unexpected wastewater sample detections were in the Camberwell area, with samples taken on the 26th and the 27th of July. So for people in the Camberwell region, if you have the mildest of symptoms, please go and get tested for COVID-19, he said. There were 42,009 test results processed on Wednesday, and 19,118 vaccine doses delivered.

Im determined to have people at the grand final: Andrews Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wants crowds to attend this years AFL grand final, the Melbourne Cup Carnival and the states big theatre shows. But he said a decision was yet to be made on spectator numbers. I cant tell you how many people will be at the grand final, Mr Andrews said. But Im determined to have people at the grand final and as many as we can safely at the racing carnival, the same for Harry Potter. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is determined to have spectators at this years AFL grand final. Credit:Getty Images He said health authorities would assess each individual event, and capacity limits would apply.

Youve got to do whats safe and we dont want a situation where any event, even iconic events, put at risk everything that weve been able to achieve, he said. We understand how important events are  they have been through a very difficult time, we understand that. And the virus has not been fair to them in any way. Thats why weve provided significant support. But as important as say live theatre is, its not worth a lockdown. Victoria Racing Club has applied to host up to 60,000 racegoers a day at Flemington Racecourse throughout this years Melbourne Cup Carnival.

No new exposure sites have been added to the state governments list of exposure sites since just before 9pm on Wednesday. Police hunt protesters who allegedly set off flares at anti-lockdown rally Police are also appealing for public help to identify three protesters  two men and one woman  at Saturdays anti-lockdown rally who may have been involved in setting off flares during demonstrations. Detectives allege the flares endangered not only police but people in the area where the pyrotechnic devices were used.

Police have released images of three people they are hoping to speak to in relation to the incidents. Police believe one of the men is aged in his late 20s to 30s, of slim build with short dark brown hair and was seen wearing a grey and black hooded jacket. Police say the other man appears to be aged in his 30s, of medium build with short brown hair. He was seen wearing a plain black T-shirt. The woman pictured, police believe, is aged in her 20s, of slim build with long brown hair. She was seen wearing a blue puffer jacket.

Victorian health authorities urge pregnant women to get vaccinated Victorian health authorities have urged pregnant women to get vaccinated, warning that contracting the virus while pregnant presented an increased risk of serious illness. We know that contracting COVID-19 when having a baby presents an increased risk of significant illness throughout pregnancy, and an increased risk of complications during the birth process, Professor Cowie said. Victorian Deputy Chief Health Officer Clare Looker receives her first vaccine shot at the Melbourne Showgrounds site on Thursday. Credit:Nine News We also know from international research that these vaccines are safe to be administered in pregnancy, and also safe during breastfeeding.

The Australian government has recently announced that pregnant women are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination. Pfizer has been recommended by both the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and the College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists at any stage of pregnancy. Professor Cowie said it was a decision women should make after consulting with their general practitioner. Like any health decision, of course, we would always recommend asking your local general practitioner, or healthcare provider for the advice that individuals need to make their own decision, he said. Specifically for people who are pregnant, Pfizer is recommended.
Greens leader Adam Bandt has moved to distance his party from a comment by former high-profile candidate Julian Burnside likening Israels treatment of the Palestinians to Nazi Germany, which drew a fierce backlash from the Jewish community.

Several leading Jewish figures accused the prominent Melbourne barrister of anti-Semitism and breaking his promise to Holocaust survivors after he tweeted on Wednesday night that Israels treatment of the Palestinians looks horribly like the German treatment of the Jews during World War II.

Julian Burnside: Anyone who knows me knows that I am not anti-Semitic. Credit:Arsineh Houspian

The post was in reference to a Human Rights Watch report into violations of international law during 11 days of fighting in May between Israeli forces and Hamas militants.

The outspoken advocate for asylum seekers faced a similar backlash in 2018 after posting an image showing now-Defence Minister Peter Duttons face superimposed on a Nazi officer in a uniform that included the deaths head emblem used by the SS unit responsible for concentration camps.
Singapore: For nearly six months, Sean Turnell has been locked up inside one of south-east Asias most notorious jails.

Now, with COVID-19 reportedly rife inside Yangons Insein Prison, the first images of the Australian economist since he was detained have been released.

An image of Sean Turnell published in state media on Thursday. Credit:Global New Light of Myanmar

Military mouthpiece The Global New Light of Myanmar published two photographs of Turnell, a former adviser to overthrown civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, receiving a dose of vaccine at the prison on Wednesday.

Turnell was not named in the newspaper but the pictures appeared alongside an article announcing that the vaccination program had begun at the infamous prison, as 610 of the 9000 inmates received shots on the first day.
(The olfactory nerves, which control your ability to smell, are the only ones directly connected to the cerebrum, the largest part of the brain. Nerves for the other senses go through the thalamus, which relays their signals to the cerebral cortex.) De Erausquin added that it is too soon to know whether coronavirus-induced cognitive changes will be permanent or might reverse. We dont know if this is progressive, he said. We dont know if this is going to continue to get worse over time or if it might improve or if it will stay the same. Loading Ideally, the study participants will be reevaluated in about three years, which he plans to do, he said. In another study, George Vavougios, a postdoctoral researcher with the University of Thessaly in Greece, examined the prevalence of cognitive impairment in COVID-19 patients two months after they were discharged from the hospital. (Participants average age was 61, and they had mild to moderate cases.) He also looked at how that impairment was associated with physical fitness and respiratory function.

Vavougios found that patients were experiencing cognitive decline two months after their discharge and that it was associated with poorer respiratory function after he had them complete a short exercise regimen. That indicates COVID fatigue, which is common after viral infections, he said. Despite their symptoms, few of the patients had considered getting help from a doctor who specializes in brain health. Loading The results reinforce the need for health care providers to think about cognitive impairment as part of long-COVID syndrome, Vavougios said. Internal medicine and respiratory medicine outpatient clinics should screen their outpatients and refer accordingly. Additional research presented at the conference examined whether COVID-19 is associated with an uptick in Alzheimers biomarkers in the blood, such as total tau (t-tau) and certain species of amyloid beta. The study authors took plasma samples from 310 patients with an average age of 69 who were treated for the coronavirus at NYU Langone Health and found that their levels of some of these biomarkers were higher than would normally be expected, similar to the biological changes that might be associated with Alzheimers and other brain diseases, Snyder said.

She added: We dont understand why people may be having this change in biology. We dont know if this is going to persist. In press materials, the study authors noted that patients who had COVID-19 may have an acceleration of [Alzheimers disease] symptoms and pathology. Loading However, Richard Isaacson, who is director of the Alzheimers Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and was not involved with the research, expressed concern about that characterization. I think its an important study with early findings that may suggest there could be smoke, he said. But this is far from proving that there is fire relating to the effects of COVID-19 on the brain and the effects of the relationship between COVID-19 and a persons risk for Alzheimers or cognitive decline. Researchers already know that some conditions, such as HIV and herpes simplex, can cause brain inflammation that leads to cognitive decline, Isaacson said. But it is difficult to determine whether COVID-19 was accelerating Alzheimers symptoms in these patients, he said, since their baseline status is unknown. It is possible they could have already been in the early stages of dementia, he said, rather than experiencing COVID-related brain changes.

If they had biomarkers on people before they got the COVID virus, and then checked the biomarkers after, and the tau went up and all these other things went up - well, then that could be suggestive that this virus is fast-forwarding or accelerating Alzheimers disease or Alzheimers pathology, he said. But Im not ready to say that at all. Is there a yellow flag that something could be going on? I would say sure, he said. Is this a red flag or anything definitive? I would say definitely not. The findings presented at the Alzheimers Association conference are based on abstracts, or short summaries of completed research. That means they have not been rigorously peer-reviewed (assessed and critiqued by other experts in the field) or published in medical journals. Still, experts said, the early insights could be valuable. This pandemic gave us a really unwelcome opportunity to study the impact of viral infection - but specifically this virus - on the brain, said Snyder, of the Alzheimers Association. Separately, experts have estimated the number of suicides in Japan due to the coronavirus pandemic is believed to be about 3200 so far, and another 2000 additional suicides will occur in the next 3-1/2 years.

A group of experts focused on the correlation between the rising unemployment rate and the increase in the number of suicides to determine the figures, said Taisuke Nakata, an associate professor of economics at the University of Tokyo. Loading The numbers are based on estimates of the unemployment rate that were released by several research institutes before the start of the pandemic. The group calculated the number of suicides that would have occurred if the pandemic had not happened, and subtracted it from the actual number of suicides. The team estimated that, as a result of the pandemic, the number of suicides increased by 3236 from March 2020 through May, and that the figure is expected to rise by 2095 from June this year to the end of 2024.
DOYLESTOWN >> The pace of COVID vaccinations in Bucks County, which had steadily declined for several weeks, appears to be picking up again.
(TKM) on Thursday said it will increase prices of its multi purpose vehicle by up to 2 per cent with effect from next month.

The company would realign the price of by up to 2 per cent effective August 1, 2021, the automaker said in a statement.

The increase is necessitated to partially offset the substantial increase in input costs, it added.

The price increase has been tapered down considering the impact on the company's customers, TKM stated.

"As a customer-centric company, we remain committed to cater to the ever-evolving needs and requirements of our customers by consciously minimising the impact of rising costs on consumers," it noted.

Prices of precious metals like rhodium and palladium have gone up significantly over the last one year. Steel prices have also remained high during the period.

On Wednesday, Tata Motors said it would increase prices of its entire range of passenger vehicles from next week.

Earlier this month, the country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India hiked prices of hatchback Swift and CNG variants of other models by up to Rs 15,000 to counter increase in input costs.

Similarly, Honda has also announced increasing prices of its entire model range in India from August as it looks to offset the impact increase in commodity prices.

(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.)
boosted its guidance for global demand after a record-breaking price rally yielded the companys best quarter since 2008.

has surged over the past 12 months, joining a wider commodities boom as producers struggled to meet an unexpectedly strong rebound in demand from the and manufacturing industries. After a decade of plant shutdowns and job cuts in Europes industry, demand from the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors is creating optimism about the future, said ArcelorMittal Chief Executive Officer Aditya Mittal.

Looking forward, we see the demand outlook further improving into the second half and have therefore upgraded our steel consumption forecasts for the year, Mittal said Thursday in a statement.

The biggest steelmaker outside of China now expects 2021 steel demand -- a key barometer of economic growth -- to increase by 7.5% to 8.5% from last year. In May, the company projected demand to be at or above the upper end of its initial 4.5% to 5.5% forecast, following a contraction in 2020.

A stronger performance allowed ArcelorMittal to boost shareholder returns. It announced a new $2.2 billion share buyback program, in part funded by the sale of its U.S. operations in 2020, adding to the $2.8 billion returned to shareholders since September 2020.

We assume that the magnitude of earnings improvement, and earnings surprise, of ArcelorMittal has once again exceeded peers, said Ingo Schachel, head of equity research at Commerzbank AG. The strong cash conversion and consistent cash allocation is impressive.





ALSO READ: ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India clocks 188% jump in Ebitda to $403 million

Shares Gain

Second-quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were $5.1 billion, ArcelorMittal said. That beat analysts estimates.

ArcelorMittal rose as much as 5.2% in Amsterdam to the highest since May 2018, before trading up 3.6% as of 10:40 a.m. local time. The steelmakers shares have climbed 56% this year.

Supply curbs and cuts to export subsidies in China, producer of more than half the worlds steel, have raised hopes that global overcapacity issues that have plagued Western steel producers may be less severe in the future.

They are no longer incentivizing exports, said Mittal said on a call with reporters. There are certain trends which have been different to the last 10 years which point to a more sustainable steel industry.

Emissions Goals

Still, the steel businesss bumper profits and shareholder returns may not last. The industry -- responsible for about 7% of carbon emissions globally -- faces an expensive road to net-zero emissions.

ArcelorMittal set new emissions targets for 2030. That includes cutting carbon emissions by 25% across the group, while the goal for its European business was increased to 35%. That will cost an estimated $10 billion, the company said.

The steelmaker will seek government support for that transformation. It recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Spanish government to support half the cost of a $1 billion upgrade to create a green steel plant in the north of the country.

There are limited incentives for steel industry players to actually make these investments, said Mittal, who took the top job from his father Lakshmi at the start of the year. Without government support, its very difficult to actually motivate these changes.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

ArcelorMittals $2.2 billion buyback announcement, its consensus-beating earnings, and the more bullish outlook for this years global steel consumption may be enough to convince the market that the steel cycle has staying power. The combination may also signal the businesss cash flow generation potential, which may be enough to help drag its shares off their rock-bottom valuation.
E-commerce giant witnessed the biggest response for its flagship event Prime Day this year in India. Prime Day 2021 marked the most Small Medium Businesses (SMBs) selling on in ever, as they saw an overwhelming response from Prime members.

competes with players such as Walmart-owned Flipkart, Reliances JioMart and Tata-owned BigBasket to tap the booming online retail market as the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the adoption of e-commerce across the country.

The customers from over 96 per cent pincodes of India placed orders. The month leading up to Prime Day became Prime Videos best ever viewership period. Also there were the highest number of listeners for Prime Music.

During lead up and on Prime Day, Prime members shopped from 126,003 sellers including artisans, weavers, women entrepreneurs, start-ups and brands, local offline neighbourhood stores. This included sellers from all over India including those from tier 2-3-4 cities like Barnala (Punjab), Champhai (Mizoram) and Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu). The other such places include Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Valsad (Gujarat), and Shajapur (Madhya Pradesh). About 31,230 sellers saw their highest ever single day sales and nearly 25 per cent more sellers grossed sales over Rs 1 crore as compared to the last Prime Day.

Prime members shopped from more than 126,000 SMBs and stores from across (over) 6,800 pin-codes, making it the biggest ever sales for small medium businesses (SMBs) on Amazon, said Akshay Sahi, director, prime and fulfillment experience, Amazon India.

Prime Day continues to be a unique opportunity for brands of all sizes to launch new products. There were new product launches from over 300 top Indian and global brands. Prime members had access to brands like the OnePlus Nord 2 5G, Samsung Galaxy (M31s) boAt Airdopes, Mi 3i 20000 mAh power bank, Pigeon mini handy and compact chopper.

More than 70 per cent of new Prime members shop from outside of the top 10 cities including towns like Ananthnag (Jammu & Kashmir), Bokaro (Jharkhand), Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), Mokokchung (Nagaland), Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu), Gadag (Karnataka) and Kasargod (Kerala).

We started our business 2 years back in Amazon Karigar, prior to which we were selling only in local markets catering to limited customer base and had limited income, said Salman Ali, from Star Fashion JPR in Jaipur. We are extremely delighted with our sales and saw great response for our Block Printed Kurtis selection during Prime Day 2021. Events like Prime Day are a great boost for our small scale business which directly helps revive the lives of our rural artisan community from Rajasthan.

Personal computing, beauty, apparel, home and kitchen, smartphones and pantry categories were among those that saw the most success in terms of units sold.

Work and study from home purchase trends continued with members purchasing laptops, printers, monitors, TVs, wearables and storage. Top brands were HP, Lenovo, Dell, Asus, Apple in laptops. Large appliances found favour with members, with top selling brands being LG, Samsung in washing machines and Whirlpool, Samsung in refrigerators.

Sanitization, health and safety continued to be top priority for members. Top selling brands in health, personal care products and sanitization were Himalaya, Savlon, Dettol, Lifebuoy and Lizol. The top selling brands in smartphones were the OnePlus Nord 2 5G, One Plus Nord CE 5g, Redmi Note 10 series, Redmi 9, Samsung Galaxy M31s, Samsung Galaxy M21 and realme c11.

We have been operating for the last 4 years and recently came online in 2021. Our team is so excited after seeing huge growth in daily orders during our first ever Prime Day. We saw over a 5X spike in order volume, said Brijesh Mishra, from Home UPS, the Chennai part of Local Shops on Amazon program. We received orders across Chennai and Kanchipuram in 71 pin codes during the event. This has helped in sustaining our livelihood during these tough times.

Amazons voice assistant Alexa answered over 3 million requests from customers during Prime Day on the Amazon Shopping app (Android). It guided them to the products, best deals, new launches, bill payments and Prime Music.

Local language movies  Narappa (Telugu), Sarpatta Parambarai (Tamil) and Malik (Malayalam), were each watched in over 3,200 towns and cities in India and in over 150 countries and territories globally. This highlighted the growing viewership and popularity of local language films not just in India but also around the world.
Mumbai-based Lodha Group, has signed a deal with third party player Flyjac Logistics, a subsidiary of Hitachi Transport System Group, to sell a 22.3 acres land parcel at Palava Industrial and Park (PILP).

"This association will further establish a high standard of quality and superior efficiency in logistic operations for Flyjac within Mumbai, the countrys second largest Grade-A warehousing hub," Lodha said.

Founded in 1990, to provide integrated logistics service solutions, Flyjac Logistics merged with Hitachi Transport System Ltd. in 2010, becoming one of the largest integrated logistics service providers in the country .

PILP has now emerged as the preferred partner for looking for warehousing and industrial space solutions in Mumbai.

Shaishav Dharia, CEO, Townships and Rental Assets, Lodha, said, "We are pleased to be the preferred choice for the leading 3PL provider, Flyjac Logistics. Through partnerships like these, we look to amplify operations and infrastructure of Grade-A logistic parks. We have a series of similar partnerships lined up in the near future."

For Flyjac, this is another giant leap forward, in creating world class multi-purpose logistics centres in all Metropolitan cities of India. As an Integrated logistics solution partner, this state-of-the-art facility will help us in providing flexible, versatile & customised solutions to our customers in Western India, said Ravi Kumar, MD & CEO, Flyjac Logistics.

Palava Industrial and Logistics already completed a 1 million square feet land parcel deal with FM logistics in April.
Tech-based finance startup Easy Finance said Thursday that it had raised $15 million from a clutch of investors in its series A round. Mumbai-based Easy was started in 2018 by investor-entrepreneur Rohit Chokhani.

The round was led by private equity firm Xponentia Capital Partners, founded by former Carlyle Group managing director Devinjit Singh. Harbourfront Capital, Finsight VC, RaSa Future Fund, Navida Capital, Helena Wasserman Eriksson and Integra Software also put in money.

Earlier in August 2019, Easy raised its first institutional capital from Harbourfront Capital, led by prominent Japanese investor Shijni Kimura who is also an investor in Softbank Vision Fund. Easy founder and director Chokhani said the fresh funds will be used for lending primarily.

Easy, which secured a housing finance license in 2018, offers housing loans through its mobile application, and predominantly focuses on the middle- and lower-income group segment. Loans through Easy are typically Rs 15 lakh to Rs 50 lakh over 10-year-plus tenures.

According to the company, its technology, which includes proprietary credit underwriting and decision-making framework, is its biggest differentiator. We have developed an in-house property intelligence tech combined with credit tech we are able to deliver a seamless consumer experience within minutes and not days, Chokhani said in an interview.

Housing loans typically require a lot of paperwork, collateral and take time to come through. Easy is part of a wave of emerging fin-tech that deliver financial services online and more efficiently. Mortgage-Tech, though nascent in India, is a significant emerging sector in the US with several unicorns, Chokhani said.

He added that the Easy's loan book was at $15 million, with plans to touch $150 million in two years.

 is the most important financing decision for any family. Customers of Easy can focus on things that matter and not worry about drudgery and paperwork, said PR Srinivasan, managing partner, Xponentia Capital Partners. We are excited to partner with Rohit and the entire team in their journey to digitise the industry.



"We see the unprecedented demand for fueled by Indias growing urbanization and government initiatives like PMAY. At the same time, the lower income group segment was always considered to be the hardest for financial institutions. This is where technology comes to bring operating efficiency in the segment and superior customer experience, said Alexey Garyunov, general partner at Finsight Ventures, in a statement.
Minimalist, a homegrown brand, has raised of Rs 110 crore ($15 million) through multiple international in just nine months of its inception. This milestone, the company said validates the brand as a forerunner in the personal care segment. The round was led by India, with participation from Unilever Ventures, the venture capital arm of British multinational consumer goods company.

The brand plans to utilize the funds to enhance its infrastructure and R&D capabilities, and launch in global markets. It would also double down on its content creation efforts by sharing well-researched knowledge about with its consumers.

Minimalist was launched in 2020 by Mohit Yadav and Rahul Yadav. The firm said it is a mission-driven brand committed to bringing high levels of efficacy and transparency to the personal care segment and is rapidly gaining popularity due to its values and ethos.

Consumers today are looking beyond marketing claims and are seeking efficacy-based products, said Mohit Yadav, co-founder, Minimalist. Our growth so far proves that a radical change in the skincare industry is underway. Together with our customers, we are creating Skincare 2.0 by offering proven solutions driven by scientific innovations.

So far, Minimalist has served over 1 million customers. The firm said its products are popular among both women and men looking for solutions to acne, pigmentation, excess sebum and dull skin.

Having a portfolio of diverse skincare and hair care products, the brand retails through its own website, along with e-commerce giants like Amazon, Nykaa, Flipkart, Myntra, and numerous other marketplaces. Minimalist currently offers 20 products ranging from serums, toners, face acids, and moisturizers. The company said their products are well researched, backed by proven science, safe, effective, mindfully created, and suited for all skin types.

Minimalist's products take an efficacy-first approach using transparency and science as underpinnings to improving personal care outcomes, said Shailesh Lakhani, managing director, Sequoia India. This has resulted in a strong following and business momentum. Having seen the power of Mohit and Rahuls execution over many years, India is thrilled to lead the Series A financing in the company,

Pawan Chaturvedi, partner at Unilever Ventures said Minimalist is trailblazing science-backed clean beauty formulations in India. He said it is a trend that has gained massive consumer acceptance worldwide and with growing consumer traction in India.

We look forward to working with the founders and management team along with our fellow in supporting the brands ambitions over the coming years, said Chaturvedi.


on Thursday reported over three-fold jump in standalone net profit at Rs 1,181 crore for June quarter 2021-22, helped by higher net interest income and improvement in asset quality.

The lender had reported a standalone profit after tax of Rs 333 crore in the year-ago period.

The consolidated profit in the quarter jumped over three folds to Rs 1,120.15 crore.

The bank's performance has stabilised and we have seen substantial improvement. After almost three to four quarters, we have seen a normal quarter on the business side.

"Even though we have lost the first two months (of Q1), by June it stabilised. If you look at the numbers, they are very stable except for some heightened NPAs, particularly coming from the MSME side, bank's Managing Director and CEO Rajkiran Rai G told reporters.

Net interest income grew 9.53 per cent to Rs 7,013 crore from Rs 6,403 crore in the year-ago quarter.

Net interest margins (NIM) improved by 30 basis points (bps) to 3.08 per cent as against 2.78 per cent.

Gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) of the lender reduced by 135 bps to 13.60 per cent from 14.95 per cent and net NPA was down 28 bps to 4.69 per cent from 4.97 per cent.

Fresh slippages during the quarter stood at Rs 7,049 crore. Around 45 per cent of slippages came in from the MSME sector as it was mostly affected during COVID wave, Rai said.

He said with restructuring and the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) facilities, the stress is likely to reduce going ahead.

Under RBI's Resolution Framework 1.0, the bank restructured Rs 11,965 crore and under Resolution Framework 2.0, total recast during the first quarter was Rs 3,962 crore till June 30.

We expect another Rs 2,000 crore of restructuring in retail and MSME segments put together in the second quarter, Rai said.

During the quarter, recovery and upgradation stood at Rs 4,341 crore. It recovered Rs 250 crore of dues related to Kingfisher Airlines. The bank has a recovery target of Rs 13,000 crore for the full year.

Capital to risky asset ratio (CRAR) improved to 13.32 per cent from 11.62 per cent. Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio improved to 9.77 per cent from 8.40 per cent.

The bank's deposits grew 1.79 per cent to Rs 9,08,528 crore as of June 30, 2021. Domestic advances rose 0.16 per cent to Rs 6,30,237 crore as at end-June.

It registered 10.61 per cent growth in retail, 12.70 per cent growth in agriculture and 3.33 per cent growth in MSME advances on year-on-year basis.

Rai attributed flat growth in advances to large corporate book not growing. He, however, said the bank has a large sanction pipeline and unutilized working capital limits.

We hope by second and third quarter, the utilisation of limits will go up and expect a credit growth of 8 to 10 per cent by the end of the year, he said.

On the amalgamation of Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank, Rai said the bank expects a synergy benefit of Rs 3,600 crore over a period of three years. The amalgamation came into effect from April 1, 2020.

In 2020-21, the bank got a synergy benefit of Rs 2,400 crore and it expects Rs 900 crore of benefits in this fiscal year, he said.

The bank's scrip closed at Rs 37.95, up 6.90 per cent 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.)
The US drug regulator has approved Biocons Semglee, the first interchangeable biosimilar product, to treat diabetes patients. This means that Semglee can be substituted for its reference drug  Sanofis Lantus  by a pharmacist in the US without any intervention of the prescriber. Lantus is a long-acting glargine.

The move will empower patients by helping to increase access to safe, effective and high-quality medications at potentially lower cost, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) said in a statement. Semglee will be manufactured by Biologics, a subsidiary of the Bengaluru-headquartered firm, and marketed by its partner Viatris Inc (earlier Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc) in the US.

Speaking to Business Standard, Shreehas Tambe, deputy CEO of Biologics, said that the product might soon be available in India too (as an interchangeable option for Lantus), provided the regulatory pathway was cleared.

Analysts expect additional revenues of 8 to 15 per cent for Biocon, with no competition in sight.

Biologics Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said: We are extremely proud to be the first to obtain approval for an interchangeable biosimilar product in the US. It is a milestone achievement for both Biocon Biologics and our partner Viatris. This will allow pharmacy-level substitution and thereby provide convenient and affordable access to Semglee.

The called it a momentous day for people who rely daily on for treatment of diabetes. Biosimilar and interchangeable biosimilar products have the potential to greatly reduce health care costs, said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock.





ALSO READ: Biocon Q1 net profit declines 35% to Rs 108.4 cr; revenue at Rs 1807.8 cr

Typically, biosimilars are marketed in the US at 15-35 per cent lower price than the innovator biological products. Insulin, however, is a complex segment, with high-entry barriers and only a few global players operating in this space, reducing the pricing pressure.



The insulin market in the US is highly concentrated. Only three  Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Eli Lilly  supply insulin to patients in the US. These three companies, commonly called the Big Three, control over 90 per cent of the global insulin market. The remaining share of the global insulin market is split among about seven manufacturers.

Based on the reported sales in 2020, insulin glargine (Lantus and Basaglar) had sales of $4.2 billion globally, of which $1.9 billon was in the US. Some analysts said Biocon could have a 6 to15 per cent market share in the insulin glargine segment in the US by FY23.

The interchangeable Semglee product will be introduced before the end of the year, Biocon said. Biocon is also eligible to have exclusivity for 12 months before the can approve another biosimilar interchangeable to Lantus.

Commercial preparations for the launch are underway. Over the next few months, Viatris will transition the current product to the 351(k) interchangeable product, it added.

Basically, if a patient switches to Semglee from Lantus, there is no difference in the expected outcome on blood sugar level controls. The assesses the purity, potency, and the safety of a product before allowing interchangeability.
Army Chief General MM Naravane held talks with Commander of US Special Operations Command General Richard D Clarke on Thursday, focussing on various key aspects of bilateral defence and security cooperation.

General Clarke is on a three-day visit to India.

"General Richard D. Clarke, Commander United States Special Operations Command #USSOCOM called on General MM Naravane #COAS and discussed issues of mutual interest," the Army said in a tweet.

Officials said various dimensions of bilateral defence cooperation, including ways to further deepen it, figured in the talks.

It is understood that General Naravane and General Clarke also briefly deliberated on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

Before meeting General Naravane, the US official laid a wreath at the National War Memorial.

"The visit will enhance defence cooperation and military ties between the two nations," the Army said.

Separately, General Naravane also held a telephonic conversation with Lieutenant General Charalampos Lalousis, Chief of Hellenic Army General Staff, focussing on defence cooperation between India and Greece.

The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years.

In October last year, India and the United States sealed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) to further boost the bilateral defence ties. The pact provides for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.

The firming up of the BECA came two years after the two countries signed another pact called COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) that provides for interoperability between the two militaries and the sale of high-end technology by the US to India.

In June 2016, the US designated India as a "Major Defence Partner", intending to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with the country to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.

The two countries had also inked the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries to use each other's bases for repair and replenishment of supplies as well as provides for deeper cooperation.

(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.)
Twitter is shutting its reopened offices in United States, while other companies are making mandatory for on-campus employees, as the highly-infectious Delta Covid-19 variant drives a resurgence in cases.

Alphabet Incs Google and Facebook said on Wednesday all US employees must get vaccinated to step into offices. Google is also planning to expand its drive to other regions in the coming months.

Twitter, which on Wednesday also paused future office reopenings, had started allowing employees back to its campuses in San Francisco and New York at 50 per cent capacity about a fortnight ago after more than 16 months.





ALSO READ: China's Delta outbreak tests limits of zero-tolerance Covid approach

Health authorities on Tuesday said Americans fully vaccinated against Covid-19 should go back to wearing masks in indoor public places in regions where the is spreading rapidly.

San Francisco-based ride-hailing company Lyft, which had already made vaccinations mandatory for employees returning to the office, postponed its reopening to February from September. We anticipate the Covid situation will remain fluid for the upcoming months, making it difficult for us to land a clear return date without a possibility of moving it again, Lyft CEO Logan Green said in a memo to staff.

According to a Deadline report, streaming giant Netflix has also implemented a policy mandating vaccinations for the cast and crew on all its US productions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The R-factor, which indicates the speed at which COVID-19 infection is spreading in the country, is climbing steadily with Kerala and the northeastern states occupying top spots fuelling worries about the pandemic rearing its head again.

Among the metro cities, the R-values of Pune and Delhi are close to one, suggests an analysis by researchers at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Chennai.

When the second wave of the COVID-19 infection was at its peak, the overall R-value in the country was estimated to be 1.37 between March 9 to April 21. It declined to 1.18 between April 24 and May 1 and then to 1.1 between April 29 and May 7, according to the analysis.

Between May 9 and 11, the R-value was estimated to be around 0.98. It dropped to 0.82 between May 14 and May 30 and further to 0.78 from May 15 to June 26. The R-value however rose to 0.88 from June 20 to July 7 and then to 0.95 from July 3-22.

"India's overall active cases are fluctuating too much to get a reliable estimate, but data is pointing at a value close to 1. It may tip over either way in the coming few days," said Sitabhra Sinha of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, who is leading the team.

An R-value of 0.95 means, every 100 infected people on an average pass on the infection to 95 other individuals. If the R-value is lesser than 1, it means the number of newly infected people is lower than the number of infected people in the preceding period which means the disease incidence is going down.

The smaller the value of R is, the faster the disease is on the decline. Conversely, if R is greater than 1, the number of infected people is increasing in each round -- technically, this is what is called the epidemic phase.

The bigger the number is than one, the faster the rate of spreading of the disease in the population.

Kerala has the highest number of active cases and continues to have an R-value around 1.11.

"So looks like it will remain in the top spot for the next couple of weeks. The Northeast continues to have a very bad situation with most states having R-value more than 1," Sinha said.

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday said it will depute a six-member team to Kerala for effective COVID-19 management as the state reports a spike in daily cases.

The team headed by National Centre for Disease Control Director S K Singh will reach Kerala on Friday and visit some districts reporting a high case positivity rate.

The high case positivity has remained a cause of concern at a time when the overall numbers are on a decline in the country.

Kerala on Wednesday recorded 22,056 fresh COVID-19 cases pushing the infection caseload to 33,27,301, with the number of people who succumbed to the virus rising to 16,457 with 131 more deaths.

In the northeast, only Tripura has an R-value substantially lower than one while Manipur has gone only marginally below one. Among other states in India, Uttarakhand has an R-value very close to one at the moment.

Among the major cities, Pune appears to have an R-value greater than one while Delhi has a value close to one.

The R-value of Pune was 0.85 between July 11-13 and 0.89 between July 15-20. For the national capital, the R-value between June 21- 26 was 0.80. It dropped to 0.66 from June 28-July 6, but it rose to 0.84 between July 4-20.

For Bengaluru, the R-value from July 7-13 was 0.92. It increased marginally to 0.95 from July 13-17. It dropped to 0.72 from July 17-23.

In the case of Mumbai, the R-value was 0.96 between July 2-4. It dropped to 0.89 between July 6-9. It further dropped to 0.74 between July 22-24.

For Chennai, the R-value between June 29 to July 7 was 0.63. It shot up to 1.05 between July 16-19. It was 0.94 between 21-24, showing signs of decline. In the case of Kolkata, the R-value was 0.80 between July 1-13, followed by 0.91 between July 12-17. It dropped to 0.86 between July 17-24.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The rise of the highly-contagious delta variant is challenging even the most aggressive Covid-19 containment regimes, an ominous sign as economies look to open up and return to pre-pandemic life.



An outbreak that started at an airport in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing is testing that countrys zero-tolerance measures, which are some of the most sweeping and comprehensive in the world. New infections are rising by the dozens and seeding subsequent clusters around despite well-honed systems of mass testing and stringent quarantines. Beijing reported its first locally transmitted infection in six months Thursday, linked to an outbreak in the southern province of Hunan among people whod recently been to Nanjing.

The variant is scaling some of the toughest virus defenses, with Covid Zero places -- countries that had snuffed out the virus within their borders -- still seeing outbreaks despite strict anti-virus measures.

Among the hardest hit is Australia, where delta is slipping through the mandatory hotel quarantine system far more easily than past strains and taking advantage of a low community rate. A delta-fueled outbreak even forced Sydney, despite its efficient contact tracing and testing apparatus, into weeks of lockdown, with cases climbing to nearly 3,000 since mid-June.

In China, the first infections were among nine airport cleaners. The cluster quickly expanded to their close contacts, then to a handful of other locations, leading to nearly 200 confirmed Covid cases as of Thursday. Its one of Chinas biggest outbreaks since a wave concentrated in the countrys northeast saw more than 2,000 infections last winter.

Officials have confirmed that the new outbreak is caused by the delta strain, which has been driving a resurgence in infections across the world.

The variant, which first emerged in India and is more transmittable than other strains, is exposing the limitations of the strategy of virus elimination, which is also favored by New Zealand and Singapore. Taiwan, which went months without any infections at all last year, recently backed away from Covid Zero, saying it was no longer targeting nil cases but transitioning toward a strategy of living with the virus.

Airport workers



Many of the people infected in China, including the Nanjing airport workers, had been fully vaccinated -- and only four have developed severe cases of the disease -- according to official data. The numbers signal that the immunity generated by Chinas vaccines while enough to ward off critical illness and death, is still insufficient to prevent the spread of the variants.

Nanjing is ramping up Covid measures as the outbreak added 18 more cases on Thursday. All residential compounds have been placed under lockdown, and the city is starting a third round of virus testing for its more than 9 million people. The airport has canceled most flights and its staff have been placed under restrictions.

The infected Beijing resident is likely connected to a cluster at an outdoor theater performance in Hunan, where the audience included infected people who had traveled to Nanjing. Its the first local infection recorded in tightly-guarded Beijing since the start of the year, when an outbreak in nearby Hebei province led to sporadic cases in the Chinese capital.

The cluster has placed every one of the roughly 3,000 theater-goers in Hunan at risk of infection, local authorities said, indicating that the number could grow.

Booster shots



The Chinese vaccines efficacy in preventing symptomatic Covid has ranged between 50 to 80% in studies, lower than the more than 90% effectiveness for the potent mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE, as well as Moderna Inc.

Countries including Thailand and United Arab Emirates that initially relied on Chinese vaccines have decided to offer booster shots to some fully-vaccinated people to provide better protection against the delta strain. Globally, the variant has already forced the U.S. to institute new mask mandates, delayed a reopening in Singapore and put other Australian cities under lockdown.

Despite its largely closed borders, has also seen more frequent virus flareups since the beginning of this year as variants from other hotspots around the world get in, often through workers in high-risk areas such as airports and cargo centers.

The outbreaks, while minimal compared to clusters in parts of the U.S. and Southeast Asia, are putting pressure on officials to rethink the campaign to possibly include booster shots. Chinas inoculation drive -- the fastest in the world -- is just a month away from covering 75% of the countrys 1.4 billion people with two doses.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. -- whose inactivated virus vaccine has formed the backbone of Chinas inoculation campaign, and rollouts in many parts of the developing world -- said Wednesday that a third dose of its shot increases antibody levels by three to five times, building a stronger case to give booster shots to workers in at greater risk of contracting the virus.

Bloomberg also reported in April that China was expected to approve the mRNA vaccine developed by BioNTech. The shot could be used as a booster for people fully vaccinated with Chinese vaccines.

--With assistance from Claire Che.
The Goa bench of the on Thursday adjourned to August 10 the hearing on the appeal filed by the state government against journalist Tarun Tejpal's acquittal in a rape case.

A division bench of Justices M S Sonak and M S Jawalkar deferred the hearing after Tejpal's lawyer Amit Desai told the court that his instructing counsel Ankur Chawla had "bereavement" and some documents were yet to be furnished.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and state Advocate General Devidas Pangam appeared on behalf of the state.

Pangam requested that the hearing be scheduled before August 17 as the court may resume physical hearings after August 15 and Mehta may not be able to assist then. The bench, clarifying that there was no decision yet about physical hearings, adjourned the case to August 10. On May 21, 2021, a sessions court in Goa acquitted Tejpal of the charge of sexually assaulting a former woman colleague inside the elevator of a luxury hotel in the state in 2013.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Peter Chin-Hong, University of California, San Francisco San Francisco (US), Jul 29 (The Conversation) What science supports masking after Masks help stop the spread of the They're a literal layer between you and any virus in the air and can help prevent infection. The reason public health officials are calling for more mask-wearing is that there is clear and mounting evidence that though rare breakthrough COVID-19 infections can occur in people who are fully vaccinated. This is particularly true with emerging variants of concern. The good news is that COVID-19 infection, if it does happen, is much less likely to lead to serious illness or death in vaccinated people. Some conditions make a breakthrough infection more likely in a vaccinated person: more virus circulating in the community, lower rates and more highly transmissible variants. If vaccinated people can get infected with the coronavirus, they can also spread it. Hence the CDC recommendation that vaccinated people remain masked in indoor public spaces to help stop viral transmission. Where will the guidelines apply? The CDC mask recommendation targets areas in the US with more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents or that had more than 8% of tests come back positive during the previous week. By the CDC's own definitions substantial community transmission is 50 to 99 cases of infection per 100,000 people per week, and high is 100 or more. Los Angeles County, for example, far surpassed that mark in mid-July, with more than 10,000 cases per week. Using these criteria, the CDC guidance applied to 63% of US counties on the day it was announced. Who's actually protected by masking recommendations? The recommendation that fully vaccinated people continue wearing masks is primarily intended to protect the unvaccinated which includes kids under age 12 who are not yet eligible for vaccines in the US. The CDC further recommends masking in public for vaccinated people with unvaccinated household members, regardless of local community transmission rates. Unvaccinated people are at a substantially higher risk of getting infected with and transmitting SARS-CoV-2, and of developing complications from COVID-19. How do new variants like delta change things? Preliminary data suggests that the rise of variants like delta may increase the chance of breakthrough infections in people who received only their first vaccine dose. For instance, one study found that a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine had an effectiveness of just 34% against the delta variant, compared with 51% against the older alpha variant in terms of warding off symptomatic disease. The data is more reassuring for those who have been fully vaccinated. After two doses, the Pfizer vaccine still provides strong protection against the delta variant, according to real-world data from Scotland and a variety of other countries; and in preliminary studies out of Canada and England, researchers noted only a modest decrease in effectiveness against symptomatic disease, from 93% for the alpha variant to 88% for delta. Other recent preliminary reports from highly vaccinated countries like Israel and Singapore are sobering, however. Before the delta variant became widespread, from January to April 2021, Israel reported that the Pfizer vaccine was 97% effective in preventing symptomatic disease. Since June 20, 2021, with the delta variant circulating more widely, the Pfizer vaccine has been only 41% effective in preventing symptomatic disease, according to preliminary data reported by Israel's Ministry of Health in late July. An analysis using government data from Singapore demonstrated that 75% of recent COVID-19 infections were in people who were at least partially vaccinated though most of them were not severely ill. In all reports and studies, however, vaccines remain very good at preventing hospitalizations and severe disease due to the delta variant arguably the outcomes we most care about. All of this emerging data supports the WHO's global recommendation that even fully vaccinated individuals continue to wear masks. Most of the world still has low rates and uses a range of vaccines with variable efficacies, and countries have different burdens of circulating SARS-CoV-2 virus. With US case counts and breakthrough infection numbers headed in what public health officials consider the wrong direction, it makes sense that the CDC would modify its masking recommendations to be more conservative. What conditions in the US warrant masking up (again)? It makes sense that the CDC didn't immediately change its recommendations to fall in line with the WHO's June guidelines. With an overall high countrywide vaccination rate and a low overall COVID-19 hospitalization and death burden, the U.S. has a COVID-19 landscape very different from that in most of the world. Additionally, some experts worried that an official message that the vaccinated should don masks might dissuade unvaccinated individuals from seeking vaccines. But as President Joe Biden put it on July 27, new research and concerns about the delta variant are behind the CDC's change in masking recommendations. Some locations are seeing further increase in community transmission, even among vaccinated people. New preliminary research yet to be peer reviewed suggests the delta variant is associated with a viral load a thousand times higher in patients than seen with older strains. And early reports show infected vaccinated people with the delta variant can carry just as high an amount of virus as the unvaccinated that they can in turn spread to others. The shifting recommendations don't mean that the old ones were wrong, necessarily, only that conditions have changed. The bottom line? Masks do help cut down on transmission, but it's still vaccines that offer the best protection. (The Conversation) AMS 07291030 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.)
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Jailed gangster was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here after he complained of a stomachache, officials said Thursday.

A senior jail official said, "Rajan was having a stomachache and was admitted to Tuesday. He is likely to be discharged today. However, no official communication has been received on his discharge."



Rajan, 61, was admitted at the hospital in on April 24 also after he had tested positive for COVID-19 in Tihar Jail two days earlier.

He was brought back to the jail after his recovery.

Rajan is lodged at the high-security prison since his arrest upon his deportation from Bali in Indonesia in 2015.

(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.)
Kerala recorded on Thursday more than 22,000 new Covid-19 cases for the second consecutive day, prompting the union health ministry to send there a six-member team from the National Centre for Disease Control.

"As a large number of Covid cases are still being reported in Kerala, the team will aid the state's ongoing efforts in Covid management," said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Twitter.

News agency ANI, while quoting unnamed sources, said that Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written to the state about "super spreader events". "Compliance with mass/social gatherings guidelines need to be enforced strictly," said Bhushan in his letter.

Kerala, for three days, relaxed Covid curbs for Eid-Ul-Azha last week, prompting the Supreme Court to say the decision was "wholly uncalled for". The court did not cancel the government notification that eased the lockdown in the state.

The state, which was once praised for its practices in Covid management, now contributes about 40 per cent of positive cases in the country daily.

State-level serosurvey data shows that 44 per cent of Keralas population older than six is infected by the coronavirus, compared to the national average of more than 67 per cent. This, in effect, means that a much larger proportion of the population in the state is still susceptible to the disease compared to many other states, reported the 'Indian Express'.
The Cabinet set a 90-day time limit to provide up to Rs 5 lakh to each account holder of a bank if it fails. USA's economy is on track, says the Federal reserve.

Read more on this and other top headlines for the day.



US economic recovery on track despite Covid-19 surge: Federal Reserve

The US economic recovery remains on track despite a rise in infections, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday in a new policy statement that remained upbeat and flagged ongoing talks around the eventual withdrawal of monetary policy support.

In a news conference following the release of the statement, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the US job market still had "some ground to cover" before it would be time to pull back from the economic support the US central bank put in place in the spring of 2020 to battle the pandemic's economic shocks. Read more



Depositors to get up to Rs 5 lakh within 90 days if bank under moratorium: FM

The has cleared the Deposit and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Bill, 2021, which will allow depositors to withdraw up to Rs 5 lakh in 90 days.

The announcement will cover 98.3 per cent of all deposit accounts and 50.9 per cent of the deposit value, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday. This compares with the global deposit coverage of 80 per cent of all accounts and 20-30 per cent of the deposit value. Read more

paves the way for of govt-owned insurers

The has approved amendments to the General Business (Nationalisation) Act, paving the way for of government-owned insurers.

The amendments, approved by Cabinet, will remove the clause for the Centre to hold at least 51 per cent in public sector insurance companies at any given time. It will also have an enabling provision for the transfer of management control from the government to the potential buyer of the public sector insurance company. Read more

Back to old normal: leaders beat FY21 blues, exceed pre-Covid levels

In spite of a severe second wave of the pandemic, and a widespread disruption in public life therefore, Indias fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector seems to have emerged as one of the most resilient segments of the economy. The early numbers and estimates for the April-June quarter indicate a steady recovery in players business, which is now set to exceed the pre-pandemic level. Read more

deploys first Rafales in East to counter China

The (IAF) Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria formally inducted fighters into Number 101 Squadron, at Air Force Station Hasimara, in Eastern Air Command on Wednesday.
Two persons were on Thursday arrested in connection with the hit-and-run case in Dhanbad, which left Judge Uttam Anand dead during his morning jog, a top police officer said.

The arrests were made following the recovery of the three-wheeler involved in the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police, Dhanbad, Sanjiv Kumar, said.

CCTV footages showed that Anand, district and sessions judge-8 of Dhanbad court, was jogging on one side of a fairly wide road at Randhir Verma Chowk early on Wednesday when a heavy auto-rickshaw veered towards him, hit him from behind and fled the scene. Locals took him to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

According to sources in the Dhanbad court, Anand, known to be strict judge, had recently declined bail pleas of some gangsters, and the incident could be a fallout of this decision.

"We have arrested two persons, auto driver Lakhan Verma and his helper Rahul Verma, on Thursday morning. Rahul Verma, a resident of Digwadih, Dhanbad, was arrested from a tempo stand, while the other person was held in Giridih," the SSP told PTI.

He also said that the three-wheeler, recovered from Giridih, is registered in a woman's name. An FIR was filed in the case after the wife of the 49-year-old deceased judged lodged a complaint with the Dhanbad Police. We are probing the case from all angles, including murder, Kumar asserted.

Later, during a press meet, the SSP said that a special investigation team (SIT), led by Dhanbad SP R Ramkumar, is trying to find out more details in the case.

Also, a five-member forensic team visited the site of the incident during the day to collect samples necessary for the investigation, he noted. Meanwhile, Dhanbad Bar Association here claimed that Anand, who hailed from Hazaribag, was murdered and demanded a through probe into the incident.

All lawyers of Dhanbad Bar Association will take out a silent procession on Friday in protest against the of Dhanbad judge and demand protection for lawyers from the government, said its president Amarendra Sahay. Condemning the incident, Bar Council member Hemant Sikarwa demanded a CBI probe into the case.

Earlier in the day, the High Court ordered an SIT probe into the death of Anand, under the leadership of Additional Director General of Police Sanjay Latkar.

Taking cognizance of a letter filed before the court by the Dhanbad principal district judge in the case, Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan converted it into a writ petition, and ordered the formation of the SIT.

He said Chief Justice of India N V Ramana has spoken to him in the matter, and expressed confidence that a fair investigation will be carried out in the case. The high court stated it will monitor the probe and sought updates from the SIT from time to time.

If at any point in time it appears to the court that the investigation is not heading in the right direction, then the case will be handed over to the CBI, the chief justice added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fully vaccinated travellers from the US and European Union (EU) countries will be able to avoid a 10-day compulsory quarantine when they arrive in England from next Monday, the government said on Wednesday.

Currently, only people who received their Covid-19 vaccine in the can avoid quarantine when arriving from these "amber list" countries under the government's traffic list travel system.

We've taken great strides on our journey to reopen international travel and today is another important step forward. Whether you are a family reuniting for the first time since the start of the pandemic or a business benefiting from increased trade  this is progress we can all enjoy, said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. We will of course continue to be guided by the latest scientific data but thanks to our world-leading domestic vaccination programme, we're able to look to the future and start to rebuild key transatlantic routes with the US while further cementing ties with our European neighbours, he said.

India remains on the red list under the international traffic system, which bans travel and imposes a compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine for returning British residents. The next review of that status is expected by the middle of next week.However, with the Delta variant  first detected in India  continuing to be the dominant variant in the UK, India's status on the remains uncertain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
If you've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, maybe you figured you no longer need to worry about contracting the But along with the rising number of new COVID-19 cases globally and growing concern about highly transmissible strains like the delta variant come reports of fully vaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19. Members of the New York Yankees, US Olympic gymnast Kara Eaker and UK health secretary Sajid Javid are some of those diagnosed with what is called a breakthrough infection.



As scary as the term may sound, the bottom line is that the existing COVID-19 vaccines are still very good at preventing symptomatic infections, and breakthrough infections happen very rarely.



But just how common and how dangerous are they? Here's a guide to what you need to know.No vaccine is 100 per cent effective. Dr Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was 80 per cent-90 per cent effective in preventing paralytic disease. Even for the gold standard measles vaccine, the efficacy was 94 per cent among a highly vaccinated population during large outbreaks. Comparably, clinical trials found the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were 94 per cent 95 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 much more protective than initially hoped.A quick reminder: A vaccine efficacy of 95 per cent does not mean that the shot protects 95 per cent of people while the other 5 per cent will contract the virus. Vaccine efficacy is a measure of relative risk you need to compare a group of vaccinated people to a group of unvaccinated people under the same exposure conditions. So consider a three-month study period during which 100 out of 10,000 unvaccinated people got COVID-19. You'd expect five vaccinated people to get sick during that same time. That's 5 per cent of the 100 unvaccinated people who fell ill, not 5 per cent of the whole group of 10,000. When people get infected after vaccination, scientists call these cases breakthrough infections because the virus broke through the protective barrier the vaccine provides.Breakthrough infections are a little more frequent than previously expected and are probably increasing because of growing dominance of the delta variant. But infections in vaccinated people are still very rare and usually cause mild or no symptoms.For instance, 46 US states and territories voluntarily reported 10,262 breakthrough infections to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between Jan 1 and April 30, 2021. By comparison, there were 11.8 million COVID-19 diagnoses in total during the same period.Beginning May 1, 2021, the CDC stopped monitoring vaccine breakthrough cases unless they resulted in hospitalization or death. Through July 19, 2021, there were 5,914 patients with COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections who were hospitalized or died in the US, out of more than 159 million people fully vaccinated nationwide.One study between Dec 15, 2020, and March 31, 2021, that included 258,716 veterans who received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, counted 410 who got breakthrough infections that's 0.16 per cent of the total. Similarly, a study in New York noted 86 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough infections between Feb 1 and April 30, 2021, among 126,367 people who were fully vaccinated, mostly with mRNA vaccines. This accounts for 1.2 per cent of total COVID-19 cases and 0.07 per cent of the fully vaccinated population.The CDC defines a vaccine breakthrough infection as one in which a nasal swab can detect the SARS-CoV-2 RNA or protein more than 14 days after a person has completed the full recommended doses of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine.Note that a breakthrough infection doesn't necessarily mean the person feels sick and in fact, 27 per cent of breakthrough cases reported to the CDC were asymptomatic. Only 10 per cent of the breakthrough-infected people were known to be hospitalised (some for reasons other than COVID-19), and 2 per cent died. For comparison, during the spring of 2020 when vaccines were not yet available, over 6% of confirmed infections were fatal.In a study at US military treatment facilities, none of the breakthrough infections led to hospitalization. In another study, after just one dose of Pfizer vaccine the vaccinated people who tested positive for COVID-19 had a quarter less virus in their bodies than those who were unvaccinated and tested positive.Nationwide, on average more than 5 per cent of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive; in Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma, the positivity rate is above 30 per cent. Lots of circulating in a community pushes the chance of breakthrough infections higher.The likelihood is greater in situations of close contact, such as in a cramped working space, party, restaurant or stadium. Breakthrough infections are also more likely among health care workers who are in frequent contact with infected patients.For reasons that are unclear, nationwide CDC data found that women account for 63 per cent of breakthrough infections. Some smaller studies identified women as the majority of breakthrough cases as well.Vaccines trigger a less robust immune response among older people, and the chances of a breakthrough infection get higher with increasing age. Among the breakthrough cases tracked by the CDC, 75 per cent occurred in patients age 65 and older.Being immunocompromised or having underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, chronic kidney and lung diseases and cancer increase the chances of breakthrough infections and can lead to severe COVID-19. For example, fully vaccinated organ transplant recipients were 82 times more likely to get a breakthrough infection and had a 485-fold higher risk of hospitalization and death after a breakthrough infection compared with the vaccinated general population in one study.Researchers developed today's vaccines to ward off earlier strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Since then new variants have emerged, many of which are better at dodging the antibodies produced by the currently authorized vaccines. While existing vaccines are still very effective against these variants for preventing hospitalization, they are less effective than against previous variants.Two doses of the mRNA vaccines were only 79 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic disease with delta, compared with 89 per cent effective in the case of the earlier alpha variant, according to Public Health England. A single dose was only 35 per cent protective against delta.About 12.5 per cent of the 229,218 delta variant cases across England through July 19 were among fully vaccinated people.Israel, with high rates, has reported that full with the Pfizer vaccine might be only 39 per cent-40.5 per cent effective at preventing delta variant infections of any severity, down from early estimates of 90 per cent. Israel's findings suggest that within six months, COVID-19 vaccines' efficacy at preventing infection and symptomatic disease declines. The good news, though, is that the vaccine is still highly effective at protecting against hospitalisation (88 per cent) and severe illness (91.4 per cent) caused by the now-dominant delta variant.As of the end of July 2021, 49.1 per cent of the US population, or just over 163 million people, are fully vaccinated. Nearly 90 per cent of Americans over the age of 65 have received at least one dose of a vaccine.Scientists' models suggest that may have saved approximately 279,000 lives in the US and prevented up to 1.25 million hospitalisations by the end of June 2021. Similarly, in England about 30,300 deaths, 46,300 hospitalizations and 8.15 million infections may have been prevented by COVID-19 vaccines.In Israel, the high vaccination rate is thought to have caused a 77 per cent drop in cases and a 68 per cent drop in hospitalisations from that nation's pandemic peak.Across the US, only 150 out of more than 18,000 deaths due to COVID-19 in May were of people who had been fully vaccinated. That means nearly all COVID-19 deaths in US are among those who remain unvaccinated.The US is becoming almost like two Americas, as Anthony Fauci put it, divided between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. Those who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 remain at risk from the that has so far killed more than 600,000 people in 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.)
The Union Cabinet has cleared the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Bill, 2021, which will allow depositors to withdraw up to Rs 5 lakh in 90 days if their bank fails.

While the entire  public sector, private sector, cooperative banks, etc  is covered by this insurance, claims have predominantly come from the cooperative sector where lenders frequently face problems and are liquidated.

By March 2020, 357 (UCBs) had failed in the country, leading to payment of Rs 4,903 crore in claims, including Rs 70.8 crore paid during FY20 and Rs 9.8 crore under the settlement policy.
The Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 will expand credit facilities for small businesses, and will help them in accessing funds from 9,500 non-banking financial companies (NBFC), Finance Minister tweeted.

The amendments approved by Rajya Sabha Thursday will give an impetus to the economy by providing an efficient working capital cycle for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Sitharaman said.

The Bill seeks to increase the number of NBFCs offering factoring service to over 9,500 from from seven currently. Factoring is a transaction where a business sells its receivables from a customer to a third party or a factor' to get funds. Now all NBFCs will be permitted to undertake factoring business and participate on Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) for discounting the invoices of MSMEs, Sitharaman said.

The Bill seeks to provide a strong oversight mechanism for the factoring ecosystem, and will empower the Reserve Bank of India to make regulations with respect to factoring business, Sitharaman said.

While moving the Bill in Lok Sabha for approval, Sitharaman had said the government has accepted the recommendations of the Standing Committee which had scrutinised the Bill last year.

The Standing Committee on Finance had suggested that best global practices be adopted to bring domestic factoring companies on a par with global peers and make credit finance more accessible to

Amending the Factoring Regulation Act, and changing the definition of assignment, factoring business and receivables, will bring them in consonance with international definitions, Sitharaman said.

The Factoring Regulation Act, 2011 was enacted for regulating the receivables to factors, making provision for registration for doing factoring business, and the rights of the parties in a factoring contract.

There is often a delay in MSMEs getting payment against their bills for supplying to various buyers.

This leads to locking of working capital and hampering productive activities of MSMEs, the Parliamentary Committee had said in its report. The amendments proposed by the government seek to resolve these issues and permit more categories of NBFCs to undertake factoring business, it had said. Factoring credit constitutes only 2.6 per cent of total formal MSME credit in India. Its estimated that only 10 per cent of the receivable market is presently covered under formal bill discounting mechanism, while the rest is covered under conventional cash credit overdraft arrangements with banks, the report had said.
MahaRERA , the authority under Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, in Maharashtra, has blacklisted 644 housing projects in the state for not meeting project deadlines. The authority has prohibited them from being sold, advertised or marketed in the state. These projects were supposed to be completed and handed over to homebuyers in 2017 and 2018.

Even though most of the projects are being developed by local developers, one big name on the list is Lavasa Corporation promoted by HCC whose registration expired in 2017.

"The validity for MahaRERA registrations for the following projects has expired. The promoter shall not advertise, market, book, sell or offer for sale, or invite persons to purchase in any manner any plot, apartment or building, as the case may be, in any of these projects," MahaRERA said in a recent notice.

As much as 43 per cent or 274 blacklisted projects are in the Metropolitan Region (MMR), followed by 29 per cent or 189 projects in Pune; rest 28 per cent or 181 projects are in smaller cities, including Nagpur, Nashik, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Satara, Ratnagiri, and Sangli, said a report by Anarock Property Consultants.

At least 85 per cent or 547 projects are small-sized, with average of 70 units per project.

"Unfortunately, 80 per cent of the units in these 644 projects are already sold out. Of the total 644 projects, 16 per cent were to be completed by 2017, while 84 per cent had 2018 as their completion timeline," it said.

Puri said no clarity has been given by MahaRERA on how and when these projects will be completed.

MMR has at least 496 projects (launched in 2014 or before) that are either delayed/stuck as on date, while Pune has nearly 171 delayed/stuck projects.

As on date, 29,884 real estate projects have been registered under MahaRERA in the state, of which 24 per cent or 7,245 projects are already completed.

was the first state in the country to implement the Act from May 2017 and set up a Authority. Bureaucrat Gautam Chatterjee was made first chairman of MahaRERA. In February this year, Ajoy Mehta, the principal advisor to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, was appointed the chairman of MahaRERA.

is the frontrunner with the maximum number of projects and agent registrations, setting a high benchmark for other states to emulate. As of July 4 2020, Maharashtra saw the registration of 25,604 projects and 23,999 agents.

Housing sales in Maharashtra saw a spurt in the third and fourth quarters of the financial year 2020-21 after the state government cut stamp duty paid on property transactions. It was cut to 2 per cent till December last year and 3 per cent till March this year.

Another report by Anarock earlier this year said 65,539 cases have been disposed of by state RERAs as of April 24.

Quoting data by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, it said of these, nearly 40 per cent (about 26,510 complaints) were resolved in Uttar Pradesh alone, followed by Haryana with 13,269 cases and Maharashtra (9,265 cases). The three states cumulatively accounted for nearly 75 per cent of the total disposed cases under in the country.
West Bengal Finance Minister on Thursday said major lenders in the country should consider rolling out job-oriented courses.

Mitra made the comment after inaugurating Bandhan Bank Konnagar's PG Diploma Course in Banking and Finance in affiliation with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology.

This is an innovative model where students will get guaranteed after successful completion of the course. I will raise this model at the state-level bankers meet and urge lenders like SBI and PNB to come up with similar efforts, he said.

The minister also said the student credit card scheme of the West Bengal government will help youths who wish to join the course.

Bandhan Bank has a residential learning centre in Rajpur that can accommodate 210 students.

A new centre with a capacity of 240 residential students will be launched in Shantiniketan by January 2022.

The lender has trained 600 students so far, it said.

The course has been devised keeping in mind the needs of banking in all of India and will have a special focus on rural areas, Founder Chandrasekhar Ghosh 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.)
A group of US lawmakers has reintroduced a legislation in the House of Representatives to eliminate a programme which allows foreign students to stay in the country for work after the completion of their studies under certain conditions.

Congressman Paul A Gosar along with Congressman Mo Brooks, Andy Biggs and Matt Gaetz introduced the Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act, a legislation that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act on the Optional Practice Training (OPT).

What country creates a programme, but not a law, that rewards its businesses to fire citizen workers and replace them with foreign labour to pay the foreign labour less? The The programme is called OPT and it reflects a complete abandonment of our own workers, Gosar said.

He first introduced the Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act in the 116th Congress, and has twice signed amicus briefs in support of American workers in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security to eliminate the OPT.

The OPT is a guest worker programme administered by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Gosar alleges that the OPT circumvents the H-1B cap by allowing over 100,000 aliens admitted as foreign students to work for up to three years in the US after graduation.

These foreign workers are exempt from payroll taxes, making them at least 10-15 per cent cheaper than a comparable American worker, he argued.

Landing that first job out of college will only become more difficult for young Americans as our universities formalise the role they play in crowding out opportunities once reserved for American graduates. For this reason, the OPT must be eliminated, stated Kevin Lynn, Founder of US Techworkers.

The OPT openly undercuts American workers, particularly higher-skilled workers and recent college graduates, by giving employers an actual tax incentive to hire compliant, inexpensive foreign labour under the guise of "student training, said Rosemary Jenks, Director of Government Relations, NumbersUSA.

(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.)
stepped up attempts to calm frayed investor nerves after a wild rout this week by telling foreign brokerages not to "overinterpret" its latest regulatory actions, setting the stage for a rebound in beaten-down stocks on Thursday.

Chinese state media also joined in to say yuan-denominated assets in remained attractive and that short-term market panic did not represent long-term value.

stocks had their best day in two months on Thursday. The blue-chip CSI300 Index jumped 1.9% and the Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.5%, but for the week, the gauges are still down 4.7% and 3.9%, respectively.

Shenzhen's start-up board ChiNext <.CHINEXTC> jumped 5.3%, recouping nearly all of this week's savage losses.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended Thursday up 3.3%, shrinking this week's loss to 3.7%. The Hang Seng Tech Index, the target of a heavy sell-off earlier this week, surged 8%, but is still down 4.3% for the week.

The gains came after the securities regulator on Wednesday night held a meeting with executives of top global investment banks with an aim to calm financial nerves, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The meeting added to official efforts to shore up investor confidence, which has been dented by Beijing's sweeping regulatory actions that hit firms in the $120 billion private tutoring sector and technology behemoths.

"This is more to calm the market to isolate the education industry and not to overinterpret it," said one of the people, who has knowledge of the meeting held by China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) vice chairman Fang Xinghai.

At the meeting, Fang told the bankers that official policies would be rolled out more steadily to avoid sharp volatility in the markets, said another person, adding Fang also indicated the crackdown was not aimed at decoupling Sino-U.S. financial

Executives from investment banks Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and UBS, among others, attended the meeting, said the people, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

The regulator only invited those foreign brokerages with existing licenses to operate in the country, said a separate person with knowledge of the meeting.

CSRC did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Representatives at Credit Suisse, Goldman, JPMorgan, and UBS declined to comment. Bloomberg first reported the regulatory meeting on Wednesday.

"Recent events definitely have a negative impact on the global investor sentiment about China. So the risk is whether the long-term money will also pull out of China," said Wang Qi, CEO at fund manager MegaTrust Investment (HK).

"In terms of the foreign capital flows, whatever happened lately was mostly driven by hedge fund type hot money ... we welcome any Chinese government's moves to increase transparency and rebuild investor confidence."

'REGULATORY RISKS'

The CSRC meeting followed a brutal sell-off in shares of Chinese companies this week after were spooked by Beijing's rules that ban for-profit tutoring in core school subjects.

The new rules for the private education companies closely followed China's antimonopoly campaign against technology giants and new regulations for home-grown companies looking to list overseas.

Qian Wang, Vanguard Group's Asia-Pacific chief economist, said that it's natural for global to be exposed to higher regulatory risks when it comes to investing in China.

"Although China is the world's second-biggest economy, it remains an emerging market with economic, policy and regulatory uncertainty," Wang said. If seek higher return, "you need to bear higher risks, which is natural", he said.

Beijing stepped up efforts to soothe investor nerves over the last couple of days amid concerns that a sharp sell-off in equities could have a spillover effect to other asset classes, including bonds and foreign exchange.

The state-backed China Daily said Beijing remained supportive of domestic companies seeking to list overseas and that regulators would soon unveil more measures to further open capital market to foreign entities.

(Reporting by Binbin Huang, Cheng Leng, Samuel Shen, Scott Murdoch; Writing by Sumeet Chatterjee; Ediitng by Sam Holmes and Ana Nicolaci da Costa)

(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.)
More than 90 chief executive officers, including those at Apple, Amazon.com and Facebook, on Thursday urged Congress to pass a law offering a citizenship path to young brought illegally to the US as children.

In a letter to President and congressional leaders, the executives said thousands of the  known as Dreamers  are valued employees at our companies, but a federal judges recent ruling against a program protecting them throws into chaos their ability to live and work legally in the US.

Bill introduced to bar foreign students from staying after studies

A group of US lawmakers has reintroduced a legislation in the House of Representatives to eliminate a programme that allows foreign students to stay in the country for work after the completion of their studies under certain conditions, a bill if passed into law can affect tens and thousands of Indians studying in this country.
Group AG reported a bigger-than-expected plunge in second-quarter profit, as the aftershocks of the Archegos Capital Management and Greensill scandals reverberate across the investment bank and wealth management businesses.



Net income tumbled 78% from a year earlier, dragged down by a slump in trading that was exacerbated by a $653 million Archegos-related loss. The advisory business -- a key area of strength in recent quarters -- saw revenues decline by more than a third, while the bank saw billions of outflows in Asia as it reduced ties with some clients.

is working to recover from one of the most turbulent periods since the financial crisis after it was rocked by the Archegos and Greensill Capital scandals, which caused a $5.5 billion hit and hurt the banks reputation. Vowing reforms, new Chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio has said the scandals went beyond any hed lived through over three-and-a-half decades in banking. The lender raised $2 billion from investors to shore up capital and a strategy review is expected later this year.

We take these two events very seriously and are determined to learn all the right lessons, Chief Executive Officer Thomas Gottstein said on Thursday. We have significantly reduced our risk-weighted assets and leverage exposure and improved the risk profile of our prime services business in the investment bank.

fell as much as 5.1% and was trading 3.4% lower as of 9:37 a.m. in Zurich. It has declined about 21% this year.

The banks actions to pare risk including downsizing the unit that services hedge funds by a third and cutting ties with clients deemed high risk. In the second quarter, that translated to $4.2 billion of outflows across wealth clients in Southeast Asia, Japan and China. Revenue at its global trading solutions business -- a joint venture between the investment bank and wealth businesses -- also declined in part due to our more conservative risk appetite in the investment bank.

As part of attempts to reform the bank, Credit Suisse earlier this week said its hiring David Wildermuth from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to become the new chief risk officer, replacing former risk and compliance chief Lara Warner, who stepped down among several other key executives after the scandals. Her roles will now be split. Wildermuth is the second Goldman Sachs executive to join the firm since Horta-Osorio took over, after the appointment of Joanne Hannaford as chief technology and operations officer.

Alongside second-quarter results, the bank also published the findings of its internal report into the Archegos disaster, prepared by U.S. law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. It faulted employees at the prime services unit who systematically ignored repeated red flags, though said no criminality was involved. The Swiss firm said it ousted nine executives and recouped about $70 million in pay, including bonus clawbacks, as it punished 23 people in all for their role in the scandal.





At the investment bank -- which was hit by the Archegos collapse -- fixed-income trading was down 33% from a year earlier, though better than the Wall Street average, as face a moderation in the market volatility that helped boost income since the beginning of the pandemic. Equities revenue slumped 17%, even before accounting for Archegos, compared with gains for U.S. peers.

Deal advisory revenue fell by a third. The bank has seen an exodus of more than 40 senior bankers in the dealmaking business in a brain drain that could cost Credit Suisse roles on key upcoming deals, affecting its market share and billions in fees. Still, the bank signaled it has a strong pipeline for M&A deals and equity capital markets.

The bank signaled that further measures to reduce risk could be on the way as part of the ongoing review of the business strategy.

Key highlights:
Qin Gang, the new Ambassador of China to the United States, arrived in DC on Wednesday to assume office.

"The door of China-US relations, which is already open, cannot be closed. This is the trend of the world, the call of the times, and the will of the people," Qin Gang told media upon his arrival, as quoted by Global Times.

He also noted that bilateral ties have come to a "new critical juncture", facing many challenges.

Qin is the 11th Chinese ambassador to the US. Prior to his ambassadorship, Qin was Chinese vice foreign minister. His predecessor, Ambassador Cui Tiankai, completed his tenure and returned to China on June 23.

Cui Tiankai left Washington, at a time when tensions between the two countries have heightened. Cui was the longest-serving ambassador to the US and held the post for over eight years.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of metal companies were in focus as they rallied by up to 10 per cent on the bourses on expectation of higher demand and amid reports that China may soon impose export duties on steel products.

As per reports, China is considering imposing more export duties, between 10-25 per cent, on steel products including Hot-Rolled Coil from August 1. "The country is the biggest steel exporter but, now, is curbing carbon emissions by placing production limits on Steel, one of its most polluting industries," reports say. This, analysts say, may help Indian producers by capturing the Steel market share that China is giving up.

On the earnings front, analysts expect domestic steel companies to report a healthy quarter (in terms of EBITDA/tonne), driven by higher steel prices for April-June quarter of the financial year 2021-22 (Q1FY22).

At 11:37 am, Nifty Metal (up 3.8 per cent) and the S&P BSE Metal index (up 4.2) were up 4 per cent each, as compared to a 0.50 per cent rise in the benchmark indices Nifty50 and the S&P BSE Sensex.

Hindalco (up 10 per cent at Rs 456.45) and Tata Steel (up 6 per cent at Rs 1,451.55) have hit their respective record highs on the BSE in the intra-day trade. Vedanta, Steel Authority of India (SAIL), NMDC, Jindal Steel and Power and JSW Steel, meanwhile, were up in the range of 4 per cent to 6 per cent.

The stock of Tata Steel was quoting higher for the sixth straight trading session and has rallied 18 per cent during the period.

"Base metals prices traded firm with most of the metals recovered on higher demand outlook and lower supply concerns. Lead and Nickel prices rose the most on higher demand from electric vehicle (EV) segment. Nickel prices rose to seven year highs with Tesla Inc bet for future orders. Base metals traded higher on lower supply concerns from China floods and quarterly earnings from mining companies," said Tapan Patel- Senior Analyst (Commodities), HDFC securities.

Meanwhile, given the lower base of Q1FY21, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis for Q1FY22E, the earnings growth of metal and mining companies is expected to be significantly higher.

ICICI Securities expects Tata Steel to report a healthy performance in Q1FY22E. "For the quarter, we expect Tata Steel's standalone operations to report an EBITDA/tonne of Rs 33,000/tonne (compared to an EBITDA/tonne of Rs 27,775/tonne in Q4FY21 and Rs 5,920/tonne in Q1FY21). Standalone operations is expected to report steel sales volume of 2.9 million tonne (MT) while European operation steel sales are likely to come in at 2.4 MT," the brokerage firm said in result preview.

It added: For Q1FY22E, we expect Hindalco's domestic operations (standalone operations + Utkal) topline to come in at Rs 12,752 crore (up 71 per cent YoY but down 12 per cent QoQ). EBITDA margin is likely to come it at 15.1 per cent (13.0 per cent in Q4FY21, 12.0 per cent in Q4FY21). Subsequent EBITDA of domestic operations (standalone operations + Utkal) is likely to come in at Rs 1,930 crore, up 116 per cent YoY, 2 per cent QoQ. Novelis is likely to report sales volume of 950 KT and EBITDA/tonne of US$510/tonne.
The number of people in has been growing, especially due to mobile trading, BSE Chairman Ashishkumar Chauhan said on Thursday.

He also said that with the advent of the JanDhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) accounts, about 30 crore accounts were created within a year. This is what brought India into the financial inclusion model.

The BSE chief said that the number of people getting included in is unbelievably large.

"As on date, we have 7.5 crore investors, and we keep adding 70,000 people daily on an average. From January 1, 2020, till today, the number of investors has grown by 60 per cent," Chauhan, who is the managing director and CEO of BSE, said at FICCI event.

To put this progression into perspective, Chauhan said the BSE had one crore investors in the year 2008. By July 2011, it had two crore investor accounts, which in January 2016 grew to thee crore; by August 2018, the number touched four crore; May 2020 saw five crore; and in January 2021, the BSE had six crore investor accounts.

Further, he credited the rise in the number of people in to mobile trading, the geographical reach of which is large.

"We have people from the Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands investing in mutual funds," he added.

Elaborating on the spurt in the number of accounts in the last one and a half year of COVID-19, Chauhan said that while the eastern region boasts of 13 per cent of the accounts, the customer account numbers went up by 68 per cent.

Similarly, the northern region, which accounted for 28 per cent of all accounts, witnessed numbers go up by 67 per cent. Similar trend was seen in the southern region (23 per cent of all accounts) and the western region (34 per cent of all accounts) that saw an increase of 61 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

According to him, fintech institutions are coming up in all areas.

"Traditional institutions are under tremendous pressure to maintain their business model, that includes stock exchanges.

"You might see more new exchanges and more depositories coming up. Traditional institutions are also trying to create new regulations to maintain their business models," he added.

Overall, in the past 27 years of automation and digitisation of Indian markets, "we have come a long way, but we still have a longer way to go" , Chauhan said.

He added that India on a regulatory framework basis will have to create more institutions, more competing institutions so that if one closes for a small or a larger period, rest of the ecosystem continues to work.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The (SAT) on Thursday provided interim relief to top officials of Mutual fund (MF) and its trustee by staying an order passed by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) against the fund house.

The tribunal has asked the officials and trustee of the fund house to deposit 50 per cent of the penalty imposed by Sebi within three weeks in an escrow account. The balance it said shall not be recovered until the pendency of the appeal.

The appellate will now take up this issue along with the appeal of Franklin MF for the final hearing on August 30.

In June, Sebi had imposed Rs 3 crore penalty on FT Trustee Services and Rs 2 crore each on chief executive officer (CEO) Sanjay Sapre and chief investment officer (CIO) Santosh Kamath due to lapses while managing the six schemes wound up last year.

Five other fund managers were levied a fine of Rs 1.5 crore each and chief compliance officer was asked to pay Rs 50 lakh. FT MF had shuttered its six debt schemes in April 2020 citing liquidity issues due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Earlier in a related matter, SAT had given MF relief by staying the order that barred it from launching new debt schemes for two years. However, recently the Supreme Court overturned this relief given by the tribunal.



Sebi later moved the Supreme Court against certain directions passed by SAT. MF told the apex court that it won't launch any new schemes until the tribunal heard its appeal.
Colgate-Palmolive (India) reported 18% growth in net profit to Rs 233.2 crore on a 12% increase in net sales to Rs 1,157.8 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

As compared with Q4 FY21, the company's net profit and net sales have declined by 25.9% and 9.2%, respectively.

While the company's gross margins rose by 300 bps to 68.9%, EBITDA margin improved by 90 bps to 30.7% in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

Profit before tax in Q1 FY22 stood at Rs 314.19 crore, up by 17.7% from Rs 266.89 crore in Q1 FY21.

Ram Raghavan, managing director at Colgate-Palmolive (India), said: "Our structured and balanced approach to driving effectiveness and efficiencies in every aspect of our operations has resulted in strong performance across all key financial metrics. Our continued investment in brand building and innovation has seen our core brand metrics also strengthen.

Colgate-Palmolive (India) provides oral care products under the 'Colgate' brand. It also provides personal care products under the 'Palmolive' brand name.

The scrip fell 3.78% to currently trade at Rs 1,724.50 on the BSE. In the past three months, the stock has gained 16.45% while the benchmark Sensex has added 5.87% during the same period.

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The benchmark indices further extended decent gains during early afternoon trade. The Nifty index continued to trade tad below 15,800 level. The July 2021 F&O contracts will expire today, 29 July 2021.

At 12:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 250.49 points or 0.48% at 52,694.20. The Nifty 50 index added 87.25 points or 0.56% at 15,796.65.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.12% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.80%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1,950 shares rose and 1,117 shares fell. A total of 143 shares were unchanged.

Investors cheered after US Fed decided to keep the key policy rates unchanged. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. job market still had some ground to cover before it would be time to pull back from the economic support the U.S. central bank put in place in the spring of 2020 to battle the coronavirus pandemic's economic shocks.

Politics:

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday, 28 July 2021 held a press conference with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and I&B Minister Anurag Thakur and Minister of State L Murugan in New Delhi. During the press briefing, the Cabinet cleared Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Bill and Limited Liability Partnership Amendment Bill.

The Finance Minister (FM) said that as per the DICGC bill, depositors of troubled banks would get back amounts below Rs 5 lakh within 90 days, even if a bank is put under moratorium by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The FM further added that the bill increases deposit insurance coverage and reduces the time taken for depositors to recover sums if a bank comes under financial stress.

Coronavirus Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 19,59,69,386 with 41,87,392 deaths. India reported 4,03,840 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 4,22,662 deaths while 3,07,01,612 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

India has reported 43,509 fresh infections, 38,465 and 640 deaths in the last 24 hours. The country has 4,03,840 active cases.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, dropped 4.67% to 13.0525. The Nifty 29 July 2021 futures were trading at 15,776.05, at a discount of 20.60 points as compared with the spot at 15,796.65.

The Nifty option chain for 29 July 2021 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 110.5 lakh contracts at the 15,800 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 64.4 lakh contracts was seen at 15,700 strike price.

The July 2021 F&O contracts will expire today, 29 July 2021.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Realty index rose 1.16% to 395.75. The index skid 2.45% in the last three sessions, till yesterday.

Indiabulls Real Estate (up 3.30%), Sobha (up 2.87%), Brigade Enterprises (up 1.87%), Prestige Estate Projects (up 1.74%) and Hemisphere Properties India (up 1.39%) were the major gainers in the Realty segment.

Stocks in Spotlight:

ISGEC Heavy Engineering advanced 2.32% after the company said that its joint venture firm has received a major order for a PTA Reactor for a Public Sector Petrochemical Project of national importance from Technip Energies, Noida. The scope of work includes Mechanical Design, Material Procurement, Fabrication/Testing, and Supply of Equipment.

Axis Bank lost 0.15%. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 5 crore on Axis Bank for contravention of certain provisions of directions issued by the RBI, encompassing those on cyber security framework. The directions include 'Strengthening the Controls of Payment Ecosystem between Sponsor Banks and SCBs/UCBs as a Corporate Customer', 'Cyber Security Framework in Banks', 'RBI (Financial Services provided by Banks) Directions, 2016', 'Financial Inclusion- Access to Banking Services - Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account' and 'Frauds - Classification and Reporting'.

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 5 crore on Axis Bank for contravention of certain provisions of directions issued by the RBI, encompassing those on cyber security framework.

The directions include 'Strengthening the Controls of Payment Ecosystem between Sponsor Banks and SCBs/UCBs as a Corporate Customer', 'Cyber Security Framework in Banks', 'RBI (Financial Services provided by Banks) Directions, 2016', 'Financial Inclusion- Access to Banking Services - Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account' and 'Frauds - Classification and Reporting'.

"This action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers," the Central Bank said in a statement.

The RBI had conducted statutory inspections for supervisory evaluation (ISE) of the bank with reference to its financial position as on 31 March 2017 (ISE 2017), 31 March 2018 (ISE 2018) and 31 March 2019 (ISE 2019).

The examination of the risk assessment reports pertaining to ISE 2017, ISE 2018 and ISE 2019, the report of scrutiny carried out by RBI in the backdrop of the incident relating to a fraud and related correspondence thereto, and the incident report submitted by the bank in June 2020 relating to a few suspected transactions and related correspondence, revealed, inter-alia, contravention of / non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI.

In furtherance to the same, notices were issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions, as stated therein.

After considering the bank's replies to the notices, oral submissions made during the personal hearing and examination of additional submissions made by the bank, RBI came to the conclusion that the charges of non-compliance with/contravention of the RBI directions were substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty on the bank, to the extent of contravention of / non-compliance with the directions.

Axis Bank offers the entire spectrum of financial services to customer segments covering large and mid-corporates, MSME, agriculture and retail businesses. As on 30 June 2021, the bank had a network of 4,528 domestic branches and extension counters situated in 2,559 centres.

The private sector bank reported a 94.2% jump in standalone net profit to Rs 2,160 crore on a 2.4% rise in total income to Rs 19,591 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

The scrip rose 0.59% to currently trade at Rs 726.95 on the BSE. On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the stock has gained 16.81% while the benchmark Sensex has added 10.22% during the same period.

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Wabco India's standalone net profit stood at Rs 21.38 crore in Q1 June 2021 (Q1 FY22) as compared to a net loss of Rs 31.36 crore in Q1 June 2020 (Q1 FY21).

Standalone net sales soared 196.40% to Rs 491.92 crore in Q1 FY22 from Rs 165.97 crore in Q1 FY21. Pre-tax profit was at Rs 30.85 crore in Q1 FY22 as against a pre-tax loss of Rs 38.95 crore in Q1 FY21. The Q1 earnings was declared post market hours yesterday, 28 July 2021.

The board had recommended a dividend of Rs 11 per share, for the financial year ended 31 March 2021 at the board meeting held on Friday, 17 May 2021. Upon approval by the shareholders, the payment of the dividend will be made on Tuesday, 28 September 2021 to the shareholders as on record date i.e. Friday, 17 September 2021.

WABCO India currently exports from the Mahindra World City plant and caters to the domestic customers from its Ambattur plant. The company stated that there is no scope for further expansion at both the plants as 100% of the land and floor space has been utilised.

However, there is an immediate need for setting up a new manufacturing unit to cater to the increased demand and support growth in exports. In this regard, WABCO India has identified land parcels at Phase II, SIPCOT Industrial Estate, Oragadam, Tamil Nadu with land Parcel-A admeasuring 31.5 acres and land Parcel-B admeasuring 18.5 acres totally admeasuring 50 acres on lease for a period of 99 years towards setting up of a manufacturing unit.

The board at the previous meeting held on 17 May 2021 approved entering into a lease deed with the SIPCOT Industrial Estate for expanding the company's operations. WABCO India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Tamil Nadu for this proposed expansion project. The new project is envisaged to be a Center of Excellence for manufacturing excellence catering to both export and domestic customers.

Hence, WABCO India at their meeting, decided to incorporate a wholly owned subsidiary in Tamil Nadu with an authorised and paid-up capital of Rs 1 crore in the state of Tamil Nadu for this expansion.

Wabco India manufactures automotive parts. The company produces electronic braking, stability, and suspension and transmission control systems for heavy-duty commercial trucks, trailers and buses.

Shares of Wabco India gained 0.08% to Rs 7,182 on BSE. The scrip hovered in the range of Rs 7,136.35 to Rs 7,500 so far.

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Here are the best of Business Standard's pieces for Thursday.

Last week, the National Statistical Office released the Annual Report of its Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), covering the period between July 2019 and June 2020. This period included the second quarter of the calendar year 2020, when the Indian economy was reeling from a stringent lockdown meant to contain the spread of Covid-19. In this context, ournotes that, while the PLFS does provide valuable information about the state of the workforce, it comes too late to make a tangible difference to policy. Read here

The PLI reflects a micromanagement approach to policy that gives governmental officials, who have little experience of commercial activities, the discretionary authority to define what win means and to choose the winners, writes Nitin Desai

Erratic weather events are tending to become the new normal. Since little can be done to prevent calamitous changes in climate, the only way to minimise their adverse impact is by learning to live with them  adapting to the new normal, argues our second editorial
Indicating that expansion of his cabinet may take some time, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said he will discuss it with the party's central leadership and decide in the days to come.

"I'm going to Delhi tomorrow morning, there I will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP National President J P Nadda. This is my first visit (as CM), this will be to greet them and take their blessings," Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters on his arrival at Hubballi on his way to flood and rain-ravaged Uttara Kannada district, he said after this visit in two or three days he will seek the leadership's time to discuss the and during that visit things may be finalised.

Meanwhile, Ministerial aspirants have already begun lobbying to secure a berth in the new cabinet.

Earlier in the day speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, in response to a question about pressure on him from Ministerial aspirants, he said, "it is common. Once someone becomes the CM and has to expand the cabinet, it is common." He also said that the Prime Minister spoke to him over phone on Wednesday and wished him all the best, as he also expressed hopes of good administration from him.

"When I go to Delhi to meet the party leadership, I will also try to meet our Members of Parliament and central Ministers from on the pending projects and issues concerning the state," he added.

Bommai, who was elected as the new leader of the BJP legislature party on Tuesday, following B S Yediyurappa's resignation, took oath as the Chief Minister on Wednesday.

Stating that he has spoken to senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who has decided not to be part of the new cabinet, Bommai said, he will talk to him personally and discuss it with the party leadership.

"I have told him (Shettar) that I will come and speak to him personally. We have close bonding as we have grown together. We were friends even before we came to politics, so I have good regard, love and affection towards him and he too has similar feelings for me. We had a good relationship even when we were in different parties," he said.

Shettar said, as he is a senior leader and a former Chief Minister, he has decided not to be part of the new cabinet, and has got good response for his stand from various quarters, across the state.

"Despite being a former Chief Minister, I was part of Yediyurappa's cabinet because Yediyurappa is our senior and tallest leader of the party and I was Minister under him earlier too, there was no uneasiness there. But in today's situation I'm a senior leader, so I'm not joining," he said, adding that not just because it is Bommai, if anyone else would have become CM also, his decision would have been the same.

Shettar said he has made his stand known to state BJP President, the Chief Minister, Yediyurappa and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, and maintained that he is committed to the party, as his family has served it from the Jana Sangh's days.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister met Union Minister of Transport here on Thursday and discussed several infrastructure projects in the state with him in a bid to invite global investors.

Banerjee, who is in Delhi to initiate talks with opposition parties to stitch together a united front against the ruling BJP, brought up pending road and transport projects, including the deep-sea port at Tajpur, in her discussions with Gadkari, sources said.

The sea port, located nearly 200 km from Kolkata, is expected to draw an investment of Rs 15,000 crore and generate 25,000 jobs in

The sources said Banerjee will also meet ministers of key departments such as petroleum, aviation, railways and commerce soon to discuss various development projects in the state.

"Chief Minister of Sushri @MamataOfficial called on Union Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari Ji today. In the presence of officials they reviewed various road projects being undertaken in the state," Gadkari's office said in a tweet.

The sources said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo also presented a report to the Union minister on the construction of rural roads in West Bengal under the third phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
chief on Thursday flagged again the five key issues' faced by the state, days after being told by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh that his government is close to resolving them.

Addressing party workers in Jalandhar, the new state unit chief said the high command's 18-point programme will be implemented.

He also called for the rejection by the Congress-ruled state of the three farm laws enacted at the Centre last year.

At their first meeting Tuesday with the Amarinder Singh after his appointment as the state party president, Sidhu and the four working presidents had reminded the CM about the 18-point programme and the five priority areas.

The 18 points were reportedly dictated to Singh when he met the party's central leadership in Delhi amid the tussle between him and Sidhu.

The delegation led by Sidhu had sought immediate action from the CM 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 the Centre's new farm laws and agreeing to the demands by government employees.

In Jalandhar on Thursday, Sidhu also interacted with party workers from Phagwara, Bholath, Sultanpur Lodhi and Kapurthala.

Sidhu said he had taken up with the CM the five priority areas out of the party leadership's 18-point agenda.

Referring to the farm laws, Sidhu said, These black laws are illegal, unconstitutional and an attack on the federal structure.

As was done on the SYL issue, the government should reject these laws completely by announcing that they will not be implemented, he said, recalling Punjab's tough stance on river water sharing with Haryana.

Sidhu indirectly backed Amarinder Singh on subsidised power for farmers.

In an apparent attack at the Aam Aadmi Party government in the national capital, he said, If you see the Delhi model, a subsidy of Rs 1,700 crore is being given in Delhi in comparison to Rs 10,000 crore of subsidy being given by

He said there is hardly any state in the country which provides so much power subsidy.

He said power for industry in Punjab is also "much cheaper" than that in Delhi.

Last month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had promised up to 300 units of free electricity every billing cycle for each household in Punjab if the AAP is voted to power.

Sidhu said the power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed during the previous SAD-BJP government in the state are a stumbling block in providing cheap power to consumers.

He said fixed charges of thousands of crores are being paid to private power companies and demanded the cancellation of faulty PPAs.

The CM on Wednesday had ordered power utility PSPCL to cancel or revisit all one-sided PPAs signed with private companies which are not contractually obligated to supply sufficient power to meet the peak demand during the paddy sowing and summer seasons.

(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.)
Mumbai, Indias financial capital, is set for a mega transformation with a massive patch of land opening up for redevelopment; a new metro railway ready to start services by the year-end; and the countrys oldest railway station, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, going for modernisation with private sector participation.

Work on Mumbais second airport will start from next month, while construction of the sea link connecting central to Navi has already moved into a fast lane despite Covid-induced lockdowns. Also, a coastal road project, connecting Nariman Point to Worli, is under way and will help decongest the city to quite an extent.

Of all these mega projects, the one that has a huge potential to change the citys skyline is the Eastern Waterfront project  to be built on the Port Trust (MbPT) land.

As part of the project, slums in the dock areas are likely to be shifted and accommodated in affordable housing colonies in the city. The project has also opened the opportunity to build a Central Park in Mumbai, a la New York. Designing the project is Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, the firm that gave the blueprint for the Sabarmati Waterfront in Ahmedabad and New Delhis Central Vista project.

The MbPT land, which is nearly 1,800 acres, currently covers the entire eastern seafront of Mumbai island city. Experts say this is an opportunity for Maharashtra and the central government to address the social and infrastructural challenges that Mumbai faces. The land can be redeveloped to include affordable housing, hospitals, schools, colleges, recreation and sports infrastructure, intrastate bus terminus, water transportation and for cruise liners, besides cultural centres.

This can potentially bring a positive change in the lifestyle and wellness of the people, apart from promoting tourism, with emphasis on the safety of the environment and wildlife. We will explore opportunities that fit our strategy, said Sanjay Dutt, managing director and chief executive officer, Tata and Infrastructure, which is evaluating opportunities to develop residential and commercial buildings in the project.

The cost to set up per block is Rs 6,500 crore. Land surveys are on and the number of blocks is being worked out. The total project cost will depend on the final techno-legal studies.

Earlier, the redevelopment of the commercial district at Lower Parel, Dadar and Elphinstone towards the western side of central Mumbai was carried out on land where defunct textile mills stood. The swanky Bandra Kurla Complex, today the address of some of the countrys biggest financial companies, was built on marshy land in the 1990s. After it came up, a large number of companies shifted from South Mumbais Nariman Point and Ballard Estate to this new complex.

Similarly, the areas towards the eastern side of central Mumbai like Sewri to Byculla, when opened for development by MbPT, are bound to change the landscape of the city. The simultaneously planned infrastructure projects are also expected to trigger robust growth of this region.

This large-scale redevelopment has lessons to learn from the past.

During the redevelopment in the last 30 years, the poor were left out and slums mushroomed all over the city. Billionaires lived in billion-dollar homes with slums around, said an urban planner who did not wish to be named. If this project is handled well, it can transform the city for the poor, too. But the greed of a few powerful people can still tilt the scales against them.

According to the plan, MbPT is developing approximately 253 hectares, half of which will be for public activities. The plan includes mixed land use development of a hi-tech city, government offices, recreational spaces, theme parks, and so on. The focus is on increasing tourism along the citys waterfront. New hotels and restaurants are also expected to come up in the area.

According to consultant JLL, new roads, rail and metro networks along with ferry services will improve East-West connectivity, which will trigger an increase in prices in the area as well as in Navi Mumbai, on the other side of the bay.

The port area was earlier restricted to industrial, commercial and port activities. With this redevelopment, residential buildings will come up; these are expected to house approximately 100,000 people. It is early to comment on the implementation timelines. However, MbPT hopes to fast-track the process and is currently shortlisting consultants for empanelment for monetisation of assets, said A Shankar, head of Strategic Consulting and Valuation Advisory, JLL.

Real estate companies say that if planned properly, the eastern corridor can rejuvenate Mumbai.

Most cities around the world have built public gardens, social infrastructure and, of course, residential and commercial complexes in a planned way, said Vikas Oberoi, chairman and managing director of Oberoi If the MbPT project becomes a reality, it will provide excellent opportunities for real estate companies to build public parks, malls, hotels, schools, hospitals, residential and commercial complexes. It can be an integrated township that can offer everything one needs or aspires for.

One potential hurdle, however, could be the friction between the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government (MbPT is a central government entity) and the state government (a coalition of Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, or NCP). One can only pray that all the governments focus on the long-term future of Mumbai and insist on increased public amenities like large parks and jogging tracks, said an urban planner, adding, In the past, greed has not been good for the city.
Intel, in collaboration with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Ministry of Education, today announced the launch of the AI For All initiative with the purpose of creating a basic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) for everyone in India.

The pandemic has accelerated Indias digital transformation and research suggests emerging technologies like AI are crucial for driving more resilience as well as economic growth. NITI Aayog's National Strategy for AI is built on the philosophy of 'AI For All' and focuses on leveraging AI for inclusive growth and developing population-scale AI solutions for societal needs.

Indias National Education Policy 2020 also emphasizes preparing students for an AI driven economy. As India strives to leverage AI for all and build a digital-ready foundation, it is essential to focus on demystifying AI for the wider population to help them understand how it can positively impact their lives.

Based on Intels AI For Citizens program, AI For All is a 4-hour, self-paced learning program that demystifies AI in an inclusive manner. It is as applicable to a student, a stay-at-home parent as it is to a professional in any field or even a senior citizen. The program aims to introduce AI to 1 million citizens in its first year.

AI has the power to drive faster economic growth, address population-scale challenges and benefit the lives and livelihoods of people. The AI For All initiative based on Intels AI For Citizens program aims to make India AI-ready by building awareness and appreciation of AI among everyone. The program further strengthens Intels commitment to collaborating with the Government of India to reach the full potential of AI and further the vision of a digitally-empowered India, said Shweta Khurana, Director - APJ, Global Partnerships and Initiatives at

How It Works: Anyone interested in the AI For All self-learning online course can sign up for free on https://cbseacademic.nic.in/aiforall.html. The 4-hour open content resource is divided into two sections  AI Awareness (1.5 hours) and AI Appreciation (2.5 hours).

The segment on AI Awareness provides an elementary understanding of AI, misconceptions around AI and its application potential. The AI Appreciation segment helps learners understand the key domains of AI, its impact across industries, and gets them started on building personal learning plans. At the end of each stage, participants will be given personalized digital badges that can be shared on social media.

To ensure inclusive access, the program is available in 11 vernacular languages for anyone with digital access. The content is also compatible with various talkback applications to make it accessible for visually impaired people.

National Education Policy 2020 acknowledges the importance of AI and emphasizes on preparing everyone for an AI driven economy. AI For All is one of the largest AI public awareness programs worldwide and will help demystify AI in an inclusive manner strengthening India's position as a global leader for emerging technologies, said Dr. Biswajit Saha, Director Skill Education and Training, Central Board of Secondary Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India.

is collaborating with governments and communities globally to build a digital-first mindset and expand access to the AI skills needed for current and future jobs. In India, the AI For All initiative is part of Intels corporate social responsibility efforts towards democratizing AI for all.
Qin Gang, Chinas new ambassador to the US, arrives in Washington on Wednesday local time. Photo: china-embassy.com

Chinas new ambassador to the U.S., Qin Gang, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in China-Europe relations and a trusted aide to President Xi Jinping on diplomatic protocols, has vowed to endeavor to bring China-U.S. relations back on track.

In his remarks upon arrival, Qin said he will work to realize mutual respect, equality, win-win cooperation and peaceful coexistence between the two countries, which have been trying to reengage in recent months as tensions remain high over several issues including the South China Sea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Qin, 55, arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday local time, according to the Chinese embassy.

The naming of Chinas new top envoy to Washington had long been speculated on prior to his arrival. Qin was named in late April as ambassador to replace Cui Tiankai who had eight years in the post, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Citing sources, media reported Tuesday that Qin was headed to Washington to take up the post, though Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declined to confirm his appointment at a regular Tuesday press briefing.

Qin arrived in the U.S. just days after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, finished talks with Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during a two-day visit to the North China city of Tianjin. During the meeting, Xie Feng, a vice foreign minister, said the U.S.-China relationship is in a stalemate and faces serious difficulties.

Qins arrival has ended the rare and long absence of Chinese and U.S. ambassadors in the two countries capitals. Cui Tiankai, the longest serving former Chinese ambassador to the U.S., left Washington and returned to China in June.

As the 11th ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to the U.S., Qin, however, has more experience with European affairs. Prior to the role, he had been a vice foreign minister since 2018, overseeing Europe-related issues, information, and protocol.

China sent veteran diplomat Zheng Zeguang, who has focused on U.S.-related issues in the past two decades, to serve as the new ambassador to the U.K. in June.

Born in 1966, Qin, a Tianjin native, graduated from Beijings University of International Relations in 1988 and started his career working at the Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions. He then held roles at the Foreign Ministrys now-defunct Department of West European Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in the U.K.

Qin has served as Foreign Ministry spokesperson twice between 2005 and 2010, and 2011 and 2014. His remarks during press briefings have been remembered as assertive and direct and setting him apart from other diplomats, according to a state media report citing an article from his home university.

Domestic media has noted Qins diplomatic style as tough but wise, while the Wall Street Journal in its April report described him as a measured career diplomat.

At a press briefing in February, responding to a German reporters question on Chinas purported wolf-warrior diplomacy, Qin said the primary duty of China's diplomacy is to defend the interests and dignity of the country, and diplomats should say no to attacks.

Countries and people who smeared and defamed China are evil wolves, he said.

Contact reporter Cai Xuejiao (xuejiaocai@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

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An ethnic Tibetan woman in Sichuan provinces Heishui county carries components of cryptocurrency mining machines that were sent from the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region on May 2. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Bitcoin /

In Depth: The fall of Chinas last Bitcoin mining haven

For the past year and a half, the loud whirring of tens of thousands of high-power computers filled a cavernous warehouse round-the-clock, making a stark contrast with the hushed forests of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture in Southwest Chinas Sichuan province.

This computational arsenal belonged to a crypto mining farm, a facility crammed wall-to-wall with specialized computers dedicated to solving the complex math problems that keep the network running, and earning new Bitcoin along the way. Thats the sound of cash coming in, said Ye Lang (pseudonym), the 40-year-old manager of the two-floor facility in the prefectures Heishui county.

But this all came to an end at 9 p.m. June 19 as a clean-up notice jointly issued a day before by the Sichuan government demanded the closure of Yes facility, along with 25 other cryptocurrency mining projects in the province.

FINANCE & ECONOMY

Stocks of offshore-listed Chinese companies have slumped recently.Photo: VCG

Stocks /

Opinion: The who, what and why of Chinas regulatory crackdown

"Stocks of offshore-listed Chinese companies have slumped recently amid Beijings sweeping regulatory actions targeting a range of industries from fintech and ride-hailing to after-school education," writes Ren Yi, an influential Chinese blogger who has more than 1 million followers on Weibo, in an article.

"Overseas investors are withdrawing capital across numerous sectors in a panic as they are unsure who will be next following government sanctions against Ant Group Co. Ltd., Didi Global Inc. and New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc," writes Ren.

"In this environment, China-concept stocks are inevitably in for a bumpy ride," writes Ren. "Investors have suffered losses and even if they can see some of the logic behind Chinas governance, they will still have questions that are difficult to get answers to for some time."

China-U.S. /

U.S. is not seeking confrontation with China, Pentagon chief reaffirms

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington did not want a military clash with China while vowing to challenge Chinas assertive activities in the Asia-Pacific.

We will not flinch when our interests are threatened, Austin said at an event hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies Tuesday in Singapore. Yet we do not seek confrontation.

Austins remarks focused on U.S. ties with Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the millions of vaccines that Washington has donated to the region. But he also stressed that the U.S. and its partners faced a common challenge in China.

Foreign Ministry declines to confirm naming of new U.S. envoy

Taliban /

China calls on Taliban to cut all ties with terrorists

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Afghanistans Taliban to completely cut ties with all terrorist forces, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), to help restore regional stability.

Wang made the remarks as he met a nine-member Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in the northern city of Tianjin Wednesday, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Covid-19 /

Chinas Covid cases rise as Nanjing outbreak reaches five provinces

At least nine cities in five Chinese provinces have reported Covid-19 cases connected to the latest outbreak in the city of Nanjing which has infected at least 150 residents since July 20, local authorities said. Besides Jiangsu province, Guangdong, Sichuan, Anhui and Liaoning are affected.

The northeastern province of Liaoning reported three new asymptomatic cases Monday, all found in Dalian when the city tested people who entered China via Nanjings international airport. The province reported two more cases Tuesday.

Third dose of Sinovacs Covid-19 vaccine shows booster effect, study shows

Quick hits /

China bond bulls unfazed by recent market sell-off

Fisher: When it comes to picking China stocks these days, boring is best

BUSINESS & TECH

A facial recognition machine at the Beijing Daxing International Airport. Photo: VCG

Facial recognition /

Chinas top court rules facial recognition without consent is illegal in civil cases

Chinas Supreme Peoples Court Wednesday ruled in a judicial interpretation that using facial recognition technology without consent would violate law in civil cases amid rising concerns about the technologys misuse in public venues and residential compounds.

The judicial interpretation said violating the law and regulations governing the use of facial verification, recognition or analysis technology in public venues, such as shopping malls, hotels and banks, infringes on users rights and interests.

It also said residential property managers should obtain consent from property owners and tenants before collecting and using facial information via the technology. For those who refuse to do so, managers should provide alternative verification methods.

Social media /

Social media site Xiaohongshu to ax some rival product links, sources say

Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu will stop hosting some links to products sold on other online shopping platforms Monday, Caixin learned, as the company struggles to persuade users to make purchases in own online marketplace.

The Alibaba-backed app will cease to include written links to goods on its own e-commerce platform as well as Alibabas Taobao and Tmall, according to a service provider affiliated with Xiaohongshu. Links provided during commercial live-streams will not be affected.

Huawei /

Huawei removes director at autonomous driving unit over Tesla safety remarks

Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. ousted a senior director at its smart car solutions unit after his remarks about the safety record of Tesla Inc.s self-driving feature  and autonomous driving generally  circulated online.

Su Qing, who led the smart driving product department under the companys intelligent automotive solution business unit until he was removed Tuesday, made inappropriate comments on Tesla while participating in an external event and talking about autonomous driving technology and safety, Huawei said in a statement to Caixin. Su will be reassigned after undergoing training, the statement said.

Corruption /

Chief of scandal-ridden Shanghai Electric under probe

The head of Shanghai government-backed energy equipment maker Shanghai Electric Group was placed under graft investigation, the citys anti-corruption watchdog said Tuesday.

Zheng Jianhua, Communist Party chief and chairman of Shanghai Electric, is being probed on suspicion of serious violations of law and discipline, the graft buster said in a brief statement without giving details.

Quick hits /

Chinese bike-sharing startup Hello scraps plans for U.S. IPO

Tencent suspends WeChat user registrations amid tech fears

South China coal power giant makes yet another big bet on solar

Hot Topics /

Henan braces for typhoon after deadly floods, Tangshan Earthquake anniversary, Nanjings growing Covid outbreak

GALLERY

Mourning the Zhengzhou subway victims

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The torrential rain in Central Chinas Henan province has damaged 150 cities and 1,663 towns, affecting over 14 million people. So far, 302 people have been killed and 50 are missing, authorities said at a news conference Monday. The village of Wangzongdian in Zhengzhou is among the hardest hit places, where landslides triggered by the heavy rain have turned houses into rubble, resulting in at least eight deaths as of Thursday

Aug 03, 2021 05:33 PM
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St. Johnsbury, VT (05819)

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a meeting with Native American community leaders about voting rights together with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, in the Vice President's Ceremonial Office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex, in Washington, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Glen, NH (03838)

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Photo: The Canadian Press

As my summer listening tour continues around the riding of Central OkanaganSimilkameenNicola (COSN), one topic that I continue to hear being raised is vaccine passports.

When I last wrote a weekly report on this subject, back in early April, the vast majority of the feedback I received was largely opposed to the idea of vaccine passports.

While I continue to hear opposition, I am also increasingly hearing from other citizens who are demanding the federal government announce a federal vaccine passport program.

This week CTV News reported that a similar questions were asked of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau skirted around questions about when Canadians can expect to be equipped with formal proof of their COVID-19 vaccine status for travel abroad but vowed that the system will be both 'simple and efficient.'

Based on the prime ministers response, we know that a federal vaccine passport program is in the works.

What remains unknown is when this program will be formerly announced.

I have also been receiving other concerns related to this subject.

Most have opposed the use of documents  whether it is a called a 'vaccination record' or 'passport'  domestically, for example, to attend an event or domestic travel for what is deemed provincially as a non-essential purpose. I should note that the decision to require citizens within Canada to use such documentation would be a provincial, and not a federal, one.

However, it becomes a federal matter when that travel is international.

I have heard of local citizens, in attempting to make travel arrangements, being denied entry to various countries on account of having been vaccinated here in Canada with one or both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

In one case, a Canadian attempting to attend a family members funeral was denied entry into another country.

It is a sovereign right of any country to establish under law who may enter their country and under what circumstances.

As a Member of Parliament, I believe Canada has the same sovereign right to admit or reject any admission under its own lawful authority and I believe Canadians strongly support that right.

It has been reported to me that some countries will only recognize mRNA vaccines manufactured by companies such as Pfizer and Moderna.

The province of Quebec, to remedy this situation, has announced it will be offering an extra dose of an mRNA vaccine to those travelling to countries that only recognize mRNA vaccines.

If you are wondering what are the approved vaccines for US citizens to visit Canada for non-essential purposes beginning on Aug. 9, 2021, the list includes:

Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson.

In other words, Canada will provide more flexibility on the list of approved vaccines to visitors than many other countries that have formerly announced guidelines to foreign visitors.

While a federal vaccine passport program has not yet been announced, my question this week is as follows:

When there is a federal vaccine passport program here in Canada, will you access it?

I can be reached at [email protected] or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.
Photo: The Canadian Press The Nauka module is seen prior to docking with the International Space Station on Thursday, July 29, 2021.

Russias long-delayed lab module successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, eight days after it was launched from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

The 20-metric-ton (22-ton) Nauka module, also called the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, docked with the orbiting outpost in an automatic mode after a long journey and a series of maneuvers. Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, confirmed the module's contact with the International Space Station at 13:29 GMT.

The launch of Nauka, which is intended to provide more room for scientific experiments and space for the crew, had been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems. It was initially scheduled to go up in 2007.

In 2013, experts found contamination in its fuel system, resulting in a long and costly replacement. Other Nauka systems also underwent modernization or repairs.

Nauka became the first new module in the Russian segment of the station since 2010. On Monday, one of the older Russian modules, the Pirs spacewalking compartment, undocked from the Space Station to free up room for the new module.

Russian crewmembers on the station have done two spacewalks to connect cables in preparation for Naukas arrival. After docking, Nauka will require many maneuvers, including up to 11 spacewalks beginning in early September, to prepare it for operation.

The International Space Station is currently operated by NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur; Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov of Russias Roscosmos space corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

In 1998, Russia launched the stations first module, Zarya, which was followed in 2000 by another big module, Zvezda, and three smaller modules in the following years. The last of them, Rassvet, arrived at the station in 2010.
Photo: Contributed UBC assistant Prof. Heidi Tworek says it?s unclear if incentives such as lotteries are effective at boosting vaccination rates

With COVID-19 immunization rates in France trailing most other developed economies, French President Emmanuel Macron decreed in mid-July that residents would require special health passes to visit everything from cinemas to the countrys ubiquitous sidewalk cafes.

Within 48 hours, more than 2.2 million appointments for vaccinations were booked in the country where vaccine hesitancy is more widespread than in Canada.

As an increasing number of American states and Canadian provinces launch lotteries as inoculation incentives, could similar initiatives and mandates boost B.C.s vaccination rates?

Heidi Tworek, an associate professor at the University of British Columbias School of Public Policy and Global Affairs who specializes in health communications, said its not clear if incentives such as lotteries are effective.

Vaccine hesitancy in Canada has decreased quite substantially because when you see your friends and family getting vaccinated, your concerns about safety are alleviated, she told BIV.

Tworek said factors such as trusted members of the community getting and encouraging vaccinations, and government ensuring theres an easy pathway to receive a jab are far more effective at reaching immunization goals.

Those things are in the end going to persuade a greater number of people potentially than just a lottery without answering all of those other sorts of questions, she said.

A July Research Co. poll reveals that 88% of Canadians would get a vaccine when it becomes available to them, while 8% would not and 4% remain unsure.

Back in April, as the vaccine campaign was ramping up, only 73% of Canadians said they would get vaccinated.

Earlier this week, the province embarked on a new vaccination strategy aimed primarily at those who have not yet gotten their jabs.

Mass vaccination clinics will be giving way to smaller outreach clinics, mobile vaccination vans and pop-up clinics at popular spots such as Playland and farmers markets, among other locations, as part of the Vax for B.C. campaign. The effort is aimed at facilitating vaccinations for those who are otherwise willing but have not had an opportunity yet.

Meanwhile, Ohio, the first American state to introduce a lottery system for randomly selected vaccine recipients, wrapped its Vax-a-Million campaign last month. It has yet to reach a two-dose vaccination rate of 50% (B.C. cracked that threshold earlier this month after a laggard start compared with Ohio).

Ontarios top doctor, Dr. Kieran Moore, said last week he doesnt believe lotteries or other incentives are needed yet to get more people in that province vaccinated.

And so far Quebec, Manitoba and Alberta are the only provinces to introduce incentives to encourage vaccinations. Everything from cash to grants for communities to outdoor adventures are up for grabs.

I dont want to jinx it, but I do believe that we can get to our objectives without incentives, B.C. Premier John Horgan said last month.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.s provincial health officer, has also expressed reluctance to implement such measures on the West Coast.

Right now, were not considering incentives, but thats something that is always in there, she said in May. I know many young people in my life tell me that they are going to be vaccinated  also because they want to get their life back. And that is an incentive for all of us. We can see how effective it is in other communities around the world.

Meanwhile, an online clinic aimed at vaccine-hesitant parents launched in Alberta this past spring. Users require a referral from a doctor to visit the Virtual Kids COVID Clinic, but Tworek said its proving effective at educating parents and encouraging them to get their children vaccinated.

The point is you cant put all your eggs in any one basket, she said. Theres going to be a range of different policies that you pursue and then maybe those incentives could work, but theyre not going to be a panacea.
Photo: The Canadian Press Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, responds to questions in Vancouver, on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Freeland says the federal government's goal is to have Afghans who assisted Canada and are now facing danger on planes out of the war-torn country as quickly as possible.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The federal government's goal is to have Afghans who assisted Canada and now face danger on planes out of the war-torn country as quickly as possible, says Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Freeland has responded to criticism after the Immigration Department released an application form on Wednesday for eligible Afghans to fill out within just 72 hours, a timeline which it walked back later in the day.

She told reporters Thursday that the government's desire is to move "very, very quickly" with the process, and that sense of urgency is what has driven its approach, rather than any attempt to restrict anyone from coming.

Last week her government announced new immigration measures for what it described as potentially "several thousand" Afghans, including interpreters who worked with the Canadian Armed Forces, staff currently or previously employed at the Canadian Embassy and their families.

The measures, although light on details, followed growing concern within Canada's veterans' community after the sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan emboldened the Taliban to ramp up its offensive and exact revenge on those who helped western forces.

Veterans and interpreters have criticized the rollout of the new measures, saying that an Adobe Acrobat application form published in English makes little sense in a country with low literacy and patchy internet, and that calls to the immigration minister's office have been met by answering machines.

They have also raised concerns about whether extended family members will be included in the immigration effort, as they say the Taliban is not only targeting interpreters' spouses and children but also their parents, siblings and other relatives.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole called the three-day application deadline initially given to Afghans "the height of hypocrisy" and "wrong."

While the Trudeau Liberals sat on their hands for weeks and failed to put forward a plan to help these brave Afghans  they are now giving these same individuals three days to save their lives," he said in a statement.

Canadians and these brave Afghans cant afford more of this incompetence from Liberals. This artificial date set by the Trudeau government must be immediately dropped. Canadas Conservatives are calling on the Liberal government to do the right and only thing  extend the deadline for these Afghans and their families to apply to come to Canada."

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Wednesday that the 72-hour application timeline is not a "firm'' one and submissions outside that window will still be processed.

"We have also engaged support staff to assist clients with language barriers in submitting their applications and requested documentation," added Emilie Simard.

Freeland stressed that the government is not attempting to restrict the right of people who served Canada to relocate to the country.

"What we are really, really focused on is ensuring that the logistics work and that these brave people have a chance to come to Canada," she told reporters in Lakefield, Ont. "I am sure they will make great Canadians."

She also said the plight of Afghans who helped Canada during its combat mission in the country is of personal significance to her, as a former journalist whose husband reported from Afghanistan.

"There's been a lot of personal concern in my home about this," she said.

"Speaking as a minister of the Crown, let me say to all of the people in Afghanistan who worked to support the important work that the government of Canada was doing there: We are very, very grateful for your work and we absolutely recognize the responsibility we have towards you and your families."
Photo: The Canadian Press

Israels prime minister on Thursday announced that the country would offer a coronavirus booster to people over 60 who have already been vaccinated.

The announcement by Naftali Bennett makes Israel, which launched one of the world's most successful vaccination drives earlier this year, the first country to offer a third dose of a Western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale.

I'm announcing this evening the beginning of the campaign to receive the booster vaccine, the third vaccine, Bennett said in a nationally televised address. Reality proves the vaccines are safe. Reality also proves the vaccines protect against severe morbidity and death. And like the flu vaccine that needs to be renewed from time to time, it is the same in this case.

The decision comes at a time of rising infections and signs that the vaccines efficacy dwindles over time.

Anyone over 60 who was vaccinated more than five months ago will be eligible. Bennett said the country's new president, Isaac Herzog, would be the first to get the booster on Friday. It will be offered to the general public on Sunday.

Bennett, who is 49, said his first call after the news conference would be to his mother to encourage her to get her booster shot.

Neither the U.S. nor the EU have approved coronavirus booster shots. Its not yet proven if a third dose helps and, if so, who needs one and when.

But Bennett said that a team of expert advisers had agreed overwhelmingly, by a 56-1 margin, that it made sense to launch the booster campaign. He said the recommendation was made after considerable research and analysis and that its information would be shared around the world. Preliminary studies in Israel have indicated the vaccines protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January.

The findings show that there is a decline in the bodys immunity over time, and the purpose of the booster is to re-strengthen it, thus significantly reducing the chances of infection and serious illness, Bennett said.

Israel has used the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine on its population. Previously, boosters were used in some countries with the Chinese and Russian vaccines.

Early this year, Israel carried out one of the worlds most aggressive and successful vaccination campaigns, reaching a deal with Pfizer to purchase enough vaccines for its population in exchange for sharing its data with the drug maker.

Over 57% of the countrys 9.3 million citizens have received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and over 80% of the population over 40 is vaccinated.

The vaccination program allowed Israel to reopen its economy ahead of other countries. But Israel has seen a spike in cases of the new delta variant, even among people who are vaccinated. Bennett urged unvaccinated Israelis, especially younger people who have been hesitant, to get vaccinated immediately.

Earlier this month, Israel started giving individuals with weakened immune systems a third shot to increase their resilience against COVID-19.

Pfizer said Wednesday that the effectiveness of the vaccine drops slightly six months after the second dose. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have said they plan to seek authorization for boosters in August.

The World Health Organization said earlier this month that there is not enough evidence to show that a third dose is needed.

The agency's officials have appealed for wealthier countries to share vaccines with poorer nations that have yet to immunize their people, instead of using them as boosters. Israel itself has come under criticism for not sharing more of its vaccines with the Palestinians.

The Israeli Health Ministry recorded at least 2,165 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, following an accelerating rise in infections over the past month. Serious cases of COVID-19 have grown from 19 a day in mid-June to 159 as the highly infectious delta variant has spread.

Thanks to its successful vaccination campaign, Israel lifted almost all of its coronavirus restrictions this spring. But with new cases back on the rise, the country has tried to halt the spread of the highly infectious delta variant by re-imposing limitations on gatherings, restoring a green pass system for vaccinated people to enter certain enclosed spaces, and an indoor mask mandate.
Photo: Facebook Brush on either side of rail line at Three Valley Lake being hosed down with fire retardant from passing train.

The Three Valley Lake remains out of control at more than 309 hectares.

A post on the Shuswap Emergency Program Facebook page said the fire did not see significant growth in the last 24 hours and where there was growth, it was in a direction away from the Three Valley Gap Chateau.

Earlier this week, CP Rail crews were spraying the brush along the rail lines with a combination of water and fire retardant materials.

The evacuation order by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District for Three Valley Lake including the area bordering the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway remains in effect as does an evacuation alert for two properties west of the Trans-Canada highway.

The BC Wildfire Service is continuing to monitor this fire. Structural Protection Specialists remain on scene, and CP Rail has aerial resources responding to the fire throughout the day, said a post on the BC Wildfire Service website.

The cause of the fire 18.5 kilometres southwest of Revelstoke is under investigation.
UPDATE: 3:05 p.m.

More stable weather has resulted in relatively fewer wildfire starts in the past week, and cooler temperatures and some rain is forecast through the weekend. But with the changing weather also comes the possibility of lightning.

During the weekly provincial wildfire press conference Thursday, Rob Schweitzer, BC Wildfire Service's director of fire centre operations, said temperatures will remain hot in the Interior through Friday, but there's finally some precipitation in the forecast.

Today and tomorrow will be hot. Severe burning conditions will be seen in the south half of the province and there'll be overnight burning on these incidents, Schweitzer said, but a shift is expected come Saturday.

We'll see a bit more fresh air in the Interior, in the south half of the province ... Improved visibility will be a welcome shift for our aviation teams who have been significantly hampered in their ability to conduct operations.

While winds are expected to move the smoke out of the Interior, the unstable weather system through the weekend could result in some short-lived fire growth, but cooler temperatures and some precipitation is expected through to next week.

The possibility of lightning remains a concern though, and Schweitzer emphasized the importance of keeping human-caused fire starts to a minimum.

Of the 245 active fires burning in B.C., 181 were caused naturally, while 15 have been determined to be human-caused. To date, 1,250 wildfires have been started in the province this year, burning a total area of 456,000 hectares  more than four times the average area burned at this time of year over the past 10 years.

More out-of-province firefighters have now arrived in B.C., including those from other provinces, Mexico and the Canadian Armed Forces. Additionally, crews from Australia have now landed in B.C., and they're currently being assigned.

There remains 62 evacuation orders in effect across the province, impacting 3,343 properties. Another 17,679 properties are under an evacuation alert.

More than 6,094 evacuees have registered at evacuation centres, and there are five group lodging facilities in B.C. for evacuees with nowhere else to go, offering 800 beds. At this time, 161 evacuees are using these facilities.

ORIGINAL: 1:55 p.m.

Officials from Emergency Management BC, the BC Wildfire Service, RCMP and the Ministry of Health will provide an update at 2 p.m. on the wildfire situation in British Columbia.
HeidelbergCement enjoys improved 1H results

ICR Newsroom By 29 July 2021

HeidelbergCements positive sales development in the first quarter of 2021 continued in the second quarter, leading to a 9.7 per cent YoY increase in cement and clinker sales volumes to 61.8Mt in the first half of 2021 from 56.3Mt in the year-ago period. Deliveries of aggregates advanced by 7.5 per cent YoY to 145Mt from 134.8Mt in the 1H20 while ready-mixed concrete sales in the 1H21 were up by 8.3 per cent YoY to 23.5Mm3 from 21.7Mm3 in the 1H20. Asphalt deliveries increased by 11.5 per cent YoY from 4.3Mt to 4.8Mt over the same period.



Group revenues advanced by eight per cent to EUR8938m in the 1H21 from EUR8254m in the 1H20. Excluding consolidation and exchange rate effects, the increase was 11.4 per cent. Changes in the consolidation scope and exchange rate effects both negatively impacted on revenue  by EUR25m and EUR211m, respectively.



Results from current operations before depreciation and amortisation (RCOBD) improved by 22.6 per cent to EUR1720m in the 1H20 from EUR1404m in the year-ago period thanks to the good operational development and particularly the significant sales volume growth in all business segments. Excluding consolidation and currency effects, there was a 26.4 per cent increase. The RCOBD margin increased by 224 basis points to 19.2 per cent from 17 per cent in January-June 2020.



Results from current operations was up by 52.7 per cent YoY to EUR1084m, although excluding consolidation and currency effects, the increase amounted to 57.4 per cent. In the 1H20 the result from current operations stood at EUR710m.



The result for the period amounts to EUR825m (previous year: EUR-3,095m). The profit attributable to non-controlling interests increased by EUR31m to EUR70m (previous year: EUR39m). Therefore, the group share amounts to EUR755m (previous year: EUR-3,133m). Excluding the additional ordinary result, the group share rose by 70.6 per cent to EUR608m from EUR356m in the year-ago period.



In addition, HeidelbergCement decreased its net debt by EUR1.5bn to EUR7.5bn in the 1H21. This has resulted in a drop in gearing level from 61.4 per cent the 1H20 to 48.5 per cent in the 1H21.



HeidelbergCement has closed the first half of 2021 with an excellent result, said Dr. Dominik von Achten, Chairman of the Managing Board. We have achieved record values in relevant key figures. Our Beyond 2020 strategy is taking effect: we are making good progress in all areas. Against this background, we have announced an extensive share buyback programme for the first time in the company's history. With this, we want our shareholders to participate appropriately in the economic success of our company.



Portfolio optimisation programme continues

In May 2021 HeidelbergCement signed an agreement on the sale of Lehigh Hanson's cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, and asphalt business activities in the US West Region (California, Arizona, Oregon, and Nevada) to the US company Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. The sales price amounts to US$2.3bn in cash. Closing of the transaction is expected in the 2H21. The aim is to further expand vertical integration in the four key regions of Canada, the Midwest, the Northeast and the South through selected acquisitions and capacity expansion projects.



Improved outlook

Following the results of the January-June 2021, HeidelbergCement is raising its outlook for the full-year of 2021. It now expects a strong increase in result from current operations before depreciation and amortisation and result from current operations, excluding exchange rate and consolidation effects in each case for the full year.



The company forecasts a rise in return on invested capital (ROIC) to clearly above eight per cent for 2021.



The market environment in the construction sector is and remains good, said Dr von Achten. We see continued good demand in private residential construction and infrastructure in all regions. At the same time, raw material, energy and transportation costs have increased significantly in recent months. Nevertheless, in the short and medium term we expect the various country-specific economic stimulus programmes to continue to have a positive impact on construction activity and thus on our sales volumes. We are optimistic about the future.

Published under
Buena Vista, CO (81211)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High near 70F. Winds NNW 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 49F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
A suspect is in custody after a Danville shooting; Caswell authorities arrest a woman in the death of her four-month-old; NWS changes how they warn us about storms; A long-awaited Route 58 project is weeks away from starting.
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.
As the controversial image for the progressive movement in America that began in the early days of the 20th Century, Mother Jones was actually named Mary Harris Jones and she physically lived in the Bluff City for a number of years.

She was born in Cork, Ireland in 1837 and at the young age of 10, witnessed the horrors of the potato famine which started the great western migration of the poor Irish to America and Canada.

After traveling to Toronto, Canada with her family, she became a skilled dressmaker and teacher, who in her early adulthood moved to Monroe, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, and, after a few months, she arrived in Memphis, Tennessee.

Shortly before the start of the Civil War, she met and married a skilled foundry worker who was a member of the International Iron Molders Union by the name of George Jones.

Their union would produce four children, but in 1867 a yellow fever epidemic hit Memphis and resulted in the death of her husband and children.

Her life as a symbol of conflict, protest, and as a revolutionary figure standing up for the alleged poor and oppressed began as a 30-year-old widow who moved to Chicago.

She ran a dress shop that was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1871.

For 25 years she suffered many setbacks as an old widowed Irish immigrant who had survived plague, famine and fire in Tennessee and Illinois.

Mary Harris Jones became Mother Jones who became involved in the womens reform movement as an elderly (exaggerated) old woman who dressed in black dresses when she appeared in public as an opinionated American female who portrayed herself as the mother of downtrodden people throughout the world.

She traveled throughout the country for a quarter of a century as the Johnny Appleseed of political activities.

The labor union United Mine Workers and the Socialist Party in America paid her a stipend as a traveling protestor against both the government and big corporations.

In 1976, the progressive (liberal) publication, Mother Jones, started as a magazine above a McDonalds Restaurant in San Francisco, California. In 2019, it claimed around 46,000 individual donors and a paid magazine circulation of more than 190,000 subscribers and several million readers each month on the world wide web and other outlets.

As a leading voice for the far left, the image and symbolism of the old lady in the black dress and the magazine have traveled a long and controversial route from Memphis.

Whether you support or oppose the ideals that she supported, her life history is an interesting adventure of individual protest and activism on behalf of many popular and unpopular causes.

* * *

Jerry Summers



(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
Just a year ago, our liberal-led cities were ordering the riot police to stand down, and their city councils were demanding police budgets be trimmed by over 50 percent. The idea of using psychology types to defuse a problem rather than a badge-and-a-gun greatly appealed to anti-cop enthusiasts. But now the chickens have come home to roost and those hand-twisters like Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan dont know quite how to admit such folly.

At a Monday press conference, the embattled woman stood and said, As a city, we cannot continue on this current trajectory of losing police officers." She added. "Over the past 17 months, the Seattle Police Department has lost 250 police officers which is the equivalent of over 300,000 service hours.

Were on path to losing 300 police officers."

Of course, Durkan was trying to divert away from the fact there were six separate shootings last weekend as crime rates in every stand down city - those governed by liberals who do not support or appreciate law enforcement - are soaring to unknown heights. There are certain emergency situations that require sworn police officers, she has since admitted.

Durkan is the one, you may recall, who kept the police away from an autonomous zone that blocked a busy thoroughfare last summer, saying it was just a block party and was good for a summer of love. No, it was a huge embarrassment for Seattle residents and a prime reason many good officers turned in their shields.

We are creating meaningful alternatives," Durkan said this week in reference to efforts in the city being made to redirect funding and manpower to community-based groups. "But, as I said last year, the city has an obligation to still continue constitutional policing and respond to 911 calls. It is a false choice between community-led solutions and police officers," Durkan said. "We need both."

No, what Seattle, Baltimore, Austin (Texas) and other misguided cities miss is the fact that if police are not supported, assured that some awkward city council type will defund their jobs, or that they will be ordered not to uphold the law, youre mighty right theyll leave.

Austin, Texas, is about as far removed from the Republic as the moon. In recent years, there has been mass exodus from Californias high taxes and nutty decisions and many of the Californians, Silicon Valley slicks and liberal activists have descended on the state capital like the Biblical locust. As a result, the carpet-baggers have wormed themselves into Austins warp and weave.

In a move that left the rest of the state speechless, Austins City Council voted to divert tens of millions from the police budget and today the Police Department. is over 150 officers shy of its normal complement. This has resulted in a 96 percent increase in murders, the response to a 9-1-1 emergency is almost 10 minutes, and Acting Police Chief Joe Chacon freely admits We are in a crisis.

The same is true for all 20 metro cities that sanctimoniously forced police cuts because crime is catching up with the liberals. In Austin it is so blatant that Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed multiple pieces of legislation that would penalize communities that take funds away from law enforcement. In short, defund the police and the state will defund your city.

Weve seen the consequences of defunding and dismantling law enforcement in communities across the county, said Governor Abbott, This put residents in danger and invited crime into these communities  we cant allow this in Texas.

Then there is George Soros, a liberal mega-donor who some believe is trying to underwrite a counter-revolution in the United States. This week it was learned the 90-year-old Hungarian-American has donated $1 million to an activist group attempting to defund the police as violent crime surges in major urban centers across the nation.

A Fox News report said the radical group describes itself as the nations largest online racial justice organization" and actively engages in efforts to defund police departments such as spreading an online petition calling for "divesting from and dismantling the systems that unjustly harm black people."

"Policing is a violent institution that must end," the groups president wrote in a statement supporting the move. "We imagine a country where there is enough money to educate our children, care for our sick and feed those who are financially unstable. Defunding the police allows for this vision."

Thats bold, quite bold in a nation where violent crime is increasing in quite nearly every American metropolitan city. That Soros would incite such turmoil is beyond rhyme or reason.

THIS FROM THE FOX REPORT: In 2018, Soros spent millions of dollars to help elect current Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon who promised to implement sentencing reforms and decriminalize certain illegal activities. In 2021, the Los Angeles City Council redirected funds from the LAPD to social outreach organizations.

This year in Los Angeles, murders are up 20 percent and violent crime has spiked which has contributed to a rampant homeless crisis that many argue Gascons policies have made worse.

Philadelphia, where Soros spent almost $2 million electing District Attorney Larry Krasner, currently has the highest murder rate per capita among the 10 largest cities in the country and homicides have risen 35 percent this year.

THIS FROM THE CITY JOURNAL: Charles Lehman writes: In the past year, city police departments across the country have reported a dramatic drop in manpower, as cops retire, resign, or leave for the suburbs. The NYPDs head count fell to its lowest level in 10 years. In Chicago, police retirements rose 15 percent. The San Francisco Police Department is short 400 officers; over 115 officers, including an entire unit dedicated to crowd control, have left the Portland PD; and nearly 200 have left the Minneapolis PD or are on leave, rendering the department unable to engage in proactive policing. A recent survey of police departments found that hiring fell an average of five percent in 2020, while resignations rose 18 percent and retirements a whopping 45 percent.

Whats behind this wave? Officers I spoke with who had left their old departments all offered the same explanation: since last years explosive protests, they no longer feel that they have the support of the public or of civilian officials. As one now-retired NYPD officer put it: One day, the good guys became the bad guys and the bad guys became the good guys.

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The Tennessee Region of the American Red Cross announces that Laura Vaughn has been named regional chief development officer with the Fund Development Department of the American Red Cross of the Tennessee Region. The Tennessee Region serves 95 counties in Tennessee along with Crittenden County in Arkansas and Desoto and Tunica counties in Mississippi.Ms. Vaughn joined the American Red Cross as the executive director of the mid-south in 2011 and later transitioned to the regional director of development. In early 2013, Ms. Vaughn was charged with finding a new location and building a new chapter office in Memphis. She received her largest commitment of $1 million for the facility in May of 2014 and continued to fund and complete the current Madison Avenue facility.During her tenure, she secured two new national partners for the Red Cross, created the Join the 1,000 campaign, consistently achieved all goals and increased local visibility of the mission for the organization."Laura also has been part of 14 disaster recovery operations locally and within the Southeast and Caribbean Division while earning a masters degree in public administration and nonprofit leadership from the University of Memphis," officials said.Laura has always been such a great representative of the Red Cross and we are so happy she is continuing her career with us as development officer for the region, said Joel Sullivan, regional executive for the Tennessee Region.She has always been committed to her service and has been a valuable leader with our senior leadership team. We look forward to further success from Laura and her team in 2021.
The City of Chattanooga, in partnership with the American Job Center and the Tennessee Department of Corrections, kicked off the New Life Career Prep and Job Fair today.

The event will continue through Friday, July 30, and is focused on connecting justice-involved individuals (generally known as ex-offenders) with professional development and employment opportunities.



The two-day event consists of career prep leading into a job fair on Friday. Both portions of the event take place at American Job Center in Eastgate Town Center.



On Friday, participants will leverage their new skills and resources to connect with potential employers at a job fair from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Ex-offenders seeking a fresh start will have the opportunity to network and interview with employers seeking qualified candidates, and hear a few words from Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly.



The Chattanooga Bar Association Young Lawyers division will be present to assist with expungements. Call 423-643-6705 to attend.
Spencer Morgan of Chattanooga TN and his co-pilot, Carleen Kopacek of Britt Iowa, won 1st place overall in the 23rd Annual AirVenture Cup Race. The race is the world's premier open-circuit air race open to all experimental and factory-built aircraft and seeks to recreate the spirit of the great air races of the Golden Age of Aviation, such as the famed Bendix Trophy.

This years event was held in Wausau WI on July 25, 2021. The race was first won by Astronaut Hoot Gibson in 1998 at an average speed of 295.7 miles per hour. Spencer finished the 392.5 miles course with an average speed of 423.2 miles per hour.

Of the 57 racers entered, the second place plane averaged 372.6 miles per hour and had previously won the race 3 times. Speaking about the second place finisher Spencer said he was the plane to beat, a very experienced pilot with an extremely fast airplane."

Spencer was flying a Raytheon Premier Jet in which he set a city to city speed record in 2004 when flying for Nelson Bowers and his NASCAR Teams. Spencer currently flies for a helicopter company and is also a corporate and warbird pilot.
After months of giving interviews to American media outlets, Prince Harry has announced he will be publishing a tell-all memoir. Many onlookers wonder how the book will paint his family members, especially when he has said negative things about them in interviews. According to a royal expert, Harrys older brother, Prince William, will be hurt the most from the memoir.

Prince William and Prince Harry | Yui Mok/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

What will Prince Harry reveal in his memoir?

According to Harrys charity organization, Archwell, he will share the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him in the memoir.

The organization also wrote, His intimate and heartfelt memoir will cover his lifetime in the public eye from childhood to the present day, including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan and the joy he has found in being a husband and father.

Royal author Angela Levin claims that Harry will talk a lot about Diana, especially her death. Levin wrote on Twitter, Ive been told by a well informed source that Harrys memoir will focus heavily on the death of his mother Princess Diana, and who he blames.

Another royal author, Katie Nicholl, believes Harry might share a lot of things about his childhood he has never revealed before.

I think there are still many unanswered questions. I think there are still many parts of his life, particularly his younger life that have yet to be explored, she told ET. And he has promised us a no-holds-barred autobiography, a memoir in which he is able to be wholly truthful about his life.

A royal expert thinks the memoir will hurt Prince William the most

RELATED: Prince William Reportedly Said Prince Harrys Ex-Girlfriend Was More Fun Than Kate Middleton

While a lot of people agree the royal family will likely not look good in Harrys memoir, author Angela Levin believes William will be hurt the most.

William is the one who will come out of this the worst of all, Levin said, according to Express. There is the row between William and Harry, and basically if Harry says things that are inappropriate about the monarchy, that is Williams future. It is not Harrys future, he is out of it now, but it is Williams future.

Prince Harry and Prince William have a long-standing rift

RELATED: When Did Prince William and Prince Harry First Meet Camilla Parker Bowles?

Although many fans thought Harry and William were extremely close growing up, it is clear the two brothers now have tension between them.

Some experts say this rift started when Harry began dating Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Reportedly, William urged his younger brother to take things slow, but Harry went ballistic at the suggestion. The brothers relationship may have continued to deteriorate as Harry and Meghan married and left the United Kingdom.

However, some people believe Harry and Williams rift started much earlier. Royal author Robert Lacey believes the two princes were raised for different futures and this allegedly caused some resentment on Harrys part.
Brenntag made further important steps in strengthening its business in China with the closing of two acquisitions within its Specialties division. On July 23, the acquisition of the first tranche (67%) of food ingredients specialist Zhongbai Xingye has been closed. The closing of the second tranche and thus the full acquisition of Zhongbai Xingye is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. In addition, end of June, Brenntag has completed the acquisition of pigments and additives specialist Wellstar Group by acquiring the remaining 49% of shares of the joint venture.

Henri Nejade, Member of the Management Board of Brenntag SE and COO Brenntag Specialties, comments: Strengthening our Brenntag Specialties division, particularly in China, as well as in the Asia Pacific region in general, is a central pillar of our companys M&A strategy. I am particularly delighted that we stuck exactly to our timing in both cases and were able to successfully close the important acquisition steps in the dynamic and growing Asian markets as planned.

The Chinese company Zhongbai Xingye is dedicated to the distribution of a wide range of specialty food ingredients, including dairy products and proteins. The acquisition of the leading player in mainland China is an important step for Brenntag to become a full-line distributor of food ingredients in the Asian market. Closing of the second tranche is expected at the end of 2024.

The Wellstar Group is headquartered in Hongkong and operates three subsidiaries in Mainland China located in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Since Brenntag acquired a majority stake of 51% with a first tranche in August 2017, the business was operated and successfully developed as a joint venture servicing a broad range of industries. With the closing of the second tranche, the Wellstar Group is 100% owned by Brenntag.
Cherokee Casino looks for newest staff members at career fair July 29

All applicants must be 18 years of age or older to apply.
Cherokee Nation citizen Roy Payton and his wife, Pam Brown, teamed to establish Brighter Day Inc. in 1990 to help those with developmental disabilities live with greater independence. BDI currently has 49 clients. BRIGHTER DAY INC.
Chickasha, OK (73018)

Today

Mostly cloudy early, then sunshine for the afternoon. High 88F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 62F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
As a former Muslim, I believe in faith in the public square

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When I first became a Christian, I looked forward to a quiet life, basking in the love and beauty of having met my Lord and Savior.

Since I spent most of my adult life deeply engrossed in political battles over one issue or another, and serving my country in ways that were quite dangerous, the prospect of serenity was quite appealing. It was not more than three months that went by before the Lord gave me the vision for my ministry so others could experience the redemptive power of Christ.

At first, I wanted to ignore the call and pretend I didn't hear it correctly. Starting a ministry and being public with my Christian faith meant I could be attacked or even physically harmed by Muslims seeking to impose the penalty of apostasy. It meant I was going back into battle. However, the Lord was relentless.

The inspirations came to me like a flood nearly every day, and then I heard the words, "Hedieh, you are battle-tested, combat-ready." It made me laugh out loud because it was so true. My whole life and career were preparing me for this new mission to spread the Gospel at a time when being a follower of Christ is increasingly under attack.

I have lived and worked in places where I escaped the outbreak of civil war, was shot at in the marketplace, and nearly lost my toes from frostbite because the heating in our compound turned off. The Lord took all the inner fortitude and discipline of my past and combined it with the courage and strength that comes from being in relationship with Him.

He was using it all so I can serve the Kingdom. Whether it is writing columns and doing radio interviews, or witnessing to my hairstylist and speaking out at a School Board meeting, my faith in Christ is at the forefront of all that I do. I often remember the Scripture, "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops," (Mathew 10:27).

Some would say my enthusiasm stems from being a relatively new Christian, but I beg to differ. I had the good fortune of listening to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at church last week, and he made it so clear why all Americans should think of our faith in this way.

Mr. Pompeo talked about being an openly devout Christian during his time as Secretary of State, and how it informed all he did. Though being asked 'how does being a Christian impact your life?' often had a negative connotation, that was irrelevant to him. He responds with conviction and recounts his words that are clearly meant to inspire us:

"[Our faith] impacts everything you do; it informs every action that you take. It impacts how you think about the world, how you interact with people, and every day in your work life. Our founders believed deeply this was right and that the capacity to exercise our religion freely was important, and it mattered. My oath was to the nation, I raised my right hand and swore that I would support defend the American Constitution, but I knew that if I did that with the Lord in my heart, I'd be more successful at delivering on that very outcome."

Whether it was President Sisi in Egypt or Chairman Kim of North Korea, world leaders respected him for it, and there is nothing un-American or unbiblical about it. In his seminal speech in Cairo, he began the remarks saying, "I'm Mike Pompeo, and I'm an evangelical Christian." His speechwriters tried to remove it, but he insisted on keeping it in. He knew it was essential not because he wanted to talk about Christianity in a Muslim nation, but he wanted them to understand that the believers of Christ wanted good things for people everywhere and that it's our responsibility to be faithful, no matter where we are. There is not one line that gets him more questions or comments about even to this day. Leaders of every faith, Christians, Jews, and Muslims worldwide, say they appreciated his honesty. They appreciated that he kept faith in the public square. They admired the discipline with which he practiced his faith. They appreciated his courage to talk about his values so they could better understand how our nations could work alongside each other to deliver better lives for people across the world.

Though some US officials criticized his openness, it never deterred him. Unfortunately, many government representatives wrongly interpret that the First Amendment prohibits talking about faith, but it does not. The freedom of religion is meant to protect the rights of people of all faiths to practice their religion without encroachment from the government. In my experience, it is a lack of religious conviction in our government officials that has led to disastrous policy decisions. I will never forget being in a closed-door meeting at the White House during the Obama Administration, where a small group of us was invited to address the President on "countering violent extremism." After nearly an hour of our passionate pleas and recommendations for stricter policies towards state sponsors of terrorism and other stringent measures, the President says he didn't "get religion" and would not let people drag him into a war over it. Quite frankly, this sentiment explains why he did virtually nothing about the explosion of violence in the Middle East during his tenure. Suppose many of our senior US diplomats cannot appreciate the impact religion has on the way people live their lives and determine their priorities. How then can we properly represent our country as a nation founded on Judeo-Christian values?

Secretary Pompeo went on to say, "There's no separation between faith and country because God governs in the affairs of men. Our success depends on virtuous people. Wherever that is volunteering in the parking lot at church or serving in government. Our faith should form our character and inform our opinions."

Being a Christian should be part of whatever we do. It's not proselytizing; it is a belief that whatever religion someone believes in, they should be allowed to practice it freely. Hopefully, they will find the power of Christ revealed to them. If our faith is not public and visible, how can we call others to faith in Christ? It is not just about being a good person.

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:14)

I am eternally grateful for receiving salvation after practicing Islam freely in the US for decades. I also cherish the freedom to share my new faith with others. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, forit is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes," (Romans 1:16).
Federal court orders forfeiture of ancient Gilgamesh artifact from Museum of the Bible

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A federal court has ordered that a small ancient fragment depicting a portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh be forfeited by the Museum of the Bible two years after federal agents confiscated the artifact.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ordered the forfeiture of the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet, which was purchased by Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. in 2014 to be displayed at the Museum of the Bible.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division explained in a statement the significance of the forfeiture.

Forfeiture of the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet demonstrates the Departments continued commitment to eliminating smuggled cultural property from the U.S. art market, said Polite.

Thwarting trade in smuggled goods by seizing and forfeiting an ancient artifact shows the departments dedication to using all available tools, including forfeiture, to ensure justice.

The Gilgamesh fragment was obtained from Iraq in 2003 when large numbers of ancient artifacts were stolen or went missing after the toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime by a United States-led international coalition invasion.

The artifact was given a false provenance and sold multiple times before being purchased by Hobby Lobby and several other historical items from an auction house in 2014.

Hobby Lobby filed a lawsuit against the reputable Christies auction house for fraud and breach of warranty for selling the Gilgamesh tablet that authorities say had been looted.

Last year, it was reported that Hobby Lobby President Steve Green was in the process of repatriating 11,500 antiquities to the Iraqi and Egyptian governments.

Jeffrey Kloha, the Chief Curatorial Officer for the Museum of the Bible, stressed that the artifacts were acquired between 2009 and 2014, most of which were acquired prior to 2011. The museum officially opened in 2017.

"The Museum has taken extraordinary steps since to resolve the issues associated with them. We approached both Iraq and Egypt ourselves in 2017 and early 2018 to inform them of our intention to research and return these objects," Kloha said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. "All of this was done amicably and directly with the countries of origin along with the awareness of the United States government. It is unfortunate that much of the reporting on this subject does not make it clear that this is the completion of a long process and not a new story."

Kloha added that last May, the museum announced its full support of the Department of Homeland Securitys efforts to return the Gilgamesh fragment to Iraq.

In 2019, authorities seized the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet from the Museum of the Bible. In 2020, a civil complaint was filed requesting forfeiture of the artifact.

We are proud of our investigation that led to this reclaiming of a piece of Iraqs cultural history, said Peter Fitzhugh of Home Securities Investigations of New York in a statement last year.

This rare tablet was pillaged from Iraq and years later sold at a major auction house, with a questionable and unsupported provenance.

Hobby Lobby has cooperated with the investigation. CEO and the museum's chair Steve Green acknowledged that he had made many mistakes when attempting to collect historical items for his Museum.

In 2009, when I began acquiring biblical manuscripts and artifacts for what would ultimately form the collection at Museum of the Bible, I knew little about the world of collecting, said Green in a statement last year.

It is well known that I trusted the wrong people to guide me, and unwittingly dealt with unscrupulous dealers in those early years. One area where I fell short was not appreciating the importance of the provenance of the items I purchased."
Ex-Muslim stabbed in London while preaching the Gospel, blames 'police inaction'

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An outspoken former Muslim woman who converted to Christianity told people about Jesus Christ on Sunday at the largest park in Central London when an unidentified man wearing black began to repetitively stab her in her face and hands.

The 39-year-old evangelical woman, Hatun Tash, who is heavily involved with the ministry Defend Christ Critique Islam (DCCI), said she blames the police for what happened to her. She claims officers are too fearful to take action against a Muslim, whom she suspects was behind the attack.

Tash, who was reportedly wearing a blue Charlie Hebdo T-shirt at the time of her stabbing, is known for preaching critiques of Islam and debating the Quran at Speakers' Corner, a public debating spot in London's Hyde Park.

The Metropolitan Police said that officers arrived at the scene in Hyde Park in west London at 3:34 p.m. and recovered a knife nearby, according to The Times.

Tash managed to survive and was reportedly seen being treated by a London ambulance service as she sat inside a police van before she was taken to Central London Hospital for further treatment of minor injuries.

The evangelist reportedly said she is heartbroken over the weekends events and is still healing from a slash wound on her head.

Police inaction has led to what happened to me yesterday. . ., Tash reportedly told the U.K.-based Times. It is heartbreaking that we live in a society where police do not want to arrest a Muslim for fear of being called Islamophobic.

Despite Tash finding the police at fault, officers are reportedly appealing for witnesses and searching for the suspect. Police said they were not treating the attack as terrorism-related.

However, the Evening Standard reports that the investigation is being led by the Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command. The unit is based in New Scotland Yard and coordinates the national police response to counterterrorism intelligence. It also supervises the collection of evidence for charging suspected terrorists.

A number of people witnessed the incident and took mobile phone footage, The Mets SO15 Counter Terrorism Command informed The Evening Standard. We would ask those people to contact police and tell us what they know, if they have not already done so.

In multiple interviews, Tash told reporters she is still shocked about what happened to her and believes the perpetrator wanted to kill her because she was questioning Islamic beliefs and preaching about the Christian gospels.

"I wanted to debate, discuss and tell people about Jesus Christ, she said, according to Christian Today, regarding her preaching at the park before she was stabbed. I can't believe this has happened in broad daylight at Speakers' Corner. You do not expect such things to happen in Great Britain."

Tash said the Speakers' Corner venue has become hostile and dangerous for evangelical Christians. She claims this is not the first time she has been verbally and physically assaulted on the parks premises over the past two years.

In an interview with Christian Concern, Tash recalled another time when she was preaching at Speakers Corner and angered Muslims demanded her removal. She said she was eventually removed from the park by police but expressed concern that nothing happened to the Muslims who called for her death.

Detective Superintendent Alex Bingley of the Central West Command Unit, who covers policing in Westminster, said in a statement that the attack was a very distressing incident for the woman involved.

[O]fficers have spent time with her whilst she was being treated for her injury to get an account of what happened, he said in the police report, according to The Times. 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, he assured. I would ask people not to speculate on the motive for the attack until we have established the full facts.
Hundreds volunteer with Samaritan's Purse to help victims of deadly flooding in Germany

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Over 350 volunteers affiliated with the international evangelical humanitarian organization Samaritan's Purse have partnered with a church to bring emotional, spiritual and physical support to the victims of the flooding that killed over 200 people across Europe this month.

Over 177 people died in Germany as a result of the historic natural disaster. In the rural Western German district of Ahrweiler, a record amount of rainfall recently caused the regions Ahr River to pour muddy rainwater into various towns.

Nearly 200 residents of the town drowned to death because there was reportedly nowhere for the rapidly rising muddy water to travel due to the communitys valley, which has steep hills on both sides full of vineyards, according to North Carolina-headquartered Samaritan's Purse.

The Samaritans Purse German affiliate office began organizing volunteers the day after floods swept through North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatine states. Samaritans Purse has deployed 14 international disaster response specialists to support the efforts of its German affiliate office.

Samaritan's Purse disaster relief specialist Nick Bechert told The Christian Post that numerous homes and family businesses, which have been around for thousands of centuries, have been destroyed by over 6 feet of mud water. The water swept into the villages in Ahrweiler and eventually washed into the North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatine states.

After the floodwaters receded the next day in western Germany, thousands of volunteers from Evangelische Freikirche Koeln Ostheim church in Cologne, Germany, partnered with Samaritan's Purse to bring physical, emotional and spiritual support to residents in need.

Over the past week, mud has been removed from the centuries-old structures bucket by bucket. Many homes are reportedly still in the de-mudding process and various structures in the path of the flood water will have a long way to go to be rehabilitated.

There were untouched piles of debris all over entire streets  and much of the towns were filled with a thick, slippery mud, said Bechert. He is just one of the 14 international disaster response specialists for Samaritans Purse who has worked tirelessly using a bucket in his hands to remove mud from many buildings and homes.

It was hard to hear stories of how fast the water came through, how there was no time to prepare for it, leading to the loss of life and increased property damage.

Bechert, a 35-year-old Zionsville, Indiana resident who discovered his Christian faith in his early teens, said he has worked with Samaritans Purse for 11 years since the organization's response effort in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

He said he'd had a passion for helping and extending love in times of crisis since his sophomore year at Indiana University when his Campus Crusade chapter sponsored a spring break trip to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

When you are away from your comfort zone and focused on the work God has prepared for you, you will learn, grow and see amazing things. ... Helping often leads to great opportunities to share why you are there and provide hope that goes beyond the physical support, he said.

I believe that God calls us to help our neighbor  no matter where in the world that neighbor may be. Right now, they happen to be in Germany after a flood. A major component of this response [effort in Germany] has been facilitating hundreds of Christians from all over Germany to be present and supportive, working in homes along with families and individuals working to rebuild their lives.

Bechert said Samaritan Purse has a team of counselors on staff in various villages who listen to impacted individuals and remind them that God loves them and they are not alone.

Our site leaders have been trained in spiritual and psychosocial first aid and they know the common signs of trauma to be looking out for, how best to listen and be present with hurting people, and then what resources to link to, he said.

The loss of life from this disaster has been devastating, Bechert stressed.

Please pray for the families in Germany and pray for our teams as we provide immediate aid and that God would use us to continue ministering to families in the weeks and months to come.

Local law enforcement continues to search for missing people. And within damaged businesses and homes, generations of families priceless heirlooms and personal belongings have been destroyed or lost.

For many of the survivors, Bechart said, they will remain impacted by the flood for months due to physical needs and emotional trauma.

Homeowner Michael Munn-Buschow told Samaritan Purse that he and his wife, Iris, live in a home that has been in Iris family for hundreds of years.

Within a matter of hours, not only his basement but also the first floor was underwater.

I looked out the roof window, and suddenly the Ahr came closer and closer to us, he was quoted as saying. Employees from Samaritans Purse came and helped us.

Bechert said he often reminds survivors affected by natural disasters about Gods love. However, he often receives questions, such as: Why did God let this happen? Is this punishment or a test? or How could a loving God allow such pain and suffering?

Ive learned over time that it is best to be honest that I dont have all the answers and to sit and listen and share in their lament, Bechert said. What I can be confident in is sharing about Gods love for us, not just by sending His followers from around the world in a time of crisis, but also by making a way for us to be in a relationship with Him.
Signs of baby boomlet emerge despite pandemic

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Despite data released earlier this year pointing to significant drops in birth rates in several states across the country, new data cited by the Institute for Family Studies suggest a baby boomlet could be on the horizon thanks to pandemic-related benefits and shifts to remote work.

Analysis by IFS researchers Brad Wilcox and Lyman Stone show that while births fell 9.3% across the U.S. in January, by March 2021 births had returned to their March 2020 levels and government stimulus payments, unemployment benefits and extend remote work policies might have given families a boost of confidence to start having more babies again.

The specific details about how much various states are recovering are less important than the general trend: across numerous states, births are rebounding to nearly 2019 levels very quickly. Given that lockdowns and other policy measures, high unemployment, and excess deaths from COVID-19 persisted long past April 2020, and indeed to the present day, this is an astonishing outcome, the researchers wrote.

Theres a plausible theory about why this birth rebound happened so fast. In this theory, the summer of 2020 was also a time when the country began to realize two key facts: first, that the pandemic was probably going to go on for a long time, with many, recurrent waves, and second, that some of the changes the pandemic brought were very helpful to families, they continued.

Specifically, many people probably noticed that their bank accounts were doing all right, even if laid off, thanks to stimulus checks and generous unemployment benefits. These benefits created a unique opportunity for families to take a pause from working and have a long-delayed baby, they added.

Lyman and Wilcox argued that pandemic-related benefits and work changes further created de facto baby bonuses and paid leave programs for a lot of (former) workers in a country where maternity leave is also rare.

Despite huge social challenges and a raging pandemic, and despite school and child care closures making the job of parenting much harder, the straightforward remedies of giving families cash (per person in the household and especially per child), as well as nudging employers to provide more flexibility, seem to have helped lead to a rapid normalization of fertility. Policymakers should pay attention to this experience and learn a valuable lesson. The baby boomlet were now seeing in hospitals across the country suggests pro-natal policy works, the researchers argued.

A Brookings Institution report reiterated an initial projection that the coronavirus pandemic would result in at least 300,000 fewer births in 2021. Data gathered by NBCLX from December 2020, when the first babies conceived during the pandemic were born, showed signs of significant decline.

Compared to the same period a year earlier, a number of states that keep track of their births in near-real-time, such as Florida, reflected significant birthrate declines in December 2020. Ohio showed a decline of 7%, the Arizona birth rate fell by 5%, while in Florida, the drop was 8%.

This is a bad situation, Philip Cohen, a sociologist and demographer at the University of Maryland, told NBCLX. The declines we're seeing now are  pretty substantial.

Cohens research also showed declines in Google searches for pregnancy and sex-related topics and predicted the decline would likely last for months due to the economic uncertainty and other factors fueled by the pandemic.

People make longterm decisions when they have confidence about the future, and if there's anything that undermines confidence about the future, it's this massive pandemic, the demographer said.
Nearly half of South Africans say prayer more effective against COVID-19 than vaccines: study

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Despite thousands of new COVID-19 infections being discovered daily along with hundreds of deaths from the disease, nearly half of South Africans trust prayer as a more effective remedy against it than approved vaccines, a new survey shows.

Findings from the Afrobarometer survey of 1,600 adult South Africans conducted May through June 2021 was published Wednesday. Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance and quality of life.

Nearly half of respondents believe prayer is more effective at preventing COVID-19 transmission than a vaccine," the report reads. "For policy makers and civil society, these findings suggest that a successful vaccination campaign will require greater public awareness of the benefits of accepting approved COVID-19 vaccines, and they point to a need for greater accountability in the use of pandemic-related resources."

According to the survey, as of July 26, over 6.6 million of South Africas nearly 60 million people had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, only people over the age of 35 are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

Fewer than three in 10 South African adults (28%) say they trust the government somewhat or a lot to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Meanwhile, 43% say they are somewhat or very likely to try to get vaccinated, and 47% of respondents believe prayer is "more effective" than a vaccine in preventing COVID-19 infection.

South African officials have tried to contain the virus by instituting one of the most restrictive lockdown policies in the world. But many citizens find it difficult to abide by the restrictions as a third wave of the coronavirus sweeps the country.

White House officials revealed Wednesday that the U.S. government would send nearly 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria and South Africa, Reuters reports. South Africa is expected to receive 5.66 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, representing the single largest shipment of vaccines overseas since the pandemic began.

"We are happy to announce that we will be sending over 5 million doses to South Africa  of Pfizer vaccines as well as 4 million doses of Moderna vaccine to Nigeria," Dana Banks, senior director for Africa at the U.S. National Security Council, announced Wednesday.

"So were very excited about that and we hope that these will go a long way in helping to provide safety and health security for the people of Nigeria and South Africa, which will then enable them to get back to their regular activities, their economic activities, and help them to build back better."

At a media briefing Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the death toll from COVID-19 had jumped 17% in the past month in the continent's most populated countries.

"There has been an average increase of 4% of new cases over that time period.  In terms of new deaths in the last four weeks, weve recorded an average of 17% new deaths [in the continents most populous countries] over same period," the agencys head John Nkengosong said.

"In terms of testing as a continent, as of today, we have conducted about 58 million COVID tests, and last week alone, the continent conducted about 1.3 million tests. But that represents a decrease of 19% over the previous week."

The Africa CDC blamed increased deaths on virus-spreading events, such as recent looting in South Africa and the celebration of Eid al-Hajj, the end of the Muslim pilgrimage in Mecca.
Senator blasts Coca-Cola CEOs refusal to condemn genocide: Disgraceful bootlicking of China

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Sen. Tom Cotton rebuked Coca-Cola's CEO for human rights Wednesday for refusing to acknowledge China's genocide of Uyghur Muslims and other religious minorities, calling it a "disgraceful bootlicking of the Chinese Communist Party."

During Tuesday's bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Republican members of Congress confronted Paul Lalli, the global vice president for human rights for Coca-Cola, one of the worlds largest soft drink manufacturers, accusing the company of hypocrisy for complaining about the alleged injustices of the election security bill in Georgia while sponsoring next years Olympics in China.

Lalli was one of several representatives of major American corporations who testified before the bipartisan hearing on corporate sponsorship of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

Human rights advocates have called for a boycott of next years Olympics as a result of Chinas human rights abuses, particularly their treatment of the Uyghur ethnic minorities.

During the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Lalli that when Georgia passed a law designed to preserve election integrity, which critics decried as a voter suppression effort by Republicans, Coca-Cola vowed that we will continue to stand up for what is right in Georgia and across the United States.

Cotton suggested that by sponsoring the Beijing Olympics, the soft drink company was telegraphing that Coca-Cola will not stand up for what is right outside the United States.

Coca-Cola: We stand up for what is right across the world.



Also Coca-Cola: We will not condemn the Chinese Communist Party for committing genocide, and we will support the Winter Olympics in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/9C56MJJYe8  Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) July 27, 2021

We stand up for what is right across the world, Lalli responded. We apply the same human rights principles in the United States that we do across the world.

When asked by Cotton if the Chinese Communist Party was committing genocide against the Uyghur people, Lalli said, Were aware of the reports of the State Department on this issue, adding, They continue to inform our program as do reports from  civil society.

Cotton contended that Lallis response was inadequate and expanded his criticism to other corporate leaders gathered at the hearing. He recalled that under questioning from his colleagues in both the House and Senate, Every single one of you refused to say a single word that, by all appearances, will cost you one bit of market share inside of mainland China.

In an interview on "Fox News Primetime" with host Tammy Bruce, Cotton described Tuesday's hearing as "disgraceful" and "one of the most pathetic hearings" he's been a part of, given that none of the corporate CEOs would say anything negative about China's actions. He said Lalli was particularly egregious.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

The senator specifically mentioned Lallis response to a question about whether Coca-Cola would call for the International Olympic Committee to delay the Chinese Olympics.

In his response to that question, Lalli said that his company doesnt have a say in the matter.

Can you tell me why Coca-Cola doesnt have a say in whether it sponsors the genocide Olympics next year, but it does have a say in how the state of Georgia runs an election?

Lalli disputed Cottons characterization of his remarks, saying, What I stated was that we do not have a say in the selection of the host city nor on whether an Olympics  is postponed or relocated.

Cotton acknowledged that Coca-Cola did not directly have a say on whether the Olympics was postponed or relocated before stressing that You could just make a statement.

Cotton added, Your CEO could saddle up the same moral high horse that he got on when Georgia passed its election law and write a letter to the IOC and ask them to. Anybody can do that.

We are most engaged on policy issues here at home, but we are clear in our respect for human rights globally, Lalli said.

Cotton inquired as to why the Coca-Cola CEO will ... denounce a democratically-elected Legislatures laws but he will not simply say that the IOC should consider rebidding its Olympics or that Coca-Cola should [reconsider] sponsoring the Genocide Olympics.

As Lalli asserted that our role as a sponsor is to support and follow the athletes, Cotton remained unsatisfied with the executives responses up to that point.

You are spending millions of dollars to sponsor the genocide Olympics, yet you will not opine on any matter about it, yet you will stick your nose in the Georgia Legislatures election reform laws. Can you explain to me the contrast?

When Lalli reiterated that the company's goal was to support Olympic athletes regardless of the location of the host city, Cotton hit back, saying, Ive heard your talking points and Im tired of hearing them, Mr. Lalli.

The senator again asked, Why is it that Coca-Cola will opine on Georgias election laws but not on the genocide Olympics?

Georgia is our home. Its where  many of our employees  live and work and we are most engaged on public policy issues here in the U.S., he replied.

Cotton implied that the answer to his question asking why Coca-Cola will weigh in on the Georgia election law but not on Chinas human rights abuses was because youre afraid of the Chinese Communist Party, youre afraid of what they will do to your company if you say a single word, like, for instance saying, that both the Biden and the Trump administration are correct when they say that China is committing a genocide against its own people.

The junior senator from Arkansas was not the only lawmaker to press Coca-Cola and other major American corporations over their support for the 2022 Olympics. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., one of the most prominent religious freedom advocates in Congress, also asked Lalli if his company would support moving the Olympics to another city and country.

Lalli offered Smith a similar answer to the responses he gave to Cotton, telling the congressman that we dont have  a position  on if theyre going to be moved or delayed. He maintained that we will follow these athletes wherever they compete.

So  if they go to Pyongyang in North Korea, thats OK too? Smith asked in a follow-up. Your voice matters. Coca-Cola  is a giant, as is Visa, as are the others that are  participating in this hearing.

Smith predicted that if it became clear to the International Olympic Committee that Coca-Cola thinks its wrong to hold the 2022 Olympics in China, that will be listened to. He remarked that Were all waiting with bated breath for all of you to say move the Olympics, the Beijing genocide Olympics need to be moved.

Like Cotton, Smith concluded that the companies refusal to take such a stand results from a concern in corporate America that if you do, they will deny you access to their markets. Even as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics continue, the 2022 Beijing Games are just a little more than six months away. As currently scheduled, the 2022 Winter Olympics will take place in Chinas largest city from Feb. 4-20, 2022.
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Mississippis brief in the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health abortion case is the latest example of a recently emboldened pro-life movement. All eyes were on Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch last week, waiting to see how she would defend her states 15-week abortion ban. Would Fitch be bold and mention that Roe and Casey should be overturned? Or would she try to convince the Court that the 15-week ban could be upheld under Casey?

Fitch and Scott Stewart, Mississippis solicitor general, exceeded all expectations when they boldly and brilliantly led the fight against Roe and Casey. Their brief convincingly explained the damage the Courts two most deadly decisions have inflicted on our nation and demanded that the Court overturn them. Nowhere else in the law does a right of privacy or right to make personal decisions provide a right to destroy a human life. Mississippis brief called out Roe for what it is: wrong. No matter how strong of an interest women have in their own privacy, this does not extend to a right to end the life of an innocent child.

The briefs introduction made it clear that Mississippi would be bold and aggressive in its defense of the unborn. [N]othing in constitutional text, structure, history, or tradition supports a right to abortion. The brief went on to discuss the damage inflicted on our country as a result of the judicial activism of the seven male justices who decided Roe. Mississippi did not shy away from humanizing the child in the womb:

"The Court could hold that the States interests in protecting unborn life, womens health, and the medical professions integrity are, at a minimum, compelling at 15 weeks gestationwhen risks to women have increased considerably; when the childs basic physiological functions are all present, his or her vital organs are functioning, and he or she can open and close fingers, make sucking motions, and sense stimuli from outside the womb; and thus when a doctor would be extinguishing a life that has clearly taken on the human form."

Mississippi reminded the Court that states are willing and should be able to protect the most vulnerable among us. Some pressured Mississippi to take a more timid approach and not ask for much, but Mississippi did the right thing by being bold. No other fight for basic human rights, such as the civil rights movement, was shy in their requests for equal rights. Thurgood Marshall was bold in his requests before the Court in Brown v. Board of Education, and now Mississippi stands boldly before the Court in its request for the states ability to protect the most basic rightthe right to lifefor the unborn. The Court did the right thing in Brown, and it should do the right thing in Dobbs.

The conclusion of the brief summarizes the harm done by judicial activism in creating a right to abortion:

The goal of constitutional adjudication is to hold true the balance between that which the Constitution puts beyond the reach of the democratic process and that which it does not. Webster, 492 U.S. at 521 (opinion of Rehnquist, C.J.). Roe and Caseyand a viability ruledo not meet that goal. And they never can. Retaining them harms the Constitution, the country, and this Court. This Court should overrule Roe and Casey."

Mississippi did the right thing. Now its the U.S. Supreme Courts turn to do the right thing. No justice will be able to feign ignorance regarding Mississippis glaring request. No justice can claim that Mississippi didnt ask for Roe to be overturned. It is time for Americans to see the true colors of every justice sitting on the Court. Dobbs is the case that should overturn Roe. If it isnt overturned, it wont be because Mississippi didnt do the best job it could. There is no excuse for Roe not to be overturned now.

Originally published at FRC.
Ohio megachurch apologizes after speaker criticizes cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers

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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.
Tony Evans suggests biblical response to critical race theory as tensions mount

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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.
Rep. Chip Roy slams Pelosi over House mask mandate, ignoring COVID spike at migrant facilities

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A Republican congressman accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats of hypocrisy after a mask mandate was reintroduced for vaccinated representatives while the Biden administration continues to transport COVID-19 positive migrants across the country without notifying local health authorities.

During remarks on the House floor Wednesday, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, lamented that We have a crisis at our border and were playing footsie with mask mandates.

Roys comments followed the re-introduction of mask mandates for members of the House as well as updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control stating that vaccinated Americans are to wear masks indoors in parts of the country and advised children to wear masks at school.

Roy detailed the situation at the United States southern border with Mexico, which he described as people spilling across the border who are clearly testing positive for COVID.

We have a hotel in La Joya, Texas, that is literally filled right now with individuals who are heavily testing positive for COVID, he added.

The border town of La Joya is one of many Texas communities trying to manage the influx of migrants, some of whom need treatment for COVID-19. The La Joya Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Monday (followed by a press conference on Tuesday) that a La Joya police officer was waved down by a [concerned] citizen" at a Whataburger who was worried that a COVID-19 positive family was in the restaurant and not wearing face coverings to protect others from getting infected.

The citizen explained to the officer that she had observed a family group who were not being observant of proper health guidelines. She stated that the family was coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths and were not wearing face masks.

Upon talking to the family, the officer learned they had been apprehended by Border Patrol days prior and were released because they were sick with Covid-19. He also discovered that they were staying at the Texas Inn Hotel in La Joya.

A manager for the hotel said Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley had booked all the rooms in the hotel to house undocumented immigrants that were detained By Border Patrol, the department added.

In the Facebook post, the La Joya Police Department added that Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley did not inform the La Joya Police Department that people that had symptoms or were sick with Covid-19 were going to be placed in the Texas Inn Hotel.

During his speech on the House floor, Roy said he received a text message from the sheriff of Uvalde, Texas, stating that the city council planned to pass an "emergency declaration" stating that migrants would not be allowed to be released in the city unless they had tested negative for COVID-19.

Roy maintained that congressional Democrats are going to do nothing, literally nothing to address the absolute travesty at the border. He further accused Democrats of mixed messaging regarding the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic.

The American people are fed up. They want to go back to life. They want to go back to business; they want to go back to school without their children being forced to wear masks," Roy said.

The speaker comes down here at 10 in the morning saying weve got to wear masks in the peoples House while weve got thousands of people pouring across our border and Democrats dont do a darn thing about it, heavily infected with COVID, he asserted.

Roy added that he agreed with the characterization of the new CDC guidelines as some serious nanny state stuff that will only breed resentment, suggesting that imposing restrictions on the American people while none are placed on immigrants entering the country illegally will only worsen that resentment.

The Texas congressman's concerns about COVID-infected migrants crossing the southern border were shared by two federal whistleblowers who filed a complaint Wednesday alleging that at a Texas facility set up to care for migrant children  ... masks were not consistently provided to children, nor was their use consistently enforced.

At the Fort Bliss facility, located near El Paso, Hundreds of children contracted COVID in the overcrowded conditions, the whistleblowers said.

The whistleblowers' complaint, filed on behalf of Arthur Pearlstein of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and Social Security Administration lawyer Lauren Reinhold, stated that COVID was widespread among children and eventually spread to many employees.

Both federal employees were stationed at Fort Bliss to help with the migrant surge. Despite the coronavirus outbreak, the complaint said that every effort was made to downplay the degree of COVID infection at the site, and the size of the outbreak was deliberately kept under wraps.

The filing added: At a town hall meeting with detailees, a senior U.S. Public Health Service manager was asked and refused to say how many were infected because if that graph [of infections] is going to The Washington Post, its the only thing well be dealing with and politics will take over, perception will take over, and were about reality, not perception.

At the beginning of his impassioned speech on the House floor, Roy mentioned Title 42, a policy implemented by the Trump administration amid the coronavirus pandemic that would allow border officials to turn away those seeking to enter the U.S.

Upon taking office, the Biden administration tamped down enforcement of Title 42 and gutted the Migrant Protection Protocols, which required those seeking asylum in the U.S. to remain in Mexico while their asylum claims were adjudicated.

Critics of the Biden administration blame the abandonment of the aforementioned policies for the astronomical number of border crossings that has continued to increase each month that President Joe Biden has been in office.

According to Customs and Border Protection, there were 188,829 encounters between law enforcement officials and migrants at the southwest border in June, an increase of more than 8,000 from the previous month.

By contrast, in February, Bidens first full months in office, there were 101,095 encounters between law enforcement officials and migrants. With three months to go in fiscal year 2021, 1,119,204 encounters have occurred thus far, more than double the 458,088 that took place in all of fiscal year 2002.
'Jesus is worth it': Ontario church fined additional $85K for worship service, violating lockdown orders

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A Canadian pastor whose church has been fined over $80,000 a second time for holding a worship service during Ontario's ongoing restrictions on church gatherings said: "Jesus is worth it."

Trinity Bible Chapel, a Waterloo-based church, was sentenced Tuesday for a worship service it held in April that violated provincial restrictions on in-person gatherings in response to COVID-19.

Justice John Krakchenko ordered the church and its leaders to pay $85,000 in fines after finding the church in contempt of court, according to Kitchener Today.

This includes a $35,000 fine for the church itself, $10,000 fines for Pastors Jacob Reaume and Will Schuurman, and other leaders of the congregation each being fined $7,500.

Reaume posted a statement to the church's website Tuesday, explaining that while an appeal for the contempt charges is unlikely and they will likely have to pay the fine, Jesus is worth it.

 worship services are not ours to give up. They belong to Jesus. He purchased His worship with the price of His own blood, wrote Reaume.

Not only do we rejoice that our extravagant worship services have given us the opportunity to lead many people to Jesus, as it seems we learn of new people every week who have been saved during this time of persecution, but also now our extravagant worship services have furnished the opportunity to bear witness to the worthiness of Christ before the Superior Court of Ontario.

Reaume added that his church intends no disrespect to our courts or civil magistrates, but rather they only wish to assert in word and deed that Christ is King of kings, Lord of lords, and Judge of judges.

Those who are in authority have a derived authority, and that derived authority comes from God. It has been and will continue to be the detriment of our nation to fail to recognize as much, he continued.

The congregation continues to hold outdoor worship services as the government locked them out of their church building in April due to their refusal to adhere to provincial lockdown orders.

Trinity Bible Chapel was previously fined $83,000 in February for violating Section 10.1 of the Reopening Ontario Act, which limited in-person services to 10 people, either indoors or outdoors.

According to its website, accessed Thursday morning, the Ontario government is reporting that the province is on Step 3 of their reopening plan, known as Roadmap to Reopen.

This means that at least 70% of the adult population has had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while at least 25% of the adult population has been fully vaccinated.

As part of Step 3, outdoor social gatherings and events can have up to 100 people, indoor social gatherings and events can have up to 25 people, and indoor religious services are permitted with physical distancing.
After battle with COVID-19, pastor says I was wrong to not get vaccinated

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A Texas pastor who says he had to fight for his life at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas after getting infected with COVID-19 earlier this month is now saying he was wrong for treating the virus cavalierly and not getting vaccinated.

Pastor Danny Reeves of First Baptist Church in Corsicana, who is still recovering, told Fox 4: "I've been taught a lesson, and I'm big enough and humble enough to say I was wrong. And if my survival and my story can be a blessing to others, I pray it is."

A few days after he began feeling body aches and other symptoms, Reeves said he tested positive for COVID-19 and things quickly took a turn for the worse.

His breathing became difficult a week after his positive test and he was hospitalized at Baylor Medical Center where his blood oxygen level dropped to dangerous levels, the network said.

"The doctor came in and said, You're going to the ICU. And said that I needed to have a reality check that I could die," the pastor added.

Reeves said when he realized the gravity of the challenge he was facing he struggled with regret and wept.

"I cried in here. I had emotional moments in here. I had regret in here," he said. "I recognized that I had been a bit cavalier. That almost cost me."

Reeves, who spent two days in the ICU, recalled how his health fluctuated so much while he was at the hospital, and doctors worried he might need a lung transplant. Thanks to the prayers of his church, and Remdesivir and steroids, the Texas pastor said his health has improved and he now continues to recover under observation.

"I asked them (doctors), Why me? And they said, Danny, it's just the luck of the draw, and this can happen to anybody. And so if it can happen to me, it can happen to you. And you really ought to consider getting the vaccine, Reeves said in a message to the public. I'm not going to tell you to go do it. You have the choice and the right to make that choice."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 vaccines can "keep individuals from getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19." The "vaccines can also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if they do get COVID-19." It "might also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19."

Following reports of rising breakthrough infections with the Delta variant of the virus in people who were fully vaccinated, the health agency on Tuesday recommended that vaccinated people resume wearing masks indoors in some areas. The recommendation reverses a decision made two months ago that people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus could stop wearing masks or maintain social distancing in most settings.

I think thats great, Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, told the NY Times. She said based on what scientists are learning about the Delta variants ability to cause breakthrough infections, this is a move in the right direction.
Billy Graham's grandson shares Gospel with hospital staff while battling COVID in ICU

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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.
Catholic university under fire for hosting CNN Town Hall with 'most pro-abortion president'

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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."
Puredi Hillary who co-founded Puredi Hillary Ministries arrested for child sex abuse

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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.
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Earlier this month, on Independence Day, I published a piece in The Christian Post arguing that we should not refer to the United States as a Christian nation. Such a title leads people around the world to conclude that Jesus is a regional godthe god of the United States. Jesus becomes responsible for all that our government does; Christian missionaries are seen as an invading force; and Christian converts are seen as traitors. In addition, people come to assume that all Americans (including American TV characters) are Christians. Needless to say, this is bad witness.

But lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Although we should avoid calling ourselves a Christian nation, we should not shy away from recognizing that in many ways America has been blessed by God, not in small part because some Christian doctrines have served as foundational American doctrines.

For several years, I have taught a course on Religion and Law in the US. Many students come into the course with no understanding of the historic relationship between Christianity and American law. For example, some think the First Amendment requires a rigid separation between Christian values and the state. They are surprised to learn that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a minister and that he used Christian insights to challenge the nation on the issue of racial discrimination. I am glad he did not stay out of politics.

Providentially, in America, at times, Christians like MLK have brought the insights of the Christian faith to the public square. Below I will consider two foundational Christian doctrines that served as foundational American doctrines and trace some ways in which America has and has not been faithful to them. Both doctrines continue to speak to the issues of our day.

Creation, the Image of God, and the Declaration of Independence



Three times in two verses, Genesis refers to humans being created in Gods image: Let us make man in our image So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them, (Gen. 1:26-27). God wanted us to take His image in humans seriously. As C.S. Lewis said, There are no ordinary people.

American law has taken Gods image seriously, though selectively. The Declaration of Independence is grounded in this doctrine: All men are created equal, . . endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. The Bill of Rights recognized that citizens have rightsfreedoms of religion, speech, press, and assembly. Even the worst criminal offenders have broad procedural protections. [I]t is better 100 guilty Persons should escape, than that one innocent Person should suffer.

Of course, the United States (and notably the author of the Declaration) failed to live up to the Declarations principles. The Constitution did not protect the rights of All men (and women). It left twenty percent of Americas inhabitants enslaved. For many Americans, these ideals were in Martin Luther King, Jr.s terms a promissory note and a sacred obligation that came back marked insufficient funds.

But at times, prophetic Christian witness has called us to our ideals, notably in the anti-slavery, civil rights, and pro-life movements. Two examples were evangelical Supreme Court Justices John Marshall Harlan and David Josiah Brewer. Harlan dissented from the Courts decision permitting racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) (later reversed in Brown v. Board of Education). Brewer dissented from the Courts approval of deportations under the Chinese Exclusion Act in Fong Yue Ting v. United States (1893), throwing the Christian nation label back in the countrys face. In view of this enactment of the highest legislative body of the foremost Christian nation, may not the thoughtful Chinese disciple of Confucius fairly ask, Why do they send missionaries here? And though, in my view, the charge of racism is thrown around much too casually these days, racism against African-Americans, Chinese, and others who were created in Gods image continues to rear its ugly head in the United States.

In my view, the worst modern deviation from respect for Gods image in humans is abortion. In the Bibles dramatic imagery, we were knit together in our mothers wombs. (Ps. 139:13) In abortion cases, it has primarily been Catholic Supreme Court Justices who have dissented on behalf of those created in Gods image.

Some might argue that the dissenting Justices in the race and abortion cases are examples of Christian America, but it is important to note that they were dissenting from both the Courts majority and the general direction of the country. They were dissenting against UN-Christian America. That being said, one of the beauties of America, is that it can be called on to respect Gods image in humans.

The Fall and the US Constitution



The US Constitution does not speak in explicitly Christian terms, but it is grounded in a Christian (and Jewish) understanding of the Fall. Humans were created in the image of .God, but they are fallen. As Paul said, quoting the Psalms, There is no one who does what is good, not even one, (Rom.3:12; Ps.53:3). James Madison (possibly Alexander Hamilton) justified the proposed U.S. Constitution as follows:

If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. (Federalist 51)

The Constitution did two things (among many) in light of the fallen nature of humanity. It gave the central government more power, correcting a problem with the earlier Articles of Confederation. It also limited the ability of any group or government official to abuse their authority by dividing power among citizens and multiple officials and multiple divisions and sub-divisions of government. As C.S. Lewis notes, Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows.

Each end of the political spectrumboth libertarianism and socialismfails in its own way to take adequate account of the Fall. Each errs in one of the (mis)directions identified by the founders. Libertarians trust the people and assume that people will deal fairly with one another. Socialists trust the government and assume that elites will guide us to the good life. As the Scriptures recognize, both are in error. When there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes, evil and chaos reigned (Judges 17-21). But Samuel warned that an extremely powerful governmentin his case, a kingwill enslave people (I Sam. 8: 10-18). We need both strong government and strong limits on government. Of course, determining how to do that requires both constant attention and great wisdom.

The reality is that both political parties in the United States, when in office, have expanded the central governments power. Presidential orders proliferate. The federal governments share of the Gross National Product has grown exponentially. The American founders, as well as Samuel, would have been concerned.

Much of the violence we have seen in the United States over the last year has been a result of the failure of those on all sides to appreciate the depths of the Fall. We ignore the fallen nature of humans at our peril. Law and order proponents discounted the tendency of police to abuse their authority. Defund the police proponents ignored the fact that police are the only protection many people have against violence. The U.S. Capitol Police dismissed the possibility that election protesters might use physical violence against the Capitol. The results have been tragic. All these were rooted in problems the founders understoodhumans are not angels; you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. Maintaining a good balance in the face of the human tendency to prefer ourselves requires divine guidance.

Conclusion



The American founders recognition that humans are both made in Gods image and fallen has provided a firm foundation for governing and is a major reason the United States has remained a vibrant republic. But these ideas are being challenged here and around the world today. Some leaders ignore human rights in order to retain control. Others seek to use citizens for political ends, believing that with the right political arrangements, perfected humans will emerge. You cant make an omelet without cracking a few eggs. Demagogues and ideologues ignore human rights in the pursuit of personal and state power.

The United States has often failed to live up to its principles, but thankfully we have principles with which we can be challenged. People are precious and should not be used for political ends. But even the best political system will not perfect humanity. We should do the best we can, but ultimately true peace and justice must await the New Heavens and the New Earth.
Christian group cautiously optimistic after Sudanese govt allows building of Orthodox Church

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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.
NEW YORK (AP)  After a rocket rise where it introduced millions of people to investing and reshaped the brokerage industry, all while racking up a long list of controversies in less than eight years, Robinhood is about to take the leap itself into the stock market.

Robinhood Markets and three of its executives are selling up to 60.5 million shares of its stock in an initial public offering, with trading expected to begin on the Nasdaq Thursday.

Its a huge moment for the fast-growing company, which is sticking to its mantra of trying to democratize finance by reserving many of the shares for its own customers, rather than just big professional investors. Can Robinhood convince them to embrace its stock, just as it helped a generation of investors take on trading stocks, options and cryptocurrencies?

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Here are a few things to keep in mind ahead of whats one of the most anticipated IPOs on Wall Street this year:

HOW DOES A FREE SERVICE MAKE MONEY?

Robinhoods revenue soared 245% last year to $959 million. It then hit $522 million in the first three months of 2021 alone, more than quadrupling from the year-ago level.

Robinhood doesnt charge trading commissions or require customers to carry big balances  one reason why it's so popular. It makes the bulk of its money  81% of revenue in the first quarter by funneling investors orders to big trading firms, such as Citadel Securities, which take the other side of the trade. They also give a payment to Robinhood.

The practice, called payment for order flow, has drawn criticism from lawmakers and regulators. The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission has questioned whether it prevents investors from getting the best price possible for their trades and whether it impels brokerages to encourage customers to trade more frequently than they should.

But legal experts say tighter regulation may be difficult to bring about. Brokerages need to make money somehow, and if Robinhood cant get it from payment for order flow, it could go back to charging trading commissions, said Joshua Mitts, a law professor at Columbia University. That could make politicians even less popular than they already are.

I think investors in many ways are pricing that in, Mitts said, and theres a pretty good sense that Robinhood is going to be OK.

WHAT IF THE TRADING BOOM FIZZLES?

Even if payment for order flow sticks around, Robinhoods dependence on the practice could be an issue. During normal times, Robinhood may get about 75% of its money from transaction-based revenue, roughly triple what some competitors get, said Tom Mason, senior research analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Robinhood earns an average of 2.5 cents for every $100 traded. That it means it stands to lose if users start trading a lot fewer $100 blocks on its app.

Robinhood says its revenue could fall in the July-September quarter when compared to the April-June period, when revenue rose an estimated 124% to 135%. Besides seasonality issues, Robinhood said it expects to see decreased levels of trading activity, particularly in cryptocurrencies, which accounted for 17% of revenue in the first three months of the year. Prices of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been generally falling since peaking in April.

Among other risks, Robinhood's customers could spend less time on the app if a fading pandemic means they can go on with their lives and do other things with money.

Robinhood also hasnt always kept customers happy: Its platform has had some high-profile outages, and early this year it temporarily barred investors from making trades in GameStop, when manic movements in its stock were the talk of the market. That may have played a role in the roughly 600,000 customers that emptied their accounts during the first three months of the year. The company has 18 million funded accounts.

Counterbalancing all that may be the strong brand Robinhood has created, which has allowed the company to attract new customers without spending much on marketing. And Robinhood's advantage over competitors is an intense focus on customers, which pushes it to roll out in-demand products very quickly, said S&Ps Mason.

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TRUSTING CUSTOMERS AS INVESTORS

Robinhood is taking the unusual step of allowing users of its trading app to buy up to 35% of its IPO shares before they begin trading. Thats the largest portion by far of pre-IPO shares to be designated for retail investors in an underwritten offering, says Matt Kennedy, senior IPO market strategist at Renaissance Capital.

Typically, only institutional investors and company insiders can buy shares in companies before they go public, and ordinary investors miss out on any first day pop. Between 2001 and 2020 the average U.S. IPO returned 14.5% from the offer price on day one, according to Renaissance Capital. The return this year is an even-better 25% when looking at IPOs that raise at least $100 million.

The biggest risk, Kennedy says, is that retail investors are more likely than institutional traders to flip their shares for a quick profit, raising the possibility of increased volatility on the first day of trading. For its part, Robinhood has warned that users who sell IPO shares within 30 days of the IPO will be restricted from buying shares in IPOs on Robinhoods platform for 60 days.
DALLAS (AP)  American Airlines plans to invest in a Chilean budget airline and sell seats on each other's flights to help American extend its reach in South America.

American said Thursday that it has signed a letter of intent for the deal with JetSmart. American executives declined to say how much the airline proposes to invest in JetSmart other than describing it as a minority stake.

If the companies close the deal and win government approval, travelers could earn and spend American frequent-flyer points on JetSmart flights.

The airlines seem an odd fit. American has global reach and chases upscale travelers by offering better accommodations in business class. JetSmart, a so-called ultra low-cost carrier, doesn't offer business class or other amenities on its short hops around South America, and it packs more passengers than American does on similar planes.

Vasu Raja, Americans chief revenue officer, said the deal would let both airlines grow profitably throughout Latin America as the travel industry recovers from the pandemic. He said two-thirds of passengers on American flights to and from South America start in South America, and the deal will give them more flight options.

American's announcement was immediately denounced by the union representing its pilots, which accuses American of causing flight delays by failing to retrain pilots returning from pandemic-related leaves of absence quickly enough.

Its curious to us why management would be so focused on other airlines while seeming to ignore our airline, said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association.

JetSmart was founded in 2016 and has just 20 planes, although it has 79 more on order. It serves 33 destinations in South America, mostly in Chile and Argentina. JetSmart overlaps with American in a half-dozen cities including Buenos Aires; Santiago, Chile; and Bogota, Colombia.

JetSmart is one of several low-cost carriers controlled or partly owned by U.S. private equity firm Indigo Partners. Others include Denver-based Frontier Airlines, Mexicos Volaris and Hungarys Wizz Air.

American has struck deals in South America before. Its longtime partnership with the continents biggest airline, Latam, collapsed in 2019 when Delta Air Lines swooped in to make a $2 billion investment in the Chilean carrier. After the pandemic crushed air travel in 2020, Latam filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S.
AP

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week earlier this year finally reached the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands on Thursday to begin unloading its cargo.

As dawn broke over the sprawling port, the Ever Given eased into the Amazonehaven container terminal months later than originally planned.
Another adorable manatee sighting has been recorded in South Texas.

Captain Michael Rasco had his first encounter with a manatee while out by the jetties at South Padre Island on Monday, July 26. He tells MySA he thought it was a giant turtle at first, but realized it was the marine mammal once he stepped closer.

The 15-year captain says a few residents in the area have seen manatees over the years, but says he hasn't, despite often being on the water as owner of his private boat touring company, Tritoon Charters.

"It was very cool to see," he says.

Manatees don't live year-round in Texas, but these gentle, slow-moving sea cows are known to occasionally visit, swimming in for a "summer vacation" from Florida and Mexico before returning to warmer waters for the winter, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Shelby Bessette, program manager for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Coastal Studies Laboratory, tells MySA it's rare to see manatees in South Padre Island. She says they usually pop up about once every other year.

In June, a couple of college students spotted a cute manatee in Corpus Christi Bay. At the time, Scott Cross, director of coastal parks for Nueces County, said it's unusual to see manatees in the Corpus Christi area.

Bessette adds some think it's the same manatee folks have spotted in the Corpus Christi area, but there's no way to really know because there are no tracking devices on the marine mammals.

"It's likely there are multiple in our waters," Bessette says. "It's just rare because 90 percent of them are in Florida but our habitats are suitable for them because of all the seagrass and warm water. It could be that they are just expanding and looking for food."

Manatees seen outside of Florida after mid-November should be reported to Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Manatee Sighting Network immediately at 1-866-493-5803 as they may become susceptible to potentially fatal cold stress.

Here's another video of the SPI manatee:
Harris County residents who need financial assistance from the pandemic could be eligible for a $1,500 check.

County leaders approved a $30 million pot to help those in need who have hit financial hardships during the pandemic. The one-time payment will come through Catholic Charities, which is helping administer the funds.

NO GOOD NEWS: Houston has the second most homes under threat of foreclosure

Applications opened Wednesday. They'll be accepted through Aug. 11.

There's no need to rush to apply  recipients will be chosen at random instead of a first-come, first-serve basis. That means anyone who makes the application deadline has an equal chance of getting paid.

A total of 20,000 individuals and families will receive payments.

Houston's economy will have a slow recovery from the pandemic, according to Danica Lloyd in Community Impact. Many are still struggling despite the slowly reopening economy.

And with cases still rising in Houston (we recently saw the largest one-day spike since February, according to Houston Chronicle's Robert Downen), residents are bound to be fraught with uncertainty about the economic future.

"How we respond to the most vulnerable in our community will be the key to our regions economic recovery," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a press release."Over the past year, millions of families in Harris County have relied on cash infusions  from federal stimulus payments to local relief programs  to stay housed, clothed, and healthy. As other protections expire, these direct payments will serve as a vital bridge to a permanent recovery from this pandemic."

To apply, visit Catholic Charities online. You'll need to provide proof of hardship and provide an ID, among other details.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  An attorney who helped reach a $35 million settlement with an opioid manufacturer over the company's role in the epidemic in Tennessee said Thursday that his team accepted the drug maker's last, best and final offer, arguing the agreement avoids the possible complications of a jury verdict.

Gerard Stranch, who represents the plaintiffs in the Tennessee case against Endo, told reporters that $35 million was the total largest sum Endo was willing or able to pay. Endo announced the settlement last week, just days before a trial would have begun over how much to award the local governments and the child born dependent to opioids who sued.

Stranch said that even with a jury verdict, the money could have been tied up amid an appeal, and the company could have declared bankruptcy.

We came to the conclusion this is the top dollar we could collect and put into communities right away, Stranch said.

A judge already ruled the opioid firm was liable in April without holding a civil trial over its role in the epidemic, a rare default judgment he said he entered because of a coordinated strategy by the company and its attorneys to delay proceedings, deprive plaintiffs of information and interfere with the administration of justice.

In its news release last week, Endo said the settlement involving two of its subsidiaries will include no admission of wrongdoing, fault or liability of any kind by Endo, and the settlement value should not be extrapolated to any other opioid-related cases or claims.

Stranch said he expects that all the local governments involved  nine counties and 18 cities and towns in northeast Tennessee  will have signed on by early next week, and the money will start flowing out to communities within a week of that.

He said the money for the child born dependent on opioids, nicknamed Baby Doe, will be deducted and put in a trust fund, and legal fees and expenses will also be taken out. The counties will each receive a lump sum big enough to fund a mobile addiction unit with the remainder divided among the counties by population, Stranch said. The counties can use the money however they want, he said.

Endo, which has a U.S. headquarters in Pennsylvania, is the last remaining active corporate defendant in the 2017 lawsuit after Mallinckrodt and Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy. The plaintiffs sued for $2.4 billion. The judge, Sullivan County Circuit Court Chancellor E.G. Moody, wrote that they have expert testimony that supports that amount.

The lawsuit argued Endo is liable under the Tennessees Drug Dealer Liability Act, a strategy the state Supreme Court said is allowed in a December 2020 opinion in a similar case.

The same Supreme Court ruling said local prosecutors could no longer be plaintiffs in similar cases. The district attorneys have remained involved in the Baby Doe case.

Last week, governments announced potential settlements to opioid lawsuits with the nations three biggest drug distribution companies and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson that could be worth up to $26 billion, depending on how many jurisdictions sign on. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery was one of the lead negotiators in the settlement.

Other companies, including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, are close to nationwide settlements, too. But lawsuits are proceeding against regional drug wholesalers, pharmacies and manufacturers like Endo that have not reached settlements.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  Brazilian health authorities on Thursday began the mass immunization of Rio de Janeiro's Mare neighborhood in a novel bid to control COVID-19 in a poor community while studying vaccine effectiveness and the prevalence of worrisome variants.

The bayside Mare complex is comprised of more than a dozen so-called favelas and home to some 130,000 people, and the study is Brazil's first to target a low-income area. The Brazilian researchers leading the effort arent aware of another elsewhere in the world that has specifically focused on slums.

Rio is currently providing first vaccine doses to 34-year-olds. As such, the Brazilian governments Fiocruz Institute aims to inoculate more than 30,000 Mare residents aged 18 to 33, and bring vaccine coverage of the adult population to near 100%, according to Dr. Fernando Bozza, the studys coordinator. First doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered over the course of three days at 30 locations across Mare.

This is important for Mare and for Brazil as a whole. Here in Rio de Janeiro, more than 1.5 million people live in favelas. Research is usually done in hospitals and health units, Dr. Valcler Rangel, Fiocruzs adviser for institutional relations, told reporters.

Before one station opened its doors in the early morning, already 100 people were lined up outside.

Those who choose to can also participate in Fiocruzs study, for which the institute intends to recruit 2,000 families.

After her shot, Jennifer Cardoso Nunes, 27, signed a consent form and answered survey questions about her medical history, recent experience with anxiety, whether she works from home and the number of people with whom she lives. She shares her home with her grandmother and five aunts and uncles, all of whom will receive blood tests at the studys 3-month and 6-month marks.

I think its important we participate in this research precisely so they can monitor this pandemic, said Cardoso.

Any positive COVID-19 tests in Mare over coming months will be genomically sequenced, which at present is scarcely done in Brazil. That will allow for observation of worrisome variants, like the highly contagious delta strain that has begun circulating in Rio and other Brazilian cities after ravaging majority unvaccinated populations in other nations.

Evaluating the vaccine's effectiveness against new variants like delta is one of the studys focuses, said Bozza.

The intensification of vaccination is necessary to control the spread of the new variant, he added.

Less than half of Brazilians have received a first shot and less than one-fifth are fully vaccinated, according to Health Ministry data.

Brenda Ferreira da Silva, a law student who received her first shot, criticized Brazils vaccine sommeliers -- a moniker for those who refuse AstraZeneca or Sinovac that comprise the vast majority of available vaccines and instead seek out Pfizer or Jannsen shots.

If we keep trying to get X or Y vaccine, it delays the collective vaccination and herd immunity from having everyone vaccinated. So I think its very sad, and people need to stop with that, said da Silva, 20. Based on Rios vaccination schedule, she wouldnt have received her first shot until Aug. 16.

Fiocruz has already carried out a mass vaccination program with AstraZeneca on the Paqueta island in Rios Guanabara Bay, as well as in Botucatu, a city in Sao Paulo state. Sao Paulos state-run Butantan Institute conducted a mass vaccination study in another city of its interior, Serrana, using the Sinovac vaccine.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  A rural Pennsylvania county formally declined to participate in a forensic investigation of the states 2020 presidential election sought by backers of former President Donald Trump, dealing another blow Thursday to prospects for a months-long spectacle of the kind playing out in Arizona.

The three commissioners in Republican-controlled Tioga County had said two weeks ago that they would not allow third-party access to the county's voting machines for fear of seeing them decertified by the state just weeks before preparations must begin for November's election.

In a Thursday letter to Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, the commissioners declined his request at this time" because they need new voting machines paid for and delivered within three weeks.

As Mastriano's Saturday deadline for counties to comply approaches, Senate Republican leaders have been silent about whether they support it. It has sowed discord in the Republican caucus, and one publicly blasted it, saying it is only favored by a handful of my colleagues."

What message will people take from someone trying to pry open voting machines and rummage through already counted ballots while employing statistical tricks to argue that the 2020 election was a fraud? state Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, questioned in an editorial this week.

Mastriano, R-Fulton, has helped spread Trumps baseless falsehoods that the election was rigged against him and has claimed that Trump asked me to run for governor.

On July 7, Mastriano sent letters to Philadelphia and York and Tioga counties with a sweeping request for access to documents, information and equipment, giving them until this Saturday to formulate a plan to comply, under threat of a subpoena.

The state's top elections official, an appointee of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, promptly told counties that the state would decertify any election equipment that is subject to any such third-party access, rendering it useless in an election.

The undertaking envisioned by Mastriano would likely cost millions of dollars, but Tioga County commissioners suggested that he may be unable to make good on financial promises.

They wrote Thursday that they had made clear they would cooperate if new voting machines were paid for and delivered by Aug. 20.

But, they said, so far, we have received no response to this request, even though prior to receiving your letter it was conveyed to us on your behalf that such funding would be made available to us as part of your inquiry, they wrote.

But, without any help from Mastriano or the Senate to replace the machines, we are thus unable to grant you access to our machines.

York Countys commissioners  two Republican and one Democrat  have raised questions about the legality of Mastriano's demand, the cost to the county and their lack of staff to complete the project.

In the Democratic bastion of Philadelphia, election commissioners there planned to vote Friday on Mastriano's request on the agenda. They have yet to formally respond, but have said Mastriano is reiterating claims about the November 2020 election that have been resoundingly rejected by courts.

Courts have repeatedly thrown out Republican claims about fraud or illegalities, and critics say an election audit is duplicative, given the audits already carried out by county and the state.

In any case, Mastrianos information request does not remotely resemble a post-election audit plan that is recognized by the election administration community, said Edward Perez, global director of technology development at the California-based OSET Institute.

Trump won in Tioga County by three-to-one over Democrat Joe Biden, but Biden won the battleground state by just over 80,000 votes, or about 1 percentage point.

That prompted Trump to pressure Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania and other states he lost narrowly to conduct an "audit," as is happening in a widely discredited exercise in Arizona.

Meanwhile, in York County, officials called police after receiving reports about people purporting to be from an election integrity committee going to homes and questioning the residents about their vote in the 2020 presidential election, the York Dispatch reported Thursday.

York Countys president commissioner, Julie Wheeler, told the Dispatch that she received numerous calls and emails about the activity and referred the matter to the Southern York Regional Police Department.

Chad Baker, the countys Democratic Party chair, said the group appears to be targeting registered Democrats in an attempt to seek out voter fraud.

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Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter
BRAXTON, Miss. (AP)  Relatives of a Black Mississippi man who died in police custody are blaming his death on alleged excessive force by deputies.

Damien Cameron died Monday after police tried to place him under arrest and removed him from a home in Rankin County, news outlets reported.

He was laying right there in that mud puddle, Cameron's grandmother Betty Cameron told WLBT-TV as she pointed to the dirt driveway in front of her home in the village of Braxton.

Deputies responded to the home after getting a call about a burglary and vandalism, according to a news release from the Rankin County Sheriffs Office. When they arrived, Damien Cameron was identified as the suspect. As a deputy approached him, Cameron began to resist arrest, according to the release.

Betty Cameron, 73, and her husband, James, said a deputy chased their grandson into the house and struggled with him in a bedroom. The deputies eventually got him in custody and into a patrol vehicle, they said.

Damien Cameron's mother, Monica Lee, told WAPT-TV that she heard her son yelling, I can't breathe! I can't breathe! I'm tired, as officers brought him out of the house. She said officers denied her request to give him some water.

Lee said she went outside to tell her son that she loved him and would see him the next day at the jail. But when she got there, she said her son "was laid on the ground, unresponsive.

Betty and James Cameron said their grandson complained of not being able to breathe when a deputy placed his knee on the back of his neck. They said he fell twice before being placed in the patrol car. Betty Cameron said he was also shocked twice with a stun gun.

Damien Cameron was brought to two hospitals, and died at the second, his mother said.

I dont understand why it led to that point. It shouldnt have happened. Now, my son is gone and hes never coming home again, Lee said.

James Cameron said he also heard one of the deputies crying and saying, "Oh Lord, why this have to happen to me? Why me?

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety is not commenting on the ongoing investigation. Capt. Johnny Poulos said all investigative findings will be turned over to the district attorney for review.

Lee said she is working with the NAACP to get more answers about her sons death.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  A leading New Mexico legislator should be prepared to resign if she is indicted in an investigation into possible racketeering, money laundering, kickbacks and violations of a law governing the conduct of state lawmakers, said New Mexicos Democratic governor.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was horrified by details of the investigation into Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton's connections to a company that had contracts with the school district where the Albuquerque-based Democrat works, she said Thursday.

The governor has not yet read through a search warrant affidavit outlining allegations, but "if theres an indictment, she should immediately resign and her colleagues should call for that very same thing, Lujan Grisham told a news conference at her offices in the state Capitol building.

Williams Stapleton has been placed on paid administrative leave by Albuquerque's school district and could not be reached immediately for comment Thursday by phone or email. Her district salary is about $80,000 per year.

Albuquerque Public Schools placed on administrative leave 11 additional staff who are subjects of the investigation, district spokeswoman Monica Armenta said in a news release. Employees placed on paid leave include administrators, teachers and clerical staff. They were not named, and salary information was not made available.

The probe examines activities dating back to 2006, meaning other staff who had already left the district might be investigated as well.

Authorities executed search warrants at the Albuquerque Public Schools offices and Stapletons home this week as part of an investigation into criminal allegations.

No charges have been filed against Stapleton, the No. 2 Democrat in the state House and a member of the chambers education committees. Stapleton, a former teacher, began serving in the Legislature in 1995.

She also oversees career technical education for Albuquerque Public Schools, the largest school district in the state and the top employer in Albuquerque. The district serves about 20% of public school students in New Mexico.

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Attanasio 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. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.
GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  Thousands of Guatemalans took to the streets in protest Thursday, blocking highways and calling for a national strike over the governments apparent unwillingness to tackle corruption.

Pressure has been building since Attorney General Consuelo Porras fired anti-corruption special prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval on July 23. In response, the United States government this week said that it had lost confidence in Guatemalas commitment to battling corruption and was temporarily suspending cooperation with Porras office.

President Alejandro Giammattei has previously spoken of his friendship with Porras, who was appointed by his predecessor, President Jimmy Morales.

Singing the national anthem, some 10,000 people blocked one of the countrys main highways early Thursday. Organizations representing Indigenous Guatemalans, farmworkers, students and professionals have said they will join a national work stoppage.

In front of the presidential offices, Daniel Pascual, director of the Farmworker Unity Committee, said that protests had been registered in at least 90 sites around the country.

Mario Menchu, president of the 14 Communities of San Cristobal Totonicapan, said protesters demanded Porras resignation. He also complained that Giammattei had not followed through on promised structural improvements in the country.

Protests were taking place across Guatemala, including outside the Attorney Generals Office, which issued a statement saying it respects the right to protest and the right of freedom of expression.

Laura Aguiar, secretary general of the Oliverio Castaneda de Leon Students Association at San Carlos University, said her group demanded that both Porras and the president resign, accusing officials of failing to call out corruption.

Some business associations condemned the blockades as illegal.

Sandoval said after his firing that as his investigations got closer to Giammattei and members of his cabinet, Porras made efforts to block him. Porras said she fired him because his investigations were ideologically biased.

Sandovals office was a critical remaining piece of Guatemalas anti-corruption efforts. In 2019, the Morales forced out the United Nations anti-corruption mission, which had worked closely with Sandovals office to dismantle graft networks.

On Thursday, Giammattei expressed his concern that the suspension in U.S. cooperation would be counterproductive because it would affect the countries common goals of fighting organized crime and corruption. He said he had asked the finance minister to look for budget support and called on friendly countries to help keep efforts from being diminished.

Eleven opposition lawmakers sent a letter to Porras asking her to resign over Sandovals firing. You are no longer independent nor ideal to continue in the position, the letter said.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Heat and wildfire danger is expected starting Thursday throughout northwestern Oregon, including Portland, and southwest Washington, weather officials said.

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory from 11 a.m. Thursday through 11 p.m. Saturday with temperatures nearing or surpassing 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius).

National Weather Service meteorologist John Bumgardner told the Statesman Journal it will be hot, but temperatures are not expected to reach levels experienced last month during the deadly heatwave. More than 110 people died from heat-related causes in the June heatwave, with the majority living in Multnomah County, which includes Portland. Many were elderly and living alone without air conditioning.

Multnomah County officials plan to open five cooling centers and 15 libraries with extended hours, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

The potential for lightning in a series of thunderstorms is also expected Thursday afternoon and evening, and possibly into Friday.

A fire weather watch has been issued because of the potential for abundant lightning and critically dry fuels (that) may result in numerous fire starts, the weather agency said. Thunderstorm outflow winds may result in erratic fire spread.

Bumgardner said lightning will be possible along the Cascade Crest  from Detroit to Santiam Pass and into central Oregon.

Extreme conditions like these are often because of 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. Climate change has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years. Special calculations are needed to determine how much global warming is to blame, if at all, for a single extreme weather event.
VALLETTA, Malta (AP)  An independent inquiry into the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia released on Thursday has found that the Maltese state has to bear responsibility for the assassination due the culture of impunity that emanated from the highest levels of government.

Caruana Galizias family had sought the inquiry into the Oct. 16, 2017 car bombing near the family home in Malta. The murder in the small EU country sent shockwaves felt not just in Malta, but throughout Europe.

The inquiry found that there was no evidence that the state played a direct role in the assassination, but said the state has to bear responsibility ... by creating an atmosphere of impunity, generated from the highest levels in the heart of the administration of (the prime minister's office) and, like an octopus, spread to other entities, like regulatory authorities and the police, leading to a collapse of the rule of law.

The report said the state and its entities had failed to recognize the real risk to Caruana Galizias life, given the threats she had lived under, and also failed to take measures to avoid the risk, the report found.

The Caruana Galizia family said in a statement that the inquirys findings confirm the family's conviction that her assassination was a direct result of the collapse of the rule of law and the impunity that the state provided to the corrupt network she was reporting on.

"We hope that its findings will lead to the restoration of the rule of law in Malta,'' the family added.

Yorgen Fenech, a prominent businessman who had ties with some government officials, is alleged by prosecutors to have been the mastermind of the killing. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of alleged complicity in the killing and allegedly organizing and financing the bombing.

In addition, three men have been charged with carrying out the attack, two with providing explosives and another with being the middleman. Trials are under way. One of those charged with carrying out the attack has admitted his role, as has the middleman.

Joseph Muscat, Malta's former prime minister, stepped down in late 2019 following protests that pressed for the truth about the assassination of the investigative journalist, whose reports targeted Muscats administration but also the opposition.

In a statement on Facebook, Muscat sought to distance his administration from the state of impunity mentioned in the report.

He noted that the arrests of the alleged hitmen within two months and the alleged mastermind a few months later disproves any impression of impunity that the alleged perpetrators may have had. And he pointed the finger at previous administrations, during which he said high profile crimes were committed, but nobody was every prosecuted.

The inquiry report made a number of recommendations to improve laws and better protect journalists in Malta.

During a press conference, Prime Minister Robert Abela, who took office last year, apologized to Caruana Galizias family for the state's "serious shortcomings.

He said earlier that lessons must be taken from the report and reforms need to be pursued with greater resolve.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israels prime minister on Thursday announced that the country would offer a coronavirus booster to people over 60 who have already been vaccinated.

The announcement by Naftali Bennett makes Israel, which launched one of the world's most successful vaccination drives earlier this year, the first country to offer a third dose of a Western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale.

I'm announcing this evening the beginning of the campaign to receive the booster vaccine, the third vaccine, Bennett said in a nationally televised address. Reality proves the vaccines are safe. Reality also proves the vaccines protect against severe morbidity and death. And like the flu vaccine that needs to be renewed from time to time, it is the same in this case.

The decision comes at a time of rising infections and signs that the vaccines efficacy dwindles over time.

Anyone over 60 who was vaccinated more than five months ago will be eligible. Bennett said the country's new president, Isaac Herzog, would be the first to get the booster on Friday. It will also be offered to the general public.

Bennett, who is 49, said his first call after the news conference would be to his mother to encourage her to get her booster shot.

Neither the U.S. nor the EU have approved coronavirus booster shots. Its not yet proven if a third dose helps and, if so, who needs one and when.

But Bennett said that a team of expert advisers had agreed overwhelmingly, by a 56-1 margin, that it made sense to launch the booster campaign. He said the recommendation was made after considerable research and analysis and that its information would be shared around the world. Preliminary studies in Israel have indicated the vaccines protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January.

The findings show that there is a decline in the bodys immunity over time, and the purpose of the booster is to re-strengthen it, thus significantly reducing the chances of infection and serious illness, Bennett said.

Israel has used the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine on its population. Previously, boosters were used in some countries with the Chinese and Russian vaccines.

Early this year, Israel carried out one of the worlds most aggressive and successful vaccination campaigns, reaching a deal with Pfizer to purchase enough vaccines for its population in exchange for sharing its data with the drug maker.

Over 57% of the countrys 9.3 million citizens have received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and over 80% of the population over 40 is vaccinated.

The vaccination program allowed Israel to reopen its economy ahead of other countries. But Israel has seen a spike in cases of the new delta variant, even among people who are vaccinated. Bennett urged unvaccinated Israelis, especially younger people who have been hesitant, to get vaccinated immediately.

Earlier this month, Israel started giving individuals with weakened immune systems a third shot to increase their resilience against COVID-19.

Pfizer said Wednesday that the effectiveness of the vaccine drops slightly six months after the second dose. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have said they plan to seek authorization for boosters in August.

Most studies  and real-world data from Britain and the U.S.  so far show that the Pfizer vaccine remains powerfully protective against serious illness. Just Wednesday, Pfizer released data from its long-running 44,000-person study showing that while protection against any symptomatic infection declined slightly six months after immunization, protection against severe COVID-19 remained at nearly 97%. Earlier this month, Israels Health Ministry announced that protection against severe disease was around 93%.

The World Health Organization said earlier this month that there is not enough evidence to show that a third dose is needed.

The agency's officials have appealed for wealthier countries to share vaccines with poorer nations that have yet to immunize their people, instead of using them as boosters. Israel itself has come under criticism for not sharing more of its vaccines with the Palestinians.

The Israeli Health Ministry recorded at least 2,165 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, following an accelerating rise in infections over the past month. Serious cases of COVID-19 have grown from 19 a day in mid-June to 159 as the highly infectious delta variant has spread.

Thanks to its successful vaccination campaign, Israel lifted almost all of its coronavirus restrictions this spring. But with new cases back on the rise, the country has tried to halt the spread of the highly infectious delta variant by re-imposing limitations on gatherings, restoring a green pass system for vaccinated people to enter certain enclosed spaces, and an indoor mask mandate.

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Associated Press correspondent Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
SEEKONK, Mass. (AP)  A Warwick judge dismissed domestic assault charges against the Seekonk fire chief and allowed a no-contact order for the person who reported the assault to be lifted on Wednesday.

The prosecution requested the charges of domestic simple assault and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, against Seekonk Fire Chief David Rave be dropped, the Sun Chronicle reported.
HONG KONG (AP)  A lawyer for the first person convicted under Hong Kongs national security law asked Thursday for no more than 10 years in prison instead of the possible life sentence faced by the former restaurant waiter in a closely watched case as China's ruling Communist Party tries to crush a pro-democracy movement.

Tong Ying-kit was convicted Tuesday of inciting secession and terrorism for driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers during a July 1, 2020, pro-democracy rally while carrying a flag bearing the banned slogan, Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.

Tong, 24, will be sentenced Friday, the Hong Kong High Court announced.

Beijing imposed the security law on the former British colony last year following anti-government protests that erupted in mid-2019. The crackdown prompted complaints the ruling party is violating the autonomy promised when Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 and hurting its status as a global business center. Officials reject the criticisms and say Beijing is restoring order and instituting national security protections similar to those of other countries.

At a hearing, Tongs lead defense lawyer, Clive Grossman, asked the three-judge panel for a sentence of no more than 10 years. He said the court hadnt found the attack was deliberate, no one was injured and Tongs secession-related offense qualified as minor under the law.

The court ruled Tuesday that Tongs actions were an act of violence aimed at coercing the Hong Kong and mainland governments and intimidating the public. It said carrying the flag was an act of incitement to secession, rejecting defense arguments that Tong couldn't proven to be inciting secession just by using the slogan.

Prosecutor Ivan Cheung asked for at least three years.

Judge Anthea Pang said the court will follow the usual statutory term and legal interpretations of the national security law but gave no indication what that might be.

Tong, wearing a black shirt and tie with a blue blazer, talked with his lawyers before the hearing but didnt address the court. Relatives waved to Tong as he left and said, see you tomorrow.

The last pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper, Apple Daily, shut down last month after journalists and executives were arrested.

Tongs trial was conducted by judges without a jury under rules that allow an exception to Hong Kongs British-style common law system if state secrets need to be protected or foreign forces are involved. The judges were picked by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Malaysia's king on Thursday rebuked Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's government for misleading Parliament over the status of coronavirus emergency measures, sparking renewed calls for the embattled leader to resign.

Muhyiddin obtained royal consent to declare the emergency in January, allowing him to halt Parliament and rule by ordinance without legislative approval. Critics have slammed the emergency as a ruse for Muhyiddin to cling to power at a time when his razor-thin majority in Parliament is in jeopardy.

Parliament reopened Monday for the first time this year after Muhyiddin caved to pressure from the king, but the government said the five-day special session would only be to brief lawmakers on the the pandemic and no other motions would be allowed.

The king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, took issue with Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan's statement to Parliament on Monday that the emergency ordinances had been annulled on July 21, ahead of the scheduled Aug. 1 expiration.

The monarch said he didnt approve the proposed annulment and that Takiyuddins statement was inaccurate and has confused members of the legislature.

Sultan Abdullah said he had asked the law minister and attorney general to present the matter in Parliament for debate and was disappointed it wasnt carried out. He said the governments hasty move was an affront to the rule of law and disregarded the kings functions and powers as the head of state.

The king's statement immediately sparked an uproar in Parliament, with opposition lawmakers shouting treason" and demanding Muhyiddin resign.

The king's statement shows the Cabinet led by Muhyiddin has violated the constitution, insulted the royal institution" and that Takiyuddin has deliberately lied to the house, said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who filed a motion of no-confidence against Muhyiddin.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and members of the United Malays National Organization, the biggest party in the ruling coalition, have echoed calls for Muhyiddin to resign.

Muhyiddin was defiant and defended his government's action. The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement later Thursday that Muhyiddin had written to the king on July 23 to advise him on the Cabinet's decision to annul the ordinances, and had advised him again during an audience on July 27. It said that under the constitution, the king must accept the Cabinet's advice and act based on it.

The government is of the view that all the actions taken are in order and in accordance with the provisions of the law and the federal constitution," the statement said.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri, an UMNO member, insisted in a statement that the government still has majority support.

The opposition has previously accused Muhyiddin of trying to avoid votes in Parliament that may show he has lost majority support and prompt the king to call for a new leader.

The Parliament session was delayed after the Health Ministry ordered a swab test for all lawmakers following two positive COVID-19 cases in Parliament. The house deputy speaker later said Parliament will be postponed to Monday as two more cases have been detected, ignoring shouts of protests from lawmakers who accused the government of orchestrating the delay to buy time amid the crisis.

Analysts said the unprecedented royal rebuke further undermines Muhyiddins unelected government, which took power in March 2020 with a tiny majority in Parliament.

Muhyiddin was dependent on the kings support. He was standing on the back of the kings support. Today that leg was pulled away, said Bridget Welsh of Malaysias University of Nottingham and an expert in Southeast Asian politics.

It will increase pressure for him to quit and weaken his support at a time when he is seen as mismanaging the pandemic," she said.

Welsh said Muhyiddin is trying to make it a legal interpretation battle when it is actually a cultural battle about respect for Malay traditional authority."

Despite the emergency measures, the government has failed to curb a worsening surge in coronavirus infections, with total cases breaching the 1 million mark on Sunday.

Muhyiddin became prime minister after initiating the downfall of the reformist government that won the 2018 elections. His Bersatu party formed an unstable alliance that includes UMNO, which was ousted in the 2018 polls.

UMNO, the largest party in the alliance, has been unhappy at playing second fiddle to Bersatu and recently said it would withdraw support for Muhyiddin. But some of its lawmakers still back the prime minister.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Nebraska education officials announced Thursday that they have largely scrapped plans for gender identity lessons in public school curriculum after an uproar from conservatives who argued that the topics weren't appropriate for children.

The new draft of the proposed sexual standards from the Nebraska Department of Education came after agency officials faced intense criticism from parents, school boards, state lawmakers and Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, who held town hall events to blast the proposal. Opponents flooded a meeting of the Nebraska State Board of Education, an elected board that oversees the agency.

What we're really trying to do is understand what Nebraskans as a whole accept as a standard and an expectation of what our students learn in school, Matthew Blomstedt, Nebraska's education commissioner, said Thursday at a press conference. There's always going to be a little bit of tensions over those types of issues, especially in this sense.

Nebraska currently has no statewide sex education standards. Even if adopted, the proposal would just be recommendations that school districts could use or ignore.

The original draft would have suggested lessons about family structures, including same-gender families, for kindergartners, and a discussion about gender identity and stereotypes for first-graders. Sixth graders would have learned about a range of gender identities, and seventh graders would have been taught about different types of sex and how diseases are transmitted.

Most of those lessons were removed from the new draft, although seventh graders would still be taught that biological sex and gender identity may differ, raising concerns from social conservatives.

Blomstedt said school officials tried to balance the wishes of concerned parents and those of the LGBTQ community, whose members have argued that schools need to educate students about groups that feel excluded because of how they identify. He said the department also wanted to defer to local schools.

Standards and structure will not solve all of those issues, he said. He went on to add, We're going to have those challenges whether we adopted those standards or not.

Still, advocates for the LGBTQ community blasted the decision to gut major parts of the first draft.

Nebraska schools need to be welcome, safe spaces for all students, said Abbi Swatsworth, executive director of OutNebraska. This erasure does nothing to protect LGBTQ+ students. The fact that LGBTQ+ people exist should not be controversial. We will continue to advocate for medically accurate, inclusive standards for our community.

Swatsworth said the new draft largely omitted the reality of LGBTQ+ youth and families."

State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, of Lincoln, said she was completely disappointed with the board's decision and believes members caved in" to political pressures. She said she understands the board's situation but hopes state officials write another draft.

We have to trust educators and mental health experts to make the best decisions for Nebraska children, not by putting our heads in the sand and acting like LGBTQ students don't exist, said Pansing Brooks, a leading advocate for the community.

Jo Giles, executive director for the Women's Fund of Omaha, said her group was also concerned that lessons on preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease were removed from the original draft.

Giles said it's important to teach students about the issues before high school, when some become sexually active. She said it's unrealistic to rely solely on parents, because some students are in abusive households.

The decision didn't satisfy social conservatives, either, who expressed anger that the department even introduced the proposal in the first place.

The trust just isn't there right now, said Sen. Joni Albrecht, of Thurston, who helped organize opposition to the measure among a majority of Nebraska lawmakers. The public doesn't believe that they're really, truly going to do what's right.

In a statement, Ricketts said the new proposed standards still need improvement because they teach the concept of gender identity. Ricketts said sex education and similar topics should be addressed at home, not in schools.

The continued presence of gender ideology in the standards leaves the door open for this material to be expanded either before these draft standards are approved or in future years when these standards are revisited, Ricketts said.

The debate has stirred strong emotions in Nebraska, a state that has maintained socially conservative policies for decades.

Nebraska still has a one-man, one-woman marriage requirement in the state constitution that voters approved in 2000, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has declared such measures unenforceable. Some state lawmakers have discussed a constitutional amendment to remove that language, but quietly dropped the issue out of concern that voters would reject that effort and put Nebraska in the national spotlight.

The state education board will meet next week to hear public input on the new standards.

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Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte
NEW YORK (AP)  The founder and one-time executive chair of Nikola Corp. was freed on $100 million bail Thursday after pleading not guilty to charges alleging he lied about the electric and hydrogen-powered truck startup, duping novice investors including some financially struggling people looking for income during the pandemic.

Trevor Milton, 39, of Oakley, Utah, resigned from Nikola in September amid allegations of fraud. At the time, Milton said he would defend himself against accusations that the company made false claims about its vehicles, allegations Nikola rejects.

In an unsealed indictment Manhattan federal court, Milton was charged with securities and wire fraud.

At an arraignment, Milton pleaded not guilty. He was released on $100 million bail, secured by two Utah properties, including one that a prosecutor said was recently appraised at $36 million. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn ordered him not to contact investors unless he had an independent relationship with them.

Marc Mukasey, one of Milton's attorneys, alerted the judge that some financial information in the court record would have to be revised, including a statement that some Milton bank accounts contained $50 million.

Mukasey said it was "a lot less than that as we understand it.

As he left the courthouse in a suit and purple tie, Milton declined to answer questions.

His lawyers issued a statement through a spokesperson saying justice was not served by the government's action today, but it will be when Mr. Milton is exonerated.

The statement called the case "a new low in the governments efforts to criminalize lawful business conduct. Every executive in America should be horrified.

Trevor Milton is an entrepreneur who had a long-term vision of helping the environment by cutting carbon emissions in the trucking industry. Mr. Milton has been wrongfully accused following a faulty and incomplete investigation in which the government ignored critical evidence and failed to interview important witnesses, it added.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said Milton from November 2019 through last September brazenly and repeatedly used social media, and appearances and interviews on television, podcasts, and in print, to make false and misleading claims about the status of Nikolas trucks and technology.

She told a news conference that the charges were where the rubber meets the road after repeated public lies by Milton, including his claim that one of the company's early prototypes  Nikola One  could be driven when the closest it ever came was when some Nikola engineers rolled it down a hill for a television commercial.

A video of it was included in the indictment, along with Miltons explanation that the truck did not drive under its own power because motors and gears were removed for safety reasons and that Milton never deceived anyone.

He even claimed that Nikola was developing the technology for a new line of pickup trucks called the Badger, when in fact the Badger was going to be little more than another companys truck with Nikola branding on top, Strauss said.

At the bottom, this case is very straightforward, the prosecutor said. Milton told lies to generate popular demand for Nikolas stock.

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed separate civil charges.

Shares of Nikola Corp., headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, finished Thursday down over 15%.

Milton's claims were aimed at retail investors lacking professional experience in the securities markets, including people with no experience who began trading stocks during the coronavirus pandemic to replace or supplement lost income or to occupy time during the lockdown, the indictment said.

Some, it said, suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses, including the loss of retirement savings or funds they had borrowed to invest in Nikola.

Meanwhile, Milton was motivated to mislead investors to enrich himself and elevate his stature as an entrepreneur, the indictment said, noting that his holdings in Nikola were valued at $8.5 billion at one point, moving him closer to his dream of being listed among the world's 100 wealthiest people.

Milton was described in the indictment as a serial entrepreneur from Utah with no formal background in engineering when he started Nikola in 2015. After Nikola announced in March 2020 that its stock would be publicly listed, Milton became increasingly preoccupied with its stock price and keeping it high, it said.

Nikola issued a statement distancing itself from its founder, saying he hadn't been involved in the company's operations and communications since his September resignation.

Todays government actions are against Mr. Milton individually, and not against the company, the statement said. Nikola has cooperated with the government throughout the course of its inquiry. We remain committed to our previously announced milestones and timelines and are focused on delivering Nikola Tre battery-electric trucks later this year from the companys manufacturing facilities.
A recently demoted Seattle police commander has filed a $5.48 million discrimination and retaliation claim against the city, alleging interim police Chief Adrian Diaz made him the scapegoat during last years police clashes with racial justice demonstrators.

Capt. Steve Hirjak says in the claim, filed Thursday, that Diaz demoted and falsely blamed him for the improper actions of another commander, who gave riot-gear clad officers the orders to use tear gas and blast balls into a largely peaceful crowd on June 1, 2020.
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (AP)  Daryl Barker was passionately against a COVID-19 vaccination, and so were his relatives. Then 10 of them got sick and Barker, at just 31, ended up in a Missouri intensive care unit fighting for his life.

It's a scenario playing out time and again at Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach, where 22 people died from the virus in the first 23 days of July. Many other hospitals across Missouri are fighting the same battle, the result of the fast-spreading delta variant invading a state with one of the nation's lowest vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.

The Associated Press was given access inside Lake Regional, where just two months ago, no one was hospitalized with the virus. Doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital in the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks region are now dealing with an onslaught of COVID-19 patients  some of them struggling to stay alive.

Weve had a big-time delta virus surge here. A lot of admissions, a lot of people who are very sick and are dying," said Dr. Harbaksh Sangha, Lake Regional's chief medical officer.

So as a human being its very frustrating, but as a physician we just take care of whatever we get.

Just 47.5% of Missourians have initiated vaccination, nearly 10 percentage points less than the nation as a whole. Around Osage Beach, a town of about 5,000 people that straddles two counties, state data shows only 38.6% of Camden County residents and 26.7% in Miller County have started the process.

Barker, of Branson, about 120 miles (190 kilometers) southwest of Osage Beach, understands the hesitancy.

I was strongly against getting the vaccine, Barker said through labored breathing. Just because were a strong conservative family."

In the U.S., many people who identify as politically and socially conservative have been more reluctant to be vaccinated  so much so that in Missouri, faith leaders have joined the effort to encourage shots. Meanwhile, the summer outbreak is so alarming that Democratic-led St. Louis city and county and Kansas City have reinstated mask mandates.

The virus has recently run through Barker's extended family. Not only did he and his wife, Billie, get it, but so did eight other relatives.

Barker got so sick that his wife took him to the emergency room in Branson. He was sent home with oxygen, but got worse.

With the Branson hospital maxed out with COVID-19 patients, doctors contacted a dozen hospitals in all corners of the state. All were at capacity. Lake Regional was nearly full, too, but Dr. Joe Sohal, a pulmonologist and critical care specialist, found a bed for Barker.

He arrived critically ill. Placed on a ventilator, Barker was given a 20% chance of surviving.

The doctor told me he was going to let my wife and kid in so I could say my goodbyes because he didnt think I was going to pull through," Barker said. In those conversations, he told his wife and 6-year-old son, Brody, that he loved them and I wasn't going to give up.

Slowly, Barker started to recover. Sohal is optimistic but said Barker, who has been hospitalized for three weeks, isn't out of the woods.

This is the time when hes going to get a lot better or a lot worse, Sohal said.

The Lake of the Ozarks region draws nearly 5.5 million annual visitors and made national news early in the pandemic, when large crowds were spotted ignoring social distancing while partying at bars and swimming pools.

That mindset remains in Osage Beach. Few people  locals or visitors  wear masks, even in crowded spots.

If tourists are getting sick, they're taking it home with them. Sohal said most of the COVID-19 patients at Lake Regional are locals, or people like Barker transferred from other hospitals.

Statewide, hospitalizations for COVID-19 have more than doubled since the start of June, and the number of ICU patients has more than tripled. Since June 7, Lake Regional has admitted 125 patients with the virus. As of Tuesday, it had 21 COVID-19 patients, including eight in intensive care and four on ventilators. Sohal himself signed about a half dozen death certificates over the past week.

Sohal said many patients now are younger  in their 20s, 30s or 40s  and sicker, often with gastrointestinal distress in addition to breathing problems.

Hospital staff members are exhausted. Among those feeling the strain is ICU nurse Chris Murphy, who spends much of his day running from one room to the next.

Its devastating people and families, Murphy, a former combat medic, said of the virus. "And you should take precautions.

Sohal said nearly everyone hospitalized is unvaccinated. Patients have said they worried about vaccine side effects, or felt the vaccines were rushed out took quickly.

Daryl and Billie Barker both plan to get vaccinated once he recovers.

Daryl said his wife and son are why hes fighting so hard.

On a sweltering day, they sat outside the ICU in lawn chairs, looking at Daryl through glass. Every now and then, Brody walked up to the window and waved to his dad, who smiled and waved back. Billie used a dry erase marker to scrawl I love you backwards on the glass so her husband could read it.

I dont ever want to have to do this again," she said, "and if that means getting a vaccination to prevent something like this, thats what Ill do.

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Salter reported from O'Fallon, Mo.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  Black and Hispanic residents continue to make up a disproportionate number of people in Connecticut's justice system, which also is charging African Americans with felonies at higher rates, according to an analysis of state prosecution data released Thursday.

The report is the second annual review of court data stemming from a 2019 state law mandating a deep look into how state prosecutors are doing their jobs and the fairness of the justice system. State officials say it was the first law of its kind in the country.

Researchers with the state Office of Policy and Management and The Urban Institute reviewed nearly 156,000 charges in more than 65,000 criminal cases that were closed in 2020. The number of total cases declined 47% compared with 2019, which officials linked to the coronavirus pandemic and the shutdown of many courthouses, but racial disparities remained at nearly the same levels.

About 28% of all disposed cases in 2020 involved Black residents, who comprise 11% of the state population, the same percentage as in 2019. Hispanic residents, who make up 17% of the population, were charged in 23% of all disposed cases in 2020, compared with 26% in 2019.

White residents comprise 67% of the population and were involved in 46% of prosecutions in 2020, up three percentage points from the year before.

The report also said Black defendants are disproportionately represented among those prosecuted for felonies.

Analysts noted that about 62% of violent crimes in the state are reported in the Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport judicial districts, where about 63% of the state's Black residents and 47% of the state's Hispanic population live.

The report does not specifically address the reasoning behind the racial disparities.

There is substantial disproportionality across the three demographic groups, Marc Pelka, the states undersecretary for criminal justice, told the state Criminal Justice Commission on Thursday during a presentation of the report.

We feel its important to share this analysis and use it as a platform to dig in deeper into this, to examine earlier on in the criminal justice system opportunities to reduce disparity, he said.

Chief State's Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr., the state's top prosecutor, noted prosecutors nolled  or dropped  criminal charges in 47% of the cases disposed of in 2020. In many of those cases, defendants agreed to enter diversionary programs that resulted in charges being erased. In other disposed cases, 29% were dismissed by the courts and 24% resulted in convictions.

Colangelo said nolles are an important tool for prosecutors.

Because the prosecutors dont screen charges from the police, this is kind of our equalizer, the way to equalize those things in the system in Connecticut, Colangelo said.

Reginald Betts, a member of the Criminal Justice Commission, said the large number of cases nolled and dismissed may suggest problems with policing. But he said more data is needed before coming to any conclusions, including ones about racial disparities.

We could try to make some assumptions about Black criminality or we could try to make assumptions about over-policing, said Betts, who spent eight years in prison for a carjacking he committed as a teenager and is now a lawyer. I think that data alone doesn't really support either one of those conclusions and I would prefer not make either one.

Betts and Scot X. Esdaile, president of the Connecticut State Conference of the NAACP, said the data show what they already know, that the criminal justice system is harsher on Black people and other minorities.

This report is shameful, Esdaile said in an interview. He added that with the wide range of police accountability and other criminal justice reforms passed by the state in recent years, We should be a lot more progressive in the state of Connecticut.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP)  Officials of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology announced Wednesday the school has successfully completed its $250 million fundraising campaign.

Officials say the funds raised since 2018 will increase the number of student scholarships, brought new workspaces and classrooms to the campus and solidified the Terre Haute schools standing in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Rose-Hulman
SUMTER, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina's rapid growth isn't happening in rural areas, and people who live outside places like Greenville, Myrtle Beach and the state's suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, are worried this year's redistricting is going to take away more of their dwindling power.

The state's population grew to 5.1 million peopl e in the 2020 U.S. Census, and lawmakers are using that number to draw new districts for the state House, Senate and U.S. House districts.

Each district has to have roughly the same number of people. Thus, each of South Carolina's 46 Senate districts will have about 111,000 people. Currently, only 14 of the state's 46 counties have that many citizens.

Many rural counties end up like Lee County, where two senators split the county with about 17,000 people. Neither senator lives in the county along Interstate 20 between Florence and Columbia.

We are struggling. We have struggled all my life," said Becky Yarborough, a lifelong Lee County resident. Economic base, job opportunities  we dont have a lot of opportunities.

Yarborough was one of more than 50 people who showed up Wednesday night for a second meeting of a state Senate subcommittee hearing from the public before it draws new maps. So many people came they had to bring in more chairs. The House has its own committee that will start meeting next week.

Lawmakers are waiting for the full release of U.S. Census data next month before starting to draw lines.

The meeting in Sumter County, population 107,000 was about as rural as the committee would get. There is another meeting in August in Orangeburg, which with 86,000 people is the 17h biggest of South Carolina's 46 counties.

Smaller counties understand the numbers are against them. But their main request is not to be split in so many ways.

A speaker at the first Senate public meeting on Tuesday asked lawmakers to keep Saluda County whole. The county of 20,000 people west of Columbia is split between three senators, none of whom live there. Union County in the Upstate has the same problem.

We are a unique community, said Sharon Holloway, the county's Democratic Party chairwoman.

Several people in Sumter said they feel especially spilt by U.S. House districts. Sumter County is in both the 5th District with 10 other counties and the 6th District with 14 other counties.

Keeping counties together can be tough. Incumbents often draw districts to their favor, which trickles down to counties that have no resident lawmaker. Two fairly large counties  Lancaster and Greenwood  now have no resident senator because of retirements or election losses. Lancaster County is in the Charlotte suburbs and one of the fastest growing areas of the state.

Azilee Billie testified Tuesday that people in rural areas may be behind before the oce-a-decade count of everyone in the U,S, is even finished.

Sometimes its like pulling teeth to get them to participate in the Census," she said.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.
A newly arrived Russian science lab briefly knocked the International Space Station out of position Thursday when it accidentally fired its thrusters.

For 47 minutes, the space station lost control of its orientation when the firing occurred a few hours after docking, pushing the orbiting complex from its normal configuration. The station's position is key for getting power from solar panels and or communications. Communications with ground controllers also blipped out twice for a few minutes.

Flight controllers regained control using thrusters on other Russian components at the station to right the ship, and it is now stable and safe, NASA said.

We havent noticed any damage, space station program manager Joel Montalbano said in a late afternoon press conference. There was no immediate danger at anytime to the crew.

Montalbano said the crew didnt really feel any movement or any shaking. NASA said the station moved 45 degrees out of attitude, about one-eighth of a complete circle. The complex was never spinning, NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said.

NASAs human spaceflight chief Kathy Lueders called it a pretty exciting hour.

The incident caused NASA to postpone a repeat test flight for Boeing's crew capsule that had been set for Friday afternoon from Florida. It will be Boeing's second attempt to reach the 250-mile-high station before putting astronauts on board; software problems botched the first test.

Russia's long-delayed 22-ton (20-metric-ton) lab called Nauka arrived earlier Thursday, eight days after it launched from the Russian launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

The launch of Nauka, which will provide more room for scientific experiments and space for the crew, had been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems. It was initially scheduled to go up in 2007.

In 2013, experts found contamination in its fuel system, resulting in a long and costly replacement. Other Nauka systems also underwent modernization or repairs.

Stretching 43 feet (13 meters) long, Nauka became the first new compartment for the Russian segment of the outpost since 2010. On Monday, one of the older Russian units, the Pirs spacewalking compartment, undocked from the station to free up room for the new lab.

Nauka will require many maneuvers, including up to 11 spacewalks beginning in early September, to prepare it for operation.

The space station is currently operated by NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur; Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov of Russias Roscosmos space corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

In 1998, Russia launched the stations first compartment, Zarya, which was followed in 2000 by another big piece, Zvezda, and three smaller modules in the following years. The last of them, Rassvet, arrived at the station in 2010.

Russian space officials downplayed the incident with Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, tweeting: All in order at the ISS. The crew is resting, which is what I advise you to do as well.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A man who fled the country after his girlfriend's body was found in a suitcase in southwest Missouri has been recaptured and returned to the U.S., federal authorities said.

Mahamud Tooxoow Mahamed, 39, was indicted two years ago in the kidnapping of the 4-year-old daughter of Jessica McCormack, whose body was found July 29, 2019, on a hill along Highway 59 near Noel.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A Tennessee man pleaded guilty on Thursday in federal court to taking part in the raid at the U.S. Capitol.

Jack Jesse Griffith, 26, of Gallatin admitted to knowingly entering restricted areas of the Capitol in a videoconference plea hearing before U.S. District Chief Judge Beryl Howell, The Tennessean reported.
CAIRO (AP)  The United Arab Emirates has sent six Yemeni detainees who were first held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and then in the Gulf Arab federation, to their home nation of Yemen, the families of the men and a government official said Thursday.

The transfer comes amid concerns that the former detainees could face significant dangers at home in Yemen, which is largely lawless after years of civil war. The men were held in detention for years in the UAE without charges, their families said.

According to the Yemeni official, the six landed earlier this week in Yemens eastern Hadramawt province. The detainees had undergone rehabilitation while in the UAE, the official said, adding that they would all be released and reunited with their families in the coming weeks.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the transfer with the media, said the men would continue to be monitored by Yemeni security.

United Nations rights experts said last year that forcibly returning detainees to Yemen could be a violation of international law. The experts said the men could face torture or ill-treatment once back in Yemen.

The six were among 19 detainees  18 Yemenis and one Russian  who were scooped up in Afghanistan and Pakistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. The 19 were transferred to custody in the UAE during the period between 2015 and 2017, when the U.S. released them from Guantanamo.

Following this weeks release of the six, 13 from the original group remain held in the UAE.

The mens continued confinement violated promises made by U.S. officials when they were sent to the UAE. In sporadic phone calls from undisclosed locations in the UAE, several whispered to their families that as bad as life in Guantanamo was, they wish they could return there, The Associated Press reported last year. The U.N. experts said the men had been subjected to continuous arbitrary detention at an undisclosed location, in the Emirates.

Emirati authorities have not commented publicly on the handover and the UAEs Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment.

A relative of one of the detainees shared photos of the emotional first meeting between one detainee and his son, now an adult, and of the two embracing. But he and others relatives remain concerned for their family members safety. His name and the full names of the Yemeni detainees are being withheld for fear that they might face retribution.

The U.S.-based American Center for Justice, which follows human rights abuses in Yemen, welcomed the release of the six from Emirati custody but urged Yemens government to continue full care for them to help them integrate into society and practice their normal lives.

Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest country has been wracked by a grinding civil war since 2014. Torture and arbitrary detention are widespread in networks of secret and formal prisons run by various factions controlling different parts of the country.

The return of Yemenis comes after a Moroccan held for 19 years without charges at Guantanamo rejoined his family in this North African kingdom earlier this month. Abdullatif Nasser, now 56, is the first detainee at the Guantanamo Bay center to be transferred into the custody of his home country under the administration of President Joe Biden.

Rights groups have called the detentions and the detention camp at Guantanamo, opened under President George W. Bush after the 2001 al-Qaida terrorist attacks, a historic wrong by the United States. There were allegations of torture in early questioning, and challenges to the lawfulness of military tribunals there. The Bush administration and supporters called the camp, on a U.S. naval base in Cuba, essential to safely managing international terror suspects.

Almost 800 detainees have passed through Guantanamo. Of the 39 remaining, 10 are eligible to be transferred out, 17 are eligible to go through the review process for possible transfer, another 10 are involved in the military commission process used to prosecute detainees and two have been convicted, a senior administration official said.

The 10 who are eligible for transfer are from Yemen, Pakistan, Tunisia, Algeria and the UAE.

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Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this story.

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This story was first published on July 29, 2021. It was updated on July 31, 2021 to correct the name of the organization that welcomed the release.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with Cuban-American leaders Friday to discuss the recent social protests in Cuba, the possibility of new sanctions on its government and options for providing internet access to the islands population.

The afternoon White House meeting, previewed for The Associated Press by an administration official, will take place almost three weeks after unusual July 11 protests in which thousands of Cubans took to the streets in Havana and other cities to protest the shortage of products, power outages and government policies. They were the first such protests since the 1990s.

Among the people who will meet with Biden is Yotuel Romero, one of the authors of the song Patria y vida! which has become a kind of anthem for the protests, said the official, who spoke on condition on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans in public.

Also present will be L. Felice Gorordo, CEO of the company eMerge Americas; Ana Sofia Pelaez, founder of the Miami Freedom Project, and Miami's former mayor, Manny Diaz, among others.

The White House did not provide more details, only saying that new sanctions will be discussed as well as ways to establish internet access for the Cuban people.

Internet access is a sensitive issue in Cuba. In the days before the recent protests, there were calls for antigovernment demonstrations on social media. Cuba's government said anti-Castro groups in the United States have used social media, particularly Twitter, to campaign against it and blamed Twitter for doing nothing to stop it.

Internet service was cut off at one point during the July 11 protest, though Cuban authorities have not explicitly acknowledged that they did so.

Some U.S. leaders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have said the White House should do something to maintain internet service in Cuba, including using balloons as Wi-Fi access points for the population.

Jose Miguel Vivanco, Human Rights Watch's director for the Americas, said protecting internet access in Cuba must be one of the top priorities of the Biden administration.

The growing access to the internet on the island has been a true revolution that has allowed the population to communicate, organize protests and report abuses almost immediately - something that would have been impossible a few years ago, he said to the AP.

Regarding the sanctions, Vivanco said their value is mostly symbolic, because it is not realistic to think that they alone will change the situation on the island. He said one way to stop human rights violations in Cuba is a multilateral and coordinated condemnation, along with moving toward a policy that puts an end to the current embargo.

In addition to the internet, the Biden administration is considering proposals put forward by U.S. advocates of trade with Cuba that would restore ways for Cuban-Americans to send money to relatives on the island.

Biden and others have rejected the outright restoration of remittances because of a percentage fee of the transaction paid to the government. But under one proposal being considered, the transfer agents would waive that fee until the end of the year, according to proponents.

The proposal would have to be cleared by the Cuban government, however, and it is not at all clear it would agree.

Last week, the U.S. government announced sanctions against the Minister of the Cuban Armed Forces, Alvaro Lopez Miera, and the Special Brigade of the Ministry of the Interior -- known as the black berets  for having participated in the arrest of protesters.

International organizations have harshly criticized the Cuban government, which has said that while people affected by the country's crisis participated in the protests there were also criminals who took advantage of the situation to create disturbances. At times, the protests turned into vandalism with looting, robbery and confrontations with the police.

Government sympathizers also took to the streets to defend the authorities and the revolution.

So far it is unclear how many people were detained in total, although the judicial authorities have said there have been 19 trials involving 59 people.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  A senior U.S. diplomat urged the U.N. Security Council on Thursday to press Myanmars military to stop violence and restore democracy, warning that with COVID-19 surging and hunger increasing, the longer we delay, the more people die.

Deputy U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis said Myanmar is reeling from a surge in COVID-19 cases and faces a burgeoning health catastrophe as a direct result of the militarys brutality and administrative failures since its coup six months ago. The violence and military crackdown that followed have also displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and up to 2.8 million additional people may be facing food shortages, he said.

His appeal for Security Council action follows a call two days ago by Tom Andrews, the U.N. special investigator on human rights in Myanmar, for the Security Council and the U.N.s 193 member states to push for an emergency COVID ceasefire in light of an explosion of coronavirus infections and deaths.

Too many in Myanmar have needlessly perished and too many more will die without action by the United Nations, Andrews warned. The U.N. must act immediately to halt the military juntas attacks, harassment and detentions in the midst of a COVID-19 crisis ... so that doctors and nurses can provide life-saving care and international organizations can help deliver vaccinations and related medical care.

DeLaurentis told the informal council meeting that Myanmar's military has said it doesnt plan to honor commitments it made in April at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN. Myanmar, previously known as Burma, belongs to the 10-member regional group.

So what are we waiting for? DeLaurentis asked council members. This council is failing in our collective responsibility to safeguard international peace and security. And it is failing the people of Burma. We must do more, and we must do more now.

At the ASEAN summit, leaders issued a five-point action plan that calls for stopping violence, constructive dialogue, appointment of an ASEAN special envoy as mediator, humanitarian aid and the mediators visit to Myanmar.

But a day after attending the summit, Myanmars junta leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said he would consider the five points when the situation in Myanmar is stable, and in May he reportedly told Chinese television he didnt see that the five points could be implemented.

Gum San Nsang of the Kachin Political Interim Coordination Team, which advocates for the rights of the Kachin ethnic groups in northern Myanmar, said in a virtual briefing to the council that while we consider ASEANs five-point consensus to be a great step forward, the current health crisis demands immediate robust action.

Nsang called on U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urgently convene a meeting with key parties including ASEAN and China to dispatch teams to communities to administer coronavirus vaccines and provide humanitarian assistance.

He called on the Security Council to impose an arms embargo and no-fly zone along Myanmars borders with China, India and Thailand, to impose sanctions on senior military leaders and state-owned enterprises, and to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court for prosecution for the alleged crime of aggression against civilians.

Opponents of the military have been seeking alliances with ethnic minority groups as a way to strengthen their resistance. At least 20 ethnic minorities, including the mainly Christian Kachin, have kept up on-again, off-again armed struggles for greater autonomy for decades

Nsang said that despite pain and suffering, sickness and disease, hardship and terror, We can see light at the end of the tunnel."

We see the Feb. 1 coup has placed the nation on to fast track to national unity and national cohesion," he said. Solidarity within and across ethnic and religious communities is at a sobering height. In Kachin state, the inter-tribal tensions which we witnessed up until even before the coup hardly exist now.

Susanna Hla Hla Soe, minister for women in the National Unity Government set up by ousted lawmakers, said in a virtual briefing that food is getting scarce, the economy is collapsing and the health system has collapsed with a new wave of COVID-19 spreading like wildfire across the country.

Soe called the military juntas report of 6,000 positive coronavirus cases and 400 deaths from COVID-19 just the tip of the iceberg, citing the lack of a data collection system.

There is also growing evidence that the military council is purposely targeting the health care workers, she said, saying that more than 250 attacks on front-line workers and medical staff have been documented this year.

Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director for Human Rights Watch, criticized the Security Council for not having started negotiations on a resolution to address Myanmars crisis.

The General Assembly already called for an arms embargo on Myanmar, he said. The Security Council should urgently follow up and impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar, targeted sanctions on military leaders and associated companies, and a ban on gas revenues to the junta.

General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, unlike Security Council resolutions. And the 119-1 vote in the General Assembly, with 36 abstentions, reflected divisions that would make it difficult to get agreement on a council resolution. Among the countries abstaining were China and Russia, which are among the five council members with power to veto action.
Gary Coronado/Houston Chronicle

Hundreds of thousands of Texans are finding it difficult to stay up to date on their rent payments as they recover from the economic distress caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Women of color were hit particularly hard by the pandemic's economic fallout. More than 1 in 6 Latinas reported they were behind on rent at the beginning of the summer, according to a National Women's Law Center analysis of the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey.

Dhamaris Rodriguez, a 19-year-old organizer in Houston, helps Hispanic families apply for emergency rent assistance. As the child of immigrant parents from Mexico, she has found purpose in informing and supporting residents like Blanca Morales as they navigate rental assistance programs and the eviction process. Morales lost her job during the pandemic and has not been able to pay her rent.
We take hurricane predictions for granted nowadays.

Five-day forecasts. Daily updates on the smallest of disturbances. The cone of uncertainty.

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 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.

Nazi 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.

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.
Jamaal Ellis /Contributor file photo

Willie Nelson surprised fans on Thursday morning, announcing he'll play on the steps of the Texas Capitol this weekend. The 88-year-old country star will perform a free show in downtown Austin in support of voting rights on Saturday, July 31.

Beginning on Wednesday, former congressman Beto O'Rourke and civil rights and religious leaders have been on Selma-esque, 27-mile march from Georgetown, Texas, to Austin. Their journey will culminate in a public rally on Saturday against a Republican-backed bill that would dramatically reduce voting access in Texas.
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.
News

County cases rising, potential mask recommendation looming

Grant County is seeing another increase of COVID-19 cases as the delta variant continues to sweep across the nation, but local officials said they are holding off on new recommendations for now while closely monitoring the situation.

At the weekly COVID-19 community update, EMA Director Bob Jackson said the delta variant has been identified in Grant County, and officials are beginning to see a noticeable uptick in the overall number of COVID cases. Jackson said a total of 87 cases were reported in the county in all of June, and there have already been 116 cases reported in July with a few days remaining, with hospitalizations due to COVID also up at Marion General Hospital.

Jackson said officials are closely monitoring the situation, but it is a bit harder to have an accurate picture due to the Optum testing site no longer being operational in the county. There are other testing sites available, but he estimated the numbers are skewed by a few percentage points due to the lower accessibility for testing.

While the county remains in the blue zone of state metrics, the lowest zone, the CDCs data tracker lists the county currently has a high rate of transmission, essentially the red zone of the CDC analysis. The Indiana Department of Health dashboard report Wednesday also shows five out of the nine counties surrounding Grant County are in the yellow zone and two surrounding counties are in the orange zone of state metrics, which Jackson said represents an overall increase in cases in the region.

The CDC released updated guidance Tuesday that recommended people, including those who are fully vaccinated, should again begin to wear masks indoors when they are in areas of substantial or high COVID transmission. Fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask even when not in substantial or high COVID transmission areas, the CDC recommends, especially if they are immunocompromised, at risk for severe disease from COVID-19 or if someone in their household is not yet vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated people with a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID is now recommended to be tested for COVID within three to five days after the exposure and to wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result, the CDC states. The federal agency is also recommending universal indoor masking for teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools regardless of vaccination status.

Health Officer Dr. William David Moore said the county health department is continuing to follow guidance from the state as it interprets CDC guidance, but for now the county is not making changes to its recommendations regarding mask wearing.

If it gets more severe we may see the recommendation change, Moore said. Were just on the margin right now. It is very acceptable still for those who want to be cautious to wear a mask right now...If we move from that trend Mr. Jackson had shown going up to the point where we are out of blue moving into yellow perhaps into orange, then were going to recommend that even those that have been vaccinated wear a mask when theyre indoors.

Moore said the county is continuing to make its decisions on guidelines based on the evidence and what is going to make the biggest difference in preventing infection.

While not an official recommendation or mandate from the county, Jackson and Moore said previous waves of the pandemic have shown masking, social distancing, proper hygiene and staying home when sick has proven to be effective in fighting the pandemic.

I think everything that we did in the past worked very well for us, Jackson said. We were hoping not to be in the position where we have to repeat that, but were going back to what we know works.

Moore said for the most part the original strain of COVID-19 that started the pandemic has almost disappeared, but the delta variant that is more easily transmissible is continuing to spread and pick up steam. He said the latest data also appears to show the delta variant can cause infections of people who have already had COVID.

Current reports from MGH show most of the people hospitalized with COVID right now have the delta variant, although Moore said only those sick enough to be in the ICU are being tested for which strain of COVID they have.

Moore said while it seems more vaccinated people are being infected with COVID than before, those cases tend to be very mild, showing the vaccine protects against most severe illnesses or death from COVID-19. He still encouraged those who are not vaccinated yet to do so to receive the protection the vaccine brings both for the individual and also for the community, particularly those who are immunocompromised and kids under 12 who cannot get the vaccine yet.

Regarding the new guidance for schools from the CDC, Moore said the health department will continue to work with local schools and the state health department to develop appropriate guidelines heading into the new school year.
Florida, FL (34429)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. High 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Over the past few years Microsoft has dramatically changed its approach to certification, moving away from qualifications connected to specific products to instead align them with common job roles. The idea is to provide experience-based learning delivered and assessed in small chunks, rather than forcing IT pros to cram for a long, theoretical exam every few years.

We rebooted certifications around the modern jobs and roles that people have, as developers, as IT pros, Jeff Sandquist, corporate vice president of developer relations at Microsoft, told CIO.com. We worked with a set of industry partners and with various companies and enterprises [to ask]: What are the job tasks you need; what is that skill completion? What are the modern roles; what are the tasks that you need to complete as an individual? And then how do you go and validate that?

The changes to certifications are part of a larger overhaul of how Microsoft delivers documentation, designs training, and assesses knowledge, with overlapping modules that add up to either preparation for exams you take to gain an initial certification or knowledge checks that count toward free annual renewals.

This system of learning, as Sandquist describes it, is available not just from Microsoft but also from training partners, with multiple ways for people to learn and training content aligned to what is covered in the certifications.

If you want to go learn from in-person training, awesome. If you want to go learn from reading a book, thats great. If you want to go to one of our third-party trainers or one of our online resource partners at Coursera or Pluralsight, awesome. You want to go to Microsoft Learn, thats great, he says, of the various different styles of training on offer for IT pros.

Sandquist hopes that even a companys internal training will align with Microsofts vision, which is why the Learning module in Microsoft Viva shows content from Pluralsight, edX, Skillsoft, and Coursera, as well as Microsoft Learn. We want it all in sync.

As part of the Enterprise Skills Initiative, enterprise customers can work with a Microsoft training program manager to create a custom training plan for the skills they need in the organization, based on Microsoft Learn with virtual and instructor-led training and free Microsoft certification exams for employees.

Microsoft certification roles

Microsoft has centered its new certification scheme around Azure, grouping its certs into nine roles: administrator, developer, solutions architect, devops engineer, security engineer, data engineer, data scientist, AI engineer, and functional consultant. Most are self-explanatory, with functional consultant covering Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform.

Each certification role offers options at the Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert levels. Some also offer Specialities such as Azure IoT Developer, Azure for SAP Workloads, and the new Azure Virtual Desktop Speciality. Several top-level roles group together multiple paths, as noted below:

Role Role paths Administrator Microsoft 365 Messaging; Microsoft 365 Modern Desktop; Microsoft 365 Security; Microsoft 365 Teamwork; Teams; Identity and Access; Information Protection; Enterprise; Azure Stack Hub AI engineer Azure Data engineer Azure Data scientist Azure Developer Azure; Dynamics 365; Microsoft 365; Power Platform DevOps engineer Azure Functional consultant Dynamics 365 Business Central; Dynamics 365 Customer Service; Dynamics 365 Field Service; Dynamics 365 Financial; Dynamics 365 Manufacturing; Dynamics 365 Marketing; Dynamics 365 Sales; Dynamics 365 Supply Chain; Power Platform Security engineer Azure; Identity and Access; Information Protection; Security Operations Analyst Solution architect Azure; Dynamics 365; Dynamics 365 plus Power Platform; Power Platform

Several new certifications have been added recently, as Microsoft works through the job task analysis for those roles. Theres a new Microsoft Teams Support Engineer Associate certification for support engineers thats still in beta, and the exam for the Azure Network Engineer Associate will be available soon.

You can get a feel for the breadth of roles Microsoft is trying to cover with certifications by looking at the 20-plus roles you can use to filter the list of qualifications. These include app maker, business analyst, business owner, business user, data analyst, database administrator, network engineer, risk practitioner, student, and technology manager, in addition to the nine roles specified as paths above.

What replaces the MCSA, MCSE, or MTA?

The Azure Administrator Associate, Database Administrator Associate, and Data Analyst Associate certifications are the ones Microsoft highlights as the closest replacement for MSCE and MCSA certifications (and Azure Developer Associate for developer MCSA certifications), although they obviously cover cloud services rather than server products.

Exams for product-based MCSA certifications such as Windows Server and Exchange Server havent been available since January 2021, and the certifications have been retired. The exams for Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certifications that cover Windows and Windows Server (as well as network, security, database administration, and various programming topics) will be available until June 30, 2022. If youve already bought a voucher, you can take the exam before then and certifications will remain on your transcript, but you can no longer buy vouchers to take MTA exams.

Outside of the administrator and developer certifications, there are still some certifications that cover specific products: seven Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certifications cover Access, Excel, Word, and Office generally.

There are also Microsoft Learn courses that cover specific products such as Windows Server 2019 and Azure Stack HCI or technologies such as T-SQL in detail, and there will be more in-depth content from training partners such as Coursera and Pluralsight, Sandquist says. There are going to be areas where they want to go deeper. People are going to want a 300 level [course]. So while the content on Microsoft Learn and from partners thats based on the job task analysis will be in sync, They will differentiate on what people need to go deep on  I need to go deeper in networking, I need to go deeper in hybrid or on-premise  and we will deliver those.

But there are no exams or certifications associated with the product-specific courses: Something IT professionals who want to demonstrate their expertise in these areas continue to raise as an issue.

Microsoft Fundamentals certifications

Exams at the Fundamentals level typically cost $99 and are intended to provide firm grounding in the basics before moving on to Associate certifications, or for those with little industry experience to demonstrate skills and expertise to an employer. Fundamentals certs are also good for business leaders who want show they know a particular platform well enough to make decisions about what services to adopt.

There are eight certifications available at the Fundamentals level:

Fundamentals certs dont offer one-to-one mapping with the nine top-level roles. So devops, AI, and data engineers or data scientists who already know their field but are gaining Azure skills would all start with Azure Fundamentals. Azure Data Fundamentals, however, would be relevant for Azure Database Administrator Associate or Azure Data Engineer Associate certifications.

Microsoft Associate certifications

Not all Associate level certifications are equal: Some, like Azure Administrator Associate and Azure Developer Associate, are intended as a broad introduction for people who will then pick a more specific certification such as Azure Stack Hub Operator, Azure Security Engineer, or Azure AI Engineer Associate.

Specialty and Associate certifications require one or more exams, typically priced around $165 each. Microsoft training experts we spoke to previously had concerns about how well Associate certifications with only a single exam could prepare people for more complex roles so its good to see these getting more in depth.

There are 39 Associate level certifications currently on offer, ranging from Azure Administrator, to Data Analyst, to Word and Excel credentials, and beyond. Six Associate level certs have already been moved to legacy status.

Microsoft Expert certifications

Expert level certifications are more specialized and so far there are only five, all building on one or more Associate certifications that you have to gain first: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, DevOps Engineer Expert, Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator Expert, Power Platform Solution Architect Expert, and Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Solution Architect Expert. These require two or more exams, priced around $165 each.

All these modern, role-based certifications cover either cloud services, or hybrid options where cloud services are used in conjunction with on-premises products  Microsoft 365 for Office and Windows, Azure, and Azure Stack Hub. There is one exam that specifically covers Windows 10 (MD-100), for administrators who deploy, configure, secure, or monitor devices and manage policies, updates, or apps, but its for the Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification rather than a standalone option.

Microsoft certification renewals

Getting an initial certification means taking an exam, online or (pandemic permitting) in person. But because online training now includes sandboxed environments in which candidates can practice the skills they are learning, renewal doesnt require repeating examinations to stay up to date as cloud services change.

The new, cloud-based Microsoft certifications are valid for one year from the date the certification was earned, rather than the previous two, to ensure that certifications cover new features and services as theyre introduced. But you can renew certs annually at no cost, up to six months before the certification expires, by taking an online assessment on Microsoft Learn. Once you pass the assessment, the certification is valid for another full year from when it was due to expire. This enables those who have two certifications expiring in the same month to stagger the assessments over the six-month window to pace themselves.

Because Microsoft Learn is built on what Sandquist calls micro-based learning and interactive tasks, you can stay up to date incrementally  which is the way that cloud services change. We have five- and ten-minute modules that are part of a broader learning path, and as you work through the learning path we do knowledge checks that arent just answers to questions, he says. That might be deploying a VM on Azure or through the Microsoft Learn sandbox, with more experience points awarded for putting the VM in a different data center or for following security guidance.

Many of the tasks apply to multiple learning paths because theyre concepts that apply in multiple Azure services. You learn how to do a particular task with identity or explain a concept, then pass a knowledge check. As people pick up a variety of skills, if youve done the work on identity, its checked off the next time you go through another learning path. The platform keeps track of which modules and learning paths trainees have completed and which they still need to cover before renewing a certification and prompts them to take the extra modules.

While Microsoft Learn isnt the only way to achieve Microsoft certifications, it will be key to renewing them and it exemplifies what Microsoft is trying to achieve with this new approach. Its free, its interactive, and its always up to date, Sandquist says. Its also most useful for organizations that are adopting Microsoft cloud and hybrid services and staying up to date with them.
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APL-urile din sudul tarii au aflat cat de transparente au fost in 2020, dupa ce au fost monitorizate de catre OSC-uri de la nivel local
It is a recurring theme in political circles that giant digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube engage in bad behaviordistributing disinformation, allowing hate speech, removing conservative opinions, and so onin part because they are protected from legal liability by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which says they arent responsible for content posted by their users.

Critics on both sides of the political aisle argue that this protection either needs to be removed or significantly amended. Former president Donald Trump signed an executive order in an attempt to get the Federal Trade Ccommission to do something about Section 230, although his efforts went nowhere. Section 230 also plays a role in his recent lawsuits against Facebook, Google, and Twitter. President Joe Biden hasnt pushed anyone to do anything specific yet, but he has said that the clause should be revoked immediately.

One of the most recent attempts to change Section 230 comes from Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who has proposed a bill that would carve out an exception for medical misinformation during a health crisis, making the platforms legally liable for distributing anything the government defines as untrue. While this may seem like a worthwhile goal, given the kind of rampant disinformation being spread about vaccines on platforms like Facebook and Googles YouTube, some freedom of speech advocates argue that even well-intentioned laws like Klobuchars could backfire badly and have dangerous consequences. Similar concerns have been raised about a suite of proposed bills introduced by a group of Republican members of Congress, which involve a host of other carve-outs for Section 230, aimed at preventing platforms from removing certain kinds of content (mostly conservative speech), and forcing them to remove other kinds (cyber-bullying, doxxing, etc.).

To talk about these and related issues, weve been interviewing a series of experts in law and technology using CJRs Galley discussion platform, including Makena Kelly, a policy reporter for The Verge covering topics like net neutrality, data privacy, antitrust, and internet culture; Jeff Kosseff, an assistant professor of cybersecurity law at the United States Naval Academy, and author of The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet, a history of Section 230; Mike Masnick, who runs technology analysis site Techdirt and co-founded a think tank called the Copia Institute; Mary Anne Franks, professor of law at the University of Miami, and president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative; James Grimmelmann, a law professor at Cornell Tech; and Eric Goldman, a professor of law at Santa Clara University.

ICYMI: Is this the messiest phase of the pandemic in America?

To the extent that people want to force social media companies to leave certain speech up, or to boost certain content, or ensure any individuals continuing access to a platform, their problem isnt Section 230its the First Amendment, said Mary Anne Franks. Grimmelmann agreed, arguing that the controversial CDA clause has become the main battlefront in a new and confused proxy war over the First Amendment. Kosseff said he doesnt see any way that the Klobuchar bill would survive judicial scrutiny based on First Amendment principles. Although it does not directly prohibit speech, it conditions a benefit (Section 230 protection) on a platform not using algorithms to promote what the Health and Homeland Security Secretary considers to be health misinformation, he said. For the bill to survive a legal challenge, the Courts would need to substantially expand the exceptions to the First Amendment, and I think that could have substantial negative consequences.

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Most of the proposed bills aimed at altering Section 230, including Klobuchars, would also undermine or eliminate the things that people love most about the Internet, said Goldman. Masnick said while he thinks theres value in trying to figure out ways to deal with widespread (and potentially dangerous) misinformation regarding COVID-19 and vaccines, I think its dangerously misguided to think that modifying Section 230 will do anything towards that particular goal. Indeed, it seems highly likely to backfire in ways that will make things significantly worse. Whether we like it or not, said Masnick, nearly all misinformation is protected by the First Amendment. So even if Facebook werent protected by Section 230, what would people even sue over? Any lawsuit would failit would just be a lot more expensive and wasteful of the courts time and resources in the process.

At this point, the dissemination pathway for disinformation is quite clear, said Goldman. Politicians lie => cable broadcasters like Fox News amplify the lie => social media discusses the lie and extends the amplification. Focusing on the social media activity without fixing the first two wont solve anything. In fact, he said, if the government cant ban disinformation because of the First Amendment, but Internet services can remove it thanks to the protection of Section 230, we get better results than if Internet services are inhibited from doing this work without any protection from Section 230. Some have argued that weakening the shield that Section 230 provides could incentivize the platforms to take down too much speech. While thats a concern, Franks said, there are costs to leaving up too much speech as well: Theres always a lot of handwringing over slippery slopes when it comes to restricting speech, but what about the slippery slope of allowing billion-dollar corporations to profit from speech that literally gets people killed?

Heres more on Section 230:

Right to lie : The Biden administration should take the First Amendment as seriously as it does Facebook misinformation, writes Adi Robertson at The Verge , about the presidents attacks on Section 230 for protecting Facebook from liability. The idea that Section 230 is holding back a crackdown on misinformation is well, misinformation. Section 230 protects against lawsuits involving illegal content. With limited exceptions, the First Amendment allows people to lie and be wrong online.

Vulnerable : In the battle of Washington versus Big Tech, the giants are vulnerable, writes Stephen Maher, a Harvard Nieman Fellow, in an opinion piece published by the Center for International Governance Innovation . The tech giants have not demonstrated they can be trusted to responsibly handle the sword and shield Congress provided for them through the passing of Section 230 back in 1996, he argues.

Do no harm : When it comes to Section 230 reform, first, policymakers should do no harm, writes Cameron Kerry, a former Obama administration official , in an opinion piece written for the Brookings Institution. Ill-conceived changes to Section 230 actually could break the internet, he said. Many proposed solutionssuch as mandating content moderation, imposing common carrier obligations, or outright repealpresent potential unintended consequences, including diminishing freedom of expression.

Other notable stories:

ICYMI: The absurd coverage of the January 6 committee

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Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.
DETROIT (AP)  The head of a regional water agency in southeastern Michigan said Tuesday that she would resign, weeks after thousands of homes were spoiled by sewage backups during a tremendous storm.

Sue McCormick didnt cite the June 25-26 flooding as the reason for her departure, though the controversy clearly has tarnished the Great Lakes Water Authority. She said she had been contemplating retirement.

While I am extremely proud of all the GLWA team has accomplished in its first five years, I also recognize that now is the time for me to make my future intentions public as we all move forward, McCormick said.

A meeting of the agencys governing board was scheduled for Wednesday.

Power disruptions at pump stations have been blamed for the backup of water and sewage in basements in Detroit and many suburbs during a storm that dropped more than 6 inches (0.15 meters) of rain in a short period in late June.

McCormick, however, has said she doesnt believe the flooding could have been prevented due to the extraordinary storm. An investigation is underway.

The Detroit News reported Monday that power was down at a pump station two days before the storm. McCormick told the Detroit City Council on Tuesday that no one in leadership was aware of it.

I just think there have been a lot of challenges along the way. Lets just say I think she made the appropriate decision, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said of McCormicks resignation.

The GLWA, which is governed by representatives from Detroit and surrounding counties, was born out of the Detroit bankruptcy. It provides water to nearly 40% of Michigans residents as well as wastewater services.

McCormick was head of the Detroit water department before leading the GLWA.

About the photo: In this Saturday, June 26, 2021, file photo, Mary Mason shows her frustration after floodwaters damaged her basement in Detroit. A regional water authority board has formed a committee to look at the agencys response to last months heavy rainfall that led to basement and street flooding in Detroit and some surrounding suburbs. (Max Ortiz/Detroit News via AP, File)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
McLarens TPA Poaches 6 From Broadspire UK

Global claims management provider McLarens expanded its third-party administration service with the addition of six new team members in London, all of them from Broadspire.

The new hires follow the appointment in May of Kirsten Early, who formerly led Broadspire UK, to spearhead the expansion of McLarens TPA. She and the team will be based in London, the Atlanta-based company said in a press release.

Early moved to London from the New York City area in 2018 to become managing director of Broadspire UK. Broadspire is a subsidiary of Crawford & Co., headquartered in Atlanta. Early had worked for the company for four years before the international move, according to her Linkedin page.

Broadspire appointed a new executive team in the U.S. and Canada in March. Early left the company two months later and now is taking much of her former Broadspire UK team with her.

McLarens hired Jason OSullivan, formerly Earlys No. 2, as head of global TPA development, leading sales efforts for the TPA team. OSullivan previously held senior business development roles at Gallagher Bassett and Crawford & Co., most recently as director of sales at Broadspire, the company said in a press release.

Matt Morling was appointed head of TPA client services. He has 30 years industry experience and has specialized in the TPA sector since 1994. Most recently he served as Broadspiresdirector of client services.

Paul Sturges was appointed as head of global TPA accounts. He has nearly 40 years industry experience, having commenced his career in commercial loss adjusting. He also joins from Broadspire, where he was director of global accounts.

Johanna Mulley has joined as Head of TPA Analytics & Solutions. She also joins from Broadspire, having begun her career with McLarens in 1994, and is an expert in managing international programmes, with a focus on overseeing programme administration, quality control, data analytics, system management and the provision of management information and business intelligence.

Karla Ward and Cassie Watts, also formerly with Broadspire, were appointed TPA program managers. Both have more than 15 years industry experience and specialize in the implementation and management of multinational claims programs.

CopperPoint Appoints Chief WC Claims Officer

Phoenix, Arizona-based CopperPoint Insurance Co, appointed Kris Mathis as senior vice president and chief workers compensation claims officer.

He succeeds Ginny Arnett Carol, who plans to retire at year-end after 21 years with the company.

Mathis will oversee all workers compensation claims operations for CopperPoint. 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, CopperPoint said.

Mathis earned a B.A. in history from California State University, Fullerton and a Juris Doctorate from Trinity Law School.

New Partner at Insurance Recovery Practice

New York City law firm Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney has appointed attorney Bradley Nash as a partner with its Insurance Recovery Litigation & Counseling Group.

Nash hash amassed vast commercial litigation experience in New Yorks federal and state courts during a nearly 20-year legal career, including wins in disputes over directors and officers insurance and other policy types, the law firm said in a press release.

Before joining HNRK, Nash practiced at Schlam Stone & Dolan, where he established the firms insurance recovery practice, and at Covington & Burling in New York. He has particular experience representing D&O insurance policyholders facing potential civil and criminal liability, and in one groundbreaking case secured the first reported decision in New York state court granting injunctive relief against an insurance carrier for advancement of defense costs, HNRK said.

Nash received his bachelors degree from Harvard College and graduated from Harvard Law School, where he was an executive editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. He is a former clerk to the Honorable David G. Trager of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Coalition Appoints Ex. Committee Member

The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud has appointed Steve Piper, global head of special investigations for CNA, as a member of its Executive Committee.

Piper replaces Ken Jones of Travelers Insurance, who retired after a 30-year career fighting insurance fraud, the Coalition said in a press release.

Piper previously served on the International Association of Special Investigation Units board of directors. He has spent time on multiple committees within the Coalition, including Government Affairs and Research.

In addition to his new responsibilities on the Executive Committee, Piper is also working on the Workers Compensation Committee to update the total annual estimated amount of comp fraud, the Coalition said.
LAPORTE, Texas (AP)  Two people are dead after a chemical leak Tuesday evening at plant in La Porte, Texas, company officials said.

The incident happened about 7:35 p.m. and involved an acetic acid leak at the LyondellBasell facility in the La Porte Complex, company spokesperson Chevalier Gray said in a statement. Emergency responders from the City of La Porte and Channel Industries Mutual Aid were on the scene Tuesday night.

Gray said two people sustained fatal injuries and four others sustained burns. Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen confirmed at least three more injuries during a news conference Tuesday night.

Christensen said one person was life flighted to a hospital and one was sent by ambulance. Five others were treated at the scene and dozens were being monitored for symptoms that could include difficulty breathing and swallowing and irritants or burns to the skin.

The company said it was working closely with responders to confirm all employees were accounted for.

Sometimes the terminology in these situations when theres a leak, you think of something pouring out. A leak could also be something exploded off the top and the chemical came out. So once we get into the investigation, well be able to specifically detail that out, Christensen said.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a statement on Twitter saying that shes heartbroken.

Heartbroken to hear of the two fatalities at the LyondellBasell facility in La Porte, Hidalgo said in a tweet. Our county and other first responder agencies are working to support the other workers impacted and to verify that Air monitoring demonstrated no levels of concern for the community, Gray said.

The area is in unincorporated Harris County, adjacent to the city of La Porte. There is no shelter in place or other protective actions being recommended for the La Porte community at this time, according to a statement issued by La Porte EMS.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP)  The governors of California and Nevada on Wednesday planned to tour the state line area blackened by one of two massive wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in the U.S. West.

Cooler weather and even some rain helped in the battle against some of the largest blazes but fire officials warned that hotter, drier weather will return later in the week and could pose a threat of renewed fire ferocity.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, both Democrats, planned a brief morning tour of damage from the Tamarack Fire south of Lake Tahoe.

The 106-square-mile (275-square-kilometer) blaze was chewing through timber, grass and sagebrush, but it was more than halfway surrounded by fire breaks. At least 23 buildings have burned since lightning sparked the fire on July 4.

Evacuation orders for about 2,000 residents on both sides of the state line were lifted early in the week.

Tuesday saw thunderstorms that brought some rain and cooler and more humid weather that made grass and brushy areas less prone to burning, fire officials said. The chance of thunderstorms with some rain, possibly heavy at times, was expected to continue through Friday.

This wet stuff fell out of the sky yesterday that I barely remembered and recognized, Dan Dallas, an incident commander for the fire, said Tuesday evening at a briefing.

It fell gently overnight over the whole fire and coupled with firefighter efforts moderated the ferocity of the blaze.

Were not doing hand-to-hand combat on the blaze, he said.

It was a welcome relief from the fiercely dry, hot weather that had scorched much of the West only a week or two earlier, when flames feeding on bone-dry fuel raged through a dozen states.

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.

Californias largest blaze, the Dixie Fire, continued to threaten more than 10,000 homes in the region about 175 miles (282 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.

The fire had scorched more than 325 square miles (842 square kilometers), an area bigger than New York City. Weather conditions trapped smoke over the blaze and the shade helped lower temperatures and keep humidity up but authorities said temperatures could warm up to well above normal in the second half of the week.

Teams reviewing damage from the 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. Its unclear if that figure included homes or smaller buildings.

In neighboring Oregon, rain also fell Tuesday morning over the 3-week-old Bootleg Fire, which has destroyed 161 homes, 247 outbuildings and 342 vehicles in Klamath and Lake counties.

Crews hoped to get a break from cooler temperatures and a chance of isolated thunderstorms through Wednesday before hotter, drier weather returned, officials said.

Crews had the lightning-caused fire more than halfway contained after it scorched nearly 641 square miles (1,660 square kilometers) of remote land.

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.

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 indicated wind 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.

Nearly 80 large, active wildfires that have blackened more than 2,300 square miles (6,000 square kilometers) continued to burn through 11 Western states and Alaska, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

On Tuesday, record-breaking heat hammered the northern Rockies and smoke from dozens of large wildfires as far away as California drove pollution 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.

About the photo: The Tamarack Fire burns behind a greenhouse in the Markleeville community of Alpine County, Calif., on Saturday, July 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
COVID-19, which media magnate Milton Maltz calls a nightmare disease, robbed us of loved ones, of work, of calm, even of hope. But it gave us time, too, time the renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist took to produce A Passion for Broadcasting, a memoir spanning his career as a child r
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
Central Bank Digital Currencies

Back in April, we summarised central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in the following terms:

Money in the real economy consists of credit claims on commercial banks: your account balance is the debt owed to you by the bank. That debt is not risk-free: there is a possibility that the bank will go bust before you can realise your claim. Under a fully fledged retail CBDC model, it would be as if individuals held 'accounts' directly with a central bank, making their balance as near as possible to risk-free. 'Accounts' would be a misnomer, however, since digital currency holders would be in the same position as holders of paper banknotes, owning a direct claim on the central bank of issue. Transfers of CBDCs could also occur in real time, consigning overnight interbank settlement of credit claims (and associated risks) to the annals of history.

We have since released a new briefing on CBDCs, in which we cover differing approaches across authorities globally. The People's Bank of China is diving in with pilot CBDC programmes at selected retailers in some cities, like New World Daimaru department store in Shanghai. At the other end of the pool, the UK is dipping its toes with a CBDC Taskforce set up in April and a consultation on a Bank of England discussion paper, while the U.S. is yet to consult the public at all. The Eurozone is somewhere in the middle, with the European Central Bank (ECB) already determining key principles for the digital Euro such as convertibility at par. The ECB's Governing Council will decide on whether to open an investigation phase next month.

Non-Fungible Tokens

2021 has been the year of the non-fungible token (NFT). The acronym reached new prominence following the $69.3m sale of a digital artwork by the artist Beeple at a Christie's auction in February. Since then, NFTs have blossomed everywhere, from cat memes to Premier League titles.

So how do they work? As explained in our client briefing, when someone mints an NFT, they create a unique digital file using distributed ledger technology, corresponding to an underlying digital or physical asset. Once minted, NFTs cannot be edited or deleted, and can be viewed publicly and freely traded with verifiable security of exclusive ownership and transaction traceability. The system thus offers many of the benefits of a public register, with the further advantages of decentralisation and transparency.

For NFTs, the legal frameworks are still in their developmental stages. NFT holders usually hold no rights in relation to the underlying asset, and some jurisdictions may not even recognise the NFT as proof of title to the digital file. Any rights that are recognised are limited: the original creator of the underlying asset will retain copyright in the asset, enabling them to make and distribute additional copies even against the wishes of the NFT holder.

While few states have introduced NFT-specific regulation, recent laws governing cryptoassets generally may catch NFTs as well. In Germany, NFTs may count as cryptoassets, which are regulated financial instruments under the German Banking Act, triggering licence requirements for NFT-related services. Equally, under the UK's Money Laundering Regulations, there may be registration requirements for those who exchange or arrange the exchange of NFTs for money or other cryptoassets. China's strict rules on cryptoassets (banned for many banks and payment services) may also extend to NFTs. By contrast, they are unlikely to be caught by the United Arab Emirates' new Crypto Asset Regulations, since this addresses assets tradeable through a digital assets exchange, a rarity for NFTs as unique goods. Our client briefing offers a deep dive across twelve jurisdictions.
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.
Russ O'Reilly is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @RussellOReilly.
Blood donations at the Boots & Badges Blood Drive will go to benefit Claremores first responders.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  The Department of Science and Technology's vaccine panel said it is looking into administering vaccine booster shots, but these could be limited to special groups for now.

"Ito kasi ang tinitignan natin and the group na kung meron mang kailangan ng booster, doon natin ibibigay sa mga special population na medyo mababa na yung antibody and response nila sa mga bakuna," vaccine expert panel member Dr. Rontgene Solante said on Thursday.

[Translation: We are looking at this and the groups who would need booster shots are the special populations who have few antibodies and a low response to vaccines.]

Solante said among the groups that are being considered are HIV positive patients, those with cancer, and the elderly.

"These are the possible population that the VEP will hopefully recommend kung kailangan nating i-booster [if we will need to give booster shots] over the general population," he added.

Vaccine panel head Dr. Nina Gloriani added, "We're looking at that possibility (of booster shots), especially in view of reports nga na waning immunity, but we're looking more at special populations."

In May, the DOST said it would study the need for booster shots, along with mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines.

"'Yung pangalawang part ng study ay ang tinatawag nating boosters. So kunyari, ineksyunan ka ng brand na pareho for dose 1 at saka dose 2. Ngayon, magkakaroon ka ng booster or third dose na ibang brand," said DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevara

[Translation: The second part of the study is called boosters. So, for example, you were injected with two doses from the same brand, now we will study what happens if you get a booster or a third dose from a different brand.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  Malacanang on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte was simply uninformed when he claimed during his State of the Nation Address that he has fired Immigration personnel tagged in the "pastillas" bribery scheme.

"Siguro po, obvious ang sagot. Hindi po siguro alam ni Presidente na hindi pa sila nasisisante [Perhaps, the explanation is obvious. The President may not have known they have not been fired yet]," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing.

Close to a hundred Bureau of Immigration (BI) employees were suspended by the Ombudsman last year over their alleged involvement in the scam. They are now back to work after their six-month preventive suspension lapsed, contrary to the President's assertion last Monday that he has already removed them from their posts.

However, Roque said Duterte's incorrect statement can be construed as a "mandate" for the Department of Justice to dismiss the implicated workers at the soonest possible time.

"Hindi po katanggap-tanggap 'yung ginawa nilang 'pastillas' scheme. Kailangan po talaga sibakin sila [Their involvement in the 'pastillas' scheme is unacceptable. They really have to be fired]," Roque said.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday explained the BI personnel were allowed to return to work since the investigation on their alleged participation is not yet finished.

The pastillas scheme - first exposed in February last year - allegedly allowed Chinese nationals to enter the country without background checks in exchange for grease money. The operation was dubbed "pastillas" because money would be hidden in rolled bond paper like the wrapping for the milk candy.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29)  The commander of Quezon City Police District Station 3 has been relieved from her post for deploying police personnel awaiting their COVID-19 swab test results during the State of the Nation Address, Philippine National Police chief PGEN Guillermo Eleazar ordered.

Without naming the station commander, Eleazar said in a statement Thursday the administrative relief he ordered was for command responsibility in view of the apparent breach of protocol that occurred.

Station 3 commander PLtCol. Cristine Tabdi said yesterday that their 51 infected police officers were assigned as route security and did not engage with the public directly during the SONA. The station logged 82 positive cases among its cops in total.

In a separate briefing on Thursday, Health Spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire said a breach did happen, emphasizing the police personnel shouldnt have been deployed while their test results were still unknown.

This should serve as a reminder to all our commanders to exercise prudence and to strictly abide with our existing protocols amid the serious threat of COVID-19, especially with the rising number of infection(s) from the Delta variant, said Eleazar.

He likewise said they have yet to find out whether the infected police personnel were infected by the more transmissible variant.

Eleazar assured the PNP is currently focused on the aggressive conduct of contact tracing and testing, and provision of medical needs of COVID-19-positive officers.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30)  The government's vaccine expert panel has rejected the proposal of OCTA Research to shorten the interval between two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, especially Sinovac and AstraZeneca shots, because doing so may result in lower antibody responses.

Dr. Nina Gloriani, head of the Department of Science and Technology's vaccine expert panel, said studies have shown that shortening the interval between the first and second dose of Sinovac vaccine to 14 days from 28 days will lead to lower antibody responses. AstraZeneca vaccine, on the other hand, is more effective if the interval is prolonged to 12 weeks.

"Ang data ngayon is showing, for most of these vaccines, mas mahaba-haba iyong interval, mas mataas iyong antibody levels," she said during a Palace briefing.

[Translation: Latest data shows, for most of these vaccines, the longer the interval, the higher the antibody levels.]

"Hindi natin puwedeng bilisan. Maaaring mataas pero bababa rin po agad iyan; in the long term, hindi po siya mabuti," she added.

[Translation: We cannot speed up. Levels may rise but may also decline fast; this is not good in the long term.]

Earlier, OCTA Research fellow Nic Austriaco called on the government to shorten the intervel between two doses to speed up the immunization program amid the threat of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Currently, the government has received almost 33 million doses and over 17 million of which are Sinovac.

At least 18 million shots have been administered and more than 7 million are now fully vaccinated, but this is still far from the government's target to vaccinate 70 million to achieve herd immunity.
Kathy A. Megyeri lives in Washington, D.C., and is a part-time resident of South Bethany. She can be reached at (301) 325-5319.
Robbin Degeratu grew up in Centre County, yet she said she was oblivious to the historical sites the local area had to offer until she started overseeing a genealogical and historical reference library.

Degeratu, administrative director of Centre County Library and Historical Museum, said many people with an interest in local history find that history hidden from them.

The Schlow Centre Region Library, Centre County Library and Historical Museum, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and Local Historia all collaborated on Hidden Happy Valley, a YouTube series designed to increase interest in the historical sites of Centre County through educating viewers.

Hidden Happy Valley is available on Schlows YouTube channel. The series will consist of three 10-minute episodes, one released every month of the summer. Currently, two of the three episodes have been released.

Local Historia, a duo of high school history teachers, conducts walking tours of local historical sites and community events, according to Matt Maris, its co-owner and one of two tour guides.

The videos feature Maris  who teaches at Bellefonte Area School District  and his fellow Local Historia co-owner Dustin Elder  who teaches at Tyrone Area School District  talking with location experts about each sites history.

Its a bunch of people that want to see Centre County, bring people into Centre County and help people who live here enjoy it and learn more about it, Maris said.

Maria Burchill, head of adult services at the Schlow Centre Region Library, said she believes there are many under-visited sites across Centre County that have a fascinating history. She said the time was right for the series because it gives viewers ideas for places to visit after a year of isolation.

There are spots in Centre County that were integral to the economy and the state that you dont necessarily know about, or its not really part of our everyday life, Burchill said. We dont really think about visiting those old locations, but its a fun thing to do. It helps give people a closer connection with the community.

Degeratu said visits to these sites are especially important to keep them open. She said Hidden Happy Valley began as a lecture series, but the creators figured videos of Local Historia visiting the locations would be more engaging and encourage more visits.

Matt and Dustin have a way of making history come alive, Degeratu said. And when their interpretation is paired with the experience and knowledge of site experts, its thoroughly absorbing.

The first episode covered the Old Mud Church in Philipsburg, also known as Union Church and Burial Ground, and was released on June 26.

According to the episode, the church was financed in part by the Philips family, the founders of Philipsburg. The church was open to several Protestant denominations, disregarding the common practice of one church for one denomination.

The people of Philipsburg have worked really hard to safeguard that church, Degeratu said. Historical sites are vulnerable.

Burchill said the Old Mud Church has a deep connection to Philipsburgs historical grandeur. She said Philipsburg has a rich industrial history that predates State College.

Philipsburg is a really exciting town historically, Degeratu said. When we talk about Centre County history, we dont talk about Philipsburg enough. Right around the early 1800s, Philipsburg is where a lot of money was.

Maris said the church burial ground became the main cemetery for Philipsburg.

The second episode of Hidden Happy Valley was released July 24 and featured Curtin Village at Eagle Ironworks near Milesburg.

Maris said one of his favorite parts of exploring the history of Centre County is visiting the sites of the iron industry, which much of the county was built around.

Degeratu said the Bellefonte and Milesburg portions of Centre County were a large part of this industry.

Without the iron business, towns along the Nittany Creek would never have been founded, and there would be no money to establish a university like Penn State, according to Degeratu.

The third episode will be released in late August, Degeratu said. More episodes might be coming after, depending on its reception from the Centre County community, which she said has been positive so far.

Degeratu said she loves helping to preserve Centre County history, especially because its citizens are so eager to learn about it.

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Penn State upperclassmen share studying tips for incoming freshmen There are typically two weeks in the semester familiar to upperclassmen when Penn States li
State College's Borough Council held its second of two public meetings Wednesday night to garner input on its draft ordinance that would establish a Community Oversight Board for the State College Police Department.

A resolution was initially passed by the council on June 23, 2020, allocating SCPD funds to the COB's establishment. According to a release, the COB intends to "provide an independent analysis of problems, policies and practices, and oversight of services provided by the [SCPD]."

The proposed COB follows the death of Osaze Osagie, a 29-year-old Black man who was killed by a State College police officer on March 20, 2019 when three officers arrived at his apartment to serve a mental health warrant.

Osagie, who had autism and a history of schizophrenia, allegedly ran at the officers with a knife. After an unsuccessful attempt to deploy a Taser on him, he was allegedly shot by Officer M. Jordan Pieniazek.

The three officers involved in the shooting have not been charged.

Sylvester Osagie, Osaze's father, filed a lawsuit in November 2020 against the borough of State College, and Judge Matthew W. Brann of the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania set a long-term trial date in 2022.

The case may be ready for trial in approximately 729 days, according to Judge Branns case management plan. This puts the suggested date for trial in November 2022, two years after the lawsuit was filed.

Feedback the council received at its second meeting ranged from supportive of the board to a dismissal of the COB entirely.

Many residents said they would want the board to act as a fair and impartial body in the interests of the entire community, including those who are part of marginalized communities in State College.

Ross Cooper, a resident of Patton Township and former Centre County assistant district attorney, said he wants to make sure there will be no bias for or against the police, and he said he believes those chosen for the board should go through a background check before being selected.

No one should be placed on the board or allowed to continue to serve on the board if it becomes apparent that this board member harbors a bias or prejudice, whether for or against State College law enforcement officials, Cooper said.

Some residents said they believe the board to be a redundancy. Tim Rogers, of Spring Mills, said he does not understand why another "level of bureaucracy" will possibly be added to State College's government. Rogers said he believes the borough council was established to be the voice of the people, and therefore, should already be a community oversight board itself.

Penn State student Carter Gangl (sophomore-psychology) raised their concerns about the proposed three-year gap required for police to be added as a COB member.

Others raised similar concerns about police involvement on the board. Sarah Wylie, a resident of State College, said she wants no police presence on the board whatsoever, and she said she believes a civilian oversight board should focus on ordinary citizens of the borough.

Wylie also said she believes the training required, such as police ride-alongs, would be unnecessary.

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State College announces travel restrictions on Stuart Avenue There will be travel restrictions on Stuart Avenue between Old Boalsburg Road and Pearson Al

On the other hand, Errol Henderson, an associate professor of political science at Penn State and veteran of the U.S. Army who filed a lawsuit against Penn State alleging a hostile work environment based on race, said he believes that since the spirit of the Constitution involves civilian oversight and the army is able to have civilian oversight, so should the police.

Tierra Williams, co-leader of State College's 3/20 Coalition, and Nick Pressley, a resident of the borough, said they would like to see a formerly incarcerated person on the board if there was an insistence of former police presence on the board.

"The board should also ride into the areas of the community that are most disenfranchised," Williams said. "They should speak with the Black and brown community and grassroots organizations and hear their concerns to get to know us and the community as well  if the intent, indeed, is to represent and speak for the community.

In the initial public input meeting on June 30, Melanie Morrison, a member of the 3/20 Coalition, said she wants the board to have a strong presence and for the board to permanently function in the borough.

Some citizens, however, said they want more of a police presence on the board. Scott Jackson, a former police officer, said he believes civilians to be unqualified for overseeing police matters. Jackson said while he believes in checks and balances, he also believes the police should be left to do their "due diligence" and avoid what he viewed as a personality conflict for civilians.

Another former police officer and resident of Port Matilda, Kris Hopkins, also said she believes police should have a voice on the board because police officers already "do not have freedom of speech," and she said their exclusion from the board would further silence their voices.

Ezra Nanes, who won the Democratic mayoral primary in State College, said he believes the coordinators of the board need to be independent and not directly connected to the borough in an employee-like role. Other citizens expressed similar opinions for transparency.

In the initial meeting in June, Charles Dumas, a retired Penn State professor, voiced similar concerns about the board being independent and wanted to be sure that complaints would be addressed to the borough council and members of the board would be elected rather than appointed.

Janet Irons, also on June 30, said she wants insight on how specifically members would be appointed and said she wants it to be diverse and not made up of just those who are privileged.

Williams echoed the same sentiments of concern about the selection process and said she doesn't want too many straight, white men on the board. She also questioned the nine-year term for appointed members, arguing that it would be too long of a period.

MORE BOROUGH COVERAGE
During its first General Assembly and sole summer meeting Wednesday, Penn States University Park Undergraduate Association confirmed new directors and representatives into a vast number of positions in anticipation of the fall semester.

The student government, which hopes to conduct its meetings in person next semester, hosted its summer session via Zoom.

For the four open positions on UPUAs judicial board, student body President Erin Boas nominated four associate justices.

Andrew Waldman (sophomore-mechanical engineering), Kristine Gonzalez (senior-political science), Lawrence Corridoni (junior-mechanical engineering) and Yash Patni (sophomore-computer science) were each questioned and confirmed by the UPUA General Assembly.

The General Assembly then considered Boass (senior-international politics and economics) selections for directors of various student government departments.

Emily Zimbler (senior-public relations) was confirmed as executive director of public relations. Dan Risser (junior-labor and employment relations and political science), a longtime member of UPUA, was then confirmed as executive co-director of first-year council, his counterpart being Amy Garry (sophomore-secondary education).

Following this, the General Assembly confirmed Ashley Hayford (senior-digital and print journalism) as director of outreach, Grace Southern (senior-digital arts) as director of communications, Robert Grots (senior-education and public policy) as director of academic affairs and Kianna Bingham (senior-political science and African American studies) as director of government affairs.

The final two directors confirmed were Rene Richardson (sophomore-accounting) and Cade Miller (sophomore-broadcast journalism). They were sworn in as director of justice and equity and director of student life, respectively.

Finally, the legislative branch added two new members to its ranks  Nora OToole (sophomore-cyber security and international politics) and Nina Sampogne (sophomore-biology). The two were confirmed as at-large representatives after the General Assembly saw two recent resignations.

The UPUA will remain active throughout the summer, hoping to call its 16th Assembly to order this fall in the HUB-Robeson Center.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ashley Hayford is a former news reporter and editor for The Daily Collegian.

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Following the confirmation of multiple new directors and representatives, Penn States University Park Undergraduate Association passed three new pieces of legislation during its only summer semester meeting Wednesday evening.

The first voting item was Bill #02-16, which recommitted UPUAs commitment to first-generation university students and gave funding toward free school supply packs to be handed out this fall.

The General Assembly voted unanimously to spend $4,717.70 on supplies like folders, pencils, pens, drawstring bags and more. The student government has pursued similar initiatives in past semesters.

Next, the Assembly voted on Bill #03-16, which provided funding to renew the student governments subscription to SoftEdge, a tool the group uses to track state and federal legislation and write letters on the student bodys behalf. An allocation of $2,700 was made for the renewal.

For the last point of the meeting, the General Assembly voted on Resolution #05-16. This piece of legislation called for the continuation of UPUAs Racial Justice Roundtables. These open discussions on the inequalities on campus and beyond began during the UPUAs 15th Assembly.

The student government hopes to resume its activities in person during the fall semester in the HUB-Robeson Center.

MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE
I recently returned from a trip to the Florida Gulf Coast, and Ive consequently gained a greater knowledge of how harmful chemicals can be to our environment.

As I walked on the beach the first day, I was shocked to find many dead fish floating in the red and brown ocean: I havent seen anything like this before in my life.

While the water progressively improved over the course of a week, there were still dead fish and sea life washing up on the beach  it was incredibly shocking. My family and I were so concerned that we researched what was going on and talked to people staying at the same place as us.

What was happening and is currently still happening is called a red tide.

While this has been happening since before humans roamed the land, a red tide is caused when certain types of algae grow out of control, creating harm to both sea and human life. The water can look red, green or even brown.

This is a somewhat natural occurrence, but human activities increase the frequency of red tides  especially along the Gulf of Mexico. Chemicals from farms, factories and sewage treatment plants dissolve into the water and thus create red tides.

Red tides then supply harmful toxins that can kill sea life and animals. Animals can also ingest toxins, which can make people who eat local fish sick.

Satellites and local news stations are monitoring the tides, but thats not preventing hundreds of fish from washing up on shore  its still something scientists cant predict.

And, there are plenty of human effects that result from red tides that I personally experienced.

Toxins from brevis cells found in the gulf are released into the air, causing respiratory irritation. I couldnt imagine someone with asthma or other respiratory problems being exposed to this  that could gravely affect them.

When I was outside or near the beach, I would start coughing, and I could almost feel the cough start from the irritation in the back of my throat after just inhaling air. This happened to my family members and other people at the beach, too.

I was told it was safe to swim, but there were several dead fish in the water at times, which means there was harmful bacteria in the ocean. Some people have also experienced burning eyes and skin irritation.

Ive never experienced anything that harsh  my eyes were constantly irritated. I even developed a rash from skin irritation near my eyes. Gross, I know, but its the truth.

Red tides have been especially elevated this year and have been plaguing locations like Tampa harshly due to 200 million gallons of polluted water the Piney Point fertilizer plant is dumping into the bay.

So, why would anyone from Penn State or anyone who doesnt live in that area care about what is going on in Florida?

Fertilizers and runoff from farms across the country are going to lead to the ocean at some point. Even runoff from personal fertilized yards is affecting this.

We can prevent this. We can help while in the middle of Pennsylvania, though we may not have an ocean in our backyards. Toxins are going to lead into the oceans one way or another  no matter where you are in the world.

If this problem continues, this is going to lead to more and more animals dying. Its going to harm more humans  it isnt going to end well.

Hundreds and hundreds of fish are washing up dead on shores, and I had no idea this was even a problem. Most people remain oblivious to these detrimental red tides.

Nonetheless, its important to discuss this issue more because our world depends on it  even if it isnt happening in your own state. It will still impact you somehow.

Stay educated. Climate change and issues like red tides are real and happening across the country.

Red tides are a mystery yet to be fully solved, and they should not go unnoticed.
Joey Bunch: "Flip to almost any page [of 'When Women Vote'], and there's something you probably didn't know ... . It lays out the issues in simple language: fair maps, voter registration, ballot-delivery options and primary election reform among them. Women tend to be better collaborators, according to research."
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!
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
On Living

Senior Speaker Emir Kulluk 21 spoke of the unique challenges and inspiring moments brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Emir Kulluk 21 first discovered the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmets piece, titled On Living when he was a teenager. Ever since, the poem has held tremendous meaning for him.

During Conns 103rd Commencement ceremony in May, Kulluk, who grew up in Turkey, delivered this years Senior Speech, addressing the audience both on campus and tuning in from around the world. A Film and Philosophy double major, CISLA Scholar, and Connecticut College Ambassador, Kulluk spoke of the unique challenges and inspiring moments brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and shared some of Hikmets poem, which has long given him comfort during difficult times.

CC Magazine spoke with Kulluk about his experience at Conn and why Hikmets poem continues to mean so much to him.

CC Magazine: What is it about this poem that still resonates with you today?

Emir Kulluk: When I first read it, the dichotomies presented in the poem really struck a chord, as it truly represented life as not all good, or all bad, but with ups and downs. It argues the importance of valuing the very fact that we have life itself, regardless of what it entails. I think that message is more important now than ever.

In my Senior Speech, I also wanted to share something that was part of my culture; the Turkish heritage that I carry and represent on a daily basis. And after learning more about Hikmets work and life, I realized he was the perfect individual to talk about. A poet, writer and philosopher, he was imprisoned and later exiled for his political beliefs, yet his love and appreciation for his culture, community and motherland never diminished.

CC Magazine: What initially drew you to Conn?

EK: I spoke to an alumnus of my high school who went to Conn, Anil Timbil 20, and he emphasized that Conn was a very tight-knit community with small class sizes, more time with professors, and a philosophy of encouraging exploration and combining interests. I was drawn to this.

CC Magazine: Throughout your time at Conn, is there an academic achievement or experience that stands out more than others?

EK: Making a movie in my film class. Getting to experience every step of the process of filmmaking, from coming up with the idea to writing a script to preproduction, filming and then postproduction was thrilling. It allowed me to put everything that I had learned through various film classes into use, making the movie that I wanted to see. Making a movie is intimate, not just for you, but for everybody involved, and it is out of this intimacy that you make unforgettable memories and strong friendships.

CC Magazine: So, whats next for you?

EK: Ive been interning for Team Basilisk, an Esports startup founded by a Conn alum, Christopher Bothur 07, and Ill be continuing to work there. Esports is an exciting new industry with a lot of potential, and I love what I do there. I help create content and visuals that we utilize both inside and outside the organization, but I also get to use a lot of the other skills I have picked up during my time at Conn for management and communication.
07/29/2021

Photo (c) Jonathan Knowles - Getty Images Your morning cup of coffee may soon cost more. A nasty blast of cold weather going through Brazil is threatening 11% of the countrys coffee crops and has sent Arabica coffee prices up 30% over the last two weeks to the highest price in 21 years. This might not end soon either. Forecasters say another polar air mass is on the way later this week.

When it comes to cold weather, coffee trees are a delicate bunch. Depending on the severity of the weather, the damage can run from severe to fatal. On top of that, if a coffee farmer has to replace a tree, theyre looking at close to three years before that tree produces another bean.

"The extent of the damage is still unclear, however estimates are now between 5.5 million and 9 million (60 kg) bags, up from 2 million to 3 million last week," Charles Sargeant, softs and agricultural commodity broker at Britannia Global Markets, told Reuters in reference to Brazils 2022 coffee crop. Most of this year's smaller production has already been harvested, but next years crop was deemed crucial in balancing the global supply.

Consumers to see rising prices

Quietly and off most everyones radar, Arabica coffee futures have slowly ticked up over the last month. With the latest increases, the price has risen close to 35% overall. Someone is going to have to pay for that increase, and it will most likely be consumers.

The downhill hit will be felt at both the grocery store and coffee stores like Starbucks and Dunkin. Tracy Allen, a 40-year coffee industry vet who runs a company called Brewed Behavior that helps developing countries grow and sell coffee, told KMBC News that shoppers shouldnt be surprised to see anywhere from a $3 to $4 price increase on a pound of coffee. He also said he was looking for big sellers like Starbucks and Dunkin to raise prices.

If were to believe the axiom of what goes up must come down, coffee prices should eventually return to normal, right? Does Allen see this price hike as something permanent?

"I'll fall short of saying it's temporary. I wish I knew," he said.
07/29/2021

Photo (c) EmirMemedovski - Getty Images A new study conducted by researchers from the University of California at San Diego explored one important factor that can come between married couples. According to their findings, couples who dont agree on financial risks may be more likely to get separated or divorced than those who are on the same page about those decisions.

Arguing about money is typically cited as a reason for divorce, but a main potential driver of these fights is differences in risk attitudes, said researcher Marta Serra-Garcia. Risk attitudes determine investment decisions, such as housing for the family. If spouses have different risk preferences, they will often disagree on common and very important investments in the marriage.

Putting a burden on relationships

For the study, the researchers analyzed responses from 5,300 couples in Germany who were surveyed by the German Socio-Economic Panel from 2014 through 2017. The survey questions focused on the participants risk-taking behaviors in several areas of life, including their finances.

Ultimately, it was clear that couples were more likely to separate when they felt differently about taking finance-based risks. Couples who disagreed the most on finances were twice as likely to get divorced compared to those who had the most in common in this area. Disagreeing on other risk-taking behaviors, including career decisions and driving habits, didnt impact the participants relationships long term.

On one hand, households share common goods, such as housing, and for that similarity in risk attitudes is optimal, said Serra-Garcia. On the other hand, households share two sources of income and income is typically risky. Since spouses pool their incomes, if one has a less reliable stream than the other, differences in risk attitudes can be optimal because they can insure each other, but this can also be a source of tension for marriages.

Benefits of being together longer

The researchers note that consumers attitudes are capable of changing over time -- especially for newer couples. There is a strong possibility that couples beliefs about financial risks start to become more similar the longer theyre together, which the researchers explained can bode well for relationships.

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings can benefit consumers who are still looking to be coupled up.

Online dating websites often design algorithms that attempt to find the optimal match, Serra-Garcia said. If such websites suggested matches between individuals who are similar in their risk attitudes, that could decrease the likelihood that if a couple forms, it will dissolve in the future.
100%

Website flymango.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 58259 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 124891 bytes (121.96 kb uncompressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-07-29, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
100%

Website liturgia.pt uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery and Php. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 184655 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 38229 bytes (37.33 kb uncompressed) and 7676 bytes (7.50 kb compressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-07-29, 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
Inolex Provence, ieS Labo welcomed several French regional officials on July 23, 2021, as part of a celebration honoring the companys contribution to the regions economy and local heritage.

Related: Inolex Certifies Entire Portfolio as Halal

The ceremony recognized ieS Labos business resilience and announced the companys future growth. More than 60 people attended the event, which included a tour of the factory, unveiling of plans for an expanded facility and a champagne toast.

Expansion of the Inolex Provence, ieS Labo facility encompasses new warehouse space and enhanced laboratories. The capital development positions the company to integrate the companys line of products of plant-based, natural ingredients with the ieS Labo portfolio.

France is a leading market for personal care and beauty care brands, said Olivier Khuu, director of Inolex Provence, ieS Labo. We are fortunate to work in this wonderful region to supply our natural extracts, botanicals and essential oils to customers around the world.

We are proud to have a robust presence in France and proud of our incredible team in Oraison, added David Plimpton, CEO and president of Inolex Group, Inc. Inolex Provence, ieS Labo is an important part of our portfolio of safe, sustainable and innovative ingredients for health, beauty and wellness.
Unfortunately, Hollywood will leave you ill-prepared, because it has managed to completely overlook several key aspects of life on post-apocalyptic Earth. For example ...

Hollywood seems pretty confident that at some point humanity will find itself at the mercy of a world-resetting apocalypse. Over the years, movies have provided us with a complete visual library of survival guides covering each and every possible scenario, from the plausible (the world is enslaved by sentient robot overlords) to the ludicrous (the world is poisoned by angry trees, because for some reason M. Night Shyamalan gets to keep making movies).

5 No, Everyone Won't Immediately Turn into Crazy Assholes

According to Hollywood 

Pretty much every zombie franchise from Night of the Living Dead on has taught us that humans are the real monsters in an apocalypse -- most survivors will be psychopaths who are more dangerous than the undead. The Road tells us that even the good guy isn't necessarily a "good guy" when he's doing what he thinks is necessary to survive, and that literally everyone else is a rapist or a cannibal or both. War of the Worlds showed us that Tom Cruise isn't afraid to beat Tim Robbins to death to keep his daughter safe. World War Z showed us that Brad Pitt can run like Tom Cruise.

The lesson is always the same: When society breaks down, the remaining humans treat the world as a nonstop cannibalistic rape festival.

But Actually ...

Ask yourself this: If humans naturally become murderous sociopaths in the absence of modern society, then how did modern society ever form in the first place?

The whole freaking reason we have a civilization for the zombies to destroy is because humans are naturally cooperative. You don't need to take our word for it -- studies performed by researchers at Harvard and Yale found that our basic human nature dictates an overwhelming need to cooperate with other humans, even if said cooperation results in some measure of harm to ourselves. Biologists say the same thing. Despite what the self-checkout line at Harris Teeter may have led you to believe, humans actually give a decent-sized shit about one another.

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In regional crises like Atlanta's blizzard-induced traffic gridlock and Hurricane Sandy, examples of basic human kindness weren't difficult to find. When serious tragedy hits a community, most people's first impulse is to see what they can to do help their neighbors, rather than to carry all of their canned food into the basement and start loading their shotguns. It's not even because we're nice guys -- it's because instinctively we know that we might need that person down the road. So even if some worldwide crisis were to transform us all into selfish mutants, the theory of reciprocal altruism suggests that we'd probably still be willing to share that can of beanie weenies if it meant we could get something in return later, even if that something is just "an extra person I can feed to the zombies to make my getaway."

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That's the biggest thing missing from a show like The Walking Dead or a movie like The Road: commerce. They shouldn't have to scavenge in vacant houses for food or medicine; somebody should be going camp to camp selling that shit in exchange for bullets, sex, protection, or whatever. Hell, even monkeys can figure that out.
Lets get real. Purdueand that really means the Sacklers, who were still in control when Purdue's bankruptcy filing strategy was worked outfiled in White Plains because it wanted its case to be heard by Judge Robert Drain. If Judge Michael Wiles who has held that bankruptcy courts do not have the power to issue third-party releases had been the judge sitting in White Plains, theres no chance Purdue would have gone anywhere near White Plains. On top of that, Purdues claim about convenience doesnt pass the smell test. Convenience to corporate headquarters is never a real consideration in bankruptcy filings. If it were, would GM and Chrysler have filed in NY? Would Nieman Marcus or Belk have filed in Houston? Would anybody ever file in Delaware?

Convenience to corporate HQ doesnt matter because a bankrupt firms employees spend very little time in the bankruptcy court. Thats for the lawyers, and if youve ever taken a black car from Manhattan (where Purdues attorneys are based) to White Plains, its a very long (and expensive) ride. But if convenience to HQ really matters, lets just not that according to Google, the drive from Purdues headquarters to the Bridgeport, Connecticut courthouse is only two minutes longer than to White Plains. Now Purdue also points to its general partner being a long-standing NY corporation, making a NY venue appropriate. Thats true, but it glosses over two points. First, its a BS general partner. &Purdue Pharma, Inc., doesnt have an equity stake in any of the Purdue entities. Thats the antithesis of being a partner. Its a rent-a-partner (something Delaware law authorizes)basically an agent of Purdue Pharma LP.

Second, the existence of a NY entity general partner just means that venue in New York is appropriate. It does not mean that a White Plains case assignment is appropriate. The SDNY local rule on case assignment is based on the debtors petition address, and specifically excludes post office boxes. Only debtors with Westchester or Rockland County addresses are supposed to be assigned to White Plains. Purdue Pharma, Inc.s petition lists a Connecticut address (and it does not appear to have any actual operations in NY state), so it has no claim on a White Plains venue.

The catch is that the courthouse assignment is, in the first, instance, decided by the debtor in the CM/ECF system. For Purdues case to end up in White Plains, one of its attorneys had to have indicated in the CM/ECF that White Plains was the appropriate venue that WP was appropriate. What possible basis could there be for that claim?

Well, 198 days before filing for bankruptcy, Purdue Pharma, Inc., changed its service of process agent to one with a White Plains address. Thats a post office box for all purposes, and the local case assignment rule says that post office boxes dont count. Now remember who was in control of Purdue 198 days before the bankruptcy filing: the Sacklers, not the independent committee.

Lest you think that this change of process agent might have been routine corporate maintenance, around the same time Purdue also restated its certificate of incorporation. The restated certificate specified that a copy of any process served should be sent to the law firm of Davis, Polk & Wardwell LLP, attention Marshall S. Huebner. Mr. Huebner, is, of course, Purdues bankruptcy attorney. All of these changes were being done in preparation for bankruptcy, and they all occurred when the Sacklers were firmly in control of Purdue, meaning that the changes were being done for the benefit of the Sacklers.

Purdues claims about convenience notwithstanding, its obvious that the Sacklers carefully prepared to maneuver their case into the White Plains courthouse by (and this is to put it generously) stretching the local case assignment rules. You dont go to that sort of effort just to save a two minute drive. The Sacklers didnt want a White Plains venue. They wanted Judge Drain, and, at the very least, this sort of judge-picking creates an indelible appearance of impropriety that taints the entire case.
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
Several years ago, Robert Fulghum wrote a bestselling book with an intriguing title: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. It talked about playing fair, putting things back where you found them... flushing.

It was a fun book.

Reflecting on that title, it made me think of my own leadership and role as a pastor. And how I could write a book titled: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in My First Church.

My first church was a county-seat Baptist congregation in a small town near the school where I went to seminary. It was a big church by student standards, 300 or so in attendance, and it had a staff that consisted of a part-time youth minister, a part-time worship leader, a couple of administrative assistants and a groundskeeper.

The church did not, however, have a good history with pastors.

If I recall correctly, I was going to be at least their fourth pastor in less than a decade. The pastor before me had an emotional breakdown in the pulpit. They gave him a 90-day medical sabbatical. At the end of his break, he announced he had accepted a position at a new church in Florida.

It seems he used his sabbatical well.

The pastor before him was told by a deacon  who visited the doorstep of the parsonage one night to deliver the news  that if he didnt leave, he would make it so hard on him hed have to.

So there I was, the young seminary kid.

And I do mean young.

Senior pastor?

Hardly.

I was 25 years old when I delivered my first message to that church as its leader, finding myself leading a church that left a trail of pastors bodies in its wake.

I served that church for just over three years. I carry many a scar from that time to this day. Yet it taught me some of the most important lessons Ive ever learned for ministrykindergarten kind of lessons.

Here are just four of them:

1. Stand up to bullies.

Almost every playground has a bully. And theres only one way to stop a bully: Stand up to them.

There was a certain man in the church who had terrorized pastors for years. He was big, burly and intimidating. He was also a parking lot manipulatortalking to people before and after services, maneuvering them to his side of things. And if there wasnt a side in play, he simply sowed seeds of dissension, division and discontent. He was a master at taking control of deacon and business meetings, bringing blindsiding to an art form.

No one had ever confronted him about his behavior before.

I was young and stupid enough to be the first.

It worked.

I asked him to meet with me and I told him that it had to end. I told him that I wanted to be his pastor, but that he had a trail of pastors bodies in his wake. I told him I had talked to those former pastors (another story), and that to a person they had named his name. I then told him that if I had to take this further, in whatever way needed to end it, I would.

The church of Jesus mattered too much not to.

He broke down crying, and he was quiet from then on (maybe not reformed or repentant, but he behaved) until I left.

2. Pick a captain of the team. And then, let them captain.

One of the biggest lessons I learned is that church structure matters. Really. How decisions are made, who is put in charge, and then letting them lead the charge, matters.

In my first church, you had to go to a congregational business meeting to buy paper clips.

You think Im kidding?

Im not.

Its like recess. You want to play a game? You pick sides, right? But how do you do that?

You pick captains.

That captain gets to pick. They get to lead. If they dont do a good job, fine. Next recess, new captain. But that doesnt mean you dont have captains.

Ive told many a church planter that one of the biggest secrets about Meck is its church structure. Church planters will dream about a thousand things  weekend services, bands, buildings, marketing efforts  but they seldom dream about structure.

They should.

Because its at the heart of making sure that leaders get to lead.

3. Give gold stars.

Do you remember posters on the school wall that had everyones names listed and then categories for little gold sticker stars? Maybe for being on time, getting in line quickly, answering a question correctly, or just having a neat desk.

What do people get stars for in church?

In my first church, I learned that mission matters. Why? Because at that church there didnt seem to be a clear missional target. There was no poster on the wall dictating what you could get a star for.

What were we trying to do?

What were we trying to accomplish?

What did it mean to get a win?

I learned that the poster for stars needed to be about turning unchurched people into fully devoted followers of Christ.

And that singular mission fuels me to this day.

And remember, people tend to do what you give stars for.

4. Everyone deserves a special day.

The last lesson Ill mention is that everyone needs a special day.

Remember what it was like to go to school on your birthday? Your mom may have made cupcakes for everyone. You got to go to the head of the line for lunch. You were treated special.

All day.

In my first church, I learned that everyone deserves a special day.

Maybe not with cupcakes, but with attention.

At my first church, I did every hospital visit, every wedding, every funeral. I visited people whose only ailment was an ingrown toenail or who had a tough day at work (I know, it seems ridiculous, but I have stories.).

Yet there was something about the visit, the personal attention, the presence.

Granted, I now lead a church where (by necessity) that is neither my primary nor my best role.

Its not even a possibility.

(We can talk about the pros and cons of that later. Hint: its mostly pros.)

But it is still my role to ensure that it is cared for.

And I do.

And, for what its worth, I still do countless personal appointments every week; in truth, about as many as my schedule can physically handle.

What Im trying to say is that people matter to God, and therefore they should matter to us. To put it bluntly, we are in the people business.

Thats easy to forget.

I try to remind myself every day that I get up in the morning for,

... single-parent moms,

 college students,

 hard-working parents,

 skeptics,

 divorcees,

 the unemployed,

 the sick,

 the widow,

 the .

Well, you get the point.

If I ever forget its all about the people, then I have forgotten what Jesus has called my life to be about.

And forgotten everything I ever learned in kindergarten.

Sorry,

 I meant my first church.

James Emery White

Editors Note

This blog was originally released in 2016. The Church & Culture Team thought you would enjoy reading it again.

About the Author

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and the ranked adjunct professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book After I Believe is now available on Amazon or your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit ChurchAndCulture.org, where you can view past blogs in our archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the world. Follow Dr. White on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @JamesEmeryWhite.
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.

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  As he rallied conservatives on Wednesday, one of the Republican Party's most prominent rising stars mocked new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge.

Did you not get the CDCs memo? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City. I dont see you guys complying.

From Texas to South Dakota, Republican leaders responded with hostility and defiance to updated masking guidance from public health officials, who advise that even fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors if they live in areas with high rates of virus transmission. The backlash reopened the culture war over pandemic restrictions just as efforts to persuade unvaccinated Americans to get shots appeared to be making headway.

Now Playing: Some Republicans on Capitol Hill were in revolt Wednesday after the Capitol's attending physician sent a memo informing members that masks would again have to be worn inside the House at all times. (July 28) Video: Associated Press

Egged on by former President Donald Trump, the response reflects deep resistance among many GOP voters to restrictions aimed at containing a virus they feel poses minimal personal threat. The party is also tapping into growing frustration and confusion over ever-shifting rules and guidance.

But the resistance has real implications for a country desperate to emerge from the pandemic. Beyond vaccinations, there are few tools other than mask-wearing and social distancing to contain the spread of the delta variant, which studies have shown to be far more contagious than the original strain.

Many Republican leaders, however, are blocking preventative measures, potentially making it harder to tame virus outbreaks in conservative communities.

At least 18 Republican-led states have moved to prohibit vaccine passports or to ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccination. And some have prohibited schools from requiring any student or teacher to wear a mask or be vaccinated.

In its announcement, the CDC cited troubling new  thus far unpublished  research that found that fully vaccinated people can spread the delta variant just like the unvaccinated, putting those who havent received the shots or who have compromised immune systems at heightened risk. The CDC also recommended that all teachers, staff and students wear masks inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

The backlash was swift.

We wont go back. We wont mask our children, declared Trump, who routinely cast doubt on the value of mask-wearing and rarely wore one in public while he was in office. Why do Democrats distrust the science?

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called the new guidance disappointing and concerning and inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results.

He, like others, warned that the measure would undermine efforts to encourage vaccine holdouts to get their shots by casting further doubt on the efficacy of approved vaccines, which have been shown to dramatically decrease the risk of death or hospitalization, despite the occurrence of breakthrough cases.

Last week, White House officials reported that vaccination rates were on the rise in some states where COVID-19 cases were soaring, as more Republican leaders implored their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside and get the shots to protect themselves. That includes Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who has pleaded with unvaccinated residents, saying they are the ones letting us down.

This self-inflicted setback encourages skepticism and vaccine hesitancy at a time when the goal is to prevent serious illnesses and deaths from COVID-19 through vaccination, Parson tweeted. This decision only promotes fear & further division among our citizens.

The announcement will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials  people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates, echoed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who has banned mask and vaccine mandates in his state.

In his Wednesday speech, DeSantis took particular aim at the CDCs call for kids to wear masks in the classroom.

Its not healthy for these students to be sitting there all day, 6-year-old kids in kindergarten covered in masks, he said  though there is no evidence that wearing masks is harmful to children older than toddler age.

And in South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem called out the CDC for shifting its position on masking AGAIN. She said that those who are worried about the virus can get vaccinated, wear a mask or stay home, but that Changing CDC guidelines dont help ensure the publics trust.

On Capitol Hill, some Republicans were in revolt after the Capitols attending physician sent a memo informing members that masks would again have to be worn inside the House at all times.

The change set off a round robin of insults, with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy a moron after McCarthy tweeted, The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.

The mandate also prompted an angry confrontation, as Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., verbally assailed Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, who exited the House chamber and walked past her without a face covering.

Conservatives also forced a vote to adjourn the chamber in protest to the mandate, which was defeated along mostly party lines.

We have a crisis at our border, and were playing footsie with mask mandates in the peoples House, railed Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the motions sponsor. The American people are fed up. They want to go back to life. They want to go back to business. They want to go back to school without their children being forced to wear masks.

The nation is averaging nearly 62,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, and the vast majority of those hospitalized and dying havent been vaccinated. As of Sunday, 69% of American adults had received one vaccine dose, and 60% had been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Last year, early on in the pandemic, public health officials told Americans that masks offered little protection against the virus (and could even increase the risk of infection). The guidance was driven by a lack of knowledge about how the novel virus spread and a desire to save limited mask supplies for medical workers. But the CDC soon changed course and advised Americans to wear masks indoors and outdoors if they were within 6 feet (1.8 meters) of one another.

Then in April of this year, as vaccination rates rose sharply, the agency eased its guidelines, saying fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks outdoors unless they were in big crowds of strangers. In May, the guidance was eased further, saying fully vaccinated people could safely stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.

Subsequent CDC guidance said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks at schools, either.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, on Wednesday defended the changes, saying the CDC did exactly what it was supposed to do.

The CDC has to adapt to the virus, she said, and unfortunately because not enough Americans have stepped up to get vaccinated, they had to provide new guidance to help save lives.

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Colvin reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Alan Fram in Washington, Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Mo., and Alexandra Jaffe aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to delete an erroneous reference to Alabama having prohibited schools from requiring masks. The state is allowing local school districts to make that decision.
GEORGETOWN, Texas (AP)  As Rebecca Flores set out on a nearly 30-mile voting rights march to the Texas Capitol on Wednesday, she recalled another long distance: the drive her parents made from the outskirts of town in the 1950s to cast their ballot, after paying a $3 poll tax.

They just want to keep us in our place, said Flores, 78, an activist from San Antonio. And I am frankly, Im sick of it. Thats why Im here."

As far as protests go over tighter voting laws, the march in Texas that began with more than 100 people shuffling out of a suburban Austin church parking lot before dawn is not the largest. Organizers said they limited the size over COVID-19 precautions, and asked participants to show proof of vaccination.

But it was laden with symbolism and political purpose amid a GOP push to enact restrictions following former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Black church leaders and Democrats set off down the road on the three-day demonstration making comparisons to the civil rights era and the landmark Alabama voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. The new movement is an extension of that fight, they say.

Republicans have angrily rejected comparisons to the new laws as Jim Crow-style restrictions. The added ID requirements, limits on mail voting and drop boxes and new controls over local elections officials are meant to protect against fraud and restore confidence in the system, they said. There was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

The march was led, in part, by Beto ORourke, the former Democratic congressman and presidential candidate who has not ruled out a run for Texas governor in 2022. O'Rourke and marchers shut down the frontage road of Interstate 35 during the morning rush hour, funneled between restaurants and cut a path from red statehouse districts to blue ones.

It was the latest effort by Democrats  and one of their longest  to keep up the pressure over voting rights when it is not just prospects of action from Congress that are fading. So, too, is national attention surrounding Texas Democrats more than two weeks after they bolted to Washington to block new election laws backed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

As the walk began Wednesday, the quorum-breaking Texas Democrats continued visiting with members of Congress, but still have no commitment of a meeting with President Joe Biden.

If they stay out of Texas through next week, Democrats will have run out the clock on the current special session and the GOP's latest voting bill  but Abbott has already promised to immediately call another.

They can only hold out for so long, O'Rourke said. So its really no longer up to the Texas Democrats. Its up to President Biden and its up to the U.S. Senate."

O'Rourke began the march at the back of the line as the Rev. William Barber, the national co-chairman of the Poor Peoples Campaign, led the group out of Christ Lutheran Church in Georgetown carrying signs that included Pass All Provisions of the For the People Act"  the stalled federal legislation that would touch on virtually every aspect of how elections are conducted.

Police blocked the interstate frontage road as the slow-moving crowd set off toward Austin. About a mile after starting, Barber held up the crowd to remind them over a bullhorn to stay socially distanced. When a woman in an SUV abruptly stopped in the middle of the road outside a hotel to yell at the group  saying voting was accessible to all  the crowd broke out in a chant to drown her out.

It was kicked into gear by Marcel McClinton, a 20-year-old activist from Houston, who around the 6-mile mark was clutching a half-empty bottle of water under a bright sun with no shade. He ditched $2,000 in summer classes this week to take part in the march, having snuck in a few extra walks back home to work up his stamina.

The temperature had climbed to 90 degrees, but it was Biden who was making him hot for not pushing to get rid of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate.

President Biden thinks that we can out-organize Jim Crow voter suppression, he said. This is a historic moment. And if he cannot stand up to the plate today and fight for people like me, then this country will go down.

By late morning, the size of the march was smaller; some of the early-risers were replaced by a new wave of walkers. Eugene Howard, a 37-year-old educator, said he was on less than two hours of sleep after driving with his wife and 5-year-old daughter from suburban Houston, where he says he is running for Congress next year.

He let them sleep in at the hotel for the first stretch, but said they, too, will eventually join.

"This is that significant. I believe this will be remembered," he said. And hopefully this galvanizes the nation.
CARRY-LE-ROUET, France (AP)  Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against the coronavirus are not taking a break.

Instead, with lockdowns easing despite concerns about variants and nations looking to breathe new life into their ailing tourism industries, vaccinations are being taken to vacationers. It's all part of an effort to maintain momentum in campaigns to protect against the pandemic that has killed more than 1 million across the continent, including in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Russia.

From France's sun-kissed Mediterranean coast to the azure waters of Italy's Adriatic beaches and Russian Black Sea resorts, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much part of this summer as sunscreen and shades for those who are not yet fully vaccinated.

The new drive to take shots to tourists is a way of adapting to Europe's annual summer migration, when it seems whole cities empty of their residents for weeks. Those long absences from home pose a particular challenge for many nations European, where public health systems often focus on delivering vaccines to people based on where they live.

In Britain, where 70% of adults already are fully vaccinated, campaigns now are aimed at the younger generations with walk-in pop-up clinics in parks, a recent event complete with DJ at the Tate Modern museum and shots on offer to music lovers at the Latitude Festival.

Mickael Bomard, from Le Plessis-Robinson in the Paris region, recently took his 15-year-old son Nolan to a squat building just meters (yards) from the gently lapping waves of the Mediterranean at Carry-le-Rouet, a popular holiday spot near the port city of Marseille.

Given the measures that are being taken now and the obligations when school starts again in September, we have decided to get him vaccinated, Bomard said.

The vaccination center is giving shots to about 200 people each day  vacationers and locals  says Agnes Gatto, a nurse who runs the facility.

In France, where resistance to the vaccine has been particularly stubborn, a new rule came into effect last week that forces those who want to visit public sites ranging from cinemas to casinos to the Eiffel Tower to get a pass that shows they are either fully vaccinated, have tested negative for the coronavirus or recovered from COVID-19. The measure will be extended to restaurants and cafes from next month. That's part of the reason more people are leaving the sand for a shot in the arm.

It was enough to push Bomard to take Nolan: Not being able to go out for dinner together with the family, go to restaurants, and maybe having to find at the last minute an appointment in a packed vaccination center in September in order for him to go to middle school.

After a slow start to vaccinations, 57% of adults in the European Union are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the bloc's executive says.

Even so, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is warning against complacency given the well-established presence in Europe of the highly contagious delta variant.

She recently said that the variant is very dangerous. I therefore call on everyone  who has the opportunity  to be vaccinated. For their own health and to protect others.

To that end, flexible vaccination initiatives are cropping up across Europe.

In Italy, a vaccination van is set to start circulating in the popular Adriatic Sea destination Rimini this weekend, following a similar mobile campaign at Lazios beaches, where many Romans have second homes. At Rome's main airport, meanwhile, authorities this week opened a Vax&Go area where any traveler passing through can get a vaccine just before departure.

Ilaria Iannuzzi, a doctor at the airport facility, said Thursday that its main goal is to bring vaccination closer to people, especially by facilitating those who need it, those who couldnt book it or couldnt respect their appointment.

Still, some have complained of difficulties of getting vaccine shots outside of their home regions. Milan residents on vacation along the Ligurian coast have not been able to get a second shot, Corriere della Sera daily reported, for instance. But Ligurias regional governor, Giovanni Toti, said the bureaucratic bug responsible could be ironed out in days.

In Russia, which is struggling with widespread vaccine skepticism, the popular southern vacation destination of Krasnodar, a region home to the renowned Black Sea resort of Sochi, is trying to persuade the hesitant: Starting Aug. 1, it will only let visitors into hotels and spas if they have a negative coronavirus test or a vaccination certificate. Tourists with a negative test will be required to get vaccinated locally within three days of arrival.

We will provide the vaccine, Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said.

In France, the pandemic pass appears to be having the desired effect of pushing some people skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines to get the shot anyway.

I wasnt really in favor of the vaccine because Im young. I havent settled yet, I have no children, etc. so Im a bit afraid of the long-term side effects," said 24-year-old Carry-le-Rouet resident Noemie Cienzo. "But now, with the PCR tests we have to do every time we want to go out, I think I will (get vaccinated) otherwise it will become complicated. 

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Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writers around Europe contributed.

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More AP stories on the coronavirus pandemic: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
CRANE, Texas (AP)  Rusted pipes litter the sandy fields of Ashley Williams Watts cattle ranch in windswept West Texas. The corroded skeletons are all that remain of hundreds of abandoned oil wells that were drilled long before her family owned the land. The wells, unable to produce any useful amounts of oil or gas, were plugged with cement decades ago and forgotten.

But something eerie is going on beneath the land, where Watt once played among the mesquite trees, jackrabbits and javelina and first drove the dirt roads at 10 years old. One by one, the wells seem to be unplugging themselves. Theyre leaking dangerous chemicals that are seeping into groundwater beneath her ranch.

Now 35, Watt believes the problems on her ranch, which sprawls across the oil-rich fields of the Permian Basin, are getting worse. In April, she found crude oil bubbling from an abandoned well. In June, an oil company worker called to alert her that another well was seeping pools of salty produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction containing toxic chemicals.

Im watching this well literally just spew brine water into my water table, and then I have to go home at night, and Im sweaty and tired and smelly, and I get in the shower, and I turn on the shower and I look at it, and I think, is this shower going to kill me? Watt said.

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A GROWING THREAT

The crisis unfolding on Watts 75,000-acre ranch offers a window on a growing problem for the oil industry and the communities and governments that are often left to clean up the mess. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells exist in the United States. About a third of them were plugged with cement, which is considered the proper way to prevent harmful chemical leaks. But most havent been plugged at all.

Many of the wells are releasing methane, a greenhouse gas containing about 86 times the climate-warming power of carbon dioxide over two decades. Some are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into fields and groundwater.

Regulators dont know where hundreds of thousands of abandoned wells are because many of them were drilled before modern record-keeping and plugging rules were established. They are a silent menace, threatening to explode or contaminate drinking water and leaking atmosphere-warming fumes each day that theyre unplugged. Without records of their whereabouts, its impossible to grasp the magnitude of the pollution or health problems they may be causing.

The problem isnt confined to Texas. In recent years, abandoned wells have been found under brush deep in forests and beneath driveways in suburbia. On the Navajo Nation, a hiker stumbled across wells oozing brown and black fluid that smelled like motor oil. In Colorado, a basement exploded, killing a man and his brother-in-law who were repairing a water heater, after an abandoned flowline had leaked methane into the house.

A Wyoming school shut down for more than a year after students and teachers complained of headaches for weeks. Air quality tests revealed high levels of benzene and carbon dioxide, most likely from a nearby abandoned oil well. A garage in Pennsylvania exploded  a consequence, the state suspects, of abandoned gas wells.

Experts believe the problem is getting worse. Even before the viral pandemic, producers were declaring bankruptcy and abandoning oil fields after spending more on fracking operations than they ultimately could afford. Then the coronavirus halted travel, obliterating demand for fuel and leaving less money to properly plug wells.

President Joe Biden, who has built much of his domestic policy around a transition to cleaner energy sources, wants to spend billions to put unemployed wildcatters to work plugging the wells. But Congress is unlikely to allocate enough money to seriously confront the issue.

If, all of a sudden, we could switch to all green renewable energy, thats great, but these wells dont disappear; theyre still going to be there, said Mary Kang, an assistant professor of civil engineering at McGill University in Montreal who was among the first scientists to call attention to the danger of abandoned wells.

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TRACES OF BENZENE

After the discoveries on Watts ranch, traces of benzene showed up in the well that supplies her cattle's drinking water. Chevron, which owned at least two of the oil wells that recently came unplugged, began trucking in drinking water while its crews tried to fix the leaks. But Watt worried that her animals might have consumed contaminated water. So she had her 600 head of cattle hauled off to another part of her ranch.

At this point," she said, I cannot sell my cattle at market in good conscience, because I have no idea what is in them.

Though Chevron officials maintained that the cattle could safely return, Watt disagreed.

Shes haunted by a memory of crude oil bubbling up in a toilet bowl at her familys ranch when she was a teenager. Horrified, they turned off the well that supplied their water and switched to another well. They never found the source of the leak.

Representatives for Chevron said the company is committed to re-plugging the two wells that recently sprang leaks.

But Watt fears that dozens of other plugged and abandoned wells on her ranch might be deteriorating, and Chevron has no plans to check its other wells for problems. If Watt should inform Chevron of another leaking well, if we have to take responsibility, we will and well do the right thing by the landowner, said Catie Mathews, a company spokeswoman.

Hailing from a long line of cattle ranchers, Watt never thought shed be fighting this fight. After high school, she graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and worked in intelligence for the Marines. Even after she obtained an MBA from Harvard, she returned to the ranch.

She packs a gun, but only on her own land. Though shes passionate about protecting it, she doesnt want to be called an environmentalist  thats a dirty word out here. But she has to save her ranch.

The story of my family," Watt said, "is a story of land, if nothing else.

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LAYERS OF CONFUSION

Dispiriting as her situation is, Watt is luckier than some. She knows Chevron bears responsibility for two wells that recently sprang leaks on her property. But not every well has a clear responsible party. Some abandoned ones are so old and records so scarce that landowners or states are left to clean up the damage.

Molly Rooke, who co-owns a family ranch near Corpus Christi, Texas, faced that predicament in 2019, when an orphaned well blew out on her property, spewing chemicals. The 15,000-acre ranch contained dozens of orphaned wells, with exposed pipes not much taller than her own frame. Some pipes stuck out of the ground. Others were hidden in brush.

We have problems finding the well head, and thats above the ground, Rooke said. Then you have all these pipes underground, and theres no record of where those go.

Her only records of these wells that were drilled in the 1920s were scattered old photos and papers. She tried to contact companies that used to pump oil from the wells. No luck. One well had already leaked into a nearby river.

Rookes father tried for years to get the state to plug them. When he died, she took over the fight. Rooke and the consumer rights group Public Citizen sued the Texas Railroad Commission over its decision during the pandemic to suspend rules requiring operators to plug abandoned wells within a year. After her lawsuit sparked attention, the state sealed her wells.

All the wells were so old, they were ticking time bombs, Rooke said.

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SEARCHING FOR LOST WELLS

The first successful commercial oil well in the U.S. was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. But few detailed records survived that early oil boom, which lasted several decades. Not until a century later would the industry develop modern plugging standards, which require filling abandoned wells with cement to prevent leaks.

These days, some abandoned wells have metal casings intact. But others were stripped of metal during World War II, making them hard to find. Still others were constructed from wood that rotted away and left only a hole in the ground.

Pennsylvania has located roughly 8,700 orphaned wells, mostly unplugged and in rural areas. Yet the problem is far larger. Based on historical photos and surveys, Pennsylvania estimates that between 100,000 and 560,000 additional unplugged wells remain scattered around the state.

Were not plugging fast enough to keep up with the wells were discovering, said Seth Pelepko, an environmental program manager in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Our list is not getting smaller. Its getting larger.

Some states have taken to hiring well hunters who specialize in finding abandoned wells. They use metal detectors  first in helicopter surveys, then on the ground  to seek steel well casings. But metal detectors can't detect wells cased in wood. So they fly drones with laser imaging to seek depressions in the ground.

On her Texas ranch, Watt uses some of the same techniques to seek problematic aging wells. She has driven her land, looking for signs of trouble.

Sometimes, she finds a dark patch of earth using a drone. She calls one of the biggest the elephant graveyard, after a wasteland in the movie The Lion King. Rather than animal bones, her graveyard contains blackened mesquite trees.

The sand there is dark and reeks of oil. But Watts worry is the water below. Without it, she and her longtime ranch foreman, Marty White, and his wife  and their cattle  cant live here. Water is the lifeblood of this place and all of West Texas.

I told him, Ill take care of you,  Watt said of White.  Youre going to have to trust me, and I dont know what it looks like, but Ill take care of you. 

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LEAKING CHEMICALS AND MONEY

In addition to polluting groundwater, the wells are accelerating global warming. Unplugged, abandoned wells in the U.S. leaked 5,000 times more methane than plugged wells did, according to a 2015 study cited by the EPA. Unplugged wells leak 280,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere each year, according to an estimate by EPA, though experts have estimated far higher totals.

That amount of methane packs roughly the same climate-warming power as the carbon dioxide emitted by all the power plants in Massachusetts in a year, according to Daniel Raimi, a fellow at Resources for the Future, a research group.

Many states require companies to plug wells that are out of production and to post bonds in case they go belly-up. But the amounts are typically far lower than whats required to plug the wells, leaving states or the federal government with hefty bills.

At the end of June, Texas reported 7,268 orphaned wells, up 17% since 2019. An additional 146,859 were considered inactive: They were no longer producing oil, but the owners hadnt yet been required to plug them. Many inactive wells may actually be orphaned wells, said David Wieland, regional organizer with the Western Organization of Resource Councils, a network of grassroots groups focused on land stewardship. Some producers will let a well sit idle for a year or two, he said, and then produce just enough oil to avoid being required to plug it.

That sort of hidden inventory is likely true in almost any state, Wieland said.

Some states, like Texas, use fees collected from the oil and gas industry for cleanups. In 2018 alone, oil-producing states spent $45 million plugging orphaned wells and $7.9 million restoring surrounding land, according to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

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CLEANING UP THE MESS

As the financial and environmental tolls of abandoned wells grow, policy makers are searching for solutions. In his initial infrastructure proposal, Biden suggested spending $16 billion to put people to work plugging old oil and gas wells and coal mines. Yet even that wouldnt be nearly enough to solve the problem.

Raimi, of Resources for the Future, estimates that a federal program to plug 62,000 wells over a decade could create 15,000 to 33,000 year-long jobs. At a per-well cost of $76,000, it would take roughly $160 billion to plug all the wells and reclaim the surrounding land, whether it's companies or governments who pay the price.

Wyoming and North Dakota channeled millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief funds into employing workers to plug abandoned oil and gas wells over the past year.

Watts family never owned the mineral rights to the land and thus never profited from these wells, many of which were drilled in the 1950s and were plugged in the four decades that followed.

She isn't looking for a drawn-out legal battle with Chevron or any other oil company with wells on her land. She simply wants assurance that the water is safe for her cattle, and the people in her life, to drink. She wants the land to be restored. And she doesnt know if thats possible.

I do not want to sue," Watt said. All I want is everything cleaned up.

Knowing that benzene has seeped into some of her water, she has a nagging suspicion that the rare cancer that killed her mother might have been related to wells leaking toxic chemicals on her ranch. She will likely never know for sure.

More than anything, she wants justice for the land, her cattle  and the legacy her family bequeathed to her. This is where she spread the ashes of her parents.

My greatest fear when I lay down every night, even before this well became unplugged, is what if I do something to screw up the history of this ranch, thats still being written? Watt asked.

What if that history ends with me?

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Bussewitz reported from New York. Irvine, who is based in Chicago, reported from Texas.

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The reporters can be reached at @cbussewitz and @irvineap.
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP)  A group of mostly Black pastors has joined other civil rights organizations in Kansas City who are seeking a federal investigation into officer misconduct in the city's police department.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter has asked the Department of Justice to investigate the department because it has not been responsive to calls for more accountability, particularly in shootings or violent interactions with minority residents, Pastor Darron Edwards said.

Something needs to happen to change the trajectory of our city in terms of protecting and serving people in all its Zip codes, Edwards said Thursday.

On Monday, the Urban Council, an umbrella group of civil rights organizations, announced it had sent a letter to U.S Attorney Merrick Garland asking for an investigation into disturbing patterns of violent policing toward Black men.

The civil rights groups also criticized the Board of Police Commissioners, which includes the mayor and four members appointed by the governor. They say the board has protected the police department and the current organization makes Kansas City one of largest metropolitan cities in the U.S. without local police control.

Edwards said his group hand-delivered its letter to Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who represents the Kansas City area, about two weeks ago. The group has also asked the Missouri State Auditor and the Kansas City auditor to investigate aspects of the department.

The U.S Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the two calls for investigations. Scott Holste, a spokesman for the Missouri Auditors office, said the request from Getting to the Heart of the Matter is under review.

Kansas City police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said the department has had an agreement with the Justice Department, the FBI and the Jackson County Prosecutor's office since 2015 to ensure the department reports incidents that could be considered civil rights violations or excessive force.

We take very seriously the quality of relationships and respect between the community as well as members of the (police department)," said Becchina, who said the department has procedures to report discrimination or racial complaints and fully investigates those complaints.

The civil rights groups have long criticized the department and called for the resignation or firing of Police Chief Rick Smith, with the complaints increasing after racial injustice protests that began in the summer of 2020.

Unlike those groups, Getting to the Heart of the Matter had worked with the department to improve police-community relationships and was publicly lauded by Smith and others for those efforts.

That relationship changed on June 1, when the group released a video of a fatal police shooting of a Black man at a convenience store. Edwards and others said video of Malcolm Johnson, 31, being shot as he struggled with several officers contradicted the police department's version that he was shot after he shot an officer.

They contend Johnson was executed by police while several officers had him pinned on the floor.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has turned its investigation into Johnson's shooting over to the Jackson County Prosecutor's office.

Edwards said the department stopped working with his group since it held news conferences to question the Johnson case. He said he used to hear from Chief Smith or someone from the department nearly every day but has not received any communication or been asked to speak to any groups since June 1.

Becchina said in his statement that the department continues to work with Edwards and dozens of others in the faith based community on a weekly basis.

Edwards said the problems with the police department go beyond the Malcolm Johnson case.

The investigations are necessary because I see no leadership from the chief of police, Edwards said. There is no accountability, no responsiveness to the needs or voices of the community.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Maines largest city wants input from the public about how to use federal coronavirus relief dollars.

Portland city officials said the city is set to receive about $46.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to replace lost revenue and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Half the money was received in May and the rest could arrive as soon as May 2022.

The City Council wants to review suggestions for the use of the money from the public. Mayor Kate Snyder said the money is a wonderful opportunity to invest in community needs created by the pandemic, and to consider generational investments in public infrastructure.

City officials said there are limits to how the money can be used. Its principally designated for responding to the public health emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic and its associated economic harms.

In other pandemic news in Maine:

THE NUMBERS

Cases are rising in Maine.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 23.43 new cases a day on July 12 to 64.29 new cases a day on Monday. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 0.29 deaths a day on July 12 to 2.29 deaths a day Monday.

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.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday there have been more than 70,000 cases of the virus in the state since the start of the pandemic. There have also been 899 deaths.

About 60% of the state is fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

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NEW RECOMMENDATIONS

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has said the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention are reviewing new guidance from the federal government that everyone in areas of high transmission should wear a mask even if they have already been vaccinated.

Mills has said the review should be completed by Wednesday. The state will then announce if there are any changes coming, the governor said.

The state rescinded mask orders and most other pandemic restrictions weeks ago.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Congress overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation Thursday that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.

The $2.1 billion bill now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. The Senate approved the legislation early Thursday afternoon, 98-0, and the House passed it immediately afterward, 416-11.

Senators struck a bipartisan agreement on the legislation this week, two months after the House had passed a bill that would have provided around twice as much for Capitol security. But House leaders said they would back the Senate version anyway, arguing the money is urgently needed for the Capitol Police and for the translators and others who worked closely with U.S. government troops and civilians in Afghanistan.

The bill loosens some requirements for the visas, which lawmakers say are especially pressing as the U.S. military withdrawal enters its final weeks and Afghan allies face possible retaliation from the Taliban.

The money for the Capitol  including for police salaries, the National Guard and to better secure windows and doors around the building  comes more than six months after the insurrection by former President Donald Trumps supporters. The broad support in both chambers is a rare note of agreement between the two parties in response to the attack, as many Republicans still loyal to Trump have avoided the subject. The former president's loyalists brutally beat police and hundreds of them broke into the building, interrupting the certification of Biden's election win.

Democrats have said that if Congress didn't pass the bill, money would start running out for officers salaries by August and that the National Guard might have to cancel some training programs.

We cant let that happen, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote. He said the agreement shouldnt have taken this long but that passing the legislation is living up to Congress responsibility to keep the Capitol safe and to make sure that the people who risk their lives for us and protect us get the help they need.

The bills passage comes after four police officers who fought off the rioters in the Jan. 6 attack testified in an emotional House hearing on Tuesday and detailed the medieval battle in which they were beaten and verbally assaulted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested on Wednesday that the hearing had perhaps jarred the Senate to move in a bipartisan way to pass this legislation.

The more generous bill narrowly passed the House in May, but no Republicans supported it and some liberal Democrats voted against it as well. On Thursday, only 11 Republicans and Democrats opposed it.

In the Senate, Republicans rejected an earlier $3.7 billion proposal by Democrats before they negotiated the final version.

Pelosi said on Wednesday that the legislation was months overdue.

Its not what we sent, its certainly not what we need, but its a good step forward, she said. It doesnt mean that were finished, but it does mean that we cant wait another day until we strengthen the Capital Police force, strengthen the Capitol.

The legislation would boost personal protection for lawmakers who have seen increasing death threats since the insurrection, install new security cameras around the complex and replace riot equipment the police lost in the fighting that day. It would fund new intelligence gathering and boost wellness and trauma support for the Capitol Police, as many troops are still suffering in the wake of the attack. And it would reimburse the National Guard $521 million for the thousands of troops that protected the Capitol for more than four months after the siege.

Unlike previous proposals, the bill would not provide money for the FBI to prosecute cases related to the insurrection, for temporary fencing in case of another attack or to create a new quick reaction force within the police or military that could respond to events at the Capitol. Police were overrun on Jan. 6 as the National Guard took hours to arrive.

The White House issued a statement of support for the legislation, saying the Biden administration backs the Capitol security improvements and remains committed to supporting the Afghan people, including by fulfilling our commitment to Afghan nationals who worked for or on behalf of the U.S. Government.

For the allies in Afghanistan, the bill would allow 8,000 additional visas and provide $500 million for their emergency transportation, housing and other essential services.

Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the appropriations panel who negotiated the legislation with the Democrats, said it would be shameful not to help the Afghan allies and that they could be killed by the Taliban as the U.S. withdraws.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said senators intend to keep our nations promises to brave Afghans who have taken great risks to help America and our partners fight the terrorists.

The House overwhelmingly passed separate legislation last week to provide the visas, 407-16. The Pentagon says the troop withdrawal is more than 95% complete and is to be finished by Aug. 31.

Some 70,000 already have resettled in the U.S. under the special visa program since 2008. Administration officials said this month that the first flights of those former U.S. employees and family members who have completed security screening would soon start arriving from the Afghan capital, Kabul, for a week or so of final processing at Fort Lee, Virginia.

___

Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
Each day you see so much opportunity for your credit union to grow. You have some great ideas jotted down or floating around in your head, but you need a cohesive, logical strategic marketing plan and execution.

YMC has developed a simple, four-step process to tie together all the necessary parts of marketing to create credit union marketing plans that get results. Heres the secret:
The viability of a credit union merger frequently hinges on the question of leadership. A strong CEO is vital to the success of the post-merger organization, but so, too, is a senior management team that has the talent, expertise, and experience to carry out the strategic directives that will drive the credit union forward.

Will the CEO of the merging credit union be part of that team? Oftentimes, the answer is no because the main reason the merger came about in the first place was because of the CEOs pending retirement. In many cases, its a long-tenured CEO who was the backbone of the credit union for decades. Upon the announcement of that CEOs retirement, the board and senior management may come to the realization that this is the perfect time to seek a merger, especially if there is no clear line of internal succession and seeking an outside candidate would be cost-prohibitive.

A Retirement Surge

There will be a need for strong credit union leadership during what many predict will be a rising surge in CEO retirements. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lull in CEO retirementswhich at least in part contributed to a lull in mergers. Some in the industry attributed the dip in retirements to a reluctance on the part of the chief executives to depart during such a tumultuous and uncertain time.

What I saw in the Great Recession, and what I believe [we were] seeing during this pandemic, is a slowdown in CEO retirements, says Bill Birnie, President/CEO of $1.09 billion, Frontwave Credit Union, Oceanside, California, one of several credit union leaders to address the topic of succession in More for Members: Credit Union Leaders Plan Post-Pandemic Merger & Acquisition Strategies, a three-part DDJ Myers white paper. My perception is that leaders typically dont want to announce their retirement during an external crisis like a pandemic or recession. They want to stick it out and help their organization get through it.

Even CEOs who had not been planning to retire in their pre-pandemic days may now be considering it because of the strains of the past year. Theres certainly a wear factor thats starting to hit business leaders, says Matt McCombs, President/CEO of $970 million Vibrant Credit Union, Moline, Illinois. I think theres going to be a large number of CEOs, over the course of the next year, who are going to be ready to exit the workforce.

Post-pandemic, Birnie says he believes merger activity will heat up again as CEOs who postponed retirement head for the door. With this void of leadership at the top, many credit unions are likely to step up their search for a viable merger partner.

Integrating Leadership and Management

Determining who shall be part of the leadership and management teams is a critical decision that should be decided early on in the merger process. How the plan unfolds will vary in complexity based on the status of current leaders. Often the best solution is to integrate the top talent from both organizations to create an overall more effective team.

Lets say the CEO of the merging credit union is not retiring and instead is seeking a trajectory to new opportunities. If thats the case, its important to identify if and how that person can offer value, says Bob Burrow, President/CEO of $572 billion Bayer Heritage Federal Credit Union, Proctor, West Virginia. One option is to create a time-limited advisory position.

If you have a CEO who says, Hey, I still have some gas in the tank, I recommend that you look at it seriously, Burrow says. They say a new broom sweeps clean, but that shouldnt necessarily be the case. It would be inadvisable to walk away from someone whos solid and has good experience.

In fact, seeking out merger partners with talented staff within their ranks is a great way to add value to the continuing credit union and bolster its succession plan. High-performing executives in a merging credit union will have the opportunity to demonstrate their value and position themselves for consideration as a future senior executive or CEO of the continuing credit union, Birnie remarks.

At the executive level, retention packages that reflect the current compensation market can be a key tool in holding on to leaders identified as strong players in moving the organization forward in existing and new business units, notes Jeff Disterhoft, President/CEO of $7.1 billion GreenState Credit Union, North Liberty, Iowa. Working with a trusted third party knowledgeable about the market to structure these arrangements can be invaluable.

Mergers of like-size financial institutions present opportunities to develop new positions and specialties, such as a risk department or a chief accounting officer, chief administrative officer, or chief culture officer, suggests President/CEO David L. Tuyo II, President/CEO of $1 billion University Credit Union, Los Angeles. Creating a dedicated chief of diversity, equity, and inclusion position would recognize the growing importance of developing and implementing a DEI strategy.

Assessing the Talent

Board Chair Simon Walton of $2 billion USALLIANCE Federal Credit Union, Rye, New York, observes that determining leadership in the post-merger period will require a careful assessment of the current management talent across the organization in lending, technology, treasury, accounting, branch service, contact centers, and marketingand what the future talent needs of a growing organization will be.

What does the organization need to be successful, and do you build that talent, borrow it, or buy it? In other words, do you commit to develop and train, hire consultants for a medium term, and/or hire from outside? Walton notes. Those questions help develop a talent strategy.

Its not going to happen by accident. You have to put time and effort into it and recognize that not every investment will pay off.

Some executives and managers joining a credit union through a merger, especially if they are taking on new roles, may look for the door pretty quickly, Walton adds. Be ready for it, have a plan, manage through it, and dont take it personally.



Click the link to download the three-part white paper, More for Members: Credit Union Leaders Plan Post-Pandemic Merger & Acquisition Strategies.
Gary Hill Cobb, 67, died suddenly at his home in Cullman on July 31, 2021. He was born in Cullman on May 29, 1954. He had been beset by a number of chronic physical problems over the years. A graduate of the University of North Alabama, Gary had graduate degrees from UAB and UAH. He was prec
State guidance on masks

The CDC recommended masks be worn by all individuals in K-12 schools, and IDPH announced it fully aligns with the federal guidance. Gov. JB Pritzker warned Monday that districts disobeying guidance could face civil liability.

The guidance that all people in school buildings should wear face coverings comes just 18 days after the CDC released guidance saying masks were suggested only for those who had not been vaccinated.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky of the CDC said in a Tuesday briefing the main reason for the change in guidance is the fact that the COVID-19 delta variant  which makes up eight in 10 of the COVID-19 cases that have had been sequenced in laboratories  is less predictable and more transmissible than previous versions of the virus. Its also due to the fact that fewer people than expected have chosen to become vaccinated nationwide.

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 according to an audio recording posted to the CDC website.

She said the guidance is aimed at protecting those who cannot be vaccinated, such as children 11 years of age and younger and those who are immunocompromised.

While Pritzker said the state has wanted school districts to make decisions for themselves throughout the last year to keep their districts safe, school districts face the risk of being held liable in civil courts if they don't live up to the standard that is set by the CDC.

The Illinois State Board of Education echoed those comments in a statement Wednesday.

Illinois fully adopted the CDC's updated guidance for K-12 schools on July 27, which recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status, an ISBE spokesperson said in an email. School boards that choose not to implement public health guidance are putting their students and staff at risk and should consult with their insurers as to potential liability.

Other than that, ISBEs most recent guidance, encouraging school boards to work with local health departments on mitigations, remains in place.
Elizabeth City, NC (27909)

Today

Periods of rain. High 76F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Rain this evening with thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 68F. 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. High 76F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers likely. Low 68F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Ashland, KY (41101)

Today

Mostly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Politics

Houlahan, Manning, Gottheimer and Sires send a clear message to the State Department: Fix the passport system now

Houlahan, Manning, Gottheimer and Sires send a clear message to the State Department: Fix the passport system now
County News

Southern Chester County Circuit Trail feasibility study recommends major projects

Public input helps determine bicycle and pedestrian improvements to connect communities and link to the Circuit Trail network
@ChescoCourtNews on Twitter

Michael P. Rellahan has been a staff reporter and editor at the Daily Local News since 1982. He has covered all kinds of news over the years but is now assigned to report on court and legal news, as well as Chester County government news and politics.
Working from home all the time will blight young professionals' careers, the boss of one of the UK's leading accountancy firms warns today.

Kevin Ellis, senior partner and chairman of PwC UK, told the Mail that his generation had reaped enormous advantages from being in the office.

And he firmly believes that staff in their 20s and 30s should have the same chances to get ahead.

The 58-year-old fears youngsters may miss out on the benefits of office working and may not achieve their potential as a result.

He believes staff need to be in the office or at a client's premises around three days a week, 'or you will blight your career'.

Working from home all the time will blight young professionals' careers, Kevin Ellis, senior partner and chairman of PwC UK, told the Mail (stock image)

Mr Ellis added he was keen to encourage workers back into the office so they did not feel isolated, to create more camaraderie and to help them flourish in their job.

PwC employs 22,000 in the UK with an average age of 31 and the company hired 3,500 new staff during the Covid crisis.

It is one of the country's biggest graduate employers, taking on around 1,500 youngsters every year out of university or school.

The firm put in place new arrangements in the spring so staff can continue to work flexibly after the pandemic.

But Mr Ellis cautioned that if youngsters spent too much of their time home working, it would damage their prospects.

They would sacrifice some major benefits of being in the workplace, such as learning from their seniors, making useful contacts and fraternising with colleagues, he said, adding: 'I have been very open. I am not telling people to come in. But you need to observe, to network and to socialise. That's why the office is so important.

'I don't want people turning around in two or three years' time and saying you never told me about this.

'We are offering the flexibility of home working but with guardrails or you will blight your career.'

And he argued that being physically present with colleagues results in better quality work.

'When you are making a judgment, it is helpful to get input from other people. It is much easier to get their peripheral vision if they are in the room.'

Mr Ellis (pictured), 58, said he was keen to encourage workers back into the office so they did not feel isolated, to create more camaraderie and to help them flourish in their job

He also said those who remain at home could miss out on informal opportunities such as bumping into the boss.

He explained: 'Covid has increased the hierarchy massively. When I am working from home, no junior people ever speak to me but they do at work.'

He added the 'birdsong' of the office  the chatter and chance encounters  'is really important for developing people's confidence'. Mr Ellis also believes workplaces are important in levelling up and giving the chance to escape a disadvantaged background.

'Offices are great for social mobility,' he said. 'People can reinvent themselves around the office.'

PwC has started new 'hybrid' working arrangements after consulting staff. The plan is aimed at providing flexibility and helping the environment by cutting down on commuting.

Workers will be able to carry on working from home to a limited extent  but will be expected to spend an average of 40 to 60 per cent of their time in PwC offices or with clients.

They have also been given Friday afternoons off in the summer, provided they have put in their hours.

Working from home has become a flashpoint during the pandemic. Some relish being able to spend more time with their families as well as saving time and money by skipping their commute.

But others feel isolated or are marooned in poor accommodation that is unsuitable for work so they are desperate to return. Many PwC staff are young people who have been cooped up in shared flats in the pandemic.

'A lot of them really value being able to come into the office,' Mr Ellis said.

Around 2,500 people per day came into PwC's offices last week, with 1,000 of them in London. These figures were up by around 25 per cent on the previous week.

He said: 'Some have got into the habit of working from home and that can make them nervous but when they get in they like it.'

The firm has offered mental health support during the pandemic including video sessions with psychiatrist Dr Phil Hopley. One virtual event on personal resilience attracted 14,000 participants.

It also gave out free subscriptions to a mindfulness app.

The firm, which has 20 UK branches including its headquarters near the River Thames in central London, has just opened an office in Belfast.

'I think we will need the space,' Mr Ellis said. 'The office is here to stay. This whole idea the world has changed is premature.'
The Ken Clarke brand of politics  his straight-talking and dis-hevelled style has, for many decades, provided a welcome relief from Westminster artifice and fakery.

But for the past two days this portly peer has displayed a very different persona as he has squirmed under interrogation at the Infected Blood Inquiry, disdainful of proceedings and complaining of his 'exasperation' at 'pointless' and 'irrelevant' questions.

Bear in mind that this belated investigation is probing the worst treatment disaster in NHS history, a shameful saga of systemic incompetence, negligence and suspected cover-up that involved a massacre of innocents.

Almost 3,000 haemophiliacs have died after being treated with blood products  infected with hepatitis C and HIV among other contaminants  supposed to enhance their lives in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many more were left devastated, facing the lifelong consequences of such diseases.

IAN BIRRELL: Lord Clarke, who spent two stints at the Department of Health during Margaret Thatcher's long reign, is regarded by campaigners as a central figure in this saga

Glowering

Lord Clarke, who spent two stints at the Department of Health during Margaret Thatcher's long reign, is regarded by campaigners as a central figure in this saga.

Yet there he sits, glowering from behind his spectacles, tie askew over his plump belly, as lawyers for the victims try to pin down the facts over the shocking sequence of events that still stain our Health Service and sparked so much grief.

Clarke has sneered at 'absurd tabloid spin', indulged in legalistic semantics over the meaning of departmental minutes and arrogantly insists that it is 'wasting time' to expect him to recall precise events from his time in office.

At one point he asked why lawyers needed to explore 'such meticulous detail through who said what when?'

Later he complained about the 'tedious' detail, then whinged that 'this really is an extraordinary process and it is going at a torturous rate'. It is sad to see a politician renowned for his common touch seem so pompous, so patronising and so utterly devoid of compassion for all those individuals and families who have suffered so much in this grotesque example of state failure.

Clarke was right on one point, however: this judge-led inquiry comes a disgracefully long time after the events under examination  not least since there were clear warning signs from abroad early on in the crisis and Britain's response was fatally slow.

Yet when this tetchy witness was asked if he had considered an inquiry while serving as Secretary of State for Health (1988-1990), the answer was no  accompanied by more self-justification and waffling.

IAN BIRRELL: For the past two days this portly peer has displayed a very different persona as he has squirmed under interrogation at the Infected Blood Inquiry, disdainful of proceedings and complaining of his 'exasperation' at 'pointless' and 'irrelevant' questions

This was, for many years, Britain's forgotten scandal. The roots stretch back almost half a century to when the NHS began importing from the U.S. a blood-clotting agent made from pooled blood taken from tens of thousands of donors.

The use of this coagulant from 1972 helped improve lives for haemophiliacs since their genetic condition  caused by the lack of a key blood-clotting protein  meant even a mild scrape or minor knock can cause serious bleeding.

But as demand surged, Britain and other countries began importing supplies that used blood harvested from high-risk paid donors  including drug addicts, prisoners and prostitutes whose lifestyle made them more vulnerable to disease.

This cavalier practice sparked what has been called 'the haemophilia holocaust', which led to big corporate payouts in the U.S. and the conviction of health officials in Canada and Japan.

Suffering

In France, ministers were prosecuted for manslaughter and several officials jailed.

Britain was lethally blase as evidence of the dangers started to emerge  with 16 Western countries moving faster to start screening the blood products for hepatitis C. The scale of suffering goes far beyond the fatalities. Many victims were left unable to work and forced into financial hardship.

Scores more needed liver transplants or regular dialysis. Some people inadvertently infected their partners and children. This issue is close to my own heart since I had a related blood disorder as a child and spent days in haematology units alongside haemophiliacs, and I have campaigned on these issues as a journalist for more than a decade.

The first case I highlighted was a boy who died aged seven, his disease-wracked body weighing less than a stone. Since haemophilia is a hereditary condition, some families suffered unimaginable pain; one Scottish interviewee told me of seeing three family members die.

Four years ago, Ade Goodyear, the fourth boy in his family born with the disease, described how he was just one of 17 survivors from 89 boys who attended a specialist boarding school in Hampshire over the decade from 1975.

Hideous

The other 72 children attending Treloar College had all died, many barely reaching adulthood.

And yet Ken Clarke feels he can act in a dismissive manner when questioned by an official inquiry finally taking place into these hideous events.

Clarke was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Health in March 1982. Within months, U.S. health authorities were warning about deaths among haemophiliacs using untreated (not subjected to heat treatment to destroy contaminants) blood products  and the following year, they banned their sale.

Britain carried on buying them  despite the fact that it is illegal to pay blood donors in this country on safety grounds.

In late 1983, British haemophiliacs began being diagnosed with the Aids virus HIV  a disease surrounded by appalling stigma at the time, which increased the anguish. At this point, officials here also started calling for urgent withdrawal of the U.S.-made products.

Yet in November that year, Clarke told MPs 'there is no conclusive evidence Aids is transmitted by blood products'.

When he was asked at the inquiry about his failure to publicly acknowledge a likely connection, he repeated a

mantra that he was acting on official advice, adding that it was easy to be wise with hindsight.

The Government continued to insist there was no 'conclusive' proof of a link  and to permit use of these infected treatments in the NHS in England  until late 1985 when they were replaced by heat-treated products.

Yet it has since emerged that in March that year an official in Clarke's department had weighed up the cost benefits of deceased haemophiliacs in an internal memo.

'The maintenance of the life of a haemophiliac is itself expensive, and I am very much afraid those who are already doomed will generate savings which more than cover the cost of testing blood donations,' he wrote with astonishing callousness.

Clarke, who moved on from the health job six months later, returned to serve as Secretary of State for three years from 1988 before going on to run four more departments.

In one letter marked 'private and confidential' sent in October 1990, shortly before leaving the post, he admitted legal cases against them were 'very strong' and 'straightforward medical negligence', yet publicly he insisted the Government was not legally liable over what he termed 'an appalling tragedy'.

So is it any wonder those carrying on the long fight over such a tragic saga, which has seen so much official obfuscation along with key documents going mysteriously missing, are left infuriated by Clarke's insouciance in the face of their suffering?

'The utter contempt for the inquiry displayed today by Lord Clarke is appalling,' said Jason Evans, who was four when his father died aged 31 from contaminated blood. 'Our community has suffered enough.'

He is right. Clarke's boorish behaviour is one more insult to the many victims of this disturbing scandal. It is  to use the former minister's own sort of language  a bloody disgrace.
When Boris Johnson discovered recently that his new wife Carrie was to be the subject of a biography by Lord Ashcroft, he muttered loudly: Well, she wont like that.

The nerves inside the Downing Street bunker are understandable.

Ashcrofts unauthorised memoir of David Cameron in 2015 included a sensational claim that the future PM had taken part in an outrageous initiation ceremony, involving a dead pigs head, for a riotous Oxford student society. (He later called the claim false and ludicrous.)

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds arrive at Westminster Abbey for The Commonwealth Service

Pictures from social media accounts of Carrie Symonds, former Tory Party communications director. Symonds with Zac Goldsmith (L) and Sajid Javid

That book, Call Me Dave, was said to have been an act of political revenge by Ashcroft after a job he had allegedly been promised by Cameron never materialised.

So perhaps it is just as well for Carrie that there is no bad blood between Ashcroft and Boris  though equally she will be aware that they are not friends.

She, meanwhile, is sure to have come across the billionaire Ashcroft over the years  not least while she held an 80,000-a-year post as the Tories head of communications, having joined the party machinery as a humble press officer in 2009 while Ashcroft was the Conservative deputy chairman.

Ashcroft is well versed in the art of biography: his previous targets include Chancellor Rishi Sunak, chalkstriped Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg and, in a book due to be published next month, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

So will his work on Carrie be a hagiography that boosts her reputation around the country  or a hatchet job from which she will never recover? One source says: Carrie is a colourful character and wields enormous power as first the PMs girlfriend, then his wife. There is so much material out there, not all of it flattering.

The first unmarried consort of the Prime Minister to live at Downing Street in recent history, Carrie  at 33 some 24 years younger than her husband  is arguably one of the most powerful and controversial occupants of that role in living memory.

She has a devoted group of friends who are not shy to brief the Press on her behalf. But her enemies, of whom there are many, insist she has too much sway over policy and appointments.

Ashcroft will have to navigate these camps. On the positive side, Carries supporters say she is a shrewd political operator in her own right, having worked closely with Sajid Javid, now the Health Secretary, John Whittingdale, the culture minister, and Zac Goldsmith, a Foreign Office minister. Her critics, Carries friends claim, are motivated by sexism.

But to her detractors, led by Boriss erstwhile chief adviser Dominic Cummings, she is derided, perhaps indeed with a hint of sexism, as Princess Nut Nut. Cummings and Carrie, both unelected, clashed terribly in a power struggle within Downing Street following Boriss election victory in 2019. Other cruel tags Carrie has attracted include Cersei, after the poisonous scheming Lannister queen in the hit TV series Game of Thrones  and even Carrie Antoinette, following revelations of her penchant for expensive interior decorations.

Cummings, who was forced out of his No 10 post last year, has rarely paused from criticising Carrie since. He will be high on Ashcrofts list of potential sources.

Yet the biographer will be impressed by Carries consistent support for the environment and animal rights, the latter a subject close to Ashcrofts heart. Last summer, he sent her a copy of his book Unfair Game, which exposed the horrifying truth about captive-lion breeding.

Boriss recent enthusiasm for all things environmental, and his ambitious targets to cut Britains carbon emissions  which have alarmed Tory MPs in northern Red Wall seats because of the extra costs this will impose on households  are seen as a direct result of Carries influence.

The privately-educated Carrie won praise from womens rights groups for her crowdfunding campaign to block early parole for the black cab driver John Worboys.

Ashcroft said yesterday that Carrie had interested him for some time as a subject, rightly pointing out that she had been influential in the party long before she moved into No 10 (Pictured, Lord Ashcroft leaves Conservative party headquarters)

The book is also sure to examine the Aspinall Foundation, the wildlife conservation charity for which Carrie is now the head of communications.

The Charity Commission has serious concerns over the Aspinalls Foundations governance and financial management; these allegations predate her employment.

Ashcroft said yesterday that Carrie had interested him for some time as a subject, rightly pointing out that she had been influential in the party long before she moved into No 10.

Carries stint as head of communications for the Tories ended unhappily in 2018 amid reports that she had abused her expenses to the tune of thousands of pounds. While she never responded to the claims, a source close to her dismissed the allegations as nonsense.

Boris and Carrie will tell their friends and associates to ignore Ashcrofts calls. One source said: Her friends are very loyal. No one will speak to Ashcroft.

Or will they? Within hours of yesterdays reports of the book going public, Ashcrofts telephone in his London office was said to be ringing off the hook with offers of help.
There can be few more grotesque examples of profiteering by private equity sharks than the price rises heaped on the NHS by Advanz Pharma.

Operating behind closed doors, Advanz ramped up the price of its liothyronine  used to treat thyroid deficiency, goitre and thyroid cancer  by 6,000 per cent.

The cost to the NHS of a single pack of 10mg tablets soared from 20 in 2009 to 248 by 2017.

The price meant the drug was eventually put on the health services drop list, meaning that patients had to go without  despite the fact that for many of them alternative treatments might not be as effective  or find the money to buy it themselves.

Operating behind closed doors, Advanz ramped up the price of its liothyronine  used to treat thyroid deficiency, goitre and thyroid cancer  by 6,000 per cent.

The two private equity firms involved, Cinven  a spin-out from the National Coal Board Pension Fund, and London-based HG Capital  have both been heavily fined by the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) in a rare case of the misdeeds of private equity hitting them where it hurts most, in their pockets.

Disclosure of the greed, ruthlessness and venal behaviour of private equity firms comes at an awkward moment for the industry, which is currently rampaging through the British economy.

Most prominently, the board of the Bradford-based supermarket group Wm Morrison has agreed to US private equity barons Fortress. Given that Morrisons is unique among supermarkets in that it has its own supply chain (farms, trawlers etc), the move poses a potential threat to Britains food security.

Similarly, Ultra Electronics, one of the UKs most sensitive defence firms, responsible for tracking Russian submarines in the Mediterranean, is being bid for by Advent, the private equity firm which has already defenestrated aviation pioneer Cobham.

Most prominently, the board of the Bradford-based supermarket group Wm Morrison has agreed to US private equity barons Fortress. Given that Morrisons is unique among supermarkets in that it has its own supply chain (farms, trawlers etc), the move poses a potential threat to Britains food security

Messing with jobs, headquarters and the cost of groceries is bad enough. But effectively blocking off access to vital drugs is plain and simply immoral.

As someone with a close family member who has been safely treated for thyroid cancer and is required to take pills to regulate their health, I find this abuse of market power by Advanz and its two former private equity owners wholly repellent. It is enough to make ones blood boil. Earlier this year, the British private equity owners of Advanz, having squeezed the NHS through price gouging, sold the drug firm to Swedish outfit Nordic Capital for 608million.

In the weird world of private equity ownership, assets which affect peoples lives, can be passed around like objects at a car boot sale with no public scrutiny.

The CMA investigation into Advanz and the excessive and unfair pricing for its liothyronine tablets, provides rare insight into how private citizens can be harmed by financially-driven ownership. The competition regulator was particularly concerned because many thyroid sufferers relied on the Advanz product after not responding to standard treatments.

As someone with a close family member who has been safely treated for thyroid cancer and is required to take pills to regulate their health, I find this abuse of market power by Advanz and its two former private equity owners wholly repellent. It is enough to make ones blood boil (file image)

The excess prices imposed by Advanz and its owners were not just harmful to patients but came at a huge cost to the NHS in eight years of rocketing prices  from 600,000 in 2006 to nearly 30million by 2016.

It will come as some small comfort to affected patients that for once the private equity firms behind the scandal, HgCapital and Cinven, are being required to pay penalties of 8.6million and 51.9million respectively.

All too often these firms seek to portray themselves as white knights, improving the efficiency of the companies they have bought, without the intrusion of the disclosure which comes with being a public company or a responsible privately-owned firm.

Cinven boasts, as has become fashionable, that as an investor it has a clear set of environmental, social and governance principles. This vapid slogan, like the promises and pledges made by the private equity ghouls, is not worth the paper it is written on.

HG Capital and Cinven preyed on the NHS and toyed with the well-being of fellow citizens and patients. Their behaviour is beneath contempt and a betrayal of what we expect of free market capitalism.
A couple who flew to Turkey for an emergency dental operation and claim they were held against their will at Heathrow airport hotel on returning from Turkey with just a doctor's note saying they were 'medically exempt' have told how they broke out at 3am.

Lisa Marcelle, 56, and Ricky Cassidy, 58, from Wiltshire, flew out to Turkey on 1st May so that he could get an emergency dental operation.

They were given a medical exemption certificate by a Turkish doctor, which they hoped would mean they wouldn't have to quarantine on their arrival at Heathrow.

However, the couple didn't apply properly for a quarantine exemption and turned up with just the letter, believing it would cover them.

On arrival, Lisa and Ricky claim they were told they had to stay for 10 days at the Renaissance Hotel near the airport, and claim they were escorted there on a shuttle bus by armed police.

After spending one night in the hotel and taking legal advice, Lisa has revealed how they brazenly broke out of the facility simply by walking past the security guards with an air of confidence.

Weeks later, Lisa claims they have heard nothing further from any authorities.

Lisa Marcelle, 56, and Ricky Cassidy, 58, from Wiltshire, had flown out to Turkey hassle-free on May 1st, so Ricky could get an emergency dental operation and were due to travel back a week later - on May 8th. Pictured, in Turkey

Upon their return, Lisa (pictured) and Ricky were told they had to stay for 10 days at the Renaissance Hotel near the airport

The couple refused, telling airline staff that they were exempt and showing proof of that in the form of the exemption certificate the Turkish doctor had given them. They also stated they'd had two negative PCR tests, but the staff weren't convinced and called the police. Pictured, the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel

The couple originally flew to Turkey on 1st May and were due to return to the UK a week later on 8th.

But, after having problems with completing passenger locator forms due to there being no internet available at the airport, and because Turkey had just gone onto the 'red list', they were turned away at the gate.

They returned again later after booking flights via the Netherlands but were told by Turkish airline staff that the Netherlands were no longer accepting British citizens and they were turned away again.

The couple's flights were then rescheduled for June 22nd, meaning they had to return to the hotel they'd been staying at, which had been paid for up to May 8th by the Turkish dental company - and book in for an extra six weeks.

'A girl called Yagmur Sahin, the nurse at Dr Ozan Guner dental practice in Izmir, supported me throughout our stay,' explained Lisa. 'The unpredictability of the situation escalated so Yagmur suggested we move to a hotel in Cesme Izmir which was 40 a night.

She sent me medication and tea bags and later came to visit us in Cesme as I was not feeling too good. She organised all transport during our stay and helped us fill out our passenger locator forms.'

As June 22nd approached, the couple prepared for their return home.

In Turkey, they were given a medical exemption certificate by a Turkish doctor, which they hoped would mean they wouldn't have to quarantine on their arrival at Heathrow.

The couple claim they were told they were not allowed to leave the hotel apart from their allotted 20 minute exercise session per day

However, the couple didn't apply properly for a quarantine exemption and turned up with just the letter.

According to the government website: 'There are some very limited instances where you might be able to get an exemption from needing to enter managed quarantine. These exemptions are exceptional and limited, and you will need evidence to support your request...

'You must apply for an exemption at least 14 days ahead of travel so the evidence can be assessed, and an exemption granted.

If you do not apply for an exemption 14 days before travel, it may not be possible to grant one in advance of travel and you will need to book and pay to enter a managed quarantine facility on arrival.'

Upon their return, Lisa and Ricky claim they were told they had to stay for 10 days at the Renaissance Hotel near the airport.

The couple - who have five grown-up children between them - refused, telling airline staff that they were exempt and showing what they thought was proof in the form of the certificate the Turkish doctor had given them.

They also claim they stated they'd had two negative PCR tests, but say the staff weren't convinced and called the police.

'We told the police that we did not comply to being kidnapped and falsely imprisoned,' claimed former community care worker Lisa.

'I then started to feel my heart race and felt a panic attack coming on. A paramedic was called.'

'My blood pressure was sky high but nothing was done about it.'

After arguing with the police for two hours, they claim were told to hand over their passports.

'Ricky refused,' said Lisa. 'But we were told that our passports were the property of the state and they were confiscated.

Our details were then entered into the computerised hotel quarantine system and we were 'escorted' by the pistol-toting cops onto a hotel-bound bus. We were the only passengers on the bus - us and three security guards.'

Lisa (pictured) said the room was comfortable despite the windows being sealed shut and the bad quality air conditioning giving her a sore throat

Despite being unable to pay the standard 1,750 fee each, the couple claim they were taken to a small room on the 3rd floor, told they were not allowed to leave the hotel apart from their allotted 20 minute exercise session per day and were ordered to wear masks if they left their room.

'Ricky is exempt from wearing a mask, but the guards told us that if he didn't wear one in communal areas of the hotel, he'd be banned from leaving the room,' claimed Lisa.

What conditions must be met to qualify for a medical exemption An exemption will only be granted where: - The existing medical condition or vulnerability is severe - Sufficient evidence is provided that the needs of the individual cannot be met either through the provision at the managed quarantine facility, or from a household member joining the individual in managed quarantine - The medical condition or vulnerability will worsen in managed quarantine to such a significant degree that emergency treatment may become necessary - Clinical evidence is supplied, providing clear evidence of existing treatment and conditions, explaining the risk to the patient  and this evidence must be satisfactory to the assessor - Any evidence provided in support of the application for an exemption is provided from a registered and suitably qualified healthcare professional with direct oversight of the individuals care and provision for that condition  we do not generally expect this to be provided by your GP or equivalent in other countries Source: gov.uk Advertisement

Lisa was still feeling ill - she has a history of heart problems, mobility issues due to cervical spondylosis and an anxiety disorder - and she felt on the brink of having a panic attack.

'Ricky was suffering too as he has a cyst in front lobal area of his brain and this causes behavioural problems,' she added.

Despite the couple not having signed any agreement or paid any money, they were trapped in the quarantine hotel.

'There were guards on every floor,' said self-employed builder Ricky. 'We felt intimidated and scared. We didn't know what to do. We were imprisoned and being treated like criminals, even though we'd done nothing wrong. We just wanted to go home.'

Lisa called her GP in Wroughton, who wasn't available to speak to her. After persuading security guards to let her out for a walk around the fenced off car park, Lisa was able to calm down and gather her thoughts.

'I made a short video on my phone,' she said. 'I couldn't really believe what was happening. We were being held against our will and couldn't escape. Even the car park fencing had barbed wire around the top. How had we got caught up in this nightmare?'

Back in the room - which according to Lisa, was comfortable despite the windows being sealed shut and the bad quality air conditioning giving her a sore throat - the couple settled down for the night but couldn't sleep. Lisa decided to write a post about their ordeal on Facebook.

The next day, they were in contact with a lawyer, who gave them some advice on how to leave lawfully.

The following evening, they booked a taxi for 3am and packed their bags. As they strode confidently - as per their lawyer's advice - through the corridors, they encountered a guard, who offered to carry their cases for them.

'Because we were outwardly acting so cool and confident despite being terrified inside, he obviously thought we were leaving 'legally' after doing our 'time',' said Lisa.

In the hotel lobby, however, the couple allege they were confronted by five more security guards.

'They stood in front of us and asked us what we were doing, but we just told them to back off,' said Ricky. 'I then told them in a very firm tone to not touch us, then Lisa bid them goodnight.'

When the couple's flights were rescheduled for June 22nd, they had to return to the hotel they'd been staying at, which had been paid for up to May 8th by the Turkish dental company - and book in for an extra six weeks (pictured)

Lisa continued: 'I was sure they'd follow us but they didn't. I made a video while we hid behind a bush waiting for the taxi. I was a nervous wreck. Once we were in the taxi though, I wasn't scared any more - just relieved.'

Since they've been home, they've had a couple of knocks on their door but have not felt up to answering.

'If the police want to talk to us, that's fine,' said Lisa. 'They can call any time. After talking to our lawyer, we know our rights. People cannot have their liberty taken away if they've not committed a crime - it's as simple as that. And Ricky and I have not committed a crime.'

Lisa continued: 'Since we've been home, there have been no repercussions. I was worried we might be in trouble but it's been fine. There was a knock on the door the day we got home but I was in bed, exhausted, and too tired to answer it. But, apart from that, nothing.

It just goes to show what a ridiculous charade the whole quarantine hotel thing is. It's just a way of the government trying to make money out of healthy, innocent, gullible people.'

A Met Police spokesperson said: 'Police were called on 22 June at approximately 17:50hrs to an incident involving two passengers who had arrived at Heathrow Airport from Turkey, and who were said to be refusing to attend a quarantine hotel.

'Officers from the Met's Aviation Policing Command attended and reiterated the requirements for all people arriving from 'red list' countries to attend quarantine hotels. One of the passengers - a woman in her 60s - complained of feeling unwell and an ambulance was called. Paramedics attended and the woman required no further treatment. Both passengers were then conveyed to the quarantine hotel and no further police action was required.'

'Most uniformed officers based within the Met's Aviation Command are routinely armed. The officers attending this call did not withdraw their weapons at any point during this incident.'

A spokesperson for Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
As a wine critic, much of my time is spent with a glass in my hand, swirling the liquid gently before taking a long sniff to identify the aromas.

With red wine, theres often berry fruits or a particular spice to be found. For rose, think grapefruit and gentle citrus notes. And Ive perfected my swirl over the years to ensure I dont end up with Chateau Something down my front.

But maybe I shouldnt be so worried about reeking of wine, because the latest trend in perfume is all about booze. Famous French perfumier Henri Almeras created a scent called Cocktail for fashion designer Jean Patou back in the 1930s but its only now that the trend has really taken off with everything from juniper, the key botanical ingredient in gin, or whisky, dark rum and red wine, finding their way into perfume bottles.

Whats more, they dont come cheap, with luxury brands commanding prices of 100 or more. So, are these boozy scents really on the nose, or will you be left smelling like a pub? I got spritzing to find out

WHIFFS OF WHISKY

Kingdom Metamorphic 50ml, 110, kingsdom scotland.com

Wine critic Helen McGinn, gives verdict on a selection of boozy scents, including Kingdom Metamorphic (pictured)

WHAT IS IT? The name of the scent references the metamorphic rock that runs through the Scottish landscape and incorporates notes of Islay Malt, the most aromatic of whiskies. Founder Imogen Russon-Taylor created Kingdom, Scotlands first fragrance house, after working in the whisky industry for 15 years, so its no surprise that the spirit should make its way into one of her scents.

SMELLS LIKE? On first sniff its all smouldering smokiness. Then notes of spice and leather come through and at the end, a medicinal hit that really does remind me of sipping a dram in front of a fire. Designed as a unisex scent, this isnt what I would call subtle but it is like being wrapped in a comforting cashmere blanket. Expensive but lovely. 8/10

GIN-UINELY GREAT

Roses on Ice by Kilian 50ml, 165, bykilian.co.uk

Helen said Roses on Ice by Kilian (pictured) has an unmistakeable pine-y smell of juniper as well as a citrus and cucumber hit

WHAT IS IT? Created by heir to the cognac dyn-asty Kilian Hennessy, years surrounded by the scent of brandy ageing in wood led him to create his own range of perfumes including this one from his Liquors range. And this one was inspired by his wifes favourite drink  gin on the rocks with a splash of lime.

SMELLS LIKE? The art deco-inspired bottle itself is a work of art, looking like something you might find in the smartest of cocktail bars. As soon as it touches the skin the first scent that hits you is an unmistakeable pine-y smell of juniper.

Then comes the floral part, with a light rose smell finished with a citrus and cucumber hit. It really does do what it says on the tin, or expensive bottle to be precise. If this is what it means to be gin-soaked, Im in. 7/10

A WAFT OF RED WINE

Red Wine Brown Sugar Eau de Parfum by Bohoboco 50ml, 115, Harvey Nichols

Helen said Red Wine Brown Sugar Eau de Parfum by Bohoboco (pictured) is more fruity than wine-y, with gorgeous notes of redcurrants and blackberries

WHAT IS IT? Originally a Polish fashion brand, founders Kamil Owczarek and Michal Gilbert Lach launched their first range of perfumes created with a renowned French perfumer back in 2014. Theyve gone on to win lots of awards for their scents and unsurprisingly this one caught my attention given the fact its got red wine written on the bottle.

SMELLS LIKE? Being picky, just saying it smells of red wine is like saying something tastes of meat. There are all kinds of different aromas to be found in red wine and it feels like too much of a generalisation.

Having said that, once sprayed on the skin this one grew on me. More fruity than wine-y, theres a gorgeous top note of redcurrants and blackberries before woody, leathery aromas come through followed by a lingering sweetness. Smells way nicer than red wine spilled down your front. 6/10

REDOLENT OF RUM

Dark Rum by Malin + Goetz 100ml, 130, Liberty

Helen said Dark Rum by Malin + Goetz (pictured) has a hint of fruit and a little spice, giving the whole scent a warmth

WHAT IS IT? From the uber-cool New York-based skincare brand founded by friends Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz, this is one of the perfumes created for their Vices range inspired by their favourite memories. Well, theyve clearly had some good times on dark rum.

SMELLS LIKE? Just one spray and youre transported to a beachside bar with a cool breeze coming in off the sea and a huge rum cocktail in your hand. Theres also a hint of fruit, mostly pineapple (perhaps a nod to the garnish in said cocktail) and a little spice, giving the whole scent a lovely warmth and lift all at the same time. Its not cheap but given its as close as Im getting to a paradise island this summer, I suggest splashing this one on liberally. 9/10

JUICY JUNIPER

Massimo Dutti Juniper Berry & Ginger Eau de Parfum 100ml, 39.95, massimodutti.com

Helen said Massimo Dutti Juniper Berry & Ginger Eau de Parfum (pictured) is fresh, crisp, and perky as well as great value

WHAT IS IT? A gin-based scent from the Spanish-based fashion brand that have quite the selection of reasonably priced unisex perfumes. It describes this one as one of the more masculine in their collection.

SMELLS LIKE? On first spray, its all about the juniper scent and it really does smell like youve spilled gin down your front. But give it a few seconds and the fragrance softens, allowing the ginger to come through. The whole effect is far more pleasing. It kind of made me smell like gin, but a really, really nice one. Fresh, crisp and perky, perfect for summer spraying. Great value, too. 10/10

COGNAC CORKER

Angels Share by Kilian 50ml, 165, bykilian.co.uk

Helen said Angels Share by Kilian (pictured) has sweet woody notes as well as vanilla and a touch of nuttiness

WHAT IS IT? When spirits are aged in oak barrels for a period of time a small amount evaporates each year, forever lost to the ether. This is known as the Angels Share and inspired this particular perfume, specifically the combination of cognac and wood.

SMELLS LIKE? The scent includes cognac essence to give it its distinct amber colour but the scent is more about sweet woody notes  vanilla and a touch of nuttiness  than cognac, which Im quite relieved about. I dont want to smell of actual cognac. Still, its pleasingly pungent with a definite late-night feel to it and smells warm and sweet hours after the tiniest spray. No chance of this evaporating too quickly. 8/10
A sleep expert has revealed the four biggest mistakes you're making with your sleep in lockdown, and why you're doing your daily routine wrong.

Olivia Arezzolo, from Sydney, said while it's easy to fall into bad sleep habits in lockdown because you don't need to get up as early, this can de-rail your entire day and mean you feel even more tired, downbeat and irritable than you would otherwise.

Olivia said the most important thing you can do for your sleep in these times is keep up your regular morning routine.

A sleep expert has revealed the four biggest mistakes you're making with your sleep in lockdown, and why you're doing your daily routine wrong (Olivia Arezzolo pictured)

The sleep expert (pictured) said if you're used to leaving at 7.30am to get to work, you shouldn't abandon this just because there is no longer a need to commute

'If you're used to getting up at 6, going to the gym, having a coffee with your partner, kids or the yoga girls, keep it up,' Olivia said (stock image)

1. KEEP UP YOUR MORNING ROUTINE

The sleep expert said if you're used to leaving at 7.30am to get to work, you shouldn't abandon this just because there is no longer a need to commute.

'You shouldn't be rolling from bed to breakfast to desk,' Olivia posted on Instagram.

'If you're used to getting up at 6, going to the gym, having a coffee with your partner, kids or the yoga girls, keep it up.

'Just modify it: train outdoors or online, and put on a jacket and have that coffee outside, while you're walking.'

Olivia said doing this will ensure your melatonin levels are lower in the morning, which helps to reduce any morning fatigue.

The second thing Olivia (pictured) said you're doing wrong in lockdown is going to bed later, eating later and getting up later as a result

2. SLEEP, EAT AND WAKE AT YOUR USUAL TIMES

The second thing Olivia said you're doing wrong in lockdown is going to bed later, eating later and getting up later as a result.

'Last lockdown, many Australians took the opportunity to sleep more,' Olivia said.

'The Journal of Public Health Research found that the average sleep onset was delayed by 38 minutes, while the wake time was delayed 51 minutes during lockdown.

'This also meant that eating times were likely to be later too, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.'

While this isn't always a bad thing with meals like breakfast, late night eating is a major sleep saboteur:

'A study by the University of Sydney found a high carb dinner like noodles, rice or pasta one hour before bed extended the time taken to fall asleep by 47 per cent,' Olivia said.

This is compared to the time it would have taken if the exact same meal was eaten four hours before you go to bed.

You can combat this by keeping sleep, wake and eating times as normal, or even as early as possible.

3. HAVE A GOODNIGHT PHONE ALARM

We all know about the importance of having an alarm first thing in the morning, but having a goodnight phone alarm is also a great idea for your night-time routine.

'A goodnight phone alarm is an alarm that pops up on your one one hour before bed labelled sleep better,' Olivia said.

'At this time, you should get off all your devices.'

Instead of browsing your phone and/or iPhone at this time, instead Olivia recommends you either meditate, journal, read, stretch or chat to your partner.

'Once we are motivated to actually do another activity, getting off our devices becomes easy,' she said.

Olivia (pictured) said you should never bottle up your emotions when in lockdown, and if you're freaking out about your finances or job, you must tell a friend or trusted source

4. EXPRESS YOUR DISTRESS

Finally, it doesn't do anyone any good to bottle up their emotions.

So, if you're freaking out about your finances in lockdown, or struggling with your job or lack of an outlet, the sleep expert said you absolutely must speak up.

'Share your anxieties, raise your fears and express your distress,' Olivia said.

'Write it in your journal, tell a close friend, call your mum, reach out to LifeLine or Beyond Blue.'

Olivia added that anxiety is one of the major causes of sleeplessness, so if you're feeling stressed about COVID-19, discussing it is not only encouraged, it's a non-negotiable.

'Typically, once we voice our fears, we can move past them,' she said.

'You'll feel better and sleep better too.'

To find out more about Olivia Arezzolo, you can visit her website here.
The Queen has been compared to 'every bloke in the UK' after a video of her answering a question using the slang term 'nah' has gone viral.

Royal watchers were left giggling after the hilarious video of Her Majesty being filmed while having her 80th birthday portrait painted resurfaced on TikTok.

In the clip, which was first broadcast on New Year's Day 2006 on the BBC, the Queen remarks she 'sees herself ageing'.

When asked if that upsets her, the monarch replies, 'Nah. Not really'

The clip was posted on TikTok by user arksteriff, who commented she was 'answering a question like every bloke in the UK' while hundreds of others commented she 'turned into Phil Mitchell' and 'forgot she was the Queen for second'.

The video first aired in BBC One's The Queen, by Rolf, a documentary about the now-disgraced Australian artist Rolf Harris painting Her Majesty's 80th Birthday portrait.

Many viewers were tickled by the clip, with one writing: 'She's a legend'.

Another said: 'Queenie belongs to the streets'.

A third added: 'That's the most relatable I've seen her'.

The Queen has been compared to 'every bloke in the UK' after a video of her answering a question using the slang term 'nah' has gone viral. Royal watchers were left giggling after the hilarious video of Her Majesty being filmed while having her 80th birthday portrait painted resurfaced on TikTok.

The video first aired in BBC One's The Queen, by Rolf, a documentary about the now-disgraced Australian artist Rolf Harris painting Her Majesty's 80th Birthday portrait. Her portrait is pictured

Disgraced children's entertainer Harris was convicted of 12 indecent assaults at Southwark Crown Court in June 2014, and was sentenced to six years behind bars.

However, he was released from HMP Stafford on parole in May 2017 after serving just three years of his sentence.

During his time behind bars he was hospitalised after his diabetes spiralled out of control.

Harris's assaults include one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter and two against girls in their early teens, as well as a catalogue of abuse against his daughter's friend of over 16 years.

Many viewers were tickled by the clip, with one writing: 'She's a legend' while others said they were 'crying it's so funny'

Some of the offences had been carried out while his daughter was in the same room. He admitted having a relationship with the woman, but said it only started when she reached 18.

Of the 12 convictions, one was overturned on appeal in November 2017, and a jury chose not to convict him in two additional cases in the same year.

The current whereabouts of the portraits are unknown as it was removed from the Queen's gallery after Harris's convictions.
A nine-year-old girl who is terminally ill with a rare form of cancer has revealed she plans to spend the time she has left ticking off her bucket list and campaigning for better food in hospitals.

In an emotional interview on This Morning today, Sophie Fairall, who has rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that affects soft tissue in the body, told hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes that she's already spent time feeding exotic animals at Chessington and has even met her favourite chef Gordon Ramsay.

A heartwarming moment saw Sophie, who first fell ill last summer during lockdown, walking down the catwalk watched by Gok Wan - with Holly Willoughby also surprising the little girl by joining the interview by video link.

Her mum, Charlotte, explained that the family have decided not to let Sophie have any more chemotherapy because they now want her to have a better 'quality of life'.

She told the show: 'It's not easy when we know what the consequences are of stopping treatment. For us quality of life was more important than the time.'

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Sophie Fairall, 9, has rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that affects soft tissue. On her bucket list, she wanted to walk the runway, something This Morning presenter Gok Wan helped her do on the programme on Thursday

Sophie pictured with her mum Charlotte and dad Gareth. The youngster was first diagnosed with the incurable cancer last summer during lockdown; her parents say they've decided quality of life in now the most important thing for them

Holly Willoughby, on holiday from the show, also surprised the little girl by joining the interview by video link - and giving her a Cinderella tiara

Sophie was first diagnosed after she began bleeding while staying with her grandparents last summer. Embarrassed, the youngster hid the bleeding at first but was taken to A&E by mum Charlotte when Sophie confided in her.

In an interview with Young Lives vs Cancer earlier this month, she explained: 'It was only when she got back that I noticed from the washing.

'I said to her "whats been happening?" and she said "Im bleeding but I dont know why".'

Doctors discovered a 12 inch tumour in Sophie's abdomen, 95 per cent of which was removed during a seven-hour operation.

Because of restrictions due to the pandemic, Sophie and Charlotte spent weeks away from Charlotte's two daughters, Lucy and Amelia, and Sophie's dad, Gareth.

Charlotte, Sophie's mum, told the show: 'It's not easy when we know what the consequences are of stopping treatment. For us quality of life was more important than the time.'

The family said that they want to try and improve hospital food too, after Sophie's own negative experiences in hospitals

Holly Willoughby told the little girl she wanted to meet her and decided to join the chat via live link from her West London home

What is rhabdomyosarcoma? Rhabdomyosarcoma is a type of soft tissue sarcoma (tumour). Fewer than 60 children are diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in the UK each year. Most of them are younger than 10 years old. It is more common in boys than girls. Source: NHS Advertisement

After nine months of treatment, including chemotherapy, Sophie relapsed and doctors have told the family that the cancer is incurable.

The couple told This Morning: 'There is no cure, but Sophie being Sophie wants to be positive.'

Amelia and Lucy helped their sister to come up with a bucket list, and a meeting with top chef Gordon Ramsay was close to the top.

Sophie explained that the chef had cooked a hazelnut souffle, saying: 'I like his cooking and I just like him as a person. He was nice. He swore once.'

The family also revealed that the daytime show was high on the list, with Holmes telling them: 'You have chosen us to be part of a list that you have, things that you absolutely want to do'

Ruth told Sophie: 'Now I know Holly Willoughby is your favourite and Im sorry shes not here today as she is away on her summer break, however, she has sent you a gift.

'She was very sorry she couldnt be here, but I think it wont stop her talking to you!'

Holly Willoughby gave Sophie a tiara she wore when she dressed up as Cinderella on This Morning and told her via video link: 'When I heard you were on the show, I wanted to be there. I'm sending you a big virtual cuddle.'

Charlotte told the show that the family wants to try and improve hospital food too, after Sophie's own negative experiences.

She said: 'Sophie's put it on her bucket list that she wants to improve hospital food, partly for children. She's described it as "disgusting".

'It seems to vary throughout the country - and also for parents to be fed.

The family are also calling for play assistants on children's wards at the weekends too. Charlotte said: 'Children still want to play on the weekends.'

Sophie makes her way down the runway, as fashion star Gok Wan looks on

Concentration: Sophie watches her step as she sashays along the catwalk

The youngster smiles as she reaches the end of the This Morning studio's blue carpet

'She couldn't understand why I wasn't fed alongside her and she didn't want me to leave because she was scared or in pain.

'There were times I didn't eat or had to stock up on things that weren't perishable.'

The family are also calling for play assistants on children's wards at the weekends too. Charlotte said: 'Children still want to play on the weekends.'
GB rower Helen Glover, who was agonisingly denied a medal in Tokyo earlier today, says she'll tell her three young children that 'failing is no problem as long as you try'.

The rower, who won gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016, delivered the sweet message to her three children - son Logan, three, and twins Kit and Willow, one - as she discussed the disappointment of narrowly missing out on a podium spot with partner Polly Swann in the women's pairs.

Speaking to Samantha Quek and Dan Walker on BBC Olympics on Thursday morning, the 35-year-old mother-of-three, who is married to TV adventurer Steve Backshall, said she would not competitively row again at Olympic level.

Dubbed 'the mother of all comebacks', Glover's return to the boat only began in March 2020 after she had taken four years away to start her family - her twins were born just two months earlier in January 2020.

A fairytale ending would have seen her add a third gold medal to her previous haul but it wasn't meant to be, with New Zealand taking the title ahead of the Russian Olympic Committee and Canada.

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The pair were pipped to the podium by New Zealand, Romanian and Canadian teams - with Glover unable to add to the two gold medals she won in London and Rio in 2012 and 2016

I'm done! Helen Glover, 35, voiced her disappointment at missing out on a Tokyo Olympics medal in the women's rowing pair with partner Polly Swann (right) on Thursday - and said she would now definitely retire from the sport at Olympic level

The mother-of-three only decided to make a comeback early last year after giving birth to her twins Kit and Willow, one, in January 2020. Pictured with the twins and her older son Logan (far right), 3, during a winter training session earlier this year

A fairytale ending would have seen her add a third gold medal to her previous haul but it wasn't meant to be. Pictured: Glover's three children cheer on their mother

In the last year, Glover has been forced to juggle a gruelling rowing schedule with caring for her three children during lockdown.

A BBC Breakfast interview earlier this year saw toddler Logan interrupt an interview, offering a glimpse into just how hard Glover's comeback was to manage.

Glover ruled out another rowing return after the frustrating fourth place. She told Walker and Quek: 'Well do you know what, in Rio I said it was my last one.

'This time I'm saying that it definitely is and everyone around me keeps saying: ''No, no, you'll be back doing the single!''

The rower said she was happily hanging up her oars, saying: 'I definitely don't see myself doing the single. That's definitely not in the pipeline. I never think beyond the finish line so for me I'm just looking forward to getting home and having some downtime.'

She told the show that her husband had been watching the show from her parents' home in Cornwall - and had struggled with a wi-fi signal.

Insight: The rower has regularly shared how tough training has been while caring for her now one-year-old twins

Family time: The rower told the show's presenters 'I definitely don't see myself doing the single. That's definitely not in the pipeline' when asked if she would consider competing individually

She told the show that her husband, TV naturalist Steve Backshall, had been watching the show from her parents' home in Cornwall - and had struggled with a wi-fi signal

Making memories: The athlete said: 'Whether they (her children) remember it or not they were there from the very first strokes of this journey and in my mind to the very last strokes.'

Glover and Swann, an NHS doctor, pictured before the race in Tokyo

Glover said that not making the podium hadn't meant the pair hadn't achieved their dreams, saying: 'For both of us this has felt more like a journey than anything we've done. We even look to the route of getting to the start line and how many crews fall to the wayside. You can never say that a place in the final isn't exciting.

'The last year for both of us is one we're going to look back and I think when you're caught up in the moment of it and the day-to-day grind of only having one year, it feels so immediate.

'I'll come to look back in a few years and think: "How did I do that? What was that year about?"

Glover's partner, Polly Swann, a junior doctor who was working in a hospital in Scotland during the pandemic fightback last year said the rowers' story is a unique one - because she'd been on the frontline during the pandemic and Glover had juggled rowing with caring for three young children

Twins Kit and Willow modelling the Team GB kit ahead of Glover's departure for Tokyo earlier this month

'Everyone will remember the year of the pandemic for their own reasons and I will think that was the thing that took me to another Olympics and that's bonkers.

'Whether they (her children) remember it or not they were there from the very first strokes of this journey and in my mind to the very last strokes.'

A host of celebrity well-wishers  including Paralympic legend Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson and Nature Watch TV presenter Michaela Strachan  could not help veteran rower Glover over the line for a medal in the rowing this morning.

The pair revealed they'll be back on home soil within days after the Japanese ruling that all competitors should leave Tokyo within 48 hours of their event finishing.

Glover's partner, Polly Swann, a junior doctor who was working at St John's Hospital, Livingston in Scotland, during the pandemic fightback last year said the rowers' story is a unique one.

'For Helen, she was looking after three kids. For me I was working in a hospital a year ago today,' she said after the duo finished in six minutes 54.96 seconds, 4.77secs behind the gold medallists.

'I don't think there's many people in the Olympic athlete set-up that can say these things and be in a final.

'We certainly fought our all to try to get on to that podium. I can't fault our determination for that and more. We got in the boat together and every day since then has been pushing each other to the limit.'
A new documentary is delving into the disappearance and murder of a man who was killed by his friend of 25-years after having an affair with the murderer's wife.

ITV's No Body Recovered, which airs tonight at 9pm, follows the police investigation into the disappearance of father-of-three Mike O'Leary, who vanished on his way home from work in January 2020.

It was later discovered that Mr O'Leary, 55, had been shot dead by his married lover's husband, farmer Andrew Jones, in Carmarthenshire, but his body was never discovered.

In footage from the documentary, Jones, who set a trap for Mr O'Leary in Carmarthenshire, by using a 'secret' mobile phone belonging to his cheating wife Rhianon and pretending to be her, is seen saying 'no comment' when police question him over the murder.

Jones was found guilty in October of shooting his friend of 25-years Mr O'Leary dead in cold blood at Cyncoed Farm. He then used a digger to move his body before burning it on a funeral pyre of wooden pallets.

Scroll down for video

ITV's No Body Recovered, which airs tonight at 9pm, follows the police investigation into the disappearance of father-of-three Mike O'Leary (pictured), who vanished on his way home from work in January 2020

It was later discovered that Mr O'Leary, 55, had been shot dead by his married lover's husband farmer Andrew Jones (pictured), in Carmarthenshire, but his body was never discovered

The documentary shows, Jones, who was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for murder by a Swansea Crown Court judge, refusing to offer any information when questioned by police.

An officer asks: 'My question to you Andrew, explain to me in as much detail as possible, your involvement in the disappearance and murder of Michael OLeary.

'No comment,' replies a stone-faced Jones.

He's then asked: 'Have you got anything you can say which may assist in the recovery of the body of Mike OLeary?', to which he again replies: 'No comment'.

Mr O'Leary's disappearance in January 2020 sparked a major investigation by Dyfed-Powys police after his family received a text that was out of character and his abandoned truck was found by a river four miles from his home in Camarthen.

Jones used a 'secret' mobile phone belonging to his cheating wife Rhianon (pictured together), 51, and pretended to be her to lure Mr O'Leary to Cyncoed Farm for a 'cwtch' - Welsh for cuddle

In footage from the documentary, Jones (pictured) is seen saying 'no comment' when police question him over the murder

Mr O'Leary's wife Sian received a message apparently from her husband saying: 'I'm so sorry X' in an attempt to make his disappearance look like suicide.

'That message wasnt from Dad. Being a very proud Welshman, he would never text us or speak to us in English, even though its just only three words, "Im so sorry", those were English words and it didn't sit right with me,' says Mr O'Leary's son Wayne.

Jealous killer Andrew Jones's failed attempts to cover his tracks after murdering his wife's lover Andrew Jones was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Michael O'Leary, 55 - his wife's lover, in October. Speaking at the sentencing, Mr O'Leary's son Wayne slammed Jones as a 'coward' and a 'monster' who sent his family on a 'wild goose chase' thinking the father-of-three had killed himself. Judge Mrs Justice Nerys Jefford said Jones planned the murder in a 'calm, calculated and effective' manner'. Here is how Jones tried to avoid being caught: Jones used a 'secret' mobile phone belonging to his cheating wife Rhianon, 51, and pretended to be her to lure Mr O'Leary to Cyncoed Farm for a 'cwtch' - Welsh for cuddle. Instead Mr O'Leary came face-to-face with Jones brandishing a .22 Colt rifle. Jones said he 'wanted to scare' Mr O'Leary by shooting two or three rounds into the floor. He told the jury: 'I didn't want to shoot him dead. He said: "All right Jones". I walked over and put the gun at my hip pointing it in the air. 'He walked back and tripped backwards. 'I took the opportunity to kick him in the face so he was semi-conscious. 'When he came around, he lunged at me - the gun went off. He said "Ahh" and slumped.' Jones then texted Mr O'Leary's wife Sian saying: 'I'm so sorry X' in an attempt to make Mr O'Leary's disappearance look like suicide. Mr O'Leary's silver Nissan Navara was found locked and abandoned near the River Towy in Carmarthen and police divers were called in to search for his body. But Jones, of Bronwydd, Carmarthen, burned it to destroy any evidence. Jones piled up 24 wooden pallets and used a digger to put Mr O'Leary's body on top in the early hours of January 29 and set it ablaze in an oil drum 'over several days' in a series of 'intense' fires. Jones admitted to using electric fans to speed up the burning. A burned piece of Mr O'Leary's intestine was recovered from the drum but his body has never been recovered. Advertisement

He adds: 'The fact it wasn't a WhatsApp, it was a text message, those two things went hand in hand. Something wasn't right from the offset.'

Suspicion quickly fell on local builder Jones after police discovered Mr O'Leary was having an affair with his wife Rhiannon.

Yet with no body emerging during their investigation, proving a murder case against him would require resourceful policing.

Chief Inspector Paul Jones, the police's senior investigating officer, explains why Jones, a well-known local businessman, had the means to be the killer.

He says: 'First of all hes somebody with no previous convictions, never come to police attention, apart from hes a very successful businessman.

'But hes a builder, he has access to machinery, access to ongoing building sites, building works, foundations, his capability to dispose of a body is I would say probably the most difficult one to investigate.'

With the last known sighting of Mr OLeary at Joness derelict farm, the police team begin their searches of acres of land and numerous buildings, desperate for clues.

They eventually find some shirt buttons which after examination reveal a tiny trace of blood, invisible to the naked eye. DNA analysis on this blood proves its Mr OLeary's.

Jones then admits meeting Mr O'Leary on the night he went missing, and is the last person to have seen him.

Inspector Llyr Williams explains why time becomes an increasingly important factor in the investigation: 'We could only hold Andrew for 96 hours.

'The first bit of an investigation is obviously intense when youve got a collapsing time-frame, a pace custody clock.

'A lot of staff members on the team were working on adrenaline having worked long hours to achieve the level of evidence we needed to secure a charge. I think the driving focus for everybody is to obtain justice for the family and get answers.'

Officers turn to local CCTV to see if it might reveal any further evidence pointing to Jones being the killer - and find footage of his truck being driven to the riverside.

Mobile phone data suggests Jones was driving. Footage from CCTV also shows a cyclist making the return journey a short time later, heading in the direction of the derelict farm.

Detectives are convinced it's Jones on the bike, having ditched his murdered friends truck.

Paul Jones says: 'We literally had minutes left on the custody clock when the call came through saying yes, charge with murder. So yeah, relief, but certainly its only the start of the enquiry.

'A lot of people dont understand that once you charge somebody thats pretty much the beginning of it. Weve got a huge amount of work to do.

'We haven't located Mike, we still haven't tied up a lot of loose ends, we have a load of digital work to do, theres just so much more to do.'

Yet as the case proceeds to trial through the court system, there is still no sign of Mike's body.

Wayne O'Leary says: 'We still dont know whats happened that evening. You know, Andrews story, hes just been telling lies from the start. I dont think well ever find out.'

Jones was found guilty in October of shooting his friend of 25-years Mr O'Leary (pictured with his wife Sian) dead in cold blood at Cyncoed Farm. He then used a digger to move his body before burning it on a funeral pyre of wooden pallets

Farmer and builder Jones showed no emotion when the jury found him guilty of murder by a majority verdict of 11-1 after 13 hours and 25 minutes of deliberations in October.

Judge Mrs Justice Nerys Jefford said: 'Michael O'Leary did something wrong. He had an affair with a wife of a man who had been his friend for many years but he did not deserve to pay for that with his life.

'I have no doubt that you felt betrayed by your wife and a man who you had known for 25 years. You had made the decision to get rid of Mr O'Leary and enticed him to your farm where you carried out the killing.'

Judge Jefford said Jones planned the murder in a 'calm, calculated and effective' manner and, by getting rid of the body, deprived the O'Leary family of having a funeral for the much-loved husband, father and grandfather.

The judge said he would have to serve a minimum of 30 years before he could be considered for parole.

'You are 53 years old and whatever minimum term I impose, it is likely you will spend most if not all of the rest of your natural life in custody,' she said. 'You still maintain your account of events and that can give them little comfort.'

No Body Recovered ITV 9pm tonight (Thu).
Newlywed Kitty Spencer cut a casual figure as she was seen relaxing in the sunshine during her luxury honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast with her billionaire fashion tycoon husband.

Princess Diana's niece, 30, wed Michael Lewis, 62 - who is five years older than her father Charles Spencer - at a 17th century castle on Saturday surrounded by family and celebrity friends including Emma Weymouth and Pixie Lott.

The socialite was spotted donning a black lace dress and oversized sunglasses before joining her new husband, who opted for white swimming drunks and an open navy blue shirt, by the sunloungers on their honeymoon in Positano, Italy.

Wearing her blonde hair tied back, Lady Kitty Spencer, who was seen talking on the phone, was spotted carrying a large wicker beach bag and black briefcase, before taking a dip in the crystal blue sea with Michael to help cool down.

Princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty Spencer (pictured), 30, is seen enjoying her honeymoon in Positano with billionaire husband Michael Lewis

The newly married couple looked happy and relaxed as they chilled soaking up the sunshine in sunny Positano

Princess Diana's niece said 'I do' in front of a hushed congregation in the Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, a stunning country mansion with views towards Rome on Saturday.

Photographs of the bride showed her wearing a high-necked Victorian-inspired lace gown by favourite designer Dolce and Gabbana for the occasion, which features trendy puff sleeves and a cinched waist.

Meanwhile she swept her hair back into a low bun and opted for a lengthy train for the occasion.

Her husband opted for a smart white tuxedo and, later, Prince William and Harry's younger cousin changed into a second gown, with short sleeves, pink floral detailing and a flowing hemline.

The newlyweds could be seen climbing down the stairs into the sea as they took a dip to cool down from the Italian sunshine

Princess Diana's niece, 30, wed fashion tycoon Michael, 62 - who is five years older than her father Charles Spencer - at a 17th century castle on Saturday. Pictured, Michael Lewis in Positano

Lady Kitty Spencer donned a black dress featuring crossover detail at the back and could be seen carrying a black suitcase

Michael and Kitty were joined by her sisters, twins Eliza and Amelia; Viscountess Emma Weymouth and her husband Ceawlin Thynn, the Marquess of Bath; pop star Pixie Lott and her model boyfriend Oliver Cheshire; Idris Elba's wife Sabrina; and Made In Chelsea star Mark Vandelli.

Also present were Mr Lewis's three adult children from a previous marriage. Lady Kitty,  the eldest child of Diana's brother Earl Spencer  is understood to have formed strong relationships with her husband's children.

After the ceremony, the two could be seen toasting to their marriage while surrounded by their closest friends and family on the balcony of the villa.

In keeping with the Italian theme, fashion house Dolce and Gabbana played a key role. Several guests, including Viscountess Weymouth, socialite and DJ Marjorie Gubelmann and fashion designer Jade Holland Cooper wore the designers' dresses.

As the searing summer heat began to ease at 6pm, Princess Diana's niece said 'I do' in front of a hushed congregation in the Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, a stunning country mansion with views towards Rome

Before the ceremony, Viscountess Weymouth and Ms Gubelmann posted on Instagram that their outfits were made by the Italian duo, while Ms Holland Cooper flaunted a small D & G handbag on the social media site.

Lady Kitty may have also opted to wear the Spencer tiara, a headpiece of diamonds in a floral design of tulips and star-shaped flowers, which her aunt wore for her wedding at St Paul's Cathedral on July 28, 1981.

After the ceremony, Lady Kitty and Mr Lewis treated guests to a feast and dancing before an incredible fireworks display lit up the Italian sky.

Throughout the week, several friends shared social media posts hinting that her nuptials were imminent. Dutch fashion model Marpessa Hennink posted a selfie with Kitty with the words: 'Team Bride. It's happening finally.'

Lady Kitty's siblings Lady Eliza and Amelia, 28, have both remained silent on social media in recent days, while her father Charles shared a video of his home Althorp House yesterday morning.

It is unlikely Lady Kitty's cousins Prince William, 39, or Prince Harry, 36, have attended the event in Italy amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in the UK and the US.
The thousands of home workers who have missed their Pret A Manger fix while absent from the office can now enjoy the company's coffee at home, as the commuter's favourite has launched coffee pods.

The new range is available in two 100 per cent organic Pret coffee shop favourite blends Espresso and Classic that are compatible with Nespresso machines.

It's available now in more than 500 Tesco supermarkets throughout the UK and online at Ocado.

Classic pods use dark roasted beans to create an intense and indulgent espresso-based coffee with the familiar Pret chocolate caramel tones.

The new range is available in two 100 per cent organic Pret coffee shop favourite blends Espresso and Classic that are compatible with Nespresso machines.

While the new Espresso Blend range has familiar notes of dark chocolate and spice with smoky undertones, while the Classic Blend.

The range is part of the partnership with Pret and JDE Peet's and will take it's toatal offering to five products including 200g Roast & Ground and a 450g whole bean.

Clare Clough, UK Managing Director, Pret A Manger told FEMAIL: 'We are thrilled to be adding coffee pods to our growing coffee-at-home range so more of our customers can enjoy our organic coffees from the comfort of their home.

'Whether you're committed to your cafetiere, or you love the convenience of using coffee pods, we want to make sure there is something for everyone to enjoy as we continue to expand how people can enjoy the Pret products they've grown to love in our shops.

While the new Espresso Blend range has familiar notes of dark chocolate and spice with smoky undertones, while the Classic Blend.

'JDE has been creating coffee for over 265 years, and we're delighted to be partnering with them to launch our first-ever coffee pods.'

Andy Adams, Sales Director, JDE UK commented: 'We have long been impressed with the Pret brand and the unique organic coffee they serve consumers throughout the United Kingdom.

'We are excited to partner with a premium brand for their first venture into Single Serve coffee in retail and we look forward to expanding our partnership to bring new premium coffee experiences to consumers here in the United Kingdom and beyond.'

The new aluminium coffee pods are the latest in a series of consumer-packaged goods launches as part of Pret's business transformation programme and follows successful launches of bake-at-home croissants, granola, and ketchup ranges in Tesco earlier this year.

It also follows the launch of Pret's retail coffee beans range which are available in Sainsbury's, Amazon, Ocado and Waitrose.
AstraZeneca said on Thursday that it intends to seek U.S. approval of its COVID-19 vaccine developed with the University of Oxford in the second half of this year.

The company will be asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for full regulatory approval of the vaccine rather than the fast-track emergency use authorization originally anticipated.

As part of this Biologics License Application, the FDA has requested extensive data from clinical trials around the world, as well as data on real world use of the vaccine.

'We have an enormous amount of data, clinical data and all of the data coming from the work we've done around the world,' said CEO Pascal Soriot on a conference call with reporters.

'A BLA is a much bigger submission than the emergency use approval.'

If approved, it would be the fourth COVID-19 vaccine available for use in the U.S., but coming at a time when the rollout has significantly slowed from an average of 3.5 million per day in April to just 500,000 per day.

AstraZeneca said on Thursday it intends to seek full U.S. approval of its COVID-19 vaccine in the second half of 2021 as opposed to just emergency use. Pictured: Boxes of AstraZeneca's vaccine against COVID-19, June 2021

The vaccine held great appeal because it's inexpensive and can be stored in refrigerators, but faced significant delays and is far behind the other three approved vaccines

The news on the U.S. filing is being closely watched because the timetable has slipped in recent months.

When AstraZeneca released data from its U.S. trial of the vaccine on March 22, company officials said they expected to seek FDA authorization in the first half of April.

The vaccine held great appeal because it's inexpensive - costing $3 to $4 per dose - and can be stored in refrigerators for up to six months rather than at ultra-cold temperatures required for other vaccines.

However, several miscues caused it to fall behind in the U.S., including failing to tell the FDA for two days in September 2020 that it had halted its trials around the world after a UK participant suffered spinal cord inflammation.

The company then took nearly two months to provide the FDA with enough evidence to show its vaccine isn't linked to neurological symptoms.

Among the concerns AstraZeneca will have to address are reports that the vaccine may be associated with rare blood clots, which have caused some countries to limit its use in younger people.

The vaccine is already in widespread use around the world following approval by regulators in the UK, the European Union, World Health Organization, and others.

The company and its partners have delivered more than 1 billion doses of the vaccine to over 170 countries where it is already authorized for use.

While the U.S. is currently 'well supplied' with vaccines, AstraZeneca believes its shot could 'play a role in the future,' Soriot said.

'It's a good vaccine, and we just want to make sure it's ready to be used if needed,' he said.

AstraZeneca said Thursday that it delivered 319 million doses of the vaccine in the first half of this year, $1.17 billion in revenue.

Approval would come as the U.S. vaccine rollout significantly stalls, falling from 3.5 million shots per day in April to 500,000 in July

AstraZeneca has pledged to deliver the vaccine on a non-profit basis as long as the pandemic lasts.

Despite complaints from the EU about its vaccine supply, the 27-nation bloc received more doses directly from AstraZeneca than any other single entity in the six months through June.

The company shipped 97 million doses to the EU, while Brazil got 65 million and the U.K. 52 million, AstraZeneca said.

Gavi, an alliance that secures vaccines for low-income countries, received 49 million doses, and another 57 million doses went to other countries.

Sub-licensees, including the Serum Institute of India, supplied millions more doses.

The vaccine was developed by Oxford University researchers, who licensed the technology to AstraZeneca in an effort to tap into the company's global manufacturing and distribution capacity.

AstraZeneca, in turn, authorizes other companies to produce the shots around the world.
Experts are calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to release the data underlying its recent backtrack on mask recommendations for vaccinated Americans.

Recently, the nation's top infectious disease expert says the Indian 'Delta' Covid variant has the same viral levels in vaccinated people who have breakthrough infections as in those who are unvaccinated, citing unreleased data.

Dr Anthony Fauci told MSNBC on Wednesday that means vaccinated people can spread Delta, backing up the recent guidance change.

Previous research has indicated that people infected with Delta have 1,000 times more copies of the coronavirus in their respiratory tracts compared to those infected with older strains of the virus.

But the CDC has yet to publicly share new research on Delta transmission among the vaccinated that would back up its new mask guidance and outside experts are calling for the agency to show them the data.

'Yes, CDC should release all data in a timely manner, Dr Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist with the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, told DailyMail.com.

In my opinion, it is criminal to sit on data during a pandemic.

Vaccinated people can spread Delta just like unvaccinated people, Dr Fauci says

 Dr. Fauci: "La Variante Delta ha cambiado todo" "Cuando se observa el NIVEL de virus en la nasofaringe de una persona vacunada que contrae infeccion con #Delta, es EXACTAMENTE EL MISMO que el nivel de virus en una persona no vacunada que se infecta.

Ese es el PROBLEMA"@MSNBC pic.twitter.com/vdvs4CvgzB  ciclbh (@ciclbh) July 29, 2021

Since the start of the pandemic, one common metric used by scientists is 'viral load' - a measurement of how many copies of the coronavirus are in a patient's body.

When patients have a higher viral load - more copies of the virus - they're more likely to give the virus to someone else.

As the coronavirus has mutated into new variants, its viral load has increased. Delta is now the most contagious variant for this reason.

In fact, according to Fauci, Delta is so contagious that even vaccinated people can spread it.

'We have a Delta variant that has changed the entire landscape,' Dr Fauci said on MSNBC on Wednesday night.

Nationwide, the variant is causing over 80 percent of cases - and in some regions, that number is upwards of 90 percent.

'When you look at the level of virus in the nasopharynx of a vaccinated person who gets a breakthrough infection with Delta, it is exactly the same as the level of virus in an unvaccinated person who's infected,' Fauci said.

'That triggered the change in the CDC guideline,'- referring to the agency's recent backtrack on masking recommendations for vaccinated Americans.

In May, the CDC said anyone who had completed a full vaccination regimen - two shots of Pfizer or Moderna, or one shot of Johnson & Johnson - could go without masks everywhere.

But this week, the agency said that several groups of fully vaccinated Americans should go back to masking in public, indoor spaces.

This includes people living in areas with rapidly-rising Covid cases, teachers in K-12 schools, and parents with children too young to be vaccinated.

When announcing the change, CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky cited 'new scientific data' in line with Dr Fauci's statement - vaccinated people can spread Delta.

The statement also aligns with a recent study from China suggesting that people infected with Delta have a viral load 1,000 times higher than those infected with older strains of the coronavirus.

But the CDC's new data are not yet public, leading to concerns about the agency's transparency.

People infected with the Delta variant had 1,000 times as many copies of the virus in their respiratory tracts as people infected with the original strain (above), a recent study found

A citation in the updated masking guidance simply reads, 'CDC COVID-19 Response Team, unpublished data, 2021.'

These data come from investigations of recent Delta-caused outbreaks, in which researchers compared infections among vaccinated and unvaccinated people, according to the Washington Post.

The findings will be 'published imminently' per reporting from The Post.

But that's not enough for some scientists - even those who have endorsed the CDC's new guidance.

'They're making a claim that people with delta who are vaccinated and unvaccinated have similar levels of viral load, but nobody knows what that means,' Dr Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health, told The Post.

'It's meaningless unless we see the data.'

Other experts aren't convinced that a higher viral load actually leads to Delta's transmission among vaccinated people.

'I feel like nasal viral load is one part of a lot of other parts' that determine how infectious a person is, biostatistician Natalie Dean told The Post.

Dean added that she thinks other important factors may be how much virus is present in a patient's throat or lungs.

Experts like Dean want to see more data comparing case numbers between vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans.

In recent months, the vast majority of severe Covid cases - those leading to hospitalization and death - have occurred among the unvaccinated.

But the CDC is not tracking less-severe breakthrough infections. In May, the agency switched its strategy to only investigate and report those infections that cause hospitalization or death

Scientists have critiqued this move for leaving the U.S. without crucial data to monitor the cases caused by Delta and other variants.

Still, all Covid experts can agree on one thing: Delta is cause for major concern, and additional precautions are needed to curb its spread.

'Delta is Alpha on steroids,' James M. Musser, chair of the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital and Research Institute, told WaPo.
Even as COVID-19 cases rise across the U.S., deaths have not done the same and - in fact - have remained relatively flat.

On Wednesday, the country recorded 68,771 new cases with a seven-day rolling average of 63,842, which is a 322 percent increase from the 15,126 average recorded three weeks ago.

Comparatively, the U.S. recorded 387 virus-related deaths and a rolling average of 281, which is 27 percent higher than the 220 three weeks prior.

In fact, the average has remained below 300 since June 25.

In most states, COVID-19 fatalities have plateaued with a death rate below 1.0 per 100,000 - proving the effectiveness of vaccines.

But in recent virus hot spots - such as Arkansas, Florida and Missouri, deaths are finally increasing behind cases due to the spread of the Indian 'Delta' variant with some at their highest since February.

Scroll down below to see what the death rate is in your state.

While average U.S. coronavirus cases rise by 322% over the last three weeks, deaths have risen just 27%

Average virus-related has remained below 300 since June 25, showing the effectiveness of vaccines (above)

ALABAMA

In Alabama, deaths remained relatively flat at around a rolling average of two or three deaths.

However, they have slightly increased over the past week, from an average of two on July 20 to an average of four on July 27.

The seven=day average rate per 100,000 people remains low, currently sitting at 0.98 deaths per 100,000

During the state's peak in January, Alabama was recording an average of 11.91 deaths per 100,000.

ALASKA

Alaska's deaths have maintained a consistent peaks and valleys pattern throughout the course of the pandemic.

Currently, the state is among its lowest levels ever, recording no new deaths for the past four days and maintaining a seven-day rolling average of zero since February 26, 2021, CDC dat show.

The seven-day death rate per 100,000 currently sits at 0.41 per 100,000 - far below the peak of 4.51 per 100,000 recorded on December 3 of last year.

ARIZONA

Since May of this year, COVID-19 deaths in Arizona have remained relatively flat.

Over the last week, deaths ever so slightly rose from a seven-day rolling average of eight on July 20 to an average of nine on July 27.

Similarly, the death rate has minimally increased from 0.85 per 100,000 to 0.91 per 100,000.

During the winter surge of 2021, Arizona was recording about 175 deaths per day with a rate of 16.88 per 100,000.

ARKANSAS

For the past few weeks, Arkansas has been one of the nation's COVID-19 hotspots seeing all metrics, including deaths, rise.

In the last month, the seven-day rolling average has risen more than five-fold from two per day to 11 per day.

At the beginning of July, Arkansas was recording 0.63 deaths per 100,000. Now, the rate is 2.65 per 100,000.

Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson said on Monday he's calling a meet with state House and Senate leaders to potentially lift a law banning mask mandates.

CALIFORNIA

Despite California COVID-19 cases increasing eight-fold from below 1,000 a day to more than 7,000 in just one month, deaths have not done the same.

Data show that virus-related fatalities have risen, but not by as much from a seven-day rolling average of eight per day to an average of 21 per day.

What's more, the death rate per 100,000 has barely doubled from 0.14 per 100,000 on July to 0.37 per 100,000 on July 27.

This is far and away below the peak of 12.2 per 100,000 in January.

COLORADO

COVID-19 deaths have been declining in Colorado since mid-June and have consistently remained low.

The state is currently recording a seven-day rolling averages of five per days and a rate of 0.63 per 100,000.

These figures are consistent with numbers reported during September 2020 at the send of the second wave during the summer.

By comparison, Colorado recorded a record-high average of 101 deaths per day and a rate of 12.38 per 100,000 in mid-December 2020.

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut is recording its lowest level of virus-related deaths seen since the start of the pandemic.

No deaths have been reported in five of the last seven days, according to CDC data.

In fact, since June 30, the state has been reporting a seven-day rolling average of zero average deaths per day and a seven-day death rate of 0.17 per 100,000 deaths.

Unlike most states, because it was among the earliest hit, Connecticut's record was seen in April 2020 with seven-day rolling average of 116 deaths per day and a rate of 22.86 per 100,000.

DELAWARE

Similarly to Alaska, Delaware has seen a peaks and valleys pattern when it comes to COVID-19 deaths.

Deaths are currently at their lowest ever, with a seven-day rolling average of zero per day since June 29.

Throughout the month of July, officials have reported just four fatalities linked to the virus for a death rate of 0.1 per 100,000 - a sharp drop from the February peak of 13 per 100,000.

FLORIDA

After seeing consistent declines in deaths since the end of March, Florida is seeing a rise once again.

The state is currently reporting a seven-day rolling average of 57 deaths per day, more than double the 22 per day reported on July 6.

Similarly, the death rate has increased from 0.73 per 100,000 to 1.88 per 100,000 - not seen since early June.

However, the office of Florida Gov Ron DeSantis says he will not declare a state of emergency and has no plans to issue new restrictions.

GEORGIA

Deaths in Georgia continue to remain low, reaching levels similar to those seen in late July 2020.

For the last month, the seven-day rolling average has hovered between six per day and 10 per day.

Similarly, the death rate sits at 0.69 per 100,000, which is an exponential decline from the 10.93 per 100,000 record hit in mid-November 2020.

HAWAII

The millions of tourists flocking to the tropical destination, have not affected death rates, which have remained consistently low since late February.

Hawaii has been recording a seven-day rolling average of zero since June 22 and has reported just 12 deaths this months.

The death rate has risen from 0.14 per 100,000 to 0.41 per 100,000 this month, but remains far below the record-high of 5.58 per 100,000 in January.

IDAHO

For the past month, Idaho has been recording some of its lowest levels of COVID-19 deaths to date.

Since June 28, the seven-day rolling average has sat between zero per day and two per day.

The death rate currently remains the same figure it was at the beginning of the month at 0.67 deaths per 100.000.

The record was hit in December 2020 when Idaho was reporting 7.83 deaths per 100,000.

ILLINOIS

Illinois's COVID-19-related deaths are at their lowest since the pandemic first struck last year.

The state's seven-day rolling average sits at five per day, which was figure not recorded since March 28, 2020.

Meanwhile, the death rate is 0.32 per 100,000, a drop of 0.45 per 100,000 this month and a massive fall from 10.14 reported in December 2020.

INDIANA

In nearby Indiana, deaths are also flattening with a seven-day rolling average of two per day.

The death rate has fallen since the beginning of the month from 0.48 per 100,000 to 0.25 per 100,000.

This rate is a far cry from the winter surge of 2020-2021 when the state saw 11 deaths per 100,000 in mid-December 2020.

IOWA

COVID-19 deaths in Iow have remained consistently flat since the beginning of May with few increases.

The state has been recording a seven-day rolling average of one per day since July 14 and reported 32 deaths this month.

The death rate is among its lowest ever, sitting at 0.38 per 100,000, which represents a decline from 0.51 per 100,000 at the start of the month.

At its peak in early December, Iowa reported 18.76 deaths per 100,000.

KANSAS

Deaths linked to the virus in Texas had flattened before starting to rise this week.

Over the last seven days, the rolling average has exponentially risen from one per day to six per day.

What's more, the death rate has risen from 0.34 per 100,000 on July 20 to 1.54 per 100,000 on July 27.

It's the first time since May 13, that the death rate has surpassed 1.0 per 100,000.

KENTUCKY

Virus-related deaths have remained flat since the beginning of June in The Bluegrass State.

Over the last month, the seven-day rolling average has never risen above two per day and the death rate currently sits at 0.43 per 100,000.

Comparatively, in late December, Kentucky reported a record 9.36 per 100,000 deaths and a rolling average of 59 per day.

LOUISIANA

Louisiana has recently been dealing with a rapid rise in cases due to the Delta variant and deaths have started to rise as well.

At the beginning of July, Louisiana was recording an average of four deaths per day and a rate of 0.67 per 100,000.

Now the average is 10 deaths per day and the rate is 1.57 per 100,000, making first time since May 20, that the rate has surpassed 1.0.

Health officers that of all the deaths that occurred since vaccines rolled out, just 30 have been in fully vaccinated people.

MAINE

COVID-19 deaths in Maine have followed a pattern of peaks and valleys since the start of the pandemic.

Currently, the state is at a peak seven-day rolling average sit at one with a death rate of 0.89 per 100,000.

This is a dramatic rise of an average of no deaths at the start of the month with a death rate of 0.15 per 100,000.

However, it's still far below the peak of 6.03 per 100,000 seen in mid-January.

MARYLAND

In Maryland, deaths continue to remain low, with a rolling average of three deaths per day, which has been consistent for most of June and July and far below the slowdown seen after the summer 2020 surge.

Meanwhile, the death rate is at 0.35 per 100,000 - higher than the 0.26 recorded at the beginning of July but below the rates seen for most of the pandemic.

Maryland saw the worst of the pandemic during the first wave with an average of 58 deaths per day and a rate of 6.75 per 100,000.

MASSACHUSETTS

Since mid-June, Massachusetts's seven-day rolling average has remained flat, not recording above four per day.

There has been a rise, however, from 0.16 deaths per 100,000 at the start of the month to 0.46 per 100,000 as of July 27.

Notably, this is nowhere near the record-high figures recorded on April 24, 2020 of 179 deaths per day and 8.22 per 100,000.

MICHIGAN

After dealing with a surge in cases during spring 2020, deaths in Michigan have consistently declined.

Currently, the seven-day rolling average sits at two per day, which is the lowest figure seen since March 20, 2020.

Meanwhile, the death rate of 0.16 per 100,000 is also at a record-low level.

MINNESOTA

Throughout the month of July, virus-related deaths in Minnesota have remained relatively flat.

The seven-day rolling average has declined from five per day on July 1 to two per day as of July 27.

Over the same period, the death rate has been slashed by more than half from 0.67 per 100,000 to 0.28 per 100,000.

The state peaked in mid-December with a rolling average of 66 and a death rate of 8.36 per 100,000.

MISSISSIPPI

The South continues to remain a COVID-19 epicenter rand Mississippi is no exception.

The seven-day rolling average has not risen by much from zero new deaths per day to two per day but the death rate has more than doubled from 0.2 per day to 0.47 per day.

State Health Officer Dr Thomas Dobbs told reporters at a press conference last week that 89 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the past month have been among unvaccinated individuals.

MISSOURI

Missouri has been battling an outbreak linked to the Indian 'Delta' variant and has seen deaths rise since then.

The state was recording a seven-day rolling average at the beginning of the month with a death rate of 1.25 per 100,000.

These figures have since risen to 15 deaths per day and a rate of 1.76 per 100,000, the highest recorded since February.

MONTANA

Deaths in Montana are close to reaching the lowest levels seen since the start of the pandemic.

For the past six days, the seven-day rolling average has sat at zero and the dearth rate is currently 0.47 per 100,000.

Both are a far cry from the 17 deaths per day and 11.51 per 100,000 recorded at the height in late January 2021.

NEBRASKSA

Since mid-June, virus-related deaths in Nebraska have flattened to levels similar to those seen in March 2020.

For the majority of July, the state has been reporting a seven-day rolling average of zero deaths and the lowest death rate of any state at zero deaths per 100,000.

At its peak in early December 2020, the state saw 31 average deaths per day and 11.27 per 100,0000

NEVADA

After a straight decline from late April to early July, deaths are once again on the rise in Nevada, similar to cases.

The seven-day rolling average has quadrupled from three per day on July 9 to 12 per day on July 27.

Similarly, over the same time period, the death rate has risen from 0.75 deaths per 100,000 to 2.76 per 100,000

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Since mid-May, COVID-19 deaths have been on steady decline in New Hampshire.

Throughout the month of July, the state has recorded a seven-day rolling average of zero every day except for July 13-15 and July 18.

Additionally, the death rate currently sits at 0.15 per 100,000, which is sharp decline from the peak of 6.84 per 100,000 recorded on January 9 during the 2021 winter surge.

NEW JERSEY

One of the hardest-hit states at the start of the pandemic, New Jersey has now reporting near record-low levels of deaths.

As of July 27, the seven-day rolling average is three deaths per day and the death rate is 0.3 per 100,000, the lowest figure since March 17.

By comparison, deaths at the peak on April 21,2020 sat at an average of 278 per day and 21.93 deaths per 100,000.

NEW MEXICO

COVID-19 deaths in New Mexico have been on a steady decline since its peak on December 14, 2020.

Over the month of July, the state has reported between an average of zero and two deaths per day and currently has a death rate of 0.72 per 100,000.

At the height of the pandemic the Land of Enchantment, there were an average of 45 deaths per day and a rate of 15.07 per 100,000.

NEW YORK (EXCLUDING NYC)

One of the nation's first epicenters, New York State is now reporting some its lowest death rates ever seen.

The seven-day rolling average has bounced back-and-forth between one per day and two per day.

The death rate has also never exceeded 0.2 per 100,000 and currently sits at 0.16.

On April 11, 2020, New York saw its worst day of 242 deaths per day and a rate of 15.32 per 100,000.

NORTH CAROLINA

Virus-related deaths in North Carolina have been declining since late January aside from a slight bump in mid-May.

As of July 27, the seven-day average in the state is three deaths per day with a rate of 0.26 per 100,000.

Comparatively, the late January peak saw as many as 321 deaths per day and 21.47 per 100,000 people.

NORTH DAKOTA

COVID-19 deaths in North Dakota have reached record-low levels.

The state has been recording a seven-day rolling average of zero new deaths per day every day for the month of July aside from July 13 and just 10 deaths all months.

What's more, the death rate is also at zero per 100,000 people, which is a far cry from the 20 deaths per day and 19.03 per 100,000 seen in December of last year.

OHIO

In Ohio, COVID-19 deaths have reached their lowest levels seen since late March.

Since the beginning of July, the seven-day rolling average and death rate have declined from 13 per day and 0.82 per 100,000, respectively, to five per day and 0.35 as of July 27.

At its peak in mid-February, the state was seeing an average of 152 deaths per day and 9.14 deaths per 100,000.

OKLAHOMA

In Oklahoma, which has seen cases rise over the last month, deaths are also trending upward.

Since July 1, the seven-day rolling average has risen from one new death per day to five per day.

The death rate has also nearly quadrupled from 0.25 per 100,000 to 0.91 over the course of the month.

Recently, the University of Washington's the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projected Oklahoma's death toll will rise from 8,666 to 9,340 by November 1.

OREGON

Deaths in Oregon have plateaued since late June with the seven-day rolling average hovering at around two per day.

The death rate has also improved, declining from 0.43 per 100,000 people to 0.38.

At the pandemic deadliest point in The Beaver State - mid-January - officials recorded about 28 deaths per day and a death rate of 4.65 per 100,000.

PENNSYLVANIA

COVID-19 fatalities in Pennsylvania have been steadily declining since May and have reached near record-low levels.

As of July 28, the seven-day rolling average sits at three and the death rate at 0.2 per 100,000 people, figures on par with those seen in late March.

At the pandemic's worst point, in mid-January, the state saw 223 deaths per day and death rate of 12.21 per 100,000.

RHODE ISLAND

COVID-19 deaths in Rhode Island have plateaued since May with a seven-day rolling average of zero per day recorded since June 8.

Only four deaths have been reported in the state since July 1 and, for the last six days, the death rate has been zero per 100,000.

By comparison, officials reported an average of 22 deaths per day and 14.54 per 100,000 during the mid-December peak.

SOUTH CAROLINA

After months or relatively straight declines, virus-related fatalities are once again on the rise in South Carolina.

In the last month, the seven-day rolling average has remained flat, around three per day, but the death rate has increased from 0.43 per 100,000 to 0.52.

Despite the increase, the figures are far below the 77 average deaths and rate of 10.51 per 100,000 seen in January 2021.

SOUTH DAKOTA

South Dakota is seeing a record-low levels of deaths.

The seven-day rolling average has sat at zero per day for all by four days in the month of July with just eight deaths recorded all month.

Additionally, the seven-day rolling average declined from 1.02 deaths per 100,000 to 0.23 as of July 28.

TENNESSEE

In Tennessee, which is battling a mini-surge in COVID-19 cases, average deaths have risen in the last month from three per day to seven per day.

The death rate has also more than doubled from 0.32 deaths per 100,000 to 0.76 per 100,000 over the same period.

These figures are still far below the mid-January peak, which saw an average of 106 deaths per day and 10.89 deaths' per 100,000.

TEXAS

Deaths had been on the decline in Texas until mid-July but are now starting to rise again.

After reaching a rolling average of one per day on July 13, the figure exponentially rose to 34 per day.

What's more, the death rate - which had fallen to as low as 0.03 per 100,000 - has increase 27-fold to 0.83 per 100,000.

UTAH

Over the course of July, COVID-19 deaths in Utah appear to have plateaued.

Since July 1, the rolling average has decreased from four new deaths per day to three per day as of July 28.

Additionally, the seven=day rolling average has slightly fallen from 0.84 deaths per 100,000 people to 0.72

VERMONT

Unlike, most states, Vermont's plateau of COVID-19 deaths extends back several months.

The state has not reported a seven-day average above zero new deaths per day since mid-April 2021.

In addition, the death rate has gone back and forth from zero deaths per 100,000 people to 0.16.

VIRGINIA

Since early April 2021, COVID-19 deaths have been declining in Virginia, all the way to near record-lows.

Over the last month, average cases have held steady between three and four news cases per day.

Meanwhile, the death rate sits at 0.37 per 100,000, a massive drop from 17.8 per 100,000 during its March 2021 peak.

WASHINGTON

Virus-related deaths in Washington have appeared to follow a peaks and valleys pattern, but have declined over the last month.

Since the beginning of July, the seven-day average has held steady at five new deaths per day but the death rate had dropped from 0.53 per 100,000 to 0.49 per 100,000.

Both of these figures are the lowest seen since September 2020, following the second wave in the summer.

WEST VIRGINIA

Deaths in West Virginia have plateaued over the last month.

The seven-day average fell from three per day at the beginning of the month to two per day.

Additionally, the death rate declined from 1.17 deaths per 100,000 people to 1.06.

WISCONSIN

After nearly a month of declines, COVID-19 deaths slightly rose in Wisconsin.

From July t to July 27, the seven-day average fell from six per day to five per day and the death rate fell from 0.72 per 100,000 to 0.65.

However, the figures slightly creeped back up on July 28 to an average of seven per day and a rate of 0.91 per 100,000.

WYOMING

The seven-day average of virus-related fatalities has held steady in Wyoming, but the death rate has risen.

Over the last month, the average has bounced back-and-forth between zero per day and one per day, as it has since late March of this year..

However, over the course of July, the death rate rose from 1.21 per 100,000 to 1.73, not seen since early March 2021.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is coming under increasing pressure to release the data that prompted it to reverse its mask guidelines on Tuesday, as cities and states say they need to see the evidence before revising their own policies.

Federal officials say unpublished data showed vaccinated people infected with COVID-19 may be able to transmit the virus, leading them to recommend that everyone should wear a mask indoors in areas of high transmission.

Republicans have poured doubt on the new findings and even Democratic-led cities say they won't make changes without understanding the facts.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said the change was confusing.

'I haven't seen the data - they're not really forthcoming on a lot of data that they're using to make this change in the guidance,' she said at a press conference.

'And I really haven't seen any data that would support that states that don't issue a mask mandate versus states that do issue a mask mandate - that the statistics are that much different.'

'This is not a decision CDC has made lightly...this is something that weighs heavily on me and all of America,' said Rochelle Walensky, CDC director as she reversed mask guidance

After weeks of progress, Biden officials are battling a surge in cases fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 and vaccine reluctance in some states

Scientists have also asked for the data to be released.

'They're making a claim that people with delta who are vaccinated and unvaccinated have similar levels of viral load, but nobody knows what that means,' Dr Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health, told The Washington Post.

When CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced the reversed policy on Tuesday she said 'new scientific data' justified the move. She said it came from research on 'breakthrough' infections, comparing viral loads between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

But the CDC has yet to offer more specific information about the studies.

That information vacuum has been filled by the Republicans including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy claiming the House doctor told them the study was conducted in India using a vaccine that was not approved in the U.S.

'The mask mandate is based upon a study in India, based upon a vaccine that isn''t approved in America that didn't pass peer review. Could this be a plan to keep our schools closed?' he asked on Twitter.

At the same time, Democratic-run cities have said they cannot make changes without being in full possession of the facts.

At a press conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City Health and Hospitals President Mitchell Katz said: 'While the CDC issued their guidance yesterday at about 3 p.m., they have not yet released their scientific reports on the data that underlies their recommendation.'

He added that his focus remained on getting people vaccinated.

'I think we owe it to New Yorkers to very carefully, as you say, review that information and understand its implications,' he said.

A day earlier, the country's top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci told MSNBC that the latest information suggested that even vaccinated people can spread Delta and explains

Previous research indicated that people infected with Delta have 1,000 times more copies of the coronavirus in their respiratory tracts compared to those infected with older strains of the virus.

Vaccinated people can spread Delta just like unvaccinated people, Dr Fauci says

 Dr. Fauci: "La Variante Delta ha cambiado todo" "Cuando se observa el NIVEL de virus en la nasofaringe de una persona vacunada que contrae infeccion con #Delta, es EXACTAMENTE EL MISMO que el nivel de virus en una persona no vacunada que se infecta.

Ese es el PROBLEMA"@MSNBC pic.twitter.com/vdvs4CvgzB  ciclbh (@ciclbh) July 29, 2021

Since the start of the pandemic, one common metric used by scientists is 'viral load' - a measurement of how many copies of the coronavirus are in a patient's body.

When patients have a higher viral load - more copies of the virus - they're more likely to give the virus to someone else.

As the coronavirus has mutated into new variants, its viral load has increased. Delta is now the most contagious variant for this reason.

In fact, according to Fauci, Delta is so contagious that even vaccinated people can spread it.

'We have a Delta variant that has changed the entire landscape,' he said.

Nationwide, the variant is causing over 80 percent of cases - and in some regions, that number is upwards of 90 percent.

'When you look at the level of virus in the nasopharynx of a vaccinated person who gets a breakthrough infection with Delta, it is exactly the same as the level of virus in an unvaccinated person who's infected,' Fauci said.

'That triggered the change in the CDC guideline,'- referring to the agency's recent backtrack on masking recommendations for vaccinated Americans.

In May, the CDC said anyone who had completed a full vaccination regimen - two shots of Pfizer or Moderna, or one shot of Johnson & Johnson - could go without masks everywhere.

But this week, the agency said that several groups of fully vaccinated Americans should go back to masking in public, indoor spaces.

This includes people living in areas with rapidly-rising Covid cases, teachers in K-12 schools, and parents with children too young to be vaccinated.

When announcing the change, CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky cited 'new scientific data' in line with Dr Fauci's statement - vaccinated people can spread Delta.

The statement also aligns with a recent study from China suggesting that people infected with Delta have a viral load 1,000 times higher than those infected with older strains of the coronavirus.

But the CDC's new data are not yet public, leading to concerns about the agency's transparency.

People infected with the Delta variant had 1,000 times as many copies of the virus in their respiratory tracts as people infected with the original strain (above), a recent study found

A citation in the updated masking guidance simply reads, 'CDC COVID-19 Response Team, unpublished data, 2021.'

These data come from investigations of recent Delta-caused outbreaks, in which researchers compared infections among vaccinated and unvaccinated people, according to the Washington Post.

The findings will be 'published imminently' per reporting from The Post.

But that's not enough for some scientists - even those who have endorsed the CDC's new guidance.

'They're making a claim that people with delta who are vaccinated and unvaccinated have similar levels of viral load, but nobody knows what that means,' Dr Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health, told The Post.

'It's meaningless unless we see the data.'

Other experts aren't convinced that a higher viral load actually leads to Delta's transmission among vaccinated people.

'I feel like nasal viral load is one part of a lot of other parts' that determine how infectious a person is, biostatistician Natalie Dean told The Post.

Dean added that she thinks other important factors may be how much virus is present in a patient's throat or lungs.

Experts like Dean want to see more data comparing case numbers between vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans.

In recent months, the vast majority of severe Covid cases - those leading to hospitalization and death - have occurred among the unvaccinated.

But the CDC is not tracking less-severe breakthrough infections. In May, the agency switched its strategy to only investigate and report those infections that cause hospitalization or death

Scientists have critiqued this move for leaving the U.S. without crucial data to monitor the cases caused by Delta and other variants.

Still, all Covid experts can agree on one thing: Delta is cause for major concern, and additional precautions are needed to curb its spread.

'Delta is Alpha on steroids,' James M. Musser, chair of the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital and Research Institute, told WaPo.
St Louis County's health director is pleading for unvaccinated residents of his county to 'get over yourselves' and 'do the responsible common sense thing' in the wake of a COVID-19 surge in the state.

Dr Faisal Khan appeared on ABC News on Wednesday to discuss the city's mask mandate getting removed by the city council, and a viral video of a crowd cheering the decision.

Khan said that the reversal, paired with recent updated guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is causing confusion in the state.

The decision comes as Missouri deals with a statewide case surge of nearly 80 percent in two weeks, and St Louis County's cases double from where they were 14 days ago.

The CDC also revised its guidelines earlier this week, advising areas of high or substantial transmission to bring back indoor mask mandates.

Dr Faisal Khan (pictured) told ABC News that the unvaccinated should 'do the responsible common sense thing' and get the shots

'I am certainly respectful of differing opinions, there's no doubt about that, however, the greater good and the collective good is more important than individual nuances of liberty and freedom at this point in time,' Khan told ABC News.

'As a nation of individualists we are seeing the results of that play out across the country. More death and misery has been caused by attitudes at this point in time than anything else. That is really sad and should call all of us to reflect on what we're doing.

'Vaccines are available today. [They] are safe and effective people need to listen to public messages. Get a vaccine, and continue to wear masks because that is a situation we're confronted with'

Around 56 percent of the county's one million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccine progress has slowed down in recent months, though, allowing the virus to make a comeback.

After an outbreak began in southwest Missouri, the rest of the state quickly was enveloped by the virus, including the county.

In the past two weeks, cases have doubled from 143 new cases a day on July 14 to 291 on July 28 in the county.

Cases in St Louis County have more than doubled over the past two weeks. County health officials put a mask mandate in place to combat rising cases, though the mandate has since been reversed

Amid the surge, St Louis County decided to bring back its mask mandate.

Their decision was met with ire from many, including the state's Attorney General.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against St Louis, hoping to repeal the 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.

Under pressure from state leadership and residents, the county council decided to revoke the mandate themselves by a 5-2 vote on Tuesday.

The council meeting was attended by dozens of residents, who broke out in cheers after the mandate was lifted.

A video of the celebration went viral on social media.

Khan derided the decision, though, saying that it will cause confusion.

His agency still recommends that people were masks in public indoor settings in order to protect from the virus.

'Our public health message based on that mask mandate still stands,' Khan said.

'We stand by the recommendations that we made and that mandate which was to encourage people regardless a vaccination status to remain masked while in indoor settings.'

The revised CDC guidelines would apply to St Louis County, along with all but one county in the state, as Missouri as a whole has become a COVID hotspot.

Cases in the state have grown by 77 percent in the past two weeks, from 1,373 on July 12 to 2,442 on July 26.

Cases in Missouri have grown by 77 percent in the past two weeks, and doubled since last month, amid a Delta variant surge

Almost all counties in Missouri, including St Louis County, fall under the new CDC recommendations to wear a mask in indoor public places

The state's outbreak of the Delta variant - a highly contagious strain that originated in South Asia - began at the end of last month and cases have grown by 250 percent since then.

Khan still says the Department of Health will push to make sure masks are required in schools this fall.

The CDC also recommended that masks be required for all students and staff in K-12 schools this week in areas of high transmission.

The situation in Missouri reflects the COVID situation across the country, as cases are rising due to the Delta variant in places with a low vaccination rate.

Over the past two weeks, cases in the U.S. have doubled, from 30,370 on July 14 to 66,294 on July 28 - a 118 percent increase.

Public health officials continue to urge Americans to get vaccinated - only 56 percent of Americans have received at least one shot - and some COVID mandates are even returning to protect from the virus amid another summer surge.
Healthcare workers in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are not vaccinated to the same degree as the seniors they take care of - and the workers most likely to interact with residents are the least likely to have gotten their shots.

Just 46 percent of aides in these facilities are vaccinated compared to 75 percent of physicians, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Staff working at facilities in areas with higher poverty, lower education, and other socioeconomic vulnerabilities are also less likely to be vaccinated, the report found.

Researchers say that additional outreach is needed to build trust with these healthcare workers and promote vaccination - for the protection of vulnerable patients.

Vaccine mandates in these facilities, like those recently introduced for government workers across the country, may be another option to protect staffers and patients.

While 75 percent of physicians working in long-term care facilities have been vaccinated, the number is only 46 percent for aides, according to a CDC analysis

The long-term care facility workers who had the most direct contact with patients were least likely to be vaccinated. Pictured: Nursing home residents wait for their shots at a nursing home in Harlem, New York

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have been the sites of deadly outbreaks during the pandemic.

About one-third of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths have occurred in these facilities as of March 2021.

In nursing homes alone, almost one in ten residents died of Covid, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

As a result of this devastating loss, both residents and staff in long-term care facilities were top priorities during America's vaccination campaign.

Through a partnership between the federal government and large pharmacy chains, residents and staff were able to get vaccinated directly at their facilities last winter.

The majority of long-term care residents took advantage of the program, leading to a massive drop in cases at these facilities.

Many healthcare workers at the facilities, however, were less willing to get vaccinated - leaving themselves and their patients vulnerable to Covid.

A new CDC study found low vaccination rates among long-term care facility staff, with the lowest rates among those who had the most direct patient contact.

CDC researchers used weekly vaccination reports submitted by 300 facilities nationwide between March 1 and April 4, 2021.

The analysis was published Friday in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Overall, about 22,800 healthcare workers out of 40,200 total had been fully vaccinated, the researchers found. That's a rate of 56.8 percent.

At that time in early April, about 53 percent of U.S. seniors between ages 65 and 74 and 57 percent of those over age 75 were fully vaccinated.

Overall, about 57 percent of the long-term care workers were vaccinated - but rates varied by occupation. Pictured: Vaccinations at a nursing home in Ramat Gan, Israel

Physicians and other healthcare workers in advanced positions had the highest vaccination rate at 75.1 percent.

Other occupational groups had lower rates. Therapists had a 69.2 percent vaccination rate, service workers had a 58.5 percent rate, and nurses had a 56.7 percent rate.

Among aides - nursing assistants, medication assistants, and other similar positions - just 45.6 percent were fully vaccinated as of early April.

Aides are the largest group of healthcare workers in long-term care facilities and they tend to have the most direct contact with patients.

'One concern is that nurses and aides in this sample, who have the most patient contact, had the lowest vaccination coverage,' the CDC researchers wrote.

'COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred in facilities in which residents were highly vaccinated, but transmission occurred through unvaccinated staff members.'

The researchers noted that aides are also more likely to have underlying conditions that put them at a high risk for severe Covid, compared to other occupational groups.

Among aides, vaccination rates were lower in ZIP codes with higher poverty, lower education, and other socioeconomic disadvantages.

For example, aides in ZIP codes with larger racial and ethnic minority populations had an overall vaccination rate of 43.5 percent compared to a rate of 50.5 percent for lower minority populations.

In ZIP codes with higher poverty, the vaccination rate was 42.4 percent in comparison with 49.2 percent for lower-poverty areas.

And in ZIP codes with lower rates of high school completion, the vaccination rate was 42.2 percent compared to 49.3 percent for more educated areas.

'Together, these data suggest that vaccination disparities among job categories likely mirror social disparities in general as well as disparities in the surrounding communities,' the researchers wrote.

These disparities occurred even though the long-term care aides were able to get vaccinated right at their workplaces. They avoided the challenges of traveling and taking off of work for a shot which have been access barriers in other settings.

The team says that more outreach and training is needed to improve these vaccination rates and protect vulnerable seniors in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

'These findings suggest that vaccination promotion and outreach efforts focused on socially vulnerable and marginalized groups and communities could help address inequities,' the researchers wrote.

Vaccine mandates for long-term care workers may be helpful, the researchers added, as these requirements have driven up vaccination rates during flu shot campaigns.
A new coronavirus variant that originated in Colombia has been detected in South Florida.

Variant B.1.621 has yet to receive a Greek letter designation from the World Health Organization (WHO), but it is starting to make an impact in Miami.

Carlos Miyoga, CEO of Jackson Health System in Miami, told Local 10 that the strain accounts for around 10 percent of cases in the area.

Health experts suspect that constant travel between Miami and Colombia caused the variant to travel in the state and are urging residents to get vaccinated.

Jackson Health System CEO Carlon Miyoga told Local 10 that his health system is seeing an increase of cases of the B.1.621 variant, which originated in Columbia

B.1.621 reached its peak in Columbia in late June, when it accounted for 70 percent of cases in the South American nation (above)

The variant was first discovered in January in the Colombia, where, at its peak in late June, it accounted for around 70 percent of cases.

It has since also been traced to 28 other countries, according to outbreak.info.

The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention listed B.1.621 as a variant of interest.

Variants that are named often have some sort of quality that makes them unique from other strains of the virus.

The Indian 'Delta' variant, for example, is highly contagious, earning its own designation.

As of now, experts are unsure of any unique qualities the unnamed variant could have.

'The only time it becomes important is if it gives virus selective advantage, which we've seen with delta variant,' John Sellick, a biomedical sciences professor at the University of Buffalo, told The Washington Post.

'We'll see with this one. . . . What we have to see is two weeks from now, or four weeks from now, is this going to do another trick and wind up being more?'

Cases of the variant are still barely registering nationally, and they still account for a small portion of Florida's total COVID-19 outbreak as well.

The variant did cross the one percent of total cases threshold for the first time this month, though.

The B.1.621 variant eclipsed 1% of total cases in America for the first time recently (above)

Cases of B.1.621 are still low in Florida, though they are rising in recent days after sitting at zero for nearly a month (above)

Some fear it could explode in the coming weeks around the country, as many visit Florida over the summer, then return back to their home community carrying the variant.

'If you have a lot of unvaccinated people gathering and then they're going back home, you could have very rapid transmission in few weeks,' Dr Preeti Malani, chief health officer of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Michigan, told The Post.

Another variant, the Delta variant, is currently causing a massive outbreak in the state of Florida.

Day-to-day COVID data in Florida is not longer reported, after Gov Ron DeSantis declared the pandemic defeated in May.

In the time since the pandemic was 'defeated' cases have exploded in the Sunshine state.

Florida is experiencing a COVID surge, though Gov Ron DeSantis stopped the state from reporting daily virus data in May

Data from the White House found that the state accounted for 20 percent of active cases in the nation at some point two weeks ago.

Most recent data show the state is averaging more than 13,500 cases a day, more than double the 5,000 case per day figure recorded only two weeks ago.

Florida has a higher vaccination rate than many of its peers going through similar outbreaks, with 57 percent of the population having received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

In Miami-Dade county it is even better, as 74 percent of residents are at least partially vaccinated.
NATURE

DEEPER INTO THE WOOD

by Ruth Pavey (Duckworth 14.99, 256 pp)

When I first read about Ruth Paveys struggles with her four-acre Somerset Wood and admired her pioneering spirit, I secretly wondered if she would stay the course.

That was back in 2017  and yes, the writer is still shuttling back and forth from London to that misty, watery area of strange beauty called The Levels.

She describes herself as the part-time guardian of the small, steep wood in the county where she was born.

Ruth Paveys (pictured) latest book, Deeper Into The Wood, is an engaging follow-up memoir to A Wood Of Ones Own and notes changes she has observed since buying her wood in 1999

Those of us lucky enough to be custodians of land and trees know full well that the fascination  like the work  is endless. So Ruth Pavey is still uncovering the mysteries of her wood with a sense of adventure that would do credit to Christopher Robin.

And her latest question is  what happened to all the rabbits? This engaging follow-up memoir to A Wood Of Ones Own takes us back to find out. Engaging Pavey leads us on a virtual tour of her wood from New Year through until the next Winter Solstice: Four seasons passing through a Somerset wood.

She is a realist (you dont do all that driving to and from the West Country without having a good deal of time to think), and with good reason: the changes she has observed since first buying her wood at auction in 1999 have been noted by all naturalists and nature writers.

Our precious rural environment is continuously under threat, and no wonder many of us lose sleep when politicians promise to build, build, build.

She mourns the loss of the wildlife from our childhood as rural environment is continuously put under threat and asks  what happened to all the rabbits?

Every new-build on green fields destroys myriad lives.

While the apples still flourish in the old orchard, Pavey mourns the loss of the wildlife of our childhood: If I were a child now I, might grow up thinking that moths and butterflies are meant to come in ones.

So back to the rabbits. Pavey noticed she just wasnt seeing them any more  and from our own patch of land on the Somerset/Gloucestershire border, Id say the same.

Of course, bunnies were a nuisance in Mr McGregors lettuce patch, yet Peter Rabbit, the Velveteen Rabbit, Winnie-the-Poohs friend and all the denizens of Watership Down are beloved for very good reasons.

Although Pavey used to protect her trees against the rabbits living in the warren near her pond, she loved them and never took them for granted. Then there were none  bar the odd sighting of a sick animal.

She says that while this global problem has to be tackled on a large scale, in the meantime small plots like hers can be loved and cared for and anyone can help by encouraging insect life

She writes: It was already worrying that on my watch there appeared to be fewer insects, small birds and bats than in 1999.

If the rabbits could vanish, as it seemed overnight, a louder alarm bell was ringing.

Be assured, this delightfully discursive account of a year in the life of the wood is not a nature misery memoir, for Pavey celebrates her patch. The elegiac note sounds throughout. And the reasons for the disappearance of species? Same old, same old: The destruction of natural habitats, the effects of intensive agriculture, and the international trade in live plants and animals  which can, of course, import disease and destructive foreign species.

So it goes on  a seemingly unstoppable cycle of loss. Yet, in the end, Paveys natural equanimity shines through.

Yes, this global problem has to be tackled on a large scale, she says, but in the meantime small plots like hers can be loved and cared for. And anyone can help  by encouraging insect life.

You dont need a wood in Somerset to let plants grow tall in pots and encourage the flow of life to continue.
Brazil, they say, is where the nuts come from. And the Samba.

Volkswagen's new Taigo crossover, enjoying its world premiere today, is based on the existing Brazilian-built Nivus SUV  but re-designed and re-configured for UK and mainland European markets. Nuts and all.

The new compact five-seater Taigo is described by the German car giant as an 'SUV coupe' and is being built for European markets in Pamplona, Spain  but with some spicy South American moves as well as a hint of salsa in its soul.

VW's new model has a samba beat and salsa moves: This is the new Taigo SUV, which is based on a popular crossover from Brazil but will be built in Spain for the European market

In a curious twist, the designers of the two sibling cars  the Taigo and the Nivus - are themselves twins. Head of design for Volkswagen Brazil is South American-based Jose Carlos 'JC' Pavone while his German-based twin brother Marco Pavone is head of exterior design for the Volkswagen brand.

Volkswagen noted: 'When they were students, Marco and Jose Carlos Pavone were already determined to work in the Volkswagen design team. At the time, they submitted their application with their first design sketches for future cars. Today, around 35 years later, the brothers are in consistent communication about the brand's latest design developments.'

Styling apart, the differentiation includes for the UK and the Continent an upmarket R-Line trim-level with plenty of kit.

All Volkswagen SUVs start with the letter T and the new Taigo is positioned to sit between the current T-Cross and T-Roc models. Bosses say the name was chosen to evoke the spirit of a tiger.

Expect prices from around 22,000 to beyond 30,000 when they are officially announced ahead of going on sale in the UK in late Autumn with first deliveries in the New Year.

First deliveries of Taigo will arrive in the UK early next year, says Volkswagen

The twins behind Taigo: The new SUV has been penned by VW's design siblings, left Jose Carlos 'JC' Pavone based in Brazil and Marco Pavone based in Germany, right

This is the Volkswagen Nivus, which the Taigo is based. It launched in South America last year

For the UK, the new Taigo comes with a choice of three frugal but efficient petrol engines: a turbocharged 1.0 litre 3-cylinder TSi with either 95 horse-power or 110hp, or a 1.5 litre 4-cylinder TSi with 150hp.

These are linked to either a 5 or 6 speed manual gear-box or a seven-speed automatic dual-clutch gearbox.

Options include a panoramic sliding/tilting sun-roof.

Inside is a multifunction steering wheel, natural voice control, and access to streaming services

Driver assistance systems include city emergency braking, a lane-departure warning system as standard

Volkswagen said: 'With the new compact crossover Taigo, Volkswagen is launching an SUV coupe on the European market for the first time. The Taigo is a new addition to Volkswagen's range of SUVs in the small vehicle segment.'

It said: 'The front-wheel drive Taigo is a real crowd-pleaser with its trendy crossover body style, raised seating positions, pioneering connectivity and unrestricted suitability for everyday use. The rear of the five-seater car slopes backwards in the style of a coupe, without restricting headroom in the back seat.'

Styling apart, the differentiation includes for the UK and the Continent an upmarket R-Line trim-level with plenty of kit

VW says it offers a crossover body style with a 'coupe-like silhouette', a wrap-around light strip at the rear, a raised seating position, an elevated view from the cockpit, and plenty of space at the rear

Expect prices from around 22,000 to beyond 30,000 when they are officially announced ahead of going on sale in the UK in late Autumn with first deliveries in the New Year

 Slide me  The car should have ample boot space - 430 litres with the rear seats up - and be suitable for large families

Highlighting Taigo's Brazilian roots, VW said: 'The expressive body style and a silhouette like that of a coupe, the new Taigo  just like its Brazilian counterpart the Nivus  is perfectly equipped for winning over new, predominantly young and young-at-heart groups of buyers for Volkswagen.'

Will it fit in my garage? New Volkswagen Taigo Price: from around 22,000 Unveiled: July On sale UK: late Autumn ahead of first deliveries in the New Year. Length: 4,266mm Width: 1,757mm Height: 1,494mm Wheelbase: 2,566mm Engines: :: 1.0 litre 3-cylinder turbo-charged TSi with either 95 horse-power or 110hp :: 1.5 litre 4-cylinder TSi with 150hp. Gears: 5 or 6 speed manual gear-box or a seven-speed automatic dual-clutch gearbox. Choice of colours: 8 Boot: 430 litres Wheels: 16 to 18 inch.

VW says it offers a crossover body style with a 'coupe-like silhouette', a wrap-around light strip at the rear, a raised seating position, an elevated view from the cockpit, and plenty of space at the rear.

Measuring 4.26 metres, VW says it sets high technology standards in its class with an ample luggage compartment and a high level of comfort.

The new Taigo is built on the same flexible platform  called 'MQB' by Volkswagen - as the VW Polo hatchback and T-Cross SUV and has a spacious 430 litre boot.

The well-equipped and upmarket R-Line trim level has been developed to appeal to UK and mainland European customers who want a more premium look and feel.

It has full LED headlights and an all- digital cockpit and the latest infotainment systems as standard.

Inside is a multifunction steering wheel, natural voice control, and access to streaming services.

Driver assistance systems include city emergency braking, a lane-departure warning system as standard.

An optional extra 'IQ.DRIVE Travel Assist' allows semi-automated driving up to a top speed of 130mph.

It comes in a choice of eight colours including a vibrant metallic green.
Staff shortages caused by pingdemic self-isolation threatens to put the brakes on a revival of UK car production, industry chiefs warned today as they recorded the weakest normal June since 1953  the year in which Queen Elizabeth was crowned.

That, and a shortage of key microchips, took the six month production total for the first half of this year to 498,923 cars, down a whopping 38.4% on the five-year average and representing a loss of 311,160 vehicles worth more than 8.5billion , according to according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Car bosses demanded immediate action to mitigate impact of self-isolation or risk further blow to recovery.

Car bosses demanded immediate action to mitigate impact of self-isolation or risk further blow to recovery after half year reports showed that vehicle production had fallen by almost 40%

The main problems holding back production are staff absenteeism as a result of staff being pinged  and global semiconductor shortages, they said.

The SMMT called on the government to bring forward the 16 August target date for exempting fully vaccinated adults from self-isolation and to introduce a test to release scheme to support those employees not yet fully vaccinated.

It said the dramatic drop reflects how far the sector must go before it can talk about recovery.

The five-year production average for first half of the pre-covid years 2015-2019 stands at 810,083 units.

Barring Covid hit June 2020, the 69,097 cars which rolled off UK production lines in June this year was the worst performance in 68 years, said the SMMT.

It concluded: Latest forecasts suggests global chip shortage of key microprocessors could hit UK production by up to 100,000 vehicles.

The report was published just hours after the final Honda Civic rolled off the Swindon production line, with the factory officially due to close at the end of this month.

Some 3,000 workers at the plant - which has been producing cars since 1985 - will be forced to find new roles after the Japanese firm confirmed in February 2019 that it is pulling manufacturing from the UK in favour or building the Civic at home.

Of Junes 69,097 performance this June, the SMMT said: While this was a rise compared with the Covid-depressed June 2020, it still represents the worst June total since 1953 as the global chip shortage, caused by the pandemic, and other factors continued to take a toll on production.

The poor performance rounded off a turbulent first six months for UK car production, said motor industry bosses.

The effect of the pandemic, new post-Brexit trading rules with Europe, and the supply issues were causing ongoing challenges.

Of the crippling effect of the pingdemic, the SMMT said: Despite the easing of Covid restrictions, manufacturers are experiencing staff shortages due to self-isolation arising from notification of contacts outside the workplace.

This is putting production at risk and is another drag on the sectors recovery.

It also cited an independent study forecasting that the negative impact on planned UK car production due to the worldwide shortage of critical semiconductors could be as much as 100,000 units this year.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: The industry still faces headwinds most notably from global semiconductor shortages and staff absenteeism as a result of staff being pinged.

He noted: Businesses have ensured their facilities are Covid secure but urgent action is needed, such as bringing forward the 16 August target date for exempting fully vaccinated adults from self-isolation and introducing a test to release scheme to support those employees not yet fully vaccinated.

Barring Covid hit June 2020, the 69,097 cars which rolled off UK production lines in June this year was the worst performance in 68 years, said the SMMT

Mr Hawes said: While the UK automotive industry continues to suffer the effects of the global pandemic, with first half year production down significantly and a tough few months looming, the sector has the capability to recover.

The latest investments into new models and battery production show a bright future is within reach.

But he also warned: Yet the industry still faces headwinds most notably from global semiconductor shortages and staff absenteeism as a result of staff being pinged.

Operating conditions remained challenging.

Car manufacturers needed specific actions to help competitiveness, such as a Build Back Better Fund and the alleviation of high energy costs to get the sector back on track and towards the volumes that make UK facilities viable, said.

On the positive side, exports continued to sustain British car manufacturing with more than eight in ten (83.4%) models made in the UK so far this year shipped overseas  of which more than half (51.7%) headed into the EU.

The US is the UKs next most important global market (taking 18.8% of exports) followed by China (7.8%), Japan (1.9%) and Australia (1.8%).

UK production of pure electric electric cars, plug in hybrids (PHEV) and self-charging electric hybrid vehicles remained steady for the year-to-date with around a quarter (22.6%) of all cars alternatively fuelled.

Electrified or alternatively fuelled vehicles now account for nearly a quarter (22.6%) of cars produced.

But the SMMT warned: With the looming end of sale date for new petrol and diesel cars less than nine years away, the industry is challenged to accelerate the transition from fossil fuel to zero emission vehicles.

This will require significant investment into vehicle manufacturing, battery production and supply chain transformation for which a clear commitment to enhancing UK automotive competitiveness is essential.

Car bosses said the current situation for UK manufacturers remains difficult with the supply uncertainty expected to last into 2022.

But it welcomed recent announcements of significant and much needed long-term investment, including at Nissan Sunderland, Vauxhalls Ellesmere Port plant, and Lotus in Norfolk.

This was much needed following four years of Brexit uncertainty and some recent factory closures, it said.

But the SMMT stressed: Much more such investment is needed, however, if the British vehicle manufacturing sector is to remain in step with its overseas rivals.

It said its recent report Full Throttle: Driving UK Automotive Competitivenesssets out a series of steps needed to attract such commitments and assure the sectors long-term competitiveness.

Car bosses said the current semiconductor microchip shortage for UK manufacturers remains difficult with the supply uncertainty expected to last into 2022

Recommendations include the establishment by government of a Build Back Better Fund for the manufacturing sector, the construction of battery gigafactories with 60 GWh of capacity and the installation of 2.3 million public charge points by 2030.

The UK automotive industry accounts for for 78.9 billion turnover and 15.3 billion value added.

Around 180,000 people are employed directly in manufacturing and 864,000 across the wider automotive industry.

It accounts for 13% of total UK export of goods and invests more than 3 billion each year in automotive research and development.

More than 30 UK-based manufacturers build around 70 vehicle models, supported by 2,500 component providers and some of the world's most skilled engineers.

Britains car-makers have pressed to get double-jabbed staff safely back to work and to end the disaster that is seeing some firms lose up to a third of their staff through self-isolation.

Hawes revealed later that it had already been pressing government to allow double-jabbed motor-industry workers to end self-isolation subject to a test, but had been rebuffed by ministers.

Some firms are losing up to a third of their staff because of the pinging, he revealed.

Their call echoes a campaign by the Daily Mail to allow double-jabbed employees to return to work if they are pinged but test negative.

Mr Hawes said: We raised this prospect with government. We speak to them most weeks. It has been on the agenda.

The shortage of staff is as a result of people being pinged.

Anecdotally we have got some companies losing from 5% to something up to 30% who are still away due to self-isolation.

Some of the worst affected are key suppliers to the main factories.

But Mr Hawes stressed: You cant make a car out of 99% of the parts.

Some companies are already reducing shifts. Others have managed to get to the summer shut-down period which gives them a breather.

But the Government has been limited in the sectors it will allow to benefit from exemptions on double vaccination. It is keeping a tight rein on exemptions.

You can make the case for some automotive processes being essential, but its not the same as keeping food shelves stacked.

Government is aware of our concerns. We have raised this issue with them. But its decision at the moment is that car production and the automotive sector will not be eased.

He stressed motor manufacturers wanted and had pressed for an exemption on double-jabbing grounds: Yes, we would welcome it.

Manufacturers have gone to great efforts to keep their workplaces safe during Covid.

He added: We also want the government to bring forward that August 17 date so that firms can get moving immediately after the summer shut-down.

Any opportunity to ensure we can get our staff into the workplace safely we will take advantage of.

A Government spokesperson has said: 'Self-isolation remains an essential tool in our national efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

'We are working closely with businesses to help them understand how the exemption for named, critical workers operates and what to do if their staff are eligible.

'This is a short-term and highly focused measure intended to apply only in exceptional circumstances, with the core purpose of preventing significant harm to public welfare as a result of disruption to critical services.'

He said the UK was to track to build under a million cars by the years end, and that it would take a couple of years to get back to 1.2million to 1.3million.

The shortage of semi-conductors was also as a result of Covid. The average car has 1,500  with hi-tech cars needing many more. The motor industry accounts for about 15% of the semi-conductor market, but firms making them are prioritising consumer goods firms which take the majority.
Lloyds Banking Group's boss hailed Britain's economic recovery after a bumper crop of earnings left investors flush with dividends.

William Chalmers, the lender's financial head who is standing in as chief executive before Charlie Nunn starts next month, said the outlook was 'more promising' as the country bounces back from the pandemic.

And in a boost to shareholders, Lloyds brought back its dividend, which was cancelled last year when the Bank of England imposed swingeing bans on payouts in the face of the pandemic.

Flush: Lloyds brought back its dividend, which was cancelled last year when the Bank of England imposed swingeing bans on payouts

Lloyds is set to pay out 475m as a half-year reward, and Chalmers said that it should now be able to resume regular payouts twice a year.

The bank was just one of a host of companies at home and abroad to report bumper earnings as the global economy recovers from the coronavirus crisis. Yesterday alone, UK-listed companies announced more than 7billion of dividends and share buybacks Chalmers said: 'We've upgraded the economic outlook off the back of what we've seen as a little bit of a recovery so far and hopefully a more promising outlook going forward.'

The lender is expecting the economy to grow by 5.5 per cent this year and the same again in 2022, up around 0.5 per cent from its previous projections, and its unemployment forecast has been revised down from a peak of 7.5 per cent this year to 6 per cent.

Chalmers added: 'We are erring on the more conservative side, the more prudent side, of what other market commentators might say about the outlook. But we are building in some room for uncertainties about vaccine rollout, about coronavirus mutation, around policy adjustment and so forth.'

The sunnier projections meant Lloyds was able to release 656m of the 4.2billion it set aside last year to cover loans that might turn sour. This helped lift the bank's profits to 3.9billion in the first half of the year, from a 602m loss over the same time in 2020.

Delight: Lloyds boss William Chalmers

Mortgage business was booming, though Lloyds also set aside a further 150m to compensate victims of the historic HBOS Reading fraud.

The bank has also snapped up Embark Group, an investment and retirement business, for 390m as it attempts to build its wealth management arm.

Chalmers said: 'We see a huge opportunity in this area.'

Lloyds has seen customers deposits creep up by almost 24billion over the first half of this year alone, and rather have this money leave the bank as it gets invested, Lloyds wants to keep it under its wing.

Already the lender had a partnership with blue-blooded wealth manager Schroders, for customers who wanted advice on their investments. Now Embark will provide the bank with a platform for customers to want to make their own investment decisions.

Fresh figures from the Bank of England yesterday showed that households tucked away another 9.8billion in June, and have now saved up almost 223billion since the pandemic began.

Gabriella Dickens, senior UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said it suggested 'that households remain cautious due to the pandemic, and continue to save excessively'.

Dickens added: 'Households' spending will soar if they spend even a portion of these savings, but we do not anticipate a large drawdown any time soon.'

TSB pulled in a profit of 42.9m over the first half of the year, compared to a loss of 65.5m last year. The high street bank has had a record six months for mortgage lending, receiving 5.8bn worth of applications.

Record payout at Anglo American

Anglo American will hand record payouts to shareholders after profits surged on the back of a commodities rally. T

he value of many of the metals Anglo mines saw prices surge in the first six months of the year as demand rocketed for raw materials. This included iron ore  a key ingredient in steel-making that is being snapped up by China as it ramps up its economy  platinum metals and diamonds.

Anglo will return an extra 1.4billion to shareholders for the first half  700m in a special one-off dividend and 700m through a share buyback. Investors will receive 2.9billion including the regular dividend.

The miner reported the best half-year profits in its 104-year history, up from 7.3billion in 2020 to 15.6billion.

6.4bn for Shell investors

Savers and pensioners were given a major boost as Shell raised its dividend by almost 40 per cent and launched a 1.4billion share buyback scheme.

The FTSE100 energy supermajor will hand investors 6.4billion in total for the second quarter.

Shell was able to hike the amount it will give to shareholders after oil prices bounced back, climbing above $75 a barrel as the global economy began to rebound. It made profits of 3.9billion  slightly ahead of the City's forecasts. Shares rose 3.9 per cent, or 54p, to 1438p on the news.

In April 2020, the company slashed its dividend by two thirds to 12.6p per share after the Covid crisis led to a slump in oil demand and prices.

It was the first cut to Shell's payout since the Second World War. Bosses said the decision was 'prudent' but it was labelled a 'devastating' blow to Britons whose pension funds, stock-market-linked savings accounts and investment trusts all invest in Shell and benefit from its divis.

Rival BP also made drastic cuts last year but has raised them since. It will reveal in second-quarter results next week if it is now in a similar position to Shell.

Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden yesterday said he was increasingly confident oil prices would remain strong for the foreseeable future.

BAE's futuristic jet cleared for take-off

BAE Systems has clinched 250m in taxpayer funding to develop the UK's futuristic Tempest fighter jet.

The defence group announced the Ministry of Defence deal as it raised its half-year dividend from 9.4p to 9.9p.

Flying high: BAE Systems has clinched 250m in taxpayer funding to develop the UK's futuristic Tempest fighter jet (pictured)

In another boost to investors, BAE also said it would kick off a 500m share buyback programme after profits soared by two-thirds to 1.2billion.

The Tempest project is aiming to design a successor to the Typhoon jets currently in use.

In early plans for the aircraft, BAE has said the plane would be able to fly unmanned and have radar that can capture 'a city's worth of data' in a second.

Diageo toasts the cocktail culture

Diageo posted bumper sales thanks to recovering consumer demand and the return of cocktail culture during the Covid19 pandemic.

The FTSE100 drinks maker, which makes Gordon's gin and Smirnoff vodka, revealed that net sales rose by 16 per cent to 12.7billion for the year to June.

The jump helped boost profits by 81.3 per cent to 3.7billion. It increased the final dividend by 5 per cent to 44.59p per share, equivalent to 1billion.

In Britain, revenue rose by 7 per cent boosted by a 16 per cent increase in spirits as shoppers bought more scotch, Baileys, vodka and gin. However, beer sales slumped by 16 per cent due to the 'significant impact' of enforced hospitality closures in the UK.
Ministers are under mounting pressure to intervene in Advent Internationals 2.6billion swoop on British defence group Ultra Electronics.

Labour last night slammed the Government for not stepping in already  claiming the American private equity groups proposed takeover poses threats to national security.

Shadow cabinet ministers called on the Chancellor, Business Secretary and Defence Secretary to study the potential deal  which is the latest in a string of private equity raids on British firms.

Battle: Labour MPs, including Rachel Reeves, have joined Tory counterparts in urging the Government to step in amid mounting fears over the threat the deal poses to national security

FTSE 250-listed Ultra supplies cutting-edge submarine-hunting technology to the Royal Navy.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, shadow business lead Ed Miliband and shadow defence secretary John Healey said in a joint letter to ministers: This Government should be doing all it can to protect Ultra in any kind of takeover.

The Government cannot, and should not, stand by once more whilst defence technology is offshored.

Labours attack on the Government came as Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, who chairs Parliaments influential Defence and Security Committee, said Ultras role as a UK military supplier could mean there are national interest reasons to prevent this takeover bid.

Advent has not yet made a formal offer  but Ultras board have said they would be minded to accept one.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng signalled this week that he would launch a national security review if a deal is agreed.

A review is only launched once this has happened  but critics claim the Government should already be more actively involved.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng signalled this week that he would launch a national security review if a deal is agreed

Reeves, Miliband and Healey added: As we look towards an economic recovery, we should be supporting British business and industry, working to build more resilience and security by buying, making and selling more in Britain.

Reeves added: If the Government wont intervene when it comes to our national security, there is little hope they will protect British businesses from risky takeovers any other time.

Companies like Ultra are crucial to our national security and this Government should be doing far more than making weak and vague noises to protect them.

Advent is proposing to buy Ultra through Cobham  another FTSE 250-listed firm it bought in January 2020.

The buyout titan would need to win over sceptics after its controversial takeover of Cobham for 4billion last year.

Advent has since broken Cobham up into several pieces and sold them off  reneging on promises it made to be a long-term investor.

The deal kicked off a political row as prominent MPs, former military figures and the founding Cobham family claimed the company should remain under British ownership due to its involvement in UK defence projects.

An Advent spokesman said: During our discussions, we have offered assurances that appropriate national security undertakings will be offered to the UK Government.

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: As weve clearly stated, the Government is closely monitoring the proposed acquisition of Ultra Electronics by Cobham Group.

National security is of paramount importance to this Government, which is why we are introducing a robust new investment screening regime that will strengthen our powers to stop hostile actors in their tracks while ensuring the UK remains a vibrant place for business.
For many, the frenzy of toilet roll panic buying at the start of the pandemic is a fleeting memory.

However, one company saw lockdown catapult it into the mainstream.

Wrapped in paper packaging, the bamboo toilet paper brand Cheeky Panda has quietly become an alternative for environmentally-conscious consumers.

Cheeky Panda, run by husband and wife Julie and Chris, manufacturers sustainable, low carbon toilet paper

Husband and wife Julie and Chris Forbes launched the company in 2016 and are adamant the pandemic bounce is not short-lived.

They even have an ambitious goal to have an Initial Public Offering within two years.

Here, as part of our new B Corp Beat series - focusing the spotlight on 'green' British companies - we find out more...

'We're doing what Apple does toilet paper is our iPhone'

Julie is the mastermind behind the brand, which has expanded its product range from toilet paper to include make-up wipes, straws and nappies.

She recognised that bamboo had the potential to be a sustainable alternative to traditional toilet paper which uses gallons of water to manufacture.

Bamboo has become a popular alternative because it grows quickly and, in the correct conditions, does not need any chemicals, fertiliser, pesticides or irrigation system.

It is said to grow 30 times faster than trees, absorb 35 per cent more carbon and produces 30 per cent more oxygen.

This means switching to low carbon bamboo tissue is a simple yet effective way to lower CO2 emissions.

What is a B Corp? In our new B Corp Beat series, we are interviewing British businesses which meet these strict standards. They are described as businesses that are said to meet the 'highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.' One the website, it says: 'B Corp Certification doesn't just evaluate a product or service; it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it. And increasingly that's what people care most about.' B Corp was started in 2006 and gives scores to companies in order for them to be verified. These five areas are: governance, workers, community, environment and customers.

Chris soon left his high-flying role at an executive search company working with financial services firms and hedge funds following an inspiring trip to China.

The lightbulb moment, he recalls, was on the drive from the airport to the manufacturer.

'We flew into the middle of China and had a five hour drive from the airport to the factory where the bamboo is made.

'The whole drive was just bamboo plantations, so I thought there's no way we're going to run out of this in a hurry,' Chris says.

But rather than rushing off and buying containers of the product to sit in a warehouse, the couple opted for a crowdfunding campaign to gauge interest: 'That was successful and the rest is history.'

Since April 2017 the brand has received over 7million in investment from 4,000 investors, including a 3.4million funding round that ended last weekend.

Customer involvement does not just stop with its crowdfunding: 'A lot of our product development has been driven by customers.

'If we can get the quality to a high standard and do it in an ethical way we're always up for trying new things.'

With Cheeky Panda now offering around 20 different products in shops like Waitrose and Boots as well as online, Chris boldly likens the company to a large tech company.

'We've proven ourselves not to be a one trick pony. We're kind of doing what Apple and Sony do really well - having a lot of different products under the same brand.

'Once your consumers recognise those products, they adopt other products very quickly. That's been a very successful strategy for us,' he says.

Their iPhone equivalent is their toilet paper, which Forbes says makes up half of their revenue.

Cheeky Panda launched as an eco-alternative to toilet roll but has since expanded to include wipes, nappies and straws

Sales quadrupled during the pandemic

Cheeky Panda has forged a strong environmental brand to stand out in what is an incredibly saturated market.

It beefed up its credentials with a B Corp certification in 2019 and is FSC approved.

'Our products are wrapped in paper. If you look at us on a shelf we just stand out,' Chris says.

'We do something very similar to what Fairtrade Coffee always does: we use the packaging space in the back to explain the story. These environmental messages resonate with customers.'

But as more and more consumers switch to online shopping how can they stand out? The pandemic no doubt helped.

Faced with the prospect of lockdown, consumers started to panic buy toilet rolls leaving some of the leading brands with serious shortages.

Cheeky Panda started last year with an average of 300,000 sales a month and peaked at around 1.3million by May.

It has sold more than 12million products in 25 markets across Europe, the US, China and the Middle East.

Sales have grown exponentially in the past three years, from 100,000 in 2017 to 5.7millon in 2020.

The overall hygiene market is valued at more than $200billion and more consumers are said to be opting for sustainable products.

Chris is adamant this growth is not a flash in the pan as it eyes a listing in London by 2023, by which time it expected to be valued at 500million. It is currently valued at 75million.

'When we look at where we were last year, the company has continued on its growth curve.

'It wasn't just a one off spike for us, it just brought on more adoption quicker because it put our product in the hands of millions of customers and thankfully a large number of them have stayed with us and we've continued to grow from that point.'

Cheeky Panda is now setting its sights on a market debut in the next couple of years, although this was not the original plan.

'When we originally started the business, our thing was to build a nice green business and do a trade sale,' Chris says.

'But then we found out how the consumers felt about the brand and the size of the opportunity we were sitting on, and thought we should think about going to market.'

Cheeky Panda would be a natural target for a large consumer goods company like Unilever or Procter & Gamble but there have been no formal offers so far, and the couple say they would be unlikely to accept anyway.

'Do we want to be another brand swallowed by another big brand? Or do we want try and go it alone, innovate and inspire a generation of green entrepreneurs? I personally feel very strongly about it,' says Forbes.

'The guys at [smoothie brand] Innocent inspired us and we want to inspire others If we can get businesses that, at their very core, are green on the FTSE, then I think we're going to have a nice green economy.'

Cheeky Panda has been plotting its roadmap to market since 2018 and could become the first crowdfunded business to pursue an IPO in London.

When it comes time to list, Chris is adamant the company will not be going the same way as Deliveroo, which offered founder Will Shu greater voting rights compared with minority investors.

'We don't see the reason why ourselves or our early angel investors and the crowd should be sacrificed.

'If you've got an ethical business you shouldn't be giving rights to people who have come right at the end after everyone else.'
An Afghan farmer has denied lying about what happened the day Ben Roberts-Smith is accused of ordering the execution of a prisoner in his village.

Man Gul had sworn on the Koran to give truthful testimony and would not concede it was acceptable for him to lie to 'infidels' in a secular Australian court under his religion's rules.

Mr Gul is one of four Afghans giving evidence about the death of a man called Ali Jan in the Federal Court defamation action brought against Nine newspapers by Mr Roberts-Smith.

The 40-year-old has said a 'big soldier' was present when Ali Jan was taken into custody but has not claimed to have seen Mr Roberts-Smith shoot the prisoner or push him off a cliff.

Nine alleges Australia's most decorated soldier was responsible for Ali Jan's murder and has called the four witnesses from the village of Darwan to support their case.



Mr Gul was accused several times on Thursday by Mr Roberts-Smith's barrister Bruce McClintock SC of deliberately giving false evidence.

Man Gul is giving evidence for Nine newspapers about the death of a man called Ali Jan. at Darwan. Mr Gul is a corn, wheat, tomato and potato farmer, had spent all his life in Darwan and said Ali Jan was 'a distant cousin'

Mr Gul is one of four Afghans set to give evidence about the alleged death of Ali Jan who Nine claims Mr Roberts-Smith ordered to be executed after kicking him off a cliff. Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured in Afghanistan in 2006

The Afghan witnesses are giving 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 who had shot dead three Australian soldiers a fortnight earlier

He denied his version of events was false but said Ali Jan had been 'martyred' and he considered foreign soldiers who invaded his war-torn homeland to be 'infidels'.

Mr Gul said the foreigners had been 'cruel' to him and his fellow villagers and murdered 'innocent people'.

When asked if he hated the soldiers who invaded his country and did not share his Islamic faith, Mr Gul said: 'Yes, it is like that.'

Mr McClintock: 'Do you believe your religion imposes any obligation to tell the truth to infidels, Man Gul?'

Mr Gul: 'Yes, it is there, of course.'

Mr McClintock: 'It is in fact permissible to lie to infidels under your religion isn't it?'

Mr Gul: ''No, I haven't seen anything like that. You should not tell a lie.'

The Afghan witnesses are giving their testimony from a lawyer's office in Kabul through a Pashto interpreter in Ontario, Canada via audio/visual link.

When electricity in Kabul fails and the feed is lost, a generator kicks in. During his evidence Mr Gul appeared to snort snuff - ground tobacco leaves - from a tin.

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

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 Gul said since leaving Darwan and moving to Kabul, via Kandahar, an Afghan representative for Nine called Dr Sharif had been paying his living expenses.

Dr Sharif was also picking up the tab for rent, food and transport for 14 members of Mr Gul's family but he denied that was in return for giving evidence against Mr Roberts-Smith.

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.

The Victoria Cross recipient 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.

Ali Jan was allegedly killed in the village of Darwan which was raided by Australian soldiers including Mr Roberts-Smith on September 11, 2012.

The Special Air Service had come to Darwan looking for a rogue Afghan soldier called Hekmatullah, who had shot dead three Australian soldiers a fortnight earlier.

Mr Gul, a corn, wheat, tomato and potato farmer, had spent all his life in Darwan until moving recently to Kabul via Kandahar, and said Ali Jan was 'a distant cousin'.

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

He was not sure exactly when Ali Jan died because he did not understand dates but thought it was seven or eight years ago and remembered it was 'the corn crop time'.

The 38-year-old said Ali Jan was not a member of the Taliban. He owned animals and gathered wood from the mountains to sell.

On the morning Ali Jan was allegedly killed Mr Gul said helicopters had passed by the village and one had landed on a hill.

His neighbour Mohammed Hanifa had called out to him and came to his house. The pair then saw Ali Jan in a creek bed with three donkeys.

Mr Hanifa had gone down to join Ali Jan but after Mr Gul heard shots fired the two men walked up to his house.

Mr Gul said soldiers came towards the house and shouted at him, and a black dog bit him on the upper thigh.

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 in 2006

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.

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

The soldiers tied his hands behind his back and made him sit next to Mr Hanifa and Ali Jan as an interpreter began asking questions.

'After that the interpreter pulled out the pistol,' Mr Gul told the court. 'He was holding the pistol at Mohammed Hanifa and he was telling him "We are after the Taliban".

'Mohammed Hanifa told him, "I don't know where the Taliban are".'

Mr Gul said the interpreter (falsely) claimed the soldiers had killed Mr Hanifa's father Shahzad Aka and hit him in the head when he asked why.

'There was a big soldier sitting beside me,' Mr Gul said. 'I looked at him and he hit me. I looked at him again and he hit me.

Nine will suggest the 'big soldier' is Mr Roberts-Smith, who is 202cm (6'6") tall.

The interpreter then told Mr Gul not to look at the big soldier because he did not like it. 'They told me they are after Taliban,' Mr Gul told the court. 'I said, "The Taliban are not sitting here with me".'

Mr Gul said the soldiers took Ali Jan away. 'After this the big soldier went away from me. I didn't see him anymore.'

Once the soldiers were gone, Mr Gul asked one of his daughters to cut the ties binding his and Mr Hanifa's hands.

'I said, "Mohammed Hanifa, where is Ali Jan?" He said they kicked him and he went down to the river.'

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

Mr Gul said he and Mr Hanifa went to a cornfield on the other side of the creek and found Ali Jan's body in a cornfield.

'He was laying on his back, he was shot,' he said, motioning to his the right side of his jaw and the left side of his head. 'He was also hit in the chest area.'

'We cleaned his face. There was a lot of dirt on his face and then brought him under the shade of the berry tree and then put a shawl over his body.'

Mr Gul was shown a picture of Ali Jan's body which showed a bag and radio next to him.

'This wireless device and then the white bag they were not there,' he said.

Mr Gul said Ali Jan had not been carrying a radio that day and wouldn't know how to use one. 'No,no,' he said. 'He didn't even know how to work a watch.'

Two other men were killed that day in Darwan - Haji Nazar Gul and Yaro Mama Faqir - and Mr Gul said neither was in the Taliban. An insurgent called Mullah Ghafur was shot dead by Mr Roberts-Smith on the other side of the Helmand River.

Asked if he supported the Taliban's aim to rid Afghanistan of infidels, Mr Gul said: 'I do not agree with the Taliban.'

'The Taliban have done injustices to us and the foreigners have also done injustices to us.'

Mr Gul is the second Afghan witness to give evidence following Mr Hanifa.

Mr Hanifa had also 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.

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 said he did not know Hekmatullah but had known Ali Jan since childhood, although he lived in another village called Bagh 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.'

Ali Jan, Mr Hanifa said, was a married father-of-three engaged in irrigation, grazing cattle and selling wood.

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.

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 Mr Gul's house 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.' Mr 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 Mr 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'.

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.

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

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.

Afghan National Army sergeant Hekmatullah (pictured) shot dead three Australian soldiers near Tarik Kowt in August 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 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 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 Mr Hanifa, Mr 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.
Nine alleged members of the notorious MS-13 gang are facing charges of racketeering conspiracy in connection to a string of crimes, including seven murders committed throughout a span of two years in the Nashville area.

The gang had been operating in Nashville since at least 2014 and are accused of murders, kidnappings, assaults, robberies and drug trafficking, according to the Department of Justice.

The Thompson Place Locos Salvatrucha faction of the gang allegedly conspired in the murders of at least seven people between 2016 and 2017.

Honduran nationals Jose Pineda-Caceres, 22; Franklin Hernandez, 22; Luis Colindres, 24; and Nashville residents Kevin Tidwell, 28; and Jorge Flores, 29, were all charged with 'causing death through the use of a firearm.'

According to WKRN, Pineda-Caceres was identified by authorities as a high-ranking gang leader.

El Salvador native Gerson Serrano-Ramirez, 34; Nashville residents Carlos Ochoa-Martinez, 31; Jason Sandoval, 35; and Juan Melendez, of Lebanon, Tennessee, were charged with RICO conspiracy.

Honduran national Jose Pineda-Caceres is one of the nine MS-13 gang members who were indicted on racketeering charges related to a string of crimes committed in the Nashville, Tennessee, area from 2016 to 2017. Pineda-Caceres reportedly opened fire on a vehicle on July 31, 2016, 18-year-old Liliana Rodriguez. Her brother is believed to have been the intended target

Liliana Rodriguez was one of seven people killed the MS-13 Thompson Place Locos Salvatrucha faction in Nashville, Tennessee between 2016 and 2017. Rodriguez was riding in the back seat of a car driven by her brother Rodrigo Rodriguez on July 31, 2016 when Jose Pineda-Caceres reportedly pulled up to their vehicle and opened fire. One of the bullets went through the 8-year-old girl's heart. Her brother was the reported target

Luis Colindres (left), Jorge Flores (center), and Franklin Hernandez (right) are identified by the Department of Justice as members of a MS-13 faction that began operating in Nashville in 2014. The trio allegedly lured a victim identified as A.I. to a meeting in the city before fatally shooting him and then burning a car with his body in the trunk on September 24, 2017. That same day, Colindres shot dead two men inside a vehicle and fled

Alleged MS-13 gang member Kevin Tidwell (pictured) is accused of murdering Jesus Alberto Flores on May 26, 2017. Tidwell assaulted a police officer as he was trying to avoid capture five days later in a high-speed car chase and crashed into the agent's car

The gang's most recent murder took place September 24, 2017 when Flores, Hernandez and Colindres reportedly lured a victim identified only as A.I. to a meeting in the city before fatally shooting him and then burning a car with his body in the trunk.

In a separate incident that day, Colindres was captured by a surveillance camera pulling up to a vehicle and firing at a car, killing Jose Pagada, 24, and Yeri Hernandez Gabino, 29.

The gang's first victim, Jorge Potter, 19, was shot and found dead the morning of April 6, 2016 in a cattle field.

A second victim, 18-year-old Liliana Rodriguez, was gunned down July 31, 2016.

Rodriguez, who had graduated from high school a month before the shooting, was riding in the back seat of a car driven by her brother Rodrigo Rodriguez after they had left a nightclub. A dark colored Infinity G-35 drove up to the vehicle before shots were fired by Pineda-Caceres. One of the bullets went through the teenage girl's heart. Her brother was the reported target.

The Metro Nashville Police said Flores shot dead Ammerli Josue Garcia-Munoz, 25, at a strip mall parking lot May 21, 2017.

On May 26, 2017, Jesus Alberto Flores, 24, was allegedly murdered by Tidwell during a drive-by-shooting. Tidwell assaulted a police officer as he was trying to avoid capture five days later in a high-speed car chase and crashed into the agent's car.

Juan Melendez and Gerson Serrano-Ramirez are among the nine alleged members of the MS-13 who played a role in the gang's two-year crime spree in Nashville

Jason Sandoval (left) and Gerson Serrano-Ramirez (right) are among the nine alleged members of the MS-13 who played a role in the gang's two-year crime spree in Nashville

Many of the gang's 'ruthless acts of violence' targeted innocent people, Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart said.

The indictment alleges several other attempted killings and a kidnapping to prevent someone from cooperating with the authorities.

'Make no mistake about it: MS-13 is one of the most violent, ruthless and cold-blooded gangs to ever walk the face of the earth. And we will be relentless in our efforts to root them out of this community,' Stewart said at a news conference, joined by Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite and state, federal and local authorities.

Each suspects is in federal custody and faces decades of incarceration if convicted, including up to life in prison, prosecutors said.

Liliana Rodriguez was one of seven innocent victims murdered by the MS-13 in Nashville between April 2016 and September 2017

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Safeeullah said MS-13 members targeted the people they did in the killings because 'individuals in the gang wanted to increase their stature.'

Polite was on hand after he was sworn in to head the Department of Justice's criminal division less than a week ago.

'Removing these criminal actors from the community is a step, but our commitment to improving safety in our communities requires investment in prevention and in intervention,' Polite said.
A southern Indiana man has been charged with murder after firefighters found a woman's decapitated, mutilated body inside her burning apartment.

Later, cops allegedly found her head in a suitcase and 'human digits' - such as fingers and toes - inside a plastic container at the home of suspect Brian Williams, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by WDRB.

Williams, 36, has been charged with murder, arson and misdemeanor theft in connection with the death of 67-year-old Melody Gambetty.

Police said they do not believe Williams knew Gambetty and that the murder might have happened as the result of burglary attempt or home invasion, WDRB reported.

Williams was ordered to be held without bond on Wednesday during his initial hearing in Clark County Circuit Court, during which a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

Brian Williams, 36, has been charged with murder, arson and misdemeanor theft for the death of 67-year-old Melody Gambetty

Firefighters found Gambetty's decapitated body in her home while putting out a fire there. Williams is seen entering a hearing in Clark County Circuit Court on Wednesday

Police said they do not believe Williams knew Gambetty and that the murder might have happened as the result of burglary attempt or home invasion

Cops allegedly found Gambetty's head in a suitcase and 'human digits' - such as fingers and toes - inside a plastic container at Williams' home

Investigators said a fire crew responding Tuesday morning to a fire at Gambetty's apartment at a Clarksville apartment complex entered and found her body on the floor. She had been decapitated and other body parts had been removed.

Clarksville Police Major Joe Demoss said during a news conference on Wednesday that Williams was quickly nailed down as a suspect after cops canvassed the area and retrieved surveillance video from nearby residents showing him with a suitcase.

Williams had also allegedly been knocking on doors in the neighborhood to ask people for community service work, WDRB reported.

Surveillance footage shows Williams entering the complex at 12.42pm, according to the probable cause affidavit. He then leaves carrying two suitcases to the victim's car at 3.51pm.

Investigators then secured a warrant to search Williams' home - where they found the missing body parts, as well as Gambetty's identification card, credit and debit cards, the court records show.

'Located inside one of the victim's suitcases was a human cranium, with full facial tissue to include hair attached,' the affidavit reads.

Cops also found a small, bloody handsaw in one of the suitcases, KDRB reported.

'I had a conversation with her son this morning on the way to work and tried to explain to him what happened before it was in the media, but these cases are hard,' Demoss told the outlet.

He also said: 'Yesterday's crime scene in my 23 years is one of the most horrific we've been involved in.'

Clarksville Police Chief Mark Palmer said that in his 32 years as a police officer, he had 'never seen anything like this.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Clarksville Police Department for more information and additional comment.

An autopsy will determine Gambetty's official cause of death, but police said she appears to have stab wounds.

Investigators believe Gambetty was killed Monday and that Williams returned to her apartment on Tuesday and started a fire to cover evidence.

Witnesses at the apartment complex reported that a young, suspicious but polite man was going door-to-door Monday attempting to solicit 'community service work', according to court records.

Clarksville is located along the Ohio River just north of Louisville, Kentucky.

Prosecutor Jeremy Mull said Gambetty suffered 'a violent death'.

'It was a gruesome crime scene and it's very important to me as the prosecutor that the perpetrator be held responsible,' he said.

He told WLKY that he was not certain if he would pursue the death penalty.
A Brooklyn plumber who managed just over 2 percent of the vote while running for a New York state Senate seat in 2020 was arrested by the FBI for taking part in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.

Daniel Christmann, 38, boasted about breaking into the US Capitol with photos on Instagram and then tried to cover his tracks, according to a filing presented Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court.

Two individuals tipped off authorities about the posts, and surveillance video captures Christmann entering through a window.

He is charged with knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building with the intent of disrupting government business, and uttering loud, threatening or abusive language in the Capitol with the intent of disrupting proceedings of Congress.

Daniel Christmann, left, leaves the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse on Wednesday where he was charged for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol

Surveillance footage captured Christmann, circled, entering the Capitol through a window

The Brooklyn plumber joined dozens of others in entering the building illegally in hopes of disrupting confirmation of Joe Biden as president

Christmann entered the building and stayed inside as he posted his exploits on Instagram

Daniel Christmann, 38, is a Brooklyn plumber who tried to become the Libertarian's 2020 nominee for president and later lost the NY 18th state Senate District race against Julia Salazar after she earned 97% of the votes

He did not enter a plea. Another court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 10.

The FBI identified Christmann through the photos and surveillance video and compared them to a New York Police Department booking photo of his arrest on Aug. 14, 2020, on charges of criminal mischief, making graffiti, and possession of graffiti instruments.

Last year, Christmann launched a failed bid to be nominated as the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate and was later crushed by Julia Salazar in a race for New York's 18th state Senate District when she received more than 97% of the votes.

According to the court filing, Christmann admitted his involvement in the riot to interrupt the confirmation of Joe Biden as president multiple times on Instagram when his followers asked if he really took part in it.

'Yeah im not going to lie, Christmann allegedly responded.

The filing says Christmann scaled a wall to breach the Capitol building.

When two of Christmann's associates, Edward Jacob Lang and Nicholas Moncada, were arrested for their involvement in the riot, the file says Christmann reached out to people to delete his posts.

Michelle Gerlent, Christmann's lawyer, said she had no comment.

Christmann sent photos of his time inside the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riots

He boasted about being able to get inside the building while others could not

Court filings show him with the user name dannyforsenate, as he confirmed his entrance into the Capitol building by scaling a wall on Instagram

On Jan. 18, Chirstmann began contacting people to take down his photos at the riot

Moncada had served as Christmann's campaign manager and is charged with unlawful entry on restricted grounds, and violent entry disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Lang, described as friend from upstate New York, remains in jail without bail after video and photographs captured him 'violently engaging' with law enforcement and allegedly taking on of their riot shields as the crowd cheered him.

Another video shows him jabbing a bat at officers.

He is charged with civil disorder, assaulting police, obstruction of an official proceeding and other crimes in an indictment.

All those arrested and charged for taking part in the riot will be prosecuted in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

About 550 people have been charged with federal crimes after supporters of former President Donald Trump violently broke into the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Bidens victory. The uprising led to Trump's second impeachment and the start of congressional hearings Tuesday.

Christmann also advertised himself on social media as a candidate for city council and on LinkedIn lists among his jobs a stint as a Journeyman Steamfitter and a failed effort to become New York City's Public Advocate.

A Queens newspaper, the Rockaway Wave, described Christmann during his campaign for public advocate as a "MAGA Libertarian" - a reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

The newspaper reported Christmann tore into opponent Curtis Sliwa - now the Republican nominee for New York City mayor - at a debate in January 2019 over his proposal to eliminate the public advocate post.

In a candidate questionnaire during his state senate run last year, Christmann described himself as a "hardworking, Blue-Collar, lifelong New Yorker" and a "no nonsense humanist" who wanted "what is best for the little guy."

On LinkedIn, referring to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Christmann described himself as: "NYCs real working man, needs to hold Cuomos feet to the fire!"
Sydney's lockdown is unlikely to end in four weeks because of the government's high vaccination target and the climbing number of Covid cases infectious within the community, an expert has revealed.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday confirmed restrictions would remain in effect until at least August 28 as the state recorded 177 new locally transmitted cases that day.

The extension - the third since the highly infectious Indian Delta variant outbreak began on June 16 - means residents of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour will have been under stay-at-home orders for nine weeks.

But epidemiologist Professor Adrian Esterman, from the University of South Australia, said it's likely the lockdown will be lengthened again due to two reasons.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday extended Greater Sydney's lockdown by four weeks as the state continues to grapple with the highly infectious Delta outbreak. Pictured: A pedestrian walks through Sydney's CBD on Wednesday

He said the NSW government's goal of vaccinating 80 per cent of the adult population before lifting restrictions is unlikely to be hit, and the number of Covid cases infectious in the community remains persistently high.

'Unfortunately, no matter what target NSW sets, the lockdown is likely to go well into September,' Professor Esterman told the ABC.

Only 2.5million doses have been administered in NSW over the past six months, with 7.5million more needed to reach Ms Berejiklian's 10million target.

Professor Adrian Esterman (pictured)

Although the state's vaccination rollout is speeding up, Professor Esterman said it was unlikely the objective would be met within the next four weeks.

As of Wednesday, only just over 38 per cent of people 16 or older within the state had received at least one Covid jab.

And despite five gruelling weeks of stay-at-home orders, case numbers are continuing to surge, with the state suffering a record 239 new cases on Thursday.

Seventy of those new cases were in the community during their infectious period, prompting authorities to tighten restrictions as they struggle to contain the virus.

Ms Berejiklian has consistently asserted that reducing the number of cases in the community while infectious is key to ending the lockdown.

Professor Esterman said Ms Berejiklian's goal to have 10 million adults across the state vaccinated by August 28 is unrealistic. Pictured: Sydneysiders wait in a Covid vaccination queue earlier this month

From Thursday, eight local government areas in the city's west and south-west, where the outbreak is most pronounced, will be under tougher restrictions than the rest of the city.

Residents of Parramatta, Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool, Cumberland, Blacktown, Georges River and Campbelltown are forbidden from leaving their local area unless they are essential workers.

SYDNEY'S COVID 'HOT ZONES' Eight LGAs are bound by stricter rules than the rest of Sydney - Blacktown - Parramatta - Cumberland - Fairfield - Liverpool - Campbelltwon - Canterbury-Bankstown - Georges River Advertisement

Testing requirements have also been tweaked to minimise movement in the hotspot suburbs where the virus is spreading most rapidly.

All essential workers leaving Canterbury-Bankstown will need to be tested every three days.

In Fairfield and Cumberland, only aged care and healthcare workers will have to follow the same rules.

Outside of the 'hot zones' in Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour, residents are only permitted to travel 10km from home for grocery shopping, work that can't be performed from home, giving or receiving medical care and daily exercise.

Construction workers in these areas will also be allowed back on the job site as long as the person per 4sqm rule is being enforced and their are no residents on site.

Cleaners have also been given the all clear to return to work as long as there is 'zero contact' and no more than two people inside and five people outside.

A 'single's bubble' has also been introduced for those living on their own in areas outside of the eight Covid 'hot zones' to combat mental health concerns.

Under these rules anyone living alone can nominate one designated family member or friend to visit for companionship.

However, Professor Esterman said even stricter measures were needed to combat the state's unbudging case numbers.

'I cannot see why the outbreak in NSW will start resolving unless further restrictions are introduced, or a much higher percentage of Sydney people are vaccinated,' he said.

'And we still haven't seen whether the protest marches have become a super-spreading event.'

Two million people in eight local government areas spanning 50 kilometres of the city's west cannot leave their local areas, unless deemed an authorised worker under tightened restrictions. Pictured: Health workers take swab samples at a drive through test clinic

The government has also introduced a 'single's bubble' to allow those living alone outside of hot zones to have one other person visit their home. Pictured: A woman exercises in Sydney on Wednesday

Meanwhile, as daily case numbers continue to rise, the NSW opposition wants to see the modelling and health advice showing a path out of Sydney's lockdown.

The NSW Opposition supports the lockdown extension and new measures, but has warned rolling four-week lockdowns would sap the community of hope and damage the economy.

Labor leader Chris Minns called for NSW Health modelling showing the latest restrictions would bring daily cases to nearly zero within four weeks.

'Given the sacrifice  both personal and economics  that the people of NSW are being forced to make, it's only right that the premier trusts us all and brings us into her confidence, to share the health advice and modelling,' he said.

The premier faced criticism from one of her government's MPs, after keeping Shellharbour in lockdown despite no cases since October.

That decision was 'bereft of common sense', Kiama MP Gareth Ward said.

'If COVID was rife in the Illawarra and if there were zero cases in Sydney, Sydney wouldn't be in lockdown,' the Liberal MP tweeted.

Only around 36 per cent of the adults across NSW have received one dose of a Covid vaccination as of Wednesday

The Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong, also under lockdown, have recorded 19 of the state's 2437 cases since July 1.

'Based on the health advice, it's too risky to release any of them,' Ms Berejiklian said.

Other lockdown measures announced on Wednesday included more financial support for businesses and workers, a partial reopening of the construction sector and a ban on shopping far from home.

Year 12 students will also be able to return to school on August 16, with rapid antigen testing used to halt the virus at the school gate.

Meanwhile, up to 40,000 Pfizer doses will be redirected from the regions to vaccinate year 12 students in Sydney's eight worst-hit council areas.

People with first-dose bookings will be contacted if their vaccination will be delayed, NSW Health said.

Murray MP Helen Dalton said the Pfizer change sent a message that 'rural lives are not as important as those of their Sydney counterparts.'
A watchdog group placed body bags outside Facebook's headquarters during a protest calling the social media giant out for allowing the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine.

The Real Facebook Oversight Board staged the protest outside the company's headquarters in Washington, DC, on Wednesday in an attempt to 'draw attention to dangerous disinformation' shared on the social media platform.

'Body bags line the street. Facebook disinformation kills,' the group tweeted.

The protest comes as lawmakers work to combat the COVID-19 crisis and educate Americans about the latest scientific developments surrounding the virus and vaccines.

Earlier this month President Joe Biden accused Facebook of 'killing people' by failing to stop the spread of disinformation.

The Real Facebook Oversight Board staged a protest Wednesday (pictured above) calling out the world's biggest social media network for allegedly spreading misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine

The advocacy group placed a collection of body bags outside Facebook's headquarters in Washington DC in an attempt to 'draw attention to dangerous disinformation' shared on the social media platform

hey say Wednesday's demonstration was part of their ongoing push to hold the social media network accountable for 'amplifying false information about COVID-19

For about a year now, the Real Facebook Oversight Board has been pressuring the social media giant to change its policies and prevent further spread of misinformation, The Hill reports.

They say Wednesday's demonstration, which occurred just hours before Facebook was due to report its second-quarter earnings, was part of their push to hold the social media network accountable for 'amplifying false information about COVID-19'.

'We placed body bags in front of Facebook HQ in Washington DC to draw attention to dangerous disinfo on Facebook. Facebook will likely report record earnings today. Investors need to ask themselves: what are they getting for their money?' the group questioned on Twitter.

The advocacy group followed the protest with the release of a report outlining how over the last three months five 'known disinformation superspreaders' allegedly maintained the No. 1 post spot on the platform 83.4 percent of the time.

The report also argues that the platform has continued to allow a group affiliated with Donald Trump to fundraise on Facebook and help the company profit through ad revenue despite the former president's two-year suspension from the platform.

'[Facebook's] failure to act is an active choice when people are dying amidst a global pandemic  all to maintain profit margins. It is deeply immoral and it should be criminal,' a spokesperson for the Real Facebook Oversight Board told news outlet.

'We placed body bags in front of Facebook HQ in Washington DC to draw attention to dangerous disinfo on Facebook. Facebook will likely report record earnings today. Investors need to ask themselves: what are they getting for their money?' the group questioned on Twitter

The advocacy group followed the protest with the release of a report outlining how over the last three months five 'known disinformation superspreaders' allegedly maintained the No. 1 post spot on the platform 83.4 percent of the time

In a statement released to CNET, Facebook responded to the group's accusations:

'We permanently ban Pages, Groups, and accounts that repeatedly break our rules on COVID misinformation, and this includes more than a dozen Pages, Groups, and accounts from these individuals.'

Facebook did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The protest comes as Facebook has faces pressure from national leaders to crack down on the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 virus and vaccines.

Asked about Facebook's role in the pandemic earlier this month, President Biden told reporters: 'They're killing people. The only pandemic we have is among the un-vaccinated. And they're killing people.'

Biden later clarified his remarks, saying the comment stemmed from a report outlining how 12 specific Facebook users were credited with spreading vast amounts of misinformation.

The protest comes as Facebook has faces pressure from national leaders to crack down on the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 virus and vaccines. President Joe Biden (pictured) recently told reporters Facebook was 'killing people'

Facebook responded to the accusations in a blog post (above) and reiterated that they 'permanently ban Pages, Groups, and accounts that repeatedly break rules on COVID misinformation'

'Facebook isn't killing people, these 12 people are out there giving misinformation,' Biden explained. 'Anyone listening to it is getting hurt by it. It's killing people.

'My hope is that Facebook, instead of taking it personally, that somehow I'm saying 'Facebook is killing people', that they would do something about the misinformation, the outrageous misinformation about the vaccine. That's what I meant.'

Press Secretary Jen Psaki also explicitly singled out Facebook during a press briefing two weeks ago claiming that influential anti-vaxxers 'remain active' on the site 'despite some even being banned on other platforms'.

Facebook responded to the accusations in a blog post saying, 'The data shows that 85% of Facebook users in the US have been or want to be vaccinated against COVID-19. President Bidens goal was for 70% of Americans to be vaccinated by July 4. Facebook is not the reason this goal was missed.'
Gladys Berejiklian has opened up about trying to educate her anti-vaxxer friends and family about the benefits of Sydney's lockdown - before sidestepping questions about the impact of her 'singles bubble' on her new romance.

The New South Wales premier said some of her own loved ones questioned her about hitting the city with stay-at-home restrictions to slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta strain.

'I have people close to me who have strong views and I've explained to them what the facts are,' she told KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O show on Thursday when co-host Kyle Sandilands asked her about her state's battle against anti-vaccination rhetoric.

'This Delta variant is taking over the world. Even countries with 50 per cent vaccination rates are seeing a huge number of cases and people in hospital.'

Sandilands also asked her if a new rule allowing Sydney couples to visit each other's homes as part of a 'singles bubble' was motivated by her new relationship with high-flying lawyer Arthur Moses.

'Did you invent the singles bubble for your new boyfriend situation?' Sandilands asked.

Ms Berejiklian appeared to suggest she was living with Mr Moses when she replied her situation was already 'covered' by the existing rules.

'This is for people who genuinely live on their own,' she said - prompting Sandilands to ask if her boyfriend had moved in with her.

'No... can we just get off that topic,' she replied abruptly.

She then scolded Sandilands when he asked whether the new rule for couples meant 'you can book into the Meriton with your "buddy"'.

'No... come on, Kyle,' the premier said. 'This is for mental health reasons to keep people as healthy and happy as possible.'

The interview came just hours before Ms Berejiklian announced Sydney had 239 Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm Wednesday.

NSW announced 177 cases for the 24 hours to 8pm Tuesday as authorities extended Greater Sydney's lockdown and banned non-essential workers from leaving three more government areas in Sydney's west and south-west.

Kyle Sandilands (left) and Jackie Henderson (right) interviewed Ms Berejiklian (centre) on Thursday on their KIIS FM radio show. The premier said even some of her own loved ones questioned her about sending the city into lockdown

The New South Wales premier's relationship with high-profile barrister Arthur Moses was confirmed in June through an Instagram post shared by her sister (pictured)

Essential exercise: A Sydneysider is pictured strolling through Centennial Park in the city's east during lockdown on Wednesday

Meanwhile, nine young people including eight teenagers from the west and southwestern Sydney areas under the toughest lockdown are accused of breaking stay-at-home orders and becoming involved in a high-speed pursuit with police in the Hunter region.

NSW Police say the teens were travelling in a Honda Civic and clocked driving 200km/h in a 110km zone. A woman 19, and two teens - aged between 13 and 17 - have been charged over the incident on Wednesday while the others will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.

Each has been fined $1000 for breaching the health orders.
Scott Morrison has said he can't guarantee that Australians will be living freely by Christmas and has admitted he should have ordered more Pfizer vaccines last year.

In a press conference on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said 'lockdowns become a thing of the past' when enough people are vaccinated and hoped Australians 'will be living life differently at Christmas'.

But on Thursday morning, Mr Morrison warned he can't guarantee lockdowns won't be needed next year to control the spread of Covid-19.

During a radio interview, 3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchell asked: 'Do you reckon you can guarantee we will be open by the end of the year?

'No one can give those guarantees, Neil, because the virus is unpredictable,' the Prime Minister replied.

Earlier Mr Morrison told the Today show that the highly contagious Delta strain of the virus, which spawned in India in April, requires tougher restrictions than previous strains to control.

'The Delta strain is incredibly virulent and there is no country in the world that is not struggling,' he said.

'All around the world countries are wrestling with this and we have learnt a lot in recent weeks.

'Where the Delta strain hits you have to act quickly and we need to take that and move forward as quickly as we can.'

During his morning media blitz, Mr Morrison was also grilled about the slow vaccine rollout and admitted he has made mistakes.

Mr Morrison warned he can't guarantee lockdowns won't be needed next year to control the spread of Covid-19. Pictured: Police patrol Bondi Beach during lockdown

Only 16.7 per cent of Australians over 16 are fully jabbed, compared with 71.1 per cent of eligible Britons, 65.2 per cent of eligible Canadians and 49.4 per cent of eligible Americans.

The rollout has been hampered by supply delays and changing health advice over the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has left the government scrambling to bring in more Pfizer jabs.

In July 2020, the US ordered 200 million doses of Pfizer, the UK ordered 90 million and Canada ordered 20 million.

But Australia didn't order any until November, when it requested just 10 million doses of the highly effective jab.

In April the government increased the order to 20 million and doubled it to 40 million in June - but critics say this quantity should have been ordered far earlier.

When asked if the government secured a deal fast enough, Mr Morrison told Sunrise host Natalie Barr: 'We went from 10 million to 20 million to 40 million... now it's just about getting the job done.

Only 16.7 per cent of Australians over 16 are fully jabbed, compared with 71.1 per cent of eligible Britons. Pictured: Queues at Sydney's Homebush vaccination hub

'Very late though,' she said before Mr Morrison admitted: 'No country gets everything right and the vaccination program is hitting the marks we need it to hit now.

'We just gotta focus forward and get this job done, Nat,' he said.

On July 9, the Prime Minister announced a four stage plan to get Australia back to normal, with each step to be triggered when the vaccination rate hits a certain percentage.

The percentages required have been calculated by modelling experts at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and handed to the government.

They will be discussed at National Cabinet on Friday and are expected to be publicly released early next month.
Three protesters who dangerously waved lit flares around a crowd at Melbourne's anti-lockdown rally are being hunted by police.

About 5,000 attended the protest outside the Victorian Parliament on Saturday, which was brought to a violent end as police used pepper spray to clear the crowd.

Fines have been issued to at least 73 people and investigators are scouring through hundreds of hours of footage from social media, CCTV, and police body cams.

Two men and a woman (pictured above) have been pictured holding flares at the Melbourne anti-lockdown rally, just outside Victoria's Parliament house and Police believe they can assist with enquiries

Victorian's were under a stay-at-home order when the protest took place while battling the Delta variant which found its way into Victoria from Sydney.

There were several flares set off at Saturday's rally, which police said 'endangered not only police but people in the vicinity of the incidents'.

Police on Thursday released photos of three people, two men and a woman, seen holding flares at the protest and urged them to surrender to police.

Anyone who recognises any of the protesters in the photos or with information is asked to contact police.

In the days since, fines have been issued to at least 73 people and police have been scouring through hundreds of hours of footage from social media, CCTV and body-worn cameras

Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said the protest was illegal and should never have taken place, vowing to find hundreds more participants and fine them.

'Investigators have been going through body-worn camera footage, CCTV footage, we have many more hundreds of hours of that footage to review, and we have already identified known organisers or participants in the protest,' he said.

'Those people can certainly expect the full weight of the law being brought against them.

'I would say to every Victorian who is outraged by this, if you know who these people are, call Crime Stoppers and let us know who they are and we will take action.'
The National Gallery of Australia will remove 14 works from its Asian art collection and return them to the Indian government.

Worth a combined $3 million, 13 of the objects were purchased between 2002 and 2010 from Art of the Past, the now-infamous New York gallery run by disgraced antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor. And one came from the late New York art dealer William Wolff in 1989.

They comprise six stone or bronze sculptures, most dating back to the 11th or 12th century, as well as a brass processional standard, or 'alam', from Hyderabad dated 1851. There is a painted invitation scroll, or vijnaptipatra, from Rajasthan dated approximately 1835, and six photographs.

The National Gallery of Australia will return fourteen 'suspect' prints from its Asian art collection to return to the Indian government after after being purchased by disgraced antiques dealer Subhash Kapoor

NGA director Nick Mitzevich confirmed the gallery had in-principle agreement from the Indian government through the Indian High Commission that they welcomed and would receive the works.

'The physical handover will be negotiated over the next couple of months, giving consideration to COVID and the ability to travel, as to whether it's realistic to have it in India or Canberra,' he told AAP.

The physical handover of the works will be negotiated over the next few months taken into consideration COVID and the ability to travel

This is the fourth time the NGA has returned to India looted or illegally exported works purchased from Kapoor and his associates.

In early 2014 revelations emerged that Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja), one of the 21 works the gallery acquired from Art of the Past, had been looted from a temple in Tamil Nadu in southern India.

The 11th or 12th century Chola-period bronze, purchased in 2008 for $5.6 million, was returned to India by then-prime minister Tony Abbott in September 2014, along with a sculpture Kapoor had sold to the Art Gallery of NSW.

Two years later, the NGA returned Goddess Pratyangira, a 12th-century stone sculpture from Tamil Nadu and Worshippers of the Buddha, a third century limestone sculpture from Andhra Pradesh.

And in 2019, the NGA repatriated a pair of 15th-century stone door guardians, or dvarapala, from Tamil Nadu, and a sixth to eighth-century stone sculpture, the serpent king, or Nagaraja, from either Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh.

Thursday's announcement comes as the gallery adopts a new provenance assessment that will consider both the legal and ethical aspects of a work of art's history.

This is the fourth time the National Gallery of Australia has returned to India looted or illegally exported works purchased from Kapoor and his associates

If, on the balance of probability, it is likely that a work was stolen, illegally excavated, exported in contravention of the law of a foreign country, or unethically acquired, the NGA states it will initiate steps to deaccession and repatriate the work.

Mitzevich said the measure was a positive step in resolving a difficult and unfortunate period in the gallery's collecting history.

'With these developments, provenance decision-making will be determined by an evidence-based approach evaluated on the balance of probabilities, anchored in robust legal and ethical decision-making principles and considerations,' he said.

Kapoor, a dual citizen of India and the US, established Art of the Past in 1974 and became an influential and respected figure in the global art market, selling and donating works to many prestigious institutions.

Clients included the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts as well as the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, the NGA and the Art Gallery of NSW.

Kapoor, a dual citizen of India and the US, established Art of the Past in 1974 and became an influential and respected figure in the global art market but was extradited to India in 2012 being charged with stealing and illegally exporting antiquities

He was extradited from Germany to India by Interpol in July 2012 and is in custody charged with stealing and illegally exporting antiquities. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 14 years.

In July 2019, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office filed a criminal complaint against Kapoor and seven co-conspirators, charging them with 86 counts of grand larceny, possession of stolen property and conspiracy to defraud.

His co-defendants include dealers in Hong Kong and Singapore, and art restorers in Brooklyn and London.

It is alleged they operated a sophisticated network that saw antiquities looted from countries including Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Documents were allegedly forged and ownership histories invented before they were placed on sale at Art of the Past.

Kapoor is alleged to have masterminded the global smuggling ring between 1986 and 2016, trafficking more than 2600 looted objects worth US$145 million into the US.

No donors were involved in the acquisition of the 14 NGA works in question as it is believed more than six sculptures were either stolen or illegally exported said NGA director Nick Mitzevich

No donors were involved in the acquisition of the 14 NGA works in question. Their combined value stands at $3,034,865, and Mitzevich said the gallery would be taking a reduction in its asset base by removing them.

'It's more than likely that the six sculptures were either stolen or illegally exported,' he said.

'The rest have been removed from the collection because of the association with Kapoor and because we believe that his dealings were not ethical. (However) we have no reason to believe that the other works were stolen or illegally exported,' he said.

The gallery is also removing the final three works in its Asian art collection purchased from Art of the Past. Once research has identified a place of origin, they will be repatriated.

One work may be from Afghanistan, another from India or Timor, and the third from India or Portugal, Mitzevich said.

'With antiquities like this, country-of-origin is sometimes a little more difficult to pinpoint,' he noted.

'Borders are a contemporary manifestation, so we need to be clear about the region (the works) are from.'

The news of the works being returned by the National Gallery of Australia were welcomed by the Indian High Commissioner to Australia Manpreet Vohra

Mitzevich, who became NGA director in July 2018, said that since 2014, the gallery had strengthened its due diligence and provenance policies and now had clear processes for the assessment of works.

'The changes we've made mean that we now have zero tolerance for any provenance inconsistencies for any acquisitions across the collection,' he said.

The Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Manpreet Vohra, welcomed news of the repatriation.

'The government of India is grateful for this extraordinary act of goodwill and gesture of friendship from Australia,' he said.

'These are outstanding pieces. Their return will be extremely well-received by the government and people of India.'
A furious mayor in Sydney's west has let loose over the city's stifling lockdown saying his residents are completely fed-up and many will not recover.

Steve Christou, the mayor of Cumberland Council, said the announcement of another four weeks of lockdown on Wednesday was the 'point of no return' for his residents.

'For many, it's like Armageddon. This economically crippling lockdown will have effects for years,' he said in a statement.

A Covid testing facility at Auburn (pictured) in Cumberland LGA, one of the poorest areas in NSW

Cumberland Mayor Steve Christou (pictured) said his residents are struggling to get through Sydney's 'crippling' lockdown

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Wednesday stay-at-home orders would be extended for another month across Sydney and surrounding regions - with even harsher restrictions in place for eight specific local government areas in the west.

Residents of Parramatta, Georges River and Campbelltown Councils will from Thursday join those in Cumberland, Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown, and Blacktown who cannot leave their LGA unless they are an essential worker.

Mr Christou said Cumberland - already one of the poorest areas in the state - was suffering the brunt of the restrictions.

Many residents have contacted him directly to say they are being ruined financially and the lockdown is 'wreaking havoc' on their mental health.

'Families are struggling to pay mortgages, rent, and put food on the table,' he said.

'They have struggled through the first four, five weeks of this only to be told they will be burdened with another four weeks.'

Residents in Auburn in the Cumberland local government line up at a vaccination facility

Mr Christou said families in his LGA are struggling to pay rent (pictured)

Construction will also remain suspended in the eight LGAs - with Mr Christou saying Cumberland's more than 10,000 tradies were being hit especially hard despite little evidence the construction industry was a source for spreading the virus.

He also took aim at state MPs he claimed were were 'tucked at home in their loungerooms and not doing the heavy lifting they've demanded of us'.

He added the government's vaccine rollout had also failed his constituents as the country has 'no resolution other than lockdown' 19 months after the virus first hit Australia.

After offering numerous 'well-staffed' community facilities to the state government with just the 'nurses and jabs' needed to turn them into vaccination centres, Mr Chrsitou said he had heard nothing back from authorities.

'Only this week NSW Health have setup five clinics in our area administering only 1,500 jabs between them. While I welcome them it's well short of what we need.'

NSW recorded 239 new local cases on Thursday, the highest number for the state since the pandemic began.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has raised expectations lockdowns will not be needed next year if all Australians are offered coronavirus vaccines.

How to claim the $600 lockdown payment if you lose work Sydney residents who lose more than 20 hours of work a week can claim a $600 disaster payment from the federal government, and those who lose less than 20 hours can claim $375. To claim the cash you'll need a Centrelink online account linked to your myGov. It's easy to set these up. Once you're logged in, you will be asked a few questions about your situation to see if you're eligible. Officials need to know if you lived or worked in a Covid-19 hotspot that's under lockdown or restricted movement. Once you've completed your claim, hit submit and officials will process it for you. You don't need to call them, they'll send you an SMS when you successfully submit your claim. If you are eligible, officials will make a payment into your bank account and send you a letter with the details. For more information click here Advertisement

The prime minister believes all people who want a jab will have the chance to receive one by year's end, barring unforeseen circumstances.

'I would expect by Christmas we will be seeing a very different Australia to what we're seeing now,' he told reporters in Canberra.

Around 17 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over have been fully vaccinated, leaving the nation well behind similar countries five months into the rollout.

But Mr Morrison is increasingly confident as vaccination administrations reach around one million doses a week.

The prime minister said immunisation offered governments more options despite his earlier warnings about countries with high vaccination rates recording major case numbers.

Eight LGA in Sydney's west are under tougher restrictions than other (pictured is Auburn)

'Lockdowns become a thing of the past when you're at that level.'

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said some people in the highest priority groups including aged and disability workers still hadn't been vaccinated.

'We're now 18 months into a pandemic. The government had two jobs to do - rolling out the vaccine and national quarantine,' he told Sky News.

'They've really fallen behind of both of those fundamental jobs.'

The federal government has announced coronavirus disaster support payments will be raised from $600 to $750 for people who lose more than 20 hour work because of lockdowns.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said construction will remain suspended in the eight LGAs

What extra support is NSW providing during lockdown?  An extension to the previously announced business grants program. This means eligible businesses with Australian wages below $10 million can claim grants between $7,500 and $15,000 to cover the first three-weeks of restrictions, and takes the potential size of the program to $2.1 billion;  Payroll tax waivers of 25 per cent for businesses with Australian wages of between $1.2 million and $10 million that have experienced a 30 per cent decline in turnover, as well as payroll tax deferrals and interest free repayment plans;  A new grants program for micro businesses with a turnover of between $30,000 and $75,000 which experience a decline in turnover of 30 per cent. The businesses will be eligible for a $1500 payment per fortnight of restrictions.  A capped grant of up to $1,500 for residential landlords who are not liable to pay land tax who reduce rent for tenants estimated at $210 million;  Land tax relief equal to the value of rent reductions provided by commercial, retail and residential landlords to financially distressed tenants, up to 100 per cent of the 2021 land tax year liability;  Introduction of legislative amendments to ensure a short-term eviction moratorium for rental arrears where a residential tenant suffers loss of income of 25 per cent due to Covid-19 and meets a range of criteria.  No recovery of security bonds, or lockouts or evictions of impacted retail and commercial tenants prior to mediation;  Deferral of gaming tax assessments for clubs until 21 December 2021 and hotels until 21 January 2021;  A $75 million support package for the performing arts sector to be administered by Create NSW;  A support package for the accommodation sector worth $26 million;  $12 million in additional funding for temporary accommodation for those at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and  $5.1 million in NSW funding to support mental health. Advertisement

Welfare recipients, who had previously been excluded, can access $200 payments if they lose eight hours' work.

People who lose between eight and 20 hours will receive $450, up from $375 a week.

ACTU president Michele O'Neil said the government had been dragged kicking and screaming into increasing disaster payments.

'For many workers living in New South Wales who lost their livelihoods more than a month ago, it's come far too late,' she said.

Police talking to locals in Bankstown earlier this month after protests broke out in the area (pictured)

'It's also too late for workers in Victoria and South Australia affected by earlier lockdowns.'

While the expansion is designed to immediately help people in NSW, all Australians will be eligible for the new rates under future lockdowns.

But Victorian and South Australian residents who recently emerged from lockdowns were only able to access the lower rate.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, the most senior Victorian in the federal government, said the increase was a result of Sydney and surrounds extending lockdown for a month.
The Jewish co-founders of Ben & Jerry's have said that they 'unequivocally support' the company's decision to stop selling ice cream in the West Bank to boycott Israeli settlements.

Bennett Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who co-founded the ice cream chain in 1978 and sold it to the British conglomerate Unilever in 2000, endorsed the decision in an op-ed for the The New York Times on Wednesday.

It followed an Axios report revealed that the Israeli government formed a special task force to pressure the ice cream chain into reversing its decision.

The boycott has also prompted backlash from members of the Jewish community in the US - as franchise owners in Manhattan pledged to donate to Israel and towns on Long Island in New York imposed their own bans on the company.

Ben & Jerry's cofounders Bennett Cohen (left) and Jerry Greenfield (right) penned an op-ed on Wednesday to say that they 'unequivocally support' the company's decision to stop selling ice cream in the West Bank to boycott Israeli settlements

An Israeli flag is seen on a delivery truck outside Ben & Jerry's factory in Be'er Tuvia

'We are the founders of Ben & Jerry's. We are also proud Jews. It's part of who we are and how we've identified ourselves for our whole lives. As our company began to expand internationally, Israel was one of our first overseas markets. We were then, and remain today, supporters of the State of Israel,' Cohen and Greenfield wrote.

'But it's possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as we've opposed policies of the U.S. government.'

Cohen and Greenfield continued: 'As such, we unequivocally support the decision of the company to end business in the occupied territories, which the international community, including the United Nations, has deemed an illegal occupation.'

The businessmen noted that they no longer have control over the company's operations but praised Ben & Jerry's for the 'especially brave' decision and said the company is 'on the right side of history'.

'Ending the sales of ice cream in the occupied territories is one of the most important decisions the company has made in its 43-year history,' they wrote.

Cohen and Greenfield continued: 'Even though it undoubtedly knew that the response would be swift and powerful, Ben & Jerry's took the step to align its business and operations with its progressive values.'

'That we support the company's decision is not a contradiction nor is it anti-Semitic. In fact, we believe this act can and should be seen as advancing the concepts of justice and human rights, core tenets of Judaism.'

The co-founders noted that Ben & Jerry's distinctly decided to halt sales in the territories which Israel occupies - not the nation of Israel itself.

'The decision outside Israel's democratic borders is not a boycott of Israel,' they wrote. 'The Ben & Jerry's statement did not endorse the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.'

Cohen and Greenfield added: 'As Jewish supporters of the State of Israel, we fundamentally reject the notion that it is anti-Semitic to question the policies of the State of Israel.'

Omar Barghouti, a co-founder of the BDS movement, has said the movement had been urging Ben & Jerry's to pull out of Israel for years.

Ben & Jerry's had announced last week that it would no longer produce ice cream for Israeli settlements on occupied lands

As noted by Axios, the Israeli government is worried other companies will now draw that same distinction between Israel and the West Bank settlements.

In its statement, the company had said it would be 'inconsistent' with its values to sell ice cream 'in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.'

'Although Ben & Jerry's will no longer be sold in the OPT, we will stay in Israel through a different arrangement. We will share an update on this as soon as we're ready,' the company said.

The company had also announced in the statement that it would not be renewing its license agreement with the Israeli company that manufactures and distributes the ice cream Israel.

Board chair Anuradha Mittal commented on Tuesday for the first time since Ben & Jerry's announced that it would stop selling ice cream in the West Bank while she rejected calls that the decision was anti-Semitic.

'I am proud of @benandjerrys for taking a stance to end sale of its ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,' Mittal tweeted.

'This action is not anti-Semitic. I am not anti-Semitic. The vile hate that has been thrown at me does not intimidate me. Pls work for peace  not hatred!'

Palestinian demonstrators clash with Israeli soldiers on Wednesday

Palestinian demonstrators demand on Wednesday that the Israeli army hands over the body of man who was shot dead by Israeli forces on Tuesday night, in the village of Beita, in the occupied West Bank

Palestinian protesters watch Israeli soldiers during a protest over the killing of a Palestinian man by Israeli soldiers in Beita in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday

A damaged car is seen after Israeli forces opened fire to it and wounded an 11-year-old child in Hebron, West Bank on Wednesday

The Israeli government has previously convinced Ben & Jerry's not to take such a stance but pressure from pro-Palestinian activists has increased amid recent fighting in Gaza, as noted by Axios.

Israel has even desperately tried to push Unilever to prevent the company from deciding to stop selling ice cream - but Ben & Jerry's parent company said it had the right under its corporate responsibility policies.

Unilever says it remains 'fully committed' to its businesses in Israel and will find a way to continue to produce Ben & Jerry's inside the country while excluding settlements.

The company has not said how it plans to do this - and despite wide international opposition to the settlements, Israel does not differentiate between them and the rest of its territory.

Three-quarters of the members of the Israeli parliament on Wednesday called on Ben & Jerry's to reverse its decision to stop selling ice cream in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem.

In a letter to the Vermont-based ice cream maker, the lawmakers said they were 'standing together against the shameful actions' of the company.

They called the decision 'immoral and regrettable,' claimed it would hurt hundreds of Jewish and Arab workers and violated an Israeli law banning boycotts of the settlements.

The letter was signed by 90 of the Knesset's 120 members spanning almost the entire political spectrum. Arab parties and some dovish lawmakers refused to sign.

Some 700,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem and the West Bank - areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians, with wide international backing, claim both areas as parts of a future independent state.

Israel has annexed east Jerusalem and says it is part of its capital, but the annexation is not internationally recognized. It says the West Bank is disputed territory whose fate should be resolved in peace talks.

The international community overwhelmingly considers both areas occupied territory.

The government has urged 35 U.S. states with anti-boycott laws to punish Unilever. Several states, including Texas and Florida, have begun to look into the matter but none have taken action yet.

Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations and the United States, told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that it was partly responsible for Ben and Jerry's decision.

'When this council fails to take strong action against the worlds worst human rights violators like Iran and Syria and instead singles out the worlds only Jewish state, it is no wonder that companies like Ben and Jerry's and Unilever allow themselves to single out Israel for boycott,' he said.

'These companies have no moral reservations about operating in countries which are truly among the worlds worst violators of human rights, while imposing an anti-Semitic boycott on the Jewish state.'

He added: 'In light of these double standards, the claims of U.N. bodies and companies like Ben and Jerry's to be motivated by high ideals and objective standards, melt to nothing, like ice cream in the summer sun.'

In New York City, the owner of a Ben & Jerry's shop on the Upper West Side was so angry over the decision he vowed to donate 10 percent of his proceeds to help Israel, the New York Post reported.

Joel Gasman claims the decision has caused sales at the West 104th Street and Broadway store to drop.

'We couldn't sit back and watch without speaking up,' Gasman told the outlet. 'It has definitely hurt our bottom line and our overall store value. We did fear boycotts from customers. We still do.'

He added that online trolls have started giving his franchise bad reviews online simply because of the company's corporate stance.

In the town of North Hempstead on Long Island, local officials ripped Ben & Jerry's decision as 'dangerous and anti-Israel,' The Island Now reported.

In 2017, the town unanimously passed local laws preventing it from working with companies participating in the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement.

'North Hempstead's Anti-BDS legislation ensures that taxpayer money is never used to do business with or support any company that engages in a boycott of Israel,' said North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth.

'North Hempstead is a community of unity and inclusion. We remain committed in the fight against intolerance and we are unwavering in our condemnation of this BDS movement.'
A girl behind a bid to erect a statue of fossil hunter Mary Anning has accused officials of being dinosaurs for jeopardising the project.

Evie Swire, 13, and her mother Anya Pearson set up a charity and raised 150,000 for a tribute to the pioneer palaeontologist in her home town of Lyme Regis, Dorset.

They had hoped to unveil the 8ft statue next May  the 222nd anniversary of her birth  but they have hit a wall of bureaucracy.

Evie Swire, 13, and her mother Anya Pearson have raised 150,000 for a statue (pictured: scaled-down model) of fossil hunter Mary Anning in her home town of Lyme Regis, Dorset

The proposed seafront site for the statue is owned by Dorset Council and it has told Miss Pearson staff are too busy to deal with the plans.

Sculptor Denise Dutton may also struggle to fit the work into her schedule if the go-ahead is not given soon.

Miss Pearson, 53, said campaigning had ground to a halt because men 'of a certain age and class' refused to acknowledge the importance of a working-class woman.

'Evie was ten when she started this,' she added.

Anning's life was the subject of Ammonite, a 2020 film starring Kate Winslet alongside Saoirse Ronan (both pictured) as Charlotte Murchison

'She's a teenager now and she's just so fed up with it and doesn't understand why all these blockages are happening.

'She said it felt like it was being run by a bunch of dinosaurs. Nothing has changed in 200 years.'

A council spokesman said it hoped to resolve the red tape issues in time.

Anning's life was the subject of Ammonite, a 2020 film starring Kate Winslet.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is promising 99 per cent of businesses struggling with Sydney's extended lockdown will be able to get up to $100,000 a week from the government.

The state and federal governments on Wednesday expanded the JobSaver program after non-essential retailers, dine-in restaurants, pubs and nightclubs were banned from trading until at least August 28.

This saw the maximum weekly payment increased from $10,000 to $100,000, with grants starting at $1,500 a week.

Businesses can claim the payments, based on 40 per cent of a seven-day payroll bill, on the proviso staff are not retrenched.

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NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet (pictured with Premier Gladys Berejiklian) is promising 99 per cent of Sydney businesses struggling with the extended lockdown will be able to get up to $100,000 from the government

To qualify, businesses with a turnover of between $75,000 and $250million must prove they have experienced a 30 per cent or more decline in revenue.

Mr Perrottet, the state Liberal Party's deputy leader, said almost every business in New South Wales would qualify for some help from the government.

'Now in New South Wales, every single business - 99 per cent of businesses will be able to access some form of payment,' he told 2GB broadcaster Ben Fordham on Thursday.

'The substantive increase to that JobSaver program in conjunction with the Commonwealth will provide businesses up to $100,000 per week, which will help them obviously with their fixed costs, their overhead costs.'

Before Wednesday's announcement, Mr Perrottet had unsuccessfully joined Labor and the trade unions in calling for a revival of JobKeeper wage subsidies.

'JobKeeper has proven to be successful in keeping businesses in business, and workers connected to their job,' he said on Sunday.

Under the old JobKeeper scheme which finished on March 28, staff via their bosses were given $1,000 a fortnight if they had worked 20 hours or more a week and $650 a fortnight if they had put in fewer hours.

The new NSW-Commonwealth JobSaver scheme is giving workers, affected by Sydney's extended lockdowns, more generous payments of $750 week or $1,500 a fortnight like the original JobKeeper scheme of March 2020, if they lost 20 hours or more of work a week.

The state and federal governments on Wednesday expanded the JobSaver program after non-essential retailers, dine-in restaurants, pubs and nightclubs were banned from trading until at least August 28. This saw the maximum weekly payment increased from $10,000 to $100,000, with grants starting at $1,500 a week (pictured is a chemist at Lakemba in Sydney's south-west)

Those losing eight to 20 hours of work a week qualify for $450 a week.

Unlike JobKeeper, the JobSaver scheme doesn't specifically require bosses to pass on the payments to workers.

Pilates class business owner Anne-Maree Jones, whose revenue has plunged 98 per cent as a result of the lockdowns, said the old JobKeeper scheme was better because business owners were familiar with it.

'It's not enough. The JobKeeper worked,' she told the ABC's 7.30 program.

Pilates class business owner Anne-Maree Jones (pictured), whose revenue has plunged 98 per cent as a result of the lockdowns, said the old JobKeeper scheme was better because business owners were familiar with it

Since Sydney's lockdown to combat the more contagious Delta strain of Covid began on June 26, Ms Jones has dug into her personal savings to pay her staff as Zoom classes failed to plug the revenue shortfall.

'Very stressed. I'm not sleeping. I am very, very, very stressed,' she said.

'So I keep asking them the question - how can we pay our wages when for five weeks, nearly six weeks, we have had absolutely zilch in the way of income but our overheads haven't gone down?'

JobSaver payments are due to arrive in business bank accounts from August 2, via the federal government.

Police have new powers to shut down workplaces after NSW had a record 239 new daily, locally-acquired Covid cases.
Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi is refusing to co-operate with a prison deradicalisation programme while serving 55 years for helping his brother kill 22 concertgoers.

Abedi is one of five inmates in a separation centre at maximum security HMP Frankland in County Durham and he along with three others have turned down the opportunity to change their ways, reports ITV News.

The Ministry of Justice granted the broadcaster access to HMP Frankland and HMP Full Sutton in East Yorkshire to provide insight into how they attempt to deal with, house, categorise and deradicalise prisoners convicted of offences under the Terrorism Act.

Abedi, 23, is separated from the other prisoners amid concerns he could radicalise fellow inmates.

Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi is refusing to co-operate with a prison deradicalisation programme while serving 55 years for helping his brother kill 22 concertgoers

CCTV image of Salman Abedi arriving at Manchester Arena, on May 22, 2017, where he detonated his bomb

Richard Vipond, probation officer and prison offender manager at HMP Frankland, said: 'One particular person I was working with, we opened his cell door and he said "I'm not going talk to you, you're an enemy of Islam, you're an Islamophobe, you're my enemy".

'There are some people that are so entrenched in their views, in their ideologies and their beliefs that we just become a holding centre for them.'

Abedi and four others are being held at the Separation Centre and they can be heard discussing their naps and the use of a radio in the video footage.

Lucy Jarvis, who was injured in the Manchester Arena attack, told ITV News: 'He doesnt deserve any right to socialise with people, especially someone who is unfortunately on the same wavelength as him with these disgusting things.'

Last October, Abedi admitted for the first time his involvement in planning the Manchester Arena bombing which killed 22 people.

Abedi is one of five inmates in a separation centre at maximum security HMP Frankland in County Durham. ITV footage shows inside a typical cell of the separation centre

Abedi and four others are being held at the Separation Centre and they can be heard discussing their naps and the use of a radio in the video footage

He made the admission at HMP Frankland when he was visited by two members of the Arena public inquiry's legal team to be interviewed as part of the probe into the atrocity on May 22 2017.

The brother of suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, had denied 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and plotting to cause an explosion likely to endanger life but was convicted by a jury of all the offences.

Last August he was handed 24 life sentences with a minimum term of 55 years before he can be considered for parole.

Abedi did not give evidence at his trial at the Old Bailey, absented himself from much of the proceedings and sacked his legal team.

He also refused to attend his sentencing hearing.

The 22 victims of the terror attack during the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May 2017. (top row left to right) Off-duty police officer Elaine McIver, 43, Saffie Roussos, 8, Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, Eilidh MacLeod, 14, (second row left to right) Nell Jones, 14, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, Megan Hurley, 15, Georgina Callander, 18, (third row left to right), Chloe Rutherford,17, Liam Curry, 19, Courtney Boyle, 19, and Philip Tron, 32, (fourth row left to right) John Atkinson, 26, Martyn Hett, 29, Kelly Brewster, 32, Angelika Klis, 39, (fifth row left to right) Marcin Klis, 42, Michelle Kiss, 45, Alison Howe, 45, and Lisa Lees, 43 (fifth row left to right) Wendy Fawell, 50 and Jane Tweddle, 51

The Abedi brothers, from Fallowfield in south Manchester, spent months ordering, stockpiling and transporting the deadly materials for the terror attack, using multiple mobile phones, addresses and runaround vehicles to make their bomb.

They joined their parents in Libya the month before the blast, but Salman returned to the UK on May 18.

He bought the final components needed for the bomb, rented a flat in the city centre in which to build it and carried out reconnaissance on the Arena before finally executing the plot as fans departed from an Ariana Grande concert.
Things didn't exactly end well the first time around. Audiences emerged from cinemas ashen-faced, some people even fainted or vomited. Others insisted they had wanted to leave but had been too scared to move. Watching The Exorcist, the quintessential horror film, was blamed for heart attacks and miscarriages.

In Britain, local councils banned screenings, prompting travel companies to offer 'Exorcist bus trips' to cinemas where it was showing. In the U.S., some movie theatres reportedly proffered sick bags and offered paramedic assistance.

This was all part of the hype that made the 1973 chiller into a global box-office sensation: 'The biggest thing to hit the industry since Mary Pickford, popcorn, pornography and The Godfather,' as a New York Times critic put it at the time.

However, The Exorcist has had a deeply unsettling effect on many of those who watched it. Other 1970s horror classics such as The Amityville Horror and The Omen look very tame today, but that's not true of the 1973 shocker about a 12-yearold girl who is demonically possessed and the priests who come to rescue her. The Exorcist is still routinely rated as one of the most disturbing films ever made.

And now it's coming back for one more attempt to nail us to our seats in terror.

Or rather, three attempts. Universal Pictures and its sister streaming service, Peacock, have signed a 288million-plus deal to make a trilogy of new Exorcist films.

The Exorcist is still routinely rated as one of the most disturbing films ever made

It's a huge sum (the original film cost 4.4 million) but there is an intense battle to steal subscribers from streaming giant Netflix, and horror films fared particularly well with viewers itching to be jolted out of their apathy during the pandemic.

Universal will not remake the original film  a wise decision, given the veneration in which it is held by both film and horror fans  but it is bringing in Ellen Burstyn, who was given an Oscar nomination as the confused but doughty mother of the possessed child. (Burstyn cannily didn't appear in two best-forgotten Exorcist sequels and a prequel, released between 1977 and 2004.)

Now 88, but no doubt fortified by powers beyond our understanding, she will again do battle with evil, this time helping a father deal with his own possessed daughter.

Universal will not remake the original film  a wise decision, given the veneration in which it is held by both film and horror fans  but it is bringing in Ellen Burstyn (pictured), who was given an Oscar nomination as the confused but doughty mother of the possessed child

The news about Burstyn's return has prompted excited speculation about whether Linda Blair, the actress who played her head-spinning, demonically occupied daughter, may also join her. Blair, now 62, says she hasn't been approached.

And what of the rest of the gang? Well, that may be a little tricky because there aren't many of them left. In addition to the many controversies that have plagued The Exorcist, some claim a series of fatal events associated with the film's cast amounts to a 'curse'.

Actors Vasiliki Maliaros and Jack MacGowran, whose characters perish or are already dead in the film, died in real life during the post-production stage.

Seven others associated with the cast and crew  including close family members of the stars  died of natural or unexplained causes before the film's release.

Others, such as Lee J. Cobb, who played a police detective, passed away within a few years of the film's release (Max von Sydow, who played the forbidding, Devil battling senior exorcist, died last year aged 90, having presumably dodged the curse).

In Britain, local councils banned screenings, prompting travel companies to offer 'Exorcist bus trips' to cinemas where it was showing. Pictured: Linda Blair in the Exorcist

The news about Burstyn's return has prompted excited speculation about whether Linda Blair, the actress who played her head-spinning, demonically occupied daughter, may also join her. Blair, now 62, says she hasn't been approached

There were several injuries on set, afflicting both Linda Blair (who reportedly developed a long term spinal injury after landing on her coccyx) and Ellen Burstyn. An unexplained fire at one point burnt down most of the set  delaying filming by six weeks  but curiously spared the bedroom where Blair's character, Regan, endures her demonic possession.

After the film was finished, the odd events continued. Roman Catholicism features heavily in The Exorcist and is not treated kindly. The first time the movie was screened in Rome, lightning struck a cross on top of one of two churches on either side of the cinema and sent it crashing down into the middle of the piazza. Someone, it was speculated, wasn't happy.

When audiences recoiled in horror following the film's release, a psychiatric journal published a paper on 'cinematic neurosis' triggered by The Exorcist.

Medical experts attacked a hospital scene in which the possessed girl is given a carotid angiogram. A needle is pushed into her neck and blood spurts everywhere. A real-life radiographer who was given a role in the scene as a radiologist's assistant went on to murder a film journalist six years later. He confessed to the crime but couldn't explain to police why he did it.

In America, Warner Brothers, the film's distributor, was accused of cynically browbeating film industry censors into giving it an R-rating rather than a more restrictive X-rating, thereby allowing children (accompanied by an adult) to see it. A film critic wrote darkly of how he had watched children leaving screenings 'drained and drawn afterward; their eyes had a look I had never seen before'.

An unexplained fire at one point burnt down most of the set  delaying filming by six weeks  but curiously spared the bedroom where Blair's character, Regan, endures her demonic possession

And in the UK, where the film was released in March 1974, a Christian group who campaigned against its potentially damaging effect, especially on children, handed out leaflets offering post cinema spiritual support to people queueing to see it.

British censors, anxious about its availability to underage viewers, had video copies of the film withdrawn in 1988. A ban on the sale of copies lasted until 1999.

The Exorcist's director, William Friedkin, was accused of using subliminal imagery as special effects, including bedposts shaped to cast phallic shadows and a skull face supposedly superimposed into a priest's cloud of breath as the temperature plummeted in the possessed child's bedroom.

Adding more than a little hellfire to the controversy that raged around The Exorcist was the fact that it was based on a true story.

A 13-year-old boy from Baltimore, identified only as Roland Doe, who had experimented with a ouija board, was exorcised by two priests in the late 1940s.

Doe had an aversion to anything sacred, spoke in a guttural voice and was even able to curse priests in perfect Latin. They believed him to be demonically possessed.

The first attempt to banish the boy's demons was abandoned after five nights when he slashed the senior priest down the arm with a bedspring coil, maiming him.

For years the Catholic Church banned the priests from speaking about the case, but author William Peter Blatty managed to unearth enough details about the story to write his 1971 book The Exorcist, on which the film was based.

He swapped Roland for a 12-year-old girl and invented such unforgettable touches as the child crawling along the ceiling and her head spinning full circle. Hideous, yes, but cinematically brilliant.

Some say The Exorcist is too perfect a horror film to emulate: the new trilogy can only hope to match it for diabolic mayhem.
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger choked up when he spoke to the officers who testified about what happened that day

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Wednesday described how he was overtaken by emotion at the vulnerability displayed by police officers as they recounted being attacked on Jan. 6.

He was mocked by some commentators for crying during the testimony of officers who were attacked as they defended Congress.

But in his first interview since the hearing, he dismissed the criticism and said it was important to get beyond political considerations and focus on the humanity of the moment.

'I think the reason that hit me so strongly,' he told CNN's Wolf Blizter, 'I was sitting there getting ready to ask my questions and I realised, you know it's important for people to see the humanity of these officers but, you know, the brokenness individually ... I've gotten to know Michael Fanone as I mentioned, very well.

'It is important for them to hear and be remembered that they actually did win that day.'

Kinzinger served in the U.S. Air Force, completing tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, and said he recognized the emotion on display among the officers.

'Military people and police officers kind of have the same, in essence, kind of shared brotherhood, if you will, and I looked at these tough people who are willing to show their vulnerability to 350 million Americans, which is not something that you know police officers are usually excited to do,' he said.

'It caught me off guard, but I think it's important just to show people that these are human beings and I think yesterday did a good job of showing the humanity of it outside of the cold political calculations that everybody takes every day.'

Fox News host Laura Ingraham took a swipe at him after the hearing, praising him for what she said was the 'best dramatic performance.'

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said he was caught off guard by the emotional testimony of the police officers who appeared before the Jan. 6 select committee in an interview with CNN

Situation Room host Wolf Blitzer defended Kinzinger too, pointing out that his critic Laura Ingraham 'never served a day in uniform in her life' unlike him

Wolf expressed his own outrage in defense of Kinzinger.

'That Fox personality, by the way, never served a day in uniform in her life,' he said.

'I just want to be precise I'm that you're a lieutenant colonel in the US Air National Guard. You served heroically in Iraq and Afghanistan, you know what war is.'

Asked about the reactions his office has received about his performance at Tuesday's hearing, Kinzinger said they've been 'highly charged, emotional responses'.

'Some people calling appreciative, some people quite angry, and its the same with colleagues,' he said.

'This is uncomfortable, yes, for me and for others. You can feel isolated in this process.'

He said his Republican colleagues have largely indicated that they understand why Kinzinger has taken his stance but said he believes 'a lot' of colleagues are 'really nervous'.

'When you're fighting in darkness and the truth is trying to emerge, that's a frightening thing for some... particularly those that have actively tried to cover up truth,' he said.

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 was shown.

'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.

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

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 overrunning 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 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.
Netflix announced on Wednesday that it would be requiring proof of COVID vaccination for all working employees working close to the actors on sets in the US - the first major studio to make the jab mandatory.

The ruling will apply to all working in 'Zone A', which means the actors and those who come in close proximity to them, Deadline reported.

Last week Hollywood unions and the major film studios met and agreed a new plan for limiting the interruptions caused by the pandemic, which gave producers 'the option to implement mandatory vaccination policies for casts and crew in Zone A on a production-by-production basis.'

Netflix decided to make the policy routine for all of its US productions.

Adam Sandler is seen filming new Netflix movie Hustle on the streets of Philadelphia. The crew on set can all be seen wearing face masks and Sandler also wears a mask in between takes. Netflix has now made vaccinations mandatory for all actors and those in close proximity

The Netflix logo is displayed in front of the Albuquerque Studios, also known as Q Studios

The vaccine mandate is the strongest measure Netflix could enforce under the current return-to-work protocols, the site reported.

Exemptions for medical, religious or age reasons may apply on Netflix sets, a source told The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition, shows and films already in production with Netflix may be able to continue on even if certain members of the production aren't vaccinated - although those exceptions are expected to be rare.

There have been calls from within the industry to expand the vaccination requirement beyond Zone A.

Sean Penn last week announced that he would not return to the set of the Watergate drama Gaslit, which he stars in alongside Julia Roberts, until the entire cast and crew were vaccinated.

Sean Penn is seen at the Cannes Film Festival on July 11. He returned from the event and insisted that he would not return to filming until the entire production was vaccinated

NBCUniversal said they would insist on vaccinations for everyone in Zone A, but Penn said that that was not good enough, and the entire production team needed to be vaccinated.

The current status of filming was unclear. Penn reportedly had several weeks of filming to complete.

The Oscar-winning actor has offered to facilitate the vaccination effort, free of charge, through his relief agency, CORE.

The move comes amid rising concern about the spread of the Delta variant.

Los Angeles County on July 17 became the first in the nation to reimpose mask mandates. St Louis, Missouri and Savannah, Georgia have since followed suit. In Las Vegas, employees are being made once more to wear face masks, although guests will not have to.

Anna Chlumsky is seen on the film set of the Netflix show 'Inventing Anna', in October 2020

On Wednesday Twitter announced that it was closing its two biggest offices - in New York City and San Francisco - amid the rise in cases.

Twitter opened its offices two weeks ago, and was requiring proof of vaccination for any employees wanting to return to the office.

Earlier Google and Facebook said that they would be requiring proof of vaccination for all people returning to the office in October.
International models, designers and photographers flying in from all over the world will not have to quarantine for London Fashion Week.

Travellers from amber list countries who have not been double jabbed will be allowed to attend the premier fashion event without the need to isolate on arrival.

London Fashion Week will be held from September 17 to 21 and will be a 'physical-digital hybrid' after an online-only event took place in February this year.

International models, designers and photographers flying in from all over the world will not have to quarantine for London Fashion Week. Pictred: Kendall Kenner at the February 2020 London Fashion Week

Travellers from amber list countries who have not been double jabbed will be allowed to attend. Pictured: the Beckhams at the 2020 event

Ministers agreed yesterday that, like the officials attending Euro 2020 and G7 delegates, the normal rules will not apply to those travelling for the show.

They said this is the first time the rules are being adapted for an event that would not have otherwise been moved abroad, according to The Times.

Officials believe it is necessary for the future of Britain's 35billion fashion industry but could lead to pressure for exemptions in other sectors.

Only around 100 people are expected to need to use the new rules to enter, much fewer than the 2,500 VIPs who came to London for the Euros.

Businesses will have to submit the names of those attending to the British Fashion Council who is organising the Fashion Week.

London Fashion Week will be held from September 17 to 21 and will be a 'physical-digital hybrid'. Pictured: Bella Hadid in the Burberry show in February 2020

Those allowed in will only be allowed to leave their hotels for work.

It is the latest signal the government is willing to prioritise reopening the economy despite continuing Covid cases.

New health secretary Sajid Javid is believed to be in favour of exemptions for the iconic fashion event, even if some are unvaccinated.

But the government will bear responsibility for any breaches of strict mitigations agreed as part of the relaxation.

Lockdown meant that the menswear Fashion Week in January was cancelled this year, while February's was entirely virtual.

But the new measures raise questions about the fairness of the system which has allowed the rich and famous to bypass the normal quarantine procedures.
Shocked onlookers witnessed the moment a man was arrested and slapped with over two dozen offences after leading police on a high-speed chase.

The 32-year-old man from North Freemantle began speeding away from police at 11:30am on Tuesday in Anketell, Perth, after officers tried to stop a car they believe was stolen from a home in O'Connor on Monday.

It is alleged that the driver, who was on bail at the time, failed to stop and sped away, leading police on a chase though the suburbs of Mandurah, Armadale and Cannington.

Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle, a Ford Escape, driving erratically and on the wrong side of the road, narrowly missing oncoming traffic.

West Australian police released a statement on Wednesday night stating that the man got out of the car and tried to steal an unoccupied vehicle in Pirara Waters. But after failing, he sped off again in the original car.

The car stopped on the top level of a parking lot in Westfield Carousel Shopping centre where the man made a run for it. By 12.15pm there were more than a dozen police cars and a police helicopter called to help with the pursuit.

The 32-year-old man led police on a high-speed pursuit through Perth suburbs in an allegedly stolen Ford Escape (pictured)

The man was caught and arrested by officers (pictured) in Westfield Carousel shopping centre over an hour after the pursuit began

Police finally caught the man in the shopping centre and arrested him.

Witnesses describe seeing a large number of officers pursuing the man through the centre at around 12:30pm.

'All of a sudden this big bloke comes barreling down the steps', one concerned shopper, Neil Reynolds told 7 News.

'Within a few minutes we had about 20 policemen.'

Detectives from the regional investigations unit charged the man with 26 offences on Tuesday night including eight counts of no authority to drive, three of failing to stop, three of reckless driving to escape pursuit by police and two of possessing stolen property.

The stolen vehicle stopped on the top level of the shopping mall parking lot (picture) before the man took off on foot

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson told 6PR on Wednesday morning it was 'unsurprising' to him that the man had been on bail at the time of the alleged crime spree, saying it was frustratingly common how often people breached bail.

'We will be objecting to any further bail condition,' he said.

The man has also been charged with a series of offences alleged to have happened in June and earlier this month.

These include counts of criminal damage by fire, burglary, possessing a prohibited drug and attempted aggravated robbery.
A pandemic-record of 239 Covid cases have been found in New South Wales as Premier Gladys Berejiklian made masks mandatory in hotspot suburbs and doubled fines for lockdown rule-breakers.

She said 70 of the new locally-acquired cases - which were found from a NSW pandemic-record 110,962 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday night - were infectious in the community.

The spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic.

NSW Health also confirmed the death of another two of the state's residents from Covid-19 - a woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s from south-western Sydney.

Neither of them were vaccinated against the virus. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said 25 per cent of the state's residents over the age of 70 had yet to receive their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

There are now 182 patients suffering from the virus in hospitals across the state - 54 of which are in intensive care with 22 on a ventilator.

Dr Chant said 17 of the patients in intensive care were under the age of 40 - including two in their teens, eight in their 20s and three in their 40s.

Just a day after extending the city's stay-at-home lockdown for another four weeks, Ms Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in one of eight hotspot LGAs in the west and south-western suburbs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home.

Those areas are Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

'If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn't matter where it is,' she said.

'We're seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to.'

Penalties for not wearing a face mask across the city meanwhile will increase from $200 to $500, with thousands of police officers deployed across Greater Sydney to enforce the tightened restrictions.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in those LGAs also cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.

'These harsh measures are the harshest Australia has ever faced in a lockdown,' Ms Berejiklian said.

A woman in activewear runs along the beachfront in Bronte in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Wednesday. Greater Sydney is almost five weeks into a strict stay at home lockdown to stop the spread of the highly-contagious Delta Covid-19 variant

HOW SYDNEY'S TOUGHER LOCKDOWN RULES WILL AFFECT YOU In the eight hotspot LGAs from 12am on Saturday, July 31 (Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta): Residents must wear a mask whenever leaving the home, including when they are outdoors. The travel limit for essential exercise and shopping has been reduced to 5km from 10km. Those in a 'singles bubble' with another person must follow the same travel restriction. Across NSW: The penalty for breaking mask restrictions will increase from $200 to $500 Advertisement

'The Delta strain is different to anything we have seen,' she said.

'I appreciate whilst all of us are under stress and pressure with the lock down, if you live in those eight local government areas, we are asking so much of you.'

Health officials said 104 of the new cases - almost half - were found in south-west Sydney, while 58 were detected in the city's west.

Another 51 though - up from 20 on Wednesday - were found in the central Sydney local health district in a worrying sign the outbreak has broken containment lines in the western suburbs and was moving back east.

The outbreak began on June 16 when an airport transport worker tested positive to Covid-19 in the city's eastern suburbs.

'Things are likely to get worse before they get better due to the number of people infectious in the community,' Ms Berejiklian said.

She was asked on Thursday whether she had 'failed' NSW by waiting more than a week to send the city into lockdown.

Thursday's spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic

SYDNEY'S COVID 'HOT ZONES' Eight LGAs are bound by stricter rules than the rest of Sydney - Blacktown - Parramatta - Cumberland - Fairfield - Liverpool - Campbelltwon - Canterbury-Bankstown - Georges River Advertisement

The premier was asked: 'Will you admit that your strategy has failed, that you have failed?'

She replied: 'I'm never going to suggest we get everything right.'

The state leader has faced criticism for refusing to impose stay-at-home orders in Greater Sydney until June 26, 10 days after the city's outbreak began.

Victoria has just removed restrictions after a two-week lockdown and South Australia has released residents from a one-week shutdown.

'I don't think any government around the world can say they get everything right because there's no rulebook,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'I'm the first one to admit at every stage of the process in the last 18 months, with the benefit of hindsight it would be wonderful to know the alternative course. We'll never know that.'

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro earlier on Thursday morning admitted his government has no idea which of Sydney's lockdown restrictions are working during an on-air grilling from Today show host Karl Stefanovic.

'Let's see what happens over the next four weeks,' he said when asked what would happen if the extended restrictions also failed to lower transmission in the city.

'I have no crystal ball to tell you what we do next.'

'Sorry to put this to you, but I think you just said you don't know what's working and what isn't. Is that what you said?' Stefanovic responded.

Mr Barilaro replied that there was 'no playbook' to getting Sydney out of lockdown.

'We are throwing everything at it,' he said.

'What we've seen are stubborn numbers so [I can't] sit here and say I know how to get this under control. It's still testing the government and its resources.'

Masked south-west Sydney residents are pictured at Canterbury Hospital in Sydney's south-west on Thursday. The city's two million residents living in a hotspot LGA in the west and south-western suburbs will now have to wear a mask whenever they leave home

A health worker takes a swab sample from a resident at a Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic in Sydney on Wednesday

The map indicates the eight local government areas where Covid-19 is transmitting the most rapidly. New South Wales has recorded another 239 cases of the highly-contagious Delta variant of the virus

A pedestrian wearing a face mask steps off a bus at Wynyard in the Sydney CBD on July 26

Pictured is a woman wearing a face mask on a tram in the Sydney CBD on Wednesday. Ms Berejiklian has faced criticism for refusing to impose stay-at-home orders in Greater Sydney until June 26,

Mr Barilaro said the state government was relying on its experience handling earlier Covid-19 outbreaks during the pandemic to quash the spread of the Delta variant.

'The public should have confidence in us because what we have done in the past,' he said.

'But we are not going to pretend that we have every answer because we don't.'

Ms Berejiklian was asked on Thursday whether she had 'failed' NSW by waiting more than a week to send Sydney into lockdown

He said increasing vaccination rates in NSW was key to bringing the state out of the pandemic and ending lockdowns for good.

'If we can get vaccination up to 60 to 70 per cent of the population, you can see globally that it has allowed freedoms,' Mr Barilaro said.

New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro admitted his government has no idea which of Sydney's lockdown restrictions are working and which are not on Thursday morning

'It's the only way that we are never going to go back into lockdown.'

Canterbury-Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour hit out at Mr Barilaro's admission his government had little idea what life in Sydney would look like beyond the end of August.

'I was quite disturbed to hear the deputy premier say the government doesn't know what is working and what is not working,' he said.

A pedestrian wearing a face mask is pictured in the Sydney CBD. NSW recorded another 177 cases on Wednesday as authorities extended Greater Sydney's lockdown for four more weeks

A pedestrian wearing a face mask walks through Sydney's near-deserted CBD on Wednesday

'It's policy on the run and we need a plan to get us out of this lockdown.

'The government needs to show us the plan so we know we can have confidence we will be out of this in four weeks but it seems to me there isn't one.'

Cumberland's mayor Steve Christou said on Wednesday the nearly two million people living in those areas are 'at the point of no return' because of the debilitating restrictions.

Wednesday's increase in cases is the largest in Sydney's latest outbreak and the highest daily rise since April 2020

'I've heard from many in the community that they are struggling to pay rent, mortgages and other bills,' he said on 9News.

'It's devastating that the many businesses that support families will not re-open.

'The construction ban continues on our local government area  obstructing people from making a living. For many, it's Armageddon.'

Burwood Coles in Sydney's inner west (pictured) was flagged as a Covid exposure site among a host of 104 venues revealed Wednesday night

Meanwhile, nine young people including, eight teenagers from the west and southwestern Sydney areas under the toughest lockdown, are accused of breaking stay at home orders and becoming involved in a high-speed pursuit with police in the Hunter region.

NSW Police say the teens were travelling in a Honda Civic and clocked driving 200km/h in a 110km zone. A woman 19, and two teens - aged between 13 and 17 - have been charged over the incident on Wednesday while the others will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.

Each has been fined $1000 for breaching the health orders.

As well as the 104 new exposure sites on Wednesday night, including several Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, a sewage alert was put out for Molong in western NSW.

Essential exercise: A Sydneysider is pictured during lockdown on Wednesday strolling near Centennial Park

Health authorities fear the surprise wastewater find could signal an 'undetected' spread of the highly contagious Indian Delta variant in the remote community of about 1,700 people.

Seventeen Woolworths supermarkets right across the city were among those put on alert, including stores in Burwood and Lidcombe in the inner west and Fairfield and Cabramatta in the south-west.

Burwood Coles was also flagged as an exposure site along with Campsie Growers Market and Bankstown Lebanese Fruit and Mixed Business.

ALL THE CHANGES TO GREATER SYDNEY'S LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS From 11.59pm on Wednesday July 28: Greater Sydney residents including the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour must limit essential shopping trips to within 10km of their homes. Non-essential workers living in the Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River LGAs cannot leave their area for work. The same rules already applied for residents in Fairfield, Cumberland, Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool and Blacktown. Essential workers leaving Canterbury-Bankstown will need to be tested every three days. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has extended Sydney's stay-at-home lockdown for another four weeks In Fairfield and Cumberland, only aged care and healthcare workers must be tested every three days. From 12.01am on Saturday, July 31: Construction sites can reopen outside the eight LGAs under tighter restrictions. A singles bubble will be opened - allowing couples to visit each other's homes. Tradesmen can resume work as long as they do not come into contact with residents. That work will also be banned in the eight LGAs of concern. From August 16: Year 12s will return to face-to-face learning and a Pfizer vaccination program will begin in the eight LGAs where transmission of Covid-19 is at its highest. Rapid antigen testing will also be used for students returning to school across Greater Sydney. Advertisement

A number of chemist shops were also issued with alerts including Chemist Warehouse in Campsie, Blooms the Chemist in Leichardt, Priceline Pharmacy at The Ponds and Choice Pharmacy in Spring Farm.

While the majority of exposure venues remains scattered across the western suburbs, there is also growing concerns about potential spread on the Central Coast, about 120km north of Sydney.

Anyone who visited Long Jetty 7-Eleven on July 23 from 3.15pm to 3.35pm is considered a casual contact.

Bus passenger who travelled on the Route 25 bus from Tuggerah Station to Bateau Bay or the Route 21 bus from Lions Park to Gosford Train Station on July 23, are consider close contacts and must immediately get tested and self isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
Residents in one South Carolina town have filed more than 27,000 reports with their state health department after they say a nearby paper mill co-owned by New England Patriots boss Robert Kraft is sickening them with noxious gases.

Fort Mill community members claim the New-Indy paper mill in nearby Catawba is releasing foul-smelling fumes that have cause migraines, dizziness, vomiting, nosebleeds and burning eyes.

The gases, which residents say resemble the odor of rotten eggs, spoiled cabbage and feces, have spread as far as 30 miles away, impacting 1.5 million people, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday.

After more than six months of complaining, residents are fighting back with lawsuits against the plant.

The New-Indy paper mill (pictured) in Catawba, SC is accused of releasing foul-smelling fumes that have spread as far as 30 miles away, impacting 1.5million people

Two months ago, the Environmental Protection Agency filed an emergency order telling the plant (pictured) to 'immediately begin taking steps to minimize air emissions,' however locals say there has hardly been any change.

Residents including Scott Stevens (left) and Karen Reilly (right) say the noxious gases released at the mill have caused migraines, dizziness, vomiting, nosebleeds and burning eyes

Just two months ago, the Environmental Protection Agency filed an emergency order telling the plant to 'immediately begin taking steps to minimize air emissions,' however locals say there has hardly been any change.

'We feel like we're being poisoned and gassed in our homes,' resident Karen Reilly told the Daily Beast.

Scott Stevens echoed her claims, citing examples of how the gases give him regular nosebleeds.

'I feel like I have a runny nose. It's actually blood,' he explained, noting that he didn't have a previous history of nosebleeds.

Additionally, at a recent site inspection, EPA employees reportedly experienced similar symptoms to the residents including headaches, itchy eyes and nausea.

During that inspection the agency determined the plant's emissions were 'presenting an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health'.

There are currently three active lawsuits against New-Indy.

The suits, each seeking over $5million in damages, aim to change how the company handles its waste removal processes.

'This has to be one of the most, if not the most, significant and egregious cases of air pollution Ive seen,' W. Roger Truitt, an environmental lawyer who is part of one of the lawsuits, told FOX 46.

There are currently three active lawsuits against New-Indy and its owners, one of whom is New England Patriots CEO Robert Kraft (middle)

New-Indy (pictured) has filed motions to dismiss the suits, arguing that none of the complaints have a strong enough case against them

Lawyers say one of the suits against the plant is a class action with more than one thousand plaintiffs.

The lawyers encourage their clients to continue holding town halls discussing the matter as they say this strengthens their position against New-Indy, as well as their credibility in court.

New-Indy has filed motions to dismiss the suits, arguing that none of the complaints have a strong enough case against them.

Meantime, WBTV says community members are sending letters to prominent leaders including the governor, the NFL, state legislators, and more, asking for assistance in this battle.

'We have to prove to have more than their employees,' Kerry Bishop told the TV station. 'We have to have enough to prove to a judge that this is a serious issue that's affecting everyone.'
Boris Johnson's climate change spokeswoman Allegra Stratton has suggested people should join the Green Party to save the planet.

The remark comes after the former Downing Street press secretary faced criticism for advising the public not to rinse their dishes before they put them into a dishwasher to help tackle climate change.

Stratton said that joining the Green Party was another way in which Britons could help save the planet from rising carbon emissions.

She told The Independent: 'When people say to me, 'What can they do?', the can do many things.

'They can join Greenpeace, they can join the Green Party, they can join the Tory Party.'

Boris Johnson's climate change spokeswoman Allegra Stratton has suggested people should join the Green Party to save the planet

She added: 'So there's lots of ways they can get involved in politics but for those people who wouldn't, how do you start to change your life in manageable, achievable, feasible, small ways.'

Stratton, 41, who is the chief spokesperson for this year's climate change conference, hosted in Glasgow, was responding to criticism by the Green Party and Greenpeace of her advice for Britons to take 'micro-steps' in order to be environmentally friendly.

A friend of Stratton told The Times that her quote about joining the Green Party was misleading.

'Allegra believes no government has done more for the environment and to deal with climate change in the UK than this one,' the source said. 'And no PM has given the issue such prominence and profile [as Boris Johnson].

'She's proud to be working for the PM to make Cop26 a success, encouraging other countries to come to Glasgow with real movement on coal, cars and trees and to stand a chance to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees.'

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley welcomed Stratton's comments and told The Independent: 'After decades of inaction from both the Conservatives and Labour, we would absolutely agree with the government that joining the Green Party is the best thing people can do to help tackle climate change.'

He added: 'As we witness the Conservatives waste time talking about loading dishwashers and fantasy projects such as Jet Zero, it is reassuring to see that they do understand it is only the Greens who can bring about the real change that is needed if we are to prevent climate catastrophe.'

The remark comes after the former Downing Street press secretary faced criticism for advising the public not to rinse their dishes before they put them into a dishwasher to help tackle climate change

Earlier this week, Stratton said people should freeze leftover bread, order shampoo in cardboard packaging and not rinse plates before putting them in the dishwasher.

Stratton said many British households are already taking the 'micro-steps' in order to be environmentally friendly.

She admitted that the government is not pretending that the steps taken on their own will 'stop climate change', but says the suggestions are intended could still have a positive impact.

Writing in The Telegraph, Ms Stratton said: 'Did you know, according to COP26 principal partner Reckitt, who make Finish, you don't really need to rinse your dishes before they go into the dishwasher?

'Does your brand of plastic bottle shower gel come as a bar in cardboard packaging? I bet it does. It might be freezing half a loaf of bread when you get it home, to get out later in the week, rather than throwing half of it away when it goes mouldy.'

Her remarks come amid the government's 'One Step Greener' campaign, intended to improve awareness of tackling climate change across Britain.

What 'micro steps' is Allegra Stratton advising to help tackle climate change? Don't rinse your dishes before they go into the dishwasher

Buy your brand of plastic bottle shower gel as a bar in cardboard packaging instead

Freeze half a loaf of bread when you get it home, to get out later in the week, rather than throwing half of it away when it goes mouldy

Walk to the shops instead of driving Advertisement

She also spoke ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), set to take place in Glasgow in November.

The UK is pushing for an agreement at the Glasgow climate conference to limit global warming to 1.5C.

But Alok Sharma - appointed by the Prime Minister to lead the negotiations - said the target would be 'extremely difficult' to achieve without all the countries in the G20 signing up to a pledge to phase out coal.

Addressing reporters earlier this week, the former business secretary said rain and flooding 'sweeping London' while ministers were engaged in talks had sharpened their focus.

He added: 'I think it is a sober reminder on our own doorstep of the urgency of our task.'

The UK was battered with almost a month's worth of rain in a day on Sunday, with homes, roads and Tube stations flooded in the south of England, while a flooded hospital had to cancel all surgery and outpatient appointments on Monday due to water getting into its basement and affecting its power supply.

Mr Sharma used the unseasonal weather to push home the message for countries to switch their domestic power-producing methods.

He said there remained 'significant differences' on some issues and it was 'very disappointing' not to come to an agreement on coal.

PM 'puts ban on new gas boilers back by five years to 2040' after backlash over soaring heating costs Britons are set to be allowed up to five more years before a ban on sales of all new gas boilers comes into force, in a major row-back for Boris Johnson amid a backlash over the soaring cost of 'net zero' ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow later this year. The Prime Minister is looking at delaying the ban by five years to 2040, in a move which would give millions of UK households more time for new hydrogen boilers and heat-pumps to fall in price, and for businesses to pump more money into shifting people over gradually. The public is set to be incentivised to buy an eco-friendly heat-pump next time their boiler breaks down - but the delay to introducing the ban means working boilers could have to be taken out before 2050, or the UK could fail to hit its 'net zero' carbon emission targets. It comes amid a mounting backlash over the spiralling cost of Mr Johnson's so-called green revolution, with Government insiders fearful that the proposals could add another 400billion on top of the enormous sums accrued during the Covid pandemic. Hydrogen boilers are one of the possible replacements for gas boilers, with others including ground source or air source heat pumps, but these cost upwards of 14,000 or 11,000 respectively. Other options include solar photovoltaic panels or solar water heating which both come in at about 5,000 for a full fitting. A hydrogen-ready boiler is intended to be a like-for-like swap for an existing gas boiler, but the cost is unknown, with estimates ranging from 1,500 to 5,000. Advertisement

'We weren't able to get every country in the G20 to agree to language on unabated coal phase-out,' said Mr Sharma.

'For me, it is very disappointing and it was very disappointing for those countries who are supportive of this policy.'

The conference president said he 'completely accepted' that 'different countries start from different positions in terms of their energy mix' but pointed to the UK's own shift towards renewable energy.

'In the UK, 40% of our electricity was coming from coal power back in 2012 - we are now at less than 2%; it is going to be phased out completely by 2024.

'We've managed to grow the biggest offshore wind sector in the world and that's because we have put in place the right market mechanisms to allow the private sector to invest as well.

'It is certainly the case that unless we are going to get all countries signed up to unabated coal phase-out, then keeping 1.5C within reach will be extremely difficult.'

With the Covid-delayed Glasgow gathering less than 100 days away, Mr Sharma stressed that 'every day counts' and argued it was 'incumbent on every country to give their all to this process'.

'Ultimately, there is not going to be anywhere to hide at Cop26, each of us will be in the spotlight and we will only deliver this by working together,' he said.

Officials said yesterday that the first face-to-face climate talks among governments in over 18 months showed real engagement and possible areas of compromise ahead of the pivotal November summit.

But the two-day ministerial meeting in London also laid bare differences, especially over the future of coal, that must be bridged before the COP26 summit in Glasgow, they added.

The London talks came as nearly 200 nations started online negotiations yesterday to validate a UN science report that will anchor further meetings charged with preventing climate catastrophe ahead of Glasgow.

The UN's climate chief, Patricia Espinosa. hailed the 'extremely positive' discussions in London and the 'extraordinary' turnout from more than 50 governments including key players China, India and the United States.

'The dialogue has started, (but) there is a lot of homework to be done in the next 90-something days,' she said, arguing that 'landing zones' for compromise are becoming clearer in the runup to Glasgow.

Ms Stratton wrote: 'Did you know, according to COP26 principal partner Reckitt, who make Finish, you don't really need to rinse your dishes before they go into the dishwasher?' (stock image)

Mr Sharma stressed it was 'very disappointing' that G20 countries last week had failed to agree to phase out coal.

And more work is needed to meet a target of raising $100billion a year to help poorer countries combat climate change, he said, announcing that Canada and Germany would steer a new dialogue to that end.

Singapore and Norway will push further discussions on establishing carbon markets, Mr Sharma said, while Rwanda and Switzerland will oversee talks on common timeframes for nations' 'nationally determined contributions' to curb emissions.
Car bosses warned last night that the pingdemic threatens to put the brakes on Britain's motor industry after its weakest 'normal' June since 1953.

A total of 69,097 cars rolled off production lines last month  the worst June in 68 years apart from 2020 when factories were reopening after months of lockdown.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders blamed the slump on 'absenteeism as a result of staff being pinged' and a global shortage of microchips.

A total of 69,097 cars rolled off production lines last month  the worst June in 68 years apart from 2020 when factories were reopening after months of lockdown (stock image)

Harvest warning Farmers and growers are struggling to harvest crops because pickers are being required to self-isolate. In theory, critical workers in the food supply chain will be given an exemption to quarantine rules, however industry leaders have said the system is mired in complexity and confusion. Tom Bradshaw, vice-president of the National Farmers' Union, said there is 'real frustration' because growers do not know if they will have sufficient staff to pick crops, such as peas. 'When they're ready to harvest we've got to be able to harvest them... we have got businesses now that are under real pressure because people are having to self-isolate,' he said. Advertisement

Chief executive Mike Hawes called for urgent action to help employees stay at work.

He told the Daily Mail some firms are losing up to a third of their workers.

The SMMT said the poor June performance rounded off a 'turbulent first six months' for production in Britain, with the pandemic, post-Brexit trading rules and supply issues causing 'ongoing challenges'.

It stressed the pingdemic was 'putting production at risk and is another drag on the sector's recovery'.

The organisation also cited an independent study forecasting that the negative impact on planned UK car production due to the worldwide shortage of critical semiconductors could be as much as 100,000 units this year.

On the positive side, exports continued to sustain British car manufacturing with more than eight in ten (83.4%) models made in the UK so far this year shipped overseas - of which more than half (51.7%) headed into the EU.

The US is the UK's next most important global market (taking 18.8% of exports) followed by China (7.8%), Japan (1.9%) and Australia (1.8%).

UK production of pure electric electric cars, plug in hybrids (PHEV) and self-charging electric hybrid vehicles remained steady for the year-to-date with around a quarter (22.6%) of all cars alternatively fuelled.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders blamed the slump on 'absenteeism as a result of staff being pinged' and a global shortage of microchips (stock image)

But the SMMT warned: 'With the looming end of sale date for new petrol and diesel cars less than nine years away, the industry is challenged to accelerate the transition from fossil fuel to zero emission vehicles.

'This will require significant investment into vehicle manufacturing, battery production and supply chain transformation for which a clear commitment to enhancing UK automotive competitiveness is essential.'

A Government spokesperson said: 'Self-isolation remains an essential tool in our national efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

'We are working closely with businesses to help them understand how the exemption for named, critical workers operates and what to do if their staff are eligible.

'This is a short-term and highly focused measure intended to apply only in exceptional circumstances, with the core purpose of preventing significant harm to public welfare as a result of disruption to critical services.'
Two whistleblowers have accused the US Department of Health and Human Services of directing them to downplay the severity of a coronavirus outbreak among migrant children at a federal facility in Texas.

Arthur Pearlstein, a director at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and Lauren Reinhold, an attorney-adviser at the Social Security Administration, detailed their allegations in a complaint sent to four Congressional committees and government watchdogs on Wednesday.

They said the outbreak erupted at the Fort Bliss Emergency Intake Site, near El Paso, between April and June of this year.

The report describes how COVID-19 cases ran rampant with 'hundreds of children contracting the disease in overcrowded conditions which eventually spread to many employees'.

'Every effort was made to downplay the degree of COVID infection at the site, and the size of the outbreak was deliberately kept under wraps,' Pearlstein and Reinhold wrote in the report.

Whistleblowers have alleged migrant children at the Fort Bliss facility near El Paso, Texas are receiving poor care and were told to downplay a coronavirus outbreak there. The picture above was included in the whistleblower's report and used in a BBC News report in June

The whistleblowers are Arthur Pearlstein, a director at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and Lauren Reinhold, an attorney-adviser at the Social Security Administration

Pearlstein and Reinhold described themselves as 'career federal civil servants' and 'whistleblowers' who 'served as volunteer detailees at the Fort Bliss Emergency Intake Site from April through June 2021.'

Their report details how there was concern for the children in the tents known to contain coronavirus who were wearing basic disposable masks instead of N95 masks.

'Adequate masks were not consistently provided to children, nor was their use consistently enforced,' it states.

A manager justified such use as being 'unnecessary for the infected' despite uninfected staff working alongside the children.

The report references a town hall question and answer session with detailees where a senior US Public Health Service manager, when asked about the virus, refused to disclose how many infections were present fearing the media would instead be focused on the facility and its outbreak.

'If that graph [of infections] is going to The Washington Post every day, it's the only thing we'll be dealing with and politics will take over, perception will take over, and we're about reality, not perception,' the manager is alleged to have said.

According to a recent court filing, there were 327 children in medical isolation who had tested positive for Covid-19 at Fort Bliss, as of July 12, CNN reported.

Several children had to be hospitalized, according to the facility.

Other issues include a shortage of underwear and other clothes for the migrant children.

Hundreds of children are believed to have contracted the disease but the volunteer whistleblowers were allegedly told to keep the outbreak 'under wraps'

In March, the Biden administration let a handful of photographers into its main border detention facility for migrant children in Donna, Texas. 800 miles from Fort Bliss (file photo)

More than 4,000 migrants, including children and families, were seen crammed into pods, with the facility running at 1,700 percent capacity . This picture was taken in Donna, Texas rather than Fort Bliss, some 800 miles away

Some boys said they had no underwear at all, while most simply had only one pair with nothing to change into.

When the whistleblowers informed those in charge, they were told each time that 'shipments hadn't come in'.

At one meeting, they claimed a manager told them: 'We are aware there is a shortage of underwear, socks, and shoes, and management knows.'

The pair detailed how anxiety ran high among the children who 'did not know what to expect next' and they say they witnessed mismanagement by private contractors working at the facility.

The tents, officially referred to as Emergency Intake Shelters, (pictured above) were set up at Fort Bliss in El Paso in March to cater for unaccompanied migrant children amid an influx of those arriving at the US-Mexico border

The Fort Bliss facility can house about 5,000 beds. Photo courtesy of CBS4

Pearlstein and Reinhold said they personally spent 'hundreds' on books, games and other items for children in an attempt to improve conditions for them.

In one disturbing instance, construction workers are said to have 'lewdly and loudly gawked at girls as they walked outside to the meal tent.'

The whistleblower were shocked at witnessing such acts of sexual harassment but upon attempting to report the incident, managers 'resisted taking their complaints.'

In another case of bad management, 48 children who were told they were going home were waiting to get on a bus when they were instead pulled from the line and sent back to their tents.

The report describes how on several occasions, children who were already at the airport or even on planes were pulled from their flights to be told it was a mistake, to get off and returned to the facility.

The whistleblowers had to comfort the distressed children when they got back to Fort Bliss.

Monitored by a caretaker young unaccompanied migrants, ages 3-9, watch TV inside a playpen at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility, some 800 miles away from Fort Bliss (file photo)

When volunteers came to the end of their term at the facility they were given instructions from the HHS Public Affairs Office 'on how, when asked, to make everything sound positive about the Fort Bliss experience and to play down anything negative.'

The Government Accountability Project, an organization which serves to protect whistleblower, said: 'Pearlstein was primarily assigned to work on two teams while at Fort Bliss: performing clinical assessments on the Clinical Assessment Team; and working with small groups and individual children on the Mental Health/Wellness team.'

Reinhold 'worked in the girls' tent for the first half of her detail; and, during the second half, was on the Call Center Team, and worked in all tents.'

There is believed to be space for up to 6,000 migrants at Fort Bliss after the US military built six tents that can each hold up to 1,000 people.

Customs and Border Protection revealed that 188,829 migrants were stopped at the southwest border in June  a new 20-year high as the spike from March continues in an upward trajectory

The tents, officially referred to as Emergency Intake Shelters, were set up at Fort Bliss in El Paso in March to house unaccompanied migrants amid an influx arriving at the US-Mexico border.

The only images of the tents that have been made public have come from two lawmakers who visited Fort Bliss to inspect the intake shelters in the spring.

Joe Biden's administration promised in March that migrant families won't spend more than 72 hours in US facilities, but unaccompanied minors, on the other hand, shared declarations of months inside emergency shelters in deplorable conditions.

Several claim they have been at the shelters for 60 days or longer.

Most children in custody are from Northern Triangle countries  Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Children generally reported in their testimonials that they were only permitted outdoor recreation for 'as little as one hour daily.'

They also reported little to no privacy, limited calls to family and extreme boredom to the point of sleeping during the day to pass the time.

On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the border crisis still 'poses an ongoing and imminent threat of disaster for certain counties and agencies in the State of Texas.

'The border crisis is prevailing, with thousands of migrants crossing into the U.S. every day by surrendering themselves to Border Patrol and claiming they are seeking asylum.'

The system has quickly become overwhelmed, with limited space to house the migrants and limited staff to process them.

To help these overwhelmed immigration agencies, several states have sent law enforcement and members of their National Guard to assist with the high traffic areas between the US and Mexico.
A power company should be prosecuted for manslaughter over the death of a pineapple worker electrocuted on the job, the union claims.

Cody Smith, 25, died on July 14 after the harvester he was working on struck power lines on the farm in Bungundarra, north of Rockhampton in Central Queensland.

The Electrical Trades Union said initial reports suggested that electrical company Ergon was to blame and should be charged.

Cody Smith, 25, died on July 14 after the harvester he was working on struck conductor lines on a property in Bungundarra, north of Rockhampton

A stay wire was allegedly broken, lowering live conductors below legal heights to a level where Mr Smith's harvester hit them, killing him and injuring six others.

Emergency crews rushed to the farm and found Mr Smith still inside the vehicle. He was unable to be revived.

'The asset was inspected last year, but their inspection process is clearly deficient if assets can fail so badly that they cause fatalities,' union assistant state secretary, Stuart Traill told them Courier Mail.

Emergency services arrived at the scene, where Mr Smith was was unable to be revived, and the Electrical Trades Union has suggested that power company, Ergon should be charged with manslaughter

'People are getting injured and dying because of their (Ergon) refusal to maintain and upgrade assets'.

Mr Traill called on the Work Health and Safety Department and the Electrical Safety Office to investigate the incident and other faults across the electrical system in Queensland.

He said the union had been advocating for better maintenance on the type of conductors that killed Mr Smith for years.

Queensland Energy Minister Mick De Brenni said he was confident Ergon was cooperating fully with investigations.

'In regional Queensland, Ergon will invest $100m over and above the expenditure recommended by the Australian Energy Regulator on maintenance and upgrades to ensure the highest possible levels of safety and reliability,' he said.

Tributes for the keen fisherman poured in on social media from friends and family for Mr Smith on Thursday after his death, which devastated his home town of Yeppoon.

Queensland Energy Minister Mick De Brenni was confident that Ergon was cooperating fully into any investigation, while Union Assistant State Secretary, Stuart Traill said the company had 'blood on their hands' (stock)

'His wings have come way too early,' a family member wrote. 'RIP little brother.'

Mr Smith only recently returned to work at the pineapple farm before the accident claimed his life.

Friends posted a series of messages on social media remembering their 'great mate'.

'We lost a great mate and a brother to some. RIP legend, you're already missed mate,' one wrote.
An infected Sydney tradie who ignored border bans and travelled to Queensland where he triggered a major Covid scare has shown no remorse.

George Thompson, 26, was fined almost $10,000 for flouting lockdown laws and only escaped a criminal charge because police wanted to 'deal with it immediately'.

He insists he had no clue he had Covid and when asked if he understood why people were angry he said that reaction was 'fair enough' but he wasn't fazed by what others thought of him.

George Thompson (pictured) was supposed to be isolating in Sydney but instead took a cross-border holiday into Queensland

'I just wanted to get out of [Sydney]... let them think what they want,' he told Nine News.

He flew from Sydney - in the midst of the city's hard lockdown - to Ballina on the NSW North Coast, where he was met by Qantaslink flight attendant Malynda Gray, 36.

She then drove him across the border where he used someone else's details to check into venues around Brisbane.

He was then pinged as a close contact of Ms Gray when she tested positive for the Delta strain and was put into hotel quarantine for a day, tested, and moved to hospital.

Malynda Gray, aka Mel Waterhouse, 36, the Qantas flight attendant who helped NSW man George Thompson cross the border

Thompson was put in hotel quarantine in Brisbane where police said he opened the door to his room and verbally abused staff while not wearing a mask.

Thompson allegedly continued to open his door without wearing a face mask after being told he had the Delta strain.

Queensland authorities later found out NSW Health already told him he had Covid and that he was actually the one to infect Gray.

Thompson was tested after being a close contact of a Sydney case but instead of self-isolating for 14 days he made the interstate trip.

He was fined the nearly $10,000 for failing to comply with a border direction, providing false information and failing to comply with a direction from an emergency officer.

Police also issued Gray a $4,135 fine for failing to comply with a border direction for driving him into the state.

Gray, 36, who also goes by Mel Waterhouse, was previously revealed as the flight attendant who moved around in southeast Queensland for a week after getting Covid symptoms, The Courier-Mail reported.

She felt ill on July 13 but then visited several locations in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, including Dreamworld. She then tested positive Covid on July 22.

Police said she was not fully co-operative with contact tracers in detailing her movements. ABC News reported she also refused to give police Thompson's name.

On Thursday night, Queensland Health added another location to the list of exposure sites, the Black Swan Coffee at Q Super Centre in Mermaid Waters on the Gold Coast, between 1.40pm and 2pm on July 23.

Police used CCTV footage from a hotel in Caboolture that the pair visited on July 18 as they tried to identify Thompson.

Neither Gray nor Thompson were charged and police have not confirmed the nature of their relationship.

Gray picked up Thompson from Ballina on July 14 and drove him into Queensland, breaching Covid border restrictions and drawing a $4,000 fine

Thompson (pictured) was slapped with nearly $10,000 in fined because police didn't want to get bogged down in court

Gray in 2017 claimed to have dated cop killer Ricky Maddison, who gunned down Queensland policeman Brett Forte in 2017.

Maddison fired two full magazines at police cars during a pursuit from Toowoomba to the Lockyer Valley, killing Senior Constable Forte. He was later shot dead by police after a 20-hour siege.

It was earlier feared Gray spread the Delta strain across Queensland after she crewed on six Qantas Link flights to regional centres including Gladstone, Longreach and Hervey Bay on July 11 to 12.

Concerns were allayed when it became clear Gray likely contracted Covid from Thompson after she'd worked on the flights.

Thompson, 26, the Sydney tradie who was meant to be isolating in Sydney after being a close contact of a Covid case but instead travelled to Ballina to meet with Gray on July 14
The father of an eight-week-old baby boy stabbed to death at a house in Belfast has rushed back from England to be at the bedside of his two-year-old daughter as she fights for life in hospital.

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after the young siblings were stabbed.

Police and medics rushed to the house but sadly the baby could not be saved and was declared dead on scene.

His sister was rushed to hospital by ambulance crews and is in a life-threatening condition in intensive care.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have launched an investigation into what is understood to have been a domestic stabbing incident in Brompton Park.

The 29-year-old woman was arrested following the incident in the Ardoyne area of the city on Tuesday evening and remains in custody.

A 29-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an eight-week-old baby was reportedly stabbed to death and another was left serious injuries at a house in Belfast

Scene at Brompton Park in north Belfast where police have launched a murder investigation

Sinn Fein North Belfast MP John Finucane visited the scene on Wednesday.

He said: 'It was a very tragic situation which unfolded here in Ardoyne last night.

'It is my understanding that first responders entered a house, they found two young children very seriously injured and despite their best efforts one child died at the scene.

'Another child has been taken to hospital and is currently in a critical condition.

'Our hopes and prayers are that that child will pull through and make a full recovery.

'Police have arrested a 29-year-old woman, they have commenced a murder investigation also so I think that process has to take its own course.

Police forensics officers pictured at the scene and there is a large police presence in the area

'Everybody in the community, their thoughts are with the families that are directly affected by this.

'It is a tragic situation compounded by the fact that we are dealing with somebody who has died at such a young age.'

Mr Finucane added: 'I think there is a senselessness to it, I think people find it very difficult to try to comprehend the facts as they are being relayed and the facts as they are emerging.

'It is incredibly difficult and will obviously leave a mark on those who are most impacted by it, and all we can do is rally round those who need support at this time.

'This has been hugely impactful.

'There were neighbours who assisted and some people who would have witnessed scenes that they shouldn't have to witness.

'Ardoyne is a very proud community, it is a resilient community also and I have no doubt whatsoever that they will rally around each other at this very difficult time, they will provide help and assistance for those who need it.

'I would also just stress just for people to exercise caution and sensitivity in regards to what they would post or share on social media, there is a live murder investigation and people need to be respectful of that process as well.'

Police Service of Northern Ireland say a 29-year-old woman is in custody for questioning

A Police Service of Northern Ireland have said they are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident.

Det Ch Insp Millar from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Major Investigation Team said: 'Police were called to the house shortly after 8pm last night and discovered the injured baby and another injured child in the house.

'Despite the efforts of the emergency services the baby was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. The other young child was taken to hospital and remains in intensive care.

'A 29 year woman who was also in the house has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and remains in custody at this time.

Ambulance crews had earlier taken the two children to hospital following what is understood to have been a domestic stabbing incident at a home in Brompton Park in Belfast (pictured)

'Our thoughts are with the baby's family, who are being supported by Family Liaison Officers.

'While our investigation is at any early stage I can confirm that at this stage, we are not looking for anyone else in relation to this tragic death.

'I would like to thank the local community for the support that they have provided and would appeal to anyone with any information that can assist our investigation to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 1787 27/07/21.'

SDLP deputy leader and North Belfast MLA Nichola Mallon said the local community was in shock.

The scene in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast where police have launched a murder probe

'It is important that the PSNI are given the space and full co-operation to fully investigate this terrible incident,' she said.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 8.16pm on Tuesday.

A rapid response paramedic and two emergency crews attended.

People Before Profit councillor Fiona Ferguson said the news was 'truly devastating'.

'A wave of shock began in Brompton Park last night and spread out across north Belfast,' she said.

'After something so shocking, community solidarity, community support, rallying around each other is going to be absolutely paramount.'
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan says a first person has used the state's newly activated assisted dying laws.

The first person has used Western Australia's new voluntary assisted dying laws to end their life in what Premier Mark McGowan says is a historic moment for the state.

The person has not been identified and the family is asking for privacy.

"We passed these laws so terminally ill Western Australians, who are suffering, could have the compassionate choice to end their lives with dignity," Mr McGowan said on Thursday.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan says it is a historic moment for the state as a terminally ill man becomes the first person to use the state's new voluntary assisted dying laws

"I can only imagine what an emotional time it must have been for the person involved and their loved ones.

"Death is a difficult issue, and we don't like thinking about what the end of our lives may look like."

WA's new laws came into effect this month, with about 60 people expected to peacefully end their own lives within the next 12 months.

The state was the second after Victoria to activate voluntary assisted dying though new laws were recently passed by the South Australian and Tasmanian parliaments.

Under the WA scheme, terminally ill adults in pain and likely to have less than six months to live - or one year if they have a neurodegenerative condition - will be able to take a drug to end their lives if approved by two medical practitioners.

Mr McGowan said he was sure many people would find comfort in the fact they nor their loved ones would be forced to suffer needlessly at the end of their lives.

"That is why so many Western Australians fought so hard for so long to bring about these laws, and why the WA community supported them so emphatically," he said.
Gladys Berejiklian has admitted she should have locked down Sydney earlier as NSW suffered another 239 cases of Covid-19.

In a press conference on Thursday after the record infection increase, the premier was asked: 'Will you admit that your strategy has failed, that you have failed?

'You said the settings were right. That's not true and National Cabinet is going to decide a short, sharp, hard lockdown was the way.

'Can you see now that you made a mistake there? And the strategy is failing and this death of 1,000 cuts, a little bit of restrictions every day, is not working and you have to come down hard?'

Ms Berejiklian (pictured on Thursday) said of her strategy: 'With the benefit of hindsight it would be wonderful to know the alternative course'

After a pause in which she appeared shaken by the question from Sky News Australia's Andrew Clennell and perhaps close to tears, the crestfallen premier replied: 'Well, we have harsher restrictions in place than any other state has ever had.'

She described the highly contagious Delta strain as a 'game-changer' and later said: 'I'm never going to suggest we get everything right.'

Ms Berejiklian has faced criticism for refusing to impose lockdown until June 25, nine days after Sydney's outbreak began on June 16.

Health workers take swab samples from residents at a Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic in Sydney

Sydney's lockdown will last until the end of August. Pictured: A dog walker in Sydney on Thursday

Other states have shown that locking down 'hard and early' can snuff out the virus and reduce the length of the shutdown.

Victoria has just removed restrictions after a two-week lockdown and South Australia has released residents from a one-week shutdown.

'I don't think any government around the world can say they get everything right because there's no rulebook,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'I'm the first one to admit at every stage of the process in the last 18 months, with the benefit of hindsight it would be wonderful to know the alternative course. We'll never know that.'

An emotional Gladys Berejiklian admitted she should have locked down Sydney earlier as NSW recorded another 239 cases of Covid-19 on Thursday

Sydneysiders in protective face masks walk through the almost deserted city centre during lockdown

Prime Minister Scott Morrison originally backed Ms Berejiklian when she refused to lockdown in June - but he now says locking down hard and early over just a few cases is the best move to combat the highly infectious Delta strain.

'It is clear that the best response in these circumstances with the Delta variant is that approach. I think that is fairly obvious,' he said on Wednesday.

'There is a clear learning here, and that is the approach that I would expect states would follow in the future.'

Sydney's lockdown has been extended until at least August 27 as cases continue to rise.

The city's 239 new local cases is a higher figure than NSW's previous daily record of 212 on March 28, 2020.

At least 70 of the new locally-acquired cases - which were found from a NSW pandemic-record 110,962 tests overnight - were infectious in the community.

NSW Health also confirmed the death of another two of the state's residents from Covid-19 - a woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s from south-western Sydney.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured on Thursday morning) originally backed Ms Berejiklian when she refused to lockdown in June - but he now says locking down hard and early over just a few cases is the best move

Pictured: Police patrol Bondi Beach during lockdown which has been extended throughout August

Neither of them were vaccinated against the virus. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said 25 per cent of the state's residents over the age of 70 had yet to receive their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

There are now 182 patients suffering from the virus in hospitals across the state - 54 of whom are in intensive care and 22 are on a ventilator.

Dr Chant said 17 of the patients in intensive care (31 per cent) were under the age of 40 - including two in their teens, eight in their 20s and three in their 40s - dispelling the idea the virus was an 'old person's disease'.

Just a day after extending the city's stay-at-home lockdown for another four weeks, Ms Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in one of eight hotspot LGAs in the west and south-western suburbs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home.

Those areas are Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

Masked south-west Sydney residents are pictured at Canterbury Hospital in Sydney's south-west on Thursday. The city's two million residents living in a hotspot LGA in the west and south-western suburbs will now have to wear a mask whenever they leave home

Thursday's spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic

HOW SYDNEY'S TOUGHER LOCKDOWN RULES WILL AFFECT YOU In the eight hotspot LGAs from 12am on Saturday, July 31 (Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta): Residents must wear a mask whenever leaving the home, including when they are outdoors. The travel limit for essential exercise and shopping has been reduced to 5km from 10km. Those in a 'singles bubble' with another person must follow the same travel restriction. Across NSW: The penalty for breaking mask restrictions will increase from $200 to $500 Advertisement

'If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn't matter where it is,' she said.

'We're seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to.'

Penalties for not wearing a face mask across the city meanwhile will increase from $200 to $500, with thousands of police officers deployed across Greater Sydney to enforce the tightened restrictions.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in those LGAs also cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.
Unvaccinated Australians could soon be banned from pubs and restaurants like they are in parts of Europe as lockdowns cripple hospitality businesses across Sydney.

France on Monday introduced laws that will from early August require vaccine certificates or a negative Covid test result for anyone entering a public, indoor setting.

Similar rules came into effect in Greece on July 16, stopping anyone being served at indoor restaurants, bars and cafes unless they could prove they had been immunised.

A swathe of European nations including Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, Austria, Italy and Spain require proof of vaccination for customers to be served, or are at least planning to.

With Sydney's lockdowns now extended for yet another for weeks until August 28, restaurant owners have had enough with 24 per cent of them telling Deliveroo's HospoVitality Index Report they should have the right to know a customer's vaccination status and be allowed to refuse service during an outbreak.

Unvaccinated Australians could soon be banned from pubs and restaurants like they are in parts of Europe as lockdowns cripple hospitality businesses across Sydney. France (pictured is a restaurant at Deaville, on July 27, 2021) has introduced laws that will from early August require Covid vaccine certificates for anyone entering a public, indoor setting

A majority, or 53 per cent, of the 500 restaurant owners surveyed online Australia-wide were concerned about serving unvaccinated customers.

Ed McManus, the chief executive of ride delivery group Deliveroo Australia, said that once local vaccination rates approached those of Europe, Australia needed to consider in late 2021 the idea of vaccination certificates to be served at restaurants.

'It is absolutely the right debate to have in Australia,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.

'As a society, we've got to make some choices and trade-offs. In my opinion, that route out of lockdown and route back to the lives we used to lead is dependent on vaccination.

'Some people in society won't like this but I'm pro-vaccine, I'm vaccinated: it's the right thing to do, it's the patriotic thing to do.

'It's not an invasion of your civil liberties to be asked to produce a vaccine passport.'

Ed McManus, the chief executive of ride delivery group Deliveroo Australia, said that once local vaccination rates approached those of Europe, Australia needed to consider in late 2021 the idea of vaccination certificates to be served at restaurants

Deliveroo commissioned polling group YouGov to survey restaurant owners before Sydney went into lockdown on June 26, which saw hospitality venues restricted to serving takeaway food.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has extended Sydney's lockdown for another four weeks until at least August 28 and overnight, a record 239 new cases of the more deadly Indian Delta strain were recorded.

On the other side of the world, in the French city of Bordeaux, patrons on Thursday morning, Australian time, were seen dining at The Charles Dickens pub and bar without wearing any face masks ahead of new vaccination certificate laws coming into effect.

The rules will be expanded from September 30 to cover everyone aged 12 and over.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has extended Sydney's lockdown (pictured is Martin Place in the city on July 28) for another four weeks until at least August 28 and overnight, a record 239 new cases of the more deadly Indian Delta strain were recorded

Sydney's eight council areas under tighter lockdown Parramatta Georges River Campbelltown Fairfield Blacktown Canterbury-Bankstown Liverpool Cumberland Advertisement

As part of the French 'health passes', those wishing to dine in at a restaurant or pub or visit a cinema or museum, with 50 or more people, need to prove they have either had a Covid vaccination or tested negative to coronavirus.

In France, 52 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, unlike Australia where just 18 per cent of those aged 16 and over had received two doses as of July 28, Department of Health data showed.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce is also in favour of vaccine certificates to board flights.

'Internationally we absolutely will [require passengers be vaccinated], and that's becoming a standard around the world,' he told ABC radio on Thursday.

In Sydney, two million residents in eight local government areas in the city's west and south-west, are now banned from leaving home for work, unless they work in the health, aged care or emergency services sectors.

The outbreak has reduced vaccine hesitancy, with just 14.6 per cent of people in NSW reluctant to get a jab as of July 23, down from 32.9 per cent at the end of May, a Melbourne Institute survey of 1,200 adults found.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has linked the AstraZeneca vaccine to six, blood clot-related deaths, with the probability of a fatality rate as one in 2.5million.

On the other side of the world, in the French city of Bordeaux (Le Brixton pub pictured), patrons were on Thursday morning, Australian time, seen dining without wearing any face masks ahead of new vaccination certificate laws coming into effect

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in June recommended AstraZeneca for those under 60, which heightened vaccine hesitancy as people of all age groups waited for sufficient Pfizer doses to arrive in September.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on June 28 announced doctors would be legally indemnified if they administered AstraZeneca and a patient had an adverse reaction.

But with Covid case numbers surging, the NSW government this week announced AstraZeneca would be administered at walk-in clinics.

With Australia closed to non-citizens and non-residents until at least 2022, Mr McManus said restaurants were struggling to even recruit baristas and called for a special hospitality visa once immigration resumed.

Before Sydney went into lockdown, the national jobless rate fell to 4.9 per cent for the first time in a decade and job vacancies were at a 12-year high.
Under fire: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian made some questionable remarks at her daily press conference on Thursday

Gladys Berejiklian has been accused of lying when she claimed Sydney has the toughest Covid restrictions Australia has ever seen - given Melbourne's lockdown night curfews and compulsory outdoors masks and South Australia's harsh recent restrictions.

The NSW Premier announced on Thursday that 239 cases of Covid-19 were recorded overnight, a pandemic record for Greater Sydney.

That included 70 cases that were infectious in the community from 110,962 tests - another milestone, and one that has resulted in further restrictions in the city's west and south-west.

But the beleaguered Premier was swiftly called out on social media when she claimed at her daily press conference that NSW has the harshest rules of any Australian jurisdiction so far.

The remark came after Sky News journalist Andrew Clennell demanded Ms Berejiklian admit her strategy had failed to stop the spread of Delta variant, dooming the city to at least four more weeks of lockdown, but possibly more.

Clennell asked: 'Will you admit... the strategy is failing and this death of 1,000 cuts, a little bit of restrictions every day, is not working and you have to come down hard?'

Ms Berejiklian responded that Sydney's mobility data showed the population was abiding by the restrictions, and claimed: 'Well, we have harsher restrictions in place than any other state has ever had.'

MELBOURNE: During Australia's longest lockdown of 2020, residents were required to wear masks outside (above, at St Kilda) - and police were never far away

ADELAIDE: South Australia's lockdown earlier this month saw the introduction of the nation's harshest ever restrictions, including a 2.5km exercise limit. Above, testing queues in the 'city of churches'

Veteran journalist Janine Perrett tweeted in response: 'Will NSW Premier stop saying these are the harshest measures anywhere Australia has ever seen as it is blatantly untrue.'

Punter Dianne Kaines erupted: 'I'm incandescent with rage. What an out and out LIE.'

During last year's second wave, all Melbourne residents were required by law to wear masks outdoors. They were restricted from travelling more than 5km from home and required to be at home at night due to a curfew.

Meanwhile, Premier Daniel Andrews erected a 'ring of steel' around the city to prevent the spread of the virus into the regions and other states.

Likewise, South Australian residents briefly had even stricter restrictions imposed on them - including an onerous 2.5km exercise limit - during that state's brief lockdown earlier this month.

The NSW Government has long resisted similar measures, although Ms Berejiklian announced today that she will require masks to be worn outside the home at all times in eight Local Government Areas of concern.

That applies for Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

The Premier also said the state's vaccination rate was 'higher' than other states.

'Whilst we're going through a very difficult time in NSW, let's think about a period of time when potentially, if we live more free than any other state, because our vaccination rates are higher,' Ms Berejiklian said.

There have been 3.7 million vaccine doses delivered in NSW between federal and state programs, compared to 3.2 million in Victoria.

One Twitter user remarked: 'Lets imagine our way out of this crisis? No wonder things are so bad with this kind of leadership (sic)'.

Added a second: 'The hubris of this woman is infuriating.'

A woman in activewear runs along the beachfront in Bronte in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Wednesday. Greater Sydney is almost five weeks into a strict stay at home lockdown to stop the spread of the highly-contagious Delta Covid-19 variant

Today's spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic.

NSW Health also confirmed the death of another two of the state's residents from Covid-19 - a woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s from south-western Sydney.

Neither of them were vaccinated against the virus.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said 25 per cent of the state's residents over the age of 70 had yet to receive their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

There are now 182 patients suffering from the virus in hospitals across the state (up 17 from Wednesday) - of which 54 are in intensive care and 22 are on a ventilator.

Dr Chant said 17 of the patients in intensive care (31 per cent) were under the age of 40 - including two in their teens, eight in their 20s and three in their 40s.

Just a day after extending the city's stay-at-home lockdown for another four weeks, Ms Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in one of eight hotspot LGAs in the west and south-western suburbs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home.

Those areas are Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

'If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn't matter where it is,' she said.

'We're seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to.'

Penalties for not wearing a face mask across the state meanwhile will increase from $200 to $500.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in those LGAs also cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.

'These harsh measures are the harshest Australia has ever faced in a lockdown,' she said.

HOW SYDNEY'S TOUGHER LOCKDOWN RULES WILL AFFECT YOU In the eight hotspot LGAs (Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta): Residents must wear a mask whenever leaving the home, including when they are outdoors. The travel limit for essential exercise and shopping has been reduced to 5km from 10km. Those in a 'singles bubble' with another person must follow the same travel restriction. Across NSW: The penalty for breaking mask restrictions will increase from $200 to $500 Advertisement

'The Delta strain is different to anything we have seen,' she said.

'I appreciate whilst all of us are under stress and pressure with the lock down, if you live in those eight local government areas, we are asking so much of you.'

Health officials said 104 of the new cases - almost half - were found in south-west Sydney, while 58 were detected in the city's west.

Another 51 though - up from 20 on Wednesday - were found in the central Sydney local health district in a worrying sign the outbreak has broken containment lines in the western suburbs and was moving back east.

The outbreak began on June 16 when an airport transport worker tested positive to Covid-19 in the city's eastern suburbs.

Thursday's spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic

She replied: 'I'm never going to suggest we get everything right.'

The state leader has faced criticism for refusing to impose stay-at-home orders in Greater Sydney until June 26, 10 days after the city's outbreak began.

Victoria has just removed restrictions after a two-week lockdown and South Australia has released residents from a one-week shutdown.

'I don't think any government around the world can say they get everything right because there's no rulebook,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'I'm the first one to admit at every stage of the process in the last 18 months, with the benefit of hindsight it would be wonderful to know the alternative course. We'll never know that.'
Qantas is set to make coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for all international travellers when Australia's borders reopen.

The airline's boss Alan Joyce has flagged mirroring requirements in Israel, Iceland and some European countries when overseas travel returns on a larger scale.

'Internationally we absolutely will and that's becoming a standard around the world,' he told ABC radio on Thursday.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce is set to make vaccination mandatory for international travellers once Australian borders reopen

Mr Joyce said he started lobbying governments in March to put his workers in a high-priority category for immunisation.

'We believe that COVID vaccination should be a requirement for all aviation workers,' he said.

The company is surveying its workers to determine how many have had the jab.

Mr Joyce lobbied for aviation workers to be placed in a high priority vaccination category in March

The Transport Workers' Union is calling for Qantas to ensure all workers in the company's supply chain are immunised without losing pay.

A TWU survey of 800 aviation workers showed a third were fully vaccinated while many had trouble getting access to the jab.

Union secretary Michael Kaine accused Qantas of acting like a dictator over a problem that should have been solved by the federal government.

'The problem is not that workers aren't getting vaccinated,' he said.

'The problem is that many workers either can't get access to the vaccine or are finding that when booking vaccine appointments in advance they risk losing work ahead of rosters getting published.'

A Qantas spokeswoman told AAP the company provided all employees with eight hours' paid vaccination leave.

The airline is set follow the lead of Israel, Iceland and other European countries requirements for vaccinated overseas travellers

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is opposed to mandatory vaccinations and warned companies could be breaking employment laws if it became a requirement.

'It's the wrong decision for Australia. It's just not how we do things,' he told 3AW radio.

Mr Morrison believes high vaccination rates will be achieved without forcing people to have the jab.

'You can't make compulsory things that aren't able to be made compulsory under our laws,' he said.

'Any decisions that companies make have to be consistent with our laws and particularly our employment laws.'

Federal and state government agreed to make vaccinations mandatory for aged care workers because of the high risk more residents would die if another outbreak hit nursing homes.

The Qantas chief executive also flagged more repatriation flights from a wide range of locations including Istanbul and Islamabad.

Mr Joyce said a voyage from Santiago to Darwin would be one of the longest flights the airline had conducted.
A coastal town more than 100km from Sydney that has zero Covid cases should not still be locked down for another month, its furious mayor insists.

Shellharbour, just south of Wollongong an hour from Sydney, has been free of coronavirus since since a casual contact report in mid-June.

However, it was locked down along with Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and the Central Coast and is staring at months of shutdown.

Mayor Marianne Saliba lashed out NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian in a series of outraged Facebook pasts and media statements.

Shellharbour City Council Mayor Marianne Saliba has blasted NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian demanding that the city be released from lockdown restrictions

'We condemn the decision to include the City of Shellharbour in Public Health Orders that extend the stay-at-home requirements for a further four weeks,' she said in a joint statement with local state MP Gareth Ward.

The pair also condemned the government lifting restrictions in NSW central-west, where a few towns were briefly locked down over a Covid scare.

Country town Orange went into a seven-day lockdown on July 20 after a pet food driver infected a local factory worker.

'In contrast, the Central West has been released from lockdown when its last known case was 20 July,' the two politicians continued.

Shellharbour Mayor has continued her tirade against NSW Premier on Facebook in a series of posts

Mayor Saliba has written to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard demanding answers to Shellharbour City remaining in lockdown despite no COVID cases since a casual contact in mid June

'The people of Shellharbour should be rewarded for their hard work and following the rules. Our community should not be treated differently to other parts of the state.'

Mayor Saliba also wrote to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard demanding Shellharbour City be immediately released from lockdown.

'The inconsistency, the double standards, the lack of transparency and absence of communication demonstrated by the NSW Government and NSW Health in the mishandling of the Covid-19 lockdown in Shellharbour City is absolutely appalling,' he wrote.

'Treat Shellharbour City the same as you have other parts of the state.'

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) has added tighter restrictions that include Shellharbour but has welcomed back construction in non-occupied setting which is set to begin on July 31

Mayor Saliba and Mr Ward requested a meeting with Mr Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Kerry Cahnt to discuss the issue.

Six million people in Sydney and surrounds including Shellharbour are from Friday limited to shopping within their local council or 10km from their homes.

However, construction in non-occupied settings will restart from midnight on Saturday.

Tradespeople, including cleaners who are able to work with zero contact with residents, will also be allowed to resume.
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert reportedly threw a COVID-19 mask at a House staffer who tried to hand her one after Congress reinstated its face covering mandate.

The Colorado lawmaker, who has publicly opposed vaccines and downplayed the devastating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, tossed the mask into the face of a Democratic congressional staffer on Wednesday, Politico and ABC News reported.

She sought to clarify the incident in a tweet hours later, writing: 'The same Democrat staffer who tried to hand me that face muzzle just tried to voice vote on our motion to adjourn.

'Democrats always find a way for ineligible people to cast a vote.'

She also attacked the reinstated mask mandate as 'anti-science' and 'totalitarian' in another tweet.

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert reportedly threw a COVID-19 face mask at a House staffer who tried to hand her one on Wednesday morning

Boebert had thrown the mask into the face of a Democratic congressional staffer

She also attacked the mask mandate as 'anti-science' and 'totalitarian'

Boebert's outburst at the staffer was first reported by Sarah Ferris of Politico and Ben Siegel of ABC News.

'Wow. GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert just threw a mask in the face of a floor staffer when she came to the floor not wearing one, per someone watching the exchange,' Ferris tweeted.

Meanwhile, Siegel tweeted: 'Rep. Lauren Boebert just threw a mask back at a Democratic floor staffer who tried to give her one, per source on the House floor who saw it happen.'

The House reinstated its mask mandate amid a surge of the Delta variant, after Congress' attending physician Dr. Brian P. Monahan said in a memo late on Tuesday night that he was recommending the change.

'For all House Office Buildings, the Hall of the House, and House Committee Meetings, wearing of a well-fitted, medical grade, filtration face mask is required when an individual is in an interior space and other individuals are present,' the memo read.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had released a new guidance on Tuesday urging vaccinated people in some parts of the US to wear masks indoors in public areas like the Capitol.

Many Republicans have complained that such government edicts infringe on individual liberties.

'Mask and vaccine mandates: Bullying, Controlling, Unconstitutional, Threats to Liberty!' Republican Representative Jody Hice of Georgia tweeted on Wednesday morning.

Boebert's attack on the staffer was first reported by Sarah Ferris of Politico and Ben Siegel of ABC News

Tempers continued to flare after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly called Republican opposition to the directive 'moronic'.

Pelosi stopped short of confirming a report based on garbled audio that she called Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the top House Republican, 'such a moron.'

'The Speaker believes that saying a mask requirement is 'not a decision based on science' is moronic,' Drew Hammill, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, said in reference to a tweet from McCarthy.

In his tweet, McCarthy had said: 'Make no mistake - The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.'

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell warned of a repeat of last year's rising caseloads and shutdowns if people refuse to protect themselves from the coronavirus

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the upper chamber, urged Americans last week to get vaccinated against COVID-19 while warning of a repeat of last year's rising caseloads and shutdowns if people refuse to protect themselves from the coronavirus.

McConnell also urged Americans to ignore 'demonstrably bad advice' coming from pundits and anti-vaxxers. As cases skyrocket, he noted nearly all new virus hospitalizations nationwide are among people who have not been vaccinated.

Since early in the pandemic, mask-wearing and vaccinations have been U.S. political flashpoints, with Republicans, encouraged by former President Donald Trump, resisting and Democrats urging compliance with medical advice.

Some 57.6 percent of Americans have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with the lowest rates across the heavily Republican U.S. Southeast.

Four of the five US states with the lowest vaccination rates have Republican governors: Mississippi, Idaho, Wyoming and Alaska, according to a Reuters COVID tracker. The governor of the fifth state, Louisiana, is a Democrat.

Democrats have urged Republican governors including Ron DeSantis to resume COVID-19 reporting after several states had scaled back publishing the statistics this month.

The shift to weekly instead of daily reporting in Florida, Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota - all led by Republican governors - marked a notable shift during the pandemic.

The move has deprived the public of real-time information on outbreaks, cases, hospitalizations and deaths in their communities.

Coronavirus dashboards have become a staple for Americans closely tracking case counts and trends to navigate a crisis that has killed more than 600,000 people in the United States.
A man who allegedly punched a police horse at Sydney's anti-lockdown protest will be kept behind bars after refusing to take a Covid-19 test.

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 last Saturday as part of the 'Rally 4 Freedom march'.

He'd been hit with a string of charges including affray, committing an act of cruelty upon an animal, and breaching a Covid-19 restriction.

Pulkownik was set to appear via video link at the Central Local Court on Thursday morning but Magistrate Mark Richardson told the court he couldn't leave his cell due to his refusal to have a Covid swab, the ABC reported.

Having been at the protest with thousands of others while Sydney is experiencing record high case numbers means the 33-year-old could be at risk of contracting the virus.

He is now being kept in isolation at the Parklea Correctional Centre and his case will return to court on August 11.

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

'Your client is refusing to be tested, your client is in custody and a risk to others as he could be Covid positive and is in isolation,' Mr Richardson told Pulkownik's legal team.

'And they (Parklea Correctional Centre) are not prepared to put him on screen.'

His barrister Hollie Blake complained that it was being made 'impossible' to see her client while he was kept in isolation.

Magistrate Richardson said she could submit an application to the Supreme Court to see him as he didn't have the authority to provide access himself.

His lawyer Tony Nikolic outside court said he'd only spoken to Pulkownik once over the phone since the protest and that wasn't enough time to make a bail application.

'The fact perhaps Covid may be an issue, I'm sure we've got the technology out there these days to get a telephone in a plastic bag, wipe it down,' he said.

Earlier, before Pulkownik's scheduled hearing on Tuesday, Mr Nikolic said he had been unable to contact his client.

Mr Nikolic said his client's mother, who has a heart condition, was 'worried sick' about her son's well-being.

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.

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

'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.

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.

Tobruk pictured recovering in his stable on Saturday evening. The accused allegedly used unlawful violence against the horse and faces four separate charges
Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has said she will not support a $3.5trillion spending plan that was already facing a knife-edge split along party lines.

Democrats had been hoping to pass the massive spending bill through the Senate without the help of Republicans that have vowed to oppose.

The senate is already split 50-50 so Sinema's refusal to back the Democrat's bill could mean the party will be forced to scale back some of their ambitious plans in the bill to bring down the overall cost.

'I support many of the goals in this proposal to continue creating jobs, growing American competitiveness, and expanding economic opportunities for Arizonans  I do not support a bill that costs $3.5trillion,' Sinema said in a statement Wednesday.

Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema has come out in opposition to President Joe Biden's $3.5trillion budget 'reconciliation' package. She is pictured speaking on Wednesday night

It led to progressive Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to criticize her on Twitter.

'Good luck tanking your own party's investment on childcare, climate action, and infrastructure while presuming you'll survive a 3 vote House margin  especially after choosing to exclude members of color from negotiations and calling that a "bipartisan accomplishment,"' Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

Sinema is a centrist who has alienated some Democrats who consider her unpredictable.

If passed, the plan would see a huge influx of cash aimed at educational initiatives including universal pre-kindergarten, an expansion to Medicare and even measures to help counter the effects of climate change.

'I would say that if the bipartisan infrastructure bill falls apart, everything falls apart,' West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, one of his chambers most conservative Democrats, warned reporters this week.

Sinema's remarks led to progressive Democratic Senator from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to criticize her on Twitter

That could well prove an overstatement, since moderates like him will face enormous pressure from Biden, Schumer and others to back the $3.5 trillion package, whatever the bipartisan plan's fate. But it illustrates a balancing act between centrists and progressives that top Democrats must confront.

But on Wednesday evening there were signs of cross-party collaboration with Sinema among key Democrats negotiating a separate bipartisan $1.2trillion infrastructure bill which managed to draw 17 Republicans alongside in a Senate test vote.

The vote was 67 to 32. A total of 60 votes were needed to break a Republican filibuster, meaning Democrats who control the 50-50 Senate needed support of at least 10 Republicans.

The GOP contingent came despite former President Donald Trump ripping Republicans who worked out the deal as 'RINOs' and called the deal a 'loser'  and threatening to run primaries against them.

Among them were Sens. James Risch of Idaho, Todd Young of Alaska, Michael Crapo of Idaho, Roy Blunt of Missouri, and Sen. Kevin Carmer of North Dakota, in addition to the GOP negotiators Trump mocked. Trump's threat came a day after his favored candidate lost in a Texas special election.

The votes came even as some of the final details of the agreement remained under wraps  but after verbal commitments by negotiators.

'I think the strength of our vote tonight showed that we have support from both parties from folks who are fiscally responsible, fiscally conservative,' Sinema said to journalists.

'It might take some long nights, it might eat into our weekends, but we are going to get the job done, and we are on track' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said.

Schumer has expressed hope both bills might pass through the Senate before the chamber's summer recess begins during the second week of August.

Biden on Wednesday trumpeted an agreement in broad terms as proving 'democracy can function.'

It came after negotiators reached a breakthrough in months-long talks, prompting President Joe Biden to praise the deal.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined a protest outside the White House last month where she demanded that Biden include more climate initiatives in the package

Sen Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. has expressed hope both bills might pass through the Senate before the chamber's summer recess begins during the second week of August

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell late Wednesday announced that he would vote for a key procedural motion to get to the bill, based on a commitment that the latest deal would become the main text that came up for debate.

Biden promoted the $1.2trillion agreement after helping hammer out the agreement with a group of Senate Democrats and Republicans  with an even bigger budget package that Republicans fiercely oppose waiting in the wings.

'I am pleased to join a bipartisan group of United States Senators and announce our deal to make the most significant long-term investment in our infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century,' Biden said in a statement hours after Republican Sen. Rob Portman first announced an agreement on the main issues.

'This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, deliver, and do big things. As we did with the transcontinental railroad and the interstate highway, we will once again transform America and propel us into the future,' Biden said.

''This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function,' said President Joe Biden, after a bipartisan group announced a deal on infrastructure

'This deal makes key investments to put people to work all across the countryin cities, small towns, rural communities, and across our coastlines and plains.'

Biden spoke after the negotiators reached agreement on the major components of a $1.2trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, clearing the way for a procedural vote on Wednesday to move toward formal debate and passage, a Republican lawmaker said.

Former President Donald Trump, who has fashioned himself into a vital force in the Republican Party, trashed the deal one again Wednesday night.

'Hard to believe our Senate Republicans are dealing with the Radical Left Democrats in making a so-called bipartisan bill on 'infrastructure,' with our negotiators headed up by SUPER RINO Mitt Romney,' Trump said in a statement.

'This will be a victory for the Biden Administration and Democrats, and will be heavily used in the 2022 election. It is a loser for the USA, a terrible deal, and makes the Republicans look weak, foolish, and dumb. It shouldn't be done.'

Trump said it would lead to the 'continued destruction' of the country  even as lawmakers touted its provisions for new broadband, clean drinking water, and new roads.

'Don't do it RepublicansPatriots will never forget! If this deal happens, lots of primaries will be coming your way!' he warned.

'We now have agreement on the major issues. We are prepared to move forward,' Senator Rob Portman, the lead Republican negotiator in infrastructure talks, told reporters after a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Portman said the bill would be paid for, meaning it would not have a negative budget impact.

The deal brings possible action on a major spending priority for the president, who has long touted his decades spent in the Senate and his ability to bring Democrats and Republicans to the table.

It includes $550billion in new infrastructure spending, a figure that grows to $1 trillion when other planned projects are included. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said there was $65billion on broadband and broadband affordability, NBC reported.

It would include $66billion for rail, and $55billion for drinking water. According to the White House, the deal would get paid for through unspent funds from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, plus user fees and even efforts to crack down on enforcement of taxes on transactions involving cryptocurrencies.

Biden touted the breakthrough at a speech in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania.

'I was just on the phone  looks like they reached a bipartisan agreement,' Biden said.

He said the infrastructure deal was a 'fancy word for bridges roads, transit systems, high speed internet ...' and other programs. He touted projects for capping so-called 'orphan wells.

'I'm working with Democrats and Republicans to get this done,' he said, even though there is a 'a lot we don't agree on.'

He then went on to tout his separate 'Build Back Better' plan, which includes 'human infrastructure' projects he wants to use through a special budget procedure. He singled out universal pre-K, community college, child care, and paid leave.

Republican Senators Rob Portman of Ohio (R), Mitt Romney of Utah (2-R), Susan Collins of Maine (C), Bill Cassidy of Louisiana (2-L) and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska (L) announce an agreement on infrastructure following a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 28 July 2021

Details of the legislation were still being finalized. But the Ohio Republican predicted that legislative text for the bill would be completed later on Wednesday, when the Senate was expected to hold a 'cloture' vote to move forward on the package after months of talks.

The procedural vote would simply limit debate on whether the Senate should begin considering a bipartisan infrastructure investment bill, thought to be in the range of $1.2trillion.

Four other Republican negotiators joined Portman, including Senator Lisa Murkowski, who said the agreement showed Republicans and Democrats in the often divided U.S. Congress 'can come together over really hard stuff to negotiate in good faith to broker an agreement.'

Also appearing with Portman, a former top White House aide, House member, and White House trade advisor, were Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Susan Collins of Maine.

Cassidy appeared to take a shot at former President Donald Trump, who ripped negotiators as 'RINOS' and urged Republicans to oppose it.

'I am amazed that there's some who oppose this just because they think that if you ever get anything done, somehow it's a sign of weakness,' he said. 'I have no clue what they mean. My state has been impacted more than any other state by flooding and natural disasters these past two years.'

The agreement includes $110billion for roads, $65billion to expand broadband access and $47billion for environmental resiliency, the lawmakers said.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) departs from a closed door meeting on infrastructure between White House officials and a bipartisan group of Senators on June 22, 2021 in Washington, DC. She says she spoke to President Biden about the latest agreement

President Joe Biden has made an infrastructure bill one of his top legislative priorities

It falls short of Biden had initially sought  but the White House is still in negotiations with lawmakers about a separate 'reconciliation' package that contains liberal funding priorities.

'Senators continue to make good progress,' Democrat Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor.

He had threatened to keep the Senate out of a planned recess until a deal gets done.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the Senate GOP whip, told reporters Tuesday there are 'a number of our members who want to get to yes' but have concerns.

It will require 60 votes in the evenly split 50-50 Senate to proceed to consideration of the legislation, meaning support from both parties. That would launch a potentially days-long process to consider the bill, and any possible amendments.

Before the announcement, Murkowski told reporters: 'I think that there is a strong, solid number of folks on both sides of the aisle that want to get on to an infrastructure package.'

Democrats hope to pass this month or early next month whatever measure is agreed upon in the bipartisan negotiations.

Even if the deal clears the Senate, with some key senators indicating they are willing to move to it, the deal would have to make it through the House, where the Democratic majority is in control.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she won't act on the package until the larger reconciliation package is also sewn up.
NSW had 239 fresh cases on Thursday, with 70 infectious in the community

Sydney's Covid-19 cases are remaining high because people are failing to get tested as soon as they show symptoms, NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant says.

Of the 239 new Covid cases recorded in NSW on Thursday morning, 70 people were active in the community throughout their infectious period - a figure Dr Chant says could be avoided.

She said Covid-positive people are waiting too long to get tested, and have likely already spread the virus before they're told to isolate.

Pictured: People lining up at a Covid clinic in Sydney on Thursday. NSW recorded 239 new cases

'The issues that we want to reinforce with the community is coming forward for testing quickly,' Dr Chant said during the daily press conference.

'We are still finding that people are delaying getting a test and that means that by the time we find them, everyone in the household is positive and then also it means unknowingly, everyone is actually out in the community infectious.'

A record of 110,962 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday, but Premier Gladys Berejiklian believes the situation is set to worsen.

While speaking with Kyle and Jackie 'O' on KIIS FM on Thursday morning, she echoed Dr Chant's sentiments and said too many people were out in the community while infectious.

'So many people have been infectious in the community day on day on day,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'It just keeps the ripple effect going.'

Chief health officer Kerry Chant says people in Sydney aren't getting tested as soon as they show symptoms

Health officials said 104 of the new cases on Thursday - almost half - were found in southwest Sydney, while 58 were detected in the city's west.

Another 51 though - up from 20 on Wednesday - were found in the central Sydney local health district in a worrying sign the outbreak has broken containment lines in the western suburbs and is moving back east.

There are now 182 patients suffering from the virus in hospitals across the state - 54 in intensive care with 22 on a ventilator.

Dr Chant said 17 of the patients in intensive care were under the age of 40 - including two in their teens and eight in their 20s.

Just a day after extending the city's stay-at-home lockdown for another four weeks, Ms Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in the eight hotspot LGAs in the west and south-western suburbs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home.

Those areas are Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

Pictured: Health workers at a testing centre in Sydney on Wednesday

'If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn't matter where it is,' she said.

'We're seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to.'

Penalties for not wearing a face mask will increase from $200 to $500, with thousands of police officers deployed across Greater Sydney to enforce the tightened restrictions.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in the eight LGAs also cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.

'These harsh measures are the harshest Australia has ever faced in a lockdown,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'The Delta strain is different to anything we have seen.'

'I appreciate whilst all of us are under stress and pressure with the lockdown, if you live in those eight local government areas, we are asking so much of you.'
Senator Ted Cruz criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over new mask guidelines for vaccinated Americans, calling it 'absurd' and asserting that the agency's 'credibility is in tatters'.

During a Wednesday interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Cruz took aim at the governmental agency as well as the Democratic party, saying since the beginning of the pandemic they treated COVID-19 as a 'matter of politics'.

'The CDC has destroyed their credibility. A year and a half ago the CDC was one of the most respected scientific organizations in the world and they allowed themselves to be politicizedwith Dr. Fauci at the helm of the politicization and right now their credibility is in tatters because they behave more like an arm of the DNC than an actual, serious medical and scientific organization,' Cruz said.

His statement comes just one day after the CDC released new guidance suggesting that fully vaccinated people should wear a mask in public indoor settings if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

Senator Ted Cruz criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) over new mask guidelines for vaccinated Americans, calling it 'absurd' and asserting that the agency's 'credibility is in tatters'

Sen. Ted Cruz criticized the CDC over their new mask guidelines for vaccinated Americans, calling it 'absurd' and arguing that the organization's 'credibility is in tatters'

The CDC, citing concerns over the rising Delta variant of COVID-19, said that although only a small portion of people who are fully vaccinated have gotten infected with the variant, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated individuals who do become infected with the Delta variant can spread the it to others.

'Its pure politics,' Cruz told Hannity. 'You know what? Yesterday vaccines worked. Today they still work but, as a political matter, the Democrats decided they want to control your lives. They want everyone to wear a mask.'

Cruz continued, saying that the Democratic party treated all pandemic concerns politically, citing how shutting down schools reportedly hurt children and arguing those who chose to go to church were persecuted for practicing their faith.

The senator claimed these were decisions were acts of 'political agenda instead of common sense to keep us safe'.

He said the federal government shouldn't have COVID-related mandates, indirectly commenting on how the White House and House of Representatives reinstated their mask mandates in wake of the CDC's new guidance.

Cruz's comments come just one day after the CDC released new guidance advising that vaccinated individuals wear masks inside

Cruz said believes that every American should decided which COVID-19 precautions are best for themselves and their families, including getting vaccinated or wearing masks (file photo of masked shoppers in California)

'My view is real simple: We shouldn't have federal government mandates on COVID. That means no mask mandates,' he said. 'That means no vaccine mandates. That means no vaccine passports. This should be a question of individual choice.'

Cruz believes that every American should decided which COVID-19 precautions are best for themselves and their families.

'Now look, personally, Ive gotten the vaccine. My family has gotten the vaccine. Thats the choice we made, but I also believe in individual freedom and responsibility,' he said.

'Its your choice to decide whats right for you and whats right for your family and you dont need a bunch of meddling bureaucrats from Washington setting a mandate and deciding you have to do this to go to work, to go to school, to get on a plane, to live.'
Just six cases of the 239 recorded in NSW on Thursday are in aged care facilities

Vaccines have stopped hundreds of of elderly Australians from dying from Covid in outbreaks around the country this year, Health Minister Greg Hunt has said.

Just six of the more than 2,500 cases recorded in Sydney's outbreak are in aged care homes, all but one of whom are fully vaccinated and none are critically ill.

Thirteen people in total have died in the outbreak, with 182 in hospital - including 22 on ventilators and 32 others in ICU.

Throughout the pandemic so far, about 2,060 elderly people have been infected with the virus, and 685 have died in Australia.

By this time last year, 15,304 Victorians were infected in the state's deadly second wave including 547 in aged care homes of which 73 died.

Vaccines have stopped hundreds of of elderly Australians from potentially dying from Covid in outbreaks around the country this year

Health minister Greg Hunt (pictured) said vaccines are reducing infections and saving lives

Health minister Greg Hunt said the fact that the numbers aren't higher is proof that vaccines are reducing infections and saving lives.

'It significantly reduces, but doesn't prevent, your chances of catching or transmitting the disease,' he said.

'Overwhelmingly, it reduces the numbers of cases and it's absolutely clear that it provides enormous protection for everybody, particularly among the most vulnerable.'

But even more lives could have been saved in 2021's outbreaks, and potentially in future ones before the year is over, if the vaccine rollout wasn't so slow.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison admitted on Thursday he didn't order enough vaccines last year when they were distributed internationally - putting the lives of Australians at risk.

The rollout has been hampered by supply delays and changing health advice over the AstraZeneca vaccine after cases of an extremely rare blood clotting disorder were linked to the British-made jab.

Pictured: People queue to receive the Covid-19 vaccine at the NSW Vaccination Centre at Sydney Olympic Park on July 29

The Delta variant hit staff members in seven aged care facilities in NSW, but the outbreak only spread to six residents at SummitCare in Baulkham Hills (pictured)

Australia responded by limiting its use to over-50s, then over 60s, then recommending everyone use it.

Mixed messaging and fear of the one-in-2.5 million fatalities forced the government to frantically order more Pfizer jabs at a huge delay.

In July 2020, the US ordered 200 million doses of Pfizer, the UK ordered 90 million, and Canada ordered 20 million.

But Australia didn't order any until November, when it requested just 10 million doses of the highly effective jab.

In April, the government increased the order to 20 million and doubled it to 40 million in June - but critics say this quantity should have been ordered far earlier.

When asked if the government secured a deal fast enough, Mr Morrison told Sunrise host Natalie Barr: 'We went from 10 million to 20 million to 40 million... now it's just about getting the job done.

'Very late though,' she said before Mr Morrison admitted: 'No country gets everything right and the vaccination program is hitting the marks we need it to hit now.'

Residents wait for their vaccination at a newly opened Covid-19 vaccination centre in a suburb of Sydney

Both Pfizer and AstraZeneca have been shown to decrease the chance of hospitalisation by about 90 per cent, but the odds getting seriously ill fall by about 70 per cent even after one dose.

The Delta variant hit staff members in seven aged care facilities in NSW, but the outbreak only spread to six residents at SummitCare in Baulkham Hills.

Eighty-two per cent of residents in 2,566 aged-care facilities have now been fully vaccinated.

A further 86.4 per cent have received at least one dose.

On Tuesday, there were 196,982 jabs given in Australia - the largest number since the start of the rollout.
Dozens of countries around the world are opening their borders to vaccinated travellers - but Australians who refuse a jab may not be able to get to them.

After months of being shut down due to Covid-19, tourism hotspots including Thailand, the Seychelles and Greece are allowing travellers to enter without quarantine in a bid to kickstart their post-pandemic economic recoveries.

Some countries such as Croatia have even waived all testing requirements if arrivals show proof of vaccination, while others such as Iceland have significantly relaxed their rules for double-jabbed tourists.

Dozens of countries around the world are opening their borders to vaccinated travellers. Pictured: Chiang Rai Province, Thailand

Some countries such as Croatia (pictured is Dubrovnik) have even waived all testing requirements if arrivals show proof of vaccination

Some of the nations open to vaccinated travellers Guatemala, Belize, Thailand, Croatia, Ecuador, Greece, Georgia, Estonia, Seychelles, Poland, Iceland, Romania, Lithuania, Lebanon Source: Escape Advertisement

Australians who get their vaccines will be able to take advantage once the federal government removes the outbound travel ban which is in place until at least September 17 and likely to be extended into next year.

But those who refuse to get jabbed may have difficulty finding a flight as airlines begin to require proof of vaccination.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce told ABC radio on Thursday morning: 'I think internationally we absolutely will [require passengers be vaccinated], and that's becoming a standard around the world.'

Unvaccinated Australians may also find themselves facing more restrictions than their jabbed countrymen at home.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said National Cabinet will discuss what restrictions they should face next year when every Australian has been offered a jab.

'People [who are] unvaccinated, they're more at risk and [we] would have to have more restrictions on people who are unvaccinated because they're a danger to themselves and others,' he told 3AW radio.

Asked what type of restrictions they may face, he replied: 'Well, these are the things we're still working through because we're not at that point where we have a high enough vaccination rate across the country that enables those choices to be made.

'But when we get to that point, I think Premiers and I have been very clear.

Other nations such as Iceland (pictured) have significantly relaxed their rules for double-jabbed tourists

Greece (pictured) has also relaxed its rules for vaccinated travellers following Covid-19 lockdowns

Poll Should Aussies who refuse a vaccine be banned from international flights? Yes No Should Aussies who refuse a vaccine be banned from international flights? Yes 746 votes

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'Your own Premier in Victoria has been very clear about this, that if you choose not to get vaccinated... we would have to be careful that you're not putting yourself in a position of risk of getting serious illness and fatality.'

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has previously said her state may allow cafes, pubs and shops to ban unvaccinated people.

Also on Thursday, Mr Morrison revealed he can't guarantee that Australians will be living freely by Christmas and admitted he should have ordered more Pfizer vaccines last year.

In a press conference on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said 'lockdowns become a thing of the past' when enough people are vaccinated and hoped Australians 'will be living life differently at Christmas'.

But on Thursday morning, Mr Morrison warned he can't guarantee lockdowns won't be needed next year to control the spread of Covid-19.

3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchell asked: 'Do you reckon you can guarantee we will be open by the end of the year?

'No one can give those guarantees, Neil, because the virus is unpredictable,' the Prime Minister replied.

Earlier Mr Morrison told the Today show that the highly contagious Delta strain of the virus, which spawned in India in April, requires tougher restrictions than previous strains to control.

'The Delta strain is incredibly virulent and there is no country in the world that is not struggling,' he said.

'All around the world countries are wrestling with this and we have learnt a lot in recent weeks.

'Where the Delta strain hits you have to act quickly and we need to take that and move forward as quickly as we can.'

During his morning media blitz, Mr Morrison was also grilled about the slow vaccine rollout and admitted he has made mistakes.

Mr Morrison warned he can't guarantee lockdowns won't be needed next year to control the spread of Covid-19. Pictured: Police patrol Bondi Beach during lockdown

Only 17.73 per cent of Australians over 16 are fully jabbed, compared with 71.1 per cent of eligible Britons, 65.2 per cent of eligible Canadians and 49.4 per cent of eligible Americans.

The rollout has been hampered by supply delays and changing health advice over the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has left the government scrambling to bring in more Pfizer jabs.

In July 2020, the US ordered 200 million doses of Pfizer, the UK ordered 90 million and Canada ordered 20 million.

But Australia didn't order any until November, when it requested just 10 million doses of the highly effective jab.

In April the government increased the order to 20 million and doubled it to 40 million in June - but critics say this quantity should have been ordered far earlier.

When asked if the government secured a deal fast enough, Mr Morrison told Sunrise host Natalie Barr: 'We went from 10 million to 20 million to 40 million... now it's just about getting the job done.

Only 16.7 per cent of Australians over 16 are fully jabbed, compared with 71.1 per cent of eligible Britons. Pictured: Queues at Sydney's Homebush vaccination hub

'Very late though,' she said before Mr Morrison admitted: 'No country gets everything right and the vaccination program is hitting the marks we need it to hit now.

'We just gotta focus forward and get this job done, Nat,' he said.

On July 9, the Prime Minister announced a four stage plan to get Australia back to normal, with each step to be triggered when the vaccination rate hits a certain percentage.

The percentages required have been calculated by modelling experts at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and handed to the government.

They will be discussed at National Cabinet on Friday and are expected to be publicly released early next month.
NSW has called in the Australian Defence Force to enforce its hard lockdown on Sydneysiders after the state recorded its worst-ever Covid numbers.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller confirmed on Thursday he has made a formal request to the federal government for ADF assistance with the ongoing Covid-19 compliance operation.

The NSW Police Force is significantly expanding its enforcement activities in Sydney over the coming days and has requested 300 ADF personnel to boost its operational footprint.

NSW has called in the Australian Defence Force to enforce its hardcore lockdown on two million Sydneysiders after the state recorded its worst-ever Covid numbers

Commissioner Fuller said the NSW Police Force and the ADF had forged a close relationship throughout the pandemic.

'The assistance of the ADF has been essential over the past 18 months - particularly during last year's border operation, the ongoing hotel quarantine operation and the assistance provided with logistics support in the Police Operations Centre,' Commissioner Fuller said.

'With an increase in enforcement activity over the coming week, I have now made a formal request to the Prime Minister for ADF personnel to assist with that operation.

'I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his ongoing support.'

Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott welcomed the request for assistance.

'There is a longstanding and highly-professional relationship between the NSW Police Force and the ADF,' Mr Elliott said.

'As I have said previously, support from the Army will add another line of defence to the NSW Government's crackdown on Covid-19 compliance.

'The Army's unique skills and training have combined many times with those of our police officers to serve the people of NSW in times of crisis, such as the floods and severe bushfires we've experienced in recent years.

'This will be a functional, effective and dynamic team to fight this pandemic.'

NSW Police (pictured) are set to increase their enforcement activities as Sydney's lockdown is extended an additional four weeks

This follows NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian's admission that she should have locked Sydney down sooner as NSW clocked 239 new cases on Thursday, just a day after extending the city's lockdown for another four weeks.

In a press conference on Thursday after the record infection increase, the premier was asked: 'Will you admit that your strategy has failed, that you have failed?

After a pause in which she appeared shaken by the question from Sky News Australia's Andrew Clennell and perhaps close to tears, the crestfallen premier replied: 'Well, we have harsher restrictions in place than any other state has ever had.'

She described the highly contagious Indian delta strain as a 'game-changer' and later commented: 'I'm never going to suggest we get everything right.'

'I don't think any government around the world can say they get everything right because there's no rulebook,' Ms Berejiklian said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) admitted that she should have locked Sydney down sooner as NSW suffered 239 new cases

Prime Minister Scott Morrison originally backed Ms Berejiklian when she refused to lockdown in June - but he now says locking down hard and early over just a few cases is the best move to combat the highly infectious Delta strain.

'There is a clear learning here, and that is the approach that I would expect states would follow in the future,' he said on Wednesday.

At least 70 of the new locally-acquired cases - which were found from a NSW pandemic-record 110,962 tests overnight - were infectious in the community.

NSW Health also confirmed the death of another two of the state's residents from Covid-19 - a woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s from south-western Sydney.

Ms Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in one of eight hotspot LGAs in the west and south-western suburbs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home.

Those areas are Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in those LGAs also cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.
A protester accused of throwing pot plants at mounted cops during Sydney's anti-lockdown protest last Saturday bears a remarkable resemblance to Hollywood star Johnny Depp.

NSW Police issued photos of two men wanted for questioning, and sparked a sequence of witty responses from the public.

'I saw the first one in sunglasses star in Pirates of the Caribbean. Pretty certain his name is Jack Sparrow,' one commented on the NSW Police Media Facebook page on Thursday.

Another he was 'pretty sure of the men was wanted for piracy.'

'Even if they do catch him Jack Sparrow always gets away,' another Facebook user quipped.

Several other commenters said the mystery man bore a closer resemblance to Orlando Bloom.

Police are calling for any information to identify the man, (pictured) who many on social media believe resembles actor Johnny Depp

Facebook user Bec Doolan asked if the man police want to talk to was Hollywood actor Johnny Depp

The second man shown is described as wearing a blue tracksuit and dark-coloured cap and shoes who police also believe can help assist with investigations

The Depp doppelganger was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and what appears to be a purple scarf, with a grey and green coloured jacket, dark jeans, and grey shoes.

The second man police are keen to track down was wearing a blue tracksuit and dark-coloured cap and shoes.

Police horses and their riders were frequent targets as they tried to break up the chaotic rally in the Covid-hit city's CBD last Saturday.

One man was charged with animal cruelty for putting his fist into the face of a police horse and other animals were pelted with pot plants and other projectiles.

Police chiefs have vowed to track down anyone who assaulted officers or were otherwise violent at the protest.

Investigators are following up every report, with 59 people charged and 151 fines issued so far.

Police called for Sydneysiders to dob in anyone who was at the protest, but not report any crimes via the NSW Police social media pages.

Anyone with information that may assist Strike Force Seasoned investigators is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Sydneysiders can be fined $500 for forgetting to bring a mask with them when they leave the house - even if you are going out to exercise and don't need one.

The fines are being dished out courtesy of a July 20 amendment to the NSW public health order made by Health Minister Brad Hazzard.

The order - which makes the lockdown restrictions law - was changed to require anyone in Sydney, Blue Mountains, Shellharbour, Central Coast and Wollongong to produce identification and a face mask when asked to by police.

'You must carry a face mask with you at all times whenever you leave your home or temporary accommodation,' it reads.

Police in Bondi were seen on Thursday moving people along who they noticed were enjoying the sunshine but not exercising (pictured)

Residents in Sydney are required to carry a face mask even if they are just out getting exercise (pictured: Bondi on Thursday)

'Children aged 12 and under, and people with a physical or mental health illness or condition or disability that makes wearing a fitted face covering unsuitable, do not have to carry a mask with them.'

Masks are not mandatory outdoors except in certain situations spelled out in the order but if you leave home without one in your pocket, you can be fined.

They must be worn outdoors when you are working, are next to food, drink, or retail outlets such as queuing outside a cafe, or in a fresh food market.

Should you walk indoors you also need to immediately put a mask or or face a fine, and will likely be denied entry.

However, even if you have no plans to go any of these places, you still must have a mask on you at all times and produce it if police ask.

About 1,000 more police officers have been deployed across the city to enforce lockdown rules from Thursday (pictured)

As of 12.01am on Friday, residents of eight western Sydney councils - Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta - must wear masks outside at all times regardless.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed on Thursday police were cracking down on on people not following restrictions.

Fines around face mask requirements were more than doubled from $200 to $500, and 1,000 police officers being deployed to enforce the rules.

One woman posted to a local community group that she stumbled on police at Bondi Beach 'checking everyone's ID for suburb compliance and asking to show you've got a mask with you'.

'If not, you get a $500 fine on the spot,' the woman said.

People commenting on the woman's post said they also saw police out enforcing the rule, along with the 10km limit.

One woman said police were checking people had face masks and ID on them

People in most parts of Sydney aren't required to wear a face mask while exercising outdoors (pictured: a woman jogging in Bondi)

Fines for breaches of the mask rule have been increased to $500 from Thursday

'They were in the city last night doing the same thing, randomly pulling over cars and such,' one wrote.

Another person said they knew of someone who was out for a swim and another on the way to workout and was fined for not having a mask.

New local Covid-19 infections in NSW spiked to a record high of 239 on Thursday, prompting new powers for police across NSW.

Police will also be able to shut down businesses across the city that repeatedly breach public health orders.

The assistance of 300 defence force personnel has also been requested to help the effort.

The military supported hotel quarantine policing, logistics in the Police Operations Centre, and compliance during a 2020 border operation.
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The Dutch architects who created the Marble Arch Mound have urged Londoners to 'give nature time' after it was slammed for its appearance.

MVRDV blamed the 'challenging weather' and how 'unpredictable' it is working with plants and trees for how it looked but assured the public 'it will get better'.

The eyesore was shut after just two days after it was mocked for being a 'slag heap' and 'the worst attraction in London'.

The 2million artificial hill on Park Lane was closed yesterday morning to everyone except those who had already paid for tickets - costing between 4.50 and 8 - online in advance.

City of Westminster Council admitted it was 'clear that it is not ready' but failed to explain why it opened on Monday when it was not finished.

The attraction is expected to reopen on August 9 to give the vegetation 'time to bed in and grow', while other 'teething problems' can be sorted.

It comes after it emerged families living near the mound begged authorities to 'end this madness' before it was even built.

Stunned taxpayers implored councillors to turn down the planning application for the 25m grass and scaffolding monstrosity in February.

One branded it an 'absolute waste of money', while another assessed it as 'a disgraceful and unwanted piece of temporary nonsense'.

Others thought it would attract more crime to the area, while a further local homeower said 'It's ill-thought through, costly and ill-timed'.

Further objections, put their thoughts more simply, imploring the council to 'end this madness and spend public money much more wisely'.

MVRDV (pictured, Winy Maas, Jacob Van Rijis and Nathalie De Vries) blamed the 'challenging weather' and how 'unpredictable' it is working with plants and trees for how it looked but assured the public 'it will get better'

 Slide me  Reality and fantasy: The council admitted this afternoon the mound was not ready and refunds would be given all week

Mound to a halt: Staff stand at the entrance to Marble Arch Mound on Park Lane after the 6.50-a-ticket attraction was closed to new visitors yesterday. Those with existing tickets booked in advance online are still permited to climb to the top.

Mount unpleasant: London's newest attraction dubbed 'Sh*t Hill' is mostly empty today after being closed yesterday. The architects behind the ridiculed mound have fired back at criticism against it, protesting it was 'opened too soon'

Failing new heights: Visitors who booked in advance were still able to clamber the metal steps to the summit of the Marble Arch Mound today, while guards were refusing entry to all other would-be sightseers hoping for views across central London

Dutch architects MVRDV promised the Marble Arch Mound 'will get better' if the public are prepared to 'give nature time' and allow the folliage to grow more. The firm has also blamed the 'challenging weather' for the attraction's disastrous appearance

Residents living near the listed Marble Arch monument were not in favour of the new hill and called it 'temporary nonsense'

Another member of the public said that the temporary nature of the man-made mound made it a 'ridiculous waste of money'

One family urged the council to think again about the project and 'end this madness' as well as spend money 'more wisely'

MVRDV, which is based in Rotterdam, defended its design but assured Londoners that 'it will get better', adding to the Architects Journal: 'It is a pity the mound opened too soon.

'It is always unpredictable when you work with plants and trees, especially in challenging weather conditions. Because of the recent drought the sedum appears brown and thin  but it will get better.

'It is a vulnerable installation, no doubt, but we just need to give nature a bit of time. The mound is designed with not only summer, but also fall and winter in mind; it is meant to have an overall green appearance during the time the installation is in place.'

The spokesman added: 'We choose to bring plants to this part of London for a reason: we think that it is symbolic for where we need to go in the future, greening the city.

The more plants we add to inner cities, on roofs and in streets, the lower the heat island effect will be and the better the city will be able to deal with rising temperatures. Marble Arch Mound symbolises this wish and we are inviting everybody to see for themselves [from next week].'

In a fresh insult to locals, City of Westminster Council last night admitted the structure had to close but failed to explain why it was opened on Monday.

A council spokesman told the Times: 'It is clear that it is not ready. People who have paid should have the right to go up. But ultimately we know it's not ready. We acknowledge that. That's why we are not letting people up.'

But he refused to divulge why it was opened before it was ready and would not commit to a date when it will reopen.

The mound was billed as offering a 'new perspective' but opened with 360-degree views of scaffolding, crash barriers and an empty Oxford Street. Visitors were so unhappy they were offered refunds for their tickets.

World-renowned Dutch architect MVRDV designed the project and it was built by construction firms NRP and FM Conway, but looks 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.

A huge 86 per cent of public comments on the scheme when it was proposed in February objected to it - with 52 of the 60 received hostile to the project.

Even the St Marylebone Society Committee - who actually went on to support it - admitted reaction from members had been mixed, with some branding it 'daft'.

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

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.'

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?'

Visitors were offered a 360-degree view of scaffolding, building sites and cranes carrying out construction on buildings

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

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 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 yesterday: '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.'

The plans for the mound look very different in terms of quality to the finished product, with many left very unimpressed

The temporary installation in central London includes a viewing platform which allows visitors the opportunity to look out
Covid case numbers are through the roof and by most metrics the pandemic is going in the wrong direction for New South Wales.

But there is a glimmer of hope for greater Sydney in a massive surge in vaccinations, with NSW recording its highest ever number of immunisations on Wednesday.

There were 79,319 jabs in arms in total, including 24,706 shots via NSW Health mass vaccination clinics, 53,089 via GPs and 1,524 from the Commonwealth-run aged care rollout.

It came on the same day the state recorded a pandemic-high number of cases, at 239, including 70 cases infectious in the community, picked up from more than 110,000 tests - another milestone.

The vaccination silver lining comes as amid a change in official advice on AstraZeneca.

All Sydney residents have been urged to come forward and get the jab, due to the severity of the outbreak.

Adults of any age will also be able to book an AstraZeneca vaccine at NSW Health clinics from tomorrow, and at 450 pharmacies across the state from next week.

Areas of greater Sydney (eastern suburbs residents are above) are about to come under even stricter lockdown restrictions, it was announced on Wednesday. But there is a glimmer of hope in record vaccination rates

More than 24,000 shots were delivered at NSW Health-run clinics, with the majority of shots delivered by GPs through the federal-run program

'We have pharmacies opening across the state providing the AstraZeneca vaccine and we have local initiatives so I urge you to go to the (NSW Health) website and find out about those,' Dr Kerry Chant said on Thursday.

The state government has also released figures showing there are fewer cases of Covid-19 among elderly demographics, who have higher vaccination rates.

In fact, about two thirds of cases in NSW over the past fortnight are under the age of 40. 'This is not only an old person's disease,' Dr Chant said.

Official figures say eight people aged over 90 have caught Covid, 30 people between 80 to 89, 41 people over 70 and 117 people over 60.

During the same period, 270 people aged 11 to 20 tested positive to the virus, as well as 394 people aged between 20 and 29 and 359 people aged 30 to 39.

197 people aged between 40-49 tested positive, as did 247 people between 50 and 59.

Ms Berejiklian asked NSW to imagine a future where the state is freer than others, because of high vaccination rates.

'Whilst we're going through a very difficult time in NSW, let's think about a period of time when potentially, if we live more free than any other state, because our vaccination rates are higher.'

But there is still a long way to go yet. New South Wales has delivered 3.7million shots in total, but the Premier wants 10million in arms.

Premier Berejiklian said 'let's think about a period of time when potentially, if we live more free than any other state, because our vaccination rates are higher'. Above, long queues at Homebush

Premier is called out for claiming NSW's restrictions are the toughest the country has ever seen - despite Melbourne's harsh second wave lockdown and Adelaide's 2.5km exercise limit

Under fire: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian made some questionable remarks at her daily press conference on Thursday

Beleaguered Premier Gladys Berejiklian was swiftly called out on social media on Thursday, when she claimed at her daily press conference that the state has the harshest rules of any Australian jurisdiction so far.

The remark came after Sky News journalist Andrew Clennell demanded Ms Berejiklian admit her strategy had failed to stop the spread of Delta variant, dooming the city to at least four more weeks of lockdown, but possibly more.

Clennell asked: 'Will you admit... the strategy is failing and this death of 1,000 cuts, a little bit of restrictions every day, is not working and you have to come down hard?'

Ms Berejiklian responded that Sydney's mobility data showed the population was abiding by the restrictions, and claimed: 'Well, we have harsher restrictions in place than any other state has ever had.'

MELBOURNE: During Australia's longest lockdown of 2020, residents were required to wear masks outside (above, at St Kilda) - and police were never far away

ADELAIDE: South Australia's lockdown earlier this month saw the introduction of the nation's harshest ever restrictions, including a 2.5km exercise limit. Above, testing queues in the 'city of churches'

Veteran journalist Janine Perrett tweeted in response: 'Will NSW Premier stop saying these are the harshest measures anywhere Australia has ever seen as it is blatantly untrue.'

Punter Dianne Kaines erupted: 'I'm incandescent with rage. What an out and out LIE.'

During last year's second wave, all Melbourne residents were required by law to wear masks outdoors. They were restricted from travelling more than 5km from home and required to be at home at night due to a curfew.

Meanwhile, Premier Daniel Andrews erected a 'ring of steel' around the city to prevent the spread of the virus into the regions and other states.

Likewise, South Australian residents briefly had even stricter restrictions imposed on them - including an onerous 2.5km exercise limit - during that state's brief lockdown earlier this month.

The NSW Government has long resisted similar measures, although Ms Berejiklian announced today that she will require masks to be worn outside the home at all times in eight Local Government Areas of concern.

That applies for Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

Today's spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic.

NSW Health also confirmed the death of another two of the state's residents from Covid-19 - a woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s from south-western Sydney.

Neither of them were vaccinated against the virus.

A woman in activewear runs along the beachfront in Bronte in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Wednesday. Greater Sydney is almost five weeks into a strict stay at home lockdown to stop the spread of the highly-contagious Delta Covid-19 variant

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said 25 per cent of the state's residents over the age of 70 had yet to receive their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

There are now 182 patients suffering from the virus in hospitals across the state (up 17 from Wednesday) - of which 54 are in intensive care and 22 are on a ventilator.

Dr Chant said 17 of the patients in intensive care (31 per cent) were under the age of 40 - including two in their teens, eight in their 20s and three in their 40s.

Just a day after extending the city's stay-at-home lockdown for another four weeks, Ms Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in one of eight hotspot LGAs in the west and south-western suburbs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home.

Those areas are Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

'If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn't matter where it is,' she said.

'We're seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to.'

Penalties for not wearing a face mask across the state meanwhile will increase from $200 to $500.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in those LGAs also cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.

'These harsh measures are the harshest Australia has ever faced in a lockdown,' she said.

HOW SYDNEY'S TOUGHER LOCKDOWN RULES WILL AFFECT YOU In the eight hotspot LGAs (Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta): Residents must wear a mask whenever leaving the home, including when they are outdoors. The travel limit for essential exercise and shopping has been reduced to 5km from 10km. Those in a 'singles bubble' with another person must follow the same travel restriction. Across NSW: The penalty for breaking mask restrictions will increase from $200 to $500 Advertisement

'The Delta strain is different to anything we have seen,' she said.

'I appreciate whilst all of us are under stress and pressure with the lock down, if you live in those eight local government areas, we are asking so much of you.'

Health officials said 104 of the new cases - almost half - were found in south-west Sydney, while 58 were detected in the city's west.

Another 51 though - up from 20 on Wednesday - were found in the central Sydney local health district in a worrying sign the outbreak has broken containment lines in the western suburbs and was moving back east.

The outbreak began on June 16 when an airport transport worker tested positive to Covid-19 in the city's eastern suburbs.

Thursday's spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic

She replied: 'I'm never going to suggest we get everything right.'

The state leader has faced criticism for refusing to impose stay-at-home orders in Greater Sydney until June 26, 10 days after the city's outbreak began.

Victoria has just removed restrictions after a two-week lockdown and South Australia has released residents from a one-week shutdown.

'I don't think any government around the world can say they get everything right because there's no rulebook,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'I'm the first one to admit at every stage of the process in the last 18 months, with the benefit of hindsight it would be wonderful to know the alternative course. We'll never know that.'
House builders are set to be banned from starting new projects on land at risk of flooding as part of an 860million climate change plan to bolster Britain's defences.

Environment Secretary George Eustice, 49, will today announce a crack down on developers who build on land at risk of flooding, as part of a new six-year scheme to reinforce flooding fortifications across the country.

Plans for 1,000 defence schemes, improvements to flood insurance and fresh restrictions for builders will be revealed by the Government today, reports The Telegraph.

The updated policy comes as 866 homes were awarded planning permission in 2019-20, despite warnings from the Environment Agency over flooding concerns.

New guidance for local council's planning departments will see cases where the Environment Agency raises an issue with flood risk directly escalated to Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick - who will be able to block 'inappropriate developments'.

Mr Eustice, writing in The Telegraph, argues: 'Climate changes means more extreme weather, a higher risk of flooding events and coastal erosion.

'All too often, we are seeing households suffering repeated flooding.'

The Government's new scheme plans to crack down on developers who build on land at risk of flooding as 866 homes were awarded planning permission in 2019-20, despite warnings from the Environment Agency over flooding concerns. Pictured: Boris Johnson in January 2021

Environment Secretary George Eustice, 49, (pictured) is set to unveil the Government's 860m six-year plan to tackle flooding and climate change today

Mr Eustice explained that the Government will launch a consultation later this year for communities that are frequently hit by flooding, alongside the 860m plans to bolster UK-wide water defences.

Recent flooding mayhem has shattered communities across Britain in the last 12 months, with Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge all causing roads, businesses and homes to suffer from severe flooding.

Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Weardale, County Durham are expected to be the first areas to benefit from the first tranche of funding.

Flood-resistant paint, flood doors and brick covers are said to be among the improvements mooted, alongside more stringent insurance for at-risk properties.

And refined water surface maps will also be provided to better inform millions of people across the country of the risks of flooding in their area.

Funds will also be allocated to projects that fortify river embankments, develop new wetland and wooded areas, and slow the tide of upstream rainwater that affects at-risk rivers across the country.

In the UK, homes, businesses and roads have been struck by flash flooding this year. Above: Part of St Ives, Cambridgeshire is submerged after heavy rainfall brought by Storm Jorge

Flash flooding ripped through Europe and East Asia throughout July, claiming the lives of hundreds of people. Pictured: The aftermath of flooding in Ahrweiler, Germany

The Government's plans come amid fresh fears of the impact of climate change and the nation's suitability to face environmental challenges in the future.

Pointing to 'catastrophic flash flooding' seen across the globe throughout July, Mr Eustice stresses the importance of tackling climate change head on.

The news comes as flash flooding ripped through Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and India over the past month, claiming hundreds of lives and with clean-up bills now anticipated to be in the billions.

Last year, Whitehall introduced a long term 5.2 billion package to construct around 2,000 new flood and coastal defences that will better protect 336,000 properties from flooding by 2027.

That announcement followed the havoc wreaked during Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis in the first few months of 2020, and Britain endured the wettest February on record for more than three decades.

Residents of Ironbridge, Shropshire were ordered to evacuate their properties and businesses after there were fears flood barriers would buckle under the force of the River Severn.

Flash flooding rocked communities in Yorkshire, Berkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria with hundreds of homes and businesses submerged by water and sewage as flood defences failed across November 2019 and February 2020.

The 'climate emergency' has forced the need for extra flood defences, the chief executive of the Environment Agency has said.

Sir James Bevan was commenting as the Government announced extra funding for flood prevention schemes across the UK, protecting 336,000 properties by 2027.

Sir James told the BBC's Today Programme: 'It's the biggest investment yet in flood defence, we need it, there are over five million homes at risk of flooding in this country, that risk is rising as the climate changes.

'We can't remove that risk but we can reduce it by building more defences that better protect communities and by making places where we live more resilient so when flooding does happen, which it will, we can be safer and we can get back to normal quicker.

Floodwater begins to subside in Battersea, London, leaving mud covered roads and a car which was abandoned

A London taxi drives through water on a flooded road in The Nine Elms district of London after thunderstorms

'The climate emergency is bringing more extreme weather and that will mean more rain and more flood risk.

'And that does mean that our thinking need to change faster than the climate.'

Just days ago, homes, roads and Tube stations were flooded in the south of England, Whipps Cross Hospital in east London cancelled all surgery and outpatient appointments due to the heavy rain.

The wettest part of the country was St James's Park in London, where 41.8mm of rain fell. The average rainfall for July in London is 45mm, meaning almost a month's worth of rain fell in one 24-hour period.
A prominent Chinese billionaire has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after praising lawyers during a government crackdown on legal activists.

Sun Dawu, who made his money in pig farming, was sentenced on charges of organising an attack on officials and other offences, including 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble'.

The chairman of the Dawu Agriculture Group was among 20 defendants who stood trial in Gaobeidian, southwest of Beijing in Hebei province on Thursday.

They were detained after Dawu employees in August 2020 tried to stop a state-owned enterprise from demolishing a company building.

Sun, 67, was also fined 3.1million yuan (343,989), the People's Court of Gaobeidian said in a statement.

Sun was convicted of gathering people to attack state organs, obstructing public affairs, picking quarrels, provoking trouble, sabotaging production, illegal mining, illegal occupation of farmland and illegally taking public deposits, the court said.

His sentencing comes amid punishments dolled out to several outspoken corporate bosses.

Sun Dawu, a prominent Chinese billionaire, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for praising lawyers during a government crackdown on legal activists

Sun, who made his money in pig farming, was sentenced on charges of organising an attack on officials and other offences, including 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble'

Other defendants received sentences ranging from one to 12 years, according to a statement from Dawu Group - one of China's biggest private companies.

It said the company was ordered to refund 1 billion yuan (111 million) in investment that was raised improperly.

Sun became nationally known in 2003 when he was charged with illegal fundraising after soliciting investments for his business from friends and neighbours. The case, in which Sun denied many of the charges against him, prompted an outpouring of public support for Sun.

Since then, Sun has praised lawyers who help the public at a time when prominent legal figures have been imprisoned by Xi's government.

Sun's lawyer in the 2003 case, Xu Zhiyong, disappeared in February 2020. Fellow activists say he was charged with treason.

The BBC reported that the businessman is believed to be close to some prominent Chinese political dissidents and has at times criticised government policy and spoken about human rights.

Sun was among 20 defendants who stood trial in Gaobeidian, southwest of Beijing in Hebei province on Thursday

He was also one of the few people to publicly accuse the government of covering up an outbreak of African swine flu in 2019, the BBC reported.

The outbreak affected Sun's farms and devastated much of China's pork industry.

Sun was accused of provoking quarrels, a charge used against labour and other activists, when he was detained in August 2020.

The trial officially was open to the public but only one spectator from the family of each defendant and 10 from the company were allowed due to coronavirus restrictions, defence lawyers said earlier.

China has been taking a harder line on businesses and entrepreneurs in the country in recent years and months, which have seen investigations launched into alleged regulatory issues at major companies including Alibaba and Didi.
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Dominic Raab today denied that the UK is risking a new Covid outbreak by exempting double-jabbed EU and US travellers from quarantine.

The Foreign Secretary admitted there are 'no guarantees' that people will not try to game the system and avoid isolation by faking documentation, but stressed there will be tough checks.

And he insisted there will still be the 'right level of security and assurance' because only the fully-vaccinated are in line for special treatment from next week, and the government is 'keeping an eye' on variants.

He also revealed that more countries have been contacting him demanding the same get-out for their citizens.

The bullish stance comes after ministers defied officials' concerns about the 'clear public health risk' to sign off on the quarantine easing for visitors from the Continent and America.

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Raab played down the dangers of relaxing controls. 'We keep an eye on the variants, but because of the 70 per cent double vaccination of our population and because we are insisting only people from the US, the EU and perhaps in due course, as we build up confidence in the system other countries, we proceed on that basis,' he told Sky News.

'Because it is people who are double vaccinated we believe we have got the right level of security and assurance against people who might be at risk of a variant coming in from abroad.'

On BBC Radio 4's Today programme Mr Raab said the government 'cannot guarantee' that there would not be efforts to use fake documents, but it was 'highly unlikely'.

'The point here is that, with both the European countries and the US, we are talking about high-trust countries with whom we have not just an intuitive level of high trust, we have active co-operation, so we know that we can straighten out any discrepancies we might come across pretty quickly,' he said.

Mr Raab said there is a 'double lock' of written certification and proof of US residency for American travellers, which he said could allow 'further checks if there is any suspicion of fraud'.

He added: 'Both domestically with our rollout but also internationally we want to open up, we want to move the country forward, but we want to do it irreversibly and we need to take solid, surefooted steps forward.

'We feel this is a modest opening up of international travel but one that has the reassurances that we can take further steps forward as we build confidence in the system.'

Boris Johnson led the charge yesterday as the powerful 'Covid O' group agreed that the self-isolation requirements can be dropped for some of the UK's major trading partners. Ex-pats who have received jabs abroad are also set to benefit from the dispensation, which takes effect from 4am Monday.

All will still need to get tests in a bid to reduce the risk that they are infected.

Currently Britons are not allowed to enter the US, but Mr Shapps now expects the lifting of travel restrictions to be reciprocated by the Americans - although that might not happen until September.

Mr Raab has raised the issue with his counterpart in America, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken. And the British Ambassador in Washington, Karen Pierce, is also believed to be lobbying for the move in meetings with US officials.

Dominic Raab today denied that the UK is risking a new Covid outbreak by exempting double-jabbed EU and US travellers from quarantine

Starting from Monday, fully vaccinated travellers from the US and EU will be permitted to enter England, Scotland and Wales without having to quarantine for ten days. Pictured, Heathrow airport

Starting from Monday, fully vaccinated travellers from the US and EU will be permitted to enter England, Scotland and Wales without having to quarantine for ten days - a policy which is likely to be expanded as the third wave comes to an end.

But senior officials had warned the Cabinet committee that letting fully vaccinated Europeans come to Britain freely could increase the risk of lower quality vaccines undermining the UK's coronavirus immunity, according to the Times.

Labour claims that the PM is being 'reckless' by going ahead with the changes. Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: 'The Government's track record on our borders has been one of recklessness and confusion. They are in danger of continuing this by setting out changes in policy, applying to England only, without the scientific data and criteria we need to make sure we don't see another Johnson variant run rampant through the country and damage the effort of the British public.'

It came as the UK recorded another 27,734 Covid cases on Wednesday, down 37 per cent in a week for the seventh day in a row. But hospitalisations still rose and deaths increased by a quarter week-on-week.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie meet the US President Joe Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden in Carbis Bay Cornwall ahead of the G7 Summit in June

The UK has a far higher case rate than the US currently - but the countries are on different trajectories

Now 'amber watch' list may hit travel Ministers are considering a new 'enhanced-risk' amber category to discourage travel to countries where Covid cases are rising. The new category  potentially called 'amber watch'  would replace 'amber plus' which was hastily invented earlier this month for holidaymakers in France. Unlike 'amber plus', under the possible new category people would not need to quarantine upon their return to the UK. But, crucially, tourists would be warned that the country could be placed on the red list at any time  which would force them to quarantine in hotels when they return at a cost of 1,750 per adult. It will lead to fears that Spain could be placed on the list, following concerns about the rise of the Beta variant. The idea is being pushed as a mirror to the 'green watch' list of countries, where tourists who decide to go abroad know the country could turn amber. Advertisement

Mr Johnson is said to have been persuaded that the UK risked squandering the benefits of its vaccine rollout if the reopening of international travel was delayed further.

'Some people will doubtless say we are moving too fast,' said a government source. 'But we know the vaccines are effective  if we cannot open up to fully vaccinated travellers then when can we?

'The EU is already reopening to travellers from the US  why should American tourists be able to go to Paris or Amsterdam, but not London?'

Downing Street has played down suggestions that the end of the pandemic was in sight. 'No one here is declaring mission accomplished,' a source said.

The decision was hailed by airlines, who said it was the 'biggest step forward' since the lockdown easing on May 17.

It applies to England, but there is an expectation that Scotland and Wales will follow suit. The government said it is working on international vaccine certification that could help expats in other countries except the EU and US.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told MailOnline: 'The decision is a welcome and timely boost to helping recovery in the travel sector, especially as it should salvage part of the summer.

'The government will be hoping that other countries, like Italy, reciprocate and loosen restrictions on UK citizens entering through their borders.

'But I'm afraid the US is going to take some weeks yet to let UK visitors in, due to its stalling vaccine rollout and high Delta infections.

'The US can afford to take its time, sadly, as we need them more than they need us.'

The boost for tourism and businesses comes amid a wave of optimism after coronavirus cases tumbled - with ministers privately claiming the crisis is now 'all over bar the shouting'.

The get-out from quarantine does not apply to France, which is 'amber plus' at the moment amid alarm about the Beta strain. But Whitehall sources are increasingly confident that it will be downgraded to 'amber' when the categories are reviewed next week.

Meanwhile, holidaymakers could face fresh chaos amid claims Spain is on the verge of being pushed up to the 'amber plus' list.

The move - which could leave hundreds of thousands of Britons having to self-isolate unexpectedly on return - is believed to be on the cards amid growing concern about cases of the South African variant.

Mr Johnson said yesterday that dropping self-isolation rules for people who are 'pinged' is 'nailed on' for August 16. But he is defying furious Tory demands for the date to be brought forward, amid warnings from businesses of food shortages caused by so many staff being off.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the overhaul was an 'important step forward' for the travel industry

The UK economy is estimated to be losing as much as 639million every day because of the current limits in place on incoming tourists.

After the fully-vaccinated EU and US travellers, 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 who received jabs abroad.

Under the plan, airlines will be expected to approve passengers' vaccine status 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.
A British mum has slammed 'ridiculous' rules which could force her 13-year-old daughter to quarantine in Majorca for 21 days.

April Allinson, from Teesside, said her sunny getaway with her daughter Ellie and daughter's friend Lilly has turned into a 'nightmare'.

The trio have been in quarantine in Alcudia, Majorca, for eight days and were due to head back to the UK on Saturday.

However April, 30, said the Spanish Government has now instructed that the two teenagers must quarantine for a further 10 days after their last contact with the mum-of-one.

She said authorities have decided the two girls could have caught Covid while isolating with April and so must remain on the island for a further quarantine.

All three have now produced negative covid tests.

Under restrictions brought in by the Balearic Regional Government, any child who has come into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 for more than 15 minutes in a 24-hour period must self isolate for 10 days after their last contact with that person.

The beauty business owner said she 'doesn't understand how it can be acceptable or legal' to leave two young girls alone in a foreign country for 10 days, calling the situation 'absolutely ridiculous'.

'We've done our 10 days [of quarantine] and that's absolutely fine, that's up in the next couple of days. We have no problem with that,' she said.

'The problem is now that the Spanish Government are trying to say the girls, who are 13, their quarantine doesn't start until I leave them. Their last contact with me is when their quarantine starts.

'I don't understand how that can be acceptable or legal.

'That's what the issue is. That's what we're trying to get help with. Them saying they have to stay by themselves is absolutely ridiculous.'

April Allinson (right), a British mum and business owner, has slammed 'ridiculous' rules which will force her 13-year-old daughter Ellie (left) to quarantine in Majorca for 21 days

April is desperate to rectify the situation as quickly as possible and said she has since been told by someone in contact with the Foreign Office that they are 'very positive' that it 'should be resolved'.

She explained how the trio ended up in isolation after she received a false negative test result.

'We come on holiday on the 14th and we were only meant to be here for seven days and fly back on the 21st. We ordered a fit to fly test on the 20th which all came back negative so we all thought we were coming home and then I had a phone about five hours after my test,' April, from Egglescliffe, said.

'They said I wasn't negative, I was actually positive and they'd sent me another email. The email they sent me went into my junk folder and they re-tested me the next morning.

'It come back positive at which point we were already isolating and weren't allowed to leave the room.

'That's absolutely fine, we accepted that and will do our 10 days isolation..'

However, on Tuesday morning April received a phone call at 10am from the Spanish Government to confirm her quarantine period ends on Friday, July 30.

She was told she is able to fly home to Middlesbrough on Saturday, July 31.

But her daughter and her friend must begin their quarantine period when April has left.

'They're trying to say that once I leave my children, their quarantine then starts even though they've been isolating with me for the last 10 days,' she said.

April (left) had been holidaying with her daughter and her daughter's friend Lilly (right)

The aesthetics practitioner had taken her daughter and her friend for a holiday to the Spanish island and booked the trip last year.

Spain was on the UK's green list when they first arrived, however it has since changed to amber during their stay.

April and the two teenagers departed from Newcastle Airport on Wednesday, July 14 and were set to return on Wednesday, July 21.

She says she has exhausted all options to get in touch with the Spanish and British Embassy and claims they've been 'no help at all' apart from 'we will call you back'

She added: 'I can't leave, I've got two kids here who are 13-years-old.

'It's really worrying the fact that they're saying I have to leave for their quarantine to start. I don't understand that and I've never heard of it.

'They won't let the kids leave with me on the 31st, saying that their quarantine hasn't started yet.'

Aside from the worry about the girls, April is also facing huge bills once her quarantine ends as she is on a daily rate at the hotel and car park.

She says she is expecting to pay a further 2,400 on top of her original holiday price.

'Newcastle Airport won't extend my parking either,' she said.

'They're charging me 20 a day so it's going to cost me 200 to get my car out of the car park when I get home.

'But obviously if I have to stay another 10 days it's going to cost me 400 to get my car out.'

The trio have been in quarantine in Alcudia, Majorca, for eight days and were due to head back to the UK on Saturday. However April, 30, said the Spanish Government has now instructed that the two teenagers must quarantine for a further 10 days after their last contact with the mum-of-one. Pictured: April (left) and Ellie (right)

However, she has praised the hotel, stating they have 'looked after them' since they were made to isolate.

April explained how the whole floor has been shut off, staff have dropped food at the door and she has been provided with a WhatsApp number in case they need anything.

'They've been really good,' she said.

April and the two youngsters haven't been allowed outside since her positive test which she says is 'fair enough'.

But she says if they are made to quarantine for a further 10 days, the three of them will be in a room for 20 days in total.

April added the teenagers are 'bored and sick' but 'understand everything that's going on and worrying they're going to have to stay another 10 days'.

April stated that she is not complaining about being in quarantine but rather about potentially having to leave the two children alone in Spain.

The UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said: 'Consular staff have been in contact with the family, tour operator and local authorities and will remain in contact with the family throughout the self-isolation period.'

MailOnline has contacted the Balearic Regional Government for comment.

Spain, including the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, is on the amber list for entering England.

The Spanish government requires all arrivals to Spain from the UK to present on entry a pre-travel declaration form and either a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination.

The UK requires anyone travelling to England from Spain take a Covid test in the three days before travelling, book and pay for tests to be taken after arrival and complete a passenger locator form.

Arrivals must then quarantine for 10 days and take a Covid test on or before day two and on or after day eight of quarantine.

Those fully vaccinated in the UK and those under the age of 18 do not have to quarantine on arrival or take a day eight test, nor do those who are part of a UK-approved vaccine trial.

Travellers must have had their final dose of the vaccine at least 14 whole days before arriving in England and are still required to book and take a day two test.

Last week, a British couple were forced to quarantine in different rooms after one of them tested positive a day before they were due to fly home.

Tom Selsby and Lauren Haddock from Merseyside were supposed to return to the UK last Saturday but Tom tested positive before their flight, the Liverpool Echo reported.

The couple has been forced to spend 10 days in isolation at the Palma Bellver hotel, where their rooms are on different floors, the paper said.
He survived the perilous risks of being a pilot in the Second World War and even took part in a top-secret mission to defend Russia against invading forces from Nazi Germany.

Now, the last surviving member of a crew of 38 pilots who were sent to the Soviet Union as part of a mission codenamed Force Benedict has passed away aged 101.

Eric Carter, from Chaddesley Corbett, in Worcestershire, 'died of old age' earlier this week at a residential home in Birmingham, his son told The Sun.

In 1941, Mr Carter and the other Force Benedict pilots flew 365 sorties over four months to keep the north-western port of Murmansk open and protect supply routes.

Part of the RAF's 81 Squadron, 151 Wing, the team were ordered by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to defend the port 'at all costs'.

Piloting Hurricanes from Murmansk's Vaenga aerodrome, the team fought alongside Russian pilots and shot down 11 Messerschmitt fighters and three Junkers 88 bombers.

The crack team were also there to teach Russian pilots to fly the Hurricanes, which they left in their hands when they returned to the UK.

Mr Carter later retrained to fly the more famous Spitfire and finished the war in Burma, where he fought the Japanese.

For his efforts, Mr Carter was awarded the Arctic Star medal by then Prime Minister David Cameron in 2013.

A year earlier, when aged 91, the ace took to the skies again in a rare two-seater Spitfire, which he was able to briefly take the controls of himself.

Eric Carter, the last surviving member of a crew of 38 pilots who were sent on a top-secret mission to defend Russia from the invading forces of Nazi Germany has died aged 101

The successful Force Benedict operation remained secret for years afterwards because Soviet dictator Josef Stalin did not want to admit that he had asked Britain for help.

Adolf Hitler's Germany invaded Russia in June 1941, after two years of the strategic non-aggression agreement, the MolotovRibbentrop Pact.

The first months of Germany's attack saw Nazi forces reach deep into Russian territory.

With Stalin desperate, he pleaded with Churchill to send a fleet of Spitfires  Britain's latest and best fighter planes.

However, Churchill refused because the new Spitfires were needed to defend the skies of Britain.

Instead, the PM sent Hurricanes  first 40 and then hundreds later on.

The men who piloted them were officially under the command of Admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov, the head of the Soviet Navy and its air branch.

In 1941, Mr Carter (pictured) and the other Force Benedict pilots flew 365 sorties over four months to keep the north-western port of Murmansk open and protect supply routes

Their orders were to undertake the 'defence of the naval base of Murmansk and co-operation with the Soviet Forces in the Murmansk areas'.

The British pilots needed to train the Russian pilots in the planes' use and then leave the aircraft with them and return to Britain.

However, Mr Carter and the other aces ultimately went into action themselves because where they were based was in easy range of air bases in Finland, an ally of Germany.

They escorted Russian bombers to targets there and also shot down as many German planes as possible in the process.

It had been crucial to get the planes flying before the brutal winter snows began, so that Hitler's attack  which had blindsided the Soviets  could be stemmed.

The RAF pilots then handed over their planes to their Russian counterparts in October 1941, around two months after the aircraft were sent from Britain.

Piloting Hurricanes from Murmansk's Vaenga aerodrome, the team fought alongside Russian pilots and shot down 11 Messerschmitt fighters and three Junkers 88 bombers. Above: Hurricane planes are seen at Vaenga aerodrome

The crack team were also there to teach Russian pilots to fly the Hurricanes, which they left in their hands when they returned to the UK. Above: The planes at Vaenga airfield

Vaenga was near Finland, an ally of Germany, which then controlled Eastern Europe

It took less than two weeks for a Russian pilot flying one of the ex-RAF Hurricanes to down a Luftwaffe aircraft.

However, before they returned to the UK, the man heading up Force Benedict - Wing Commander Ramsbottom-Isherwood  organised a farewell party for their hosts.

HURRICANE: CHAMPION OF BATTLE OF BRITAIN More than half of the 2,739 German losses in the Battle of Britain were caused by Hurricanes  55 per cent. Despite this, the more beautiful and faster Spitfire became the symbol of the RAFs Finest Hour. Here are some Hawker Hurricane facts: Introduced - 1937 Total number of planes built - 14,533 Wingspan - 40ft Engine - Rolls Royce Merlin 1,185hp at 21,000ft Max speed - 339mph Armament - 4 x 20mm cannons, 2 x 226kg bombs Number of Hurricanes at start of Battle of Britain - 2,309 Planes lost during Battle of Britain - 565 Advertisement

Copious amounts of whisky, gin and port are said to have proved too much even for the Russians, who were used to large quantities of vodka.

Mr Carter got to Russia after boarding a ship from Liverpool, which took him first to the naval base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.

Speaking of the mission in 2014, Mr Carter said: 'We didn't have the foggiest idea where we were going.'

He and the other men on what was the very first arctic convoy to Russia braved enormous waves in freezing seas dotted with icebergs. To make matters worse, they had to contend with roving German U-boats.

Mr Carter said of the Russian pilots: We used to think they were mad. They'd fly in snowstorms, which we wouldn't do but that doesn't mean they were bad pilots. They were good pilots. A bit less careful than we were, let's put it that way.

He also recalled one of his dogfights with German planes. 'I was flying along and just below me and a few hundred yards ahead was a Messerschmitt 109,' he said.

'I flipped the cover off the firing button and as I looked at the 109 - it sticks in my mind so vividly - I said to myself, "You'd better make this good or that German pilot won't half be cross." Because there's only one going to come out of a fight between two.'

'I gave him a burst and he went off into the clouds. I don't know what happened to him. I think I hit him.'

Mr Carter wrote a book about his wartime exploits - Force Benedict, Churchill's Secret Mission To Save Stalin.

Prior to his 2012 return to the controls of a Spitfire, Mr Carter had to overcome museum officials who initially denied his chance to even sit in the cockpit of an aircraft because of health and safety rules.

However, thanks to fellow flying enthusiast Matt Jones, he was able to fly in a dual control Spitfire TR9 over Goodwood aerodrome in West Sussex.

Part of the RAF's 81 Squadron, 151 Wing, the team were ordered by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to defend the port 'at all costs'

The plane, PV202, was built as a single-seater in 1944 and flown in combat in Northern France.

It was later converted and used in training

Mr Carter said at the time: 'Amazing as it may seem it all came back to me after about ten minutes in the air.

'The firing button and all the controls were right there, exactly as they were when I last flew the Spitfire.

In 2012, when aged 91, Mr Carter took the skies again in a rare two-seater Spitfire, which he was able to briefly take the controls of himself

'Amazing experience': The former World War II pilot is pictured flying in the rear of the plane, with co-pilot Dave Ratcliffe in the front

Mr Carter wrote a book about his wartime exploits - Force Benedict, Churchill's Secret Mission To Save Stalin

'I can only describe it as being like you jumping back into your first car and feeling at home. It was an amazing experience  some sad memories, some happy. It was just as I remembered it.'

Mr Carter's son, Andrew, told The Sun of his father, who recovered from coronavirus earlier this year: 'He led a full and charmed life.

'I am proud of him and the others in that greatest generation that sacrificed their youths, if not their lives, to enable us to enjoy the freedoms we have today.'
This is the moment a drowsy patient entertained his wife and hospital staff with a comical rant as he regained full consciousness after sedation.

Footage captured in Clarksburg, West Virginia, shows the patient, identified only as Tim, begin to wake up after having a endoscopic procedure on July 21.

The patient talks to a member of staff about the American TV series Dr Death, based on the true story of neurosurgeon Dr Christopher Duntsch who harmed and killed patients during surgeries, before asking her: 'Have you seen chicken breasts?'

The patient begins to wake up and come out of anesthesia after having a endoscopic procedure in Clarksburg, West Virginia, on July 21

During the clip, which was filmed by Tim's wife, he lies on his hospital bed and asks: 'Doctor Death he was a doctor and he was fake and he really did stuff. Killed people. I don't know how he did it.'

He then goes on to say: 'Have you seen chicken breasts? If you cook a big chicken breast and you put peppercorn and chickens sliced up real thin...wait Doctor Death didn't kill animals.'

As the patient's wife laughs at her husband's comical ramblings, the nurse tells him: 'I have to go check on another patient OK. So you just wake up some more.'

Tim begins to close his eyes before his wife tells him: 'You've got to wake up so we can leave.'

The drowsy man slowly begins to open his eyes again before saying: 'Potato salad.'

He then asks: 'Hey, was Doctor Death a woman?' to which his wife replies: 'It was a man.'

The patient then asks if the American actor Christian Slater, who stars in the Peacock show about Christopher Duntsch, is Doctor Death before his wife explains: 'Christian Slater was a good guy.'

The patient begins to close his eyes before his wife wakes him up and tells him they need to leave the hospital

Just seconds later the patient notices a strange taste from his mouth and asks his wife: 'What did they put in my mouth?'

Just seconds later, the patient continues: 'What about Paulie Walnuts? He's a Soprano. What about food stuff? Listen if you take your kitten.'

As his wife continues to laugh at her husband, he adds: 'Oh, why are my legs like this? What the f***! I didn't sleep like this last time. Did I? Oh my god, I'm tired. Oh my god I'm so hungry.

'Oh my god what did they put in my mouth? My mouth tastes like cat s***'.

After hearing his wife chuckle, Tim adds: 'It's not funny April. I wasn't sideways last time. Oh what's in my mouth?'
Queen is only person exempt from using renewable energy to heat her buildings

The Queen's lawyers secretly lobbied the Scottish government for her private land to be exempt from a new climate change law, it has been revealed.

The monarch, whose Balmoral Estate makes her a major landowner in the country, is the only person not required to use renewable energy to heat her buildings.

In documents unearthed by Lily Humphreys, a researcher for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, the use of a parliamentary process known as Queen's consent gave the crown prior notice of the upcoming legislation.

The procedure, by which the government is required to ask the monarch for permission to debate laws that affect her, happens during the drafting of a bill that is in the stages of going through parliament.

It is suggested in the papers, seen by The Guardian, that Nicola Sturgeon's government failed to divulge the Queen's lobbying during a parliamentary debate to question why the monarch was obtaining an exemption from the green energy bill.

The Queen's lawyers are said to have secured the exemption five months ago, which only applies to her private land in the country, namely Balmoral, and not the Crown Estate, which includes Glenlivet.

The Queen (pictured in September 2014), whose Balmoral Estate makes her a major landowner in Scotland, is the only person not required to use renewable energy to heat her buildings

On February 3, officials working for Paul Wheelhouse, who was energy minister at the time, noted that the monarch's lawyers contacted them about the heat networks bill, which aims to contribute to Scotland's climate change targets by increasing district heating in the country.

The bill, which became law on March 30, also allows developers and operators of heat networks - which reduce carbon emissions through the use of insulated pipes and systems that generate heat - to compulsorily acquire land from landowners.

Mr Wheelhouse had agreed to amend the bill, saying the 'minister agreed to proposed amendment that would addressed [sic] concerns from Queen's solicitors'.

Fourteen days later, on February 17, the Scottish Government was told that the Queen had given her assent for the bill to be passed.

During a debate between MSPs over the bill five days afterwards, Mr Wheelhouse submitted an amendment that applied solely to land owned by the monarch.

Andy Wightman, an independent MSP at the time, contended it was wrong to only pick out the Queen for preferential treatment.

Mr Wheelhouse did not mention that the Queen's lawyers had lobbied for the alteration and claimed the amendment was 'required to ensure the smooth passage of the bill', although Buckingham Palace says her consent is 'purely formal'.

Former Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie expressed concerns over 'secret doors' made available to the Queen to change laws.

The Queen's lawyers are said to have secured the exemption five months ago, which only applies to her private land in the country, namely Balmoral (pictured above)

What is Scotland's heat networks bill? The heat networks bill aims to contribute to Scotland's climate change targets by increasing district heating in the country. It allows developers and operators to compulsorily acquire land from landowners. The bill enforces rules and regulations on heat networks, which reduce carbon emissions through the use of insulated pipes and systems that generate heat. Such regulations include making applications, identifying exemptions, granting licences and setting up heat network zones. Under the bill, all public sector building owners will need to assess their buildings to check if they are suitable to connect to a heat network. The heat networks bill became law on March 30, passing by a vote of 119 for, 0 against and 0 abstentions. Source: The Scottish Parliament Advertisement

He said: 'This research shows that Queen's consent isn't just some arcane legacy from parliament's past. It's a live process. Laws are secretly being changed behind Scotland's back as a result.

'That's not what people would expect in a democracy. I'm sure people will be shocked to see the Scottish Government's willingness to pander to the process.

'Their readiness to hide it from public view shows they have no interest in acting transparently.

'There should be no secret doors to changing the law. Others who lobby for changes have to declare it. That should be true for everyone.

'The Scottish Government must come forward and share the full extent to which this process influences the laws we live under.'

It follows claims emerging in February that more than 1,000 new laws were vetted by The Queen or Prince Charles before they were approved by Parliament.

The procedure, known as Queen's Consent, has been used on Bills ranging from social security issues to the Article 50 law allowing Britain to leave EU.

Some of the wide-ranging legislation also affected her powers, wealth and personal property such as her Balmoral and Sandringham estates.

At least 1,062 parliamentary bills have reportedly been subjected to Queen's consent.

Stretching back to the London County Council Bill in 1952 at the start of her reign, the data shows that the procedure has been use far more extensively than previously thought.

As well as major legislation on matters like Brexit and establishing the Scottish Parliament, Queen's consent has been used on obscure rules on car parking charges and rates for caravans and boats.

More than 1,000 new laws have been vetted by The Queen or Prince Charles before they were approved by Parliament, it was claimed in February

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: 'The royal household can be consulted on bills in order to ensure the technical accuracy and consistency of the application of the bill to the crown, a complex legal principle governed by statute and common law. This process does not change the nature of any such bill.'

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Scottish government said: 'Scottish Government policy is that the Crown should be subject to regulatory requirements on the same basis as everyone else, unless there is a legitimate reason for an exemption or variation.

'However, Crown consent is required by law if a Bill impacts the private property or interests of the Sovereign  and that is what happened in this case.

'In this instance, the Scottish Government considered it appropriate to limit the exercise of compulsory purchase powers in relation to the Queen's private estates.

'The Minister explained in detail to Parliament the reasons why it was appropriate to amend the Bill in this way  with specific reference to the Queens private estates  and Parliament agreed.'
Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is just as likely to trigger blood clots as AstraZeneca's, according to a study that has prompted fury among UK Government officials.

Scientists compared rates of thrombosis among more than 1.3million recipients of either jab in Spain.

Both vaccines came with a tiny risk of causing blood clots, with scientists branding their safety profiles 'broadly similar'. Pfizer's jab may even be more likely to trigger the rare blood-clotting complication, the data suggested.

In contrast, the virus itself was eight times more likely to lead to thromboembolism than either jab.

The findings go against an array of research saying the opposite, with health chiefs yet to uncover a link between Pfizer's vaccine and blood clots.

Safety concerns over AstraZeneca's jab first emerged in January, and prompted EU nations to shun the British-made vaccine en masse.

Top scientists insisted the jab was safe and would save thousands of lives, leading to claims the bloc heavyweights were using the vaccine to play post-Brexit politics.

In light of the new findings, one UK Government official accused European leaders of having 'blood on their hands' for trashing the life-saving jab.

The experts noted the difference between the levels of conditions they expected to see (squares) in the general population and compared this to the cases they observed (circles) in people who received a vaccine or who caught Covid. The biggest change was seen among people who caught Covid, with the risk of developing a blood clot in the vein - called venous thromboembolism - jumping from from 62 to 499

Scientists noted that the different ages and health conditions of people who were given the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccine may have affected their findings. Of the 945,941 people who received one Pfizer jab (left), the average age was 75, while the 778,534 people fully immunised with Pfizer (middle) were aged 77 on average. But those who got one dose of AstraZeneca had an average age of 61 (right). The study was conducted in Spain, where national guidelines issued in March restricted the use of the Oxford jab to people in their 60s

The unnamed Whitehall insider told Politico: 'We now know what we all suspected is true, they did it out of spite for Britain because of Brexit.

'When the history books are written, they'll say these people were directly responsible for the deaths of thousands in developing countries who won't take AZ because of their anti-vaxx scare stories.'

Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines linked to very rare heart condition British health chiefs have warned Pfizer and Moderna's coronavirus vaccines may cause heart damage. Since the vaccine rollout has been expanded to children in countries including the US and Israel, there have been reports of an extremely rare reported cases of myocarditis and pericarditis. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, while pericarditis is when the protective layer around the heart gets inflamed. There are no specific causes of the conditions but they are usually triggered by a virus. The UK is expected to wait for more data from clinical trials and other countries immunising children before making a decision to offer all youngster the jab. The US, Israel and France are already giving the vaccine to over-12s. Earlier this month, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the government had concerns about 'very rare' cases of heart inflammation in young people following the virus. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency insists the complication  inflammation of the heart muscle which can damage the organ over time  is still 'extremely rare' and 'typically mild'. Data from the US  where cases of myocarditis have been spotted  suggests the complication is most common in boys and young men. Advertisement

Covid vaccines have drastically slashed the risk of severe illness, hospitalisation and death from the virus.

Their rapid roll-out has allowed Britain to remove most remaining lockdown-esque restrictions, with ministers confident in how well they work.

But they have been linked to extremely rare complications, with AstraZeneca's jab thought to cause blood clots in 11 in every 100,000 recipients.

Johnson & Johnson's single-dose jab  which works in a very similar way  has also been linked to the same complication.

However, regulators have not spotted any consistent trend between Pfizer's mRNA vaccine and blood clots. Its jab  linked to a very rare kind of heart inflammation  is based on pioneering technology.

Several countries in Europe stopped using the Oxford-designed AstraZeneca jab in March after a series of blood clots, with younger people facing a slightly higher risk.

Regulators analysed the data and found benefits vastly outweighed the risk for most.

But in the absence of doubt, UK health chiefs opted against routinely offering the jab to under-40s, who face a vanishingly rare risk of dying from Covid.

Since findings first emerged, there has been concern about the vaccine and its side effects, which experts fear has fuelled hesitancy among some groups in the UK and overseas.

The study, soon to be published in The Lancet, only looked at data from Catalonia  one region of Spain.

Independent scientists have yet to scrutinise the findings through a process known as peer-review, meaning the data remains unverified.

Researchers from the Foundation University Institute for Primary Health Care Research in Barcelona were behind the study, which also involved a team from Oxford and the Netherlands.

They compared rates of three different types of blood-clotting events among 1.3million people jabbed with either Pfizer or AstraZeneca.

Data was then compared to a control group of 4.5million people, to work out how whether the events were happening any more often than expected.

And the team, led by Ed Burn, a researcher associate in real world health economics at the University of Oxford, also looked at the medical records of 220,000 patients who had also had Covid, which is known to increase the risk of clots.

Results showed 211 people given a first dose of Pfizer developed blood clots in the veins or lungs, known as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

For comparison, the scientists  who received funding off the European Medicines Agency  calculated the background rate to be 169 in the general population.

This equates to a 25 per cent increase among Pfizer recipients, based on the researchers figures.

They saw slightly more blood clot cases in people who got AstraZeneca's (39 cases compared to 35) but the overall risk was lower than from Pfizer's.

Experts expected to see less cases among those receiving the Oxford vaccine, because the number of participants who received that jab was less.

They found this equated to a 20 per cent risk among AstraZeneca recipients of getting blood clots in the veins.

The Pfizer jab was not linked to blood clots with second doses, while the study did not examine people who got a second dose of AstraZeneca.

Risk of blood clots in the arteries  which are more serious  were similar between both jabs and lower than the rates experts expected to see.

Meanwhile, the risk of suffering the exact complication that spooked health chiefs around the world was low among both AstraZeneca and Pfizer recipients.

Scientists found both the AstraZeneca vaccine (right) and Pfizer (left) came with a tiny risk of causing blood clots, with scientists branding their safety profiles 'broadly similar'. Pfizer's jab may even be more likely to trigger the rare blood-clotting complication, the data suggested

The side effect  clots occurring alongside low platelet levels (thrombocytopenia) occurred nine times in people who had the Pfizer jab when 20 were expected.

Meanwhile less than five cases were recorded in those who had the Oxford jab, so researchers could not draw a conclusion.

The risk of developing a blood clot in the vein alongside thrombocytopenia was four times higher from Covid.

And overall, the risk of clots was up to eight times higher from coronavirus than the two vaccines.

The experts noted that the participants included in the study may have swayed the result, with those who received the Pfizer jab were on average in their mid-70s.

Meanwhile, those who received AstraZeneca had an average age of 61.

The prevalence of health conditions that raise the risk of clots in the Pfizer cohort was also much higher.

Professor Kevin McConway, an emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, said the findings on thrombocytopenia 'aren't very conclusive because the condition is so rare'.

Additionally, some of the differences between the groups who received the Oxford and Pfizer jabs 'are pretty large', including underlying health conditions and age, because national recommendations changed earlier this year.

All of the participants were based in Spain, which changed its policy towards the the rollout of the AstraZeneca jab.

Initially the Oxford vaccine was restricted to essential workers under 55, but after safety concerns emerged, this was restricted to just 60 to 65-year-olds, before being for all people in their 60s.

Professor McConway said: 'These differences could, in part or in whole, be the cause of any increased risk on blood clotting in vaccinated people, or any differences between the two vaccines.

'This means that the study cannot tell us whether any differences, or lack of differences, between people using the two vaccines or between vaccinated people and the general population, are actually caused by the vaccines. They might be, but they might not.'
Dogs tend to be the normal nuisance for mail carriers but nobody told this territorial turkey in Madison, Wisconsin.

Hilarious footage shows the bird chasing a USPS truck down the street and then blocking its path when it tried to make a turn.

The video was recorded on July 23, by a very amused man and a woman in a car following the truck.

'It's so funny to watch', the woman commented as they watched the turkey picking up the pace.

Once the truck got to the end of the street, the turkey caught up and began running next to it.

The truck attempted to turn left but the turkey quickly got in the way.

The filmers then saw the fearless turkey attempting to 'square up' to the truck as it began turning back around.

They enjoyed one final laugh as they saw the turkey continued to pursue the truck while they watched from the back of the car window.

A turkey was caught chasing a mail truck down a street in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 23

The turkey chased the truck to the end of the road and began following it as it turned around

YouTube users shared the pair's amusement.

One viewer said: 'The fact that the turkey is following the mail truck is weird but whats more odd is the fact theres a wild turkey in a suburban neighborhood.'

Another joked: 'The turkey was very upset that that baster that he ordered was delayed.'

Male turkeys want to prove their dominance by chasing after humans or objects as they would with any other turkey

Wild turkeys are considered natives in certain parts of Wisconsin.

The birds, particularly males, assert their dominance by chasing or attacking humans or large objects as they would do with another turkey.

In 2019 a very persistent turkey started following another USPS truck in Waukesha, Wisconsin almost every day.

Mailman Jeff Byrne told Today's TMJ4 : 'For the last month or so it has been chasing the truck and when it stops he'll circle around me.'

The mailman had to start carrying a blowhorn to get the turkey away from the truck when it started becoming a routine event.
Rabbi said local police needed to provide better security for communities

Violence against Jewish people in London reached a 'worrying' spike following escalating tension in the Middle East, new figures have shown.

It was today revealed that there were 87 anti-Semitic incidents of physical violence recorded across the capital in May, around four times higher than any point in the past three years.

All other months since May 2018 saw levels ranging between seven and 22 incidents per month, a Freedom of Information request to the Met Police by the PA news agency found.

The peak came as conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza escalated, hitting international headlines and leading to hundreds of deaths.

The Metropolitan Police recorded 87 anti-Semitic incidents across London in May, four times higher than at any point in the previous three years, a Freedom of Information request found (stock photo)

In one of the incidents, police recorded rocks being thrown at a Jewish home in the capital. There were also dozens of other non-violent incidents , including one where the word 'Hitler' was written on the ceiling of a communal block of flats.

The figures showed 39 of the incidents involved male victims, while 43 targeted women.

In one of the incidents, police recorded rocks being thrown at a Jewish home in the capital.

Dozens of other non-violent incidents were recorded across the capital throughout the month, including one where the word 'Hitler' was written on the ceiling of a communal block of flats.

And in another incident a 17-year-old boy was charged with a religiously aggravated public order offence for allegedly subjecting a Jewish man to a 'torrent of anti-Semitic abuse' on the underground.

The wider figure for anti-Semitic incidents in London, which includes verbal abuse, was 252 over the same period.

The incidents reported to Met Police result in 15 arrests.

It has been suggested that the rise in violence could be linked to fighting between Israel and Palestinian groups in May following an escalation in tensions. Pictured: A fire erupts from a building in Gaza City's Rimal district

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in central London in May as they called for an 'urgent' resolution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Cars were smashed and Israeli flags burnt amid the protest

It has been suggested that the rise in violence could be linked to fighting between Israel and Palestinian groups in May. Israeli military strikes killed 260 Palestinians, including at least 129 civilians, of whom 66 were children.

'Usually when it flares up in Israel, it flares up here locally,' said Chaim Hochhauser from Shomrim, a neighbourhood watch group which works to protect the Jewish community of Stamford Hill in north London.

'In May we had the Gaza war in Israel, so that is why it has flared up in England.

'During May, the Jewish community in Hackney were the target of many racially motivated attacks.

'One of these hate crimes saw targeted over 30 Jewish-owned vehicles whose tyres were slashed, this was pure hate crime as only the Jewish cars were targeted.'

Kenneth Roth, a director of Human Rights Watch, was criticised for suggesting the Israeli government's actions were responsible for the rise in antisemitic incidents during the recent Gaza conflict.

Writing on Twitter he said: 'Antisemitism is always wrong, and it long preceded the creation of Israel, but the surge in UK anti-semitic incidents during the recent Gaza conflict gives the lie to those who pretend that the Israeli government's conduct doesn't affect antisemitism.'

Mr Roth's tweet was widely condemned as people pointed out that he would not look to place the blame on any other minority community facing an increase in hate crime.

Rabbi Herschel Gluck, also from Stamford Hill, which is believed to have the highest concentration of Hasidic Jews in Europe, said: 'There needs to be better security provided by the police, particularly for women in the neighbourhood.'

In one incident this year a 17-year-old boy was charged with a religiously aggravated public order offence for allegedly subjecting a Jewish man to a 'torrent of anti-Semitic abuse' on the underground

A Jewish man was abused twice in the space of an hour on London 's public transport in July. He said some people had at one point threatened to 'shank' him and 'slit his throat for Palestine'

He said he believed a belief that Jewish women were 'docile' had made them an 'easy target' for those wishing to express hatred against Jews.

The Metropolitan Police labelled the incidents 'deplorable abuse'.

In a statement, the force said: 'Hate crime comes in many different forms and strikes at the heart of communities.

'We know there is public concern about increases in various forms of hate crime in response to events across the globe, especially over the last 18 months.

'Most recently we have seen incidents of anti-Semitism within the capital which have understandably caused considerable concern within our Jewish communities.

'Behaviour of this kind and abuse against any individual or group has no place in our city.

'We will not tolerate it and will act quickly and robustly in response to all reported crimes of this nature.

'Throughout 2020 and into 2021, Covid-19 also had a direct impact on hate crime in our communities.

'There was a rise in racially aggravated incidents, both on and offline, with certain communities targeted as a result of the pandemic.'
Sydney's health system is buckling under the pressure of the city's spiralling Covid outbreak, with surgery suspended at several hospitals and the army drafted in to enforce lockdown.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed on Thursday night that 300 personnel would be deployed to help NSW Police enforce the strict restrictions on millions across Sydney.

They will be deployed across Sydney from Monday.

It comes after NSW recorded its worst-ever Covid case numbers on Thursday, with a whopping 239 cases as the state's health system struggles to contain the Indian Delta strain.

Newly released figures also showed the state's contact tracing system was being overwhelmed by case numbers, with a soaring number of mystery cases going unsolved for weeks, and a slippage in the time taken to notify positive test results and to interview new cases about their movements.

Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred, St Vincent's and Liverpool hospitals have all had to pause non-urgent surgery during lockdown, as Health Minister Brad Hazzard conceded the hospital system was under 'significant stress.'

St Vincent's Hospital, on the outskirts of Sydney's CBD, is one of three hospitals to pause non urgent surgery due to the coronavirus

As Covid test numbers increase, Sydney has been 'drowning' due to the demand, with testing from NSW now being completed interstate

So many exposure sites have popped up across the city that many workers are in isolation, meaning staff numbers aren't adequate to run non-urgent procedures.

A spokesperson for Sydney Local Health District said while non-urgent surgeries were temporarily paused at RPA Hospital, 'arrangements are in place with private hospitals to assist us with non-urgent elective surgical load if necessary'.

St Vincent's, located at Darlinghurst just out of the CBD, told the Sydney Morning Herald they were 'looking to meet the needs of their patients' before adding 'if things do become worse, we wont be able to maintain the load we are doing.'

The situation is even more dire at Liverpool, with the hospital in an identified Covid hot-spot in southwest Sydney.

They have only conducted emergency surgery for the past fortnight, with other surgeries moved to nearby Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

With daily tests in NSW currently hovering around the 100,000 mark, thousands of Covid nasal test swabs are now being put on planes and flown interstate for testing.

Certain test labs in Sydney are simply unable to cope with the high demand, with people in some cases waiting up to 10 days for their results.

Laverty Pathology, who run the drive-through Covid testing clinics in Sydney, have admitted some resulted have taken up to 72 hours - which has resulted in assistance from experts in other states.

The state's once-vaunted contact tracing system was also struggling to cope.

Figures show a burgeoning backlog of mystery infections yet to be linked to a source - some of them a month old - and a growing number of infected people waiting longer to be told of positive tests and to being interviewed about their movements.

NSW Health figures reported in The Australian showed there are 779 infections - almost a third of active cases - whose source is unkown.

Of those, 119 are positive cases that were recorded in the first two weeks of July, more than a fortnight ago, but were still not linked to other cases.

The percentage of people notified of a positive test result within a day had dropped from 90 per cent to 84 per cent in a week, and the percentage of notified who were interviewed within 24 hours had slipped alarmingly from 85 per cent a week ago to just 67 per cent this week.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller also confirmed he has made a formal request to the federal government for Australian Defence Force assistance with the ongoing Covid-19 compliance operation.

The NSW Police Force will significantly expand its enforcement activities in Sydney over the coming days and has requested 300 ADF personnel to boost its operational footprint.

Commissioner Fuller said the NSW Police Force and the ADF has forged a close relationship through the pandemic.

The Australian Defence Force has also been called in to assist with ongoing Covid-19 compliance operation across NSW

Covid testing numbers in NSW are so high during lockdown that samples have been flown interstate as Sydney is 'drowning' due to demand

'The assistance of the ADF has been essential over the past 18 months - particularly during last year's border operation, the ongoing hotel quarantine operation and the assistance provided with logistics support in the Police Operations Centre,' he said.

'With an increase in enforcement activity over the coming week, I have now made a formal request to the Prime Minister for ADF personnel to assist with that operation.

'I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his ongoing support.'

Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott welcomed the request for assistance.

'There is a longstanding and highly-professional relationship between the NSW Police Force and the ADF,' Mr Elliott said.

'As I have said previously, support from the Army will add another line of defence to the NSW Government's crackdown on Covid-19 compliance.

'The Army's unique skills and training have combined many times with those of our police officers to serve the people of NSW in times of crisis, such as the floods and severe bushfires we've experienced in recent years.

'This will be a functional, effective and dynamic team to fight this pandemic.'

Following Thursday's confirmation of the huge case numbers, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in one of eight hotspot LGAs in the west and south-western suburbs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home.

Those areas are Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in those LGAs cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.
It sounded far-fetched from the very beginning.

An Alaskan miner, cornered in the brutal wilderness to stand-off against a hungry brown bear for four days before being rescued by a Coast Guard's helicopter that happened to be passing by, without a scratch on him.

But that's what Richard Jessee, a gold hunter who was rescued last week in Nome, Alaska, said happened to him.

The unlikely story gathered attention from the national press and Jessee told proudly about hiding from the animal after it crushed his ATV and tossed his phone in a river.

Now, however, locals are questioning his version of events after going to the cabin where he was rescued but finding no evidence of the days-long battle he described.

Other local miners who were interviewed by The Nome Nugget went to the cabin where Jessee was rescued but found no bear tracks.

They did however find the ATV and attached trailer that Jessee said the bear pushed into the water.

On top of it was a packet of bacon in a cooler that was untouched.

'Theres just no way it was a bear!' one anonymous source said.

They think he simply crashed the ATV into the river and waterlogged it, but was too embarrassed to admit it, so made up the story after being rescued.

Richard Jessee says he was riding his ATV with a trailer attached to it to it in Nome last week when he says the bear 'came out of nowhere', picked it up like 'a toy' and tossed it

'We went out there to the cabin, but we couldnt find a bear track within 500 feet of the place, but it should have been all torn up, according to his story.

'Theres no hair, no tracks, no scat, nothing.

'He made a fool of us. We found out that his story didnt match what we found.'

The lack of prints were especially odd given that the region had gone through heavy rainfall when the incident supposedly took place, which would leave the ground muddy and perfect for leaving prints.

The owner of the cabin added that he has never had issues with bears near his property.

The group also found Jessee's ATV without a single claw mark despite Jessee's claim that the bear attacked the vehicle and pushed it into a waterhole.

A Coast Guard crew spotted Richard Jessee in a remote mining camp, pictured, 40 miles from Nome, Alaska, and waving both arms in a plea for help

A Coast Guard chopper spotted Jessee standing near a shack with the words 'SOS' and 'help me' scrawled on its tin roof.

The only marks they did find on the vehicle were located around the front and back edge of the ATV, which they say could only have been caused by a bear if the animal had only one claw.

Some of the miners now believe that Jessee had actually crashed his ATV and was stuck without a way to get back.

They think he might have been too embarrassed by the incident and lied about the bear attack.

Jessee is standing by his story.

'They can believe what they want. I was there. I know what happened. I haven't been that scared in a very, very long time.'

And as for the bacon, he says he didn't get it out of the cooler because he didn't want the smell of raw meat to escape from it.

'I didnt touch any of the food that was in the cooler- bacon, hamburger, all kinds of stuff.

'I didnt want the smell of it to come out and attract the bear. I grabbed the dry food, repacked the trailer and left it there.'

In his original interview, he told the Nugget that the bear tried 'for days' to get into the cabin but couldn't, even though he didn't have a door.

The Coast Guard crew was on its way to Nome, Alaska from Kotzebue when they spotted him

'There was no doubt about it: the bear was trying to get into my cabin. I dont know why it was so aggressive. Maybe it had cubs nearby,' he said.

Lieutenant Commander Jared Carbajal was piloting a helicopter for a mission near Nome when he had to take a different route because of the weather.

He said: 'We were flying near a lot of old mining sites, and my copilot noticed a guy waving at us.

Jessee claimed he had been terrorized by a grizzly bear, like the one pictured, who dragged him down to a river and kept coming back to his shack every night for a week

'He was waving two hands over his head, and thats usually sign of distress, so we turned to fly over to check it out and make sure he was okay. As we came up, we noticed on top of his roof, he had painted "SOS HELP ME."

They flew him to a hospital where James West Jr., chief of Nome Emergency Services, was waiting.

In an interview with DailyMail.com, he said: 'He was carrying a revolver on his side, and I told him, "Youre going to have to remove your revolver."

'And he replied, "No, Im not.

Jesse explained to him that he used that gun to shoot at the bear, after it knocked him off his bike then pounced on him.

'He had some bruising on his knee, and he was complaining of possible broken ribs, but nothing major.

'There were no bite marks or anything like that. He was mostly just shaken up.

'And he said, "Well, yeah, Im a lucky man, I got a shot off." He didnt know if hed hit the bear or not, but he was able to get away.

'Ive seen a hell of a lot worse. I had one friend of mine get mauled and lose a major portion of his face a few years ago. Any time you have a bear mauling, its usually bad. I expect the worst.'

Jesses greatest concern was that hed left his mining gear at the cabin, and was anxious to retrieve them after his hospital stay.

'He was more worried about his stuff, which he left out in the open. Thats all he had to his name at that point.'
Police in Russia have arrested the chief editor of an investigative news site and seized his laptop, phone, and passport.

Roman Dobrokhotov, chief editor of The Insider, the site that revealed the identities of the Salisbury poisoners, was detained and taken for interrogation following a police raid on Wednesday.

It is the latest move by authorities to put pressure on independent media before the country's September parliamentary election and comes after the outlet was designated a 'foreign agent' on July 23.

Dobrokhotov was seen leaving the Internal Affairs Ministry's office in Moscow following an interrogation late on Wednesday.

The Insider reported the searches targeting Dobrokhotov were likely related to a slander case launched in April following a complaint by a Dutch blogger.

But the legal aid group said Dobrokhotov was a witness in a criminal case against 'unidentified persons' on the charges of slander, launched over a tweet from his account that contained 'disinformation about the downed Boeing MH-17'.

Police in Russia have raided the home of Roman Dobrokhotov, the chief editor of investigative news site The Insider, seizing his laptop, phone, and passport

Police seized phones, laptops and tablets during the raid, as well as Mr Dobrokhotov's international passport. Officers also searched his parents' apartment

Press were alerted to the raid when Dobrokhotov tweeted that 'police are knocking' on his apartment door.

His wife reported the raid to the OVD-Info legal aid group before her phone became unavailable.

A lawyer from another legal aid group, Pravozashchita Otkrytki, went to Dobrokhotov's apartment.

The group said police seized phones, laptops and tablets during the raid, as well as Dobrokhotov's international passport.

Police also searched his parents' apartment according to Baza Telegram channel which posted a video of men in civilian clothes allegedly explaining to his parents they wanted to search the flat as part of a criminal case.

Police have not provided an official statement on the case.

Sergei Yezhov, a journalist with The Insider, said Mr Dobrokhotov was supposed to travel outside of Russia on Wednesday.

Police also raided the home of Mr Dobrokhotov's parents, The Insider said. After the searches, he was taken to a police precinct for questioning and then released.

He told reporters outside the station that The Insider will continue to operate despite the pressure from authorities.

'It will become more difficult to work now. I don't have cell phones, I can't travel and meet my colleagues - many of our investigations are international,' Mr Dobrokhotov said.

'And, of course, it's serious pressure. But it's clear that The Insider will continue to exist. Investigations will be released even if I am arrested. If they hope to halt the work of the news site, they hope in vain.'

Russian opposition supporters, independent journalists and human rights activists have faced increased government pressure ahead of a September 19 vote widely seen as an important part of President Vladimir Putin's efforts to cement his rule before the 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 on to power until 2036.

Russian president Vladimir Putin, 68, pushed through constitutional changes last year that would potentially allow him to hold on to power until 2036

In recent months, the government has designated several independent media outlets and journalists as 'foreign agents' - a label that implies additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations that could discredit the recipients.

The targeted outlets include VTimes and Meduza.

VTimes subsequently shut down, citing the loss of advertisers, and Meduza launched a crowd-funding campaign after encountering the same problem.

The Insider was the latest addition to the list.

The news outlet, registered in Latvia, has worked with investigative group Bellingcat to investigate high-profile cases, such as the nerve agent poisonings of former Russian spy Sergei Sripal and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The Russian Justice Ministry acted under a law used to designate as foreign agents non-governmental organisations, media outlets and individuals who receive foreign funding and engage in activities loosely described as political.

Another law is used to outlaw groups deemed 'undesirable' and makes membership in them a criminal offence.

It has been used to ban 41 outfits, including opposition groups, foreign NGOs and most recently the publisher of Proekt, an online investigative media outlet.

The Justice Ministry last week also designated two Proekt journalists and three other reporters as foreign agents.

According to The Insider, the searches targeting Dobrokhotov were likely related to a slander case launched in April following a complaint by a Dutch blogger.

The Insider accused Max van der Werff of working with Russian intelligence and military services to spread false information challenging the findings of the official investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine, which killed all 298 people on board.

The legal aid group said Dobrokhotov was a witness in a criminal case against 'unidentified persons' on the charges of slander, launched over a tweet from his account that contained 'disinformation about the downed Boeing MH-17'.

Earlier this week, Russian authorities blocked about 50 websites linked to the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The move came a month after a court in Moscow outlawed Navalny's political infrastructure - his Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of regional offices - as extremist in a ruling that prevents people associated with the groups from seeking public office and exposes them to lengthy prison terms.
Covid self-isolation rates were already dropping before 'Freedom Day', official data revealed today.

A quarter of infected 18 to 34 year olds confessed to defying strict quarantine rules one week before England's lockdown was loosened in July.

For comparison, the figure was just half of that in May  before pubs were allowed to reopen again.

But rates have barely changed for older adults, the same statistics showed.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) polling data showed adherence to isolation rules dropped across the board between May and July.

The figures, based on a survey of nearly 1,000 adults, come before the 'pingdemic' truly took off.

The next release, which will reveal how behaviour has changed following Freedom Day and the self-isolation chaos, isn't due until the end of August.

Tim Gibbs, an ONS statistician, said: 'Full adherence to self-isolation requirements after testing positive for Covid remains high.

'Though we have seen a drop from May to July.

'Self-isolation can have a negative impact on well-being and finances; nearly one third of people reported they lost income as a result of adherence and four in ten said self-isolation had a negative impact on their well-being and mental health.

'With restrictions having relaxed further, it is important we continue to monitor the behaviour of those required to self-isolate.'

Covid self-isolation rates were already dropping before 'Freedom Day' with a quarter of 18- to 34-year-olds defying quarantine rules, ONS data has shown

The same data also showed adherence rates have barely changed among 35- to 54- year-olds or over-55s.

For example, 84 per cent of infected 35- to 54-year-olds adhered to self-isolation rules when the poll was carried out in June. This rose slightly to 86 per cent between July 5 and 10.

Meanwhile rates also increased slightly in over-55s  from 77 to 81 per cent.

Supermarket workers are deleting NHS app 'en masse' Supermarket workers are deleting the NHS Covid app 'en masse' after being left off the government's exemption list, an Iceland chief warned yesterday. The frozen food giant's managing director Richard Walker said staff were trying to avoid being 'pinged' to self-isolate by removing it from their phones. He said he did not condone the move but added: 'To be honest, who can blame them?' It comes after the exemption list of those who do not have to quarantine if they are pinged by the app was extended. Binmen, vets and prison officers were among the workers who qualify for the daily testing scheme instead - but supermarket workers were left off. Meanwhile ministers were under pressure to reveal how many of the 2,000 testing sites they have promised for critical workers. Advertisement

Some 96 per cent of people stayed at home in the 24 hours after a positive test but the proportion fell as the isolation period went on.

Around 22 per cent of people told to isolate said they had some contact with a non-household member during the time, down from 16 per cent in May.

One in five people (20 per cent) reported carrying out at least one activity during self-isolation that was not adherent to the requirements, for example, leaving the home or having visitors.

Of those who did isolate, 46 per cent who did isolate said the period had a negative effect on their mental health and well-being.

People who test positive for Covid must self-isolate for 10 days under Government rules. If symptoms persist they are encouraged to keep isolating longer.

Anyone who breaches the law can be fined up to 10,000. First-time offenders can get a 1,000 penalty.

The data does not show the proportion people who were ordered to isolate because they came into contact with Covid.

The recent surge in cases across England has led to millions of people being told to stay at home, either through the NHS app or Test and Trace.

Supermarket shelves have been left empty and trains cancelled because of a lack of staff.

Despite scenes of chaos, Boris Johnson has refused to budge on the August 16 date for scrapping self-isolation for the double-jabbed.

It comes after a Government scientific adviser yesterday claimed ministers were told months ago that self-isolation rules could be replaced with 'test and release'.

Asked if he had advised the Government to change its approach, Sir John Bell said had 'encouraged' ministers to do so for months.

Sir John said if the decision had been up to him he would have moved 'much more aggressively from January' to replace the stay at home requirement for contacts of positive coronavirus cases with daily testing.

He added: 'Just to be clear: the data was there in January that showed you could probably do this.'
In a worst-case scenario fueled by climate change - a total global collapse - the U.S. isn't among the Top 5 countries well-positioned to survive, according to a new study.

That's because its giant land borders make it vulnerable to migration from people who would be trying to escape climate disasters in their own countries: Think streams of people pouring over the southern border from Mexico or the northern border from Canada, for instance.

Still, the U.S. would have fallen somewhere just out of the Top 5, the researchers at Anglia Ruskin University in the U.K. told DailyMail.com.

Even though its borders would likely present an issue in a climate disaster, the U.S. does have strong points, including lots of land for agricultural use, access to oceans and plenty of manufacturing capacity, according to the researchers.

5 Countries Most Likely to Survive Climate Change Collapse The countries were rated on factors such as manufacturing capability, isolation from dense population centers, and proportion of arable land New Zealand Australia Ireland Iceland United Kingdo m Advertisement

The researchers compiled their Top 5 list of countries that they consider most likely to survive a global climate collapse based on a separate list that had been prepared by the University of Notre Dame.

In Notre Dame's list, it came up with the 20 countries it determined were least likely to be damaged from climate change.

The U.K. researchers used that list to determine their Top 5 to survive a climate collapse.

A collapse would mean the fraying of supply chains and international agreements that help trade among countries. Such a collapse would bring the global financial system to its knees.

The countries most likely to survive such a collapse, according to the researchers, are: New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Iceland and the U.K - in that order.

All of those countries are islands or island continents - and they have fewer temperature extremes and varied amounts of rainfall, according to a Sky News writeup of the researchers' report.

Their island status means they're likely to be able to be more self-sufficient - and aren't as vulnerable to migration as the U.S. in the event of an emergency.

Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University narrowed down the list of 20 countries most prepared for climate change by using additional criteria to see where life is most likely to stay the same.

They took into account the fertility of the land, the proximity to large cities whose people could be displaced, and the capacity to produce energy and other products for itself and others.

The study found that the isolated island nation of New Zealand is in the best position to keep its robust and complex society intact, but America is susceptible to mass migration in the event of a catastrophe because it's too close to megacities on its borders.

A study by Anglia Ruskin University found New Zealand was best prepared to handle a global collapse spurred by climate change. Above, the city of Auckland

Iceland followed New Zealand. Above, the northern lights as seen from the Godafoss waterfall

The US missed the top five list of countries that can handle a global collapse from climate change disruptions. Above, the Tamarack Fire burns near Lake Tahoe, California on July 17

20 Countries Least Likely to Be Disrupted by Climate Change The countries were judged on social, economic and political factors such as social inequality, doing business and rule of law by the University of Notre Dame. The most recent study by the U.K. university used this list to determine its Top 5 Norway New Zealand Finland Denmark Sweden Switzerland Singapore Austria Iceland Germany United Kingdom Luxembourg Australia Korea Japan The Netherlands France Canada United States Ireland Advertisement

Rounding out the top five are Iceland, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Island nations in 'temperate latitudes' are most likely to survive as 'lifeboats' in the event of a severe climate catastrophe.

On the other hand, tropical and subtropical land may become 'unproductive and depopulated' due to the risk of erosion and degradation from higher temperatures, according to the study published on July 21 in the journal Sustainability by the college's Global Sustainability Institute.

The US has a very high proportion of arable land (44.5 percent), direct access to oceans and abundant renewable resources and manufacturing capacity, but it's also close to 'external' megacities in Mexico and Canada that would be susceptible to displacement.

Additionally, a large swath of the southeast is located in humid subtropical climates.

Study author and professor Aled Jones told DailyMail.com that the US made it just below the top 5 list.

'The main reason would be because of the isolation score,' he said.

'We looked at if countries were collapsing, who was connected to which other countries. The top 5 were all islands, so part of it was about protecting borders.'

The country has seen the effects of climate change firsthand this year, with wildfires ripping through the West Coast and floods from tropical storms inundating New York City's subways.

President Joe Biden recently re-joined the Paris Climate Accords, which former President Trump withdrew from in 2017.

Jones said the best thing the US could to do mitigate a collapse would be to help other countries avoid one.

'Because we're so interconnected and so dependent on other countries, we're not totally isolated, so the main point is - to avoid having to militarize borders and do something dramatic like that - is look at what makes people resilient and to support other countries in the world in order to withstand other shocks.'

New Zealand, the highest scoring country in the shortlist, has a 'limited manufacturing capacity,' according to the study, but it's saved by a low population, a high proportion of land that can be used for agriculture (43.2 percent) and its status as an archipelago at 'mid southern latitudes with no nearby large or heavily populated landmasses.'

Researchers based their analysis on a list of 20 countries compiled by the University of Notre Dame.

'We weren't surprised New Zealand was on our list,' Jones told The Guardian.

'We chose that you had to be able to protect borders and places had to be temperate. So with hindsight it's quite obvious that large islands with complex societies on them already [make up the list].'

The analyzed the countries ability to survive 'de-complexification,' defined as a condition where the 'complexity of human societies at global scale would undergo a large and broad-spectrum (i.e., affecting all parts of societies, technological systems and environments) reduction.'

Australia is another nation that scored high thanks to its isolation. Above, Sydney Harbour

Ireland, above, may become a 'lifeboat' because of its self-sufficiency and temperate climate

The UK made the top 5 thanks to its temperate climate and relative isolation from external megacities. Above, sun bursts through a suburban British neighborhood

The study points to the rapid pace in which human population has grown in a short period of time since the advent of the Industrial Revolution, along with the disruption this has caused to the environment.

Less than three percent of the world's surface area is 'fundamentally intact,' leading to an ongoing sixth extinction episode in which 'Earth's biosphere is currently under pressure at levels which occur only infrequently even over geological timescales.'

The UK inched into the shortlist at the bottom, along with Iceland.

It has a very high fraction of arable land (71 percent), and it's an island in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean at mid-high northern latitudes.

It has a high-tech economy and abundant natural resources.

'We were quite surprised the UK came out strongly,' Jones said.

'It is densely populated, has traditionally outsourced manufacturing, hasn't been the quickest to develop renewable technology, and only produces 50% of its own food at the moment. But it has the potential to withstand shocks.'
Priti Patel has hit back at the Police Federation as a furious row over a pay freeze for officers rumbles on.

The Home Secretary said frontline staff are 'not interested in politics' and they want ministers to 'take practical action that helps them get on with their job'.

The comments will be seen as a rebuke for the Police Federation after its members passed a motion of no confidence in Ms Patel last week.

The organisation, which represents more than 130,000 officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector, has demanded a U-turn over the pay freeze and warned its members feel 'taken for granted'.

The Home Secretary said frontline staff are 'not interested in politics' and they want ministers to 'take practical action that helps them get on with their job'

Officers who earn more than 24,000 are subject to a pay freeze this year, compared with NHS staff who will receive three per cent and firefighters and local government workers who will receive 1.5 per cent.

As a result the federation has walked away from the Police Remuneration Review Body, which was set up to advise the Government on pay.

John Apter, the chairman of the Police Federation, and Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, delivered an open letter to Downing Street on Tuesday calling for an urgent rethink.

The letter said that for many the pay freeze was the 'final straw' following the challenges of policing through the Covid-19 pandemic.

It criticised the Government over its 'endlessly changing and confusing Covid legislation' and 'failure' to take seriously requests that officers should be given early priority for vaccination.

But Ms Patel has now responded to the broadsides as she appeared to accuse the Police Federation of playing politics.

Writing in the Daily Express, Ms Patel said: 'The message I have heard this week is the same one I hear from Cleveland to Cornwall when joining officers on the beat - they're not interested in politics, they want their Government to take practical action that helps them get on with their job.

'They want to clamp down on violent crime, smash up county lines drug gangs and get knives off our streets.

John Apter, the chairman of the Police Federation (pictured left), and Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, delivered an open letter to Downing Street on Tuesday calling for an urgent rethink over the pay freeze

'I will always fight to give them what they need to do their job. And the action this Government has taken so far is making a real difference to policing and is having a real impact across the country.'

She added: 'There are no easy days in policing. Officers make extraordinary sacrifices but they have my unconditional support to cut crime and keep the public safe.'

Mr Apter and Mr Marsh posed on Whitehall in front of a vehicle carrying a large banner criticising Ms Patel when they delivered their letter earlier this week.

The banner showed a picture of the Home Secretary and the message: 'No Covid vaccine. No police pay rise. No confidence in Priti Patel. Police officers have given everything. Yet you've given us nothing. #FairPayForPolice.'

A Home Office source later described the billboard as a 'cheap political stunt' and a 'deeply unpleasant, nasty and personal attack' on Ms Patel.
Sydneysiders have repeatedly been told the west and southwest of the city are the new epicentres of the Indian Delta outbreak, with draconian restrictions brought in across eight Local Government Areas encompassing 94 suburbs.

But data from the past seven days shows the surge in Covid cases is 'not just a western Sydney problem' and health experts, along with fed-up residents, are calling for the same stringent lockdown measures - including mandatory masks even outdoors - to be brought in on the other side of the latte line.

It comes as NSW reported a record 239 locally acquired cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections during this latest outbreak to 2,810.

Worryingly, the source of almost 800 cases still remains a mystery to the state's overrun contact tracing team.

While there are certainly more cases in Sydney's west and south-west than in other areas, nowhere in the city seems to have escaped the latest outbreak unscathed with exposure sites popping up across Glebe, Bondi, Woolloomooloo and Pyrmont.

There were 104 infections recorded in the South Western Sydney Local Health District and a further 58 in the Western Sydney LHD on Thursday, but the skyrocketing cases in the city and its east have gone under the radar.

'Not just a western Sydney problem:' The map of case numbers over the past seven days shows what's happening on both sides of the latte line - and that there are far more cases in the CBD and east than most people realise

Sydney LHD, which encompasses the CBD and highly-populated inner west, recorded 51 infections on the same day.

In the South Eastern Sydney LHD, which includes Randwich, Woollahra and Waverley, there were 14 new transmissions and the Northern Sydney LHD saw three cases.

Five were in the Blue Mountains and four from Illawarra Shoalhaven.

Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone, whose suburb is one of eight deemed 'Covid red zones' along with Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool, Cumberland, Blacktown, Georges River, Campbelltown and Parramatta, says the lack of uniformity in the restrictions is causing a divide.

He is calling on the Berejiklian government to introduce the same rules right across the Harbour City.

'The community has been fighting this for six weeks, we would much rather do what we have to do, let's get on with our life, let's beat this virus together, but it needs to be across the whole of Sydney,' he told A Current Affair.

One of the most enduring mantras of the pandemic is that 'we are all in this together' but for many families living in the west, the saying rings out as a hollow slogan (pictured, a woman enjoying winter sun at Bondi Beach on Thursday)

'There's no use eradicating the virus in half of Sydney and letting the virus spread in the other half of Sydney.'

The popular Mayor said the issue should be treated as a problem for all of Sydney, not just the west.

'Seventy-one of today's cases were outside the eight LGAs that are considered to be a hot spot and nobody is talking about that,' he said.

'We need the Premier and the cabinet to step up. At the moment, we're getting policies that are dividing our community.'

Mr Carbone also pointed out there are tens of thousands of authorised workers leaving Fairfield and the other LGAs every single day, with tens of thousands more also coming into those LGAs.

'We have done the tough yards but it's not just a Fairfield problem,' he said.

Residents across Sydney's central and eastern suburbs (pictured at Bondi Beach on Thursday) have been accused of stretching the meaning of 'essential exercise' with beaches seeing sunseekers enjoying the unseasonably warm winter weather

While Sydney's CBD and east enjoy winter days in the sunshine, those in Lakemba (pictured on Thursday waiting for Covid tests) are besieged by restrictions on work and movement

COVID CASES ACROSS SYDNEY South Western Sydney Local Health District LHD Total cases over seven days: 522 Rolling average: 75 Western Sydney LHD Total cases over seven days: 310 Rolling average: 44 Sydney LHD Total cases over seven days: 199 Rolling average: 28 South Eastern Sydney LHD Total cases over seven days: 88 Rolling average: 13 Nepean Blue Mountains LHD Total cases over seven days: 10 Rolling average: 1.5 Northern Sydney LHD Total cases over seven days: 29 Rolling average: 4 Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD Total cases over seven days: 7 Rolling average: 1 Advertisement

One of the most enduring mantras of the pandemic is that 'we are all in this together' but for many families living in the multi-cultural west, the saying rings out as a hollow slogan.

Those communities are now preparing themselves for a contingent of Australian military personnel to set up a ring fence around their neighbourhoods with extra police on the streets to enforce Covid compliance.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed on Thursday night 300 personnel would be brought into the city, with patrols starting Monday.

'We would support the army if they are doing contact tracing and supporting operational measures,' Mr Carbone said.

'The army and police are here to help the community, not work against it, and we need to make sure that the messaging is clear on that and that the community supports this.'

Public health expert Bill Bowtell and adjunct professor at UNSW who is also calling for uniform restrictions to be introduced throughout Sydney, said the tightening of lockdown measures announced today and impending use of the military is simply too little too late.

'Whatever you do today should have happened five and six weeks ago,' he said.

'The harsher measures taken when the virus is rampaging through Sydney as it is now, well, it's a bit too late.

'We have to do a lot better. As the mayor says, this is not just a Fairfield or Liverpool problem.

'It's a problem for all of Sydney and we have to have an all of Sydney approach to what we do to start bringing this virus under control.'

NSW contact tracers, once labelled the 'gold standard' by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, have been facing immense pressure to keep up with the relentless surge of cases and exposure sites.

Health officials revealed on Thursday they have not been able to pinpoint the origin of 779 Covid cases.

In fact, there are still 118 cases from the first two weeks of July that remain a complete mystery and are still under investigation.

Thursday's spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic

HOW SYDNEY'S TOUGHER LOCKDOWN RULES WILL AFFECT YOU In the eight hotspot LGAs from 12am on Saturday, July 31 (Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta): Residents must wear a mask whenever leaving the home, including when they are outdoors. The travel limit for essential exercise and shopping has been reduced to 5km from 10km. Those in a 'singles bubble' with another person must follow the same travel restriction. Across NSW: The penalty for breaking mask restrictions will increase from $200 to $500 Advertisement

The latest outbreak began on June 16 when an unvaccinated limo driver from Sydney's eastern suburbs is thought to have contracted the virus while ferrying international flight crew.

Ms Berejiklian has faced criticism for refusing to impose stay-at-home orders in Greater Sydney until June 26, 10 days after the city's outbreak began.

When asked by reporters on Thursday: 'Will you admit that your strategy has failed, that you have failed?'

She replied: 'I'm never going to suggest we get everything right.'

'I don't think any government around the world can say they get everything right because there's no rulebook.

'I'm the first one to admit at every stage of the process in the last 18 months, with the benefit of hindsight it would be wonderful to know the alternative course. We'll never know that.'

NSW has called in the Australian Defence Force to enforce its hardcore lockdown on two million Sydneysiders after the state recorded its worst-ever Covid numbers

FIND THE LATEST EXPOSURE SITES NEAR YOU

Bondi locals are seen enjoying a break in the sun as police patrolled the area on Thursday (pictured)

Just a day after extending the city's stay-at-home lockdown for another four weeks, Ms Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in the eight hotspot LGAs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home.

'If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn't matter where it is,' she said.

'We're seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to.'

Penalties for not wearing a face mask across the city meanwhile will increase from $200 to $500, with thousands of police officers deployed across Greater Sydney to enforce the tightened restrictions.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in those LGAs also cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.

'The Delta strain is different to anything we have seen,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'I appreciate whilst all of us are under stress and pressure with the lock down, if you live in those eight local government areas, we are asking so much of you.'

Dr Norman Swan told Channel Ten's The Project, that Sydney's outbreak is now growing exponentially, according to analysis.

Dr Norman Swan (pictured on The Project) says Sydney's outbreak is 'on a knife-edge and it could slip out of control'

'The only thing that works in this is social distancing and human behaviour change,' he said.

'Vaccination is coming albeit at a very slow rate... but it's precarious. It's on a knife-edge and it could slip out of control.'

'We are not going to get there terribly quickly in Australia - maybe March of next year to 80 per cent.

'We will be at 50-60 per cent by Christmas'.
AstraZeneca's boss Pascal Soriot (pictured) has claimed the pharmaceutical giant can't keep making its Covid vaccine 'at no profit forever'

AstraZeneca's chief executive has today admitted the pharmaceutical giant can't keep making no profit on its coronavirus vaccine 'forever'.

The UK-based company secured a deal with Oxford University to manufacture the life-saving jab at cost throughout the pandemic.

But the firm, which has already delivered 1billion doses of its vaccine around the world, will soon start charging nations wanting to buy it.

AstraZeneca hasn't yet revealed when it will make the switch to reaping all of the financial rewards from its Covid vaccine, however.

Chief executive Pascal Soriot told the Financial Times: 'We can't be at no profit for ever, but we will never intend to make large profits.

'We'll definitely have affordable prices, which tier the pricing at different levels depending on the wealth of the various countries.'

His comments come after rival Pfizer yesterday revealed it is expecting annual sales of its Covid vaccine to reach $33.5billion (23.9billion) this year.

The company's forecast  which shows how much money AstraZeneca could have made had it went down a similar path  was an upgrade on projections it made on May.

AstraZeneca is set to start charging nations wanting to buy its Covid vaccine more after making more than $1.2billion (860million) in the first half of the global jab programme

UK fury at EU leaders for slating AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine 'out of spite over Brexit' Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is just as likely to trigger blood clots as AstraZeneca's, according to a study that has prompted fury among UK Government officials. Scientists compared rates of thrombosis among more than 1.3million recipients of either jab in Spain. Both vaccines came with a tiny risk of causing blood clots, with scientists branding their safety profiles 'broadly similar'. Pfizer's jab may even be more likely to trigger the rare blood-clotting complication, the data suggested. In contrast, the virus itself was eight times more likely to lead to thromboembolism than either jab. The findings go against an array of research saying the opposite, with health chiefs yet to uncover a link between Pfizer's vaccine and blood clots. Safety concerns over AstraZeneca's jab first emerged in January, and prompted EU nations to shun the British-made vaccine en masse. Top scientists insisted the jab was safe and would save thousands of lives, leading to claims the bloc heavyweights were using the vaccine to play post-Brexit politics. In light of the new findings, one UK Government official accused European leaders of having 'blood on their hands' for trashing the life-saving jab. Advertisement

Mr Soriot said: 'We don't envy anybody and I have to say, our colleagues at Pfizer have done a beautiful job.

'We're all working to the same goal really, to try to bring vaccines, safe and effective vaccines, to people around the world.'

AstraZeneca's Covid jab has faced safety doubts and suspensions in some leading European nations, over reports of rare blood clots.

The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have both declared that the benefits outweigh any risk, however.

AstraZeneca's vaccine  proven to work in both trials and in real-world data  is crucial to hopes of inoculating the world against Covid because of how cheap it is.

Meanwhile, the firm today also said it has delayed applying for approval of the jab in the US.

Mene Pangalos, executive vice-president at AstraZeneca, told the FT the US Food and Drug Administration had requested an 'awful lot of information'.

The firm today also unveiled its finance report for the first half of 2021.

It clocked $900million (644million) in sales during the second quarter just from its vaccine.

But because it sold the jab at cost  the equivalent of around 3 per dose  it did not make a profit.

In comparison, Pfizer made $7.8billion (5.6bn) with its more expensive jab.

The US firm, famous for making Viagra, splits its profits with German partner BioNTech.

Meanwhile, Pfizer yesterday lifted its full-year profit outlook as well as the expected range for 2021 revenues.

Pfizer's chief executive Albert Bourla said more than a billion doses of the vaccine have been delivered.

He said 'the speed and efficiency of our efforts with BioNTech to help vaccinate the world against Covid have been unprecedented.'

Pfizer said the pre-tax profit margin on the Covid vaccine sales was in the 'high-20s' in terms of per cent, the same as the earlier forecast.

Pfizer reported second-quarter profits of $5.6billion, up 59 per cent from the year-ago period on 92 per cent increase in revenues to $19billion.

Pfizer has launched clinical studies on a possible third dose of the Covid vaccine as a booster shot.

Mr Bourla has said such boosters could amount to a 'durable' revenue stream for the company.

US health officials have thus far not far backed a third shot for the broad population, but officials are studying the need for a third shot in immunocompromised people.
A woman who was conned out of 113,000 by a Facebook fraudster says she's facing bankruptcy after claiming her banks would not reimburse her lost money.

Rachel Elwell, 50, from Brownhills, West Midlands, was the victim of an elaborate romance scam after being contacted by an 'attractive' and 'intelligent' man on Facebook at the start of 2021.

After speaking for months and convincing her that he was being held captive in Eastern Europe and in desperate need of money, Ms Elwell sent the scammer tens thousands of pounds.

By April 1, 2021, Ms Elwell realised the magnitude of her problem after giving the fraudster nearly 113,000 and her world 'came crashing down' around her.

Her case has been the subject of a three-month investigation from Santander and HSBC, and she hoped she would be covered by a code of conduct that supports fraud victims.

However, Rachel says she has been left in 'a devastating situation' after claiming the bank concluded she would not be eligible for reimbursement of the money lost.

Rachel Elwell, 50, from Brownhills, West Midlands, lost 113,000 and is facing bankruptcy after an elaborate four month scam

Pictured is the 'scammer', whose face has been blurred for legal reasons, allegedly being held captive in a cellar by loan sharks in Ukraine

Rachel said: 'I am in a devastating situation. The banks have found me liable and I am left with suicidal thoughts.

'I don't believe I had a fair investigation and I feel as though I have been robbed twice. The way I have been treated is shocking.'

Rachel borrowed tens of thousands of pounds on credit cards and loans and sent it to the fraudster through her banks.

Rachel says she sent 36,425 through Santander between January 22 and February 19. She says she also transferred 62,350 through HSBC, totalling 98,775.

Her total losses add up to 112,575 - as well as claiming her sister also sent 13,800 from a different bank - which is still under investigation.

But both banks have dismissed her case.

The conman (above) initially requested small sums of money, but managed to eventually convince Ms Elwell to transfer him tens of thousands of pounds at a time

The fraudster sent Ms Elwell pictures of everything from him boarding flights (above) to smiley snaps of him and his supposed daughter

Rachel accepts she was fooled and has stressed she does not expect special treatment.

She said: 'I have never disputed that I authorised the payments.

'I know this is my mistake, but under their code I am eligible for help and I just want to be treated fairly which is why I am taking this further.'

Rachel claims she is now being chased by credit cards and loans and added: 'I am fighting for my life now, I stand to lose everything I have ever worked for.

'I am suicidal and a review could take up to four months but I now have very demanding creditors on my back. I am begging them for some breathing space.

'I am going to fight this, I am a victim of crime and I am prepared to take the banking industry on because they are ignoring their own code of conduct.'

Rachel is now hoping that an impartial review by the Financial Ombudsman and Financial Conduct Authority will help her case but she is running out of time.

She said: 'The police have said I am a victim of crime but the banks are refusing to treat me like one.

'The code these banks have created and signed up to says they should support victims of crime, but where is the support? I am going to be left bankrupt and I am being chased every day for money I don't have.

The alleged Ukranian building site that the conman said he was working from. He promised to repay all the money Ms Elwell had sent him once he returned to the UK

Are banks obliged to pay you back if you suffer from 'authorised push payment' fraud? With both the complexity and number of scams continuing to rise, many people might be wondering what their rights are if they mistakenly send money to a fraudster. When you willingly transfer money from your own banking account to a scammer's, this is known as 'authorised push payment' fraud (APP). Eight UK banking groups have so far signed up to a 2019 voluntary code that protects consumers from APP. These are: Barclays, HSBC, Santander, Co-op, Lloyds, Metro, Starling and National Westminster Bank PLC. Often banks will say the customer did not take enough care or carry out sufficient checks before making a payment. But the voluntary code states only that customers need to have a 'reasonable basis' for believing the payee is whom they expect. Customers must therefore explain why they believed the person they were paying was legitimate. The new code also states that banks must provide customers with 'effective warnings' when they are making an unusual payment - such as when you're paying someone new. If your bank failed to do this, make sure you include this information within your complaint. Consumers should also tell their bank if they are vulnerable, because under the new rules they are obliged to take extra measures to ensure you are protected. Advertisement

'I have reported the banks for financial misconduct for their failings towards victims of crime.'

Ms Elwell first started speaking to the man, who said they lived in nearby Coventry, on January 1, after he contacting her on Facebook's dating app.

The pair planned to meet up after the Covid-19 lockdown period, but the crook was whisked away to Ukraine to complete an engineering contract they had secured with the UK government.

By Tuesday January 19, the conman told Ms Elwell the engineering contract had been forcibly stopped and his equipment seized.

The fraudster said they would cover the costs of covering this unforeseen circumstance, but asked Ms Elwell to send 250 to pay for food and taxis.

After pondering the request for two days, she eventually gave in and transferred the money, explaining it seemed 'such a small amount of money at the time'.

But the fraudster didn't stop there, and doubled down on the story, claiming they were held captive in a Ukrainian cellar by loan sharks.

The scammer called Ms Elwell, crying down the phone and begging for her help.

Ms Elwell was forwarded documents allegedly from the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, explaining her love interest owed 102,940.

Feeling like the only person who could save him, she said the pressure she was under at the time 'felt as if I had a gun to my head'.

After speaking with her family, she then sent the con artist 7,500 from her own savings and secured a bank loan, transferring him 22,940 on February, 4.

She secured a further 12,000 loan and forwarded it the following day.

After sending a further 45,000 from a third loan and her second credit card on March 5, it appeared the man had been saved and would be flying home.

He was due to fly back on March 16, but a supposed email from Heathrow Airport officials said he had been arrested.

Ms Elwell described the pictures her scammer sent as showing an 'attractive' and 'intelligent' man, after the pair struck up an immediate connection on Facebook's dating app

The export manager was sent 'official' documents and told that her love interest owed tens of thousands of pounds after being held captive by loan sharks in Ukraine

While waiting four hours at the airport, Border Force pulled Ms Elwell aside and explained it was probably all a scam.

She even went to his supposed address in Coventry, but soon discovered no-one by that name lived there.

A spokesperson for Santander said: 'We have the utmost sympathy for Ms Elwell and all those who fall victim to the criminals who carry out these scams.

'Unfortunately, despite repeatedly warning her of the dangers of transferring money to someone she hadn't met and directly raising our concerns that this was a scam with Ms Elwell and the police, she confirmed she wanted to proceed with the payments.'

A spokeswoman for HSBC said: 'Protecting customers from fraud is an absolute priority for us and we are sorry to hear that Ms Elwell has been the victim of an authorised push payment scam.

'We work hard to deliver on our commitments under the CRM Code, helping protect as well as support customers should they fall victim to scammers. We act with empathy and understanding when investigating a case and we work hard to ensure fair and reasonable outcomes for our customers.

'Whilst we have an experienced team looking for signs of fraud, customers can also help themselves by taking note of fraud warnings when making payments and following the advice given.

'Romance scams are one of the most common types of fraud. Criminals exploit the emotions of their victims to build up a relationship, often via social media or dating sites, and then request money.'
This is the dramatic moment an impala escaped 16 hungry African wild dogs by diving into a crocodile-infested dam and swimming away from a pod of grumpy hippos.

Ranger Daniel Hitchings, 24, was out guiding guests at the Thornybush Game Reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa, when he saw the wild dogs running across the reserve.

Just moments later, an impala that had wandered into their territory for a drink at the waterhole found itself executing a death-defying escape as it tried to flee the predators.

Footage shows the terrified creature outrun the wilds dogs and swim across a crocodile-infested dam before finding safety on the other side.

The impala is chased by 16 hungry wild dogs at the Thornybush Game Reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa

The wild dogs watch as the terrified impala leaps into the water and tries to flee them

During the clip, the wild dogs begin to chase the impala after spotting it in their territory.

With a giant leap the impala clears the first wild dog but then realises it has no way out as the rest of the pack encircle it.

The animal then leaps into the crocodile infested water with two huge bounds and swims furiously to the other side in search of safety.

As it swims through the water it is met with a pod of grumpy hippos lying in the shallows on the other side who are not in the mood to give the impala an easy way out.

But as one of the beasts makes a lunge for it the impala swiftly dodges the animal and tears off into the African bush having pulled off an incredible great escape against all the odds.

As it furiously swims to the other side the impala is met with a pod of grumpy hippos lying in the shallows

The hippos lunge for the impala but the animal swiftly dodges them and tears off into the African bush

Ranger Daniel Hitchings (pictured), 24, from Johannesburg, said the impala escaping the wild dogs was 'quite amazing'

Mr Hitchings, from Johannesburg, said: 'For the impala to escape the wild dogs and then not got taken down by the crocodiles in there and get past the hippos was quite amazing.

'Sometimes luck is on your side and sometimes it isn't. It was this impala's day.'

Impalas can typically run over a short distance at up to 55mph while African wild dogs can run for miles at a constant speed of 45mph until their prey is finally exhausted.

As their prey tires they nip the legs, belly and flanks until they collapse. But fortunately for this impala the canines wouldn't risk the swim and were left hungry on the bank.
President Joe Biden has been questioned over his claim that he used to drive an 18-wheeler truck, with evidence only suggesting he once rode in one for a night in 1973.

Biden was caught off-camera by a local news channel's microphone during a visit to a Mack Truck facility in Pennsylvania, making the claim that he had driven such trucks before.

'I used to drive an 18-wheeler, man,' Biden was heard saying on Wednesday in a video later posted to Twitter. 'I got to.'

President Joe Biden has been questioned over his claim he made on Wednesday while visting a Mack Trucks facility (pictured) that he used to drive an 18-wheeler truck

Joe Biden, a career politician who has been in politics for 48 years, claims he "used to drive an 18 wheeler. pic.twitter.com/eOXI9pwF2g  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 28, 2021

A video shared by local news station 69 WFMZ showed audio of president Biden claiming 'I used to drive an 18-wheeler, man'. The claim appears to have been debunked on social media

Large trucks such as the one Biden gave a speech in-front of during the visit to the facility require a special licence to drive, and there is scant evidence that he has ever driven an 18-wheeler truck as he was heard claiming.

'There is *zero evidence* that Biden 'used to drive an 18 wheeler,"' tweeted the RNC's Zach Parkinson, who is also the director of 'RNC Research' whose twitter account posted the video online.

'The extent of Biden's trucking experience is that he **rode in** a truck once, for one night in 1973 (he made sure to return home by plane though),' her said.

Parkinson cited a 1973 opinion piece written by Biden, then a Democratic senator, in which he recalled taking a 536-mile ride from his home state of Delaware to Ohio in a '47,000 pound cargo truck'.

Biden wrote at the time: 'I made the trip because I wanted a firsthand account from the truckers, who say they carry 50 per cent of all the goods shipped within the United States. They make a case worth listening to.'

In a news story about Biden's journey, it is noted that he made the return journey back to Washington D.C. by plane.

Biden, who was elected to the senate at age 29, opened his Wednesday speech by joking with the audience 'Well, I'm not going to say anything; I just came to drive a truck. And I'm not sure which one I want to drive. That one? There's one back in the corner you can't see. It's the biggest damn pickup truck you ever saw in your life.'

In debunking Biden's claim, Zach Parkinson, who is also the director of 'RNC Research', cited a 1973 opinion piece written by Biden, then a Democratic senator, in which he recalled taking a 536-mile ride from his home state of Delaware to Ohio in a '47,000 pound cargo truck'

Pictured: A newspaper clipping showing a story about Biden's 550-mile truck ride

In the article about the truck ride, it was noted that his return journey to D.C. was by plane

He has previously driven Ford's F-150 lightning pickup truck on May 18 during a visit to Dearborn, Michigan, electrical vehicle plant. This also resulted in claims that Biden wasn't really driving the truck, although fact-checkers refuted this claim.

The president has previously faced criticism for embellishing his past, with claims about his involvement in the Civil Rights movement and working in coal mines coming under scrutiny.

Biden's 1988 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination also came undone over claims he embellished biographical details for years, including misstatements about his academic record, according to the Washington Examiner.

When asked if the president had ever driven such a truck, a spokesperson from the White House pointed to the article about him riding in the 18-wheeler in 1973.

But when reporters pointed out the difference between riding in a truck and actually driving one, the president's spokesperson pointed to Biden driving a school bus in the past as a summer job.

According to SchoolBusFleet.com, cited by Fox News, the majority of school bosses on average 'have two axles, with the bigger models having two wheels on the front axle and four wheels on the dual axle, for a total of six wheels.'

Biden's predecessor Donald Trump was also a fan of large trucks, often posing in the driver's seat for photographs, pretending to blow the horn.
torm Evert to bring 'unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to southern parts of UK today and into Friday'

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The Met Office has named its first storm of the summer and issued a warning for gales of up to 75mph set to batter the south coast tonight.

Storm Evert is set to bring 'unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to southern parts of the UK later today and into Friday', the Met Office said.

An amber warning for wind has also been issued for some of the south-west from 9pm tonight until 7am tomorrow, with gusts of up to 75mph forecast across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The blustery conditions are predicted to cause damage to buildings and fallen trees, with 'danger to life likely' due to large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads.

Travel disruption is also expected, with a spokesman for the RAC telling MailOnline that the combination of holiday traffic and strong winds will 'make driving conditions hazardous', particularly for those with caravans.

The last named storm was Darcy, which battered the UK over five months ago towards the start of February.

The massive 'Golden Horizon' ship sails into Poole Harbour this morning. The world's largest-ever commercial sailing ship was built in Croatia

Storm Evert is set to bring 'unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to southern parts of the UK later today and into Friday', the Met Office said (pictured: rain showers in central London on Wednesday)

The blustery conditions are predicted to cause damage to buildings and fallen trees, with 'danger to life likely' due to large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads

An amber warning for wind has been issued for some of the south-west from 9pm tonight until 7am tomorrow, with gusts of up to 75mph forecast across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

The weather service said: 'Storm Evert has been named and is forecast to bring unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to southern parts of the UK later today and into Friday.'

Speaking this morning, Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: 'For the next 24 hours or so, expect more impacts from some heavy rain with the risk of thunder, and then all eyes on the West Country as an area of low pressure comes in with some wet and windy conditions.'

Going into this evening, she said: 'The cloud will thicken across the West Country and winds will pick up some strength with some outbreaks of rain. Just clipping Cornwall as we go into the middle part of the afternoon.

'Temperatures typically in any sunshine feeling quite warm, 70F (21C) to 73F (23C).'

But going into Friday morning, she added: 'Watch as that area of low pressure tracks across southern counties. A wind warning in force here for gale force winds and also some choppy seas.

'It will clear off the scene quite quickly and through the weekend the wind changes direction. We see our feeds coming in from the north, so temperatures will struggle a little bit.'

Thousands of drivers across the country will be setting off for staycations across the UK ahead of this weekend, after children broke up for their six-week school summer holiday on Monday.

RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: 'The arrival of a summer storm to the South West could take drivers  and indeed all holidaymakers in the region  by surprise.

Thousands of drivers across the country will be setting off for staycations across the UK ahead of this weekend, after children broke up for their six-week school summer holiday on Monday (pictured: the A12 eastbound in Essex yesterday afternoon)

The last named storm was Darcy, which battered the UK over five months ago towards the start of February. Pictured: hail stones that fell in Northampton on Wednesday

Scientists fear the rate of global warming is spiralling out of control, saying that 'climate change is happening and it's happening now' (hail stones in Northampton earlier this week, pictured above)

The Met Office said: 'Storm Evert has been named and is forecast to bring unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to southern parts of the UK later today and into Friday'

'The sheer strength of the wind coupled with huge volumes of traffic will make driving conditions hazardous, particularly for those towing caravans and trailers.

'We strongly recommend drivers check over their vehicles before setting out  ensuring roofboxes are firmly secured  and try to avoid exposed coastal and moorland routes where the impacts of the wind on driving will be the greatest.

'Drivers should reduce their speeds accordingly to help ensure they complete their journeys safely.'

The first named storm of the summer follows two hikers being rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning on the summit of Snowdon in Wales when freak-weather hit the region yesterday afternoon.

Rescuers said one of the women was bleeding and 'falling in and out of consciousness' when they arrived on the 3,560ft-peak at 1.47pm.

North Wales Police were called and volunteer crews from Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team were sent along with the Coast Guard rescue helicopter.

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: 'For the next 24 hours or so, expect more impacts from some heavy rain with the risk of thunder, and then all eyes on the West Country' (pictured: a person walking through a downpour in Euston yesterday)

Rain showers in central London pictured on Wednesday. Meanwhile, forecasters have warned that scorching summers of 104F (40C) will become the UK's new 'normal' by the end of the century

Going into this evening, forecaster Ms Nasir said: 'The cloud will thicken across the West Country and winds will pick up some strength with some outbreaks of rain. Just clipping Cornwall as we go into the middle part of the afternoon'

The meteorologist added: 'It will clear off the scene quite quickly and through the weekend the wind changes direction. We see our feeds coming in from the north, so temperatures will struggle a little bit' (pictured: showers in London yesterday)

One of the walkers sustained minor injuries during the incident while the other sustained serious injuries.

Meanwhile, forecasters have warned that scorching summers of 104F (40C) will become the UK's new 'normal' by the end of the century.

The alarming prediction came as experts warned that temperature and rainfall records are being smashed at a 'shocking' rate in Britain.

Scientists fear the rate of global warming is spiralling out of control, saying that 'climate change is happening and it's happening now'.

The hottest temperature recorded in the UK stands at 101.6F (38.7C) in Cambridge in 2019.

But the jump to 104F (40C) could come within the decade and become a regular occurrence every three to four years by the end of the century.

Data from the annual State Of The UK Climate report showed that last year was the third warmest, fifth wettest and eighth sunniest year on record  the first ever to fall into the top ten in all three categories.
French President Emmanuel Macron is suing the creator of a poster that depicted him as Adolf Hitler as part of a campaign against compulsory Coronavirus vaccinations.

Billboards show the 43-year-old head of state with a Swastika arm band, as well as a Third Reich uniform and black toothbrush moustache.

The picture went on display in the South of France earlier this month, including in the Mediterranean port city of Toulon, next to the slogan Obey: Get Vaccinated.

In all the posters, the Nazi symbol has been replaced by LREM  a reference to Mr Macrons party, the Rebublic on the Move.

French President Emmanuel Macron is suing the creator of a poster that depicted him as Adolf Hitler as part of a campaign against compulsory Coronavirus vaccinations, next to the slogan Obey: Get Vaccinated

French President Emmanuel Macron's lawyers have taken legal action against the billboard artist after the poster went on display in the South of France earlier this month

Michel-Ange Flori, the multi-millionaire businessman behind the posters, said he had been summoned by local police following legal action by Mr Macrons lawyers.

They confirmed that there had been a complaint from the Elysee, Mr Flori told Var-Matin newspaper. I was surprised and shocked.

Mr Flori, who indicated that he intended to fight the legal complaint, also Tweeted about the incident  comparing it to the Charlie Hebdo controversy, when the satirical magazine suffered a murderous attack by Al-Qaeda terrorists after depicting the Prophet Mohammed exposing his body.

Michel-Ange Flori, the multi-millionaire businessman behind the posters, said he was 'surprised and shocked' by the complaint

Mr Floris said it was outrageous that Muslims could be mocked and humiliated thanks to Je Suis Charlie liberalism, but that free expression did not extend to mocking powerful politicians.

In Macron-land, showing the Prophets rear is satire, making fun of Macron as a dictator is blasphemy, Mr Flori wrote.

Mr Floris owns some 400 advertising billboards in the South of France, and often uses them to cause controversy.

One of Flori's posters of Macron with the caption 'the scam of the century' alongside a picture of the president as a vampire and a slogan reading 'flight over a Cukoo's nest'

Mr Floris owns some 400 advertising billboards in the South of France, and often uses them to cause controversy (pictured, a poster of Macron with the slogan: 'Return to social dialogue')

In 2019, when the anti-government Yellow Vests (Gilets-Jaunes) movement was involved in regular riots, he was fined the equivalent of around 26,000 for criticising the police.

The police talk to you every day on BFM-TV, an advertisement read, referring to alleged police propaganda on the BFM news channel, which is the most popular in France.

Mr Flori, who is from the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, is known for his fiery temperament, and anti-establishment views.

But he has always projected himself as a champion of free speech who despises French Je Suis Charlie hypocrisy.
The UK's competition watchdog has handed a pharmaceutical company a multimillion-pound fine after it increased the price of some thyroid medication by more than 6,000 per cent.

An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found from 2009 until 2017 Advanz charged 'excessive and unfair prices' for supplying liothyronine tablets, which are used to treat thyroid hormone deficiency.

The watchdog said this was because the drugs faced 'limited or no competition', meaning that it could sustain repeated price increases, which were 'not driven by any meaningful innovation or investment'.

It found that a 'price optimisation' strategy, which began in 2007, led to an overall price increase of more than 6,000 per cent. Production prices also did not increase significantly during this time, it added.

An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority found from 2009 until 2017 pharmaceutical firm Advanz charged 'excessive and unfair prices' for supplying liothyronine tablets

Eventually the drug was placed on the NHS 'drop list' in July 2015, meaning patients had to either have their current treatment stopped or start paying for the tablets themselves.

By 2009, the tablet packs cost 20. This increased to 248 in 2017 - a 6,000 per cent rise on the 2007 price, the CMA said.

The watchdog has fined the firms involved a total of more than 100 million for the relevant periods.

Advanz was handed a fine of 40.9 million, HgCapital 8.6 million and Cinven 51.9 million. The two latter companies are private equity firms which were previously owners of the businesses. They now form part of Advanz.

Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said the company's actions to increase prices came at 'a huge cost to the NHS and ultimately to UK taxpayers.'

Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said the company's actions to increase prices came at 'a huge cost to the NHS and ultimately to UK taxpayers'

A spokesman for Advanz said: 'Advanz Pharma takes competition law very seriously. We utterly disagree with the CMA's decision on the pricing of liothyronine tablets and will be appealing'. Pictured: Advanz's London office

'This wasn't all - it also meant that people dealing with depression and extreme fatigue, as a result of their thyroid conditions, were told they could not continue to receive the most effective treatment for them due to its increased price,' he added.

'Advanz's strategy exploited a loophole enabling it to reap much higher profits. This fine of over 100 million, and our work in the pharma sector to date, sends a clear message that breaking the law has serious consequences.'

It was found that in 2007, Advanz had developed what it called a 'price optimisation' strategy.

The watchdog said this involved identifying genericised drugs with limited or no competition and high barriers to entry.

They would then 'de-brand' the drugs would remove them from price regulations and so allowed them to set whatever price they wanted.

A spokesman for Advanz said: 'Advanz Pharma takes competition law very seriously. We utterly disagree with the CMA's decision on the pricing of liothyronine tablets and will be appealing.

'At all times, Advanz Pharma acted in the interest of patients, investing significantly to keep this medicine on the market to the specifications required by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

'In addition, any liothyronine price increases were all pre-notified to, and agreed in advance and in writing by, the Department of Health and Social Care.'
Dominic Raab today warned there are no 'cast-iron guarantees' that Spain will remain quarantine-free for vaccinated Brits amid fears the country could be escalates to 'amber plus' next week.

The Foreign Secretary shrugged off anger at the uncertainty for holidaymakers, dodging questions about rumours of a new 'amber watchlist' and insisting the situation will become clear next week.

He said that if people need to make decisions immediately they will need to base them on the current 'traffic light' rules - but stressed they could change.

The comments came as France voiced fury at the 'incomprehensible' decision to leave it out of exemptions from quarantine for EU and US travellers coming to the UK. The country is on the 'amber plus' list amid fears over the prevalence of the Beta variant, although there is speculation it could be downgraded in the looming review.

Mr Raab openly admitted today that the classification for France was based on Beta cases 'in the Reunion bit of France' - which is an island in the Indian Ocean. 'It's not the distance that matters, it's the ease of travel between different component parts of any individual country,' he said.

Health officials are said to be 'getting very jumpy' about Spain's situation with the strain, which emerged in South Africa and is thought to be more resistant to the AstraZeneca vaccine given to millions in the UK.

Health officials are said to be 'getting very jumpy' about Spain's situation with the Beta strain. Pictured, Barcelona this month

Dominic Raab today warned there are no 'cast-iron guarantees' that Spain will remain quarantine-free for vaccinated Brits

France DID go on 'amber plus' list because of Beta cases on Reunion island France was placed on the 'amber plus' list because of Beta variant cases on Reunion, Dominic Raab said today. The Foreign Secretary openly admitted that the classification was based on the prevalence of the strain 'in the Reunion bit of France' - which is an island in the Indian Ocean. 'It's not the distance that matters, it's the ease of travel between different component parts of any individual country,' he added. The comments came as France voiced fury at the 'incomprehensible' decision to leave it out of exemptions from quarantine for EU and US travellers coming to the UK. Advertisement

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.

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.

Asked about the possibility of Spain going on an 'amber watchlist' - with the possibility of it moving straight to the red category - Mr Raab said: 'I can't rule things that the JBC and the government will decide, but they'll make that decision next week in terms of the traffic light system for all the relevant countries.'

Mr Raab said the 'momentum forward is positive' with the high proportion of Britons who are double-jabbed.

'We've done the job we had to do domestically, and as we see other countries catch up if you like, I think we're increasingly confident that more countries will go on either on amber or onto green,' he said.

Pushed for advice to would-be holidaymakers, Mr Raab said 'you'll know next week'.

He suggested if the need to book immediately they will 'have to base it on the traffic light system we've got in place right now'.

'We can't give cast iron guarantees about what the next review system will decide. If we did it wouldn't be a very meaningful review system,' he added.

Meanwhile, French minister Clement Beaune has slammed the decision to keep quarantine measures for vaccinated travellers coming from France to the UK, while other EU countries and the US are exempted.

'It's excessive, and it's frankly incomprehensible on health grounds ... It's not based on science and discriminatory towards the French,' Mr Beaune told LCI TV.

'I hope it will be reviewed as soon as possible, it's just common sense.'

Mr Beaune said France was not planning tit-for-tat measures 'for now'.
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A record 1.5million people were asked to self-isolate to thwart the spread of coronavirus last week, official data revealed today as England's 'pingdemic' chaos continues to rage on.

NHS figures show nearly 690,000 alerts were sent out by the NHS app last week  the most since the voluntary software was introduced. A further 536,000 people were reached by Test and Trace call handlers and ordered to quarantine at home, while 308,000 were told to self-isolate after testing positive for Covid.

The damning statistics come as Boris Johnson continues to face heavy criticism for refusing to ditch the isolation rules for another three weeks, despite lifting restrictions on 'Freedom Day'.

Millions of workers haven't been able to do their jobs because they've been told to isolate, leaving supermarket shelves empty, pubs and restaurants shut, and trains cancelled across the country.

One of the Government's scientific advisers yesterday said the quarantine rules that have fuelled the pingdemic and caused 'massive problems' to the economy, schools and everyday life are unnecessary and should have been scrapped six months ago.

The comments made by Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, sparked renewed calls for ministers to accelerate reforms that will allow those fully vaccinated to avoid self-isolation from August 16.

Despite mounting pressure to bring forward the date, the Prime Minister has so far refused to budge. Yesterday Mr Johnson said the lifting of self-isolation rules was 'nailed on'.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick today acknowledged the system is 'frustrating' but urged people to keep isolating if they are pinged.

A record 1.5million people were asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace last week, official data shows as England's 'pingdemic' chaos continues to rage on

In total, when children sent home to isolate from school are included, there were more than 2.5million people told to quarantine last week  or four per cent of the entire population. However, some people pinged by the app would have also been contacted by Test and Trace. And some of the people who tested positive may have also been pinged or told to self-isolate

Graph shows: The number of people told to isolate by NHS Covid app (blue), contacts of someone testing positive reached by Test and Trace call handlers (orange) and people isolating because they tested positive (green) each month

One of the Government's top scientific advisers yesterday said he advised ministers to adopt a 'test and release' strategy as early as January, but Boris Johnson (pictured posing next to some electric cars outside 10 Downing Street this morning) has so far refused to budge on the August 16 date for scrapping self-isolation for the double-jabbed

Some customers have been panic buying, leaving some gaps in the shelves (pictured, shelves in Sainsbury's in Taplow, Buckinghamshire). There are some supply chain issues in general with supermarkets due to HGV lorry driver shortages because of the 'pingdemic'

Most shelves in the Buckinghamshire supermarket were well-stocked but there were still gaps for products such as tinned tomatoes and baked beans

NHS figures show nearly 690,000 alerts were given out by the app last week, the highest number since it was introduced

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 75 per cent of respondents to a survey published today aged between 18 and 34 said they fully adhered to the isolation requirements for the entire 10-day period after testing positive for coronavirus

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick today acknowledged the system is 'frustrating' but continued to urge people to isolate if they are pinged

The latest NHS figures on alerts from the app, for the week to July 21, are an 11 per cent rise on the previous record high of 619,733 the week before.

The Test and Trace data is not a record-high, with the number of positive cases breaching 390,000 during the darkest spell of the second wave in January.

During the same week, more than 680,000 people were reached by call handlers and told to self-isolate.

But NHS bosses only began publishing figures on usage of the app in February, meaning today's overall toll is the most since comparable records began.

However, the 1.5million figure only refers to the amount of alerts  not people.

A single person may be identified by the app and call handlers before going on to test positive themselves  or be asked to isolate multiple times in the same month.

This week the Government said it was expanding its daily contact testing for front-line sectors who are exempt from isolation.

A total of 2,000 sites across the country are available for people working in prisons, waste collection, defence, the food industry, transport, Border Force and police and fire services.

Daily negative test results will enable eligible workers who have been alerted by the NHS Covid app or called by NHS Test and Trace as coronavirus contacts to continue working.

Covid self-isolation rates were already dropping BEFORE 'Freedom Day' with a quarter of infected 18-34 year olds defying strict quarantine rules Covid self-isolation rates were already dropping before 'Freedom Day', official data revealed today. A quarter of infected 18 to 34 year olds confessed to defying strict quarantine rules one week before England's lockdown was loosened in July. For comparison, the figure was just half of that in May  before pubs were allowed to reopen again. But rates have barely changed for older adults, the same statistics showed. Office for National Statistics (ONS) polling data showed adherence to isolation rules dropped across the board between May and July. The figures, based on a survey of nearly 1,000 adults, come before the 'pingdemic' truly took off. The next release, which will reveal how behaviour has changed following Freedom Day and the self-isolation chaos, isn't due until the end of August. Tim Gibbs, an ONS statistician, said: 'Full adherence to self-isolation requirements after testing positive for Covid remains high. 'Though we have seen a drop from May to July. 'Self-isolation can have a negative impact on well-being and finances. 'Nearly one third of people reported they lost income as a result of adherence and four in ten said self-isolation had a negative impact on their well-being and mental health. 'With restrictions having relaxed further, it is important we continue to monitor the behaviour of those required to self-isolate.' Advertisement

It comes as a survey published today suggested one in four young adults who test positive no longer follow the rules for self-isolating.

Office for National Statistics data shows adherence to isolation rules in people in people aged 18 to 34 who tested positive for Covid were consistently dropping in the three months leading up to July.

A survey of 936 adults between July 5 and 10 showed significantly more people aged 18 to 34 ignored the order to stay at home despite being infected with the virus than any other age group.

Around 75 per cent adhered to the rules  less than those aged 55 and over (81 per cent) and between 35 and 54 (86 per cent).

And 18- to 34-year-olds' adherence dropped compared to the weeks ending May 15 (88 per cent) and June 12 (77 per cent).

People who test positive for Covid must self-isolate for 10 days under Government rules. If symptoms persist they are encouraged to keep isolating longer.

Anyone who breaches the law can be fined up to 10,000. First-time offenders can get a 1,000 penalty.

The Communities Secretary urged people to continue following the rules and isolate if they are pinged.

Mr Jenrick told the BBC: 'I appreciate that it is a significant number of people and it can be frustrating but the app is doing what we asked of it.

'It is helping us to trace those people who have come into contact with people who've tested positive.

'We still ask people, if they are pinged, to take the steps that they're required to do and to self-isolate.'

He said there 'isn't very long to go' until August 16 when all fully vaccinated contacts who test negative can avoid isolation.

He added: 'The Government has also set out slightly different arrangements for certain critical workers such as those working within the emergency services and within critical infrastructure such as the food industry, to help us through the remaining two or three weeks before those new rules come into place.'

But critics have slammed the Government's refusal to bring the 'arbitrary' date forward.

Matthew Lesh, head of research at the Adam Smith Institute, told MailOnline: 'The pingdemic is wreaking havoc for thousands of businesses and millions of people. It has led to empty supermarket shelves, bins not being picked up and cancelled trains.

'The Government should adopt a risk-based approach. People who are fully vaccinated should immediately be allowed to exit isolation and instead undertake a daily testing regiment. This would ensure the identification of cases without huge economic burdens and crippling social isolation.

'The Government's arbitrary end date, August 16, was set before cases started declining based on the assumption of a later peak. There's now zero reason to wait any longer.'

The recent surge in cases across England has led to millions of people being told to stay at home, either through the NHS app or Test and Trace.

Supermarket shelves have been left empty and trains cancelled because of a lack of staff.

Alan Thomas, UK chief executive at Simply Business  which provides insurance to small business  said: 'The pingdemic is proving another obstacle for small businesses in their recovery from the impact of Covid.

'The number of staff  and indeed self-employed people  in isolation is a major issue across every industry, and up and down the country we're seeing businesses temporarily close due to record levels of self-isolation.

'Freedom Day was supposed to be a positive milestone for the self-employed  with businesses finally able to operate at full capacity, or even open for the first time.

'But many are now finding themselves shutting up shop once again.'

Tesco is offering a 1,000 joining bonus to lorry drivers who join the company before the end of September because of staffing pressures.

The payment, which applies to new starters who join from July 14 until September 30, appears on various advertisements for HGV driver roles on the food retailer's website.

Potential candidates are told that the role offers the opportunity to be 'an ambassador on our roads' where 'you'll play a vital role for our customers and communities, representing Tesco on the highways and byways of the UK'.

The time-limited offer comes after supermarkets had to reassure customers last week that there was no need to panic buy following pictures of half-empty shelves and reports of temporary shortages.

A 'perfect storm' of aggravating factors was blamed for the situation, including self-isolating workers and prior staff shortages.

Last week the British Retail Consortium (BRC) warned that staff shortages, caused by large numbers of workers self-isolating after being pinged by the NHS Covid-19 app, was 'putting increasing pressure on retailers' ability to maintain opening hours and keep shelves stocked'.

Meanwhile, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) previously said it believes there is a shortfall of about 60,000 haulage drivers in the UK after around 30,000 HGV driving tests did not take place last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hauliers blamed the shortage on a large proportion of drivers being foreign nationals from European countries who had returned to the EU, combined with truck drivers not being included on the Government's list of skilled labour, leaving new arrivals needing immigration paperwork.

Tesco previously assured shoppers it had plenty of food and all grocers urged customers to shop as normal.
A Boeing 747 pilot has reported a possible sighting of a man on a jetpack flying over Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Wednesday.

The sighting has set off speculation that the man, who became known as 'jet pack guy', has returned after a hiatus.

According to the pilot, the man looked similar to Marvel action star Iron Man as he flew through the air at 5,000ft, drawing similarities to previous sightings.

'A Boeing 747 pilot reported seeing an object that might have resembled a jet pack 15 miles east of LAX at 5,000ft altitude,' the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told CBS Los Angeles. 'Out of an abundance of caution, air traffic controllers alerted other pilots in the vicinity.'

The FAA and the FBI will investigate the latest reported sighting, officials have said.

Pictured: A video from Sling Pilot Academy appeared to capture 'Jet Pack Guy' in December. A new sighting reported by a pilot on Wednesday has set off speculation 'he' could be back

'Jet Pack Guy' has become notorious in the Los Angeles area, with witnesses claiming to have spotted him on previous occasions.

In December, an incredible 30-second clip showed a large human-like figure soaring over the water off the coast, high above a stationed cargo ship.

The clip seemed to corroborate claims from pilots earlier last year that they saw someone flying a jet pack as they approached Los Angeles International Airport at 3,000ft in August.

Weeks later, another sighting of a man reportedly flying with a jet pack near LAX at around 6,000ft in the air.

No explanation has been found for the mysterious sighting that shocked pilots and the control tower, but also left some experts skeptical.

David Mayman, CEO of Jetpack Aviation, told CBS at the time that he believed it was more likely to be a large drone despite the certainty of the witnesses.

'It's very, very unlikely with the existing technology,' said Mayman.

'I'm open to being surprised. But I don't think there's anyone working on technology that could do a flight from ground level to 3,000 feet and then come back down again.

'They'd run out of fuel, they use fuel too quickly,' Mayman continued. 'If it's a real jetpack, its noisy. People would have heard it take off and land.'

A Boeing 747 pilot reported a possible sighting of a man on a jetpack flying 15 miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Wednesday. Pictured: LAX, file photos

While Mayman speculated that it could have been a drone, he added that 3,000 feet was also on the high end of what most drones were capable of.

Myman told CBS that his company is under contract with the military to research and develop jetpack technology but their aircraft are not for sale.

He believes that if the pilots did see a jetpack, it was likely 'whoever flew this probably built it themselves'.

Jetpack Aviation, located in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, is now on its second research and development contract with the military, according to the Los Angeles Times.

It began its first contract in 2016 but says it did not sell any of the devices, despite working toward a prototype.

In 2019, Jetpack Aviation had expected to have an individual lift devices, or ILD, ready as a prototype for testing by the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOC) by that summer.

The company told Stars & Stripes that is was the 'first and only company' to develop jet pack technology for USSOC.

Pictured: A 'Jet Pack Man,' but likely not the same one, flies in a 2018 competition in Cannes

'The possible uses of this technology are still being evaluated. USSOCOM does not discuss specific details or potential applications of such technologies,' they said.

'We work together with their operators, with their team members, for exactly what our jet packs would need to be useful on a real mission  endurance, height, speed, payload, that sort of thing.'

The second contract is now looking to develop a Speeder aircraft that looks more like a motorbike.

It can be flown by a person or used like a drone and has been described by the company as the 'world's first flying motorcycle' with the mission 'to save lives'.

According to their website, the Speeder is jet-powered and can take off and land anywhere.

'It is hands down the fastest way to get a person or cargo across town especially into or out of a high stakes environment be it military, emergency or disaster,' they say.

The company believes it could be used to get a paramedic to their patient faster, moves patients to hospitals quicker, medevac wounded personnel from battlefield, or to move equipment or cargo into position where it would be inefficient or too risky to use a helicopter.
Dominic Raab today said it is a 'smart policy' for companies to insist employees are double-jabbed before they can return to offices.

The Foreign Secretary said he 'can understand' why firms would want to adopt such a stance.

However, he insisted he does not favour the 'stick approach' of staff being told to return to town and city centres because some people have 'understandable anxieties'.

His comments came as Downing Street signalled it is not planning a campaign to encourage more workers to ditch working from home.

Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, said he is not in favour of forcing staff to return to the office. The morning rush hour is pictured today at Bank Station in central London

The final stage in Boris Johnson's lockdown exit roadmap saw the Government lift its work from home instruction.

However, ministers have stressed it is up to businesses and staff to decide how and when to go back to offices.

Reports suggest that some US tech giants like Netflix and Google are going to make proof of vaccination compulsory for staff to return.

Asked if he believed such a move is a good idea, Mr Raab told Sky News: 'We want everyone to be double-jabbed.

'I can understand why employers think that that would be a smart policy or approach to encourage, whether or not there should be hard and fast legal rules I think we need to look at carefully. But our message overwhelmingly is get the jab.'

The Foreign Secretary said he is not in favour of forcing staff to return to the office.

'I certainly think that we should be encouraging young people to get the vaccine, making sure the work places are Covid secure, a confident environment for people to return to,' he said.

'Certainly I know this as an employer in the FCDO, and I have got a huge network internationally as well as domestically, what I want to do is build up confidence rather than, if you like, take a stick approach and say you have got to get back into the office because people are still feeling their way and people have understandable anxieties.'

The Government is no longer telling people to work from home but it is also not actively encouraging employees to return to their old commutes.

Asked if ministers are planning to encourage people to go back to offices, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said: What the Prime Minister said remains the case. We obviously expect people to return to work as we move through this year.

It is obviously for individual businesses and individual employees to discuss how or when that happens.'
Julie Birch, 26, (in mug) is accused of murdering her 92-year-old roommate before calling 911 to report herself to police

A 26-year-old woman has been accused of calling 911 to report herself after murdering her elderly 92-year-old roommate who had welcomed her into her home.

Julia Birch was arrested and charged Wednesday with first-degree murder for killing renowned sculptor Nancy Ann Frankel in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Police were called to Frankel's home on Spruell Drive in Kensington around 8:20am about a report of a dead body.

When officers arrived on the scene, Birch allegedly confessed to killing her elderly roommate. Police said they found Frankel's body inside the home along with evidence that they said supported Birch's confession.

The 26-year-old was taken into custody and, during a follow-up interview at Montgomery County Police Headquarters, she police said she admitted again to killing Frankel and told cops she had called 911 to report the death.

It is not yet clear how Frankel died. Police said an autopsy was scheduled for Thursday to determine the cause and manner of her death.

No motive was given and police have not released any further information about the events leading up to her death, citing an active investigation.

Birch was arrested and charged Wednesday with first-degree murder for the killing of renowned sculptor Nancy Ann Frankel (pictured) in Montgomery County, Maryland

A police spokesperson told DailyMail.com Birch had been living with Frankel at her home since January and was 'an acquaintance of the victim's family members.'

Frankel's neighbor told The Daily Beast Frankel had mentored and taken into her home several young women over the years, but that she had always found Birch unfriendly and 'disconnected'.

Julia Yost, who lives a few doors down from the home where the sculptor would display her artwork in her yard, said most people in the area stop and say hello to each other.

'I only saw that girl maybe three times, but when I saw her, she seemed, like, disconnected,' Yost said.

A police spokesperson told DailyMail.com Birch had been living with Frankel (pictured) at her home since January and was 'an acquaintance of the victim's family members'

Police were called to Frankel's home on Spruell Drive in Kensington (above) around 8:20am that morning to a report of a dead body. When officers arrived on the scene, Birch allegedly confessed to killing her elderly roommate

'Here, everybody says, 'Hi' and 'Bye,' but I said, 'Hi,' and she just looked at me and kept going.'

Yost described Frankel as 'very friendly and compassionate' and active for her age, recalling how they would speak almost daily when Frankel took an afternoon walk through the neighborhood.

She said she believed Frankel mentored young women to pass on the mentorship she received when she was younger.

'[Frankel] was exposed to several women mentors while she was at Columbia University, and I think she was trying to repay that by mentoring young women,' Yost said.

'There were other people living there on and off.'

Frankel, a mother and grandmother, was a well-known sculptor who showcased her work at numerous exhibitions and galleries over the years and won several awards.

No motive or cause of death has been given for Frankel's death. Frankel released a book in 2018 called 'Nancy @ Ninety: Seven Decades of Sculpture by Nancy Frankel' (above)

Studio Gallery director Kelly Bresnowitz told the Daily Beast Frankel would be 'missed greatly' in the art community and said they are planning a memorial 'in celebration of what a wonderful person and artist Nancy was.'

According to Frankel's website NancyFrankel.com, she used ''organic geometry' to give form to my love of nature and architecture.

'Space, either encapsulated or activated, and a sense of balance, precarious yet centered, are integral to my work,' she wrote.

Her sculptures ranged from table-top interior works to larger exterior pieces including sundials and fountains made of design-cast, steel and bronze.

Frankel also released a book in 2018 called 'Nancy @ Ninety: Seven Decades of Sculpture by Nancy Frankel', commemorating her 90th birthday.

Frankel, a mother and grandmother, was a well-known sculptor who showcased her work at numerous exhibitions and galleries over the years, and won several awards. Pictured some of her artwork above

According to Frankel's website NancyFrankel.com, she used ''organic geometry' to give form to my love of nature and architecture' (pictured some of the sculptures on her website)

The 'about the author' section reveals how she started out waiting tables to pay for her college tuition as an art student at the Temple University and later Columbia.

She got married and moved with her husband to Germany where she continued her studies at the Munich Art Academy.

'Sadly, Nancy's husband died prematurely after their return to the US leaving her with two small children to support,' it reads.

'Her peace-activist daughter and architect son have each learned from this formidable mother and produced a number of grandchildren who lean on her for the counsel and support only grandmothers can provide.'

Birch is being held without bail and is set to appear in court on August 27.
The defense for Josh Duggar (pictured) says federal prosecutors are withholding details regarding a screenshot belonging to the former reality tv star that local law enforcement had gathered. It says it needs the details to properly defend him in his child porn case

Attorneys for Josh Duggar say the government is withholding evidence in the child porn case against the former 19 Kids and Counting reality star.

In a motion filed Monday by Duggar's lawyer, Justin Gelfand, he says federal prosecutors are refusing to turn over details regarding a one-page piece of evidence, which they described as a screenshot that belonged to Duggar.

Gelfand is seeking additional information regarding the screenshot, which was gathered by detectives with the Little Rock police department, such as the date when it was taken, a native version of the file and details about how it was obtained.

Duggar's defense was notified of the screenshot's existence on June 2, but since then, Gelfand says its requests for more information have been rebuffed.

The government argued, he said, 'the information you requested further detailing the downloading of CSAM from your client by 2 other law enforcement agencies is extraneous to the present investigation/case and, therefore, is not covered by the rules of discovery.'

Duggar was arrested on federal child porn charges on April 28, and could face 40 years in prison. He is pictured being released from jail on bail on May 6

Duggar was arrested on federal child pornography charges on April 29 following a 2019 Homeland Security raid on his property.

According to the indictment, he is alleged to have downloaded material depicting child sexual abuse in May 2019.

Some of the material he is accused of possessing shows toddlers, prosecutors say.

He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled for November 30.

It was originally set for July 6, but his attorneys pushed to have a judge postpone it

In a motion filed Monday, Duggar's attorneys say they need details regarding the screenshot such as the date when it was taken, a native version of the file and details about how it was obtained

His computer was reportedly equipped with a 'dark web' browser that could have let him anonymously search for child porn.

The 'Tor' browser would have allowed him to bypass anti-porn software called 'Covenant Eyes' that his wife Anna installed to monitor what her husband viewed.

He faces two federal charges carrying up to 40 years in prison and is currently on house arrest at the home of a family friend.

On May 8, he was released on bail, with the condition that he stay with a third party, family friends LaCount and Maria Reber.

Despite the seriousness of his charges, Josh is allowed to see his children  Mackynzie Renee, 11, Michael James, 10, Marcus Anthony, 7, Meredith Grace, 5, Mason Garrett, 3, and Maryella Hope, 19 months  as long as Anna is present.

Duggar has not been allowed to return home since his release on bail to his wife and children, who live on his parent's property. Duggar's wife Anna is pregnant with their seventh child

A source told People that Anna, 32, doesn't believe the charges against him and has no intention of ending the marriage  or walking away with their six children and seventh unborn baby.

'She's standing by him,' the source said. 'She thinks Josh is innocent.'

Duggar's family rose to fame on TLC, where cameras documented their lives as an exceptionally large fundamentalist Christian family.

Their show, 19 Kids and Counting, ran from 2008 until 2015. The popular program was axed amid allegations that Josh had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter. Duggars parents said he had confessed to the fondling and apologized.

Meanwhile, Duggar previously apologized for a pornography addiction and cheating on his wife.

Josh Duggar's sister, Jill, and her husband Derick, previously broke their silence over the child pornography arrest of the former reality star.

Jill and Derick spoke to The Sun, with Jill saying: 'We're very sad about the whole thing, it's horrible. It's all very sad. Josh's wife Anna is pregnant with their seventh child, I cannot imagine how she is feeling.'

The Duggar family in 2014. Their show, 19 Kids and Counting, ran from 2008 until 2015

Derick said that 'obviously if there is anything there related to child pornography, we hope that justice is done'.

'I don't think anybody supports child pornography. We're sad for Anna, put yourself in her situation and imagine how you would feel if that happened with your family member. I imagine it would be really hard,' he added.

Josh's other sister, Jinger, and her husband, Jeremy, also reacted to Duggar's charges after they were made public last week.

'We are disturbed to hear of the charges against Josh. While this case must go through the legal system, we want to make it clear that we absolutely condemn any form of child abuse and fully support the authorities and judicial process in their pursuit of justice,' the couple wrote in a statement on Instagram.

Duggar's parents and fellow 19 Kids and Counting stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar also issued a statement last Friday.

'We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious,' they said in the statement obtained by People magazine.

'It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner.' They added: 'We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.'
Dr. Tara Gustilo filed a discrimination complaint against Hennepin Healthcare System in Minneapolis last month

A Harvard-educated, biracial physician was removed as head of the OB/GYN department of a Minneapolis hospital after she opposed offering patients segregated care based on race, she claims.

Dr. Tara Gustilo filed a discrimination complaint against Hennepin Healthcare System in June saying she was demoted for criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement on her social media page.

The complaint says that she was removed from her position despite rave job performance reviews during her six-year stint as head of a 32-person team.

Under my leadership, my department improved my patient satisfaction scores and connected our hospitals diverse population with the care that they needed, Gustilo says in the complaint.

She received one of the highest patient satisfaction ratings of all the doctors at Hennepin Healthcare and in the nation.

But in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, Gustilo criticized anti-racist training, claiming that it was actually teaching racism.

Gustilo says she was demoted from her position as the head of the OB/GYN department because she opposed a hospital policy of 'racially segregated care.' She also claims colleagues objected to her social media posts critical of Black Lives Matter and critical race theory

Why are we not teaching that judging by immutable qualities is ridiculous, she wrote in one Facebook post dated September 25, 2020.

Instead, the approach being promoted is to teach that because a person is white, they are necessarily racist and privileged.

Isnt this the type of thinking we are trying to eradicate?

She claims that her bosses violated her constitutional rights after she opposed the hospitals policy of affiliating with BLM.

Gustilo was removed as head of the OB/GYN department because some of my colleagues saw my post and determined I was no longer fit to be chair,' she says.

They contended that my opposition to the growing, racial essentialist philosophy could potentially cause our patients to mistrust our department, create division among staff, and reflect negatively on the hospital.'

Gustilo says that despite stellar job performance reviews, she was demoted on the pretext of being 'unfit to lead the department' after six years at the helm

Gustilo also alleges that the department began to shift away in recent years from an emphasis on multicultural care to one of segregated care.

She says that the new policy instituted by the department had black caregivers assigned to black patients.

Why would people who claim to fight racism want segregation? Gustilo says.

Her colleagues also grew disillusioned, she says, with her insistence that a letter of support in the wake of Floyds death not include the phrase: We share your feelings of horror, grief, trauma, and unrest.

The word unrest implies support for the riots that erupted during the protests in cities nationwide, according to Gustilo.

She claims her department agreed to her request to remove the word unrest, but my colleagues resented my insistence that we all agree and feel comfortable with the wording of the letter.

Gustilo claims that in response to her efforts to promote a culture of equal treatment and individual respect as a solution to racism, her colleagues accused her of being racist and of having a mental breakdown.

She also claims that despite her stellar record as head of the department, she was told she was unfit to lead.

The department moved to demote her by using her perceived incompetence as a pretext, she says, knowing that removing her from her position because of her political positions was illegal.

Gustilo is a biracial woman and mother of multiracial children. She claims that in response to her efforts to promote a culture of equal treatment and individual respect as a solution to racism, her colleagues accused her of being racist and of having a mental breakdown.

They lied about my performance to burn my professional reputation and get rid of me that way, she claims.

Gustilo says she was told she was late to meetings and had poor communication skills. I oversaw the OB/GYN department for six years without any of these complaints ever being made before.'

When she pushed back against her demotion, a human resources manager admitted that she was being punished for her political views, she says.

The allegations were made in a formal complaint filed with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A charge of discrimination filed with the EEOC is a requirement for anyone wishing to file a federal discrimination lawsuit.

DailyMail.com has sought comment from HHS.

Gustilos case was taken up by an attorney representing the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR), which calls itself a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing civil rights and liberties for all Americans, and promoting a common culture based on fairness, understanding, and humanity.

FAIRs board of advisors includes several prominent media personalities and academics who have been critical of CRT and BLM ideology, including Megyn Kelly, Bari Weiss, Thomas Chatterton Williams, Andrew Sullivan, Zaid Jilani, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Glenn Loury, John McWhorter, Abigail Shrier, and others.

The undated image above shows Gustilo posing in front of a large marketing billboard featuring her

Gustilo graduated from Harvard-Radcliffe College with a bachelors of arts. She then received a doctorate from the Mayo Clinic Medical School

Gustilo graduated from Harvard-Radcliffe College with a bachelor of arts.

She then got a doctorate from the Mayo Clinic Medical School.

After a residency at Duke University Medical Center, she spent several years working at a clinic in Ohio, and also spent time working on a Native American reservation in Chinle, Arizona.

She joined HHS in January 2008 and was promoted two years later to clinic medical director.

She was a member of the HCMC Medical Executive Committee.

The allegations were made in a formal complaint filed with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A charge of discrimination filed with the EEOC is a requirement for anyone wishing to file a federal discrimination lawsuit

The EEOC charge comes around the same time as two other lawsuits in Minnesota over the issue of CRT.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services was named in a discrimination complaint filed by Aaron Norgren, an employee who claims he was disciplined for refusing to take part in anti-racist training that promoted the notion that if your skin is not a certain color, youre a racist.

A resident of the Twin Cities suburb of Lakeville, Minnesota told the Twin Cities Pioneer Press that he is planning to sue the towns school district for posting Black Lives Matter signs in its buildings while not allowing All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter signs.

Bob Cajune is planning to sue, alleging that the district is engaging in discrimination by prohibiting the expression of other political views.
Dr. Faisal Khan - St. Louis County's Asian public health director - was bumped, pushed and called a 'fat brown c**t' and 'brown b*****d' after Tuesday's council meeting after he spoke in favor of the mask mandate.

The St. Louis County council ultimately voted 5-2 to overturn the mask mandate that went into effect 24 hours before. Republican politicians called masks 'unAmerican.'

Before the vote, he shared the latest scientific research and surging COVID numbers across the state of Missouri and in St. Louis County, which is separate from the city of St. Louis.

He said during the meeting that county hospitals are being overwhelmed with COVID patients, in large part because of the highly contagious and potent Delta variant strain, which accounts for more than 83percent of the United State's cases.

While Dr. Khan spoke to a largely 'MAGA'-movement and anti-mask crowd that he said mocked his accent by mimicking The Simpsons character Apu, he wrote in a letter to Chairwoman Rita Days, which was obtained by DailyMail.com.

Days had to briefly stop Dr. Khan's presentation a couple times to tell the crowd 'to be respectful' while he was speaking.

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Dr. Faisal Khan, St. Louis County's Asian public health director, faced racial slurs and physical altercations during his presentation and after Tuesday's St. Louis County meeting by members of the anti-mask crowd and politicians

But it wasn't just the crowd; it was county politicians who Dr. Khan said verbally assaulted him during his presentation.

His letter specifically mentions Councilman Tim Fitch and his pro-Trump friend Mark McCloskey, who's running for Missouri Senate. Dr. Khan said they made xenophobic slurs and 'incendiary comments.'

McCloskey and another politician - Paul Berry, who lost his 2020 bid for county executive - sat behind him and 'consistently berated me and tried to district me from my presentation,' Dr. Khan said in the letter.

After the meeting when he tried to leave, he was confronted by a mob of people who pushed him around, physically threatened him and shouted racial slurs at him. He responded by flipping someone off.

His public health career spans 25 years and includes eight countries, including the US, where he's worked in three different states.

During that time, he said he's 'never been subject to the racist, xenophobic and threatening behavior that greeted me in the County Council meeting (Tuesday) night.'

St. Louis County Councilman Tim Fitch (left) and Missouri Senate hopeful Mark McCloskey (right) - both pro-Trump politicians - were called out by Dr. Khan in his letter to the chairwoman for making obscene and racial comments during his presentation, when he urged the council to uphold the mask mandate

Missouri is among the highest infection rates in the country

'When faced with the racist vitriol that Councilman Fitch has been privately and publicly stoking against me since my appointment, I cannot say I am sorry,' said Khan, addressing his knee-jerk reaction to give the middle finger to someone who threatened him.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page reintroduced the indoor mask mandate because of concerns over the Delta variant, which was met with harsh criticism and attacks on social media that included pictures of furious locals burning masks.

As per the mandate, all locals were ordered to wear masks inside public settings in the Missouri county regardless of whether they'd been vaccinated.

Videos showing the cheering crowd - which vocalized their disapproval for hours - circulated on social media after Tuesday night's 5-2 council vote in favor of ditching the masks.

Signs saying 'The Tyranny,' 'The science is clear: Masks don't work,' 'No masks,' among others were held up during the meeting.

'Too many American men and women have given the last full measure of devotion for us to be cavalier with the very liberty they fought and died to provide,' Councilman Ernie Trakas said after the vote.

'I will not abide any measures that seek to compromise or erode our liberty and freedom.'

Page one of two of Dr. Khan's letter

Page two of two of Dr. Khan's letter

Reintroducing the indoor mask mandate - even for those who are vaccinated - has become a hot-button topic throughout the country as the Delta variant threatens to plunge the country into a second shutdown.

In St. Louis County, there's been a 45 percent spike in reported cases, nearly 40 percent increase in coronavirus-related hospitalizations and 10 deaths, according to the latest numbers from the CDC , which run from July 19 to July 25.

Of the 994,205 county residents, 55.9 percent have at least one shot of the vaccine, according to the CDC.

Before the council voted, Khan warned the Delta variant would eventually overwhelm hospitals.

'If the council, in its infinite wisdom, negates this order, there will be more misery,' Khan said. 'There will be more infection. There will be more death.'

The entire state of Missouri - especially the state's urban areas - is wrestling with a COVID resurgence, and only around 41 percent of its residents are vaccinated compared to about 57 percent of the US as a whole.

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 US.

St. Louis County had been one of a handful of municipalities to reintroduce masks before its sudden reversal.

Missouri's most populated city - Kansas City - has also demanded the return of the face coverings.

On Wednesday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced the city will require masks indoors for everyone older than 5 years old, regardless of their vaccination status.

That will go in effect on August 2.

The city of Savannah in Georgia and Los Angeles already implemented indoor mask mandates, as did a few private companies including Facebook, Google, Netflix, Morgan Stanley and the Washington Post.

Workers in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, will have to resume wearing masks indoors. Customers will not be forced to, under new rules.

On Tuesday, the CDC updated its indoor mask guidelines to protect against the Delta variant's spread.

Many Republicans have maintained their belief that masks are all about politics.

Senator Ted Cruz criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over new mask guidelines for vaccinated Americans, calling it 'absurd' and asserting that the agency's 'credibility is in tatters'.

During a Wednesday interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Cruz took aim at the governmental agency as well as the Democratic party, saying since the beginning of the pandemic they treated COVID-19 as a 'matter of politics'.

As the number of cases climb in the US, they're plummeting in the UK.

The daily number of new infections recorded in the country fell seven consecutive days before Wednesday's slight bump, when the country reported 27,734 cases, which is about half of the reported cases last week.

Meanwhile in the US, the CDC reported a seven-day average of 40,246 new cases, which is a 46.7 percent spike since last week.

DailyMail.com left a message for Fitch for comment.
A celebrity sommelier was charged with two felony counts of arson after he was caught setting three fires around New York City beginning in January - including two in outdoor dining areas.

Caleb Ganzer, 35, was caught on security camera footage setting fire to the outdoor dining shed at Prince Street Pizza on July 13 around 3 am.

The alleged arsonist is a noted wine expert, named one of Food & Wine's 2017 Sommeliers of the Year. He previously worked as the sommelier at New York's Eleven Madison Park, which some critics have called one of the world's best restaurants.

He's not accused of setting fire to any structures connected to La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels, the restaurant where he's managing partner.

Authorities haven't released a possible motive for the arsons.

In one video, a man, later identified to be Ganzer, walks up to a wooden structure on the empty street.

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Caleb Ganzer, 35, has been charged with two counts of Arson in the third degree, two counts of Criminal Mischief in the third degree, and three counts of Reckless Endangerment in the second degree

The fires were all located in New York City's Little Italy neighborhood within a few blocks of each other and Ganzer's restaurant

The popular NYC sommelier was caught on surveillance camera setting fire to an outdoor dining area

Footage recorded as Ganzer casually walks up to the outdoor structure and lights the two napkin dispensers at each end

He then casually walks away as the structure continues to burn

After checking that he's alone, he nonchalantly pulls out a lighter and sets fire to a napkin dispenser. He then walks over and sets fire to the other napkin dispenser at the opposite end of the shed.

The arsonist then casually continues walking down the street.

Officials have also connected Ganzer to two other fires set earlier this year. On June 26, he allegedly started a trash fire at the corner of Broome and Centre Streets.

The first fire was set back on January 8, when Ganzer set fire to the outdoor dining shed Forsythia restaurant on Stanton Street shortly before midnight.

Fire officials announced on Wednesday that the sommelier Ganzer had been arrested and charged with two counts of Arson in the third degree, two counts of Criminal Mischief in the third degree, and three counts of Reckless Endangerment in the second degree.

Forsythia's owner, Jacob Siwak, says the fires caused $3,500 in damages

Ganzer is also being accused of setting fire to a trash bin at the intersection of Broome and Centre Streets

Most recently, Ganzer allegedly set fire to the outdoor structure at Prince Street Pizza were he was recorded on surveillance cameras

Tony Soza, 35, general manager of Prince Street Pizza, told DailyMail.com that he was very upset when he saw the footage of Ganzer setting fire to his store and learned that he is a fellow restauranteur. Soza says that the 'restaurant industry is a family and we need to help each other.'

He says that while the physical damage to the store was bad, the emotional damage to him and his workers was worse.

He remembers spending three weeks in the cold of winter building the outdoor dining structure and says it was 'really painful to see my place burn up. I was feeling crazy but I dont care about cost to repair. Money goes back and forth. It's not important.'

The general manager wants Ganzer to think about the possible consequences of his dangerous actions and 'should thank God the fire didnt cause more damage.' Prince Street Pizza sits below residential apartments whose tenants Soza was concerned about.

Soza is happy that his neighbors are safe. When the fire broke out at 3 am several weeks ago he didn't call 911 or head down to the restaurant immediately because his neighborhood 'family' called him and told them that they had it under control.

Ganzer set fire to the outdoor dining area of Prince Street Pizza on July 13

He is also being connected to fires set at another nearby restaurant, Forsythia in Januray, and a trash fire in June

Forsythia's owner, Jacob Siwak, 29, told the New York Times on Wednesday that a well-dressed man wearing a beanie and a scarf attempted to set fire to the Italian restaurant's outdoor structure ablaze four times over the course of at least nine days in January.

Security-camera footage recorded as the man unpacked his backpack, placing a pile of kindling next to trash that had been out from the night before and then repeatedly set the kindling on fire. The man then waited for a sizable fire before walking off.

Several of the man's attempts were successful with two becoming 'pretty damaging.' Another resulted in flames that shot up two stories high and threatened to spread to the restaurant and the rest of the building.

The fires caused Siwak $3,500 in damages as he had to rebuild the outdoor dining structure, which is now fire retardant.

While no one was hurt by these fires, 'Every act of arson has the potential to spread rapidly, endangering the lives of New Yorkers and FDNY members,' said Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro commenting on Ganzer's crimes.

'Thankfully in these incidents there were no injuries and the suspect has been apprehended before another fire could be set.'

Men account for an estimated of 80% of arson cases, according to the FBI. Fire officials did not state what motive Ganzer might have had for starting the fires.

The case will be prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Ganzer is a managing partner at La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels, located several blocks from the fires

Ganzer is a managing partner at La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels on Centre Street, which is located near where the fires were set.

He didn't set fires there, officials have said.

La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels released a statement saying, 'We as the company are aware of the incident, and Mr. Ganzer is on a leave of absence.'

The alleged arsonist was named as one of Food & Wine's 2017 Sommeliers of the Year and previously worked as the sommelier at Eleven Madison Park, which was been deemed one of the best restaurants in the world.

They credited the Illinois native for creating 'a space where guests who aren't 'wine people' can drink stellar wines casually, by the glass. His background in fine dining comes through in his attentive service (rare in wine bars), while his more playful side comes out in regular wine-themed parties and Compagnie's 'guess-the-wine, win-a-bottle' game.'

In a recent interview with Sommelier Business, Mr. Ganzer spoke of investing in La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels' outdoor dining space after what he called the 'roller coaster' of the pandemic, a period he described as 'sort of existentially crippling.'
AOC and her fellow 'Squad' members have accused bipartisan senators of excluding lawmakers of color from last night's negotiations to advance a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.

They also slammed Democratic colleague Sen. Kysten Sinema (D-Ariz.) after she said she would oppose a separate $3.5 trillion 'human infrastructure' package because it's too costly.

That bipartisan infrastructure bill advanced in the Senate on a 67-32 vote Wednesday night, with 17 Republicans including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voting for it.

That bill is likely to pass the House in a substantially different form  which could cause many of those Republicans to bolt.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is demanding Congress act first on the separate $3.5 trillion bill through the budget 'reconciliation' process.

Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema has come out in opposition to President Joe Biden's $3.5trillion budget 'reconciliation' package. She is pictured speaking on Wednesday night, prompting House 'squad' members to attack her

Sinema has announced she won't go for the full amount, although it appears she will vote with her party on a procedural vote to advance the budget.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ripped her for her stance.

'Good luck tanking your own party's investment on childcare, climate action, and infrastructure while presuming you'll survive a 3 vote House margin - especially after choosing to exclude members of color from negotiations and calling that a 'bipartisan accomplishment,' the 'squad' member tweeted Wednesday.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is black, tweeted that he is opposed to the latest deal because he hasn't yet seen legislative text.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib wrote that 'Sinema seems not to care that her own state is flooding, the west is burning, and infrastructure around the country is crumbling. Sinema is more interested in gaining GOP friends and blocking much needed resources, than fighting for her residents' future'

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chair of the Senate Budget Committee, is met by reporters during the vote to start work on a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Squad members accused bipartisan negotiators of excluding members of color from negotiations

President Joe Biden hailed the new breakthrough as proof that bipartisanship can still work. Both infrastructure proposals face an uncertain future

Sinema was part of the group negotiating the infrastructure deal, and has spoken to President Biden about it.

Coming in with another attack was fellow squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. 'Sinema seems not to care that her own state is flooding, the west is burning, and infrastructure around the country is crumbling. Sinema is more interested in gaining GOP friends and blocking much needed resources, than fighting for her residents' future,' she said.

Republican Senators Rob Portman of Ohio (R), Mitt Romney of Utah (2-R), Susan Collins of Maine (C), Bill Cassidy of Louisiana (2-L) and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska (L) announce an agreement on infrastructure following a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 28 July 2021

''This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function,' said President Joe Biden, after a bipartisan group announced a deal on infrastructure

She continued in another attack: ''We didn't elect Sinema as President and we won't let her obstruction put a Republican in the Oval Office in 2024,' Tlaib said. 'It's the reconciliation bill or GOP controlling every level of government again, period.'

The larger package, negotiated by Senate Budget Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders with lawmakers in his caucus, contains funding for universal Pre-K, free college tuition, and a skein of programs. He has said it would be transformative for the U.S. economy, but even his scaled back figure is getting resistance from party centrists.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Thursday congratulated Sinema, GOP Sen. Rob Portman and other negotiators, but told CNN we are promptly going to move to the other bill before we end up leaving for our probably brief August recess. So it will be clear to the House whether they've got both coming or neither before they have to take them up,' he said.

'I support many of the goals in this proposal to continue creating jobs, growing American competitiveness, and expanding economic opportunities for Arizonans  I do not support a bill that costs $3.5trillion,' Sinema said in a statement Wednesday.
The family of a woman who drowned in South Carolina while being transported to a mental health facility in a sheriff's van during Hurricane Florence settled a lawsuit in her death.

On Monday, a settlement of wrongful death and survival claims with the maker of the van was filed, awarding Linda Green, a relative of the 43-year-old victim, Nicolette Green, with $1,000,000.

Nicolette Green was being taken to McLeod Behavior Health Services in Darlington when she drowned in a caged van driven by Horry County deputies on September 18, 2018.

On Monday, a settlement of wrongful death and survival claims was filed, awarding Linda Green, a relative of the 43-year-old victim, Nicolette Green, with $1,000,000.

Nicolette, was being transported to McLeod Behavior Health Services in Darlington when she drowned in a caged van driven by Horry County deputies on September 18, 2018.

The van, which was also carrying 45-year-old Wendy Newton, was manufactured by American Aluminum Accessories and included a caged compartment modified with one exit door and one path of escape in case of an emergency

Wendy Newton, 45, was also in the van, which was manufactured by American Aluminum Accessories and included a caged compartment modified with one exit door and one escape path in case of an emergency.

Both women died after deputies Joshua Bishop and Stephen Flood, drove into floodwaters near the Little Pee Dee River in Marion County during the storm.

The deputies survived after escaping and waiting on the roof of the vehicle for help.

On May 28, a petition for approval was filed in the 15th Judicial Circuit, stating American Aluminum Accessories agreed to the settlement of $1 million, with $500,000 being disbursed for the wrongful death claim, and $500,000 for the survival claims.

A full hearing was held later on June 2, 2021. The court approved the settlement.

Both women died after deputies Joshua Bishop and Stephen Flood, drove into floodwaters near the Little Pee Dee River in Marion County

Wendy Newton, 45, (pictured) was also in the van with Green when it drove into floodwaters near the Little Pee Dee River in Marion County

Linda Green had accumulated $400,000.00 in attorney fees and $48,328.46 for costs incurred. The gross sum for Green, minus the costs paid from the settlement, will be collect $551,671.54.

In addition, Green also is suing Horry County, the Horry County Sheriffs Office, Sheriff Phillip Thompson, Elizabeth Orlando, and the two now-former deputies who were driving the van.

Green's family told CBS she had three children, but one died in 2015 from cancer.

Her 19-year-old daughter Nicolette Hershberger said Green was diagnosed with schizophrenia a few years before her death and visited a new therapist the day of the incident.

The therapist said Green should be committed to a mental institution shortly after.

According to the sheriff's department, Newton and Green were in the back of the van the night they died. Thompson said he does not believe they were shackled or in police restraints.

In addition, Green is also suing Horry County, the Horry County Sheriffs Office, Sheriff Phillip Thompson, Elizabeth Orlando, and the two now-former deputies that were driving the transport van

Because of the dangerous conditions, rescuers were not able to retrieve the bodies immediately and they were pulled from the water on Wednesday evening, nearly 24 hours later

He said Bishop and Flood tried to help free Newton and Green 'for a long period of time', but eventually had to seek refuge on the vehicle's roof as floodwaters rose.

'I'm not sure if it was the way the van was positioned, against a guardrail, or if it was pressure from the water, but unfortunately they were not able to get the van doors open and get the ladies out,' Thompson said at the time.

According to the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the portion of Highway 76 where the van was, closed that night. Officials told WMBF that it had been closed for some time.

It took a rescue crew 45 minutes to find the submerged van. The deputies were plucked from the roof and taken to safety via a boat. According to CBS, by the time crews reached the women the van was underwater.

Because of the dangerous conditions, rescuers could not retrieve the bodies immediately and they were pulled from the water nearly 24 hours later.

'We're sorry. We take a lot of pride in what we do. We work hard to protect and to serve our citizens, and we're just so very sorry that this event has taken place,' Thompson said.

Both Flood and Bishop were terminated from the sheriffs office in October 2018. They were indicted by a grand jury in 2019 after internal investigation. Flood faced two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of involuntary manslaughter charges, while Bishop was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

The case is pending.
It comes amid concerns it could be added to the amber-plus list, requiring arrivals to isolate for 10 days

The next highest country was Greece, Portugal and France, but they recorded just a sixth of the infections

The positivity rate in the group hit 2.9%, a three-fold increase from the 0.9% testing positive weeks earlier

Over 2,000 travellers arriving in England from Spain tested positive in the first three weeks of July

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Covid positivity rates among travellers returning from Spain have almost tripled since the end of June, according to official data that ministers could use to slap the holiday hotspot with tougher quarantine rules.

More than 70,000 people flew into England from Spain over the first three weeks of July and 2,065 of them tested positive  a rate of 2.9 per cent. For comparison, the figure stood at just 0.9 per cent throughout June.

The latest NHS Test and Trace statistics will be fed into No10, which Whitehall insiders say is already considering imposing stricter rules on Spain.

The Government is set to update its travel quarantine list next week and there are hopes dozens more destinations will be placed on the green and amber lists.

But if the Government decides to push the panic button in the face of soaring rates among Spanish travellers, it could see the nation placed in the amber-plus bracket, meaning all arrivals would have to isolate for 10 days upon return  even if they've been fully vaccinated.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab today warned there are no 'cast-iron guarantees' that Spain will stay quarantine-free for vaccinated Brits.

Putting the country under tougher travel quarantine rules would wreck thousands of families' holidays, and force many to try to fly home early from their sun-seeking breaks.

As it stands, France is the only country on the amber-plus list but questions have been asked about what ministers used to reach that 'incomprehensible' decision.

The Government warned of the persistent presence of the 'Beta' variant to justify the move. And Mr Raab today admitted France was put in the tougher category because of high rates on Reunion island, situated in the Indian Ocean  6,000 miles (9,600km) from Paris.

The mutant strain is even more dominant in Spain, where infections are also higher. Health officials are said to be 'getting very jumpy' about Spain's situation with the strain, which emerged in South Africa and is thought to be more resistant to the AstraZeneca vaccine given to millions in the UK.

The proportion of infected travellers flying back from Spain stands at 2.9 per cent, up from 0.6 per cent three weeks earlier. But positivity rates among travellers are higher from 11 other countries, with 11.1 per cent of those coming to England from Jersey having the virus. But the highest number of infected people came from Spain (2,065) - four times higher than the second-highest country Greece

The positivity rate among people coming to England from Spain has skyrocketed in the last three weeks to 2.9 per cent. Infection rates among the group had been between 0.6 and 1 per cent since February

RETURNING TO ENGLAND: The rules for red, amber and green list countries RED You should not travel to red list countries or territories. If you have been in a country or territory on the red list in the last 10 days you will only be allowed to enter the UK if you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK. You will have to follow a strict set of rules even if you are fully vaccinated. Before leaving to travel to England:

Take a PCR or lateral flow test  children aged 10 and under do not need to take this test;

Book a quarantine hotel package, including two Covid tests complete a passenger locator form. Upon arrival in England: Quarantine in a managed hotel, and take two Covid tests. AMBER From July 19, fully vaccinated British arrivals from an amber list country have not had to quarantine after touching down in the UK. From Monday at 4am, the right to skip self-isolation will extend to visitors from Europe and the US who have received both jabs. Arrivals still have to take a private PCR or lateral flow test in the three days before the service on which you will arrive in England departs. Before landing in England, you must also book and pay for day two and day eight Covid-19 tests, to be taken after your arrival. GREEN You must take a PCR or lateral flow test three days before departure and, before leaving, book and pay for a day two Covid test to be taken after arrival in England. You need to also complete a passenger locator form. Advertisement

With the aim of getting holidays going again this summer with the pandemic still raging on, ministers adopted a traffic light travel policy saying the time had come to take advantage of being one of the world's most vaccinated countries.

Decisions on which countries appear on which list are made by ministers, based on advice provided by the Joint Biosecurity Centre  part of the UK's Health Security Agency.

The lists are reviewed every three weeks but all countries are assumed to be amber.

Brits are warned against travelling to countries on the red list, which have rapidly-growing outbreaks or are being hit hard by troublesome variants.

There are currently 147 countries on the amber list and just a just 28 far-flung destinations on the green list, including Iceland and Barbados.

Spain has been on the amber list ever since foreign holidays were given the green light again when the Government eased restrictions in May.

As a result, the number of people flying into England from Spain has been nearly doubling every few weeks.

But the rate of travellers infected with the virus has also increased nearly five-fold in recent weeks, from 0.6 per cent between the end of April and mid-May to 2.9 per cent during the first three weeks of July.

For comparison, official data suggests the test positivity rate for England is in the region of 1.3 per cent.

Following Spain, the most Covid cases were imported from Greece (344), followed by Portugal (217), France (205), the US (164) and Italy (147).

But travellers from Spain still do not have the highest infection rate on nations on the amber list, with 11.1 per cent of those flying in from Jersey testing positive.

Rates were similarly high for travellers coming in from Yemen (8.3 per cent), Uzbekistan (7.9 per cent) and Kyrgyzstan (7.7 per cent)  but barely anyone is flying in from those countries.

Meanwhile, France has a positivity rate of just 0.8 per cent among arrivals. Its rate has also doubled since the end of June  but is still only a fraction of the figure in Spain.

Separate data that adds to the confusion over the move shows France is currently recording 270 cases per million people every day, which is half of the rate seen in Spain (551).

But despite figures suggesting Spain's Covid situation is currently worse than France's, any move to add the country to the amber-plus list will provoke a 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.

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.

Asked about the possibility of Spain going on an 'amber watchlist'  with the possibility of it moving straight to the red category  Mr Raab said: 'I can't rule things that the JBC and the government will decide, but they'll make that decision next week in terms of the traffic light system for all the relevant countries.'

Mr Raab said the 'momentum forward is positive' with the high proportion of Britons who are double-jabbed.

'We've done the job we had to do domestically, and as we see other countries catch up if you like, I think we're increasingly confident that more countries will go on either on amber or onto green,' he said.

Pushed for advice to would-be holidaymakers, Mr Raab said 'you'll know next week'.

He suggested if the need to book immediately they will 'have to base it on the traffic light system we've got in place right now'.

'We can't give cast iron guarantees about what the next review system will decide. If we did it wouldn't be a very meaningful review system,' he added.

Meanwhile, French minister Clement Beaune has slammed the decision to keep quarantine measures for vaccinated travellers coming from France to the UK, while other EU countries and the US are exempted.

'It's excessive, and it's frankly incomprehensible on health grounds ... It's not based on science and discriminatory towards the French,' Mr Beaune told LCI TV.

'I hope it will be reviewed as soon as possible, it's just common sense.'

Mr Beaune said France was not planning tit-for-tat measures 'for now'.

The Government announced yesterday that people in the EU and US who are double jabbed will not need to isolate on arrival to the UK from Monday morning. Until then, only people who were fully immunised in the UK can avoid quarantine.

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, told MailOnline: 'The original rationale for placing France on the amber-plus list was based on concerns about levels of beta virus infection - odd because Spain has had higher levels!

'I think we should be taking a more cautious approach and not completely drop the need for travellers to quarantine.

'Important to recognise that previous waves of infection in the UK have been fuelled by travellers bringing virus variants infection back with them.

'There is now more evidence that fully vaccinated individuals can get reinfected and spread the virus.

'So monitoring levels of infection with different virus variants in different countries and using this information to make decisions about testing and isolating arrivals into the UK needs to be carefully considered.'

Where CAN you go on holiday? Brits heading to summer hotspots still face days of isolation, being barred from restaurants and getting turned away if not double jabbed under travel rules

Getting your head round the rules for entering England from abroad is just the first step - next you must navigate an often mind-boggling raft of requirements for entry into the holiday destinations themselves.

Italy tightened their restrictions this week, announcing that unvaccinated tourists without the country's 'Green Pass' - an app-based vaccine passport - will be banned from public spaces including restaurants, bars and swimming pools.

The new rules, which start from August 6, is just the first step of the Green Pass rollout, and it could soon become mandatory for plane and train travel too.

The pass can be issued to everyone who has had at least one vaccine dose, recently recovered from Covid, or presented a negative test taken within 48 hours.

All countries are enforcing their own rules of varying degrees of stringency, with some restricting entry to vaccinated tourists only, and others only insisting on a lateral flow or PCR test.

There are fears in Britain that Spain could soon be added to the UK's 'amber plus' list, which would require people returning to England to quarantine. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab today warned there was no 'cast-iron guarantee' the country would not see its risk rating upgraded.

It is vital to check the latest requirements before travel or risk being turned away.

Requirements for entry into foreign countries are constantly changing and it is vital to check the latest rules before leaving

The great quarantine escape: Couple who were 'held against their will' at Heathrow airport hotel on returning from Turkey with just a doctor's note claiming they were 'medically exempt' reveal they BROKE OUT at 3am Lisa Marcelle, 56, and Ricky Cassidy, 58, from Wiltshire, had flown out to Turkey hassle-free on May 1st, so Ricky could get an emergency dental operation and were due to travel back a week later - on May 8th. Pictured, in Turkey A couple who flew to Turkey for an emergency dental operation and claim they were held against their will at Heathrow airport hotel on returning from Turkey with just a doctor's note saying they were 'medically exempt' have told how they broke out at 3am. Lisa Marcelle, 56, and Ricky Cassidy, 58, from Wiltshire, flew out to Turkey on 1st May so that he could get an emergency dental operation. They were given a medical exemption certificate by a Turkish doctor, which they hoped would mean they wouldn't have to quarantine on their arrival at Heathrow. However, the couple didn't apply properly for a quarantine exemption and turned up with just the letter, believing it would cover them. On arrival, Lisa and Ricky claim they were told they had to stay for 10 days at the Renaissance Hotel near the airport, and claim they were escorted there on a shuttle bus by armed police. After spending one night in the hotel and taking legal advice, Lisa has revealed how they brazenly broke out of the facility simply by walking past the security guards with an air of confidence. Weeks later, Lisa claims they have heard nothing further from any authorities. The couple originally flew to Turkey on 1st May and were due to return to the UK a week later on 8th. But, after having problems with completing passenger locator forms due to there being no internet available at the airport, and because Turkey had just gone onto the 'red list', they were turned away at the gate. They returned again later after booking flights via the Netherlands but were told by Turkish airline staff that the Netherlands were no longer accepting British citizens and they were turned away again. Advertisement

LEAVING ENGLAND: The rules for arriving in popular holiday destinations

EUROPE

Spain (amber)

All arrivals from the UK over 12 must present either a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of travelling, or proof of being fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure.

The NHS Covid Pass - which you can get on the NHS app or by ordering a physical copy online - counts as evidence of vaccination status.

You must also fill in a health control form no more than 48 hours before leaving for Spain.

France (amber)

You can enter France from the UK if you provide either proof that you are fully vaccinated or a 'sworn statement' attesting to this.

Double-jabbed travellers no longer need to provide proof of a negative PCR or antigen test result.

Minors travelling with fully vaccinated adults do not need to self-isolate, but children aged 11 to 17 must show a negative test result.

People who are not fully vaccinated will only be allowed in for essential reasons. In these cases, over-12s must show a negative PCR or antigen test taken less than 24 hours beforehand and agree to seven days' isolation.

Self-administered tests are not allowed.

Italy (amber)

All British visitors have to self-isolate for five days upon arrival in Italy as part of a requirement that will stay in place until at least July 30.

You must also:

Show a negative molecular or antigen test upon arrival;

Take a test at the end of the self-isolation period;

Call the local Covid helpline within 48 hours or arriving;

Complete an EU passenger locator form before travelling.

Children under six are excused from these requirements.

Portugal (amber)

Travellers to mainland Portugal from the UK must quarantine for 14 days unless you can prove you are fully vaccinated.

Children aged 12 to 17 travelling with double-jabbed parents do not have to quarantine but must provide a negative PCR or antigen test result.

Children aged 11 are under are excused from the quarantine and testing requirements.

People over 12 must also compete a passenger locator form and prepare to be temperature checked upon arrival.

Malta (amber)

Adult travellers must be fully vaccinated, while children aged 5 to 11 will need to show evidence of a negative PCR test carried out within 72 before arrival. Under-fives are exempt.

Children aged 12 to 17 must also be fully vaccinated, but the UK is not currently providing jabs to this age group.

The NHS Covid Pass counts as evidence of vaccination status, while NHS letters will be accepted if you live in Scotland.

Adults do not have to carry out a PCR test, but must complete a passenger locator form and public health declaration prior to travel. This will then be shown to officials upon arrival.

People enjoy the sun and the warm weather at the Playa Segur de Calafell Beach in Calafell, Spain, earlier this month. The country is the most popular foreign destination for British tourists

Greece (amber)

Arrivals from the UK will need to prove they are double jabbed.

The NHS Covid Pass counts as evidence of vaccination status, while NHS letters will be accepted if you live in Scotland.

British tourists must also complete a passenger locator form before arrival.

You may have to take an antigen test after touching down in Greece, with 10 days in a quarantine hotel if you test positive.

Self-isolation may also be required if anyone on your flight tests positive.

Turkey (red)

The government advises against travel to Turkey, with hotel quarantine needed upon return if you do decide to visit the country.

Travellers do not need to provide proof of vaccination.

But they must:

Provide a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours before arrival;

Fill in an online form within 72 hours of arrival;

Prepare to be checked for Covid symptoms.

Germany (amber)

You may enter Germany from the UK for any travel purpose if you are fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated children under 12 years of age are allowed to enter Germany if they present proof of a negative PCR test result and travel with at least one fully vaccinated parent.

Travellers who are not fully vaccinated and are not German citizens, the partners of German citizens, or travelling for an essential reason may not currently enter the country from the UK.

Britons must also complete pre-departure digital registration, regardless of vaccination status.

If you are travelling to Germany for an exempted reason but are not fully vaccinated, you will be asked to quarantine for 10 days.

Beech trees are pictured in Bilstein on Tuesday in a characteristically German scene. The country has tightened entry requirements for British tourists

Cyprus (amber)

The UK entered Cyprus Red category on July 8, meaning that all arrivals must undergo a PCR test within 72 hours prior to departure and provide proof of a negative result.

You must then undergo another PCR test upon arrival at Larnaca or Paphos airports, and remain in self-isolation until the result is issued.

Test results should be available within three hours through the online platform. The cost of both tests is borne by the passenger.

Children under 12 are exempted from the testing requirement.

Travellers with proof of two Covid vaccinations are not required to take a PCR test before departure, but you will still need to obtain a Cyprus flight pass.

Croatia (amber)

All travellers from the UK must present a negative antigen or PCR test taken with 48 and 72 hours of travel consecutively.

This applies regardless of vaccination status.

Children under 12 are exempt from the testing requirements.

Switzerland (amber)

You may enter Switzerland from the UK for any travel purpose if you are fully vaccinated and can show adequate proof.

The NHS Covid Pass counts as evidence of vaccination status, while NHS letters will be accepted if you live in Scotland.

Arrivals must also provide evidence of a negative PCR or antigen test.

Most non-vaccinated UK citizens are not allowed to enter the country.

Austria (amber)

Entry to Austria from the UK is currently prohibited by Austrian law.

Netherlands (amber)

Non-EU or EEU nationals are not allowed to enter the country apart from essential reasons. That includes UK citizens.

NORTH AMERICA

USA (amber)

Since March 16 2020, it has not been possible for most British nationals to enter the USA if they have been in the UK.

US citizens and permanent residents of the USA, certain specified close family members and certain other limited categories of visas holders (such as UN staff and diplomats) are exempt.

They will still be able to enter the USA.



Revellers at the Tiki Bar on Manhattan's Upper West Side on Monday. Most night spots in the city are now open as normal

CARIBBEAN

Jamaica (amber)

All travellers aged over 12 arriving in Jamaica must present a negative molecular (PCR, NAA, RNA) or antigen test, which was conducted within the 72 hours prior to the date of travel.

Tourists will be screened on arrival and may still be required to be tested at the airport or designated facility.

If the test is negative, you will remain at your hotel.

Barbados (amber)

All travellers from the UK must present a negative PCR test result taken no more than three days before your flight arrives.

If you are fully vaccinated you will have to take a PCR test on arrival, and will have to remain in quarantine until the result comes back negative  which is usually within 24 hours.

If you live in England, Barbados will accept the NHS Covid Pass or your NHS letter to demonstrate your vaccination status.

Non-vaccinated travellers must quarantine in a hotel for five days before a PCR test. If this comes back negative you can leave.

A vintage car in Havana, Cuba, which has strict entry requirements for foreign visitors. The graffiti on the road is a slogan commemorating leader Fidel Castro

Grenada (amber)

People who are double jabbed will only be required to quarantine for up to 48 hours, pending a negative result from a PCR test, administered on entry, and paid in advance.

If you live in England, Barbados will accept the NHS Covid Pass or your NHS letter to demonstrate your vaccination status.

Unvaccinated visitors will be barred from entering the country.

Cuba (amber)

Everyone travelling to Cuba must have a certified proof of a negative result of a PCR test taken within 72 hours before travel at an accredited testing centre in the UK or the country you are travelling from.

Children are not exempt, neither are people who have been vaccinated.

All arrivals must also complete a health declaration and take a PCR test upon arrival.

They will have to stay at a hotel until they have a second negative PCR test. The test may be on the fifth day.

AFRICA

Egypt (red)

All people arriving from overseas have to present a negative PCR test certificate on arrival, and an indication of when the test was taken.

These must be conducted no more than 72 hours prior to the flight leaving.

Egypt is currently on the government's red list, so travel there is strongly advised against.

ASIA

UAE (red)

UK arrivals must be able to show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure.

They must take a second PCR test upon arrival and isolate for 10 days.

Visitors from the UK and other countries classed as high risk must wear a wristband for the duration of their quarantine.

Thailand (amber)

All British nationals travelling from the UK are required to complete 14 days quarantine at an official quarantine centre.

Passengers sit spaced apart while wearing face masks at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok on Wednesday

Japan (amber)

Travellers from the UK and other countries categorised as high risk are not allowed to enter until further notice, except in a select number of special circumstances.

Maldives (red)

All visitors must present a negative PCR test result issued no more than 96 hours prior to departure.

Temperature checks and screening procedures will be in place on arrival.

Tourists do not have to quarantine.

The Maldives is currently on the government's red list, so travel there is strongly advised against.

AUSTRALASIA

Australia (green)

Entry to Australia is currently closed to most arrivals. Australian citizens and returning permanent residents and their immediate family members are permitted to enter Australia without an exemption.

All international travellers entering Australia need to undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine at a designated facility (for example a hotel).

Surfers catch a wave at Bondi Beach in Australia. Entry to the country is currently closed to most arrivals, including citizens

New Zealand (green)

The New Zealand border is currently closed to almost all arrivals.
This is the comical moment a group of women pooled their strength to pick up and move a badly parked car.

The five girls had embarked on a trip to the lake in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on July 24 for a bachelorette party but they could not park their SUV in the one available parking spot due to a crooked vehicle.

Undeterred, the party-goers decided to join forces and straighten up the vehicle so they could pull in beside it.

The five girls use their collaborative strength to pick up and move a badly parked car in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on July 24

The group, who had been on a bachelorette party, join forces and lift up the vehicle before moving it so it is parked between the lines

One of the women filmed as five others grabbed hold of the back of the car and its rear fender and started to pull and push it.

Then they used all their might to lift the car up and straighten it so it was sitting between the lines of the parking space.

The triumphant bachelorettes started to laugh at their feat, as the woman filming the scenes exclaimed: 'Oh my God, they did it!'

Afterwards, one of the party-goers said: 'This was a bachelorette weekend in Idaho! Us girls were trying to find parking at a boat ramp to get on the lake!

'The only spot available had a car parked too crooked for our SUV to fit so we moved it.'

The girls manage to straighten the car and move it into the designated parking spot
A Green Beret has died in a training accident in the Army's infamously difficult Combat Diver Qualification course in Florida's Key West.

Staff Sergeant Micah E. Walker, a married father-of-three, was taking part in the grueling underwater combat training at the Army Combat Readiness Center and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School on Tuesday.

The facility said in a statement that Walker 'submerged and did not resurface'.

'The cadre immediately entered the pool and found him unresponsive,' they added.

Walker's death is the second at the facility, which runs the toughest course in the Army, in the past five years. A total of eight trainees have died since its inception in 1969.

The CRC has now launched a safety investigation at Naval Air Station Key West where the death took place.

Likewise, the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School is conducting an investigation of their own, awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine Walker's cause of death.

'An autopsy has not been performed, no one has established that he drowned," Deputy Public Affairs Officer Janice Burton told MailOnline.

Scroll down for video

Staff Sergeant Micah E. Walker, a married father-of-three, was taking part in the grueling underwater combat training at the Army Combat Readiness Center and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School on Tuesday

'During the training event, the Soldier submerged and did not resurface. The cadre immediately entered the pool and found him unresponsive,' said press releases issued by the Army Combat Readiness Center and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

Burton insisted that the facility has some of the most stringent safety protocols in the Army.

'We have very stringent safety measures and they are followed to the letter in every training event - we have people swimming in the water with them, and if they're in the ocean there are several boats that circle where they are,' he said.

'We [have] some of the tightest safety controls we can - but again, in some cases you're in the ocean.'

Walker, of Peyton, Colorado, in fact, died in a pool. Burton confirmed that he died during the initial weeks of the course, before recruits went out into the ocean, during initial tests that test their suitability for the Special Forces' elite dive team.

During this period, trainees are tasked with swimming underwater for 50 meters without coming up for air or even breaking the surface of the water, according to an official guide of course requirements.

'For me, one of the hardest things was the underwater swim test,' Staff Sergeant Samuel Winslow told an Army reporter covering the program. 'You build up your lung capacity, but it just comes down to being confident. You have to say, ''I know I can do this!''

Walker's death is the second at the facility, which runs the toughest course in the Army, in the past five years. A total of eight trainees have died since its inception in 1969.' (file image at the Army Combat Readiness Center and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School)

In one of the courses most daunting exercises, the 'One Man Confidence Swim,' divers must wear a blackout mask and be able to reassemble their breathing equipment after it has been thoroughly dismantled by instructors.

The press release from the facility calls the training 'one of the most physically demanding courses in the Army.' One third of trainees, chosen from the best of the Army's Green Berets and Rangers, quit the training partway through, according to Men's Health.

Students on the course learn to use heavy closed-circuit dive equipment, which does not produce bubbles and is therefore clandestine, for covert missions underwater - for example, infiltrating a beach landing site undetected.

Staff Sergeant David Whitcher died during training at the Special Forces Underwater Operations School in 2016

In another exercise called 'drown-proofing,' soldiers bob up and down in 10 feet of water for five minutes while their hands and feet are bound with tight Velcro straps.

Breaths must be taken in a measured manner during this exercise - if the soldier takes in too much air when they come to the surface, they will become too buoyant, lengthening the amount before they float back up from the bottom of the pool and take their next breath.

Trainees must then float on top of the water for two minutes before taking a 100-yard swim around the training pool, hands and feet still bound. Then, they must perform a front and back flip in the water before grabbing a mask off the bottom of the pool with their teeth and complete five more 'bobs' without dropping it.

The key to passing the 'drown-proofing' test is to remain calm, and recruits who touch the sides of the pool or break their straps fail. Students are only given two chances to pass their tests, and must start their training over again if they don't pass a second time.

'It's vital for them to not lose their cool when something goes wrong,' head of school operations Master Sergeant J.T. Reed said to army reporters. 'We put as much pressure as possible here, so they are prepared out there.'

'The ocean does not care, it will kill you.'

'When you take a human being, a common air-breather, put him under the water and take away his source of air - it can make the biggest, meanest, baddest human being become very weak, panic-stricken,' Sergeant 1st Class Benjamin Tabberer, an instructor at the Combat Diver Qualification Course, said. 'It drains the will to survive. We're looking for people who can overcome those pitfalls and remain confident.'

'The brain has special circuits to warn you that you are dying and cause panic. Key West teaches you to turn them off,' wrote Green Beret Mark Miller of the experience.

'If you have any trace of claustrophobia or fear of drowning, the clever instructors will find it. They will push that button again and again until you forever ignore it or quit.'

In 2016, Staff Sergeant David Whitcher of New Hampshire drowned during a training exercise at the facility, according to the Army Times.

The remainder of Walker's Combat Diving class are still completing the course, Burton told MailOnline. Support counselors, she said, would be available to the students and faculty.

Walker joined the army in April of 2017, according to a press release issued by the school, and had just qualified to join the Army's 10th Special Forces Group as a Medical Sergeant in January of this year.

During his time in the military, he had earned a slew of accolades, including the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, an Army Service Ribbon, a Special Forces Tab and the Army Basic Parachutists badge.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children, his parents, and his teammates,' said Col. Lucas Van Antwerp, commander, 10th Special Forces Group.

'Micah was an exceptional Special Forces Operator, a loving husband, and father. We grieve with the family and stand ready to honor Micahs service and his legacy.'

After this initial period, trainees take to the bay, spending a week doing open water swims and becoming comfortable with open-circuit breathing apparatuses. Typical diving equipment is 'open circuit,' but creates tell-tale bubbles on the surface that would give away the position of a diver on a covert operation.

'If you have any trace of claustrophobia or fear of drowning, the clever instructors will find it. They will push that button again and again until you forever ignore it or quit.'

Students learn to use heavy closed-circuit dive equipment, which does not produce bubbles and is therefore clandestine, for covert missions underwater - for example, infiltrating a beach landing site undetected.

Closed-circuit training starts in week 2 - the recruits use the Draeger LAR-V, based on the very first 'mixed gas' system that was developed by the army in the 40's. The 'rebreather' removes unusable gases from the diver's exhalations and recycles the unused oxygen back to them, adding additional pure oxygen as needed.

In addition to the closed circuit training, weeks two and three are dedicated to navigational diving, 'buddy breathing' and tactical swims in full gear and equipment.

Week Four includes boat and watercraft training, and would-be combat divers get comfortable using diver propulsion devices - miniature open submarines capable of carrying two divers. These devices allow the divers to be dropped off even further from shore, and to move much more quickly.

In their fifth week, trainees are deposited at different shallow channels within the Florida keys to find their way back using their new tools and navigational equipment.

After completing a 48-hour training exercise in their last week with instructors acting as opposing forces for underwater combat. Per tradition, passing recruits take a nine-mile run the following day and spend their last period of time at the school cleaning for the next bunch of trainees.

Although most that don't pass the course after failing these intense physical exercises, others struggle in the academic portion of the course - hopefuls gather in the classroom as well as the pool to learn about physiology and anatomy.

Neither representatives from the 10th Special Forces Group nor the 1st Special Forces Command could be reached for comment.
Prisoners have been paid at least $1.5 billion in COVID stimulus money sent by both the Trump and Biden administrations after Democrats opposed a ban on payments to the incarcerated.

Around 1.5 million prisoners have been recipients of the payments, which have come under harsh light again after court filings have revealed that disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar received $2,000.

Convicted felons were eligible for all three rounds of individual stimulus payments, which came in the amounts of $1,200, $600 and $1,400, through they had to apply for the benefits and in some cases the payments were garnished for restitution.

In March, as the Biden administration pushed though the latest round of stimulus, Republicans made red meat of the issue, with Senator Tom Cotton fuming that murderers such as Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof and Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev would be eligible for checks.

However, after contentious legal wrangling last year, a federal judge made it clear that inmates were also eligible for the checks issued under the Trump administration, and the ruling ensured that some $1.5 billion in benefits went to 1.5 million prisoners, according to lawyers in the case.

Larry Nassar received $2,000 in pandemic stimulus payments while incarcerated, but he is not alone. Some 1.5 million prisoners received about $1.5 billion in stimulus payments

The exact amounts of stimulus payments received by individuals prisoners are not clear in most cases, and IRS records that would disclose the payments are not available to the public.

The issue of whether prisoners, including notorious rapists and murderers, should receive stimulus checks has been a source of contention throughout the pandemic.

The CARES Act which authorized the first payment round of $1,200 had language specifically excluding certain categories of tax filers from the payments, including those above a certain income threshold and those listed as dependents by other filers.

However, nothing in the law precluded people in prison from getting the payments, and the broad eligibility rules essentially qualified all American citizens and permanent residents.

Nevertheless, the IRS initially tried to block payments to prisoners, citing criteria from a 2009 law that suspends Social Security benefits for people in prison.

The IRS and Treasury Department even went so far as to attempt to claw back stimulus payments that had been made to prisoners.

'A payment made to someone who is incarcerated should be returned to the IRS,' the Treasury's office of inspector general wrote in a report last June, which slammed the IRS for issuing payments to 84,861 prisoners totaling some $100 million.

This logic puzzled many legal experts, who questioned the ability of the IRS to create exemptions for the payments that were not written into the law.

Senator Tom Cotton fuming that murderers such as Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof (left) and Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (right) would be eligible for checks

Last August, the law firm Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of more than 1.5 million prisoners, demanding that they receive the stimulus payments.

In October, a U.S. district judge in California ordered the IRS to go forward with making the first-round stimulus payments for prisoners.

Judge Phyllis Hamilton found that the IRS was 'arbitrary and capricious' in their decision to withhold payments. The IRS appealed, but the appeal was dismissed with prejudice.

The law firm that filed the case boasted in a statement that 'the judgment won for our clients may be the largest recovery on behalf of a purposefully disenfranchised group through a single lawsuit ever, securing over $1.5 billion in economic assistance to date.'

When Congress considered the second round of $600 stimulus last July, the Senate Finance Committee proposed language that would have excluded incarcerated people from receiving funds, both retroactively and in subsequent payments.

However, that language did not appear in the final bill, suggesting the subject of payments for prisoners was a point of negotiation behind the scenes.

When the third round of stimulus was debated in March, Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Bill Cassidy put forward an amendment that would prevent $1,400 stimulus checks from going to prisoners. The amendment failed on a party-line vote.

Republicans raged that prisoners would get stimulus checks under President Joe Biden -- but Democrats were quick to point out that the same had been the case under former President Donald Trump.

Prisoner advocates argue that the stimulus checks are an economic lifeline for the financially vulnerable families of the incarcerated.

Not all prisoners received the payments. First of all, they would have had to file tax returns for 2019, or request the payments through an online portal, and inmates in solitary confinement or other close supervision may not have had access to the computers or paper forms needed.

As well, some prison systems have been seizing the funds in cases where inmates own back child support payments or victim restitution.

But in the case of Nassar, who is in federal prison in Florida, the stimulus checks appear to have gone straight through to his inmate account, despite orders for him to pay $57,500 in restitution to his victims.

The Bureau of Prisons allows inmates to keep unlimited amounts of money in their accounts and effectively shields much of that money from collection by various entities, The Washington Post reported.

Nassar, 57, was arrested at the end of 2017 and in February 2018 sentenced to 40 to 125 years in prison, for sexually abusing hundreds of young female athletes. He was also convicted of possession of child pornography in 2017.

His prison finances were revealed in a motion filed by prosecutors on Wednesday that seeks to force the Bureau of Prisons to turn over Nassar's current prison account balance to help cover a court-ordered payment of $5,300 to the federal Crime Victims Fund.

The filing revealed Nassar has been allowed to spend more than $10,000 on commissary items for himself behind bars, while only paying $100 per year to a fund set up for his victims.

Nassar owes roughly $57,000 in restitution and a $5,000 special assessment, according to Wednesday's motion filed with US District Judge Janet Neff in Grand Rapids.

Prosecutors said federal law requires that money Nassar receives in prison be applied to his restitution obligation.

Bureau of Prisons officials have required Nassar to pay only about $100 a year, according to court papers, or about $300 since he entered the federal prison system in late 2017 after pleading guilty to receiving and possessing child pornography.

Nassar has seen $12,825 move through his prison account over the last three and a half years, the court filing said, including two payments for COVID-19-related stimulus from the federal government totaling $2,000.
The time will arrive when Australians fully vaccinated against coronavirus will enjoy more freedoms than their anti-jab counterparts, Scott Morrison has revealed.

The Prime Minister hinted at bringing in restrictions for Australians who refuse to get the vaccine, keeping them out of venues such as pubs and restaurants during a conference call with constituents from the Sutherland Shire on Thursday night.

In audio obtained by Daily Mail Australia, voters from the Cook electorate in Sydney's south grilled their federal MP on a host of pandemic topics from the country's bungled vaccine rollout to more support for businesses crippled by a fresh horror wave of the virus in New South Wales.

One fully-vaccinated constituent, 'Steve' from Cronulla, said he was frustrated he was in lockdown despite answering the call to get vaccinated many months ago.

He said more Australians would get the jab if support was given to businesses such as cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs by allowing them to open to fully-vaccinated patrons only.

In a remarkably candid answer, Mr Morrison agreed the proposal should be looked at once more of Australia's population is vaccinated and the worst of the current NSW outbreak is over.

Fully vaccinated Australians could enjoy more freedom once more of the population gets the jab (pictured, revellers partying in The Rocks before the recent outbreak)

Only 17 per cent of over 16s have received their two doses so far.

'Until the overall vaccine rates are higher than they are now... even with vaccinated people moving around, while vaccinations certainly reduce the risk of you catching Covid and transmitting it, there is still the ability to catch it and pass it on,' Mr Morrison explained.

'When we have such a large unvaccinated population and particularly when we've got an outbreak of the Delta variant, and we're getting increasing evidence to show it's more probably damaging to people's health, that could move through the unvaccinated population very quick and could even come from people who are vaccinated.

'When we get our vaccination levels a lot higher, I agree with you, and I think there should be those advantages to those who have done that and taken the opportunity.

A huge number of anti-vaxxers joined Sydney's 3,000-strong anti-lockdown protest on July 24 (pictured) - with fears a stubborn few may always refuse the jab

Those who don't get vaccinated may be banned from going to bars and restaurants (pictured, anti-lockdown protesters in Melbourne)

'Because if you're vaccinated, you're less of a public health risk than you are to someone who's unvaccinated.

'I think the time will come when exactly what you're suggesting should be able to be achieved.

'But for right now, that and having cafes open and people moving around and doing all that, there'll be unvaccinated people who will still go. I'd like to say that they won't, but it will still happen,' he said.

'That's what we're seeing in many other countries at the moment.'

Scott Morrison (pictured) agreed fully vaccinated Australians should enjoy more advantages

Mr Morrison conceded there was a 'hardcore' contingent of Aussies who would refuse the vaccine (pictured, anti-lockdown protesters on July 24)

Mr Morrison reminded everyone that Sydneysiders aren't the only ones impacted by an outbreak for the Delta variant of Covid, with Singapore also in lockdown until September.

He added Australia had avoided the loss of '30,000 lives and more', based on looking at the fatality rates throughout Europe, UK and the US.

'As bad as this lockdown is, and it's bad, this is not just happening in Australia, it's happening all around the world,' he said.

'If we'd experienced and not been able to suppress the virus as we have been, we shut the borders and made sure we kept the virus out, there would be 30,000 more Australians dead today because of Covid.

'Australians have done an amazing job to ensure that hasn't happened and that's everyone who's achieved that together by doing the right thing.'

Around 75 per cent of Australia have no objection against the Covid vaccine, according to the Prime Minister (pictured, a woman being jabbed at Westmead Hospital)

The government hopes as many Australians will get vaccinated as possible, but recent anti-lockdown protests (pictured in Brisbane on July 24) show that many may not be convinced

The job for the federal government now is to get everyone vaccinated with Pfizer or AstraZeneca so Australia's borders can finally be reopened.

'About 75 per cent of the population doesn't have an objection to getting vaccinated,' Mr Morrison said, referring to government polling.

'There are some hardcore against any sort of vaccination and there are others we have encourage to do this for themselves, their families, our community and the country.

'We've just got to keep providing those opportunities for people to go and get it.

'They're both great vaccines, Please take the opportunity to get them.'

More freedoms will be considered once more Australians are vaccinated and when the current NSW Covid crisis is over (pictured, Sydney revellers on Anzac Day)

Earlier in the conference call, Mr Morrison urged aged care workers to get vaccinated and said the country's state and territory leaders and chief health officers do work together, despite their public spats with one another.

He also provided advice after hearing first hand from families of small business operators affected by the lockdown and the difficulties experienced in getting government support.

Daily vaccinations in Australia reached more than 200,000 doses for the first time this week, while almost 11.8 million jabs have been administered since the rollout began in February.

On July 9, the Prime Minister announced a four stage plan to get Australia back to normal, with each step to be triggered when the vaccination rate hits a certain percentage.

Pictured: Bondi Beach on Thursday

The percentages required have been calculated by modelling experts at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and handed to the government.

When setting the target, Mr Morrison will also take into account economic modelling by Treasury on the impact of lockdowns as well as the country's hospital capacity.

The Grattan Institute think tank released a report on Thursday saying 80 per cent needed to be fully vaccinated before opening up.

'Abandoning our Zero Covid strategy before 80 per cent of Australians are vaccinated would risk a rapid surge in cases that overwhelms our hospitals and imposes a high death toll,' the Race to 80 report says.

Allowing the virus to spread with half the population vaccinated would lead to 31,440 deaths within 300 days, it claims.

The Institute believes the country can hit the 80 per cent target by December 31 to avoid lockdowns next year.

States and territory governments may disagree on the percentage required and set their own targets.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she wants 80 per cent of adults - or 62 per cent of state's population - to be jabbed before opening up.

Until the target is reached, short, sharp lockdowns will be implemented by states in response to a handful of cases to snuff out the virus.

What are the four phases of opening up? On July 9, Mr Morrison announced a four stage plan to get Australia back to normal, with each step to be triggered when the vaccination rate hits a certain percentage. The vaccination percentages required are being calculated by modelling experts at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and will be released at the end of July. 1. Vaccinate, prepare and pilot (from July 14) Arrival caps cut in half to 3,035 a week; lockdowns and state border closures as a last resort; trials of seven-day home quarantine for vaccinated arrivals; medicare vaccination certificates available on apps like apple wallet 2. Post vaccination phase (when an as-yet unannounced percentage of Aussies are jabbed, expected early next year) No lockdowns or state borders except for 'extreme circumstances'; caps for unvaccinated arrivals doubled to 6,070; home quarantine for vaccinated arrivals; capped entry for students and economic visa holders 3. Consolidation phase (date not announced) Lifting all restrictions for outbound travel for vaccinated travellers; no caps for vaccinated arrivals; vaccinated people exempted from domestic restrictions; increased caps for students and visa holders; more travel bubbles being set up with countries such as Singapore; booster shots rolled out 4. Final phase (date not announced) Uncapped arrivals for vaccinated people without any quarantine and uncapped arrivals for unvaccinated people with testing before departure and on arrival Advertisement

Unvaccinated Aussies could be BANNED from pubs and restaurants just like France and Greece where hospitality venues are full - and there are NO lockdowns like the one crippling Sydney

By Stephen Johnson, economics reporter for Daily Mail Australia

Unvaccinated Australians could soon be banned from pubs and restaurants like they are in parts of Europe as lockdowns cripple hospitality businesses across Sydney.

France on Monday introduced laws that will from early August require vaccine certificates or a negative Covid test result for anyone entering a public, indoor setting.

Similar rules came into effect in Greece on July 16, stopping anyone being served at indoor restaurants, bars and cafes unless they could prove they had been immunised.

A swathe of European nations including Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, Austria, Italy and Spain require proof of vaccination for customers to be served, or are at least planning to.

With Sydney's lockdowns now extended for yet another for weeks until August 28, restaurant owners have had enough with 24 per cent of them telling Deliveroo's HospoVitality Index Report they should have the right to know a customer's vaccination status and be allowed to refuse service during an outbreak.

Unvaccinated Australians could soon be banned from pubs and restaurants like they are in parts of Europe as lockdowns cripple hospitality businesses across Sydney. France (pictured is a restaurant at Deaville, on July 27, 2021) has introduced laws that will from early August require Covid vaccine certificates for anyone entering a public, indoor setting

A majority, or 53 per cent, of the 500 restaurant owners surveyed online Australia-wide were concerned about serving unvaccinated customers.

Ed McManus, the chief executive of ride delivery group Deliveroo Australia, said that once local vaccination rates approached those of Europe, Australia needed to consider in late 2021 the idea of vaccination certificates to be served at restaurants.

'It is absolutely the right debate to have in Australia,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.

'As a society, we've got to make some choices and trade-offs. In my opinion, that route out of lockdown and route back to the lives we used to lead is dependent on vaccination.

'Some people in society won't like this but I'm pro-vaccine, I'm vaccinated: it's the right thing to do, it's the patriotic thing to do.

'It's not an invasion of your civil liberties to be asked to produce a vaccine passport.'

Ed McManus, the chief executive of ride delivery group Deliveroo Australia, said that once local vaccination rates approached those of Europe, Australia needed to consider in late 2021 the idea of vaccination certificates to be served at restaurants

Deliveroo commissioned polling group YouGov to survey restaurant owners before Sydney went into lockdown on June 26, which saw hospitality venues restricted to serving takeaway food.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has extended Sydney's lockdown for another four weeks until at least August 28 and overnight, a record 239 new cases of the more deadly Indian Delta strain were recorded.

On the other side of the world, in the French city of Bordeaux, patrons on Thursday morning, Australian time, were seen dining at The Charles Dickens pub and bar without wearing any face masks ahead of new vaccination certificate laws coming into effect.

The rules will be expanded from September 30 to cover everyone aged 12 and over.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has extended Sydney's lockdown (pictured is Martin Place in the city on July 28) for another four weeks until at least August 28 and overnight, a record 239 new cases of the more deadly Indian Delta strain were recorded

Sydney's eight council areas under tighter lockdown Parramatta Georges River Campbelltown Fairfield Blacktown Canterbury-Bankstown Liverpool Cumberland Advertisement

As part of the French 'health passes', those wishing to dine in at a restaurant or pub or visit a cinema or museum, with 50 or more people, need to prove they have either had a Covid vaccination or tested negative to coronavirus.

In France, 52 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, unlike Australia where just 18 per cent of those aged 16 and over had received two doses as of July 28, Department of Health data showed.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce is also in favour of vaccine certificates to board flights.

'Internationally we absolutely will [require passengers be vaccinated], and that's becoming a standard around the world,' he told ABC radio on Thursday.

In Sydney, two million residents in eight local government areas in the city's west and south-west, are now banned from leaving home for work, unless they work in the health, aged care or emergency services sectors.

The outbreak has reduced vaccine hesitancy, with just 14.6 per cent of people in NSW reluctant to get a jab as of July 23, down from 32.9 per cent at the end of May, a Melbourne Institute survey of 1,200 adults found.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has linked the AstraZeneca vaccine to six, blood clot-related deaths, with the probability of a fatality rate as one in 2.5million.

On the other side of the world, in the French city of Bordeaux (Le Brixton pub pictured), patrons were on Thursday morning, Australian time, seen dining without wearing any face masks ahead of new vaccination certificate laws coming into effect

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in June recommended AstraZeneca for those under 60, which heightened vaccine hesitancy as people of all age groups waited for sufficient Pfizer doses to arrive in September.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on June 28 announced doctors would be legally indemnified if they administered AstraZeneca and a patient had an adverse reaction.

But with Covid case numbers surging, the NSW government this week announced AstraZeneca would be administered at walk-in clinics.

With Australia closed to non-citizens and non-residents until at least 2022, Mr McManus said restaurants were struggling to even recruit baristas and called for a special hospitality visa once immigration resumed.

Before Sydney went into lockdown, the national jobless rate fell to 4.9 per cent for the first time in a decade and job vacancies were at a 12-year high.
Thousands of migrants attempting to cross the Channel into Britain in small boats have dispersed into small groups hidden among sand dunes and woodlands across over 100 miles of coastline.

Attempts by French police to prevent the would-be boat people to gather en masse in areas around Calais - the site of the infamous Jungle camp - have resulted in them dispersing over a huge area, a MailOnline investigation has revealed.

The original intention of the crackdown by gendarmes was to stop Calais and Dunkirk being visibly populated by thousands of destitute migrants from Asia and Africa bent on reaching the Kent coast.

But the effect has not reduced the numbers crossing at all - this summer has seen record numbers getting to Britain - only making it harder for the authorities to monitor them, to the fury of UK Home Secretary Priti Patel.

She controversially pledged a handout of 54 million to the French this month to spend on tripling Police presence at Calais and installing state of the art surveillance equipment.

But MailOnline's investigation showed the sheer scale of the area that now needs patrolling - and illustrated how hard they are to detect.

This map shows how migrants have been dispersed from Calais and are hiding in small groups along the northern French coastline

Attempts by French police to prevent the would-be boat people to gather en masse in areas around Calais - the site of the infamous Jungle camp - have resulted in them dispersing over a huge area

The coastline from Dieppe to Dunkirk has dozens of small groups concealed in desolate places just back from the beaches that their boats will embark from

There are thought to be around 2,000 migrants in small groups in areas around Calais and Dunkirk, mainly from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan as well as multiple countries across north and sub-Saharan Africa

We toured the coastline from Dieppe to Dunkirk a distance of over 120 miles, and witnessed dozens of small groups concealed in desolate places just back from the beaches that their boats will embark from.

As well as the famous Sangatte where the boats used to start in number there are now regular embarkations from smaller, quieter beaches further from Calais, at places like Escalles, Wissant, Audresselles, La Pointe des Oies at Wimereux and Equihen to the West and Platier Oye, Hemmes de Marck and Gravelines to the East.

Hundreds more who have better financial resources are able to stay deeper inland where they have less chance of being spotted by police - and pay to be bussed in by van at the last minute to rush straight on to boats ready to go.

The police, acting on the orders of Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart and hardline Interior minister Gerald Darmanin, have succeeded in ridding Calais and Dunkirk of mass squat camps.

And since the closure of the last of these camps last year the authorities have been intent on preventing migrants settling in any fixed place.

This is because under French law if the refugees manage to camp out in the same place for two days then the authorities need a court order to move them - and determination to prevent the establishment of new camps has resulted in a game of cat and mouse between police and migrants.

But the French tactic has merely succeeded in driving the thousands into hiding out in small groups living rough and on the move - yet still determined to reach the UK.

Hundreds more who have better financial resources are able to stay deeper inland where they have less chance of being spotted by police - and pay to be bussed in by van at the last minute to rush straight on to boats ready to go

The original intention of the crackdown by gendarmes was to stop Calais and Dunkirk being visibly populated by thousands of destitute migrants from Asia and Africa bent on reaching the Kent coast

The French tactics have merely succeeded in driving the thousands into hiding out in small groups living rough and on the move - yet still determined to reach the UK

The police have succeeded in ridding Calais and Dunkirk of mass squat camps, but have pushed migrants into hiding along the French coast

A record 8500 men, women and children have managed to get to England in small boats already this year, and the numbers are still rising.

At least 430 crossed the Channel on Monday last week - a new record for a single day, the Home Office has confirmed.

There are thought to be around 2,000 migrants in small groups in areas around Calais and Dunkirk, mainly from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan as well as multiple countries across north and sub-Saharan Africa.

Many more are lying low deeper inland from Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne, in Belgium and further west along the French coast as far as Dieppe and beyond.

All are relentlessly pursued by police and told to move on wherever they are found, often having belongings confiscated.

When the police arrive they cut and run for cover. Some even dig holes in the sand to hide in. If spotted police will confiscated sleeping bags, tents and personal possessions and tell them to move on.

At night they creep out from their hiding places and those with the means risk their lives and head towards the Kent coast in the frail dinghies supplied by ruthless people smugglers. Those without money try to steal boats or hide in lorries.

Officials claim that their numbers have been drastically reduced but charity organisers say that the refugees have merely become 'invisible' and are still numerous and in worse straits than ever before.

If spotted police will confiscated sleeping bags, tents and personal possessions and tell them to move on

All are relentlessly pursued by police and told to move on wherever they are found, often having belongings confiscated

Officials claim that their numbers have been drastically reduced but charity organisers say that the refugees have merely become 'invisible' and are still numerous and in worse straits than ever before

The French tactic has merely succeeded in driving the thousands into hiding out in small groups living rough and on the move - yet still determined to reach the UK

Franck Dhersin, mayor of Teteghem, a suburb of Dunkirk, said: 'We are seeing daily interventions by riot police who confiscate sleeping bags, tents and personal possessions of migrants in a bid to harass them and prevent them settling in permanent squats.

As a result the migrants have scattered and are hiding out in small groups in woods and the sand dunes between Calais and Dunkirk.

'The increased Police activity is doing nothing to stem the flow of migrants arriving daily.'

He added: 'The only solution to the migrant crisis is to arrest and imprison people smuggler kingpins.

'The mafia overlords, mostly Albanian, Iraqi or Iranian British passport holders, control the trade but are based in London, acting with impunity and laundering the proceeds of their ruthless trade into clubs, restaurants and upmarket properties in London.'

Marie Chapelle, organiser of charity migrant aid organisation Utopia 56 said: 'There are large numbers of migrants at Dunkirk and Calais hiding out and squatting in woods and the dunes.

There are up to 600 at Grande Synthe on the outskirts of Dunkirk and up to 2000 in Calais and Coquelles close to the Channel tunnel terminal.

'They are being systematically traumatised by police who wake them up in the middle of the night shining torches in their faces and confiscating sleeping bags , backpacks with personal belongings , tents and blankets.

'They bring in a private contractor to shred their migrants' possessions so that they cannot be reused

'A lot are suffering from mental illness brought on stress and discomfort. Others have cuts and bruises and maladies like scabies and lung disease.'

This week Gendarmes closed off a tourist beach at Belleville sur Mer north east of Dieppe 120 miles west of Calais and have carried out nightly raids on the coast after reports of migrants gathering on beaches to board dinghies supplied by people smugglers.

The crossings diminish the further west you get as the distances to the UK increase hugely. But they don't stop at Dieppe.

The port of Ouistreham even further west and Roscoff in Brittany have also been targeted by migrants attempting to stow away in UK and Ireland bound lorries.

This week Gendarmes closed off a tourist beach at Belleville sur Mer north east of Dieppe 120 miles west of Calais and have carried out nightly raids on the coast after reports of migrants gathering on beaches to board dinghies supplied by people smugglers

The port of Ouistreham even further west and Roscoff in Brittany have also been targeted by migrants attempting to stow away in UK and Ireland bound lorries

There are up to 600 at Grande Synthe on the outskirts of Dunkirk and up to 2000 in Calais and Coquelles close to the Channel tunnel terminal

We spoke to two migrants trying to get to Britain, both young men in their early 20s from Afghanistan.

Firsah told us: 'The Taliban are coming back to Afghanistan. They killed my father and my brother and I had to run to save my life. Now I am in Dunkirk. I can see the coast of England but I don't have enough money to pay for a place in a boat.

'The French Police come every day or every two days. They take our blankets and tents and if we object they beat us or use tear gas. All the exiles I have spoken to tell the same story

'I don't know how long I will be here. I don't know what my future is. There are good people who give us food and encouragement. But I want to go to England. There I can find my own people and get work and somewhere to stay'.

Aazar, said: 'We are frightened of the Police. We have to hide in the woods or the dunes. If they find us they take all our possessions and we are left with nothing.

'We have been here, around Dunkirk, for two months. We are waiting to get to England. I can't tell you how we are going to get there.'

The danger involved was starkly highlighted when a whole family of Kurdish Iranians drowned last autumn: Rasul Iran Nezhad and his wife, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, both 35, and their children, Anita, nine, and Armin, six and baby brother Artin, 15 months.

Artin's body was only discovered on a beach in Norway on two months later.

The family had paid off the people smugglers. They were warned of the dangers due to bad weather but said it was 'their last chance'.

Since Artin perished the situation of migrants on the French coast has become even more precarious.
Miguel Vega, 39, is being held on $150,000 bond for manslaughter after running over his friend during a drunken joyride

An Arkansas man is being held on $150,000 bond for manslaughter after a freak accident during a drunken joyride left his friend dead in a Bentonville hayfield.

Miguel Vega, 39, is being held in Benton County Jail after his July 22 arrest, according to Arkansas Online.

Lester Salcedo, 27, was joyriding in the vehicle with Vega when Vega began doing donuts, speeding the car in circles. Authorities said Salcedo flew out of an open car door that would not close properly. His friend, who continued to do donuts, ran him over in the hayfield, then drove away.

A 12-year-old boy, who was unhurt, was in the car with Vega and Salcedo on the night of Salcedo's death. It is unclear how he is connected to the men.

While formal charges are still pending, Vega is facing manslaughter, accident(s) involving death or personal injury, and endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree.

Lester Salcedo, 27, was riding in the vehicle with Vega when his friend began doing donuts and circling the car at a high rate of speed

Authorities discovered Salcedo's body in a hayfield surrounded by tiremarks after Vega's cellphone pinged in the area of Mill Dam Road and Philpott Road in Bentonville, Arkansas

Pictured: Vega's abandoned vehicle after he drunkenly fled the scene following the fatal accident

The boy, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Tuesday, told investigators that the two men were drinking a 'weird' beverage from a jar as they drove around with him in the backseat.

Vega was driving and Salcedo was in the passenger seat, he said, when they started doing donuts in the nearby field. The passenger side door was not closing, and Salcedo eventually fell from the vehicle while Vega circled the hayfield.

The first time he fell out, Salcedo narrowly missed getting hit by the car. After returning to the vehicle a second time, he once again was tossed from the open door, but this time Vega ran over him.

Salcedo (pictured) fell out of the moving vehicle as his friend did donuts in a hayfield, and was fatally struck by the car

While formal charges are still pending, Vega is facing manslaughter, requirements in accidents involving death or personal injuries and endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree

Vega was initially arrested shortly after the fatal accident on July 22. Authorities discovered Salcedo's body a day later

Salcedo was a father of one and leaves behind a son

According to the affidavit, the boy said Salcedo's pulse felt weak and it appeared he had broken ribs when he and Vega checked on him. The two then drove away from the scene, leaving the father of one in the field.

Later that night, Tontitown Police arrested Vega for public intoxication after an officer spotted him running east on US Route 412, according the affidavit.

Vega acknowledged that a nearby pickup truck was his, but denied that he had been driving it.

The affidavit said Vega told the officer that Salcedo had been with him, however he said he didn't know where he was and that the two had a fight earlier.

Authorities quickly found a missing persons report recently filed for Salcedo at the Centerton Police Department.

Authorities discovered Salcedo's body a day later, in a field by Phillips Cemetery Road between Highfill and Cave Springs, surrounded by tire tracks.

Vega is scheduled for an Aug. 23 arraignment.

As of Thursday, a GoFundMe for Salcedo has raised $4,465 out of a $20,000 goal. Salcedo leaves behind one son.
Police probing the murder of Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries are hunting two men they believe were sent to film his dead body and post it online.

De Vries, 64, was shot multiple times in the head and chest in central Amsterdam on July 6, before dying in hospital nine days later in a killing that stunned the country.

But investigators now believe that two men may have been sent to follow de Vries with the intent of filming his dead body and spreading it on social media.

Police in the Netherlands are hunting these two men seen following Peter R de Vries moments before he was shot in Amsterdam, because they suspect the pair were sent to film his body

Peter R. de Vries, one of the Netherlands' best-known crime reporters, was repeatedly shot on July 6 in what is believed to be a gangland hit and died nine days later

Detectives told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad that the men can be seen in CCTV footage of de Vries taken moments before his death as he walked to his car following a regular TV appearance.

The pair are dressed identically, in white trainers, blue jeans, grey sweatshirts and with a black bag slung across their chests.

Officers say the 'movements of those two are very unnatural' including the fact that both take their phones out of their pockets moments before the shooting - as if they knew something was about to happen and 'wanted their camera to hand'.

A source added: 'If you want maximum attention, you do this.

'Then you ensure that shocking videos immediately spread over the internet. It is suspected that the men were sent there.'

Almost immediately after de Vries was shot, grim footage of his body lying in the street appeared online and spread quickly via YouTube and WhatsApp.

The video was eventually taken down after a request from police not to share it, but was viewed many thousands of times in the interim.

It shows de Vries on his back, with several bullet wounds visible in both his chest and head while people hold his hand as emergency services are called.

Police have already arrested two men they suspect of being the attackers - Dutch national Delano Geerman and Kamiel Pawel Egiert, a native Pole.

Geerman has been charged as the shooter, while Egiert has been charged as the getaway driver.

De Vries was gunned down in broad daylight in Amsterdam as he walked to his car following a regular TV appearance (scene, pictured)

The pair are currently being held in custody, pending further investigation.

Officers are also investigating confidants of Ridouan Taghi, a Moroccan-born cocaine smuggler and gang leader, who de Vries was helping to investigate before he was shot dead.

Taghi, once the Netherlands' most-wanted man, is currently in jail awaiting a Mafia-style 'Maxi trial' alongside 13 others accused of involvement in multiple murders.

De Vries is heavily involved in the case, and last year agreed to act as 'confidential counselor' to the state's star witness - a man known only as Nabil B.

He stepped into the role despite the high-profile murder of several figures close to Nabil, including brother Reduan who was shot to death in Amsterdam in 2018, and lawyer Derk Wiersum who was killed in similar fashion in 2019.

De Vries had claimed that Taghi had him on a 'hit list' even before he involved himself in the trial.

An investigating source told the AD newspaper that there is 'much evidence' suggesting Taghi's network was behind the attack on de Vries.

De Vries' death deeply shocked the Netherlands, adding to fears voiced by one official that the country is on the verge of becoming a 'narco-state'.

The crime reporter was the Netherlands' most-famous, known not only for his work exposing contemporary criminals but also closing cold cases.

De Vries, who investigated more than 500 murder files, was known both for his fearless reporting on the Netherlands' present-day criminal underworld, and his work trying to close cold cases.

People leave flowers, candles and messages of support to Peter R. de Vries in the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in the center of Amsterdam

He won an International Emmy Award in 2008 for a television show he made about the disappearance of U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway who vanished while she was on holiday in the Caribbean island of Aruba in 2005.

De Vries helped heap suspicion on Dutchman Joran van der Sloot, who had been identified but not arrested by police, by pointing out that he had lied several times during questioning.

De Vries eventually filmed Sloot saying that he had dumped Holloway's body in the ocean, though he was not jailed for the killing because he was already serving a 28-year term in Peru for the murder of Stephany Flores.

He was also the driving force behind the acquittal of men known as the 'Putten two' who had been wrongly convicted of the murder of Christel Ambrosius near the town of Putten in 1994.

The pair were acquitted of the killing in 2002 after de Vries helped prove their innocence, and won compensation of 900,000 each.

In 2008, another suspect was arrested and subsequently jailed for the killing.

De Vries had been a guest at Dutch broadcaster RTL Boulevard to talk about the case of Seif Ahmed, a hairdresser who was shot dead in his car in 2019.

He had also been subjected to threats from the criminal underworld in the past in connection with several cases.

In 2013 Willem Holleeder, the Heineken kidnapper, was convicted of making threats against De Vries.

Holleeder is currently serving a life sentence for his involvement in five murders.

Last year, De Vries helped to solve a cold case investigation more than 20 years after Nicky Verstappen died at the age of 11.

Jos B sentenced to 12.5 years in prison in November and De Vries supported Verstappen's parents and was there during the entire trial.
His two-year-old sister was taken to hospital in critical condition - now stable

A baby boy who was stabbed to death in a horrific knife attack in Belfast has been pictured for the first time - as police arrested a woman on suspicion of murder.

Liam O'Keefe, who was just eight weeks old, was found dead at a house in the Ardoyne area of the Northern Irish capital on Tuesday night.

A two-year-old girl, later confirmed as his sister, was discovered in a critical condition. She was rushed to hospital but is now stable.

Police confirmed a 29-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. She was also taken to hospital.

She has since been released into police custody for questioning, the PSNI said today.

Liam O'Keefe, who was just eight weeks old, was found dead in a house in the Northern Irish capital on Tuesday night

Relatives of little Liam have paid tribute to their 'beautiful angel' after he lost his life in the horrific attack. The Police Service of Northern Ireland have launched an investigation into the incident

Last night the father of the children raced back to Northern Ireland form England to be at his daughter's bedside as she fights for life in hospital.

Relatives of little Liam have paid tribute to their 'beautiful angel' after he lost his life in the horrific attack.

One relative sent their prayers for 'our beautiful cousin who is fighting for her life in ICU', The Sun reported.

She went on to urge people not to speculate on what happened to let 'our whole family circle grieve.'

Another loved one said: 'The family is all heartbroken.'

Police and medics rushed to the house earlier this week, but sadly Liam could not be saved and was declared dead at the scene.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have launched an investigation into what is understood to have been a domestic stabbing incident in Brompton Park.

Floral tributes and teddy bears have been left outside the front garden, which still has a baby's pram and doll on it.

A 29-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an eight-week-old baby was reportedly stabbed to death and another was left serious injuries at a house in Belfast

Scene at Brompton Park in north Belfast where police have launched a murder investigation

Sinn Fein North Belfast MP John Finucane visited the scene on Wednesday.

He said: 'It was a very tragic situation which unfolded here in Ardoyne last night.

'It is my understanding that first responders entered a house, they found two young children very seriously injured and despite their best efforts one child died at the scene.

'Another child has been taken to hospital and is currently in a critical condition.

'Our hopes and prayers are that that child will pull through and make a full recovery.

'Police have arrested a 29-year-old woman, they have commenced a murder investigation also so I think that process has to take its own course.

Police forensics officers pictured at the scene and there is a large police presence in the area

'Everybody in the community, their thoughts are with the families that are directly affected by this.

'It is a tragic situation compounded by the fact that we are dealing with somebody who has died at such a young age.'

Mr Finucane added: 'I think there is a senselessness to it, I think people find it very difficult to try to comprehend the facts as they are being relayed and the facts as they are emerging.

'It is incredibly difficult and will obviously leave a mark on those who are most impacted by it, and all we can do is rally round those who need support at this time.

'This has been hugely impactful.

'There were neighbours who assisted and some people who would have witnessed scenes that they shouldn't have to witness.

'Ardoyne is a very proud community, it is a resilient community also and I have no doubt whatsoever that they will rally around each other at this very difficult time, they will provide help and assistance for those who need it.

'I would also just stress just for people to exercise caution and sensitivity in regards to what they would post or share on social media, there is a live murder investigation and people need to be respectful of that process as well.'

Police Service of Northern Ireland say a 29-year-old woman is in custody for questioning

A Police Service of Northern Ireland have said they are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident.

Det Ch Insp Millar from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Major Investigation Team said: 'Police were called to the house shortly after 8pm last night and discovered the injured baby and another injured child in the house.

'Despite the efforts of the emergency services the baby was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. The other young child was taken to hospital and remains in intensive care.

'A 29 year woman who was also in the house has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and remains in custody at this time.

Ambulance crews had earlier taken the two children to hospital following what is understood to have been a domestic stabbing incident at a home in Brompton Park in Belfast (pictured)

'Our thoughts are with the baby's family, who are being supported by Family Liaison Officers.

'While our investigation is at any early stage I can confirm that at this stage, we are not looking for anyone else in relation to this tragic death.

'I would like to thank the local community for the support that they have provided and would appeal to anyone with any information that can assist our investigation to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 1787 27/07/21.'

SDLP deputy leader and North Belfast MLA Nichola Mallon said the local community was in shock.

The scene in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast where police have launched a murder probe

'It is important that the PSNI are given the space and full co-operation to fully investigate this terrible incident,' she said.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 8.16pm on Tuesday.

A rapid response paramedic and two emergency crews attended.

People Before Profit councillor Fiona Ferguson said the news was 'truly devastating'.

'A wave of shock began in Brompton Park last night and spread out across north Belfast,' she said.

'After something so shocking, community solidarity, community support, rallying around each other is going to be absolutely paramount.'

A post-mortem examination on the boy is set to take place today.
Sydney is once again on high alert after 53 new Covid exposure sites were revealed on Thursday night, with sites spread from the city's virus-ravaged west to the inner city and eastern suburbs.

Among the sites include the busy Westfield in Parramatta, more than a dozen supermarkets and a McDonald's.

Venues in southwest and western Sydney unsurprisingly feature, including the Liverpool Post Office, Liverpool's Black and White Pharmacy, 7-Eleven at Greenacre, Blacktown Woolworths and Westfield Shopping Centre at Parramatta.

The Kmart inside Westfield Parramatta was also a confirmed exposure site.

Other exposure sites include the Woolworths' at Bonnyrigg and Fairfield Heights as well as Wentworthville and Rooty Hill's Fresh Fruit Market.

The worrying new list of Covid exposure sites came hours after 239 new cases were announced, the highest ever daily total for New South Wales (pictured, a woman in Canterbury-Bankstown on Thursday)

Parramatta Westfield in Sydney's west (pictured) has been identified by NSW Health as one of 53 new Covid exposure sites

Multiple Woolworths supermarkets at Wentworthville in Sydney's west (pictured) plus Fairfield Heights and Bonnyrigg outlets were confirmed exposure sites

In a concerning development, McDonald's at Kirrawee in Sydney's south is a confirmed exposure site, as is Bondi's My Flower Man in Sydney's east and Leichhardt's Bakers Delight.

Other venues are Lilyfield's Cafe Lobby, the Canley Heights Pharmacy, the Discount Chemist Centre at Bass Hill, Aldi at Emerald Heights and Priceline Casula.

In addition, Lidcombe's Costco, a Bakers Delight and Pharmacy 4 Less at Bankstown and Woolworths Berala have been identified, as was Leppington Woolworths, Fruit Central at Prestons and Cabramatta Hungry Jack's.

The exposure list also stretched to the NSW south coast, with a Coles Express at Wollongong also on alert.

Latest Covid exposure sites in NSW Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result. Belfield, Mancini's Original Woodfired Pizza, 21 Burwood Road. Sunday 18 July to Saturday 24 July. ALL DAY. Burwood, Chemist Warehouse, 69 Burwood Road. Wednesday 28 July 5.25pm to 5.30pm. Penrith, Officeworks, 273 High Street. Monday 26 July 12pm to 5pm. Canley Heights, An Phat Supermarket, 213-217 Canley Vale Road. Thursday 29 July 10am to 10.30am. Campsie, World of Fruit, 224 Beamish Street. Sunday 25 July 10.40am to 11am. Campsie, Katsyua Japanese Restaurant, Clemton Park Shopping Village - Shop 14/5 Mackinder Street. Monday 19 July to Wednesday 28 July, 6am to 10pm. Campsie, All Group Supermarket. 238 Bearmish Street. Sunday 25 July to Tuesday 27 July 8.30am to 3.30pm. Campsie, 36 Meat Mart. 273 Beamish Street. Monday 26 July to Saturday 31 July - between 7.30am and 6pm. Rhodes, Muhealth Medical Centre. Level 8, Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre. Rider Boulevard. Tuesday 27 July 9am to 11am, Friday 30 July 10am to 11.30am. Pemulwuy, Fully Tabooly Kebab Shop, Pemulwuy Marketplace, 70 Butu Wargun Drive. Friday 30 July and Saturday 31 July - 9am to 9.30am. Anyone who travelled on the following public transport routes is a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result. Bondi Junction Clovelly, 400 Bus, from Bondi Junction Station Stand F to Frenchmans Road at Clovelly Road, Randwick. Monday 19 July 1.31pm to 1.40pm Campsie to Earlwood, 473 Bus, from Dan's Corner, Beamish Street, Campsie to Earlwood Shops. Monday 26 July 2.42pm to 2.51pm Summer Hill to Camperdown, 461X Bus, from Parramatta Road after Sloane Street, Summer Hill to Parramatta Road bf Lyons, Camperdown. Tuesday 27 July 8.09am to 8.17am Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received. Bankstown, Quantum Radiology 258 South Terrace. Monday 28 July, 12.30pm to 12.50pm. Bondi Junction, Bondi Junction Post Shop Eastgate Shopping Centre, Shop 28 71-73 Spring Street. Friday 16 July, 9.10am to 9.20am. Brookvale, Woolworths. Warringah Mall 145 Old Pittwater Road. Sunday 25 July 5.05pm to 5.35pm. Fairfield, Everyday in Fairfield, 109 Sackville Street. Thursday 15 July 4pm to 4.10pm. Smithfield, GRAM Engineering. 16-22 Cullen Place. Friday 23 July, Monday 26 July and Tueday 27 July - 7.15am to 4.30pm. St Mary's, Astley Mobility Pharmacy 368 Pennant Hills Road. Thursday 29 July 1.30pm to 2pm, Saturday 31 July 11am to 11.30am. Sydney, Sunlite Mitre 10, 74 Pitt Street, Tuesday 27 July 3.15pm to 5pm Wattle Grove, Coles, Village Way. Friday 23 July 10.25am to 11am. Bankstown, Suhhtan Pizza Bakery, 226 Chapel Road. Friday 23 July 12.20pm to 12.25pm Strathfield, Rainbow Cakes, 2 Churchill Ave. Saturday 24 July 10am-11am. Blacktown, Kmart, 28 Patrick Street. Saturday 24 July 5.40pm to 5.45pm. Bankstown, Priceline Pharmacy, 1 North Terrace. Wednesday 28 July 12.45pm to 1.05pm. Campsie, Cincotta Chemist, 157 - 159 Beamish Street. Friday 30 July 4.40pm to 5.15pm. Bankstown, Woolworths Bankstown Centro Shopping Centre, Lady Cutler Avenue. Friday 30 July 8am to 9.10am. Double Bay, Woolworths, Kiaora Road. Sunday 18 July 5.30pm to 5.45pm and Monday 19 July 4.30pm to 4.45pm. Eastwood, BSW, Level 1 Eastwood Centre 160 Rowe Street. Friday 23 July 5pm to 5.20pm. Eastwood, Woolworths. Eastwood Centre 160 Rowe Street. 23 July 5pm to 5.20pm. Strathfield, Omni Mart. Shop 7, Symonf Arcade, 12 Churchill Avenue. Saturday 24 July 10.25am to 11am. Strathfield, Fresh Seafood and Meat. 22/11 The Boulevard. Satirday 24 July, 10.45pm to 11.15am. Strathfield, GR Buy Asian Supermarket. Shop 8/11 The Boulevard. Saturday 24 July, 11am to 11.30am. Strathfield, Rainbow Cakes, 2 Churchill Avenue. Saturday 24 July, 10am to 11am. Yagoona, Ya Ya Bakery, 522 Hume Highway. Monday 19 July 6.45am to 7am. Liverpool, Mina Pizza, Shop 3, 46 Elizabeth Street. Tuesday 20 July 9am to 10am. Gladesville, Bunnings (tools section). 461 Victoria Road. Friday 23 July, 2.45pm to 3.20pm. Granville, Woolworths, 6 Louis Street. Wednesday 21 July 6.20pm to 6.50pm. Eastwood, La Vigne Bakery, 82 Rowe Street. Thursday 22 July 11.40am to 11.55am. St Marys, Aldi, 410-422 Great Western Highway. Thursday 22 July 5.30pm to 5.45pm. Macquarie Fields, Target, Glenquarie Town Centre Click and Collect, Victoria Road. Thursday 22 July 9am to 7pm, Friday 23 July 9am to 5pm, Sunday 25 July 9am to 5pm, Monday 26 July 9am to 5pm, Tuesday 27 July 9am to 5pm. Macquarie Park, Commonwealth Bank, Level 1 Macquarie Shopping Centre, Herring Road. Friday 23 July, 12.50pm to 2pm. Macquarie Park, Suncorp. Macquarie Shopping Centre, Herring Road. Friday 23 July, 1pm to 1.20pm. Macquarie Park, Priceline, Shop 10 Macquarie Shopping Centre Herring Road. Friday 23 July, 1.10pm to 1.20pm. Macquarie Park, Panetta Mercato, Macquarie Shopping Centre, Herring Road. Saturday 24 July 4.50pm to 5.10pm. Macquarie Park, Azakaze, Macquarie Shopping Centre, 402/199 Herring Road. Saturday 24 July, 4.05pm to 4.30pm. Marrickville, Woolworths Metro, Marrickville Shopping Centre, 34 Victoria Road. Monday 26 July, 10.30am to 11.30am. Wentworth Point, The Smelly Cheesecake, 5 Footbridge Boulevard. Saturday 24 July 9.25am to 9.35am. Burwood, Evergreen Fresh World, Burwood Plaza, 42 Railway Parade. Saturday 24 July 2.45pm to 3.15pm. St Marys, IGA, Great Western Highway and Mamre Road. Saturday 24 July 4pm to 4.15pm. Lakemba, Woolworths, 2-26 Haldon Street. Saturday 24 July 10.30am to 10.40am. Bankstown, Aussie Farm Fresh, Bankstown Central Shopping Centre, North Terrace. Wednesday 28 July 8.40am to 8.50am. West Ryde, Coles, Betts Street and Chatham Road. Monday 19 July, 7.20am to 7.55am. Anyone who travelled on the following train service is considered a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received. T4 Train Line, From Caringbah to Bondi Junction. Monday 19 July 12.12pm to 1.26pm. Advertisement

Earlier on Thursday, several venues in Sydney's inner west and inner city were put on high alert after being declared Covid exposure sites.

Locations flagged were a health clinic and an entire apartment complex in inner-city Pyrmont, a bottle shop in the Inner West suburb of Forest Lodge, along with a trendy Annandale bakery.

NSW Health also sent out public health alerts for 14 busy train routes, from Cabramatta in the city's outer west, all the way to Central station in the CBD.

Residents and visitors at the iconic Goldsbrough Apartments in Pyrmont, which overlooks Darling Harbour, have been warned they are now considered casual contacts and must immediately get tested and self isolate until a negative result is received.

Vizio Cafe at Woolloomooloo (pictured) has been named as one of 53 new Covid exposure sites in NSW

Another venue in Pyrmont also causing concern is the Health Space Clinic which was visited by an infected person on July 23.

Anyone who attended the site between 9:00am to 10:00am on that day is considered a close contact and must immediately get tested and self isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.

It is the same story for shoppers at the Forest Lodge Chambers Cellars Shop who visited on July 24 from 1:45pm to 2:05pm and for anyone who attended Annandale's Booth Street Bakery on July 25 between 2:45pm to 3:15pm.

Following Thursday morning's confirmation of the 239 new case numbers, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in one of eight hotspot LGAs in the west and south-western suburbs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home.

Those areas are Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in those LGAs cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.

'If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn't matter where it is,' the Premier said.

'We're seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to.'

The McDonald's at Kirrawee in Sydney's south was another confirmed venue by NSW Health

Penalties for not wearing a face mask will increase from $200 to $500, with thousands of police officers deployed across Greater Sydney to enforce the tightened restrictions.

From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in the eight LGAs also cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise.

'These harsh measures are the harshest Australia has ever faced in a lockdown,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'The Delta strain is different to anything we have seen.

'I appreciate whilst all of us are under stress and pressure with the lockdown, if you live in those eight local government areas, we are asking so much of you.'
Parents who oppose CRT are like the Capitol rioters, according to the head of a DC Quaker school who also worked at a 'cartel-like' association for woke private schools like Dalton.

Rodney Glasgow made the comment when speaking at a virtual conference for NYC private schools hosted by Dalton in May this year.

He was introduced by Dalton's ousted head, Jim Best, who announced in April that he would be stepping down at the end of the school year after being panned by parents for pushing liberal agenda into the curriculum.

Glasgow, a Harvard graduate from Maryland, is the Head of School at Sandy Spring Friends School in Maryland where boarding fees run as high as $66,000-a-year, and he runs a company called The Glasgow Group which offers diversity, equity and inclusion consulting to private schools.

He is also previously worked at NAIS, the National Association for Independent Schools, a membership-based non-profit which represents 1,600 private schools across America.

It was founded in 1962 and also counts Brearley, Grace Church and Lycee Francais among members.

Rodney Glasgow made the comment when speaking at a virtual conference for NYC private schools hosted by Dalton in May this year. He used his speech to compare parents who oppose CRT and changes in schools to the Capitol rioters. Towards the end of his speech, he took off his red top to reveal a t-shirt with the words 'I Make My Ancestors Proud' on it

NAIS only represents about five percent of America's private schools but critics say it is run like a 'cartel' where schools that disagree with its policies face not being allowed membership.

Glasgow spoke at Dalton's annual conference in May when after a 50-minute speech from his living room.

He showed off his multi-colored nail polish, jewelry and a t-shirt which read 'I make my ancestors proud', which he revealed at the end of the speech by removing his red belted kimono-like top.

'There's an image of January 6 where the people are standing in front of the Capitol...someone who was meant to keep them out, someone who was meant to protect the Capitol, opened the gate and let everybody in.

'In that moment I actually wept because there is no truer metaphor for independent schools than that moment,' he said.

Earlier in his speech he said that private schools were 'built to serve white male wealth' and that they 'replicate plantation mentality'

Head of Dalton Jim Best, who announced his resignation earlier this year after being slammed for pushing a woke agenda on the school's curriculum, introduced Glasgow as a 'beautiful person'

'CARTEL' PRIVATE SCHOOL ASSOCIATION The National Association of Independent Schools was created in 1962 as a way of preserving standards and fairness in private schools, which aren't subject to state and federal rules because they run themselves. But parents say it has become increasingly liberal and is pushing its policies on the schools it represents. Brearley and Grace Church are all members of NAIS - the National Association of Independent Schools. Some parents say it is like a 'cartel' which forces members to adopt woke policies (NAIS denies this). The member schools pay up to $12,000-a-year to be a part of it and it's run by a board of trustees NAIS was founded in 1962 and since then it has grown to represent more than 1,600 schools in America and 300 overseas. There are more than 34,000 private schools across the country but some of the most prestigious, like Dalton, belong to NAIS. The board of trustees has 24 members, many of whom work at schools and some who don't like Donna Orem - the president. She was the COO for years before taking the position in 2016. The NAIS says its mission is to 'co-create' the future of education by uniting and empowering our community.' Member schools include; Dalton

Lycee Francaise

Brearely

Grace Church

Sandy Spring

Georgetown Day School

Sidwell Friends

Marymount High School Advertisement

He went on to compare the parents to the rioters and school staff who push back on CRT to the 'gate keepers'.

'We're focused now on the parents on the outside fear and the anger and the pushback. We're goin to help them through that.

'But I want us to turn our attention to what's happening internally to the gate keepers who are keeping the gate open,' he said.

Earlier in his speech he said that private schools were 'built to serve white male wealth' and that they 'replicate plantation mentality'.

Best, introducing Glasgow, gushed: 'Rodney is quite simply, a beautiful, wonderful person.'

He also said New York schools still had slavery 'encoded' in their DNA and that private schools were 'built to replicate a plantation mentality.'

Glasgow is the head of Sandy Spring Friends School in Maryland which charges up to $66,000-a-year for boarding. He says he wants to create change from the inside

Glasgow has held multiple positions within NAIS.

Membership is capped at $12,000 per school per year but until then, it costs up to $15 per student.

The reason schools sign up is to give their teachers and leaders access to benefits like job postings, webinars, 'strategy labs' and conferences.

'The association is a cartel. You think you have a choice but you dont,' one parent told The Washington Free Beacon.

The President of the NAIS is Donna Orem, who previously served as a volunteer on two school boards and worked at the American Association of University Women.

Glasgow also runs his own consulting group for schools on how they can become more diverse

Its board of trustees has 24 members including staff from Collegiate - a private boys school in New York City.

NAIS spokesman Myra McGovern said it pushes no agenda or curriculum on schools, despite what critical parents may think.

'Independent schools are called independent because they are governed by independent boards of trustees and are independently financed (primarily through tuition and charitable contribution).

'These schools are also independent in the sense that they determine what they teach independently; NAIS does not provide curricular recommendations and there is no prescribed curriculum for independent schools. Each school has a unique mission,' she told DailyMail.com on Thursday.

Each schools leadership, with the help of its faculty (who are experts in child development as well as their subject areas), determines which programs will best meet that mission.

'Diversity and inclusivity are core values of NAIS. We know that communities that are diverse in many ways benefit students and adults alike.

'Helping schools become more inclusive and foster belonging ensures that all students have the ability to realize their potential.

'Diversity and inclusivity are core values of NAIS. We know that communities that are diverse in many ways benefit students and adults alike. Helping schools become more inclusive and foster belonging ensures that all students have the ability to realize their potential,' she added.
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Stunning drone pictures show the moment the world's largest-ever commercial sailing ship sailed into a popular British port ahead of a five day voyage.

The 525ft 'Golden Horizon', which weighs approximately 8,440 tons and boasts 6,300sqm of sails, was caught on camera sailing into Poole Harbour in Dorset earlier today.

The ship, which had been operating at half capacity due to Covid restrictions, has been embarking on 'dress rehearsal' voyages throughout July that has seen it stop off in ports around the south of England so far.

Its next cruise will see it depart from Dover on Saturday, July 31 as part of Cowes week - a near 200-year-old traditional regatta on the Isle of Wight that sees thousands of boats competing in daily sailing races.

The 525ft 'Golden Horizon', which weighs approximately 8,440 tons and boasts 6,300sqm of sails, was caught on camera sailing into Poole Harbour in Dorset

The world's largest-ever commercial ship sails past Studland, Poole on Thursday, July 29 before its 'Cowes Week Taster' voyage

The world's largest-ever commercial sailing ship, 'Golden Horizon' Croatian-built Golden Horizon is a 525ft steel-hulled cruise ship. With five huge masts, the vessel weighs more than 8,000 tons and boasts 42 sails with a total size of 6,300sq/m. Designed by Zygmunt Choren, the ship is powered by two electric engines. It was built in 2017 to the tune of 85million, but first became operational in May of this year. The Croatian-built Golden Horizon cruise ship Advertisement

After previous stops in Portsmouth, Dartmouth and Falmouth, the 300-capacity passenger ship arrived in Poole earlier today.

But those hoping to catch a glimpse of the enormous vessel will have to hurry, as she is due to depart from Poole Harbour at 6pm this evening.

'Golden Horizon' is set to embark on a five-day journey from Dover on July 31, stopping off in Cowes, Torquay and finally Harwich on August 4.

As part of its 'Cowes Week Taster' tour, passengers will be able to experience the world's oldest and largest annual sailing regatta in the Isle of Wight, known as Cowes Week.

The ship will then set off on a separate 10-day voyage throughout the south of England - visiting Dartmouth, St Mary's, St Helier and the English Riviera.

It is run by Tradewind Voyages of Suffolk as a commercial cruise ship and owned by shipbuilders DIV Group Ltd.

Built in 2017 to the tune of approximately 100million (85million), Golden Horizon was first registered to a port in Malta and became operational in May of this year.

Propelled by two electric engines, the vessel was designed by Polish naval architect Zygmunt Choren.

The boat boasts two outside bars, a piano bar, library, spa and a gym and at full capacity it can accommodate 272 guests in 140 sea-facing cabins.

It will serve as a luxury cruise ship, touring the globe and visiting England, Spain, Croatia, Italy and Egypt this year alone.

The Croatian-built Golden Horizon was inspired by the world's second-largest commercial sailing ship of 1912, a windjammer named France II.

At 64.5 metres in height and a hull stretching more than 134m, France II was a formidable barque that would have caught the eye.

France II was fitted with seven first class passenger cabins, a library, darkroom and a lounge with a piano.

The French-built 480ft tall ship's maiden voyage saw it depart to New Caledonia via Glasgow.

But just a decade after it was built, the ship would run aground in Teremba Reef, just southwest of New Caledonia on July 12, 1922.

Built in 2017 to the tune of approximately 100million (85million), Golden Horizon was first registered to a port in Malta and became operational in May of this year

The boat boasts two outside bars, a piano bar, library, spa and a gym and at full capacity it can accommodate 272 guests in 140 sea-facing cabins

Gracing the shores of Dorset for the first time in June, Golden Horizon almost completely blocked out the entrance of Portland Harbour as it made its first port of call in the UK.

Pictures showed the moment a two person sailing yacht appears dwarfed in comparison to the cruising vessel with five masts.

After previous stops in Portsmouth, Dartmouth and Falmouth, the 300-capacity passenger ship was pictured in Weymouth (above) in June

The 525ft cruise ship was also docked in Falmouth earlier this month before heading back to Poole harbour, Dorset

The striking photos were taken by local photographer Steve Belasco on June 26, who was stunned by the 'enormous' ship.

He said: 'It is the largest sailing ship in the world and Portland is its first port of call.

'It is enormous. There was a tallship next to it which is a reasonable length itself but it absolutely dwarfed that.'
An Indian cookbook that was published in the 1960s has been returned to a Scottish library more than 50 years late alongside a 20 note and an anonymous apology.

Mrs Balbir Singh's Indian Cookery book was posted to Paisley Central Library just outside Glasgow 53 years after it was borrowed.

It is believed the book was loaned out around 1968 but there is no way of knowing who borrowed it or exactly when because it was before records were digitised.

The letter accompanying the returned book, published by Mills & Boon in 1965, said: 'Please accept my apologies for the late return of this book.

'Enclosed is a token payment in recognition of this oversight. Thank you.'

Mrs Balbir Singh's Indian Cookery book was posted to Paisley Central Library just outside Glasgow 53 years after it was borrowed

The 20 will be donated to charity as Renfrewshire Libraries is currently not imposing fines for the return of overdue books.

Linda Flynn, Paisley Central Library team supervisor, said: 'I was more than a little surprised when I opened the padded envelope and saw what was inside.

'It's rare to have a book returned after being overdue for so many years. I suspect the book had been lying in a cupboard or a drawer for some time and was only recently discovered.

'It was a lovely gesture from whoever found the book to take the time to send it back with a 20 note as a token gesture for it being so long overdue. We'll make sure the money goes to a good cause.'

Linda Flynn (pictured), Paisley Central Library team supervisor, said: 'I was more than a little surprised when I opened the padded envelope and saw what was inside'

The 20 will be donated to charity as Renfrewshire Libraries is currently not imposing fines for the return of overdue books

She added: 'You could see that the book had been well used and some of the marks on the pages suggested that someone had followed the recipes to make a good few dinners.

'Unfortunately, the book isn't in a condition to put back on our shelves for people to borrow, but, since it's become a talking point among library staff, we'll keep it in a safe place.'

Mrs Balbir Singh was born in the Punjab in 1912 and became an internationally renowned chef, cookery teacher and cookbook author.

Her Indian cookery book met with acclaim when it was first published in London in 1961, and went on to inspire future generations of chefs and home cooks.

It sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide and several editions with revisions and extra recipes were printed in subsequent years.

Mrs Balbir Singh died in 1994.
A police officer who suffered a heart attack and brain injury during the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol shared an expletive-laden voicemail in which he was called a 'lying f***' and that was left as he testified at a House of Representatives committee hearing Tuesday.

It's unclear how the man got D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone's number.

'They stole the election from Trump and you know that, you scumbag,' the caller said in the voicemail. 'Too bad they didn't beat the s*** out of you more.'

Michael Fanone said he heard chants of 'kill him with his own gun' during the Jan. 6 riots

Supporters of President Donald Trump clash with Fanone, center, during the riot

Fanone, 40, told the House committee investigating the riots that he was 'grabbed, beaten, tased, all while be called a traitor to my country.

'I was at risk of being stripped of, and killed with, my own firearm as I heard chants of, ''kill him with his own gun.'' I could still hear those words in my head today.'

The Washington Post reported that on Jan. 6, Fanone suffered a heart attack, concussion and traumatic brain injury, was dragged down the Capitol steps, beaten and tasered until he shouted that he had children, inspiring a few in the crowd to protect him and pull him back up the stairs to other officers.

Fanone shared the uncensored minute-long voicemail on CNN's Don Lemon Tonight.

'You're on trial right now, lying and not,' the message started. 'You want an Emmy, an Oscar, what are you trying to go for here? You're so full of s***, you little f***** f*****

'That was s*** on the god**** Capitol, I wish they would've killed all you scumbags,' the man continued.

'This is what happens when people tell the truth in Trump's America,' Fanone told Lemon.

A D.C. police representative told DailyMail.com that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the voicemail.

Carly Kennedy, a public affairs specialist for the FBI, said in an email Thursday that 'per policy, the FBI can neither confirm nor deny an existing investigation.'

The riot took place after Trump encouraged his supporters to march down to the Capitol

Fanone told the panel that his career began at the US Capitol Police after he felt compelled to serve following the 9/11 attacks.

Though he wasn't assigned to Congress on Jan. 6, he was just one of 'hundreds' of police officers who lined up to volunteer to protect the Capitol.

'Like many other officers, I could not ignore the numerous calls - numerous calls - for help coming from the Capitol complex,' he said Tuesday.

'I'm a plainclothes officer assigned to the first district's crime suppression team. But for the first time in nearly a decade, I put on all my uniform.'

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois wiped away tears Tuesday as he heard law enforcement testimony about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Joining Fanone in Tuesday's testimony were fellow DC Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges, and Officer Harry Dunn and Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the Capitol Police.

The Jan. 6 riot began after President Trump, claiming the 2020 election had been stolen from him, encouraged his supporters to march to Congress where they were certifying the election results for Joe Biden.

Fanone decried the 'indifference' shown to his colleagues, along with the fact that 'so many of the people I put my life at risk to defend are downplaying or outright denying what happened.'

On April 1, the Department of Justice announced that 38-year-old Daniel Rodriguez of California was indicted on multiple counts for assaulting Fanone with an 'electroshock device,' interfering with law enforcement and destroying government property.

Adam Kinzinger, one of only two Republicans on the House committee, said that he knows Fanone 'well' and that the former officer is a Republican.

'To have people call him the names they did, tell him they wish he's dead, it's unfortunately par for the course for some people,' Kinzinger told a TMZ reporter Wednesday. 'But it's important for it to be out there for people to see the kind of vitriol that exists simply for somebody telling the truth and defending freedom.'
U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered one of the largest groups of migrants in recent memory when a caravan of 509 people from Central and South America was stopped after illegally crossing the United States-Mexico border into Texas.

According to the Rio Grande Valley Sector, agents assigned to the McAllen Border Patrol Station were patrolling the border area near Hidalgo, Texas, when they came across the group, which was made up of 331 family members and 115 unaccompanied minors on Tuesday night. A total of 63 single adults were also part of the group, who were all taken into custody.

The encounter with the undocumented migrants is considered to the the largest to date in the Rio Grande Valley Sector since the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol sector started logging numbers in 2007.

The caravan was made up of migrants from Ecuador, Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

U.S. Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector agents near Hidalgo, Texas, stopped a caravan of 509 migrants from Central and South America after they crossed the United States-Mexico border Tuesday. It's considered to be one of the largest group encountered byRio Grande Valley Sector agents since the department started keeping a log on apprehensions in 2007

The caravan of 509 migrants, including 115 unaccompanied minors, that was stopped and taken into custody Tuesday night was made up of citizens from Ecuador, Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua

Rio Grande Valley Sector agents encountered 509 migrants near Hidalgo, Texas, on Tuesday night less than 24 hours after stopping a group of 336

'From the river to the ranchlands, our agents are doing everything they can do to locate and rescue individuals who are lost or distressed,' Rio Grande Valley Sector chief patrol agent Brian Hastings said in a statement.

The apprehension came just less than 24 hours after Rio Grande Valley Sector agents took 336 migrants, including eight unaccompanied children, into custody near La Grulla, Texas, after they crossed over from Mexico via the Rio Grande.

Most of the migrants were given medical treatment for dehydration and exhaustion. Some of the individuals were hospitalized.

The migrants were identified as citizens of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.

Border Patrol officers from the U.S. Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley Sector treat one of the 336 undocumented migrants who were found crossing a stretch of the United States-Mexico border in Texas on Tuesday. The group is believe to be one of the largest encountered by agents, according to Brian Hastings, chief patrol officer for the Rio Grande Valley Sector

Children and adults await to board U.S. Border Patrol buses in Texas after they were detained for crossing the United States-Mexico border on Tuesday

A woman is treated for a heat-related illness near the United States-Mexico border in Texas on Tuesday. The woman was among a group of 336 migrants who were stopped by officers assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley Sector

According to the Rio Grande Valley Sector data, more than 20,000 individuals apprehended last week for illegally entering the United States along the southwestern border.

A CBO spokesperson told DailyMail.com that 47 percent of the sector's agents are occupied with processing and transporting the large group of migrants who have been flooding through the southwestern border, thus putting the nation's security at risk.

More than 1.07 million migrants have been apprehended between October 1, 2020 and January 30, 2021. Rio Grande Valley Sector agents have intercepted 331,661 migrants - an increase of 46% compared to the year before.

CBP's report last month showed that of the 188,829 migrants were stopped for illegally crossing the United States-Mexico border in June.
The son of actor Bob Odenkirk gave a reassuring message about his father's condition just hours after the Better Call Saul star was rushed to hospital due to a 'heart-related incident.'

'He's going to be OK,' Nate Odenkirk, 22, who is also an actor, tweeted on Wednesday.

Bob Odenkirk's representatives on Wednesday confirmed that he was in stable condition.

Odenkirk, 58, was rushed to a hospital in New Mexico on Tuesday after collapsing on the set of Better Call Saul.

The son of actor Bob Odenkirk (right) gave a reassuring message about his father's condition just hours after the Better Call Saul star was rushed to hospital due to a 'heart-related incident.' Nate Odenkirk is seen left with his father, Bob.

'We can confirm Bob is in stable condition after experiencing a heart related incident,' his spokesman said.

'He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side.

'The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery.'

On Wednesday, his Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston wrote a message on Instagram asking for prayers for Bob Odenkirk.

'Today I woke up to the news that has made me anxious all morning,' Cranston posted, along with a picture of him with Bob Odenkirk.

'My friend, Bob Odenkirk, collapsed last night on the set of Better Call Saul.

'He is in the hospital in Albuquerque and receiving the medical attention he needs, but his condition is not known to the public as yet.'

'Please take a moment in your day today to think about him and send positive thoughts and prayers his way, thank you.'

Odenkirk was rushed to a hospital on Tuesday at around 11:30 a.m. after collapsing on set of the hit Netflix show in New Mexico. He was said on Wednesday night to be in a stable condition

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston took to Instagram on Wednesday morning to ask the public for prayers as his former co-star Bob Odenkirk, 58, remains in the hospital

His character was first featured in the iconic series Breaking Bad alongside Bryan Cranston

Bob Odenkirk remained in hospital on Wednesday.

Sources tell TMZ that the actor went down mid-scene and crew members immediately called for an ambulance, at 11:34am local time on Tuesday.

It is unclear if the actor was conscious when paramedics arrived, but sources told the site he was still under medical care in hospital.

He plays Jimmy McGill, the earnest lawyer and former con-man, who turns into a greedy criminal defense attorney known as Saul Goodman on the show

The sixth and final season of 'Better Call Saul' is scheduled to air in early 2022

Actor Sterling K Brown tweeted: 'Wishing the wonderful actor and exceptional human being @mrbobodenkirk a speedy and full recovery.'

Michael McKean, who starred opposite Odenkirk's character Saul Goodman as his on-screen brother Chuck, added: 'Sending huge love to our @mrbobodenkirk. You got this, brother.'

In light of the news, many of the actor's fans have taken to social media to speculate that his collapse may be heat related, with July temperatures hitting highs of 36C in New Mexico, where filming was taking place.

'If it was another desert scene maybe it was dehydration. Hopefully it's something like that and nothing more serious,' one person tweeted, with another adding: 'Hoping it's just heat related and nothing more.'

Thoughts are with him: Actor Sterling K Brown took to Twitter after the news, tweeting: 'Wishing the wonderful actor and exceptional human being @mrbobodenkirk a speedy and full recovery'

Twitter: Michael McKean, who starred opposite Odenkirk's character Saul Goodman as his on-screen brother Chuck, added: 'Sending huge love to our @mrbobodenkirk. You got this, brother'

Speculation: In light of the news, many of the actor's fans have taken to social media to speculate that his collapse may be heat related

Odenkirk last tweeted as recently as 2pm local time Tuesday, sharing his excitement over actress Allison Tolman's new show. His message appeared to have been sent via a scheduling tool.

The Emmy-winning actor is currently filming the sixth and final season of the Breaking Bad spin-off, which began production on March 10 this year.

Executive producer Peter Gould previously confirmed the show's final season will consist of 13 episodes rather than the usual 10.

This is set to bring the show's final episode count to 63, equaling the combined total of Breaking Bad's number of episodes and El Camino.

Social media presence: Odenkirk himself last tweeted as recently as 2pm local time on Tuesday, sharing his excitement over actress Allison Tolman's new show

'From the beginning when we started this, I think all our hopes and dreams were to be able to tell the whole story,' Gould said in a statement.

He added: 'And make it to be a complete story from beginning to end. We're going to try like hell to stick the landing of these 63 episodes.'

The final season is scheduled to air in early 2022.

It is unclear how Odenkirk's collapse may affect the filming schedule.



In April, Odenkirk made an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, were he recalled getting yelled at by actor Jeremy Irons on Saturday Night Live.

The actor used to be a writer on SNL, and recalled the incident saying: 'You know who really yelled at me? Jeremy Irons. Because Rob Schneider and I had written this monologue, I think, and it wasn't great.'

Bob Odenkirk wrote for the famed NBC sketch comedy series between the late 1980s into the 1990s, when Jeremy, 72, hosted in 1991.

'He was right,' the star added with a laugh.

'He was really mad. He was so mad.'
A metal detectorist has unearthed a unique 1,200 year old Anglo-Saxon gold coin which is now tipped to sell for 200,000.

The Gold Penny, or Mancus of 30 Pence, was struck on behalf of Penny of Ecgberht, King of the West Saxons, in the early 9th century.

It was dug up by the unnamed finder in a field in the village of West Dean on the Wiltshire/Hampshire border in March 2020.

A metal detectorist found the Anglo-Saxon gold coin, pictured, which could have bought 360 loaves of bread, is set to go under the hammer with an estimated value of 200,000

The lucky finder discovered the coin buried seven inches into dark sandy soil in a field in the village of West Dean on the Wiltshire/Hampshire border in March 2020

The finder, who has been detectoring for eight years, was searching a five acre area of pasture at the bottom of a hill when he got a strong signal on his machine.

He dug down seven inches into the dark sandy soil and scooped out what he first thought was a gold-plated livery button.

Upon closer inspection, he was struck by the weight of the coin and realised it was something more important.

He showed it to a fellow detectorist who identified it as a coin of 'international importance' and described it as 'one of the most wondrous finds' he had encountered.

The three-quarter of an inch diameter coin, which weighs 0.15 ounces bears the king's title, EGGBEORHT REX, around a monogram of the word SAXON.

They were produced in 'acts of largesse' for ceremonial and high-status payments, with a single gold mancus having the equivalent value of 30 silver coins.

The detectorist is now selling the coin with London-based auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb, who say it has been analysed and found to be made of 'high purity' gold.

It is the only late Anglo-Saxon gold coin in private hands, with the other eight specimens in institutions, predominantly the British Museum.

The detectorist is now selling the coin with London-based auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb, who say it has been analysed and found to be made of 'high purity' gold

During Ecgberht's reign, the coin would have bought approximately 360 loaves of bread

Peter Preston-Morley, head of the coin department at Dix Noonan Webb, said: 'This coin probably represents a mancus: a gold denomination that first appeared in central and northern Italy, but was current in England already before the year 800.

'Mancuses would have been extremely valuable coins.

'Each had the buying power of 30 contemporary silver coins, and this at a time when a single Carolingian denarius would buy a dozen two-pound loaves of wheat bread: a single gold mancus would therefore have bought the equivalent of 360 loaves.

'Such high-value coins would not have been made in the normal course of minting.

'They probably stemmed from an act of royal or high-status largesse.

'One 10th century English king's will specifically asked that 2,000 mancuses of gold (which could also be used to measure gold by weight) be taken and minted into mancuses.

'Unfortunately the volume of charters and other records from Ecgberht's reign is very small, so no obvious occasion for the minting of this coin can be identified, nor is it possible to date the coin to a more specific period within Ecgberht's reign.

'Its lettering and monogram are executed more neatly than on the dies of contemporary pennies.'

Ecgberht was the son of Ealhmund, King of Kent, who was forced into exile by Offa, King of Mercia, and Beorhtic, King of Wessex.

Following Beorhtic's death in 802, Ecgberht claimed the Kingdom of Wessex and fought battles against the kingdom of Mercia.

He temporarily ruled over Mercia from 829 after driving their king Wiglaf into exile, giving him brief control over the London mint.

Ecgberht, who died in 839, was the grandfather of Alfred the Great.

The sale takes place on September 7.
Georgia teen Walker Bethune (pictured) died Wednesday afternoon, 11 days after he was struck by lightning on a Florida beach

A Georgia teen died Wednesday afternoon, 11 days after he was struck by lightning on a Florida Beach.

The teen was one of five people struck by lightning on beaches in southwest Florida over a 10-day span in July, the Naples Daily News reported.

Walker Bethune, 17, was just a few feet away from his family on Tigertail Beach, where they were vacationing on July 17, when he was struck, according to Marco Island police.

'Please know that todays update comes with heavy hearts for ALL of us that LOVE Walker,' his family reported on social media Wednesday evening.

'He passed away peacefully this afternoon, listening to one of his favorite Allman Brothers songs, appropriately named, Soulshine.'

Police said they arrived on the scene at 3.51pm, shortly after the lightning strike, and saw Bethune's father, David, administering CPR on his son, who was unresponsive.

They were able to successfully revive him on the scene.

He was rushed to a local hospital in nearby Naples and then airlifted to another hospital in Miami.

Bethune was with family on Tigertail Beach on July 17 when he was struck by lightning that afternoon

Bethune was a senior at Stratford Academy in Macon, Georgia, the school reported. He was one of five people struck on beaches in southwest Florida over a 10-day span, and the only one to have died so far

On Monday, however, friend Julie Chandler reported that Bethune's brain had begun to swell.

'Please continue in BIG BOLD FIERCE prayer for Walkers brain and swelling. The goal was to keep him very calm and stable today, which was accomplished,' she wrote.

Bethune was a senior at the Stratford Academy in Macon Georgia, the school reported on Facebook.

'Tonight we received the heartbreaking news that Walker Bethune passed away from his injuries sustained during his tragic accident,' the school wrote. 'You have fervently prayed for Walker and his family over the last 11 days and we ask that you do not stop. Walker was loved by all within our school family and we lift up his family and friends during this unbearably difficult time.'

Bethune's favorite song was 'sunshine' by the Allman Brothers Band, his family said

Bethune's school also reported his death

He was one of the five people who have been struck by lightning on beaches in southwest Florida over a 10-day span in July, the Naples Daily News reported.

On Monday, a 12-year-old Girl and 38-year-old man were struck on a beach in North Naples, and are in stable condition, according to the outlet.

Additionally, a married couple visiting from South Carolina were struck on Saturday in Sanibel.

Their church identified the two as Brent and Kristen Jerome. Brent remains in critical condition.

Bethune's will be the fourth lightning fatality in the United States in 2021, according to the National Weather Service, and the second to have taken place on a beach.

On average, around 49 people are killed by lightning each year in the U.S. with hundreds more injured, according to the National Weather Service

It is also likely the first to have taken place in Florida this year, although the agency has not updated its tally since July 20.

On June 12, a 15-year-old girl visiting with her family from Alabama was killed by lightning while swimming in the waters off of Tybee Island, Georgia.

She was hit around 2.30pm that Saturday, and rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

On average there are 49 people killed by lightning in the US each year.

In 2020, 17 people were killed.

A lightning warning was declared on Marco Island at 2.15pm the day Bethune was struck, Bob Dugan chief executive officer and president of Thor Guard, a lighting warning system in southwest Florida, told the Naples Daily News reported.

The warning ended at 4.03pm, a little more than 10 minutes after police and EMS arrived on the scene.

'That was the last strike from the storm,' Dugan said.
China has threatened to 'expel' British warships from parts of the South China Sea as HMS Queen Elizabeth and her carrier group arrived in the disputed waters today.

The 3billion aircraft carrier, affectionately dubbed Big Lizzie, is set to sail through Beijing's backyard alongside eight other vessels in a show of strength to Xi Jingping.

But Chinese state media has warned that any vessels which stray too close to islands which it lays claim to will be 'expelled'.

Meanwhile a Chinese academic also told state media that 'China welcomes friends with wine but deals with wolves with a shotgun'.

HMS Queen Elizabeth (front pictured earlier this week) has arrived in the South China Sea as Beijing threatens to 'expel' the British warships if they sail close to islands it lays claim to

Big Lizzie (far right) has been sailing across the globe accompanied by ships that form the UK strike carrier group, in one of the largest concentrations of British naval power in a generation

F-35 lightning stealth fighters are seen on the deck of Big Lizzie, with a warship of the Singapore navy in the background during joint drills earlier this week

The UK strike group plans to carry out 'freedom of navigation' operations in the South China Sea as a rebuke to Beijing, which claims part of the waters as its own

The UK carrier strike group, spearheaded by HMS Queen Elizabeth, is currently on a round-the-world tour as part of her maiden deployment in what is believed to be the biggest show of British naval power to leave the UK in generations.

Vessels have already sailed through the Mediterranean to the Red Sea via the Suez canal, then from Oman to India where the British ships took part in joint military exercises with the Indian Navy.

Earlier this week, the group sailed via the Malacca Strait to Singapore where more joint drills were carried out, before heading north into the South China Sea.

There, Queen Elizabeth plans to carry out freedom of navigation operations designed as a rebuke to China which claims part of the sea as its own in violation of international treaties.

The carrier also plans to sail through the Taiwan Strait in another move that is sure to anger authorities in Beijing.

Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times reported on Tuesday that China will also be carrying out two separate sets of military drills in the sea at the same time, warning British vessels to stay away.

An anonymous expert told the newspaper: 'While the Chinese military drills are not likely directly related to the UK warships, they show that the [navy] is at a high combat readiness.

A member of the Royal Navy on board HMS Queen Elizabeth salutes at a passing warship of the Singapore navy during joint drills

HMS Kent, a Type 23 frigate, is shown resupplying from RFA Tidespring during military exercises in the South China Sea

HMS Defender is shown at anchor alongside a ship of the Brunei navy during a visit to port as the UK's carrier group carries out exercises in the South China Sea

'Just like US warships that intruded Chinese islands and reefs in the region, if UK vessels do the same, they will also be expelled.'

A second anonymous expert added: 'The [navy] will closely monitor the UK warships' activities, stand ready to deal with any improper acts, and also see this as a chance for practice and for studying the UK's latest warships up close.'

After sailing through the South China Sea, the carrier group will take part in Exercise Bersama Gold with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

Its final stops will be in Japan and South Korea, ending a voyage of some 26,000 nautical miles which will have spanned some 40 countries.

Following joint exercises with the navy of Singapore, Commodore Steve Moorhouse who leads the carrier group said: 'The Royal Navy has huge affection for Singapore based on our history together, but Singapore is also a beacon of enterprise in a region that is growing in strategic importance.

'The arrival of the Carrier Strike Group in Southeast Asia is a clear sign that the United Kingdom is ready to work with friends and partners, new and old, to strengthen the security and freedoms upon which we mutually depend.

'We are grateful to Singapore for supporting an important logistics stop for RFA Tidespring as the Carrier Strike Group continues our programme at sea.

'We look forward to working with Singapore again in the autumn for Exercise Bersama Gold, which marks the 50th Anniversary of the Five Power Defence Arrangements.'

An American F-35 stealth fighter lands on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth during joint operations in the South China Sea
Nicole Malich, a Clark County, Nevada deputy district attorney allegedly drove drunk with a child in the car

A Las Vegas prosecutor is accused of driving drunk with a sleeping child in the car, according to a report.

Nicole Malich, a Clark County, Nevada deputy district attorney, allegedly stank of booze, had 'thick and slurred' speech and 'sluggish' movements after she was pulled over for driving erratically around 2:30am on July 18, 8newsnow.com reported.

The Nevada Highway Patrol trooper pulled Malich over on US 95 near Tropicana because she couldn't stay in the lane, the I-Team reported.

She allegedly told police that she had one beer two hours before she was pulled over, but she allegedly failed a field sobriety test and was arrested after, according to the news outlet.

Malich was charged with DUI, child endangerment and traffic violations, and Child Protective Services took the child.

The Clark County District Attorney's Office said in an emailed statement to DailyMail.com that the case has been referred to the Nevada Attorney Generals office for review.

'As to Ms. Malichs status with our office, that is a confidential personnel matter, and we will not be commenting on that at this time,' the DA's office said.

Malich makes over $100,000, according to Transparent Nevada.

DailyMail.com left messages with the Nevada Highway Patrol for comment.
The Biden administration announced Thursday it will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday, arguing that its hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled it would only be extended until the end of the month.

The White House said President Joe Biden would have liked to extend the federal eviction moratorium due to spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

Biden called on Congress to pass federal legislation with thousands in danger of losing their homes although it's highly unlikely anything could be done by this weekend.

The president asks 'Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay,' the White House said.

The moratorium was put in place last September by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

'Given the recent spread of the delta variant, including among those Americans both most likely to face evictions and lacking vaccinations, President Biden would have strongly supported a decision by the CDC to further extend this eviction moratorium to protect renters at this moment of heightened vulnerability,' the White House said in a statement. 'Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has made clear that this option is no longer available.'

Joe Biden administration will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday

The court mustered a bare 5-4 majority last month, to allow the eviction ban to continue through the end of July. One of those in the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, made clear he would block any additional extensions unless there was 'clear and specific congressional authorization.'

By the end of March, 6.4 million American households were behind on their rent, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in June this would be the last time the moratorium would be extended when she set the deadline for July 31. It was initially put in place to prevent further spread of COVID-19 by people put out on the streets and into shelters.

Housing advocates and some lawmakers have called for the moratorium to be extended due to the increase in coronavirus cases and the fact so little rental assistance has been distributed.

Congress has allocated nearly $47 billion in rental assistance that is supposed to go to help tenants pay off months of back rent. But so far, only about $3 billion of the first tranche of $25 billion has been distributed through June by states and localities. Some states like New York have distributed almost nothing, while several have only approved a few million dollars.

'The confluence of the surging delta variant with 6.5 million families behind on rent and at risk of eviction when the moratorium expires demands immediate action,' Diane Yentel, executive director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said.

'The public health necessity of extended protections for renters is obvious. If federal court cases made a broad extension impossible, the Biden administration should implement all possible alternatives, including a more limited moratorium on federally backed properties.'

The trouble getting rental assistance to those who need it has prompted the Biden administration to hold several events in the past month aimed at pressuring states and cities to increase their distribution, coax landlords to participate and make it easier for tenants to get money directly.

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta also has released an open letter to state courts around the country encouraging them to pursue measures that would keep eviction cases out of the courts. On Wednesday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unveiled a tool that allows tenants to find information about rental assistance in their area.

Protesters in Boston in June demand an extension of the eviction moratorium

Despite these efforts, some Democratic lawmakers had demanded the administration extend the moratorium.

'This pandemic is not behind us, and our federal housing policies should reflect that stark reality. With the United States facing the most severe eviction crisis in its history, our local and state governments still need more time to distribute critical rental assistance to help keep a roof over the heads of our constituents,' Democratic U.S. Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Jimmy Gomez of California and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts said in a joint statement.

But landlords, who have opposed the moratorium and challenged it repeatedly in court, were against any extension. They have argued the focus should be on speeding up the distribution of rental assistance.

This week, the National Apartment Association and several others this week filed a federal lawsuit asking for $26 billion in damages due to the impact of the moratorium.

The NAA 'has long held that eviction moratoria are fundamentally flawed policies, leaving renters saddled with insurmountable debt and rental housing providers unfairly holding the bag despite unprecedented efforts to keep their residents housed over the past 18 months,' Bob Pinnegar, the president and CEO of the NAA, said in a statement.
Andrew Thomas, 28, has been sentenced to eight years in state prison after he pleaded guilty in Minnesota court to firing at National Guardsmen in April

A 28-year-old man will serve eight years in state prison for injuring two Minnesota National Guard members in a drive-by shooting as they were protecting property in Minneapolis just before the Derek Chauvin verdict.

Andrew Thomas pleaded guilty in Hennepin County District Court this week to assault with a dangerous weapon, drive-by shooting, and illegal possession of a firearm, according to the Star Tribune.

On April 18, Thomas was driving a light-colored 2002 Ford Explorer SUV west on West Broadway Avenue around 4:20am.

Prosecutors said Thomas fired multiple shots toward a group of National Guardsmen stationed at the corner of Penn Avenue North and West Broadway Avenue.

One bullet went through the windshield of their military Humvee, where four Guardsmen were sitting.

One of the Guardsmen was taken to hospital and treated for injuries caused by the shattered glass while the other was treated at the scene for superficial wounds.

According to a federal complaint, surveillance video from the scene led investigators to the license plate of the vehicle, and to Thomas, the registered owner.

On April 18, Thomas was driving a light-colored 2002 Ford Explorer SUV west on West Broadway Avenue at around 4:20am. Prosecutors said Thomas fired multiple shots toward a group of National Guardsmen stationed at the corner of Penn Avenue North and West Broadway Avenue. One bullet went through the windshield of their military humvee as four Guardsmen were inside

Minnesota National Guard members were deployed to the streets of Minneapolis to provide security just before the verdict in the Derek Chauvin case this April

That same evening, Minneapolis police officers noticed a Ford Explorer matching the vehicle's description. The vehicle, which had heavily tinted windows, was seen leaving Interstate 94 West and heading onto southbound Cedar Avenue.

As officers followed the vehicle, the SUV appeared to be making evasive maneuvers, weaving in and out of lanes.

Several police vehicles were in pursuit of the Ford, which turned into a fenced parking lot nearby.

Officers arrested Thomas, who complied with instructions and was taken into custody without incident.

Thomas was driving the car with an unnamed juvenile.

Thomas was initially named in a federal complaint but the case was handled by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office

The juvenile told police that there was a firearm in the vehicle, then took a pistol out of the center console.

A search of the vehicle revealed spent bullet casings.

Tests of the gun, a Springfield Armory XD-9 9mm semi-automatic pistol, and bullets revealed markings similar to those at the scene of the predawn drive-by shooting.

Court records indicate that Thomas was convicted of third degree assault by Hennepin County prosecutors in December 2017.

The Minneapolis area was on heightened alert for a verdict in the Chauvin trial in George Floyds death even before April 11 when a police officer shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright in a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center.

Chauvin was convicted in late April of murder and manslaughter charges in Floyd's death. He was sentenced to more than 22 years in state prison.

Thomas has listed addresses in Minneapolis and Chicago.
The government was today accused of introducing vaccine passports by stealth after the NHS App was updated with 'domestic' and 'travel' options for Britons to prove their vaccination status.

The app was also updated to let users download the QR code proving they have had both doses of the Covid-19 jab to their Apple Wallet.

Developers also made a change so that people who received the Novavax jab as part of a formally-approved vaccine trial can now obtain the so-called 'NHS Covid Pass'.

And those opening up the Covid section of the app can now go through to the 'get your NHS Covid Pass'  which presents two options of 'domestic' or 'travel'.

Tory backbenchers have already accused the Prime Minister of trying to turn Britain into a 'Beijing-style democracy' amid a furious row over compulsory vaccine passports for universities.

It was said that the PM was 'raging' about the relatively low uptake of Covid jabs in young people, and had suggested the move to drive up the rates.

It would mean students would only be allowed back on campus this September if they could prove they had been double-jabbed.

Deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Tories, Steve Baker, said it was an 'outrageous proposal' that likely would not 'do any good'.

He added: '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.'

Responding to news of the app's update, the Liberal Democrats argued that the Government had 'introduced Covid ID Cards by stealth onto the nation's phones'.

It comes after the Government proposed making vaccine passports mandatory in nightclubs from September - and this could extend to students going to university.

If it is at least 14 days since you have received a second jab, the 'domestic' section of the app will display your name, date of birth and a QR code confirming your jabs.

The 'travel' section contains the same information along with nine extra details for each dose - including the date of vaccination, product, manufacturer, vaccine, bath number, disease, country of vaccination, issuer and the administrating centre.

Those opening up the Covid section of the NHS App can now go through to the 'get your NHS Covid Pass' - which presents two options of 'domestic' or 'travel'

If it is at least 14 days since you have received a second jab, the 'domestic' section will display your name, date of birth and a QR code - and the option to add the pass to your Apple Wallet

The NHS App is different to the separate NHS Covid-19 app which has been responsible for the 'pingdemic' and told 689,313 people to self-isolate last week.

Earlier this week, Labour leader Keir Starmer said Monday he'd be open to the prospect of government-enforced vaccine passports at large events, but cautioned against their use 'on an every day basis.'

Sir Keir added that vaccines alone are 'not enough' to prevent the spread of Covid at sporting events and other large gatherings and should be accompanied by negative coronavirus tests.

'I will look carefully at what the government puts forward,' Mr Starmer said after last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson said proof of double vaccination would be a 'condition of entry' beginning in September for nightclubs and other 'crowded venues.'

The Lib Dems today called for a recall of Parliament over the updated app, with the party's home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael saying: 'The government has just committed to vaccine passports by stealth.

'This deceitful move is deeply shameful. We now have a new ID card snuck onto our phones without even as much as a whisper from the government.

'Just this morning, Ministers on TV and radio were flapping about when asked simple questions how this would actually work. Now it is on all our phones.'

He added that getting to the vaccine passport means having to 'type and click through a bunch of options', adding: 'Just think of the faff getting into hospitality businesses, who don't want it and can't afford to pay staff to police it.

The 'travel' section contains the same information as 'domestic' along with nine extra details for each dose - including the date of vaccination, product, manufacturer, vaccine, bath number, disease, country of vaccination, issuer and the administrating centre

This is what appears in the Apple Wallet section of your phone once you've added the pass

'The Conservatives are no strangers to a U-turn. They should have no problem with doing the right thing and scrapping vaccine passports for good.

'At least when Tony Blair tried to introduce ID cards he put a bill to Parliament, this lot won't even open up Parliament to debate it. They must recall Parliament now if they are serious about this.'

The NHS Covid Pass is available to adults over two weeks after having both jabs, or after having a negative PCR or rapid lateral flow test within 48 hours.

The Pass can also provide proof of natural immunity from a positive PCR test up to 180 days from the date of the positive test after self-isolating.

The text about the latest update on the Gov.uk website today said: 'Updated to reflect that proof of natural immunity shown by a positive PCR test can be used to demonstrate Covid-19 status when travelling abroad.'

It added: 'The NHS Covid Pass can be stored in the AppleWallet when using an iPhone or iPad; and those who received the Novavax vaccine as part of a formally approved vaccine trial, can now obtain the NHS Covid Pass.'

Also today, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab today said it was a 'smart policy' for companies to insist employees are double-jabbed before they can return to offices.

He said he 'can understand' why firms would want to adopt such a stance, but insisted he does not favour the 'stick approach' of staff being told to return to town and city centres because some people have 'understandable anxieties'.

His comments came as Downing Street signalled it is not planning a campaign to encourage more workers to ditch working from home.

The final stage in Boris Johnson's lockdown exit roadmap saw the Government lift its work from home instruction.

Young adults are now trying to get their second Covid vaccine early so they can go on holiday without having to quarantine, GP says Young people are trying to get their second jabs early so they can go on holidays abroad, a GP has said. People travelling to amber list countries can return to the UK without quarantining for ten days, if they are fully vaccinated at least two weeks before reentry. Currently Britons have to wait eight weeks between doses  but millions of younger adults have still only had one jab. Professor Sam Everington, chair of the NHS Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group, said 'a lot of people' are trying to get their second doses quicker so they can go on holiday. Some youths have taken to social media to share locations of pop-up clinics offering second jabs with as little as a four week gap. Scientists insist the eight-week gap is the 'sweet spot' to make sure people have the most protection against the virus. Advertisement

However, ministers have stressed it is up to businesses and staff to decide how and when to go back to offices.

Reports suggest that some US tech giants like Netflix and Google are going to make proof of vaccination compulsory for staff to return.

Asked if he believed such a move is a good idea, Mr Raab told Sky News: 'We want everyone to be double-jabbed.

'I can understand why employers think that that would be a smart policy or approach to encourage, whether or not there should be hard and fast legal rules I think we need to look at carefully. But our message overwhelmingly is get the jab.'

The Foreign Secretary said he is not in favour of forcing staff to return to the office.

'I certainly think that we should be encouraging young people to get the vaccine, making sure the work places are Covid secure, a confident environment for people to return to,' he said.

'Certainly I know this as an employer in the FCDO, and I have got a huge network internationally as well as domestically, what I want to do is build up confidence rather than, if you like, take a stick approach and say you have got to get back into the office because people are still feeling their way and people have understandable anxieties.'

The Government is no longer telling people to work from home but it is also not actively encouraging employees to return to their old commutes.

Boris Johnson suggested yesterday that vaccine passports could be needed across a range of mass events, as the prospect of their widescale use moved closer.

The Prime Minister said that getting a jab would 'help, not hinder' when people were travelling abroad or attending large gatherings in future.

The Government announced last week that proof of double vaccination will be a 'condition of entry' to clubs and other busy venues from September.

But yesterday Mr Johnson appeared to give a clear hint at the future direction of policy, suggesting the documents could also be needed for a range of events.

Mr Johnson has also confirmed that self-isolation rules are 'nailed on' to end on August 16 for the double jabbed, bringing hope of an end to the 'pingdemic' chaos.

From this date, the fully vaccinated will not have to stay indoors even if someone in their household gets the virus. They will also not have to take a test.

The Prime Minister said the jab rollout should allow for a 'very, very strong' economic recovery in the second half of this year.

The developments came a day after a senior minister said the vaccine success story meant Covid's grip on the UK was 'all over bar the shouting'.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman told MailOnline: 'The NHS COVID Pass has been available for use in England on a voluntary basis since 19 July as part of Step 4 of the Roadmap.

'Businesses, events and venues have been encouraged to use the Covid Pass to help reduce transmission of Covid-19. Information about the Covid Pass was updated on the NHS app ahead of Step 4 to support this.'
Police bodycam footage shows three Honolulu police officers firing multiple rounds at the back of a stolen car - killing its 16-year-old driver - just seconds after ordering him to get out.

Officers Geoffrey Thom, 42, Zachary Ah Nee, 26, and Christopher Fredeluces, 40, with the Honolulu Police Department (HPD), are being charged with murder and attempted murder in the shooting of 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap on April 5.

During a preliminary court hearing yesterday, Deputy Prosecutor Chris Van Marte submitted the footage as evidence there is sufficient probable cause to support the charges and bring the case to trial.

Police have said Sykap was driving a stolen Honda Civic linked to a crime spree involving armed robbery, burglary, purse snatching and car theft.

Thom was charged with one count of second-degree murder, while Zackary Ah Nee and Christopher Fredeluces each were charged with one count of second-degree attempted murder.

Police body-cam footage revealed in a recent court hearing, depicts three Honolulu police officers firing multiple shots at the back of a stolen white Honda Civic, striking Iremamber Sykap, 16, (pictured) eight times before killing him

In multiple videos, officers are depicted from different angles chasing the stolen Honda.

In one bodycam video, Price arrives on scene, finding Thom standing behind the Honda with his gun drawn. It is unclear in the videos whether or not the Honda is at a complete stop or moving when officers arrived.

Thom yells, 'Police! Get out of the car,' seconds before firing numerous rounds at the car's rear window.

The Honda slams into a squad car in front of it, stopping, then the passenger-side door opens. As officers attempt to approach the Honda once more, it accelerates forward, plunging into the Kalakaua Stream nearby.

In video from a different angle, one officer is overheard yelling, 'Get out of the f**king car!' before shots erupt.

Police body-cam footage revealed in a recent court hearing, depicts three Honolulu police officers firing multiple shots at the back of a stolen white Honda Civic

In multiple videos, officers are depicted from different angles, in pursuit of the stolen Honda

As the Honda slowly begins to move, Thom yells, 'Police! Get out of the car,' only seconds before firing numerous rounds at the car's rear window

As officers attempt to approach the Honda once more, it accelerates forward, plunging into the Kalakaua Stream nearby

In the final video, an officer approaches the passenger-side door, urging the passenger to get out. The officer begins banging on the passenger-side window, before drawing his weapon.

It is unclear in the video whether he fires his weapon; multiple shots already are being fired from officers nearby.

When the passenger-side door opens, someone comes out, head down, attempting to shield themselves from bullets.

According to court documents, Thom fired the shots without provocation after the car came to a stop at an intersection, according to court documents.

Of the ten shots that Thom fired, eight hit Sykap. One of the shots severed the teen's aorta, another entered his brain, and additional shots pierced his left lung, causing 'extreme' internal bleeding.

Officer Geoffrey Thom, 42, (pictured) was charged with one count of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap on April 5

Zachary Ah Nee, 26, (pictured) is being charged with the murder in the shooting of 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap on April 5.

Christopher Fredeluces, 40, is being charged with murder in the shooting of 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap on April 5.

The bullet that struck him in the back of the head fractured his skull and entered his brain.

Sykap was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.

Mark Sykap, Iremamber's brother, also was in the car and suffered gunshot wounds in his right shoulder and right hand.

In May, Sykap's grandmother and mother filed filed a wrongful death lawsuit, arguing the officers violated department policy and use-of-force standards when they shot the teen, who was unarmed and posed no risk to them.

It says officers kept firing after the car lurched forward and ended up in a ditch.

The family's lawsuit alleges negligence, assault and battery.

It asks a state court to award damages, reimburse costs and declare that the officers' use of deadly force was unlawful and unauthorized.

Photos from the Honolulu Police Department shows the trajectories of eight bullets that entered the drivers seat of the white Honda driven by Sykap on April 5

Sykap's brother Mark, who was a passenger, suffered gunshot wounds in his right shoulder and right hand

Police were pursuing this stolen white Honda Civic when officers opened five on the fleeing vehicle, which was carrying Sykap and his brother

Jacquie Esser, a state deputy public defender who is not involved in the case, said it is critical that police be held accountable for when they use excessive force and kill unarmed people or if they commit misconduct.

'This is a huge step towards accountability, which is critical for the communitys trust in their policing system,' she said.

Cross examination on the bodycam videos from the three defense attorneys is expected when the hearing resumes Aug. 17.
The U.S. travel industry is asking President Joe Biden to open the country's doors to international visitors after the British government announced fully-vaccinated Americans could travel freely to the UK without quarantine.

In response to the announcement, industry experts and diplomats asked why the United States couldn't follow the British model.

'British government leaders have made a wise decision in reopening England to vaccinated travelers from the United States,' U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes said in a statement.

'It's time for U.S. leaders to do the same and set a timeline to reopen our national borders and we encourage them to start with vaccinated travelers from the U.K., E.U. and Canada. The reality is there's no difference between a vaccinated American and those vaccinated in the U.K., the E.U. and Canada,' she noted.

On Monday, British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that fully vaccinated travelers from the EU and US can enter the country without having to undergo the 10 day quarantine.

The United States, however, is keeping its travel ban in place. The White House did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's query if it was reconsidering its position.

And Brett Bruen, former US Diplomat and Director of Global Engagement at the Obama White House, told DailyMail.com the situation was 'unfair' and Europeans pose no greater risks to Americans than those who inside the U.S. who won't get vaccinated.

'It's pretty unfair for vaccinated Americans to waltz into the United Kingdom and we won't extend the same courtesy. There is a growing sense around the world of inequality, both in how we hoarded vaccines and continue to exclude some visitors. Why is it any safer for someone to visit from Cancun than Cambridge?,' he said.

'The notion that Europeans pose any greater risk to the United States than those from any number of other countries with higher infection rates is so 2020. It's time to rethink this blanket ban and get to a much smarter and sustainable place.'

The White House said on Thursday the existing travel ban will stay in place, citing the spread of the Delta variant.

'The United States will remain existing travel restrictions at this point for a few reasons,' said deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. 'The more transmittable 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 - to increase in the weeks ahead. And the CDC just advised Americans against travel to the UK, this past Monday, given their surge in cases.'

The U.S. travel industry is asking President Joe Biden - seen above with Jill Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Johnson at the G7 - to reopen American to international travel after the UK said fully vaccinated Americans don't have to quarantine

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has raised the issue with his American counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

And the British Ambassador in Washington, Karen Pierce, is also believed to be advocating for the U.S. opening up to Britons in her meetings with American officials.

A diplomatic source told The Telegraph: 'Everyone is lobbying the Americans left, right and centre.' Another said there could be a drive to persuade the United States to 'open up'.

The White House has said repeatedly science will guide their decision making.

But about 49% of Americans are fully inoculated, compared to more than 46% European Union residents. Both have similar per-capita coronavirus case numbers.

The White House had said on Monday it would continue to restrict foreign visitors travel to the United States, pointing to the Delta variant of the coronavirus, a highly contagious variant that has caused COVID cases to spike.

'The more transmissible Delta variant is spreading both here and around the world,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

The announcement was a blow to the travel industry, which has suffered during the pandemic, and hoped a lifting of the ban would be a boon to airlines, hotels and related industries during the summer vacation months.

The ban was first put in place in March 2020 by then President Donald Trump.
Greg Hallgrimson, 51, pleaded guilty to assault charges on Wednesday for punching a handcuffed father who attempted to drown his infant daughter

A former suburban Kansas City police chief who helped rescue a baby from an icy pond and later assaulted the man who confessed to trying to kill the infant has pleaded guilty in the case.

The officer's case became a rallying cry for people in the town of Greenwood, Missouri, who threw their support behind the chief - who eventually resigned. They said the father deserved what the chief dished out to him after trying to drown his own daughter.

Still, the now-former chief, Greg Hallgrimson, 51, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday, according to court documents.

He was indicted in 2019 on a single count of violating the civil rights of Jonathon Zicarelli, 31, when he attacked him while in custody for attempting to drown his infant child.

Robin Fowler, the former chief's defense attorney, told The Kansas City Star his plea marks the next step in being able to resolve the case and 'move forward with his life.'

'He believes that the plea terms are fair, and hopes they will be given consideration by the Court,' Fowler said in a statement.

Prosecutors have said Hallgrimson threw a handcuffed Zicarelli to the ground, punched him in the face, and told Zicarelli, 'You deserve to die,' after returning from rescuing Zicarelli's infant from a frozen pond where he left her.

Jonathon Zicarelli, 31, walked into the Greenwood Police Department in 2018 and confessed to officers that he had just left his infant daughter in a nearby frozen pond in an attempt to kill her

Zicarelli is currently being held in Jackson County jail as he awaits sentencing on felony charges of domestic assault and child abuse

Zicarelli had walked into the Greenwood Police Department in December 2018 and said he had tried to drown his 6-month-old daughter in a nearby frozen pond, police said.

Hallgrimson and another officer rushed to the pond and found the unconscious infant floating face up and her lungs filled with water.

As police pulled the baby girl from the pond they noted she had mud in her eyes, grass and water in her mouth, and was barely moving. It has been estimated that she was in the water for nearly 10 minutes.

The two officers worked to warm and revive the baby removing the child's wet clothes and wrapping her in the chief's shirt until paramedics arrived and rushed her to a hospital.

She was treated for severe hypothermia but survived the traumatic event.

Hallgrimson resigned from his position in 2019 after being put on administrative leave

Greenwood residents supported their former police chief throughout the investigation

Zicarelli told investigators he had been planning to kill his daughter for over 24 hours after having 'bad thoughts.'

The disturbed father claimed he wanted to make things easier for his wife as stress mounted with the holidays and the pressure to provide for his family, according to court records.

Probable cause documents state Zicarelli appeared 'emotionally removed' when he informed officers of his murderous actions.

Hallgrimson was put on administrative leave shortly after being accused of assaulting Zicarelli, which prosecutors say was captured on video.

When the investigation into Hallgrimson began in 2019, 'We Stand With Chief Hallgrimson' signs began popping up around town as the local residents showed support for their beloved chief. He resigned later that year.

Zicarelli, meanwhile, remains in Jackson County jail on pending felony charges of domestic assault and child abuse.
A high-ranking cartel leader and his bodyguard were found tortured to death, just five weeks after he allegedly ordered massacre that saw 15 innocent people hunted down and killed in northeastern Mexico.

Edgar Valladares and security guard Juan Miguel Lizardi were discovered lying inside a pickup truck stationed on the side of a road in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, on Tuesday morning. The pair had been beaten before being shot.

Valladares, also known as 'El Maestrin,' was on the radar of local authorities after he instructed members of the Gulf Cartel's Escorpiones (Scorpions) criminal cell to launch the assault on the city of Reynosa, located across from McAllen, Texas.

Witnesses told authorities that a convoy gunmen sped through the Reynosa neighborhoods of Almaguer, Bienestar, Lampacitos, and Obrera randomly hunting down innocent bystanders.

A confrontation with the police left four gunmen dead. At least 13 cartel members have been arrested in connection to the massacre.

Edgar Valladares, leader of the Gulf Cartel's Escorpiones cell, was found dead alongside his bodyguard inside a pickup truck in Reynosa, Mexico, on Tuesday morning. Valladares reportedly instructed the gang to launch an assault in the Reynosa neighborhoods of Almaguer, Bienestar, Lampacitos, and Obrera that left 15 innocent bystanders dead

Authorities in Reynosa, Mexico, recovered the tortured body of Juan Miguel Lizardi (pictured) inside a vehicle on Tuesday. He allegedly worked as a security guard for Gulf Cartel leader Edgar Valladares, who was also found beaten and shot dead

Jonathan Balderas, who was wounded during the shootout and remains in police custody, confessed to investigators from his hospital bed that Valladares had ordered the Escorpiones gunmen to destabilize the Gulf Cartel's drug turf in Reynosa due to his cell's internal strife with a faction know as the Metros.

Valladares' assassination was reported a day after Gulf Cartel factions decided to call a truce.

Police in the state of Tamaulipas confirmed the professionally printed banners appeared in the border city of Reynosa and other cities Monday.

Photos of the banners showed they were printed with red, white and green letters - the colors of the Mexican flag - and slogans like 'Long live Peace!'

State police said four people had been detained on suspicion of hanging the banners from buildings or overpasses in more than a half dozen cities across Tamaulipas.

The banners were signed by three of the main factions in the decade-old turf war - the Metros, the Escorpiones and the Rojos.

At total of 15 innocent bystanders were killed by gunmen aboard a number of vehicles in the Mexican border city of Reynosa on June 19

Jonathan Balderas (pictured), who was wounded during the shootout and remains in police custody, confessed to investigators from his hospital bed that Edgar Valladares had ordered the Escorpiones gunmen to destabilize the Gulf Cartel's drug turf in Reynosa due to his cell's internal strife with a faction know as the Metros.

In contrast to usual cartel messages, which are often misspelled and accompanied by heaps of bodies or body parts, Monday's message used polite, almost erudite language and bore a picture of a dove with an olive branch.

'We have agreed to a truce of tranquility and we declare our solidarity with the people, and with ideological principles consistent with keeping the peace,' read the text of one banner, which included the plea, 'We have families, too.'

'The primordial thing is for the communities in which we have a presence feel secure with it, without any worry,' the banner read. 'The Gulf Cartel has principles and its greatest priority is peace in the state and the wellbeing of its residents.'

The Metros are one of the larger factions of the now-splintered Gulf cartel, and they have long dominated Reynosa.

The Gulf Cartel set up several banners across Reynosa and other cities in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas as three cells, Escorpiones, Metros and Rojo, announced a truce

The Tamaulipas Attorney General's Office has said the June 19 attack in Reynosa was carried out by members of the Scorpions and another Gulf Cartel faction known as the 'Cyclones,' both of which are based to the east of Reynosa, around Matamoros. The fact that similar banners appeared in Matamoros suggested the Cyclones are on board with the pact.

Prosecutors said the two groups sought to terrorize the population of Reynosa as part of their campaign to challenge the Metros' control of the city.

Turf battles have become common in Tamaulipas, where remnants of the Gulf cartel and the old Zetas gang have been carrying out turf battles for more than a decade.

The border cities are lucrative routes for smuggling drugs and migrants.
The Government spent taxpayers' money on conducting political polling during the coronavirus pandemic, newly uncovered emails suggest.

The Good Law Project is in the process of a legal challenge against the Government over a decision to award a contract to what the group described as 'associates' of Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings at the Hanbury Strategy consultancy firm.

Documents unearthed as part of the legal proceedings and published by the group today suggest that Hanbury was instructed by the Cabinet Office to carry out polling on opposition figures including Sir Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan.

The emails also suggest that civil servants were concerned and uncomfortable about the move.

The Government spent taxpayers' money on conducting political polling relating to Boris Johnson's Labour rivals during the pandemic, newly uncovered emails suggest

One official said: 'hanbury measure attitude towards political figures, which they shouldnt do using government money, but they have been asked to and its a battle that i think is hard to fight.

Meanwhile, a March 2020 email appeared to show Mr Cummings had asked officials to 'immediately' give the green light to polling work getting underway into public attitudes during the early stages of the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Johnson's former top aide apparently added: 'Anybody in CABOFF whines tell them i ordered it from PM.

Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said the emails published by the Good Law Project showed the 'hallmarks of a racket, not a government acting in the national interest during a pandemic'.

She said: 'Taxpayers' money that has been abused in this way should be paid back by the Conservative Party.

'Taxpayers' money is not the personal cashpoint of Conservative Ministers to dish out to their mates.'

Asked whether Mr Johnson believes it is acceptable to spend taxpayers' money on political polling, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said at lunchtime: As you say, it is an ongoing legal proceeding so I cant comment specifically on any of it.

But in general, in response to what was an unprecedented global pandemic it was vital that we undertook research into public attitudes and behaviours.
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U.S. Capitol Police backed down on Thursday and said they would ask people in the House of Representatives not wearing a face mask to leave after Republican lawmakers blasted a memo that stated such individuals would be arrested.

The agency did not specifically rule out arrests, but did say it should never come to that.

'Regarding the House mask rule, there is no reason it should ever come to someone being arrested. Anyone who does not follow the rule will be asked to wear a mask or leave the premises. The Department's requirement for officers to wear masks is for their health and safety,' US Capitol Police tweeted in a statement.

The statement came after it was revealed officers been ordered to arrest visitors and staff who refuse to wear a mask on the House side of the Capitol complex. The policy did not apply to lawmakers who refuse to wear masks.

Many Republicans have refused to wear masks, citing it as an issue of personal freedom, criticizing the Capitol physician over implementing a mask policy for the House and not the Senate, and arguing the science means vaccinated individuals shouldn't have to mask up.

Several staffers and visitors were seen walking around the House side of the Capitol without masks on Thursday but were not arrested.

Additionally, several conservative Republicans gathered in the Capitol Rotunda without wearing face masks to protest the policy. 'Arrest us,' one shouted as their maskless staff recorded them to post the event to social media.

No one was arrested.

The GOP lawmakers marched to the Senate side of the Capitol, which does not have a face mask requirement. Nearly 100 per cent of the Senate is vaccinated.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie told reporters they walked across the Capitol building 'for a taste of freedom.'

'You don't have to wear a mask on the Senate side,' he pointed out.

Many House Republicans blasted Pelosi for the 'tyrannical' directive, but the Democrat's office responded that she 'does not control the US Capitol Police.'

The chief of the Capitol Police reports to the three-member Capitol Police board, which is made up of the House sergeant at arms, the Senate sergeant at arms and the architect of the Capitol.

The chief does not answer to the speaker. The mask mandate in the House - which requires everyone, including those fully vaccinated, to wear one - was ordered by the Office of the Attending Physician but Pelosi said she would enforce it, which falls under her purview as speaker.

The controversy on Capitol Hill came the same day that Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced masks will be required indoors throughout the District, including for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Conservative Republican lawmakers gathered in the rotunda to march to the Senate side of Capitol, which does not have a face mask policy

Republicans have protested a new policy to wear face masks in the House, refusing to don them

US Capitol Police backed down on a memo that said staff and visitors not wearing face masks in the House would be arrested

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would enforce the mandate from the Office of the Attending Physician that all people, including those fully-vaccinated, wear face masks in the House; above Pelosi at the Capitol on Thursday

Republicans in the House of Representatives on Thursday vowed to defy a requirement that visitors and staff wear masks inside the Capitol. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is seen above on Wednesday

A Republican lawmaker revealed a memo that said US Capitol Police had been ordered to arrest visitors and staff who refuse to wear a mask on the House side of the Capitol complex. Capitol Police Mountain Bike officers secure the plaza on Thursday (above)

House Rep. Kat Cammack, a Republican from Florida, posted a copy of the memo on her Twitter feed

Cammack tweeted: 'In today's edition of Pelosi's abuse of power, Capitol Police have been directed to arrest staff and visitors to comply with her mask mandate for vaccinated individuals'

Cammack then vowed that she would defy the mask requirement. 'I will not comply, Nancy,' the congresswoman tweeted.

At the same time, pressure is growing on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to release the data that led it to reverse position on masks and recommend that vaccinated Americans wear face coverings indoors in areas of high COVID-19 transmission.

States and cities have said they are reluctant to update their own advice without seeing the evidence that vaccinated people can transmit the virus.

Multiple Republicans claim the decision was based on a study from India involving vaccines that are not approved in the U.S.

'Their new guidance for vaccinated individuals to wear a mask is based exclusively on a study FROM INDIAwhich has NOT passed peer reviewusing vaccines that are NOT APPROVED in the US, ' tweeted House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy.

On Capitol Hill, House Rep. Kat Cammack, a Republican from Florida, posted a copy of the police memo ordering the arrests to her Twitter feed.

Cammack tweeted: 'In today's edition of Pelosi's abuse of power, Capitol Police have been directed to arrest staff and visitors to comply with her mask mandate for vaccinated individuals.

'For Members, they advise not arresting but 'reporting Members to SAA for their failure to comply'.'

Cammack then vowed that she would defy the mask requirement.

'I will not comply, Nancy,' the congresswoman tweeted.

'Certainly not with a mandate that is based on an unpublished, failed peer review study conducted in India.

'This is not your House. This is the People's House.

'Get it right.'

Cammack told Fox News that she received a copy of the memo from an unnamed officer.

She said that police officers who she's spoken to are 'very uncomfortable' with the directive, which the lawmaker said was 'tyrannical.'

House Rep. Nancy Mace, the South Carolina Republican, tweeted: 'Madam Speaker, your insane power grab is showing.' In a video, Mace says: 'I had COVID, I've had two vaccinations, I'm washing my hands, I'm even wearing my mask inside the chamber, but I'm not going to wear it anywhere else. So Madam Speaker, come and get me.'

'This is such an overstep of Speaker Pelosi's authority to basically make our Capitol Police arrest staff members and report on members [of Congress],' Cammack told Fox News on Thursday.

'It's absolutely unconscionable that this is where we're at.'

House Rep. Nancy Mace, the South Carolina Republican, tweeted: 'Madam Speaker, your insane power grab is showing.

'Today I'm not wearing a mask outside of the chamber b/c I follow science  not Pelosi.

'Come and get me.'

In a video, Mace says: 'I had COVID, I've had two vaccinations, I'm washing my hands, I'm even wearing my mask inside the chamber, but I'm not going to wear it anywhere else.

'So Madam Speaker, come and get me.'

Mace then posted another tweet which read: 'This morning Capitol Hill Police were directed to arrest anyone not wearing a mask.

'This is nuts.'

Mace's caucus joined her in condemning Pelosi.

The official Twitter account of the House GOP caucus tweeted: 'OUTRAGEOUS!'

House Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky tweeted: 'This is INSANE.

'Might as well come into my office and arrest my entire staff. We are not wearing masks.'

Massie added: 'I support the Capitol Hill Police, but the Chief of Police made a mistake here.

'The physician and the chief of police don't have this authority.'

House Rep. Ralph Norman, a Republican from South Carolina, tweeted: 'Wow. I'm speechless.'

Brian Mast, a GOP lawmaker from Florida, tweeted: 'New orders issued to ARREST Americans visiting our nation's capitol who refuse to bend to Pelosi's big government mandates.

'This has always been about power, and I'm afraid this is just the beginning of the lengths she is willing to go to obtain it.'

House Rep. Greg Murphy, a Republican from North Carolina, tweeted: '*Speechless*.'

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York tweeted: 'Pelosi's political theater is only aimed at distracting from her radical agenda.'

Tenney noted that 85 percent of House members are vaccinated, as are 70 percent of the Congressional workforce.

She also noted that transmission rate on Capitol Hill is just .5 percent. The Senate does not have a mask mandate.

House Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican from New York, tweeted: 'This is so out of control.

'Pelosi is massively drunk on power, obsessed with control, and hypocritical and partisan beyond belief.'

Pelosi on Wednesday called House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy a 'moron' for opposing new face mask guidelines

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said the new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on face masks were not 'based on science' but from 'liberal government officials'

A spokesperson for Pelosi told Fox News: 'The speaker of the House does not control the US Capitol Police.

'We were unaware of the memo until it was reported in the press.'

Pelosi on Wednesday called House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy a 'moron' for opposing new guidelines requiring fully-vaccinated people in certain areas to wear face masks.

Pelosi was defending new face mask requirements in the House - where fully-vaccinated people will be required to wear masks in accordance with new CDC guidance - when she was asked about comments from McCarthy.

Getting into her SUV, Pelosi was heard muttering of him: 'He's such a moron.'

McCarthy claimed the new guidelines from the CDC on face masks were not 'based on science' but from 'liberal government officials.'

'Make no mistake - the threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state,' McCarthy wrote on Twitter Tuesday.

The speaker was asked about those comments when she fired off her insult, the latest strike between the two leaders, who have seen new levels of bipartisan bickering.

Asked later to clarify her remark, Pelosi didn't deny it but said: 'To say that wearing a mask is not based on science, I think it's not wise, and that was my comment and that's all I'm gonna say about that.'

Leader Kevin McCarthy (left) and Speaker Pelosi (far right in yellow) were both at an event at the White House on Monday but did not interact

McCarthy snapped back, sarcastically calling Pelosi 'brilliant.'

'Well, if she's so brilliant, can she tell me where the science in the building changes between the House and the Senate? Can she explain to me when the CDC says only vaccinated people need to wear a mask in hotspots?,' he told reporters on Capitol Hill.

The House has reinstituted a mask mandate for everyone - including those fully vaccinated. The Senate has not.

Bowser on Thursday said that all vaccinated and unvaccinated people over the age of two will be required to wear masks indoors - a reversal of policy that follows the newly revised CDC guidelines.

Throughout the pandemic, DC had one of the strictest mask requirements in the country. It required residents to wear masks both indoors and outdoors whenever one person came near another for more than a 'fleeting' amount of time.

In May, many mask requirements were lifted for those who received the COVID-19 vaccine. All residents were allowed to go without a mask starting in June, though the restriction remained in place on public transit, schools, and government buildings.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Thursday his administration will require federal workers to be vaccinated or else submit to strict testing measures.

Biden, in a speech at the White House, will announce a directive requiring the federal government's 2 million work force to show they've been vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

It won't be a mandate, which the White House has said it won't issue, but it will be a first step in requiring vaccinations at a small level.

Biden has resisted any talk of vaccine requirements for the nation but he does control the federal government, one of the largest employers in the nation.

President Joe Biden will launch a tough new approach on the COVID pandemic in a speech Thursday

The White House is holding the details of Biden's on Thursday address close to its chest as it finalizes the directive amid rising COVID cases, tied to the highly contagious Indian Delta variant.

White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would only tell reporters Wednesday that the administration is considering options for federal employees like 'confirming vaccination status or abiding by stringent COVID-19 protocols, like mandatory mask wearing.'

The directive will be delivered in sterner terms than Biden has used previously, a White House official told CNN of the president's speech, signaling Biden's growing impatience with those who refuse to get vaccinated.

The goal is to make being unvaccinated such a burden that those who haven't received their vaccine will have little choice other than to get one.

Some vaccine requirements have started.

The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday ordered the majority of its health-care workers to get vaccinated.

The Defense Department will be exempt from Thursday's announcement as it cannot legally require troops to receive the vaccine until the Food and Drug Administration issues its final approval for the drugs. The COVID vaccines are now approved under an emergency use authorization.

Additionally, the White House is backing new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on mask requirements. The CDC urged fully vaccinated individuals 'wear a mask in public indoor settings if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission.'

The agency said that 63.4 percent of counties now had levels high enough to warrant indoor masking.

The White House and several other government agencies - including the Pentagon and State Department - have issued notices requiring masks indoors.

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.

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.

Biden has shown his frustration with people's refusal to get a COVID vaccine.

'If you're not vaccinated, you're not nearly as smart as I thought you were,' he said on Tuesday.

And the change in the administration's handling of the pandemic is becoming notable.

Three months ago, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Biden declared: 'If you've been fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask. It's vaxxed or masked.'

On Fourth of July, the president declared the country's 'independence' from the virus as he hosted a massive party on the South Lawn of the White House.

But the rising COVID cases due to the Delta variant and the refusal by a large set of the population to get vaccinated have set back the administration's strategy.

The CDC urged fully vaccinated individuals 'wear a mask in public indoor settings if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission.'

It said that 63.4 percent of counties now had levels high enough to warrant indoor masking.

Washington D.C. is rated as one of those areas, where the rate is 52 cases per 100,000. The CDC said Americans should resume wearing masks in areas where there are more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents over the previous seven days.

Relations between Pelosi and McCarthy have reached a new level of nastiness after she nixed two of his picks for the House committee investigating the January 6th MAGA riot at the Capitol.

Both leaders were at an event in the White House Rose Garden on Monday to mark the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act - they didn't acknowledge one another during the ceremony, where they sat on opposite sides of the aisle.

After Pelosi vetoed Republican Reps. Jim Banks and Jim Jordan - both staunch Trump allies who voted against certifying the election results for Joe Biden - from participating on the panel, McCarthy pulled his three other picks for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

The speaker said she removed the two Republicans based on the 'integrity' of the investigation. As speaker, Pelosi has final say on who sits on the panel.

She also struck back, adding GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger to the committee to join her previous Republican pick, Liz Cheney.
A 13-year-old girl allegedly stabbed a Boston police officer after he recognized her as a missing person and tried to bring her in.

The girl, who has not been named because she is a minor, was walking on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan at approximately 5:12 p.m. on Wednesday when she was spotted by Sergeant Detective John Boyle.

Boyle told the Boston Globe that when the girl saw the officers approaching her, she turned on her heel and walked away.

The girl, who has not been named because she is a minor, was walking on Blue Hill Avenue (pictured) in Mattapan at approximately 5:12 p.m on Wednesday when she was spotted by a police officer that recognized her as a missing person

When the cops began to pursue her, she pivoted back with a steak knife in her hand, 'raised toward the officers.' (pictured: Boston Police Department)

Over the course of a subsequent struggle for control of the weapon, the girl stabbed one of the officers in the left elbow.

When the cops began to pursue her, she pivoted back with a steak knife in her hand, 'raised toward the officers.'

Over the course of a subsequent struggle for control of the weapon, the girl stabbed one of the officers in the left elbow.

The girl, who was unidentified by police due to her juvenile status, faces charges for juvenile delinquency, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

It is unclear who reported the girl missing and when.
An Israeli national has been accused of causing 250,000 worth of damage after a fire was allegedly set off in a luxury hotel room in London.

Ofer Tsofan, 52, is charged with arson, criminal damage and assaulting two police officers at the Four Seasons in Park Lane on July 24.

Westminister Magistrates' Court was told on Thursday that 'significant damage' was allegedly caused after a fire started in a hotel room at around 10pm.

Ofer Tsofan, 52, is charged with arson, criminal damage and assaulting two police officers at the luxury Four Seasons in Park Lane (pictured) on July 24

It has been estimated that a quarter of a million pounds worth of damage was caused.

Tsofan, who was arrested just after 11pm, was allegedly staying in London for a business trip.

He was denied bail and remanded in custody to appear at Southwark Crown Court on August 26.

The Four Seasons is a luxury chain of hotels and resorts that offers stunning bedrooms in its branch on Park Lane costing upwards of 500 per night.

The hotel boasts facilities including a restaurant and bar, a skyline spa, and a gym which has spectacular views of the London Eye and Big Ben.
Black Lives Matter has given a senator an ultimatum - either he renounce his family's ties to an allegedly all-white beach club, or they start protesting outside of his home and office.

In an exclusive interview with WLNE, Mark Fisher, one of the directors of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island, said the organization has not forgotten about comments Senator Sheldon Whitehouse made last month, in which he said that all-white clubs are a 'tradition' in the state.

The senator was replying to a question about his wife's membership to Newport-based Bailey's Beach Club, which he has previously said lacked diversity.

Bailey's Beach Club, run by the Sprouting Rock Beach Association, has since dismissed the claims that it is an all-white club, saying in a statement to the Providence Journal: 'Over many years, Club members and their families have included people of many racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds from around the world who come to Newport every summer.

'Our membership comes from all over the globe to our small club and we welcome the diversity of view and background they bring to our community.'

Information about the club's membership, though, is private and it remains unclear how many members, if any, the club currently has.

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse came under fire last month after he claimed 'all-white' clubs are a 'tradition' in Rhode Island while discussing his family's membership to a Newport beach club

Mark Fisher, senior director of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island, center, said on Wednesday that if the senator does not renounce his family's membership to a reportedly all-white beach club, the organization will protest outside his home and his office

Bailey's Beach Club is an exclusive beach club and its membership data is private

'This is an issue that's not going to go away, and Senator Whitehouse needs to address it, he needs to take it on,' Fisher said in the interview Wednesday.

'If he thinks we're just going to forget about it, if he thinks that this is going to get swept under the rug - it's not.'

'It doesn't matter, you know, what type of black people he brings in,' Fisher continued.

'This club is a proven racist club with exclusive ties to white supremacy and exclusion,' he claimed, 'and that's not gonna be tolerated by me, my associates, my affiliates or my organization.'

Fisher announced Whitehouse now has until Friday to denounce his family's decades-long ties to the beach club, or the organization will start protesting.

'We'll go to his club, we'll go to his office, we'll go to his home,' Fisher said, 'wherever we need to go.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Whitehouse's office for comment.

Last month, the senator apologized for the lack of diversity at the beach club in an interview

Fisher's ultimatum comes more than one month after the 65-year-old Democratic senator came under fire for accepting a local reporter's premise that the Bailey's Beach Club in Newport had no minority members.

He was confronted at the time by a GoLocalProv.com reporter about his family's membership at the club and was asked if it was now accepting minority members.

'I think the people who are running the place are still working on that and I'm sorry it hasn't happened yet,' he said.

When asked if all-white clubs should still exist in 2021, Whitehouse said: 'It's a long tradition in Rhode Island and there are many of them. And I think we just need to work our way through the issues.'

The senator has since said he was flustered by the reporter's question.

'I was attending an unrelated event and wasn't prepared for the question. At the time, I made the mistake of accepting her premise,' Whitehouse told Fox News a few days later.

'I then checked the assertion and was assured that, first, the assertion was wrong, there is diversity in the membership and there are non-white club members; and second, that improving diversity remains a priority and an active task for the club's new board.'

He later claimed to the Providence Journal that the club has been 'on the right side of pushing for improvement,' and noted, 'my relationship with my family is not one in which I tell them what to do.'

Whitehouse, his wife Sandra Thornton Whitehouse and their families have been members of the club for decades. The senator transferred his shares in the club to hers several years back

The senator, admitted, however, he is a member of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, and apologized for 'failing to address the sailing club's lack of diversity'

The senator is not a member of the club, he noted, having transferred his shares to his wife, Sandra Thornton Whitehouse, in 2017, after he said he would take up the issue of diversity with the club 'privately.'

But, he admitted, he does belong to the Ida Lewis Yacht Club of Newport, and apologized for failing to act on its 'lack of diversity.'

'Failing to address the sailing club's lack of diversity is squarely on me, and something for which I am sorry,' Whitehouse said in a statement. 'I commit to working with the club and the community to build a more inclusive membership and to better connect with the local community.'

He added: 'There have been calls for me to resign from the club, which I understand. However, I have no membership, nor will I ask my wife or any other family members to do so.'

The Whitehouse family has had a membership at the club for more than two decades, and Sandra is now one of the top shareholders in the club. She is said to visit it daily during the summer.

Black Lives Matter Rhode Island founder Gary Dantzler said the senator had an opportunity to 'rally and adapt to what's going on' months ago, as people protested in the streets following the police-involved death of George Floyd

Following the rebuttal, Gary Dantzler, founder and executive director of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island said the senator's family's membership at the club is an insult to Rhode Island's black residents.

'The senator says he's about systemic change in America, but the problem that I have it that it's almost a contradiction,' Dantzler told the Washington Post.

'Someone with that power that we elected to be our senator, our watchdog, he's not fulfilling the part of being transparent to African Americans, so I have a huge problem with that.'

'It's not just him,' he added. 'It's a huge cesspool of politicians that are failing our communities.

'And you had the opportunity months ago to rally and adapt to what's going on when you said you're for George Floyd and the mission while we screamed for African American liberation.

'But we didn't get none of that.'
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Missing British hiker Esther Dingley is more likely to be the victim of a tragic accident than a criminal act, claims a leading mountain rescue expert.

Esther's boyfriend Dan Colegate recently suggested  before human remains were found near where the Oxford graduate disappeared in the Pyrenees last November  that he increasingly feared foul play.

But speaking after the discovery of what is believed to be a human skull and hair in the area last week, mountain rescue guide Patrick Lagleize said he believed it likely that Esther had lost her way and fallen to her death on treacherous scree [loose rock and gravel].

French forensic experts are now testing the remains with DNA samples from Esther's mother Ria, and also checking Esther's dental records for a match.

Mr Lagleize, President of the Pyrenean Guides Association (CGdP) said: 'You can lose the way and slide on the scree. Logically, for Esther to have fallen that way, is unfortunately quite plausible.'

He added a note of caution: 'We must be careful and await the DNA analysis.'

Missing British hiker Esther Dingley is more likely to be the victim of a tragic accident than a criminal act, claims a leading mountain rescue expert

But speaking after the discovery of what is believed to be a human skull and hair in the area last week, mountain rescue guide Patrick Lagleize said he believed it likely that Esther had lost her way and fallen to her death on treacherous scree [loose rock and gravel]

There was a major breakthrough on Friday when a skull with long hair was found close to Port de la Glere, a mountain pass on France's border with Spain, just south of Bagneres-de-Luchon. The trail is known as Puerto de la Glera in Spanish

Esther's boyfriend Dan Colegate (right) recently suggested  before human remains were found near where the Oxford graduate disappeared in the Pyrenees last November  that he increasingly feared foul play

Mr Lagleize knows only too well the hazards associated with the Port de la Glere near the French-Spanish border, where Esther, 37, was last sighted.

The Port [or pass] is four miles long and rises and falls 2,000ft reaching a maximum altitude of 7,794ft and is rated as moderately difficult.

It is believed possible the skull  which Spanish police believe they are 90 per cent sure is human -- may have been moved by a wild animal from elsewhere, as extensive searches over the last few weeks produced no sign of Durham-born Esther.

Mr Lagleize cited an earlier case of young missing French climber Gatien Loison, 32, whose skeleton was found nearby in 2012, three years after his disappearance.

'When there is a disappearance in the mountains and the victim cannot be found, then it is because we cannot match them with their planned itinerary.

'It is then necessary to count on luck to find traces of the person, often several months, even several years later.

'We cannot find the victims in the mountains if we do not understand the logic of their path.

'I am thinking of the disappearance of Gatien Loison. The guy was a seasoned hiker, but not a mountaineer. However, he fell while trying to climb out. It didn't make any sense. Hence the difficulty in finding him. After that, unfortunately, you have to rely on luck.'

Ms Dingley (pictured right with her boyfriend Daniel Colegate) went missing on November 22

Two hikers raised the alarm after discovering what he believed could be the remains of a body near the spot where missing hiker Esther Dingley went missing late last year

Specialist officers from Spain and France have carried out several searches of the area around the Puerto de la Glera hiking trail, where Esther was hiking before she went missing

Even without an unplanned diversion, Mr Lagleize told French website LaDepeche.fr that the Port de la Glere has more than its share of dangers which can prove lethal for travellers.

He said that as a former member of the Gendarmerie's elite rescue unit, the 'High Mountain Platoon' (PGHM) he was once called out to rescue some people who were stranded on a rocky ridge and a mis-step of a few cm would have been extremely serious.

'We had also been called for another person who had fallen. There, the outcome was much less favourable.

Meanwhile, the wait goes on for Esther's mother and boyfriend, who are believed to have based themselves in France until they receive confirmation or otherwise that the remains are Esther's.

Mr Colegate, 38, claimed in a recent interview he 'could no longer agree' with the idea she had suffered an accident.

He told the BBC: 'The search has been so prolonged and so intense, that as far as I'm concerned the probability of an accident is now less than the probability of a criminal act.'

Nearly eight months after Esther's disappearance, her Fiat Chausson motorhome is still impounded at the Guardia Civil local HQ in Benasque, from where her ill-fated journey began.
France was placed on the 'amber plus' list because of Beta variant cases on the tiny Reunion Island 6,000 miles from Paris, Dominic Raab said today.

The Foreign Secretary openly admitted that the classification was based on the prevalence of the strain 'in the Reunion bit of France' - which is an island in the Indian Ocean.

'It's not the distance that matters, it's the ease of travel between different component parts of any individual country,' he added.

The comments came as France voiced fury at the 'incomprehensible' decision to leave it out of exemptions from quarantine for EU and US travellers coming to the UK.

Meanwhile, La Reunion will go into a partial lockdown at the weekend due to a surge in Covid-19 infections.

The Foreign Secretary openly admitted that the classification was based on the prevalence of the strain 'in the Reunion bit of France' - which is an island in the Indian Ocean. Pictured, the 6,000-mile difference between Paris and Reunion Island

There is growing concern among officials in Paris over the infection rates in France's overseas territories in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Pacific where vaccination uptake is lower than the nationwide average.

La Reunion will from Saturday for the next two weeks go into partial lockdown, with movement only allowed 10 kilometres from people's home in the daytime and five kilometres on a Sunday, said its top official, prefect Jacques Billant.

In the evenings, there will be a strict curfew from 6.00pm until 5.00am, with no movement allowed expect for essential reasons, he added.

Cafes, restaurants and gyms will also close for the next two weeks as Mr Billant described the situation as 'worrying'.

Dominic Raab's (pictured today) comments came as France voiced fury at the 'incomprehensible' decision to leave it out of exemptions from quarantine for EU and US travellers coming to the UK

He said there was 'unprecedented exponential growth of the epidemic' with 350 out of every 100,000 inhabitants infected.

The situation on La Reunion is being particularly closely watched after Britain said it was the main reason why travellers from France - unlike all other non-red list destinations - still have to quarantine for 10 days on arrival in the country.

Mr Raab told the BBC that this was due to the prevalence of the Beta variant on La Reunion, which is off Madagascar and over 9,000 kilometres (almost 6,000 miles) from Paris.

A spokesman for Brittany Ferries, which runs ferries across the Channel, said the Government's logic was 'like France hammering British holidaymakers due to a Covid outbreak on the (British Atlantic territory of the) Falkland Islands.'

French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune earlier lambasted the British restrictions as 'discriminatory towards French people' and making 'no sense in terms of health policy'.

Beaune said the Beta strain accounted for fewer than five percent of Covid cases in France, and mostly occurred in overseas territories from where relatively few people travelled to the UK.

La Reunion (pictured) will from Saturday for the next two weeks go into partial lockdown, with movement only allowed 10 kilometres from people's home in the daytime and five kilometres on a Sunday, said its top official, prefect Jacques Billant

But Prime Minister Jean Castex earlier expressed alarm over the 'dramatic' situation in some overseas territories, with only three out of every 10 adults vaccinated on La Reunion compared with over half nationwide.

The Caribbean territory of Martinique, where only 15 percent of people are vaccinated, will also go into a three-week lockdown from Friday with only limited movements allowed in daytime an a curfew from 7.00pm, its prefect Stanislas Cazelles announced.

It comes as health officials are said to be 'getting very jumpy' about Spain's situation with the strain, which emerged in South Africa and is thought to be more resistant to the AstraZeneca vaccine given to millions in the UK.

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.

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.

Asked about the possibility of Spain going on an 'amber watchlist' - with the possibility of it moving straight to the red category - Mr Raab said: 'I can't rule things that the JBC and the government will decide, but they'll make that decision next week in terms of the traffic light system for all the relevant countries.'

Mr Raab said the 'momentum forward is positive' with the high proportion of Britons who are double-jabbed.

'We've done the job we had to do domestically, and as we see other countries catch up if you like, I think we're increasingly confident that more countries will go on either on amber or onto green,' he said.

Pushed for advice to would-be holidaymakers, Mr Raab said 'you'll know next week'.

He suggested if the need to book immediately they will 'have to base it on the traffic light system we've got in place right now'.

'We can't give cast iron guarantees about what the next review system will decide. If we did it wouldn't be a very meaningful review system,' he added.

Meanwhile, French minister Clement Beaune has slammed the decision to keep quarantine measures for vaccinated travellers coming from France to the UK, while other EU countries and the US are exempted.

'It's excessive, and it's frankly incomprehensible on health grounds ... It's not based on science and discriminatory towards the French,' Mr Beaune told LCI TV.

'I hope it will be reviewed as soon as possible, it's just common sense.'

Mr Beaune said France was not planning tit-for-tat measures 'for now'.
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Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, England's deputy chief medical officer, warned the third wave is not over and there will be 'bumpy moments' in the autumn and winter

England's Covid third wave is not over and there will be 'bumpy moments' in the autumn and winter, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam has warned.

An un-named senior minister alleged earlier this week the pandemic was 'all over bar the shouting' amid falling case numbers which have now dropped week-on-week for eight days in a row.

But the deputy chief medical officer today rejected the claim, saying: 'I've heard people say in the media that this is all over. I wish it were so.'

He told the BBC: 'I hope the worst is behind us, but I think its quite possible we will have one or two bumpy periods in the autumn and winter, not only through Covid, but also through flu and other respiratory viruses as well.'

Britain's daily Covid cases dipped again today, according to official figures, after the Department of Health posted another 31,117 infections which was down by more than a fifth on last Thursday.

But hospitalisations rose by nearly a quarter to 932 admissions a day, and another 71 deaths were recorded which was the same as last week. Experts say hospitalisations may fall in the next seven days, and that they lag behind cases because of the time taken for someone who has caught the virus to fall seriously ill.

Separate Public Health England data today added to the promising picture by suggesting Covid cases were now falling in all of England's 149 local authorities, and every age group except the over-80s.

Their weekly report showed, however, that fewer tests were being carried out which may be behind the drop in cases. But the positivity rate  the proportion of swabs that detected the virus  also fell, suggesting the trend is genuine and not skewed by a lack of swabbing.

But another report from the Covid symptom-study app today suggested Covid cases are not falling as fast as official figures suggest, and may have only plateaued last week.

King's College London scientists estimated just over 60,000 people were catching the virus every day in the week to July 24, the latest date available. This was barely a change from the previous week.

Experts said today the 'chaotic' datasets were likely reflecting 'a lot of different things going on at the same time', including the start of the summer holidays, hot weather and easing restrictions on Freedom Day July 19.

They have warned that Britain may face a difficult winter this year because of an expected rise in Covid cases and resurgence of other respiratory viruses such as the flu, which have barely spread over the past 18 months.

Ministers are planning a jabs booster programme to 'top up' immunity against Covid in older age groups although it is yet to receive the green light, and will also be rolling out annual flu vaccines.

The vaccination drive has already protected the vast majority of Britons, including almost everyone in older age groups. But there are concerns Covid immunity from jabs could have waned by the winter, possibly opening the door to more people suffering serious disease from the virus.

It comes as:

PHE and Cambridge University scientists estimated the vaccines had already saved 60,000 lives and stopped more than 22million infections;

PHE's boss Dr Yvonne Doyle warned Britons to socialise outdoors if they are planning on a staycation in order to limit the spread of the virus;

A record 690,000 alerts were sent out by the NHS contact tracing app last week, official data revealed, as the 'pingdemic' leaves millions of workers unable to do their jobs;

Almost three per cent of travellers returning from Spain are now testing positive for Covid, with the rate having tripled since the end of June figures showed;

Office for National Statistics survey found a quarter of 18 to 24 year olds were already defying Covid self-isolation rules before Freedom Day on July 19;

Test and Trace data showed cases rose by almost a third in the week to July 21, the latest available, when almost 308,000 were spotted. It lags by about a week behind official figures, meaning no downturn in cases is expected until next week.

 Slide me  Public Health England data suggested today that Covid cases are dropping in all 149 areas of England, after they fell in the latest week to July 25. This was a stark contrast to the previous week when they rose in the vast majority of areas. Regionally, the North East saw the sharpest drop in cases followed by the West Midlands and the North West

PHE data showed Covid cases fell in all age groups except among over-80s (blue dashed line), but infections in the group plateaued for the first time since May when cases first started to rise. The biggest week-on-week drop in cases was among adults in their 20s (yellow line) where they almost halved to 616 cases per 100,000 people. They were followed by adults in their thirties (black dotted line) where cases dipped by almost two fifths to 475.7 per 100,000

Covid cases also declined across all regions with the biggest week-on-week drop recorded in the country's Covid hotspot the North East (yellow line). Cases here almost halved to 520 per 100,000. It was followed by Yorkshire and the Humber (black dashed line) where infections fell by two fifths to 339 per 100,000, and the North West where they dipped by 37 per cent to 380 cases per 100,000 people

The number of tests carried out fell in the latest week which may be behind the decline in cases. But the positivity rate (black line for PCRs and black dotted line for lateral flow tests) also fell, suggesting the fall may be real. The positivity rate is the proportion of tests done that detect the virus

The Covid symptom study today showed there were just over 60,000 people catching the virus every day in the week to July 24, the latest available. This was a slight rise on the previous week when 60,000 people were getting infected a day. Experts behind the study said their figures differed from the national charts because Britain may now be testing the wrong people

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, said the latest datasets were 'chaotic' and were likely the result of several different events happening at the same time.

He said: 'Hopes have been pinned on the overall trend heading downwards, but a few days infection numbers here or there are in no way a reliable way to predict what the future holds.

'Confident assertions that infection trends will definitely head in a certain direction ignore the last 18 months where trends can turn "on a dime".

'And while vaccinations are clearly having an impact on reducing the worst effects of Covid, we still have one fifth of the population unvaccinated and possibilities of future variants trying their best to get round our defences.

'The only current certainty is that the future remains uncertain.'

Public Health England publishes a report every week on the number of people testing positive for the virus by age and location, to track the spread of Covid in the country.

In the latest week to July 25 they found Covid cases dipped in all areas, with the biggest decline in England's hotspot the North East where infections almost halved in a week (46 per cent) to 520 cases per 100,000 people.

It was followed by the West Midlands where infections fell by two fifths (40 per cent) to 415 per 100,000, and the North West where they dropped by almost two-fifths (37 per cent) to 380 per 100,000.

And when the data was divided by age groups adults in their twenties saw the biggest fall in infections after they almost halved in seven days (down 48 per cent) to 616 cases per 100,000 people.

The second-biggest drop was among adults in their thirties where they fell by almost two-fifths (37 per cent) to 476 per 100,000, and those aged 10 to 19 where they also fell by almost two-fifths (36 per cent) to 658 per 100,000.

Vaccines have already saved 60,000 lives and stopped 22million infections, experts say Vaccines have already saved 60,000 lives and prevented more than 22million infections, according to analysis by Public Health England and Cambridge University scientists. They were also estimated to have stopped some 52,600 hospitalisations due to the virus. The figures were published today as England's deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said he hopes the worst of the pandemic is behind the country. But he warned there could be 'one or two bumpy periods' ahead. Modelling by PHE and Cambridge scientists estimated the figures for the period up to July 23. Previously they estimated that by July 9 the vaccines had saved 37,000 lives and stopped 11million cases. But the surge in infections this month to more than 50,000 a day has led to a big uptick in the figures. Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, Consultant Epidemiologist at PHE, said: 'These figures show the vaccine programmes remarkable impact on saving lives and reducing the spread of the virus. 'As cases have increased, the true scale of protection from the vaccine programme has become clear. Everyone that has come forward for their vaccine has played a part in this vital effort. 'It remains vital that everyone gets 2 doses of the vaccine, to protect you and those around you from COVID-19. You must book your second jab when invited, to gain maximum protection.' Advertisement

The downturn in cases was, however, accompanied by a drop in the number of tests carried out.

PHE data showed a third less PCRs were carried out in the latest week, after they dropped by about a million, and 20 per cent fewer lateral flow tests were completed, a drop of 600,000.

But in a glimmer of hope the test positivity rate still dipped, suggesting cases are falling.

For PCRs it fell from 11.5 to 9.7 per cent of tests done detecting the virus, and for lateral flows it fell from 2.4 to 1.6 per cent.

PHE's medical director Dr Doyle said: 'Case rates remain high across the country, and we continue to monitor the data closely so we can understand how the pandemic is progressing.

'The pandemic is certainly not over, and I continue to urge caution.'

She also urged Britons to avoid socialising indoors if they take a staycation this summer.

'If you are heading off on holiday in the UK this summer, remember it is safer to socialise outside and you should test yourself twice a week with free rapid tests,' she said.

'If you are travelling abroad make sure to check the rules for the country you are going to and remember just because you're away, please continue to be cautious.'

It came as separate data from the ZOE symptom study suggested Covid were not falling last week, in contrast with official figures, but plateaued.

In the latest week it estimated 60,480 people were catching Covid in the UK every day. This was barely a change from the previous seven-day spell.

Professor Tim Spector, who leads the ZOE symptom-tracking study, said the difference was likely because the testing system was now swabbing the 'wrong people', leading to cases being missed.

He said their figures showed Covid cases 'have stopped rising for the last week and are holding steady around the 60,000 mark'.

'This is in stark contrast to the rapid decline in cases recorded by the Government's official confirmed cases data.

'The drop is much faster than we've seen in previous waves, even after full national lockdowns, leaving the accuracy of the official tally in doubt.'

The epidemiologist added: 'The UK is still testing more people than virtually any other country, although numbers have recently dropped, so it could be that we are now testing the wrong people.

'There is still a very strict and limited symptom list in place, and we've been calling on the Government for months to expand the list to include cold-like symptoms which are currently the most common symptoms we are seeing in confirmed Covid cases.'

'If we got into line with other countries (by recognising more symptoms), we could pick up cases that are currently going undetected,' he said.

The study relies on daily reports from more than a million Britons to track the spread of the virus across the country. It asks participants to report whether they are feeling unwell, their symptoms and whether they have received a positive test for the virus.

Official data shows the number of Covid tests carried out has dropped slightly over recent weeks. Experts say this is likely due to the school holidays, meaning hundreds of thousands of children no longer have to test themselves twice a week for Covid. The average number of tests carried out dropped almost eight per cent in the week to July 21, the latest available, after 960,000 people were swabbed for the virus a day on average

The symptom study found the majority of new infections were among people who had not been vaccinated (36,102 new cases a day  blue line). They said more people who were double-vaccinated were catching the virus every day (14,110 - red line) than partially vaccinated people (10,268 - green line). They said this was because far more Britons have been double-vaccinated than have received one dose. The graph is shown as the infection rate per 100,000 people in each group. This has led to the single-vaccinated cases appearing to be higher than the double-vaccinated cases because far fewer people have received one dose, as have received both doses

Figures from health data company ZOE show Covid cases have plateaued in recent days (blue). This is in start contrast to daily figures from the Department of Health (orange) and their average (black) which suggest there has been a sharp fall in cases. Experts behind the app said the Department of Health may be picking up a fall because it was now testing the wrong people

Professor Tim Spector, who leads the app, said their results may differ from the official tally because Britain is now testing 'the wrong people'. He pointed to data from his study showing double-vaccinated people who catch Covid now suffer it as a 'bad cold', and are less likely to get the 'classic' symptoms of a high temperature, new continuous cough and loss of taste and smell. Officials have refused to expand the Government's list of symptoms (Right: Boris Johnson yesterday)

Separate data from Test and Trace showed Covid cases rose by almost a third in the week to July 21, after 295,000 people tested positive. The system lags a week behind the official tally, meaning it is not yet expected to show a fall in cases

There were also signs the system is already buckling under the pressure. Data showed it failed to reach 14.8 per cent of Covid positive people in the latest week, the highest since October last year when the second wave was gathering steam. A Covid-infected person is marked as not reached when they do not respond to texts, calls and emails telling them they have tested positive for the virus and need to self-isolate for ten days

Cases are NOT falling as fast as official figures suggest, symptom-study claims saying the 'wrong people' are being tested Britain's Covid cases may not be falling as quickly as official data suggests, symptom-tracking experts claimed today. King's College London scientists estimated slightly more than 60,000 people were getting infected each day in the week ending July 24, the latest available. This was barely different to the previous seven-day spell. Experts behind the study said their results may differ from the official tally because the swabbing drive was now 'testing the wrong people', leading to many infections being missed. They pointed to their own data which showed vaccines had mostly turned Covid into a 'bad cold'  with double-vaccinated Brits who catch the virus more likely to suffer a headache, runny nose, sneezing and a sore throat than the 'classic' three symptoms. Officials have repeatedly refused to expand the Covid symptoms list to include more warning signs than a high temperature, new continuous cough and loss of taste and smell. This is despite more than 70 per cent of Britons being fully-jabbed. Professor Tim Spector, who leads the study with health data company ZOE, said the figures showed Covid cases 'have stopped rising for the last week and are holding steady around the 60,000 mark'. 'This is in stark contrast to the rapid decline in cases recorded by the Government's official confirmed cases data,' he said. 'The drop is much faster than we've seen in previous waves, even after full national lockdowns, leaving the accuracy of the official tally in doubt.' The epidemiologist added: 'The UK is still testing more people than virtually any other country, although numbers have recently dropped, so it could be that we are now testing the wrong people. 'There is still a very strict and limited symptom list in place, and we've been calling on the Government for months to expand the list to include cold-like symptoms which are currently the most common symptoms we are seeing in confirmed Covid cases.' Advertisement

The majority of cases detected by ZOE were estimated to be among Britons that were still yet to receive a single dose of a vaccine, with 36,102 new infections per day.

Among vaccinated Britons the study predicted there were more daily infections among people who have received both doses (14,110 cases a day) than one dose (10,268).

This does not mean vaccines do not work, and merely reflects the fact that most of the country has now received both doses, experts say.

Official data shows 37.6million Britons  or 71.1 per cent of adults  have got both doses of the vaccine, while 9million  17.2 per cent  have only received one dose.

The ZOE Covid symptom study was one of the first studies to spot loss of taste and smell as a symptom of the virus, and successfully lobbied ministers to have it added to the official warning signs list.

Since then it has repeatedly called for the symptom list to be expanded to ensure more infections are caught in the early stages, helping to curb the spread of the virus.

They point to other countries that have recognised far more symptoms of an infection with the virus.

For example, authorities in the US have identified more than 20 symptoms as a possible sign of a Covid infection which also include muscle aches, headache and a sore throat.

Guidance says Britons should only get tested for Covid if they are suffering from the three key warning signs, or if they are told to get swabbed by Test and Trace.

Experts say Covid cases may be dropping in England because the Euro-fuelled surge is coming to an end, coupled with the warm weather allowing people to spend more time outdoors where the virus finds it harder to spread.

Some have also suggested a lack of testing due to the school holidays may also be behind the dip in cases, because pupils no longer need to swab themselves for the virus twice a week.

Some scientists also raised the theory yesterday that Britain was now approaching the 'holy grail' of herd immunity  when the virus stops spreading in the community because so many people have antibodies to fight it off.

University College London experts say around 93 per cent of people will need some form of immunity to Covid in order to stop the disease spreading.

In their most recent estimates, they said around 87 per cent of people now have antibodies to fight the virus off.

They had previously suggested a lower proportion of people would need antibodies to stop the disease spreading in the country, but the emergence of the more transmissible Indian 'Delta' variant changed the goalposts.

Dr David Matthews, a virologist from the University of Bristol, told The Telegraph: 'In terms of herd immunity  by which we mean the virus has managed to reach everybody and therefore most people will have a level of immune memory  I suspect we're very close to it.

Record 1.5MILLION self-isolation alerts were sent last week, official data shows A record 1.5million people were asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace last week, official data shows as England's 'pingdemic' chaos continues to rage on. NHS figures show nearly 690,000 alerts were given out by the app last week, the highest number since it was introduced. A further 536,000 people were reached by call handlers, while 308,000 were asked to isolate after testing positive for the virus. In total, more than 3.9million people have been told to isolate since the start of July, the data shows. However, a single person may be identified by the app and call handlers before going on to test positive themselves  or be asked to isolate multiple times in the same month  so the true number of individuals isolating is likely to be lower. A record 1.5million people were asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace last week, official data shows The damning statistics come as ministers continue to face heavy criticism for refusing to ditch isolation requirements despite lifting restrictions on 'Freedom Day'. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick today acknowledged the system is 'frustrating' but continued to urge people to isolate if they are pinged. One of the Government's top scientific advisors yesterday said he advised ministers to adopt a 'test and release' strategy as early as January, but Boris Johnson has so far refused to budge on the August 16 date for scrapping self-isolation for the double-jabbed. Advertisement

'Assuming nothing truly spectacularly leftfield happens then this pandemic is pretty much over for the UK. I suspect we will not see a major surge this winter, or any serious levels of fatalities.

'The more we close the gap on the last 10 per cent who haven't had the vaccine the better we will be. Everyone will eventually meet the virus and it is far better to do so vaccinated.'

Professor Karl Friston, one of the modellers at UCL, said: 'We are currently close to  but not at  herd immunity, according to real-time estimates.

'The herd immunity threshold is currently about 93 per cent but our population immunity is only 87 per cent.

'But as witnessed by the recent decline in notification rates, we do not need to reach a herd immunity threshold to bring the effective R-number below one and, in principle, suppress viral transmission.'

Professor Friston and colleagues were behind claims that Britain was days away from reaching herd immunity back in the spring, before the Indian variant took hold.

Scientists criticised the UCL modelling at the time, with one warning that it has a 'history of making over-confident and over-optimistic predictions'.

Downing Street has played down suggestions that the end of Britain being in a pandemic state was in sight. 'No one here is declaring mission accomplished,' a source said.

Separate Test and Trace figures today showed Covid cases rose by almost a third in the week to July 21, the latest available, when almost 308,000 were spotted. But the figures lag behind the official tally by a week, meaning they won't show a drop yet.

The system continued to buckle under the strain of the third wave after it failed to reach 14.8 per cent of Covid positive people in the latest week and ask them for close contacts. This was the highest proportion since October last year, when the second wave started to gather steam.

There may also be hints in the data that Britons are turning away from Test and Trace amid the 'pingdemic', which has left supermarket shelves empty and bins uncollected because workers were forced into self-isolation after they were found to have been near a Covid case.

Data showed 14.8 per cent of people who tested positive for the virus were not reached in the latest week, or almost 44,000 Covid-infected individuals.

Test and Trace marks someone down as 'not reached' if they do not respond to texts, phone calls and emails from the service telling them they have tested positive for the virus and need to self-isolate.

A further 23 per cent of Covid-positive cases who were reached were marked as unable to provide details of their close contacts, the highest proportion since February when the second wave was dying down.
Hunter Biden's wife grabbed an iced coffee from a Starbucks near her new Malibu home  and hit American taxpayers with a hefty bill of around $285, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Melissa Cohen, mom of Biden's one-year-old son Beau, was seen being escorted by two Secret Service agents in a government Ford Expedition as she stopped for a brew on Tuesday.

One agent stayed at the wheel of the blue SUV parked at the curb, while the other carefully opened a rear door for her as she returned to the vehicle carrying a tray.

Melissa Cohen's recent trip to Starbucks in Malibu cost taxpayers $285, DailyMail.com can reveal

Hunter Biden's wife was seen being escorted by two Secret Service agents in a government Ford Expedition as she stopped for a brew near the couple's new home on Tuesday

One agent stayed at the wheel of the blue SUV parked at the curb, while the other carefully opened a rear door for her as she returned to the vehicle carrying a tray

A smiling Cohen appeared happy and in good spirits during the taxpayer-funded outing

Biden, 51, and Cohen, 34, have been given 24-hour Secret Service protection at their stunning new 3,000sq ft four-bedroom home in California, rented for $20,000 a month.

Average salaries for top agents - such as those closely protecting President Joe Biden's family - are $148,437 a year, according to job review website Glassdoor.com.

The six-figure sum amounts to an approximate hourly rate of $71.36, meaning taxpayers are forking over $285.44 for the coffee run in a two-hour jaunt.

Because the SUV is a government vehicle, there are also the gas prices to consider.

And the cost could be even higher. Three years ago then-President Trump raised the cap on Secret Service agents' earnings to $189,000 a year, including overtime.

But smiling Cohen, a social activist and filmmaker from South Africa, appeared happy to use government resources to keep her refreshed before heading to her new pad.

Secret Service agents are reported to earn $148,437 a year - an approximate hourly rate of $71.36 - meaning taxpayers are forking over $285.44 for Cohen's two-hour coffee run

She wore a beige crisscross wrap top over a yellow tank top, white tights, slides, and a maroon cardigan

The president's son and daughter-in-law have been given 24-hour Secret Service protection at their stunning new 3,000sq ft four-bedroom home in California, rented for $20,000 a month

She wore a beige crisscross wrap top over a yellow tank top, white tights, slides, and a maroon cardigan.

Cohen was accompanied by a female friend as she walked to the store, but was later seen parting ways with her after picking up a carry-out tray with two iced coffee drinks.

The Secret Service agent, who was dressed in plain clothes, was never too far behind during the outing, and even held the door open for Cohen as she got into the SUV.

Biden and Cohen moved in three months ago, leaving a $5.4million canal-side home in Venice, California, because there was not enough privacy, according to TMZ.

But this place is apparently perfect for the president's son, who has transitioned to a new career as an artist.

Cohen was accompanied by a female friend as she walked to the store. Both were dressed in workout clothes

The Secret Service agent, who was dressed in plain clothes, was never too far behind during the outing

Cohen and her friend were later seen parting ways after she picked up a carry-out tray with two iced coffee drinks at Starbucks

It has its own studio and Biden reportedly begins his day at 5am with a coffee before heading to work in the converted three-car garage.

There, he creates artwork for his controversial professional debut at a Manhattan gallery this fall - where prices could hit $500,000.

The home boasts 180 degree views of the Pacific ocean, has a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, an indoor-outdoor living room and a great room with a vaulted ceiling. The 0.7-acre lot features a pool, hot tub, stone patio and built-in barbecue.

Neighbors told TMZ that Biden mostly keeps to himself, noting that many haven't seen the aspiring artist. However, they say the property has been 'crawling with Secret Service agents'.

The Harvard-educated lawyer's art debut will see prices ranging from $75,000 for pieces on paper to $500,000 for large-scale paintings, according to his art dealer, Georges Berges.

Biden and Cohen married in May, 2019, reportedly six days after they met

Hunter Biden, who recently transitioned to a career as an artist, is renting a $20,000-per-month home (pictured) in Malibu complete with four bedrooms, 2.5 baths and an art studio

Concerns over whether buyers of his paintings would try to use the transactions to curry favor with the Biden administration have put officials in an ethics bind.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed that the gallerist 'will be the only person who handles transactions or conversations in that vein and will reject any offer that is out of the ordinary'. She said Biden will not know who has purchased his art.

The president's son was previously married to Kathleen Buhle and had children Naomi, Finnegan and Maisy.

But they split in 2015 and divorced in 2017  the year he had a brief fling with Lunden Alexis Roberts, who gave birth to their child known as 'Baby Doe'.

Biden and Cohen married in May, 2019, reportedly six days after they met.
Andrew Rowe leaving the court after admitting falsely claiming benefits in 2019

A convicted terrorist has been sent back to jail after hiding his job as a lorry driver from police.

Andrew Rowe, 50, failed to declare the vehicles he was driving while employed by Serco as a rubbish collector in 2019, in breach of a notification order.

Counter-terrorism officers have been concerned about ex-offenders driving large vehicles since a wave of attacks that began in Nice in 2016, killing 86 people, which was followed by attacks at Westminster, London Bridge, and Finsbury Park in 2017.

It is also known that Usman Khan, the terrorist who killed two graduates working on a Cambridge University prisoner rehabilitation scheme at Fishmongers' Hall, had tried to get work driving a tipper truck.

Rowe pleaded guilty to failing to notify police about the use of four different vehicles on nine occasions between August 15 and September 27 2019 after passing his heavy good vehicle test and gaining a job with Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

Over two months, Rowe drove four different vehicles a total of nine times.

He was sentenced Thursday at the Old Bailey to 10 months in jail, having admitted the nine breaches.

Judge Angela Rafferty QC stressed that notification requirements were of utmost importance to 'keep the public safe'.

She highlighted the 'carnage' of the recent attacks in which vehicles were used as weapons.

Rejecting a non-custodial sentence, she said: 'You, a terrorist offender, drove a heavy goods vehicle in this city without notifying the police you were doing so.'

Judge Rafferty added: 'You clearly knew what your notification requirements were, and this had been reiterated to you. This was a deliberate decision not to notify.

'You understood any vehicles you drove during employment would be of particular interest. You decided to stop compliance with the requirements when you thought your chosen work would be prevented.'

She said the requirements were of the 'utmost importance to keep the public safe from terrorism' and added: 'The amendment to the requirements was against a backdrop of the carnage caused using vehicles in several atrocities in this jurisdiction and abroad.

'You were aware of the seriousness of the notification regime and the requirement for you to comply. You chose not to because it was difficult.

'The authorities must know when ex-terrorist offenders intend to drive heavy vehicles on the streets of this city. That is obvious and clear to any reasonable person.

'The notification requirements for convicted terrorists are imposed for the safety of all and to manage the risks inherent in this kind of offending.'

'You put your own self interest above the notification requirements.'

In 2005, Rowe was jailed for 15 years after being found guilty at the Old Bailey of having a notebook containing details on how to fire mortar bombs and a code for terrorism.

That sentence was reduced on appeal to 10 years in prison.

The defendant, of St Johns Wood, north west London, was released from prison in 2010 and made the subject of a 15-year notification order.

He was notified in March 2019 of a new obligation to give details of all vehicles used by him following a change in legislation.

It followed a series of terror attacks involving the use of vehicles as weapons in Britain and abroad.

In August 2019, Rowe told an officer that he was looking for a job driving heavy goods vehicles.

Police became aware he had got work with Serco via a recruitment agency to drive refuse lorries without notifying them.

Since starting his job, Rowe did not give police information about the vehicles he was using.

However, the court heard the defendant had told the agency and Serco about his previous convictions.

In mitigation, Catherine Oborne said: 'This is a defendant who could have done more to have complied with the notification requirements placed upon him.

'But he did not do nothing and what I would respectfully submit is this is a person who has buried their head in the sand and has learned a very sharp and significant lesson as a result of it.'

She told the court her client had expressed a desire to 'live a normal life and get back in society'.

She added: 'He was trying to do a decent job as a refuse collector. That job did give him pride and dignity.

'He was described as one of the best workers for Serco and they were considering offering him a full-time position rather than as agency staff.'

On the risk of allowing a terror offender to drive a large vehicle, Ms Oborne added: 'Of course there is a plain and obvious concern that the police would no doubt have about use of HGV lorries but there was no specific risk in respect or this defendant himself.

'He was a defendant who had been released into the community for nine years and although convicted of other offences, he has not been convicted of any further terrorism offences or and further breach.'

The court heard Rowe did not want to live on benefits and had engaged with a painting and decorating course, and a university degree in international development and NGO management.

Prosecutor Peter Ratliff said: 'This defendant lost his job as a consequence of these proceedings.'

Rowe was the first Briton to be jailed following the 7/7 bombings, when he was sentenced for terror offences at the Old Bailey in September 2005.

In October 2003, Rowe was arrested at the Channel Tunnel after travelling from Germany.

Officers found socks bearing traces of high explosive residue hidden in his luggage, believed to have been used for cleaning mortars.

Raids on his homes uncovered his handwritten guide to firing battlefield weapons, a code sheet and videos of 9/11 and Osama Bin Laden.

Rowe, dubbed a 'Mujahideen warrior' at his original trial, was convicted of two charges of possession of an article for terrorist purposes.

Sentencing Rowe to 15 years jail in 2005, Mr Justice Fulford said: 'The contents of the substitution code are chilling in the extreme.

'It refers to airports, airline crews, explosives, firearms, army bases and three targets. In the post 9/11 world it requires no imagination to understand what would have been within your contemplation and what would have been your purpose.

'I have no doubt that whatever terrorist purposes you and unknown others were contemplating, its fulfilment was relatively imminent.'

Rowe had travelled to Bosnia at the height of the civil war where he was trained in firing Russian made mortars and was taught how to create codes so he could secretly communicate with fellow plotters about weapons, explosives and targets.

On his return to the UK, Rowe spent two months in hospital after suffering serious leg injuries in a blast and claimed thousands of pounds in invalidity benefits because of his wounds.

He admitted two counts of benefits fraud and three counts of fraud by false representation back in 2019.

Prosecutor Misba Majid told Westminster Magistrates' Court in March of that year that Rowe received job seeker's allowance between April 2013 and April 2017.

'The defendant, from some time in 2016, in December 2016, was in fact working and receiving money for the work he was carrying out.'

She said Rowe began to claim employment support between 21 June 2017 and 5 December 2017

She added: 'The defendant was also seeking various other benefits, those being housing benefits and reductions in council tax.'

Ms Majid told how in total, Rowe was over paid 5,030 by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Ms Majid continued: 'There are three fraud by false representation matters. The defendant has actually obtained insurance for a car and on each occasion he has been asked by the insurance company whether he had any convictions.

'The defendant does in fact have a number of previous convictions.'

Ms Majid said Rowe has seven previous convictions for 16 offences, the most recent being for battery in 2013.

Franck Magennis, defending, said: 'The plain fact of this is that it is true that my client was convicted of serious crimes in 2005 but the unfortunate consequence of that is that it is very difficult for him in the jobs market.

In October 2003, Rowe was arrested at the Channel Tunnel (pictured) as he travelled back from Europe

'It was over a decade ago. Plainly this is a man navigating the jobs market, people withdraw job offers when they see his convictions.

'The defendant feels shame when having to declare his previous convictions.'

Mr Magennis said Rowe carried out the three car insurance scams because he was concerned he would otherwise be unable to cover his vehicle.

Turning to the benefits scam, he said: 'Whilst it is true that he benefited to the sum of 5,000, he has been paying back that amount at a rate that is as speedy as possible.'

Before converting to Islam in 1990, Rowe was a drug dealer and petty criminal.

He later became a regular worshipper at Regent's Park and Ladbroke Grove mosques.

After returning from the Balkan conflict, Rowe spent seven years visiting Islamist hotspots around the globe, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Morocco and Malaysia.

He vandalised or threw away his UK passport three times to get rid of incriminating visa stamps.

Rowe had claimed he just wanted to help beleaguered Muslim communities in Chechnya defend themselves.
Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinsteins attempt to dodge two of the 11 sexual assault charges hes facing in Los Angeles was today thrown out by a judge.

The 69 year-old movie moguls attorney, Alan Jackson, argued that the two counts - one of rape and the other of forced oral copulation both involving the same victim, Jane Doe #4, dated back to September 2004 or 2005 , and consequently, the statute of limitations ran out on them in September 2015.

But Judge Lisa Lench over-ruled Jacksons demurrer - challenge, in laymans terms - and allowed the two charges to stand.

The judge did sustain Jacksons demurrer on a third count - sexual battery of victim Jane Doe #3 in 2010 - after the attorney told the court that the prosecutions case in this count is fatally flawed and the statute of imitations has also run out on it.

Judge Lench did not throw the charge out, but gave leave to the prosecution to file an amended indictment on that sexual battery charge.

Harvey Weinstein is pictured in court in L.A. on Thursday. The 69-year-old is facing 11 additional sex crimes. He is already serving 23 years in New York

The 69-year-old wore his reading glasses and a blue face mask with his brown prison top. The judge said no one would know they were prison clothes, after Weinstein's lawyers asked if he could wear his own outfit

Weinstein showed no emotion or reaction to the judges decision today as he sat in a wheelchair, uncuffed and wearing brown LA County Jail overalls and a blue mask.

His lead attorney, Mark Werksman, took issue with the judge over the former Hollywood big-shots prison clothes that bore the words LA County Jail on the back.

Werksman objected to still and video cameras being allowed to capture Weinstein in his jail duds, saying such pictures would be prejudicial.

And he filed a motion asking Judge Lench to allow Weinstein to be unshackled and wear civilian clothing so that at least he can look like he is presumed innocent before his trial.

The judge allowed Weinstein to appear uncuffed but told Werksman, I am not going to grant the other part of the motion.

Mr. Weinstein is wearing a brown top. You know that its jail attire but Im not sure anyone else does.

Weinstein has repeatedly pleaded his innocence and tried to get out of jail, citing his ailing health as among the reasons for it

Weinstein had two attorneys present for the hearing on Thursday. They tried to get three charges thrown out; the judge upheld two and gave the prosecution time to file a downgraded charge for the third

The judge - who also allowed the press to take photos and video during todays hearing at the criminal court in downtown LA - told Weinstein that he had a right to a speedy trial within 60 days of his first court appearance in L.A. on July 21, but he could waive that right if he wished.

Does that agree with you sir? she asked him.

After conferring with his attorneys, he responded, Yes your honor, waiving his speedy trial right. The next hearing is on September 13.

On July 20, Weinstein was extradited to L.A. from New York where he is serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of raping an actress and sexually assaulting a production assistant.

Weinstein is pictured in 2016, the year before he was brought down by the #MeToo scandal. He says his health has deteriorated in prison

The day after arriving in LA, he made a brief court appearance where he pleaded not guilty to raping or sexually assaulting five women in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2004 and 2013.

Most of the alleged crimes - which comprise four counts of forcible rape, four of forcible oral copulation, two of sexual battery by restraint and one of sexual penetration by use of force - happened at LA area hotels where New York-based Weinstein was staying during visits to Hollywood.

If convicted, hes looking at maximum prison sentences totaling 140 years.

Meanwhile, the man who unwittingly helped spark the #MeToo movement, maintains his innocence, insisting that any sexual activity was consensual.

At the July 21 hearing, attorney Werksman, was granted a request for a medical evaluation of Weinstein who is reportedly suffering from spinal stenosis and is blind in one eye.

Weinsteins New York attorneys used his medical ailments as a reason to hold up his extradition to LA for many months.

And outside the July 21 hearing, womens rights lawyer Gloria Allred - who represents one of Weinsteins New York victims and two of his alleged victims in LA - scorned the delaying tactics in an interview with DailyMail.com.

I am happy that this day has come and Im looking for a fair trial here in Los Angeles, she said.

Mr. Weinstein and his defense have been delaying his extradition to Los Angeles for a long time, she said. But he finally ran out of excuses.

Its absurd that he claimed he needed to stay in New York because he needed medical care. We have excellent medical care here in LA.

I think that its important for him to face trial here in LA because some of his victims here have not had their day in court.

Justice may have been delayed in Los Angeles, but its not going to be denied.'
A beloved 15,000 alpaca is set to be killed after a farmer lost a last-ditch High Court bid to save the animal, who was sentenced to die for contracting bovine TB four years ago.

Helen Macdonald's alpaca Geronimo was ordered to be slaughtered after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTb) at her Wickwar, Gloucestershire, farm in 2017.

She has always disputed the original test result - claiming The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is 'relying doggedly on flawed science'.

The experienced alpaca breeder, 48, began a legal battle against the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in 2018 in an attempt to save her 'very valuable' stud alpaca.

Helen Macdonald's alpaca Geronimo (both pictured) was ordered to be slaughtered after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTb) at her Wickwar, Gloucestershire, farm in 2017

She has always disputed Geromino's (pictured) original test result - claiming The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is 'relying doggedly on flawed science'

She lost her original High Court bid in 2019 and a district judge signed an 'execution warrant' in May this year allowing the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to seize Geronimo.

On Thursday, the veterinary nurse brought a last-ditch appeal against the warrant to the High Court, arguing that the district judge had made an error.

Despite her plea that Geronimo should be given a third bTB test, Mr Justice Griffiths rejected her appeal and set the second execution warrant for August 5.

She previously argued there was 'overwhelming evidence' which demonstrated that the alpaca was not infected, and said the original test results were 'not reliable'.

In the latest appeal, her barrister Cathryn McGahey QC, said there was 'good reason to believe that Geronimo does not have bTB' and said the alpaca had shown 'not a whisker of symptoms' since the two positive tests in 2017.

She added: 'Our position is two years down the line it is right for the court to take another look.'

Miss Macdonald (pictured) lost her legal battle in 2019 and on Thursday, she brought an appeal against the warrant to the High Court, arguing that the district judge had made an error

Despite her plea that Geronimo should be given a third bTB test, Mr Justice Griffiths rejected her appeal and set the second execution warrant for August 5. Pictured: Helen Macdonald

The barrister said the postive test results were skewed after he had several, but less accurate, skin tests for bTB, which she compared to the 'bovine equivalent of a lateral flow test'.

Ms Macdonald believes the Geronimo's test came back with a false positive because he had been injected with tuberculin as part of the skin tests.

The farmer told the High Court that as bTB progressed swiftly and Geronimo had not shown symptoms, he should have another test.

The four-year legal battle to save death-row alpaca Geronimo August 2017 - Geronimo first tests positive for bovine tuberculosis at Helen Macdonald's Wickwar, Gloucestershire, farm November 2017 - Another test confirms Geronimo's diagnosis and Defra orders his culling. But Ms Macdonald refuses July 2018 - Then-farming minister George Eustice writes to Miss Macdonald to say he had 'reluctantly concluded that the decision to slaughter Geronimo compulsorily must stand' July 2018 - Defra lawyers write to Ms Macdonald warning they will take her to court to get a warrant to go to her farm and kill the animal He added: 'It is the right decision in terms of the Government's responsibility for controlling this terrible disease' August 2018 - Ms Macdonald accuses officials of mounting a campaign of 'bullying and intimidation' that has left her suffering anxiety August 2018 - Ms Macdonald sends Defra a legal letter setting out how she would launch a judicial review unless the alpaca is re-tested August 2018 - That same month, Mr Eustice refuses another test, saying to Ms Macdonald: 'The evidence that he is infected is substantial' March 2019 - Ms Macdonald took the third test issue to court July 2019 - Ms Macdonald loses her bid for further testing. Mr Justice Murray ruled there was no 'compelling evidence' that the decision not to re-test Geronimo was unlawful July 2019 - That same month, Ms Macdonald announces she will go to the Court of Appeal in a bid to overturn the death sentence - but she does not yet have confirmation that Geronimo won't be killed before a hearing date is set January 2020 - Ms Macdonald writes to Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers. She states: 'I have written to Theresa Villiers asking her to review Geronimo's case and to consent to a meeting with me as a matter of urgency. 'We hope that, unlike her predecessor, Ms Villiers will accept that there is no scientific foundation for suspecting bTB in our perfectly healthy boy, whose excellent health an expert camelid vet confirmed following a full non-invasive clinical examination of Geronimo just last month.' She was able to crowdfund 10,000 in legal fees to fund her High Court bid. December 2020 - The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) applies to Bristol Magistrates Court for a warrant to gain entry to slaughter Geronimo June 2021 - The APHA are granted a warrant of entry to slaughter Geronimo from June 29 - for 30 days. Ms Macdonald seeks to appeal the Magistrate Courts decision and - on June 18 - both parties were informed that the High Court appeal will go ahead July 2021 - Ms Macdonald takes out an emergency injunction to prevent Geronimo from being killed before the appeal hearing on July 29 July 29 - High Court rejects her appeal and says said the judge who had signed the warrant was correct. The judge agreed to delay the start of the second execution warrant until August 5 to allow Miss Macdonald to have Geronimo euthanised. Advertisement

Animals such as alpacas, camels and llamas cannot be tested for bTB without Defra's permission - which the department have refused give to Miss Macdonald.

Ned Westaway, for APHA which is part of Defra, said that it was unusual to have two tests and that a third test would be 'futile' and open 'floodgates' for other owners.

'The disease can take years to progress and it is on that basis that we maintain our suspicion that Geronimo has bTB,' Mr Westaway said.

Defra fears the disease could be passed to animals or humans and previously ordered the farmer to isolate Geronimo in a specially constructed solo pen.

In his judgment on Thursday, Mr Justice Griffiths rejected the appeal and said the judge who had signed the warrant was correct.

He explained: 'The judge recognised how sad it is for Miss Macdonald that her alpaca, having being diagnosed with the bacteria... will now be taken from her and put down.

'He said he had a great degree of sympathy for her... perhaps no-one would not feel sorry for Miss Macdonald and Geronimo.

'This is not a case in which the wishes and feelings of Miss Macdonald can be paramount.'

The judge stressed the needed to protect against the 'serious consequences' of bTB.

Mr Justice Griffiths agreed to delay the start of the second execution warrant until August 5 to allow Miss Macdonald to have Geronimo euthanised.

The High Court ruled in June 2019 that the then-six-year-old animal should be put down.

But Ms Macdonald disputed their ruling, claiming Geronimo had not displayed any 'clinical signs' of bTB in two years.

One month later, she announced she was set to appeal - giving her much-loved pet a stay of execution.

But, in December 2020, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) applied to Bristol Magistrates Court for a warrant to gain entry to slaughter Geronimo before the appeal date was set.

Ms Macdonald was forced to take out an emergency injunction to prevent Geronimo from being killed before the appeal could be concluded.

Geronimo tested positive as part of a national surveillance scheme to check for bovine TB at Ms Macdonald's farm in August 2017.

Another test in November confirmed that Geronimo contracted the disease.

Since the first test, Ms Macdonald has not been able to trade livestock or receive income from it due to Government restrictions.

She uses her herd to make luxury products including scarves and pashminas at her farm.

The Environment Secretary can order the slaughter of a herd of alpacas if there is a suspected outbreak of the disease.

Regular testing of the animals is not mandatory. Tests cannot be carried out without permission from the Defra's secretary.

After announcing her appeal in 2019, Ms Macdonald said in a statement: 'Unless the Court's decision is successfully appealed, Geronimo will soon be slaughtered.

'We believe that, apart from the two highly questionable test results (based on tests prior to which Geronimo was primed multiple times with tuberculin), all of the evidence indicates that Geronimo is not infected with bTB.'

Ms Macdonald believes the first test came back with a false positive because he had been injected with tuberculin as part of skin tests conducted just before he left New Zealand.

The second test came weeks after he was given another dose of the drug.

Her previous statement added: 'It is part of my duty of care as an owner and my right to expect fair treatment from my government that Geronimo is tested correctly.

'I am also deeply concerned that the High Court's decision may have very negative implications for the voluntary surveillance testing of camelids for bTB in this country.'
A 4-year-old boy in Utah who had been missing since late Saturday was found dead in a toy chest in his bedroom in what authorities on Wednesday ruled a tragic accident.

Police investigators say it appears the boy crawled into his toy box and suffocated there.

Kache Wallis was last seen alive on Saturday night in Hurricane City, Utah when his grandmother tucked him into his bed and said goodnight.

When she went to check on him Sunday morning, Kache was not in his bed. Investigators didn't name his grandmother.

Family and friends searched the home before calling law enforcement to report the child missing on Sunday. When police arrived at the home they searched the house before expanding the search into the community.

When the child was not found, law enforcement decided to conduct the third search of the home which is when Kache's body was discovered later Sunday inside a small toy chest in his bedroom.

Kache Wallis, 4, was found suffocated in his toy chest after being reported missing over the weekend. The death has been ruled an accident.

Family, friends, and law enforcement searched the home and Hurricane City, Utah community before the young boy's body was discovered later the day he was reported missing

Hurricane City Police released a statement on Wednesday concluding that 'After interviews with the family and additional investigation into the cause of death by the Utah Medical Examiner's Office this was found to be an accidental death due to positional asphyxiation.'

Hurricane City Police declined to provide further details to DailyMail.com.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the grieving family with funeral cost.

The page's creator, Sarah Jones, wrote that 'Kache had a smile that was infectious and loved everyone, everywhere he went, and they loved him too! "My name is Kache with K" is what he would say. He was the glue that held it all together for us, we just don't know what we are going to do without him.' It's not immediately clear Jones' relation to the boy.

'He will be in our hearts forever! We love you Bubba! And we will miss you!'
Police and fire crews in Canada apologized after they mistook the burnt corpse of a missing woman for a mannequin, and threw it in a dumpster.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Danny McConnell, chief of police in Sherbrooke, a city in Quebec, explained that firefighters had responded to a report of a brush fire behind a baking factory on Cabana Street, at around 10am last Friday.

When firefighters got to the scene, witnesses told them that they believed someone had burnt a silicone mannequin behind the factory.

Police joined fire crews and officers and firefighters agreed that the body was a mannequin, and that they would place it in a container at police department headquarters, which McConnell said was not accessible to the public.

Police and firefighters in Sherbrooke, a city in Quebec, placed the burnt body of a woman in a dumpster (pictured) outside police headquarters last Friday, mistakenly believing it was a mannequin

Sherbrooke police chief Danny McConnell (pictured) apologized Thursday for the mix up

The container was reportedly a dumpster, according to Radio Canada.

McConnell said that at around 10.45am firefighters arrived at police headquarters with what they still believed was a mannequin, and placed it inside the dumpster, just outside.

They would, however, not begin to realize their mistake until four hours later when at 2.15pm a resident reported their wife missing.

Upon investigation, they tracked the woman's cell phone signal and were led to her car parked nearby the site of the fire that morning.

At that time, McConnell said, an officer who responded to the fire raised the point that the two events might not be coincidental.

It was not until around 6.30pm that police decided to collect the 'alleged mannequin' McConnell said, from the dumpster and examine it further, and discovered that it was the body of the missing woman.

'We are obviously sorry for this situation and rest assured that the family was notified at every key point in the investigation,' the chief said.

The first responders had been called to a brush fire outside of a baking factory on Cabana Street (pictured) in the central part of the city

Also speaking on Thursday, Stephane Simoneau, head of the Sherbrooke fire department, said he wanted to share the details of the mishap to the public, and fix what he said was a lack of transparency with the public, Radio Canada reported.

'I'm quite stunned by this news and I can say that my entire team, the entire department, as well as those who were there that day, are in shock,' he said, noting that questions remained over how such a mistake could have occurred.

Simoneau also said that the incident had a psychological impact on the first responders.

'People were overcome by certain emotions, so we have to manage that situation in order to stabilize our teams, psychologically, and that's what we've been doing,' he said.

McConnell did not reveal the identity of the missing woman, and said a the city coroner was conducting an investigation.

Both declined to give further details about the incident.

A spokesman with the coroner's office said details surrounding the woman's death would be made available once its investigation is complete.
The survivors of a chemical leak at a Houston-area plant filed a $1million lawsuit alleging 'gross negligence' in failing to warn employees about the dangers of the materials they worked with, as authorities identified two who died in the incident.

Mike Lopez, an employee of the LyondellBasell chemical plant in La Porte, Texas, and nine others filed suit in Harris County court on Thursday after Lopez said he may be disfigured as a result of being exposed to the toxic substance.

Two contractors were killed and 30 were taken to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment, the company said.

Of those, it said 27 had been released as of Wednesday afternoon.

LyondellBasell said that about 100,000 pounds of a mixture primarily made of acetic acid, which is used to make food-grade vinegar, was released in the leak that started Tuesday evening at its La Porte Complex.

The LyondellBasell chemical plant in La Porte, Texas is pictured above on Tuesday after an explosion caused a leak of a toxic chemical compound. Two people died and 30 were injured

Mike Lopez, an employee of the LyondellBasell chemical plant in La Porte, Texas, filed suit in Harris County court on Thursday after he says he may have been disfigured as a result of being exposed to the toxic substance

The acid burns skin and is toxic when inhaled. It also was mixed in with other compounds that cause fluid to build up in the lungs.

The company said the 'all clear' was given early Wednesday, and that the leak had been isolated and contained.

The company said air monitoring was ongoing and hasn't shown 'actionable levels.'

Two contractors - Dustin Day and Shawn Kuhleman - died in the leak. News of Lopez's lawsuit was reported by the Houston Chronicle.

Authorities responded to reports of an incident at the LyondellBasell Industries plant in La Porte at around 7.35pm Tuesday.

Officials with the city's Office of Emergency Management said a 'process upset incident' sparked a chemical release at the plant which makes polyethlene products.

It is also the world's third-largest producer of glacial acetic acid, a food preservative that is flammable and corrosive.

Mike Lopez, an employee of the LyondellBasell chemical plant in La Porte, Texas , and nine others filed suit in Harris County court on Thursday after Lopez says he may have been disfigured as a result of being exposed to the toxic substance

Two of those injured were taken to a hospital, five were treated at the scene and 31 were monitored for possible symptoms, officials said.

In his lawsuit, Lopez says he had to 'flee for his life' when the acid began spewing out of a burst cap on a pressurized line.

He suffered severe mental distress as well as physical injuries that may leave him disfigured, he says.

'Plant explosions cause some of the most horrific industrial injuries we encounter, and they are often exacerbated by injuries workers sustain while trying to flee to safety,' said Kurt Arnold, an attorney representing Lopez, told the Chronicle.

The other plaintiffs named in the lawsuit who suffered injuries are Ariel Mata, Peter Martyr, Nayahl Martyr, Ricardo Sanchez, Christopher Davila, Joseph Chavis, Jonathan Daniel Alanis, Xavier Argueta, and John Castillo.

The leak was isolated and Harris County Pollution Control conducted air monitoring, but there was no apparent threat to the community.

'There is no shelter in place or other protective actions being recommended for the La Porte community at this time,' La Porte EMS said in a statement.

Two people were killed following a chemical leak at a LyondellBasell Industries plant in La Porte, Texas, on Tuesday which officials described as a 'mass casualty'

Authorities responded to the plant in La Porte, outside Houston, at around 7.35pm Tuesday

LyondellBasell addressed the incident in a statement on Tuesday night.

'At approximately 7:35 p.m., on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, our La Porte Complex located on 1515 Miller Cut-Off Road, experienced an acetic acid leak,' it read.

'Our on-site incident response team responded quickly, and the leak is stopped. Emergency responders from the City of La Porte and Channel Industries Mutual Aid are on scene.

'Two individuals sustained fatal injuries in this incident. Four individuals sustained burns and are being transported to receive medical treatment. We are working closely with responders to confirm all employees are accounted for.

'Air monitoring demonstrated no levels of concern for the community. The safety of our workers and those who live and work near our facilities is our first priority.'

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wrote on Twitter: 'Heartbroken to hear of the two fatalities at the Lyondell Basell facility in La Porte.

'Our county and other first responder agencies are working to support the other workers impacted and to verify that the incident is contained. Grateful to all responders.'
The Afghan government faces an 'existential crisis' as U.S. forces withdraw and the Taliban advance, an independent watchdog appointed by Congress reported on Thursday.

The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction John Sopko blasted the 20-year, $145 billion U.S. effort for its 'overoptimism' and the way officials focused on reaching artificial targets rather than seeing the bigger picture of stability and security.

'Civilian casualties hit a record high in May and June, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan,' he wrote in his latest report to Congress.

'The overall trend is clearly unfavorable to the Afghan government, which could face an existential crisis if it isnt addressed and reversed.'

In his latest report to Congress, Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction John Sopko warned that the Afghan government faced an 'existential crisis' if Taliban advances could not be reversed. He painted a bleak picture of the U.S. effort in the country

Afghan commando forces gather together in Kunduz, Afghanistan July 7, 2021. Sopko said it was only now that the U.S. would discover whether $88 billion spent on the country's armed forces had been properly invested

The Taliban have made rapid gains in recent weeks. In this recent photo, people wave a Taliban flag as they drive through the Pakistani border town of Chaman where insurgents claimed they had captured the Afghan side of the border crossing of Spin Boldak

Washington agreed to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan as the Kabul government pursued a peace deal with the Taliban.

However, talks have stalled while insurgents have captured a swath of the country.

At the same time, President Biden has committed to bringing troops home by the end of August.

Sopko's report makes clear that the U.S.-Taliban deal triggered an insurgent offensive that caught government forces unprepared.

He said part of the problem were monitoring and evaluation programs that created created conditions for 'doing the wrong thing perfectly.'

'That is, programs could be deemed successful even if they had not achieved or contributed to broader, more important goals - such as creating an effective Afghan security force and a stable Afghanistan,' he said.

'Closely related to this finding is one of the reports central themes: the pervasiveness of overoptimism.'

The evaluation process, he concluded, 'displayed a tendency to elevate good news and anecdotes over data suggesting a lack of progress.'

For example, he said the impact of corruption within the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces - including the existence of nonexistent 'ghost' soldiers and police - undermined rosy assessments of their combat readiness.

Afghan soldiers pause on a road at the front line of fighting between Taliban and Security forces, near the city of Badakhshan, northern Afghanistan, Sunday, July. 4, 2021.

A Pakistani paramedic treats men, who were injured in a fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban in Spin Boldak border area, at a hospital in Chaman, Pakistan, Friday, July 16

'More than $88 billion has been appropriated to support Afghanistans security sector,' he wrote.

'The question of whether that money was well spent will ultimately be answered by the outcome of the fighting on the ground.'

The picture is bleak, according to his report.

The Afghan air force, thought to be one of the government's last remaining advantages over the Taliban is overstretched, said Sopko.

He reported that aircraft were operating at 25 percent over their recommended maintenance intervals, resulting in a reduction in readiness.

So although its fleet of AC-208 light attack combat aircraft was at 93 percent readiness in April and May, the figure was 63 percent in June.

Sopko's report is the latest in a string of bleak assessments.

Last week, the most senior U.S. general said the Taliban were in control of more than half Afghanistan's district centers as they advanced across the country.

'This is going to be a test now of the will and leadership of the Afghan people - the Afghan security forces and the government of Afghanistan,' said Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a Pentagon press conference.

And on Monday, the United Nations said Afghanistan may face the highest civilian death toll in more than a decade if the Taliban's offensives were not halted.

Some 1,659 civilians were killed and another 3,254 wounded in the first half of the year - a 47 percent increase on the same period in 2020, said The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

While the U.S. withdraws, the Taliban has been on a mission to build relations. In this image, Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose for a photo during their meeting in Tianjin, China, on Wednesday

The global jihadi movement has interpreted the U.S. withdrawal as a sign of Washington's defeat prompting the Taliban to launch a public, charm offensive as they seek international recognition.

On Wednesday, China's foreign minister met a delegation of senior Taliban leaders.

A photo posted on the ministry's website made it look like a reception for a visiting diplomatic delegation.

It showed Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his Taliban colleagues posing with Wang Ji before they sat down to talks.

'The Taliban are a pivotal military and political force in Afghanistan and are expected to play an important role in the process of peace, reconciliation and reconstruction,' said Wang, according to the Associated Press.
John Haubert, 39, has resigned from the Aurora Police Department following his assault arrest

A Colorado police officer has quit two days after body camera footage of him beating and threatening to shoot a bloodied suspect was made public.

The Aurora Police Department announced on Thursday that John Haubert, 39, had resigned from his post.

On Tuesday, the department released graphic body camera footage showing him forcing suspect Kyle Maurice to the ground, choking him and eventually hitting him with the butt of his gun until he bled from his head and started crying.

The 29-year-old was reportedly struck by the pistol about 13 times, and required six stitches, officials announced Tuesday.

Haubert was charged Monday with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault, felony menacing, official oppression and official misconduct. He turned himself in that night, and is now out on bail.

An Internal Affairs investigation into his behavior will continue, officials said, after which time Chief Vanessa Wilson will make her final decision on whether he violated department policy and what punishment he would have faced had he not resigned.

'I hope the transparency that we're giving you here today, as well as the swift action by our police department can make some of you believe we are trying to do the right thing,' Wilson told 9 News. 'We are trying to reform and we are trying to make a difference.'

Police body camera footage shows Haubert and his partner Francine Martinez, 40, 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

On Tuesday, the Aurora Police Department released graphic body camera footage of the incident, with Wilson saying: 'What you are going to see is going to anger you, it may even bring you to tears.

'I know that I felt myself welling up with tears as well as anger.'

The footage shows Haubert and his partner Francine Martinez, 40, responding to a trespassing call at 2.16pm on Friday near Peoria, where they encountered three suspects, including Vinson.

Two of the suspects ran after Martinez reportedly discovered that they had warrants, at which point Haubert could be seen pushing Vinson - who did not try to flee - 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 on him.

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.'

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

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.'

Vinson was reportedly struck by the pistol about 13 times, officials announced Tuesday, and he was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

His injuries included a bruise and cut to the forehead, his right eye swollen half shut and bruised, a cut to the top of his head that required five stiches, and bruising on his chest.

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 Wilson said she believed Vinson was unaware of a warrant out for his arrest at the time.

It was issued on June 8, according to 9 News, after he failed to comply with the conditions of a deferred judgment that was granted in April 2019 for a prior domestic violence incident.

Martinez is now charged with failing her duty to intervene and duty to report use of force. She has been suspended from the department with pay.

Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson announced charges against Haubert in a Tuesday news conference, before publicizing the body camera footage

Haubert previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for pointing a gun at his roommate while drinking in 2009. Less than a decade later, the Denver Channel reports, he was hired to serve on the police department.

The hiring process is conducted by Aurora's Civil Service Commission, which said in a statement to the local news station: 'None of the current commissioners on the Civil Service Commission were involved in authorizing the hire of Officer Haubert in 2018. However, it is worth noting that all officers in the State of Colorado must become POST certified.'

Under POST training, short for Peace Officers Standards and Trainings, the civil service commission runs a background check on a prospective hire across FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation databases for felony and misdemeanor charges.

The misdemeanor charge Haubert pleaded guilty to, though, is not one that would prevent him from being POST certified, authorities said.

They noted: 'We intend to evaluate the background process currently in place and how to ensure decisions regarding hiring public servants will have the best possible outcome for the community.'
A man accused of murdering a student near Harrods said he only killed him accidentally after he was cursed in Arabic, a court has heard.

Kuwaiti citizen Badir Al-Nazi, 24, has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Omani student Mohammed Al-Araimi, 20, who was fatally stabbed in an alleyway in Knightsbridge on December 5 2019.

He is accused of trying to steal Mr Al-Araimi's 34,000 Patek Philippe watch in the attack.

Al-Nazi said he did not realise he had stabbed Mr Al-Araimi at the time, telling jurors at Inner London Crown Court that he had wanted an apology after an Arabic insult was shouted at him when he asked for a cigarette.

King's College student Mr Al-Araimi had been out for dinner and was walking with his friend Nasser Kanoo, now 22, when they were attacked from behind.

Mohammed Al-Araimi (pictured), 20,was wearing a Patek Phillipe watch worth 34,460 when he was killed near Harrods on December 5, 2019

Al-Nazi and German national Arseboon Dilbaro, 23, are on trial charged with the murder of Mr Al-Araimi and wounding Mr Kanoo with intent to do him grievous bodily harm.

The pair are also charged with attempted robbery, accused of trying to rob the victims who were wearing expensive watches worth more than 40,000.

The prosecution has alleged that Al-Nazi and Dilbaro had gone out that night looking for a victim or victims to rob.

The jury has heard that Mr Al-Araimi was wearing a Patek Philippe watch with an estimated value of 34,000, while Mr Kanoo was wearing a Rolex worth about 7,000.

But Al-Nazi said he did not see the men's watches, did not ask to look at their watches and did not even know they were wearing watches.

'I asked them for a cigarette,' he told the court, adding that he thought he saw one of them smoking.

Al-Nazi said: 'I remember saying 'Excuse me, do you have a cigarette?''

He told the court he asked the question in English and received a response in Arabic from Mr Al-Araimi.

Al-Nazi said the response was a common Arabic insult which the court was told translates as: 'Go away and may your father be cursed.'

Mr Al-Armani was second-year King's College student, who lived in London while studying politics and economics. Pictured: The murder scene outside Harrods, London

He was asked if he felt insulted and he replied: 'Course I did.'

He told jurors he did not respond to the comment, adding that he and Dilbaro discussed whether they should confront the men about the insult.

'We were going to ask them to apologise,' he said.

Jurors heard that Mr Al-Araimi spat towards Al-Nazi.

The defendant told the court he put his hand out in an attempt to stop him walking any further, and said Mr Al-Araimi punched him 'at least twice' in the face.

Al-Nazi, who has pleaded guilty to having a knife, said it was inside his jacket pocket at this point.

He told jurors he carried a knife to 'protect myself' as he had been stabbed in the past.

He said he had nerve damage in his arm after being stabbed with a bottle in 2013.

Al-Nazi said he got hold of his knife and swung his arm towards Mr Al-Araimi using his fist, adding that he did not know the knife made contact with him.

He said that due to the injury in his arm he 'can't do much with it', which is why he carries a knife.

He said he thought Mr Al-Araimi 'saw the knife and ran away'.

Jurors have heard that Mr Al-Araimi collapsed near the Harrods Christmas tree and was pronounced dead 40 minutes after the attack.

Al-Nazi told the court: 'I can't even describe how emotional I am.'

He told jurors he feels sad for Mr Al-Araimi's family.

The court heard Al-Nazi handed himself in on January 8 2020, and even by that date had not realised he had stabbed Mr Al-Araimi.

Giving evidence on Thursday, Al-Nazi was asked if he had intended to stab, kill or cause serious harm to Mr Al-Araimi and he said he had not.

He was asked if he accepted that he killed Mr Al-Araimi and he said he did.

When asked if he had discussed anything with Dilbaro about robbing anyone that night, Al-Nazi said he had not.

He said his plan for the night had been to 'eat, meet up with other friends and just have fun'.

The trial has previously heard evidence from Mr Kanoo who was asked about the cigarette request and subsequent insult suggested by Al-Nazi.

Mr Kanoo said he did not think it was true.

He told the court the attack was 'very sudden' and that there was a 'quick approach' and a 'quick attack'.

The court heard that Mr Al-Araimi was confronted but there had been no conversation.

During his evidence, Mr Kanoo described his late friend Mr Al-Araimi as the 'nicest guy' and 'a very generous person'.

Dilbaro is also accused of having a knife on the night of the attack.

The trial continues.
First lady Jill Biden went to Walter Reed Medical Center Thursday to get a puncture wound cleaned out after stepping on something during her stay last weekend in Hawaii.

'The First Lady underwent a successful procedure on her left foot to flush out debris from a puncture wound. After inspection of the wound by medical staff, it is unclear what object caused the puncture. The wound is now clean, free of infection and it is anticipated that it will heal nicely,' said her spokesman Michael LaRosa.

The president departed the White House a little after 7 p.m. Thursday night to meet the first lady at Walter Reed, flying on Marine One. 'I'm late for a very important date,' he told reporters as he left.

The first couple took a motorcade back to the White House around 10 p.m.

'Last weekend, prior to her two official events in Hawaii, the First Lady stepped on an object on the beach which became lodged in her left foot,' LaRosa said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

'She will undergo a procedure today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to remove the object. The President will join her.'

First lady Jill Biden is photographed leaving Hawaii on Sunday. She wore a pair of wedged espadrilles throughout the day - and on the flight back. Her office said Thursday she's headed to Walter Reed to have an object removed from her foot that she stepped on at the beach

President Joe Biden stops to talk to reporters as he departs for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland to be with the first lady who's getting an object removed from her left foot. 'I'm late for a very important date,' he told reporters as he left

President Joe Biden is captured arriving at Walter Reed Thursday night to be with the first lady as she gets an object dislodged from her foot after stepping on something on a beach in Hawaii last weekend

Marine One is seen landing at Walter Reed Thursday night as President Joe Biden flew to the medical facility where first lady Jill Biden is getting an object removed from her left foot, according to her spokesman

First lady Jill Biden is photographed at the first of two events she attended Sunday in Hawaii. Her spokesman said Thursday she's headed to Walter Reed to have an object dislodged from her foot after stepping on something on the beach in Hawaii during her down time there

First lady Jill Biden takes in a hula performance Sunday at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at a barbecue for military members and their families in which the first lady talked about her Joining Forces initiative

A child grabs on to first lady Jill Biden's lei at a barbecue Sunday at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. This was the second of two events she attended in Hawaii before flying back to Washington, D.C.

First lady Jill Biden is captured directly before departing Hawaii on Sunday, receiving a glass enclosed ship from Admiral John Aquilino, the commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. She wore a pair of wedge espadrilles throughout the day and wasn't limping

Dr. Biden spent time in Hawaii on Saturday and Sunday after leaving Tokyo, Japan where she cheered on Team USA athletes and attended the opening ceremony of the Tokyo summer Olympics.

The first lady held vaccine advocacy events in both Anchorage, Alaska - en route to Japan - and then Honolulu, Hawaii - on the way back to Washington, D.C.

After Biden landed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Saturday afternoon, she had nearly 24 hours to relax in Hawaii before her first event Sunday.

Biden peeled off from reporters and stayed at the Presidential Cottage at Marine Base Kaneohe.

The first lady wasn't limping on Sunday when she held events at Waipahu High School and later, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

She wore a pair of platform espadrilles.

At the first event, at a pop-up vaccination clinic at the high school, Biden witnessed two teenagers getting their second doses of the Pfizer vaccine before making remarks in the school library.

There she spoke about the vaccine push - and also thanked teachers for doing all they could to teach students virtually last year.

'As a teacher, I did my best to create a sense of community in my virtual class last year. But some things cant be replaced,' she said. 'And thats especially true for students who missed out on sports, and proms, and school plays.'

'When we lost these connections, our world felt a little darkera little colder,' she continued. 'Now, doesnt the time we spend with those we care about fill us with even more joy?' the first lady added.

Biden then attended a Sunday afternoon barbecue on base with attendees representing all six branches of the military, including Space Force.

There she talked about the Obama-era Joining Forces initiative that she's since brought back to life.

The first lady was treated to a hula performance - and then walked around to every table saying hi to military members and their families.

Biden had the same wedges on when she arrived Monday morning at Joint Base Andrews to conclude the trip.

The outing marked the first lady's first solo trip abroad since the Biden administration came into office in January.

In Japan, the first lady played the role of diplomat as well - dining with Japanese Prime Minster Yoshihide Suga and his wife Mariko when she first arrived.

Biden then participated in a solo event Friday morning with Mariko Suga - an incense lesson at Akasaka Palace - before later heading to the Imperial Palace for a reception with Japanese Emperor Naruhito.

From the U.S. ambassador's residence in Tokyo, Biden held a Zoom call with Team USA - since COVID-19 protocols prevented a meeting in person.

On Saturday she also hosted embassy staff there for a watch party to see Team USA play Mexico in softball.

Biden attended Friday night's opening ceremony in Tokyo and returned to Olympics' venues Saturday to watch women's 3x3 basketball against France, several races with U.S. swimmers and then the women's soccer match against New Zealand - before flying overnight to Honolulu.

In April, the president accompanied the first lady to an outpatient facility near George Washington Hospital for 'a common medical procedure.'

The president injured his foot before inauguration playing with the couple's dog Major.

President Joe Biden helps first lady Jill Biden to their car after the first lady went to an appointment for a 'common medical procedure' in April
A woman was founded beheaded on a Minnesota sidewalk by police responding to calls of a stabbing incident on Wednesday.

America Mafalda Thayer, 55, was found with stab wounds at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Spencer Street in Shakopee around 2.31pm on Wednesday, the Shakopee Police Department said in a news release.

Cops discovered Thayer's body lying next to a car - with her head nearby, according to a search warrant obtained by KMSP.

Alexis Saborit, 42, who was reportedly in a rocky relationship with Thayer, was arrested in connection with her killing. He is being held in the Scott County Jail while a second-degree murder charge is pending, according to the jail's inmate roster.

A woman was founded beheaded on a Minnesota sidewalk by police responding to calls of a stabbing incident on Wednesday

America Mafalda Thayer, 55, was found with her head lying next to her body. Alexis Saborit, 42, has been arrested and a second-degree murder charge is pending

Police scanner traffic showed that Saborit allegedly dropped a knife while fleeing the scene, MN Crime reported.

Saborit was spotted by police walking near Shenandoah Drive and 4th Avenue where cops arrested him without incident around 3.20pm, the outlet reported.

Cops later reportedly found the sheath for a large knife in a nearby yard and the knife in a trash can in a nearby alley, KMSP reported.

Thayer reportedly worked at Dollar Tree and MyPillow, her coworkers told KMSP.

Her coworkers said she had been in a long-term relationship with Saborit, and alleged that domestic violence had been a 'consistent problem' with the couple.

In 2017, Saborit was convicted of domestic assault in Carver County, WCCO noted.

The crime scene was processed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, cops said.

'The department would also like to extend its condolences to the family of the victim,' cops said.

Neighbors told KMSP that they were stunned by the daytime beheading.

'I have no words for it. Just scary. I just feel very sorry for the families,' said neighbor Jessica Sondrol.

Cops found Thayer's body lying next to a car - with her head lying next to the body, according to a search warrant obtained by KMSP

Saborit was spotted by police walking near Shenandoah Drive and 4th Avenue where cops arrested him without incident around 3:20 p.m.

Neighbors said that they were stunned by the daytime beheading

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Shakopee Police Department for more information and additional comment.

The shocking beheading came after another woman was found beheaded in her burning apartment in Indiana on Monday.

Cops later allegedly found her head in a suitcase and 'human digits' - such as fingers and toes - inside a plastic container at the home of suspect Brian Williams, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by WDRB.

Williams, 36, has been charged with murder, arson and misdemeanor theft in connection with the death of 67-year-old Melody Gambetty.

Police said they do not believe Williams knew Gambetty and that the murder might have happened as the result of burglary attempt or home invasion, WDRB reported.

Williams was ordered to be held without bond on Wednesday during his initial hearing in Clark County Circuit Court, during which a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Ken Clarke has apologised for his 'combative behaviour' at the infected blood inquiry after appalled survivors labelled him a 'total disgrace'.

Campaigners said that the Tory peer showed 'arrogance, pomposity and contempt' to the victims of the biggest health treatment scandal in NHS history.

The 81-year-old, who was a health minister at the time, gave three days of evidence to the inquiry which is seeking to understand how thousands died from infected blood in the 1980s.

Up to 30,000 people contracted HIV and hepatitis C after receiving Factor VIII, a clotting agent that used blood from infected donors in the US. At the inquiry this week, Lord Clarke, who was made a peer by Boris Johnson last year, insisted he had 'nothing to do' with the disaster.

Ken Clarke has apologised for his 'combative behaviour' at the infected blood inquiry after appalled survivors labelled him a 'total disgrace'

He angrily objected to questions repeatedly and grew irritated by what he described as 'meticulous' questioning from lead counsel Jenni Richards QC. He branded her questions 'pointless' and 'irrelevant'.

The former chancellor apologised for his conduct at the end of yesterday's hearing, but did not apologise to the victims.

He said: 'I realise I am naturally rather combative... and going back to decision-making, I am sometimes rather impetuous. I apologise to the counsel if at times I was showing signs of impatience.'

In his closing comments, chairman Sir Brian Langstaff told Lord Clarke: 'I can't think that anyone who has listened to your evidence will forget it in a hurry.'

After the inquiry closed, Sam Stein QC, representing victims, made an application to demand Lord Clarke respond to allegations of his 'contemptuous' conduct.

In his closing comments, chairman Sir Brian Langstaff told Lord Clarke: 'I can't think that anyone who has listened to your evidence will forget it in a hurry'

Earlier in proceedings, Lord Clarke said that government lawyers had 'persuaded' him to be helpful to the inquiry

Des Collins, solicitor to 1,500 infected and affected clients, said: 'The application, though highly unusual in nature, is unlikely to have come as any great surprise to those who have spent the last two-and-a-half days watching Lord Clarke give evidence.'

Earlier in proceedings, Lord Clarke said that government lawyers had 'persuaded' him to be helpful to the inquiry.

Victims and families were furious at his conduct after they had waited almost four decades for the inquiry. They asked Sir Brian if they could censure Lord Clarke for being 'arrogant, pompous and contemptuous towards people who had suffered so much' during the hearing. Jason Evans, who was four when his father died aged 31 from contaminated blood, said the peer had shown 'utter contempt' for the inquiry, adding: 'He has been a total disgrace.'

Clive Smith, chairman of The Haemophilia Society, said that Lord Clarke had shown a 'complete lack of compassion and remorse' for the victims.

The inquiry resumes in September when former health secretary Lord Fowler will give evidence.
Pressure is growing for civil servants to get back to the office amid fears the working from home culture could wreck the economies of town and city centres.

Critics believe private businesses are waiting for the Government to 'take the lead' before they ask their own workers to return to their desks.

But Boris Johnson has so far taken a softly-softly approach to getting staff back into the workplace, despite mounting confidence that the worst of the pandemic is over.

Downing Street yesterday said there were 'no plans' to order Whitehall civil servants back to their desks or to launch a wider return to work push this summer.

However, former cabinet minister David Jones said it was vital for the Government to encourage firms to bring their offices back into use.

Pressure is growing for civil servants to get back to the office amid fears the working from home culture could wreck the economies of town and city centres (stock image)

Mr Jones said: 'It is essential we get office workers back to their desks. They are vital for local economies in town centres  the sandwich shops, restaurants and dry cleaners that depend on them.

'But it is also vital for work, whether it's the increased productivity from people being able to bounce ideas off each other, or the career development of younger workers who need to learn from their colleagues. Government has got a role in this. There is no reason why civil servants shouldn't be returning to work in much greater numbers.

'And I think many businesses are waiting to take their lead from that before ordering their own staff back.'

For much of last year more than 95 per cent of Whitehall civil servants worked from home, in line with Government advice. Privately, some ministers are also frustrated by the lack of a back to work drive.

One described the situation as 'ridiculous', adding: 'The number of officials back at their desks is still tiny. Yes, people can work from home in extremis  we have shown that  but it is not a serious long-term option.

'Most people are double-jabbed now, cases are falling  there is no reason to delay, certainly beyond September.'

Another Whitehall source said the PM had been 'burned' by the experience last summer, when a major drive to get Whitehall civil servants back to their desks had to be abandoned after only a few weeks when cases surged.

No 10 yesterday said the Government had lifted the work from home order, but wanted to see only a 'gradual' return to the office.

Critics believe private businesses are waiting for the Government to 'take the lead', but Boris Johnson (pictured) has taken a softly-softly approach to getting staff back into the office

Asked whether there was a plan to get civil servants back to their desks, a spokesman for the PM said: 'You have seen a number of civil servants in the office throughout the pandemic and as we move through this year I am sure you will see more returning.'

Meanwhile, Lloyds Bank yesterday became the latest major firm to signal a shift to 'hybrid' working.

Interim chief executive William Chalmers said: 'From October, we expect our hybrid way of working  involving time both at home and in the office  will be in place for all roles. We remain very committed to central London and I think a lot of people enjoy spending time here. From what we can see, it gradually is returning to life.'

Lookers, which has 150 franchise car dealerships, has brought only 40 staff back to its head office.

Chief executive Mark Raban said: 'We've got no target or plan to get people back to the office.

'We're not in a rush, we're not out of the woods yet so let's see how it goes. People can work very effectively from home.

'What you do lose is the immediacy, the ability to walk into the next office and have dialogue with a colleague  and there are certain things when we do need to be together.'
Victoria has reported three new local Covid-19 cases after health authorities linked the mystery case of a testing site traffic controller.

The health department confirmed three new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to Friday morning, including a previously reported infection in the Bass Coast Shire.

All three cases are linked to Victoria's current outbreaks and were in isolation for their entire infectious period.

More than 43,500 test results were received in the past 24 hours, while about 19,000 vaccine doses were administered at state-run sites during the same period.

The health department confirmed three new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to Friday morning, including a previously reported infection in the Bass Coast Shire

There are 200 active cases in Victoria, down five from Thursday.

It comes after genomic sequencing results confirmed a mystery case is linked to the current outbreaks, but it had been unclear how he got infected.

The man, who works as a traffic controller at the Moonee Valley drive-through testing site, tested positive on Wednesday.

He worked two days while infectious but his close contacts have so far tested negative.

It comes after genomic sequencing results confirmed a mystery case is linked to the current outbreaks, but it had been unclear how he got infected

The young man also visited his partner at a Newport apartment building while infectious, with residents tested and in isolation.

It's believed he had not been vaccinated despite being eligible as a frontline worker.

Meanwhile, authorities are urging people in Balwyn, Camberwell, Canterbury, Mont Albert and Surrey Hills to get tested if they have even mild symptoms after wastewater testing in the area showed virus fragments.
Victoria Police has launched an extraordinary manhunt for young lockdown protesters who wielded flares at last weekend's protests.

'Flare Fools Wanted' screamed the front page of Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper after a force command 'drop' of images detectives wished to capture.

Cue Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius - Victoria Police's firebrand mouth piece his boss rolls out every time their political masters demand a witch hunt.

Victoria Police has published a series of 'wanted' photos, which were splashed across the front of a Melbourne newspaper

How three removalists travelled from a Covid hotspot in Sydney to towns all over Australia despite KNOWING they had the virus

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius addresses the media during a press conference. He is the same cop who last year labelled lockdown protesters the 'tinfoil hat wearing brigade'.

Anti-lockdown protestors are seen during a protest in the Melbourne CBD last Saturday

Mr Cornelius branded protesters as 'selfish' and 'self-indulgent' demonstrators whose actions risked the very lives of every Victorian.

He is the same cop who last year labelled lockdown protesters the 'tinfoil hat wearing brigade'.

Thousands had turned-up at Saturday's CBD rally, which was sparked by Victoria's fifth hard lockdown since the pandemic began last year.

While not condoning the actions of the protesters, the hypocrisy of Victoria Police in throwing individuals to the wolves is astounding.

Flares are dangerous, Mr Cornelius reminded Victorians.

TOP COP ROLLS OUT WHEN LEFT SPIN CALLS It was May 2019 when Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius made the extraordinary move to boot his own men. He faced the press to admit police 'stuffed up' a raid on LGBTI bookshop Hares & Hyenas in Fitzroy and personally visited the shop to apologise to a man he believed police had wrongly bashed. Police had stormed the apartment attached to the bookshop on Johnston Street searching for what residents were told was an 'armed member of a 'Lebanese' gang'. Nik Dimopoulos ended up with a shattered arm. In February, it was revealed Victoria Police stood by the actions its officer Mr Cornelius had publicly attacked years earlier. Advertisement

'Flares burn at more than 1000C and pose a serious risk when discharged in crowded spaces,' the spiel went.

Police warned those that set off flares at the protest 'endangered not only police but people in the vicinity'.

This lot faced fines of up to $18,174 and would be charged under the Dangerous Goods Act.

On Tuesday, it was revealed the New South Wales removalists who sparked Victoria's fifth lockdown would not be charged.

In fact, they walked scot free with a $200 fine from Premier Daniel Andrews' health department.

This was despite footage showing them breaching their workers permits by not wearing masks and failing to socially distance outside Maribyrnongs Ariele Apartments on July 8.

The premier and his cronies had talked tough back then as they justified the breach to lock down Victorians.

'The book would be thrown at them', Victorians were promised.

Roll forward to Tuesday - the day before Victorians were to be set free - and the matter was quietly put to bed.

'Were all human and it is challenging and, you know, everyones got an excuse for not doing this and perhaps doing that,' Mr Andrews squeaked.

Commissioner Shane Patton claimed police were only ever assisting the health department with its investigation.

A protester with a smoke flare on Spring Street during the Freedom protest on July 24 in Melbourne

A protester with a smoke flare during the Melbourne protest on July 24

People who lit flares at a Melbourne protest have become the hunted

The only footage that was released of the super spreading removalists came from Channel 7, which dug up CCTV and aired it without police assistance.

Meanwhile, Mr Patton's men arrested and fined a publican on the Victorian-NSW border nearly $22,000 for openly flouting health directions.

When it came to last weekend's protesters, the premier used much stronger language, declaring he didnt know what 'half of them' were protesting about.

But let us take a look at Victoria Police's behaviour during the early days of the pandemic last year, when books were to be thrown and lives were at risk.

A protester approaches police officers during the 'Freedom Rally' on July 24

An anti-lockdown protester waves a flare during the protest last weekend

Mr Patton - a no nonsense cop admired for his street cred among members - has made it well known he doesn't get involved in political games.

The same might not be said of his underling Mr Cornelius, who has a long history of seemingly towing the political chain of the Victorian premier.

On June 6 last year, as Victorians went into what would be the longest lockdown in human history, thousands of protesters hit the streets of Melbourne in the 'Black Lives Matter' protest.

Police stood back and watched on as thousands marched along Melbourne's streets following the death of Black American George Floyd at the knee of police.

A month after it happened, the premier blamed the protest on police.

'We indicated to everybody involved that they should not be protesting, its not time for a protest, make your point some other way,' Mr Andrews told Triple M radio on July 8.

'I dont think you do your cause any good by going out and protesting.

'But look, police made the call that the notion of trying to arrest 10,000 people was just not something that could be practically done.'

Since then, Victoria Police has embarked on a massive show of force on Melbourne's streets.

Each time, it has been Mr Patton's assistant commissioner, Luke Cornelius, behind the microphone.

'I feel a bit like a dog returning to eat his own vomit,' he crowed last year. 'I'm sick of it.'

Covid-infected Sydney removalists who sparked Victoria's fifth lockdown WON'T be punished

Black Lives Matter Protestors march through the city of Melbourne on Saturday, June 6, 2020.

Flinders Street Station in Melbourne became a meeting place for Black Lives Matters protesters as Victoria entered lockdown last year

The rant came as Dandenong residents all decided to take walks at the same time.

'They're taking every opportunity to leverage the current situation to serve their ridiculous notions about so called sovereign citizens, about constitutional issues and about how 5G is going to kill your grandkids,' he said of a previous protest.

'I mean it's just crazy, it's batsh*t crazy nonsense.'

On Wednesday, he again presented as if he was reading from a script delivered directly from Daniel Andrews' office.

It's little wonder a Roy Morgan snap SMS survey on Victorias Stage Four restrictions last year suggested Victoria Police had suffered a public relations nightmare amid disturbing allegations of heavy handed tactics.

The results results indicated only 42 per cent of Victorians now rated Victoria Police highly for their ethics and honesty compared to to a record high 76 percent in mid-2017.

As Victorians emerge from their fifth lockdown to the 'wanted posters' of Victorians most likely at wits end, many will rightfully wonder: 'what isn't batsh*t crazy anymore'.
The likelihood of finding a buyer for your home is at its best point at any time in the past decade, new research suggests.

Nearly seven out of 10 homes for sale - 68 per cent - successfully found a buyer between June 2020 and June 2021, according to Rightmove.

It is up from 41 per cent in 2012, and the highest percentage in any year during the past 10 years, the property website says.

The data suggests that the market is particularly hot in Scotland, while London locations are lagging.

Between 2012 and early 2020, just over half - at 53 per cent - of homes typically found a buyer, according to Rightmove

SALE RATE ACROSS BRITAIN Region/country % of homes selling (June 2020 - June 2021) Britain 68% Scotland 89% Yorkshire and The Humber 77% North West 74% Wales 74% West Midlands 73% South West 73% East Midlands 73% North East 72% South East 67% East of England 66% Source: Rightmove

The analysis of more than 13million property listings on Rightmove's website tracked the journey of a property, from initially being put on the market through to being sold subject to contract.

Those sales that fell through and went on to secure a buyer again were only counted once as part of the analysis, the property website explained.

Between 2012 and early 2020, just over half - at 53 per cent - of homes typically found a buyer.

Rightmove said that the remaining 47 per cent were either withdrawn from sale or stayed on the market.

Scotland leads the way with 89 per cent of homes successfully finding a buyer, compared to 48 per cent in London.

Almost seven in 10 homes have found a buyer in the current market, according to Rightmove

The next best performing area is Yorkshire & the Humber, with nearly four in every five homes - at 77 per cent - selling.

Areas at the top of the list are all in Scotland, with 94 per cent of homes in Falkirk and East Dunbartonshire finding a buyer. It is followed by South Lanarkshire, with 93 per cent of vendors finding a buyer.

Outside of Scotland, the top three are Sheffield at 83 per cent, Craven at 81 per cent and Chorley at 81 per cent.

By contrast, the bottom end includes high-end markets of London such as Westminster at 22 per cent, Kensington & Chelsea at 25 per cent, and Camden at 28 per cent.

HIGHEST SALE RATE IN EACH REGION/COUNTRY Local Authority Region/country % of homes selling (June 2020 - June 2021) Falkirk Scotland 94% Torfaen Wales 80% Bexley London 74% Chorley North West 81% Darlington North East 77% Nuneaton and Bedworth West Midlands 78% Chesterfield East Midlands 79% King's Lynn and West Norfolk East of England 74% Weymouth and Portland South West 78% Folkestone and Hythe South East 75% Sheffield Yorkshire & the Humber 83% Source: Rightmove

TOP 10 AREAS FOR HIGHEST SALE RATES Local Authority % of homes selling (June 2020 - June 2021) Falkirk 94% East Dunbartonshire 94% South Lanarkshire 93% Renfrewshire 93% East Renfrewshire 93% Midlothian 93% North Lanarkshire 93% West Lothian 93% Glasgow City 92% Fife 91% Source: Rightmove

Tim Bannister, of Rightmove, said: 'There's been a much greater chance of a seller finding a buyer over the past year, which really highlights the sheer number of people who have been determined to move.

'While the long-term average shows that typically around half of properties sell, the increase in 2021 reflects the frenzied buyer activity we've seen in the current market, driven by multiple factors such as pent up demand and changing priorities.

'This efficiency in the market means agents are operating on limited stock, and they need more homes to satisfy all types of buyers.

'We've seen from previous research that Scotland often contains the most likely areas to find a buyer, and London the least, however the broader numbers are reflective of the trend we've been seeing all year, which is that buyers have widened their scope, and the popularity of every area in Britain is increasing.'

TOP 10 AREAS FOR HIGHEST SALE RATES (EXCLUDING SCOTLAND) Local Authority Region/country % of homes selling (June 2020 - June 2021) Sheffield Yorkshire and The Humber 83% Craven Yorkshire and The Humber 81% Chorley North West 81% Oldham North West 80% Torfaen Wales 80% Bridgend Wales 80% Richmondshire Yorkshire and The Humber 80% Halton North West 80% Knowsley North West 79% Tameside North West 79% Source: Rightmove

It comes amid a red hot property market, with Nationwide reporting this week that the average value of a home in Britain has risen by around 24,500 between July last year and the end of June this year.

The average cost of a home now stands at 244,229, it said. However, this is a drop from 245,432 in June, following the end of the stamp duty holiday.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said: ' Buyers had rushed to complete deals before the deadline, with the number of housing market transactions soaring to a record high of almost 200,000 in June, which is around twice the typical monthly number before the pandemic.'
Which Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty comes top when judged by house price premiums?

It could be a question set for an estate agents' quiz night  and you might imagine the answer to be the Cotswolds perhaps, where the likes of the Beckhams and Jeremy Clarkson have homes.

Or South Devon, where wealthy weekend sailors drop anchor. But you'd be wrong on both counts. Top of the list is a 70 square mile peninsula near Swansea  Gower.

Pristine: Gower begins in Mumbles, a former fishing village, with Port Eynon beach pictured

According to the Land Registry, the price of a detached house in the Gower is 78 per cent higher than just three miles outside the boundary.

'The Gower property market has changed dramatically in recent years,' says Daniel Rees of Savills in Cardiff. 'It has traditionally been popular with retirees but now ex-pat parents with young children are moving back here.'

They have fond memories of the beaches from their own childhood and want the same for their kids.'

Gower begins in Mumbles, a former fishing village now nicknamed The Monaco of Wales thanks to a collection of high-end restaurants, bistros and fashion shops.

Famous faces are often seen here  Bonnie Tyler has a house behind high hedges on the front; Joanna Page of Gavin & Stacey fame makes regular visits home, while Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have a home overlooking the Lighthouse. And if you drop into the yacht club, you may see Robert Pugh, who played Craster in Game Of Thrones. The little fishermen's cottages lining the hill make ideal second homes or investment properties and many have been given facelifts.

The average price of a terraced cottage is 250,000 according to Rightmove  and it's more if you want somewhere to park your car.

Gower is a patchwork of different social landscapes. The Mediterranean vibe of Mumbles is soon replaced by the well-heeled suburbia of Caswell and Langland.

Daniel Rees describes Langland as the 'jewel in Gower's crown'  with some justification.

Pretty beach huts stand next to the car parks; you can either walk the coastal path or watch the surfers from its brasserie above the beach. Prices are high, for Wales. An apartment overlooking the bay will set you back 500,000.

Variety is the essence of Gower's charm. 'North Gower with its salt marshes and wild ponies feels a lot wilder than the tourist beaches,' says retired chartered accountant Jeannette McLellan, 64, who moved to the village of Llanmadoc four years ago having lived in Swansea and before that, London.

'Then you have downlands in the centre of the Gower and the rocky coves and the beaches of the south where it's not unusual to see seals, dolphins and porpoises.'

Famous faces: Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have a home overlooking the Lighthouse

Rees has also noticed many more people moving to Gower to work from home, perhaps reporting to the office a few times a week.

Being within range of the M4 (London is under four hours away) is important for these buyers and this is more accessible from villages closer to Swansea such as Southgate, Penmaen and Bishopston, which has a comprehensive school judged 'excellent' by Estyn, the Welsh Ofsted.

The restaurants are another attraction. The Beach House at Oxwich has a Michelin star, while The Welcome to Town at Llanrhidian and the King Arthur at Reynoldston have glowing reputations. It's worth noting broadband can be a bit patchy the further west you go.

It's easy to see what makes the Gower beaches so popular. Port Eynon, with its whitewashed cottages has a Devonian feel. Three Cliffs is pretty while Rhossili has a three-mile sandy beach.

Investing in a cottage as a holiday let can pay dividends. The tourist board has done much to publicise Gower and according to Zoopla house prices have risen 10.58 per cent in the past year.

The Old Rectory, standing above Rhossili beach, is often booked two years in advance. It would set you back 1,884.

Move to Gower and you will find a few beaches still relatively secluded. Park near Southgate Social Club (with its picture of Michael Douglas pulling a pint) head down a little lane and you will find the delightful Pobbles.

Tor Bay is another gem.

What is it like to live in Gower? 'The traffic can be a pain in summer,' says Jeannette. 'But we have the place to ourselves again in winter. That's my favourite time to live here. I'd never leave.'
If society suffers a cataclysmic societal collapse, New Zealand is the ideal place to be, according to a new study.

Researchers assessed the ability of countries to weather a series of disastrous events, including extreme heat, flooding and a viral pandemic even worse than Covid-19.

New Zealand was identified as the country 'most resilient to future threats', followed by Iceland, the UK, the Australian island of Tasmania and Ireland.

Being surrounded by water was a desirable trait to survive a global collapse, as it could protect borders from mass migration from other disaster-hit nations.

The experts call these five places 'collapse lifeboats' as they're attractive bases for survival in the event of fatal floods, droughts and food losses.

But they warn that Earth is in a 'perilous state' due to 'large and growing risks in 'multiple spheres of the human endeavour'  mostly triggered by climate change.

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Worried about a cataclysmic societal collapse? Move to New Zealand. Experts found it's the best location for survival in the face of a 'major global shock'. Pictured, Banks Peninsula on the South Island of New Zealand

THREATS TO SOCIETY GLOBALLY - Flooding - Drought - Pollution - Pandemics - Superbugs - Wildfires - Food losses - Severe financial crisis Advertisement

The study was carried out by Nick King and Professor Aled Jones of the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University.

Professor Jones 'wasn't surprised' that New Zealand was top of the list, but was rather more taken aback by the UK's strong placement.

'We were quite surprised the UK came out strongly,' he told the Guardian.

'It is densely populated, has traditionally outsourced manufacturing, hasnt been the quickest to develop renewable technology, and only produces 50 per cent of its own food at the moment. But it has the potential to withstand shocks.'

For the study, the experts examined countries' self-sufficiency  their energy and manufacturing infrastructure  as well as their 'carrying capacity'  how much land they have available for arable farming and overall population.

They also considered their level of isolation, or their distance from other large populations that may be subject to disastrous 'displacement events'.

'We based our analysis on the top 20 countries identified from the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index,' Professor Jones told MailOnline.

'This looked at 177 countries in total and assesses their preparedness for climate change.

The UK is protected by water, although it has a high population density. Pictured, packed rows of terraced housing in London

'Using the top 20 counties we then factored in other issues relating to the ability to withstand collapse if it did happen.

'The top five scored needed to score quite well across each of these factors so island nations did much better because of their isolation.'

The five were found to be most suited to maintaining higher levels of societal, technological, and organisational 'complexity' within their own borders if a global collapse were to happen.

All five are islands or island continents, meaning they're separated from large populations that dominate big neighbouring continents.

They also have low temperature and therefore the greatest likelihood of relatively stable weather conditions, despite the effects of climate change.

The study, published in the journal Sustainability, follows severe flooding in the UK. Pictured, a London taxi in The Nine Elms on July 25

Compared to the other four, New Zealand reached the top thanks to it having the greatest ability to produce geothermal and hydroelectric energy, its abundant agricultural land and its low population.

Iceland, Tasmania and Ireland also have favourable characteristics in this regard, the experts claim, while the UK presents a more complex picture due to its complicated energy mix and high population density.

The UK has generally fertile soils and a good variety of agricultural output, but it has low per capita availability of agricultural land, which raises questions about its future self-sufficiency, according to the experts.

The team conclude that a societal collapse could happen during a 'long descent', over years or decades, or very rapidly, in the space of less than a year, with no warning of the coming disruption.

The Covid-19 pandemic is one example of governments being unprepared for a disaster that became catastrophic relatively suddenly.

But humanity still has hope when it comes to offsetting a potential societal collapse, they claim, depending on future government responses.

'Significant changes are possible in the coming years and decades,' said Professor Jones.

'The impact of climate change, including increased frequency and intensity of drought and flooding, extreme temperatures, and greater population movement, could dictate the severity of these changes.'

The study has been published in the journal Sustainability.
Archaeologists have discovered a horde of copper coins from the sixth century in Phanagoria, an ancient Greek city in what is now modern-day southwestern Russia.

According to a translated statement from the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 80 copper staters were found in the remains of a 6th century fire.

Archaeologists found 6th century copper coins in Phanagoria, an ancient Greek city in southwestern Russia

80 copper staters were found in the remains of a fire that may have destroyed part of the city. The fire may have stemmed from the attacks orchestrated by the Huns or Turks

Experts believe the fire may have destroyed a 'significant part of the city' and may have stemmed from the attacks that were orchestrated by the Huns or the Turks.

'Treasures [like this] are not often found,' said Vladimir Kuznetsov, head of the Phanagoria archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the statement.

'As a rule, they are evidence of catastrophic events in people's lives, as a result of which the one who hid money or valuable items was unable to return and use their savings.'

A copper stater was an ancient coin used in different parts of Greece, the earliest which date to the 8th century B.C.

The ruins of Phanagoria are located in what is now modern-day Krasnodar Krai in the Taman Peninsula, off the coast of the Black Sea.

The ruins of Phanagoria are located in what is now modern-day Krasnodar Krai in the Taman Peninsula, off the coast of the Black Sea

Krasnodar Krai in the Taman Peninsula is just off the coast of the Black Sea, near Crimea

Kuznetsov explained that this discovery is 'associated with a dramatic and mysterious page in the history of medieval Phanagoria - the capital of one of the earliest Christian dioceses in Russia.'

The researcher added that the discovery 'speaks of the extraordinary circumstances under which [the objects] were hidden, as a result of the potential attack of the person's enemies.

'In a hurry, a resident of Phanagoria hid a bundle with 80 coins in the throat of an old broken amphora that had turned up under his arm and covered the hole with earth.'

It's likely that the coins were minted in the late third or early fourth centuries, Kuznetsov and his team determined.

They likely emanated from the Bosporan kingdom, with the last coin coming from this empire in 341 AD

They likely emanated from the Bosporan kingdom, with the last coin coming from this empire in 341 AD.

However, a mass of staters made of copper-lead alloy continued to circulate in the Bosporous for several centuries, with Byzantine gold playing the role of 'expensive' money, Kuznetsov added.

In 2019, Kuznetsov and other researchers found a gold coin nearby, minted during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I.

It's likely that both discoveries are associated with 'turbulent historical event's of the time, with a revolt against Hunnic leader Gord in 528 or 534, according to Artnet.

The second discovery of the gold coin stems from the later part of the century, but the reason for its burial is still unknown.

'The gold coin of Justinian I found two years ago in Phanagoria serves as proof that the new treasure is associated with the second, late fire of the 6th century,' noted Kuznetsov.

'But who exactly - the Avars or the Turks - destroyed the capital of the Phanagorian diocese, remains unknown. The new treasure from Phanagoria is an invaluable evidence of historical events and the economy of the early Middle Ages.'
The International Space Station (ISS) received a new module Thursday when Russia docked its 22-ton Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module at 9:29am ET  the first time in a decade that a new part has been sent to the floating space lab.

Nauka, which means 'science' in Russian' launched on July 21 atop a Russian Proton rocket. This rocket also carried the new European Robotic Arm, or ERA, a 16-foot-long two-handed robot that can move freely outside of the ISS.

After eight days in free-flight, the uncrewed 43-foot-long module linked up to the port on the Earth-facing Russian segment of the ISS.

Nauka will be a new science facility, docking port and spacewalk airlock for future operations, along with providing additional crew quarters, a galley and a toilet.

The new module will occupy the area vacated by the Pirs docking compartment, with the attached Progress 77 spacecraft which had called the ISS home for the past 20 years until Monday - the crew released it from the ship and sent it into space.

Shortly after docking, there was unexpected thruster burns at 12:45pm ET on Nauka that caused it to move out of its proper position, Space Flight Now reports.

The station drifted about 45 degrees out of its correct orientation, but attitude control has been restored, according to Rob Navias, a NASA spokesperson, who also noted that the ISS crew was not in any danger during the incident.

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The International Space Station (ISS) received a new module Thursday when Russia docked its 22-ton Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module at 9:29am ET  the first time in a decade that a new part has been sent to the space ship

The new modular completed the docking process using its autonomous navigation system, along with the help of cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, who guided it through the final approach while on the ISS.

'Congratulations, that was not an easy docking,' Russia's mission control radioed Novitsky about three hours before the unexpected thruster burn.

Russian crewmembers on the ISS have done two spacewalks to connect cables in preparation for Nauka's arrival.

For Nauka to be prepared for operation, it will require a long series of maneuvers, including up to 11 spacewalks beginning in early September.

Nauka, which means 'science,' launched on July 21 atop a Russian Proton rocket (pictured), which also carried the new European Robotic Arm, or ERA, a 16-foot-long two-handed robot that can move freely outside of the ISS

Its launch, initially scheduled for 2007, had been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems.

NASA commentator Rob Navias said the new module 'will provide roll control for the International Space Station; it will provide propellant transfer between the Progress vehicles  the unpiloted cargo ships  that will arrive in the months and years to come; and it will serve as a docking port for piloted Soyuz and unpiloted Progress vehicles.'

'It will also serve as a docking port for a node module  a multi-hatched docking port  that is to be launched by the Russians later this year for additional vehicles and components to be attached to it, as the ever-expanding Russian segment of the International Space Station continues,' Navias added.

Nauka will be a new science facility, docking port and spacewalk airlock for future operations, along with provide additional crew quarters, a galley and toilet. Pictured is the module preparing for launch

The Nauka module also serves as a base of operations for the European Robotic Arm, a 36-foot-long manipulator built by the European Space Agency (ESA) to become the first exterior-mounted appendage designed specifically to service the Russian segment of the station.

The module will also provide an additional crew quarters, a new toilet and house water and oxygen regeneration equipment, improving the conditions of cosmonauts' stays on the station and increasing the safety of the entire ISS crew.

The last time the ISS was upgraded was in 2011, when space shuttle Discovery delivered a bus-size storage room, known as the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), to the orbiting lab.

PMM is 21 feet long and 15 feet wide, and provided astronauts with more than 2,470 cubic feet additional storage space.

After eight days in free-flight, the uncrewed 43-foot-long module linked up to the port on the Earth-facing Russian segment of the ISS

The new module will occupy the space vacated by the Pirs docking compartment (pictured), with the attached Progress 77 spacecraft which had called the ISS home for the past 20 years until Monday when it was released from the ship and sent into space

Nauka now joins four other pressurized modules to comprise the Russian segment of the International Space Station. In addition to the Zvezda service module and Zarya FGB, the segment also has two mini-research modules, Poisk and Rassvet. Nauka is Russia's largest contribution (by size) to the station and the country's first new addition since 2010, CollectSpace reports.

Together with the US operating segment, the space station now has a total of 14 pressurized modules.

The International Space Station is currently operated by NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur; Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov of Russias Roscosmos space corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

In 1998, Russia launched the stations first module, Zarya, which was followed in 2000 by another big module, Zvezda, and three smaller modules in the following years.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed the next event for the electric vehicle maker for next month when it holds its artificial intelligence day on August 19.

The enigmatic tech exec, who often shares news on social media, took to Twitter late Wednesday evening to announce the event.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed Tesla will holds its AI day next month on August 19

Musk, who often shares news on social media, took to Twitter late Wednesday evening to announce the news

It's unclear exactly what the company will show off or discuss, but Musk added that the event will focus on recruiting the best talent to work for the Palo Alto, California-based company.

'Convincing the best AI talent to join Tesla is the sole goal,' Musk said in a follow up tweet sent early Thursday morning.

It's unclear exactly what the company will show off or discuss, but Musk added that the event will focus on recruiting the best talent to work for the Palo Alto, California-based company

Tesla does not have a traditional press office and a tweet to Musk was not immediately returned.

In the wake of the news, industry insiders and media speculation has run rampant on what the company will announce.

Dan Ives, Managing Director at Wedbush Securities, told DailyMail.com it's likely that Musk will lay out a vision for the next decade at the event.

'We believe this will be very focused on the broader autonomous and software vision that Musk is driving for the next decade,' Ives said in an email.

'Its all about deeper analysis of data, battery technology, and the self driving future for the AI vision. We expect this to be a showcase event to attract developer and engineers to Tesla which is important in this battle for AI and IT talent globally. The AI focus speaks to a software driven Tesla which remains one of the Crown Jewels of the company.'

Electrek, which covers the electric transportation and sustainable energy area, suggested the Musk-led company is likely to show off updates to build neural networks to help power its computer vision system.

Some experts believe it's likely that Musk will lay out a vision for the next decade for the company at the event

It may also show off products affiliated with its autonomous driving initiatives, including its Full Self-Drive system.

On the company's most recent earnings call, Musk said that Full-Self Driving is the main thing when asked whether the company would offer more services.

'Things are obviously headed toward fully autonomous electric vehicle future,' Musk said. 'And I think Tesla is well-positioned and in fact is the leader objectively in both of those arenas, electrification and autonomy.'

He continued: 'It's always tempting to try to find analogies, but with other companies, or whatever. But really, the value of fully electric autonomous fleet is generally gigantic, boggles the mind really. So that will be one of the most valuable things that's ever done in the history of civilization.'

Musk added that 'autonomy will become so safe that it will be unsafe to manually operate the car, relatively speaking.'

Although the 50-year-old Musk has clearly placed an emphasis on using AI at Tesla and his other companies, the world's second-richest man has said a rogue AI is humanity's 'biggest existential threat.'

In August 2019, he said in a discussion with Alibaba chairman Jack Ma that humans would eventually be 'far, far surpassed in every single way' by computers.

The following month, he tweeted warnings about 'advanced AI' that could be used to manipulate social media, adding that it could be the first sign of a robot take over.

In February 2020, Musk said that all companies developing AI, including Tesla, should be regulated.
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NASA is exploring Mars with the hopes of looking for fossilized life, but the chances organisms currently exist on the Red Planet may have taken a significant nosedive, according to a new study.

What researchers once believed to be lakes of liquid water hiding under the Martian surface may actually be deposits of frozen clay.

Planetary Science Institute research scientist Isaac Smith says a new analysis of radar data from 2018 taken by the MARSIS tool on the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft delivers 'a knockout' to the idea liquid water exists on Mars.

What researchers once believed to be lakes of liquid water hiding under the Martian surface may actually be deposits of frozen clay

They reanalyzed radar data from 2018 taken by the MARSIS tool on the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft. Minerals know as smectites are 'extremely abundant' on Mars, covering nearly 50% of the surface and especially focused in the southern hemisphere

'To date, all previous papers were only able to suggest holes in the lakes argument,' Smith said in a statement. 'We're the first paper to demonstrate that another material is the most likely cause of the observations.'

He continued: 'Now, our paper offers the first plausible, and considerably more likely, alternative hypothesis to explain the MARSIS observations. Specifically, solid clays frozen to cryogenic temperatures can make the reflections.

'Considering the recent work on this topic finding faults with the lake theory, this is like a 1-2-3 punch combination that puts big holes in the lake interpretation and then solves the riddle.'

Given that it would take significant amounts of heat and salt to keep the water liquid at Mars' southern ice cap, Smith says it's more plausible that minerals known as smectites, a type of clay that's similar to volcanic rock and are 'extremely abundant' on Mars is what caused scientists to initially interpret the radar readings as liquid water.

Researchers heated the smectite (pictured) in paste state at 295 K and 230 K and then cooled it to -45 degrees Fahrenheit and found at this temperature, it could generate bright radar reflections

In 2018, the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) detected areas of radar evidence of a lake beneath the Martian south polar ice

The researchers cooled smectites in the lab to -45 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, smectites laced with water could generate the bright radar reflections that MARSIS detected.

'Smectites are a type of clay that is extremely abundant on Mars, covering nearly 50% of the surface, especially focused in the southern hemisphere,' Smith explained.

'I call them solid state to reinforce the idea that these materials are solid. There is no unbound water. Further, our experiments show that when the clays are frozen to cryogenic temperatures, they become brittle, rather than a soft clay like you might use for pottery.'

He continued: 'Recent theoretical work had suggested that clays could make bright reflections, but no one had frozen them to temperatures we would see on Mars  namely 40 to 50 degrees below freezing  and measured them, nor had they identified these minerals at the south pole.'

The average temperature on Mars is roughly -81 degrees Fahrenheit on the average, according to NASA.

However, it can range as low as -220 degrees Fahrenheit in the wintertime at the poles to a robust 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the lower latitudes in the summer, according to the National Weather Service.

In 2018, the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) detected areas of radar evidence of a liquid lake beneath the Martian south polar ice.

Two years later, researchers found several salty lakes in the area, each about six miles across.

Smith is convinced that the lakes being comprised of liquid water 'is hard to support at this point,' but not everyone is convinced, including NASA JPL's Jeffrey Plaut.

'In planetary science, we often are just inching our way closer to the truth,' Plaut said in a separate statement.

'The original paper didn't prove it was water, and these new papers [Smith's and others recently published] don't prove it isn't. But we try to narrow down the possibilities as much as possible in order to reach consensus.'

The new study has been published in Geophysical Research Letters.

Last month, 'dozens' of lakes less than a mile beneath the surface of the Red Planet were detected, according to a new study.
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Tens of thousands of bones, both animal and human, were found covering the floor of a dried-up lava tube in northwestern Saudi Arabia, which experts say was a hyena feasting ground for thousands of years.

Archaeologists found the massive pile of bones while exploring the lava tube of Umm Jirsan that has been radiocarbon dated to several eras spanning over 7,000 years.

The team suggests striped hyenas are behind the bed of bones that consists of 40 different species, and includes horses, donkeys, camels, goat, gazelle and even other hyenas.

In addition to the animal bones, three human cranial remains were discovered  hyenas are known for rummaging through human graves for meat.

Tens of thousands of bones, both animal and human, were found covering the floor of a dried-up lava tube in northwestern Saudi Arabia, which experts say was a hyena feasting ground for thousands of years

Striped hyenas are nocturnal and will feed on practically anything, including herbivories, carnivores, insects and plants.

They regularly scavenge the decaying flesh of other animals' kills.

These animals also use their powerful jaws to gnaw and crush bones.

Hyenas are capable of digesting parts of prey that most animals cannot, such as hooves, horns, hair and ligament.

Archaeologists found the massive pile of bones while exploring the lava tube of Umm Jirsan that has been radiocarbon dated to several eras spanning over 7,000 years. Images A and B show the opening of the lava tube. C and D show the trove of bones and the middle image highlights the location of the cave in Saudi Arabia

The lava tube was first discovered in 2007, but researchers said they heard growling from inside and refused to travel deep into the cavern. However, scientists from with the Saudi Geological Survey, King Saud University, and the German Max Planck Institute braved the windy cavern until they came upon chambers, each with a sea of bones

They often cache their food such as bones, pieces of flesh, or meat, in shallow holes dug with their snouts. They will also carry any surplus meat found at a scavenger site.

The lava tube was first discovered in 2007, but researchers said they heard growling from inside and refused to travel deep into the cavern.

However, scientists from with the Saudi Geological Survey, King Saud University, and the German Max Planck Institute braved the windy cavern until they came upon chambers, each with a sea of bones.

'Bones, mostly representing carnivore accumulations, were found throughout and were particularly concentrated in the very western part of the system,' Mathew Stewart with Max Planck and colleagues wrote in the study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.

Bones, mostly representing carnivore accumulations, were found throughout and were particularly concentrated in the very western part of the system

Remains indicate the presence of 'wolves, foxes, hyenas, rock doves, bats, sheep or goats, and swifts' and 'growling' heard during the exploration of the site suggests that Umm Jirsan still serves as a den for carnivores

'Remains indicate the presence of 'wolves, foxes, hyenas, rock doves, bats, sheep or goats, and swifts' and 'growling' heard during the exploration of the site suggests that Umm Jirsan still serves as a den for carnivores.'

The team further investigated one chamber they refer to as the 'Wolf Den' due to the massive amount of bones found inside.

A total of 1,917 bones and teeth were collected from the tens of thousands of bones inside the den for further investigation and 1,073 of them were identifiable to a specific skeletal element.

Approximately 13 samples selected for radiocarbon dating, which showed some bones were 6,839 years old.

'Forty-two percent of bone has evidence for carnivore processing, which includes gnaw marks, gastric etching, and rounding from licking. Gnaw marks take the form of tooth pits,' according to the study.

A total of 1,917 bones and teeth were recovered from the den for a further investigation and 1,073 of them were identifiable to a specific skeletal element. Approximately 13 samples selected for radiocarbon dating, which showed some bones were 6,839 years old

The hyenas are believed to have transported the entire body of small animals to the cave, while larger animals were ripped to pieces and only nutritional limbs were brought back to the lava tube.

The human remains uncovered inside the Wolf Den were nothing more than skull caps.

Stewart, a zooarchaeologist at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Human History, told Gizmodo: 'They seem to not really be interested in skull caps. We found maybe five or six skullcaps with gnaw marks on them at the site, but only the skullcaps. Nothing else.'

The Umm Jirsan lava tube, located in the desert region of Haret Bani Rashid, in eastern Khaybar, is believed to be one of several lava tubes in the area, caves that were formed within a lava from a nearby volcano thousands of years ago.

The system consists of three lava-tube passages separated by two collapses and measures 4,859 feet in length, making it the largest surveyed cave system in Saudi Arabia and the longest lava-tube system in the entire Arabian Peninsula.
A new weight-loss treatment that makes mice 'sweat' out fat has been discovered by scientists  who say it could even be used on humans to tackle obesity.

Researchers found it is possible to induce stomach fat loss by targeting the immune system, although the knock-on effect is greasy hair.

They made the discovery after treating mice with the cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP)  a type of immune system protein  which led to significant fat and weight loss.

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A new weight-loss treatment that makes mice 'sweat' out fat has been discovered by scientists  who say it could even be used on humans to tackle obesity (stock image)

WHAT IS THE CYTOKINE TSLP AND HOW MIGHT IT HELP WITH WEIGHT LOSS? Researchers treated mice with the cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP)  a type of immune system protein which is involved in asthma and other allergic diseases. They found that it led to significant fat and weight loss but it was not caused by a decreased food intake or faster metabolism. Instead it was because the TSLP stimulated the immune system to release lipids through the skin's oil-producing sebaceous glands. This reversed obesity in the mice and reduced their weight from 45g to a healthy 25g over a four-week period. TSLP-treated mice also saw a decrease in their visceral fat mass  the white fat that is stored in the abdomen around major organs, which can increase diabetes, heart disease and stroke risk. Advertisement

Unexpectedly, however, this was not caused by a decreased food intake or faster metabolism, but instead because the TSLP stimulated the immune system to release lipids through the skin's oil-producing sebaceous glands.

'This was a completely unforeseen finding, but we've demonstrated that fat loss can be achieved by secreting calories from the skin in the form of energy-rich sebum,' said the study's lead author Taku Kambayashi, from the University of Pennsylvania.

'We believe that we are the first group to show a non-hormonal way to induce this process, highlighting an unexpected role for the bodys immune system.'

Kambayashi said the findings support the possibility that increasing sebum production via the immune system could be a strategy for treating obesity in humans.

Researchers were investigating the role of TSLP, which is involved in asthma and other allergic diseases, in activating Type 2 immune cells and expanding T regulatory cells.

Past studies have suggested these cells can regulate energy metabolism, so Kambayashi's team predicted that giving overweight mice TSLP might stimulate an immune response that would counteract some of the harmful effects of obesity.

'Initially, we did not think TSLP would have any effect on obesity itself. What we wanted to find out was whether it could impact insulin resistance,' Kambayashi said.

'We thought that the cytokine could correct Type 2 diabetes, without actually causing the mice to lose any weight.'

Scientists made the discovery after giving mice the cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin  a type of immune system protein  which led to significant fat and weight loss (stock image)

To test the effect of TSLP on Type 2 diabetes, the researchers injected obese mice with a viral vector that would increase their bodies' TSLP levels.

After four weeks the team found that TSLP had not only affected diabetes risk, but it had actually reversed obesity in the mice, too.

While the control group continued to gain weight, the weight of the TSLP-treated mice went from 45g down to a healthy 25g, on average, in just 28 days.

TSLP-treated mice also saw a decrease in their visceral fat mass  the white fat that is stored in the abdomen around major organs, which can increase diabetes, heart disease and stroke risk.

Kambayashi assumed that the TSLP was making the mice sick and reducing their appetites. However, further testing established that they were actually eating 20 to 30 per cent more when compared to their non-treated counterparts.

It was then that he recalled a small observation he had previously ignored.

'When I looked at the coats of the TSLP-treated mice, I noticed that they glistened in the light. I always knew exactly which mice had been treated, because they were so much shinier than the others,' Kambayashi said.

He then wondered whether their greasy hair was a sign that the mice were 'sweating' out fat from their skin, a theory the researchers tested by shaving the TSLP-treated mice and the controls and extracting oils from their fur.

They found that the shiny fur contained sebum-specific lipids, proving Kambayashi's hypothesis correct. Sebum is a calorically-dense substance produced by sebocytes in the sebaceous glands and helps to form the skin barrier.

It confirmed that the release of oil through the skin was responsible for the TSLP-induced fat loss.

Researchers said that in humans shifting sebum release into 'high gear' could feasibly lead to the 'sweating of fat' and weight loss, which is what they plan to test next.

'I don't think we naturally control our weight by regulating sebum production, but we may be able to highjack the process and increase sebum production to cause fat loss,' Kambayashi said.

'This could lead to novel therapeutic interventions that reverse obesity and lipid disorders.'

The research was published in the journal Science.
George Russell rubbished claims Lewis Hamilton is a 'dirty' driver and insisted there was no foul play on behalf of the Mercedes star in his Silverstone crash with Max Verstappen.

Verstappen was sent cannoning into the tyre wall at Copse corner at 180mph on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix earlier this month before later being taken to Coventry hospital for further examinations.

Hamilton, who was labelled 'desperate' and 'dirty' by Red Bull chief Christian Horner, was adjudged to have been 'predominantly' at fault and was handed a 10-second time penalty in the race - something which proved redundant when he passed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to take victory with two laps to go in Northamptonshire.

George Russell has hit out at claims that fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton is a 'dirty driver'

Hamilton was involved in a controversial collision with Max Verstappen at the British GP

The Mercedes driver went on to win the British Grand Prix while Verstappen retired

For Russell, who is attempting to hit all the right notes in a bid to win Mercedes' favour to be Hamilton's team-mate in 2022, the seven-time world champion is one of the 'fairest' racers on the track and should not be vilified for the Copse collision.

'Lewis is one of the cleanest and fairest racers out there, always, and there was nothing malicious in the attempt because there was a clear opportunity,' the Williams driver said.

'In my view, that was absolutely a racing incident, and there are no sort of rules in that aspect, I'd say, that can say who is right or who is wrong, because it's just one of those things. Sometimes there is no right or wrong, it's just a racing incident.

'Obviously the consequences were huge and I'm very glad to see Max was relatively fine following the crash. But these racing incidents are a difficult one to adjudicate on.

'I don't think there needs to be anything any clearer in that specific scenario, because it was, for me, just purely a racing incident.'

McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo, a former team-mate of Verstappen's at Red Bull, agreed with Russell in that there was nothing 'out of line' in the collision.

Red Bull chief Christian Horner said that Hamilton's move was 'desperate' and 'dirty'

Verstappen also labelled Hamilton 'disrespectful' after the race and his 180mph crash

'I didn't really see anything out of line with the incident itself,' Ricciardo said. 'Obviously the consequence was really the big talking point.'

Red Bull lodged an 'appeal to review' the 10-second penalty sanction levelled at Hamilton and they are now required to present fresh evidence in a bid to relaunch an FIA investigation.

The FIA's International Sporting Code allows a right to review if 'a significant and relevant new element is discovered which was unavailable to the parties seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned'.

But if Red Bull are unable to meet the threshold the request for a harsher penalty will be rejected. Should stewards accept the new material and determine it meets the criteria, the investigation into Hamilton's collision with Verstappen will be reopened.
Red Bull were accused of an attempt to 'tarnish the name' of Lewis Hamilton on Thursday night at the end of an incendiary stewards' meeting that saw him cleared of further penalty for a crash at the British Grand Prix.

Mercedes were fuming on hearing Red Bull's statement to an FIA appeal hearing which accused Hamilton of dangerous driving and seeking the collision that led to Max Verstappen being airlifted to hospital.

They regard Red Bull's supposed new evidence as a personal affront to their driver and issued a strong statement accusing their rivals of attacking Hamilton's integrity.

Lewis Hamilton will not face any action over his collision with Max Verstappen at Silverstone

Verstappen and Hamilton collided on the opening lap of a thrilling British Grand Prix

The Red Bull star was sent into the crash barriers at a force of 51G in the race this month

Mercedes' statement welcomed the stewards' decision: 'In addition to bringing this incident to a close, we hope this decision will mark the end of a concerted attempt by the senior management of Red Bull to tarnish the good name and sporting integrity of Lewis Hamilton.'

Hamilton has always denied intent over the crash, yet the final paragraph of the FIA verdict indicated the seriousness of Red Bull's accusations.

It read: 'The stewards note, with some concern, certain allegations made in the competitor's letter. Such allegations may or may not have been relevant to the stewards if the petition for review had been granted.

'The stewards may have addressed these allegations directly in any decision that would have followed. The petition having been dismissed, the stewards make no comments on those allegations.'

It means that only if Hamilton had been deemed worthy of a more serious punishment would the stewards have considered Red Bull's claim of intent.

Hamilton was punished with a 10-second penalty during the race but still went on to win it

Red Bull chief Christian Horner was seeking a ban from racing, which outraged Mercedes

Red Bull's legal team attempted to prove the collision was deliberate, using graphics explaining the angles and positioning of the two drivers.

And Red Bull's stance  team principal Christian Horner was seeking a ban from racing  has outraged Mercedes, by implying the most serious charge of all: that Hamilton deliberately risked the safety of another driver, crashing into Verstappen as a race tactic.

Verstappen also threw away an olive branch and renewed his war of words with Hamilton on Thursday. He is still smarting over the Silverstone collision  and Mercedes' victory celebrations, despite him being airlifted to hospital.

'It is the whole reaction of the team,' said Verstappen, speaking before the Hungarian Grand Prix.

'That is not how you celebrate a win, especially a win in the way they got it. I wouldn't want to be seen like that. I would have been upset with myself over that move and I definitely could not celebrate.'

The Dutchman was fortunately able to walk away from his car unscathed but went to hospital
It was a fairytale without a happy ending, as Helen Glover and Polly Swann were unable to find the required extra turn of pace on the choppy waters of the Olympic rowing lake.

But how often has fourth place come with a bigger slice of triumph than theirs? No doubt there was a hefty dollop of disappointment in the mix but that was secondary to satisfaction in what was still a remarkable comeback.

Glover, the first British rower to compete in an Olympics after becoming a mother, looked the happier of the duo. She already has two gold medals and three kids sitting at home.

Helen Glover (back) just missed out on a third Olympic gold medal in as many Games

The 35-year-old finished in fourth position with Team GB team-mate Polly Swann (right)

Swann, who sacrificed training to work as a doctor during the Covid emergency, took silver in the eight at Rio 2016, and halfway through Thursday's pairs final she had reason to believe she might add to that haul.

She and Glover were lying in third place but lost ground, losing out to New Zealand, the Russian Olympic Committee and Canada.

Once off the water it was time to reflect on their story, which has captured the public imagination.

Glover said: 'Whether the children remember it or not they were there from the very first strokes of this journey, and in my mind to the very last strokes.

They were beaten to gold by Grace Prendergast (right) and Kerri Gowler from New Zealand

'What I'd like them to absorb from this would be to take chances with no fear of failure, and draw excitement from the results, yes, but mostly from the journey.'

Swann, at 33 the junior partner by two years, said: 'While Helen was looking after three kids, I was working in a hospital a year ago today.

'And I don't think there are many people in the Olympic athlete set-up who can say these things and be in a final.'

Of the retirement question, Glover said: 'This time I am saying it is definitely it. I'm looking forward to getting home and having some downtime but Polly is back in hospital this time next week.'
Farmer Wants a Wife star Hayley Love is a cancer survivor.

The 25-year-old, who earlier this week revealed she was pregnant with farmer Will Dwyer's child, bravely battled cancer back in 2014.

Hayley was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, and at the time shared a black and white photo to Instagram of herself on her first day of chemotherapy.

Pregnant Farmer Wants a Wife star Hayley Love, 25, beat Hodgkin's lymphoma before going on the Channel Seven dating show. Pictured while undergoing chemotherapy in 2014

Hayley was treated at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Melbourne.

She started a blog about her journey in order to help other young cancer sufferers.

'I find it to be extremely helpful for myself to write things down and to anyone who is suffering any sort of cancer realise they aren't alone in this, and hopefully motivate them as well,' Hayley said at the time.

Health battle: The 25-year-old, who earlier this week revealed she was pregnant with farmer Will Dwyer's child, bravely battled cancer back in 2014

She added that she was keeping positive throughout her treatment and didn't want people to 'feel sorry for her'.

'I do not want anyone to feel sorry for me as I feel as though I am coping extremely well,' she said.

'I just want everyone to be aware of this terrible illness and educate people about it.'

Hayley also shared a photo of herself with short locks in March 2015, after losing her hair during cancer treatment.

Candid: Hayley shared this photo of herself with short locks in March 2015, after losing her hair during cancer treatment. Hodgkin's lymphoma is cancer of the body's lymphatic system and typically affects people between the ages of 20 and 40

Baby joy: This week Hayley announced she was pregnant with farmer Will Dwyer's child

What is Hodgkin's lymphoma? Hodgkin's lymphoma is cancer of the body's lymphatic system and typically affects people between the ages of 20-40. According to the Cancer Council, symptoms include swelling in areas including the neck, under arm and groin. Treatment includes chemotherapy and radiation, or a stem cell transplant. Advertisement

'Not the best photo but I'm very lucky to have a lot of hair still even if it is short,' she wrote at the time.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is cancer of the body's lymphatic system and typically affects people between the ages of 20 and 40.

According to the Cancer Council, symptoms include swelling in areas including the neck, under arm and groin.

Treatment includes chemotherapy and radiation, or a stem cell transplant.

Earlier this week, Hayley announced she was pregnant with farmer Will Dwyer's child.

She was originally matched with farmer Matt Trewin on the Channel Seven show, but he broke up with her shortly before the finale, which aired last week.

She went on to briefly date Will, 39, and became pregnant with his child, but they broke up after she told him she was expecting.

Hayley and Will had a short-lived romance after the FWAW finale was filmed in December - and after he'd split from his winning contestant, paediatric nurse Jaimee.

But they ended things around April.

'I am 22 weeks pregnant with Farmer Will's child,' Hayley told News.com.au on Wednesday.

Channel Seven said in a statement they wished Hayley 'all the very, very best for her pregnancy and life ahead'.
Sophie Walsh has been spicing up the Today show recently as the fill-in host for Allison Langdon.

And on Thursday, she made an outrageous remark about Prince Charles and Diana Spencer's 1981 wedding.

While introducing a retrospective segment about the royal nuptials, the 35-year-old joked about the former couple's age difference.

Shady: Fill-in host Sophie Walsh (right) has been spicing up the Today show recently, and on Thursday she made an outrageous joke about Prince Charles and Diana Spencer's wedding

'The entire world was captivated when 20-year-old Diana Spencer walked down the aisle to marry Prince Charles, who was 12 years her senior - cradle snatcher,' she said.

Making things more awkward was the fact she made the comment in front of British royal photographer Kent Gavin, who was one of the main photographers at Charles and Diana's wedding.

Sophie seemed to be feeling particularly cheeky on Thursday, as she also made a cutting joke at co-host Karl Stefanovic's expense.

Too much? 'The entire world was captivated when 20-year-old Diana Spencer walked down the aisle to marry Prince Charles, who was 12 years her senior - cradle snatcher,' she said

'Can you believe it? Today marks 40 years since the wedding of that century,' Karl said.

Sophie then shot back: 'I wasn't alive, but you would've been.'

The notoriously unfiltered Karl, 46, seemed stunned that somebody had finally given him a taste of his own medicine, and responded: 'Oh, wow. The hits keep coming!'

Sophie is best known for her work as a reporter on Nine News Sydney.

Awkward: Making things more awkward was the fact she made the comment in front of British royal photographer Kent Gavin (right), who was one of the main photographers at Charles and Diana's wedding. Left: Today co-host Karl Stefanovic

Last year, she was attacked by a protester in London's Hyde Park while covering a Black Lives Matter protest.

'This random guy grabbed me from behind... He started punching me, the only way I can describe it is sort of stabby motions,' she said of the incident.

The man was arrested and sentenced in the Newcastle Crown Court for the assault and other offences in March this year.
Australian actor Nicholas Hamilton has revealed he was struck down with Covid.

The 21-year-old, who starred in IT and IT Chapter Two, detailed his battle with the disease in an Instagram post on Friday.

He also urged his fans and followers to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

'It hit me like a huge train': Australian actor Nicholas Hamilton has detailed his terrifying battle with COVID and urges people to get vaccinated as soon as possible

'So I got Covid. This Delta Variant is so goddamn dangerous, it hit me like a huge bad boi train. Three days straight of the worst flu I've ever had,' he said.

The actor said he suffered from a '100 fever, aches, chills, shakes.'

'At my peak I couldn't take my head off my pillow or I'd feel faint, and could hardly sleep at all,' the actor wrote.

Better now: He explained that got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and contracted Covid just two weeks after being inoculated, but said he would have been hospitalised if he hadn't been vaccinated

He explained that got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and contracted Covid just two weeks after being inoculated.

'My doctor said that if I wasn't vaccinated at all I might've been hospitalised because of my 'massive viral load', which apparently isn't a compliment?' he said, making a crude joke.

Nicholas continued: 'I'm out of hotel isolation now and feeling at full health again. The sun feels real nice.

'You just gotta get vaccinated': The actor star urged his fans to get the jab, saying the possible temporary side effects pale in comparison to what the disease could do to you.' Pictured is Nicholas as young Henry Bowers in IT

He added: 'You just gotta get vaccinated, the possible temporary side effects pale in comparison to what the disease could do to you. Trust a small man like me.'

Lismore-born Nicholas' first feature film was in 2015's Strangerland alongside Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving and Dynasty's Maddison Brown.

He has gone on to star in Stephen King's IT in 2017, IT Chapter Two, Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan and the Netflix romantic fantasy Endless in 2020.
Selling Sunset stars Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim were spotted jetting off to Italy over the weekend, just days before debuting their romance.

The couple were spotted leaving Jason's home in Los Angeles before departing from the airport on Sunday.

Chrishell, 40, got heads turning in a sporty black ensemble that showcased a hint of her svelte abs as she arrived at the transport hub with her new beau, 44.

Love is in the air! Selling Sunset stars Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim were spotted jetting off to Italy over the weekend, just days before debuting their romance

Even with a flight to catch, Chrishell looked stunning in an otherwise stylish yet laid-back ensemble.

The actress rocked a pair of black joggers, trainers, and a matching face mask, concealing her stunning complexion.

She wore her honey hued locks down in cascading waves with a bit of makeup accentuating her radiant complexion.

Jason kept it casual in a white T-shirt, jeans, and flashy yellow sneakers.

Stylish traveler: Chrishell lugged her belongings into the transport hub whilst clad in a black crop top and baggy track pants

No signs of affection: Despite announcing their relationship just a few days later, the duo showed not an ounce of PDA

Low-key: The couple wouldn't have sparked romance rumors based on their otherwise platonic body language

Despite the couple officially going public on Wednesday, there was no signs of affection between the duo as they prepared to jet off to Italy.

The couple wouldn't have sparked romance rumors based on their otherwise platonic body language.

The duo were spotted departing a vehicle with their many pieces of luggage in hand, before wheeling their belongings into the transport hub.

Making waves: Chrishell looked stunning with her honey-hued locks cascading down in loose ringlets

After you! The real estate agent followed his lady love outside

Not pictured with the duo were their Selling Sunset costars and friends, Mary Fitzgerald, Romain Bonnet, Brett Oppenheim, and Tina Louise.

The couple would end up linking up with the four while in Italy, which Chrishell has been chronicling enthusiastically on her social media.

It was on her Instagram account that Chrishell announced she was dating her boss.

Taking precautions: In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the duo wore matching black face masks

Not traveling lightly! The couple jetted off to Italy with their many suitcases

Just the two of us: Not pictured with the duo were their Selling Sunset costars and friends, Mary Fitzgerald, Romain Bonnet, Brett Oppenheim, and Tina Louise

The Netflix star unveiled her new relationship with Jason in a series of cuddled-up snaps taken from her current getaway to Capri, Italy.

Chrishell looked as happy as can be packing on the PDA with her new beau as the new lovebirds explored the sights on board a boat.

While the romance between the pair may definitely come as a surprise to many fans, their close friends were delighted the relationship was finally out in the public.

New beau! Chrishell revealed her surprising new romance with her Selling Sunset costar and boss, Jason Oppenheim, on Wednesday

All aboard the love boat! While the romance between the pair may definitely come as a surprise to many fans, their close friends were delighted the relationship was finally out in the public

Selling Sunset stars took to the comments section to congratulate the pair on their new romance.

'So happy for you guys! Finally people will stop with Jason and Mary hopefully,' costar Romain Bonnet joked, referencing his wife Mary's past romance with Jason.

'Love you Chrishell. Thank you for making my brother happy,' Jason's twin brother Brett Oppenheim commented.

Selling Sunset stars took to the comments section to congratulate the pair on their new romance

Love is in the air! Selling Sunset's new agent Emma Hernan also chimed in on the romance

Brett's girlfriend Tina Louise was over the moon learning the relationship had finally made it to social media.

'Awwwww!!!! Congratulations you guys!! Finally IG official,' Tina commented.

Mary wrote: 'Nothing makes me more excited than to see two of my closest friends together and making each other so happy!'

Jason left a red heart emoji in the comments section.

Making a splash! The photos were just two of many Chrishell posted that day, chronicling her fun-filled adventures in Italy with fellow Selling Sunset stars Mary, Romain, Brett and his girlfriend Tina

Fun in the sun! The stars smiled wide as they posed in their swimsuits

'The JLo effect,' Chrishell captioned the slideshow, along with a shrugging emoji.

It's been nearly two years since Chrishell split from Justin Hartley, who filed for divorce from her in November 2019 following two years of marriage. Chrishell would go on to file for dissolution of the marriage the following month.

The divorce was finalized earlier this year, and the immediate fallout was captured on Selling Sunset.

On the show, the Days Of Our Lives alum slammed Justin for telling her about his intent to file for divorce over text message just 45 minutes before the news was made public.

Life is good! The stars couldn't have looked any happier frolicking by the surf

She said: 'I found out because he text[ed] me that we were filed. Forty-five minutes later, the world knew.'

And Chrishell also hit out at the actor for making an 'impulsive' decision about the future of their relationship.

She fumed: 'Because of the crazy way in which this went down, people want answers, and I f****** want answers. I know people are saying we were only married two years, but it's like, we were together for six years.  In a fight, that's his go-to, you know? Like, "I'm out, I'm out." I hate that kind of impulsive stuff, but I always just thought, you know, that's just an issue that we work through it.

So fly! The group explored the sights by helicopter

'If that's really what you wanted, there are better ways to go about [it]. I talked to him right after because I thought that must be a joke, but that was kind of the end of the communication. What am I supposed to say? What do you say after that? It's like, now I have to find a place to live. Now I have to scramble and figure this out, you know?'

The duo have both moved on, with Chrishell briefly dating Dancing With The Stars pro Keo Motsepe and Justin marrying actress Sofia Pernas.

Justin and Sofia made their red carpet debut at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on May 16, about a year after they were first spotted together.

The way they were: The immediate fallout from Chrishell's divorce from Justin Hartley was captured on Selling Sunset

They previously worked together on The Young and the Restless back in 2015 and started dating last year following Hartley's split from Stause.

Chrishell is not the only Selling Sunset star Jason has romanced.

The real estate agent was also in a relationship with his coworker Mary, but the duo remained friends after their split and now work together at Jason's company, The Oppenheim Group.

Their working relationship came under scrutiny from their peers, whom accused Jason of favoring Mary over his other employees.

Former flames: The duo have both moved on, with Chrishell briefly dating Dancing With The Stars pro Keo Motsepe and Justin marrying actress Sofia Perna

'I don't give her special treatment,' Jason told Good Housekeeping. 'When it comes to business... it's strictly a response to their production, the amount of money that they bring into the brokerage, their level of experience and expertise, and my level of trust in them.'

Mary had a bone to pick with the speculation as well, hitting back at allegations their prior romance was the reason for her professional success.

'Jason and I have been friends for probably 15 years,' Mary explained on the show. 'We dated for maybe a year of that. These girls are trying to take away all of my success and my hard work, saying, "Oh its because they dated".

Friendly exes: Jason was previously in a relationship with his friend and coworker, Mary Fitzgerald

'No, I bust my a** and I work for it. I think its extremely rude and disrespectful to try to take my accomplishments and all of my hard work away from me because Im a successful woman and they just want to throw it back on, "Oh shes probably sleeping with him." No!'

Mary and her husband Romain have currently joined the new couple on their current getaway to Italy, as have Jason's twin brother Brett and his girlfriend Tina.

The photos were just two of many Chrishell posted that day, chronicling her fun-filled adventures in Italy with her friends.

On Wednesday, Chrishell posted a snap of herself grabbing lunch with her friends - including Jason - in Positano.
She's been relaxing on a sun-soaked getaway with her family.

And Amanda Holden set pulses racing as she flaunted her incredible figure in a bikini snap shared to Instagram on Wednesday.

The Britain's Got Talent presenter, 50, sizzled in a pink two-piece while posing on the edge of an infinity pool during the luxury break to an unknown location.

Wow! Amanda Holden set pulses racing as she flaunted her incredible figure in a bikini snap shared to Instagram on Wednesday

Amanda exuded confidence while perched on the pool, with her back arched and toned legs on full display for the camera.

The beauty accessorised with a pair of sunglasses and wore her locks down and letting them fall into the blue water.

Ensuring to keep her fans updated with lots of glimpses into her trip, Amanda also took to Instagram Stories to share a peak at her latest TikTok video.

Amanda rocked a blue and white swimsuit in the picture taken from the clip and seemed to be in great spirits as she held onto a large wine glass.

Sensational: The Britain's Got Talent presenter, 50, has been showcasing her phenomenal figure in a range of swimwear during her trip (pictured enjoying a boat ride on Saturday)

The latest swimwear snaps come after Amanda shared a sweet moment with her lookalike daughters Alexa, 15, and nine-year-old Hollie.

She penned: 'My babies #holiday #family,' as her beloved daughters huddled up with her girls at sunset.

Amanda looked flawless as she wrapped her arms around her lookalike daughters in a plunging green lame maxi dress.

The star wore her caramel tresses up in a chic low bun and accessorised with large gold hoops and matching chain necklaces for the snap.

Sizzling: Amanda also looked incredible in a plunging green and white one-piece in another snap shared to Stories from her luxury trip away on Wednesday

'My babies': It comes after Amanda shared a stunning photo of her and her daughters Alexa, 15, (L) and Hollie, nine, (R) next to a gorgeous sunset on their family holiday

She gazed lovingly at her teenager Alexa who put on a stylish display in a gold cowl dress and wore her locks in a relaxed tousled style.

Meanwhile, Hollie smiled sweetly for the girls pic in an animal print summer dress.

Amanda's sunset snap with her daughters came after she enjoyed a rare date night with their dad Chris Hughes the night before.

The presenter showed off her natural curly hair in the snap she shared to Instagram as she enjoyed a holiday date with husband.

Loved-up: Earlier this week, Amanda enjoyed a date night with her husband Chris Hughes

The trip comes after Amanda expressed her anger at having to pay 2,500 for Covid tests to cover her family when they took a trip to Portugal earlier this year.

Amanda was appearing on Alan Carr's Life's A Beach podcast when she said she is fortunate in that she could afford to splash out on the private tests.

However, she told Alan that she believes other Brits, who aren't as lucky, are being taken advantage of.

She said: 'We went from the Friday to the Friday, but getting there cost over 2,500 in tests, which I don't want to rant on and on about it, but I think that is taking advantage of the British public.

'I'm in a position where I can afford to chuck that money. It's a huge amount of money - someone's taking the p**s.

'If I'd chose to, I could have got in a queue at Faro airport and got one for 25 Euros, but I probably would have caught Covid as well, because the queue was round the block.'

'But never again am I paying that sort of money. There should be some sort of inquiry into that,' she added.
Oscar-winning songwriter Lady Gaga tucked her black turban scarf into the belt of her leotard while exiting Highline Stages in Manhattan's Meatpacking District on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old pop diva also wore a black tuxedo blazer as a cape around her shoulders and shimmery tights for her Big Apple outing alongside a masked bodyguard.

Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) gave her petite 5ft1in stature a big boost with $112.95 Pleaser 'Infinity-1020' lace-up patent leather boots featuring a 9in heel and 5in platform.

Diva! Oscar-winning songwriter Lady Gaga tucked her black turban scarf into the belt of her leotard while exiting Highline Stages in Manhattan's Meatpacking District on Wednesday

They were the same exact booties, selected by styling duo Sandra Amador + Tom Eerebout, that the 12-time Grammy winner wore on Tuesday.

Make-up artist Sarah Tanno-Stewart brought out Gaga's natural beauty and she shielded her eyes with a pair of black cat-eye sunglasses.

Mother Monster then tossed a dozen orange roses into the air, much to the delight of her waiting throng of fans.

While never a bouquet-tossing bride, Gaga has reportedly been dating Parker Group CEO Michael Polansky since late 2019.

Dramatic exit: The 35-year-old pop diva also wore a black tuxedo blazer as a cape around her shoulders and shimmery tights for her Big Apple outing alongside a masked bodyguard (L)

Teetering: Gaga gave her petite 5ft1in stature a big boost with $112.95 Pleaser 'Infinity-1020' lace-up patent leather boots featuring a 9in heel and 5in platform

So nice she wore it twice! They were the same exact booties, selected by styling duo Sandra Amador + Tom Eerebout, that the 12-time Grammy winner wore on Tuesday

Wave: Make-up artist Sarah Tanno-Stewart brought out Gaga's natural beauty and she shielded her eyes with a pair of black cat-eye sunglasses

In fact, the native New Yorker recently returned from San Francisco where she visited with the Harvard grad, whom she met through former Napster founder Sean Parker.

Later on Wednesday, Gaga - who boasts 211.8M social media followers - promoted her cosmetic company Haus Labs' $18 'Le Monster Matte Lip Crayon.'

That same day, taekwondo athlete Julyana Al-Sadeq Instastoried two sweat-laughing emojis next to an Insider article about her resemblance to the 911 songstress.

The Jordanian 26-year-old lost her match against Brazil's Milena Titoneli during day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba.

Catch the bouquet! Mother Monster then tossed a dozen orange roses into the air, much to the delight of her waiting throng of fans

Airborne: While never a bouquet-tossing bride, Gaga has reportedly been dating Parker Group CEO Michael Polansky since late 2019

Bicoastal: In fact, the native New Yorker recently returned from San Francisco where she visited with the Harvard grad, whom she met through former Napster founder Sean Parker

'#NationalLipstickDay tomorrow!' Later on Wednesday, Gaga - who boasts 211.8M social media followers - promoted her cosmetic company Haus Labs' $18 'Le Monster Matte Lip Crayon'

Gaga has been hard at work rehearsing for One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga happening August 3 and 5 at Radio City Music Hall.

August 3 also happens to mark the 95th birthday of the legendary jazz crooner, who's been battling Alzheimer's disease for the last five years.

To prepare, Tony (born Anthony Benedetto) has been singing twice a week with pianist Lee Musiker and exercising three days a week with his fitness trainer David.

Amused: That same day, taekwondo athlete Julyana Al-Sadeq Instastoried two sweat-laughing emojis next to an Insider article about her resemblance to the 911 songstress

Oh well! The Jordanian 26-year-old lost her match against Brazil's Milena Titoneli (L) during day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba

Tickets have not yet sold out for the talented twosome's vaccine-required concerts benefitting his Exploring The Arts organization and her Born This Way Foundation.

The heavily-tattooed millennial and Bennett are also rumored to have recorded an MTV Unplugged as well as the follow-up to their album Cheek to Cheek.

And on May 8, Gaga wrapped Ridley Scott's Patrizia Reggiani biopic House of Gucci, which is scheduled to hit US theaters November 24 and UK theaters November 26.

Not sold out! Gaga has been hard at work rehearsing for One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga happening August 3 and 5 at Radio City Music Hall

Swan song: August 3 also happens to mark the 95th birthday of the legendary jazz crooner (pictured last Thursday), who's been battling Alzheimer's disease for the last five years

Collaborators: The heavily-tattooed millennial and Bennett are also rumored to have recorded an MTV Unplugged as well as the follow-up to their album Cheek to Cheek (pictured in 2015)

In it, the Friends Reunion guest star plays the fellow fiery 5ft Italian socialite Patrizia who was convicted of orchestrating the 1995 murder of her ex-husband, Gucci heir Maurizio Gucci.

The Milan-born 72-year-old completed 18 years of her 29-year prison sentence in 2016 along with four accomplices - including the hitman who gunned down Maurizio at his office.

House of Gucci also stars Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, Jack Huston, Reeve Carney, and Jeremy Irons.
Just a day after Lindsie Chrisley publicly announced her split from estranged husband Will Campbell, new details have surfaced.

Divorce documents filed Monday in Georgia reveal that the 31-year-old reality star will be seeking child support, according to TMZ.

The documents also claim that the couple's nine-year marriage is, 'irretrievably broken,' and that Lindsie is seeking both 'temporary and permanent' child support for their nine-year-old son Jackson.

New details: Just a day after Lindsie Chrisley publicly announced her split from estranged husband Will Campbell, new details have surfaced

It's also revealed that the couple, 'are currently separated are living in bona fide state of separation.'

Chrisley announced the divorce in an Instagram post featuring a photo with her nine-year-old son Jackson inside their new Atlanta abode.

'While one door closes, another opens. It's with the deepest sadness that, after 9 years of marriage, Will & I have mutually decided to end our marriage,' Lindsie began.

Separation: It's also revealed that the couple, 'are currently separated are living in bona fide state of separation'

'We maintain the greatest respect & love for one another, & we're so grateful for our time together,' she added.

Lindsie maintained they would 'remain friends' while still being, 'devoted parents to our son whom we both love very much.

'Personally, I am focusing on the new beginnings ahead & a fresh space with the move this week,' she added.

Love and respect: 'We maintain the greatest respect & love for one another, & we're so grateful for our time together,' she added

'Thank you in advance for respecting our privacy as we work through this challenging time for our family,' Chrisley concluded.

While they were married for nine years, they have split a few times in the past, though it seems it's over for good now.

After eloping in 2012, the couple briefly separated in 2014, though they ultimately got back together and reconciled.

Privacy: 'Thank you in advance for respecting our privacy as we work through this challenging time for our family,' Chrisley concluded

They also split in 2016 and filed for divorce, although they ultimately reconciled yet again and withdrew the divorce petition.

Lindsie has also been estranged from her family, having last appeared on Chrisley Knows Best back in Season 5 in 2017 and she has been 'distancing' herself from the family ever since.

She also made headlines this week after it was reported by TMZ that she had the police called on her for throwing a drink at one of her brother's friends.

Headlines: She also made headlines this week after it was reported by TMZ that she had the police called on her for throwing a drink at one of her brother's friends

Austin Duriez, a friend of Lindsie's younger brother Chase, alleged Lindsie throw a drink at him at a bar in Atlanta.

He called the cops the next day but said he wasn't sure if he wanted to press charges or not since he's friends with her brother.

However, Lindsie's attorney, Musa Ghanayem, alleged that Austin accosted Lindsie and her group and also claimed that Austin was removed from the bar.
Married At First Sight's Christopher Jensen sent fans into a frenzy earlier this month when he stripped completely nude for a men's mental health charity calendar.

And now, Chris, 32, has revealed why, despite being inundated with requests to join adult subscription website OnlyFans, you won't ever see him on the platform.

'I've been approached by heaps of people, but it's just not me,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.

Married At First Sight's Christopher Jensen, 32, has revealed why he won't ever join OnlyFans after he sent fans into a frenzy earlier this month after stripping nude for a charity calendar

Chris explained that while he was more than happy to take his clothes off for a good cause, he 'couldn't do that [share explicit photos] to his girls'.

It comes just days after his co-star, Alana Lister announced that she would be selling bikini photos on the platform, becoming the first of her season to join the website.

Since appearing on the show, the doting father-of-two has shared several sweet photos enjoying quality time with his two daughters, who he shares with his ex.

No thanks! 'I've been approached by heaps of people, but it's just not me,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday

Family man: Chris explained that while he was more than happy to take his clothes off for a good cause, he 'couldn't do that to his girls'. Pictured together last weekend

The hunky tattooed FIFO worker stripped down to his Calvins while posing for photographer John Bortolin's charity calendar.

The raunchy images show Chris posing in white underwear and also wearing a vintage denim jacket.

Sharing a preview of the shoot on Instagram, Chris wrote: 'I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

The groom stripped bare! The hunky tattooed FIFO worker stripped down to his Calvins while posing for photographer John Bortolin's charity calendar earlier this month

For a good cause: Sharing a preview of the steamy shoot on Instagram, Chris wrote: 'I'll leave the rest to your imagination'

Excited: After taking a break from social media, Chris had fans more than excited when he shared a gallery of shirtless photos to his Instagram, with some asking him to join OnlyFans

'After taking a personal break from social media, there's no better reason to be back than to share this for a great cause: 2022 Manscapes nude calendar!'

Chris was trapped in a disastrous union with brand manager Jaimie Gardner on Married At First Sight.

He stormed out of the experiment soon after he and Jaimie checked into their suite.
Lisa Rinna reacted to being an answer on Jeopardy! with a video that was shared to her Instagram account on Wednesday.

The 58-year-old reality television personality was used as an answer to a question during a 2019 episode of the popular quiz show, and she reposted a clip from the occasion to share the experience with her nearly 3 million followers.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills castmate was previously used as an answer on the program in 2018, and she commemorated the occasion by sharing a screenshot to her Instagram Story.

Special occasion: Lisa Rinna shared a clip from when she was quoted as an answer on Jeopardy! to her Instagram account on Tuesday; she is pictured in 2020

During the video, the show's late and longtime host, Alex Trebek, read a question from the 'celebrity couples' category when prompted by a contestant.

The television presenter then gave a clue about the answer when he read: 'This Real Housewife of Beverly Hills is Mrs. Harry Hamlin.'

The contestant who prompted the question then correctly answered 'Who is Lisa Rinna,' and Trebek confirmed the answer.

The reality television figure made a reference to the show in her post's caption and expressed that she was happy to have had her husband mentioned in the question.

Making a reference: The Real Housewife was referred to as 'Mrs. Harry Hamlin' on the popular quiz show

She wrote: 'When you are a @jeopardy question! OMG!!!!!!!! #MrsHarryHamlin.'

Rinna and her 69-year-old husband were initially romantically connected in the early 1990s.

Prior to marrying his current wife, the Clash Of The Titans actor was in a long-term relationship with Ursula Andress from 1979 until 1983.

The two welcomed a son named Dimitri during their time together.

Happy wife: The reality television personality reacted with excitement after sharing the clip and wrote 'OMG!!!!!!!!' in the post's caption; she is seen in 2018

Happy couple: Rinna and the Clash Of The Titans actor have been married ever since 1997; they are pictured in 2020

He was later married to Laura Johnson, and their partnership lasted from 1985 until four years later, when they dissolved their marriage.

The performer was also in a short-lived union with Nicollette Sheridan that endured only a single year and ended in 1992.

Rinna and Hamlin went on to begin a relationship, and they eventually tied the knot in 1997.

They welcomed their eldest daughter Delilah, aged 23, in 1998, and they added their second child Amelia, aged 19, in 2001.

Adding to the family: The two went on to welcome their daughters Amelia and Delilah in 1998 and 2001, respectively; the four are pictured in 2019

The family all appeared on the short-lived series Harry Loves Lisa, which ran for a single season in 2010.

Rinna spoke about her marriage to the actor during a 2018 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, and she noted that she and her husband were not necessarily alike via People.

She expressed, 'I think that we are complete opposites. And I mean, we have nothing in common!'

Opposites attract: During an episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Rinna expressed that she and Hamlin 'have nothing in common,' although they are devoted to each other

The reality television figure also expressed that, despite their differences, she and Hamlin were devoted to one another and that she was committed to staying with him.

'We are crazy about each other, and you can't create that, you can't make it  it either is, or it isn't,' she said.

Rinna also gave her opinion about how relationships work and remarked that she was happy to have been attracted to Hamlin in the first place.

'I think you either really dig somebody, or you don't. And I'm so blessed, we are so blessed that that happened for us,' she noted
Sean Penn returns to the director's chair while also starring with his own daughter Dylan Penn at his side in the trailer for the new true-story thriller Flag Day.

The 60-year-old Sean directs and stars in this film, adapted from Jennifer Vogel's 2005 book Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My Father's Counterfeit Life.

Penn plays John Vogel, a beloved father who has been hiding his life as a con man, counterfeiter and bank robber from his daughter Jennifer, played by Dylan.

Father: Sean Penn returns to the director's chair while also starring with his own daughter Dylan Penn at his side in the trailer for the new true-story thriller Flag Day

Daughter: Penn plays John Vogel, a beloved father who has been hiding his life as a con man, counterfeiter and bank robber from his daughter Jennifer, played by Dylan

The trailer begins with Jennifer Vogel (Dylan Penn) watching a high-speed chase unfold on TV, with her father John (Sean Penn) running from the law.

'My father lusted after freedom, the kind of freedom most free people never experience,' Jennifer begins as the chase ensues.

Jennifer keeps watching as it's revealed on TV that her father is the, 'second-largest counterfeiter in U.S. history,' adding he printed over $22 million.

Watch: The trailer begins with Jennifer Vogel (Dylan Penn) watching a high-speed chase unfold on TV, with her father John (Sean Penn) running from the law

Freedom: 'My father lusted after freedom, the kind of freedom most free people never experience,' Jennifer begins as the chase ensues

Counterfeiter: Jennifer keeps watching as it's revealed on TV that her father is the, 'second-largest counterfeiter in U.S. history,' adding he printed over $22 million

The trailer then cuts to flashback shots of John, clad in a white tank-top with a cigarette between his fingers, as Jennifer adds John, 'came and went from our lives.'

'He always made me feel part of a bigger world,' as John is seen videotaping his kids.

John is seen kneeling before a young Jennifer saying, 'I love you, baby. You and me, we got the same heart, two peas in a pod.'

Cigarette: The trailer then cuts to flashback shots of John, clad in a white tank-top with a cigarette between his fingers, as Jennifer adds John, 'came and went from our lives'

Bigger world: 'He always made me feel part of a bigger world,' as John is seen videotaping his kids

Peas in a pod: John is seen kneeling before a young Jennifer saying, 'I love you, baby. You and me, we got the same heart, two peas in a pod'

Uncle Beck (Josh Brolin) is seen telling John to, 'take good care of her babies' but he's seen hopping in a cab with a suitcase late at night, which Jennifer sees.

Now as an adult, Jennifer tracks John down, asking, 'Dad, what do you do?' as he tells her, 'I'm an entrepreneur,' as she's seen opening an envelope full of cash.

Jennifer's mother Patty (Kathryn Winnick) tells a younger Jennifer one night, 'There are things you don't know about your father.'

Uncle Beck: Uncle Beck (Josh Brolin) is seen telling John to, 'take good care of her babies' but he's seen hopping in a cab with a suitcase late at night, which Jennifer sees

Entrepreneur: Now as an adult, Jennifer tracks John down, asking, 'Dad, what do you do?' as he tells her, 'I'm an entrepreneur,' as she's seen opening an envelope full of cash

Don't know: Jennifer's mother Patty (Kathryn Winnick) tells a younger Jennifer one night, 'There are things you don't know about your father'

She's seen talking with her father while he's locked up behind bars, demanding, 'Just tell me the truth!'

A tearful John tells her, 'You're gonna get it when you walk a mile in my shoes. I'm guilty until proven innocent,' as she screams, 'You will not change!'

Jennifer is heard reciting a poem while she starts to type away on a typewriter as we see shots of father and daughter throughout the years.

Truth: She's seen talking with her father while he's locked up behind bars, demanding, 'Just tell me the truth!'

My shoes: A tearful John tells her, 'You're gonna get it when you walk a mile in my shoes. I'm guilty until proven innocent,' as she screams, 'You will not change!'

The final shot features John and a younger Jen on a boat as she looks at a sketch of herself, with John saying, 'I think the greatest hope a man can have is to leave something beautiful behind, something he made.'

Flag Day, which also stars Regina King, Eddie Marsan, Dale Dickey and Sean's son Hopper Penn, also has another father-daughter connection.

The soundtrack will feature new original songs by Cat Power, Glen Hansard and Eddie Vedder, featuring his 17-year-old daughter Olivia Vedder.

Flag Day hits select theaters on August 20.

Sketch: The final shot features John and a younger Jen on a boat as she looks at a sketch of herself, with John saying, 'I think the greatest hope a man can have is to leave something beautiful behind, something he made'
Abbie Chatfield received her first AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday.

In a series of videos uploaded to Instagram Stories chronicling her vaccination journey, the 26-year-old former Bachelor star joked she looked 'hotter' after receiving the jab.

'Got the vaccine. I look, like, I actually look hotter. Like, I actually look hotter...' she began in a video, filmed in her car after leaving the vaccination clinic.

Jabbed: Former Bachelor star Abbie Chatfield received her first AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday

She took a swipe at anti-vaxxers by adding: 'I will keep you updated on how I feel afterwards and also how the 5G is in my house and in my phone, which I'm excited about.

'I'll let you know if I feel closer to Bill Gates. I'll let you know if the government controls my mind. We'll see how it goes.'

Abbie also shared a video of herself confidently striding down the street set to Donna Summer's disco hit Hot Stuff.

'Already feeling hotter after getting AZ,' she captioned the video.

Journey: In a series of videos uploaded to Instagram Stories chronicling her vaccination journey

Feeling hot: Abbie also shared a video of herself confidently striding down the street set to Donna Summer's disco hit Hot Stuff

In a separate video, Abbie explained her decision to get the AstraZeneca vaccine rather than Pfizer, which is the preferred vaccine for people under 60.

The Pfizer vaccine is in short supply in Australia, with the government now advising younger people to reconsider their options.

'Pfizer wasn't going to happen for me before probably the end of the year. That was kind of the estimation I was getting, and I just wanted to get vaxxed for my own protection and also to help the community. I just wanted to be vaccinated,' she said.

'It's also that I live obviously in Sydney, and if I get COVID, I could die. I mean, a 38-year-old woman died from COVID without any pre-existing conditions, so I just wanted to make sure that I was safe, and I feel good about it.'

In another post on her main Instagram grid, Abbie spoke about more about getting her first jab and joked she was feeling 'super hot' and 'low-key horny'.

Call to arms: In a separate video, Abbie explained her decision to get the AstraZeneca vaccine rather than Pfizer, which is the preferred vaccine for people under 60. The Pfizer vaccine is in short supply in Australia, with the government now advising younger people to reconsider their options

'The biggest wake up call for me was receiving my history of vaccines. I've had so so many and not even thought about it. Modern medicine is rad and I'm so grateful that I was able to get vaxxed,' she continued.

On Tuesday, Abbie lashed out at anti-vaxxers on Instagram, who attempted to insult her by falsely claiming she had enhanced her beauty with cosmetic injections.

While Abbie swiftly denied the claims, she later confirmed she would one day get Botox - but only when given a 'permission slip' from her beloved makeup artist from The Bachelor.

'Do anti-vaxxers realise, when they say that I've got Botox in my face as an insult, they're both proving my point that if you get Botox you should be able to get the vaccine and are complimenting my skin?' she began.

Lashing out: On Tuesday, Abbie lashed out at anti-vaxxers on Instagram, who attempted to insult her by falsely claiming she had enhanced her beauty with cosmetic injections

'Surely they should know that I haven't ever had Botox, purely because the makeup artist from The Bachelor - and my dear friend, Helen Dowsley - told me on the third day of filming that I should never get Botox until she approves it.

'I'm not going to lie - Helen is my beauty Lord and saviour, so I will do literally whatever she tells me to do.

'Helen hasn't told me to get Botox yet, so I'm not getting Botox, babe!'

After receiving a barrage of messages from critics, Abbie added: 'People love to get upset.

'There's nothing wrong with getting Botox - I will, it's just that I'm waiting for my permission slip from Helen.'

Abbie was hit with insults on her appearance from anti-vaxxers after slamming their views numerous times over the past few weeks, saying they are 'discouraging people from getting the TGA-approved Covid-19 vaccines.'

On her podcast It's A Lot, she said: 'If you don't want the vaccine, shut the f**k up. Genuinely stop f**king talking out loud. Like, if you don't want the vaccine, I don't want to hear about it.'

She later posted that if any of her friends shared the same views, she would 'cut them off' because 'it's not a difference of opinion, it's a difference of morals, values and common sense.'

'I like my friends smart and hot,' she wrote.

Speaking on ABC's The Drum, the former reality star had damming words for those who discourage their fans from getting safe and effective vaccines.

'I've ended friendships with people who have a platform and have posted anti-vax rhetoric. It does concern me, the direct access they have to young people,' she said.

'The reason why young women are [becoming] anti-vaxxers is because of influencers, and the influence they have on young people.

'I think young people particularly are very easily convinced to do whatever the favourite influencer is doing.'
Irena Srbinovska has shared some behind-the-scenes secrets of The Bachelor in an Instagram Q&A with fans.

On Thursday, The Bachelor winner finally addressed her fall out and feud with Bella Varelis on the show.

A fan asked if the 31-year-old nurse had spoken to Bella since the end of filming for the reality show, to which she bluntly replied: 'No I haven't.'

'This is the last time I'm going to talk about her': The Bachelor winner Irena Srbinovska addressed her feud with Bella Varelis during an Instagram Q&A on Thursday

She wrote in the caption: 'Ultimately when you have two women falling for the same guy it's never going to end well.

'Emotions got the better of us, if I could go back in time to change how our friendship fell apart, of course I would,' she added.

During the show, Bella accused Irena of 'falsifying stories' about her connection with Locky Gilbert during the three-and-a-half months the cast was in self-isolation.

'We tried to work things out during this time, but it was obvious when we returned that the relationship was done,' Irena said referring to the period away in isolation.

No love lost: A fan asked if the 31-year-old nurse had spoken to Bella since the end of filming for the reality show, to which she bluntly replied: 'No I haven't'

Moved on: Irena continued, 'This is the last time I'm going to talk about her, I wish her nothing but happiness in her future'. She added: 'Will we ever talk again? The answer is no'

Irena, who has since 'moved on' from the feud, continued: 'This is the last time I'm going to talk about her, I wish her nothing but happiness in her future.

'Will we ever talk again? The answer is no,' she wrote.

'The odds are one out of 25 will win the heart of The Bachelor, I was the lucky one,' Irena said, adding that she gained plenty of most amazing friends from the show.

Elsewhere, a fan asked if there were 'any off-camera moments between you and Locky we haven't seen?'

Secrets: Elsewhere, a fan asked if there were 'any off-camera moments between you and Locky we haven't seen?'

'Yes! This was actually not our first kiss,' she revealed, sharing a photo of the kiss Channel 10 described at the time as their first.

'We actually had our first kiss off camera in between scenes, which was very naughty and sneaky but we couldn't help ourselves.'

It comes after Locky and Irena revealed this week they'd lost a child to miscarriage 'a few months' into their relationship, but chose to keep it private.

Smooch: Irena replied that their 'official' first kiss (pictured) was actually their second, as they'd secretly kissed off camera days earlier

They spoke about the miscarriage for the first time in an interview with Who magazine on Thursday, admitting it was a 'devastating low'.

Irena said the miscarriage may have been linked to the stress she was going through in the aftermath of The Bachelor.

The nurse was secretly struggling after her father, Vasco, had suffered a medical emergency and she couldn't be with him due to Covid border closures.

Loss: It comes after Locky and Irena revealed this week they'd lost a child to miscarriage 'a few months' into their relationship, but chose to keep it private

Private struggle: Irena said the miscarriage may have been linked to the stress she was going through in the aftermath of The Bachelor, including from trolling and her father's suffered a medical emergency

She was also dealing with trolls after Locky had infamously told Bella he was falling in love with her only to pick Irena instead.

Irena told Who magazine: 'During our first few months together I unfortunately suffered a miscarriage. But Locky was my absolute rock and having his support made me love him even more.'

Locky said: 'We are just normal people and while we put ourselves in the spotlight, you never know what is going on in our lives that day. If you have to say something, then direct it at me, not my girl.'

'We talk about it all the time': Despite their heartbreaking setback, Locky and Irena remain hopeful of starting a family together in the near future. 'We aren't spring chickens, so it'll happen sooner rather than later,' Locky added

Despite their heartbreaking setback, Locky and Irena remain hopeful of starting a family together in the near future.

'We talk about it all the time,' said Irena, adding that they have already chosen names for the two children they plan to have.

'We aren't spring chickens, so it'll happen sooner rather than later,' Locky added.

Contact Pregnancy Loss Australia if you have suffered a miscarriage or stillbirth and need support, or Sands on 1300 072 637

Love story: The couple met on last year's season of Channel 10 dating show The Bachelor
They were one of the most successful girl groups of the 90s with a string of hits to their name.

And the four members of All Saints enjoyed a reunion on Wednesday as Melanie Blatt, 46, shared a snap with Shaznay Lewis, 45, and sisters Nicole, 46, and Natalie Appleton, 48.

The quartet looked exactly the same as during their 90s heyday as they posed for a snap to mark International Tiger Day with an important charitable cause, with fans rejoicing at seeing them back together.

Together again: The four members of All Saints enjoyed a reunion on Wednesday as Melanie Blatt, 46, (far right) shared a snap with (L-R) Shaznay Lewis, 45, and Nicole, 46, and Natalie Appleton, 48

Alongside the photo, Melanie wrote: 'To celebrate International Tiger Day luxury lifestyle brand Shanghai Tang is teaming up with Save Wild Tigers @savewildtigers to support efforts to save critically endangered wild tigers in S E Asia , one garment at a time !

'Shanghai Tang will donate a portion of the proceeds from all their tiger-themed merchandise sales for the rest of 2021 to Save Wild Tigers !!!!'

The group were clearly thrilled to be reunited as they smiled at the camera while sporting tiger T-shirts.

Fans quickly commented on the snap to express their joy at seeing the ladies together again.

Early days: All Saints were formed back in 1993 by music manager Ron Tom who later went on to found the Sugababes (pictured in 1998)

Reaction: Fans quickly commented on the snap to express their joy at seeing the ladies together again

One wrote: 'Fave girl band of all time,' while another said: 'One of the best girl groups I've listened to and still not changed.'

Another fan simply wrote: 'Legends'.

All Saints were formed back in 1993 by music manager Ron Tom who later went on to found the Sugababes.

Their debut self-titled album released in 1997 went on to become the third best-selling girl group album of all time.

Success: Their debut self-titled album released in 1997 went on to become the third best-selling girl group album of all time (pictured in 1998)

Their single Never Ever is the second best-selling girl group single of all-time in the UK after the Spice Girls' Wannabe.

Their second album Saints & Sinners, released in 2000, went straight to number one, however they split the following year following reports of in-fighting in the group.

All Saints eventually reformed in 2006 and released their third studio album Studio 1 but were dropped by their label when the record didn't meet expectations.

Following a second split in 2009, All Saints reformed once more in 2014 and released the albums Red Flag in 2016 and Testament in 2018.
He was recently abused by trolls following his controversial British Grand Prix win against Max Verstappen.

But Lewis Hamilton, 36, shrugged off the negativity on Thursday as he arrived for previews ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.

The Formula One star opted for an all-black outfit, donning a military-style black nylon Fendi jacket with a US flag planted on its left sleeve.

Dapper: Lewis Hamilton, 36, displayed his bold fashion sense in a black military-style ensemble as he arrived for previews ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix on Thursday

He teamed up his black leather trousers with a pair of red-soled boots, and finished his look with a pair of silver rings.

Clutching his purple-cased mobile phone, the Hertfordshire-born star accessorised his look with chunky and delicate silver chains.

Looking ever-suave, Lewis protected his eyes with a pair of oversized shades, and shielded those around him with a black facemask.

Pose: The Formula One star opted for an all-black outfit, donning a military-style black nylon Fendi jacket with a US flag planted on its left sleeve

Serious: Looking ever-suave, the Tommy Hilfiger model protected his eyes with a pair of oversized shades

Fashion forward: He teamed up his black leather trousers with a pair of red-soled boots as he arrived ahead of this weekend's race

It comes after Mercedes hinted that police should investigate some of the vile slurs aimed at their star driver and called on social media companies to do more to stop racist posts before they go online - and close the accounts of the culprits.

The seven-time world champion, who is a vocal supporter of the BLM movement, is leading a campaign for more racing drivers from black and ethnic minority groups.

Following the race, where Sir Lewis was hit by a 10 second penalty but went on to win the race and close the gap in the title race to just eight points, he received a slew of racist abuse on Instagram.

It was also the platform of choice for racists who abused Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford after their penalty misses in the Euro 2020 final this month.

Trendy: Clutching his purple-cased mobile phone, the Hertfordshire-born star accessorised his look with a delicate silver chain

Shocking: It comes after Mercedes hinted that police should investigate some of the vile slurs aimed at their star driver and called on social media companies to do more to stop racist posts

Disgusting: He was recently abused with monkey and gorilla emojis following his controversial British Grand Prix win against Max Verstappen

Last week, Lewis's team Mercedes released a joint statement with Formula One and the sport's governing body, the FIA, condemning the abuse.

This piled more pressure on social media giants to take steps to filter comments, ban racists and help police punish them if necessary.

'Formula 1, The FIA and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team condemn this behaviour in the strongest possible terms', they said.

'These people have no place in our sport and we urge that those responsible should be held accountable for their actions. Formula 1, the FIA, the drivers and the teams are working to build a more diverse and inclusive sport, and such unacceptable instances of online abuse must be highlighted and eliminated.'

Force of good: The seven-time world champion, who is a vocal supporter of the BLM movement, is leading a campaign for more racing drivers from ethnic minority groups

Facebook, which owns Instagram, insists it is filtering comments but added 'no single thing will fix this challenge overnight'.

A spokesman said: 'In addition to our work to remove comments and accounts that repeatedly break our rules, there are safety features available, including Comment Filters and Message Controls, which can mean no one has to see this type of abuse.

'No single thing will fix this challenge overnight but we're committed to the work to keep our community safe from abuse.'
She has finally returned to Mallorca to shoot upcoming scenes in the villa as the boys return from Casa Amor.

And Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore shared a stunning snap on Wednesday as she posed in a green feather dress in the Spanish sunshine ahead of filming.

Although the presenter, 36, has been busy filming the show's spin off Aftersun in the UK, she hasn't made any appearances in the Spanish villa since the first episode.

Wow! Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore shared a stunning snap on Wednesday as she posed in a green feather dress in Mallorca ahead of filming the dramatic fallout from Casa Amor

Laura looked incredible in the mini dress which featured a dramatic feather skirt and embroidered flower detailing while showing off her toned legs.

The blonde beauty flaunted her bronzed tan as she donned sunglasses and let her tousled tresses fall around her face.

The new snaps came just after she took to her Instagram Story after undergoing hair and makeup to film the upcoming dramatic scenes.

Getting ready! The new snaps came just after she took to her Instagram Story after undergoing hair and makeup to film the upcoming dramatic scenes

Beauty: Laura looked incredible in the mini dress which featured a dramatic feather skirt and embroidered flower detailing while showing off her toned legs

In the new picture Laura looked radiant as she donned a silky yellow dressing gown and held her script up.

The beauty showed off her glamorous makeup look and had her hair clipped back as the team made the final touches to her look.

Clearly excited to witness all the upcoming drama she captioned the snap: 'GET ME IN THAT VILLA!!!'

Off we go! Ahead of travelling away Laura shared a snap of her suitcase full of different shoes to go with her many outfits

Laura's return to Mallorca comes after it was reported that she's only presented 12 minutes of Love Island over the past few weeks despite earning a 600k salary.

Laura revealed that she was back in Mallorca on Tuesday, hitting the beach in a yellow swimsuit by sustainable swimwear brand, Pistol Panties.

The Irish star, who welcomed her first child, a baby girl, earlier this year, hit up the idyllic coast in a busty yellow and hot pink printed swimsuit and denim shorts.

'Wish you were here': Laura revealed that she was back in Mallorca on Tuesday, hitting the beach in a yellow swimsuit by sustainable swimwear brand, Pistol Panties

She captioned her enviable holiday snap on Instagram: 'Wish you were here...' with a sunshine emoji.

But Laura wasn't on her own for the work trip as the star revealed her baby daughter was there with her too.

She shared a photo of her four-month-old baby -who she shares with her husband and Love Island voiceover funnyman Iain Stirling.

It comes as this weekend fans of Love Island will be able to watch the fall out from Casa Amor after Liam, Teddy and Tyler had their heads turned while away from their partners.
She has been keeping her 1.4million followers entertained with her holiday snaps.

And Jess Wright looked sensational as ever as she shared a stunning snap of herself in a brown satin midi dress during her trip to Spain on Wednesday.

The TV personality, 35, exuded glamour in the shot as she cinched her waist with a gold belt and added height to her frame with matching heels.

Wow: Jess Wright looked sensational as ever as she shared a stunning snap of herself in a brown satin midi dress during her trip to Spain on Wednesday

Jess, who was joined by her younger sister Natalya on the trip, styled her brunette locks into an updo as she posed in front of a boat.

Showcasing her sun-kissed glow, Jess accentuated her natural beauty with a light pallet of makeup.

The former TOWIE star completed her look for the day with a gold handbag.

It comes after Jess revealed that her and Natalya's brother Mark, 34, is set to host her much-delayed wedding as a master of ceremonies when it finally takes place in September.

Stunning: The TV star, 35, has been keeping her 1.4million followers entertained with her holiday snaps

The former TOWIE will tie the knot with her businessman fiance William Lee-Kemp, 38, in three months time and revealed she has also selected sister-in-law Michelle Keegan, 34, as a bridesmaid.

Jess also revealed she has selected fifteen bridesmaids to join her on her trip down the aisle after struggling to choose from a long list of candidates.

Speaking to The Mirror, Jess explained: 'I couldn't choose so I thought, sod it, let's have them all.

Vows: Jess previously admitted that she and William Lee-Kemp had considered scrapping plans to exchange nuptials in Mallorca and have a smaller ceremony in England

'I've chosen my dress now too and hopefully it will look stunning on the day.

'I can't wait to be a bride. Will is absolutely perfect,' she added.

Jess also told the publication she'd been working out five days a week ahead of the big day and plans to start a family immediately after the nuptials.

The beauty became engaged to beau William in March last year after he popped the question during a trip to the French Alps.
Jodie Whittaker has confirmed she is leaving Doctor Who, with the BBC revealing on Thursday that her departure will play out across a three-part special.

In a new statement Jodie, 39, who was the show's first female Doctor, described her four-year stint manning the Tardis as being 'the best job I ever had'.

And although the news left many fans devastated, several stars including Olly Alexander, Michaela Coel and Richard Ayoade have already been tipped to take over from Jodie and get the keys to the Tardis.

Horizons new: Jodie Whittaker, 39, has confirmed she is leaving Doctor Who alongside showrunner Chris Chibnall, both of whom have worked on the show since 2017

Jodie was first said to have made the decision to leave in January, with reports at the time discussing a fall in viewership, which has been declining for five years.

It was reported that Jodie and showrunner Chris Chibnall, who is also walking away from the show, had attracted just half the audience during their paring compaired to what the Russell T Davies-led, David Tennant-fronted version of the show did.

The Telegraph reported at the beginning of the year that episodes were drawing in fewer than 5million viewers. The paper added that such numbers are 'not dissimilar to when the show was axed in 1989'.

In comparison, more than 10million viewers watched David Tennant's Doctor Who finale in 2010, according to The Guardian.

However, episode Can You Hear Me? saw just 3.81 million viewers tuning in on the over-night ratings, which - according to website Cosmic Book News - was a 22% decrease since the first episode of Season 12, which aired ten months earlier.

And in figures released in March 2020, the same month the series ended, Doctor Whos ratings slipped to its lowest since the show made a comeback in 2005.

Stepping in? Following Thursday's announcement, several names were suggested to be the next star to take over the Tardis, including actress Michaela Coel (pictured in June)

New Doctor? Olly Alexander (left) and Richard Ayoade (right) were also tipped as potential replacements for Jodie on the show

New gig? Jodie Comer is another name in the running for the high-profile role in the BBC show

The season finale of series 12 had a total TV audience of 4.6million, making it the lowest Doctor Who has ever had. The previous all-time low was 4.7million in 2017.

Series 12 saw an average viewership of 5.4million.

Following Thursday's announcement, several names were suggested to be the next star to take over the Tardis.

Bookmakers Ladbrokes placed Olly Alexander at the forefront with 3/1, I May Destroy You star Michaela Coel with odds of 5/1, followed by Richard Ayoade and Kris Marshall, both with 6/1, and Fleabag actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

In May, It's A Sin actor and Years And Years hitmaker Olly hit headlines with speculation about him taking the role of the Doctor.

He revealed he would love to replace Jodie as the next Doctor Who, but remained coy over whether or not he has been formally approached.

Statement: In a statement released on Thursday, Jodie described her time manning the Tardis as being 'the best job I ever had'

The singer and actor, 30, has become a household name thanks to his starring role in the Russell T. Davies penned It's A Sin, Channel 4's hard-hitting drama about the AIDS epidemic and its devastating impact on the gay community.

He has since been mooted as a potential replacement for outgoing Doctor Who Whittaker, with former show runner Davies - who worked closely with him on the six-part show - admitting he would be a perfect fit.

Asked if he had been approached during a remote appearance on Capital Breakfast, Alexander said: 'I mean, if I was do you think Id be able to tell you? Its true I am very indiscreet but my lips are sealed.'

The star would become the fourteenth Doctor should he replace Whittaker when she finally leaves, and he admitted it would be a 'dream role' if it did actually happen.

'I think it would be amazing,' he said. 'Its an amazing role, and an amazing show.'

While Michaela's name has been in the ring ever since whispers of Jodie's departure began at the start of the year and the rumours are growing increasingly feverish.

Who is odds-on to replace Jodie as Doctor Who? According to Ladbrokes.co.uk, these are the favourites to succeed Jodie into the Tardis... OLLY ALEXANDER - 3/1 The It's A Sin actor and Years And Years hitmaker, 30, has already said he'd love to take over the Tardis. KRIS MARSHALL - 6/1 Kris, 47, was widely rumoured to be the 13th Doctor back in 2017 - could 2021 be the year he finally steps into the Tardis? JODIE COMER - 10/1 The Killing Eve star, 27, who has picked up an Emmy and a BAFTA thus far, is also one of the top names. REECE SHEARSMITH - 12/1 The League of Gentleman actor, 51, is currently an outside bet for the role. MICHAELA COEL - 5/1 Michaela, 33, won acclaim for her BAFTA-winning role in Chewing Gum and BBC/HBO drama, I May Destroy You - making her the hot favourite. RICHARD AYOADE - 6/1 The IT Crowd star, 43, is not far behind Michaela as he looks to add to his impressive CV. PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE - 8/1 The much-decorated Fleabag and Killing Eve is among the favourites for the role. JOHN BOYEGA - 10/1 The Star Wars actor, 28, has previously starred alongside current Time Lord Jodie in Attack the Block and branded her performance 'brilliant.' Advertisement

In January, Alex Apati of Ladbrokes predicted of the replacement: 'Jodie Whittaker's time in the TARDIS will be coming to an end and as things stand it's Michaela Coel who looks most likely to replace her.'

The casting would be yet another string in I Will Destroy You star Michaela's bow, as she is also a screenwriter, director, producer and singer.

And IT Crowd star RIchard Ayoade, 43, is not far behind Michaela in the odds as he looks to add to his impressive CV, which not only comprises acting but also hosting.

In a poll by Metro, 38% revealed they would like to see Richard as the Doctor earlier this year and he has speculation rising among superfans.

The news that Jodie is bowing out of the series left Doctor Who fans devastated, with many rushing to Twitter to share their sadness.

One explained: 'JODIE WHITTAKER IS LEAVING DOCTOR WHO I WANT TO CRY,' while another added: 'Jodie Whittaker is leaving Doctor Who and I am going to be sad about this all year.'

Jodie will first appear in the thirteenth season of Doctor Who  set to air later this year  and then in the first special, tipped to hit screens on New Year's Day 2022.

Devastated: Thursday's news left Doctor Who fans devastated, with many rushing to Twitter to share their sadness

A second special will air in spring 2022, with Jodie's final, feature-length appearance as the Doctor  in which she will regenerate  arriving in autumn 2022 as part of the BBC's centenary celebrations.

Of her time on the show, Jodie said: 'In 2017 I opened my glorious gift box of size 13 shoes. I could not have guessed the brilliant adventures, worlds and wonders I was to see in them.

'My heart is so full of love for this show, for the team who make it, for the fans who watch it and for what it has brought to my life.

'And I cannot thank Chris enough for entrusting me with his incredible stories.'

She added: 'We knew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together. So here we are, weeks away from wrapping on the best job I have ever had.

'I don't think I'll ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons I've learnt forever.'

Jodie concluded: 'I know change can be scary and none of us know what's out there. That's why we keep looking. Travel Hopefully. The Universe will surprise you. Constantly.'

Showrunner Chris, 51, added: 'Jodie and I made a ''three series and out'' pact with each other at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast. So now our shift is done, and we're handing back the Tardis keys.

Co-stars: Aside from Jodie, Chris also welcomed the likes of Tosin Cole (Ryan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Bradley Walsh (Graham) to the beloved show

'Jodie's magnificent, iconic Doctor has exceeded all our high expectations. She's been the gold standard leading actor, shouldering the responsibility of being the first female Doctor with style, strength, warmth, generosity and humour.

'She captured the public imagination and continues to inspire adoration around the world, as well as from everyone on the production. I can't imagine working with a more inspiring Doctor  so I'm not going to!

'For me, leading this exceptional team has been unrivalled creative fun, and one of the great joys of my career. I'm so proud of the people we've worked with and the stories we've told.'

He went on: 'To finish our time on the show with an additional Special, after the pandemic changed and challenged our production plans, is a lovely bonus.

'It's great that the climax of the Thirteenth Doctor's story will be at the heart(s) of the BBC's centenary celebrations.'

Moving on: Writer Chris Chibnall, 51, is also leaving the show and said in a statement: 'Now our shift is done, and we're handing back the Tardis keys'

The British writer concluded: 'I wish our successors - whoever the BBC and BBC Studios choose - as much fun as we've had. They're in for a treat!'

Aside from Jodie, Chris also welcomed the likes of Tosin Cole (Ryan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Bradley Walsh (Graham) to the beloved show.

The BBC added that plans for the new generation of Doctor Who will be announced 'in due course'.

As the first woman to play the iconic role, Jodie has thrilled audiences with her portrayal of the Time Lord, winning the hearts of Doctor Who fans across the globe.

In 2020, Jodie was voted 2nd Most Popular Doctor of all time, coming within a whisker of her friend David Tennant, in a poll of more than 50,000 fans for Radio Times.

Jodie was first reported to have made the decision to leave the show in January, however this is the first time she has confirmed she will be moving on.

Confirmation: Jodie was first reported to have made the decision to leave the show in January, however this is the first time she has confirmed she will be moving on

At the time, fans called for Jo Martin's iteration of the character to become the 14th Time Lord, with the Holby City star previously appearing in two episodes of the show's twelfth season alongside Jodie.

At the time, Jo played an unknown Doctor and viewers claimed this meant she would be an 'obvious' successor for the part.

Jo's Doctor revealed her identity in Fugitive Of The Judoon after previously going by the name Ruth Clayton, and she appeared to be a former unknown iteration of the character; she also appeared in The Timeless Children.

Chris shared his support for Jo's version of the Doctor when she appeared onscreen in April last year, as he said: 'The important thing to say is  she is definitively the Doctor, there's not a sort of parallel universe going on, there are no tricks.

Could it be? Doctor Who fans previously claimed Jo Martin's iteration of the character should return as the 14th Time Lord as she is an 'obvious' successor to Jodie

'Jo Martin is the Doctor, that's why we gave her the credit at the end which all new Doctors have the first time you see them.'

Chris went on to claim that Jo's inclusion in the twelfth series was 'very deliberate', and added: 'But as ever with Doctor Who, answers often reveal new questions.'

Fans also took to Twitter to call for Jo to take on the mantle from Jodie as they felt she was an 'obvious' choice.

One viewer wrote: 'Jo Martin to take over as the next Doctor or we riot.'

While another claimed: 'I will only accept Jo Martin as the 14th Doctor! If it's anyone else I'll be kind of bitter!'

And one fan gushed: 'Look, IF there is to be a new Doctor Who, the choice is obvious and already has the blessing of the fandom. JO MARTIN. The Dr. End of.'

Backing: Fans took to Twitter at the Time to call for Jo to take on the mantle from Jodie as they felt she would be a great choice for the part

Jodie's latest series of Doctor Who, which aired in 2020, saw episode ratings fail to climb above 5million in the over-night ratings. The average viewership was 5.4m.

For the whole of Doctor Who's Modern Era, each season has seen a drop in ratings as they've progressed, while Christmas specials have provided many highs.

During Christopher Ecclestone's run as the Ninth Doctor, the series opener had an average of 10.81 million watching, but by the finale -where he also regenerated- 6.91 million tuned in, just shy of the series' low of 6.81 million for Bad Wolf.

The ratings also fluctuated throughout David Tennant's stint as the Tenth Doctor, where his first episode got 9.84 million, while he had a series high of 13.31 million for Voyage Of The Damned, and a low of 6.08 million for The Satan Pit.

While in Matt Smith's first season as the Eleventh Doctor the opener got 10.09 million viewers tuning in, but the ratings plummeted -much like the current season- to an average of 6.70 million for the finale.

Peter Capaldi's outing as the Twelfth had the lowest ratings for the show, by far, as his final season averaged 5.5 million viewers overall, with a high of 6.68 million viewers, and a low of 4.73 million.
She branched into acting after bursting onto the modeling scene nearly a decade ago with the help of social media.

And Charlotte McKinney seemed to be enjoying a day off from her hectic lifestyle while on a coffee run in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old actress looked ultra chic wearing a black button-down with slacks for an afternoon pick-me-up at Blue Bottle in West Hollywood.

Out and about: Charlotte McKinney seemed to be enjoying a day off from her hectic lifestyle while on a coffee run in Los Angeles on Wednesday

Charlotte's black blouse featured a row of buttons running vertically down her chest, with a few undone to show off her stomach.

She sported a pair of matching trousers and added inches to her frame with black leather heeled sandals.

The Baywatch bombshell tied back her platinum blonde tresses into a messy bun and wore a pair of rectangular frames.

Classic: The 27-year-old actress looked ultra chic wearing a black button-down with slacks for an afternoon pick-me-up at Blue Bottle in West Hollywood

Fashion forward: Charlotte's black blouse featured a row of buttons running vertically down her chest, with a few undone to show off her stomach

Charlotte later found herself the perfect photoshoot location as she toured the Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades.

McKinney first found herself in the spotlight through her sexy Instagram page, which now boasts 1.6million followers and caught the attention of of Wilhelmina Models and classic fashion brand Guess.

But in 2015 Charlotte became a global viral sensation after appearing in a cheeky Super Bowl commercial for Carl's Jr.'s All Natural Burger.

Model behavior: Charlotte later found herself the perfect photoshoot location as she toured the Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades

Star power: McKinney first found herself in the spotlight through her sexy Instagram page, which now boasts 1.6million followers and caught the attention of of Wilhelmina Models and classic fashion brand Guess.

Though many critiqued the suggestive ad  which flirted with the phrase 'All Natural' by showing Charlotte saunter through a farmers market wearing next-to-nothing  McKinney said she has no regrets about the spot.

'It was a huge part of my career and I am so grateful for it. There is nothing I would have done differently. I don't come from a family who worked in the industry  that was my breakout; that was my big moment. I'm not ashamed of it,' she told Ad Age in 2018.

Charlotte's most recent work includes the thriller Phobias, a comedy called The Argument and another laugher titled Guest House.
She has her second baby on the way.

And Ashley Graham bared her baby bump in a nude bathroom mirror selfie she posted to her Insta Stories this Thursday.

The 33-year-old model pulled a pout as she struck a pose with a hand at her back and her hair tied up in a towel.

She has her second baby on the way: And Ashley Graham bared her baby bump in a nude bathroom mirror selfie she posted to her Insta Stories this Thursday

Ashley made sure to scribble over derriere in order to remain in compliance with the Community Guidelines on Instagram.

She has been enjoying a holiday to a mystery beach destination and regaling her more than 13 million followers with social media updates.

The Nebraska native shared an album this Wednesday in which she posed up a storm in a summery yellow mesh maternity dress.

Aglow: She has been enjoying a holiday to a mystery beach destination and regaling her more than 13 million followers with social media updates

Ashley has been married to her husband Justin Ervin since 2010 and they share a one-year-old son called Isaac.

A couple of weeks ago she went public with her second pregnancy by posting an elegant Instagram snap of her baring her bump in a field.

In her caption she gave the picture credit to her husband and wrote: 'the past year has been full of tiny surprises, big griefs, familiar beginnings and new stories.'

'My big baby': Ashley has been married to her husband Justin Ervin since 2010 and they share a one-year-old son called Isaac

The fashionista and body positivity icon added: 'im just beginning to process and celebrate what this next chapter means for us.'

She revealed in a WSJ Magazine profile published this February that she wanted another baby and gushed that she 'would get pregnant yesterday if I could.'

Ashley joked: 'I've "accidentally" had unprotected sex while I'm ovulating just to see if I can while I'm breastfeeding.'
Todd Chrisley has broken his silence on his estranged daughter's divorce.

It emerged this week that Lindsie Chrisley and her husband Will Campbell have decided to end their marriage after nine years.

And on his podcast Chrisley Confessions her father, 52, said it was 'a very sad day' when he heard his daughter and son-in-law were splitting up.

Reality star: Todd Chrisley has broken his silence on his estranged daughter's divorce; he is pictured on the series Chrisley Knows Best

Lindsie and Todd have been on the outs since a nasty public row nearly two years ago in which she accused him of trying to extort her with a sex tape and he alleged that she had cheated on Will with more than one man.

On his podcast this week Todd said: 'I do not wish a divorce on any family, certainly not after going through one and watching what it did to Lindsie and Kyle so I certainly was not hoping to see that pattern repeated.'

Todd, a real estate tycoon, shares his children Lindsie and Kyle with his first wife Teresa Terry who had been his high school sweetheart.

He stated that 'Will Campbell has always been a good provider to my daughter and to my grandson,' nine-year-old Jackson.

The way they were: It emerged this week that Lindsie Chrisley and her husband Will Campbell have decided to end their marriage after nine years

Todd asserted that Will 'and his family have always been very supportive of Lindsie and Jackson to the best of my knowledge, which is very limited.'

While noting that he and Lindsie 'don't have a relationship' and have no contact with one another, Todd said of the split: 'I hate it for Jackson, but I know that Will has always been a good father like I said, to the limited amount of knowledge that I have, but the times that I've been around him with Jackson he was a great father.'

Todd added: 'To the times that I have witnessed - which have been a handful of times - his family with Jackson they have been wonderful grandparents and are really the only grandparents that Jackson knows and has a relationship with, so, and the only family really that he has a relationship with.'

He shared his hopes that Lindsie and Jackson will continue to enjoy a bond with Will's relatives because 'I want Jackson to have as little disruption as possible.'

Letting it out: Todd (right) gave a statement about Lindsie's divorce on his podcast Chrisley Confessions which he hosts with his current wife Julie (left)

On his Instagram that day he wrote a message from 'God and Todd' and did not name its target but said '#you know who you are.'

'Im here. I love you. Whatever is going on in your life right now, I see it, and Im working all things out for good, for you, my child. There is nothing you can do or have done that will make me ever love you less. I will protect you from anything, and anyone who triess to harm you or your reputation,' he wrote.

'I am stronger than depression and anxiety. I am braver than loneliness, and nothing will ever exhaust me. I promise you I will never leave you nor forsake you. I am breathing a new wind into and over your life right now.'

Todd gushed: 'Look for the favor and blessings Im sending in this season your way because they are from me. I love you so much!'

Family photo: Lindsie and Will are pictured with their son Jackson who is now nine

Lindsie had a tense relationship with Todd, as well as her half-brother Chase, during her time on the reality series Chrisley Knows Best.

However matters came to a head over the summer of 2019 when she accused Chase and Todd in a police report of plotting to leak a 'sex tape involving her.'

Todd turned around and alleged that Lindsie had been unfaithful to Will with Josh Murray and Robby Hayes of The Bachelorette fame.

At the time Todd and his current wife Julie were enmeshed in a tax evasion case, and although they have since reached a settlement regarding the state charges in Georgia the federal case against them is ongoing, with them pleading not guilty.

Blowup: Lindsie and Todd have been on the outs since a nasty public row nearly two years ago in which she accused him of trying to extort her with a sex tape

Todd blamed his legal problems on Lindsie, claiming she had ratted him out by furnishing an investigator with his financial information.

Lindsie told Dr. Phil that she had a meeting with Todd in which he intimated she had 'an affair' with a man at the Georgia Department Of Revenue and she denied it.

Further she accused Todd of issuing a 'warning that Chase had incriminating evidence against me, nude photos and had obtained this tape for $5000.'

She interpreted the conversation as blackmail in order to obtain her assistance with Todd's legal woes, and said that her lawyer then 'advised me to file the police report.'

'I love you': On his Instagram that day he wrote a message from 'God and Todd' and did not name its target but said '#you know who you are'

Todd's remarks on his daughter's divorce come as new details surfaced with regard to Lindsie's split from Will.

Divorce documents filed Monday in Georgia reveal that the 31-year-old reality star will be seeking child support, according to TMZ.

The documents also claim the marriage is 'irretrievably broken,' and reveal Lindsie is seeking 'temporary and permanent' child support for their son Jackson, nine.

New details: Just a day after Lindsie publicly announced her split from Will new details emerged about the divorce

It's also revealed that the couple, 'are currently separated are living in bona fide state of separation.'

Chrisley announced the divorce in an Instagram post featuring a photo with her nine-year-old son Jackson inside their new Atlanta abode.

'While one door closes, another opens. It's with the deepest sadness that, after 9 years of marriage, Will & I have mutually decided to end our marriage,' Lindsie began.

Separation: It's also revealed that the couple, 'are currently separated are living in bona fide state of separation'

'We maintain the greatest respect & love for one another, & we're so grateful for our time together,' she added.

Lindsie maintained they would 'remain friends' while still being, 'devoted parents to our son whom we both love very much.

'Personally, I am focusing on the new beginnings ahead & a fresh space with the move this week,' she added.

Love and respect: 'We maintain the greatest respect & love for one another, & we're so grateful for our time together,' she added

'Thank you in advance for respecting our privacy as we work through this challenging time for our family,' Chrisley concluded.

While they were married for nine years, they have split a few times in the past, though it seems it's over for good now.

After eloping in 2012, the couple briefly separated in 2014, though they ultimately got back together and reconciled.

Privacy: 'Thank you in advance for respecting our privacy as we work through this challenging time for our family,' Chrisley concluded

They also split in 2016 and filed for divorce, although they ultimately reconciled yet again and withdrew the divorce petition.

Lindsie has also been estranged from her family, having last appeared on Chrisley Knows Best back in Season 5 in 2017 and she has been 'distancing' herself from the family ever since.

She also made headlines this week after it was reported by TMZ that she had the police called on her for throwing a drink at one of her brother's friends.

Headlines: She also made headlines this week after it was reported by TMZ that she had the police called on her for throwing a drink at one of her brother's friends

Austin Duriez, a friend of Lindsie's younger brother Chase, alleged Lindsie throw a drink at him at a bar in Atlanta.

He called the cops the next day but said he wasn't sure if he wanted to press charges or not since he's friends with her brother.

However, Lindsie's attorney, Musa Ghanayem, alleged that Austin accosted Lindsie and her group and also claimed that Austin was removed from the bar.
Roxy Horner led the glamorous arrivals at the premier of Disney's latest blockbuster Jungle Cruise on Thursday night.

The 30-year-old model wowed as she layered an unbuttoned grey blazer over a white lace bra to create an effortlessly stylish and sexy look for the event.

She showed support for her boyfriend Jack Whitehall's latest project, who stars in the adventure film alongside Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson.

Model: Roxy Horner led the glamorous arrivals at the premier of Disney's latest blockbuster Jungle Cruise in London on Thursday nightC

Roxy looked stunning in the racy ensemble as she paired the lingerie with a pair of matching white shorts.

She completed her outfit with a pair of ankle clasped cream heels and accessorised with a selection of chunky rings.

The blonde bombshell wore her golden tresses in stylish crimped waves and let her long locks cascade past her shoulders.

Stepping out: Dancing on Ice star Vanessa Bauer (L) and Strictly's Katya Jones (R) were also among the celebrity arrivals and both put on a leggy display in brown ensembles

Chic: The 30-year-old model wowed as she layered an unbuttoned grey blazer over a white lace bra to create an effortlessly stylish and sexy look for the event

Turning heads: Roxy showed support for her boyfriend Jack Whitehall's latest project, who stars in the adventure film, as she turned heads in the racy ensemble

Disney magic: The film follows Dr Lily Houghton (Emily) who employs a rambunctious skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne) to take her and her brother (Jack ) down the Amazon river

Dancing on Ice star Vanessa Bauer and Strictly's Katya Jones were also among the celebrity arrivals.

The pair both put on a leggy display in brown thigh skimming ensembles as they took to the blue carpet ahead of the screening.

Vanessa, 25, wowed as she flaunted her taut abs in a midriff-baring co-ord with a plunging neckline and pleated skirt.

Confident: Vanessa posed proudly with her hand on her hip as she showcased her impressive stomach muscles in the cross front tie top

Co-ord: She beamed as she worked her angles for the camera in the crop top, which she paired with a chic pleated mini skirt

Strutting along: Vanessa beamed as she made a stylish exit from the cinema after the event

Stunning: The brunette beauty wore her chestnut tresses in neat curls and accentuated her natural beauty with a slick of dark pink lipstick and some peachy toned blusher

Finishing touches: She completed her ensemble with a pair of pointy-toed white heels that wrapped around her ankle and accessorised with a collection of gold chain necklaces

The Dancing on Ice star posed proudly with her hand on her hip as she showcased her impressive stomach muscles in the cross front tie top.

She beamed as she worked her angles for the camera in the crop top, which she paired with a chic pleated mini skirt.

Vanessa completed her ensemble with a pair of pointy-toed white heels that wrapped around her ankle and accessorised with a collection of gold chain necklaces.

A-list arrival: Meanwhile, Katya turned heads in a very low cut long-sleeved suede dress as she stepped out on the blue carpet

Wow: The professional dancer flaunted her figure in the thigh-skimming ensemble which was belted and buttoned up at her waist to accentuate her curves

Gorgeous: Katya beamed as she worked her angles for the camera in a sultry plum-toned lipstick

Smoulder: The raven haired beauty wore her mid-length tresses in a sleek straight style for the star-studded event

Chic: She completed her ensemble with a warm smokey eye makeup look, two elegant bangles and some dinky drop earrings

Meanwhile, Katya, 32, turned heads in a very low cut long-sleeved suede dress as she stepped out on the blue carpet.

The professional dance flaunted her figure in the thigh-skimming ensemble which was belted and buttoned up at her waist to accentuate her curves.

Katya sizzled in the plunging dress and emphasised her toned legs with a pair of maroon heels with a light pink detail at the tip.

Looking good: Katya had her ample cleavage on full display during the star-studded event

Beauty: She rocked a touch of purple lipstick and a smokey eye shadow look

Work it: The Strictly star exuded confidence as she strutted out of the venue in her mini dress

Leggy: Katya showcased her toned pins in the thigh-skimming ensemble

All in the details: She added a stunning bangle and ensured her nails were perfectly manicured

Disney's latest blockbuster, Jungle Cruise, stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson and is directed by the Spanish filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra.

The family friendly adventure film follows Dr Lily Houghton (Emily) who employs a rambunctious skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne) to take her and her brother (Jack ) down the Amazon river.

They sail through South America in Frank's makeshift boat on a quest to find the ancient Tree of Life that has the power to heal people and, if found, could change modern medicine forever.

Strutting her stuff: Recently axed TOWIE star Chloe Meadows hit the blue carpet in a stone coloured jumpsuit

All eyes on her: YouTuber Saffron Barker stood out for the crowd in a bright yellow minidress

Golden gal: Saffron flashed her toned midriff in a plunging crop top and gave a wave to the cameras as she headed home

Stylish display: Olivia Cox (L) and Laura Pradelska (R) looked a vision in white as they hit the blue carpet

Night out: Whitehouse Farm actress Alexa Davies looked lovely in a red minidress with a statement pink bow

Happy: Ella-Rae Smith appeared in high spirits as she attended the premiere

Roxy has been dating comedian Jack since the first coronavirus lockdown after the pair met during a trip to Australia, with the model moving into his London home after just a few weeks of dating.

Jack previously admitted although the decision 'accelerated' their relationship, they did miss out on doing ordinary things like restaurant and cinema dates.

Speaking on the Couples Quarantine podcast, he said: 'Weirdly that was quite nice because we spent a lot of time together and it accelerates the relationship in a way.

'Then when lockdown ended, there's a lot of things we realised. We'd never gone to see a film together. We'd never been to a restaurant in England because we met in Australia.'
Thoughts: Ben Stiller, 55, gets into an awkward Twitter debate about nepotism

Ben Stiller weighed into an awkward debate about nepotism in Hollywood on social media on Thursday.

The 55-year-old star responded to criticism about Steven Spielberg's daughter Destry Spielberg's new movie The Rightway, as the cast includes children of famous actors including Sean Penn and Robin Wright's son Hopper Penn.

The short film is also written by Stephen King's son Owen King, and news of the movie prompted Vanity Fair contributing editor Franklin Leonard to tweet: 'Hollywood's a meritocracy, right?'

Stiller called the criticism 'too easy' offering: 'People, working, creating. Everyone has their path. Wish them all the best.'

He added: 'Just speaking from experience, and I don't know any of them, I would bet they all have faced challenges. Different than those with no access to the industry. Showbiz as we all know is pretty rough, and ultimately is a meritocracy.'

However, many Twitter users labelled the Along Came Polly star as a 'hypocrite', as he is the son of legendary comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, prompting a flood of hilarious reactions.

The tweet start started it all: Vanity Fair contributing editor Franklin Leonard responded to this casting news, saying 'Hollywood's a meritocracy, right?'

Argument: Ben Stiller was responding to an original thread by The Black List founder Franklin Leonard, who started a debate about nepotism in Hollywood

Starting something: Leonard hit back at Stiller as the pair went back and fourth on Thursday

Passionate: Stiller - who is the son of legendary comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara - had a lot to say on the subject

Leonard hit back: 'I don't for a second doubt that they've all faced challenges. They're human. I simply reject the claim that the industry is  in the short term or long term  a meritocracy. If it were, how do you explain the utter lack of diversity behind the camera? Lack of merit?'

Stiller then replied: '100 percent agree. Diversity is much bigger issue. No question. And I see your point, access is access. So yes. I'm saying that untalented people don't really last if they get a break because of who they are or know or are related to.'

However, Leonard said he 'fundamentally' disagreed with Stiller here, writing: 'Numbers dont lie. Based only on the exclusion of other folks, statistically speaking, roughly 1/3 of the industry has their job not because of merit, but because of other factors (who they know, colonial legacy, sexism, whatever).'

Lineage: Stiller is the son of the late legendary comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara (pictured together in 1998)

Continuing: 'And we both know plenty of unqualified people who manage to stay employed for reasons other than their talent, though both of us have enough decorum not to name names.'

'It's not just access. It's undervaluation. It's active discrimination. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Hollywood film C-suite is the least diverse sector in American business. Less diverse than Trump's cabinet,' Leonard added.

Appearing to get upset, Stiller then said: 'I totally owe a huge debt to my folks and in no way have said I didn't. Why make broad generalizations? You argument about diversity is very sound and I agreed with it.'

Ending in memes: Stiller seemingly stopped the debate with a meme of Michael Scott from The Office saying 'I am dead inside'

The debate then resulted in users flooding the thread with memes, with Stiller himself ultimately posting one of The Office's Michael Scott saying 'I am dead inside.'

Twitter user Ann Molloy tweeted: 'He has conveniently forgotten about his own famous parents, which obviously helped him have a career. Unbelievable Hypocrite.'

Meanwhile, Spielberg's daughter Destry responded to the tweet herself, writing: 'I am just a young aspiring female filmmaker who admires the art of cinema.'

Celeb spawn: Ben Stiller with his parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara on Jimmy Fallon in 2010

Adding: 'People can argue nepotism, But I know deep down that i worked hard to get where i am and it wasn't easy. Beyond proud of this film and proud of the team it took to make it.'

Ben's father Jerry Stiller - who died last May aged 92 - was a celebrated actor, comedian, and author, known in his later years for playing George Costanza's father Frank on the sitcom Seinfeld.

Meanwhile his mother Anne Meara - who died aged 85 in 2015 - was a Tony and Emmy nominated star who starred as Mary Brady on Sex and the City.
James Nesbitt and Sarah Parish were on location in Manchester on Thursday, shooting scenes for Netflix crime drama Stay Close.

The duo were at a bar for the scenes, with James seen stepping out on a balcony to have a cigarette break.

Co-star Sarah was seen on the streets below, in a leather skirt with a perilous thigh-split at the front.

Filming break: James Nesbitt was on location in Manchester on Thursday, shooting scenes for Netflix crime drama Stay Close

She wore a mustard blouse and Ugg boots, with her usually sleek dark locks dyed russet and curled.

Stay Close comes from the producers responsible for The Stranger and Safe.

Based on the Harlan Coben novel of the same name, Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee are serving as executive producers alongside creator Harlan and Danny Brocklehurst.

The story follows three people living comfortable lives who each conceal dark secrets that even the closest to them would never suspect, with the past coming to haunt them, threatening to ruin their lives and the lives of those around them.

Glam: Sarah Parish was also on set, at a bar for the scenes

Time out: James was seen stepping out on a balcony to have a cigarette break

Co-star: Sarah was seen on the streets below

Stepping out: She was in a leather skirt with a perilous thigh-split at the front

James was seen in a seemingly minor role in Line Of Duty.

And ex-star Daniel Mays revealed he doesn't believe DCI Marcus Thurwell, whom James portrays, is dead, as suspected.

The actor, 43, who previously played Sergeant Danny Waldron in series three, admitted he thinks H is still out there and James' character may be the 'main man'.

Speaking on This Morning, Daniel said: 'I dont think James Nesbitts dead. I have a theory, a sneaky suspicion that he might be the main man.'

New look: She wore a mustard blouse and Ugg boots, with her usually sleek dark locks dyed russet and curled

Suspicion: James was seen in a seemingly minor role in Line Of Duty. And ex-star Daniel Mays revealed he doesn't believe DCI Marcus Thurwell, whom James portrays, is dead, as suspected

Co-host Holly Willoughby agreed, saying: 'It makes sense. We didnt get a close up of him dead.'

Phillip Schofield added: 'And why waste him? What was the point?'

Daniel reckons Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio has some more tricks up his sleeves and fans may have not seen the last of Danny Waldron.

He said: 'James Nesbitt is a phenomenal talent, I think Jed Mercurio is dangling the carrot, wouldnt put him past him.'

Plot: The actor, 43, who previously played Sergeant Danny Waldron in series three, admitted he thinks H is still out there and James' character may be the 'main man'

James made a surprise appearance in the show as police officer Thurwell, who was first mentioned in series three.

Line Of Duty fans were stunned back in April when it appeared James' character was killed off before he even appeared on screen - but some viewers are convinced it was a cover-up.

Towards the end of the nail-biting penultimate episode, Guardia Civil police officers stormed Marcus Thurwell's Spanish home, while the AC-12 team watched via video link.

When the law enforcement officers entered the home, they were met by two bodies, and a Spanish captain turned to the camera and identified one as 'Senor Thurwell'.

While many viewers expressed surprise that an actor of Nesbitt's calibre was denied even a scene, some were left convinced that Thurwell was in fact the Spanish AFO leading the raid on his home.

In hiding? Line of Duty fans were stunned back in April when it appeared James' character was killed off before he even appeared on screen - but some viewers are convinced it was a cover-up.

AC-12 were looking into the retired former detective chief inspector after SI Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) learned that Gail Vella - the journalist who was murdered - had been looking into the death of Lawrence Christopher while in police custody - a case Thurwell was in charge of.

It comes after James previously revealed that he lied about feeling snubbed by Jed Mercurio over not being offered a role on Line of Duty, all the while filming for the hit show.

Speaking with The Sun, James said: 'I had a lot of fun saying how Jed has snubbed me for Line Of Duty, all the while knowing our little secret.'

In February, it was reported he felt 'galled' about never being asked to appear in Line of Duty despite being from Northern Ireland and the show being filmed in Belfast.

Daniel said: 'I dont think James Nesbitts dead. I have a theory, a sneaky suspicion that he might be the main man'

The Cold Feet star told the Radio Times: 'Even though Line Of Duty had been shot here for years I was never considered for it, which has always slightly galled me.'

However, James explained after the show that it was all a ploy cooked up by himself and Jed to keep fans off the trail of his role on the hit police series.

And when Jed asked him to appear on the show, he was filming Bloodlands in Belfast, creating the perfect cover story for if he was seen around the city.

Jed said: 'It was easier to keep it secret by plotting the scheme between the two of us... It worked brilliantly, because everyone thought he was genuinely annoyed.'

James added: 'I've kept it to myself for over a year and couldn't even tell my closest friends or family.'
She's currently on a sun-soaked getaway to Italy with her boyfriend Jonathan Davino.

And Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney sent temperatures soaring as she put on a PDA-packed display on Wednesday with her flame.

The actress, 23, sizzled in a tiny pink bikini as she locked lips with her beau on board a luxurious boat off the coast of Capri.

All aboard the love boat! Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney sent temperatures soaring as she put on a PDA-packed display on Wednesday with her boyfriend Jonathan Davino

The couple only had eyes for each other as they lounged atop the boat, sharing kisses.

The White Lotus actress put on a cheeky display as she leaned in to smooch her shirtless boyfriend.

Sydney looked stunning with her blonde tresses styled into braids and a white sarong tied around her slender waist.

Her beau sipped from a canned drink as he hung out wearing blue trunks, a fedora, and a white T-shirt that he ended up ditching.

That's amore! Sydney locked lips with her shirtless beau during their trip to Italy

Skin is in! The actress put on a busty display as she hung out on the boat in her tiny bikini

Kiss me! The couple only had eyes for one another

Sitting across from one another while basking in the sunshine, the couple couldn't have looked any happier taking in the picturesque views.

Sydney looked every inch the bathing beauty as she kicked back luxuriously at the edge of the boat, her head tilted beside her shoulder.

On top of catching some rays, there was plenty of fun in the sun to be had by Sydney and her friends.

XOXO: The shirtless hunk tenderly touched her hip as they continued their love fest

Cheeky! The Euphoria star put her bottom on display as she lavished love on her beau

Bikini babe! Sweeney looked stunning with her blonde tresses styled into braids and a white sarong tied around her slender waist

After a day spent in the sunshine, the actress jumped into the refreshing water.

One pal cheered her on with a thumb's up as she leapt off the boat.

Sydney has been documenting her Italian adventures on her Instagram account, where she posted a snap of herself luxuriously basking in the sunshine wearing a white bikini top and matching trousers.

'Dolce vita,' she captioned the snap.

Toned and terrific! The actress looked phenomenal with her gym-honed body on full display

Strike a pose! The 23-year-old looked every inch the bathing beauty as she kicked back luxuriously at the edge of the boat, her head tilted beside her shoulder

Fun in the sun! The actress beamed with joy whilst chatting with her long-time flame

And after a busy few years of work, Sydney definitely deserves some fun in the sun.

Sydney's long list of credits include a role on the hit HBO series Euphoria, which sees star opposite the likes of Zendaya and Jacob Elordi.

She also stars on the newly released satire comedy-drama series The White Lotus, which debuted on HBO earlier this month.

Sydney plays college sophomore Olivia Mossbacher in the series which chronicles the various staff and guests staying at a Hawaiian resort over a single week.

Throwing shade: The actress rocked a large pair of sunglasses, protecting her eye sight from the sun rays

If you've got it! There was no denying just how incredible Sydney looked

Making a splash! The actress leapt off the boat as one pal cheered her on with a thumb's up

Recently, Sydney admitted she almost didn't audition for the controversial series Euphoria, fearing backlash from her family.

But she ended up going for it, and booked her role over a tape she submitted of herself.

'What's crazyand this is going to sound really badis when I first got sent the audition, I was too nervous to go do it,' she told StyleCaster.

'I grew up in a smaller town with my family, who are a little more conservative, and I was like, "They're going to kill me if I do something like this." The audition got sent again to me. I read it again, and I was like, "This is so incredible. How could I pass an opportunity like this?" I'll just really try to explain this to my mom one day. I put myself on tape. I didn't even go in, and I ended up booking it off the tape.'

H20! The actress mixed in some adventure into her otherwise relaxing boat day

The time of her life! Sydney emerged from the water after splashing right in

Not only that, but Sydney had already booked a regular role in a straight-to-series Netflix show at the time she landed the Euphoria gig.

Euphoria was only a pilot at the time, and Sydney grappled with remaining on the Netflix show or going with Euphoria.

Ultimately she chose Euphoria.

'Do I go do a pilot for HBO on an incredible show but run the risk of not having a series? Or do I do a Netflix series that's already picked up but my role is not as big?' she told StyleCaster.

'I had a personal conversation with [Euphoria creator] Sam Levinson, and he just told me his vision and everything about what he sees and wants to achieve in the show. There was no way I could not be a part of this, so I signed on and here we are.'

'Dolce vita': The HBO star posed luxuriously in a white bikini top and matching trousers in this snap posted Thursday

New role! The actress stars in the new HBO series, White Lotus
She is set to welcome her first child, a daughter, with restaurateur boyfriend Nathan Dalah in the coming months.

And Georgia Fowler showed off her blossoming baby bump on Thursday as she posed for photos at the beach in Sydney.

The pregnant Victoria's Secret model, 29, looked sensational while flaunting her belly in a skimpy white bikini.

Bumping along nicely! Pregnant Victoria's Secret model Georgia Fowler, 29, showed off her blossoming baby bump on Thursday as she posed for photos at the beach in Sydney

The New Zealand native raised her arms above her head to highlight her lean limbs as she knelt on the sand in front of a brick wall.

She swept her brunette hair to one side while striking a series of poses.

'Bring ya own beachball,' she captioned the photos on Instagram.

She was flooded with compliments from her followers, including fellow model Kaia Gerber, 19, who commented: 'Queen of having abs on top of her baby bump.'

'Bring ya own beachball': The New Zealand native raised her arms above her head to highlight her lean limbs as she knelt on the sand in front of a brick wall

Fit mama: She was flooded with compliments from her followers, including fellow model Kaia Gerber, 19, who commented: 'Queen of having abs on top of her baby bump'

Georgia, from Auckland, used to live in New York but relocated to Sydney last year.

She announced in April she was expecting a child with boyfriend Nathan, 26, the founder of the Fishbowl salad restaurant chain.

The catwalk queen shared the happy news on Instagram alongside a series of black and white photos of her baby bump.

'The best is yet to come': Georgia announced in April she was expecting a child with boyfriend Nathan Dalah, 26, the founder of the Fishbowl salad restaurant chain (pictured together)

'We can't wait to meet you little one,' she wrote.

'It's been hard to keep this one quiet, but now it's pretty hard to hide.

'Nathan and I couldn't be happier to share our exciting news with you. We cannot wait to meet you little one and begin our next adventure together. The best is yet to come.'
The image of her in American Beauty  a naked, ivory-skinned, blonde teenager, smiling knowingly at the desire she is provoking as she lies on a bed of rose petals  is as unsettling as it is iconic.

It is surely as powerful a depiction of forbidden lust as has ever been committed to film.

But behind the striking pose by actress Mena Suvari lies a story every bit as disturbing according to her new memoir, one of the most extraordinary and depressing to have emerged from Hollywood.

In The Great Peace, published this week, she reveals that by the time the Oscar-winning film was released, she had survived eight years of physical and sexual abuse  an horrific ordeal which she says destroyed her life for decades afterwards.

She details what happened to her with a frankness so unsparing that it makes deeply uncomfortable reading. It was, she says, my secret world of embarrassment, shame and guilt.

Suvari, 42, says she was raped aged 12 by her 16-year-old boyfriend, who went on to give her a bladder infection and dump her the day after her 13th birthday.

At 16, her acting manager, who was in his 30s, was having sex and smoking pot with her.

The image of her in American Beauty  a naked, ivory-skinned, blonde teenager, smiling knowingly at the desire she is provoking as she lies on a bed of rose petals  is as unsettling as it is iconic

That was the year she wrote a suicide note.

A subsequent boyfriend encouraged her descent into daily drug abuse and gave her herpes.

He would take her shopping for sex toys and when he insisted she used them it made her feel violated and dead inside.

He also forced her to pick up other women for threesomes on a regular basis.

Much of this was going on when she played teenager Angela Hayes on screen in American Beauty, which came out in 1999. She said that going on set, where she was treated with politeness and respect by British director Sam Mendes and his crew, offered her a holiday from her intolerable life. At the time she was just 19.

The whole time I worked on American Beauty I was grinding on empty: working to perfect my part, submitting to [my boyfriend] Tylers demands for kinky threesomes at least three or four times a week, and pretending in both cases that everything was okay.

Except it wasnt.

Despite her starring role in the film alongside the now disgraced Kevin Spacey, Suvari says she never actually wanted to act, and should have had some other career such as astronaut or archaeologist  although in High School she did not get the grades because she was drinking and taking drugs at break times.

It did not start like this. She was born into a wealthy family in Rhode Island, when her father Ando, an Estonian psychiatrist, was in his early 60s and her mother Candice 30 years younger.

By her own account, she was a prodigy at junior school who taught herself to read and was so ahead of the class that she was given Menas corner in the library so that she could teach herself while the rest plodded along. She was also a great beauty, she says immodestly. Indeed, she claims her looks set her apart from the crowd and meant she had few friends.

One person who did take an interest in her, however, was a friend of her brothers who was three years older than her. This was after the family moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and she was only 12. He started writing her love letters and spending time alone with her in her bedroom.

She is angry now that no one was concerned by this turn of events  not least because their kissing sessions led to the devastating incident where he took her virginity despite her protests. The most precious piece of me was taken against my will, she says. The sexual relationship continued and she ended up with a bladder infection and being prescribed the contraceptive pill by a doctor who failed to inquire into the circumstances.

When the teen dumped her and called her a whore, he told everyone in town about the relationship. She was devastated. It was, she says, his way trying to rationalise away the reality of raping me.

By this time her modelling career was taking off and she was winning competitions. Even though she was a petite 5ft 2in, she was soon being cast in television adverts.

Although she is none too complimentary about her parents in the book, they made considerable sacrifices for her. In order for her to launch her film career, they moved to a small apartment in Los Angeles and she was sent to an expensive private school there where she claims she was insecure and misunderstood.

This was when she developed an enthusiasm for drink and drugs. Meth, she says, made her feel as if her brain had melted.

My days moved with a frantic mix of meth and marijuana, she writes. I took drugs to numb myself from the pain. Alcohol. Pot. Coke. Crystal meth. Acid. Ecstasy. Mushrooms. Mescaline. It was my way of detaching from the hell of my existence  and surviving.

Meanwhile, her family life fell apart as her mother left her father and he then had a stroke. Suvari took refuge in even more drugs and ever more relationships with men.

One was Tyler, a lighting engineer and sex and drug addict. She moved in with him.

He was 26, she was 17. They slept on a soiled mattress on the floor and smoked pot daily in a relationship that lasted for three years. In retrospect, it was abuse, she says now.

Her self-esteem was whittled away. She stored her clothes in piles on the floor of the wardrobe and cooked for him and his friends.

She also submitted to his sexual demands. I dont think he ever asked what I wanted or what would make me feel good or happy, she writes. It didnt involve my consent. I was not being loved, I was just a body, a receptacle for his desires.

Faithfulness on his part was out of the question. He was a sex addict and wanted to get laid the way I wanted to get high.

Inevitably, perhaps, she ended up with herpes.

Tyler then started to suggest threesomes. She recalls weeping while he was making love to another woman and writes: I believed all I had ever had going for me was in my looks and the power they had over people. Now that power was gone. I was on the sofa  he was with the woman with the enormous t*ts.

Despite her starring role in the film alongside the now disgraced Kevin Spacey, Suvari says she never actually wanted to act, and should have had some other career such as astronaut or archaeologist

Yet astonishingly, she felt she couldnt exist without him.

Work became a refuge. Cast in her first big film, American Pie, as a wholesome choir girl, she went back to her hellhole at the end of every day.

She felt complicit in the degradation. Going away to make a film, she slept with three people in the production. While making American Beauty she packed up to leave Tyler a dozen times, but never did.

Angela Hayes, the provocative cheerleader in American Beauty who eventually confesses that she is a virgin and feels unattractive, was a character who Suvari felt in her soul.

The next film she made, about an all-girl bank heist, involved being out of LA for two months. It was then that she finally found the strength to break up with Tyler.

Disastrously, though, she leaped straight into marriage with the next man she met, Robert Brinkmann, a director of photography who was 16 years older than her.

She gave him a lift home from the airport when the film wrapped and on impulse moved straight into his house. He was caring, passionate and loving and her date to the American Beauty premiere.

People told me I was lucky and I nodded, only I was thinking about the hellhole I had escaped and not about American Beauty.

They were married when she was 20. She smoked a big bowl of marijuana before and after the ceremony in 2000. Life felt better high, she writes.

Before long, he helped her to stop her pot habit, though not her addiction to a Hollywood spending habit  her credit card bill was over $40,000 a month.

Now that she was clean, she could not stop mourning her lost innocence, and cried for days on end.

But soon she was on the move again. In 2005, she told Robert she wanted out. He was over 40 and she only 25. I let him save my life. I loved Robert, she explains.

Our life was peaceful, prosperous and easy, then one day I knew I had to leave it.

She had to figure out who she was and learn how to sustain a loving relationship and, while he was ready for children, she says, she was still hungry for life.

Healed: Suvari in 2018. She details what happened to her with a frankness so unsparing that it makes deeply uncomfortable reading. It was, she says, my secret world of embarrassment, shame and guilt

That translated into a passionate romance with her hunky Australian Pilates teacher Jay Bulloch.

Jay, who was studying Chinese medicine, came with her on a romantic trip to make a film in his home country.

On the first night in their hotel, she confessed some of the situation with Tyler to him, and added that she had herpes. She was furious at his appalled reaction and dumped him, only for them to make up.

More trouble lay ahead, though. She had been taking Chinese herbs for bladder pain on Jays advice but they made her feel bad.

During an emergency meeting with her nutritionist she was told that they had thrown out her pH balance and included heavy duty detoxfiers. Jay felt she was questioning his expertise as a healer.

They broke up and she proposed an open relationship which he didnt want. She was soon smoking pot regularly again.

Two on-set romances followed. Suvari does not name her co-stars. One of them gave her the hottest, most amazing sex I ever had. She was left with good memories and a tender friendship  both knew that it was just an on-set liaison.

The second took place on a film in Europe; this co-star was tall and handsome and they started an affair, but it was curtailed when she had a one-night stand with a DJ after a night out.

I couldnt get past the idea that I had wrecked something special for myself, she writes.

It was in 2007 that she met Simone Sestito while attending the Toronto Film Festival promoting her film Stuck and eventually married him.

I made another desperate attempt at marriage, repeating past mistakes in the process.

He seemed like a prosperous concert promoter but turned out to be mystifyingly short of money and had fibbed about his age  he was five years younger than her.

Suvari, who was paid $800,000 by Lancome for adverts and up to $1million a film, was funding everything  and I couldnt afford it.

She had to dip into her pension to keep them in style. She started to drink heavily, bingeing on Red Bull and vodka until she vomited.

He gave her an enormous diamond engagement ring  then she had to give it back so he could borrow money against it.

He was jubilant to be able to get it back temporarily for their wedding in Italy.

Meanwhile, she was busy ignoring the red flags. I kept eating what he was feeding me and ignoring the fact that bullsh*t was on the menu, she said.

The end came after he visited her on the set of the TV series American Horror Story. She was embarrassed that he showed up in a noisy Lamborghini and polished off snacks from the catering table.

He stayed out all night and told her something  she never says what  which made her tell him to get out.

There were yet more relationships and one-night stands before her long search for a lasting partner ended when she was cast in a made-for-TV film, Ill Be Home For Christmas. On set in Toronto she met Mike Hope, a lowly prop master and set dresser.

Suvari was impressed by his long lashes and writes that she couldnt believe her luck that he was another Scorpio. Two years later, in 2018, they were married.

She calls him a really great guy. Old school, really considerate, old-fashioned. She was overjoyed to fall pregnant at 41, and they have a son Charles.

I came to the conclusion that no one had inculcated more damage on me than I did and that realisation was crushing, she writes.

I spent almost my entire life feeling disgusted, ashamed and in denial about what happened to me and what I had allowed myself to do and be a part of.

Then one day, I stopped. I stopped running away and I looked at myself. I looked into the pain and what I saw was that I was ready to leave it all behind and heal.
Jasmine Tookes is celebrating her last few days as a single woman with her fellow Victoria's Secret Angels.

The model, 30, who is set to wed Snapchat executive Juan David Borrero, celebrated her Bachelorette party in beautiful Croatia with her famous girlfriends.

Jasmine's last big hurrah before her big day was indeed a who's who of Victoria's Secret vets, from Lais Ribeiro to Romee Strijd to Shanina Shaik.

Let's go girls! Jasmine Tookes is celebrating her last few days as a single woman with her fellow Victoria's Secret Angels

Whether they were soaking in the pool or exploring the sights by boat, the women were clearly having the time of their lives celebrating Jasmine.

Jasmine put her fabulous body on display in a blue bikini as she hung out on the pool of her luxury villa.

'I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE!' she declared.

The star took part in many of the traditional bachelorette rituals, donning a 'Bride to be' sash as she posed with her pals.

Team bride! Tookes partook in many of the traditional bachelorette rituals, including the donning of a 'bride-to-be' sash

Making a splash! Sara Sampaio was just one of the many Victoria's Secret Angels at the bash

Strike a pose! Shanina Shaik lived it up with the bride-to-be, who accessorized her look with earrings from UNOde50

Wearing a pretty white dress with matching sandals, Jasmine reveled in the attention as she posed beside a beautiful balloon display overlooking the ocean.

The model also wore a white bathing suit as she and her gal pals set sail onboard a small boat.

Just before taking off, however, the model was surprised by the presence of her pals, Romee and Taylor Hill, who hopped on board.

'I'm crying,' Jasmine said as she embraced Romee.

Having a ball! The bride-to-be wore a white dress as she posed beside a beautiful display of balloons

Just the girls! Romee Strijd and Taylor Hill came along to celebrate Jasmine's special day

Aww: Jasmine shed tears after she was surprised by Romee and Taylor Hill

In addition to their boating fun, the women enjoyed drinks on a hillside and explored a historic town.

After four years together, Juan proposed to Jasmine in September 2020 with a whopping 190k diamond ring.

'Si, mi amor!  Were engaged!!!' she gushed on Instagram.

They made it! Taylor danced about after surprising her friend

Rest and relax: Josephine Skriver enjoyed a drink on a beautiful, hillside set-up

Model behavior! Sara struck a silly pose with her drink in hand

It is said that Jasmine's Snapchat executive beau shocked her with the proposal after whisking her away for a surprise trip to Lake Powell, a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona.

Speaking to Vogue about her big moment, Jasmine revealed: 'It was a complete surprise!'

She explained that her Ecuador-born beau announced that he was taking her away following her day of meetings and that she had two hours to pack.

Cheers! The women enjoyed ice cold drinks, awaiting them inside a metallic cart

Fun in the sun! Lais Ribeiro admired the views in her colorful bikini

Simply stunning: Ribeiro kicked back in an animal print dress

Describing her unexpected trip, she said: 'We hopped on a helicopter which flew us to the most beautiful, otherworldly-like secluded place in the middle of the desert rocks in Utah. It was just us.'

The model described how they had sipped champagne before her beau brought her to the rocks where 'WYMM' was spelled out on the ground.

After realising what it had meant - Will you marry me? - Jasmine then recalled the unique way in which Juan presented the ring.

She continued: 'I heard a drone flying from above which had a string hanging from it with a small black pouch below. This is how the ring was delivered to him. As the drone approached, he reached into the pouch pulled out the box and went on one knee.'

She added that she cried many 'happy tears' and said the proposal was 'the best day I couldve ever imagined.'

Feasting their eyes: In addition to their boating fun, the women enjoyed drinks on a hillside and explored the historic town

She said yes! Tookes became engaged to Snapchat executive Juan back in September 2020
He has thrilled fans with wild transformations in roles ranging from the Joker in 2016's Suicide Squad to his Oscar-winning turn as emaciated trans prostitute Rayon in 2013s Dallas Buyers Club.

But nothing compares to Jared Leto's upcoming portrayal of high-powered fashion industry player Paolo Gucci in the yet-to-be-released Ridley Scott film House Of Gucci, which debuted several character-focused film posters on Thursday.

While the one-sheet featuring Lady Gaga was the epitome of Italian glamour, the image showing Leto, 49, made major waves on Twitter, since the actor was completely unrecognizable with hair make up causing him to look like a paunchy, balding older man.

Wild transformations: The internet is aflame with spirited reactions to Jared Letos upcoming portrayal of high-powered fashion industry player Paolo Gucci in new film House Of Gucci

The image shows the Requiem For A Dream star against a dark background, wearing a plaid gray suit with red striped shirt, paisley tie and a white rose on his lapel.

But most noticeable is Jared's considerable double chin, high round forehead and unkempt, gray hair around his ears, likening him to a dead president.

Twitter was quick to supply its own cheeky reactions and comparisons, with one user remarking, 'Oh man I can't wait to see Jared Leto in this gritty Super Mario Bros reboot'.

Another tweet observed Letos striking resemblance to a certain famous television character portrayed by Denis Franz back in the 90s: 'Jared Leto in the role he was born to play NYPD Detective Andy Sipowicz'.

Night and day: The 49-year-old Oscar winner (left) eschews his handsome and youthful real-life looks for the role of an older and balding Italian fashion magnate (right)

Twitter was quick to supply its own cheeky reactions and comparisons, with one user remarking: 'Oh man I cant wait to see Jared Leto in this gritty Super Mario Bros reboot'

They're not wrong: User @Maggieserota observed Letos striking resemblance to a certain famous television character portrayed by Denis Franz back in the 90s

Yet another Twitter account made reference to a film currently in theaters, specifically the new M. Night Shyamalan thriller Old.

'Clearly, Jared Leto visited the beach that makes you old,' @Nikowl wrote, adding the hashtag #HouseOfGucci.

Others chose a more straightforward approach, with Varietys Jazz Tangcay observing that Letos transformation makes the film an early 'frontrunner for hair and make up' Oscars next year.

Yet another Twitter account made reference to a film currently in theaters, specifically the new M. Night Shyamalan thriller Old: 'Clearly, Jared Leto visited the beach that makes you old,' @Nikowl wrote, adding the hashtag #HouseOfGucci

Finally, Billie Eilishs brother Finneas OConnell summed it up by tweeting simply, 'How is this you'.

In the movie, due out on Thanksgiving this year, Leto will portray Paolo Gucci, son of Aldo Gucci (to be portrayed by Al Pacino) and grandson of the fashion houses founder, Guccio Gucci.

The Gucci family saga is sprawling, complex and rife with scandal and chaos, making it the perfect subject for a major Hollywood production.

Finally, Billie Eilishs brother Finneas OConnell summed it up by tweeting: 'How is this you'

During the 80s, Paolo (played by Leto) attempted to capitalize on his family's well-known brand by launching an outfit called Gucci Plus on his own, which caused major family tensions.

But that's far from all: the film will also focus on Paolo's cousin Maurizio, played by Adam Driver, who was murdered after his ex wife, Patrizia Reggiani, ordered a hit on him in 1995.

Reggiani will be portrayed by none other than Lady Gaga, in her first major followup film role to her Oscar-nominated turn in 2018's A Star Is Born.

House Of Gucci is based on the novel The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by author Sara Gay Forden.

Filming took place from February to May 2021 in various parts of Italy, and is scheduled to be released in the US on November 24 and the UK on November 27 by United Artists Releasing.

Versatile character actor: Jared has morphed in roles ranging from the Joker in 2016s Suicide Squad to his Oscar-winning turn as trans prostitute Rayon in 2013s Dallas Buyers Club

Another upcoming role: Leto will be joining the MCU as super-powered vampire Morbius, based on the comics
Channel Seven is hoping for a clash of the reality TV titans after reportedly paying almost a million dollars to bring over two outspoken Americans for Big Brother VIP.

Just days after flying over Caitlyn Jenner with the promise of a $500,000 payday, the network has now paid former Donald Trump advisor Omarosa Manigault Newman $450,000 to take part, according to People magazine.

Omarosa, 47, may not be familiar to Australian audiences, but she'll certainly be one to watch given her history as an outspoken TV personality and White House insider.

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Big payday: Channel Seven has reportedly paid $450,000 to lure outspoken reality star and former Donald Trump advisor Omarosa Manigault Newman to appear on Big Brother VIP

'Omarosa and Caitlyn are expected to go head-to-head, especially about LGBTQ+ issues,' a source told People.

'They're the two highest paid on the upcoming season,' they added.

This will be Omarosa's second stint on a celebrity version of Big Brother, after she placed fifth on the U.S. edition three years ago.

Her first brush with fame came in 2004 when she was a confrontational contestant on the first season of The Apprentice USA, fronted by CEO Donald Trump.

She later served as director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison during the Trump administration from January 2017 until she was unceremoniously fired in December that year.

Omarosa - once arguably Trump's most prominent African-American supporter - was allegedly escorted out the White House for abusing its car service, reports Politico.

The right-wing political operative later blasted Trump, 75, during an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother USA and vowed to never vote for him again.

She also labelled the former commander-in-chief a racist in her 2018 book Unhinged.

Clash of the titans: 'Omarosa and Caitlyn are expected to go head-to-head, especially about LGBTQ+ issues,' a source told People magazine. Pictured: Caitlyn Jenner, who has reportedly been paid $500,000 to star on Big Brother VIP

Meanwhile, her reality TV resume includes Celebrity Big Brother (2018), Fear Factor (2005), Celebrity Apprentice USA (2008) and All-Star Celebrity Apprentice (2013).

A reality TV mainstay, Omarosa has often been described as a 'villain' and one of the most 'hated' women on television - a characterisation she rejects.

She also once fronted a dating competition series called The Ultimate Merger in 2010, in which men vied for her affections.

Omarosa is now happily married to pastor John Allen Newman.

Big Brother: Omarosa, 47, may not be familiar to Australian audiences, but she'll certainly be one to watch given her history as an outspoken TV personality and White House insider. Pictured on the American version of Celebrity Big Brother

Kicked out the White House: She later served as director of communications for the Trump administration from January 2017 until she was unceremoniously fired in December 2017

Omarosa will join the likes of Caitlyn Jenner, Thomas Markle Jr and Jessika Power for Australia's Big Brother VIP in a newly built Sydney complex.

Rumours of her involvement in the show were first reported by TV Tonight on July 16.

Other rumoured housemates include retired athlete Matt Shirvington, TV presenter James Tobin, comedian Josh Thomas and former Hi-5 star Charli Robinson.

In April, a network insider told Woman's Day producers had their sights set on several big names, including Home and Away's Lincoln Younes and radio star Ash Pollard.

Big Brother VIP is the second celebrity-themed Big Brother format to air in Australia, after a first season was made back in 2002.

Cameras rolling: Omarosa will join the likes of Caitlyn Jenner, Thomas Markle Jr and Jessika Power for Australia's Big Brother VIP in a newly built Sydney complex

The new set is currently being constructed despite the ban on building works in Sydney, after the producers were granted special permission.

Castmate Caitlyn Jenner is facing scrutiny for campaigning for Governor of California from her hotel quarantine in Australia ahead of filming the reality series.

The Republican candidate, 71, is halfway through her two-week stint in lockdown in order to participate in the series, despite the recall election being less than two months away.

She defended her decision to fly to Sydney for a TV commitment, telling Fox News on Sunday that '[un]like most politicians, I actually honor my contract.'

Already creating drama: Castmate Caitlyn Jenner is facing scrutiny for campaigning for Governor of California from her hotel quarantine in Australia ahead of filming the reality series

Many Americans are confused why she would be running for office from overseas as the recall campaign reaches its stretch run.

And Aussies are angry that a spot in hotel quarantine has been given to a foreign celebrity while 30,000 Australians remain stranded overseas due to border closures

But she defended her choice, saying: 'I have had this on the books, this show that I'm doing down here in Australia, for months and months.'

Big Brother VIP will air on Seven in Australia later this year with Sonia Kruger is returning as host.
They're no amateurs when it comes to commanding attention in a racy outfit.

And Eve Gale took things up a level as she slipped her curves into a barely-there sexy black dress with cut-outs across her cleavage and sides on Thursday.

The Love Island star, 22, sizzled in the revealing number while joining her leggy twin Jess for dinner at Bagatelle restaurant in Mayfair, London.

Flaunt it! Eve Gale exuded confidence as she rocked a barely-there sexy black dress with cut-outs across her cleavage and sides while enjoying a night out in London on Thursday

Eve looked sensational as she flaunted her incredible figure in the slinky number, ensuring to work all her angles for the camera.

Her dress highlighted her ample assets and showcased her toned stomach, with the blonde beauty adding some extra height to her frame with a pair of heels.

Adding a designer touch to her look, Eve toted a Louis Vuitton clutch bag and went without any accessories which might distract from her jaw-dropping dress.

The reality star's twin sister Jess also cut a very sexy figure for their meal in the city, also opting for a figure-hugging little black dress.

Here come the girls! Eve (right) and Jess (left) flaunted their incredible curves in sexy LBDS

Racy: The reality star's dress highlighted her ample assets and showcased her toned stomach

Jess flaunted her cleavage with a plunging neckline and drew attention to her enviable curves with some white piping down the sides of her outfit.

She wore her long blonde locks down, letting them cascade over her shoulders, and toted a nude Dior Saddle 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.

Sizzling: Both sisters opted for clear heels and designer bags to complete their stunning looks

Confident: Eve flicked her long blonde locks behind her shoulder to ensure her dress was centre of attention during the fun dinner date

Night on the town: Eve is no stranger to putting on a leggy display, but she went all out in her tiny black dress for dinner with her sister

Glam: The blonde beauty added a full face of makeup including a slick of glossy pink lipstick

Looking good: Jess also opted for a figure-hugging black dress which accentuated her curves with white piping down the sides

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.

Eve, who was the first islander dumped from the villa during the first ever series of winter Love Island in 2020, captioned the post: 'Heatwave'.

While Eve was booted out of the villa after less than a week, Jess made it to the final with Ched Uzor - with the pair going their separate ways shortly afterwards.

Stunning: Eve posed up a storm for the cameras before heading inside and enjoying her meal

Glowing: Eve appeared to be in great spirits while making a stylish arrival at the restaurant

Eve and Jess were also 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.

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.

Wow: Eve looked incredible as she showcased her jaw-dropping curves in a sizzling Instagram post she shared on Tuesday

Love Island 2021 - Meet the contestants

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While Australia is going in and out of lockdowns, Aussie model Shanina Shaik is lapping up the European summer.

The 30-year-old is currently in Havar, Croatia to celebrate fellow Victoria's Secret model Jasmine Tookes' bachelorette party.

On Thursday, the exotic beauty showed off her incredible figure as she went for a dip in the crystal clear sea on Thursday.

From where we'd ALL rather be! Aussie model Shanina Shaik showed off her incredible figure in a skimpy bikini as she climbed out of the crystal blue sea in Croatia on Thursday

Shanina's never-ending legs and toned stomach was on display in a colourful strapless bikini.

She showed off her natural beauty by going makeup free and tied her long brunette locks up into a high bun.

Jasmine, who is set to wed Snapchat executive Juan David Borrero, has been celebrating her Bachelorette party in beautiful Havar with her famous girlfriends for the last few days.

Stunning: Shanina's never-ending legs and toned stomach was on display in a colourful strapless bikini

Jasmine's last big hurrah before her big day was indeed a who's who of Victoria's Secret vets, from Shanina, Lais Ribeiro to Romee Strijd and Sara Sampaio.

Whether they were soaking in the pool or exploring the sights by boat, the women were clearly having the time of their lives celebrating Jasmine.

After four years together, Juan proposed to Jasmine in September 2020 with a whopping 190k diamond ring.

'Si, mi amor!  Were engaged!!!' she gushed on Instagram.

It is said that Jasmine's Snapchat executive beau shocked her with the proposal after whisking her away for a surprise trip to Lake Powell, a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona.

Speaking to Vogue about her big moment, Jasmine revealed: 'It was a complete surprise!'

She explained that her Ecuador-born beau announced that he was taking her away following her day of meetings and that she had two hours to pack.

Lucky thing! The 30-year-old is currently in Havar, Croatia to celebrate fellow Victoria's Secret model Jasmine Tookes' bachelorette party

Meanwhile, fans thought it was Shanina who got engaged when she recently tried Jasmine's massive diamond ring on.

The beauty was forced to deny engagement rumours after she was spotted wearing a large diamond ring on Instagram.

Addressing the rumours via a Q&A on Instagram, Shanina said the diamond sparkler was actually owned by her model pal, Jasmine.

Having a ball! Jasmine, who is set to wed Snapchat executive Juan David Borrero, has been celebrating her Bachelorette party in beautiful Havar with her famous girlfriends for the last few days

Shanina, who is currently dating Matthew Adesuyan, said: 'I just want to clear this up.'

'A lot of you know my best friend Jasmine is engaged and every time I see her she gives me her ring and I wear her ring because I love it so much.'

Shanina debuted her relationship with Matthew on Valentine's Day, with the pair going official on Instagram.

Sharing a black-and-white picture of the couple, Shanina wrote: My Valentine... Happy Valentine's Day.'

In the photo, the beauty looked off into the distance while Matthew stood behind her with his arms holding onto her waist.
The mayor of one of four NSW councils dumped from the Victorian border bubble says the decision defies logic, given the region has not had a case of COVID-19 for more than 12 months.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the Wagga Wagga, Hay Shire, Lockhart Shire and Murrumbidgee councils will no longer be included in the cross-border bubble from 11:59pm on Tuesday.

Residents of the councils will need to apply for a permit or exemption to enter Victoria.

"We're only granting permits for those who are approved workers and even only then when it is absolutely necessary," Mr Andrews told reporters on Tuesday.

"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."

Twelve NSW local government areas will remain a part of the bubble, allowing residents to travel freely between towns while the rest of the state is declared an "extreme risk" zone.

Wagga Wagga mayor Greg Conkey said he only learnt of the changes through the media.

"I just cannot understand the logic of why the city of Wagga Wagga would be excluded," he told AAP.

"We have had no COVID-19 cases in the city. You'd understand it if there were cases and we were in lockdown, but we're not.

"We have a lot of associations with Victoria and it's going to make it even harder to do business."

Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh said the premier must release the health advice that led to the decision.

"These communities have not had a single COVID case in over 12 months," he told AAP.

"This decision comes at a time when businesses and communities need to be recovering from another lockdown."

NSW recorded 172 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, while Victoria recorded 10 infections and announced an end to its statewide lockdown.

Mr Andrews again called for NSW to impose a "ring of steel" - a hard border managed by police and the defence force - around Sydney.

"A ring of steel will work. It will, and that's why I called for it," he said.

"I would respectfully say to the NSW government, you're not just making decisions for NSW. You're making decisions for the whole country."

The move has previously been rejected by the NSW government.

Mr Andrews said he was hopeful Victoria's public health team would be able to offer greater support to NSW in the coming days.

Victoria is not the only jurisdiction to tighten its border with NSW on Tuesday, with the Northern Territory bringing regional NSW in line with Greater Sydney and declaring the entire state a hotspot.

Anyone who arrives in the territory from NSW from 5pm must undertake 14 days of quarantine at the Alice Springs or Howard Springs quarantine facilities.

Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie said the Delta COVID-19 variant was spreading into regional NSW through the "movement of essential workers or breaches of quarantine and lockdown restrictions".

"We are being pre-emptive in declaring regional NSW a hotspot as we do not know where any future cases of COVID-19 may occur in these areas," he said in a statement.

SA and Victoria were also removed as hotspots, meaning people from both states will no longer need to quarantine.

Tasmania, meanwhile, reopens to SA from Wednesday, excluding those who have visited high-risk locations.

The state government will reassess its closed border with Victoria on Thursday.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP)  Days of heavy rainfall have pounded Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, destroying dwellings and sending thousands of people to live with extended families or in communal shelters.

In the 24 hours until Wednesday afternoon, more than 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) of rain fell on the camps in Coxs Bazar district hosting more than 800,000 Rohingya, the U.N. refugee agency said. Thats nearly half the average July rainfall in one day, and more heavy downpours are expected in the next few days and the monsoon season stretches over the next three months.

The situation is further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is currently a strict national lockdown in response to rising cases across the country, the agency said.

It said six people died in the camps earlier this week  five people in a landslide caused by the rains and a child swept away by floodwaters.

Citing initial reports, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said more than 12,000 refugees were affected by the heavy rain and an estimated 2,500 shelters were damaged or destroyed. More than 5,000 refugees have been temporarily relocated to other family members' shelters or communal facilities, the agency said in a statement.

Hannah Macdonald, a spokesperson for the UNHCR, said in an email that emergency response teams have been deployed to help affected families.

Refugees said they were struggling to eat and drink properly.

Due to the continuous rainfall for the last four days, today my house is full of water, said Khatija Begum, who has five children. We are not even able to eat. Begum said she fears her children will drown and die in their sleep.

The refugee agency said the bad weather, landslides and floods have further exacerbated the suffering and humanitarian needs of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Cyclones, heavy monsoon rains, floods, landslides and other natural hazards are an annual difficulty in the camps. More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh since August 2017, when the military in Buddhist-majority Myanmar began a harsh crackdown on the Muslim ethnic group following an attack by insurgents.

The crackdown included rapes, killings and the torching of thousands of homes, and was termed ethnic cleansing by global rights groups and the United Nations. While Bangladesh and Myanmar have sought to arrange repatriations, the Rohingya are too fearful to return home.

The International Organization for Migration says Coxs Bazar district, where more than 1 million Rohingya refugees live, is one of the most disaster-prone parts of Bangladesh.

It is a delta nation crisscrossed by many rivers that regularly receives intense rainfall due to its monsoon climate and location on the Bay of Bengal, where the warm waters can generate destructive tropical cyclones.
The states top health official is recommending everyone wear masks indoors in three Connecticut counties that have been classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having substantial COVID transmission.

Cases over the past seven days have increased in New Haven, New London and Hartford counties, elevating the risk of community spread from moderate to substantial, according to the CDC.

At nearly 49 cases per 100,000 people as of Thursday, Fairfield County was approaching the CDCs substantial spread threshold of 50 cases per 100,000 over a seven-day period.

Deidre Gifford, the acting commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, said she strongly recommends that people who work, visit or live in New Haven, New London and Hartford counties wear a mask in indoor public spaces. Her statement stopped short of an outright mandate.

City leaders in New Haven and Hartford said Thursday they do not have the authority to require people to wear masks indoors in private establishments.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker encouraged everyone to wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status.

"I think people need to consider their role in keeping themselves and others safe, even if theyre vaccinated, he said.

Gifford said people across the state who have underlying medical conditions that put them at greater risk of COVID-19 complications should wear a mask indoors. That includes parents of children too young to be vaccinated, she said.

Giffords recommendation follows the CDC releasing new guidance this week, calling on everyone to wear masks indoors in areas where there are substantial and high virus transmission.

Giffords statement reiterated that people who are not fully vaccinated are still required to wear a mask indoors. Connecticuts outdoor mask mandate ended in May.

Emerging science indicates that with the delta variant in circulation, in some cases, vaccinated individuals may become infected with and subsequently transmit COVID infection to others, the statement reads. The risk of contracting and transmitting COVID infection is far greater for the unvaccinated, and vaccination remains the safest and most effective way to protect yourself and your community from COVID.

Gov. Ned Lamont, whose emergency powers are set to expire at the end of September, has so far issued no new statewide mask mandates. A spokesperson for the governors office said Thursday Lamont has not changed his position.

On Thursday, 339 new cases of COVID-19 were found statewide out of 14,401 tests, for a one-day positivity rate of 2.35 percent. Nine more patients brought the total hospitalized statewide to 112  the most since late May. Seven COVID-related deaths were reported in the past week, bringing Connecticuts death toll to 8,293.

The state released data Thursday that showed there have been 195 more breakthrough infections  COVID-19 cases in people who are fully vaccinated  in the past week.

Nearly 70 percent of all Connecticut residents have started vaccination and just over 63 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC data as of Thursday.

Connecticut vaccinations have slowly risen over the past two weeks, but still hover below 40,000 doses per week  far below the states peak of more than 315,000 weekly doses in early April.

In Fairfield County, more than 72 percent of residents have received at least one dose of vaccine and more than 64 percent are fully vaccinated, the data shows.

In New Haven County, about 68 percent of residents have received at least one dose, while more than 61 percent are fully vaccinated, the data shows.

In New London County, about 69 percent have received at least one dose and about 64 percent are fully vaccinated. In Hartford County, nearly 67 percent are partly vaccinated and about 61 percent are fully vaccinated.

This was avoidable

Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief medical officer of Yale New Haven Health, said infections will likely continue to rise in Hartford and New London counties. Each infected person is now estimated to pass the disease to six other people, he said during a news conference Thursday afternoon. He attributed the increased spread to the delta variant.

Marna Borgstrom, the Yale health systems president and CEO, said 53 patients are hospitalized for COVID-19 across its health care system. Ten are in intensive care units, with five on ventilators.

In areas with surging infections, doctors are now angry, Borgstrom said. Staff in areas with low vaccination rates feel they are being put at risk by unvaccinated people, she said.

There is a sense that this was avoidable, Borgstrom said during the news conference.

In Hartford, where a substantial amount of transmission in the county means people should be masking indoors under the CDC guidance, municipal buildings still require face coverings in areas where staff and the public interact, a spokesperson for Mayor Luke Bronins office said.

West Hartford Town Manager Matt Hart said his team plans to meet next week to discuss whether to require everyone  employees and visitors  to wear masks in municipal buildings. The town of about 63,000 only requires people to wear a mask if they are unvaccinated, which is run on an honor system.

I think one of the things we learned over the last two years is we need to be prepared to move quickly if case counts start to go in the other direction, Hart said.

In New London, Mayor Michael Passero said Thursday the city will begin requiring everyone to wear masks in municipal buildings.

Who knows whos vaccinated and who isnt? Passero said. Were much more comfortable just putting a sign on our public buildings saying, Everyone please wear a mask.

The new CDC guidance hinges on a color-coded, county-level system of transmission levels. Counties marked in blue are low transmission areas, counties marked in yellow are moderate, orange is substantial and red is high.

The CDC uses two data points to determine the community transmission level: The total number of new cases per 100,000 people, and the test positivity rate, both over seven days. Both conditions do not need to be met and the CDC takes whichever is higher.

Low transmission areas are those with less than 10 cases per 100,000 or a positivity rate below 5 percent. Moderate areas have 10 to 49 cases per 100,000 or a positivity rate of 5 to 7.9 percent. Substantial areas have 50 to 99 cases per 100,000 or a positivity rate of 8 to 9.9 percent. Areas with high transmission have 100 or more cases per 100,000 or a positivity rate over 10 percent.

Hartford, New Haven and New London counties are marked as areas of substantial transmission, while the states five other counties are marked in yellow, for moderate transmission.

Staff writer Ed Stannard contributed to this story.
Daytona Beach, FL (32114)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. Heavy downpours are possible. High 83F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
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Government schools are not a part of the project as most of their students do not have smartphones.  Representational image/by arrangement

HYDERABAD: Over 400 schools have registered with the Bolo English programme which consists of 30,000 students for this academic year, said its project director Rohan Joshi, adding that the target was about 1 lakh students.

Bolo English, launched in July 2020, is a pan-India project and an app-based learning programme. In Telangana state, 25 schools with 3,500 students enrolled for the project from four districts in the first year.

For students in budget schools who belong to marginalised families and whose parents are illiterates, the lack of English has become a hurdle for their success, a school principal said, during an interaction with the project Bolo English, which was initiated to empower children from poor backgrounds.

A school correspondent said, English is a language which needs practice, unless the students speak, they cannot learn this language. These students have none at home who knows English.

Teachers would be trained on how to use the application, said Joshi. Government schools are not a part of the project as most of their students do not have smartphones.

Dr Brigitte Michael, Principal, St Christopher School, Venkataramana Colony, a budget school, said, Most of our students are from the economically backward classes, broken families, children of drivers, house maids etc. These children have a fear of speaking English, thinking that if they make any mistake, people will laugh at them. Their parents are interested to see their children speaking English, whereas these children have no option to converse at home.

Teachers try their best to teach them, but most often are not successful. Another issue with the budget schools is teachers with good communication skills are not available. For the past five years, there has been a huge shortage of English speaking teachers, because most of them are opting for Call Centre jobs, she added.

English is a global language, and if these students are able to speak, their future will be better. As we are a part of Bolo English, it is helping the students learn the language, even their parents are learning through this, she said.
At least, seventeen people were killed and scores others injured on Wednesday in a series of flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh and Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Also 14 persons are missing and dozens of residential houses, bridges, a mosque, standing crops and a mini power plant have been damaged, the officials said.

Amid incessant rains, a cloudburst also hit Amarnath but no loss of life or damage to the revered cave-shrine situated at a height of 13,000 feet (3882 m) in lower-Himalayas in south Kashmir was reported.

At least, seven persons including three women were killed, and 14 others went missing after half a dozen residential houses were swept away by flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmirs mountainous district of Kishtwar early Wednesday.

The officials said that 17 persons injured in the calamity have been rescued and removed to hospital. A team of the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) has reported that five of the injured persons are in critical condition and have been shifted to district hospital Kishtwar, while others are being taken care of by two medical teams.

A spokesman of the district police said that six residential houses, a ration depot and a bridge were damaged in the impact of the cloudburst that hit Hanzor village of Kishtwars Dachhan area. Soon teams from the J&K police, the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and civil administration were joined by local volunteers to begin a massive rescue and relief operation which was under way, the spokesman said. A report received here said that hostile weather is hampering the rescue and relief operation.

SSP Kishtwar Shafqat Hussain Bhat said that seven bodies had been recovered till Wednesday evening. The search for the missing persons is going on. Initial reports suggest that 25-26 people are missing, he added.

The Kishtwar police in a statement said that twenty persons were missing and identified those whose bodies were recovered by Wednesday afternoon as Saja Begum, Rakila Begum, Ghulam Nabi, Abdul Majeed, Zaytoona Begum and Tauseef Iqbal. It confirmed 17 persons have been injured in the incident.

Kishtwars additional SP Rajendra Singh told this newspaper over the phone that about forty J&K policemen headed by the area Station House Officer reached the scene of occurrence at 4. 30 am to join the rescue work which had already been started by the local people.

Despite the difficult terrain and incessant rains, the rescuers who have since been joined by a column of the Army and NDRF personnel are trying to locate 14 missing persons who are believed to have been buried under the mudslides and debris of the houses swept away by flash floods. It is a very challenging and difficult task and everything is being manually as machines or equipment is available, he said.

No loss of life or damage to the Amarnath shrine, situated at a height of 13,000 feet (3882 m) in lower-Himalayas in south Kashmir, was reported, assured the Jammu and Kashmir government.

A statement issued by them said that due to the cloudburst in higher reaches, there were gusts of water near Amarnath and the mountain stream (nallah) flowing down the cave-shrine started gushing heavily.

It said that a joint team of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), the J&K Police and the Army acting swiftly, evacuated all the staff present close to the nallah. No loss of human lives or property is reported, the statement said.

It said, As per the latest report, the holy cave-shrine is safe. Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, who briefed him about the present situation and efforts made by the joint team of officials, the police and the Army.

The statement quoted Sinha as saying, The situation is under control and the flow of water in the nallah is normal. A team of SDRF is camping at Baltal (a basecamp of the cave-shrine) and on stand-by to meet future challenges. An NDRF team is also on stand-by in Srinagar to tackle natural calamities due to incessant rain in the region. The SASB and the administration are closely monitoring the situation.

Meanwhile, district officials said that as many as 19 residential houses and 21 cowsheds were washed away and two houses were partially damaged in the impact of the cloudburst and resultant flash floods and mudslides. A bridge in the neighbouring Kiyar area was also damaged in the incident, they said. The officials also said that the condition of five of the injured persons is critical.

A J&K government handout said that one more SDRF rescue team from Udhampur has reached Dungdori, Kishtwar, and will join the rescue team early Thursday morning to trace the missing persons. Due to incessant rain, rescue operation was halted at present, it said adding that yet another rescue team from SDRF and one NDRF team from 13th Battalion, Ludhiana which reached Jammu, are on stand-by.

Another cloudburst occurred in Padder area of Kishtwar. However, there was no loss of life or damage to the property. Kishtwars DC said 60 families were evacuated to safety from the Paddar area in view of incessant rains, which posed a threat to their homes.

A defence spokesperson said two columns of the Army were mobilised to assist the civil administration in the rescue operation. "First Army column mobilised early in the morning and joined civil administration in rescue operation while a second column is reaching the scene shortly," he said.

A report from frontier district of Rajouri said that a non-local labourer from Chattisgarh was washed away in flash floods while another was rescued, officials said. Rajouris DC Rajesh Kumar Shavan said that high alert has been sounded in the district as the situation thrown by incessant rains is very grim In neighbouring Poonch district too the water level in rivers, mountain streams and other water bodies has increased. In southern Anantnag district, about 100 residentioal houses have been partially damaged in flash floods, reports received here said.

Earlier cloudbursts hit two villages-Khangral and Sangra- in Kargil district of Ladakh, causing minor damages to some residential houses and a mini hydro power project but no casualties were reported, the officials said.

A residential house and a mosque were damaged in a similar incident in Kashmir Valleys northern Bandipore district on Wednesday morning.

J&Ks Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, announced an ex-gratia of  500,000 each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the cloudburst in Kishtwar. The grievously injured would be given  50,000 each and  12,700 under SDRF shall also be disbursed, an official spokesman said here. He added that relief under SDRF for loss of houses, utensils, clothing, household goods, cattle, cattle shed, loss of agricultural land etc. shall also be provided by the Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar.

Sinha said, The J&K government will do everything possible to support and protect the affected families. In such trying times, it is our duty to care for those who have been unfortunately affected by these natural calamities.

In Himachal Pradesh, seven people died in Lahaul-Spiti flash floods in Tozing Nullah in Udaipur, two injured and three are still missing, while two men died in Chamba, State Disaster Management director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said.

Besides four people, including a woman, her son, a hydro project official and a Delhi tourist are feared dead in Kullu district, he added.

In Lahaul's Udaipur, two tents of labourers and a private JCB were washed away in the flash floods around 8 pm on Tuesday, Mokhta said, adding that 12 labourers were washed away in the flash floods in Tozing Nullah in Udaipur.

Of them, seven bodies recovered, two rescued with injuries and three are still missing, he added.

Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said that a team of the NDRF had been requisitioned for rescuing the labourers trapped under the debris of the landslide. In Lahaul-Spiti, several roads have been blocked and around 60 vehicles are stranded due to multiple landslides, State Disaster Management director Mokhta said.

Many roads in various other parts of the state have been blocked due to landslides. A car was damaged in a landslide in Vikas Nagar in Shimla city, he said.

Condoling the loss of lives due to a cloudburst in Kishtwar district, President Ram Nath Kovind said he was deeply saddened by the death of many people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Centre is closely monitoring the situation in Kishtwar and Kargil.

All possible assistance is being provided to the affected areas, he said, wishing for everyone's safety and well-being. He tweeted, Central Government is closely monitoring the situation in the wake of the cloudbursts in Kishtwar and Kargil. All possible assistance is being made available in the affected areas. I pray for everyones safety and well-being.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Director General of Police Dilbag Singh and took stock of the situation arising due to the cloudburst.

Meanwhile, heavy rains continued to lash various parts of Himachal Pradesh,while most parts of Jammu region have been receiving heavy rains for the past few days with the prediction of more rains till July-end. Authorities in Kishtwar have already asked people living along water bodies and slide-prone areas to remain vigilant.

The Shimla Meteorological Centre has issued a 'red' weather warning, while a MeT spokesperson said widespread intermittent rain is most likely to continue across Jammu and Kashmir till July 30.
ECIL and ESIC Medical College pioneered a novel solution by the name IoT (Internet of Things) based continuous oxygenation vital information remote monitoring System.  AP

NELLORE: Hyderabad-based ECIL in association with ESIC Medical College, Hyderabad, developed the countrys first indigenous and cost-effective remote health monitoring system (RHMS), Covid-Beep for Covid-19 patients.

Dr Jitendra Singh, minister of state for personnel, disclosed this while replying to a question from Nellore MP Adala Prabhakar Reddy in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The minister said that Covid-Beep was launched in June.

According to Dr Singh, continuous monitoring of body temperature, oxygen saturation (SPO2), heartbeat rate, blood pressure, ECG and respiration rate play a key role in assessing a patients health condition and subsequently to support with proper medical equipment or medication.

However, this exercise may put doctors and medical staff in danger as they will be in constant touch with patients, including Covid positive ones.

To overcome this problem, ECIL and ESIC Medical College pioneered a novel solution by the name IoT (Internet of Things) based continuous oxygenation vital information remote monitoring System consisting of a versatile indigenous wrist wearable device and a mobile App/web browser by means of which patient can be monitored from any place.

It can communicate with remote systems or mobile phones by means of GSM SIM or long-range Bluetooth. It is also possible to track the patients with a built-in GPS system.

Dr Singh said that 40 Covid-Beeps were supplied to government hospitals in Hyderabad for deployment and feedback during 2020-2021. An additional 100 are being prepared for dispatch to ESIC, Hyderabad by the middle of next month.
The fishing harbour will be a boon to fishermen families to enhance their livelihood. Representational Image. (Twitter)

Nellore: The district administration has handed over 45 acres of land out of the 78 acres earmarked for a fishing harbour at Juvvaladinne village in Bogole mandal of SPSR Nellore district, to the agency involved in the construction of the harbour.

The balance land is being acquired by paying compensation to landowning farmers.

The 300-crore harbour will have a docking facility for 1,250 boats besides cold storage and auction rooms apart from 28 other structures including space for retail shopping.

District collector Chakradhar Babu told the media here on Wednesday that he visited the mouth of the sea along with representatives of the construction agency and discussed with them the construction plans.

The fishing harbour will be a boon to fishermen families to enhance their livelihood. There are 998 village/ward secretariats in the district and 668 of them are functioning in own buildings.

Buildings are under construction for the 300 other secretariats.

The collector said the Spandana programme is being held at all the secretariats between 3pm and 5pm every day for resolving the grievances of the local population. He advised staff members to issue house sites, Arogyasri cards, pension, and other benefits to the people promptly.

Some Sachivalayam offices have cleared issues within hours of submission of applications, he said while advising the staff to follow similar procedures.

The district is on top in the state with respect to biometric attendance of Sachivalayam staff.

The collector urged farmers to avoid cultivating the 1010 variety of rice as the government is reducing its procurement. Instead, fine variety of rice is now being supplied through the public distribution system. Kavali RDO Seena, Tahsildar Muralikrishna and MPDO Nasar Reddy were among those present.
New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry will depute a six-member team to Kerala for effective COVID-19 management as the state reports a spike in daily cases.

The team headed by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Director S K Singh will reach Kerala Friday and visit some districts reporting a high case positivity rate, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

In a tweet, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, "The Central government is sending six-member team to Kerala headed by NCDC Director. As a large number of COVID cases are still being reported in Kerala, the team will aid state's ongoing efforts in COVID-19 management."

The ministry's statement said the team will work closely with state health authorities, take a stock of the ground situation and recommend necessary public health interventions to contain the spread of the virus.

With an active caseload of 1.54 lakh as of latest update, Kerala accounts for 37.1 per cent of the total active cases in the country.

Average daily cases being reported in the state are above 17,443. The state has also reported a high case positivity of 12.93 per cent cumulatively and 11.97 per cent weekly. Six districts are reporting more than 10 per cent weekly positivity, the statement stated.
New Delhi: Raising the human rights issue with India, visiting US secretary of state Antony J. Blinken on Wednesday asserted that all people deserve to have a voice in their government and be treated with respect no matter who they are, but said at a media briefing later he had discussed these issues in all humility with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, knowing that even American democracy had imperfections and was a work in progress and that no democracy, no matter how much large or old, has it all figured out. Pledging to learn from each other, Mr Blinken applauded Indian democracy and elections as the largest expression of free political will by citizens anywhere on earth and a force for good in a free and open world.

In a strong response to the US stand at the media briefing in the afternoon after bilateral talks and a good conversation, Mr Jaishankar said in a veiled hint at the Citizenship Amendment Act and perhaps even the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution that polities had a moral obligation to right historical wrongs. Stating that freedom should not be equated with lack of governance, Mr Jaishankar said the quest for a more perfect democracy and union was applicable to not just the US and India but all democracies.

It may be noted that the US has been commenting on various issues in India in the past couple of years, including the situation in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, CAA and even the farmers protests that rocked the country early this year.

Mr Jaishankar said: We had a good conversation about a number of issues ... I made three important points. One, that the quest for a more perfect union applies as much to Indian democracy as much as to the American one, indeed to all democracies. Two, it is the moral obligation of all polities to really right wrongs when they have been done including historically. Many of the decisions and policies you have seen in the last few years fall in that category. And third, freedoms are important. We all value them but never equate freedom with non-governance or lack of governance or poor governance. They are two completely different things.

Earlier in the day, ahead of his talks with Mr Jaishankar, Mr Blinken said in the wake of a global democratic recession, it was vital that both the United States and India as the two world leading democracies, continue to stand together in support of democratic freedoms. Speaking at a civil society roundtable discussion in New Delhi on Advancing Equitable, Inclusive, and Sustainable Growth and Development, the US secretary of state described both the Indian and American democracies as works in progress which both nations talk about with each other, adding that sometimes the process of strengthening democracy and making its ideals real is painful, sometimes its ugly, but the strength of democracy is to embrace it.

Speaking at the media briefing later on his discussions, Mr Blinken said: Our shared ideals were very much part of our conversation today Our relationship is so strong because it is a relationship between democracies. ... One of the elements that Americans admire most about India is a steadfast commitment of its people to democracy, to pluralism, to human rights, to fundamental freedoms. ... Like our own, Indias democracy is powered by its free-thinking citizens. We applaud that and we view Indian democracy as a force for good in a free and open world. We also recognise that every democracy starting from our own is a work in progress and when we discuss these issues, I certainly do it from a starting point of humility. We have seen the challenges that our own democracy has faced in the past and faces today. But this is common to all democracies. ... We search for a more perfect union. That, by definition, means we are not perfect. Our quest is to get closer and closer to the ideals that we set for ourselves.

The secretary of state added: The most remarkable democratic elections in the world in many ways are here in India, just by sheer numbers. Its the largest expression of free political will by citizens anywhere on earth. As friends, we talk to each other about these issues. We talk about challenges we are both facing in renewing and strengthening our democracies and I think humbly we can learn from each other, because no democracy, no matter how much large or old, has it all figured out. And we celebrate that the worlds oldest and largest democracies are dedicated at heart to a shared set of values that will ensure the ultimate success of democracy.

At the roundtable, Mr Blinken said that in the wake of a global democratic recession, it was vital both the United States and India as the two world leading democracies, continue to stand together in support of democratic freedoms. Hailing Indo-US ties as one of the most important in the world, Mr Blinken said the achievements of democracy in India includes the free media, independent courts, a vibrant and free and fair electoral system. Perhaps most important, were connected by shared values, and I believe shared aspirations, that are common to our people. The Indian people and the American people believe in human dignity, in equality of opportunity, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion and belief, he pointed out, adding that the Indian and American people are connected in so many different ways -- business ties, university ties, religious and spiritual ties, and of course, millions of family ties.
New Delhi: The work progress of expressway projects is being monitored by the road ministry and the National Highways Authority of India at top level, Parliament was informed on Thursday.

In response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said that regional offices of NHAI and project implementation units are also monitoring these projects to ensure timely completion.

All expressway projects are targeted for completion by 2024-25, the minister said. As per the minister's written reply, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (1,291 km), Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway (672 km), Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway (262 km), Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway (109 km), Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway (63 km), Dwarka Expressway (28 km) and Delhi-Meerut Expressway (82 km) are targeted for completion by the year 2024-25. "The implementation and timely completion of projects are monitored by Ministry and National Highways Authority of India at headquarters level as well as regional offices and project implementation units level through periodic review meetings," Gadkari said. He informed that as of now, three foreign agencies -- Dhaya Maju Infrastructure (Asia) Sdn. Berhad (DMI), JiangXi Construction Engineering (Group) Corporation Limited & OJSC Euro-Asian Construction Corporation Evrascon are involved in the construction of DelhiMumbai Expressway and DelhiAmritsarKatra Expressway through joint ventures with Indian infrastructure companies.

Replying to a separate question with regard to vehicle scrappage policy, Gadakri said the ministry does not have any data on the amount being given by scrap companies in lieu of old two-wheelers and four-wheelers and other vehicles under the new vehicle scrappage policy.

"Government has issued notification no. GSR 190(E) dated 15.03.2021 which provides for Motor Vehicles (Registration and Functions of Vehicle Scrapping Facility) Rules, 2021 for establishment of Registered Vehicles Scrapping Facility (RVSF). "The transactions between RVSF and vehicle owners are market based and not determined by the government," Gadkari said.
New Delhi: On the occasion of International Tiger Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reiterated India's commitment to ensuring safe habitats for its tigers and nurturing tiger-friendly eco systems.

In a series of tweets, the prime minister said India's strategy of tiger conservation attaches topmost importance to involving local communities.

"We are also inspired by our centuries old ethos of living in harmony with all flora and fauna with whom we share our great planet," Modi said.

Greeting wildlife lovers, especially those who are passionate about tiger conservation on International Tiger Day, Modi noted that India is home to over 70 per cent of the tiger population globally.

"We reiterate our commitment to ensuring safe habitats for our tigers and nurturing tiger-friendly eco-systems," he said.

India is home to 51 tiger reserves spread across 18 states and the last tiger census of 2018 showed a rise in the tiger population, he said.

Modi also pointed out that India achieved the target of doubling of tiger population four years ahead of schedule of the St. Petersburg Declaration on tiger conservation.

International Tiger Day is marked on July 29 with an aim to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.
Bengaluru: Janata Dal (Secular) leaders and MLAs along with former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy will march from Vidhana Soudha to Rajbhavan on Thursday at 2 pm, demanding clearance of the Mekedatu project and upper Krishna project.

Kumaraswamy said that they will also give a memorandum to President through Governor demanding clearance of the Mekedatu and upper Krishna project.

The Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum drinking water project, to be constructed across the Cauvery river basin, has been at the centre of controversy between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Earlier on July 12, former Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said that the Centre will have to give clearance to the project as per law and there is no reason the state government will stop the project.

Responding to the comments of Bommai, Tamil Nadu Water Resource Durai Murugan said that the state has the right to take a legal course of action to stop Karnataka from constructing the Mekedatu dam.

Prior to that, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have also the urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to allow the Karnataka government to construct a dam at Mekedatu against the orders of the Cauvery tribunal and the Supreme Court.

Incidentally, a civil appeal filed by Tamil Nadu, seeking a restraint order on the proposal, is pending before the Supreme Court.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday ruled out the resignation of General Education Minister V Sivankutty over a case related to the infamous ruckus incident in the Assembly in 2015, following which theoppositionboycotted the House proceedings for the day even as youth outfits intensified street protests across the state seeking his removal.

The Congress-led UDF opposition raised the six-year- old incident in the state Assembly a day after theSupreme Court had dismissed a government plea seeking withdrawal of a criminal case against LDF MLAs, including Sivankutty, in the case.

The House witnessed noisy scenes during the zero hour when the opposition moved a notice for an adjournment motion demanding a discussion over the apex court verdict and the resignation of Sivankutty, one of the accused in the case.

They said it was 'unjust' for Sivankutty to continue as a minister even after the apex court had made it clear that the Marxist leader should face judicial trial and the Chief Minister should be ready to either seek his resignation or remove him from the position on moral grounds.

However, Vijayan, categorically rejected their demand, saying that the court had not found any particular individual guilty or named anyone and so the issue of resignation is not coming up.

Justifying the government's act of approaching various courts including the apex court with a plea seeking withdrawal of the case involving the Left front MLAs, he said taking criminal case against a legislator in the name of protest inside the Assembly was something generally unheard of in the country.

He also said the public prosecutor had the right to move a plea seeking the removal of case against MLAs on behalf of 'general public interest'.

"The government has only tried to preserve the system related to the privilege of the legislature," the Chief Minister said in his reply.

Certain privileges have been granted to Parliament, the legislature and its members by the Constitution, he said.

The Legislatures, which function independently without other interventions, used to resolve certain issues and incidents within it through constitutional norms and rules, he said.

"The Legislature is a sovereign body. The issues, happening within the House, should end there itself. Dragging such issues outside will only help strengthen the tendency to undermine the sovereignty of the Legislative Assembly," Vijayan explained.

Stating that the then Assembly Speaker had already taken action against the accused MLAs and suspended them from the House in this regard, he said two punishments for a crime is against the basic tenets of our legal concept.

He also gave a detailed list of violent incidents occurred inside various state assemblies across the country between 1998 to 2021 to justify his stand.

Moving the notice, Congress legislator P T Thomas said the incident had brought disgrace to the state Assembly.

Referring to the involvement of Sivankutty in the years-old incident, he said how can a minister, who had destroyed public property, give protection to the life and property of people.

Irked over Vijayan's reply, opposition leader V D Satheesan said it was "illegal" for the Chief Minister to justify a case in the Assembly which was dismissed by the apex court.

"What message is the Education Minister, who destroyed public property, giving to the student community? Is it suitable for a state like Kerala? Is this the message you intend to convey about the state outside?" he asked during his speech.

After some minutes of protest sloganeering against the government, the opposition memberswalked out of the House and announced a boycott of the day's House proceedings.

Meanwhile, various opposition youth outfitsstaged protest demonstrations in different parts of the state seeking the resignation of the minister in view of the court verdict.

The decision of the Supreme Court on the ruckus in the Kerala Assembly in 2015 has come as a jolt to the two-month- old second Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in the State.

The court on Wednesday dismissed the appeals, including the one filed by the Kerala government against the High Court order dismissing its plea seeking withdrawal of a criminal case lodged against LDF MLAs in connection with the ruckus.

The court said allowing the prosecution to be withdrawn would amount to interference in normal course of justice for illegitimate reasons.
Devices like pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitoring machines, nebulizers, digital thermometers and glucometers from China and Korea have flooded the market.  PTI

Hyderabad: Ceiling prices have been set for remdesivir injections, amphotericin, dexamethasone and oxygen concentrators by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority but the implementation is the key for it to benefit the people.

The medicines used for Covid 19 management have been added in the National List of Essential Medicines to make it affordable to people. There are five enforcement officers for the state to implement the order of the NPPA.

Will it ensure that it black marketing of these commodities stops? No, stated a senior drug control officer in the state on condition of anonymity. "When demand exceeds supply, the enforcement authorities ensure that the organised channels registered with the government are adhering to the order. When it moves into the black market, it needs law and order intervention."

But drug controllers have to raise awareness among the people about the controlled price by display in chemists stores, wholesalers and also price tag of the manufacturers.

Dr Sanjay Reddy, senior pharmacologist with the state government committee, said, "Devices like pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitoring machines, nebulizers, digital thermometers and glucometers from China and Korea have flooded the market. There are some oxygen concentrators which do not have instruction manuals. This wide variety will require proper enforcement to make the prices reasonable. People have to be educated. Hospitals too must display the new price orders."

Awareness of the new price list will help in its effective implementation. Presently, oxygen concentrators are priced from Rs 29,000 to Rs 1 lakh per piece in the market. During the peak of the second wave the starting price of sale was Rs 75,000 onwards. The government has capped the trade margin of oxygen concentrators by 70 per cent.

A senior drug control inspector explained, "The challenge in capped prices is to track the manufacturers who sell the products with a different label. These discrepancies are seen in the market."

The price of remedisver injection has been capped at Rs 3,500. The production of amphotericin has been scaled and its margin is reduced by 13.65 per cent for the traders.

Suman Gupta of Telangana Chemists Association says, "These drugs are of use only during the Covid wave and after that there is hardly any demand for it. The reduction in margins will have only a few traders stock it."

But the order will help in bringing in some control in the market during Covid 19 waves which is essential.

Dr K. Ramadas, president of Telangana Pharmacy Colleges Management Association says, "The step taken by NPPA is good as it will help common man who can question during the time of treatment. Essential pricing is important for Covid 19 as people have been paying large amounts for medicines."
Hyderabad: An attempt is on to privatise the government-aided Kamala Nehru Polytechnic College for Women, which was the first such college in India and the third in Asia, representatives of the students joint action committee (JAC) have said.

From this academic year, the college will be offering only self-financed courses. Only four out of eight courses are on offer now and the rest have been disbanded.

Some 30,000 women technicians had graduated from this college ever since its inception in 1961. The institute is run by the Exhibition Society.

Four acres of land had been allotted for the college by the then state government which also funded the construction of the buildings and other infrastructure.

According to the JAC, the Exhibition Society cited financial constraints in relation to offering aided polytechnic courses. Meanwhile, it has obtained NOC from the State Board of Technical Education and Training to start a private engineering college on the same land and infrastructure.

When the students and the alumni approached the management, they were told: The government has stopped paying salaries for the contract employees, which was of Rs 60 lakh. The society is not in a position to bear the resultant financial burden. Hence we have closed the self-finance courses this year."

The JAC does not see merit in this argument. The annual All India Industrial Exhibition (Numaish) takes place on the college campus. From this, the society earns Rs 10 crore to Rs12 crore annually. The society will need to use only this money for the normal functioning of the college.

According to Varsha Bhargavi, supporting the student JAC view, Girls from the marginalized families are getting technical education after Class X through this polytechnic. What the college offered were job oriented courses. Such students cannot afford to go for Engineering after Plus 2. Now, a malicious attempt is being made by the management even as its land and infrastructure were given to it by the government.

Swathi Maniputri, alumni, said: We have evidence to show that the Exhibition Society has written to the SBTET seeking nod to close all the existing aided courses and convert the college into an engineering college. When we raised this matter with the management, it replied that it was difficult for the society to afford a payment of Rs60 lakh to the contract staff.

Faculty of this college speaking on condition of anonymity said, The alumni are supporting this protest by the students. We all are requesting the management to continue with the existing aided courses and protect the college in the present form. It has been catering to the education needs of the marginalized sections of the society.

Khalida Parveen, a former student of the 1976 and 77 batch, said, We were shocked when we came to know of this plan. This is an important college run by the Exhibition Society. The courses here are affordable to the marginalized sections. This college has a hostel and the girls feel secure here.
To streamline water-sharing between the states, the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-1) was set up in 1969, in keeping with the Inter-State River Dispute Act, 1956.(PTI)

Hyderabad: The Telangana state government on Thursday raised an objection to the alleged illegal diversion of Krishna river water to Rayalaseema, located outside the river basin, by Andhra Pradesh.

The TS government dashed off a letter to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) seeking allocation of Krishna water in the ratio of 50:50 (405.5 tmc ft each out of total 811 tmc) from this water year (2021-22), with Andhra Pradesh.

In a letter to the KRMB chairman, Telangana engineer-in-chief C. Muralidhar said, "Telangana has not received any requisition from KRMB for water releases from the Pothireddypadu head regulator. Hence, AP is conveniently trying to seek permission though it is actually diverting water."

The TS government urged KRMB to stop AP from drawing Krishna water without the consent of the board and restrain AP from diverting Krishna water outside the basin before meeting in-basin needs fully.

The TS government said it has no objection if AP produces hydel power at Srisailam. It sought permission to produce hydel power up to 100 per cent of installed capacity at Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar and Pulichintala since the projects were receiving heavy inflows.

The three-member committee of KRMB or its full board meeting decides water sharing between the two states every year. However, this year the meeting was not held, even though projects on Krishna are overflowing.

To streamline water-sharing between the states, the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-1) was set up in 1969, in keeping with the Inter-State River Dispute Act, 1956. In 1976, the states entered into an agreement to divide the estimated 2,060 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of Krishna water into three parts  560 tmc feet for Maharashtra, 700 for Karnataka, and roughly 800 for the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

Post-bifurcation, the two Telugu states agreed to split water on a temporary basis in a 66:34 ratio. Of the total 811 tmc feet allotted to the combined AP state, Telangana would receive about 299 tmc feet of water.

Both states are now demanding that the KWDT-2 reallocate Krishna water among four states instead of the earlier three as Andhra Pradesh has been bifurcated.
The Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India. (Photo: By arrangement)

Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh stood in 12th position having the highest number of tigers among the 21 Indian states, which together has a total of 2967 tigers. Madhya Pradesh has the country's highest number of 526 big cats.

Neighboring Odisha is at 15th position while Telangana in the 16th whereas Karnataka held the second position and Tamil Nadu the 5th position in tiger population.

"AP has 48 tigers, while Telangana has 26 tigers, Karnataka 524 and Tamil Nadu 264 tigers. India's tiger population is around 75 per cent of the global tiger population of 3,900.

The tiger population is on the rise for the first time in more than 100 years, state forest principal chief conservator Prateep Kumar told Deccan Chronicle.

States like Goa have only three tigers whereas the Jharkhand state has less than five tigers. The national tiger population rose to 2,967 in 2018 from 1411 in 2006.

Prateep Kumar said almost all the tigers of AP are enclosed in the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve forest spreads over an area of 3727.82 square km in the Nallamalla forest area of the south eastern ghats.

The Nagarjunasagar attained tiger reserve status in 1983, covering Prakasam, Kurnool, and Guntur districts. Two wildlife sanctuaries namely Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary constitute the tiger reserve area.

The state has 63 anti-poaching camps in the Nagarjunasagar reserve to prevent smuggling and poaching activity. Each camp has five protection watchers. Local tribals Chenchus assist the wildlife protection and monitoring efforts of officials.

"Wildlife lovers can come forward to donate money, articles, or vehicles. They can also adopt the Chenchu habitations and anti-poaching camps for the welfare of the local communities in the state," Prateek Kumar said.

Nallamala forests is most conducive to the tiger population

The Nallamala forests are the most peaceful area for tiger population to increase its progeny. This has around 60-70 tigers crisscrossing the tiger corridor, extending over Kurnool, Kadapa, and Chittoor districts.

We can't provide an exact number but the fertility and growth of cubs have been encouraging, said Nandyal DFO Vineetkumar. World Tiger Day was observed in the Nandyal range on Thursday.

He said the Nagarjuna Sagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) under whose jurisdiction Atmakur and Nandyal in Kurnool district function has an encouraging growth rate for tiger population. Tiger population enumeration is done once in four years and the current years count is under way.

On the steady growth of the tiger population, he said that in 2016, the tiger population was 40, which went up to 46 in 2017. In 2018, it was speculated that the tiger population might have crossed 50. Now it is believed to have doubled.

World Tiger Day

World Tiger Day was observed on Thursday. Of the 13 partner countries formed to conserve the tiger population, India has impressive numbers -- between 2005 and 3200 tigers  who now make India their home.

The Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India. The reserve spreads over five districts Kurnool, Prakasam, Guntur, Nalgonda and Mahabub Nagar. The total area of the tiger reserve is 3,728 sq-km. In Kollapur taluk of Nagarkurnool district, a procession was taken out, creating awareness to protect the tiger population in Nanllamala forest.
According to a preliminary survey, the number of garbage vulnerable points has increased from 1,110 to 1,800.  DC Image

HYDERABAD: After battling floods and sludge recently, city residents are yet to get a respite. They are now fighting the mosquito menace, owing to open garbage dumps. Residents are complaining that GHMC is neither deploying staff to pick garbage from households, nor is it clearing trash dumped on roadsides.

Earlier, there had been about 800 open dumps within the city limits. But their number has gone up to 5,000 now. "Waste dumps in various open areas have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Foul smell emanating from them is unbearable," said Vivek Rajeev, a resident of Kapra.

"None of GHMC workers has come to clean garbage since Sunday, resulting in rapid rise of mosquitoes and houseflies behind Rajeshwari theatre in Monda market, Sharan Kumar living in the area pointed out.

"Please reintroduce garbage bins. We have nowhere to throw the garbage except in open. But GHMC personnel are not clearing the same regularly. Swachh auto tippers who are supposed to pick the garbage are not to be seen," said Krishna Muvvala, a resident of Khairatabad.

According to a preliminary survey, the number of garbage vulnerable points has increased from 1,110 to 1,800. Open dumping sites have increased from 1,000 to 1,500. Garbage overflow has been noticed at another 1,500 places from where garbage bins have been removed. This has happened despite GHMC reportedly deploying 3,000 Swachh auto tippers to collect garbage from residential and commercial buildings on a regular basis.

An inquiry by civic authorities has revealed that swachh autos, which are supposed to collect dry and wet garbage from households, are not collecting them on a regular basis due to lack of coordination between health and sanitation officials. The situation has turned worse since a week.

When contacted, an official said the corporation needs to increase the number of swachh auto tippers from 2,400 to 5,000. The GHMC will conduct a survey to know the reasons for open dumping of garbage and irregular visits of swachh auto tippers, he stated.

"Based on requirement, additional staff and auto tippers will be deployed in the next one week to collect garbage multiple times in a day, particularly from commercial areas, to make the city hygienic. Action will be initiated against supervisors if they are found negligent," the official added.
There is a demand mainly from the farmers to expedite construction of Chodavaram and Bandiprolulanka projects downstream the river from the barrage.  Representational image/DC

VIJAYAWADA: For the very first time in a rainy season, nearly 40 tmcft of Krishna river water was discharged into the sea from Prakasam barrage beginning from June. It was neither stored nor used for kharif cultivation in Andhra Pradesh.

Telangana government, having started generation of hydel power from Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar and Pulichintala projects upstream the river from June 1, it started releasing water even as storage level in the project was considerably less for power generation. The water released thus and inflows from local sources started flowing downstream crossing the major and medium projects one after another before eventually reaching Prakasam barrage.

As the reservoir at Prakasam barrage has a storage capacity of only 3.07 tmcft, water resources authorities lifted the gates after filling up the reservoir to the brim. All inflows of water in the reservoir have become outflows into the sea through the barrage. Authorities estimate that nearly 40 tmcft of water has been drained out into the sea so far.

Following heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Krishna river upstream in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana in the last few days, upstream projects like Almatti, Tungabhadra, and Jurala received huge inflows and at present, the quantum of inflow is coming down. This will impact downstream projects and compel authorities to store them in reservoirs.

Officials say that following demand for water for cultivation during kharif season, they are receiving calls from farmers from nearly 13 lakh command area of Right Main Canal of Nagarjuna Sagar project spread over West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts as to when water will be released so that they will take up farm works. Authorities are wondering whether they will be able to ensure supply of adequate quantum to the farmers as both inflow and outflow from upstream projects is dwindling.

Water resources authorities and farmers are of the opinion that a huge quantity of water has been drained out into the sea whereas it should have been stored for cultivation.

Krishna river conservator A. Raja Swaroop Kumar said Nearly 40 tmcft of water from Krishna river has been discharged into the sea from Prakasam barrage. We are getting water from upstream projects. Ideally, we used to store water to cater to the requirements in kharif season.

Meanwhile, there is a demand mainly from the farmers to expedite construction of Chodavaram and Bandiprolulanka projects downstream the river from the barrage, located 12 kms and 62 kms respectively, at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore. This is in addition to the Vykuntapuram project upstream the river located at a 23-km distance at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore. The three projects have the capacity to store 20 tmcft of water together and will help avoid wastage of precious water into the sea from the barrage located nearly 102 kms away.
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor in view of the improvement in the COVID-19 situation, to facilitate people to visit the historic shrine in Pakistan.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Singh said his government would be happy to work in conjunction with the Centre to ensure adherence to proper COVID-19 protocols, including testing and vaccination of pilgrims using the Corridor.

The Chief Minister pointed out that the movement of devotees to Kartarpur through the Corridor was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

"The COVID-19 situation in Punjab has shown signs of significant improvement in the past one month and I am happy to share that yesterday, no COVID-19 related death was reported, after almost a period of one year," he wrote.

He mentioned that in the changed scenario, the people have obviously again evinced their desire to have darshan at Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.

Stating that everyone was fortunate that the Kartarpur Corridor was opened on the auspicious occasion of the 550th Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in November 2019, he said: It helped fulfil the long-standing demand of "khulle darshan deedar" of the historic Gurudwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, located just across the international border in Pakistan."

The Kartarpur Corridor was shut down by the Indian government in March 202, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday reserved verdict on the pleas of e-commerce giant Amazon against the Rs 24,713 crore deal for merger of Future Retail Ltd (FRL) with Reliance Retail.

Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings LLC and FRL are embroiled in a bitter legal fight over the deal and the US-based firm has sought in the apex court that the Singapore's Emergency Arbitrator (EA) award, which restrained FRL from going ahead with the merger, was valid and enforceable.

So we close the case now. The judgement is reserved, a bench of justices R F Nariman and B R Gavai said after senior advocates Harish Salve and Gopal Subramanium, appearing for FRL and Amazon respectively, concluded their submissions in the case.

Salve, appearing for FRL, referred to judgements on validity and the enforceability of arbitral awards and said that there was no notion of EA under the Indian law on arbitration and conciliation and, in any case, there was no arbitration agreement to this effect.

There was no provision for EA under the Indian Law and it cannot be done by the process of construction, Salve said referring to the single-judge order of the Delhi High Court which had held the award of the EA to be valid.

On the other hand, Amazon has told the bench that the Biyanis of Future Group had negotiated with it to enter into certain agreements and are bound by Singapore's EA award restraining FRL from going ahead with its merger deal with Reliance Retail. It reiterated that EA's award was enforceable.

Amazon had moved the top court against the Delhi High Court's division bench order which paved the way for the Reliance-FRL deal.

On February 8, the division bench had stayed the single-judge direction to FRL and various statutory authorities to maintain the status quo on the mega deal.

The interim direction was passed on FRL's appeal challenging the February 2 order of the single judge which had ruled in favour of the US firm saying that the EA's award was valid and enforceable.

Amazon had first filed a plea before the high court (single judge) for enforcement of the October 25, 2020, EA award by Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) restraining FRL from going ahead with the deal with Reliance Retail.

In August last year, the Future group had reached an agreement to sell its retail, wholesale, logistics, and warehousing units to Reliance.

Subsequently, Amazon took FRL into EA before the SIAC over alleged breach of contract by the Future group.
New Delhi: Leading the Oppositions charge against the Centre, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday questioned the Central government over the Pegasus issue and asked the leadership to clarify if the spyware was used to snoop on Indians. Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Pegasus issue, Mr Gandhi said using Pegasus spyware against Indian citizens was, in his view, an anti-national activity. He said: The issue of Pegasus is an issue of nationalism and treason for us because this weapon was used against democracy. For me, its not an issue of privacy, but an anti-national activity. He added: This weapon was used against India. This is a weapon that should have been used against terrorists, but Modiji and Amit Shah should tell us why it was used against democracy. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have hit the soul of Indias democracy by using Pegasus against India and its institutions.

Mr Gandhi claimed the government doesnt want the Pegasus issue to be discussed in the House. He said: We have been told by the government that no discussion will take place on Pegasus in the House. I want to ask the youth of the country: Narendra Modi has put a weapon in your phones. The weapon was used against me, other leaders and activists, but why is this issue not being discussed in Parliament?

Responding to the allegation that the Opposition was obstructing Parliament from functioning, Mr Gandhi said: The government said we are obstructing parliamentary proceedings... but I want to say we only want to fulfil our duty. Mr Gandhi was addressing reporters after a meeting of 14 Opposition parties at a meeting to chalk out a strategy to take on the government on the Pegasus phone-hacking scandal, that has triggered protests in and forced repeated adjournments of Parliaments Monsoon Session.

Besides the Congress and the Shiv Sena, CPI(M), CPI, Rashtriya Janata Dal, AAP, DMK, NCP, National Conference and Samajwadi Party joined the meeting on Wednesday. A number of smaller parties like the Muslim League, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Kerala Congress and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi also took part. The Trinamul Congress, whose state government in West Bengal has ordered a judicial inquiry on the Pegasus allegations, was not present, but its senior MP Derek OBrien said later that the Opposition was 100 per cent united and that it had informed the Congress earlier that his party would be absent at Wednesdays meet.
Telangana government claims that no one in the state died due to oxygen shortage during the ongoing second wave of Covid-19. (Representational Photo:PTI)

HYDERABAD: The Telangana governments claims that no one in the state died due to oxygen shortage during the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 have been rubbished by doctors, public health specialists and ground-level health workers.

The state government has, in response to a missive from the Centre to all states asking whether there were deaths of Covid-19 patients resulting from a shortage of oxygen, has informed the Centre that Telangana did not have any such death.

The letter was sent on Wednesday, health department officials said.

Fact is that at the peak of the Covid-19 second wave, there were many complaints of inadequate oxygen supplies at government and private hospitals in the state. The instances of Covid-19 patients losing lives as a result were many.

While private hospitals experiencing oxygen shortages were quick to send away Covid-19 patients to government hospitals, the latter too had made many patients gasping for breath and running around from one facility to another.

Several deaths from lack of adequate oxygen supply to the patients were reported from the Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences alone during the peak of the second wave.

However, a technical loophole appears to have come in handy for the state government in denying that any death among Covid-19 patients occurred due to shortage of oxygen supplies.

A senior doctor explained: There is no provision in the death certificate to record that a person died due to lack of oxygen supply. It has technically not been identified as a cause of death. But this indeed was the reason for several deaths among Covid patients.

Most deaths were attributed to various comorbid conditions.

There have also been countless accounts posted on social media platforms by distraught families as they desperately searched for an oxygen source to save the lives of their near and dear ones.

Though the health authorities have denied this, it was a common sight during the peak of the second wave to see ambulances with patients gasping for breath lining up in front of hospitals. Several of them died in the vehicles, as well as in the waiting areas of hospitals.

They died because they did not get oxygen-equipped beds. Or there were no oxygen lines on the beds they were on, to save them.

These realities are still fresh in the minds of the people who have called for several hours for oxygen cylinders, dialed repeatedly for beds and got these only to find that their patients lived for a few hours and died.

Several families have waited from 12 to 36 hours for oxygen beds. Those who made it to the emergency or waiting halls of hospitals were declared dead but those who died at home have not been accounted for by the authorities.

A doctor from a government hospital said: When the government claims there was no death due to oxygen shortage, does it mean that everyone who required oxygen was provided with it? The answer is no. If the government claim is correct, then patients in ambulances that ran out of oxygen outside hospitals too would have been saved. That has not happened.

Director of Medical Education Dr Ramesh Reddy said, A committee was constituted to monitor oxygen supply for the state. Oxygen supply was maintained seamlessly for government and private hospitals. There was an hourly update in the system. There is no account of any death due to oxygen shortage.

Opposition parties on Thursday trashed the state governments claims that no Covid-19 patient in Telangana state had died from oxygen shortages.

Describing the claims as utterly false and misleading, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A. Revanth Reddy said: This report is a bunch of lies. I visited Gachibowli TIMS Hospital and other government hospitals. I have seen how patients suffered due to oxygen shortage. Patients were denied admissions due to the shortages. Relatives of patients complained to me at hospitals about how they lost their dear ones due to delayed admission on account of oxygen shortage.

He said: Instead of admitting the lapses, the government is trying to bury the issue. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao should explain why he placed an order for setting up oxygen units in 48 government hospitals all of a sudden in May if there was no shortage of oxygen.

BJP vice-president D.K. Aruna poured scorn alleging that the Chief Minster was a habitual liar, and the report sent to Centre claiming no oxygen shortage in Telangana state proved this yet again.

KCR has a habit of telling lies for votes and for gaining power. It's unfortunate that he is lying even on serious health issues and risking the lives of people. Seven deaths were reported from King Koti Hospital due to oxygen shortage in May but the government brought pressure on officials to report these deaths as caused by other issues. This despite relatives of the patients telling the media on record that they died due to oxygen shortage. Similar incidents happened at TIMS in Gachibowli in the same month when eight deaths were reported due to oxygen shortage. The government again hushed up the issue, she said.

Aruna also said, The Centre cannot be blamed for this issue because it can only release data given by the state government. When states say no deaths due to oxygen shortage, what can Centre do?
Even before the NEP was announced, it had undergone a comprehensive consultation process with all stakeholders that was reflected in the policy. (AFP Photo)

It has been a year since the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was announced by the Government of India. It was indeed a red-letter day in the history and evolution of education as the NEP sought fundamental transformation of Indias education system. The vision of the NEP 2020 was crystalised in these words: This National Education Policy envisions an education system rooted in Indian ethos that contributes directly to transforming India, that is Bharat, sustainably into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, by providing high-quality education to all, and thereby making India a global knowledge superpower. Few would argue on the aspiration that is embedded in these words. Even before the NEP was announced, it had undergone a comprehensive consultation process with all stakeholders that was reflected in the policy. The NEP captured the collective consciousness of Indias education fraternity.

It is important to establish a National Education Policy Commission (NEPC) as a nodal institution that will be responsible for implementing the NEP. This could be within the education ministry, but it should have separate institutional apparatus and identity, which will recognise its role and responsibilities for effective implementation of the NEP.

Assessing NEPs One-Year Journey

In the run-up to the launch of the NEP, wide ranging consultative exercises were held in the last one year. However, the complexity of the education sector requires internalising the vision of the NEP by all stakeholders. The two major initiatives that were promoted during the last year include strengthening online education and establishing an Academic Bank of Credit (ABC). We also witnessed extraordinary innovations in the use of technology and technological platforms to offer academic programmes. While our digital divide is a continuing challenge in access to education, it is also the only mode of education that is feasible and democratic during a pandemic. The seriousness in which the Indian government has approached the formulation of the NEP was also equally matched with the impetus provided by the highest echelons of the government, including discussions led by the Prime Minister and the education minister, underscoring the significance of the NEP.

Overcoming challenges

An important aspect of policy implementation is the level of institutional preparedness within all the relevant organisations. Michael Hill and Peter Hupe, senior scholars in social policy and governance, in their influential book, Implementing Public Policy: An Introduction to the Study of Operational Governance, have observed that () designing institutions is an important public task. Implementation, then, refers to that part of governance that involves activities in relation to public tasks that follow the legitimate, directive decisions on those tasks. In the beginning of the third millennium, the implementation of public policy takes various forms, but they all can be approached as concerned with the operational part of governance. In short, implementation can be seen as operational governance...

The NEP expects the highest degree of operational governance as far as its implementation is concerned.

Many good policies run the risk of poor implementation if efforts are not taken to develop robust mechanisms for operational governance. It is important that we put in place the following five institutional mechanisms under the aegis of the proposed National Education Policy Commission (NEPC) that will help in the implementation of the NEP:

1. Inter-ministerial coordination for implementing the NEP: There are many aspects of the NEP that requires participation and involvement of other ministries and departments within the Government of India. This requires a continuous coordination and monitoring mechanism to ensure that the issues leading to the timely implementation of the NEP are addressed.

2. Inter-regulatory body coordination for implementing the NEP: The higher education sector has more than 15 discipline-based regulatory bodies, all of whose functioning impinges on the vision articulated in the NEP. There is an urgent need for a strong and substantive engagement with all these regulatory bodies for effective coordination for implementing the NEP.

3. Intra-government coordination for implementing the NEP: It is important that any effective institutional mechanism is designed to connect and collaborate higher education departments and the state higher education councils of state governments. Removing duplication while delineating roles and responsibilities of institutions that are involved within a state government will be the key.

4. Funding and resource allocation for implementing the NEP: The issue of funding and resource allocation is almost central to the successful implementation of the NEP. The NEPC should be empowered to ensure that it is able to work with all government departments to ensure that the necessary funds are available in a timely manner.

5. Statutory legal reforms for implementing the NEP: Certain areas of the NEP requires legal and statutory support. The NEPC should be working to identify these aspects of the NEP to initiate reforms at the earliest. It is important that all efforts are undertaken with the necessary legal and statutory frameworks in place for effective implementation of the NEP.

The establishment of the National Education Policy Commission (NEPC) within the education ministry of the Government of India is a step in the right direction that will provide new impetus to the efforts that are needed for the implementation of the NEP. The first anniversary of the launch of the NEP should create a certain degree of expediency to focus on our collective efforts towards the effective implementation of the National Education Policy.

Prof. C. Raj Kumar is the founding vice-chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat
Maharashtra has had the heaviest rain in July in four decades, all within a few days. (Indian Navy/ AFP Photo)

This cant happen here is a dangerously risky idea -- that is the key lesson from the recent spate of extreme weather events across Europe, North America, Asia, Oceania and Africa. Extreme heatwaves, floods and wildfires that not only damage but also kill can hit rich industrialised countries as much as developing ones.

Every sane person now knows this is due to climate change. Reversing climate change by moving away from coal, oil and gas is essential, but the results will show only in decades, if not centuries. We need to deal right now with the climate change impacts we are facing today.

The monsoon has been erratic, with long dry spells broken by cloudbursts that trigger floods and landslides. Maharashtra has had the heaviest rain in July in four decades, all within a few days. The death toll from the consequent landslides is in hundreds. Nine tourists have died in a landslip triggered by intense rainfall in Himachal Pradeshs Kinnaur district. Floods in Bihar are now so routine they are barely reported.

Climate change leads to warmer clouds that lead to more lightning. India has seen a record number of lightning deaths this year. The number has been going up throughout the last decade.

Science is increasingly clear that extreme rainfall events and associated floods of the kind we saw in recent weeks are being made more likely by climate change, says Dr Aditi Mukherji, principal researcher at International Water Management Institute and coordinating lead author of the chapter on water in the next report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Who would think that parts of the United States and Canada could be hit by catastrophic heatwaves? On June 27, Lytton in British Columbia, Canada, officially registered a temperature of 46.6 degrees Celsius -- the kind of temperature we associate with places in the Thar desert in peak summer. Hundreds died of heatstroke in British Columbia. The heat sparked wildfires, and just about the entire town went up in flames.

Who would have thought that devastating floods which turn streets into rivers, trap people in cellars and kill could happen in Europe? In Germany alone, nearly 200 people have died. More than 700 are injured and many remain missing in the worst floods in decades.

When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the flood-ravaged town of Adenau in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate on July 18, the scene was terrifying enough for her to say: The German language can barely describe the devastation. As I write, the death toll after floods has risen to 41 in Belgium. In the province of Limburg in the Netherlands, there have been massive power outages. mass evacuations started on July 16.

Clearly, tragically, the whole system designed to save lives by ensuring people act on warnings before floods arrive, did not work as it should have done, lamented Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology, University of Reading, in a recent article in The Conversation, a news and commentary portal.

Floods are also battering parts of central China while wildfires caused by extremely high temperatures ravage Siberia and California at the same time.

Like the pandemic, the climate emergency is exposing the frailties of all political systems, economic models and societies.

What will it take to have public policies that factor in the urgency of the crises caused by these extreme weather events?

There is nothing better for mobilising public action than visible suffering, says Dan Banik, professor of political science at the University of Oslo and director of The Oslo SDG Initiative, which focuses on sustainable development goals.

Many scholars, Prof. Banik points out, have long accepted the links between climate disruption and natural disasters. However, following recent heatwaves and floods in Europe and forest fires and drought in the United States, the general public in industrialised countries appears to increasingly accept this linkage. For me, the message is that there is greater visibility now of the scenarios that academics have been warning about for decades.

Some commentators, says Prof. Banik, argue that extreme weather events in the recent past have not resulted in drastic changes in public policy but he prefers to be optimistic, especially given the growing climate activism among the youth and the influential role that Green political parties are playing in European politics, including in Norway.

Arguably, just as the pandemic has affected everyone, but not equally, climate change is affecting everyone but not always in the same way. There is no getting away from the big difference between the adaptive capacities in the developed and developing worlds.

And this difference persists within countries like India, which has the scientific capability to know what is happening but where the majority of the population is part of the informal economy with little social protection or insurance.

Take heatwaves. Some of us can retreat inside airconditioned rooms and work from homes and offices. Many have to be outdoors to earn a living. They can be helped.

Around two dozen Indian cities and four states have developed Heat Action Plans (HAPs) pioneered in Ahmedabad. This involves greater public awareness, identification of high-risk groups, heatwave alerts, better inter-agency collaboration and so on. All of India needs to follow.

Chandra Bhushan, president and chief executive officer of International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology, a think tank, says India must develop a national heat code.

Scientists can now attribute climate change fingerprint to most extreme events provided there is long-time observation data on hydro-meteorological parameters, says Aditi Mukherji. While India does have advanced capabilities for this, with institutions like the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and others, we dont see a lot of attribution studies as yet from the region, she adds.

As far as action is concerned, some states like Odisha have done well in disaster management. But megacities like Mumbai still cannot deal with heavy rain. This is a matter of political will.

We cannot afford to forget that climate hazards alone dont make a disaster; a disaster is a social phenomenon and happens due to existing inequalities and the most vulnerable are the ones most exposed to hazards, as Dr Mukherji puts it.

And therefore, there is an absolute need to reduce vulnerabilities and exposure to reduce the impact of disasters. What is needed, especially in the developing world where millions live and work in an extreme state of precarity, is a whole range of public policies related to not just rescue and relief as is mostly the case now, but also insurance, social protection and rehabilitation.
VIJAYAWADA: The Covid-19 cocktail antibody injections treatment is said to be yielding good results among high-risk people. Dr Lokesh Gutta, consultant interventional pulmonologist, Manipal Hospitals, Vijayawada, said that the combination of two recombinant human IgG1 monoclonal antibodies is mainly advantageous to patients with mild symptoms and who have existing comorbidities.

Dr Gutta explained that the injection helps in the inhibition of 50 per cent of viral load entering human cells. Manipal Hospitals, Vijayawada, is the only one in the Telugu states to administer more than 150 Covid-19 cocktail antibody injections after the first one on June 1.

Dr Gutta stated that as per data it has shown effectivity against many variants like Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1). So far our experience in the second wave which is considered largely due to Delta variant (B.1.617.2) had been great with zero mortality out of 150 people who had taken the injection,

He stated that the therapy will help high-risk patients before their condition worsens, reduces the risk of hospitalization by 90 per cent and shortens the duration of symptoms by four days. He mentioned that new variants with resistance to monoclonal antibodies might emerge in future, hence it is important to follow the patient till 21 days for assessing the clinical well being.

Dr G. Uday Kiran, consultant pulmonologist, said, Covid-19 positive persons and those who are at high risk with comorbidities (bypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic Lung diseases, immunosuppressed population including those on cancer treatment etc) are considered for this injection. He stated that the cocktail injection can be given from the age group above 12 years.

Dr Sudhakar Kantipudi, director, Manipal Hospitals, said that this injection utilisation is in single dosage only. He said that people are getting awareness about cocktail injection treatment to restrain Covid-19 especially in patients in the age group of 50 years.

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Bharat Biotech terminated the MoU it entered with Precisa Medicamentos and Envixia Pharmaceuticals LLC for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin for Brazilian market. (Representational image: AFP)

Hyderabad: After suspending the proposed clinical trials of Bharat Bioetch's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin and a request for Emergency Use Authorisation, Brazil now has suspended its decision to import four million doses of the jab into that country.

According to a statement issued by the National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil, Anvisa its Collegiate Board on Tuesday took a decision to suspend the exceptional and temporary authorisation for import and distribution of Covaxin after Bharat Biotech informed the South America government about the termination of its pact with its Brazilian partners.

"The Collegiate Board of Anvisaunanimously decided, on Tuesday (27/7), to provisionally suspend the exceptional and temporary authorisation for import and distribution of the vaccine against Covid-19-Covaxin, requested by the Ministry of Health," Anvisa said in statement posted on its website.

Bharat Biotech on July 23 said it terminated the MoU it entered with Precisa Medicamentos and Envixia Pharmaceuticals LLC for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin for Brazilian market.

The termination of the MoU came after the deal with the Brazilian government for supply of 20 million doses of Covaxin landed in controversy and attracted investigation by authorities in that country.

"The measure prevails until there is new information that allows us to conclude that the legal and technical security of maintaining the decision that authorised the importation is maintained," Anvisa further said in a roughly translated version of Portuguese of the statement.

Though the exceptional and temporary importation of the vaccine had been authorized on June 4, at the ninth Extraordinary Meeting of the Collegiate Board of Anvisa, Brazil never imported the jab.

Bharat Biotech will continue to work diligently with Anvisa, to complete the regulatory approval process for Covaxin, Bharat Biotech had said while announcing the termination of its pact with its Brazilian partners.
Peru's President Pedro Castillo on Thursday named a prime minister from within his Marxist-Leninist Free Peru party -- 41-year-old Guido Bellido who first became a lawmaker six days ago and has never held public office.

Inaugurated in Lima himself just Wednesday, Castillo presided over Bellido's swearing-in at the Pampa de la Quinua, site of the 1824 battle that ended Spanish domination of Peru and South America at large.

Bellido, an electronic engineer, vowed he would represent the interests of all Peruvians and advance "the fight against corruption."

He is one 37 Peru Libre lawmakers elected to the 130-member Congress in April. Under Peruvian law, parliamentarians can also hold government positions.

Like the president, Bellido has a rural, peasant background. Both wear traditional white sombreros -- though Bellido's hails from his native Cusco region and that of Castillo, 51, from Cajamarca.

Peruvian media say Bellido was investigated by prosecutors for an alleged "apology for terrorism" over statements made after taking up his parliamentary seat last Friday -- which assured him immunity from prosecution.

In statements to the Inka Vision online news outlet, he appeared to defend people who supported the Shining Path Maoist guerrilla group which fought the state from 1980 to 2000 and is dubbed a "terrorist" organization by Lima.

"The country was a disaster, there were Peruvians who mistakenly took a path -- are they Peruvians or not?" he said, adding: "What do you have against the senderistas?"

Senderistas is the name for followers of Shining Path, which some detractors have sought to link Castillo to, though he has insisted he fought against the movement as a "rondero" or peasant patrol member.

The other 18 members of Castillo's cabinet will be announced late Thursday, the presidency has announced.

Rural school teacher and trade unionist Castillo took office on Wednesday promising an end to corruption and a new constitution. He has vowed to upend a quarter century of neo-liberal government and create a better life for struggling Peruvians.

He was declared the election victor on July 19, more than six weeks after a runoff race against rightwing free-market defender Keiko Fujimori, whose allegations of voter fraud then had to be reviewed by an electoral jury.

Fujimori, who faces a corruption trial for allegedly accepting illegal funding for two previous presidential campaigns, said her Popular Force party would be a "firm wall against the latent threat of a new communist constitution" under Castillo.
India on Thursday dismissed the recent elections conducted in parts of Jammu and Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan as a cosmetic exercise by Prime Minister Imran Khans government in Islamabad.

New Delhi lodged a strong protest with Islamabad over the elections, alleging that it was an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation of the territory of India. India also protested reference to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in a joint statement issued by China and Pakistan, after a recent meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the two nations.

The polling for election of 45 of the 53 members of the assembly in J&K areas India accuses Pakistan of illegally occupying was held last Sunday. Twelve of the seats filled through elections are reserved for people, who had migrated from the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state of India and settled in mainland Pakistan. Five seats, which are filled through nomination, are reserved for women and three seats  one each for religious scholars, technocrats and overseas Kashmiris.

New Delhi noted that the elections were protested and rejected by the local people.

Such an exercise can neither hide the illegal occupation by Pakistan nor the grave human rights violations, exploitation, and denial of freedom to people in these occupied territories, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said. Pakistan has no locus standi on these Indian territories. We call upon Pakistan to vacate all Indian areas under its illegal occupation.

Khans party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI), won 25 of the seats that went to polls, defeating the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), which won just 11 and six seats respectively. The local parties, Muslim Conference (MC) and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Party (JKPP), got one seat each.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently hosted his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Beijing. According to a joint statement issued after the meeting between the two Foreign Ministers, Qureshi briefed Wang on the deteriorating situation in J&K under control of India. Wang reiterated the Chinese Governments position that the issue of J&K was a dispute left over from history between India and Pakistan and it should be resolved peacefully and properly through the United Nations Charter, relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the bilateral agreements. China also echoed Pakistan in opposing any unilateral actions that complicate the situation, apparently referring to the August 5, 2019 decision of the Government of India to strip J&K of its special status and to reorganize the state into two Union Territories.

New Delhi rejected the reference to J&K in China-Pakistan joint statement. The union territories of J&K and Ladakh have been and will remain integral and inalienable parts of India, Bagchi told journalists on Thursday. He also denounced reference to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through Indias J&K areas illegally occupied by Pakistan. We resolutely oppose any attempts by other countries to change the status quo in areas illegally occupied by Pakistan as also to Pakistan bringing up any material change in Indian territories under its illegal occupation. We call upon parties concerned to cease such actions, said the MEA spokesperson.
Swarthmore, PA (19081)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 65F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
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Qualcomm recently upgraded the Snapdragon 888 to its Plus variant and we are already hearing rumours of the next-in-line Snapdragon 898 thats expected to power flagships phones in 2022.

The leak comes from popular tipster Ice Universe (via Mydrivers) who claims that the next-generation Snapdragon 898 will be based on the latest 4nm process and have a Cortex-X2 core clocked at up to 3.09GHz

The leak doesnt specify if the performance and power cores will employ the latest ARM IPs like Cortex-A710 and Cortex-A510 or not.

Snapdragon 898 Specifications and Details - Not the first to cross the 3.0GHz threshold

The Snapdragon 898 will be manufactured on the 4nm process and will have the Cortex-X2 based Prime core clocked at up to 3.09 GHz. In comparison, the Snapdragon 888 Plus maxes out at 2.995 GHz and the Snapdragon 888 at 2.84GHz.

This is not the first time that Qualcomm has breached the 3.0GHz threshold, though. In fact, the Snapdragon 865+ also had its Prime Cortex-A77 core clocked at up to 3.09GHz and Qualcomm took a step back with the Snapdragon 888. This was perhaps done to improve power efficiency since even with reduced clock speed, the Snapdragon 888 proves to be quite demanding during intensive applications.

ARMs Cortex-X2 belongs to the ARMs X-series architecture that debuted with the Cortex-X1. Unlike with the Cortex-A series IP, ARMs objective with X-series is to improve performance without worrying too much about PPA (Power, Performance, Area) dictates. The probable reason is to make the chipsets using Cortex-X2 cores suitable for more demanding devices like notebooks and convertibles.

At the same time, considering that the current generation chipsets with Cortex-X1 cores like Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100 dont exactly shine when it comes to power efficiency, the switch to a higher frequency of 3.09 GHz for the more power hungry Cortex-X2 core doesnt sound like a reason to rejoice just yet. We will need to wait and watch to know how much of a difference the new 4nm process node makes in this regard.

ARM announced that the Cortex-X2 cores in May this year and projected peak performance improvements of 16% as compared to the Cortex-X1 cores. These figures will be realized only if the next generation chipsets like Snapdragon 898 upgrade the L3 cache from 4MB to 8MB.

MediaTek Dimensity 2000 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 898

Meanwhile, MediaTek is reportedly trying to beat Qualcomm to market with its own 4nm chipset, Dimensity 2000, thats expected to further narrow the performance gap that we see between MediaTeks current Dimensity flagship and Qualcomms top of the line Snapdragon 888.
It has barely been a few days since Poco launched the F3 GT in India, and now, the company has launched another GT model, the Poco X3 GT. While this is a global variant, it has already been confirmed to not launch in India. As per reports, Poco India Country Director Anuj Sharma has said that the company has no plans to launch the device in India. According to Poco, the decision has been taken to avoid any confusion with its portfolio.

As for the device, the Poco X3 GT comes with a punch-hole camera, a rear camera module and a side-mounted fingerprint, and a textured rear panel. Apart from this, the Poco X3 GT comes with a fast MediaTek Dimensity 1100 SoC and a big battery with support for 67W fast-charging.

Poco X3 GT: Specificatons

Talking about the hardware of the device, the X3 GT is a phone that offers a 6.6-inch FHD+ LCD display that also supports a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. The display is capable of 1100 nits brightness is covered using a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

Under the hood, we have a MediaTek Dimensity 1100 SoC which has been paired with up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage. This storage can also be expanded via a microSD card. Apart from this, the phone runs on Android 11-based MIUI 12.5 custom skin out of the box and packs a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast-charging support.

Other specifications of the phone include triple cameras at the back of which the primary lens is a 64MP sensor, the secondary an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and to complete the list we have a 2MP macro lens for close-up shots. There's also a 16MP snapper on the front for selfies and video chats. Apart from this, there's a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for security, a VC Liquid cooling solution, and JBL powered dual stereo speakers.

Poco X3 GT has been launched at USD 200 (approx Rs 22,200) for the base 8GB/128GB variant and will be available in Black, White, and Green colour options across countries in Southeast Asia, Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.
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By PHILIP MARCELO

Associated Press

Governments and businesses are scrambling to change course following new federal guidance calling for the return of mask wearing in virus hot spots amid a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations nationwide.

Nevada and Kansas City were among the locations that moved swiftly to reimpose indoor mask mandates following Tuesday's announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.





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Aggregation will drive a new hybrid science space

Hospitality has taught us that a space can and should instantaneously transform how you feel.



By CHAD YOSHINOBU

Gensler

Yoshinobu

Clients in the sciences industry have the power to change the trajectory of human life. To cultivate work environments that enable our sciences clients to develop effective vaccines, life-saving therapies, and innovative products and technologies, we must look beyond traditional conventions of buildings and workspaces as places that optimize performance.

Buildings and spaces are now about elevating connectivity with people. That connectivity builds trust, which in turn leads to collaboration and elevates culture  all leading to more idea generation. To create a new hybrid sciences workplace that empowers people to connect and collaborate, where innovation can thrive, we must design space with an entirely different mindset  a mindset around aggregation.

POWER OF AGGREGATION

We believe that the future is about blending science with unexpected influences that havent been merged before. Imagine what comes about when you infuse a science lab with the collaborative elements of tech workplaces, which are masterful at creating synergies between people. Blend in hospitalitys experiential attributes, which evoke how space makes your people feel, beyond just how it works. The incorporation of brand design, which celebrates who you are and, more importantly, what you believe in. Lastly, storytelling as the glue that fuses all three influences with science to tell the world how your people altered the outlook of human life.

Photo courtesy of Ai Qing [enlarge] The new hybrid sciences office will blend tech workplace, hospitality, brand design and storytelling, as seen at the Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS in Shanghai, designed by Gensler.





LEAD WITH HEART

Our tech workplace experience taught us that creating a heart within a space  a central hub and destination for connection  is how you form community. Its where a companys culture, mission and purpose are felt. The heart should be a synergistic space where people see, meet and build relationships with one another. What if we coupled this idea with the lab, the heart of any research organization? Doing this puts the science on display, allowing your potential recruits and future investors to feel the heart and soul of your organization. It puts your culture, your people and your science together, thereby creating a gravity point for your organization.

HOW IT FEELS

Hospitality has taught us that a space can and should instantaneously transform how you feel. It should put a smile on your face and induce wonderment. We call this experience, and it is the caretaker of how we need to think about space moving forward. As we unpack hybrid and work-from-home scenarios, we must also rethink the reasons why someone wants to come into the office.

In our U.S. Workplace Survey 2020, conducted in the summer and fall of last year, 65% of sciences employees surveyed still said they wanted to return to their workplaces three to five days per week post-COVID  or double the average across all industries. Many sciences workers clearly find value in their workplace. What matters now is how the workplace attracts the other 35%.

Recall your last memorable trip: remember how it made you feel, how your every need was taken care of, how choice was abundant for you to play, be inside, be outside, be in respite spaces, be in loud spaces, to interact with others, or to be secluded to focus. Tactically, a hospitality-driven experience such as this one is no different than what a science building or workspace can offer. The difference is that it is steeped in experience without feeling too formal or corporate. Todays science workers are under an immense deal of stress with the significance of the high stakes outcomes. The layering of hospitality into the workplace can ease and calm, creating a sense of serenity to balance their substantial objectives.

CONVEYING A BRAND MESSAGE

For sciences companies, physical space is a critical tool to tell a story about what you believe in, what you stand for, or how your innovations are changing the world. For many sciences spaces, brand design is an underutilized tool that has been limited to a logo in a lobby or a sign on a building. What if we took a different approach and merged brand design with the physical design of your other spaces?

As people circulate the space, they learn about your organization from these messages; it infuses purposeful color, vibrancy and inspiration throughout the space. Spaces should not be just about walls and function; they should speak to your people, your guests, your recruits and your partners about why your organization matters.

SCIENCE WHISPERER

Speaking of speaking to your people, lets talk about storytelling. Sciences workers are highly mission-driven; they are proud of what they do and invent. Thats why they joined your company in the first place. Their discovery today impacts someones life tomorrow. When done right, storytelling can convey the gravity of your organizations transformational mission and purpose that your people deliver upon every day.

Employee engagement is correlated as a driver of innovation. Celebrating the impact of your people and their work heightens that engagement. What if we utilized the power of storytelling to vocalize the testimonials from the actual people you have helped, or share stories around your progress towards that next cure? Imagine how many stories you could tell. Imagine if those stories were amplified in your space and buildings every day. Imagine how that would make your people feel  not only about why your company matters, but why they matter.

By leading with human experience and aggregating the best ideas from the tech workplace, hospitality, brand design and storytelling, we can reinvent the traditional workplace paradigm to create a new hybrid science workplace that evolves buildings and spaces for the next generation of researchers and scientists to push the boundaries in a purposeful space.

Chad Yoshinobu is a principal and global leader of the sciences practice for Gensler.





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Compounding pharmacies provide community resource

Recently opened Harbor Health and Apothecary is the only 503A compounding pharmacy of its kind in the south Puget Sound.



By DARRIN FILAND

fi architecture

Filand

In recent years, a growing movement of people have started turning from large commercial pharmacies to apothecaries or compounding pharmacies. These smaller, often independently operated pharmacies offer a greater degree of personalization than retail pharmacies, including customized dosages based on age, height, weight, as well as choice of medication form  pill, liquid or powder.

These and other forms of supplements are all made on site, using the highest quality ingredients, and are tested for potency and purity. Compounding pharmacies can include specialized spaces such as high-tech sterile labs, treatment rooms and retail.

Gig Harbor recently experienced the opening of Harbor Health and Apothecary, a locally owned compounding pharmacy in the historic downtown core, inside a former bank building. Gig Harbor based fi architecture designed the renovation, which transformed the 60-year-old structure into a state-of-the-art pharmacy that meets rigorous federal standards for sterile and non-sterile compounding labs.

Photos courtesy of fi architecture [enlarge] The main pharmacy at Harbor Health and Apothecary is completely transparent through large glass partitions.





The Washington State Department of Health said that Harbor Health and Apothecary is one of the best designed facilities with one of the most robust written protocols they have ever seen, said co-founder and CEO Conrad Esser.

It was clear from the projects start that both Esser and co-founder and chief pharmacy officer Nicholas Wyatt wanted a facility that was more welcoming and visible to the community. They wanted to put the process of compounding on display. By working closely with Esser, Wyatt and a specialty HVAC engineer, fi architecture was able to balance the adaptive reuse of the building with the functionality of the pharmacy, while creating an inviting and transparent open space for customers.

MODERN LABS

Harbor Health is the only sterile and non-sterile 503A compounding facility in the South Puget Sound. Each prescription is tailor made to an individual, rather than bulk produced like at other pharmacies. At the center of the building is the main pharmacy suite, composed of a general pharmacy, two sterile labs, one non-sterile lab and associated rooms for gowning and prep.

All of Harbor Healths lab spaces were designed to exceed current and future state and federal regulatory standards, which ensures patients and providers are working with a pharmacy that has longevity, said Wyatt.

The main pharmacy is completely transparent through large glass partitions, allowing patrons to see the pharmacists at work using the wide variety of specialty equipment. Custom designed and built casework was utilized to provide sufficient storage of materials and efficient work layout. Just off the main pharmacy are anterooms that connect to two smaller sterile labs where the most sensitive of ingredients are processed. With eight pass-through chambers in the partition walls, pharmacists can transfer sterile products between spaces.

TREATMENT ROOMS

Harbor Health also includes small treatment rooms where the pharmacists can have private consultations with patients. These rooms are equipped similar to a doctors exam room allowing for shots and IV treatments to be administered on site. Professional providers can also lease these treatment rooms. At Harbor Health, these rooms are entered through a foyer to the side of the main entry, ensuring they are discreet.

SPECIALTY MECHANICAL

[enlarge] The former bank vault is now used for supply storage.





Certified sterile lab spaces have extensive technical requirements, the most challenging of which is maintaining very high levels of indoor air quality, which means dedicated ductwork, increased rates of air exchange, and medical-grade HEPA filters.

The day-to-day operations at Harbor Health place a heavy demand on mechanical systems, and the specialized certifications of the lab spaces required very specific design elements, said fi architecture senior project manager Stephen Black. Everything had to coordinate well on the project, for example the size of the HVAC units were significant in regard to the buildings profile.

Not only were the lab HVAC units larger than standard units, they needed to be located away from public spaces to minimize noise. In addition, the project had to meet city of Gig Harbor design guidelines while respecting the buildings original mid-century roofline. We realized the solution was to locate the units on the lid of the existing concrete bank vault, which was 18 inches thick and located underneath the existing roof structure. By placing the units here, only 4 feet in height was needed above the original roof line, plus the concrete serves to dampen the noise and vibration.

RETAIL AREA

The buildings history as a bank meant that except for a few columns the buildings interior was relatively open. This allowed for the retail and waiting areas to have unobstructed views into the lab space. The retail area displays the supplements that are being made in the lab. Low shelving was utilized to keep the feeling of openness.

The waiting area features a gas fireplace alongside comfortable couches. You can also see the remains of the night drop from the buildings days as a bank. Bookshelves showcase resources for customers as well as historic photos of the building and surrounding area.

COMMUNITY ASSET

Harbor Health occupies most of the 5,000 square feet, but there was extra space adjacent to the old bank drive-thru. The fi architecture team brainstormed with Esser, and they came up with the idea to create a taproom. Hop Pharm Taproom turned the original drive-thru into a beautiful outdoor covered seating area, selling craft beer, cider and wine. This keeps the building buzzing hours after the pharmacy closes.

We were able to create a beautiful community green area with sidewalks and open space, taking a vacant property and reinvigorating it, said fi architecture senior architectural associate Jennifer Butler. Harbor Health and Hop Pharm turned a high traffic corner into a destination for the community to gather.

Harbor Health and Apothecary has only been open for a few short months, but the pharmacy is already welcoming business from doctors, naturopaths, veterinarians, nutritionists and more in the South Sound. As compounding pharmacies continue to gain popularity, Harbor Health is poised to expand on its current successes, especially with its exceptional team in an innovative facility.

Darrin Filand is a member of the city of Gig Harbor design review board since 2006 and is founder and senior principal at fi architecture.





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REDMOND  Granite Construction announced it has been awarded a $28 million contract to construct the 148th Avenue Northeast interchange access ramp in downtown Redmond by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The new ramp will provide a direct connection from the state Route 520 offramp to new arterials: Hopper, Lumiere and Shen streets. The upgraded interchange will create an improved offramp alignment that is expected to ease traffic.





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SEATTLE  A small residential building at 2640 N.W. 56th St. sold for just over $2.1 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Rustom LLC, which acquired the property in 2010 for about $1.8 million.





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SEATAC  A Quality Inn at 2900 S. 192nd St. in SeaTac sold for almost $8.9 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Zulmar LLC, which acquired the property in 2015 for almost $6.8 million.





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The domes, part of a luxurious tourist complex, the Kachi Lodge Hotel, were under the ownership of a bolivian and swiss group of enterpreneurs, the Amazing Escapes Bolivia SRL, a company that has operated in the tourism sector for over 30 years both in Bolivia and abroad. The tourism company stated that, despite its numerous requests of protection by law enforcement, the authorities did not show up.

In a press conference, the governor of Oruro, Johnny Vedia, told that he reported the perpetrators to the Public Ministry for crimes of conspiracy and destruction of private property.
Kenny Baker visited New York for the premiere of the film Stillwater alongside his family, and visited the home of Tom McCarthy. Baker worked on the film teaching Matt Damon how to walk and talk like an Oklahoman.

Front row, from left: Matt Damon, Kenny Baker; Middle: Madison Baker; Third row: Tom McCarthy, Davi Porter, Phil Messina; Back row: Monica Baker, Wendy McCarthy.
People are being urged to be careful and adhere to all safety measures as we approach the August bank holiday weekend.

Louth has attracted people to the county in their droves during the last spate of warn weather. Over the last number of years more and more people are taking to the inland waterways and oceans as recreational activities during their holiday period.

The Minister of State in the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD, has issued an appeal to anybody engaging in coastal or water-based activity to be attentive to their personal safety and adhere to basic safety measures ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

The August bank holiday weekend is by tradition the peak holiday period, and with many people holidaying at home this summer, it is likely that even greater numbers will avail of coastal and water-based activities.

Water Safety Ireland plead for vigilance after six drownings this week https://t.co/xyXufkcjHI  breakingnews.ie (@breakingnewsie) July 25, 2021

The water safety appeal is being made by Minister Naughton, alongside staff and volunteers of the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI, in the wake of seven water tragedies in 7 days.

Minister Naughton said: Tragically, last week we saw a total of seven drownings on the island of Ireland in seven days, the majority of which were on inland waterways. I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the loved ones of those we have lost at sea on their heart-breaking and untimely loss. This loss of lives in as many days provides a stark reminder to us all as to how quickly serious accidents can happen. This bank holiday weekend we can all make personal decisions which will go a long way towards staying safe in the water, such as ensuring that swimmers are accompanied ... and letting friends or family know your planned return time.

Important information from Water Safety Ireland @IWSie on World Drowning Prevention Day. Please enjoy our rivers, lakes & beaches safely https://t.co/VFigg06jsa  Heather Humphreys (@HHumphreysFG) July 25, 2021

The Marine Safety Communications group which is coordinated by the Department of Transport has identified three key safety areas:

Inflatable toys should never be used on the beach or inland waterways

Swimmers should always ensure that they are accompanied or that their activity is being monitored by a colleague ashore. Open water swimmers / longer distance swimmers should wear a high visibility swim cap and use a Tow Float to ensure that they are visible at all times.

Only swim in lifeguarded beaches or on beaches that are in regular use, be alert to local safety warnings and always ensure that somebody is aware of your planned return time.

Users of Jet Skis are asked to be mindful of swimmers by avoiding swimming areas and by observing local bye laws.



The Coast Guard has seen a major growth in demand for assistance this year and to date has coordinated responses to a total of 1763 incidents, an increase of 400 for the same period last year and 150 more than any year over the last five.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Water Safety Ireland (@watersafetyireland)

Minister Naughton reminded anybody engaged in outdoor activities to always check the weather forecast and tide times and local conditions. In addition to familiarising ourselves with tides we should also be mindful of the risk posed by local currents and in particular rip currents. Rip currents most typically form at low spots or breaks in sandbars, and near structures such as jetties, piers and the speeds under certain tide and beach profiles can quickly increase to become dangerous to anyone entering the water.

The Minister also appealed to coastal walkers to avoid any areas with which they are not familiar and stay away from coastal and cliff edges. It is important to dress appropriately for the conditions, to wear a high-factor sunscreen, carry a fully charged water protected mobile phone and to bring enough food and water for the planned trip.

Minister Naughton said: I recently attended a meeting of the Search and Rescue Stakeholders Forum where I saw constructive engagement between the Maritime community, SAR Coordinators and SAR providers I want to thank all those at the frontline of Search and Rescue in particular the three Coast Guard Coordination centres at Maline, Valentia and MRCC Dublin, Coast Guard and RNLI Volunteers, Coast Guard Helicopter crews and Community Inshore Rescue crews, as well as support provided by Navy and Air Corps resources.

Minister Naughton said: Remember, Water Will Win if we do not observe basic water safety measures.

This week, as always, the full range of Search and Rescue (SAR) services will be available and can be reached by calling 112 or on Marine VHF radio. Visit www.Safetyonthewater.gov.ie for more information on how to stay safe when on or near the water.

Safety Guidelines for Coastal Walking
Teenager Melissa Caffrey cut her beautiful, long flowing hair to donate it to the Princess Trust, while also raising money for the Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre.

The kind-hearted 17-year-old, from Philipstown in Dunleer, donated her hair to the Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children who have been affected by cancer and alopecia.

Melissa has also raised almost a 1,000 so far for the Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre.

Melissa said she decided to cut her hair for the two very worthy causes as her mother Kathleen and other people in her community have been affected by cancer and she wanted to do something to help.

"I've been growing my hair out to cut and donate it, while at the same time raising money for the Gary Kelly Cancer support center", Melissa said on her GoFundMe page.

"The reason I chose the Gary Kelly is because it isn't funded by the government and helps many people with cancer all across Ireland.

"My mother and many other people in my community have used the center and some even travel distances to use it as well. I would like to give back to this amazing organisation."

Melissa had been growing her hair long for some time before getting her lovely hair cut by hairdresser Sinead in Chaplins Hair Salon in Dundalk last week.

Her proud mum Kathleen, who had cancer four years ago, said that the reason Melissa did it was because she used and still uses the Gary Kelly centre .

Also, her sister Jade's best friend Ava Kelly passed away just after her 20th birthday two years ago and last year the young daughter of a relative lost her hair and had to have a wig due to cancer.

Melissa, who goes to Ardee community school, has also seen other students lose a parent due to cancer.

"Melissa decided two years ago that she wanted to do something to raise money and started to grow her hair and then after seeing the little girl need a wig thought this was a way of helping two good causes", Kathleen said.

"The Gary Kelly center is open to people with cancer and their families and all services are free.

"I have seen first hand people traveling from as far as Kells to Carlingford and Monaghan to the centre.

"They get little funding from the government and need all the support they get.

"We are very proud of Melissa, she is such a kind hearted person.

"Melissa is aware people are struggling and is amazed at peoples' generosity and is hoping for people to donate 5 and that it would add up."

Anyone wishing to donate can do so on https://ie.gofundme.com/f/gary-kelly-cancer-patients-support-centre
A new walk-in Covid-19 test centre is set to open in Dundalk tomorrow, due to the high incidence of the virus in Louth.

The walk-in centre is set to be located at the HSE building on the Rampart Road, just across from the Marshes Shopping Centre.

The centre will operate from 10am until 6pm each day, and will be open from Friday until Sunday.

Similar to other test centres currently operating, people will be able to get a test through self-referral, walk-ins as well as scheduled appointments.

A decision on whether or not to keep the centre open will be made after the centre runs for its three scheduled days.

Dr Augustine Pereria recently spoke with the Democrat and encouraged anyone with Covid-19 symptoms to get tested, due to the high incidence rate across Louth in recent weeks.

As of yesterday, Louth currently has the second-highest 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 per 100,000 population in Ireland, after Donegal.

Currently, Louth's 14-day incidence rate is 636.2 with 820 confirmed cases of Covid-19 being reported in the last two weeks.
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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
Young Lebanon-based entrepreneur and CEO, Yusr Sabra, recently sought assistance to reshape the HR management objectives of Wakilni, a smart logistics brand she co-founded in 2016 under her company Tiqany.

With support from the EBRD and European Union, the business underwent a cultural transformation driven by Yusr and her brother Omar, Wakilnis co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, with the aim of bringing new concepts like mindfulness and emotional wellbeing into the workplace, and ensuring the alignment of staff with the brands core values. This has allowed Wakilni to redefine itself internally and grow externally, with plans to move into new markets on the horizon.

A lot of the credit lies with Yusr and Omar, as they recognised the need for help in order to address the issues that were keeping them awake at night. Their team had been the key to the sustainability of the business up to that point, and as they grew exponentially, the difficulty lay in maintaining the positive working culture they had spent years fostering.

For the co-founders, defining that culture and building an innovative new HR department with a cohesive organisational structure that matched Wakilnis identity and ambition, was essential in maintaining the character of the business.

To preserve team harmony and commitment as Wakilni continued to grow, they enhanced the working environment through the introduction of KPIs and a clear route for career progression.

Strong USPs

In Arabic, Wakilni roughly translates to give me that responsibility, and the key differentiators of the brand are its unique identity and commitment to serving the needs of clients through a combination of technology and the human touch.

Wakilni supplies SMEs with a comprehensive range of services in last mile delivery, shelving and storage, fulfilment and packaging, internal shipping, and analytics and reporting.

Yusr sees the business as the go-to smart logistics service provider for SMEs in e-commerce in Lebanon. The business focuses heavily on MSMEs too, as Yusr believes they are underserved, while having huge growth potential.

competitive advantages of the business include its pricing, a quality customised service, the ownership of its own technology and a desire never to settle and to constantly improve.

Expansion

Galvanised by the recent HR changes, Yusr has ambitious new plans for Wakilni domestically and abroad, undeterred by recent events. For an adaptive business that has dealt with economic difficulties, a global pandemic and last years port explosion that rocked Beirut, Wakilni is in a strong position to increase its competitiveness and continue to grow.

Fortunately, no one from the business was seriously injured in the 2020 port explosion, and Yusr says, the accident brought everyone even closer together: As a team, we talked at length about it and how it was affecting us on an emotional level, but it didnt demotivate us. On the contrary, we launched the Wakilni Extra Mile fund following the explosion, which now funds our CSR initiatives.

Indeed, the day after the explosion, staff were on the ground helping with the clear-up in between normal operations, demonstrating a commitment to the local community well beyond the business.

Advice for other entrepreneurs

As a CEO, there have been many moments over the past few years where Yusr wishes she had trusted herself and her intuition more. Initially, self-doubt led her to shy away from networking events and opportunities, but her experience and self-belief grew over time and now Yusr measures success in terms of the impact she makes to those around her, whether that is her team at work or her clients.

She says: I am most proud of building a company with a team of over 130 people in one of the most difficult countries to operate in, with basically no investment, and getting it to where it is today: a self-sustaining, growing business. I am proud of our team  our tribe  of every person I saw grow on a personal level through the company.

Yusr is a big advocate for women-led businesses and entrepreneurs and was recently elected President of the Lebanese League for Women in Business. She says, I know the difficulties women face in terms of access to finance and funding. I know how many of us shy from understanding our financials and from reaching out to expand beyond our comfort zones, so confronting and addressing these gaps is an absolute priority for Yusr. It is her mission to empower women across Lebanon.

The abiding image is of a brand that knows what it is, with a CEO who is comfortable in her own skin. A commitment to mindfulness and the wellbeing of staff is refreshing and demonstrably works  increasing resilience, optimism, objectivity, compassion and productivity among her employees.

Truly a recipe for business success.
EBRD provides acquisition finance as Eurohold takes over CEZ Bulgaria assets

60 million loan will also support upgrade and digitalisation of energy distributor

CEZ Razpredelenie to enhance governance standards and support youth education

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has extended a 60 million loan to Eurohold Bulgaria AD to co-finance the acquisition of seven subsidiaries of the Czech energy group CEZ in Bulgaria.

Eurohold is the largest Bulgarian public holding and a leading independent financial and insurance group in south-eastern Europe. It has acquired the CEZ companies for 335 million through its wholly owned unit Eastern European Electric Company.

To finance the acquisition, Eurohold raised equity and arranged a complex financing package, which included commercial and multilateral development banks.

Integrating the new assets into its business activities, the company will serve more than 7 million customers and employ more than 6,000 people in 11 countries across central, eastern and south-eastern Europe.

The EBRD loan will also finance the modernisation and digitalisation of one of Euroholds newly acquired companies, CEZ Razpredelenie, which distributes electricity to households and corporate clients.

As part of its cooperation with the EBRD, CEZ Razpredelenie will support the development and implementation of a tailored bachelor course at the Technical University of Sofia to help young people obtain nationally accredited certification and equip them with the skills required by the modern energy sector.

The Bank will also support CEZ Razpredelenie in building its climate governance and reporting capacity. The energy distributor aims to establish governance measures, strategy, risk management practices and disclosure in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

The EBRD is a major investor in Bulgaria, where it focuses on making local firms more competitive at home and abroad, financing modern, sustainable infrastructure and developing financial products and capital markets, given the countrys plans to adopt the euro. To date, the Bank has invested more than 4 billion in the countrys economy through almost 270 projects.
EBRD commissions study on impact of EUs new carbon rules on Turkish exporters

Businesses could be paying extra charges of 777 million under new rules

Costs would decrease to 399 million if only direct emissions are considered.

Turkish exporters of energy-intensive products such as cement, steel and aluminium could face steep additional costs when legislative proposals tabled by the European Commission (EC) under the European Green New Deal come into effect.

A study by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) found that businesses could be paying extra charges of 777 million, but that these would decrease to 399 million if only direct emissions are considered.

The ECs Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a price on imports proportionate to the carbon content of goods imported from countries without adequate carbon pricing in order to guard against carbon leakage. The mechanism will be phased in gradually and will initially apply only to a selected number of goods. A reporting system will apply as from 2023 and importers will start paying a financial adjustment in 2026.

The charge levied at the border is meant to encourage EU trading partners to adopt carbon-pricing systems comparable to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to accelerate decarbonisation in line with the Paris Agreement. For non-EU countries with a high percentage of energy-intensive exports to the European Union, this new mechanism is expected to lead to steep adjustment costs.

The EBRD is actively supporting Turkey, one of the largest economies where the Bank invests and a close EU trading partner, to adapt to the coming changes. The study was commissioned as part of this effort.

While uncertainties remain as to how far down the value chain product coverage would go, the assessment finds that CBAM payments can represent a significant share of current prices for some products, for instance up to about 50 per cent for cement, 18 per cent for aluminium and 9 per cent for steel. In total, CBAM payments would represent 0.07 per cent of Turkeys GDP forecast in 2023, provided the EC proposal enters into force at the beginning of that year.

In addition to delivering cost estimates the study analyses ways to adjust to the coming changes and their medium- and long-term implications.

Turkey already has a measurement, reporting and verification system that is similar to the EU ETS. According to the study, to meet and enhance its climate targets, Turkey could consider taking steps towards ratifying the Paris Agreement, set sectoral and national net-zero carbon targets and introduce a national emissions trading scheme. This would put the Turkish economy on an equal footing with similar developments in other OECD countries.

The analysis also warns Turkish companies that to access financing, climate consideration and, in particular, climate risk management will be increasingly important. This is also because of plans by the EU and the G7 to make requirements of the Taskforce on Climate-Related Risk Disclosures mandatory. One such climate transition risk is carbon pricing, and financiers will want to know how corporates are managing these. Carbon markets across the world are growing, and carbon prices, which have more than doubled to 52 a tonne in the EU ETS this year, are placing increasing pressure on emitters to decarbonise.

Sule Kilic, EBRD Deputy Head of Turkey, said: The EBRD is working on a set of strategic policy choices for the government to mitigate trade risks and foster domestic low-carbon economic development in line with the EU climate policy objectives.

As well as advising on policy, the EBRD is offering financing. To promote the uptake of low-carbon technologies and climate corporate governance, the EBRD stands ready with an innovative loan product under its High Impact Programme for the Corporate Sector, which, co-funded by the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), targets investments that generate substantive process-related efficiency gains, for instance waste heat recovery and use in several economies where the EBRD invests, including Turkey.

Read the study
THE CORK Life Centre has been honoured with an award in recognition of the amazing contribution the centre has made to the lives of young people in Cork.

The Gradam Meitheal Mara was presented to the Cork Life Centre at a ceremony yesterday and marked the first time that the award was given to an organisation.

In the past, the award was presented to individuals who have made a unique contribution to the mission of Meitheal Mara.

Chairperson of Meitheal Mara, Denis Barrett said the choice to present the award to the Cork Life Centre was to recognise their amazing contribution to the lives of people in our city and to young people in particular.

Speaking at the event, Mr Barrett said the centre has made a huge contribution to Meitheal Mara and more importantly, to the lives of young people in the city.

Don OLeary, Cork Life Centre; Cathy Buchanan, Meitheal Mara; Rachel Lucey, Cork Life Centre; Denis Barrett, Meitheal Mara, and Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr John Sheehan, pictured at the presentation of the 2021 Gradam Meitheal Mara award at the Meitheal Mara community boatyard in Cork. This year's award was presented to Cork Life Centre in recognition of the opportunities they create for young people to enjoy and learn from Ireland's rich maritime culture.

The Life Centre is unique. It has a way of reaching individuals, bringing them together, giving them another opportunity.

Meitheal Mara would share the same sense that when you give a person a new opportunity; when you reach out and find ways to treat everyone as an individual, be learner-centred and find ways to enable them to find their own path - that can create amazing results," said Mr Barrett.

The award was presented by Mr Barrett and Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr John Sheehan.

Mr Sheehan said it was great to see the Centre is recognised for what is just one aspect of the tremendous work theyve done.

"They literally change peoples lives," he said.

Clare Hayden, Meitheal Mara; Sam Lynch, Don OLeary, & Claire Roche from Cork Life Centre, pictured at the presentation. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan

Meitheal Mara and the Cork Life Centre have had a partnership for many years and students Luke Tassie and Darcy Browne are just two who were involved in the community boatyard.

With Meitheal Mara, they built a boat from the ground up.

It was interesting to see it all come together, said Darcy Browne.

Cork Life Centre Administrator Thomas Mulchay said it was a huge privilege to receive the award.

He noted how Meitheal Mara has helped many young people to progress while some have also found a flair for working on the water.

Cork Life Centre Director Don OLeary said it has left a positive impression on many young people.

William Cooper, Cork Life Centre; Cathy Buchanan, Meitheal Mara; Denis OLeary, Cork Life Centre; Denis Barrett, Meitheal Mara, and Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr John Sheehan, pictured at the presentation of the 2021 Gradam Meitheal Mara award at the Meitheal Mara community boatyard.

The Centre recently withdrew from talks with the Department of Education following a lack of progress over an issue with staff retention.

At the moment, Mr OLeary said the goal is to ensure the students they have now can get through to their Leaving Certificate which may lead to classes being cut if they do not get funding.

What it would mean is that Id take no first years next year, take no second years the year after, he said.

I dont want to do that. In no way do we want to do that.

Mr Mulcahy said that at the moment, the Centre is already forced to turn away up to 200 people each year.

They deserve to have the best education. They deserve to have the best opportunities available to them.

"The best way to serve that is to have the staff that have this experience who are used to working with young people who are no longer in the mainstream system," said Mr Mulcahy.
A MISSING person has been found safe and well following a nine-hour search of the shorelines.

Youghal Coast Guard Unit said they were this morning alerted to a report of a missing person.

After a total of nine hours searching both shores and inland as a Multi-Agency team operation, the missing person has thankfully been found safe and well.

Youghal Coast Guard Unit said the person was found safe and well. Pic: Youghal Coast Guard Unit Facebook

In a Facebook post, Youghal Coast Guard Unit thanked Cork County Fire Service, Adrmore Coast Guard Unit, Youghal RNLI, Rescue 117 and the local garda station for their extensive work in the search.

They reminded the public to call 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard if they see someone in difficulty around the water.
A young man tried to spit blood at gardai at the height of a violent disturbance and then told them f*** off and insisted  Im going home to my mothers.

Darren OBrien (27) of no fixed address has been jailed for three months by Judge Olann Kelleher at Cork District Court for his behaviour.

Sergeant Pat Lyons outlined the background to the incident which occurred on Saturday last, July 24, at Nicholas Church Lane.

Two males were fighting aggressively. One fled the scene. The other man  Darren OBrien  who was very intoxicated stayed at the scene. He was unsteady on his feet and there was a strong smell of alcohol.

He was covered in blood. He shouted, F** off, f***ing pigs, Im going home to my mothers.

While being placed in the patrol van, Darren OBrien spat blood in direction of gardai. It did not connect.

As well as pleading guilty to being drunk and engaging in threatening behaviour during that incident he pleaded to the same two charges arising out of another offence dating back to the early hours of May 15 2019.

Sgt. Lyons said of that incident at Cornmarket Street, Cork, He was aggressively shouting, Ill break your f***ing face at a guard.

"He was highly erratic in his actions. He failed to comply with garda directions to stop shouting at gardai. OBrien had five previous convictions for being drunk and a danger and two for engaging in threatening behaviour.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said of the young man, He was down town on Saturday night. He got into a dispute with certain person.

He feels he did not start anything. In fact he says he was trying to get away from them. Someone seems to have run away and he was left as the last one standing, as it were.

The gardai would not have seen the context of the earlier event and he felt he was being singled out. That was why he was reacting in a manner that was verbal in nature.

The judge was told there were a lot of positive things now happening in the young mans life with the support of a key worker in Simon.

I know he is the author of his own downfall. He certainly did not intend the event at the weekend, the solicitor said.

Judge Olann Kelleher noted the amount of previous convictions of a similar nature and said, It cannot go on.
A man who fired a handgun through the window of a house in Cork city and hit a young woman in the neck, causing her life-threatening injuries, has lost his Supreme Court appeal against his convictions.

Gavin Sheehan, a father of one aged in his 30s, of Laurel Ridge, Shanakiel, Cork was sentenced to an effective 11 year prison term in 2017 after he was convicted of assault causing serious harm to Ciara Sheehan [no relation] and of three firerarms offences at Laurel Ridge, Shanakiel, on May 15th, 2016.

Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard Sheehan had assaulted a young man, Dylan Cunningham, in a chip shop in Blackpool earlier that evening and, later that night, windows were broken at Sheehans family home at Laurel Ridge.

Later, at about 1.30am, Ciara Sheehan, Dylan Cunninghams girlfriend, was at the Cunningham family home at Hollywood Estate, Blarney Road when she heard a loud bang and realised she had been shot. She fell to the ground with a gunshot wound to the neck.

She underwent emergency surgery and had a bullet removed from her neck, where it had lodged in a muscle but avoided rupturing any major blood vessels.

APPEAL

The Court of Appeal, despite making some findings in Gavin Sheehans favour, later dismissed his appeal over his convictions.

Sheehan secured a further appeal to the Supreme Court.

His core grounds were that the trial judge wrongly refused to allow him to discharge his legal representatives at the start of the trial and that provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 2007, which permit inferences to be drawn from responses to Garda questioning, were wrongly applied in the trial.

Giving the five judge courts judgment today Ms Justice Iseult OMalley said an accused person has, in principle, an entitlement as a matter of personal choice to refuse to accept legal representation.

However, she could not find Sheehan had made a voluntary and informed decision to waive his right to legal representation and represent himself at the trial.

When asked directly by the trial judge if he wanted to represent himself, he did not say he did but rather stated he was still reviewing the evidence and did not have a defence prepared.

His irritation with his lawyers arose from his not having seen them that morning and they had permitted him to be arraigned when he felt the trial had come on too fast and he was not ready for it, she said. There was nothing to indicate he wished to take over the conduct of his own defence and proceed with the trial.

The COA erred in finding Sheehan had exercised his right to conduct his own defence of the case and that his right had been breached, she held.

Addressing the inferences ground, she said the jury had before it CCTV footage of Sheehan holding an object which, it was not seriously contested, was sufficiently clear for the jury to be satisfied was a gun.

The jury were entitled to take Sheehans failure to give any form of plausible explanation of the footage into account, to draw the inference no other innocent explanation was available and to use that inference to support their belief as to what was to be seen in the footage.

The jury was also entitled to infer from the evidence a particular phone belonged to Sheehan and he was telling a friend in text messages he was intending or anticipating a fight with the Cunninghams and was in possession of a gun, she said.

The interviewing gardai were entitled to invoke section 18 of the 1984 Act, concerning drawing of inferences, in respect of the CCTV footage, she held.

Sheehan had not previously given an account relating to this matter, having instead made various different and implausible suggestions the object might have been an imitation gun or a knife.

TEXTS

She went on to find the phone text messages did not come within the ambit of section 18 but said those messages were admissible in their own right.

She disagreed with the COA to the effect that a requirement to account for a phone can include a requirement to explain information stored electronically on the phone. The messages at issue here did not call for an explanation from Sheehan since the meaning conveyed was clear, she said.

Her conclusions that section 18 did not apply to the text messages should not lead to the convictions being quashed because, taking the case as a whole, she was satisfied the admission of that evidence did not deprive Sheehan of an acquittal.

She was satisfied there was no miscarriage of justice in this case.


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As if online vendors did not have enough changes to handle in this post-Covid marketing environment, the impending loss of third-party digital cookies will soon force the e-commerce advertising industry to shift its strategies fast.

Third-party cookies will soon be a thing of the past. Within the next two years, Google will completely stop selling web ads targeted to individual users' browsing histories. On Google's popular Chrome web browser, cookies that collect this data will no longer be allowed.

Google recently announced plans to do away with tracking cookies on its Chrome browser by 2023. The company plans to replace them with a group profiling system intended to help create a more privacy-friendly web.

Other transitions away from third-party tracking cookies are also kicking in.

For instance, since April, iPhone and iPad users were prompted to opt-out of tracking apps that monitor their browsing. The European Union's data protection laws classify digital cookies as a form of online identifiers. That makes them subject to regulations requiring websites to gain consent before placing cookies on browsers to track visitors.

These developments are issuing a real blow to advertisers seeking to leverage third-party data. At issue now is how brands will regroup from these substantial changes to online advertising.

One potential solution is to align marketing efforts with technology that gives marketers more control over their product and customer information. That is precisely what BigID's actionable data intelligence platform is designed to provide.

Companies need to get the most out of their data by knowing what they have and where it is stored. The company provides strategies to help brands adapt to this changing environment, offered Heather Federman, vice president of privacy and policy at BigID.

"Digital cookies for a very long time have been the default tracking mechanism. Privacy regulations issued by the European Union started changing that," she told the E-Commerce Times

We discussed with Federman the existential crisis online advertisers face in transitioning to what comes next in a cookieless world.

Derailing Tracking Set in Motion

A hotly debated activity for years has been websites tracking visitors' Internet Protocol (IP) or addresses. For example, a web surfer goes to a shopping website to check out a pair of boots. That shopper then starts seeing ads for boots and related products throughout their continuing website visits.

"That is basically what digital cookies have been about, and regulators have gotten very concerned over cookies and that sort of tracking," noted Federman.

To protect online privacy, regulators have offered various proposals to the cookie-tracking mechanism. Under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation comes this idea that user consent must be acquired before any cookie is placed on a user's computer, she noted.

"As a result, some consent mechanisms already exist," she said.

That is driving the decision by numerous web browser companies to turn off cookies by default. But a lot of websites operators want site visitors to opt into cookies because that is how they generate revenue through free advertising, Federman explained.

Navigating the Cookie Apocalypse

Federman sees the solution to marketing in an e-commerce world without cookies as a more direct connection to online customers. The easiest thing for companies to do is to build on their relationship with each customer and create a first-party database.

A related approach is doing second-party data or advertising where the marketer knows the status of the first party. They might partner with another company and add to that data to enrich the customer profile, according to Federman.

The problem that marketers face once the cookie-tracking mechanisms in the browser turn off is the lack of a viable alternative for advertisers. One option is a unified consent tool. That approach remains up in the air, she noted. The same is true for using contextual-based advertising, she noted.

Buying Into the Paywall

Some website operators are considering a service subscription to support themselves as an alternative to relying on free advertising, suggested Federman.

"I, unfortunately, do think that will happen because this is the way that the world works," she observed. "That is even more pernicious than the way that cookies have been working because, I think, marketers are still going to want to find a way to market," she said.

Whatever solutions are concocted to replace the abandoned digital cookies, the phase-in process will be gradual over the next few years. That may cause concerns about lost revenue for advertisers along the way.

Regarding paywalls becoming more prominent on the internet, Federman sees that as a growing reality. We are starting already to see paywalls in the last few years for a lot of publishers.

"If they cannot use cookies to get their money from advertising, they are going to have to get their money directly from the users themselves. That is going to end up hurting our pockets because users were very used to free internet and getting free news all the time," she said.

Answering the Monetizing Question

Obviously, how advertisers and website operators can successfully monetize their online activities under a new cookieless system is a major concern. Whatever solutions are implemented, it will not be a one-size-fits-all offering. For many, the quandary is developing strategies to keep the cash flow going without being able to track users.

"That is part of what is happening, and the community is in a bit of an existential crisis mode right now," agreed Federman.

One thing that might happen is that a lot of the bigger players, the ones that have huge advertising platforms, will become more important and will also probably become more profitable, she suggested. Many of the smaller players, and especially smaller publishers and brands, will have to rely upon those larger services more extensively to get their message out.

One potential approach is a new cohort system Google is developing to replace the cookie process. Some reports describe it as an AI-powered profiling system that in some ways mimics what Facebook does.

Google recently announced a trial rollout of what it calls a Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC). This is a crucial part of its Privacy Sandbox project for Chrome.

Instead of digital cookies, FLoC shows websites little text bits and code the browsers store on the computer or phone. These bits of text and code help websites figure out if you have visited before, what your site preferences are, and your geographic location.

That process triggers adverts for things in which it figured you have a potential interest. Google claims the system is 95 percent as effective as third-party cookies.

So far, it is unclear how FLoC alleviates privacy concerns associated with cookies.

Divided Privacy Standards, Maybe

From an outsider's view, it could seem like two different sets of rules are setting in concerning privacy regulations.

The EU is much stricter and more aggressive in enforcing their privacy laws. Not so much elsewhere, such as in the U.S. Consumers may end up in a situation where end-users in Europe are going to have one set of privacy rules, but not as much on this side of the pond.

"That is very possible. It is very possible you will have a balkanized internet," agreed Federman.

In the U.S., the up-and-coming privacy laws like in California, even the new ones promulgated in Virginia and Colorado, are much more opt-out oriented, she added.

What Happens Next?

The ad tech community really needs to come together and figure out a solution to replace cookies before the upcoming two-year window closes. The focus must be on privacy-friendly and honoring the consent requirement, whether it is opt-out or opt-in, according to Federman.

Much of that process should fall upon the industry organizations that work with advertisers. These include the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), and others.

Add to that list the European advertising association counterparts as well.

"I do not know if we will ever be able to come to a real consensus with the privacy advocate community because many of the folks on the privacy advocacy side are not a fan of advertising," said Federman.

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.


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This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet, a certified financial planner and author of Your Credit Score. Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @lizweston.
Vaccine to be offered to eligible children aged 12-17

The Isle of Mans COVID-19 vaccination programme is due to follow the recent advice from the UKs Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the vaccination of those aged 12  17.

Previously, the JCVI and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) have advised vaccination of all adults aged 18 years and over and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable or those with underlying health conditions aged between 16 and 17. The Islands vaccination programme has been highly successful with both doses now administered to 80% of the adult population.

Reviews have been undertaken in the UK looking at the potential risks and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine for children and younger people.

The updated advice concluded that children and young people aged 12-17 should be offered the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine if they fall into the following criteria:

 Individuals aged 12 - 15 with specific underlying health conditions that put them at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 (those with severe neuro-disabilities, Downs syndrome, underlying conditions resulting in immunosuppression and those with profound and multiple learning disabilities, severe learning disabilities and those who are on the learning disability register);

 Individuals aged 12 - 17 who are share a household with an immunosuppressed person (either adults or children)

Additionally, 17 year olds who are within the three months mark of turning 18 are also eligible to be vaccinated.

Planning for the extension of the vaccination programme is currently underway and more information on the rollout will be provided once the relevant documentation has been received from the UK Government. Anyone who falls into these categories are asked to call 111 to register their interest for the vaccine but are reminded to please not attend the hub yet.

Minister for Health and Social Care, David Ashford MHK, commented: I know a number of people have been concerned around whether the COVID-19 vaccines will be offered to those aged under 18, and if this will cause any harm to this age group. The advice from JCVI is that the benefits for these at risk groups outweighs any risks. As a result they should be offered the vaccination for the increased protection it offers them and their loved ones from becoming seriously ill.

Young people who are aged 16 and 17 who are at higher risk of serious COVID-19 will continue to be offered the vaccine as part of either the clinically extremely vulnerable (PG4), or underlying health conditions (PG6) groups in line with the Phase 1 rollout.

Those who are aged under 18 and arent in one of these specified groups are currently not being offered the vaccine and should not attend the vaccination hub.


Police appeal after health worker attacked

Police are appealing for information after a health worker was attacked yesterday. It happened at around 10:45am on Wednesday. A member of the Childrens Community Nursing Team at Nobles Hospital was approached by two men as she left Kinrades Pharmacy on Ballaquayle Road in Douglas.

The lady was wearing her uniform and was subject to verbal abuse relating to nurses taking all the lateral flow tests before one of the men attempted to take her bags out of her hands. The bags contained medication and lateral flow tests for a patient and their family at Nobles Hospital.

The two men are described as white, in their early 20s, one with short thin hair and one with short brown hair, one in a black vest top and the other in a blue T-shirt, both were wearing shorts.

Investigating officer DC Alison Parker has said This was an unprovoked attack on a health care professional, who was helping a patient and their family. The experience has left her shaken and disgusted that there are individuals that would do this

If anyone was in the area at the time and saw this incident take place please can they call CID on 631301.
Mary Helen McDowell, 97, of Athens, passed away Friday at her residence. Mrs. McDowell was born August 28, 1923 in Oakman, Alabama. She was a graduate of Phillips High School and Howard College. She later was employed as a telephone operator in Sheridan, Illinois, then as a teacher at Sherid
How do you stand out as a new tech company when the dominant players have huge budgets, thousands of employees and decades of product R&D? That is Nothings challenge, and its first product, a pair of true wireless earbuds, makes a pitch for a simplified kind of tech, designed to stand out from the likes of Apple AirPods, Samsung Galaxy Buds and their myriad clones.

Design appears to be very important to Nothing, which has already published several blog posts dedicated to its philosophy and direction  and thats before the company even launched anything. This is the result. The $100 Ear 1 buds feature active noise cancellation, touch controls, a wireless charging case and a particularly eye-catching see-through design, coming to the US mid-August.

This transparency  a design choice that I love  seemingly resonates with Nothings mission to make technology less obvious and more seamless. It makes a statement.

Engadget, Mat Smith

This styling extends to the charging case, which reminds me a lot of Apples old wired headphones that used to come packaged with iPhones. They also came in a half-transparent case. Nothings Ear 1 case is predictably more complex. The see-through shell has three indented bubbles that keep the buds in place. Theres a red dot both on the right headphone and its socket inside the charger.

Like most wireless earbuds, tiny magnets pull the buds into place, but this time theyre visible. Nothing apparently had to find suppliers to make sure its transparent design would work. The company needed glue that was either invisible or at least more aesthetically pleasing, and according to a spokesperson, these tiny, polished magnets were apparently hard to come by.

So yes, the Ear 1 is all about attention to detail. The case shuts with a satisfying thud, and the snippets of text across the hardware and even the companion app pay homage to retro technology  or perhaps computer interfaces on Alien. These feel like a tribute to see-through tech weve seen in the decades past. You might immediately think of those see-through Game Boys from the early 90s, but also Apples early 2000s eMac all-in-one PC, with transparent casing laid onto white and metal.

Surprisingly, the price is reasonable. These are sub-$100 earbuds, which would put them up against Beats latest truly wireless buds and make them cheaper than Apples entry-level AirPods. What do you get at this price, though?

While I havent had enough time to fully scrutinize sound quality, the Ear 1s sound decent, although theres no spatial audio functionality which isnt great for new headphones in 2021. Teenage Engineering, which worked with Nothing on these buds, was responsible for tuning the headphones. The sound is generally clear, but seems to lean toward the mid-range frequencies rather than treble and bass, though you can adjust the equalizer to ramp up either of those levels.
Joe Rogan's podcast has become one of the most listened-to shows on Spotify since the platform added it to its lineup last year. It's also become one of the most controversial due to Rogan's choice of guests and his own views. Spotify doesn't have any plans to do anything about it, though, because the company's CEO doesn't believe the platform should have any say on podcasters' content. When Axios asked Spotify CEO Daniel Ek in an interview whether the company should have editorial responsibility over podcasts like Rogan's, Ek responded that Rogan is just one of its many content creators.

Axios pointed out that Rogan may be just one of them, but he's also one of the most well-paid. Ek responded, however, that rappers earns tens of millions of dollars from the platform, but Spotify doesn't dictate what they can put in their songs either. Rogan signed a $100 million deal with the audio streaming service in May 2020 to make The Joe Rogan Experience available to Spotify listeners. Before the year ended, the podcast became a Spotify exclusive.

According to a Wall Street Journal report from last year, Spotify employees expressed concerns over the materials in his podcast that they felt was anti-transgender. Rogan has guested several polarizing figures on the show since its debut on the platform. They include Abigail Shrier, author of Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, and InfoWars owner Alex Jones who spread coronavirus misinformation on the podcast. More recently, Rogan said he doesn't think people should get the COVID-19 vaccine, though he did backtrack and told listeners not to take his advice seriously.

In Spotify's most recent earnings report, it said Rogan's podcast performed "above expectations." Clearly, whatever he's doing is getting people to tune in, so the company probably doesn't see any reason to step in.
Tesla is adding another popular streaming service to its in-car infotainment system. As part of its latest software update, you can now watch Disney+ when you have some downtime during charging. Tesla's Theater Mode already offers Netflix, Disney-owned Hulu, YouTube and Twitch. All it's missing is HBO Max, Peacock and Paramount+ before it can call itself a true video hub. A Tesla owner shared screenshots of the "2021.24" update, which includes several additional features, in a Reddit post.

Another highlight is the new "Car Wash Mode" that secures the vehicle for a scrub down. Once activated, it can close or disable everything from the windows to wipers to sentry mode and the parking sensor chimes. For car washes with conveyor belts, the mode can switch the free roll option to neutral to prevent the car from auto-braking if you leave.

There's also a new dashcam auto-save that automatically stores clips whenever the vehicle detects a safety event (like a collision or airbag deployment). To stave off any more damaging privacy concerns, Tesla has chosen to make the feature opt-in. Clips will also be stored locally and never shared with the automaker.

Rounding out the new additions are auto-dimming for mirrors, more battery info, remain connected to WiFi in drive, along with language support for Russian, Romanian and Hungarian. As usual, the quality of life improvements are designed to keep Tesla owners satisfied long after they've shelled out thousands on an EV.
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.
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Jake Krumwiede is executive director of the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center.

 The News & Eagle has traditionally published personal opinions of writers and readers through editorials, columns and letters to the editor on its Opinion and other pages. The opinions shared are those of the writers and not the newspaper.

 Submit your opinion for publication to editor@enidnews.com. Find out more about submitting letters to the editor at https://www.enidnews.com/opinion/.
ENID, Okla.  First lady Sarah Stitt has released a video encouraging Enid residents to fill out a Hope Assessment Survey in advance of the states first Hope Summit planned for Enid in October.

The Hope Assessment Survey is the first step in the process and is intended to gauge how hopeful Enid residents feel.

We want to know just how hopeful Enid is so we can determine how to direct resources that raise hope and create better outcomes for children and families across Enid, Stitt said in the video.

The Hope Assessment Survey became available online July 6 and will be open through Aug. 31. A link to the survey is available at enidnews.com. There is no registration required to answer the survey.

So far, about 530 residents have participate in the survey. The majority of survey participants are female (68%) and are between 45 and 64 years of age. Most of the respondents are white and have an annual income of more than $75,000.

Dan Schiedel, CEO of United Way of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma, one of the organizers of the Hope Summit, said more respondents are needed from diverse groups and communities.

We plan to make special efforts to reach out to communities of color and engage them through the churches and various events in the next few weeks, Schiedel said. We want to make sure we have a true picture of where we stand together as a community in the arena of hope.

Residents are encouraged to fill out the survey, which takes about 10 minutes and includes a number of questions related to the level of resiliency residents have personally and for the community. Respondents may remain anonymous.

The Oct. 7 Hope Summit in Enid will be a day-long, free event that invites community leaders to learn how to raise hope within themselves and others and develop strategies that will nurture the outcomes desired by every community, which include thriving schools, resilient children, strong families and physical health and mental well-being.
The "Selling Sunset" stars Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim revealed that they are officially dating!

Oppenheim confirmed the news in an article from People, where he said, "Chrishell and I became close friends and it has developed into an amazing relationship."

Stause's 44-year-old boss at the Oppenheim Group real estate firm also said that he cared about her deeply and admitted that they are "very happy together."

Chrishell Stause shared on Instagram a couple of photos during her Italy visit and her getaway with the rest of the cast on Wednesday. The post also included sweet photographs of her and Oppenheim while visiting the island of Capri.

It has been five months since the actress had her divorce with "This Is Us" star Justin Hartley as they got married in 2017 until November 2019. She also dated Dancing With the Stars' Keo Motsepe from late 2020 until May 2021.

Oppenheim And Stause Inspired By JLo And Affleck

A representative for Oppenheim says the pair got together recently and confirmed that "they are happily together."



Stause captioned her Instagram post, "The JLo effect," adding a shrugging emoji, apparently referencing Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. They also spent their romantic vacation in Capri, according to USA Today.

Brett, Oppenheim's twin brother, even left a comment under her post saying, "Love you Chrishell. Thank you for making my brother happy."

The real estate agents are traveling with several other "Selling Sunset" cast members, including Mary Fitzgerald and her husband Romain Bonnet, Amanza Smith, and model Tina Louise, who was recently linked romantically to Brett.

The group flew into Naples earlier this week before heading south to the Amalfi Coast, where they checked into their five-star hotel, Le Sirenuse in Positano.

READ ALSO: Tom Cruise On His Way To Marry Haley Atwell? Actor Ready to Take 'Bullet Train' Relationship to Another Level [Report]

Co-Stars Cheer For Newly Revealed Couple

Several cast members commented on Stause's post, showing their support for the blossoming relationship.

"Nothing makes me more excited than to see two of my closest friends together and making each other so happy!" Fitzgerald wrote, adding heart and heart-eyes emojis.

"So happy for you guys! Finally, people will stop with Jason and Mary hopefully," Bonnet, Fitzgerald's husband, joked.

Netflix has already confirmed that all of the main cast of "Selling Sunset" will return, though they have not revealed the new season's premiere date yet.

Along with the gang who visited Naples, the show will also include Christine Quinn, Heather Rae Young, Maya Vander, and Davina Potratz.

READ MORE: Brad Pitt Secretly Dating A-list Ex for 'Mutual Benefits'?
As Activision Blizzard employees protest the company's response to allegations of "continuous sexual harassment" and workplace discrimination, Kotaku has published a report that backs up claims that a dismissed developer leased a hotel suite named after accused rapist Bill Cosby.

The state of California previously sued the game development company as former employees turned into whistleblowers. More of them, mostly women, are coming out and are now adding claims of sexual harassment to the case.

Based on this article, the alleged victims have identified former senior creative director Alex Afrasaibi as one of the main culprits. The director and other higher-ranked individuals reportedly had a dedicated hotel suite for "informal networking" and other "activities" during the 2013 BlizzCon.

It was considered an open secret as employees, including industry insiders, were aware of the "hot spot" for hanging out with top designers. The supposedly underground networking hotel suite had turned into a fraternity of the "BlizzCon Cosby Boys Club."

Inside Activision Blizzard's 'Cosby Suite' Fraternity

Recovered Facebook photos and screenshots show what happened inside Activision Blizzard's "Cosby Suite."

Kotaku provided the incriminating photo of the rumored "Cosby Suite," with the involved individuals and other evidence.

The screenshots were from a group chat made in 2013 named "BlizzCon Cosby Crew."

"I am gathering the hot chixx for the Coz," a message sent by former company designer- David Kosak.

To which Afrasiabi replied, "Bring em," triggering a back and forth banter between the two with the last message coming from Blizzard's lead game designer Jesse McCree.

Victim statements have exposed the inner workings of the suite. Afrasiabi would harass female employees in front of male employees and supervisors.

The "Cosby Crew," specifically Alex Afrasaibi, would then attempt to kiss and grope the women who entered the suite.

"You can't marry ALL of them Alex," Kosak continued in the group chat as his boss had made multiple attempts to force marriage on the victims.

The suite's namesake was referencing the well-known series rapist Bill Cosby.

READ ALSO: Carroll Baker Calls Bill Cosby' Very Sexy,' Shames Victims for Actors' Jail TIme

Netizens React to 'Cosby Suite' Scandal

Activision Blizzard and the rest of the game development industry is under fire as news spread quickly in the Twitter community.

"I'm not sure what shocks me more," said one person, who listed down everything wrong about the situation.

I'm not sure what shocks me more



People who made statements acting surprised about the lawsuit being in the Cosby Suite photo, the fact the Cosby Suite was used for networking confirming that industry pros knew about that, the projection over the years, or the framed Cosby photo  Actually_IT_IS_MONSTER_HUNTING_SEASON_Tina (@Actually_Tina) July 28, 2021

This tweet called out those pointing their finger, "Stop trying to pin this on women. Start holding men accountable for doing this sh-t."

"Why didn't she speak up?" Maybe because the people she works with have a COSBY suite???



"She could've just left." Right. Because that solves the problem of there being a COSBY suite.



Stop trying to pin this on women. Start holding men accountable for doing this shit. https://t.co/GYjGfAY5lW  Bri Skipping The TVA Company Picnic (@BrichibiTweets) July 28, 2021



While this person just wants the company gone, "This is a clear culture, not a few individuals. Burn the whole place down."

activision blizzard employees publicly boasted about their sexism & harassment for years. they called their suite the "Cosby Suite" after convicted rapist Bill Cosby. they laughed about degrading women. this is a clear culture, not a few individuals. burn the whole place down. pic.twitter.com/bNDOP6ut9m  jasmine  (@jasminericegirl) July 28, 2021

Some were also catching up, "The more you read and learn about the Activision Blizzard lawsuit and accusations, the more f-cked up it is."

The more you read and learn about the Activision Blizzard lawsuit and accusations, the more fucked up it is.



Some of these motherfuckers literally had a "Cosby Suite" where they posed with a picture of Bill Cosby  pic.twitter.com/wjRn91DNcr  Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) July 28, 2021



As valid points were said, "Making rape jokes and being proud of it is bad enough, but these people are in HR or in other positions of power."

This Cosby Suite stuff is creepy af. Bunch of Blizzard devs looking to get laid at events, which isnt inherently wrong I suppose, but this is just weird.



Making rape jokes and being proud of it is bad enough, but these people are in HR or in other positions of power pic.twitter.com/dj6Sb2nQYF  NerosCinema (@NerosCinema) July 28, 2021

"I wish everyone on that "Cosby Suite" picture a very pleasant sh-t their pants every day for the rest of their lives," expressed one individual.

I wish everyone on that "Cosby Suite" picture a very pleasant shit their pants everyday for the rest of their lives.  StefanieGD (@Spac3Gh0s7_) July 28, 2021



READ MORE: Bill Cosby Shares AMBITIOUS Plan After Prison Release: 'I Wanna Go Back
2021-07-28

Maeci

Bologna's Porticoes are now inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List thanks to a decision taken by the World Heritage Committee, which met from 16 to 31 July in its 44th session conducted in virtual mode from Fuzhou (China).

The Committee recognised the "exceptional universal value" of the Porticoes as an extraordinary testimony of an architectural typology that illustrates essential phases in the history of humanity.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, expressed great satisfaction with this significant result. Together with the inclusions of Padua and Monetactini Terme, it brings to 58 the number of Italian sites included in the List. The inclusion of Bologna's Porticoes in the World Heritage List," said the Minister, "confirms and rewards our country's constant commitment to protecting and enhancing our extraordinary cultural and natural heritage, also through its participation in UNESCO programmes.
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan received her COVID-19 vaccine in public, in the most decisive signal yet of a break from the policies of her late predecessor who repeatedly dismissed the threat of the pandemic.
Foreign exchange analysts at Credit Suisse look at the latest coronavirus developments and moves in exchange rates with two main themes in focus.

The bank expects that the Pound Sterling will continue to benefit from an early move towards herd immunity with scope for a covering of short Pound positions.

It also expects wider vulnerability in Asia amid the Delta variant spread which will underpin Sterling on the major Asian crosses.

UK Re-Opening Commitment to Underpin the Pound

The bank remains broadly optimistic over the UK outlook despite the very sharp increase in cases seen in the first two weeks of July.

We have taken a view that, although the UK was a leader in absorption followed by propagation of the Delta variant, its nonetheless both committed to a full re-opening and is arguably ahead of most countries in terms of vaccination / being close to herd immunity.

In this context, the decline in case rates seen during the past week will reinforce optimism surrounding trends.

Last week, Credit Suisse recommended selling the Euro to Pound (EUR/GBP) exchange rate with an immediate target of 0.8500.

There is likely to be strong support at this level, but a break would potentially trigger sharp Euro stop-loss selling.

The pair touched this level on Wednesday and Credit Suisse has now extended the target to 0.8450.

The bank also expects that Sterling can secure gains against other major currencies; GBP outperformance need not be limited simply to EUR, as the knee-jerk selling of the currency can be unwound across a wider space.

Wider Scope for Sterling Gains in Asia

Credit Suisse also expects further vulnerability in Asia as the Delta variant continues to take hold. The bank notes that Australia is subjected to lockdowns and New Zealand will be vulnerable to negative news shocks.

Overall, the bank has a negative stance on Asian markets, especially with Chinese markets moving lower.

In contrast to our late-summer 2020 preference for a Pivot to Asia theme, almost one year later we now prefer Pivot from Asia.

This vulnerability should underpin the Pound against Asian majors. This should benefit the Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate and Pound to New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate.

GBP/AUD traded close to 14-month highs just below 1.8900 on Wednesday with GBP/NZD touching 11-month highs just below 2.0000.
A federal judge in Utah has granted a motion to allow an Idaho man the chance to continue litigating a case that his now-deceased wife filed last year against American Airlines.

Attorneys for Mrs. Tammy Sue Spears filed a lawsuit against American Airlines in June of 2020 for events that occurred during a 2019 flight from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Charlotte, North Carolina. The lawsuit alleged that American Airlines cabin crew members forced Mrs. Spears, a disabled amputee, to crawl from her seat to the lavatory because the airline did not have an aisle wheelchair on the flight. Mrs. Spears sustained injuries and was utterly humiliated.

While the lawsuit was pending, Mrs. Spears gave several media interviews discussing her case and disabled air passenger rights. Unfortunately, she passed away on January 4, 2021 for reasons unrelated to events alleged in her complaint.

As the representative of Mrs. Spears' estate, Mr. Robert G. "Greg" Spears asked the court to amend the complaint and substitute him for his deceased wife so that he may continue to litigate her claims against American Airlines. American Airlines opposed Mr. Spears' motion to amend the complaint and moved to dismiss the case, asserting that when Mrs. Spears died, all of the claims were extinguished.

U.S. District Court Judge Tena Williams for the District of Utah was unmoved by American Airlines' opposition. She ruled in favor of Mr. Spears' motion to allow the case to continue with him as the plaintiff.

Attorneys representing the Spears family says American Airlines has generally treated the Spears family "reprehensibly" since the complaint was filed last year. Mr. Spears, who has stage 4 cancer, simply wants his day in court, and American Airlines has worked tirelessly to deny him that chance, his attorneys say.

"American Airlines has taken an adversarial position with regard to Mrs. Spears' disability from day one," says attorney Diane Marger Moore. "Their efforts to stop Mr. Spears from pursuing these allegations is evidence of a total lack of regard for the Spears family and, frankly, anyone with a disability. We are encouraged by the judge's ruling and look forward to holding American Airlines accountable for their outrageous conduct."

Disabled Passenger's Lawsuit Against American Airlines Made Shocking Allegations

The lawsuit against American Airlines asserts two claims for negligence, a claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress, and a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Mr. Spears also filed a claim for loss of consortium.

According to the complaint, Mr. and Mrs. Spears consulted with American Airlines about Mrs. Spears' disability well before her scheduled travel and specifically requested an onboard aisle wheelchair for the flight. When Mrs. Spears arrived at the Salt Lake City International Airport on the day of her flight, TSA employees used a wheelchair to transport her to her gate, and Airlines employees used an aisle chair to help Mrs. Spears board the plane.

After she took her seat, American Airlines removed the aisle chair from the plane despite "notice and knowledge" that Mrs. Spears "would foreseeably need the use of an aisle chair during flight," the complaint states.

An hour into the flight, Mrs. Spears notified a flight attendant that she needed to use the lavatory and asked for the aisle chair. According to the allegations, after learning that the flight did not have an aisle wheelchair, the flight attendant told Mrs. Spears to either "hold it" or make her way to the lavatory without using the aisle chair. Unable to wait, Mrs. Spears asked for help getting to the lavatory. American Airlines employees tried to help but instead "lifted, dropped, pushed, dragged and injured" Mrs. Spears, the complaint alleges.

Mrs. Spears was finally able to use the lavatory after struggle and humiliation. According to the lawsuit, she had to use the restroom in plain view of flight attendants and several first-class passengers, as cabin crew members insisted she leave the door open.

When American Airlines employees were about to carry out another ill-conceived way to move her back to her seat, a nearby passenger offered his seat to her, per the complaint. After the series of embarrassing and painful in-flight events, the lawsuit states that her blood pressure was elevated, and she needed supplemental oxygen until the flight landed in North Carolina.

"I've seen a lot of things in my 50+ years practicing aviation law," says veteran trial attorney Ronald L. M. Goldman. "But the indignity, humiliation, and pain that Mrs. Spears suffered at the hands of American Airlines is unlike anything I have ever seen. If for no other reason than to honor the memory of Tammy Spears, justice demands that this case go forward."

Attorneys Will Depose American Airlines Flight Crew

With the case now scheduled to move forward in Utah, attorneys for Mr. Spears will now move to depose American Airlines personnel, including the flight crew responsible for lifting, dropping, dragging, and pushing Mrs. Spears through from her seat to the lavatory. While no trial date is set, in light of Greg Spears' declining health, his lawyers will be attempting to expedite his case.

About Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman

Aviation attorneys Ronald L. M. Goldman and Diane Marger Moore represent Mr. Spears in his case against American Airlines. Mr. Goldman is a pilot and seasoned trial lawyer who has been practicing law for nearly 60 years. He is board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) as a Civil Pretrial Practice Advocate and Civil Trial Advocate, Senior Specialist.

Diane Marger Moore is triple board-certified with the NBTA and has conducted over 200 jury trials throughout her storied career. She is a seasoned trial lawyer who has been in practice for over 40 years.

The national law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman has successfully litigated against most major airlines in the United States, including over 50 personal injury and wrongful death cases against American Airlines.

Across all practice areas, the firm has won over $4 billion in verdicts and settlements. With a track record of success going back decades, Baum Hedlund has earned a reputation for holding Fortune 500 companies accountable, influencing public policy, and breaking new legal ground.

# # #
From: Carol M. Swain -- Political Scientist and Commentator For Immediate Release: Dateline: Nashville , TN Thursday, July 29, 2021

Dr. Swain is host of "Conversations with Dr. Carol Swain" and Be The People Podcast on the America Out Loud Podcast Network, the owner and founder of Unity Training Solutions, and the President of the Be The People Project. Passionate about empowering others to raise their voices in the public square, she is an author, public speaker, and political commentator. Contact us: info@bethepeoplenews.com ABOUT BE THE PEOPLE PROJECT Be the People Project is a 501 C(3) nonprofit dedicated to changing the direction of America's culture by relentlessly educating people about conservative Judeo-Christian values and principles. Be the People will make available to the public resources that can be downloaded and shared. Website: http://www.BeThePeopleNews.com


From: Gary Zuercher Photographer & Author of 'The Glow of Paris - The Bridges of Paris at Night' Washington , DC Wednesday, July 28, 2021



86 Black & White Photographs in the Ansel Adams Tradition by Award Winning Photographer Gary Zuercher Evansville, INThe Evansville Indiana Museum of Arts, History & Science is featuring an exhibit by Gary Zuercher, award winning photographer and author of The Glow of Paris: The Bridges of Paris, from August 25 thru November 15, 2021. Successful exhibitions were previously held at the Wayne Center for the Arts (Wooster, Ohio), Mansfield Art Center & Museum (Mansfield, Ohio) and The Peninsula Fine Art Center in Newport News, Virginia that was a two-person exhibition featuring Gary Zuercher and Marc Chagall. Zuercher spent five years photographing the 35 bridges over the Seine River at night during the winter months and another year researching the history of the bridges, gathering anecdotes, printing and assembling the prints. The Glow of Paris book is an eclectic collection of extraordinary gelatin-silver photographic prints of the bridges of Parisnighttime images that are breathtaking. Accompanied by a fascinating historical portrayal, the book presents a unique and aesthetic vision of Paris because no one else has ever photographed and written about the bridges that cross the Seine in this way. The Evansville Indiana Museum of Arts, History & Science is located at: 411 SE Riverside Dr, Evansville, IN 47713. For hours and more information visit the website at: https://emuseum.org or call (812) 425-2406. The Glow of Paris Exhibition features 86 silver gelatin, black and white photographs from the book, accompanied by maps showing the Seine River bridge locations, discussions of the bridge histories, story panels, a four-minute video and a cell phone audio tour through the exhibit. Of Zuercher's work, the Columbus Dispatch said, "His style is reminiscent of American landscape photographer Ansel Adams."





The Virginia Peninsula Daily Press said, "The photographs are just so visually splendid, . . . it's almost like you've pre-staged artwork because it is lit by the City of Paris."





The New York Times said of Zuercher, ". . . a lifelong photographer, was so passionate about the way the bridges look at night that he spent more than five years photographing them in black and white"





The Mansfield New Journal said, "Zuercher's 86 black and white photos bring into focus the beauty of the 35 bridges that span the Seine River in the City of Light." "For the most part Parisians take these architectural wonders for granted, relying on their functionality to get them where they want to go each day," says author Zuercher. "They don't appreciate the beauty because most don't see the glow of the bridges at night. And most have forgotten that from the time of Julius Caesar for more than 2000 years, the bridges of Paris have played an important role in world history." The Glow of Paris Exhibition Video



Here are just a few of the accolades bestowed upon The Glow of Paris: The Bridges of Paris at Night IPPY Gold Medal  "a dreamy new take on the 35 bridges that span the Seine."

Kirkus ProConnect named The Glow of Paris, " THIS WEEK'S BOOK TO DISCOVER "

The High End Magazine featured The Glow of Paris in a four page article.

Southern Season Magazine featured a full page review of the book in its Spring Edition

The Glow of Paris- was the Number One best seller on Amazon.com , in its category multiple times since publication date.

Apogee Photo Magazine says, "This book should definitely be a part of the library of any architect, historian or photographer. Simply stunning!" The London Book Festival and The Los Angeles Book Festival proclaimed The Glow of Paris one of the best books in the photography/art category in the 2015 competitions. Independent Publisher Book Awards bestowed a Gold Medal First Place award for Best Non-Fiction in Europe. Kirkus Reviews called The Glow of Paris one of "Nine Best Books Out This Week." (Jan 20) and further stated: "A superb pictorial evocation of the City of Light, full of dazzling images and intriguing lore." The fascinating narrative that accompanies the artistic black and white photos includes historical facts and little-known tidbits about the bridges, such as: The history of these bridges precede the birth of Christ. In 52 BC Julius Caesar conquered Paris; the earliest recorded mention of the bridges is found in Caesar's Gallic War commentaries. Most of the later history evolves from around the time of the Middle Ages and thereafter.





On the morning of October 3, 1943, an aircraft hit the Pont de Tolbiac Bridge and crashed into the Seine, killing the four Frenchmen on board. The four were members of the Free French Air Force who had flown from an airfield in England to participate in the allied bombing of a power station outside of Paris.





Bridges constructed prior to the late eighteenth century normally had houses and shops built directly on them. Floods, ice floes, fires, boat collisions, and structural failures frequently destroyed the bridges. The collapsing bridges took the houses and shops down with them, and often their occupants as well. In 1769 Louis XV finally outlawed the construction of houses on the bridges, but it took until 1808 for the last building to be removed.





Early on, the Pont Neuf was the center of a permanent fair, a meeting point for all the sophisticated as well as the vulgar pleasures of the capital. At any moment you would find street performersacrobats, fire-eaters, and musicians charlatans and quacks, as well as hustlers and pickpockets, not to mention a lively trade in prostitution. Among the many businesses were several famous "tooth pullers." "This information will be of great interest to not only tourists and historians but also to Parisians who have limited knowledge of the 35 bridges in their city and are surprised at the number of islands in the Seine," says Zuercher. "There is a great deal of truth in the words of author Monique Marty who wrote of the bridges  'They are the extension of the streets, the hyphens between the two river banks. We cross them on foot, by car, by Metro. We see them without looking at them and that's a shame'." Zuercher, an artist in the darkroom as well as behind the lens, lives half a year in Paris and the other half in Washington, D.C. He develops the film into negatives in Paris and then makes the prints in the D.C. darkroom. Often he would make 20 to 30 prints before coming up with just the right photo for his book. The results of his work prove what was written by Ansel Adams, "The negative is like the score of the music and the print is like the performance." The stories related to the project are rich enough to fill another book, such as the time he was refused access to a church roof to photograph an aerial shot because he could not be there while the nuns were sleeping. Or when he had to use mountain climbing equipment and the aid of city firefighters to climb to the top of city hall to shoot seven bridges from the air. Or when young thugs threatened him while Zuercher was working at night but were defused when he offered to take their pictures and email it to them. The Glow of Paris: The Bridges of Paris at Night (ISBN 978-0-9906309-0-6, Marcorp Editions, 2015 , 208 pages, $49.95 is available on Amazon and at: www.marcorp-editions.com). About Gary Zuercher: His career path has been quite different than that of most professional photographers because he has simultaneously combined a highly successful business career with a successful career as a professional photographer. He is also a commercial, multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot with more than 2,000 hours logged as pilot in command. For more than thirty years Zuercher provided photography for numerous companies and advertising agencies needing commercial images for publications, advertising, brochures, media, and marketing. During the same period Zuercher produced 15 company and product promotional films in which he worked as editor or co-editor and as cameraman and/or photographer. While doing this, he successfully founded, built, and developed both the WaveTek group of companies that pioneered the development of the waterpark industry and the Rain Drop Products company. WaveTek manufactured wave making machinery and waterslides for swimming pools, installing more than 160 wave pools worldwide. After the successful sale of WaveTek, Zuercher founded and built Rain Drop Products Inc., a firm that was one of the originators in the introduction and development of the Sprayground and water playground concepts into the public recreation marketplace. For his pioneering leadership in wave pools and Spraygrounds, Zuercher was awarded the Industry Leadership Award and was in the inaugural group of inductees into the World Waterpark Association Hall of Fame. Over a period of five years, Zuercher took his cameras out into the Parisian night to capture stunningly evocative images of the bridges that span the Seine. Using his artistic eye and sophisticated photographic technique, he created these glorious black-and- white photographs, rich with detail and possessing a clear, luminous quality. No one else has ever photographed all the bridges that cross the Seine in Paris in this way. We don't see crowds of people or heavy traffic. Nothing obscures the beauty and strength of the structures, the romance and symbolism of the bridges. Shooting in black and white allows the details to shine: the architectural elements, artwork, nearby buildings, trees on the riverbanks, and starry lamps casting paths of light across the water. He divides his time between homes in Paris and Washington, DC with his wife Dominique who is French. Media Contact: For a review copy of The Glow of Paris or to arrange an interview with Gary Zuercher contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2098.


Thursday, July 29, 2021

BSI Solutions fosters novel thinking and creates custom solutions designed to meet complex organizational challenges

The Novel Education in Virtual Reality (NEVR) platform is a fully immersive virtual learning platform that allows teachers and students to enter the classroom from anywhere.

VR Technology is a natural learning solution for future generations, and BSI Solutions is ready to innovate for the future

About BSI Solutions

BSI Solutions provides innovative and transformative development services to global corporate and government partners. The company fosters novel thinking to create customized, state-of-the-art solutions designed to meet the most complex organizational challenges. The core expertise is artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain technology, XR technology, staffing and program management.

BSI Solutions was founded in May of 2019 by retired US Army veteran Dr. Kendrick Carroll. The company started with very humble beginnings with just one client and one office, and has since grown to over 20 business partnerships, over 60 employees, and operations nationally and globally. Dr. Carroll has fostered an undeniable passion within the company for empowering youth for future growth. Under his leadership, BSI Solutions has created the first 100% student-focused program to provide career-bound students with full-time career opportunities upon graduation.

Novel Education in Virtual Reality (NEVR)

As schools across the nation navigated the new distance learning challenges created by the pandemic, innovative technologies were critical in ensuring that childrens educational experience is protected and enhanced. As an innovative solution to this growing issue, BSI Solutions created the Novel Education in Virtual Reality (NEVR) platform. This interactive, fully immersive platform uses the power of virtual reality for education and training and provides students and teachers with stand-alone VR headsets that enable them to enter the classroom from anywhere.

NEVR offers increased levels of embodied learning and engagement that allow students to interact with teachers in real-time, as well as interact with, manipulate, and build objects and virtually touch items they may not have access to in their own classrooms.

Participating educational institutions first identify which classes would be best suited for a virtual offering for lectures. Each instructor then works with a BSI Solutions software developer to identify how they would prefer for their classes to look and function within virtual reality. Students and instructors are able to design and create their own avatars to use while in the virtual environment. Unique experiences such as virtual field trips are also created.

VR Technology is a natural learning solution for future generations. It connects the innate learning language of students with the ability to comprehend the presented lesson plan. Technology continues to be the ultimate culture neutralizer, and with the unknown waiting around every corner, virtual reality platforms are the future.

BSI Solutions won a Bronze Stevie Award for COVID-19 Response Categories - Most Valuable Technical Innovation in The 2021 American Business Awards.

Interested in entering The 2022 American Business Awards? Request the entry kit.
Thursday, July 29, 2021

John McLaughlin

When the pandemic went into high gear, I was halfway through teaching a graduate seminar on American intelligence and foreign policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington. Overnight, faculty members and students had to figure out how to continue our courses online, with everyone stuck in place wherever they were. This involved crash courses on video programs like Zoom, Panopto, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, Skype  anything that would allow us to stay connected and move forward. And magic inevitably played a role  more below.

I came to admire the maturity and resilience of these students as we convened for several hours during each week in class and in one-on-one office hour sessions. They were scattered all across America and around the world, showing up on my computer screen from California, Korea, Budapest and beyond. I also came to realize that, even though everyone preferred a three-dimensional live classroom, there is a unique kind of intimacy that comes from having a face and voice in full-screen just a few inches away, something that in a classroom, would lead you to feel like you were invading each others space.

Magic came into this in unique ways. I have always used magic to illustrate points I was trying to make in class about the need to question things, to be skeptical, to not trust first impressions. But in the Zoom environment, as with our Washington Magic online shows, my examples had to be quick, highly visual, and up high on the screen. Magic also helped combat something everyone discovered during the last year  Zoom fatigue. Studies have shown that people need a break or change of pace after about 10-15 minutes of Zoom, and magic did this  students could sense when it was coming, and it helped to keep attention and focus high.

As for magic itself, a year of pandemic led me to realize even more clearly that magic is a deep art that is really about the human condition. When a magician restores a torn newspaper, a cut rope, or broken thread, it spoke to the need students, and all of us, felt last year for connection and healing. When an illusion brings a smile, it lightens an atmosphere that often felt ominous during the last year.

One of the fun things that happened to me was getting a call in October from David Copperfield, considered by many to be todays greatest magician. The Naval Institute had asked David to give a talk to Annapolis Cadets on the relationship between magic and war. And he asked if I would like to do it with him, and in two days we cobbled together a Zoom program that you can see here.

Looking forward to seeing you in 3-D soon at the Arts Club of Washington!

John McLaughlin
The COVID-19 vaccination site at San Antonio International Airport is one of the busiest places in the city to get a shot  and its slated to shut down after Friday, even as the delta variant gains traction across the city.

On a daily basis, the site averages more than seven times as many people served as other pop-up locations in San Antonio. But many of the airport clinics visitors arent area residents; they are Mexican tourists who fly to San Antonio for a shot in the arm.

The clinic, open since June 29, is in a roped-off section of the baggage claims area near the door from which travelers from Mexico emerge after leaving the U.S. Customs station.

On a recent weekday afternoon, more than 100 people sought vaccinations at the clinic. Almost all of them had just walked off Aeromexico and Volaris planes from Mexico City. The crowd included flight attendants and pilots from the two planes.

They formed two lines: one for the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine and a longer line for the two-shot Pfizer vaccine.

We can only get the Russian or Chinese vaccine in Mexico. My doctor recommended the Pfizer, said Pauline Juarez, an Aeromexico flight attendant. Chinese- and Russian-made vaccines are increasingly available in Mexico, but Juarez and other visitors said they didnt trust them.

It was her second dose. Shed received the first one last month at an Austin pharmacy after working a flight from Mexico City.

On ExpressNews.com: Hundreds of 'vaccine tourists' a day flying from Mexico provide unknown boost to area economy

Some of the vaccine tourists are in their 20s and arent yet eligible to receive the vaccine in Mexico.

The airport clinic attracted 3,842 people in its first 23 days in operation through July 21, according to Anita Kurian, assistant director of communicable diseases for the citys Metropolitan Health District. That works out to 167 people a day on average.

By contrast, the roughly 100 other pop-up clinics around San Antonio have averaged between 10 and 22 people a day over the past four weeks, she said.

The only clinic that rivals the airport site in the number of vacinations is the one at the Alamodome, which averages between 150 and 250 persons a day. But the clinic is only open Wednesday through Friday.

The citys largest site, a vaccine hub at Wonderland of the Americas mall, ceased operations July 2. In six months of operation, the hub provided 412,000 vaccinations, University Health said. At its busiest, the site was giving nearly 8,000 shots a day but was shut down when demand dwindled this summer.

The airport site is ending daily operations because the private contractor running the location decided not to extend its contract, Kurian said. And Metro Health doesnt have the staff available to keep the clinic operating 11 hours a day, seven days a week as it has been.

Still, the health district plans to keep the pop-up open one or two days a week with its own staff. Its also looking for a new company to run the clinic.

Kurian said the current contractor  Curative, a San Dimas, Calif.-based public health program operator  has other priorities.

In an email response to questions, Curative spokesman Pasquale Gianni said decreasing demand has led the company to shut down its vaccination program across the state.

With the delta variant increasing the risks for unvaccinated residents, Kurian said staffing clinics in the parts of San Antonio with low vaccination rates, including the Southeast and West sides, is now one of Metro Healths highest priorities.

Convenience is the key to get the next group of individuals vaccinated, she said. We know our vaccination coverage is lower in the Southeast and West side, so we do target those areas.

On ExpressNews.com: As COVID hospitalizations surge past 5,000, Gov. Abbott renews call for 'personal responsibility'

The decision to open the airport clinic didnt stem from the rise of vaccine tourism from Mexico, Kurian said. The intent, she added, was to make it easy for all travelers to get the shots  because unvaccinated airline passengers are a health risk to other passengers.

And transportation hubs were one of the convenient places to get the vaccine, she said. So the intent was not to target international folks.

The clinic also was aimed at airport workers.

Metro Health says it has no idea who has been receiving the vaccine at its most popular site.

Kurian said she didnt have data on the number of clinic visitors from Mexico or any other foreign country. They arent required to show their passports  though they are required to provide their home addresses.

Its unclear why health officials apparently dont track vaccine recipients at the airport by their addresses.

Vaccine tourism has been a touchy subject in San Antonio. Tourism officials say they welcome the visitors from Mexico, who spent money in hotels, restaurants and shops. But the same officials dont want to publicize their presence.

Tourism and hotel official say privately they dont want to get involved in a political debate that could develop over whether San Antonio should encourage international visitors to get vaccinated here.

San Antonio Aviation Director Jesus Saenz Jr. is more open to talking about the topic.

Saenz, who was touring the vaccination clinic July 22, said the bulk of those coming to get vaccinated were from Mexico.

Were trying to get to herd immunity  thats what were trying to do, he said.

And he credited a team approach to getting the airport clinic running.

A lot of people working together is how it happened, he said of the sites June opening. People from the airport, the city administration and Metro Health.

Kurian said those who travel internationally to San Antonio do have other options if the airport clinic is closed, and that COVID-19 vaccines are readily available elsewhere in the city.

They can get those vaccines out in the community, she said. And all of those locations are put up on our website.

Indeed, many of the Mexican tourists being vaccinated at the clinic recently said it was a matter of convenience. But they knew they could have gone elsewhere in San Antonio to get the vaccine.

Irina Montels, who is in her early 20s, came to San Antonio for six days with her older sister, Stephanie, to get vaccinated, explore San Antonio and visit the gigantic outlet mall in San Marcos.

We didnt know it was available at the airport, she said. We were going to make an appointment to get it somewhere else.

Montels got the Pfizer vaccine and was already planning a return trip for the second dose. She plans to go to a drugstore next time if the airport location is closed.

Kurian said the situation is different in the marginalized communities of San Antonio.

We believe that we have vaccinated most people that want to get it. We are now getting people with vaccine apathy and hesitancy, she said. Some San Antonians, she added, mistakenly believe the pandemic is over  and it is important to remember this pandemic still is lingering.

Saenz said he hope the clinic can continue to operate on a daily basis.

Why wouldnt we? he asked.

randy.diamond@express-news.net
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

Celebrity Fan Fest on Thursday announced that it has canceled its event  a day before it was set to begin  because major celebrities have backed out of their appearances, citing the rise in COVID-19 cases.

In the announcement, the festival said representatives for "Star Wars" actors Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen notified event organizers that they were backing out because of their concerns over the pandemic.
Judging by this weekends concert lineup, more bands are back on the road. But you can support local music, too, at a pair of shows that celebrate big names in San Antonio music history.

Nikki Glaser: Very little is off-limits for this stand-up comic. A quick look at a few segments on her 2016 special Perfect or 2019s Bangin  Watching Porn for Tips, say  explains why her Comedy Central series was titled Not Safe with Nikki Glaser. 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Marys St. $29.50-$185,

Curtis Grimes: East Texas native and top 10 finalist on season 11 of The Voice has sold more than 100,000 albums since competing on the show and landing a string of hits on the Texas Country charts, including River Road Dream and Little Bit. Theyre both on his new, self-titled album, out today. Luke Prater opens. Doors 7 p.m. Friday, Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels. $15, gruenehall.com.

AFP via Getty Images

Molotov: Dubbed the most powerful band in Latin America, this Latin Grammy Award-winning Mexican rap-rock band is known for songs such as Gimme Tha Power, Frijolero and Hit Me. San Antonio punk rock band Pinata Protest opens. Doors 7 p.m. Friday, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St Marys St. $40, tixr.com.

Faster Pussycat and Enuff ZNuff: Hair metal double-bill features Faster Pussycat, best known for the power ballad House of Pain and its cover of Youre So Vain. Enuff ZNuff dropped its self-titled debut album in 1989; its most popular songs include Fly High Michelle and New Thing. Doors 8 p.m. Friday, Sams Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St. $20, samsburgerjoint.com.

Jeff Dye: Comedian and actor Dyes big break was placing third on NBCs Last Comic Standing. He has since starred in a Comedy Central special and served as host of MTVs Money From Strangers. Yes, he has a podcast: Jeff Dyes Friendship Podcast. 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410. $54-$136 for tables for two, four or eight, improvtx.com/sanantonio.

We Are Overwhelmed: Featuring the work of interdisciplinary artists Ashley Feagin and Libby Rowe, this exhibit highlights the difficulties experienced when merging professional responsibilities into domestic spaces. Opening receptions 4-6 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday; runs through Aug. 13, UTSA Main Art Gallery, Arts Building, One UTSA Circle. Free, art.utsa.edu.

An Evening With Mark Twain!: J. Damian Gillen brings writer and humorist Mark Twain to life in the final performance of this one-man show. 6 p.m Friday, Little Italy, 824 Afterglow Drive. $30 in advance, $40 at the door (dinner included), eventbrite.com.

Saturday

Air Supply: Australian duo Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock are remembered for the soft rock classic All Out of Love and other hits, such as The One That You Love and Lost in Love. Their current tour is The Lost In Love Experience. 7 p.m. Saturday, SeaWorld San Antonio. Included with park admission, $64.99 for a single day pass; $24.99 extra for premium seating, seaworld.com.

Unlikely Candidates: This eclectic Texas rock band finally broke through after more than a decade in existence with its 2020 hit Novocaine. The bands latest single is Gemini, which arrived too late for Gemini season but right on time for summertime poolside playlists. Doors 7 p.m. Saturday, Sams Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St. $20, samsburgerjoint.com.

San Antonio Reggae Festival: Coming back for its sixth year, this event features headliner Mighty Mystic and the Hard Roots Movement Band. The fest also will feature food trucks, Caribbean and world food vendors, childrens activities, merchandise and wellness booths and more. 2-11 p.m. Saturday, Rosedale Park Pavillion, 340 Dartmouth St. Free for children 12 and under; $20, facebook.com: @sanantonioreggaefest.

The History of Texas ... In One Darn Easy Lesson: It only takes one actor and 5,000 seconds to tell 500 years of Texas history in this original production. 6 p.m. Saturday, Little Italy, 824 Afterglow. $35 (dinner included), eventbrite.com.

Courtesy photo

Sunday

Yngwie Malmsteen: Blazing-fast Swedish guitarist  Time magazine ranked him as one of the greatest electric guitar players of all time  started his career in the early 80s. Since then, the Strat master has released more than 20 albums, graced the covers of Guitar Player and Guitar World magazines multiple times and been featured in the Guitar Hero II and Rockband video games. He just released a new album, Parabellum. 7 p.m. Sunday, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle. $19.60-$54.50, tobincenter.org.

Blue Oyster Cult: Classic rock band emerged in the 70s in New York with songs notable both for hard-driving electric guitars and odd, obsessive lyrics. They became rock radio staples with hits such as (Dont Fear) The Reaper, Burnin For You and Godzilla. The band is touring in support of the new album The Symbol Remains. 7 p.m. Sunday, SeaWorld San Antonio. Included with park admission, $59.99 for a single day pass; $24.99 extra for premium seating, seaworld.com.

Janies Record Shop Benefit: Multi-band concert will celebrate and support Janie Esparzas iconic S.A. record store, a destination for conjunto and Tejano fans for almost 40 years. Performers include David Lee Garza y Los Musicales, Ruben Ramos, Rick Fuentes, LaDezz and Los Desperadoz. 6 p.m. Sunday, Thirsty Horse Saloon, 2335 NW Military Highway. $20, eventbrite.com.

Pepsi Pena 50th Anniversary Show: Old-school concert and dance marks the 50th anniversary of debut of the Pepsi Pena Show on KWEX, which was hosted by DJ Henry Pena, a member of the San Antonio Radio Hall of Fame. On the bill:Little Henry Lee, Rudy Tee, Aleah & the Teenagers, the Tear Drops, LA-45 and Ram Herrera and more. Doors 4 p.m. Sunday, Alzafar Shrine Auditorium, 902 N.W. Loop 1604. $25, 210-630-7767.

Enjambre: Originally from California, the rock band Enjambre relocated to Mexico, where its fan base was strong. Its 2020 album Proximos Projimos combines atmospheric keyboards and guitars with hard-driving rhythms on songs such as Relampago and Divergencia. 7 p.m. Sunday, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St Marys St. $30, seetickets.us.
From the pandemic-driven comfort food revival to Februarys deep freeze to the ongoing labor shortage, the Great Chicken Wing Shortage of 2021 isnt loosening its grip.

For Ernest Bradley, chef and co-owner of The Cherrity Bar, that means hes gone from paying $1.29 a pound for chicken wings to a staggering $4.27 a pound. The 231 percent increase hasnt changed Bradleys commitment to his tebasaki wings even 1 percent. He still uses whole wings, still tenderizes them in a housemade super-soy called shoyu koji, still fries them twice for ideal crispiness and still glazes them for a layered balance of sweet and spicy.

Thats the kind of commitment it takes to make chicken wings that forgo heat in favor of flavor. We love our hot wings, and a few weeks ago I told you about the best places to get them in San Antonio. But during that quest for fire, I discovered the lighter, brighter side of chicken wings, the wings that rely and fly on the charms of garlic Parm, tangy barbecue sauce and fizzy-sweet soft drink flavors. Less Buffalo, more fluffalo.

For lack of poetry, lets call them wings that arent hot wings. And here are the best in and around San Antonio.

On ExpressNews.com: The best hot chicken wings in San Antonio

Mike Sutter /Staff

8. WingIT210: Dr Pepper BBQ

A cartoon thermometer lights up the menu board at this local chain of three wing joints that began in 2014 in Kirby, northeast of San Antonio. It tops out with Hot Damn, which is damn hot. But 4 degrees from the bottom is the unassuming Dr Pepper BBQ wing, cloaked in a mahogany syrup that combines the good Drs sass with barbecues twang over wings that hold their crispy edge. 5020 Old Seguin Road, Suite 8, in Kirby, 210-900-3097; more locations at wingit210.com

Mike Sutter /Staff

7. Ghost Kitchens SA: Sour cream and onion

Chef Adrian Cruz operates six national brands out of his delivery-driven Ghost Kitchens SA at Los Patios on the Northeast Side. Earlier this year, he added his own line of burgers, chicken sandwiches and wings available for delivery or pickup. Freed from the formulaic constraints of a chain menu, he combined two of the best sofa snacks on the planet: chicken wings and sour cream-and-onion potato chips. The resulting wings have the creamy, salty character of chips and lush fat-to-skin ratio of the chicken, with a crispiness that pays tribute to both. 2015 NE Loop 410 at Los Patios, 956-238-8220, ghostkitchensa.com

Mike Sutter /Staff

6. Hot Joy: Twice-fried wings with crab fat caramel

Among the chaotic decor of bamboo shades, dragon murals, tiki drinks and a Bruce Lee booth, crab fat caramel wings provide a point of focus and flavor. Whatever their mother-sauce provenance, the wings radiate the essence of a freshly unwrapped Snickers bar, deep-fried and dunked in fish sauce. And thats a good thing. 1014 S. Alamo St., 210-368-9324, hotjoysa.com

Mike Sutter /Staff

5. Maars Pizza & More: Garlic Parmesan

The same moxie that landed Maars in the Top 10 of our 52 Weeks of Pizza series created garlic Parmesan chicken wings with pizza joint swagger. The garlics still wet to the touch like a fresh coat of paint, with slivers of cheese tumbling down the sides of chicken made by people who know the value of just the right crust. 14218 Nacogdoches Road, 210-599-7400, maarspizzaandmore.com

Mike Sutter /Staff

4. Sauced Wing Bar: Cilantro chile lime

You can have your wings more than 25 ways at Sauced. On a platter of 20, theyll even sauce or rub them in five different directions if you cant make up your mind. The best direction heads straight for the limes, with a jolt of citrus running through a slightly sweet and spicy base, fried just right, with a crust as confident as perfectly toasted bread. 215 W. Bandera Road, Suite 101, in Boerne, 830-331-4398, saucedwingbar.com

Mike Sutter /Staff

3. Evil Olive: Garlic Parmesan

With pool tables, TVs everywhere, foosball and a crowd of pontificating regulars, Evil Olive is a bar first. But the food deserves a seat at that bar, especially these expertly fried wings, which left the greasy glow of Buffalo behind for a more disciplined dry rub of garlic and Parmesan that coats your fingers and your taste receptors with equal enthusiasm. 2950 Thousand Oaks Drive, Suite 5, 210-495-0970, Facebook: @EvilOliveSA

On ExpressNews.com: The 15 best burgers in San Antonio

Mike Sutter /Staff

2. Lucy Coopers Ice House: Big Red BBQ

You know how I know Braunda Smiths Big Red BBQ wings are something special? Because they taste like Big Red, I like them, and I dont like Big Red. But when its simmered down into a barbecue sauce, the sugar caramelizes and glazes its way into every golden-fried nook and cranny of these fat little wings. 16080 San Pedro Ave., 210-462-1894, lucycoopers.com

Mike Sutter /Staff

1. The Cherrity Bar: Tebasaki

The work that chef Bradley pours into his tebasaki wings is your reward. One of the few places in town doing whole wings, Cherrity Bars are like bronze monuments, polished with glaze that captures the umami and mystery of the Japanese techniques that created them, served on a simple slate board with house-pickled cucumbers. All that aside, theyre still as fun to eat as sloppy bar wings. 302 Montana St., 210-598-0496, cherritybar.com

msutter@express-news.net | Twitter: @fedmanwalking | Instagram: @fedmanwalking
When it comes to San Antonio mascots, you cant beat the mileage of Buster the VIA Buppet.

The plush pitchman for VIA Metropolitan Transit has been rolling for 40 years, longer than the Spurs Coyote and Henry the Puffy Taco. Originally a puppet, he once was operated and voiced by the man who later would be the voice of Barney the dinosaur. Buster even shared the small screen with the Monty Python legend who helped inspire his creation.

Now Busters back in a throwback sure to have San Antonians singing VIA VIA! all over again.

In August, VIA will roll out a new version of its classic Its so easy when you take the bus campaign, the one that made a star out of Buster and his fellow Buppets in the early 1980s. The jingle gets a fresh mix for radio, while a new commercial with the tune features a Buppets clip from that first TV ad, along with a shot of Buster as the full-bodied costumed character he is today.

Because who better to drive home a nostalgic message than one of San Antonios longest-running icons?

I grew up here in San Antonio as well, so I myself feel nostalgia, said Jon Gary Herrera, VIAs senior vice president of public engagement. Its a very simple but fun way that we hope energizes folks to come back but also establishes that we are welcoming them back with some nostalgia.

Herrera said he still remembers those cutesy Buppet commercials from his early teens, when Buster literally sang VIAs praises along with fellow Buppet buddies Frank, Goof-Ball, Professor, Rosa and Tootsie, plus a human character named Billy Busrider.

On ExpressNews.com: Fun facts about Henry the Puffy Taco, the San Antonio Missions' unofficial mascot

Like many public transit services during the pandemic, VIA has seen its ridership shrink by as much as 45 percent. VIA executives hope the familiar feel-good jingle will persuade former patrons to get back onboard. Besides, people still ask where the Buppets are and how they are doing.

So its definitely something thats still resonating after all these years, Herrera said.

And to think it all started with John Cleese on The Muppet Show.

It was the early 1980s and Doug Rucker was creative director of whats now Anderson Marketing Group in San Antonio. VIA had begun operations in 1978 and tapped the ad agency for a campaign that would encourage moms and children to ride the bus.

One night Rucker caught a Muppet Show episode in which Cleese throttles Kermit the Frog at the end of a music sketch gone wrong. The idea for bus puppets hit Rucker like a  well, a bus.

Rucker drew up the Buppets concept and some rough scripts, then raced them over to Chuck Anderson, his ad agencys vice president and son of its founder, Jim Anderson.

I remember him kind of bouncing in his seat, Rucker said. He was really excited by this kind of silly idea.

VIA Metropolitan Transit

Buster debuted in 1981 in a childrens coloring book. Rucker and Chuck Anderson hired a professional group of puppeteers to design and craft Buster and his Buppet buddies based on key San Antonio demographics. For instance, Rosa was a Latina character who represented the citys Hispanic population, while the elder Professor spoke to the citys older residents.

The characters were an instant hit, not just for their cutesy personas but also for their catchy jingle, which was developed by Tuesday Productions in San Diego.

Something about it, it was just whimsical, Rucker said. It was a really good image for a bus company.

On ExpressNews.com: Longtime YMCA summer Camp Flaming Arrow in Hunt will close this summer after 94 years. It's the last summer at Flaming Arrow

They almost werent called Buppets. Rucker recalls Jim Anderson wanted to name them Busitas, a play on the Spanish word besito, meaning a little kiss.

I think it was fun, but I really stuck to Buppet as a Muppet reference, Rucker said.

The first Buppet commercial was shot on film with kids at the River Walk, the San Antonio Zoo and other family-friendly spots. Subsequent ads featured Santa Claus, former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros and that very British comedian who helped spark the Buppets creation.

In a classic case of dont ask, dont get, Rucker rang up various TV stations to track down John Cleeses agent for the job. Cleese signed on with one condition  that he help with the scripts.

Rucker and Cleese spent three months bouncing ideas off each other over the phone. Then Rucker and the Buppet puppeteers flew to London to shoot three spots with Cleese.

The commercials unfolded on a simple set of a San Antonio VIA bus stop as Buster explained the finer points of bus travel to Cleese while he clutched a copy of the San Antonio Light.

John was just so enamored with it and he just enjoyed every second of it, Rucker said.

Buster and the Buppets went on to appear at schools and San Antonio events. Meanwhile, VIA sold Buppets merchandise, including puppets and toy buses.

The plush toys were really big. I had children back then early on, and they each had one, Rucker said, noting the Buppets puppets were so coveted the Anderson ad agency kept them under lock and key.

Today, three of those Buppets are parked behind glass in the lobby of VIAs executive offices.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio's iconic old ButterKrust billboard still cooks up memories of spinning bread slices and school bakery tours

One former VIA staff member still has fond memories of his former days behind the Buppets wheel, so to speak.

Bob West, who was a communications coordinator for VIA, performed as Buster and other Buppets for about two years in the early 80s, both as a puppeteer and for voice-overs. He later went on to become the original voice of Barney the purple dinosaur, voicing the PBS character from 1988 to 2000.

I have just so many great memories of the Buppets, West said from Los Angeles, where hes based as a voice-over actor and graphic designer. The way the community accepted those puppets and just loved them and just latched on to them, it was just really kind of universal.

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Rucker enjoyed his own post-Buppets career bump. After he left Anderson in 1984, he went on to develop the famous Eat Mor Chikin cow campaign for Chick-fil-A.

The VIA Buppets commercials ran until 1991. VIA brought back Buster in 2004 but ditched the boxy puppet for a life-size mascot costume.

Buster rolled solo until late 2016, when VIA introduced two new mascots: Primo, Busters cousin, whos modeled after VIAs premium articulated buses, and Safety Sofie, their heroic friend dedicated to protecting the patrons of public transit.

And while the new ad campaign may not rekindle Buppetmania  Herrera said no new toys or other merchandise are planned  its sure to take San Antonians on a trip down memory lane.

rguzman@express-news.net | Twitter: @reneguz
When winemakers Regan Meador and his wife Carey decided to build their forever home in Gillespie County not far from Fredericksburg, they never considered doing so anywhere else but on the grounds of their 62-acre vineyard, Southold Farm + Cellar.

Completed in 2019, the four-bedroom, 3 -bathroom house is just a short walk from the winerys hilltop tasting room and within sight of the production building at the bottom of the hill.

The 2,800-square-foot home, which cost about $650,000 to build. Sited on the hills eastern slope, the home has a spectacular view out over the Hill Country.

At night we can see the lights all the way from Johnson City, Carey said.

But the view wasnt the only reason the couple, who have two children ages 6 and 8, decided to build their new home on the vineyard property.

We like the idea that the kids would grow up on a working farm, Regan said. And because so much goes into farming and making wine on our site, we also wanted to live nearby to be able to work it.

One might expect a winemakers home would to be decorated with corks; dark, heavy Italian furniture; and wine-inspired art. Instead, the house is white, bright and airy, and the only reference to how the Meadors make their living is the partial living room wall made from used barrel staves fitted together in a chevron pattern.

Theres a little bit of nuance there, Regan said. Its not like we have wine barrels all over the house.

They didnt even build a cellar in the house. Instead they keep a reasonable selection of bottles in a pair of wine coolers in the kitchen pantry and run down to the production building if they need something special, according to Regan.

During planning, the couple, both 41, told architect Tim Brown they wanted the house to make maximum use of its interior space. That meant as few hallways as possible without settling for the default open-plan design.

Browns solution is a layout in which many of the individual living spaces are demarcated visually, with partial walls and ceilings of different heights.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

The homes most dramatic space, the combination living and dining area, runs 40 feet from the front entryway to the massive windows in the back. Above, a cathedral ceiling made from rich, golden Douglas fir rises 23 feet and gives the room something of a Scandinavian feel.

The couple say the plan initially was to run a large support beam down the middle of the ceiling and several cross beams perpendicular to that. They changed their minds during construction, however.

We liked the cleaner look without all those beams, Carey said.

On ExpressNews.com: Townhouses challenging top floor gets a redo for entertaining, lounge space

With its soaring ceiling and large windows letting in plenty of eastern light, the room would seem the perfect spot to watch the sunrise while enjoying the mornings first cup of coffee.

I wish, said Carey with a laugh. Our kids are 6 and 8, did we mention that? Were more interested in getting them to finish their cereal and getting them out the door in the morning.

Another of the homes simple design elements is the concrete flooring that runs through the house, broken up by the occasional area rug.

We had wood floors in our old house on Long Island, and they quickly got pretty scraped up, Carey said. We also like the look of concrete. The only thing we had them do was to add some gray dye to the pour to make it a little darker.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

The Meadors moved to Texas in 2017 after several years of making wine in Southold, New York, on Long Islands North Fork.

In 2019 they began planting about 30 different varieties of grapes on 14 acres. While waiting for those vines to mature, theyve been crushing grapes both from a nearby vineyard they farm and purchased from two other Texas growers. Regan is the Southold president and winemaker while Carey is the companys board secretary. They make between 4,000 to 5,000 cases annually and hope eventually to produce estate-grown wines exclusively.

Located off the opposite side of the living/dining room, the kitchen is dominated by a large center island topped by black soapstone countertop with subtle white markings. The top extends well over the edge of the base so family and visitors can easily gather around it like a large table.

On ExpressNews.com: Couple builds age-in-place dream home in San Antonios Dignowity Hill historic district

When we entertain well throw some butcher paper over the top and put cheese and other stuff out so people can graze, Regan said. That way, the island becomes the focal point of the party.

Regan said they entertain every couple of weeks or so  and of course, theres plenty of wine  but these events are usually limited to family and friends.

If were entertaining for business, well usually do it in the tasting room or the restaurant, Regan said, referring to The Kitchen at Southold Farm + Cellar, which serves a New American Menu along with the killer views.

The home kitchens metal-clad oven hood and the tile backsplash with its delicate black-and-white pattern combine to give it a country farmhouse feel.

I dont love super modern vent hoods, Carey said. I wanted something clean but that had some interest. Same thing with the tile. We didnt want the pattern to be overwhelming since the backsplash goes all the way up to the ceiling.

Around the corner from the kitchen, theres a pantry with large open shelves for storing food and small appliances.

This was kind of a big deal for me, to have everything right here where I need it, Carey said. Its hidden away, so I can have my clean kitchen countertops but still have easy access to my toaster oven.

The master bedroom echoes the living/dining room, with the same Douglas fir cathedral ceiling, albeit on a smaller scale. It also has the same view to the east.

We can lay in bed and look up at the stars at night and watch meteor showers, Regan said.

And then we can watch the sun come up in the morning, Carey added.

If theres one place in the house where the couple got bit playful, its the master bathroom floor, which shocks with green tiles in a wild geometric pattern. The tile also runs up one of the shower walls.

Our last house had those classic black and white hex tiles, Carey said. So we wanted to do something different. People whove seen it have been like, But what if you want to sell? And were like, Were probably not gonna be selling this house for a while.

After all, its the perfect live-work space for them.

rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini
A 33-year-old man died Thursday morning after crashing into a bulldozer on Loop 1604 at the Interstate 10 interchange on the East Side, San Antonio police said.

Authorities have identified the man as Jose Francisco Banda.

According to police, Banda was traveling northbound on Loop 1604 in an active construction zone as he approached I-10 at around 6:15 a.m., when he ran into a bulldozer. The bulldozer at the time was making a U-turn from the southbound lanes to the northbound lanes, police said.

On ExpressNews.com: One dead in I-10 crash on Northwest Side that is blamed on an unsafe lane change

Police believe Banda may have attempted to break but was unable to avoid the collision.

Witnesses told police the bulldozer had the right of way and that Banda may have attempted to beat a red traffic light. That portion of Loop 1604 is an intersection with I-10.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

No one else was injured and no criminal charges are expected for the driver of the bulldozer, police said.

The crash shut down that portion of 1604 for several hours as police investigated.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
A San Antonio teenager is accused of taking jewelry off of a dead body and recording a video of it on the social media app Snapchat, an arrest affidavit said.

The 17-year-old female was charged with theft of a human corpse on Tuesday.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio company accused of stealing $1.8 million from two online businesses

On July 26, the 17-year-old and two others called 911 to report a dead body hanging from a drainage ditch near the intersection of Sunday Song and Charismatic on the far West Side.

The 17-year-old told Bexar County Sheriffs deputies that they were headed to a nearby gas station when they spotted "something awkward by the drainage ditch and went to take a closer look," the affidavit said. When they arrived, they found the man hanging from a railing and called 911.

The next day, investigators received an anonymous video showing the 17-year-old and a second female individual recording video on Snapchat of the dead man before the 17-year-old removed a chain and medallion from his neck, according to the affidavit.

When questioned, the 17-year-old said she liked the necklace and decided to take it, the affidavit said. After she took the necklace off, she gave one of the individuals she was with the medallion and tossed the necklace in the grass nearby, the affidavit continued.

Her bail was set at $2,000 and she has since been released from jail, court records show.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
Fateh Guidoum/AP

MADRID (AP)  A Spanish judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit against the leader of a movement seeking independence for Western Sahara from Morocco that had accused him of torture, genocide and other crimes.

Judge Santiago Pedraz said the 20-year statute of limitations had expired for the alleged crimes that Brahim Ghali had presumably committed between 1975 and 1990. The judge added that there was insufficient evidence to support the allegation of genocide, which was only incorporated in Spains law code in 1995.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Maggie Jones Patterson, Duquesne University and Romayne Smith Fullerton, Western University

(THE CONVERSATION) When suspects names appear in crime stories, their lives may be broken and never put back together.

For years, people have begged The Associated Press, known as the AP, to scrub their indiscretions from its archives. Some of those requests were heart-rending, said John Daniszewski, standards vice president at AP who helped to spearhead the worldwide news services new policy.

Acknowledging that journalism can inflict wounds unnecessarily, AP will no longer name those arrested for minor crimes when the news service is unlikely to cover the storys subsequent developments. Often, such stories publication hinges on an odd or entertaining quirk, and the names are irrelevant. Yet, the ramifications can loom large and be long-lasting for the persons named.

How much detail American reporters include in a crime story depends on how newsworthy it is, our research found. A minor story might be based solely on a police incident report. A big story, the kind discussed around the water cooler, can include interviews with acquaintances and deep probes into the persons past. Whether the story is big or small, most accounts include full identification of the accused in the American press.

I received a very moving letter from a man who, as a college student, had been involved in a financial crime, Daniszewski recalled in an interview with us, both media ethicsscholars. When an old news account of the incident surfaced, the young man lost friends. Even his upcoming marriage was jeopardized until he could persuade his fiancee and her family that he had learned from his experience and was not an incorrigible villain.

For others, stories of their alleged crimes showed up on Google searches 10 or 15 years after the incident, even if they were never convicted or courts had expunged the criminal record. Daniszewski said many people making requests to the AP had been arrested for minor drug offenses, such as small amounts of marijuana, but stories about those offenses were blocking them from getting jobs, renting apartments and even meeting people on dating apps.

Culture shift

The Associated Press, the largest American news agency, was founded in 1846. It is a cooperative enterprise whose members include most mainstream American news outlets and many in other countries.

APs new policy signals a shift in U.S. politics and culture. It takes a small step away from the traditional tell-all practice of American crime reporting. It embraces a bit of the empathy toward wrongdoers shown by reporters in some European countries.

We interviewed nearly 200 reporters and media experts in 10 countries in Western Europe and North America for our book, Murder in Our Midst: Comparing Crime Coverage Ethics in an Age of Globalized News. We uncovered significant differences in journalism practices, despite the similarities in these countries democratic institutions and values.

German, Dutch and Swedish press council ethics codes encourage protecting the identity of both suspects and those convicted. These codes are largely voluntary and allow each news outlet to make case-by-case decisions, but their default practice is not to identify.

In those countries, journalists withhold the full names of those arrested or even convicted of crimes except in some cases of public figures or crimes of particular public concern. Instead, news accounts carry just initials or a first name and last initial to shield that person from publicity.

Since 1973, German courts have mandated that news reports refrain from identifying inmates as their prison release draws near to allow for their resocialization and right to personality or reputation.

Irreparable harm

When we asked an editor at ANP, the Netherlands counterpart to the AP, why her staff routinely withheld names, she paused, then said: What if he had children? They did nothing wrong, yet they would be irreparably harmed by being tagged as a criminals offspring.

While German, Dutch and Swedish reporters expressed similar concern for families, they also said they wanted to preserve the presumption of innocence for those merely accused and the ability to resume a productive life for those who were convicted.

When the Dutch editor learned how many deeply personal details American reporters routinely publish about those arrested, she gasped at what she saw as cruel and unethical. Why would you do that to someone? she asked.

Most American reporters we interviewed regretted the harm such revelations caused but saw the practice as collateral damage. In their eyes, their first obligation is acting as a watchdog on police and government. They believe the public has the right to public information, and police should never be trusted with the power to make undisclosed arrests. That commitment runs much deeper in the U.S. than it does in the Netherlands. For the most part, we trust our government, said one official of the Dutch union of journalists.

Watchdog ethics loom large at the AP, Daniszewski told us. However  as the research for our book found  journalism ethics and practices are rooted in culture. And the American zeitgeist around the criminal justice is shifting, Daniszewski said.

In 2018, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer began considering petitions to remove some stories from its archives. The Boston Globes Fresh Start initiative made a similar move this year. These are small steps when compared with the European Unions guarantee that citizens have a right to be forgotten by having at least some humiliating stories removed from search engine archives.

Public figures

Journalists in all 10 countries we researched agreed that the public needs to know when politicians are accused of crimes tied to their official duties.

When a politician or celebrity is alleged to have committed major crime, like a hit-and-run accident, the press should name names, most journalists in our sample agreed. The press must also pin blame, journalists said, when political crimes affect public welfare.

However, Dutch reporters and others often turn a blind eye when celebrities or political officials are accused of domestic violence or sexual harassment, which they consider private indiscretions. American reporters are more likely to consider such accusations news.

Private individuals committing crimes, even major crimes, are rarely identified in mainstream news accounts in the Netherlands, Sweden or Germany, despite those names being on the public record with the potential to be revealed by tabloids and websites. One reason: We believe everyone deserves a second chance, said Thomas Bruning, head of the Dutch journalists union.

Is a similar sentiment catching hold in the United States?

[Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

The U.S. incarcerates felons in places we call penitentiaries, Daniszewski said  that is, places for repentance. The term might imply forgiveness could follow, but in fact felons are stigmatized for life, he said.

The AP will never sugar-coat accounts of serious crime nor whitewash public corruption, he vowed. But speaking of the APs new policy, he said, We thought if we could do less harm and give people second chances, it would be for the good.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/the-largest-news-agency-in-the-us-changes-crime-reporting-practices-to-do-less-harm-and-give-people-second-chances-165158.
Baptist Health System will require employees at its five San Antonio hospitals to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the first local hospital system to do so.

Under the new policy, all staff  including physicians, medical residents, fellows, trainees, contractors, medical staff, students and volunteers  must receive a Food and Drug Administration-authorized COVID-19 vaccine. Employees may request an exception for medical or religious reasons, and those granted exemptions will be required to take other precautions that may include frequent testing.

This decision is in keeping with our commitment to providing a safe environment for our patients, visitors, employees and the people of the communities we serve, Baptist Health System CEO Matt Stone said in a statement Thursday. The science shows us the COVID vaccines are effective, safe and your best protection against the virus. Our goal is to do all we can to save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19 and eventually bring an end to the pandemic.

Patti Tanner  a spokeswoman for Baptists parent company, Tenet  said that employees who dont get vaccinated without being granted an exemption may be handled in ways other than termination. Such measures could include moving employees to different areas, requiring them to wear masks at all times or requiring them to be tested frequently. The organization will rely on its human resources policies and procedures to make determinations that are appropriate for each situation, she said.

Baptists move comes as the local seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases reached 725 with 695 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Thursday, according to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. Of those patients hospitalized, 195 are in intensive care units and 93 are relying on ventilators to breathe.

Less than half of the nations population has been fully vaccinated, which puts children under 12, who are not yet eligible, and those who refuse or cannot access the vaccine at significant risk of contracting the deadly virus.

Three vaccines in the U.S. have received emergency use authorization: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. They are free and widely available at pharmacies and clinics throughout the city.

No other hospitals in San Antonio are mandating that employees be vaccinated, although others in the state have implemented such policies.

On ExpressNews.com: Local COVID hospitalizations rise as CDC revises masking guidance

Methodist Healthcare System, which has nine hospitals in the area, is highly encouraging its staff to get the vaccine.

University Health System, which operates Bexar County-owned University Hospital in the South Texas Medical Center, is also encouraging staff to get vaccinated. So far, 81 percent of its employees have been vaccinated.

Christus Health, which operates five local hospitals, including the Childrens Hospital of San Antonio, said the system opposes policies that mandate clinicians receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Officials said the system is focusing all efforts on educating its staff and encouraging them to get vaccinated.

Texas Vista Medical Center, formerly called Southwest General Hospital, is also not yet mandating vaccines.

On May 28, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clarified that federal laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19, subject to employees disabilities or religious beliefs.

In April, Houston Methodist Hospital was one of the first health systems in the U.S. to require employees to be vaccinated or find another job, unless they qualified for a medical or religious exemption.

More than 100 Houston Methodist employees sued the institution, and in June a federal judge dismissed the case. More than 150 employees resigned or were fired over the policy, which is less than 1 percent of its workforce.

Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals already require front-line workers be vaccinated against COVID-19, and the Baylor College of Medicine enacted a similar vaccine policy, Hearst Newspapers reported Wednesday.

On ExpressNews.com: Baylor College of Medicine will require vaccine for employees, following Houston Methodists lead

Stone said Baptist has a responsibility to lead by example on this issue.

We hope our efforts help to inspire people in the community to realize how important it is that they get vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones, he said.

Tanner at Tenet said the majority of employees have been vaccinated but did not provide a number or percentage.

Its not clear whether Baptists microhospitals, which are owned by Emerus, are following this new policy.

Dr. Lynnette Watkins, the systems chief medical officer, said patients trust Baptist Health to protect them and provide the care they expect and deserve.

It is critical that we take this step to help ensure we maintain their trust and  not put them at unnecessary risk from this deadly virus, especially in light of concerns related to the delta variant, she said.

laura.garcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @reporter_laura
A woman found dead Monday in an apartment after a standoff between police and her common-law husband appears to have died from a wound inflicted by the officers gunfire, San Antonios police chief said Wednesday.

Police and the Bexar County District Attorneys Office are investigating how Neida Tijerina, 29, was shot and killed during the standoff, said Chief William McManus, who briefed reporters.

And while authorities cannot yet conclusively state that Neida died as a result of the officers firing on the suspect, the physical evidence appears to support that conclusion, McManus said, noting that an autopsy was performed Wednesday morning.

At 9 p.m. Monday, Tijerinas relatives called police saying that her common-law husband, Angel A. Sanchez, had a shotgun and was threatening to kill her and himself at their second-story apartment in the 3100 block of Roosevelt Avenue.

At the scene, police could see Sanchez, 28, peering through a window and determined that he was holding the family hostage, the chief said. He was wearing body armor and had a shotgun, McManus said.

Sanchez has a history of family violence, the chief noted.

Sanchez was released recently from the Bexar County jail on bonds involving multiple charges including attempted arson, harassment of a public servant, attempted burglary with intent to commit assault, and resisting arrest, all of which appear to stem from an incident on May 7, according to court records. Details regarding the incident were not immediately available.

He is also awaiting trial on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon from Aug. 30, 2020.

On ExpressNews.com: Man accused of pointing gun at officers during standoff at South Side apartment IDd

Hostage negotiators and the departments SWAT team surrounded the home as officers evacuated nearby residents.

The first time Sanchez appeared, he emerged from the apartment with the shotgun and pointed it at officers below. At one point, he was heard taunting officers, and attempts to negotiate and de-escalate were unsuccessful, McManus said.

During the standoff, Tijerina emerged from the home and went back inside, although officers attempted to convince her to leave, McManus said.

She wouldnt leave because her children were still inside, he said.

Sanchez then walked out of the apartment carrying a 3-month-old infant, one of three children in the apartment, the chief said, before going back inside.

McManus said three officers got to a spot on a nearby apartment buildings roof that provided direct visibility to the apartments entrance and enabled them to provide cover to officers on the ground.

The last time Sanchez exited the apartment, he again pointed a shotgun at three officers on the ground level, and the three officers on the roof fired, hitting Sanchez, the chief said. He did not say how many shots were fired or how many times Sanchez was struck.

Sanchez dropped his shotgun and fell to the ground, at which point police took him into custody.

On ExpressNews.com: 'It happened really fast' - Bailiff describes post-verdict tussle with cop killer Otis McKane in punishment testimony

Police then found Tijerina dead inside the home. She had died from a gunshot wound, McManus said.

Her three children, between 3 months and 15 years old, were not injured.

"This is an extremely tragic event for all involved, and I give my deepest condolences to the children and family of the deceased victim," McManus said.

Sanchez was taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center for treatment and has since been booked into the Bexar County Jail by proxy. He is charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a public servant.

The chief declined to answer questions from reporters Wednesday, citing the ongoing investigation. He said the department is conducting two investigations into the incident alongside a third underway by the District Attorneys Office.

He added that body camera footage of the incident will not be released because the incident involves domestic violence. According to department policy, domestic violence is one reason the chief may decline to release body camera footage within the required 60-day period.

JBeltran@express-news.net
In full dress uniform, they were monuments to patriotism. Stoic, strong and courageous, only occasionally did they show emotion.

Their testimony was riveting. They vowed it wasnt partisan. On Tuesday, they appeared before the Jan. 6 commission in Congress. They werent there to share their own political views about that day  but to report what they saw and experienced.

The only side theyre on is that of the Constitution of the United States, which they protect and serve.

So, they told their stories about a violent day in U.S. history that has left them scarred.

It left them injured  emotionally and physically  and left five others dead.

It was a day the results of a free and fair election were to be certified. The former president of the United States spoke to rioters earlier that day and told them to fight like hell.

If you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.

A Washington Post analysis of Donald Trumps speech found it littered with allusions that the certification process could be stopped and he could be installed as president.

He alluded to violence that day, but he had been insinuating words of incitement for far longer. Youll never take back our country with weakness, he told them Jan. 6.

Like Trump, those insurrectionists and their supporters remain in denial about a stolen election and the insurrection itself. Trump recently referred to the mob as a loving crowd.

The four officers  Harry Dunn and Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the Capitol Police and two Washington, D.C. officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges  described violent, racist domestic terrorists who attempted to stop the certification of an election.

They have no evidence that the election was stolen. None.

Theyre listening to right-wing nut jobs online and on TV, including Sean Hannity of Fox News, who recently said the panel has one mission and one mission only: to smear Donald Trump and the GOP on national television.

For reality to truly sink into the consciousness of Trump supporters, into the minds of deniers and those whove downplayed the attack, and to those who remain indifferent, the terrifying images and video of that day should suffice.

It couldnt be clearer.

It doesnt show a loving crowd but an enraged one, some dressed in riot gear. The video captured them pushing through barricades, shouting racial epithets, destroying property and attacking and outnumbering police.

Images show insurrectionists, like ants, climbing over the Capitol walls and crushing an officers head and body between a metal door frame.

Overhead images best illustrate the scope of the madness.

Attackers and their supporters, some of them in Congress, cant whitewash this chapter in U.S. history. It was carried live on television.

They cant legitimize white supremacists, modern Confederates and Nazis, conspiracy theorists and pathetic souls whove wrapped themselves in a flag theyve soiled.

They deserve the strictest consequences legally available. Leniency isnt an option.

The world needs to see photos of them in handcuffs, paraded in perp walks to and from courtrooms and jail cells.

As the FBI and other law-enforcement agencies conduct their investigations and courts hear individual cases, the four officers made their own requests of the commission.

There was an attack carried out on Jan. 6, and a hit man sent them, Dunn said. I want you to get to the bottom of that.

Fanone, who was dragged into the crowd and attacked, asked the committee to find out who organized Trumps stop the steal rally and examine the violent political rhetoric that led up to the event. He asked the commission to determine whether there exists a collaboration between elected officials, their staffs and these terrorists.

Gonell, who said he was more afraid that day than he ever was during his service in Iraq, asked the committee to give law enforcement the tools to prevent future attacks.

Hodges, who was bashed with his own baton, asked for the commission to address if anyone in power had a role in this, if anyone in power coordinated or aided or abetted or tried to downplay, tried to prevent the investigation of this terrorist attack.

Directly and indirectly, they asked the commission to investigate the role Trump himself played.

Before the August recess, the commission will issue subpoenas, hear more testimony and meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland.

In the process, a nation can hope for more layers of the truth to be revealed, to fill in more gaps and more fully document this shameful chapter in U.S. history  one which these four officers and their colleagues defended our democracy.

eayala@express-news.net
As we recover from COVID-19, our neighbors are processing what it means to move forward.

San Antonio is a resilient community that has overcome a tremendous amount of loss and hardship the past year and a half. It has been difficult to navigate job losses, deaths of loved ones, food insecurity and the seemingly never-ending cycle of devastating news.

To top it off, our property values continued to rise, leading to increased tax bills despite the financial struggles and other adversities experienced throughout the community. Over the past year, several Texas cities, small and large, have passed polices that provided property tax relief to their residents. Some increased the amount of money that a person 65 and older can take off their appraised value, some increased the homestead exemption, and others did both.

Given the hardships endured by San Antonians throughout COVID, and because there has been an increased interest by other cities to provide property tax relief to their residents, it made sense to discuss increasing our city homestead exemption during this years budget goal setting session.

City Council met for our annual budget goal setting session June 25, and myriad critical issues were discussed. This is the first opportunity for council members to set their priorities for the coming fiscal year. District 9 City Councilman John Courage and I called for an increase in the citys homestead property tax exemption.

The first city homestead exemption was passed in 2019 and entitled all homeowners to $5,000 off the assessed valuation of their home. This is the minimum exemption allowed by state law. With fees and taxes continuously climbing, the intent of the city establishing the homestead exemption was to offset those incremental increases, with the hope of taking the lead and working with the other taxing entities to create a larger property tax relief package for our neighbors. I originally pushed for the citys homestead exemption with the expectation of increasing it over time, so it would serve as one tool in the toolbox, helping homeowners eventually see significant savings and providing more affordable housing.

The maximum exemption a city can enact is 20 percent.

At the budget goal setting session, Courage and I proposed increasing the exemption to 5 percent. That increase would amount to a $6 million revenue loss to the citys general fund; however, there was a $42 million carryover in the budget that would have covered that decrease. We were met with hesitation, just like in 2019.

I reminded my colleagues that the intention of establishing the citys homestead exemption was to incrementally increase it over time until we got to 20 percent. The conversation also served as a call to action for all our taxing entities to enact some form of homestead exemption so we can collectively provide significant relief to homeowners in San Antonio. Several entities act in a taxing capacity, including Bexar County, independent school districts, Alamo Colleges District, University Health System and the San Antonio River Authority.

I believe we can, and should, set the example for our partners, and, again, I encourage them to find budget efficiencies that free up the ability to provide property tax relief.

My hope is enough residents will share their support for increasing the citys homestead exemption with their council representative so it becomes a priority for fiscal year 2023. The citys homestead exemption and property tax relief should be a part of all budget discussions and budget surveys moving forward.

We made a commitment with our residents in 2019 that the creation of the citys homestead exemption was the first step toward providing meaningful property tax relief. Starting the program was no easy feat; increasing it will not be easy, either, but it absolutely should happen. With increasing property values, tax relief is now more important than ever to ensure we keep our most vulnerable housed without fear of being priced out of their homes.

I am optimistic that with a collective effort from the city of San Antonio and our partner agencies, we can provide meaningful property tax relief in the face of constantly rising fees and valuations.

City Councilman Clayton Perry represents District 10.
WASHINGTON  State Rep. Senfronia Thompson described to a U.S. House committee on Thursday occasions in 2010 and 2012 when white Republican poll watchers showed up at a Houston polling place where she and many other Black voters cast ballots.

They had people that looked like they was from the Proud Boys looking at you like you were in the wrong place, the Houston Democrat testified. In a minority area, that has a chilling effect. The word gets out that these people are at your polls looking at you like they want to arrest you, keep you from voting.

Youre damn right I left Texas, and Im glad I did, Thompson said. I left Texas to give my people a right to be able to vote without them being infringed upon.

It was one of several instances in which Texas Democrats detailed the ways they say Republican-backed legislation would make it harder for minorities to vote. Republicans, meanwhile, said the Texas Democrats were exaggerating the effects of the bill and should be back in Austin debating it in the Legislature, not complaining about it to Congress.

There is no assault on voting rights in Texas, said state Rep. Travis Clardy, a Nacogdoches Republican. The right to vote by secure private ballot is a fundamental right in this country that should be protected and the laws protecting our vote should be debated honestly and vigorously  and that is exactly what weve endeavored to do in Texas for the last eight months.

WILLIE HEADLINES AUSTIN RALLY: Willie Nelson to perform at Texas Capitol voting rights rally this weekend

Three Texas Democrats  Thomspon, San Antonio state Rep. Diego Bernal and Dallas state Rep. Nicole Collier  gave impassioned testimony to the House panel as they urge Congress to advance new federal voting laws to head off GOP efforts in Texas and other states.

The congressional hearing also brought a bit of news: U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, a Sherman Republican, said his colleagues in Texas informed him they would remove a provision from the proposed legislation that would require voters applying to vote by mail to include a drivers license number or social security number that they used when registering to vote.

That speaks well for coming to Washington, said U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. You made a little bit of progress.

It all made for a big day for the more than four dozen Democrats who have drawn a national spotlight and met with a slew of their partys leaders since their arrival in D.C. three weeks ago. The group left Texas earlier this month to break quorum in the state House and stop Republicans from passing new voting restrictions.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

The trip to D.C. was aimed at boosting support for federal voting rights legislation as the Supreme Court has rolled back major provisions of the Voting Rights Act over the last decade.

On Thursday, the Texas Democrats snagged meetings with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and heard from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they continue to push for a meeting with President Joe Biden.

New federal voting rights bill being drafted

Meanwhile, Democrats in the U.S. Senate are preparing to unveil a new voting rights bill as soon as this week, an effort to keep the issue alive as infrastructure and spending bills have dominated discussions on Capitol Hill for much of the time the Texans have been in Washington.

It was another encouraging sign for the Texas lawmakers who fled to D.C., whose lobbying efforts were derailed by a COVID outbreak in their caucus that pushed meetings to Zoom and appeared to scuttle chances of meeting with the president. Still, its unclear what that bill would include or how Democrats hope to get it past unified Republican opposition in the Senate, where the GOP can easily block it.

The House is leaving for recess after this week and the Senate is set to leave after next week  when the Democrats are also expected to return to Texas after the special session wraps on Aug. 7.

U.S. Rep. Raskin underlined the brevity of the moment and said the cost of inaction could not be higher for Congress.

Blocking a quorum is not a permanent solution, Raskin said. They are here to pass us the baton, and to buy us a little more time to do our job.

Bernal, a San Antonio Democrat, detailed provisions in the bill that he said are aimed at discouraging people from helping older voters and voters who are not comfortable with English to cast ballots.

Voter assistants now have to sign affidavits detailing their relationship to the voter and take an oath that they didnt persuade, encourage or coerce the voter in any way. They could face perjury charges  a state jail felony  if they violate the new rules, even if on accident.

This idea that this bill makes voting easier  in this instance, I dont see how, Bernal said. There are no cases of voter fraud related to voter assistance.

The Texas bill would also expand what partisan poll watchers are able to do in polling places while restricting elections officials ability to deal with those they believe are out of line. Democrats say it will lead to more voter intimidation and is one of the worst elements of the GOP bill.

Thompson said in one of the instances, a poll watcher approached her from behind. Thompson said she had a calm conversation with the person before casting a ballot, but said most people would not have stood their ground.

Republicans say its one of the many ways Democrats are exaggerating the risks of the new voting restrictions they have proposed, noting that not just any person off the street can show up as poll watchers, which are hired by parties.

We are hearing so many things today that are either not true or the assertions are accompanied by no evidence whatsoever, Fallon said. You can say whatever you want, it doesnt make it true.

ben.wermund@chron.com
Lets begin with a photo.

Not just any photo. The photo of San Antonio and food insecurity in 2020. The one Express-News photographer William Luther shot from high in the sky; an image that traveled around the world and into our hearts.

A photo that crystallized the intense need in San Antonio as the pandemic  not the public health measures that saved lives and hospital space  placed a choke hold on the economy and drove people to wait in line for hours just for a trunk load of food.

The photo is haunting because it is orderly, and yet, conveys an almost limitless panic and desperation we would never expect in modern America (and yet, exists every day, if we choose to see it). Here are rows and rows of vehicles filled with people patiently waiting for food. So many vehicles, they literally spill out of the frame.

If you were to zoom into the Traders Village parking lot on April 9, 2020, the picture would be much more chaotic, the desperation impossibly intimate. It was a sweltering, hazy day, and what I remember most from that morning is how volunteers who began their shifts so strong and optimistic  the best of us in every possible way, the light of lights in our community  wilted beneath the searing South Texas sun. Vehicle batteries died. People stood on their truck beds, craning their necks to take in an expansive need that, like the ocean, blended into the horizon.

William Luther / Staff photographer

On that day, the San Antonio Food Bank served 10,000 vehicles representing about 50,000 people. The first person in line, a man named Pete Delgado, arrived at 6 p.m. the day before and told me he had no food in his home. None. In the end, from Delgado at the front of the line to the last vehicle to pull through, anyone who needed food at Traders Village on the far Southwest Side was served. Success and failure rolled together in one long, hellish day.

The food distribution was jarring and overwhelming; I drove home shaken; officials fretted about running out of food; and San Antonio, a city best defined by its enormous heart, responded with a flood of donations to maintain the safety net.

But lets be honest: Its easy to respond to an immediate crisis  to quickly provide food and money when people clearly have none and the Food Bank is on the brink. Much more challenging is to radically change the conditions that led to the crisis, which is what such a moment deserves. More than a year after the Traders Village food distribution, I have doubts such a radical change will come despite the earnest rhetoric of the last year, the outpouring of philanthropy and a city workforce program that has immense potential, but is off to a bumpy, sluggish start pocked by poor communication.

These doubts linger because past so often is prologue. What we witnessed at Traders Village was an extreme manifestation of daily life in San Antonio. This is the city that shocked the world in the 1968 CBS documentary, Hunger in America, which featured starving San Antonio families; and yet 52 years later, we shocked the world again with the pervasive need at Traders Village.

Kin Man Hui / Staff photographer

Doubts also linger because we accepted hunger before the pandemic as part of our old normal, and the rush is clearly on to get back to 2019-like living. Just look at the lack of masks at the grocery store, the jammed hotel rooms or the return to school without robust protocols even though young children cant get vaccinated. There is an understandable yearning to slide back into familiar habits and ways.

And when it comes to poverty and food insecurity here, the familiar isnt remotely good enough. Before the pandemic struck, the San Antonio Food Bank served about 60,000 people a week. At the pandemics height that number ballooned to 120,000 people a week, and at this frustrating time with vaccines readily available for people 12 and older, and the Delta variant surging, enabled by maddening misinformation about COVID vaccines (get your shot, people), the Food Bank is serving about 90,000 people a week.

I think it feels, in some ways, it feels sad to think that we would go back to normal, and so just thinking that normal isnt good enough, said Eric Cooper, president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank. Could we instead of going back to normal, go back to better? What did we learn? And can we as a city change our trajectory? We did feed 60,000 people a week, and should I be excited about going back to that?

Could we move forward to better?

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

After the Traders Village food distribution, Mayor Ron Nirenberg likened the moment to an economic earthquake and an opportunity to rebuild. In many ways, the Traders Village food distribution was a catalyst for the citys commitment to workforce training and the chance to place people in careers with higher wages, not just jobs to get by; to shorten food distribution lines for good through new skills, training and a revamped economy.

And so the city dedicated $75 million for an emergency workforce program dubbed Train for Jobs SA, and voters overwhelmingly backed $200 million in future sales tax revenue for a second workforce program called Ready to Work.

The initial goal was to serve 10,000 people through Train for Jobs SA  a soaring number that, with hindsight, was far too optimistic. Still, I must admit my heart sunk when it was recently reported a bit more than 200 people had finished the program and been placed in jobs, and about 6,000 people had completed intake.

There are many reasons for the slow start. Surges in the pandemic kept people at home; perhaps so did enhanced unemployment benefits; people are, rightfully, opting for longer training programs, which leads to a longer time for landing jobs. Its also a huge program to build from scratch.

More concerning, though, is how COPS/Metro Alliance, the storied community advocacy group that pushed so hard for investment in workforce, and the city, which is administering these programs, are not on the same page.

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

There is a palpable disconnect between the two entities, spilling into recent Editorial Board meetings, and that has to be fixed. The sluggish start is disappointing, but its far more important for the workforce program to be built to last  that is, to effectively serve people over the course of a generation  than to get off to a hot start with easy job placements or quick trainings to boost numbers. The question isnt what the program looks like now, or how many jobs have been filled this month or even over the last nine months, but what should the program be in five or 10 or 20 years? How many families can the workforce program permanently lift out of poverty?

As Nirenberg told me during a recent interview: We are building an unprecedented workforce program, and we knew all along there will be challenges.

And later in our conversation: Nobody said it would be easy, and no one expects it to happen overnight.

San Antonio is routinely ranked as one of the most impoverished big cities in the nation, and one of the most economically segregated (which overlaps with racial segregation).

Over the last 10 years, the citys poverty rate has hovered between 17 percent and 21 percent, according to census data. But poverty is heavily concentrated among people of color. While about 10 percent of whites live at or below the poverty line, for Latinos its generally ranged from about 20 percent to 23 percent; for Black people its ranged from about 20 percent to 30 percent, depending on the year. The goal should be much bigger than job placement metrics, it should be ending poverty and changing this narrative.

Cooper told me a typical Food Bank client is a woman who works and doesnt take time off when she is sick; and this jibes with statistics about the working poor. Women are more likely than men to be mired in poverty; and many are working, according to a recent city report on poverty. They are just not earning enough.

When I spoke with Christine Drennon, a sociology and anthropology professor with Trinity University, about all of this  the Food Bank distributions, the sluggish workforce program, endemic poverty  she made a distinction between immediate need and a lack of generational wealth. Yes, all those people who lined up for food at Traders Village needed immediate help, but what they really lacked was generational wealth to weather storms.

It was people out of work, but it was people without some kind of social safety net, she said.

I remarked that 20 years from now a new version of the two of us  a journalist and a college professor  would be having the same conversation about poverty in San Antonio.

Drennon said, I completely agree.

As we emerge from the pandemic, my hope is we never lose sight of the Food Banks Traders Village distribution.

That the rows and rows of vehicles waiting for food are burned into our collective memories as not just a reflection of need, but a failure of policies at all levels of government. And with that memory in place, we can light the way forward with policies that not only create jobs, but expand access to health care through city incentives to employers and federal efforts to allow cities and counties to expand Medicaid.

That we think of affordable housing not only in terms of rentals, but home ownership; that we study the possibilities of direct cash assistance for the working poor; that we shed the comfort of complacency and reject a status quo that fails thousands of San Antonians on any given day and instead commit our minds and hearts to a longer view. One fiercely committed to breaking the chain of poverty that has been persistent for generations, but was so pronounced in 2020.

Josh Brodesky is editorial page editor of the Express-News.

jbrodesky@express-news.net
In the harsh ways the pandemic deeply changed and interrupted life, education and children took some of the biggest hits. The question now is how to make up for the learning losses many students suffered. There are no easy answers, and while its tempting to be optimistic, its also unclear meaningful transformation will come.

COVID-19 made a student out of all of us, and a teacher out of many of us. But only for so long. For many students and families, the struggle pushed them to quit trying. Students, parents and teachers felt loss, isolation, anxiety and depression throughout the pandemic. Even those who adapted said their education suffered.

Consider the words of Rudolph Gonzales, a father of two, who works as a college professor. He said he and his wife struggled to help their son, who attends Lee High School in North East ISD.

My kid is straight depressed about how this year went, he posted online in June in reply to a social media post about STAAR results.

So many issues. Missed STAAR by one point. Had to do it again a week ago. Teachers were horrible  there was no actual teaching. I am very upset.

There are no easy answers for how to help every child learn, even as we embark on a new school year. There is great potential to re-imagine education in Texas, but my fear is after an exhausting two years, there will be a drift back to the familiar and nothing will truly change.

Educators were forced to be pioneers in a time of colossal change and profound responsibility. Education Commissioner Mike Morath touted the heroism of teachers, but virtual instruction was a different beast. Teachers, who adapted to shifting policies and endured the ugly politics of COVID, lamented how teaching during the pandemic was complicated, emotional and exhausting. Many quit their jobs, including me.

Courtesy

Until February, when I joined the Express-News Editorial Board, I worked as a junior high teacher. In many ways, I felt like a student in the front row of a lesson in how to survive as a teacher during a pandemic. Pre-pandemic, teaching was demanding. Once the pandemic closed school buildings in March 2020, every day became a struggle.

Even a simple task like submitting attendance required several pages of instructions and flowcharts that often changed over time. Most of us were afraid of catching COVID, especially when we read about educators who died. I worked in a district where parents were eager to send their students back to school, so as soon as we returned to in-person learning, my classroom was crowded. But I also taught some students online  at the same time. It felt like nothing was ever enough. Many virtual students werent turning in their work  and not just those who normally struggled.

During the pandemics height, superintendents regularly met to discuss how to educate students under the guidance of medical experts and policies of Gov. Greg Abbott. But at the granular level  when to close school buildings, how teachers taught and graded, mitigation efforts and returning to school  every district did things its way. At one point, they all had to open for in-person learning, but parents could still choose virtual.

Most districts began phasing students back into school based on need. Counselors, administrators and teachers sought out students who disappeared during virtual learning, hoping they would return to school in person.

Rosalie Arce, a fourth grader at Roosevelt Elementary in Edgewood ISD didnt need convincing. She went back to school as soon as she could. She missed her friends and teachers. I was struggling through work and stuff, she said in her last week of school. I learn more in person. Subtraction is hard for me  sometimes its hard to show my work.

Courtesy

While Rosalies desire for in-person learning was unequivocal, the decision for parents was extremely difficult  especially for parents of color hit harder by the pandemic. Parents sometimes asked me if they should send their kids to school. Is the school really working to make it safe? If schools gave you a choice, would you be there in person? Will my child get COVID-19? I couldnt answer. I would try my best to help and listen, but I couldnt decide their biggest question: What is best for my child?

Learning was clearly suffering. Teachers were talking about how they never had so many students with failing averages.

The losses in academic growth were no surprise. Even before the dismal 2021 STAAR results reported about one-third of Texas public school students failed the state reading and math assessments, districts expected the bad news. Many students struggled with life on the wrong side of the digital divide, as well as their parents job losses, mental health, time management and virtual learning; some stopped participating in school. Remember, students entered the 2020-21 school year about six months behind in learning, according to an early assessment.

Many of the districts in San Antonio serve high numbers of Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. Some districts had more than half of their students learning virtually for most of last school year.

Then came the first official STAAR data since the beginning of the pandemic, incomplete because it wasnt required for virtual learners. Still, the stark disparities in performance among virtual and in-person learners, as well as by family income, were unmistakable.

In Edgewood ISD, one of the poorest school districts in the country where many families opted for virtual, more than 70 percent of students at various grade levels failed the state math test in 2021, the Express-News reported. In San Antonio ISD, 82 percent of eighth graders failed the test, compared with 43 percent in 2019.

While 75 percent of Edgewoods eighth graders did not meet standards for science scores this year, that figure was just 27 percent in North East ISD, a much wealthier district with more in-person learners.

Students whose education suffered the most during the pandemic were the ones whose parents chose virtual learning, even when they had the choice to attend school in-person. Many were people of color and low income. As of January, about 56 percent of Texas students on average returned to on-campus instruction during the school year, including 75 percent of white students, about 53 percent of Black students, 49 percent of Hispanic students and 31 percent of Asian students. Its an understandable choice, since COVID-19 disproportionately killed people of color  Black people are two times more likely to die from COVID and Hispanics are 2.3 times more likely to die than white people.

Should virtual learning be an option for some students? It could be a lifeline for those who deal with disabilities, medical conditions, mental health challenges and bullying. But it should be a rare exception. The magic of education happens with in-person instruction.

Will students be OK? They can be if schools take risks and meet students where they are to fill gaps that have always been there, but only widened during the pandemic. School districts can either aim for the status quo, or they can go deeper to disrupt a persistent truth: Education isnt equitable. It never has been.

Schools need a transformation, and while the time was generations ago, the pandemic presents an opportunity to prioritize emotional needs, family engagement and deliver tailored instruction. Education leaders can be lights through unbending support for reform and change.

Can schools transform from victim to victor? Will educators finally repair not only what COVID-19 broke, but years of failing to fix educational disparities for every child  including those who are Black, brown, low-income or disabled? Im hopeful that teachers and students will want to recover academically, but Im also skeptical. After the struggle of COVID-19, many will be eager to slip back into familiar, comfortable patterns. And while state lawmakers have talked a lot about education recently, it hasnt been about learning loss and COVID-19, but critical race theory in a familiar return to culture wars.

A common saying at the height of the pandemic was that schools were changed forever with details about how academic growth and mental well-being suffered. But the trouble with that narrative is that it has an assumptive finality to it. Maybe schools could be changed forever, in an amazing way. Maybe.

This new school year brings historic increases in funding and countless plans and changes. Most districts offered robust summer school classes and camps either to all students or a more targeted approach, and most districts shortened their summers.

Out of the $78 million San Antonio ISD is receiving in federal aid this year, more than $22 million is dedicated toward additional instructional time, Superintendent Pedro Martinez told the Express-News. The district added more than 30 instructional days to the calendar. More than $20 million also was allocated for additional staffing, including teachers, parent engagement specialists and therapists.

At Edgewood ISD, the largest percent of federal pandemic dollars will go to mental health, and there are also raises and stipends and the addition of literacy teachers.

And thats just in two districts. Recovery and transformation at schools across Texas and America will take years  TEA says normally, only four percent of students who are below grade level catch up in two years  and will need countless leaders who can light the way forward.

In its plan submitted to the Department of Education for how it will use federal funding, the Texas Education Agency said its top three strategies are encouraging and supporting on-campus instruction, launching Operation Connectivity to close the digital divide and providing high-quality curriculum.

The state also has said the two biggest issues facing students are learning loss and mental health challenges. Theres no question: Addressing mental health must come first. Far more concerning than learning loss are rising rates of reported trauma, anxiety, depression and substance use among young people before and during COVID-19. If students arent well  if their basic needs arent being met  they cant learn.

This is something Jarev Pena, a senior at Edgewood ISDs Memorial High School, hinted at during an interview. He was in his sophomore year when the pandemic shuttered school buildings in March 2020.

Jessica Phelps / Staff photographer

It really started to hit me. Like, am I going to be OK? he wondered. Teaching hadnt been as effective. We had to get adapted. There was Zooms and Teams meetings. Assignments were completely online. Everything was different.

Even for Pena, an exceptional and ambitious student, living during COVID introduced isolation and anxiety.

He said he had friends who got the virus and his grandmother in Mexico died of COVID-19. Still, if he had to assign a grade to Edgewood ISD and his teachers at Memorial High School, he said he would give them an A because they did their best to respond to students needs. But he also worried that their grace and leniency to students during virtual learning might affect his ambitious college goals.

He adapted, even supporting others who were disconnecting over virtual.

For me, the scariest part of teaching during the pandemic was how much worse students mental health was. Some developed severe anxiety and depression.

I made many referrals to counselors. Some of my strongest students completely stopped participating during virtual learning  not responding to calls, texts or emails. Many times, their parents didnt reply, either.

Students are not OK. TEA noted a significant volume of anecdotal reports indicating mental health will be a continuing challenge for children across Texas.

Texas first statewide plan for student mental health from December 2020 reported that even before the pandemic, approximately one in five American children experienced a clinical mental health disorder.

Its clear the numbers have worsened during the pandemic. TEA cited a CDC report identifying mental health-related emergency room visits among children increased 66 percent from April 2019 to April 2020.

But maybe COVID-19 will bring hope and shine light in this area, too. Maybe parents and students will seek help and schools will provide it. Students have always looked to schools for mental health support  but schools have been limited on counselors and resources in the past. That should, and must, change.

Will students be OK? This is another question I cant answer. I have more faith in students than the system. Will the digital divide truly be bridged? Will COVID, on the rise again, disrupt future learning? Can learning loss truly be overcome for all students?

There are more questions than answers, which is why educators cant give up on transforming school for all students. Rudolphs son, Rosalie Arce, Jarev Pena, my former students and millions of other students deeply want and need to be OK.

Nancy Preyor-Johnson is the associate editorial page editor for the Express-News.

nancy.preyor-johnson@express-news.net
Cities are transformed through the imaginations of people seeing what their communities can become. Cities are also transformed through the moral imaginations of people seeing clearly how their communities are in the present.

Visionaries peering into the future imagine expanded skylines, glittering downtowns, state-of-the-art stadiums, new businesses and the fusion of human capital and technologies, which earn cities the titles of great, modern, and world-class.

Visionaries confronting the present see the unmet needs of city residents lying in the shadows of skylines and stadiums, living outside the radius of downtowns bright lights. Seeing the needs that exist in all cities  want, injustice, imbalance of services and people depending upon the compassion of strangers for survival  visionaries imagine how they can comfort and assist others to build a stronger community.

Through their work, they become twice-bearers of light. First, by illuminating and calling attention to problems and inequities that have been hidden, ignored or forgotten. Second, the light of their compassion inspires others and brightens the citys path, reminding all how a great city should, first, be a great community that is loving, just, protective and inclusive, leaving no one in the shadows.

Born by a river, more than 300 years ago, San Antonio has been growing ever since, spilling over the rivers banks and spreading its diverse cultures and rich history in all directions.

The climate, land, flora and fauna we enjoy are gifts of nature. But the places and institutions built by men and women  neighborhoods, homes, parks, museums, schools, houses of worship, hospitals are gifts to ourselves.

For as long as I can remember, growing up here, Ive heard the saying that San Antonio is a big city with a small-town feeling, suggesting an intimacy and sense of community unusual for a city this size. Ive always felt that myself.

San Antonio is now the seventh-largest city in the United States, and it was the fastest-growing of the top 10 largest cities in the nation from 2000-2010. It is also, consistently, one of the most economically segregated cities in the country; has 17 school districts ranging from top-notch to low-performing; and is a historically low-income per capita city with a high poverty rate.

A sense of community, and its implicit embrace of inclusion, should always keep pace with a citys growth lest more of its citizens are left behind. Its the challenge of any growing city with world-class ambitions.

One of the ironies of HemisFair 68, the worlds fair that made San Antonio an emerging, international city, is that a few weeks after it opened in April 1968, San Antonios poverty was spotlighted in the CBS documentary, Hunger in America.

A historic 1921 flood and a pandemic, 100 years later, have also highlighted San Antonios inequities and, in the case of the flood, worsened them through policy decisions.

Each generation inherits legacies of progress as well as the challenges of work not completed and problems unaddressed. They bequeath that same heritage of success and failure to the generations coming after them. A city older than 300 years of age has been home to countless bearers of light.

Initially, this essay was to have been a history of some of these lights in San Antonio history. But elected officials and business leaders  and all their complicated legacies  kept crowding out everyone else and, and in many ways, this SA Lights project is about everyone else  those whose lack of public office, wealth or other reasons kept them outside the inner sanctum of movers and shakers.

Of course, elected officials, business leaders, philanthropic foundations and nonprofits have, through vision, policies, funding, and advocacy, shaped San Antonio, moved it forward and improved the quality of life for many of its citizens.

But as I wrote and rewrote, other historic examples, or lights, of people in areas such as education and housing came to mind. After Id jotted them down, I was reminded that communities of faith built some of this citys most venerable institutions.

In education, for instance, because I regularly drive by the schools that are their legacies, I thought of Artemisia Bowden and Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy.

Courtesy photo

A city named after a saint may have been home to two more. Bowden, the Georgia-born daughter of slaves, arrived in San Antonio in 1902 to revive St. Philips Normal and Industrial School, which mostly served poor Black girls. The school was founded by the Episcopal Church.

Bowden not only valiantly kept the school alive through difficult times but expanded its mission, casting a wider net over who would be educated.

In 1918, Bowden, moved the school to San Antonios East Side while advocating for a junior college for the Black community. St. Philips Junior College opened in 1927. St. Philips is a historically Black college and Hispanic-serving institution with an enrollment of 11,590, of whom a majority are Latino.

In 2015, the Episcopal Church elevated Bowden to sainthood with Aug. 18 as her saint day.

Courtesy photo

Inspired by a sermon she heard in 1887, Healy-Murphy, an Irish immigrant and widow, was moved to dedicate her life and fortune to the education of Black children in San Antonio. Educating San Antonios Black children had never been a priority  except for San Antonios Black parents.

In 1888, she opened St. Peter Claver Mission, the first Catholic school for African Americans in Texas. Along with the school, at the corner of Nolan and Live Oak streets on the citys East Side, Healy-Murphy also built a chapel and established the first Catholic parish for African Americans in the state.

This was done with considerable opposition from members of the community. Healy-Murphy then founded Texas first Catholic community of religious women, the Sisters of the Holy Ghost, which is now known as the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate.

Still standing at Nolan and Live Oak streets, but renamed the Healy-Murphy Center, the school is now an alternative education program offering high school and GED curriculums, daycare, and health services.

Healy-Murphy is now in the Catholic Churchs canonization process toward possible sainthood.

The Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate are just one example of the impact that congregations of nuns have had on San Antonio and the long-standing institutions theyve created.

The Sisters of Divine Providence built Our Lady of the Lake University. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word founded the University of the Incarnate Word and Santa Rosa Hospital.

The story of housing in San Antonio and the ongoing struggle to provide quality and affordable housing for everyone cant be told without chapters on Father Carmelo Tranchese and Habitat for Humanity.

Many have heard of Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit ecumenical organization that has built, rehabilitated and repaired hundreds of thousands of houses around the world, and which brings people together to build homes. Most may not know that the first Habitat for Humanity home was built on San Antonios West Side, on Hidalgo Street. The San Antonio affiliate of Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 by Faith Lytle; her husband, Bill, a Presbyterian minister; and Rod and Patti Radle.

J. Gilberto Quesada

Fewer are familiar with the Italian-born Tranchese who, in 1932, was assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church on San Antonios West Side, the heart of the citys Mexican American community. He arrived to a community of dilapidated shacks without toilets and running water, of unpaved streets that flooded when it rained and high rates of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, smallpox and diphtheria.

When Congress passed the Housing Act of 1937, which created the U.S. Housing Authority and funding for clearing slums and the building of public housing, Tranchese began advocating, through a letter-writing campaign, for public housing in San Antonio.

He reached out to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who visited him in San Antonio. Trancheses campaign led to Alazan Courts opening in 1940 and Apache Courts in 1942 as San Antonios first public housing. These were followed by Victoria Courts, Wheatley Courts and Lincoln Heights.

The flooding streets Transchese saw in West Side neighborhoods were a regular recurrence predating his arrival and continued after he left San Antonio.

In September 1921, San Antonio suffered the most destructive flood in its history.

The overflow from creeks and ditches rushed into the San Antonio River and San Pedro Creek out of which rose waves of water that crashed into the city. Houses, poles and trees were ripped from their foundations, cars slammed into buildings and more than 50 people  those who were accounted for  were killed. Most of those deaths were in the West Side where dozens of houses more like shacks  were washed away.

The flood led to a bond election that funded the building of the Olmos Basin, which protected downtown from flood risk. This stimulated investment in the area including a construction boom in the late 1920s, which saw the raising of landmarks such as the Smith-Young/Tower Life Building, the Medical Arts Building, the Municipal Auditorium, the Scottish Rite Temple and the San Antonio-Express News building.

The Basin was essential and a springboard for the citys economic growth, but it did nothing to protect the West Side from floods whose muddy waters, for decades, would continue to overflow ditches and rush through its neighborhoods, often claiming more lives. These floods and the lack of drainage they highlighted led to the 1974 founding of Communities Organized for Public Service (known as COPS) by the master community organizer Ernesto Cortes, a son of the West Side.

Staff file photo

Believing in the natural leadership in neighborhoods and churches, the organization (now COPS/Metro ) was made up of more than two dozen parishes in which people, no matter their income or education, learned they could be sources of light to illuminate and find solutions to their problems.

Armed with passion, knowledge of the issues and a newly developed fearlessness in confronting city and corporate leaders, they discovered an ability to correct inequities such as bonds being approved for West Side drainage projects but never spent on those projects.

While these small examples reflect the impact that all communities of faith have had on San Antonio, faith isnt the only light guiding people to do good works. People affiliated with no religion are no less connected to the women, men and children in need around them and no less committed to helping them. Nonbelievers are no less driven by the impulse to fulfill their moral responsibilities in pursuit of community.

A crusty and lovable former Express-News city editor, the late Craig Thomason, used to marvel at the generosity of the people in this city by saying, Never underestimate the heart of San Antonio.

Those hearts are moved by many things including love, compassion, conscience, faith and shared humanity. The heart of San Antonio is a beacon calling attention to those most in need of the warmth of community, those carrying burdens in darkness that they shouldnt bear alone.

Burdens each of us has the power to lighten.

Cary Clack is a columnist and member of the Express-News editorial board.

cary.clack@express-news.net


Egypt Airs subsidiary Air Cairo has announced plans to introduce two new routes to Belgrade and expand its operations in Serbia. It came following talks between the airlines CEO, Hussein Sherif, with the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate, Air Serbia and representatives of the Serbian government. The airline, which currently maintains scheduled year-round operations between Hurghada and Belgrade, plans to introduce regular flights between Sharm-el-Sheikh and the Serbian capital, as well as services from Cairo next April. Increasing the number of flights and expanding our destination network will result in better connectivity between Serbia and Egypt, which is a positive step in bilateral relations, Mr Sherif said. Egypt Airs subsidiary Air Cairo has announced plans to introduce two new routes to Belgrade and expand its operations in Serbia. It came following talks between the airlines CEO, Hussein Sherif, with the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate, Air Serbia and representatives of the Serbian government. The airline, which currently maintains scheduled year-round operations between Hurghada and Belgrade, plans to introduce regular flights between Sharm-el-Sheikh and the Serbian capital, as well as services from Cairo next April. Increasing the number of flights and expanding our destination network will result in better connectivity between Serbia and Egypt, which is a positive step in bilateral relations, Mr Sherif said.





Air Cairos CEO noted the airline plans to cater for holidaymakers but also connecting traffic from Africa as well. Serbian citizens who live and work in Africa will be able to fly directly via Cairo to Belgrade, rather than Istanbul or another European city, as has been the case up until now. Many people from Serbia live in South Africa and will soon have the opportunity to travel back to their homeland via Cairo in cooperation with Egypt Air, Mr Sherif said. He added, Furthermore, people from Africa will have the chance to travel to the Balkans and Europe. We will work on developing tourism ties and enabling easier access for businessmen and investors.





Air Cairo is looking to expand its cooperation with Air Serbia with Mr Sherif holding talks with the airlines General Manager for Commercial and Strategy Jiri Marek. Traffic rights have been a major sticking point between Serbia and Egypt due to a stringent bilateral air service agreement in place between the two countries. However, following talks between the airlines and government officials from both Serbia and Egypt, the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate said yesterday, At the meeting it was concluded for the representatives of each airline to define the potential expansion of capacity between the two countries. Next summer, Air Cairo also plans to introduce services between Sharm-el-Sheikh and Nis, which it initially intended on launching in the summer of 2019 but was blocked by the Serbian regulator.








Sterling, VA (20165)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 81F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 59F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A new order by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that allows state troopers to stop and turnaround vehicles carrying migrants on the basis that they could increase the spread of COVID-19 drew swift backlash and a threat of a lawsuit from the Justice Department on Thursday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland urged Abbott, a Republican, to immediately walk back the directive a day after it was issued by the two-term governor, who is up for reelection in 2022 and for months has sought to claim former President Donald Trump's hardline mantle on immigration.

The letter from Garland is among the most forceful pushback yet from the Biden administration over the actions taken by Abbott along the U.S.-Mexico border, which have also included jailing migrants on state crimes and building new fencing. Civil rights groups and immigration advocates have also slammed Abbott's latest move to curb border crossings, saying it could invite racial profiling and restrict the ability of shelters to take in newly arriving families.

The order is both dangerous and unlawful," Garland wrote.

Garland said Texas had no authority to interfere" with the federal government's broad powers of immigration and raised the potential of a lawsuit if the order was not lifted.

In releasing the directive Wednesday, Abbott said we must do more to protect Texans from this virus and reduce the burden on our communities." The order allows the Texas Department of Public Safety to stop any vehicle upon reasonable suspicion" that it was providing ground transportation to a group of migrants. Troopers could then reroute vehicles back to its point of origin or impound it.

Abbott shrugged off Garland's letter in a statement that blamed the Biden administration for high levels of migration along the southern border.

The Biden Administration is jeopardizing the health and safety of Texans on a daily basis by refusing to follow the law," he said.

The directive is not the first time during the pandemic that Abbott has put focus on migrants and the virus spread at a time of heightened worry over COVID-19. He raised similar worries over migrants in March  without providing any evidence that they were causing increased COVID-19 caseloads  which came as he faced criticism from public health officials for lifting a statewide mask mandate.

Abbott is now again facing calls to impose new coronavirus safeguards as the spread of the COVID-19 delta variant is raising infections. But he says he will not order new lockdowns or reimpose mask mandates.

Blaming the current coronavirus surge on immigrants in his executive order, is a flagrant attempt to absolve his ineffective leadership that ultimately led to the unnecessary loss of life of our fellow Texans," Democratic state Rep. Rafael Anchia said.

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.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Two of Michigans largest health systems will require all employees and physicians at their hospitals and other facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Spectrum Health, a 14-hospital network, and eight-hospital Beaumont Health announced the mandates Wednesday. At least five major hospital systems in the state have announced such requirements.

Grand Rapids-based Spectrum has 31,000 employees. Beaumont, based in Royal Oak, has 33,000 workers. They join the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Livonia-based Trinity Health and Ascension Health, which is headquartered in Missouri but has 15 hospitals in Michigan. About 70% of Spectrum's onsite staff are vaccinated, a spokesman said.

We must do all we can to take care of each other and our community, Spectrum President and CEO Tina Freese Decker said in a statement that cited the coronavirus vaccines' effectiveness in reducing the risk of hospitalization, death and long-haul symptoms. Together, our actions will serve to save lives and shorten the impact of the pandemic  both clear benefits to the public good.

Both Spectrum and Beaumont said their requirements will go into effect after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approves one or more of the current vaccines. Three vaccines currently have emergency use authorization.

Full approval is expected early this fall, Beaumont said, adding that if the positive coronavirus rate in surrounding communities begins to spike or if the health system experiences a fourth pandemic surge the mandate will begin sooner. Both hospital systems cited the delta variant, a mutated and more transmissible version of the virus.

Employees and providers who do not meet exemptions and refuse to get vaccinated will initially be suspended and those who choose not to be vaccinated will no longer be allowed to work at Beaumont, the health system said.

We have a duty to protect our patients and our staff, Beaumont Health Chief Executive John Fox said. The vaccine is the only safe and effective way to truly protect against COVID-19.

The announcements came a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas of substantial or high transmission. That includes 10 of 83 counties Michigan, whose overall two-week infection rate ranks low nationally.

The state currently requires health care employees to wear masks at work.

The Michigan State Medical Society, a trade group of doctors, said it supports vaccine mandates for health workers.

Many have been vaccinated, and we have made great progress bringing life back to the way it was early last year, said Dr. Pino Colone, the group's president. Still, COVID is not gone. In fact, it is changing and spreading and right now infecting an increasing number of people who, in most cases, have yet to be vaccinated.

__

Williams reported from West Bloomfield, Michigan.
A turning point in U.S. racial politics came in 1986 at Pine Manor College in Massachusetts, shown. There, race-consciousness won out over color-blindness, profoundly changing American society.

By Eric Felten, RealClearInvestigations

July 28, 2021

Critical race theory isnt so much a thing as a way of looking at a thing, Kimberle Crenshaw assured MSNBC host Joy Reid last month. Crenshaw is a law professor at UCLA who, as a law student at Harvard, was one of the founders of critical race theory in the 1980s. The cable news segment  headlined The GOPs Fact-Free Freakout Over Critical Race Theory  portrayed CRT as unobjectionable: Its a way of looking at race, Crenshaw said, smiling. Its a way of looking at why, after so many decades  centuries, actually  since the emancipation, we have patterns of inequality that are enduring.

Crenshaws benign description has been adopted by many news outlets. They portray critical race theory as a rarefied tool used almost exclusively by law school professors, a scholarly framework that describes how race, class, gender, and sexuality organize American life. The claim that CRT is rarely taught outside the upper reaches of the academy is belied by numerous examples of its influence, including California's Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, a nearly 900-page teaching guide for K-12 educators adopted in March, which refers to CRT throughout. It says teachers and administrators should familiarize themselves with current scholarly research around ethnic studies instruction, notably critical race theory.

Critical race theory also informs the New York Times 1619 Project, which "aims to reframe the country's history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the United States' national narrative." It is now taught in thousands of public school classrooms across the country.

The modesty of Crenshaws claims also fails to square with the combative account of the origins of CRT presented in the 1995 book Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement, a textbook edited by Crenshaw and fellow radical academics Neil Gotanda, Gary Peller, and Kendall Thomas. In a foreword, the scholar and activist Cornel West declares that CRT is not just an academic approach but a politically committed movement. The radical intent of this activist ideology is apparent in its rejection of traditional civil rights discourse, promoting race-consciousness over yesteryears ideals of integration, assimilation and color-blindness. Given the chance, the key proponents of critical race theory turned on their baffled white allies, publicly accusing their fellow progressives of racist recidivism. That confrontation, at an obscure academic conference over 30 years ago, did much to shape todays angry racial politics.

The 1995 book explains that CRT grew out of Critical Legal Studies, the organizing hub for a huge burst of left legal scholarly production in the late 70s. At first the critical race theory advocates were part of the crits, as the CLS crowd was known. The race-crits (as the CRT advocates of color labeled themselves) participated in Critical Legal Studies conferences, where they traded countercultural strategies. Both groups shared the view that law schools were an influential site for indoctrination. The race crits in particular saw them as ideal for building and promoting a theoretical vocabulary for the practice of progressive racial politics in contemporary America, according to Crenshaw and her fellow editors of the Critical Race Theory reader.

What did she mean by progressive racial politics? For starters, it meant rejecting the liberal legalist tradition that viewed law as an apolitical mediator of racial conflict. They believed that the traditional civil rights vision was exhausted.

The race-crits shared with the crits the view that the law is just power politics draped in robes. But the factions split over whether society was constructed on class or on race. The original crits thought of race as an expression of class, not as a distinct category. Such claims were a fundamental attack on the very possibility of our project, Crenshaw and her co-authors wrote. The critical race theory project was to make color-consciousness, as opposed to color-blindness, central to any discussion of race and the law.

The crits would soon learn that the critical race theorists took seriously their call for race-consciousness, and not just with regard to the Supreme Court. The race-crits viewed their erstwhile allies as just another group to be judged by the color of their skin  which, for most radical left-wing intellectuals at prestigious law schools, happened to be white. At its inception in the late 70s, Critical Legal Studies was basically a white and largely male academic organization, according to Crenshaw. She described the crits as a predominantly white left.

The race-crits insistence on seeing the world in black and white would soon lead the radicals to splinter.

The break came at a conference crits held in 1986 at Pine Manor College in Massachusetts. The white leftists invited scholars of color to organize some sessions applying radical analysis to the topic of race. The workshop proved to be less collegial than the crits had expected. They didnt realize that the race-crits saw them as a white institution. The crits were surprised  and not pleasantly -- to find that the workshop had been designed to show that the Critical Legal Studies advocates were themselves racists. The race-crits began the seminar by confronting the crits with this question: What is it about the whiteness of CLS that discourages participation by people of color?

Crenshaw, writing without irony, noted that the race-crits assault on CLS as a white institution drew a surprisingly defensive response. Was it really so surprising?

The crits sputtered that they were allies rather than adversaries and that their collective energies were best saved for the common cause of tearing down traditional institutions.

Crenshaw remarked bitingly that she revealed that the hip, cutting edge irreverence of CLS was a fragile facade. The race-crits demonstrated that the countercultural bravado of the crits could easily disintegrate into handwringing hysteria.

One of the white intellectuals at that workshop was Gary Peller, who puts a positive face on the intervention. He tells RCI that it did highlight that white leftists had not thought in sophisticated ways about race. But hes not sure it was worth the anguish and handwringing. Peller says, Its not effective to confront and blame people.

In the bitter aftermath, a few, including Peller, kept a foot in each camp. But as might have been expected, the crits and the race-crits had something of a falling out.

Once they were largely freed of the stodgy views of the white radicals, the academics who practiced critical race theory developed an ideology that rejected the old-fashioned liberal goal of integration. They argued that integration meant the loss of African American identity and culture and likened assimilation to genocide. They embraced color-consciousness and black nationalism; they dismissed the old ideal of color-blindness as a sort of false-flag operation, calling it an ideological strategy by which the current [Supreme] Court obscures its active role in sustaining hierarchies of racial power.

Kimberle Crenshaw is notable not only for her role in critical race theory, but also in developing the concept of intersectionality. She brought those trendy academic concepts together two years ago in a book titled Seeing Race Again: Countering Colorblindness Across the Disciplines. In it, she denounces the effort to see individuals as people with rights regardless of color, saying it just distracts from the inequalities, and injustices of existing social relations. In the world of CRT, colorblindness is neither appealing nor morally just. Instead, it is a conceit, a tool crafted to protect white preferences and privileges.

Critical race theory is nothing if not ambitious. It questions the very foundations of the liberal order, according to CRT pioneer Richard Delgado. He writes that critical race theorists reject core tenets of classical liberalism including Enlightenment, rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law."

Conservatives -- and, increasingly, a growing cadre of traditional liberals -- recoil from CRT, offended by the claim that racism is not only systemic but ineradicable. But the race-crits claim is more than just a reproach. It is a way of dismissing the traditional civil rights emphasis on eliminating bias and prejudice. That project was rooted in a belief that discrimination was something individuals did to other individuals. But the traditional civil rights emphasis on non-discrimination left an opening for whites to challenge affirmative action. The logic of the old definition of racism made it possible for disappointed white applicants for jobs or education to complain of reverse-racism. Among the key events that motivated critical race theory was the Supreme Courts Bakke decision in 1978, putting restrictions on affirmative action, and a fight with Harvard Law School over whether to reserve a number of teaching slots for black professors.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, recently defended schools and schoolboards against activist parents who she claimed were trying to stop teachers from teaching students accurate history. But critical race theory isnt about teaching history. It is an ideological movement, one that discourages integration, rejects color-blindness, and scoffs at the rule of law.

For example, in a 2015 journal article, critical-race scholars and practitioners Maria Ledesma and Dolores Calderon celebrate CRT as a revolutionary project and encourage elementary schools to disparage color-blindness as dog whistle racism.

Critical race theory came into its own by accusing friends and colleagues of racism. If thats how allies are treated, should it be any surprise that parents and lawmakers opposed to what they see as the radical indoctrination of children should find themselves accused of racism too?
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.

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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.
BOZEMAN, Mont. and VANCOUVER, BC, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Microbion Corporation of Bozeman, MT, today announced that Mr. Robert A. Gillam, CFA, will be joining Microbion's Board of Directors as Chairman, replacing Mr. Karim Lalji in the Board Chairman role effective immediately. Mr. Lalji will continue to serve as Microbion's CEO and on the Board of Directors.

Mr. Gillam is currently Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of McKinley Management, LLC, a privately held firm providing world-class investment, research, consulting, and advisory services from its offices in Anchorage, Juneau and Chicago. As CEO/CIO, Mr. Gillam is responsible for the firm's overall business strategy, financial health, and investment process. Mr. Gillam has been with the firm since 1994 in roles including sales, portfolio manager, and head of international investments. He is the principal strategist behind McKinley Capital innovations including Non-U.S., MEASA, and Global Healthcare Transformation investment strategies and the Engineering and Solutions technology platform, the acquisition of McKinley Research Group, LLC (formerly McDowell Group) and most recently, the creation of McKinley Alaska Private Investment, LLC. McKinley Capital was selected as one of Pensions & Investments magazine's 2020 Best Places to Work in Money Management.

Mr. Gillam is an Advisory Board Member of the Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research at the Wharton School. He sits on the Rasmuson Foundation investment committee. He has written numerous pieces of research, including Investing in Global Equity Markets with Particular Emphasis on Chinese Stocks, co-authored with Dr. Harry Markowitz, Ph.D., Dr. John Guerard Jr., Ph.D., and Dr. Shijie Deng. A noted speaker, he has been featured on the Bloomberg Invest forum, at the Milken Institute Global Conference, and the Institute for Fiduciary Education. Mr. Gillam holds a bachelor's degree in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and is a Chartered Financial Analysis (CFA). Rob, his wife, and two sons reside in Anchorage, Alaska, where he enjoys fly fishing, hiking, and wilderness adventures. A third-generation Alaskan, he is passionate about his home state and the unique opportunities found in the Last Frontier.

"We are excited to welcome Rob to Microbion's Board as Chairman in this planned transition," said Karim Lalji, CEO of Microbion Pharma Corp. "Rob's depth of experience and network in the capital markets are key at this exciting time in Microbion's history. Our novel, first in class therapeutic compounds continue to demonstrate disruptive potential as we advance our inhaled treatment for orphan lung infections and other programs through clinical development. We're confident that Rob's involvement will help accelerate our ability to address critical unmet medical needs and drive additional value for our shareholders."

"I look forward to contributing my experience in international capital markets and growth strategy to Microbion's Board," said Rob Gillam, Microbion's Chairman of the Board. "As an investor of Microbion, I've been following the company's novel approach to treat chronic infectious diseases for several years and strongly believe it is on the verge of breaking out with key value inflection data read outs. I will work closely with fellow Board members and Microbion's executive management to maximize the company's success and value to all our stakeholders, including patients, caregivers, partners, and investors."

"I've known Rob for several years and he has been an ardent supporter of Microbion's technology and vision," said Dr. Brett Baker, Microbion's Founder, President and Chief Innovation Officer. "Rob will play an essential role in our efforts to grow and create further value in the company. We have strong momentum as we advance inhaled pravibismane for treatment of lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients with the support of our partners, CARB-X and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and are currently in the late planning stages to conduct a Phase 2 study for topical pravibismane treatment of diabetic foot ulcer infections anticipated to start later this year. I'm excited to see how Rob's leadership and experience will help us build on this momentum."

About Microbion

Microbion is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing a new class of therapeutic compounds designed to address critical unmet medical needs of life-threatening and chronic diseases. Microbion's lead drug candidate, pravibismane, is the first product in this new class and has a novel mechanism of action. Pravibismane is the first known anti-infective drug demonstrating safe, broad- spectrum potency against multi-drug resistant bacteria/superbugs, resistant fungal pathogens, and bacterial biofilms that contribute to antibiotic-resistance and chronic disease. The company is developing inhaled pravibismane for treatment of cystic fibrosis-related and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung infections, and topical/local pravibismane for treatment of chronic wounds and orthopedic infections. Pravibismane's potential as a viable therapeutic has been validated through ~$23M in non-dilutive grants awarded to-date from the National Institute of Health, U.S. Army, CARB-X, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The FDA has granted Microbion Fast Track, QIDP and Orphan Drug designations. Microbion Corporation has previously closed a Series A financing of US$25M from GHS Fund (Quark Venture LP and GF Securities).

For more information visit: www.microbioncorp.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking, such as those, among others, relating to the success of clinical development of pravibismane and preparation for potential commercialization. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: our ability to enroll patients in our clinical trials at the pace that we project; the size and growth of the potential markets for pravibismane or any future product candidates and our ability to serve those markets; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of pravibismane or any future product candidates; and our expectations regarding the potential safety, efficacy or clinical utility of pravibismane or any future product candidates. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Microbion Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CARB-X funding for the pravibismane project is sponsored by Cooperative Agreement Number IDSEP160030 from ASPR/BARDA and by awards from Wellcome Trust and Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CARB-X or any of its funders

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Investor/Media Contact:

Edmond Lee

Director, Business Operations

Microbion Corp.

E: investors@microbioncorp.com

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SOURCE Microbion
If there was any doubt that President Biden wants to ban the vast majority of guns in the United States, he again clarified his position last week. The idea you need a weapon that can have the ability to fire 20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots from that weapon  whether its a  whether its a 9-millimeter pistol or whether its a rifle  is ridiculous, Biden said at a televised CNN townhall meeting. Im continuing to push to eliminate the sale of those things, but Im not likely to get that done in the near term.

The presidents gun control proposals will make guns so expensive and difficult to obtain that only the extremely wealthy will be able to afford to own one legally. While the news media assures Americans that Biden just wants reasonable regulations, Biden made the scope of his true ambitions clear during the campaign. At a high-dollar private fundraiser in Seattle in 2019 he said: Why should we allow people to have military-style weapons, including pistols with 9-mm bullets and can hold 10 or more rounds?

When Republicans pointed out that this goal was tantamount to banning most modern handguns, liberal PolitiFact quickly came to Bidens defense. The fact-checking site did so again last week. The most popular handguns would face no restrictions under Bidens policies, wrote PolitiFact senior correspondent Jon Greenberg. The basis of this conclusion, Greenberg wrote, is that the popular Sig Sauer P365 cannot accommodate more than 10 or 15 rounds. This is untrue. Although that is how the pistol comes from the manufacturer, this gun and virtually all semiautomatics can use bullet magazines that extend well below the pistol grip. The model Greenberg referenced can actually use magazines that hold 20, 30, or even 50 rounds.

Presumably, PolitiFact believes that Bidens proposed ban would only apply to guns based on their standard magazine size. But Biden himself wasnt ambiguous. He talked about banning pistols based on their ability to fire or that can hold so many rounds. When he mentions military-style weapons including pistols, the president is talking about the gun themselves. He also wants to ban so-called assault rifles regardless of how many rounds their standard magazines hold, and he lumps those guns together with pistols. Over 85% of handguns in the U.S. are semiautomatics and would be banned if Biden has his way.

The nations top elected Democrats do not usually openly talk about banning handguns, but their proposals aim to accomplish just that. Biden has also proposed making gun manufacturers civilly liable for any misuse of firearms that they sell. That means people could sue manufacturers and sellers whenever a crime, accident, or suicide occurs with a gun  and would effectively put them out of business.

Normally, in such product liability litigation, a manufacturer must produce a defective product or violate the law in some way. But to run afoul of this proposed statute, gun makers need not do anything wrong at all.

Imagine what would happen to the car industry if similar rules applied. The National Safety Council estimates that car accidents in 2018 caused 39,404 deaths and 4.5 million injuries in the United States. Most of these occur because a driver isnt paying attention or drives recklessly, perhaps under the influence of drugs or alcohol, neglected to maintain the vehicle  or because of some other combination of factors. Rarely is the car or truck itself at fault. It would be ludicrous to make automakers pay lost wages, medical costs, and pain and suffering because of a drivers negligence. Gun manufacturers likewise shouldnt have to pay for the misconduct of Americas citizens.

Democrats unwillingness to fix the gun background check system also reflects their desire to make life difficult for gun owners. Errors in the system stop about 3.8 million law-abiding Americans from purchasing firearms. Mistakes arise because most checks look at phonetically similar names and similar birthdates and account for about 99% of the denials. When I recently worked in the U.S. Department of Justice, I saw data showing that the system overwhelmingly discriminates against black and Hispanic males. All the government must do is hold itself to the same standards for background checks that private companies have to meet.

Or take Bidens zero tolerance policy towards what he calls rogue gun dealers. No policymaker wants dealers to secretly sell guns to criminals out of the back of their store. But that is not what Biden is going after. Even one mistake in paperwork, no matter how trivial and inconsequential, now means the loss of their license and the end of their business. When Biden talks about 5% of the gun dealers selling 90% of the guns found at crime scenes, he ignores that 5% sell over 90% of the guns. He ignores that less than 0.1% of guns are used in a crime in any given year, and that guns are used to stop crime about five times more frequently than they are used to commit it.

Semiautomatic guns account for the vast majority of gun sales, and provide critical self-defensive benefits for individuals. If manually loaded, single-shot guns are the alternative, law-abiding victims are going to be in trouble if they have to fire more than one round in self-defense against a criminal with an illegally obtained semiautomatic.

Magazines, which are a box with a spring, are easy to make and virtually impossible to stop criminals from obtaining. Lets not put law-abiding citizens at such a disadvantage by giving them only one shot while criminals may have dozens.
British farmers could improve production levels by engaging with scientists more on social media, researchers have suggested.

Farmers and scientists have called to engage with each other on social media to improve the carbon footprint of farms and increase production of crops and livestock.

Researchers at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) analysed a million tweets relating to agriculture and rural society in Scotland between 2019-20 to see levels of social media engagement.

They found that while a considerable number of farmers use social media to discuss agriculture among other topics, they tend to group with other farmers while interaction with scientists is limited.

Likewise, scientists, for the most part, engage with other scientists on Twitter.

The aim of SRUC's research is to enable more accurate information sharing in online spaces as well as a faster uptake of ideas from science to the farm.

Using a method called network jumping  which analysed the tweets of an initial set of stakeholders to identify the users they are in conversation with  they were able to develop a database of discussions.

They then created a social network of participants and looked at their Twitter accounts to find which were tweeting most, had the highest number of followers or used the most popular hashtags among other variables.

Based on analysis of these networks, the researchers have developed a best-practice guide on how to better engage with Scottish stakeholders via online social networking platforms.

Researcher Elliot Meador said: Right now, the two groups dont interact as much as they could. If farmers can gain and use information from scientists, they can improve their production.

"We propose new ways of interacting between farmers and scientists which will encourage engagement and allow for more accurate information to be shared in online spaces, at a time when misinformation is rampart across social media.

"We are seeing a lot of environmental research which can be applied on the farm  this not only improves the carbon footprint but also increases the production of quality crops and livestock through improved farming techniques.
The government has rejected the pig sector's renewed call for more financial support amid ongoing struggles with record costs and negative margins.

Defra has once again turned down the National Pig Association's (NPA) request for a Covid-19 compensation scheme for the English pig sector.

The department claimed it would not be appropriate for it to implement a scheme similar to those in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Instead, it referred to existing support measures that producers have access to that were created during the Covid pandemic.

In a letter to NPA chairman Rob Mutimer, Defra farming minister Victoria Prentis cited a slightly more optimistic outlook for the pig sector as justification for not delivering a compensation package.

This is despite the industrys ongoing struggles with record costs and negative margins that have persisted since the start of the year.

Mr Mutimer, who wrote to Defra earlier this month outlining the dire situation the sector faced, said he was extremely disappointed with the response and the reasons given.

He sought support in various areas, including measures to alleviate the labour shortages and the loss of China export licences, as well as the compensation package.

The NPA said it was now seeking an 'urgent meeting' with the minister to reiterate why the pig sector currently needed more support than the government was willing to provide.

Mrs Prentis said the government very much recognise the challenges that the industry has faced in recent months because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

She outlined the general support made available to businesses, including the new Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) launched on 6 April.

She said she was also aware that in January the Northern Ireland Executive announced a 2.2m compensation fund for pig producers impacted specifically by the Covid-19 closure of a Cranswick plant in August 2020.

The Scottish Governments had also issued funding for producers who were required to pay a similar financial penalty by the Brechin plant due to the loss of its China export market.

But she said: Producers in England or Wales did not face such a situation. Not all the pork processing companies who export to China were affected by Covid outbreaks and those that were impacted chose not to impose penalties on their suppliers.

For this reason, it would not be appropriate for us to implement a scheme similar to those announced by both the Northern Ireland Executive and the Scottish Government.

Recent data, she added, suggested a slightly more positive outlook for deadweight prices, which have been rising since April and remain above the 5-year average.

Input prices, particularly for feed, remain high as a proportion of producer costs but these have fallen in recent months," she added.

"On the retail side, both customer spend, and volumes have increased over the last 12 months. Exports are steady with an increase in annual sales to China."

On the lost China export licences, she said Defra was working with British Embassy in Beijing and wider FCDO colleagues to use every opportunity to press the Chinese authorities for the relisting of these UK establishments.

But she acknowledged that China had not responded to repeated requests, both at working level and at Ministerial level, for bilateral engagement to discuss this issue.

She was also unable to offer any support on the labour shortages currently causing major problems across the whole sector, insisting the government will not introduce a general low-skilled or temporary work route.

We are encouraging all sectors to make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers through offering training, careers options, wage increases and to invest in automation technology, she said.

But Mr Mutimer said the response from Defra was 'very disappointing', suggesting the government was 'failing to recognise some hugely significant issues affecting the pig sector'.

We fear the pig industry is heading towards a severe crisis, due, in part, to the global pandemic, but also to the restrictive government immigration policy introduced at the start of this year," he said.

Our requests for support were proportionate and reflected the severity of the situation, and, in terms of Covid compensation, were in line with what was delivered months ago in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

"We will continue to press for a compensation package, especially now as many of the support schemes announced during the pandemic are coming to an end."
Over half of small and local abattoirs expect to close within the next five years if action is not taken to safeguard their future, new research shows.

The National Craft Butchers (NCB) surveyed small and local abattoirs throughout England, Scotland, and Wales from March to May this year.

It highlighted the importance of the local abattoir network to farmers and the challenges it currently faces, including increased regulation, lack of training and loss of income.

Of the abattoirs surveyed, 70 percent of owners are aged over 51, with 11 percent over the age of 66, highlighting the sector's aging workforce.

Over half (59 percent) expect to close the business within the next 5 years if action is not taken, and 56% do not have a succession plan or someone to take over the business.

Increases in one size fits all regulation, loss of income through hides and skins and lack of education in the meat industry as a skilled and attractive career choice is leading to a 'cliff edge', the NCB said.

All respondents to the survey offer private kill and cutting and packing services. Without these, many small and rare breed farmers would be unable to get produce to their customers.

The local and small abattoirs are multi species abattoirs able to provide a kill service for multiple species for the same customer, the NCB explained.

They are also local businesses providing valuable skilled careers for their employees, on average they provide four jobs for community per abattoir, it added.

The group said: "We need the government to acknowledge the important role of small abattoirs, to ensure urgent regulatory reviews are prioritised, to invest in the sector and safeguard it for the future.

"We believe this should include schemes to attract new generations into the abattoir sector and meat industry as a whole, but we also need to ensure small businesses are not regulated out of existence."

It follows analysis undertaken by the Sustainable Food Trust which found that the number of small abattoirs has reduced by a third over the previous decade.

Patrick Holden, chief executive of the Sustainable Food Trust, said the sale of locally-produced meat helped to keep family farmers in business and had "huge benefits" for consumers and the environment.

Christopher Price, CEO of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, reiterated the crucial importance of small abattoirs for farmers keeping rare breeds and all farmers selling meat locally.

He said: Without a local abattoir we simply cannot get our animals slaughtered and without that we have no market for them.

We have lots of willing farmers who want to keep native breeds and lots of willing consumers who want to buy or eat native breeds.

But we need the infrastructure and services that allow us to kill and process them.
A 56-year-old woman has died after her car collided with a tractor pulling a spraying trailer in Angus, Scotland, police have confirmed.

Police Scotland has issued an appeal for witnesses following the incident, which happened on Wednesday morning (28 July).

The collision occurred at around 8:10am on the B9128, located between Carnoustie and Forfar.

A silver Volkswagen Polo with two occupants in the vehicle collided with a John Deere tractor, which had one occupant.

The passenger in the Polo, a 56-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 69-year-old driver of the car was sent to hospital while the tractor driver received no injuries.

Sgt Ewan Pearce from Police Scotlands road policing unit said: Tragically as a result of this collision a woman has lost her life and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time.

We ask anyone who saw the vehicles immediately prior to the collision  specifically the Polo on the B9128 and the tractor on the B9127  or who witnessed the crash, to come forward and speak with officers.

Those with information should contact Police Scotland on 101 and quote incident number 0716 of July 28, 2021.
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MOUNT HOPE  "I just want to begin by remembering them all," an emotional Jack Spadaro said at the outset of his remarks Friday on the 55th anniversary of the New River Company Siltix Mine explosion.
The joy of the 'Scudetto' lasted him very little to an Inter of Milan that this summer has gone in in a process of reconstruction forced. Antonio Conte at last had given with the key this past season and expected that the course that comes could compete by the Champions League. Unfortunately, the economic crisis that has caused the pandemia in his club, did that the technician decided to go down of the ship and resigned because of desencuentros with the entity.

To the course of the trainer joined him shortly after the one of Achraf Hakimi, a pillar of the team in right band, that put course to Paris Saint-Germain in return of 60 million euros. But the one of the Moroccan could not being the last traumatic exit, since in Europe know that the interistas need income and there is a club that wants to carry to his big star. Chelsea, that looks for a '9' of category, would have put his eyes in Romelo Lukaku and would be had to throw the house by the window by him.

As they aim from 'The Ran della Sera', Roman Abrahimovic, owner of the English picture, could be preparing an oferton of 130 million euros to carry to the Belgian. A traspaso record this summer that only could surpass the Manchester City in case that confirm the signing of Harry Kane. A very tempting proposal for the needy Inter, that is slope of what can suceder.

It fits to remember that the maximum second goleador of the past Series To announced at the beginning of June that had decided to remain in the picture 'neroazzurro'. "Yes, I remain me. I seat me well in the Inter. The challenge now is to go back to win the Scudetto, but this time in front of the fans in Saint Siro", affirmed. In principle, the intention of the tip keeps on being to remain in Milan, but is for seeing that the interistas agree with this if it finish arriving this big proposal of Chelsea.

The 'Plan To' of Chelsea was Haaland

It fits to say that the 'blues' have thought in Lukaku after the "no" of the Borussia Dortmund to negotiate by Erling Haaland. The Norwegian was the 'Plan To' of the londinenses, that were had to pay more than 150 millions by him, but the Germans have not wanted to speak of the subject. It seems that the vikingo will not move of the Bundesliga this summer and therefore the ones of Thomas Tuchel have decided to go to by the Belgian, that to his 28 years is in the best moment of his career.
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The star of the millennium as we must call her, Sara Ali Khan made many headlines even before she made her debut in Bollywood. Be it her fitness journey, her sense of fashion or her acting Sara surely knows how to nail it all. Not just acting she has also made a strong social media presence where she shows her fans her goofy and fun side. The star kid joined the industry in 2018 and has done a total of four films, but with each film she has proved what an amazing actor she is. Be it her role in her debut film Kedarnath or Coolie no.1 Sara has won many hearts with her performance. And we can surely say that she has a long way to go. So be ready for some binge-watching as we list the actresss films.





1. Sara Ali Khan Movie - Simmba

A Rohit Shetty directorial, starring Sara Ali Khan and Ranveer Singh, this film was a mass entertainer and received a lot of positive response from the audience. The story revolves around Simmba (Ranveer Singh) , an orphan who grows up to become a police officer and believes that a corrupt officers life is an ideal life. He then gets transferred to another police station where he meets Shagun (Sara Ali Khan) and falls in love with her. He bonds with the rest of the women and girls of the area. Meanwhile he takes money from local goons to let them continue their illegal activities. Alongside, he bonds with the rest of the women and girls of the area, but Akruti Dave is one of the girls Simmba develops a close sisterly bond with. Akruti then goes on to file a complaint against Sada and Giri, the local goons who are running a drug racket, but Simmba ignores it because he is getting money from them. Then Akruiti decides to collect some proof of their activities, but gets caught and gets brutally raped and murdered by Sada and Giri. Her death leaves Simmba devastated. He then decides to fight for her, but a false statement in the court leads to their suspension. It is at this point Simmba decides to kill both the goons and shows it as an encounter. From the script, screenplay to the acting everything touched the audience.

2. Sara Ali Khan Movie - Kedarnath

Directed and co-produced by Abhishek Kapoor, starring the late Sushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan, Kedarnath was Saras debut movie. The story is a romantic-drama based on the Kedarnath disaster, which revolves around Mandakini also known as Mukku (Sara Ali Khan) who is the daughter of a high caste Hindu priest Brijraj (Nitish Bharadwaj) who runs a hostel on behalf of the temple committee. Mukku is already engaged to Kullu the son of the head priest, but to embarrass her father and fiance, Mukku flirts with all the boys in the neighbourhood. She then meets Mansoor (Sushant Singh Rajput) a Muslim boy who drops pilgrims to their destination. The two then meet regularly, share their life stories and fall in love with each other. But as soon as her family gets to know about their affair, they get her married to Kullu. Soon after the wedding, floods hit the region sweeping away her mother, sister and half of the guests. As Mukku and her father make their way to the temple, they find Mansoor. The three then make their way to a house that is still standing and wave as the army comes to rescue them. But as there is no space left for Mansoor in the helicopter he dies. Three years later Mukku and her father are seen running the lodge, listening to Mansoors favourite song. The audience loved Saras performance and the film was critically acclaimed.

3. Sara Ali Khan Movie - Coolie No. 1

Directed by David Dhawan, starring Sara Ali Khan, Varun Dhawan, Javed Jaffery, Paresh Rawal, Coolie No 1 is another mass entertainer in Saras list. The movie starts with pandit Jai Kishen (Javed Jaffery) being insulted by a rich businessman Rosario (Paresh Rawal). So to teach him a lesson Jai Kishen hatches a plan to get Raju Coolie (Varun Dhawan) married to Sarah (Sara Ali Khan) who is Rosarios daughter. Raju poses as a prince, Kunwar Raj Pratap Singh and wins Sarah's heart. Rosario then gets his daughter married to Raju, not knowing he is a poor railway station porter. But soon Rajus real identity is revealed but he makes up a story of having a twin brother who was thrown out of the family because of his drinking problems. But Sarah and her family discover the truth and later forgive Raju because Sarah loves him. Not only was the storyline entertaining but the songs from the film also gained a lot of popularity. The audience loved Sara and Varuns performance and we must say they are a great pair together.

4. Sara Ali Khan Movie - Love Aaj Kal 2

Love Aaj Kal 2 directed by Imtiaz Ali, starring Sara Ali Khan, Kartik Aaryan, Randeep Hooda and Arushi Sharma, shows two love stories set in 1990 and 2020. The film deals with the ever changing dynamic of love and how people deal with it. Zoe (Sara Ali Khan) and Veer (Kartik Aaryan) meet at a bar and decide to head to Veers home to spend the night together, but Veer stops Zoe and asks her to leave. He then starts following her everywhere, seeing that Zoe confronts and asks him to not follow her. Then there is a flashback scene of 1990 in Udaipur, where Leena (Arushi Sharma) and Raghu (flashback role played by Kartik Aaryan and present role played by Randeep Hooda) have the same conversation. Back to the present day, Raghu owns several restaurants in Delhi, including the one Zoe frequently visits. Raghu and Zoe are friends and seeing Veer and Zoe, Raghu narrates the story of his childhood sweetheart Leena, how they used to meet each other secretly and how Raghu left everything for Leena and moved to Delhi. In the present day Zoes mother convinces her that shell have to compromise her career or work as she cant have both together. This disturbs Zoe and she then acts out in front of Veers parents and breaks up with him. Veer then informs her about taking a job in the Himalayas and will be there for two years. Then Zoe meets Raghu and he tells her that he met Leena one last time but then he realises that he lost her and discovers that Leena is pregnant. Raghu then tells her that she shouldnt make the same mistake as he made, Zoe then decides to reunite with Veer. The two meet and decide to balance their relationship and career.









Sara will soon be seen in Anand L Rai's musical drama, Atrangi Re alongside Akshay Kumar and Dhanush.







Read More - Sara Ali Khans 24 most stunning Instagram posts
Ayushmann Khurrana has been working back to back on his films amidst the pandemic. Before the second wave could hit our country, the actor was busy shooting for Anubhav Sinhas Anek and currently hes shooting for Doctor G in Bhopal.





This is the first time that Ayushmann shoots in Bhopal  the city of lakes and he shares his excitement with E Times. He said that he feels lucky to be an actor as it not only allows him to live so many lives but also takes him to so many incredible destinations. For Doctor G, I'm fortunate to be visiting the heart of India and seeing it in its full glory. I'm shooting in Bhopal for the first time in my career and the city of lakes is a beautiful place. I'm bowled over by the warmth of the people and they have won my heart forever.





Talking about incredible destinations, the actor had shot for Anek in North East and that time too he had his excitement about shooting in such beautiful locations in India itself. He further adds, Earlier this year, I was in the North East for Anek and experienced the spectacular Kaziranga National Park. India is the most beautiful place on the planet. I'm blessed to be born in this country which gives me the opportunity to cherish so much in my lifetime.
Berwyn, Pennsylvania--(Newsfile Corp. - July 28, 2021) - Annovis Bio, Inc. (NYSE American: ANVS) ("Annovis" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage drug platform company addressing Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases, with data from two phase 2 studies showing its lead compound improves cognition in AD patients and motor function in PD patients, is presenting new clinical efficacy and biomarker data of its drug ANVS401 during a one hour panel presentation, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET today, July 28, at the 2021 Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in Denver, Colorado.

The first part of the panel will feature Cheng Fang, PhD, Annovis Bio's VP of Research, an expert in axonal transport and protein aggregation. Dr. Fang will present the mechanism of action and will be followed by William Mobley, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Department of Neurosciences, and the Florence Riford Chair for Alzheimer's Research at the University of California San Diego, who will discuss how axonal transport explains the efficacy of ANVS401 in two very different patient populations, AD and PD.

The second part of the panel discussion will feature the clinical study and clinical data of the first 28 patients treated with ANVS401 in the Company's ongoing Phase 2a trials. The data will be presented by Priscilla Hernandez, Founder of Ezy Medical Research Co., who recruited and treated nearly one-third of the 68 patients in the two studies, and Maria L. Maccecchini, PhD, CEO of Annovis Bio and principal investigator of the studies.

The table below shows the biomarkers measured to date and how ANVS401 reverses the toxic cascade, starting with lowering levels of neurotoxic proteins, improving the health of the axon, lowering inflammation, and improving cognition and motor function. It further shows the efficacy seen in AD patients by ADAS-Cog11 and in PD patients by MDS-UPDRS, as well as the efficacy seen in both patient populations using the WAIS coding test.





Figure 1

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7656/91498_eb77347444ef4bd7_001full.jpg

To view the data presented by Dr. Maccecchini at AAIC, please visit:

https://irpages2.eqs.com/websites/annovis/English/4000/investors-_-media.htmlevents

About Annovis Bio Inc.

Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. (Annovis) is a clinical-stage, drug platform company addressing neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's in Down Syndrome (AD-DS). We believe that we are the only company developing a drug for AD, PD and AD-DS that inhibits more than one neurotoxic protein and, thereby, improves the information highway of the nerve cell, known as axonal transport. When this information flow is impaired, the nerve cell gets sick and dies. We have two ongoing Phase 2 studies: one in AD patients and one in both AD and PD patients. In the AD/PD study our drug improves memory loss and dementia associated with AD, as well as body and brain function in PD. For more information on Annovis, please visit the company's website: www.annovisbio.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release contain "forward-looking statements" that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "will," "may," "should," "estimate," "project," "outlook," "forecast" or other similar words, and include, without limitation, statements regarding the timing, effectiveness, and anticipated results of ANVS401 clinical trials. Forward-looking statements are based on Annovis Bio, Inc.'s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled "Risk Factors" in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Annovis Bio, Inc. undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations:

Dave Gentry, CEO

RedChip Companies Inc.

407-491-4498

Dave@redchip.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91498
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 28, 2021) - Allied Copper Corp. (TSXV: CPR) (OTCQB: CPRRF) ("Allied Copper" or the "Company") announces the resignation of Mr. David Robinson as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. The Company would like to thank Mr. Robinson for his contributions as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Mr. Robinson will continue to be a director of the Company.

The Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Morgan Tiernan as the Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Tiernan has 8 years of financial reporting and tax advisory experience. He worked in public practice in tax advisory at Findex for a number of years before moving to Lifeworks where he managed a team of financial analysts and gained exposure to the financial reporting for Canadian pension and benefit plans. He is currently the part of the Cronin Group, a natural resource focused merchant bank based in Vancouver, BC.

About Allied Copper

Allied Copper Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on acquiring and developing potential long-life, scalable, copper-gold assets in the Western United States. The Company's strategy is to focus on low cost and potential high growth operations over a multi-year growth pipeline in low-risk jurisdictions, and is committed to operating efficiently and with transparency in all areas of the business. Allied Copper headquarters are in Vancouver, BC, Canada and lists under the symbol CPR on the TSX Venture Exchange. Readers may sign up for updates on the Company's website www.alliedcoppercorp.com.

For further information, please contact:

David Robinson

Director

Email: drobinson@cronincapital.ca

Forward Looking Statements

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the timing of future exploration work or drilling, and the expansion of the mineralization. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of Allied Copper Corp., including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, volatility of commodity prices, risks associated with the uncertainty of exploration results and estimates, currency fluctuations, dependency upon regulatory approvals, the uncertainty of obtaining additional financing and exploration risk. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91538
In cooperation with Airwallex, the new fund set up by Airwallex founders will invest into early stage, high-growth, technology-enabled companies powered by Airwallex's infrastructure.





Aims to raise US$200 million , focused on investment opportunities among companies within Airwallex's ecosystem.





Generate financial returns for investors while empowering businesses to grow without borders.

MELBOURNE, Australia and HONG KONG, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Airwallex, a leading global payments platform, today announced plans to establish Capital 49, a new venture capital fund set up by Airwallex founders, that will invest into early stage, high-growth technology-enabled companies powered by Airwallex's infrastructure.

The new fund aims to raise US$200 million through the Airwallex founders and other investors, and will look for opportunities to invest among companies within Airwallex's ecosystem, across a number of industries including e-commerce, SaaS, digital and technology, business services and enablers, and fintech. To date, Capital 49 has completed investments in two such fintech firms.

"We are so excited to share the news of our new fund," said Jack Zhang, Co-founder and CEO of Airwallex and Founder of Capital 49. "As part of the fintech and start-up ecosystem, we have consistently observed that a clear technological advantage is incredibly important for a business to stand out from the competition. That is why we are committed to invest in and foster the growth of tech-enabled companies, particularly at a time where there is huge appetite for innovative solutions to enhance business efficiencies."

Founded in 2015 in Melbourne and headquartered in Hong Kong, Airwallex has grown to become a global fintech platform that is supported by a team of over 800 employees across 12 global offices. Earlier this year, Airwallex announced an additional capital raise of US$100 million, nearly tripling its valuation to US$2.6 billion in just two years. Airwallex also continues to broaden its suite of products and applications, providing end-to-end solutions for customers across business accounts, expense cards and other customised value-add solutions. Most recently, Airwallex announced a suite of new product solutions, including the rollout of its online payment solution in Hong Kong and Australia, as well as the launch of its Airwallex Borderless Cards for businesses in Hong Kong.

"As an organisation, Airwallex could not have achieved what it has today if not for the players within our ecosystem," added Zhang. "With this fund, we will continue to empower businesses to grow without borders by providing them access to capital, a global network and deep insights and expertise, while ensuring we continue to generate financial returns for our investors."

About Airwallex

Airwallex is a global fintech payment platform with a mission to empower businesses of all sizes to grow without borders, and by doing so, contribute to the global economy. With technology at its core, Airwallex has built a financial infrastructure and platform to help businesses to manage payments, treasury and expenses globally, without the constraints of the traditional financial system.

Airwallex has secured over US$500 million since it was established in Melbourne in 2015, and is backed by world-leading investors. Today, the business operates with a team of over 800 employees across 12 global offices. For more information, please visit www.airwallex.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583334/image1.jpg
Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Electric agree to develop and commercialize mobile power generator package based on the leading fuel cell system for vehicles

Hyundai Motor to supply the fuel cell system (PMEFC) and provide technical support while Hyundai Electric will develop and commercialize mobile power generator package

Hyundai Motor continues to expand use of hydrogen fuel cell technology to help reduce carbon emissions and establish a sustainable hydrogen society

SEOUL, South Korea, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems Co. (Hyundai Electric), a leading electrical equipment manufacturer and energy solution provider, to develop a hydrogen fuel cell package for mobile power generation.

The MOU signing took place via online, attended by Saehoon Kim, Head of Hyundai Motor Group Fuel Cell Center, and Seok Cho, President and CEO of Hyundai Electric.

The endeavor combines Hyundai Motor's decades-long fuel cell experience and Hyundai Electric's power equipment expertise. Under the MOU, the two parties will develop a hydrogen fuel cell package dedicated for mobile power generators and alternative maritime power (AMP) supply solutions, based on Hyundai Motor's polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system that is used in Hyundai Motor's fuel cell vehicles.

The new fuel cell-based package system is expected to be a game changer in the mobile generator market, which is currently dominated by diesel generators. Environmentally-friendly, distributed power solutions like the one planned can address carbon-neutral electric needs in a variety of industrial sectors such as port facilities, construction sites and industrial complexes.

Under the agreement, Hyundai Motor will supply PEMFC fuel cell systems and provide technical support while Hyundai Electric will develop and commercialize a fuel cell-based power generation package which includes mobile generators and AMP supply systems. Hyundai Electric will also explore a variety of business models for marketing the new package in Korea and abroad.

More information about Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems can be found at:

http://www.hyundai-electric.com/elec/en/index.jsp

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at:

http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://globalpr.hyundai.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583863/Photo_1.jpg


SEOUL (dpa-AFX) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (SMSN.L, SSNNF.OB, SSNLF.OB) reported a profit for the second-quarter that climbed 72.18 percent from the previous year, reflecting higher-than-expected chip prices and continued consumer demand for electronics during the pandemic. Quarterly sales grew 20.21 percent from the prior year.



The company expects favorable market conditions for the components business in second half.



The Memory Business is expected to see continued demand growth for server and mobile products and the company will accelerate migration to 15-nm DRAM and 6th generation V-NAND as well as expand the application of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process in DRAM production.



Looking ahead to the second half, mobile market is forecast to recover to the pre-COVID level on an annual basis as 5G adoption and contactless trend continue to thrive. However, uncertainties over component supply and COVID-19 will continue to persist.



The Mobile Communications Business plans to achieve solid revenue and profit by boosting the competitiveness of the product lineup with the launch of new foldable models and the expansion of mass market 5G phones.



Looking ahead to the second half, COVID-19 related uncertainties continue to pose a risk for both TV and Digital Appliances businesses. However, the Company looks forward to improved demand for TVs compared to the first half of the year, due to stronger seasonality.



The South Korean electronics giant reported that its net income attributable to the shareholders of the parent company for the second-quarter climbed 72.18 percent to 9.45 trillion Korean won from 5.49 trillion won in the same quarter last year.



Operating profit for the quarter grew 54.26 percent to 12.57 trillion won from the previous year.



Consolidated sales for the second-quarter grew 20.21 percent year-over-year to 63.67 trillion won.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Revenue of 2,328.3m in H1 2021, equating to total growth of 7.5% (4.0% at constant scope and exchange rates)

Strong organic growth* of 9.0% in Q2 2021, in a buoyant market context focused on the digital transformation of organisations

At constant scope and exchange rates, H1 2021 revenue exceeds revenue for H1 2019

Operating margin on business activity of 7.2%, up 1.1 points from H1 2020 and 0.4 points from H1 2019

Net profit attributable to the Group improves to 85.1m (43.7m for H1 2020 and 60.9m for H1 2019)

Free cash flow rises to 61.9m (37.1m at 30 June 2020)

Targets raised for financial year 2021: organic revenue growth of around 6%, operating margin on business activity of between 7.7% and 8.0%, and free cash flow of between 150m and 200m

Regulatory News:

At its meeting on 28 July 2021, Sopra Steria's Board of Directors, chaired by Pierre Pasquier, approved the financial statements for the first half of 2021. The Statutory Auditors have conducted a limited review of the financial statements.

Sopra Steria: 2021 Half-year results H1 2021 H1 2020 Amount Rate Change Amount Rate Key income statement items Revenue m 2,328.3 7.5% 2,166.7 Organic growth + 4.0% Operating profit on business activity m 168.6 7.2% 26.9% 132.8 6.1% Profit from recurring operations m 150.2 6.5% 34.6% 111.6 5.1% Operating profit m 141.0 6.1% 60.7% 87.7 4.0% Net profit attributable to the Group m 85.1 3.7% 94.8% 43.7 2.0% Weighted average number of shares in issue excl. treasury shares m 20.25 20.23 Basic earnings per share 4.20 94.6% 2.16 Recurring earnings per share 4.45 45.7% 3.06 Key balance sheet items 6/30/2021 6/30/2020 Net financial debt m 422.7 -14.8% 495.9 Equity attributable to the Group m 1,552.1 11.2% 1,395.7 * Alternative performance measures are defined in the glossary at the end of this document

Vincent Paris, Chief Executive Office of Sopra Steria Group commented:

Sopra Steria saw a clear upturn in activity in the first half of 2021, in a very buoyant market for digital services from the start of the year. At constant scope and exchange rates, we exceeded 2019 activity levels. Business trends improved across our eight verticals. The aeronautics sector has stabilised and even recorded a rebound in Q2. The strong pace of growth in the market has been fuelled by the digital transformation of organisations, particularly migration to the cloud, digitalisation and automation of business processes, and issues relating to cybersecurity. Our clients have a great deal of confidence in us and seek out our expertise regarding all these topics. In this context, we have raised our performance targets for financial year 2021. This is aligned with our transformation trajectory, which should enable us to fulfil our medium-term ambitions. The Group's teams are fully mobilised to this effect."

Detailed breakdown of operating performance in the first half of 2021

Revenue totalled 2,328.3 million, an increase of 7.5% relative to H1 2020. Changes in scope had a positive impact of 62.2 million, and currency fluctuations had a positive impact of 10.0 million. At constant scope and exchange rates, revenue grew 4.0%. In particular, the second quarter saw a brisk recovery, with organic growth of 9.0%.

The Group's operating profit on business activity rose 26.9% to 168.6 million, equating to a margin of 7.2%, up 1.1 points from H1 2020 (6.1%) and 0.4 points from H1 2019 (6.8%).

In France (39% of the Group total), revenue was stable at 914.8 million, thanks to a 7.5% rise in organic growth in the second quarter. A strong increase in business from the defence sector, a steep rise in demand among energy and telecoms/media players as well as a return to growth in aeronautics, transport and banking all contributed to second quarter results. Consulting, systems integration, cybersecurity and product life cycle management all re-established positive growth in the second quarter. IT infrastructure management was stable. The operating margin on business activity for the first half of 2021 was 8.3%, representing an improved trend compared with the previous half-year periods: up 0.1 points compared to the first half of 2020 and up 3.1 points compared to the second half of 2020.

Revenue for the United Kingdom (18% of the Group total) was 408.9 million. Organic growth, amplified by favourable base effects, was particularly upbeat at 20.0%. The two joint ventures specialising in business process services for the public sector (NHS SBS and SSCL) saw strong growth. They benefited from the ramp-up of certain contracts and strong demand from several ministries, in particular for human resource management solutions. The rest of the public sector saw good momentum, especially for the visa renewal service provided for the UK government. Lastly, the situation in the private sector improved, with a very clear levelling of its negative growth trend. Against this backdrop, at 30 June 2021, the operating margin on business activity came to 8.7% (4.6% at 30 June 2020).

The Other Europe (29% of the Group total) reporting unit posted 665.2 million in revenue, representing positive organic growth of 2.8%. Organic revenue growth averaged 7.5% in the reporting unit's countries (excluding Sopra Financial Technology), some of which such as Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia and Italy delivered very strong performances. In addition, as part of the transformation programme under way for the Sparda banks in Germany, Sopra Financial Technology (the joint venture that operates the shared information system) recorded 85.8 million in revenue, contracting in line with the business plan. At 30 June 2021, the reporting unit's operating margin on business activity was 7.8% (7.1% in 2020) before taking into account the contribution of SFT, and 6.4% after this contribution.

Sopra Banking Software (9% of the Group total) generated revenue of 210.5 million, representing negative organic growth of 3.1% for the first half but recording positive organic growth of 2.8% in the second quarter. In the first half, revenue generated by the software business (licences, maintenance and subscriptions), accounting for 59% of revenue, was up 3.8%. The services business contracted by 9%. Product developments continued for Sopra Financing Platform and Sopra Banking Platform, focusing in particular on digital layers. The transformation of the reporting unit's R&D department also moved forward as planned. At 30 June 2021, the operating margin on business activity was 2.8%, corresponding to operating profit of 5.8 million (compared with 3.3% at 30 June 2020).

The Other Solutions reporting unit (5% of the Group total) posted revenue of 128.9 million, representing organic growth of 8.0%, thanks to a 13.0% upturn in sales in the second quarter of 2021. Performance was relatively comparable for both business lines. Over the period, investments have been maintained in order to accentuate product digitalisation and drive growth. At 30 June 2021, the operating margin on business activity was 6.8% (compared with 5.0% at 30 June 2020).

Comments on the components of net profit for the first half of 2021

Profit from recurring operations came to 150.2 million, up 34.6% relative to the first half of 2020. It included a 2.2 million share-based payment expense and a 16.2 million amortisation expense on allocated intangible assets.

Operating profit was 141.0 million, up 60.7%, after a net expense of 9.2 million for other operating income and expenses (compared with a net expense of 23.8 million in first-half 2020). Reorganisation and restructuring expenses totalled 14.7 million.

The tax expense was 44.6 million in the half-year period, versus 23.7 million in the first half of 2020, translating to a Group-wide tax rate of 33.5%. For the financial year as a whole, the tax rate is estimated at 30%.

Net profit from associates (mainly Axway) amounted to 0.2 million (loss of 2.1 million in first-half 2020).

After deducting 3.8 million in non-controlling interests, net profit attributable to the Group came to 85.1 million, up 94.8% from 43.7 million in the first half of 2020. It was 60.9 million in H1 2019.

Basic earnings per share came to 4.20, up 94.6% (2.16 per share in the first half of 2020).

Financial position at 30 June 2021

At 30 June 2021, Sopra Steria was in a very solid financial position in terms of both financial ratios and liquidity.

Free cash flow amounted to 61.9 million in the first half of 2021,1 a significant improvement from 37.1 million in the first half of 2020.

Net financial debt totalled 422.7 million at 30 June 2021, stable compared with 31 December 2020 and down 15% from its level at 30 June 2020. At the end of the first half, it equated to 1.0x pro forma 12-month rolling EBITDA before the impact of IFRS 16, compared with 1.3x at 30 June 2020 (with the financial covenant stipulating a maximum of 3x).

Workforce

At 30 June 2021, the Group's workforce totalled 46,129 people, with 17.4% working in X-Shore zones (compared with 46,603 people at 30 June 2020 and 45,960 at 31 December 2020).

In a very buoyant market, strong emphasis was placed on recruitment from the start of the year. More than 4,200 people joined the Group in the first half of 2021.

Support provided by X-Shore platforms was reinforced and the use of subcontracting resumed.

Targets for 2021

Given the robust market for digital transformation by organisations, Sopra Steria has raised its full-year outlook for financial year 2021:

Organic revenue growth greater than or equal to 6% (vs 3% to 5% previously);

Operating margin on business activity of between 7.7% and 8.0% (vs between 7.5% and 8.0% previously);

Free cash flow of between 150 million and 200 million (vs around 150 million previously).

Medium-term ambitions

Sopra Steria confirmed its medium-term targets of compound annual organic revenue growth of between 4% and 6%, an operating margin on business activity of around 10%, and free cash flow of between 5% and 7% of revenue.

Presentation meeting

The results for the first half of 2021 will be presented to financial analysts and investors in a French/English webcast on Thursday, 29 July 2021 at 9:00 a.m. CET.

Register for the French-language webcast here

Register for the English-language webcast here

Or by phone:

French-language phone number: +33 (0)1 70 71 01 59 PIN: 72812126#

English-language access number: +44 207 194 37 59 PIN: 57919202#

Practical information about the presentation and webcast can be found in the 'Investors' section of the Group's website: https://www.soprasteria.com/investors

Next financial release

Friday, 29 October 2021 (before market open): Publication of Q3 2021 revenue

Glossary

Restated revenue Revenue for the prior year, expressed on the basis of the scope and exchange rates for the current year.

Revenue for the prior year, expressed on the basis of the scope and exchange rates for the current year. Organic revenue growth Increase in revenue between the period under review and restated revenue for the same period in the prior financial year.

Increase in revenue between the period under review and restated revenue for the same period in the prior financial year. EBITDA This measure, as defined in the Universal Registration Document, is equal to consolidated operating profit on business activity after adding back depreciation, amortisation and provisions included in operating profit on business activity.

This measure, as defined in the Universal Registration Document, is equal to consolidated operating profit on business activity after adding back depreciation, amortisation and provisions included in operating profit on business activity. Operating profit on business activity This measure, as defined in the Universal Registration Document, is equal to profit from recurring operations adjusted to exclude the share-based payment expense for stock options and free shares and charges to amortisation of allocated intangible assets.

This measure, as defined in the Universal Registration Document, is equal to profit from recurring operations adjusted to exclude the share-based payment expense for stock options and free shares and charges to amortisation of allocated intangible assets. Profit from recurring operations This measure is equal to operating profit before other operating income and expenses, which includes any particularly significant items of operating income and expense that are unusual, abnormal, infrequent or not foreseeable, presented separately in order to give a clearer picture of performance based on ordinary activities.

This measure is equal to operating profit before other operating income and expenses, which includes any particularly significant items of operating income and expense that are unusual, abnormal, infrequent or not foreseeable, presented separately in order to give a clearer picture of performance based on ordinary activities. Basic recurring earnings per share This measure is equal to basic earnings per share before other operating income and expenses net of tax.

This measure is equal to basic earnings per share before other operating income and expenses net of tax. Free cash flow Free cash flow is defined as the net cash from operating activities; less investments (net of disposals) in property, plant and equipment, and intangible assets; less lease payments; less net interest paid; and less additional contributions to address any deficits in defined-benefit pension plans.

Free cash flow is defined as the net cash from operating activities; less investments (net of disposals) in property, plant and equipment, and intangible assets; less lease payments; less net interest paid; and less additional contributions to address any deficits in defined-benefit pension plans. Downtime Number of days between two contracts (excluding training, sick leave, other leave and pre-sale) divided by the total number of business days.

Disclaimer

This document contains forward-looking information subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may affect the Group's future growth and financial results. Readers are reminded that licence agreements, which often represent investments for clients, are signed in greater numbers in the second half of the year, with varying impacts on end-of-year performance. Actual outcomes and results may differ from those described in this document due to operational risks and uncertainties. More detailed information on the potential risks that may affect the Group's financial results can be found in the 2020 Universal Registration Document filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) on 18 March 2021 (see pages 35 to 42 in particular). Sopra Steria does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this document beyond what is required by current laws and regulations. The distribution of this document in certain countries may be subject to the laws and regulations in force. Persons physically present in countries where this document is released, published or distributed should enquire as to any applicable restrictions and should comply with those restrictions.

About Sopra Steria

Sopra Steria, a European leader in consulting, digital services and software development, helps its clients drive their digital transformation and obtain tangible and sustainable benefits. It provides end-to-end solutions to make large companies and organisations more competitive by combining in-depth knowledge of a wide range of business sectors and innovative technologies with a fully collaborative approach. Sopra Steria places people at the heart of everything it does and is committed to putting digital to work for its clients in order to build a positive future for all. With 46,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, the Group generated revenue of 4.3 billion in 2020.

The world is how we shape it.

Sopra Steria (SOP) is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A) ISIN: FR0000050809

For more information, visit us at www.soprasteria.com

Annexes

Sopra Steria: Impact on revenue of changes in scope and exchange rates H1 2021 m H1 2021 H1 2020 Growth Revenue 2,328.3 2,166.7 +7.5% Changes in exchange rates 10.0 Revenue at constant exchange rates 2,328.3 2,176.7 +7.0% Changes in scope 62.2 Revenue at constant scope and exchange rates 2,328.3 2,238.9 +4.0%

Sopra Steria: Changes in exchange rates H1 2021 For 1 % Average rate Average rate Change H1 2021 H1 2020 Pound sterling 0.8680 0.8746 +0.8% Norwegian krone 10.1759 10.7324 +5.5% Swedish krona 10.1308 10.6599 +5.2% Danish krone 7.4368 7.4648 +0.4% Swiss franc 1.0946 1.0642 -2.8%

Sopra Steria: Revenue by reporting unit (m %) H1 2020 H1 2021 H1 2020

Restated* H1 2020 Organic growth Total

growth France 914.8 914.4 864.6 +0.0% +5.8% United Kingdom 408.9 340.9 338.5 +20.0% +20.8% Other Europe 665.2 647.0 638.8 +2.8% +4.1% Sopra Banking Software 210.5 217.3 205.4 -3.1% +2.5% Other Solutions 128.9 119.4 119.4 +8.0% +7.9% Sopra Steria Group 2,328.3 2,238.9 2,166.7 +4.0% +7.5% * Revenue at 2021 scope and exchange rates

Sopra Steria: Revenue by reporting unit (m %) Q2 2021 Q2 2021 Q2 2020

Restated* Q2 2020 Organic growth Total

growth France 454.6 423.0 400.0 +7.5% +13.6% United Kingdom 200.1 162.1 157.2 +23.4% +27.2% Other Europe 334.0 318.3 311.9 +4.9% +7.1% Sopra Banking Software 109.1 106.1 99.7 +2.8% +9.5% Other Solutions 65.3 57.8 57.8 +13.0% +13.0% Sopra Steria Group 1,163.1 1,067.4 1,026.7 +9.0% +13.3% * Revenue at 2021 scope and exchange rates

Sopra Steria: Performance by reporting unit H1 2021 H1 2021 H1 2020 m m France Revenue 914.8 864.6 Operating profit on business activity 76.2 8.3% 70.8 8.2% Profit from recurring operations 73.2 8.0% 65.3 7.6% Operating profit 70.2 7.7% 58.6 6.8% United Kingdom Revenue 408.9 338.5 Operating profit on business activity 35.5 8.7% 15.5 4.6% Profit from recurring operations 29.8 7.3% 9.4 2.8% Operating profit 27.8 6.8% -0.7 -0.2% Other Europe Revenue 665.2 638.8 Operating profit on business activity 42.3 6.4% 47.4 7.4% Profit from recurring operations 40.1 6.0% 45.2 7.1% Operating profit 35.3 5.3% 40.6 6.4% Sopra Banking Software Revenue 210.5 205.4 Operating profit on business activity 5.8 2.8% -6.7 -3.3% Profit from recurring operations -1.2 -0.6% -13.9 -6.8% Operating profit -0.6 -0.3% -16.1 -7.8% Other Solutions Revenue 128.9 119.4 Operating profit on business activity 8.8 6.8% 5.9 5.0% Profit from recurring operations 8.3 6.4% 5.5 4.6% Operating profit 8.3 6.5% 5.3 4.5%

Sopra Steria: Consolidated income statement H1 2021 H1 2021 H1 2020 m m Revenue 2,328.3 2,166.7 Staff costs -1,477.7 -1,386.2 Operating expenses -592.0 -558.2 Depreciation, amortisation and provisions -90.0 -89.6 Operating profit on business activity 168.6 7.2% 132.8 6.1% Share-based payment expenses -2.2 -2.2 Amortisation of allocated intangible assets -16.2 -19.1 Profit from recurring operations 150.2 6.5% 111.6 5.1% Other operating income and expenses -9.2 -23.8 Operating profit 141.0 6.1% 87.7 4.0% Cost of net financial debt -4.6 -5.1 Other financial income and expenses -3.2 -6.7 Tax expense -44.6 -23.7 Net profit from associates 0.2 -2.1 Net profit 88.8 3.8% 50.2 2.3% Attributable to the Group 85.1 3.7% 43.7 2.0% Non-controlling interests 3.8 6.5 Weighted average number of shares in issue excl. treasury shares (m) 20.25 20.23 Basic earnings per share () 4.20 2.16

Sopra Steria: Change in net financial debt (m) H1 2021 H1 2021 H1 2020 Operating profit on business activity 168.6 132.8 Depreciation, amortisation and provisions (excl. allocated intangible assets) 89.3 88.7 EBITDA 257.9 221.5 Non-cash items 2.8 3.2 Tax paid -32.8 -43.3 Change in operating working capital requirement -69.7 -25.7 Reorganisation and restructuring costs 0.6 -20.0 Net cash flow from operating activities 158.8 135.7 Lease payments -53.9 -55.8 Change relating to investing activities -27.5 -25.2 Net interest -2.0 -5.8 Additional contributions related to defined-benefit pension plans -13.6 -11.9 Free cash flow 61.9 37.1 Impact of changes in scope -7.9 -8.3 Financial investments -0.5 -0.9 Dividends paid -46.3 -2.3 Dividends received from equity-accounted companies 2.8 Purchase and sale of treasury shares -4.3 -6.9 Impact of changes in foreign exchange rates -2.6 -0.6 Change in net financial debt 2.9 18.0 Net financial debt at beginning of period 425.6 513.9 Net financial debt at end of period 422.7 495.9

Sopra Steria: Simplified balance sheet (m) 30/06/2021 6/30/2021 12/31/2020 Goodwill 1,877.1 1,843.2 Allocated intangible assets 147.8 161.5 Other fixed assets 226.1 241.1 Right-of-use assets 283.9 290.3 Equity-accounted investments 194.3 193.4 Fixed assets 2,729.2 2,729.6 Net deferred tax 102.9 113.4 Trade accounts receivable (net) 1,070.8 954.6 Other assets and liabilities -1,162.3 -1,112.8 Working capital requirement (WCR) -91.4 -158.2 Assets WCR 2,740.7 2,684.8 Equity 1,602.2 1,445.4 Provisions for post-employment benefits 292.9 380.1 Provisions for contingencies and losses 113.5 116.0 Lease liabilities 309.4 317.5 Net financial debt 422.7 425.6 Capital invested 2,740.7 2,684.8

Sopra Steria: Workforce breakdown 30/06/2021 6/30/2021 6/30/2020 France 19,925 19,677 United Kingdom 6,675 6,741 Other Europe 11,011 10,807 Rest of the World 502 499 X-Shore 8,016 8,879 Total 46,129 46,603

___________________________

1 Free cash flow included an inflow of about 60 million from non-recurring items, compared with 57 million for H1 2020.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210728005978/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations

Olivier Psaume

olivier.psaume@soprasteria.com

+33 (0)1 40 67 68 16

Press Relations

Caroline Simon (Image 7)

caroline.simon@image7.fr

+33 (0)1 53 70 74 65
INFICON Holding AG (SIX Swiss Exchange: IFCN)

meldet fur das zweite Quartal 2021 einen gegenuber dem schwachen Vorjahr um 31.3% deutlich starkeren Umsatz auf neuer Rekordhohe von USD 126.3 Mio. Unter Ausklammerung von Wahrungs- (4.8 Prozentpunkte) und minimalen Akquisitionseffekten (0.2 Prozentpunkte) machte der Zuwachs rein organisch 26.3% aus. Gegenuber den ersten drei Monaten des laufenden Jahres betragt das Plus weitere 2.9%. Zur starken Umsatzentwicklung trug insbesondere das Halbleitergeschaft im Markt Semi & Vacuum Coating (USD 63.4 Mio.; +18.3% zum Vorjahr; + 3.4% gegenuber Q1) bei. Hier profitiert INFICON sowohl im Erstausruster- als auch im Endkundengeschaft von einer global anhaltend hohen Nachfrage. Der grosste Zielmarkt von INFICON trug sowohl im Quartal als auch im ersten Halbjahr knapp uber 50% zum Gruppenumsatz bei. Die Umsatze im Markt Refrigeration, Air Conditioning & Automotive (USD 26.4 Mio.; +58.1% zum Vorjahr; +6.9% gegenuber Q1) erreichten einen neuen Hochststand und machten gut 20% des Gruppenumsatzes aus. Auf die warmere Jahreszeit hin zogen hier vor allem die Verkaufe von Service-Geraten fur das klassische Kalte- und Klimageschaft an. Im Automotive-Geschaft wachst insbesondere der Bereich Prufung und Qualitatssicherung von Lithium-Ionen-Batterien auf allen Fertigungsstufen. Der im industriell breit aufgestellten Markt General Vacuum erzielte Umsatz (USD 30.3 Mio.; +30.6% zum Vorjahr; -7.9% gegenuber Q1) macht rund einen Viertel des Gruppenumsatzes aus. Das Geschaft ist auf hohem Niveau recht stabil, auch wenn sich gegenuber den ersten drei starken Monaten des Jahres ein Ruckgang ergeben hat. Der Umsatz im Security & Energy Geschaft war mit USD 6.2 Mio. ansprechend. Die massiven Zuwachsraten von +129.6% zum Vorjahr und +63% gegenuber Q1 sind jedoch auch von den schwachen Vergleichsperioden gepragt.

Im zweiten Quartal resultierte eine Bruttogewinnmarge von 48.3% nach 47.8% vor Jahresfrist. Die unverandert angespannte handelspolitische Lage, Engpasse in der globalen Logistik und auf den Beschaffungsmarkten drucken nach wie vor auf die Margen. INFICON investiert an mehreren Standorten in zusatzliche Flachen, Anlagen und Prozesse und stellte weitere Spezialisten in den Entwicklungs- und Serviceteams ein. Entsprechend zeigt der Quartalsabschluss im Jahresvergleich grossere Forschungs- und Entwicklungsausgaben sowie hohere Gemein- und Vertriebskosten. INFICON erzielte im zweiten Quartal einen Betriebsgewinn von USD 22.8 Mio., was einer auf 18.1% gestarkten Marge entspricht. Nach Steuern resultierte ein Nettogewinn von USD 17.6 Mio. nach USD 12.9 Mio. vor einem Jahr. Der Gewinn je Aktie stellte sich auf USD 7.20 nach USD 5.28 vor Jahresfrist.

Halbjahr 2021

In den ersten sechs Monaten resultiert ein 32% hoherer Umsatz von USD 249 Mio. nach USD 188.8 Mio. in der Vergleichsperiode des letzten Jahres. Die Bruttomarge stieg von 48.5% auf 49.1%. Mit USD 47.4 Mio. resultierte ein gestarkter Betriebsgewinn nach USD 30 Mio. vor Jahresfrist. Damit verbesserte sich die Betriebsgewinnmarge von 15.9% im ersten Halbjahr 2020 auf neu 19.0%. Der Gewinn fur das erste Halbjahr belief sich auf USD 37.2 Mio. im Vergleich zu USD 24.3 Mio. im ersten Halbjahr 2020. Je Aktie resultiert fur das erste Halbjahr 2021 ein Gewinn von USD 15.22 nach USD 9.96 vor einem Jahr.

Die regionale Umsatzverteilung zeigt fur das zweite Quartal und das erste Halbjahr eine in allen Weltregionen breit abgestutzte Umsatzsteigerung. Gegenuber dem ersten Quartal 2021 fiel der Umsatz in Europa parallel zur Entwicklung im General Vacuum Markt jedoch etwas zuruck. Im ersten Halbjahr erzielte INFICON 27.5% des Gruppenumsatzes in Europa, 45.8% in Asien und 25.5% in Amerika. Dort ergab sich im zweiten Quartal gegenuber dem Vorquartal mit 18.6% ein deutlicher Zuwachs.

Die Bilanz von INFICON per 30. Juni 2021 ist unverandert solide. Die Netto-Barmittel betragen per Jahresmitte USD 26.8 Mio. Die Lagerumschlagshaufigkeit verbesserte sich von 2.8 auf 3.0. Per 30. Juni weist INFICON nach der Ausschuttung der Dividende im April diesen Jahres eine Eigenkapitalquote von 62% (Vorjahr 65%) aus. Im ersten Halbjahr erwirtschaftete INFICON einen deutlich hoheren betrieblichen Cashflow von USD 43.3 Mio. nach USD 14.8 Mio. vor einem Jahr.

Ausblick 2021

Die Situation in der Beschaffung und Logistik ist angespannt; vielfaltige Handelshemmnisse bestehen weiter. Die COVID-19-Pandemie bleibt ein Risikofaktor. Aufgrund der hohen Auslastung und der weiterhin guten Auftragslage beurteilt INFICON die Aussichten fur das laufende Jahr dennoch recht optimistisch. Entsprechend werden die Umsatzerwartungen fur das ganze Geschaftsjahr von bisher USD 450-480 Mio. auf USD 480-500 Mio. angehoben. Die erwartete Betriebsgewinnmarge betragt 18-20%.

Halbjahresbericht 2021

Der vollstandige Halbjahresbericht liegt zum Download bereit unter https://ir.inficon.com/financial-results-and-presentations/.

Web-Konferenz

INFICON erlautert den Abschluss des zweiten Quartals 2021 und des ersten Halbjahrs 2021 heute um 09:30 Uhr MESZ an einer englischsprachigen Web-Konferenz. Teilnehmer sind wahrend der Prasentation zuerst stumm geschaltet. Danach wird das Management auf Fragen eingehen. Die Prasentation wird um 07:00 Uhr im Investors-Bereich der INFICON Website www.inficon.com publiziert.

Sie erreichen die Microsoft Teams Konferenz unter den nachfolgenden Links:

http://bit.ly/IFCN_WebConference

https://ir.inficon.com/conference-calls-or-webcasts/

Kommunikationskalender

Der Kommunikationskalender von INFICON wird laufend aktualisiert und ist abrufbar

unter im Bereich Investor Relation auf der INFICON Website https://ir.inficon.com/financial-calendar/.

Informationen per E-Mail Die neusten Informationen von INFICON werden Ihnen automatisch per E-Mail zugestellt, wenn Sie sich im Bereich Investor Relations der INFICON Website fur diesen Service unter https://ir.inficon.com/contact-and-information-request/ anmelden.
NOMINATION OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Flow Traders N.V. (Euronext: FLOW) announces that the Supervisory Board has nominated Mike Kuehnel for appointment as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Management Board.

Given Flow Traders' ambitions and strategic growth agenda, the Supervisory Board has taken the decision to expand the Management Board from four to five members with the nomination of Mike Kuehnel for appointment as Chief Financial Officer. Through this new, dedicated Chief Financial Officer function, Mike will help to further shape Flow Traders' strategy, develop organic and non-organic growth initiatives as well as intensify communications with key stakeholders.

Mike Kuehnel will join Flow Traders on 1 August 2021 and all regulatory approvals have been received.

Prior to joining Flow Traders, Mike gained over 20 years of investment banking and strategy consulting experience in the global financial market infrastructure space.

Most recently, Mike served as a partner at Bain & Company leading the Investment Banking and Financial Markets Infrastructure practice for EMEA and acting as a senior member of the firm's global M&A practice, focusing particularly on valuation and value creation as well as on the design of M&A strategies and the accelerated build-up of M&A capabilities. There, he worked closely with clients globally on topics including strategy, M&A, value creation and complex transformations, specifically focusing on financial market infrastructure and, for the last few years, on crypto and digital assets.

Before that, he worked at Goldman Sachs, where he was responsible for driving large-scale equity and M&A transactions in the European banking, insurance, asset management, private wealth and exchanges sectors. Mike holds an MBA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Chicago.

Flow Traders will propose his appointment to the Management Board to its shareholders at an Extraordinary General Meeting.

Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Rudolf Ferscha stated:

"Mike is an outstanding business-driven finance leader who brings a wealth of investment bankingand consulting experience, and we look forwardto welcoming him to Flow Traders as CFO. As Flow Traders expands further, Mike's background in structuring, initiating and driving strategy-induced business development will be a valuable addition to our highly experienced team on the Management Board."

CEO Dennis Dijkstra added:

"We are delighted that Mike has agreed to join Flow Traders and are convinced that he will contribute greatly to the successful execution of our ambitious growth agenda together with the whole management team. We look forward to working with him to further accelerate Flow Traders' strategic priorities."

Contact Details

Flow Traders N.V.

Jonathan Berger / Investor Relations Officer

Phone: +31 20 7996799

Email: investor.relations@flowtraders.com

About Flow Traders

Flow Traders is a leading global financial technology-enabled liquidity provider in financial products, historically specialized in Exchange Traded Productsfor more information.



Important Legal Information

This press release is prepared by Flow Traders N.V. and is for information purposes only. It is not a recommendation to engage in investment activities and you must not rely on the content of this document when making any investment decisions. The information in this document does not constitute legal, tax, or investment advice and is not to be regarded as investor marketing or marketing of any security or financial instrument, or as an offer to buy or sell, or as a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell, securities or financial instruments.



The information and materials contained in this press release are provided 'as is' and Flow Traders N.V. or any of its affiliates ("Flow Traders") do not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of the information and materials and expressly disclaim liability for any errors or omissions. This press release is not intended to be, and shall not constitute in any way a binding or legal agreement, or impose any legal obligation on Flow Traders. All intellectual property rights, including trademarks, are those of their respective owners. All rights reserved. All proprietary rights and interest in or connected with this publication shall vest in Flow Traders. No part of it may be redistributed or reproduced without the prior written permission of Flow Traders.



This press release may include forward-looking statements, which are based on Flow Traders' current expectations and projections about future events, and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations. Words such as "may", "will", "would", "should", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "project", "believe", "could", "hope", "seek", "plan", "foresee", "aim", "objective", "potential", "goal" "strategy", "target", "continue" and similar expressions or their negatives are used to identify these forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future whether or not outside the control of Flow Traders. Such factors may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no undue reliance should be placed on any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as at the date at which they are made. Flow Traders expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update, review or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which such statements are based unless required to do so by applicable law.



Financial objectives are internal objectives of Flow Traders to measure its operational performance and should not be read as indicating that Flow Traders is targeting such metrics for any particular fiscal year. Flow Traders' ability to achieve these financial objectives is inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond Flow Traders' control, and upon assumptions with respect to future business decisions that are subject to change. As a result, Flow Traders' actual results may vary from these financial objectives, and those variations may be material.

Efficiencies are net, before tax and on a run-rate basis, i.e. taking into account the full-year impact of any measure to be undertaken before the end of the period mentioned. The expected operating efficiencies and cost savings were prepared on the basis of a number of assumptions, projections and estimates, many of which depend on factors that are beyond Flow Traders' control. These assumptions, projections and estimates are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and actual results may differ, perhaps materially, from those projected. Flow Traders cannot provide any assurance that these assumptions are correct and that these projections and estimates will reflect Flow Traders' actual results of operations.

By accepting this document you agree to the terms set out above. If you do not agree with the terms set out above please notify legal.amsterdam@nl.flowtraders.comimmediately and delete or destroy this document.

Attachment
EASTLEIGH, UK / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / i3 Energy plc (AIM:I3E) (TSX:ITE), an independent oil and gas company with assets and operations in the UK and Canada, announces the following update.

Marten Hills Clearwater Drilling

Well completion, production equipment installation and tie-in operations have been completed for wells 01-12-075-26W4 and 02-12-075-26W4. Eight horizontal lateral legs (totalling 13,057m in the 01-12 well and 12,644m in the 02-12 well, at a maximum true vertical depth of 630m) were drilled from each wellbore and encountered a clean upper shoreface sandstone, with porosities ranging from 24% to 27%, and oil was evidenced throughout via oil shows on cuttings. The wells are now on production and flowing back drilling fluid. This clean-up process is expected to take approximately three to four weeks, after which the market will be updated on initial stabilised oil flow rates.

i3 Energy owns a 50% working interest in these wells and has the option under the associated farm-in agreement, previously announced on 5 May 2021, to participate in an additional 7 wells, at least 4 of which will be spud by 31 March 2022, which would see i3 earn 11.5 net sections of land (circa 29.4 km2), in the Marten Hills, Cadotte and West Dawson areas of the Clearwater play.

Wapiti Production Acquisition

Announced 30 June 2021, the Company has now completed the Wapiti production acquisition with a 1 April 2021 effective date. These assets currently produce 230 boe/d and i3 intends to conduct six well reactivations to bring Next Twelve Months ('NTM') production to an estimated 310 boe/d, resulting in a total acquisition and capital cost of USD 0.4mm, which translates to only 0.56x expected NTM net operating income (revenue minus royalties, opex, transportation and processing).

Wapiti Elmworth Drilling

Well 09-17-071-10W6 in i3's Elmworth Wapiti acreage was spud on 27 July 2021. The Company will be drilling two wells with a partner at a net cost of USD 2.1mm. Operations are planned to conclude in early Q3 2021. These oil-weighted wells are expected to initially increase i3's production by approximately 175 boe/d and are estimated to return the full investment in 1.3 years based on current commodity strip pricing.

Majid Shafiq, CEO of i3 Energy plc, commented:

'We are very pleased to have successfully concluded drilling, completion and tie-in operations on the first two wells in the Company's Marten Hills Clearwater acreage, on time and on budget. Operations were performed very efficiently, and the experience will assist greatly in the programming of the second phase of drilling on this acreage. These Marten Hills and Wapiti wells are expected to add very profitable incremental production and cash-flow to the Company's portfolio. We now look forward to our next drilling program in Wapiti Elmworth.'

END

Qualified Person's Statement

In accordance with the AIM Note for Mining and Oil and Gas Companies, i3 discloses that Majid Shafiq is the qualified person who has reviewed the technical information contained in this document. He graduated with a Master's Degree in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in 1988 and is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Majid Shafiq consents to the inclusion of the information in the form and context in which it appears.

Enquiries:

i3 Energy plc Majid Shafiq (CEO) / Graham Heath (CFO) c/o Camarco

Tel: +44 (0) 203 781 8331 WH Ireland Limited (Nomad and Joint Broker) James Joyce, James Sinclair-Ford Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666 Canaccord Genuity Limited (Joint Broker) Henry Fitzgerald- O'Connor, James Asensio Tel: +44 (0) 207 523 8000 Tennyson Securities (Joint Broker)

Peter Krens Tel: +44 (0) 207 186 9030 Camarco

Owen Roberts, James Crothers, Violet Wilson

Tel: +44 (0) 203 781 8331

Notes to Editors:

i3 Energy is an oil and gas Company with a low cost, diversified, growing production base in Canada's most prolific hydrocarbon region, the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and appraisal assets in the North Sea with significant upside.

The Company is well positioned to deliver future growth through the optimisation of its existing 100% owned asset base and the acquisition of long life, low decline conventional production assets.

i3 is dedicated to responsible corporate practices and the environment, and places high value on adhering to strong Environmental, Social and Governance ('ESG') practices. i3 is proud of its performance to date as a responsible steward of the environment, people, and capital management. The Company is committed to maintaining an ESG strategy, which has broader implications to long-term value creation, as these benefits extend beyond regulatory requirements.

i3 Energy is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol I3E and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ITE. For further information on i3 Energy please visit https://i3.energy/

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: i3 Energy PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657574/i3-Energy-PLC-Announces-Operational-Update
Press contact:

Florence Lievre

Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 71

Email: florence.lievre@capgemini.com

Capgemini chosen to accelerate software development with cloud transformation by aleading German Automotive Manufacturer

Paris, July 29, 2021 - Capgemini, a strategic partner to the world's leading automotive companies, announced today that it has been awarded a contract extension by Mercedes-Benz AGuntil 2024 for the development and maintenance of the core Electric/Electronic Product Data Management applicationin a R&D environment. The EE-PDM application is used for the development and documentation of electronic vehicle components and was implemented by an international team of Capgemini experts over a period of several years. By securing the contract extension, Capgemini will now support the leading automotive manufacturer in migrating the application to the cloud and further transformingit in a microservices environment with DevOps.

Following the successful transformationof the EE-PDM application into a distributed agile delivery model, Capgemini will further evolve the EE-PDM core system. This will keep pace with rapidly changing requirements and incorporate multiple business departments in various workflows driving collaboration. The leading automotive manufacturer aims to establish a more flexible and efficient deployment process, which requires further innovation to ensure minimal time between application updates and a faster time to market of electronic product components. In order to achieve this goal and support the client's TwiceAsFast strategy aimed at streamlining its IT processes, Capgemini will leverage its deep expertise in cloud technology, microservices architecture and DevOps.

A total of five agile teams in Germany and India will deliver the latest requirements for the application. The contract is extended until 2024 with an option for extension in the future. As a key supplier for the premium automotive manufacturer, Capgemini has been developing and maintaining the EE-PDM application with a proven model since 2008.

"Since we began our collaboration on the EE-PDM application, digitization has rapidly evolved the way vehicles are developed," said Michael Schulte, CEO of Capgemini's Northern Europe Strategic Business Unit and Group Executive Board Member. "Transformation to the cloud and the evolution to microservices will take the application to the next level for even greater speed and higher flexibility, both of which are crucial factors in today's automotive industry."

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of 290,000 team members in nearly 50 countries. With its strong 50 year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2020 global revenues of 16 billion.

Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

Attachment
Hexagon Digital Wave, a business of Hexagon Composites has signed an agreement with Linde, a leading industrial gas and engineering company. The agreement covers the supply and service of Ultrasonic Examination (UE) testing equipment.



The estimated total value of the agreement is USD 2 million (approx. NOK 17 million) and designates Hexagon Digital Wave as a long-term partner.

Driving energy transformation

"We are excited to extend our relationship with the great team at Linde", says Keith Fountain, UE international Sales Manager Hexagon Digital Wave. "Over the past 14 years we have provided our equipment to one of the market leaders in the industrial gas environment and helped to improve the safety of their cylinders."

About the market

The non-destructive UE test and process enables the recertification of the cylinders without removing the internal product which improves the safety and allows a number of ESG requirements to be accomplished. Positive environmental impacts are accomplished by emitting less gas back to the atmosphere. In addition, since gas at pressure is not released it means that the user eliminates CO2 by not having to expend the energy to repressurize the product back into the cylinder.

The market continues to shift to the UE test for higher safety and testing efficiencies. With the ability to do a safer and more environmentally conscious test like UE this will have a continuous impact on the industry for years to come.

UE advantages include reduced labor to inspect cylinders, detection and analysis of suspected flaws, retention of gas product and elimination of re-pressurization energy.

"At Hexagon Digital Wave we understand the impacts of the contents of these pressurized cylinders and the responsibility that goes behind it. We believe strongly that the UE test is the best option for the industry moving forward," concludes Fountain.

Contacts:

Karen Romer, SVP Communications, Hexagon Composites

Telephone: +47 950 74 950 | karen.romer@hexagongroup.com

Hiva Ghiri, VP Investor Relations

Telephone: +47 958 66 790 | hiva.ghiri@hexagongroup.com

About Linde

Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2020 sales of $27 billion

About Hexagon Digital Wave

Hexagon Digital Wave, a subsidiary of Hexagon Composites ASA, is a manufacturer of Ultrasonic Examination (UE) cylinder testing equipment, Modal Acoustic Emission (MAE) testing equipment and a provider of associated inspection services. With applications worldwide, Hexagon Digital Wave serves government entities, academic institutes, and private clients in the compressed gas and pressure vessel industries.

About Hexagon Composites ASA

Hexagon delivers safe and innovative solutions for a cleaner energy future. Our solutions enable storage, transportation and conversion to clean energy in a wide range of mobility, industrial and consumer applications.

Learn more at www.hexagongroup.com and follow @HexagonASA on Twitter and LinkedIn

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXv:CCE, FSE:D7H0, OTCQX:CMRZF) (the "Company" or "Commerce") is pleased to announce that it has collared its first drill hole of the 2021 field program at the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit, located in northern Quebec. The program is being managed by Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd. of Edmonton, AB, with drilling operations being carried out by Logan Drilling Ltd. of Stewiacke, NS.

The Company has mobilized the drill rig to the Ashram Deposit ahead of schedule following the completion of several drill holes by Saville Resources at the Mallard and Miranna prospects, located within 1 km of Ashram, where Saville Resources holds an Option from the Company to earn up to a 75% interest. The overlap of the two programs is resulting in significant cost savings through shared drill rig mobilization, camp operation, and other mutual program support costs.

A total of 2,500 m of NQ size drilling over 15 to 20 holes is anticipated at the Ashram Deposit. The holes will target further delineation of the deposit, which remains open to the north and south, as well as target an increase in resource confidence from inferred/indicated to indicated/measured in areas where the neodymium-praseodymium ("NdPr") contents are highest. Depending on the location within the deposit, the NdPr distribution typical varies from 21-24+% with monazite being the dominant carrier of the rare earth elements ("REEs").

The Company continues to advance the core relog and geological model of the deposit, which will guide the drill program to meet its objectives. In addition to the drilling, the Company continues to collect remaining field data that is required for the Prefeasibility Study (PFS) and is planning to complete the remaining Qualified Person site visits later in the program. In parallel to the field and PFS programs, the Company continues to advance its flowsheet development at Hazen Research in Colorado, with other components of the PFS currently being advanced by third party consultants (BBA Engineering, CIMA+, etc).

The Company notes that it will carry-out its field programs while adhering to all federal, provincial, and regional restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company has successfully navigated the process to enter Nunavik and obtained authorization to complete its planned field activities. Mineral exploration has been recognized as an essential service in Canada and the Province of Quebec.

NI 43-101 Disclosure

Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P.Geo., Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., a Permit holder with the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

About Commerce Resources Corp.

Commerce Resources Corp. is a junior mineral resource company focused on the development of the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit located in Quebec, Canada. The Company is positioning to be one of the lowest cost rare earth producers globally, with a specific focus on being a long-term supplier of mixed rare earth carbonate and/or NdPr oxide to the global market. The Ashram Deposit is characterized by simple rare earth (monazite, bastnaesite, xenotime) and gangue (carbonates) mineralogy, a large tonnage resource at favourable grade, and has demonstrated the production of high-grade (>45% REO) mineral concentrates at high recovery (>70%) in line with active global producers. In addition to being one of the largest rare earth deposits globally, Ashram is also one of the largest fluorspar deposits globally and has the potential to be a long-term supplier to the met-spar and acid-spar markets.

For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.commerceresources.com or email info@commerceresources.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

COMMERCE RESOURCES CORP.

" Chris Grove "

Chris Grove

President and Director

Tel: 604.484.2700

Email: cgrove@commerceresources.com

Web: http://www.commerceresources.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this press release include our plans to drill at the Ashram project, the expected results allowing us to delineate the mineralization, and plans for environmental work; and that we could become a long term supplier of mixed rare earth carbonate and/or NdPr oxide. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include that the methods proposed don't work as well as expected, the drilling may not go as planned or start when expected, we may experience difficulties in drilling and carrying out environmental work; changing costs for mining and processing; increased capital costs; the timing and content of upcoming work programs; geological interpretations based on drilling that may change with more detailed information; potential process methods and mineral recoveries assumption based on limited test work and by comparison to what are considered analogous deposits that with further test work may not be comparable; testing of our process may not prove successful and even it tests are successful, the economic and other outcomes may not be as expected; the availability of labour, equipment and markets for the products produced; and despite the current expected viability of the project, conditions changing such that the minerals on our property cannot be economically mined, or that the required permits to build and operate the envisaged mine can be obtained. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Commerce Resources Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657427/Commerce-Resources-Corp-Commences-Summer-Drill-Program-at-the-Ashram-Rare-Earth-and-Fluorspar-Deposit
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / Saville Resources Inc. (TSXV:SRE)(FRA:S0J) (the "Company" or "Saville") is pleased to announce that it has completed four (4) drill holes at the Miranna Prospect as part of its 2021 diamond drill program at its Niobium Claim Group Property (the "Property"), located in northern Quebec. The program is being managed by Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd. of Edmonton, AB, with drilling operations being carried out by Logan Drilling Ltd. of Stewiacke, NS.

The Company moved to the Miranna Prospect for its maiden drill testing after completing three (3) drill holes totalling approximately 681 m at the Mallard Prospect, located approximately 1 km to the southeast (see news release dated July 22nd, 2021). At Miranna, four (4) drill holes totalling approximately 668 m have now been completed, ranging in depth from 140 m to 236 m. The first two holes tested the eastern margin of the magnetic high that defines the target, with the next two holes targeting the central and northern margins of the target, respectively. The Company is pleased to report that coarse-grained (up to 0.5 cm) pyrochlore mineralization has been observed in each Miranna drill hole, primarily hosted within a magnetite-calcite Carbonatite rock unit. This rock unit correlates with one of several distinct mineralized boulder trains that have been traced to the magnetic anomaly being drill tested.

Mike Hodge, President and CEO of the Company commented: "It is major milestone for the Company to have collared our first drill holes at Miranna. Our technical team has developed this target over several field seasons and is very excited to have been able execute this scoping series of drill holes. The information gathered will allow us to refine and focus an aggressive follow-up phase of drilling over the magnetic anomaly being targeted."

Miranna is characterized by a strongly mineralized (niobium-tantalum-phosphate), glacially dispersed boulder train with an apex that correlates with a distinct magnetic high anomaly, which is interpreted to be the source. Sample assays of the mineralized boulders from the train include 5.93% Nb2O5, 310 ppm Ta2O5, and 11.5% P2O5; and 4.30% Nb2O5, 240 ppm Ta2O5, and 13.4% P2O5; as well as multiple additional samples grading >1% Nb2O5. The drill holes at Miranna are targeting the interpreted bedrock source of this mineralized boulder train.

To date a total of approximately 1,348 m of NQ size coring over seven (7) drill holes have been completed in the program with the drill now mobilized to the Ashram Deposit located nearby for drilling as part of Commerce Resources Corp's field program. The Company was able to exceed its target meterage (1,000 m) for the program due excellent coring rates and program management. The drill core is currently being logged in detail ahead of sampling and shipment to the lab for assay with results to be released as received.

The Company notes that it will carry-out its field programs while adhering to all federal, provincial, and regional restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company has successfully navigated the process to enter Nunavik and obtained authorization to complete its planned field activities. Mineral exploration has been recognized as an essential service in Canada and the Province of Quebec.

NI 43-101 Disclosure

Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P.Geo., Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., a Permit holder with the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

About Saville Resources Inc.

The Company's principal asset is the Niobium Claim Group Property, situated within the central Labrador Trough, Quebec, and currently under Earn-In Agreement from Commerce Resources Corp. for up to a 75% interest. The Property consists of 26 contiguous mineral claims, encompassing an area of approximately 1,223 hectares, and is considered prospective for niobium, tantalum, phosphate, and fluorspar. The Property includes the Miranna Target, where prior boulder sampling in the area has returned 5.9% Nb2O5 and 1,220 ppm Ta2O5, as well as the Mallard Prospect where drilling has returned wide intercepts of mineralization, including 1.36% Nb2O5 over 4.5 m, within a larger interval of 0.80% Nb2O5 over 31.5 m (EC19-174A).

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

SAVILLE RESOURCES INC.

"Mike Hodge"

Mike Hodge

President

Tel: 604.681.1568

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this press release include that a broad and extensive fluorspar mineralized trend is interpreted to continue to surface; the Company will utilize the dataset to produce a 3D model of the trend and prioritize targets where high-grade fluorspar-bearing carbonatite may overlap with high-grade niobium-bearing carbonatite; and that there is potential for high-grade and wider widths where conditions are favourable. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include changing costs for mining and processing; increased capital costs; the potential inability of the Company to finance its plans; the timing and content of upcoming work programs; geological interpretations based on drilling that may change with more detailed information; potential process methods and mineral recoveries assumption based on limited test work and by comparison to what are considered analogous deposits that with further test work may not be comparable; the availability of labour, equipment and markets for the products produced; and despite the current expected viability of the project, conditions changing such that the minerals on our property cannot be economically mined, or that the required permits to build and operate the envisaged mine cannot be obtained. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Saville Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657373/Saville-Resources-Inc-Completes-its-First-Drill-Holes-at-the-Miranna-Prospect-on-its-Niobium-Claim-Group-Property-Quebec
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / Pampa Metals Corp. ("Pampa Metals" or the "Company") (CSE:PM)(FSE:FIRA)(OTCQX:PMMCF) is pleased to report that it has completed its drill program at its Redondo-Veronica project, with a total of 1,956 meters drilled in 7 reverse circulation ("RC") holes, and has now mobilised the drill rig and support team to its Cerro Buenos Aires project.

RC drill chips from every 2m sample drilled into rock at Redondo-Veronica (excepting chips from post-mineral overburden) have been bagged and are in the process of being shipped to the sample preparation laboratory in Chile. A total of 926 2m field samples are being shipped. An additional 118 control samples, representing more than 12.5% of the field samples, and comprising blanks, duplicate samples, and certified value standards, have been randomly inserted into the sample batches for each drill hole and will be assayed by the same method as the field samples, in order to monitor and control the accuracy and precision of the sample preparation and analytical processes. Assay results are expected to be turned around within 3 to 5 weeks.

As indicated in its news release of July 7, 2021, the Company has several geological, geophysical, and geochemical anomalies that it plans to test with RC drilling at Cerro Buenos Aires, initially focused on the Cerro Chiquitin area of the project. The drill rig has arrived on site and drilling has commenced. Pampa Metals plans to drill at least 2,000m in total at Cerro Buenos Aires.

The relatively small Cerro Chiquitin outcrop (+/- 500m across) exposes portions of a tourmaline breccia body as well as a diorite porphyry complex. The tourmaline breccia shows weak phyllic alteration with some porphyry-style D-type quartz veinlets, and a fine-grained diorite has sub-parallel porphyry-style A-type quartz veinlets on its eastern flank, both of which are interpreted to indicate that a porphyry-related system is located in the vicinity. The results from the previously reported gradient array IP together with historic Heli-borne TEM and magnetics data and surface soil geochemical data are supportive of this interpretation, and several anomalous features occur around the Cerro Chiquitin outcrop in areas covered by post-mineral gravels, and will be targeted by the current drilling campaign.

Qualified Person

Technical information in this news release has been approved by Mario Orrego G, Geologist and a Registered Member of the Chilean Mining Commission and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Orrego is a consultant to the Company.

COVID-19

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has led governments worldwide to enact emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus. Such measures may result in a period of business disruption including reduced operations, which could have a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations, financial condition and the market and trading price of the Company's securities.

As of the date of this news release, the duration and immediate and eventual impact of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unknown. It is not possible to reliably estimate the length and severity of these developments and the impact on the financial results and condition of the Company. The outbreak of COVID-19 has not caused significant disruptions to the Company's business to date, with field activities being conducted by Chile-based specialists and consultants, although international travel to Chile for management is currently not practical. Important business communication is largely reliant on digital media. However, the COVID-19 outbreak may yet cause disruptions to the Company's business and operational plans.

ABOUT PAMPA METALS

Pampa Metals is a Canadian company listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE:PM) as well as the Frankfurt (FSE:FIRA) and OTC (OTCXQ:PMMCF) exchanges. Pampa Metals owns a highly prospective 59,000-hectare portfolio of eight projects for copper and gold located along proven mineral belts in Chile, one of the world's top mining jurisdictions. The Company has a vision to create value for shareholders and all other stakeholders by making a major copper discovery along the prime mineral belts of Chile, using the best geological and technological methods. For more information, please visit Pampa Metals' website www.pampametals.com .

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Julian Bavin | Chief Executive Officer

INVESTOR CONTACT

Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos | Director

investors@pampametals.com

www.pampametals.com

Neither the CSE nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed 'forward-looking statements'. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Pampa Metals expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words 'expects', 'plans', 'anticipates', 'believes', 'intends', 'estimates', 'projects', 'potential', 'indicate' and similar expressions, or that events or conditions 'will', 'would', 'may', 'could' or 'should' occur. Although Pampa Metals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guaranteeing of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Pampa Metals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657532/Pampa-Metals-Mobilises-Drill-Rig-to-its-Cerro-Buenos-Aires-Project-After-Completing-More-Than-1900m-in-7-Holes-at-Redondo-Veronica
DGAP-News: Topas Therapeutics GmbH / Key word(s): Financing

Topas Therapeutics Extends Series B, Raising Total of 40 Million (~$ 48 Million) in this Round



29.07.2021 / 09:00

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Topas Therapeutics Extends Series B, Raising Total of 40 Million (~$ 48 Million) in this Round

Funds to be used to obtain clinical proof of concept in two programs and to accelerate innovative pipeline focused on restoring immune tolerance to treat and potentially cure autoimmune diseases

Initial clinical data for lead program, TPM203, in pemphigus vulgaris expected this year; second program, TPM502, planned to enter clinic by year end for celiac disease

In strong support of Topas' technology and programs, all existing investors - BioMedPartners, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, EMBL Ventures, Epidarex Capital, Evotec, Gimv and Vesalius Biocapital III - participated in the extension

Hamburg, 29 July 2021.

Topas Therapeutics GmbH (Topas), a private biotechnology company developing immune tolerance-inducing drugs to treat and potentially cure a variety of autoimmune diseases, today announced that the Company has successfully extended its Series B round with an additional 18 million (~$22 million) raised, bringing the total for this financing to 40 million. All of Topas' existing investors participated in the extension.

The funding will be used to obtain clinical proof of concept in two programs and to accelerate the Company's proprietary pipeline based on the Topas Particle Conjugates technology platform. In addition to lead program, TPM203, which is continuing in clinical development for the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris, a second product candidate, TPM502, is now slated to enter the clinic for the treatment of celiac disease by the end of this year.

Topas will also be advancing several of its pre-clinical-stage programs, including one for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and one for Type I diabetes. Topas' novel technology induces antigen-specific immune tolerance by harnessing the liver's natural tolerization capabilities. The Company is utilizing this platform to develop products for autoimmune diseases where better treatment options and cures are urgently needed.

Klaus Martin, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Topas, said: "We are excited by the trust our investors are showing by participating in this extended financing round, recognizing our progress and underpinning their great belief in the potential of Topas' innovative technology and programs. This strong support is enabling us to accelerate our product development work and to advance several programs in parallel. We look forward to seeing the first clinical results from our platform, expected later this year."

Topas has raised a total of 58 million since its inception. The recent Series B extension is enabling the Company to accelerate the development of various autoimmune disease programs.

Erich F. Greiner, M.D., Chairman of the Supervisory Board, said: "I am very pleased and grateful that all of Topas' investors decided to further strengthen the Company and its programs. We are delighted by the progress we have made to date with the Topas nanoparticle conjugate technology platform and eagerly await the first clinical results. Once clinical proof of concept is established, we see multiple opportunities for this unique and versatile platform to rapidly generate additional exciting programs in a variety of disease areas. The Topas technology has the potential to bring truly breakthrough products to patients with diseases of high unmet medical need for which there are currently no effective or curative treatment options."



About Topas Therapeutics

Topas Therapeutics GmbH is a clinical-stage, private biotechnology company, which focuses on developing nanoparticle-based therapeutics to address areas of major unmet need, including autoimmune diseases, allergies, and anti-drug immune responses. The Topas Particle Conjugates technology platform induces antigen-specific immune tolerance by harnessing the liver's natural tolerization capabilities. The Company has several proprietary programs; lead product candidate, TPM203, is in clinical testing for pemphigus vulgaris, an orphan disease. A second program, TPM 502, is being developed for the treatment of celiac disease and expected to enter the clinic by the end of the year. Topas has several other proprietary programs, including in rheumatoid arthritis and Type I diabetes, in pre-clinical development. Other programs are in the area of anti-drug immune responses, such as in gene therapy and with anti-drug antibodies and are available for partnering. Topas' investors are: BioMedPartners, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, EMBL Ventures, Epidarex Capital, Evotec, Gimv and Vesalius Biocapital III.

For additional information, please visit www.topas-therapeutics.com.



Contacts:
Legal action aims to make Google accountable for shutting down competition to its Google Play Store

Alleges Google Play Store's 30% surcharge for digital purchases is excessive and unfair

Claims the 30% surcharge breaches European and UK competition laws, at the expense of millions of loyal customers in the UK

Collective action seeks estimated damages of up to 920 million for UK users of the Google Play Store

It follows an action launched recently against Apple for similar abusive conduct in the App Store

Google systematically breaks the law and overcharges millions of UK users for apps and other purchases made on its app store the Google Play Store according to a landmark legal action brought in a UK court against the tech firm and its parent company Alphabet.

The claim has been filed by consumer champion Liz Coll in the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London on behalf of around 19.5 million eligible UK users of Google's Play Store.

The vast majority of Android smartphone and tablet users in the UK are thought to depend upon the Google Play Store for their access to apps.

The claim alleges Google bundles the Play Store with other Google products and services and requires pre-installation and prominent placement of the Google Play Store. This and other contractual and technical restrictions have the effect of shutting down competition for app distribution on Android devices.

The overwhelming majority of customers are steered to the Google Play Store, and therefore to Google's own payment processing system, which then exacts a 30% surcharge on every digital purchase, generating massive and rising levels of profit for the company. Typically, 30% of the money app purchasers spend in the Google Play Store goes straight to Google, directly hitting consumers' pockets.

This 30% commission is an unlawful and unearned tax, imposed on ordinary people without justification, and bears no relationship to the costs of providing the services in question, the claim argues. Google faces an estimated bill for damages of up to 920 million from the claim.

The claim alleges that Google's conduct violates section 18 of the UK Competition Act 1998 and Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Bringing this collective action is Liz Coll, an established consumer advocate and former consumer policy lead at Citizens Advice.

Who is eligible

Any person who, at any point from 1 October 2015, made purchases of an app or digital content, services or subscriptions within an app (excluding Google apps) in the UK version of the Google Play Store using an Android smartphone or tablet on which the Google Play Store was pre-installed

is entitled to compensation from Google, the claim says. The Google Play Store is pre-installed on nearly all Android smartphones and tablets in the UK (ie smartphones and tablets that are not iPhones or iPads).

All such purchasers are eligible to be included within the claimant class. Individuals and businesses can check whether they meet the eligibility criteria of the class by checking their purchase history and Google Play Store country in their Play Store app or Google account(s) online. Purchasers who are interested in finding out more about the claim and signing up for regular updates should visit https://www.appstoreclaims.co.uk/.

The background to the case against Google

The UK collective action coincides with increased public concern about Google's anti-competitive practices.

In 2018, the European Commission fined Google 4.34 billion for illegal practices regarding Android mobile devices, some of which involved the Google Play Store. Last year, a US Congressional report found that Google's Play Store "now functions as a gatekeeper, which Google is increasingly using to hike fees and favor its own apps". And earlier this year, 36 US States and the District of Columbia brought a legal claim alleging that Google unlawfully monopolizes the app distribution and in-app payments markets by using a variety of contractual and technical restrictions to entrench the power of its Google Play Store.

In June 2021, the UK Competition and Markets Authority announced that it was conducting a market study into mobile ecosystems in the UK, focusing on whether Apple and Google's "effective duopoly" over the supply of operating systems (iOS and Android)" and "app stores (App Store and Play Store) could be resulting in consumers losing out across a wide range of areas".

About the proposed class representative

Ms Coll has more than twelve years of experience of campaigning for consumers' rights online. She is currently an independent consultant focusing on consumer issues in the field of technology, including e-commerce, smart devices, data protection and privacy, and the impact of platforms like Google on consumers' access to choice, redress and fair treatment.

She was formerly Head of Digital at Consumers International, and Digital Policy Manager at Citizens Advice, where she designed and promoted research, thought leadership and advocacy projects which were influential in shaping regulatory guidance for consumer protection in the digital space. She has represented consumer interests at national and global policy forums including the OECD and the G20.

Liz has made purchases in the Google Play Store and, as such, has overpaid for her purchases in the same way as other members of the claimant class have overpaid. Like them, she has also had her choices as an app purchaser unlawfully restricted by Google's anti-competitive conduct.

Statements

Liz Coll, the proposed class representative in the action, said: "Google has done a great job in opening up access to all the benefits of smartphones for millions of people including me in the UK. But while it claims to be an open system offering choice, in reality Google has shut out competition and locked consumers into its own app store and its own payment system.

"Google created the Android app marketplace, and controls it with a vice-like grip. Customers are herded towards the Google Play Store, and once there have no option but to pay a 30% fee whenever they buy an app or make an in-app purchase. Competing app stores, which could give the same service at a fraction of the price, never get a look in.

"Google is a gatekeeper to so many digital services, and it has a responsibility not to abuse that position and overcharge ordinary consumers. These hidden charges are unlawful, and Google's customers deserve compensation, and better treatment from Google in future."

Lesley Hannah, Partner at legal firm Hausfeld Co LLP, who is leading the litigation, said:

"In Britain and elsewhere, Google dominates the Android smartphone market and uses that dominance to restrict competition and charge excessive and unfair app store fees that are out of all proportion to the cost of providing those services.

"Thankfully, we have robust competition laws to protect consumers, and a collective proceedings regime to vindicate their rights, and we are looking forward to working with Liz Coll in holding Google to account for its unlawful conduct."

Further information

The legal claim applies to most popular apps on the Google Play Store, including Roblox, Candy Crush Saga, Tinder and many others, that require payment at point of download, subscription payments, or allow for in-app purchases. It does not apply to apps providing "physical goods or services that will be consumed outside of the app". These include Deliveroo and Uber, which are not required to use Google's payments system or pay Google the disputed 30% commission.

Affected app purchasers, on whose behalf the collective action is brought, will not pay costs or fees to participate in this legal action, which is being funded by Vannin Capital, a global litigation funder. The action is insured, which means that class members have no financial risk in relation to the claim.

Liz Coll is represented by Hausfeld Co LLP, and Mark Hoskins QC and Aaron Khan of Brick Court and Ronit Kreisberger QC and Michael Armitage of Monckton Chambers.

Ms Coll is also advised on the claim by a consultative group with expertise and experience in group claims management, the payments industry, and consumer rights. This group consists of Sir Gerald Barling, a retired judge and formerly the President of the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal; Dr Christine Riefa, a leading academic specialising in consumer law; and Aidene Walsh, an expert with 20 years' experience in the payments industry.

Notes for Editors

About Hausfeld

Hausfeld is a leading law firm which specialises in global competition litigation with 12 offices in Europe and the US. The firm possesses significant experience representing claimants in all aspects of collective redress and group claims, including abuse of dominance litigation against Big Tech and other large corporates.

The firm pioneered the Trucks Cartel litigation in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. It has acted on some of the most complex damages claims of the last decade: on the "Interchange Fee" litigation against Visa and Mastercard, in "Google Shopping" claims on behalf of price comparison websites against Google; against six financial institutions over their participation in unlawful price-fixing of the foreign exchange currency markets; and against Marriott International, YouTube and Facebook in data breach litigations.

In May 2021, Hausfeld announced it was assisting a separate collective action at the Competition Appeal Tribunal against Apple, led by Dr Rachael Kent on behalf of up to 19.6 million UK iPhone and iPad users, alleging anti-competitive practices and excessive charging with respect to Apple's App Store.

ENDS

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005203/en/

Contacts:

Media enquiries:

Conal Walsh Amy Murphy Andreas Grueter, Palatine Communications

GoogleClaim@palatine-media.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.
STUTTGART, Germany and BERGISCH GLADBACH, Germany, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Exyte has successfully completed the construction of the first ExyCell facility in China, the CliniMACS Cell Factory of Miltenyi Biotec, a global provider of integrated solutions for Advanced Therapy Medical Products (ATMPs). The patented ExyCell technology was developed by Exyte as an end-to-end, integrated facility solution with standardized and modularized elements. These pre-configured and pre-fabricated modules enable fast-track construction thereby shortening time-to-market for new therapeutics and vaccines. The ExyCell facility is installed on the fourth floor of the ATLATL building located in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, and Miltenyi Biotec is now transferring production technology from Germany to China with regular operations for ATMP production is expected by autumn 2021. The facility will soon be open to visitors by appointment.

Through their cooperation, Exyte and Miltenyi Biotec have developed an innovative, sustainable, and cost-effective facility for cell therapy manufacturing. This facility combines the CliniMACS Cell Factory manufacturing platform with the pre-fabricated ExyCell module enabling a fast deployment of small, medium, and large scale cell manufacturing facilities based on a flexible cell therapy manufacturing module. Endusers can purchase a personalized version of this pre-engineered and pre-fabricated manufacturing module ready to host their CliniMACSCell Factory for ATMPs.

Chris Miller, President Global Business Unit Biopharma and Life Sciences at Exyte stated: "The completion of the first ExyCell facility with our partner Miltenyi Biotec marks an important milestone. We consider ExyCell to be a transformational development of our "next generation" of award winning modular concepts." Exyte has developed and implemented several other modular facilities including the renowned Catapult Development and Manufacturing Centre for cell and gene therapy in Stevenage, UK, several modular biotech facilities in China, and a large modular biomanufacturing facility for upstream and downstream processing in Lithuania. All these plants have been designed and constructed, shipped, and installed for operational readiness.

Dr. Boris Stoffel, Member of the Management Board of Miltenyi Biotec, emphasized the importance of this partnership: "As a company, we want to enable our customers in their efforts to make innovative cell and gene therapies available to patients worldwide. We believe that combining the proven CliniMACS Cell Factory manufacturing platform with the pre-fabricated ExyCell module will help fast-tracking new therapies to the benefit of global healthcare."

The effective combination of the CliniMACS Cell Factory ballroom concept built into the ExyCell module allows the flexibility to build, scale-up, expand, or repurpose a facility with minimal impact to ongoing production operations. The ExyCell platform can either be purchased in its standard version or adapted to specific needs of production capacity, cleanroom size, control systems, and finishing options. Exyte can build and qualify a turn-key ExyCell facility in a matter of months. The ExyCell facility sizes start from 75 m2 for a fully equipped and operational turnkey facility hosting a CliniMACS Cell Factory with one to twelve CliniMACS Prodigy units, scaling up to several thousand square meters to accomodate several hundred units. The ExyCell facility can be either realized in an existing building or built in a greenfield setting and presents clients with the opportunity for a significant reduction in construction timelines and overall energy use. The design is adaptable to any process layout and meets the requirements for current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).

Innovations in process technology, adaptable plant design, combined with the integration of physical and virtual supply chains allow biopharmaceutical manufacturers to remain competitive in a dynamic market. Biopharmaceutical manufacturers will benefit from the end-to-end sustainable solutions, which can be deployed globally, are cost predictable, provide speed to market, and flexibility for facility re-purposing. This reflects the characteristics of a drug lifecycle, mitigates associated risks, and effectively protects the CAPEX (capital expenditure) and OPEX (operational expenditure).

About Exyte

Exyte is a global leader in the design, engineering and delivery of facilities for high-tech industries. With a history of more than 100 years, the company has developed a unique expertise in controlled and regulated environments. Exyte has a truly global footprint, serving the most technically demanding clients in markets such as semiconductors, batteries, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and data centers. The company offers a full range of services from consulting to the managing of turnkey solutions - delivered to the highest quality and safety standards. Solving the most complex challenges, Exyte forges trusted, long-lasting relationships with its clients. In 2020, Exyte generated sales of EUR 4.1 billion with around 4,900 highly experienced and motivated employees. The company is ideally positioned to further strengthen its market leadership with its broad industry insight and its exceptional talents.

Contact

Adriana Williams

Vice President Corporate Communications

& Investor Relations

+49 711 8804 1489

adriana.williams@exyte.net

www.exyte.net

About Miltenyi Biotec

Miltenyi Biotec is a global provider of products and services that empower biomedical discovery and advance cellular therapy. Our innovative tools support research at every level, from basic research to translational research to clinical application. Used by scientists and clinicians around the world, our technologies enable solutions for cellular research, cell therapy, and cell manufacturing. Our more than 30 years of expertise spans research areas including immunology, stem cell biology, neuroscience, and cancer. Today, Miltenyi Biotec has more than 3,500 employees in 28 countries - all dedicated to helping researchers and clinicians make a greater impact on science and health.

Contact

Holger Bulow

Corporate Communications

+49 2204 8306-6680

holgerb@miltenyi.com

www.miltenyibiotec.com

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The push for international bandwidth grows; Lumen offers diverse, low-latency solutions via trans-Atlantic route on the Dunant subsea cable

DENVER, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of COVID-19, almost 70% of organizations using cloud services say they plan to increase their cloud spending. This is creating a spike in the demand for cloud connectivity services and data worldwide. The need for international bandwidth is already more than doubling every two years, with internet growth increasing rapidly on all continents.

To help meet the growing need for more data flow and online content between the U.S. and Europe, Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) is significantly increasing its network capacity across the Atlantic Ocean by adding a new on-net route utilizing the Google Dunant subsea cable system between Richmond, Virginia and Paris, France.

"No other subsea cable route comes close to the capacity levels traversing the trans-Atlantic," said TeleGeography research director Alan Mauldin. "Looking forward, there's no question that tremendous new capacity will be required on this route. Lumen's decision to increase their capacity across the Atlantic makes a world of sense."

Providing complete network diversity to support global organizations

The Dunant trans-Atlantic cable connects the flourishing Virginia data center corridor in the U.S. with Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez on the French Atlantic coast. The new Lumen route on the Dunant system will offer optional diversity, latency, and custom routing guarantees. This will give international businesses and wholesale providers a secure, diverse trans-Atlantic network option connecting to the Lumen global 450,000 route fiber mile network.

"We're in an era of 'more'. The need for more online content, more applications and more cloud services between continents won't diminish anytime soon," said Laurinda Pang, Lumen president, global customer success. "That's why this subsea infrastructure is so important. The capacity Lumen will be offering on the Dunant subsea cable can be scaled to meet increased customer broadband demands for years to come. With our comprehensive trans-Atlantic subsea portfolio, customers will enjoy diverse routes, low latency and a connection to one of the most interconnected and deeply peered networks in the world."

Providing the Virginia data center hub with a European gateway

Establishing a new subsea route provides the greater Washington, D.C., data center corridor with a direct and efficient connection to Europe, including Paris and Frankfurt. Lumen also just recently announced the expansion of its fiber network in Europe, strengthening its service capabilities in France, Switzerland and Spain.

Lumen has owned and operated global subsea networks for more than 20 years and continues to support market growth where businesses need it most.

Lumen plans to deliver services on the Dunant subsea system in September.

About Lumen Technologies:

Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 450,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences. Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communication and collaboration solutions and our purpose to further human progress through technology at news.lumen.com/home , LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks in the United States.

Forward-Looking Statements Except for historical and factual information, the matters set forth in this release identified by words such as "will," "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "intends," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are based on current expectations only, are inherently speculative, and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or implied by us in those statements if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to: the continued increase in demand for cloud services and data worldwide; our ability to safeguard our network, and to avoid the adverse impact of possible security breaches, service outages, system failures, or similar events impacting our network or the availability and quality of our services; the effects of new, emerging or competing technologies, including those that could make our products less desirable or obsolete; the demand for new capacity on the Trans-Atlantic route on the Dunant subsea cable; whether we continue to make investments in global network connections at current levels or at all; our ability to deliver services on the Dunant subsea system by the projected time horizons; and other risks referenced from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). For all the reasons set forth above and in our SEC filings, you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments, changed circumstances, or otherwise. Furthermore, any information about our intentions contained in any of our forward-looking statements reflects our intentions as of the date of such forward-looking statement, and is based upon, among other things, existing regulatory, technological, industry, competitive, economic and market conditions, and our assumptions as of such date. We may change our intentions, strategies or plans (including our plans expressed herein) without notice at any time and for any reason.

Services not available everywhere. Business customers only. Lumen may change, cancel or substitute products and services, or vary them by service area at its sole discretion without notice. 2021 Lumen Technologies. All Rights Reserved.

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Prokarium, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the oncology field of microbial immunotherapy, today announced the appointment of Uz Stammberger, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. In the role, Dr. Stammberger will lead the advancement of Prokarium's oncology pipeline into the clinic.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005044/en/

Uz Stammberger, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Prokarium (Photo: Business Wire)

"Uz brings extensive clinical experience to Prokarium's team having spent more than two decades in oncology drug development and research," said Kristen Albright, PharmD, Chief Executive Officer of Prokarium. "We are thrilled to welcome Uz onboard as we expand our clinical portfolio into oncology, and I look forward to working together on the development of our next generation immuno-oncology pipeline."

"Prokarium's unique technology based on live, attenuated bacteria is a promising and powerful strategy for reprogramming the tumor microenvironment and eliciting long-lasting anti-tumor effects," said Dr. Stammberger. "I am excited to exploit the full therapeutic capabilities of our proprietary bacteria in both the monotherapy and combination settings, with our lead program targeting bladder cancer, an indication in which there remains a significant unmet medical need for patients."

Dr. Stammberger joins Prokarium from the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, where he oversaw the MAPK assets in Translational Clinical Oncology and generated several PoCs/PoMs in different genetically defined solid tumors. Prior to his role at Novartis, Dr. Stammberger was a Clinical Lead at Merck KGaA, responsible for Tepotinib, a small molecule inhibitor of c-Met which is approved in the US and Japan for MetEx14 skip mutant NSCLC. Earlier in his career, he held various positions at Roche and Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. Stammberger received his Doctor of Medicine as well as the Venia docendi (Adj. Professor of General Thoracic Surgery) from the University of Bern and is a board-certified GP and surgeon.

About Prokarium

Prokarium is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the field of microbial immunotherapy. Our pipeline is designed to unlock the next level of immuno-oncology by building on the most recent advances in cancer immunology. Prokarium's lead program is focused on transforming the treatment paradigm in bladder cancer by orchestrating immune-driven, long-lasting antitumor effects. Prokarium is based London, UK. For further information, visit https://www.prokarium.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005044/en/

Contacts:

For Prokarium

Kristen Albright

Chief Executive Officer

info@prokarium.com

www.prokarium.com



For media

MacDougall

Matthew Corcoran or Mario Brkulj

+1 781-235-3060 or +49 175 5711 562

prokarium@macbiocom.com

www.macbiocom.com
euNetworks Group Limited ("euNetworks"), a Western European bandwidth infrastructure company, today announced the appointment of Katherine Alexakis to the leadership team, taking up the role of Chief Financial Officer. This appointment is effective 6 September 2021, at which time Katherine will also join the Board of Directors as an Executive Director.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005060/en/

Brady Rafuse, CEO of euNetworks (Photo: Business Wire)

Katherine joins euNetworks after 15 years working at Goldman Sachs International in London, where she held several roles across the European Equities business. She most recently served as a Managing Director within European Equity Research, sitting on the European Investment Review Committee and leading the European Tactical Research Group. Katherine was also responsible for merchandising the research product across the Securities division. Previously, Katherine was a member of the Telecoms Research team and the Equity Sales Desk in the Securities Division.

"I am delighted that Katherine is joining the euNetworks team," said Brady Rafuse, Chief Executive Officer of euNetworks. "The role of CFO at euNetworks is important to our development and the scaling of our business. Katherine's financial skills and experience are hugely valuable assets as we move forward with our plans, working closely with our institutional investors within the financial community."

"We remain committed to building on euNetworks' unique position in the digital infrastructure eco-system and this appointment is important to euNetworks' continued development path," said Brian McMullen, Partner of Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners. "We welcome Katherine to the team and Board of Directors and look forward to working with her."

"World-class critical internet infrastructure has never been more important, so this is an exciting time to be joining euNetworks," said Katherine Alexakis. "I look forward to working with Brady and the team on the ongoing growth and development of the company's unique network and contributing to euNetworks' continued success in the market."

About euNetworks

euNetworks is a bandwidth infrastructure company, owning and operating 17 fibre based metropolitan networks connected with a high capacity intercity backbone covering 51 cities in 15 countries across Europe. The company leads the market in data centre connectivity, directly connecting over 450 today. euNetworks is also a leading cloud connectivity provider and offers a targeted portfolio of metropolitan and long haul services including Dark Fibre, Wavelengths, and Ethernet. Wholesale, finance, content, media, mobile, data centre and enterprise customers benefit from euNetworks' unique inventory of fibre and duct based assets that are tailored to fulfil their high bandwidth needs. For further information visit eunetworks.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005060/en/

Contacts:

euNetworks contact:

Hannah Britt Senior Director, Marketing IR euNetworks

hannah.britt@eunetworks.com email

+44 7717 896 446 mobile
Solid long-term investment performance, with 66% and 63% of assets under management ('AUM') outperforming relevant benchmarks on a three- and five-year basis, respectively, as at 30 June 2021

Second quarter 2021 operating income was US$225.0 million; second quarter 2021 adjusted operating income of US$269.3 million increased 95% compared to the same period a year ago

AUM of US$427.6 billion increased 6% compared to the prior quarter, reflecting positive markets partially offset by net outflows of US$(2.5) billion

Board declared quarterly dividend of US$0.38 per share and approved authorisation of US$200 million of buybacks through April 2022

Janus Henderson Group plc (NYSE/ASX: JHG; 'JHG', 'the Group') published its second quarter 2021 results for the period ended 30 June 2021.

Second quarter 2021 operating income was US$225.0 million compared to US$192.5 million in the first quarter 2021 and US$106.7 million in the second quarter 2020. Adjusted operating income, adjusted for one-time, acquisition and transaction related costs, was US$269.3 million in the second quarter 2021 compared to US$201.5 million in the first quarter 2021 and US$138.4 million in the second quarter 2020.

Second quarter 2021 diluted earnings per share of US$0.79 decreased 10% compared to US$0.88 in the first quarter 2021 and increased 44% compared to US$0.55 in the second quarter 2020. Adjusted diluted earnings per share of US$1.16 in the second quarter 2021 increased 27% compared to US$0.91 in the first quarter 2021 and increased 73% versus US$0.67 in the second quarter 2020.

Dick Weil, Chief Executive Officer of Janus Henderson Group plc, stated:

"Second quarter financial results were extremely strong, reflecting growth in assets due to positive markets and good investment performance which translated into significant performance fees, adjusted operating income and EPS. Our strong balance sheet, cash flow generation and financial discipline allow us to increase the return of excess cash to shareholders with the US$200 million accretive buyback announced today.

"While we continue to make progress towards sustained organic growth, we are winning high-quality new business which is driving our net management fee rate higher during a period of fee compression in the industry. I am confident that our strategy of Simple Excellence has us on the right path to a stronger, more profitable and resilient company positioned well for long-term growth and value creation."

RESULTS FOR ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE MARKET

These results for announcement to the market include the interim information required to be provided to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under Listing Rule 4.2A and Appendix 4D.

SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL RESULTS (unaudited) (in US$ millions, except per share data or as noted)

The Group presents its financial results in US$ and in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ('US GAAP' or 'GAAP'). However, JHG management evaluates the profitability of the Group and its ongoing operations using additional non-GAAP financial measures. Management uses these performance measures to evaluate the business, and adjusted values are consistent with internal management reporting. See 'Reconciliation of non-GAAP financial information' below for additional information.

Six months ended 30 Jun 30 Jun 2021 2020 % change GAAP basis: Revenue 1,382.4 1,072.9 29 Operating expenses 964.9 1,298.6 (26) Operating income (loss) 417.5 (225.7) nm Operating margin 30.2 (21.0) nm Net income (loss) attributable to JHG 292.8 (144.1) nm Diluted earnings (loss) per share 1.67 (0.79) nm Adjusted basis: Revenue 1,120.2 856.0 31 Operating expenses 649.4 553.1 17 Operating income 470.8 302.9 55 Operating margin 42.0 35.4 6.6 ppt Net income attributable to JHG 362.0 239.3 51 Diluted earnings per share 2.07 1.28 61

Three months ended 30 Jun 31 Mar 30 Jun 2021 2021 2020 GAAP basis: Revenue 738.4 644.0 518.0 Operating expenses 513.4 451.5 411.3 Operating income 225.0 192.5 106.7 Operating margin 30.5 29.9 20.6 Net income attributable to JHG 137.3 155.5 102.9 Diluted earnings per share 0.79 0.88 0.55 Adjusted basis: Revenue 603.6 516.6 413.3 Operating expenses 334.3 315.1 274.9 Operating income 269.3 201.5 138.4 Operating margin 44.6 39.0 33.5 Net income attributable to JHG 200.5 161.5 126.6 Diluted earnings per share 1.16 0.91 0.67

DIVIDEND AND SHARE BUYBACK

On 28 July 2021, the Board declared a second quarter dividend in respect of the three months ended 30 June 2021 of US$0.38 per share. Shareholders on the register on the record date of 9 August 2021 will be paid the dividend on 25 August 2021. Janus Henderson does not offer a dividend reinvestment plan.

Additionally, on 28 July 2021, and subject to formally appointing a corporate broker, the Board authorised JHG commencing a new on-market buyback programme in 2021, on a date to be determined and announced by JHG. The Group intends to spend up to US$200 million to buy its ordinary shares on the NYSE and its CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) on the ASX through April 2022. Further information regarding the proposed on-market buyback programme will be announced immediately prior to its finalisation and formal launch.

Net tangible assets per share

US$ 30 Jun 2021 30 Jun 2020 Net tangible assets (liabilities) per ordinary share 3.56 2.61

Net tangible assets are defined by the ASX as being total assets less intangible assets less total liabilities ranking ahead of, or equally with, claims of ordinary shares.

AUM AND FLOWS (in US$ billions)

FX reflects movement in AUM resulting from changes in foreign currency rates as non-US$ denominated AUM is translated into US$. Redemptions include impact of client switches.

Total Group comparative AUM and flows

Three months ended 30 Jun 31 Mar 30 Jun 2021 2021 2020 Opening AUM 405.1 401.6 294.4 Sales 18.4 20.7 17.9 Redemptions (20.9 (24.0 (26.1 Net sales (redemptions) (2.5 (3.3 (8.2 Market FX 25.0 6.8 50.5 Closing AUM 427.6 405.1 336.7

Quarterly AUM and flows by capability

Fixed Quantitative Equities Income Multi-Asset Equities Alternatives Total AUM 30 Jun 2020 179.1 70.2 40.3 37.5 9.6 336.7 Sales 5.8 5.9 2.3 1.3 0.5 15.8 Redemptions (10.9 (4.1 (1.7 (1.4 (0.6 (18.7 Net sales (redemptions) (5.1 1.8 0.6 (0.1 (0.1 (2.9 Market FX 14.9 3.1 2.7 3.3 0.5 24.5 AUM 30 Sep 2020 188.9 75.1 43.6 40.7 10.0 358.3 Sales 10.3 8.7 3.1 0.3 0.8 23.2 Redemptions (10.4 (7.5 (1.9 (3.7 (0.8 (24.3 Net sales (redemptions) (0.1 1.2 1.2 (3.4 (1.1 Market FX 30.6 5.2 3.2 4.7 0.7 44.4 AUM 31 Dec 2020 219.4 81.5 48.0 42.0 10.7 401.6 Sales 10.5 5.9 3.0 0.2 1.1 20.7 Redemptions (12.0 (5.5 (2.2 (2.3 (2.0 (24.0 Net sales (redemptions) (1.5 0.4 0.8 (2.1 (0.9 (3.3 Market FX 7.0 (2.4 0.7 1.4 0.1 6.8 AUM 31 Mar 2021 224.9 79.5 49.5 41.3 9.9 405.1 Sales 8.6 5.9 2.4 0.2 1.3 18.4 Redemptions (10.5 (6.0 (1.9 (1.5 (1.0 (20.9 Net sales (redemptions) (1.9 (0.1 0.5 (1.3 0.3 (2.5 Market FX 17.1 1.1 3.2 3.4 0.2 25.0 AUM 30 Jun 2021 240.1 80.5 53.2 43.4 10.4 427.6

Average AUM

Three months ended 30 Jun 31 Mar 30 Jun 2021 2021 2020 Equities 235.3 223.6 168.7 Fixed Income 80.7 80.9 68.7 Multi-Asset 51.8 48.7 38.3 Quantitative Equities 42.9 41.5 38.0 Alternatives 10.1 10.6 9.3 Total 420.8 405.3 323.0

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE

% of AUM outperforming benchmark (at 30 June 2021)

Capability 1-year 3-year 5-year Equities 56 56 55 Fixed Income 98 96 97 Multi-Asset 98 97 97 Quantitative Equities 23 23 2 Alternatives 98 97 100 Total 66 66 63

Outperformance is measured based on composite performance gross of fees vs primary benchmark, except where a strategy has no benchmark index or corresponding composite in which case the most relevant metric is used: (1) composite gross of fees vs zero for absolute return strategies, (2) fund net of fees vs primary index or (3) fund net of fees vs Morningstar peer group average or median. Non-discretionary and separately managed account assets are included with a corresponding composite where applicable.

Cash management vehicles, ETFs, Managed CDOs, Private Equity funds and custom non-discretionary accounts with no corresponding composite are excluded from the analysis. Excluded assets represent 5% of AUM as at 30 June 2021. Capabilities defined by Janus Henderson.

% of mutual fund AUM in top 2 Morningstar quartiles (at 30 June 2021)

Capability 1-year 3-year 5-year Equities 32 59 44 Fixed Income 57 80 75 Multi-Asset 19 92 91 Quantitative Equities 41 47 7 Alternatives 27 76 27 Total 33 67 55

Includes Janus Investment Fund, Janus Aspen Series and Clayton Street Trust (US Trusts), Janus Henderson Capital Funds (Dublin based), Dublin and UK OEIC and Investment Trusts, Luxembourg SICAVs and Australian Managed Investment Schemes. The top two Morningstar quartiles represent funds in the top half of their category based on total return. On an asset-weighted basis, 75% of total mutual fund AUM was in the top 2 Morningstar quartiles for the 10-year period ending 30 June 2021. For the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ending 30 June 2021, 42%, 56%, 51% and 60% of the 196, 185, 182 and 148 total mutual funds, respectively, were in the top 2 Morningstar quartiles.

Analysis based on 'primary' share class (Class I Shares, Institutional Shares or share class with longest history for US Trusts; Class A Shares or share class with longest history for Dublin based; primary share class as defined by Morningstar for other funds). Performance may vary by share class. Rankings may be based, in part, on the performance of a predecessor fund or share class and are calculated by Morningstar using a methodology that differs from that used by Janus Henderson. Methodology differences may have a material effect on the return and therefore the ranking. When an expense waiver is in effect, it may have a material effect on the total return, and therefore the ranking for the period.

ETFs and funds not ranked by Morningstar are excluded from the analysis. Capabilities defined by Janus Henderson. 2021 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

THIRD QUARTER 2021 RESULTS

Janus Henderson intends to publish its third quarter 2021 results on 28 October 2021.

SECOND QUARTER 2021 RESULTS BRIEFING INFORMATION

Chief Executive Officer Dick Weil and Chief Financial Officer Roger Thompson will present these results on 29 July 2021 on a conference call and webcast to be held at 8am EDT, 1pm BST, 10pm AEST.

Those wishing to participate should call:

United Kingdom 0800 279 9489 (toll free) United States 866 270 1533 (toll free) Australia 1 800 121 301 (toll free) All other countries +1 412 317 0797 (this is not toll free) Conference ID 10157508

Access to the webcast and accompanying slides will be available via the investor relations section of Janus Henderson's website (ir.janushenderson.com).

About Janus Henderson

Janus Henderson Group is a leading global active asset manager dedicated to helping investors achieve long-term financial goals through a broad range of investment solutions, including equities, fixed income, quantitative equities, multi-asset and alternative asset class strategies.

At 30 June 2021, Janus Henderson had approximately US$428 billion in assets under management, more than 2,000 employees, and offices in 25 cities worldwide. Headquartered in London, the company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

Condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income (unaudited)

Three months ended 30 Jun 31 Mar 30 Jun (in US$ millions, except per share data or as noted) 2021 2021 2020 Revenue: Management fees 544.1 514.9 407.7 Performance fees 77.4 17.0 17.2 Shareowner servicing fees 64.0 60.8 47.3 Other revenue 52.9 51.3 45.8 Total revenue 738.4 644.0 518.0 Operating expenses: Employee compensation and benefits 192.4 174.6 145.8 Long-term incentive plans 49.8 53.5 49.1 Distribution expenses 134.8 127.4 104.7 Investment administration 13.1 12.6 12.6 Marketing 6.7 6.2 3.7 General, administrative and occupancy 65.7 63.0 58.0 Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets 40.8 3.6 26.4 Depreciation and amortisation 10.1 10.6 11.0 Total operating expenses 513.4 451.5 411.3 Operating income 225.0 192.5 106.7 Interest expense (3.2 (3.2 (3.2 Investment gains, net 1.8 1.6 50.3 Other non-operating income (expense), net (2.7 (0.1 8.6 Income before taxes 220.9 190.8 162.4 Income tax provision (79.7 (43.1 (30.1 Net income 141.2 147.7 132.3 Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests (3.9 7.8 (29.4 Net income attributable to JHG 137.3 155.5 102.9 Less: allocation of earnings to participating stock-based awards (3.9 (4.8 (3.0 Net income attributable to JHG common shareholders 133.4 150.7 99.9 Basic weighted-average shares outstanding (in millions) 167.6 171.0 181.8 Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding (in millions) 168.1 171.8 182.1 Diluted earnings per share (in US$) 0.79 0.88 0.55

Reconciliation of non-GAAP financial information

In addition to financial results reported in accordance with GAAP, we compute certain financial measures using non-GAAP components, as defined by the SEC. These measures are not in accordance with, or a substitute for, GAAP, and our financial measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. We have provided a reconciliation of our non-GAAP components to the most directly comparable GAAP components. The following are reconciliations of US GAAP revenue, operating expenses, operating income, net income attributable to JHG and diluted earnings per share to adjusted revenue, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income attributable to JHG and adjusted diluted earnings per share.

Three months ended 30 Jun 31 Mar 30 Jun (in US$ millions, except per share data or as noted) 2021 2021 2020 Reconciliation of revenue to adjusted revenue Revenue 738.4 644.0 518.0 Management fees1 (49.6 (46.8 (40.2 Shareowner servicing fees1 (53.1 (50.0 (39.0 Other revenue1 (32.1 (30.6 (25.5 Adjusted revenue 603.6 516.6 413.3 Reconciliation of operating expenses to adjusted operating expenses Operating expenses 513.4 451.5 411.3 Employee compensation and benefits2 (0.5 Long-term incentive plans2 0.1 0.1 0.2 Distribution expenses1 (134.8 (127.4 (104.7 General, administration and occupancy2 (1.7 (3.6 (2.8 Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets3 (40.8 (3.6 (26.4 Depreciation and amortisation3 (1.9 (1.9 (2.2 Adjusted operating expenses 334.3 315.1 274.9 Adjusted operating income 269.3 201.5 138.4 Operating margin 30.5 29.9 20.6 Adjusted operating margin 44.6 39.0 33.5 Reconciliation of net income attributable to JHG to adjusted net income attributable to JHG Net income attributable to JHG 137.3 155.5 102.9 Employee compensation and benefits2 0.5 Long-term incentive plans2 (0.1 (0.1 (0.2 General, administration and occupancy2 1.7 3.6 2.8 Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets3 40.8 3.6 26.4 Depreciation and amortisation3 1.9 1.9 2.2 Investment gains, net4 0.2 Other non-operating income (expense), net4 (1.7 (1.8 (0.6 Income tax benefit (provision)5 20.6 (1.4 (7.4 Adjusted net income attributable to JHG 200.5 161.5 126.6 Less: allocation of earnings to participating stock-based awards (5.7 (5.0 (3.7 Adjusted net income attributable to JHG common shareholders 194.8 156.5 122.9 Weighted-average diluted common shares outstanding diluted (two class) (in millions) 168.1 171.8 182.1 Diluted earnings per share (two class) (in US$) 0.79 0.88 0.55 Adjusted diluted earnings per share (two class) (in US$) 1.16 0.91 0.67

JHG contracts with third-party intermediaries to distribute and service certain of its investment products. Fees for distribution and servicing related activities are either provided for separately in an investment product's prospectus or are part of the management fee. Under both arrangements, the fees are collected by JHG and passed through to third-party intermediaries who are responsible for performing the applicable services. The majority of distribution and servicing fees collected by JHG are passed through to third-party intermediaries. JHG management believes that the deduction of distribution and service fees from revenue in the computation of adjusted revenue reflects the pass-through nature of these revenues. In certain arrangements, JHG performs the distribution and servicing activities and retains the applicable fees. Revenues for distribution and servicing activities performed by JHG are not deducted from GAAP revenue. Adjustments primarily represent rent expense for subleased office space as well as administrative costs related to Dai-ichi Life's secondary offering. JHG management believes these costs are not representative of the ongoing operations of the Group. Investment management contracts have been identified as a separately identifiable intangible asset arising on the acquisition of subsidiaries and businesses. Such contracts are recognised at the net present value of the expected future cash flows arising from the contracts at the date of acquisition. For segregated mandate contracts, the intangible asset is amortised on a straight-line basis over the expected life of the contracts. Adjustments also include impairment charges of our goodwill and certain mutual fund investment management agreements, client relationships and trademarks. JHG management believes these non-cash and acquisition-related costs are not representative of the ongoing operations of the Group. Adjustments primarily relate to contingent consideration adjustments associated with prior acquisitions. JHG management believes these costs are not representative of the ongoing operations of the Group. The tax impact of the adjustments is calculated based on the applicable US or foreign statutory tax rate as it relates to each adjustment. Certain adjustments are either not taxable or not tax-deductible. Adjustments for the three months ended 30 June 2021 include a non-cash deferred tax expense of US$31.0 million due to the enactment of Finance Act 2021 during the second quarter 2021.

Condensed consolidated balance sheets (unaudited)

30 Jun 31 Dec (in US$ millions) 2021 2020 Assets: Cash and cash equivalents 966.9 1,099.7 Investment securities 270.2 268.1 Property, equipment and software, net 66.4 77.9 Intangible assets and goodwill, net 4,027.2 4,070.2 Assets of consolidated variable interest entities 228.9 226.5 Other assets 1,070.9 948.4 Total assets 6,630.5 6,690.8 Liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity: Long-term debt 311.9 313.3 Deferred tax liabilities, net 648.2 627.4 Liabilities of consolidated variable interest entities 4.2 3.2 Other liabilities 899.7 927.3 Redeemable noncontrolling interests 124.9 85.8 Total equity 4,641.6 4,733.8 Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity 6,630.5 6,690.8

Condensed consolidated statements of cash flows (unaudited)

Three months ended 30 Jun 31 Mar 30 Jun (in US$ millions) 2021 2021 2020 Cash provided by (used for): Operating activities 269.0 25.8 204.6 Investing activities (66.3 23.4 (166.8 Financing activities (62.0 (322.5 37.4 Effect of exchange rate changes 1.8 3.0 Net change during period 140.7 (271.5 78.2

STATUTORY DISCLOSURES

Associates and joint ventures

At 30 June 2021, the Group holds interests in the following associates and joint ventures managed through shareholder agreements with third party investors, accounted for under the equity method:

LongTail Alpha LLC ownership 20%

Basis of preparation

In the opinion of management of Janus Henderson Group plc, the condensed consolidated financial statements contain all normal recurring adjustments necessary to fairly present the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of JHG in accordance with US GAAP. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The financial statements should be read in conjunction with the annual consolidated financial statements and notes presented in Janus Henderson Group's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 31 December 2020, on file with the SEC (Commission file no. 001-38103). Events subsequent to the balance sheet date have been evaluated for inclusion in the financial statements through the issuance date and are included in the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Corporate governance principles and recommendations

In the opinion of the Directors, the financial records of the Group have been properly maintained, and the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements comply with the appropriate accounting standards and give a true and fair view of the financial position and performance of the Group. This opinion has been formed on the basis of a sound system of risk management and internal control which is operating effectively.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS DISCLAIMER

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal and fluctuation of value.

This document includes statements concerning potential future events involving Janus Henderson Group plc that could differ materially from the events that actually occur. The differences could be caused by a number of factors including those factors identified in Janus Henderson Group's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2020 and in other filings or furnishings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time (Commission file no. 001-38103), including those that appear under headings such as 'Risk Factors' and 'Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations'. Many of these factors are beyond the control of JHG and its management. Any forward-looking statements contained in this document are as at the date on which such statements were made. Janus Henderson Group undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Annualised, pro forma, projected and estimated numbers are used for illustrative purposes only, are not forecasts and may not reflect actual results.

The information, statements and opinions contained in this document do not constitute a public offer under any applicable legislation or an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any securities or financial instruments or any advice or recommendation with respect to such securities or other financial instruments.

Not all products or services are available in all jurisdictions.

Mutual funds in the US are distributed by Janus Henderson Distributors.

Please consider the charges, risks, expenses and investment objectives carefully before investing. For a US fund prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this and other information, please contact your investment professional or call 800.668.0434. Read it carefully before you invest or send money.

Janus Henderson is a trademark of Janus Henderson Group plc or one of its subsidiaries. Janus Henderson Group plc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005313/en/

Contacts:

Investor enquiries:

Jim Kurtz

Co-Head Investor Relations (US)

+1 303 336 4529

jim.kurtz@janushenderson.com

Melanie Horton

Co-Head Investor Relations (Non-US)

+44 (0)20 7818 2905

melanie.horton@janushenderson.com

Or

Investor Relations

investor.relations@janushenderson.com

Media enquiries:

Stephen Sobey

Head of Media Relations

+44 (0)20 7818 2523

stephen.sobey@janushenderson.com

Sarah Johnson

Director, Media Relations Corporate Comms

+1 720 364 0708

sarah.johnson@janushenderson.com

United Kingdom: Edelman Smithfield

Latika Shah

+44 (0)7950 671 948

latika.shah@edelmansmithfield.com

Andrew Wilde

+44 (0)7786 022 022

andrew.wilde@edelmansmithfield.com

Asia Pacific: Honner

Craig Morris

+61 2 8248 3757

craig@honner.com.au
Patrimonium Private Equity invests in Octo Actuators, a fast growing leader in the sector of integrated drive systems for the bed and furniture industry.

Octo Actuators, with operational headquarters in Grunsfeld, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, has a turnover of around 20 million with 90 employees, and develops, manufactures and distributes its motorized drive systems throughout Europe and selectively in Asia. Its innovative electric drive systems are used in slatted, upholstered and box-spring beds as well as motorised mattresses and upholstered furniture. The company has grown strongly in recent years and plans further expansion with new products and the development of new customer segments and international markets.

The company was founded by the entrepreneur and technology developer Eckhart Dewert and is led by an experienced management team. The company's development is supported by positive market trends such as growing spending on comfort in private households and demand for solutions for the ageing population.

Strategic and financial support from Patrimonium Private Equity

Patrimonium Private Equity is taking a stake in the group's Swiss holding company and will support future growth through capital increases. The parties have agreed not to disclose transaction terms.

Prof. Dr. Mehdi Mostowfi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Octo Actuators, explains: "Patrimonium Private Equity is known as a reliable partner for growing SME's in the DACH region and the team has gained our trust due to its great entrepreneurial experience. We are convinced that further expansion will be ideally supported by Patrimonium as a partner."

Andreas Ziegler, Senior Director at Patrimonium Private Equity and designated member of the Board of Directors, adds: "The high level of innovation, the potential of the product portfolio and the track record of the team convinced us from the very beginning. We are very much looking forward to partnering with the founders and their management team and to supporting their further growth with our expertise and network."

Growing portfolio of the new fund

With this investment, the Patrimonium Private Equity Fund, which launched in 2020, acquires another platform investment ideally complementing the current portfolio consisting of the German HubnerKTB Oberflachentechnik GmbH (a leading surface technology specialist) and the Swiss Roth Group (the market leader for technical insulation, coatings and passive fire protection). The fund invests in buyout situations of growing small and medium-sized companies in the DACH region. The focus of the fund includes industrial products, services, the ancillary construction sector as well as medtech and healthcare services.

Octo Actuators

Octo Actuators GmbH is a global leader in ultra-flat drive technology for slatted frames, upholstered and box spring beds as well as motorised drive systems for mattresses and upholstered furniture. The company, which is based in Grunsfeld in Baden-Wurttemberg, employs around 90 people and has achieved high sales growth in recent years. www.octo-actuators.de

Patrimonium Private Equity

Patrimonium Private Equity Advisors AG ("Patrimonium Private Equity") advises the Patrimonium Private Equity Fund SCSp and is a part of Patrimonium Asset Management AG (Patrimonium). Patrimonium is a Swiss private markets investment manager operating across the real estate, private debt, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. The company provides solutions to professional investors and differentiates itself through a direct and sustainable investment approach. Patrimonium principally operates in Switzerland, Germany and neighboring countries. The company manages assets of CHF 3.5 bn (as at 07.2021) and employs a staff of 70 with offices in Lausanne, Zurich and Zug. Patrimonium's legal entities are regulated by the relevant financial market supervisory authorities (FINMA, OAK BV and CSSF).

Patrimonium your Partner in Private Markets

Patrimonium Private Equity Fund

DISCLAIMER

The content of this publication is exclusively provided for informational purposes and may be subject to change at any time. It does further not constitute an offer and does not release the recipient from his or her own evaluation. Particularly, the mention of product names does not represent a solicitation for their acquisition or the trade in them. Prior to each action based on this publication, the recipient is recommended to question the information for conformity with his or her own legal, regulatory, tax and other circumstances. For the explanation of further details please consult our terms of use.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005403/en/

Contacts:

Francois Hutter

Head of Marketing

+41 58 787 00 08

media@patrimonium.ch

Andreas Ziegler

Senior Director Private Equity

+41 58 787 00 00

privateequity@patrimonium.ch
ABP Publishing announces its audiobook catalogue exceeded 500 titles. The European publisher go on to say that they are forecasting a 100% increase in titles (1000 titles) by 2024. In addition, a 30% increase in total sales is predicted before the end of 2021, continuing a five-year trend of growth.

There are plans to publish 17% more titles in 2022 and continue growing the catalogue to meet their 100% increase target by 2024. To meet these targets, ABP Publishing plans to expand its presence gradually in markets it entered recently, such as Turkey, Japan, Korea, and Spain. Additionally, it will continue to work with local authors, particularly in Germany and France.

"For the last three years, ABP Publishing has shown solid growth in sales and production. It means that we managed to create an effective system of acquiring rights to high-potential books and externalizing them into good quality audiobooks. I believe the combination will help us achieve our main aim during the next three years to double the current catalogue," said Viktoria Salnikova, Chief Editor of ABP Publishing.

ABP Publishing will form new partnerships and develop more effective collaborations with its current partners. In addition, the company will introduce new authors to diversify the audiobook genres in its catalogue. The company will also continue to focus on listening to the needs of its current audience. Based on their insights, ABP Publishing will grow its catalogue in the right direction to meet its 100% increase target.

The CEO of ABP Publishing, Andrey Mishenev, believes that the company was able to bring positive changes to its work culture in the past year, which will support its growth and future goals. "We transferred into remote work completely, which allowed us to work more effectively, economize resources and the employees are more devoted and motivated to work because of life-work balance. Our employees' productivity will fuel our growth in the coming years."

About ABP Publishing

ABP Publishing is an international publisher of non-fiction digital-only audiobooks in different languages. The publishing house sells non-fiction audiobooks on business, personal development, popular psychology, science, parenting, healthy lifestyle, and spirituality.

The company comprises four divisions: ABP Verlag in Germany, ABP Editions in France, ABP Editore in Italy, and ABP Publishing in other markets.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005017/en/

Contacts:

Viktoria Salnikova

Chief Editor

+7(968)973-62-79

editor@abp-publishing.com
LA DEFENSE (dpa-AFX) - French energy major TotalEnergies (TTA.L, TTFNF.PK, TOT), formerly called as Total SA, reported that its net income attributable to the company for the second-quarter was $2.21 billion or $0.80 per share, compared to a loss of $8.37 billion or $3.27 per share in the prior year. TotalEnergies reported $3.5 billion of adjusted net income, a 15% increase compared to the first quarter 2021 and above the level of the pre-crisis second quarter 2019 which had a comparable oil price environment. Sales for the second-quarter grew to $47.05 billion from $25.73 billion in the prior year. Tthe Board of Directors decided to distribute a second interim dividend for 2021, stable at 0.66 euros per share. The company noted that the start-up and ramp-up of new projects, including Zinia Phase 2 in Angola, North Russkoye in Russia and Iara in Brazil, will contribute to increased production in the second half 2021. TotalEnergies expects cash flow generation (DACF) of more than $25 billion in 2021 and a return on capital employed of more than 10%. 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.


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - De La Rue plc (DLAR.L), manufacturer of polymer and security printed products, on Thursday said, ahead of its Annual General Meeting, that its expectations for 2021/22 remained unchanged and that it was on track deliver the second year of the Turnaround Plan.



Regarding the cost reduction programme envisaging a 36-million-pound cumulative cost savings versus the 2019/20 cost base, the company said that it expected to have a full year's impact for the first time in 2021/22, resulting in approximately 7 million pounds of incremental savings versus FY2020/21.



In Currency segment, the company said it in the backdrop of strong demand and positive business mix, it was building an order book in line with the growth expectations. The company informed that the programme to grow the polymer substrate activity as well as double the production capacity, was also on track, and that the worldwide demand for the Group's SAFEGUARD polymer was developing in line with forecasts. In Authentication segment, the company said that both the Government Revenue Solutions (GRS) and the Group's Brand businesses were on track to meet expectations.



The company said that it has secured a further multi-year GRS award since the full year results in May 2021, and that the pipeline of contract opportunities remained robust. Implementation of existing contracts also was in line with expectations, and recently won contracts were expected to contribute to growth in H2 of the current financial year, the company said.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Chief Executive Appointment

Annual ReportPublication and

Operational Update

Anglesey Mining plc ("Anglesey") is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan (Jo) Battershill as the new Chief Executive of Anglesey and as a Director with effect from 1st August 2021.

Jo, who is 50, is a mining geology graduate from Camborne School of Mines and has extensive experience both in operations and in finance in Australia and in the UK. After a long period working in mining operations with Western Mining Corporation in Australia, he joined a broking house in Perth in Western Australia and for the last 13 years has worked for UBS and then for Canaccord, firstly in Sydney and for the last six years in London.

Most recently until the end of June, Joe was London based, Canaccord Head of Sales and Distribution of Australian equities into the EMEA region, with a focus on metals and mining, where he increased the distribution network across the region significantly through strong institutional relationships. He is well known in the mining finance industry and has extensive knowledge and connections, having been part of Canaccord's globally top ranked mining ECM/Sales team that placed c.US$3bn since January 2020. Early in his mining career he worked as an underground miner at the South Crofty Tin Mine (Cornwall, U.K.) while attending the School of Mines.

John Kearney, Chairman says "I am very pleased to welcome Jo into Anglesey Mining and we are delighted that we have been able to attract someone with his strong operations background and financing experience. He has great enthusiasm and brings vigour and deep relevant technical and finance knowledge to the Company. Jo will initially be tasked with moving the Parys Mountain project towards production and with fund-raising to facilitate our plans for both Parys Mountain and Grangesberg. We look forward with confidence to the renewed future with Jo."

To facilitate a smooth transition Bill Hooley will relinquish his current position as Chief Executive and take on the role of Deputy Chairman also effective 1st August 2021. Bill served as CEO since 2006, and as well as being President of Labrador Iron Mines, directed the completion of various resource upgrades for Parys Mountain, the 2017 Scoping Study and the QME optimisation work, which led to the successful production of the 2021 PEA, and will continue to provide his advice and experience to Anglesey and will assist Jo as required.

New Director Nominations

We are currently discussing with two other senior minerals industry professionals regarding taking on the role of non-executive director. We would hope to finalise these discussions in the next few weeks and will make an announcement at the appropriate time.

Delay in Publication of Annual Report and Accounts

The 2021 Annual General Meeting of shareholders of Anglesey Mining plc is currently scheduled to be held on 30 September 2021.

In light of the considerable disruption caused by Covid-19, all audit firms resources have been exceptionally strained due to the backlog of work, staff absences etc and following guidance issued by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and Financial Reporting Council ("FRC"), the publication of the company's Annual Report and Accounts, for the year ended 31 March 2021, which usually would be due to be announced by 30 July 2021, will be delayed by up to two months, subject to further guidance from the FCA or other regulatory authorities.

The delay is occasioned at the request of the group's auditors, Mazars LLP, to reflect the additional time needed to complete the audit, given the currently unprecedented challenges in completing an audit in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, and the associated travel restrictions and delays in fulfilling audit requests and processes working remotely.

Anglesey is not aware of any material issues with the accounts and understands that the group's auditors require some more time to conclude the audit process. Anglesey does not anticipate any significant issues to arise in completion of the audit and publication of the audited accounts in due course. Anglesey notes that its audited accounts for 2020 were announced on 25 September 2020.

Corporate Review and Update

We are pleased to provide the following review and update on the projects and prospects for the Group.

Review

Any review of the past year is dominated by the unprecedented global coronavirus pandemic, which disrupted all our lives, strained the healthcare systems and resulted in an economic downturn that impacted people across the world.

Nevertheless, notwithstanding the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased to be able to report that Anglesey Mining accomplished a great deal and achieved several key operational milestones over the past year. Significant progress was made on our Parys Mountain project, in our iron ore projects in Sweden and Canada, and in raising new financing of over 1,000,000.

Metal prices recorded impressive gains over the past twelve months, and we are very confident that the outlook for most minerals, and particularly for the copper, zinc and lead minerals at Parys Mountain, and for iron ore where Anglesey holds significant investments, is very encouraging.

The highlight of the past year was, far and away, the completion in January 2021 of an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on Parys Mountain which demonstrates that a major copper-zinc-lead mine can be developed on the island of Anglesey in North Wales. This PEA demonstrates that the Parys Mountain property is much more substantial than previously considered; that it has a larger mineable resource base; can support a longer mine life and can generate significantly enhanced financial returns.

Parys Mountain PEA - Expanded Resource Estimate - Significant Copper Resource

The PEA, completed by Micon International Limited, included a new updated mineral resources estimate showing 5.2 million tonnes of Indicated Resources at a combined base metal grade of 4.3%, (or a copper equivalent grade of 2.4%), together with 11.7 million tonnes of Inferred Resources at a combined base metal grade of 2.8% (copper equivalent grade of 2.0%).

Importantly, the new Resource Estimate of 5.2 million tonnes in the Indicated category reflects a significant increase from the previous estimate of 2.8 million tonnes in the same Indicated category used in the earlier 2017 Scoping Study. There is a significant increase in the tonnage available for mining and processing beyond the 2.23 million tonnes in the 2017 study. This is as a result of using the new estimated cut-off cost and the inclusion of Inferred resources in the selection of mining blocks. Although this results in some reduction in overall grades, the PEA shows a very significant beneficial effect on the total project financial outcome.

The updated resource estimate in the PEA indicates that Parys Mountain, once reputedly the largest copper mine in the world in the 18th century, contains 160,000 tonnes of copper in situ, with a gross contained metal value in the ground of more than $1.4 billion.

Three separate development cases or scenarios were evaluated as part of the PEA, utilising planned mine tonnages ranging from 5.5 million tonnes at 1,500 tpd in Case A, to 11.4 million tonnes at 3,000 tpd in Case C.

The PEA is based on the mining of 103,500 tonnes of copper over the project's 12-year mine life together with 213,800 tonnes of zinc, 113,300 tonnes of lead and including 2,830 kg of gold and 219,000kg of silver. Total payable metals in concentrates are projected at 71,776t copper, 141,581t zinc, 75,818t lead, 1578kg gold and 125,714kg silver.

Completion of the PEA was the culmination of almost three years of continuous optimisation work, carried out principally by Quarry and Mine Equipment Limited ("QME"), and following upon an earlier Scoping Study by Micon and Fairport Engineering Limited in 2017, and based on an earlier JORC resource estimate by Micon in 2012.

Parys Mountain PEA Projects Strong Financial Results

The most attractive development option, the expanded Case C, indicates a total cash operating surplus over a 12-year mine life of more than $510 million (408 million), which translates to a pre-tax Net Present Value discounted at 10% pa of over $120 million (96 million), with an IRR of 26%.

The base case economic model in the PEA utilized three-year trailing metal prices of $2.81/lb copper, $1.20/lb zinc, $0.95/lb lead, $16.67/oz silver, and $1,459/oz gold, and an exchange rate of 1.00=$1.25.

Anglesey believes that these metal prices used in the PEA are conservative. Using actual metal prices and the exchange rate at the time of publication of the PEA in January 2021 would increase the Case C pre-tax NPV10% from $120 million to $220 million.

Sensitivity to metal prices

Anglesey believes that the base case three-year trailing metal prices used in the PEA are conservative. Since last year metal prices have continued to move higher and copper reached a decade long high in May 2021 of over $4.80/lb while zinc prices on the London Metals Exchange rose to a high of $1.39/lb. At June 30 prices were $1.34/lb zinc, $4.26/lb copper, $1.05/lb lead, $26.06/oz silver and $1771/oz gold, with the exchange rate at 1.00 = $US1.38.

Using these June 2021 parameters, the pre- and post-tax NPV10 doubles from 96 to 193 million, an increase to $267 million and $213 million respectively, with pre- and post-tax IRRs showing as 38.2% and 3.3% respectively, which demonstrate the sensitivity and leverage of the Parys Mountain project to the higher June 2021 metal prices.

At these June 2021 metal prices copper production from a Parys Mountain mine would represent 50% of the net smelter revenue, under the expanded Case C, while zinc and lead would represent 28% and 12% respectively. The PEA indicates production of 103,500 tonnes of copper over the project's 12-year mine life, or an average production of 8,500 tonnes of copper per year.

The Way Forward - Future Steps

The PEA demonstrates that a major copper-zinc-lead mine can be developed at Parys Mountain. The results show that once in production Parys Mountain should be able to make very positive financial returns. Nevertheless, as always in the mining industry, there are a number of sequential steps that need to be taken to move any project from the PEA to a full committed decision to proceed to production and these steps do take some time to reach fruition.

The key to this development is now securing the necessary finance to continue to move the project towards production. The PEA indicated a pre-production capital expenditure of $99 million. This together with all other pre-decision project costs as well as ongoing corporate costs needs to be financed. The traditional method utilised by the industry involved a mixture of equity and debt. Typically, a mix of 30% equity to 70% debt could have been arranged. In this instance that would require Anglesey to source in the region of $70 million in debt and as much as $30 million of equity.

The Directors have been examining various possible financing routes including the traditional debt: equity scenario, but also indirectly through joint venture and other arrangements. As part of this process, the detailed results from the PEA have been made available on a limited and confidential basis to a number of entities who have shown interest in Parys Mountain. These entities are well aware of the potential upside from the ongoing movement in commodity prices, and of the security offered by a project based in the United Kingdom with planning permissions in place.

Under the Development and Co-operation Agreement with QME, the Group has agreed to grant QME various rights and options relating to the future development of Parys Mountain. Anglesey has agreed to a grant to QME the right and option, upon completion of a Prefeasibility Study, to undertake at QME's cost and investment, the mine development component of the Parys Mountain project, including decline and related underground development and shaft development, with a scope to be agreed to the point of commencement of production, in consideration of which QME would earn a 30% undivided joint venture interest in the Parys Mountain project.

From the feedback received, it has become clear that financing opportunities would be enhanced with some additional work to further de-risk the project and it can be expected that a project financing route will require the delivery of a feasibility study. Micon made recommendations regarding further technical studies to better quantify some aspects of the mining and processing operations, and trade-off studies to determine the best overall mining schedules, metallurgical flowsheet and infrastructure design to further optimise the project, which should lead to improved economics to be included in a feasibility study and improve the overall financial capability of the project.

Following the Micon PEA recommendations, a step series of activities have been identified that will form the necessary preparatory work as a prelude to the commissioning of a feasibility report. These include a surface diamond drilling programme to increase the confidence in some parts of the White Rock zone ahead of first underground development in some of those areas of the resource that are currently classified as Inferred. Such increased data would be aimed at converting parts of the resource to the Indicated category and thereby increasing the confidence of those parts of the resources. Simultaneously drill core samples would be collected for metallurgical testing purposes and these samples would then be subject to process testing to improve the flow-sheet design that has currently been developed.

Whilst Anglesey holds the necessary planning permissions to build a mine at the site, these must be supported by the grant of various environmental operating licenses. This will require collection of further environmental base-line data and a programme of environmental base line data collection is planned, both for inclusion in a formal feasibility report and as a pre-requisite ahead of any formal decision to commence operations.

The Parys Mountain property has a high potential for the discovery of additional mineral resources. There are drill intercepts outside of the planned mining blocks indicating mineralisation may extend into other areas of sparse drilling immediately adjacent to the reported Mineral Resources. Micon included additional exploration costs of $1.6 million for Cases A and B and $7.5 million for Case C. However, much of this additional drilling recommended for Case C, to upgrade the category of the resource in the second half of the project mine life from Inferred to Indicated, should ideally be carried out from an underground drill drive from the area around the bottom of the shaft and would not necessarily be undertaken until some years into the project.

At the end of March 2021, the group had cash resources of 892,000. Following a careful review of the financial resources currently available and considering the normal on-going costs of corporate and site operations, it has been decided that these three activities will be commenced forthwith, and as additional funding become available this programme will be accelerated.

A unique and timely opportunity

Given the challenges associated with the global pandemic, we believe Anglesey accomplished a great deal over the past year with important milestone achievements at Parys Mountain, in our iron ore investments, and in financing the company. Our goal now is to move the Parys Mountain Mine closer to production. We have outlined new initiatives at Parys Mountain that will be critical in moving all this project towards production and today we announce the appointment of a new CEO to lead these efforts.

Development of a new mine at Parys Mountain, producing copper, zinc and lead, and with gold and silver credits, can deliver economic growth in the UK, regional jobs for the community and business opportunities for local service providers. Hardly any of these critical and strategic metals, essential for reduction in our carbon footprint and transition to a green economy, are currently produced in the UK, leaving the country entirely dependent on imports. This creates a unique and timely opportunity, both for Anglesey Mining and for the UK, to develop a new, modern, mine at Parys Mountain in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Mineral resources are the lifeblood of our modern society and the key to a more sustainable future. Today, we are in the middle of disruptive innovation in emerging green energy, e-mobility and clean technology, triggered by pressing societal challenges. The growing need for carbon-neutral technology creates a strong demand for minerals, metals and advanced materials.

About Anglesey Mining plc

Anglesey Mining is listed on the London Stock Exchange and currently has 225,475,732 ordinary shares in issue.

Anglesey is developing its 100% owned Parys Mountain copper-zinc-lead deposit in North Wales, UK with a 2020 reported resource of 5.2 million tonnes at 4.3% combined base metals in the Indicated category and 11.7 million tonnes at 2.8% combined base metals in the Inferred category.



Anglesey holds an almost 20% interest, and management rights to the Grangesberg Iron project in Sweden, together with a right of first refusal to increase its interest by a further 50.1%. Anglesey also holds 12% of Labrador Iron Mines Holdings Limited which holds direct shipping iron ore deposits in Labrador and Quebec.





For further information, please contact:

Bill Hooley, Chief Executive +44 (0)7785 572517

John Kearney, Chairman + 1 416 362 6686

Jo Battershill, CEO Designate +44 (0)7540 366000

Danesh Varma, Finance Director +44 (0)7740 932766
TOKYO, July 29, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation's production and sales results for June 2021 and for January through June 2021 are summarized below.I. Production1. Domestic Production(1) June 2021Mazda's domestic production volume in June 2021 increased 111.7% year on year due to increased production of passenger vehicles.[Domestic production of key models in June 2021]CX-5: 35,522 units (up 111.4% year on year)MAZDA3: 10,902 units (up 220.9%)CX-30: 6,541 units (up 306.8%)(2) January through June 2021Mazda's total domestic production volume in the period from January through June 2021 increased 43.3% year on year due to increased production of passenger vehicles.[Domestic production of key models in the period from January through June 2021]CX-5: 177,222 units (up 51.8% year on year)MAZDA3: 59,483 units (up 39.7%)CX-30: 38,923 units (up 20.0%)2. Overseas Production(1) June 2021Mazda's overseas production volume in June 2021 decreased 28.8% year on year, reflecting decreased production of passenger and commercial vehicles.[Overseas production of key models in June 2021]CX-30: 11,355 units (up 12.6% year on year)MAZDA3: 6,931 units (down 12.6%)MAZDA2: 3,909 units (up 13.8%)(2) January through June 2021Mazda's total overseas production volume in the period from January through June 2021 decreased 6.1% year on year due to decreased production of passenger and commercial vehicles.[Overseas production of key models in the period from January through June 2021]CX-30: 62,886 units (up 27.2% year on year)MAZDA3: 48,335 units (down 5.4%)MAZDA2: 26,775 units (up 24.4%)II. Domestic Sales(1) June 2021Mazda's domestic sales volume in June 2021 decreased 8.4% year on year due to decreased sales of passenger and commercial vehicles.Mazda's registered vehicle market share was 3.1% (down 0.9 points year on year), with a 1.8% share of the micro-mini segment (up 0.4 points) and a 2.6% total market share (down 0.4 points).[Domestic sales of key models in June 2021]CX-30: 1,375 units (down 1.0% year on year)CX-5: 1,177 units (up 23.9%)MAZDA3: 1,119 units (down 5.9%)(2) January through June 2021Mazda's domestic sales volume in the period from January through June 2021 increased 1.3% year on year due to increased sales of passenger vehicles.Mazda's registered vehicle market share was 4.8% (down 0.3 points), with a 1.9% share of the micro-mini segment (down 0.1%) and a 3.7% total market share (down 0.3 points year on year).[Domestic sales of key models in the period from January through June 2021]MAZDA2: 12,754 units (down 14.5% year on year)CX-5: 12,455 units (down 1.5%)CX-30: 11,650 units (down 26.9%)III. Exports(1) June 2021Mazda's export volume in June 2021 increased 78.2% year on year due to increased shipments to North America, Europe, Oceania and other regions.[Exports of key models in June 2021]CX-5: 29,492 units (up 67.4 % year on year)MAZDA3: 9,733 units (up 136.2%)CX-3: 4,333 units (down 15.4%)(2) January through June 2021Mazda's export volume in the period from January through June 2021 increased 54.8% year on year due to increased shipments to North America, Europe, Oceania and other regions.[Exports of key models in the period from January through June 2021]CX-5: 160,710 units (up 52.7% year on year)MAZDA3: 54,065 units (up 58.5%)CX-30: 26,424 units (up 40.9%)IV. Global Sales(1) June 2021Mazda's global sales volume in June 2021 increased 8.2% year on year due to increased sales in the U.S., Europe and other regions.[Global sales of key models in June 2021]CX-5: 33,767 units (up 5.0% year on year)MAZDA3: 20,674 units (down 1.0%)CX-30: 20,097 units (up 35.2%)(2) January through June 2021Mazda's global sales volume in the period from January through June 2021 increased 27.5% year on year due to increased sales in Japan, the U.S., Europe and other regions.[Global sales of key models in the period from January through June 2021]CX-5: 209,424 units (up 32.5% year on year)MAZDA3: 122,259 units (up 11. 3%)CX-30: 118,857 units (up 57.5%)Source: MazdaCopyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LONDON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Veracity Worldwide, a leading business intelligence and strategic advisory firm, has appointed Tamara Makarenkoas Managing Director, London, as announced by Daniel Crocker, Veracity's Chief Executive Officer. Tamara will oversee Veracity's London office and brings over 20 years of experience in the commercial intelligence and investigations field. Prior to joining Veracity, she served as Chief Operating Officer of Sibylline, co-founded both West Sands Advisory and SAM Worldwide, and was head of intelligence for Global Strategies Group.

"Tamara is a highly-respected leader with strategic vision and exceptional experience in asset tracing, commercial dispute resolution, and crisis and risk management," said Steven Fox, Veracity's Executive Chairman. "She is supremely talented and we are delighted to have the opportunity to leverage her expertise in support of Veracity clients in the UK and Europe."

"I am excited to be joining a firm with a deep track-record for working on complex problems in some of the world's most challenging markets," said Tamara Makarenko. "I look forward to supporting Steven and the Veracity team as we advance the business goals of our clients."

In 2020 and 2021, Tamara was recognized for her work in the Chambers & Partners Litigation Support Guide. She holds a PhD in international politics from the University of Wales (Aberystwyth), an M.Litt. in international security studies from the University of St. Andrews, and a Bachelor of Arts in politics from the University of Manitoba. She speaks Ukrainian and has basic knowledge of French, German, Greek, and Russian.

About Veracity Worldwide

Veracity is the premier advisor on political, corruption, and reputation risks in challenging markets. We have deep expertise on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues in some of the world's most difficult countries. Our approach relies on credible insight, actionable analysis, and assured results. Our deep source networks and on-the-ground experience since 2007 make Veracity a leading business intelligence and strategic advisory firm. Veracity has offices in New York, Washington, London, Melbourne, and Tokyo.

www.veracityworldwide.com

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global continuous glucose monitoring device market size is expected to reach USD 10.36 billion by 2028, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.1% from 2021 to 2028. Growing cases of diabetes and introduction of novel and advanced diabetes care devices are the major factors driving the market growth. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices provide an efficient method to measure body glucose levels in real time. Data recorded by these devices is transmitted through a wireless network to receivers; this helps keep a track of glucose levels over a designated period.

Key Insights & Findings:

Growing cases of diabetes is anticipated to propel market growth, with increasing number of patients opting for simplified CGM devices

CGM devices provide analysis of blood glucose levels from the tissue fluid at regular intervals of time, which is also driving their demand

Sensors was the largest component type segment and is anticipated to maintain its dominance owing to their integral nature in these devices

Asia Pacific is the leading regional continuous glucose monitoring device market, with Japan , China , and India on the forefront

North America led the global market in the past owing to wide usage of CGM devices as a result of higher number of target patients in the region

The European region followed the North American closely in terms of market revenue due to rise in the adoption of these devices in key countries such as U.K., Germany , France , Italy , and Spain

Some of the key companies present in the market are Pfizer Inc.; Baxter International, Inc.; Abbott Laboratories; Medtronic PLC; Animas Corporation; and Novo Nordisk A/S.

Read 82 page market research report, "Continuous Glucose Monitoring Device Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Component (Transmitters, Sensors), By End Use (Hospitals, Homecare), By Region (Asia Pacific, North America), And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research

These devices also help manage diabetes while reducing individual insulin dosages. Integrated software within these devices provides users with insights about food consumption, medication, physical activity, and illnesses. Thus, an increasing number of diabetic patients are using these devices to manage and treat diabetes, which, in turn, is accelerating market growth. With the advent of digital therapeutics, a rising number of continuous glucose monitoring devices are being incorporated with apps and software to help patients with diabetes mellitus. Rise in the number of diabetes mellitus has been contributing toward continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems market growth.

Grand View Research has segmented the global continuous glucose monitoring device market on the basis of component, end use, and region:

CGM Devices Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Transmitters



Sensors



Receivers

CGM Devices End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Hospitals



Home Care



Others

CGM Devices Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



Germany





U.K.



Asia Pacific



China





India



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico



MEA



South Africa





Saudi Arabia

List of Key Players of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Device Market

Medtronic

Dexcom, Inc.

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Abbott

Novo Nordisk A/S

Ypsomed

GlySens, Inc.

Check out more studies related to blood glucose and diabetes, conducted by Grand View Research:

Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices Market - The global blood glucose monitoring devices market size is expected to reach 19.6 billion by 2028. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2021 to 2028.

The global blood glucose monitoring devices market size is expected to reach 19.6 billion by 2028. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2021 to 2028. Digital Diabetes Management Market - The global digital diabetes management market size is expected to reach USD 26.4 billion by 2026. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.4% from 2019 to 2026.

The global digital diabetes management market size is expected to reach by 2026. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.4% from 2019 to 2026. Diabetes Devices Market - The global diabetes devices market size is expected to reach USD 44.6 billion by 2028. Increasing adoption of insulin delivery devices and the rising prevalence of diabetes are driving market growth.

Browse through Grand View Research's coverage of theGlobal Medical Devices Industry.

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

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Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

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BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks edged up slightly on Thursday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the economy is 'still a ways off' from reaching a standard of 'substantial further progress' to withdraw stimulus measures. In another development, the U.S. Senate has voted to push forward a bipartisan infrastructure plan amounting to $550 billion, which includes funding for roads, bridges, broadband and other physical infrastructure. The five-year spending package would be paid for using COVID-19 relief funds, illegally paid unemployment benefits during the crisis and unutilized federal unemployment funds. The benchmark DAX inched up 22 points, or 0.1 percent, to 15,592 after ending 0.3 percent higher on Wednesday. MorphoSys AG rallied 2.4 percent. The biotech company said it regained the momentum in Monjuvi sales and the momentum will likely continue into Q3. Automaker Volkswagen edged up slightly after raising its profit margin target. Sportswear company Puma declined 1.4 percent after voicing concerns about the short-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its supply chain. In economic news, Germany's unemployment declined more than expected in July, reports said citing data published by the Federal Labor Agency. The unemployment rate fell to 5.7 percent in July from about 5.9 percent in June. The rate was forecast to fall marginally to 5.8 percent. The number of people out of work decreased 91,000 from June, while economists' had forecast a moderate fall of 28,000. Data released by Destatis earlier in the day showed that the jobless rate remained unchanged at an adjusted 3.7 percent in June. 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.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Mothercare plc (MTC.L), a specialist global brand for parents and young children, reported Thursday that its fiscal 2021 total loss was 21.5 million pounds, compared to last year's profit of 13.1 million pounds. On a continuing operations basis, last year's loss was 8.5 million pounds. Group adjusted loss before taxation was 8.6 million pounds, compared to loss of 6.4 million pounds a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA fell 64.5 percent to 2.2 million pounds. Turnover fell 48 percent to 85.8 million pounds from 164.7 million pounds last year. The company noted that it recorded substantial online sales growth throughout the pandemic, but this in itself was not enough to offset the temporary closure of retail stores. Regarding the current trading, the company noted that in the first thirteen weeks of fiscal 2022, Franchise Partners, many of whom continue to be affected by Covid-19 lockdowns, recorded total retail sales of 94 million pounds, generating an adjusted EBITDA of approximately 2.5 million pounds. Trade continues to be challenging in the key markets of Russia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia due to the continuing impact of COVID-19 on footfall and consumer confidence. For the year, the company expects a significant improvement in operating profits. In London, Mothercare shares were trading at 13.80 pence, down 1.08 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
STOCKHOLM, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ZandCell, a biotech company with a proven track record in immunotherapies and COVID-19 diagnostics is announcing that it wants to manufacture the Russian vaccines for worldwide distribution.

The company has signed several contracts with various governments in Asia, South America, and Africa for the manufacturing and sale of 160 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The need for COVID-19 vaccines in less developed countries is enormous.

"We want either Sputnik V vaccine from Gamaleya or Aurora from Vector Institute. Or both. We need a very short preparation time before the actual manufacturing of vaccine vials. I believe Sputnik V is the best vaccine in the world right now. It uses a dual boost mechanism with two different vectors and achieves a better sustainable immunity compared to others. The vaccine is safe and also produces neutralizing antibodies against all new strains. It is also easier to transport and handle in comparison with other vaccines with long cool chains," said Michael Zand, CEO of ZandCell.

"Currently, there are huge demands for manufacturing and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines. For this reason, ZandCell very much welcomes and offers cooperation with Russia to work with independent manufacturing companies like ZandCell to speed up the process of immunization globally and at a more affordable price."

"We believe that the issue of vaccination will help both individuals and businesses worldwide, and also the social stability of each country as a whole. The development of the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik-V, is one of the most successful. I wasn't surprised when the announcement about the vaccine came last year. I always knew they were the best in virology."

For our part, we are committed to sustainable development and would like to help or support the vaccination of those in need by manufacturing the Russian vaccines.

We are ready to manufacture 750 million doses per year and we offer our capacity to Russia. Financially, we are in a good position to invest in vaccine production," said Michael Zand.

About ZandCell

ZandCell is a privately held, biotechnology company committed to bringing to market life-transforming therapeutics for patients with untreatable diseases. The company focuses on diseases for which the unmet medical need is high, the biology for treatment is clear, and for which there are no current effective treatment modalities. The company is led by a management team experienced in the development and commercialization of disease therapeutics. The overall objective of ZandCell and its operations is to develop medical treatments in the fields of regenerative medicine, gene editing, and immunotherapy worldwide.

For more information on ZandCell email: info@ZandCell.com

Please visit the company's website at ZandCell.com or follow @ZandCell on Twitter.

Contacts

ZandCell

Michael Zand

info@zandcell.com

+46-736-779970
Powerhouse Energy Group plc

("Powerhouse" or the "Company")

29 July 2021

AGM statement

Powerhouse Energy Group plc (AIM: PHE), the UK technology company commercialising hydrogen production from waste plastic, will be holding its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") today at 11.00 a.m. at the offices of Fladgate LLP, 16 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5DG.

Tim Yeo, Executive Chairman, will provide the following update at today's meeting:

"I wish to take this opportunity of bringing shareholders up to date with what we are doing at Powerhouse.

First and foremost we remain focused on the project that remains our top priority - building our first commercial scale plant at Protos. Success with this project will open a worldwide market for our clean technology.

This project is being undertaken by Protos Plastics to Hydrogen N0. 1 Limited, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up for this purpose. Following discussions with Peel NRE about funding earlier this year Powerhouse agreed to provide the SPV with a short-term loan facility of 3.8 million which was announced on 12 May 2021.

This facility ensures that long-lead items of equipment will be available timeously to progress the plant. We have already committed to securing orders for some specialist materials so meaning that we can secure a short overall project delivery period from commencement to completion. The loan facility is also enabling early preparatory work to proceed on site.

Since announcing this facility we have continued to work very closely with Peel with the aim of reaching financial close on the SPV by 31 October 2021.

In addition, the appointment of Ian Crockford to run the SPV has greatly strengthened the management team working on the project. Ian is overseeing the procurement and risk management to ensure that there is a robust contracting position for this first of a kind (FOAK) project.

FOAK projects, are by their nature, subject to technology risk which can make it hard to forecast a completion date until an experienced contractor is committed. We are nearing the appointment of a contractor and are therefore confident that the steps we have taken in the last few months are consistent with a completion date during 2023. We will update shareholders regularly on anticipated milestone dates.

Turning to other subjects I am pleased that Peel is progressing land use planning matters for the second DMG plant which will be built in Glasgow at the Rothesay Dock on the north bank of the River Clyde, not far from where COP26 will take place in November. The location of a hydrogen re-fuelling station at this site is a reminder of the potential for DMG plants to play an important role in supplying clean transport fuels in the UK and abroad, thereby delivering environmental benefits in the form of lower CO2 emissions and improved air quality.

The search for our new CEO is progressing well with the help of Egon Zehnder. Myles Kitcher and I are starting to interview candidates next month.

We continue to strengthen our management team. In September a new Business Development Executive will join us to help deal with the increasing number of inquiries we receive from different parts of the world.

We also continue to support Hydrogen Utopia International in their deployment of DMG technology in Poland, Greece and Hungary.

The board is confident about the outlook for Powerhouse and we look forward to updating shareholders later this year when we publish our half year results at the end of September."

Myles Kitcher, Managing Director Peel NRE, part of Peel L&P and Non-executive Director of Powerhouse, said: "We are in the final stages of securing the construction contracts and expect to announce financial close very soon. We have commenced the civil engineering works with significant progress in the delivery of the new site access and in site preparation."

-ENDS-

For more information, contact:

Powerhouse Energy Group plc Tel: +44 (0) 203 368 6399 Tim Yeo, Executive Chairman WH Ireland Limited (Nominated Adviser) Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666 James Joyce/ Lydia Zychowska Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Ltd (Joint Broker) Tel: +44 (0) 203 657 0050 Andrew Thacker SisterSmith PR (media enquiries)

Becca Smith

Mob: +44 (0) 7766522305

Notes to Editors:

About Powerhouse Energy Group plc

Powerhouse has developed a proprietary process technology - DMG - which can utilise waste plastic, end-of-life-tyres, and other waste streams to efficiently and economically convert them into syngas from which valuable products such as chemical precursors, hydrogen, electricity and other industrial products may be derived. Powerhouse's technology is one of the world's first proven, distributed, modular, hydrogen from waste (HfW) process.

The Powerhouse DMG process can generate up to 2 tonnes of road-fuel quality hydrogen and more than 58MWh of exportable electricity per day.

Powerhouse's process produces low levels of safe residues and requires a small operating footprint, making it suitable for deployment at enterprise and community level. As announced on 11th February 2020 under its Supplemental Agreement with Peel Environmental, Powerhouse will receive an annual license fee of 500,000 in respect of each project which is commissioned.

Powerhouse is quoted on the London Stock Exchange's AIM Market under the ticker: PHE and is incorporated in the United Kingdom.

For more information see www.powerhouseenergy.co.uk
Building momentum and delivering results

Luxembourg, July29, 2021- Millicomis pleased to announce its second quarter 2021 results. Please find below links to the Q2 2021 Earnings Release and H1 2021 Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Millicom Chief Executive Officer Mauricio Ramos commented:

"We had an outstanding Q2. We built on our robust Q1 performance and delivered double-digit growth in both service revenue and EBITDA. In Colombia, we now have the best mobile network, and we capitalized on this in Q2 by leading the market in portability and by adding a record number of new postpaid customers.

Our rapid customer and revenue growth is a direct result of our unwavering commitment to delivering the best customer experience, including network quality and reliability. With that in mind, and considering our healthy cash flow generation, we have accelerated investments that we expect will help us drive faster growth in all our businesses going forward.

In light of our strong operational and financial performance and the favorable outlook for the remainder of the year, we are resuming shareholder remuneration with a share buyback program of up to $100 million. We believe that our shares currently offer excellent value, and a buyback program provides an efficient way to compound our growth over time. Now, more than ever, I am confident that we are well positioned to deliver on our ambition to sustain mid-single-digit service revenue growth, mid-to-high single-digit EBITDA growth and OCF growth of about10% over the medium term."

Q (https://www.millicom.com/media/4634/millicom-earnings-release-q2-21.pdf)2 (https://www.millicom.com/media/4634/millicom-earnings-release-q2-21.pdf)202 (https://www.millicom.com/media/4634/millicom-earnings-release-q2-21.pdf)1 (https://www.millicom.com/media/4634/millicom-earnings-release-q2-21.pdf)Earnings Release (https://www.millicom.com/media/4634/millicom-earnings-release-q2-21.pdf)

H1 202 (https://www.millicom.com/media/4635/millicom-ias34-q2-21_for-publication.pdf)1 (https://www.millicom.com/media/4635/millicom-ias34-q2-21_for-publication.pdf) Interim (https://www.millicom.com/media/4635/millicom-ias34-q2-21_for-publication.pdf)Condensed (https://www.millicom.com/media/4635/millicom-ias34-q2-21_for-publication.pdf)Consolidated (https://www.millicom.com/media/4635/millicom-ias34-q2-21_for-publication.pdf)Financial Statements (https://www.millicom.com/media/4635/millicom-ias34-q2-21_for-publication.pdf)

Video conferencedetails

Millicom will host a video conference for the global financial community today, July 29, 2021 at 14:00 (Stockholm) / 13:00 (London) / 08:00 (Miami).

Registration for the interactive event is required at the following link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing details about joining the video conference.

Participants who wish to ask a question during the live event must notify the Investor Relations team via email to investors@millicom.comafter the start of the event.

Participants may also join the conference in listen-only mode by dialing any of the following numbers and entering the Webinar ID: 870 2660 5299:

US: +1 929 205 6099Sweden: +46 850 539 728

UK: +44 330 088 5830Luxembourg: +352 342 080 9265

Additional international numbers are available at the following link.

Accompanying slides and a replay of the event will be available on the Millicom investorswebsite.

-END-

For further information, please contact

Press:

Vivian Kobeh, Director Corporate Communications

+1 786-628-5300

press@millicom.com (mailto:press@millicom.com)







Yocasta Valdez, Group Manager Digital Media & Communications

+1-305-929-5417

press@millicom.com (mailto:press@millicom.com) Investors:

Michel Morin, VP Investor Relations

+1 786-628-5270

investors@millicom.com (mailto:investors@millicom.com)









Sarah Inmon, Director Investor Relations

+1 786-628-5303

investors@millicom.com (mailto:investors@millicom.com)

About Millicom

Millicom. Connect with Millicom on Twitter, Instagram, Facebookand LinkedIn.

Regulatory Statement

This information was prior to this release inside information and is information that Millicom is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. This information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 12:00 CET on July 29, 2021.

Attachments
BENGALURU, India, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), the global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced the renewal of its strategic collaboration with Select Portfolio Servicing Inc. (SPS) to implement its Cobalt-powered infrastructure as a service (IaaS) solution in collaboration with Hitachi Vantara. Through this engagement, Infosys will offer SPS next-generation hybrid cloud, infrastructure services, and application services for the next five years.

As SPS' strategic partner, Infosys will leverage its Cobalt portfolio to design, build, operate, and automate a robust and resilient private cloud infrastructure as a service with on-demand flexibility and scalability. Furthermore, Infosys intends to implement hybrid cloud to maximize data centre flexibility underpinned by enhanced disaster recovery and security posture.

Murali S. Palanganatham, Chief Information Officer at Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. stated, "We have forged a strong collaboration with Infosys over the years, which has enabled us to leverage a repertoire of services & capabilities encompassing Application development, IT operations, IaaS, SaaS and Security. By resorting to Infosys' Cobalt solutions and leveraging their expertise in integrated infrastructure, applications, IT operations and services, we intend to continuously scale, increase performance, enhance flexibility of our technology ecosystem, and streamline IT operations, augmented by automation."

Narsimha Rao Mannepalli, Executive Vice-President, Head of Cloud & Infrastructure Solutions, Infosys, said, "Being future-ready is key to survive and compete in the current business environment. We are excited to extend our collaboration with SPS and explore new avenues for leveraging our Cobalt portfolio to address a range of technology needs on-demand in an efficient, timely, and agile manner."

Mark Ablett, Chief Revenue Officer, Hitachi Vantara, said, "We are thrilled to utilize our EverFlex infrastructure as-a-service offering in partnership with Infosys to design and operate a modern and resilient hybrid cloud transformation for SPS's regulated financial workloads. The ability to deliver a flexible consumption model for new storage and data services will enable SPS to innovate at scale and quickly address the needs of their growing customer base."

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect 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, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys 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. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg
Chulengo deposit infill program highlights 8 significant mineralized structures

Esperanza Rocio drilling delineates shallow high grade subvertical shoots

2021 Drilling Program continues delivering positive results for resource expansion, confidence upgrades, and planned inclusion to the mine plan

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - CERRADO GOLD (TSXV: CERT) (OTCQX: CRDOF) ("Cerrado" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results from a further twenty-five drill holes (totalling 1,208 m) from its ongoing 12,000-metre exploration drill program at its Minera Don Nicolas Project ("Minera Don Nicolas" or the "MDN Project") located in Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Reported diamond drill holes were collared at the Esperanza/Rocio and Chulengo targets. The focus for the current 12,000-metre district exploration program is to delineate new, high grade, mineralized zones and increase the confidence of near surface mineralization in the proximity of Cerrado's mining operations: La Paloma and Martinetas pits. Results reported today correspond mainly to infill drilling of shallow areas in two satellite zones adjacent to the Paloma Pit. New inhouse modeled zone geometry and gold grade distribution are being assessed by the mine planning team for conversion of resources and mine sequence planning.

Drill Hole Highlights (All composites are reported as true thickness):

Esperanza/Rocio

ESP-D21-59

4.57 m at 22.42 g/t Au, from 46.20 m

Including 2.33 m at 42.43 g/t Au, from, 47.65 m

ESP-D21-60

4.85 m at 7.69 g/t Au, from 64.20 m

Including 0.86 m at 28.43 g/t Au, from, 64.20

Chulengo

PA-D21-76

8.40 m at 3.91 g/t Au, from 9.25 m

Including 0.77 m at 13.69 g/t Au, from, 10.10 m

PA-D21-81

2.25 m at 49.22 g/t Au, from 13.50

Including 0.67 m at 162.75 g/t Au, from, 15.35

Mark Brennan, CEO & Co-Chairman commented, "Work to date continues to support our view that significant resource growth remains available on our extensive land package at Minera Don Nicolas. In addition, these results continue to show the potential to quickly add additional high grade, shallow resources near existing infrastructure which we believe can quickly be brought into the mine plan as they are more fully defined. We fully expect the ongoing program to continue to add additional resources and open up new targets for the future."

Near Mine Drill Program at MDN

The 2021 exploration drill program at the Minera Don Nicolas Project commenced on February 5th and has initially targeted areas within the Paloma area and the adjacent Paula-Andrea Area, including: Baritina, Chulengo, Atenea, Esperanza and Rocio. Results from the first two target areas were released in May of this year (see press release dated May 6, 2021).

The drill results reported in this press release include all lab certificates received as July 24th,2021, and represent complete assays for eleven holes from Esperanza/Rocio, and fourteen holes from the Chulengo and adjacent NW corridor target.

The near mine exploration program at Minera Don Nicolas is comprised of 12,000 metres of diamond drilling. As July 27th, 8,336.70 meters have been completed. The initial areas of focus for the program follows mainly exploration targets in the La Paloma and adjacent areas (e.g., Esperanza/Rocio, Baritina, Chulengo and Arana targets). These areas ranked as high priority targets, and some of them were partially included in the Resource Inventory, summarized in the property technical report completed by SRK filed in August 2020.

Drilling in the La Paloma adjacent areas was completed in early July. The diamond rigs have been mobilized to the Martinetas area. As is the case in La Paloma, drilling priorities in Martinetas consider the proximity and economic viability of the different targets in the proximity of the Cerro Oro and Coyote Pits.

Esperanza/Rocio Vein

The Esperanza veins are part of the La Paloma system characterized by discrete narrow, arcuate, steeply dipping quartz breccia veins. The most notable structure within this system is the Sulfuro vein currently being mined by Cerrado. Esperanza is located west of Sulfuro, the northern segment of the 1km continuous strike vein was shallowly mined prior to Cerrado acquisition of Minera Don Nicolas.

2021 drilling at Esperanza/Rocio focused on shallow levels along the southern zone of the vein system. The Esperanza vein system dips 75 degrees to the east (toward the Sulfuro vein) and has an average thickness of 0.3m to 6m. The eleven holes disclosed here, totalling 694.5 meters targeted two subvertical high grade shoots that are related to: a structure coalesce (Esperranza/Rocio: North shoot), and internal geometry of the Esperanza structure (South Shoot); see Figure 1, where Au interpolated over the vein surfaces show the tenor and extent of these subvertical shoots.

Notably, results of holes ESP-21-59 (22.42 g/t Au over 4.57 m) and ESP-21-60 (7.69 g/t Au over 4.85 m) define the shallow expression of the southern shoot along the Esperanza Vein. These results are very encouraging in terms of possible extent of the potential open pit that has been preliminary designed over these structures. Revised model will be used to reassess pit geometry.





Figure 1. 3D View looking West of the Esperanza (Foreground) and Rocio South drilling reported in this press release. Au grade interpolant has been draped over vein walls to show geometry of the shoots referred on the text.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7487/91540_6e3e237c44ef1b68_002full.jpg

Chulengo Target

The Chulengo target area is located 3.5 km to the Southeast of the Paloma Pit. The current resource estimate in Chulengo (SRK Technical Report August 2020) includes 7,084 oz of inferred resources. Fourteen shallow diamond drill holes totalling 514 meters were completed in Chulengo between June and July in addition to four holes completed earlier this year (results reported in early July). The drilling footprint has now been extended and spacing has been narrowed to less than 20 m providing the base for better confidence and resource extension. In house modelling is underway and preliminary results show eight discrete breccia/fault structures with strike length continuity between 40 and 150 meters (Figure 2) . Mineralization is characterized by silica-sulfide cemented hydrothermal breccias and ledges with vuggy silica textures infilled by sulfides (oxides) and controlled by ENE-WSW to E-W faults dipping to the north. Also, the mineralization shows a lithological control forming dissemination and fine veinlets/stockworks in permeable lithologies.

Along the fault zones in localized structural domains that reflect preferential openings there is better continuity of gold mineralization hosted by hydrothermal breccias with quartz and sulfides matrix. These domains provide better vertical extent.

Notable results reported in this release from Chulengo are 4.23 g/t over 9.62 meters in hole PA-D21-71 starting at 11.60 m and 49.22 g/t gold over 2.25 meters starting at 13.50 m in hole PA-D21-81. The latter intercept is located at the eastern extent of the current drilling at the easternmost vein identified in Chulengo. This result warrants further trenching and possible drilling follow up to determine the extent of the high-grade domain. Additional trenching and drilling are being planned to follow up on this high grade intersection.





Figure 2. Plan View of the Chulengo deposits showing reported drill holes (labeled with thick traces) and previous drilling (unlabeled) in the context of the current multi vein model.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7487/91540_6e3e237c44ef1b68_003full.jpg

Table 1. Drill Hole Collars

Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Depth Azimuth Dip ESP-D21-53 2592802.5 4715640.3 159.8 52 270 -50 ESP-D21-55 2592839.5 4715621.7 156.4 82 270 -50 ESP-D21-56 2592817.1 4715604.0 161.6 70.5 270 -50 ESP-D21-57 2592813.0 4715581.0 164.7 49.5 270 -50 ESP-D21-58 2592847.2 4715581.3 158.0 91.5 270 -50 ESP-D21-59 2592822.0 4715553.1 163.1 55.5 270 -50 ESP-D21-60 2592843.7 4715552.1 159.3 82.5 270 -50 R-D21-37 2592781.6 4715663.3 157.5 46.5 230 -50 R-D21-38 2592781.7 4715677.7 155.8 55.5 230 -50 R-D21-39 2592768.7 4715693.6 154.6 56 230 -50 R-D21-40 2592756.8 4715708.0 154.7 53 230 -50 PA-D21-71 2595514.9 4712987.3 137.7 41 170 -50 PA-D21-72 2595506.0 4712983.9 137.1 44 170 -50 PA-D21-73 2595528.1 4712986.9 138.3 50 170 -50 PA-D21-74A 2595543.4 4712983.3 142.0 35 175 -50 PA-D21-75 2595561.3 4712981.3 144.9 35 175 -50 PA-D21-76 2595577.0 4712977.8 145.3 41 175 -50 PA-D21-77 2595611.3 4712950.3 146.3 32 350 -50 PA-D21-78 2595629.2 4712955.8 149.3 26 350 -50 PA-D21-79 2595681.6 4713038.5 155.8 32 170 -50 PA-D21-80 2595698.2 4713041.9 154.7 26 170 -50 PA-D21-81 2595727.0 4713045.9 153.5 32 175 -50 PA-D21-82 2595724.4 4713059.0 150.2 50 170 -50 PA-D21-83 2595708.9 4713057.5 150.0 38 170 -50 PA-D21-84 2595703.2 4713006.5 162.4 32 170 -50

Coordinates Projection: Gauss-Kruger, Faja Meridiana 2

Table 2. Drill Hole relevant Intercepts Esperanza/Rocio

DDH From To Length (m) True Width (m) Au (g/t) ESP-D21-53 28.45 30.25 1.80 1.75 1.17 including 29.80 30.25 0.45 0.44 1.94 and 39.80 43.00 3.20 3.13 0.40 ESP-D21-55 50.00 51.00 1.00 0.92 0.32 and 65.00 68.00 3.00 2.76 3.25 including 66.00 67.00 1.00 0.92 5.71 ESP-D21-56 50.35 51.35 1.00 0.93 1.42 ESP-D21-57 36.00 45.60 9.60 8.96 0.95 including 38.55 39.35 0.80 0.75 1.42 including 40.50 41.65 1.15 1.07 1.33 including 43.50 44.50 1.00 0.93 2.29 ESP-D21-58 68.90 69.90 1.00 0.92 2.90 and 73.80 76.20 2.40 2.21 2.42 including 73.80 74.55 0.75 0.69 5.95 ESP-D21-59 46.20 51.20 5.00 4.57 22.42 including 47.65 50.20 2.55 2.33 42.43 including 48.30 49.20 0.90 0.82 98.35 ESP-D21-60 64.20 69.55 5.35 4.85 7.69 including 64.20 65.15 0.95 0.86 28.43 including 68.20 68.90 0.70 0.63 14.87 R-D21-37 27.45 31.50 4.05 3.58 3.41 including 30.15 30.85 0.70 0.62 10.69 R-D21-38 38.00 40.25 2.25 2.02 8.34 including 39.35 40.25 0.90 0.81 12.06 R-D21-39 37.80 38.65 0.85 0.78 1.14 and 41.00 41.50 0.50 0.46 0.50 and 44.00 44.70 0.70 0.64 0.55

Composites Cut-off grade 0.3 g/t Au

NSA: No significant Assays

Table 3. Drill Hole relevant Intercepts Chulengo

DDH From To Length (m) True Width (m) Au (g/t) PA-D21-71 11.60 22.50 10.90 9.62 4.23 Including 12.40 16.75 4.35 3.84 5.15 Including 15.00 15.95 0.95 0.84 13.55 Including 18.85 19.55 0.70 0.62 22.80 and 30.00 31.25 1.25 1.02 4.63 Including 30.60 31.25 0.65 0.53 8.21 PA-D21-72 31.6 32.3 0.7 0.65 0.51 PA-D21-73 20.80 21.40 0.60 0.52 0.30 and 29.00 30.00 1.00 0.79 0.36 PA-D21-74A 25.00 26.00 1.00 0.77 0.40 PA-D21-75 9.50 20.55 11.05 7.81 2.07 Including 12.00 16.30 4.30 3.04 3.80 Including 12.00 12.50 0.50 0.35 5.86 Including 14.50 15.10 0.60 0.42 6.36 PA-D21-76 9.25 19.20 9.95 6.40 3.91 Including 10.10 11.00 0.90 0.77 13.69 Including 11.60 13.15 1.55 1.00 10.74 PA-D21-77 8.00 14.40 6.40 1.06 1.33 Including 12.60 13.25 0.65 0.42 6.51 and 17.70 18.60 0.90 0.58 0.41 PA-D21-78 6.45 15.8 9.35 6.01 2.33 Including 14.10 15.80 1.70 1.09 6.30 PA-D21-79 NSA PA-D21-80 NSA PA-D21-81 4.90 7.00 2.10 1.48 2.95 Including 5.70 6.50 0.80 0.57 5.37 and 13.50 17.00 3.50 2.25 49.22 Including 15.35 16.40 1.05 0.67 162.75 PA-D21-82 17.75 18.35 0.60 0.42 0.51 and 29.00 36.00 7.00 4.95 0.51 PA-D21-83 16.50 18.60 2.10 1.54 0.34 Including 18.10 18.60 0.50 0.37 0.58 and 25.30 25.90 0.60 0.44 0.33 and 27.90 30.90 3.00 2.19 0.42 PA-D21-84 1.10 5.00 3.90 2.51 3.48 Including 2.00 3.00 1.00 0.64 11.35

Composites Cut-off grade 0.3 g/t Au

NSA: No significant Assays

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Analytical work was carried out Alex Stewart international, Argentina S.A. Labs (ASI). The facilities of the prep lab and assay lab are in San Julian, 184 Km from MDN mine operations. MDN sends out 10% of samples to check at ALS international labs (ALS) with the prep lab located in Mendoza and assay labs in Lima, Peru and Vancouver, Canada. In the main laboratory ASI (Mendoza), the samples are systematically analyzed for gold (ppm) and silver (ppm) by fire assay (Au4-50 + AgICP-AR-39) regarding the over limits with fire assay results greater than 10 ppm, a second assay is applied including gravimetric finishing (FA50GRAV), with respect to silver, analyzes greater than 200ppm are carried out by AgFA50GRAV.

ASI has routine quality control procedures which ensure that every batch of samples includes three sample repeats, two commercial standards and blanks. Cerrado used standard QA/QC procedures, when inserting reference standards and blanks, for the drilling program. The Reference material used are from CDN Resource Laboratories Ltd. Included in the batches following MDN internal protocols.

Review of Technical Information

The scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Sergio Gelcich, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for Cerrado Gold Inc., who is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.

Minera Don Nicolas Overview

Minera Don Nicolas is located 1,625km southwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina in the Deseado Massif region in the mining-friendly province of Santa Cruz. The project is comprised of several exploration concessions totaling 333,400 ha. The largest regional centre is Comodoro Rivadavia, which provides logistical and other support for the operations.

MDN Project is situated within the world renowned Deseado Massif where the underlying geology of the region is dominated by rhyolitic and andesitic volcanic and tuffaceous volcaniclastic lithologies of Middle to Upper Jurassic age (130 to 170 ma). It is criss-crossed by numerous extensive fault and fracture zones, which served as conduits for hydrothermal activity during periods of Jurassic volcanism. The result of this activity is a widespread network of shallow level mineralized "epithermal" fissure veins, breccias, and stock-work systems, many of which carry potentially economic Au and Ag mineralization. The Deseado Massif region is host to several epithermal gold-silver deposits and several multi-million-ounce gold deposits, including Cerro Vanguardia (Anglo Gold), Cerro Negro (Newmont GoldCorp), Cerro Morro (Yamana).

In February 2012, Minera IRL published a Full Feasibility Technical Report in accordance with NI 43-101 (Filed on SEDAR, MINERA IRL LTD, Feb 16, 2012). Construction of the facilities was completed in 2017 and initial production began December 2017.

Current mining operations are conducted in two areas, the high grade La Paloma deposit and the Martinetas deposits, approximately 30km apart. Ore is processed through a 1,000 tpd CIL plant located near the Martinetas pit. The project currently supports 325 employees and contractors on a fly-in fly-out basis. Mineral Don Nicolas has strong regional and local community backing having signed agreements with the two neighboring communities.

Cerrado acquired the MDN Project property in March 2020 and undertook a fundamental review of the resource database and based upon a significant geological re-interpretation, engaged SRK to conduct an independent NI 43-101 updated resource technical report (August 2020) which is available on the Cerrado Gold website and SEDAR.

Mark Brennan

CEO and Co Chairman

Tel: +1-647-796-0023

mbrennan@cerradogold.com

Nicholas Campbell, CFA

Director, Corporate Development

Tel.: +1-905-630-0148

ncampbell@cerradogold.com

About Cerrado Gold

Cerrado Gold is a public gold producer and exploration company with gold production derived from its 100% owned Minera Don Nicolas mine in Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It also owns 100% of the assets of Minera Mariana in Santa Cruz province, Argentina. The company is also undertaking exploration at its 100% owned Monte Do Carmo project located in Tocantins, Brazil. For more information about Cerrado Gold please visit our website at: www.cerradogold.com.

Disclaimer

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 press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" (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 discusses 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 contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the business and operations of Cerrado Gold. In making the forward- looking statements contained in this press release, Cerrado Gold has made certain assumptions, including, but not limited to ability of Cerrado to expand its drilling program at its Minera Don Nicolas Project and increase its resources. Although Cerrado Gold believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, Cerrado Gold disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91540
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices rose on Thursday to extend gains from the previous session after overnight data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed U.S. crude inventories resumed a downward trend last week. Benchmark Brent crude futures rose about half a percent to $74.23 a barrel in European trade, while U.S. crude futures were up 0.6 percent at $72.80. The EIA report showed crude inventories in the U.S. fell by 4.089 million barrels last week, over a million barrels up from an expected drop of about 2.9 million barrels. Gasoline inventories dropped by 2.253 million barrels last week, more than twice the expected draw, the data showed. Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 3.088 million barrels, much more than an expected drop of 435,000 barrels. The drawdown in crude inventories to their lowest level since January 2020 raised optimism that supplies will remain tight despite the production hikes set by OPEC+. These stocks rose for the first time in nine weeks the previous week, prompting concerns that demand was peaking in the world's largest consumer. Meanwhile, traders shrugged off separate data showing that India's crude oil imports dropped to their lowest level in eight months in June. Crude oil imports dropped 7.8 percent from May as refiners cut down processing in the face of a tumultuous second wave of the coronavirus, data on the website of the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) showed. 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.
LOUISVILLE, KY / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / Charah Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:CHRA) ("Charah Solutions" or the "Company"), a leading provider of mission-critical environmental services and byproduct sales to the power generation industry, today announced the appointment of Timothy Alan Simon, Commissioner Emeritus of the California Public Utilities Commission, to the Company's Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Simon will serve as a Class II Director.

Mr. Simon was appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in February 2007, ending his term in December 2012. During his time as commissioner, Mr. Simon served on the Board of Directors of the University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative and the Energy Imbalance Market Regional Taskforce. He also served as Chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners ("NARUC") Gas Committee, Chair of the LNG Partnership between the Department of Energy and NARUC, founding member of the Call to Action National Gas Pipeline Safety Taskforce with the U.S. Department of Transportation, member of the NARUC Board of Directors, Critical Infrastructure and Consumer Affairs Committees, the Wireless Task Force, and Vice-Chair of the Utility Marketplace Access Subcommittee and member of the National Petroleum Council.

Prior to his CPUC appointment, Mr. Simon served as Appointments Secretary in the Office of the Governor, the first African American in California history to hold this post. He also served as Adjunct Professor of Law at Golden Gate University School of Law and the University of California Hastings College of the Law. Prior to public service, Mr. Simon was an in-house counsel and compliance officer with Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Robertson Stephens.

In 2013, Mr. Simon created TAS STRATEGIES, where he remains Principal today, serving as an attorney and consultant on utility, infrastructure, financial services, and broadband projects. He is a frequent public speaker, expert witness and panelist on energy, infrastructure, diversity, and inclusion.

In 2019, Mr. Simon was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors for the California African American Chamber of Commerce and elected to the University of San Francisco Board of Trustees. He currently serves on the North American Energy Standards Board Advisory Council and is a member of the National Bar Association, Energy Bar Association, The Saint Thomas More Society and the National Board of Directors for the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Mr. Simon received a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of San Francisco (Distinguished Alumni) and a Juris Doctor from the U.C. Hastings College of the Law. He is an active member of the State Bar of California.

"Mr. Simon has over 40 years of experience in government regulation, utilities, financial services, and diversity, and we are pleased to welcome him to the Board as a new independent director," said Jack Blossman, Jr., Chairman on the Board of Directors. "His public sector experience and his energy and utility infrastructure background will add tremendous value as Charah Solutions continues to deliver innovative solutions to utility customers while accelerating business and financial performance."

Mr. Simon said, "From my experience as a former regulator and active participant in the energy sector, it is clear to me that Charah Solutions plays a vital role in supporting our nation's utilities in delivering reliable electric power to our homes and industries. This is equally matched by Charah Solutions' strong commitment to environmental stewardship and advancing a culture of equitable inclusion. I am honored to have this opportunity to join the Charah Solutions' Board of Directors and look forward to working with its dynamic management team."

About Charah Solutions, Inc.

With 30 years of experience, Charah Solutions, Inc. is a leading provider of environmental services and byproduct sales to the power generation industry. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Charah Solutions assists utilities and independent power producers with all aspects to sustainably manage and recycle ash byproducts generated from the combustion of coal in the production of electricity. The Company also designs and implements solutions for ash pond management and closure, landfill construction, fly ash sales, and structural fill projects. Charah Solutions is the partner of choice for solving customers' most complex environmental challenges, and as an industry leader in quality, safety, and compliance, the Company is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions for a cleaner energy future. For more information, please visit, please visit www.charah.com or download our 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report at charah.com/sustainability.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains 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. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "may," "expect," "estimate," "project," "plan," "believe," "intend," "achievable," "anticipate," "will," "continue," "potential," "should," "could," and similar terms and phrases. These statements are based on certain assumptions made by the Company based on management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, anticipated future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied or expressed by the forward-looking statements. See the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and other periodic reports as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for further information regarding risk factors.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Investor Contact

Roger Shannon

Charah Solutions

(502) 245-1353

ir@charah.com

Media Contact

Tamara Davis

PriceWeber Marketing

(270) 202-8516

media@charah.com

Timothy Alan Simon

SOURCE: Charah Solutions, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657505/Charah-Solutions-Inc-Appoints-California-Public-Utilities-Commissioner-Emeritus-Timothy-Alan-Simon-to-Board-of-Directors
Adagio Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based solutions for infectious diseases with pandemic potential, today announced the expansion of the company's board of directors with key appointments, including:

Tom Heyman, former president of the Johnson Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC)

Anand Shah, M.D., former deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Michael Wyzga, president of MSW Consulting, Inc.

"I am thrilled to welcome Tom, Anand and Mike to our board of directors, bringing unmatched expertise from their respective industry roles, and who join at a critical time as we prepare for potential commercialization of ADG20 to combat COVID-19, including rapidly emerging variants," said Rene Russo, Adagio co-founder and chair of the board of directors. "Spanning his 37-year career with Johnson Johnson, Tom held a diverse range of leadership roles across R&D, business development, corporate strategy and equity investments. As the deputy commissioner at the FDA until January 2021, Anand led consensus medical and scientific policy development and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, worked across the federal government and with the private sector to advance the development of vaccines and treatments."

Jane Henderson, Adagio's chief financial officer added, "Financial strength and discipline are of the utmost importance to our success as we advance several clinical trials with ADG20. We are thrilled to welcome Mike to our board, who brings years of experience leading exceptional financial operations at both public and private companies within the pharmaceutical industry. We look forward to partnering with him, as well as Tom and Anand, to benefit from their invaluable insights into clinical development, financial best practices, regulatory strategy, policy engagement and commercial execution, so that we may address this ongoing global pandemic today."

Tom Heyman has a long-standing track record in the biopharmaceutical industry, with particular experience in business development and venture capital. He most recently served as president of JJDC, the venture capital group within Johnson Johnson, where he managed approximately $1.5 billion of capital and oversaw investments in over 120 companies. Prior to his role at JJDC, Mr. Heyman spent 23 years leading business development for Johnson Johnson's pharmaceutical group, Janssen, where he was involved in hundreds of licensing and M&A transactions. Under his leadership, major licensing transactions were executed for products like Levaquin, Aciphex, Incivo, Olysio, Velcade, Invokana, Imbruvica, Xarelto and Darzalex, many of which have achieved sales of over $1 billion annually. Also, during his tenure, he led Janssen Belgium through a significant reorganization and implemented a new strategic plan for the site with a major emphasis on external innovation and value creation. Mr. Heyman graduated as Master of Law from the K.U. Leuven in Belgium. He continued with post-graduate studies in International Law in Geneva, Switzerland, and post-graduate studies in business management at the University of Antwerp in Belgium.

Anand Shah, M.D., is a U.S. health policy leader who recently served as the deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs at the FDA. Dr. Shah led medical and scientific policy development for high priority programs including Advanced Manufacturing, the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program, COVID-19 vaccine development, and decentralized clinical trials. Under his leadership, FDA initiated the Pandemic Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PREPP) to strengthen the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resiliency for future public health emergencies. Dr. Shah represented FDA with top-level policy makers of the White House and Cabinet, Congress, and state and local governments. He previously served in senior leadership at the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, both as senior medical advisor and chief medical officer of the Center for Medicare Medicaid Innovation. Dr. Shah was chief resident during his radiation oncology residency at Columbia University. He concurrently earned his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.P.H. in health care management and policy from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Shah has an economics degree from Duke University.

Michael Wyzga is the president of MSW Consulting, Inc., a private company focused on strategic biotechnology consulting, a position he has held since November 2013. Prior to that, he served as president, chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors of Radius Health, Inc. From 1993 to 2011, Mr. Wyzga served in various senior management positions at Genzyme Corporation, including as executive vice president, finance and as chief financial officer. During his time with Genzyme, Mr. Wyzga played key roles in the successful development and commercialization of a number of important therapies, including Cerezyme for Gauche disease, Fabrazyme for Fabry's disease, Renagel for use in the treatment of dialysis patients and Campath for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Mr. Wyzga has served on a number of public company boards, including at Mereo BioPharma Group plc, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., X4 Pharmaceuticals, GenSight Biologics, LogicBio Therapeutics, Akebia Therapeutics, Inc., Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Prosensa Holding B.V. Mr. Wyzga received an MBA from Providence College and a B.S. from Suffolk University.

About Adagio Therapeutics

Adagio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based solutions for infectious diseases with pandemic potential. The company's portfolio of antibodies has been optimized using Adimab's industry-leading antibody engineering capabilities and is designed to provide patients and clinicians with a powerful combination of potency, breadth, durable protection (via half-life extension), manufacturability and affordability. Adagio's portfolio of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies includes multiple, non-competing broadly neutralizing antibodies with distinct binding epitopes, led by ADG20. Adagio has secured manufacturing capacity for the production of ADG20 with third-party contract manufacturers through the completion of clinical trials and, if approved by regulatory authorities, through initial commercial launch. For more information, please visit www.adagiotx.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005405/en/

Contacts:

Media:

Dan Budwick, 1AB

Dan@1abmedia.com

Investors:

Monique Allaire, THRUST Strategic Communications

monique@thrustsc.com
Company Announcement No. 7 2021

FLSmidth and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG (a fully owned subsidiary of thyssenkrupp AG, "thyssenkrupp") have reached an agreement that FLSmidth will acquire thyssenkrupp's Mining business1 (TK Mining) for a total consideration (enterprise value) of EUR 325 million, corresponding to approximately DKK 2.4 billion. Closing of the transaction is expected in H2 2022 and is subject to customary approvals from relevant authorities.

TK Mining is a leading full-line supplier of solutions for mining systems, material handling, mineral processing and services, which is highly complementary to FLSmidth's offering. TK Mining has an asset light business model and is present in 24 countries with engineering and global service centres, and has close to 3,400 employees. In 20202, revenue was EUR 780 million (approximately DKK 5.8 billion) with around one-third deriving from services. The business delivered a high single-digit negative EBIT margin and is expected to return to profitability by year 2024 based on the ongoing restructuring undertaken by TK Mining. In addition, the combination with FLSmidth offers large cost synergies, creating significant shareholder value.

A combination of the two companies will create a leading global mining technology provider with operations from pit to plant, extending the strategic customer relationships with a complementary product offering and customer base as well as improved geographic coverage. Furthermore, TK Mining's extensive active installed base, together with FLSmidth's strong existing service setup, will provide additional aftermarket opportunities, while the joint R&D capabilities and combined portfolio will enable accelerated innovation in digitalisation and MissionZero solutions. The mining industry is characterised by sound fundamentals and a positive outlook, based on underinvestment over the past decade and increasing demand due to the clean energy transition. The timing of this acquisition positions FLSmidth to capture enhanced value from the mining growth cycle underway.

Thomas Schulz, Group CEO of FLSmidth, said: "TK Mining and FLSmidth are a perfect match, and I am proud to announce this agreement to join forces. This is a truly transformational deal allowing us to accelerate our growth ambitions in mining by creating a stronger talent pool and one of the world's largest and strongest suppliers to the mining industry. Our complementary customer base and improved geographic coverage will offer a strong value proposition to our customers. There is a significant opportunity in transforming TK Mining towards FLSmidth's business mix and model in which higher margin service business makes up about 60% of revenue. I look forward to welcoming TK Mining's management team and talented staff to our organisation."



Martina Merz, Group CEO of thyssenkrupp AG, said: "FLSmidth is an excellent owner and a very good new home for our mining activities. The companies have a strong cultural fit and are a good match: the business models are comparable; the technologies complement each other well. The result is a world-leading technology provider from pit to plant. This is also a great opportunity for our employees. The merged new company will be able to drive innovation and digitalisation even faster and will increasingly focus on sustainability and ways to reduce environmental footprint."





Compelling strategic rationale

The combination of FLSmidth and TK Mining creates a business with a total proforma 2020 revenue of DKK 22 billion (EUR 3.0 billion), increasing FLSmidth's annual Mining revenue by more than 50% and positioning FLSmidth in the top-tier of suppliers to the mining industry. The acquisition will accelerate FLSmidth's growth ambitions with a strategic focus on Mining, which is expected to constitute approximately 75% of Group revenue after closing of the transaction. In addition to the competitive advantages of scale, FLSmidth will be able to offer a stronger value proposition to customers through combined competencies, a wider offering and a more extensive customer reach.

Proforma 2020 FLSmidth TK Mining Combined Revenue DKK 16.4bn (Mining: DKK 10.6bn) ~DKK 5.8bn ~DKK 22.2bn (Mining: 16.4bn) Profitability EBITA margin: 4.7% (Mining: 8.4%) Negative (expected to be positive for the full-year 2024) Positive Free cash flow DKK 1.0bn Negative (expected to be positive for the full-year 2024) Positive

A thorough due diligence by FLSmidth has shown that large cost synergies can be derived from a combined customer approach and service setup as well as pooled innovation, procurement, administrative structure, and optimised geographic footprint. Adding to the value creation through compelling synergies, significant opportunity exists to increase services by transforming TK Mining's business mix towards FLSmidth's business mix, hence lifting margins significantly over time.

TK Mining's offering is an ideal fit with FLSmidth's sustainability and digitalisation agenda. Combining TK Mining's solutions for open-pit mining equipment and systems, crushing, grinding, conveying and processing with FLSmidth existing premium offering will strengthen the combined business' ability to digitalise mines from pit to plant and to reduce their environmental footprint.





Strong financial benefits

The transaction offers an attractive opportunity to create long-term value for FLSmidth's shareholders, and it is FLSmidth's expectation that TK Mining will contribute positively to net profit and cash flow from 2024 on a stand-alone basis in addition to net effects from synergies.

Annual run-rate synergies of DKK 370 million (EUR 50 million) are expected by the end of year 2024 and integration costs are expected to be DKK 560 million (EUR 75 million) and will be phased over three years (2022-2024).

Funding of the acquisition is secured through debt facilities which are available beyond transaction close and are expected to be supplemented with equity before transaction close. Given the carve-out nature of this transaction, the project focused nature of the current TK Mining business, and the expected duration of the integration period, FLSmidth plans to seek approval to raise up to 20% new equity at an Extraordinary General Meeting, to be held on 26 August 2021. Based on current market conditions, FLSmidth expects to raise 15-20% new equity. Danske Bank, J.P. Morgan and Nordea have been appointed to assist this process.

Following closing of the transaction, further details on the impact of the acquisition will be communicated, including an update on synergies and timing of integration.





Key transaction highlights

Total consideration (enterprise value) of EUR 325 million (DKK 2.4 billion)

Equity value of EUR 241 million (DKK 1.8 billion) subject to change between signing and closing

EV/EBITDA normalised incl. synergies of less than 4x post integration

Expected run-rate synergies of DKK 370 million (EUR 50 million)

Expected integration costs of DKK 560 million (EUR 75 million)

Expectation that TK mining will contribute positively to net profit and cash flow from 2024 on a stand-alone basis in addition to net effects from synergies

Funding secured though debt facilities which are available beyond transaction close and are expected to be partly refinanced by equity before transaction close

The transaction is conditional upon customary regulatory approvals and formal approval by the supervisory board of thyssenkrupp AG and the supervisory board of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG. The transaction is expected to be completed in H2 2022. Until then the two companies will continue to operate as separate and competing entities. J.P. Morgan Securities plc has acted as sole financial advisor to FLSmidth on this transaction.

FLSmidth's financial guidance for 2021 is unchanged.





Conference call

FLSmidth invites investors and analyst to participate in a teleconferencetoday, 29 July 2021, at 14:00 p.m. CEST. A presentation will be made available ahead of the call at: https://www.flsmidth.com/en-gb/company/investors

At the conference call, Thomas Schulz, Group CEO, and Roland M. Andersen, Group CFO, will present the transaction and participants will have the opportunity to ask questions following a short presentation.

The telephone numbers for the teleconference are:

DK +45 78150109

SE +46 850558365

UK +44 3333009267

US +1 6467224956

No prior registration is required to attend the teleconference.





FLSmidth delivers sustainable productivity to the global mining and cement industries. We deliver market-leading engineering, equipment and service solutions to our customers enabling them to improve performance, drive down costs and reduce environmental impact. Our operations span the globe and our ~10,600 employees are present in more than 60 countries. In 2020, FLSmidth generated a revenue of DKK 16.4 billion. www.flsmidth.com





Contacts

Media Relations

Rasmus Windfeld, +45 40 44 60 60, rwin@flsmidth.com

Investor Relations

Nicolai Mauritzen, +45 30 93 18 51, nicm@flsmidth.com





Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements that reflect FLSmidth's current expectations and views of future events. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by terms and phrases such as "estimate," "expect," "target," "plan," "project," "will" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements relating to: the expected characteristics of the combined company; expected financial results and characteristics of the combined company; expected timing of completion of the transaction and satisfaction of conditions precedent, including regulatory conditions; expected benefits of the proposed transaction, including related synergies; expected integration costs; and expectations regarding raise of equity. These forward-looking statements are based on FLSmidth's beliefs, assumptions, and expectations of future performance and events, considering the information currently available to it. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of known and un-known risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond FLSmidth's control, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include among other: timing of completion of the transaction; performance of TK Mining until completion of transaction; the ability of FLSmidth to integrate TK Mining into FLSmidth's operations; the performance of the global economy; the effect of changes in governmental regulations; disruption from the proposed transaction making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers; and the impact on the combined company (after giving effect to the proposed transaction with TK Mining) of any of the foregoing risks, as well as other risk factors listed from time to time in FLSmidth's public disclosures and other risks that have not yet been identified or which FLSmidth has not considered to be material. Except as required by law or rules and regulations, FLSmidth undertakes no obligation to publicly update or publicly revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.







1 It is being negotiated if thyssenkrupp's Indian mining business will be part of the transaction

2 September 2020 FYE





Attachment
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Cabral Gold Inc. (TSXV: CBR) (OTC Pink: CBGZF) ("Cabral" or the "Company") is pleased to provide additional assay results from four recently completed diamond drill holes and four RC holes as the Company continues with infill drilling at the primary MG gold deposit, and the recently identified gold-in-oxide blanket within the Cuiu Cuiu gold district in northern Brazil.

Highlights are as follows:

DDH-218 drilled at MG returned 63.5m @ 0.9 g/t gold from 53.5m depth including 0.5m @ 12.7 g/t gold, 0.5m @ 13.1 g/t gold and 0.5m @ 16.2 g/t gold. This intercept is the continuation of the zone intersected in hole CC-53 which returned 71.5m @ 3.5 g/t gold including 1m @ 216.4 g/t gold

Twenty-one additional short RC holes have been completed at MG in order to test the extent of the recently discovered gold-in-oxide blanket. Results were obtained on three additional holes and include 75m @ 0.4 g/t gold in RC-69, 33m @ 0.7 g/t gold in RC-100 and 24m @ 0.8 g/t gold in RC-91

Results are currently pending on 17 additional RC holes at MG. A total of 2,900m and 34 holes of the original planned 5,000m 70-hole program have been completed to date at the gold-in-oxide blanket at MG. The drill program is continuing

Alan Carter, Cabral's President and CEO commented, "Additional diamond drilling at the MG gold deposit continues to systematically intersect significant gold intersections and define the extent of the high-grade zones within the MG gold deposit. Furthermore, the latest RC holes from the gold-in-oxide blanket at MG continue to suggest the continuity of excellent grades in near surface unconsolidated material and the presence of a significant gold deposit overlying the primary MG gold deposit. With the decision to expand the current number of drill rigs from three to five with the addition of two more diamond drill rigs, we look forward to a very exciting next 12 months."

MG Diamond Drilling

Assay results were returned on four additional diamond-drill holes (DDH-217, DDH-218, DDH-219 and DDH-220), which were recently completed at the MG gold deposit. The current diamond-drill program is designed to define the limits to the high-grade zones within the existing MG and Central deposits at Cuiu Cuiu.

Figure 1: Map showing the outline of the MG gold deposit (in yellow) and the interpreted outline of the recently identified and overlying mineralized oxide blanket (in beige). The location of recently completed RC and diamond drill holes are also shown

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3900/91553_77c1c276249d48b8_002full.jpg

Hole DDH-218 was drilled in the western portion of the MG deposit on the same section (552995), as DDH-203 and CC-53 which previously returned 71.5m @ 3.5 g/t gold including 1m @ 216.4 g/t gold. DDH-218 was drilled down-dip of CC-53 in a southerly direction and returned 63.5m @ 0.9 g/t gold from 53.5m depth including 0.5m @ 12.7 g/t gold from 57.7m depth, 0.5m @ 13.1 g/t gold from 76.5m depth and 0.5m @ 16.2 g/t gold from 81.0m depth. The two lower high-grade intercepts returned from hole DDH-218 likely correlate with the very high-grade drill intercept of 1m @ 216.4 g/t gold returned from CC-53 indicating continuity of the high-grade zone in this part of the MG deposit.

Figure 2: Cross-section (line 552995) through the primary MG gold deposit, and recent drill results from hole DDH 218 as well as historic drill intercepts

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3900/91553_77c1c276249d48b8_003full.jpg

Holes DDH-217 and DDH-219 were drilled on the same section (554080) located in the eastern portion of the MG deposit. The holes were designed to follow up on previous holes drilled in the same section such as CC-79 which returned 12.4m @ 5.3 g/t gold and 37.3m @ 0.87 g/t gold and DDH-201 which intersected 7.8m @ 4.7 g/t gold. DDH-219 was drilled down dip of DDH-201 and returned 10.9m @ 0.8 g/t gold whilst DDH-217 was drilled up dip of DDH-201 and returned 4.5m @ 0.3 g/t gold. These results confirm the down-dip continuity of the mineralized zone at the eastern end of the deposit and suggest the mineralized zone is widening at depth (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Cross-section (line 554080) through the primary MG gold deposit, and drill results from holes DDH 217, DDH-219, DDH-201 and CC79

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3900/91553_77c1c276249d48b8_004full.jpg

DDH-220 was drilled on section 553316, 320m east of DDH-218. It was a short hole drilled to a depth of 46.5m and was designed to test the extent of the gold-in-oxide blanket at this location. It returned 12.3m @ 0.4 g/t gold from surface.

Drill Hole Weathering Mineralized From to Width Grade Zone m m m g/t gold DDH-217 Fresh Rock MG Main Zone 81.8 82.3 0.5 4.0 and 89.0 90.5 1.5 0.4 DDH-218 Oxide/Saprolite Blanket 0.0 2.7 2.7 0.2 Fresh Rock MG Main Zone 53.5 117.0 63.5 0.9 incl. 55.5 59.2 3.7 3.7 incl. 57.7 58.2 0.5 12.7 and including 76.0 94.5 18.5 1.9 incl. 76.5 77.0 0.5 13.1 and including 81.0 81.5 0.5 16.2 DDH-219 Fresh Rock MG Main Zone 221.1 239.8 18.7 0.6 incl. 228.9 239.8 10.9 0.8 DDH-220 Oxide/Saprolite Blanket 0.0 12.3 12.3 0.4 RC-69 Oxide/Saprolite Blanket 0.0 75.0 75.0 0.4 incl. 7.0 9.0 2.0 2.4 Fresh Rock MG Main Zone 75.0 104.0 29.0 0.7 incl. 90.0 94.0 4.0 3.4 RC-91 Oxide/Saprolite Blanket 0.0 24.0 24.0 0.8 incl. 20.0 23.0 3.0 1.8 Fresh Rock MG Main Zone 47.0 54.0 7.0 0.4 RC-100 Oxide/Saprolite Blanket 0.0 33.0 33.0 0.7 Fresh Rock MG Main Zone 54.0 57.0 3.0 0.2 77.0 95.0 18.0 0.7 incl. 83.0 85.0 2.0 2.8

Table 1: Table of Drill results for diamond drill holes DDH-217 to DDH-220 and RC holes RC69, RC91 and RC100

MG RC Drilling

The RC drilling program testing the recently identified gold-in-oxide blanket overlying the primary MG deposit is making rapid progress. Of the original 70-hole 5,000m RC drilling program designed to fully identify the extent of this mineralized zone, a total of 2,900m in 34 holes have been completed to date. Assay results on three holes (RC-69, RC-91, RC-100) are reported herein and assay results are pending on an additional 18 holes.

Holes RC-69 and RC100 were drilled on the same section (553390) in the central part of the gold-in-oxide blanket (Figure 4). Hole RC-69 was drilled from north to south and returned 75m @ 0.4 g/t gold from surface and an additional 29m @ 0.7 g/t gold in the underlying bedrock including 4m @ 3.4 g/t gold. Hole RC-100 was drilled on the same section and direction but 40m further north and similarly intersected a thick interval of mineralization, 33m @ 0.7 g/t gold from surface. The hole also intersected 18m @ 0.7 g/t gold further down the hole from 77m depth in the underlying bedrock. The holes also intersected multiple zones of primary gold mineralization in the underlying bedrock.

Figure 4: Cross-section (line 553390) showing the MG gold deposit in yellow and the overlying gold-in-oxide blanket, Drill results from RC holes RC69 and RC100 as well as historic diamond hole CC106 are also shown

To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3900/91553_77c1c276249d48b8_005full.jpg

RC-91 was drilled on section 553316, the same section as DDH-220, and returned 24m @ 0.8 g/t gold from surface. This section is located in the central part of what is currently known to be the extent of the gold-in-oxide blanket.

These additional RC drill results continue to confirm the remarkable continuity and consistency of the gold-in-oxide blanket in terms of both aerial extent and thickness as well as gold grade.

About Cabral Gold Inc.

The Company is a junior resource company engaged in the identification, exploration and development of mineral properties, with a primary focus on gold properties located in Brazil. The Company has a 100% interest in the Cuiu Cuiu gold district located in the Tapajos Region, within the state of Para in northern Brazil. Two gold deposits have so far been defined at Cuiu Cuiu and contain 43-101 compliant Indicated resources of 5.9Mt @ 0.90g/t (200,000 oz) and Inferred resources of 19.5Mt @ 1.24g/t (800,000 oz).

The Tapajos Gold Province is the site of the largest gold rush in Brazil's history producing an estimated 30 to 50 million ounces of placer gold between 1978 and 1995. Cuiu Cuiu was the largest area of placer workings in the Tapajos and produced an estimated 2Moz of placer gold historically.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

"Alan Carter"

President and Chief Executive Officer

Cabral Gold Inc.

Tel: 604.676.5660

Guillermo Hughes, MAusIMM and FAIG., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). The use of the words "will", "expected" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. This news release contains forward-looking statements and assumptions pertaining to the following: strategic plans and future operations, and results of exploration. Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors. The Company believes the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct.

Notes

Gold analysis has been conducted by SGS method FAA505 (fire assay of 50g charge), with higher grade samples checked by FAA525. Analytical quality is monitored by certified references and blanks. Until dispatch, samples are stored under the supervision the Company's exploration office. The samples are couriered to the assay laboratory using a commercial contractor. Pulps are returned to the Company and archived. Drill holes results are quoted as down-hole length weighted intersections.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91553
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / Medaro Mining Corp. (CSE:MEDA) ("Medaro" or the "Company"), together with its joint venture partner, Global Lithium Extraction Technologies Inc., is pleased to announce the commencement of work to develop and commercialize a set of new, low-cost processes (the "Technology") to extract lithium from spodumene concentrate.

The key focus of the joint venture (the "JV") at this stage is risk reduction in process reactions, which the JV intends to address through bench-scale laboratory testing and the construction of piping and instrumentation diagrams ("P&IDs") for several of the key processes identified. The laboratory work will provide experimental data on reaction kinetics and product yields to assist in the construction of the P&IDs. With these finalized P&IDs, and accompanying equipment layout drawings and specifications, the JV will be one-step closer to fully developing and commercializing the Technology.

Over the course of the next two to three months, the JV will be working on: (i) securing a laboratory facility for the further development of the Technology; (ii) purchasing commercially available testing equipment; (iii) custom designing and fabricating other small equipment required for the planned test work; and (iv) performing test tube-scale experiments on the Technology. The experimental data will then be analyzed and peer reviewed to determine the commercial efficacy of the Technology. In the coming weeks, Medaro also intends to complete its initial earn-in to the JV. For further information respecting the JV and the initial earn-in, please see the Company's news release dated June 30, 2021.

Hugh Maddin, the Company's CEO notes, "While we are excited about the commencement of our Phase 1 exploration work program on our Superb Lake Lithium Property located in Ontario, we are equally as excited to commence work on this technology, which could, if successfully tested and proven out, be a potential game-changer in the lithium mining industry."

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Hugh Maddin

Chief Executive Officer & Director

About the Company

The Company is a lithium exploration company based in Vancouver, BC. and holds options over the Superb Lake lithium property located in Thunder Bay, Ontario and the CYR South lithium property located in James Bay, Quebec. Through the joint venture agreement governing the JV, the Company is also engaged in the development and commercialization of a new process to extract lithium from spodumene concentrate.

For more information, investors should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the JV, the construction of a P&ID, the JV's planned activities over the coming two to three months and the timing thereof and the Company's initial earn-in to the JV are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

Contact Information

info@medaromining.com

604-602-0001

SOURCE: Medaro Mining Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657527/Medaro-Mining-to-Develop-Lithium-Extraction-Technology


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The seven-day average of coronavirus infections in the United States has surged six-fold within a month.



From an average of 11000-plus cases reported on June 28, the seven day average has increased to 66924 on July 28, according to relevant data analyzed by The New York Times. This is the highest weekly average recorded since April 19.



68771 new coronavirus infections were reported in the country on Wednesday. With this, the national total has increased to 34,672,829, as per the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.



COVID-related deaths reported on the same day - 513 - are higher than the weekly average. It takes the national COVID death toll to 611,801.



Florida reported the most number of cases - 16038 - and most COVID-related deaths - 92.



The number of people hospitalized due to coronavirus infection in the country has risen to 36680, marking 73 percent increase in two weeks.



As of July 28, 189.4 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.



163.5 million people, or 49.3 percent of the U.S. population, are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



79.9 percent of people above 65 have received both vaccine doses.



A total of 29,603,958 people have so far recovered from the disease in the country.



343,361,524 vaccine doses have been administered so far nationally.



Meanwhile, the U.S. Defense Department directed employees working in areas at high risk for transmission to begin using face masks again as a measure to prevent the continued spread of the COVID-19 virus, especially the fast-moving, highly-transmittable Delta variant.



Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks signed a memorandum to this effect based on guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the Biden administration is strongly considering a vaccine mandate for federal employees.



'While no decision has been finalized, I will say that the attestation of vaccination for federal employees is one option under strong consideration,' she told reporters at a briefing aboard Air Force One Wednesday. Attestation means confirming vaccination status or abiding by stringent COVID-19 protocols, like mandatory mask wearing, even in communities not with high or subsequent substantial spread, and regular testing, she added.



In a speech at the White House Thursday, President Joe Biden will lay out the next steps in his administration's efforts to get more Americans vaccinated and combat the spread of the Delta variant.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Riverside Resources Inc. (TSXV: RRI) (OTCQB: RVSDF) (FSE: 5YY) ("Riverside" or the "Company"), is pleased to present the new exploration model for the Cuarentas Project in Sonora, Mexico. This new model results from the compilation of the updated geochemistry processing from an external expert geochemist consultant, combined with the new proof of concept drill results from hole LC20-010. This is the first drill hole testing the Santa Rosalia Sur target by Riverside.

Highlights from the hole LC20-010 discovering a new drilled vein system:

3.15 m at 0.36 g/t Au including 0.7 m at 0.88 g/t Au

including 1.55 m at 0.58 g/t Au including 0.65 m at 1.05 g/t Au

Riverside's President and CEO, John-Mark Staude: "We are excited to receive the new and first ever drill assay results from the Santa Rosalia Sur target area which begins to outline a strong drill target area at the Cuarentas Project. We are optimistic that with just one initial hole the campaign has encountered two vein areas wide open at strike and depth to continue seemingly above a degassing Laramide porphyry Cu-Au center."

The Cuarentas epithermal vein drilled mineralized area intersected at surface and appears to be the upper part of a copper-gold porphyry system that is potentially responsible for the extensive >6 km2 area including sericite and pyrophyllite alteration. Some of the key features include:

A major NW oriented fault corridor, linked with a 2.5 km continuous strong (>0.3 g/t Au) gold anomaly along trend.

Detailed and regional mapping by Riverside defines post-mineral cover boundary which was previously interpreted as the limit of the system and is now clearly seen as younger cover with the system being significantly larger and only a fraction exposed at the surface. Channel rock-sampling highlighting up to 3.4m @ 9.1 g/t Au at the surface of the single drill hole demonstrates potential for more gold in further drilling of this Santa Rosalia Sur target.

at the surface of the single drill hole demonstrates potential for more gold in further drilling of this Santa Rosalia Sur target. Strong geophysical texture with airborne and ground magnetic features defines the continuity of main shear zones which control veins and then downward into a porphyry Cu-Au targeting at depth. Further drilling is warranted to test the magnetic features.

Extensive pyritic halo across the entire property with zones of white micas and pyrophyllite indicate higher temperature vectors toward an undrilled porphyry system.

Extensive database from work done by Paget, Millrock, Centerra, Hochschild and Riverside gives abundant data now compiled.

Historical production reporting more than ten old adits and up to 100,000 tonnes mined from the 1950s.

A total of 14 historical and recent drill holes, which are evidence for mineralization, alteration useful for vectoring and targeting for future work.

And recently:

Defined Intermediate Sulfidation system at Santa Rosalia Sur which is vectoring toward a potential feeder zone; Geochemistry analysis are showing zoning of higher ratios which compiled with mapping and drilling is leading to a potential feeder zone (see Figure 1 below).

below). Single drill hole at the Santa Rosalia Sur target by Riverside has intersected wide pyritic zones, similar to the upper parts of known porphyry systems and vein halos in this Arizpe Sonora District including like portions of Las Chispas Mine and also Mercedes Mine which are nearby neighbors to the east and west respectively. Drilling here at Santa Rosalia Sur cut a gold rich mineralized quartz vein zone beneath post-mineral cover (see Figure 3 below - core pictures). Geologically, this hole is important for interpretation and vectoring purposes.





Figure 1: Two maps of the Cuarentas Project highlighting above the geochemistry ratio distributing spatial (top map), and Interpretation for targeting next drill program (bottom map of same area as top map).



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/91539_7982025584517b94_002full.jpg

To conclude, after taking into consideration, Riverside is highlighting the possibility of a feeder system of intermediate sulfidation along the Testerazo fault corridor. The latter is known to be involved as a deep-seated structure within the Arizpe district, and regionally associated with porphyry feeder further to the south. Distribution of evidence is showing an opportunity for more geophysics within the southern block, near the Sombrerito target, which then will lead to test drilling (see Figure 2 below).





Figure 2: Interpretative SW-NE Cross Section of the Cuarentas Project, indicating prospective target at depth for drill testing of feeder zone (based on current drill and surface data).



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/91539_7982025584517b94_003full.jpg

Overall, the Cuarentas district is particularly prolific, with extensive alteration and can be seen at surface with extensive jarosite, limonite and pyrite non-oxidized in drill holes (see Figure 3 below). This pyritic halo extends for multiple km2. Zones of higher temperature clays are an important vector for the feeder zone, which are defined in Figure 1 above.





Figure 3: Core pictures of the hole LC20-010. Left picture: sheeted vein zone - and gold interval upper part of the core hole; Right picture: Example of pyritic halo intersected in drill hole.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6101/91539_7982025584517b94_004full.jpg

Qualified Person & QA/QC:

The scientific and technical data contained in this news release pertaining to the Cuarentas Project was reviewed and approved by Freeman Smith, P.Geo, a non-independent qualified person to Riverside Resources, who is responsible for ensuring that the geologic information provided in this news release is accurate and who acts as a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Riverside completed a QA/QC program as part of the drilling program with about 10% of the samples assayed being control samples. Standards and blanks were inserted approximately every 20 samples and duplicates every 30 samples. Drill samples were taken to the Bureau Veritas Laboratories in Hermosillo, Mexico for fire assaying for gold. The rejects remained with Bureau Veritas in Mexico while the pulps were transported to Bureau Veritas laboratory in Vancouver, BC, Canada for 45 element ICP/ES-MS analysis. A QA/QC program was implemented as part of the sampling procedures for the exploration program. Standard samples were randomly inserted into the sample stream prior to being sent to the laboratory.

Rock samples from the previous exploration programs discussed above at Cuarentas were taken to remained with Bureau Veritas in Mexico while the pulps were transported to Bureau Veritas laboratory in Vancouver, BC, Canada for 45 element ICP/ES-MS analysis. A QA/QC program was implemented as part of the sampling procedures for the exploration program. Standard samples were randomly inserted into the sample stream prior to being sent to the laboratory.

About Riverside Resources Inc.:

Riverside is a well-funded exploration company driven by value generation and discovery. The Company has over $4M in cash, no debt and less than 72M shares outstanding with a strong portfolio of gold-silver and copper assets and royalties in North America. Riverside has extensive experience and knowledge operating in Mexico and Canada and leverages its large database to generate a portfolio of prospective mineral properties. In addition to Riverside's own exploration spending, the Company also strives to diversify risk by securing joint-venture and spin-out partnerships to advance multiple assets simultaneously and create more chances for discovery. Riverside has properties available for option, with information available on the Company's website at www.rivres.com.

ON BEHALF OF RIVERSIDE RESOURCES INC.

"John-Mark Staude"



Dr. John-Mark Staude, President & CEO

For additional information contact:

John-Mark Staude

President, CEO

Riverside Resources Inc.

info@rivres.com

Phone: (778) 327-6671

Fax: (778) 327-6675

Web: www.rivres.com

Raffi Elmajian

Corporate Communications

Riverside Resources Inc.

relmajian@rivres.com

Phone: (778) 327-6671

TF: (877) RIV-RES1

Web: www.rivres.com

Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking information. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology (e.g., "expect"," estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "plans"). Such information involves known and unknown risks -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing and exploration activities, the interpretation of exploration results and other geological data, or unanticipated costs and expenses and other risks identified by Riverside in its public securities filings that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91539
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / DLT Resolution Inc. (OTC PINK:DLTI) is pleased to announce its, Union Strategies division has signed on a national Trans-local to its YOUnified platform with more than 2000 members Canada-wide.

Union Strategies held an electronic election for a local in the rail transport industry this past month, which they were so impressed with, they decided to consider YOUnified as their trusted platform going forward. After the USI team ran a successful election, this 2000+ local was eager to jump onto the YOUnified platform for all their local's member management needs. This local will utilize the many features of YOUnified to connect with their members across the country, such as the call drop, e-blast, and text blast feature. YOUnified also allows the client to connect with their members in different languages, an example being, French, as many members reside in Quebec. The client has expressed they are already thrilled with all of these tools to better connect with their members.

What is YOUnified?

YOUnified combines the many required services to run the business of a union into one unified platform. YOUnified's goal is to assist in increasing member engagement, decrease the local's expenses, and save everyone time. With this app, Unions have everything they require to connect with union members, as well as maintain the local's needs.

Union Strategies made every effort to make this app as adaptable and simple as possible for every age demographic. Members will be surprised on how easy and effective this platform will be for them.

YOUnified allows the union to push notify members of any, and every, important update with just a simple click of a button. You can notify members of an important meeting, election, or reminders of significant dates. In short, this app is truly made for everyone - from the Executive to the members. Some of the basic features include the following:

Call Drops

Email Blast

Text Blasts

Mailing Labels

Secure Remote Voting

Conference Center

Accounting

Virtual Meetings

Cloud Networking

Push notifications

IT Support

Social media

Graphics

YOUnified holds different features for different viewers. An example being, an Executive member will have access to perform call drops, text blasts, email blasts, and everything in between, where as a member will be able to receive these important updates, connect with their Executive Board, purchase "swag" and much more!

Vote YourChoice - Secure Online and Remote Voting

Vote YourChoice fulfils the need for an ever-growing demand of online and remote voting requirements for all types of public and private elections. This requirement is now, more than ever, a fundamental change in the way people are able to cast their ballot and maintain physical distancing requirements. This remote ability is also estimated to increase voter participation by 18% to 35%. Vote YourChoice software includes union elections and voting, condominium corporation voting, publicly traded company voting, municipal and provincial elections to name but a few applications globally.

100% Integrity

Secure, cost-effective and integrated with all organisation's requirements. Organisation's stakeholders are assured that their votes are processed by a neutral third party and in a transparent manner due in part to our unique voter-verified audit trail. Organisation's can also count on our support team as a virtual part of its elections staff.

Learn more about Vote your Choice

About Union Strategies

USI has been providing a suite of products and services to Unions for over 10 years. The company designs, builds, and executes programs resulting in greater success for unions. Programs are designed to engage the membership, decrease expenses, and save time for a more productive business. The Company's suite includes secure electronic voting, Telecommunications, Event Management, Professional Writing, Social Media Management, Web Design, Graphic Services, and Promotional Offerings. The company is a one-stop-shop for all things union. The company has more than 130 clients that are considered "mid-market" in terms of overall size of the particular local with more than 450,000 members. USI operates nationally in Canada and looks to expand into the USA in 2021.

Learn more at: UnionStrategiesinc.com

About DLT Resolution Inc.

DLT Resolution Inc. currently operates in three high-tech industry segments: Blockchain Applications & Cyber Security; Telecommunications; and Data Services which includes Image Capture, Data Collection, Data Phone Center Services, and Payment Processing. Its clients represent some of the top businesses from a variety of sectors. DLT Resolution helps organizations that have invoices, ledgers, statements, applications, surveys, employee and customer rewards programs and a wide range of other non-core functions benefit from data management. DLT Resolution also operates a Health Information Exchange providing the ability to request and retrieve medical information & records while meeting all of today's Security & Compliance demands for HIPAA, PIPEDA and PHIPA. Through RecordsBank, the Company offers an easy to use online gateway to its centralized system for patients, lawyers and insurers to retrieve and access medical records.

Learn more at: DLTResolution.com

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

The use of the word "company" or "Company" refers to DLT Resolution Incorporated and its wholly owned subsidiaries. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of this Act, statements contained herein that look forward in time that include everything other than historical information, involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the company's actual results. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. DLT Resolution may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, in its annual report to stockholders, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by the company, including, but not limited to, plans and objectives of management for future operations or products, the market acceptance or future success of our products, and our future financial performance. The company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors including, but not limited to, those set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 (available at http://www.sec.gov). DLT Resolution undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Nothing within this communication is meant to be a solicitation to buy or sell our securities. Investing in over the counter (OTC) securities often carries a high degree of risk. Please contact your financial advisor before investing in our securities.

CONTACT:

1 800-463-5465

Website: www.dltresolution.com

SOURCE: DLT Resolution Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657510/Union-Strategies-Signs-on-National-Trans-Local-to-YOUnified-Platform-With-More-Than-2000-Members-Canada-Wide
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRES

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp. (CSE:CNFA) (the "Company") announces that its MOU partner, Vertical Wellness, a leader in the branded health and wellness space, has announced the long-anticipated launch of its fully developed portfolio of CBD Beverages at retail. Initial brands will include the Vertical Wellness-owned brands Taos and Hemp-Moji. A future launch is anticipated for other celebrity and athlete-driven wellness and lifestyle brands. Future products will also include a line of CBD iced teas, CBD sparkling beverages, CBD waters and functional hemp shots. These products will utilize Vertical Wellness' patented Fast-Absorption technology and other proprietary formulations designed to provide the highest quality and greatest efficacy for consumers in the wellness space.

CanaFarma recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Vertical Wellness (see the Company's press release dated June 29, 2021).

The Vertical Wellness management team, led by CEO J. Smoke Wallin, brings decades of combined experience in successfully building beverage brands in the beer, wine, spirits, RTD and water categories. Vertical Wellness has secured national distribution partners, and a network of independent wholesalers and brokers to enter the market in a significant manner. The current launch will focus on six U.S. markets with a national rollout slated for 2022.

Vitaly Fargesen, SVP of Strategy for CanaFarma, said, "One of the most exciting things about our expected combination with Vertical Wellness is Smoke and his team's deep beverage experience. We are fully supportive of these efforts and look forward to investing in these brands."

Wallin, a former Chairman and President of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America commented, "We believe cannabis beverages will be one of the most important form factors for consumers. My criteria is the liquid has to taste great and, at the same time, the cannabinoids need to be effective. Our team has worked with the world's best flavor houses and scientists over the past three years developing these beverages to achieve exactly that. I can't wait to get these to market!"

"Building new and existing CBD brands in the beverage space opens ourselves up to many more opportunities," said Kevin Henry, VP of Brands at Vertical Wellness, who played a major role in building multiple alcohol brands in the U.S., including the Peroni beer brand for more than seven years. "On-premise accounts like restaurants, bars and hotels give us a chance to really bring these brands to life and engage with consumers firsthand, which is especially important for a new category like CBD, where education and advocacy are key."

About Vertical Wellness

Vertical Wellness is a leading vertically integrated consumer focused health and wellness brand company with innovative hemp/cannabinoid solutions. Vertical Wellness' mission is to help people by bringing the most innovative and effective portfolio of cannabinoid, health and wellness brands to the market. Vertical Wellness partnered with kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW) to produce CBD products, with the first brand release of kathy ireland HEALTH & WELLNESS CBD Solutions coming in Fall 2021. Kathy Ireland is Chair, CEO, and Chief Designer of kiWW, is named among the top 10 women's health advocates in America according to UCLA and was recently listed as the 15th most powerful brand in the world by License Global Magazine. Other Vertical Wellness brands include AntiDos, GoldQ, Halogenix Beauty, Hemp-Moji, Just Live, Lap Dog, Neutrate Fitness, Organic Candy Factory, Par5, Taos, Wingra Farms and USMCC. Vertical Wellness has operations in California and Kentucky.

About CanaFarma

CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp. is a full-service company operating in the hemp industry offering a full range of hemp-related products and services to the consumer wellness market. These products and services include growing top-quality hemp, providing hemp-processing services, and offering hemp-based products to consumers utilizing a well-established direct-to-consumer marketing approach.

For further information, please contact:

CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp.

Vitaly Fargesen

Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning

Tel: + (718) 757-4145

Email: vitaly@canafarmacorp.com

Forward Looking Statement

This news release contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information may include financial and other projections, as well as statements regarding future plans, objectives or economic performance, or the assumption underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "except", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "plan", "forecast", "project", "estimate", "outlook", or the negative thereof or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to the sale of future products and the potential business combination of CanaFarma and Vertical Wellness. Forward-looking information is based on the assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: financing risks; regulatory and licensing risks; changes in consumer demand and preferences; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; risks relating to regulatory change; compliance with extensive government regulation; public opinion; the impact of COVID-19; and the risk factors set out in the Company's public documents filed with Canadian securities regulators and available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company's management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information or events after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law, including securities laws.

SOURCE: CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657584/CanaFarma-MOU-Partner-Announces-Launch-of-CBD-Beverage-Portfolio
BEIJING, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 27, the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum of Governance and Leadership was held in Beijing. Representatives from SCO member states, observer states, and dialogue partners attended the meeting and expressed their views on governance and prospects for future cooperation within the SCO.

Chen Xi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and President of China National Academy of Governance, and Azizi Abdujabbor Abdukahhor, First Deputy Chairman of the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan, attended the forum and delivered speech online. Chen Xi mentioned that the Communist Party of China has anchored the right direction in its governance of the country and shoulders the historical responsibility of seeking happiness for the people and progress for mankind consciously. China National Academy of Governance is willing to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with the academies of governance of the SCO member states, and make new contributions to building a closer SCO community with a shared future.

Azizi Abdujabbor Abdukahhor pointed out that no country can stand alone in dealing with various threats and challenges, and all countries should work together to solve the current challenges. Also, the SCO should play a more active role in safeguarding world peace and security, expanding economic and trade exchanges, and deepening cultural exchanges and cooperation.

In the keynote speeches, Li Shulei, Executive Vice President of China National Academy of Governance, mentioned that the Communist Party of China plays a leading role in the governance of China's overall situation and coordinating all parties, and China National Academy of Governance has always attached great importance to cooperation and communication with relevant institutions in the SCO countries.

Deputy Secretary-General of the SCO Grigory Logvinov emphasized that the SCO is playing a more vital role in forming a world order with broad representation, fair rule of law, mutually beneficial cooperation, and respect for cultural diversity.

In addition, the representatives of Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan mentioned the SCO's mutual help in containing the spread of COVID-19. The mutual assistance of member states is the main way to deal with the current crisis effectively.

When talking about the governance of the country, all of the speakers mentioned the importance of paying attention to the will and satisfaction level of the people of their country, agreeing with the people-centered governing concept and the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly put forward by the Communist Party of China.

At the same time, all participants also recognized the importance of the SCO in promoting regional exchanges. Speakers from China, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, etc. also called on all SCO countries to strengthen cooperation in more fields, including improving safety governance, infectious disease prevention and control, academic exchanges, and consumer protection, etc.

Contact: Xinchen Liu

Phone: +86-18611556318

Email: aurora_xinchen@163.com

YouTube: https://youtu.be/pprT9Zwu2j4

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1579561/China_report_Logo.jpg
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. (TSXV: SCZ) (the "Company" or "Santacruz") reports its operating results for the second quarter 2021 ("Q2") from the Zimapan Mine located in Zimapan, Hidalgo, Mexico and the Rosario Project located in Charcas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Production Highlights:

13.0% increase in silver equivalent production to 799,057 AgEq ounces as compared to Q1 2021

Zimapan tonnage through-put from Lomo del Toro increase to 12,000/month from 6,000/month when compared to Q1 2021

Zimapan average head grades increased from 182 g/t Ag Eq in Q1 2021 to 202 g/t Ag Eq in Q2 2021

Carlos Silva, Santacruz's CEO, stated, "At Zimapan we continue to execute on our strategy of increasing the tonnage mined from the Lomo del Toro mineralized zone and we are now starting to see the benefits of blending this mineralized material with that from the Carrizal and Monte mines. We have also completed adjustments to the milling facility which have improved the operation of the crushing and filtration circuits." Mr. Silva added; "While Zimapan is making very positive progress, Rosario continues to present challenges due to the combination of poor rock conditions and a narrow vein system. As a result, we are actively reviewing our strategy for Rosario."

COVID-19 Update

The Company continues to take all appropriate measures to prevent COVID-19 among the work force and local communities and to monitor the effectiveness of these measures in mitigating any potential impact on business activities. The Company's actions have been successful to date and the pandemic has not had any material impact on the business.

CONSOLIDATED PRODUCTION RESULTS

2021 Q2 2021 Q1 2020 Q2 Material Processed (tonnes milled) 172,324 176,239 116,799 Silver eqv. ounce production 799,057 706,978 709,765 Silver production (ounces) 329,398 325,376 216,034 Gold production (ounces) 53 72 57 Lead production (tonnes) 778 945 761 Zinc production (tonnes) 3,023 2,285 2,199 Copper production (tonnes) 481 354 308 Average Head Grade (g/t Ag Eqv.) 192 176 248 Development (metres) 2,480 2,212 1,091

ZIMAPAN MINE PRODUCTION RESULTS

2021 Q2 2021 Q1 2020 Q2 Material Processed (tonnes milled) 155,407 156,433 106,725 Silver eqv. ounce production 757,937 646,085 639,021 Silver production (ounces) 310,910 294,099 181,836 Silver head grade (g/t) 84 85 75 Gold head grade (g/t) - - - Lead head grade (%/t) 0.56 0.63 0.72 Zinc head grade (%/t) 2.54 1.99 2.55 Copper head grade (%/t) 0.38 0.31 0.42 Silver recovery (%) 74.2 69.0 70.4 Gold production (ounces) - - - Lead production (tonnes) 747 892 692 Zinc production (tonnes) 2,848 2,067 2,021 Copper production (tonnes) 481 354 308 Average Head Grade (g/t Ag Eqv.) 202 182 249 Development (metres) 1,969 1,724 657

ROSARIO MINE PRODUCTION RESULTS

2021 Q2 2021 Q1 2020 Q2 Material Processed (tonnes milled) 16,917 19,806 10,074 Silver eqv. ounce production 41,120 60,893 70,744 Silver production (ounces) 18,488 31,277 34,198 Silver head grade (g/t) 45 61 113 Gold head grade (g/t) 0.16 0.19 0.25 Lead head grade (%/t) 0.25 0.34 0.77 Zinc head grade (%/t) 1.44 1.51 2.04 Copper head grade (%/t) - - - Silver recovery (%) 76.2 80.3 93.2 Gold production (ounces) 53 72 57 Lead production (tonnes) 31 53 70 Zinc production (tonnes) 176 218 178 Copper production (tonnes) - - - Average Head Grade (g/t Ag Eqv.) 104 127 247 Development (metres) 511 488 434

* In the above tables Ag Eq has been calculated as follows:

2021 Ag Eq was calculated using metal prices of: Ag $25.00/oz, Au $1,925/oz, Pb $0.85/lb, Zn $1.05/lb and Cu $3.00/lb.

2020 Ag Eq was calculated using metal prices of: Ag $17.85/oz, Au $1,480/oz, Pb $0.92/lb, Zn $1.09/lb and Cu $2.80/lb.

Silver Equivalent Comparative Production

As noted in the tables above, there is a significant increase in silver equivalent ounces produced in Q2 2021 as compared to that produced in Q2 2020 and Q1 2021. Substantially all this positive change in production is due to increased silver equivalent production from the Zimapan Mine. In particular, as compared to Q2 2020, Zimapan tonnes processed increased by 46% while silver head grade and silver recovery increased by 12% and 5% respectively. As compared to Q1 2021, the Zimapan Mine production increase reflects increased zinc head grade and recovery. It should also be noted that if the Q2 2021 silver equivalent production had been calculated using the 2020 metal price deck the reported silver equivalent ounces produced from Zimapan would have been 945,533, an increase of 25% over the current reported balance. On a comparative basis within any particular fiscal year or between periods in different fiscal years where the metal price decks are relatively equivalent, the computation of silver equivalent is useful for comparing production from one period to another. When the price decks are not relatively equivalent, the usefulness of this production indicator is diminished.

The improved metal head grades in Q2 2021 reflect increased production from the Lomo del Toro zone (12,000 tonnes per month in Q2 2021 as compared to 6,000 tonnes per month in Q1 2021). Management expects production to continue to increase from Lomo del Toro over the coming months.

About Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Santacruz is a Mexican focused silver company with two producing silver projects (Zimapan and Rosario) and two exploration properties, the La Pechuga property and Santa Gorgonia prospect. The Company is managed by a technical team of professionals with proven track records in developing, operating and discovering silver mines in Mexico. Our corporate objective is to become a mid-tier silver producer.

'signed'

Arturo Prestamo Elizondo,

Executive Chairman

For further information please contact:

Mars Investor Relations

Telephone: (778) 999 4653

scz@marsinvestorrelations.com

Arturo Prestamo

Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Email: info@santacruzsilver.com

Telephone: (528) 183 785707

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

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements relating to production at the Zimapan Mine and Rosario Project and the Company's plans to grow it. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions., including, but not limited to, assumptions as the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, that the Company will receive all required regulatory approvals, and that future metal prices and the demand and market outlook for metals will remain stable or improve. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to above prove not to be valid or reliable; market conditions and volatility and global economic conditions, including increased volatility and potentially negative capital raising conditions resulting from the continued COVID-19 pandemic and risks relating to the extent and duration of such pandemic and its impact on global markets; risk of delay and/or cessation in planned work or changes in the Company's financial condition and development plans; risks associated with the interpretation of data (including in respect of third party mineralized material) regarding the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the uncertainty of the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits and the risk of unexpected variations in mineral resources, grade and/or recovery rates; risks related to gold, silver, base metal and other commodity price fluctuations; risks relating to environmental regulation and liability; the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law.

Zimapan Mine

Production at the Zimapan Mine is not supported by a feasibility study on mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability or any other independent economic study under NI 43-101. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with production operations at the Zimapan Mine. Production and economic variables may vary considerably due to the absence of a complete and detailed site analysis according to and in accordance with NI 43-101.

Rosario Project

The decisions to commence production at the Rosario Mine and Membrillo Prospect were not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability, but rather on a more preliminary estimate of inferred mineral resources. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with this production decision. Production and economic variables may vary considerably, due to the absence of a complete and detailed site analysis according to and in accordance with NI 43-101.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91466
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - VIVO Cannabis Inc. (TSX: VIVO) (OTCQX: VVCIF) ("VIVO" or the "Company"), a leading provider of premium cannabis products and services and holder of licenses under the Cannabis Act through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Canna Farms Limited ("Canna Farms") and ABcann Medicinals Inc. ("ABcann"), today announced that its EU-GMP/GDP licensed subsidiary Beacon Medical Germany GmbH, has received its first import permit from Germany's BfArM, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut fur Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte), allowing the import of Canadian grown dried flower medical cannabis from VIVO's ABcann Medicinal affiliate's GMP-certified Napanee, Ontario site, into Europe.

"We are making great strides towards our first commercialization of product in Europe," commented Ray Laflamme, Canna Farms' Co-Founder and VIVO's Chief Executive Officer. "As a leader in medical cannabis in Canada and Australia, we are delighted by the opportunity to bring our Beacon Medical products to market and support the increasing demand from Germany's more than 130,000 medical cannabis clients."

Germany import permits are issued by BfArM on a shipment-specific basis. Following the receipt of an export permit from Health Canada, the Company expects its first shipment of product to Germany, to be sold under the Beacon Medical brand, in late Q3/early Q4.

About VIVO Cannabis

VIVO Cannabis is recognized for trusted, premium cannabis products and services. It holds cultivation, processing and sales licences from Health Canada and operates world-class indoor and seasonal airhouse cultivation facilities. VIVO has a collection of premium brands, each targeting different customer segments, including Canna Farms, Beacon Medical, Fireside, and Lumina. Harvest Medicine, VIVO's client-centric, scalable network of medical cannabis clinics, has serviced over 150,000 client visits. VIVO is pursuing several partnership and product development opportunities and is focusing its international efforts on Germany and Australia. For more information visit: www.vivocannabis.com.

For further information:

VIVO Investor Relations

+1 416-848-9839

ir@vivocannabis.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivo_cannabis/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivocanna/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vivo_cannabis

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vivo-cannabis-inc/

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information



Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, which are statements that are not purely historical, including statements regarding the beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions of VIVO and its management regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Readers are urged to consider these factors carefully along with the more extensive risk factors included in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis available on SEDAR, in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91552
LITTLETON, Mass., July 29, 2021customer Waverley Borough Council has been named a 2021 CSO50 Award Winner for its security project "Protecting Citizen Data," IDG's CSO has announced . Additionally, Cyglass and Waverley Council have been named a Cloud Security Product of the Year in the network category by Computing magazine's Cloud Excellence Awards 2021 .



Computing is the longest continuously published magazine for IT professionals in the UK.

The CSO50 awards recognize organizations for security projects and initiatives that demonstrate outstanding business value and thought leadership. Among this year's CSO50 winners are Accenture, Cisco, FedEx, Intel Corporation, JetBlue Airways, Verizon Communications and Zoom Video Communications.

Waverley Borough Council is a large borough in Surrey, UK, with a population of approximately 123,000, providing more than 110 services. The council has deployed an AI-based Network Defense as a Service (NDaaS), a low-cost high value program that brings affordable enterprise-class cybersecurity to a small IT team. NDaaS enables the Council to identify, detect and respond to threats on the network 24x7 using AI and machine learning, without requiring additional hardware, software, or people. While larger, well-resourced organizations have been able to combat cyber threats in their networks using automated, self-learning AI threat response systems, such on-premise solutions are too complex and expensive for medium and small enterprises.

CyGlass NDaaS is a fully-hosted SaaS network detection and response solution that can be easily integrated with firewalls, endpoint, and other applications. With budgets under pressure and staff being asked to do more with less, CyGlass provided a needed layer of security without adding the cost and overhead traditionally seen with security solutions.

According to a Waverley Borough Council spokesperson, "CyGlass allowed us to efficiently manage our important alerts. This has given us a 24/7 pair of eyes, helping to ensure that we continually improve our security posture against ever emerging threats."

Local government organizations such as Waverley Borough Council are the type of medium-sized organizations that are the mainstay of the UK economy and are ideal for the more affordable and less complex SaaS approach to network defense.

To successfully defend the data of their citizens and protect them from ransomware, unauthorized web/DNS activities, lateral movement and data exfiltration, local councils and other enterprises can use CyGlass to:

Gain overall visibility and continuous monitoring into internal networks

Alert and react on activities against defined security policies

Address anomalous, potentially malicious activities undetected by other security measures

Gain single pane of glass visibility and faster reaction to threats and risks

According to CyGlass CEO Ed Jackowiak, "In a year when cyber criminals aggressively expanded their attacks to local government, Waverley Council is successfully defending the sensitive data of 126,000 citizens. Being able to de-risk its network in a way that doesn't require significant infrastructure changes or personnel to implement lets Waverley Council operate well within their budgetary expectations. We're thrilled by this well-deserved recognition and congratulate the Waverley team."

ABOUT CYGLASS
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / PJX Resources Inc. ("PJX")(TSXV:PJX.V) is pleased to announce the option of the historical Estella mine crown grants (the "Estella Property") from Imperial Metals Corporation ("Imperial"). The 14 Estella crown grants are encompassed by PJX's large Dewdney Trail Property (see map below). The property is road accessible and located approximately 30 km northeast of Cranbrook, British Columbia.

John Keating, President of PJX commented: "PJX's Dewdney Trail Property and the Estella Property have potential to host intrusive related gold and copper deposits as well as sedimentary hosted massive silver-lead-zinc mineralization similar to the historical Kootenay King mine located approximately 5 km to the south. The Estella crown grants have had no significant work or exploration since the late 1960's. Having access to the crown grants will allow PJX to complete mapping and geophysics across both the Estella claims and PJX's adjacent large land holdings this summer to define targets to drill."

Estella Option Terms

Subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, PJX can earn a 100% interest in the Estella Property by making cash payments, or share equivalent payments, to Imperial totalling $250,000 over a 5 year period as follows:

$15,000 on signing the agreement; and

$20,000 on or before July 26, 2022; and

$25,000 on or before July 26, 2023; and

$30,000 on or before July 26, 2024; and

$35,000 on or before July 26, 2025; and

$125,000 on or before July 26, 2026

Upon exercise of the option by PJX, Imperial will retain a Net Smelter Return Royalty ("NSR") of 2% in respect of the Estella Property. PJX will have the right to buy back 50% of the NSR [being a 1% NSR] for $1,000,000, and the remaining 50% of the NSR [being a 1% NSR] for an additional $1,000,000.

Estella Mine Background - (Source: British Columbia Geological Survey, Bulletin 84)

Estella Mine operated intermittently from 1951-1967.

Total of 109,518 tonnes of ore was milled, yielding approximately 6,393 kg silver, 5,181 tonnes lead, 9,834 tonnes zinc with minor gold and copper in concentrates.

Estella deposit is a silver-lead-zinc vein zone that is up to 7 metre in width that cuts Proterozoic age Aldridge sediments adjacent to a younger, Cretaceous age, intrusive called the Estella Stock.

Dewdney Trail Property map with Estella Crown Grants and road/trail access

The geological disclosure and content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by John Keating P.Geo. (qualified person for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). Mr. Keating is the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of PJX.

Corporate Update

The Annual General and Special Meeting of the Company was held on June 29, 2021. The Shareholders of record:

approved the December 31, 2020, Audited Financial Statements;

set the number of directors of the Company at six and re-elected John Keating, Linda Brennan, James Clare, Joseph Del Campo, Trygve Hoy, and Victor Bradley;

appointed McGovern Hurley LLP as Auditors of the Company for the ensuing year; and

approved the Company's Share Incentive Plan.

PJX continues to advance gold and base metal targets toward the discovery stage on our properties through surface exploration as well as drilling.

We also continue to build strategic partnerships to advance assets including DLP Resource's option of our DD Property and an agreement with Osisko Gold Royalties that was finalized in early 2021, with Osisko paying $1 million for a O.5% NSR royalty interest in PJX's 4 gold properties (Gold Shear, Eddy, Zinger and Dewdney Trail), and purchasing an equity investment in PJX for an additional $1 million.

PJX has identified large target areas with gold, copper, zinc, lead, and silver mineralization across the Dewdney Trail Property to date. The Estella Property option will allow PJX to advance exploration with mapping, prospecting and airborne magnetotelluric and magnetic surveys across both properties to help define targets to drill.

Forest fires in British Columbia have not yet affected our exploration activities. We would like to thank our experienced consulting team of geologists, prospectors, geophysicists, geochemists and drillers for their devotion to advance our exploration targets and maintain safety for themselves and our communities by adhering to health and safety protocols.

About PJX Resources Inc.

PJX is a mineral exploration company focused on building shareholder value and community opportunity through the exploration and development of mineral resources with a focus on gold and base metals. PJX's gold properties (Gold Shear, Eddy, Zinger, Dewdney Trail) and base metal properties (Vine, DD, West Basin, Parker Copper) are located in the historical Sullivan mining district and Vulcan Gold Belt of Cranbrook and Kimberley, British Columbia. Please refer to our web site http://www.pjxresources.com for additional information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Linda Brennan, Chief Financial Officer

(416) 799-9205

info@pjxresources.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

This News Release contains forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements which relate to future events. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to exploration results, the success of exploration activities, mine development prospects, completion of economic assessments, and future gold production. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "appears to", "should", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", believes", "estimates", "predicts", "potential", or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking-statements.

Although PJX has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that 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 forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: PJX Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657523/PJX-Resources-Options-Historical-Estella-Mine-Property-From-Imperial-Metals
Argo Blockchain plc (LSE: ARB; OTCQX: ARBKF), ("Argo" or the "Company"), a global leader in sustainable blockchain infrastructure and cryptocurrency mining, today announced that the appointment of Colleen Sullivan, Maria Perrella, and Sarah Gow as independent non-executive directors, and of Alex Appleton as an executive director, effective as of July 29, 2021. The new members bring decades of synergistic experience within the cryptocurrency, blockchain and finance sectors, to help Argo bolster its position as a global leader in cryptocurrency mining.

Colleen Sullivan is currently the Chief Executive Officer of CMT Digital, a division of CMT Group, specializing in crypto-asset trading and blockchain technology investments. Colleen brings with her many years of experience as an attorney in private practice, both at Sidley Austin LLP and as a co-founder and Managing Member of Sullivan Wolf Kailus LLC. Colleen holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of St. Francis and a Juris Doctor from the DePaul University of Law. Currently, Colleen acts as an advisor to the Digital Chamber of Commerce and sits on the FinTech Women Executive Advisory Council.

Maria Perrella most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer of MDA, a Canadian-based international space mission partner, and the previous twelve years at ATS, a TSX-listed automation company with over 4,500 employees across six countries. Maria's various roles have allowed her to develop skills in financial planning and corporate governance and compliance, and her many years as a Chief Financial Officer have provided her with extensive experience in M&A, capital markets, and strategic corporate finance. Maria holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from York University and is a Chartered Public Accountant in Ontario, Canada.

Sarah Gow has over 19 years of experience in the banking industry, including over 11 years at Citigroup Asset Management where she served as a Director of Global Operations in New York as well as the Head of Operations in London. Sarah also worked at HSBC Global Asset Management for two years as a Project Manager. She was also a founding partner of UK-based asset management company, TrinityCapM Ltd.

Alex Appleton has served as the Company's Finance Director since September 2020 and in line with his increasing responsibilities and valuable contributions to the Company, has been appointed as a director.

The Company would also like to recognize the ongoing commitment, hard work, and devotion to the team of Perry Hothi and are pleased to formally announce his appointment to Chief Technology Officer of Argo Blockchain.

Peter Wall, Chief Executive of Argo, said: "After an extensive selection process, we are delighted to welcome Colleen, Maria, and Sarah to the board as independent directors. Each brings a wealth of experience within the cryptocurrency, technology, and finance sectors, and specific insight that will be invaluable as Argo looks to continue to progress as a global leader in cryptocurrency mining."

"I am also pleased to welcome Alex Appleton to the board as an executive director following his valuable contribution to the Company's business to date," continued Wall. "Alex's expertise in his Finance Director role, alongside the ongoing commitment and hard work of CTO Perry Hothi and the rest of the team, is integral to the continued success of Argo."

Argo would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ian Macleod, James Savage and Marco D'Attanasio, whose departures as executive chairman and non-executive directors respectively coincides with these appointments, for their significant contributions to the Company. Following Ian MacLeod's departure, Peter Wall has been appointed the Company's interim Chairman, and is anticipated to hold the position alongside his role as Chief Executive, until a suitable candidate has been identified.

"I would also like to thank Ian, James, and Marco for their exceptional service during their tenure as the Company's Executive Chairman and non-executive directors respectively, said Wall. "Their contributions, knowledge, and oversight have been pivotal in establishing Argo thus far."

There are no details to be disclosed under paragraph 9.6.13 (2) to (6) of the Listing Rules.

About Argo

Argo Blockchain plc is a global leader in cryptocurrency mining with one of the largest and most efficient operations powered by clean energy. The Company is headquartered in London, UK and its shares are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker: ARB and on the OTCQX Best Market in the United States under the ticker: ARBKF.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005301/en/

Contacts:

Media:

Carissa Felger/Genevieve Pirrong

Gasthalter Co.

(212) 257-4170
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Royal Fox Gold Inc. (TSXV: FOXG) ("Royal Fox" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Adree DeLazzer, P. Geo. (Limited) as Vice President of Exploration, effective July 30, 2021. Ms. Delazzer was most recently with Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd.

Adree DeLazzer, upcoming Vice President of Exploration of Royal Fox commented: "I couldn't be more excited to join Royal Fox to advance the Philibert Project in Chibougamau, Quebec. Rarely are we presented with such an opportunity to begin an exploration venture with over 60,000 metres of drilling already completed and more than $10,000,000 already spent in advanced exploration. Additionally, we now have to look at this historical data through a completely different lens. Not only a different gold price environment is prevailing, but the recent discovery of the Nelligan Project greatly increases the likelihood of milling capacity in the immediate area and has transformed the Philibert Project as a potential pillar to this rapidly emerging gold camp. Moreover, recent drilling results in the vicinity indicate that the mineralization could be extending, suggesting that the exploration of the property shows plenty of potential for expansion and to identify new areas of mineralization."

Ms. DeLazzer has over 15 years of experience in greenfield and brownfield exploration, with a focus on precious metals, rare earth metals (REE), uranium, and diamonds. Most recently, Ms. DeLazzer was with Kirkland Lake Gold Limited, where she held the position of Superintendent of Geology for the Detour Lake Gold Mine in northeastern Ontario, the second largest open pit gold producing mine in Canada, as well as Exploration Manager responsible for overseeing several multimillion-dollar exploration campaigns covering 1,000 km2 of greenstone belt in the Abitibi. She is a skilled exploration professional geologist who was notably an integral part of the 58N zone discovery, and of the large West Detour exploration campaigns of 2020 and 2021. Prior to working for Kirkland Lake Gold and Detour Gold, Ms. DeLazzer worked as a Senior Project Geologist on multi commodity targets in Newfoundland and Labrador for Silver Spruce Resources. She also worked as a geologist for BHP Billiton at the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories. Ms. DeLazzer has a B.Sc. in Earth Science from Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova-Scotia, and is registered in Ontario as a professional geologist.

Simon Marcotte, President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Fox commented: "We couldn't be more excited to welcome Adree to the team. Her strong experience in the industry is sure to be highly valuable to the Company. Adree is joining a team of seasoned veterans in the mining industry, cumulating well over 100 years of successful experience, and carrying a unique combination of technical expertise, corporate experience, industry relationships, as well as access to capital markets. On behalf of everyone at the Company, I would like to wish her a warm welcome to Royal Fox."

In addition, the Company announces that it has granted 2,000,000 options to purchase common shares (each, a "Common Share") of the Company exercisable at a price of $0.065 per Common Share, expiring on July 28, 2026, to Ms. DeLazzer. The options shall vest: (i) as to 1/3 on the date of grant; (ii) as to 1/3 shall vest on the date that is the first anniversary of the date of grant; and (iii) as to 1/3 shall vest on the date that is the second anniversary of the date of grant. The Common Shares issuable upon exercise of the options are subject to a four-month hold period from the date of grant.

About Royal Fox Gold Inc.

Royal Fox Gold Inc. is a mineral exploration company focused on the development of the Philibert Project near Chibougamau, Quebec. The Philibert Project comprises 110 mineral titles having a total approximate area of 5,393 hectares of highly prospective land, 9km away from IAMGOLD's Nelligan Gold project which was awarded the "Discovery of the Year" by the Quebec Mineral Exploration Association (AEMQ) in 2019. To date, more than $10M has been spent on the Philibert Project, with more than 60,000 metres of drilling completed. The Company is focused on de-risking the asset and releasing a maiden NI 43-101 resource estimate which will incorporate results from both brownfield and greenfield exploration, combined with extensive historical data. The Philibert Project is owned by SOQUEM. Royal Fox is currently undergoing an ownership option process, details of which can be found in the corporate presentation available on the Company's website. SOQUEM is a leader in Quebec's mineral exploration industry and subsidiary of Investissement Quebec.

More details are available on the website, as well as in the corporate presentation of Royal Fox available at: www.royalfoxgold.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Simon Marcotte", CFA

Simon Marcotte, President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Fox Gold Inc.

For further information, please contact:

Simon Marcotte, CFA

President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Fox Gold Inc.

Email: smarcotte@royalfoxgold.com

Telephone: (647) 801-7273

Website: www.royalfoxgold.com

Neither the 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.

Cautionary Note

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 the TSXV listing, risk related to the 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, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. 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/91523
Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - White Metal Resources Corp. (TSXV: WHM) (FSE: CGK1) (OTC Pink: TNMLF) ("White Metal" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has retained CHF Capital Markets Inc. ("CHF"), a highly respected Canadian investor relations and capital markets firm, as its representative.

"The team here at White Metal has been tremendously engaged in the advancement of our promising mining projects, both in Canada and Namibia. We give nothing short of our best in all working initiatives, whether it be our flagship Tower Stock Gold Project in Thunder Bay, Ontario or our Taranis Okohongo drilling programs and Altan Copper-Silver property optioned to Noronex in Namibia. Given our active drilling programs at all key projects, we feel that now is the right time to get our Company name in front of a wider investor audience and ramp-up our IR, PR and marketing activities. CHF will be a valued partner in our ongoing communications efforts, whether offline or digitally," said Michael Stares, President & CEO of White Metal Resources Corp.

Effective immediately, the services agreement for investment community outreach, corporate communications and digital marketing is for a term of 12 months, with a review at six months and may be subject to termination with a two-month notice. Under the terms of the agreement, which is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, CHF will receive a monthly fee of $7,000 + HST in addition to reimbursement of any expenses incurred and an incentive stock option for 250,000 shares priced at CAD$0.13. Upon termination of this contract, the option will expire in 30 days.

About CHF Capital Markets Inc.:

CHF Capital Markets (www.chfcapital.com) is a Toronto-based firm specializing in Investor Relations. With more than 139 years of collective IR & Capital Markets experience, CHF has been a trusted partner for many public companies in Canada and worldwide, operating in a broad range of industries including Mining, Technology, Fintech, Healthcare, Oil & Gas, Biopharmaceutical, and Special Situations.

Its team consists of a diverse pool of talent that combines analytical and creative skills - high-profile communications and investment industry specialists, digital media experts, content creators and graphic designers - making it a one-stop shop for all your communication needs in the public sector.

About White Metal Resources Corp.:

White Metal Resources Corp. is a well-funded, junior exploration company with active projects in Canada and Namibia. The Company's two key properties are the Flagship Tower Stock Gold Project in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada and the Okohongo Copper-Silver Project in Namibia, Africa. For more information about the Company please visit www.whitemetalres.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Michael Stares"

President & CEO

For further information contact:

Michael Stares

President & CEO

White Metal Resources Corp.

684 Squier Street

Thunder Bay, ON P7B 4A8

Phone: +1 (807) 358-2420

Nancy Massicotte

Investor Relations

White Metal Resources Corp.

Phone: +1 (604) 507-3377

Toll-Free: +1 (866) 503-3377

Email: ir@whitemetalres.com

Thomas Do

Investor Relations Manager

CHF Capital Markets

Phone: +1 (416) 868-1079 x 232

Email: thomas@chfir.com

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS 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 gold price and other 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/91530
Notice is hereby given that on the initiative and by the resolution of the Board of "NEO Finance", AB, legal entity code 303225546, with the registered office at A. Vivulskio str. 7, Vilnius (hereinafter - the Company), Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company will be held on 23 August 2021 at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held in the Company's office at A. Vivulskio str. 7, Vilnius in the administrative office of the Company. Agenda of the meeting: 1. Regarding the increase of authorized capital by additional contribution; 2. Regarding the amendment of the Articles of Association of "NEO Finance", AB. Proposed draft solutions: 1. Regarding the increase of authorized capital by additional contribution: "To increase authorized capital of the Company by additional contribution from 1 706 496,88 EUR (one million seven hundred six thousand and four hundred ninety six euros, eighty eight euro cents) to 1 794 146,64 EUR (one million seven hundred ninety four thousand and one hundred forty six euros, sixty four euro cents) by issuing 199 204 (one hundred ninety nine thousand and two hundred four) units registered ordinary shares each with nominal value of 0,44 EUR (forty four euro cents). To determine that, increasing authorized capital of the Company new registered ordinary shares issue price is equal to 2,51 EUR (two euros and fifty-one euro cents) for 0,44 EUR (forty-four euro cents) nominal value share. Total issue price of the issuing shares of the Company is equal to 500 002,04 EUR (five hundred thousand two euros, four cents). To authorize shareholders of the Company owning shares issued by the Company in the end of rights record day of this Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders (the tenth working day after the end of this Meeting of shareholders) in proportion to the shareholders owned shares nominal value to acquire new issued shares. To determine that each shareholder of the Company within 14 (fourteen) calendar days (calculating from the day of publication in the Register of Legal Entities the notice regarding the proposal by exercising the right of priority to acquire shares of the Company, in to this term publication day of notice regarding the proposal by exercising right of priority to acquire shares of the Company is not included) have the right of priority to acquire the amount of issuing shares, in proportion to the shareholder's owned amount of shares of the Company in the end of the rights record date. Notice on proposal by exercising right of priority to acquire shares of the Company and term during which this right may be exercised will be publicly announced in informational publication of Register of Legal Entities (hereinafter - the Register). After the day of Register public announcement regarding proposal by exercising right of priority to acquire new shares will start determined 14 (fourteen) calendar days term for subscription. The Company new subscripted shares issues directly to shareholder who subscribed and paid up shares. To determine term for subscribed shares payment - no later than by 15 (fifteen) calendar day, calculating from the end of the day of public announcement in the Register of Legal Entities of the notice regarding the proposal by exercising right of priority to acquire shares of the Company. To determine that subscribed shares shall be paid by transferring the total price determined in the Shares Subscription Agreement for subscribed shares (the issue price of one share multiplied by the total amount of subscribed shares) in to bank account specified in the Shares Subscription Agreement, into the payment order indicating that, this is "Payment for new subscribed NEO Finance, AB shares". New shares will be considered as paid, if all the all amount for subscribed shares will be transferred to bank account of the Company specified in the Shares Subscription Agreement no later than by 15 (fifteen) calendar days, calculating from the end of the day of public announcement in the Register of the notice regarding the proposal by exercising right of priority to acquire shares of the Company (in this term publication day of notice regarding the proposal by exercising right of priority to acquire shares of the Company is not included), if that day is not a business day, then the end of business day following it. If until the expiration of specified deadline total in the Shares Subscription Agreement indicated price for subscribed shares is not transferred in the Shares Subscription Agreement specified bank account, such Share Subscription Agreement is considered as not concluded and signed person loses all the rights to the shares specified in such agreement, while the paid funds will be returned within 10 (ten) business days to bank account of the shareholder specified in the such subscription agreement. Share subscription agreement will be concluded in the registered office of the Company at A. Vivulskio str. 7, Vilnius. Share Subscription Agreements will be signed through the direct involvement of the shareholder or by his duly authorized representative. Shareholders are also given the opportunity to sign share subscription agreements with an electronic signature. Authorized persons of the shareholders of the Company have to submit duly formed and notarized (applicable for natural persons or foreign legal persons if such confirmation is necessary in respect of the particular foreign state law) authorization. Shareholder at his own discretion can decide not to subscribe proposed shares or to subscribe any smaller quantity of shares than the maximum determined to subscribe shares amount. Shareholders will be provided with all their subscribed and paid shares amount, but in any case, not more than the maximum possible amount of subscribed shares. The Company may cancel this subscription at any time before the expiration of this subscription term, without indicating the reasons for such cancellation. In this case, the amounts paid by the shareholders, if any, will be returned within 10 (ten) business days to the shareholder's bank account specified in the share subscription agreement. To determine that the new issued shares of the Company should be paid in monetary contributions, including the advance payments made to the Company for the increase of the authorized capital before the date of adoption of this decision, and/or by capitalizing the loans granted by the shareholders to the Company. If within the determined deadline for shares subscription not all determined to issue shares will be subscribed, the authorized capital of the Company could be increased by the decision of the Board for the amount of nominal value of signed shares making the relevant amendments of the Articles of Association of the Company." 2. Regarding the amendment of the Articles of Association of "NEO Finance", AB. "Taking into account the increase of the authorized capital of the Company, to approve the new wording of the Articles of Association of the Company. To authorize (with the right to re-authorize) Chief Executive Officer of the Company to sign and provide the amended Articles of Association of the Company to the notary confirmation and to register them in the Register of Legal Entities." Other important information: The Company, taking into account the situation regarding the spread of coronavirus, requests all shareholders of the Company to use the opportunity to vote in writing by filling in general ballot paper. Taking into account, please inform us about the need to physically attend the General Meeting of Shareholders no later than 3 business days before General Meeting of Shareholders via below specified email. In all cases, Shareholders of the Company without personal protective equipment will not be allowed to participate in to the General Meeting of Shareholders. The shareholders will be registered from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The persons intending to participate in the meeting shall have a personal ID document (an authorized representative shall have an authorization approved under the established procedure. The natural person's authorization shall be notarized. An authorization issued in a foreign state shall be translated into the Lithuanian language and legalized under the procedure prescribed by the laws). A shareholder or his proxy shall have the right to vote in writing in advance by filling in a general ballot paper. At the request of the shareholder, the Company shall send a general ballot paper to the shareholder by registered mail free of charge at least 10 days before the meeting. The filled-in general ballot paper and the document attesting the voting right shall be submitted to the Company no later than until the meeting, sending by registered mail or providing them at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. The shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes may propose additions to the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders by submitting with every proposed additional item of the agenda a draft resolution of the general meeting of shareholders or, when no resolution is required, an explanation. Proposals on addition to the agenda shall be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mail: info@paskoluklubas.lt. The agenda shall be supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 days before the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. If the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders is supplemented, the Company shall notify on the additions no later than 10 days before the meeting in the same ways as in the case of convocation of the meeting. The shareholders, who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes, at any time before the general meeting of shareholders or during the meeting, may propose new draft resolutions on items which are or will be included in the agenda of the meeting. The proposals may be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mail: info@paskoluklubas.lt. The shareholders shall have the right to submit to the Company in advance questions relating to the items on the agenda of the meeting. The shareholders may submit their written questions to the Company on business days or send by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice no later than 3 business days before the meeting. The Company will reply to the questions by e-mail or in writing before the meeting, except the questions which are related to the Company's commercial (industrial) secret, confidential information or which have been submitted later than 3 business days before the meeting. The Company does not provide the possibility of participating and voting at the meeting by means of electronic communications. The shareholder shall have the right to authorize through electronic communications means another person (natural or legal) to participate and vote in the meeting on behalf of the shareholder. No notarization of such authorization is required. The shareholder must confirm the proxy issued through electronic communications means by an electronic signature developed by a secure signature-creation device and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the Company on the proxy issued through electronic communications means to the following e-mail: info@paskoluklubas.lt no later than until the last business day before the meeting at 10:00 a.m. The proxy and the notice must be issued in writing. The proxy and the notice to the Company shall be signed with the electronic signature but not the letter sent by e-mail. By submitting the notice to the Company, the shareholder shall include the internet address from which it would be possible to download software free of charge to verify the shareholder's electronic signature. The record date of the meeting shall be 16 August 2021 (only those persons who will be shareholders of the Company at the close of the record date of the general meeting of shareholders or their authorized persons, or persons with whom an agreement on assignment of the voting right has been executed, may participate and vote at the general meeting of shareholders). The record day, which entitles shareholders of the Company by exercising rights of priority to acquire newly issued shares of the Company shall be 6 September 2021. The shareholders of the Company may familiarise with the draft resolution of the meeting and the form of the general ballot paper under the procedure prescribed by the laws in the registered office of the Company at A. Vivulskio g. 7, Vilnius, or on the Company's websites at www.paskoluklubas.lt and www.neofinance.com. CEO Aleksejus Loskutovas El. pastas: aleksejus@neofinance.com Attachment: https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=1008357
LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / MBH Corporation plc has announced Margaret Manning, OBE, as the designated incoming non-executive Chairperson of the MBH Board of Directors, effective 1 August 2021, as Lana Coronado steps down as existing Chairperson.

Manning, who started her career as a chartered accountant at PwC, will succeed Lana Coronado, who is set to retire to spend more time with her family after serving as Chair of the MBH Board.

Lana Coronado said: "Being part of MBH for the past year has been a rewarding experience and it has been a pleasure to partner with so many talented individuals that represent the MBH Group companies. For personal reasons I will now step down from my Chair role, but no doubt stay connected with MBH in various ways and I remain their biggest cheerleader."

Manning has previous Chairperson experience as Chair of the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) after serving as its non-executive director for 3 years. The UKABC promotes trade and investment between the UK and ASEAN working closely with government ministers and Embassies to promote UK innovation and expertise. Manning led strategic initiatives that forged strong relationships between the UK and ASEAN and was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to British exports to Singapore and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

Manning commented: "It is an honour and privilege to become the new non-executive Chairperson for MBH and I look forward to the many opportunities that lie ahead. I would like to pay particular thanks to Lana Coronado who made a significant positive impact in the role and with everyone that she connected with."

As an industry leading entrepreneur, Manning founded Reading Room in 1998, growing it to become one of the UK's largest digital businesses. Reading Room was awarded 'Fast growing business top 100' by The Times newspaper for 3 years running, as well as multiple industry awards. Manning led an MBI of the Singapore and Australian businesses of Reading Room Ltd in 2015 when the UK business was sold to Idox plc.

"On behalf of all MBH Group companies, I would like to welcome Margaret to MBH and wish her all the very best as she steps into this new role. And also to thank Lana for her contribution and commitment to MBH over the past year. I wish her the very best going forward" said Callum Laing, CEO, MBH Corporation.

The MBH Board now comprises:

Callum Laing, CEO

Margaret Manning, Non-executive Chairperson

Victoria Sylvester, Executive Director

Stanislaw Patey, Non-Executive Director

About MBH

MBH Corporation plc (M8H:GR) is a diversified investment holding company, listed on the Frankfurt and Dusseldorf Stock Exchanges and the OTCQX in New York (MBHCF). The company acquires small to medium enterprises across multiple geographies and sectors that are well established, profitable and looking to scale. By leveraging the Agglomeration strategy, MBH Corporation plc is able to create substantial shareholder value through the consistent and accretive acquisition of excellent companies. www.mbhcorporation.com

Contacts for IR and media enquiries:

MBH Corporation plc

Charlotte Williams

charlotte@unity-group.com

+44 (0)770 396 3953

Perception A

Phil Anderson & Charlie Nelson

phil@perceptiona.com

+44 (0)776 749 1519

SOURCE: MBH Corporation plc

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657589/MBH-Corporation-plc-Appoints-Margaret-Manning-OBE-as-New-Non-Executive-Chairperson
PARIS, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb has today announced the launch of Chubb Academy, a two-year programme aimed at recruiting a diverse range of new talent from across Continental Europe.

The scheme is targeted at individuals in the early stages of their career journey, with no requirement for a university degree or previous experience in the insurance sector. People from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply.

Participation in Chubb Academy aims to lay the foundation for an internationally-focused career, initially in property and casualty commercial insurance, with a view to moving into a professional role in any part of the Chubb organisation. The programme is aimed at people with up to five years of work experience who want to kick-start or accelerate their career.

Applicants must be able to speak English plus any two of the following languages: French, Italian, Spanish, German or Dutch. They must also be willing to work outside their home country.

Over the course of 24 months, successful candidates will spend 20% of their time in structured learning and the remainder training on the job. They will also work with a mentor to help them navigate through professional situations in their early development. In addition, wherever possible, they will be involved in cross-border/cross-functional projects allowing them to expand their network, including among senior management.

Chubb Academy will offer an opportunity to build new skills and capabilities, including:

Underwriting across a range of insurance products;

Customer-oriented thinking;

Portfolio management;

Identifying developing market needs;

Using digital capabilities to enable data-driven decisions;

Cultural awareness.

Sara Mitchell, Division President, Continental Europe, Middle East and North Africa Chubb said: "Insurance is first and foremost a people industry and, while we have fantastic talent already across the Chubb organisation, it is absolutely imperative that we find the next generation of insurance professionals. That's why I am delighted that we have launched the Chubb Academy. The insurance sector has changed significantly in recent years and insurers need to recruit people from the widest range of backgrounds possible. Chubb Academy will ensure we have the people and skills to continue to stay relevant both in terms of the clients we work with and our understanding of their risks."

Prospective candidates for the Chubb Academy can complete an online application form here.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/324916/Chubb_Logo.jpg
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - ArcWest Exploration Inc. (TSXV: AWX) ("ArcWest") is pleased to announce that Huckleberry Mines Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Imperial Metals Corporation, has purchased ArcWest's Huckleberry property, located 1.8 km from Imperial Metals' past producing Huckleberry East zone open pit mine, which is currently on care and maintenance status.

ArcWest's Huckleberry claims contain multiple porphyry Cu-Mo-Au targets as well as precious metal enriched massive sulfide occurrences that have yet to be explored beyond basic prospecting and sampling. The Huckleberry property was acquired by ArcWest through staking and is surrounded by tenures owned by Huckleberry Mines Ltd.

Under the terms of transaction set out in the agreement:

Huckleberry Mines will acquire 100% of the Property;

Huckleberry Mines will make a cash payment to ArcWest of CAD$50,000; and

ArcWest will retain a 1.0% net smelter return royalty ("NSR") with no buydown provisions.

ArcWest President & CEO Tyler Ruks commented: "The Huckleberry transaction provides ArcWest with a royalty on a prospective land position in close proximity to Imperial Metal's past producing Huckleberry mine, which is host to significant copper-molybdenum resources. Imperial recently announced a jointly funded ZTEM airborne geophysical survey of the Huckleberry district with Surge Copper. In the event a discovery is made on ground covered by ArcWest's NSR, given the close proximity of mining infrastructure for a which a restart plan is currently being developed, there is potential for significant, near term wealth creation for ArcWest shareholders."

ArcWest's corporate presentation is available for download here. ArcWest's technical presentation is available for download here. These presentations are also available for download from www.arcwestexploration.com.

About ArcWest Exploration Inc.

ArcWest Exploration is a project generator focused on porphyry copper-gold exploration opportunities throughout western North America. The company is in possession of nine 100% owned copper-gold projects throughout BC's premier porphyry copper-gold districts; at least four of these projects are scheduled to undergo partner funded drill testing in 2021. By conducting partner funded exploration on multiple exploration projects simultaneously, ArcWest's chances of discovery are enhanced while exposing shareholders to minimal dilution. The company is managed by an experienced technical team with a track record of discovery and a reputation for attracting well-funded senior partners, including Freeport McMoRan, Robert Friedland group companies, ITOCHU, Antofagasta and Teck.

Qualified Person

ArcWest's disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jeff Kyba, PGeo, VP Exploration, who serves as a Qualified Person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.

For further information please contact: Tyler Ruks, President and CEO at +1 (604) 638 3695.

Investors are cautioned that ArcWest Exploration Inc. has not verified the data from the Huckleberry East Zone deposit. Further, the presence and style of mineralization on these properties is not necessarily indicative of similar mineralization on the ArcWest Exploration Inc. property. Historical assays from drill programs on its properties have not been verified by ArcWest but have been cited from sources believed to be reliable.

This news release contains statements about ArcWest's expectations and are forward-looking in nature. As a result, they are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although ArcWest believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them as actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof, and ArcWest undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91537
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALNY) announced positive results from the ILLUMINATE-C Phase 3 open-label study of lumasiran in patients of all ages with advanced primary hyperoxaluria type 1 or PH1 associated with progressive decline in renal function. 'Through the ILLUMINATE clinical program, we are hoping to establish that lumasiran may be a therapeutic option for PH1 patients regardless of age or disease severity, including patients on hemodialysis,' said Jeroen Valkenburg, General Manager, Lumasiran program at Alnylam. The company looks forward to reporting complete data from the ILLUMINATE-C study at a medical congress later this year. Lumasiran is an RNAi therapeutic targeting hydroxyacid oxidase 1 (HAO1) - the gene encoding glycolate oxidase (GO) - that is being investigated for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with advanced PH1. Results of the primary analysis at six months demonstrated substantial reduction in plasma oxalate from baseline in both dialysis-independent and -dependent patients. Lumasiran also demonstrated positive results across key secondary endpoints, including measures of urinary oxalate and additional measures of plasma oxalate. The company plans to submit a Supplemental New Drug Application for lumasiran with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a Type II Variation with the European Medicines Agency in late 2021. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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8x8 XCaaS Continues to Demonstrate Strong Momentum Helping Ireland and the UK Public Sector Organisations Improve Employee and Customer Engagement

8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT), a leading integrated cloud communications platform provider, today announced that the Office of Public Works (OPW) in Ireland has implemented 8x8 XCaaS (Experience Communications as a Service), an integrated contact centre, voice, video meetings, and chat solution, to enable its digital and technology strategy.

One of Ireland's oldest government agencies, responsible for property management, heritage services, and flood risk management, OPW was challenged by disparate legacy telephony systems that could not meet the needs of its increasingly hybrid workforce. With more than 2,500 staff members including contingent, seasonal workers located at 140 sites across the Republic of Ireland, OPW needed a modern cloud communications platform that was cost-effective and reliable, providing the organisation the agility to allow staff to communicate and collaborate with customers, and each other, from anywhere, and on any device.

With 8x8 XCaaS, OPW is able to improve manageability and reliability, ensure organisational resilience, and enable an operate-from-anywhere workforce. 8x8 XCaaS is built on the 8x8 Experience Communications Platform, a reliable, secure, and compliant cloud platform that offers the highest levels of reliability with the industry's only financially-backed, platform-wide 99.99 percent SLA across an integrated Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution.

Working with 8x8, OPW smoothly transitioned staff and communications capabilities to their new headquarters in Dublin, and across all of their sites, without losing connection with colleagues, partners and customers. OPW's commitment to being client focused, ensuring timely delivery of services, and providing value for money was made possible with 8x8's integrated communications, collaboration, and customer engagement product.

The OPW deployment of 8x8 XCaaS further demonstrates 8x8's continued growth within the Public Sector in Ireland and the UK:

The number of UK public sector customers has nearly doubled year-over-year, ending March 31, 2021.

8x8 XCaaS is now deployed by more than a third of London's boroughs.

More than 20 NHS Trusts have deployed 8x8 XCaaS in the last 12 months.

Additional public sector organisations who recently signed and deployed 8x8 XCaaS include: Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for four metropolitan boroughs. This UK public sector organization selected the 8x8 XCaaS solution to enhance the patient support and communication capabilities for more than 3,000 employees. Sefton Council is the local authority providing essential community services for more than 270,000 residents in the Liverpool City Region. Following their original deployment of 8x8 CCaaS in 2020, the Council is now deploying services that include UCaaS and 8x8 Secure Pay for the full XCaaS solution, which allows Council employees to work freely from any location. NHS Public Health Scotland, which provides support to the 14 regional NHS Health Boards, further expanded 8x8's integrated CCaaS and UCaaS product to now support over 3,500 employees. Their communications needs were critical to managing vaccination helplines and booking services for Scotland's COVID-19 response and 8x8 rapidly moved them to the cloud.



Liam Stewart, Head of ICT at Office of Public Works, said: "To continue effectively delivering services to our customers, we needed a different approach to enabling communications across our very distributed environment one that provided collaboration and customer engagement tools, while also being easier to administer and maintain. 8x8 provided us with exactly the solution we needed, including the capabilities to work remotely, on any device, and support both employee and customer communications all easily administered from one, central console. We have a long track record providing valuable services in Ireland since 1831, however, with 8x8, we no longer have to rely on legacy systems and can move forward as an innovative and future-focused organisation."

"The need to transition from outdated technology in an effort to transform organisational performance and functionality is not new within the public sector, but it has never been more critical to meet new work requirements," said Jamie Snaddon, Managing Director, EMEA at 8x8, Inc. "OPW's focus on customer engagement and providing exceptional services is the perfect use case for an integrated cloud communications and collaboration solution. With 8x8, OPW employees can work confidently knowing they are staying productive and connected with colleagues and customers."

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.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Readers are directed to 8x8's periodic and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a description of such risks and uncertainties. 8x8 undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005276/en/

Contacts:

Media:

John Sun, 1-408-692-7054

john.sun@8x8.com

Investor Relations:

investor.relations@8x8.com


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Senate voted in favor of advancing the bipartisan infrastructure package deal, seen as a political victory for President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Agenda.



The nearly $1 trillion Infrastructure Bill was passed Wednesday by a 67-32 vote, winning the support of 17 Republican Senators, setting the stage for a debate in the upper chamber.



'We are proud to announce we have reached a bipartisan agreement on our proposal to make the strongest investment in America's critical infrastructure in a generation,' said a bipartisan statement. 'Our plan will create good-paying jobs in communities across our country without raising taxes,' said 21 senators from both parties.



More than half of the bill - $550 billion - includes new federal investment in America's infrastructure.



Thanking the bipartisan group for working together to finalize the deal, President Joe Biden said, 'This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, deliver, and do big things. As we did with the transcontinental railroad and the interstate highway, we will once again transform America and propel us into the future.



He described the gargantuan package as the most significant long-term investment in U.S. infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century.



'This bipartisan deal is the most important investment in public transit in American history and the most important investment in rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago. It will deliver high speed internet to every American.'



Biden noted that the huge investment is not made at the cost of low and middle income groups in the country. 'We're going to do it without raising taxes by one cent on people making less than $400,000 a year - no gas tax increase and no fee on electric vehicles.'



According to a White House fact sheet, these investments will add around 2 million jobs per year over the course of the decade, while accelerating America's path to full employment and increasing labor force participation.



The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will invest $110 billion of new funds for roads, bridges, and major projects. It is estimated that 173,000 miles of U.S. highways and major roads and 45,000 bridges are in poor condition.



The bill invests $7.5 billion to build out a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers. U.S. market share of plug-in EV sales is only one-third the size of the Chinese EV market.



The deal will deliver thousands of electric school buses nationwide.



The bill invests $17 billion in port infrastructure and $25 billion in airports to address repair and maintenance backlogs.



The deal's $55 billion share represents the largest investment in clean drinking water. It comes at a time up to 10 million American households and 400,000 schools and child care centers lack safe drinking water.



The deal's $65 billion investment ensures every American has access to reliable high-speed internet. More than 30 million Americans are said to be living in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds.



After the announcement of deal, Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo said, 'Today, we are one step closer to making a historic investment in America's infrastructure that will create millions of jobs and position the U.S. to remain competitive in the 21st century'.



Former President Donald Trump expressed strong dislike over the bipartisan agreement. This will be a victory for the Biden Administration and Democrats, and will be heavily used in the 2022 election, according to him. 'It is a loser for the USA, a terrible deal, and makes the Republicans look weak, foolish, and dumb,' he said in a statement.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Sacha Gera brings experience in professional services, M&A and SaaS

OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / Calian Group Ltd., (TSX:CGY) a provider of trusted solutions across Advanced Technologies, Health, Learning and IT and Cyber Solutions (ITCS) segments is proud to announce the appointment of Sacha Gera as President, ITCS. Mr. Gera will be assuming leadership from Sandra Cote. Ms. Cote's planned retirement at the end of the calendar year provides time for a successful transition.

Mr. Gera has nearly twenty years of experience working in technology for both start-ups and large multinational organizations, such as IBM, Nortel and CGI. His expertise lies in leading SaaS innovators towards achieving escape velocity, recurring revenue growth and profitability. Most recently, Mr. Gera led the $115M USD spinout of SaaS-based Kandy.io from Ribbon Communications.

In 2019, Mr. Gera was named to the Forty Under 40, awarded by the Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Board of Trade. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Systems Engineering) from Carleton University.

"Sacha Gera is an Ottawa-based leader with an excellent understanding of today's technology. His technology background and experience in professional services and SaaS is an excellent mix for our ITCS business. I am delighted to welcome Mr. Gera at this exciting time in the company's growth," said Kevin Ford, Calian CEO. "I want to thank Sandra Cote for her efforts at Calian. Under her leadership, our IT segment doubled in size, improved margins and has evolved from a services business to a cyber and cloud solutions business."

"Calian has excellent momentum," said Sacha Gera, President, ITCS. "I look forward to building the portfolio and positioning Calian as a cyber and cloud leader in the Canadian, US and European markets."

Sacha will join Calian in September 2021.

About Calian

Calian employs over 4,500 people in its delivery of diverse products and solutions for private sector, government and defence customers in North American and global markets. The Company's diverse capabilities are delivered through: Advanced Technologies, Health, Learning, and IT and Cyber Solutions. Advanced Technologies provides innovative products, technologies and manufacturing services and solutions for the space, communications, defence, nuclear, government and agriculture sectors. Health manages a network of more than 2,400 healthcare professionals delivering primary care and occupational health services to public and private sector clients across Canada. Learning is a trusted provider of emergency management, consulting and specialized training services and solutions for the Canadian Armed Forces and clients in the defence, health, energy and other sectors. IT and Cyber Solutions supports public and private-sector customer requirements for subject matter expertise in the delivery of complex IT and cyber security solutions. Headquartered in Ottawa, the Company's offices and projects span Canada and international markets.

Media inquiries:

613-599-8600 x 2298

Investor Relations inquiries:

ir@calian.com

DISCLAIMER

Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, and including currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Company's most recent annual report and other reports filed by Calian with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them.

SOURCE: Calian Group Ltd.



View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657594/Calian-Announces-President-IT-and-Cyber-Solutions
Acquisition Will Complement the Group's Portfolio, Broadening Its Digital and Retail Footprint In New Sector

BOW Group today announced that it has successfully completed the acquisition of Musart.com, a fast-growing online destination to buy original artworks and licensed products. This transaction will allow BOW Group to seize new opportunities in the booming digital art market.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005637/en/

(Photo: Musart)

"BOW Group and Musart share the same passion for good yet accessible design that brings emotions to consumers at every moment of the day," said Boris Brault, BOW Group Founder and CEO. "Together, with Musart's unique product curation and established relationships with leading institutions, we can conquer the thriving online art market thanks to our global ecommerce, logistics and development capabilities. With Musart in our portfolio, we are expanding our offering and enhancing the growth potential of our business beyond IoT and lifestyle objects. Today, the art world is fundamentally changing, disrupted with new players and media; we want to participate in that shift by helping consumers get access to art pieces and accessories, under different forms, at every price points."

Since its inception in 2014, Musart has sold thousands of pieces of collectibles. Founded by French Art-Lover and Entrepreneur Vincent Gregoire, Musart's mission is to make art accessible, giving anyone the opportunity to own a piece of museum.

Partnerships with world-class museums, foundations and cultural organizations allow Musart to bring not only exclusive and authentic items, but also, to honor iconic artists such as Basquiat, Cattelan, Da Vinci, Dali, Haring, Hokusai, Kahlo, Klimt, Kusama, Magritte, Michelangelo, Miro, Modigliani, Mondrian, Picasso, Pollock, Van Gogh, Warhol. Licensed items, numbered and signed pieces include the world famous Kaws, Medicom Toy Be@rbricks and Kidrobot, as well as new promising talents. The selection spans multiple product categories: sculptures, home decor and office accessories, stationary, books, clothing, etc... with prices ranging from $20 to $20,000.

Customers receive not only an art piece but also a short biography of the corresponding artist for each purchase, proving Musart's commitment to democratizing art and its educative vocation. Headquartered in Miami, Musart has first experienced a retail journey and embarked into a successful digital experience with its own website and 5-stars Central Seller page on Amazon, gathering today more than 1000 references and a highly active community of collectors.

By joining BOW Group, Musart will benefit from the group's 360 platform, including a mature D2C digital ecosystem, multiple warehouse locations to serve consumers around the globe and its R&D center BOW Industries to handle its licensed and private label activities. One of the first objectives is to expand Musart's sales activity outside the US, especially in Europe. While Musart will undoubtedly diversify BOW Group's offering from a B2C standpoint, it will also meet the demand of B2B and Corporate customers with a whole new range of exciting gift objects.

Musart Founder Vincent Gregoire said: "I'm thrilled to join BOW Group with whom we share the same entrepreneurial mindset and consumer-driven approach. This integration marks a new chapter for Musart, one that will definitely help us reach our full potential at a global scale and embrace the new disruptive changes of our industry, such as NFTs. Leveraging BOW's existing digital resources, ecommerce and supply chain infrastructure will take our business to another level, bringing innovative online experiences such as AR technology while continuing to make art accessible to anyone."

Follow Musart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musartboutique/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musartboutique/

About BOW Group

BOW Group is a global player and multi-skilled platform operating worldwide with two consumer brands: Lexon, the design object editor, and MyKronoz, the IoT specialist both powered by its own R&D and manufacturing center, BOW Industries. In addition, BOW Group owns the luxury concept-store chain Legacy.

Every year, BOW Group sells about 2 million pieces of products in 90 countries and across 9000 points of sales, thanks to its international recognition and network of leading designers celebrated with more than 200 Awards received, including 7 Red Dot Design Awards won by its two brands in 2021.

BOW Group has now more than 100 talents spread across four office locations: Paris, Geneva, Miami and Shenzhen.

Since July 2015, BOW has opened up its capital to NextStage AM, then, in 2017 to PM Equity Partner the corporate venture fund of Philip Morris International.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005637/en/

Contacts:

Annabel Corlay

a.corlay@group-bow.com
PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / NextMart, Inc. (the "Company" or "NXMR") (OTC PINK:NXMR) - NXMR would like to announce the resignations of its former officer and director, and the naming of Kathryn Gavin, a resident of the State of Arizona, as the new sole officer and director of the Company.

On June 17, 2021, the Company received the signed resignation Miro Zecevic, its former interim sole officer and director. Mr. Zecevic named Kathryn Gavin, a resident of the State of Arizona, as the new interim sole officer and director of the Company effective upon the acceptance of his resignation (June 17, 2021). The Company will update the corporate records with the State of Delaware to effectuate this change in the management in the next several days.

Ms. Gavin has previous experience with the administration and operation of an OTC Market's publicly quoted issuer. At the current time, Ms. Gavin is the sole operational officer and director of Hiru Corp. (HIRU), a Georgia corporation. Under Ms. Gavin's leadership, HIRU became current in its mandatory reporting obligations with OTC Markets (after being deficient for almost four years), successfully had its "Caveat Emptor" status removed for the first time in four years on June 25, 2021 and made two successful acquisitions in just less than one hundred and twenty (120) days at the helm.

Kathryn Gavin (President and CEO of the Company), states" I am pleased to accept this interim position with the Company. I will be responsible for not only assisting the Company through the process of not only becoming "Pink Sheet Current" with OTC Markets, Inc. ("OTC Markets"), but also with the identification and eventual acquisition of exciting new change in business direction. At that point, it is my plans to resign as the interim officer and director of NXMR and hand leadership over to a fully competent and experienced management team. As with my position with HIRU, I have one goal in mind during my tenure with NXMR, the maximization of shareholder value pure and simple".

The Company will be filing a Form 8-K during the week of July 26, 2021, to provide notice of this change its management team and updated financial statements and notes thereto. The Company has an active Twitter site at @CorporationNxmr and plans to have an active social media program moving forward in an effort to effectively disseminate material information to the public in an expeditious and quick manner.

Forward-Looking Statement

Certain statements that we make may constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements contained herein may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to NXMR that are based on the beliefs of NXMR's management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to NXMR's management. These forward-looking statements are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the NXMR's business prospects, future developments, trends and conditions in the industry and geographical markets in which NXMR operates, its strategies, plans, objectives and goals, its ability to control costs, statements relating to prices, volumes, operations, margins, overall market trends, risk management and exchange rates.

ABOUT US

NextMart, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, is a public quoted Pink Sheet issuer under the ticker symbol "NXMR". Currently, NXMR currently is a shell company with a new management team with plans to become a current alternative reporting issuer with OTC Markets. The Company is currently looking for an appropriate business acquisition.

CONTACT:

10119 East Winter Sun Drive

Scottsdale, Arizona 85262

Phone: (602) 499-6992

Web Site: https://nextmartcorporation.com/

Twitter: @CorporationNxmr

Email: info@nextmartcorporation.com

Contact: Kathryn Gavin, CEO

SOURCE: NextMart, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657536/NextMart-Inc--New-Management-Team
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / DigiMax Global Inc. (the "Company" or "DigiMax") (CSE:DIGI)(OTC:DBKSF), a company that provides artificial intelligence ("AI") and cryptocurrency technology solutions, is pleased to announce that it has signed a marketing collaboration deal with The Wing Corp. ("Wing") based in Seoul Korea

CryptoHawk is an Artificial Intelligence-driven, price-trend prediction tool that can be profitably used by any investor interested in trading Bitcoin or Ethereum. The tool is different as it uses AI and machine learning to capture profit from the volatility of cryptocurrencies rather than incur the risk of buy-and-hold investments. As previously announced by the Company, in its first full month of operation in June 2021, CryptoHawk signals achieved a long-short return on BTC of more than 25% compared to a buy-and-hold return for the same period of a loss of 10%. In both up and down markets, CryptoHawk has the potential to deliver subscribers much higher returns when trading.

Wing is a market-leading influencer in blockchain and cryptocurrency in Korea, which they reference as the core of 'the 4th industrial revolution'. Wing is a company established to help traders and exchanges seek out the highest value cryptocurrencies for investment and future development. Wing applies rigorous verification by experts to foster the development of the cryptocurrency market and sound investment culture.

Having been associated with Wing since DigiMax was founded in 2018, DigiMax recognizes Wing's strength because it uses non-traditional methods for direct communication with its followers that isnot easily traceable through conventional means. They are however very effective at communicating with both crypto traders and exchanges throughout the country.

The founder of Wing, Minho Kang, is a leading blockchain influencer in Korea who has already introduced numerous crypto companies (including Dent, Salt, Enigma, Skraps, Hero, Shivom, Karma, Poet, Trade.io, Hacken, Real, Bitjob ,Sapien, Zper, Investfeed Dexe, Hyve and Eqifi) to Korea, and his success has earned him a reputation as a global marketing expert. He also led a successful blockchain conference as the co-founder of The Signature, leading more than 50,000 investment members.

Wing will collaborate with DigiMax to develop a broad range of CryptoHawk users in Korea and will assist DigiMax to develop integration of the CryptoHawk artificial intelligence system into crypto exchanges in the country. Wing will share referral fees on a sliding scale from 1,000 subscribers up to more than 100,000 subscribers developed in Korea. Wing will also earn options in DigiMax for successfully creating direct partnerships between DigiMax and Korean crypto exchanges.

"As Korea fully embraces the 4th Industrial Revolution, we are thrilled to partner with DigiMax in reaching out to our community with the power of AI." Says Minho Kang, the founder of The Wing Corp. "Korea is extremely techno-savvy with cryptocurrency. I firmly believe that CryptoHawk.ai takes all of us to a new level of monetization through insight that can be used by anyone interested in trading crypto."

"We are excited to be able to join forces with such a knowledge leader in the industry in Korea," said DigiMax CEO, Chris Carl. "Since Korea operates in an autonomous manner apart from most of Asia, having such a respected and prominent influencer in a country that has one of the highest per-capita rates of crypto followers in the world, is a great addition to the growing DigiMax team."

About DigiMax

DigiMax is an Artificial Intelligence technology company committed to unlocking the potential of disruptive technologies by providing advanced financial, predictive, and cryptocurrency solutions across various verticals. DigiMax is an official IBM Watson partner, and the Company's engineering team has extensive experience in Machine Learning, Neural Language Processing, AI, Big Data and Cryptocurrency technology.

To learn more, visit our website:https://digimaxglobal.com/

Contact:

Martti Kangas

Investor Communications

647-521-9261

mkangas@digimax-global.com

Chris Carl

President & CEO

416-312-9698

ccarl@digimax-global.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements or information". Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: anticipate, intend, plan, goal, seek, believe, project, estimate, expect, strategy, future, likely, may, should, will and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements in this press release include, among others, statements about the Company and Kirobo Inc.'s future plans, expectations and objectives.

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. The Company may not actually achieve its plans, projections, or expectations. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including expectations and assumptions concerning the future plans of Kirobo Inc. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: the adequacy of our cash flow and earnings, the benefits and uses of our software, the pricing and availability of our software, the availability of future financing and/or credit, and other conditions which may affect our ability to expand the platforms and software described herein, the level of demand and financial performance of the cryptocurrency industry, developments and changes in laws and regulations, including increased regulation of the cryptocurrency industry through legislative action and revised rules and standards applied by the Canadian Securities Administrators, Ontario Securities Commission, and/or other similar regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions, disruptions to our technology network including computer systems, software and cloud data, or other disruptions of our operating systems, structures or equipment, the impact of Covid-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate, consumer sentiment towards the Company's products and services, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, government regulations, competition, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions, the impact of technology changes on the products and industry, the ability for Kirobo Inc. to complete its business objectives, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in disclosure documents filed by the Company with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

SOURCE: DigiMax Global Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657597/DigiMax-Continues-Global-Marketing-Expansion-into-Asia-with-Signing-of-Collaboration-Deal-in-Korea
Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its partner Tocvan Ventures Corp. ("Tocvan") has reported its final 3 assays from its 20-hole (3,500 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.

"Extension of mineralization to the southeast has been part of Tocvan's exploration model at Pilar and they have done an excellent job in testing and proving this strategy. We look forward to continued drilling later this year and further developing mineralization on a southeast trend. We also look forward to the results of a bulk sample from the Main Zone being planned by Tocvan. Historical drilling at the Main Zone, including drilling by Colibri, and more recently by Tocvan has intersected excellent gold grades," states Ron Goguen, President & CEO of Colibri.

Highlights and discussion of results as released by Tocvan follow:

Drill Result Highlights

JES-21-50 (Figure 1)

39.7 meters at 0.96 g/t Au and 2 g/t Ag from 39.7 to 79.3 meters Including 12.2 meters at 3.0 g/t Au and 6 g/t Ag from 39.7 to 51.9 meters Including 1.5 meters at 14.6 g/t Au and 11 g/t Ag from 48.8 to 50.3 meters

from 39.7 to 79.3 meters

JES-21-56

1.5 meters at 0.57 g/t Au and 139 g/t Ag from 216.6 to 218.1 meters

Results Discussion

JES-21-50 - The hole was planned to test the continuation of the Main Zone to the southeast, as a 50m step-out to JES-21-47 which intersected 47.7m of 0.75 g/t Au. Drilling in JES-21-50 intersected a broad zone of mineralization in altered andesites over 39.7 meters of 0.96 g/t Au, including a vein zone grading 1.5 meters of 14.6 g/t Au and 11 g/t Ag (see Table 1). The Main Zone continues to extend to the southeast and remains open as an expansion target for the next phase of drilling.

JES-21-56 - The hole was planned to test the eastern most extent of the Triple Vein Zone where surface sampling recovered 4.5 g/t Au and 735 g/t Ag from a rock chip along an artisanal working. Drilling intersected a silver rich zone grading 0.57 g/t Au and 139 g/t Ag, 216.6 meters downhole. Hitting mineralization at depth now opens this target area up for further exploration drilling along the 400 metre trend.





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/4269/91559_9295660f24219b45_001full.jpg

Table 1. Summary of Today's Drill Results

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Width* (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) AuEq (g/t) JES-21-50 39.65 79.3 39.65 0.96 2 0.99 including 39.65 51.85 12.2 3.04 6 3.1 including 48.8 50.33 1.53 14.55 11 14.67 JES-21-51 No significant mineralization JES-21-56 216.55 218.07 1.52 0.57 139 2.04

*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 TSX-V (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 - TSX.V-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/91559
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Quebec Nickel Corp. (CSE: QNI) ("Quebec Nickel Corp." or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointments of Messrs. Glenn Mullan, David Gower and Daniel Schieber to its Advisory Board.

Glenn Mullan - Advisory

Glenn Mullan serves as the founder, and President/CEO of Golden Valley Mines Ltd. and Executive Chair of Abitibi Royalties Inc., both based in Val-D'Or, QC where his main area of interest continues to be grassroots early-stage exploration, primarily for precious and base metals, and energy minerals in Canada and abroad. Glenn formed a nickel mining exploration company (Canadian Royalties Inc.) in 1999, and which soon won the AEMQ's "Prospector of the Year" Award in 2003 for its multiple Ni-Cu-PGE discoveries in the remote Nunavik Region of Northern Quebec. This company soon evolved into a Ni-Cu-PGE producer that currently employs more than 1000 people in Northern Quebec, and is currently owned by a Chinese nickel producer.

Glenn Mullan was the 36th President of the Prospectors & Developers of Canada (PDAC). Over his +40-year career, Glenn has followed a traditional mining exploration and prospecting path, beginning with contract geophysical surveys in the North (Quebec, Ontario, BC, Yukon) and working in remote locations.

Glenn's guidance on the pathway to production will be invaluable for Quebec Nickel.

David Gower - Advisory

David Gower, P. Geo, has over 20 years of experience in exploration with Falconbridge, (now Xstrata / Glencore) most recently as Director of Global Nickel and PGM exploration. David was a member of the Senior Operating Team for mining projects with Falconbridge.

As a Nickel developer, David has led exploration teams that have made significant brownfield discoveries at Raglan, Sudbury, and Matagami, as well as major greenfield discoveries at Araguaia and Amazonas in Brazil, and Kabanga in Tanzania. David has held Executive and Directors positions with several junior and midsize mining companies for the past 10 years. Currently David is CEO of Emerita Resources a high profile Spanish zinc explorer on the cusp of announcing major developments.

Daniel Schieber - Advisory

Daniel Schieber established his career in metals and mining finance as an analyst for the Stabilitas Group of Funds in 2005. In 2009, he co-founded Euroscandic International Group where he raised upwards of $360M in project financing for specific development projects in the mining sector. In 2011-2015, he pivoted to Canadian-based farmland investments, where he became Chief Investment Officer at Dynamis Capital Corp., which focuses on long-term, recession-proof investments with emphasis on gold and silver. Mr. Schieber is CEO and Director of GoldHaven Resources Corp.

David Patterson, CEO of Quebec Nickel stated, "We are so pleased to have these high impact advisors to help guide the Company. Glenn, David and Daniel joining the Quebec Nickel team brings industry specific knowledge and expertise that is hard to duplicate. The Company welcomes our Advisory Board to our team and the assistance they will bring in helping us unlock the significant nickel value in our Project."

The Company also announces it has retained Sandra D'Angelo through 2267013 Ontario Inc. ("2261013"), an arm's length advisory and consulting services firm to provide the Company with a range of services including marketing, investor relations and other corporate advisory services as may be requested by the Company from time to time. 2267013 is an established Toronto-based financial services company that provides assistance to various issuers in accessing capital markets.

2267013 will assist in broadening our shareholder base by providing access to their network of retail brokers and investment advisors, high net-worth individuals, traditional institutional investors and fund managers, private equity investors, as well as potential strategic corporate investors. Under the terms of the agreement, 2267013 will be paid a monthly fixed fee of C$17,500. The agreement is for an initial period of three months.

Additionally, the Company announces the granting of 3,400,000 incentive stock options to certain directors, officers, employees, and consultants of the Company at an exercise price of $0.11 (the "Options") in accordance with the Company's 10% rolling incentive stock option plan.

About Quebec Nickel Corp.

Quebec Nickel Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing nickel projects in Quebec, Canada. The Company has 100% interest in our Ducros Group Property, consisting of 239 contiguous mining claims covering 12,818.63 hectares within the Abitibi region located in Quebec, Canada. Additional information on Quebec Nickel Corp. is available at www.quebecnickel.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

QUEBEC NICKEL CORP.

"David Patterson, CEO"

For further information, please contact: Elyssia Patterson, CFO

Tel: +1 (778) 683 4324

Email: info@quebecnickel.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 Quebec Nickel'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 Quebec Nickel 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.

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/91542
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Brane Inc. ("Brane"), a leading independent provider of crypto custody solutions, announced today that Emile Scheffel has joined its executive team as Vice President, Operations. Scheffel had previously been working with Brane as a consultant since January 2021.

As Vice President, Operations, Scheffel will lead Brane's regulatory and communications functions in Canada and the United States as the company pursues an aggressive commercialization strategy in multiple jurisdictions. He will also oversee Brane's Project Management Office, driving effective and timely delivery of key company initiatives, including leading the integration of domestic and international acquisitions and joint ventures.

"With his strong combination of leadership experience, execution mindset, and strategic focus, Emile will continue to play a central role in Brane's evolution and growth," said Jerome Dwight, Brane's President and the former President and CEO of Bank of New York Mellon's Canadian operations. "I look forward to working closely with Emile and the Brane team to deliver exceptional value for our shareholders, clients, and regulators."

"With Brane, I'm right where I want to be - working with an extraordinary team of leaders from banking, technology, and government to bring assurance and credibility to the world's new asset class," said Scheffel. "With our core values of integrity, independence, and innovation, we have an opportunity to unlock extraordinary economic opportunity by relentlessly reducing risk."

Scheffel previously held progressively senior roles in British Columbia's provincial government, including the Premier's Office and Ministry of Health. As Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party, he drove organizational transformation and modernization through two elections, a leadership race, and a provincial referendum. Since then, Scheffel has championed mental health in politics and public life as founder of the PERSIST initiative.



In the private sector, Scheffel led community relations and public affairs in British Columbia for CN Rail, and provided communications and public policy counsel to a Fortune 500 construction and engineering company.

For more information:

Emile Scheffel

604-970-8658

emile@brane.capital

Founded in 2017, Brane Capital is an independent Canadian crypto custody service provider, helping institutional clients unlock the opportunities of blockchain and digital assets. Brane Vault, its core digital asset custody technology, is third-party certified to stringent global standards including ISO 27001, ISO 27017, and NIST CSF Tier 4, and insured against theft and crime.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflect Brane's current expectations regarding future events, including statements relating to: the ability of Brane to become carbon neutral, the ability of Brane and other market participants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words or phrases such as "create", "continue to", "expand", "accelerate", "enhancing", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Brane's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are made as of the date hereof and Brane does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91455
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Grizzly Discoveries Inc. (TSXV: GZD) (OTCQB: GZDIF) (FSE: G6H) ("Grizzly" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that field crews have completed an initial phase 1 sampling evaluation of high-priority conductivity anomalies in the search for Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu) and Silver (Ag) mineralization that have been identified at its Robocop Property following analysis of the recent 400 line-km Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic ("VTEM") and magnetic survey data (Figure 1 below). Results are pending and once received will be used to plan ground geophysical surveys over the high-priority anomalies. The Robocop Property is 100% owned by Grizzly and is easily road accessible in Southeast British Columbia (the "Property"), near the hamlets of Grasmere and Roosville.

Brian Testo, CEO of Grizzly, commented, "The initial results will provide high-priority drill targets to be drilled during Q3 2021. Historical results have provided high-grade copper, cobalt and silver and we anticipate more results that will enable drill targeting towards the source of multiple anomalies. The Property has significant potential for new copper-cobalt discoveries."

Crews from APEX Geoscience Ltd. conducted a follow-up Phase 1 ground geochemical survey to test a number of high and secondary priority geophysical anomalies identified in the vicinity of the "Discovery Area" (See Figure 2 below) and across the property. The Discovery Area has provided historical anomalous trench and core intersections of up to 0.134% Co, 1.19% Cu and 33.8 grams per tonne (g/t) Ag over 1.23 m. Over the course of the three-week program a total of 588 soil samples and 16 rock samples were collected from across the property (see Figure 2 below). The samples have been submitted for multielement geochemical analysis.

Fig 1. New mineral claims (in white outlines) on a map of calculated time constant TAU values for conductance for S Field (dB/dt) with Cu in rocks & soils.

To view an enhanced version of Fig. 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4488/91508_de556fa3a49898d2_002full.jpg





Fig 2. EM anomalies (including high priority anomalies as white stars) on a map of conductance for S Field (dB/dt) with sampling conducted in June 2021.

To view an enhanced version of Fig 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4488/91508_de556fa3a49898d2_003full.jpg

A number of high priority targets have been identified with some in close proximity to known Co-Cu-Ag geochemical anomalies identified in historical rocks grab samples, soils and drilling. Figure 2 above shows the locations of the 2021 soil and rock samples collected to date. The samples have been submitted to ALS Chemex in Vancouver for multielement geochemical analysis and results will be released in the coming weeks as they are received. During the course of the field work a couple of new showings of copper mineralization were found in float and outcrop. An example of copper bearing float hosted in sedimentary rocks about 300 m west of the main showings and in the vicinity of high priority VTEM anomalies 15-3 and 16-3 is provided in Figure 3 below.

A Notice of Work land use permit application for drilling a number of the VTEM anomalies has been submitted to the Front Counter BC's Cranbrook Office with anticipated drill testing in the fall, 2021.

The property is hosted within a similar geological setting to the Idaho Cobalt-Copper belt where conductivity (EM) and magnetic surveying techniques have been used previously to successfully guide drilling of prospective targets and assist in making new metal discoveries.







Fig 3. Strong malachite staining on metasiltstone-sandstone float found during the field program in June 2021.

To view an enhanced version of Fig 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4488/91508_de556fa3a49898d2_004full.jpg

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE ROBOCOP PROPERTY

The Robocop Project is comprised of 9,053 acres (3,663 ha) in five mineral claims that are all road accessible, just off Provincial Highway 93 in southeast B.C.

Initial surface trenching in the late 1980's to early 1990's yielded up to 0.06% Co and 1.93% Cu over 6 metres (m) in one trench, and in a separate trench up to 0.146% Co , 1.8% Cu and 5.3 grams per tonne (g/t) Ag over 5 m in sediment-hosted sulphide mineralization within middle Proterozoic Purcell Group rocks (Thomson, 1990).

A total of 15 drill holes in the area between 1990 and 2008 have yielded several intersections of near surface Co-Cu-Ag mineralization with grades of up to 0.134% Co , 1.19% Cu and 33.8 g/t Ag over 1.23 m core length in hole R-1990-5 and 0.14% Co , 0.9% Cu and 2.7 g/t Ag over 3.1 m core length in hole R-1990-6 (Thomson, 1990), along with an intersection of 0.18% Co , 0.28% Cu and 4.1 g/t Ag over 1 m core length in hole R-2008-02 (Pighin, 2009).

All but one of the historical drillholes tested a single target in an area about 500 m by 350 m. The Property is approximately 10 km in length and 3.5 km in width and contains at least four untested anomalous soil +/- rock geochemical targets.

Sediment hosted Co-Cu-Ag mineralization is similar in style, age and host rocks to mineralization at Jervois Mining Ltd.'s Idaho Cobalt project and Hecla's Revett Formation hosted mineralization near Troy, Montana.

The Property has yielded significant historical cobalt, copper and silver results and presents an opportunity to discover battery and electrification metals as the world shifts to electric vehicles, sustainable practices and greener alternatives. The macroeconomic outlook for battery metals such as Co and Cu remains strong with the ongoing shift to electric vehicles. It is estimated that the battery sector accounts for approximately 57% of current Co demand; this is expected to grow over the next five years to 72%, and will require an additional 100,000 tonnes/annum of Cobalt to meet demand.1

The technical content of this news release and the Company's technical disclosure has been reviewed and approved by Michael B. Dufresne, M. Sc., P. Geol., P.Geo., who is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

ABOUT GRIZZLY DISCOVERIES INC.

Grizzly is a diversified Canadian mineral exploration company with its primary listing on the TSX Venture Exchange, with 93 million shares issued, focused on developing its over 160,000 acres of precious and base metals properties in southeastern British Columbia. Grizzly is run by a highly experienced junior resource sector management team, who have a track record of advancing exploration projects from early exploration stage through to feasibility stage.

On behalf of the Board,

GRIZZLY DISCOVERIES INC.

Brian Testo, CEO, President

Tel: 780 693 2242

For further information, please visit our website at www.grizzlydiscoveries.com or contact:

Chris Beltgens

Corporate Development

Tel: 604 347 9535

Email: cbeltgens@grizzlydiscoveries.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Caution concerning forward-looking information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This information and statements address future activities, events, plans, developments and projections. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information and statements are frequently identified by words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and similar terminology, and reflect assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management of Grizzly in light of its experience, current conditions, expectations of future developments and other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking information and statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Grizzly's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information and statements and accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed thereon.

Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary include but are not limited to the availability of financing; fluctuations in commodity prices; changes to and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including environmental laws and obtaining requisite permits; political, economic and other risks; as well as other risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in our annual and quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other filings made by us with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Grizzly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements except as may be required by law.

_____________________



1 Cobalt's Price Rises Highlight Shift to Battery-Driven Pricing Dynamics, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, November 19th, 2021

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91508
CHICAGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a research report "Vibration Monitoring Market With COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Offering (Hardware, Software, Services), Monitoring Process, Deployment Type, System Type (Embedded Systems, Vibration Analyzers, Vibration Meters), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Vibration Monitoring Market was valued at USD 1.3 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 1.9 billion by 2026. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period. Rising need for remote operations owing to the spread of COVID-19, adoption of wireless communication technology in vibration monitoring, advent of secure cloud computing platforms used for vibration monitoring, rising focus toward predictive maintenance in the industrial sector, and deployment of vibration monitoring technologies in the ecosystem of smart manufacturing, and realization of benefits of vibration monitoring systems by manufacturers across the world are contributing to the growth of the vibration monitoring market. Rising adoption of machine learning and big data analytics, strategic partnerships and collaborations among different market players, and advent of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) act as a growth opportunity for the market players.

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Hardware to account for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market

The hardware segment is expected to hold the largest share of the vibration monitoring market. The hardware segment led the vibration monitoring market in 2020, holding a larger share of the market. Vibration can be measured through various types of sensors. Based on different types of vibrations, there are sensors designed to measure displacement, velocity, and acceleration, with different measuring devices and sensors such as accelerometers, proximity probes, velocity sensors, and transmitters. These devices are considered to be the main components of vibration monitoring systems. They are the main sources through which the data related to vibration levels in machinery is obtained well in advance. The data extracted by hardware components enables an effective predictive maintenance program to avoid costly downtime.

Oil & Gas industry accounted for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market in 2020

The oil & gas industry accounted for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market in 2020. The industry has been emphasizing increasing its profitability owing to the rising pressure of high operating costs of oil & gas plants. Fluctuations in oil prices in the global market are another factor contributing to the increasing pressure on the oil & gas industry to reduce its operating costs. Thus, this industry is expected to adopt vibration monitoring systems and solutions to maintain the efficient working of its critical assets and reduce downtime. The overall ecosystem of machine condition monitoring ensures uninterrupted operations of production machinery with minimized downtime; this helps reduce maintenance costs and increase the productivity of the machinery used in oil & gas plants. Moreover, the increasing demand for online vibration monitoring solutions is expected to further drive the vibration monitoring market for oil & gas industry. Though the industry accounted for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market in 2020, there was a sharp decline in oil prices owing to the COVID-19 in the same year. This may adversely affect the deployment of new vibration monitoring systems and solutions in the industry in 2021, as it is expected to start recovering in the same year, and the deployment of new vibration monitoring systems and solutions will result in increased expenses for oil & gas companies.

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67 - Figures

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North America to account for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market by 2026

North America to account for the largest share of the vibration monitoring market by 2026. Factors such as increased focus on optimum asset utilization; tight government regulations for workplace and personnel safety; and stringent quality control in the oil & gas, chemical, and food & beverage industries drive the demand for vibration monitoring systems and solutions in North America. Emphasis on plant asset management and presence of prominent market players such as Emerson Electric, General Electric, Honeywell International, National Instruments, and Parker Hannifin in the US contribute to the high demand for vibration monitoring systems in the country. The aerospace and oil & gas industries are developing at a rapid pace in Canada and Mexico. This is also expected to drive the market in North America. The post-COVID-19 scenario is expected to be characterized by supply chain disruptions and suspension of commercial and industrial activities. Consequently, the demand for semiconductor devices in these segments is anticipated to reduce remarkably. The US, which is home to the majority of manufacturers of vibration monitoring systems, has witnessed the impact of the COVID-19 on the production of sensors and other components owing to disruptions in the manufacturing activities caused by lockdowns and shutdowns of production facilities.

A few of the key players in the vibration monitoring market are General Electric (US), Honeywell International (US), Emerson Electric (US), SKF (Sweden), Schaeffler (Germany), Parker Haniffin (US), Rockwell Automation (US), Meggit (UK), Analog Devices (US), and National Instruments (US).

Related Reports:

Machine Condition Monitoring Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis, by Monitoring Technique (Vibration Monitoring, Oil Analysis, Corrosion Monitoring), Monitoring Process, Deployment Type, Offering, Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026

Machine Safety Market with COVID-19 Impact, by Component (Presence Sensing Safety Sensors, Safety PLCs, Safety Modules/Controllers/Relays), Implementation, Application (Assembly, Packaging, Robotics), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

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- Technological developments have resulted in the emergence of customized hip replacement implants. Customization is expected to make hip replacement implants a safer procedure for patients.

- Advanced materials, such as cross-linked polyethylene sockets used in combination with metal or ceramic femoral heads, are becoming more widely available, allowing the development of novel devices

ALBANY, N.Y., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hip replacements assist millions of patients regain mobility and relief from joint discomfort; however, the surgery takes few months of recovery. Hip implants are for mobility rehabilitation, and assist in restoring functionalities of hip joint following an injury or an accident. The process of bone deterioration can be slowed down with the help of hip replacement implants. In an effort to develop risk-free operations, emphasis has been laid on customized solutions. Several factors, such as age, sex, and weight of a person has to be taken into consideration while developing customized hip replacement implants. This factor is likely to work in favor of the global hip replacement implants market during the forecast period from 2021 to 2031.

The global hip replacement implants market is projected to cross the value of US$ 7.2 Bn through 2031, and the market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2021 to 2031. Hip replacement surgery, also known as total hip arthroscopy, is a procedure wherein a specialist substitutes anon-functioning or improperly functioning jointwith a prosthetics. Bone degeneration caused due to osteonecrosis, traumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, accidental injuries, and osteoarthritis serves as the primary reason for the hip replacement surgery.

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Key Findings of Market Report

Use of Advanced Materials to Develop Hip Replacements Implants to Support Market Growth

Alloys, polymers, and other materials have traditionally been utilized to make hip replacement implants. These days, surgeons are using hip implants made of materials such as advanced plastics and ceramic. Moreover, the use of advanced materials, including cross-linked polyethylene sockets in conjunction with metal or ceramic metal femoral heads are becoming more widely available, thereby offering new, advanced products to the patients. An alternate material that can be used as a new treatment pattern for acetabular cup articulation surfacesis highly cross-linked linear polyethylene. New materials for use in hip replacement implants are adopted quickly, which compels manufacturers to expand their product offerings.Thus, new materials for hip implants are likely to widen the scope of the growth for the global hip replacement implants market in the near future.

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Marketing of Customized Implants Through Advertising Platforms to Raise Awareness among Patients

Manufacturers of orthopedicproducts are now marketing products directly to the clients through advertisements. Prominent players are benefiting from telemarketing, newspapers, advertisements in magazines, and pamphlets distributed at clinics and hospitals. Advertisements affect the preferences of patients who want to customize hip implants before their surgery.This will help in lowering discomfort and pain.

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Hip Replacement Implants Market: Growth Drivers

Growing elderly population leads to frequent joint disorders. The gradual degeneration of bones occurs as result of such disorders and age. This factor is likely to fuel the demand for metal-on-polyethylene hip replacement implants in the global market.

Demand for hip replacements in Asia Pacific is driven by increase in total hip implant surgeries due to increased knowledge about reconstructive operations. In nations such as Japan , South Korea , Singapore , China , and India , there is a significant demand for hip replacement surgeries. The need for better quality hip implants in Asia Pacific is expected to rise due to the increasing affordability of customized hip replacement implant in the region.

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Hip Replacement Implants Market: Key Competitors

MicroPort Scientific Corporation

DePuy Synthes Companies (Johnson & Johnson)

B. Braun Melsungen AG

Wright Medical Group

OMNIlife science, Inc.

Smith & Nephew plc,

Hip Replacement Implants Market: Segmentation

Product

Total Hip Replacement Implants

Partial Hip Replacement Implants

Hip Resurfacing Implants

Revision Hip Replacement Implants

Material

Metal-on-metal

Metal-on-polyethylene

Ceramic-on-metal

Ceramic-on-polyethylene

Ceramic-on-ceramic

End User

Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Orthopedic Clinics

Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Industry Research Reports by Transparency Market Research:

Orthopedic Implants Market: Orthopedic implants are used to prevent and treat deformities and injuries of the musculoskeletal system. In terms of revenue, the global orthopedic implants market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2018 to 2026. Developments in anesthesia techniques, rise in adoption of minimally invasive procedures, increase in incidence rate of injuries, surge in geriatric population, and rise in adoption of technologically advanced products to treat musculoskeletal disorders are likely to drive the market

Hip Reconstruction Devices Market: The increasing incidence of hip injuries and fractures, osteoarthritis, and wearing down of joints over time in aged people has fueled the need to reconstruct their hip joints, which is reflecting significantly over the demand for hip reconstruction devices.

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SK Collaborative Certifies First Platinum Level Home of 2021

DECATUR, GA / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / This year's first Platinum-certified EarthCraft Renovation home, built by Alair Homes Decatur, is an excellent example of why a systems-focused approach is critical to improving a home's energy efficiency and comfort. The owners of a 1960's ranch house near Decatur, GA previously updated their heating and air-conditioning system (HVAC) and installed spray foam in the attic - but created more problems (especially around moisture) than they solved.

EarthCraft Renovation home by Alair Homes in Decatur, Georgia. Alair Homes Decatur, 2021

"At my very first meeting, the homeowners had started noticing some condensation," said Heather Shuster, renovator and Partner at Alair Homes. "Their thinking was, 'we're updating our systems, this should improve not only the comfort of our house, but any humidity issues.' And unfortunately, the opposite occurred - they started having more significant humidity issues."

Georgia's high humidity and abundant rain is an ongoing challenge for home renovators like Alair Homes Decatur. (Many are surprised to learn that Atlanta averages more than 14 inches of rain than Seattle annually. Shuster said the homeowners were interested in EarthCraft because the green building program deals with moisture issues specific to the Southeast.

A Healthy Prescription

"The best thing that I could recommend to them was let's bring in a consultant who can really analyze how this home is functioning," said Shuster. "EarthCraft consultants really study the whole system, and are a great resource to help you figure out a very prescriptive approach for improving your home."

Carl Seville, Principal of SK Collaborative (the green consultant selected for the job), helped Southface Institute create the EarthCraft Renovation program that officially launched in 2011. Together, the company worked with Alair Homes Decatur to identify and resolve issues. At the top of the list was dealing with the moisture. Contributing factors included no insulation and lack of an air seal in the exterior walls of the house.

Interior view of EarthCraft Renovation home by Alair Homes in Decatur, Georgia. Alair Homes Decatur, 2021

A Troubling Topography

From the street, the house appears to be a single-story ranch - but the yard drops down to reveal three stories in the back. "Getting the gutter system working well, making sure the landscaping contributed to water management, all of those things had to be thoughtful and perfect," said Shuster. "We brought in Engineered Solutions of Georgia who did a trench system. They did a treatment at the wall. They installed additional sump pumps to manage water at the terrace level and at the lower level below the terrace."

For the walls, Alair Homes Decatur used ZIP System sheathing that combines advanced engineered wood structural panels with a protective, integrated water-resistive barrier (WRB) that's fused onto the panel so there's no risk of the weather barrier ripping and tearing. Shuster said they also reinstalled spray foam so there was a minimum of R-19 throughout, all the way to the exterior walls and properly sealed to the wall's top plate so that it was fully covered.

For the HVAC system, they installed UltraAire ventilating dehumidifiers on both systems to manage any excess humidity in the below grade levels and included ductwork to the closed attic to address any humidity in the sealed attic space.

Adding Up to EarthCraft

Other features integral to the home's Platinum certification under EarthCraft Renovation are smarter choices for interior finishes, Energy Star appliances, plumbing fixtures that conserve water, and sustainably sourced and finished flooring. "It's a big list of items that help contribute to the Platinum certification," said Shuster. "It's really exciting for a homeowner to achieve a Platinum rating. It shows that a lot of care has been put into the choices that they made during project development. And it shows that they are trying to have a home that's not only comfortable, but is using energy wisely. That they are putting clean, safe air into their family's lungs. These are important things to think about that often get overlooked in renovation and I love seeing homeowners that put a high priority on that."

About Alair Homes Decatur

Alair Homes Decatur was founded in 2001 by Peter Michelson as Renewal Design Build. He and his brother, David Michelson, who joined the firm in 2004, are fourth-generation builders, specializing in custom home building and home renovations and remodeling. In 2018, their firm became part of Alair, the largest and fastest-growing premium construction management franchise in North America, and includes Partners Heather Shuster and Ken Carter. Now, as Alair Homes Decatur, a partner in Alair Homes North Georgia, the Michelsons and their team of experienced and award-winning custom home builders and remodelers are serving local homeowners through personalized, detail-oriented residential construction services from small home renovations to designing and building multi-million dollar dream homes. Every client receives the same premium service, and remains fully informed, involved and in control throughout the design and construction process.

About SK Collaborative

SK Collaborative applies proven green building techniques to real-life situations. We work with developers, builders, remodelers, contractors, and architects to identify cost-effective techniques that can help earn financial incentives such as tax credits, utility rebates and financing discount programs. Our services range from consulting, design reviews and charrettes to envelope sealing inspections, testing, training, and building certification under LEED, EarthCraft, National Green Building Standard, ENERGY STAR, Enterprise Green Communities, FitWel, and Green Globes. We also offer building energy audits, Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) compliance testing, and building enclosure consulting. SK Collaborative is your one-stop resource in Making Buildings Better.

Contact Information:

Sarah Kelty

Marketing Coordinator, SK Collaborative

(404) 480-4600 x116

skelty@skcollaborative.com

SOURCE: SK Collaborative

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/654007/All-Systems-Go-for-Alair-Homes-Decaturs-EarthCraft-Renovation-in-Dekalb-County
The American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact Leads the Seed Round for the Largest Mentorship Community for Underrepresented Talent

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / Mentor Spaces , a community-driven mentorship platform helping companies scale their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, today announced it has raised $2.5MM in a seed round of funding. The American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact (AmFam Institute) led the round, with participation from ECMC , Portfolia , Rethink Education , Service Provider Capital , and The Social Entrepreneurs' Fund .

"As one of the largest mentorship communities for underrepresented students and professionals, funds from this round will enhance our ability to support our clients' goals to efficiently build diverse talent pipelines through a mentorship-centered strategy," said Chris Motley, founder and CEO, Mentor Spaces. "As a Black founder, raising institutional capital is not easy, and our team is thrilled at the positive response that the market has shown to our unique approach to solve one of the biggest challenges talent acquisition leaders face today."

While LinkedIn's research shows that one's location, education, and employment can give individuals a 12-fold advantage in gaining access to opportunity, underrepresented professionals without confidence and social capital are at a significant disadvantage when pursuing new job opportunities. Many mentorship solutions in the market don't address the key issues caused by this "network gap," further limiting opportunities for underrepresented students and professionals. Recent studies also show that Black employees are leaving early-career jobs in droves due to the lack of support and visibility to opportunities at their organizations.

Mentor Spaces' native mobile app facilitates career conversations between prospective candidates and "in the know" employees to support confident decision-making, and provides the social capital necessary to close the network gap. With a reach of more than 50,000 members, the technology leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure that conversations with experts are aligned to one's professional interests and goals through asynchronous Q&As and live mentor sessions in group and 1:1 formats.

"Most mentorship technology and programs exist within the 'four walls' of companies, limiting access to people externally who need mentorship the most," said Motley. "As a Black kid from the South Side of Chicago with a teenaged single mother, there was no way I could have navigated to a career at Goldman Sachs had I not had a conversation with someone who worked there or in the industry. A person can't be who they haven't seen."

This unprecedented approach to the practice of mentorship allows companies, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Employee Resource Group (ERG) leaders, to cultivate relationships with underrepresented candidates before and after formal recruiting events.

"Our mission at the AmFam Institute is to close equity gaps," said Rob Kornblum, Principal & Fund Manager, AmFam Institute. "Mentor Spaces is the first company we have seen to enable mentoring at scale, particularly for underrepresented talent. We're thrilled to help the Mentor Spaces team grow to be a key tool in improving diversity, inclusion, and retention."

Several global enterprises and Fortune 500s leverage the power of Mentor Spaces, including GM Financial , TIAA , T-Mobile , and UBS . Mentor Spaces enables these companies to enhance brand, engage colleagues, and mentor historically marginalized populations to cultivate diverse talent pipelines. Organizations benefit from up to a 30 percent increase in employee retention, a 50 percent decrease in time spent on admin and talent sourcing, and a significant increase in employee engagement.

The seed round of funding will support the expansion of the executive leadership team with key new hires, build upon the sales and marketing foundation, and accelerate platform innovation to maintain a leadership position as a cutting-edge mentorship platform for diverse talent acquisition and retention. The latest technology innovations include the addition of live events on the Mentor Spaces platform, called Sessions, where mentors discuss trending topics, workplace issues, and industry trends to a small group of community members. Future platform updates include additional integrations with leading technology providers to create a seamless end-to-end experience for all Mentor Spaces community members and customers.

Mentor Spaces' significant growth since launching less than a year ago has led to partnerships with some of the largest nonprofits supporting Black professionals, including the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) and INROADS . Mentor Spaces has already made an impact on NBMBAA and INROADS members, with additional expansions ahead of the 2021 NBMBAA Conference and Career Expo in September of this year. The company's unique approach to community-driven mentorship and considerable momentum has also resulted in the company being selected to the SAP.iO Foundry San Francisco Future of Work accelerator and inaugural Techstars Workforce Development accelerator programs.

To learn more about Mentor Spaces and join the Mentor Spaces community, visit: https://www.mentorspaces.com .

ABOUT MENTOR SPACES

Mentor Spaces is a community-driven mentorship platform designed to help companies scale DEI efforts while advancing the careers of underrepresented talent. As the largest mentorship community for underrepresented professionals, the platform facilitates career conversations between employees and prospective candidates to streamline diverse talent acquisition, engagement, and retention. Different from point-in-time, transactional approaches to recruitment, Mentor Spaces enables companies to cultivate relationships with underrepresented students and professionals before and after formal recruiting events. Join the Mentor Spaces community today: mentorspaces.com .

MEDIA CONTACT

Meaghan McGrath

York IE

media@mentorspaces.com

SOURCE: Mentor Spaces

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657445/Mentor-Spaces-Raises-25MM-to-Advance-the-Careers-of-Underrepresented-Talent-Through-the-Power-of-Mentorship
Unparalleled company growth throughout the global COVID pandemic attributed to Selling Simplified's 100% digital methodology

DENVER, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Selling Simplified Group, Inc. (SSG) recently took home the 2021 Finny Award for Best Nurture Content at the B2B Marketing Exchange 11th annual "Killer Content Awards" by Demand Gen Report.

The winning content, COVID Killed the Cold Call , discusses the value of digital nurture in modern B2B marketing and suggests that cold calling is less effective for reaching buyers in today's digital-first environment.

"A significant challenge that B2B marketers had to overcome during COVID was realizing that telemarketing is not a viable nurture tool," said Chief Growth Officer Thomas Koletas. "This award is validation that SSG's 100% organic digital lead generation and nurture solutions are the best way to get buyers to interact with B2B marketing content."

The Nurture Content category honors stellar lead gen material and a proven understanding of nurture tactics to win. SSG's Marketing Department accepted the award virtually following an informal announcement on LinkedIn.

The winning 12-page report was a result of several months of research, culminating in an authoritative piece that outlines four steps to aid B2B marketers in digital nurture efforts and includes compelling statistics about this method's proven ability to win accounts.

The Finny Award came shortly after SSG surpassed the 20,000 followers mark on LinkedIn, a significant milestone as the company further establishes its status as global market leaders. Perpetuating the company's growth momentum, SSG recently added high-profile executives to the team, including Dan Juanillo as Chief Financial Officer and Tom Koletas as CGO.

"The market for B2B demand gen is crowded with companies that have similar stories. To B2B marketers, every demand gen company uses the same buzzwords. At SSG, our data-driven methodology speaks for itself," said Koletas. "This award shows that our digital approach sets us apart as market leaders and distinguishes our authority and leadership in this digital space."

According to the B2B Marketing Exchange website , the Killer Content Awards "celebrate the B2B brands that are pushing the creative limits within their content marketing." Among award-winners include TATA Technologies, Blackline, Terminus, Forbes, and more. SSG was the sole winner in the Nurture Content category.

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Salt Lake City, Utah--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Today, Kristy Hunt, recently elected President of Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC Pink: GSPI), announced new business projects and products for the balance of 2021.

President Hunt stated, "It took a little while to evaluate the true worth of Green Star Products and, believe me, it was not easy. The Company has vast experience and knowledge in many industries and acquired some very interesting consortium partners over the years. The world is changing, people can now physically see the damage we are doing to our climate every day: extensive and high intensity fires, unusually long droughts, melting ice, record-breaking temperature extremes, etc. The technology sitting on our shelf today was ahead of its time, waiting for this moment. Multiple markets need what we have, and they are literally knocking on the door."

Ms. Hunt further stated, "My job was not easy. How do I take a tech rich company, with almost no capital, and turn it into a cash flow machine? I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to find how many environmentally dedicated people, among lawyers, media, scientists, and even medical doctors, who are willing to donate their time and efforts to help this happen.

Almost overnight, my agenda was full and the business model clear, as follows:

We will not engage in manufacturing our own products or license products, therefore eliminating the need to raise significant capital. All manufacturing will be outsourced.

All of our products will be sold through independent distributors, or online, therefore eliminating a dedicated sales force.

Some of our new projects and products are truly cutting-edge, therefore we can get all the free publicity we can handle, it is already happening.

We are also actively re-establishing some of our consortium partners to address a recent private 'Request for Proposal' from China.

In conclusion, all the above items are in progress. Each of them will be addressed in greater detail as they unfold."

President Hunt also announced that the second quarter financials are being completed this week and will be posted next week.

About Green Star Products

Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC Pink: GSPI) is an environmentally friendly Public Company creating innovative and cost-effective products to improve the quality of life and the environment. For more information, please go to our website https://gspiusa.com/.

Forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, its dependence on third-party suppliers, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic filings.

CONTACT:

Kristy Hunt, President

Green Star Products, Inc.

kristy@gspiusa.com

https://gspiusa.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91543
Announcement on Equity Allocation of Phase IV Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan

Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt, 29 July 2021 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company", "Qingdao Haier" or "Haier Smart Home", D-Share 690D.DE, A-Share 600690.SH, H-Share 06690.HK) has completed relevant matters recently in relation to equity allocation of Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the equity or shares involved refer to A-shares, the same below). The details are as follows:

I. Introduction to the Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan

The Company held its 2015 Annual General Meeting on 31 May 2016, at which the Proposal on 'Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan of Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd. (Draft)' and Its Summary (referred to as the "Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan") was considered and approved. Pursuant to the provisions of the Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan, the Company held the 27th meeting of the ninth session of the board of directors on 29 April 2019 and reviewed and approved the Phase IV Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan (Draft) and Its Summary of Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the "Draft of the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan"). For details of the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan of the Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan (referred to as the "Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan"), please refer to the announcement published on the website of Shanghai Stock Exchange (www.sse.com.cn) and the relevant statutory disclosure media by the Company on 30 April 2019.

Pursuant to the relevant requirements of the Draft of the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan, the Management Measures of Phase IV Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan of Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd., there are 635 employees participating in Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan, holding 273,000,000 shares (RMB) in total. According to the Announcement on the Completion of Share Purchase in Phase IV Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan of Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd. (L2019-056) disclosed by the Company on 17 July 2019, the accumulative amount of 16,656,778 shares of the Company were purchased from the secondary market under the "Qingdao Haier Co., Ltd. Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan Single Asset Management Plan" established by the trustee Industrial Securities Assets Management Co., Ltd. in relation to the Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan, with an average trading price of RMB16.23 per share and the trading amount of RMB270,269,262.55. The above-mentioned purchased shares are required to be locked and the lock-up period of which shall be 12 months from the date of the aforementioned announcement, that is, from 17 July 2019 to 16 July 2020.

Pursuant to the Draft of the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan, the equity interests of the underlying stocks in the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan shall be vested to their holders in two phases and the specific vesting time will be after the expiry of the lock-up period, which shall be determined by the Management Committee. The assessment indicators and vesting arrangements under the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan are as follows: The actual vesting time shall be determined by the Employee Stock Ownership Plan Management Committee after the end of the lock-up period. The Management Committee assesses the holders based on the Company's comprehensive assessment mechanism. As assessed by the Management Committee, if the holders of the current stock ownership plan meet the criteria in 2019 and 2020, 40% and 60% of the equity interests under the current phase stock ownership plan will be vested respectively.

II. Details of Previous Vesting

According to the vesting conditions set by the Phase IV Employee Stock Ownership Plan, the Management Committee has made the first vesting in July 2020. Prior to this vesting, a total of 5,386,118 shares have been vested under the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan. For details of the vesting, please refer to the Announcement on Quota Distribution and Equity Allocation of Core Employee Stock Ownership Scheme of Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (No.: L2020-038) disclosed by the Company on 30 July 2020.

III. Details of the Current Vesting

Under the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan, 8,719,368 shares shall be vested to a total of 575 holders based on a comprehensive assessment of the holders at this time. No shares will be vested to the remaining holders for the time being or their entitlement may be adjusted due to reasons such as substandard performance assessment and departure.

There are 8 directors, supervisors and senior managements of the Company participating in the current vesting. A total of 1,401,617 shares are vested this time (see the table below for details). Any changes to their shares shall be subject to relevant provisions of the Rules Governing the Holding of Shares in the Company by Directors, Supervisors and Senior Managements of Listed Companies and Changes thereof.

No. Name Position Total number of A-shares vested (share) Total number of A-shares held after vesting (share) 1 Liang Haishan Chairman 841,035 16,411,209 2 Li Huagang CEO 69,538 764,145 3 Ma Yingjie Supervisor 3,904 3,904 4 Gong Wei CFO, Vice Chairman 99,475 1,911,970 5 Ming Guozhen Board Secretary 68,992 1,395,489 6 Li Pan Vice Chairman 146,100 533,218 7 Wu Yong Vice Chairman 101,978 146,743 8 Wang Li Vice Chairman 70,595 575,100 Total 1,401,617 21,741,778



The Company has completed the transfer of relevant shares at Shanghai Branch of China Securities Depository and Clearing Co., Ltd. on 28 July 2021 in accordance with the aforementioned resolutions. The transfer of shares has been completed with a total number of 8,719,368 shares being transferred.

IV. The Current Status of the Stock Ownership Plan and Follow-up Arrangements

1. As of the date of this announcement, 2,551,292 shares of the Company are held under the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan.

2. The duration of the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan shall not exceed 36 months, which shall be start from the registration of the underlying shares to the current phase stock ownership plan (the completion of registration took place on 16 July 2019).

3. According to the Draft of the Phase IV Stock Ownership Plan, the stock ownership plan can be terminated early provided that the assets under the stock ownership plan are all monetary funds after the expiry of the lock-up period. If the shares held under the stock ownership plan are all vested, the stock ownership plan shall be subject to early termination where the assets under the stock ownership plan are all monetary funds.



Note: This Announcement has been prepared in both Chinese and English. Should there be any discrepancies or misunderstandings between the two versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.



About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.:

Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized mass production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as smaller household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience.

IR Contact:

Yao Sun (Sophie) - Haier Smart Home Germany

T: +49 6172 9454 143

F: +49 6172 9454 42143

M: +49 160 9469 3601

Email: y.sun@haier.de
- Revenue from Sales of Air Conditioning Systems to Skyrocket, Surpassing a US$ 175,000 Million by 2031: Fact.MR

- Fact.MR, a leading market and competitive intelligence provider, forecasts demand for air conditioning system to briskly increase through 2031. It offers in-depth market analysis in its latest study, covering growth prospects across segments in terms of product type and sales channel.

NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global air conditioning system market is projected to expand at a CAGR of more than 6% over the forecast period 2021 to 2031, as per a study by Fact.MR. Due to the consistently increasing temperature and humidity levels across the globe, the sales of air conditioning systems are expected to exceed over 240,000 million units by 2031.

Air conditioning systems also have made their way into the automotive sector as integral components included in passenger vehicles. Almost all the vehicles manufactured these days are installed with these systems to offer comfort against temperature and humidity inside vehicles.

As a matter of fact, air conditioning systems have become a key features customers look for in their cars before finalizing their purchase decision. Considering this, increasing demand for passenger cars is estimated to create lucrative sales opportunities for the market.

Growing acceptance of air conditioning systems as a utility product is bolstering the market. The rising number of hotels, individual clinics, hospitals, multiplexes auditoriums across the globe is projected to accelerate the pace of growth.

North America is anticipated to remain the most remunerative region in the global market. In response to increasing demand from automobile, hospitality, and commercial industries, the market is estimated to surpass a valuation of US$ 60,000 by the end of 2031.

"With the growing emphasis on green technologies, manufacturers are replacing chemical refrigerants emitting greenhouse gasses such as HCFCs, CFCs, and HFCs with less hazardous green agents to prevent carbon footprint. Focus on innovations will therefore soar, creating opportunities for growth of the market," says the Fact.MR analyst.

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Key Takeaways from Air Conditioning System Market Study

The U.S. is leading the air conditioning system market in North America , favored by high demand for passenger cars and high standard of living of individuals.

, favored by high demand for passenger cars and high standard of living of individuals. Europe is anticipated to emerge as the second leading market globally owing rapid urbanization and increasing disposable income of consumers in the country.

is anticipated to emerge as the second leading market globally owing rapid urbanization and increasing disposable income of consumers in the country. The Asia Pacific market is estimated to exhibit the fastest growth, due to the increasing consumption in countries such as China and India .

market is estimated to exhibit the fastest growth, due to the increasing consumption in countries such as and . The GCC countries will continue exhibiting impressive sales opportunities on the back of high demand for air conditioning systems due to the high temperature in the region.

Commercial applications of air conditioning systems are expected to remain the most profitable segment driven by increasing investment in infrastructure development.

Key Drivers

Increasing temperature and humidity levels across the globe are fueling the demand for air conditioning systems.

Rising demand for passenger cars is spurring the sales of air conditioning systems.

Suring investment in the construction domain is expected to create sales opportunities for the market.

Growing number of hotels, multiplexes, and hospitals among others is bolstering the demand for air conditioning systems.

Key Restraints

Increasing awareness regarding the adverse effects of air conditioners on the environment due to the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) is hampering the market growth.

High cost of air conditioning systems is a factor impeding the market growth in underdeveloped countries.

Rising number of government regulations is restraining the growth of the market.

Ask Your Air Conditioning System Market Related Questions & Get Customized Reports

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Competitive Landscape

The global air conditioning system market is highly consolidated and is characterized by high competition. The prominent player in the landscape are focusing on developing novel air conditioning systems with innovative technologies and engaging into strategic collaboration and acquisitions to strengthen their market footprint. For instance,

In January 2018 , Ingersoll-Rand plc an Irish company acquired ICS Group Holdings Limited. The acquisition assisted the Ingersoll-Rand plc company to commercialize Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) business to serve a broad range of customers in the European market.

, Ingersoll-Rand plc an Irish company acquired ICS Group Holdings Limited. The acquisition assisted the Ingersoll-Rand plc company to commercialize Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) business to serve a broad range of customers in the European market. In January 2021 , Panasonic, Japanese multinational electronics company, aimed to multiply its AC business in the next 3 years in India by starting a domestic manufacturing facility in India .

Some of the prominent air conditioning system manufacturers profiled by Fact.MR are:

Petra Engg Industies Co.

Lennox International

Honeywell International

Gree Electric Appliances

Samsung Electronics

Daikin Industries Ltd.

Midea Group Co. Ltd.

Panasonic

More Valuable Insights on Air Conditioning System Market

Fact.MR, in its new report, offers an unbiased analysis of the global air conditioning system market, analyzing forecast statistics through 2019 and beyond. The survey reveals growth projections on in the air conditioning system market with detailed segmentation

Product Type

Portable Air Conditioning Systems

Window Air Conditioning Systems

Split Air Conditioning Systems

Cassette Air Conditioning Systems

Single Packaged Air Conditioning Systems

Chillers Air Conditioning Systems

Airside Air Conditioning Systems

Sales Channel

B2B

Authorized Stores

Independent Electronic Stores

E-commerce

Region

North America

Latin America

Europe

Japan

APEJ

MEA

Key Questions Covered in the Air Conditioning System Market Report

The report offers insight into air conditioning system demand outlook for 2021-2031

The market survey also highlights projected sales growth for the air conditioning system market between 2021 and 2031

Air conditioning system market analysis identifies key growth drivers, restraints, and other forces impacting prevailing trends and evaluation of current market size and forecast and technological advancements within the industry

Air conditioning system market share analysis of the key companies within the industry and coverage of strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, collaborations or partnerships, and others

Explore Fact.MR's Coverage on the Industrial Goods Domain

Fuel Conditioning System Market - The primary benefit of having a fuel conditioning system is that it integrates simple technology, a passive design, inexpensive maintenance, and requires less operator attention. The use of raw and heavy fuels in reciprocating engines affects the dynamics of engine performance, particularly for engines with higher horse power, fueling global demand for fuel conditioning systems. The growing emphasis on improving the efficiency of new ships is likely to drive demand for fuel conditioning systems over the forecast period.

Surface Conditioning Wheels Market - Manufacturers of surface conditioning wheels are focusing on identifying end-user requirements in order to develop appropriate features that will increase their sales across diverse industrial sectors. Furthermore, lubricant coolant, product hardness, and surface speed all have a significant impact on the conspicuous properties of surface conditioning wheels. Surface conditioning wheels are in high demand due to the growing emphasis on high-precision industrial applications.

Air Purifier Market - During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, healthcare facilities increased spending on installing high-quality air purifiers to make the treatment area pathogen-free. Future development prospects are promising, with various new technologies, such as UV-based filtration, projected to gain traction. Air purifiers for COVID-19 prevention are also in in demand. As air pollution levels rise, governments around the world are spending cash to combat this growing threat, which bodes well for air purifier sales worldwide.

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BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2021 / Stynt, Inc., an information technology company focused on connecting dental facilities and dental professionals via advanced technologies, has been endorsed by American Dental Association Member Advantage, the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 160,000 dentist members. The ADA's mission is to help all members succeed.

This endorsement is a vote of approval for the largest and fastest-growing dental staffing marketplace in the United States.

Stynt's easy-to-use mobile applications combined with sophisticated algorithms and AI-assisted scheduling features provide instant matching between professionals seeking jobs and open positions in real time, removing a need for a staffing agency middleman. The transparent and easy-to-use platform allows professionals to set their skillset, hourly rate and availability. It then matches them with offices that fit their criteria and handles the entire logistics of that working relationship. From credentialing & compliance to managing W2 payroll and related professional liability insurances, the platform's ability to fill temporary needs quickly mean that offices can avoid canceling patients when a staff member is on vacation or has called out sick.

With 40,000 dental professionals and over 5,000 dental facilities in its network, Stynt is one of the largest employers of dental professionals in the U.S.

"This endorsement supports our vision to become the most reliable healthcare staffing technology solution for the majority of dental facilities across the country by year 2025. We strongly believe that working with ADA Member Advantage is very synergetic and enables Stynt to share its value proposition to a vast network. We will continue to innovate healthcare staffing to connect the community and continue to solve the healthcare staffing challenges across the country and beyond," said Alex Adeli, D.M.D., Chief Executive Officer and founder of Stynt.

"We have heard from ADA Members across the country that they are facing staffing challenges in their offices. We believe that Stynt's advanced technology and large network can help alleviate some of that pressure," said John Maher, Chairman of the Board of ADA Business Enterprises, Incorporated. "We were impressed with the thoroughness of the vetting process used to verify credentials for the candidates on their platform and believe this endorsement will prove a useful tool in ensuring offices are able to operate smoothly and efficiently, even when temporary or more long-term staffing challenges present themselves."

About Stynt

Stynt is an innovative, technology-driven healthcare staffing platform that enables clinicians and hiring facilities to connect and transact directly. We simplify healthcare staffing and credentialing by replacing antiquated methods with an elegant and efficient process. In 2020, Stynt was named to the Inc. 500 list with a rank of 357, securing its spot as one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing private companies, and a rank of 24 in the healthcare industry. Stynt currently has over 40,000 dental professionals and over 5,000 dental facilities in its network.

About American Dental Association

Founded in 1859, the not-for-profit American Dental Association is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 160,000 dentist members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The ADA is committed to its members and to the improvement of oral health for the public. The ADA's vision is to be the recognized leader on oral health with its mission to help all members succeed. The ADA is a member-run organization managed by an elected Board of Trustees, a 473-member House of Delegates that works to advance the dental profession on the national, state and local level.

ADA Business Enterprises, Inc. operates ADA Member Advantage and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ADA.

Visit Stynt.com to learn more

For Inquiries:

Marketing@stynt.com

888-714-1817





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SOURCE: Stynt, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657593/American-Dental-Associations-Member-Advantage-Program-Endorses-Stynt-to-Serve-as-an-Exclusive-Staffing-Solution-Nationwide
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) is the national voice for Canada's innovative pharmaceutical industry. Our members produce many of the vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics that are enabling Canada to emerge from the global pandemic that continues to have a devastating impact on the health and prosperity of Canadians.

Today, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and Health Canada launched Canada's Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy. This five-pillar national strategy signals the federal government's commitment to collaborating with industry and other stakeholders in ensuring a robust life sciences sector to develop and deliver innovative medicines and vaccines.

Our common goal is to support the health of all Canadians. IMC and its members applaud the announcement of a national strategy and remain committed to being a trusted partner in building a strong life sciences sector in Canada. IMC members support increasing domestic capacity, growing a competitive sector, and developing a robust biomanufacturing ecosystem.

We are particularly encouraged by Pillar 5 of the strategy - Enabling Innovation by Ensuring World Class Regulation, and by the inclusion of both ISED and Health Canada as integral to this strategy. To realize the government's objectives, a reassessment and pause with respect to proposed regulatory changes to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) and a holistic approach to the life sciences sector is essential.

About Innovative Medicines Canada

Innovative Medicines Canada is the national association representing the voice of Canada's innovative pharmaceutical industry. The association advocates for policies that enable the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative medicines and vaccines to improve the lives of all Canadians and supports the members' commitment to being a valued partner in the Canadian healthcare system. The association represents 48 companies who invest nearly $1.2 billion in R&D annually, fueling Canada's knowledge-based economy, while contributing $8 billion to Canada's economy. Guided by the Code of Ethical Practices, all members work with governments, private payers, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders in a highly ethical manner.

- 30 -

For further information:

Corinne Crichlow

Director, Media and Public Relations

Telephone: 613-236-0455, extension 245

E-mail: media@imc-mnc.ca

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91583
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - ICEsoft Technologies Canada Corp. (CSE: ISFT) (the "Company" or "ICEsoft") is pleased to announce its plans for a non-brokered private placement of up to 32,000,000 units (the "Units") through one or more closings, at a price of CAD $0.05 per Unit, which would raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to CAD $1,500,000 and provide for up to CAD $100,000 in debt settlement (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit will consist of (i) one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share"), and (ii) one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder to subscribe for one additional Common Share at an exercise price of CAD $0.08 per share at any time prior to the day that is 36 months from the grant of the Warrant.

The Private Placement is being led by Shen Capital Partners Inc. ("Shen Capital"), which subject to the Company meeting standard closing conditions and deal terms, anticipates subscribing for a minimum of CAD$1,300,000.00 of the available Units. It is further anticipated that Company directors and/or officers shall participate in the Private Placement and shall purchase Units through a combination of cash payments and debt settlement. Total aggregate insider participation is expected not to exceed CAD$300,000.00. In connection with the subscription from Shen Capital, upon closing of the private placement, the Company has agreed to grant Shen Capital the right to nominate one member to the Board of Directors, who shall initially be Francis Shen, and one board observer, who shall initially be Andrew Shen.

The Private Placement is anticipated to close on or about Friday August 27, 2021.

The securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a hold period under applicable securities laws, which will expire four months plus one day from the date of the applicable closing of the Private Placement. Closing of the Private Placement is subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

About ICEsoft Technologies Canada Corp.

ICEsoft Technologies Canada Corp. is a software-as-a-service ("SaaS") company. ICEsoft's current software, which is available as freeware with a pay to use version, is used by some 150,000 developers, 20,000 companies, and some 400 paying customers. ICEsoft's newest product Voyent Alert! is an affordable Community Alerting Service specifically designed to meet the needs of small to medium sized municipalities, regional governments and campuses. The flexible platform serves the dual purpose of alerting and advising residents during a critical incident as well as providing targeted day-to-day communication services.

For more information, please contact:

Brian McKinney

President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 403-663-3320

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS MARKET REGULATOR (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE THIS NEWS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL SECURITIES AND THE COMPANY IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM.

Forward-Looking Information Advisory

Certain statements made herein may contain forward-looking statements or information within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities laws. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information herein include, but are not limited, to statements or information with respect to the completion of the Private Placement, expected insider participation, timing of closing and the use of proceeds of the Private Placement.

Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements or information. We have made certain assumptions about the forward-looking statements and information, including receipt of all approvals required for the Private Placement and the use of proceeds of the Private Placement. Although our management believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include the ability to receive the approvals necessary to complete the Private Placement, ability to complete the Private Placement and those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Listing Statement dated May 27, 2019 and in the Company's most recent Management Discussion and Analysis filed on SEDAR.

There can be no assurance that 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. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements or information contained herein. Except as required by law, we do not expect to update forward looking statements and information continually as conditions change and you are referred to the full discussion of the Company's business contained in the Company's reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada.

All forward looking statements and information contained in this News Release are qualified by this cautionary statement.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91584
Initiative supports leading universities, NGOs, NPOs and government agencies in tackling global issues by harnessing the power of online data

Bright Data, a leading data collection platform, has released an impact report on The Bright Initiative, its social responsibility and educational program. In its inaugural six months, the Bright Initiative has worked with over 100 organisations, including 85+ academic institutions, 35+ NPOs, NGOs and other public bodies.

The Bright Initiative focuses on leveraging publicly available online data to drive positive change in the world and is built on three key pillars:

Promoting web transparency and preventing illegitimate online actions

Fighting social injustice

Driving forward data related skills and data driven academic research

The Bright Initiative's mission reflects Bright Data's new corporate identity, which encompasses the company's quest for transparency through data.

Promoting web transparency and ethical online behaviour

Bright Data takes pride in its strict compliance and ethical guidelines. The Bright Initiative has therefore partnered with organisations including the World Ethical Data Forum to build a better future for the data collection industry and root out unscrupulous practices.

The Bright Initiative's work with governments includes supporting the implementation of the UK's National Data Strategy, supporting the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and engaging with Minister John Whittingdale. So far, Bright Data's support has included providing industry insight on data markets and skills needs, as well as pro bono data collection services to support research work.

Championing social justice causes

The Bright Initiative works closely with several organizations and academics to drive social justice. One key example where the online data domain has been key to its success is in preventing sex trafficking and the exploitation of minors, which is a growing global problem. Often, a lack of reliable data prevents action from being taken to prevent it. The Bright Initiative has therefore partnered with global organisations including HTI Labs, Humans Against Trafficking and more to gather relevant data, as well as Israeli child abuse charities Elem and the Schusterman Foundation.

Of all challenges currently facing the world, the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is amongst the greatest. Through The Bright Initiative, Bright Data has lent its capabilities to several organisations leading the way. This includes the US start-up Find a Shot, which matches users with available vaccine appointments. Moreover, teams at institutions including the University of Hong Kong and Ben Gurion University are already using Bright Data's tools to aid their research into the societal effects of COVID-19. These leading education providers are among a growing portfolio of universities and colleges that are a part of The Bright Initiative with further projects underway with New York University, Boston College, Northeastern University, among others.

Building on existing momentum

In the coming months, Bright Data is committed to building on The Bright Initiative's success by strengthening its links within the education and research space. Bright Data's capabilities have been used by several new research partners, including a team at Sciences Po University aiming to identify discriminatory practices on online platforms.

To close the global data skills gap, The Bright Initiative is partnering with UK charity upReach which helps undergraduate students from less advantaged backgrounds and will be facilitating a series of workshops for students at UK universities throughout the rest of the year.

"As a trailblazer in the world of web data collection, through the work of The Bright Initiative, Bright Data takes its responsibility to use data to drive positive change extremely seriously," explained Or Lenchner, CEO of Bright Data. "We are delighted with what we've achieved over the last six months, and now with The Bright Initiative gathering more momentum, we hope to continue strengthening our global partnerships, as well as identifying new worthy causes to make a positive impact where it is needed the most. Thank you to all our partners we are inspired by you each and every day."

Bright Data is now taking the initial steps to establish The Bright Initiative as an independent organisation with direct access to Bright Data's technology, know-how and expertise; allowing a wider range of good causes to utilise the benefits this brings. Further details will be announced over the coming months.

Discover more about the positive impact The Bright Initiative is having on the world: https://brightinitiative.com/

ENDS

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005837/en/

Contacts:

Keren Pakes

kerenp@brightdata.com

Jacob Greenwood

brightdata@rlyl.com

Mark Fuller

mark@showrunnercomms.com
Strong revenue growth

in first-half 2021

Paris-La Defense, 29 July 2021, 5.35 p.m. (CEST) - Assystem S.A. (ISIN: FR0000074148 - ASY), a leading player in engineering, today released its revenue figures for the six months ended 30 June 2021 (first-half 2021).

First-half 2021 consolidated revenue

and year-on-year changes (unaudited)

In millions of euros H1 2020 H1 2021 Total year-on-change Like-for-like year-on-year change* Group 229.5 253.4 +10.4% +12.5% Nuclear 141.4 163.8 +15.8% +15.2% ET&I** 85.0 89.6 +5.5% +8.5% Other*** 3.1 - - -

* Based on a comparable scope of consolidation and constant exchange rates.

** Including Staffing revenue amounting to 20.2 million in H1 2020 and 19.2 million in H1 2021.

*** The business corresponding to the "Other" segment has been deconsolidated since 1 July 2020.

Consolidated revenue totalled 253.4 million in the first half of 2021, up 10.4% year on year. Like-for-like growth came to 12.5%, changes in the scope of consolidation had a negative 0.5% impact (relating to the sale of Eurosyn, which was previously classified under "Other", and the consolidation of the UK-based company CRA) and the currency effect was a negative 1.6% (primarily due to the depreciation against the euro of the US dollar and currencies pegged to the US dollar).

NUCLEAR

Revenue from Nuclear activities rose by a steep 15.8% to 163.8 million (representing 65% of total consolidated revenue) from 141.4 million in the first half of 2020. Like-for-like growth was 15.2%, changes in the scope of consolidation had a 1.4% positive impact (corresponding to the consolidation of CRA) and the currency effect was a negative 0.8%.

Growth momentum was particularly buoyant in Europe (France, the United Kingdom and Finland) as well as in Turkey. Revenue generated in the Middle East contracted by 6.7 million, however, due to the ENEC contract in the United Arab Emirates reaching its term.

Overall revenue growth recorded for first-half 2021 includes the impact of a favourable basis of comparison stemming from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on business activity in the first half of 2020. That said, however, first-half 2021 revenue was 9.8% higher than the figure for the first six months of 2019.

ENERGY TRANSITION & INFRASTRUCTURES (ET&I)

At 89.6 million, ET&I revenue came in 5.5% higher than the 85.0 million posted for first-half 2020, with like-for-like growth of 8.5% and a 3.0% negative currency effect (which particularly impacted the Staffing business whose functional currency is the US dollar).

Most ET&I activities returned to like-for-like growth in the first six months of 2021, although total revenue was still 4.1% below the first-half 2019 figure, largely due to the currency effect for the Staffing business.

ACQUISITION OF STUP CONSULTANTS PRIVATE LIMITED

On 30 June 2021, Assystem acquired 99% of the share capital of the Indian engineering company, STUP Consultants Private Limited (1). This company - whose current operations fall within the scope of the ET&I segment - will be consolidated in Assystem's financial statements as from the second half of 2021.

2021 FINANCIAL CALENDAR

15 September: First-half 2021 results release - Presentation meeting on 16 September at 8.30 a.m. (CEST) 28 October: Third-quarter 2021 revenue release

ABOUT ASSYSTEM

Assystem is an international engineering group. As a key participant in the industry for over 50 years, the Group supports its clients in managing their capital expenditure throughout their asset life cycles. Assystem S.A. is listed on Euronext Paris.

For more information please visit www.assystem.com

Follow Assystem on Twitter: @Assystem

CONTACTS

Philippe Chevallier - CFO & Deputy CEO - Tel.: +33- Tel.: +33 (0)6 83 03 70 29

Agnes Villeret - Komodo - Investor relations - agnes.villeret@agence-komodo.com- Tel: +33 (0)6 83 28 04 15

QUARTERLY REVENUE

In millions of euros Q1 2020 Q1 2021 Total year-on-year change Like-for-like year-on-year change* Group 122.9 127.9 +4.1% +6.1% Nuclear 74.5 81.8 +9.8% +9.0% ET&I** 46.6 46.1 -1.1% +1.7% Other*** 1.8 - - -

In millions of euros Q2 2020 Q2 2021 Total year-on-year change Like-for-like year-on-year change* Group 106.6 125.5 +17.7% +19.9% Nuclear 66.9 81.9 +22.5% +22.1% ET&I** 38.4 43.6 +13.5% +16.8% Other*** 1.3 - - -

* Based on a comparable scope of consolidation and constant exchange rates.

** Including Staffing revenue amounting to 10.9 million in Q1 2020 and 9.7 million in Q1 2021, and 9.3 million in Q2 2020 and 9.5 million in Q2 2021.

*** The business corresponding to the "Other" segment has been deconsolidated since 1 July 2020.

(1)See press release dated 1 July 2021 available on assystem.com.

Attachment
Regulatory News:

Air Liquide (Paris:AI) is planning to build in Oberhausen, Germany, a renewable hydrogen production plant by electrolysis. With a total capacity to reach 30 megawatts (MW), a first phase of the project is expected to be operational by early 2023 with 20 MW. What is unique about this project is that the electrolyzer will be integrated into the existing local pipeline infrastructure of Air Liquide to supply key industries and mobility with renewable hydrogen in one of the most industrialized regions of Germany. To accelerate the implementation of this project, public funding has been granted by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy. This worldscale electrolyzer will be the first to be built in the framework of the partnership between Air Liquide and Siemens Energy.

The new Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer to be built by Air Liquide will produce renewable hydrogen from water and renewable electricity. The technological solution for the project is being developed in the framework of the previously announced partnership between Air Liquide and Siemens Energy. By 2023, the two partners will implement a 20 MW electrolyzer plant that will produce renewable hydrogen and renewable oxygen. In a second phase, Air Liquide has planned to increase the plant capacity to 30MW.

The PEM electrolysis is expected to start operating in early 2023 and will be the first large-scale renewable hydrogen production connected to both existing hydrogen and oxygen pipelines, with nearly 15 large industrial sites already connected today. This will support sectors such as Steel, Chemicals, Refining and Mobility in North Rhine-Westphalia by accelerating the availability of gases produced with renewable electricity for their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.

This project has received a funding notification from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy. Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics, stated: "With the National Hydrogen Strategy we have taken a decisive step towards the further development of the energy transition. At the same time, the market ramp-up of the H2 economy offers great economic opportunities, especially after the impact of the Corona Pandemic. The Ministry of Economics has therefore been working at full speed for a year to create the regulatory and legal framework. Now we need concrete and ambitious projects. The project of Air Liquide in Germany has a showcase character in this context. It demonstrates how "green" hydrogen can be used to sustainably transform industry as well as certain transport sectors. At the same time, the project is a strong signal for the positioning of the Rhine-Ruhr region in the hydrogen sector."

Francois Jackow, Executive Vice President and a member of the Air Liquide Group's Executive Committee supervising Europe Industries activities, said: "We highly value the support of the German Ministry of Economic Affairs to this groundbreaking project. Leveraging on Air Liquide's existing hydrogen pipeline network, the renewable hydrogen produced will accelerate the decarbonization of the Rhine-Ruhr industrial basin and it will foster clean mobility in a densely populated region. The construction of this industrial scale renewable hydrogen production plant will mark the first realization of the partnership Air Liquide and Siemens Energy created to enable the emergence of a sustainable hydrogen economy in Europe. It is in line with Air Liquide's Sustainable Development Objectives, which include contributing to the development of a low-carbon society with hydrogen as one of its key levers."

Air Liquide in Germany

Air Liquide employs more than 4,000 people and serves approximately 100,000 customers in Germany's most important industrial regions. It supplies a number of industries, such as the aircraft, automotive, food and beverage, chemical, electronic, and energy sectors, as well as the healthcare industry, and is very active in the deployment of hydrogen energy projects.

Air Liquide's commitment to hydrogen

In full support of the 2015 Paris agreement, Air Liquide's commitments address the urgency of climate change and energy transition, targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. As a pioneer in hydrogen, the Group is convinced that hydrogen is a cornerstone of the energy transition. In the past 50 years, the Group has developed unique expertise enabling it to master the entire supply chain, from production and storage to distribution, contributing to the widespread use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier for a wide range of applications such as industrial usages and clean mobility.

Air Liquide is committed to reaching several goals, investing approximately 8 billion Euro in the low-carbon hydrogen full value chain by 2035, and a total of 3 GW electrolysis capacity by 2030.

A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 78 countries with approximately 64,500 employees and serves more than 3.8 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide's scientific territory and have been at the core of the company's activities since its creation in 1902.

Air Liquide's ambition is to be a leader in its industry, deliver long term performance and contribute to sustainability with a strong commitment to climate change and energy transition at the heart of its strategy. The company's customer-centric transformation strategy aims at profitable, regular and responsible growth over the long term. It relies on operational excellence, selective investments, open innovation and a network organization implemented by the Group worldwide. Through the commitment and inventiveness of its people, Air Liquide leverages energy and environment transition, changes in healthcare and digitization, and delivers greater value to all its stakeholders.

Air Liquide's revenue amounted to more than 20 billion euros in 2020. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, EURO STOXX 50 and FTSE4Good indexes.

www.airliquide.com

Follow us on Twitter @airliquidegroup

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005849/en/

Contacts:

Corporate Communications

media@airliquide.com

Investor Relations

IRTeam@airliquide.com
Sale of 16 million Technip EnergiesN.V. (" Technip Energies ") sharesrepresenting ca. 9% of Technip Energies' issued and outstanding share capital through an accelerated bookbuild offering

") sharesrepresenting ca. 9% of Technip Energies' issued and outstanding share capital through an accelerated bookbuild offering Upon completion of the Placement, TechnipFMC plc ("TechnipFMC") would retain a stake of ca. 22% of the issued and outstanding share capital of Technip Energies

TechnipFMC plc (NYSE:FTI) (PARIS:FTI):

This press release is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States.

This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities and the offer of Technip Energies shares does not constitute a public offering other than to qualified investors in any jurisdiction, including in France.

TechnipFMC announces the launch of the placement of 16 million Technip Energies shares (the "Shares"), representing ca. 9% of Technip Energies' issued and outstanding share capital, through a private placement by way of an accelerated bookbuild offering (the "Placement

Upon completion of the Placement, TechnipFMC would retain a direct stake of ca. 22% of Technip Energies' issued and outstanding share capital.

TechnipFMC has agreed to a 60-day lock-up for its remaining shares in Technip Energies, subject to waiver from the Joint Global Coordinators and certain other customary exceptions, including transfer of shares to a subsidiary, granting and enforcement of security interests in connection with financing and derivative transactions and tender into any public tender offer for all or part of the shares.

The Placement is targeted at eligible institutional investors. There will be no public offering in any country.

The final terms of the Placement are expected to be announced on July 30 at the latest. Settlement for the Placement is expected to take place on or around August 3, 2021.

Important notices

This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities and the offer of shares of Technip Energies (the "Shares") by TechnipFMC does not constitute a public offering other than to qualified investors in any jurisdiction, including in France.

In member states of the European Economic Area, this communication and any offer if made subsequently is directed exclusively at persons who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation.

In the United Kingdom, any offer of the Shares will be made pursuant to an exemption under Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "UK Prospectus Regulation") from a requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of Shares. This communication is for distribution in the United Kingdom only to (i) investment professionals falling within article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (ii) high net worth entities and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order.

The Shares have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, US persons, absent registration or an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There will be no public offer of the Shares in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. The Shares are being offered outside the United States in transactions that are not subject to the Securities Act pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act ("Regulation S") to persons other than US persons (within the meaning of Regulation S) and in the United States to "qualified institutional buyers" ("QIBs") pursuant to an exemption from, or in transactions not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

In addition to the foregoing restrictions, the release, publication or distribution of this press release generally may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions and persons into whose possession this document or other information referred to herein should inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

The information contained in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete and no reliance may be placed by any person for any purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy, fairness or completeness. Any investment decision to buy Shares in the Placement must be made solely on the basis of publicly available information regarding Technip Energies. Such information is not the responsibility of TechnipFMC.

The Joint Global Coordinators are acting on behalf of TechnipFMC and no one else in connection with the Placement and will not be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to any of its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Placement.

EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR SHOULD PROCEED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT MUST BEAR THE ECONOMIC RISK OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE SHARES. NEITHER TECHNIPFMC NOR THE JOINT GLOBAL COORDINATORS MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION AS TO (I) THE SUITABILITY OF THE SHARES FOR ANY PARTICULAR INVESTOR, (II) THE APPROPRIATE ACCOUNTING TREATMENT AND POTENTIAL TAX CONSEQUENCES OF INVESTING IN THE SHARES OR (III) THE FUTURE PERFORMANCE OF THE SHARES EITHER IN ABSOLUTE TERMS OR RELATIVE TO COMPETING INVESTMENTS.

The information contained in this press release is subject to change in its entirety without notice up to the settlement date. TechnipFMC, the Joint Global Coordinators and their respective affiliates expressly disclaim, to fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any obligation or undertaking to update, review or revise any statement contained in this press release whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Important Information for Investors and Securityholders

Forward-Looking Statement

This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words "believe", "estimated" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. Such forward-looking statements involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. For information regarding known material factors that could cause actual results to differ from projected results, please see our risk factors set forth in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which include our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of our forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

About TechnipFMC

TechnipFMC is a leading technology provider to the traditional and new energy industries, delivering fully integrated projects, products, and services.

With our proprietary technologies and comprehensive solutions, we are transforming our clients' project economics, helping them unlock new possibilities to develop energy resources while reducing carbon intensity and supporting their energy transition ambitions.

Organized in two business segments Subsea and Surface Technologies we will continue to advance the industry with our pioneering integrated ecosystems (such as iEPCI, iFEED and iComplete), technology leadership and digital innovation.

Each of our approximately 20,000 employees is driven by a commitment to our clients' success, and a culture of strong execution, purposeful innovation, and challenging industry conventions.

TechnipFMC uses its website as a channel of distribution of material company information. To learn more about how we are driving change in the industry, go to www.TechnipFMC.com and follow us on Twitter @TechnipFMC.

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Contacts:

Investor relations

Matt Seinsheimer

Vice President, Investor Relations

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: Matt Seinsheimer



James Davis

Senior Manager, Investor Relations

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: James Davis

Media relations

Nicola Cameron

Vice President, Corporate Communications

Tel: +44 1383 742297

Email: Nicola Cameron



Catie Tuley

Director, Public Relations

Tel: +1 281 591 5405

Email: Catie Tuley
Regulatory News:

Tikehau Capital (Paris:TKO) accelerated its growth during the first half of 2021, achieving record levels of fundraising in asset management as well as a strong step up in fund deployment, while maintaining a high level of selectivity and discipline. Driven by a strong corporate culture and entrepreneurial spirit, Tikehau Capital also strengthened its financial profile with the completion of its reorganisation and remains on track to deliver its 2022 targets.

Record high fundraising over the last twelve months with 5.5bn in net new money since 30 June 2020 for the asset management business, with: 2.4bn in net new money for H1 2021, twice the level of fundraising achieved during H1 2020 , with a positive contribution from all asset classes; Record quarterly fundraising in Q2 2021 with 1.9bn in net new money;

over the last twelve months with for the asset management business, with: Group assets under management (AuM) at 30.9bn 1 (a +20.3% yoy growth and CAGR of +28.6% since 2016), exceeding the 30bn mark , i.e. 3x the level at IPO, of which 29.4bn of AuM for the asset management business (a +22.5% yoy growth and CAGR of +31.6% since 2016);

(a +20.3% yoy growth and CAGR of +28.6% since 2016), , i.e. 3x the level at IPO, of which (a +22.5% yoy growth and CAGR of +31.6% since 2016); Acceleration in fund deployment with 1.9bn invested by the Group's closed-end funds since 31 December 2020 (vs 0.8bn in H1 2020), including 1.0bn invested during the second quarter, while maintaining a high level of discipline and selectivity, and a strong pipeline ahead;

invested by the Group's closed-end funds since 31 December 2020 (vs 0.8bn in H1 2020), including 1.0bn invested during the second quarter, while maintaining a high level of discipline and selectivity, and a strong pipeline ahead; Success of the Group's reorganisation 2 , finalized on 15 July 2021 and strongly supported by shareholders with close to 100% approval rate, and implementation of a future-facing management organisation for Tikehau Capital;

, finalized on 15 July 2021 and strongly supported by shareholders with close to 100% approval rate, and implementation of a for Tikehau Capital; Further strengthening of the asset management platform with the addition of new talents and experienced hires across all geographies;

with the addition of new talents and experienced hires across all geographies; Expansion of Tikehau Capital's impact platform materialised across asset management strategies as well as Group's financing.

AuM at 30-Jun-2021 YoY change QoQ change In m Amount(m) Weight In % In m In % In m Private debt 9,865 32% +18.4% +1,536 +6.2% +573 Real assets 10,934 35% +14.4% +1,374 +4.4% +464 Capital markets strategies 4,679 15% +22.0% +843 +10.4% +440 Private equity 3,936 13% +71.5% +1,641 +6.7% +246 Asset Management 29,415 95% +22.5% +5,394 +6.2% +1,723 Direct investment 1,495 5% (11.2)% (188) (10.1)% (168) Total AuM 30,909 100% +20.3% +5,205 +5.3% +1,555

1. ASSET MANAGEMENT BUSINESS: STRONG FUNDRAISING AND HEALTHLY DEPLOYMENT

Record quarter for asset management fundraising in Q2 2021

AuM for the asset management business stood at 29.4bn at 30 June 2021, up 5.4bn or 22.5% over the last twelve months. In Q2 2021, AuM increased by 6.2%, taking growth over the first half to 7.5%.

This increase was mainly driven by 1.9bn in net new money3 in Q2 2021, the highest level ever achieved by Tikehau Capital in a quarter, reflecting the strong performance of the Group's strategies and the continued interest of investors in the asset classes in which the Group is positioned. This performance further demonstrates Tikehau Capital's ability to maintain strong fundraising momentum despite the continued travel disruptions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the first half and in particular during the second quarter, all asset classes contributed positively to the Group's net new money. The fundraising mix since 31 December 2020 reflects the natural fundraising cycle across strategies and asset classes:

Private Debt was the leading contributor of fundraising in Q2 2021 with net new money reaching 762m, largely driven by new commitments for the 5 th vintage of Tikehau Capital's direct lending flagship strategy (with AuM at

30 June 2021 exceeding 1bn). In addition, fundraising continued for the firm's other private debt funds, in particular its impact lending and secondaries strategies, both launched in Q4 2020. Fundraising for these funds develops in line with the Group's expectations and reflects investors' interest for innovative and positive impact strategies.

was the leading contributor of fundraising in Q2 2021 with net new money reaching 762m, largely driven by new commitments for the 5 vintage of Tikehau Capital's direct lending flagship strategy (with AuM at 30 June 2021 exceeding 1bn). In addition, fundraising continued for the firm's other private debt funds, in particular its impact lending and secondaries strategies, both launched in Q4 2020. Fundraising for these funds develops in line with the Group's expectations and reflects investors' interest for innovative and positive impact strategies. Net new money for Real Assets amounted to 504m in Q2 2021, mainly driven by a pickup in fundraising for Sofidy's strategies (AuM for Sofidy reached 7.0bn at 30 June 2021 vs. 6.7bn at 31 December 2020) as well as the acquisition of a residential portfolio in Iberia through a dedicated co-investment fund. This dedicated strategy allows investors in the Group's funds to co-invest and thus complete their allocations.

amounted to 504m in Q2 2021, mainly driven by a pickup in fundraising for Sofidy's strategies (AuM for Sofidy reached 7.0bn at 30 June 2021 vs. 6.7bn at 31 December 2020) as well as the acquisition of a residential portfolio in Iberia through a dedicated co-investment fund. This dedicated strategy allows investors in the Group's funds to co-invest and thus complete their allocations. The Capital Markets Strategies business benefited from very positive demand from investor-clients. Total net new money for the strategy totalled 392m in Q2 2021, i.e. more than full year 2020 level, mainly driven by the fixed income strategies. In particular, the Tikehau Short Duration fund (formerly called Tikehau Taux Variables) has exceeded the 2bn AuM mark to date with a more diversified and international investor base.

business benefited from very positive demand from investor-clients. Total net new money for the strategy totalled 392m in Q2 2021, i.e. more than full year 2020 level, mainly driven by the fixed income strategies. In particular, the Tikehau Short Duration fund (formerly called Tikehau Taux Variables) has exceeded the 2bn AuM mark to date with a more diversified and international investor base. Private Equity contributed 213m to the Group's net new money in Q2 2021, after a first quarter marked by the final closing of Tikehau Capital's flagship energy transition fund. Net new money for the second quarter was driven by the 100m first closing of the Spain-focused aerospace and defence fund. In addition, the firm recorded further commitments for its venture and growth capital fund dedicated to cybersecurity, the largest to date in Europe. In addition, the Group has recently finalised the acquisition of Foundation Private Equity in Singapore, focused on providing secondary solutions to GPs and LPs across Asia. The Tactical Strategies team successfully closed the second vintage of the European Special Opportunities fund (TSO II) 4 , with total commitments of 617m, exceeding the initial target of 500m and four times larger than the previous vintage. This success illustrates the relevance of Tikehau Capital's Special Opportunities strategy, which provides opportunistic and flexible capital in situations of market dislocation and funding scarcity.

contributed 213m to the Group's net new money in Q2 2021, after a first quarter marked by the final closing of Tikehau Capital's flagship energy transition fund.

Tikehau Capital has also expanded its product range for individual investors with the sequential launch of two innovative strategies through unit-linked products, one in private debt with MASCF Group, the leading insurer for health professionals, and the other in private equity with CNP Assurances, the leading player in the French personal insurance market. To date, these two initiatives have attracted significant demand from individual investors. By directing global savings towards funding the real economy, Tikehau Capital's positioning efficiently addresses the growing demand from individual investors to access private markets. The Group intends to continue diversifying its offering in the short and medium-term.

Acceleration of disciplined and selective fund deployment, with a healthy pipeline ahead

Over Q2 2021, the closed-end funds managed by Tikehau Capital deployed 1.0bn, taking total deployment since 31 December 2020 to 1.9bn, more than twice the amount deployed over H1 2020 (0.8bn).

The acceleration of fund deployment stems from Tikehau Capital's multi-local platform, leveraging its strong local presence and deal sourcing, alongside the firm's strong investment discipline and focus on ESG across asset classes. Deployment in H1 2021 was mainly driven by Private Debt funds, followed by Real Assets.

Looking ahead, the Group has a very healthy deployment pipeline across asset classes. At end-June 2021, Tikehau Capital had dry powder of 6.4bn within the funds it manages, enabling them to capture attractive investment opportunities. This compares to 5.9bn at 31 March 2021 and 6.2bn at 31 December 2020.

Tikehau Capital continues to strengthen and grow its asset management platform

Since the beginning of 2021, Tikehau Capital has continued to expand its teams with the arrival of new talents and experienced hires across all geographies. At 30 June 2021, the Group had 629 employees, up 5.9% compared to 31 December 2020.

For instance, Tikehau Capital has expanded its presence in Germany and its private debt platform through the opening of its Frankfurt office, led by Dominik P. Felsmann. The Private Debt team was reinforced by the appointment of Laura Scolan as Head of France and Chief Operating Officer as well as Christoph Zens as Head of CLO. The Group also reinforced its sales and marketing teams with experienced hires in the UK and North America

These arrivals provide additional assets for Tikehau Capital to support the launch of new strategies, strengthen the Group's relationships with investor-clients and deepen the Group's range of expertise across asset classes.

2. INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO

During the first half, Tikehau Capital committed 221m in its own strategies further increasing its alignment of interests with those of its investor-clients.

The Group's investment portfolio came in at 2.9bn at 30 June 2021 (2.4bn at 31 December 2020), of which 1.8bn invested in the funds and strategies developed and managed by Tikehau Capital, representing 64.0% of the portfolio.

In addition to the 1.8bn already invested in the asset management funds and strategies, Tikehau Capital has 1.0bn of additional commitments, which will be drawn as the funds deploy their capital. Therefore, Tikehau Capital has committed a total of 2.8bn (drawn and undrawn) to its asset management strategies at 30 June 2021.

In April 2021, Tikehau Capital's first sponsored SPAC, Pegasus Europe, successfully raised 500m in a private placement, becoming the largest European SPAC to date. Tikehau Capital has invested 25m from its balance sheet into the private placement and agreed on a 50m Forward Purchase Agreement that may be called at the time of the business combination.

In addition, Tikehau Capital has invested c.22m in IREIT Global's S$127m (c. 80m5) capital raise on 21 July 2021 to finance the acquisition of a 27-property portfolio in France let to Decathlon.

Tikehau Capital will continue to use its balance sheet, a differentiating asset and enabler of growth, to strengthen its platform by launching new families of products and vehicles while maintaining its alignment of interests strategy.

3. TIKEHAU CAPITAL IS READY FOR ITS NEW CHAPTER OF GROWTH

Finalisation of the operational reorganisation of Tikehau Capital and implementation of a future-facing management organisation

On 20 May 2021, Tikehau Capital announced its plan to simplify its organisation based on two key pillars: (i) regrouping all central corporate functions and related expertise under the listed perimeter and (ii) resetting financial flows between Tikehau Capital and its related parties. This reorganisation, which results in a materially improved financial profile and revised dividend policy for Tikehau Capital, has gained strong support from the firm's shareholders, with an approval rate of close to 100% during the Combined General Meeting held on 15 July 2021.

The Group also announced the implementation of a future-facing management organisation as it enters a new phase of growth and development. As a result, Cecile Cabanis was appointed Deputy CEO to oversee the Group's Human Capital, ESG/CSR, Communications and Brand Marketing functions. She will work alongside Henri Marcoux and Thomas Frieberger, Group Deputy CEOs.

Strengthening of Tikehau Capital's impact platform

Over the past years, the firm has successfully launched several strategies focusing on addressing the climate emergency and decarbonising the economy, across private equity, private debt and capital markets strategies. These dedicated funds benefit from strong momentum and Tikehau Capital has additional promising strategies in the pipeline to address such critical issues.

The firm has also been active during the first half so that its ESG strategy can be reflected within its financing, with:

The successful issuance of a 500m inaugural sustainable bond in March 2021 with an 8-year maturity and a 1.625% coupon, the lowest ever achieved by the Group. This issue is the first ever public sustainable benchmark bond issued by an alternative asset manager in Euro;

in March 2021 with an 8-year maturity and a 1.625% coupon, the lowest ever achieved by the Group. This issue is the first ever public sustainable benchmark bond issued by an alternative asset manager in Euro; The refinancing of the existing 700m bank loan facility with the repayment of the 200m drawn term loan and the increase of the revolving credit facility from 0.5bn to 0.7bn. This confirmed revolving credit facility now includes ESG criteria linked to the margin with a maturity extended to 5 years with a 2-year extension option. Through this initiative, Tikehau Capital has also successfully diversified and internationalized its pool of banks with close to 50% of the financing coming from international banks.

These financing allow Tikehau Capital to extend its average debt maturity to 5.6 years at 30 June 2021 (vs. 4.4 years at 31 December 2020) and to increase ESG-linked debt to c. 60% of the Group's total debt at end-June 2021.

4. SHARE BUYBACK PROGRAMME

Tikehau Capital extended under the same conditions to 15 September 2021 (included), date of the 2021 first half results release, the share buyback mandate, which was signed and announced on 19 March 2020 and extended on 18 March 2021 until today.

As of today, 3,097,714 shares were repurchased under the share buyback programme. The description of the share buyback programme (published in paragraph 8.3.4 of the Tikehau Capital Universal Registration Document filed with the French financial markets authority on 1 April 2021 under number D. 21-0246) is available on the company's website in the Regulatory Information section (https://www.tikehaucapital.com/en/finance/regulatory-information).

CALENDAR

15 September 2021 2021 first half results (after market close) 9 November 2021 Assets under management at 30 September 2021 (after market close)

ABOUT TIKEHAU CAPITAL

Tikehau Capital is a global alternative asset management group with 30.9 billion of assets under management (as of 30 June 2021). Tikehau Capital has developed a wide range of expertise across four asset classes (private debt, real assets, private equity and capital markets strategies) as well as multi-asset and special opportunities strategies.

Tikehau Capital is a founder led team with a differentiated business model, a strong balance sheet, proprietary global deal flow and a track record of backing high quality companies and executives.

Deeply rooted in the real economy, Tikehau Capital provides bespoke and innovative alternative financing solutions to companies it invests in and seeks to create long-term value for its investors, while generating positive impacts on society. Leveraging its strong equity base (2.8 billion of shareholders' equity as of 31 December 2020), the firm invests its own capital alongside its investor-clients within each of its strategies.

Controlled by its managers alongside leading institutional partners, Tikehau Capital is guided by a strong entrepreneurial spirit and DNA, shared by its 629 employees (as of 30 June 2021) across its 12 offices in Europe, Asia and North America. Tikehau Capital is listed in compartment A of the regulated Euronext Paris market (ISIN code: FR0013230612; Ticker: TKO.FP).

For more information, please visit: www.tikehaucapital.com

DISCLAIMER

This document does not constitute an offer of securities, fund units or any financial instruments for sale or investment advisory services. It contains general information only and is not intended to provide general or specific investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future earnings and profit, and targets are not guaranteed.

Certain statements and forecasted data are based on current forecasts, prevailing market and economic conditions, estimates, projections and opinions of Tikehau Capital and/or its affiliates. Due to various risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those reflected or expected in such forward-looking statements or in any of the case studies or forecasts. In particular, an investment in a fund is speculative and presents risks, including a risk of loss of capital. All references to Tikehau Capital's advisory activities in the US or with respect to US persons relate to Tikehau Capital North America

Appendix change in AuM details

LTM evolution (in m) AuM at

30-06-2020 Net new money Distri- butions Market

effects Change in scope AuM at

30-06-2021 Change Change (m) Private debt 8,329 2,177 (747) 106 9,865 +18.4% +1,536 Real assets 9,560 1,067 (290) 58 539 10,934 +14.4% +1,374 Capital markets strategies 3,836 586 (8) 266 4,679 +22.0% +843 Private equity 2,296 1,621 (56) 26 49 3,936 +71.5% +1,641 Total Asset Management 24,021 5,451 (1,101) 456 588 29,415 +22.5% +5,394

H1 2021 (in m) AuM at

31-12-2020 Net new money Distri- butions Market

effects Change in scope AuM at

30-06-2021 Change Change (m) Private debt 9,342 882 (384) 25 9,865 +5.6% +523 Real assets 10,334 682 (144) 63 10,934 +5.8% +601 Capital markets strategies 4,184 398 (6) 103 4,679 +11.8% +495 Private equity 3,491 394 (33) 36 49 3,936 +12.8% +446 Total Asset Management 27,351 2,355 (567) 227 49 29,415 +7.5% +2,064

1 The Group's assets under management are not included in the audit process. Figures have been rounded for presentation purposes, which in some cases may result in rounding differences.

2 See press releases dated 20 May 2021 and 15 July 2021 for more information relating to the Group's operational reorganisation.

3 Total net new money raised from third party investors and Tikehau Capital's balance sheet.

4 The TSO II Fund is no longer in its commercialisation phase, see the dedicated press release dated 26 July 2021.

5 Base on a S$  exchange rate of 0.62 as at 21 July 2021.

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Contacts:

PRESS CONTACTS:

Tikehau Capital: Valerie Sueur +33 1 40 06 39 30

UK Prosek Partners: Henrietta Dehn +44 7717 281 665

USA Prosek Partners: Trevor Gibbons +1 646 818 9238

press@tikehaucapital.com

SHAREHOLDER AND INVESTOR CONTACT:

Louis Igonet +33 1 40 06 11 11

shareholders@tikehaucapital.com
Announcement on Proposed Adoption of the 2021 A-Share Option Incentive Scheme

Qingdao / Shanghai / Hongkong / Frankfurt, 29 July 2021 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-share 690D.DE, A-share 600690.SH, H-share 06690.HK) published an announcement on Proposed Adoption of the 2021 A-Share Option Incentive Scheme in accordance with applicable trading rules of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Hongkong Stock Exchange and applicable PRC laws.

Proposed Adoption of the Share Option Incentive Scheme

The Board is pleased to announce that, on 29 July 2021, the Board considered and approved the relevant resolution in relation to proposed adoption of the Share Option Incentive Scheme. The Incentive Scheme shall become effective upon consideration and approval of the general meeting and the Class Meetings of the Company. Before the general meeting and the Class Meetings are held for approval of the Incentive Scheme, the Company may amend the Incentive Scheme upon the request of the regulatory authorities of the PRC and/or Hong Kong.

Reasons for and Benefits of Granting Share Options

The Directors are of the view that the proposed Scheme is an additional measure that builds on the Company's A-Share and H-Share Employee Stock Ownership Schemes and Restricted Share Unit Scheme to further enhance employee incentives. As disclosed in the announcement dated 25 May 2021 and the circular dated 4 June 2021, the A-Share and H-Share Employee Stock Ownership Schemes and Restricted Share Unit Scheme are designed to provide incentive to middle and senior management and core employees with the Company's two to three-year profit target and business unit and individual performance target as the main appraisal benchmarks. To drive the achievement of the Company's longer term target, further enhance the development of high-end scenario-based brand and smart household business, the Company proposes to introduce the Scheme to provide incentive to the core management members with five or six-year appraisal period and higher profit targets than those under the A- Share and H-Share Employee Stock Ownership Schemes. The Company believes that the Incentive Scheme not only further establishes and improves the Company's long-term incentive mechanism, attracts and retains talented individuals, fully mobilizes the enthusiasm of the core management team of the Company, but also aligns the interests of Shareholders, the Company and core individuals together effectively. Various parties will attend to the long-term development of the Company and continuously improve operational efficiency and keep pursuing higher profit levels. The Directors of the Company (including Independent Non-executive Directors) believes that the adoption of the Incentive Scheme will help the Company achieve the above objectives, and is also of the view that the terms and conditions of the Incentive Scheme are on normal commercial terms, fair and reasonable and in the interests of the Company and the Shareholders as a whole.

Hong Kong Listing Rules Implication

This Incentive Scheme constitutes a Share Option Scheme under Chapter 17 of the Hong Kong Listing Rules. Pursuant to Rule 14A.92(3)(a) of the Hong Kong Listing Rules, the grant of Share Options to any Participants who are connected persons of the Company under the Share Option Incentive Scheme is exempted from reporting, announcement and independent shareholders' approval requirements. The Company will apply for a waiver from strict compliance with the requirement of note 1 to Rule 17.03(9) of the Hong Kong Listing Rules in respect of the Exercise Price of the Share Options which may be granted under the Share Option Incentive Scheme.

Extraordinary General Meeting and Class Meetings

An Extraordinary General Meeting and Class Meetings of the Company will be held to consider and approve at discretion, amongst other things, proposed adoption of the A-Share Option Incentive Scheme. The Company will dispatch the notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting, the notices of the Class Meetings and the circular containing further details of the terms of the A-Share Option Incentive Scheme to the Shareholders upon determining the convening date of the Extraordinary General Meeting and Class Meetings in accordance with the requirements under the Listing Rules in Shanghai, Hongkong, Frankfurt and the Articles of Association.

Further Details of the 2021 A-Share Option Incentive Scheme, such as its purpose and principles, administrative body, basis for determining the participants and the scope of participants, source, number and allocation of share options etc. will be found on the website of the Company at https://smart-home.haier.com/en/dggg/ and the Hongkong Stock Exchange at https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2021/0729/2021072901715.pdf.

About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.:

Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized mass production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as smaller household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience.

IR Contact:

Yao Sun (Sophie) - Haier Smart Home Germany

T: +49 6172 9454 143

F: +49 6172 9454 42143

M: +49 160 9469 3601

Email: y.sun@haier.de
H1 2021 sales impacted by the Covid-19 crisis (-24.6% to 467 thousand)

Encouraging upturn in activity in Q2, with sales almost doubling vs. Q1

6.2% reduction in the current operating loss

Cash position of 2.9 million at June 30, 2021

Regulatory News:

Genomic Vision(Paris:GV)(FR0011799907 GV), a biotechnology company that develops tools and services dedicated to the analysis and control of changes in the genome, today announced its half-year financial results to June 30, 20211. The H1 2021 financial report is available in the Investors section of Genomic Vision's website.

H1 2021 results

(in thousands IFRS) H1 2021 H1 2020 Revenue from sales 467 619 Other revenue 235 131 Total revenue from activity 702 750 Current operating expenses (3,066) (3,270) Current operating loss (2,364) (2,519) Other operating expenses income 50 163 Operating loss (2,314) (2,356) Cost of financial debt and other financial expenses income (15) (11) Net loss (2,329) (2,368)

Revenue from sales totaled 467 thousand in the first half of 2021, down 24.6% compared with the first half of 2020. This decrease was in large part the result of weak activity in the first quarter of 2021, notably with the lack of any platform sales over the period while, in the first quarter of 2020, Genomic Vision sold a platform to the Leibnitz Institute on Aging Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Germany within the framework of collaboration that is actively continuing.

In the second quarter of 2021, revenue from sales totaled 302 thousand, almost double the previous quarter's figure and up 350% compared with the second quarter of 2020, when activity was heavily impacted by lockdown measures.

Total revenue from activity, once other revenue is taken into account, slipped 6.4% in the first half of 2021 compared with the same period of 2020. Other revenue, which totaled 235 thousand over the six months to June 30, 2021, corresponds to Research Tax Credit.

Current operating expenses fell by 6.3% to 3.1 million, and principally broke down as follows, in addition to the cost of sales:

0.95 million in R&D expenses, down slightly within the context of the coronavirus pandemic and further good cost control and a refocus on projects with greater added value;

0.5 million associated with Sales Marketing expenses, down 47% compared with H1 2020 due to reduced activity over the half;

1.3 million in General Administrative expenses, up 34% compared with H1 2020.

The operating loss was -2.3 million at June 30, 2021, versus -2.4 million at June 30, 2020. The net loss at June 30, 2021 was -2.3 million, almost identical to the figure at June 30, 2020 (-2.4 million).

Financial structure at June 30, 2021

Genomic Vision had cash and cash equivalents of 2.9 million at June 30, 2021, versus 2.0 million at December 31, 2020. This improvement was essentially due to the drawdown of 3.0 million net of costs in the first half of 2021 within the framework of the financing line implemented with Winance in June 2020. In the first half of 2021, cash burn excluding financing flows was 2 million, versus 1.5 million in the first half of 2020, notably as a result of the decrease in working capital requirements.

Based on revised sales growth and R&D, Sales Marketing and General Administrative spending assumptions and associated working capital requirement assumptions, as well as the contract signed with Winance, Genomic Vision has the necessary financial resources to continue its development over the next 12 months.

Impact of the Covid-19 crisis

In the first quarter of 2021, the global economic slowdown associated with the public health crisis had a substantial impact on Genomic Vision's main current and prospective clients. An upturn in activity was observed during the second quarter that should continue through the second half of the year.

Upcoming financial publication

Q3 2021 revenue: Thursday October 28, 2021

ABOUT GENOMIC VISION

GENOMIC VISION is a biotechnology company developing products and services dedicated to the analysis (structural and functional) of genome modifications as well as to the quality and safety control of these modifications, in particular in genome editing technologies and biomanufacturing processes. Genomic Vision proprietary tools, based on DNA combing technology and artificial intelligence, provide robust quantitative measurements needed to high confidence characterization of DNA alteration in the genome. These tools are mainly used for monitoring DNA replication in cancerous cell, for early cancer detection and the diagnosis of genetic diseases. Genomic Vision, based near Paris in Bagneux, is a public listed company listed in compartment C of Euronext's regulated market in Paris (Euronext: GV ISIN: FR0011799907).

For further information, please visit www.genomicvision.com

Member of the CAC Mid Small and CAC All-Tradable indexes

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT

This press release contains implicitly or explicitly certain forward-looking statements concerning Genomic Vision and its business. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Genomic Vision considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will be verified, which statements are subject to numerous risks, including the risks set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the universal registration document filed with the AMF on February 9, 2021 under reference number R.21-002, available on the web site of Genomic Vision (www.genomicvision.com) and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Genomic Vision operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Genomic Vision or not currently considered material by Genomic Vision. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Genomic Vision to be materially different from such forward-looking statements.

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute and should not be construed as an offer or an invitation to sell or subscribe, or the solicitation of any order or invitation to purchase or subscribe for Genomic Vision shares in any country. The distribution of this press release in certain countries may be a breach of applicable laws. The persons in possession of this press release must inquire about any local restrictions and comply with these restrictions.

1 Accounts were approved by the Board and examined by the Supervisory Board on July 28, 2021, and have been the subject of a limited review by the Company's auditor, who issued his limited review report following the completion of the procedures required for the purposes of the publication of the Company's H1 2021 financial report.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005876/en/

Contacts:

Genomic Vision

Dominique Remy-Renou

CEO

Tel.: +33 1 49 08 07 51

investisseurs@genomicvision.com

Ulysse Communication

Press Relations

Bruno Arabian

Tel.: +33 1 42 68 29 70

barabian@ulysse-communication.com

NewCap

Investor Relations

& Strategic Communications

Tel.: +33 1 44 71 94 94

gv@newcap.eu
PARIS, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prada announces today that Academy Award nominated actor, and producer Jake Gyllenhaal will front the new soon-to-be-revealed men's fragrance, launching worldwide from August 3rd 2021. Gyllenhaal, in his advertising debut with the brand, is shot by photographer Slve Sundsb for the campaign, with a film short directed by Johan Renck.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8932351-jake-gyllenhaal-to-front-pradas-new-mens-fragrance-campaign/

With an audacious spirit to complement his acting and producing talent, Gyllenhaal embodies Prada's adventurous new men's fragrance, striking a balance between strength and virility, elegance and sensuality, and sophistication and self-awareness.

Through bold choices and award-winning work, Gyllenhaal's power lies in a grounded, quiet intensity that appeals to audiences of all ages and genders, the epitome of the dynamic power of Prada's new fragrance for men.

"With a combination of physical and intellectual strength, Jake is a modern adventurer - the perfect embodiment of Prada's new masculine fragrance. His unique acting work elevates the limits of emotion, while the visionary projects he produces focus on bold new horizons of storytelling."

- Yann Andrea, Prada Beauty International General Manager

Jake Gyllenhaal is an Academy Award and Tony nominated actor as well as a producer of note with his company Nine Stories.

Alongside Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, Gyllenhaal has starred in over sixty feature films including Ang Lee's classic Brokeback Mountain, for which he received an Oscar nomination and won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor; Dan Gilroy'sNightcrawler, for which he received Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG and Independent Spirit Award nominations, Richard Kelly'sDonnie Darko; Sony Pictures highest grossing film of all time, Jon Watt'sSpider-Man: Far From Home, and many more.

His stage work on Broadway includes the Tony nominated Sea Wall / A Life (Tony nomination Best Actor, Drama League Award); the hit revival of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, and Constellations (Drama League award) and, on the West End; This is Our Youth (Evening Standard Award).

For the stage, Ninestories produced both Seawall / Alife and Jeremy O Harris's SLAVE PLAY - both shows received 16 Tony nominations combined for the 2020 Broadway season and both received nods for Best Play.

Most recently, Gyllenhaal re-teamed with director Antoine Fuqua to star in The Guilty for Netflix, which Nine Stories also produced. The film will be release Fall 2021. In early 2022 he will be seen starring in Michael Bay's action-thriller, Ambulance for Universal.

Contact:

Mickael Roux, Communication and Social Media Manager, Mickael.ROUX@loreal.com

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1584119/Prada_Jake_Gyllenhaal_Campaign.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1584120/Prada_Logo.jpg
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Altaley Mining Corporation's (TSXV: ATLY) (OTC Pink: ATLYF) (FSE: TSGA) ("Altaley" or the "Company") management advises that there is no operational or financial reason for the decline in the Company stock trading price over the past two days. Management would like to reassure investors and shareholders that day-to-day operations at both the Campo Morado Mine and the Tahuehueto Project continue as normal.

Management attributes the decline in its share trading price to the fact that the 4-month hold period on the shares issued in a private placement that closed March 29, 2021, has now expired and some investors are taking profit by selling shares to recover their initial investment in the private placement.

Management views this as a temporary situation as 2021 operating results remain strong at Campo Morado (see press release dated July 15, 2021, disclosing US$16.2 million revenue for Q2, 2021), and construction efforts are on track and progressing well at Tahuehueto.

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 65% of completion. With the recently announced US $25 million funding package, Altaley has 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 the 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 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/91615
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Firestone Ventures Inc. (TSXV: FV.H) (FSE: F5V1) ("Firestone" or the "Company") announces today it has entered into an agreement (the "Agreement") to sell its core mining property located in Guatemala, the Torlon Hill Project, to Esperanza Resources Limited ("Esperanza"), a company organized under the laws of the United Kingdom. Under the Agreement, Esperanza will purchase all of the outstanding shares of Fuegoestrella, Sociedad Anonima ("FSA"), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and the owner of the Torlon Hill Project, for USD$500,000 in cash on closing (the "Transaction").

Completion of the Transaction is anticipated to occur on or around September 20, 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions and all requisite regulatory approvals, including approval by the NEX board of the TSX Venture Exchange and shareholder approval.

Esperanza is an arm's length party to the Company and no finder's fees will be paid in connection with the Transaction.

ANNUAL GENERAL AND SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

The Company also wishes to announce the date for the upcoming annual general and special meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") to be held on September 15, 2021. At the Meeting, shareholders will be asked to consider, and if deemed advisable, to vote on the following matters:

to elect the directors of the Company for the ensuing year;

to re-appoint McGovern Hurley LLP, Chartered Accountants as the auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and to authorize the directors to fix their remuneration;

to pass, with or without variation, an ordinary resolution to reapprove the Company's 10% rolling incentive stock option plan for the ensuing year; and

to pass, with or without variation, a special resolution authorizing the Company to complete the Transaction, which constitutes the sale of substantially all of its assets.

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT PLAN

The Company also confirms it has adopted its amended and restated restricted stock unit plan (the "Amended RSU Plan") which was approved by disinterested shareholders at the Company's annual general and special shareholders' meeting on March 6, 2020.

Under the Amended RSU Plan, restricted share units ("RSUs") may be granted to directors, employees and consultants. The Amended RSU Plan is a fixed plan with a maximum number of 4,612,079 common shares issuable pursuant to grants of RSUs.

Further details regarding the Amended RSU Plan are available in the management information circular of the Company dated January 17, 2020 available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

* * *

About Firestone

Firestone is a junior exploration mining company engaged in the identification, evaluation, acquisition and exploration of mineral property interests, with a focus on zinc, lead, silver and copper. Management continues to review potential acquisition as industry conditions are creating opportunities for companies such as Firestone to expand their asset base.

Information on Firestone is available at www.firestoneventures.com and www.sedar.com.

For further information, please contact:

Keith Barron

President and CEO

Firestone Ventures Inc.

(416) 583-1430

E: info@firestoneventures.com

Donna McLean

CFO

Firestone Ventures Inc.

(416) 417-8349

E: donna@firestoneventures.com

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

This news release may contain forward-looking information that involves substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the control of Firestone, including statements related to the timing, approvals required and completion of the Transaction. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe Firestone's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that Firestone or its management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to Firestone, Firestone provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, Firestone's company's objectives, goals or future plans. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, those risks set out in Firestone's public documents filed on SEDAR. Although Firestone believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Firestone disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91607
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Mosaic Capital Corporation (TSXV: M) (TSXV: M.DB) ("Mosaic" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the voting results for its special meeting of shareholders held on July 29, 2021 in Calgary, Alberta (the "Meeting").

The sole matter considered at the Meeting was the special resolution (the "Arrangement Resolution") approving the statutory plan of arrangement (the "Plan of Arrangement") with 2356430 Alberta Inc. (the "Purchaser"). Under the Plan of Arrangement, the Purchaser will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Mosaic for $5.50 per share in cash and all of Mosaic's outstanding convertible unsecured subordinated debentures will be acquired for consideration of $1,000 plus accrued and unpaid interest for each $1,000 principal amount, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $277.3 million including net debt (the "Transaction").

The Arrangement Resolution was approved as follows:

99.85% of the total votes cast by all shareholders at the Meeting voted FOR the Arrangement Resolution; and

99.73% of the total votes cast by shareholders at the Meeting, excluding the votes cast by common shareholders that were required to be excluded pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions, voted FOR the Arrangement Resolution.

Completion of the Transaction remains subject to court approval as well as other customary closing conditions. Assuming the timely completion of these conditions, Mosaic expects the Transaction to close on or about August 5, 2021.

ABOUT MOSAIC CAPITAL CORPORATION

Mosaic is a Canadian investment company that owns a portfolio of established businesses which span a diverse range of industries and geographies. Mosaic's strategy is to create long-term value for its shareholders through accretive acquisitions, long-term portfolio ownership, sustained cash flows and organic portfolio growth. Mosaic achieves its objectives by maintaining financial discipline, acquiring businesses at attractive valuations, performing extensive acquisition due diligence, utilizing optimal transaction structuring and working closely with subsidiary businesses after acquisition.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking information and statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws (herein referred to as "forward-looking statements") that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All information and statements in this news release which are not statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. The words "believe", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "project", "scheduled", and similar expressions, as well as future or conditional verbs such as "will", "should", "would", and "could" often identify forward-looking statements. In particular, forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: the closing of the Transaction on the terms and timing set out herein or at all; and the intention to implement the Transaction through a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta). Such statements or information are only predictions and reflect the current beliefs of management with respect to future events and are based on information currently available to management. Actual results and events may differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements due to these statements being subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.

Undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature forward-looking statements involve assumptions and known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions and other forward-looking statements will not occur. Some of the assumptions made by Mosaic, upon which such forward-looking statements are based include, but are not limited to: the closing of the Transaction on the terms and timing set out herein; and the receipt of requisite court approval and other customary closing conditions.

A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: prevailing economic conditions; unexpected changes in the financial markets (including in the trading price of the securities of Mosaic); changes in the general economic and business conditions of one or more of Mosaic and its subsidiaries; any of the conditions to the Transaction not being satisfied; and Mosaic has incurred expenses in connection with the Transaction and will be required to pay for those expenses regardless of whether or not the Transaction closes. Should any of the risks or uncertainties facing Mosaic and its subsidiaries materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance, activities or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks is not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect the operations or financial results of Mosaic and its subsidiaries are included in Mosaic's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2020, a copy of which is available under Mosaic's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

Although Mosaic believes that the expectations represented by any forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable based on the information available to it on the date of this news release, management cannot assure investors that actual results, performance or achievements will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements herein contained are made as of the date of this news release and Mosaic does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new information, events or circumstances, except as required by law.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Monty Balderston, CPA, CA

Chief Financial Officer

Mosaic Capital Corporation

400, 2424 - 4th Street SW

Calgary, AB T2S 2T4

T: (403) 270-4663

E: mbalderston@mosaiccapitalcorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91616
The Next Evolution in Social Media Marketing

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - LeanLife Health Inc. (CSE: LLP) (FSE: LL1) (OTCQB: LHLNF) (the "Company"), has entered into a 1 year marketing and consulting contract with Toronto-based marketing firm, North Equities Corp. (the "Contract"). North Equities Corp. ("North Equities" or "NE"), specializes in various social media platforms. We prioritize millennial-focused social media channels and will be able to facilitate greater awareness and widespread dissemination of the Company's news.

The proven brand of Mike Tyson and his drink Iron Energy, LeanLife is the exclusive distributor of Iron Energy for North America, and the product is also currently available in more than fifty countries.

Jason Coles, CEO at North Equities, expressed his confidence in North Equities ability to create value for Lean Life Health stakeholders: "We are very excited to be able to enhance LLP-CSE exposure during this significant period in the Company's life cycle. Through our marketing capabilities on social media platforms, we intend to widen the communication outreach while providing up to date information about the Company to a bigger audience."

About North Equities:

The North Equities team has more than 100 team-years of equity experience and has helped more than 200 companies acquire more than 120k+ investors combined. With the perfect combination of expertise, tactics, and a track record in fundraising and marketing, North Equities has created the next evolution of social media marketing and follower engagement

About LeanLife Health and the Omega-3 Market

FoodCare Group, the supplier and manufacturer of Iron Energy, by Mike Tyson, is a market leader in Poland's energy drink market and is a leading brand in the Middle East. We believe Iron Energy will also appeal to North American consumers and will quickly gain retail and consumer acceptance and trial.

The annual market value of the combined U.S. and Canadian energy drink markets is estimated at over $14 billion (USD). According to Allied Market Research, the global energy drinks market size was valued at $53.01 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.20% to reach $86.01 billion by 2026.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, LeanLife now first offers Iron Drink, a Mike Tyson branded energy drink to the consumers in the United State. LeanLife will be aggressively priced, and shelf positioned, to appeal to a broad consumer base. A good market share growth will be expected.

Consumer preference and the increased occasions for energy drink consumption are growing the category. Iron Energy will participate in this phenomenon through category and organic growth. The broad base of health and sport-oriented consumers will be attracted to this unique product alternative. Iron Energy is enjoying great success in the European market. We believe Iron Energy will offer a similar success story in North America due to its compelling brand attributes, product taste and energy benefits.

LeanLife Omega-3 products are long-term shelf-stable extractions from flaxseed, a plentiful plant-based source of Omega-3, that give them a significant advantage as an essential fortified food ingredient.

The global Omega-3 market was valued at USD $2.49 Billion in 2019 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.7% over the forecast period of 2020-2027, according to a report by Grand View Research, Inc.

For more information, please contact:

Stan Lis, CEO

604-764-0518

SLis@LeanLifeHealth.com

Forward-Looking Information

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control including, the Company's ability to compete with large food companies; sales of any potential products developed will be profitable; the ability to complete sales under the sales agreement. Accordingly, actual, and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

THE CSE HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN AND DOES NOT ACCEPT 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/91619
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Sun Summit Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) ("Sun Summit" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced brokered private placement for gross proceeds of C$ 4,000,000 (the "Offering"). Due to strong demand, the co-lead agents and joint bookrunners, Red Cloud Securities Inc. and Eventus Capital Corp. (collectively, the "Agents"), fully exercised their option to increase the total gross proceeds of the Offering to C$5,000,000.

Under the Offering, the Company sold 4,217,607 flow-through units (the "FT Units") at a price of C$0.66 per FT Unit and 2,736,271 flow-through units to charitable purchasers (the "Charity FT Units") at a price of C$0.81 per Charity FT Unit.

Each FT Unit and Charity FT Unit consisted of one common share of the Company issued as a "flow-through share" under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant, Each whole warrant (a "Warrant") entitles the holder to purchase one (non-flow-through) common share of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$0.90 until July 31, 2023. The FT Shares and Warrant Shares have a hold period ending on November 30, 2021.

The Company intends to use the proceeds raised from the Offering for the exploration of the Company's Buck Property and other Canadian properties it may acquire. The gross proceeds from the issuance of the FT Shares will be used for "Canadian Exploration Expenses" under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Qualifying Expenditures"), which will be renounced with an effective date no later than December 31, 2021 to the purchasers of the FT Units and Charity FT Units in an aggregate amount not less than the gross proceeds raised from the issue of the FT Shares. If the Qualifying Expenditures are reduced by the Canada Revenue Agency, the Company will indemnify each purchaser of FT Units and Charity FT Units for any additional taxes payable by such purchaser as a result of the Company's failure to renounce the Qualifying Expenditures.

Under the Offering, the Company paid the Agents total cash commissions of C$ 269,629 and issued to the Agents 371,036 warrants to purchase common shares of the Company (the "Broker Warrants") of which 207,838 Broker Warrants have an exercise price of C$ 0.66 per Warrant Share and 163,198 Broker Warrants have an exercise price of C$ 0.81 per Warrant Share. Each Broker Warrant is exercisable to acquire one Warrant Share until July 29, 2023.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, 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.

About Sun Summit

Sun Summit Minerals is an exploration company focused on expanding its epithermal gold discovery at its flagship Buck Project located in north-central British Columbia.

The Company is exploring multiple high priority gold and silver targets through methodical, well-funded exploration campaigns with year round drilling access. The Project has high-grade and bulk-tonnage gold and silver potential and is located in a mining-established region that includes many former operating mines and current exploration projects.

Sun Summit is committed to environmental and social responsibility with a focus on responsible development to generate positive outcomes for all stakeholders.

Further details are available at www.sunsummitminerals.com.

For further information, contact:

Sharyn Alexander, M.Sc.

VP Technical Services

Nancy Curry

Corporate Communications

info@sunsummitminerals.com

Tel. 778-588-9606

Forward-Looking Information

Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences, without limiting the generality of the following, include: risks inherent in exploration activities; volatility and sensitivity to market prices; volatility and sensitivity to capital market fluctuations; the impact of exploration competition; the ability to raise funds through private or public equity financings; imprecision in resource and reserve estimates; environmental and safety risks including increased regulatory burdens; unexpected geological or hydrological conditions; changes in government regulations and policies, including trade laws and policies; failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities; weather and other natural phenomena; and other exploration, development, operating, financial market and regulatory risks. Except as required by applicable securities laws and regulation, Sun Summit Minerals Corp. (SMN) disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91574.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Battery Mineral Resources Corp. (TSXV: BMR) ("Battery" or "BMR" or the "Company") recently completed a seven hole - 687 metre diamond drill program on its 100%-owned Bald Rock target in the Gowganda Project area (Figure 1).

Assay results for the first five holes (189 samples) have been received. Encouraging assay results include:

GBR21001: 3.0m @ 0.63% Cobalt & 3.61g/t Silver ;

; GBR21004: 2.5m @ 0.28% Cobalt & 1.01g/t Silver ;

; GBR21005: 2.0m @ 0.12% Cobalt, 6.22g/t Silver & 0.17% Copper.

These intercepts occur in holes drilled into the southern end of the outcrop zone and along strike under sand overburden. The drilling confirmed mineralization extends vertically below and along strike to the south under sand overburden. The extent of the mineralization remains open at depth and along strike to the south of the recently drilled area.

Highlights

The Bald Rock target comprises an area of extensive historic stripping and channel sampling that yielded intervals grading 51.60 grams per tonne silver ("g/t Ag"), >1.00 percent cobalt ("% Co") and 1.37 percent copper ("% Cu") over 0.58 metres ("m"), and 4.19 g/t Ag, >0.30 % Co, and 1.13 % Cu over 2.05m;

grams per tonne silver ("g/t Ag"), percent cobalt ("% Co") and percent copper ("% Cu") over 0.58 metres ("m"), and g/t Ag, % Co, and % Cu over 2.05m; 2020 Rock sampling by BMR field crews of the stripped outcrop returned assays of 41.30g/t Ag, 1.53% Co and 7.65% Cu ;

; There is no record or field evidence of any historic diamond drilling under the stripped area prior to the June 2021 BMR drilling;

Five holes,(GBR21001-005) tested the strike and depth extent of the known 10m wide altered and mineralized zone exposed in the main stripped area;

GBR21006 targeted the projected intersection of the Bald Rock shaft vein, the 10m wide main zone, and a central vein;

GBR21007 was drilled to test the vertical continuity of high-grade silver vein mineralisation identified in an historic rock grab sample ( 102,842g/t silver assay) in the central vein northwest of the stripped outcrop;

assay) in the central vein northwest of the stripped outcrop; In addition to the intercepts reported above, anomalous cobalt results were also returned from the faulted contact of the Nipissing Diabase with the underlying Huronian sediments including: GBR21001: 1.0m @ 0.04% Co and 0.30% Cu; GBR21002: 0.70m @ 0.05% Co, 1.56g/t Ag, and 0.11% Cu; GBR21004: 1.5m @ 0.25% Co and 2.94g/t Ag;

Drill core assays for holes GBR21006 and GBR21007, totalling 10 samples are pending.

About the Bald Rock program

The Bald Rock target is situated in Lawson Township and is also referred to as the LaCarte or Silver Leaf showing. It consists of a shaft that was sunk in the 1930's and numerous pits and mechanically stripped outcrops which have been periodically examined over the years.

In 2010-2011, a stripped outcrop 250m south of the shaft was grab sampled and yielded an assay of 102,842g/t Ag. In 2011, follow-up exploration consisted of a channel sampling program on the main Bald Rock showing located approximately 500.0m south of the shaft. The channel sampling returned several anomalous mineralized zones including;

4.19g/t Ag, >0.30% Co, and 1.13% Cu over 2.1m including 51.60g/t Ag, >1.00% Co and 1.37% Cu over 0.6m;

3.60g/t Ag, >0.35% Co and 0.21% Cu over 0.9m.

Reconnaissance rock grab samples collected by BMR from a prospect pit adjacent to the 2011 channel samples yielded assays of 41.30g/t Ag, 1.53% Co and 7.65% Cu. Stripping and detailed mapping of the outcrop revealed that the altered and mineralized corridor is at least 10.0m wide, extends over a strike length of 40.0m, and is open along strike in both directions.

The vein at the shaft, which was exposed by a pit and stripping, strikes N330oE and yielded an assay of 0.93% cobalt and 5.68g/t silver from a BMR rock grab sample of the vein. The orientation of the vein exposed by the stripping that produced the 102,842g/t Ag assay is located 250m south of the shaft and strikes N350oE, while the main Bald Rock vein system located further south strikes N050oE.

A seven-hole, 687m diamond drill program (Table 1, Figure 2) was completed in late June 2021 to follow up on the significant values obtained from the surface sampling. Five holes tested the depth and strike extent of the Bald Rock vein exposed in the stripped outcrop. The sixth hole targeted the intersection of three mineralised vein sets and a seventh hole targeted an historic high-grade silver rock sample result.

A total of 199 drillcore samples were submitted for assay.

Results from the first five holes (Table 2) indicate that the main outcrop vein zone extends to depth and along strike returning:

GBR21001: 3.0m @ 0.63% Co and 3.61g/t Ag;

GBR21004: 2.5m @ 0.28% Co and 1.01g/t Ag;

GBR21005: 2.0m @ 0.12% Co, 6.22g/t Ag and 0.17% Cu.

Furthermore, the brecciated, fault contact of the Nipissing Diabase with the underlying Huronian sediments yielded:

GBR21001: 1.0m @ 0.03% Co and 0.30% Cu;

GBR21002: 0.70m @ 0.05% Co, 1.56g/t Ag, and 0.11% Cu;

GBR21004: 1.5m @ 0.25% Co and 2.94g/t Ag.

Battery Minerals Resources CEO, Martin Kostuik, states: "The detailed mapping and sampling at the Bald Rock prospect identified a previously undrilled, 10-metre wide altered and mineralized zone that is open along strike and at depth. BMR's recent drilling confirmed that the main vein zone of cobalt-silver mineralization extends to depth and along strike. In addition, the anomalous cobalt-silver mineralization identified at the faulted contact of the diabase and sediments indicates that the structure formed contemporaneously with the veining and maybe a conduit for the mineralization, thereby providing an additional target for further exploration."





Figure 1: Gowganda Project - Bald Rock Location Map

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6076/91630_4bc6643f147588bc_002full.jpg

Table 1: Details of the Bald Rock Drill Holes

Drillhole

Number Easting

(m) Northing

(m) Depth

(m) Dip Azimuth GBR21001 529419.50 5272483.00 132.00 -45.73o N313.51oE GBR21002 529440.50 5272529.00 78.00 -46.13o N316.58oE GBR21003 529441.70 5272556.00 60.00 -44.61o N315.18oE GBR21004 529419.60 5272483.00 123.00 -60.93o N312.76oE GBR21005 529328.70 5272520.00 162.00 -44.88o N132.13oE GBR21006 529636.20 5272689.00 81.00 -45.07o N311.64oE GBR21007 529565.60 5272803.00 51.00 -45.12o N075.86oE TOTALS: 7 HOLES TOTALLING: 687.00m





Figure 2: LiDAR image showing Bald Rock diamond drill hole locations. Inset (in red) highlights the drill holes around the main stripped area. Vein zones (red dashed lines) are projected from measured orientations on stripped outcrop areas

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

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Table 2: Table showing the significant results from holes GBR21001- 005

(Assays for holes GBR21006 and 007 are pending).

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Sample Interval (m) Cobalt Co (%) Silver Ag (g/t) Copper Cu (%) GBR21001 56.00 57.00 1.00 0.05 0.46 0.09 59.00 62.00 3.00 0.63 3.61 0.02 including 59.00 59.50 0.50 0.43 0.90 0.01 59.50 60.00 0.50 0.18 0.66 0.02 60.00 60.75 0.75 1.62 7.64 0.01 60.75 61.25 0.50 0.29 2.15 0.01 61.25 62.00 0.75 0.31 4.32 0.04 103.50 104.50 1.00 0.04 0.58 0.30 GBR21002 37.70 38.50 0.80 0.05 0.81 0.07 71.30 72.00 0.70 0.05 1.56 0.11 GBR21003 17.00 17.80 0.80 0.06 0.52 0.02 32.10 32.70 0.60 0.05 0.48 0.03 GBR21004 65.75 68.25 2.50 0.28 1.01 0.05 including 65.75 66.75 1.00 0.64 1.32 0.01 66.75 67.75 1.00 0.01 0.05 0.01 67.75 68.25 0.50 0.12 2.32 0.22 81.80 82.30 0.50 0.08 1.00 0.38 87.90 88.40 0.50 0.19 1.03 0.12 114.75 115.50 0.75 0.11 5.35 0.04 GBR21004 117.50 119.00 1.50 0.25 2.94 0.04 including 117.50 118.50 1.00 0.11 1.22 0.03 118.50 119.00 0.50 0.53 6.38 0.06 GBR21005 107.50 109.50 2.00 0.12 6.22 0.17



Note: All Sample Intervals are downhole core lengths

Quality Control

Sample preparation, analysis and security procedures applied on the BMR exploration projects is aligned with industry best practice. BMR has implemented protocols and procedures to insure high quality collection and management of samples resulting in reliable exploration assay data. BMR has implemented formal analytical quality control monitoring for all of its field sampling and drilling programs by inserting blanks and certified reference materials into every sample sequence dispatched.

Sample preparation is performed by ALS Minerals Laboratories ("ALS") in Sudbury, Ontario and sample analyses by ALS in North Vancouver, British Columbia. ALS analytical facilities are commercial laboratories and are independent from BMR. All BMR samples are collected and packaged by BMR staff and delivered upon receipt at the ALS Laboratory in Sudbury. Samples are logged in a sophisticated laboratory information management system (LIMS) for sample tracking, scheduling, quality control, and electronic reporting. Samples are dried prior to crushing. The samples are crushed to 70% < -2 millimeters and a riffle split of 250 grams is then pulverized to 85% of the material achieving a size of <75 microns. These prepared samples are then shipped to the ALS Laboratory in North Vancouver for analyses by the following methods:

ME-MS61: A high precision, multi-acid digest including Hydrofluoric, Nitric, Perchloric and Hydrochloric acids. Analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ("ICP") that produces results for 48 elements.

ME-OG62: Aqua-Regia digest: Analysed by ICP-AES (Atomic Emission Spectrometry) or sometimes called optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for high levels of Co, Cu, Ni and Ag.

Ag-GRA21: Silver by fire assay and gravimetric finish; 30-gram charge. Weight. Used when samples contain > 1500 g/t silver.

Au-AA25: Gold was analysed by a 30-gram fire assay method, followed by AAS (atomic absorption spectroscopy).

Certified international standards are inserted into sample batches by ALS. Blanks and duplicates are inserted within each analytical run. The blank is inserted at the beginning, internationally certified standards are inserted at random intervals, and duplicates are analysed at the end of the batch.

Additional Information

P. J. Doyle, FAusIMM (#208850), Battery Mineral Resources Corp. - Vice President Exploration - Canada, supervised the preparation of and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release pertaining to the Canada Exploration Program. Scientific and technical information pertaining to the cobalt resource at McAra was extracted from the Company's NI 43-101 "Technical report on Cobalt Exploration Assets in Canada," dated as of May 26, 2020 with an effective date of March 31, 2020, prepared by Glen Cole (P. Geo) of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc.

About Battery Mineral Resources Corp.

Battery is a multi-commodity resource company which provides investors with exposure to the world-wide trend towards electrification. Battery is engaged in the discovery, acquisition, and development of battery metals (cobalt, lithium, graphite, nickel & copper), in North and South America and South Korea with the intention of becoming a premier and sustainable supplier of battery minerals to the electrification marketplace. Battery is the largest mineral claim holder in the historic Gowganda Cobalt-Silver Camp, Canada and continues to pursue a focused program to build on the recently announced, +1 million pound cobalt resource at McAra by testing over 50 high-grade primary cobalt silver-nickel-copper targets. In addition, Battery owns 100% of ESI Energy Services, Inc., a pipeline equipment rental and sales company with operations in Leduc, Alberta and Phoenix, Arizona. Finally, Battery is currently developing the Punitaqui Mining Complex, and pursuing the potential near term resumption of operations at the prior producing Punitaqui copper-gold mine. The Punitaqui copper-gold mine most recently produced approximately 21,000 tonnes of copper concentrate in 2019 and is located in the Coquimbo region of Chile.

For further information, please contact:

Battery Mineral Resources Corp.

Martin Kostuik

Phone: +1 (604) 229 3830

Email: info@bmrcorp.com

The securities offered pursuant to the Private Placement have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. 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 of the Company on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to complete exploration and development activities, risks related to share price and market conditions, the inherent risks involved in the mining, exploration and development of mineral properties, government regulation and fluctuating metal prices. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Battery undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements contained herein whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES

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Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Radient Technologies Inc. (TSXV: RTI) (OTC Pink: RDDTF) ("Radient" or the "Company") announces today that it will be delayed in filing its audited annual financial statements (the "Statements") for its financial year ended March 31, 2021 and the related Management's Discussion and Analysis and Certifications by the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (collectively the "Required Filings"). Under National Instrument 51-102 of the Canadian Securities Administrators, the Required Filings are required to be made not later than today, July 29, 2021 (the "Deadline"). While every effort is being made to make the Required Filings as soon as possible, the Issuer will not be able to make the Required Filings by the Deadline.

The Company previously applied to the Alberta Securities Commission (the "Principal Regulator"), British Columbia Securities Commission, Ontario Securities Commission, the Manitoba Securities Commission, Saskatchewan Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority, Newfoundland and Labrador, Director of Securities, New Brunswick Financial and Consumer Services Commission, Nova Scotia Securities Commission, Prince Edward Island, Superintendent of Securities, and Autorite des marches financiers pursuant to Part 4 of National Policy 12-203 ("NP 12-203") for a Management Cease Trade Order ("MCTO") as an alternative to a general cease trade order in connection with the possible late filing (the "Default") of the Required Filings. In the event that the MCTO is granted, it will remain in effect until the Default is remedied. The issuance of a management cease trade order generally does not affect the ability of persons who have not been directors, officers or insiders of the Company to trade in their securities.

The Company has experienced unexpected delays in compiling the information required to prepare the Required Filings due to (i) employee turnover resulting in a lack of key personnel and (ii) Company resources being unexpectedly diverted for due diligence activities in connection with certain potential M&A transactions. Please see the Company's press release dated June 30, 2021 for more details of the potential transactions, which is available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

As a result of the delay in compiling such information, the Company's auditor retained to audit the Statements has advised the Company that it will be unable to complete its audit prior to the Deadline, notwithstanding the audit is substantially complete. Consequently, the Company requires additional time to collect the requisite information and for the auditor to complete the audit. The Company anticipates that it will be able to collect the requisite information, the auditor will be able to complete the audit and the Company will be able to complete the Required Filings by August 30, 2021.

The Company confirms that it will satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains in default of the filing requirements described above.

The Company has not taken any steps towards any insolvency proceeding and the Company confirms that there is no material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed.

In the last few weeks, progress has been made in collecting the requisite information to prepare the Required Filings and to complete the audit as soon as possible, and during this time the Company has been in discussions with its auditor for that purpose.

The MCTO prohibits trading in securities of the Company, whether direct or indirect, by:

(a) the Company's Chief Executive Officer;

(b) the Company's Chief Financial Officer; and

(c) the members of the board of directors of the Company or other persons or companies who had, or may have had, access directly or indirectly to any material fact or material change with respect to the Company that has not been generally disclosed.

Should the Company fail to make its Required Filings on or before August 30, 2021, the Principal Regulator can impose a cease trade order that all trading in securities of the Company cease for such period of time as the Principal Regulator may deem appropriate.

About Radient

Radient Technologies Inc. is a commercial manufacturer of diverse, novel and high-quality cannabis extracts and packaged products. Radient develops specialty products and ingredients that contain a broad range of cannabinoid and terpene profiles while meeting the highest standards of quality and safety. Radient also has a science lab that is focused on innovation with expertise in formulations and technologies offering unique solutions in the cannabis and wellness space. Please visit www.radientinc.com for more information.

For more information, please contact:

Harry Kaura, CEO & Director

ir@radientinc.com

Ph: 780 465 1318

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the potential Default, including the Company's ability to make the Required Filings prior to August 30, 2021. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Radient, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; risks associated with operation in the cannabis sector; and other risks inherent in the cannabis industry. Although Radient has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Radient does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable 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.

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TORONTO and LONDON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (TSX: CF), (the "Company") announces the completion of the previously announced investment in the Company's UK wealth management division by investment accounts and funds managed by HPS Investment Partners, LLC (collectively, "HPS").

HPS has acquired convertible preferred shares (the "Convertible Preferred Shares") in the amount of 125 million (C$218 million) issued by Canaccord Genuity Wealth Group Holdings (Jersey) Limited ("CGWM UK"), the parent company of the Company's wealth management operating subsidiaries in the UK and the Crown Dependencies (the "Transaction"). On an as converted basis, the Convertible Preferred Shares represent an approximate 22% equity interest in CGWM UK. Further information in respect of the terms of the Convertible Preferred Shares is provided in the Company's Q3 fiscal 2021 unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and in the Company's MD&A for the periods ended December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021.

Pursuant to the terms of the loan provided by HPS on April 18, 2021, the Company entered into a credit agreement with lenders, Lucid Agency Services Limited as administrative agent and Lucid Trustee Services Limited as security agent, for a senior secured first lien term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of 69 million (C$120 million). This loan has been repaid from the proceeds of the Transaction.

In connection with the Transaction, CGWM UK has provided for the purchase by management of certain equity instruments in CGWM UK within the context of the Transaction value and which is expected to reflect an approximate 4% equity-equivalent interest in CGWM UK. A management incentive arrangement has also been implemented which will provide for certain incentives with performance thresholds related to the future growth of CGWM UK.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates, intentions and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations that are not historical facts, including business and economic conditions and Canaccord Genuity Group's growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "continue", "target", "intend", "could" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and a number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. In evaluating these statements, readers should specifically consider various factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited 'to, market and general economic conditions, the nature of the financial services industry and the risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in the Company's interim condensed and annual consolidated financial statements, its annual report and its annual information form ("AIF") filed on www.sedar.com as well as the factors discussed in the sections entitled "Risk Management" and "Risk Factors" in the AIF, which include market, liquidity, credit, operational, legal and regulatory risks. Material factors or assumptions that were used by the Company to develop the forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, those set out in the Fiscal 2021 Outlook section in the annual MD&A and those discussed from time to time in the Company's interim condensed and annual consolidated financial statements, its annual report and the AIF filed on www.sedar.com. The preceding list is not exhaustive of all possible risk factors that may influence actual results. Readers are cautioned that the preceding list of material factors or assumptions is not exhaustive. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Except as may be required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, further developments or otherwise.

ABOUT HPS INVESTMENT PARTNERS LLC

HPS Investment Partners is a leading global investment firm that seeks to provide creative capital solutions and generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our clients. We manage various strategies across the capital structure that include syndicated leveraged loans and high yield bonds to privately negotiated senior secured debt and mezzanine investments, asset-based leasing and private equity. The scale and breadth of our platform offers the flexibility to invest in companies large and small, through standard or customized solutions. At our core, we share a common thread of intellectual rigor and discipline that enables us to create value for our clients, who have entrusted us with over $72 billion of assets under management as of July 2021. For more information, please visit www.hpspartners.com.

ABOUT CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH MANAGEMENT

The wealth management operations of the Canaccord Genuity Group (Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management) provide comprehensive wealth management solutions and brokerage services to individual investors, private clients, charities and intermediaries through a full suite of services tailored to the needs of clients in each of its markets. Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management has Investment Advisors (IAs) and professionals in Canada, the UK, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Australia and has advisors in Canada who are registered in the U.S. Since 2016, Canaccord Genuity has materially invested to support the growth of its wealth management businesses in all geographies. As a result of this growth, client assets have increased substantially, and Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management has become a stable and significant contributor to firmwide profitability and earnings.

ABOUT CANACCORD GENUITY GROUP INC.

Through its principal subsidiaries, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (the "Company") is a leading independent, full-service financial services firm, with operations in two principal segments of the securities industry: wealth management and capital markets. Since its establishment in 1950, the Company has been driven by an unwavering commitment to building lasting client relationships. We achieve this by generating value for our individual, institutional and corporate clients through comprehensive investment solutions, brokerage services and investment banking services. The Company has wealth management offices located in Canada, the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man and Australia. The Company's international capital markets division operates in North America, UK & Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. is publicly traded under the symbol CF on the TSX.

For further information: Investor and media relations inquiries: Christina Marinoff, Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications, Phone: 416-687-5507, Email: cmarinoff@cgf.com, www.cgf.com/investor-relations
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Centurion Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: CTN) ("Centurion", or the "Company") reports that shareholders approved all proposed management resolutions at its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") held July 29, 2021. The following were the resolutions proposed in the Management Proxy Circular:

The number of Directors for the Company was set at four; The four members elected to the Board of Directors include: David G. Tafel, Jeremy Wright, Kenneth A. Cawkell, and Joseph Del Campo; Manning Elliot LLP, Chartered Accountants, was reappointed as auditor of the Company; The Company's Stock Option Plan was ratified.

ABOUT CENTURION

Centurion Minerals Ltd. is a Canadian-based company with a focus on South American asset development. The Company's lead investment has been its interest in the Ana Sofia Agri-Gypsum Fertilizer Project. The Company has been actively pursuing business opportunities in the South American cannabis and related products industry.

Pursuant to its June 18, 2021 news release; Centurion, Hai Beverages Inc. ("Hai") and the CannaEden, Uruguay group ("CannaEden") continue to work diligently together on multiple aspects related to the amalgamation transaction including, refining the business plan and completing legal documentation for submission to the TSX Venture Exchange.

Centurion is also working with Hai and CannaEden on commercializing the Hai products in South America with the short-term goal of procuring agreements with current licensed producers to manufacture and distribute water-soluble cannabinoids, in ready-to-drink and dry formulations. Additionally, Hai continues to advance its business activity through markets of its initial focus, including Mexico, Canada, and U.S.-based Latino markets.

"David G. Tafel"

President and CEO

For Further Information Contact:

David Tafel

604-484-2161

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.

Completion of the amalgamation transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including, but not limited to, TSX Venture Exchange acceptance and if applicable, shareholder approval. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information release or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91635
Vancouver, British Columbia and Johannesburg, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2021) - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG) ("Platinum Group" "PTM" or the "Company") announces the resignation of the Company's CEO, President and director, R. Michael Jones, effective immediately. Mr. Jones has agreed to continue as a consultant to Platinum Group until December 31, 2021 to provide transition assistance. Frank Hallam, a director and, most recently, CFO of the Company, has agreed to assume the position of President and CEO on an interim basis.

With Mr. Hallam assuming the role of Interim President and CEO, Greg Blair, CPA, CA, will assume the role of Interim CFO. Mr. Blair has been with the Company for over 11 years and most recently served as Financial Controller. Mimy Fernandez-Maldonado will assume the role of Corporate Secretary also effective immediately.

The Board of Directors of Platinum Group wishes to thank Mr. Jones for his contributions to the Company over the years.

Mr. Hallam has a lengthy history as a senior executive and director with several successful publicly listed mining companies. He co-founded Platinum Group and has worked at the Company for approximately 19 years. He was also a co-founder of MAG Silver Corp. and West Timmins Mining Inc. Mr. Hallam previously served as an auditor in the mining practice of Coopers and Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) and is a qualified CPA, CA, and holds a degree in Business Administration. Mr. Hallam commented, "Mike Jones and I have worked together for many years, including on the team that discovered the Company's Waterberg Project. He made a significant contribution to the concepts and genesis of the Waterberg discovery. Looking forward, we will continue with our commitment to the development of this world class asset, and I wish Mike well in his future endeavours."

About Platinum Group Metals Ltd. and Waterberg Project

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. is the operator of the Waterberg Project, a bulk underground palladium and platinum deposit located in South Africa. The Waterberg Project was discovered by Platinum Group and is being jointly developed with Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd., Mnombo Wethu Consultants (Pty) Ltd. ("Mnombo"), Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation and Hanwa Co. Ltd.

On behalf of the Board of

Platinum Group Metals Ltd.

Frank R. Hallam

Interim CEO and Director

For further information contact:

Kris Begic, VP, Corporate Development

Platinum Group Metals Ltd., Vancouver

Tel: (604) 899-5450 / Toll Free: (866) 899-5450

www.platinumgroupmetals.net

Disclosure

The Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management.

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to the Waterberg Project becoming one of the largest and potentially lowest cash cost underground platinum group metals mines globally, financing and mine development of the Waterberg Project, the market for platinum group metals, the potential of platinum group metals in batteries, and Lion Battery Technologies' development of next generation battery technology. Although the Company believes any forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. The Company directs readers to the risk factors described in the Company's Form 20-F annual report, annual information form and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com, respectively.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91606


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan is scheduled to release a raft of data on Friday, headlining a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are June numbers for unemployment, industrial production, retail sales, housing starts and construction orders.



The jobless rate is expected to hold steady at 3.0 percent, while the jobs-to-applicant ratio is expected to tick up to 1.10 from 1.09 in May.



Industrial production was down 5.9 percent on month and up 21.1 percent on year in May, while retail sales were down 0.4 percent on month and up 8.2 percent on year. Housing starts rose an annual 9.9 percent in June and construction orders gained 7.4 percent on year.



Australia will see Q2 numbers for producer prices and June figures for private sector credit. In Q1, producer prices were up 0.4 percent on quarter and 0.2 percent on year. In May, credit gained 0.4 percent on month and 1.9 percent on year.



The Philippines will release June figures for producer prices; in May, prices were down 4.3 percent on year.



New Zealand will provide June data for building permits; in May, permits were down 2.8 percent on month.



South Korea will release June figures for industrial production and retail sales. In May, industrial production was down0.7 percent on month and up 15.6 percent on year, while retail sales were down 1.8 percent on month and up 3.1 percent on year.



Singapore will see June numbers for bank lending and Q2 data for unemployment and business confidence. In May, lending was worth $693.7 billion. In Q1, the jobless rate was 2.9 percent and the business confidence index score was +38.



Taiwan will release an advance estimate for Q2 gross domestic product, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 6.05 percent on year following the 8.92 percent spike in the previous three months.



Hong Kong will provide an advance estimate for Q2 gross domestic product; in the three months prior, GDP was up 5.4 percent on quarter and 7.9 percent on year.



Thailand will see May figures for retail sales and June data for current account and for its coincident index. In April, retail sales jumped 31.5 percent on year. In June, the current account deficit was $2.6 billion, while the coincident index had a score of 127.82.



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CINCINNATI (dpa-AFX) - Consumer goods company Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) Thursday announced that Jon Moeller, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, will succeed David Taylor as the company's President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 1, 2021.



Moeller joined the company in 1988 as a cost analyst for the company's food production section.



Meanwhile, Shailesh Jejurikar, the CEO of P&G's fabric and homecare segment, will take take over as the COO, effective October 1.



Outgoing CEO Taylor has been in the role since November 2015 and his tenure was highlighted by a proxy battle with Nelson Peltz, where, despite of winning, the company had to include him in the board of directors for his popularity.



James McNerney, chair of P&G's board, announced, 'Jon has been an integral part of P&G's leadership team for well over two decades, helping develop the strategies that P&G people are executing with excellence to drive P&G's growth and value creation.



After the announcement, Moeller remarked, 'I am honored to serve as P&G's CEO. My confidence in the future is rooted in my confidence in P&G people. They are committed to lead, motivated to win, and have a strong focus on sustained excellence in everything we do - serving consumers and delivering for shareholders through an integrated strategy that is delivering balanced growth and value creation.'



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Covariant, a Berkeley, Calif.-based AI Robotics company, raised $80m in Series C funding.

The round was led by returning investor Index Ventures, with additional participation from Amplify Partners and Radical Ventures and new investors Temasek and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments).

The company will use the funding to continue its investment in AI Robotics research and development (R&D), as well as growing its team globally, and accelerate bringing AI into the physical world.

Founded in 2017 by CEO Peter Chen, and President, Chief Scientist Officer Pieter Abbeel, Covariant is building the Covariant Brain, a universal AI that allows robots to see, reason and act on the world around them. The Covariant Brain has been deployed across a wide range of industries including Fashion, Health and Beauty, Industrial Supply, Pharmaceutical, Grocery, Parcel and General Merchandise.

Covariant has added several key executives to its management team. They include:
Fireblocks, a NYC-based platform that enables the entry of traditional institutions into the digital asset space, raised $310m in Series D funding at a $2 billion valuation.

The round was co-led by Sequoia Capital, Stripes, Spark Capital, Coatue, DRW VC and SCB 10X, the venture arm of Thailands Siam Commercial Bank.

The company, which has raised a cumulative total of $489 million since founding, intends to use the funds to scale all business lines, adding more customers and partners to its ecosystem.

Launched in 2019 and led by Michael Shaulov, CEO, Fireblocks Fireblocks is an enterprise-grade platform delivering a secure infrastructure for moving, storing, and issuing digital assets. It 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. Its platform propagates the expansion of digital asset use cases beyond bitcoin into payments, gaming, NFTs, digital securities and allows any business to become a digital asset business. The 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.

Expanding its services globally, Fireblocks now supports many of the worlds 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.

FinSMEs

29/07/2021
Kentucky State Police recently honored troopers and other officers from across the commonwealth. Post 9 Det. Michael J. Coleman, left, and Trooper Corey Charles were named Detective of the Year and Trooper of the Year, respectively.
Accountants in the public sector and public services are well positioned to support countries path to recovery post-pandemic, and the pandemic is a prime opportunity to use creative strategies to solve problems and improve performance measurement, said Nick Jackson, FCMA, CGMA, the immediate past president of CIMA, in a recent webinar.

We will face undoubted economic challenges as we come out of COVID and start to rebuild the global economy and put it on a footing for ongoing growth and success, Jackson said at the Performance Measurement and Evaluation for Senior Accountants in the Public Sector webinar, jointly organised by CIMA and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Maldives.

COVID-19 as opportunity to improve, embrace technology

The ongoing pandemic can be a catalyst for better performance measurement and evaluation. Aida Lim Abdullah, ACMA, CGMA, the CEO of Penang Halal International, a Malaysian government agency responsible for the promotion of the halal sector, said that management accountants can demonstrate their leadership during this time.

We take charge, we lead, we manage in times of crisis, she said on a panel discussion in the webinar. The pandemic has been a very big wakeup call. An accountant who knows how to be quick and agile in a crisis is able to respond well to crisis.

We need to learn from COVID, Hussain Niyazy, ACMA, CGMA, assistant auditor general of the Maldives, said on the same panel. He said that the pandemic has provided accountants and finance professionals an opportunity to rethink processes.

We need to be more creative. We need to see how we can embrace technology, he added.

Opportunities that the speakers see to improve performance measurement and evaluation include:

Cloud technology. Niyazy said that during lockdown, his team was unable to access supporting documents to continue its assurance work. Digitising documents and moving them to the cloud are the basics of what needs to be done going forward. He added that his team will also look at how services can be provided online in the future.

Willingness to embrace more creativity and risk. Necessity is the mother of invention; when youre in a crisis, you create, Jackson said. He said that theres a recognition that finance teams can be more creative in solving problems and increase speed of delivery. During the pandemic, he realised that stakeholders who in pre-pandemic times would not agree to certain ways of doing things were suddenly more willing to try new methods. Lets not design a 100% perfect solution. Lets go with the 80/20 rule or 90/10 rule, he said, where a solution can be 80% or 90% ready in order to go live.

Data and analytics. The public sector is awash with data, but it hasnt always taken advantage of the information available for better decision-making. Evidence drives prioritisation, said Jackson, who has worked in UK government departments including the Treasury, the Ministry of Justice, and the Office for Standards in Education, Childrens Services and Skills (Ofsted), before his current role as the sales development leader at Oracle. There is now technology to capture, clean, analyse, and present data that enable decision-makers to better understand a situation and the options available to them.

Growing remit of finance. Finance leaders are increasingly responsible for IT, HR, and, most recently, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues where they are tasked to ensure the delivery of good governance on issues that impact the environment and society, Jackson said. For instance, in Maldives, where 99% of the country is ocean, climate-related issues have been a focus of the government, and mobilising the right financing to adapt and mitigate negative impacts of climate change will become increasingly more important. Theres more opportunity for us to try to bring more value to our organisations by making better use of financial and nonfinancial data, Jackson said.

The challenge of consistent measurement

However, unlike the private sector where financial indicators are often the most important, accountants in the public sector need to keep in mind myriad other factors, Jackson said.

In the public sector, were not just worried about the financial side of things, we are also worried about the health of our population, educational achievements  so theres a range of other goals and measurements that come into play, he said.

Secondly, the public sector is typically more complex than the private sector in the metrics and definitions used.

In the private sector, most businesses have a clear focus, a single vision and clarity around the nature of the services or products that they provide, he added. But in government, we often have lots of different departments with overlapping responsibilities. Such complexity means that each government department or agency may have different definitions for the same word, and it makes measurement more challenging.

The time dimension is another difficulty. For instance, investments in the education of young children might not see returns until later in the childrens life. The ability to track outcomes of such investments over a long period and conduct longitudinal studies is very important, Jackson said.

Lessons from the ground

In Maldives, where more than a third of government revenue derives from the tourism sector, COVID-19 and the resulting steep decline in income from foreign tourists meant that the government has had to find alternative ways to fund its programmes, Niyazy said. Managing competing priorities and needs has been the focus of the government.

When deciding on cost-cutting measures, the governments priority goes beyond financial considerations. Niyazy gave the example of the priority to pay wages of its civil service, which employs more than 26,000 people, or almost 5% of the countrys population, and in maintaining its education system.

Its quite a big civil service sector. Even if the revenue shortfall is there, we have to pay the wage bill. We have to fund basic health care and the education system, he said.

He added that the country is moving towards programme-based budgeting where the public sector will have to demonstrate how it adds value for taxpayers money. In this process, management accountants professional judgement will be crucial in determining KPIs used and how KPIs are interpreted to show the effectiveness of programmes.

In Sri Lanka, whats needed to improve performance and evaluation across the public sector is meritocracy, Manjula De Silva, FCMA, CGMA, the CEO and secretary-general of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, said on the same panel.

I think thats what we really need to bring back trust, and Im sure that talents will also follow, he said.

He elaborated that implementing a merit-based system will require a robust performance management system and link employee rewards to it.

Increments, bonuses, or prospects of promotion in the public service are not always linked to performance, de Silva added. If you are able to link this to a robust performance management system, youre going to create an environment where professionals will thrive.

Secondly, de Silva warns of confusing output with outcome in performance measurement. In his previous work with Sri Lankas now-defunct Ministry of Public Enterprise Development as a consultant, one challenge is in setting the right KPIs to track outcomes rather than outputs alone. Nonfinancial KPIs in the public sector are key, as its mission is serving the public rather than earning profits. But it requires more effort to identify the right nonfinancial indicators.

For instance, its easier for a public service to measure the number of training programmes and promotional videos it produced compared to the outcome of these activities, such as new jobs created, he said.

To attempt to introduce some form of performance management system, even with all of these challenges and issues, is definitely the way to go than not having it, he said.

 Alexis See Tho (Alexis.SeeTho@aicpa-cima.com) is an FM magazine associate editor.
Samsung has reported its earnings for Q2 2021 that ended June 3, 2021 in which the company has made an operating profit of 12.57 trillion won, up 40.3% YoY. This is due to solid growth in Semiconductor business. It posted 63.67 trillion won consolidated revenue, up 20.2% YoY.

However, IM sector that includes Mobile Communications and Networks Businesses posted 22.67 trillion won consolidated revenue, down 9.25% YoY and 3.24 trillion won operating profit for the quarter, up 66.1%. Revenue declined from the previous quarter due to component supply shortage in the industry as well as production disruptions in its Vietnam factory.

However, the company posted solid double-digit operating profit margin by minimizing impact through rebalancing supply with its global SCM capabilities and through solid contributions from products in the

Galaxy Ecosystem-including tablets and wearables-our improved cost

structure, and efficient allocation of resources.

For Q3 2021 Samsung expects to achieve solid revenue and profit by boosting the competitiveness of the product line up with the launch of new foldable models on August 11th, solidify leadership in premium segment by mainstreaming the foldable category based on innovative new products while also maintaining sales momentum of Galaxy S series and the expansion of mass market 5G phones. The company will also continue to increase sales of the Galaxy Ecosystem products (including tablets, PCs, and wearables) to achieve solid revenue and profits while also strengthening the foundation for future growth.

For the second half of the year, the mobile market is forecast to recover to the pre-COVID level on an annual basis as 5G adoption and contactless trend continue to thrive. However, uncertainties over component supply and COVID-19 will continue to persist, said the company.
The worldwide smartphone market shipped 329 million units in the second quarter of 2021, resulting in a 19% YoY growth but 7% QoQ decline. The top 5 smartphone manufacturers during the quarter were Samsung, Xiaomi, Apple, OPPO and Vivo.

Maintaining its lead, Samsung shipped 58 million units during Q2 2021 with a 7% YoY growth, however its market share reduced to 18% in the quarter. In second place was Xiaomi, who recorded a strong 98% YoY growth thanks to strong demand for Redmi 9, Note 9 and Note 10 series smartphones. The company shipped about 53 million units in the quarter, and it earned their highest ever revenue in the quarter too.

Apple had an incredible quarter despite facing supply chain issues, shipping about 48.9 million units and recording 30% YoY growth. The company had the highest share when it came to revenue, with 41% of the revenue share, thanks to its higher than usual demand for the iPhone 12 Pro series.

OPPO shipped 33.6 million units in Q2 2021, declining 12% QoQ, followed by Vivo shipped 32.5 million units in Q2 2021 with a growth of 44% YoY. Both companies saw steady performance in China along with strong global expansion.

Among other brands, OnePlus emerged as the leader in the premium smartphone market in India during Q2 2021, with 34% of the market share. Within the premium 5G smartphone market in India, the top 3 devices were the OnePlus 9R, OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro. In the worldwide market too, OnePlus performed really well, recording 200% YoY growth thanks to its successful OnePlus 9 series and OnePlus Nord series.

Commenting on the report, Tarun Pathak Research Director said:

While Samsung retained the top spot, its market share fell by over 3% to 18% in Q2 2021. Shipments were down due to weak seasonal demand in some of its key regions such as India, Central and Latin America and Southeast Asia followed by production disruption in Vietnam due to COVID-19. Xiaomi had its best-ever quarter as it was able to increase its market share in China, Southeast Asia and Europe. While Apple fell to the third spot, it captured record second-quarter shipments thanks to persistent demand and supply for its iPhone 12 series. OPPO and vivo retained their spots in the top five as OPPO continued expanding to overseas markets and vivo managed to lead the China market for the second quarter in a row.

Regarding OnePlus growth trajectory, Navnit Nakra, Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of India Sales, OnePlus India, said:

The OnePlus 9 series marked a key milestone in our journey towards bringing a holistic flagship experience in a complete and truly premium package, but at a competitive price point. We are consistently working towards raising the bar for flagships and leading the charge in developing best-in-class devices. Our recent partnership with Hasselblad on strengthening the camera technology have led us to push the boundaries of innovation. And it has been extremely well received. This achievement stands as a testament to our commitment towards the excellent technology that we present to our user community. We are thankful to our Indian consumers for their trust and are further driven to create products that personify our Never Settle approach.

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Billy Culbertson got COVID-19 almost exactly a year ago and spent two days in the hospital.

When he recovered, he said, he figured COVID was a worry of the past.

That was basically my exact mentality, he told FOX10 News in a text message. Im healthy, I work out every day, I eat mostly healthy, take vitamins, I figured I had the antibodies and I was in the clear.

But the 43-year-old Spanish Fort man got a surprise last week when he tested positive again. He indicated that his breathing became so labored that he went to the emergency room at Thomas Hospital on Monday. He has been there ever since.

Culbertson, an aspiring actor, told FOX10 News that breathing difficulties made it hard for him to talk. But he communicated through text messages.

At first I just thought it was a cold, sinus infection, basically anything other than COVID-19 again, he wrote.

He added that on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, he lost his sense of taste and experienced an overwhelming gut feeling that convinced him he did, indeed, have the disease again.

Culbertson is not alone. State health officials say it is rare for someone to contract the virus twice, but they add that the number is rising, especially with new, more-contagious variants circulating.

The Alabama Department of Public Health estimates more than 4,800 residents have had the virus more than once.

Now we have Delta variant, said Rendi Murphree, the top epidemiologist at the Mobile County Health Department. I mean, people could get COVID, you know, two, three, four times, you know, depending on how this thing plays out.

Murphree, director of the departments Bureau of Disease Surveillance and Environmental Services, told FOX10 News that a COVID-19 infection typically confers at least 90 days of natural immunity.

But beyond that, very little is known, and weve been, you know, trying to remind people that, you know, you dont have full immunity just because you had COVID last year or four months ago, she said.

Murphree said researchers are trying to figure out if having COVID previously makes someone less likely to have a severe case the second time.

Alabama Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Karen Landers said early experience has been all over the map.

Weve actually seen a range in re-infection from not so severe to very severe illness and even death. So, this is something that I want to remind people, COVID is a severe and deadly disease.

Culbertson told FOX10 News that the second time has been worse.

It hit harder this time, he wrote. The headaches and body aches have been way worse this time. The not being able to breathe and constantly coughing is considerably worse.

Culbertson told FOX10 News that his doctor told him the current infection is from a variant but did not specify which one.

Landers said natural immunity is not as durable as vaccine-induced immunity. Confusion over that has contributed to low vaccination rates, she added.

It absolutely is a factor and regrettably, this is part of misinformation that is circulating thats not based upon science, she said. And this information is hurting people.

Murphree said many factors can determine how long natural immunity lasts. It could depend on how much virus someone took on when he or she got infected and how the immune system reacted to that dose.

And so, it's really just a gamble if you are relying on natural infection and natural immunity from a COVID infection to protect you, she said.

Murphree acknowledged that the same sort of uncertainties over how long natural immunity lasts also apply to the vaccine. Manufacturers can only guess at how long they will offer protection.

But that we can look at clinical data, right? she said. There are clinical trials ongoing.  Weve learned those.

When demand for vaccine was high and supply was scarce, health officials asked people not to get vaccinated if they had been infected in the previous 90 days. But there was no medical reason for that. Instead, Murphree said, it was an effort to conserve limited vaccine for the most vulnerable.

With more than enough vaccine, all that advice has changed.

We dont tell anybody to wait, Murphree said. And, in fact, if you come into our clinic and you test positive for COVID, well vaccinate you before you go.

Murphree said the vaccine will not do anything to help that infection. But she said it will help reduce chances of a second illness.

The only exception, according to officials, is for people who have had monoclonal antibody or convalescent plasma treatments. They should still wait 90 days.

Well give it with flu shots in the fall, Murphree said. Were giving it now for other, you know, childhood vaccines, adolescent vaccines, adult vaccines.

Culbertson, meanwhile, told FOX10 News that he had a good talk with his doctor and believes the vaccine will slow the spread of the virus and reduce the intensity of the infection should he get COVID a third time.

I am definitely going to get it (the vaccine9 when its time now, he wrote.
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.
Acqua di Genova: Famous or Unknown?

Fragrance Reviews

Italy is known for its citrus groves; it is the producer of the best raw citrus materials used in the perfumery world. When it comes to their own Italian citrus colognes, the first historic brands that are usually remembered are Acqua di Colonia Santa Maria Novella and Acqua di Parma. Today, I would like to remind you of one less-known Italian brand that started its history in 1853 - a time when Italy was not yet a united country.

Acqua di Genova was created in Genoa with an eye on the Savoy royal court, headed by Vittorio Emanuele. Vittorio Emanuele is the name of a luxurious shopping gallery between the Duomo and La Scala squares aimed at tourists and guests of Italy. For Italians, Vittorio was one of the main actors in the Risorgimento, the period of the Italian unification that finished in 1861, after which Camillo de Cavour (or was that Massimo d'Azeglio?) said, "We have created Italy, now we need to create Italians"...

"Created in 1853, for the Royal House of Savoy, by the famous Genoese distiller and perfumer, Stefano Frecceri, Acqua di Genova soon became an indispensable complement to the toilet of every important figure of the time and was used in all European Royal Courts. Even illustrious personalities who have marked the history of Italy, such as King Vittorio Emanuele II, Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, Foreign Minister Costantino Nigra, used Acqua di Genova to enrich their public image with a touch of distinction. The Countess of Castiglione, considered at the time the most beautiful woman in Europe and the architect of the destinies of Italy, did not give up on Acqua di Genova and imposed the charm of her perfume on Emperor Napoleon III of France. Acqua di Genova is an ancient jewel with a nineteenth-century flavor, for those who know how to grasp and appreciate the authenticity of the formulations of the past and the refinement of a product of the highest quality." - Brand info.



Today, the historic brand, which has won dozens of gold medals at various exhibitions worldwide, belongs to the Italian company Intercosma West (along with perfume brands like Sergio Soldano, Contessa di Castiglione, Mimmina, and cosmetics brands Zasmin, Tempo Reale). And of course, the owners could not cancel its very first fragrance - Colonia Classica from the historical range of Acqua di Genova, as it's the first scent of the house, launched in 1853 and associated with the name of Stefano Frecceri. Acqua di Genova was granted to use the Savoy Royal coat of arms since 1866 because of this cologne...

With any truly classic citrus cologne - whether it be German, French, British, or Italian - the main problem is this: to smell the classics with a new nose; to notice in a carefully preserved traditional scent a new cause for delight, something that was not noticed before. Any work of art that's enjoyed (listened to, seen, read, smelt) regularly and daily loses its captivating power. At best, they become invisible and familiar; at worst, they even start to bore you.

Colonia Classica fascinated me with its beautiful neroli beginning, perfectly integrated into the overall composition - competing with Neroli Portofino Tom Ford or Neroli Extreme Gritti, and even better than Cap Neroli Nicolai. Another obvious plus is the longevity of the fragrance, which is much better than your typical 4711 cologne. The scent lasts on me for a solid six hours, gradually - through a floral-spicy accord- merging into a reliable and lasting almost-chypre trail, in which sandalwood and cedar play the main roles. I would recommend this scent to lovers of wet shaving and traditional after-shaves; you may know that the formula for Cologne Water (Eau de Cologne) came to Germany from Italy.

Colonia Classica Acqua di Genova

Top notes: Neroli, Bergamot, Lemon, Lavender, Rosemary, and Orange;

Middle notes: Orange Blossom, Jasmine, and Rose;

Base notes: Amber, Musk, Patchouli, and Sandalwood.

The fresh, floral-powdery Gold Acqua di Genova is a modern addition to the brand's collection that was added after 2003. This is noticeable by the fresh, aquatic floral notes that open the very feminine fragrance - there certainly weren't any like those in the 19th century.

The citruses are transparent and light, gracefully framed by the pure whiteness of lily of the valley and flower dew (let's call these synthetic flowery aquatics that way). At the heart of the fragrance is a classic combination of rose and violet, quite elegant and aristocratic in the XIX century, but more a powdery or lipstick-like scent in the XX century. Here, it is dominated by rose and combined with a bit of the fruity-green notes of black currant, which first appeared in perfumery in the 1960s. So it is likely that the fragrance has some kind of legend and history from the 19th century, but the changes in the formula are obvious, and with its aromatic profile, Gold resembles more a JAdore version for young debutantes than some dusty vintage fragrance that your aunt and other women her age wore on their wedding day.

Gold Acqua di Genova

Top notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Lotus, and Cardamom;

Middle notes: Violet and Rose;

Base notes: Almond blossom and Musk.
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FILE - College students begin moving in for the fall semester at N.C. State University in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, July 31, 2020. By the end of the U.S. head count last year, the Census Bureau lacked data for almost a fifth of the nation's occupied college dorms, nursing homes and prisons, requiring the statistical agency to make eleventh-hour calls to facilities in an effort to collect resident information or use a last-resort statistical technique to fill in the gaps. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, file)




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editor's pick centerpiece featured

Port of Galveston pursuing shore power to reduce ship emissions

JENNIFER REYNOLDS/The Daily News Exhaust billows from a stack aboard Royal Caribbean Cruises Independence of the Seas as it idles its engines at Cruise Terminal No. 2 in Galveston on Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

GALVESTON

In the near future, ships tying up at Galvestons public docks might have a place to plug in, an improvement that would help reduce air pollution.

The Port of Galveston announced this week it was partnering with Texas A&M University at Galveston to conduct a cost-benefit analysis on a shore power system. The study will analyze how much demand there will be for the system at the port over the next 10 years. It comes at a time when other ports are planning to spend millions of dollars to install similar systems.

Shore power systems are used to connect large ships, like passenger liners, to an electrical system on land. By connecting to the onshore system, ships dont have to idle while theyre berthed.

When a ship comes to the port, you basically connect them to the grid, said Alok Verma, head of the Marine Engineering Technology Department at Texas A&M University at Galveston. Galveston doesnt have that type of facility, so the ships are having to rely on their own generators.

That means ships are using fuel, even when theyre not moving. Using fuel means the ships also are releasing emissions from their smoke stacks.

Ships plugged into a shore-power system would pay for the electricity they use, just as they already pay for shore-based utilities such as water.

A single cruise ship can produce more than 55 tons of emissions a year, according to a 2015 study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Emissions include oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide.

The emissions can form ozone, which can damage peoples lungs and contributes to global warming, according to the EPA study.

In the same study, in which the agency studied ship emissions at Port Everglades in Florida, officials determined shore power was the most effective way to cut emissions.

Offering shore power at ports would be substantially more effective than other types of emission reduction tactics such as switching to liquid natural gas or low-sulfur fuels, the EPA found.

Shore power systems arent cheap, but ports across the country have started spending millions of dollars to convert facilities to offer them.

The Port of Seattle is spending $17 million to convert its cruise ship berth to shore power by 2023.

The Port of Miami recently signed a deal with six cruise lines, and received a $2 million grant from the EPA, to bring shore power there.

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line, all of which operate from the Port of Galveston, all signed onto the Miami deal.

Part of the high cost of installing shore power systems is from the cost of bringing high-powered electrical lines into a port, Verma said.

The ports announcement this week said it was in talks with Royal Caribbean Cruises about the feasibility of installing shore power devices at the new cruise terminal underway at Pier 10. Royal Caribbean didnt respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The cruise line last month started construction on its new $100 million cruise terminal at Pier 10. The terminal is expected to be completed in late 2022.

Port of Galveston Director Rodger Rees on Tuesday said Royal Caribbean supported the shore-power initiative and already had its own engineers working on the project.

This is the time to do it, Rees said.

In addition to being good for the environment, a shore power system could potentially bring more business into Galveston, Verma said.

The cost-benefit analysis by Texas A&M University is expected to be completed later this year.
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 87F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms. Low 79F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 87F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 79F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
This episode brought to you by Agora

Derek Yu is the award-winning indie game developer behind games like Aquaria, Spelunky, and most recently Spelunky 2. Earlier this year he joined Gamasutra's Kris Graft and Alissa McAloon in a live GDC Podcast to talk all things Spelunky, how indie game development has changed over the years, and how game development is an exploration of ideas.

Listen now on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify

Check out some highlights:

When people say Spelunky was "perfect"

"I think in some ways, hearing people felt that way about Spelunky 1 was freeing, because I wasn't going back and doing anything with Spelunky 1, I was just making a new game. So if people didn't like the new one, they always had the first game to go back to.

"For me, I just knew that there was more that I wanted to do with Spelunky, and I felt like in the landscape of roguelites that we saw develop after Spelunky...after roguelites kind of exploded and became this big genre, I still felt that there weren't a ton of games that were quite like Spelunky, and so I was excited to explore that further.

"And for me, I think about it as an exploration, and it's really helped me to think about making games--even releasing a commercial game--as just part of exploring. For me personally as an artist, it's about thinking of [game development] as a continuous exploration."

Indie game community then and now

"One of the challenges now is that it's hard to find an insulated community to work in. Really the way I feel about it, a lot of things have gotten easier for indie game developers, but to put it in a video game term, I feel like the difficulty is sort of scaled with the power of indie game developers.

"There's so many tools and so many resources now but at the same time, expectations have really grown. You know, what does an indie game need to look like? What is the threshold for a 'commercially viable' indie game? And I think it's harder to get noticed these days too, just because of the volume of people working in the space.

"And to go back to the community aspect, we're now all on social media, which is kind of like connecting everybody at the same time, which is very different from when I was in the Klik N Play community. We were very insulated from the outside world, and we were just doing our own thing. It felt very manageable in that way because we were all at the same level of student-hobbyist back then, so I felt that it was an appropriate level of challenge and goal-setting for us. We pushed each other but there wasn't as much pressure as you feel now."
SNK Corporation has named former Sega and Zynga Japan president Kenji Matsubara as its new CEO.

The Japanese game company, best known for working on the Metal Slug and Samurai Showdown franchises, said it wants to aim for "further growth and an increase in corporate value" under Matsubara's leadership.

The incoming CEO will officially step into the role on August 1, 2021, and previously served as COO, CPO, and president of Sega. Prior to that, Matsubara worked as CEO and president of Zynga Japan, and also served as president and representative director at at Koei Tecmo.

The news comes less than a year after the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, bought a controlling stake in SNK through his 'Misk' charity. The deal proved rather controversial given Saudi Arabia's poor human rights record, and Misk itself has also been linked to scandals including assassination and espionage attempts.
Sony is finally getting ready to let PlayStation 5 owners upgrade their SSD storage, although it seems the SSD requirements themselves will be rather specific.

A beta version of the PS5's upcoming system software update is currently being rolled to select users, meaning a fraction of those 10 million lucky PlayStation 5 owners can now add more storage to the hulking machine.

In outlining exactly how to do that, Sony made it clear not any SSD will do. Firstly, the PS5 will only support an M.2 SSD, which isn't necessarily a massive hurdle because there are plenty of those about.

That M.2 SSD, however, must meet a number of specific requirements. To deliver optimum performance and (hopefully) match the console's internal SSD, it'll need to feature a PCIe Gen4 interface, offer 5,500MB/s or faster sequential read speeds, include between 250GB and 4TB of storage, and have a module no wider than 22mm.

Crucially, PS5 owners must also find a way to install "effective heat dissipation," ether by choosing an M.2 SSD with a built-in heatsink or buying and attaching one themselves -- either in a single-sided format or double-sided format (you'll also have to consider form factor here, too).

Sony also says it can't guarantee that "all M.2 SSD devices meeting the described specifications will work with your console," and adds that "not all games are necessarily playable with the exact same performance provided by the PS5 console's internal Ultra-High Speed SSD, even where [...] the device's sequential read speed is faster than 5,500MB/s."

Beyond that, the Japanese console maker suggests beta software testers looking to utilize the feature bring together a small flashlight, a #1 Phillips or cross-head screwdriver, and a well-lit room with a table before beginning their SSD transplant.

The full explainer on how to select and equip an M.2 SSD can be found on the PlayStation website, but you can find a list of requirements posted below.
The key to the spike: Vaccination. The CDC reports that 97% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 nationwide are unvaccinated.

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.

In Pendleton, CHI St. Anthony hospital has reported a significant uptick in positive COVID-19 cases over the past week, nearing peak numbers seen last winter, the spokeswoman, Emily Smith, said in an email. Fourteen people have been hospitalized with the virus over the past seven days, with eight hospitalized on Monday alone.

Local hospitals will sometimes refer critically ill patients to other facilities for a higher level of care. But regional hospitals have been unable to accept transfers because they are full with patients, Smith said.

For one patient in need of a transfer, health care workers reached out to 15 different hospitals before finding one with an available bed, Smith said.

On Monday, the emergency departments physician director reported a threefold increase in patients testing positive in the department over the past five days, Smith said. On Friday and Saturday alone, approximately 40% of patients who came to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms tested positive. None had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Gov. Kate Brown's office over the past two days has said it was studying actions elsewhere and consulting with the Centers for Disease Control. Late Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority suggested residents in all counties wear masks in public spaces indoors. But underlined that it was not a directive.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

Brown's office also said it would not force the cancellation of the Pendleton Round-Up in September if infections and hospitalizations remain high in Eastern Oregon or the rest of the state.

"No  the governor does not control individual events," said Brown spokesman Charles Boyle.

Oregon's latest rise in cases comes less than a month after a celebratory announcement that nearly all pandemic restrictions on business and social activities in the state would be lifted on June 30. Brown had said she would remove the risk level restrictions on all counties in the state, regardless of infection levels, if 70% of residents statewide had received at least one shot of vaccine.

While just short of the goal, Brown announced that she would give the green light to reopen the state in time for the "near normal" July 4th holiday sought by President Joe Biden.
Retailu Partners with One Voice One Team to Champion Youth Employment In Retail
TORONTO, July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) 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 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.



Barrick intends to work closely with the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority (EMRA) and other participating exploration and mining companies, over the period of a year, to finalize the terms of Egypts exploitation license agreement which will apply to the industry.

The move into Egypt is an integral part of Barricks exploration strategy. Barrick is a global company and we evaluate opportunities anywhere we see the potential for world-class deposits capable of passing our investment filters. We believe that it is essential to move into prospective emerging and underexplored mineral belts to maintain the discovery rate as part of a balanced development strategy, says Barrick SVP exploration Joel Holliday.

In 2021, Barrick expanded its exploration portfolio with the addition of other prospective new property positions in Tanzania, Guyana, Japan and Nevada.

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 CEO Mark Bristow.

Enquiries

Investor and Media Relations

Kathy du Plessis

+44 20 7557 7738

Email: barrick@dpapr.com

Website: www.barrick.com





Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information



Certain information contained or incorporated by reference in this press release, including any information as to our strategy, projects, plans, or future financial or operating performance, constitutes forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words secure, intend, prospective, finalize, strategy, evaluate, potential, believe, will, expand, partnership and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, with respect to Barricks exploration licenses and planned exploration activities in the Eastern Desert region of Egypt, Barricks intention to work closely with the EMRA and other exploration and mining companies to finalize the terms of Egypts exploitation license agreement for the mining industry, the inclusion of Egypt in Barricks global exploration strategy, and Barricks future partnership with the Egyptian government.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions including material estimates and assumptions related to the factors set forth below that, while considered reasonable by the Company as at the date of this press release in light of managements experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, copper, or certain other commodities (such as silver, diesel fuel, natural gas, and electricity); the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; changes in mineral production performance, exploitation, and exploration successes; risk of loss due to acts of war, terrorism, sabotage and civil disturbances; risks associated with projects in the early stages of evaluation, and for which additional engineering and other analysis is required; failure to comply with environmental and health and safety laws and regulations; timing of receipt of, or failure to comply with, necessary exploration permits and other permits approvals; uncertainty whether some or all of targeted investments and projects will meet the Companys capital allocation objectives and internal hurdle rate; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls or regulations and/or changes in the administration of laws, policies and practices, expropriation or nationalization of property and political or economic developments in Egypt and other jurisdictions in which the Company or its affiliates do or may carry on business in the future; damage to the Companys reputation due to the actual or perceived occurrence of any number of events, including negative publicity with respect to the Companys handling of environmental matters or dealings with community groups, whether true or not; risks associated with artisanal and illegal mining; risks associated with new diseases, epidemics and pandemics, including the effects and potential effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic; litigation and legal and administrative proceedings; employee relations including loss of key employees; increased costs and physical risks, including extreme weather events and resource shortages, related to climate change; and availability and increased costs associated with mining inputs and labor. Barrick also cautions that its guidance may be impacted by the unprecedented business and social disruption caused by the spread of Covid-19. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and gold bullion, copper cathode or gold or copper concentrate losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks).

Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can affect our actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Specific reference is made to the most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the SEC and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities for a more detailed discussion of some of the factors underlying forward-looking statements and the risks that may affect Barricks ability to achieve the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Barrick 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 applicable law.
VICTORIA, British Columbia, July 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resource Works stands with the Pacheedaht First Nation and RCMP in condemning the recent actions of anti-forestry protestors in Tree Farm License 46 on Southern Vancouver Island.



Rather than playing a constructive role in moving British Columbia towards ever-better ways of responsibly managing our forests the blockaders are actively sowing discord and conflict, even after their initial demands were met, says Stewart Muir, Resource Works Executive Director. They have become extremists, less interested in the cause than in continuing the conflict.

Supported by a small team of independent forest experts, Resource Works has identified numerous ways the groups organizing the blockades and related protests have violated the wishes of local First Nations, the laws of Canada, and human norms.

Perhaps most alarming from a human perspective is the deaths of two individuals involved with the blockades, including a 17-year-old woman last week, Muir says. Authorities should ensure that other lives are not being recklessly placed at risk.

Taken individually, many of the actions by blockaders are alarming enough. When taken together, they demonstrate a clear pattern of wanton disregard, colonial and racist attitudes, and questionable ethics.

Among the alleged violations are:

Smoking and using chainsaws in the bush despite the high fire rating and dry conditions. Lighting sacred fires at protest sites in dry forests. At the same time, falsely accusing a forestry company of risking forest fire when in fact the company is following all provincial fire regulations.

Cutting live trees to use as barriers, for structures, and firewood, a hypocritical act defying both the Pacheedaht First Nation and BC law.

Declining to abide by repeated requests from the Pacheedaht and other local First Nations that they leave. They have justified staying based on the invitation of a single member of the First Nation, who is not in a leadership role.

Refusing to acknowledge Pacheedaht First Nations Hereditary Chief Frank Queesto Jones as the legitimate hereditary leader, instead trying to install a young man who has not met the conditions for being hereditary chief in that role, apparently because he is willing to speak in favour of the blockades. This is not the first time white environmentalists have undermined a First Nations leader who disagreed with them.

Using Pacheedaht First Nations territory and its resources to solicit more than $1 million in donations from the public, without returning any of those funds to the First Nation or offering any transparency in who is accessing those funds and for what purposes.

Defying a court injunction, and encouraging others to similarly break the law.

Assaulting RCMP carrying out their court-ordered duties.

Issuing false statements about the extent of old growth forests in B.C. The blockaders claim only three per cent of productive old growth forest remains in BC, which would be 35,000 hectares. In fact, mapping shows there is more than 500,000 hectares of large (more than 37.5 metres tall) old growth forest on the BC coast alone. By the provinces definition BC has about 14 million hectares of old growth forest, 10 million hectares of which is protected.

Failing to abide by COVID-19 pandemic orders;

Encouraging parents to bring children to the site to have them engage in unsafe activities and be arrested;

The initial demand of the blockaders was that logging be stopped in the Fairy Creek watershed. When the province deferred logging in that watershed for two years in response to a request from local First Nations the blockaders simply moved the goalposts  first insisting all old growth logging in the area must stop, and then extending that to the entire province.

Spreading significant misinformation about the nature of logging in the area generally and Fairy Creek specifically.

Failing to acknowledge most of Fairy Creek itself is protected, including the areas with large tress, and that there are significant stands of old growth preserved in nearby parks.

Portraying blockaders as a simple grassroots movement when in fact they are organized by sophisticated and well-financed organizations with large staffs of full-time employees capable of launching costly legal campaigns and producing commercial-quality video and advertising.

Stealing logs, chainsaws, and other equipment to use in their blockades.

Sabotaging vehicles and equipment.

Parking vehicles illegally to block legal access to the area, in some cases removing tires to make them more difficult to remove, and then launching a legal challenge when those vehicles were removed.

Failing to maintain sanitary camp conditions. People who have visited the camps report a strong smell of feces, and outhouses have been established immediately up from waterways.

Leaving behind garbage and waste, including hardened concrete apparently brought in for use in barriers but dumped on the forest floor.



The Fairy Creek blockades are unfair and unhelpful for First Nations and ordinary workers, especially at a time when there is broad commitment to continue evolving and improving forest practices, Muir adds. Its time to move on.

About Resource Works:

Resource Works communicates with British Columbians about the importance of the province's resource sectors to their personal well-being. It demonstrates how responsible development of British Columbia's resources creates jobs and incomes throughout the province, both directly and indirectly, while maintaining a clean and healthy environment.

And Resource Works explores the long-term economic future of British Columbia as a place that depends on the responsible development, extraction and transportation of the province's resources.

Media contact:

Stewart Muir

Resource Works

250-589-6747




English German

Basel, Switzerland, July 29, 2021

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. (SIX: BSLN) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to Basileas tumor checkpoint controller, lisavanbulin, for the treatment of malignant glioma (brain cancer). This includes glioblastoma, the most common type of primary brain cancer and one of the most lethal types of cancer.1 Orphan Drug Designation qualifies the sponsor of the drug for various incentives, including longer regulatory market exclusivity.

Dr. Marc Engelhardt, Chief Medical Officer, commented: The Orphan Drug Designation of lisavanbulin by the U.S. FDA is an important milestone for the development of lisavanbulin. Glioblastoma is associated with a poor prognosis and there are only very limited therapeutic options available. Lisavanbulin, as a targeted treatment, could be a useful new approach to expand the treatment options for patients with this devastating disease.

Basilea is currently conducting a phase 1/2 study in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, using end-binding protein 1 (EB1) for patient selection.2 In the previously reported phase 1 part of the study, long-lasting clinical benefit was observed in two patients with recurrent glioblastoma whose tumor tissues showed EB1-positive staining.3 Interim results from the phase 2 part of the study are expected in the second half of 2021.

About lisavanbulin (BAL101553)

Basilea's oncology drug candidate lisavanbulin (BAL101553, the prodrug of BAL27862)4 is currently being developed as a potential therapy for glioblastoma.2, 5, 6 In preclinical studies, lisavanbulin demonstrated in-vitro and in-vivo activity against diverse treatment-resistant cancer models, including tumors refractory to conventional approved therapeutics and radiotherapy.7, 8, 9

Lisavanbulin efficiently distributes to the brain, with anticancer activity in glioblastoma models.10, 11 In preclinical studies, end-binding protein 1 (EB1) was identified as a potential response-predictive biomarker in glioblastoma models and strong EB1-positivity was shown in about 5% of tissue samples from glioblastoma patients.12, 13 The strongest expression of EB1 in non-glioblastoma tumors was detected in tissue samples from medulloblastomas and neuroblastomas, which are cancers that occur predominantly in the pediatric population. EB1-positive staining was also found in tissue samples from metastatic melanoma (skin cancer). Other tumors expressing slightly lower levels of EB1 staining include non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer and triple-negative breast cancer.13 The active moiety BAL27862 binds to the colchicine site of tubulin, with distinct effects on microtubule organization,14 resulting in the activation of the "spindle assembly checkpoint" which promotes tumor cell death.15

About Basilea

Basilea is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Switzerland. We are committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative drugs to meet the medical needs of patients with cancer and infectious diseases. We have successfully launched two hospital brands, Cresemba for the treatment of invasive fungal infections and Zevtera for the treatment of severe bacterial infections. We are conducting clinical studies with two targeted drug candidates for the treatment of a range of cancers and have a number of preclinical assets in both cancer and infectious diseases in our portfolio. Basilea is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Please visit basilea.com.

Disclaimer

This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:

Peer Nils Schroder, PhD



Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail media_relations@basilea.com

investor_relations@basilea.com

This press release can be downloaded from www.basilea.com.

References

B. M. Alexander, T. F. Cloughesy. Adult Glioblastoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2017 (35), 2402-2409 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02490800; C. Tiu, S. Derby, N. Md. Haris et al. The potential utility of end-binding protein 1 (EB1) as response-predictive biomarker for lisavanbulin: A phase 2 study of lisavanbulin (BAL101553) in adult patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2021, 39 (15 supplement, TPS2068) C. Tiu, A. Tzankov, R. Plummer et al. The potential utility of end-binding protein 1 (EB1) as response-predictive biomarker for lisavanbulin: Final results from a phase I study of lisavanbulin (BAL101553) in adult patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). Annals of Oncology 2020 (31) supplement 4, S396-S408 J. Pohlmann, F. Bachmann, A. Schmitt-Hoffmann et al. BAL101553: An optimized prodrug of the microtubule destabilizer BAL27862 with superior antitumor activity. Cancer Research 2011, 71 (8 supplement), abstract 1347 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03250299 ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02895360 A. Sharmq, A. Broggini-Tenzer, V. Vuong et al. The novel microtubule targeting agent BAL101553 in combination with radiotherapy in treatment-refractory tumor models. Radiotherapy Oncology 2017 (124), 433-438 G. E. Duran, H. Lane, F. Bachmann et al. In vitro activity of the novel tubulin active agent BAL27862 in MDR1(+) and MDR1(-) human breast and ovarian cancer variants selected for resistance to taxanes. Cancer Research 2010, 70 (8 supplement), abstract 4412 F. Bachmann, K. Burger, G. E. Duran et al. BAL101553 (prodrug of BAL27862): A unique microtubule destabilizer active against drug refractory breast cancers alone and in combination with trastuzumab. Cancer Research 2014, 74 (19 supplement), abstract 831 A. Schmitt-Hoffmann, D. Klauer, K. Gebhardt et al. BAL27862: a unique microtubule-targeted agent with a potential for the treatment of human brain tumors. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2009, 8 (12 supplement), C233 A. C. Mladek, J. L. Pokorny, H. Lane et al. The novel tubulin-binding 'tumor checkpoint controller' BAL101553 has anti-cancer activity alone and in combination treatments across a panel of GBM patient-derived xenografts. Cancer Research 2016, 76 (14 supplement), abstract 4781 R. Berges, A. Tchoghandjian, S. Honore et al. The novel tubulin-binding checkpoint activator BAL101553 inhibits EB1-dependent migration and invasion and promotes differentiation of glioblastoma stem-like cells. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2016 (15), 2740-2749 M. Skowronska, C. Tiu, A. Tzankov et al. Expression of end-binding protein 1 (EB1), a potential response-predictive biomarker for lisavanbulin, in glioblastoma and various other solid tumor types. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2021, 39 (15 supplement, 3118) A. E. Prota, F. Danel, F. Bachmann et al. The novel microtubule-destabilizing drug BAL27862 binds to the colchicine site of tubulin with distinct effects on microtubule organization. Journal of Molecular Biology 2014 (426), 1848-1860 F. Bachmann, K. Burger, H. Lane. BAL101553 (prodrug of BAL27862): the spindle assembly checkpoint is required for anticancer activity. Cancer Research 2015, 75 (15 supplement), abstract 3789

Attachment
BOULDER, Colo., July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunrise Strategic Partners (Sunrise), a Boulder, CO based accelerator of emerging brands in the healthy, active and sustainable living space, announces new funding from its partner, Trilantic North America. Founded in 2016, the new funding solidifies Sunrise Strategic Partners as one of the preeminent investors in better-for-you food and beverage and as the largest food and beverage investor on the Front Range.



Our partnership with Trilantic North America has created a new model for value creation for emerging brands in our sector, said Steve Hughes, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Sunrise Strategic Partners. The capital, and more importantly growth expertise, we provide is empowering brands to disrupt their categories. We are excited to continue this rewarding partnership with Jamie Manges and the entire Trilantic North America team.

In addition to a robust portfolio of innovative brands, Sunrise Strategic Partners has recently completed two highly successful exits. Sunrise invested in Kodiak Cakes in 2016, helping drive revenue from $15 million to over $200 million and a successful sale to L Catterton. Sunrise remains a minority shareholder in Kodiak Cakes alongside Kodiaks founders and management team. Sunrise was also an investor in Vital Farms, which completed its IPO in 2020. Other brands in the Sunrise portfolio include Califlour Foods, Coolhaus, Kill Cliff, Little Secrets, Maple Hill Creamery, Pact, and Teton Waters Ranch.

With two successful exits and a portfolio of world-class brands, Sunrise Strategic Partners remains well-positioned to continue identifying and accelerating brands in the better-for-you food and beverage space, said Jamie Manges, Partner at Trilantic North America. We look forward to the next phase of our partnership, supporting the next generation of extraordinary founders and scaling their businesses to become category leaders.

The success of Sunrise Strategic Partners and its brands is attributed to the talented team of CPG and financial professionals and their formulaic, value-added model. With their sights set on leading the next generation of high-growth category disruptors, Sunrise has brought in renowned food and beverage executive Peter Burns as a Managing Partner. Most recently, as CEO of ONE Brands, Burns led the sale of the company to Hershey in late 2019. Prior to that he also led Justins to a successful sale to Hormel. Burns will join Steve Hughes and Vincent Love as Managing Partner of Sunrises new investment vehicle funded by Trilantic North Americas Fund VI North America.

Joining Sunrise allows me to live my passion of helping founders and management teams scale their business and create tremendous value, said Peter Burns, Managing Partner of Sunrise Strategic Partners. Millennial consumers are driving a massive shift from legacy brands to emerging brands that are better aligned with their values. Im excited to join Sunrise because we are uniquely positioned to partner with these disruptive brands and provide the tools and expertise needed to capitalize on this shift in the industry.

As the firm evolves and prepares for the next phase of growth, Sunrise Strategic Partners has also promoted Nick Mole to Principal. Mole joined Sunrise in 2016 and will continue his role originating, performing due diligence on and structuring Sunrise Strategic Partners' investments.

Media Inquiries:

Katy Love

Katy@commodditiesinc.com

About Sunrise Strategic Partners

Sunrise Strategic Partners (Sunrise) is based in Boulder, Colorado, and provides growth expertise and capital to differentiated and authentic emerging brands in the healthy, active and sustainable living space that resonate with Millennials, have a strong proof of concept, and need capital for growth. The Sunrise team is deeply experienced in scaling brands and supports these investments by adding strategic value and guidance on tactical priorities.

For more information, visit sunrisestrategicpartners.com

About Trilantic North America

Trilantic Capital Management L.P. (Trilantic North America) is a leading, growth-focused middle market private equity firm focused on control and significant minority investments in North America. Trilantic North Americas primary investment focus is in the business services, consumer and energy sectors. Trilantic North America has managed six private equity funds families with aggregate capital commitments of $9.7 billion. Trilantic North America has been recognized by Inc. Magazines 2019 list of Top 50 Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firms.

For more information, visit www.trilanticnorthamerica.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0139cb69-cc6c-4015-9271-6e0c475233d4
BANGOR, MAINE, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Husson University announced today that Brien Walton, JD, EdD, director of the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business and assistant professor of entrepreneurship at Husson Universitys College of Business, was named the first African-American chair of the Maine Venture Fund Board of Directors. Governor Janet Mills of Maine appointed all of the board members.

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 makes 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 Dr. 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.

Funded by the state as a revolving "evergreen" fund, the Maine Venture Fund (MVF) has invested over $25.2 million in small businesses since the funds inception in 1997 and has attracted over $200 million in outside investment to Maine, creating high-quality jobs across the state. The MVF has made 155 investments in over 80 companies, which has created over 900 jobs1 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 MVFs 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 Maines economy, and we look forward to continuing our work in the Senate to promote economic development and job creation as well.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Maine has 147,240 small businesses.2 Thats the equivalent of one small business for every nine people in our state.3 Here in Maine, 99.2% of all companies are small businesses.4

As part of his work with the Maine Venture Fund, Walton will provide testimony to the state legislature about banking and financial ventures. He and the other 10 members of the Maine Venture Fund Board of Directors appointed by the Governor will be responsible for determining how the fund invests in businesses that have the potential for significant growth here in Maine.

Robert A. Clark, PhD, president of Husson University and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), one of the highest designations of distinction in the investment management profession, agrees in the importance of growth. Having a strong economy provides students with internship and job opportunities after they graduate, said Clark. Professional experience is an essential part of career success.

With the largest College of Business in the state, located in a brand new $17 million facility that will open in late August, Husson University is uniquely qualified to develop the business professionals of tomorrow, said Marie Hansen, JD, PhD, SHRM-SCP, dean of Husson Universitys College of Business and New England School of Communications (NESCom). Our graduates go on to jobs with Wall Street firms and get practical experience making investment decisions while they are in college. They benefit from Dr. Waltons expertise particularly in the classes he teaches in entrepreneurship and business at Husson University. We value the real-world experience our faculty can bring to students so that they too can aspire to future leadership positions.

Adding to Dean Hansens remarks, President Clark said, Thanks to generous donations from James and Carol Carlisle, and Joseph and Suzanne Cyr, students have the opportunity to manage an investment fund of over $1,000,000, with guidance from faculty, as part of their Husson education. I wouldnt be surprised at all if the next generation of Maine Venture Fund leaders were Husson University graduates.

More about Dr. Brien Walton:

This is not the first time Dr. Walton has been called upon to contribute his expertise to a government initiative. In 2020, the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reached out to Dr. Walton about a speaking opportunity. The two government organizations invited Walton to speak during the capstone portion of their Opportunity Zone webinar series called, Bolstering Growth in Opportunity Zones: Leveraging Public and Private Resources.

We're fortunate to have a leader of Dr. Waltons caliber chairing our board of directors, said Joe Powers, the 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 funds assets for the benefit of all Maine citizens, especially in this era of increased collaboration between state and federal government.

Waltons academic credentials are extensive. He earned his Doctorate of Education in organizational learning leadership with a concentration in leadership development from the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business. In addition, Walton has a Juris Doctorate in Law from the University of the District of Columbia, a Master of Science in education with a concentration in workforce development from the University of Pennsylvania; a Master of Arts in educational technologies from Harvard University; and a Master of Laws in taxation from Georgetown University.

Dr. Walton also has extensive work experience. He is an award-winning strategic advisor on economic development and structured finance. Walton is also CEO of Acadia Capital Management, LLC, a strategic advisory firm that works directly with municipal leaders of economically distressed communities to create innovative funding pathways that eliminate poverty and facilitate sustainable growth.

Walton joined the Husson team as the director of the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business and as an assistant professor of entrepreneurship. The Center for Family Business (CFB) at Husson University in Bangor, Maine is dedicated to supporting and strengthening the 30,000+ family-owned businesses in Maine. It serves family business owners, managers and employees through a variety of seminars and workshops.

For more than 120 years, Husson University has shown its adaptability and strength in delivering educational programs that prepare future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent a superior value in higher education. The hallmarks of a Husson education include advanced knowledge delivered through quality educational programs. According to a recent analysis of tuition and fees by U.S. News & World Report, Husson University is one of the most affordable private colleges in New England. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.

# # #

1 Maine Venture Fund, Our Impact https://www.maineventurefund.com/, Accessed 7/13/2021

2 Mainebiz, From the Editor: Small businesses are Maines economic backbone, Peter Van Allen, September 7, 2020, https://www.mainebiz.biz/article/from-the-editor-small-businesses-are-maines-economic-backbone, Accessed 7/13/2021.

3 Ibid

4 Ibid

Attachments
NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greenbacker Capital Management, LLC (Greenbacker Capital or Greenbacker), a leader in sustainable infrastructure investment, announced today that, through an affiliated fund (the Fund), it has made a strategic investment in Commonwealth Energy Partners (CEP), through the companys subsidiary CEP Solar. The investment from Greenbacker will enable CEP to expand and execute on its existing project pipeline, which is focused on solar power and energy storage development in the Commonwealth of Virginia.



The renewable energy market there is expected to grow exponentially, as demand for clean energy accelerates across both Virginia and the regions broader PJM power market. Driven in part by the 2020 passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which mandates a statewide 100% clean energy standard by 2045, Virginias regulated market alone is expected to procure at least one gigawatt of solar annually for the next 15 years.

We are thrilled to join forces with the CEP team as we expand our presence across the Mid-Atlantic and, specifically, in Virginia, said Benjamin Baker, the Funds Managing Director and Principal. CEP is emblematic of what Greenbacker seeks in its partners: a top-tier management team with deep market knowledge and relationships, operating within an attractive, high-growth market like Virginia.

CEP was founded in 2020 by Tyson Utt and Richard Wright, an experienced team of Virginia-based solar developers. Prior to co-founding the company, Utt was Vice President of Development, East at Apex Clean Energy, one of the leading renewable energy developers in the US, and Wright served as COO of Heelstone Renewable Energy, a firm focused primarily on solar development in the Southeast.

Our mission at Commonwealth Energy Partners is to empower the clean economy. Working with the Greenbacker team, who shares our vision and values, will enable CEP Solar to deliver long-term economic and environmental benefits to our partnering landowners, communities, and customers across the Commonwealth of Virginia, said Utt and Wright.

Commonwealth was advised by GreenFront Energy Partners, an investment banking and advisory firm focused on sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy.

Greenbacker Capital established the Fund in 2020 to invest in companies focused on sustainable infrastructure development serving high-value markets across the United States. Since inception, the Fund has made investments in half a dozen such companies.

About Greenbacker Capital

Greenbacker Capital Management LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser that provides advisory and oversight services related to project development, acquisition, and operations in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability industries.

For more information, please visit https://greenbackercapital.com/ .

About Commonwealth Energy Partners

Commonwealth Energy Partners, LLC is a clean energy company based in Richmond, Virginia that partners with landowners, communities, and customers to originate and manage best-in-class solar and storage projects across the Commonwealth of Virginia to deliver long-term economic and environmental benefits for the Commonwealth.

For more information, please visit www.cep-solar.com

About GreenFront Energy Partners

GreenFront Energy Partners is an investment banking firm that specializes in alternative energy financial advisory. GreenFronts service offering includes buy-side and sell-side M&A advisory and debt and equity capital raising, as well as PPA advisory services.

For more information, please visit www.greenfrontenergy.com.

Media Contacts

Greenbacker:

Jonlyn Freeman

VP, Marketing

(917) 499-2440

j.freeman@greenbackercapital.com




Oxnard, CA, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In advance of World Ranger Day (July 31), the International Anti-Poaching Foundations (IAPF) Akashinga Ranger Program is now fully powered by renewable energy, in part from a generous donation of batteries by CA-based SimpliPhi Power, IDEA donors and Bay Area nonprofit, Empowered by Light.

The renewable energy system, comprised of 10-kilowatts of solar panels and 45 kilowatt-hours of energy storage, provides reliable, uninterruptable power to the IAPFs training facilities in Zimbabwes Lower Zambezi Valley with five indoor classrooms, a lecture theater, an industrial kitchen, dining area, laundry room and water well, all of which support the Akashinga rangers.

The all-women ranger force, as chronicled in the documentary, Akashinga: The Brave Ones, directed by Maria Wilhelm and produced by three-time Academy Award winner, James Cameron, patrol 1.3 million acres of wilderness and have achieved significant results, including a 90 percent reduction in elephant poaching since 2016 when the program was initiated. Akashinga is a community-driven conservation model, empowering disadvantaged womentrained by experts in conservation and law enforcement, to restore and preserve a network of wilderness areas as an alternative to trophy hunting and bush-meat markets.

Having solar and storage technology support our facilities and programs gives us the capacity to operate independently and more effectively on the front lines of the fight to protect wildlife and preserve natural habitats, said Damien Mander, former Iraq War veteran and Australian Special Forces commando who founded the International Anti-Poaching Foundation and Akashinga Program.

"These women are truly courageous, many coming from abusive homes and marginalized communities to join the Akashinga Program and confront armed and dangerous poachers at the intersection of extreme poverty, gender inequity and climate change. They are revolutionizing the way animals and habitat are protected and how local communities can coexist sustainably and equitably within diverse ecosystems that are essential to the future of the planet, said Catherine Von Burg, CEO and President of SimpliPhi Power.

Wildlife poaching and human/wildlife conflict are expected to increase with population growth and climate change, and displacing diesel by providing reliable, renewable electricity to those effectively tackling these issues is a win for wildlife, humanity and the planet, said Moira Hanes, executive director of Empowered by Light.

About SimpliPhi Power

With a mission to create universal access to safe, reliable, and affordable energy, SimpliPhi Power designs and manufactures efficient, non-toxic, and enduring energy storage and management systems that utilize environmentally benign lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry. Based in Oxnard, California, SimpliPhi combines the non-hazardous LFP energy storage chemistry with its proprietary cell and battery architecture, power electronics, Battery Management System (BMS) and manufacturing processes to create safe, reliable, durable, and highly scalable on-demand power solutions for residential, commercial, industrial, and government sectors.

For more information, visit www.simpliphipower.com

Empowered by Light

Empowered by Light is a U.S. nonprofit empowering vulnerable communities on the frontlines of climate change, wildlife loss and environmental devastation. EBL has completed nearly 50 solar and energy storage projects in 8 countries--including seven in Sub-Saharan Africa, helping school-age children study better, supporting conservation and wildlife protection and efforts, and building more resilient communities.

For more information, visit www.empoweredbylight.org

International Anti-Poaching Foundation

The International Anti-Poaching Foundation has transformed a traditionally adversarial approach to conservation into an innovative, empowering and gender-diverse model to protect wildlife and habitats. The animal conservation organization is a leader in on-the-ground solutions for nature conservation, protecting and restoring nature in ways that contribute both to national conservation strategies and the empowerment of indigenous communities.

For more information, visit https://www.iapf.org/
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Working to improve the impact for students of color throughout the United States, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is joining forces with QBE North America to encourage philanthropy through education. Benefiting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their students, UNCF aims to change the narrative of HBCUs across the nation by equipping students of color with the resources necessary to get to and through college, and ultimately into the career workforce. The two will partner, with QBE taking the lead to help promote workplace giving during a unique virtual campaign on July 30.

The foundation of UNCF was built on the act of giving, said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. UNCFs partnerships with socially responsible corporate leaders like QBE shows our steadfast commitment to educating students and providing resources to our HBCUs which ultimately has a great impact on the nation. And, of course, securing a better world for the next generation starts with a quality education.

The QBE-supported UNCF Workplace Giving Campaign will begin with a panel discussion entitled, Driving economic growth through the Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, July 30, and will also provide the opportunity for QBE and its employees to support UNCF through one-time gifts or a payroll deduction. The campaign will also provide opportunities for employees to engage in volunteerism at UNCF functions and engage with HBCU students to offer broad-based mentorship support.

At QBE, our purpose is to give people the confidence to achieve their ambitions, said Todd Jones, CEO for North American Operations, QBE. We are excited to support the United Negro College Fund in its critical mission to support students through scholarships and other programs. Offering educational opportunities that help students to realize their dreams and ambitions links directly with our purpose as well as our ongoing commitment to reduce inequalities and strengthen the communities where we live and work.

Haki Halisi, area development director, UNCF, said, The importance of partnering with industry leaders like QBE cannot be overstated. Our students not only benefit from their philanthropy but are also given unique tangible career options to strive for as they pursue their educational goals. Enduring an unprecedented pandemic as we all are, I think it is more important than ever to embrace the UNCF mantra, A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.



The giving campaign will kick off in South Florida, focusing on HBCUs in the state. More than 5,500 Florida students attend HBCUs. UNCF-member institutions Florida Memorial University, Bethune-Cookman University and Edward Waters University are among the Florida HBCUs that contribute almost 8,000 in jobs, $833 million in economic impact and $8.6 billion in lifetime earnings for Florida HBCU graduates, according to a landmark study commissioned by UNCF.

This partnership helps to support area students and local HBCUs, Halisi added. We hope more corporate friends will follow the wonderful example being set by QBE as we work to secure better futures for us all by investing in the dreams of deserving South Florida youth.

Click here for more information about UNCFs workplace giving efforts or email Haki.Halisi@uncf.org or call 954.527.3315.

About UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20% of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, A mind is a terrible thing to waste.  Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.

About QBE

QBE North America is global insurance leader focused on helping customers solve unique risks, so they can focus on what matters most. Part of QBE Insurance Group Limited, QBE North America reported Gross Written Premiums in 2020 of $4.775 billion. QBE Insurance Group's 2020 results can be found at www.qbe.com.

Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, QBE operates out of 27 countries around the globe, with a presence in every key insurance market. The North America division, headquartered in New York, conducts business through its property and casualty insurance subsidiaries. The actual terms and coverage for all lines of business are subject to the language of the policies as issued. QBE insurance companies are rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best and "A+" by Standard & Poor's. Additional information can be found at www.qbe.com/us or follow QBE North America on LinkedIn and Twitter.
English French

TORONTO, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunwing has announced a new partnership with Bentley, a leading luggage and handbag retailer, on a back-to-school initiative to collect new and gently used books and school bags for donation to communities in need. The initiative will focus on supporting children in destinations across the Caribbean and Mexico that have seen a decline in tourism as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Collection boxes will be set up in select Bentley stores beginning on August 2, 2021 through August 15, 2021, and donations collected in store will be flown on board Sunwing Airlines flights to local schools across the Caribbean and Mexico. As an added incentive, customers who donate will receive a $5 Bentley coupon which can be used towards purchases of $20 or more in store, along with a $50 promotional code that can be applied towards a future Sunwing vacation.

Its been a trying 16 months for local communities across the Caribbean and Mexico that depend heavily on the tourism industry for support and employment, commented Samantha Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer at Sunwing. As we resume operations, we are excited to restart initiatives that support local communities. Were grateful to Bentley for partnering with us on this important cause, and look forward to helping support local children and schools with these donated resources.

The donation drive is the latest initiative of the Sunwing Foundations Flying Start program, which aims to provide students in the destinations that Sunwing serves with all the essential tools and building blocks for a successful education. The Flying Start initiative has previously supported communities across Jamaica, Tobago, Antigua and the Dominican Republic.

"We are pleased to be working with Sunwing on this important initiative," said Sandrine Giry, Vice President of Purchasing/Branding at Bentley. "Community support and solidarity are extremely important to us at Bentley. By making donation boxes available in some of our most popular stores in Quebec and Ontario, we hope to make a positive contribution in the communities served by Sunwing.

Participating store locations include:

Dufferin Mall in Toronto, Ontario

Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, Ontario

Bramalea City Centre in Brampton, Ontario

Scarborough Town Centre in Scarborough, Ontario

Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Ontario

Dixie Outlet Mall in Mississauga, Ontario

Limeridge Mall in Hamilton, Ontario

Vaughan Mills in Vaughan, Ontario

Cookstown Manufacturers Outlet Mall in Cookstown, Ontario

White Oaks Mall in London, Ontario

Bayshore Shopping Centre in Nepean, Ontario

Hawkesbury Centre Outlet in Hawkesbury, Ontario

Northgate Shopping Centre in North Bay, Ontario

Carrefour Laval in Laval, Quebec

Les Promenades Gatineau in Gatineau, Quebec

Premium Outlets Montreal in Mirabel, Quebec

More information on the partnership can be found at sunwing.ca/en/bentley.

About Sunwing

The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from airports across Canada to popular sun destinations across the U.S.A., Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. This scale enables Sunwing to offer customers exclusive deals at top-rated resorts in the most popular vacation destinations as well as cruise packages and seasonal domestic flight service. Sunwing customers benefit from the assistance of the companys own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. The company supports the communities where it operates through the Sunwing Foundation, a charitable initiative focused on the support and development of youth and humanitarian aid.

About Bentley

With over thirty years of customer service, Bentley has developed a strong reputation for retailing both travel and everyday bags, becoming synonymous with excellence and providing impeccable customer service in over 160 locations across our country.

For more information:

Melanie Anne Filipp

Director, Corporate Communications & Media Relations

Sunwing Travel Group

1-800-387-5602 | media@sunwing.ca

https://www.facebook.com/SunwingVacations

https://twitter.com/SunwingVacay

https://www.instagram.com/sunwingvacations

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzjZ-lcuaqBQH7Sq0u3ru7A



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/db4b37e1-926b-47e2-9de2-1c5767bf6fea
Download a PDF of detailed drill hole results for Jacobina



TORONTO, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- YAMANA GOLD INC. (TSX:YRI; NYSE:AUY; LSE:AUY) (Yamana or the Company) today reported significant progress on the Phase 2 expansion of the Jacobina mine to increase throughput to 8,500 tonnes per day and raise production to 230,000 ounces per year. The Company also announced strong exploration results at Jacobina that expand the operations mineral resource and support the phased expansion, underscoring Jacobinas exceptional long-term growth potential and ability to further extend strategic mine life.

Phase 2 Expansion Highlights

Successful trials conducted at Jacobina during the second quarter demonstrate that the processing plant can consistently and reliably achieve a daily operating throughput above 8,000 tonnes per day (tpd), significantly higher than nameplate capacity, and a monthly average of at least 7,500 tpd, as was achieved in May of this year.

The Company will achieve the Phase 2 rate of 8,500 tpd by implementing a simplified approach of debottlenecking and incremental operational improvements, without requiring the installation of an additional ball mill. This approach is expected to significantly reduce capital expenditure, increase energy efficiency, and de-risk the project.

Capital costs are expected to be significantly lower than the original planned capital estimated in the Phase 2 pre-feasibility study, an amount not exceeding $15 million to $20 million.

Subject to successful completion of required permit modifications, Jacobina expects to begin processing at 8,500 tpd by the second half of 2023.

Engineering for the Phase 3 expansion to 10,000 tpd will advance in parallel with the Phase 2 expansion, with the plant modification originally planned for Phase 2 now considered adequate for Phase 3. A feasibility study for Phase 3 is scheduled for completion in 2023 and project commissioning is still on track for 2027.



Exploration Highlights

At Canavieiras Central, exploration drilling has confirmed and expanded all of the mineralized reefs with solid grades and widths along 500 metres of new strike length, defining a continuous mineralized zone extending south from Canavieiras Central to Canavieiras Sul, expected to generate new indicated mineral resources by year end.

Infill and exploration drilling at the north end of the Morro do Vento sector confirms good grades and widths for conversion to indicated mineral resources, while aggressive exploration step-outs down dip on the Main reef zone have provided strong results, demonstrating down dip continuity. An aggressive drilling program is underway to test the down dip target at Morro do Vento over a strike length of more than two kilometres.

At Joao Belo, exploration drilling has demonstrated excellent potential south of the Joao Belo mineral resource area, with positive results along a 3.7 kilometre-long corridor. Drilling in 2019-2020 has defined an entirely new mineral resource area at Joao Belo Sul with 536,000 ounces of gold (8.7 million tonnes grading 1.91 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold) of inferred mineral resources. Drilling is ongoing at this newly discovered zone and to the immediate south of Joao Belo at the Joao Belo South Extension, where a number of positive drill holes have defined a significant mineralized zone adjacent to mine infrastructure that will be modelled for further mineral resource by year end.



PHASE 2 UPDATE

Incremental Improvements to Increase Processing Capacity to 8,500 TPD

The Jacobina processing plant continues to exceed expectations, averaging 7,500 tpd in May and approximately 7,200 tpd over the full second quarter, a 5% increase compared to the previous quarter. Throughput for the balance of the year is expected to increase to rates above those experienced in the second quarter to approximately 7,500 tpd which represents the permitted operational point. The success reflects a simplified approach to complete the Phase 2 expansion, which will be achieved through incremental debottlenecking of the processing plant and tailings system combined with operational improvements, without requiring the installation of an additional ball mill. This approach is expected to significantly reduce capital expenditures, improve energy efficiency, and de-risk the project .

During the first quarter, a new Falcon concentrator and cyclone bank were installed, while an additional Knelson concentrator was installed in the second quarter. Other initiatives include an increase in the diameter of the pipeline feeding the tailings storage facility from 10 to 16 inches to relieve pipe pressures thereby increasing design limits.

Additionally, the Jacobina processing team continued to fine-tune the operation of the plant, optimizing the aperture of the crushers and sizing of the screens to reduce the feed size of material entering the ball mills, thereby improving milling performance. Furthermore, a new combination of mill liners and grinding balls allowed an increase in throughput while maintaining grinding size.

In May and June, Jacobina conducted trials to test the existing capacity of the processing plant and evaluate the optimal processing rate, and identify bottlenecks for future throughput increases. The May trial was conducted over six consecutive days, during which the processing plant exceeded 8,000 tpd, which is significantly above nameplate capacity, while maintaining a gold recovery of more than 96% and achieving a maximum daily throughput of 8,176 tonnes. A follow-up trial was conducted over a two-week period in June in which the processing plant exceeded 8,000 tpd for 10 days, averaging 8,179 tpd, and achieving a maximum daily throughput of 8,609 tpd. All told, throughput at Jacobina exceeded 8,000 tpd for 21 days during the second quarter. Following completion of the trials, operation of the plant is currently limited to a maximum monthly average processing rate of 7,500 tpd such as defined by the Companys operating permit pending changes to permitting, which are in progress.

Gold production was higher than budget in the second quarter as a result of higher-than-planned throughput. The supplementary mill feed in the second quarter came from ore in stockpiles, which had been created over several quarters for the purpose of providing mill feed to evaluate realizable throughput above the nameplate level for the plant. While this had a modest impact on unit costs per ounce, it ensures that the current plants optimized throughput is sustainable. With a better understanding of the sustainable throughput of the plant, the Company is now increasing mine rates to bring those in line with the higher processing rate. This is expected to be achieved by the end of 2021 at which time the Company will no longer rely on stockpiled ore. Although mining grade is expected to be in line or better than plan for the second half of the year, the stockpile reclaiming strategy will continue for the remainder of the year. Consequently, the Company anticipates continued higher throughput and increased number of ounces of production as compared to plan, although at slightly higher costs than plan, as mining rates increase. This trade off of temporarily relying on much lower grade stockpile ore in favour of throughput is a necessary part of the Phase 1 optimization and has provided operational support for the simplified Phase 2 expansion. By end of year, and in the years to follow, as mining rates match throughput, feed grade is expected to normalize without reliance on stockpiles thereby resulting in sustainable, higher production at lower unit costs.

Following the better-than-expected processing performance in the first half of 2021, operational data from the aforementioned trials was used to calibrate the processing model and set the baseline for future expansions. These results confirm that the Jacobina processing plant has opportunities for further incremental capacity increases while maintaining high recoveries. The objective of the Phase 2 expansion remains unchanged: to achieve sustainable throughput of 8,500 tpd while maintaining gold recovery of 96% to 97%, increasing gold production to approximately 230,000 ounces per year based on recent plant performance and studies. Yamana is confident that this objective can be achieved with its simplified approach to continue incremental debottlenecking and operational improvements without requiring an expansion of the grinding circuit as originally contemplated.

Opportunities under evaluation include post-commissioning operational adjustments to the new Knelson and Falcon concentrators and further optimization of the crushing circuit. Additionally, installation of fine screens has the potential to improve classification efficiency compared to the existing cyclones, preventing particles finer than target grind size from reporting back to the ball mills, allowing mill capacity to be spent more efficiently on only particles requiring size reduction. Test work is planned for the third quarter to further evaluate this opportunity. Minor upgrades to the back end of the processing plant and tailings pumping system are required to sustain the higher throughput rates.

To support the higher processing rate, production from the underground mine continues to ramp up as a result of improvements to the ventilation circuits, addition of loading and hauling equipment to the mine fleet, and optimization of the shotcreting work groups, which has reduced development cycle times and provided access to additional production zones.

Simplified Approach to Require a Fraction of the Original Planned Capital

The simplified expansion approach is a continuation of the strategy that has been the basis for the quarter-over-quarter success of Jacobina over the past several years, and is expected to require significantly lower capital than originally planned in the Phase 2 pre-feasibility study, an amount not expected to exceed $15 million to $20 million.

Jacobina continues to work closely with regulatory authorities to increase the permitted throughput to 8,500 tpd and has the potential to achieve the Phase 2 objectives earlier than planned. Subject to successful completion of required permit modifications, Jacobina would begin processing at the new Phase 2 rate by the second half of 2023.

As the Companys expansion strategy is well advanced, Jacobina is now seen as a multi-decade, low cost operation with a planned production level of at least 230,000 ounces per year, with annualized production expected to achieve this level by the second half of 2023.

Evaluation of Phase 3 Expansion to 10,000 TPD Advancing; Plant Modifications Originally Planned for Phase 2 Now Considered Adequate for Phase 3

As previously presented in the Companys 10-year production outlook, Yamana is evaluating a further expansion at Jacobina to increase throughput to 10,000 tpd, referred to as Phase 3. With the Phase 2 expansion now underway with a simpler process at reduced capital costs, the Company will now pursue the Phase 3 expansion as part of a comprehensive plan which aligns the processing plant, underground mine, tailings strategy, and permitting, while managing capital expenditure and cash flow.

During the second quarter, the Company discontinued basic engineering and development of a detailed project execution plan for the installation of a third grinding line, which was originally intended as part of the Phase 2 expansion to 8,500 tpd as a result of the optimizations referred to above. With an improved Phase 2 plan which no longer requires a third grinding line, the Company is now evaluating the installation of a third grinding line not to achieve the planned 8,500 tpd contemplated for the Phase 2 expansion, but for the Phase 3 plant expansion to 10,000 tpd.

Updated modelling indicates that the 10,000 tpd target throughput could be achieved with only two ball mills in operation, allowing for grinding line two to be suspended. Compared to the pre-feasibility study completed in 2020, the detailed design incorporates additional test work and geotechnical analysis together with several improvements to the plant design for line three including an optimized design of the additional crushed ore silo and associated conveyors and increased recovery from gravity concentration using the same gravity circuit that is now installed on line two. Further improvements will continue to be evaluated.

With the processing plant expansion plan well understood, the Jacobina team is now focusing on the mine plan and infrastructure required to support the higher throughput rate including a haulage optimization study to evaluate alternative solutions for transporting ore from the underground mines to the processing plant.

One promising ore haulage solution is the use of Rail-Veyor technology, for which engineering was completed in the first quarter of 2021. The installation of the Rail-Veyor system as the primary method of ore haulage from the Canavieiras mines to the processing plant stockpiles would provide a robust and low-cost method of haulage. Evaluation of the Rail-Veyor concept is continuing as part of the overall haulage optimization study.

Engineering for the Phase 3 expansion to 10,000 tpd will advance in parallel with the Phase 2 expansion, and the processing model will continue to be updated to integrate operational data from Phase 2, with a feasibility study for Phase 3 scheduled for completion in 2023.

Comprehensive Tailings Management Strategy for Long-Term Sustainability

To complement the Jacobina phased expansion, Yamana has adopted a comprehensive Jacobina life-of-mine tailings management strategy, that substitutes surface deposition of tailings, with underground tailings disposal as backfill. The Company has initiated several studies to ensure long-term sustainability and to reduce the environmental footprint of the operation. Test work conducted in 2020 confirmed that both paste backfill and hydraulic backfill are technically feasible options for disposal of tailings into underground voids, thereby minimizing the quantity of tailings stored on surface. Additionally, use of backfill is expected to improve underground stope stability and minimize the requirements to leave behind pillars in ore, resulting in increased mining recovery and reduced dilution.

As a first step, a hydraulic backfill plant provides a relatively simple and low capital cost solution for underground deposition of 2,000 tonnes of dry tailings per day, with the extra advantage that hydraulic backfill can be placed into historic voids with minimal cement content, significantly reducing the operating cost. Utilization of historic voids for backfilling will also allow Jacobina to gradually introduce backfill into the mining sequence without impacting the production rate of the mine. In March 2021, Jacobina completed a feasibility study for the installation of a hydraulic backfill plant. The initial capital cost for the backfill system is estimated at $8.0 million. The Company has decided to move forward with the hydraulic backfill plant project and is in the permitting phase. The permit required for the backfill project is separate from the one required for the Phase 2 expansion, although both are being pursued simultaneously. Additionally, a conceptual study is underway to evaluate further opportunities for a dry stack tailings facility and/or a paste backfill plant in parallel to the hydraulic backfill plant, which could provide opportunities in the future for additional storage of tailings to support future mineral reserve development.

Existing surface tailings capacity, combined with tailings storage underground as backfill will be sufficient for life of mine production at Jacobina at the planned increased processing rates.

EXPLORATION UPDATE

The Jacobina mine continues to outperform, consistently exceeding production and exploration expectations. Exploration has ramped up in support of the phased expansion plan with results continuing to expand mineral inventory in Joao Belo, Canavieiras and Morro do Vento, adding high-quality mineral resources and mineral reserves close to mine infrastructure. Results also demonstrate the mines ability to continue to significantly grow mineral reserves and mineral resources beyond depletion, notwithstanding increasing production, underscoring Jacobinas exceptional long-term growth potential and ability to further extend strategic mine life.

The following diagrams and long sections should be reviewed in conjunction with the narrative that follows and are intended to provide location and context of various areas in the narrative and the relative location of one area to the other.

Figure 1: Jacobina Location Map Showing Main Target Areas and Mining Sectors. Star Symbol Indicates Location of Mine Plant Facility. Dashed Lines Indicate Locations of Respective Long Sections Shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5 Below.

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Figure 2: Canavieiras Mine-LU Reef Long Section (Looking West), Highlighting Recent Drilling Results.

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Figure 3: Morro do Vento Long Section (Looking West) Highlighting Recent Drilling Results at Main Reef Zone.

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Figure 4: Morro do Vento Mine Cross Section (Looking North) Showing All Existing Drilling Down Dip.

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Figure 5: Joao Belo Sul and Joao Belo Mine Long Section (Looking West) Highlighting Recent Drilling Results-LMPC Reef

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Mineral Envelope Expanded at Canavieiras Central

At Canavieiras, exploratory and conversion drilling programs have confirmed the presence of all mineralized reefs south of Canavieiras Central, expanding the mineral envelope continuously more than 500 metres southward to the northern limit of Canavieiras Sul. Drilling results from this sector have been impressive, with both the LU and MU reefs generating higher grade intercepts over wide intervals and defining high-quality mineralization close to the current mine infrastructure. Notable results include the following estimated true width intervals: 3.55 g/t of gold over 3.64 metres and 4.29 g/t of gold over 6.16 metres at MU reef; 6.71 g/t of gold over 4.71 metres and 5.84 g/t of gold over 2.15 metres at LU reef (CANEX00108); 4.01 g/t of gold over 18.50 metres at MU reef and 11.47 g/t of gold over 6.39 metres, including 20.50 g/t of gold over 2.35 metres at LU reef (CANEX00113); 5.90 g/t of gold over 6.93 metres at MU reef and 4.06 g/t of gold over 4.54 metres at LU reef (CANEX00107); 5.95 g/t of gold over 6.01 metres and 6.29 g/t of gold over 5.08 metres at MU reef and 7.13 g/t of gold over 5.86 metres at LU reef (CANEX00094).

Moreover, the drilling program has also delineated the Maneira reef, providing wide, higher grade intercepts in this zone, which remains open for expansion to the south. Highlights include the following estimated true width intervals: 5.38 g/t of gold over 3.87 metres (CANEX00119); 5.79 g/t of gold over 4.67 metres (CANEX00120); and 14.11 g/t of gold over 3.36 metres (CANEX00093). See Figure 2 and Table 2 for further details and additional results.

Exceptional Results at Morro do Vento

The Main reef zone at Morro do Vento has demonstrated continuity of mineralization over a large area with 2.5 kilometers of strike length and positive drilling intercepts up to 1,100 metres down dip of mine infrastructure, representing one of the most important mineralized zones of the Jacobina district. In the northern portion of Morro do Vento, the delineation drilling program has provided strong results at Main reef, indicating high-grade mineralization continues down dip and remains open for growth. Notable results include the following estimated true width intervals: 9.31 g/t of gold over 3.09 metres and 8.39 g/t of gold over 3.63 metres (MVTEX00056); 5.24 g/t of gold over 2.55 metres and 4.09 g/t of gold over 3.19 metres (MVTEX00057); 11.14 g/t of gold over 2.15 metres (MVTEX00060); 4.86 g/t of gold over 4.57 metres and 5.31 g/t of gold over 2.46 metres (MVTEX00063); and 5.21 g/t of gold over 1.72 metres and 4.29 g/t of gold over 7.17 metres (MVTEX00065).

An exploratory drill program has been initiated to expand and define the potential of the Main reef zone down dip and along a 2.5-kilometre corridor targeting the continuation at depth of areas highlighted by existing positive estimated true width drilling intercepts, including: 7.15 g/t of gold over 4.89 metres and 9.43 g/t of gold over 4.26 metres (MVTEX00048); 4.93 g/t of gold over 3.27 metres (MVTEX43); 6.36 g/t of gold over 2.36 metres (MVTEX30) (to view these results; please see Yamana press releases dated May 19, 2020, and September 8, 2020, available on the Companys website at www.yamana.com). The first deep drill hole has been initiated, with results expected by year end. See Figures 3 and 4 and Table 2 for these and additional results.

Newly Defined Mineral Resource at Joao Belo Sul

Over the last two years, the Company has dedicated significant effort to exploration of the southern portion of the Jacobina district, the delineation of the recently discovered Joao Belo Sul sector, and to exploring extensions of Joao Belo, historically the most productive mine in the complex with more than one million ounces of past production. At Joao Belo Sul, located two kilometres south of the Joao Belo mineral resource area, drilling has generated significant results and defined a continuous mineral envelope in the LMPC reef over a 900-meter north-south strike length and 600 metres down dip. Significant results include the following estimated true width intervals: 3.85 g/t of gold over 4.86 metres (JBEX00033); 3.04 g/t of gold over 5.83 metres, including 12.43 g/t of gold over 0.97 metres (JBEX00029); 3.40 g/t of gold over 4.19 metres (JBEX00030); and 5.83 g/t of gold over 4.00 metres, including 8.10 g/t of gold over 2.40 metres (JBEX00031).

An initial mineral resource estimate based on surface drilling only has been defined at Joao Belo Sul. The underground inferred mineral resources include 536,000 ounces of gold within 8,738,000 tonnes at an average grade of 1.91 g/t of gold. See Table 1.

Table 1: Mineral Resource Estimate, Joao Belo Sul.

Joao Belo Sul Tonnes Gold Grade Contained Gold Category (000's) (g/t) oz. (000's) Inferred 8,738 1.91 536

The Qualified Persons for the mineral resource estimates are Dr. Jean-Francois Ravenelle, P.Geo. and Dominic Chartier, P.Geo., both full time employees of Yamana Gold Inc. The mineral resource estimate follows 2019 CIM definitions and guidelines for mineral resources. The effective date for the mineral resource estimate is June 30, 2021. Mineral resources were evaluated using the ordinary kriging weighting algorithm informed by capped composites and constrained by three-dimensional mineralization wireframes. A bulk density varying from 2.63 to 2.64 g/cm3 was used to convert volume to tonnage. Mineral resources are constrained by potentially mineable shapes based on a minimum mining width of 1.5 m and considering internal waste and dilution. Underground cut-off grade of 1.00 g/t gold, which corresponds to 75% of the cut-off used to estimate the mineral reserves at the Jacobina Mine that considers a gold price of $1,250/oz and a metallurgical recovery of 96.5%. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate. Numbers may not add up due to rounding.



Mineralization remains open for expansion along strike and to depth, and an updated mineral resource is expected for year end. The potential of this 3.7 kilometer-long district is further demonstrated by drilling at the Joao Belo South Extension, immediately south of the Joao Belo mineral resource area, where exploratory drilling has intercepted the same LMPC reef. Notable results in this sector include the following estimated true width interval 6.21 g/t of gold over 3.10 metres (JBEX021). Existing positive estimated true width drill results from this area (see press release dated May 19, 2020, available on the Companys website www.yamana.com) include: 4.13 g/t of gold over 2.04 metres (JBEX014); 4.11 g/t of gold over 3.38 metres (JBEX012); and 3.17 g/t of gold over 4.83 metres (JBEX009).

These results reveal the presence of a continuous sequence of mineralized reefs along more than 3.7 kilometers of strike length, extending from Joao Belo to Joao Belo Sul. See Figure 5 and Table 2 for these and other results.

Overall, exploration continues to successfully identify and define new extensions of current producing sectors of the Jacobina mine, with exceptional results replacing depletion with high-quality mineral reserves and mineral resources close to current mine infrastructure. Furthermore, aggressive step out exploration drilling is opening up new, extensive frontier areas available for mineral resource growth in new sectors of the property, as exemplified by recent successes at Joao Belo Sul and Morro do Vento Main reef. These discoveries support a strategic mine life of several decades at a production level well above the planned Phase 2 expansion annual production level of 230,000 ounces, and likely 270,000 ounces, which is the planned annual production level for the Phase 3 expansion as elaborated herein.

Table 2: Jacobina New Drill Intercepts, Select For Intervals Greater Than 2.5 g/t of Gold Over Estimated True Widths Diluted To 3.0 Metres.

Hole Including Sector Reef From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Estimated

True Width

(m) Gold

(g/t) Gold (g/t)

Dil. to 3.0 m

- True Width CANEX00093



Canavieiras Central MAN 60.01 62.50 2.49 1.79 4.55 2.72 Canavieiras Central MAN 128.50 133.24 4.74 3.36 14.11 14.11 CANEX00094























Canavieiras Sul LVLPC 282.50 285.00 2.50 2.08 12.46 8.64 Canavieiras Sul MU 298.50 304.79 6.29 6.01 5.95 5.95 incl. Canavieiras Sul MU 298.50 302.85 4.35 4.09 6.93 6.93 Canavieiras Sul MU 310.00 315.50 5.50 5.08 6.29 6.29 incl. Canavieiras Sul MU 312.50 315.50 3.00 2.75 9.39 8.61 Canavieiras Sul LU 316.53 322.56 6.03 5.86 7.13 7.13 incl. Canavieiras Sul LU 317.00 320.50 3.50 3.16 10.54 10.54 CANEX00095 Canavieiras Central MAN 181.60 183.50 1.90 1.02 10.39 3.53 CANEX00101 Canavieiras Sul MAN 248.45 251.50 3.05 1.70 6.06 3.44 CANEX00105 Canavieiras Sul LVLPC 224.50 226.89 2.39 2.34 3.79 2.96 CANEX00107



















Canavieiras Sul LVLPC 133.92 136.95 3.03 2.97 4.61 4.56 Canavieiras Sul MU 148.93 156.00 7.07 6.93 5.90 5.90 Canavieiras Sul MU 157.46 161.00 3.54 3.47 3.18 3.18 Canavieiras Sul LU 162.04 166.67 4.63 4.54 4.06 4.06 Canavieiras Sul LU 171.72 178.54 6.82 6.68 2.92 2.92 incl. Canavieiras Sul LU 173.00 176.50 3.50 3.43 3.97 3.97 CANEX00108



















Canavieiras Sul MU 156.81 160.50 3.69 3.64 3.55 3.55 incl. Canavieiras Sul MU 156.81 158.50 1.69 1.67 6.59 3.67 Canavieiras Sul MU 161.48 167.72 6.24 6.16 4.29 4.29 incl. Canavieiras Sul MU 161.48 162.50 1.02 1.01 16.41 5.51 Canavieiras Sul LU 174.80 179.57 4.77 4.71 6.71 6.71 Canavieiras Sul LU 181.31 183.50 2.19 2.15 5.84 4.19 CANEX00109











Canavieiras Sul MU 218.40 224.50 6.10 5.90 5.49 5.49 incl. Canavieiras Sul MU 220.02 221.00 0.98 0.95 19.99 6.32 Canavieiras Sul MU 228.29 237.10 8.81 8.53 5.75 5.75 incl. Canavieiras Sul MU 232.81 235.00 2.19 2.12 12.08 8.53 CANEX00111







Canavieiras Sul LVLPC 163.10 165.00 1.90 1.89 13.60 8.57 incl. Canavieiras Sul LVLPC 163.63 165.00 1.37 1.36 18.48 8.38 Canavieiras Sul LU 238.00 240.81 2.81 2.77 3.44 3.17 CANEX00113



















Canavieiras Sul MU 198.91 217.91 19.00 18.50 4.01 4.01 incl. Canavieiras Sul MU 200.00 205.50 5.50 5.34 5.89 5.89 incl. Canavieiras Sul MU 208.00 213.00 5.00 4.85 5.42 5.42 Canavieiras Sul LU 219.50 226.32 6.82 6.39 11.47 11.47 incl. Canavieiras Sul LU 219.50 222.00 2.50 2.35 20.50 16.06 Canavieiras Sul QTO_INT 257.00 263.00 6.00 5.70 7.17 7.17 CANEX00115



































Canavieiras Sul MAN 125.00 128.55 3.55 3.48 27.16 27.16 incl. Canavieiras Sul MAN 126.17 127.00 0.83 0.81 115.00 31.18 Canavieiras Sul MU 245.68 252.05 6.37 6.08 8.15 8.15 incl. Canavieiras Sul MU 246.31 247.50 1.19 1.17 32.65 12.69 Canavieiras Sul LU 264.73 277.74 13.01 12.87 4.40 4.40 incl. Canavieiras Sul LU 266.50 268.20 1.70 1.67 9.94 5.52 incl. Canavieiras Sul LU 274.00 275.00 1.00 0.98 12.26 4.00 Canavieiras Sul LU 279.50 282.00 2.50 2.45 3.19 2.61 Canavieiras Sul OFF_ R 299.43 303.60 4.17 4.09 5.16 5.16 incl. Canavieiras Sul OFF_ R 299.43 300.50 1.07 1.05 7.74 2.70

Table 2 Continued.

Hole Including Sector Reef From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Estimated

True Width

(m) Gold

(g/t) Gold (g/t)

Dil. to 3.0 m -

True Width CANEX00116



Canavieiras Sul MAN 71.50 76.76 5.26 5.15 8.41 8.41 incl. Canavieiras Sul MAN 73.00 74.00 1.00 0.98 15.18 4.96 CANEX00117 Canavieiras Sul LVLPC 123.29 126.00 2.71 2.61 5.59 4.86 CANEX00119 Canavieiras Sul MAN 45.65 51.50 5.85 3.87 5.38 5.38 CANEX00120



Canavieiras Sul MAN 35.50 40.50 5.00 4.67 5.79 5.79 incl. Canavieiras Sul MAN 36.50 39.14 2.64 2.46 9.41 7.70 CANEX00121



Canavieiras Sul MAN 127.50 128.50 1.00 0.93 9.78 3.04 Canavieiras Sul HOL 146.53 148.00 1.47 1.37 17.81 8.14 CANEX00122 Canavieiras Sul HOL 196.42 199.02 2.60 2.31 5.95 4.58 CANEX00123 Canavieiras Sul MU 234.50 238.81 4.31 4.14 6.26 6.26 JBEX021 Joao Belo Ext. LMPC 489.00 493.00 4.00 3.10 6.21 6.21 JBEX00027



Joao Belo Sul LMPC 459.00 464.05 5.05 4.30 2.74 2.74 incl. Joao Belo Sul LMPC 459.00 462.03 3.03 2.59 3.15 2.72 JBEX00029



Joao Belo Sul LMPC 421.00 427.00 6.00 5.83 3.04 3.04 incl. Joao Belo Sul LMPC 421.00 422.00 1.00 0.97 12.43 4.02 JBEX00030 Joao Belo Sul LMPC 370.15 374.50 4.35 4.19 3.40 3.40 JBEX00031



















Joao Belo Sul LMPC 342.58 346.34 3.76 3.04 5.30 5.30 incl. Joao Belo Sul LMPC 342.58 344.65 2.07 1.67 8.35 4.65 Joao Belo Sul LMPC 518.50 522.89 4.39 4.00 5.83 5.83 incl. Joao Belo Sul LMPC 518.50 521.53 3.03 2.40 8.10 6.48 Joao Belo Sul LMPC 540.00 543.50 3.50 2.83 3.88 3.66 incl. Joao Belo Sul LMPC 541.00 542.50 1.50 1.18 7.79 3.06 JBEX00033 Joao Belo Sul LMPC 112.00 117.50 5.50 4.86 3.85 3.85 MVTEX00054 MVE MU 289.50 292.50 3.00 2.95 2.59 2.54 MVTEX00056 Morro do Vento HW 140.00 143.32 3.32 3.09 9.31 9.31 MVTEX00056



incl. Morro do Vento HW 142.00 143.32 1.32 1.23 23.34 9.55 Morro do Vento EMB 199.50 203.40 3.90 3.63 8.39 8.39 MVTEX00057











Morro do Vento MR 164.77 168.60 3.83 2.55 5.24 4.45 incl. Morro do Vento MR 164.77 166.33 1.56 1.03 11.42 3.92 Morro do Vento BAS 197.00 201.78 4.78 3.19 4.09 4.09 incl. Morro do Vento BAS 197.00 200.00 3.00 1.98 5.88 3.88 MVTEX00058 Morro do Vento OFF_ R 270.00 272.50 2.50 1.45 12.89 6.23 MVTEX00059 Morro do Vento HW 215.50 220.00 4.50 3.67 3.10 3.10 MVTEX00060 Morro do Vento MR 69.40 71.65 2.25 2.15 11.14 7.99 MVTEX00061







Morro do Vento MR 198.50 201.00 2.50 1.44 18.58 8.92 Morro do Vento BAS 229.50 232.11 2.61 1.53 11.47 5.85 incl. Morro do Vento BAS 230.78 232.11 1.33 0.78 21.43 5.57 MVTEX00063















Morro do Vento MR 69.00 74.50 5.50 4.57 4.86 4.86 incl. Morro do Vento MR 69.00 72.50 3.50 2.91 6.38 6.18 Morro do Vento MR 77.00 78.00 1.00 0.83 16.97 4.69 Morro do Vento BAS 154.04 157.00 2.96 2.46 5.31 4.35 incl. Morro do Vento BAS 154.98 156.50 1.52 1.26 9.68 4.07 MVTEX00065











Morro do Vento HW 273.50 276.84 3.34 1.72 5.21 2.98 Morro do Vento BAS 292.12 306.00 13.88 7.17 4.29 4.29 incl. Morro do Vento BAS 292.77 295.75 2.98 1.54 8.63 4.43 incl. Morro do Vento BAS 302.50 306.00 3.50 1.81 5.48 3.30

Qualified Persons

Scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Henry Marsden (P. Geo. and Senior Vice President, Exploration). Mr. Marsden is an employee of Yamana Gold Inc. and a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

The mineral resource estimate reported for Joao Belo Sul has been reviewed by Dr. Jean-Francois Ravenelle (P.Geo. and Director, Geology) and Dominic Chartier (P.Geo. and Senior Manager, Geology). Both employees of Yamana Gold Inc. and Qualified Persons as defined by Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Yamana incorporates a Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) program for all of its mines and exploration projects which conforms to industry best practices.

Samples are transported in security sealed bags for preparation at ALS and SGS analytical laboratories, both ISO 9001:2008 and 17025 certified laboratories. At Jacobina sample preparation is completed on site. Gold is analyzed by gold fire assay with 30 grams or 50 grams aliquot and AAS finish. Samples over 5 g/t are re-analyzed by gravimetric finish methods. Silver is determined using a four acid digestion and AAS finish (ore level) and samples over 30g/t are re-analyzed by gravimetric finish methods. Five percent of all pulps are further checked by secondary certified laboratories (ALS, SGS, Bureau Veritas) using the same analytical methods.

All exploration diamond drill cores are split in half by mechanical spitting or core sawing and sampled at appropriate intervals for assay, except for small diameter drilling (BQ) from underground setups at Jacobina where core is logged, photographed and whole core submitted for assay. The remaining core, coarse reject and pulps are stored on-site in a secure location.

Quality assurance standards, duplicates, sterile and blanks are routinely inserted into the sample stream as a control for assay accuracy, bias, precision and contamination. The results of these checks are tracked and failures are re-analyzed. This information also includes pulp checks carried out in the secondary lab.

About Yamana

Yamana Gold Inc. is a Canadian-based precious metals producer with significant gold and silver production, development stage properties, exploration properties, and land positions throughout the Americas, including Canada, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. Yamana plans to continue to build on this base through expansion and optimization initiatives at existing operating mines, development of new mines, the advancement of its exploration properties and, at times, by targeting other consolidation opportunities with a primary focus in the Americas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Investor Relations

416-815-0220

1-888-809-0925

Email: investor@yamana.com

FTI Consulting (UK Public Relations)

Sara Powell / Ben Brewerton

+44 7931 765 223 / +44 203 727 1000

Peel Hunt LLP (Joint UK Corporate Broker)

Ross Allister / David McKeown / Alexander Allen

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7418 8900

Berenberg (Joint UK Corporate Broker)

Matthew Armitt / Jennifer Wyllie / Detlir Elezi

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3207 7800

Credit Suisse (Joint UK Corporate Broker)

Ben Lawrence / David Nangle

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7888 8888

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains or incorporates by reference forward-looking statements and forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities legislation and within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to the Companys progress on the Phase 2 expansion and a proposed Phase 3 expansion of the Jacobina mine to increase throughput and raise annual production, and the Companys exploration results at Jacobina and areas surrounding the mine aimed at expanding the operations mineral resource inventory and supporting the phased expansion, underscoring Jacobinas long-term growth potential and further extending strategic mine life, including the Companys expectation that it will achieve the Phase 2 rate at Jacobina by implementing a revised strategy of debottlenecking and making incremental operational improvements that will significantly reduce capital expenditures and risk associated with installing an additional ball mill; that capital costs are expected to be significantly reduced from the original planned capital; that the project will consume significantly less power to achieve 8,500 tpd than previously estimated in the Phase 2 pre-feasibility study for Jacobina; that, subject to successful completion of required permit modifications, the Company expects Jacobina to begin processing at 8,500 tpd by the second half of 2023; that the Company will continue to evaluate a Phase 3 expansion to increase throughput to 10,000 tpd by 2027; that, based on the updated modelling, the target throughput rate could be achieved with only two ball mills in operation, allowing for grinding line #1 to be suspended; that the exploration drilling and confirmations to-date at Canavieiras Central, defining a continuous mineralized zone extending from Canavieiras Central to Canavieiras Sul, will provide new indicated mineral resources by year end; that infill and exploration drilling at the end of the Morro do Vento sector and step outs down dip on the Main reef zone will result in expected down dip continuity and that the current drilling program underway to test the down dip target at Morro do Vento over a strike length of more than two kilometres will prove successful; that the potential discovered to the south of the Joao Belo mineral resource area through exploration drilling at Joao Belo will be proven, and that ongoing drilling in the newly discovered mineral resource area at Joao Belo Sul, and to the immediate south of Joao Belo at the Joao Belo South Extension, adjacent to mine infrastructure will be successfully modelled for further resource by year end; and that a planned production level of at least 230,000 ounces per year at Jacobina, with annualized production at this level, will be achieved by the second half of 2023.

Forward-looking statements are characterized by words such as plan", expect, budget, target, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These factors include that incremental improvements to increase processing capacity under the Phase 2 expansion do not prove successful; the revised strategy to significantly reduce capital expenditures compared to the original planned capital does not prove successful; evaluation of a Phase 3 expansion to 10,000 tpd and proposed plant modifications originally planned for Phase 2 expansion does not prove to be adequate for Phase 3 expansion; the Companys proposed comprehensive tailings management strategy for long-term sustainability does not prove successful; ongoing exploration results at Joao Belo, Canavieiras and Morro do Vento do not ultimately result in significant growth in mineral reserves and mineral resources in order to support Jacobinas long-term growth potential or the Companys ability to further extend strategic mine life at Jacobina; an initial inferred mineral resource for Joao Belo Sul is not confirmed by year end 2021; unforeseen impacts on cash flow, unforeseen impacts of COVID-19, the outcome of planned expansion and optimization projects, production, exploration and development, changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls or regulations and/or change in the administration of laws, policies and practices; changes in permitting requirements; the impact of general business and economic conditions, global liquidity and credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future conditions, fluctuating metal prices (such as gold, silver and zinc), currency exchange rates (such as the Brazilian Real, the Chilean Peso and the Argentine Peso versus the United States Dollar), the impact of inflation, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in accounting policies, changes in mineral resources and mineral reserves, risks related to asset dispositions, risks related to metal purchase agreements, risks related to acquisitions, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, changes in project development, unanticipated costs and expenses, higher prices for fuel, steel, power, labour and other consumables contributing to higher costs and general risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, unexpected changes in mine life, final pricing for concentrate sales, unanticipated results of future studies, seasonality and unanticipated weather changes, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, permitting timelines, government regulation and the risk of government expropriation or nationalization of mining operations, risks related to relying on local advisors and consultants in foreign jurisdictions, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, risks relating to joint venture or jointly owned operations, title disputes or claims, limitations on insurance coverage, timing and possible outcome of pending and outstanding litigation and labour disputes, risks related to enforcing legal rights in foreign jurisdictions, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to herein and in the Company's Annual Information Form filed with the securities regulatory authorities in all provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com, and the Companys Annual Report on Form 40-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be 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. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or managements estimates, assumptions or opinions should change, except as required by applicable law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained herein is presented for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Companys plans, objectives and expectations in connection with its expansion and optimization plans, as well as exploration plans for Jacobina and areas surrounding the mine, and may not be appropriate for other purposes.

(All amounts are expressed in United States Dollars unless otherwise indicated.)
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Cannabis Revenue Increased by 18% in Q2 2021 Compared to Q2 2020

EBITDA Improvements in All Operating Segments



TORONTO, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Namaste Technologies Inc. (Namaste or the Company) (TSXV: N) (FRANKFURT: M5BQ) (OTCMKTS: NXTTF) a marketplace platform for cannabis and wellness products, today reported its financial results for the second quarter ended May 31, 2021 (Q2 2021) with references made to financial results for the second quarter ended May 31, 2020 (Q2 2020). All financial figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Q2 2021 Highlights:

Three consecutive quarters of improved gross margins before inventory adjustments as a result of increased sales of higher margin products.

Gross revenue for Q2 2021 was $6.3 million , of which a strong 52% is attributable to cannabis revenues, with cannabis revenues growing 18% in Q2 2021 compared to Q2 2020.

, of which a strong is attributable to cannabis revenues, with cannabis revenues growing in Q2 2021 compared to Q2 2020. Operating expenses for the six-month period decreased by 15% compared to the same period in 2020 and contributed to improved EBITDA in all operating segments. Overall EBITDA across operating segments improved 33% in Q2 2021 and 30% in Q2 YTD 2021.

compared to the same period in 2020 and contributed to improved EBITDA in all operating segments. Overall EBITDA across operating segments improved in Q2 2021 and in Q2 YTD 2021. Inventories decreased by 14% to $5.2 million in Q2 2021 ($6.0 million in the first quarter ended February 28, 2021) demonstrating continued improved inventory management practices.

to in Q2 2021 ($6.0 million in the first quarter ended February 28, 2021) demonstrating continued improved inventory management practices. The Companys working capital position remains strong at $25 million as at May 31, 2021.



Recent Corporate Highlights:

The Companys wholly owned subsidiary CannMart Inc. ( CannMart ), received a Health Canada renewal of its standard licence for processing and sale of cannabis under the applicable regulations.

), received a Health Canada renewal of its standard licence for processing and sale of cannabis under the applicable regulations. CannMart entered into a number of supply agreements including with CannTx Life Sciences Inc. (CannMart exclusive distributor on a SKU-by-SKU basis), Rilaxe Canna Inc. (CannMart exclusive distributor) and Safari Flower Co. to expand its product offering to both its provincial cannabis board buyers and its own medical customers across Canada at CannMart.com.

The Companys wholly owned subsidiary CannMart Labs Inc., ( CannMart Labs ) submitted its application for a Health Canada Controlled Drugs and Substances Dealers Licence for future storage and distribution of the following controlled substances: psilocybin, psilocin, ketamine, LSD, DMT and MDMA.

) submitted its application for a Health Canada Controlled Drugs and Substances Dealers Licence for future storage and distribution of the following controlled substances: psilocybin, psilocin, ketamine, LSD, DMT and MDMA. As part of our sustainability initiative, the Company successfully subleased its Toronto office location until expiry of its lease on October 30, 2024, confirming its commitment to finding top talent all over the world. The decision made by the Company is an initial step towards a long-term commitment to developing an Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) plan for meaningful action to protect our planet.

The Companys wholly owned Swedish subsidiary Findify AB, achieved its best ever consecutive four months of sales in the first six calendar months of 2021 with revenue per new customer up 54% and subscription sales value up 106% compared to the same period last year.

and subscription sales value up compared to the same period last year. CannMart, signed a Master Distribution Agreement with Rapid Dose Therapeutics Corp. ( RDT ) to be the exclusive distributor of their innovative RDT branded products across Canada.

) to be the exclusive distributor of their innovative RDT branded products across Canada. CannMart Labs in-house brand Roilty received its first purchase orders from the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatechewan for its consumer-focused cannabis concentrates.

SKU listings at CannMart.com increased 589% to over 800 as of the end of Q2 2021, compared to 116 in Q1 2021 as CannMart received a record amount of requests from vendors across North America to list their products onto the CannMart.com platform.

We are very pleased with the accomplishments we have made on the operating front which include increased margins over the last three quarters as well as an improvement in EBITDA within all our operating segments, said Meni Morim, CEO of Namaste. While this is important, revenues were not where we wanted them to be as Covid-19 continued to have an impact on retail establishments. However, with the reduction of Covid-19 restrictions enabling greater access to retail stores, Covid-19 will have less of an impact on future revenues combined with the continuously improving margins will have a synergistic effect on our financials moving forward. In addition, we believe our various initiatives, including the impending launch of CannMart Labs, our in-house Roilty shatter brand hitting the shelves in the coming months, the upcoming launch of our nutraceuticals business in Q4 2021 as well as continuing to increase the number of SKUs available at CannMart.com will contribute to sales growth and improved margins over the next few quarters. We continue to be focused on controlling our operating expenses, improving gross margins and selling the right product mix to position Namaste on a clear path and trajectory towards profitability.

For further details, the complete Financial Statements for the second quarter ended May 31, 2021 and the related Managements Discussion & Analysis can be accessed on the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

NON IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES

Management evaluates the Companys performance using a variety of measures, including Net loss before income tax, depreciation and amortization and Adjusted EBITDA. The non-IFRS measures discussed below should not be considered as an alternative to or to be more meaningful than revenue or net loss. These measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and therefore they may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other publicly traded companies and should not be construed as an alternative to other financial measures determined in accordance with IFRS.

The Company believes these non-IFRS financial measures provide useful information to both management and investors in measuring the financial performance and financial condition of the Company.

Management uses these and other non-IFRS financial measures to exclude the impact of certain expenses and income that must be recognized under IFRS when analyzing consolidated underlying operating performance, as the excluded items are not necessarily reflective of the Companys underlying operating performance and make comparisons of underlying financial performance between periods difficult. From time to time, the Company may exclude additional items if it believes doing so would result in a more effective analysis of underlying operating performance. The exclusion of certain items does not imply that they are non-recurring.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2b450d6-f2b5-496b-a252-51ee1ccab229

(i) Current and deferred income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and share-based compensation were excluded from the Adjusted EBITDA calculation as they do not represent cash expenditures.

(ii) Other income consisting of gain on disposal of subsidiary, interest income, realized gain on disposition of AFS investments, unrealized gain on derivatives and other miscellaneous non-recurring income were excluded from Adjusted EBITDA calculation.

(iii) Non-recurring costs related to restructuring and legacy issues were excluded from Adjusted EBITDA calculation.

(iv) Impairment loss relating to goodwill, customer list, domains and brand names were excluded from Adjusted EBITDA calculation.

(v) Impairment loss relating to receivable is a provision for expected credit loss to an associate and was excluded from Adjusted EBITDA calculation.

(vi) Share of associates loss, net of tax, is excluded due to lack of control.

About Namaste Technologies Inc.

Namaste Technologies is a marketplace platform for cannabis and wellness products. At CannMart.com, the Company provides Canadian medical customers with a diverse selection of hand-picked products from a multitude of federally licensed cultivators and US customers with access to hemp-derived CBD and smoking accessories. The Company also distributes licensed and in-house branded cannabis and cannabis derived products in Canada through a number of provincial government control boards and retailing bodies and facilitates licensed cannabis retailer sales online in Saskatchewan. Namastes global technology and continuous innovation address local needs in a burgeoning cannabis industry requiring smart solutions.

Information on the Company and its many products can be accessed through the links below:

NamasteTechnologies.com

NamasteMD.com

Cannmart.com

For more information please contact:

Namaste Technologies Inc.

Meni Morim, CEO

Edward Miller, VP Investor Relations

Ph: 647-362-0390

Email: ir@namastetechnologies.com

Source: Namaste Technologies Inc

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION  This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not historical in nature contain forward-looking information. Forward-looking information can be identified by words or phrases such as may, expect, likely, should, would, plan, anticipate, intend, potential, proposed, estimate, believe or the negative of these terms, or other similar words, expressions and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will happen.

The forward-looking information contained herein, including, without limitation, statements related to the Companys expectations relating to increasing top line revenue, its intended adjustment to its product mix, the Companys expected launch of new products and the creation of its new nutraceutical division, the Companys continued focus on improving margins toward its goal to be profitable, are made as of the date of this press release and are based on assumptions management believed to be reasonable at the time such statements were made, including, without limitation, Namastes ability to maintain momentum of expanding its business, its ability to broaden its total addressable market and to evolve into a recognized wellness company, the Companys expectation that the nutraceutical and wellness market and potentially the market for psychedelics will develop as currently anticipated, the nutraceutical market will continue to be a multi-billion dollar high-margin market, the introduction of new products and brands will generate additional revenue, the ability of the Company to turn inventory as anticipated, the impact and duration of covid-19 lockdowns on the business of the Company diminishing in the future, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to management, there is no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. A variety of factors, including known and unknown risks, many of which are beyond our control, could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information in this press release. Such factors include, without limitation: the inability of the Company to develop its business as anticipated and to increase revenues and/or its profitable margin on such revenues, unanticipated changes to current regulations that would adversely impact the Companys business and proposed business and other regulatory risks, risks relating to the Companys ability to execute its business strategy and the benefits realizable therefrom and risks specifically related to the Companys operations. Additional risk factors can also be found in the Companys current MD&A and annual information form, both of which have been filed under the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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 or has in any way approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release.
The Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) and majority state-owned energy group CEZ signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the construction of a gigafactory for battery cells for electric vehicles. The document sets forth the basic conditions for the establishment of the factory and is a prerequisite for agreements with other potential investors, including automakers and battery manufacturers.

CEZ and MIT envision an investment of at least CZK 52 billion (US$2.4 billion) in the project, with an annual production capacity of 40 GWh.

The automotive industry is the cornerstone of the Czech economy and its share in our GDP is almost 10 percent. Now, in line with our Country for the Future strategy, we need to take steps to move it to the next level. Electromobility is a reality and it is very important that one or more battery cell factories are established in our country in the Czech Republic. Each of the factories can employ more than two thousand people directly in the plant, and thousands more jobs will be created in related sectors. Our government is ready to ensure the conditions that would support the project, including by building key infrastructure. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlicek

CEZ, in the top 10 of European utilities by customer count as well as installed capacity, is also the largest operator of public charging stations in the Czech Republic and is also preparing for hard-rock lithium mining in Cinovec with partner European Metals Holdings (EMH), the output from which could be used in the gigafactory, expected to be sited some 55 km away.

Geomet s.r.o. controls the mineral exploration licenses awarded by the Czech State over the Cinovec Lithium/Tin Project. Geomet s.r.o. is owned 49% by European Metals and 51% by CEZ through its wholly owned subsidiary, SDAS.

The Cinovec project, located on the German border of the Czech Republic, is the largest hard-rock lithium resource in Europe, containing lithium-bearing mica known as zinnwaldite. Cinovec is also the fourth-largest non-brine lithium deposit in the world and is also a globally significant tin resource.

In May, EMH reported that successful locked-cycle test (LCT) results further support the Cinovec projects credentials to initially produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. European Metals has demonstrated that Cinovec battery grade lithium carbonate can be easily converted into lithium hydroxide monohydrate with a commonly utilized liming plant process.

Six LCTs were planned but testwork was stopped after four cycles as the main process stream compositions had successfully stabilized. Battery-grade lithium carbonate was produced in every LCT with lithium recoveries of up to 92.0% achieved in the four LCTs performed. Further optimization work in hydrometallurgy processing steps is expected to improve lithium recoveries from concentrate to >92.0%.

CEZ fully owns the largest Czech mining company (SD) covering 65% of CEZs current lignite needs. Coal-fired power plants represented 37% of capacity and 36% of generation volume in 2020; their revenues are 16% of total. The CEZ goal for 2030 is to reduce CO 2 emissions by 30% compared to 2018 and reduce the emission intensity to at least 300 g/kWh by a combination of closure of selected coal plants and development of renewables. CEZ has made a commitment for carbon neutrality by 2050.

The gigafactory is a strategic project that is intended to accelerate the transformation of both the energy and automotive industries in the Czech Republic. The projects of the plant and the related lithium mine are also opportunities to improve the living conditions of the regions awaiting structural transformation due to the downturn in the coal industry, CEZ noted.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade and CEZ are negotiating with other potential investors in the project, such as car manufacturers and battery manufacturers.
LG Electronics and Magna International signed the transaction agreement which establishes a joint venture between the two companies (earlier post). The new company, to be called LG Magna e-Powertrain, is headquartered in Incheon, South Korea.

The joint venture company will manufacture e-motors, inverters and on-board chargers and, for certain automakers, related e-drive systems.

Leading the new company will be CEO Cheong Won-suk, a 20-year LG veteran who was most recently vice president and head of the LG Vehicle component Solutions Companys Green Business. Prior to LG, Cheong spent nearly a decade with Daewoo Motors R&D.

Javier Perez, who has been with Magna since 2016, will be the new companys COO. He will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the joint venture. Perez brings nearly a quarter century of automotive manufacturing and quality control experience to LG Magna e-Powertrain, 18 of those years based in Asia.

The creation of the joint venture unifies Magnas strength in electric powertrain systems and world-class automotive manufacturing, with LGs expertise in component development for e-motors and inverters.

The design, engineering and manufacturing synergies created by LG Magna e-Powertrain is expected to enable both companies to react quickly to market trends and capitalize on the growing global shift toward vehicle electrification. The new company will develop powertrain components that offer automakers a scalable portfolio, from complete solutions enabling electrification and functionality to integrating intelligent operating software and controls in new e-drive systems.

LG Magna e-Powertrain will be made up of more than 1,000 employees in the United States, South Korea and China.
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GREENWICH  For more than 45 years, David Gilbert loomed large over the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra.

Gilbert, who in the 1970s and 1980s also worked with the New York Philharmonic, the American Ballet Theatre and the Beijing Central Philharmonic, joined the local orchestra as conductor and musical director in 1975 and led the group until his retirement in early 2020.

His departure set off a search of grand scope for a replacement, spanning multiple years and involving 176 candidates.

The process was so fascinating, said Diane Lesser, the orchestras principal oboist and one of two musicians, along with principal violist David Creswell, leading the search committee. And it coincided, fortunately or unfortunately, with COVID. So we had a lot of free time.

The COVID-19 pandemic canceled the orchestras 2020-21 season, which afforded the committee the opportunity to parse the large group of candidates over the course of a year, slowly narrowing the field significantly.

Recently, the orchestra announced five finalists: Melisse Brunet, music director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic; David Lockington, conductor laureate of the Grand Rapids Symphony; Martin Makjut, music director of the Rogue Valley Symphony in Oregon; Stuart Malina, music director and conductor of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra; and Ransom Wilson, music director of the Redlands Symphony in California.

Now established, the finalists will audition in front of not only the orchestras musicians, but also its patrons. Each will lead one of the orchestras five weekend concerts in the upcoming 2021-22 season, beginning in September. They will also spend time meeting with the community and rehearsing with the musicians, providing the committee with valuable perspective on each candidate in action.

The interesting part of this is that you never really know, from a musical collaborative standpoint, how someones going to interact with everyone else, said Creswell, who has been a member of the orchestra for more than 20 years.

Connecting with the entire 80-member orchestra is easier said than done. And the different members have different hopes for what they want to see in a new conductor. But Creswell and Lesser said theyre looking for someone who can bring out the best in the orchestra and who will bring a level of enthusiasm to the post.

Lets just say what were looking for somebody who is as happy to be in our community and in our orchestra as we are, said Lesser, who has been a member of the orchestra since 1980.

No decision will be made until spring 2022, after all the weekend concerts are complete. But change is already in the air for the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra.

Lesser and Creswell said they see the search as an opportunity to modernize the orchestra and take it in new musical directions. Lesser, for example, said she has no problem playing Mozart or Bach ad infinitum. But she recognizes there is a desire among audience members, as well as orchestra members, to take on new styles.

The entire definition of an orchestra now has really changed over the years, and we need we need to go with the change, Lesser said. But I also understand that present audiences need much more modern music, they need more flexibility. We need much more diversity, and we need many things to change so that we can attract audiences. And hopefully, were going to find a new music director who has those ideas.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  A Berlin-bound train hit a truck at a railroad crossing Thursday in northwestern Poland, and eight people were slightly injured when the train partly derailed, authorities said.

Two cars of the DB Regio train traveling from Szczecin, Poland, to Germany's capital derailed at about 6:30 a.m. local time when the train hit the truck in Kolbaskowo, a village on Polands border with Germany, police spokesperson Katarzyna Lesnicka said.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Wildlife advocates on Thursday petitioned federal officials to restore federal protections for gray wolves throughout the U.S. West after Idaho and Montana passed laws intended to drastically cut their numbers.

Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians and others sent the petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency is supposed to respond within 90 days on whether there is enough information for a potential listing under the Endangered Species Act.

The groups cite unregulated hunting, poaching and genetic problems involving small wolf populations.

Wolves remain completely absent from suitable habitats or perilously close to extinction in many western states, and the handful of states surrounding Yellowstone National Park are now driving the larger populations toward extinction  endangered species listing  by ramping up wolf killing and stripping away hunting and trapping regulations in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project.

In May, Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a measure lawmakers said could lead to killing 90% of the states 1,500 wolves through expanded trapping and hunting. It took effect July 1.

Lawmakers pushing the measure, backed by trappers and the powerful ranching sector but heavily criticized by environmental advocates, often said the state can cut the number of wolves to 150 before federal authorities would take over management. They said reducing the population would reduce attacks on livestock and boost deer and elk herds.

A primary change in the new law allows the state to hire private contractors to kill wolves and provides more money for state officials to hire the contractors. The law also expands killing methods to include trapping and snaring wolves on a single hunting tag, using night-vision equipment, chasing wolves on snowmobiles and ATVs and shooting them from helicopters. It also authorizes year-round wolf trapping on private property.

The state Department of Fish and Game reported in February that the wolf population has held at about 1,500 the past two years. The numbers were derived in part by using remote cameras.

About 500 wolves have been killed in the state in each of the last two years by hunters, trappers and state and federal authorities carrying out wolf control measures.

Wildlife authorities in Montana, following new laws, have been looking at changes such as increasing the number of wolves an individual can hunt to between five and 10. A decision is expected in August.

Authorities said this year they expect the state's wolf population to decrease from around 1,150 to between 900 and 950 following a particularly successful hunting season. Over 320 wolves were harvested during the 2020 hunting season  significantly more than the preceding eight-year average of 242 wolves per year, according to a report released by the department in June.

The petition seeks to protect wolves in those two states as well as Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, California, Nevada and northern Arizona. The petition said those states are part of the range of wolves.

These wolves are at risk of extinction throughout all of their range, and unquestionably are at risk of immediate extinction in significant portions of their range, the 63-page petition states.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli troops shot and killed a 20-year-old Palestinian man, Palestinian health officials said, during clashes that erupted in the occupied West Bank following the funeral of a Palestinian boy killed by army fire the previous day.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the man, identified as Shaukat Awad, was shot in the head and abdomen during Thursday's unrest in Beit Ummar, a town near the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank.
HANOI, Vietnam (AP)  U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is seeking to bolster ties with Vietnam, one of the Southeast Asian nations embroiled in a territorial rift with China, during a two-day visit starting Wednesday.

In a speech in Singapore, his first stop in the region he is visiting for the first time as a member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet, Austin said Tuesday he was committed to pursuing a constructive, stable relationship with China, including stronger crisis communications with the Peoples Liberation Army.

But he repeated that Beijings claim to virtually the entire South China Sea has no basis in international law and treads on the sovereignty of states in the region.

He said the U.S. continues to support the regions coastal states in upholding their rights under international law, and remains committed to the defense treaty obligations the U.S. has with Japan and the Philippines.

Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isnt just occurring on the water, Austin 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.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded to Austin.

The U.S. ignored the facts, deliberately smeared China, interfered in Chinas internal affairs and sowed discords among regional countries with the aim of serving its own geopolitical interest," Zhao said at a regular news briefing. "We admonish the U.S. side not to make an issue about China at every turn and do more for the benefit of peace and stability in the region.

Austin is scheduled to meet his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, on Thursday morning. He leaves for the Philippines on Friday.

Vietnam and the Philippines are among China's fiercest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has ignored its neighbors' protests and has constructed several islands equipped with airstrips and military installations. Vietnam has previously accused China of obstructing its gas exploration activities off its southern shores.

Austin's visit comes as Vietnam is in the grip of a coronavirus surge, with Hanoi and half of the country in lockdown.

The U.S has donated 5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, part of the 80 million doses that Biden pledged to lower-income nations around the world.
Counterpoint Research has released its quarterly analysis of the mobile market in India, one of the biggest markets in the world. The report revealed an 82% yearly increase in shipments and a 14% sequential decline due to the second COVID-19 wave.

Xiaomi retained its leadership with a 28.4% market share, while second placed Samsung lost a lot of ground and accounted for just 17.7% of the sales. Third placed vivo also lost some market share as Realme and Oppo as well as the makers in the "others" group gained significantly.

India is also a huge market for feature phones, and that segment affected the overall sales numbers a lot. The handset business (smartphones + feature phones) grew 74% YoY but declined 28% on a quarterly basis, mostly because the feature phone side saw half the sales, compared with Q1 2021.

The reason is the pandemic resurgence hit the disposable income of consumers in rural areas which are among the top users of such devices.

Xiaomi managed to reach its highest-ever volume in the premium segment between April and June, but it was the Redmi 9 series that moved the most units. The Redmi 9A, Redmi 9 Power and Redmi 9 were all in the Top 5, as well as the Redmi Note 10. Samsung remained the leader in the upper mid-tier segment thanks to the strong performance of the Galaxy A32 and Galaxy A52, while vivo led the INR15,000-INR20,000 price band.

Source
Dionne Estella entered a plea of guilty to criminal mischief as a misdemeanor for damaging a hotel room and offering sexual favors to cops in October 2019.

Following the change of plea, Judge Maria T. Cenzon sentenced Estella to one year of incarceration with credit for time served and indicated Estella was eligible for release at the time of the hearing.

However, Estella will be on probation for one year and ordered to pay a fine of $200 or convert the amount to hours of community service.

Estalla was charged with giving a bribe and criminal mischief following a noise complaint at Hilton Guam Resort and Spa in October 2019, according to PDN files.

Police and security guards arrived to a room Estella was occupying when they saw it trashed. The hotel room had furniture flipped upside down, burns on the carpet, a blowtorch on the counter and the phrase Insane in the brain, written on the window, court documents state.

When asked to leave Estella was aggressive and when approached by police she yelled they werent going to take her and she smoked kek.

A baggie with residue from suspected methamphetamine was found under the sink at the time, court documents said.

When Estella was being arrested and was taken to the Tumon-Tamuning precinct, she offered officers sexual favors for her release. Estella also gestured indicating she would give the officer money to release her.

Estella was ordered to stay away from and not to communicate with Hilton and GPD employees as part of her sentencing.
The entrance to Marbo Cave in Mangilao, as seen Sept. 1, 2018.
No members of the public appeared for the second hearing on RISE Act payments this week, but lawmakers took to the floor to speak about the program being the responsibility of the governor.

The RISE Act lapsed into law in December of 2021 and would provide payouts of $800 to eligible applicants making up to $40,000 annually, and $1,600 to joint tax filers. The law has not been implemented by the administration and is set to expire this December. But Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero instituted in March the All RISE Program which mirrored the provisions of the RISE Act, while expanding eligibility to government employees and retirees who were not included in the original law.

The decision to not increase the $30 million funding cap for the program, while expanding the applicant pool, has been a sticking point between Adelup and the legislature. Officials have stated that funds will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis should the money run out.

Speaker Therese Terlajes Bill 164 is aimed at removing obstacles to residents receiving payments through the RISE Act, by removing the $30 million cap on payments, streamlining the verification process and extending the payment period out to December of 2023.

But according to Sen. Chris Duenas, the matter was already in the governors hands.

The original RISE Act, Mr. Chairman, doesnt exist anymore. Its a public law that has gone unfulfilled that basically has been usurped by the governors authority to take it into her own hands, Duenas said.

While he supported any bills that would amend the law, the only reason for passing them would be so that the governor would not be able to refer to the RISE Act when speaking about restrictions on the All RISE Program, he said.

Sen. Joe San Agustin agreed with Duenas about the separation of powers. If we introduce a bill, we pass a law and you can make the amendment by executive order, you can pretty much change everything and if you have the authority then do so, he said.

We just need to make it clear so that people at home understand youre going to get some of the RISE, or theyre not going to get the RISE, San Agustin stated.

There was no surplus money in GovGuam for the legislature to appropriate for the program, Sen. Telo Taitague said. Lets be real again, Mr. Chair, that this money has to be authorized by the governor of Guam  not this body, Taitague stated, adding that lawmakers should continue to push for the administration to use American Rescue Plan money to provide for the program.

Sen. Joanne Brown added that the public needed the RISE Act more when the bill was originally passed. And here we are today still debating different reiterations of the original legislation that was passed, that the governor herself did not sign into law, Brown said.

Terlaje has requested that Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero fix the situation through executive order.
A superseding indictment has charged Matthew San Agustin Manibusan with manslaughter in connection to the death of Joshua James Meno whose body was found on Swamp Road on April 15, 2021. The charge comes after originally being indicted for murder, according to a press release sent by the Office of the Attorney General.

A grand jury produced a true bill indicting Manibusan with manslaughter, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm without a firearm identification card. Aside being indicted for murder, Manibusan was also indicted for aggravated assault following the incident, according to the release.

The superseding indictment came after Manibusan filed a motion to dismiss the indictment alleging the first grand jury did not receive exculpatory evidence, the release said.

While the AGs Office disagreed with the defenses characterization of what constitutes exculpatory evidence, they presented additional evidence to the grand jury. The grand jury evaluated the evidence and found the probably cause existed for the manslaughter but not for murder, the release said.

Manslaughter carries a sentencing range of 5-20 years.

Shortly after Menos body was discovered on Swamp Road, Guam Police Department conducted an investigation and found Manibusan to be a suspect after a trail of blood led from Menos body to Manibusans home, according to court documents.

Meno allegedly stopped by Manibusans home for a cigarette break and later got into an argument with a man and injured him with a machete. The man then told Manibusan which caused him to shoot Meno on the lower right rib, according to court documents.

Manibusan admitted to shooting Meno but claimed he acted in self-defense and later showed police officers where the pistol was hidden in an abandoned school bus near his home, according to the release.

He was afraid Meno would hurt him or his girlfriend in the home, so he shot first, court documents stated.

Manibusan is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Jonathan R. Quan on August 3 to answer to the charges, according to the indictment.
The University of Guams SNAP-Ed program will have in person store tours at Payless-Supermarkets across the island for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients.

Known as the Cooking Matters Store Tours, the classes are free to adults to learn cost effective and healthy shopping options.

Well be going over the different food groups for our clients and the different forms those take to be consumed or purchased as well as comparing the unit price of the food products, said University of Guam nutrition educator Harley Edeluchel Jr. at Payless-Supermarket in Dededo on Wednesday.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, tours were held only on Zoom. However, with the increase in vaccinations, in person tours are being restarted.

They will be held once in person and once via zoom from 10 to 11 a.m. twice a month for the rest of the year. The next virtual tour will be Aug. 11 and face-to-face will be Aug. 25 at Oka Payless in Tamuning.

To follow Department of Public Health and Social Services and Payless-Supermarket COVID-19 safety guidelines, only five participants are allowed to attend the face-to-face store tour.

Pre-registration to join is required and for more information, contact SNAP-Ed at 735-2020/30.
The inability of Guam residents to have full access to federal support programs, has split families up, attorney Rodney Jacob said during a congressional hearing early Thursday morning.

We have people from Guam that have moved to the CNMI and other places to get these benefits, said Jacob. He represents a Guam resident with a disability who sued the federal government after she was denied Supplemental Security Income payments.

The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing related to providing parity for the U.S. territories for the Medicaid, SSI and food stamp programs.

We will be focusing on the historical inequity in the application of federal programs in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands, and what we can do to obtain parity for Americans who call the territories home, said CNMI Del. Gregorio Sablan, the committees vice chairman.

Sablan and other territorial representatives earlier this year sent a letter to the Biden administration, asking to expand accessibility and eligibility in the territories for federal programs, and to include those changes in the presidents Fiscal 2022 budget.

We explained that Americans residing in U.S. territories face long-standing barriers that limit or exclude them equal access to Medicaid, the (Supplemental Security Income) program and (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, among many others, Sablan said.

Guam Del. Michael San Nicolas, who testified during the hearing, noted the ongoing effort in Congress to provide more Medicaid funding to Guam, where the money for the program traditionally has been capped.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee this month approved a bill which would provide an 83% federal match for Guam Medicaid expenses, capped at $130 million per year. If the measure becomes law, the additional funding would be in effect for eight years.

While it isnt full parity, it does buy us some time, San Nicolas said, adding it might be possible to include other federal programs for territories in the bill.

This is a serious window for us to put SNAP for CNMI and SSI for our territories directly into the language so that we can close those loops while we advance our Medicaid initiative, he said.

Attorney Jacob represents Katrina Schaller, who sued the Social Security Administration in December 2018, challenging the inability of Guam residents to receive support payments under the SSI program. The failure to provide benefits to people on Guam with disabilities violates the Organic Act and also the equal protection clauses of the Constitution, Schallers lawsuit states.

Schaller, who received monthly SSI benefits when she lived in the U.S. mainland, lost them when she relocated to Guam to live with relatives. Congress specifically excluded Guam residents and other territorial residents from the program, but residents of the CNMI are eligible because the program is part of the commonwealths covenant with the United States.

Schaller won her case in the U.S. District Court of Guam, but the Justice Department appealed to the Ninth Circuit. The appeal has been paused since March, pending a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a similar case, filed by a resident of Puerto Rico who also lost his benefit payments.

Jacob said it has been estimated that as many as 24,000 Guam residents could qualify for SSI payments if the program opens up to them.

It is contrary to common sense, human decency and sound public policy to deny these important public benefits to a set of American citizens just because they live on Guam, Jacob told the committee. But what is true, is that the harm on Guam is real, it is not hypothetical. It deeply affects real people  real Americans  here.
Michael Lujan Bevacqua is an author, artist, activist and the curator for The Guam Museum.
Our View: US must be transparent when it denies Guam foreign labor visas
The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Soldier's Life on the Western Frontier in 1813, by Anonymous

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: A Soldier's Life on the Western Frontier in 1813

Author: Anonymous

Release Date: July 28, 2021 [eBook #65943]

Language: English

Character set encoding: UTF-8

Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SOLDIER'S LIFE ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER IN 1813 ***

A SOLDIERS LIFE ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER IN 1813 Prepared by the staff of the

Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County

1953

i

One of a historical series, this pamphlet is published under the direction of the governing Boards of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCHOOL CITY OF FORT WAYNE

B. F. Geyer, President Joseph E. Kramer, Secretary W. Page Yarnelle, Treasurer Willard Shambaugh Mrs. Sadie Fulk Roehrs

PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD FOR ALLEN COUNTY

The members of this Board include the members of the Board of Trustees of the School City of Fort Wayne (with the same officers), together with the following citizens chosen from Allen County outside the corporate city of Fort Wayne:

James E. Graham Arthur Niemeier Mrs. Glenn Henderson Mrs. Charles Reynolds

ii

FOREWORD

The following letter, written by an anonymous author to an unknown correspondent, vividly depicts the life of an American soldier on the western frontier during the War of 1812. Reprinted from the WEEKLY REGISTER, this letter might have been written by a twentieth-century soldier, for the experiences, hopes, and fears of this enlisted man in the early nineteenth century are similar to those of an American serviceman of our own day. Hardships, sufferings, and dangers are illustrated; but good will, respect for authority, and companionship are present in no lesser degree. The letter is reprinted as published except that grammar, spelling, and punctuation have been changed to conform to current usage.

1

Zanesville, Ohio March 28, 1813

When I last wrote you from Upper Sandusky, I confidently expected that something of considerable importance would have transpired within a very short time; but, unfortunately, the war in this quarter is protracted to a much longer period than I contemplated at that time. Indeed, the best-informed people in the army think that nothing decisive can be done before next winter. Invasions of a country with militia will never be successful. Some militiamen will not cross the lines; others will not submit to any kind of authority; and, in fact, they would all prefer being at home rather than courting fame on the battlefield.

The Kentucky and Ohio militia have been discharged for some time; the Pennsylvania and Virginia militia are to be discharged on April 1; and, unless other troops arrive, the camp will, in a great measure, be unprotected. No men will be left except our battalion, consisting of the Petersburg Volunteers and two companies from Pittsburgh (fifty men in one and fifteen in the other), together with about three hundred and fifty regulars. Ensign James G. Chalmers, who is appointed paymaster for all the twelve-month volunteers, and I left the rapids on the eighth. We have to remain here until the arrival of the district paymaster.

2

3

The next day after the date of my letter from Upper Sandusky, we left that place for the rapids, together with three hundred militia under the command of Major Orr. We had with us twenty pieces of heavy artillery and a quantity of military stores of every description. At this time we knew nothing of the unfortunate events at the Raisin River. On the second day of our march, a courier arrived from General Harrison; the artillery was ordered to advance with all possible speed. This was rendered totally impossible by the falling snow; it was a complete swamp nearly all the way. On the evening of the same day, news arrived that General Harrison had retreated to the Portage River, eighteen miles in the rear of the encampment at the rapids. It was determined that as many men as could be spared should proceed immediately to reinforce him. It is unnecessary to state that we were among the first who wished to advance.

At two oclock the next morning, our tents were struck; and in half an hour we were on the road. I will candidly confess that on that day I regretted being a soldier. We marched thirty miles in incessant rain; and I am afraid you will doubt my veracity when I tell you that in eight miles of the best road, we sank into mud over the knees and often to the middle. The Black Swamp (four miles from the Portage River and four miles in extent) would have been considered impassable by all except men who were determined to surmount every difficulty to accomplish the object of their march. In this swamp one loses sight of terra firma altogether. The water was about six inches deep on the ice, which was very rotten and often broke through to a depth of four or five feet.

That same night we encamped on very wet ground, but the driest that we could find; the rain still continued. It was with difficulty that we built fires; our clothes were wet. We had no tents, no axes, nothing to cook in, 4 and very little to eat. Since a brigade of pack horses was near us, we procured some flour from them; we killed a hog as there were plenty of them along the road. Our bread was baked in the ashes, and the pork we broiled on the coals. A sweeter meal I have never eaten. When we went to sleep, it was on two logs laid close together to keep our bodies from the damp ground. Good God! What a pliant being is man in adversity. The loftiest spirit that ever inhabited the human breast would have been tamed amid the difficulties that surrounded us.

The next morning we arrived at the headquarters of the northwestern army on the Portage River. During our stay here, we were in constant expectation of an attack. For several nights we went to sleep with our muskets in our arms and all our accoutrements fixed for action. On the arrival of the brigades of General Leftwich and General Crook [sic] from Sandusky, we marched for the rapids. The Kentucky and the Ohio troops had then only six days to serve. In a speech to them, the General pledged to take them to Malden in twenty days, which pledge would have been fulfilled if the cannon and military stores could have been got on. When we arrived at the rapids, the advance guard discovered that one of the three persons, who had been sent to Malden with a flag two days previously, had been killed and scalped by the Indians. The other two (we have since heard) are prisoners at Malden. So little does our enemy respect the laws of nations.

The encampment, protected by nature in three quarters by a steep, high bank, is opposite the Michigan Territory in a fine situation; the whole is picketed. The stores are deposited in eight blockhouses, built around 5 the picketing. All of the encampment is nearly in a complete state of defense. The handsomest country along this river is in the vicinity of the camp, but all is a scene of desolation. After Hulls surrender, the whole country was laid waste by the Indians. Every half mile there had been a house; the only remaining indication of habitation is the ruins that cover the ground where houses once stood!

A few days after our arrival, a detachment, of which our company was a part, was sent out to attack a considerable party of Indians fifteen miles down the river. We started as night set in and marched all the way on the ice. About two oclock we came near the place where we expected to surprise the enemy. We were put in order of battle and instructed to proceed in silence.

Still was the pipe and drum Save heavy tread, and armors clang, The sullen march was dumb.

In a few minutes enemy forces were in sight; they were nearly a mile off in a bend of the river. When we were within gunshot (I could hear the men cocking their pieces), our company, to a man, was even at that moment cheerful and gay! Fear was far distant from our ranks; and I do sincerely believe that, had the enemy not flown previous to our arrival, we would all have realized the expectations of our friends. Some of their spies (as we have since heard from prisoners from Malden) saw us on our march, and as a consequence they made a precipitate retreat. We followed them to within five miles of the Raisin River and returned to camp without any rest, except for two hours. We were absent twenty-one hours, during which time we marched more than sixty miles. You are already acquainted with the particulars of the last unfortunate account at the Raisin River, likewise the failure of the expedition to destroy the Queen Charlotte. Our company marched as far as the mouth of Lake Erie to reinforce the men of the first party, but we met them on their return. We have all built small houses, which make us very comfortable, in front of the tents.

6

7

The camp duty is very severe; there are no tents or houses for the guard when the men are off their posts, so that it is equally as pleasant for them to be at their posts as off. They are forbidden to leave the rendezvous of the guard. Every other day a man mounts guard; on the day that intervenes, he is at work within the camp. Major Alexander, who commands the battalion, is as fine a fellow as I ever knew. The most perfect harmony exists between the Pittsburgh company and ours; they are the only two companies of twelve-month volunteers in camp, and the only companies that wear uniforms. A generous emulation exists between them, which is of infinite service to both. Officers and men all mingle together. We visit each others tents of an evening, sing, tell stories, play music, and drink grog when we can get it (which, by the bye, is not often the case; sutlers are not permitted to sell spirits in the camp).

Poor Edmund S. Gee is no more! I saw him breathe his last. We consigned him to his mother earth with all the decency our circumstances would permit. We had it not in our power to dress his corpse in all the pomp and pageantry of sorrow. The tears of his companions, more eloquent than all the parade that sable weeds could bestow, were his due; and 8 those he had! All the battalion attended the funeral, as did General Leftwich, who requested the chaplain to perform a funeral service, a thing not done on any similar occasion.

Chalmers and I will return to the camp in a few days. It is dangerous to travel the roads in small parties, as the Indians are all around the camp. We will be obliged to remain in the settlement until some troops are going on. The day before we left the camp, a lieutenant was shot and scalped within sight of the camp. Another man was shot at, but fortunately in his side pocket he had a Bible, which arrested the course of the ball and saved his life. There are one hundred miles of road between here and the rapids without a single inhabitantall a wilderness.

WEEKLY REGISTER, May 8, 1813

Transcribers Notes

Silently corrected a few typos.

Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

Retained editorial notes, i.e. [sic] from the printed edition.

In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SOLDIER'S LIFE ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER IN 1813 ***




Haiti - FLASH : All the arrested Colombian ex-soldiers were aware of a plan to kill President Moise





In an interview on the station "BLU Radio" of Bogota, Diego Molano, the Colombia Minister of Defense revealed that according to the latest information gathered, we can now say that all the former Colombian soldiers were aware of the project to kill the President of Haiti.



When asked if the ex-soldiers had assassinated the President of Haiti, the Minister explained, "What they said in the interrogations is that they had a mission, the mission was in the process of being changed and the last mission was assassination. What is important is that everyone knew what was going to happen. Now it will be up to the judicial process in Haiti to determine to what extent they participated in it individually."



Molano specified that the assistance provided by the Colombian Government to ex-soldiers detained in Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34294-haiti-assassination-of-the-president-a-colombian-consular-delegation-expected-in-haiti.html was released for humanitarian reasons and not because he considers them innocent.



In addition, the President of the Republic of Colombia Ivan Duque Marquez in a press statement published by his office this week asked the Haitian authorities to guarantee a fair trial to the 18 Colombians arrested for their alleged involvement in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. emphasizing "There are three things that must be guaranteed :



First, a fair trial. Regardless of what the evidence says, everyone needs procedural guarantees for a trial [] 



Secondly, a commitment to protect the human rights of people "[...] Beyond any consideration, any investigation, conclusive information, the integrity of the people who are the subject of this assessment, assessments and sanctions by the official Haitian authorities must be protected [...]



Third point, the search for intellectual authors must be continued until reaching the highest level. "We already know, with the information available that there is the participation of Colombians, but there has also been information of collusion within Haitian authorities. There were also arrests, but it is very important to reach the top of those who were behind this heinous crime. "



Note that earlier this week, another mission from the Colombian Ombudsman's Office visited Haiti to verify the situation of the Colombian ex-servicemen detained as well as to see the measures adopted to protect the rights of nearly 80 Colombians residing in Haiti, especially in Port-au-Prince, in order to avoid stigmatization or persecution.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34294-haiti-assassination-of-the-president-a-colombian-consular-delegation-expected-in-haiti.html

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-34250-haiti-flash-according-to-colombia-in-the-commando-only-a-few-knew-about-the-assassination-of-president-moise.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34249-haiti-news-zapping.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-34223-haiti-justice-the-dg-of-the-colombian-police-wonders-about-the-role-of-the-chief-of-security-of-president-moise.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34218-haiti-flash-wanted-notice-for-a-very-dangerous-colombian-mercenary.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34214-haiti-assassination-of-president-a-colombian-team-in-haiti.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/en/news-34162-haiti-flash-president-jovenel-moise-assassinated-by-mercenaries-official-updated-7am-+-video.html



SL/ HaitiLibre


















Havre Police Department

A Fifth Street caller asked officers Wednesday at 9:10 a.m. for help with her son.

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A caller reported Wednesday 10:40 a.m. a vehicle crash involving the vehicle and a fire hydrant on Second Street Northeast.

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Hailey Storme Britton of Havre, 24, was issued a summons on a charge of reckless driving after a caller on First Street reported and erratic driver Wednesday at 12:01 p.m.

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Officers assisted with a medical call at 9:50 p.m. Wednesday on 10th Avenue.

Hill County Sheriff's Office

Deputies investigated suspicious activity on U.S. Highway 87 reported at 12:59 p.m.

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An arrest was made after a caller at a U.S. Highway 2 West business reported a shoplifter Wednesday at 4:19 p.m., but no information on charges was provided.

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Deputies assisted with an animal control issue on U.S. Highway 87 Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

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Deputies investigated a drug offense reported at Hill County Detention Center at 10:01 p.m. Wednesday.

Havre Fire Department

Emergency medical personnel responded to nine calls Wednesday, including one with three patients at a vehicle rollover on Washington Avenue South at 7:06 p.m.

Havre Animal Shelter

The shelter this morning held three 5-week-old kittens, one cat, one 7-week-old kitten, an 8-week-old kitten and one 10-week-old kitten all of unknown gender, six female cats, three male cats and one female 21-week-old kitten. A male and a female 21-week-old kittens, a male 12-week-old kitten and a male 13-week-old kitten were being held separately.

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The shelter also held five 7-week-old 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.
At a quarterly meeting of the Hill County Board of Health Wednesday, Hill County Public Health Director and Health Officer Kim Berg said the county has 16 active cases of COVID-19, which she said has gone up quite a bit in the last few weeks, mirroring national and state trends due to the Delta variant.

Berg said there are no confirmed cases of the Delta variant in the county yet.

We havent had any Delta variants identified through the surveillance testing that Montana is doing for Hill County, yet. That doesnt mean its not here, Berg said

She said that, as of Wednesday, the county has confirmed a total of 2,067 cases, including 18 breakthrough cases in people who have been vaccinated.

She added that breakthrough cases are to be expected.

The vaccine is not perfect, but it is a small number, Berg said.

She said about 50 percent of the countys eligible population has gotten at least one vaccine shot, adding that 45 percent of the county is fully vaccinated

So, another 5 percent will get that second shot, ideally, and theyll be fully vaccinated. Were still pushing that it is available, she added.

We have Moderna and Pfizer at the health department. Bullhook (Community Health Center) has Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, (Gary & Leos) Pharmacy has Johnson & Johnson and then the hospital has all three vaccinations available. Rocky Boy has all three available and Fort Belknap, I believe, has all three available still, she said.

Berg said the health department has seen an increase in people coming in for the departments shot days with a lot of people getting the Pfizer vaccine. She said as of May 28, 15 percent of the countys population between ages 12 to 17 received at least one shot and as of July 23 its up to 26 percent.

Hill County to participate in Naloxone program

Berg said she had been contacted by the Montana Public Health Institute, saying the institute has a program working with the state health department concerning Montanas opioid response.

Berg said the program would be at no cost to the county. The program will allow the Hill County Health Department to distribute Naloxone, which is used to treat people who have overdosed on fentanyl. As part of the program, people would also be trained on how to administer Naloxone.

When asked by board member and Hill County Commissioner Jake Strissel about liability, Berg said those trained to give Naloxone are covered by Good Samaritan laws.

Berg said Havre Fire Chief Mel Paulson, Havre Police Department Chief Gabe Matosich and Hill County Sheriff and Coroner Jamie Ross all support the countys participation in the program.

There was no timeline given for when the county would begin participation in the program.

As far as next steps, Berg said the Montana Public Health Institute would help put together a memorandum of understanding between Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Hill County Health Department.

Hill County Health Department and City of Havre to update interlocal agreement

Board member Kristi Kline talked about the interlocal agreement between Havre and the health department.

Kline said due to recent legislation, Senate Bill 80, the interlocal agreement has been limited to a five-year term, making the current agreement outdated.

Board members said during the meeting the agreement between Havre and the county health department and health board was created in 1981.

Kline talked about the possibility of creating a city-county board of health.

Havre Mayor Tim Solomon and Finance Director and City Clerk Doug Kaercher, who is running for mayor, were at the meeting to discuss the issue.

As it stands, the health board consists of Kline, Erica McKeon-Hanson and Hill County commissioners Diane McLean, Mark Peterson and Jake Strissel.

The proposed board would have much the same structure but also include additional members including but not limited to City Council members.

What youre looking for is a spattering of your community that can speak to those effects of the health of the community. So you know, you may see an eye doctor that sees something thats going on, you may see a dentist  and then you have the general public, too.

No final decision was made regarding a city-county board, but it was agreed that the interlocal agreement needs to be updated due to SB 80.

Solomon said the agreement already created a city-county board, but the city only is in an advisory rather than a voting position.

And so its technically a city-county board by agreement already. So it does need to be updated, especially with the review. It needs to be updated and we need to talk about how we want to make it look as far as moving forward, because a lot of things have changed over the years, he added.

The next quarterly Board of Health meeting is Oct. 20.
Cast members of Montana Actors' Theatre production of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" ride in Willy Wonka's yacht Wednesday during a rehearsal of the play.

Beginning tonight, Montana Actors' Theatre will have performances of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" in the former Herberger's location in the Holiday Village Mall.

The MAT performance tells Roald Dahl's classic story of poor Charlie Bucket's adventure through Willy Wonka's magical, Oompa Loompa-filled factory, with a unique spin.

"Something that makes it their own is that it's all youth produced. That's, you know, different. So it's directed by youth, and it's starred in by youth," MAT Youth Activities Director and House and Costume Manager Angela Pratt said.

"I try to stay out of it as much as I can, as far as directing. I just have them do it, but it's looking good. They've done a really good job, you know, incorporating all the things and putting together all the things that they have to do to get a production and it's pretty cool," she added.

Pratt said the cast and crew have pretty well adapted to rehearsing and performing under pandemic conditions, but there have still been some challenges along the way.

For example, MAT still has yet to put on its performance of "Mamma Mia," but the stage has been built and is taking up space at the Little Theatre at Montana State University-Northern, meaning rehearsals for and production of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" must take place at Holiday Village.

"We can't be on our stage. We have to do it here. Luckily, we've got an amazing mall staff that made it possible for us to be up here so that we could even do this because normally, we would do it on our own stage," Pratt said.

Pratt said rehearsals for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" started in the former Creative Leisure building before being moved to the former Herberger's location, which has been transformed into the performance space.

The MAT website says the production has limited chairs available so people are asked to bring their own if possible.

Havre Daily News/Tim Leeds

It adds that MAT encourages audience members to practice social distancing and for non-vaccinated audience members to wear masks.

Pratt said the cast is very excited to showcase its hard work.

"They are very excited to finally get it up and going. It's still crazy that it's happening already. But they're excited to get it going. And they're ready," Pratt said.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students, seniors and military members and Montana State University-Northern students can attend for free with a valid university I.D.

Performances will take place tonight through Saturday and Aug. 5-7, all at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available online through the MAT website at http://mtactors.com .
After weeks of negotiations, the Senate Wednesday advanced a bill to increase investment in U.S. infrastructure on a 67-32 vote with one senator not voting.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., voted for advancing the bill to the floor along with all other Senate Democrats, two independents and 17 Republicans, while Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., was one of the 32 Republicans voting against it.

A fact sheet released by the White House says the deal includes $550 billion in new spending on infrastructure.

The fact sheet says the bill includes

 Making the largest federal investment in public transit ever

 Making the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak

 Making the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system

 Making the largest investment in clean drinking water and waste water infrastructure in American history, delivering clean water to millions of families

 Ensuring every American has access to reliable high-speed internet

 Helping tackle the climate crisis by making the largest investment in clean energy transmission and EV infrastructure in history; electrifying thousands of school and transit buses across the country; and creating a new Grid Deployment Authority to build a clean, 21st century electric grid

Tester, who was one of the 10-member bipartisan group that negotiated the bill, praised the final package before the vote.

Im pleased to announce that we have reached a bipartisan deal on a historic bill that will upgrade Montanas aging infrastructure, create-good paying jobs, and help us maintain our competitive edge over China, Tester said in a release Wednesday. Montanans have been living off our parents infrastructure for decades, and this package will finally provide critical investments in roads, bridges, broadband, airports, and water systems across our state that will boost our economy for years to come.

Everywhere I go in Montana, I hear from folks who tell me they expect their elected leaders to work across the aisle to deliver real, lasting results for our state and our economy. Tester added. This bipartisan legislation will do that, and Im proud to have worked with Republicans, Democrats, and the president to get it done.

President Joe Biden, who has made the infrastructure bill one of his top priorities in the early stages of his presidency, praised the bipartisan group for its work in a statement issued Wednesday before the vote.

This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, deliver, and do big things, Biden said in the statement. As we did with the transcontinental railroad and the interstate highway, we will once again transform America and propel us into the future.

This deal makes key investments to put people to work all across the country  in cities, small towns, rural communities, and across our coastlines and plains, Biden added.

Tester said in his release that he secured a number of wins for Montana in the legislation, including:

Water Infrastructure

 $2.5 billion to complete all authorized Indian water rights settlements, including settlements for the Blackfeet, Crow, and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

 $1 billion to complete all authorized rural water projects through the Bureau of Reclamation, including Fort Peck/Dry Prairie, Rocky Boys/North Central, and Musselshell-Judith rural water systems.

 Up to $100 million for rehabilitating the Milk River Project.

 Clarifies that American Rescue Plan Act state and local fiscal recovery funds may be used toward the state or federal cost share to rehabilitate Bureau of Reclamation water infrastructure.

 $3.5 billion for Indian Health Service Sanitation Construction program, providing water, sewage, and sanitation services to tribal households.

 $11.2 billion in grants for states and tribes to reclaim abandoned mine lands.

Resiliency Infrastructure

 $7 billion for Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure priorities to improve flood mitigation.

 $350 million of that for Army Corps CAP funding, which includes Section 205 levee projects.

 $3.5 billion for the Federal Emergency and Management Agency Flood Mitigation Assistance program.

 $2.2 billion for the Aging Infrastructure Account, including to the Bureau of Reclamation for water infrastructure projects across the West that are in need of major upgrades or replacement.

 $500 million for the Western Area Power Administrations power purchase and transmission activities.

 Tester-Moran bill to extend the Internal Revenue Service tax filing deadlines in Fire Management Assistance Grant areas after significant fires.

 $3.37 billion for reducing wildfire risk, including hazardous fuels treatments, wildland firefighter salaries, fire research, and grants to communities to reduce wildfire risks.

Surface transportation

 A portion of the Haulers of Agriculture and Livestock Safety (HAULS) Act of 2021, which cuts burdensome hours of service requirements on agricultural and livestock haulerst.

 DRIVE Safe Act, which creates a pilot program that lifts federal regulations that prevent Montana truck drivers younger than 21 from transporting goods across state lines and establishes a new training initiative for 18- to 20-year-old truck drivers.

 Right Track Act and Blocked Railroad Crossing Bill, which improve safety at rural train crossings and addresses instances of blocked highway-railroad crossings across the U.S.

 $15 million to study Amtrak long-distance passenger rail travel, providing funding for groups working to increase access to long-distance passenger rail travel like the Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Working Group.
Editors note: This version adds comments from the office of Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.

Members of the St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group met Wednesday to discuss possible funding sources for improvements and repairs to the structure that provides water resources to northern Montana.

The St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works, part of the irrigation Milk River Project and one of the first projects Bureau of Reclamation was authorized to build when it was created at the start of the last century, diverts water into the North Fork of the Milk River and supplies much  in drought years almost all  of the water flowing through the Milk River.

Irrigators pay most of the cost of operating and maintaining the system  at this point, about 75 percent of the cost  and it has been patched together for decades.

The working group was formed in 2003 after users of the Milk River warned that catastrophic failure was likely unless major repairs  much more than the irrigators could afford  were made.

That happened last spring when the last concrete drop structure on the 29-mile system of dams, dikes, canals, giant metal siphons and drop structures failed and had to be replaced.

The diversion was shut down over last summer until collaborative work got it re-opened in October.

Three major funding sources for the larger project of rehabilitating the system to prevent future failures like this were discussed at the meeting, including the American Rescue Plan, which includes a direct infusion of COVID-19 recovery funds to state, county and municipal governments as well as providing funds for competitive grants.

Milk River Joint Board of Control Project Manager Jennifer Patrick said four separate applications have been made to the state in an attempt to fund the massive project.

Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, said the Montana Department of Natural Resources Conservation is working overtime to process the $900 million worth of applications for projects like this.

Juras co-chairs the group with Montana State University Phillips County Extension Agent Marko Manoukian.

Juras said the department will provide its official recommendation on which projects to fund Aug. 15.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson asked if there will be another round of competitive grants, as has been rumored for some time.

DNRC Resource Development Bureau Chief Autumn Coleman said there will be a second round but she doesnt know when that will be.

Peterson also said the county has some ARPA funds left over and he was hoping some of that could go to the project, but hes not sure whether or not they are allowed to do that.

The second possible source of funding lies in the infrastructure bill recently brought to the floor by the U.S. Senate, which has gained an increasing level bipartisan support in the past month.

In this bill is a request for a non-refundable $100 million to go toward the project, introduced by Sen. Jon Tester D-Mont., money that would not need to be paid back.

A representative from Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., was at the meeting and said the senator supports that addition by Tester.

A representative of Daines said Thursday that the senator is the lone voice for Montana on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which wrote the portion of the bill dealing with water projects like St. Marys. Daines ensured during this process the $100 million for St. Marys was included.

Daines was one of the 32 Republican senators who voted Wednesday against bringing the bill to the floor for debate and to propose amendments.

A spokesperson for Daines said Thursday that when the Senate voted Wednesday, final bill text or details on how its going to be paid for were not available or public.

Senator Daines is fighting for Montana priorities to be included in this bill, as he successfully did in securing funding for St. Mary (Diversion and Conveyance Works rehabilitation) in committee. It is also essential that any final bill be fully paid for and not increase the deficit by one cent, his spokesperson said. The senator thinks its important to ensure there will be an opportunity to offer amendments to the package to make it stronger for Montana, including adding additional forest management reforms to prevent deadly wildfires and protect Montana families and communities from fire.

Wade Jones of the Milk River Joint Board of Control thanked Testers office at Wednesdays meeting for their work.

Jones said hes not necessarily on board with everything in the the infrastructure bill, but its in the interest of the people of Montana that differences be set aside in favor of passing the bill.

I maybe dont like everything that is in the infrastructure bill, but I think its something we have to support and that everybody should support because it helps Montana  the diversion is a ticking time-bomb and if we can get the money for that it would be huge.

The group also discussed a separate bill, introduced by Tester, Daines, and Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., the St. Mary Reinvestment Act which would invest an additional $52 million into the project as well.

Patrick said the ability-to-pay study that accompanies the bill, one that would evaluate how much the regions irrigators can realistically contribute to the continued maintenance of the diversion and whether the cost share of 75 percent from irrigators and 25 percent from the federal government should be changed, will be done in December.

Havre Public Works Director Dave Peterson brought up some issues he sees at the federal level, including the lack of support for dams and reservoirs, things hes hoping congress may be able to address.

Peterson said he understands that the government is focused on infrastructure at the moment, but if dams and reservoirs are not taken care of it will be a moot point from his perspective.

If I dont have the dam or reservoir coming to me I dont need infrastructure, he said.

He also said cities, especially smaller ones, are having a difficult time finding water treatment chemicals.

Peterson said Havre is able to produce a chlorine facsimile so the chlorine shortage isnt hitting them quite as hard but its still hard to find suitable chemicals at the moment.

He said water infrastructure repair materials are also hard to get.

He said his department needed a specialized piece of 16-inch pipe to make repairs to a main recently and it was so hard to find he had to send someone to Helena to get the only one in the state he could find, and it cost $1,600.

Its getting to a point where even when we can do something we cant afford to do anything, he said.

Peterson said Congress needs to do something to get these situations under control.

Members of the working group provided updates on their organizations activities including Patrick, who said outflow from Nelson Reservoir has been shut off and Fresno Reservoir will be shut off around Aug. 3 it a chance to refill.

She said tribal agreements will ensure that Fort Belknap still gets the water it requires.

She said the Milk River hasnt seen any natural flow since the beginning of July and the diversion has had to compensate for that lack of flow.

Overall, Patrick said, the situation isnt as bad a last year when drop structures in the diversion were still in the process of being fixed, but its still a tough situation when it comes to water resources in the region.

Manoukian provided an update on the regions ongoing drought and how bad things are for ag producers and irrigators.

Manoukian said 37 percent of the U.S. is in Drought 2 conditions or higher including the vast majority of the western U.S. and Montana.

He said this years grasshopper population explosion has gotten so bad in Montana that its getting a lot of attention in the news media across the U.S.

He said hes seen fields so badly devastated by the insects that a U.S. Department of Agriculture Representative mistook a local spring wheat field that had been eaten as one that had been farmed.

Manoukian said spring wheat production is at its lowest level continent-wide since 1988, with North Dakota and Canadas output cut in half and Montana well below half.

He said hay is also seeing a massive shortage nationwide and as a result as much as 300,000 head of cattle in the state will likely be sold between now and September.

He said experts hes talked to say theres just no water or forage for the animals.

Compounding these problems is the recent proliferation of blister beetles in the region, he said.

Manoukian said the beetles larvae eat grasshopper eggs so its not surprising theyre so prevalent this year, but all species of the insects are toxic to livestock, especially horses.

He said the beetles, even when dead, can sicken or kill animals that eat the hay insects often crawl around in.

Normally, the insects stick to alfalfa as their habitat of choice but their numbers have necessitated moving to all kinds of crops used for hay.

He said all of these factors have built up to make an extremely difficult year for irrigators and producers.

The next meeting of the working group will be Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. at Bear Paw Development Corp.
Pardee announces new board member, elects officers

Pardee UNC Health Care announced the addition of a new board member and the election of new officers for the year beginning July 1.

The Rev. Anthony McMinn, president and CEO of the Hendersonville Rescue Mission, is the newest member of its 15-person board of directors. He fills the seat of Greg Burnette, who has completed his term. McMinn began his term in July and will serve for three years through 2024.

A native of Hendersonville, McMinn attended West Henderson High School and Lees McRae College. He has been with the Hendersonville Rescue Mission since 1993 and currently serves as its president and CEO. He also serves as the chaplain for the Hendersonville Police Department, pastor of H.B. Ferguson Missionary Baptist Church and overseer for NewSpring Church of Greenville, S.C. His long history of serving on non-profit boards includes Citygate Network, Park Ridge Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County, State Employees Credit Union, Southern District of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, African American Cultural Committee, and the Presbytery of Western North Carolina.

The board also elected a new executive committee at its July meeting, naming Chip Gould, board chair, Tommy Thompson vice chair, Hall Waddell treasurer and Debbie Bell secretary.

On behalf of the Pardee UNC Health Care board of directors, I am pleased to welcome Rev. McMinn, Gould said. We look forward to his unique perspectives as we pursue our mission to offer high-quality health care to our community.
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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
Uniontown, PA (15401)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
Uniontown, PA (15401)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
Rob Nipe and Nora Rubel are ready for the Rosh Hashanah rush on brisket at their vegan butcher shop in Rochester, N.Y.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (JTA) - Rob Nipe and Nora Rubel hadn't anticipated selling out of pastrami on their opening day. But when you have a vegan butcher shop certified kosher and open up just a few blocks from an Orthodox synagogue, perhaps selling out of pastrami is par for the course.

Butcher, of course, is a bit of a misnomer: Everything in Grass Fed - from the sliced "bacon" to the "butter chicken" to the "corned beef" - is made with plant-based ingredients and therefore fairly easy to certify as kosher.

"I did not anticipate the need for it or the desire for it," Nipe said.

"It's kind of a culturally Jewish space," Rubel added.

The married couple have been vegans for six years and didn't eat much meat before entirely giving up animal products. Until last year, Nipe worked as an analyst for the American Red Cross planning blood donation campaigns.

But in December, Nipe quit his job to become a full-time vegan butcher. Rubel works part-time with Nipe at Grass Fed.

It's a fitting side project for Rubel, a Jewish studies professor at the University of Rochester who studies food, culture and ethnicity. She is writing a book about "The Settlement Cookbook," a Jewish cookbook published in 1901 that was intended to teach young Jewish women who had recently immigrated to the United States how to run a household.

"I teach a class on Judaism and food, I teach a class on religion and food in America, so this is actually my words sort of colliding," said Rubel, who enjoys seeing the kosher certification process up close. "I'm kind of fascinated to see it at work here."

Plant-based meats have had something of a resurgence in recent years, particularly since the development of Impossible and Beyond Burgers, which are a far cry from the Tofurky and fake bologna of decades past. Both Impossible meats, which are made from a soy base and flavored with heme, a molecule that provides the meaty taste, and Beyond Burgers, made from pea proteins and rice, are intended to closely mimic beef in terms of texture and flavor.

Nipe's first forays into vegan meat development began with a similar goal: his quest for a vegan breakfast sandwich.

"There's no real place around here that makes one like you think about - greasy, quick," Nipe said.

He started experimenting with a vegan sausage and tofu egg until he settled on a recipe he and Rubel loved. Then they moved on to a doubly unkosher dish, Philly cheese steaks.

"We're from South Jersey originally, so the Philly cheese steak was near and dear to our hearts," said Nipe, who was raised Presbyterian.

Having mastered that, too, Nipe continued experimenting with other styles of vegan meats, eventually starting to take a few dozen orders each week from a growing email list of customers. His experiments led to the realization that eating vegan didn't have to be restrictive. It just meant getting creative.

"It was kind of like what else can we do?" Nipe said. "Maybe we don't have to be without."

Soon they started looking for a storefront with a kitchen where they could set up shop permanently. They got an opportunity to rent a place just a few blocks away from Congregation Beth Sholom, an Orthodox synagogue in this upstate city, making the decision to go kosher easy. Beth Sholom's rabbi helped in that regard.

With all the food already free of animal products, the only hard part was switching certain ingredients and seasonings such as wine, dried mushrooms and soy sauce to brands that had kosher certifications.

Being near the synagogue and closer to the more Jewish neighborhoods of Rochester has brought in more kosher-keeping customers. Rubel is already looking forward to the Rosh Hashanah rush on brisket and customers picking up orders before the High Holidays. About 19,000 Jews live here, according to the Rochester Jewish Federation website, and the community has a kosher butcher and several Orthodox synagogues.

"I like that it's more inclusive," Rubel said of the decision to go kosher. "It means we can feed more people, which to me feels Jewish."

The couple hope to eventually serve lunch, too, where customers will be able to order a pastrami sandwich piled high on rye bread with a side of pickles and a Cel-Ray soda. For now they're sticking with retail service, working on finding a kosher bread supplier and reveling in owning their own store.

"What are the chances that my ancestors would have seen the Presbyterian-raised guy that I married koshering his vegan butcher shop?" Rubel wondered aloud. "It's just all bringing me a lot of joy."
(The Algemeiner) - Alan Kornman is a documentarian who records what takes place at anti-Israel rallies in and around the city of Orlando, Florida. He keeps a low profile, and aside from asking a question every once in a while, he doesn't interfere with protesters and gives everyone their space.

But that hasn't stopped one rally organizer, Rasha Mubarak, from interfering with Kornman's ability to report on what goes on at the rallies she promotes.

In mid-May, she singled Kornman out at an "Open to the Public" Nakba 73 Orlando rally on the corner of North Eola Drive and Robinson Street in Orlando. During this rally, Kornman asked a protester carrying a sign that declared the land does not belong to Israel, who it did belong to.

"It belongs to the Palestinians," the young man said. "To hell with Israel. No more Israel."

During the rally, Mubarak declared: "We have someone in the audience that is a Zionist that's a provocateur, has a camera, standing in the front, so I just want people to cover him up. No fighting. Yes, that's him."

Within moments, Kornman was surrounded by a crowd of protesters, one of whom slammed her sign into his camera. He was pushed, elbowed, and hit. Being surrounded, he could not move backward or forward to extricate himself from the situation. After his camera is hit with the sign, Kornman yells, "Don't touch me," and a young man in the crowd mobbing him asks, "Why are you here?"

As the crowd blocks Kornman's camera, protesters chant a few iterations of "Free, Free, Palestine!" and "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" - a call for Israel's destruction.

"When Rasha Mubarak labeled me as a 'Zionist' and a' provocateur,' she was knowingly putting me at risk," Kornman said.

Mubarak has not responded to efforts to contact her through her website, Facebook, and email.

Eventually, Kornman was able to move to the back of the crowd, where he was shadowed by two men who hit his camera with signs so he could not film the event. As he attempted to interview an attendee, these two men told the person not to speak to him.

At the back of the protest, Kornman came upon another group of protesters and started filming them as they chanted in Arabic. One of the protesters carried a sign that equated Zionism, support for Jewish self-determination, with racism. At various points, the crowd chanted in English, "Zionists (sic) is a crime" and in Arabic, "With our life, with our blood, we will save you, Oh Islam."

"The next thing I know, Rasha Mubarak is coming right at me to control the splinter group," Kornman explains. "After several minutes, the crowd started pushing me, hitting me with signs to stop me from filming."

During the melee, Kornman twice called 911 asking for a police officer to come to his aid. A friend also called 911 on his behalf. Despite three calls to 911, help did not come.

In the aftermath of the event, Kornman has filed a report with the Orlando Police Department, accusing Mubarak of violating his right to free speech by singling him out as a Zionist and instructing the crowd to obstruct his view and aggressively surround him. Kornman also asserts that the behavior was motivated by prejudice based on his status as a Jew.

The case is being investigated by Orlando Police detective David Andre, who said he does not know when his investigation will be finished.

Kornman said the delay in bringing the case to the police was due to his efforts to determine whether or not he had a legitimate case, and that he didn't want to waste the time of law enforcement if he didn't.

Dexter Van Zile is Shillman Research Fellow for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.

This article was originally published in The Algemeiner.
(JNS)  Ben & Jerrys announced on Monday that it will end sales of its ice-cream in Judea and Samaria

In a statement posted on the companys website, the ice-cream brand said that it believes it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerrys ice-cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, claiming that we also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.

We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerrys ice-cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.

The company added that while its brand will no longer be sold in Judea and Samaria, it will stay in Israel through a different arrangement to be announced at a future date. It did not specify what exactly constitutes occupied Palestinian territory or if the brand will be available for sale within Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank.

Its current distributor in Israel slammed the move, calling it entirely unacceptable.

Ben & Jerrys international decided not to renew their agreement with us in a year-and-a-half after we refused their demand to stop distribution throughout Israel, it said. We urge the Israeli government and consumers  dont let them boycott Israel.

Branded itself as the anti-Israel ice cream

The decision generated a strong backlash from Israels leadership from across the aisle.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the company has decided to brand itself as anti-Israel ice-cream.

This is a moral mistake, and I believe it will turn out to be a business mistake as well, he said, adding that he will fight the boycott.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid also condemned the decision, calling it disgraceful and a capitulation to anti-Semitism and the BDS movement.

Lapid said that he will ask the more than 30 U.S. states that have anti-BDS laws to retaliate against the company.

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the decision, tweeting: Now we Israelis know which ice cream NOT to buy.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked of the governing Yamina Party also condemned the decision, saying, Your ice-cream brand doesnt match our tastes. Well be fine without you.

In a statement, Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, also slammed the company, saying the residents of Samaria and this land will stand strong long after Ben & Jerrys ice-cream melts and disappears from the world.

He added that we wont give in to this antisemitism, which has permeated American Jewry in an apparent swipe at the co-founders of Ben & Jerrys, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who are Jewish.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee tweeted: It is discriminatory and against the interests of peace and reconciliation to launch a one-sided boycott when it is the Palestinian leadership that refuses to come to the negotiating table with Israel.

Cohen and Greenfield, who founded the company in 1978, sold it to the British multinational food giant Unilever in 2000. Despite being sold to a multinational, the Vermont-based company, which touted a diverse range of ice-cream flavors, has long been associated with progressive values and politics.

While it is unclear what led to the recent decision, last month, a group called Vermonters for Justice in Palestine called on the company to end complicity in Israels occupation and abuses of Palestinian human rights.
By Ben Sales

(JTA)  Recho Omondi, a fashion podcaster who was accused of antisemitism for comments in a recent interview she conducted with a Jewish writer, has posted a lengthy apology to her listeners.

I owe the Jewish community and anyone else whos offended by my words an apology, Omondi said in a six-minute segment uploaded Tuesday morning to her podcast channel, The Cutting Room Floor. I said some really crass and reductive things about Jewish people, painting them with one big, broad stroke, and it really stereotyped and insulted a lot of my friends, and fans of the show, and strangers.

Omondi has faced accusations of antisemitism following the interview with fashion blogger Leandra Medine Cohen nearly two weeks ago. Medine Cohen had stepped down last year from the publication she founded, Man Repeller, after facing blowback for firing one of her few Black employees a few months before the summers racial justice protests.

In the introduction to her interview with Medine Cohen, Omondi, who is Black, claimed that many of the countrys racist white founders, including slave owners, were Jews. That false claim echoes a stereotype promoted by some prominent American antisemites.

At the end of the podcast, Omondi referred to Medine Cohen as a Jewish American Princess and added, At the end of the day you guys are going to get your nose jobs and your keratin treatments and change your last name from Ralph Lifshitz to Ralph Lauren and you will be fine.

Medine Cohens comments in the interview with Omondi were widely panned as not self-aware. But in the days after the podcast was uploaded, listeners wrote that they were offended by Omondis words. Those listeners included several donors of small contributions to support the podcast on a crowdfunding site.

The Anti-Defamation League called on Omondi to apologize. A widely read article about the podcast in The Cut, a style and culture publication, appended a note about the antisemitism accusations.

The day after the podcast was uploaded, Omondi posted on Instagram, I want to recognize that I understand Leandra does not represent all Jewish people or the vast culture whatsoever. A few days later, she erased the comments about Jewish slave owners and the Jewish American Princess segment from the podcast.

In her apology Tuesday, Omondi, also a designer with an eponymous fashion brand, said she had not understood the nuances and diversity of Jewish life.

Its taken a second, because I was having to really come to terms with my own thoughts, biases, where those biases came from, she said. So Im really sorry for all the people that I disrespected and alienated from my own lack of understanding for, really, the depth of Jewish culture. I knew it was vast, but I didnt understand how nuanced it was. And now Im aware of the difference between, like, Ashkenazi and Sephardic and varying Jews of color and Black Jews, and the difference between it being an ethnicity, or the religion or a nation state.

Omondi added that she hadnt understood that Jewish American Princess was a slur, saying that she thought it was a bad thing to say, but didnt know about the whole history behind it thats still very alive and well for Jewish people. She also said her comments about keratin treatments and nose jobs were dark.

Within the fashion industry, she said, most of my experiences with Jewish people usually included a lot of racist, anti-Black energy, and it led me to judge the community as a whole unfairly, to be honest, but I realized theres a lot more black and Jewish solidarity and organizations and initiatives towards racial injustice than I ever knew about.

Omondi said that she didnt want to let this become my villain origin story and that she was grateful to those who called out her comments. She said all of my grievances about Leandra truly have nothing to do with her Judaism.

Im not gonna say and act like I know everything about Jewish culture, because Im learning about it, but, you know, Im not ashamed to say when I f***ed up, she said. Im not ashamed to learn more.

Medine Cohen does not appear to have addressed Omondis apology on Instagram or her personal newsletter. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has emailed Medine Cohen for comment.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, only half of American Jews (52 percent) can read Hebrew. To fill this gap in Jewish education, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute has developed Read it in Hebrew, an innovative Hebrew reading course that is sweeping the Jewish world. Read it in Hebrew combines timeless learning methods with contemporary psychology for a course guaranteed to be effective in only five sessions.

Read it in Hebrew was piloted in just five communities in 2016. Since then, its been taught at over 600 locations across North America, enabling over 6,000 people to read Hebrew.

The popularity of Read it in Hebrew suggests that it meets a deeply-felt need, Rabbi Yanky Majesky of Chabad North Orlando explained. Many feel lost in synagogue simply because they dont know how to read Hebrew. Learning to read Hebrew strengthens ones connection to Judaism and the Jewish people in a powerful way.

Read it in Hebrew appeals to people at all levels of Jewish education, including those without any prior experience in Jewish learning as well as those for whom it is a fun refresher course. With flashcards depicting the letters alongside catchy mnemonics, Read in Hebrew feels like a game of concentration. And, more than just a reading course, students get a glimpse of the profound depth of the Hebrew language, including brief Talmudic and Kabbalistic explanations of the letters.

We are lucky to have Akiva Anderson to instruct this course for our community, said Chanshy Majesky of Chabad. Akiva has successfully taught many of adults in the Orlando Jewish community how to read Hebrew and he is loved by all his students.

Read it in Hebrew course will be held for 5 consecutive Tuesdays, starting Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. and will be held at Nates Shul at 1701 Markham Woods Rd. The fee for the course is $100 and it includes a set of flashcards. Scholarships are available and those unable to afford the tuition can email the rabbi at Rabbi@JewishNorthOrlnado.com for information.

Enrollment is open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a synagogue, temple, or other house of worship.

Interested students may register at http://www.JewishNorthOrlando.com/Hebrew or call Chabad at 407-636-5994.
WASHINGTON (JTA)  Ben & Jerrys decision this week to pull out of an agreement that allowed its Israeli franchisee to sell its product in what the company terms Occupied Palestinian Territory has angered some Jewish-owned businesses.

But the move also could have legal repercussions in the United States.

As a result of a campaign since the mid-2010s led by center-right and Christian pro-Israel groups, 33 states have passed laws or issued executive orders targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, according to a database maintained by Lara Friedman on behalf of the Foundation for Middle East Peace and Americans for Peace Now, groups that oppose the anti-boycott legislation. (In addition, at least one state, Connecticut, has an anti-boycott law that predates the movement popularly known as BDS.)

The laws vary in their details, but they all mandate ending state business with any company that observes a boycott of Israel. Some consequences for the company range from disinvestment from state employee pension funds to losing out on contracts at universities and other state-run organizations.

Its unclear whether Ben & Jerrys pullout from what it considers to be occupied territory will fall under the jurisdiction of these laws, but some experts say there is a good chance it could.

Following a series of First Amendment challenges to the laws, many states now set a minimum amount of $100,000 in trade before anti-BDS measures can be triggered against a contractor. That would mean that smaller Ben & Jerrys contracts would remain unaffected, even in states with anti-BDS laws. But Friedman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that future contracts could be jeopardized.

If Ben & Jerrys bids annually for a contract to provide ice cream for the University of Texas, and the University of Texas has an anti-BDS clause that you have to sign when youre putting in a bid, that could be a problem, she said.

On Tuesday, Israels ambassador to the United States, Gilad Erdan, wrote to the governors of each of the states requesting that they take action according to their anti-BDS laws. The letters, he said on Twitter, were coordinated with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.

I ask that you consider speaking out against the companys decision, and taking any other relevant steps, including in relation to your state laws and the commercial dealings between Ben & Jerrys and your state, Erdan wrote.

Ben & Jerrys did not explicitly mention BDS in its statement, which pledges We will stay in Israel through a different arrangement.

There may be a wrinkle: Unilever, the British multinational conglomerate, bought Ben & Jerrys in 2000 from its Jewish founders, Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen, under a unique arrangement that allows an external board to determine how the company embraces social and political causes. And the board now says that the final statement issued to the public, specifically the pledge to remain in Israel, does not reflect the position of the independent board, nor was it approved by the independent board.

The boards chairwoman, Anuradha Mittal, was furious with Unilevers response, telling NBC that Unilever was trying to destroy the soul of the company. We want this company to be led by values and not be dictated by the parent company.

Mittal, an outspoken critic of Israel on social media, is the founder of the Oakland Institute, a progressive think tank that advocates on issues including trade and land rights.

Even though the current Ben & Jerrys pledge says it will keep selling in the rest of Israel that it does not consider occupied, that may not protect the company from legal repercussions.

Among the 33 states with anti-BDS laws, 21 have measures that target boycotts that include areas controlled by Israel  meaning the West Bank. The language usually reads as it did in the Illinois law passed in 2015: Boycott Israel means engaging in actions that are politically motivated and are intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or otherwise limit commercial relations with the State of Israel or companies based in the State of Israel or in territories controlled by the State of Israel.

Ben & Jerrys could not credibly claim that it does not understand that boycotting settlements would effectively lead to a boycott of all of Israel, argues Eugene Kontorovich, the director of the Center for the Middle East and International Law at George Mason Universitys Antonin Scalia Law School.

Kontorovich, who is widely seen as an intellectual architect of the anti-BDS legislative push, noted that Israels laws effectively ban boycotts of the West Bank and that the term Occupied Palestinian Territory likely includes eastern Jerusalem, which Israel regards as its sovereign territory. (The companys statement did not specify from which territories it was seeking to extract its ice cream.)

Ben & Jerrys is doing this in full awareness that this will basically end their business with Israel, Kontorovich said.

Under Israeli law, a business cant discriminate amongst Israeli citizens, regardless of where they live, and certainly in Israeli sovereign territory, he added. The licensee, in this case, understands this full well, and has explained to Ben & Jerrys that [the licensee] really has no choice but to end its association with Ben & Jerrys.

Another avenue of legal damage that Ben & Jerrys critics can enforce involves pensions. Twelve states mandate disinvesting retirement funds for state employees from companies that observe BDS. One is Illinois, where Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser to former Gov. Bruce Rauner, drafted one of the first anti-BDS laws in the nation in 2015.

These laws represent a real threat to Unilever, Goldberg said, because the anti-BDS state pension law is applicable to parent and affiliate companies of the offending party. (Its individual workers, employed by private companies, would not be affected by the states law.)

Unilever, being the parent company in this case, is responsible and is liable and is subject to the state anti-BDS laws as they are written, Goldberg said.

Goldberg, now a senior adviser to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the disinvestment language  modeled on earlier laws mandating disinvestment of state employee funds from Iran and Sudan  could result in Unilever being removed from state employee index funds.

Thats a massive amount of money just across 12 states invested in international equities, he said.

Goldberg said he was taken aback by how little wiggle room Ben & Jerrys left itself. Conventionally, he said, companies divesting from Israel do not explain why they are taking such action, which gives them more legal cover against anti-BDS laws.

This is dead to rights because you have a very formal, explicit announcement from Ben & Jerrys announcing, very clearly, that they are taking a step to inflict harm on an Israeli company, he said. There really never has been a clearer case, and so high-profile, for a statement that would violate the BDS laws.

The last time a major company pulled out of business with Israeli settlements was in 2018, when Airbnb announced it would stop listing lodgings from settlements. Lawsuits alleging discriminatory practices were filed in the U.S., and Airbnb stood down within months, settling with the litigants.

That may not be possible in the Ben & Jerrys case: The ice cream ban on sales in the West Bank affects both Israelis and Palestinians in the territory, while Airbnbs plans focused only on settlements. One of the lawyers in the Airbnb case, David Abrams, told JTA that he had no comment at this time on the Ben & Jerrys case.
(JNS)  In a video address to the 2021 summit of Christians United for Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday expressed his appreciation to the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States for their ongoing support  most recently, during and after the 11-day conflict with Hamas in Gaza in May.

While its base is American evangelicals, which are largely politically conservative, CUFI as an organization emphasized that it makes its decisions based on the pro-Israel issues it believes in. While evangelicals fervently supported former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, CUFI so far is embracing Israels new diverse leadership, including Lapid and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Lapid told the approximately 700 invited attendees to the in-person summit in Dallas that the new administration in Israel plans to represent all Israelis, no matter the level of religiosity, political views or background, including those who did not vote for the coalition government.

Lapid said the government is proud of our Jewish heritage and Jewish identity, and equally proud of our democracy and our commitment to liberty and freedom.

He thanked CUFI for its support of Israel during the recent conflict and for pro-Israel legislation in Congress, including military aid to Israel.

Most importantly, Lapid said the country is grateful for not making comparisons between Israel and the terrorist organization that launched more than 4,000 rockets towards Israeli population centers in May.

He noted that while wars are devastating and every loss of life, especially those of children, is a tragedy, the world has a responsibility to make clear that Hamas is responsible for these deaths  terrorists who fire rockets and hide behind kids, using them as human shields with a complete disregard for their own civilians.

Our new government has made its policy clear. We will use as much force as necessary to strike back against terrorists and do whatever we can to minimize the impact on innocent civilians, said Lapid.

He pointed to the numerous cooperation initiatives between Israel and the United States, which CUFI has supported through its lobbying efforts, such as the joint Iron Dome air-defense system and the F-35 fighter jet.

Israel is an optimistic story

There are other, less open collaborations, he said, such as the sharing of intelligence between the two nations that have saved countless of lives.

Israel faces challenges on all fronts  from Hamas in the south to Hezbollah in the north, from Iranian-backed militias in Syria to Iranian scientists developing their nuclear program in Iran. We will face all these challenges head-on alongside our friends , said Lapid. But the challenges wont define us. Israel is, at its core, an optimistic story. It is a story of success against all odds and the story continues today.

Lapid spoke after an introduction by Diana Hagee, CUFI co-executive director and wife of CUFI founder Pastor John Hagee.

Hagee described the groups latest visit to Israel in the wake of the conflict, along with former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, where participants met with the new foreign minister.

Diana Hagee said Lapid asked her husband why Christians are so supportive of Israel  to which the pastor gave a strong and rather lengthy response.

As for Lapid, she said that we found him to be intelligent, thoughtful and charismatic, and we have every confidence that he will serve as a great statesman for Israel.
Members and supporters of the United Teachers of Los Angeles union wave and cheer in a downtown Los Angeles park at the end of a strike, Jan. 22, 2019. In September 2021, the union will vote on a controversial resolution to back the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel.

(JTA) - Public school unions in the U.S. are increasingly becoming a hotbed of Israel discourse, with the largest teachers' union becoming the latest organized body to deliberate measures that censure Israel and support the Palestinian cause.

Members of the National Education Association at the group's annual meeting held over the weekend (with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, a longtime educator, in attendance) planned to debate two items on Israel and the Palestinians among the more than 60 items on its virtual agenda. Both sought to make the union publicize some measure of support for the Palestinians and oppose the actions of the Israeli government in the wake of May's outbreak of violence in Israel and Gaza.

The escalation of major debates on Israel and the Palestinians within public education unions - many spearheaded by Jews on either side - has included votes in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle on whether to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. It's also ensnared prominent Jewish labor leaders such as Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, a longtime BDS opponent (and critic of Israel).

Union representatives say it is their duty as organized labor bodies to weigh in on issues of global import such as Israel, but their dual status as educators has contributed to an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among both Jewish teachers and parents of Jewish public school children in their districts.

Pro-Israel organizations such as Hadassah, StandWithUs and the Zionist Organization of America have rallied against these proposals, including last week's NEA votes. Hadassah's national president, Rhoda Smolow, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the group searched its own member list to find people who may be, or know, NEA delegates to encourage them to vote against the items. A list of talking points circulated by the pro-Israel groups called the items "one-sided, divisive" and "directly at odds with NEA's principles of inclusivity, diversity, and fostering diverse viewpoints."

Ultimately one of the two items was defeated, while the other did not come up for a vote before the NEA's debate time for new business items expired at the conclusion of the virtual meeting on Saturday. A separate item calling for the NEA to advocate for mandatory Holocaust and genocide education also did not have a vote. (Unlike in years past, when every new item would be debated, this year the NEA restricted debate time due to the virtual setting.)

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella organization representing dozens of American Jewish groups, issued a statement commending the NEA for its "rejection" of the items.

"It is important to ensure that our educators and education system do not take actions that could fuel the recent rise in antisemitism in the United States," the Presidents Conference said.

Neither NEA item about the Palestinians mentioned the BDS movement, which calls for exerting financial pressure on any businesses or organizations with ties to the Israeli government. NEA bylaws dictate that any resolution calling for a boycott must be referred to the union's executive committee.

But BDS has been in the air as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become a flashpoint of the American labor movement, public education unions in particular.

In May, United Educators of San Francisco voted to support BDS - the first K-12 teachers' union in the country to do so. Labor historian Jeff Schuhrke, who teaches at the University of Illinois at Chicago, described the resolution as "the most visible support for Palestinian people that we've seen from the U.S. labor movement ever." Writing in the socialist publication Tempest, a UESF member said the BDS resolution was pushed by their newly formed activist caucus within the union.

The Seattle Education Association followed suit in June with its own successful BDS resolution. The Cholent, a newsletter covering Jewish Seattle, reported that neither SEA leadership nor Seattle Public Schools made any announcement about the vote, and that union members who advocated for the resolution appeared to be associated with End the Deadly Exchange Seattle, an activist group devoted to ending partnerships between U.S. law enforcement and Israel.

In September, United Teachers Los Angeles will vote on a similar resolution. Higher-education unions at schools such as Rutgers University and the City University of New York have also held recent votes favorable to the BDS movement.

Some Jewish teachers and parents in the San Francisco Unified School District have said they felt unsafe after the union's BDS vote. The local Jewish Community Relations Council and the Anti-Defamation League pushed back against the resolution, and Jewish and non-Jewish parents expressed their concerns during a San Francisco school board meeting on June 8.

In Los Angeles, at least one Jewish member of the teachers' union resigned over the pending resolution, saying "I feel unsafe as a Jew."

Other labor unions have also taken forceful pro-BDS stances in the weeks following the recent violence in the region. In June, the Vermont State Labor Council AFL-CIO voted to endorse a statement from Labor For Palestine, a pro-BDS group, and in Oakland, the local longshoremen's union sided with anti-Israel protesters who blocked an Israeli-owned cargo ship last month.

The Oakland boat boycott was on the mind of Tania Kappner, an NEA delegate who teaches high school English in the city, when she authored New Business Item 29, which pushed the NEA to "call on the United States government to stop arming and supporting Israel and Saudi Arabia." Israel was committing "ethnic cleansing," the item also said.

The other Israel-related item debated by the NEA, New Business Item 51, sought "to educate members and the general public about the history, culture, and struggles of Palestinians, including the detention and abuse of children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."

Combined, the two items sought to earmark a combined total of $77,000 for Palestinian causes, which was revised from an earlier sum of $214,920. For a vote, an item must be submitted by at least 50 delegates, but it doesn't become NEA policy until the formal vote is held.

"I think a lot of people who support public education around the nation, in the world, are looking to us to take clear stands for justice on these international issues," Kappner told JTA. She said she is especially passionate about ensuring that displaced Palestinians can attain refugee status.

Kappner, who said she is not religious, disagrees with critics who say measures like hers can foster unsafe environments for Jewish educators.

"I think the best way to fight antisemitism is to stand up for Palestinian rights and equality," she said. "I think it's really important that people stand against Zionist policies in order to make sure that Israel is not set up as a death trap for Jewish people and Palestinian people."

The two Israel-related items were authored independently of each other, Kappner said, but she said she had been in touch with the other author, delegate Rahaf Othman of Oak Lawn, Illinois, upon realizing they had similar aims. (Othman did not respond to an interview request from JTA.)

Kappner has proposed many similar items at NEA annual meetings in years past, according to Jewish labor advocates, and her items usually attract little notice or support. But the combination of the all-virtual setting, the addition of a second pro-Palestinian item to the agenda and heightened concerns in the Jewish world about recent spikes in antisemitic activity threw this year's vote into greater uncertainty and opened it to involvement from outside groups.

Big names in the Jewish world have become involved in similar union disputes.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, has publicly lobbied Weingarten to come out against any pro-BDS resolutions in AFT-affiliated education unions. (The San Francisco and Los Angeles unions are AFT- and NEA-affiliated; Seattle's union belongs to the latter group.)

Other Jewish and conservative groups wanted Weingarten to take more drastic measures, such as overturning the resolutions in San Francisco and Los Angeles while implementing antisemitism training at the affiliates.

In a June 14 letter to Greenblatt that was provided to J. The Jewish News of Northern California, Weingarten said that while she and the American Federation of Teachers remained opposed to BDS, they would not intervene with pro-BDS decisions made on the local level.

"We believe strongly in dialogue, debate and the free ability to express a range of viewpoints," she wrote, adding that "the national union does not override locals over differences or questions of policy."

For some longtime Jewish labor organizers, the debate over the resolutions is a frustrating reminder that many Jews only pay attention to organized labor when Israel is involved.

"The Jewish community, unfortunately, increasingly only looks to unions as a source of 'tsuris' [grief]," Arieh Lebowitz, executive director of the Jewish Labor Committee, told JTA. "99.9 percent of the work the NEA does has absolutely nothing to do with contentious resolutions. But who's concerned about that?"

Lebowitz also said he is not concerned by the spate of BDS votes in education unions, as he believes they reflect the beliefs of only a small number of active union members. He does not think teachers in the BDS-supporting local chapters "will be looking at Jewish students with any suspicion or hostility."

Nevertheless, Lebowitz and his organization, which aims to serve as a bridge between the organized Jewish and labor communities, helped NEA's Jewish Affairs Caucus oppose the pro-Palestinian items.

"There are people within the Jewish community, both organizations and individuals, who are very concerned about these resolutions," he said. "They think they are part of the floodgate that's opening up."

That concern was reflected as well within the NEA's Jewish Affairs Caucus, but members were still uneasy about the union's debate spilling over into public view.

"It's a mixed bag," Patrick Crabtree, chair of the caucus, told JTA about the newfound attention being paid to the union. "What I am glad about is that for once, I'm seeing our Jewish NEA members finally getting involved."

Crabtree, a retired teacher and Jew by choice who lives in Mobile, Alabama, said the caucus opposed the items because it recognized that many of its more than 60 members found the language antisemitic. Though the caucus has successfully lobbied against similar resolutions, Crabtree said this year's debate had the effect of turning off some Jewish educators from the NEA.

"A lot of people say 'I'm not going to belong to an organization that doesn't support Jews or Israel,'" Crabree said. "Oh, please don't do that. That's not good for helping anything. Be a part of an agent of change, to make it better."

This story was reported with the help of J. The Jewish News of Northern California and Emily Alhadeff of The Cholent.
New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio told a news briefing Tuesday that he would stop eating Ben & Jerrys ice cream after the company announced that it was stopping its sales in Judea and Samaria as soon as the Israeli franchises license runs out in December 2022.

I can say I will not be eating any more Cherry Garcia for awhile, de Blasio said in allusion to his favorite flavor, in a video shared on social media.

He added that it was sad to me that the good people who founded the company, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, were making the mistake of boycotting Israel in this way.

BDS is a movement that will undermine peace in the Middle East. Its as simple as that, he said. You cannot have peace if you undermine the economic reality and create division. I just believe its absolutely the wrong approach and I dont think Ben & Jerrys should be doing that.

Theyve done a lot of good in the world but they should stand back from this, he added, in reference to the various progressive causes the company has actively supported over the decades.

Several local kosher groceries have already pulled the ice cream from their shelves, and at least one supermarket chain, Morton Williams, sharply reduced its inventory in reaction to the anti-Israel move.

The virulently anti-Israel BDS movement was founded in 2005 to promote international boycotts, economic divestment and sanctions against the Jewish state. Its supporters claimed Ben and Jerrys decision as a huge victory.

Thirty U.S. states have passed anti-BDS legislation in recent years, deeming it illegal because it is a form of antisemitism in its delegitimization of the Jewish state and holding Israel to a standard of behavior it does not demand of any other country.
This Saturday, July 31, is Rabbi David Kay Day in Maitland, and especially at Congregation Ohev Shalom.

The City of Maitland proclaimed Rabbi David Kay Day in honor of Rabbi Kay's 17 years of dedicated service to COS and the greater community. Maitland Mayor John Lowndes read the official proclamation this week at a breakfast held in Rabbi Kay's honor, on Wednesday, July 28. The proclamation will also be read to the congregation on Saturday, July 31, at Rabbi Kay's final Shabbat as Ohev Shalom's rabbi. The Saturday morning service will be followed with a celebration in honor of Rabbi Kay at the Kiddush luncheon.

Rabbi Kay first came to COS as the congregation's assistant rabbi, and he served in that role for 14 years. When Rabbi Aaron Rubinger retired in 2017, the congregation chose Rabbi Kay as its spiritual leader.

"Rabbi Kay has served Congregation Ohev Shalom with his musical, joyous spirit since arriving here with Jo and Jonah in 2004," said Rachel Gebaide, president of the Board of Trustees. "We appreciate his dedication and talents and are grateful for his contributions to our congregation."

A member of the Rabbinical Assembly, Rabbi Kay serves on the Greater Orlando Board of Rabbis, serves on the board of directors of the Interfaith Council of Central Florida - for which he organizes Orlando's annual interfaith/multicultural Martin Luther King celebration - and has led the first two City of Orlando Pride Shabbat services. In addition, Rabbi Kay is a regular contributor to the Orlando Sentinel and teaches a religion class at Rollins College. He served as camp rabbi at Camp Ramah Darom for many years.

The City of Maitland's proclamation provides a detailed list of some of Rabbi Kay's many accomplishments and lauds his dedication to his congregation and the greater Orlando community. Fortunately for both, Rabbi Kay plans to remain in Orlando. The congregation will be served by an interim rabbi, Rabbi Murray Ezring, as it continues its search for a new spiritual leader.
(ORLANDO, FL)  Investing two years of research and commitment, Laurie Cardoza-Moore, founder and president of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, is grateful as both Civics and Holocaust Standards submitted by PJTN were approved late last week for adoption and use in Florida classrooms. She noted on the vote, "Our work in preserving America's Judeo-Christian heritage and values in our children's Civics education amid the national push towards Critical Race Theory will benefit the more than 1.8 million students in Florida classrooms - as will the Holocaust Education materials that will be a national gold standard for Florida."

She went on to praise Governor DeSantis for his commitment in developing curriculum standards for the State of Florida that provide Holocaust Education that honors historical accuracy as well as honoring the memory of the more than 6 million victims of the Nazi's War on the Jews.

In an official press statement released today she stated, "I want to congratulate Governor Ron DeSantis, Commissioner Richard Corcoran and the entire Florida Department of Education team for their outstanding work in developing the most comprehensive Civics and Holocaust Standards in the United States. I also want to recognize the Florida Citizens Alliance and State Representative Randy Fine for their invaluable support. These standards are not only groundbreaking but historical as well. Governor DeSantis has once again proven his commitment to ensuring 1.8 million students in Florida will not be indoctrinated with propaganda. The newly revised Civics Standards will ensure that children in Florida know the Judeo-Christian foundations of the birth of this incredible nation. He has sent a resounding message loud and clear that he will not tolerate revisionist history, antisemitic content or Holocaust revisionism in Florida classrooms. This effort has been almost two years in the making and on behalf of the whole team at PJTN, we are humbled and grateful to have been invited to collaborate on this important endeavor for the future of the State of Florida and the United States! Well done Gov. DeSantis!"

Noted Donna Render, Florida Chapter Director for PJTN: "We are very affirmed and encouraged by Gov. DeSantis commitment to make Florida the national gold standard for curriculum standards in America. The young people sitting in Florida classrooms are the real benefactors of our work."

Under Cardoza-Moore's direction, in 2018 PJTN launched a major national campaign, "Taking Back America's Children," aimed at educating, motivating and activating concerned Americans on the indoctrination happening in American education. The victory with Florida curriculum is the latest success in a national push in the PJTN state-by-state ground game in the education crisis facing American classrooms. "Not to speak up and push back means we face the possibility of losing our next generation of leadership for our nation - our children," stated Cardoza-Moore. "It was gratifying to see the appreciation of teachers, parents and students throughout the state of Florida who stepped up to support PJTN's efforts."
Ben & Jerrys is trying to appease a global campaign of hate called BDS, by cutting ties with its factory in Israel. Extremists are already celebrating this decision and demanding that the company use its socially conscious brand to harm Israelis even further.

Urge Ben & Jerrys to oppose hate, strengthen its ties with Israel, and support peace.

The company says they will find a different way to sell in Israel and suggest their decision is driven by opposition to Israeli policy in the West Bank. However, its clear they are responding to pressure from the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.

The real-life impact of BDS is to spread dehumanizing propaganda about Israelis and promote injustice. In fact, the campaign against Ben & Jerrys labels the location of their Israeli factory as a settlement, when it is in fact an internationally recognized part of Israel. Its clear this isnt really about Israeli settlements, but about opposing Israels existence.

Furthermore, the most recent push targeting Ben & Jerrys began when the racist terrorist group Hamas launched a massive 4,000+ rocket assault against Israel, with horrific consequences for Israeli and Palestinian civilians alike. As such, the companys decision signals to Hamas that starting wars and committing crimes against Israeli and Palestinian civilians pays off, because companies around the world will respond by blaming and harming only Israel.

Companies can make a difference by bringing Israelis and Palestinians together. On the other hand, this destructive agenda is bad for Ben & Jerrys and can only harm efforts to achieve a better future.

Email Ben & Jerrys Now! Urge them to reject hate, reject BDS, and do what they can to uplift Israelis and Palestinians alike.

Go to https://p2a.co/zxvy5ak to send an email.
(JNS)  The Israel Defense Forces shelled targets in Lebanon on Tuesday morning after two rockets were launched from Southern Lebanon at northern Israel on Monday night.

Israels Iron Dome air-defense system downed one of the rockets, while the second fell in an open area, according to the military. No injuries or damage were reported, and the IDF Home Front Command issued no special guidelines for residents of the north.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned on Tuesday that Israel would not tolerate the current Lebanese crisis spilling over into Israel, and reiterated that Israel holds Lebanon responsible for attacks emanating from its territory.

We will not allow the social, political and economic crisis in Lebanon to turn into a security threat to Israel. I call on the international community to take action to restore stability in Lebanon, he said.

The state of Lebanon is responsible for the rockets fired overnight, as it allows terrorists to operate within its territory. Israel will act against any threat to its sovereignty and its citizens, and will respond in accordance to its interests  at the relevant time and place, he added.

Lebanon is in the midst of a severe economic crisis, with shortages of fuel, medicine and basic goods. The Lebanese currency is foundering and banks have moved to restrict withdrawals and transfers.

Gantz offered Lebanon assistance in a July 4 speech, saying Israel was ready to act and to encourage other countries to extend a helping hand to Lebanon so that it will once again flourish and emerge from its state of crisis.

As an Israeli, as a Jew and as a human being, my heart aches seeing the images of people going hungry on the streets of Lebanon, said Gantz.

The crisis, which began in late 2019, is blamed by many in Lebanon on corruption and mismanagement by the political class.
(JNS)  It may have been discouraging, but the dismal turnout for a national rally that was supposed to bring Jews together against antisemitism was also an appropriate reminder of the greatest challenge facing them. A week before Tisha BAv  the annual day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples, in addition to other disasters that befell the Jews throughout history  a well-meaning attempt to mobilize and unite the community to confront antisemitism didnt seem to resonate with most Jews. While lots of excuses were subsequently provided to explain why the effort didnt succeed (it was July, it was hot, people were on vacation, the kids were back at camp, there were no headliners speaking), the real answer was painfully obvious. The political divide between left and right over a host of issues, including Israel and racial politics in the United States, has to some extent left the community too painfully divided to come together in any meaningful way.

That makes the lesson the sages teach that the destruction of Jerusalem was caused not so much by the actions of outside foes but by sinat chinam  baseless hatred  among the tribe, which is all the more applicable on this Tisha BAv. And coming after more than a year of the coronavirus pandemic, unexpected tragedies, war and a related surge in antisemitism, the need for more introspection and unity, and less blaming and shaming, remains greater than ever.

Since the last Tisha BAv, which was observed amid pandemic lockdowns, the list of Jewish tragedies is long. The toll of the COVID-19 plague was felt throughout the Jewish world, hitting the ranks of the elderly and homebound hard, and deeply impacting the ability of communities to function normally, as well as causing economic privation and harmful social isolation for many.

But even without that worldwide catastrophe, there was plenty for Jews to lament.

The Mount Meron stampede that left 45 dead and 150 injured was a shocking, if seemingly preventable, disaster and a reminder of the cost of negligence in planning mass events such as the annual Lag BOmer worship services at the site in northern Israel.

Similarly, the collapse of a 12-story condominium in a heavily Jewish neighborhood north of Miami, which left approximately 100 dead with some people still unaccounted for, was another blow that stunned the Jewish world.

But perhaps the greatest challenge facing the Jewish world stemmed from the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas. After a Jerusalem property dispute was hyped by Palestinian propaganda outlets and their foreign enablers into a cause celebre, terrorists from the Gaza Strip fired more than 4,000 rockets and missiles into Israel, sending much of the country into shelters and killing 13 Israelis. When Israel was forced to fire back to halt the attacks, the killing of 256 Palestinians  most of whom were terrorists and some of whom were killed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad rockets that fell short of their target and wound up hitting Gazanswas treated as an unpardonable crime by much of the world. Added to that were domestic uprisings in mixed Arab-Jewish cities that left unprepared Israeli law enforcement scrambling to quell the violence and property damage.

Israeli actions were demonized by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who, like other supporters of the anti-Semitic BDS movement, oppose not merely Israels right to self-defense but its right to exist. That helped set off a wave of anti-Semitic attacks on Jews throughout the United States. Jews have also been targeted in Europe by anti-Semites who use the Palestinian war to destroy the one Jewish state on the planet as an excuse for targeting Jews.

Instead of pulling together to face this challenge, as well as other existential threats like Irans ongoing efforts to create a nuclear weapon, the last year has witnessed greater Jewish divisions than ever.

In Israel, political paralysis largely created by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus insatiable quest to retain power has made the Jewish state harder to govern than ever. Indeed, even after his replacement by a ragtag illogical coalition composed of leftists and right-wingers, and for the first time, an Arab party, Netanyahus efforts to return to office make it likely that another year of political strife is in store for Israel.

Israels fractured politics and dysfunctional system are matched by an American Jewish community that often seems to prize its partisan political loyalties over concerns about Jewish safety. A coherent response to increased antisemitism has been rendered unlikely by the inability of mainstream Jewish groups to shake off their partisan tunnel vision that causes so many only to see hate when it comes from political opponents, but not from their own side of the aisle. For the majority of Jews who lean left  and the leading organizations that claim to speak for them like the Anti-Defamation League  are too focused on partisanship to call out left-wing antisemitism forthrightly and consistently.

Other Jews have accepted the smears of Israel, and either rationalized or embraced anti-Zionist ideology to the point where they are joining the assault on Jewish rights. With so many Jews and their leaders influenced by the way critical race theory and intersectionality have labeled Jews and Israel as possessors of white privilege, resistance to antisemitism is out of fashion so long as it is not directed at the extreme right.

That has left Jews fractured, angry at each other, and often, too split to respond effectively to a variety of threats.

But rather than merely double down on the back-biting and the frustration, the memory of the toll that sinat chinam has taken on Jews throughout history, this is an appropriate moment to step back and reflect on our collective need to join together to heal our wounds in a way that will enhance Jewish security and rights.

That doesnt mean that we should accept or validate those who have joined the war on the Jews out of misplaced sympathy for Palestinians or a false belief that Jews alone deserve to be deprived of rights that no one would think of denying to any other people.

It does, however, require us to lower our voices to the point where we are not so enraged by different points of view about politics that we prioritize partisanship above Jewish security. Differing views about Netanyahu and former President Donald Trump and the people who replaced them in office are tearing us apart and causing many to lose sight of the fact that we still have far more in common than that which divides us. As we mark Tisha BAv, rather than keep fueling the fires of internal rage, lets try to relearn how to listen to each other and credit each other with good motives. Hard as that may have become, its far preferable to sitting by and watching another generation of Jews tear each other apart.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS  Jewish News Syndicate. Follow him on Twitter at: @jonathans_tobin.
There was a time that negative stereotypes flourished on major networks. Amos and Andy was a parody on Black Americans. Their parts were played on radio with white actors putting on exaggerated Black accents. A group of African Americans were portrayed as foolish, stereotypical black people who had trouble like many people but with a nasty racist twist.

On radio, Jews were not portrayed with raw racist antisemitism. Maybe it was the preponderance of Jews in high positions in the radio and TV industry. The Goldbergs, a staple of daytime radio in the 30s and 40s was written by a Jewish woman who also played the lead role. Her name was Gertrude Berg.

On the other hand, there was a Catholic priest by the name of Father Coughlin who had a daily syndicated religious radio program that spat antisemitic lies to a large audience across the country.

In early movies, Jews were portrayed as evil, bearded, long-nosed men who were crooked money lenders and sexual predators. In the early 30s the Jews took over the movie business and the antisemitic portrayals disappeared.

In the 1950s there was the beginning of a sea change in attitudes. I have written before that my parents bought our home in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in 1950 and that had we tried the year before, we couldnt have done it. Written into the laws of Shaker Heights was: No Jews/No Blacks could own a home in Shaker Heights. Today it is a totally integrated community.

Overt antisemitism began to disappear in the late 50s and the 60s as Jewish organizations began to use their economic clout to drive the overt antisemites to the fringes where these hate organizations began to focus their hatred on people of color.

Antisemitism did not disappear. It went underground and flourished among right-wing organizations like the one that marched in Charlottesville chanting Jews will not replace us.

Today, it flourishes in a new light: Antisemitism has taken on the mantle of Anti-Israel. The Far Right has become a strange bedfellow of the Far Left. The Far Left berates Israel for its treatment of Arabs in Israel. Arabs open and run businesses in Israel. Arabs can worship freely in Israel. The cry of the call to prayer at Mosques can be heard throughout Israel.

The new cry from the Far Left is that there is housing discrimination on Arabs. It stems from Arabs building and occupying homes that are not built or maintained to legal standards. No one can do that anymore than they would be allowed to in Shaker Heights, Ohio, or Winter Park, Florida.

The Far Right is not happy about the Jewish support of Liberal candidates for office. For years Jews have been in the forefront of race equality. Jews were totally active in the voting rights drives of the 1960s. Jews serve on boards of many Black corporations.

So, from the Far Left to the Far Right there is a new target: Israel. The cry from both Far Left and Far Right is: Israel is crushing the freedom of its Muslim inhabitants. How? Where? When?

The media jumps on an incident where a few Arabs were evicted from their homes. They had, according to the Israeli press, illegally added additions to their homes in violation of zoning laws that apply to everyone living in Israel, just as they do in the U.S.

But with pro-Arab congresspersons like Representative Omar of the Bronx, this new form of antisemitism has now reached into the U.S. Congress. While limited to a few members of the House of Representatives, they are vocal enough, strong enough so that there is a possibility it could change the overwhelming support for Israel in Congress. They may try to limit aid to Israel.

Well, you could look this up, but just about every dollar in aid to Israel is to be spent on armaments bought in the U.S. from American companies. So, millions of dollars in aid are sent to Israel, only to come back in purchases of aircraft, armaments and other war materials. This includes parts for Israeli aircraft designed in Israel.

On the Far Right it remains mostly hatred of Jews as Jews. And therefore, the ideal target is Israel, the only Jewish nation. The Far Right does not like Jews. Period. Never have. Therefore the Jewish nation is an ideal target. Israel is attacked in far-right newspapers and on radio.

Look, antisemitism is not going away. It pops up in unusual places. An ideal example? The Black Lives Matter movement just officially declared solidarity with the pro-Palestinian Movement. Jews as we said, have always been in the forefront of Black political causes including the Right to Vote movement.

This does not matter to BLM. They are looking for targets. Rather than concentrating on the real danger to Black people like the voting laws being passed in Southern States, BLM chooses to attack the State of Israel. Not Smart. Not justified. Just antisemitism directed against the Jewish State. As Molly Goldberg would say: If its not one thing, its another 
Unilever, Ltd., is a British multinational consumer goods company. They own over 400 brands. The conglomerate bought Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream in 2001. Owners Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield relinquished managerial control of the company, but maintained autonomy over social issues.

When Ben & Jerrys, the company, said that it is inconsistent with our values for their ice cream to be sold in Judea and Samaria, Unilever, the parent company was not  and is not  in agreement.

In a press release from Arutz Sheva 7, Avi Zinger, CEO of Ben & Jerrys Israel, stated that he has no intention of stopping the sales of the ice cream in Judea and Samaria.

He continued, It is inconceivable that the company decides to cause harm for political reasons, and mix ice cream and politics, said Zinger.

Zinger said he had been under heavy pressure from Ben & Jerrys global corporation. I heard about the decision more or less together with everyone, he said, but I have been under pressure for about a year and hearing demands to stop marketing in Judea and Samaria. Of course, I have been opposed to it all along. Ever since the operation in Gaza the pressure from the company has increased.

I did not agree to surrender to this and I am not willing to continue to surrender to it, Zinger stressed. I have been with them for 25 years, I brought it to Israel. I was informed two hours ago that since I am not willing to cooperate on this issue, they will not extend my agreement in a year and a half, said Zinger.

He reiterated that he does not plan and does not even intend to stop selling the ice cream in Judea and Samaria. He noted that there is another year and a half until the end of the franchise agreement with the company, and he hopes that by then the company will change its mind.

I very much hope that during this year and a half the government and the whole public will support us and fight against this unusual phenomenon, he said, adding that he expects Unilever, which is the owner of the global Ben & Jerrys corporation, to understand the situation. After all, they sell in the territories. They operate here. They have factories and hundreds and thousands of workers. They cannot deny the situation.

Under fire from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is Unilever CEO Alan Jope. Sharon Wrobel of The Algemeiner reported that Jope stated during an earnings conference with investors, This was a decision that was taken by Ben & Jerrys and its independent board in line with an acquisition agreement that we signed 20 years ago, we have always recognized the importance of that agreement.

In a press release by Jemima McEvoy in Forbes, she reported that Unilever sought to distance itself from the controversial decision of its subsidiary Ben & Jerrys to halt ice cream sales in Israels West Bank settlements, with the companys chief executive telling investors Unilever had no part in the decision and is still fully committed to its business in Israel.

Jope emphasized the importance of Unilevers ongoing relationship with Israel days after Bennett warned the consumer goods giant it would face severe consequences for Ben & Jerrys decision.

If theres one message I want to underscore  its that Unilever remains fully committed to our business in Israel, Jope told investors during a Thursday morning earnings call.

There is a brief video message on YouTube from Zinger thanking people for their help and to please continue helping. We need your help, we need your support, he said. The video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6qJrmhnLkw.
By I woke up to the echoes of the Islamic prayers through the Judean mountains that were both beautiful and haunting. Living here among Palestinian Arab Moslems I hear the call to prayer daily, five times a day, but today was different. Today the volume and length of the prayer was considerably louder and longer. The sustained repetition of Allah Akbar is audible, perhaps amplified by the mountains, and only competing with an occasional car, or bird.

I have no problem with how one approaches God in their respective faith, as long as theyre doing so is respectful of mine, and does not preclude my right to do so as well.

Listening to the prayer this week makes me realize however that as much as their faith may be sincere, there is something at its roots that is mutually exclusive to my right to exist here as a Jew in the Land of Israel.

Today is, for Moslems, Eid al Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice. Moslems around the world celebrate it as a commemoration of Abrahams faithfulness to sacrifice his son. Thats great. Jews, Christians and Moslems can relate to and even celebrate that. Abrahams willingness to sacrifice his son is a symbol of devotion to God that each look at from their own perspective, but all rooted in the biblical verses of Genesis 22:2-4, And He said, Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you. And Abraham arose early in the morning, and he saddled his donkey, and he took his two young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for a burnt offering, and he arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.

While we look at the meaning of the text differently, Jews, Christians, and Moslems all look to the significance of Abrahams faithfulness  with one main exception.

Today, Moslems celebrate Abrahams willingness to sacrifice Ishmael. Its astoundingly so un-biblical that it makes one wonder how one can think that with a straight face. Theres not only no biblical foundation for it, but its so divergent from scripture that completely erases any connection to a biblical to which Islam might be rooted. There are many translations and interpretations of Genesis 22, and indeed all biblical text. Jews and Christians see the significance of Abrahams sacrifice differently, with Christians looking to the parallel of God sacrificing Jesus. But neither edit nor completely rewrite the scripture to fit their belief.

Again, I dont particularly care about how one approaches or has a relationship to God, as long as it doesnt impede my right to believe or practice as I wish. Biblical tradition evolves like layers of an onion, revealing more and more with each chapter and verse. But what it seems to me is that with Eid al-Adha, albeit that Islam is monotheistic, it separates itself from Judaism and Christianity by editing, interpreting, and even making up biblical events in a way for which theres no historic foundation, thousands of years after these events were recorded. Interpret it differently, go for it. Edit it and change the text? To me thats like theological belief in a flat earth.

But I also dont care if someone believes that the earth is flat. I disagree, and theres abundant documentation to the opposite. But as long as it doesnt affect me, I really dont care. Just dont try to push me off the edge of it.

The problem is that with Islam diverging from biblical tradition here, it undermines any further connection to anything biblical. One cannot change a penultimate biblical scene, and then go back to read Genesis 23 and the rest of the text as nothing happened. Even belief in one God is not enough if theres such a fundamental rewriting of His word.

And the other problem as the text tells us, and as played out this week, is that by believing what it does, Islam does believe that its interpretation is mutually exclusive to that of Jews and Christians. In Genesis 22:3-4, its understood that the place where Abraham took Isaac is to a rock on a mountain that can be seen from a distance, Mount Moriah. Thats not just Jerusalem but its the rock thats on the Temple Mount that sits inside the (conveniently named) golden, Dome of the Rock. As a tourist in my youth, before I understood that its a place that Jews probably should not go because its also where the Temple stood, and before it was as controversial for non-Moslems to ascend and have near full access to the Temple Mount, I removed my shoes as did the Moslem worshippers, and went into the mosque and saw the rock. Its huge. Its hard to imagine that not being anything other than the place that Abraham saw.

Today, Jews and Christians ascending to the Temple Mount is not only charged with extremist intolerance, but Jews and Christians are not formally allowed to pray there. Its a law enforced by the Islamic Wakf. Its never not an issue. Islamic leaders shadow non-Moslem groups along the very narrow path that non-Moslems are allowed to follow, looking for and protesting even the silent quivering of the lips of those who ascend to the site thats holy to Jews and Christians as well.

This week, when Eid al-Adha coincides with Tisha BAv, the theological differences were put in the spotlight. On Tisha BAv, the ninth of the month of Av, we mourn the destruction of both Temples on the same day, at that very spot. This year, an unprecedented number of Jews, some 1700, ascended to the Temple Mount in commemoration and mourning.

The response to this, locally among the Palestinian Arab and Jordanian Wakf, voices of leaders throughout their societies, and from divergent Islamic countries including Iran and Turkey, was to decry the Jewish presence as a threat to take over Al Aksa, the other mosque on the Temple Mount that is the third holiest site in Islam. Disappointingly but perhaps not surprisingly, echoes of Moslem exclusivity of the Temple Mount came from Israels Islamist Raam party, a member of Israels current governing coalition.

1700 Jews ascending to the Temple Mount does not constitute the canard of settlers storming al-Aksa. Saying so is not only dishonest, but its akin to a theological throwing of a Molotov cocktail into a crowded mosque. Its not just wrong, but its hateful, and a dangerous provocation.

The problem is that Eid al-Adha, and the prevention of Jews and Christians from ascending to, much less worshiping on, the Temple Mount in general but particularly on the day on which we mourn the destruction of the Templesis mutually exclusive.

Im all for people understanding and approaching God in ways that they are comfortable. I dont believe what others believe, including some Jews, and others dont believe what I believe. I can live with that. As long as its not mutually exclusive. But this week, according to Islam and radical and intolerant voices from throughout the Islamic world, it was made quite clear: Jewish and Christian presence on and connection to the Temple Mount, indeed to all of Jerusalem, is verboten.

Just as the sound of their prayer echoes throughout the Land today, so does this ideology rooted in the most harsh of replacement theology. It astounds me that anyone cannot look at the Temple Mount as anything other than the place that Abraham brought Isaac, and upon which two Temples were built and destroyed. That doesnt change the reality of where we are today. But it is the reality nonetheless, no matter how many people celebrate the purported sacrifice of Ishmael.

The denial of these foundational truths does not project any religious tolerance, or, quite candidly much of a hope for peace here. Because even if they approach God differently, when they do so with abject denial of biblical history in a way that is mutually exclusive to that of Jews and Christians and our legitimacy, its hard to see them as being accommodating on anything else as simple as recognizing and living alongside Israel as the Jewish state. God help us.

U.S.-born and educated Jonathan Feldstein immigrated to Israel in 2004. Throughout his life and career, he has fellowshipped with Christian supporters of Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He writes a regular column for Standing With Israel at charismanews.com and other prominent web sites. He can be reached at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com.
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
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CHICAGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Practifi, a business management platform for high-performing wealth institutions, broker-dealers, and RIAs, today announced the release of its new compliance-focused solution to its existing suite of innovative role-based apps. The revolutionary apps surface data, dashboards and reports most pertinent to the different roles within an organization helping teams save time, minimize risk and streamline processes.
Elk River police report: Boy escapes serious injury despite fall from window; motorist hits bear; and processional for fallen officer comes through Elk River
Now Open

29 July 2021

The Ameswell Hotel, a new design and technology-oriented independent hotel, is now officially open as of mid-July in the heart of Mountain View, California. Designed by BAMO, San Francisco's award-winning design team, The Ameswell is the newest hotel from Broadreach Capital Partners and Rockwood Capital, managed by Storey Hotel Management Group. With many of the same key players behind the nearby critically acclaimed Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, The Ameswell is bringing modern luxury to Mountain View.

Inspired by the backdrop of California's wilderness and Silicon Valley's legacy of unconventional thinking, this 255-room hotel brings together innovation, art, wellness, sustainability, and natural beauty, featuring an extensive art collection, multiple destination bar and restaurants, a library, meeting and event space, along with a resort-like setting that includes an outdoor heated salt water pool, wellness/fitness center, an event lawn, recreational field, and direct access to hiking and biking trails.

The Ameswell Hotel is located steps from Google, Apple, and Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters, as well as Microsoft's sustainable campus, Moffett Field, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Levi's Stadium, Stanford University and many of Mountain View's bustling restaurants, bars, and shops. With a commitment to sustainability in many forms, the property will feature hyper-efficient heating and cooling; solar panels; LED lighting throughout; indigenous plant species; organic soaps/shampoos/lotions; no single use plastic; electric car charging stations; and bicycle connections to the surrounding corporate campuses.

Dispersed on the grounds are the hotel's three restaurants: Roger, the hotel's main bar and restaurant with garage-style doors connecting the indoor/outdoor seating featuring seasonal California cuisine married with Mediterranean flavors along with craft cocktails and wine on tap; the Flyby, a quick and casual all day lobby cafe offering everything from La Colombe coffee to made-to-order and grab-and-go meals; and the Airstream Bar, a retrofitted vintage trailer serving up casual Cali-inspired cuisine intended to enjoy outdoors by the pool, lawn, or firepits. The beverage program, concepted by James Beard winner Shelley Lindgren and her husband Greg, focuses on wines from nearby small producers, while the cocktails feature unique techniques inspired by NASA astronauts. As the first hotel to feature Bear Robotic's Servi, a self-driving indoor delivery robot, the restaurants are extremely tech-forward, boasting top of the line kitchen equipment with precise food temperature programming for quality control and technology to reduce food waste, and offering the ease of touchless ordering and payment options through mobile phones. Furthering their commitment to sustainability, The Ameswell has eliminated 96% of single-use plastic on premises, and solely uses biodegradable or reusable containers at all restaurants.

The hotel's 255 spacious guestrooms were designed by BAMO with comfort in mind, and all feature floor-to-ceiling windows, statement graphic wall-coverings, punches of California poppy orange, and rich California Black Walnut finishes that elevate a vibe that is cutting-edge, West Coast casual. Detail and craftsmanship punctuate the space via custom-designed lighting by Granville McAnear Lighting Design and locally handcrafted blue fireclay tile featured in the bathrooms, while design of the custom desks is inspired by an airplane wing. Every room features integrated technology and custom touches to remind you where you are, the global center for innovation and creativity, such as a medical-grade air filtration system that ensures guest rooms never share air, advanced water filtration, and exceptional sound quality, plus 100% organic toiletries by cult favorite Juice Beauty, and ethically-sourced coffee and tea by local Santa Cruz company, Steeped.
Appointment

29 July 2021

Broadwick Soho announces management position ahead of its opening in June 2022. David Monson has been appointed to General Manager. This appointment comes at a pivotal time in the property's development and signal a commitment to creating a best-in-class team who can provide the industry expertise necessary to deliver this new hotel for London, inspired by the spirit and essence of Soho's neighbourhood.

Seasoned hotelier David Monson, joins Broadwick Soho as General Manager, bringing with him over 30 years' experience in the luxury hospitality industry. Prior to joining the Broadwick team, he was the General Manager of COMO The Halkin London and he enjoyed an 18 year tenure at Four Seasons Hotels including Director roles in The Bahamas, Dallas, London and Hampshire.

In his role at Broadwick Soho, he will manage the property's operations, business development and the hotel's unique culture across the team. He will also oversee all Food & Beverage outlets, consolidating the hotel as a dining destination for Londoners and international guests alike.
Appointment

29 July 2021

Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia announces the appointment of Cornelia Samara, general manager. Samara joins the team from Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club.

A true global citizen, Samara was born in Jerusalem as a German national with Palestinian roots and grew up immersed in the hospitality industry. Her family owned a travel agency and led tours of the Holy Land in Jerusalem and from an early age she remembers travelling to the airport to greet arriving guests and going to dinners with tour groups.

A graduate of Hawaii Pacific University, the past ten years of her career as general manager have been focused on flagship properties. In 2018 she joined Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club as General Manager. In Philadelphia, she will oversee hundreds of hotel team members and looks forward to working with the award-winning team.

Samara has lived in or visited countries all over the world. One trip saw her circling the globe in a month with several stops in Southeast Asia, and she once spent a full year living in Singapore.
External Article

28 July 2021

Housekeeping models are shifting as the industry progresses through the COVID-19 pandemic, and operators are met with balancing guest preferences with the current labor market.

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Hilton recently announced it is moving to an opt-in model for daily housekeeping at its non-luxury U.S. properties. On July 8, a Hilton spokesperson on said, "Our guests have told us that they have varying levels of comfort with someone entering their rooms after they have checked in."

Other brands with similar policies include Marriott International, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Extended Stay America.

Sheenal Patel, CEO of Arbor Lodging Management, expects all brands will move to an opt-in housekeeping model.

Arbor Lodging Management manages properties under Marriott, Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt Hotels Corp. brands as well as independents.
Supplier News

29 July 2021

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - TraknProtect is now a certified OnWatch Advocate after training 100% of its company employees on how to recognize and report sex trafficking through the survivor-led and informed OnWatch education platform.

Introduced nationally last year by Safe House Project and the Malouf Foundation, OnWatch is a virtual, anti-trafficking training service available for free at IAmOnWatch.org. Through true survivor experiences, industry experts explain the key indicators of trafficking, as well as how users can support a survivors path to freedom.

The heartbeat of TraknProtect is to keep people safe. Every day our team is working alongside the hospitality industry, a critical sector for preventing sex trafficking, to keep people safe while traveling. When we learned about Safe House Projects work with the hospitality industry to eradicate sex trafficking, it was a natural fit. We want our people to be part of the solution to end trafficking not only in the hospitality sector, but across America. We are proud to say that TraknProtect is OnWatch to spot, report, and prevent trafficking., said Parminder Batra, CEO & Founder of TraknProtect.

OnWatch Executive Director Brittany Dunn said, Over the years we have been proud to partner with TraknProtect, and now were excited to officially recognize TraknProtect as a certified OnWatch Advocate.

Kristi Wells, CEO of Safe House Project adds, The hospitality industry has a critical role to play in helping disrupt trafficking on their property, keep patrons safe, and report suspected trafficking. When everyone is OnWatch where they live, work, and play, it helps us increase victim identification above 1%, but more importantly education is key to helping prevent trafficking.

Sex trafficking is a hard issue, but it is a solvable issue. Take the OnWatch training today, so you can be part of the movement to end trafficking in America.

About OnWatch

Launched in 2020 by Safe House Project and the Malouf Foundation, OnWatch is a survivor-led and informed education platform that empowers people to spot, report, and prevent trafficking in the United States. A registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, OnWatch is dedicated to raising survivor identification above the one percent average from 2018 and supporting survivors on their healing journey. To date, OnWatch has trained thousands of individuals nationwide, which has led to a marked increase in survivor identification. The Malouf Foundation and Safe House Project were united by the shared belief that survivors should have the strongest voice in combating trafficking. To learn more about OnWatch or to take the free training, visit IAmOnWatch.org.

About Safe House Project

Safe House Project is a national leader in the fight against domestic child sex trafficking. As registered 501(c)3, the organization focuses on increasing victim identification above 1 percent through survivor-informed training, supporting victims in their escape, and increasing the number of restorative care opportunities for child trafficking victims. Since 2018, the organization has provided training to tens of thousands of individuals, leading to marked increase in victim identification, provided escape and emergency services to more than 165 victims, and increased restorative care opportunities by more than 174%. Learn more about Safe House Project at www.safehouseproject.org.
Press Release

29 July 2021

MONTREUX, Switzerland - What would you do if you had a million francs to invest? This is the question posed to Hotel Institute Montreuxs Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management students who have chosen to specialize in Financial Analysis and Wealth Management.

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Thanks to the schools partnership with Banque Privee Edmond de Rothschild, students gain hands-on experience investing in Swiss stocks and bonds, preparing them for their futures as industry leaders and giving them valuable insights into portfolio management and risk assessment.

Edmond de Rothschild is an independent, family-controlled financial group specializing in Private Banking and Asset Management, with more than 250 years experience in the finance world. The group embraces an entrepreneurial spirit, and this partnership, which includes masterclasses hosted by Edmond de Rothschild (Suisse), reinforces Hotel Institute Montreuxs commitment to bringing the real world into the classroom. "Being able to speak to students about your work and giving them insights into what could perhaps be their future career is a privilege," shares Adrian Gutknecht, Banque Privee Edmond de Rothschild (Suisse) Portfolio Manager.

While many bachelors programs focus only on corporate finance, Hotel Institute Montreuxs finance specialization students are also taught about financial markets, giving them a competitive edge when entering the workforce or setting up their own venture.

Learning through doing

Each term, during lecturer Denis Klotzs Portfolio Management class, studentsworking in teams of two or threereceive an imaginary CHF 1,000,000 to invest in Swiss stocks and bonds.

Edmond de Rothschild (Suisse)s Portfolio Managers provide each student with an Excel spread sheet that includes a list of Swiss stock and a short description of each company. Each week, students choose how to allocate their budget amongst the different stocks and at the end of that week Edmond de Rothschild (Suisse)s Portfolio Managers send through the weeks stock prices to add to their Excel sheet, formulated to automatically calculate their performance. This way, students get to put into practice the knowledge they have gained during their Portfolio Management class, and assess which approach works in their favor.

Students also participate in two masterclasses hosted by Edmond de Rothschild (Suisse): one on portfolio management by Adrian Gutknecht, and another on wealth planning and patrimonial strategy by Jean-Philippe Kraft, who adds, "This is a great opportunity to exchange information with very promising students from all over the world."

Gaining in-depth market knowledge

The key learnings students gain through this Stock Market Competition include risk assessment and management, asset allocation, how to effectively research and assess financial markets and economies, and managing the sense of greed, which may lead to poor, risky decision-making. It also gives them an in-depth knowledge of the Swiss stock market.

The response from students has been overwhelmingly positive, with many highlighting the value gained from this virtual hands-on trading experience, and how it has given them a deeper understanding of the macroeconomic environment and the various Swiss public companies in different industries and sectors.

"Having access to Edmond de Rothschild (Suisse)s private weekly market reports is a real privilege and is an excellent tool to help my team make wiser decisions, explained one of the participating students. "This competition is giving me great training to better understand and assess risky markets, and the insights I would need if I chose to enter this field in my future career. I am grateful to Hotel Institute Montreux and Edmond de Rothschild for this great opportunity."

Importantly, this learning through gamification assignment also helps break the myth that you need to be a trader to take control of your finances, and gives students the expertise to engage with confidence in conversations around stock markets and trading. Nowadays, almost everyone has access to online trading, and this knowledge gives students skills they can use to invest at a lower scale for their own personal gain.

At the end of the term, the group with the best investments will be offered a prize by Edmond de Rothschild (Suisse).

About Hotel Institute Montreux

Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM) is a Swiss hospitality management school that teaches the business of hospitality to the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. Students receive a contemporary education deeply rooted in the Swiss heritage of hospitality and choose one of five industry-endorsed specializations, including luxury brand management, financial analysis and wealth management, human capital and development, senior living industry, and franchise business management. The program is delivered in partnership with Northwood University in Michigan and graduates receive a Bachelor of Business Administration in three years, including two internships, or an MBA designed to be completed in one year with six months on campus and six months online during a paid internship. The MBA is a partnership established over 20 years ago between HIM and DeVos Graduate School of Northwood University. The HIM campus in Montreux is housed in the historic former Hotel Europe, circa 1890, and located on the shores of Lake Geneva in the Swiss Riviera, home to the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival. To learn more, visit www.hotelinstitutemontreux.com.
Press Release

29 July 2021

Guest experience is more crucial than ever in the hospitality sector, so its important for us to stand out with aesthetically unique spaces in our hotels to engage travelers and locals alike. Staying ahead of the curve is vital and seeking out the concepts of tomorrow in our annual Accor Design Awards, for instance, is one of the many ways within our strategy of looking ahead.

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Today, consumers expect hospitality experiences that are personalized, immersive, and more design-forward than ever before. With over 50 years of experience in hotel design, Accor incorporates design into every aspect of its business to create sensory and generous experiences through innovative and forward-thinking concepts, partnerships with renowned designers, experiences in tune with the new usages and trends... Design allows our brands to stand out by making them immediately recognizable. Its also about stepping back and looking at the bigger picture: getting the balance right between business and the human element. And by combining our global know-how with our local knowledge, we are able to build brands and hotels offering the best experience to our clients, performance to our partners and profitability to our investors.

Over the last couple of years, weve taken a more holistic approach to design through two main focal points. First, weve decided to break with standardized hospitality codes like single-use spaces to create hybrid living spaces instead, so our hotels can become destinations for travelers and locals alike. This shift has led us to morph into a travel and lifestyle global leader offering properties that are now fully fledged social hubs integrated within the local community where its possible to live, work and play.

Each of our 40+ hotel brands has its own design. As a Group, we strive to bring their identities to life while integrating the quality of construction, comfort, equipment, technology, architectural spaces and the F&B offer.

ibis Plaza, Sao Paulo Barra Funda  Photo: Accor

Hotel Perle d'Orient Cat Ba  Photo: Accor

An example of this vision is the overhaul of the ibis brand with its different concepts, but also its life hub, where hotel guests and locals alike can sleep, eat, meet other people and even attend live music events. Our brand also offers flexible spaces that help to foster relationships between guests, travelers and locals, like at the ibis Plaza, Sao Paulo Barra Funda, where the open-plan lobby incorporates a living area, bar and restaurant, where seating can be used to work or play. Another example is MGallery with its boutique hotels steeped in the history of the buildings, such as its Hotel Perle d'Orient Cat Ba with a design imbued with the glamour of Vietnams Indochine heyday.

Novotel has also transformed its design with the launch of 4 new concepts created by leading designers from around the world: RF Studio, Metro, Sundukovy Sisters and Hypothesis. By choosing 4 distinct concepts, Novotel will provide flexibility to its owners and franchisee partners, allowing them to choose and customize an ideal style that best suits the unique character of their destination.

Drawing on Emotion

Second, as well as reinventing the layout of our spaces, we are also focused on a sensory, generous design. The cornerstone of our transformative strategy, its one where even a fluffy towel evokes a feeling and adds to the guest experience. Its forced us to rethink our properties so they meet these constantly-evolving expectations rooted in emotion. If we want people to remember their journeys in one of our hotels, we need to make sure that theyre going to feel something, explains Damien Perrot, Global Senior Vice President Design & Innovation at Accor. Aesthetics are only 20 percent of the job for a good designer. The rest is the ability to envision how people will live today and tomorrow.

Fresh Talent

One way of ensuring our vision for the future is relevant and innovative is through our annual Accor Design Awards, which is an opportunity to spot new trends and work with fresh talents from design schools all over the globe. Through their submissions focused on social, economic, and environmental responsibility, the students challenge our perspective and plunge us into a world of exciting new experiential possibilities.

NOMADish  Photo: Accor

Waterwalk  Photo: Accor

Cocoon  Photo: Accor

This year, the winning project was NOMADish, a floating, travelling guest suite that embraces the power of water and runs on hydrogen, by a team of students from LEcole de Design Nantes Atlantique in France. The team also won the Public Choice Award, voted for by the general public via our bespoke online award voting platform. The second prize went to the sustainable and culturally conscious Relove Hotel by Ashley Ulm from Berlin International University of Applied Sciences. And in third place was Waterwalk, the worlds first floating and flying cruise, by a team at LEcole de Design Nantes Atlantique. The Special Jury Prize, new in this edition, was Cocoon, a hotel suite made with biopolymer and local wood, evoking a journey to the heart of an African jungle created by a team from LEcole de Design Nantes Atlantique.

Every year, students push the boundaries of hospitality design, giving us a fresh and exciting outlook on our constantly-evolving industry. It really brings home the fact that design plays a pivotal role in transforming our guests experiences. For us at Accor group, design serves a bigger purpose than just being aesthetically pleasing. And incorporating it into every aspect of our business allows us to craft the stories of our properties, embodying the spirit of each brand and helping our guests create memorable experiences. The hospitality industry is at the frontline of designs future and it is up to hotels and hospitality brands to take risks, innovate, and evolve their approaches to design in order to push the industry even further.

Vision Of

This summer, starting July 7, on Accor's corporate social media, the Vision Of series will look back at some of the Group's collaborations with renowned designers. Among them: Philippe Starck, Ramy Fischler, Aleksandra Nastic and many others... 1 video = 1 designer  stay tuned!
Press Release

29 July 2021

The Penn State School of Hospitality Management in the College of Health and Human Development and the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS) have announced a new date to honor Christopher J. Nassetta, president and chief executive officer for Hilton, as the 2021 Hospitality Executive of the Year. This event originally planned in 2020 was postponed as a result of the pandemic and a new date has been set for Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. The event will take place at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center at University Park, Pennsylvania.

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To learn more about the awards gala and reception and reserve attendance, visit www.hhd.psu.edu/shm/hospitality-executive-year-event.

Hilton is one of the worlds leading hospitality companies that owns, manages, franchises and leases thousands of properties across the globe.

The School of Hospitality Management and PSHRS, the schools award-winning alumni group, will recognize Nassetta for his leadership and extraordinary accomplishments in the hospitality industry at a gala reception, when Nassetta will engage with students, alumni, and friends of the school and PSHRS.

Among its many accolades, in 2020, Hilton was ranked No. 1 on Fortunes list of the 100 best companies to work for in the U.S. and remained the worlds most valued hotel brand in 2021, according to Brand Finance.

Nassetta, who joined Hilton in 2007, is being recognized for his strategic leadership of the company that, across its more than 6,500 properties, accounts for more than one million rooms in 119 countries and territories.

This recognition is truly an honor, but I have to give all the credit to our Hilton family of team members, guests, owners and partners, said Nassetta. We are a business of people serving people, and I am deeply inspired by the incredible ways our hospitality has positively impacted the people and communities we have served for more than a century. Thank you to the Penn State School of Hospitality Management and the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society for recognizing what is truly a group effort.

The event not only recognizes Nassetta, but also provides the unique opportunity for Penn State Hospitality Management students to directly interact with and learn from one of the leading executives in the hospitality industry.

Leading a company that has century of demonstrated success to greater heights is a remarkable task. Chris Nassetta has not only done that, but has crafted a team of professionals and laid out a vision for Hilton that will take the company to new levels of success in the next century, said Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Ashner Endowed director of the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State. We look forward to welcoming Chris, along with many Hilton-employed Penn Staters and Hilton friends and partners, to campus where our students and our community will celebrate Hilton and can hear from and learn firsthand from Chris.

PSHRS has honored a number of industry leaders through this prestigious award since 1960. Its recipients represent a Whos Who of extraordinary individuals who made indelible marks on the profession.

In receiving this recognition, Chris joins an impressive group of hospitality innovators and leaders who have had an exceptional impact on our industry, said Matthew W. Schuyler, Penn State class of 1987, chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees, and Hiltons chief brand officer. As a Penn State alum and a Hilton team member, it brings me great pride to see an institution I care deeply about bestow such a significant honor on a man I respect and have learned a great deal from in our partnership over the last decade.

We are excited to add Chris Nassettas name to the pantheon of hospitality icons who have received this award previously, including Barron Hilton, president and chairman of the board of Hilton, in 1969, added Ashley Akright, director of operational excellence + innovation at Galyord Rockies Resort & Convention Center and president of PSHRS.

Prior to his role at Hilton, Nassetta was president and chief executive officer of Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. for seven years, and also served in the posts of executive vice president and chief operating officer. Before joining Host Hotels & Resorts, Nassetta co-founded Bailey Capital Corp. in 1991, where he was responsible for the operations of the real estate investment and advisory firm, and spent seven years at the Oliver Carr Co., ultimately serving as chief development officer.

In addition to his leadership role at Hilton, Nassetta serves in leadership capacities at a number of different organizations, including the World Travel & Tourism Council, where he is the immediate past chairman; the CoStar Group Inc.; the Federal City Council; the Economic Club of Washington, D.C.; the Arlington Free Clinic; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and the Real Estate Roundtable.

Nassetta graduated from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce with a degree in finance. He currently serves on the McIntire School of Commerce Advisory Board.

For more than 80 years, the Penn State School of Hospitality Management has been a leader in higher education and research in service to the hospitality industry. With innovative courses, a tradition of engaged scholarship, and discipline-shaping research by world-class faculty, the school inspires all students to pursue excellence in scholarship, exhibit a strong work ethic, and become effective and ethical innovators.
Press Release

29 July 2021

The RIU chain is presenting its new Sustainability Report for 2020  a year marked by the challenges facing the tourism sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in which it strengthened CSR with 30 social and environmental actions worldwide to support the local community and protect children, that directly or indirectly benefited 13.644 people.

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In an unprecedented year for the Majorcan chain, the data included in this new Report not only reveal the magnitude of the pandemics impact on its hotel and corporate activity, but also its rapid and effective response due to its responsibility towards internal and external stakeholders. For instance, although RIUs revenue fell by 63% compared to the previous year, the number of staff was only reduced by 22%, a reflection of RIUs commitment to its collaborators. Another figure that shows the extraordinary efforts made by the hotel chain in 2020 is its 807,323-euro investment in CSR, despite the fact that revenue fell by more than half. This is only 38% less than the previous year.

The complexity of reporting

Catalina Alemany, Corporate Social Responsibility Area director, ensured that the circumstance of the pandemic and the resulting impact on hotel activity have made 2020 a very difficult year in terms of reporting and analysis, and it is complicated to compare this period to previous years. According to the Reports indicators, compared to 2019 the hotel chains environmental impact decreased by around 50%, but operations also fell by 60%; therefore the standstill in tourism was responsible for some of the results shown in the Report, not our actual environmental performance, admits Alemany.

Despite this situation, all of the companys departments went to great efforts to increase the level of demand and create, for the first time, a report that is in line with GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) standards, taking the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals created by the United Nations as a reference point. This represents progress and a qualitative leap compared to previous reports, as well as a great step forward in RIU Hotels commitment to transparency

COVID actions

This Sustainability Report includes all the details on the actions carried out by RIU Hotels in the local community since the COVID-19 pandemic struck at the beginning of last year. Over 500 tonnes of food items and healthcare supplies were donated worldwide, and healthcare and telephone care services were funded in Cancun alongside the Mexican Red Cross.

As the pandemic evolved and after analysing the social situation in its destinations, RIU decided to focus the rest of its social investment on projects related to food and education of the most vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19: children and their families. More than 23,000 humanitarian meals were served to 2,319 people in Cape Verde thanks to the local foundation Des-Bem and the Spanish NGO Africa Avanza. In Spain, we carried out various actions to fight against the social gap caused by the economic consequences of COVID-19 alongside Save the Children, the Red Cross and Ayuda en Accion.

Stronger CSR

As a result of the global pandemic, issues such as health and safety gained greater weight among RIUs stakeholders. Consequently, the importance and key role of its healthcare projects was reinforced its in all destinations This is the case of the Artola Paediatric Clinic in Costa Rica, which opened its doors in September 2019 and worked tirelessly throughout the toughest moments of the pandemic to provide health care to more than 770 youngsters aged between 0 and 14. Additionally, the Outpatient Department of Cancun Hospital, where the medication is financed by RIU, saw its work increase during the pandemic as children from other Mexican states had to receive their treatment in this facility due to a national shortage of chemotherapy drugs.

Whats more, RIUs allies in the third sector highlight its commitment to ensure that nobody is left behind despite the economic impact of the pandemic on the whole company. As indicated in the Report, RIU has continued with all the projects and alliances that began before COVID-19, and this year the companys efforts will focus on maintaining these projects and assessing their impact to establish the social return on investment and help change society for the better.
Supplier News

29 July 2021

For the first time in over 275 days, data from SiteMinders World Hotel Index reveals that on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, the volume of bookings to hotels in Germany again began exceeding the global average.

Following generally stable cases and a ramping vaccine campaign, German hotel bookings have risen rapidly in recent months, from 15.58% on May 1 to 62.61% on July 14, when it passed the global average, in comparison to the same time periods in 2019. The booking momentum is largely being driven by last-minute summer bookings from local German travellers.

SiteMinder World Hotel Index as at July 28, 2021  Photo: SiteMinder

According to the data by SiteMinder, the worlds largest open hotel commerce platform, the city of Berlin has responded fastest, currently recording 76.3% of the hotel booking volumes it experienced at this same time in 2019. Berlins hotel bookings are followed by Hamburgs at 61.57% of 2019 levels, and Munichs at 53.17% of pre-pandemic levels.

While domestic travellers continue to make up the vast majority of stays, SiteMinders data also points to signs that international travel is making a gradual comeback, spurred on by the reopening to non-EU nations, such as the U.S. (the countrys third biggest source market). The percentage of bookings made to German hotels by international guests in July is the highest it has been this year, at 25.1%, and SiteMinders arrivals data displays that 33.8% of booked stays for December are currently from international guests.

Quickly making up ground for Europe

While Germany is currently placed 11th out of the 16 European countries in SiteMinders World Hotel Indexahead of France, Denmark, Netherlands, Czech Republic and Austriaits hotel booking volumes are recovering faster than any other countrys across the continent. Its rally from 15.58% on May 1, to 68.73% of 2019 booking volumes now, represents growth of more than 340%.

In spite of a delay in reopening compared to much of continental Europe, bookings have risen rapidly in recent weeks, as travel looks to become normalised once again. After the difficult start to the year, Im thrilled for our hoteliers, who after many months without guests can look forward to welcoming them once more, says Clemens Fisch, Regional Director DACH & EMEA at SiteMinder. What this means, however, is a need to quickly adjust to the changed preferences and behaviours of travellers, as the guests that hoteliers welcome going forward wont necessarily be the same guests that they accommodated before. Technology is a critical investment for hoteliers at this time, to better understand their guests, distribute their rooms where their guests are looking, market their properties in the best way, and ultimately maximise this growth in bookings were seeing.

For more information and to see the live World Hotel Index, visit siteminder.com/world-hotel-index.

About SiteMinder

In an age of rising choice and accessibility for curious travellers, SiteMinder exists to liberate hoteliers with technology that makes a world of difference. SiteMinder is the worlds largest open hotel commerce platform, ranked among technology pioneers for its smart and simple solutions that put hotels everywhere their guests are, at every stage of their journey. Its this central role that has earned SiteMinder the trust of more than 35,000 hotels, across 160 countries, to generate in excess of 100 million reservations worth over US$35 billion in revenue for hotels each year. For more information, visit siteminder.com.
Opinion Article

29 July 2021

No matter what proclamations are made by various governments, the CDC, the WHO or any other regulatory bodies, PPE, sanitization and physical distancing have been so ingrained into the mindsets of travelers that hotels cannot relax on this front. Through the repetition of COVID-19 safety guidelines throughout 2020, travelers will now expect hotels to have pristine cleanliness for the entire decade ahead at least.

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Given these newly solidified expectations, the risk of appearing as lenient or slack in any way may cause irreparable damage to a propertys reputation  and rightfully so, as peoples lives and wellbeing are in danger. Make no mistake; hotels must maintain exceptional hygiene practices going forward.

Whats often missed or not given its proper consideration, though, is the appearance of unconditional obedience to the viral safety guidelines. This constitutes the psychological rubric for what we have called cleanliness theater in that whats equally important for restoring and maintaining guest confidence is not just the actual measures taken to ensure proper sanitization but also that the guests see those measures in action.

This term which has also been coined as hygiene theater or high-visibility cleaning derives from the term security theater which inscribed the passenger-facing upgrades made to airports after 9/11. While there are numerous changes made behind the scenes, one such theater measure was the stationing of armed guards outside the main entrances next to the taxi stands. This alone would never prevent a terrorist from hiding something dangerous in their luggage, but it worked to give peace of mind to every passerby and rebuild flight traffic.

The concept of cleanliness theater infers that SOPs like having all frontline staffers wear face shields act as both a safety measure and to instill more trust from guests. Going a step further, such initiatives as sanitizing the lobby at midday instead of midnight, repeatedly broadcasting a brands various cleanliness certifications on marketing channels, using social distancing markers on the floor and making handwashing stations available at all key public area chokepoints are all important to driving bookings.

But this front-of-house production overshadows another key stakeholder that also needs a post-pandemic confidence kick  a hotels onsite teams. Unlike many managers or corporate directors who can function reasonably well from the solitude of their respective home offices, there are numerous back-of-house personnel who cannot perform their jobs without entering the property.

From room attendants and front desk agents to busboys and maintenance workers, we need these team members to feel safe in order for them to perform as expect and convey a sense of warmth to visitors. With so many worries over labor shortages in hospitality for the next few business cycles, you cannot afford to have an elevated turnover rate. And in tandem with keeping morale high, part of the confidence equation for guests will be the art of being overtly friendly and attentive  an action that cannot be properly completed without the full buy-in from every employee.

While much of the same safety measures apply for both front and back of house, perhaps we can close our argument on the significance of cleanliness theater by touching on one critical piece of equipment that touches guests and staff alike in a variety of ways  the cell phone.

How often does the average person clean their own device? Be careful, as the answer may shock you relative to how frequently that phone is touched. Additionally, consider the risk for viral spread by having shared devices amongst onsite shift workers. For these cases, the perfunctory alcohol-based cleansers after every use can induce a tremendous amount of wear and tear on said mobile units.

As a potential solution to both the tear and wear problem and to further augment a propertys cleanliness theater, consider a mobile device cleaning unit that uses UV light to sterilize all microorganism particles in under 30 seconds. Simply insert a phone as you would a dollar bill into a vendor machine and out pops the device virus-free.

While these machines existed prior to the pandemic, they are now being made in sizes small enough to position on a front desk counter (FOH) or on a corner table in the employee lounge (BOH). One such product example weve seen installed at hotels is the Glissner CleanPhone (www.glissner.com) for which we reached out to the company founder, Ronan Benin to learn some more about how cleanliness theater will continue to impact hospitality over the next decade.

The future of cleanliness is in both its effectiveness as preventing harm and how it intersects with the theater, as you call it, remarked Benin. Looking beyond the fear and anxiety of 2020, guests, staff and practically anyone else wont want to be constantly reminded of that tumultuous time by seeing the stark, clinical and palpably irritable elements that were installed in all hotels last year. Instead, theyll want aesthetically pleasing decor and designs that are also hygiene enhancement tools, and we believe our products are but one example of how to effectively integrate form and function to amplify COVID-19 safety while also helping differentiate a hotel brand going forward.
Opinion Article

29 July 2021

Effective training in hospitality skills needs a clear structure: demonstration, practice, feedback, implementation and a solid follow up plan.

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Personality traits are not enough

Hire for attitude, train for skills is a famous motto in the hospitality industry. It means hotels should select employees who have certain personality traits, even if they do not know yet the specific skills needed on the job. Training will be delivered later to help employees acquire the relevant skills. I am afraid that it is more a motto than a reality in the hospitality industry. The problem with training is that it takes time and is not without effort. For this reason, training is often very limited, if not completely skipped, as reported by a student: It often happened to me and my co-interns that we autonomously carried out a task, and in the end, we had to learn through an angry supervisor that half of it was wrong. This was quite demotivating and did not promote our learning process.

It's easy to think that an intern simply has to learn on the job. But can he or she really learn like this? Is it right to think that just because we explained instructions once to someone on how to do something, it should automatically stick to memory?

If your work is to teach others, you already know that people do not learn in this manner. If you supervise others, you might not have realized this for many reasons. Most of the employees already know a great deal so the new information you pass though them can be instantly associated with lots of information already stored in long-term memory. However, we should never forget that training takes time. It is not because you mention once how to do something that people will retain the information. Most people will not.

Download the Customer Orientation Report, by Dr Fernandez

The ideal 4-step process

Demonstration is the first step in the training process. Very often, it is the only one where a supervisor explains or shows how to do something (cutting carrots, opening a bottle of wine, or upselling a product). It is a necessary step but it is insufficient to promote learning and acquisition of a new skill. You cannot assume 18-year olds will know how to drive a car just because they have seen their parents do it or have been told how a car operates. According to the renowned training expert, Eduardo Salas (Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor of Psychology at the University of Central Florida), it is essential that learners see good and bad examples to better differentiate the key features of effective performance. Then, practice is essential, but again to stop the training process at this stage would not suffice. This stage can be achieved through role play, or any other way to practice. It is by performing the same exact physical movements or mental operations that will be required on the job that employees will learn. Practice alone is not sufficient because mistakes can occur quickly and if they are not quickly corrected, there is a high risk of persistent mistakes. The third element is feedback. It is essential that employees get feedback during practice. Good feedback will help the employee identify what is being done correctly. Employees will learn quickly appropriate behaviors if they receive acknowledgement of their effectiveness. Equally, when mistakes are committed, employees will modify their behavior (and might be less resentful). It is one of the key principle of operant conditioning. What gets reinforced gets repeated, what get punished get suppressed. Even if it takes time, it is maybe the most important step to retain how to behave appropriately in a job context. After training, implementation at work is crucial so that employees can practice the new skills learned during the training session. There are many ways to facilitate this. Supervisors should remind and encourage employees to do so but employees should also be rewarded for implementing new skills (or trying to do so). For instance, supervisors might discretely hear how waiters are upselling products to customers. Even if customers do not follow the employees recommendations, the supervisor might reinforce the behavior of upselling by mentioning how the employee used the right words.

Training employees to use customer-oriented behaviors

As described in the industry report (that you can download here), in 2015 and 2016 we conducted a large-scale study in Switzerland to test the effectiveness of a training session whose purpose was to increase customer-oriented behaviors among restaurant employees. Our results demonstrated that the training intervention was effective and that employees who adopted the customer-oriented behaviors taught during the course received higher tips. The training course was conducted in the restaurant where employees were working. It lasted approximately 1 hour and a half, and consisted of different steps: description and demonstration of each customer-oriented behavior (e.g., upselling, complimenting the guest for the meal chosen, repeating the order, introducing oneself by ones name), practice and feedback. The effectiveness of this course can be explained by some of the principles described above. I also would like to mention how the effectiveness of this training session could have been better.

First, the training session was not lecture-based. For each customer-oriented behavior covered, I demonstrated how to carry out the behavior and I asked the participants to repeat the sequence of actions. Other participants and myself gave feedback on the effective implementation.

Second, I tried to remove the obstacles by asking the participants if and how it was reasonable to apply the behavior in the work environment. Sometimes, participants were reluctant to apply some of the customer-oriented behaviors in the training program. For instance, many employees told me they would never touch the customer on the shoulder or that they would feel uncomfortable introducing their name to the guest. After reflection, they found their own alternatives. For instance, they didn't introduce themselves but they introduced the colleague who would come a few minutes later and take the order. As another example, they would not touch the customer but they would touch the table (it might not be as effective as directly touching the customer, but it might convey more friendliness).

Third, most of the course took place in the restaurant where the employees worked. In my opinion, the importance of the context is essential to facilitate transfer. Many studies in Cognitive Psychology have confirmed that transfer of learning is easier when we use information in the same context as where this information has been learned.

Allocate time for follow up and practice

Two barriers should be however acknowledged. The first one is that the training only lasted approx. 90 minutes. Without time for some follow-up, it is not clear if employees will maintain the use of customer-oriented behaviors in the long term. Our study has demonstrated that the intervention aiming at increasing customer-oriented behaviors was effective on a short-term interval but I am not sure that the positive effects would last over longer periods of time (weeks, months, or years).

The second barrier is related to the first one. It would be essential to continue the monitoring of employee behaviors over time. If employees do not receive feedback on how they are doing, they might very quickly stop performing actions such as repeating the order or complimenting the guest if they are not sure of their effectiveness. It would be beneficial if restaurant managers could continue to monitor how employees use customer-oriented behaviors and to provide recognition for the continued use of these behaviors, or corrective feedback if employees do not use these behaviors or use them inappropriately.

Conclusion

As shown in this article, it takes time and effort to train employees. We cannot assume they will retain information because they have been told or shown what to do. It is essential they can see, practice, get feedback, and have opportunities to implement the newly learned skills. If companies want to increase service quality and enhance the service skills of their employees, they might need to train them in the use of appropriate customer-oriented behaviors (even if they have been hired for having the right attitude).
From the balcony of her Greenspoint apartment, Marcia Laguna watched, eyebrows raised, as a man with a stack of flyers went door to door in the 91-degree heat. But her demeanor changed when Luis Cadavid said what the pages contained.

Its rental assistance, he said, waving the papers. Laguna tilted her head toward her front door, inviting Cadavid to explain the Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

While homeowners impacted by the pandemic were largely shielded by measures enacted by the federal government to ease them back into their mortgage payments, tenants who have fallen behind on rent are receiving more piecemeal assistance. Tens of thousands of area residents could qualify for up to a year of past-due rent payments from the city and county, plus two months more to give them time to regain their financial footing, if they seek it out.

But many do not know the Houston-Harris County program exists.

Connecting with relief The Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program can be found at HoustonHarrisHelp.org. An in-person event for free assistance applying will occur Thurs., July 29, from 3 to 7 p.m. at St. John's Catholic Church (800 W. Baker Road in Baytown). Organizers recommend those in need of aid bring an ID, a copy of a current lease, proof of income, proof of economic hardship due to COVID-19 and proof of housing instability. For examples, go to gcaflcio.org/eviction-protection. In addition, the direct aid fund can be found at HarrisCountyRelief.org. That fund will give $1,500 payments directly to households with an income below 60 percent of the area's median income or that have at least one member enrolled in a public assistance program. An in-person event for free assistance applying will be held Tuesday, Aug. 3, from 3 to 7 p.m. at IBEW Local 716 (1475 N Loop W in Houston). See More Collapse

On HoustonChronicle.com: Harris County announces new $30 million fund to assist struggling families with urgent expenses

So a network of nonprofits, pro-bono lawyers and volunteers have been working at every step of the eviction process to connect renters to the $196 million rental assistance administered by Houston and Harris County, working to pull families behind on rent off the conveyor belt to eviction before its too late. They are canvassing apartment buildings, hosting large events and even showing up at court where tenants are scheduled for eviction hearings to provide last-minute support.

The Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program has been one of the more successful at giving out renters aid.

As of May 31, Houston had helped the most families out of any city in the country, and Harris County had helped the most out of any county, according to federal data. As of Thursday, the combined programs had awarded $152 million to 40,000 households, said a spokesperson from the program.

Nonetheless, if the share of households living in Houston and Harris County that are behind on rent is in line with the percentage of people behind on housing payments in the region overall  7 percent, as of the latest Census survey, taken in early July  thats a fraction of the families in need. And with the eviction moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expiring at the end of the month, the ability of the program to keep struggling renters in their homes will soon be put to the test.

Holes in the safety net

When the pandemics impact on the United States became clear in early 2020, the Eviction Defense Coalition, a group of lawyers from Lone Star Legal Aid, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, the University of Houston Law Center, the Earl Carl Institute at Texas Southern University and South Texas College of Law Houston kicked their operations into high gear.

They looked at lists of evictions that were scheduled to go to court the following week and reached out to anyone who was not represented. After the CARES Act was passed, Eric Kwartler, a public interest lawyer at South Texas College of Law Houston, looked through every eviction that was filed.

On HoustonChronicle.com: As eviction moratorium expires, local officials encourage residents to sign up for rent relief

Through records requests, he showed that 24 percent of cases violated the new law, which paused evictions by landlords who had federally backed mortgages or accepted federal housing support, such as Section 8 vouchers.

But those cases werent automatically thrown out. Instead, Kwartler said, cases in which the renter was not represented by an attorney usually ended in eviction, meaning hundreds of Houston renters that Congress had moved to protect were nonetheless displaced.

The situation drove home the ineffectiveness of many pandemic tenant protections when advocates were not guiding renters through the process. In Houston, a host of groups are tackling the problem.

A collection of unions called the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, for example, worked with data analysts to see where the rates of evictions are highest but applications to the rental assistance program are lowest. Thats where union members, including Cadavid, went door to door.

There have been times when weve canvassed when its been nothing but eviction notices on doors, said Jennifer Hernandez, a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. She and other members of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation have knocked and posted flyers on more than 40,000 homes.

Partnering with the Eviction Defense Coalition and Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation are groups including the Metropolitan Organization, Constables Offices, the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services, County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcias offices, BakerRipley and Catholic Charities, which have hosted large application events in the area so renters can have someone guide them through the process in person.

BakerRipley and Catholic Charities are the nonprofits processing applications and distributing funds. Theyre also working with community centers, ministries and other groups across the city to help families who may have language or technological barriers to apply.

It takes a wide variety of people to come together to get the volume of (resources), said Dana Karni, managing attorney for the Eviction Right to Counsel Project at the nonprofit Lone Star Legal Aid.

Kwartler agreed. As a result of the effort, he said, The holes are smaller in the (safety net for renters), rather than gaping.

Fear remains

Still, once theyve found that safety net and moved to apply for the rental assistance, renters and landlords alike are expressing frustration and anxiety at how long the process takes.

Three weeks after applying for rental assistance through the Houston-Harris County program, Maria Garcia still didnt know when help would arrive. Her work cleaning houses dried up when the city shut down, and since has been slow to return. In July, she missed rent. Now, shes anxiously hoping assistance will come before Augusts rent comes due.

They only give me the same answer: That I was selected and that its processing, she said in Spanish. About 7,100 applications like Garcias are still pending, according to a spokesperson for the program.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Foreclosures are back in Harris County, after a years delay by executive orders

Adriana Gonzalez, a landlord who purchased a rental home with a loan that is not federally backed, found herself in the same situation. Her lender had not agreed to pause payments, and since her renter had not paid in three months, she was in danger of losing the home. After borrowing from her family to cover her costs, she took out a high-interest loan to help her get through July.

But she did not know when the rental assistance would come through.

Its very stressful, she said. I did apply, and I received an email saying the app was accepted But I dont know what accepted means.

Problem persists

In response to concerns about Augusts rent and the end of the eviction moratorium, Shannon Strother, vice president of programs at Catholic Charities, said, We are paying off overdue rent for thousands of families each week, but we realize that does not allay peoples fears if their own application has not been approved yet.

She said families living in properties owned by landlords enrolled in the program are protected from eviction as soon as they turn in their applications.

Even as some renters were filling out applications for rental aid, others were on facing evictions for failure to pay rent. The same week a massive rental assistance drive was taking place in Greenspoint more than a dozen eviction cases were being heard across town at the Justice of the Peace court in Riverside Terrace.

Judge Wanda Adams had been working with the Eviction Defense Coalition, but that day, there was no pro-bono attorney present. Most of the renters being evicted were also not present. Instead, she spoke to the landlords and the landlords attorneys.

Is there a CDC declaration on file? And you tried to reach out to rental assistance? she asked  both options the federal government had put in place to protect people impacted by the pandemic from eviction.

But neither safeguard had been exercised. The result? A default judgment to evict.

The renter had fallen through the safety net.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com;

twitter.com/raschuetz
A worker who was injured during a deadly chemical leak at a La Porte-area plant this week alleges in a lawsuit that the company hours earlier decided not to use experts who recommended repairing the damage, instead bringing in other contractors to address the problem temporarily.

Two people were killed and 30 more were hospitalized as a result of Tuesday's leak of acetic acid at the LyondellBasell La Porte Complex.

The Harris County medical examiner's office on Thursday identified the men who died as Dustin Day and Shawn Kuhleman.

The civil claim by the hospitalized worker, Bryant Hinojosa, was one of at least two filed Thursday against the plant, LyondellBasell Acetyls. The suit alleges that LyondellBasell discovered a leak on Tuesday and called a company specializing in addressing industrial leaks. That company recommended LyondellBasell repair the leak, the suit claims, but LyondellBasell chose not to hire the company to do the repairs and opted to contact other contractors. The lawsuit did not identify the company that LyondellBasell allegedly contacted.

Hinojosa, who was working in the facility when the leak occurred around 7:35 p.m. on Tuesday, had to "flee for his life," the suit alleged, when 100,000 pounds of acetic acid spewed out of a burst cap on a pressurized line. He choked on the chemical fumes and sustained back and knee injuries while escaping, according to the lawsuit.

The suit also alleges LyondellBasell has "engaged in a pattern of unsafe, hazardous practices" at its Texas facilities over the past few years.

Hinojosa remained hospitalized Thursday and unable to speak about the case, according to the law firm representing him, Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner.

His claim was the second lawsuit filed in Harris County on Thursday against Lyondell Chemical Co. and other subsidiaries of the firm. The first lawsuit alleges that Mike Lopez, who was also working in the facility during the accident, suffered severe mental distress as well as physical injuries all over his body and may be disfigured as a result.

Lopez's lawsuit also alleges the company did not properly train its employees and contractors, failed to provide adequate safety equipment and did not perform sufficient maintenance.

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Plant explosions cause some of the most horrific industrial injuries we encounter, and they are often exacerbated by injuries workers sustain while trying to flee to safety, said Kurt Arnold, an attorney representing Lopez.

The acid that was released burns skin and is toxic when breathed in. It was also mixed with other chemical compounds that are linked to causing fluid to build up in the lungs.

Arnold said the discovery process in the lawsuit will allow the attorney to investigate what led to the deadly event and how to prevent it from happening again.

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Each suit seek $1 million in damages from the defendants, and Lopez's lawsuit seeks a jury trial.

Officials with LyondellBasell declined to comment Thursday.

A company spokesperson said Wednesday: We are keeping the families and loved ones of the injured in our thoughts, and our prayers go out to them.

Charlie Zong contributed to this report

hannah.dellinger@chron.com
Until recently, finding decent barbecue in Las Vegas was a hit-or-miss affair, and mostly miss. There were a few casino-based joints and even some local outlets, but for the high expectations of visiting Texans, they never really measured up.

Thats changing. Like most big cities in the U.S. and even internationally, the siren song of Texas barbecue has resulted in an expatriate army of pitmasters bringing a diaspora of Lone Star State smoked meats to all corners of the country.

Add Las Vegas to that list. Recent openings there have made finding good barbecue a possibility for Texans, and especially Houstonians, visiting Sin City. Here is a non-comprehensive list of barbecue joints that should be on a Texans radar.

Your choice for barbecue will depend on your strategy for visiting Las Vegas. For instance, if youre on a gambling-only visit, i.e. staying at a casino on the strip or downtown with no plans to venture out except to other casinos, your best bet is Blood Bros. BBQ at the new Resorts World property. You read that right  one of Houstons definitive barbecue joints recently opened a branch in a Las Vegas casino.

Located on the first floor of this visually spectacular and brand new hotel and casino (worth a visit all on its own), Blood Bros. is one storefront in a food court known as the Famous Foods Street Eats featuring world cuisines inspired by the casinos Asian-themed marketing and design. The menu is understandably simplified from the Houston location, but the Texas trinity of brisket, pork ribs and sausage is properly featured. On a recent visit, the flavor and cooking technique of the brisket was almost identical to what you get at the Bellaire restaurant. A welcome respite for Houstonians seeking a taste of home.

If you want to get out of the casino bubble and visit a place where the locals go, then Rollin Smoke Barbeque is the place to be. The barbecue here trends toward Southern U.S. traditions with influences of competition-style barbecue, and is one of the best examples of this genre of smoked meats Ive found. Aside from the well-cooked meats and big portions, the scene here is straight out of a Quentin Tarantino movie with blue and white collar workers mixing with down-at-the-heels local gamblers coming off a 24-hour bender.

If youre not quite ready to go full Vegas-local and prefer to stay on the tourist beat, head north towards downtown and the newly branded Arts District. The local powers-that-be correctly calculated that diversifying the Vegas tourist experience is a good thing, so theyve created this neighborhood of art galleries, breweries and restaurants.

Here you will find SoulBelly BBQ, helmed by nationally-recognized chef Bruce Kalman, who is producing solid Texas-inspired barbecue from two massive 1000-gallon offset barrel pits sitting right in front of the restaurant. This place is also a good option of you are craving a cold Topo Chico or Mexican Coke in the parched Las Vegas heat.

More Information Blood Bros. BBQ at Resorts World, Las Vegas; rwlasvegas.com Rollin Smoke Barbeque (original location) 3185 Highland, Las Vegas; rollinsmokebarbeque.com SoulBelly BBQ 1327 S. Main, Las Vegas; soulbellybbq.com Braeswood Tex Mex BBQ 1504 S. Main, Las Vegas; braeswoodbbq.com See More Collapse

And if you are truly a homesick Houstonian in Vegas, head a couple blocks south in the Arts District to Braeswood Tex Mex BBQ. Recently opened by native Houstonian Gerald Casas and named after the neighborhood he grew up in, Braeswood produces excellent brisket tacos, pork ribs and sausage.

Casas is cooking with a 500-gallon offset barrel pit built by Texas-based Cen-Tex Smokers and it shows  the brisket on a recent visit carried the aggressive salt-and-pepper, smoky flavor that Texans expect from their barbecue. With Astros and Rockets signs all over the walls, its a taste and feel of home.

jcreid@jcreidtx.com

twitter.com/jcreidtx
When Cathy Conrad looks around her tidy, 1,550-square-foot Montrose bungalow, she sees memories of her childhood.

Outdoors, she remembers a big, messy sycamore tree, and indoors she now marvels at how a family of five  her parents, Cathy and her two brothers  lived in this home with three bedrooms and one bathroom.

Indoors, she remembers her mother, Rolande Leguillon  a longtime French and French literature professor at the University of St. Thomas  typing her Ph.D. dissertation on a front porch that at some point was enclosed and is now Conrads foyer.

Someone from Conrads family has lived in the home for about 60 years, first she with her parents and two brothers, then joined by their grandparents, who lived in a trailer in the driveway. The family moved to Houston from Cincinnati when she was 5, and a few years later they moved into this house, which they rented for a while before purchasing it.

The home is in the Hyde Park area of Montrose, a neighborhood founded in 1893 on land that once was the summer farm of Mirabeau Lamar, the second president of the Republic of Texas.

Conrads home is listed in the Harris County Appraisal District as being built in 1940, but she thinks it dates back to the 1920s.

Before the home returned to her possession, her brother lived here for a number of years. After he died in May 2017, Cathy and her son, Ben Conrad, spent a summer cleaning it out, then Conrad and her contractor spent 2018 waiting out the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and planning a full-scale remodel of the home and its garage apartment.

By the end of 2019, Conrad moved into the dramatically updated home. Not only is everything inside new  it was taken down to the studs  but it also has newly installed central air and foundation repair that included leveling and adding piers.

Neighbors made cash offers for the property, but Conrad saw it as an opportunity to move from suburban Spring back into Houstons center at a price she can afford.

I knew if I sold it I would never be able to get back in the market and live here. Everything is so expensive, said Conrad, who is 70 and a retired Klein ISD teacher. You can walk to so many things here. This is one story and very manageable.

Making the home easier to live in included a number of moves by her contractor, Jason Penberthy of Jason Penberthy Custom Builders, and interior designer Lauren Grumbles of Lauren Grumbles Interior Design.

A pass-through from the master bathroom to the laundry area makes hauling dirty clothes easier, and drawers throughout the kitchen make getting things from the lower cabinets easier. Having everything on a single surface  even the shower  means no curbs or steps to trip anyone up.

The plan was to update and clean up both inside and outside. A new paved drive and turnaround spot make the side of the house look better and provide easier access to a busy street.

Alterations to the facade included changing the location of the door, to a side-facing entrance. Before, you entered into the living room without a buffer for noise from the street. Penberthy and Grumbles added a wall to create a foyer.

The living room is still the size it originally was, but its fireplace has been refreshed.

Pocket doors were added to a doorway casing between the living room and dining room, so Conrad can close it off if she likes. A second wall that separated the dining room from the kitchen was removed to make the space more open.

Changes in the kitchen created a peninsula with an elevated back counter, plenty of counter space and cabinets on opposite walls, plus a small island for prep work. Grumbles recommended sturdy quartzite counters with a honed and leathered finish, light neutral tile for the backsplash and a light taupe/gray paint finish for the cabinets.

The small home never had a separate laundry room, but the remodeling project moved it from one side of the kitchen to the other. Now, a washer and dryer are hidden behind lower cabinet doors that open and tuck into the sides so she can do laundry without the doors getting in the way.

Behind the kitchen is an enclosed TV room that Conrad added during the remodeling project. Its a quiet little nook to retreat to, with a view of the small but pretty backyard. It comes in handy when Ben and his 12-year-old triplets visit.

Conrad works part time for her son at his Bearcat Pest Control business. She started helping him with his books 11 years ago in a job she thought would be temporary, but shes still at it.

Her other children, Mike Conrad and Carolyn Conrad, live in Florida and California, respectively.

The guest bedroom is also used by her grandkids, and its guest bath has had a dramatic makeover. Space from a closet was absorbed into the bathroom to make it larger, and decades-old penny floor tile and pink squares of wall tile were replaced by porcelain tile on the floor and gray subway tile on the walls and in the tub/shower surround.

A custom-made cabinet with a sink is a handsome alternative to a traditional bathroom counter, and a round mirror and vintage-style sconces match the historical feel of this older home.

A hallway that once led to the side/back exit was absorbed into the primary bedroom suite, as was space from where the washer/dryer and pantry used to be. So now this back-of-the-house bedroom has a larger closet and a larger bathroom, too.

Grumbles chose navy-blue tile for the rooms back wall, having it installed herringbone-style and extending into the shower. The floor and shower were finished off with neutral porcelain tile.

Another custom cabinet for the sink takes the room up a notch, as do contemporary sconces that flank a rectangular mirror.

Conrad had done some shopping for finishing materials before Grumbles came on board, and found herself overwhelmed.

Without Lauren, the house wouldnt look like this, Conrad said. She took me to granite and tile and flooring places. I would say, I like this and that, but how will it blend together? Youre in this candy store, and theres so much to choose from.

She took what I wanted and guided me in the right direction, she continued. I would say, I like round doorways, and she would say that it doesnt go with the style of the house. She would rein me in.

diane.cowen@chron.com
Support has poured in for a pregnant Houston woman and her friends after the group said they were asked to leave a restaurant because the clothing they were wearing was "inappropriate."

Laurin Hughes said she and her friends were excited for a girls' night out Tuesday at the Rouxpour restaurant located in Baybrook Mall. But they barely made it through the door before an employee asked the group to cover up with sweaters.

"I looked at her and said 'No, its 100 degrees outside,'" Hughes, 29, said.

Hughes said the employee responded by saying covering up would be "the only way" the women could dine there, and that the outfits they were wearing were inappropriate for a family restaurant.

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"We were all just dumbfounded," Hughes, who is 25 weeks pregnant, said. "How are you going to turn away a pregnant woman? I'm hungry. I would wear this outfit with my family."

Hughes said she and her friends left shortly thereafter and decided to dine at a nearby restaurant. Still upset over the experience, she posted about the ordeal on Facebook so others could see how they were dressed.

"Im still trying to see what is so inappropriate about what we are wearing and why we werent allowed inside," Hughes' post read.

"I could go on and on about how wrong 'slut-shaming' is, or how because men choose to objectify women and cant control their own impulses, women have been conditioned to think its our fault and we should be more aware and change our appearance to make them feel 'comfortable' around us. All that to say, we werent too happy."

The post quickly caught the attention of other industry workers and earned responses from social media users who largely came to her defense.

"Ninety-nine percent of the people have completely agreed, supported, and had similar experiences with this company or others," Hughes said. "The whole thing just wasnt expected, just all of the support and messages."

Hughes said others have reached out to her and said they were also asked to leave the restaurant over dress code concerns. She added other restaurants in the area reached out to her as well, offering support.

Eric Dicesare, general manager for the Rouxpour, said it was a "bad judgement call" and that he and other employees have reached out to the women to apologize directly. He added he would like to remedy the situation, and have Hughes and her friends come back.

Hughes said she is a bartender in the Clear Lake area and understands the stress of the industry, but argued the incident should never have occurred in the first place.



A request for comment from the Rouxpour's regional manager was not met.



rebecca.hennes@chron.com
From toiletries and shoes to uniforms and backpacks, Lamar CISD prepared hundreds of students for back to school at Hope on the Brazos.

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District students from pre-K through 12th grade had the opportunity Friday and Saturday, July 30-31, to shop for items they need to successfully start a new school year, but all for free.

The annual event took place at Common Threads new location at Old Jane Long Historic Gym in Richmond. Common Threads is a year-round store run by Lamar CISD where families work with personal shoppers to find school outfits, underwear, socks, supplies and more.

Hope on the Brazos is an extension of Common Threads, where we focus on our communities that historically have just needed a little extra support, said Jennifer Roberts, Lamar CISD director of student services.

She said while they never turn a Lamar CISD student away, the district strives to personally call families of students at Title I campuses to inform them that the free resources are available.

In past years, Hope on the Brazos has been a one-day delicious hot mess, Roberts said, helping around 1,200 to 1,400 students in just three hours. With COVID-19 still lurking, the district opted to stretch it out over two days to give people more room to spread out.

Students at schools that require uniforms receive three brand-new tops and three bottoms. Other students receive three school outfits. Roberts said it is wonderful to see the look on a childs face as they pick out brand-new Nikes or other shoes they desire. New backpacks come filled with appropriate supplies based on grade level. Toiletry items include soap, razors, shampoo and conditioner. Roberts noted that Black children receive shampoo and conditioner appropriate for their hair.

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Based in Sugar Land, Sole Love is a nonprofit that provides new and gently used shoes for children in the area. They were busy fitting each child for the right size and finding footwear that would fit the ticket. Jennifer Morales watched as her two children were sized. After losing income during the pandemic, she said she was thankful for the extra help. The financial burden of preparing children for school is heavy, Morales said. She estimated she would have spent $500 to $700 if she had gone to a retail store to buy everything.

Common Threads has one full-time staff member and one part-time staff member. The rest of the load is carried by volunteers. Retired teachers and other retirees donate their time. Students with groups like the National Honor Society, student councils and other clubs do about 80 percent of the work, Roberts said.

Christy Koether volunteered for the event with her 15-year-old son. She said it was something they could do together and that would show him there were others in his community who he could help. Its neat to watch the families together picking out clothes, and its nice that they get a variety or selection they can pick, Koether said.

Lamar CISD family support specialists are sort of a blend between social workers and school counselors. They receive referrals throughout the year from campus counselors, principals and nurses for families that could benefit from extra support.

Being able to shop for new clothes and supplies, Roberts explained, helps meet students social-emotional needs through preparing them for the year ahead, which improves their attitude about returning to campus.

When you can put a kiddo in brand-new clothes and theyve got shiny new backpacks and all the school supplies that they need, no matter what else is going on in their world, in their minds, theyre as good as, she said. And thats so important for our kids to start the school year off feeling really good about themselves and having everything that they need to be successful and feel proud.

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Common Threads has been able to serve district families after catastrophic events like the Tax Day Flood, Hurricane Harvey, the pandemic and a historic winter freeze. The store has also stepped in to help teachers and staff members after emergencies. A few have experienced house fires and been able to get some items to begin to recover.

Donations of gently used clothing items are accepted, but Roberts said they are very particular on the ones they choose to put on the showroom floor in order to make sure students are happy and proud of how they look. Volunteers sort donations daily, wash and dry them and add a dry-cleaning tag to mark each item as ready to go. Some items are bought brand-new.

Before the event, Roberts said she was excited because it would be the first Hope on the Brazos in Common Threads new home and it would be back in full swing. Last year due to pandemic safety precautions, the district only handed out backpacks and supplies through a drive-thru, as shoes and clothes really needed to be tried on and shopped.

Were just happy to be able to serve kids this year, Roberts said.

Common Threads will be open over the next few weeks as school starts, so families who missed the event may call 832-223-0342 from 9 a.m. to noon Monday to Thursday to set up an appointment.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
CRANE, Texas (AP)  Rusted pipes litter the sandy fields of Ashley Williams Watts cattle ranch in windswept West Texas. Corroded skeletons are all that remain of hundreds of abandoned oil wells. Unable to produce any useful amounts of oil or gas, the wells were plugged with cement decades ago.

But something eerie is going on beneath the land, where Watt once played among the mesquite trees and jackrabbits. The wells seem to be unplugging themselves. Theyre leaking dangerous chemicals into her fields.

First she found crude oil bubbling from one abandoned well. Then an another well was seeping pools of produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction containing toxic chemicals.

Im watching this well literally just spew brine water into my water table, and then I have to go home at night, and Im sweaty and tired and smelly, and I get in the shower, and I turn on the shower and I look at it, and I think, is this shower going to kill me? Watt said.

____

A GROWING THREAT

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells exist in the United States. About a third were plugged with cement to prevent leaks. Most havent been plugged at all.

Many of the wells are releasing methane, a greenhouse gas containing about 86 times the climate-warming power of carbon dioxide over two decades. Some are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into groundwater.

Regulators dont know where hundreds of thousands of abandoned wells are because many were drilled before modern record-keeping and plugging rules were established. They are a silent menace, threatening to explode or contaminate drinking water.

In recent years, abandoned wells have been found on the Navajo Nation, where a hiker stumbled across wells oozing fluid that smelled like motor oil; in Colorado, where a basement exploded, killing two men after an abandoned flowline leaked methane; and in Wyoming, where a school shut down after air tests revealed high levels of benzene and carbon dioxide.

President Joe Biden wants to spend billions plugging the wells. But Congress is unlikely to allocate enough money to seriously confront the issue.

If, all of a sudden, we could switch to all green renewable energy, thats great, but these wells dont disappear; theyre still going to be there, said Mary Kang, an assistant professor at McGill University.

____

TRACES OF BENZENE

After the discoveries on Watts ranch, traces of benzene showed up in the well that supplies her cattles drinking water. Chevron, which owned two of the oil wells that recently came unplugged, began trucking in drinking water while its crews tried to fix the leaks. But Watt worried her animals might have consumed contaminated water. So she had her 600 head of cattle hauled off to another part of her ranch.

Though Chevron officials maintained that the cattle could safely return, Watt disagreed.

Shes haunted by a memory of crude oil bubbling up in a toilet bowl at her familys ranch when she was a teenager. Horrified, they switched to another well, but never found the source of the leak.

Representatives for Chevron said the company is committed to re-plugging the two wells that recently sprang leaks.

But Watt fears additional wells are deteriorating, and Chevron doesn't plan to check its other wells. If Watt should inform Chevron of another leaking well, if we have to take responsibility, we will and well do the right thing by the landowner, said Catie Mathews, a company spokeswoman.

Hailing from a long line of cattle ranchers, Watt never thought shed be fighting this fight. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and worked in intelligence for the Marines. Even after she obtained an MBA from Harvard, she returned to the ranch.

The story of my family, Watt said, is a story of land, if nothing else.

____

SEARCHING FOR LOST WELLS

The first successful commercial oil well in the U.S. was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859, but few detailed records survived that early oil boom.

Pennsylvania has located roughly 8,700 orphaned wells, mostly unplugged. Yet based on historical photos and surveys, Pennsylvania estimates between 100,000 and 560,000 additional unplugged wells around the state.

Were not plugging fast enough to keep up with the wells were discovering, said Seth Pelepko, an environmental program manager in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Some states have hired well hunters who use drones and metal detectors. On her Texas ranch, Watt found a dark patch of earth using a drone. The sand there is dark and reeks of oil. Watts worry is the water below. Without it, she and her longtime ranch foreman and his wife  and their cattle  cant live here. Water is the lifeblood of this place and all of West Texas.

____

CLEANING UP THE MESS

In addition to polluting groundwater, the wells are accelerating global warming. Unplugged, abandoned wells in the U.S. leaked 5,000 times more methane than plugged wells did, according to a study cited by the EPA.

Many states require companies to plug wells that are tapped out and to post bonds in case they go belly-up, but those bonds don't cover the cost. In 2018, oil-producing states spent $45 million plugging orphaned wells, according to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

Wyoming and North Dakota channeled millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief funds into plugging abandoned oil and gas wells.

Watt suspects the rare cancer that killed her mother might have been related to wells leaking toxic chemicals on her ranch. She'll never know for sure. More than anything, she wants justice for the land, her cattle  and the legacy her family bequeathed to her. This is where she spread the ashes of her parents.

My greatest fear when I lay down every night, even before this well became unplugged, is what if I do something to screw up the history of this ranch, thats still being written? Watt asked.

What if that history ends with me?

___

Bussewitz reported from New York. Irvine, who is based in Chicago, reported from Texas.

___

The reporters can be reached at @cbussewitz and @irvineap.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  An Idaho man is suing the Boy Scouts of America for failing to warn children that took part in the youth program that they could be exposed to sex abusers.

The man, who uses the name Mark Doe 14 in the federal lawsuit because he was a victim of child sex abuse, said an assistant troop leader raped and sexually abused him when he was 11 or 12 years old and threatened to kill his family if he reported the abuse.

Doe was a member of the Mountain West Council of the Boy Scouts for a troop in Gooding, Idaho, in the 1970s and 1980s, the lawsuit said. A spokesperson for the Mountain West Council was out of the office and couldnt be immediately reached for comment.

The trauma of the abuse left Doe with permanent and progressive pain, suffering and disability, he said. A phone number for the assistant scout leader could not be located and it wasnt clear if he was still living or in Idaho.

Doe said in the lawsuit that by the time he joined, the BSA was well aware of the danger boys faced because there was a longstanding and internally documented problem with volunteers sexually abusing them. Still, Doe said, BSA kept that knowledge from parents and children who participated in the organization and failed to take effective steps to root out abusers and keep the children safe.

The Boy Scouts of America has faced hundreds of lawsuits across the country from adults who said they were molested as children by scout leaders and other volunteers. Last year the BSA filed for bankruptcy, hoping to halt the lawsuits and create a compensation fund for victims.

Earlier this month, the BSA reached an $850 million agreement with attorneys representing some 60,000 victims of child sex abuse as part of the organization's bankruptcy case. The bankruptcy filing includes the BSA, abuse victims, local Boy Scouts councils and lawyers appointed to represent victims who might file future claims.

It wasn't immediately clear how the new lawsuit from Doe would be affected by the agreement.

At least 13 other people have brought similar lawsuits against the BSA and Mountain West Council in Idaho's federal courts in recent years. The BSA has filed a motion in asking that those claims be put on hold until the bankruptcy proceedings are finalized.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is examining" whether to require that state workers get vaccinated, as the highly transmissible delta variant continues to spread across the state and COVID-19 cases spike.

Elsewhere, in California and New York, officials announced state employees will be required to be vaccinated or undergo weekly tests for COVID-19. In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first federal agency to require vaccinations, for its health workers.

We are examining the actions taken this week by California, New York City and the VA, and determining what further actions can be taken in Oregon, Browns deputy communications director Charles Boyle wrote in an email on Wednesday.

As cases continue to increase across the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced updated masking guidelines on Tuesday, recommending that people  vaccinated or not  return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant is rampant.

The CDC also recommended masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors inside of schools, regardless of vaccination status.

The Oregon Department of Education has not immediately required the states public schools to adopt indoor mask mandates, and it remains unclear whether it will do so at all.

The Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Health Authority and Governors office are reviewing the CDCs guidance, said Marc Siegel, a spokesperson for states top education agency. Any update would come only after thorough review and consultation.

Under current guidelines from the state's department of education, individual districts can decide whether to require students, staff and faculty to wear masks inside school buildings.

In addition, on Tuesday the Oregon Health Authority followed suite with CDC in urging people to wear mask in indoor public spaces, but stopped short of reinstating an indoor mask mandate.

Because life-saving vaccines are safe, effective, and widely availableand because so many Oregonians are protectedwe have reached the point in the pandemic where unprecedented, blanket statewide measures are no longer the most effective or efficient defense against the spread of COVID-19, which is now concentrated in communities with low vaccination rates and high vaccine hesitancy, Boyle said.

Instead state officials say that they believe targeted efforts or local coronavirus-related safety measures would be more beneficial to address and high-infection rates in counties.

Such measures at the local level are more likely to be effective in reaching unvaccinated Oregonians than state-level mandates, Boyle said.

-

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.
Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff

Houston police are investigating a possible human smuggling operation after 19 people, including at least one unaccompanied teenager, were found Wednesday inside a Sharpstown apartment, authorities said.

Investigators responded to a 12:30 p.m. call and headed to the one-bedroom apartment unit in the 6400 block of South Gessner Road, according to Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Mike Skillern. A person answered the door to officers, who noted 18 men and women and the teenager were living there with no furniture, Skillern said.
A Houston man is accused of shooting and paralyzing a woman whom he met on a dating app, after learning that she is transgender.

Eric Aguillon, 25, went to the woman's apartment the morning of May 7 to have sex after meeting on "Meet Me" a few days prior, according to court documents.

Court records say the woman asked him to leave "due to a verbal exchange" about the woman being transgender.

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Aguillon allegedly shot her in the chest while standing in the doorway as he was leaving.

The shooting happened in southwest Houston near Sharpstown.

Aguillon's attorney, Val Zuniga, says his client acted in self defense.

"As he was attempting to leave, our position is the alleged victim got physical with him, and he was placed in a position where he had to defend himself," Zuniga said.

The woman, who could not be reached for comment, asked ABC13 not to disclose her name, but said there was never any physical altercation.

Court records state the woman "suffered paralysis" from the gunshot injury.

"Through surgery and rehabilitation, the victim has function of arms and upper body but not legs," court documents read.

Though Aguillon is not charged with a hate crime, the woman told ABC 13 she believes that is what happened to her.

"It would never happen if I wasn't the type of person I am," she told the TVstation. "I'm not going to let that deter me. I'm still going to be the person I am and push through."

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Texas should not deny transgender people their full citizenship

Zuniga disputed the allegation, saying "the elements of the complaint do not follow the statute of a hate crime."

He said, "it was more about him just trying to get out of the apartment."

Aguillon has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and his bond is now up to $280,000 after it was combined with a previous charge of assault of a family member impeding breath or circulation.

Court records show Aguillon was out on bail for the family assault charge. He previously made a $100 bond for an unlawful carrying of handgun by license holder charge.
The LyondellBasell facility where a deadly chemical leak occurred this week has a history of federal law violations, according to online Environmental Protection Agency records.

Regulators at the LyondellBasell acetyls unit found "high priority" violations of the Clean Air Act, which regulates air emissions, every quarter for the past three years.

Authorities also identified violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which regulates how hazardous waste is created, moved and disposed of, in late 2020.

A spokesperson for LyondellBasell did not immediately provide a comment about the violations.

Two contract workers died while working at the acetyls unit Tuesday night, and 30 more people were hospitalized, after investigators said they believe a cap burst on a pressurized line of acetic acid.

The facility estimated in an early report to the state that it potentially released some 25,000 pounds of contaminants into the air during the incident, including 17,392 pounds of methyl iodide.

The site reported releasing 1,200 pounds of that chemical in all of last year, according to Toxics Release Inventory data.

Acetic acid is typically a colorless liquid that burns the skin and is toxic if inhaled. Methyl iodide has been linked to fluid buildup in the lungs if too much is inhaled.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 2018 fined the company up to $8,176, after it allegedly twice released ethylene from an emergency dry drum vent, according to state records.

That event "could have been avoided by better design or better operational and maintenance practices," the state found.

Online EPA records list the facility as Millenium Petrochemicals Incorporated La Porte Plant, at 1350 Miller Cut-Off Road.

LyondellBasell, then Lyondell Chemical Company, acquired Millenium Chemicals in 2004.

The acetyls unit is one of two companies located at its La Porte complex, according to the company's website.

The other is Equistar Chemicals, which was cited for Clean Air Act violations in six of the past 12 quarters and fined more than $250,000 in the past five years.
Deandrea Citizen went by Dee to those who saw her day in and day out along a strip of north Harris County businesses.

Citizen on Sunday night was shot to death outside those businesses  a Food Town grocery store, Boost Mobile and church  in the 1400 block of FM 1960 following a verbal clash with a woman walking her dog. Police have disputed the accused shooters claim that Citizen was armed and that she tried attacking her.

Blood from the shooting remained on the pavement as Boost Mobile employee Ilsse Diaz checked on the aftermath. She made plans to add candles to a makeshift memorial  which had two tributes from Food Town employees.

She really didnt deserve that, Diaz said. Everyone knew her not to be aggressive.

Court records show Citizen was homeless and struggled with mental health. Diaz said Citizen, whom she knew for two years, and her boyfriend often returned to their sidewalk at night to sleep. During the day, she eagerly helped workers such as herself with odd jobs, Diaz said. Citizen helped her hang a poster that weekend.

She saw Citizens boyfriend return to the site of the shooting on Monday.

He was devastated, Diaz continued.

Police found surveillance footage from the shooting at the Iglesia de Dios Avivamiento Mundial, a church that has occupied the strip for four months. In that time, the pastor, Oscar Marquez, became aquainted with Citizen and her boyfriend. The pair were respectful, he said.

They were always together, the pastor said.

The woman accused in Citizens death, Christine Fesus, 34, shook and clenched her firsts Wednesday morning in the 230th District Court as a prosecutor rehashed details of the shooting before the judge.

Fesus told police that she encountered Citizen while walking her dog about 11:30 p.m. near the Food Town. The woman said Citizen called her one of those diseased white people.

Fesus then said that Citizen had a handgun and she shot her once as Citizen allegedly approached her, possibly to attack her. Investigators have since disputed that accusation because no other weapon could be found. Investigators said they believe Fesus returned home, an apartment complex behind the grocery store, and changed clothes. She also returned the pistol used in the shooting to a bedroom drawer.

She notified law enforcement of the shooting about 10 minutes after Citizens boyfriend called 911. Police found the gun during a search of the apartment.

The boyfriend told investigators that Citizen had been talking to herself prior to the shooting  a normal occurrence because of her mental health issues, court records show. Fesus and Citizen exchanged words and he watched the woman brandish a gun and open fire.

Did she shoot you? he asked.

Yes, Citizen managed to say before collapsing in the parking lot.

The surveillance footage from the church showed the confrontation but Citizen was not visible.

A cellphone could be seen in Fesus hand, but authorities said they do not believe she used it to call for help.

Fesus was arrested hours later and released from the Harris County Jail on Tuesday after posting a $75,000 surety bond. She stayed the night in a hotel to appear in court on time, her defense attorney, Cary Higginbotham, said.

District Court Judge Christopher Morton paused after the prosecutor concluded the police report and then rejected his request for house arrest and a curfew.

Higginbotham said a curfew and house arrest would impact her as a mother of four, and prevent her client from working her bartender job  although the bail conditions prohibit her using, possessing or consuming alcohol.

She has to work, Morton replied.

Marie D. De Jesus contributed to this report.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
If any of the 45,000 schoolchildren in Alief ISD gets sick or is hospitalized with COVID-19, HD Chambers knows their parents will come banging on his door for answers.

Thats why the superintendent of the southwest Houston school district has dutifully followed science and public health guidance on the pandemic, by the book, for more than a year.

When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first recommended closing school buildings and instituting remote learning, Alief schools were quick to abide. When schools were required to report COVID cases to the state, the district created its own dashboard as a one-stop shop for virus-related information. The district has a comprehensive plan for a return to full, in-person learning and is in constant communication with parents and teachers on health protocols.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Gov. Greg Abbott rules out another mask mandate despite rise in COVID cases

At a time when public health guidance is constantly evolving about an idiosyncratic virus were still trying to understand, Chambers has tried his best to emphasize clarity and common sense in his messaging.

The way Ive kept my sanity is Ive tried to be consistent, Chambers told the editorial board this week. I think thats where a lot of elected officials in general get in trouble is people get frustrated when they start seeing you go back and forth. One day you make a decision based on what you think the science can be, and the next day you make a decision because some political poll tells you (something different).

But the one thing Chambers cannot do  the one thing that practically every virologist, public health expert, and epidemiologist says will keep children safe  is mandate that everybody wear masks on campus.

I would feel more comfortable, more confident, if entities had the ability to make that decision based on the local situation, Chambers said.

Hear that, Gov. Greg Abbott?

At a time when the COVID-19 delta variant is driving a massive surge in cases among unvaccinated people across Texas, and other states with lagging vaccination rates, the governors misguided polices have tied the hands of Chambers and other responsible school leaders.

An executive order Abbott issued in May prohibits public schools from requiring masks on campus. This policy was arbitrary and nonsensical from the start. There was little data to support his decision, especially at the time when only 30 percent of the state was vaccinated and the vast majority of children had yet to receive a shot.

A mere two months later, and a fourth wave of the virus is filling hospitals again. The Texas Medical Center reports 245 new COVID patients per day, nearly 100 more than the previous week and almost 200 more than last month. The weekly positivity rate has nearly quadrupled in the past month, from 2.4 percent to 10.8 percent. The delta variant now accounts for more than 80 percent of COVID cases in the country, the CDC said last week.

And yet Abbott continues to double down on his obtuse refrain of personal responsibility, telling KPRC on Tuesday, (Kids) can, by parental choice, wear a mask, but there will be no government mandate requiring masks.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Gov. Abbott bans mask mandates in Texas public schools, cities and counties

Buzzwords such as choice and responsibility sound great in stump speeches but make little sense in terms of public health: one persons choice to go maskless can affect someone elses health. Our personal responsibility isnt limited to protecting our own bodies and families: it includes our responsibility to act in the best interest of our community.

That community includes people who cant be vaccinated. Among them: more than half of the states 5.4 million public school students under age 12, for whom the Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve a vaccine. Wearing a mask provides some measure of protection for a student, but far less if hes the only kid in class wearing one.

Were starting to see a lot of young people  defined loosely as young adults, adolescents and kids  going into hospitals and it's happening a lot more, of course, in communities with low vaccination rates, Dr. Peter Hotez, director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Childrens Hospital, told the editorial board.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its back-to-school guidance, recommending that all staff, and students over the age of 2, wear face masks in schools, regardless of whether they are vaccinated. The CDC quickly fell in line on Tuesday, issuing the same guidelines in response to the delta variant, which is more transmittable among children than the original strain.

Of course, its probably pointless to urge Abbott to follow medical guidance over the guidance of his political advisers. His priority these days is fending off political challenges from people who equate a life-saving mask requirement with tyranny.

So well make another plea: Governor, if you wont do whats best for Texas public schoolchildren, please untie the hands of superintendents across the state to do it for you. They arent running a re-election campaign. They dont care about primary politics. Theyre in a better position to decide whats best for their students.

Some may choose not to mandate masks, but those in communities where the hospitals are filling with COVID patients and where kids are losing unvaccinated grandparents to the disease deserve the freedom to protect their communities.

If some in your party balk, just remind them of a cherished virtue once held by freedom-loving Republicans: local control.

What Texans of all stripes can agree on is that children learn better in-person, not siloed in front of some computer screen away from their peers. What most every parent and teacher wants this fall is for kids to return to the classroom but to return safely.

Kids need to interact with each other on the playground without fear of catching the virus or passing it to family. Teachers need assurance that they wont be teaching in a petri dish of unvaccinated, unmasked students.

Most have no desire to remain in virtual instruction and even if they did, theres no money for it. The Legislature deprived districts of that contingency plan by failing to pass a bill to pay for remote learning.

That leaves school leaders with one main tool to protect their campuses from this raging pandemic. Its simple, painless and proven to keep kids, teachers, and their communities safe.

Governor, rescind your prohibition on commonsense mask requirements that superintendents across Texas implemented successfully last year. Were not asking you to lead. Were just asking you to get out of the way so others can.
An appeals court on Thursday reversed a ruling that declared Houston firefighters pay-parity measure unconstitutional, a major win for the fire union and one that could have far-reaching effects on city finances.

The fire union won approval of a charter amendment, known as Proposition B, in 2018 that would have granted them equal pay with police officers of similar rank and seniority. The city and the police officers union quickly sued, though, and in 2019 a trial court ruled the referendum unconstitutional because it contradicted state law that governs how cities engage with police officers and firefighters. The voter-approved charter amendment was never implemented.

In its ruling, the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston said that was an error. Justice Meagan Hassan wrote in a 2-1 opinion that the Texas Legislature did not intend to stop cities from enacting such pay measures.

Preemption is not a conclusion lightly reached  if the Legislature intended to preempt a subject matter normally within a home-rule citys broad powers, that intent must be evidenced with unmistakable clarity, Hassan wrote.

The justices sent the case back to the lower court. Both the city and the police union said they plan to appeal the ruling.

It was not immediately clear when the city would have to implement the pay parity measure.

Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Marty Lancton called the decision a win for voters.

Houston firefighters, families, and voters want to thank the court for its careful and thorough review, he said. The voters have spoken very loudly. The courts have upheld that vote.

Lancton called on Mayor Sylvester Turner to drop the citys legal challenges and hammer out a contract with Houston firefighters.

Hes running out of options and he just needs to stop, sit down with us and get this issue resolved, once and for all, Lancton said.

In a statement, City Attorney Arturo Michel said the city respectfully disagrees with the ruling.

The net effect of what the firefighters union is seeking would be financially devastating to the city, Michel said. The city will seek review of the decision through either reconsideration by the entire Fourteenth Court of Appeals, the Texas Supreme Court, or both."

Houston Police Officers Union President Douglas Griffith said he was shocked by the courts decision and that union officials were meeting with their attorneys to evaluate the ruling.

We look forward to battling out in the Texas Supreme Court, he said.

Turner gave firefighters a 6-percent raise in this years budget, but the charter amendment could clear the way for more substantial raises. Before it was declared unconstitutional, Turner had issued layoff notices to 300 firefighters and municipal workers in 2019 as he tried to free up roughly $79 million to pay for raises Prop B required.

The city typically confronts significant budget deficits, although more than $600 million in federal COVID-19 relief money has helped free up resources this year and next. The city has roughly a third of its $304 million in relief money left over from this years budget, with an identical installment arriving next year.

Controller Chris Brown, the citys independently elected fiscal watchdog, said the ruling was disappointing and concerning from a financial perspective. He said the administration and union need to iron out a collective bargaining agreement so the city knows how much it will have to pay if Prop B is upheld and back wages are owed. It could be in the ballpark of $250 million to $350 million, he said, adding the city and union could agree to pay that money over several years instead of all at once.

We need to have certainty on the ultimate financial impact to the city, he said. I have a concern because ultimately, the taxpayers are going to foot this bill If we do have a big, one-time payment, wheres that money going to come from?

The mayor and the fire union have been at odds over pay for most of Turners tenure in office. The unions most recent contract with the city expired in 2017, and the two sides have not been able to agree on a new one, despite mediation and ongoing court battles.

Houston firefighters had received just 3 percent in raises from 2011 to 2020. During the run-up to the charter amendment election, Houstons firefighters made a base salary of $40,170, or about $11,500 less than the average of the other top five cities in Texas.

Turner circumvented the traditional contract negotiating process to give firefighters a 6 percent raise in this years budget. Council last month approved that raise and plans to provide an equal amount in each of the next two years.

Turner said the raises would be paid for with federal COVID relief funds.

The legal question in the Prop B case centered on the Fire and Police Employees Relation Act, also known as Chapter 174, a state law that says firefighters must be compensated substantially equal to and based on comparable private sector employees with similar skills. The city and police union argued  and the trial court agreed  that the charter amendment ran afoul of that law because it provides a different pay standard: that of police officers. In a separate case related to the contract stalemate, the city has asked courts to declare the private sector standard unconstitutional.

The appeals court said there is a way for both standards to exist together. Hassan wrote that tying firefighters pay to police officers establishes a minimum compensation standard, or a floor for their pay, that can be ancillary to and in harmony with the private sector comparison in state law. If the city were to pay firefighters more than police officers, then the state law would apply and the charter amendment would not, the court ruled.

Because the pay-parity amendment does not always foreclose the application of (the state laws) standards, section 174.021 does not evidence with unmistakable clarity the intent to preempt the pay-parity amendment, Hassan wrote.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Ken Wise said that hypothetical situation does not apply to the current circumstances.

State law requires one standard: comparable private sector compensation. The pay-parity amendment requires another standard: police officers compensation. The undisputed evidence shows that these two standards are not currently equivalent: police officers compensation is not based on private sector compensation, and their compensation is substantially more than fire fighters compensation. Thus, there is an actual conflict between (state law) and the amendment.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
With COVID-19 hospitalizations soaring past 5,000 statewide for the first time in nearly five months, state officials are stepping up vaccination outreach programs and promotional campaigns but Gov. Greg Abbott insists that the state wont impose any new mandates on Texans.

State officials announced Wednesday that Texas has 5,292 people hospitalized with lab-confirmed COVID-19  the highest number since March 2, the day Abbott announced he was ending all state mask mandates and restrictions on businesses.

At that time, Abbott called for personal diligence and said statewide mandates are no longer needed.

Though 10,000 new COVID infections were reported statewide on Wednesday, the most since February, he has not changed his messaging.

The time for government mask mandates is over  now is the time for personal responsibility, Abbott wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. Every Texan has the right to choose whether they will wear a mask or have their children wear masks.

IN-DEPTH: Texas, Houston Methodist see rush for vaccines as COVIDs fourth wave approaches

His latest comments came as the president of the Texas State Teachers Association publicly called on Abbott to allow schools to require masks, particularly since vaccines have not been approved for children under 12.

If Gov. Abbott really cares about the health and safety of Texas students, educators and their communities, he will give local school officials and health experts the option of requiring masks in their schools, Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina said on Tuesday.

Abbott is also being pressured from the right.

Though hes faced only token opposition in his past two campaigns for governor, Abbott has drawn two Republican opponents for the 2022 primary who have criticized restrictions the incumbent imposed during the pandemic. Both former state Sen. Don Huffines and former Florida Congressman Allen West have made the issue key to their campaigns, with Huffines calling him King Abbott.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Meanwhile, statewide hospitalizations from the virus have doubled in the last two weeks and more than tripled since the start of July, when Abbott re-issued a disaster declaration to deal with COVID-19.

ICU space dwindles in Texas COVID hotspots

COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising and new variants of the virus are spreading quickly in our communities, said Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services in a statement Wednesday.

While Texas still appears to have more 9,100 available hospital beds statewide, there are areas around Beaumont, College Station and Killeen reporting that few intensive care beds are available for additional chronic patients.

The College Station region reported no more available ICU beds on Wednesday and Laredo officials were down to just 1 available ICU bed.

Killeen is a city in Bell County, which has one of the worst vaccination rates in the state, according to state data. Just 33.5 percent of that countys population over 12 years of age have been fully vaccinated compared to over 54 percent in Harris County and 56 percent in Bexar.

It is clear that increasing vaccinations is still our best strategy to navigate through this pandemic and get to closure, Bell County Judge David Blackburn said in a recent news release.

Statewide, just 52 percent of Texans 12 and older have been vaccinated.

$10M for community vaccine programs

Also on Wednesday, state officials announced they are handing out $10 million in federal grants to get community groups, including faith-based groups and nonprofit organizations, to promote the vaccine as many Texas express distrust in government-backed vaccine advocacy.

Community-based organizations have played a critical role in ensuring people across Texas have access to COVID-19 vaccines, and they have innovative ideas about how to engage the communities they work with, said Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services. These grants will give them the resources to expand their efforts to serve hard-to-reach communities that have been seriously affected by the pandemic.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston pediatrician warns parents to take COVID 'very seriously' with children's hospitals full

That effort is coming as DSHS is setting up day-long festival-like activities at Walmart parking lots around the state trying to lure families to get information on free vaccines. At a Walmart off North Freeway in Houston on Tuesday, officials were handing out treats and had arcade-style games set up to catch the attention of shoppers.

Last weekend the state held similar events at Walmarts in Killeen, Waco, Tyler and Beaumont  all areas with low vaccination rates.

While encouraging Texans to get vaccinated and be responsible, Abbotts only restrictions imposed on Wednesday were aimed at border crossers. Abbott said the increase in unlawful border crossings is adding to the rise in COVID-19 case in Texas and he wants to stop migrants from being transported anywhere in Texas.

Under his new order, DPS officers will be allowed to stop any vehicle upon reasonable suspicion that it is transporting migrants who have crossed the border illegally. Officers will be able to reroute the migrants back to a port of entry if a violation is confirmed, he said.

This Executive Order will reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure in our communities, Abbott said in a statement.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
WASHINGTON  The U.S. Department of Justice is threatening to sue Texas over an executive order Gov. Greg Abbott issued this week prohibiting the transport of migrants in Texas, which Attorney General Merrick Garland called both dangerous and unlawful.

If Abbott doesnt rescind the order, Garland wrote in a letter to the governor on Thursday, the United States intends to pursue all appropriate legal remedies to ensure that Texas does not interfere with the functions of the federal government.

Its at least the second lawsuit threat the state has drawn from the federal government as Abbott has issued a series of executive orders on the border in recent months. The Republican governor has sought to position himself at the center of his partys battle against the Biden administrations immigration policies.

BACKGROUND: Gov. Abbott hits the gas on his rogue immigration crackdown

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also threatened to sue over an order Abbott issued in June that prohibited state-licensed childcare facilities from housing migrant children, a step that could leave the federal government scrambling to find shelter for thousands of unaccompanied kids.

Citing a rise in COVID-19 cases, Abbott issued the new order on Wednesday banning anyone other than law enforcement from transporting migrants who have been detained by Border Patrol for crossing the southern border illegally. His order also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to stop any vehicle that officers suspect of carrying migrants and reroute it to its point of origin or a port of entry.

The order sparked immediate outrage from advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which said the order will lead to racial profiling.

It also sparked a swift response from the federal government. Garland wrote that the order directly interferes with the implementation of federal immigration law because federal law requires individuals to appear before immigration courts throughout the country.

Many migrants are transported by Greyhound buses, not federal law enforcement, and Garland wrote that the state also doesnt have authority to regulate the operations of private companies working on behalf of the federal government.

And while Abbott said he issued the order as a measure to slow the spread of COVID, Garland argued it will have the opposite effect.

The order, Garland wrote, will exacerbate and prolong overcrowding in facilities and shelters and obstruct the federal governments arrangements with state, local, and nongovernmental partners to ensure that released individuals are transported for appropriate COVID-19 testing to address public health concerns.

In response, Abbott blamed Biden for allowing migrants from over 150 counties, many of whom are testing positive for COVID-19 into Texas and charged that the federal government is being irresponsible with COVID testing and containment measures.

The Biden administration is jeopardizing the health and safety of Texans on a daily basis, Abbott said. And its not just Texans; these irresponsible policies and actions by the Biden administration are endangering the lives of many Americans as well as the unlawful immigrants themselves.

ben.wermund@chron.com
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Former Olympian Receives Additional Indictments

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Last week, a Berkshire County Grand Jury returned indictments against Conrad Mainwaring, 69, on four additional charges, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person who has attained age 14 and one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 after investigators identified two more victims.

The court is currently detaining Mainwaring at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $200,000 bail on 12 counts of indecent assault and battery  nine counts of indecent assault and battery on a child who has attained age 14 and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14.

Berkshire Superior Court will arraign Conrad Mainwaring on the additional charges on Aug. 5. In total, Mainwaring is facing 16 total counts of indecent assault and battery on nine victims.

"The State Police continue to work diligently on this case. We thank the victims for their courage to come forward and to inspire others to speak out. To any other victims out there, we will believe you, and we will fight for justice for you." District Attorney Andrea Harrington said.

The Berkshire State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office began an investigation into the allegations reported by ESPN that Mainwaring used his position of trust to coerce teenage boys into sexual conduct.

Investigators initially identified seven victims from Camp Greylock in Becket in the 1970s. In January, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office secured indictments on behalf of those victims, and Los Angeles Police arrested Mainwaring on the fugitive from justice warrant in March, with Mainwaring subsequently waiving rendition.

State Police investigators created a dedicated phone line for any additional victims or witnesses, which continues to be operational. Victims and witnesses are encouraged to contact investigators at 413-449-5863.
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Name: Vidit Baxi

Organisation: Safe Security

Job title: Co-founder & CISO

Date started current role: June 2012

Location: India, New Delhi

Vidit Baxi is the Co-Founder and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Safe Security. He is responsible for leading customer success globally, ensuring Safe Security follows the necessary cybersecurity guidelines and compliances and leads multiple product functions. With over a decades experience, he is also key in driving Safe Security's enterprise and product journey forward. Baxi has been featured twice in Fortunes in 40-under-40 and was awarded the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year by Entrepreneur Magazine.

What was your first job? I started working in cybersecurity right away post-graduation. I was working with an organisation that primarily focused on cybersecurity training and awareness, and I was responsible for training around how to proactively manage cyber risk for board members, government agencies and educational institutions across India. This helped me understand the state of cybersecurity in India which led to building Safe Security in 2012 alongside my co-founders Rahul Tyagi and Saket Modi.

How did you get involved in cybersecurity? From an early age technology interested me, I was always curious and tried to get deeper into how technology worked. When you start understanding and exploring cyber in-depth, security becomes one of the key aspects.

By the time I graduated, cybersecurity was starting to become a major challenge for businesses, governments and individuals globally. I was very keen to understand how to protect technology and got involved in cybersecurity. I started my career in the services and training business, then took a step forward co-founding Safe Security, where I also took responsibility for managing the security operations of the company.

What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they? I have a Bachelor's in Computer Science from Saurashtra University. In the early years of my career, I earned multiple certifications with Microsoft and got my certification as an ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.

Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss. I met my current partners, Rahul Tyagi and Saket Modi, while taking cybersecurity training and awareness sessions across India. In 2012, we decided to build our own company, thats when Safe Security (previously called Lucideus) was born.

We began as a cybersecurity services company, providing cutting edge solutions to help businesses mitigate their cyber risk. However, we soon realised that the problem of enterprise cybersecurity runs deeper, and cybersecurity services were just one arm of what a full solution should be. We developed our cybersecurity and digital business risk quantification platform - Security Assessment Framework for Enterprises (SAFE) - in 2017 and brought a completely new approach to enterprise cyber risk management. We created a new category with our product within the cybersecurity realm and shifted our companys focus from services to products. As of 2020, 70% of our revenue comes from our product business which is currently used by multiple Fortune 500-2000 companies across the world.

Was there anyone who has inspired or mentored you in your career? Throughout life, Ive learnt and imbibed from multiple people around me. Pointing out just one of them would be unfair. Even at work, I believe I learn from investors and our board but also from my team and colleagues.

At home, I learn something new every day from my daughter. She keeps me on my toes all the time.

What do you feel is the most important aspect of your job? I play multiple roles within the organisation, I lead the product and customer success team and spearhead the information security department.

As a CISO, one of the key aspects of my job is to ensure the security of our product SAFE. As many of our customers operate in highly regulated industries - from banking, financial and insurance services to aviation and fast-moving consumer goods - we need to keep airtight security. We maintain appropriate processes as well as roll out necessary enhancements to our product in order to provide them with the resources they need to accurately measure and mitigate their cyber risk.

What metrics or KPIs do you use to measure security effectiveness? We use our SAFE platform to measure the security effectiveness of our organisation. Specifically, knowing where most of the risks lie within our business is always the first step.

Is the security skills shortage affecting your organisation? What roles or skills are you finding the most difficult to fill? There is definitely a skill gap and manpower crunch in the cybersecurity industry. However, we have been lucky to have been able to build the absolute best team we could have wished for, which is reflected in our year triple digit over year growth and global expansion.

That said, there is a major gap in cybersecurity when it comes to experts in new technology fields and leadership roles. As technology evolves so do the positions; for example, organisations are now looking for seasoned DevSecOps or experts on everything AI and ML, but the pool of professionals with the necessary skills is very small. The gap also extends to leadership roles, since many organisations look for top professionals that showcase both technical skills and business acumen  something that is not nurtured enough within the talent they already have.

At Safe Security we pride ourselves on promoting from within, we try to leverage as much as possible the existing talent, we see our growth in tandem with our employees growth.

Cybersecurity is constantly changing  how do you keep learning? As a cybersecurity company, we have a strong R&D and product development team coupled with specialised services, which has helped me stay abreast with the constantly changing dynamics of the cybersecurity industry.

We are constantly mapping industry standards and work closely and contribute with CERTs across the globe, the National Vulnerability Database and more, which allows me to get different perspectives on the threat landscape and how other organisations are facing them.

I also attend several conferences and events throughout the year to connect with peers from across the world to share experiences, intelligence and new trends in different markets.

What conferences are on your must-attend list? Some of the conferences on my must-attend list are CyberTech, DefCon and BlackHat. These provide a lot of invaluable knowledge around what other experts and companies are seeing within the industry, what is changing and how they are addressing current challenges.

What is the best current trend in cybersecurity? The worst? Enterprises have traditionally been threat-driven and have been reacting to breaches, which is why were seeing events of the scale of SolarWinds or Microsoft Exchange happen repeatedly. This is perhaps the worst approach to cybersecurity. One needs to be on the offense when it comes to cybercriminals. The best trend right now is the shift to a proactive and predictive approach to cybersecurity. I am beginning to see organisations wanting to make that switch, especially through digital business risk quantification, meaning they would start seeing what could go wrong before it happens instead of simply reacting to threats once they have occurred.

What's the best career advice you ever received? One of my family mentors had told me in my early years of my career, It is important to do what you love, and once you do that, your work is not defined by the hours you spend but the quality you produce. It is the passion and interest that matters most and until you find that, keep searching. I was lucky enough to find my passion early on.

What advice would you give to aspiring security leaders? I would urge aspiring security leaders to focus on two things. First and foremost, to spend time to understand how technology works and how cyberattacks happen.

The second aspect to this is being vigilant. As a security leader, you will always have to be on your toes and have the right proactive defences in place in case a cyberattack occurs. Know your technology stack, know your policies inside and out, understand the risks from your employees and your partners, then focus on measuring what matters most - the financial impact of a cyberattack  and how to protect and prevent.

What has been your greatest career achievement? It has been my absolute joy and pride to have been a part of Safe Security since its beginnings. A team that has built, from the ground-up, a category-leading product  SAFE  that is creating a niche for itself, solving actual business problems without the IT jargons that swamp the cybersecurity industry.

I have also been fortunate enough to build a team which is focused, passionate and wants to make an impact by solving real customer challenges.

Looking back with 20:20 hindsight, what would you have done differently? It was a record-breaking year for our company and for cybersecurity at large. We saw a 250% YoY growth and have expanded to Australia, Japan, the EU - all during the pandemic. Since we were a tech-first company, a lot of our work was already remote-working ready and the shift, although slightly difficult initially, went on smoothly for us. I wouldnt change anything from a business point of view for 2020.
Authorities say Leavenworth area firefighters not at fault in rollover crash at wildfire up north
Shooting of 15-year-old in Othello under investigation; divers used to retrieve weapon
Four Afghan journalists, Bismillah Watandoost, Qudrat Soltani, Mujib Obaidi, and Sanaullah Siam were arrested by Afghanistans National Directorate of Security (NDS) on July 26 following their reporting trip to Spin Boldak, a district captured by the Taliban earlier this month. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Afghanistan affiliates, the Afghanistan Independent Journalists' Association (AIJA) and the Afghanistan's National Journalists Union (ANJU) urge the authorities to release the journalists immediately.

Afghan security personnel stand guard along the road amid fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in Kandahar on July 9. Credit: AFP

Soltani, Watandoost and Obaidi, reporters of Kandahar-based radio station Millat Zagh Radio, and Siam, a cameraperson affiliated with Xinhua News Agency, were arrested in Kandahar city while after completing a reporting assignment to the town of Spin Boldak. On the border with Pakistan Spin Boldak was seized by the Taliban in early July.

The journalists had visited Spin Boldak to investigate whether the governments claim that the Taliban was killing civilians in the district. In the course of their reporting, the four journalists interviewed Taliban commanders.

The NDS, Afghanistans state intelligence agency, accused the four journalists of being involved in propagandising against Afghanistans national interest and of favouring Taliban militants. According to Interior Ministry spokesman, Mirwais Stanikzai, an investigation into the case is ongoing.

Attacks, threats and censorship of journalists by the Afghan government and the Taliban has increased sharply amid a dramatic rise of violence in Afghanistan after the USA withdrew their troops from Afghanistan. Broadcasts from Radio Najarab, a radio station in Najrab district of Kapisa Province, ceased on July 20 after media workers fled to save their lives amid fighting between government security forces and Taliban militants.

The AIJA said: The AIJA considers the detention of these journalists by the security agencies being against the law of mass media and calls on the security agencies to release the journalists as soon as possible and to pursue this issue through the Media Complaints and Violations Commission.

The ANJU said: We are concerned about the journalists being arrested last week by (the) government for their news-reporting.

The IFJ said: The arrest of journalists for merely attempting to investigate the governments claim is a breach of the spirit of free and independent media. We urges the authorities to release all four media workers immediately.
According to news reports, the courts ruling was based on inspections from Gomels Main Department for Combating Organised Crime and Corruption (HUBAZiK).

Belsat TV is the only Belarussian language-independent television broadcaster in the country. Despite the repressive laws against journalists and the media, the channel continued to extensively cover the anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020 and 2021.

While people are still allowed to read the information published by Belsat after the 'extremist" labeling, the Interior Ministry stated that citizens who share or distribute extremist content could be fined or even receive jail sentences.

Aleksy Dzikawicki, Belsats deputy director, called the decision absurd and assured that Belsat will continue to work, continue to carry independent information in Belarusian, and without censorship.

This decision comes in the context of an ongoing crackdown on dissenting voices and independent media in Belarus. In February 2021, Belsat TV journalists Catarina Andreeva and Darja Chulcova were sentenced to two years in prison for live-streaming a demonstration in Minsk. On 16 July, two other Belsat journalists, Iharr Ilyash and Hanna Halota were detained before being released a few days later.

In July, the Belarusian authorities continued to raid and close down independent media in the country, as well as imprison journalists. Many organisations are also threatened with closure, including the BAJ, which is suffering unprecedented harassment from the authorities.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: We call on the international community to denounce the situation in Belarus. Each day, the authorities violate the medias and citizens freedoms with impunity. The IFJ stands in solidarity with the BAJ and with all the Belarusian newsrooms, journalists, and organisations who face the governments violent repression.
Several sources, including dozens of Iranian journalists reported internet connection shutdowns and interruptions across the country amid protests in several major cities against the governments decision to cut electricity and water supply. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Journalists Union of Iran urge the Iranian authorities to restore internet access.

According to Netblocks, which monitors internet restrictions globally, mobile phone internet services in Iran are being disrupted in some cities a week into protests in the countrys southwest over water and electricity shortages.

The effects represent a near-total internet shutdown that is likely to limit the publics ability to express political discontent or communicate with each other and the outside world, NetBlocks said.

Fifty-five journalists signed a statement condemning the Iranian government's block of internet access, claiming that after turning off the media, the authorities have disrupted the internet in Khuzestan, this time blocking people's narratives of Khuzestan's dark days."

The statement also called for an end to violence against the people of Khuzestan and all Iranians who showed public support to the protests.

Plans to limit social media activity

In parallel, Iranian lawmakers have put on the agenda a plan to limit social media platforms and messaging apps which is expected to be approved by the Iranian parliament soon.

"The plan of some members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly called the plan to protect the rights of users in cyberspace is contrary to the legal rights of journalists and the media, as well as the rights of the nation and the needs of today's society," the National Association of Journalists said.

The union referred to the bill as a serious attempt to restrict the right of access to information and hinder journalists professional activities.

IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: The IFJ strongly condemns the Iranian authorities for shutting down the internet and violating the citizens right to free access to information. We support the Journalists Union of Iran's demands to restore internet access and their opposition to the legislation that threatens journalists' and people's freedom of expression."
Naveen Jain has never been shy about tackling big problems.

The serial entrepreneur's latest venture, Viome, an at-home gut microbiome test, will soon expand into testing for chronic diseases and cancer. The company recently created a new health sciences division that will focus on early diagnostics, therapeutics, and using A.I. to predict the early warning signs of disease.

Viome is the seventh of Jain's companies, which include Moon Express, a private space travel company that has yet to complete its first mission, and internet company Infospace, which was briefly one of the largest tech companies in the Northwest before the dot-com bust.

The Indian-born American billionaire's attraction to big problems like curing cancer or sending a robotic spaceship to the moon has led to comparisons to Elon Musk. And, like Musk, he has drawn his share of controversy and attracted a large fan club.

Jain has plenty of advice for the ambitious. He urges entrepreneurs to assess their business idea by sizing up its potential market and its impact. For example, ask yourself: Would your business help a billion people live a better life? In other words, if your business ends up solving the problem that it sets out to tackle, how many lives are going to be better because of it?

"If there are a billion people whose lives are going to be better, then you have a massive market," he says. "And you'll have to find a way to create that enterprise."

For every moonshot or far-out idea, Jain says, he asks himself three questions before he goes further.

Why this? Why now? And why me?

In the case of Viome, the "why this" part was easy. Jain knew that chronic diseases are one of the leading causes of death and affect billions of people globally. Some scientists believe that the gut microbiome--the trillions of microorganisms that live within every human--play an important role in influencing these diseases. The food you eat can benefit your microbiome. But if everyone's microbiome is different, how do you find the right foods for you? That's where Viome steps in. The company's at-home gut health test scores your microbiome's health according to 20 different factors.

Jain says his thinking was: "What if we can solve and reverse the problem of chronic disease? Would it help a billion people live a better life?" The entrepreneur's instinct, which proved correct, was that a vast market existed for people who wanted to unlock the secrets of their microbiome, hoping to stave off cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and other chronic diseases.

When asking "Why me?" Jain says, entrepreneurs should make sure that they're prepared to offer a unique solution to the problem. "Is the question you're asking different from what everyone in the industry is asking?" says Jain.

To figure out whether it's the right time to launch a business, Jain says, entrepreneurs need to predict the future to some extent. Ask yourself: What will change in the next two to five years that will allow you to more easily solve the problem?

In the case of Viome, the "when" part took a bit of luck. First launched in 2016, Viome emerged as an early player in the then-burgeoning home diagnostics industry, which includes testing behemoths like Abbott Diagnostics and Quest Diagnostics, as well as newer at-home testing companies like 23andMe and Everlywell. Advances in lab technology meant that the costs of analyzing a blood or a stool sample were declining. When Viome launched, it cost roughly $43 to process a sample in a lab. Currently, analyzing a sample costs $2.

"That's the power of exponential technologies," says Jain. "When something is on an exponential curve, and you think you're being 10 times more optimistic, you actually turned out to be seven to 10 times pessimistic, because technology is moving that fast." The Covid-19 pandemic further accelerated the growth of the at-home testing market, which grew by 14 percent in 2020, according to market research firm Brand Essence Market Research.

Jain says that the pandemic forced many people to take their health more seriously. Changes in daily habits, like mask wearing and social distancing, altered people's mindsets about how their actions can impact their health. Viome took note.

"What we realized is that we can actually empower people to take control over their health, if we give them the right tools," he says.

Viome's next step will be to offer customers a way to detect early signs of cancer. In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Viome's oral cancer and throat cancer screening tool, which uses mRNA analysis to identify cancer in saliva samples. Thanks to the Covid-19 vaccines, Jain says, the concept of mRNA is now much more well-known to investors and the public. Biotech companies are exploring how mRNA technology can be used to create new drugs, vaccines, and treatments.
As the Delta variant continues its rampage across the U.S., bars and restaurant are starting to change their policies to keep employees and patrons safe.

The San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, an industry group, announced this week that roughly 300 bars and restaurants in the Bay Area will require guests wishing to sit indoors to provide proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test in the past 72 hours. In a statement released Monday, the group, which comprises approximately 500 bar owners and 300 bars, said its move was prompted by safety concerns over the ongoing pandemic.

"We believe we are obligated to protect our workers and their families and to offer a safe space for customers to relax and socialize," reads the statement. Individual bars that are part of the alliance will be able to choose if and how they will enforce the policy--likely relying on physical vaccination cards or electronic passports.

The move isn't a complete surprise. Earlier this month, health officials in the San Francisco Bay Area recommended that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places.

Whether other large industry groups follow suit remains an open question. The National Restaurant Association, the nation's biggest restaurant industry group, is so far staying out of it. "When it comes to verification, without a government mandate, the decision for when and how to verify vaccine status should be left up to restaurant owners to determine what is best for their business and to clearly communicate that with their employees and customers," the NRA tells Inc.
Good writing skills are essential to advance in the U.S. military-- and there's one technique military leaders follow to make their emails clear, concise, and compelling.

Now, what I just wrote is an example of a writing technique called BLUF: Bottom Line Up Front. The method was first introduced in an army training manual and is now taught across different military branches. It's a tactic that will help your writing--and your emails-- stand out.

The tactic came up repeatedly during my visits to two military bases this summer. First, I met with Army Green Berets at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Second, I spoke to fighter jet pilots for the United States Marine Corps in Yuma, Arizona. Both groups of highly-trained soldiers are taught BLUF because it saves time and makes communication more efficient.

Although many of us send hundreds of texts and direct messages on Slack each day, email continues to be the preferred method of communication around the globe. There are 4.1 billion email users globally. That's a large number, of course, but only a fraction of the emails we send are read.

An email with the Bottom Line Up Front states the purpose of the email in the first paragraph. An email isn't a novel. There's no need to build the suspense until the end. More important than the length of an email--which largely depends on the topic--is whether your reader gets the point and gets it fast.

Here's an example of the first paragraph of an email written in the BLUF format.

This email is going to all sales managers in North America. It explains the new cloud-based sales system the company will implement in Q4.

In two sentences the reader knows why they're on the string and what the email is about. They can decide to read it now or file it away to read later (hopefully before Q4).

The bottom line should stand out in bold font and answer the following questions in one or two sentences:

Why am I receiving the email? What information does it convey? What important dates or deadlines do I need to know?

The military puts a lot of research into effective writing. They found that the most significant problem was failing to convey a focused message quickly. Since many people bury the main point in a lengthy email, BLUF is a framework that forces the writer to start with a clear and concise idea.
Frustrated, annoyed, and nearly ready to give up.

That was how I felt as I wandered around during the happy hour at the end of the Founders start-up event. I had attended in part to learn, and I had indeed learned a lot at the sessions all day. But my primary reason had been to meet people, including potential investors in my start-up.

In that objective I had come up short. There were dozens of investors in the room, but their time had been hoarded by other start-ups, and the one I managed to meet had brushed me off without really considering my pitch. But that was okay because there was really only one person I'd come to see: Dave McClure.

Dave McClure was the founding partner of 500 Startups, a well-respected start-up fund based in Silicon Valley with offices all over the world. I recently had received an all-important email introduction to Dave through Victoria Ransom, the cofounder of the Wildfire app (sold to Google) and a mutual friend, but thus far my email had gone unanswered. I knew Dave was at the event because he had been one of the speakers that afternoon. This was my chance to connect with him in the flesh.

I stood in a room filled with entrepreneurs and investors, hoping to get the attention of just one. I was contemplating whether to get a drink from the bar, when all of a sudden I heard, "I have got to talk to the man wearing those f--king shoes!"

I looked up, and there was Dave McClure. Of the three hundred people in the room, the one I wanted to talk to the most was actually stopping to chat. Why? He had noticed my bright orange sneakers, and in a room filled with people dying to talk to him, my sneakers were the reason he had decided to initiate a conversation with me. This was my chance, and I wasn't going to waste it.

"Hope they're bright enough for you, Dave," I replied jokingly, and proceeded to take the opportunity to remind him about the recent email introduction and tell him a bit more about our business. Within fifteen minutes he had introduced me to his New York partner, Shai Goldman, and we had set up a time for a follow-up meeting. A few weeks later, 500 Startups became a key investor in our tech start-up, Likeable Local.

Were my orange shoes the reason I secured an investment? Of course not. But they were the reason I got into a conversation in the first place. In a room full of people trying to get busy people's attention, that was all it took to stand out in the crowd.

The orange shoes I wore that day were the twenty-first pair I've owned, and I'm now up to twenty-nine pairs of orange sneakers and shoes. Not a day goes by that I don't wear orange shoes. And it's not just conferences where they make me stand out and create more opportunities to meet people. It's in ordinary moments: on the train to and from work, at coffee shops, and in building lobbies. People walk up to me nearly every day, comment on the shoes, and begin a conversation. Some of those conversations lead to nothing, but others lead to exciting opportunities, real relationships, and connections with people who can add value to my life in some way. Without those shoes, I might have never met those people.

Of course, this doesn't mean you should go out and purchase twenty-nine pairs of orange shoes (or any color shoes for that matter; shoes are expensive). But you have an opportunity to create a signature style that will help you stand out at conferences and elsewhere and give yourself an opportunity to meet more people.

Orange shoes are my thing, but yours can be anything; the only two criteria are that it be attention-grabbing and that it feel authentic to you. If it's not shoes, is it a scarf? Earrings? A noticeable briefcase or tie? A watch, a hat, or a bracelet, perhaps? What can your signature style be at conferences and beyond? How can you become more noticeable and not only stand out in a crowd but actually attract people to you?

Some people may dismiss this idea as silly. Some may not want to stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd. To them I say the following: You don't need to look foolish to have a signature style. Even if your signature style doesn't include bright, noticeable colors, if you're consistent in your style, you'll be much more likely to be remembered by the people you meet. Think about it this way: Why not gain any edge you can over everyone else in the room?

FAST First Action Steps to Take:

Write down a list of three to five possible accessories, colors, and/or items you can adopt as your signature stand-out style. Ask three people you know and trust about your list. Which do they think is a most winning style? Purchase the item or items necessary to create your signature style and begin rocking the new look at the next event you attend.
Early last year, Ben & Jerry's faced the kind of challenge most businesses dream of: home delivery of their ice cream was booming, in part because so many people were getting their meals delivered at home. To let more people know that they could get a pint of Ben & Jerry's delivered with their food, though, they needed lots and lots of images - pairing their many different flavors with popular delivery meals like pizza, curry, and hamburgers.

The solution: 3D virtual photography. Using 3D creation tools, they produced a huge number of visual assets in just a few weeks, pairing traditionally shot images of a pizza party, for instance, with 3D renderings of their ice cream. The approach made it quick and easy to swap Cherry Garcia in for Americone Dream in that pizza party image or change the American branding of a flavor for the Brazilian packaging. The images of the ice cream all looked perfectly mouthwatering, with just the right mix of ice cream and mix-ins, like cookie dough and chocolate, visible - something that can take a food stylist a long time to manage on a traditional set.

And best of all, "Anybody who looked at them wouldn't be able to tell that they weren't just shot using traditional photography," says Gail Cummings, Ben & Jerry's Global Digital Design Lead.

Business's embrace of 3D creation isn't new. Companies like Ikea and Amazon have been using 3D to create product images for years. And the vast majority of car commercials are rendered in 3D software, not shot. But forces like the pandemic and the insatiable appetite for new content has driven more companies to discover 3D creation. They've learned that this new form of creativity has many benefits that transcend our current situation and will make 3D increasingly important long after the pandemic is over. Among the advantages:

Speed and Cost: Cummings says Ben & Jerry's 3D images cost a fraction of what they would have if they'd been shot in person and her team was able to pull together a huge number of visual assets in weeks, not the months it would have taken otherwise. The reason is obvious: There's just no way to put together a photo crew, dress a set, and shoot multiple angles for the same price and as quickly as rendering an image through software.

Scalability and Localization: With 3D imagery, you can mix and match products and backgrounds to produce hundreds of different images in just a few hours. And you can swap in a background that connects with consumers in Japan or South Africa in a matter of minutes.

Sustainability: The carbon footprint of getting a crew of talented people together in multiple locations for photoshoots can be significant. Rendering those same images in 3D is far more ecologically friendly.

But perhaps the biggest advantage of 3D imagery is that it sells. TotalRetail.com reports that 3D configurator technology is proven to drive at least a 10 percent increase in sales over traditional methods.

For Dallas realtor James Sharp, the difference was even more striking. When Sharp started featuring 3D virtual tours of properties he represented, the technology drove a flood of new transactions that tripled his typical sales. The 3D tours were so successful that Sharp even decided to use one to sell his own house. He got multiple offers and sold to a buyer who had never seen his house in person.

Many companies are using 3D technology to produce assets they'll use in 2D in catalogs or websites. But the use of true 3D presentation, like virtual reality, augmented reality, and virtual try-on experiences, is growing as well. Lowe's, for instance, uses VR goggles to let customers mix virtual paint and apply plaster to virtual walls. The hardware company finds that user recall from those experiences is 36 percent higher than from watching a YouTube video. Macy's introduced virtual try-on last year and saw their return rate decrease to less than 2 percent.

The advantages of 3D don't only apply to creating marketing images, though. More and more companies are using 3D tools to speed design of their products themselves. Fashion brands, for instance, from heavyweights like Calvin Klein, Lands' End, and Tommy Hilfiger to luxury brand Pink, have all integrated 3D to both shrink costs and get products into stores more quickly.

"From the standpoint of a brand, 3D technology is fundamentally disruptive," says Sacha Djorkaeff, Pink Shirtmaker's head of client experience. "It shakes the current design and production processes to their core, presenting dramatic cost and time efficiencies, trimming down the process of visualizing a product from weeks or months to a matter of hours."

Okay, so there are great arguments for adopting 3D creation. But on the other side of the ledger is an understandable trepidation about jumping into a new and seemingly complex technology. There's a lot of good news here, though. The hardware used to capture 3D images is becoming more mainstream and affordable. 3D software is affordable and increasingly easy-to-use, thanks to artificial intelligence that takes care of much of the technical complexity.

How do you get started in 3D? Here are a couple best practices:

Hire an expert: While 3D may be new to many in retail and other businesses, it's been used in industries like gaming for years. Hiring someone with 3D design experience (as opposed to contracting with an outside agency) will help you assemble the tools and develop the processes that will help you succeed long-term in 3D design.

Commit to 3D: We're at an inflection point that's not unlike the dawn of the web at the turn of the century. The companies who succeeded then recognized that the web was their future and committed their business to that future. Succeeding with 3D requires that same kind of commitment. You can start small, but keep building for a long-term transition.
A new Predator film directed by Dan Trachtenberg is now well into filming, according to one of the films producers.

Last November, news broke via Empire that 10 Cloverfield Lane director Trachtenberg would be helming a new film set in the Predator universe.

Now, in a new interview with Collider, the films producer, John Davis, revealed the movies title and said that filming was in its advanced stages.

The new film will be called Skull and is three-quarters of the way through filming according to Davis.

The films main character will be female and will encounter a Predator on its first journey to Earth. The story will take place before that in the original 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It goes back to what made the original Predator movie work, Davis said. Its the ingenuity of a human being who wont give up, whos able to observe and interpret, basically being able to beat a stronger, more powerful, well-armed force.

It actually has more akin to The Revenant than it does any film in the Predator canon. Youll know what I mean once you see it. You can use your imagination. It is ... early.

Speaking about the idea behind the film and its subsequent production, Davis continued: Here is the interesting thing. We started conceiving this movie while we were shooting the last Predator movie.

Dan came to me with a writer and an idea while we were shooting the movie. Emma Watts was really instrumental here. She said, you know what, lets go put this into development now and lets push on this now. Lets go for this now. We couldnt be shooting one movie and prepping another, especially when one was the current-day end of the franchise and the other was the period beginning of the franchise. So it was always done with a lot of secrecy.

He added: It just continued to be something thats going to be out there to surprise you.

As yet, there are no details on the films cast or release date.
Marilyn Manson has claimed that Esme Biancos accusations of sexual assault and abuse are untrue, meritless, and part of a coordinated attack by multiple plaintiffs.

Earlier this year, Game of Thrones star Bianco joined the numerous women who have accused the musician of abusive behaviour dating back years.

In the lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles federal court, Bianco claimed that Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, violated human trafficking law by bringing her to California from England under the false pretences of roles in music videos and movies that never came to fruition.

She claimed Manson deprived her of food and sleep, plied her with alcohol and drugs, locked her in a bedroom, whipped her, gave her electric shocks, and made threats to rape her during the night.

Manson denies the allegations and, on Wednesday (28 July), he claimed his accusers are cynically and dishonestly seeking to monetise and exploit the #MeToo movement.

The new court filing brands Bianco and others as co-conspirators who are desperately trying to conflate the imagery and artistry of Warners shock rock stage persona, Marilyn Manson, with fabricated accounts of abuse.

Earlier this month, Manson surrendered to police in Los Angeles in connection with a 2019 arrest warrant out of New Hampshire, where he allegedly assaulted a videographer at a concert.

Manson is facing lawsuits from four women who claim that he sexually, physically and emotionally assaulted them. He had denied all the allegations, calling them horrible distortions of reality.

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.
Netflix will reportedly require everyone on the sets of its US productions to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

The policy will apply to actors and all people who come in close proximity to them, Deadline reported on Wednesday.

A source told The Hollywood Reporter that the rule, which makes Netflix the first major studio to put into place a blanket vaccine requirement, echoes protocols recently decided by industry unions and studios.

The Independent has contacted Netflix for more information.

Some rare exemptions could reportedly been given for age, medical, or religious reasons. Some flexibility may also exist for productions which have already begun.

The entertainment industry is still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, which shut down productions for months in 2020.

Cinemas have begun to reopen in the US. Shutdowns during the pandemic meant that some major films, such as Disneys Mulan live-action remake, where released on streaming platforms rather than in theatres.

Some films, such as Marvels Black Widow, have explored a double release model, unveiling movies both in cinemas and online. Warner Bros announced in 2020 that all of its 2021 movies would be released both in cinemas and on HBO Max.
US Secretary of State said on Thursday that China increasing interest in Afghanistan could be a positive thing, in a rare statement that may suggest the US is giving a green light for a more prominent involvement by Beijing post-US withdrawal.

Mr Blinken said he would welcome Chinas role if it was looking towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict and a truly representative and inclusive government.

He was speaking while on a visit to India, in which it is thought he is trying to pull Delhi closer to Washington at a time of regional uncertainty in the wake of the US-led troops withdrawal from Afghanistan. More than 90 per cent of the forces have already left the country after twenty years of fighting the Taliban.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted nine Taliban officials on Wednesday, led by the groups chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin, where he called the Taliban a pivotal force in Afghanistan. He promised China would support a bigger role for the group in reconstructing the country.

Earlier this month, the Talibans spokesperson Suhail Shaheen described China as a friend and said they are looking forward to discussing stepping up Chinese investment in the rebuilding process as soon as possible.

No one has an interest in a military takeover of the country by the Taliban, the restoration of an Islamic emirate, Mr Blinken said.

He urged the Taliban to come to the negotiating table... peacefully.

In the past few weeks, China had concerns over the Taliban swift military advances, which saw the insurgents extending their control over vast swathes of Afghan territories. The group claims it now controls up to 90 per cent of Afghanistan, a statement the government in Kabul branded as a propaganda stunt.

Beijing since has tried to blame the hasty US for the escalated violence as tensions between the two sides continue to rise over a wide range of issues.

The hasty withdrawal of the United States and Nato troops from Afghanistan actually marked the failure of the US policy towards Afghanistan, and the Afghan people have an important opportunity to stabilise and develop their own country, Chinas foreign ministry said in a statement.

China may have conferred an additional layer of legitimacy upon the militant group by hosting a Taliban delegation. But it also signalled warmer relations and Beijings eagerness to take a step ahead of other regional powers, including India, to bolster the Taliban position in Afghanistan.

Chinas hosting of a Taliban delegation... underscores the challenges for India as it seeks to step up its diplomatic game re Afghanistan. One core Indian rival, Pakistan, is already a major player in this story and now its other core rival, China, is getting more involved, Michael Kugelman, South Asia senior associate at The Wilson Center, said on Twitter.
Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that the US has "really messed it up in Afghanistan and referred to the Taliban as normal civilians.

During a TV interview with American broadcaster PBS, Mr Khan said that Pakistan, the eastern neighbour to Afghanistan, hosts three million Afghan refugees.

His response came as Judy Woodruff of PBS questioned him over longstanding US and Afghan government accusations that Pakistan provides a safe haven to the Afghan Taliban.

When they say that Pakistan gave safe havens, sanctuaries to Taliban, where are these safe havens? When you, when we said, there are three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, who are, by the way, the same ethnic group as the Taliban, Pashtuns, now, there are camps of 500,000 people, Mr Khan responded.

There are camps of 100,000 people. And Taliban are not some military outfit. They are normal civilians. And if there are some civilians in these camps, how is Pakistan supposed to hunt these people down? How can you call them sanctuaries? he added.

Pakistan has long been accused of providing military, logistical, financial and intelligence support to Taliban insurgents fighting the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

"Intelligence estimates indicate the influx of over 10,000 Jihadi fighters (into Afghanistan) from Pakistan and other places in the last month," Afghanistans president Ashraf Mr Ghani alleged on 16 July in the presence of Pakistans prime minister at a conference in Dushanbe.

Pakistan rejected the claims and said Afghanistan has not provideds any evidence to support their claims.

Mr Khan, however, blamed the US for the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, saying the US has really messed it up in Afghanistan by seeking a military solution to the conflict.

And people like me who kept saying that theres no military solution, who know the history of Afghanistan, we were called, people like me, were called anti-American. I was called Taliban Khan, he said.

He also criticised Washington for looking for a political solution after NATO troops had been significantly in number.

Subsequently, Mr Khan said, the Taliban thought they had won and there was little chance of getting them to compromise.

He added that a government with the Taliban which would involve some sort of power-sharing arrangement with Kabul was the best outcome and Pakistan would accept a Taliban victory.

The Biden administration has committed to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by 11 September this year. About 90 per cent of the forces have already pulled out according to US Central Command,

The Taliban has claimed it controls vast swathes of Afghanistan as it has rushed to fill the political vaccuum left in the wake of the troop withdrawal.
The head of airline Emirates UK operations has expressed frustration that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is still on the Governments red travel list.

Divisional vice president Richard Jewsbury said he hopes the Gulf states low rate of coronavirus cases and strong vaccination programme will see it removed from the high-risk category soon.

People travelling from the UAE to the UK must enter a quarantine hotel for 11 nights at a cost of 1,750 for solo travellers due to the red list status, which has decimated passenger numbers.

We would hope to see some movement reflective of the state of play in the UAE Richard Jewsbury, Emirates

UAE flag carrier Emirates operated around 20 flights a day from the UK before the outbreak of the virus, but that has been cut by around 80%.

Mr Jewsbury told the PA news agency that the data coming out of the UAE is very good.

The weekly rate of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the UAE for the week ending July 22 was 124, compared with 417 in the UK, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Meanwhile, some 69% of the population in the UAE are fully vaccinated, which is among the highest proportion of any country in the world.

The decision to keep the UAE on the red list despite those figures is frustrating, Mr Jewsbury said.

He insisted that Emirates will respect the Government process and accept their sovereign right to do what they see fit.

(PA Graphics) (PA Graphics)

But he noted Germanys decision to put the UAE on its low-risk travel list, which he claimed highlights the more cautious approach of the UK.

All we can do is stay engaged and flag up the data and hope that its acted upon.

The UAE  which includes the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi  was added to the red list in late January.

Its addition came shortly after Home Secretary Priti Patel hit out at UK influencers visiting the country during the ban on non-essential foreign travel, declaring that going on holiday is not an exemption.

The Department for Transport said at the time that the decision was due to the discovery of the coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa, which may have spread to other countries such as the UAE.

(PA Graphics) (PA Graphics)

But in April, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps explained that the UAE is on the red list as it is a major transit hub, with many long-haul passengers taking connecting flights.

Mr Jewsbury said Dubai airport, where the airline is based, has good ventilation, touchless technology, and thermal scanners which can detect passengers who may be carrying the virus.

Emirates has modern aircraft which use HEPA filters to ensure the air quality on board is very good, while 95% of crew members are fully-vaccinated, he added.

The Government is due to update the self-isolation and testing rules under its traffic light system for foreign travel this week.

The lists themselves are generally updated every three weeks, meaning the next update is likely to happen next week.

Mr Jewsbury said: Its just a case of waiting for the UK authorities to shuffle the deck on the red, amber and green categories.

The next change should be during the first half of August and we would hope to see some movement reflective of the state of play in the UAE and all the health and safety measures that have been put in place across the passenger journey.
 Close People evacuate as tsunami sirens blare in Alaska

Tsunami warnings were issued after a 8.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska.

The warnings - affecting coastal regions of the US state and the Pacific region - were lifted hours later.

Authorities said the quake - which was recorded at 10:15 pm on Wednesday local time (6.15am GMT Thursday) - struck under the surface of the ocean off the coast of Alaska.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to property, although several Alaskan coastal communities were evacuated following the earthquake.
Insurance companies are raising fire insurance costs exponentially amidst the recent severe wildfire seasons, and some farmers are opting out of plans altogether.

When the recent wildfires swept across California, many farmers came knocking at insurers doors to collect money for damaged land. As a result, the insurance industrys losses in 2017 and 2018 exceeded profits from the last 25 years as wildfires were especially severe during those that season, according to Grist.

Insurance companies are not only quadrupling premiums, but theyre also not renewing insurance plans. These insurance changes may force farmers to leave the business, which would impact wine and fruit production as well as jobs for migrant workers.

In the wake of these changes, farmers are using the California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements plan (FAIR)  a state insurance plan. Because FAIR only provides minimum coverage, a group lobbied for the plan to protect more equipment on the farm. California governor Gavin Newsom approved of the expanded coverage, but the changes wont go into effect until the end of 2021, thereby, leaving farms without insurance for months.

As wildfires continue to scorch the northwest US, its possible that many farmers land will be ravaged and unable to make produce goods to sell. The FAIR plan is also a temporary solution, and private insurances may have to step in to insure farms.

But some farmers worry that even if private insurance was available, smaller farms would not able able to afford coverage.

Whether its private or state insurance, the extended wildfire season may make insuring farms unviable if no one can afford premiums.
An eye doctor is warning makeup-wearers of the dangers of applying eyeliner in the waterline of the eye in a viral TikTok.

Dr Brittani Carver, an optometrist and co-owner of Better Vision Optometric Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, frequently uses her TikTok account @bettervision to share eye-health tips.

In one video posted last week, the optometrist shared with her more than 204,000 followers the negative impacts of wearing eyeliner in the waterline, which refers to the line of skin between the eyelashes and the eye, one of her patients was experiencing.

This patient has worn eyeliner on her waterlines since she was a teenager, Dr Carver explained as she showed a close-up look at the womans eye, in which remnants of black makeup could still be seen. The reasons eye doctors do not recommend wearing eyeliner on the waterline of your eye is because there are specialized glands there that produce and excrete oil.

According to Dr Carver, a normal, healthy eye sees the glands excrete oil that has an olive oil texture, with the optometrist then showing the difference in the patients eye, as it can be seen excreting thick, white oil from the glands that she described as having a consistency more like toothpaste.

The obstruction of the glands, caused by the use of eyeliner in the waterline, means that the eye is not producing healthy tears, Dr Carver explained, adding in the caption that patients can experience dry eyes, or Dry Eye Disease, as a result.

Dry Eye Disease can cause symptoms such as burning, sensitivity to light, eye redness, watery eyes or blurred vision, according to the Mayo Clinic.

To limit the risk of developing dry eyes, Dr Carver told BuzzFeed that people should avoid wearing eyeliner or eye makeup in their waterlines on all occasions, as there is no eyeliner that is safe for doing so.

Eye doctor shares warning for those who wear eyeliner in waterline (TikTok / @bettervision)

It doesnt matter what kind of eyeliner it is, all of them can obstruct the oils glands and cause irreversible gland damage, she told the outlet.

On TikTok, where the video has been viewed more than 12.8m times, it has prompted many viewers to express their disappointment over the warning.

I only look good with eyeliner on my waterline! Oh no, one person commented, while another joked: Im just going to pretend I didnt see this.

This is not the first time that Dr Carver has shared the downsides of cosmetics on eye health on her TikTok, as she also warned viewers of the possible dangers of sleeping in makeup in another recent video, in which she discussed demodex mites.

Im an eye doctor and Im going to give you one really good reason why you need to take your makeup off at night before you go to bed, Dr Carver said, before pointing to a zoomed-in photo of eyelash mites moving on a patients eyelash.

According to the optometrist, the mite, which can be seen moving, is eating the buildup of oil on the eyelash follicle, with Dr Carver warning that too much buildup can lead to excess mites and ultimately irritated eyes.

To avoid the issue, she warned viewers to use a safe, tea tree oil product to clean makeup off their eyes and eyelashes each night.
Drivers for Elon Musks underground Loop system reportedly have a secret script dictating how they should answer customers questions about crashing Teslas and Mr Musk himself.

This ride script is used by drivers transporting passengers around the Las Vegas Convention Centre in modified Tesla cars.

The document, which TechCrunch reportedly obtained, tells people to keep conversation to a minimum and recommends answers to various questions should they come up,

If asked how long they have been with the company, drivers are replied to answer with Long enough to know these tunnels pretty well! in order to avoid making passengers uncomfortable being driven by a new employee. It also encourages drivers to evade the question or shift the focus if pressed.

With regards to crashes, which the script calls accidents, drivers are told to respond by saying that they do not know how many have happened and that they should reach out to the company. Tesla infamously shut down its PR department, and rarely replies to requests for comment from journalists.

Teslas Autopilot systems are disabled for manual loop operation, the document states, and are banned in Clark County where the convention centre is located. While there is apparently a pre-set response provided to drivers about the system, which has been the subject of much controversy recently due to investigations over the use of Autopilot during crashes, the reply is apparently redacted.

When asked about Mr Musk, the drivers script provides only positive answers in response to questions, telling passengers that hes awesome! Inspiring / motivating / etc; if the driver is asked if they enjoy working for him, they will reply: Yup, hes a great leader! He motivates us to do great work.

Mr Musk is very involved and supportive in the company, the script reportedly continues, and any questions about his tweets will be met with: Elon is a public figure. Were just here to provide an awesome transportation experience!

Negative articles, such as reports about the toxic atmosphere at Tesla, referenced by drivers will be brushed off with the reply, I havent seen that article, but that hasnt been my experience, the document apparently continues.

The Boring Company, Clark Country, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority did not respond to requests for comment from The Independent before time of publication, nor did they reportedly respond to TechCrunchs requests for comment.
Its been 40 years since the first reported cases of HIV in the UK, and since then, medical advancements in treatment have meant people who test positive are able to live long, healthy lives without fear of passing the virus onto their partner.

Yet despite this, stigma and a lack of understanding around HIV still remains, with some people having a poor knowledge of how the virus can be transmitted, as well as negative attitudes and beliefs about those who have it. Elton John for instance, has just criticised US rapper DaBaby for fuelling stigma around HIV.

Only a third of people who took part in a recent UK-wide survey said they fully agreed they have sympathy for all people living with HIV, regardless of how they got it.

The researchers from the National Aids Trust and Fast-Track Cities London are now calling for the UK Government to do more to raise awareness. In the meantime, here are some simple things you can do to be an ally and an advocate for people affected by HIV

Educate yourself

Everyone can play an important role in reducing stigma and discrimination simply by knowing whats fact and whats myth when it comes to HIV.

Whether you watch an educational TV series like Channel 4s Its a Sin, listen to a podcast like Positively Thriving, or simply spend your lunch break reading some thoroughly researched articles, its helpful to take a moment to refresh your knowledge.

Challenge other peoples opinions

Negative attitudes and beliefs about people with HIV wont change if people who have harmful opinions arent challenged and corrected.

The fear surrounding the HIV epidemic in the 1980s persists today and means that some people often wrongly associate the health issue with shame and personal irresponsibility.

A small but powerful way you can support the fight is by having conversations about HIV with the people closest to you. Part of being an ally is calling out unacceptable behaviour from friends and colleagues when you see or hear it.

Donate to a charity

One of the most effective ways you can influence change is by donating to causes and organisations that support the governments drive to eradicate new HIV cases by 2030, and support individuals living with HIV.

The National Aids Trust, the Terrence Higgins Trust and the Elton John Aids Foundation are just a few charities that support people living with HIV, while making sure everyone has access to free testing.

Raise money

Giving your time to HIV-related efforts is another way you can be part of the change, while doing something helpful for your local community.

Whether you choose to join a campaign, volunteer for a charity, or raise money through a sponsored run, there are so many ways you can help on a micro-level.

Take a test

Everyone should routinely get tested for HIV, as the only way to eradicate transmissions is to know who is negative and who is positive. Testing is the only way to be sure if you have HIV or not, and sometimes people can live for years unaware they have it.

So whether you believe youre at risk or not (and remember, HIV does not discriminate), its helpful to take a test so you can be sure of your status.
Why, for starters, is the Green Knight green?

It's a question that's long vexed scholars of the 14th century chivalric romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." The movie, like the epic poem, is full of mysteries, most of them unspoken. But the knight's unlikely color  Why isn't he a more typical knightly blue?  is a question voiced by the characters of David Lowerys adaptation, The Green Knight. He's green, answers Dev Patel s Sir Gawain, because it's the shade of rot.

The Green Knight, as seen in Lowery's enchanting Arthurian dream, is an imposing tree of a man, with a wispy beard of twigs and a wooden mane whose movements rustle with the sound of bended, creaking branches. (He's played by a much-costumed Ralph Ineson.) Early in The Green Knight, he rides on Christmas Day into King Arthur s court, cloaked in shadow, and offers a game. Strike him wherever you want, and he will repay the same stroke a year hence at his Green Chapel.

Gawain, freshly inspired by King Arthur to be ambitious after spending his days drinking and carousing, takes up the challenge and boldly chops off the knight's head. The thrall of victory quickly turns ominous when the Green Knight stands, picks up his head and  with more menace than even an unwanted houseguest promising to return for the holidays  says he'll see the young man next Christmas.

The Green Knight is the color of nature and of death, which here are the same things. Lowery's film, shot on misty Irish plains and dank forests, is earthy, with dirt under its nails, and blanketed in wintery fog. It's both of the land and the ether, poised in a dreamy, mythical long ago. Gawain's quest to visit the Green Knight a year later is a haunting journey into an inescapable abyss, a meditation on life and death made with the Green Knight's axe looming.

Lowery, the Texas filmmaker, has a propensity for lyrical legends ( "The Old Man and the Gun," with Robert Redford ) and existential rumination ( "A Ghost Story ). The latter is a kind of companion piece to The Green Knight, and both, I think, sometimes use obliqueness to mask an inner vagueness. But few American filmmakers of his generation have been quite as keen to pursue difficult philosophical questions or to stretch cinema in new, quixotic directions.

Just making a movie out of this anonymous, alliterative poem is a wild kind of feat. A tale of chivalry and honor, it belongs to another, medieval world. Its lessons and meanings are somewhat inscrutable and much contested. Only twice before has it been turned into a movie (both by British filmmaker Stephen Weeks, once with Sean Connery as the Green Knight, neither to any acclaim). In King Arthur's Round Table, Gawain is quite notable but he's no Lancelot.

But in Patel's brooding, uncontrived performance, Gawain is remarkably alive as a man  like Patel's David Copperfield  figuring himself out. Lowery opens The Green Knight (which a24 opens in theaters Friday) with ornate titles crediting the tale's historic origins  this is a story about stories  but immediately situates The Green Knight into a more natural realm and the intimate orbit of Patel's Gawain.

Gawain has none of the experience of Camelot's more famous knights but that's not causing him to loose any sleep. He and Essel (a marvelous, pixie-cut Alicia Vikander) are inseparable, in bed and at Mass. Living with his mother, Morgana (Sarita Choudhury), Gawain is a little like a boy prince who doesn't want to grow up.

But after King Arthur (Sean Harris) summons him to sit alongside his throne, Gawain haphazardly throws himself into the pursuit of honor, joining the Green Knight's game. Is he finally reaching maturity? Or is it a fool's gambit to risk everything for Round Table infamy? This is how silly men perish, says Essel.

But Gawain, grimacing at the first sight of snowfall, sets out just the same to make his Christmas appointment with the Green Knight. He traverses a deathly landscape in an episodic journey of symbolic encounters  a thief on a battlefield (Barry Keoghan); an apparition in a deserted house (Erin Kellyman); a kindly fox; a comforting castle with a lord and a mystical companion (Joel Edgerton Vikander again).

The chapters don't cohere in a sustained rhythm, but in richly evocative imagery, The Green Knight makes its own vivid film language and pacing. Sometimes, Lowery's camera turns round like a clock, advancing and reversing time. Gawain's quest turns abstract, awakening him to his life even as he marches to his own death.

The Green Knight, an a24 release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for violence, some sexuality and graphic nudity. Running time: 125 minutes. Three stars out of four.

___

MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. ___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
Serco employed a terror offender to drive bin lorries despite a ban sparked by a series of deadly vehicle attacks, a court has heard.

Andrew Rowe worked for the contractor in London and drove different vehicles more than 30 times before being arrested for breaching a court order.

The court heard the 50-year-old had told a recruitment agency and Serco about his previous convictions, but concealed the vehicles he was driving from police.

He was jailed for 10 months on Thursday for breaching a terrorist notification order, which was updated in 2019 with an obligation to give police details of any vehicles he used.

Rowe, of St Johns Wood in north west London, was the subject of a 15-year notification order after being freed from a 2005 prison sentence.

He was originally imprisoned for being found with instructions for operating mortars after returning from jihadist battlegrounds in Bosnia, Chechnya and other countries.

Judge Angela Rafferty QC said notification requirements were of utmost importance to keep the public safe.

Sentencing Rowe at the Old Bailey, she highlighted the carnage of attacks like in London Bridge, Westminster Bridge and Finsbury Park in which vehicles were used as weapons.

You, a terrorist offender, drove a heavy goods vehicle in this city without notifying the police you were doing so, she told the defendant. You put your own self interest above the notification requirements.

Other released terror offenders have been subject to a ban on driving heavy vehicles including Usman Khan, who was refused permission to drive a dumper truck for a potential construction job in 2019.

Months later, he murdered two victims in a terror attack at a rehabilitation event held at Fishmongers Hall.

Rowe admitted nine breaches of his notification order, which came into effect after he was freed from prison in 2010.

 Fishmongers Hall terror attack victims unlawfully killed, inquest jury rules

The court heard that Rowe failed to tell police about the vehicles he was driving while employed by Serco as a rubbish collector in 2019.

He had been notified of the requirement in March that year, but only told police he was looking for a job driving heavy goods vehicles in August.

Police then became aware he had obtained work with Serco via a recruitment agency, the court heard.

Over two months, Rowe drove nine vehicles a total of 31 times as part of his work at Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

Defence barrister Catherine Oborne said he had expressed a desire to live a normal life and get back in society.

He was trying to do a decent job as a refuse collector, she added. That job did give him pride and dignity.

He was described as one of the best workers for Serco and they were considering offering him a full-time position rather than as agency staff.

On the risk of allowing a terror offender to drive a large vehicle, Ms Oborne added: Of course there is a plain and obvious concern that the police would no doubt have about use of HGV lorries but there was no specific risk in respect or this defendant himself.

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He was a defendant who had been released into the community for nine years and although convicted of other offences, he has not been convicted of any further terrorism offences or and further breach.

The court heard Rowe did not want to live on benefits and had engaged with a painting and decorating course, and a university degree in international development and NGO management.

Prosecutor Peter Ratliff said: This defendant lost his job as a consequence of these proceedings.

Rowe, a former drug dealer who converted to Islam in the 1990s, travelled to several warzones and is believed to have joined jihadist groups.

He was arrested on the French side of the Channel Tunnel in 2003, while trying to return to the UK, carrying socks bearing traces of high explosives that prosecuors said could be from cleaning mortars and weapons.

In 2019, he admitted benefits fraud after receiving more than 5,000 in Jobseekers Allowance while working.

Additional reporting by PA
Suffolk Police have arrested a man on suspicion of the murder of a 17-year-old girl who went missing on her way home from a nightclub in 1999.

Victoria Hall was abducted and killed on her way home from a nightclub in Suffolk 21 years ago.

Her naked body was found in a ditch on 24 September 1999, five days after she was last seen alive.

Suffolk Police reopened their investigation in 2019 after receiving fresh witness information, which they would not expand upon.

Ms Hall, from Trimley St Mary, left home on the evening of September 18, 1999 for a night out with a friend at the Bandbox nightclub in Felixstowe.

The girls left the club at around 1am the following morning and parted ways at around 2.20am, yards from Victorias home.

Her parents awoke in the morning to discover their daughter had not returned home and a missing persons inquiry was launched.

Her body was found five days later in Creeting St Peter, around 25 miles (40km) from where she was last seen, without her clothing or possessions.

The man arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the inquiry has been taken into police custody, where he remains for questioning, Suffolk police said.

He is not someone who has previously been arrested as part of the inquiry, the force said.

No details were given about his age or where he was arrested.

Detectives are urging anyone with information about Victorias death to contact the Major Investigation Team.

Call the incident room directly on either 0800 092 0410 or 020 7158 0124.

These lines will be open until 10pm on Thursday, and thereafter, people are asked to call 01473 782059 and quote Operation Avon.

Includes reporting by PA
Black people are more likely to die following contact with the police than their white counterparts, new data from a police watchdog suggests.

Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said 10 per cent of people who died during or following contact with the police across the UK during 2020/21 were Black which is is over three times their population in the UK (3 per cent).

Of 92 deaths following police contact that were investigated by the IOPC last year, 10 were those of Black people. Six of the ten Black people were of Caribbean heritage, one was from an African background, one was classed as Black other and the other unknown.
Around 60,000 coronavirus deaths and 22 million infections have been prevented by the UKs vaccination programme, according to new official figures from Public Health England (PHE).

And PHE estimated that some 95.5 per cent of the adult population now have antibodies to Covid-19 from either infection or vaccination, raising hopes that the country may be moving towards herd immunity.

Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam called the programme a truly massive success. But he issued a warning that the pandemic is not yet over, dismissing the recent claim of an unnamed senior minister that the Covid crisis was all over bar the shouting.

I wish it were so, said Prof Van-Tam. This is not all over bar the shouting. I hope the worst is behind us, but I think its quite possible we will have one or two bumpy periods in the autumn and winter.

Prof Van-Tam was speaking as daily positive cases rose for the second day in succession, reversing a week-long trend of falling numbers.

A total of 31,117 coronavirus infections were reported on Thursday, up almost 3,500 on the previous day. Meanwhile, deaths continued on their upward trend, with 85 reported on Thursday, bringing the official total to 129,515, and the seven-day tally of 499 up almost 30 per cent on the previous week.

An additional 932 people were admitted to hospital, adding to the pressure on the NHS, which has a total of 5,056 hospital beds  and 765 mechanical ventilation beds  occupied by Covid patients in England alone.

It is thought that the recent dip in recorded cases from the peak of 54,674 on 17 July may reflect the passing of a wave of infections linked to gatherings to watch Euro 2020 football matches.

Government scientists believe that another upward spike caused by the removal of lockdown restrictions on 19 July may be about to show itself. Throughout the pandemic there has been a time-lag of around two weeks between infections and positive tests.

Meanwhile, the so-called pingdemic has showed no sign of abating, with a record 689,313 alerts sent to users of the NHS Covid-19 app in the week to 21 July, telling them to self-isolate for 10 days after coming into close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.

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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 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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 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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

Downing Street said that 260 daily testing sites are now up and running, where key workers can get clearance to skip isolation in order to get on with their jobs. Hundreds more are due to come on stream in the coming days, as businesses clamour for help to cut the number of absent staff, but the full complement of 2,000 promised by Boris Johnson may not be in place until the end of August.

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick urged people to isolate if they are advised to do so, saying there isnt very long to go until 16 August, when all fully vaccinated contacts who test negative can avoid isolation.

I appreciate that it is a significant number of people, and it can be frustrating, but the app is doing what we asked of it, he said.

But new figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest that one in four young adults who test positive are not following guidance to self-isolate for 10 days.

Answering questions from the public on the BBC, Prof Van-Tam said nobody knew if there would be a full fourth wave of Covid in the UK, but added that as summer ended things would get tougher.

Not only would colder temperatures and more indoor gatherings create better conditions for the coronavirus to spread, but it would also allow the resurgence of other respiratory viruses which normally flare up during the winter, he said.

As a result, it is just as important for people to get their flu jabs as well as any booster Covid vaccinations in the autumn and winter, he added.

Earlier this month, the Joint Council on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) issued interim advice to the NHS to begin preparations for a Covid vaccine booster programme from September for over-50s as well as all adults who would normally qualify for the flu jab.

Some 215,214 Covid vaccinations were reported on Thursday, made up of 43,873 first jabs and 171,341 second doses. The total number of people who have received two doses stood at 37,782,252 (71.4 per cent of the adult population) and one dose at 46,733,115 (88.4 per cent).

PHEs Covid-19 vaccine surveillance report estimates that the programme of jabs has directly averted more than 52,600 hospitalisations as well as preventing between 21.3 and 22.9 million infections and between 57,500 and 62,700 deaths. The previous estimate on 7 July put the number of infections prevented at 11 million and the number of deaths avoided at 37,000.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said the figures were fantastic to see.

Thats hundreds of thousands of people whose loved ones have been protected thanks to the vaccines remarkable protection, said Mr Javid, who recently recovered from a mild Covid infection despite having received both jabs.

Day by day, jab by jab, we are building a wall of defence which is protecting our nation against the threat of this virus. Make sure to get the jab if you havent already, and play your part in this historic effort.

PHE consultant epidemiologist Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal urged everyone invited for a second jab to book their appointment.

These figures show the vaccine programmes remarkable impact on saving lives and reducing the spread of the virus, he said.

As cases have increased, the true scale of protection from the vaccine programme has become clear. Everyone that has come forward for their vaccine has played a part in this vital effort.
The RNLI has recorded a 2,000 per cent increase in donations in a single day amid a surge in support over rescues of migrant boats.

The charity was forced to defend itself after being labelled by Nigel Farage and others as a taxi service for illegal trafficking gangs.

It saw an outpouring of public support after revealing how its volunteers were receiving abuse and publishing harrowing footage of rescues.

The RNLI said it received over 200,000 in donations on Wednesday alone, a 2,000 per cent increase on the previous day and far above the daily average of 6,000 to 7,000.

It has also recorded a surge in the number of people viewing information on how to volunteer with the lifeboat charity.

Jayne George, the RNLIs fundraising director, said: We are overwhelmed with the huge level of support we have received from our amazing supporters in the last couple of days.

We have seen an uplift in donations, with over 200,000 being donated yesterday alone through a combination of one off donations, new regular support and supporters increasing their regular donation amount. This is simply incredible.

She said the charity had also seen a small number of previous supporters withdrawing their support over operations involving asylum seekers.

Ms George said the RNLIs statements were not meant to be a fundraising campaign, adding: We simply wanted to tell the story of our crews and make it clear that our charity exists to save lives at sea. Our mission is to save every one. Our supporters kindness means so much to us, without them we could not save lives at sea, every one is a lifesaver.

Saijd Javid, the health secretary, was among high-profile figures saying he had made a donation on Wednesday and sharing the charitys website on Twitter so others could do the same.

The RNLI has become a target for right-wing commentators and extremists over the past year, amid record numbers of small boat crossings over the English Channel.

RNLI Chief Executive Mark Dowie called the abuse unacceptable (RNLI)

Jayda Fransen, the former deputy leader of Britain First, has been among those calling for people to stop donations, while anti-migrant groups operating on the south coast have accused them of escorting illegals and supporting the invasion.

Mr Farage, the former Ukip leader, has repeated claims the charity was a taxi service for illegal trafficking gangs.

The RNLI has said its sole purpose is to save lives at sea, and that it does not discriminate between different kinds of incidents where people are at risk.

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

The charity has no role in immigration enforcement or border control, and hands over responsibility for anyone rescued to relevant authorities when it reaches land.

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, said the RNLI had continued to operate within the law and do an incredible job.

He added: At the same time, if we are talking about the wider small boats issue, that is something where, absolutely at the same time, we need to come down as hard as is humanly possible, working with our French partners.

Priti Patel vowed to make small boat crossings unviable last summer, but the pledge was followed by record numbers that have continued to grow.

Last week, the government announced an agreement to more than double the number of police patrolling French beaches, with the UK to give France another 54m.

In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants Show all 13 1 /13 In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243853.bin Susannah Ireland / The Independent In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243825.bin Pascal Rossignol / Reuters In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243665.bin REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243667.bin PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243663.bin DENIS CHARLET/AFP/Getty Images In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243666.bin Pascal Rossignol / Reuters In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243552.bin AP Photo/Michel Spingler In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243569.bin PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243574.bin PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243577.bin PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243581.bin PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243582.bin PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In hiding and dreaming of Britain: the displaced Calais migrants 243607.bin AP Photo/Michel Spingler

It follows several similar deals in recent years that have seen little success, and critics have questioned efforts to dissuade migrants with Facebook adverts carrying messages including don't put your or your child's life in danger and we will return you.

The UK has been unable to send any asylum seekers to EU nations they have passed through, including France, since 1 January because a key agreement expired with Brexit.

Several EU countries have told The Independent they would not sign any new commitment to take deported asylum seekers and that negotiations are not underway.

The Home Office has been pushing to jail asylum seekers who steer small boats as people smugglers, but prosecutions have been limited by new Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance.

The Nationality and Borders Bill, if enacted, would criminalise any migrant who reaches the UK on small boats by creating a new offence of knowingly arriving in the UK without valid entry clearance.

It would also make it easier to prosecute people for steering boats or assisting asylum seekers who arrive via irregular routes.

It is not possible to claim asylum in the UK from abroad, or apply for entry clearance overseas with the purpose of claiming asylum.

According to Home Office figures, at least 2,000 migrants are currently massing around the Calais area with the hope of crossing the English Channel.

Overall asylum applications to the UK have fallen, but small boat crossings have risen dramatically after the coronavirus pandemic caused a decrease in the freight and passenger traffic.
The UK would be one of the best places in the world in which to "restart life" in the event of global societal collapse, according to a study.

New Zealand topped the list while Iceland, Australia and Ireland also ranked highly.

Setting human civilisation in a perilous state, researchers set out to examine places that have favourable conditions for regenerating life if the world was to collapse due to an event such as a climate or financial disaster.

The team at Anglia Ruskin University's Global Sustainability Institute looked at a range of factors, including access to energy sources, climate, the availability of arable land and population density.

As an island separated from the Eurasian landmass, the UK scored highly in its ability to protect its borders from unwanted mass immigration.

The UK also scored well on the self-sufficiency analysis with its abundant indigenous renewable and non-renewable energy sources, modern high-tech economy and large manufacturing capacity.

New Zealand, in first place, scored particularly well on population and geographical location.

Countries were ranked on their ability to grow food, produce energy and control unwanted immigration. States with low population density and moderate climates ranked highest in the study.

Prof Aled Jones, one of the study's authors, said he didn't expect the UK to perform strongly but was not surprised to see New Zealand at the top of the list.

He told The Guardian: We werent surprised New Zealand was on our list. We chose that you had to be able to protect borders and places had to be temperate.

So with hindsight, its quite obvious that large islands with complex societies on them already [make up the list].

Prof Jones added: We were quite surprised the UK came out strongly. It is densely populated, has traditionally outsourced manufacturing, hasnt been the quickest to develop renewable technology, and only produces 50 per cent of its own food at the moment.

"But it has the potential to withstand shocks.

The study, published in the journal Sustainability earlier this month, said: The globe-spanning, energy-intensive industrial civilisation that characterises the modern era represents an anomalous situation when it is considered against the majority of human history.

It added: The [academic] literature paints a picture of human civilisation that is in a perilous state, with large and growing risks developing in multiple spheres of the human endeavour.

Reports in recent years have noted that a number of Silicon Valley's tech billionaires have bought up land in New Zealand, which the study said would be the best place to survive a societal collapse.

Peter Thiel, the venture capitalist who co-founded PayPal and had an early stake in Facebook, is said to have bought property there.

There is also a burgeoning industry in the US for doomsday bunkers.
The UKs foreign secretary has said it was highly unlikely he would go to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and said there were great sensitivities around the situation in Xinjiang.

Boris Johnsons government has resisted opposition calls for a political boycott of the event in China, but Dominic Raab suggested ministers could decide to reduce Britains political representation.

Asked by Sky News on Thursday if he would attend the Beijing games next year, Mr Raab said: I doubt it.

The foreign secretary added: Of course, there are great sensitivities around Xinjiang and things like that. Well decide our level of representation at a political-diplomatic level in due course  Its highly unlikely I would go.

Last week, MPs made a non-binding vote in parliament calling on the government to stage a diplomatic boycott of next years winter games hosted by China.

Labour has called for ministers and members of the royal family to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics unless China allows UN investigators to examine alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang province.

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy wrote to Mr Raab earlier this month, arguing that a political response was needed to deny China a PR coup next year.

But the foreign secretary said on Thursday the government was reluctant to over-politicise the sporting event by announcing a political boycott.

Mr Raab said: In general were mindful not to over-politicise the Olympics ... I think over-politicising what is a sporting event doesnt have a lot of currency among other countries.

He previously said it wanted to separate sport from diplomacy and politics but there may come a point where that might not be possible.

The Lib Dems have called for a sporting boycott of the Winter Olympics. Leader Sir Ed Davey urged the government to send a clear message about the genocide happening in front of our eyes.

But Mr Raab claimed the decision over a sporting boycott would lie with International Olympic Committee (IOC). In this country questions like whether the athletes participate are decided as a matter of law independently by the IOC.

In March the foreign secretary announced announced sanctions against four Chinese officials accused over atrocities committed against Uygher Muslims, in coordinated action with the EU and US.
The Northern Ireland protocol could become a constant problem in relations between the EU and UK, peers have found.

They warn that this could happen if both sides refuse to change their fundamentally flawed approaches to resolving the dispute.

A House of Lords committee, created to look at the controversial post-Brexit trading agreements in Northern Ireland, has suggested that NI could become a permanent casualty of Brexit should a compromise not be found soon.

The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed on to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. This is done by keeping Northern Ireland in the EUs single market for goods.

However, currently the EU and UK are unable to agree on the implementation of new checks and processes on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

The committee expressed concern over the fundamentally flawed approaches of both the UK and the EU. They said that the UK approach had a lack of clarity, transparency and readiness and suggested that the EU approach showed a lack of balance, understanding and flexibility.

An introductory report has been published by the committee on the arrangements which they feel have created problems on trade in the Irish Sea.

Although the committee has members who hold a variety of political viewpoints, which include nationalist and unionist peers from Northern Ireland, their findings were agreed on by all.

The report found that there had been a serious deterioration in relations between London, Belfast, Dublin and Brussels. It also suggested that the EU mistrusts whether or not the UK is acting in good faith. The committee felt that the UK, on the other hand, thinks the EU is adopting a disproportionate approach to how the protocol is being implemented.

Chair of the committee, Lord Jay of Ewelme, called the disagreement a real worry, adding that compromise, even if difficult, was urgently needed.

He said: "That wont be easy, but it is an absolute necessity that the UK and the EU should now work together urgently to identify solutions if Northern Ireland is not to become a permanent casualty of the Brexit process.

"The tensions over the protocol currently seem insoluble. Yet that was also true of the political situation during the Troubles. But the peace process ultimately took root and flourished, through a process of time, patience, dialogue, and most of all trust. Those same qualities are now needed to address the problems that Brexit and the protocol present."

He went on to add: If there is no resolution, if it just festers, it seems to me it will become a constant irritant in the relationship between the EU and the UK and it will become an irritant within the island of Ireland, between north and south.

"I cannot see that that is in the interest of either community or any of the communities in Northern Ireland nor of business people in Northern Ireland nor of the economy of Northern Ireland and thats what worries me, thats why I really do think it is important to reach an agreement here.

"This is not something in my view that can just be allowed or should just be allowed to fester. I think thats a real worry."

The committee also found that trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK had been significantly disrupted, with a risk that some British businesses could withdraw from the NI market.

Another concern was the UK-EU agreement on veterinary standards, with both sides called on to find a compromise in their rules.

Finally, it was suggested that alternatives to the trading agreement should be considered with the Stormont Assembly set to vote in 2024 on whether or not to drop these arrangements.

Additional reporting by PA
Tunisias prime minister was reportedly physically assaulted inside the presidential palace as he was removed from his post by the countrys president Kais Saied.

Hichem Mechichi, and the rest of his government, was dismissed by Mr Saied on Tuesday in what has been described by critics as a coup.

Mr Saied, who also dissolved parliament and announced he would now take control as attorney general, insisted his actions were constitutional and necessary to restore political stability.

However, the Middle East Eye news website has reported Mr Mechichi was summoned to the presidential palace on Tuesday and ordered to stand aside.

When he initially refused, the outlet claims he was beaten up and sustained significant injuries.

Middle East Eyes reporting has not yet been independently verified and the 47-year-old has not been seen in public since Mr Saied assumed sole power. He is reportedly at home and has denied claims he is under house arrest.

In a statement, Mr Mechichi said he would not be a disruptive element and was prepared to hand over power to a new prime minister appointed by the president.

I will hand over the responsibility to the person who will be entrusted by the President of the Republic to head the government within the year of deliberation that our country has been following since the revolution and in respect of the laws that befit the state, wishing all the success to the new government team," he said in a statement.

Despite numerous opposition figures decrying Mr Saieds actions as a coup, the president  who was elected with 70 per cent of the vote in 2019  retains broad public backing.

Tunisia has been gripped by mass protests against its political class, with many angered by the countrys escalating economic woes and the near-collapse of its healthcare system due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A decade after its Arab Spring revolution ousted long-time dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has yet to cement its new democratic constitution nor establish tangible change for many of its citizens.

Mr Saied, an independent, rose to power thanks to the support of Tunisians who blamed the established, squabbling major parties for the countrys problems.

However, few expected such a radical effort by the former lawyer to overhaul Tunisias political system.

As well as deposing Mr Mechichi, Mr Saied also forcibly dissolved parliament and sent soldiers to prevent MPs from entering the building. He has also instituted a nationwide curfew and banned gatherings of more than three people in public.

Anonymous sources quoted by Middle East Eye claim security officials from Egypt were present when Mr Saied forced the prime minister to resign, and were directing the operation of his alleged coup.

People celebrate in the street after Tunisian President Kais Saied announced the dissolution of parliament and Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi's government in Tunis on July 25 (AFP via Getty Images)

In May, the same outlet  which is based in London and was founded in 2014 by a former Guardian writer  reported it had seen leaked documents which laid out a plan by Mr Saied to seize power in a so-called constitutional coup.

At the time the president admitted the document was genuine but said it was merely advice from his office and not an official proposal.

Tunisian political experts have told The Independent that while Mr Saieds actual actions are in breach of the constitution and intended to amass more powers in the presidency, they were probably an attempt to transition from a parliamentary to a presidential political system and not an actual coup.

Tunisia could end up somewhere between an autocratic Egyptian-style dictatorship and full multi-party democracy if Mr Saied is successful, one analyst predicted.
A 27-year-old air stewardess who was retraining as a pilot after a cancer scare has died after she was involved in a plane crash, according to reports.

McKenna Naheana Vierra was flying in a Cessna plane in Alaska on Monday when she crashed with her instructor, Dakota Bauder, who also died in the incident, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety, State Troopers and Anchorage Daily News.

Ms Vierra allegedly took off from Merrill Field airport in Anchorage and crashed between 11am and 1pm. After the flight was reported missing on Monday, an airborne searcher found the location of the wreckage at about 10.45pm, it was reported.

The bodies of Ms Vierra and Ms Bauder were recovered from the crash site on Tuesday, in Alaskas Upper Eagle River Valley. The terrain was described as steep and mountainous, and volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group were reportedly helping the recovery on Tuesday.

Ms Vierra, of Hawaii, had recently been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a type of cancer that begins in the bodys immune system. Her family wrote in a fundraiser page on GoFundMe that she wanted to retrain to be a pilot after recovering through chemotherapy.

McKenna was a beautiful person inside and out, her aunt, Parrish Cummings, wrote on the fundraiser. While working for Hawaiian airlines she started to pursue her career by working towards getting her Helicopter and plane license to become a pilot.

She added: McKenna was a free spirit and sweet soul. She lived her life to the fullest and didnt let anything stop her from achieving what God had destined for her journey through her life. This was tragic moment for everyone.

Robin Sparling, a vice president at Hawaiian Airlines, told the Stara Advertiser that Ms Vierra had worked for the airline since November 2016.

He said in a statement: We will remember her beautiful smile, amazing personality and steadfast faith. Our hearts are with McKennas family during this sad and difficult time.

More than $13,000 (9,300) has been raised on the GoFundMe page, and officials from the Federal Aviation Authority are reportedly involved in an investigation. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.
A few weeks after Joe Biden was sworn in as Barack Obamas vice president, he held a private dinner.

The location was his official residence in the grounds of the Naval Observatory in Washington DC, a landmark in the city for more than a hundred years. The topic up for discussion was Afghanistan.

The half-dozen guests were US experts on the country and its reputation as the graveyard of empires  first for the British empire, whose troops tried and failed in the first half of the 19th century to seize it; and then for the Soviet Union, which invaded in 1979, triggering a massive insurgency led by mujahideen fighters and backed by the CIA. Its forces left a decade later, having lost at least 15,000 men, with 50,000 injured. (The Islamist fighters, among them a young Osama Bin Laden, suffered 90,000 casualties.)

By February 2009, when Biden held that dinner, it was becoming such a place for the United States.

Memories fade over a dozen years. Some of those who attended cannot, for instance, remember what Biden served for dinner, though they recall his wife, Jill Biden  now the first lady but then the second lady  saying hello to the group when she returned home from an evening engagement.

On one issue, however, there is utter clarity: Afghanistan was not a place where Biden thought more Americans should be losing their lives.

He started by saying, Dont tell me were there to reform the whole society and stuff, Barnett Rubin, director at the Centre on International Cooperation at New York University, and one of the experts on Afghanistan who was present that evening, tells The Independent. Were not going to use our young men for that.

By that stage the US had 67,000 troops in Afghanistan, but Americas original mission  capturing or killing Bin Laden  looked like a lost cause. The US, Britain and other allied forces were confronting increased and persistent military opposition from the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

And though America had already lost around 600 men in that war, Barack Obama, recently sworn in as president, was under intense pressure from his military commanders to send more soldiers to join the battle.

Later that year, Obama did just that, dispatching 33,000 personnel to bring the total of American troops to 100,000, with large numbers of additional private contractors, employed by the CIA or State Department.

The presidents hope had been that by agreeing to the surge in troop numbers, he would be able more quickly to order their withdrawal.

I do not make this decision lightly, he said in a half-hour address from the West Point Military Academy in New York. Let me be clear: none of this will be easy. The struggle against violent extremism will not be finished quickly, and it extends well beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan. It will be an enduring test of our free society, and our leadership in the world.

There is concern over the plight of women and young girls in the absence of US forces (Getty)

A dozen years later, Biden found himself president rather than someones deputy. He appeared determined to avoid repeating that previous policy, even though it was the product of an administration he had been part of and something in which he would become inextricably involved. Since he had held that dinner at the official residence, located half a mile from the British embassy, plenty had changed.

The total number of US and coalition troops in Afghanistan stood at 2,500, while the number of American casualties had risen to at least 2,372.

At least 250,000 Afghans had lost their lives, with 3 million displaced internally and 2.1 million leaving the country, mainly for Pakistan and Iran. In 2001, the population of the country was estimated at 37.5 million, while today it stands at 38 million.

Strategic momentum appears to be sort of with the Taliban

The price tag for the 20-year war stands at somewhere close to $2 trillion. Critics say there is little to show for it.

And while the US in 2011 located and killed Bin Laden in neighbouring Pakistan  his having fled Afghanistan very quickly after western forces invaded  Taliban and extremist forces are now resurgent.

A US general recently suggested that the insurgents control as many as half of the countrys district centres. Strategic momentum appears to be sort of with the Taliban, Gen Mark Milley, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently told reporters in Washington.

He said more than 200 of the 419 district centres were under Taliban control. A month earlier, he had said the Taliban controlled just 81 of them. Yet he claimed that a Taliban automatic military takeover is not a foregone conclusion, referring to the estimated $90bn spent training the Afghan security forces.

The two most important combat multipliers actually are will and leadership. And this is going to be a test now of the will and leadership of the Afghan people, the Afghan security forces, and the government of Afghanistan, he said.

Another major difference is that Joe Biden inherited a deal for the US military to withdraw, which was brokered by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

When Trump campaigned for the presidency, the former reality television star broke with many Republican orthodoxies, including on foreign policy issues. Among his stances was a determination that US troops should be brought home from both Iraq and Afghanistan, though perhaps not immediately.

Since the attacks of 9/11, the US operations in both countries had been viewed by much of the Washington establishment through the prism of the broader so-called war on terror.

We made a terrible mistake getting involved there in the first place, Trump told CNN in October 2015. It's a mess, it's a mess and at this point we probably have to [leave US troops in Afghanistan] because that thing will collapse in about two seconds after they leave.

By February 2020, the US and the Taliban had brokered a deal during talks in Qatar, to end the conflict and for America to withdraw. Pointedly, the deal did not include representatives of the US-backed Afghan government.

I really believe the Taliban wants to do something to show that were not all wasting time, Trump said in Washington after the agreement was signed.

If bad things happen, well go back.

 Biden feared continued US military presence in Afghanistan would never end

During his campaign for the presidency  his third run at the job  Biden also made clear his views on Afghanistan.

He wanted troops out too, though, as with many things, he sought to avoid being nailed down to a rigid timetable. There was speculation he might opt to retain a small counterterrorism force in the country.

Americans are rightly weary of our longest war; I am, too. But we must end the war responsibly, in a manner that ensures we both guard against threats to our homeland and never have to go back, he said in September 2020.

Anyone looking for proof of Bidens opinions on the matter was pointed to the journalist George Packers biography of US diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who served as Obamas special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan until he died in December 2010.

The book, Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century, quotes a private meeting between Biden and the diplomat, in which Holbrooke argued against a US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden, whose son Beau had deployed to Iraq for a year in 2008 as a major with the Delaware Army National Guard, reportedly told Holbrooke: I am not sending my boy back there to risk his life on behalf of womens rights; it just wont work, thats not what theyre there for.

Biden had not always been opposed to the USs military effort in Afghanistan. In September 2001, when al-Qaeda attacked New York and Washington, killing almost 3,000 people and delivering an agonising gut-punch to the nation, Biden was a member of the Senate and chair of its Foreign Relations Committee.

Shortly afterwards, he, along with almost every member of Congress, voted in favor of the Authorisation for Use of Military Force, a piece of legislation that gave George W Bush power to invade Afghanistan, to topple the Taliban leadership that had hosted Bin Laden.

The sole member of both chambers to vote against was Democratic congresswoman Barbara Lee. The California congresswoman was concerned about the vagueness of the language of the resolution, fearful that Bush and neoconservative supporters would use that to expand its original intention.

Biden said the war had now crossed into two generations (AFP/Getty)

Two years later, when the same legislation was used to invade Iraq in a war premised on false intelligence about Saddam Husseins alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, Lee found she had company.

But Biden, along with Hillary Clinton, voted in favour of the invasion. By 2005, when it had long since become clear that Saddam had no such weapons, Biden and others were calling their vote a mistake.

In late 2005, he told NBC News he believed the US had six months to turn around a deteriorating situation in its military operation in Iraq, and said of his 2002 vote to empower Bush: It was a mistake. It was a mistake to assume the president would use the authority we gave him properly.

This April, Biden told the nation that he was bringing the troops home.

Biden was able to implement what was in his heart, because the context has changed

Despite pressure from senior military commanders to retain the 2,500-odd personnel it still had there to give Afghan forces more time to fully take responsibility, he stuck to the plan he had set for himself.

War in Afghanistan was never meant to be a multi-generational undertaking, Biden said in a 15-minute address from the White House.

We were attacked. We went to war with clear goals. We achieved those objectives.

He said he was now the fourth president to have been commander in chief of US troops in Afghanistan.

We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for withdrawal, and expecting a different result, he said.

In July, images of Bagram air base, empty and abandoned after the US departure in the middle of the night, underscored the reality of what had taken place.

The base, which was rapidly pored over by Afghans in search of scrap or equipment to sell, had not just operated as the major entry and exit point for coalition forces over two decades. It was also one of many black sites where the CIA tortured prisoners to extract information about Bin Laden or other terror leaders.

Biden was among those watching the 2011 US military operation that killed Bin Laden (Getty)

Hundreds of alleged terrorists, swept off the battlefields or sold for bounties to the US by Pakistani intelligence, were flown from Bagram to Guantanamo Bay, even though no evidence was held on the vast majority of them.

Of the 800 men once held at the prison camp on the tip of Cuba, 40 remain. Perhaps ten men, among them Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, have been charged, and two decades after the twin towers were brought down in a cascade of horror, proceedings against those charged are still at a preliminary stage.

Both Biden and Obama vowed to close the prison.

Defending the decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, Biden said this summer: Let me ask those who wanted us to stay: how many thousands more of Americas daughters and sons are you willing to risk? How long would you have them stay?

While most Republicans were silent, there were some high-profile critics.

George W Bush, the man who had pushed for the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and who now spends his time painting and working with groups that help injured military veterans, claimed Afghan women and girls will suffer unspeakable harm.

In an interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle he was asked if the move was a mistake. You know, I think it is, yeah, because I think the consequences are going to be unbelievably bad, he said.

Laurel Miller, a former State Department specialist on Pakistan and Afghanistan, says Biden had long been opposed to the presence of US troops.

She says it appeared that his decision to keep a small counterterrorism force in the country had been dropped once it was judged it was not a viable stand-alone policy option, and the Taliban would not agree to it.

Troops were initially dispatched in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks (Getty)

Miller, director of International Crisis Groups Asia programme, says Biden is not in any doubt that the security situation in Afghanistan will likely get worse once US troops left.

Instead he judged that, although undesirable, that deterioration of conditions in Afghanistan is tolerable for US national security interests, says Miller.

Another factor helping make it easier for Biden is that, because Trumps primary foreign policy concern was immigration and building a wall on the USs southern border, Americans were able to step away from the shadow of 9/11 and a national obsession with counterterrorism.

Biden was able to implement what was in his heart, because the context has changed, says Vali Nasr, professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.

Nasr, who served as a senior advisor to Holbrooke at the State Department, says Obama also wanted to get out of Afghanistan, close Guantanamo and have the Department of Justice take over the prosecution of the 9/11 plotters from the Department of Defence.

He adds: Obama could not implement what was in his heart, because he was in the headwinds of domestic American political pressure.

Medea Benjamin is among those who were opposed to the US invasion of Afghanistan and repeatedly called for the withdrawal of the troops. A veteran peace and womens rights activist, Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, does not doubt that the Afghan people face fraught and challenging times.

She is adamant, however, that things cannot improve in the longer term while American soldiers are there. Their presence has given the Afghan armed forces and authorities an excuse not to step up, and has also contributed to massive corruption, she says.

Weve always been working with peace groups and women's groups in Afghanistan and we'll continue to do that. We feel that its unfortunate the Taliban is as strong as it is, but its been strong for quite a long time now, she says, when asked how US activists can help ordinary Afghans.

Our friends in Afghanistan often say to us, theyre fighting on many fronts  theyre fighting the Taliban, theyre fighting the warlords, theyre fighting their own corrupt government, and theyre fighting outside forces, she says.

Well, now therell be fewer outside forces there, and thats one less thing for them to be focusing on.
A 32-year-old Native American man in California was beaten and his dog killed by two police officers in an empty parking lot near the Nevada border on Saturday.

George Barlow, III, Paiute is now in an intensive care unit in a hospital after police brutally beat him around 2am outside a closed gas station on the Bishop Paiute Reservation, reports said.

Police said they had received a call about a violation of a restraining order from an apartment complex and that when the officers arrived, they allegedly found Mr Barlow yelling.

Reports said that instead of finding the person who had called 911, the police officers tased, pepper-sprayed and beat the Native American man and killed his dog.

The disturbing incident  captured on bodycam footage that was released by the Inyo County Sheriffs Office on Monday  has led to acrimony between the residents in Bishop, a city near the Nevada border.

The police statement said: While looking in the area, the deputies noticed a male subject across the street at the Chevron station, which was closed; the subject was agitated and yelling.

The officials claimed Mr Barlow charged at a deputy, refused to follow commands, and grabbed one deputys baton. All this is also seen in the body cam footage. But the police say that the Indigenous mans dog, a pit bull, was shot after he ordered it to attack the officers. However, none of this can be seen or overheard in the video footage.

The police have charged Mr Barlow with crimes including obstruction and resisting officers, threatening criminal intent, assault with a deadly weapon non-firearm, violation of parole, and battery on a peace officer.

Thomas Hardy, the Inyo County District Attorney was quoted by the Daily Beast as saying that the charges against Mr Barlow have not been referred to his office. Its my understanding that the sheriff has an active investigation into Mr Barlow, but it has not been referred over.

He, however, added that he has received a number of emails from the residents demanding accountability. He said: Its more important to be thorough and accurate than to be fast. That being said, I hope we will have it wrapped up in a few weeks instead of a few months.

Mr Barlows family and supporters said the incident is another reminder of what they view as law enforcements brutal treatment of Indigenous residents.

In an interview with the Daily Beast, Ciera Heavy Runner, a cousin of Mr Barlow, said: This has not only been extremely devastating to Georges loved ones, but it has devastated our entire tribal community. This situation weighs so heavy on the hearts of so many people in our community.

She added: Many people do not currently feel safe on our own reservation and unfortunately, the ICSO is who we have to call on in an emergency.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up for Mr Barlow. One relative wrote that he did not deserve to be brutalised like this, nobody does. The fundraising site has so far raised about $25,000 for his medical bills and lawyer fees.

Lina Sandoval, one of Mr Barlows childhood friends said he is the biggest teddy bear who had a smile on his face regardless of what heartbreak he was going through, including the loss of his mother.

She added: Despite his big size, hes not aggressive. Thats why this is so shocking and disappointing.

Meanwhile, in a video of the incident posted on social media by a bystander, Mr Barlow can be seen on the ground while officers kick him as he appears to grip one of their batons. One of the deputies is heard saying: I am gonna shoot your dog.

But, reports said that the footage did not clearly capture the dog biting the deputies even though the officers said that they suffered dog bites.
Childrens hospitals in Arkansas are seeing a record increase in the number of young people being admitted for coronavirus as the state struggles with a surge due to the Delta variant.

Two hospitals in Little Rock and Springdale told CNN that 24 paediatric patients were hospitalised with Covid-19 on Wednesday.

The numbers mark the highest increase over any point in the pandemic at 50 per cent, setting a record for the number of children in hospital with the virus.

The broadcaster said that seven of the total are in intensive care while two are on ventilators. More than half of the children hospitalised were eligible for vaccination, the hospital said.

"Were seeing a real surge with the Delta variant that we did not see previously," Dr Rick Barr, chief clinical officer at Arkansas Childrens Hospital, told the broadcaster. "This is the worst that weve seen it for kids, absolutely."

Children are significantly less likely to become severely ill from coronavirus infection and are likely to experience mild symptoms. However, they are not immune to the virus or guaranteed not to experience severe side effects.

Dr Barr told CNN that parents are both shocked at the level of treatment some of their children are requiring and also regretful over not having them vaccinated.

"Theyre shocked because the messaging out there has been that kids dont really get sick with Covid, and we didnt see serious illnesses, except for rare instances, with the previous variants," he said.

"So parents are both shocked and now they understand the value of vaccines. In fact, theyre encouraging other parents to get their kids vaccinated."

All children aged 12 or older are now eligible to receive a free coronavirus vaccine in Arkansas.

"We find that often they are not vaccinated," Mr Barr said. "Weve seen multiple instances where they now wish theyd gotten their child vaccinated."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all children eligible to get a Covid-19 vaccination should get one.

Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective, the CDC writes on its website. It says the shots have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in US history, which includes studies in adolescents.

The state has seen a worrying rise in cases in recent weeks and has one of the lowest vaccination rates across the US. USA Facts reports that only 35 per cent of the states population has been vaccinated.

Arkansas reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday with its hospitalisations surpassing 1,000.

Director of the CDC Dr Rochelle Walensky has previously described the new outbreak of infections as a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

She said: We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk.

Over 49 per cent or 163 million people across the US have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus since the mass vaccination programme was rolled out in December.

The state Department of Public Health has said that 99 per cent of cases between 1 January and last week were among those who have not received a vaccination.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press
A Louisiana doctor says the Covid-19 Delta variant is spreading so rapidly that state hospitals dont have a "game plan" to handle an expected surge of cases.

Infectious-disease specialist Dr Catherine ONeal told CNN that the exponential spread of the variant led to a 50 per cent increase at her hospital in Louisiana, where less than half of the state is vaccinated.

"You dont get your arms around something like this. This isnt a controllable thing at this point. This is blocking and tackling. This is every day making a new plan," she said.

"We dont have a game plan for three days from now except that we know that three days from now will be far worse."

In Louisiana, about 40 per cent of the state has received at least one dose while 36 per cent are fully dosed. Nationwide, 57 per cent have received at least one dose while 49 per cent are fully vaccinated, per the CDC data.

Ms ONeal has been raising alarm bells in Louisiana for the past few weeks, saying there are some breakthrough cases of vaccinated coming into hospitals but that the majority are from the unvaccinated.

Dr Scott Gottlieb, who sits on the board of Covid vaccine maker Pfizer and is the former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, told CNBC this week data from the UK suggested rising cases in the US due to the Delta variant would decline in the next two to three weeks.

He said theres a "very clear trend down" after the country likely peaked from its earlier exposure to the Delta strain of the virus. The countrys average infections increased from late May to mid-July before cases began falling since Sunday.

If the UK is turning the corner, its a pretty good indication that maybe were further into this than we think and maybe were two or three weeks away from starting to see our own plateau here in the United States, he said in an interview with CNBCs Squawk Box.

He also said the Delta variant was "much more transmissible" but said changing guidelines on wearing masks and vaccines only made the average American more confused.

He warned that even the vaccinated can contract Covid and potentially spread the virus to the unvaccinated but that shouldnt translate into general guidance for the entire population.

"I dont think were going to get enough bang for our buck by telling vaccinated people to wear a mask at all times to make it worth our while, I think were further into this Delta wave than were picking up," he said.

Much more prudent guidance would be that If you are vaccinated in a high prevalence area, in contact with the virus, you think you might have the virus because you have mild symptoms of it: be prudent, get tested, maybe wear a mask especially if you are around a vulnerable person."
A North Carolina woman who was scared of getting vaccinated is pleading with Americans to get the shot after falling gravely ill from the Covid-19 Delta variant.

Eketrina Wilson, 39, issued the urgent warning after winding up in an intensive care unit at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and struggling for breath.

Ms Wilson told the Winston-Salem Journal she had avoided getting the vaccine out of fear, and a mistaken belief that her age would protect her.

I wasnt vaccinated because I was scared, Ms Wilson said.

She contracted the illness early in July and experienced tiredness and shortness of breath for two weeks before seeking medical attention.

After arriving at Wake Forest Baptist Health High Point Medical Center on 19 July, she spent three days in a general ward.

She had a terrible shortness of breath and low levels of oxygen, Dr Kinchit Shah told the Winston-Salem Journal.

After the first three days, it was time to send her to the ICU. She was not getting better.

Ms Wilson began to get better, and after she was well enough to leave ICU she requested a vaccine as she couldnt face going through the same experience again.

Speaking after being discharged from hospital, she said she was still having difficulty breathing and faced a long road to recovery.

It hurts too much to breathe, she said on a Zoom call with reporters.

Along with many vaccine skeptics who have fallen ill from the virus, shes now pleading with others to get the jabs.

Its not scary. Its just like the flu shot. You have to have it or youre going to get sick.
An Arkansas mother has been accused of inflicting unnecessary medical procedures on her adopted son and raising thousands in charitable donations in the process.

According to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by the state attorney general, Kristy Beth Schneider and Erik Schneider raised $31,000 in charitable donations for their son between 2017 and 2019.

The boy was adopted by the couple in 2014 when he was five years old and was treated at hospitals in Little Rock, Cincinnati and at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Essentially Kristy and Erik Schneider falsified their childs health conditions to receive more than $31,000 in charitable donations and contributions from Arkansans Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said.

She added: Its sad and its sickening that parents would put their own child at risk, at health risk, for their own profit ... its unbelievable. The attorney general has filed the suit to seek recovery of the funds.

The Schneiders attorney, Jeff Rosenzweig, said he had not seen the lawsuit and declined comment when contacted by the Associated Press.

Ms Schneider on Monday was charged with endangering the welfare of her son, who the pair lost custody of in 2019. According to the charges, Ms Schneider created a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury to the young boy.

Ms Schneider allegedly subjected him to factitious disorder, previously known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and has been charged with a felony. Court records do not show any charges against Mr Schneider.

Kristy Schneider has been accused of subjecting her son to factitious disorder, previously known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy (Saline County Sheriff's Office)

We knew it was coming, weve been talking to the prosecutor, Mr Rosenzweig told AP, declining to comment further.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Ms Schneiders defence had arranged with prosecutors for her surrender following the filing of charges.

"Shes not hiding from anyone or anything," Mr Rosenzweig reportedly told the outlet.

At one point in 2019, the boy is said to have received end of life care in a Little Rock hospital, during which time his illness was highly publicised.

According to Mayo Clinic, factitious disorder is when family members or caregivers falsely present others, such as children, as being ill, injured or impaired.

According to the Gazette, Ms Schneider was released from the Saline County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press
A famous New York sommelier has been arrested and charged with arson after allegedly setting a spate of fires throughout the city.

New York City Fire Department said in a statement on Wednesday that Caleb Ganzer, 35, has been arrested and charged in connection to three incidents across 2021.

The wine expert is facing two counts of arson in the third degree; two counts of Criminal Mischief in the third degree; and three counts of Reckless Endangerment in the second degree.

The FDNY said that Mr Ganzer was arrested after allegedly setting fire to an outdoor dining structure owned by a local pizza restaurant, Prince Street Pizza, on 13 July.

Investigators claim they then connected the sommelier to two other fires in the area, one on 26 June and one on 8 January.

Authorities say that in June a pile of rubbish was set on fire at the corner of Broome St and Centre St while in January another local restaurants outdoor dining structure was set alight.

Video released by the department shows a man with long hair wearing shorts, a jacket and a backpack casually walk up to an outdoor structure before lighting a fire in multiple places.

FDNY officials said that no injuries were caused by the fires, but noted the alleged offences had the potential to be dangerous.

Caleb Ganzer, 35, has been arrested and charged in connection to three incidents across 2021 (Fire Department of New York)

Every act of arson has the potential to spread rapidly, endangering the lives of New Yorkers and FDNY members, said FDNY Commissioner Daniel A Nigro.

He added: Thankfully in these incidents, there were no injuries and the suspect has been apprehended before another fire could be set.

Mr Ganzer is currently listed as a managing partner at Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels and was listed as one of Wine & Spirits Best New Sommeliers 2016.

A biography for Mr Ganzer on GreatSommelier said the 35-year-old had worked at a number of acclaimed restaurants throughout his career.

We as the company are aware of the incident, and Mr Ganzer is on a leave of absence, Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels told media outlets in a statement.

The Independent has reached out to the restaurant for further comment.

Mr Ganzers social media accounts are not active following the news of his arrest. It is not clear if he has legal representation available to comment on his behalf.

FDNY said the case will be prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.
At the side of a busy road in the city of Rochester, New York, a man is pacing up and down with a phone in his hand. He is sweating profusely and clearly in distress. Two police cars have already arrived and an uneasy stand-off with several officers is underway, but the man cannot be calmed.

Its an all-too-familiar scene in a city that suffers from severe homelessness and the problems that come with it. But it is about to be interrupted by a pair of less familiar characters. They are carrying clipboards, rather than guns.

Social workers Dre Johnson and Renee Brean are part of a pioneering new approach to policing in this city in the far north of New York state. They belong to Rochesters person in crisis team  a unit of mental health and behavioural professionals who attend police calls where a person may be suffering a mental health episode.

In the aftermath of nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd, activists across the country made calls to defund, reform and reimagine policing. Here in Rochester, the city is doing just that. It has cut funding for police and diverted that money to the person in crisis team and other public safety measures.

The reform effort here was sparked by a police killing strikingly similar to Mr Floyds, and much closer to home. The city was already in the midst of racial justice protests when the video of Daniel Prudes death emerged in September last year. It showed the 41-year-old Black man being restrained by police in the street with a hood over his head until he became unconscious. He was naked, confused and clearly suffering a mental health episode. He died in hospital days later.

His death, which was later ruled a homicide, galvanised protesters and forced authorities to take action. In response, the city sought a new way of handling police calls involving mental health issues. The person in crisis team was born.

Im from this community, and people from this community have spoken after they saw how police treated Daniel Prude. Thats what birthed our programme, says Johnson, in between calls.

I dont think its taking a shot at the police to say that people werent happy with the responses they were getting when it came to mental health, or substance abuse and homelessness, he adds. There was a void and were filling that void.

The premise behind the person in crisis team is simple: it contends that for all their training and skills, police are not equipped to deal with the complexities that a mental health crisis requires. By sending mental health professionals along to 911 calls that may involve potential psychological breakdowns, officials hope that these situations can be dealt with more sensitively, and more safely.

These folks really are having one of the most difficult days of their life, says Johnson of the people they see on calls, and it doesnt need to be compounded by a fear of being hurt by someone who isnt trained or has the background or skill set to work with that person.

Thats no disrespect to the police. If we have a situation where theres a bank robbery, we want the police there to do their job. If we have a situation where someone is having a psychotic break, we want a mental health professional there to do their job.

What is happening in Rochester may have nationwide implications. The backlash to calls to defund the police have often been framed as a threat to public safety. But this city appears to be doing it in a way that improves it.

In 2020, the city passed a budget that cut police funding of $95 million by 4 per cent. It also reallocated $130,000 set aside for police overtime to youth services. This year it again cut police funding by some $4.5 million (3.2 million), with money being diverted to expanding the person in crisis team, which was officially launched in February after a pilot programme.

The Independent spent two days with the team as they responded to calls across the city. The ride-a-long offered a window into the kind of alternative policing that racial justice protesters across the country have been calling for, and which many hope could be replicated. This is what de-funding the police looks like.

Dre Johnson and Renee Brean are social workers on Rochesters Person in Crisis team. (Richard Hall / The Independent )

Rochester is a city of around 200,000 people on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, just over the border from Canada. It was once a boomtown, home to giant corporations like Kodak and Xerox, but with the collapse of industry and population decline over the decades, it is now one of the most impoverished cities in the entire country. It struggles with high levels of homelessness and poverty.

Brean and Johnson are part of a team of 30 staff members, all with similar backgrounds. Brean left a job at a local hospital to join the pic team. Johnson was working at a school in Florida. Both have Masters degrees in social work and talk of the job as a mission  a long overdue one.

Johnson draws a direct line from the racial justice protests to his own journey back to his hometown and this community. He was part of those protests, and today he sees himself as part of the answer to them.

For it to hit home here in Rochester, when we already had George Floyd going on in Minneapolis, it really struck a nerve in me, he says of the Daniel Prude video.

Im a black man who grew up in this community, and have been stopped by police dozens of times and been mistreated by police dozens of times and had I been a white man I wouldnt have been treated that way.

The team works from a city building in the centre of Rochester, where they wait for calls to come in from police dispatch. Any time a 911 call is flagged as potentially involving a mental health issue, the people in crisis team is called out to go along with the police. The service runs 24/7, and they are currently receiving around 100 calls a week.

Brean says there is no typical call.

It might be someone who is suicidal or homicidal, it might be someone who has run out of meds. Weve responded to calls where theres a domestic dispute between husband and wife, parents and children. Each crisis looks different.

They work in pairs, much like police officers. The rhythm of their day is similar, too. But their methods could not be more different.

On calls, they play something of a mediating role between police and the person in crisis.

Sometimes the people we serve feel uncomfortable with having the police there. They feel like whatever they are going through they are going to get, they feel like their mental health crisis is going to lead to them being in trouble, Brean says.

And really a lot of times either the person we are serving has experienced some kind of negative interaction with the police or someone they know. So were really trying to be mindful of their previous experiences.

If were paying tax dollars for someone to protect us, and were afraid to utilise that service, were afraid that the protection will cause harm, or make it worse, thats an issue, he says.

The crisis services office in Rochester (Richard Hall / The Independent )

A call comes in as he talks and the dispatcher briefs the team over the radio. A man has called 911 after a woman he knew had climbed into the shower with her clothes on and appeared to be suffering some kind of mental breakdown.

Brean and Johnson head to the scene. Once they arrive, they have to wait for the police before they approach. When they do, the team works in tandem with them. Johnson tries to arrange a ride home for a woman in distress, while Brean takes care of the children who were playing on the street. They go between the police and the ambulance drivers before she is eventually taken to hospital.

To the untrained eye, it looks less of a new way of policing and more of an addition to it. On this call, Johnson outlines how their mediator role came into play.

The officer seemed to get agitated with her because she wasnt listening. Ive seen many situations go awry because people were talking back, he says.

The way that we are taught from school is to be as least invasive as possible. The police are trained totally differently. They are trained to issue commands and people have to comply. It turns into a power struggle sometimes, he adds.

While not quite reaching the level of a power struggle, there have been some growing pains between the people in crisis team and their police colleagues. Both Brean and Johnson say earning the trust of the officers has been a key aim.

Brean recounts a time when a police officer who had initially been sceptical of their work saw them in action and changed his mind.

That was one of those moments that made my entire day, she says. But its been some work to get there.

Johnson chimes in: I feel like sometimes its been like pulling teeth to get them to say when weve done a good job. So when they are appreciative [...] it does help.

The reaction from the public, they say, has been nothing but positive.

I had a guy break down in tears and hug me after he was about to jump off a bridge, says Johnson. To see that level of appreciation you have some rough days but those are the times that make it all worth it.

One thing both of them are acutely aware of is the link between deprivation and where the calls are coming from.

Rochester has a poverty rate of 31 per cent. It is also a deeply unequal city, especially when economic indicators are broken down by race. Between 2007 and 2017, a landmark report ranked the city the worst in the country in the relative poverty gap between white and non-white workers.

It didnt use to be like that. The city once attracted workers from across the country, but when corporations later faced downturns and left, Rochesters economy went with them.

A lot of those folks [who lost their jobs] were African American, says Johnson. They were getting paid good money and now you dont have them, you have people left saying what do we do?

While the person in crisis team is new, those involved have high hopes. They have been receiving visitors from other city authorities across the country, as well as state lawmakers.

I would love to see our programme a part of the public safety sector, Johnson says. I would love to see it just be the norm. I think like when I was a kid and a cat used to run up in the tree, they would have firefighters come and get it out of the tree. That was because there was no animal control at that time. Then because they realised it wasnt a good use of our funding  we need to create something else.

So I would love in 10 years from now my kids to be growing up in a world where a person in crisis team exists in every city around the country.
US rangers are searching for a woman who faces charges for disturbing a grizzly bear and her cubs in Yellowstone National Park.

A video was captured of the suspect on 10 May of a woman taking photos before the bear becomes distressed and bluff charges, reported The Billings Gazette.

Yellowstone National Park later put out a post looking for the unidentified woman. She approached a female grizzly bear and her two cubs at the north end of the Roaring Mountain parking lot, officials said on Instagram.

Animals in the 2,200-acre park are strictly protected. The park states that visitors must always stay at least 100 yards (91 metres) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 metres ) away from all other animals, including bison and elk.

Fines can be hundreds of dollars for deliberately harassing wildlife. The animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be, states official park information The safest (and often best) view of wildlife is from inside a car.

The park has posted a picture of the woman who approached the grizzly bear, and has asked for help identifying her. The unidentified woman is described as white, mid-30s, brown hair, and wearing black clothing. If you were around Roaring Mountain on 10 May, 2021 at 4.45pm, or you have information that could help, please contact NPS Investigative Services Branch, wrote the post. You dont have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know.

Animal welfare is taken extremely seriously in national parks and protected areas in the US. In mid-July, a couple was fined for touching an endangered seal on their honeymoon in Hawaii. They posted about it on social media  the post went viral and the couple were identified by authorities. Hawaiian monk seals are endangered, there are roughly 1,400 left in existence.

Those found guilty of disturbing or touching a Hawaiian monk seal could be fined up to $50,000 (36,000), it also carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Grizzly Bears around the Yellowstone area are on the endangered species list, and protected under the Endangered Species Act  meaning it is illegal to harm, harass, or kill these bears, aside from in self-defence. Its estimated that there are between 700-100 grizzly bears in the Yellowstone area.
A quick-thinking lawyer ensured Brazils youngest ever Olympic medallist would not have her success exploited by trademarking her nickname on her behalf.

Rayssa Leal, 13, shot to superstardom in Brazil on Monday when she won the silver medal in the womens street skateboarding contest.

The youngster is known as Little Fairy in her home country after a video of her skating in a dress with fairy wings went viral when she was aged just seven.

But after her podium-topping performance in Tokyo, a Brazilian lawyer, Flavia Penido, realised an unscrupulous firm might capitalise on her success by trying to sell skateboarding equipment using her Little Fairy nickname.

So shortly after Ms Penido watched Rayssa claim the silver medal in the early hours on Monday morning, she checked with Brazils national authorities to see if the Little Fairy name had been trademarked.

When she found out it was still available, she registered the name herself on Rayssas behalf.

Sometimes you have to make quick decisions, Ms Penido said on Twitter.

The interest is obviously not economic but to preserve Rayssas eventual rights and show the importance of always having marketing and law work in tandem.

Once the teenager returns to Brazil from Japan Me Penido said she would cede the trademark rights to the skateboarder so she could control her own nickname and ensure nobody else profited from her success. Rayssas family has not responded to requests for comment.

The 13-year-old first became famous when skateboarding legend Tony Hawk tweeted a video of her attempting a skating trick while wearing a blue dress and fairy wings.

I dont know anything about this but its awesome: a fairytale heel flip in Brazil by Rayssa Leal, the skating icon said, in a video which has now been viewed more than 2.3 million times.

In the video, Rayssa is seen attempting to do the trick twice unsuccessfully, before landing it while jumping over a set of stairs.

According to her official Olympic profile, the video earned her the nickname Fadinha or Little Fairy because of her costume.
Protestors left body bags labelled Disinfo kills outside Facebooks headquarters in Washington DC in response to Covid-19 misinformation believed to be hosted on their website.

Real Facebook Oversight Board, a group of academics, experts and civil rights activists united with their worry about Facebooks unchecked power, organised the protest.

This follows on from President Biden saying that Facebook was killing people with the misinformation it hosted. He later went on to clarify that he was talking about the accounts and not the social media platform itself.

It is believed that Mr Biden was referring to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which listed a disinformation dozen; 12 people thought to be responsible for 73 per cent of all anti-vaxx theories on the site. High profile names on this list include Robert F Kennedy Jr, the son of Robert F Kennedy and nephew of President John F Kennedy.

Someone walks through the bodybag demonstration outside Facebook headquarters in Washington, DC (Jim Bourg/Reuters)

Twitter posts shared by the group include pictures from the protest with the body bags that appear to symbolise the destruction caused by social media sites displaying misinformation to its users about Covid-19 and the vaccines.

Body bags line the street. Facebook disinformation kills, reads the caption of the photographs.

This demonstration and the release of the report cited by the president come just before Facebook announced its earnings for the years second quarter. They earnt $28.58 billion in revenue, a 56 per cent increase from the year before.

Andy Stone, spokesperson for Facebook, replied to the protests post on Twitter, calling it cheap stunts.

Nothing if not consistent, the RFOB said theyd engage in cheap stunts and, lo and behold, theyre doing exactly that. Heres the truth about the steps, not stunts, were taking to address this serious issue, he wrote in reply.

In a statement to The Independent, Facebook elaborated on their efforts to reduce misinformation about Covid-19.

We permanently ban Pages, Groups, and accounts that repeatedly break our rules on COVID misinformation, and this includes more than a dozen Pages, Groups, and accounts from these individuals the company said.

Currently, the rate of vaccination is lagging across the country, causing Dr Rachel Walensky, director of the CDC, to label the rise in cases a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

This follows on from her announcement that preliminary data shows that 99.5 per cent of covid related deaths happen among the unvaccinated.
Democratic New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez provided a forceful takedown of Republican claims of voter fraud pushed by former President Donald Trump and his many supporters.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez went after the GOP claims during a hearing of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights discussing the voting bill in the Texas state legislature that prompted state Democrats to flee to Washington DC to prevent its passage.

They argue that Republicans are using false claims of voter fraud to make it harder to vote, especially for largely Democratic constituencies. The GOP on their end say that the new voting laws are meant to make it easier to vote, but harder to cheat.

Lets talk about... the myth of voter fraud. According to MIT election data and science lab  only about .00006% of total mail-in votes cast are results of voter fraud. Thats less likely than being [struck] by lightning, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said during the hearing.

Democrats have argued that the voting laws pushed by Republicans are a solution in search of a problem and that the real reasoning behind the laws is to make it harder for minorities to vote.

Democratic Rep Rashida Tlaib of Michigan told Republicans during the hearing you all won your elections with that same system that you now are saying is fueled with fraud.

Republicans on the subcommittee blasted the Texas state Democrats who fled the state capital of Austin for cutting and running from their responsibilities while Congressional Democrats defended their state party colleagues, arguing that they were trying to thwart a blatant, disgusting attempt to return to Jim Crow.

Dozens of Texas Democrats left the state for DC, where federal Democrats are trying to push through national election legislation aimed at making it easier to vote.

Three of the Texas representatives who left the state were questioned during the Thursday hearing  Reps Senfronia Thompson of Houston, Nicole Collier of Fort Worth, and Diego Bernal of San Antonio.

The top Republican on the subcommittee, Rep Pete Sessions of Texas, said: Today, in essence, were... coddling people who should be at work in the state of Texas.

And yet were treating them as hometown heroes in Washington DC. I believe that they need to have their constitutional duties performed and be back home, he added.

Testimony mostly focused on the Republican House Bill 3 in the Texas legislature that Democrats say would suppress the vote, mostly in minority areas.

You heard about the Republican-appointed (Texas) Secretary of State who said that the 2020 elections were smooth and secure, and yet we still found ourselves facing legislation to address the elections, Ms Collier said during the hearing.

US Republican Rep Pat Fallon said Democrats were more like carnival barkers than serious legislators and called their grievances hyperbolic in the extreme.

We dont act like a bunch of spoiled cowards running away and refusing to vote when its clear we dont have the numbers to get our way, Florida Republican Rep Scott Franklin said.

Ms Thompson answered: Even though Mr Franklin may call himself a coward, he doesnt have a right to classify me as one.

She said the Democrats were doing their jobs by leaving the state.

Lets be clear, these Republican voter suppression bills took pains to avoid mentioning race, but they are aimed directly at American voters of colour, Ms Tlaib said. This is a blatant, disgusting attempt to return to Jim Crow, disguised by expensive Washington consultants and lobbyists.

Theyre covering it up, but we all know what this is about, she added.
US president Joe Biden on Wednesday slipped up and used Donald Trumps name when referring to Barack Obama during a speech and said it was a Freudian slip.

Back in 2009, during the so-called Great Recession, the president asked me to be in charge of managing that piece, then-President Trump. Excuse me, Freudian slip, that was the last president. He caused the... anyway, President Obama, when I was vice president, said Joe Biden while addressing a crowd in the state of Pennsylvania.

Bidens Freudian slip remark was immediately picked by social media users.

I feel like Joe Biden might not know what a Freudian slip is, tweeted Abigail Marone, press secretary for Missouri senator Josh Hawley.

Biden Confuses President Trump and President Obama: Excuse Me, Freudian Slip, tweeted Fox News anchor Sean Hannity.

Recommended Watch as Biden delivers remarks on economy in Pennsylvania

The slip up happened when Mr Biden was speaking at a Mack Trucks assembly plant in Pennsylvanias Lehigh Valley. He promised workers that his policies would reshape the US economy for the working class.

They got a new sheriff in town, Mr Biden said after touring the Mack Trucks facility.

In his speech, Mr Biden discussed his plan to update the 1933 Buy American Act. The new rules will aim to help domestic manufacturers by proposing to increase the number of American-made goods being purchased by the federal government.

The Biden administration is proposing any products bought by the government must have 60 per cent of the value of their component parts manufactured in the US. The proposal will gradually increase that figure to 75 per cent by 2029, significantly higher than the 55 per cent threshold under the current law.

Mr Biden said the rules will put new impetus behind an initiative that he argued has become a hollow promise in recent years, an apparent reference to the tenure of his predecessor Donald Trump.

Additional reporting by agencies
Black Lives Matter has given US senator Sheldon Whitehouse an ultimatum: cut all ties with an exclusive, allegedly all-white beach club in his home state of Rhode Island, or expect round-the-clock protests.In addition to more obvious kinds of racial segregation in housing and employment, many outdoor recreation facilities like beaches and public pools were formally segregated for decades, and reman tacitly so.

Well go to his club, well go to his office, well go to his home  wherever we need to go, Mark Fisher, one of the directors of the Rhode Island chapter of the organisation, told WNLE . This club is a proven racist club with exclusive ties to supremacy and exclusion, and thats something thats not gonna be tolerated by me, by my associates, my affiliates or my organization.

Mr Whitehouse, the scion of a prominent political family, was a member of the exclusive Baileys Beach Club in Newport until 1991, when he transferred his shares in the club to his wife.

There have been calls for me to resign from the club, which I understand, the senator said last month. However, I have no membership to resign, nor will I ask my wife or any other family members to do so," the senator said. "First, they are on the right side of pushing for improvements. Second, and more importantly, my relationship with my family is not one in which I tell them what to do."

The club, formally known as the Spouting Rock Beach Association, where reserving a beachside cabana costs tens of thousands of dollars, has also denied that it is all-white.

"Recent characterizations in the press and in other commentary about Baileys Beach Club are inaccurate and false, the club told the Providence Journal in June. Over many years, Club members and their families have included people of many racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds from around the world who come to Newport every summer. Our membership comes from all over the globe to our small club and we welcome the diversity of view and background they bring to our community."

Still, club members have said that membership in the club, made up of many of Americas elite families like the Vanderbilts and Astors, wasnt very diverse, despite its stated policies.

Jewish, yes, Audrey Oswald, a lifelong member replied, told The New York Times about which minority groups are actually members of the club. Blacks, not really.

The beach club issue has taken on extra relevance because of the discrepancies between it and senator Whitehouses civil rights work, which has previously earned him an A rating from the Providence chapter of the NAACP.

The senator says hes about systemic change in America, Gary Dantzler, founder of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island, told The Washington Post. But the problem that I have with [his membership in an allegedly all-white club] is that its almost a contradiction. Someone with that power that we elected to be our senator, our watchdog, hes not fulfilling the part of being transparent to African Americans, so I have a huge problem with that.

The Independent has reached out to the senator and the beach club for comment. Correction: A previous version of this story stated that Senator Whitehouse transferred his shares of the club to his wife in 2017. He transferred the shares in 1991. We regret the error.
A growing group of Republican lawmakers is playing chicken with the Capitol police after refusing a new mask mandate, despite the threat of arrest.

Capitol police chief Thomas Manger ordered officers to report any members of Congress who refuse to wear a mask, warning they would be subject to arrest for unlawful entry under DC Code 22-3302.

While officers were directed to report members to the Sergeant at Arms before an immediate arrest, they werent told to give any staff or visitors the same leeway.

House Republican representatives Thomas Massie and Nancy Mace dared Nancy Pelosi and police to come at them, while Lauren Boebert reportedly dropped an offered mask to the floor (or slid across the table, per her office), and Marjorie Taylor Greene called on every Republican to ignore the "bulls***" after the mandate was reintroduced on Wednesday.

"This is INSANE," Mr Massie tweeted. "Might as well come into my office and arrest my entire staff. We are not wearing masks. I support the Capitol Hill Police, but the Chief of Police made a mistake here. The physician and the chief of police dont have this authority."

Ms Mace, meanwhile, posted a video online along with a bat, pile of poo, and clown emojis to taunt the House speaker and Capitol police to have at it, while telling her staff to work from home to avoid arrest.

"I had Covid, Ive had two vaccinations, Im washing my hands, Im even wearing my mask inside the chamber, but Im not going to wear it anywhere else. So Madam Speaker, come and get me," Ms Mace said.

Ms Taylor Greene, who along with Mr Massie is suing Ms Pelosi over $500 fines for not wearing a mask, said the Office of the Attending Physician has no authority to fine members or deny their vote if not wearing a mask.

In other words, Dr [Brian] Monahan is just another Pelosi puppet and is guilty of medical malpractice. After hearing this bulls*it, every single Republican should refuse to wear masks, she tweeted.

The GOP blowback comes after Mr Monhans briefing to GOP lawmakers late Wednesday was followed up with the Capitol polices bulletin Thursday morning, which was posted online by member Kat Cammack as todays edition of Pelosis abuse of power.

"I cannot comply with this tyrannical order," Ms Cammack told Fox News. "This is the peoples house, not Nancy Pelosis house."

A spokesman for Ms Pelosi told the outlet she does not control the US Capitol Police.

"We were unaware of the memo until it was reported in the press," he said.

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy said Capitol police arresting people on the House side of Congress, but not the Senate side where there is no mask mandate, is not the America we know.

Steve Scalise claimed the order came directly from Pelosi, despite the denial from her office.

To be clear: Pelosi is directing police to ARREST vaccinated people who arent wearing masks. This isnt about science  its about power and control, he tweeted.

Ms Boebert, who has been one of the most vocal opponents against the mask mandate, lead the GOP push back on Democrats ignoring their own mask mandate even as Capitol police made the arrest threats.

Want to start with the House Attending Physician, Nancy? she tweeted along with a photo of Dr Monhan.

Matt Rosendale posted a video of Democrat Jerry Nadler without a mask implying the mandates and threats of arrest dont apply to senior Democrats.
Russian state media has mocked the US Capitol police officers who testified over the 6 January riots, making racist comments about an officer who defended the Capitol amid the violence.

According to a report by The Daily Beast, Russian state media host Olga Skabeeva derided the commission in the Kremlin-funded TV program 60 Minutes this week.

The long-awaited first hearing in the United States was a total farce, Ms Skabeeva reportedly said.

Ms Skabeeva then hatefully attacked Capitol police officer Harry Dunn, who spoke on Tuesday about how he defended the House chamber from pro-Trump supporters.

During his emotional testimony, Mr Dunn told of how a group of rioters screamed the n-word at him

Imagine that, a huge dark-skinned policeman, his name is Harry Dunn, got teary-eyed like a boy, because the protesters called him the n-word, she said, according to The Daily Beast.

According to the outlet, the presenter then said the Russian translation of the racist slur out loud, noting that the racist word is commonly used on Russian state television.

The outlet pointed out that Ms Skabeeva frequently uses the word while presenting on the channel despite having acknowledged it is offensive. The report points out she has previously lived in the US.

Ms Skabeeva went on to push the growing racist conspiracy theory surrounding the shooting of rioter Ashli Babbitt, who some conservatives have come to paint as a patriotic martyr.

She was a white woman ... shot by a Black policeman, and a Black policeman has the right to shoot a white woman, she said, according to The Beast.

Following an investigation into Babbitts death, the Department of Justice ruled that no criminal action should be taken against the officer who shot her in the shoulder. The officer has not been publicly identified.

In some right-wing circles, speculation that the officer may have been Black is fuelling a racist conspiracy theory surrounding Babbitts death.

The DOJ ruled that Babbitt had entered the Capitol with rioters and was forcing her way through a broken glass door near the Speakers Lobby.

The House Select Committee began the polarising inquiry on Tuesday after Mr Trumps supporters overwhelmed the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn the election.

Republicans have largely pushed back against the commission, with many having downplayed or even denied the insurrection in the months after it took place.

Democrats have soldiered ahead with the investigation in the hope it will inform the public of what really happened that day.
Nearly 230 Republican members of the House and Senate are calling on the Supreme Court to weaken or entirely reverse Roe v. Wade, the courts landmark abortion ruling that established a womans right to choose in the United States.

In a legal brief filed this week and first reported by CNN, 228 current members of the House and Senate Republican caucuses expressed their support for a 2018 Mississippi law banning abortion with no exceptions for rape or other reasons after 15 weeks of the fetus development.

They wrote in their brief that the court should uphold the states law or send the case back to the lower courts with certain precedents wholly or partially overruled.

The Members of Congress respectfully submit that the Court uphold Mississippis law as effectuating important state interests, or, alternatively, return this case to the lower courts for consideration on a full evidentiary record, recognizing that certain precedents may be reconsidered and, where necessary, be wholly or partially overruled, the members of Congress, including both House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, wrote.

In this filing as well as separate legal briefs to the court in support of Mississippis law, Republicans including Texass attorney general, Ken Paxton, urged the Court specifically to revisit the so-called viability line, or the standard established in Planned Parenthood v. Casey that specified the right to an abortion up until the point when a fetus becomes viable to survive outside of the mothers uterus.

No amount of scientific evidence or public outcry can move a judge bound by the viability line of Casey, an untenable standard that should be revisited, wrote the 220-plus lawmakers in their filing this week.

The case is likely to be decided next spring. A lower court threw out the Mississippi law in late 2018, and the decision was upheld by a federal appeals court the next year.

The Supreme Courts justices agreed to take up the case in May, while explaining at the time that they would limit their decision to the legality of abortion bans that take effect before fetal viability.
First lady Jill Biden has been sent to the Walter Reed military hospital for a procedure, after getting an object lodged in her foot last weekend on a beach during a series of official events in Hawaii.

Last weekend, prior to her two official events in Hawaii, the first lady stepped on an object on the beach which became lodged in her left foot, the White House said in a statement on Thursday. She will undergo a procedure today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to remove the object. The President will join her.

The 70-year-old first lady passed through the islands on the way back to the US from the Tokyo Olympics.

While there, she met with military families and encouraged people to get vaccinated.

She didnt appear to be limping at events at the Waipahu High School and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

She did, however, thank teachers for their efforts during the pandemic.

As a teacher, I did my best to create a sense of community in my virtual class last year. But some things cant be replaced, she said. And thats especially true for students who missed out on sports, and proms, and school plays.

When we lost these connections, our world felt a little darker  a little colder, she added. Now, doesnt the time we spend with those we care about fill us with even more joy?

The swing through Hawaii came after a diplomatic turn in Japan, where Ms Biden attended the Tokyo Olympics and dined with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife Mariko.
Republican Jim Jordan tip-toed around when exactly he spoke to Donald Trump on 6 January amid threats from the Capitol riot committee he could be called as a material witness to the investigation.

The Ohio congressman confirmed in an interview with Spectrum News that he spoke to the former president the day of the attack, but that he could not remember when the conversation took place.

Yeah I mean  I spoke with the president last week, I speak with the president all of the time. I spoke with him on January 6," Mr Jordan said.

"Im actually kind of amazed sometimes that people keep asking this, of course, I talk to the president all the time," he added.

When asked if it was before, during or after the Capitol was attacked, Mr Jordan replied that he "spoke with him that day, after", before clarifying that he wasnt sure of the timing.

"I think after. I dont know if I spoke with him in the morning or not. I just dont know, Id have to go back and, I mean I dont, I dont, I dont know that, when those conversations happened, but what I know is I spoke with him all the time he said.

Mr Jordan was among the group of GOP representatives originally selected to sit on the 6 January committee before House speaker Nancy Pelosi vetoed his participation and installed Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who had both voted to impeach Mr Trump.

The question of who Mr Trump spoke to on 6 January was central in the impeachment that ultimately failed to convict the former president of inciting an insurrection.

The Houses impeachment managers were forced to retract a statement that Senator Mike Lee received a call from Mr Trump during the riot, which was based on reports the president was seeking to speak with Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville about issuing objections to the Electoral College vote count.

Mr Trump was also said to have had a heated call with Kevin McCarthy in which the then-president was quoted as saying the people at the Capitol were more upset about the election than the House Republican leader, who was reportedly asking Mr Trump to call off his supporters.

Before the committee hearings began on Tuesday, Ms Cheney singled out Mr Jordan as a potential focus of the hearing.

"I think that Congressman Jordan may well be a material witness, Ms Cheney told Good Morning America.

Hes somebody who was involved in a number of meetings in the lead-up to what happened on January 6th, involved in planning for January 6th, certainly for the objections that day as he said publicly.

Mr Jordan previously rejected the idea that he should be subpoenaed to testify about his conversations with Mr Trump. In May, he told The Washington Post that the suggestion was ridiculous.

"And why would they subpoena me? I didnt do anything wrong  I talked to the president, Mr Jordan told the Post. I talk to the president all the time. I just think thats  you know where Im at on this commission  this is all about going after President Trump. That seems obvious.

The question of whether Mr Jordan had spoken to Mr Trump on 6 January or the days leading up to it had been unclear until he confirmed it in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday.

Asked directly if he spoke to the ex-president on 6 January, Mr Jordan repeated a similar answer.

"Yes. I mean, Ive talked to the president Ive talked to the president so many I cant remember all the days Ive talked to him, but Ive certainly talked to the president," he said.
A group of GOP lawmakers was turned away from a Washington DC prison as they attempted to inspect the conditions of Capitol rioters in custody.

Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene were among the group warned they were trespassing and obstructing the entrance to the correctional facility.

The pair live-tweeted their attempt, along with Louie Gohmert and Paul Gosar, to make contact with prisoners held on charges related to the 6 January attack on the Capitol.

We absolutely are not trespassing and if that attitude is any indication of how theyre treating their prisoners inside I have great concerns, Ms Greene told media at the facility.

It comes after their press conference at the Department of Justice to counter the start of the 6 January commission on Tuesday was shut down early by protesters.

The four Republicans have been calling on Attorney General Merrick Garland to answer questions on the status of the prisoners and related investigations.

Dozens of defendants remain in jail awaiting trial, with some alleging harsh treatment like solitary confinement and another, Ronald Sandlin, alleging beatings and "mental torture" at the hands of correctional officers.

The Justice Department denied the allegations of beatings, and opponents to the GOP have dismissed attempts by Mr Gaetz and Ms Greene to demand answers as a stunt to downplay and distract from the House commission into 6 January.

After leaving the entrance area of the prison on Thursday, the group of GOP lawmakers said they were locked out from re-entering.

This was apparently a bait and switch, Mr Gaetz said. We are here just to speak to a supervisor and when the supervisor came out and we came out to have that discussion they literally ran behind us and locked the doors so that we wouldnt have the opportunity to present our identification and seek a review.
Republican members of Congress are protesting the idea of having to wear masks again, as the House reinstated its mandate on face coverings amid surging cases of the coronavirus across the US.

The mandate came on Tuesday evening, shortly after the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that fully vaccinated people should wear masks in settings where there are high numbers of coronavirus infections.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticised House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reintroducing the mandate as unscientific, to which she could be heard saying  hes such a moron , after speaking to reporters.

When The Independent asked House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, who recently received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, whether he felt safe in the House despite being only partially vaccinated, Mr Scalise, who was wearing a mask, said yes.

Rep Chip Roy of Texas delivered a fiery speech criticising Democrats for not focusing on the border and for saying people need to get a vaccine, only to encourage the continued use of face masks.

Which is it? Vaccines or masks, Mr Roy asked and in turn forced a motion to adjourn the House, which failed.

So of course we should adjourn to save the American people from the garbage that Pelosi and Democrats are shoving down the throats of the American people, Mr Roy said.

But Mr Roy deferred when he was asked if he was vaccinated.

None of your business, the Texas Republican told The Independent.

Similarly, Rep Matt Gaetz of Florida said he was opposed to the mask mandate in the House. But he deferred when asked about whether he was vaccinated.

Thats a very nosy question, the usually chatty Mr Gaetz said.

Mr Gaetzs ally in the House, Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, said Democrats were being hypocritical because they have the border wide open to immigrants who could be coming with Covid-19.

They really dont care. If they did care, then they would not only stop then, but Fauci wouldnt have funded gain-of-function research with our tax dollars, she said.

Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has previously rejected claims that the National Institutes of Health had funded gain-of-function-research  wherein a studied pathogen is altered to make more transmissible to study emerging diseases and therefore, combat them with vaccines.

Rep Pat Fallon of Texas said it was frustrating that as soon as some god down in Atlanta, likely referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said people didnt have to wear masks, Democrats stopped wearing masks, but then once the god said masks were needed, Democrats wore masks.

Im paying the fines, Im not wearing the damn mask, he said.

The divide has led to disputes between vaccinated Democrats and unvaccinated Republicans, as was the case when Rep Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida, had an exchange with Rep Jared Huffman, a Democrat from California.

Mr Huffman said the argument began when he and Mr Donalds were trying to get into the same elevator. Mr Huffman said he had seen Mr Donalds say on CNN he was unvaccinated.

And as I was turning away I said I think its not OK to be unvaccinated, unmasked and getting on an elevator with a bunch of people, Mr Huffman said.

The two then met upstairs and Mr Huffman said he reiterated what he said.

I then saw him upstairs and just reiterated I think youre being incredibly selfish. And thats when he said mind your own business, et cetera, Mr Huffman said.

Mr Donalds claimed he said that because Mr Huffman was minding his business unprompted.

Hes already gone to the metal detectors. He turns, talks to me like you need to go get vaccinated and stop being selfish and I looked at him like Mind your business because its none of his concern, Mr Donalds said.

But Mr Huffman is not the only Democrat frustrated by Republicans actions. Rep Mark Pocan of Wisconsin sent a letter to Dr Brian Monahan, the attending physician for the United States Congress, requesting to know how many members have not yet confirmed with the office that they have been vaccinated.

Im trying to decide if they are dumb as rocks or stubborn as rocks, he said. Id just like to have a rough idea of how many of them I should be avoiding in general.

Republican freshman Rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina said she thought it was odd that the mandate only applied to the House rather than the Senate but that she heard over lunch it might apply to the Senate starting Thursday.

Even the CDCs guidance says that only hotspots, do you need to be in a mask, and here this is not a hotspot, she said, noting that 85 per cent of members had been vaccinated, not to mention people who had Covid-19.

Ive had Covid, and Ive been vaccinated, we need to set a good example to lead our country through this crisis, and rather than politicizing this sort of thing, I dont agree with that at all, she said, adding that she doesnt shake hands and will wear her mask in the chamber.
The stunning loss of former president Donald Trumps preferred candidate in the runoff election in Texass 6th Congressional District has led to people wondering if Trumps influence has waned.

Similarly, when 17 Republican Senators voted to advance President Joe Bidens infrastructure package, many considered that his threat for  lots of primaries  was now hollow and Trump might be losing his grip on the party which he has dominated for the past five years or more.

There is no doubt Mr Trump is in a diminished position compared to a year ago. For one, hes no longer president and without his Twitter account, he can no longer cause seismic shifts in GOP policy positions as soon as he presses send. But the former president still has plenty of influence within the Republican Party.

First, lets focus on that race in Texass 6th District. Mr Trump doesnt like losers; its famously one of his go-to-insults and he still refuses to admit he lost to Mr Biden. But its important to remember the Texas race was a runoff election to a special election after US Rep Ron Wright died, and his wife Susan Wright ran to fill the seat, meaning it was always going to be an extraordinarily low-turnout race.

How low was it? In the May 2021 special election, 23 candidates tried running for the seat and there were 78,374 votes. By comparison, only 39,116 turned out to vote in the race this week . Similarly, because there was no Democrat in the runoff (Texas Democrats never fail to disappoint), Mr Trumps endorsement might have had an adverse effect and led to Democrats voting for Jake Ellzey .

They were not excited to vote for only Republicans, Dr Allison Campolo, the chairwoman of the Tarrant County Democratic Party, told a CBS affiliate. There were no Democrats in the race. But they certainly were not interested in voting for somebody who Trump endorsed.

Similarly, Mr Trump has made bum endorsements a few times, like when he endorsed appointed-Sen Luther Strange in Alabama only for him to lose the primary to Roy Moore before Mr Moores allegations of sexual impropriety with underage girls. Mr Trump also endorsed Lynda Bennett, a close friend of his chief of staff Mark Meadows, only for her to lose to Madison Cawthorn, who himself became an enthusiastic defender of the former president and spoke at the Stop the Steal rally.

What do all three of these races have in common? They were all runoffs in which turnout was low; its nearly impossible to extrapolate more broadly from the races.

Now, about those 17 Republican senators. On the surface, it looks embarrassing. But some of them are retiring, as is the case with Sens Rob Portman of Ohio, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Roy Blunt of Missouri, while Chuck Grassley of Iowa, currently the longest-serving Republican senator, has not indicated whether he will run for reelection.

In addition, plenty of Republicans who voted to advance the bill have just won re-election, as was the case with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sens Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Jim Risch of Idaho and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. This means they dont have to worry about the fury of a challenger from the right until 2026, and voter memory is almost never that long, especially on something as vanilla as infrastructure.

Furthermore, Ms Collins is from a state Mr Biden won and needs to worry as much about general election voters, which diminishes the power of a potential conservative challenger. Meanwhile, Mr Cassidy voted to convict Mr Trump during his second impeachment and has already faced criticism from his state party for doing so. Whats a little more heat when theres a target on your back?

The only senators who face real challenges are Lisa Murowski of Alaska, John Hoeven of North Dakota, and Todd Young of Indiana  who are up for reelection in 2022  and Mitt Romney of Utah and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, who are up in 2024.

But even then, there are significant caveats. Ms Murkowski, who is facing a Trump-endorsed primary challenger in Kelly Tshibaka, won a write-in campaign in 2010 when she lost her primary to a Tea Party challenger and now her state has ranked-choice voting as well. Mr Romney has also been a vocal critic of Mr Trump since his 2016 candidacy.

But Mr Young, who is from Indiana, might have a tougher time coming around. He has also voted largely in line with Republicans on other topics, so his fate is unclear at the moment. Mr Trump was so popular that even when the states then-governor Mike Pence endorsed Sen Ted Cruz in the 2016 GOP presidential primary, Mr Trump still won the state and then made Mr Pence his running mate.

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Mr Cramer will likely be in trouble if Mr Trump backs another candidate, especially in a state like North Dakota, where the former president is popular, especially because Mr Trump pressed the flesh to convince him to run, which he initially rejected before jumping into the Senate race in 2018.

The Trump post-presidency will inevitably be different from his presidency. But his influence is far from diminished. The fact this article even needs to be written is proof positive of that.
Tunisia s president is proposing that hundreds of tycoons suspected of embezzlement reach a deal with the state to finance public hospitals, schools and development projects in poor regions to avoid convictions.

President Kais Saied seized new political powers this week and is trying to tackle the corruption and tax evasion that have long plagued the economy, notably in the lucrative phosphate sector and food trading.

Saied is also seeking to counter accusations that his surprise decision to fire the prime minister and suspend parliament amounts to a coup. He insisted Wednesday on the provisional nature of the move and on his attachment to the freedoms and rights guaranteed in the Tunisian Constitution, created after protesters overthrew a dictator in 2011. The country is considered the only democratic success story resulting from the Arab Spring uprisings that year.

Saied met Wednesday night with the head of the Tunisian employers organization, Samir Majoul, and proposed an unusual deal to some 460 leading business figures suspected of embezzling billions of dollars in the years leading up to Tunisia's 2011 revolution.

To avoid legal action, Saied suggested reaching a settlement with the magnates under which they would finance development projects in poor regions, to return the money looted from the Tunisian people."

The projects could include construction of hospitals, schools and public roads, and the businessmen would be responsible for ensuring their maintenance for 10 years, Saied said.

The businessmen's names appear in a voluminous report established by an investigative commission in the aftermath of the revolution which overthrew autocratic leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. They are suspected of embezzling around 13.5 billion dinars (nearly $5 billion) from state coffers.

Saied called out corruption in the phosphate sector, whose production has fallen significantly in recent years.

Phosphate producers charge 25 dinars per ton for (truck) transport, whereas by train, it does not exceed seven dinars. They pay people to block the train and put obstacles on the tracks. It is not normal that Tunisia, which was the second-largest exporter of phosphate in the world, becomes an importer," Saied said.

He also urged the president of the employers organization to work with wholesale and retail traders to lower food prices by avoiding monopolization and speculation.

Corruption was a major driver of Tunisia's 2010-2011 revolution, and many Tunisians are frustrated that a decade of democracy has failed to wipe it out.
Maltas government bears responsibility for the murder of an anti-corruption journalist after creating a culture of impunity which led to her death, an inquiry has ruled.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in October 2017 when her car was targeted with a bomb as she drove home.

At the time, she was investigating a grid of companies that she believed were channelling kickbacks to Maltese politicians.

Prosecutors allege that a leading businessman with close ties to senior government officials masterminded the murder. Yorgen Fenech, who is awaiting trial for association to murder, denies all responsibility.

Three men suspected of setting off the bomb were arrested in December 2017. One has since pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain and is serving a 15-year jail term. The other two are awaiting trial.

The self-confessed middle-man has turned state witness and was granted a pardon.

A panel of judges leading the independent inquiry into her murder on Thursday said that tentacles of impunity spread to regulatory bodies and the police, leading to a collapse in the rule of law.

The inquiry, conducted by one serving judge and two retired judges, said Caruana Galizia's assassination had been linked to her investigative work but that the state did not recognise the immediate risks to her life and failed to take reasonable steps to avoid them.

The judges called for immediate action to regulate the links between politicians and big business.

Maltas prime minister, Robert Abela, said of the report, which he published: Lessons must be drawn and the reforms must continue with greater resolve.

Held separately from a police investigation, the inquiry looked into whether and how far the state was responsible for Caruana Galizias death or neglected to prevent it.

Witness testimony had raised concerns about endemic corruption, political involvement in the murder and obstruction of justice.

The inquiry took place despite fierce resistance from the government, which only caved after two years of sustained international pressure and demands from her family.

In a Facebook note posted the day after the murder, her son Matthew, also a journalist, wrote: This was no ordinary murder... We are at war against the state and organised crime, which have become indistinguishable.

Additional reporting by Reuters
A new self-defence militia are said to have raided a town in Mexicos southern region of Chiapas in search of members of a criminal group that had been terrorising the region, according to authorities.

A couple of hundred armed men from El Machete, which was announced just days ago, abducted 21 people and burned down at least a dozen buildings, an anonymous official in the Chiapas state prosecutors office told the Associated Press.

Authorities said masked men carrying rifles set cars ablaze and vandalised the town hall of Pantelho, about 150 miles north of Mexicos southern border with Guatemala, on Monday afternoon.

They spread out through the streets searching homes looking for members of a group called Los Herreras.

El Machete, an armed group of mostly indigenous Mexicans from Chiapas, announced its formation in July to defend against drug cartels and criminal groups like Los Herreras, according to news site Proceso.

Indigenous priest Marcelo Perez Perez, vicar of the social ministry of the diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas, told Proceso that armed groups and organised crime have taken over the region, leading to murders and disappearance among political opposition.

"This has caused a lot of violence, a lot of suffering, a lot of terror among the population, and that is already a great concern for the diocese," he said.

One cannot assess the extent to which organized crime has embedded itself in political parties to come to power, as has happened in Pantelho and Pueblo Nuevo Solistahuacan, where parties are instruments for organised crime to gain strength, he added.

The 21 abducted residents of Pantelho were reportedly taken to the nearby town of San Jose Buena Vista Tercero, about 7.5 miles further north.

In a video released online last week, El Machete outlined its goal to drive out the hitmen, drug traffickers and organised crime groups. Thousands gathered to show support for the masked men carrying rifles.
Powerful Shia political and militia leaders in Iraq are divided over Joe Bidens promise to end a US combat mission in Iraq, amid reports Irans top general has paid a secret visit to the country to discuss the plan.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have stepped up attacks on US forces in the country, piling pressure on Iraqi prime minister Mustafa Kadhimi to secure a withdrawal agreement during meetings in Washington this week.

On Monday President Biden promised to end the combat mission by the end of the year but did not explicitly specify if he planned to reduce the 2,500 or so American troops believed to be there.

Administration officials told US media outlets it was likely a withdrawal on paper: and most of the forces would remain but be reclassified in training roles.

Nevertheless, Influential Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose calls for anti-US presence protests in the past have seen tens of thousands take to the streets, thanked the Iraqi prime minister for the efforts undertaken to crystallise this agreement.

It followed a similar message, from political leader and cleric Ammar al-Hakim, who heads up the Hikma Movement that is known to be relatively closely aligned with Irans interests in Iraq. Unusually tweeting in English Hakim said the negotiating team in Washington were crowned with success.

The Fatah parliamentary coalition, led by militiaman Hadi al-Ameri, meanwhile described the withdrawal as a national achievement and positive step.

But a spokesperson Kataib Hezbollah told The Independent they did not believe a full withdrawal would happen, saying instead it was a deceptive declaration to maintain the occupation. There was no official announcement of withdrawal from President but rather a change in the character of the forces from combative to advisory, and this is a manipulation of words and a clear deception, the spokesperson said.

The resistance will remain fully prepared until the real withdrawal.

It came amid reports in Kurdish news outlet Shafaq News that Esmail Qaani, the new commander of Irans Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), secretly travelled to Baghdad to discuss the withdrawal with political and armed groups.

It reportedly followed another secretive meeting he held in Baghdad in June.

The announcement comes on the heels of Bidens 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 U.S. military.

Tensions have flared in Iraq over the continued presence of US troops there, despite the fact the administration maintains they are mostly in advisory and training roles.

That reached boiling point last January when under the orders of former US President Donald Trump, the US assassinated Irans top general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in an airstrike on Baghdad airport.

Since then, there have been dozens of rocket attacks on US presence in the country.

Qaani reportedly discussed details of the withdrawal as some Iran-aligned groups in Iraq expressed reservations about the deal.

Saad al Saadi - a senior member of the pro-Iran militia group Asaib Ahl al-Haq, echoed Kateab Hezbollahs wor local media that the resistance factions will end their military operations if their conditions for full and true withdrawal are met.

In an interview with Shafaq news he added: Otherwise, military action will continue, noting that they will give an opportunity for the forces to withdraw.
The fatal shooting of a Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank is to be investigated by the Israeli military.

Palestinian officials said the boy, 12, was killed by Israeli army forces as he travelled in a car.

The shooting took place in Beit Ummar, a southern West Bank town near the city of Hebron, on Wednesday.

The Israeli military confirmed that troops shot at a vehicle in the town, believing it had been behaving suspiciously.

Officials said the troops thought it was the same car from which they had seen a newborn baby's remains being discarded.

The boy's family said he was shot in the chest.

He was taken to hospital in Hebron but died as a result of his injuries.

The Israeli military said it tried to arrest the car's passengers.

Soldiers called out and fired into the air in an attempt to stop the vehicle.

When the car did not stop, one of the soldiers fired at its wheels, officials said.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed the boy's death.

On Thursday, clashes broke out between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians at the funeral of the deceased.
A Tunisian poll has shown overwhelming public support for President Kais Saied and his actions in his country, despite international concerns over his intervention in the countrys politics on Sunday.

The poll, conducted by Ermrhod Consulting showed 87 per cent public support for the Presidents suspension of parliament, dismissal of the prime minister, Hichem Mechichi and the removal of members immunity from criminal prosecution. Of the 900 people polled, only three per cent opposed the action.Its findings echo feelings on the streets of the capital Tunis, where few speak of a retreat from democracy and instead tell of their frustrations with party politics and corruption.

For now, Tunisia appears ready to trust its president. However, no details have been published of his roadmap out of the political turmoil. Other than urging against speculation and hoarding, Tunisians are still at a loss as to what Saieds long term plan might be.

Looking to his campaign promises of two years ago and his past as a professor of constitutional law, many are anticipating a rewriting of the constitution. Such a move, they anticipate, would vest clear power and accountability within the presidency and bring to an end the ceaseless power struggles between the Presidential Palace of Carthage and the Prime Ministers offices of Bardo that have dominated Tunisias post revolutionary political life. Such a move, one leading politician told The Independent, would usher in a Third Republic.

In the meantime, there are causes for concern. Despite his past as a constitutional scholar, the legality of his enactment of Article 80 of the Constitution, the legal basis for his subsequent action, remains a matter of debate.Likewise, President Saieds dismissal of senior government ministers and officials, as well as his stated determination to oversee their public prosecution, has raised concern.

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Critically, his involvement in the legal system is worrying. According to at least one commentator, if politicians and business people are seen to be prosecuted in a political court, the president will confirm his status as the aspiring strongman of western imagination.

If, however, the prosecutions are undertaken by Tunisias still independent judiciary, he stands to underscore his popularity still further.

In the meantime, Tunisia remains relatively calm.

Security forces, while having a marginally more notable presence, are far from a suffocating one. Opposition politicians remain at large and journalists, beyond the reported closure of Al Jazeeras Tunis office, have experienced little more than the routine police harassment they have known for years.

More importantly, one of the most critical bellwethers of the popular mood, Tunisias young civil society groups, highly educated and heavily invested in the countrys politics, as well as very quick to protest, remain silent. For now.

While support from the majority of civil society, including the countrys powerful trade union may be conditional upon their legality under the countrys constitution, in other areas, his popularity borders upon the cultish.

In Intilaka, a working class neighbourhood outside Tunis, an unemployed man of many years spoke of how his application to run a shop had been refused by the local council.If he could just talk to Kais Said, he said, he was sure he would understand and grant him permission to open his shop. Many, but not all, in Intilaka didnt want to see the parliament return at all, preferring Kais Saied to rule alone.Speaking on one of the main streets, Imen Khedhri a wedding cook said, The MPs dont care about the people. They fight, they just steal our money. I dont like parliament at all, she told a translator. Kais Saied is a just man, she said. He will remove the politicians and start something new. I just want him to rule.
A senior official in Texas has come under fire after he called Simone Biles a selfish, childish national embarrassment over her decision to withdraw from the Olympics team and all-around competitions.

Texas Deputy Attorney General Aaron Reitz issued an apology on Wednesday after he harshly criticised the gymnast for her decision to withdraw from competing due to mental health concerns.

In a now-deleted tweet that sparked criticism, Mr Reitz shared a video of gymnast Kerri Strug during her 1996 Olympics appearance where she clinched the gold medal during the all-around finals after competing on vault with an injured ankle.

Contrast this with our selfish, childish national embarrassment, Simone Biles, Mr Reitz wrote at the time.

The tweet is no longer on his page after receiving swift backlash from the public.

Instead, Mr Reitz has pinned an apology statement to his page.

I owe @Simone_Biles an apology. A big one, he wrote on Wednesday.

Mr Reitz went on to state that his past statement did not reflect the Texas Attorney Generals office.

In a moment of frustration and disappointment, I opined on subjects for which I am not adequately versed. That was an error. I cant imagine what Simone Biles has gone through, he said.

Simone Biles is a true patriot and one of the greatest gymnasts of our time. I apologise to her, and wish her well, his statement ended.

Biles withdrew from the team final competition in the Olympics after only competing in one event, citing mental health concerns.

Then it was announced that the 24-year-old would also be withdrawing from the all-around competition, in which she was favoured to take gold.

After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition, USA Gymnastics said in a statement. We wholeheartedly support Simones decision and applaud her bravery in prioritising her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.

Biles won four gold medals during the 2016 Rio Olympics, including the team final and all-around competition.

She has qualified to compete in all four individual events for gymnastics: uneven bars, vault, floor, and beam. The events will take place next week, but Biles has yet to announce if she will compete.
Summer holiday trips to and from France will depend on infection rates and the presence of Covid variants on an island 6,000 miles away, the foreign secretary has warned.

On 16 July, ministers moved France from amber list status to a new amber plus category. The effect is to oblige all arriving travellers from France, including those who have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, to self-isolate in the UK. The reason stated: the prevalence of the Beta variant, which is much more significant on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean than it is in mainland France.

Speaking to BBC Today, Dominic Raab made clear this was the governments policy. He said: France is on the amber plus list.

The announcement in relation to double vaccinations from Europe will not apply to them. Theres an exemption for them specifically.

Obviously the evidence presented on which the original decision was taken was based on the prevalence of the so-called Beta variant, in particular in the Reunion bit of France which of course is away from the mainland.

The island is 5,800 miles from Paris. But Mr Raab said that was irrelevant.

Its not the distance that matters, its the ease of travel between different component parts of any individual country.

The revelation will dismay holiday companies, train operators and airlines, because it means that infection developments in tropical locations such as the French Caribbean islands and Guyane in South America will directly affect rules for summer travel between the UK and France.

A spokesperson for Brittany Ferries said : This is madness. It would be like France hammering British holidaymakers due to a Covid outbreak on the Falkland Islands.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy, The PC Agency, said: Ive never heard such utter rubbish. France should never have gone on the amber plus list anyway.

If government policy is going to be based on islands 5,000 miles away, then the policy needs to be changed urgently.

In 2018, while Brexit secretary, Dominic Raab said: I hadnt quite understood the full extent of this, but if you look at the UK and look at how we trade in goods, we are particularly reliant on the Dover-Calais crossing,

Earlier Frances Europe minister, Clement Beaune, said: The UKs quarantine measures for France are excessive and incomprehensible in health terms.

The foreign secretary said: We want to get France up the traffic light system as soon as possible.

We will take the scientific evidence every step along the way, and well be very careful to make sure that were proceeding in accordance with that advice.

The next traffic light review is expected on Wednesday or Thursday, 4 or 5 August, with changes taking effect from 4am on Monday 9 August.
It was the moment when the cabinet hawks hungry to open up the economy finally overcame the more cautious doves. In allowing fully vaccinated people to enter the UK from the EU and United States without quarantine from next Monday, Boris Johnson and his ministers overrode warnings by scientific advisers that the move involved a clear public health risk.

Significantly, Sajid Javid, the health secretary, focused on the boost to the economy rather than the possible downside on health from the potential to let in a new variant of Covid-19 capable of evading vaccine protection. His predecessor Matt Hancock might well have been more wary. He often formed an axis with Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, and the scientists to rein in Johnsons natural instinct to sweep away restrictions.

Johnson also likes to keep Conservative MPs happy and there has been intense lobbying from them on behalf of the understandably desperate tourism and travel sectors to salvage something from their miserable summer. The prime minister is keen to show the UKs vaccine success is delivering tangible results for the public, especially as his vaccine bounce in the opinion polls appears to have petered out (Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, revealingly described the change as progress we can all enjoy). Johnson also wanted to avoid being outflanked by EU countries opening up to American visitors and benefiting from an economic boost denied to the UK.

The move is another calculated gamble by the man described as The Gambler in the biography of that name by Tom Bower. Perhaps Johnson feels he is on a winning streak after defying public opinion and lifting Englands remaining restrictions last week. The average daily number of new cases has fallen since, and there are welcome signs hospital admissions may be following suit. Ministers are using the same argument to justify easing travel and social distancing curbs: If not now, when?

Johnson will hope that all the arrows point in a direction that vindicates his cautious optimism, even though he is now wise enough not to repeat last years foolish predictions of imminent victory over the virus. A further opening up is likely next week when the traffic light system for international travel is reviewed. The panicky decision to put France into a new amber plus list will likely be reversed, so people returning from holiday there will not have to quarantine.

But the picture is not as rosy as Johnson and his ministers would like it to be. They had hoped making it easier for people to travel from America to the UK would persuade the US to reciprocate, but the signs are that will not happen any time soon, and if it does it might be too late for the summer holiday season. While the UK can now point to falling Covid case numbers, they are rising in America, making the Biden administration nervous about lifting incoming travel restrictions.

Despite that, Johnsons move won him some positive headlines, with the Daily Mail proclaiming: Britains back in business. But he shouldnt get carried away. Labour, now taking a noticeably more robust line on the governments handling of the pandemic, attacked the decision as reckless. It is worried that some arrivals from EU countries such as Hungary (which has used Chinas Sinopharm vaccine) might be allowed in without quarantine if airlines fail to check which jab they had. Labour also points out that some US states use paper vaccine certificates which could be easier to forge.

Johnsons latest gamble might pay off. But a government that came to power pledging to protect our borders has been decidedly weak when it comes to international travel. Diplomatic convenience has sometimes trumped public health, notably when Johnson delayed adding India to the governments red list for two weeks when he was due to make a trade visit to the country, helping the Delta variant to spread in the UK. Diplomatic niceties should not come first in a pandemic.

If not now, when? is no guarantee of success. If the decision on travel backfires, and a fourth lockdown in England is blamed on it, the lengthening charge sheet of incompetence would become very dangerous for Johnson. The contrast with Keir Starmers cautious competence might finally work to Labours advantage.

Many voters like Johnson because, as some in the red wall put it, he is not a typical Conservative. But they dont want their prime minister to gamble with peoples lives.
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Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region.
On average, the Government of India spends over Rs7 lakh-crore on welfare schemes during a financial year. Service delivery of such welfare has traditionally been individual-centric  an individual applies for a scheme/benefit and provides the supporting documents concerning the same. Hence, most initiatives to formulate a common identity database of citizens in the last decade were focused on capturing and maintaining data points related to an individual.



However, such databases were found wanting when used for welfare scheme delivery since eligibility criteria for most of these schemes were structured around family constructs such as family income, parents occupation, landholding of the family, economic status of the family, etc.



Hence, we are now seeing a paradigm shift from individual-based scheme delivery to family-based scheme delivery databases. States such as Haryana have already taken significant strides in this direction with more than 95 percent of the states population covered under its flagship Parivar Pehchan Patra scheme. Tamil Nadu had also announced the creation of a state family database in August. Currently, the Government of India is exploring the possibility of developing a Universal Family ID.



Such a family-based database shall help governments better comprehend the socio-economic situation and introduce avenues for improved and efficient delivery of new and innovative schemes required as per the evolving welfare delivery ecosystem. For example, let us assume that a state government decides to provide financial benefits to families of COVID-19 deceased persons. In a traditional welfare delivery ecosystem, this shall entail the submission of an application form by the deceased persons family members, which would then be validated through a field verification process. This complex, error-prone and subjectivity-based process may require months to conclude.



With a family-based database, identifying such families and the respective beneficiary for transferring the benefit can be achieved electronically. This shall not only reduce the process of welfare delivery to a matter of days but shall also help to reduce the subjectivity and hence the inherent corruption in the process.



This concept has already been implemented in various countries around the world. In 2003, Brazil launched a family-based benefit system Bolsa Familia, which helped reduce the number of people living below the poverty line from 6.3 percent to 3 percent in six years. Indonesia, Turkey, Mexico have also implemented versions of the family-based welfare delivery systems.



However, to create a universal family identity programme, the governments will need to address legal, administrative, technological and security challenges. Currently, there is no universal legal definition of a family in India. In a socially and culturally diverse country like ours, this definition may need to be notified by each state based on the demographics. Further, it would be pertinent to provide a statutory backing to the concept of Family ID to address key aspects including usage of collected data, information access guidelines, reporting and managing data breaches, etc.



The governance of welfare delivery will have to undergo a radical change with the beneficiary database being managed through a single department or an authority. The administrative reluctance of the line departments s to abandon their own scheme datasets for a common family repository shall also be another challenge.



The technical architecture of the family database should be able to deal with the ever-changing nature and structure of families. Further, maintaining data points like income, occupation, and marital status of family members will be critical to ensure data reliability.

Finally, data privacy is inherent for a web portal that shall store critical personal information of citizens. A robust ecosystem which is compliant with the IT Act, 2000 and its subsequent amendments will be required. Another challenge would be to learn from the previous experience of Aadhaar to ensure that data sharing with respective scheme-level databases does not become an impediment towards efficient welfare service delivery in the State.



Creating a Universal Family database is a great idea with an intent to redesign citizen welfare in India. However, officials would require taking into cognizance the above-mentioned challenges before its implementation.



The author of this article is Kanishk Maheshwari, Co-founder and MD, Primus Partners



The views and opinions expressed are not of IIFL Securities, indiainfoline.com


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More than 95% of the wild tiger population has been wiped out over the last century, and that number is steadily increasing, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Today is International Tiger Day and we're celebrating this amazing feline! In 2010, during the Tiger Summit in Saint Petersburg in Russia, the heads of state of the tiger range countries pledged to achieve the "Tx2" objective which plans to double the number of wild tigers by 2022. At the time, the population was estimated at only 3,200 individuals.



This year has been very positive for tigers. For the first time in a century, the number of wild tigers is increasing. Tigers are perhaps the most dangerous and recognizable large felines. The black and red striped skin of these creatures has become their kind of identity card. Tigers are one of the most beautiful representatives of the animal world of our planet. They just have a lot of amazing abilities and features, which we invite you to get to know better:
The National Gallery of Australia has said that it will soon return a total of 14 artworks to India, from where it was illegally taken away.

This includes sculptures, photographs and a scroll.

AFP

The collection is composed largely of "religious and cultural artefacts" worth a total of about $2.2 million, including some dating back to the 12th century.

The museum, where the art was preserved has established that the artifacts were stolen and illegally exported.

AFP

The artworks were acquired by the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) between 1989-2009 from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor.



Kapoor, a former Manhattan art dealer who was the subject of a massive US federal investigation known as Operation Hidden Idol.

Kapoor is awaiting trial and denies all charges.

File Image

The National Gallery of Australia has already returned several other works it acquired via Kapoor, including a US$5 million bronze statue of the Hindu god Shiva that had been stolen from a Tamil Nadu temple.

Nick Mitzevich, the director of NGA said it had introduced guidelines to assess any legal and ethical issues with works it holds, and was investigating three other sculptures from its Asia collection.

"It's very much a live issue with galleries around the world. And we want to make sure that we can resolve these issues in a timely manner," he said.

"As a 21st-century institution one needs to look at the much wider ramifications of decision-making and we need to balance the legal requirements with the ethical," he said. "We have a framework that I think strikes an appropriate balance."

AFP

Many of the antiquities Kapoor dealt in dated back to the 11th and 12th centuries, when the Chola dynasty presided over a flourishing of Hindu art in Tamil Nadu.

Since his arrest in 2011, the United States has also returned hundreds of artefacts.

The Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Manpreet Vohra, has welcomed the latest decision.

"The government of India is grateful for this extraordinary act of goodwill and gesture of friendship from Australia," he said, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald. "These are outstanding pieces: their return will be extremely well-received by the government and people of India."
India has reported 43,509 fresh infections, 38,465 recoveries in the last 24 hours. Active caseload currently at 4,03,840, recovery rate at 97.38%, as per the data by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India Has Ordered 100 Crore Covid Vaccine Doses Till July 16

The government has so far ordered about 100 crore doses of Covid vaccine, two-thirds of that in the last two weeks. This was revealed in a health ministry response to a question in Rajya Sabha.

BCCL

According to the reply, 66 crore doses were ordered on July 16 out of 100.6 crore doses ordered so far by the central government.

MHA Asks States To Ensure No Rise In R Factor Of Coronavirus

The home ministry on Wednesday asked states and Union Territories to ensure that there is no increase in reproduction number of the virus, or R factor, particularly with the festival season round the corner.

BCCL

The reproduction number of the virus, commonly known as the 'R' factor, is hovering just below 'one' but is high in some of the states. As reiterated in my earlier D.O. letter dated 14.07.2021, all efforts should be made to ensure that there is no increase in the 'R' factor. Further, strictest possible measures should be taken in the districts that are still showing high positivity rates, Bhalla wrote to all state chief secretaries and UT administrators.

Covid Tally In Kerala Crosses 20,000 For The Second Day

There seems to be no reduction in the number of daily Covid cases in Kerala as on Wednesday, the figure crossed 20,000 for the second successive day.

BCCL

A statement issued here by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 22,056 people turned positive after 1,96,902 samples were sent for testing in the past 24 hours.

Maharashtra To Decide On Allowing Local Train Travel For Fully Vaccinated Citizens

Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Aslam Shaikh on Wednesday hinted that fully vaccinated passengers could be permitted to travel unrestricted in suburban train services within two to three days.

BCCL

Speaking to the media, Shaikh said in the state cabinet meeting, a detailed discussion took place over the opening of Mumbai local train and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses for fully vaccinated individuals.

Over 45 Crore Covid Vaccine Doses Administered In India

The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country have crossed 45 crore with those in the 18-44 age group receiving more than 15.38 crore jabs, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

BCCL

Nearly 40 lakh (39,42,457) vaccine doses have been administered on Wednesday, the ministry said citing a provisional report at 7 pm.
An estimated 2,500 shelters have been damaged or destroyed  affecting more than 12,000 refugees, in the last 24 hours alone, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that nearly a foot of rain fell on camps hosting more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees.

Thats nearly half the monthly rainfall average for July in one day, pointed out the UN agency.

UNICEF

Since August 2017, some 700,000 minority Muslim Rohingyas have fled violence in Myanma, crossing the border into Bangaldeshs Coxs Bazar, joining hundreds of thousands of others already settled in overcrowded camps there.

According to media reports, at least 11 people have died, and thousands are homeless again.

The UNHCR warned that as the monsoon season will stretch for another three months, more casualties are expected.

"I saw many terrible situations in the camps," said Kasim, a refugee in one of the worst affected areas. "Shelters were under water, mothers were running with their children crying." https://t.co/uB8Sa9RsIi#Rohingya #Bangladesh #floods pic.twitter.com/qOhkR50X5v  Poppy McPherson (@poppymcp) July 27, 2021

The impacts of the monsoon are compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, UNHCR noted, reminding that currently the entire country is under a lockdown in response to rising cases across the nation.

The adverse weather, latest landslides and floods further exacerbate the suffering and massive humanitarian needs of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Fifty years ago, a man thought of an idea to step foot on the extraordinary moon and it actually happened. With the successful moon landing of Apollo 11, two very lucky men walked where no man had walked before.

Only one of those men is still alive. That man is none other than 89-year-old Buzz Aldrin who feels nothing but good fortune and gratitude when he looks back to the historic manned moon landing from half a century ago.

A former astronaut and engineer, Aldrin made three spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission, and, as Lunar Module Eagle pilot on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission.

However, Aldrin is now going viral for a reason none of us could even imagine. The famous astronaut who is very active on Twitter shared via a tweet how he had to go through customs after his trip from the moon. He shared a form back from 1969 when they came back from space after making the historic landing on the moon.

Imagine spending 8 days in space, including nearly 22 hours on the Moon and returning home to Earth only to have to go through customs, said Aldrin in his tweet.

Imagine spending 8 days in space, including nearly 22 hours on the Moon and returning home to Earth only to have to go through customs!  #Apollo11 pic.twitter.com/FvtSVwSD1f  Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 28, 2021

People on the internet were surprised to see this custom form and had a lot of interesting replies.

Its not a joke? pic.twitter.com/U0XKNMx3pP  Daniel Mejia (@dmr0704) July 28, 2021

You wouldn't happen to have any fruit, vegetables, or firewood in that spaceship of yours would you, Dr. Aldrin? We don't want any space bugs ruining our crops.  RiscV (@MKVRiscy) July 28, 2021

"I just need to get the moon on the line to confirm a few things. You can have a seat over there. This... might take a while."  Dominic Lacasse (@DominicELacasse) July 29, 2021

You got to be kidding me.   Roman Marolin (@RomanMarolin) July 28, 2021

Do you have anything to declare?



Yes. This is stupid.  Milo (@miloramone) July 28, 2021

The form consists of all the details about the Apollo 11 spaceship that landed in Honolulu after its stint on the moon. It also shows the names of the astronauts that have now gone down in history including Neil Armstrong.

When it came to cargo that came back with them, it said moon rock and moon dust samples.' There were no details about any ailments under the declaration of health but a condition on board was yet to be determined.

People may wonder why was this procedure followed. This was followed to make sure that these astronauts have not brought any germs from the moon that couldn't be taken care of on Earth. The form also stated that the astronauts wore biological containment suits when they walked out from USS Hornet.

With the 52nd anniversary of #Apollo11 coming up, I look back and reflect on our last news conference before launching to the Moon  those are the faces of true wonder and pure excitement! pic.twitter.com/AJ1k2oEWgy  Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 14, 2021

Interestingly, the form surfaced online a few years back. NASA spokesperson John Yembrick confirmed its authenticity. The form is very much real but it was used as a joke. It was posted to the US Customs and Border Protection website in 2009. A news website called SPACE.com and was actually verified by NASA then.

The astronauts also had to spend three weeks in quarantine just to make sure they didn't get any foreign disease with them.

Charles Berry, who was in charge of medical operations during Apollo said that time, "If [the astronauts] came down with anything, whatever it was, a cough, a sniffle, or anything else, we were going to have to prove that it didn't come from the moon. So I think it would be pretty stupid to let somebody just walk into that situation. It would have been a total breakdown of the program."




Vimal Patel, CEO of QHotels, is spearheading a legal fight that reflects the growing clout and confidence of Indian Americans in the hospitality sector  and the toll of the coronavirus pandemic on their businesses. (qhotels.co/team photo)
Insurtech venture investment keeps climbing ever higher, with new records reached for the second quarter as well as the first half of 2021, according to the latest Willis Towers Watson report on the sector.

Global insurtech investment hit $7.4 billion in the first half (H1) 2021, a number that exceeded investment in all of 2020 and every other previous year, the companys Quarterly InsurTech Briefing determined.

Much of the H1 total was generated in the second quarter, with 162 deals that had more than $4.8 billion in investment behind them, a gigantic 210% increase over the 2020 second quarter. The Q2 number itself is a record, more than any annual total before 2019, Willis Towers Watson said. It reached so high because of 15 mega-rounds of $100 million or higher, raised by later-stage insurtechs seeking to expand. Combined, those deals led to $3.3 billion, or two-thirds of the Q2 funding total.

Beneficiaries of the 15 mega-rounds included Germany-based digital insurer wefox, which raised $650 million for its gigantic Series C; and UK-based pet insurance MGA Bought By Many, which pulled in a $350 million Series D, according to the report. Among other noteworthy raises  Shift Technology pulled in a $220 million Series D, the report noted.

Another factor behind Q2s deal bonanza  many of the fundings were Series B and C financings, which tend to be higher. But early-stage deals were also higher, growing by more than 9% than in the previous quarter and 200% from the 2020 second quarter, when the pandemic temporarily dampened deal activity. Early-stage deals accounted for 57 of the Q2 total, according to the report.

Heres a breakdown of which kind of insurtechs attracted the most Q2 funding:

Insurtechs focused on distribution  55% of startup deals and for 10 of the 15 mega-rounds. These startups were typically focused on reducing dependence on agent channels, Willis Towers Watson said.

73% involved P/C related insurtechs.

43 companies raised funds for L&H technology.

35 companies attracted funding in Q2, with new entrants from companies including Botswana, Mali, Romania, Saudia Arabia and Turkey.

Some insurtechs are trying to better understand venture capital trends for what is a relatively new sector. InsurTech NY, the largest Insurtech community in North America, is launching a study focused on corporate capital. In announcing the project, InsurTech NY Managing Director David Gritz noted that it was needed to provide insight for an investment sector thats less than a decade old.

Source: Willis Towers Watson

This article first was published in Insurance Journals sister publication, Carrier Management.

Topics InsurTech Tech
A U.S. congressional panel has asked Johnson & Johnson to provide it all documents related to the companys plans to put its talc liabilities into bankruptcy, according to a letter sent on Wednesday and seen by Reuters.

Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reforms subcommittee on economic and consumer policy, wrote that the panel is trying to learn how J&Js plans may affect people who have said they were harmed by the companys baby powder.

Krishnamoorthi also asked J&J to turn over documents showing how much funding it would provide to the new entity. The level of funding could determine payouts for victims.

Reuters reported this month https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/exclusive-jj-exploring-putting-talc-liabilities-into-bankruptcy-sources-2021-07-18 that J&J is exploring a plan to offload liabilities it faces from baby powder litigation into a new company, which would then file for bankruptcy.

The healthcare company faces legal actions from tens of thousands of plaintiffs, including women suffering from ovarian cancer and others with mesothelioma, alleging that its baby powder and other talc products contained asbestos and caused cancer.

Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc has not decided on any particular course of action in this litigation other than to continue to defend the safety of talc and litigate these cases in the tort system, as the pending trials demonstrate, the company said in a statement.

The statement did not address the subcommittees request for documents.

The House subcommittee held hearings on carcinogens in baby powder in 2019 and has heard from people suffering from mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.

Separately, plaintiff attorneys filed a fresh legal challenge intended to prevent J&J from pursuing a bankruptcy for its baby powder liabilities.

They asked a Delaware judge overseeing a separate bankruptcy involving J&Js talc supplier, Imerys, to prohibit the maneuver, arguing it would evade obligations J&J has to Imerys, according to court documents filed on Wednesday.

A J&J spokesperson did not respond to questions about the legal challenge.

(Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in New York and Dan Levine in San Francisco; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Will Dunham)

Topics Politics
Health officials in Oklahoma on July 27 urged Gov. Kevin Stitt to issue an emergency declaration that would allow for expanded care for those with COVID-19  something the Republican has said he will not do.

Such a declaration would mean hospitals dealing with an increase in cases could convert areas such as conference rooms into bed space for non-COVID patients, said Dr. Mary Clarke, president of the state medical association.

A hospital cannot just randomly decide, Im going to make a hospital bed tomorrow' in another area because of state and federal regulations, Clarke said. The emergency order allows that to happen.

An emergency order would also allow public schools to issue mask mandates.

Democrats in the Oklahoma House have also called for the emergency declaration.

Needs across Oklahoma are different, and one thing is clear  we need local control returned and we need it now, Rep. Melissa Provenzano, a Democrat from Tulsa said in a statement.

Stitt ended the states previous emergency declaration in May and during a news conference said he has no plans to issue another.

This is about personal responsibility, Stitt said in Tulsa. This is about freedoms.

Data from Johns Hopkins University on July 27 shows the seven-day rolling average of new cases in Oklahoma has risen from 487.1 daily on July 11 to 1,158.9 on July 25.

The state health department reported 577 COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Dr. David Kendrick of the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine said Oklahoma has not developed a way to track the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients who are unvaccinated, but estimated they make up 99.5% of such cases.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 46.9% of Oklahomans had received at least one vaccine dose as of Monday and 39.9% were fully vaccinated. Nationwide 56.9% of the population had received one vaccination and 49.1% were fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Oklahoma
Two people are dead and dozens more were injured after a chemical leak at a Houston-area plant, officials said.

The incident happened about 7:35 p.m. on July 27 and involved an acetic acid leak at the LyondellBasell facility in the La Porte Complex, company spokesperson Chevalier Gray said in a statement. Emergency responders from the City of La Porte and Channel Industries Mutual Aid were on the scene.

Gray said two people sustained fatal injuries and four others sustained burns at the plant. The Harris County Fire Marshals Office later confirmed dozens more were injured. The two who died were contractors, the company said, and their names werent immediately released.

Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen said at a news conference Tuesday night that one person was life flighted to a hospital and one was sent by ambulance. Five others were treated at the scene and dozens were being monitored for symptoms that could include difficulty breathing and swallowing and irritants or burns to the skin.

Sometimes the terminology in these situations when theres a leak, you think of something pouring out. A leak could also be something exploded off the top and the chemical came out. So once we get into the investigation, well be able to specifically detail that out, Christensen said.

The company said it was working closely with responders and confirmed that all those working in the area of the leak were accounted for. It said the leak was stopped and cleanup was in progress, and that air monitoring continues to demonstrate no levels of concern for the community.

The cause was under investigation, the company said.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a statement on Twitter saying that she was heartbroken to learn of the deaths.

La Porte is located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Houston. The plant is in an unincorporated part of Harris County, adjacent to La Porte, according to a statement issued by La Porte EMS, and no shelter in place or other protective actions were recommended for the community.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Texas Chemicals
An arsonist set fire to an apartment building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, leaving 10 people temporarily without their home, fire officials said.

The fire at night on July 27 caused thousands of dollars in damage, WBRZ-TV reported.

Firefighters found the apartment engulfed in flames when they arrived, according to the Baton Rouge Fire Department. All of the residents made it safely outside.

Officials say those who were displaced by the blaze  six adults and four children  were assisted by the Red Cross.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The number of COVID-19 patients in Alabama hospitals Monday climbed to more than 900 _ a number the state has not seen since February _ as the state sees a surge in virus cases.

There were 947 COVID-19 patients in state hospitals Monday, up from 204 at the beginning of July, according to numbers from the Alabama Hospital Association. 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.

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.

Dr. Don Williamson, the former state health officer who now heads the Alabama Hospital Association, said the concern is not the number itself, but the steep upward trajectory in numbers. 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.

Health officials say the latest spike is associated with the delta variant which is exploiting low immunization rates, summer crowds and the end of cautionary measures like mask wearing.

It has hit, and its hit with a vengeance. We are now dealing with a wildfire and this wildfire is burning out of control, Dr. Mike Saag, a professor with the University of Alabama at Birminghams Division of Infectious Diseases, said Monday.

By the time we get to October, if we havent changed our _ for lack of a better word _ behavior about getting vaccinated and wearing masks in public, I think we could be in a very bad situation, Saag said.

Like the surge in the number of virus patients in hospitals, other barometers of the pandemic are seeing a similar rise.

The percent of COVID-19 tests coming back positive has jumped to 11.7% after lingering below 5% for many months. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Alabama has tripled over the last two weeks, rising from 472 new cases a day on July 10 to 1,495 on Saturday, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UAB, said the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals jumped by several hundred over just one week.

Its just going to be a matter of time I think before we start seeing a devastating toll in terms of deaths, Marrazzo said.

While Alabamas mask mandate has expired, both Marrazzo and Saag urged a return to voluntarily mask wearing, in public and in schools.

I think we should all go back to mask wearing, especially when were out in public. We should avoid large crowds. We dont have to lock down. We dont have to be at home. But if you do go out, make sure youre wearing a mask, even if youre vaccinated.

Harris said he previously had optimism the state would not see winter-level case numbers again. Now, he is unsure.

Alabama ranks last in the nation for the percentage of people who are fully vaccinated, according to numbers from Johns Hopkins.

We have really stalled out on vaccinations. We have encountered people that just have a very firm determination to never be vaccinated, Harris said. Its frustrating for all of us in public health. We hate to see all of the work weve done for a year-and-a-half to suddenly go up in smoke just because we cant get people vaccinated.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Alabama
A Belfast primary school principal has said she is saddened and sickened after a social media hate campaign has forced the Irish language nursery to abandon plans to open on the school's site.

Naiscoil na Seolta was due to open to 16 children at Braniel Primary School in September as the first Irish language school in the east of the city.

The pre-school would have been separate from Braniel Primary School but was to be housed in a classroom on the site.

The primary school released a statement to parents on Wednesday to say it would not now happen due to the actions of those who are not of our school community.

Braniel Primary principal Diane Dawson said she is saddened, sickened and angry.

"I am in despair about how we move Northern Ireland forward," she said.

What upsets me most is that my heart is for children. Why any child would be a threat on any school site is beyond me.

Some of the most disgusting and shameful bullying I have ever seen on Facebook by individuals with no association to the school. @ErvineLinda nor @NaiscoilSeolta deserved the vicious trolling and hate they received for renting a space on our site for the Naiscoil. @BeattieDoug https://t.co/kio1nisiVI  Diane Dawson (@DDawson2020) July 28, 2021

Speaking to the BBCshe said those who have politicised the nursery need to take "a long, hard look at themselves."

I am a unionist and not one word of the Irish language spoken undermines or weakens my unionism, and certainly not two-year-olds learning how to say colours on the Braniel school site.

In a statement the school said: It is with great sadness and regret that we had to inform our school community today of the decision of the Integrated Naiscoil na Seolta to relocate to another site due to actions of individuals not connected to the school.

Due to an ongoing social media hate campaign against some individuals and the integrated Naiscoil na Seolta, it is with great sadness that it is choosing to relocate to an alternative location.

A social media campaign was started and fuelled by those who are not connected to the school, nor are parents of our school and who are clearly not interested in facts and truth, who allowed disgusting comments to be posted that were littered with unfounded erroneous allegations about certain individuals and the Naiscoil.

The comments, made mostly by those who are not of our school community, on social media do not in any way reflect the opinions and beliefs of the governors and entire staff of the school.

The statement was signed on behalf of the board of governors, principal and staff of Braniel Nursery and Primary School.

A spokesperson for Naiscoil na Seolta said: We have been offered another venue which is in a better location and which is a larger space which will allow us to grow and develop.

The nursery recently received 73,000 (86,000) from Foras na Gaeilge, the north-south body for the promotion of the Irish language, for its running costs.

Its stated aim is to bring integrated Irish-medium primary education to the area.

Linda Ervine (Mark Marlow/PA)

Linda Ervine, Irish language development officer of Turas, the language organisation which has been running Irish classes for adults at the Skainos centre in east Belfast for a number of years, is among those behind Naiscoil na Seolta.

SDLP councillor Seamas de Faoite said those behind the online campaign should be ashamed of themselves.

He added: Those who ran this campaign of hate against nursery school children are truly warped and twisted. This school wasnt even open yet, it was due to welcome its first pupils in September and has already been forced to move.

This lack of tolerance is disgusting and is in no way representative of the majority of people in east Belfast.

The opening of an Irish language nursery school in east Belfast should have been a symbol of how far we have come in the past few decades, instead it has now become a symbol of how far we still have to go in Northern Ireland.
Burma Dozens of Myanmar Resistance Fighters Seized in Sagaing Region

Detained PDF fighters in Mingin with junta troops on Wednesday.

Almost 60 civilian resistance People Defense Force (PDF) fighters in Mingin were detained while they tried to attack a Sagaing Region village on Wednesday.

At about 5am on Wednesday, civilian resistance fighters attacked Pan Set and Taungbyu villages, which are strongholds of Pyu-Saw-Htee military allies who are armed with automatic rifles by the junta, according to the PDF.

According to residents, junta troops and Pyu-Saw-Htee raided have villages and attacked the resistance in the township over the past month.

A resistance fighter in Mingin told The Irrawaddy on Thursday they attacked villages on Wednesday to prevent junta attacks with the Phyu-Saw-Htee on villages in the south of the township.

During the firefight at Taungbyu village, the 57 resistance members were seized by the Pyu-Saw-Htee, according to the PDF.

Our fighters were detained by a trap after entering the village as the Pyu-Saw-Htee said they would surrender, said a member of the PDF. Another 12 resistance fighters outside the village escaped.

The resistance fighters trying to save the detainees were forced to retreat by junta reinforcements. After the firefight, the military regime used a helicopter to supply ammunition, residents said.

We have learned our members were detained at the Taungbyu village and some of them were slain, said the PDF member.

The Irrawaddy was unable to independently confirm the killing of PDF detainees.

U Maung Myint, a former lawmaker for Mingin Township who is a central executive committee member of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), posted on Facebook on Wednesday that the PDF members were captured because of military tactics.

The former military officer said one villager was killed and three injured during fighting in Pan Set village.

During the firefight, five resistance fighters were injured, according to the PDF.

Also on Thursday, troops and Pyu-Saw-Htee members raided Konyin village and tortured villagers, a PDF member said.

Residents of three villages nearby have fled their homes to avoid junta raids.

Clashes between the resistance and junta in Mingin Township began in June.

More than 10,000 residents from Twin, Linponeyi and Zee Pin Twin villages in Kani Township, Sagaing Region, have fled their homes due to junta raids. The bodies of 12 villagers buried by junta troops on Monday were found near Zee Pin Twin on Tuesday, according to residents.



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Burma Ethnic Shan Party Slams Myanmar Junta for Scrapping 2020 Election

The SNLDs emblem.

The popular Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) on Wednesday rebuked the juntas cancellation of the 2020 general election results.

On Monday, the military regime officially revoked the results of last years general election, nearly six months after it seized power in February, claiming the November poll was marred by fraud.

Cancellation of the election results is unfair and unacceptable because it oversteps the provisions in the 2008 Constitution upheld by the State Administrative Council itself as well as election law and goes against democratic norms, said the SNLD statement.

It is bullying candidates who honestly contested the election and the voters to completely annul the results without allowing candidates to challenge the decision, the ethnic party said.

It said the results represent the peoples will, adding that it recognizes its 42 candidates who won seats as the peoples representatives.

The National League for Democracy won 920 (or 82 percent) of the 1,117 elected seats up for grabs nationwide while the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) managed a humiliating 71 seats (or 6.4 percent) of elected seats. On the election day, some USDP representatives were caught with counterfeit voting stamps.

Despite the regimes claim, international observers like the Carter Center and domestic monitoring groups said the polls were free and fair. The Asian Network for Free Elections said the outcome was by and large, representative of the will of the people of Myanmar.

The regime has detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other senior NLD leaders since its coup on Feb. 1. Some party members have died in custody.

The regime has also replaced the leadership in the countrys election body. At a meeting with some political parties in May, the military-appointed Union Election Commission said it was considering dissolving the NLD.

Britains minister for Asia Nigel Adams tweeted: The junta in Myanmar continues to subvert democracy. It has annulled the results of the 2020 general election despite independent observers finding these reflected the true will of the electorate. The juntas investigation lacks any credibility.



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Burma Some 10,000 Villagers Flee Fighting in Myanmars Sagaing Region

Junta forces ransacked houses in Thabyay Aye Village in Yinmarbin. / CJ

Around 10,000 locals have been forced to flee their homes in Yinmarbin Township, Sagaing Region, due to attacks by junta forces, said residents who are now hiding in nearby forests.

At least five villages have emptied and their inhabitants are hiding in forests, said a Yinmarbin resident who is helping the displaced villagers. Yinmarbin lies to the west of Monywa, the capital of Sagaing Region in central Myanmar. The Chindwin River separates the two towns.

They dare not stay in the villages. Junta troops searched for the PDF [Peoples Defense Force] in Kyaukpyoke Village on Monday, and they ransacked the houses, the resident told The Irrawaddy.

Junta troops came into Yinmarbin in three columns, said another resident. They raided villages and killed cows and chicken for food. It was like a robbery.

Villagers are having trouble hiding in the forest due to rain. And many could not bring along necessities as they fled their homes quickly, said another resident helping the displaced villagers.

They have a lot of difficulties. Some need medicines. For the time being, we are cooking for them, she said.

Around 150 junta troops from divisions 33, 44 and 99 are deployed in three villages in a triangle formation. They have changed into civilian clothes and are hunting local resistance fighters, said residents.

A tactical commander of the Myanmar military has been leading the operations from Aung Zeya new town, a hilly neighborhood of war veterans near the villages.

Junta troops sailed down the Chindwin River on Saturday and marched to the border of Kani and Yinmarbin townships in two columns. Another column arrived via the Monywa-Kale Road.

PDF fighters from Yinmarbin, Kani and Monywa, who only have rudimentary hunting rifles and homemade guns, are fighting the junta troops. Some PDF troops from Pale and Myaing townships are assisting them.

PDF fighters ambushed junta troops in a forest in Yinmarbin on Sunday. The fighting was fierce and lasted for the whole day, said a resident.

The following day, PDF fighters ambushed another junta column marching to Kyaukpyoke Village. Five PDF fighters were killed, two injured and two others went missing when the junta responded with shelling, a Monywa PDF member said on Tuesday.

Junta troops and PDF fighters also clashed near Zepintwin Village on the border of Yinmarbin and Kani townships on Monday. Five junta troops died and three PDF fighters were injured, said a source close to the PDF. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the report.

After the fighting PDF fighters reported finding two slain bodies of males, believed to be in their 70s and buried with their hands tied behind their backs, near Zepintwin Village.

There has been no new clash since Tuesday, but junta troops are deployed in villages and searching for PDF fighters. Residents are thus unable to return to their homes.



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GUEST RESEARCH: Businesses in Australia and New Zealand are having difficulties on how to leverage their data due to lack of literacy, according to a study. The study describes this as Data Paradox, that instead of using data to improve business operations, it has become a burden.

Most businesses in Australia and New Zealand are struggling with the proliferation of data, and instead of leveraging it, it has become a burden due to pressing concerns: data skills gap, data silos, manual processes, business silos, and data privacy and security weaknesses, according to a Forrester global study, commissioned by Dell Technologies.

According to the study, the Data Paradox is driven by volume, velocity, and variety of data that overwhelms businesses, technology, people, and processes.

The findings are based on a survey of more than 4,000 decision-makers from 45 countries and hinges on the Dell Technologies Digital Transformation Index research, which assesses the digital maturity of businesses around the globe.

The new Digital Transformation Index revealed that data overload/unable to extract insights from data was the third highest global ranking obstacle to transformation. It was ranked at the fourth spot, up from 11th place in 2016.

1. The Perception paradox

Two-thirds of respondents (66%) (ANZ: 64%) say their business is data-driven and state data is the lifeblood of their organisation.

But only 21% (ANZ: 23%) testify to treating data as capital and prioritising its use across the business.

To provide some clarity about this paradox, the research outlines an objective measurement of businesses data readiness.

The results show that 88% of businesses (ANZ: 87%) are yet to progress either their data technology and processes and their data culture and skills.

Only 12% of businesses (ANZ: 13%) are defined as Data Champions: companies that are actively engaged in both areas of technology and process and culture and skills.

2. The Want More Than They Can Handle paradox

According to the research, 70% (ANZ: 71%) say they are gathering data faster than they can analyse and use, yet 67% (ANZ: 70%) say they constantly need more data than their current capabilities provide.

The study says this could be the result of:

 64% (ANZ: 65%) guarding a significant amount of their data in data centres they own or control, despite the known benefits of processing data at the edge (where the data is generated).

 Poor data leadership: 70% (ANZ:69%) admit their board still doesnt visibly support the companys data and analytics strategy.

 An IT strategy that doesnt scale: 49% (ANZ: 50%) are bolting on more data lakes, rather than consolidating what they have.

Consequentially, the boom in data is making their working lives harder rather than easier: 64% (ANZ:61%) complain they have excessive data that they cant meet security and compliance requirements, and 61% (ANZ: 60%) say their teams are already overwhelmed by the data that they have.

At a time when businesses are under immense pressure to embrace digital transformation to accelerate customer service, they need to juggle getting more data in, as well as better mining the data that they have. Particularly now, as 44% (ANZ: 43%) report that the pandemic significantly increased the amount of data they need to collect, store, and analyse, comments Dell Technologies senior director of technology Australia and New Zealand Adrian Iannessa.

Becoming a data-driven business is a journey, one that requires a continual balancing of data capture, analysis, storage and security to generate value and a competitive advantage, Iannessa adds.

3. The Seeing Without Doing paradox

Over the past 18 months, the on-demand sector has expanded. However, the number of businesses that transferred the majority of their applications and infrastructure to an as-a-service model is still few (20%) (ANZ: 22%).

Even though:

 64% (ANZ: 65%) see the opportunity to scale to changing customer demands;

 63% (ANZ: 68%) believe it would enable companies to be more agile;

 60% (ANZ: 57%) forecast businesses would provide applications (with just the touch of a button)

 An on-demand model would help the 83% (ANZ: 82%) of businesses that are currently wrestling with either or all of the following barriers to better capture, analyse, and act on data: High storage costs; a data warehouse that is not optimised; outdated IT infrastructure; and processes that are too manual to meet their needs.

Although businesses are struggling today, many have plans to create a better tomorrow: 66% (ANZ: 71%) intend to deploy machine learning to automate how they detect anomaly data, 57% (ANZ: 60%) are looking to move to a data-as-a-service model and 52% (ANZ: 48%) are planning to look deeper into the performance stack to rearchitect how they process and use data in the next one to three years.

The study suggests three ways businesses can turn their data burden into a data advantage:

1. Modernising their IT infrastructure, so it meets data where it lives, at the edge. This incorporates bringing businesses infrastructure and applications closer to where data needs to be captured, analysed and acted onwhile avoiding data sprawl, by maintaining a consistent multi-cloud operating model.

2. Optimising data pipelines, so data can flow freely and securely while being augmented by AI/ML.

3. Developing software to deliver the personalised, integrated experiences customers crave.
Mobile private networks can boost productivity in factories across the UK's regions and nations, from Wales to the Midlands and the North East.

A new report by Vodafone UK has found that the adoption of 5G could add as much as 6.3bn to the value of the UK manufacturing industry by 2030, transforming manufacturing operations and significantly increasing productivity. Investment in 5G in manufacturing could increase growth in the sector across the country, especially in the North West, North East, Midlands and Wales.

The report, Powering Up Manufacturing, Levelling Up Britain with economic analysis by WPI Economics, looks ahead to how the technology could impact the UKs manufacturing industry and highlights how the adoption of 5G in the manufacturing industry could play a significant role in realising Governments levelling up ambitions, especially in the North West, North East, East and West Midlands and Wales.

The report calls on the UK Government to set an ambitious target to become a global leader in the use of 5G technology in manufacturing over the next decade.

The report recommends support for manufacturers to invest in 5G mobile private networks, and the creation of 5G test and innovation centres in the regions and nations that stand to benefit most from increased take-up of 5G in manufacturing.

The report highlights key areas where 5G can support economic growth in the manufacturing industry across the UK:

Wirelessly connected factories with bespoke 5G mobile private networks (MPNs) can support the sharing of large quantities of data from thousands of devices simultaneously in real time, enabling better and faster decision making, facilitating machine learning and allowing processes to be adapted to maximise productivity.

5G allows for predictive maintenance. This means monitoring hundreds of variables, forecasting when and where repairs will be needed and avoiding expensive unplanned downtime.

5G-supported Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology can be used to visualise and plan designs in detail prior to the construction of physical prototypes. This will help workers to maintain and repair failed machinery and enable workers to be trained with less direct use of expensive physical machinery. 5G-supported AR and VR technology can also connect workers on a factory floor with engineers and designers located elsewhere, enabling them to access technical expertise without costly and time-consuming site visits.

Vodafone business director Anne Sheehan said: We are only beginning the 5G journey, but through our work with Ford, we know it offers huge potential for the manufacturing sector and beyond.

To realise this potential, we need to all get behind it, from Government and Ofcom creating the right policy and regulatory environment, through to businesses embracing the power of innovation, and, of course, us as network operators creating this network of the future.

Minister for Digital Infrastructure Matt Warman said: 5G can change the way Britain builds and weve sparked a wave of innovation in UK manufacturing through our 200m 5G trials scheme.

Weve seen driverless vehicles at Nissans Sunderland plant, VR at BAM Nutall building sites in Scotland and Vodafone boosting laser-welding robots in Essex.

The benefits of 5G for improving productivity, efficiency and safety in our manufacturing sector and beyond are clear, and Vodafones report is a ringing endorsement of how this revolutionary technology can help us build back better from the pandemic.
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French Defense Minister Florence Parly, center, arrives on the Champs Elysees prior to the Bastille Day parade in Paris, Wednesday July 14, 2021. France is celebrating its national holiday Wednesday with thousands of troops marching in a Paris parade and traditional parties around the country, after last year's events were scaled back because of virus fears.
FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2018 file photo, El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters. Prosecutors in El Salvador have issued an arrest warrant for Sanchez Ceren in July 2021 on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, according to Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado on Thursday, July 22, 2021.
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.
Tom Hallberg covers a little bit of everything, from skiing to long-form feature stories. A Teton Valley, Idaho, transplant by way of Portland and Bend, Oregon, he spends his time outside work writing fiction, splitboarding and climbing.
Since moving to Jackson Hole in 1992, Richard has covered everything from local government and criminal justice to sports and features. He currently concentrates on arts and entertainment, heading up the Scene section.
Joplin, MO (64801)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 83F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 62F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
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.










HOTEL OPENING : INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS & RESORTS BRINGS A NEW LUXURY EXPERIENCE TO AZERBAIJAN IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the worlds leading hotel companies, has debuted its world-renowned luxury brand InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in Azerbaijan with the recent opening of InterContinental Baku. HOTEL OPENING : INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS & RESORTS BRINGS A NEW LUXURY EXPERIENCE TO AZERBAIJAN IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the worlds leading hotel companies, has debuted its world-renowned luxury brand InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in Azerbaijan with the recent opening of InterContinental Baku. Azerbaijan - Industry economy - Hotel opening

This is a press release Category: Europe This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2021-07-29



The 128-room, new-build property overlooks the scenic Baku Bay, allowing guests to experience the InterContinental Life in luxurious modern surroundings while enjoying mesmerizing views of the Caspian Sea, harbour and Bakus iconic Flame Towers.



The city of Baku is a melting point of architecture inspired by the citys rich history and seamlessly combines the ancient and modern.



Baku is known for its oil-boom architecture, originating from a period of significant economic growth and development in the 19th century.



The hotels facade is inspired by this style, and the rest of the hotels design is inspired by the regions breath-taking landscape, history, and culture, and interwoven with InterContinentals modern luxury design to create an air of elegance and contemporary grandeur.



InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is famed for blending international know-how with a citys cultural heritage and InterContinental Baku is no exception.



Guests can become familiar with legendary medieval poet and scientist Nizami Ganjavi who was born in Azerbaijan in the 12th century, considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature.



His greatest collection of poems, Khamsa, is reflected in the hotels interior design and inspired the names of different hotel facilities, from the restaurant to the meeting spaces.



The hotel features seven floors of elegantly designed guest rooms, an all-day dining restaurant offering a thoughtful balance of local and Mediterranean cuisine and a SPA with indoor pool and hammam.



The mezzanine floor features the hotels Club InterContinental  named Iksander-nameh after Nizamis ode to Alexsander the Great - with spectacular views of the Baku Gulf and Caspian Sea and offers signature discreet private check-in and meeting and dining spaces.



The hotels 128 contemporary guestrooms, including 6 Junior Suites, blend luxury with technology and comfort. Designed for the needs of the worldly luxury traveller, rooms offer Wi-Fi access and a spacious workspace with task lighting and USB ports, smart touch panels specially designed for a guests needs, coffee and tea facilities, and indulgent bedding.



The Presidential Suite offers luxury and exclusivity with its own sauna and fitness facilities, along with a spacious private terrace, fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms and a large living space including a working and dining area.



The Seven Beauties Spa draws its name and aesthetics from a sensual poem written by Nazami in 1197, and the space and treatments are inspired by the areas rich history and traditions, with beautiful marble tiling and delicate lighting. Guests and visitors are invited to indulge, disconnect, and delight in the indoor swimming pool, sauna, hammam, gym and treatment rooms.



InterContinental Bakus Khamsa Restaurant showcases and blends Mediterranean and Azerbaijani local culinary gems. Visitors can enjoy a spacious dining atmosphere while tasting the very best locally sourced produce and accompanying the dining experience with a selection of over 50 wines from leading local and internationally recognised wineries. There is also a private dining room available for unforgettable private gatherings and events.



Located in the very centre of Baku, the hotel is adjacent to both the Sahil metro station and the famed 25km-long Seaside Boulevard, which harmoniously connects the unique architectural styles of the urban districts with Icheri Sheher - the Old City - a UNESCO World Heritage site developed from the 6th to the 21st century. Baku Airport is only 25 km away.



Pawel Czerwienka, General Manager of InterContinental Baku commented on the opening: As the world's first international luxury hotel brand, with 75 years of pioneering travel across the globe, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has proudly become an iconic symbol of sophistication and worldliness. The brand is renowned for weaving modern luxury design through its collection of iconic properties and we cant wait for guests to live the InterContinental Life experience at the brand-new InterContinental Baku.



The opening is the first in a host of openings for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in its 75th diamond anniversary year which will celebrate the return of travel. The brand will also see exciting openings in Barcelona, Spain; Grand Ho Tram, Vietnam; Luanda, Angola; Ras Al Khaimah, UAE; Khao Yai, Thailand; Sydney, Australia and Appi Kogen, Japan through the remainder of 2021.



Rooms at InterContinental Baku start from US$130. About IHG IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.



With a family of 16 hotel brands and IHG Rewards, one of the worlds largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has nearly 6,000 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a further 1,800 in the development pipeline. Luxury and Lifestyle: Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo

Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo Premium: HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, EVEN Hotels, voco Hotels

HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, EVEN Hotels, voco Hotels Essentials: Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, avid hotels

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, avid hotels Suites: Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood Suites InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Groups holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.









[ InterContinental Baku ]




Consumer Issues and Advice Columnist

Harlan was a full-time reporter and columnist for the JI from August 1997 to September 2017, after which he has continued to write weekly Consumer Diary and Leave it to Levy advice columns. Harlan graduated from Princeton University and NYU School of Law.
Leftist Pedro Castillo was sworn in as Perus fifth president in three years Wednesday on the 200th anniversary of the countrys independence, promising an end to corruption and a new constitution.

The 51-year-old rural schoolteacher, who has vowed to upend a quarter-century of neo-liberal government, enters the job with a lengthy to-do list: tame the coronavirus epidemic, reactivate a flagging economy and end years of political turmoil.

I swear by the people of Peru for a country without corruption and for a new constitution, he declared before Congress, coming back to a campaign promise to change Perus free market-friendly founding law.

The existing charter is a relic of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, serving jail time for corruption and crimes against humanity, and father of Castillos main presidential rival, right-wing populist Keiko Fujimori.

Insisting Peru could not remain a prisoner of the 1993 constitution, Castillo said he would send a bill to parliament with a view to organizing a referendum on replacing it.

Castillos Free Peru party does not enjoy a majority in a fragmented congress, holding 37 of the 130 seats.

He was declared the election victor on July 19, more than six weeks after a runoff race against Fujimori, whose allegations of voter fraud then had to be reviewed by an electoral jury.

Wednesdays swearing-in was attended by Spanish King Felipe VI, five Latin American leaders, former Bolivian president Evo Morales and the United States education secretary, among other guests.

Some 10,000 police officers were deployed in the capital Lima, and Castillo voters came out waving banners in a show of support.

 New deal with investors 

This is the first time this country will be governed by a peasant, Castillo told guests, sporting his trademark, traditional white sombrero and a typical black Andean suit.

He also sought to calm fears among investors, the business community and backers of Fujimori, who had sought to portray him as a communist who would turn Peru into a new Venezuela or North Korea.

During the election campaign it was said that we are going to expropriate (assets). It is totally false. We want the economy to have order, the new president said, adding, however, that he would be looking for a new deal with private investors.

Castillo is Perus first president in decades with no ties to the countrys political or economic elite.

He has promised reform to ensure there are no more poor people in a rich country, but has softened his initial campaign talk of nationalization.

He is a devout Catholic opposed to gay marriage and abortion.

Peru has been hard-hit by the coronavirus epidemic. With nearly 200,000 deaths among its 32 million population, it has the worlds highest reported mortality rate.

An extended pandemic lockdown in 2020 is blamed for the loss of millions of jobs and dumping the country into recession. GDP dropped more than 11 percent.

Castillo has appointed as his chief economic advisor World Bank economist Pedro Francke, who recently told AFP: We will not expropriate, we will not nationalize, we will not impose generalized price controls, we will not make any exchange control that prevents you from buying and selling dollars or taking dollars out of the country.

 President of all Peruvians 

It is widely hoped Castillo will bring an end to years of political upheaval in Peru.

A series of corruption scandals saw three different presidents in office in a single week last November.

Seven of the countrys last 10 leaders have either been convicted or are under investigation for graft.

Now that she has lost, Fujimori faces a corruption trial for allegedly taking illicit campaign funding for two previous presidential bids.

The election campaign has also been deeply polarizing, with often vehement public support on both sides of the political spectrum for the final two contenders.

Castillo must rapidly position himself as a president of all Peruvians and not as a president of half of Peruvians, political analyst Jessica Smith told AFP.

On Monday, Castillo received congratulations in a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who reinforced our shared commitment to promoting inclusive economic prosperity and thanked Peru for support in addressing the Venezuela crisis.

Shortly after Wednesdays inauguration ceremony, Venezuelas Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza arrived in Lima, according to the Andina news agency.

This marked a turning point in bilateral relations, with Peru among dozens of countries  including the United States  to have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader over President Nicolas Maduro.

Free Peru is one of few left-wing Peruvian parties to defend Maduros regime.

Castillo, who has vowed to renounce his presidential salary, said Wednesday he would also not govern from the official presidential residence, Pizarro Palace, in a break with the colonial symbols, and said he would return to his schoolteachers job at the end of his five-year term.

Three days of ceremonies will culminate in a military parade in Lima on Friday to mark the swearing in.

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IPSOS
On May 27, the news broke. The Tkemlups te Secwepemc Nation in British Columbia discovered evidence of unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in the community. Geo-radar surveys, which capture images of the subsurface without digging, detected the presence of some 200 unidentified graves in Kamloops, western Canada, where many indigenous students attended school between 1890 and 1969. On June 23, there was another thunderbolt in Marieval, Saskatchewan, still in the west. This time, 751 graves were discovered by geo-radar near another residential school, located in the Coweness community.

Several other macabre discoveries have followed since, notably near Vancouver. There are now close to 1,300 of these forgotten graves, in close proximity to the settlements or religious communities supported by the governments of the day, which for decades tried to assimilate 150,000 young indigenous people. This uncovering of a long-hidden past has provoked an unprecedented wave of outrage across Canada. Suddenly, the citizens of this peaceful country have become aware of the violence suffered by several generations of indigenous people, who were uprooted from their families and their culture and had another language forced on them. Worse, the police often helped priests and religious communities take young children and send them hundreds of miles away from home. Thousands of victims of childhood diseases and abuse never saw their parents again.

A Truth Commission, then nothing

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) heard testimony from those who lived in the residential schools across the country. Defeated, tearful, broken, these survivors told of the abuse they suffered, confided their fears. They explained how the system tried to kill the indigenous in the child. The goal was to make these descendants of the forest and tundra peoples into Canadians like any other. The Commissions final report estimated that 3,125 children died in these institutions. Since then, the death toll has risen to 6,000 in 140 residential schools between 1880 and 1997. Six of the TRCs final recommendations concerned these missing children, so that their families would finally know the circumstances of their death and the place of their burial.

And since then? Nothing. No action plan to provide information on those children whose parents waited in vain at the train or bus stop at the end of the school year. No records sent to brothers, sisters, cousins and neighbours who lost a relative or friend. Emptiness and silence, as if this damning story had never happened.

Future excavations at the old Sept-Iles residential school

Yet when news of the unmarked graves discovery broke, Shan Dak Puana almost breathed a sigh of relief. Finally we have proof of what has been said for years, exclaims this tireless indigenous rights activist, who lives in the Innu community of Uashat, near Sept-Iles, a port along the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. Until now, governments didnt listen to us. Many non-indigenous people were in denial. I hope that now people will be empathetic and understand the huge social problems that stem from colonization and the residential school experience.

Jean-Guy Pinette, one of the victims of the residential school in Mani-u tenam, near Sept-iles.Pascale Guericolas

This difficulty in living, in combining a white identity imposed by forced schooling with ones indigenous identity, Jean-Guy Pinette can talk about it for hours. When he arrived at the age of seven at the residential school near Sept-Iles, hundreds of kilometres from his home, he lost everything  his language, his culture, his precious link with his grandparents. Fifty years later, he looks out over the grassy area of Mani-u Tenam, where the two buildings that housed young boys and girls taken from their families once stood. They all attended the school across the street, which has since become a clinic. Even today, some of the former students feel bad when they enter this building, says the 60-year-old. The smell, the place, reminds them of the trauma they experienced.

The communitys elected officials are considering demolishing the building to finally wipe out the past. This was the fate of a small building linked to the residential school in 2013. Gathered in a circle around the blackened ruins, the survivors cried, shouted, and told the rest of the village what they had experienced within these walls. Jean-Guy Pinette, a spiritual counsellor for youth, believes in the impact of this kind of event. Over the next few months, research using a geo-radar, such as the one used on sites in western Canada, is to be carried out on the grounds of the old establishment, not far from the beach. The aim is to determine if the graves containing the remains of children who died in the 1940s or 1950s are located there.

This story must be known so we stop being victims

This may reopen wounds that still hurt, confides Jean-Guy Pinette. We will be in pain. But we will also give ourselves love and strength. This will allow the former residents to explain to the younger ones what happened, to make them understand why their grandparents or parents who lived at the residential school use drugs or alcohol. We need to get this story out there so that we stop being victims.

A few kilometres from the site, Maricham Kapesh relies on traditional approaches such as healing circles to help members of her community face their inner demons. We need to rebuild ourselves as a people, says this woman in her 70s who spent eight years of her life in the same residential school as Jean-Guy Pinette. I was one of the first in my community to denounce the sexual assaults suffered at the residential school. They wanted to silence me because I was attacking the Church, she continues. The discovery of the graves shows that the truth always comes out. People in Quebec, especially the young, need to hear our story from us. This will allow us one day to build ties and think about reconciliation.

Marie-Pierre Bousquet, director of the Native Studies programme at the University of Montreal, agrees. While directing a book on the history of residential schools in Quebec, it became clear to her that few people were listening to the voices of indigenous people. Currently, everyone seems to be surprised by the discovery of these unidentified graves, says the anthropologist. But several commission reports, written by experts, have long documented the disappearance of children. Have the politicians, like [Canadian Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau who cries in front of the cameras, read them?

The Church targeted

Marie-Pierre Bousquet is pleased with the current surge of empathy towards indigenous people, which is leading citizens to come and meet with communities to share their pain. In an unprecedented event, many cities across Canada did not celebrate the national holiday on July 1, to instead reflect on how this nation was built. But Bousquet, who is familiar with the archives of religious congregations, also knows this may take time  a lot of time. The geo-radar that is used on the former residential school sites does not provide high quality images of the ground, she explains. Then you have to have archaeologists, bio-anthropologists, archivists working together. Its very resource-intensive. Not to mention that bodies degrade quickly in the ground after a few decades.

The Oblates, a religious congregation that ran a large number of residential schools across Canada for more than a century, are now committed to assisting in the search of their archives. But finding the boxes corresponding to the register of missing children in multiple institutions is not always an easy task, given that there was no concern for filing and the whereabouts of many archives are simply unknown. Since the discovery of the unmarked graves, the Church has been singled out for criticism. Many voices have been raised in Canada, including that of the Prime Minister, demanding an apology from the Pope. This demand was already included in the TRCs recommendations six years ago.

I hope the federal government will not take advantage to absolve itself of its inaction towards the indigenous people, says Marie-Pierre Bousquet. Indeed, the forced schooling of children and dismantling of families were part of a plan by the Canadian authorities to assimilate the indigenous people. And the relationship of dependence in which these communities live still exists today, notably through the Indian Act, established in 1876, which governs their land rights.

Archive photo of the Mani-u tenam residential school .  DR

In Quebec, the oppressed as oppressors

Jurist Fannie Lafontaine, who in 2019 participated in analysing the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), thinks current events are shaking up the public imagination. They help people understand colonial violence and the reality of genocide, she says, as well as the fact that injustices still continue today.

Seeing unmarked graves opens the minds of some people who were still in denial about these events, says the law professor at Laval University in Quebec City. Indigenous people here have been talking for a long time about the colonial genocide they suffered, an idea that is difficult to accept for people who benefit from it but didnt live it. This tension between the colonized and the colonizers is felt particularly in Quebec. Since the 1960s, nationalists in Quebec have been denouncing the colonialism perpetrated by English-speaking elites following conquest at the end of the 18th century, which is a driving force behind demands for greater autonomy from the federal government. In this context, it has been difficult for people in Quebec to see themselves as oppressors of indigenous people. Indeed, the collective imagination readily celebrates the historical alliances between the First Nations and the French who arrived in the 17th and 18th century, while the English were more belligerent.

In recent weeks, this idyllic vision of the relationship between Quebec and its indigenous population has become more nuanced. Some people are becoming aware that the reality of residential schools also left its mark on this province, even if they were established a little later than in the rest of Canada. For the first time, Canadians are recognizing that indigenous people were murdered, because they have material evidence, says Guy Lanoue, director of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Montreal. Up to now, their stories were not taken into account because no political institution was defending them. Now lawyers, indigenous researchers, equipped with the same weapons as white people, can claim this history.

Not yet a revolution

Political scientist Thierry Rodon hopes, like others, that the sympathy towards the First Nations and Inuits, aroused by the discovery of the graves, can become an important element to transform power relations in Canada  especially since respect for minorities and decolonization are keen topics of discussion since the beginning of the 21st century, particularly among young people. But in order to become more autonomous and regain their dignity, indigenous people must be able to develop their territory, he stresses. For the time being, almost all of it still belongs to the federal government in a country that derives much of its wealth from its natural resources.

Some negotiations have been going on for years, but the Canadian authorities can unilaterally break them off at will, says Rodon, who holds the research chair at Laval University on Sustainable Development in the North. Many subsidized programmes for indigenous people were cut in 1996 as part of a drive to slash the public deficit, and the reinvestments are not sufficient to provide enough housing or access to drinking water. So, he says, the current wave of sympathy for indigenous people does not yet feel like a revolution.

Richard Kistabish, a residential school survivor chosen by the UN to participate in a committee to defend indigenous languages around the world, hopes that governments and religious institutions will finally recognize that First Nations and Inuit are excluded from society. They have to tell us the truth, insists this indigenous activist. Right now they are cutting down trees, digging mines, and not replacing anything. Stressing the knowledge, values, and adaptability of the original inhabitants of North America before the Europeans arrived, the 70-year-old dreams of restoring the memory of his parents and ancestors. Once that history is told, it will be time to imagine a present and a future, he says.

With respect to the graves, political authorities seem to have already better understood the message of First Nations and Inuit, who represent about 3.8% of the Canadian population. Both the federal and provincial governments have made it clear that the decision on whether or not to excavate former residential school sites is a community-by-community one. They have allocated special funds to begin the search and, as in Sept-Iles, discussion is underway within each nation as to how to proceed. For now, the exhumation of possible human remains does not seem to be a priority, but rather the need to give these children a burial according to the rites of each community. This is perhaps a way to finally accomplish a mourning that has remained impossible for many decades.
Spains top criminal court said Thursday it had archived a case involving genocide allegations against the leader of Western Saharas independence movement.

Brahim Ghali, who heads the Polisario Front, had testified before the National Court on June 1 in connection with allegations of genocide against Moroccan citizens made in 2008 by ASADEDH, a Western Sahara rights group which is based in Spain.

At the hearing, Ghali testified by video conference from a hospital in northern Spain where he was recovering from a severe case of Covid-19, his presence sparking a major diplomatic standoff with Morocco.

The National Court said it closed the case because the acts that allegedly occurred between 1975 and 1990, were beyond the statute of limitations, that the crime of genocide had not been proven, and because witnesses contradicted the claims.

At the hearing, Ghali had also been questioned in connection with allegations of torture at Sahrawi refugee camps in western Algeria that were made by a Polisario dissident.

But the judge turned down a request for him to be taken into custody and turn over his passport, saying he posed no flight risk.

Several hours later, he left Spain for Algeria.

Madrids decision to allow him in for medical treatment in mid-April angered Rabat which views him as a war criminal.

A month later, Spain was caught off guard as up to 10,000 people surged into its tiny north African enclave of Ceuta as Moroccan border guards looked the other way in what was seen as a punitive political gesture.

Ghalis Polisario Front has long fought Morocco for the independence of Western Sahara, a desert region bigger than Britain which was a Spanish colony until 1975.

Morocco controls 80 percent of the territory while the rest  an area bordering Mauritania that is almost totally landlocked  is run by the Polisario Front.

In 1991, following 16 years of war, Rabat and the Polisario Front signed a ceasefire but a UN-backed referendum on self-determination has been constantly postponed.

Hostilities resumed in November when the Polisario Front declared the ceasefire to be over after Moroccan troops entered a UN-patrolled buffer zone to reopen a key road.
The International Criminal Court has dropped its arrest warrant for Ivory Coasts former first lady Simone Gbagbo over post-election violence that killed thousands in 2010-2011, according to a decision made public Thursday.

Simone Gbagbo faced charges of crimes against humanity  including murder, rape, inhuman acts and persecution  following her husbands refusal to hand over power to Alassane Ouattara, who won a 2010 election.

Over 3,000 people died in the unrest.

The chamber considers it appropriate to decide that the warrant of arrest for Simone Gbagbo shall cease to have effect, the court said in a seven-page ruling seen by AFP.

Good news for Madame Simone Gbagbo she can now travel freely throughout the world, her lawyer Ange Rodrigue Dadje said in a statement sent to AFP.

In March, the ICC acquitted Laurent Gbagbo of crimes against humanity and he returned to Ivory Coast on June 17, after 10 years behind bars in The Hague, where the ICC is based, and then in Belgium.

Simone Gbagbo was not handed over to the ICC, but an Ivorian court sentenced her to 20 years in prison in 2015 for undermining state security.

She was freed on August 8, 2018 following a presidential amnesty.
SAJID JAVID says the COVID vaccine is the reason I am here today

Sajid Javid, the health minister who was infected with Covid-19 despite being vaccinated, said that only 10 days after testing positive, the jab was the reason I am here today.

He told the PA News Agency: I think my own experience is a good example, indeed a reminder. Of course, through vaccination, you can definitely reduce your chances of getting a positive test result, but you can still get the virus. .

I am one of many people who have encountered this situation.

But there is no doubt that the reason I am here today, about 10 days after I got a positive test result, I feel very good, because of the vaccine.

My symptoms are very mild. The latest information we have is that the British vaccine has prevented 11 million people from being infected, 57,000 people have been prevented from going to the hospital, and 37,000 people have been saved from death.

The vaccine is working.
A leading statistician stated that NEIL Ferguson has been overconfidently claiming that Covid will support us by September.

Nate Silver said that there are so many variables in the pandemic that no one can be sure of its outcome.

3 An expert said that Professor Neil Ferguson has been too confident in his pandemic prediction Credit: Reuters

Mr. Silver correctly predicted the outcome of the 2008 US presidential election. After an expert (known as Professor Lockdown) said that the worst period of the pandemic should be left behind before September or October, he summoned Professor Ferguson .

He also noted that epidemiologists warned earlier this month that it was almost inevitable and we will soon see 100,000 cases per day.

Mr. Silver wrote on Twitter: Since Neil Ferguson, the most famous epidemiologist in the UK, said that 100,000 cases per day are almost inevitable, the number of new coronary pneumonia cases has dropped to daily 33,000 cases (average 7 days).

I dont care if the prediction is wrong, I believe it is difficult to predict. This is because he has always been overconfident.

Now he says he issure that the pandemic will end in October. Well, it may. But there are downside risks: new variants, reduced immunity, etc.

Earlier today, Neil Ferguson told Radio 4s Today program that we were not completely out of trouble but the equation has fundamentally changed.

He said: The role of vaccines in reducing the risk of hospitalization and death is huge.

And I think Im pretty sure that by late September/October, we will be looking back at most of the pandemic.

We will have Coronavirus With us, we will still have people dying from Covid, but we have forgotten most of the epidemic. 

It is like this:

But the political science writer Professor Philip Tetlock agreed with Mr. Silvers view and added: When smart predictors have been overconfident, they begin to suspect that they are not playing a pure accuracy game (such as propaganda or policy advocacy). game).

Professor Ferguson believes The plateau of the British case Due to the end of the European Cup in 2020 and the warm weather leading to outdoor socializing and opening windows, it is currently experiencing its peak.

In his grim forecast of 100,000 cases per day, he said: I think its too early to draw conclusions. The reduction we are currently seeing does happen before the unlocking happens. We will not see the effect in a few weeks. Unlocked.

In other words, if the direction is right, I am happy to make a mistake, and if the number of cases remains low, that would be very good news.

? Read our Coronavirus Live Blog Get the latest update

Yesterday, 24,950 new cases were recorded, down from 29,173 on Sunday and 31,795 on Saturday.

There was a total drop of 46% last week.

Professor Lawrence Young, an expert in molecular oncology, University of Warwick Tell the Sun that the drop in numbers may be due to the drop in testing.

He said: One thing that is worrying is that schoolchildren undergo a horizontal flow test twice a week and add it to the number.

He warned: In the next few months, we may reach 100,000 per day, which is still possible-we still have a highly spread mutation.

3 Professor Ferguson believes that as the pandemic basically passes in September, we can almost return to normal Credit: Rex

3 But Nate Silver said that epidemiologists have been overconfident Credit: Peter Jordan-The Sun

The doubling time of the virus may be very fast. This is a seesaw effect that can balance different things. It all depends on the way people mix.

Professor Young said that the next 10-14 days will be a critical period: I hope it is an economic downturn, but we need to wait and see.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: Throughout the pandemic, we have been saying that the decline in cases is encouraging.

But he added: Given the move to step 4 last week, we should still expect the number of cases to increase.

The Prime Minister believes that we have not gotten out of the predicament.

Health experts are optimistic that the third wave driven by the Delta variant may now have reached its peak.

According to the Politico report, it is understood that the ministers try not to get too excited about the decline-but now people believe that things are going in the right direction.
Melbourne, Australia  Australia is working to contain the outbreak of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, which began with an unmasked and unvaccinated driver of an international crew member in Sydney.

The blockade measures in Australias largest city have been extended to the end of August. Other major cities, including Melbourne, are now relaxing restrictions, but states have imposed restrictions on interstate travel.

The epidemic has put pressure on governments whose vaccination plan is the slowest in developed countries, and has once again raised questions about the hotel quarantine system implemented by international travelers at the beginning of the pandemic.

Although it helps control the virus, the requirement of strict quarantine for each arrival for 14 days has not yet been fulfilled. It also prevented approximately 30,000 Australians from returning home and others from visiting relatives overseas.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisted that the hotel quarantine plan was 99.99% effective.

However, there were at least 21 leaks from various hotels, leading to repeated closures of schools and businesses and severe disruption to daily life because the city was forced to lock down to curb the spread of the virus.

Critics say the system acts as an incubator and communicator, creating a greater risk in a country where only slightly more than 13% of people are fully vaccinated-this is the OECD or OECD country The second-lowest ratio.

Since November, there has been an average leak in the hotel quarantine every 9 days, Mike Toole, a professor of international hygiene, told Al Jazeera. They led to massive community outbreaks and subsequent blockades in five cities.

Australia closed its borders in March 2020 and introduced a hotel isolation system for all international travelers to curb the spread of COVID-19 [File: Steven Saphore/AP Photo]

Tour, who worked at the Burnett Institute in Melbourne and has medical epidemiologists and public health experience, said that sometimes it is not the hotel that contains the virus, but the cause of the spread of the virus.

He said: Some states have not paid enough attention to airborne transmission. The virus has spread in hotel corridors.

They did not review the ventilation of the hotel, nor did they provide employees with adequate breathing masks.

In addition to buildingshotel rooms are designed for vacationers and business travelers, not to contain the virushe also blamed poor management of quarantine.

He said: The current outbreak of more than 2,000 cases in Sydney is because the New South Wales government has not required the crew of Sydney Airport to wear masks.

He hasnt been vaccinated either.

Lack of planning

Mismanagement was the cause of the outbreak in Victoria in June 2020, which prompted the Premier of the state to declare a disaster state and implement a multi-month lockdown, costing an estimated A$12 billion (US$8.8 billion) and hundreds of deaths.

A subsequent investigation found that between March 2020 and June 2020, a total of 21,821 returning travelers were quarantined in Melbourne hotels, of which only 236 (1.1%) actually tested positive for COVID-19.

However, although the number of community cases in May 2020 dropped from a peak of 541 cases to only 57 cases, violations of the quarantine plan resulted in a peak of 725 new cases per day in early August.

The report found that these violations were caused by poorly planned, inexperienced private security guards, and poor management by the Ministry of Health and Human Services, the government agency that oversees the plan.

Leaks in the hotels quarantine system have triggered a strict lockdown, and experts say it needs to be reviewed [File: Loren Elliott/Reuters]

According to the report, the lack of a mandatory large-scale quarantine plan means that Victorias hotel quarantine plan was conceived and implemented from the ground up. From concept to operation, it can be run within 36 hours.

This lack of planning is the most unsatisfactory situation from which such a complex and high-risk plan can be developed.

The epidemic has also contributed to the spread of the virus in China Nursing home, Which resulted in nearly 700 deaths, and reviewed poor infection control practices in these facilities.

Mike Tur said that the hotel quarantine plan needs to be improved to contain the virus, and each state should use purpose-built quarantine facilities, such as the Howard Springs Center in Darwin, which has no leaks.

In Howard Springs, travelers are quarantined in separate cabins, which are open to the outdoors, rather than closed corridors, and the risk of airborne viruses is higher. Unlike hotels in the city center, this facility is also more remote, so in the event of a violation, fewer people are at risk.

Toole estimates that five new facilities (one in each state) will cost about 2 billion Australian dollars (1.5 billion U.S. dollars), and he noted that this is far below the current economic cost of a weekly lockdown of 1 billion U.S. dollars (750 million U.S. dollars).

But it takes six months to build them, so the hotel isolation problem must be resolved during this period, he said. Otherwise, we will continue to have loopholes and lockdowns until about 80% of people are vaccinated.

In response to the hotel quarantine investigation, the Victorian government formulated a plan to build a 500-bed quarantine center outside Melbourne city centre.

According to the Howard Springs model, the center will open in 2022, and similar options are being explored in New South Wales and Queensland.

Tony Blakely, professor of epidemiology at the University of Melbourne, said that such dedicated facilities will have a lifespan far beyond COVID-19.

He told Al Jazeera: In this pandemic and in the next pandemic, we will need purpose-built facilities.

Due to the slow pace of the vaccination program, Australia was forced to implement a lockdown, which is one of the slowest in the developed world [Saeed Khan/AFP]

These facilities could also allow more stranded Australians to return. With the recent outbreak, the government halved the number of international arrivals, which broke the hearts of those who had been separated from their homes for months.

Blakely estimates that under the same risk of leakage as existing urban hotels, the number of people who can pass through dedicated facilities will increase by 5 to 10 times.

Although the announcement of the quarantine center and the urgency of re-vaccinations marked a positive response from the government, these actions were hampered by tensions and mutual accusations between the state and federal governments, especially in terms of funding and management responsibilities.

Australias limited supply of vaccines has also been affected by interstate controversy, and each state has provided a case that explains why they should be given priority in vaccination plans. Morrison recently apologized for the slow launch.

It is estimated that the recent nationwide lockdown has cost Australias economy at least 10 billion Australian dollars ($7.4 billion). Although Australias number of cases appears to be small compared with countries such as India, Indonesia, and even the United States, the continued virus policy eliminates the implications. Even the smallest outbreak may be blocked.

This prospect is testing millions of Australians, who quickly lost patience to quarreling politicians and the mismanagement of COVID-19.
The dress that the new governor Mary Simon wore on her installation day was more than just an eye-catcher.

On the one hand, it was specially made for her with the help of Inuit designers. On the other hand, the design, sewing and beading of two-piece garments are completed in a very short time.

The designer Victoria Okpik is originally from Quaqtaq in Nunavik, northern Quebec. Simon asked Simon to make clothes for the appointment ceremony on Monday. At that time, Simon was formally sworn in as the 30th Governor of Canada-the first aboriginal in history to hold this position. .

Okpik said that Simon wanted a special outfit from her hometown.

Okpik has more than 20 years of tailoring and designer experience and is the first Inuit to graduate from LaSalle College in Montreal with a major in fashion design.

Victoria Okpik makes Inuit-style clothing in Montreal. Governor Mary Simon wore Okpik designs during her installation ceremony. 4:37

But Okpik only had 20 days to prepare Simons dress and jacket, and due to COVID-19 and distance, part of the process involved the measurement, design, and color of multiple emails back and forth.

I am honored to be invited to design costumes for large-scale events, and I am very proud of Mary becoming the next Governor, Opic said. I am proud to be asked to make a dress.

Beaded

Meanwhile, Julie Grenier is a beader from Kuujjuaq, also located in northern Quebec. After Okpik contacted her, she was responsible for the beading on the dress.

Grenier personally knows Simon because they come from the same small community.

The deadline is very tight, Garnier said. We discussed what kind of beads they wanted and decided to use some embroidered beads. So I jumped on the boat and accepted the challenge.

Grenier went with flowers and leaf beads. He said that this piece represents all the aborigines of Canada to some extent.

Grenier said that part of her beadwork on her dress was inspired by nature. (Submitted by Julie Gernier)

Its also fun to be able to sprinkle my own creativity on painting, and then be able to stimulate my creativity through color and everything I use, Genier said.

She said that part of her inspiration came from nature, and she pointed out the beaded purple and blue flowers on the dress.

They remind me of my childhood. They remind me of Kuujjuaq, I used to pick them all the time.

She said that the design and color inspiration also came from her impression of Simon.

I think, I want to describe how I feel about Mary, her personality, her strength, and her character, you know.

Grenier also added 24k gold beads to the design. She said it was her honor to be able to work for this costume.

I mean, its not every day that you receive a request like this, and you can work with a designer like Victoria. And, you know, its new to both of us, Garnier Say. This is an amazing experience and a great honor.

On Monday, at the inauguration ceremony of the Governor of Canada in Ottawa, Governor Mary Simon (center) and her husband Whit Fraser (second from left) watched drummers perform. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canada Press)

A place in that ceremony

The gown and jacket were delivered at 5pm on Sunday, the night before the ceremony.

Grenier said that allowing Simon to wear indigenous clothing that clearly came from the north may help other indigenous audiences to see their identity at the ceremony.

I think it gives people a sense of belonging, like they had a place in that ceremony, they had a place in Marys appointment as governor, she said.

The whole ceremony is like this. I have never seen anything like this. I dont think anyone has seen anything like this-its incredible to incorporate so much culture into the whole ceremony.
Nicaraguas main opposition coalition has appointed a former right-wing fighter and a beauty queen as its candidates to replace President Daniel Ortega in the November general election.

The Civil Liberties Union (CXL) announced on Wednesday A wave of arrests of opposition figuresIn the past two months, more than two dozen people have been arrested, including seven presidential candidates.

Oscar So Barvaro, 68, said that he did not expect to be nominated, but insisted that he would take the baton of the detainees, saying that the move is neither easy nor risky.

His running mate is 27-year-old Berenice Quezada. She is Miss Nicaragua in 2017 and has no known history of political activism.

Human rights organizations and international observers accused Ortega of presiding over the suppression of potential opponents before voting in November, during which the 75-year-old will seek a fourth consecutive term.

Among those arrested by the Ortega government, five CXL leaders are expected to compete for the presidential candidacy, and Student protest leaders and other opposition figures In Central American countries.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions and Visa restrictions Officials associated with the Ortega government, and the Organization of American States (OAS) has urged him to release detainees and ensure that free and fair elections can be held.

The long-term president stated that his government is prosecuting the criminals who planned the coup against him to justify the arrest. Most were arrested under a controversial law approved by Parliament in December, which has been widely criticized as a means to deter challengers and suppress opponents.

In a public event on Sunday, Ortega slammed the countrys opposition figures, calling them part of the Yankee Policy and that the opposition has no shame.

They dont even deserve to be called NicaraguansThe Empire uses them, and when they win, they will be kicked out, said Ortega, who repeatedly referred to the United States as the Empire in his speech.

The empire does not want to hold elections in Nicaragua. The empire wants to boycott elections. It wants to replant terrorism in our country, he said.

But civil society and human rights organizations accused the 75-year-old man who ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, regained power in 2007, and won two consecutive re-election campaigns since thenintensified authoritarianism.

In the November election, CXL will become the main opponent of Ortega and his vice president and wife, 70-year-old Rosario Murrillo, who represent the Sandinista National Liberation Front ( FSLN).

Sobalvarro is a former member of Contras, a right-wing rebel organization backed by the United States that fought a three-year armed struggle with the Sandinista government led by Ortega in the 1980s.

After the CXL presidential ticket was announced at a hotel in the capital Managua, hundreds of supporters chanted Yes, you can, Freedom and Freedom for political prisoners while dozens of riot police surrounded the building.
Peru has a 2,300-year-old solar observatory, the Thai National Park near the Burmese border, and the ancient Chinese trade center including a historic mosque. All are listed by UNESCO as the most culturally significant places in the world.

The Chankillo Observatory in Peru was built before the rise of the Inca Empire and was declared a World Heritage Site on Tuesday, while Thailands vast Kaeng Krachan forest complex and the ancient Quanzhou Port in China were listed as World Heritage Sites along with several other cultural and natural sites on Sunday. Directory. world.

According to recent research, Chankillo Observatory can perform very accurate astronomical observations.

The walled ruins of the top of the mountain about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Lima have long plagued scientists.

Then in 2007, a study in the journal Science proposed that the sequence of towers built between 200 and 300 BC marked the summer and winter solstices and that Chankillo was partly a solar observatory.

Peruvian archaeologist Ivan Ghezzi and his British colleague Clive Ruggles co-authored the study. He told AFP that the towers were erected very precisely to mark the different positions of the sun, so the exact date can be marked. .

Their purpose is to calculate the month, winter solstice, and spring equinoxplanting and harvest seasons, and religious holidayswith amazing accuracy.

The structure is like a huge clock, marking the passage of time in a year.

Chankillo is a masterpiece of ancient Peruvians. A masterpiece of architecture, technology and astronomy. It is the cradle of American astronomy, Gezi told AFP when visiting the website.

There are also 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Peru, including the Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu.

A sort of UNESCO World Heritage In addition to its growing popularity among tourists, the designation ensures legal protection of the site and funds for its protection. But it also increases the risk of excessive tourism and the governments failure to protect designated locations.

A group of independent United Nations experts warned before UNESCO designated Kaeng Krachan Forest Park that the Karen community living in the area was repeatedly forcibly deported and arrested. [File: Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters]

Big Gift

At the same time, Thailands Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa welcomed UNESCOs inclusion of the Kaeng Krachan forest, despite the UN human rights experts warning that the Thai authorities are forcing the indigenous Karen people to leave the area.

We received a big gift from the World Heritage Committee, Kaeng said.

In the past 16 years, we have worked hard and tried to list Kaeng Krachan as a World Heritage Site four times, and this time, we succeeded for the fourth time.

A group of independent UN experts even issued a warning before announcing that the Karen community living in the area had been repeatedly forcibly deported and arrested.

According to reports, more than 80 Karen people were arrested this year, and 28 of them have been criminally charged for occupying park land, including a child, according to a statement issued by the UN independent human rights expert last week.

The Karen community living in the forest resisted attempts by the Thai authorities to move away from what they said was their ancestral home.

A spokesperson for the Thai government did not respond to Reuters request for comment on the reported deportation.

The indigenous people who have lived there for more than 100 years have no rights to the land of their ancestors, said Angkhana Neelapaijit, a former Thai human rights commissioner.

They are facing deportation in the name of protecting the forest.

Maritime Silk Road

In China, UNESCO also listed the ancient port of Quanzhou as a protected area.

According to the National Broadcasting Corporation CGTN, Quanzhou Complex has at least 22 historical sites and monuments in this coastal city, and is considered to be one of the largest and busiest ports in the ancient world.

Among the ruins and temples of the Quanzhou complex are the Qingjing Temple and the Twin Stone Pagodas, one of the oldest mosques in China.

Quanzhou, also known as Zaidun, is said to be the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. China is recovering As it expands its political and economic influence.

Other heritage sites announced on Sunday include the Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple in India, the Trans-Iran Railway in Iran, and the Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro Parks in Spain.

On Monday, four islands in Japan, tidal flats in South Korea and wetlands in Georgia were also included on the UNESCO list.
Sign up for myFT Daily Digest and be the first to learn about Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. news.

Samsung Electronics said it is optimistic about the prospects of its key semiconductor business in the second half of the year, but warned that due to the comeback of Covid-19, supply chain risks are increasing.

The forecast was made after the South Korean technology group announced that its net profit in the second quarter increased by 73% year-on-year to 96 trillion won ($8.4 billion), as the strong demand for electronic products has prolonged the global chip shortage.

The company said on Thursday: In the second half of the year, market conditions are expected to benefit the parts business. However, the risk of continued interruption of component supply and the uncertainty associated with Covid-19 may persist.

The worlds largest manufacturer of memory chips, smart phones and electronic displays reported that all of its major businesses have experienced substantial year-on-year growth. But it faces growing supply chain risks in Vietnam-Vietnam is an important production base for smartphones and home appliances.

Earlier this month, Samsung was forced to cut production at a consumer electronics factory in Ho Chi Minh City, while production of its smartphones was also interrupted.

As data center operators and PC manufacturers are eager to secure inventory, the operating profit of their semiconductor business increased by 28% year-on-year to 690 million won, accounting for more than half of the companys total profit. The company said its memory chip inventory has fallen to a significantly low level.

Respected

Analysts expect the chip shortage will continue in the second half of the year, but believe that the industry has passed the most serious crisis. CW Chung, head of research at Nomura in Seoul, said: As the memory boom continues, Samsungs third-quarter revenue will further increase. Chip prices will continue to rise in the second half of the year, but the rate of increase may slow.

For decades, Samsung has dominated the production of Dram and Nand chips. SK Securities analyst Kim Young-woo predicts that Dram prices will rise by 12-15% in the second half of the year, while Nand prices are expected to rise by 7-11%. Dram supports short-term storage of graphics, mobile and server chips, while Nand allows files and data to be stored in the event of a power failure.

However, due to chip shortages and supply chain disruptions, Samsungs smartphone sales fell by 24% from the previous quarter. Samsungs rival Apple reported that as the American company got rid of its worst chip shortage, iPhone sales in the April-June quarter soared by 50%.

However, Samsung expects mobile phone sales to increase in the second half of the year because it plans to launch a new foldable phone next month. The company also expects that its mobile display business will increase revenue in the second half of the year as major customers including Apple launch new flagship models.
Australias largest city, Sydney, announced a record-breaking one-day increase in the number of local COVID-19 cases on Thursday, and warned that as the authorities seek military help to implement a lockdown of 6 million people preparing to enter the sixth week, The epidemic will get worse.

In recent weeks, Australia has been trying to control the highly contagious delta mutation that broke out in Sydney and its surrounding areas, which has the potential to push the countrys US$2 trillion (Australia) (US$1.85 trillion) economy into years S second recession.

Although Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, has extended the lockdown, 239 cases of local infection have been recorded in the past 24 hours, which is the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began.

New South Wales Governor Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney: Given the number of contagious people in the community, we can only assume that the situation may get worse before it improves.

Berejiklian said that one more person died from COVID-19, bringing the death toll from the current outbreak to 13 and the total death toll in the country to 921.

On Thursday, after several COVID-19 cases were reported among residents, a police car was parked outside an isolated residential building in Blacktown, Sydneys western suburbs. (Farukhan/AFP/Getty Images)

There are few signs that the recent restrictions are reducing the number of cases. Berejiklian said that new restrictions will be implemented in the southwest and western areas of Sydney where most COVID-19 cases have been detected.

More than 2 million residents in Sydneys eight hotspots will now be forced to wear masks outdoors and must stay within five kilometers of their homes.

Request military help

With stricter restrictions beginning on Friday, the New South Wales Police said it has asked 300 military personnel to help enforce the lockdown order.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said in an emailed statement: With the increase in law enforcement activities in the coming week, I have now formally requested the Prime Minister (Australian Defence Force) personnel to assist in this operation.

A spokesperson for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Berejiklian extended the blockade in Sydney for another month on Wednesday, but most construction projects can be resumed as long as workers do not come into contact with residents.

These restrictions may cause heavy economic losses, with New South Wales accounting for more than one-third of the Australian economy.

Watch | Sydneys anti-blockade protest turned into violence:

During the anti-blockade protests in Sydney, Australia, demonstrators threw objects and clashed with the police. In the growing COVID-19 epidemic, they ignored the stay-at-home order. 1:10

Federal Treasury Secretary Josh Frydenberg (Josh Frydenberg) said that he expects the national economy to shrink in the September quarter, but whether a technical recession can be avoided will depend on whether New South Wales can avoid a longer blockade. .

Friedenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: For the December quarter, this will largely depend on the success of our largest state economy, New South Wales, in fighting this virus.

Many people are waiting for Pfizer vaccine

Berejiklian has said that with Pfizers tight supply of vaccines, too few people are vaccinated in Sydney, and Canberra had hoped to vaccinate everyone under the age of 60.

All adults in Sydney have now been urged to seek AstraZeneca vaccines. But taking the rare blood clot as an example, many people are unwilling and would rather wait a few months because Australia is expected to receive additional Pfizer supplies.

In New South Wales, only about 17% of people over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated.

On Wednesday, during the lockdown in Sydney, a lone bird walked past the quiet Circular Quay train station. (Loren Elliott/Reuters)

So far, more than 2,800 cases have been found and 182 people have been hospitalized. 54 people are in the intensive care unit, of which 22 need ventilation. Two new deaths were recorded, bringing the total number of deaths from the most recent outbreak to 13.

The epidemic in Sydney left many people with nothing to do but watch the Olympics. Australian athletes said that they hope their performance can bring them a little happiness.

Spencer Turrin, an Australian rower and gold medalist in the mens quadruple at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, told reporters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: Im very grateful and happy, because we may have caused some people For some joy, or for people to celebrate during the blockade. Tokyo.
After six rounds of indirect talks in Vienna to restore the agreement broken by former US President Donald Trump, no breakthrough was achieved.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken said that negotiations will be held on returning to the United States. Iran Nuclear Agreement Cannot continue indefinitely, but Washington is fully prepared to continue negotiations.

Since April, the United States has been in indirect negotiations with Iran, and the other parties to the 2015 agreement  Britain, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia, and China  acted as intermediaries in Vienna.

The so-called Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) allowed Iran to get some relief from international sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program. The agreement was undermined by the then U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018, who unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and imposed punitive sanctions.

We are committed to diplomacy, but this process cannot be carried out indefinitely, Brinken said during a visit to Kuwait on Thursday.

We look forward to seeing what Iran is going to do or not doing, and to be fully prepared to return to Vienna to continue negotiations.

The ball is still on the Iranian court.

The administration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has repeatedly called on Washington to take sanctions lifting measures before resuming compliance with the agreement.

However, the possibility of reaching an agreement after Rouhani seems to be increasing hand over Address to President-elect Ebrahim Raisi early next month.

Raisi is an ultraconservative, but has expressed support for nuclear negotiations and believes that Iran needs to end US sanctions.

Guarantee National Interest

Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that experience shows that believe that the West does not work, referring to the United States withdrawal from the agreement and its consequences.

Raisi has stated that his government will support negotiations that guarantee national interests but will not allow negotiations for the sake of negotiations.

One of Trumps main criticisms of the 2015 agreement is that it failed to resolve Irans ballistic missile program or its alleged interference in regional affairs.

But Tehran has always refused to include non-nuclear issues into the agreement.

Khamenei also criticized the United States for refusing to guarantee (it) that it will not violate the agreement in the future through unilateral withdrawal like Trump did.

Irans chief negotiator, Abbas Aragec, said this month that negotiations must wait for our new government because Tehran is in a transitional period.

The sixth round of talks ended on June 20, and the date for the next round of talks has not yet been determined.

Rouhani has been in office since 2013 and is preparing to leave after up to two consecutive terms ends. He has repeatedly promised to lift the sanctions before the end of his term.

But earlier this month, he expressed the hope that his successor would reach an agreement to lift the sanctions, and insisted that from his governments perspective, the work is ready to be completed.
As long as eligible people received the second injection more than five months ago, they can receive the booster injection.

The Israeli Prime Minister announced on Thursday that Israel will begin to provide a third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to people over 60 years of age who have already been vaccinated, becoming the first country to provide its citizens with a third booster dose.

Naftali Bennett said in a national televised speech: I am announcing the start of the booster vaccine tonight, which is the third vaccine.

The reality proves that the vaccine is safe. The reality also proves that the vaccine can prevent serious morbidity and death. Just like the flu vaccine needs to be updated from time to time, it is also true in this case.

According to reports from Channel 13 TV and Kan Public Radio, eligible people can receive the booster injection as long as they received the second injection more than five months ago.

Israel is the world leader in vaccination, and many elderly people received injections in December, January and February because they are considered the most vulnerable part of the population.

Approximately 57% of Israels 9.3 million people have been vaccinated.

After Palestinians living under varying degrees of Israeli control in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were denied vaccination for launching one of the fastest vaccination campaigns in the world, the country was accused of vaccinating apartheid.

Increase in cases

However, since the emergence of the Delta variant, the Ministry of Health has twice reported that the vaccines anti-infective efficacy has decreased, and its protective effect against serious diseases has slightly decreased.

About 160 people were hospitalized with severe symptoms, and the number of daily infections has soared from a few months ago to more than 2,000.

It is expected that the boosting activities that will be officially announced soon will effectively turn Israel into a testing ground for the third dose of the vaccine before it can be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

On July 11, the government began to provide a third dose of vaccine to adults with weakened immune systems.

Health Minister Nizan Horowitz (Nitzan Horowitz) said: As of now, we are giving the third injection to immunodeficiency patients.

On July 14, a woman presented a vaccination book at Sheba Medical Center, which recorded three doses of COVID-19 vaccine[File:AmirLevy/GettyImages)[File:AmirLevy/GettyImages)[???AmirLevy/GettyImages?[File:AmirLevy/GettyImages)

Pfizer said on Wednesday that it believes that people need additional doses to maintain a high level of protection against the coronavirus. The company stated that it could apply for an emergency US authorization for booster injections as early as August.

Media reports said that after Israeli experts approved the campaign late on Wednesday, the Israeli Minister of Health approved the health maintenance organization for the third injection.

Last week, the Ministry of Health estimated that the vaccine was only 41% effective in preventing symptomatic infections in the past month. The protection rate against serious diseases is still as high as 91%.

Some experts criticized the ministrys analysis because of the possible biases that could distort the data. Others said that Israel should wait a little longer to get more information about the safety and effectiveness of the third bullet.

The Cabinet hopes that vaccines can avoid costly lockdowns by protecting those most vulnerable to serious diseases, even if the infection rate rises.

According to data provided by Johns Hopkins University, since the beginning of the pandemic, Israel has registered 6,463 deaths and 868,045 confirmed cases.
Deputy Prime Minister Christia Freeland said today that translators who helped the Canadian army during the war in Afghanistan should fly to Canada as soon as possible and be resettled here.

Those who work for Canada are absolutely entitled to come to Canada and should board these planes as soon as possible, Freeland said at a press conference in Selwyn, Ontario.

Our desire is to act very, very quickly in this process.

Freeland made the above comments after the interpreters and other Afghans experienced a day of panic and chaos during the 13-year mission of the Canadian military in Afghanistan.

Ottawa announced last week that it would launch a new plan to relocate these workers to Canada in order to protect them from the Taliban, which is quickly reclaiming territory and putting pressure on major cities across Afghanistan.

But on Wednesday, potential applicants received emails and information packages indicating that they only had three days to apply for the program and flee the country.

The application requires the submission of a multi-page online form and the digitization of sensitive documents of each applicant and their family members.

Freeland said the government is formulating logistics to relocate Afghan interpreters who support soldiers and journalists in Afghanistan to Canada. 2:07

Advocates of former soldiers and Afghan interpreters say the deadline is unreasonable, partly because there is no reliable electricity or internet in most parts of Afghanistan.

A few hours after the information package was sent, the federal government stated that the three-day deadline is not fixed and it will follow up with applicants who receive misleading information. The government stated that it will not reject any applications because of missing the three-day window.

Some Afghan workers may arrive in the U.S. today

The United States appears to be moving faster than Canada on the resettlement of Afghan interpreters who are now facing retaliation by the Taliban.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken stated at a press conference in Kuwait today that Afghans assisting the U.S. military and diplomatic missions will begin to arrive in the United States very, very soon.

ABC News reported that the first flight with endangered workers is scheduled for Arrive on Thursday night or Friday morning .

Washington is also negotiating with Kuwait and other countries to temporarily resettle Afghans while processing immigration applications.

The United States is committed to helping those who have helped us during our stay in Afghanistan for the past 20 years, Brinken said. We are actively participating in this process, especially in the relocation plan for those brave Afghans and their families.

Conflicting guidance

Although Ottawa shined ahead of the three-day deadline, people who worked with Afghan interpreters said the damage had already been done.

Im shaking my head, said Cory Shelson, a retired captain and Afghan war veteran. People who are in a war zone, have no stable access to the Internet, and in most cases dont have a laptopwe provide them with conflicting guidance.

Shelson speculated that the email sent to potential applicants was a draft that was sent in error. The government itself did not explain why people were initially told they only had three days to apply.

Freeland said this confusion does not reflect Canadas desire to support Afghans working with Canadian soldiers.

Let me say to all Afghans who support the important work done by the Canadian government there-we are very, very grateful for your work, and we absolutely recognize our responsibility to you and your family, she Say.

Ottawa said that thousands of Afghan workers and their families are expected to resettle in Canada through the program.

Conservative Party leader Erin OToole stated that the governments actions do not reflect efforts to truly help people at risk.

Canadians and these brave Afghans cannot bear the incompetence of the Liberal Party, he said in a statement.

The Conservative Party of Canada calls on the Liberal government to do the right and only thing-to extend the deadline for these Afghans and their families to apply to come to Canada.
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.
MOANING hate missionary Anjem Choudary was banned from Twitter just five days after joining the social network.

The 54-year-old bile-out clergyman joined social media last week after his public gag order ended.

1 Anjem Choudary spoke last week Credit: PA

Evil Choudary was convicted of inviting support for the Islamic State and was sentenced to five and a half years in prison in 2016.

After his release, he was barred from making public statements, but the order expired last week.

Last week, he addressed his supporters in the park and joined Twitter to express more hatred.

But he was fired yesterday (Wednesday), and the hate missionary complained that he had no reason.

He said: Thats not very fast.

I didnt even do anything. I think my offer is quite mild.

I tried to post something yesterday and it turned out that I was suspended. I asked them why, but they havent come back yet.

Compared to his previous account, the swift actions of the social media company disappeared online even after his arrest.

Last week, the missionary compared his time in the UKs only highly secure terrorist organization with the python sketch.

The fanatic was detained in the quarantine area of ??HMP Frankland and complained during his service that it looked like Guantanamo Bay or something from the Stupid Walking Department.

Twitter has been asked for comment.
Warning: The details in this story may shock readers

Firefighters and police in Sherbrooke, Quebec. According to a report by Radio Canada, the charred body of a woman was placed in a trash can, thinking it was a mannequin.

Last Friday, an employee of a roasting factory issued an alert to emergency rescuers, saying that a mannequin was on fire from a nearby forest area.

The firefighters and police arrived and the fire was extinguished. They thought they were indeed dealing with a mannequin or life-size doll, so they decided that the best way to deal with it was to put it in the trash can of the police station.

A few hours later, someone submitted a missing person report.

People left flowers near the place where the womans body was first found. (Andre Vuillemin / Radio-Canada)

The missing persons vehicle was found near the fire site, and the police officer realized that the missing womans photo matched what they believed to be a mannequin.

The Coroners Office has confirmed to Radio Canada that it is investigating the incident, but cannot provide detailed information about the womans death.

The City of Sherbrooke is expected to hold a press conference at 2pm today

Last Friday, Sherbrooke police told Radio Canada that police officers had been deployed at the corner of Roy Street and Cabana Street. This was a report of missing persons, but declined to comment further.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated soon.
Ramallah, the occupied West Bank A few months before Ghassans sixth birthday, he had planned his party; he wanted a police costume and a cake shaped like a police cap. Until a month ago, his adoration of the police was broken.

On July 5, Ghassans mother Hind Shraydeh went to the police station in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah to demand the release of her husband. The Palestinian Authority (PA) earlier in the day. The police stated that the activists were arrested because they did not obtain permits for the protests.

After Shraydeh posted a video chanting Freedom, against political arrests on Facebook, her impromptu protests expanded to a dozen family members and activists. But it did not last long.

Riot police violently suppressed protesters, observers and journalists. Shraydeh was dragged by her hair and was beaten and detained in front of her children. They also saw their uncle and 77-year-old grandfather sprayed with pepper.

When she was reunited with the children after midnight, under the intervention of the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Gassan told her that he did not want to be a policeman anymore.

Police is no longer a five-year-olds dream job, Shraydeh said. The Palestinian Authority can no longer maintain its image-no security, no protection, no respect for others, no diversity This is not the country we are fighting for.

This Nizar Banat, 46, dies During the detention of the Palestinian Authority on June 24, it triggered protests in the West Bank. Barnat, a political activist and outspoken Palestinian Authority critic, has posted videos accusing the Palestinian Authority of corruption on social media.

Fatah  the movement that controls the Palestinian Authority  has been holding counter-protests, swearing allegiance to President Mahmoud Abbas, and claiming that he is still the legitimate leader 16 years after his last election.

We dont want to label our people a traitor under any circumstances, but the protests may be used by those who want to harm the interests of the Palestinian nation, Fatah spokesman Hassan Hamayel told Al Jazeera.

He criticized activists in the West Bank for not protesting the death of a Palestinian detained by Hamas in Gaza a few days ago, but said he did not draw exact similarities.

Im not comparing, we have a state here-there is law and order we are the legal institution that the world deals with, Hamayel said.

But law and order is one of the protesters demands.

The Palestinian Authority stated that it detained 14 members of the security patrol who had detained Banat and transferred them to the military judicial institution. Until the investigation of their suspected involvement in his death is completed, the trust in the Palestinian Authority judicial system has been maintained. Falling over Two thirds Believing that there is corruption in the judicial institutions.

On July 25, senior Fatah official Hussein Sheikh apologized for the death of Banat on behalf of President Abbas.

This is a sad and unfortunate accident. Maybe something went wrong in law enforcement The important thing is that there are procedures for law and order and to judge who did it wrong, Media line To quote him.

The main activist Omar Assaf told Al Jazeera that an apology is a good start, but that accountability and justice are indeed needed.

He should first address the Palestinian people through local channels instead of international media, Assaf added.

Although Banats death was the catalyst for recent protests demanding justice, security reforms, and elections, before his death, dissatisfaction with the Palestinian Authority had been increasing.

Legitimacy crisis

In April, Abbas postponed This will be the first parliamentary election in 15 years, because what he is talking about is a dispute about voting in East Jerusalem annexed by Israel.

Critics accuse the 85-year-old leader of the Palestinian Authority of taking advantage of the problem As an excuse In order to avoid the possible failure of Fatahs polls, opinion poll experts said the postponement was a turning point in the publics perception of the Palestinian Authority.

The passive stance taken by the Palestinian Authority during the protests and confrontations with the Israeli army on the forced expulsion of Palestinian families near East Jerusalem has exacerbated its dissatisfaction with the Palestinian Authority. Sheikh Jala And the 11-day war between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza in May, and the investigation into the cancellation of the vaccine exchange agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Khalil Shikaki, a political science professor and director of the Palestine Policy and Research Center who has been conducting polls since 1993, told Al Jazeera that he had never seen Palestinians in the West Bank feel such a high level of frustration with the Palestinian Authority. Gaza.

He said that the Palestinians were dissatisfied with the Palestinian Authoritys views on Israeli occupation, its management of the West Bank under its control, and its growing corruption and authoritarian cooperation.

There is a perception that the Palestinian Authority is basically accepting the status quo, lacking the initiative and determination to confront Israel, and is basically protecting its own interests to maintain the survival of the Palestinian Authority, Shikaki said.

According to a recent poll conducted by the Palestine Policy and Research Center, Publish On July 4th, if a presidential election is held and only two people are nominated: Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Ismail Haniye of Hamas, the former will receive 27% of the votes and the latter will receive 59% of the votes-while Abbas voted 47% three months ago.

However, despite the Palestinians desire for change, the elections are far away.

Fatah suggested that the government should be reorganized to appease critics. Officials told Al Jazeera that Abbas had approved the proposal-and planned to change security agencies and diplomatic missions.

But Assaf said that the Palestinian Authoritys legitimacy crisis will not be resolved through reorganization.

As long as there are no elections, the crisis will always exist, he said.

We broke the fear barrier

At the same time, despite being relatively small and concentrated in Ramallah and Hebron, protests against the Palestinian Authority continue, and another protest will take place on August 2.

According to analysts, when Hamas tried to restore its global image, it avoided using its base in the West Bank for fear of a bloody confrontation with Fatah. In general, Fatah is defending the Palestinian Authority and avoiding public criticism of the president.

Shikaki said that third parties and independents are leading the demonstrations, but they account for less than a quarter of the population and lack the basis and organized mechanism to maintain the protests.

The events that occurred after the Arab Spring and the desire for stability, as well as concerns about security, have also put pressure on many people who desire change.

They dont want to risk being beaten up by the security services, and they dont want to risk having to go to jail. They see what happens, even when they come out there are reporters Some people worry that they will lose their jobs, and Worried about daily life conditions, Shikaki said.

However, Assaf did not drag his feet. The 71-year-old is often seen in every protest, often with a loudspeaker, and he said he believes this game will snowball.

We broke the fear barrier, Assaf said, but he remained vigilant.

The Palestinian Authoritys repression is not just a manifestation of weakness and chaos. In a certain way, this is the beginning of a war of successors who will succeed after Abbas left, he added.
BATON ROUGE  The combination of the more-infectious Delta variant spreading and the states below-average vaccination rate have pushed Louisiana into a fourth surge of COVID-19. This week, state health officials urged Louisianians to wear face masks in public places, even if theyre vaccinated. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) issued similar guidance, stating face masks are important in states like Louisiana that are having higher rates of new COVID-19 cases.

The Delta variant is much more likely to make people sick than the COVID-19 strains weve dealt with before, said Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Medical Director Dr. Larry Simon. Thats why its a good precaution, even if youre vaccinated, to mask up when you go to public places where youre likely to be around people who have not had the vaccine.

Wearing a face mask for added protection is especially important if you live with children younger than 12 or other people who cannot get the COVID-19 vaccine because of medical conditions, Dr. Simon said. He added that the best defense against getting sick or spreading COVID-19 to others is to get the vaccine.

Delta is dangerous, and were running out of time to slow the spread. To build enough immunity in our community, we need everyone 12 and older who can to get the vaccine if you havent already, Dr. Simon said.

Health officials have repeatedly stated that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and that getting the jab is the most effective way to prevent getting sick with the virus or spreading it to others.

Dr. Simon said he understands why some may be hesitant to roll up their sleeves because its normal to be concerned about a vaccine or medical treatment youve never had before. He advises anyone who has put off getting the COVID-19 vaccine to talk to their healthcare providers, get their questions answered and ask for guidance.

Do not make this very important health decision based only on things youre hearing and seeing in the news or online. Theres a lot of misinformation out there, and you should make sure you have the facts, Dr. Simon said. And the fact is you are far more likely to get sick from COVID-19 than you are to have any bad side effects from the vaccine.

Things to Know About Getting Your COVID-19 Vaccine

Your vaccine is covered at no out-of-pocket cost. Members of individual and employer health insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid can get any FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine for $0. This no-cost coverage is included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which also allows uninsured patients to get the vaccine for $0. Blue Cross will cover the vaccines administration without any member cost-share (deductible, copay or coinsurance) on most health plans. If you have questions about vaccine coverage on your health plan, contact Customer Service at the number on your member ID card.

You can call the State of Louisianas Vaccine Hotline at 1-855-453-0774 for help scheduling an appointment. The hotline staff can help you find vaccine locations near you or connect you with clinicians who can answer your vaccine questions. Or, visit the Louisiana Department of Healths website to see a list of vaccine locations. You can search by parish to find a vaccine site near you, and you can see which types of vaccine are being given at different locations.

You can get free rides to and from vaccine appointments. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation is sponsoring ride share programs statewide, and many community organizations offer similar programs. If you do not have a vehicle, are unable to drive or need transportation assistance, call 211 to get connected to programs in your area.

You can enter the State of Louisianas Shot At A Million drawing by July 31. Registration closes Saturday, July 31 for the State of Louisianas Shot At A Million $1 million grand prize drawing. State residents who have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine can enter.

Blue Cross has created interactive graphics for its social media that encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Anyone can share or post these graphics to their personal social media and are asked to use the hashtag #GetTheFactsGetTheVax when doing so. Find and download the graphics at www.bcbsla.com/covid19. Blue Cross has also produced Spanish versions of the social graphics, which are available to download and share.

Visit the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana YouTube page to see short videos on the COVID-19 vaccines and other health topics. Subscribe to know when new videos are added. You can connect with Blue Cross on social media for regular updates. Blue Cross posts regularly on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and now, TikTok.

For information on what Blue Cross is doing in response to COVID-19, visit www.bcbsla.com/covid19.
NEW IBERIA, La. - The Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival Association is honored to announce King Sucrose LXXIX, David Wayne Thibodeaux.

New Iberia native and General Manager of St. Mary Sugar Cooperative, Inc., David Thibodeaux is a descendent of sugar cane farmers. After the passing of his father in 1961, his family farm was sold.

Thibodeaux worked in the oil and gas sector prior to beginning his sugar career 36 years ago at Jeanerette Sugar Cooperative, Inc. Sugar continues to run through his veins to this day.

His contribution to the industry includes serving on various boards, including Sugar Grower & Refiners, Inc.; Louisiana Sugar Cane Products, Inc.; Teche Mills, LLC; American Sugar Cane League; American Sugar Cane League Foundation and the American Society of Sugarcane Technologists.

Thibodeaux and his wife of 43 years, Fran Alvarado Thibodeaux, look forward to celebrating the 79th Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival on September 23-26 with their family and community who have helped him reach this milestone.

Other 2021 festival honorees include:

Mr. Iberia: Paul Schexnayder

Festival Honorees: Jeff & Sharon Jolet

Festival Grand Marshal: Hester Patout Bourdier
Jeanerette, LA  Shipbuilder Metal Shark has introduced the 38 Defiant NXT, a next-generation welded-aluminum monohull pilothouse model based on the companys popular 38 Defiant platform. The first new vessel, Fire Boat 2, has been delivered to Orange Beach Fire Rescue in Alabama.

Since 2011, well over 100 legacy model 38 Defiant vessels have been delivered in a wide range of configurations to fire departments, law enforcement agencies, the US Coast Guard and Navy, and multiple foreign militaries worldwide. The new 38 Defiant NXT utilizes the same proven hullform but with an entirely new topsides arrangement designed by Metal Sharks in-house engineering team.

In addition to the recent delivery to Orange Beach Fire Rescue, Metal Shark is currently building 38 Defiant NXT fireboats for the Chicago Fire Department, South King County (Washington) Fire & Rescue, and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, which has two units on order. As with the previous generation model, the 38 Defiant NXT is also offered in configurations optimized for law enforcement or military use and may be equipped with autonomous capability through Metal Sharks Sharktech Autonomous Vessels division.

Redesigning one of our best-selling models at the peak of its popularity was not a task we approached lightly, but through our efforts we made significant improvements to an already outstanding platform, said Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard. Orange Beach Fire Rescues new 38 Defiant NXT fireboat and the multiple other fireboats now in production are a direct result of our goal to consistently offer the industrys most advanced designs through ongoing product evolution.

The 38 Defiant NXT boasts a modern arrangement with an innovative new pilothouse design. The use of Metal Sharks signature Pillarless Glass significantly reduces blind spots to deliver class-leading pilothouse visibility, while a reverse-raked windshield with prominent brow shade reduces heat load and glare. An overhead skylight array offers unobstructed upwards views, helpful while operating alongside taller vessels or structures or during helicopter hosting operations. Large, quickly-sliding side windows and an extra-wide cabin door facilitate communication to crew members in the cockpit and allow quick and easy ingress and egress by firefighters wearing full gear.

Twin engine-driven Hammond HVAC units provide climate control for a roomy cabin equipped with SHOXS 2000 shock-mitigating seating for three, with one seat at each console. A port-side bench seat with backrest provides additional seating with latching storage lockers beneath. A pair of large and sturdy grab rails are installed overhead, within easy reach of standing crew. For Orange Beach Fire Rescue, a full Raymarine electronics package, FLIR thermal imaging system, and positive-pressure Chemical, Radiological, Biological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) crew protection system

have been provided. Meanwhile, vibration-dampening, shock-absorbing, non-skid flooring material provides additional comfort and safety.

The bow cuddy cabin is accessed via an extra-wide companionway and provides ample dry storage for gear. Fire departments such as Orange Beach Fire Rescue often choose a fully open forward cabin for maximum storage. Alternately, the cuddy may be outfitted with a v-berth, galley, and enclosed head compartment. The 38 Defiant NXT is also offered in an open-bow version.

A no-nonsense deck layout allows firefighters to perform their work more safely and efficiently. Crews enjoy wide-open workspaces that facilitate safe and surefooted movement from bow to stern, even while wearing heavy firefighting gear. Wide, non-skid-walkways feature low-level LED lighting for night missions, while all rails and grab handles are ruggedly constructed and placed within easy reach. A WING urethane-sheathed, closed-cell foam collar provides impact resistance during alongside maneuvers, a robust bow-pusher knee provides added utility, and a large dive platform and aft cockpit scuba tank racks have been added for divers.

Orange Beach Fire Rescues new 38 Defiant NXT is powered by twin 550-HP Cummins QSB 6.7 inboard diesels mated to Hamilton HTX30 waterjets with Blue Arrow control system via Twin Disc MG 5065 SC transmissions. This configuration enables this fully-equipped 43 x 12 fireboat to cruise at 30 knots and reach top speeds in excess of 40 knots while offering superb maneuverability at all speeds. The 38 Defiant NXT is available with a wide range of propulsion types and can reach top speeds of 50+ knots when powered by triple outboards.

For firefighting, the Orange Beach fireboat delivers a flow rate of 3,000 GPM, with twin 1,500 GPM Darley fire pumps driven via PTO from the main engines. Each pump draws from its own dedicated in-hull sea chest, feeding a central manifold with crossover capability, which in turn supplies the entire system. From the fire control station at the port helm, flow is directed as desired via electronically-actuated valves. The vessel is equipped with a remote-operated Elkhart Scorpion EXM electric rooftop monitor, two Elkhart Copperhead manually operated monitors aft, dual handline outlets, and a 5 Storz connection.

Working closely with our customers and drawing directly from their feedback, we continue to drive change throughout our product portfolio, said Dean Jones, Metal Sharks Vice President of Sales for Fire, Law Enforcement, and Specialty Markets. Today we offer the industrys most modern lineup of fire rescue vessels, each based on an extensively proven hull. Designed to perform and built to last, Metal Shark fireboats continue to gain popularity among the nations leading fire departments.
Abdalla says, "And push people to literally take the vaccine and good portion of our people they still not taking it so I think that's going to bring us back to square one"

A Variant of Covid-19 that first emerged in Colombia is now spreading in the u.s. it's called the Colombian variant which was genetically sequenced.

Eunice Hunter says although she doesn't know much about the different variants she still takes all the necessary precautions.

"I really don't know what to say about it all I do is just be safe every time we go outside then still do the handwashing still continue to do the six feet away from each other and then wearing mask if you like"

As new covid-19 variants continue to emerge many people say masks are still important during this pandemic.

"Personally don't like it because we work really in a hot environment but if it must we have to do it because we have to basically prevent spreading the disease for more people so of course, we have to follow the rules at the end of the day"

The World Health Organization has designated the variant as one that requires more monitoring. Abdalla says although he doesn't like wearing mask he will do whatever it takes to protect himself and his community.

"What we have to do to basically minimize the damage of this disease we have to follow and do as simple as that"
The University of Kansas will recommend, but not require, masks to be worn indoors by all individuals, regardless of vaccination status.
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- The attorney general in Missouri says he will be will be filing a lawsuit in an effort to halt a mask mandate in the Kansas City area amid a rise in COVID-19 cases that are burdening a growing number of hospitals around the state.

"This mask mandate is about politics and control, not science. You are not subjects but citizens of what has been the freest country in the world and I will always fight for you," Attorney General Eric Schmitt said.

Mayor Lucas to announce new mask mandate for Kansas City Mayor Lucas will announce a new indoor mask mandate for Kansas City on Wednesday, according to his office.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas responded quickly on Twitter by saying, "Dude, the order hasnt even been filed yet. What are you suing about? Do you want us to just schedule a debate on Fox News so you can get the press? Im down!"

St. Louis County Council votes to overturn mask mandate Only one day after it went into effect, a mask mandate in St. Louis County has been repealed.

A mask mandate effect Monday in the St. Louis area, one of the first to be reinstated in the country. It requires everyone age 5 or older to wear masks in indoor public places and on public transportation in St. Louis city and St. Louis County even if they are vaccinated. That lawsuit said 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.

Metro-area residents respond to new CDC mask guidelines, which include vaccinated people The young people KCTV5 News met at Tuesday's event said theyre fine with any mask mandate that might come and nearly all of them referenced someone other than themselves as their reason.

KCTV5 reached out to attorneys and legal specialists for insight into whether the state can keep local governments from implementing mask mandates.

Allen Rostron, a UMKC Law Professor, said much of Schmitt's lawsuit is based on a statute passed in Missouri in June that restricts public health orders to certain criteria. He said a lawsuit would likely not even go to court before the current mask mandate ends.

He added that Schmitt is also making a philosophical argument against masks.

"He's also making a couple of arguments that are essentially, he doesn't think mask mandates are a good idea," Rostron said. "It's couched in legal terminology, like this is 'unreasonable or arbitrary.'"

Mayor Lucas also commented on Schmitt's pledge to file a lawsuit during a virtual press conference.

"My question for the Attorney General is, if we give him our order, will he give us some guidance on whether it's lawful?" Lucas said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Following new masking guidance issued by the CDC to curb the spread of COVID-19, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says that he will reinstate an indoor mask mandate for all persons aged five and older, regardless of vaccination status.
"Descendants of the Sun," "Uncontrollably Fond," "Reply 1988," "Oh My Venus," "Let's Fight Ghost," "Moon Lovers: Secret Heart Ryeo," and "W: Two Worlds" are several top-rating drama series that conquered 2016.

One can say that 2016 was the golden year for South Korean dramas for every drama that was released has been streamed from all over the world.

"Cheese In The Trap" was one of the drama series that made a buzz in the television industry. It received both positive and negative feedback but nonetheless, it was a huge hit with a 6.3 percent viewership rating.

The drama left a remarkable print on those who watched it, thanks to the amazing actors who portrayed their characters with passion. But the question is, where are they now?

In this list is the rundown of "Cheese In The Trap" actors' activities and newest shows.

Kim Go Eun

Excellent actress Kim Go Eun received criticisms for her role as Hong Seol in "Cheese In The Trap" but proved the viewers that she is indeed a master of her craft.

After the drama series closed its curtains, she was casted as the Goblin's wife for 'Goblin' (also known as Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) with seasoned actor Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook.

She gained popularity and a solid fan base after starring in "Goblin." It was Kim Go Eun's breakthrough role.

In 2020, Kim Go Eun appeared in the fantasy romance drama "The King: Eternal Monarch."

She also appeared in several films "Sunset in My Hometown," "Tune in For Love," and "Hit-and-Run Squad."

Kim Go Eun will be starring in the tvN's new upcoming psychological romance comedy drama 'Yumi's Cells' with actors Ahn Bo Hyun, Lee Yu Bi, and Park Ji Hyun. It is slated to premiere in the second half of 2021.

Watch 'Goblin' teaser here:



Park Hae Jin

Actor Park Hae Jin took on the role of Yoo Jung, a senior university student who is close to perfection but unbeknownst to many, he has a dark side in his personality.

The then 34-year-old actor received attention for effectively portraying a deceitfully manipulative person.

Park Hae Jin appeared in several dramas "Man to Man," "Forest," and "Kkondae Intern."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: New Drama 'Police University' Shares A Glimpse of Jinyoung and Cha Tae Hyun's Scorned Expressions In An Intense Confrontation



In 2018, he reprised his role as Yoo Jung in the film version of "Cheese In The Trap" with 'A Korean Odyssey' actress Oh Yeon Seo.

Actor Park Hae Jin will be starring in the upcoming Chinese drama series "Popcorn" and "Secret Society of Men" and South Korean drama 'Showtime From Now'. Production and other further details are yet to be announced.

Watch Park Hae Jin's heart-fluttering charms in "Forest" here:

Seo Kang Joon

Seo Kang Joon took on the role of Baek In Ho, Yoo Jung's (Park Hae Jin) adoptive brother, who has an extreme passion for music.

Actor Seo Kang Joon appeared in many famous Korean dramas such as "Are You Human?," "The Third Charm," and "Watcher."

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His recent small screen appearance was in "When the Weather is Fine" with "Healer" actress Park Min Young.

Seo Kang Joon will be starring in Disney Plus' new television series "Grid."

Watch "When the Weather is Fine" teaser here:

Lee Sung Kyung

One of South Korea's prettiest faces Lee Sung Kyung also starred in "Cheese In The Trap" as Baek In Ha, Baek In Ho's (Seo Kang Joon) older sister and Yoo Jung's (Park Hae Jin) adoptive sister.

In the drama, she showcased a different kind of Lee Sung Kyung, after taking on the role of the sassy and crazily naughty Baek In Ha.

After the drama came to an end, Lee Sung Kyung was casted as one of the doctors in the medical drama "Doctors" with Kim Rae Won and Park Shin Hye.

She rose to fame for taking on the main role of a weightlifter in MBC's romantic comedy drama series 'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo' with actor Nam Joo Hyuk, who also appeared in 'Cheese In The Trap' with a minor role, and whom he dated for a few months after splitting consensually.

Lee Sung Kyung also landed the main roles for "About Time" and "Dr. Romantic 2."

Watch Lee Sung Kyung as a weighlifter in "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" here:

Watch "Cheese In The Trap" teaser here:

Which of the "Cheese In The Trap" characters was your favourite? Share it with us in the comments!

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Written by Elijah Mully.
A day after his 40th birthday, it has been revealed that actor Jo In Sung made a generous donation towards the young individual in the country of Tanzania.

July 28 when the "It's Okay, That's Love" star celebrated his 40th birthday. On the same day, Jo In Sung's new movie "Escape from Mogadishu" had its premiere in theaters and instantly became a hit.

MIRAL Welfare Foundation Exposes Jo In Sung's Heartfelt Gesture Towards the Community of Tanzania

As one of the elite K-drama celebrities, Jo In Sung is known not just for being a respected and well-rounded actor, but most especially for having a big heart to help those who are in need.

According to a non-governmental organization MIRAL Welfare Foundation, actor Jo In Sung has generously donated 500 million won (almost 440 million dollars) to help the people in Tanzania. The foundation also stated that the money given by the Korean star was used to build Singida New Vision School located in central Tanzania.

Singida is said to be one of the poorest regions in Tanzania. And many children do not have the opportunity to attend school. Even though Jo In Sung's secret project happened in 2018, the foundation and the people in Tanzania wanted to show their gratitude towards the A-List actor.

Jo In Sung Built a Strong Foundation for Young Individuals in Tanzania

There are already 351 students pursuing their education at the newly built school. Jo In Sung also paid a visit to the school in 2019. He even spent time with the students and planted Terminalia in the playgrounds.

During his stay in the facility, Jo In Sung said that the plant Terminalia is a tree that grows to provide shade. He wished that the tree he planted would become a cool and comfortable place for all the students of Singida New Vision School in Tanzania.

Why Did MIRAL Welfare Foundation Reveal Jo In Sung's Big Donation?

Meanwhile, MIRAL Welfare Foundation explained why they decided to finally reveal Jo In Sung's kind gesture. According to one of their representatives, "We would like to express our deepest gratitude to actor Jo In Sung for building the school for he helped the children of Tanzania to establish their own dreams."

The official also added that those young and adult individuals who have been working already have returned to school and continue their education. They were very thankful for actor Jo In Sung.

In Case You Missed It: 'Escape from Mogadishu' Actor Jo In Sung Comically Reveals Why He is Not on Social Media

What can you say about Jo In Sung's generous donation to the young individuals of Tanzania? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy a "moron" after being asked by a reporter about his criticism of the Capitol physician's mask mandate in the House, another sign of the souring relationship between the two House party leaders.

"He's such a moron," Pelosi, a California Democrat, said while getting into her SUV outside the Capitol, when asked about the House minority leader.

Her insult came in response to McCarthy's criticism in a tweet of new mask mandates in which he said, "Make no mistake  The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state."

When asked to respond to Pelosi's comments, McCarthy questioned the science behind the speaker's decision.

"Well if she's so bright, I'd like to know where the science changes in the Capitol, between the House and the Senate," he said, referring to different rules regarding masks between the two chambers.

"I never think it's productive when I talk to her," McCarthy said when CNN asked if he planned to speak to her.

Nearly half of House Republicans won't say publiclya whether they are vaccinated against Covid-19, according a CNN survey published last week.

Pelosi's deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill quickly followed up Pelosi's initial comments in a tweet, "Unfortunately, we can't verify this audio because of poor quality, but I can confirm that the Speaker believes that saying a mask requirement is 'not a decision based on science' is moronic."

The Capitol attending physician sent a memo Tuesday with guidance that both vaccinated and unvaccinated lawmakers, staff and other visitors to the Capitol wear masks indoors. The memo also specified the guidance is mandatory in the House side of the Capitol.

"For all House Office Buildings, the Hall of the House, and House Committee Meetings, wearing of a well-fitted, medical grade, filtration face mask is required when an individual is in an interior space and other individuals are present," the memo said. "To be clear, for meetings in an enclosed US House of Representatives controlled space, masks are REQUIRED."

Far right openly revolt over mask

Some Republicans -- particularly those of the far right and those aligned with former President Donald Trump -- have begun to criticize Pelosi, blaming her for the mandate, and are refusing to wear masks on the floor. Their revolt against House rules is the latest example of politicization of health officials' recommendations related to the coronavirus.

Members found not wearing a mask are subject to a $500 fine, per House rules. The House's mandate follows the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new recommendation Tuesday that all Americans should mask up indoors, regardless of vaccination status, in areas with "high" or "substantial" Covid-19 transmission.

On Wednesday, GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado threw a mask back at a floor staffer when she was offered one while trying to walk onto the floor maskless, according to a witness account relayed to CNN.

Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a Republican who has refused to disclose whether he's been vaccinated against Covid-19 for a CNN survey published last week, called the House mask rules "patently absurd."

GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Andy Biggs of Arizona were also spotted on the House floor without a mask on Wednesday morning.

Trump consistently undermined masking guidelines through out his presidency, and on Tuesday continued to inflame outrage over mask usage in a statement that said "We won't mask our children" and "Don't surrender to COVID. Don't go back!"

Relationship on the rocks

While Pelosi and McCarthy have never been close, their relationship recently has completely deteriorated amid the fallout from the House select committee to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack.

When CNN asked Pelosi on Tuesday to weigh in on McCarthy saying he didn't watch the first hearing for the select committee on Tuesday, Pelosi responded: "Anytime you mention his name, you're not getting an answer from me. Don't waste my time."

This comes a week after a phone call between Pelosi and McCarthy where the speaker informed him she would reject two of his selections to the special House committee. Voices were raised, a source with knowledge of the matter said, and McCarthy protested, hinting the decision could come back to haunt her.

"What you're doing is unprecedented," McCarthy told Pelosi, according to a second source familiar with the call.

"The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision," Pelosi said, suggesting that the adding GOP Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio to the committee would undercut the integrity of the probe.

This story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.

The-CNN-Wire

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SALEM, Ore.  Governor Kate Brown says she has directed state education and health officials to require masks indoors for K-12 schools this coming school year, following recent guidance from the CDC and a nationwide uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Brown said that she has asked the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education to create a rule that would require masks indoors for K-12 schools statewide for the 2021-22 school year, "in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions recently updated guidance, and based on the latest science on the spread of the Delta variant."

The science and data are clear: the Delta variant is in our communities, and it is more contagious, said Governor Brown. My priority is to ensure our kids are able to safely return to full-time in-person learning this fall, five days per week and with minimal disruptions. With many children still ineligible to be vaccinated, masks are an effective way to help keep our kids safe in the classroom, the learning environment we know serves them best."

Few southern Oregon school districts had yet to make a firm decision on whether to require face coverings as of this week, though many were leaning toward making them optional or recommended. The ODE's current guidance leaves the decision up to individual districts and schools, but requires more stringent quarantine protocols for positive cases where mask are not required.

After the CDC updated its mask guidance earlier this week, the Oregon Health Authority quickly came out with a similar prescription at the state level, calling for universal mask use indoors for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. As of this week, the new guidance constitutes a strong recommendation and not a mandate.

In the meantime, as we ask Oregonians statewide to mask up in public indoor spaces, we will continue working hard to vaccinate more people so we can finally beat this virus once and for all," Brown continued. "Vaccines remain the most effective and best way to protect ourselves and our families.

The Medford School District originally planned on sharing their locally-developed mask guidance with their Board of Directors on Monday, but are canceling the meeting due to Brown's rule.

"To those who submitted comments for the meeting, we will be forwarding those to the state," said Bret Champion, superintendent of Medford School District. "If you would like to submit a comment you may do so until Monday via our form or you may send it directly to the Governors office."

Champion said in a statement that the district will continue working to provide the best possible education for students, while prioritizing the health and wellness of students, staff and the rest of the community.
BLY, Ore.  Governor Kate Brown paid a visit to a fire camp near Bly in Klamath County on Wednesday, receiving a briefing from fire officials on the current state of firefighting efforts on the Bootleg Fire  still the largest fire currently burning in the nation, and the third-largest in Oregon's post-1900 history.

Fire officials said that Governor Brown had an opportunity to fly out over the vast burn area, then received an in-depth briefing on current suppression efforts and evacuation levels from the Incident Management Team. She also met with members of the Rapid Extrication Module team that helped to recover a lost firefighter on the eastern flank of the Bootleg Fire earlier this month.

The camp near Bly includes both firefighters and crews from the Oregon National Guard. Brown thanked the Guardsmen as well as the local, state, and federal firefighters that came out to work on the fire.

Brown underlined the state's readiness in the face of severe fire danger this year, with the Office of the State Fire Marshal able to quickly respond to major fire incidents like the Bootleg Fire.

"OSFM was able to have a team here pretty close to immediately," the Governor said. "That makes a huge difference. We had folks staged in central Oregon over the Fourth of July weekend because we were so concerned about the fire danger there, so you have to be proactive . . . you've got to be able to make sure your communities are fire adaptive, and that's going to look different for different communities  it will look different for Ashland than it will for Bly."

Asked about the current state of COVID-19 in Oregon with the Delta virus now ascendant, Governor Brown stood by the current local approach to countermeasures over the state-level restrictions that were in place less than a month ago.

"We are moving to a more traditional, localized approach, where communities can make those decisions themselves based on the rate of infection in the community and the reliance on local public health experts and medical professionals, health professionals in the community," Brown said.

Brown issued a statement after the Bootleg Fire visit with her takeaways:

Today I saw firsthand the impacts of the nation's largest fire. Oregonians should be incredibly proud of the extraordinary coordination between local, state, federal, tribal, and community partners that goes into responding to a fire of this magnitude.

"I am grateful for the hardworking fire crews on the ground, our Oregon National Guard members providing support, and all those contributing to response efforts.

"The Bootleg Fire underscores the need for our state to have more boots on the ground to respond to fires, as well as the resources necessary to create fire adapted communities and more resilient landscapes."
MEDFORD, Ore.  When the Oregon Department of Education released its guidance for the coming school year at the end June, it left the decision to require face coverings up to individual districts and schools. Since then, districts in southern Oregon have been weighing their options and developing their policies  but the latest guidance from state and federal officials may have an impact on how they shake out.

NewsWatch 12 reached out to a number of schools in Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties earlier this week. Most said that they were either still developing their plans, or intended to make masks optional for students and staff.

The Medford School District is one that has yet to finalize its plans, but administrators said Wednesday that they intend to release an update on guidance for the fall by early next week.

"When the State of Oregon dropped its mask mandate in early July, we allowed face coverings to be optional in our Summer Experience, which serves nearly 1,000 students," said Superintendent Dr. Bret Champion in a statement. "As of today, we have had two staff cases and two student cases (the students were from the same household), and three of the cases arose during the first session when masks were required."

MSD conducted a survey over the past several weeks to get feedback on the mask issue from the community. About 70 percent of respondents said that face coverings should be optional or strongly recommended, while 30 percent said that they should be required for some or all students and staff.

Respondents said that they were 77 percent parents or guardians, almost 19 percent staff members, and 17.5 percent "community members"  with some apparent overlap.

According to MSD, they have also looked at recommendations from health officials, the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Oregon Health Authority.

However, guidance from public health officials altered dramatically just this week with the sudden rise in cases spurred by the Delta variant  with first the CDC, then the OHA, then Jackson County officials recommending that everyone wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Currently, only people 12 and older can receive a COVID-19 vaccine  and only the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for those as young as 12  so the majority of school populations below the high school level will necessarily be unvaccinated.

"As we work to compile our guidance for the fall, please know we are considering many factors and doing so with the best interest of our students, staff, families, and community in our hearts," Champion said. "We are charged with mitigating risk, not only of COVID, but of its impacts on teaching and learning."

MSD's next step will be to present its 2021-22 recommendations to the Board of Directors at a meeting on Monday at the North Medford High School auditorium. Public comment will be allowed for 45 minutes, and members of the community are asked to sign up in advance or submit written comment. All written comments will be reviewed by board members.
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It looks like the first significant storm event of the summer may hit the state later Wednesday and into Thursday.

But Kenosha County may be spared the brunt.

Ben Miller, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sullivan, said Wednesday afternoon that he expects some kind of weather event here, but as for the strength of those storms, Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin and just a bit further south appears to be more of a target.

"You guys might be on the southern edge of (the storm)," Miller said. "We'll just have to see how far south it goes. It's going to drop southeast. Kind of the southern and southeastern edge of it is probably the area where we're most uncertain as far as the extent of the storms."

According to weather.com, a 10% chance of rain exists here until 9 p.m. tonight, with isolated and scattered storms predicted until midnight.

As Wednesday turns into Thursday, the chance for strong thunderstorms here reaches a high of 60% by 3 a.m., with more rain possible at daybreak Thursday.

Miller said as the storm develops, tornados and hail will be possible for the areas predicted to catch the brunt  with winds expected in excess of 70 to 80 mph.
Ketchikan, AK (99901)

Today

Periods of rain. High 61F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 59F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch.
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Five years into my practice as an academic allergist/immunologist, my perceptions continue to evolve. Though once primarily informed by my mentors wisdom, I continue incorporating my experiences as both physician and autoimmune patient to guide my practice. Though we all know medicine isnt like it used to be, nostalgia is bittersweet. In its wake, the real question remains: how are we going to respond to ongoing changes and fight for the health of our patients and our colleagues?

From the loss of autonomy with the advent of managed care and corporate takeovers, we find ourselves practicing under increased pressure from all sides. Less time and resources to help sicker patients. Answering not only to our patients needs but those of insurance companies and other interested parties whose motives are less than altruistic.

We also cannot forget that, as a whole, physicians look different too  less white, less male, and less willing to devote 80+ hour weeks to our profession. All of these factors and many more are contributing to physician burnout at alarming rates.

In many ways, our patients have changed too. The once common, paternalistic physician-patient relationship is evolving. In the wake of the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements, many of us are learning a whole new history of generations of medical trauma that go far beyond the cursory lesson on Tuskegee.

Additionally, with the immense growth of social media, health influencers, and celeb gurus, it is not uncommon to have patients arrive at our offices with particular concerns, questions, or even a list of diagnostic testing they want to be performed. They are aiming to play an active role in their evaluation and treatment but without a full understanding of the differences between our training and that of the resource they have come to like, know and trust.

Within the pressure cooker practice, we default to cognitive biases. These biases encompass over 50 different ways our brain seeks to lessen our burden and get us through the demands of the day. These biases are pervasive, and when the tables are turned, we are not spared from their effects. See, it turns out even being a board-certified immune system expert didnt spare me any of the frustrations and biases common to the workup of an autoimmune condition.

Now, having immersed myself within the invisible and chronic illness communities since my own diagnosis of Sjogrens Syndrome, I have learned these biases are more commonly described as medical gaslighting.

Medical gaslighting is a phrase used to describe doctors or medical practitioners who blame a patients illness or symptoms on psychological factors or deny a patients illness entirely, for example, wrongly telling patients that they are not sick.

In hindsight, I had symptoms for years before my own diagnosis. Symptoms that slowly progressed over the course of my medical training but were either ignored, dismissed, or pushed aside by both myself and my colleagues.

I distinctly recall a visit to my primary care doctor for low back stiffness as an intern. Its probably just from rounding all day or premature closure bias?

Querying my OB/GYN about pain with sex later in residency. You are just a newlywed, nothing to worry about or representative restraint?

Talking with my optometrist about my inability to tolerate wearing contact lenses when I started fellowship It is just run-of-the-mill dry eye, use some artificial tears or zebra retreat?

Hypothesizing with my partners about a random episode of anaphylaxis as a second-year fellow. Likely just a perfect storm and nothing to worry about or outcome bias?

Shuffling through the fatigue and fog that seemed unending, but I chalked up to being both a new attending and mom. Probably just lack of sleep and postpartum depression or psych-out error?

No matter what we term these situations, they dont occur without consequences. Many patients will stop seeking care due to poor physician-patient relationships, feeling rebuffed or treated with disrespect, and being denied care. Research has also demonstrated that the mislabeling of a psychiatric diagnosis can delay rare disease diagnosis by 2.5 to 14 times, according to a survey of 12,000 European patients. This is particularly concerning when the average time to diagnosis a rare disease stands at 4.8 years.

So how can we start to rebuild therapeutic trust with our patients?

1. Actively listen and validate the patients experience. We can never fully walk in the patients shoes but we can listen. More importantly, we can let them know they have been heard even if we cant fully explain their experiences.

2. Be upfront with patients about expectations, limitations, and boundaries. Consider letting patients know the length of appointments, if you are able or willing to block additional time when necessary, and the ground rules for communication between visits or for lab results.

3. Be willing to rethink. Psychologist Adam Grant recommends staying humble, maintaining a healthy sense of skepticism and approaching the world with curiosity. Despite knowing now more than we have ever known about the human body and physiology, our work is not done.

Let us not forget the story of Dr. Semmelweis, who demonstrated the importance of hand-washing in Austrian maternity wards in the mid-1800s. The bias known as the Semmelweis reflex is a tendency to reject new evidence that contradicts established norms or paradigms. Sadly, Dr. Semmelweis was so ridiculed that it led to his own public burnout, forced hospitalization, and early death.

More necessary than ever, we need to continue to work towards system-wide change that allows physicians the ability to practice the art and science of medicine in partnership with our patients. The real goal? A win-win-win solution with healthy patients and physicians and a lower cost of care.

Kara Wada is an allergist-immunologist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Homeless advocates have set up camp in downtown Corvallis hoping to draw the attention of city leaders. Advocates started pitching tents early Thursday morning throughout Central Park and City Hall Plaza.

The goal is to draw attention to the citys practice of posting and sweeping homeless camps without giving the unhoused a place to go.

Jim Swinyard, a board member of Corvallis Housing First, said there are three main goals of the protest. Advocates first want the city to stop indiscriminately sweeping homeless camps. Then they want leaders to work with partners to create sanctioned camping spaces, and finally they want those spaces to have access to resources.

There needs to be a place for these people to move to that have support services, like dumpsters and porta potties and things like that, so they can be stabilized and work on the issues that have contributed to their not having a permanent roof over their head, Swinyard said.

The advocates and community activists will spend Thursday night in their tents and pack up at 5 a.m. Friday.

They chose to camp in Central Park and in front of City Hall because that is where the city says some campers are allowed to legally sleep overnight when shelters are full.

Tara Gray was once homeless herself and among those camping next to city hall as part of the protest. She said homelessness is not a problem that can simply be pushed out of sight.

A huge reason to be here is to bring it into the light, Gray said. This is the problem. We need to face it and deal with it. We can't push it away. We can't push it out of town. We need to deal with it. This is happening all over the country, not just here.

Swinyard emphasized that he agrees with the citys policy of sweeping certain camps, like those that pose a safety hazard or are located in environmentally-sensitive areas.

In a statement, the city said houselessness is being addressed through a partnership of local government agencies, service providers, and nonprofit partners.

"City Hall, the Benton County Courthouse, and other public government buildings in town are frequently visited by community members exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech, and we welcome such activities. We were pleased to see that the visitors to City Hall and Central Park appear to be generally adhering to the spacing guidelines in our sleeping area program to reduce the fire risk and damage to vegetation. Visitors also appeared to be following the general rules for park use," the city said.
BLY, Ore. -- Gov. Kate Brown paid a visit to a fire camp near Bly in Klamath County on Wednesday, receiving a briefing from fire officials on the current state of firefighting efforts on the Bootleg Fire  still the largest fire currently burning in the nation, and the third-largest in Oregon's post-1900 history.

Fire officials said that Brown had an opportunity to fly out over the vast burn area, then received an in-depth briefing on current suppression efforts and evacuation levels from the Incident Management Team.

The camp near Bly includes both firefighters and crews from the Oregon National Guard. Brown thanked the Guardsmen as well as the local, state, and federal firefighters that came out to work on the fire.

Brown also underlined the state's readiness in the face of severe fire danger this year, with the Office of the State Fire Marshal able to quickly respond to major fire incidents like the Bootleg Fire.

"OSFM was able to have a team here pretty close to immediately," Brown said. "That makes a huge difference. We had folks staged in central Oregon over the Fourth of July weekend because we were so concerned about the fire danger there, so you have to be proactive . . . you've got to be able to make sure your communities are fire adaptive, and that's going to look different for different communities  it will look different for Ashland than it will for Bly."

Asked about the current state of COVID-19 in Oregon with the Delta virus now ascendant, Brown stood by the current local approach to countermeasures over the state-level restrictions that were in place less than a month ago.

"We are moving to a more traditional, localized approach, where communities can make those decisions themselves based on the rate of infection in the community and the reliance on local public health experts and medical professionals, health professionals in the community," Brown said.
EUGENE, Ore. -- The Delta variant is playing a role in the increase of COVID-19 cases across the state, experts say.

Dr. Patrick Luedtke with Lane County Public Health said he still urges people to get vaccinated to combat the variant.

RELATED: OHA NOW RECOMMENDING MASK USE INDOORS REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION STATUS

"This pandemic ends with vaccination and if we don't get a high enough vaccination rate, well then we're stuck with managing the pandemic," Luedtke said.

Just a few weeks ago, Lane County was averaging fewer than 10 new cases per day. On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the county averaged more than 80. In that same span, Douglas County averaged about 60. The two numbers don't seem too far off, but there are more than three times as many people in Lane County than there are in Douglas.

Douglas County also has one of the lower vaccination rates in the state. According to the Oregon Health Authority, Douglas County has vaccinated about four out of every 10 people, while Lane County has one of the higher rates -- closer to six out of 10.

"I wish our vaccination rate was higher, but we have to make due with what we have," Luedtke said.

For Oregonians, they'll only have to make a few adjustments if they choose to follow the OHA's newest recommendations for mask wearing in public indoor spaces, but those slight changes are still enough to make some nervous.

MORE: 'WE NEED TO INSPIRE VACCINATION': OFFICIALS TALK NEW CDC MASK GUIDANCE

"It's bad news," John Marshall said.

While others just see it as just another day in a pandemic.

"I've never been that concerned. I've followed the rules, but I've continued to do everything that I've done before," John Kennedy said.

It's important to note Luedtke advises those who aren't in the medical field to stick with the cloth and surgical level masks.
EUGENE, Ore. -- After historic high temperatures hit the Pacific Northwest in late June, another round of triple digit temperatures are expected to hit today and Friday.

RELATED: OREGON FACING EXTREME HEAT THIS WEEKEND

Environment Oregon rallied in Kesey Square today and handed out popsicles to help community members stay cool. They said climate change is a primary reason why the region is experiencing unprecedented heat.

"Climate change is contributing to this. We're in one of the worst droughts," said Jessie Kochacver, one of the activists at the event.

Kochaver said they support bold climate action including transitioning all transportation to electric vehicles.

Another concern among community members is lack of air conditioning in the heat.

KEZI 9 News spoke with Jennings Group, a property management company that oversees hundreds of units in Eugene. They said immediate action to renovate is difficult because of supply chain issues and monetary reasons.

"Just the proposal to get a good idea of the breadth and cost is about $15,000," Jennings Group president Darren Stone said.

Stone said they are working with clients to improve cooling systems as quickly as possible. However, the pandemic has also created challenges.

"Not just HVAC equipment but anything construction or material related," Stone said. "Two years ago if you were remodeling your kitchen, it may take two weeks to get a set of cabinets. Now, it may take twelve weeks."

Stone said while proposals are underway, there will not be immediate changes this year.

Homes for Good, a public housing agency, said they have been working with an energy services team for several years, making it easier to provide residents with cooling equipment.

"Obviously, Oregon's climate in the summer has changed," said Ela Kubock, a spokeperson with Homes For Good. "What we do in all of our new affordable housing is make sure there is a cooling option."

KEZI 9 News also reached out to University of Oregon and Oregon State University about student housing units. They said they don't have plans to install air conditioning units in residence hall rooms. But there are community shared areas where air conditioning is installed.
FLORENCE, Ore. -- Police are identifying the people involved in a fatal crash on Highway 101 on Wednesday.

It happened at about 7:20 a.m. near Florence at milepost 196. All lanes of Highway 101 were closed south of Florence due to the wreck.

MORE: FATAL CRASH SHUTS DOWN HIGHWAY 101 SOUTH OF FLORENCE

Oregon State Police say early investigation indicates Rhonda Wild, 51, of Fresno, California, was driving a Ford Contour north in the southbound lane when her vehicle collided with a southbound Nissan Titan that was pulling a boat. Jason Smith, 46, of Prineville was driving the Nissan.

Both Wild and Smith suffered fatal injuries and were declared dead. Two passengers in the Nissan, one of them a juvenile, were taken to Florence Hospital with injuries.

The Lane County Sheriff's Office, EMS and Oregon Department of Transportation assisted OSP.
By GERTRUDE MUTYABA

Police in Masaka District in central Uganda are investigating the murder of a 47-year- old resident of Kitanga village, Kabonera Sub County amid growing concerns of insecurity in the area.

James Ddamulira whose introduction ceremony had been scheduled on August 1, 2021 is said to have been trailed and hacked to death by unknown assailants on Tuesday night.

A new pair of shoes, shirt and trousers which he had reportedly bought for the occasion were found next to his body which was dumped in a maize plantation.

Police also recovered an empty bottle of beer at the scene.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3iSM3m0
By Prossy Kisakye

President Museveni has faulted the 10th parliament for delayed procurement of covid-19 vaccines.

While meeting NRM chairpersons of some parliamentary committees, the Government chief whip Thomas Tayebwa said the president has since blamed the Budget committee of the previous parliament for delaying to approve funds to buy the much needed vaccines from India.

According to the health minister Ruth Aceng, a total of 1,139,260 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been issued to the population countrywide.

She says out of those slightly above 230,000 people have so far been fully vaccinated while 902,000 people have received their first dose.

Uganda is expected to receive about 300,000 doses of Sinovac Vaccines and over 286,000 doses of AstraZeneca before the end of this week.
By Ritah Kemigisa

Security minister Retired Major General Jim Muhwezi has distanced himself from the deal to award a Russian Joint Stock Global security a contract for installation of digital monitors in automobiles.

The Russian firm has since been given a 10 years contract to ensure all automobiles including vehicles and motorcycles in the country are fitted with a digital monitoring system with Ugandans to meet the costs of installation.

However reports that the firm filed for bankruptcy last year has put government on the spot for not doing due diligence.

In a tweet however, Muhwezi says the details of this project which has long been in the pipeline were discussed before he was appointed as a security minister.

He adds that he is aware of allegations regarding the financial solvency of Russian company.

Muhwezi meanwhile reassures the public that the terms of the contract provide the Government with clear rights and protections should the alleged circumstances materialize.
Weather Alert

...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. &&
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. &&
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With the August Bank Holiday quickly approaching, some will be jumping into their cars and heading off on a well-earned staycation. For those who havent switched to an electric vehicle and are still driving a petrol or diesel car, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has some tips to help you drive more efficiently. This will help you use less fuel, reduce your emissions and also stay safe, not only this weekend but all the time.

Fuel consumption tends to be affected most by your driving style, excessive rapid acceleration, unnecessary short trips, a cold engine, poor car maintenance and incorrect tyre pressure. A less aggressive, energy conscious driving style could save as much as 10% on your fuel costs.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE

This tip applies all the time but is especially important ahead of a long journey or a motoring holiday. A properly maintained petrol or diesel car will have; good engine lubrication, wheel alignment and well-adjusted brakes, reducing your fuel use. It will also mean your car is safer and more reliable.

CHECK TYRE CONDITION AND PRESSURE

Be sure to check your tyres regularly. Tyres in good condition, with the proper thread depth, and at the right pressure, improve both safety and fuel consumption. Tyres that are 10% below recommended pressure increase fuel consumption by around 2%.

READ THE ROAD

By watching the road ahead and anticipating any likely problems, your driving will become smoother, more controlled and be safer for all. Drive in as high a gear as is suitable to road conditions and at bends, reduce your speed gently and accelerate smoothly when you are halfway through to help reduce fuel use.

AVOID IDLING

Once you turn the engine on, drive off gently without delay. This will reduce excessive fuel consumption and pollution. Even if youre waiting only 30 seconds it is more economical to switch the engine off and start it again when necessary. Incidentally, many newer cars have an automatic stop/start function, which means you dont have to think about this.

REDUCE UNNECESSARY DRAG

After you arrive safely at your destination make sure to take off any unused bike racks or roof boxes and save as much as 20% on your fuel costs. You can save a further 3-5% by using the cars air-conditioning to cool down rather than leaving the windows open while you drive.

AVOID SHORT JOURNEYS

A cold engine uses significantly more fuel than a warm engine. So, once you reach your staycation destination opt to walk or cycle where you can and avoid using your car for short journeys.

SEAI is encouraging each of us make changes in how we use energy. For advice and information on supports, including Government funded electric vehicle and home energy grants, to help reduce your energy use this bank holiday and into the future visit; www.seai.ie
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Rochester, Minn. - The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) AirPower Squadron flew into action today in Rochester as part of their national World War II history tour.

The CAF AirPower Squadron will be in Rochester until Sunday and will provide tours and flight rides to the public. The tour is the largest flying museum in the world.

Created in the 1970s, the AirPower Squadron brings the sights, sounds, and smells of World War II aviation to all ages.

The Rochester tour includes the two rarest World War II bombers in the world: the B-29, also known as FIFI, and the B-24, known as Diamond Lil.

B-29 served in the World War II Pacific theater in the 1940s and the Korean War in the 1950s. The aircraft was a staple of the U.S. Air Force until the late 50s. B-29 was acquired by the CAF in early 1970 when it was found to be used as a missile target. The plane returned to the sky in 2010.

To those who fly the aircraft, this national tour means a little something more personal.

"I actually had a dad that was a B-17 pilot during World War II and he's always been my hero," said Rochester Tour Leader Cheryl Hilvert. "I never found anything that I could really honor his service in the way that I can do here."

Hilvert has been volunteering with the CAF for eight years and is a flying crew member of the aircraft.

For Marion Roster, the World War II planes looked all too familiar.

"After I graduated I applied a couple of times and I got a job...as a Riveter," said former World War II Riveter Marion Roster.

Roster traveled from Minneapolis for the national tour.

"They look different," said Roster.

The AirPower Squadron will be at the Rochester International Airport until Sunday before they depart for Sioux Falls.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  An accused catalytic converter thief is pleading guilty.

Keith Allen Wilcox, 60 of Rochester, was arrested on May 12 and charged with three felonies: theft, receiving stolen property, and possession of burglary tools.

The Olmsted County Attorneys Office says Wilcox was seen by a deputy in the parking lot of Dahl Truck and a search of Wilcox vehicle discovered eight catalytic converters. Three vehicles at Dahl Truck were found to be missing their converters.

Wilcox has pleaded guilty to all charges and has been sentenced to five years of supervised probation.
MASON CITY, Iowa - During the peak of the pandemic, businesses required customers to mask up. When vaccinations became available, the use of masks diminished overall. However, as the so-called Delta variant seemingly runs amok and vaccination rates remain flat, many municipalities are discussing or implementing mask mandates again.

For sisters Kinley and Kendall Naumann, 9 and 8 respectively, of Rochester, the on-again/off-again use of masks made them appreciate those moments when they could take them off.

"When I was going into my school, I said, 'Wow, I never knew it smelled like this!'" Kendall says.

During this last school year, the Naumanns endured a two week quarantine as teachers were getting sick. One positive for Kendall to wear a mask this past year?

"In the winter, at least my nose was warm!" Kendall says with a laugh.

Having lost a family member to COVID-19, and other relatives contracting the virus, the Naumanns have been diligent about wearing masks. Now, with their family largely vaccinated, along with much of the public, they've come to accept masking up as a matter of personal choice.

"It should be your choice," Kinley says.

The practice of implementing a mask mandate is being conducted differently depending on what side of the Iowa-Minnesota state line you're on. While Minnesota health officials are recommending schools implement a mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says the latest CDC guidance regarding fully vaccinated Americans wearing masks is counterproductive and 'not grounded in reality or common sense.'

As the new school year approaches, Superintendent Dave Versteeg says the district is gearing up for a somewhat normal return, with students attending in-person five days a week. The district is encouraging students and faculty to mask up, and the same mitigation efforts used last year will continue.

"We still plan to have a lot of mitigation strategies in place, try to social distance as much as we can and promote handwashing, have hand sanitizing stations around."

Thanks to a law signed by Reynolds towards the end of the last school year, school districts are not allowed to implement their own mask mandates and must defer to the state.

"We completely support people who continue to wear a mask, and we'll do everything we can to keep them safe and hassle-free as people who decide not to wear a mask."

Mason City Mayor Bill Schickel and City Administrator Aaron Burnett tell KIMT that a mask mandate within city limits is not being planned at this time.
MASON CITY, Iowa - A pursuit that reached at least 100 miles per hour ended early Thursday morning when a wanted man crashed into a house on Mason Citys north end.

Jason Robison, 48, of Mason City, fled from authorities after an attempted traffic stop and reached 100 miles per hour just after 1 a.m.

Robison then attempted to turn west on 16th St. NW when he lost control of the van and crashed into the residence at 1542 N. Federal Ave. The van was severely damaged as was the foundation of the home.

Robison was taken to MercyOne North Iowa before he was taken to the Cerro Gordo County Jail.

He had warrants for voluntary absence and escape of a felon and burglary. Hes facing charges of eluding, driving under suspension and possession of drug paraphernalia in connection to the pursuit.

A passenger, 54-year-old Mary Robison, was arrested and is facing drug charges.

Authorities said Robison fled from authorities earlier in the day in the same area of his residence and got away.
Jasper, TX (75951)

Today

Cloudy this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.
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JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Mike Parson is one of 12 Republican governors joining the legal effort to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

On July 22, the state of Mississippi filed arguments calling on the court to overturn the ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Mississippi's attorney general argues it should be up to states to regulate abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb.

NEW: 12 GOP governors who back Mississippi's effort to have Roe v. Wade overruled asked SCOTUS to let states to regulate abortion "based on the latest scientific knowledge." Doing so, they say, "would produce positive results [and] deescalat[e] tensions on this divisive topic"  John Kruzel (@johnkruzel) July 29, 2021

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, joined by Parson and 10 other governors, filed an amicus brief Thursday, adding their voices to Mississippi's call. In the brief, McMaster said Roe v. Wade, as well as the related 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, "upset the Constitutional balance between States and the Federal Government."

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"In perhaps no area of law is that judicial intrusion into State sovereignty greater than abortion," the brief says. "Justices on this Court and circuit court judges have consistently recognized that the original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendments Due Process Clause does not include any right to terminate the life of an unborn child. Indeed, none of this Courts major abortion decisionsincluding Roe v. Wade...and Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania v. Casey...claims otherwise. Nevertheless, half a century ago, this Court (without any consideration of the original meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment) found a constitutional right to abortion somewhere in the Constitution. The challenge to Roe comes amid recent passage in numerous states of varying forms of abortion regulation, many aimed at regulating the legality of procedures early on in the developmental cycle of the fetus."

"The judicial constitutionalization of abortion represents an unwarranted intrusion into the sovereign sphere of the States," the brief says. "Returning to the States the plenary authority to regulate abortion without federal interference would restore the proper (i.e., constitutional) relationship between the States and the Federal Government."

Along with McMaster and Parson, the brief was signed by the governors of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas.

You can read the full amicus brief here.




South Korea's trade ministry said Thursday it plans to expand economic ties with Uzbekistan by launching new projects in a wide array of areas from ICT to the medical sector, as the COVID-19 pandemic has recently weighed down bilateral business cooperation.







Seoul and Tashkent are set to hold their fifth round of working group meetings virtually later in the day to share ideas on how to expand cooperation in trade, investment and other areas, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.







The two countries agreed to hold regular talks on economic ties during their summit in 2019.







During the meeting, South Korea and Uzbekistan vowed to find ways to revitalize their trade, which recently has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, by promoting the digital trade and tapping new infrastructure projects.







South Korea also offered to lend a hand to Uzbekistan's medical sector, including establishing an information management system at its hospitals.







The latest efforts come in line with South Korea's efforts to penetrate deeper into the Central Asian market.







In January, the two countries said they will seek to clinch a free trade agreement named the Agreement for Sustainable Trade and Economic Partnership (STEP).







Trade between the two countries came to $1.72 billion in 2020, down 27 percent from the previous year. Uzbekistan was the 36th-largest export destination for South Korea, with outbound shipments reaching $1.7 billion.







South Korea mostly shipped auto parts and cars to the Central Asian nation, while major imports included pulp, a raw material for paper and fruit.







When completed, the pact with Uzbekistan will mark the first free trade deal signed with a Central Asian nation. (Yonhap)


(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) As our area remains a Covid-19 hotspot, the Centers for Disease Control's newest recommendation on wearing masks indoors would certainly apply to St. Joseph.

Mayor Bill McMurray called the need for the reversal of the CDC's previous stance concerning and added that local Covid-19 numbers right now tell the story.

"We really need to get our vaccination numbers up," He said.

The St. Joseph Health Department reported 51 people were in the hospital battling the virus as of July 22, the vaccination rate remained low at 19.9%.

St. Joseph is not alone, much of Missouri is seeing rising cases. Larger cities in the state such as St. Louis and Kansas City have reinstated mask ordinances. The states attorney general has now filed suit against both cities.

"It certainly shows a division of opinion on mask mandates," McMurray said.

The division is also local, McMurray said he doesnt have enough support from the council to reintroduce another mask mandate.

He said an emergency ordinance would likely get overturned.

"Its senseless for me to do that unless I have a majority support of the council," He said.

Local business owners said they likely wouldn't enforce the new guidelines right away, though virus spread is something they continue to watch.

"Our biggest concern is our customer safety and so some of our staff will wear [masks]," Andrew Montee, owner, Mokaska Coffee said. "Well encourage vaccines and do what needs to be done."

Local health officials are watching the virus ability to mutate into more variants, they continue to push for more vaccinations.

"Every new infection raises the risk of a new mutation," Debra Bradley, director St. Joseph Health Dept. said. "The key to stopping that is to vaccinate, wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your hands, all those things weve been saying for months and months and months."

Everyone now is hoping people make the right call, and do whats necessary to stop the new spread.

"Lets let personal responsibility win this battle," McMurray said. "Right now were losing, but lets win it."

McMurray said he's restarted weekly Covid-19 briefings with Mosaic in response to rising case numbers. A vaccination clinic is set for Thursday, July 29 at the Covid-19 Community Clinic (formerly Gordman's) at the East Hills Mall.


Vaccine Tracker

As always, stay connected with KTBS 3/KPXJ CW 21 for important updates as we navigate the road to recovery.
BLACKFEET NATION, Mont. - The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council is offering two rewards of $10,000 each for information leading to the location of Arden Pepion or Leo Wagner.

Three-year-old Arden Pepion has been missing from the Blackfeet area since April 22, when she and her uncle were reportedly practicing shooting near Joe Show East Road in the Two Medicine area.

Arden's Uncle HaHaax Vielle said he noticed Arden wasn't near him and saw her footprints leading to the river.

On June 16, Vielle and his girlfriend, Kimberly Higgins, were charged in connection to her disappearance.

Leo Wagner, 26, has been missing since April 27 when he was last seen near West Shore Road outside of St. Mary.
MISSOULA, Mont. - Biking around Montana towns is a popular past time as well as mode of transportation. Now, Missoula is looking to revamp a popular road heading into downtown after too many crashes involving bikes.

Planners are focusing on Higgins Avenue between Broadway and Brooks.

They want to make it the 'Postcard Street,' or heart of Missoula.

Right now, the main goal is to make it safer and relieve traffic when it comes to left turns, but they also want to hear from you.

City planners are asking Missoulians and visitors to fill out a survey about how they use the road, what they like and what they want changed.

While the planners want to make the road safer, they also want it to be easy to use for all modes of transportation, buses, cars, bikes and for people walking.

Community involvement is invaluable, Aaron Wilson, infrastructure and mobility planning manager for the city of Missoula, shared.

"[It's] really the people who use Higgins every day," Wilson said. "[They] have that daily experience, and have good ideas, and we'll just get a better outcome if we can pull all those ideas together and be really creative when thinking about the corridor."

The city will collect feedback throughout August. Then, this fall, planners will begin designs and present them to the community with hopes of solidifying a plan late winter.

To fill out the survey, click here.
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 29 - Premier Mario Draghi's cabinet has reached an agreement on a compromise in relation to a reform of Italy's criminal-justice system, sources said on Thursday. The compromise has the backing of the 5-Star Movement (M5S), the sources said. The reform has caused considerable tension within the government and the cabinet meeting was suspected as one stage to allow for mediation. The reform, drafted by Justice Minister Marta Cartabia, is aimed at speeding up Italy's criminal-law system. Speeding up Italy's notoriously slow judicial system is necessary, among other things, because the granting of EU COVID Recovery Plan funds is conditional upon it. The reform had set a two-year limit on the time it takes to rule on first appeals, and a further one-year limit on appeals to the supreme court - barring mafia and the other most serious crimes that would have the one-year extension. The judiciary's self-governing body, the CSM, said a huge number of cases would end up being shelved if the reform is approved in that form. The M5S has demanded changes to the reform to stop this happening. (ANSA).
UNION COUNTY  Masks will be required for anyone inside a school in Oregon this year, according to a directive Gov. Kate Brown announced Thurs
CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo.  After nearly two months of investigation, a man has been charged with murder for the shooting at Lake of the Ozarks waterfront bar Lazy Gators.

Chad Brewer was charged with First Degree Murder on Wednesday, July 28, for the May 29 shooting death of Vonza Watson. Brewer, 29, of Jefferson City has been held on drug possession charges for 5.5 grams of cocaine since the shooting.

According to the probable cause statement, Brewer was identified on security cameras as wearing a pink t-shirt and jeans. Authorities say his brother, John Brewer, confirmed this in an interview with police. John Brewer also reportedly confirmed a portion of video of he and Chad leaving together immediately after the shooting.

During the course of the investigation, police obtained a video of the fight and subsequent shooting, from a bar patron. According to a press release from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, the fight included multiple individuals and Camden County Prosecutor Caleb Cunningham stated during a Wednesday press briefing that additional individuals are being investigated but he could not comment on that ongoing investigation. Cunningham advised anyone else who was involved: Just rest assured that if you were part of this, you need to go to your nearest police department and turn yourself in.

Authorities say video depicts a man in a pink t-shirt and jeans, previously identified as Brewer, holding a firearm toward Watsons right side. Watson was bent over a rock wall of the bar, face down and not fighting back as he was struck by other individuals, authorities say. In the video, a single muzzle flash could be seen along with the sound of a pop consistent with a gunshot, according to the probable cause document. Brewer was then reportedly pushed away by other combatants and individuals intervening in the fight. The fight and the video end quickly after the shooting.

Authorities say the autopsy indicated that the bullet trajectory is consistent with the angle and placement between Brewer and Watson.

When deputies responded to the scene, Brewer was identified as a potential suspect and taken into custody. After a pat-down was conducted officers say they found a plastic bag and a rock-like substance that later tested positive for cocaine in a NARTEC field test.

While incarcerated, authorities say Brewer made a phone call and told the call recipient not to post pictures of him wearing the pink shirt. His clothes were seized and presumed blood was located on the pants and shoes he was wearing at the time of his arrest.

According to the probable cause statement, Brewer and Vonza had a beef that started when Brewer was previously in prison. In an interview with officers, Brewer reportedly said that he and Vonza used to be friends but werent any longer, also stating that he thought Vonza had been shot intentionally.

In the press briefing, Cunningham praised the efforts of his and other agencies including the Camden County Sheriffs Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, the ATF and the Jefferson City Police Department.

These men and women dug through 40 yards of trash, dove the Lake of the Ozarks, executed multiple search warrants and criss-crossed the state interviewing witnesses. No effort was too great, Cunningham said.

Punishments for first degree murder can range from life without parole to the death penalty, which is an option Cunningham says Camden County is considering.

We are talking with other agencies including the attorney generals office and the family. This is a very heavy decision to use the ultimate tool in our justice system against someone. And we are still deliberating that, Cunningham said.
Wauwatosa Police Chief James MacGillis commented on a judge's finding of probable cause that former Officer Joseph Mensah committed homicide in the death of Jay Anderson Jr.

TOWN OF BURLINGTON  A Burlington man has been charged after allegedly shooting his wife in the leg. He told police it was a misfire.

Salvador R. Sanchez, 43, of the 32800 block of South Lakeshore Drive, was charged with felony counts of injury by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon and second degree recklessly endangering safety and a misdemeanor count of negligent handling of a weapon.

According to a criminal complaint:

At 6:37 p.m. Tuesday, a deputy was sent to the 35400 block of Ridge Road for a report of shots fired.

The complainant, Sanchez, said he accidentally shot his wife and she had already gone to Burlington Memorial Hospital. Sanchez said he had gotten a new gun, one of the bullets had jammed, the gun went off and a bullet struck his wife in the leg.

The deputy went to Aurora Burlington Medical Center where doctors said they took an X-ray and were conducting an ultrasound. The hole was from a bullet, but there was no exit wound, as if the shot came from a slightly downward angle.

The deputy then spoke to the wife who said that at about 6 p.m. she was laying in bed because she wasnt feeling well. She later retrieved the mail and saw a package for Sanchez which was a new pistol magazine.
Positive cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin on Wednesday were twice as high as a week ago and seven times as high as a month ago, fueled by the more contagious delta variant, leading state health officials to again urge everyone to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.

There were 792 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday, and the seven-day daily average was 478, up from 239 last week and 69 a month ago.

"To stop the spread, we need everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated now," said Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary of the state health department. "Increased spread also increases the danger of new variants developing and those new variants could be even more dangerous than the ones we have now."

As of Wednesday, just over 49% of the state was fully vaccinated. Since January, more than 98% of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin have been in people who are not fully vaccinated, the state health department said.

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This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people who live in areas with substantial or high disease transmission wear masks while indoors, whether they are vaccinated or not.
2021 is a year of new beginnings, a year of fresh starts. Were feeling that energy here, which is one of the reasons why were so excited to announce the launch of the new format for the Lake Geneva Regional News Best of Geneva Lakes awards.

Our Best of Geneva Lakes Awards will once again feature more than 75 categories to honor local businesses in categories like restaurants/bars, home services, professional services and more!

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Up first is our nomination period, which kicked off on July 12 and runs through Aug. 1 Only the top five businesses in each category will move onto the voting round, so make your nominations count.

Our winners are determined 100% by the readers, so be sure to nominate your favorite businesses! You can nominate one business per category during this period. If you nominate at least 25 businesses, you are automatically entered into a sweepstakes to win a $250 gift card from a locally owned business of the winners choosing. To nominate, please visit https://go.lakegenevanews.net/bestof21

The program will be driven by voters in our community. The winners will be determined during the voting phase from Aug. 30 to Sept. 19 and announced in our Winners Section and online on Thursday, Oct. 28.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  A statue in Portland, Oregon, commemorating York, an enslaved Black member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, has been toppled and damaged, officials said.

A spokesperson with Portland Parks and Recreation told KOIN 6 News that the bust was torn from its pedestal and significantly damaged Tuesday night or early Wednesday. A park visitor notified a maintenance worker on Wednesday.

The bust mysteriously appeared in February on a pedestal in a park in southeast Portland where a statue of Harvey Scott, a conservative and longtime editor of The Oregonian who opposed women's suffrage, stood until it was torn down. It remains unclear who created or placed the bust of York.

Unfortunately, the numerous racist responses to the memorial of a Black man forced to participate in the Corps of Discovery Expedition have not been a surprise, Portland Parks and Recreation Director Adena Long said. The latest act of vandalism is incredibly disappointing for me, and Im sure the majority of Portlanders will miss seeing York at the top of Mt. Tabor.
Mensah's attorney Jonathan Cermele criticized the decision and said Yamahiro heard evidence "from one side and one side only."

"We weren't able to be involved, we weren't able to cross-examine or provide witnesses," he said. "The judge made a call on a very limited amount of evidence."

It will be up to the special prosecutor to decide whether to file charges, said Motley, the Anderson family attorney. But she was confident that the evidence and record created by the judge is clear.

"I can't see any lawyer not criminally charging Joseph Mensa," she said.

Anderson was the second of three people Mensah shot to death during a five-year stint with the Wauwatosa Police Department. Prosecutors cleared him of criminal wrongdoing in each case.

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Anderson's family asked Yamahiro to review that case under an obscure state law that allows judges to directly question witnesses and decide whether probable cause exists to bring charges in what's known as a John Doe proceeding. At least six other states have similar statutory provisions, but attorneys say the process is rarely used in Wisconsin.
A highlight of the Bedford County Fair this year will be the Bedford Grange Mutual beef barn, built at the Bedford County fairgrounds to replace an aging structure. The new barn was constructed with the help of many people in the community.

Demolition of the old barn was carried out a little more than four months ago and the new structure got underway a few weeks later in March.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the completed barn building took place July 15, and it will serve as the site for beef exhibitors during the fair next week, July 25-31.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony included a beef dinner served in the new barn.

The Build the Beef Barn committee chair, Kay Kring, said that the original barn, built in the 1950s, was no longer safe or comfortable.

Kring, who is retiring from her position as an agriculture and science teacher from Northern Bedford County High School, said the old barn was deteriorating and had questionable structure integrity. She said it was very hot inside the old building, with no ventilation, because the old concrete-wall show arena blocked air flow.

Kring also was the Northern Bedford FFA adviser and is volunteering as an FFA adviser this summer.

At the ribbon cutting, she emphasized the magnificent amount of help that the community gave to make the new, modern barn a reality.

According to the Bedford County Fair website, the committee consists of community leaders, 4-H members and leaders, FFA members and advisors, parents, beef producers, current and former beef exhibitors, Bedford Fair Board members, engineers, contractors, agriculture teachers and Extension personnel.

Funds Raised by Community

Fundraising for the new fair building began in 2017, kicked off at the 2017 fair with a $50,000 donation from Bedford Grange Mutual Insurance Co., giving them naming rights for the building. In the years since then, more than $200,000 was raised from donations, fundraising activities and grant writing, and still continues.

Traci Guyer served as fundraising chair and Kring was the project manager.

Kring said the total cost will reach $300,000.

In January 2021, it was evident the original estimated cost of $200,000 was going to fall short. But the committee learned they were in line for a $25,000 Capital Improvement Grant that would put them over the top. That necessitated beginning immediately. Bedford Grange Mutual stepped up to the plate with a second donation and the building project began.

Kring said they kept the construction as green as possible by using metal from the old roof as well as concrete blocks and steel.

It is hoped the new, higher roof, lighter cover, and open air design will keep the new beef barn cooler.

In a normal year, there are about 70 to 100 beef exhibitors at the Bedford County Fair. This year, there will be 45 young people showing in the beef competitions. Kring said the numbers are down due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Exhibitors are required to own their steers by Jan. 1 and, at that time, it was not known if there would be a fair, because most gatherings of size were shut down to stop COVID-19 infections from spreading. And, the previous year, many youths had invested money in beef projects, but since the fair wasnt held, there was no auction. It was a gamble that some students decided not to take again without more certainty.

Due to national and local COVID-19 vaccination efforts, the spread of the illness is way down and many fairs will be held in-person again this season.

Guyer said the fair community will forever be appreciative for all the fundraisers that were held, including a Sheetz raffle, baskets being auctioned off by 200 clubs, Marianna Hoagie and pizza sales, a side-by-side raffle, a tractor raffle, and a current 50-50 raffle.

The total of all donated services came to $65,000. Guyer and Kring said they were grateful for the community-donated services, which included site work, macadam paving, engineering design, gravel, trucking, wash rack, circulation fans, lighting fixtures, and tie panels, rails and gates.

John Holbert, a member of the Bedford Fair board, gave credit to all of the donations and the hard work of Kring and Guyer. He said he remembers about four years ago when Kring asked him how they could get a new beef barn.

You have to form a committee to start raising funds, Holbert told her. She took his advice.

The new barn surely will be the coolest spot to watch livestock competitions at next weeks fair.
In any developing childs life, it is the constant factors that truly mold the child into the adult that they grow up to be. It is clear that Cathy Rohrbaugh has been one of those constants for Pennsylvania Junior Angus Association members for many years. Now, her longstanding support has earned her the Advisor of the Year honor at the 2021 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS).

Rohrbaugh served as an adviser for the PJAA for the past nine years and was instrumental in the successes of the program on the local, state and national levels. From growing the membership of the PJAA to organizing state displays, assisting in organizing multiple Eastern Regional Junior Angus Shows to organizing contest materials and teams at many National Junior Angus shows, her time and dedication are hard to match.

It has been said that People lead like they are being led, and I can find comfort in knowing if we are relying on people like Cathy to serve as advisors to our youth, we are in good hands, said W. Lori Voight of Voight Family Farm.

Rohrbaughs impact can be seen  from organizing an annual fundraiser that donates more than $12,000 to the York County 4-H clubs to encouraging juniors at the sidelines of a contest and in the makeup ring before a show.

When I think of what makes an outstanding advisor, the qualities that Cathy displays come to mind: dedicated, passionate and organized, said Wendy Fitzgerald, an NJAA member parent. She juggles these responsibilities with finesse and a smile.

Rohrbaughs dedication and passion for youths have encouraged Junior Angus youth to get out of their comfort zones, which will undoubtedly help propel them in their future careers. Rohrbaugh was also instrumental in garnering support in planning the National Junior Angus Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before plans changed due to COVID-19.

Mrs. Rohrbaugh is the definition of supportive, said Kaitlin Bell, PJAA president. It could be waiting outside the show ring, helping study for quiz bowl, or giving advice about applying for a scholarship; but one thing is for certain, Mrs. Rohrbaugh will always be in juniors corners, rooting for them.

It is her support both in and out of the ring, leadership when in the spotlight, and commitment to junior development that earned her the 2021 Advisor of the Year award.
NMPF thanks the Senate Judiciary Committee and its chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., for holding the July 21 hearing highlighting the importance of immigrant farmworkers to our nations food supply and rural communities.

We are also grateful to Linnea Kooistra, an Illinois dairy farmer for over 40 years, for testifying at the hearing and giving voice to this critical issue for dairy.

Immigrant employees are vital to the dairy industry, with an estimated 79% of the U.S. milk supply produced on farms that employ immigrant workers.

Dairy farmers know firsthand of dedicated and skilled teams that are led by and include immigrants. Most producers also can speak to the challenges farms and rural communities face due to uncertainty surrounding the farm workforce.

Two areas of reform are essential to solve Americas ag labor crisis.

First, we must provide an earned legal protection for our current workers and their families. Second, we must reform the agricultural guestworker visa program so dairy and other year-round industries can use it to supplement the domestic workforce when needed.

Dairy farmers currently cannot use the H-2A guestworker program because they produce milk year-round. Providing an earned legal protection for current workers is crucial, but it narrowly addresses only one aspect of the crisis. We must also reform the ag labor system so dairy farmers can hire legal guestworkers and do not remain trapped in a still-broken ag labor system moving forward.

Both features must be present in any real solution.
Jason Ferrell began looking into glyphosate safety because he was surprised by the 2015 hazard determination by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization.
Nashville (US), Jul 29 (The Conversation) If you've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, maybe you figured you no longer need to worry about contracting the coronavirus. But along with the rising number of new COVID-19 cases globally and growing concern about highly transmissible strains like the delta variant come reports of fully vaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19.

Members of the New York Yankees, US Olympic gymnast Kara Eaker and UK health secretary Sajid Javid are some of those diagnosed with what is called a breakthrough infection.

As scary as the term may sound, the bottom line is that the existing COVID-19 vaccines are still very good at preventing symptomatic infections, and breakthrough infections happen very rarely. But just how common and how dangerous are they? Here's a guide to what you need to know.

What is breakthrough infection?'

No vaccine is 100 per cent effective. Dr Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was 80 per cent-90 per cent effective in preventing paralytic disease. Even for the gold standard measles vaccine, the efficacy was 94 per cent among a highly vaccinated population during large outbreaks.

Comparably, clinical trials found the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were 94 per cent95 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19  much more protective than initially hoped.

A quick reminder: A vaccine efficacy of 95 per cent does not mean that the shot protects 95 per cent of people while the other 5 per cent will contract the virus.

Vaccine efficacy is a measure of relative risk  you need to compare a group of vaccinated people to a group of unvaccinated people under the same exposure conditions. So consider a three-month study period during which 100 out of 10,000 unvaccinated people got COVID-19. You'd expect five vaccinated people to get sick during that same time. That's 5 per cent of the 100 unvaccinated people who fell ill, not 5 per cent of the whole group of 10,000.

When people get infected after vaccination, scientists call these cases breakthrough infections because the virus broke through the protective barrier the vaccine provides.

How common is COVID-19 infection in the fully vaccinated?

Breakthrough infections are a little more frequent than previously expected and are probably increasing because of growing dominance of the delta variant. But infections in vaccinated people are still very rare and usually cause mild or no symptoms.

For instance, 46 US states and territories voluntarily reported 10,262 breakthrough infections to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between Jan 1 and April 30, 2021. By comparison, there were 11.8 million COVID-19 diagnoses in total during the same period.

Beginning May 1, 2021, the CDC stopped monitoring vaccine breakthrough cases unless they resulted in hospitalization or death. Through July 19, 2021, there were 5,914 patients with COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections who were hospitalized or died in the US, out of more than 159 million people fully vaccinated nationwide.

One study between Dec 15, 2020, and March 31, 2021, that included 258,716 veterans who received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, counted 410 who got breakthrough infections  that's 0.16 per cent of the total.

Similarly, a study in New York noted 86 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough infections between Feb 1 and April 30, 2021, among 126,367 people who were fully vaccinated, mostly with mRNA vaccines. This accounts for 1.2 per cent of total COVID-19 cases and 0.07 per cent of the fully vaccinated population.

How serious is a COVID-19 breakthrough infection?

The CDC defines a vaccine breakthrough infection as one in which a nasal swab can detect the SARS-CoV-2 RNA or protein more than 14 days after a person has completed the full recommended doses of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine.

Note that a breakthrough infection doesn't necessarily mean the person feels sick  and in fact, 27 per cent of breakthrough cases reported to the CDC were asymptomatic. Only 10 per cent of the breakthrough-infected people were known to be hospitalised (some for reasons other than COVID-19), and 2 per cent died. For comparison, during the spring of 2020 when vaccines were not yet available, over 6% of confirmed infections were fatal.

In a study at US military treatment facilities, none of the breakthrough infections led to hospitalization. In another study, after just one dose of Pfizer vaccine the vaccinated people who tested positive for COVID-19 had a quarter less virus in their bodies than those who were unvaccinated and tested positive.

What makes a breakthrough infection more likely?

Nationwide, on average more than 5 per cent of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive; in Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma, the positivity rate is above 30 per cent. Lots of coronavirus circulating in a community pushes the chance of breakthrough infections higher.

The likelihood is greater in situations of close contact, such as in a cramped working space, party, restaurant or stadium. Breakthrough infections are also more likely among health care workers who are in frequent contact with infected patients.

For reasons that are unclear, nationwide CDC data found that women account for 63 per cent of breakthrough infections. Some smaller studies identified women as the majority of breakthrough cases as well.

Vaccines trigger a less robust immune response among older people, and the chances of a breakthrough infection get higher with increasing age. Among the breakthrough cases tracked by the CDC, 75 per cent occurred in patients age 65 and older.

Being immunocompromised or having underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, chronic kidney and lung diseases and cancer increase the chances of breakthrough infections and can lead to severe COVID-19. For example, fully vaccinated organ transplant recipients were 82 times more likely to get a breakthrough infection and had a 485-fold higher risk of hospitalization and death after a breakthrough infection compared with the vaccinated general population in one study.

How do variants like delta change things?

Researchers developed today's vaccines to ward off earlier strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Since then new variants have emerged, many of which are better at dodging the antibodies produced by the currently authorized vaccines. While existing vaccines are still very effective against these variants for preventing hospitalization, they are less effective than against previous variants.

Two doses of the mRNA vaccines were only 79 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic disease with delta, compared with 89 per cent effective in the case of the earlier alpha variant, according to Public Health England. A single dose was only 35 per cent protective against delta.

About 12.5 per cent of the 229,218 delta variant cases across England through July 19 were among fully vaccinated people.

Israel, with high vaccination rates, has reported that full vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine might be only 39 per cent-40.5 per cent effective at preventing delta variant infections of any severity, down from early estimates of 90 per cent.

Israel's findings suggest that within six months, COVID-19 vaccines' efficacy at preventing infection and symptomatic disease declines. The good news, though, is that the vaccine is still highly effective at protecting against hospitalisation (88 per cent) and severe illness (91.4 per cent) caused by the now-dominant delta variant.

So how well are vaccines holding up?

As of the end of July 2021, 49.1 per cent of the US population, or just over 163 million people, are fully vaccinated. Nearly 90 per cent of Americans over the age of 65 have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Scientists' models suggest that vaccination may have saved approximately 279,000 lives in the US and prevented up to 1.25 million hospitalisations by the end of June 2021.

Similarly, in England about 30,300 deaths, 46,300 hospitalizations and 8.15 million infections may have been prevented by COVID-19 vaccines. In Israel, the high vaccination rate is thought to have caused a 77 per cent drop in cases and a 68 per cent drop in hospitalisations from that nation's pandemic peak.

Across the US, only 150 out of more than 18,000 deaths due to COVID-19 in May were of people who had been fully vaccinated. That means nearly all COVID-19 deaths in US are among those who remain unvaccinated.

The US is becoming almost like two Americas, as Anthony Fauci put it, divided between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. Those who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 remain at risk from the coronavirus that has so far killed more than 600,000 people in the US. (The Conversation)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
After investigations of the alleged criminal management of Vatican assets, including donations by countless Catholics, a trial was opened in Vatican City for 10 defendants, including a cardinal, on Tuesday.

According to Fox News, the 73-year-old, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, was the most senior cleric in modern times to face trial for the alleged financial crimes. Becciu was charged with spending more than 350M or $412M of church money. The said fraud case focused on the botched deal of buying a property in Chelsea that incurred huge losses for the Vatican.

Despite his denial of the accusation, Cardinal Becciu was dismissed by the Pope in September due to the emergence of reports of financial misdeed.

The two-year investigation exposed how the Vatican lost millions of its money. The fraud case involved donations from worshippers. The case also mentioned the purchasing of a former Harrods warehouse in Sloane Avenue, Chelsea in 2014. Becciu was formerly in charge of donations at the secretariat, which handled the funds of the Vatican.

The charges faced by the 73-year-old cardinal included the alleged channeling of money to businesses that were run by his brothers in their native Sardinia. Nine other defendants who were allegedly involved in the case were also accused of crimes that included extortion, embezzlement, money laundering, and abuse of office.

Meanwhile, the trial was set at the special courtroom inside the Vatican Museums. The palace was not the usual courtroom, as more space was required mainly because of the numbers attending and due to the threat brought by the pandemic. The trial would be following the COVID-19 rules implemented at the Vatican. The trial, which is expected to last for months, includes two hearings this week, which focused on technical matters and would likely be adjourned until October.

ALSO READ: California Man Arrested in Massive $27 Million PPP Fraud Scheme

Modern Catholic Fraud Case

The nine other defendants accused of the fraud case included Swiss lawyer Rene Brulhart. Brulhart was the previous head of the Vatican's financial regulatory body, and the former Financial Information Authority was allegedly in the fraud case, alongside his former deputy Tomasso di Ruzza. Cardinal Becciu's private secretary, Monsignor Mauro Carlino, was also included.

The list also included Enrico Crasso, a former Vatican investment manager and Cecilia Marogna, who was accused of buying luxury goods using the funds authorized by the cardinal for Vatican intelligence work. She was also allegedly involved in efforts to free clergy held hostage in various countries.

All of the defendants in the case denied the accusations, but if they would be found guilty, they could face jail terms or fines, or both.

Prosecutors alleged that a London-based broker, Gianluigi Torzi, defrauded the Vatican while using its money to buy shares in the Chelsea building, which was to be converted into luxury apartments. However, in an interview, Torzi called the allegations a misunderstanding.

On the other hand, the new finance chief of the Vatican, Juan Antonio Guerrero, said that his administration is now being more transparent about its affairs.

RELATED ARTICLE: Pope Francis Undergoes Intestinal Surgery; Responds Well After Operation

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WATCH: Holy See: Cardinal and 9 others go on trial for fraud over London property deal - Ruptly
California health officials have recommended wearing masks again in public indoor settings due to the jump in COVID cases and hospitalizations as the Delta variant continues to spread.

Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer, said the Delta variant had caused a spike in hospitalizations and cases across the state, KCRA News reported.

This week, Yolo County had joined Los Angeles County in mandating masking indoors, with many other counties across the state also recommending wearing face masks indoor. However, most have not mandated it until now.

More than 90 percent of California's population lives in areas where the virus spread is significant. California has also indicated that it will mandate masks for all adults and children in public K-12 schools.

The Bay Area has high vaccination rates. However, the Delta variant continues to spread quickly among the vaccinated, which had caused surges in the region's counties.

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CDC on Mask Mandate

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already revised its guidance and recommended vaccinated people resume wearing masks indoors and in high-risk areas.

The CDC noted that vaccination alone does not protect against the delta variant of the coronavirus. It added that breakthrough infections could happen in those who have received their vaccine shots.

The CDC said new data showed that vaccinated people could spread the virus as efficiently as those who have not received their vaccine doses, San Francisco Chronicle reported.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky noted that she knows this is not a message that the American people want to hear right now. But she said with the Delta variant, they can now see that people who are vaccinated can pass the virus to somebody else.

Masks are again required for members of the House side of the U.S. Capitol due to the rising rates of COVID cases. The reimplemented mandate stated that members, whether vaccinated or not, must wear a "medical-grade, filtration face mask" during meetings while inside House office buildings, NPR reported.

The order came from Congress' attending physician, Dr. Brian Monahan. However, the new rule does not apply to members of the Senate. Private sectors are also making a move against the rising number of COVID cases, such as mandating vaccines to their employees.

Google became the first tech company to require vaccinations of their employees. Facebook followed suit shortly afterward, saying it will make vaccines mandatory for U.S. employees who work in offices.

Both tech giants have said they would consider exceptions for medical and other reasons, USA Today reported. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the policy would go into effect in the U.S. in the coming weeks, while offices abroad would follow in the following months.

Delta Variant of COVID-19

The CDC has determined that the Delta variant can spread more quickly, with its mutations on the spike protein making it easier to infect human cells.

Delta variant is found to be about 50 percent more contagious as compared to the Alpha variant, WebMD reported. Public health experts noted that an average person infected with Delta variant could spread it to three or four other people.

Yale Medicine said this is higher compared with one or two other people infected through the original COVID strain.

READ MORE: American Airlines Cancels Almost 400 Flights Over Staff, Maintenance Issues

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WATCH: California Business Owners Share Their Reactions to The Latest Indoor Mask Mandate - From ABC 10






Peru has sworn in a new president, Pedro Castillo, who is known to be a leftist former teachers' union leader. Castillo is reported to be facing challenges in building his government.

Aside from his forming his government, he is also being challenged to address the COVID crisis in a deeply divided country, according to an Aljazeera report.

A military parade is set to take place in Lima on Friday.

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Castillo as Peru's President

Castillo has vowed to make changes to the country in his inaugural speech. He also paid tribute to Peru's indigenous people and teachers, while promising to fight corruption and ramp up the public budget on education and health, according to The Guardian report.

He noted that the country is founded on the sweat of his ancestors, adding that the story of the silenced part of Peru is also his story.

He also cited the Spanish colony that colonized the country and created a "caste system," which had differentiated Peruvians.

Castillo said that three centuries the country to the Spanish crown and allowed them to exploit the minerals that sustained the development of Europe.

He said that he would not be governed from the capital's presidential palace, which is the "House of Pizarro."

The newly sworn president said that he will be giving up the palace to the ministry of cultures so it can be used to display the country's history and origins.

Spanish King Felipe VI sat in the audience while Castillo was delivering his speech.

Castillo said that his first priority would be to fight the pandemic, which already killed more than 196,000 Peruvians and cause one in every 100 children orphaned.

He has loosened his grip on some of his more radical positions, including proposing to nationalize key economic sectors such as mining, oil, hydroelectric power, and gas.

The former union leader had also promised to respect private property, according to a BBC News report.

Peru President Pedro Castillo

Castillo was born in a tiny village in an area that is considered to be Peru's poorest places. He grew up helping his illiterate parents with farm work.

He eventually became a schoolteacher and did the job for 25 years. He was also a union leader for teachers.

During his campaign rallies, his usual message was never again a poor man in a rich country, voicing the frustration of struggling Peruvians.

He once said that he knows how it is to sweep a school.

His political opponents have pictured him as a left-wing extremist with ties to communist guerilla groups.

Castillo had denied those allegations, even moderating his rhetoric. However, critics remain concerned that some of his plans could affect one of the most stable countries in Latin America.

He started his political career in 2002 and ran for mayor, but did not win the position.

Castillo rose to his position in 2017 when teachers had a strike over pay and performance evaluation.

He defeated Keiko Fujimori, who is the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori. Fujimori was also the favorite among business leaders.

READ MORE: 'Vaccine-Gate' Scandal: Over 400 Peruvian VIPs Secretly Got COVID-19 Shots Before Official Rollout

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WATCH: Peru's new president Pedro Castillo sworn in - from Al Jazeera English






Mexico's new vigilante group blamed their sympathizers for burning offices as well as businesses, and vandalizing a government property, in a remote southern state of the country.

Reuters reported that the incident occurred this week in Chiapas, as the villagers voiced out their outcry for rampant insecurity in the area.

The incident took place exactly at the indigenous Tzotzil community of Pantelho, on late Monday and early Tuesday, after a self-defense militia identified as "El Machete" planned to confront drug trafficking gangs in Chenalho.

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Officials Still Blame Mexico's New Vigilante Group for Burning Offices and Businesses, Vandalizing Government Property

Reuters mentioned an unidentified member of El Machete was addressing the crowd on Tuesday, arguing that the area where they were in had no security, peace, and tranquility. The Machete member furthered that Pantelho only offers fear, extortion, and intimidation.

Although the incident happened after El Machete arrived, the unidentified member underscored that it was the residents and not their vigilante group, were responsible for the burned properties. The outlet furthered that, two villagers from Pantelho agreed with what the El Machete member said.

It can be recalled that El Machete, Mexico's new vigilante group, appears to include members of the Tzotzil indigenous group, labeled themselves as a "self-defense" group.

Although El Machete did not take credit for the burned properties in Pantleho, Fox News reported that officials still blame Mexico's newly formed vigilante group.

The targets were the residence of people who were connected to drug traffickers, Furthermore, businesses were also victimized by the villagers and at least three vehicles were burned.

Meanwhile, a dozen of homes were burned while the city's town hall was vandalized, Associated Press reported.

Reuters also mentioned photos of charred remains of buildings, houses, and vehicles in Pantelho, with Hooded men armed with machetes standing nearby.

Despite the broken properties in Pantelho, local authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the recent incident. Meanwhile, Fray Bartolome de ls Casas Human Rights Center, more than 3,000 people from Pantelho abandoned their homes in recent months due to the incursion of criminal groups who sought to take over the territory.

Mexico's New Vigilante Group Abducts More Than 20 People

Apart from the burned homes and properties in Pantelho, officials also blame the abduction of at least 21 individuals to El Machete. Reports noted that the abducted residents were taken to San Jose Buena Vista Tercero. The said area is the community where El Machete is based.

Authorities noted that El Machete abducted the residents as they search for members of another group identified as "Los Herreras." It was not clear whether the abducted individuals were connected to the members of the said group El Machete was looking for.

An official who was not identified by Associated Press confirmed that investigations in the string of incidents in Pantelho are now ongoing.

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WATCH: Mexican Vigilantes Stand Up Against Crime- From VICE
After he was fired and arrested for storming the United States Capitol, a Virginia police officer was jailed once again Wednesday by a federal judge for purchasing a large stockpile of guns and ammunition and posting online, supporting future political violence.

Thomas Robertson was one of the first rioters charged by the Justice Department in relation to the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot. Robertson, a retired Army reservist, later worked as a police officer for the Rocky Mount Police Department.

According to KTEN, Robertson was released in January after storming the Capitol but he was re-arrested this month after investigators found out that the former police officer had a rifle and bomb-making material in his home. Authorities also discovered that Robertson recently purchased 37 guns in an online shop.

Based on the decision from Judge Christopher Cooper, Thomas Robertson would be staying behind bars until his case would be resolved. The case could take months or even drag into 2022.

Meanwhile, Robertson's lawyer said the former Virginia police officer was currently in solitary confinement, for his own safety, as he was a former member of the force. Robertson pleaded not guilty to four counts, which included felony obstruction of congressional proceedings.

Moreover, Cooper wrote in a ruling: "There is probable cause to believe that Robertson committed a felony -- willfully shipping or transporting firearms and ammunition despite being under felony indictment."

Cooper concluded in his ruling that there was no way to protect the American public without keeping Robertson behind bars. Judge Christopher Cooper also stated that the procurement made by the defendant in the case of these dangerous firearms under the surrounding circumstances heightens the risk to public safety.

ALSO READ: Masks Return to White House, U.S. House Based on CDC's Reversed Guidance

Increasing Arsenal

The case highlighted the continued political violence from supporters of former President Donald Trump. Prosecutors stated that Robertson called for more violence after the January 6 Capitol riot. The former police officer allegedly posted online, stating, "the only voice these people will now listen to is violence," so people should "buckle armor or just stay at home."

After he posted the message online, prosecutors mentioned that Robertson started to purchase more weapons on the internet.

Robertson allegedly posted on an online gun forum last month that what he had learned during the Capitol riot was that if you peacefully protest, you would still be arrested, fired, and even put on a no-fly list.

The judge in the case of Robertson ruled these notes as pieces of evidence as they occurred at the same time Robertson went on a shopping spree for high-powered assault weapons. Prosecutors stated that he allegedly spent about $16,000 on the guns in just a two-month span.

Cooper emphasized in his 14-page ruling that during and in the aftermath of the riot, Robertson has expressed remorselessness and endorsed in the public future political violence.

Robertson's lawyers argued unsuccessfully for his release despite claiming that he was just an antique gun lover.

RELATED ARTICLE: Texas Family Arrested in Capitol Riot; Minor Family Member Escapes Charges

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WATCH: U.S. Capitol police recount violence and racism during Jan. 6 riot - CBC News: The National
Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Hunter Biden's artwork, Florida Rep. Michael Waltz is preparing to introduce a bill requiring presidents to disclose their non-dependent children's finances.

The said legislation is also applicable for vice presidents. Waltz announced the move in light of a much-criticized art exhibition of President Joe Biden's son, New York Post reported.

The Republican congressman told Fox News that his bill aims to stop "the obvious and shameless grift" that is happening with Hunter's art sales. He added that Hunter Biden is not qualified to do it and is only doing it to continue to profit from his family name.

Waltz named his legislation the Preventing Anonymous Income by Necessitating Transparency of Executive Relatives (PAINTER) Act. The said requirement is already stated under the Ethics in Government Act.

Under the said act, spouses and dependent children of presidents are required to disclose their finances. The Florida lawmaker noted that Hunter Biden was an equity holder in China's nuclear power group, which was blacklisted for trying to steal American warhead technology.

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The Florida Lawmaker's PAINTER Act

Michael Waltz said that people should know who is "backchanneling, backdooring, and buying influence" to the president of the U.S. He noted that "transparency and shining a light on this" are what the legislation is all about.

The Florida lawmaker said it bothers him that Hunter Biden had flown on Air Force Two on official business and weeks later was given a billion dollars from China's central bank.

He noted that he would also like to know what type of technologies Hunter Biden has been facilitating and if these technologies would have had export controls.

Michael Waltz added that he thinks there is a lot to be learned about how Hunter Biden "is profiting off of his family name."

The Florida lawmaker also said that some people would likely point to former President Donald Trump and his children. But he noted that there's a distinction "if you have adult children with long, established careers both before office and then continuing into office," so he had "no problem with that."

Art Exhibition of Hunter Biden

Hunter Biden's art dealer is labeled as one of the leading art experts on Chinese contemporary art. The said art dealer once declared that he would be the lead guy in China on finding and collecting Chinese art.

Some people, including government ethics watchdogs and art critics, had expressed their concerns regarding Hunter's art exhibit, as the paintings of Joe Biden's sons are expected to fetch between $75,000 and $500,000, and buyers will remain anonymous.

Richard Painter, the chief ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, said the whole thing is a bad idea, according to another NY Post report.

Painter noted that people's initial reaction would be that Hunter is capitalizing on being the son of a president and wants people to give him money.

Walter Shaub, former head of the Office of Government Ethics during the Obama administration, said the identities of the buyers being anonymous pose a problem as they will have no way of monitoring whether people are buying access to the artwork or access to the White House.

Shaub added that what these people are paying for is Hunter's last name. Hunter Biden's exhibit is scheduled to open in October at the Georges Berges' Gallery in Soho. In September, private collectors in Los Angeles will catch a glimpse of his work in a private viewing.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden, a 'Direct Beneficiary' of His Son Hunter Biden's Foreign Deals, Says Head of Government Accountability Institute

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WATCH: Hunter Biden's Art Featured in Trendy New York Gallery Show - From Inside Edition






The state-of-the-art narco tunnels used by the Sinaloa cartel and its boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman were discovered fully equipped with a hydraulic elevator, electric rail cars, lighting, and storeroom in 2011.

Jose Sanchez Villalobos, the builder of these narco tunnels linking Tijuana on the Mexican side and San Diego on the U.S. side, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in custody for a drug distribution conspiracy in a San Diego federal court on Wednesday, July 28.

San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Villalobos is also one of the Sinaloa cartel's high-level managers. He pleaded guilty last December to planning, financing, and supervising the construction of several cross-border tunnels from 2010 to 2012.

He also pleaded guilty in a plea agreement in overseeing the Sinaloa cartel's operation as smuggling conduits.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Anello said that Jose Sanchez Villalobos is a very sophisticated criminal at a very high level. However, the judge noted that Villalobos was a totally different man today as compared to when "the conduct was committed."

Jose Sanchez Villalobos, 58, was already arrested in Mexico in 2012 and spent about eight years in custody there. He then spent another year and a half in San Diego after being extradited to face charges in the U.S. He seemed to have already served most of his prison term.

Court documents did not show how Villalobos became involved with the Sinaloa cartel or how he became El Chapo's tunnel architect.

Villalobos was reported to be the regional manager for the Sinaloa cartel. He was responsible for transporting drugs in Baja, California, and Jalisco in Mexico, according to authorities.

U.S. authorities noted that Jose Sanchez Villalobos has also overseen marijuana transport from southern Mexico to northern Mexico.

READ NEXT: El Chapo Narco Tunnel Found in Front of a National Guard Base in Mexico

Narco Tunnels of El Chapo and Sinaloa Cartel

In May, Mexican authorities discovered another 650-foot tunnel created by El Chapo. The said narco tunnel was across the street from a National Guard base in Tijuana, Mexico, New York Post reported.

Authorities believed that the narco tunnel was planned to connect Tijuana to the San Diego underpass discovered in 2019, which was a part of a tunnel network built by the now-jailed El Chapo.

Reports said there are over 13,000 narco tunnels in Mexico. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), most of these tunnels were reportedly controlled by the Sinaloa cartel.

Back in March, U.S. agents have found $30 million worth of drugs in a 600 meters tunnel in San Diego. The discovery of the tunnel came two months after the agents found a different tunnel in January.

The tunnel discovered in January was reportedly the longest narco tunnel ever found on the U.S.-Mexico border as it stretched more than three-quarters of a mile from an industrial building in Tijuana into San Diego.

Builder of the Sinaloa Cartel's Narco Tunnels

Jose Sanchez Villalobos allegedly earned a fortune for his role in the Sinaloa cartel. He was even reported to have his own racetrack, National Post reported.

Sanchez was taken by U.S. agents from Mexico and was charged with the 13-count federal indictment, including nine counts of conspiracy to distribute and import marijuana.

He was reported to have overseen two tunnels found in the San Diego area that was built to transport Sinaloa Cartel drugs. He was also said to have been responsible for deciding who could use the said tunnels for a fee.

The narco tunnels became a huge part of El Chapo's operation for smuggling and escaping from prisons. El Chapo has earned the reputation of being the "Lord of the Tunnels" for his preference to use the underground.

He was compared to early Juarez Cartel boss Amado Carillo Fuentes, who was dubbed as "Lord of the Skies." Carillo was known to transport drugs by using planes.

READ MORE: The Power Of El Chapo's Drug Tunnels

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: El Chapo's Drug Tunnels, Explained - From Vox
Key Takeaways

Reservation in India refers to the practice of providing certain groups of people access to government employment, educational institutions, and even legislatures while denying some, to provide opportunities to the oppressed.

Indias long-standing caste system is to blame for the countrys reservation systems inception.

The reservation might be viewed as positive discrimination because it is based on quotas.

Meritocracy should not be tainted by lowering entrance barriers; rather, it should be bolstered by providing financial assistance to the poor.

The article discusses reservation in India and the policies similar to reservation in India though other countries do not have reservation as such.

Introduction

In India, caste has always existed and that too in a harsh way, to be sure. Though it has lessened in public life as a result of laws such as the Harijan Act, it is still very much present in private life. Instead of reading about a Dalit being beaten up for riding a horse in the local paper, take a look at the trolling of Dalit symbols on social media.

Several districts of British India had quota systems that favoured specific castes and communities prior to Independence. Positive discrimination in various kinds had been demanded. The first Justice Party Government approved the first Communal Government Order on September 16, 1921, making it the first elected body in Indian legislative history to legislate reservations, which have since been the norm throughout the country.

The Government of India Act of 1909 included features of reservation, and there were other more policies in existence before Independence. An important one arose from the Round Table Conference in June 1932, when Britains Prime Minister, Ramsay McDonald, proposed the Communal Award, under which Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, and Europeans would be represented separately.

The oppressed classes, essentially equivalent to the STs and SCs, were allotted a number of seats to be filled by election from constituencies in which only they could vote, though they may vote in other seats as well. The idea was divisive: Mahatma Gandhi fasted in protest, while many members of the lower castes, including B. R. Ambedkar. After months of talks, Gandhi and Ambedkar agreed to create a unified Hindu electorate with seats designated for Dalits. Other religions' electorates, such as Islam and Sikhism, remained separate.

Our Constitutions preamble boasts of social, economic, and political justice, enshrining equality of status and opportunity, but does such equality exist?

Reservation in India

A vacancy reserved for SCs, STs, or OBCs, as the case may be, cannot be filled by anyone other than a SC, ST, or OBC candidate.

As seen in the table above, nearly 60% of seats in government positions and higher education institutions in India are reserved for various categories such as ST, SC, OBC, and EWS. In addition, 3% of seats are set aside for people with disabilities in all categories. This means that just 40% of seats are available on a merit basis. Candidates from all other categories, including SC, ST, OBC, and EWS, are eligible to vie for merit seats.

The original Indian Constitution only provided for quotas in legislatures, and only for a period of ten years until 1960 (Article 334). Following modifications to the Constitution, the duration of quota reservation in legislatures was extended.

Later, constitutional amendments established provisions for reservations in educational institutions and government jobs. The validity of the reservations provided in Articles 15 (4) and 16 is not specified. SC and ST were the only reservations made at first. In 1991, OBCs were added to the reservation list [Article 15 (5)]. Economically Weaker Sections are now included in 2019 [Articles 15 (6) and 16 (6)].

The two main goals of providing reservation under the Indian Constitution are:

Advancement of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) or any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens (e.g: OBC) or economically weaker sections (EWS)  Articles 15 (4), 15 (5), and 15 (6).

Adequate representation of any backward class of citizens or economically weaker sections (EWS) in state services - Articles 16 (4) and 16 (5) (6). Prior to 2019, reservations were made primarily on the basis of social and educational disadvantage (caste).

The case of State of Madras v. Smt.Champakam Dorairajan was the Supreme Court's first major ruling on the topic of reservation. The lawsuit resulted in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. While Article 16 (4) of the Constitution provides for reservations in favour of the underprivileged in government employment, no similar provision exists in Article 15.

The Court looked at the breadth and extent of Article 16 in the case of Indra Sawhney v. Union of India. According to the Court, the creamy layer of OBCs should be eliminated from the list of reservation beneficiaries, reservations should not be made in promotions, and the total reserved quota should not exceed 50%.

Need for Reservation

The caste system was deeply entrenched at the time of Independence. Lower castes had poor social, economic, and educational status, and social evils such as untouchability and caste-based discrimination were common. The entire country was in turmoil and misery, but the backward community was in worse shape. These communities had to fight not just poverty and a lack of basic necessities, but also societal inequalities, oppression, and biases held by the general public. Affirmative action was required to teach social justice, give equality of opportunity and position, and solve the issue of proper representation of these poor classes. As a result, the reservation was established for a ten-year period, although it is still grappling with the stigma of caste discrimination.

In 2007, the Thorat Committee report revealed the horrors of caste prejudice experienced at every level, not just by students but even by the few SC and ST faculty members at AIIMS, which is regarded one of the country's best educational institutions.

According to a poll conducted below the poverty line, SCs, STs, and OBCs account for half of India's poor destitute households.

Untouchability still reigns supreme.

We have a law that prohibits untouchability, but society must still adapt to it.

Manual scavenging is still a stigma that has to be addressed.

There has been no specific action taken in the case of manual scavengers, and there is no proper legislation in place.

Marriages between people of different castes are extremely uncommon. Inter-caste marriages account for just 5% of all weddings in India.

There is a lot of violence directed at the underprivileged. According to several reports, criminality against Dalits is on the rise. To combat this social stigma, special provisions and affirmative actions are required. While the usefulness and necessity of reservations as an affirmative action can be debated, we must all agree that affirmative actions are required.

Reservation Policy Abroad

Reservations arent just a thing in India. Reservation systems occur in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, to name a few. However, while quotas are uncommon in countries, affirmative action is in use all across the world.

United States has the policy of Affirmative action.

Brazil has the Vestibular policy.

The Equality Act 2010 was passed in the United Kingdom.

Japan has policies in place to assist the Burakumin, who are considered as Japans outcasts.

Employment equity (Canada) impacts aboriginals and minorities in Canada.

Women and ethnic minorities are given priority in China.

Quotas for Swedish speakers exist in Finland.

Germanys Gymnasium system has quotas.

Israel implements affirmative action policies.

Albanians have quotas in Macedonia.

Malaysia has a new economic policy called the Malaysian New Economic Policy.

Affirmative action is in place in New Zealand for Maoris and Polynesians.

Women must make up 40% of the PCL boards in Norway.

Romas in Romania are subject to quotas.

Employment equity exists in South Africa.

South Korea maintains a policy of affirmative action for Chinese and North Korean citizens.

Sweden has a broad affirmative action policy.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which urges nations to take affirmative action for disadvantaged groups, was held at the United Nations in 1969.

Affirmative Action is the name given to the reservation system in the United States. In many places, racially discriminated groups are given additional numbers to ensure equal representation. When compared to the Indian system, this method has a lot of distinctions. In India, Dalit-OBCs make up roughly 70% of the population, but in the United States, they make up 10% to 12% of the population.

The reservation policy in Bangladesh was scrapped in the government services after a huge protest march by thousands of students against keeping certain jobs for special group of people. The Prime Minister Hasina suggested this abolition as the students did not want the system.

Chinas success is owing to its emphasis on merit and a high-quality education system, which has driven it to compete with Western countries and produce world-class intellectual output. In 2016, China fell behind the

United States in terms of the quantity of scholarly papers published, while the quality of the work published was not as high.

China has a merit-based Thousand Talents programme to attract top-quality out-of-country academics with world-class amenities and wages. The No Detention System, Mid-Day Meal, Transfer-Posting Corruption, Reservation, Liberal Pass Policy, and Reduced Syllabus RTE, among other things, do not guide China. This has improved Chinas human capital and enhanced its technological prowess.

Conclusion

Reservations based only on economic criteria are not a panacea, while family income can be one of the factors to consider. Also, rather than extending the reservation system indefinitely, it's high time that we set a time limit for it.

It is also a crime and injustice to deny India the service of meritorious candidates who see themselves being overtaken by people with inferior academic performance or brilliance. Reforms to India's reservation system are urgently needed. Parties are hesitant to disturb the existing system because the subject of reserve involves a large number of votes.

As a democratic country, we must recognise the need of achieving true social inclusion and equality of position and opportunity. We need to recognise that we can't address problems by thinking the same way we did when we created them.

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Joshua Jackson has found it healing to move into his childhood home after his tough upbringing.

The Dr. Death star was born in Vancouver but raised in Topanga, California, until he was eight, before moving back to Vancouver following his parents divorce.

Joshua eventually bought the Topanga home he lived in as a child in 2001, and currently lives there with his wife, Jodie Turner-Smith, and their 15-month-old daughter Janie.

Speaking about buying the home, he said: My father unfortunately was not a good father or a husband and exited the scene, but that house in Topanga was where everything felt simple, so it was a very healing thing for me to do.

Janie now sleeps in her fathers childhood bedroom, and Joshua says he was amazed his room looked the same as it did when he lived there.

He added: There was a mural of a dragon on the wall in that room that I couldnt believe was still there, years later. The owner [who sold him the house] said, I knew it meant a lot to somebody and that they were going to come back for it some day.'

The 43-year-old star also said becoming a father himself has changed his priorities in every possible way.

He said: Its 100 per cent changed how I approach my work and my life. That has been made so clear to me in this past year.

For me to feel good about what Im doing day to day, my family has to be the central focus.

And Joshua admitted being at home with his wife and daughter amid the COVID-19 pandemic has made him realise how hard it can be for new fathers to head off to work so soon after welcoming a child.

He told Mr. Porter magazine: I now recognise how perverse the way that we have set up our society is.

There is not a father I know who works a regular job who didnt go back to the office a week later. Its robbing that man of the opportunity to bond with his child and spend time with his partner.
This graphic shows approximately 94 acres of property that the owner is seeking to rezone for industrial use. The property that is located off of Eubanks Road is currently zoned for general commercial.
Covid-19 testing has reached its highest level in Laois since the worst wave of the pandemic hit Ireland in January, new official figures reveal.

As July draws to a close, the HSE reports that there have been 2,830 swabs in Laois during the month. This is level with the total for April as the third wave began to recede.

While, it is a long way off the nearly 4,000 tests carried out in Laois in January, the rapid spread of the new strain is revealed in by the figure which shows that the 2,065 samples alone were taken in from July 19 to July 25.

The figure falls just short of the 2,885 tests completed in Laois in December 2020 when the third wave hit. It is also less than the 3,204 carried out during last October's second wave.

The sudden spread of the Delta wave in July is confirmed by figures for May (974 tests) and June (872) which were relatively quiet months for Covid-19 in Laois.

The Leinster Express understands the HSE has had to deploy significant extra resources to meet the demand for testing in the second half of July in the midlands.

A total of 15,878 tests have been carried out in Laois since the start of 2021. This exceeds the total for all of 2020 of 14,573.

Figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre showed that Laois has the second highest indicence of Covid-19 in Ireland.

Laois is part of Community Health Office 8 which also include Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Louth and Meath.

The HSE says the month of July was the busiest month on record for HSE Covid-19 test centres with a record number of swabs taken from July 1 to July 28.

It says testing to-day Thursday 29 July will record 40,000 swabs taken to date in the month of July.

Dr Niamh Clarke, Primary Care and Head of Testing in Midlands Louth Meath highlighted the hard work and dedication of the CHO Testing Teams.

Each and every member of staff worked collectively and collaboratively to meet the massive testing demand that emerged in July.

The weather conditions in July were particularly arduous to work in but the testing teams worked tirelessly and committedly to ensure that all members of the public in Counties Longford, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly Louth and Meath were offered a testing appointment with 24 hours of referral, added Dr Clarke.

Mr Des OFlynn Chief Officer, HSE Midlands Louth Meath described the number of tests carried out by the staff in the centres as an outstanding achievement in the fight to keep families safe in Covid pandemic times.

He paid tribute to the staff for their hard work and commitment at times over seven days a week and in difficult weather conditions.

Dr Una Fallon, Director of Public Health Midlands stressing the importance of people attending for testing if showing any symptoms also paid tribute to the work of the staff in Testing Centres who ensured through their organisation and hard work that testing was available when needed.

MORE BELOW LINK

Total CHO8 testing data for past 8 weeks

Week 31st May - 7th June = 5,792 swabs taken

Week 7th -13th June = 5,437 swabs taken

Week 14th June  20th June = 5,331 swabs taken

Week 21st June - 27th Jun = 6,424 swabs taken weekly percentage increase = 20.5%

Week 28th June - 4th July = 7,708 swabs taken weekly percentage increase= 19.9%

Week 5th July  11th July = 9,568 swabs taken weekly percentage increase= 24.1%

Week 12th July- 18th July =10,437 swabs taken weekly percentage increase= 9.4%

Week 19th July -25th July = 11,495 swabs taken weekly percentage increase = 10.14%

Breakdown of swabs taken last week in CHO8

Monday 19th July = 1,739 swabs taken

Tuesday 20th July =1,748 swabs taken

Wednesday 21st July = 1, 721 swabs taken

Thursday 22nd July = 1,734 swabs taken

Friday 23rd July =1,905 swabs taken

Saturday 24th July = 1, 543 swabs taken

Sunday 25th July= 1,105 swabs taken

Total swabs taken Mon- Sunday = 11,495



Weekly breakdown per test centre Monday 19th Sun 25th July 2021

Ardee = 2,273+Drogheda pop up(NAS) 904=3,177

Ashbourne= 2,306

Mullingar =1,555+Athlone pop up 312 (HSE) =1,867

Longford= 747

Tullamore=1,335

Portlaoise= 2,065

Total swabs taken Mon 19th July  Sunday 25th July = 11,495

Additionally, turnaround times from referral to appointment for persons referred by GPs and as close contacts remained high with 94.3% of all these referrals getting an appointment within 24 hours
Former INLA terrorist Dessie O'Hare, who was known as "The Border Fox", has withdrawn his appeal against the severity of his sentence for falsely imprisoning a family.

His barrister had suggested that he was being sentenced for the sins of the past, rather than the present. He was referring to a kidnapping OHare carried out in the 1980s, for which he was sentenced to 40 years before being released early under The Good Friday Agreement.

The Court of Appeal today Thursday, July 29 warned him of its powers, which include increasing as well as decreasing sentences. Court President Justice George Birmingham had previously indicated that OHare, who has had a number of spells in Portlaoise Prison, was unlikely to get an early release.

O'Hare of Slate Rock Road, Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh was jailed in 2019 by the Special Criminal Court for seven years for falsely imprisoning a family in their home and for leading a "disturbingly violent" attack on another man.

The 63-year-old admitted assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, County Dublin on June 9, 2015. He also pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcoole and Saggart on the same date. The non-jury court was asked to take two counts of falsely imprisoning Mr Byrnes wife and son into consideration.

O'Hare was jailed for three years for assaulting Mr Roche and ten years with the final three years suspended for the rest of his life for falsely imprisoning Mr Byrne. The sentences are running concurrently.

Justice Tony Hunt said at the time that the violent side of O'Hare's personality was not in remission and that his threat to society had "not completely abated". The judge stressed that O'Hare was "an organiser and high-level participant" in the incident and said that the court did not accept that the offending was "isolated" even though he had applied himself positively to some aspects of his life in the past 13 years.

OHare appealed the severity of his sentence to the Court of Appeal today. A previous appeal hearing last year was adjourned after O'Hare dismissed his lawyers.

However, before his appeal was opened this morning, Justice Birmingham addressed his barrister, Dominic McGinn SC.

He noted that there had been a directly relevant previous conviction with a sentence of 40 years.

He was released under the Good Friday Agreement and what does he do? He reoffends, he remarked.

I accept there is that element in the case, replied Mr McGinn. The previous offending was some decades old and they were in a particular context, which I think was reflected by the Good Friday Agreement.

He noted that a punishment had been imposed for that offence.

In many ways, it could be said he has suffered in relation to that, and that the court in this instance placed too much emphasis on it, effectively sentencing Mr OHare for the sins of the past, not for the sins of the present, suggested Counsel.

He remarked that OHares co-accused in the latter case had been no angel, but had received a vastly different sentence.

Former Republican paramilitary Declan "Whacker" Duffy was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to six years imprisonment in 2018 after pleading guilty to assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, on the same occasion. He also admitted falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcoole/Saggart on the same date.

If you want to go ahead with your appeal, go ahead, said Justice Birmingham.

However, he said that if the courts preliminary reading of submissions makes the judges feel that theres any prospect of an unfavourable outcome for an appellant, they give an indication that theres a degree of risk. He said that this was done particularly during the remote hearings as a result of Covid, when people arent in the physical courtroom to read body language.

It isnt obvious that the Special Criminal Court was overly severe and it appears an argument could be made that he wasnt a candidate for a suspended sentence, he continued.

He said that it wasnt an obvious case of parity here, where he was dealt with more severely than another man, who also had a relevant previous conviction.

There is another aspect to this and another angle, he said.

The court rose to give Mr McGinn some time to consult with his client. When the court resumed, the barrister said that Mr OHare had instructed him to withdraw the appeal.

We do think that Mr OHare has been wise, remarked Justice Birmingham. You were always going to be playing into the wind. Hes received good advice.

In 1988, O'Hare was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment for falsely imprisoning and assaulting Dublin dentist Dr John OGrady, causing him grievous bodily harm, but was released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement in 2006.

O'Hare kidnapped Dr O'Grady from his home in Cabinteely on October 13, 1987 and held him captive for 23 days. During that time O'Hare chopped off the tips of Dr O'Grady's fingers while demanding a ransom of IR1.5m.

Gardai freed Dr O'Grady following a shoot-out in the Dublin suburb of Cabra. One officer was shot and seriously wounded.

O'Hare also has convictions for firearms offences and for assaulting a garda.
Evidence of a Covid-19 pandemic boom in dog ownership is not clearly revealed in new figures from Laois and other councils which show that number of dog licences dropped by thousands last year.

Newly published Department of Rural and Community Development Dog Control Statistics reveal that licensing has yet to catch up with ownership.

Dogs Trust, Irelands largest dog welfare charity, says there was an unprecedented demand for dogs last year but there are already signs of people giving up on their pets as life returns to norm.

They say the 171 dogs were destroyed in Irish pounds in 2020 represents 57% decrease on the previous year.

The Department's report contains figures for individual and lifetime dog licenses issued online only in 2019 and 2020 for Laois and all local authorities in the Republic.

A total of 655 online licences were sold in Laois in 2019 compared with 1,052 in 2020 - a 60% rise.

Nationally, online licence purchases went from 50,2888 in 2019 to 68,574 last year.

When paper dog permits are included, the total number of licences bought in Laois rose in 2020 to 3,374 - a rise of just 72 on 2019.

The number of licences sold nationally actually fell by 12,000 to almost 201,000.

The Celtic Tiger bust recession years were the busiest years for licencing in the past 20 years with up to 5,000 permits being sold in Laois each year from 2007 to 2011.

A total of 62 strays entered the Laois pound in 2020. A further five were surrendered and three were seized. Owners reclaimed 26 while 22 were rehomed with a further 24 transferred to welfare groups. No dogs were put down nor did any die in the pound. Just four dogs were being cared for in the pound at the end of December last year.

No greyhounds were impounded in Laois in 2020.

One dog breeding application, costing 400, was made in 2020. There were five dog breeders licenced in Laois - four commercial and one hunt club.

The report shows that Laois had one full time and one part time warden in 2020 with one van and one pound. The service is run for the council by the ISPCA/ISPCA and a private company.

Laois County Council is running a big loss on the service. It took in 82,505 but spent 174,599 last year.

Nationally, councils took in 4,723,519.47 but spent 7,230,555.47 on the Dog Control services.

Wardens issued 13 on the spot fines with seven paid. There were no prosecutions or convictions. There were four incidences of dogs worrying livestock in Laois.

Dogs Trust, Irelands says the statistics also revealed that 5,267 dogs entered the Irish Pound system during 2020, a 43% reduction on the 2019 figures. While this is a welcome improvement, Dogs Trust is highlighting that 2020 was a very unique year, with the pandemic causing an unprecedented demand for dogs.

The Charity has seen a 212% increase in surrender requests over the last three months* and is extremely concerned by this surge as life starts to return to normal in Ireland. The charity is also keen to point out that some local authority pounds closed during certain periods of last year, due to COVID restrictions.

Becky Bristow, Executive Director at Dogs Trust Ireland said speaking about the latest figures.

2020 was an anomaly, given it saw the biggest demand we have ever seen for dogs in this country. We must take that and the fact that some dog pounds had to close at certain points of the various lockdowns, into consideration when looking at this years Control of Dogs Statistics.

"Given that 1,468 dog owners still surrendered their dog to pounds, we are keen to establish the reasons for this and urge Local Authorities to record the reasons provided. We are reminding people that we are here to help if you are struggling with your dog and we recently launched our Bark to Basics campaign offering dog owners free practical advice to help keep as many dogs as possible happy in their homes, post lockdown, she said.
Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is launching two initiatives being delivered by Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) to help meet employer demands in the hospitality, tourism and catering industry in Ireland.

The two training initiatives, developed in partnership with The Talbot Collection and Bretzel Bakery, are funded through Skills to Advance, a national initiative providing upskilling opportunities for employees to progress in their careers, and Skills to Compete, a traineeship that helps the unemployed and career changers gain the skills needed for the workplace.

They offer a work-based model and successful participants, who should be aged 18+, will have the opportunity for employment within the participating organisations, with the Talbot Collection offering a two-year employment contract and the opportunity for further education and training through an apprenticeship.

Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, said: "Im delighted to be lending my support to KWETB and these initiatives. They are an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to develop new skills and further their career.



"The hospitality, tourism, and catering industry is essential to the Irish economy, and unfortunately, it is also a sector that has been so heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.



"With this in mind, I welcome these training programmes, which are the next phase in a drive to boost the hospitality, tourism, and catering workforce, and I look forward to hearing about the success of the future candidates on the programmes.



Eileen Cullen, Training and Innovation Services Manager, from KWETB said: KWETB is at the forefront educating and training workforces across all sectors, however hospitality and tourism are very close to our hearts. Earlier this year we launched a very successful programme upskilling existing hospitality talent and now this new initiative creates opportunities for those new to industry, offering on-the-job learning and the opportunity for employment upon completion.

"Its been a very difficult year for the industry and we are thrilled to be able to launch these two initiatives today, with the support of Minister Harris, and in partnership with The Talbot Collection and Bretzel Bakery, which aim to grow a workforce heavily depleted during the pandemic. Anyone interested in applying for this fantastic opportunity can contact us at trainingcourses@kwetb.ie for more info. You never know what the future may hold!

The Talbot Collections Chef Development Programme, delivered by KWETB, will see 20 successful applicants take part in a 12-week training course in the state-of-the-art training facilities at Marine House, The Murrough, Wicklow Town and Bray Institute of Further Education.



Candidates will be accommodated in the Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan, for the duration of the program and will receive a City and Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Culinary Skills plus will be offered a two-year contract of employment with the Talbot Collection upon completion at one of their six locations across Ireland.



Philip F. Gavin, Group Managing Director of The Talbot Collection commented on the initiative: We are absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to partner with the KWETB and have Minister Harris launch our Talbot Collection Chef Development Programme. This represents a significant investment for the Collection.



"It is widely accepted that there is a shortage of professional chefs nationwide. Never has it been more important to invest in our future, for the future. We are very excited to offer this unique and fantastic opportunity to cooking enthusiasts in our communities who wish to pursue a prosperous career as a professional chef.

The Bretzel Bakery Artisan Bakery Traineeship will offer 12-16 successful applicants the chance to learn on the job and capture the basics of professional artisan baking through a 24 week training course. The traineeship will take place in Kilcullen, Co Kildare and will see the applicants develop work-based skills in Bretzels state-of-the-art bakery school.

Mateusz Piwowarczyk, Production Manager for Bretzel Bakery, is a great supporter of the traineeship and said: I took a job as a baker but it was the influence of a great teacher that made me want to be a gold medal winning Baker. Bretzel Bakery and KWETB could be the teacher that makes the difference for you!



Both programmes are open to applicants from all over Ireland.



For more information on KWETB or to learn about the two training initiatives contact trainingcourses@kwetb.ie.



KWETB

The Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board was established on 1st July 2013 under the Education and Training Boards Act 2013. KWETB is the largest education training provider in Kildare and Wicklow. Their mission is to provide high quality and innovative education and training which is accessible and responsive to the developing needs of learners, and our communities which promote excellence, quality and social inclusion.

KWETB offers training and education across all sectors with 12,000 high quality, easy-to-access, flexible, education and training programs through employer engagement solutions, aimed at helping meet local community and employer needs.

The Talbot Collection Chef Development Programme will be delivered by Skills to Advance.

The Bretzel Bakery Artisan Bakery Traineeship will be delivered by Skills to Advance, for those participants who are upskilling and by Skills to Compete for those transitioning careers.

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A charity cycle in memory of late jockey Pat Smullen to raise funds for Cancer Trials Ireland is taking place on September 25.

Participants are visiting seven racecourses including Naas and the Curragh and two Stud Farms in seven hours.

The event starts at Laytown beach and finishes at the Curragh racecourse.

Along the way, visits will be made to Bellewstown, Navan, Fairyhouse, Moyglare Stud, Naas, Punchestown and Gilltown Stud.

This event is in memory of Pat Smullen, 9 times Irish Champion Jockey. A true legend in Irish racing.

The cycle is the brainchild of Gavin Lynch, who lost his mother Olive to pancreatic cancer.

Gavin said: "She enjoyed nothing more than a day at the races and backed Pat a winner in many a race."

The Coast to Curragh charity cycle stages on September 25

7.30am Laytown Races / Laytown Beach (155km approx. from here to the finish)

8.30am Bellewstown Racecourse

10am Navan Racecourse (110km to the finish)

11.30am Fairyhouse Racecourse (80km to the finish)

12.45pm Moyglare Stud (55km to the finish)

2pm Naas Racecourse (30km to the finish)

2.15pm Punchestown Racecourse (25km to the finish).
A man who was serving a driving disqualification was found driving with excess alcohol and without insurance cover, Naas District Court heard on July 7.

Darius Adamonis, 52 , whose address was given as Apartment 42, Brooklands, Dublin Road, Clane, was before the court.

He was prosecuted for driving with excess alcohol and no insurance at Capdoo Commons, Clane, on September 30, 2019; no insurance and using a false disc at Capdoo Commons, Clane, on October 7; no insurance at Dublin Road, Clane, on August 8, 2020 and driving with excess alcohol on March 7 last.

Read more Kildare news

Sgt Jim Kelly told the court that on September 30 the vehicle was stopped at Capdoo Commons and a subsequent breath test returned a reading of 81.

On March 7, 2021, the gardai were called to Brooklands, Clane, where a car had reversed into a wall, knocking it down. The defendant was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and failing to remain at the scene.

Sgt Kelly added that some 1,600 worth of damage was caused to the wall.

The court was told the defendant has 21 previous convictions, including four for no insurance, three for drink driving and one for driving while disqualified.

The defendant was serving a 15 year disqualification at the time of the offences.

Defending barrister Aisling Murphy said the defendant is a dad and a grandfather.

Ms Murphy said he works as a scaffolder and is considering a return to Lithuania.

She added he has no car and is not driving.

She said he is apologetic and will not come before the court again for offences of this kind.

Noting that the defendant was serving a 15 year driving ban imposed in February 2015, Judge Desmond Zaidan said the defendant is a serious threat to other road users.

The defendant received four consecutive custody terms of five months each as well as four concurrent driving disqualifications of 25 years each.

Judge Zaidan also ordered that he retake the driving test.

Recognicances were fixed in the defendant's own bond of 1,000 in the event of an appeal.
A 20 year old man who had sex with a teenage girl faces an allegation of rape and sexual assault.

The offences are alleged to have taken place on dates between October and December 2018 at different locations.

Sgt Jim Kelly told Naas District Court on July 28 it would be alleged that the man - then aged 17 - had intercourse with a girl - then aged 14 - and that they were known to each other.

Read more Kildare news

Bail was opposed by the gardai because of the seriousness of the allegation and that he may attempt to evade the gardai.

The court also heard that the man was homeless for a period in Dublin city.

Defending solicitor David Powderly said that the pair were in a relationship for a year and have a common interest in cars.

He said that the defendant believed that the girl was aged 16 at the time and that was what she told him.

He added: They fell in love and he expressed his love in a sexual way.

Mr Powderly said that the alleged victim did not complain, her family did. He said they were in love and he added that the defendant had been addicted to alcohol and was taking drugs.

However, the court heard, he is now drug free and free of alcohol and he will remain sober and drug free.

The court also heard the defendant has two children.

He also said that the case will ultimately be heard in the Central Criminal Court where there are case delays of up to two years .

Mr Powderly said if bail was denied he could be in custody for up to two years.

He also said that the alleged offence was very much at the lower end of the scale and the case only arose because of the age of the victim.

Judge Desmond Zaidan adjourned the case to August 5.
Poetry Ireland has today announced details of Poetry Town, a new initiative, which will see more than a hundred free poetry-related activities take place in 20 towns across the island of Ireland between 10th and 18th September 2021.

Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim will be among the Poetry Towns, with activities for the town being organised by Poetry Ireland in partnership with Leitrim County Council Arts Office.

As part of the initiative, Poetry Ireland, together with its local authority partners, will appoint a Poet Laureate for each participating town. The chosen Poet Laureates, who will either be from the respective local area or have strong connections with it, will be commissioned to write a poem honouring their Poetry Town and its people. The Poet Laureates for each town will be announced next month.

Each poem will be revealed and presented to the people of the participating towns at a series of flagship online events, one of which will be hosted in each town, which will feature contributions from local poets, artists and musicians.

There will also be a wide variety of additional activities in the Poetry Towns. These will include a series of poetry events involving local poets; poetry workshops; public poetry displays, including Poetry Underfoot; and a range of physical activities called Poems that Move You, which will vary from town to town. Local businesses, including cafes and chemists, will also be participating in the activities to celebrate their towns by distributing pocket poems to customers. The full programme for each town will be made available on the Poetry Town website during the last week of August.

Poetry Town activities will take place in the following 20 towns:

Adare, Co Limerick;

Athenry, Co Galway;

Bailieborough, Co Cavan;

Ballycastle, Co Antrim;

Bandon, Co Cork;

Belmullet, Co Mayo;

Bray, Co Wicklow;

Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim;

Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary;

Cootehill, Co Cavan;

Dublin 1, Co Dublin;

Dungarvan, Co Waterford;

Dunshaughlin, Co Meath;

Ennistymon, Co Clare;

Listowel, Co Kerry;

Mountmellick, Co Laois;

Naas, Co Kildare;

Strokestown, Co Roscommon;

Tullamore, Co Offaly;

Wexford Town, Co Wexford.

Commenting, Director of Poetry Ireland, Niamh ODonnell said: The idea behind Poetry Town is to celebrate the many vibrant towns and communities across the island of Ireland, through poetry, collaboration and communal experiences.

Over the past 18 months, many of us have become more aware of whats around us  from local parks or nature walks, to landmarks and monuments, to the stories held within the collective memory of our communities. There is poetry waiting to be uncovered in our surroundings and our everyday lives.

Poetry is indispensable in Ireland, and we are incredibly fortunate to have so many talented poets across the island. We hope Poetry Town will play a significant role in helping to ensure Irelands diverse and talented voices are heard and seen. We will give voice and visibility to well-known visionary poets and  importantly  to new powerful voices, broadening and diversifying the understanding of what a Poet Laureate looks like.

We are excited to invite individuals, families and communities to join their Poetry Towns, or the Poetry Towns in their vicinity, in a vibrant celebration of the pride in their locality, the value and importance of our heritage, and the strength and diversity in our towns and rural areas.

Poetry Town is an initiative of Poetry Ireland in partnership with Local Authority Arts Offices. It is made possible with funding from the Arts Council of Irelands Open Call funding, and is also supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

For further information, visit the Poetry Town website: poetrytown.ie.
ANNUAL operating profits at the Shannon Foynes Port Company fell to 3.3m as the challenges of Covid-19 hit hard locally.

However, a strong final quarter saw the companys tonnage reduction mitigated to just 1.9%, according to its annual report, released this week.

In total, its 2020 operating profit was 3.3m, down from 3.9m in 2019.

Turnover fell by 7.6% to 12.9m, with the port companys 1.8m year-on-year reduction in profit before tax coming against the backdrop of the 2019 figure including a non-recurring profit on sale of fixed assets of 1.4m, the report notes.

Due to the unprecedented challenges 2020, and 2021 have presented, Shannon Foynes Port Company was forced to review its capital spending plans  and defer some of these.

In addition, the company, for the first time in its history, is in a net cash position as cash balances now exceed gross debt.

Given the aforementioned circumstances, we believe this is a solid performance, particularly in the contest of the fixed cost nature of port operations, said Port chief Pat Keating.

Despite widespread predictions of Britains exit from the European Union bringing about chaos, he added that this had little or no impact on its performance last year.

Mr Keating added the firm remains on track with its Vision 2041 strategy, which is now in its 10th year.

And the Port boss repeated his call for the Limerick to Foynes Road scheme, saying the need for it cannot be emphasised enough.

Port chairman David McGarry said the five-year strategic plan, developed last year, has identified capital expenditures totalling 45.5m to develop port facilities. For more see limerickleader.ie
NONE of us want to be in an emergency situation where we need the expert assistance of gardai and firefighters but if that day comes we will be in the best hands possible.

As part of that learning process, junior gardai from across the Limerick Division received training in relation to marine search and Rescue, and attended Limerick City Fire and Rescue Station on Mulgrave Street on Wednesday.

The training event was organised by Assistant Fire Chief Ger ODonoghue and Garda John OSullivan from Community Policing in Henry Street.

"Firefighters from Blue Watch demonstrated equipment and procedures relating to road traffic collisions, incident management and River Rescue. This marks the third year in which this training has been carried out and it has proved highly beneficial.

"Emergency Services in Limerick continue to work and train with each other, making these multi-agency days very important for junior Gardai," said Mr O'Sullivan.

Both he and Mr O'Donoghue are involved with Limerick River Rescue Coordination Group. This group also includes Irish Coast Guard, Limerick Marine Search & Rescue and Limerick Civil Defence.
GALBALLY GAA and Camogie Club is pulling out all the stops this August Bank Holiday weekend to say thank you to the Irish Community Air Ambulance.

They hope to raise as much money as possible for the voluntary life saving service through fundraisers and online donations, as well as having some fun along the way.

A spokesperson for Galbally GAA said five members of their community have benefitted from this fantastic service in recent times.

"Irish Community Air Ambulance is wholly dependent on donations to survive. Each call out costs 3,500 euros. We are arranging this fundraiser to ensure that this service is available to others who may require it," said the spokesperson.

The club has organised events but if you cant make them you can do your own miles anytime over the weekend and anywhere in the world. Please send your photos to 087 9274889.

It kicked off this Thursday evening with a cycle at 7pm. On Friday at 7pm there is a 5k walk. A drive-in quiz is on Saturday night at 7pm.

Sunday revs up with a tractor and vintage run at 11am. Finally, on Monday at 11am there is a camogie and hurling crossbar challenge. John Kiely, who encourages his players to go under or over the crossbar, has lent his support.

A message from the boss man pic.twitter.com/qfaXD59HEb  Galbally GAA (@Galbally_GAA) July 28, 2021

For more information and to donate online please click here
This fossilized horseshoe crab (Euproops danae), shown in the left image, held a perfectly preserved mold of its brain, shown close-up in panel B. Panel C shows a reconstruction of Euproops danae, including the position and anatomy of the brain. (Image credit: Russell Bicknell)

Researchers have uncovered a never-before-seen fossilized brain from a 310 million-year-old horseshoe crab, revealing some surprises about the evolution of these wannabe crustaceans, according to a new study.

The fossilized brain, which belongs to the extinct species Euproops danae, was discovered at Mazon Creek in Illinois, where the conditions were just right to perfectly preserve the animal's delicate soft tissue.

There are four species of horseshoe crabs alive today  all of which sport hard exoskeletons, 10 legs and a U-shaped head. Despite their name, these "crabs" are actually arachnids that are closely related to scorpions and spiders , according to The National Wildlife Federation . Although horseshoe crab fossils are relatively common, nothing was previously known about their ancient brains, the researchers said.

Related: From dino brains to thought control  10 fascinating brain findings

"This is the first and only evidence for a brain in a fossil horseshoe crab," lead author Russell Bicknell, a paleontologist at the University of New England in Maine, told Live Science. The chances of finding a fossilized brain are "one in a million," he added. "Although, even then, chances are they are even rarer."

Soft tissues that make up brains are very prone to rapid decay, Bicknell said. "In order for them to be preserved, either very special geological conditions, or amber, are needed."

In this case, geology helped to keep the soft tissue in tip-top condition over the years and preserve the brain  or at least a copy of the brain. "We have a mold of the brain, not the brain itself, so to speak," Bicknell said.

The deposits at Mazon Creek are made of an iron carbonate mineral called siderite, which forms concretions  mineral precipitations  that can quickly encase a dead body and fossilize it. Although such concretions preserved the horseshoe crab's body, the brain tissue still decomposed and eventually disappeared. However, as the brain rotted away it was replaced by a clay mineral called kaolinite, which created a cast of the brain.

Kaolite is white in color, whereas siderite is dark gray. This color contrast meant the brain fossil "stood out more than it would have normally" from the rest of the fossil, Bicknell said.

The hunt is now on for more ancient brains that might have been fossilized in the unique geological conditions that preserved this horseshoe crab.

"The Mazon Creek deposit is exceptional," Bicknell said. "If we started looking, we may be lucky enough to find more [brain fossils]."

The discovery provided researchers with the unique opportunity to study how the arachnids' brains evolved over time. But to the researchers' surprise, they found that the ancient brain, which dates to the Carboniferous period (359 million to 299 million years ago), was remarkably similar to that of a modern horseshoe crab.

"Despite 300 million years of evolution, the fossil horseshoe crab brain is pretty much the same as modern forms," Bicknell said.
Proteins are complex structures in the body. Here, the brightly colored and twisty blobs represent different immune system proteins on the outer layer of a T-cell, a type of white blood cell that helps the body to identify foreign invaders. (Image credit: JUAN GAERTNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)

The artificial intelligence (A.I.) company DeepMind says it will soon release a database of the shape of every protein known to science  more than 100 million.

That's every structured protein in the human body, as well as in 20 research species, including yeast and E. coli bacteria, fruit flies and mice. Prior to the company's AlphaFold project, which uses artificial intelligence to predict protein shapes, only 17% of the proteins in the human body had their structures identified, according to Technology Review .

"It looks astonishingly impressive," Tom Ellis, a synthetic biologist at Imperial College London, told Technology Review.

Protein folding is incredibly complex. Proteins are made of long strands of building blocks called amino acids, which wrap themselves into strange and complicated shapes to form functional structures. Unraveling these structures in the laboratory takes a long time, but DeepMind announced in December that its AlphaFold algorithm can determine the shape of proteins down to the atom in minutes. So far, AlphaFold has predicted 36% of human proteins with atomic-level accuracy, and has predicted more than half with accuracy good enough to spark research on the proteins' functions, according to the company. (About a third of the proteins in the body don't have a structure unless they bind to something else, so DeepMind can't accurately predict their shapes.) AlphaFold makes these predictions using a neural network, a type of algorithm meant to mimic how the brain processes information, and which is particularly good at recognizing patterns  such as how particular sequences of amino acids interact  in large amounts of data.

The predicted shapes still need to be confirmed in the lab, Ellis told Technology Review. If the results hold up, they will rapidly push forward the study of the proteome, or the proteins in a given organism. DeepMind researchers published their open-source code and laid out the method in two peer-reviewed papers published in Nature last week.

They have now made about 350,000 protein structures freely available in the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, according to a company announcement . These include the 20,000 or so proteins expressed by the human genome. (When proteins are "expressed," that means that information stored in the genome gets converted into instructions to make proteins, which then perform some function in the body.) In the coming months, the company plans to add almost every sequenced protein known to science.

Understanding protein structure can help researchers delve into the causes of diseases and enable them to discover new drugs that will carry out a particular function in the body. According to DeepMind, researchers are already using AlphaFold's discoveries to study antibiotic resistance, to study the biology of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, and to seek new enzymes that can be used to recycle plastics.

Originally published on Live Science
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Scientists accidentally discovered a mysterious  and unusually large  DNA structure deep in the mud in California wetlands. The structure, known as a "Borg," likely belongs to a single-celled organism and carries many genes that are unknown to science. It's not totally clear what these massive strings of DNA do, but they may help supercharge the organisms' ability to break down chemicals in the soil.

"I haven't been this excited about a discovery since CRISPR," senior author Jillian Banfield, geomicrobiologist at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote on Twitter. ( CRISPR is the groundbreaking gene-editing technology that is based on a natural defense mechanism found in bacteria.) "Imagine a strange foreign entity, neither alive nor dead, that assimilates and shares important genes."

Banfield's son suggested naming the structures "Borgs" after the famous Star Trek aliens, who gather and assimilate the technology and knowledge of other alien species. The researchers published their findings, which haven't yet been peer-reviewed, to the preprint database bioRxiv .

Related: Code of life: Photos of DNA structures

Banfield and her team discovered the Borgs while digging deep in California's wetlands for fragments of DNA that are involved in the carbon cycle, the process by which carbon is recycled through the environment, according to Nature . They then identified 19 different types from California and similar areas in Colorado.

The researchers don't yet know what these Borgs are, or what they do, but think the weird entities likely reside in single-celled organisms known as archaea. Their early study suggests that the newfound structures are a type of extrachromosomal element (ECEs)  DNA stored outside of an organism's chromosomes , which are tightly-packed structures that house the majority of an organism's genes.

Microbes can share many different ECEs with each other to carry out useful functions that aren't necessarily "essential," such as antibiotic resistance, according to Nature. Commonly known ECEs are viruses or plasmids, which are tiny DNA molecules that can be found in bacteria (and some other cells), and typically give some kind of genetic advantage to bacteria such as antibiotic resistance.

Borgs are "gigantic in size," said lead author Basem Al-Shayeb, an NSF graduate research fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. The researchers found the DNA can have lengths of up to around 1 million base pairs  the nucleic acid duos that form the rungs of the DNA molecule. That length makes them about a third of the size of their host genomes, Al-Shayeb told Live Science in an email.

"Their genes are quite different from what you would find on previously described ECEs," Al-Shayeb added. Borg DNA exists in a linear, rather than the traditional circular form found in viral and plasmid genomes, he said. What's more, they have unusually repetitive regions, which is not a common feature found in the genomes of viruses or plasmids.

"I would say they are most exciting not because any single Borg feature is incredibly unique, but the combination of these features together makes the Borgs remarkable," Al-Shayeb said. Almost 80% of the Borgs genes have "completely unknown functions," he added.

In the remaining 20% of the genome, they found that the borgs had acquired many genes that would "augment" their hosts' capabilities. For example, they think that the Borgs likely boost their host's metabolisms by increasing the host's ability to metabolize methane.

Borgs are like "turbo boosters" for methane metabolism, Banfield wrote on Twitter. "This means they could have significant climate impacts." In the future, Borgs could potentially become a useful tool in capturing greenhouse gases from the environment, Al-Shayeb agreed.

They found that the Borgs also had genes that may improve protein production, boost nitrogen fixation (or the process by which nitrogen in the air is converted into organic compounds that crops can use to survive and grow) and boost extracellular electron transfer (a process that's needed for organisms to respire compounds aside from oxygen ). That's "also why we believe we found these deep underground in soils devoid of oxygen," Al-Shayeb said.

In all the places that they found Borgs, they also found DNA belonging to archaea known as Methanoperedens, according to Science Magazine . That suggests that the Borgs may exist inside these microbes, but the scientists don't know for sure because they can't grow Methanoperedens in the lab to test the idea. Whatever this structure is, it's "pretty exciting," W. Ford Doolittle, an emeritus professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Dalhousie University in Canada, who was not part of the study, told Science.

Still, others aren't as convinced. Mart Krupovic, an archaeal virologist at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, who was not involved in the study, told Chemical & Engineering News that the Borgs might not be totally unique but rather a type of giant plasmid, also known as megaplasmid.

Still, "there is so much that we currently don't know about the Borgs," Al-Shayeb said. "It will be a great adventure to learn more about them."

Originally published on Live Science.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new pandemic requirements aimed at boosting vaccination rates for millions of federal workers and contractors as he lamented the American tragedy of rising-yet-preventable deaths among the unvaccinated.

Federal workers will be required to sign forms attesting theyve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else comply with new rules on mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and more. The strict new guidelines are aimed at increasing sluggish vaccination rates among the huge number of Americans who draw federal paychecks  and to set an example for private employers around the country.

Right now, too many people are dying or watching someone they love die and say, If Id just got the vaccine," Biden said in a somber address from the East Room of the White House. "This is an American tragedy. People are dying who dont have to die.

However, pushback is certain to Biden's action. It puts him squarely in the center of a fierce political debate surrounding the governments ability to compel Americans to follow public health guidelines.

The federal government directly employs about 4 million people, but Bidens action could affect many more when federal contractors are factored in. New York University professor of public service Paul Light estimates there are nearly 7 million more employees who could potentially be included, combining those who work for companies that contract with the government and those working under federal grants.

Biden, seemingly fed up with persistent vaccine resistance among many Americans, delivered a sharp rebuke to those who have yet to get shots, saying they get sick and fill up our hospitals, taking beds away from others who need them.

If in fact you are unvaccinated, you present a problem to yourself, to your family and those with whom you work, he said bluntly."

At the same time, he expressed sympathy for people who have received their shots and are frustrated with the consequences of the minority that fail to get vaccinated. And he again emphasized that the fight against the virus is far from over, girding Americans to remain strong in the face of setbacks in the pandemic.

I know this is hard to hear. I know its frustrating. I know its exhausting to think were still in this fight. I know we hoped this would be a simple straightforward line, without problems or new challenges. But that isnt real life," he said.

His comments came as some 60% of American adults have been fully vaccinated. He had set a July 4 goal to get at least one shot in 70% of adults, and is still not quite there. The latest figure is 69.3%. And there remains significant resistance from many Republicans and some unions to vaccine mandates for employers.

Reflecting an awareness of the political landmines surrounding mandates, administration officials emphasize that their plan does not require workers to receive the vaccine but aims to make life more difficult for those who are unvaccinated to encourage them to comply. Biden directed his team to take steps to apply similar requirements to all federal contractors.

He also directed the Defense Department to look into adding the COVID-19 shot to its list of required vaccinations for members of the military. Service members already are required to get as many as 17 vaccines, depending on where they are based around the world.

Over and over, the president repeated that the vast majority of those falling ill and dying in the new wave of the delta virus are unvaccinated, putting others at risk and endangering the nation's fragile economic recovery and return to normalcy.

It's an American blessing that we have vaccines for each and every American. Its such a shame to squander that blessing," said Biden.

He praised the recent increase in Republican lawmakers urging those who are not vaccinated  many of whom, polling suggests, identify as conservatives  to get their shots. And seeking to push back against skepticism among some Republicans over the safety of the vaccine, he gave a nod to predecessor Donald Trump, noting that it was developed and authorized under a Republican administration.

This is not about red states and blue states," he said. "Its literally about life and death, life and death.

Biden renewed his calls for schools to fully open this fall, although children under 12 are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine. And he said that public health officials do not yet believe Americans need a booster vaccine despite the highly contagious delta variant fueling the surge.

The new pressure on workers to get vaccinated could work because evidence shows people would rather get the vaccine than deal with burdens they consider onerous at work, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University Law School.

People would much rather roll up their sleeves and get a jab, than undergo weekly testing and universal masking, he said. In many ways, this is really not a mandate, its giving workers a choice.

Thursday's move is not just about federal workers.

The administration hopes it will nudge private companies push their workers harder to get vaccines that, while widely recognized as safe and effective, have yet to receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

I think weve reached this tipping point, and Bidens announcement will provide a lot of air cover for companies and boards of directors who have difficult decisions facing them," said Jeff Hyman, a Chicago-based business author and recruiter for start-up companies.

Some of the nations biggest corporations have moved to require vaccinations for their workers. Tech giants Facebook and Google announced this week their employees would have to show proof theyve been fully vaccinated before returning to work.

Delta and United airlines are requiring new employees to show proof of vaccination. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are requiring workers to disclose their vaccination status though not requiring them to be vaccinated.

But fewer than 10% of employers have said they intend to require all employees to be vaccinated, based on periodic surveys by the research firm Gartner.

Still, there is opposition.

State lawmakers across the U.S. have introduced more than 100 bills aiming to prohibit employers from requiring vaccination as a condition of employment, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy. At least six states have approved such bills.

The Justice Department and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have both said no federal laws prevent businesses from requiring vaccinations as a condition of employment and the federal policy would take precedent. But the medical freedom bills underscore the resistance such guidance may encounter at the state level.

Government actions in New York City and California have faced resistance from local unions. And prior to Bidens announcement, some national unions were speaking out against it.

Larry Cosme, President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, which represents 30,000 federal officers and agents, said in a statement while the organization supports the vaccine it opposes compelling it.

Forcing people to undertake a medical procedure is not the American way and is a clear civil rights violation no matter how proponents may seek to justify it, he said.

____

Lemire reported from New York.
NEW YORK - This theater game was in deadly earnest. In a midtown Manhattan rehearsal room, Blythe Adamson laid out five color-coded index cards for the cast and backstage crew of "Pass Over," which starts Broadway performances Wednesday. A green card said "PCR Negative," indicating a negative coronavirus test. An amber card said "Exposed!"; a red one, "PCR Positive," and so on.

Drawing the cards from paper bags, the production team gamed out all of the possible covid-19 scenarios with Adamson, a highly regarded infectious-disease epidemiologist and economist. She has been retained by the play's producers to instruct the company and train stage managers as covid safety officers - in service of putting on a show seven times a week in the midst of a mutating pandemic.

One of the actors, Jon Michael Hill, immediately pulled out a red card, according to Matt Ross, the show's lead producer: If it happened in real life, he'd have to be quarantined. "I don't think I like this game," Ross wryly told the room.

These are trying and uncertain times for Broadway and the rest of American theater, an industry in which the majority of workers have been denied employment for a year and a half. Now, as productions here and across the country seek paths back to stable runs with live audiences, "Pass Over" is taking aggressive and painstaking measures to protect staff and spectators. For the theater, playing it safe has never been a more meaningful directive.

"The question is, 'How much are you willing to enact to avoid canceling a show?' " said Adamson, whose pandemic consultancy, Infectious Economics, has helped develop protocols for the NBA, the fashion industry and retail stores.

"One of the most important things we can have is a fully vaccinated cast and crew," she said. "This greatly reduces the possibility that there will be a transmission. Second is routinely testing all of the cast and crew with high-quality PCR tests." (PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction test, considered far more reliable than, for example, the less expensive rapid antigen test.)

With coronavirus cases spiking again - because of the spread of the delta variant and a resistance to being vaccinated by a considerable subset of Americans - theaters on, off and well beyond Broadway are examining how to respond.

"Springsteen on Broadway," which began at the St. James Theatre on June 26, and the three-actor "Pass Over" have made proof of vaccination mandatory for audiences. The Broadway League, which represents producers and owners of the 41 Broadway theaters, plans an announcement soon for covid protocols for the more than 40 productions for the 2021-22 season. On Sept. 2, the musicals "Waitress" and "Hadestown" begin performances, the first large-cast shows to return.

No problems have been reported by "Springsteen," but setbacks have occurred this summer for other productions. Shakespeare in the Park's "Merry Wives," an adaptation by Jocelyn Bioh of "The Merry Wives of Windsor," had to cancel three performances in July after a member of the production tested positive for covid; it resumed July 24. The Public Theater, the show's producer, tests company and crew, but does not require vaccinations. Asked about the "Merry Wives' " immunization policy, spokeswoman Laura Rigby emailed: "For this summer production, we are strongly encouraging but do not require vaccination for company or crew."

Health experts say that there is a crucial distinction between encouraging and mandating vaccinations - and that the requirement should be an industry standard.

"That would set an example," said Saad Omer, an authority on vaccination and director of the Yale Institute for Global Health. A self-described theater enthusiast, Omer said that certifying vaccination for everyone in a theater - as well as keeping a mask on - should be universal priorities.

"These are things that you should ensure proactively and now, so that everyone can remain safe," he said, adding that he has a personal stake in seeing the practices become compulsory: "I have tickets to 'Hamilton' in October."

Unions such as Actors' Equity, which represents 51,000 professional actors and stage managers, have developed voluminous guidelines for companies requiring full vaccination and regular testing for those that do not. But Matt Ross, a theater publicist moving increasingly into producing (he will also bring Lucas Hnath's "Dana H." and Tina Satter's "Is This a Room" into rotating rep on Broadway this fall) is setting his own exacting safety code with "Pass Over."

"Our cast needs to be and feel safe," Ross said in an interview with Adamson, conducted maskless outdoors. Last year, he and several others in the field established the Covid Theatre Think-Tank as a clearinghouse for developments in covid research and mitigation practices. The experience gave him a sophisticated notion of what would be required for a health-conscious run in a Broadway theater. Most of Broadway's houses are operational antiques, with age-old ventilation systems, narrow backstages and suites of dressing rooms that resemble rabbit warrens.

After Adamson was hired, she and Ross climbed onto the theater roof to check out ventilation fans and key in on other fixes that would make the August Wilson Theatre safer. A checklist evolved - "To make sure," Adamson said, "every window is open that is supposed to be open; to make sure every fan is turned on; to make sure every Hepa (purifying) filter is what is should be." In one instance, Ross said, Adamson discovered an exhaust fan in a backstage bathroom; with the door open, that device became yet another way to increase fresh airflow.

With Adamson's input, a covid-testing regimen was instituted. In response to the pandemic resurgence, she recently increased testing of 50 company and crew members from two to three times a week. The saliva tests are couriered to Brooklyn's Mirimus Clinical Labs, where they are tested collectively. If the "pooling test" result is positive, the lab then tests each sample individually, to isolate the source. The process costs a few hundred dollars each time, Ross said.

For "Pass Over," a "Waiting for Godot"-like tale by Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu about young Black men in a violence-racked city, Ross has hired an extra understudy in case any actor is sidelined. The production and the playhouse, owned by Jujamcyn Theaters, both have covid safety officers on-site; "Pass Over's" 0fficer, stage manager Pam Remler, has been sending a report to Adamson every day during rehearsals.

Audiences will have to produce proof of vaccination - or in cases of religious or medical issues, a negative coronavirus test result within 72 hours of the performance. Inside the August Wilson, masks will have to be worn when entering or moving about. But seated patrons will have the option of removing them. "Springsteen on Broadway" has no mask mandate.

Of course, with a pandemic still raging in some places, the rules can change. "We are very flexible," Adamson said, adding that the renewal of mask-wearing recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comport with the production's strategies.

"One of the ways to interpret the CDC's guidance is the emphasis on the importance of wearing masks indoors when the vaccination status of the people around you is uncertain," she said. "The current planned approach for 'Pass Over' is that confirmation of vaccination status is an important element in ensuring that the probability of there being an infectious person indoors will be much, much lower."

At our initial interview, Adamson pulled out her covid index cards and we played a round. I drew a green card: It would be safe for me and the show to go on. Which is the turn of the plot that Ross and company are counting on.

"I believe," Ross said, "that we will have the tools to do the play and welcome audiences - and to minimize and manage the risks. All I can do is do my best to keep people safe."
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Top Chinese social media platform Weibo has banned the official account of the German consulate in Guangzhou for violating community standards after it posted information about a LGBTQ film festival jointly hosted with 16 other foreign governments.

The ban, which has now been in effect for more than two full days, was instated after nationalist Weibo users flooded the platforms censors with reports that the German consulates message was politically problematic.

All of the diplomatic missions prior content is no longer accessible and its page now reads: This account cannot currently be viewed because of complaints that it has violated regulations related to Weibo Community Standards.

Foreign embassies in China frequently host film screenings, talks and cultural events about sensitive topics that typically couldnt take place outside their premises. Li Dan, the curator of the China Womens Film Festival who works closely with international embassies on these sorts of film showcases, said the incident was the result of a trend of growing nationalism among young people.

To ban the Weibo account of a foreign consulate is a decision that impacts both diplomacy and international image, and so must be made cautiously by the government. I dont think it could possibly be shut down because of a single Weibo post about homosexuality, especially since the relationship between Germany and China hasnt recently taken a big hit, he assessed. In his opinion, the matter seems like the personal decision of some young patriot at Weibo.

The month-long 2021 LGBTI Film Festival Guangzhou begins Saturday and consists of 18 one-off screenings of films and shorts on LGBTQ topics at different foreign consulates. They will be attended by a limited number of people who have registered ahead of time.

Among the works set to screen are Celine Sciammas 2019 Cannes competition period romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which won her the prize for best screenplay; No Ordinary Man, the new documentary about transgender icon Billy Tipton; the Israeli romantic drama Out in the Dark, which premiered at Toronto; Denmarks A Perfectly Normal Family, about a father coming to terms with his transgender identity; and New Zealands Rurangi, recently picked up for the U.S. by Hulu, among others.

The U.S. consulate will screen the 2017 doc The Lavender Scare about the American governments persecution of homosexuals and those suspected of being gay in the name of national security.

Other consulates have also posted announcements of the event. In its own Weibo post promoting the festival, the British consulate in Guangzhou wrote that the series aims to show LGBT-themed films to allow homosexual, bisexual, transgender and other queer gendered people to boost their self-knowledge and to increase tolerance and acceptance of diversity.

It concluded with the hashtag #Love is GREAT!

Angry commenters have amplified calls for Weibo users to file complaints against these other consulates as well, although so far no other accounts have been censored. Hundreds of comments attack the consulates for spreading poison with such statements, calling on them to beat it back to your own country.

Much of the invective hinges on the idea that promoting LGBTQ awareness and acceptance is part of an attempt to subvert Chinas political values and system.

Li explained that, lately, LGBTQ issues and feminism are seen by angry young patriots as an anti-China conspiracy carried out by Europe and the U.S.

These nationalists see Germanys Weibo post as a part of that conspiracy. It would therefore be easy for some administrator or mid-level manager at Weibo to make a decision [to ban Germanys account] out of patriotism, he said.

Twitter has also frozen accounts of Chinese embassies and diplomats abroad, who use the platform even though it is banned in their own country. These temporary suspensions are often in response to comments deemed culturally insensitive or, in the companys terms, dehumanizing.

Although such incidents are in no way related, the complicated role played by social media in setting the limits of speech has fanned the flames of jingoistic indignation. Many nationalists on Weibo are now calling for payback.

How many accounts of our foreign embassies have been blocked on Twitter? Proper behavior is based on reciprocity  yet were only shutting down one, one popular comment read. We will exercise our right to freely ban accounts against any embassy that dares to make trouble on our countrys platforms!

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Marilyn Mansons attorneys have filed to dismiss the lawsuit of Game of Thrones actor Esme Bianco, in which she accuses Manson of sexual assault and battery.

Back in April, Bianco filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Manson  whose legal name is Brian Warner  raped her in May 2011, among other acts of sexual violence. The lawsuit lays out Biancos claims in harrowing detail, describing her allegations that Manson repeatedly used drugs, force and threats to coerce her into sexual acts.

In a new court filing, which was submitted on Wednesday, Mansons attorneys asked for the suit to be dismissed, writing that Biancos claims are untrue, meritless, and a key component of a coordinated attack by multiple plaintiffs, who are cynically and dishonestly seeking to monetize and exploit the #MeToo movement. Representatives for Bianco did not immediately respond to Varietys request for comment.

Bianco first came forward against Manson in February, shortly after Evan Rachel Wood posted on Instagram her allegations that Manson had horrifically abused her, and that she was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. In an interview with The Cut, Bianco alleged that Manson had psychologically abused her, whipped and cut her without her consent and chased her around his apartment with an ax. After Woods statement, Manson posted a message to his Instagram, calling the claims horrible distortions of reality. He has continued to deny the allegations. Mansons attorneys echoed the same rhetoric in Wednesdays filing, writing that the allegations are twisted tales that bear no resemblance to reality.

Following the allegations against Manson in February, he was dropped by his manager, record label and CAA. In June, Manson turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department on an outstanding charge for allegedly assaulting a videographer during a 2019 concert in New Hampshire. He has since been released on personal recognizance bail.

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LONDON (AP)  AstraZeneca said Thursday that it intends to seek U.S. approval for its COVID-19 vaccine later this year, further delaying the application even as the company announced it had already delivered more than 1 billion doses to other countries.

The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said the application has been delayed because it has decided to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for full regulatory approval, rather than the fast-track emergency use authorization originally anticipated. As part of this biologics license application, the FDA has requested extensive data from clinical trials around the world, as well as data on real world use of the vaccine.

We have an enormous amount of data, clinical data and all of the data coming from the work weve done around the world, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said on a conference call with reporters. A BLA is a much bigger submission than the emergency use approval.

AstraZeneca has promoted its relatively cheap, easy-to-handle shot as a vaccine for the world and has already received authorization from more than 170 countries. The company, which has promised to deliver the vaccine on a non-profit basis throughout the pandemic, says it provided about 90% of the doses distributed by the COVAX facility for low- and middle-income countries in the first half of the year.

AstraZeneca is the second drugmaker to say it has delivered more than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine, following U.S.-based Pfizers announcement on Wednesday.

Oxford University scientists who developed the AstraZeneca vaccine applauded the company and its partners for reaching the landmark but noted that most people around the world havent been inoculated against a disease that has already killed more than 4.1 million people worldwide.

There is still so much to do, and all in the supply chain are pushing on knowing the next billion people are still waiting for their doses, said Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group.

Plans for AstraZenecas U.S. application are being closely watched because the timetable has slipped in recent months. When AstraZeneca released data from its U.S. vaccine trial on March 22, company officials said they expected to seek FDA authorization in April.

Among the concerns AstraZeneca will have to address are reports that the vaccine may be linked to rare blood clots, which have caused some countries to limit its use in younger people.

While the U.S. is currently well supplied with vaccines, AstraZeneca believes its shot could play a role in the future, Soriot said.

Its a good vaccine, and we just want to make sure its ready to be used if needed, he said.

AstraZeneca said Thursday that sales of its COVID-19 vaccine generated $1.17 billion in revenue during the first six months of the year. By contrast, Pfizer reported $11.3 billion of revenue from its vaccine during the same period.

When asked about Pfizers results, Soriot said he had no regrets about AstraZenecas strategy.

We dont envy anybody, he said.

The vaccine was developed by Oxford University researchers, who licensed the technology to AstraZeneca to tap into the companys global manufacturing and distribution capacity. AstraZeneca, in turn, authorizes other companies to produce the shots around the world.

During the first half of the year, AstraZeneca and its partners delivered more than 700 million doses of the vaccine, data ending June 30 showed. That included about 319 million doses produced by AstraZeneca and 381 million doses produced by the Serum Institute of India and other sub-licensees.

Despite complaints from the EU about its vaccine supply, the 27-nation bloc received more doses directly from AstraZeneca than any other single entity in the six months through June.

The company shipped 97 million doses to the EU, while Brazil got 65 million doses and the U.K. 52 million, AstraZeneca said. Gavi, an alliance that secures vaccines for low-income countries, received 49 million doses, and another 57 million doses went to other countries.

Ruud Dobber, president of AstraZeneca's BioPharmaceuticals business unit, said the company is working with the EU to resolve the blocs concerns and avoid a protracted legal dispute.

We dont think its useful for both parties to continue this, he said. And Im very hopeful that in the next few weeks we will come to an agreement.

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Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The United States is negotiating with Kuwait and other countries whether they can host Afghans who supported the American war effort and could face Taliban revenge attacks if they stay in Afghanistan, Americas top diplomat said Thursday.

During a visit to tiny, oil-rich Kuwait, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not announce any deal or disclose critical details about the process, such as who would be eligible for relocation or where they would be housed.

As American troops complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration has come under heavy pressure to quickly evacuate Afghan interpreters, drivers and other workers who helped U.S. forces during the two-decade war and now find themselves at risk of retribution by the Taliban.

The United States is committed to helping those who helped us during our time in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, Blinken said at a joint press conference with his Kuwaiti counterpart. Were actively engaged in that process and notably in relocation planning for those brave Afghans and their families."

The evacuation planning, which could affect tens of thousands of Afghans, comes as the Taliban gain more ground throughout Afghanistan, seizing swaths of the countryside and fueling fears of a violent future. Civilian casualties surged in the first half of the year, according to a United Nations report.

Afghan allies have complained of a bureaucratic nightmare as they try to obtain the special immigrant visas offered to foreign nationals deemed to be in need of protection because of their cooperation with the U.S. government.

There are more than 18,000 visa applications pending, some for as long as nearly three years.

On Iran, Blinken dismissed criticism from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that America's stubborn stance was to blame for stalled negotiations over Tehran's now-tattered nuclear deal with world powers. Khamenei's apparent call for a more adversarial approach to the West on Wednesday came as his hard-line protege, President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, is set next week to become head of the countrys civilian government.

Hopes for a quick revival of the accord, which granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, have faded further since the last round of indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in Vienna broke last month.

I think we have clearly demonstrated our good faith and desire to return to mutual compliance with the nuclear agreement," Blinken said. "This process cannot go on indefinitely.

He added: The ball remains in Irans court.

Iran has rejected that assertion, insisting that because the U.S., under former President Donald Trump, scrapped the landmark 2015 deal, it should move first to lift its crippling sanctions.

Kuwait's foreign minister, standing beside Blinken, appeared to reject any suggestion it would be next to join the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements with Israel as its Gulf Arab neighbors, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, did last year.

It is the whole struggle of the Palestinians, now over 73 years of ordeal, said Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah. We truly do think that the only viable solution is a two-state solution. And if we lose focus of that, then it might be put into ... jeopardy.

The so-called Abraham Accords" reversed the decades-long Arab policy of conditioning relations on a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and drew intense backlash from the Palestinians.

Blinken arrived in Kuwait City late Wednesday from India. He held high-level talks on military cooperation and regional security with Kuwait's ruling emir and other officials, addressed American diplomats and toured the country's Parliament  a rarity in the neighborhood of Gulf Arab sheikhdoms.

Kuwait has been a staunch U.S. ally since the 1991 Gulf War expelled the occupying Iraqi forces of Saddam Hussein. The country, slightly smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, hosts some 13,500 American troops, most based at Camp Arifjan south of Kuwait City, and the forward command of U.S. Army Central.
Logan, WV (25601)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning followed by thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 76F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
A van allegedly used in the abduction and assault of businessman Kevin Lunney was left unlocked on a Dublin street where a member of the National Surveillance Unit (NSU) entered it to plant a device, the Special Criminal Court has heard.



Two members of the NSU gave evidence yesterday (Wednesday, July 28) after the court made orders that their identities or any description of them should not be published. Detective Superintendent Ciaran Hoey told the court that their identities needed to be protected out of concern for the lives and wellbeing of the officers and to safeguard future undercover garda operations.



Mr Justice Hunt ordered that members of the public, other than family members of the accused, Mr Lunney and his family, and members of the media, be excluded from the court while officers from the surveillance unit gave evidence.

The first NSU member told Mr Guerin that on October 21, 2019, more than one month after Mr Lunney was assaulted, he deployed a piece of technical equipment inside a Renault Kangoo van with a UK registration ending in PXU. The van was parked, unlocked on Merchant's Road in the East Wall area of Dublin, the detective said. The prosecution alleges that Mr Lunney's abductors used the van to drive from Dublin to Cavan and back to Dublin on the day Mr Lunney was assaulted. The trial has also heard that DNA matching Mr Lunney's was found on the inside of the van's sliding door and DNA matching the accused man Darren Redmond was found on a bar behind the front seats.



Under cross examination the detective agreed with Michael O'Higgins SC, for the accused known as YZ, that the vehicle was "open and could have been accessed by anybody." The detective's colleague told Mr Guerin that he retrieved the equipment from the van on October 23 after it had been seized by gardai and was being held in a storage area at the forensic examination centre in Santry. The van was unlocked, the witness said.



Mr O'Higgins told the three-judge, non-jury court that the defence intends to raise a legal issue regarding the van today (Thursday, July 29).

A 40-year-old man named as YZ, Alan OBrien (40), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, Darren Redmond (27), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 and Luke OReilly (68), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan have all pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17, 2019.

Mr Lunney has told the court that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings. His abductors cut him with a Stanley knife, stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg with two blows of a wooden bat, beat him on the ground, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest. They left him bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill in Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor.



Mr Justice Tony Hunt is presiding with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh.
173 new .ie domains were registered in Longford in the first half of 2021 (H1 2021: 1 January30 June), according to the latest .IE Domain Profile Report, which explores and analyses the .ie database. The figure represents a 23.6% increase on the same period in 2020.

The report, published biannually by .IE, the company that manages Irelands country domain name, shows that 19,829 new .ie domains were registered in Leinster in the first half of the year, a 3.6% decrease on the same period in 2020.

Overall, H1 2021 is the best first half-year period on record for new .ie domain registrations. A total of 33,815 new .ie domains were registered, up 1.6% on the same period last year.

Broken down, new .ie domain registrations were up 34% on Q1 2020 but down 22% on Q2 2020. For comparison, lockdown commenced only midway through the final month of Q1 2020, reaching its peak in Q2. Q1 2021 was dominated by the strict post-Christmas lockdown, but Q2 was largely defined by the re-opening of non-essential retail and hospitality and acceleration of the vaccine rollout.

At the end of H1 2021 (30 June), there was a total 324,074 .ie domains in the database, up 9.6% on the same period last year.

A website and e-commerce functionality mean SMEs can adapt quickly to changing economic circumstances and remain open to customers even if their physical premises are closed. This half-year periods .ie domain registration figures show businesses in Longford are responding to pandemic trends and challenges, said David Curtin, Chief Executive of .IE.

Even with the option to shop in-store, for convenience or price reasons many consumers now simply prefer to buy online, or at the very least browse or research products online before buying them in-store.

The pandemic has greatly accelerated the trend towards omni-channel retail, whereby the process of buying and selling a product or service integrates digital and physical platforms. A rise in .ie domain registrations nationally and in Longford suggests SMEs are increasingly prepared for this reality.

Overall, there was an increase of 64% in the number of new .ie web addresses with outdoor summer-related keywords in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year.

Web addresses containing the word pool increased by 187.5%, barbecue by 100%, and tent by 55.6%, among other outdoor activities and hospitality products.

Explicitly pandemic-related keywords, such as Covid, sanitiser, and vaccine, decreased by 76.4% in H1 2021 vs H1 2020, while general health-related keywords, such as doctor, pharmacy, wellness, and fitness increased by 18.8%.

At 51%, the .ie domain holds the highest market share of all hosted top-level domain names in Ireland. The .com domain has a 32% market share, followed by .uk with 8% and .net with 2%.

Ireland is the second fastest-growing country code domain in Europe, behind Portugal, with 9.6% growth year-on-year.

Authentically Irish and trusted at home and internationally, the .ie domain remains the domain of choice for Irish businesses and individuals, said Mr Curtin.
A new podcast, The Old Country, exploring healthy ageing in Ireland was launched this week. The 12-part series is produced by Active Retirement Ireland, which has local groups and members in Longford.

The podcast explores issues around ageing such as combatting ageism, age-friendly environments and integrated and long-term care, and is hosted by politician, activist and broadcaster Peter Kavanagh.

Each episode will feature a guest involved in making Ireland a better place to grow older, from older people themselves to activists and policy experts. Fortnightly episodes will examine the challenges and opportunities which an ageing population brings.

The podcast, which is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify and iTunes and through the Active Retirement Ireland website, has been created to mark the beginning of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing and is supported by the Community Foundation for Ireland.

First Episode

The first episode is now available to listen to and features Anne Drury, President of Active Retirement Ireland, speaking to Peter Kavanagh. In the episode, Anne discusses how she joined her local Active Retirement group initially to teach yoga, which led to her decade-long involvement with the organisation. Anne also reflects on what it means to age well, and how people in Longford and across Ireland can make the most out of retirement.

The next two episodes of The Old Country will feature:

Prof. Kieran Walsh, Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, NUI Galway, who will explore the policy challenges an ageing population brings; and Mai Quaid, Development Officer with Active Retirement Ireland, on loneliness and isolation.

Commenting on the launch of The Old Country podcast today, Mayor Peter Kavanagh said: With the ever-increasing popularity of podcasts, now feels like the right time for something to cater for our older population in Longford and across Ireland. With The Old Country, we are really excited to tell the story of ageing in Ireland. The podcast will explore the challenges, highlight some of the great opportunities and discuss how we make the experience of ageing in Ireland as positive as possible.

We know how much our retired population in Ireland have to offer through our work with local Active Retirement Ireland groups. We also know that they will become a larger proportion of our population: by 2030 the population aged 80 or above will increase by between 89 per cent and 94 per cent, according to the ESRI. This is a major shift in the demographics of our country. This podcast is all about sharing insights from those making the most of their older years, and how we can better our older years through community, wellbeing and a positive attitude towards ageing.

The podcast is available to listen to now at www.activeirl.ie, or on:

Audioboom

Spotify

iTunes

All other podcast players

Speaking further, Peter Kavanagh said: We understand that some older people may never have listened to a podcast before. Weve tried to make it as simple as possible for people to tune in.

How to listen to the podcast:

Using your computer or smart phone, go to www.activeirl.ie.

Head to the news section of the website by clicking News on the main menu at the top of the webpage.

Click on the news story, The Old Country, Episode 1 and click to play the podcast.
A total of 393,041 has been allocated for repairs and improvement works on non-public roads in rural communities in Longford, as part of the Governments Our Rural Future project, Fine Gael Minister of State Peter Burke has said.

Mr Burke said the announcement from the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, that a total allocation of 10.5m was the second investment this year and was a great boost for all in Longford.

The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is designed to support the continued improvement of non-public roads in rural communities and improves access to rural homes and farms, as well as outdoor amenities such as our lakes, rivers, mountains and beaches.

These roads and laneways are not normally maintained by locally authorities but, nonetheless, represent a vital piece of infrastructure for rural residents.

Peter Burke said the county allocations are based on the level of works that each local authority indicated they could complete before the end of the year.

The higher the level of demand that could be met by a local authority before the end of the year, the higher the level of funding they have been allocated, the Fine Gael representative said.

The LIS scheme was re-introduced in 2017 and over 10,000 landowners and rural residents nationwide have benefitted to date.

Minister Humphreys said, Our Rural Future, the Governments ambitious five-year policy for Rural Ireland, commits to increasing the Governments investment in our rural roads through the Local Improvement Scheme.

I was delighted to secure a further 10.5m for the scheme which doubles our investment under the scheme this year to 21m  the highest annual allocation since the scheme was re-introduced.

This additional funding demonstrates my commitment to improving connectivity for rural residents  whether it be access to homes, farms or outdoor amenities.

Under LIS, local authorities are responsible for identifying and prioritising roads for improvement works under the scheme, in consultation with residents/landowners. All works must be completed before the end of 2021.

Burke concluded Being raised on a farm myself, I know the important of maintaining private roads and the costs associated with this for farmers so I am glad that Fine Gael reintroduced the scheme in 2017 after it was cut during the recession. Fine Gael understands the importance of the scheme, and I am glad that Minister Humphreys continues to support this funding in the same way as former Minister Ring. I continue to raise with them the importance of the LIS and the need for further allocations over the coming months.
Politics

By Chris Boyle Published: July 29 2021

This legislation removes the ability for 17-year-olds to be married with parental and judicial consent.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has signed legislation (S.3086/A.3891) raising the age of consent to be married in New York State to 18. This new measure builds upon legislation eliminating child marriage that the Governor signed in 2017 by removing the ability for 17-year-olds to be married with parental and judicial consent.

"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," Governor Cuomo said. "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."

This legislation takes effect 30 days after becoming law and will apply to licenses issued after that date and marriages that had not been solemnized prior to that date.

Senator Julia Salazar said, "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. 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."

Assembly Member Phil Ramos said, "The cruel and callous practice of child marriage has traumatized too many children to count. 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."
Crime, Community, Charity & Cause

By Chris Boyle Published: July 29 2021

Sheriff Toulon was chosen to participate in this committee due to his vast background in criminal intelligence, in-custody intelligence, and jail radicalization.

Recently, Suffolk County Sheriff Dr. Errol D. Toulon, Jr., was appointed to the Major County Sheriffs of Americas Intelligence Commanders Committee. This committee was formed to foster communication among law enforcement agencies as an avenue for addressing public safety threats facing our communities.

The primary goal of the Intelligence Commanders Committee is to provide sheriffs departments with timely and accurate intelligence during both times of crisis and periods of normalcy. It will focus on current threats such as foreign and domestic terrorism, human and narcotics trafficking, and cyberattacks. The work of this committee will not be exclusive to sheriffs departments; it will remain engaged with other law enforcement organizations including the Major City Chiefs Association and federal agency partners.

Sheriff Toulon was chosen to participate in this committee due to his vast background in criminal intelligence, in-custody intelligence, and jail radicalization. He has more than 30 years of criminal-justice experience, heavily centered upon corrections intelligence and combating gang violence. In Suffolk County, Sheriff Toulon is highly focused on using data analytics and technological assets to capture crime patterns --which are used to uncover trends like drug dealing in local neighborhoods and the movement of international gangs encroaching into parts of Suffolk County. Early in his term as Sheriff, he reorganized departments into multi-disciplinary teams focused on corrections intelligence gathering, violent crimes, gang activity and human trafficking.

I am honored to serve on this committee with my esteemed colleagues from around the country, said Sheriff Toulon. It is vitally important that agencies work together, sharing intelligence and information to prevent threats and keep communities safe. We do this in Suffolk County with our partners at the Suffolk County Police Department and the East End Police Departments, and I am looking forward to have these discussions on a national scale.

Sheriff Toulon is certified through the Department of Homeland Security in Emergency Planning, Radiological Emergency Management, Incident Response to Terrorist Bombing, WMD Threat and Risk Assessment and State Disaster Management. In addition, he is certified to teach courses in weapons of mass destruction awareness, National Incident Management Systems (NIMS), domestic terrorism and hate crimes. He received his Masters degree in Business Administration and Doctorate in Educational Administration from Dowling College; an advanced certificate in Homeland Security Management from Long Island University, and he attended leadership courses at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.

About the Major County Sheriffs of America
Local News

By Ls Cohen Published: July 29 2021

The crash six years ago, took the lives of four young women and critically injured four others.

Six years ago, a fatal crash took the lives of four young women from Smithtown and critically injured four others when the limo they were driving in tried to make a U-turn at the intersection of Route 48 and Depot Lane in Cutchogue and was struck by a pickup truck.

This July, officials from New York State and the Town of Smithtown presented the families of the victims with signed copies of the New York State legislation improving road safety, which legislators spent years advocating for, improving limo and bus safety.

Olga Lipets, Melissa Crai, Alicia Arundel and Joelle DiMonte were critically injured in the accident and tragically Lauren Baruch, Amy Grabina, Brittany Schulman and Stephanie Belli were killed.

Smithtown Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim thanked legislators for getting the bills passed and the families of all eight victims for their effort in supporting the reform laws.

Truth be told, all of New York has these eight remarkable families to thank for making our roads safer, Wehrheim said. They became the voice for their daughters and their friends They turned grief, heartbreak and frustration into a life saving effort that will benefit countless generations.

The two bills presented to the families make it illegal for limousines to make U-turns and the second requires limousines to use commercial GPS devices. Additional legislation that had previously passed includes Seatbelt Requirements which requires motor vehicles converted into stretch limousines (on or after January 1, 2021) to have at least two safety belts for the front seat and at least one safety belt in the rear for each passenger the vehicle was designed to hold. Additionally, the legislation requires all stretch limousines to be retrofitted to include seatbelts by January 1, 2023. The New Commercial Driver's License Requirements for Limousine Drivers bill requires individuals operating limousines carrying nine or more passengers, (including the driver) to have a passenger endorsed commercial driver's license.

Its been an honor to advocate for limo safety by your sides, Wehrheim added. While these small victories can never replace the lives of our four angels I can give my word to each of you this administration will always honor their memory. Lauren, Amy, Brittany and Stephanie will never be forgotten.

For a comprehensive breakdown of the Limo Safety Reform bills passed by New York State, click here.
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(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of London-listed company director and manager changes announced on Thursday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







Hargreaves Lansdown PLC - Bristol-based wealth management platform - Chief Financial Officer Philip Johnson will step down for "personal reasons" after a transition. HL now will search for a successor.







Pearson PLC - London-based education publisher - Elizabeth Corley will step down as non-executive director after being named the next chair of asset manager Schroders PLC. Corley will join the Schroders board on September 1, at which time she will step down as chair of the Pearson board's Remuneration Committee. Corley will step down from the Pearson board itself before becoming assuming the Schroders chair after the Schroders annual general meeting on April 28, 2022. Until 2016, Corley was chief executive of Allianz Global Investors. She previously was a consulting partner for Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and Coopers & Lybrand.







Jupiter Fund Management PLC - London-based long-term, active investor - Hires Dale Murray as independent non-executive director, starting September 1. Murray co-founded mobile telecommunications software firm Omega Logic and led the business after its takeover by First Data Corp, before becoming an angel investor in the digital sector.







Novacyt SA - Surrey-based biotechnology group focused on clinical diagnostics - Hires David Allmond as chief executive officer and director, starting October 18 and replacing Graham Mullis, who will retire after 13 years with the company and a predecessor. Allmond is chief business officer at fellow AIM listing Amryt Pharma PLC.







Stock Spirits Group PLC - branded spirits and liqueurs in Central and Eastern Europe and Italy - Hires Juliette Stacey as independent non-executive director. Stacey is senior independent director of pub chain Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC and as an executive was chief operating officer, Commercial UK & Europe, for estate agent Savills PLC.







C&C Group PLC - Dublin-based beer, cider, wine, spirits and soft drinks - Chief Operating Officer Andrea Pozzi will step down from the board on September 1 but will remain with C&C to manage its GB businesses trading under the Tennent's brand. The executive director role of COO will be divided among other executive directors. Meanwhile, Jim Clerkin will step down as non-executive director on October 27 after four years to focus on work responsibilities in the US.







IQE PLC - Cardiff-based semiconductor wafers and materials - Hires Victoria Hull as non-executive director, starting on Sunday. Hull is senior independent director of FTSE 250-constituent Ultra Electronics Holdings PLC and also is on the boards of Network International Holdings PLC and Alphawave IP Group PLC.







ADM Energy PLC - investor with producing interests in Nigeria - Hires Oliver Andrews as non-executive chair, starting on Monday next week. Andrews replaces Peter Francis, who will step down from the board on Monday for "personal circumstances". Andrews was chief investment officer at natural resources and infrastructure investor Africa Finance Corp.







Seplat Energy PLC - Hires Emma FitzGerald as independent non-executive director, starting August 1 and replacing Mark Malloch-Brown. FitzGerald is a former executive at oil major Royal Dutch Shell PLC, power distributor National Grid PLC and water works Severn Trent PLC.







TR European Growth Trust PLC - Janus Henderson-managed fund that seeks capital growth by investing in smaller and medium sized in Europe outside the UK - Promotes Simona Heidempergher to senior independent director, starting immediately. Heidempergher has been one of the trust's European-based directors since 2014. She is managing director of Merifin Capital and lead independent director of Milan-listed Aquafil Spa.







Argo Blockchain PLC - London-based cryptocurrency mining - Refreshes board by hiring Colleen Sullivan, Maria Perrella, and Sarah Gow as independent non-executive directors, and adding Alex Appleton as executive director. Meanwhile, Peter Wall will be interim chair as well as CEO until a new chair is found. The new appointments replace Ian Macleod as executive chair and James Savage and Marco D'Attanasio as non-executive directors. Sullivan is CEO of CMT Digital, part of CMT Group, specialising in crypto-asset trading and blockchain technology investments. Perrella was CFO of MDA, a Canadian space mission partner. Gow spent 11 years at Citigroup Asset Management, serving as director of Global Operations in New York and head of Operations in London. Appleton has been Argo Blockchain's finance director since September last year.







Anglesey Mining PLC - developing Parys Mountain copper-zinc-lead deposit in northern Wales - Hires Jo Battershill as chief executive, starting on Sunday. Battershill has been a broker at Canaccord Genuity Group Inc and UBS Group AG for the past 13 years, ending as head of Sales & Distribution of Australian equities in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region for Canaccord. He previously had worked in mining operations at Western Mining Corp in Australia. Battershill replaces Bill Hooley, who moves to deputy chair, also from Sunday. Speaking to two other "senior minerals industry professionals" to become non-executive directors. Anglesey will hold its AGM on September 30 but its results for the financial year that ended March 31 will be delayed by up to two months in order to complete the audit. Anglesey says it knows of no material issues with the accounts, and the delay is due to the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.







By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 83F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 91F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
When Paula White, assistant professor of languages and literature, joined the Austin Peay State University faculty in fall 2020, she didnt spend her first year exploring the campus grounds or connecting with colleagues over coffee.

Instead, the global COVID-19 pandemic forced her to interact with the university through impersonal Zoom software, and eight months passed before she was able to step inside her new campus office.

Ive had very remote, distant relations with my college and colleagues at large, she said. Im still learning new buildings. Its my second year [at Austin Peay], but I feel like its my first year because Im still learning campus.

At first, White wondered how shed connect with her university, but then she heard about a newly re-established campus organization  the African-American Employee Council. Even though the pandemic kept her isolated at home, she quickly found herself building friendships and growing professionally through the AAEC.

I was excited that this type of organization existed on campus, particularly having come from a predominantly white campus that didnt have these opportunities, she said. I was happy Austin Peay was doing something different. It made me feel more connected to the University in that there was a space for me.

Last summer, following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, several African American leaders on campus met over Zoom on a Sunday night. They initially came together to share their pain and frustrations, but the catharsis this online gathering produced led them to a decision  it was time to re-establish the AAEC.

George Floyd was the spearhead for this, said David Davenport, director of the Austin Peay Foy Fitness and Recreation Center. We were all struggling, and this allowed us to have a voice, and we need to have a voice. Why are we talking in a vacuum? People are feeling our pain but nobody wants to talk about it.

This summer marks the first anniversary of the group that has quickly established itself as one of the most active organizations on campus. In the last 12 months, the AAEC has attracted more than 75 members, hosted professional, academic, enrichment and social programs, and established two scholarship funds.

It was a full year, but it was a good year, Eva Gibson, incoming AAEC chair and assistant professor of psychological science and counseling, said. I think it did what its supposed to do  the purpose of the organization is to create a support network, so a lot of the programming was geared toward that. Its definitely been supported, in terms of numbers and attendance at events. I can tell people value it.

Building on a legacy

In the early 2000s, when Davenport first arrived at Austin Peay, he immediately joined the universitys original African-American Employee Council. At that time, it was a small organization run by a few dedicated faculty and staff members, offering programs and even a scholarship.

We had this organization, but it was always the same four people, Davenport said. Fast forward 20 years, and this group here, its a new generation for me. Its not just me or Sheila [Bryant]. I can sit back and say Wow. These are trailblazers. We have individuals who were willing to step up. Somebody asked me, Why is your group doing this? If we dont who will?

During its first few months, the AAEC re-established the original organizations scholarship for Black students. Members quickly began contributing to the funds account, with the goal of someday making it an endowed scholarship that exists in perpetuity. But for the new AAEC, one scholarship wasnt enough.

We created a second scholarship because Dr. Gail Robinson-Oturu [professor of music and member of the original AAEC] was retiring this year, Gibson said. We created that in her honor  its for music students and she gets to select the student. Were collecting the funds for the two scholarships.

Retaining Black faculty

Now that the AAEC has returned to campus, Gibson said the organization also will use its resources to help recruit and retain talented Black faculty to Austin Peay.

I definitely want to continue our momentum, and were thinking now about how we can tap into those new hires coming in and let them know about us, she said. We want them to know some of our programming is designed to support them.

Earlier this year, the AAEC partnered with the Austin Peay college of arts and letters and the Austin Peay college of behavioral and health sciences to offer Black faculty the Beloved Community Writing Retreat  a weeklong retreat in Nashville for professors to work on their scholarly endeavors.

White was one of the faculty members who participated in that retreat. Thats where she met some of her colleagues in person for the first time.

It prioritized scholarship and research, she said. Its so easy to get preoccupied with teaching, but we also have to do research. We were able to work together and encourage each other to pursue scholarship. The thought was, Lets hold each other accountable as teachers and scholars. It was helpful to have a writing community to work on articles and encourage publications.

Whites enthusiasm for the AAEC has led her to become the organizations faculty affairs chair, and she plans to provide the type of support Black faculty need to stay at Austin Peay.

One of my goals is to use the AAEC as a communal, scholarly space for Black faculty; but, also as an organization that helps the university with retention as well as diversity, equity and inclusion issues, she said. We want to especially catch faculty in their second and third years, when theyre likely on the job market, trying to decide whether Austin Peay is a good fit.

White is already planning a welcome mixer in August for new and current Black faculty to immediately create the type of communal space that helps faculty feel connected to the university. And Gibson is working with the organizations executive committee to develop a schedule of enriching events for the coming academic year.

For more information on the AAEC, visit apsu.edu/aaec.
Jefferson, GA (30549)

Today

Steady light rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. High 76F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low near 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
The British Foreign Secretary has refused to rule out the creation of an amber watchlist for international travel, amid rumours that Spain could come under new restrictions.

Dominic Raab expressed optimism that more countries would be added to the green and amber lists at the upcoming travel review next week, meaning more options for quarantine-free international travel could be opened up.

But there are concerns that Spain could be moved from the amber list to a new category, which would warn holidaymakers that it could be moved to the more restrictive red list at any moment.
LA County Fire Department (LACoFD) personnel finish mopping up a fire in a homeless encampment located beneath Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Sunday, July 18. The fire, reported burning beneath an underpass at Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road, was the sixth or seventh to occur under an overpass in Malibu this summer, LACoFD reported.
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.
With Alexandre Lacazette's contract expiring next summer, it should come as no surprise that Arsenal will be looking to get their hands on another number 9 this transfer window.

There have been rumours of Chelsea's Tammy Abraham since he seemed to struggle with game time under Thomas Tuchel.

Amid these rumours, word has come out that the North London club have enquired about Inter striker Lautaro Martinez.

Enjoying a very successful 2021 so far, having won Serie A with Inter and Copa America with his native Argentina, Lautaro Martinez is one of the strongest forwards in the world right now, and if he were to move to Arsenal, he would certainly make an impact.

With a valuation from Inter of 80 million euros, Arsenal will probably look to offload Lacazette this summer if they are to make a bid.

Martinez in the Premier League

With a total of 19 goals and 11 assists last season in all competitions, Martinez is certainly worth big money, but the question remains; would he suit the Premier League?

As a senior player, Martinez has only played for two clubs, Racing Club back in Argentina, and Inter in Italy, where the style of play is considerably different to that of the English league.

Having not particularly featured much against English sides in his career so far, it's difficult to say how he would match up in the league.

If we assess his style of play, Martinez is incredibly nimble and agile on the ball, which could lead many to believe that he may struggle in England's more physical game.

However, with the nickname El Toro ("The Bull" in Spanish), the Argentine has a tenacity and strong mentality on the pitch, suggesting he may learn to adapt to the more physical nature with relative ease.

Would he make Arsenal Top 4 contenders?

Mikel Arteta's main goal in the 2021/22 season will be to push for a Top 4 spot which at present, seems unlikely.

There is no doubt that if Martinez were to adapt quickly in England, he could help elevate Arsenal.

That being said however, the current Arsenal side that finished 8th in 2020/21, seem to have too many flaws that need sorting. It's looking as though this side will not be able to rely on one big money signing.
Ten years ago, Europe would be terrified by the prospect of playing Manchester United, with names like Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney in their starting eleven.

Today, it's almost a surprise that they're back in the Champions League.

The Red Devils have not lifted the Premier League trophy since the 2012/13 season, nor have they won the Champions League since 2007/08.

Despite their recent lack of trophies, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has signed a new contract with the club until 2024, is looking to transform Manchester United into the scary side they once were.

With new summer signings Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho, Manchester United have been the team to watch in this transfer window.

Varane will feature in a back four with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, as well as two of England's summer heroes in Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw.

Behind the back four, David de Gea will likely be between the sticks. Despite criticism that the Spaniard has received, he continues to have the trust of Solskjaer, and with the added safety in defence of Varane, De Gea will feel less pressure on his shoulders.

Sancho will play on the right wing to make up a scary front three himself, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford.

Pogba's future

The future of Paul Pogba is always up in the air. If Solskjaer manages to keep him in Manchester, the Frenchman will be a key player in United's midfield, with Scott McTominay alongside him.

As ever, with the creative genius of Bruno Fernandes sitting in front of the two midfielders, Manchester United could be one of the strongest in the Premier League.
Marietta, GA (30060)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High near 80F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Atlanta, GA (30303)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 79F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
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With new COVID-19 cases up around the state some cities are going back to mask requirements
Roswell, GA (30075)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. High 79F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Atlanta, GA (30342)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High near 80F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Marietta, GA (30060)

Today

Mostly cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 81F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
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
Sophisticated, rich, and often seen as a spoilt brat back in the 90s, he changed his trajectory and became one of the most fearless actors of Bollywood. Yes, we are talking about Saif Ali Khan and his metamorphosis is something to be appreciated because he is not scared to experiment at all.

In an earlier interview with PTI, he had said that it is important for an actor to experiment to have a long and respectable career. Saif said, If youve been successful at one type of thing, it could be tempting not to change that. But if you look at people who have slightly longer, wider and respected careers, they are the ones who have done different kinds of works.

We completely agree with Saif here as he has time and again proven that its important to experiment as an actor and to be on the edge of tomorrow for a long-term career. Here are seven such characters played by Saif which show how experimental he has been with his choices:

1. Bhoot Police

 Hotstar

If its Saif, you can totally trust the fact that he'd go the extra mile for his characters. The first footage from Bhoot Police, the upcoming horror-comedy starring Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Kapoor, Yami Gautam, and Jacqueline Fernandez, was revealed as a part of a slate announcement video shared by Disney+ Hotstar on Tuesday. Saif's look in the trailer left us all intrigued. He managed to look different yet again with his face smeared with ash and a headgear in place. Well, we are certainly excited for the movie after catching a glimpse of his look.



2. Kaalakaandi

In the movie, Saif Ali Khan plays the role of a person who is diagnosed with cancer and has very few days left to live. With only a few days left, his character decides to live life to the fullest and do the craziest things he hadnt done so far. In one of the sequences, Saif had donned a look that got the audience talking.

In that look, he is seen wearing a white shirt teamed up with a mustard fur coat. The icing on the cake is his hairstyle. In an interview with Mumbai Mirror previously, the actor was quoted saying, "Kaalakaandi with its slightly Maharashtrian twang, talks about the many kaands that go on here, the mix-ups and the snafus. We're currently working on the music and after seeing the film, one of the coolest I've done, I've started loving the city even more. It's the city of hope, of dreams and opportunities for young people struggling to make a name, place, and life for themselves alongside the rich and the famous.

3. Laal Kaptaan

His look in Laal Kaptaan as a Naga Sadhu also created ripples as he is seen sporting an intense look with long hair, dramatic kohl-rimmed eyes, and a bandana on the head. As soon as his look was released, people drew comparisons with Jack Sparrow from Pirates Of The Caribbean. In an interview, responding to a question on how his look is similar to Jack Sparrow from the Hollywood film franchise, Saif said, "It upsets me when people say Jack Sparrow because it's really not. These are the elements that our culture has given cinema and this is something very seeped in India. The Naga Sadhu, the dreadlocks, bandana and his ash face, even the red jacket comes from the East India Company, so it's a character from our time."

4. Tanhaji The Unsung Warrior

 Twitter/Ajay Devgn

In the movie, Saif Ali Khan plays the lead role of Uday Bhan in the film. As soon as the first look of the movie went viral, people started comparing Saif with Jon Snow from Game Of Thrones. He is seen wearing black armour and a flowing cape in the poster and sits gripping a sword.



5. Omkara

Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, Omkara broke Saifs chocolate boy image. Saifs character Langda Tyagi wasnt even in the lead role but he overshadowed everyone in the movie. From the raw look to a limp, Saif as Langda Tyagi proved that he is a polished actor.

6. Go Goa Gone

Saif Ali Khan's look in his film Go Goa Gone raised many eyebrows as he was seen in an all-blonde look in the movie. A source had earlier told NDTV, A lot of looks were tried. Different hairstyles and different hair colours were tested before he zeroed on the backcombed mafia look. Saif put his apprehensions aside and went ahead with the collective convictions of director-duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK and himself. He even beefed up for his role, learnt to speak Russian, and got tattoos painted on his body."

7. Sacred Games

Sacred Games was a revolutionary show in the history of Indian web series. With the show, Saif marked his debut in the world of digital content. He had to get the physicality right to play Sartaj Singh, a Sikh character. In an interview with MensXP, he had said, Physically, for the first part, it was putting on some good muscle and weight. There were even some higher-heeled shoes. Not like I look like a tough sardarji normally, but I did look like a tough Sardar. So that was an achievement because they are quite tough and heavy. He also added, Learning Punjabi, figuring out body language, proper acting, and then figuring out that everybody has a different approach to things. Well, needless to say he did manage to impress us as Sartaj Singh is now etched in our memories forever.

Which character of Saif did you like the most? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Mississippi State Department of Health is recommending that all state residents, even those who are vaccinated, wear a mask in public indoor settings.

This recommendation comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines to say that fully vaccinated people should wear a mask in public indoor spaces in areas of substantial or high transmission.

State epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said at a Wednesday press conference that the majority of Mississippis COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among unvaccinated individuals.

The problem is that we are seeing so much transmission right now  such high levels of substantial transmission throughout the state, Byers said, and with a highly infectious variant that is twice as infectious as any previous variants that have been identified, that we are having spillover into individuals whove been fully vaccinated.

The Delta variant is responsible for the current surge. Byers estimates that now, over 90% of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi are Delta variant cases.

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said MSDH is concerned about increasing transmission of COVID-19 among younger age groups. An increasing number of people under 50 years old are being hospitalized due to COVID-19.

Locally, Lauderdale County is seeing a surge in cases. The countys seven-day rolling average of new cases is 40.7. A week ago, that number was 24, and two weeks ago, it was 5.4.

Average case numbers in nearby counties

Meridian schools to require masks indoors The Meridian Public School District will require masks to be worn indoors when schools open 

On Wednesday, the seven-day rolling average of new cases for each nearby county was as follows.

Neshoba County: 11.6 cases

Newton County: 7 cases

Kemper County: 2.1 cases

Clarke County: 5.9 cases

Local vaccinations rates

MSDH recommends that Mississippians get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they are eligible for vaccination. Vaccination rates for local counties, as reported by MSDH on Wednesday, are below.

Lauderdale County: 34% fully vaccinated

Neshoba County: 21% fully vaccinated

Newton County: 34% fully vaccinated

Clarke County: 33% fully vaccinated

Kemper County: 30% fully vaccinated
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In summer 2020, The New York Times coordinated a nationwide project to document the lives of Americans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved collaborating with 11 other local newsrooms around the U.S. The Messenger-Inquirer was the only newspaper from Kentucky in the collaboration. The resulting collection of stories was published Oct. 23, 2020, in the New York Times print edition and at nytimes.com/outofwork. The following list is the Messenger-Inquirer's local unemployment coverage from that time period; read more by clicking the "New York Times Project" header. Click on "Out Of Work In America" to go to the full
News

AP

Infrastructure deal: Senate suddenly acts to take up bill

J. Scott Applewhite | Associated Press Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chair of the Senate Budget Committee, is met by reporters during the vote to start work on a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON  The Senate voted Wednesday night to begin work on a nearly $1 trillion national infrastructure plan, acting with sudden speed after weeks of fits and starts once the White House and a bipartisan group of senators agreed on major provisions of the package thats key to President Joe Bidens agenda.

Biden welcomed the accord as one that would show America can do big things." It includes the most significant long-term investments in nearly a century, he said, on par with building the transcontinental railroad or the Interstate highway system.

"This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, Biden said ahead of the vote. We will once again transform America and propel us into the future.

After weeks of stop-and-go negotiations, the rare bipartisan showing on a 67-32 vote to start formal Senate consideration showed the high interest among senators in the infrastructure package. But its unclear if enough Republicans will eventually join Democrats to support final passage.

Senate rules require 60 votes in the evenly split 50-50 chamber to proceed for consideration and ultimately pass this bill, meaning support from both parties.

The outcome will set the stage for the next debate over Bidens 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. Republicans strongly oppose that bill, which would require a simple majority, and may try to stop both.

Lead GOP negotiator Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio announced the bipartisan groups agreement on the $1 trillion package earlier Wednesday at the Capitol, flanked by four other Republican senators who had been in talks with Democrats and the White House.

After voting, Portman said the outcome showed that bipartisanship in Washington can work and he believed GOP support would only grow. Thats pretty darn good for a start, he said.

That group had labored with the White House to salvage the deal, a first part of Bidens big infrastructure agenda. Swelling to more than 700 pages, the bill includes $550 billion in new spending for public works projects.

In all, 17 Republican senators joined the Democrats in voting to launch the debate, but most remained skeptical. The GOP senators were given a thick binder of briefing materials during a private lunch, but they asked many questions and wanted more details.

According to a 57-page GOP summary obtained by The Associated Press, the five-year spending package would be paid for by tapping $205 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief aid and $53 billion in unemployment insurance aid some states have halted. It also relies on economic growth to bring in $56 billion, and other measures.

Giving Wednesday night's vote a boost, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell announced late in the day he would vote to proceed, though whether he will support the final bill remains uncertain. The Republican negotiators met with McConnell earlier Wednesday and Portman said the leader all along has been encouraging our efforts.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a lead Democratic negotiator who talks often with Republicans also spoke with Biden on Wednesday and said the she hoped the results showed our government can work."

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.

Filling in the details has become a month-long exercise ever since a bipartisan group of senators struck an agreement with Biden in June over the broad framework.

The new spending in the package dropped from about $600 billion to $550 billion, senators said, as money was eliminated for a public-private infrastructure bank and was reduced in other categories, including transit.

The package still includes $110 billion for highways, $65 billion for broadband and $73 billion to modernize the nation's electric grid, according a White House fact sheet.

Additionally, there's $25 billion for airports, $55 billion for waterworks and more than $50 billion to bolster infrastructure against cyberattacks and climate change. There's also $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations.

Paying for the package has been a slog throughout the talks after Democrats rejected a plan to bring in funds by hiking the gas tax drivers pay at the pump and Republicans dashed an effort to boost the IRS to go after tax scofflaws.

Along with repurposing the COVID-19 relief and unemployment aid, other revenue would come from the sale of broadcast spectrum, reinstating fees that chemical companies used to pay for cleaning up the nations worst hazardous waste sites and drawing $49 billion from reversing a Trump-era pharmaceutical rebate, among other sources.

The final deal could run into political trouble if it doesnt pass muster as fully paid for when the Congressional Budget Office assesses the details. But Portman said the package will be more than paid for.

House Democrats have their own transportation bill, which includes much more spending to address rail transit, electric vehicles and other strategies to counter climate change.

The chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., called the Senates bipartisan measure complete crap, during a private meeting Tuesday according to two Democrats who attended the session and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe it.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not commit to supporting the package until she sees the details, but said Wednesday she's rooting for it.

Pelosi said, I very much want it to pass.

A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC found 8 in 10 Americans favor some increased infrastructure spending.

Senators in the bipartisan group have been huddling privately for months. The group includes 10 core negotiators, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, but has swelled at times to 22.

Transit funding has remained a stubborn dispute, as 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.

Expanding access to broadband. which has become ever more 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.

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.
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Miami, FL (33127)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High 86F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

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AG Nessel Supports Challenge to Unlawful Trump-Era Borrower Defense Rule That Repealed Protections for Student Borrowers

AG Nessel Supports Challenge to Unlawful Trump-Era Borrower Defense Rule That Repealed Protections for Student Borrowers

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622



July 29, 2021

LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a multistate amicus brief today advocating for the rights of federal student loan borrowers. The brief, which was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, supports the New York Legal Assistance Group's (NYLAG) lawsuit challenging action taken by the Trump administration's Department of Education (DOE) that unlawfully repealed and replaced federal "borrower defense" regulations.

"Borrower defense" is the process by which students can seek relief from their federal student loans when they have been defrauded by their school. The Trump administration scrapped previous borrower defense regulations that protected students from deceitful practices with new regulations that favor predatory for-profit schools and all but shut the door on students seeking debt relief. In its lawsuit, NYLAG, a legal aid organization that is represented by the Project on Predatory Student Lending and Public Citizen Litigation Group, argues that the Trump administration's 2019 Borrower Defense Rule is arbitrary and capricious and must be stricken.

"It is absolutely critical that student borrowers are protected against unfair practices," Nessel said. "Stripping away these protections makes it nearly impossible for students to get the relief they're owed in instances where predatory for-profit institutions exploit their interest in higher education. My colleagues and I are fighting to ensure missteps taken under the previous administration are overturned."

The federal Higher Education Act requires the U.S. Education Secretary to issue "borrower defense" regulations that provide a pathway for students to discharge federal student loan debt if they were victimized by a school. In 2016, the Obama administration's Department of Education created strong protections for student-borrowers who were defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges by establishing a fair and transparent borrower defense process for student loan debt relief. Following the change in presidential administrations, in 2019, DOE rescinded those regulations and replaced them with new rules designed to prevent defrauded students from obtaining loan relief and shield predatory schools from being held accountable for their misconduct.

Today's amicus brief supports NYLAG's arguments that the Trump administration's 2019 borrower defense rule is arbitrary and capricious and therefore should be eliminated. It further supports NYLAG's allegations that, in rescinding and replacing the 2016 borrower defense rule, DOE relied on inaccurate, unsupported, and inconsistent assumptions, among other arguments.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in filing this brief are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
Michigan receives $24.5 million AmeriCorps investment to address COVID-19 recovery, build and strengthen communities

Michigan receives $24.5 million AmeriCorps investment to address COVID-19 recovery, build and strengthen communities

Gov. Whitmer and the Michigan Community Service Commission today announced Michigan's $24.5 million AmeriCorps investment that will support over 1,000 AmeriCorps members tackling some of the state's toughest challenges, including COVID-19 recovery, disaster services, economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, education, health and safer communities.

"Michigan AmeriCorps members work tirelessly to help communities tackle their toughest challenges," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. "This funding will help them continue their efforts and play a role in our state's economic jumpstart as we emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever."

During the last program year, AmeriCorps members served 33,275 youth, treated 1,026 acres of public land and provided 6,541 individuals with health services.

This investment will support 26 Michigan organizations through 28 subgrants and one planning grant to expand their reach and impact in Michigan communities. Those organizations include:

Albion College: $191,591, South Central Michigan Region

American Red Cross-Michigan Region: $301,057, Statewide

BHK Child Development Board: $133,731, Upper Peninsula

Cherry Health: $386,466, West Michigan Region

Child & Family Services of Northwestern MI: $474,122, Statewide

City Year Detroit: $1,762,272, Southeast Michigan Region

Community Economic Development Association of MI: $326,000, Statewide

Crim Fitness Foundation: $244,054, Mid-Michigan Region

Eastern Michigan University: $54,506 planning grant, Southeast Michigan Region

Hope Network: $1,149,569, Statewide

Huron Pines: $388,007, Statewide

Luella Hannan Foundation: $83,211, Southeast Michigan Region

Ingham County Health Department: $163,945, Mid-Michigan Region

Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness: $290,538, Statewide

Michigan College Access Network: $1,076,000, two grants, Statewide

Michigan Fitness Foundation, $114,048, Statewide

Michigan Primary Care Association: $180,927, Statewide

Michigan State University Extension: $244,500, Statewide

Peckham, Inc.: $163,486, Mid-Michigan Region

Special Olympics Michigan: $125,510, Statewide

Teach for America: $25,000, Southeast Michigan Region

United Way of Genesee County: $244,472, Mid-Michigan Region

Urban Neighborhood Initiatives: $114,100, Southeast Michigan Region

WARM Training Center (EcoWorks): $387261, Southeast Michigan Region

Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency: $114,100, Southeast Michigan Region

Wayne State University: 737,020, two grants, Southeast Michigan Region

These funds are made possible through a $9.4 million federal AmeriCorps grant and AmeriCorps' unique model that will leverage an additional nearly $10.7 million in matching funds from the private sector, foundations and other sources, increasing the return on the federal funds.

In addition, AmeriCorps is providing $4.4 million in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for AmeriCorps members. Upon completion of a full-time term of service, AmeriCorps members will receive an education award of over $6,000 they can use to cover the cost of college or pay back student loans.

"We're incredibly proud to host two AmeriCorps grant programs - one to help students get into college and one to help them complete college - all in support of the governor's Sixty by 30 goal," said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) executive director. "National service is one of the best ways an organization like MCAN can impact individuals, communities and the state. We will use these funds and empower these AmeriCorps members to close education equity gaps for low-income students, first-generation college-going students and students of color across Michigan."

"Public purpose is one of Albion College's core institutional values," said Mathew Johnson, Albion College president. "This grant will allow us to expand opportunities offered through the new School for Public Purpose and Professional Advancement for students to engage with community partners in areas such as education, health, food security, and economic development, strengthening our long-standing relationships within the local community and creating lasting social impact."
EGLE staffers busy sampling surface waters to assess Michigan's water quality

EGLE staffers busy sampling surface waters to assess Michigan's water quality

Biologists, toxicologists, and engineers with EGLE's Water Resources Division (WRD) pull on their waders every summer to assess Michigan's water quality. Staff sample surface waters (lakes and streams) to evaluate their condition, measure trends, gauge restoration projects, and identify emerging water quality problems.

WRD staff are passionate about the work they do and look to improve Michigan waterways one step at a time. Surface water monitoring in 2020 was a busy field season that started in June and ended in September; however, there are some of the programs that sample year-round. Biologists sample Michigan's streams for macroinvertebrates (aquatic bugs) looking for their abundance and diversity to give us clues about the water quality.

In 2020, staff sampled 151 macroinvertebrate sites statewide. In addition to this work, there was water chemistry monitoring (73 sites), harmful algal bloom monitoring (31 sites), E. coli monitoring (123 sites), fish contaminant monitoring (48 sites), PFAS surface water sampling (287 sites), sediment sampling (7 projects) and nutrient expression sampling in rivers (9 sites) and lakes (12 sites). That's 741 locations in one summer!

Photo caption: EGLE biologist sampling for aquatic insects.

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Benson, lawmakers tour Department branch offices in Livonia, Novi

Benson, lawmakers tour Department branch offices in Livonia, Novi

JULY 29, 2021

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson continued her tour this week of Department of State branch locations across the state, with visits to offices in Livonia and Novi.

"The updates we've made to our operations are making the experience better than ever for Michigan residents," said Secretary Benson. "Most services are available from home, and office visits are efficient and predictable. With every customer I speak with I see the impact of our changes and how we're making government work for Michiganders."

Benson met with customers as well as office staff to discuss the Department's efforts to advance its service-driven model, with customers and staff reporting efficient transactions, quick service and pleasant interactions. Joining Benson in Livonia were area lawmakers including state Rep. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) and State Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor).

"I appreciate the fact that Secretary Benson is making these visits to see first-hand what's working and what isn't," said Rep. Puri. "I share her commitment to making sure that people in Wayne County and across the state can get timely, thorough service at their local branch office."

"I'm grateful to Secretary Benson for all the work she has accomplished under unique and challenging circumstances to serve our residents where they're at," said Sen. Geiss. "This visit is yet another example of her dedication to the people of Michigan, ensuring needs are met, and that services are operating smoothly and efficiently. I look forward to doing everything we can in the Legislature to ensure she has the necessary resources to get the job done."

# # #

For media questions, contact

Tracy Wimmer at 517-281-1876.

We welcome questions and comments at the Contact the Secretary of State page.

Customers may call the Department of State Information Center to

speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).
Statement from Secretary of State Spokesperson Tracy Wimmer on audit plans from the state Office of the Auditor General

Statement from Secretary of State Spokesperson Tracy Wimmer on audit plans from the state Office of the Auditor General

JULY 29, 2021

"The 2020 election was the most secure and accessible election in Michigan history. The Bureau of Elections has always worked with the Office of the Auditor General in full transparency and will continue to do so, and welcomes OAG review of the five post-election procedural audits it conducted but maintains that, especially in this time of rampant election misinformation, election audits should be conducted by election experts.

The OAG has said it wants to audit the post-election audits carried out by local township, city and county election officials. As these local officials aren't a part of state government, it's quite possible that for the state to audit them would be not just be government overreach, it would be illegal under our state constitution. For this reason, we asked the Attorney General for an opinion on how the law applies in this situation.

Also, we are concerned that because of OAG personnel's relative lack of understanding, as compared with local election clerks, of the complexity of election procedures and processes, they would be unable to replicate all of the technical processes carried out by election clerks. Any differing outcomes on this basis would unfairly reflect badly on our hardworking, high-integrity clerks, and it would further fuel misinformation about the 2020 election.

The Bureau continues to work transparently with the OAG on other aspects of its audit while maintaining that actual election experts and officials are the people with the knowledge and authority to protect the votes of all Michiganders and their well-founded faith in our democracy."

# # #

For media questions, contact

Tracy Wimmer at 517-281-1876.

We welcome questions and comments at the Contact the Secretary of State page.

Customers may call the Department of State Information Center to

speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).
Donna Cugini is quick to correct anyone who calls her family vacation a reunion.

Reunions mean something different to me than a vacation, Cugini said. I dont know how to explain it. To me, this is just a family vacation.

Cugini notes that a reunion is typically a planned, one-day event, but her familys annual vacation in Port Austin means so much more to her and her family.

This is a whole week of us being together, and think about that: a family can be together for a whole week, and still go home all loving each other, Cugini said.

This annual family get-together goes back nearly 40 years. Cugini said Port Austin is a home away from home for five generations of her family.

We love it here, we just absolutely love it in Port Austin, Cugini said. This time together here means everything to us.

When her family first vacationed Port Austin in the 80s, Cugini said it was just her parents, husband and children. Over the years, these get-togethers grew.

At first her family only rented one cottage, but they added another and another until Cuginis family took over four cottages.

Cugini said typically there are around 20 people who show up every year, but the number has gone up to 40 in the past, with family members from all across Michigan, Ohio and Texas visiting.

This year Cugini said she  as always  is excited for her visit to Port Austin to catch up with friends and spend time with her family.

I have a little great-grandson, who is 5 years old, and his dad took him fishing in Lansing where they live, Cugini said. The first thing he told his dad is, I can't wait to show Nana how to fish. So I went out and bought a new fishing pole because I haven't gone fishing for years.

For Cugini, the vacations are an opportunity for her to enjoy what Port Austin has to offer and spend some valuable time with her family.

I have had so many people say to me, Do you know how blessed you are? Yes, I do, Cugini said. Have we ever argued and disagreed about things? Of course. But have we ever been mad at each other for any more than a day? No. Were all different people, but my grandparents and parents would never let us stay mad at each other.

Even with the pandemic, Cugini has never missed a year since the 80s to visit Port Austin. She said the family vacations are so integral to her family, she believes they will go on even after shes gone, carried on by her children and grandkids.

Cugini said her family has purchased bricks in the Port Austin veterans memorial for different family members, noting that even after were gone, were still going to be there.

(Port Austin) has such a special spot in our hearts, Cugini said. We have such beautiful memories from there. Over a 40 year period, you can imagine all the memories that we've built up there in that town.
BEULAH  The jury in a trial for a Beulah man who was accused of shooting his neighbor reached a verdict on Thursday afternoon.

Taylor Manol, 24, was found guilty of first degree murder following a trial in Benzie County's 19th Circuit Court that began on July 21.

The verdict came on the fifth day of the trial, a day after the defense and prosecutors issued closing arguments and the jury spent the second half of the day in deliberation.

The prosecutors office said first degree murder carries a sentence of life in prison, and Manol will be sentenced in about a month after a report has been filed with the Michigan Department of Justice.

Wednesday marked the fourth day of the trail when the defense for Manol said there was no question the defendant killed Alexander Sarantos, 56, but that Manol did not deliberately intend to kill him.

Attorney Craig Elhart first asked Judge David Thompson to approve a motion to dismiss the charges of murder in the first degree or second degree.

"Both of those require cognitive intent, or an intent to kill with malice," Elhart said. "I've listened very carefully to the testimony, there is no question that the shot that killed Mr. Sarantos came from a gun that was fired by Mr. Taylor Manol. There never has been any question about that; in fact, we admitted it in our opening statement. We find it to be another act other than what has been charged. I've listened very carefully to the testimony and I've found no evidence whatsoever that would lead a reasonable jury to conclude that the prosecuting attorney has established any malice or intent or forethought in doing this."

He continued to argue that first or second degree murder both required intent, and that his client didn't know Sarantos in any way.

However, Benzie County Prosecutor Sara Swanson said intent could be determined by a number of things.

"The defendant's state of mind can be inferred from many things, specifically the kind of weapon used, the type of wounds inflicted, the acts and words of the defendant and any other circumstances surrounding the alleged killing," Swanson said.

Swanson argued the fact that Manol took two different weapons from his house over to Sarantos' property and fired eight rounds into the house, as well the location of the victim in relation to bullet holes in the window and video and audio recordings of Manol screaming and firing shots, showed it was intentional.

"This was an intentional shot, not merely an accident or negligence; this was something done with intent," Swanson said. "Perhaps if there was one shot that would be one thing but eight different shots into the home in the direction of the victim shows this was an intentional act."

Thompson dismissed the motion, and said the jury could decide on a lesser charge if they felt the evidence did not meet open murder requirements.

This set the stage for the rest of the day, with Elhart saying Manol did not know the victim in any way, and while his actions did cause the death of Sarantos, it was the unintentional result of Manol's actions. Swanson argued that Manol purposefully killed Sarantos, and that he had plenty of time to consider what he was doing when he went to the victim's property and fired eight rounds from two different weapons.

Manol took the stand on Wednesday and testified that he had a schizoaffective disorder bipolar type mental illness and that it caused him to have delusions and see and hear things and become confused.

He said the schizophrenia was diagnosed after the April 11 incident, but that he also had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder prior to moving to Michigan. He was not medicated for the disorder at the time of the crime. Manol said he did not have a doctor at the time, and he started using alcohol to "combat the symptoms," but it only made them worse. He also said his home life, with a girlfriend and child, as well as the residence itself, was rapidly deteriorating.

He also said he had gotten into the habit of shooting to "blow off steam" when he was having a bad day, both during the day and night, and that he was often intoxicated when shooting at night.

As for Sarantos, Manol said that he didn't even know or have contact with his neighbor aside from waving at each other while getting the mail.

When asked about the April 11 incident, Manol said he had a foggy memory, and that he remembered fighting with his girlfriend, shooting and drinking a bottle of bourbon.

When asked by his attorney if he intentionally shot Sarantos, Manol said he did not.

"I shot him; I did," Manol said. "I have nightmares about it to this day. I find it hard to sleep. It's just, I think I'm being overcharged, I did not mean to hurt anybody, I really didn't. I would never mean to hurt anybody like that."

Manol admitted he shouldn't have touched the guns that day due to his mental state and intoxication.

Manol said he went over to apologize to Sarantos and bring him an old sign, which he said other neighbors told him Sarantos collected, and noticed the bullet holes in the window. He said he was concerned about getting "in trouble" for the shots, but thought his neighbor was OK, assuming that if somebody had been hurt or killed, he would have known. Sarantos did not answer the door. His body wasn't found until six days after the incident.

Elhart said neither mental illness nor intoxication were excuses for killing, but that they could signal there was no intent or malice.

Swanson asked Manol several questions, including whether he remembered firing rounds into Sarantos' house from the driveway, where shell casings that forensic witnesses said were fired from Manol's AM-15 and .7 mm bolt action rifle were found.

When he said he did not remember, she asked him how he could have known his intent at the time if he did not remember the events of the evening. She also asked if he could have argued with Sarantos, who had called 911 to complain about the noise, the night of the killing. Manol said he didn't think so, but said he did not know.

In closing statements, the prosecution insisted Manol intended to kill Sarantos, said the act of taking guns over to Sarantos' property, firing eight rounds in a grouping into the house, the video in which yelling and shooting could be heard and the bullet fragment wedged "center mass" in Sarantos' chest was proof Manol intended to kill the victim.

"I would submit to you that the defendant is guilty of first degree, pre-meditated intent to kill," Swanson said. "The defendant is guilty of murder. This was an intentional shot. The defendant shot eight times from two different guns into this house."

She also said the defendant's statements that he didn't get into an argument with Sarantos were unreliable.

"We heard from the defendant," she said. "He doesn't know what happened. He can't have it both ways. He can't say it was an accident and also say he doesn't know what happened. He doesn't know. He doesn't know if it was intentional. He doesn't know if he intended to shoot. He doesn't know if he had a confrontation with Mr. Sarantos that night. Plain and simple, he doesn't know."

Elhart again asserted there was no malice or intent to Manol's actions because they never met, and therefore, there could be no malice or intent. He also said Manol would not have been able to see into Sarantos' house, and the bullets were fired in an upward trajectory, and that the fragment that killed the victim had ricochet off something else; it was not an intentional shot by the defendant.

"This was just some stupid kid who caused a bad death and was grossly negligent," Elhart said. "Was there intent shown, did the prosecutor prove intent to you? Did she show you that there was premeditation? Did she show you that there was ever an intention of this young man to kill somebody? No."

The jury went into deliberation for the rest of the day on Wednesday, asking the judge to see the weapons, listen to 911 calls and videos taken by neighbors, before issuing their verdict on Thursday.

Related: Beaulah open murder case proceeds in day three of jury trial

Related: Beulah man charged with murder heading to trial
MANISTEE COUNTY  An upcoming public land auction will have 18 properties, including lake frontage, acreage, vacant lots and homes, available in Manistee County.

These properties were acquired by through tax lien foreclosures on April 1 and are listed on Tax-Sale.info, a website that hosts online property auctions in Michigan. This includes parcels located in Arcadia, Bear Lake, Copemish, Manistee, Stronach and Wellston.

The Manistee County Treasurer foreclosed on the properties for unpaid taxes, according to chief deputy treasurer Mindy Dalke.

This years auction will take place online, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 2. 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 propertys auction date. Registration is free and advanced bids are currently being accepted.

Available parcels include the following:

 A waterfront parcel at Arcadia Point;

 Vacant lots in Bear Lake, Pleasanton and Manistee;

 An over 3-acre parcel in Bear Lake;

 A 37-acre parcel in Copemish;

 A 10-acre parcel without access near Manistee;

 A modern construction on five acres in Bear Lake;

 An occupied home in Bear Lake;

 An occupied mobile home in Bear Lake;

 A mobile home in Copemish;

 A modular home on over nine acres in Manistee;

 A fire damaged parcel on the Udell Hills area on M-55;

 A cottage in Wellston with some fire damage;

 A mobile home on 2.39 acres in Manistee;

 An occupied home in Stronach Twp.;

 An occupied home in Manistee; and

 A home in disrepair in Manistee;

New this year, former owners have the ability to file for excess proceeds raised through the foreclosure auctions, due to a law that went into effect Jan. 1.

Related: Manistee County to move forward with tax foreclosure auction this year

Six of our parcels we had someone file for that, said county treasurer Rachel Nelson during the July meeting of the Manistee County Board of Commissioners. So that's a third of our parcels. I thought that was fairly low, but in comparison to other counties, theirs were even lower.

Previously, state law allowed county treasurers to keep money left over from a foreclosure sale after overdue taxes were paid. The Supreme Court said the practice was illegal under the state Constitution and overturned an earlier ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Nelson said that any of the former owners in contact with the county were made aware of the rule change.

Register at Tax-Sale.info for a detailed list that includes minimum bid, acreage and location information on the available properties.

Related: DNR auctioning off 97 properties next month, some with frontage on Lake Michigan

CORRECTION: A change has been made to this article to say the county treasurer, not the land bank had acquired the properties.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico will require that all state government employees get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly COVID-19 testing, moving in sync Thursday with federal authorities to shore up rates of immunization.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced at a news conference that New Mexico will join the federal government, California and New York City in requiring immunization or regular testing for their public employees.

The changes for New Mexico take effect Aug. 2 under a newly signed executive order. Employees who flout the rules can be disciplined, including job termination.

Lujan Grisham emphasized inconveniences that await state employees who are eligible for vaccination but unwilling.

In addition to being masked, you will be required to prove routine testing, she said. Our goal is to get every state employee vaccinated.

She said that people who are eligible for vaccination and opt out are giving the virus an opportunity to mutate and spread.

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new pandemic requirements for millions of federal workers. He denounced a tragedy of rising-yet-preventable deaths among unvaccinated U.S. employees and others.

In other COVID-19 precautions, New Mexico's largest school district is requiring all students, employees and visitors to wear masks when in school facilities and school buses, whether individuals are vaccinated or not.

The Albuquerque Public Schools board's 5-1 vote Wednesday to impose the requirement follows new federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.

Weve said all along that weve tried to follow the science, Superintendent Scott Elder said.

The blanket policy is to avoid dividing students into groups of vaccinated and unvaccinated and not have principals and teachers serve as the vaccination patrol, Elder said.

In another development, the University of New Mexico announced that effective Monday it will require that all people wear masks while indoors on the main campus in Albuquerque and satellite locations in Los Lunas, Taos and Rio Rancho.

The requirement applies to all people regardless of vaccination status, the university said.
BEIJING (AP)  China's new ambassador to the United States outlined the challenges the two countries face in what has become an increasingly competitive and contentious relationship, while refraining from any criticism in short remarks after arriving to take up his new post.

China and the United States are entering a new round of mutual exploration, understanding and adaptation, trying to find a way to get along with each other in the new era," Qin Gang said in remarks posted by the Chinese Embassy in Washington after his arrival Wednesday.

Qins arrival comes as relations with the U.S. have plunged to their worst level in decades with no sign of bottoming out. The two sides remain sharply at odds over a host of issues, including trade, technology, cybersecurity, human rights and Chinas increasingly assertive foreign policy under President Xi Jinping.

Qin, 55, most recently was one of Chinas nine vice foreign ministers and has been ministry spokesperson twice, gaining a reputation for tart responses that have now become standard fare among those in that position.

His open remarks towards the West and the U.S. are tougher than Chinese ambassadors of previous terms, said Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.

The U.S. currently has no ambassador in Beijing, although President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Nicholas Burns, a former ambassador to NATO and State Department spokesperson.

Relations between the countries nosedived under Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump, but high-level meetings this week in Tianjin, China, again lay bare the deep divisions between them.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng told U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman that the United States was the inventor, and patent and intellectual property owner of coercive diplomacy.

In a separate meeting with Sherman, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would not tolerate what it considered U.S. interference in its internal affairs and key development interests.

Sherman, in an interview after the meetings, said human rights are not just an internal matter and called on China to work with the United States on global issues as a responsible great power.

Qin replaces Cui Tiankai, who was ambassador to the United States for eight years during a steady deterioration in ties.

Qin served three tours at the Chinese Embassy in London and headed the Protocol Department but has not held any positions directly responsible for relations with the U.S., according to his official resume on the ministry website.

As head of protocol, he worked directly with Xi and has extensive experience accompanying Chinese leaders abroad.

Shi cautioned that the state of U.S.-China relations would limit the influence of any ambassador.

Under the current circumstances of full-on competition and struggle between China and the U.S., I dont think any ambassador could have a significant impact on relations, no matter whether he is intended to be tougher or milder in implementing policies, he said.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Illinois regulators plan to warn the owner of Ben & Jerrys to reverse the company's decision to stop selling ice cream in the West Bank and east Jerusalem or face divestment by the state, an official said Wednesday.

The Israeli Boycott Restrictions Committee of the Illinois Investment Policy Board will meet to approve setting a 90-day deadline for Unilever to reverse the decision by Ben & Jerrys, committee chairman Andy Lappin said.

There is no date set for the meeting but it will be called specifically to address the July 19 announcement by the Vermont-based confection-maker that continuing to market its product in Palestinian-sought territories is inconsistent with our values.

Its considered one of the strongest condemnations by a well-known company of Israels policy of settling citizens on war-won lands. Lappin said that the egregious nature of the statement is almost unprecedented.

The Illinois Investment Policy Board monitors compliance with state law prohibiting the investment in certain companies that do business with Iran and Sudan as well as companies that boycott Israel.

Well meet in the next week or so just for this issue, asking the board to send a letter to Unilever giving it 90 days to confirm or deny Ben & Jerrys stance, Lappin said. In this case, it was a blatantly open statement made by the chairman of Ben & Jerrys and we need to determine if Unilever deems it appropriate to walk the statement back.

A spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the states third Jewish governor, has refused to respond to requests for comment about the legality of Ben & Jerrys plans.

Unilevers chief executive officer said late last week that the company remains fully committed to doing business with Israel and tried to put distance between Unilever and Ben & Jerrys announcement. But CEO Alan Jope did not say he would require Ben & Jerrys to back off its plans.

If found non-compliant, Illinois law would requires divestment in Unilever or any of it subsidiaries, Lappin said. State-run pension systems are currently investigating their portfolios for Unilever-related interests.

The founders of Ben & Jerrys, Bennett Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, said in a New York Times op-ed published Wednesday they are no longer in control of the company, but are proud of its action.

We are also proud Jews. Its part of who we are and how weve identified ourselves for our whole lives. As our company began to expand internationally, Israel was one of our first overseas markets. We were then, and remain today, supporters of the State of Israel, the founders said. But its possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as weve opposed policies of the U.S. government.

The Investment Policy Board last took action against Airbnb when in 2018 former Gov. Bruce Rauner called out the online lodging marketplace for its abhorrent and discriminatory action in announcing it would remove West Bank listings.

Airbnb avoided Illinois divestment by backing off its decision and certifying to state regulators in August 2019 that it was not violating the restriction on boycotting Israel.

___

Follow Political Writer John OConnor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor.
With new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending masks indoors for everyone in regions of high and substantial community transmission, some New London County businesses are considering changing their face covering policies.

New London County was listed this week as having substantial COVID transmission, falling into one of two categories that the agency recommends vaccinated people wear masks indoors.

In the past week, the county has seen 169 cases  a more than 106 percent increase, according to CDC data. There has also been eight more hospitalizations  a 14 percent increase  over the last seven days.

On Thursday, the state Department of Public Health recommended everyone in New London, New Haven and Hartford counties wear masks indoors, but no mandate has been issued. In these counties, cases have surpassed 50 per 100,000 people over a seven-day period to be classified as having substantial spread, according to the CDC.

At Main Brace Package Store in Niantic, customers were not wearing masks on Thursday while some employees had face coverings.

Carol Gill, who co-owns the liquor store, said she wears a masks all the time when shes in public because she has respiratory issues. She said she has been following the CDC guidance closely and realizes that transmission is on the rise in New London County.

Gill said she is considering requiring people to wear masks when entering Main Brace, but she first wants to consult with her son, who co-owns the business.

Ill talk to my son about it and see what he says, she said. Were (employees) wearing masks  most of us.

Gill said she is starting to see more people wear masks in Niantic and surrounding towns.

For a while there, after the vaccine came out, nobody was wearing masks, she said. Better safe than sorry. If it continues like this, we will probably ask our customers to wear a mask again.

Gill said she doesnt understand when some of her customers say they refuse to wear masks again.

Its ridiculous, she said. Its a simple thing to do. Its not hurting anything.

At Hair Trendz, a salon in Old Lyme, owner Christi Laquitara said she heard the transmission status had increased in New London County. However, she does not plan to change anything for her business unless theres a state mandate.

Im basically thinking that Connecticuts done pretty well with COVID, she said. I think that, in this area anyway, that we should be pretty good  and I hope that we dont have to put the masks on again, because I think people were quite done with having to do that for a while.

Local government responds

When the CDC elevated New London Countys transmission level to substantial, the Ledge Light Health District, the countys local health department, updated its own guidance.

The organization is recommending that everyone get vaccinated to help reduce the spread of the virus, but also to help prevent hospitalization, severe illness and death.

With the delta variant, this is more urgent than ever, the new guidance shared by Director of Health Stephen Mansfield read. The highest spread of cases and severe outcomes is happening in places with low vaccination rates.

Nearly 70 percent of all Connecticut residents have started vaccination and just over 63 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC data as of Thursday. In New London County, about 69 percent have received at least one dose and about 64 percent are fully vaccinated, the data shows.

While the health district was urging vaccinations across New London County, Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold said Thursday he had not been contacted by LLHD officials recommending a change in local protocols. Griswold said municipal buildings are open and while masks are recommended, they are not being required indoors.

Im not aware that theres an active problem with Old Lyme, Griswold said. Im not aware of a recommendation to do anything other than the normal precautions.

In New London, Mayor Michael Passero said Thursday the city will begin requiring everyone to wear masks in municipal buildings.

Passero said New London officials have reinstated the mask mandate in municipal buildings after meeting with the health district on Thursday afternoon.

Passero said his overriding concern was the safety of public employees, and previous guidance allowing vaccinated people to remove their masks had become outdated with the recent spread.

Who knows whos vaccinated and who isnt? Passero said. Were much more comfortable just putting a sign on our public buildings saying, Everyone please wear a mask.

Will new guidelines impact schools?

The CDC also issued guidance that now recommends everyone in public schools wear a mask regardless of vaccination status.

Given the high mixing of vaccinated and unvaccinated people in schools, and the fact that vaccines are not available to children under 12, we recommend schools do universal masking, LLHD said in its own guidance.

When the CDCs new mask guidance was announced Tuesday, East Lyme Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Newton said his districts plans have not yet been finalized.

We have no finalized plans as of yet regarding mask wearing in our school buildings. We will await further guidance and follow-up from the state Department of Education, DPH and LLHD as well as the districts medical advisor, Newton wrote in an email.

In New London, school reopening plans have also not changed  yet.

We remain steadfast in our plan to reopen and return students to in-person learning in the fall, however, should new guidance be issued, we will pivot to adjust, Kate McCoy, executive director of district operations for New London Public Schools, said Thursday in an email.
NEW YORK (AP)  Former President Donald Trump and his three eldest children cant force a lawsuit into arbitration that was brought by people who felt cheated by a business he promoted, an appeals court ruled Wednesday.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a written decision pertaining to a 2018 lawsuit in Manhattan federal court brought by salespeople who lost money in a marketing company that Trump endorsed in speeches and on The Celebrity Apprentice. The effort to force arbitration had delayed the lawsuit from proceeding.

The lawsuit alleged Trump and family members secretly received millions of dollars between 2005 and 2015 in exchange for reassuring potential salespeople for telephone company ACN Opportunity LLC there was little risk if they started selling its phone service.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that the Trumps misled them to believe they were endorsing the company based on an independent assessment of the company rather than in return for large payments.

The 2nd Circuit noted that investigations by regulatory agencies have demonstrated that ACN's business was high-risk and that investors had minimal chance of commercial success.

The appeals court, citing the lawsuit's claims, said statements by the Trumps that they had conducted extensive due diligence and research concerning the business opportunity and had inside information and personal experience with ACN were untrue.

The defendants had, in fact, conducted no such due diligence. They were instead endorsing ACNs business opportunity because they were being paid millions of dollars to do so  a fact that they deliberately failed to disclose," the appeals court said the lawsuit alleged.

The appeals court said the Trumps were not entitled to take advantage of agreements between the plaintiffs and ACN that disputes would be resolved by arbitration. ACN is not a defendant in the lawsuit.

In a statement, ACN said it has been in business for 28 years and operates in 27 countries, earning an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

ACN is not a political organization and is proud to welcome individuals from all walks of life. ACNs business relationship with Mr. Trump started and ended before his run for national office," the statement added. It is unfortunate that ACNs name and business have been impugned in connection with this politically-motivated and funded lawsuit. To be clear, ACN categorically denies the allegations made in the lawsuit against it and its business."

Lawyers for the Trump Corp., Trump, Donald J. Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Attorney Roberta Kaplan, who represents plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement that the appeals ruling will enable lawyers to schedule depositions and obtain documents through subpoenas as soon as possible."

Kaplan called it an important case about a years-long consumer fraud on hard working Americans perpetrated by Donald Trump and three of his adult children."

The gathering of evidence had been delayed while both sides waited for the 2nd Circuit's decision.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Australia has sent a jet airtanker to the United States to help fight wildfires.

Officials at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise said late Wednesday that the Boeing 737 from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service arrived at the center last weekend.

The jet is being made available through an agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Australia. The airtanker has two internal tanks with a capacity of 4,000 gallons (15,000 liters), classifying it as a large airtanker.

The aircraft is named Marie Bashir after Dame Marie Bashir, the former governor of New South Wales

We greatly appreciate having this airtanker from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service assisting us, said Kim Christensen, deputy assistant director for operations for the U.S. Forest Service. Were proud of the long history of cooperation we have with Australia and other countries.

The center moved to national preparedness level 5 earlier this month. Thats the highest level and means firefighting resources are stretched thin due to multiple large wildfires burning in the U.S. West.

The center said that on Thursday there are 82 large, active fires in 13 states that have burned 2,600 square miles (6,700 square kilometers). More than 21,500 firefighters and support personnel are currently mobilized to fight the wildfires.

So far this year, wildfires have burned more than 5,300 square miles (13,700 square kilometers).
HANOI, Vietnam (AP)  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday to deepen cooperation in security and pandemic recovery, after Washington vowed support for Southeast Asian nations embroiled in territorial rifts with China.

Vietnam and the Philippines, Austins next stop, are among Chinas fiercest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has ignored neighbors protests and has constructed several islands equipped with airstrips and military installations.

Vietnam has previously accused China of obstructing its gas exploration activities off its southern shores, and the Philippines routinely protests the presence of Chinese fishing and coast guard ships in its exclusive economic zone. Malaysia and Indonesia have also complained about China's activities in parts of the South China Sea that Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.

In Hanoi, Austin and Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang discussed cooperation in resolving the legacies of the war that ended in 1975, including the continuing searches for American MIAs, removal of land mines and the decontamination of the powerful defoliant dioxin Agent Orange used by U.S. troops during the Vietnam War, according to Vietnam's Defense Ministry.

They also discussed non-traditional security cooperation in natural disaster relief and COVID-19 assistance.

Austins visit comes as Vietnam is in the grip of a coronavirus surge, with Hanoi and half of the country in lockdown.

The U.S has donated 5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, part of the 80 million doses that Biden pledged to lower-income nations around the world.

Austin arrived from Singapore, where he gave a speech on Tuesday saying he was committed to a constructive, stable relationship with China, including stronger crisis communications with the Peoples Liberation Army.

He repeated that Beijings claim to the South China Sea has no basis in international law and treads on the sovereignty of states in the region. He said the U.S. supports the regions coastal states in upholding their rights under international law, and is committed to its defense treaty obligations with Japan and the Philippines.
West Nile virus has popped up in mosquitoes in five more Connecticut towns, signaling a major expansion of West Nile virus activity in the state, said Dr. Philip Armstrong, medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

On Wednesday, the station, which is based in New Haven, announced that West Nile had been detected in mosquitoes trapped and tested in Darien, Stamford, Greenwich, New Haven and Waterford. Previously, virus-carrying mosquitoes had only been found in two communities, Milford and South Windsor.

Armstrong said the bump in West Nile activity is expected, as it typically increases sharply in late July or early August and continues through September.

We expect to see West Nile virus to continue to amplify in the mosquito population in the weeks ahead as is typical for this time of year, he said. We ask residents to take common sense precautions against mosquito bites. These include wearing mosquito repellent and covering up when outside for long periods of time or when mosquitoes are active.

Every year, starting in June, the state traps and tests mosquitoes for a variety of illnesses that can cause disease in people. These include West Nile virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus and Jamestown Canyon virus.

No Eastern Equine Encephalitis has yet been detected in the state, though Jamestown Canyon virus has been detected in mosquitoes in nine communities, including New Haven, North Haven and Shelton.

Jamestown Canyon virus is an emerging infectious disease that was first detected in Colorado in 1961. Like West Nile and other mosquito-borne illness, Jamestown Canyon causes mild, flu-like symptoms in most people, but can lead to more serious illnesses, such as meningitis and encephalitis.

West Nile is typically the main cause of mosquito-borne illness in this region since it was first introduced into the New York City area in 1999. Last year, West Nile was detected in 143 mosquito pools from 21 towns in Fairfield, Hartford and New Haven counties and there were eight confirmed human cases of West Nile infection statewide.
A judge has appointed a former federal prosecutor to investigate the Cook County states attorneys office for wrongdoing during the aborted re-trial of an accused cop killer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  As he rallied conservatives on Wednesday, one of the Republican Party's most prominent rising stars mocked new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge.

Did you not get the CDCs memo? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City. I dont see you guys complying.

From Texas to South Dakota, Republican leaders responded with hostility and defiance to updated masking guidance from public health officials, who advise that even fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors if they live in areas with high rates of virus transmission. The backlash reopened the culture war over pandemic restrictions just as efforts to persuade unvaccinated Americans to get shots appeared to be making headway.

Egged on by former President Donald Trump, the response reflects deep resistance among many GOP voters to restrictions aimed at containing a virus they feel poses minimal personal threat. The party is also tapping into growing frustration and confusion over ever-shifting rules and guidance.

But the resistance has real implications for a country desperate to emerge from the pandemic. Beyond vaccinations, there are few tools other than mask-wearing and social distancing to contain the spread of the delta variant, which studies have shown to be far more contagious than the original strain.

Many Republican leaders, however, are blocking preventative measures, potentially making it harder to tame virus outbreaks in conservative communities.

At least 18 Republican-led states have moved to prohibit vaccine passports or to ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccination. And some have prohibited schools from requiring any student or teacher to wear a mask or be vaccinated.

In its announcement, the CDC cited troubling new  thus far unpublished  research that found that fully vaccinated people can spread the delta variant just like the unvaccinated, putting those who havent received the shots or who have compromised immune systems at heightened risk. The CDC also recommended that all teachers, staff and students wear masks inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

The backlash was swift.

We wont go back. We wont mask our children, declared Trump, who routinely cast doubt on the value of mask-wearing and rarely wore one in public while he was in office. Why do Democrats distrust the science?

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called the new guidance disappointing and concerning and inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results.

He, like others, warned that the measure would undermine efforts to encourage vaccine holdouts to get their shots by casting further doubt on the efficacy of approved vaccines, which have been shown to dramatically decrease the risk of death or hospitalization, despite the occurrence of breakthrough cases.

Last week, White House officials reported that vaccination rates were on the rise in some states where COVID-19 cases were soaring, as more Republican leaders implored their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside and get the shots to protect themselves. That includes Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who has pleaded with unvaccinated residents, saying they are the ones letting us down.

This self-inflicted setback encourages skepticism and vaccine hesitancy at a time when the goal is to prevent serious illnesses and deaths from COVID-19 through vaccination, Parson tweeted. This decision only promotes fear & further division among our citizens.

The announcement will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials  people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates, echoed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who has banned mask and vaccine mandates in his state.

In his Wednesday speech, DeSantis took particular aim at the CDCs call for kids to wear masks in the classroom.

Its not healthy for these students to be sitting there all day, 6-year-old kids in kindergarten covered in masks, he said  though there is no evidence that wearing masks is harmful to children older than toddler age.

And in South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem called out the CDC for shifting its position on masking AGAIN. She said that those who are worried about the virus can get vaccinated, wear a mask or stay home, but that Changing CDC guidelines dont help ensure the publics trust.

On Capitol Hill, some Republicans were in revolt after the Capitols attending physician sent a memo informing members that masks would again have to be worn inside the House at all times.

The change set off a round robin of insults, with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy a moron after McCarthy tweeted, The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.

The mandate also prompted an angry confrontation, as Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., verbally assailed Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, who exited the House chamber and walked past her without a face covering.

Conservatives also forced a vote to adjourn the chamber in protest to the mandate, which was defeated along mostly party lines.

We have a crisis at our border, and were playing footsie with mask mandates in the peoples House, railed Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the motions sponsor. The American people are fed up. They want to go back to life. They want to go back to business. They want to go back to school without their children being forced to wear masks.

The nation is averaging nearly 62,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, and the vast majority of those hospitalized and dying havent been vaccinated. As of Sunday, 69% of American adults had received one vaccine dose, and 60% had been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Last year, early on in the pandemic, public health officials told Americans that masks offered little protection against the virus (and could even increase the risk of infection). The guidance was driven by a lack of knowledge about how the novel virus spread and a desire to save limited mask supplies for medical workers. But the CDC soon changed course and advised Americans to wear masks indoors and outdoors if they were within 6 feet (1.8 meters) of one another.

Then in April of this year, as vaccination rates rose sharply, the agency eased its guidelines, saying fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks outdoors unless they were in big crowds of strangers. In May, the guidance was eased further, saying fully vaccinated people could safely stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.

Subsequent CDC guidance said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks at schools, either.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, on Wednesday defended the changes, saying the CDC did exactly what it was supposed to do.

The CDC has to adapt to the virus, she said, and unfortunately because not enough Americans have stepped up to get vaccinated, they had to provide new guidance to help save lives.

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Colvin reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Alan Fram in Washington, Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Mo., and Alexandra Jaffe aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to delete an erroneous reference to Alabama having prohibited schools from requiring masks. The state is allowing local school districts to make that decision.
Joseph Odelyn/AP

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)  Haiti's newly installed prime minister, Ariel Henry, held his first press conference on Wednesday as he pledged to hold elections as soon as possible following the slaying of President Jovenel Moise.

Henry said the government's mission is to hold free, honest and transparent elections with a large voter turnout as he stressed the need for security. He also said he wants to fight unemployment and re-establish confidence in the country's judicial system, adding that he has been meeting with civil society leaders and others since being sworn in on July 20.
MIAMI (AP)  As coronavirus cases continue to soar, two Florida mayors are announcing mask and vaccine mandates and defying the governor who is firmly opposed to any pandemic restrictions.

Masks will again be required at indoor county facilities in Floridas populous Miami-Dade following new federal guidance recommending that even people vaccinated against COVID-19 should wear facial coverings. And in Orange County, home to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, the mayor went a step further and announced all 4,200 nonunion county employees will be required to get their first coronavirus vaccine shot by the end of August, and the second shot by the end of September. Disney World announced on its website Wednesday evening that beginning July 30, face coverings will be required for all guests ages 2 and up while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions. Face coverings remain optional in outdoor common areas.

We want to keep our county and theme parks open for business, Mayor Jerry Demings said at a news conference Wednesday. By instituting these measures, we want everyone to know, in Orange County, Florida, we take the coronavirus seriously.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said her decision is a response to the surge in new cases and hospitalizations. The mayors didnt announce any mandates for businesses but pleaded with them to help get their employees vaccinated and urged them to again implement the use of masks.

We have all come too far. We have all sacrificed too much in this past almost year and a half. We cannot turn back now, Levine Cava said.

A state law signed in May gives Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis the power to invalidate local emergency measures put in place during the pandemic, including mask mandates and limitations on business operations. It also bans any business or government entity from requiring proof of vaccination. The governors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new local mandates.

For the more than 3,000 unionized workers in Orange County, Demings said officials were negotiating a similar vaccine requirement as nonunion employees. Some can be exempt for religious or health reasons, but others who fail to comply will face disciplinary action, Demings said.

The delta variant of the coronavirus is causing infection surges across the U.S., with Florida accounting for a fifth of the nations new cases last week, more than any other state, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitals have seen admissions soar with the vast majority of the patients unvaccinated.

On Tuesday, the CDC changed course on some masking guidelines and recommended that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas of high transmission. Officials cited new information revealing the variants ability to spread among vaccinated people.

All 67 of Floridas counties are considered areas of high transmission, meaning they have more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days.

DeSantis has remained staunchly opposed to restrictions, mask mandates and vaccine passports, a stance central to his reelection campaign. He was defiant Wednesday as he criticized the new CDC guidance during a Salt Lake City gathering of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group that pushes conservative policies in Republican-controlled state legislatures.

I think its very important we say, unequivocally, No to lockdowns, no to school closures, no to restrictions, no to mandates, he said.

Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is running to challenge DeSantis in 2022, suggested that local governments get creative about measures and vaccine campaigns.

Local governments are handcuffed right now about what they can do, Fried said at a news conference Wednesday prior to the announcement of the two mayors. We are stuck in a situation that all we can be doing is giving information out there, encouraging people to do whats right for their communities.

Earlier this week, DeSantis hinted at a bill to oppose mask mandates in schools, a decision that is still up to school districts. The CDC on Tuesday also recommended indoor masks for all teachers and students nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. DeSantis predicted lawmakers would hold a special session to address the issue, saying our Legislature feels strongly about it.

School board members in Broward County held a special meeting Wednesday to discuss mask-wearing, a day after roughly two dozen mask opponents disrupted the meeting in screaming matches and burned masks outside the building. Board members agreed to continue requiring masks for at least the beginning of the school year, making it the first district in the state to do so. Miami-Dade school officials have said they're reconsidering their mask policy following the recent CDC recommendations, but no decision has been made.

Vivian Hug, a Navy veteran, brought her twins with her as she addressed board members, saying she was tired of giving up freedoms in the name of safety.

Please stop the insanity. You have already done damage to these kids having to wear masks, she said before putting her daughter up to the microphone. The young girl complained that she can't breathe when she wears a mask and gets headaches from them.

To date, Florida has confirmed nearly 2.5 million coronavirus cases. More than 38,000 people have died.

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Associated Press writers Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
MILFORD  Veronica Piscitelli has always had a passion for the weather. Now she gets to combine that with her love of teaching children in the Milford Recreation Departments inaugural meteorology camp.

I love teaching kids and love being around kids, said Piscitelli. To be able to do that and combine it with my love for weather and meteorology is great.

Piscitelli, a life-long Milford resident who recently graduated from Oklahoma with a degree in meteorology, pitched the idea of a youth meteorology camp to Bob Hays, a supervisor with the citys Recreation Department.

I thought it would be an interesting class. I was curious as far as the ages go, Hays said. There was supposed to be a younger age group and an older age group, but there was one younger child in the class, so she combined all of them to the older age class. I said alright, make sure you have stuff for everybody and make sure you take the younger child under your wing and run with it, and she is.

The meteorology camp, called A World of Weather Camp, allows campers to learn all about the phenomena that occur in the atmosphere every day. Campers learn the science behind things from the water cycle to what makes up a thunderstorm.

The camp has been going great, said Piscitelli. The kids know a lot about the weather for being such a young age. They range from first grade to fifth grade, so its really cool seeing them be so knowledgeable and interested at that age in the weather. They are also really excited and willing to do all the activities we have been doing. Like today, we made a cloud in a vase, and they were all in awe about it.

Piscitelli said parents have had a positive reaction to the camp as well.

The parents have loved it, she said. They came in so excited the first day they wanted to brag on their kids on how well they know the weather and how excited they were and how they have things at home that they do regarding weather experiments.

Hays said the program has been going on without a hitch and everyone seems happy with it.

Piscitelli said one of her goals for the summer camp is to provide an outlet for the campers, who are as interested in meteorology as she was when she was their age.

I really want to give these kids an opportunity to learn more about what they like doing and find new ways to learn about what they like doing, but also maybe introduce them to different branches or different things about meteorology they didnt know about before, said Piscitelli. I also want to expand people who are meteorologists and get people excited about science. Its going to be an important thing going into the future, especially with climate change and trying to be sustainable.

For Piscitelli, her love for weather and meteorology started at an early age, and when she found out she could do meteorology as a career, she pursued it.

The University of Oklahoma has one of the top programs in the country for meteorology. There are only select schools that offer the program as a degree in general, she said. But we have the National Weather Center on campus, which is the government building that houses branches of NOAA and the Storm Prediction Center, so everything we do is very hands-on with many different job paths that you can take in the future.

Storms have always interested Piscitelli. If there was a thunderstorm, she would be looking out the window. She also enjoyed driving to the beach to watch the lightning over the water.

I think the first thing was being introduced to TV meteorologists. I would watch the news before school, even as early as third grade, said Piscitelli. I didnt watch cartoons before school, I would have Good Morning America or the Today Show on and really seeing the meteorologists there. It was a part I was always looking forward to and really intrigued me.

Whenever there were significant weather events across the country, Piscitelli said she would be glued to The Weather Channel 24/7, watching all the live reporters in the strong winds and rains giving their live reports.

While she was in Oklahoma, Piscitelli was able to experience different weather than what she grew up with in Connecticut.

I love the more severe weather, and its really cool to learn more about it because then we can find ways to educate people on them to make them less dangerous in the end, said Piscitelli. We got to go storm chasing and see big thunderstorms in Texas, and because it is so flat, you can see things miles away from a safe distance but still be able to see it all.

Piscitelli said she would be excited to get an opportunity to work as a TV meteorlogist, since that was how she developed her love of meteorology. But for now, she plans to dedicate herself to studying how people react to weather warning systems.

The kids are really interested in it, he said. I have a minor in psychology, and there is a good intersection nowadays with social science and weather specifically to do with the warning systems and how people perceive the information that we tell them.

She said her final thesis project was on how severe flooding events affect people in their reaction to future events.

So I really like the idea of how we can communicate the danger and the risk the person has for a weather event and not scare them too much, but make sure they take the right action to keep themselves safe, she said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Federal health regulators on Wednesday again extended the expiration dates on Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, providing health workers with six more weeks to use millions of doses of the shot.

The Food and Drug Administration said in a letter to J&J that the shots remain safe and effective for at least six months when properly stored and refrigerated. It's the second time the FDA has extended the shelf life on the vaccines since June, when the agency said they could be used for up to 4 1/2 months. When first authorized in February, the FDA said the vaccines could be stored for three months at normal refrigeration levels.

Health authorities in many states had recently warned that they could be forced to throw out thousands of doses of the one-shot vaccine without an extension.

The change gives health providers more time to use remaining shots sitting at pharmacies, hospitals and clinics. After plateauing earlier this summer, vaccination rates have begun climbing again as the contagious delta variant surges across many parts of the country.

Vaccine expiration dates are based on information from drugmakers on how long the shots stay at the right strength. J&J previously stated that it continues to conduct stability testing with the aim of further extending the shelf life of the shots.

The FDA has been reviewing expiration dates on all three U.S.-authorized vaccines as companies have continued to test batches in the months since the shots first rolled out. Vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, authorized in December, have a six-month shelf life.

J&Js vaccine was highly anticipated because of its one-and-done formulation and easy-to-ship refrigeration.

But rival drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna, which started shipping shots months earlier, have already supplied more than enough doses to vaccinate all eligible Americans. More than 150 million Americans have been fully vaccinated with the companies two-dose shots. By comparison, just 13 million Americans have been vaccinated with the J&J shot.

Use of J&Js vaccine has been hurt by several rare potential side effects. Earlier this month, U.S. health regulators added a new warning to the vaccine about links to a potentially dangerous neurological reaction called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

That followed a pause in the use of the shot in April after it was linked to a rare blood clot disorder. In both cases, government health advisers said the overall benefits of the shot still greatly outweigh the risks.

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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.
As the United States rapidly approaches its final withdrawal from Afghanistan, the nation's struggling air force is being asked to stave off a surging Taliban.

But the U.S. government's inspector general supervising the country's reconstruction said on Thursday, he's not sure the Afghan air force will be able even to keep its planes in the air -- particularly after the last foreign maintenance contractors are gone.

"The Afghan air force is really critical to the sustainability of the Afghan military," John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, said in an online discussion with reporters Thursday morning. But as far as future maintenance goes, "we're still waiting for more details from the U.S. military."

All U.S. and coalition troops and contractors are scheduled to be out of Afghanistan by the end of August. After the withdrawal, which the military says is now more than 95% complete, the Pentagon stresses it will continue to help the Afghans maintain their aircraft, such as the A-29 Super Tucano, but will have to do it "over the horizon," or from outside of the country.

Read Next: DoD Making Masks Mandatory Again, Even for the Vaccinated, in Some Places

This could mean either transporting aircraft or individual parts to a third country, where the maintenance can be done. Or military or contractor maintainers could help them virtually, such as by using video chats to help Afghan maintainers sort out tricky repairs.

But exactly what that U.S. maintenance support will look like -- and how well it will work -- is an open question.

The new Defense Security Cooperation Management Office-Afghanistan will be based in Qatar and will assist Afghan forces, including providing maintenance help, according to a new report from Sopko and his team. The office is setting up a supply depot in a third unidentified country to manage the flow of spare parts and fly them into Afghanistan as required, SIGAR said.

Any Afghan aircraft that need major maintenance and battle damage repairs already are transported to maintenance facilities outside of Afghanistan. At the end of June, SIGAR said, 25 helicopters were being repaired in other countries.

But as the Afghan military is being tested like never before, its air force is facing significant problems.

Five of the Afghan air force's seven types of aircraft saw dramatic drops in their availability for missions in recent months, as the Taliban reclaimed much of the country and U.S. and coalition forces and maintenance contractors withdrew. In April and May, the report said, their fleet of AC-208 Combat Caravans had a roughly 93% readiness rate, but in June, that fell to 63%.

Its UH-60 Black Hawk fleet saw an even steeper plunge, from 77% in April and May to 39% in June.

And as the Afghan army needs more close air support to help fend off Taliban advances, the air force's aircraft and their crews are being pushed beyond their limits. The U.S. still is conducting some airstrikes to help the Afghans, but it is largely up to their air force, which carried out 491 attacks on the Taliban in June. For the Afghans, that is an increasing pace of operations as the Americans prepare their final withdrawal.

But to do this, the SIGAR said all airframes are flying well past the point when they are supposed to be brought in for regular maintenance -- at least 25% beyond what's recommended by manufacturers.

Afghan air crews already are stretched thin by the pace of fighting, which is only increasing.

And Afghan air force pilots are being targeted for assassination by the Taliban as part of a campaign of intimidation and retaliation. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Afghan government officials said at least seven pilots had been assassinated off-base in recent months.

Sopko said it's possible for the over-the-horizon maintenance plan to work, but it will be difficult and very expensive.

For example, he said, what happens when a helicopter has a busted engine that needs serious maintenance work? Would the entire helicopter be flown out of the country, or would the engine itself be removed and flown out of the country? Either scenario, he said, likely would be pricey.

When asked if providing virtual maintenance assistance is even feasible, Sopko expressed concerns.

"You gotta be there sometimes to help somebody with maintenance or training or whatever," Sopko said. "As good as we like Zoom, ... it's a lot better, I personally feel, when you're face to face, and when the Afghans are face to face."

Sopko also pointed out that electricity and internet access is a broader problem throughout Afghanistan, which could complicate efforts to get virtual assistance for maintaining aircraft. Just 30% of the nation's population of 38 million has access to electricity around the clock, and he said he was not sure how reliable internet access is at Afghan air force bases.

The issues with basic infrastructure reflect a broader problem with the Afghan reconstruction effort, he said.

"We gave them highly technical equipment, and we tried to build a military that looked and acted and sounded like us," Sopko said. "That meant you had to have literate people in the military. You also had to have access to electricity, and access to the internet, and that's not common throughout Afghanistan."

At the beginning of the year, there were concerns that none of the Afghans' air frames would remain fit for combat for more than a few months, depending on how quickly the stock of spare parts dwindled, the quality of Afghans' maintenance capabilities, and when contractors would withdraw.

But recent improvements have pushed back those dire predictions. After contractors started to withdraw, Afghan maintainers took on more responsibilities for managing equipment and supplies, and began showing up for work and attending classes more often.

The Afghans' progress in fielding enough qualified maintainers is mixed. Three air frames -- the C-208 Caravan, the AC-208 Combat Caravan and the Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter -- have enough qualified maintainers.

But other air frames do not, and the A-29 Super Tucano lost mechanics.

And the number of contract maintainers in Afghanistan plunged quickly in recent months, falling from 409 in April to 101 in June, except for those working on Mi-17s.

This dire situation comes after the U.S. government spent more than $88 billion -- about 61% of all U.S. reconstruction funding for the country -- to help stand up Afghan security forces over nearly two decades. And Sopko, who regularly has sounded alarm bells about the state of Afghanistan over the last nine years, said it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone -- and he points his finger right at the U.S. military for "moving the goalposts."

"Every time we look at the assessment tools [when evaluating how well the U.S. was training, advising and assisting the Afghans], our U.S. military would change the goalposts and say, 'Oh, no, no, that's not the test you want to do,'" Sopko said.

The military's missteps are numerous, Sopko said. It didn't adequately consider whether the high-tech hardware it provided the Afghans was sustainable, he said, and didn't pay enough attention to the "long tail" issue of logistics plaguing Afghan forces and other problems such as fuel theft.

Those issues worsen the problem of "ghost soldiers," or troops who exist only on paper, but not in real life.

Sopko warned that the problems his office has highlighted for years won't just go away with the close of the U.S.'s direct military involvement in Afghanistan -- or won't be a problem in the next war.

"Don't believe what you're told by the generals and the ambassadors, or people in the administration saying we're never going to do this again," Sopko said. "That's exactly what we said after Vietnam. Lo and behold, we did Iraq, and we did Afghanistan. We will do this again. And we really need to think and learn from the 20 years in Afghanistan."

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: As Troop Pullout Looms, Afghanistan 'Fighting for its Very Survival,' IG Says
Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, Commander, U.S. Submarine Forces, received the Peruvian Cross Order of Naval Merit from Ambassador Hugo De Zela at the Embassy of Peru in the U.S., July 19.
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Sailors and Marines load vehicles onto Landing Craft, Utility (LCU) 1661, attached to Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 2, from the well deck of dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) during LCU operations in the Arabian Gulf, July 16. A
When we Indians are so proud of our information technology (IT) prowess and the many global tech giants headed by Indians, why isnt cutting-edge technology being employed to refund money that rightfully belongs to savers and investors? The amount of money lying with the government, in the form of unclaimed deposits, interest, insurance, mutual fund investment, shares, dividend and provident fund dues, has been swelling rapidly every year.

Last week, industrialist Harsh Goenka put out a tweet suggesting that money lying in unclaimed accounts is now Rs82,025 crore and suggested that it should be used to alleviate sufferings of those who are very adversely affected by the Covid phenomenon." The actual amount may be significantly higher.

There is over Rs 82000cr lying in unclaimed deposits! There isnt a better use than using it to alleviate sufferings of those who are very adversely affected by the Covid phenomenon. pic.twitter.com/fgvDwGOQpW  Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) July 26, 2021

While the thought about utilisation of these funds is laudable, this money belongs to middle-class, tax-paying Indians. In a country where there is no social security whatsoever for the middle class, why should their money be confiscated instead of tracking rightful claimants?

In the past five years, every lenderwhether a bank, finance company or the proliferation of loan appshas obtained access to multiple streams of data (social media profiles, Google, UIDAI/Aadhaar , telecom users and other customer databases, legally and illegally) to find multiple intrusive ways to track their borrowers. They take pride in telling us that they have their ways and means to ensure that defaulters don't escape.

So why isnt the same technology being used to refund unclaimed money by tracking claimants? Instead, the finance ministry and its financial regulators pool the money under investor education or awareness funds doing nothing of value. Not even the interest on these big pools of money is being used to find ways to track down savers, investors or their heirs and nominees.

It all began with the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF), set up in 1999 through an amendment to the Companies Act. Companies were asked to transfer dividends, deposits and interest that remained unclaimed for seven years to a central pool. Until then, this money used to lie with companies and claims could be filed with them. Once the funds were transferred to IEPF, no claim could be made against it, in the early days. Those drafting the law forgot that litigation, succession processes and even probates in India are a slow, expensive and harrowing process that could go on for decades.

It needed concerted representations and litigation by claimants to get the government to change the rules to allow money to be claimed from IEPF in 2017 after the IEPF Authority was formed in 2016. The Authority now publishes the names of people whose money has been transferred to the Fund on IEPFs website.

Click on the website and you are first warned that it is unsecure. This is enough to tell you how little effort has gone into making it accessible to claimants. Before you can proceed, there is a pop-up asking you not to get into the clutches of brokers, agents, or middlemen for refunds.

IEPF boasts that its process is Simple, easy and FREE OF COST. The reality, as every single user will tell you, is exactly the opposite. In fact, it is so tiresome that people are willing to pay as much as 50% of the due amounts to middlemen to get their money back. A simple Google search shows several firms advertising their claims service and many do provide legitimate and reliable help.

The annual accretion to these funds needs to be seen as a national embarrassment. If, like the private sector, a bureaucrat or a regulator had his pay hike, post-retirement posting or pension, linked to the return of funds to legitimate claimants, we would have seen a rapid decline unclaimed funds. It would also help if the standing committee of parliament for finance, which is traditionally headed by an Opposition member, were to question regulators every quarter about their performance in refunding money and put out a public statement on this.

I was a member of IEPF for four years when it was established around 1999; then, it had only Rs400 crore after the initial corporate transfers. My submission that IEPF should track claimants was ignored.

In 2008, I argued that there is no room for fresh unclaimed dividends, given the stringent KYC (know-your-customer) and PAN (permanent account number) requirements for all investments. In 2012, I was invited as the only independent member on the Committee on Financial Markets and Investors' Protection set up under the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). I made the same demand in writing and also emailed secretary in the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA), Naved Masood. Not only were my suggestions ignored but I later realised that the sole purpose of the committee was to help the ministry set up the IEPF Authority in 2016. A partisan assessment of IEPFs functioning prepared by the Indian Institute of Public Affairs was the typical fig leaf used to justify the decision.

Successive MCA secretaries did nothing to make it easier for investors to file claims. Mr Masood, however, has been rewarded with board positions on many capital market infrastructure institutions, like many retired IAS officers. With IEPF as a frontrunner and an example, similar funds were set up under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the rest goes to a government fund.

Juxtapose this against the fact that no regulator has shown the slightest concern for thousands of crores of rupees lost by savers to broker defaults, banks and shadow banking failures and write-off of bonds, equity and deposits in the past five years alone and the massive write-off of bad loans to large corporate defaulters running into several lakh crore rupees.

An article in The Economic Times (ET) in July 2021 says that all regulators put together, collectively hold over Rs82,000 crore or more that legitimately belongs to Indian savers. ( Rs 82,000 crore lying in unclaimed bank a/cs, life insurance, mutual funds, PF: How to get your money back ). It points out that the interest on this, even at 6%pa (per annum) would be nearly Rs5,000 crore. This is money enough to hire the best tech companies to track down genuine claimants and far more than what private lenders spend to track defaulters. Here are some more details of this unclaimed money.

The RBIs Depositors Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF) had Rs39,264.25 crore at the end of March 2021, up from Rs33,114 crore on 31 March 2020 and a sharp rise from Rs18,381 crore at the end of March 2019. Moneylife has repeatedly written about the difficulty in having bank accounts unfrozen and made operative again. The constant accretion to DEAF, despite stringent KYC requirements, is testimony to the callousness of a system that makes it difficult for funds to be transferred to rightful claimants. In the case of death, each bank makes up its own rules to transfer funds ( The RBIs Depositors Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF) had Rs39,264.25 crore at the end of March 2021, up from Rs33,114 crore on 31 March 2020 and a sharp rise from Rs18,381 crore at the end of March 2019. Moneylife has repeatedly written about the difficulty in having bank accounts unfrozen and made operative again. The constant accretion to DEAF, despite stringent KYC requirements, is testimony to the callousness of a system that makes it difficult for funds to be transferred to rightful claimants. In the case of death, each bank makes up its own rules to transfer funds ( Zindagi ke baad bhi: COVID and the Worries about Transmission and Succession ); some even arm-twist heirs to park it in fixed deposits with the same banks. Apart from the red-tape involved in obtaining succession certificates, etc, some banks, in addition to succession certificates, demand two sureties from unrelated personswhich is a completely unreasonable demand.

 The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) had Rs15,167 crore at the end of March 2018. The regulator mandates that all insurers need to transfer all policy-holders money lying unclaimed for over 10 years to the Senior Citizens' Welfare Fund (SCWF) of the government set up in 2015.

 Unclaimed deposits under small savings, public provident fund (PPF), employee provident fund (EPF), all post-office savings accounts, senior citizens savings scheme accounts, Indira Vikas Patra and Kisan Vikas Patras are also transferred to the SCWF.

Of these, ET estimates that unclaimed amounts with Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) alone had Rs26,497 crore of unclaimed funds at the end of March 2019 transferred to SCWF. However, Of these, ET estimates that unclaimed amounts with Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) alone had Rs26,497 crore of unclaimed funds at the end of March 2019 transferred to SCWF. However, Zee Business reported another study which put the number at a whopping Rs58,000 crore at the end of June 2021. Although there is an online channel to make claims, it is very tedious for legal heirs to make a claim if there is no will or nomination. One estimate puts the unclaimed money with the PPF at Rs22,000 crore.

According to ET, unclaimed mutual fund investments are estimated at Rs17,880 crore lying in inactive folios. Every mutual fund has strict KYC requirements, so a little effort by the regulator would be able to trace potential claimants who can be asked to submit the necessary documents to make a valid claim. Another large chunk of money may be lying with frozen According to ET, unclaimed mutual fund investments are estimated at Rs17,880 crore lying in inactive folios. Every mutual fund has strict KYC requirements, so a little effort by the regulator would be able to trace potential claimants who can be asked to submit the necessary documents to make a valid claim. Another large chunk of money may be lying with frozen demat accounts of the two depositories.

 The amount lying with the IEPF at MCA, started at Rs400 crore in 1999, was 10 times higher at Rs4,100 crore at the end of March 2020. This is apparently after settling 15,000 claims in two years  mainly due to the efforts of intermediaries.

Why Do Funds Remain Unclaimed?

The most common reason for funds remaining unclaimed is that people have died intestate and without informing their families about their investments, banks accounts, insurance policies, etc. Many don't record nominees either. Since most insurance and deposit forms only ask for the name of a nominee without any address or telephone number, the nominees may not be aware of the investment. Often, money cannot be claimed for decades because of disputes between heirs and litigation that drags on for decades. In many cases, people are unable to withdraw funds because of issues with KYC documentation or other red tape.

RBI, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and IRDAI require all banks, mutual funds and insurers to display the names of those with unclaimed deposits on their website. This is a step forward but not enough, if legal heirs or claimants are unaware about the existence of investments. Regulators must use the vast resources at their disposal to collate the data, arrange it in a searchable manner (by geography or pin code, names, entity, etc) and submit claims online for scrutiny. In fact, private entities, such as Jeevantika Consultancy ( www.jeevantika.com ), have done what the government ought to have, by putting information about 1.5 million investors on their website and app that can be accessed free for IEPF claims. There is, however, a cost attached to the tedious process of filing the documents and follow-up involved in making a successful claim.

If a private consultant can do this, regulators with access to interest on savers funds can surely do a lot more. Only when there is empathy for the hassles faced in making claims will the government stir itself to scrap the requirement for a probate in just four jurisdictions across India or make the process of getting a succession or heirship certificate easier. If the government is quick to adopt technology to collect taxes (goods and services tax, income tax), track people (UIDAI) and to enable payments for the benefit of fintech companies, why cant it use it to make life and post-death processes easier for people?
A Special Investigating Team (SIT) has been set up under Additional Director General of Police (ADG) to probe the death of a Judge who was hit by an auto-rickshaw while he was on his morning walk, in Dhanbad.

The hit-and-run incident took place on Wednesday morning.

ADG operation, Sanjay Ananad Latkar will lead the SIT, while the other members are Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Bokaro and Dhanbad Senior Superintendents of Police (SSP).

Additional District Judge (ADJ) of Dhanabad district, Anand Uttam died after he was hit by a vehicle on Wednesday when was on his morning walk near Magistrate colony of coal city Dhanabd. He was admitted to a hospital where he died during treatment.

Later CCTV footage showed that an auto-rickshaw deliberately hit the Judge.

Two people including driver of the auto-rickshaw, Lakhan Verma and his associate Rahul Verma have been arrested. The driver has reportedly admitted that he hit the judge with the vehicle.

The Jharkhand High Court, after knowing about the death of the judge, on Thursday summoned the DGP and Dhanbad SSP. While hearing the case, the court said, "If at any stage it is found that any slackness has been maintained in the probe, it will be handed over to the CBI".

The auto was recovered from Giridih district on Wednesday night itself. During investigation it was found that the auto was stolen on Tuesday and the judge was hit by it on Wednesday morning at 5.08 a.m. He died in the hospital at 9.30 a.m.

The judge was hearing matters of more than 15 criminal cases including high profile murder cases in his court.

The Supreme Court has also taken note of the judge's death.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
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January 30, 2006

Globalization Surprise

The chief economist of Morgan Stanley, Stephen Roach, is criticizing globalization. From the World Economic Forum in Davos:

The win-win endorsement of globalization -- that the development of poor countries is a huge plus for rich, developed countries -- was first coined in Davos. There have been anti-globalization protests associated with this event for years. But this year is different. The debate has moved from the outside to the inside. Serious challenges to globalization are now being openly aired in the rooms and corridors of Davoss fabled Congress Centre. The reasons behind this shift are not hard to fathom. One of the wins in the win-win of globalization has failed to materialize. Job creation and real wages in the mature, industrialized economies have seriously lagged historical norms. It is now commonplace for recoveries in the developed world to be either jobless, or wageless -- or both. That this shortfall has occurred in the midst of accelerating globalization and surging global trade is all the more disconcerting.

As its critics have feared, globalization has advantages for the capital side of the economy, but the labor side is losing. The race to the bottom is clearly visible in the job markets.

The economic model for globalization has serious flaws. Ricardo's theory of comparative advantage does promise advantages for all the trading partners. But it is a theory with idealized assumptions and based on a static model.

The dynamics and time lags which occur in real economic exchanges have serious side-effects and the process to reach the promised advantages can be decades long.

The boondoggle of "more jobs through open trade" looks real - in theory. But when people lose their job and have to wait 20 years for a better job to be created, that advantage are hard to explain to them.

Good to hear that this surprise has finally reached the theorists and policy makers who are in charge here.

Now, the people have to keep up the pressure for a better regulated and controlled trade process.

Trade is good and has benefits. But to let it run wild without at least retaining the social wins of the last centuries is pure corporatism. This has to stop.

Posted by b on January 30, 2006 at 19:04 UTC | Permalink

Comments
March 04, 2006

Communist Ideas

You really have to wonder when Morgan Stanley will fire its chief economist Stephen Roach for communist subversion. McCarthy would have had a field day with this statement alone:

Billed as the great equalizer between the rich and the poor, globalization has been anything but. An increasingly integrated global economy is facing the strains of widening income disparities -- within countries and across countries. This has given rise to a new and rapidly expanding underclass that is redefining the political landscape.

The piece is actually just a lament about rising protectionism, especially in the U.S. versus China, but also it includes some interesting numbers.

The Gini coefficient is measurement of inequality in income. A Gini value of 100 is the maximum of inequality, 0 describes equal income for all.

Roach gives some values: Japan (25), Europe (32), India (33), U.S. (41) and China (45). In the U.S. the coefficient has risen from 35 in 1970 to today's value. As he recognizes, such a development, and high inequality in general, leads to pressure for political responses.

The political response in the U.S. is protectionism, often disguised as security issues (see the Dubai port deal). The same error was made in 1930 with the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act which stifled world trade and at least exaggerated the great depression.

But Roach fails to point out any measures that easily could lead to lower inequality, lower the Gini coefficient and take away the political pressure for protectionism.

Steep progressive taxing could do a lot lower high income and take away the incentive for ridicules high CEO compensation. Raising the income and capital gain taxes for any dollar above $1,000,000 per year to some 50% would pay for a lot of decent schools. A small tax on big assets could lessen their progressive growth and finance universal health-care. A Tobin tax would restrict international capital speculation and could pay for global development.

Of course economists like Roach know these tools would be the right recipe.

But then, they are sticking to their jobs too.

Posted by b on March 4, 2006 at 17:22 UTC | Permalink

Comments
Moultrie, GA (31768)

Today

A few showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Mercedes Cordero

As Midland faces its latest surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant, Midland Health officials announced they will be changing their visitation policy to reflect that surge, including by limiting visiting hours.

Beginning Monday, visiting hours will be limited to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. Chief Nursing Officer Kit Bredimus said any visitor wanting to stay overnight will need to request an exemption thats approved on a case-by-case basis. Anyone approved to stay overnight will not be permitted to leave the building and re-enter.
athima tongloom

A man in Houston pleaded guilty in an N95 mask scam where he tried defrauding the Australian government out of $317 million.

Arael Doolittle tried selling 50 million 3M N95 respirator masks masks to the Australian government in April 2020, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office Southern District of Texas (SDTx).
NEW YORK (AP)  A former member of NXIVM leader Keith Ranieres inner circle who was charged in his sex trafficking enterprise avoided prison at sentencing Wednesday after prosecutors cited her extraordinary cooperation.

Lauren Salzman was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court to five years probation for her role in the scandal-ridden, cult-like secret society of brainwashed women, who included millionaires and actors. The judge also ordered her to perform 300 hours of community service.

In a letter two weeks ago to Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, prosecutors noted that her guilty plea to racketeering would normally call for a sentence of seven to nine years in prison. But they cited her credible, detailed" testimony against Raniere at his 2019 trial as reason for leniency.

Salzman, a one-time member of NXIVM's executive board who pleaded guilty and agreed to become a government cooperator, was one of two witnesses to testify at Raniere's trial about submitting to a barbaric ritual meant to show his slaves devotion to him.

Salzman testified about being held down in 2017 while another Raniere devotee used a cauterizing pen to etch his initials into an area near her pelvis, describing a bizarre initiation procedure.

Master, please brand me. It would be an honor, she recalled saying just before she was branded.

She testified that it was the most painful thing Ive ever experienced.

She also testified that she organized other brandings, inviting women to her house, where they were required to strip naked and sit blindfolded in a circle as part of the ritual.

The first woman branded, she said, was screaming and squealing.

In a letter to the judge prior to her sentencing, Salzman wrote: I wish I could take my participation back. I wish I had been stronger and seen things sooner. ... I cant even begin to imagine the pain, feelings of betrayal, feelings of violation and lasting emotional trauma that the victims have experienced."

At sentencing, she apologized to NXIVM's victims.

Salzman's attorney, Hector J. Diaz, said after her sentencing that his client looks forward to closing a very difficult and incredibly unfortunate chapter to her life. Today marked another step toward this goal.

He added: She wants to be respectful of the victims in this case and will not make further statements at this time. She looks forward to living a private and productive life.

Last October, Garaufis sentenced Raniere to 120 years in prison for turning some adherents into sex slaves branded with his initials and sexually abusing a 15-year-old.

At Raniere's sentencing, 15 victims called for a lengthy prison term.

Last month, Smallville" actor Allison Mack was sentenced to three years in prison for her role in NXIVM. Prosecutors said she cooperated with the prosecution after pleading guilty in the case.

Without cooperating, Mack would have faced between 14 and 17 1/2 years behind bars, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

Her sentence included prison time after prosecutors said she became a master for slaves she ordered to perform labor, take nude photographs, and in some cases, to engage in sex acts with Raniere.

Last September, Seagram's liquor fortune heir Clare Bronfman was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for her role as an unwavering benefactor to Raniere.

As authorities closed in on Raniere, he fled to Mexico with Mack and others to try to reconstitute the group there. He was arrested and sent to the United States in March 2018; Mack was arrested a few days later.
It had only been hinted at in previous public examinations of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection: Scores of rioters attacked police officers not just with makeshift weapons, stun guns and fists, but with racist slurs and accusations of treason.

Four officers, two from the U.S. Capitol Police and two from the D.C.s Metropolitan Police Department, on Tuesday detailed the racism and bigotry they encountered during the violent assault on the Capitol. Their direct, harrowing accounts laid out the hours when the pro-police sentiment of supporters of former President Donald Trump was pushed aside, consumed by the fury of wanting to keep him in the White House.

Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn told lawmakers about an exchange he had with rioters, who disputed that President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the last presidential election. When Dunn, who is Black, argued with the rioters that he voted for Biden and that his vote should be counted, a crowd began hurling the N-word at him.

One woman in a pink MAGA (Make America Great Again) shirt yelled, You hear that, guys, this n voted for Joe Biden! said Dunn, who has served more than a dozen years on the Capitol Police force.

Then the crowd, perhaps around 20 people, joined in, screaming Boo! F n ! he testified. He said no one had ever called him the N-word while he was in uniform. That night, he sat in the Capitol Rotunda and wept.

Ahead of Tuesdays hearing, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, a member of the panel, said the Capitol and D.C. officers would provide insight into what it was like to be on the front lines.

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!

The panels chairman, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, pressed Dunn further about how he felt being an African American officer facing down racists and enduring racial slurs in the halls of democracy.

Its just so disheartening that people like that will attack you just for the color of your skin, Dunn replied. Once I was able to process it, it hurt. My blood is red. Im an American citizen. Im a police officer. Im a peace officer.

While Black Americans make up roughly 13% of the U.S. population, they were roughly 11% of all police officers in 2016 across a sampling of 18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Over 71% of officers were white in 2016.

Its this kind of treatment endured by Black men and women in law enforcement that policing experts say makes recruitment and diversity among U.S. police forces challenging. The law enforcement profession has also struggled with its origins in America, dating back to the slave patrols in the early 1700s formed to capture people who escaped slavery and terrorize the enslaved into submission. Although many African Americans have served valiantly on local and federal police forces since the civil rights movement, data shows Black Americans are still arrested in disproportionate numbers and more likely to be fatally shot by police.

Another Capitol Police officer, Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, wiped away tears as he recalled the story of his immigration to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, only to face fellow Americans who considered him a traitor for defending the Capitol on Jan. 6.

It was very disappointing, Gonell said. I saw many officers fighting for their lives against people, rioters (and) citizens, turning against us."

Gonell, an Iraq War veteran, also called out the disparate law enforcement response to the overwhelmingly white crowd of rioters and the response to racial justice protests in 2020 that followed the murder of George Floyd and the police involved deaths of other Black Americans.

As America and the world watched in horror what was happening to us at the Capitol, we did not receive timely reinforcements and support we needed, he said. In contrast, during the Black Lives Matter protest last year, U.S. Capitol Police had all the support we needed and more. Why the different response?

Indeed, law enforcement agencies in dozens of cities last year showed overwhelming force toward BLM demonstrators. Many used chemical dispersants, rubber bullets and hand-to-hand combat with largely peaceful crowds and some unruly vandals and looters. By the end of 2020, police had made more than 14,000 arrests.

In January, as images and video emerged from the attacks on the Capitol, a racist and anti-Semitic element among the rioters became apparent. One man was pictured inside of the Capitol building carrying a Confederate battle flag.

And in the nearly seven months since the attacks, more video investigations revealed several rioters had flashed white supremacist gang signs and "white power" hand signals during the insurrection.

Gonell also called out the hypocrisy he perceived from many of the rioters who profess to support law enforcement  the thin blue line  but did not agree with those protesting over Floyd last summer.

There are some who expressed outrage when someone simply kneeled for social justice during the national anthem, Gonell said. Where are those same people expressing outrage to condemn the violent attack on law enforcement officers, the U.S. Capitol, and our American democracy?

Im still waiting for that, he said.

___

Morrison reported from New York. He is a member of AP's Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison.

___

This story was first published on July 27, 2021. It was updated on July 28, 2021, to correct the attribution of a quote about people expressing outrage. The quote was from Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, not Officer Harry Dunn.
Midlander Eliel Rosa pleaded guilty on Thursday to one misdemeanor charge for his connection to riots at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 and accepted a plea deal that involves the government dismissing the remaining charges against him, including a felony.

He was originally facing a felony charge for obstruction of an official processing, which would have resulted in up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, and four misdemeanors.
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Terry Mattingly leads GetReligion.org and lives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He is a senior fellow at the Overby Center at the University of Mississippi.
William Perkins Homans III has a somewhat unusual goal for 2022.

My ambition for 2022 is to have enough work that I have to pay taxes, said Homans, a blues musician better known by his stage name, Watermelon Slim. I have way more (free) time than I want.

Homans and his two-man band  John Allouise on bass and Bryan Shaw on drums  were on a European tour in early 2020 when the COVID-19 virus began gaining a toehold around the world.

Ive been an unemployed musician since then, Homans said, noting that they played a gig in Paris on Feb. 22, 2020, before flying home on Feb. 24, 2020. It would be their last for a while.

Homans just might get his taxpayer wish. Watermelon Slim is performing tonight at Southbound Bar & Grill in Springfield, Missouri, and Saturday at BBs Jazz, Blues and Soups in St. Louis. In between, hell play Friday on the downtown Jacksonville square as part of Jacksonville Main Streets Downtown Concert Series.

I bought a new band van  in January (2020) before we went over there, Homans said of the European tour. I thought we had some good road coming. But its sat, 3,000 miles in a year and a half. Im glad to get this van out of the driveway.

Homans is, perhaps, his own harshest critic. He claims not to be the best slide guitarist or harmonica player  Instrumentally, I might be average  but that could be because the musicians with whom hes comparing himself are the likes of musical virtuoso and blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, who was all of 12 when he toured with B.B. King.

Homans also looks up to blues legends John Lee Hooker, Howling Wolf and Muddy Waters.

I have pretty exacting recording standards, Homans said, noting the 13 CDs hes released in his career. Stuff doesnt go out of the studio if it isnt right. Im not an audiophile, but I know what somethings supposed to sound like.

He also makes a point in his performances of finding that just-right sound, a skill he realized he had at an early age.

I first heard the blues at 5 years old, he said. I joined the church at 6 and was singing along with honky-tonk by 7.

It was a housekeeper singing John Lee Hooker tunes who introduced Homans to the blues and that church  he grew up in the Episcopal faith, attending Catholic school  that showed him he could sing on key and harmonize with whatever music was thrown his way.

And the blues he sings? Theyre the real deal.

The songs Im singing, I have lived them, Homans said. I didnt pick cotton, but Ive unloaded railroad cars full of cement bags. Ive been an over-the-road trucker  drove in 48 states.

He also attended college on a fencing scholarship, has two undergraduate degrees and a masters degree, and is a member of Mensa International, the worlds largest and oldest high IQ society. He has worked as a journalist, a teacher with at least a handful of certifications, and has held a range of blue-collar jobs.

But it was music to which hes always returned.

He was recuperating in an Army hospital in Vietnam when he bought his first slide guitar.

I met an old Vietnamese man that happened to have this nastiest guitar with six rusty strings on it, Homans said. I asked how much it cost. He said $5. I gave him $5. I started that day trying to reproduce what I had heard. Im left-handed and play a right-handed guitar backwards. I started with my (Army-issued) Zippo lighter as a slide.

Homans sang to himself as he drove trucks, as he worked in a sawmill. Whatever job he did, he sang.

He competed in 2002 in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and has garnered multiple Blues Music Award nominations, including six each in 2007 and 2008. Only B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray have landed six BMA nominations in a year and only Homans has earned 12 in a consecutive two-year span.

In 2004, I got my first Blues Music Award nomination, Homans said. My mother said, You finally amounted to something. I was 50something years old when she saw that this dream I had been pursuing  against hers and everyones wishes  had borne fruit. Now it has yielded fruit aplenty.

Still, the 72-year-old Homans also is a partner in a small restaurant, the Bluesberry Cafe in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and counts his main jobs there  in addition to playing for the Sunday morning Blues and Breakfast and a Monday night gig  as the dishwasher and heavy lifter.

Im the guy who does the labor, he said. Who lifts all the heavy stuff, takes it from Point A to Point B. Ill be a laborer until I die.

Watermelon Slim will be in concert from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday on the downtown Jacksonville square as part of the Jacksonville Main Street Downtown Concert Series. Admission is free. Refreshments will be available starting at 6 p.m. The after-party will be at KJBs.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Burundis government now says it will accept COVID-19 vaccines, becoming one of the last countries in the world to embrace them. But the health ministry says it will not take responsibility for any side effects they might cause.

Health Minister Thaddee Ndikumana on Wednesday said the vaccines will arrive with the support of the World Bank. It was not immediately clear how many doses the East African country will receive or when.

The vaccine will be given to those who need it, the health minister said. The government will store the doses but will not take responsibility for any side effects, he added.

Burundis announcement came the same day that neighboring Tanzania launched its vaccination campaign, retreating from former President John Magufulis denial of the pandemic. He died in March and the presidency went to his deputy Samia Suluhu Hassan, who has since reversed course on COVID-19 in one of Africa's most populous countries.

Burundis late President Pierre Nkurunziza, who died last year, also was criticized for taking the pandemic lightly. The administration of his successor, President Evariste Ndayishimiye, earlier this year said the country of more than 11 million people didnt yet need COVID-19 vaccines.

Burundi continues to carry out mass screenings for the virus, and the health minister noted the more infectious variants now spreading. If we do not change our behavior, we risk finding ourselves in the coming months at the starting point situation, he said.

Burundi has had more than 6,700 confirmed infections, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Burundis decision leaves Eritrea, one of the worlds most closed-off nations, as the only African country that hasnt accepted the vaccines. Eritrea's government has reported more than 6,500 confirmed cases.

The director of the Africa CDC, John Nkengasong, told reporters on Thursday he was not sure why Eritrea is not taking vaccines but we continue to engage them....We leave no country behind.
Some Jacksonville residents were uneasy Wednesday after hearing gunshots late Tuesday, followed by police closing off Jordan Street while they investigated.

It makes me feel a little uneasy, said Vicki Zink, who heard the gunfire from her house nearby. I think this is a random thing, though, but it makes me question if I made the right decision in moving here.

Zink moved to Jacksonville just a month ago from Kansas City, where Zink said there are some rough places. She appreciates Jacksonville Police Departments response time.

Its just a little nerve-racking, but I think the Jacksonville Police are on it, she said, adding that they were on the scene within minutes.

Tuesday was the second time gunfire had been reported on the same street within a four-day span. Police were called about 11:30 p.m. Friday to the 600 block of Jordan Street and the 300 block of North Prairie Street. On Tuesday, they were called back to Jordan Street, where Zink and others reported hearing shots fired.

Gunfire also was reported about 9 p.m. Tuesday after a resident of the 600 block of Allen Avenue said three men got out of a vehicle and fired about eight shots toward a residence before taking off.

Within minutes, reports of shots being fired were coming in from the 800 block of North Clay Avenue, just 1 mile from the Jordan Street location.

One Jordan Street resident said she thought she was hearing fireworks before she realized it was gunfire. Her kids bedroom was on the side of her house closest to the shooting, so she moved the children downstairs and away from the house that was under fire, she said.

Jacksonville Police Chief Adam Mefford said Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing.

Greenfield police stopped a car about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday on Illinois Route 267 because the driver was speeding. The driver pulled over but took off before the officer made contact, according to Greene County Sheriffs Department. A sheriffs deputy joined the pursuit along Illinois 267 and the driver entered Brighton. Brighton police officers then tried to use spike sticks to stop the vehicle but it was able to maneuver around them.

As the pursuit continued, the driver tried to collide with an Illinois State Police car.

The pursuit went into Madison County and continued onto Interstate 255. Madison County sheriffs deputies, state police troopers and officers from several municipal law enforcement agencies assisted in the pursuit and, after the driver was again able to avoid a set of spike stripes, were able to disable it with a second set as the car neared the Illinois Route 162 exit of I-255.

The driver and an unknown number of passengers were able to escape on foot, authorities said.

The vehicle was impounded and a semiautomatic rifle, shell casings and ammunition were found inside. Police said several handguns were found near the location where the suspects last were seen.

Authorities said they have been able to identify the driver and passengers and were seeking arrest warrants.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that efforts to address root causes of migration from three Central American countries won't produce immediate results as she unveiled a broad strategy that expands on principles the Biden administration previously outlined.

Harris said the United States alone cannot tackle deep-seated motives for people to leave Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, including corruption, violence and poverty. The governments of Mexico, Japan and South Korea, along with the United Nations, have committed to joining the push, she said without elaborating.

The plan, which avoids deadlines, supports short-term relief for migration pressures like extreme weather while committing sustained attention to long-term motivations for people to leave their countries.

We will build on what works, and we will pivot away from what does not work, Harris wrote in an introduction to the 20-page plan. It will not be easy, and progress will not be instantaneous, but we are committed to getting it right.

Harris noted that she recently traveled to Guatemala, where one of the largest challenges is corruption. On Tuesday, the Biden administration said it suspended cooperation with Guatemalas Attorney Generals Office after the firing of the agency's top anti-corruption prosecutor, saying it "lost confidence in the country's willingness to fight corruption.

The White House also released a Collaborative Migration Management Strategy, which President Joe Biden ordered in February to outline how the United States will work with other countries to address migration flows. The 14-page document summarizes earlier announcements and espouses goals that Biden and top aides have outlined before. They include expanding protections and job opportunities in countries where people are leaving, creating more legal pathways to come to the United States and fostering secure and humane management of borders.

Harris' task, which Biden assumed when he was President Barack Obama's vice president, is enormous in scope and complexity, and the administration has struggled for short- and long-term responses.

U.S. border authorities reported large numbers of arrivals at the Mexican border in June, with significant increases in people arriving in families and children traveling alone. The trend appears to be continuing in July, when soaring temperatures often deter people from coming.

A group of 509 migrants from Central and South America turned themselves in Monday night in Hidalgo, Texas, hours after another group of 336 migrants was encountered nearby, said Brian Hastings, the Border Patrol sector chief in Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings.

On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said it resumed fast-track deportations, known as expedited removals, for certain families that don't express fear of being returned home. While it never announced a suspension, many families that enter the country illegally have been getting released in the United States with orders to appear in immigration court or report to immigration authorities.
Oppressive temperatures and humidity that pushed the heat index above 110 degrees today in west-central Illinois are expected to ease significantly, but not before a round of potential dangerous storms moves through the region.

At 1 p.m., the temperature was 89 degrees in Jacksonville, but the heat index was 110 degrees. Between 2 and 3 p.m. today, the National Weather Service said the heat index would reach 113 degrees before starting to fall. It was expected to stay above 100 degrees until after 6 p.m.
The driver and passengers of a car suspected of being involved in a series of shootings Tuesday in Jacksonville were able to escape authorities after a chase early Wednesday that went through Greene County and into Madison County.

Greenfield police officers stopped a car about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday on Illinois Route 267 because the driver was speeding. The driver pulled over but took off before the officer made contact, according to Greene County Sheriffs Department. A sheriffs deputy joined the pursuit along Illinois 267 and the driver entered Brighton. Brighton police officers then tried to use spike sticks to stop the vehicle but it was able to maneuver around them.

As the pursuit continued, the driver tried to collide with an Illinois State Police car. Authorities were notified the driver was suspected of being involved in shootings between 9 and 10 p.m. Tuesday in three parts of Jacksonville and that those in the vehicle could be armed and dangerous.

The pursuit went into Madison County and continued onto Interstate 255. Madison County sheriffs deputies, state police troopers and officers from several municipal law enforcement agencies assisted in the pursuit and, after the driver was again able to avoid a set of spike stripes, were able to disable it with a second set as the car neared the Illinois Route 162 exit of I-255.

The driver and an unknown number of passengers were able to escape on foot, authorities said.

The vehicle was impounded and a semiautomatic rifle, shell casings and ammunition were found inside. Police said several handguns were found near where the suspects were last seen.

Authorities said they were able to identify the driver and passengers and were seeking arrest warrants.

Dozens of shots rang out late Tuesday in several Jacksonville neighborhoods in what police say were connected shootings.

It was the second time in four days gunfire has been reported at one of the scenes.

No one was injured, but authorities said there was property damage.

About 9 p.m. Tuesday, a resident of the 600 block of Allen Avenue said three men got out of a vehicle and fired about eight shots toward a residence before taking off.

A short time later, police received multiple calls about shots being fired in the 600 block of Jordan Street. A witness reported hearing the shots and then noticing two cars speeding along West Lafayette Avenue.

Within minutes, reports of shots being fired started coming in from the 800 block of North Clay Avenue, which is 1 mile from the Jordan Street location.

Police had been called about 11:30 p.m. Friday to the 600 block of Jordan Street and 300 block of North Prairie Street after people reported hearing shots being fired. A house in the 300 block of North Prairie Street had been struck by gunfire and shots hit a vehicle in the 600 block of Jordan Street.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Congressmen Darin LaHood of Illinois and Darrell Issa of California have introduced a resolution in support of the U.S. and Lebanon relationship and of its people.

House Resolution 569 was introduced to combat government corruption, execute needed structural reform and support the Lebanese Armed Forces a year after a blast in the Port of Beirut, according to LaHood. It is also intended to show support of the people and to oppose the influence of Hezbollah, an Islamist political party and militant group.
Stefani Reynolds/AP

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's 2016 presidential campaign committee has been fined $21,000 by the Federal Election Commission for improperly handling contributions, according to documents obtained by a newspaper.

The penalty follows a 2016 complaint made by J. Russell Lloyd, the former chairman of the Louisville Democratic Party, according to a letter the FEC recently sent that was addressed to Lloyd, the Courier Journal reported Thursday. Lloyd died in February 2020.
Conventional wisdom holds the United States, with its light-touch approach to broadband regulation, has some of the highest broadband prices among OECD countries. Policymakers are using this belief to call for a $100 billion investment in broadband infrastructure that, they argue, will lower prices for consumers through prioritizing taxpayer money for municipally operated networks and co-operatives. Bidens plan, the White House claims, will enable the United States to reach 100% coverage.

While increasing coverage is a laudable policy objective, the fact remains that the White Houses approach ignores the reality that broadband in America is more affordable here than in other comparable countries.

Simply put, the Biden administration wants to invest $100 billion to fix something that is not broken. Unfortunately, in trying to fix this problem, the administration is planning on wasting taxpayer money and destroying an ecosystem that has provided consumers with lower prices, faster speeds, and more reliable internet services.

A recent report from USTelecom revealed that contrary to the White Houses claims, the price of broadband fell significantly between 2015 and 2021. In 2015, USTelecom estimated the monthly price of broadband to be $45.58 per month. By 2021, that figure had fallen to just $31.35 in real dollar terms, a 31% decline.

At around $31.25 per month, Americans can expect to pay just $375 each year for broadband internet. While this might be prohibitive for a small fraction of the population, it is exceptionally affordable when you consider Americans spend between $1,410 and $2,008 per year on coffee and $840 per year on a cellphone plan.

These price declines have meant broadband is more accessible to consumers, particularly lower-income Americans. In June 2021, Pew Research reported that the number of low-income households with access to home internet had reached a record high of 57%.

While this figure still lags well behind those in the middle- and upper-income brackets, it represents a significant increase from 2011, when just 40% of low-income Americans had broadband access.

Globally, these low prices mean that America has some of the highest broadband subscription rates in the world. In December 2019, it was estimated that America had 313.32 million internet users, putting it third globally behind China and India, countries with significantly larger populations.

If the internet was as expensive as the Biden administration claims it is, this figure would most likely be significantly lower, and the U.S. would be further down the global subscribership rankings.

The White Houses claim that broadband is more expensive also ignores the reality that Americans are often considerably better off in terms of average income than individuals in other countries. Individuals who use broadband in the United States often pay about $25 more than those abroad, or about $300 extra each year.

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 percent 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.

Despite the Biden administrations assertions, it should be readily apparent that Americans do not face significant financial barriers to accessing broadband. On the contrary, not only is broadband in the U.S. more affordable than elsewhere, but it is also becoming more affordable each year with price declines that are enabling more and more Americans to connect to a faster service. Rather than wasting $100 billion of taxpayers money, the Biden administration should focus on expanding the light-touch regulatory environment that has enabled these trends.

By seeking such substantial financial investments into broadband, the current administration is seeking to fix something that just isnt broken.

Edward Longe is a research associate at the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit educational and research organization. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
George Clinton, Remy Ma, KRS-One to headline free concerts View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  Remy Ma, George Clinton and KRS-One are among the headliners of a series of free concerts next month meant to celebrate New York Citys emergence from the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday.

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required for the Its Time for Hip Hop in NYC concerts taking place at outdoor venues in the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens starting Aug. 16.

While a previously announced Aug. 21 Central Park concert will feature performers across multiple genres, the four concerts outside of Manhattan will focus on hip-hop, and particularly New York Citys essential historic contribution to hip-hop and what each borough has contributed, de Blasio said at a virtual news briefing.

The Aug. 16 show at Orchard Beach in the Bronx will include performances by KRS-One, Slick Rick, Remy Ma, Furious 5 featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio, Kid Capri and Soul Sonic Force.

Raekwon and Ghost Face Killah of Wu-Tang Clan will headline at Aug. 17 on Staten Island in a concert that will also feature Crystal Waters, Force MDs and Rob Base.

Big Daddy Kane, Desiigner, C&C Music Factory and Elle Varner will perform at the Brooklyn Army Terminal on Aug. 19.

George Clinton + The P-Funk All Stars will headline on Aug. 20 at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. Other performers will include Too Short and Mobb Deep.

Many of the artists performing in these shows are native New Yorkers hailing from the five boroughs, said Rocky Bucano, executive director of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, which is under construction in the Bronx. Its their talent, creativity and passion for the culture that spread it from the stoops, parks and playgrounds to stages worldwide. 

Free tickets for all four concerts will be released in batches at nyc.gov/HomecomingWeek starting Aug. 2 at 10 a.m.
Governor Newsom Tours Tamarack Fire View Photo

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak surveyed a Tamarack Fire damage area and met with fire and emergency management personnel responding to the fire, which has burned 68,497 acres on both sides of the California-Nevada border.

Newsom was Thursdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

Were here in the spirit of partnership that unites all of us on the West Coast  Republican and Democratic states  confronting the devastating impacts of our climate crisis, from catastrophic wildfires to severe drought to deadly high temperatures, said Newsom. Were grateful for our long-standing emergency management relationships with Nevada, substantially at work in the response to this fire. Meeting our shared challenges in the years ahead will require all of us to build partnerships at a level never seen before.

After surveying wildfire damage in Gardnerville, where many residents have lost their homes, the Governors, CAL FIRE Director Thom Porter and CAL OES Director Mark Ghilarducci visited the Incident Command Center operated from Douglas High School, where they joined a briefing by fire and emergency management personnel. Director Ghilarducci and Chief Porter also traveled to Alpine County, where they met with officials and Sheriff Rick Stephens who successfully evacuated residents and tourists from the fast-approaching wildfire.

Newsom last week proclaimed a state of emergency for Alpine County due to the Tamarack Fire, which was ignited July 4 in a lightning strike in the Mokelumne Wilderness. CAL FIRE has deployed strike teams to protect people and property in Markleeville, and additional resources have been ordered to support the response to the fire through the mutual aid system, including local government engines, airtankers and helicopters. Over the past three years, CAL FIRE has worked in partnership with residents and local officials to conduct defensible space inspections on many structures in the Markleeville community, an important measure to help protect homes.

Newsom has invested $2.2 billion to build wildfire resiliency and advance emergency response, the largest such investment in state history. The funding supports additional firefighting crews, new firefighting equipment and expanded land and forest management efforts that save lives and protect communities.

Last week, California secured 12 additional firefighting aircraft, nine of which were immediately dispatched to combat new and emerging fires.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Wildfires in southern Turkey leave 3 dead, 58 hospitalized View Photo

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkish authorities on Thursday began investigating the cause of a string of forest fires in Turkeys Mediterranean and southern Aegean regions, including two near the coastal resort town of Manavgat that killed three people and sent over 50 others to the hospital as homes burned down.

A wildfire that broke out Wednesday in Manavgat, in Antalya province, and was fanned by strong winds and scorching temperatures, was largely contained, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said. But another fire that started overnight and swept through the district of Akseki, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north, kept firefighters engaged.

Three people were killed in those fires, and authorities evacuated nearly 20 neighborhoods or villages.

The Antalya region is a popular vacation destination for tourists from Russia and other parts of Europe.

Fires also broke out Thursday in 16 other locations, including in the Icmeler region, close to the resort of Marmaris, 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Antalya, that briefly threatened holiday homes and hotels. A hotel in the Aegean beach resort of Guvercinlik, near the town of Bodrum, was also evacuated, Pakdemirli said.

Mehmet Oktay, the mayor of Marmaris, told NTV television that he could not rule out sabotage for the fire there, while Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidential communications director, said comprehensive investigations were  launched into the cause of the fires.

Those responsible will have to account for the attacks against nature and forests, Altun said Twitter.

Pakdemirli said a total of 53 forest fires were reported in the country on Wednesday and Thursday, but that most of them had been brought under control. Three planes, 38 helicopters and some 4,000 firefighters were deployed to battle the blazes, he said.

Wildfires are common in Turkeys Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months, although some previous forest fires have been blamed on arson or outlawed Kurdish militants.

The dead in the fires in Antalya included a 82-year-old man in Aksekis Kepezbeleni neighborhood, where 80% of the houses were incinerated, the districts governor, Volkan Hulur, told Anadolu.

The Turkish governments Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD, said in addition to the three dead, at least 112 people were affected by the fires, including 58 who were hospitalized, mostly for smoke inhalation.

Authorities also rescued 10 people stranded at a restaurant near Akseki.

Pakdemirli said more than a 1,000 farm animals perished while 1,500 acres of agricultural land and 120 acres agricultural glasshouses were destroyed in Manavgat. He said 10 intubated intensive care patients at Manavgats state hospital were transferred to other hospitals as a precaution.

Patrizia Under, who was vacationing in the Icmerler area, said she was bathing in the sea with friends when she noticed a fire blazing on a mountainside behind a residential area that engulfed the air with smoke.

We got out of the sea and got into our car and left, she said by telephone, as she waited for authorities to allow people to return to their homes.

By SUZAN FRASER

Associated Press
Nikola founder Milton freed on $100M bail after fraud arrest View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  The founder and one-time executive chair of Nikola Corp. was freed on $100 million bail Thursday after pleading not guilty to charges alleging he lied about the electric and hydrogen-powered truck startup, duping novice investors including some financially struggling people looking for income during the pandemic.

Trevor Milton, 39, of Oakley, Utah, resigned from Nikola in September amid allegations of fraud. At the time, Milton said he would defend himself against accusations that the company made false claims about its vehicles, allegations Nikola rejects.

In an unsealed indictment Manhattan federal court, Milton was charged with securities and wire fraud.

At an arraignment, Milton pleaded not guilty. He was released on $100 million bail, secured by two Utah properties, including one that a prosecutor said was recently appraised at $36 million. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn ordered him not to contact investors unless he had an independent relationship with them.

Marc Mukasey, one of Miltons attorneys, alerted the judge that some financial information in the court record would have to be revised, including a statement that some Milton bank accounts contained $50 million.

Mukasey said it was a lot less than that as we understand it.

As he left the courthouse in a suit and purple tie, Milton declined to answer questions.

His lawyers issued a statement through a spokesperson saying justice was not served by the governments action today, but it will be when Mr. Milton is exonerated.

The statement called the case a new low in the governments efforts to criminalize lawful business conduct. Every executive in America should be horrified.

Trevor Milton is an entrepreneur who had a long-term vision of helping the environment by cutting carbon emissions in the trucking industry. Mr. Milton has been wrongfully accused following a faulty and incomplete investigation in which the government ignored critical evidence and failed to interview important witnesses, it added.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said Milton from November 2019 through last September brazenly and repeatedly used social media, and appearances and interviews on television, podcasts, and in print, to make false and misleading claims about the status of Nikolas trucks and technology.

She told a news conference that the charges were where the rubber meets the road after repeated public lies by Milton, including his claim that one of the companys early prototypes  Nikola One  could be driven when the closest it ever came was when some Nikola engineers rolled it down a hill for a television commercial.

A video of it was included in the indictment, along with Miltons explanation that the truck did not drive under its own power because motors and gears were removed for safety reasons and that Milton never deceived anyone.

He even claimed that Nikola was developing the technology for a new line of pickup trucks called the Badger, when in fact the Badger was going to be little more than another companys truck with Nikola branding on top, Strauss said.

At the bottom, this case is very straightforward, the prosecutor said. Milton told lies to generate popular demand for Nikolas stock.

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed separate civil charges.

Shares of Nikola Corp., headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, finished Thursday down over 15%.

Miltons claims were aimed at retail investors lacking professional experience in the securities markets, including people with no experience who began trading stocks during the coronavirus pandemic to replace or supplement lost income or to occupy time during the lockdown, the indictment said.

Some, it said, suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses, including the loss of retirement savings or funds they had borrowed to invest in Nikola.

Meanwhile, Milton was motivated to mislead investors to enrich himself and elevate his stature as an entrepreneur, the indictment said, noting that his holdings in Nikola were valued at $8.5 billion at one point, moving him closer to his dream of being listed among the worlds 100 wealthiest people.

Milton was described in the indictment as a serial entrepreneur from Utah with no formal background in engineering when he started Nikola in 2015. After Nikola announced in March 2020 that its stock would be publicly listed, Milton became increasingly preoccupied with its stock price and keeping it high, it said.

Nikola issued a statement distancing itself from its founder, saying he hadnt been involved in the companys operations and communications since his September resignation.

Todays government actions are against Mr. Milton individually, and not against the company, the statement said. Nikola has cooperated with the government throughout the course of its inquiry. We remain committed to our previously announced milestones and timelines and are focused on delivering Nikola Tre battery-electric trucks later this year from the companys manufacturing facilities.

By LARRY NEUMEISTER

Associated Press
Guatemalans protest president, attorney general View Photo

GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  Thousands of Guatemalans took to the streets in protest Thursday, blocking highways and calling for a national strike over the governments apparent unwillingness to tackle corruption.

Pressure has been building since Attorney General Consuelo Porras fired anti-corruption special prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval on July 23. In response, the United States government this week said that it had lost confidence in Guatemalas commitment to battling corruption and was temporarily suspending cooperation with Porras office.

President Alejandro Giammattei has previously spoken of his friendship with Porras, who was appointed by his predecessor, President Jimmy Morales.

Singing the national anthem, some 10,000 people blocked one of the countrys main highways early Thursday. Organizations representing Indigenous Guatemalans, farmworkers, students and professionals have said they will join a national work stoppage.

In front of the presidential offices, Daniel Pascual, director of the Farmworker Unity Committee, said that protests had been registered in at least 90 sites around the country.

Mario Menchu, president of the 14 Communities of San Cristobal Totonicapan, said protesters demanded Porras resignation. He also complained that Giammattei had not followed through on promised structural improvements in the country.

Protests were taking place across Guatemala, including outside the Attorney Generals Office, which issued a statement saying it respects the right to protest and the right of freedom of expression.

Laura Aguiar, secretary general of the Oliverio Castaneda de Leon Students Association at San Carlos University, said her group demanded that both Porras and the president resign, accusing officials of failing to call out corruption.

Some business associations condemned the blockades as illegal.

Sandoval said after his firing that as his investigations got closer to Giammattei and members of his cabinet, Porras made efforts to block him. Porras said she fired him because his investigations were ideologically biased.

Sandovals office was a critical remaining piece of Guatemalas anti-corruption efforts. In 2019, the Morales forced out the United Nations anti-corruption mission, which had worked closely with Sandovals office to dismantle graft networks.

On Thursday, Giammattei expressed his concern that the suspension in U.S. cooperation would be counterproductive because it would affect the countries common goals of fighting organized crime and corruption. He said he had asked the finance minister to look for budget support and called on friendly countries to help keep efforts from being diminished.

Eleven opposition lawmakers sent a letter to Porras asking her to resign over Sandovals firing. You are no longer independent nor ideal to continue in the position, the letter said.

By SONIA PEREZ D.

Associated Press
Trump supporters raise $5.7M for Arizona election audit View Photo

PHOENIX (AP)  Groups connected to prominent supporters of former President Donald Trumps movement to cast doubt on the 2020 election results have raised $5.7 million for Arizona Republicans election audit.

Doug Logan, CEO of Cyber Ninjas, the little-known firm hired to lead the audit, ended months of silence about who was paying for it and how much it cost Wednesday night. The money from pro-Trump groups dwarfs the $150,000 contributed by the Arizona Senate, which commissioned the audit and hired Cyber Ninjas.

Among those leading the fundraising groups are Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor; Sydney Powell, his attorney who filed a number of baseless lawsuits challenging election results; Patrick Byrne, a former chief executive of Overstock.com; and correspondents from the pro-Trump One America News Network.

The confirmation that the audit is being overwhelmingly funded by groups promoting false narratives about the election will raise further questions about the validity of the final report. The audit has already been widely discredited by election experts who say Cyber Ninjas and other contractors are biased and using unusual procedures that wont produce reliable results.

When the sources of the money, and the activity thats being paid for, and the people being paid are all putting forth falsehoods  its incredibly troubling and problematic, said Tammy Patrick, a senior adviser at the Democracy Fund and a former Maricopa County elections official.

Republican Senate President Karen Fann says the audit is only meant to see whether improvements are needed to state election laws. But the audit has long been associated with the stop the steal movement, and Trump has predicted it will uncover evidence to support his discredited theories of fraud.

Before he was hired to lead the audit, Logan promoted Trumps false narrative that the election was stolen from him, and pro-Trump media has aggressively promoted the effort.

By far the largest funder is The America Project, led by Byrne, which Logan said has so far contributed $3.25 million. Americas Future, which lists Flynn as its chairman, contributed just over $976,000. Voices and Votes, led by OANN correspondents Christina Bobb and Chanel Rion, contributed $605,000; and Powells Defending the Republic gave $550,000. Election Integrity Funds for the American Republic, which Logan said is led by attorney Matthew DePerno, contributed $280,000. DePerno unsuccessfully sued Antrim County, Michigan, over the election.

Logan said several of the groups have also provided operational support and advice pivotal in executing the audit.

Still unclear is where those groups got their money. They are organized as nonprofits and do not have to disclose their donors.

Logan has fought to keep the funders secret, though he acknowledged at the beginning of the audit that his $150,000 contract with the Senate wouldnt cover the cost of the work the Senate hired him to do. He released the figures on the deadline for him to voluntarily comply with a request for information, including donor information, from the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee. Several public records lawsuits also seek information from the Senate and Cyber Ninjas.

A news release from Cyber Ninjas said the audit received $5,711,514.43 in outside donations, but the itemized list of amounts contributed by each of the five groups adds up to $50,000 less. A spokesman for Cyber Ninjas, Rod Thomson, did not respond to an email seeking clarification on the discrepancy.

Thomson declined to say how much of the $5.7 million has been profit for Cyber Ninjas and other contractors, whether they expect to get more money and whether there are plans for what to do if the contributions far exceed the costs of the audit.

The auditors on Thursday began returning the 2.1 million ballots and election equipment to Maricopa County, three months after they were delivered to the state fairgrounds for a review that was originally expected to take 60 days.

The Senate got access to the materials after top senators issued a subpoena late last year, as Trump and his allies tried to convince members of Congress not to certify Joe Bidens win on Jan. 6. Maricopa County turned them over after a judge ruled the subpoena was valid.

Fann and Judiciary Committee Chairman Warren Petersen this week issued new subpoenas demanding more information as well as materials they say the Senate withheld from the original demand. Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican, said the board members are discussing their options with their lawyers and expect to say more within the next week.

By JONATHAN J. COOPER

Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkish authorities on Thursday began investigating the cause of a string of forest fires in Turkey's Mediterranean and southern Aegean regions, including two near the coastal resort town of Manavgat that killed three people and sent over 50 others to the hospital as homes burned down.

A wildfire that broke out Wednesday in Manavgat, in Antalya province, and was fanned by strong winds and scorching temperatures, was largely contained, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said. But another fire that started overnight and swept through the district of Akseki, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north, kept firefighters engaged.

Three people were killed in those fires, and authorities evacuated nearly 20 neighborhoods or villages.

The Antalya region is a popular vacation destination for tourists from Russia and other parts of Europe.

Fires also broke out Thursday in 16 other locations, including in the Icmeler region, close to the resort of Marmaris, 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Antalya, that briefly threatened holiday homes and hotels. A hotel in the Aegean beach resort of Guvercinlik, near the town of Bodrum, was also evacuated, Pakdemirli said.

Mehmet Oktay, the mayor of Marmaris, told NTV television that he could not rule out sabotage for the fire there, while Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidential communications director, said comprehensive investigations were ... launched into the cause of the fires.

Those responsible will have to account for the attacks against nature and forests, Altun said Twitter.

Pakdemirli said a total of 53 forest fires were reported in the country on Wednesday and Thursday, but that most of them had been brought under control. Three planes, 38 helicopters and some 4,000 firefighters were deployed to battle the blazes, he said.

Wildfires are common in Turkeys Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months, although some previous forest fires have been blamed on arson or outlawed Kurdish militants.

The dead in the fires in Antalya included a 82-year-old man in Aksekis Kepezbeleni neighborhood, where 80% of the houses were incinerated, the districts governor, Volkan Hulur, told Anadolu.

The Turkish government's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD, said in addition to the three dead, at least 112 people were affected by the fires, including 58 who were hospitalized, mostly for smoke inhalation.

Authorities also rescued 10 people stranded at a restaurant near Akseki.

Pakdemirli said more than a 1,000 farm animals perished while 1,500 acres of agricultural land and 120 acres agricultural glasshouses were destroyed in Manavgat. He said 10 intubated intensive care patients at Manavgat's state hospital were transferred to other hospitals as a precaution.

Patrizia Under, who was vacationing in the Icmerler area, said she was bathing in the sea with friends when she noticed a fire blazing on a mountainside behind a residential area that engulfed the air with smoke.

We got out of the sea and got into our car and left," she said by telephone, as she waited for authorities to allow people to return to their homes.
MERIDEN  Despite Mondays hot and humid weather, the conditions did not keep a group of local women from having fun at an outdoor Zumba class at Hubbard Park.

Smiles could be seen in the face of the instructor as well as the students who energetically danced and clapped through a number of songs.

Penny Delahanty, of Meriden, taught the class in an outfit displaying a variety of neon colors while guiding the students through movements synced up with the music.

Delahanty handed students colorful rags they could wave around as they danced, adding another visual spectacle to the class.

Delahanty has been a Zumba instructor for 10 years. She always had a passion for dancing, so her husband inspired her to take her first Zumba class in 2009.

In 2010, she was diagnosed with stage three kidney disease. While shes living her childhood dream of dancing, she also uses Zumba to raise funds in support of the National Kidney Foundation.

Delahanty recently went on a Meriden Facebook forum to ask if the community had any interest in outdoor Zumba classes. She received a positive response.

The first class took place on July 12. Additional classes will go on every other Monday at 6 p.m. until Oct. 25.

She wanted to hold the classes to benefit the community, which is why she is asking for an optional $2 donation, but does not turn anyone away if they cant pay.

Im not all about money, Im just about bringing people together, watching people smile, have a good time, de-stress and let all your troubles just go away, she said.

Benefits of Zumba

I just feel adamant that people need to release stress, Delahanty said. I just know with Zumba, and any kind of form of fitness, is just a huge stress reliever for me.

With Zumba, she wants to help people deal with the pandemic, release stress and have fun.

Zumba provides an hour of the day where people dont need to think about anything else other than having fun, she said. Music reaches peoples souls, lifting them up and turning a bad day into a good day, Delahanty added.

Delahanty has seen a mix of cultures in outdoor classes including some Latinos.

Zumba normally includes a variety of Spanish songs. Delahanty said that although she doesnt always understand the words, the rhythm is what gets to her.

Tthe reason Zumba includes a lot of Spanish music is because it has a format that is supposed to take you around the world in one hour.

She said cumbia, reggaeton, salsa and dembow are some of the rhythms that can typically be found in her playlists.

Jasmine Ellison, of Meriden, was one of the students in Mondays class. She attended in an effort to stay active. Her workout routines include dance and cardio, which keep her interested and not bored.

For me, dance and fluid workouts, they really, really help me just keep my mind, body and soul active and focused.

Though Ellison is not Latino, the culture is very, very dear to my heart, she said and explained she grew up with Latinos. She said she can read and write in Spanish and even published a bilingual childrens book.

Elizabeth Falcon, of Meriden, also took part in the class. She also attended the first class and liked it so decided to attend the second one.

Her favorite part was getting out, being outside, she said.

It gets the whole family out of the house, my boyfriend and daughter are at the playground and I brought my mom and sister, she said.

Falcon, who is Puerto Rican, said enjoys the Spanish music. Prior to starting the class, she said she was looking forward to the music, getting moving.

Delahanty will offer outdoor Zumba Aug. 2, 16, and 30th; Sept. 13 and 27; and Oct. 11 and 25.

Students can register prior to each class on eventbrite but it is not a requirement.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zumba-at-hubbard-park-with-penny-tickets-161358845651

ksantos@record-journal.com203-317-2364Twitter: @KarlaSantosNews
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Bob Odenkirk, who collapsed on Tuesday on the New Mexico set of Better Call Saul, is in stable condition, according to his representatives.

On Wednesday afternoon, Odenkirks team issued this statement:

We can confirm Bob is in stable condition after experiencing a heart-related incident. He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side. The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery.

Odenkirk was in production on the sixth and final season of AMCs Better Call Saul when the incident occurred on Tuesday. As Variety reported last night, the shows crew called an ambulance, and Odenkirk was taken to a hospital. There has been outpouring of support  and worry  from fans, as well as former co-stars Bryan Cranston and David Cross.

Odenkirk, 58, has played the character of Saul Goodman since Season 2 of the Emmy-winning Breaking Bad in 2009. Since its 2015 premiere, its spinoff prequel, Better Call Saul, has traced the characters transformation from the somewhat hapless, slightly shady Jimmy McGill to the corrupt (yet hilarious) Saul Goodman audiences met in Breaking Bad. He has been nominated for four lead actor in a drama Emmys for Better Call Saul. The industry veteran is widely respected in the creative community as a hard-working pro.

Odenkirk began his career as a comedy writer, writing for Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s. Odenkirk then worked as both a writer and actor on the ahead-of-its-time Ben Stiller Show, where he met Cross, who became his comedic partner. The two created the beloved Mr. Show With Bob and David, which ran on HBO for four seasons from 1995 to 1998. A prolific actor, writer and producer, Odenkirk recently starred in the movie thriller Nobody. Friends of Odenkirk noted that he had worked with a trainer for the action movie and had remained in strong physical condition.

The final season of Better Call Saul is expected to premiere in early 2022. In a statement, AMC Networks expressed heartfelt concern for the star of the most prestigious drama series at present.

Bob is someone we have known and been lucky enough to work with for a long time. The immediate outpouring of affection and concern from fans around the world is a clear reflection of his immense talents and ability to both move and entertain people, AMC said. Like everyone else, we are so grateful to know he is in stable condition and receiving excellent care. We are holding him close in our thoughts and wishing for a fast and full recovery.

In a statement, Sony Pictures Television said: Bob has been a part of our Sony Pictures family for many years and we are fortunate to be able to work with such a uniquely talented, incredible human being. Along with the millions of fans and supporters around the world, we are keeping him and his family in our thoughts and wishing him all the best in his recovery.

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Tiffany Haddish and LaKeith Stanfield may be in for a scare.

The two actors are in talks to star in Disneys upcoming remake of The Haunted Mansion, directed by Justin Simien, who previously helmed Dear White People and the horror film Bad Hair.

The Haunted Mansion takes its roots from the spooky theme park ride, which first debuted at Disneyland in 1969. It took guests through a terrifying manor filled with ghosts, ghouls and various other undead residents designed to give guests a fright. It was also one of the only attractions in which Disney employees were encouraged not to smile.

The ride first served as inspiration for a feature film in 2003 with Eddie Murphys family-friendly horror comedy The Haunted Mansion. Plot details are being kept under wraps for the latest adaptation.

Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are producing the film through their production company Rideback. Nick Reynolds of Rideback will serve as executive producer. Katie Dippold wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay.

Stanfield received an Oscar nomination for co-starring in Judas and the Black Messiah alongside Daniel Kaluuya, who took home the award for best supporting actor. Hes also known for starring in the FX series Atlanta and can be seen next in the Western The Harder They Fall.

Haddish most recently starred in Netflixs comedy Bad Trip with Eric Andre and Lil Rel Howery. Next up, shell appear in The Card Counter with Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe and Tye Sheridan and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent with Nicolas Cage.

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Naco Mexican Eatery, a popular San Antonio food truck, is graduating to its first brick-and-mortar location.

An exact grand opening date has not been revealed, but the restaurant is expected to open at Los Patios, an oasis of event space and offices tucked in the woods near Salado Creek, in the fall, according to a news release.

Husband-wife duo Francisco Estrada and Lizzeth Martinez started the concept more than three years ago. Naco's focus on authentic Mexican street eats, such as traditional tortas and chilaquiles, earned the business multiple food awards in the city.

They also offer keto-friendly options and veggie-focused plates.

Much of the menu that made Naco popular will carry into the restaurant when its open. There will also be a few new offerings, like all-day chilaquiles with new sauce options, including almond mole; eggs Benedict topped with brisket and Huitlacoche; and Mexican-inspired croissants with guava and cheese.

Billed as relaxed atmosphere, the restaurant will be housed in a 2,900-square-foot family-friendly space, which includes space for private parties and a sprawling patio.

We are blessed to be in a wonderful city, surrounded by the most amazing people who have fallen in love with our Mexican food that includes our own family flavors, Estrada's statement reads We cant wait to be able to showcase even more with our full-service restaurant space.
The Fruteria is reenergized months after closing for renovations and has a fresh look.

The chef Johnny Hernandez restaurant closed just before the holidays to breathe new life into the space which opened in 2012. Months later, the new look is ready for its big reveal. The revamp applies to the interior as well as the menu.

A mural of sarape covers the back wall of the restaurant, thanks to local artist Rubio.

Hernandez curated finishings from trips to Mexico, like Puebla patio tile and new pink furniture.

Courtesy, Grupo La Gloria

He wants the vibe to match the evening energy of modern botaneros in Mexico. While trendy and happening, he wants the Fruteria to maintain the versatility to be warm and inviting for daytime dining. He said the art deco design of the Atlee B. Ayres-built building The Fruteria is housed in makes it a natural balance for both.

As for the eats, Hernandez said at least 70 percent of the menu will be new to fans.

"They'll remember a handful of their favorites and we're obviously adding more things to it to make thing fun for us and to keep creating," he said.

Courtesy, Grupo La Gloria

The happy hour, a favorite among Southtown with an array of infusion-based drinks, will still be offered.

The grand opening is set for August 2. Current hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4 to midnight Friday and Saturday. Reservations are currently required and can be made here.
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MILWAUKEE (AP)  A judge has delayed his decision on whether to go around prosecutors and find probable cause to charge a Wisconsin police officer who killed a man sitting in a parked car.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Glenn Yamahiro was expected to decide Friday whether enough evidence exists to charge Joseph Mensah in Jay Anderson Jr.'s death five years ago.
Writers of "Forget the Alamo," the book that become a subject of ire for GOP state leaders, are planning a townhall forum in San Antonio this week.

The team behind the New York Times best-seller, Bryan Burrough, Jason Stanford and Chris Tomlinson, will join civil rights leader Mario Salas and Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert for a discussion on how the Alamo can serve as an "Epicenter of Healing for Slavery and White Supremacy."

"Forget the Alamo" challenges traditional teachings of what caused the 13-day battle to culminate in 1836. Rather than viewing the siege as an act of Texas heroism, the writers look at how the defenders were fighting to preserve slavery.

Earlier this month, the Bullock Texas State History Museum pulled a discussion on the book mere hours before it was set to take place. Publisher Penguin Random House credited censorship from the Republican leaders for the cancelation of the event, which had 300 RSVPS, according to the Texas Tribune.

The Bullock was receiving increased pressure on social media about hosting the event, as well as to the museums board of directors (Gov Abbott being one of them) and decided to pull out as a co-host all together, Penguin Random House told the publication in a statement.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick then took to Twitter to claim responsibility for the event being yanked from the schedule.

The San Antonio discussion is scheduled for July 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Double Height Courtroom of the Bexar County Courthouse, located at 100 Dolorosa. The event also includes a book-signing.

The public event still has seats available. Interested guests are asked to call 210-335-2614 to make accommodations to attend.
Yves here. I know some of you will react, But why should we save Miami? Since a lot of people would say that about Manhattan, please just treat Miami as a case study.

By Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, Assistant Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami and Brian Haus, Professor of Ocean Sciences, University of Miami. Originally published at The Conversation

Miami is all about the water and living life outdoors. Walking paths and parks line large stretches of downtown waterfront with a stunning bay view.

This downtown core is where the Army Corps of Engineers plans to build a US$6 billion sea wall, 20 feet high in places, through downtown neighborhoods and right between the Brickell districts high-rises and the bay.

Theres no question that the city is at increasing risk of flooding as sea level rises and storms intensify with climate change. A hurricane as powerful as 1992s Andrew or 2017s Irma making a direct hit on Miami would devastate the city.

But the sea wall the Army Corps is proposing  protecting only 6 miles of downtown and the financial district from a storm surge  cant save Miami and Dade County. Most of the city will be outside the wall, unprotected; the wall will still trap water inside; and the Corps hasnt closely studied what the construction of a high sea wall would do to water quality. At the same time, it would block the water views that the citys economy thrives on.

To protect more of the region without losing Miamis vibrant character, there are ways to pair the strength of less obtrusive hardened infrastructure with nature-based green solutions. With our colleagues at the University of Miamis Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the College of Engineering, we have been designing and testing innovative hybrid solutions.

Natural Storm Management

Living with water today doesnt look the same as it did 50 years ago, or even 20 years ago. Parts of Miami now regularly see sunny day flooding during high tides. Salt water infiltrates basements and high-rise parking garages, and tidal flooding is forecast to occur more frequently as sea level rises. When storms come through, the storm surge adds to that already high water.

Hurricanes are less common than tidal flooding, but their destructive potential is greater, and that is what the Army Corps is focused on with its sea wall plan.

If Miami Beach were an undeveloped barrier island, and if thick mangrove forests were still common along the South Florida shoreline, the Miami area would have more natural protection against storm surge and wave action. But most of those living buffers are long gone.

There are still ways nature can help preserve the beauty of Miamis marine playground, though.

For example, healthy coral reefs break waves, dissipating their energy before the waves reach shore. Dense mangrove forests also dissipate wave energy with their complex root systems that rise above the water line, dramatically reducing the waves impact. In areas where coastal flooding is an increasing problem, low-lying communities can be relocated to higher ground and the vacant land turned into wetlands, canals or parks that are designed to manage storm surge flooding.

 Each area of coastline is unique and requires different protective measures based on the dynamics of how the water flows in and out. Given Miamis limited space, living shorelines alone wont be enough against a major hurricane, but there are powerful ways to pair them with solid gray infrastructure that are more successful than either alone.

Hybrid Solutions Mix Green and Gray

Nobody wants to look at a cement breakwater offshore. But if youre looking at a breakwater covered with corals and hospitable to marine life, and you can go out and swim on it, thats different.

Corals help the structure dissipate wave energy better, and at the same time they improve water quality, habitat, recreation, tourism and quality of life. For a lot of people, those are some of Miamis main selling points.

By pairing corals and mangroves with a more sustainable and eco-friendly hard infrastructure, hybrid solutions can be far less obtrusive than a tall sea wall.

For example, a cement-based breakwater structure submerged offshore with coral transplants could provide habitat for entire ecosystems while providing protection. Were working with the city of Miami Beach through the University of Miami Laboratory for Integrative Knowledge to implement three hybrid coral reefs just offshore that we will monitor for their engineering and ecological performance.

Closer to shore, were experimenting with a novel modular marine and estuarine system we call SEAHIVE. Below the water line, water flows through hollow hexagonal channels of concrete, losing energy. The top can be filled with soil to grow coastal vegetation such as mangroves, providing even more protection as well as an ecosystem that benefits the bay.

Were currently working on testing SEAHIVE as a green engineering alternative for North Bay Village, an inhabited island in the bay, and as the infrastructure of a newly developed marine park where these green-gray reef and mangrove designs will be showcased.

What About the Rest of Miami?

The Army Corps of Engineers draft plan  a final version is expected in the fall  would give nature-based solutions little role beyond a fairly small mangrove and sea grass restoration project to the south. The Corps determined that natural solutions alone would require too much space and wouldnt be as effective as hard infrastructure in a worst-case scenario.

Instead, the Army Corps plan focuses on the 6-mile sea wall, flood gates and elevating or strengthening buildings. It basically protects the downtown infrastructure but leaves everyone else on their own.

Sea walls and flood gates can also affect water flow and harm water quality. The Corps own documents warn that the sea walls and gates will affect wildlife and ecosystems, including permanent loss of protective corals, mangroves and sea grass beds.

We would like to see a plan for all of Miami-Dade County that considers the value that green and hybrid solutions bring for marine life, tourism, fishing and general quality of life, in addition to their protective services for the shoreline.

Both types  green and gray  would take time to build out, particularly if the sea wall plan were challenged in court. And both run a risk of failure. Corals can die in a heat wave, and a storm can damage mangroves; but storms can also undermine engineered solutions, like the New Orleans levee system during Hurricane Katrina. To help build resilience, our colleagues at the University of Miami have been breeding corals to be more resistant to climate change, investigating novel cementitious materials and noncorrosive reinforcements and developing new designs for coastal structures.

Miami in the Future

Miami will be different in the coming decades, and the changes are already starting.

High ground is at a premium, and thats showing up in real estate decisions that are pushing lower-income residents out and into less safe areas. Anybody looking back at Miami will probably think the region should have done a better job of managing growth and maybe even managing some form of retreat from threatened areas.

We dont want to see Miami become Venice or a city walled off from the water. We think Miami can thrive by making use of the local ecosystem with novel green engineering solutions and an architecture that adapts.
(Natural News) An increasing number of governments in Europe are planning to or have released policies that restrict the freedom of their citizens who have not been vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Many European governments like France and Italy have chosen to outright ban unvaccinated individuals from being able to fully participate in social life. In these countries, unvaccinated people are banned from entering hospitality venues like bars and restaurants.

Anybody who does not get vaccinated will have to suffer by living more difficult lives. The goal is to coerce those who are on the fence about the COVID-19 vaccines without actually making vaccinations obligatory.

At least seven European nations have introduced policies against the unvaccinated

In early July, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to legalize segregating unvaccinated individuals. He wanted his parliament to pass a law that would prevent unvaccinated people from accessing hospitality venues.

Only those who are fully vaccinated, in possession of a negative polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test or can prove that they have recovered from a previous coronavirus infection will be allowed to fully rejoin society. People can prove this through the use of a health pass or vaccine passport.

Our decision is simple: To place restrictions on the unvaccinated, rather than on everyone, said Macron.

Elements within the French parliament attempted to prevent Macrons allies from passing the law. An estimated 161,000 people also went out into the streets of Paris to protest this. But despite these efforts, the law still passed. (Related: Vaccine passport now MANDATORY in France, following more than a year of corporate media propagandists claiming the idea was a conspiracy theory.)

Starting in August, people who want to enter restaurants, bars, museums, cinemas and other large public gathering areas are required to present vaccine passports. Local governments also have the power to extend this prohibition further by making the passport a requirement to enter shopping malls.

Establishments that do not check the vaccination status of customers will be fined 1,500 euros ($1,773) in the first instance. On the third violation within a month, the fine rises to 9,000 euros ($10,643) and up to a year in prison.

Italy followed Frances example soon after. From Aug. 6 onwards, Italys equivalent of the vaccine passport, the green pass, will be required to access the above-mentioned hospitality venues. In addition, people without green passes will also be barred from entering sporting venues, gyms, concerts, fairs and other cultural venues like theaters.

Business owners in Italy who do not enforce the green pass requirement risk getting fined up to 1,000 euros ($1,182).

In Ireland, the government has allowed hospitality venues to reopen their indoor facilities to people who can prove their vaccination status using European Union-issued digital vaccine passports.

Other EU nations have similar but less wide-ranging segregation policies. For example, in Greece, indoor dining is only open to people who can prove they are fully vaccinated.

In Belgium, outdoor events with more than 1,500 people will be limited to people with vaccine certificates starting on Aug. 13. In Spain, there is no national vaccine passport policy, but some regions within Spain have started requiring vaccine passports or negative COVID-19 tests to access hotels and restaurants.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will limit access to nightclubs in England starting in September to those who can prove that they are fully vaccinated.

Segregation policies successfully coercing people into getting vaccinated

The segregationist policies implemented by many European nations are achieving their intended effect. In the weeks since Macron announced his intention to prevent unvaccinated individuals from enjoying social activities, France has administered record numbers of COVID-19 vaccines.

In Italy, after the media reported that the government was discussing making certain activities unavailable for the unvaccinated, the number of daily first doses started ticking up. In many of the countrys regions, requests for vaccines skyrocketed.

Walter Ricciardi, a so-called public health expert and an adviser to Italys minister of health, stated the governments goal himself during a newspaper interview: We cant force people to get vaccinated, but those who dont do it will have fewer opportunities.

Learn more about other attempts by governments around the world to coerce people into getting vaccinated by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

TheGuardian.com

WSJ.com
(Natural News) Dr. Anthony Fauci has indicated that officials may bring back mask mandates, even for those who are vaccinated. He blamed unvaccinated Americans for this likely shift, saying they are taking the country in the wrong direction by refusing the experimental vaccines.

(Article by C. Mitchell Shaw republished from TheNewAmerican.com)

His comments were made on CNNs State of the Union Sunday. He told CNNs Jake Tapper, If you look at the inflection of the curve of new cases and, as you said in the run-in to this interview, that it is among the unvaccinated. And since we have 50 percent of the country that is not fully vaccinated, thats a problem. Fauci added, This is an issue predominantly among the unvaccinated, which is the reason why were out there, practically pleading with the unvaccinated people to go out and get vaccinated.

Fauci was asked about bringing back mask mandates, even for those who have been vaccinated. He said, You know, Jake, this is under active consideration. If youre asking, am I part of the discussion? Yes, I am part of the discussion. But I think what you are seeing, even though as of our conversation at this moment, the CDC still says and recommends that if you are vaccinated fully, that you do not need to wear a mask indoors.

But, with Fauci it is never as simple as that. Remember, this is the man who first said not to wear masks, then said to wear a mask, then said it would be good to wear two masks. His reasoning (if this writer may misuse that word to describe anything about Faucis thought processes) was that the science is evolving.

So, after stating that the CDC still says and recommends that if you are vaccinated fully, that you do not need to wear a mask indoors, Fauci went on to praise cities, such as Los Angeles and Chicago, that are requiring masks even for the vaccinated, saying, Were seeing that in LA. Were seeing that in Chicago. Were seeing that in New Orleans, Fauci said. The officials there, many of them are saying even if you are vaccinated, its prudent to wear a mask indoors.

This is not inconsistent, Fauci says, because the CDC grants that latitude to local governments:

However, if you look at whats going on locally in the trenches, in places like L.A. County, the local officials have the discretion, and the CDC agrees with that ability and discretion capability to say, you know, youre in a situation where were having a lot of dynamics of infection. Even if you are vaccinated, you should wear a mask. Thats a local decision thats not incompatible with the CDCs overall recommendations that give a lot of discretion to the locals. And were going to see that in L.A. Were seeing it in Chicago. Were seeing that in New Orleans because the officials there, many of them are saying even if youre vaccinated, its prudent to wear a mask indoors. Thats a local decision.

Fauci described himself as very frustrated and said, Were going in the wrong direction. The blame, said Fauci, is laid squarely at the feet of those unvaccinated people who are spreading the virus to vaccinated people. Thus, even the vaccinated may be required to mask up again.

There are two points that need to be made here. The first, and most obvious to anyone not suffering from mask-induced oxygen deprivation leading to reduced brain function, is this: If the vaccines are efficacious, they should protect the vaccinated regardless of the risks the unvaccinated choose to take. This is simple: If Bill is vaccinated, and the vaccine works, Dans decision not to be vaccinated does not put Bill at risk. Ergo, Bill should not need to mask up. Period.

The second point is that this is a prime example of group manipulation. It is similar to a military commander telling his enlisted men, I was going to give you all leave this weekend, but Private Jones didnt shine his boots properly, so I am canceling leave and will have you all polishing your boots over the weekend. The net result is that Jones is now hated by everyone else and will learn to polish his boots to avoid this ever happening again.

The clear and obvious objective here is to pressure everyone to get vaccinated. By forcing even those who have taken the experimental shot to wear masks  while blaming those who have not  Fauci drives a wedge deeper into society and creates a situation where the vaccinated will ramp up the pressure and the unvaccinated will feel the need to cave to that peer pressure. But remember your fathers lesson to resist peer pressure? Most of us were taught to avoid experimenting with drugs, even if all our friends were doing it.

Not only did Fauci praise cities forcing masks on the vaccinated, he also praised leaders who are pushing the party line where vaccines are concerned. He singled out Republican governors Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Ron DeSantis of Florida, as well as House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), for working to pressure their constituents to get the shots. He added, What I would really like to see is more and more of the leaders in those areas that are not vaccinating to get out and speak out and encourage people to get vaccinated.

Make no mistake, masks will likely return  even for those who have taken the experimental shot. But there are two things that need to be understood. First, mask mandates only work if people play along. If people simply say, Nope. Been there, done that. Not doing it again, politicians who require our votes to keep their jobs will likely back down. Second, this is a naked power play. By pitting Americans against one another, Fauci and his ilk hope to pressure the unvaccinated to become the vaccinated. But his plan could backfire. After all, the vaccinated were promised freedom from COVID restrictions if they would just take the shots. Reneging on that promise may leave Fauci as the recipient of the vaccinateds frustration.

Read more at: TheNewAmerican.com and HealthFreedom.news.
(Natural News) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State Department have warned people against traveling to several countries due to the rising number of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. These include countries with high vaccination rates like Spain, Portugal and Cyprus.

The CDC raised its travel advisory for several countries to Level Four: Very High. Concurrently, the State Department issued Do Not Travel advisories for these countries.

It should be noted that Spain, Portugal and Cyprus all have high vaccination rates. Over 50 percent of the population in both Spain and Portugal are fully vaccinated, while more than 40 percent of the population of Cyprus has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

This begs the question of why the CDC and the White House want to issue travel advisories against countries with high vaccination rates. If they truly believe that the COVID-19 vaccines work and should prevent Americans who travel abroad from getting infected, then these travel advisories should be unnecessary. (Related: Whats the point of vaccinations? British travelers from Portugal ordered to quarantine for 10 days despite being fully vaccinated.)

In addition, the CDC and the State Department have also raised their concerns regarding the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Israel. This is despite the fact that Israel is one of the most vaccinated nations in the world, with about 61.2 percent of the population fully vaccinated.

The CDC has issued a Level Three: High warning for Israel, while the State Department rated it as Level Three: Reconsider Travel.

The CDC and the State Department have issued similar travel advisories for countries with vaccination rates that are significant but not as high. These include Kyrgyzstan and Cuba, which both have Level Four: Very High and Do Not Travel advisories from the CDC and the State Department, respectively.

America banning travelers from countries with high vaccination rates

In addition to the United States travel advisories, the country still restricts non-essential travel for non-U.S. citizens from several countries around the world.

These countries include places with high vaccination rates, such as the United Kingdom, the entirety of the European Union, and the countries in Europe that are not part of the E.U. but are part of the border control-free Schengen Area.

Fifty-six percent of the U.K. is fully vaccinated, and another 14 percent are waiting to get their second dose of the vaccine. The E.U. is also trumpeting the 27-nation blocs vaccination rate. It recently announced that it has achieved its major goal of providing at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 70 percent of all adults within the region.

On Monday, July 26, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the policy of keeping people from those countries out would continue for now.

Psaki mentioned that the policy of keeping Europeans and people from several other nations out of the U.S. is due to concerns regarding the post-vaccine delta variant of the coronavirus.

Given where we are today  with the delta variant, we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point, she said. The more transmissible delta variant is spreading both here and around the world. Driven by the delta variant, cases are rising here at home.

The delta variant currently accounts for around 83 percent of new cases in the U.S. Psaki then went on to blame the rise of the post-vaccine delta variant on the unvaccinated.

Non-U.S. citizens coming into the country from South Africa, Iran, India, China and Brazil are also barred from entering for non-essential reasons.

This policy follows the extension of the land border closure between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Non-essential travel from Canada and Mexico into the U.S. will be prohibited until Aug. 21. This is despite the fact that 56 percent of Canada is fully vaccinated, and an additional 15 percent are waiting for their second dose of the vaccine.

Learn more about the United States travel advisories and restrictions by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

News.Yahoo.com

NYTimes.com

Graphics.Reuters.com

TravelAndLeisure.com

APNews.com

USAToday.com
(Natural News) A recent poll of over 2,000 parents with children between ages three and 18 showed that half of them believe it is unlikely that they will have their kids vaccinated against COVID-19. The most common reason is that the parents fear the side effects of the vaccine and that it is highly unlikely for children to get infected with the SARS-CoV-19 virus anyway.

The survey, which was conducted by the CS Mott Childrens Hospital National Poll on Childrens Health at Michigan Medicine, found that 39 percent of parents said that their children already got inoculated, but as many as 40 percent said it was unlikely that they will have their children vaccinated.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is currently available for children ages 12 and older, but the Food and Drug Administration is considering whether or not the Moderna vaccine can be used in the same age group as well.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted parents to think about the health of their children and their safety, from wearing masks to attending face-to-face events.

As COVID vaccine authorizations expand to younger age groups, parents are also considering whether and when their child should get vaccinated. Mott Poll co-director Dr. Sarah Clark said in a news release As children prepare to return to school, our poll provides insight into parents current stance on vaccinating kids and what factors into their decision making. (Related: Children must not be vaccinated for COVID-19.)

Doctors opinions can influence parents stance on vaccinating their children

Clinical trials are underway for authorizing vaccines for children under 12 years, however, many parents agree that the recommendation of their childrens health care provider will be influential in making their decision.

Around 70 percent of parents with children under the age of twelve say they havent discussed the vaccine with their childrens doctors yet.

Typically, parents look to their childs regular healthcare provider for information and guidance on vaccines for their child. But our report suggests that half of parents of children 12-18 years, for whom the COVID vaccine is already recommended and available, have not discussed it with their childs provider, Clark noted.

Other factors that parents consider are testing in childrens age group (63 percent), how well the vaccine works in children (62 percent), and their own research (56 percent).

There are many ways for parents to get information regarding the vaccine, however, some sources may be more technical or difficult to understand, while others may not be completely true and may exaggerate some aspects of information to support their own beliefs or perspectives regarding the vaccination.

Clark shared, Discussing the COVID vaccine with pediatricians and other child health providers will help parents sort through all the data and make an informed choice that is right for their child and their family.

Our poll suggests parents are already forming opinions, and its essential that their decision-making process include accurate information, as well as a professional recommendation from the childs healthcare provider.

Providers can also help parents differentiate between side effects that reflect normal immune responses, such as fever and sore arms, from more serious events that could cause unintended or more serious problems.

Parents can also ask their health care provider to explain aspects of vaccination that they dont understand, the emergency use authorization in place for COVID-19 vaccination, and how it compares to full approval, and even how to interpret data regarding the effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine.

In 2020, more than 2 million of nearly 30 million confirmed COVID-19 cases involved children. However, while the majority of children and teens have mild symptoms, there are rare cases where persistent symptoms continue months after recovery. Some also develop rare but serious COVID-linked conditions called multisystem inflammatory syndrome or MIS-C.

Its important that parents and providers dont wait for full COVID vaccine approval to begin discussions about vaccination, Clark said.

Read more COVID-19 vaccination updates at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

UOfMHealth.org
(Natural News) Once people get vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), they have about six weeks worth of immunity, according to the latest research.

After that, they will need a booster shot, followed by another six weeks later, and so on and so forth for the rest of eternity, researchers from University College Londons (UCL) Virus Watch division found.

A team of scientists from the school analyzed blood samples collected from 552 vaccinated people mostly in their 50s and 60s. They found that antibody levels generated from two doses of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech jabs start to wane after a month and a half. In some people, vaccine-induced immunity drops by half in less than three months.

For the Pfizer injection, antibody levels were observed to fall from an average of 7,506 units per milliliter (ml) at 21-41 days to just 3,320 units per ml at 70 or more days. For the Oxford jab, that level dropped from 1,201 units per ml at 0-20 days to just 190 units per ml at 70 days or more.

The findings, which show that Fauci Flu shots are an abysmal failure when it comes to providing lasting immunity against the Chinese Virus, have been published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet.

Vaccine pushers say failed immunity brought about by covid injections is no problem

Hilariously, the vaccine-pushing deep state has concluded that despite the obvious failure of Chinese Virus jabs to provide any tangible protection against Chinese Germs, they are still worth getting to demonstrate the principle of love thy neighbor.

Eleanor Riley, a professor of immunology and infectious disease at The University of Edinburgh, declared that the results of the study were expected, and that the findings are not necessarily a problem.

In the absence of ongoing antibody synthesis, antibody concentrations decay at a predictable, exponential rate, she stated, pretending to sound smart and informed.

In Rileys view, even though antibody levels decrease and decay at an exponential rate post-injection, this does not mean that those levels will suddenly and magically increase in the event that a vaccinated person encounters Chinese Germs in the wild.

She does, however, agree that people who were injected might need periodic boosters in order to keep them safe while helping to flatten the curve of spreading Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) variants.

Emerging evidence suggests that antibodies are particularly important for blocking infection and preventing onward transmission of the virus whereas T cells may be particularly relevant for preventing severe disease and death, she is quoted as saying with zero evidence to back this claim.

Maintaining sufficient antibody concentrations to reduce transmission will be important to limit the amount of circulating virus but maybe less important for protection against severe disease.

Riley made no mention, of course, about the growing body of evidence showing that Chinese Virus injections are actively spreading the covid variants that the mainstream media is now blaming on the unvaccinated.

Remaining antibodies and plasma stored in bone marrow from naturally contracted virus are showing probable lifelong immunity, wrote one commenter at The Epoch Times, pointing to this study as evidence. Pfizer wanes greatly after 8-9 months. It and other vaccines also creates microscopic blood clots only detected from D-dimer tests.

So, whats the point other than being a delivery system for the graphene oxide into our body to wreak havoc on our immune system? asked another commenter about the obvious sham of the covid vaccination scheme, which is setting up the jabbed to have to get a lifetime of booster shots.

The latest news about the utter failure of Fauci Flu shots to do what the government claims they do can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

TruePundit.com

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
(Natural News) The CEO of German biotechnology company BioNTech said the supposed protection provided by his companys Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine will wane after seven months.

Antibody levels are dropping seven months after immunization among some vaccine recipients, said BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin. His company helped develop a coronavirus vaccine with American big pharma company Pfizer.

Sahins statement is part of a wider push by pharmaceutical executives to sell people on the supposed need for a third booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The goal here is not to protect people against COVID-19, but for pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and BioNTech to keep profiting off peoples fear of getting infected.

The BioNTech CEO made his recent comments regarding the alleged immunizing effect of his companys vaccine after preliminary data emerged from Israel showing that people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in January were three times more likely to get infected than those who got vaccinated in May.

The data showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was only 39 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 infections between late June and early July, when the post-vaccine delta variant became more common in Israel.

In early May, Sahin previously stated that a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be necessary after a year, and annual booster doses will be necessary every 12 to 18 months after.

Sahins counterpart in Pfizer, CEO Alberta Bourla, has also been pushing for people to get a booster dose 12 months after becoming fully vaccinated.

Fauci pushing for booster doses

Sahin said that governments around the world now need to decide whether they want to administer a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, supposedly to boost immunity. He said the options governments have are booster doses or allowing controlled infections to rampage among a countrys vaccinated population.

Chief Medical Advisor to the White House Dr. Anthony Fauci recently suggested that a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is necessary for people with weaker immune systems.

Those are the kind of individuals that, if theres going to be a third booster, which might likely happen, would be among the first, the vulnerable, said Fauci. (Related: IT NEVER ENDS: Anthony Fauci says booster dose of coronavirus vaccine will be necessary in the future.)

In the debate regarding the need for booster doses, Sahin said the ideal case would be if the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available in the market.

Because the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has only been approved for emergency use, it can only be sold to governments. Sahin wants the vaccine to be authorized for broad use and become available for private purchases.

When the vaccine becomes available on the free market everyone will be able to make this decision for themselves, said Sahin.

Israel offering third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Currently, only one country in the world has begun offering a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine: Israel.

In early July, Israeli Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz said that adults with impaired immune systems who have already received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could get a third booster dose.

Horowitz added that the Israeli government is still examining whether to authorize booster doses for the wider public. The countrys current concern is keeping its supply of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines up. The countrys prime minister has already spoken with Pfizer executives about pushing forward its next scheduled shipment of vaccines.

Aside from Israel, no other national government is offering a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. But the provincial government of Quebec in Canada is offering an extra dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services of Quebec said it will provide one of the two mRNA vaccines for people who want to travel to countries that do not recognize either vaccine.

Learn more about the combined push by big pharma and governments to require booster doses by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

ABC7NY.com

WSJ.com

GenomeWeb.com

Reuters.com

CBC.ca
(Natural News) The Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) delta variant is spreading like wildfire in areas with high vaccine compliance, new reports indicate.

In California, there is a direct correlation between high rates of injection and exponential growth in new cases of the Fauci Flu  meaning the more people get vaccinated, the more people are testing positive for the Chinese Virus.

The counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco all claim a higher-than-average percentage of fully vaccinated residents. These counties also have the most out-of-control growth in new delta variant cases, which just goes to show that the jabs are spreading the disease.

Meanwhile, the counties of Modoc, Glenn, Lassen, Del Norte, and San Benito all have below-average vaccination rates alongside decreasing case counts.

The vaccines are clearly not working, in other words  unless working means that they are killing people. And yet public health authorities are doubling down on pushing people to get them in order to flatten the curve.

Dr. Phillip Norris, an infectious disease expert at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) actually came out and said that the rising number of cases among fully vaccinated Californians proves that the jabs are working as intended.

If there are a lot of people around, youre more likely to bump into one who has covid, Norris stated, suggesting that the Fauci Flu is more likely to spread in densely populated counties where vaccine compliance is high.

According to Norris, vaccinated people are unknowingly spreading the virus to people around them, including other vaccinated people. This shows that they work, even though they do not work, he contends.

Delta variant has rendered vaccinations worthless

Norris further added in an interview that the vaccines are basically a failure  but you should still get one  thanks to the delta variant. This, he says, is due to the superstition that the delta variants viral load in peoples noses is 1,000 times higher than the original Wuhan Flu that was detected in early 2020.

If thats the case, even a little bit in somebody whos vaccinated could be a lot, Norris contends.

Even though the facts state otherwise, Norris has chosen to believe that vaccinated people are still a little more protected against infection than unvaccinated people. Science says otherwise, of course, but Norris really wants to believe the opposite.

The government at large is still going with the narrative that getting injected reduces ones risk of having to be hospitalized in the event of a positive covid test. This, too, holds no basis in science, but whatever  just believe.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has decided that he, too, believes in the power of Trump Vaccines to cure the problem of positive covid tests, which is why he is dictating that all state workers and health care employees get vaccinated in order to keep their jobs.

In lieu of showing proof of vaccination, unvaccinated state and medical workers can instead get tested weekly, forever, and show proof of being negative to their employers.

Newsom is hoping that the private sector will follow suit and replicate the example by requiring Chinese Virus injection or weekly negative tests from their employees as well.

We are now dealing with a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and its going to take renewed efforts to protect Californians from the dangerous Delta variant, Newsom decreed.

Vaccines are safe  they protect our family, those who truly cant get vaccinated, our children and our economy. Vaccines are the way we end this pandemic.

Chinese Virus hysteria has created a clown world in which feelings rather than facts dictate policy. To keep up with the latest, visit Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

Archive.is

NaturalNews.com

Gov.ca.gov
(Natural News) Many people seem to have missed it, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made a powerful admission this week that completely upends everything we have been told for the past several months about Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines.

In a shocking announcement, the CDC actually confessed to the fact that the Trump Vaccines it has been aggressively pushing as the final solution to the Chinese Virus were nothing but a medical hoax, providing no protection against infection or spread.

After baiting millions of people into getting jabbed on the promise that life would return back to normal if they did, the CDC now admits that being fully vaccinated does not actually fight the delta variant, but instead contributes to more infections. Because of this, the CDC now wants all injected people to put back on their masks just like before they were vaccinated.

Fauci Flu shots, the CDC now admits, are more symbolic than anything else. People who refuse to get them are just as safe and protected against Chinese Germs as those who did, is the short of it. So much for science.

In areas with substantial and high transmission, announced CDC head Rochelle Walensky, vaccinated people should mask up to help prevent the spread of the delta variant and protect others. In other words, just because you got vaccinated does not mean that you are immune from killing grandma, according to Walensky.

The medical establishment is a death cult

This is a complete about-face from what Walensky was saying just a few months ago when the CDC ruled that injected people no longer had to wear masks. In fact, Walensky had adamantly pushed the notion, as did Tony Fauci, that vaccinated people were incapable of spreading the Chinese Disease.

All of that has since changed, now that millions of Americans took the bait and got jabbed in accordance with the governments earlier guidelines. This big oopsie means that countless people permanently modified their DNA with mRNA chemicals in vain.

Information on the Delta variant from several states and other countries indicates that, on rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others, Walensky stated during a press call.

This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendations.

What is truly worrisome is the fact that these so-called experts got things so wrong that they are now saying the exact opposite of what they said earlier. It is one thing to be a little bit wrong, but they were really, really wrong  so wrong that they, in fact, lied to the world and are now blaming evolving science for their deception.

Walensky further admitted during the call that vaccinated people carry the same potential viral load as unvaccinated people. This also goes against what she and other authorities said just weeks ago when they claimed that unvaccinated people carry a higher potential viral load, and are thus more dangerous to society.

Walensky has yet to fully come out and admit that the Trump Vaccines are actively spreading the Chinese Virus, but with the way things have been going lately, that could be the next order of business in this bizarro world.

Other lies still being told by Walensky include the notion that the vast majority of transmission of the Wuhan Flu is occurring almost exclusively among unvaccinated people. She also falsely claims that unvaccinated people represent 97 percent of all new Chinese Virus hospitalization cases, which is completely made-up.

You will find coverage of the latest Chinese Virus circus acts at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

Yahoo.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) For months, public health authorities told citizens that life would not go back to normal unless 90 percent of the population was vaccinated with experimental spike protein mRNA programs. Lockdowns were used to force people to comply with vaccine mandates. Celebrities and politicians were recruited to promote the shots on social media as the vaccine-injured were censored. Vaccine lotteries and junk food freebies were handed out to the vaccinated. Illegal employer mandates are being used as threats and intimidation. The Biden regime promised 100 days of masking to end covid-19 once and for all, and they even bastardized Independence Day by telling Americans they wont have their freedoms back until they collectively comply with a national 70 percent vaccination rate.

But after all the terror, bribery, segregation, intimidation, and abuse, the vaccinated are getting some very bad news.

NBC and CNN flip the script, says vaccinated are contracting COVID and facilitating the spread

Ken Dilanian for NBC News is shocking American viewers with new data on the failure of the mass covid-19 vaccination program. New data suggests that fully vaccinated individuals are not just contracting COVID, but could be carrying higher levels of virus than previously understood, facilitating spread, he reported.

The report was confirmed by Dr. Leana Wen, who appeared on CNN to call for universal indoor masking for the vaccinated and even declared that quarantines should be used on the vaccinated when they are exposed to another sick vaccinated person. Even the propaganda-pushing Andersen Cooper was bewildered by the new guidance. The CDC is currently promoting mask mandates for the unvaccinated, as the failure of the vaccines is openly admitted through policy.

CDC director warns that virus is evading the vaccines

CDC Director Walensky went on Fox News and implied that more doses of vaccine will be needed in order to keep people fully vaccinated. She warned about the failure of the vaccine program: The largest concern that I think we in public health and science are worried about, is that virus and the potential mutations away, we are from a very transmissible virus that has the potential to evade our vaccine in terms of how it protects us from severe disease and death.

This waning immunity is not new; it was demonstrated in the clinical studies that were originally ignored by the regulatory agencies. This waning immunity is already occurring in some of the most vaccinated countries, like Israel and Singapore. The vaccinated are coming down with sickness and are being hospitalized at a growing rate, as their so-called immunity wanes in less than six months. While its no longer called covid for the vaccinated, they are coming down with sickness nonetheless. Israel has even demoted Pfizers vaccine effectiveness to an abysmal 39 percent. Whatever that means? The UK chief science advisor admits that 60% of people admitted to UK hospitals are fully vaccinated. In Singapore, 75 percent of new covid infections are from the vaccinated. In the US, cases in the vaccinated are so high, the CDC had to commit medical fraud by lowering the cycle threshold on the PCR test kits to artificially lower covid positives for the vaccinated.

And now the Center for Disease Control wants to push more mask mandates for the vaccinated, as the vaccinated become the super spreaders they once mocked. Not only are the vaccinated shedding spike protein bioweapons from their own cells, but they have also weakened their bodies with further inflammation from those spike proteins, making them more susceptible to coronavirus variants. Even worse, the vaccinated have become the vector for which coronaviruses mutate and spread. Meanwhile, the vilified and socially ostracized (the unvaccinated) enjoy natural immunity or may soon have natural immunity that is proven to be 40 times more durable at preventing hospitalizations in Israel. Whats more, science shows natural immunity provides persisting antibody levels, including robust memory B and T cell immunity.

Sources include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

Cell.com [PDF]
(Natural News) The post-vaccine Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) surge is rampaging through the United States in the form of the vaccine-borne delta variant. Many cities and school boards in the country are using this as an excuse to revive their recently dropped mask mandates.

Los Angeles County is one of the first local jurisdictions to reinstate its mask mandate. The county forced both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents to wear masks indoors starting on July 17 supposedly due to the rapid uptick in new COVID-19. (Related: VAX SCAM REVEALED: Los Angeles County brings back mask mandates, even for the vaccinated.)

We expect to keep masking requirements in place until we begin to see improvements in our community transmission of COVID-19, said Los Angeles County Health Officer Muntu Davis, when he was asked how long the mandate would stay in place. But waiting for us to be at high community transmission level before making a change would be too late.

Shortly after Los Angeles County reimposed masking on all of its residents, all of the leading public health officials in Californias Bay Area issued a joint statement recommending wearing masks indoors.

The Bay Area counties were followed by Atlanta Public Schools. On Thursday, July 22, the school district announced all students and staff are required to wear masks as soon as the new school year begins on Aug. 5, regardless of vaccination status.

On the same day, county officials in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, announced that they will reinstate the mask mandate for all court facilities. According to an administrative order signed by the chief justice of the State Supreme Court, everyone inside court facilities, visitors, judges and court employees alike, must wear masks.

The next day, the city of New Orleans issued a mask advisory, strongly encouraging residents to wear masks when indoors. New Orleans Department of Health Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno said the mask advisory was put out in response to the citys inadequate vaccination rate.

Avegnos claim is not supported by evidence. Recent data shows that 51.2 percent of New Orleans is fully vaccinated.

The latest jurisdictions to reimpose their mask mandates are St. Louis and St. Louis County in Missouri and the city of Savannah, Georgia.

St. Louis and St. Louis County announced on Monday, July 25, that residents are required to wear masks in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccination status.

Savannah repealed its mask mandate in June. But on Monday, Mayor Van Johnson, a Democrat, argued that the city needed to bring it back due to the recent post-vaccine outbreak. Upon Johnsons instruction, masks are now compulsory for everyone in the city in indoor public spaces.

Opposition to the return of mask mandates growing

People and groups alike are pushing back against these new mask mandates. In Los Angeles, health freedom advocates staged a series of maskless shopping protests in stores all over the city.

Take off your masks. Come on guys, by now you know its a scam so wake up, said one protester in a shopping center in the city.

The vaccine is killing people, said another woman in the same protest. You are listening to bad science.

Similar dissatisfaction can be seen from local and state politicians. In West Covina, a city in the eastern part of Los Angeles County, Councilman Tony Wu called the mandate BS.

We are absolutely not going to enforce nothing about this BS, he said.

Elected officials from nearly a dozen other towns in Los Angeles County also wrote a letter to the county supervisor demanding their views on the mask mandate be considered.

We have had enough of these policies! We demand that you stop this one-size-fits-all approach to health and health outcomes, read the letter. We implore you to modify this recent order, engage with us, and set a policy that better reflects the unique context of our area.

Former Republican mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer, who is hoping to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom in the upcoming recall election, said in a statement that he opposes the mandate.

We need to be reopening our state, not reimposing unnecessary restrictions, he said. If Gavin Newsom had any common sense, hed step up and oppose this, thats what Ill do as governor.

In Wake County, North Carolina, parents and their children protested outside the meeting of the Wake County school board over the states requirement that children wear masks in school.

If you are really concerned about children and their social and emotional health, you would not have a mask on their face, said one parent. Its time for us to recognize that every persons health is their own responsibility, and our children are our responsibility. Its not theirs.

In Missouri, Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced on his social media accounts that he intended to file a lawsuit against St. Louis and St. Louis County to stop the mask mandate in the area.

The citizens of St. Louis and St. Louis County are not subjects  they are free people, he wrote. As their Attorney General Ill be filing suit Monday to stop this insanity.

Learn more about the return of the mask mandates and the people and organizations fighting tooth and nail to oppose them by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

Insider.com

Newsweek.com 1

CovidActNow.org

DailyMail.co.uk

Newsweek.com 2

NBCNews.com

WRAL.com
(Natural News) When it comes to researching a new virus or disease, theres always some good news and some bad news when you discover what makes them work.

First, the good news about the Wuhan coronavirus, which has spread far beyond the borders of China, where it originated: Scientists are learning more everyday about how the virus spreads and the source from which it came.

But the bad news is, this virus is much more likely to stick to human cells than was the SARS virus (circa China, 2002-2003), meaning its probably more contagious and maybe even harder to combat.

According to the South China Morning Post, theres a good reason for that:

The new coronavirus has an HIV-like mutation that means its ability to bind with human cells could be up to 1,000 times as strong as the SARS virus, according to new research by scientists in China and Europe.

Scientists showed that SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) entered the human body by binding with a receptor protein called ACE2 on a cell membrane. And some early studies suggested that the new coronavirus, which shares about 80 per cent of the genetic structure of Sars, might follow a similar path.

However, researchers also noted that the ACE2 protein doesnt exist in substantial qualities in people who are healthy, which is why, in part, that helped limit the scope and scale of the SARS virus, which only infected about 8,000 people worldwide, 10 percent of the number already infected by coronavirus. (Related: Online retail giant Amazon removes any product mentioning CORONAVIRUS  including sanitizing products that actually kill coronavirus on surfaces.)

A study corroborated

Other very contagious viruses like HIV and Ebola target an enzyme called furin, the SCMP reported. This serves as a protein activator in the human body; several proteins are either inactive or are dormant when they are produced and thus must be cut at certain points in order for their various functions to be activated.

Prof. Ruan Jishou and his team at Nankai University in Tianjin, when mapping out the genome sequence of COVID-19, the new coronavirus, found a segment of mutated genes not seen in SARS but were nevertheless very much like those found to be in HIV and Ebola.

This finding suggests that 2019-nCoV [the new coronavirus] may be significantly different from the SARS coronavirus in the infection pathway, the scientists wrote in a paper that was published earlier this month on Chinaxiv.org, a platform the Chinese Academy of Sciences uses in order to present scientific papers before they have been peer-reviewed.

The SCMP reports further: The virus uses the outreaching spike protein to hook on to the host cell, but normally this protein is inactive. The cleavage site structures job is to trick the human furin protein, so it will cut and activate the spike protein and cause a direct fusion of the viral and cellular membranes.

When compared to the entry path for SARS, this binding method was found to be 100 to 1,000 times more efficient, the research paper noted.

The research has garnered no small amount of attention, SCMP reported, noting that within two weeks of its release, it became the most-viewed paper ever on the Chinarxiv platform.

In a subsequent study, a team of scientists led by Prof. Li Hua of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province, managed to replicate and confirm Ruans findings.

The same mutation was not seen in SARS, MERS or Bat-CoVRaTG13, a bat-linked coronavirus that was thought to be the original source of COVID-19, with 96 percent similarity in genes, Lis study noted.

This could be the reason why SARS-CoV-2 is more infectious than other coronaviruses, Li wrote in a paper he released Sunday on the science platform.

Other scientists outside of China are making similar findings. A study by French scientist Etienne Decroly at Aix-Marseille University, published February 10, also found a furin-like cleavage site that is not found on similar, earlier coronaviruses.

Sources include:

SCMP.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Just days after receiving her second Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine dose, a Minnesota medical worker developed arterial blood clots and multiple inflammatory syndrome (MIS), which led to her having to get both of her legs amputated.

According to reports, MIS is a serious condition where multiple organs of the body become inflamed, which for Jummai Nache of Minneapolis caused her to initially feel severe chest pains.

After being rushed to the hospital, Naches health rapidly deteriorated to the point that both of her legs were non-salvageable. Doctors say that Nache will soon have both of her hands amputated as well, though her heart is still pumping which is one silver lining.

Fearful because of everything Tony Fauci and Rochelle Walensky have been saying on television about a surge in the spread of the Fauci Flu, Nache rushed out to get injected with a Trump Vaccine, believing it would keep her safe while helping to flatten the curve. Boy, was she wrong.

Instead of acquiring protection against Chinese Germs, Nache basically destroyed all of her limbs by agreeing to get injected. Nache was given the two-dose injection from Pfizer and BioNTech.

Because she works in Western medicine, Nache was likely pressured by her colleagues and superiors to get the jabs because that is what smart people supposedly do. Now she is paying the price.

CDC blames COVID-19 for the destruction of Naches life, not the vaccine

Reports indicate that almost immediately after testing positive for the Fauci Flu, Naches health took a major turn for the worst. Prior to that, she was in great health with not so much as a sniffle.

Jummai and I were shocked when we received the result that she was Covid-19 positive because she had not manifested any symptom before taking the shot, wrote her husband Philip in a letter attached to a GoFundMe fundraiser for her recovery.

But we later accepted that perhaps, the virus and the vaccine together contributed to the adverse reaction on her body based on the report of the Infectious Disease physician that Jummai was asymptomatic.

The Naches must have missed the memo that asymptomatic infection is not actually a real thing. If there are no symptoms, then there is no disease, it turns out.

It has been months now since Naches health post-injection took a nosedive, and the couple has still not been given any answers from the experts as to why things went the way they did.

What we know is that Nache suffered an arterial blood clot and also now has a respiratory disease, cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease), anemia, ischemia, and MIS  all that the supposedly help keep her safe against the Fauci Sniffles.

After a call involving some 80 different health experts from around the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ultimately decided that Nache did not lose her limbs and livelihood because of getting vaccinated for the Wuhan Flu. Instead, the CDC is blaming covid.

Philip, meanwhile, has not so much as shown a single symptom of covid despite plenty of close contact with his wife. Because of this, he is confused, based on the governments narrative, why he never caught it.

My experience on this journey has been so difficult but I cant imagine the excruciating pain mentally, physically and emotionally that my wife is going through, Philip says.

I can only equate her experience and challenge with jobs experience and trial in the sense that the challenges have come in degrees, one after another.

The latest news stories about the many lives that are being destroyed by Trump Vaccines can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Ryan Samsel was blinded by DC prison guards.

(Article by Jim Hoft republished from TheGatewayPundit.com)

Ryan Samsel was leading the charge against Capitol Hill Police on January 6 protests.

Samsel pushed the flimsy bike racks and stormed the US Capitol. Samsel reportedly injured a female police officer.

Since his arrest, Ryan Samsel has been held in Washington DC. On March 21, he was awakened by correctional officers, his hands zip-tied, then walked to an unoccupied cell and brutally beaten by the officers. Then Ryan Samsel lost an eye in the beating.

Ryan was not alone.

On Thursday night Attorney Joseph McBride joined Greg Kelly on Newsmax to discuss the abuse of the Jan. 6 political prisoners in Washington DC.

This is absolutely horrific account!

Joseph McBride: What I can say about the Jan. 6 protesters who remain incarcerated or detained at this point, is that their constitutional rights and human rights are being violated by the Department of Justice and the Federal Government at this very moment. The law is clear that no type of punishment is appropriate for a detainee. Despite that numerous detainees are being held in solitary confinement for long periods of time. Theyre being denied medical care. Theyre taking beatings. Theyre being denied sleep. Theyre being psychologically, emotionally, and physically tortured on a regular basis, Greg Kelly: Hold on a second. Whos beating them up? Joseph McBride: I am alleging that the guards are beating them up. The staff are beating prisoners on a regular basis and have been doing so for a long time. This is no exaggeration. Greg Kelly: Was your client Richard Barnett beaten up by staff? Joseph McBride: He absolutely was. He was beaten. He was dragged. He was hog-tied. One time his pants dropped below his ankles exposing his private parts while he was taking a beating in front of a female officer. And he had to beg and plead to pull his pants up.

The Jan. 6 political prisoners are being treated worse than Americas most dangerous enemies.

Where the hell are all the human rights groups?

Via Greg Kelly reports:

Read more at: TheGatewayPundit.com and FalseFlag.news
(Natural News) It has come to our attention that some injection recipients who participated in clinical trials for the United Kingdoms Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines reportedly received placebos instead of the real thing. And U.K. vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, a Muslim, says that these folks will be afforded the same privileges as the fully vaccinated when it comes to living and participating in the new normal.

These fake-vaccinated will be granted an NHS Covid Pass, the U.K.s version of a vaccine passport, just like those who rolled up their sleeves and got a permanent genetic modification, Zahawi told the media, adding that the scheme has an important role to play in slowing the spread of the virus.

Zahawi wants Brits who own businesses and operate large venues where people gather to adopt the domestic health certificate quickly in order to keep their clients or their customers safe from the latest variants of the Fauci Flu, which are magically emerging just as predicted.

The NHS Covid Pass functions as a smartphone app, showing proof of vaccination status, negative test results, or natural immunity to the Chinese Virus. Zahawi says that people who received fake Wuhan Flu shots will be logged in the app as fully vaccinated, even though they received some other chemical concoction than the one that globalist billionaires claim will keep everyone safe against the Chinese Disease.

Covid vaccine apartheid continues to spread across Great Britain with Zahawi at the helm

Strangely, some of these early trial participants who received placebos rather than actual Chinese Virus spike proteins or mRNA chemicals are now being treated as if they are vax deniers with the texts they get from the NHS (National Health Service), lamented Labour MP Rupa Huq to Zahawi about the inconsistencies with the current paradigm.

Because some authorities do not consider these people to be fully vaccinated since they received a phony injection, many of them have been grounded, Huq says. One individual, an American who participated in the U.K.s Trump Vaccine test program, has had to endure a type of vaccine xenophobia as he has been unable to access certain events that are exclusively available only to the injected.

People think that they are being punished for doing the right thing, Huq whined to Zahawi. Will the minister rectify that?

Zahawi responded by promising that everyone who participated in covid shot clinical trials, regardless of which injection they received, will be treated as fully vaccinated people when it comes to having access to the same events, venues, and businesses.

We are working with other countries to make sure that that is recognized, but as far as the U.K. is concerned, they will be considered fully vaccinated, whether they have had the placebo or the vaccine, Zahawi is quoted as saying.

Zahawi was previously against the idea of a digital Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine passport, having back in February called the idea of one discriminatory. Since that time, however, Zahawi has changed his tune and is now fully supportive of covid vaccine apartheid, which seems to be most popular in areas of the world where people with light skin are still the majority population.

Nadhim Zahawi has no right to be an MP, let alone a minister, because he is foreign, pointed out one commenter at RT.

The English Bill of Rights says: And I do declare that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state or potentate hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual within this realm. So help me God. I will ignore him and any decision he makes that I disagree with.

The latest Chinese Virus injection insanity can be tracked at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Frances parliament on Monday approved a law mandating vaccination for all healthcare workers and special virus passes for all restaurants and domestic travels, prompting protests and political tensions in the country.

CBS News reported that the law requires all workers in the health care sector to get vaccinated by September 15 or risk suspension. It also required a health pass to enter restaurants, public transportation, or other public venues. The measures, which were met with protests and political tensions initially applied only to adults but will apply to those 12 years old and older beginning September 30.

President Emmanuel Macron and the French government said that these measures are necessary to protect vulnerable populations and hospitals to avoid more lockdowns.

To get the pass, individuals must have proof of full vaccination, recently tested negative or recently recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Paper or digital documents will be accepted, and a decree will follow, outlining how to handle documents from other countries.

Unveiled only six days before its approval, lawmakers worked to reach a compromise, which was approved by the Senate on Sunday night, and by the National Assembly after midnight. Depending on the pandemic situation, the rules will initially be applied for two months, through November 15.

Law met with protests, pushback

Macron appealed for mass vaccination to fight virus resurgence. However, the decision was met with protests from those with anti-vaccination sentiments of about 160,000 people protesting around France.

Macron, however, urged for national unity. He asked, What is your freedom worth if you say to me I dont want to be vaccinated, but tomorrow you infect your father, your mother or myself?

He said that while protesters are free to express themselves in a calm and respectful manner, he did criticize those who are in the business of irrational, sometimes cynical, manipulative mobilization against vaccination. Among those organizing the protests are far-right politicians and extremists who are tapping into their anger at Macrons government. (Related: French police use tear gas to disperse protesters opposing new COVID-19 mandates.)

Demonstrators carried placards denouncing Macron as a tyrant, with demonstrators chanting freedom, freedom, Big Pharma shackles freedom, or No to the pass of shame.

After the protests, Politico reported that the government made concessions, to the law, including lowering fines for noncompliance, postponing deadlines and changing some rules for shopping malls.

A separate report from Al Jazeera also said that a similar scheme in Italy, called green pass also sparked angry demonstrators from Rome, Naples, and Turin. The green pass will be needed in Italy early next month for individuals to eat in restaurants and visit cinemas without wearing masks, however, the turnout was lower than expected.

Thousands of protesters also described a similar law as an erosion of civil liberties, saying that the UK governments track and trace app is limiting their movements as over 600,000 individuals were told to self-isolate in one week this month.

French government tackles rising cases

This move, according to Al Jazeera, came as a move to tackle rising cases of infections, fueled by the spread of the delta variant, which was first detected in India.

Separately, Macron also announced on Monday that the number of vaccinated individuals who received at least one dose of vaccine has already crossed the 40-million mark. This means that some 60 percent of the population are now partly or fully vaccinated.

Authorities also cautioned that the increase in cases in France meant that the country officially entered its fourth wave of infections, with the death toll standing at more than 111,000 people. However, intensive care cases have dropped dramatically since their peak in April, with the government accrediting the improvement due to the vaccine rollout.

Read more coronavirus-related updates at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

CBSNews.com

Politico.eu

AlJazeera.com 1

AlJazeera.com 2
(Natural News) While former MI6 spy Christopher Steele is most associated with the Russia dossier hoax containing many false allegations against former President Donald Trump, many of them salacious, he is becoming better known in certain circles for his authoritarian trappings.

According to Great Game India, Steele is associated with a group that is responsible for pushing massive new authoritarian restrictions on citizens in the name of protecting them against COVID-19.

The outlet reports that Steele is heavily involved with an organization known as Independent SAGE, a collective that regularly criticizes the UK government for not introducing tougher measures to achieve Zero Covid.'

Heres the story.

Earlier this month, Britains Daily Telegraph reported that Independent SAGE, a highly controversial collective of scientists who all advocate for extremely harsh COVID restrictions, created a campaign called The Citizens, which is being led by a journalist for left-wing outlet The Guardian  Carole Cadwalladr.

After the report came out, Cadwalladr ripped the report, adding that the connection between both organizations had been posted to Independent SAGEs website for a year-and-a-half, which is true, although the scientist collective seems very much keen to downplay it, merely referring to The Citizens as a small support team helping with public events and media activities, Great Game India noted.

Congratulations to @Telegraph for revealing information that has been on @IndependentSAGE website since day 17 months ago. Give yourself a Pulitzer pic.twitter.com/G8fQMwKnnx  Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) July 17, 2021

The outlet went on to point out, however, that Cadwalladr recently updated her Twitter bio to include her as a co-founder of The Citizens, the parent of Independent SAGE, as well as The Citizens Twitter account, where it is described as the founder and producer of Independent SAGE.

The reasons for this chasmic discrepancy arent certain, although the most glaring oddity at the heart of The Citizens  unacknowledged by The Telegraph, and never before reported upon by the mainstream media  is undoubtedly that former MI6 spy Christopher Steele, author of the utterly discredited Trump-Russia dossier, is seemingly involved in the endeavor in some way, Great Game India noted.

Firstlight Group, a public relations firm representing Independent SAGE, discounted Steeles involvement as just one of many unpaid advisers who were brought in before The Citizens launched.

He has never played any active or other role in the organization or Independent SAGE, the PR firm said, though in a followup email, Firstlight admitted that the former spy is in a network of pro-bono advisors we can call upon as needed.

That explanation suggests that Steele can be called upon anytime to support The Citizens, and, by default, Independent SAGE as well.

Whats nonetheless clear is that Cadwalladr has long-been a fervent advocate of Steele, and frequently ended up in extremely close quarters with the purportedly former spook, as several photos of the pair together, and screengrabs of Zoom conversations with one another, surely attest, Great Game India reported, listing a tweet from Cadwalladrs account in which she posts a photo from a Zoom call that does not show anyone before asking followers to identify the person as part of an impromptu contest.

Other tweets show her with Steele and others in various social settings.

Im not going to link to the piece because. But heres a still from the new Kingsman movie, feat Christopher Steele & Mr Darcy pic.twitter.com/mw7yZMDvkJ  Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) January 7, 2020

Orbis Director Christopher Steele moderated a fascinating panel discussion following a special screening of #TheGreatHack hosted by @liviafirth and @firthcom. Thank you to @carolecadwalla, @edwardlucas and Mike Lerner @roastbeeftv for your participation. pic.twitter.com/ZQ49ZzG1rU  Orbis Business Intelligence (@OrbisBIOfficial) January 7, 2020

This relationship has endured despite Robert Muellers Special Counsel investigation failing to validate, if not outright disproving, most of the incendiary allegations made in Steeles dossier alleging co-operation between Donald Trumps presidential campaign and the Russian government in 2016, Great Game India added.

This excerpt raises serious questions about whether Cadwalladrs journalistic output and social media postings on the pandemic represent a conflict of interest, given she has repeatedly advocated Independent SAGEs harsh proposals for dealing with coronavirus, the report notes further.

Muellers probe was a sham too, if you recall: Nothing was found to prove Trump was guilty of anything except being the last guy the deep state in DC wanted to win the presidency. So they used assets like Steele to try and manufacture narratives that the founder of MAGA was some kind of double agent Manchurian president.

But apparently, as this report notes, Steele and Cadwalladr are part of Britains deep state  a gang of authoritarians who hate freedom and personal liberty and who are also using COVID to take away rights.

Sources include:

GreatGameIndia.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) As Trump supporters are treated like ISIS militants with their Constitutional rights being flagrantly violated by the Biden regime, Republican leaders in Washington D.C. are focusing onCuba.

(Article republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

Republican leaders, led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), are ignoring the oppression of the Jan. 6 protesters and instead focusing on a foreign land even while America is crumbling at warp speed.

I just requested a meeting with the White House to discuss how to best support the Cuban people in their quest for liberty against the oppressive regime in Havana. The world is watchingthis is a moment when the U.S. can change the course of human history for the better. pic.twitter.com/RWfRAGk9Bc  Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) July 26, 2021

On this day in 1953, Fidel Castro began his violent, communist revolution in Cuba, the letter reads. After roughly six years, Castro seized control of the Cuban government, installing himself as dictator and ruling the Cuban people with an iron fist.

The lawmakers are apparently more concerned about the tyranny of a long-dead ruler than the tyranny that has emerged on their own shores.

On July 11, 2021, the largest protests in years broke out in the towns and in the cities of Cuba. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, the communist regime decided to block access to the internet, brutally suppress the protests by attacking and jailing protesters, and refuse to acknowledge the Cuban peoples desires for a better life and freedom, they wrote.

GOP lawmakers, with only a few exceptions, have been silent about the tech censorship driven by the Biden White House and the suppression of protests in America. However, they will whine about the situation in Cuba because the defense contractors who fill their coffers with cash see the potential for another regime change war.

This is a moment when the United States can change the course of human history for the better. The United States is a bastion of freedom and democracy; a beacon across the globe for those seeking to cast off the shackles of communist oppression, the letter claims, with talking points that are laughable to any American paying attention to the current state of the country.

We must support our Cuban brothers and sisters as they seek to take control of their future and liberate themselves from the communist malignancy, the letter adds.

In addition to McCarthy, the letter is also signed by Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio as well as Reps. Kay Granger, Victoria Spartz, Mario Diaz-Balart, Hal Rogers, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Alex Mooney, Devin Nunes, Michael McCaul, Maria Salazar, Carlos Gimenez, Anthony Gonzalez, Jennifer Gonzales-Colon, Christopher H. Smith, Nicole Malliotakis, Ken Calvert, and Mark E. Green.

These lawmakers, many of whom are anti-Trump or have been in the past, could be considered the GOPs America Last caucus. They will never stand for freedom in the homeland but will puff their chests out on the global stage to serve their special interest masters. This is why the Republican Party is a joke, and conservatives have conserved nothing of any merit throughout the years.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com and Traitors.news
(Natural News) After earlier reporting that people who have been vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) can still become infected with and spread deadly disease, USA Today reportedly scrubbed this information from its website, effectively memory holing its own reporting.

The passage that USA Today removed from its coverage of the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reads as follows:

NBC News, citing unnamed officials aware of the decision, reported it comes after new data suggests vaccinated individuals could have higher levels of virus and infect others amid the surge of cases driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus.

Because this defies everything that Tony Fauci, Rochelle Walensky, and every other deep state talking-head has been saying for the past year and a half, USA Today quietly removed this sentence from one of its most recent fearmongering pieces about the so-called delta variant, for which the government wants to scare you into getting jabbed with a Trump Vaccine.

After the passage was redacted, many noticed its absence and decided to pull up archived versions that still show it. Then the thing went viral on social media as many people pointed out USA Todays deception.

In the latest version of the story, USA Today dropped the reference to NBC News and instead pointed to the CDCs latest recommendation that jabbed people wear a mask indoors because they could infect others, including the unvaccinated, with a Chinese Virus variant.

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, the new version of the article states.

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. This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendation.

Vaccinated people are shedding sickness onto unvaccinated people

With Walenskys announcement came an official CDC recommendation that all jabbed Americans cover their breathing holes with fabric in order to keep the Fauci Flu from spreading any further than it already has.

The CDC also wants parents to abuse their children by forcing them to wear a mask for eight hours a day in the classroom this fall. If parents refuse to do this, then the CDC wants public school districts to enforce mask mandates for all students who attend classes in person.

Some vaccinated people could be carrying higher levels of the virus than previously understood and potentially transmit it to others, the CDC now admits.

Meanwhile, thousands of unvaccinated and unmasked illegal migrants are pouring across the southern border and getting distributed by Beijing Biden to towns and cities near you  even as your children are being told that they have to stay muzzled forever to flatten the curve.

Are the vaxxed shedding spike proteins? I dont know. But I say we quarantine them in FEMA camps for a year just to be sure. Its for the children, joked one commenter at Zero Hedge.

Trust the ever-changing science! joked another. Objective, reproducible reality is a social construct! Logic is white supremacy! Never trust yourself!

Many others offered similar commentary about the current insanity, noting that the injections reduce rather than boost peoples immune systems. Not only that, but the jabs are encouraging deadly pathogens to mutate, which makes vaccinated people the real threat in society.

The latest news about Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) tyranny can be found at Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A Singaporean solar energy company recently announced its plan to build the worlds largest floating solar farm in neighboring Indonesia.

The project was announced by Sunseap Group, a solar energy system developer, owner and operator in Singapore. The company has multiple solar energy projects contracted all over Asia that can produce over 2,000 megawatts of solar energy at its peak.

Frank Phuan, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sunseap, said his company plans to build the floating solar farm about 50 kilometers (31 miles) off the southeast coast of Singapore, near the Indonesian archipelago city of Batam.

The entire project is expected to cost around $2 billion. Construction is slated to begin in 2022 and will be financed through Sunseap capital and bank debt. The companys timeline states it will be finished in 2024.

Sunseap recently signed an agreement to develop this project with the local investment and development authority, Badan Pengusahaan Batam, or BP Batam.

Phuan said this floating solar farm will double his companys entire portfolio and build Sunseaps capability to construct future hyperscale solar and energy storage projects.

This hyperscale project is a significant milestone for Sunseap, coming soon after we had completed Singapores first offshore floating solar farm on the Straits of Johor, said Phuan.

Floating solar farm to power Batam island and Singapore

Once the floating solar farm is operational, it is projected to produce 2.2 gigawatts of solar energy at its peak. The solar farm will also have an energy storage system with a capacity exceeding over 4,000 megawatt-hours.

Furthermore, Sunseap expects the solar farm to generate more than 2,600 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year.

Most of this generated electricity will go to power Batam. Sunseap said it will be able to supply the city with non-intermittent solar energy at any time of the day.

Any excess energy that is generated can be exported to Singapore via undersea cables. Batam currently has a total power generation of 540 megawatts from gas, steam and diesel power plants.

This investment by Sunseap will be a timely boost for Batams industries as they seek to reduce the carbon footprint of their operations, said Muhammad Rudi, chairman of BP Batam. At the same time, it will create jobs and transfer skills to Batams clean energy sector.

To help facilitate this skills transfer, Sunseap is planning to set up Sunseap Academy in Batam. This trade school will see to the hiring and skills set transfer for more than 3,000 Batam locals who will be hired to work on the project.

Floating solar farms can provide Southeast Asia with a lot of energy without sacrificing precious land

The floating solar farm will be located on the Duriangkang Reservoir in southern Batam island. According to Sunseaps statement announcing the project, the entire solar farm will span around 1,600 hectares (6.17 square miles).

Sunseap noted that the Duriangkang Reservoir is the largest freshwater reservoir for Batam. Originally a saltwater bay, it now supplies more than 50 percent of the freshwater needs of Batam Island.

The floating solar panels will help to reduce evaporation, thereby retaining more water within the reservoir, said the company. Simultaneously, the water will keep the solar panels cool, thereby generating more clean energy and creating a synergistic relationship.

Furthermore, according to Phuan, floating solar farms like the ones his company is responsible for can allow Southeast Asian nations like Singapore and Indonesia to tap into renewable energy while also addressing the land constraints that urbanized parts of Southeast Asia face. (Related: Floating a new idea to conserve space: Solar panels are now being installed on floating water rafts.)

Floating solar farms not only solve this problem, but they can also be more efficient. As Sunseap has already pointed out, the water beneath the panels keeps them cool when they are exposed to strong sunlight. Cooler surfaces can help solar panels be between five to 15 percent more efficient than their land-based counterparts.

Learn more about solar projects in Indonesia and other countries by reading the latest articles at SolarPanels.news.

Sources include:

CleanTechnica.com 1

Reuters.com

StraitsTimes.com

PowerEngineeringInt.com

CleanTechnica.com 2
Residents on Longboat Key in Sarasota, Florida, are used to seeing various aquatic species in their backyard canals. Still, the view they saw last week was unlike anything they'd seen before - and scientists believe it's due to the red tide bloom that's affecting the region.

Sharks began to arrive in droves in the canals around Buttonwood Harbor. They ranged in size and species from bonnethead sharks to blacktip sharks to nurse sharks to lemon sharks.

There may be hundreds, if not thousands, of sharks, according to some locals.

Longboat Key resident John Wagman said, "You noticed fins at first just like popping out, and then you'd look down the canal and with a little bit of daylight, you just saw more and more, and you were like, 'Oh, that's not good."

Longboat Key resident Janelle Branower said there were so many sharks that she could have walked across the canal on their backs.

Attracting the Local's Curiosity

Residents of Longboat Key began calling Mote Marine Laboratory experts early last week. They headed out on their own to look into it.

Related Article: Tons of Dead Fishes: Tampa Bay Will Be "Dead Zone" if Red Tide Doesn't End Soon



Red Tide

Why did so many sharks wind up in the same place? According to Jack Morris, a senior scientist with Mote's Sharks and Rays Research Program, it's because of the worsening red tide.

"When the red tide comes around, the animals don't like it, so they seek locations where the red tide isn't there. It just so happened to be the canal where these individuals reside in this case," Morris explained. "They're basically trying to dodge the red tide by taking refuge in these canals in this estuary."

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the red tide continues to be present in high quantities off the coast of Longboat Key and in medium concentrations in Sarasota Bay.

Red Tide in the Region

Morris was queried by WFLA about the prospects for sharks taking refuge in the canals. He warned that it might be a bad situation.

"As long as there is a persistent red tide in the region, it will keep them contained in the canals that aren't affected by the red tide. They will run out of food and energy if this goes on for long enough. Unfortunately, some, if not all, of them may perish," Morris stated.

How the Red Tide Affects Sharks

Sharks are being pushed from their natural homes around Sarasota Bay, according to Mote experts. Researchers intend to keep a close eye on the canals' status.

According to Bob Hueter, the cause is red tide. He is the head scientist of Ocearch, an organization that tracks diverse animals to collect data on sea life.

Sharks, according to Hueter, are just as vulnerable to the red tide as any other species. In addition, they will ultimately run out of oxygen if they become stuck beneath the algae.

On the other hand, Sharks are a little more mobile than the typical fish, so they can swim away when they spot a bloom. The difficulty is that this can cause them to become trapped in back bays and canals, as Hueter claims scientists are witnessing now.

Hueter says, "They're searching for any location to get away from the crimson flood."

Also Read: Shark Season 2021: Sightings Increased in East Coast as Summer Approaches

For the most recent news from the animal kingdom, don't forget to follow Nature World News!




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 REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures 100 to 105 degrees expected. * WHERE...In Washington, Simcoe Highlands, Lower Columbia Basin of Washington, Foothills of the Blue Mountains of Washington, Kittitas Valley, Yakima Valley and Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Washington. In Oregon, Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon, Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Foothills of the Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon. * WHEN...From 11 AM this morning 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. &&
BOSTON (AP)  Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked after a Vatican investigation confirmed he had sexually molested adults as well as children, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a wedding reception in Massachusetts in 1974, court records show.

McCarrick is the first cardinal in the U.S. to ever be criminally charged with a sexual crime against a minor, according to Mitchell Garabedian, a well-known lawyer for church sexual abuse victims who is representing the man alleging the abuse by McCarrick.

"It takes an enormous amount of courage for a sexual abuse victim to report having been sexually abused to investigators and proceed through the criminal process," Garabedian said in an email. Let the facts be presented, the law applied, and a fair verdict rendered.

McCarrick faces three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, according to documents filed in the Dedham District Court on Wednesday.

Barry Coburn, an attorney for McCarrick, told The Associated Press that they look forward to addressing the case in the courtroom," and declined further comment.

The charges against McCarrick were first reported by The Boston Globe on Thursday.

The man said the abuse started when he was a young boy, according to the court records. The man told authorities during an interview in January that McCarrick was close to his family and would perform wedding masses, baptisms and funerals for them.

The man said that during his brother's wedding reception at Wellesley College in June 1974  when he was 16  McCarrick told him that his father wanted him to have a talk with McCarrick because the boy was being mischievous at home and not attending church.

The man said that the two of them went for a walk around campus and McCarrick groped him before they went back to the party. The man said McCarrick also sexually assaulted him in a coat room type closet after they returned to the reception, authorities wrote in the documents.

Before leaving the room, McCarrick told him to say three Our Fathers and a Hail Mary or it was one Our Father and three Hail Marys, so God can redeem you of your sins," according to the report.

The man also described other instances of sexual abuse by McCarrick over the years, including when the man was an adult, the report said.

Authorities began investigating McCarrick after Garabedian sent a letter alleging the abuse to the district attorney's office, according to the court records.

McCarrick can still be charged in this case because he wasnt a Massachusetts resident and had left the state, stopping the clock on the statute of limitations, authorities said.

McCarrick, 91, was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after a Vatican investigation confirmed decades of rumors that he was a sexual predator.

The case created a credibility crisis for the church since the Vatican had reports from authoritative cardinals dating to 1999 that McCarricks behavior was problematic, yet he became an influential cardinal, kingmaker and emissary of the Holy Sees soft diplomacy.

It led to a two-year investigation that found that bishops, cardinals and popes downplayed or dismissed multiple reports of sexual misconduct. An internal investigation report released last year put the lions share of blame on Pope John Paul II, who appointed McCarrick archbishop of Washington, D.C., despite having commissioned an inquiry that confirmed he slept with seminarians.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of the online research database BishopAccountability.org, said that for McCarrick, todays reckoning is long overdue.

"We hope that these charges lead to justice," she said in an emailed statement.

Jeff Anderson, an attorney who has represented others who say they were victimized by McCarrick, said in a statement that the defrocked cardinal's history of prolific sex crimes has been ignored by the highest-ranking Catholic officials for decades.

For too long Catholic institutions have been self-policing while making pledges and promises without action. McCarrick should be behind bars for his crimes," Anderson said.

McCarrick, who now lives in Missouri, has been ordered to appear in Massachusetts for his arraignment on Sept. 3. The hearing was originally scheduled for Aug. 26.

Of the thousands of Catholic clergymen implicated in sexual abuse in recent decades, McCarrick was distinctive in having reached the highest circles of church leadership  even as awareness of his suspect behavior spread steadily through the hierarchy.

Ordained as a priest in New York City in 1958, McCarrick rose to become archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, in 1986 and then archbishop of Washington, D.C., in 2000. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.

In June 2018, McCarrick suddenly became the face of the long-festering Catholic sex abuse crisis as Pope Francis removed him from public ministry due to allegations that he abused a teenager while a priest in New York. A church panel determined that a former altar boys allegations that McCarrick fondled him before Christmas Mass at St. Patricks Cathedral in 1971 and 1972 were credible and substantiated.

The church also acknowledged that it had made previously undisclosed financial settlements with adults who accused McCarrick of sexual misconduct decades ago. It was apparently common knowledge in the U.S. and Vatican leadership that Uncle Ted, as McCarrick was known, slept with seminarians, and yet he still he ascended up the church ranks.

____

Associated Press reporter David Crary in New York contributed to this report.
LIMA, Peru (AP)  Pedro Castillo, a leftist political novice who has promised to be a champion of his countrys poor, on Wednesday became Perus new president.

The rural teacher who has never held political office before was sworn in less than two weeks after he was declared the winner of the June 6 runoff election. He is Perus first president of peasant origin.

In a ceremony in the capital of Lima, Castillo made a commitment for God, for my family, for my peasant sisters and brothers, teachers, patrolmen, children, youth and women, and for a new Constitution. He then he sang the national anthem, taking off his signature hat and placing it over his heart.

He succeeds President Francisco Sagasti, whom Congress appointed in November to lead the South American nation after weeks of political turmoil.

Castillo, who up until days ago lived with his family in an adobe home deep in the Andes, will face a deeply divided Congress that will make it extremely challenging for him to fulfill his ill-defined campaign promises to aid the poor, who are now estimated to make up about a third of the countrys population. His political savviness will be immediately tested, and his ability to reach agreements could even determine if Congress allows him to finish his term.

The government of Pedro Castillo still maintains us with considerable uncertainty; we still do not have clear his main lines of policy, said Claudia Navas, an analyst with the global firm Control Risks. However, we foresee that possibly, due to the characteristics of the Peruvian political system and the current general political and economic situation of the country, Castillo will maintain a more pragmatic position than he announced during the campaign.

The key is to build those consensuses and add strength to the proposals on how he is going to achieve them, she added.

Castillo defeated his opponent, right-wing career politician Keiko Fujimori, by just 44,000 votes. Perus poor and rural citizens supported Castillo and his slogan No more poor in a rich country, while the elites favored Fujimori, the daughter of controversial former president Alberto Fujimori. He stunned voters and observers by rising from a pool of 18 candidates and advancing to the runoff, in first place no less.

Castillos initial proposal to nationalize the nations mining industry set off alarm bells among business leaders. While that stance has softened, he remains committed to rewriting the constitution that was approved under the regime of Fujimoris father.

Peru is the second largest copper exporter in the world and mining accounts for almost 10% of its GDP and 60% of its exports. Its economy has been crushed by the coronavirus pandemic, increasing the poverty level and eliminating the gains of a decade.

I want you to know that the pride and pain of deep Peru runs through my veins. That I, too, am the son of this country founded on the sweat of my ancestors, built on the lack of opportunity of my parents and that despite that, I also saw it resist," Castillo said. That my life was made in the cold of the early mornings in the field, and that it was also these hands from the countryside that carried and rocked my children when they were little. That the history of this long-silenced Peru is also my history.

In November, Peru had three presidents in a single week after one was impeached by Congress over corruption allegations and protests forced his successor to resign. Lawmakers then appointed Sagasti.

Thousands of small businesses have closed over the past 16 months, and the political uncertainty following the election has led to the withdrawal of millions of dollars from local banks.

Enrique Castellanos, an economics professor at the Peruvian University of the Pacific, told a radio station that Castillo must build trust in the business community.

Confidence takes time to maintain and it goes away very quickly, he said.

The pandemic has pushed Perus medical and cemetery infrastructure beyond capacity. It has also deepened peoples mistrust of government as it mismanaged the COVID-19 response and a secret vaccination drive for the well-connected erupted into a national scandal.

Castillo has promised COVID-19 vaccines for all Peruvians.

Castillo until recently was a rural schoolteacher in the countrys third-poorest district. The son of illiterate peasants, he led a teachers strike in 2017.

The new president has lived with his wife and two children in an adobe home that he built in rural Chugur more than 20 years ago. On Wednesday, he announced he will not govern from the neo-baroque presidential palace, which he said will become a museum.

That follows a trend among some recent Latin American leaders, who have preached austerity.

In Bolivia, then President Evo Morales ditched the colonial presidential palace and turned it into a museum. But he then was heavily criticized for building a 29-story skyscraper to house offices and his home at a cost of more than $30 million.

In Mexico, current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador shunned the presidential compound of Los Pinos and opened it to the public. He moved into the old national palace, where no president had lived since the late 19th century.

Several delegations from other countries traveled to witness Perus presidential transition. Those attending included U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who was also a schoolteacher, the King of Spain Felipe VI, and the leaders of Chile, Sebastian Pinera; Colombia, Ivan Duque; and Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso.

Duque met with Castillo before the inauguration. Duque said they agreed to continue strengthening the participation of both countries in both the Andean community and the Pacific Alliance and spoke about the binational social agenda that includes health and education issues.

Duque told reporters that rewriting a constitution, like Castillo has proposed, is a sovereign decision of each country. But he pointed out that any constitutional reform process must be the product of a great national consensus, it has to be an opportunity for union and not division.

___

Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City.
ATLANTA (AP)  Investigators sought video from homes and businesses near a popular Atlanta park as divers searched a pond in their quest to solve the stabbing death of a parkgoer who was walking her dog.

Katherine Janness, 40, was found dead in Piedmont Park around 1 a.m. Wednesday. Police say her dog was also killed. No arrests have been made.

Investigators have gone door-to-door asking neighbors for surveillance footage, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The aim is to help them retrace Janness steps and glean any clues they can from the video.

Divers also spent much of Wednesday searching a pond in the park, news outlets reported.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also assisting Atlanta police in the probe, F.B.I. spokesperson Kevin Rowson said Thursday.

Janness was found stabbed multiple times and Atlanta police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton described the scene as gruesome.

Police on Wednesday released a photo of Janness crossing a rainbow-painted Pride crosswalk near the park in the citys Midtown neighborhood. Janness was a bartender at a nearby restaurant, friends and relatives said.

Chip Powell said he had worked with Janness for eight years when she had been the bar manager at a local improv theater.

Katie was the most down to earth, beautiful spirit that you would ever meet, Powell told WXIA-TV. So many people in the community knew and love her.

Janness and her girlfriend, Emma Clark, had been together for about seven years and considered themselves married, said Clarks father, Joe Clark.

They wouldve been together forever, Joe Clark told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They were that couple.

Janness was an avid reader who collected books, he told the newspaper. She had also taught herself to play guitar and sang songs that she'd written, he said.

Mourners on Wednesday left flowers, as well as dog treats, near the park entrance where her body was found.

Hampton said its too early to determine a motive for the killing.

Investigators are offering a $10,000 reward for information regarding the slaying.
Beverly "Beebe" Guinaugh, 85, of St. Louis, Missouri, formerly a longtime resident of New Castle, passed away on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at the Bethesda Meadow Nursing Home, Ellisville, Missouri. Mrs. Guinaugh was born on Jan. 18, 1936, in New Castle, a daughter of the late Ferdinand and Do
Work-from employees will no longer be treated as a second-class citizen, which means they will get best-in-class technology including SD-WAN appliances, cellular backup alternatives, zero trust security support and maybe even battery backup.

Thats at least part of the plan for hybrid workers now and moving forward, said Ciscos Todd Nightingale, executive vice president and general manager of the companys Enterprise Networking & Cloud business. The return-to-office concept is a myth--its a world we have left behind.

While the hybrid work strategy may be a plan for developing and selling Ciscos enterprise networking products and services, its also the plan for its own workers.

Cisco's embracing of a hybrid workforce means its emplyees will have options for how they put in their work weeks. Some will work five days per week at home and gather in person occasionally for team activities and personal connections. Others might go to the office five days per week and use collaboration tools such as WebEx to interact with colleagues working at home and around the world.

But essentially every Cisco employee will be a hybrid worker, wrote Francine Katsoudas, executive vice president and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer of Cisco in a blog announcing the plan. That means no set mandate from the top about numbers of days in or out of the office, she stated.

The idea of enabling a hybrid or remote workforce isnt particularly new to Cisco -- pre-pandemic only a third of its employees were in the office full time -- or many other large companies but it is something that has been wrestled with in other high-tech vendors and many enterprise companies.

For example, Google recently said that 20% of its 135,000 employees will be required to work in the office, another 20% will be allowed to be fully remote, but 60% will be allowed to work remotely two days per week. Microsoft and others havent decided what to do yet.

A story in the Washington Post recently took the pulse of workers potentially returning to offices: Most workers described a strange office environment bearing little resemblance to the one they left behind  a world of complicated social interactions, lingering anxieties about masks and vaccinations, and simmering frustrations about inflexible work policies. Companies spoke about the challenge of getting a workforce that has grown accustomed to working from home fired up again about office culture.

And everyone is involved. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the resultant massive increase in remote workers, the need to fully support a hybrid workforce is an issue confronting many businesses right now.

Gartner recently stated that by the end of 2021, 51% of all knowledge workers worldwide are expected to be working remotely, up from 27% in 2019 and that remote workers will represent 32% of all employees worldwide by the end of 2021, up from 17% in 2019. Gartner defines knowledge workers as those who involved in knowledge-intensive occupations, such as writers, accountants, and engineers. It defines remote workers as those who work away from their employers' sites at least one full day a week (hybrid workers) or who work from home all the time (fully remote workers).

The lasting impact of remote work is resulting in a reassessment of the IT infrastructure that shifts buyer requirements to demand work-anywhere capabilities, said Ranjit Atwal, senior research director at Gartner.

Through 2024, organizations will be forced to bring forward digital business transformation plans by at least five years, Atwal said. Those plans will have to adapt to a post-COVID-19 world that involves permanently higher adoption of remote work and digital touchpoints,

Digital products and services will play a big role in these digital transformation efforts, Atwal stated.

This longer strategic plan requires continued investment in strategic remote-first technology continuity implementations along with new technologies such as hyperautomation, AI and collaboration technologies to open up more flexibility of location choice in job roles, Atwal stated.

The hybrid workforce will need every technology from SD-WAN and SASE to a full stack collaboration suite--in Cisco's case WebEx--and best-in-class security and Wi-Fi and failover options, Nightingale said.

Cisco will support these workers with networking technologies including home SD-WAN routers that include a wireless connection for back up, and Cisco's Umbrella security support to let users access applications remotely and securely.

Other possible options include a Wi-Fi router that is an extension of the corporate network that can be managed remotely from Ciscos DNA Spaces package, for example.

No matter where employees are, Cisco says it will use its products to monitor network and application performance. These include tools like ThousandEyes, which provides end-to-end visibility into edge domains that customers dont own, such as cloud networks and the internet.

Other offerings such as like Meraki Gateways and Cisco desk phones are key to helping remote workers communicate effectively, no matter the location or industry.

The other part of the hybrid work equation is the experience IN the office  how we make sure conference rooms are hybrid workspaces, having a modern office hoteling applications that reserve desktops and conference rooms to make sure you have a modern workspace to go into if you want, Nightingale said.

Katsoudas wrote that for Cisco to succeed, we must establish new and elevated levels of trust and transparency within our teams and our company.

To do that we are laying out what were calling Our Collaboration Commitments--a set of expectations and beliefs laid out for individuals, leaders, and teams around topics including accountability, inclusion, and well-being, Katsoudas stated.

We know that leaders will have a central role to play in creating and maintaining this conscious culture. It will be our team leaders who will model our hybrid work philosophy, leading with empathy and proximity to their teams. We know this is asking a lot of our people, which is why were experimenting with new methods of team and leader learning to support the transition into this new way of working.

And if we can get it right, we know that a spirit of flexibility and adaptability will allow us to meet our business needs while playing to the strengths of our people and their preferred workstyles, Katsoudas stated.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A move which will protect depositors of troubled bank, Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved changes to the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Act, which will allow depositors to withdraw up to Rs 5 lakh in 90 days, even if the bank goes under moratorium.

The Bill provides insurance to all bank deposits and covers all commercial banks and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that this will cover 98.3% of all deposit accounts and 50.9% of the deposit value, if a bank goes under moratorium.

This will be the biggest relief we can offer those small depositors and nearly covering 98.3% depositors, Sitharaman said in a press conference post the cabinet meeting. She added that this is much above global deposit insurance coverage of 80% for all accounts, and 20-30% coverage by deposit value.

After the bank is placed under moratorium by the Reserve Bank of India, the corporation will process the claims real time, and within 90 days the process will be completed even when the bank resolution is ongoing. This will also cover banks that have been already placed under moratorium.

Banks will have to pay a premium of 12 paise per Rs 100 worth of deposits from 10 paise earlier. The law has a provision that the premium will not be hiked beyond Rs 15 per Rs 100 of deposits. The government on Wednesday also cleared amendments to the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Act, with an aim to decriminalise various provisions under the law and foster the ease of doing business.

Changes include removing criminal action for failure to comply with provisions of the Act. It will help about 2.30 lakh such firms in the country. With the approval, the total number of penal provisions in the Act will be reduced to 22, the number of compoundable offences will be only seven, the number of non-compoundable offences will be only three, and the number of defaults will be only 12. We are doing a lot of changes in the Companies Act and corporate bodies are getting a lot of ease of doing business. LLPs are becoming popular among startups, Sitharaman said.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Centre has decided to develop six airports including the Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar in public private partnership (PPP) mode. Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh informed this in Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question from BJD MP Subash Singh.

The Minister said that the board of Airports Authority of India (AAI) approved leasing out of six airports at Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Raipur, Indore and Trichy for undertaking operations, management and development through PPP mode in its 190th meeting on September 5, 2019.

The AAI had earlier in 2018-19 and 2006 leased out airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru for development in PPP mode. The Minister said that the National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016 aims to encourage development of airports by state governments, private sector or in the PPP mode.

Welcoming the decision, Singh said that as Odisha is going to be an international tourist destination, the Biju Patnaik international airport at Bhubaneswar needs to be developed in line with the airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore.
By PTI

LOS ANGELES: Actor Jennifer Garner has cemented her partnership with Netflix through a multi-film agreement under which she will star in and produce movies for the streaming platform.

Under the deal, Garner will produce the sequel to her Netflix family film "Yes Day", based on Amy Krouse Rosenthal's book of the same name.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, she will also reprise her role as Allison Torres, a mother who gives her children 24 hours to make the rules.

Garner said she had the most gratifying, creative, experience bringing "Yes Day" to life "Seeing Netflix's global reach as the Torres family wreaked havoc in homes all over the world makes me eager to dive in with another Day of Yes; I can't wait," she said.

Scott Stuber, Netflix's head of global film, said Garner is a valuable addition to the streamer.

"As an actor, she's proven herself to be incredibly versatile in unforgettable roles spanning fast-paced action, heartfelt comedies and thought-provoking dramas.

She approaches every aspect of her work with such detail and preparation, which makes her an extremely valuable partner and producer," Stuber, who first worked with the actor on the 2007 Universal film "The Kingdom", said.

Outside of this deal, Garner will next star in the Netflix sci-fi film "The Adam Project", also featuring Ryan Reynolds, Zoe Saldana and Mark Ruffalo.

She is also set to star in and produce the comedy feature "Family Leave", inspired by author Rosenthal's "Bedtime for Mommy".
By Express News Service

Small Axe-fame Micheal Ward will star opposite Oscar winner Olivia Colman in British filmmaker Sam Mendes upcoming feature Empire of Light.

Ward, a Jamaican-born British actor, is famous for starring in Lovers Rock, which is the second part of Steve McQueens highly-acclaimed anthology movie series Small Axe.

Produced by Searchlight Pictures, Empire of Light is a romantic drama set in and around the South Coast of England in the 1980s. The film marks Mendes first solo outing as a screenwriter.

The filmmaker, known for critically-acclaimed movies such as American Beauty, Skyfall and Revolutionary Road, had penned his most recent film, war drama 1917, with Krysty Wilson-Cairns.

For Empire of Light, Mendes is once again collaborating with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, who won an Oscar for best cinematography at the 2020 Academy Awards for his work on 1917.

The filmmaker will also produce the project through his Neal Street Productions along with Pippa Harris.

Ward is currently busy with the second season of his hit Netflix series Top Boy. He will also feature in the streaming platforms upcoming film Beauty, co-starring Giancarlo Esposito and Sharon Stone.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Mumbai Police on Thursday told the Bombay High Court that businessman Raj Kundra was arrested in an alleged case of production and streaming of pornographic films as he was not cooperating with the investigation.

In an affidavit filed in response to Kundra's petition challenging the arrest, the police also argued that section 67(A) of the Information Technology Act, which is about "publishing/creating pornographic content", was rightly invoked in the case.

Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai crime branch on July 19, and is presently in judicial custody.

His bail application was rejected by a lower court on Wednesday.

In his petition, he claimed that the material which he allegedly disseminated through apps was not pornographic, and at the most it could be described as "lascivious".

Kundra (45), who is married to actor Shilpa Shetty, also alleged that the police had not issued any notice under section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure before arrest, which is mandatory.

As per section 41A, the police may, in cases where arrest is not warranted, issue summons to the accused and record his or her statement.

The police said in their reply that a notice was issued prior to the arrest, but Kundra refused to accept it.

"The fact that the petitioner refused to accept the notice implies that the petitioner refused to cooperate with the investigation," said the affidavit filed by inspector Kiran Bidve.

During the hearing before Justice A S Gadkari on Thursday, Kundra's lawyer Aabad Ponda argued that when such a notice is issued, a period of two weeks is given to the person to appear for questioning.

"Kundra was not even given two days or two hours. His office premises were searched by the police on the afternoon of July 19. This went on for about three to four hours during which Kundra was present and cooperating. Later in the evening he was asked to accompany the police to the police station where he was arrested," Ponda said.

The police in their affidavit, however, alleged that when the search was underway, Kundra and his "IT technician" Ryan Thorpe started deleting messages from a WhatsApp group, thus destroying evidence.

To prevent them from further tampering with evidence, Kundra was taken to police station and arrested, the police claimed.

Justice Gadkari will continue the hearing on July 31.
Ram Venkat Srikar By

Express News Service

Ever since her debut with the Telugu film, Boni, in 2009, Kriti Kharbanda has been juggling projects in multiple languages, and now is on her way to establishing a footing in Bollywood. The actor, who has appeared in over 28 films across four languages in a career spanning over a decade, says it took a while to fathom the professions coveted derivative: fame. I was too young to understand what was happening around me when my first Kannada film, Chiru, got released in 2010. My mother and I were running a boutique back then, and we would casually go out. During one such family outing to a shopping mall, I remember being mobbed by a crowd. It was a strange experience, she says, adding that when her next big blockbuster came in the form of Googly, co-starring Yash, public attention was easier to process. Googly changed everything for me in the South; I went on to sign five massive projects. This time, I could comprehend the response. Social media had just begun to flourish, and it was a great tool to assess acceptance and reach.

Kriti Kharbanda

Kriti debuted in Bollywood with Raaz: Reboot in 2016, but recognition came only a year later. While I knew we made a good film, I did not foresee the popularity of my character from Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, Aarti Shukla, making people call me Aarti, instead of Kirti, she says. The actor is not new to films focussed on weddings. Having starred in Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana and Veere Ki Wedding, the recently released 14 Phere is the actors third wedding-themed film. Though it talks about marriage, its more than just a wedding film, she says. We have tried to explore how disparity in marriage principles between two generations affects children. When a parent expresses dissatisfaction over their kids life decisions, it can result in children wondering why their choices are being doubted. This question is what sets 14 Phere apart from other wedding-based films, says Kriti.

Kriti, who has had her share of success and failure, says she treats each film as her first. For many reasons, shooting for 14 Phere was a novel experience, says the Taish-actor. This was the first time we were shooting in the pandemic period. During filming, I felt that I had reinvented myself as an actor. The eight-month long break allowed me to spend time understanding my character, Aditi, she says. Talking about the homework she put in for the character and the story, she says, Aditis arc spans over 10 years. It was essential for me to understand the life experiences that built her personality up for each stage, beginning from when shes just 18.

Kriti, who has shared screen space with Vikrant Massey in the film, shares that having a great co-star eases her job. When an actor gets appreciated for a good performance, half of the credit must go to the co-star. Its crucial to have an actor who understands that they are an imperative part of even scenes in which they may not be present in the shot. I have been lucky to have found some really supportive co-stars so far. Also, I dont hesitate to ask for help from my co-actor if I need it, she says.

Throughout her career, Kriti has acted in several mainstream films, mostly in Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi. Can she discern a progression in the way female characters are written now, as opposed to, say, when she started? It has evolved a lot. Writers are now coming up with characters that are integral to the script; stronger characters are being developed. Take, for instance, my character in 14 Phere, written by Manoj Kalwani; she is a real person.

This could have easily been a male-dominant script, but Manoj understands a relationship is kept afloat by the equal dynamics, says Kriti, adding that a coherent script is as important as a fleshed-out character. There have been instances where I had to turn down films which, despite having fantastic characters, didnt have a sound script. Filmmaking is all about teamwork; even superstars of the country, who can easily pull people to theatres with just their name, are clear about making entertaining films. People are investing their time to watch a film, and we owe them a worthwhile experience. If they want to see only me, they can do it on Instagram as well, she says.

Kriti acknowledges that her film choices are dictated by a variety of factors. People tell me that Im too particular about my film preferences. I have worked very hard to get where I am at the momentto get the agency to make my choices. I have bills to pay, and I did some films just to make some money. Today, however, I have the liberty to turn down films that dont appeal to me. Im extremely grateful for this, signs off Kriti.
CE Features By

Express News Service

Ravi Varma, a known face in the Telugu industry, and having made his mark in Bollywood with popular Hindi films like Saaho and The Ghazi attack. (Indias first Submarine war film) is currently his entry into Sandalwood. The Vennela, Rakhi, and Kshanam actor is in talks for Prajwal Devaraj Mafia, directed by Gurudatha Ganiga, which is currently in the pre-production stage.

I have got to prove my mettle with versatile roles in various Telugu films, and web series. I have been part of Tamil and Telugu films as well. In the process of my acting career, I started following films made in Kannada. Films like Mungaru Male, Lucia, U-Turn, Thithi, Love Mocktail, Kavaludaari, are just a few examples that well explains to us the unique flavor brought out in the films made in Kannada.

Moreover, KGF made the entire India turn their head towards Kannada industry, says Ravi Varma, who is currently in discussions with director Gurudatha, and hoping to be on board, and waiting for an official announcement. I will be coming to Bengaluru for further discussions soon.

I have had the opportunity to work with actors like Kishore and Garuda Ram of KGF fame, and now looking forward to working with actors like Prajwal Devaraj and others, he says. The film produced by B Kumar has Adithi Prabhudeva in the female lead, has dialogues by Maasti and cinematography by Abhimanyu Sadanandan, and music will be composed by Anoop Seelin. Mafia is likely to go on floors from this September.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The National Gallery of Australia on Thursday announced that it will return 14 artworks worth around $3 million from its Asian collection to India.

Of the 14 works of art, 13 works are connected with jailed art dealer Subhash Kapoor, who is in prison on charges of smuggling, and one has been acquired from New York-based art dealer William Wolff.

Reacting to the announcement, Indian High Commissioner to Australia Manpreet Vohra expressed his gratefulness. "The Government of India is grateful for this extraordinary act of goodwill and gesture of friendship from Australia. These are outstanding pieces: their return will be extremely well-received by the

government and people of India," he said.

In a statement, National Gallery of Australia director Nick Mitzevich said that returning the artworks is the right and culturally responsible thing to do.

"We are grateful to the Indian Government for their support and are pleased we can ow return these culturally significant objects, he said and added that the handover will take a couple of months.

Some of the artworks that are being returned include bronze and stone sculptures, a painted scroll and photographs. The museum, which had assessed that most of them were stolen, had acquired them between 1989 and 2009.

The artworks have found space in local Australian media, which has termed the collection a 'source of embarrassment for the NGA'. The NGA statement stated that with the return of the 14 artworks, it will no longer have any works acquired through Kapoor.

This is the fourth time the NGA has returned to India illegally exported works purchased from Kapoor, his associates or from his gallery 'Art of the Past'.

The list of artworks being returned:

The divine couple Lakshmi and Vishnu, 10th-11th century, purchased in 2006

Letter of invitation to Jain monks; picture scroll, 1835, purchased 2009

The child-saint Sambandar, 12th century, purchased in 1989

The dancing child-saint Sambandar, 12th century, purchased in 2005

Portrait of donor and priests before ShriNathji, Udaipur, Rajasthan], unknown date, purchased in 2009

Guru Das Studio, purchased 2009

Hiralal A Gandhi memorial portrait, 1941, purchased in 2009

Processional standard, 1851, purchased 2008

Portrait of a man, 1954, purchased 2009

Goddess Durga slaying the buffalo demon [Durga Mahisasuramardini], 12th-13th century, purchased in 2002

Arch for a Jain shrine, 11th-12th century, purchased in 2003

Seated Jina, 1163, purchased 2003

Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Yamin, 1903, purchased in 2010

Portrait of a woman, unknown date, purchased in 2009
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Over 500 individuals and groups have written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana seeking immediate intervention of the Supreme Court in the alleged Pegasus snooping matter. They have also sought a moratorium on the sale, transfer and use of Israeli firm NSO's Pegasus spyware in India.

They have expressed shock over media reports that the spyware was used for surveillance of women students, academics, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and victims of sexual violence. Besides, the signatories to the letter have requested the top court to adopt a gender-neutral sexual harassment, data protection and privacy policy.

The letter also referred to the issue of alleged snooping on the apex court official who had raised allegations of sexual harassment against then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. "For women, the Pegasus scandal is deeply concerning, for speaking out against the state and men in positions of state power has meant that their lives are wrecked by such surveillance permanently. Human rights defenders have been imprisoned, and victims of sexual harassment have also not been spared such shocking forms of state sponsored cyber-crimes, which are analogous to digital forms of state terror," the letter said.

The letter has been signed by various activists including Aruna Roy, Anjali Bhardwaj, Harsh Mander; scholars and eminent lawyers like Vrinda Grover, Jhuma Sen among others. An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on a list of potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus spyware.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Slamming Pakistan for holding assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), India on Thursday said it was nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and that it has lodged a strong protest with that country over the issue.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi asserted that Pakistan has no locus standi on these Indian territories and it should vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.

"The so-called elections in Indian territory under the illegal occupation of Pakistan are nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and the material changes undertaken by it in these territories," he said at an online media briefing.

His strong assertion came days after Pakistan conducted elections to the legislative Assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The elections were marred by allegations of irregularities and violence.

Asked about the polls, Bagchi said India has lodged a strong protest with the Pakistani authorities on this "cosmetic exercise", which has also been protested and rejected by the local people.

"Such an exercise can neither hide the illegal occupation by Pakistan nor the grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom to the people in these occupied territories," he said.
By PTI

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed a private hospital here to submit the latest health report of Delhi University associate professor Hany Babu, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

Babu was shifted from the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai to the Breach Candy hospital following the high court's order in May this year. His lawyer Yug Chaudhry had told the court in May that Babu suffered from multiple ailments including a severe eye infection.

He had also tested positive for COVID-19 after his arrest in July 2020, but had recovered from the viral infection before being admitted to the private hospital. The high court is hearing a petition filed by Babu's wife Jenny Rowenna seeking his release on bail on health grounds.

On Thursday, advocate Payoshi Roy, who appeared for Babu, told a bench of Justices SS Shinde and N J Jamadar that he had "largely recovered" from the eye ailment. "We are not pressing for further reliefs and the court may call for a doctors' report from the hospital," advocate Roy said.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, who appeared for the National Investigation Agency (NIA), said it had no objection to that. The HC then directed the hospital to submit a report in a sealed envelope before the next hearing on August 6.

The case relates to the Elgar Parishad held in Pune on December 31, 2017. Pune police had alleged that 'provocative' speeches there led to caste violence at Bhima Koregaon war memorial the next day, and the Parishad (conclave) itself was backed by Maoists.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up micro blogging platform Twitter for non-compliance of the new IT rules and granted it one weeks time to file a better affidavit.

I am giving you a long rope but please dont expect this to go on and on, said Justice Rekha Palli. She noted in the order that Twitters affidavit showed serious non-compliance of the new IT rules.

Twitter had told the high court that the same person, Vinay Prakash, has been appointed to two posts and that it has been using the term interim because the appointees are not employees but contingent workers on a third-party contract.

ASG Chetan Sharma appearing for the Centre said, The IT rules specify that a senior employee has to be appointed. It cannot be a contingent worker. First they said interim, now they say contingent. This is absolute non-compliance with rules. Its been months. They cannot continue to have it so easy. This constant non-compliance using nuance terminology cannot be accepted anymore.

During the hearing, the court asked, Twitter has to answer. What is this kind of compliance? How can you have a contingent worker through a thirdparty contractor? Your affidavit says we will make an endeavour to appoint. Your company is making so much money like the Centre is saying and youre saying well make an endeavour to comply with the laws?

At this, Twitters counsel Sajan Poovayya told the court, We have a problem as compared to other companies because Twitter is still in the process of setting up a liaison office in India. Regarding the nodal contact officer, we have made an offer of employment via a third party contractor to a qualified candidate on July 27 and he has verbally accepted the offer.

This forced court to reprimand Twitter and said, I dont understand what your company is trying to do. If you want to comply do it wholeheartedly. You are still getting business from India. Twice before the court had granted time to Twitter to file an affidavit to show compliance with the IT rules.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: The separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference on Thursday demanded the release of its chairman and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who has been under house arrest since the abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

"Mirwaiz is under house detention since August 5, 2019 and none is allowed to visit and meet him," said a Hurriyat Conference spokesman.

He said three Hurriyat executive members Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone and Masroor Abbas Ansari were denied permission to meet Mirwaiz at his Nageen residence, where he has been under detention since August 5, 2019.

According to the Hurriyat spokesman, mobile bunkers and armed vehicles have been deployed at the main gate of Mirwaiz's residence. "The CRPF and police personnel have partially blocked the road towards Mirwaiz's residence from both sides and no one is allowed to go inside."

ALSO READ | I wish to see Kashmir as paradise on earth, says President Kovind at varsity convocation

While Mirwaiz is under house detention, over a dozen separatist leaders including Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah and Nayeem Khan are lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail and many other separatist leaders and activists are also under detention.

The separatist camp has gone silent after the revocation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. The hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has already quit the Hurriyat faction led by him.

Alleging that all human, fundamental rights and civil liberties of Mirwaiz stand completely curbed for the last two years as he has been caged inside his home, the Hurriyat spokesman demanded his leader's immediate release from the arbitrary house detention.

He appealed to all rights activists and organizations and democracies of the world to ensure Mirwaiz's release and the restoration of his human rights.

Mirwaiz, who used to lead Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar, has not offered a single Friday prayer at the Jamia since August 5, 2019 due to his continued detention.
By PTI

AGARTALA: The 23 members of poll strategist Prashant Kishor's I-PAC team, the alleged detention of which in the BJP-ruled Tripura led the Trinamool Congress to attack the saffron party, surrendered before a local court on Thursday, which granted them bail.

The Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) team has been camping in Agartala to assess the political situation and potential support base for the TMC. The police allegedly detained them in a hotel citing COVID norms on Sunday night.

Senior TMC leader and MP Derek O'Brien, who arrived in the state, alleged that the central leadership of the BJP is behind the incident.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate S B Das granted bail to the I-PAC team members, who were summoned to appear before the police on August one following registration of an FIR against them on Tuesday.

The police earlier said that the I-PAC team members will have to remain inside the hotel until their test report for COVID-19 is available. The reports came negative on Tuesday night. Their counsel Pijush Kanti Biswas said that a case against the state government will be filed for harassing them.

"The I-PAC team members arrived in the state with Covid negative reports. But they were put under detention before the FIR was registered which amounts to harassment," Biswas said.

Additional Public Prosecutor Bidyut Sutradhar said a complaint was filed by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Sadar, against the team, which was registered at East Agartala police station under Section 188 of IPC (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and under the National Disaster Management Act.

"The investigating officer served them notice to meet him on August one. There was no apprehension of arrest. But still, they surrendered before the court, prayed for bail and the court granted them bail," Sutradhar told reporters.

SDPO (Sadar) Ramesh Yadav, said that as soon as the COVID test results of the 23 people came negative, they were freed on Tuesday night itself. "They were not detained but asked to stay in the hotel till the test reports are available. After receiving the test reports, some of them stepped out of the hotel on Wednesday," the police officer said.

Meanwhile, Derek O'Brien, senior Rajya Sabha MP of the TMC, said that the I-PAC team members hired by the party came here on a professional assignment, and alleged that they were detained by the Tripura Police on directions of the central leadership of the BJP.

"What message did (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi give from Delhi? They directed from Delhi to arrest the I-PAC team members. They are trying to impose the Gujarat model across India," O'Brien said.

He claimed that Modi and Shah are not allowing opposition members to speak in Parliament and at the same time they are trying to silence the opposition voice here. He said that the TMC leadership has asked some party MPs to come to Agartala from Delhi even when the Parliament session is on.

TMC MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar has arrived here on Thursday while party general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to reach Tripura on Friday.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India and the US stand united in addressing the scourge of terrorism and supporting regional economic connectivity through transparent development of infrastructure, while ensuring respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, External Affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, in a veiled jab at Pakistan and China.

He said that the two sides are together in opposing terrorist safe havens, countering terror-financing and strengthening cooperation against terrorist threats from groups, including those in India's immediate neighbourhood.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar said the India-US partnership is one of the major relationships in the world and the cooperation between the two countries is evident in the common commitment to address contemporary issues such as terrorism, climate change and pandemics.

The external affairs minister's comments came a day after he held wide-ranging talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with a focus on the Indo-Pacific engagement, COVID-19 response and economic recovery and the situation in Afghanistan.

In his written response, Jaishankar said India and the US have a comprehensive, strategic and global partnership based on shared democratic values and convergence of interests on regional and global matters and the relations have seen a steady growth and development after 2014.

He also referred to a joint strategic vision of the two countries for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions that calls upon all parties to avoid the threat or use of force and pursue resolution of territorial and maritime disputes through peaceful means and in accordance with international laws, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"To this end, India and the US are committed to respecting freedom of navigation, overflight and commerce throughout the region and the need to resolve territorial and maritime disputes peacefully and in accordance with international laws," Jaishankar said in comments seen as directed at China.

China's military assertiveness in the South China Sea as well as in the larger Indo-Pacific region has been a matter of considerable concern for leading global powers.

Jaishankar said India and the US support bolstering regional economic connectivity through transparent development of infrastructure and the use of responsible "debt-financing practices", while ensuring respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, the rule of law and the environment.

There has been growing global criticism of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as Chinese financing has resulted in rising debt in several countries where infrastructure projects under the mega programme are being implemented.

"India and the US stand united in addressing the global scourge of terrorism, inter alia by opposing terrorist safe havens, countering terror financing and strengthening cooperation against terrorist threats from groups, including those in our immediate neighbourhood. There are regular consultations on domestic and international terrorist designations listing proposals," the external affairs minister said.

Jaishankar said the global partnership between India and the United States is evident in their common commitment to address contemporary issues. "The India-US relationship is today one of the major relationships of the world and there is widespread appreciation of the significance of this relationship and the fundamental convergences therein," he said.

Jaishankar identified healthcare and COVID-19 response, the digital innovation ecosystem, energy, knowledge and education and strategic and defence collaborations as the key priorities of the ties.

"Healthcare has emerged as an important sector of collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. India's timely supply of critical medicines and protective gear to the US last year was well-received," he said, adding that the US government and private sector deployed substantial consignments of critical medicines and oxygen-related equipment for India to combat the second wave of the pandemic.

Jaishankar said the rapidly expanding commercial and economic linkages form an important component of the multi-faceted partnership and that the US is among India's largest trading partners and a major destination for its exports of goods and services, with the balance of trade in New Delhi's favour.

"As global non-proliferation partners, the US has expressed strong support for India's early membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and has supported India's accession into the MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group," he said.

The minister said the US also supports India's permanent membership on a reformed UN Security Council. "India-US relations are on a strong footing, given the deep-rooted cooperation, shared values and interests. The leadership in both countries is committed to consolidating the relationship and global partnership in the coming years," he said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Jailed gangster Chhota Rajan was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here after he complained of a stomachache, officials said Thursday. A senior jail official said, "Rajan was having a stomachache and was admitted to AIIMS Tuesday. He is likely to be discharged today. However, no official communication has been received on his discharge."

61-year-old Rajan was admitted at the hospital in on April 24 also after he had tested positive for COVID-19 in Tihar Jail two months earlier. He was brought back to the jail after his recovery. Rajan is lodged at the high-security prison since his arrest upon his deportation from Bali in Indonesia in 2015.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday adjourned the House proceedings till 11:30 AM amid protests, and also expressed displeasure over unruly behaviour by some opposition members on Wednesday.

As the House convened for the day, the Speaker said he was "very hurt" over Wednesday's incident.

On Wednesday, when papers were being laid in the House, Congress members Gurjeet Aujala, TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden and some others threw business papers of the day as well as torn pieces of paper and placards at the Chair.

A piece of the torn placard landed in the press gallery just above the Speaker's podium.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, said the opposition has not been able to put forth it point due to the stubborn attitude of the government.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the members who resorted to tearing papers don't even want to apologise.

As the protest continued, Speaker Birla adjourned the proceedings.

The Opposition members have been protesting over the Pegasus snooping controversy and three farm bills.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday requested Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to order the insurance company to disburse 50 per cent the insured amount to the flood-affected people in the state.

Thackeray made this demand in a letter addressed to her. "The representatives of insurance companies have agreed to pay at least 50 per cent amount of the coverage. However, they stressed on obtaining directives or instructions from the Union government to the headquarters of the insurance companies as well as to the IRDA," he said.

Thackeray reminded Sitharaman that there has been a precedent that the Centre issues such instructions as seen during the floods in Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala.

Meanwhile, the chief minister held a meeting with the representatives of 11 insurance companies as well as collectors of the flood-affected districts.

During the meeting, he also asked the insurance company representatives to accept the damage assessment reports prepared by the local revenue officials.

"The insurance companies should not insist on not removing the damaged items for the sake of damage assessment. The revenue officials should take clear pictures of the damaged areas to avoid any confusion during the assessment," Thackeray said.

The flood-affected areas need to be cleared to avoid any spread of infection or epidemic diseases.

The damaged vehicles and other material has to be removed at the earliest, the chief minister said, adding that the insurance companies should consider it.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was also present during the meeting, said, "The insurance companies should not stress on producing every necessary document to settle the claim. Many people have lost their documents because of the floods."

In another meeting with bankers in the state, Thackeray made an appeal to them to supply loan to traders and shop owners at concessional rates.

"The banks should also give some extension for loan repayment. They should make their branches operational," he said.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India will not be a part of the list of countries getting vaccine doses from the United Kingdom, which announced that it will give away 100 million doses to Commonwealth and other Asian countries by June 2022.

We have seen the UK governments announcement of giving vaccines to Commonwealth and Asian countries. As far as I am aware, we are not on that list, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday.

The UK announced on Wednesday that it would begin donating doses of vaccine soon and the initial 9 million doses would be given to Jamaica, Kenya and other Asian countries, starting Friday.

ALSO READ: Kerala model of Covid management gets both brickbats and pats even as cases rise

They will go to countries, vulnerable places like Laos and Cambodia, partners like Indonesia, Malaysia (and) a range of Commonwealth countries from Kenya to Jamaica. This demonstrates we're not just doing it because it's in our own interest. It shows global Britain as a life-saving force for good in the world, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

London aims to donate around 30 million of the 100 million doses by December 2021 and 80 per cent of the total donations would be done through the Covax programme while the remaining would be given directly to countries.

According to the UK government, 5 million of the initial donations through Covax would be done to lower-income countries. According to the UK Foreign Office, the allocation prioritises delivering vaccines to people who most need them. Indonesia, which is seeing a spurt in coronavirus cases, is set to get 6 lakh doses while Jamaica will get 3 lakh doses.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Days after skirmishes on inter- state border left six Assam Police personnel dead and dozens of others injured, the Assam government on Thursday issued a travel advisory, asking people of the state not to travel to Mizoram. The government pointed to some recent incidents of skirmishes along the Mizoram border in Assams Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts.

Even after this incident, certain Mizo civil society/students and youth organisations are constantly issuing provocative statements against Assam and its people the government said. It has been reliably learnt from video footage available with the Assam Police that many civilians are heavily armed with automatic weapons. As such, to ensure the safety and security of the people of Assam, a travel advisory is hereby issued, the advisory read.

The Assam government advised the people from the state who are working in Mizoram to exercise utmost caution. The government said it would thoroughly check every vehicle that enters Assam from Mizoram. In order to check the trafficking of illicit drugs, it is necessary to check all vehicles entering Assam from Mizoram. Such vehicles will be thoroughly checked by Assam Police.

ALSO READ: Economic blockade against Mizoram continues, Assam Police team in Delhi to quiz Mizo MP

These vehicles shall be released only after due satisfaction of an officer, not below the rank of Sub-Inspector, that no illicit drugs are present, the order reads. Meanwhile, an economic blockade imposed on Mizoram by Assam-based organisation continued, prompting the Mizoram govt to seek Centres intervention.

Students leader hits out at Assam CM

Mizo Students Union (MSU) president J Lalmuanzuala accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of damaging the peace in the Northeast. In his words of advice for Sarma, Lalmuanzuala said the Assam CMs political ambitions threatened peace in the region. Before your entrance into the world of politics, there was peace, he said
By PTI

KOLKATA: West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Thursday said major lenders in the country should consider rolling out job-oriented courses.

Mitra made the comment after inaugurating Bandhan Bank Konnagar's PG Diploma Course in Banking and Finance in affiliation with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology.

"This is an innovative model where students will get guaranteed jobs after successful completion of the course. I will raise this model at the state-level bankers meet and urge lenders like SBI and PNB to come up with similar efforts," he said.

The minister also said the student credit card scheme of the West Bengal government will help youths who wish to join the course. Bandhan Bank has a residential learning centre in Rajpur that can accommodate 210 students.

A new centre with a capacity of 240 residential students will be launched in Shantiniketan by January 2022. The lender has trained 600 students so far, it said.

"The course has been devised keeping in mind the needs of banking in all of India and will have a special focus on rural areas," Founder Chandrasekhar Ghosh said.
By Express News Service

BELAGAVI: The recent talks which former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa held with Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil and higher officials of Water Resources Department in Bengaluru to coordinate effectively to prevent floods on the border has failed as more than 22 villages in Athani taluk, on Maharashtra border submerged due to the abrupt release of water into Krishna river from the dams of Maharashtra in the last few days.

The authorities from both Karnataka and Maharashtra had agreed at the meeting to take steps to coordinate with each other with regard to the release of water from both the states. However, highly-placed sources said, at least 4 lakh cusec water has been released from the dams of Maharashtra in the last few days into Krishna river in Karnataka which resulted in the submersion of more than 22 villages in Athani taluk.

Several leaders and people in affected areas questioned as to why did the government authorities not keep a tab on the release of water from both sides when the level of dams was rising due to the incessant rains during the last fortnight.

ALSO READ | Rain lashes Bagalkot: 25 villages submerged, 600 families shifted

They said, the officials of Water Resources Department from both Karnataka and Maharashtra should have coordinated well to release water in a phased manner to Krishna river to avoid floods.

With the submersion of 22 villages, at least 50,000 people have been badly affected and moving to the safer areas. Sources said, at least 17,000 people have been shifted to gruel centres where facilities are being made to provide food to people rescued from flooded villages.

The government sources said, many people from the flooded areas did not heed to the warning to move to safer areas when a high alert had been sounded prior to the floods.

Late on Wednesday, the NDRF team with the help of local police personnel evacuated at least 54 people trapped in their houses in flooded Savadi village, Athani taluk. In a daring operation, the SDRF brought all of them to a gruel centre near Savadi in the boats.

About 30 relief centres have been established to house the flood-affected and more centres would come up in the next few days, sources added.

Deputy Commissioner Mahantesh Hiremath several senior officials from Belagavi visited several flooded areas in Athani taluk today and took stock of the situation. They have assured that the people affected by floods would be given food and other basic facilities at the gruel centres.
By Express News Service

HUBBALLI: Karnataka will have to wait till next week for the new cabinet as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will be making another visit to New Delhi to discuss the matter with the central leadership of the BJP.

Speaking to reporters at Hubballi Airport on his way to flood-hit areas of Uttara Kannada district, CM Bommai said, he will be leaving for the national capital on Friday to seek blessings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top brass of the party. Moreover, since it will be first visit and would be just a courtesy call.

The chief minister said that during his Delhi visit, the cabinet composition would be finalised.

Reacting to senior party leader Jagadish Shettar's refusal to join his cabinet, Bommai said, he has known Shettar even before they joined politics. Both of them have enjoyed cordial relation even they were in different parties and have mutual respect and affection. Though Shettar has made his opinion public, he had spoken to him on Thursday and conveyed that he would meet in person and discuss the issue, Bommai said and added, he would also take the issue with the party's leadership and try to find a solution.

On implementation of third phase of Upper Krishna project, the chief minister said, the matter is before the court and is likely to come for hearing in the next 4-6 weeks. However, he said that he is well informed about the project and has clarity in the mind on what should be done, he added.

On his maiden visit to his hometown after swearing in as the chief minister, Bommai said, he had never thought of visiting Hubballi as the chief minister. He said that he is committed to improve infrastructure and industrial scenario of the Hubballi-Dharwad after taking Union minister Pralhad Joshi, senior leader Jagadish Shettar and other local MLAs into confidence.
Bosky Khanna and Uday Kumar By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Locals in Hassan were in for a shock late on Wednesday night when they opened around 15-20 sacks thrown on Sakleshpur-Begur road and found a large number of bonnet macaques stacked in them.

The monkeys were in a pathetic condition, with preliminary investigations showing they were poisoned and beaten up.

While some locals and volunteers tried to feed them water, others frantically called the forest department and police for help. Officials came to the site early on Thursday morning by which time some monkeys had already died, locals complained.

Deputy Conservator of Forests, Hassan, Dr K N Basavaraj told The New Indian Express that of the lot, 36 died, 15 survived and escaped and one which was brutally injured is being treated.

He said: Even though there are monkeys in Belur and Sakleshpur, there are no conflicts, so the possibility that the locals around killed them is ruled out. Also, examining their coats, they do not look like the ones from the Ghat regions because their coats and fur is thinner. It is possible that they have been killed somewhere else and dumped here.

Police officials said they are investigating at the check posts and with locals. An investigating officer said it seems like they were brought in a truck and thrown away, because bringing so many sacks on a bike or in a car would be difficult.

In the meantime, members of Prani Daya Sangha, who worked with locals on Wednesday night and Thursday morning to revive the animals, have announced a reward for those who find the culprits and help in the investigation.
By PTI

KOZHIKODE: Kerala, which boasts of having India's best healthcare system, has reported more than half of the country's total COVID-19 case count in the past few days, kicking up a heated exchange between the BJP and state's ruling CPM.

The southern state on Wednesday alone recorded 22,056 fresh COVID-19 cases -- more than half of India's total coronavirus tally of 43,654.

While health experts and policymakers in the state cited Kerala's lowest seroprevalence for reason of spike in daily COVID cases, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar attacked the CPM-ruled state, alleging that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's failures represents a big risk to all of India.

Hitting back at the BJP and its minister, senior CPM leader and former Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac urged the centre to provide more vaccines to Kerala than free advice. According to Dr Suresh Kumar, Head of the Institute of Palliative Medicine, Kozhikode Medical College hospital, there are two modes in checking the spike of the virus.

ALSO READ| Six-member Central team to visit Kerala as state continues to report high number of Covid cases

"One is through vaccination and the other naturally. As per a recent report of the ICMR, Kerala has the lowest seroprevalence at 44 per cent and hence the rest 56 per cent are still vulnerable to the virus whereas the rate is around 70 in most other states," Suresh Kumar told PTI.

He said Kerala never experienced a peak in spikes and the hospitals in the state were not overburdened "as we were following the protocols almost meticulously preventing natural immunity". Suresh Kumar opined that the spike is likely to continue till people acquire resistance level.

In a tweet, Isaac echoed the views of the experts and said Kerala has the lowest seroprevalence of 44 per cent, MP highest at 79 per cent. "It implies that Kerala has managed COVID better. Its multiple of seroprevalence to reported case load is also lowest. Therefore present spike in case load is due to failure of Centre in providing sufficient vaccine," he said.

Urging the Centre to provide more vaccines to states that have lower seroprevalence rate, Isaac said they are more vulnerable to infection. "The present policy of vaccine distribution punishes states that have protected larger proportion of people from infection. Provide more vaccine to Kerala than free advices," he tweeted.

His tweet came, a day after the BJP blamed "politics of appeasement" for the rise in COVID-19 cases in Kerala and criticised the state government for the relaxations in restrictions it had given for Eid-ul-Adha.

Noting that Kerala's latest daily tally of over 22,000 cases is more than half of the country, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Wednesday said the Left government in the southern state went ahead with relaxations for the festival despite the Supreme Court expressing its displeasure over it.

Taking on the Left government on the issue, Union Minister Chandrasekhar, a Keralite, warned that the failures of the Left government could lead to a third wave of COVID-19 in the country. "The #Kerala governance unravelling with serious consequences for Malayalees n rest of country. Kerala govt undr @vijayanpinarayi's failures rprsnts a big risk to all of India, as this cud lead to 3rd wave of #COVID19," the minister tweeted.

According to Dr BG Ranganath, former head of the department of Community Medicine of the Malabar Medical College near here, "the more we restrict herd immunity, the more we are denying resistance level," arguing for lifting of restrictions imposed in virus affected areas in the state.

Noting that Kerala was a leader in COVID-19 control initially as people were mostly cooperative and participated in COVID protocols, he said it was a different story in other states and it resulted in increasing the resistance. "I feel more relaxations including removal of lockdowns would bring natural immunity as that through vaccination would take more time," he said.

N Basheer, a former Excise Inspector and a social worker in Karaparamba in Kozhikode, alleged that the unilateral decisions by the government without due consultation and discussions with representatives from all walks of life are playing spoilsport in COVID-19 scenario in the state.

KV Anwar, president of the Malappuram Chamber of Commerce,wonderedwhether the prevailing regulations are practical and would help in containing the spread of virus. "We need to acquire more immunity and the state was denied a chance for a natural course to take place," he said.

Anwar said the authorities should concentrate more on vaccinations and let businessmen open shops and establishments but on strict COVID protocols. "Authorities should promote vaccination tags for shops to encourage jabs for employees," he said.

Dr T Sanish, who specialises in community medicine, quoted the latest serological studies and claimed that the rate of infection is comparatively lower in Kerala. "The present high number indicates that Kerala was able to detect the infection better than other states. The under-reporting cases are also comparatively less here," Dr Anish told PTI.

He said Kerala is one of the states which has implemented the inoculation drive in the most effective manner. "If 30 per cent of people in the country have taken the first dose of the vaccine, it is 50 per cent in Kerala," he said.

Stating that the only way to contain the deadly virus infection is "rampant vaccination', he said people should continue to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour and try maximum to keep themselves safe at home to avoid getting infected. "We need more vaccine doses than other states. We can protect the susceptible people in Kerala only by pumping more vaccines to the state," he said.

Kerala on Tuesday hadrecorded 22,129 COVID-19 cases with the Test Positivity Rate (TPR)going back to more than 12 per cent.

Some of the worst affected districts in the state are Malappuram (3,931), Thrissur (3,005), Kozhikode (2,400), Ernakulam (2,397), Palakkad (1,649), Kollam (1,462), Alappuzha (1,461), Kannur (1,179), Thiruvananthapuram (1,101) and Kottayam (1,067).
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday defended the state governments plea in the Supreme Court to withdraw prosecution proceedings against Minister V Sivankutty and five others who are accused of vandalism and destruction of public property on the Assembly floor during a Budget speech in 2015.

Rejecting the Oppositions demand for Sivankuttys resignation, Pinarayi said the court had not held anyone guilty or taken anyones name in its verdict. The governments attempt was to protect the privilege of legislators for their actions inside the Assembly, he said.

Citing past incidents of violence in various state legislatures across the country, Pinarayi said the UDF had set a wrong precedent by registering a criminal case against six MLAs when it was in power. The Speaker had already taken action against the MLAs by suspending them, he reminded.

Pinarayi said withdrawal of cases in similar incidents have happened during the UDF tenure as well. Those who have withdrawn even corruption cases are now clamouring for the ministers resignation. This can be seen only as a politically driven antics of the opposition," he said.

Opposition boycotts Assembly

The Opposition UDF boycotted Assembly proceedings during zero hour after its demand for resignation of Minister V Sivankutty and its notice for an adjournment motion to discuss the developments post the apex court verdict on the Assembly ruckus case was turned down.

Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan said a criminal offence committed in the Assembly cannot be justified by citing MLAs privileges. He said the Chief Ministers stance that Sivankutty need not resign was against morality and sends out a wrong message.

He also reminded the Chief Minister that discussing in the Assembly a case that has been disposed by the Supreme Court goes against the spirit of the apex court verdict. Like every ordinary citizen, the Chief Minister too is bound to accept Supreme Courts verdict, he added.

Earlier, Congress PT Thomas, who gave the notice for adjournment motion, reminded that the fifth accused in the Asembly ruckus case is now the states education minister. He urged Pinarayi to expel Sivankutty from the cabinet or else he will be seen as a bigger culprit by the people.


By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called for more support from banks to face the COVID-19 crisis in the economy. He was speaking at the State Level Bankers Committee meeting here on Thursday.



The pandemic has created a big crisis in the unorganised sector, the CM said. The package announced by the Reserve Bank of India in May has relaxations for accounts which were not categorised as NPA before 31 March and those who have taken loans below Rs 25 crore. The state government has urged the Union Finance Minister to announce a moratorium for people and organisations affected by first wave and the natural disasters in previous years.

The unconditional moratorium should be in effect until 31 December 2021. The CM asked the bankers to raise the issue with the RBI.

The allocation for central government's emergency credit line guarantee scheme under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme has been raised to Rs 4.5 lakh crore. Banks should give maximum publicity to the programme and traders should benefit from this, urged the CM. Thirty-seven lakh farmers in the state are members of the PM Kissan programme. All farmers, dairy farmers, and fishworkers should get benefits under the programme. Agricultural loans should be sanctioned to people who cultivate on leased land as part of the state government's agricultural development programme, he added.

He asked banks to give assistance to eligible persons under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. Banks should assist the the agricultural producer organisations to be formed under the 100-day programme of the government.

Sufficient loans need to be sanctioned for the tourism sector. A favourable stand should be taken for the revival of the cashew sector. He also sought cooperation of banks for sanctioning loans to Kudumbashree groups. The CM also asked bankers to ensure that people don't lose their housing due to SARFAESI.



The meeting was attended by Finance Minister KN Balagopal, chief secretary VP Joy and Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Rajesh Kumar Singh.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday recommended to the state government to request the Chief Justice to post all Covid-related cases before a particular single judge or a division bench to avoid passing conflicting orders in cases involving identical issues.Justice P B Suresh Kumar orally observed that he felt very bad about two different benches passing conflicting orders.

The court observed that while he had dismissed a plea against the holding of examinations in the offline mode, another judge had allowed engineering students plea to cancel offline exams being conducted by the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University citing increase in Covid cases.

The court further observed that the High Courts image would be tarnished if two judges pass different orders on identical issues. The people did not know that the conflicting orders were passed by different judges. It was a mutually destructive development. Even the government pleaders who were aware of the filing of all such cases did not inform the court concerned about the pending of identical cases before another bench or judge.

The court made the observation when the petition filed by the Kerala Private Hospitals Association against the increase in the prices of oxygen came up for hearing. The state government, meanwhile, informed the court that the transportation cost of liquid medical oxygen and oxygen for inhalation (medical gas) in cylinders had been fixed as directed by the court.

The state-level committee constituted by the government had fixed the transportation cost that could be charged by the manufacturers/suppliers of medical oxygen and medical gas. The maximum transportation-cum-logistics charges exclusive of GST by the manufacturer/dealer/ distributor outside the state levied from the hospitals could be `7.5 per cubic metre of liquid oxygen. The distributor inside the state could charge `6 per cubic metre as transportation cost.
By Express News Service

JEYPORE/KORAPUT/UMERKOTE: A decision on operation of commercial flights from Jeypore airstrip will be taken soon, informed Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra on Wednesday. Addressing mediapersons at Jeypore airstrip after visiting Koraput and Nabarangpur districts to review progress of various development works on the day, Mohapatra said work on the airstrip expansion is going on smoothly. Commercial flights to Jeypore are likely to start soon.

The Chief Secretary further said the 650-bed building attached to Saheed Laxman Naik Medical College and Hospital (SLNMCH) will be completed in two and a half years. Construction of the new building is underway in full swing. Healthcare in the region will get a boost and people will be benefited after the new facility is set up, he said.

I had discussions with officials of the Water Resources department on improving irrigation facilities for farmers in Nabarangpur district. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to announce the new irrigation projects soon, he added.

Earlier on the day, Mohapatra accompanied by Water Resources Secretary Anu Garg, 5T Secretary VK Pandian, CMs Special Secretary Vineel Krishna, and NHM Director Shalini Pandit arrived at Jeypore airstrip in a special flight. The team visited Ambaguda High School to inspect the Smart classrooms and upgraded infrastructure. At SLNMCH, the officials also took stock of the administrations preparedness to tackle the threat of third Covid wave.

Garg also visited Telengiri irrigation project and Upper Kolab Hydel project and held discussions with senior officials. She inspected the dam reservoir, irrigation canals and spillway of the two projects. The Secretary directed officials to ensure proper supply of irrigation water to farmers in the tribal areas.

In Nabarangpur, the team inspected the progress of ongoing projects like mega-lift irrigation pump house at Dahibhata, irrigation project at Banglaguda and Turi-Guntat bridge at Deuli. The officials also visited Raja Chaitanya Deb High School and inspected the upgraded infrastructure. During their visit to Nabarangpur district headquarters hospital, the officials inspected the ongoing construction work of the 200-bed hospital, blood bank and a liquefied oxygen plant which is being constructed in collaboration with HPCL.

Besides, the principal secretary, department of water resources Anu Garg, had visited and inspected the development work of the Turi-Guntat bridge at village Deuli. They expressed satisfaction over the present status of works and advised for early completion. Among others Nabarangpur Collector Ajit Kumar Mishra, SP P.S. Purussotam, CDMO Choudhury Sobharani Misra and other officials were present in this occasion.

Elaborate security arrangement was made in both the tribal-dominated districts in view of the CPI (Maoist)-sponsored Martyrs Week which is being observed from July 28 to August 3. Remarkably, it is for the first time a cache of secretaries including CS visited the district.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Even as a large number of informal workers lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic, the State government provided business worth Rs 3,583.34 crore to women self help groups (WSHGs) in the last two years.

Rising to the extraordinary challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, around nine lakh members of 83,000 SHGs did business with different departments of the State government. The total government business through 20,449 WSHGs touched Rs 1,411.82 crore in 2019-20 thereby recording an achievement of around 141 per cent in the first year. In 2020-21, the business volume increased to Rs 2,172.02 crore and the achievement was 217 per cent. The number of WSHGs involved are 62,514, said Mission Shakti Secretary Sujata Kartikeyan.

After the BJD returned to power for the record fifth time in 2019, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced to channelise government business worth Rs 5,000 crore through women self-help groups in five years. The achievement in the first two years is 71.67 per cent of the target.

Reviewing the Government-to-WSHGs business at a high level meeting here, Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra advised the Mission Shakti department to explore new areas of partnership involving more number of groups.

The suggested areas include micro food processing, primary health care, pisciculture in panchayat tanks, poultry, commercial vegetable cultivation, nursery raising in forest and environment department, plantation, millet based products, agri-entrepreneurship, supply of food items and vegetables to Ashram Vidyalayas, supervision of water supply through pipe water supply schemes and management of the nature camps.

The department was asked to hold discussions with the power distribution companies to engage more WSHGs in meter reading and bill collection. It was decided to set up a Mission Shakti Bazaar in the campus of the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) here to create a year round sales point for WSHG products.
By PTI

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government's efforts to end the pandemic is getting delayed as some people are not taking the lockdown relaxations seriously, Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Thursday.

He appealed to corporate hospitals and non governmental organisations to bring about a change in the people's mindset.

Despite the state government's efforts to bring down the coronavirus infection, some people found an opportunity to assemble in large numbers when the lockdown is relaxed.

ALSO READ: Stalin launches free Covid vaccination drive in private hospitals

"It seems coronavirus has caused a fear (amongst us). But it has not affected the routine life. People start assembling in numbers when the lockdown is relaxed," Stalin said.

"No matter how much awareness the government creates, some don't realise (the importance of lockdown relaxations). Due to this, the efforts to end the pandemic is getting delayed," he said.

He was speaking after launching the Scarless Robotic liver Donor Surgery- advanced technology in liver surgeries at the Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre, an international medical facility at Chromepet here, under the Chief Minister's Health Insurance Scheme.

The multi-super speciality RIMC is the first in the country to have such an advanced facility, the hospital claimed.

While appreciating the selfless sacrifice rendered by doctors and nurses in the fight against coronavirus, Stalin said the medical professionals risked their lives to save others and their sacrifice should not go in vain.

"Hospitals like Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre, NGOs and service organisations should come together to bring about heightened awareness among the people," Stalin appealed.

Also, he lauded RIMC for its yeoman service in improving the quality of patients' lives. He further said his government was committed to providing quality health care to the people at an affordable cost.

Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance scheme will benefit the poor and it will help in motivating the donor to donate liver to their family member as the scars are negligible for them and saving lives, he said.

The Scarless robotic liver donor surgery is more precise and bloodless as not even 20 to 30 ml blood is lost during the surgery, said Dr Mohamed Rela, Chairman and Managing Director, RIMC.

The idea of including Scarless Robotic liver Donor Surgery under the Chief Minister's Health Insurance scheme, making international healthcare facilities accessible to public at large has been the vision of Rela Hospital, he said and thanked Stalin for helping the hospital's vision become a reality.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin launched a free Covid-19 vaccine drive in private hospitals under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds at the Kauvery Hospital on Wednesday. The free vaccine drive through CSR funds will be jointly conducted by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and private hospitals. After the launch, Dr S Chandrakumar, Chairman, CII, Tamil Nadu State Council, handed over a cheque for Rs 2.20 crore under CSR funds to the Chief Minister. KT Srinivasa Raja, Managing Director, Adyar Ananda Bhavan, also handed over a `7 lakh cheque to the CM.

According to a press release, the State, till date, has vaccinated 2.15 crore people in private and government institutions. Speaking to the reporters recently, Health Minister Ma Subramanian had said that the State had received `5 crore CSR funds so far. The details of how many vaccines will be provided under CSR funds in a particular hospital will be announced to the public by the hospitals.

This will be monitored by the local administration and the Health Department officials. Many private companies that want to get their employees vaccinated can use the 25 per cent vaccine allotment quota by the Central Government to the private hospitals.

The Union government allotted 75 per cent vaccines quota to the State government and 25 percent to the private hospitals; but, still many private hospitals dont utilise their allocation fully. So, the State government decided to make use of it and decided to purchase those vaccines through CSR funds and vaccinate the people to achieve more vaccination coverage in Tamil Nadu. The health department held a meeting with the private companies and private hospitals and launched the programme after discussing the plan with them.

Meanwhile, the State received 7,97,080 vaccines on Wednesday, among them were: Covaxin - 2,15,810 doses and Covishield - 5,81,270. Health Minister Ma Subramanian, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan, Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Bedi Singh, Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-founder and Executive Director, Kauvery Hospital, and other higher officials were also present at the event.
Sowmya Mani By

Express News Service

TIRUCHY: It's 6 PM on Wednesday. As the sun sets, there is buzz on the airport road, thanks to a new food stall. Six trans women, dressed in matching green sarees, light the lamp and start serving soup and kesari to the small crowd that has gathered. They beam with pride as their dream of starting their own business has finally been realised. By 8 PM, the crowd swells at the 'Tasty Foods' stall, people making a beeline for the mutton soup and dosas.

Starting a food stall is not easy, and the road to achievement has been filled with obstacles for these owners. Riyana, Sayyesha, Parveen, Maya, Namitha and Harini knocked at the doors of several government offices and NGO for years, before they found the right support in the form of the NGO Feed. Two months ago, when this reporter met the group, they spoke about wanting to start a food stall, but not having enough money. In June, Feed contacted Riyana and promised help. With a sum of Rs 31,000 from Feed, and Rs 20,000 from their own savings, they were able to start the stall.

The chefs are Sayyesha and Parveen. Sayyesha has worked at restaurants and has helped to set up a stall. "I had been promised that I would be a partner in the stall. I invested a lot of money, and cooked and bought groceries. Once the stall's business picked up, I was kicked out. I had to leave a restaurant because of the harassment I faced. I am so happy that we finally have started something of our own, and no one can kick us out now," says Sayyesha.

All of them are educated but were unemployed, except Riyana, who works in an NGO. Covid also dealt them a body blow. Despite the challenges, they used to feed 50 people daily in May and June, spending Rs 1,500 per day from their own pockets. It was this service that led Feed to help them.

While Sayyesha has studied MSc Botany, Parveen has a civil engineering diploma. Maya has an Electrical & Electronics Engineering diploma, while Harini has a MSc degree, and Namitha has studied till Class XII.

"All of us have gone for several interviews, done well and reached the last round. HR will say that they would get back to us, which will not happen because we are trans women. That is why we know that we have to stand on our own feet and be independent," says Riyana.

They all stay together as most of their natal families have rejected them.

"Even after all these years, our families haven't accepted us. We only go to our houses late at night, meet our mothers and come. We still support them financially, yet they reject us. We are all degree holders. We can succeed in life, achieve and prove that to the world," beams Namitha.

The food stall serves different types of dosas, like curry dosa, egg dosa, onion dosa, podi dosa, keera dosa, vegetable dosa, ghee dosa, butter dosa. The stall also has idli. They hope to set up a restaurant once business picks up.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The visiting team of the Central Waqf Council (CWC), after meeting with the Telangana Waqf Board at Haj House on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, has decided to directly take up matters with the State government. One of the issues includes the record room being sealed for four years.

Speaking to Express, one CWC member Haneef Ali said that the States Waqf Board had an elaborate discussion on the sealed room. Its hands were tied as it was the decision of the State government.



The Central Waqf Council members will be discussing the matter with the concerned Minister and also higher officials including the Chief Secretary, Secretary of Minority Welfare and Revenue. The Board informed us that several resolutions were passed and despite scores of representations to the government, nothing could be done in this regard. Hence we shall take this forward, he said.

Apart from this, the progress of GPS/GIS mapping, the status of cross-checking the exercise of digitisation of records, the status of pending cases in courts, the number and status of encroachments, information on Audit Report was shared.

Congress protest

Earlier in the day, high drama ensued at Haj House at Nampally, when Congress Minority leaders led by Osman Mohammed Khan tried to gherao the CWC delegation which is on a four-day visit to the city.

The group demanded that CWC take serious note of the existing state of the affairs in the Waqf Board and pressurise the State government to reclaim all the encroached lands. They also brought up the matter of two mosques that had been demolished, to build the Secretariat.


By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Extending his full support, IT & Industries Minister KT Rama Rao said that Telangana can jointly work with trade organisations of Taiwan to help set up the first Taiwan-specific industrial cluster in India. This would help bring in more Taiwanese investments into Telangana, he said.

A team from Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC), headed by Director-General, Ben Wang, met Rama Rao on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, and discussed the economic and trade cooperation between Telangana and Taipei. KTR spoke about Telanganas TS-iPASS Bill, which bestows upon the investor the right to get time-bound clearances to start their businesses. The delegation was presented with the recently launched Pink Book and the Minister explained the various measures adopted by the government to improve the ease of doing business in the State.

Wang appreciated the various steps initiated by the Telangana government to improve the ease of doing business in the State and congratulated the State for being amongst the best in the country. He assured the Minister of continued support and said that they would help facilitate a virtual event with important organisations in Taiwan.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Raising objections over unauthorised diversion of Krishna water to Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh, located outside the Krishna river basin, the Telangana government on Thursday urged the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) not to allow AP to draw water without the consent of the Board.

In a letter to the KRMB chairman, Telangana Engineer-in-Chief C Muralidhar said, "Telangana has not received any requisition from KRMB for releases from the Pothireddypadu head regulator. Hence, AP is conveniently trying to seek permission though it is actually diverting water."

Telangana also reiterated its demand that the KRMB should follow sharing arrangement of 50:50 ratio from this water year and also restrain AP from diverting Krishna water to outside the basin before meeting in-basin needs fully.

It may be mentioned here that it is a normal practice that the three-member committee of the KRMB or the full board meeting of the KRMB decides the water sharing every year between the states of AP and Telangana. However, this year the meeting was not held, even though the Srisailam was overflowing. Telangana objected to the diversion of water to Rayalaseema by AP without permission or approval by the Board.

Heavy inflows

Meanwhile, officials on Thursday lifted ten gates of Srisailam, releasing 4,91,796 cusecs of water to Nagarjuna Sagar. The inflows to Srisailam were 4,27,244 cusecs. The inflows to Nagarjuna Sagar Project at 12 noon were 3,57,667 cusecs. As against its full storage capacity of 312.05 tmcft, the present storage at Nagarjuna Sagar was 198.47 tmcft. The outflows from Almatti and Narayanpur were four lakh cusecs each.
By PTI

BEIJING: China on Thursday reacted angrily to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with a senior representative of the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in New Delhi, saying it is a violation of Washington's commitment acknowledging Tibet as part of China and not to support Tibetan independence.

Blinken on Wednesday met Ngodup Dongchung, an official in the Tibetan government-in-exile and representative of the Dalai Lama, in a clear signal to China about the Biden administration's continued support to the Tibetan cause.

In the meeting, Dongchung thanked Blinken for the continued support by the US to the Tibetan movement.

When asked, a spokesperson of the US State Department told PTI, "Secretary Blinken had an opportunity to meet briefly this morning in New Delhi with a representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Central Tibetan Administration Representative Ngodup Dongchung."

Separately, another Tibetan representative, Geshe Dorjee Damdul, attended a roundtable Blinken held with around seven civil society members.

Asked for his reaction by the official media here at a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, "Tibetan affairs are purely China's internal affairs that allow no foreign interference".

"The 14th Dalai Lama is by no means just a religious person but rather a political exile who has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities attempting to split Tibet from China," he said.

China firmly opposes all forms of contact between foreign officials and the Dalai Lama, he said.

Any formal contact between the US and the Dalai clique is a violation of the US commitment to acknowledge Tibet as part of China, not to support Tibetan independence and attempts to separate it from China, he said.

"We urge the US to honour its commitment to stop meddling in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Tibetan affairs, and offer no support to Tibet independence forces to engage in anti-China separatist activities. China will take all necessary measures to defend its own interests," he said.

China comes up with such routine reactions whenever foreign dignitaries and officials meet the Dalai Lama or his representatives.

The 14th Dalai Lama has made India his home since fleeing his Tibetan homeland in 1959.

The Chinese government officials and the Dalai Lama or his representatives have not met in formal negotiations since 2010.

Beijing has in the past accused the 86-year-old Dalai Lama of indulging in "separatist" activities and trying to split Tibet and considers him as a divisive figure.

However, the Tibetan spiritual leader has insisted that he is not seeking independence but "genuine autonomy for all Tibetans living in the three traditional provinces of Tibet" under the "Middle-Way approach".

Blinken arrived in India on Tuesday on a maiden two-day visit with an extensive agenda featuring the rapidly evolving security situation in Afghanistan, boosting Indo-Pacific engagement and ways to enhance COVID-19 response efforts among others.
By Associated Press

YEREVAN (Armenia): Armenia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that three of its troops were killed and two more were wounded in clashes with Azerbaijani forces on the border between the two ex-Soviet nations, which have been locked in a decades-long tug-of-war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said two of its servicemen were wounded Wednesday.

Both countries have accused each other of starting the clashes. Azerbaijan said Armenian forces opened fire at its positions on the Kalbajar section of the border. The Armenian military said its personnel were attacked by Azerbaijani forces.

Armenia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the Azerbaijani side has been deliberately initiating escalation," and the Foreign Ministry in Azerbaijan said in turn that the responsibility for aggravating the situation by committing another provocation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border lies entirely with the military-political leadership of Armenia.

ALSO READ | Armenia to request Russian military deployment on Azerbaijan border after fresh clashes

Tensions on the border have been simmering since May, when Armenia protested what it described as an incursion by Azerbaijani troops into its territory. Azerbaijan has insisted that its soldiers were deployed to what it considers its territory in areas where the border has yet to be demarcated.

In the wake of the clashes on Wednesday, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry urged Armenia to stop military provocations and start negotiations on the delimitation of the two state borders.

Armenia's Foreign Ministry vowed to use all its military-political tools in accordance with international law in response to the use of force by Azerbaijan against the territorial integrity of Armenia.

Later Wednesday, the two nations agreed to cease the hostilities on the border in a move proposed by Russia. Moscow brokered a peace deal last November to end six weeks of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that lies within Azerbaijan but was under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994.

More than 6,000 people were killed in the conflict. The Russia-brokered truce allowed Azerbaijan to reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, which Armenia-backed separatists controlled for more than 25 years.

The United Nations urged both sides to exercise restraint, refrain from any action that could escalate tensions, and address related concerns through dialogue," U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said, expressing growing concern" at continued reports of tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijan border.
By AFP

YEREVAN (ARMENIA): Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday he would request the deployment of Russian border guards along his country's frontier with Azerbaijan to prevent further escalation after new clashes.

Last year Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a six-week war over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The conflict claimed some 6,500 lives and ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire that saw Armenia cede territories it had controlled for decades.

In recent months tensions have been running high over the two countries' shared border.

On Wednesday, three Armenian soldiers were killed in fresh border clashes with Azerbaijani forces, in some of the heaviest fighting between the Caucasus rivals since last year's war.

Addressing a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Pashinyan said he wanted to ask Moscow for more help.

"I think it makes sense to consider the question of stationing outposts of Russian border guards along the entire stretch of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border," he said.

Pashinyan said the move will help the two countries "carry out work on demarcation and delimitation of the border without the risk of military clashes."

"We are planning to discuss the matter with our Russian colleagues."

After the new clashes both countries traded accusations of initiating the fighting before a ceasefire was agreed upon with Russia's help.

After the war Armenia has accused Azerbaijani forces of a series of border intrusions and of seizing pockets of territory including along a lake shared by the two countries.

The new border clashes have raised fears of a fresh flare-up in tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian region of Azerbaijan that broke away from Baku's control in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Moscow, which has a military base in Armenia, has deployed some 2,000 peacekeepers in and around Karabakh to oversee the ceasefire.

Pashinyan has earlier asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for military support, saying up to 600 Azerbaijani troops are stationed on Armenian territory, a claim denied by Baku.

Russia has offered to help resolve the border disputes by working with the two sides to clearly define the borders.

The United States and France have called on Azerbaijan to pull back its forces.
By PTI

BEIJING: China on Thursday took note of the arrest of two suspects by police in Pakistan in connection with the recent bus explosion that killed nine Chinese nationals there, saying it will work with Islamabad to "go to the bottom of the truth" to punish the perpetrators.

Asked for his reaction to the arrests as well as an update on the investigation into the bus blast being jointly conducted by Chinese and Pakistani investigators, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing, "I noted that the Pakistani police arrested two people suspected to have been engaged in the bus blast on July 28".

Now that the two sides are conducting a joint investigation into the case, "we will work with Pakistani side to get to the bottom of the truth, punish the perpetrators and ask Pakistani side to protect the safety of the Chinese personnel and assets to prevent similar incidents in the future," he said.

Pakistan's police on Wednesday arrested two suspects in connection with the explosion on the shuttle bus that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, in Dasu area of Upper Kohistan district in the province where a Chinese company is building a 4,300-megawatt hydropower project on the Indus river.

"Two suspects, who are brothers, have been arrested in connection with the Dasu bus attack. They are from Quetta, Balochistan," Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police said in a statement in Lahore.

The police claimed that they have established a "common link" between the incident and the blast outside the house of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Saeed in Lahore.

Three persons were killed and 24 others injured when a powerful car bomb exploded outside Saeed's residence at the Board of Revenue Housing Society in Johar Town in Lahore on June 23.

After the bus explosion in Dasu, China had rushed a special team amid confusing signals from Pakistan that it could be a gas blast.

Islamabad later admitted it was a bomb blast stating that traces of explosive substance were found from the scene.

The Dasu bus blast had accentuated Beijing's concerns as thousands of Chinese personnel worked in installations and projects being built under the aegis of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government is not a spokesperson for the Taliban and Islamabad cannot be held responsible for the actions of the insurgent group in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of soldiers from the US and its allies, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said.

In his comments to Afghan media representatives that were aired on Thursday, Khan also said that Pakistan will have good relations with whoever the Afghans choose.

"What the Taliban are doing or aren't doing has nothing to do with us.

We are not responsible, neither are we spokespersons for the Taliban," Khan was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

Khan's remarks were a continuation of Pakistan's repeated warnings that it would not accept the responsibility if it was blamed for any setbacks in the Afghan peace process.

Under a deal with the Taliban, the US and its NATO allies agreed to withdraw all troops in return for a commitment by the militants that they would prevent extremist groups from operating in areas they control.

US President Joe Biden has announced that American troops will be out of the country by August 31.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan by brute force from 1996 to 2001 when the US invasion toppled their government.

The US invaded Afghanistan in October, 2001 after the Taliban refused to hand over al-Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden, who was behind the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in America.

Khan again distanced Islamabad from the developments in Kabul, saying: "All we want is peace in Afghanistan."

He said that the Afghans had a choice to make: to either pursue the US-backed military solution or to pursue a political settlement where there is an inclusive government.

"(The latter) is the only solution," he said.

"There are three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, almost all of them are Pashtuns and most will have sympathies with the Taliban. How is Pakistan supposed to check who is going over there to fight when we have about 30,000 people crossing into Afghanistan every day. How is Pakistan going to check that?" Khan asked.

Khan said it was not possible for Pakistan to sift through the refugee camps to find out who was pro-Taliban and who was not, adding that until recently there was no physical border between the two countries.

"The Durand Line was imaginary," he said, referring to the 2,640-kilometre-long border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan has completed 90 per cent of the border fencing.

"We are trying our best, but it is not possible to hold Pakistan responsible when you have over three million refugees here," he said.

He said that it was not in Pakistan's interest to have civil war break out in Afghanistan.

"What interest could Pakistan have in backing someone to take over Afghanistan?" he asked.

What is clear is that no one party will be able to take over Afghanistan, he said, adding that in the 90s Pakistan had pursued the policy of 'strategic depth' as it was wary of Indian influence in Afghanistan.

"In those days we did try to have favourites. Now, and especially in my government, we believe that Afghanistan can never be controlled from the outside," he said.

So Pakistan will have good relations with whoever the Afghans choose, he said.

"We have no favourites now."

Commenting on the abduction and torture of the Afghan ambassador's daughter in Islamabad, Khan said that authorities had charted out the exact path taken by the victim.

He said that taxi drivers were traced and interrogated.

"Unfortunately, what the ambassador's daughter is saying and what the cameras show do not add up. She says she was put in a taxi, taken away and beaten up. But there is a picture of that taxi and she is sitting there and she is fine," Khan said.

He said that the probe team from Afghanistan would be handed over all the information.

Khan said that Pakistan had nothing to do with why 150,000 NATO troops did not succeed in Afghanistan.

"It's exactly like what the Americans did in Vietnam. When they failed in Vietnam, they blamed insurgents from Cambodia or Laos."

He said that Pakistan was told at one point that the Taliban's main sanctuaries were in North Waziristan.

"They kept pushing us to take action. Finally, after four or five years, we took action [but] one million people were internally displaced [...] what difference did it make?" He said that the Americans should have spoken to the Taliban from a position of strength.

"When there were 150,000 NATO troops, that was the time to talk to [the Taliban]. How can they expect the Taliban to compromise when an exit date has been given and a few thousand troops are left?" Khan also questioned what the US would achieve operating from Pakistan when it could not achieve its goal in Afghanistan for the last 20 years.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said it has a steadfast policy to support a sovereign, democratic and peaceful Afghanistan and it is in touch with various stakeholders within and outside Afghanistan including regional and international partners.

The comments by the Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan in Rajya Sabha came a day after India and the US strongly pitched for an immediate intra-Afghan peace process to end the violence in Afghanistan and find a political settlement.

Muraleedharan said India supports all peace initiatives leading towards a lasting political settlement through an inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process.

The Taliban has been making rapid advances across Afghanistan by resorting to widespread violence since the US began withdrawing its troops on May 1.

The US has already pulled back the majority of its forces and is looking to complete the drawdown by August 31.

"As a contiguous neighbour and strategic partner, India has a steadfast policy to support sovereign, democratic and peaceful Afghanistan, where the interest of all sections of Afghan society including women, children and minorities are protected," he said.

"India supports all peace initiatives leading towards a lasting political settlement through an inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled process which would lead to peace and stability in the region," the minister said.

He also referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's online participation in September last year in the inaugural session of the intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha "The external affairs minister participated in the inaugural session of the intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha held in September 2020.

The government is in touch with various stakeholders within and outside Afghanistan, including regional and international partners," Muraleedharan said.

On September 12, an Indian delegation attended the inaugural ceremony of the intra-Afghan negotiations featuring various stakeholders including the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha.

Jaishankar joined it through video conference.

The evolving situation in Afghanistan figured prominently during talks bewteen Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here on Wednesday.

Blinken said there can be no military solution to the Afghan conflict and India has and will continue to make vital contributions to Afghanistan's stability and development as a leader and a critical American partner in the region.

The US Secretary of State said that both India and the US "largely" see Afghan conflict in the same light, warning that an Afghanistan that does not respect the rights of its people and commits atrocities against them would become a "pariah state".

India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan.

It has already invested nearly USD 3 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.

It has also been calling upon all sections of the political spectrum in Afghanistan to work together to meet the aspirations of all people in that country including those from the minority community for a prosperous and safe future.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A federal judge on Thursday said he will consider ordering all California prison employees and inmate firefighters to be vaccinated as the state tries to head off another coronavirus infection surge driven by the more contagious delta variant.

Efforts to encourage voluntary vaccinations among staff haven't been enough to reach the rate needed to avoid new outbreaks, federal receiver J. Clark Kelso told U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar.

In mid-July, 41% of correctional officers had at least one dose of a vaccine, compared to 75% of inmates. By contrast, across the most populous state more than 62% of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

Kelso asked Tigar to order that no employees be allowed into prisons unless they prove they've been vaccinated or have a religious or medical exemption.

And he said no inmates should be allowed to work outside of prisons  including as inmate firefighters  unless they are vaccinated or have an exemption. Kelso also wants to bar in-person visits for inmates who aren't vaccinated and don't have an exemption.

Tigar agreed that voluntary efforts have not been enough, though he was hopeful they will bring improved results before he rules on Kelsos recommendation in coming weeks.

Mandatory vaccination is not the courts first choice, Tigar said, but he said he needs to be ready to order it if more efforts dont do the trick.

Kelso's recommendation comes four days after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered nearly a quarter-million state employees and at least 2 million health care workers to show proof of vaccination, but the governor gave them the alternative of getting tested weekly.

Tigar has broad authority to direct medical care within California prisons, while Kelso has operational control but has been increasingly working with state officials to improve what federal judges ruled was substandard care.

Don Specter, director of the nonprofit Prison Law Office, in an email called Kelso's recommendation essential and the most effective way to reduce deaths, hospitalizations and infections among the incarcerated population, the staff and the community.

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association, which represents most prison guards, backed Newsom's order on Monday. But it said in a court filing that mandatory vaccinations arent needed because infection rates remain extremely low and less intrusive means haven't been exhausted.

Voluntary efforts, including Kelso's promise in May of a vaccine rewards program with prizes totaling $100,000, "havent been given enough opportunity, union attorney Gregg Adam told the judge.

By contrast, the president of the state's largest union, Service Employees International Union Local 1000, said it will fight Newsom's order.

Vaccination rates among correctional officers vary widely, with a high of 61% at San Quentin State Prison. Prison officials are trying to avoid infection outbreaks like the one that sickened 75% of inmates at the prison north of San Francisco last summer, killing 28 inmates and a correctional officer.

But just 16% of officers were vaccinated as of mid-month at High Desert State Prison in the state's rural northeast. And fewer than half were vaccinated at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, which has the highest concentration of medically vulnerable inmates.

Among the prison systems 99,000 inmates, 76 inmates are infected, all confirmed in the last two weeks.

But 48 of those cases are at a single prison, Sierra Conservation Center, near Jamestown in the Sierra Nevada foothills. That is one of two training centers for inmate firefighters who are helping in several massive blazes across California.

No other prison has more than four active cases.

In all, there have been at least 49,000 COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, and 232 inmates have died along with the 28 employees.

Virus conditions nationwide and in California had been improving until the highly contagious delta variant took root, causing cases and hospitalizations to again increase, particularly among the unvaccinated.

Vaccines protect most people from becoming seriously ill or dying. But unlike with previous variants, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says vaccinated people infected with the delta variant can spread that virus to others.
Unvaccinated American workers are facing increasing pressure to get Covid-19 shots, as the country sees a dramatic rise in the number of government and private sector employers pushing inoculations for those who want to come to work.

The moves, which picked up pace this week, came as the highly contagious Delta variant helped send daily Covid-19 case rates higher and spurred the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue new masking guidance.

Employers' emerging vaccine policies take many forms, including those requiring shots for being on-site, and those that provide alternatives such as strict testing and masking rules.

President Joe Biden announced that all federal employees must attest to being vaccinated against Covid-19 or face strict protocols including regular testing, masking and other mitigation measures. These requirements will apply to military and civilian Defense Department personnel, and the department is also considering adding Covid-19 vaccines to the list of required vaccines for military personnel, the Pentagon said.

"With freedom comes responsibility," Biden said. "So, please, exercise responsible judgment. Get vaccinated -- for yourself, for the people you love, for your country."

Biden called on states and local governments to give each newly fully-vaccinated person $100 as an incentive to get more people inoculated.

"If incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them," the President said. "We all benefit if we can get more people vaccinated."

Governors in New Mexico and Minnesota said later Thursday they would implement such a program.

Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN medical analyst and former Baltimore health commissioner, said she is for such requirements, in part because they could boost vaccination levels to a point where virus rates can be tamped down.

"I think the federal government is signaling now: 'Hey, vaccine mandates are a good idea.' ... It gives cover to these businesses that have long wanted to do this," Wen said Thursday.

Corporate America is increasingly jumping on board.

On Wednesday, Google and Facebook became the first two Silicon Valley giants to require employees to be vaccinated when they return to company campuses.

Netflix is requiring Covid-19 vaccines for the casts of all its US productions, as well as the people who come in contact with them, according to Deadline.

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, is currently allowing only vaccinated employees to return to the office, and will issue an updated policy for unvaccinated employees later in the summer, a spokesperson for the company said. Rideshare company Lyft is requiring everyone working in its offices to be vaccinated by August.

Some are tying vaccinations to employment outright. A major New York City restaurant group will make vaccinations "a condition of the job" by September 7, its leader told CNN on Thursday.

"Why in the world would we just stand by and not take action right now?" Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, told CNN. "None of us wants to turn back and experience" any more consequences of rising cases, like the banning of indoor dining, he said.

These moves come after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in May that employers could require vaccination of employees if they allow religious and medical exemptions.

Earlier this month, Justice Department lawyers determined that federal law doesn't prohibit public agencies and private businesses from requiring Covid-19 vaccines -- even if the vaccines have only emergency use authorization.

The Biden administration is not considering a nationwide Covid-19 vaccine requirement, White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said Thursday.

"That's not an authority that we're exploring at all," Zients told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

As the Delta variant has increased its grip in the US, coronavirus case rates have jumped.

The US averaged more than 63,600 new daily cases over the last week -- an average that's generally risen since the country hit a 2021 low of 11,299 daily on June 22, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

As of Thursday, cases rose in all but one state in the past seven days compared to the week before, and cases rose at least 50% in 36 states during that time, according to Johns Hopkins.

Closures in some places lie ahead, former surgeon general predicts

Former US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told CNN on Thursday that it might be too late to prevent closures to some activities due to the spread of the Delta variant and the high percentage of Americans who are unvaccinated.

"I'm predicting closures in the future, because we are not going to be able to rein this variant back in," Adams told CNN's Chris Cuomo.

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He said some areas might have to look at mitigation measures like closures to ease the burden on hospitals.

"At this point, if you look at the trajectory of the Delta variant in India and in the UK, and you look at how we're busting the curve compared to where they were -- not in a good way -- I do expect that you're going to see closures in certain places, because healthcare systems are already starting to be overwhelmed," he said.

Tools like vaccination, testing and treatment will help shorten closures, Adams said.

'We've hit a wall' on vaccinations, expert says

As cases rise, things are looking much more like they did early in the pandemic: Events are being postponed and masking and other rules and restrictions are creeping back.

The culprit is an insufficient rate of vaccinations, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the US Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory committee.

"We've hit a wall," Offit told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday. "We've gotten to the point where you have to compel people to do the right thing."

The rate of people getting their first Covid-19 vaccine shot has risen in recent days. An average of 382,106 people initiated vaccination each day over the last week -- a 35% increase over last week's pace, and the highest average in the three weeks, CDC data shows.

Still, only 49.4% of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

"There was a time we were giving 3 million doses a day. If we'd stayed that course, we could be at roughly 80% population immunity," Offit said.

The climbing case numbers have pushed some areas to return to mask requirements:

 The mayor of Atlanta issued an executive order requiring masks in all indoor public places.

 In Kansas, state employees and visitors will be required to wear masks indoors starting Monday.

 The Pentagon implemented an indoor mask requirement regardless of vaccination status.

 Boston Mayor Kim Janey said Thursday that the city is "leaning toward" a vaccine mandate for city employees.

But other leaders are pushing back against the return to pre-vaccine precautions.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order keeping governments and school districts in the state from requiring masks.

Texans "have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, and engage in leisure activities," he said.

Health experts have said the changes in recommendations, like those made to mask guidance, are the result of under vaccination and the Delta variant changing the landscape of the pandemic.

Los Angeles to test students and staff each week

The Los Angeles Unified School District said Thursday that students and employees going to schools will be tested once a week, regardless of vaccination status.

Legal guardians of students will be required to schedule test appointments. Results will be emailed and shared with appropriate scientists, administrators and health authorities, officials said.

Los Angeles has the second-largest school district in the country with more than 600,000 students. It will also require people at school to wear masks while indoors.

The-CNN-Wire

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A 12-year old Palestinian boy has died after being shot by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Mohammed Allamy was a passenger in a car being driven by his father when the incident happened at the entrance to the town of Beit Ummar, halfway between Bethlehem and Hebron, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The agency report said the 12-year old was shot in the chest and taken to hospital in Hebron where he succumbed to his wounds a few hours later.

The Israeli army said it was aware of claims its soldiers had killed a child and said it was investigating the circumstances of the event. In a lengthy statement, the army said soldiers had approached the car after previously observing its occupants trying to bury the body of a new-born baby in a shallow grave.

"Earlier Wednesday, IDF troops observed suspicious activity near a military checkpoint adjacent to Beit Ummar, north of Hebron. A few men exited their vehicle and were seen digging in the ground before leaving the scene. IDF troops approached the scene with caution and upon examination found two bags, one of which contained the body of a newborn infant.

A short while after, IDF troops spotted a vehicle approaching the area and concluded that it was the same vehicle as before," the statement said.

The army statement went on to say that soldiers had tried to stop the car by shouting and firing warning shots into the air. One of the soldiers then fired towards the car's wheels in order to stop it, the statement concluded.

The incident comes a day after a 41-year old Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers at the entrance to the West Bank town of Beita, about 10 kilometers south of Nablus.

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Shadi Salim, a father of five, who worked for the local Palestinian municipality, had gone to the town to fix a problem with its water supply, local resident Abu Abdullah told CNN, when he was shot dead by Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli army said Salim had approached the soldiers in a threatening way holding what appeared to be an iron bar. "After not stopping, even though the soldiers fired in the air, the force's commander fired at the suspect," an army spokesperson said, according to reports in Israeli media.

"Shadi had tools with him and wrenches for plumbing. They killed him in cold blood," Abu Abdullah said.

Beita has been the scene of large protests for several months over the establishment of a nearby illegal settler outpost, and several Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers since the beginning of May in what the army describes as violent riots.

There were no reports from Israeli or Palestinian sources of clashes at the time of Salim's death.

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"I started dating a girl, and one day, she was tired of listening to me complain about my job. She asked me: 'If you could do any job, what would it be?' I told her that I wanted to become a police officer, and she replied, 'Well, get your fat butt up, start exercising and start taking tests.'"
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).
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).
Physicians, nursing staff, medical technical assistants, and pastoral workers in hospitals: they have all been placed under severe strain by the Covid-19 pandemic. A study by the University of Bonn is now highlighting which protective factors can help people cope with this strain. It is based on a large joint online survey at the University Hospitals Bonn, Erlangen, Ulm, Dresden, and Cologne, which also involves many other hospitals in Germany. Perceived coherence was found to be particularly important  in simple terms: the feeling that life has meaning and challenges can be classified in an understandable way. The results are being published in the journal PLOS ONE.

The researchers invited employees in health care to take part in an online survey from April to July last year, i.e. during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Alongside physicians and nursing staff, this also included two groups who have so far been overlooked in the discussion. Firstly, the comparatively small number of pastoral workers in the hospitals. And, secondly, the many medical and technical employees  the medical technical assistants within examination, radiology, and the laboratories." Prof. Dr. Franziska Geiser, Director of the Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn

More than 4,300 completed questionnaires were evaluated during the current study. A good 80 percent of the participants worked in hospitals at the time of the survey, 11 percent at University Hospital Bonn. They were asked to state, among other things, how stressed they felt by their work at present and before the survey and how often they suffered from symptoms of depression and anxiety. Information was also collected on three possible "resilience factors", which are assumed to protect against mental consequences of stress: social support, religiosity, and sense of coherence.

Over 20 percent with pronounced symptoms of depression

More than 20 percent of the respondents in each case stated that they had symptoms of depression or anxiety to an extent requiring treatment. "We do not know exactly what the situation was like for this sample before the pandemic," explains Geiser. "However, the values found are higher than in earlier studies among physicians and nursing staff, so we can assume there has been an increase during the pandemic. While, during normal times, physicians and nurses display higher mental strain than the rest of the population, they actually had lower anxiety values during the pandemic in our survey. This naturally makes us curious about possible protective factors." All the more so as Geiser is part of an interdisciplinary DFG research group at the University of Bonn, which is dedicated to researching resilience.

Sense of coherence particularly stands out among the potential resilience factors. The term comes from salutogenesis, a concept developed by medical expert Aaron Antonovsky in the 1980s, which focuses on searching for health-promoting factors and attitudes. "Sense of coherence refers to the extent to which we perceive our life as understandable, meaningful, and manageable," explains Jonas Schmuck from Geiser's working group, who is the lead author of the study together with Dr. Nina Hiebel. The more pronounced the sense of coherence among employees, the less often they suffered from mental symptoms. "However, a causal relationship cannot necessarily be derived from this," says Geiser as a warning against drawing premature conclusions. "It may also be the case that anxiety or depression themselves minimize perceived coherence."

Medical technical assistants suffered greatest from mental consequences

Nevertheless, she believes that this factor actually makes us more resilient to stress and particular challenges. In her view, the study thus brings to light important conclusions on how people should handle crises like the Covid-19 pandemic in the future: "The more complex the situation, the better we need to communicate," she stresses. "Uncertainties and also contradictions, such as with regard to protective measures or treatment processes, are unavoidable in a new situation like the pandemic. The better it is explained to employees why this is the case and the more personal meaning they experience in their work, the better they can handle it. Timely information is therefore essential." This information should not only flow in one direction, according to Geiser. "It is important to enter into a dialogue that also allows for questions and responses to concerns," she says.

Incidentally, those who suffered greatest from the mental consequences of the pandemic in the study were the medical technical assistants. "We can only speculate as to why this is the case," explains the researcher. "However, we should definitely bear in mind that it is not only the intensive care wards that are put under pressure in such situations, but the entire system. We must also encourage those who are perhaps not in the limelight quite so much but are often forgotten as helpers in the background." Pastoral workers also stated an increase in stress due to the pandemic, although, in comparison to the other professional groups, they displayed the most pronounced sense of coherence and the fewest symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Israel has had a successful vaccination campaign against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as over 80% of its adult population has been fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine as of July 28, 2021.

This excellent vaccination rate has helped curtail the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak to a significant extent. As of June 1, 2021, the country lifted all COVID-19-related emergency restrictions except the mask requirement in indoor environments and international travel restrictions.

Study: BNT162b2 Vaccination efficacy is marginally affected by the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351 variant in fully vaccinated individuals.

Evaluating vaccine protection against B.1.351

One major concern with SARS-CoV-2 is its ability to mutate and give rise to new variants that potentially possess partial or full immune escape capabilities. Researchers from Israel recently evaluated the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351 (Beta) variant in a study that is currently available in the preprint server medRxiv*.

In their work, selected polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive samples of interest were sequenced by the Central Virology Laboratory of The Ministry of Health. The researchers used logistic regression with vaccination status as the key explanatory variable and the variant type as the dependent variable.

The researchers also controlled for sex, age, subpopulation, place of residence, and time of the sample. The odds ratio for a vaccinated patient to have the B.1.351 as compared to the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant was estimated among vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Study results

The study showed the presence of 19 cases (3.2%) of the B.1.351 variant in participants who were vaccinated for more than 14 days before the positive sample and 88 cases (3.5%) among the unvaccinated participants. The odds ratio was estimated to be 1.29. This shows that the estimated efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine against the B.1.351 variant was 94%, assuming the efficacy of this vaccine against the B.1.1.7 variant to be 95%.

Our results suggest that from 14 days following the second vaccine dose, the efficacy of BNT162b2 vaccine is at most marginally affected by the B.1.351 variant.

Despite immune escape concerns caused by the B.1.351 variant, the Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine appears to offer substantial immunity against both the B.1.351 and the B.1.1.7 variants. The results suggest that 14 days after the second dose of the vaccine, the efficacy of the vaccine is only slightly affected by the B.1.351 variant.

Analyzing positive cases between 1-13 days of the second dose

This study included a larger number of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals as compared to a previous study conducted in Israel. Also, the main analysis of this work focused on vaccinated patients who were infected with the B.1.351 or the B.1.1.7 variant more than 2 weeks after their second vaccination dose.

Overall, the researchers did not find a statistically significant decrease in protection by the Pfizer vaccine. However, a sub-analysis examined vaccinated cases occurring between 1-13 days after the second dose and found an increase in the proportion of the B.1.351 variant compared to that in unvaccinated cases, with an estimated odds ratio of 2.62.

According to the authors, there was no overlap of data between the two studies despite both being conducted in Israel. On integrating the findings from both studies, the authors support the hypothesis that a higher immunity level is required for protection against the B.1.351 variant. This suggests different efficacy levels of the Pfizer vaccine against the B.1.351 and B.1.1.7 variants during the first 2 weeks after patients receive their second dose of the vaccine.

The authors mentioned that the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines will need to be modified to combat different variants of concern (VoCs). However, the currently available vaccines may still offer substantial immunity against both current and future variants of concern.

The fact that the B.1.351 variant, which was first diagnosed in Israel January 2021, concomitantly with the start of the vaccination program, has not caused significant community transmission in Israel is further encouraging evidence supporting the ability of two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine combined with high coverage to halt transmission.

*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.
In an African pandemic it is more productive to consider lockdowns, after using other non-medical measures first, Especially in countries with high levels of poverty and corruption, says Prof Nicholas Ngepah, a Professor of Economics at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.

Looking at the socio-economic conditions of African countries, we can see reasons for this, he says.

What has happened during COVID-19 is that people get locked down by strict regulations. But the majority don't have the nutrition, basic economic opportunities and infrastructure to cope. It becomes almost impossible for a poor person to keep the rules of the lockdown. The rules are very strict, but people will contravene them. They will be willing to fight with public order policing to get their livelihoods going." Prof Nicholas Ngepah, Professor of Economics, University of Johannesburg

This is the experience in South Africa and many other African countries, he says. The poorest are most conflicted with lockdown regulations.

Ngepah's research titled "What lessons Africa can learn from the social determinants of COVID-19 spread, to better prepare for current and future pandemics on the continent" is published in a special issue of African Development Review.

The study is based on data from 53 African countries including South Africa. The first recorded case in each country to 4 January 2021 was included.

The latest pandemic

"The rich and the middle class would appear to comply well with lockdowns. But this is because they are able to rush to the shops and empty them. Poor people cannot empty shops because they don't have money.

"Rich people have resources to keep going, so their desperate actions only show much later. With poor people, their desperation shows immediately, because they have no reserves to fall back on."

"When a large part of your population is on the wrong end of inequality, it follows that many will not trust state machinery.

"If in good times, the state was not taking care of poor people, and now in bad times it comes along with very strict rules it doesn't work. The poor need good services, support and infrastructure before pandemics hit."

The desperation during a pandemic lockdown has implications, he says. Governance and political stability are affected.

"It's intuitive. If you are constrained without an alternative means of survival, you will end up revolting."

Another reason the poor are unlikely to obey strict lockdowns, is corruption.

With high levels of corruption, impoverished workers feel they are asked to pay for the corruption of the rich in government, he says.

In South Africa, COVID-19 is the latest arrival in a long line of challenges. The country has pandemic levels of inequality, poverty, corruption, unemployment, and HIV/AIDS.

Poverty and spread

Quality policymaking is crucial in dealing with current and future pandemics, he says.

"In my view, the need to better take care of the poor has not been driven home in many policymakers' minds yet, despite the COVID-19 pandemic," says Ngepah.

"Economic deprivation by itself has a positive relationship with the spread of disease and mortality.

"In good times, poverty reduction policies should be taken seriously. Because poverty directly influences how successful stringency measures will be.

"Poverty also influences to what extent sanitation services will limit the spread of the disease.

"It also directly influences the rate of internal population dynamics, or internal migration. This is where the rural poor flee to the cities for economic opportunities  and create dense, very poor neighborhoods," he says.

In South Africa, the 'townships' which receive these people, often do not have adequate water, power or sanitation services.

To slow the spread of the COVID-19 and future pandemics, African policymakers and governments need use social and economic measures available to them. These non-medical interventions can be very effective, he says.

Public capacity for testing

Firstly, enhance public health capacity for effective, swift testing for the pandemic disease so that cases are isolated early enough to deal with. This will limit spread and mortality.

Economic health of the most constrained

Secondly, before thinking about stringent lockdowns, first check the economic health of your population. Make sure that the basic capacities are in place, for them to be able to cope during the period of lockdown, he says.

"For a country with high levels of inequality like South Africa, you can't just wake up in the morning, declare lockdown and send soldiers and police to try and enforce it, without checking first how the more deprived people are living. Especially in South Africa where we know that more than half the population is living below the poverty line."

Managing international borders

Thirdly, managing the international border swiftly is most important to limiting spread.

"Managing the border is about being able to foresee a problem and act before the pandemic spreads into communities. You need to close borders early, while quarantine measures will still work. This gives you breathing space to deal with internal issues before lockdown. It also creates time for the poor to prepare as best as they can with the very constrained resources they have.

"For example, before lockdown you would already put safety nets in place to say this is how we will cater for the poor during that time. As opposed to what's happening here, where the poor are crying," he says.

Quality services where most need is

Then in the medium and longer term, management of internal population dynamics is crucial. This can limit the growth of extremely poorneighborhoods which are ideal for the spread of any pandemic.

If poor people have services, jobs and good infrastructure where they are, the motivation to move into a disadvantaged area closer to a big city is lower.

"It is about pro-poor infrastructure and decentralization. It isn't just about bringing key public services into poor neighborhoods. It is also about moving and redistributing government services so that they are closer to the majority of those who are most in need of them."

As an example, currently a district police headquarters may be in a well-to-do suburb, with a badly resourced satellite station in a township. Ngepah suggests doing the opposite.

Put the well-resourced police headquarters in the township, where the majority who need it, are close by. The rich and middle class can go online or drive 30 minutes in their cars because physical proximity is often not a barrier for them, he says.

Sanitation infrastructure and services

Sanitation is probably the most important non-medical aspect of infrastructure before and during a pandemic, says Ngepah.

"On one hand, it is about habits. Most people learned about proper washing of hands during the pandemic. During good times, the government should prioritize this as something important. This pandemic came, but it is not the first communicable disease outbreak that we have had," says Ngepah.

The second aspect of sanitation is the infrastructure.

"Don't say wash hands and give all the lessons about handwashing - when the tap is not flowing, when there are no services relating to sanitation."

The actual role of alcohol in the pandemic

In South Africa, debates have raged about the role of alcohol and social interaction in spreading COVID-19. But Ngepah says that managing internal population dynamics is more important than the issue of alcohol itself. This is because internal migration creates impoverished neighborhoods with bad or no services.

"If you ban alcohol, without checking the role of alcohol in the whole equation, you might not be getting the right result. Before you ban alcohol, check what the channel of transmission is. The channel of transmission of the corona virus pandemic is the socializing with alcohol, rather than alcohol by itself.

"When we are talking about spread, the real question is, how does alcohol spread the disease? My view, which is not proven in this study, but it is in line with other research, is that your social interaction route is important.

"Because we are trying to balance restraining COVID with the health of the economy and job losses. So we have to look at private alcohol consumption versus social alcohol consumption, before making decisions," he says.

Support to small businesses, relaxation of labor laws

Most economies have seen job losses and rising unemployment during the pandemic. Small businesses, which have much lower reserves than large ones, have been hard hit in South Africa.

"Liquidity support to small business is paramount as a first measure to keep them afloat and prevent job losses," says Ngepah.

"At the same time, in the context of high unemployment, we should be less stringent with small businesses when it comes to labor laws. Because small businesses usually have very thin margins. And if they have to employ more people, we have to have some trade-offs.

"Before COVID-19, the government had been trying to pilot a program to assist. They intervene by giving some resources to companies in exchange for skills development on the job. These are the things government should be thinking about to ease the burden of the wage bill in small enterprises in South Africa," he says.

The most efficient way of managing pandemics is to get a handle on economic deprivation, he adds. Especially for a national or city government with the majority living in poverty,

Ngepah concludes: "Take care of the poor all the time, so they are well placed to obey you when you put rules in place. If this is done in normal times, then we will stress less during pandemics.

"In the military, they say that those who stress in times of peace to prepare themselves, will bleed less in times of war."
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to wreak havoc across the globe. As of July 29, 2021, the number of cases has reached over 195 million, with more than 4.18 million deaths.

Vaccination efforts have begun in most countries around the world. Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 offers protection against infection, however, many people still await their vaccination doses.

In a new report out of Italy, health officials reported that almost 99 percent of people who have died from COVID-19 since February 2021 were not fully vaccinated. The report released by the National Health Institute (ISS) showed that the few fully vaccinated people who died of COVID-19 were also older than those who died without complete COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Image Credit: Faboi / Shutterstock

COVID-19 deaths

The report describes the characteristics of about 127,044 people who died of COVID-19 in Italy since February. Of these patients, the average age is 80 years. In addition, the number of women who died due to COVID-19 is higher than those of men.

The report also noted the trend in the average age of SARS-CoV-2 positive deaths among patients per calendar week from February 2020 and July 2020. Up to July 21, 2020, there are 423 SARS-CoV-2 positive deaths in people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and represent 1.2 percent of all SARS-CoV-2 positive deaths that happened since February 1, 2020.

Health officials based their analysis on a sample of 70 medical records of SARS-CoV-2 positive deaths among fully vaccinated patients. Of the 127,044 deaths noted, 1,479 were below 50 years old, and 355 of these are under 40 years old, most of which have serious underlying health conditions.

In terms of comorbidities in those who died from COVID-19, the most commonly reported condition was arterial hypertension, followed by diabetes mellitus 2, ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and dementia. Overall, 226 patients from the sample had no pathologies or underlying health conditions, 884 had one condition, 1,393 had two pathologies, and over 5,000 had three or more pathologies.

However, the report notes that these were based on 7,681 deceased patients medical records. This means that it represents only the deaths of those who have been hospitalized.

The most-reported complications in people who have died from COVID-19 after receiving full vaccine doses are acute respiratory failure, followed by acute kidney damage, superinfections, and acute myocardial damage.

All the deaths with a confirmed diagnosis were classified as vaccinated with full-cycle 14 days after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines. Although, for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, only one dose is required for protection. A person is deemed fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving the appropriate dose.

Further, the average age in the sample of medical records in the report is 88.6 years, compared with 86.3 years in deaths with a complete vaccination cycle.

The results presented here can have two possible explanations. First, very elderly patients with numerous pathologies may have a reduced immune response and therefore be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and its complications despite having been vaccinated, the team explained.

Second, the health officials noted that the result could be explained by the fact that priority has been given for vaccination for older and high-risk individuals, representing the population with the highest prevalence of full-cycle vaccination.

The report was based on data from medical records and the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) death files recording the patients cause of death. Apart from deaths, the web platform was also used for the national epidemiological and virological surveillance of COVID-19 cases in Italy.

Vaccination efforts

Italy followed Frances public advisory of using vaccination proof or immunity as passes when entering establishments for activities such as indoor dining and entering cinemas, museums, gyms, and pools, among others.

Since the announcements, Italian officials noted a significant increase in vaccination bookings. At present, about 57 percent of the population over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated.

Globally, over 3.96 billion doses have been administered.
Twice a year, Brian Tichenor makes the 1,200-mile drive each way from his home in Kansas to a defunct uranium mine in Montana, where he takes an elevator 85 feet below the surface to sit amid radioactive radon gas to ease the pain from his chronic eye condition.

"I found it like I think a lot of people do," said Tichenor, 67. "Its a point of desperation with conventional treatment."

While radon is commonly known as a hazardous gas removed from basements, people in pain travel to Montana and pay to breathe, drink and bathe in its radioactive particles. The travelers view the radon exposure as low-dose radiation therapy for a long list of health issues. But the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization, among others, blame the gas as the second-leading cause of lung cancer. Although cancer doctors use radiation as a front-line treatment to destroy dangerous cells, its role in the U.S. in low doses for other ailments is disputed. The pandemic has recharged that debate as clinical trials across the world test whether low doses of radiation can help treat covid-19 patients.

But radon gas isn't the same radiation U.S. doctors use, radiation experts caution. Radon is just one of the radioactive chemical elements and, because it's a gas, it can be inhaled, making it particularly dangerous. Sitting in a radon-filled room and targeted radiation treatment in a medical facility are as different as "chalk and cheese," said Brian Marples, a professor of radiation oncology at the University of Rochester.

"In clinical therapy, we know exactly what the dose is, we know exactly where its going," he said.

Marples said much of the argument for radon's therapeutic use relies on historical reports, unlike evidence-based research on clinical radiation. Still, some radiation experts are split on what level of radon should be deemed dangerous and whether it could have positive health effects.

Another concern: The radon treatment in the mines is largely unregulated. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services doesnt have the authority to permit or license the mines, though department spokesperson Jon Ebelt said the adverse health risk from exposure is well known. The EPA also doesn't have the power to mandate limits on radon.

Nonetheless, each year travelers head to western Montana, where four inactive mines flush with radon are within 11 miles of one another near the rural communities of Basin and Boulder. Day passes range from $7 to $15. The gas naturally forms when radioactive elements in the mountains' bedrock decay.

Outside the Merry Widow Health Mine, a billboard-like banner announces "Fountain of Youth. FEEL YOUNG AGAIN!" Inside its tunnels, water seeps from the rock walls. Those who want full immersion can slip into a clawfoot tub filled with radon-tainted water. People soak their feet and hands in water or simply sit and work on a puzzle. On a bench sits a printout of a Forbes article on clinical trials that show low-dose radiation could be a treatment for covid-19.

To owner Chang Kim, 69, his business is a mission, especially for those with chronic medical conditions such as arthritis or diabetes. Those who swear by radon therapy say that, in low doses, a little stress on the body triggers the immune system to readapt and reduces inflammation.

"The people coming to the mines, they're not stupid," Kim said. "People's lives are made better by them."

He learned about the mines 14 years ago when he and his wife, Veronica Kim, lived in Seattle and a connective tissue disease crumpled Veronica's hands and feet. Traditional medicine wasn't working. After two sessions a year in the mines ever since, Veronica smiles when she shows her hands.

"They're not deformed anymore," she said, adding she's been able to cut down on her use of meloxicam, a medication to reduce pain and swelling.

Tichenor said going to a mine with radon over six years has been one of the few things to calm his scleritis, a disorder that causes pain he describes as ice picks stabbing his eyes. As for its potential danger, he said radon treatment is just like any medication: Too much can cause harm.

He and other radon users point to European countries such as Germany, where the therapy may be controversial but doctors still can prescribe radon treatments for various conditions that insurance may even cover.

In the U.S., the EPA maintains that no level of radon exposure is risk-free even though everyone encounters the element in their lives. The agency notes radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. It recommends that homeowners with radon levels of 4 picocuries per liter or more should add a radon-reduction system. By contrast, the owners of Montana's oldest radon therapy mine, Free Enterprise Radon Health Mine, said their mine averages around 1,700.

Monique Mandali said the federal guidelines are "a bunch of baloney." Mandali lives in Helena, about 40 minutes from the mines, and tries to fit in three sessions at Free Enterprise a year  25 hours of exposure spread out over 10 days for arthritis in her back.

"People say, 'Well, you know, but you could get lung cancer.' And I respond, 'Im 74. Who cares at this point?'" she said. "Id rather take my chances with radon in terms of living with arthritis than with other Western medication."

Antone Brooks, formerly a U.S. Department of Energy scientist who studied low-dose radiation, is among those who believe the federal government's no-level-of-radon-exposure stance goes too far. He pointed to research that indicates low doses of radiation potentially turn on pathways within bodies that could be protective. Though what's considered a "low dose" depends on whos talking.

"If you want to go into a radon mine twice a year, I'd say, OK, that's not too much, he said. "If you want to live down there, Id say that's too much."

In the early 1900s, before antibiotics were popularized, small doses of radiation were used to treat pneumonia with reports it relieved respiratory symptoms. Since then, fear has largely kept the therapeutic potential of low-dose radiation untapped, said Dr. Mohammad Khan, an associate professor with the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University. But amid the pandemic, health care providers struggling to find treatments as hospital patients lie dying have been giving clinical radiation another look.

So far, the trials Khan has led show that patients who received targeted low-dose radiation to their lungs got off oxygen and out of the hospital sooner than those without the treatment. Khan said more research is necessary, but it could eventually expand clinical radiation's role for other illnesses.

"Some people think all radiation is the same thing, that all radiation is like the Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombs, but thats clearly not the case," Khan said. "If you put radiation in the hands of the experts and the right people  we use it wisely, we use it carefully  that balances risk and benefits."

The logo for Free Enterprise Radon Health Mine is a miner skipping with crutches in the air. Roughly 70 years ago, a woman said her bursitis disappeared after visiting the mine several times. Thousands of others followed suit.

"We believe in it," said Leah Lewis, who co-owns the mine with her husband, Ryan Lewis, and has relied on it to help treat her Crohn's disease.

The couple live on-site and grew up in Boulder, going into the tunnels just as their 5-year-old daughter does now. Her husband's great-grandfather owned the mine, and the business has been in the family ever since.

"Not one person has come back and said they've gotten lung cancer here," Ryan Lewis said. "If they did, they would shut us down so fast."

Aside from a billboard outside Helena, the family doesn't really advertise the business. Clients tend to find them. Like many companies, Ryan Lewis said, Free Enterprise took a hit last year as people canceled plans because of the pandemic. Before that, he said, the business broke about even, adding that radon can be "a hard sell."

But he said the family of cattle ranchers plans to keep it running as long as it doesn't cost them money.

"The land is an investment, and we want to keep it in the family," he said. "And there are a lot of people who use this, and there's some responsibility there."
Researchers in the United States have demonstrated the efficient aerosol transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)  the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)  in a hamster model.

The team from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Hamilton, Montana, specifically designed novel transmission cages to investigate aerosol transmission across a range of distances.

Epidemiological studies in humans strongly suggest that aerosol transmission plays a major role in driving the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, says Vincent Munster and colleagues. Yet formal proof of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has not been provided and would rely on demonstration of long-distance transmission in the absence of other transmission routes.

Now, the team has demonstrated that at a distance of 2 meters, only aerosol particles (less than 5m in diameter) traversed between cages.

Aerosol transmission was confirmed for all eight sentinels after 24 hours of exposure and even when the exposure time was limited to one hour, thereby showing the efficiency of this transmission route.

Furthermore, the researchers found that airborne transmission of the B.1.1.7 (alpha) variant of SARS-CoV-2 outcompeted that of the lineage A variant.

The team says the findings underscore the ongoing need to assess novel variants and the development of preemptive transmission mitigation strategies.

A pre-print version of the research paper is available on the bioRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

Detailed data on airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is lacking

Epidemiologic data suggest that airborne transmission, which refers to a combination of both large droplet and aerosol transmission, is the main route through which SARS-CoV-2 is spread.

The general description given by the World Health Organization is that large droplets traverse short distances and deposit in the upper respiratory tract. In contrast, aerosol particles (<5m) can traverse long distances and settle in the lower respiratory tract.

Studies of the influenza A virus have elucidated its airborne potential and discussed the relative contribution of droplets versus aerosols, as well as the site of exposure.

Similar data for SARS-CoV-2 is currently unavailable, says Munster and colleagues. Whereas several SARS-CoV-2 transmission studies in hamsters and ferrets have been performed, none of these studies were able to differentiate between large and small droplet transmission.

In fact, no study has yet demonstrated the potential for true aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 particles less than 5m in diameter, they add.

What did the researchers do?

The team designed a novel transmission cage model that they used to investigate the relative aerosol transmission efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 variants B..1.1.7 (alpha) and lineage A in Syrian hamsters.

Design and validation of aerosol transmission cages. Transmission cages were designed to model airborne transmission between Syrian hamsters at 16.5 cm, 106 cm and 200 cm distance. Droplets were generated by spraying a 20% glycerol/water solution into the donor cage. Size of particles travelling between donor and sentinel cages were determined. A/B/C. Particle reduction by aerodynamic diameter between the donor and sentinel cage at 16.5 cm (A) 106 cm (B) and 200 cm distance (C). Dotted line = 95% reduction in particles. Aerodynamic diameter 1-10 m. D/E/F. Schematic visualization of the transmission cages at 16.5 cm (A), 106 cm (B) and 200 cm distance (C) and corresponding particle distribution detected in each donor and sentinel cage.

At a distance of 2 meters, only particles less than 5m in diameter traversed between the cages.

After 24 hours of exposure, aerosol transmission was confirmed in all eight sentinels studied (4 for each variant). This transmission was also confirmed when the exposure time was limited to one hour.

We present the first qualitative analyses of the efficiency of transmission, showing that even within one hour, transmission can occur at a distance of 200 cm between Syrian hamsters, writes Munster and colleagues.

Transmission occurred via true aerosols

Only 2.0% and 0.5% of particles found in the sentinel side were 5m or more in diameter at 106cm and 200 cm distance, respectively.

This strongly suggests that the transmission observed in these cages occurred via true aerosols, says the team.

This is an important finding, given that conclusive epidemiologic evidence for the aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is currently still lacking and that particles of less than 5m are expected to reach the respiratory bronchioles and alveoli. It has also been suggested that direct deposition into the lower respiratory tract may decrease the necessary infectious dose.

Interestingly, the study also found that the B.1.1.7 variant exhibited a transmission advantage over lineage A in a dual infection experiment.

What do the authors advise?

Munster and colleagues say that together, the data suggest that the infectious dose of B.1.1.7 required for successful transmission may be lower than that of the lineage A virus.

The experimental proof for true aerosol transmission and the increase in the aerosol transmission potential of B.1.1.7 underscore the continuous need for assessment of novel variants and the development or preemptive transmission mitigation strategies, they write. In the light of limited global vaccine coverage and the potential emergence of escape mutants, ventilation, and air disinfection, face masks and social distancing, should still be considered essential tools in COVID-19 exposure and transmission risk mitigation strategies, concludes the team.

*Important Notice

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Three years ago, pharma giant Pfizer paid $24 million to settle federal allegations that it was paying kickbacks and inflating sales by reimbursing Medicare patients for out-of-pocket medication costs.

By making prohibitively expensive medicine essentially free for patients, the company induced them to use Pfizer drugs even as the price of one of those medicines, covered by Medicare and Medicaid, soared 44% to $225,000 a year, the Justice Department alleged.

Now Pfizer is suing Uncle Sam to legalize essentially the same practice it was accused of three years ago  a fighting response to a federal crackdown that has resulted in a dozen drug companies being accused of similar practices.

A Pfizer win could cost taxpayers billions of dollars and erase an important control on pharma marketing after decades of regulatory erosion and soaring drug prices, say health policy analysts. A federal judge's ruling is expected any day.

If this is legal for Pfizer, Pfizer will not be the only pharmaceutical company to use this, and there will effectively be a gold rush, government lawyer Jacob Lillywhite said in oral arguments last month.

Pfizer's legal argument "is aggressive," said Chris Robertson, a professor of health law at Boston University. "But I think they've got such a political tailwind behind them" because of pocketbook pain over prescription medicine  even though it's caused by pharma manufacturers. Pfizer's message, "'Were just trying to help people afford their drugs,' is pretty attractive," he said.

That's not all that's working in Pfizer's favor. Courts and regulations have been moving pharma's way since the Food and Drug Administration allowed limited TV drug ads in the 1980s. Other companies of all kinds also have gained free speech rights allowing aggressive marketing and political influence that would have been unthinkable decades ago, legal scholars say.

Among other court arguments, Pfizer initially claimed that current regulation violates its speech protections under the First Amendment, essentially saying it should be allowed to communicate freely with third-party charities to direct patient assistance.

"It's infuriating to realize that, as outlandish as they seem, these types of claims are finding a good deal of traction before many courts," said Michelle Mello, a professor of law and medicine at Stanford University. "Drug companies are surely aware that the judicial trend has been toward more expansive recognition of commercial speech rights."

Pfizer's lawsuit, in the Southern District of New York, seeks a judge's permission to directly reimburse patient expenses for two of its heart-failure drugs each costing $225,000 a year. An outside administrator would use Pfizer contributions to cover Medicare copays, deductibles and coinsurance for those drugs, which otherwise would cost patients about $13,000 a year.

Letting pharma companies put money directly into patients' pockets to pay for their own expensive medicines "does induce people to get a specific product" instead of shopping for a cheaper or more effective alternative, said Stacie Dusetzina, an associate professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University. "It's kind of the definition of a kickback."

Government rule-makers have warned against such payments since the launch of Medicare's Part D drug benefit in 2006. Drug companies routinely help privately insured patients with cost sharing through coupons and other means, but private carriers can negotiate the overall price.

Because Congress gave Medicare no control over prescription drug prices, having patients share at least part of the cost is the only economic force guarding against unlimited price hikes and industry profits at taxpayer expense.

At the same time, however, regulators have allowed the industry to help patients with copays by routing money through outside charities  but only as long as the charities are "bona fide, independent" organizations that don't match drugmaker money with specific drugs.

Several charities have blatantly violated that rule in recent years by colluding with pharma companies to subsidize particular drugs, the Justice Department has alleged. A dozen companies have paid more than $1 billion to settle allegations of kickback violations.

Pfizer set up an internal fund at one of the charities, the Patient Access Network Foundation, to cover patient costs for a heart arrhythmia drug at exactly the same time it was raising the wholesale cost from $220 to $317 for a package of 40 capsules, the Justice Department said. Pfizer referred Medicare patients who needed the drug to the PAN Foundation, the government said.

Under such arrangements, every $1 million channeled through a charity "has the potential to generate up to $21 m[illion] for the sponsor company, funded by the U.S. government," Andrew Baum, a Citi pharma stock analyst, wrote in 2017.

Pfizer settled the case, saying it was not an admission of wrongdoing but resulted from its "desire to put this legal matter behind us."

The PAN Foundation and three other charities also made deals to resolve allegations that they functioned as disallowed conduits for patient assistance for multiple pharma companies. One organization, the Virginia-based Caring Voice Coalition, shut down after government scrutiny.

PAN's settlement did not mention the alleged Pfizer transactions. Those were described in the separate government deal with Pfizer.

The 2019 PAN agreement related to "legacy matters" and "did not involve any of PAN's current operations or disease funds," organization CEO Dan Klein said via a spokesperson. "Nonprofit patient assistance programs like PAN are necessary to help people access the critical medications they need to stay healthy."

But legal troubles have hardly slowed the pharma-funded patient assistance business.

Four penalized nonprofits agreed to stop directing money to specific drugs, but they continue to accept hundreds of millions of dollars in pharma donations to indirectly cover copays and other patient drug costs, organization reports and IRS filings show. HHS regulators allow the practice because the drug companies are not involved in deciding which patients and which drugs are subsidized.

Donations to six pharma-funded patient assistance charities reached $1.8 billion in 2019, only slightly less than the year before, a KHN analysis of their IRS filings shows. That was nearly 50% higher than the amount from five years previously, before the Justice Department started cracking down.

Last year Pfizer donated $39.7 million to PAN and five other charities helping patients with out-of-pocket drug costs, company disclosures show.

If Pfizer's lawsuit seeking to earmark such donations for its tafamidis heart-failure drugs opens the way for similar practices industrywide, it would drive up Medicare costs through rising prices and numbers of prescriptions, said Gerard Anderson, an economist and health policy professor at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health. Such a program for tafamidis alone would increase Medicare costs by $30 billion, the Health and Human Services Department's inspector general estimated.

Pharma companies can "learn which patients are using the drug, and they can market [and offer financial assistance] directly to that patient," Anderson said. "You get a huge return."

Pfizer argues that its proposal, which the HHS inspector general called "highly suspect" in an advisory opinion before the company filed its lawsuit, is legal and sensible.

"Providing copay assistance to middle-income patients who have been prescribed tafamidis is an efficient and equitable way to lower their out-of-pocket costs," company spokesperson Steven Danehy said.

But the real affordability problem for patients is that tafamidis is too expensive, federal attorney Lillywhite said in court arguments last month. (HHS' Office of Inspector General declined to comment.)

Pfizer has "priced itself out of the market," he said. The company is seeking to "do something that's unprecedented, to upend decades of settled law and agency guidance" to boost sales of "what is the most expensive cardiovascular drug ever launched in the United States."

After the oral arguments, Pfizer dropped claims that HHS rules violate its free speech rights. Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil is considering only the company's contention that a dedicated fund for tafamidis would not violate kickback prohibitions because, among other arguments, it is the doctor who decides to prescribe the drug and create revenue for Pfizer, not the patient getting the financial assistance.

But legal analysts still see the case as part of a broad movement toward deregulation and corporate rights.

A 1970s Supreme Court case, viewed as paving the way for an explosion of drug, lawyer and liquor ads as well as corporate campaign donations, was about speech rights for prescription drug sellers in Virginia. In 2011 the court found that the First Amendment allows data miners to buy and sell prescription records from pharmacies, provided the patients aren't identified.

A year later, a federal appeals court cited speech protections when it overturned the conviction of a pharma sales rep who had been promoting a drug for uses not approved by the FDA.

Even if Pfizer loses its case, the climate may be ripe for similar challenges by other drugmakers, especially after the appointment of more than 200 federal judges by business-friendly President Donald Trump, legal scholars said.

The federal kickback law doesn't mention copay assistance charities "and wasn't designed with these programs in mind," said Mello, of Stanford. Pfizer's lawsuit "should be a loud, clanging call to Congress" to explicitly define drug assistance subsidies as illegal kickbacks, she said.
A study conducted by researchers in Qatar has found that Pfizer-BioNTechs coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine was more protective against infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among individuals who had previously been infected with the virus than among those who had not.

Pfizer-BioNTechs BNT162b2 vaccine reduced the SARS-CoV-2 incidence rate among previously infected individuals by 85% (6.6-fold), compared with among BNT162b2 recipients who had not experienced prior infection.

However, no such effect was observed for individuals who received Modernas mRNA-1273-vaccine, says Laith Abu-Raddad from Cornell University in Doha and colleagues.

Prior infection enhanced protection of those BNT162b2-vaccinated, but not those mRNA1273-vaccinated, writes the team. These findings may have implications for the potential need of a booster vaccination.

A pre-print version of the research paper is available on the medRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

The effect of prior infection on vaccination is poorly understood

The effect that previous SARS-CoV-2 infection has on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in protecting against future infection remains poorly understood.

In Qatar, the COVID-19 immunization program began on December 21st, 2020. Pfizer-BioNTechs BNT162b24 product was the first to be rolled out, followed by Modernas mRNA-1273 vaccine.

However, Qatar still experienced two epidemic waves between January and June 2021, dominated by the SARS-CoV-2 alpha (B.1.1.7) and beta (B.1.351) variants of concern.

This provided an opportunity to assess whether persons vaccinated after a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection have better protection against future infection than those vaccinated without prior infection, says Abu-Raddad and colleagues.

Testing the effects of prior infection in two national studies

The team assessed two national retrospective matched-cohort studies  one cohort that had received two doses of BNT162b2 and one that had received two doses of mRNA-1273.

Between December 21st, 2020, and June 6th, 2021, the incidence of documented SARS-CoV-2 infection (as confirmed by polymerase chain reaction [PCR] testing) in each cohort was compared between those with and without infection prior to vaccination.

Cohorts were matched by sex, five-year age group, nationality, and calendar week of the first vaccine dose to control for differences in exposure risk and in exposure to variants.

The estimated incidence rate among those who receivedBNT162b2 was 1.66 per 10,000 person-weeks among those with prior infection, compared with 11.02 per 10,000 person-weeks among those without prior infection.

The corresponding estimated rates for those who received mRNA-1273 were 1.55 and 1.83 per 10,000 person-weeks.

For the BNT162b2 cohort, the cumulative infection incidence among those with and without prior infection was estimated to be 0.14% versus 0.93%, compared with 0.06% versus 0.08% for the mRNA-1273 cohort.

Kaplan-Meier curves showing the cumulative incidence of documented SARS-CoV-2 infection in the national cohort of individuals who completed 14 days after the second vaccine dose and who had a prior PCR-confirmed infection, compared to the cumulative incidence of documented SARS-CoV-2 infection in the matched national cohort of individuals who completed 14 days after the second vaccine dose, but without prior PCR-confirmed infection. The curves compare vaccination with A) the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine and B) the mRNA-1273 vaccine. Cohorts were matched in a 1:1 ratio by sex, 5-year age group, nationality, and calendar week of the first vaccine dose.

Prior infection reduced incidence by 85% in the BNT162b2-vaccinated cohort

The team says that infection incidence was low in these cohorts during a time of intense incidence in Qatar, suggesting that both vaccines were highly effective against the B.1.1.7 variant and the B.1.351 variants of concern that were dominating at the time.

Still, prior infection of those BNT162b2-vaccinated further enhanced protection and reduced the incidence rate by 85% (6.6-fold) compared to those without prior infection, say the researchers. In contrast, those vaccinated with mRNA-1273 were as well protected as those who received the vaccine after a prior infection.

Explanations for the differences in efficacy

Abu-Raddad and colleagues suggest that the findings may be explained by the observed differences in the effectiveness of these two vaccines against the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants.

In Qatar, the respective vaccine efficacies against these variants were reported to be 89.5% and 75.0% for BNT162b2, and 100% and 96.4% for mRNA-1273.

These differences in efficacy could have arisen for various reasons including differences in dosing, in the dosing interval and the mechanisms of action.

For example, BNT162b24 was administered at 30-g per dose, while mRNA-12735 was administered at 100g per dose.

This may have resulted in a more activated immune response for the mRNA-1273 vaccine than the BNT162b2 vaccine, and made the existence of prior immunity due to natural infection of no additional benefit for the mRNA-1273 vaccine, suggests the team.

Furthermore, the interval between doses was one week longer for mRNA-12735 than for BNT162b2 and studies have previously suggested that a longer dose interval could be associated with improved protection after administration of the second dose.

What are the study implications?

Our results demonstrate low infection incidence among those vaccinated with BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273, but among those vaccinated with BNT162b2, protection against infection was further enhanced and infection incidence was further reduced by prior infection, say the researchers.

These findings may have implications for dosing, the interval between doses, and the potential need for booster vaccination, they conclude.

*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.
Intellectual property (IP) officials in South Africa have made history in a landmark decision to award a patent that names an artificial intelligence (AI) as the inventor.

Ryan Abbott, Professor of Law and Health Sciences, University of Surrey. Image Credit: University of Surrey

The patentwhich was filed by an international team of lawyers and researchers led by the University of Surrey's, Professor of Law and Health Sciences, Ryan Abbott is for a food container based on fractal geometry. This container was designed and created by an AI called DABUS ("device for the autonomous bootstrapping of unified sentience").

Historically, an "inventor" of a patent had to be a human being, although the ownership of that patent is commonly given to the company that employs the inventor. While patent law in many jurisdictions is very specific in how it defines an inventor, the DABUS team is arguing that the status quo is not fit for purpose in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

As AI plays an ever-increasing role in the design of ideas, the DABUS case could have significant repercussions on intellectual property law. The DABUS team has similar cases moving through UK, European, US and other court systems.

Earlier this year, the president of the European Patent Office, Antonio Campinos intervened in the European case on the basis that it was of high importance and general interest.

Professor Adrian Hilton, Director of the Institute for People-Centred AI at the University of Surrey, said: This is a truly historic case that recognises the need to change how we attribute invention. We are moving from an age in which invention was the preserve of people to an era where machines are capable of realising the inventive step, unleashing the potential of AI-generated inventions for the benefit of society."

The School of Law at the University of Surrey has taken a leading role in asking important philosophical questions such as whether innovation can only be a human phenomenon, and what happens legally when AI behaves like a person. We are delighted our staff and students are at the forefront of these deeply significant debates, and now realities. Adrian Hilton, Professor, University of Surrey

The potential of AI invention is recognized in the recently launched New Innovation Strategy announced by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng on 22 July 2021. The New Innovation Strategy sets out plans to cement the UKs position as a world leader in science, research and innovation.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is far from over as countries report surging cases, including those caused by emerging variants. To date, there are over 195 million cases across the globe, with more than 4.18 million deaths.

In response to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 infections in the United Kingdom, the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium was formed to rapidly sequence SARS-CoV-2 genomes as part of a national-scale genomic surveillance strategy.

Image Credit: Marina Litvinova / Shutterstock

The new bioinformatics software and cloud computing approach developed at the University of Birmingham has been tagged as the world's most sophisticated COVID-19 sequencing system. Called CLIMB-COVID, the sequencing tool was designed to handle the enormous challenge of sequencing SARS-CoV-2 genomes.

In a new research paper, published in the journal Genome Biology, the scientists discussed the development and deployment of CLIMB-COVID, an encompassing digital structure to address the challenge of collecting and integrating both genomic sequencing data and sample-associated metadata produced across the COG-UK network. This includes a network of universities, regional sequencing centers, academic institutions, and the four UK Public Health Agencies.

"Building this kind of decentralized sequencing system has not been possible before now because the software infrastructure has not been available. By designing that system, we have shown how genetic sequencing can be used as a vital tool in any public health response," Dr. Samuel Nicholls, lead author on the paper, said.

The CLIMB-COVID

The first version of CLIMB-COVID was developed by a team of scientists at the University of Birmingham and Cardiff University in under a month. It helped process the sequencing data of more than 675,000 coronavirus genomes, including detecting and tracking the Alpha and Delta variants.

The model has three core functions. First, it produces data by connecting a network of regional sequencing sites to a network of sampling organizations to establish a network for SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing.

Next, the model collects data by providing a system to transfer sequencing data, consensus genomes, and sample metadata. Lastly, it aims to integrate data into a single dataset by combining the collected sequences and metadata.

The new platform works by distributing a democratized network for SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing, providing a unified interface for transferring, storing, and sharing sequences.

The cloud infrastructure also provides the computing and storage capacity needed to study and analyze the large genome datasets produced by the consortium, as well as assisting national and international research needs.

This means that health officials and other members of the COVID-19 response team can monitor genome sequences, finding potential mutations and emergence of variants.

"Establishing the principle of automated and rapid data sharing early on in pandemic response has meant that the UK has become a reliable source of surveillance data and relied upon by other countries to track SARS-CoV-2 lineage dynamics," the researchers explained.

Surveillance of genome sequences

Scientists must conduct genome sequence surveillance to monitor the emergence of new variants. These variants can affect vaccination efforts across the globe, as some can evade the protection against COVID-19 from natural infection or vaccination.

To date, the COG-UK has produced more than 550,000 public sequences, contributed more than 20 reports to the government, and has 50 academic publications. It has also supported hundreds of outbreak investigations across the U.K.

"The CLIMB-COVID system is open source. That means anyone in the world can access our computer code and all genomic data and can see how we work," Dr. Nicholls said. As a result, scientists believe this is the world's most sophisticated COVid-19 sequencing system. "We have never seen such a coordinated, sustained effort to generate real-time genomic surveillance data at this scale and pace and this is why the UK is world-leading in the genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2," he added.
Mrs. Jean D. Owen, 84, of Pell City, Ala., passed away on Monday, July 5, 2021. Jean was of the Baptist faith. She loved Alabama football, the Atlanta Braves, music and the outdoors. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dean Owen; her parents, Bervil and Agnes Barber Davis; and brother,
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

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 66F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
(Newser)  Nearly five years after Gawker's death at the hands of Peter Thiel and Hulk Hogan, the divisive site is back. Bustle Digital Group purchased Gawker.com when Gawker Media was forced into bankruptcy due to the wrestler's lawsuit, and intended to relaunch years ago before that plan fell flat. Now it's finally come to fruition: In a welcome back post from new editor Leah Finnegan, the former Gawker writer notes that while she was initially not eager to take the job ("who in Gods name would want to edit a website that was cratered by an evil tech lord and sullied by a botched relaunch?") she ultimately decided, thanks to the dark days of early 2021, to take it on. "The current laws of civility mean that no, [the site] can't be exactly what it once was, but we strive to honor the past and embrace the present," she writes.

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What it once was was, in part, a site known for skewering certain celebrities, some of whom were approached for this piece on reactions to the site's second coming. Paris Hilton's response, via a rep, was simply "No thank you!" while Spencer Pratt had this to say: "Gawker once referred to me as someone they never wanted to hear from again. Im glad that a stint in obscurity has made them reconsider. Best wishes on your little gossip blog!" Reaction on Twitter was mixed; some were gleeful, others were confused about what year it is, and still others called out the old site: "When I got arrested, Gawker took a swimsuit pic off my FB &wrote: 'Cornell senior smuggled heroin, posed in bikini, edited Cornell Daily Sun.' It was completely misogynist clickbait," writes one. "I am not glad they're back. But I hope they do better this time." (Read more Gawker stories.)
(Newser)  Masks are back at Walt Disney World and Disneylandindoors, at least. As COVID-19 cases surge in Florida, the Orlando theme park will require masks on all visitors ages 2 and up, regardless of vaccination status, when indoors or on Disney transportation. The policy takes effect Friday, WESH reports. Orange County, where the resort is located, on Tuesday saw its highest number of daily new cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and the mayor recently started recommending everyone wear masks indoors whether vaccinated or not.

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The same goes for California's Disneyland resort, also starting Friday, WDW Info reports. Disneyland is also located in Orange Countythe California versionwhich is also experiencing an increase in coronavirus infections thanks to the delta variant. Between Thursday and Friday of last week, daily new cases rose from 304 to 431, Spectrum News reports. By Wednesday, they had reached 532. California is recommending masks be worn in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccination status, the Orange County Register reports. (Read more Disney stories.)
(Newser)  Three fires set near New York City restaurants since January have been attributed to someone with much interest in the restaurant business: a star sommelier. A former Food & Wine magazine sommelier of the year, who spent part of his career at the Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, Caleb Ganzer is now co-owner and wine director of New York City wine bar Compagnie des Vins Surnaturelsand accused of setting fire to outdoor dining spaces at other restaurants nearby. According to fire officials and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Ganzer first set fire to an outdoor dining structure at the restaurant Forsythia shortly before midnight on Jan. 8, per the New York Times. Months later on June 26, he allegedly set fire to garbage on a street corner not far from his wine bar. Then, just before 3am on July 13, he allegedly set fire to a wood dining shed at Prince Street Pizza, per WABC.

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Surveillance video shows a man using a lighter to ignite napkin dispensers on either side of the structure. Footage also showed a man setting fire to Forsythia's structure, owner Jacob Siwak tells the Times. He says there were four attempts over at least nine days, two of which were "pretty damaging." He describes flames reaching at least two stories high and threatening the rest of the building. No one was hurt in the three cases, though Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said "every act of arson has the potential to spread rapidly, endangering the lives of New Yorkers." Ganzer, 35, is charged with two counts of arson, two counts of criminal mischief, and three counts of reckless endangerment, per Wine Spectator. Officials didn't supply a motive. Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels says the sommelier is now on a leave of absence. (Read more arson stories.)
(Newser)  Remington has made an offer to the nine Sandy Hook families that are suing it. The settlement number the gunmaker has come up with, presented in Tuesday court documents: $33 million, subject to approval by the Alabama judge overseeing its bankruptcy case, per CNN. That means each family would receive just shy of $3.7 million, an amount the BBC notes is far short of what the loved ones of victims killed in the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Conn., had sought. The outlet reports that the families earlier this year made the case in court that wrongful death settlements could reach $225 million, and total punitive claims possibly more than $1 billion. A Remington rifle was used by gunman Adam Lanza in the 2012 shooting, which killed 20 young children and six adults. Lanza also killed his own mother before the school massacre, then himself afterward.

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NPR notes the offer comes just a day after a judge rejected Remington's request to dismiss the case altogether. Even though the $33 million isn't what the Sandy Hook families had hoped for, Jonathan Lowy, chief counsel for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, tells the outlet that in similar "impact litigation" cases like this, the money being sought isn't meant to serve as a financial boost for victims' families, but to hit the defending company where it hurts. "While they realize that no amount of money can come close to compensating them ... they generally do understand that it's important to force gun companies that act irresponsibly, and their insurance companies, to internalize the harm that they cause," he says. "Without it, it's all profit to them and other people die." In a statement, attorneys for the Sandy Hook families say they'll "consider their next steps." (The families recently filed a complaint against Remington for sending thousands of cartoons.)
(Newser)  It's been nearly nine months since Sun Dawu was arrested, and on Wednesday, the Chinese billionaire pig farmer heard his fate: 18 years behind bars, as well as a nearly $500,000 fine. Sun's crimes, per a Chinese court: "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," a charge the Guardian and BBC note is often used against human rights activists. Per NBC News, the 67-year-old tycoon, whose Dawu Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Group is one of the biggest companies in China, was also found guilty by the People's Court in Gaobeidian of obstructing government officials, illegally occupying farmland, illegally mining, and gathering a crowd to attack state agencies. He was detained last yearalong with more than 20 others, including his wife, sons, daughters-in-law, and some of his employeesover a land dispute regarding a government-owned farm, according to local media.

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But allies of Sun, who's said to have described himself at a pretrial hearing as an "outstanding Communist party member," say the charges against him were only brought because he keeps close company with dissidents, and because he's an outspoken critic of the Chinese governmenthe accused it of covering up a 2019 swine fever outbreak, as one example. "The way they're investigating me now is making those close to us suffer and those who hate us rejoice," Sun reportedly said at the hearing. "I wish to take the charges upon myself, even if they're severe, in exchange for the release of others." Sun isn't the only high-profile businessman the Chinese government has targeted: In September, real estate mogul Ren Zhiqiang, who called Chinese President Xi Jinping a "clown" after a Xi speech, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on corruption charges, while Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma disappeared for several months after a regulatory crackdown on his businesses. (Read more China stories.)
(Newser)  A baby girl born in Israel this month is doing well after surgery to remove what is thought to be at least one embryo from her stomach, likely from a twin she absorbed. When the child's mother arrived at Ashdod's Assuta Medical Center to give birth, "we got the impression that the baby had a big tummy," Dr. Omer Globus, director of neonatology, tells the Jerusalem Post. "The moment the baby was born, we checked her and realized that we [could] feel something inside her stomach." What ultrasounds and an X-ray revealed was a fetuspossibly two. Such cases of "fetus in fetu" are extremely rare, thought to occur once in every 500,000 births, reports the Times of Israel. Doctors removed two sacs from the girl's stomach. Globus says the remains included at least one partially developed fetus with bones and a heart.

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"It did not look like an embryo as you imagine it," Globus tells the Times. "We think that there was more than one there, and we are still checking that." The pregnancy might have begun as twins or triplets, with one embryo eventually absorbing the other(s). "It happens as part of the fetal development process when there are cavities that close during development and one of the embryos enters such a space," says Globus. The other theory is that it's a benign type of tumor called a teratoma, which "can contain all three of the major cell types that are found in an early-stage human embryo," per Live Science. Globus says few doctors in his field have seen such cases. The girl is expected to make a full recovery and is already at home with her mother and three siblings. (A woman found out there was a fetus in her stomach at age 17.)
(Newser)  A former suburban Kansas City police chief was credited with saving the life of a 6-month-old girl after her father walked into his police station in December 2018, allegedly announcing that he'd just drowned the infant in an icy pond. Greg Hallgrimson and another Greenwood, Mo., police officer raced to the scene, finding the unconscious infant floating face up. She was thought to have been in the water for 10 minutes. The officers pulled her out, removed her wet clothes, wrapped her in the chief's shirt, and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. The girl survived in what some called a "miracle." Hallgrimson was called a hero. He may now be facing prison time for his next move. The former chiefplaced on administrative leave before resigning in May 2019pleaded guilty Wednesday to assaulting the girl's handcuffed father at the station, reports the AP.

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A former attorney for Jonathan Zicarelli, who remains in custody on felony charges of domestic assault and child abuse, claimed a body camera captured Hallgrimson grabbing the suspect by the throat, throwing him to the floor, punching him in the face, and telling him, "You deserve to die," per the Kansas City Star. Hallgrimson was indicted in 2019 on a single count of violating Zicarelli's civil rights. The suspect has the right "to be free from unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the unreasonable use of force by a person acting in his official capacity as a law enforcement officer," the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri said at the time. With the guilty plea, defense attorney Robin Fowler said 51-year-old Hallgrimson hoped to "move forward with his life." No details on the plea agreement were provided. (Read more guilty plea stories.)
(Newser)  Simone Biles acknowledged an "outpouring" of love and support Wednesday following her unexpected exit from events at the Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, Texas Deputy Attorney General Aaron Reitz is backtracking on his harsh criticism of the 24-year-old gymnast.



In a since-deleted tweet, Reitz shared video of Kerri Strug performing at the 1996 Olympics on an injured ankle, per KHOU. "Contrast this with our selfish, childish national embarrassment," he wrote of Bilesa Texas resident and the most-decorated American gymnast of all time.

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Reitz apologized Wednesday afternoon, distancing his comments from the office he holds. "In a moment of frustration and disappointment, I opined on subjects for which I am not adequately versed," he wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. "That was an error. I can't imagine what Simone Biles has gone through," he added, calling her "a true patriot and one of the greatest gymnasts of our time."

Biles soon issued a tweet of her own. "The outpouring love & support I've received has made me realize I'm more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before," she wrote. She also favorited tweets discussing the dangers she faced if not entirely in the right mindset, per BuzzFeed.

Biles described suffering from "the twisties," a dangerous sensation of losing oneself in the air, during a vault routine. Deanna Hong, a producer on a docuseries about Team USA gymnasts, said former US elite gymnasts told her they would've "blown a knee, at minimum" or "ended up paralyzed" if they'd been in the same situation as Biles, who landed on her feet, unharmed.

While Biles was widely praised for prioritizing her wellbeing, she also had plenty of critics unhappy with her decision to "work on my mindfulness" in the aftermath. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk called Biles "a selfish sociopath" and a "shame to the country," per Salon, while Piers Morgan tweeted that "no GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) would quit on their teammates like that."

US distance swimmer Diana Nyad admitted a change of heart in a Washington Post op-ed. Though she initially saw Biles' withdrawal as "unsportsmanlike," a wound to her team, it was really "a historic sacrifice," Nyad writes. Believing "her teammates had a better chance of scoring well without her," Biles gave "another gifted athlete a chance to go for medals, to chase the dreams they've worked so hard for."

Other supporters rallied to Biles' defense, highlighting her four Olympic gold medals and 19 World Championship gold medals. In a viral response liked by Biles herself, gymnastics coach Andrea Orris noted this is "the same girl who was molested by her team doctor throughout her entire childhood and teen years" and "won the world all-around championship title while passing a kidney stone," per the Daily Dot.

(The new all-round gymnast champ is fellow American Suni Lee .)
(Newser)  Israel on Thursday became the first nation to approve COVID booster shots for parts of its population, reports Haaretz. Starting Sunday, anyone in the country older than 60 who received their initial vaccination at least five months ago can get another dose from Pfizer, the nation's main vaccine supplier, per the Washington Post. The decision comes as the delta variant has led to a sharp spike in cases in Israel, from single digits per day to about 450, reports Reuters. So far, health authorities in the US and at agencies such as the World Health Organization haven't recommended booster shots, though research is ongoing.

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This week, Pfizer released data showing that the efficacy of its vaccine fell from 96% to 84% over six months, reports STAT News. The latter figure is still strong and is "very reassuring" to vaccine expert Paul Offit of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. However, the risk is that if the vaccine continues to lose efficacy at the same rate as found in the new dataaround 6% every two monthsit would drop below the important 50% threshold in 18 months. The paper suggested that booster shots would be needed. (Read more Israel stories.)
(Newser)  Only one recording of JD Salinger is known to exist, but its days are numbered. In an interview with Bloomberg, the woman who made the secret tape more than four decades ago says she plans to have it cremated with her when she dies. Bette Eppes, then a 40-year-old reporter with the Baton Rouge Advocate, scored the 1980 interview when she traveled to Salinger's New Hampshire town and invited him to meet her at a local shop via a note slipped to a clerk at his post office. Much to her surprise, the reclusive author showed up. What Eppes didn't mention was that she had a tape recorder hidden in her sleeve, even though she had promised Salinger she would respect his privacy.

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They spoke for about a half-hour. She asked him questions such as whether Holden Caulfield, hero of Catcher in the Rye, would ever grow up. "It's all in the book," he responded. (Eppes wrote about this decades ago in the Paris Review, for which a subscription is needed). After their talk, Eppes put the tape in safety deposit box and says she has turned down lucrative offers to sell itbecause of guilt. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night and I think, I stole that. I stole his voice. ... That tape is not mine to give or sell." Read the full interview, in which she informs Brin-Jonathan Butler that she recently amended her will to include instructions for the tape to be cremated with her. (Read more JD Salinger stories.)
(Newser)  The Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal just reached its highest level yet inside the church. Defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been charged with molesting a 16-year-old boy decades ago in Massachusetts, reports NBC News. He is the first cardinal, former or otherwise, to be so charged. McCarrick is 91, and he has long been accused of molesting minors and adults during his ascent up the church's hierarchythe reason Pope Francis defrocked him in 2019. But because the alleged abuse occurred years ago, beyond the statute of limitations for such crimes, it seemed unlikely McCarrick would ever face criminal charges, notes the Washington Post. However, the Boston Globe reports that prosecutors say they have found a way around that.

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McCarrick is accused of molesting the teen during a wedding reception at Wellesley College in 1974. However, McCarrick lived in New York City at the time, and the Globe explains that he can still be charged because he wasn't a Massachusetts resident and the statute of limitations stopped running when he left the state. He faces three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 in a complaint filed by Wellesley Police in Dedham District Court. "We will look forward to addressing the case in the courtroom, says an attorney for McCarrick. In court documents, the unnamed accuser says McCarrick led him into a room on the college campus and fondled him, then instructed him to say three Our Fathers and a Hail Mary or it was one Our Father and three Hail Marys, so God can redeem you of your sins," per the AP. (Read more Theodore McCarrick stories.)
(Newser)  President Biden will try to raise the nation's coronavirus vaccination rates by pressuring the people who work for him. More than 2 million federal workers and roughly another 2 million contractors will have to get vaccinated or be subject to newly enacted testing, masking, and distancing rules, the Washington Post reports. The employees will have to wear a mask at work, stay physically distant from other people on the job, and be tested for the coronavirus at least once a week. The president made the announcement Thursday afternoon at the White House. "We all want our lives to get back to normal, and fully vaccinated workplaces will make that happen more quickly and more successfully," Biden said, per the New York Times. "We all know that in our gut. With incentives and mandates, we can make a huge difference and save a lot of lives."

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Biden's proposal could hit a wall. Unions representing federal workers immediately expressed opposition, per the Post. The president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association said the requirement is an infringement on his 26,000 members' civil rights. "There will be a lot of pushback," he said, calling for incentives instead of a mandate. The American Federation of Teachers, which has 200,000 members who are health care workers, said that everyone should be vaccinated but that a policy like this is a matter for collective bargaining. Also Thursday, the administration announced it's asking states and cities to pay a $100 incentive to anyone who gets vaccinated. The Treasury Department said it's changed the rules governing the use of federal rescue funding and wants local governments to use that money for the payments, per USA Today. (Read more President Biden stories.)
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More people continue to get vaccinated at outreach clinics across Mid-Missouri
Many Danbury-area towns are not requiring municipal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at this time, but a couple said the possibility of mandating it in the future isnt far-fetched.

Towns such as Danbury and New Fairfield were firm in their decision against the requirement. Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo said although he will continue promoting the vaccine, he will not require it.

Our employees can make their own decisions, and we will continue to provide the most up-to-date guidance and recommendations, he said.

Unvaccinated employees will have to continue wearing masks until they are fully inoculated against the deadly virus.

New Fairfield First Selectwoman Patricia Del Monaco echoed Cavos thoughts. Shes decided not to require vaccination for municipal employees because so many have already had their shots, with the exception of a couple.

Del Monaco only asks that employees who refuse inoculation continue following social distancing and mask-wearing policies, and speak to their health care providers about the vaccine so they have accurate information.

However, Ridgefield and Bethel First Selectmen Rudy Marconi and Matt Knickerbocker  who are both relying on the honor system for employees vaccination  can see towns having to require municipal employees vaccination, especially as the number of cases and hospitalizations begin creeping up again.

Nothing is off the table, Knickerbocker said. I cant rule out that we wouldnt do that [require COVID-19 vaccination] in the future.

Marconi is on the same page. He said a hard line may have to be drawn if the virus isnt brought under control.

This is a very serious situation that cannot be toyed with, he said.

State data shows the number of hospitalizations has slowly risen in the last week and shot up over the weekend going from 76 Friday to 108 Monday. As of Wednesday, hospitalizations were at 103 patients.

The delta variant has recently accounted for 77.3 percent of all COVID cases surfacing in the state, following a general trend among the rest of the country, according to a report from the governors office last week. Similarly, many of those being hospitalized are unvaccinated.

I just hope that people who have not been vaccinated, do so, Knickerbocker said.

Its time to put this vaccine hesitancy to rest. Its proven to be safe, its the only way to keep yourself out of the hospital, he added.

New York City officials recently announced all city employees will have to either be vaccinated by mid-September or receive weekly testing as part of a new mandate. Mayor Bill de Blasio cited the increasingly dangerous variants as reasoning why the rule was needed. No Connecticut locality has yet to move in that direction though.

Each of these Danbury-area towns confirmed there are a few stragglers among the municipal employees whove chosen to hold out on getting the vaccine, despite documenting high vaccination rates among staff members.

But whether or not towns would be able to easily implement the requirement as a condition of employment remains unclear. Several of these leaders have said its something they would need to further look into and investigate.

It is possible that if a town was to demand vaccination as a condition of employment, it would have to be negotiated with corresponding union representatives.

Laurie Fernandez, Ridgefields human resources director, said the need for union negotiations would be hinged upon who introduces the requirement.

If the town independently decided to mandate vaccination, she believes it would likely have to participate in impact bargaining discussions with the unions. Yet, if it becomes a rule passed federally or statewide, she said it could supersede union contracts.

Larry Dorman, a spokesperson for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) council four, said such a requirement would constitute a change in work conditions that needed to be negotiated with local union representatives.

He was unable to say if negotiations would be mandatory if vaccination was required federally or at a state level but noted it is a good practice for employers to discuss such changes with staff and their unions regardless.

AFSCME oversees several hundred municipal unions in the Danbury area and about 29,000 public and private sector employees, most of which are in local and state government, Dorman said.

He wasnt aware of any municipalities initiating these talks but the AFSCME is expecting it to happen. When it does, Dorman said the organization will engage in the discussions so that any requirements are achieved fairly and safely for their union members and the communities they serve.
DANBURY  Zoning leaders passed a one-year ban on new marijuana businesses to give planners time to digest Connecticuts new adult cannabis law, but the moratorium wont stop legal weed use here or prevent a new medical marijuana dispensary from opening next month.

We just dont know  thats the point of the moratorium, said City Council minority leader Paul Rotello, a Democrat, during a public hearing this week. Lets approve (the temporary ban) and then lets have, among other things, a monetary study and give the people some insight as to what the true financials are going to be.

Rotello was referring to a moratorium on new cannabis business applications that was unanimously passed by the Zoning Commission Wednesday over objections from residents and the medical marijuana dispensary that is moving from Bethel to a former bank on Danburys west side in mid-August.

This doesnt affect our medical marijuana dispensary, but it does affect us if we decide to apply for a hybrid license (to also sell retail marijuana), said Carl Tirella, general manager of Acreage Holdings, which owns the Compassionate Care Center in Bethel and two other Connecticut dispensaries, during an interview on Wednesday. Hopefully in the coming months we can work with the citys planning and zoning department to create regulations based on what we have seen across the country and the state.

Danburys moratorium  the latest measure cities and towns are taking in reaction to Connecticuts July 1 law decriminalizing cannabis, wont affect an adults right to have up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana with them, and up to 5 more ounces in a secure location, Tirella said during Wednesdays public hearing.

Recreational cannabis will be in Danbury whether there is an establishment selling it or not, Tirella said. Neighboring towns and cities will be selling it, and delivery (of recreational pot) is allowed through state regulations  both of which the city has no control over.

The point, Danbury leaders said during the hearing, was to give the city control over what marijuana establishments it wants to permit here, and where in the city those establishments would be permitted.

The text of the (state cannabis) act is 295 pages and covers a wide spectrum of topics related to the legalization of cannabis, including personal consumption, state licensing, workplace considerations, tenant and landlord rights, use in public spaces, police powers, and certain municipal responsibilities including zoning, Danbury Planning Director Sharon Calitro said during the public hearing. This (moratorium) is in effect a kind of a pause button.

Danbury residents called the citys moratorium short-sighted.

There is a major press for pause here when the reality is there havent beena deluge of applications at all, said resident Michael Deary during Wednesdays public hearing on Zoom. This is cutting off our nose to spite our face.

Danbury resident Elizabeth Guerra agreed.

As a taxpayer and as someone who has children here, (I support) the idea that there are any tax dollars that could come back into our city to improve our schools, Guerra said. This cannabis bill was not made in a vacuum  the legislators who did this work analyzed all the other bills throughout the county(and) were able to learn from the experience of other states.

Danburys moratorium follows Newtowns ban on all cannabis establishments at the beginning of the month, including medicinal dispensaries. Ridgefield is debating a one-year moratorium as well.

Guerras husband said during the public hearing that economic justice was at stake.

Black and brown people are getting arrested at an astronomical rate here in Danbury, said Hector Gerardo. We as a town owe the people that have been arrested a chance to actually make money from this cannabis industry like a lot of white people, like the gentleman from Acreage.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
An initiative from philanthropists Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott and the family foundation of billionaire Lynn Schusterman awarded $40 million Thursday to four promoting gender equality projects in tech, higher education, caregiving and minority communities.

The projects are the winners of The Equality Cant Wait Challenge, a funding competition launched in June 2020 with the goal of expanding womens power and influence in the United States. According to an announcement released Thursday by Lever for Change, an affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation that managed the challenge, the awardees, selected from a pool of more than 500 proposals submitted from across the country, will receive $10 million each.

Equality Can't Wait will fund: Building Womens Equality through Strengthening the Care Infrastructure, a project by a coalition of organizations working on the societal perceptions of caregiving; Changing the Face of Tech, an initiative to offer women more opportunities in the tech sector; Girls Inc.s Project Accelerate, which aims to help young women through college and career entry; and The Future is Indigenous Womxn, an initiative to support businesses owned by Native American women.

The three funders have all given contributions to gender equality initiatives in the past. And French Gates, whose investment and incubation company Pivotal Ventures hosted the competition, has pledged to spend $1 billion toward such projects in the U.S., citing low rates of women in leadership positions. That money is slated to be spent through Pivotal, which unlike a traditional charity, is able to invest in high-risk, for-profit entities and become more politically involved. It also doesn't have to disclose information on all the groups it funds.

French Gates said in a statement Thursday that we can break the patterns of history" and advance gender equality if there's a commitment to support organizations, like the awardees, "that are ready to lift up women and girls. While Scott, who's given more than $8 billion in three rounds of funding since last year, praised the awardees for having strong teams working on the front lines and from within communities to help women build power in their lives and careers.

Separately, additional funding of $8 million will be split between two finalists: one project working to combat physical, sexual and other forms of violence inflicted by romantic partners and another aiming to help young women become more politically active.

Nicole Bates, Pivotal Ventures director of strategic partnerships and initiatives, declined to say how Scott and Scott's husband, Dan Jewett, became involved with the funding competition, but noted it was exciting to join forces and make a collective statement about the importance of gender equality.

Those of us who share values, particularly in gender, we see each other and we respect each others work, Bates said.

French Gates also serves as a co-chair and trustee at The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest charitable foundation in the world. The foundation said earlier this month that French Gates would continue in her role after her divorce from Bill Gates. However, if after two years, the two decide they cannot continue in their roles, she will resign.

_____

The Associated Press receives support from the Lilly Endowment for coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Ronnie Olesker, St. Lawrence University

(THE CONVERSATION) In 2018, I was living in Israel while researching a book about the countrys fight against groups that challenge its legitimacy.

Every Wednesday, a new batch of Ben & Jerrys ice cream arrived at my local supermarket, and I would snap up as many tubs of vanilla as I could. By Thursday, thered be none left. Clearly, Israelis love their Ben & Jerrys  which makes up about 75% of the premium ice cream market in Israel.

Still, even I was surprised by the ferocity of the Israeli reaction to Ben & Jerrys announcement on July 19, 2021, that it would no longer sell its ice cream in Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. Many Israelis on my social media feedwere outraged. Politicians condemned Ben & Jerrys as anti-Israel and urged American lawmakers to sanction the South Burlington, Vermont-based company. Some states are already preparing to do just that.

Could it be that the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement  which targets the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza  has finally found Israels soft spot?

What is the BDS movement?

The boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, known as the BDS movement, began in 2005. Thats when 170 Palestinian civil society organizations called for an economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel for its violation of international law and Palestinian rights, as well as its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

The movement, which soon included a loose network of activists based all around the world, also urged companies, universities and others to divest from Israel and countries to sanction it.

Inspired by the success of the global movement to end apartheid in South Africa, the BDS campaign seeks to enlist academics, countries, companies and others in its effort to punish and isolate Israel. Its biggest gains so far have been in getting some academic groups and churches to support its boycott.

Minimal impact on Israel

But the BDS movement appears to have had little impact on Israels economy or its diplomatic standing.

One reason for this is that Israel has faced boycotts since before it even became a state in 1948. As a result, its economy has become adept at producing high-quality, cutting-edge and specialized products for export, making boycotts less effective because trade partners cant easily substitute goods from other countries.

Israel has also successfully lobbied some countries and lawmakers to condemn boycotts against it. In 2019, for example, the German Parliament designated the BDS movement as antisemitic. And U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government has said it plans to pass a measure to curb boycotts against Israel.

In the U.S., some are boycotting the boycotters. Thirty-five states have passed anti-BDS laws, executive orders and resolutions since 2005. These typically limit state authorities from doing business with anyone who is actively boycotting Israel and prevent state pension funds from investing in BDS-linked companies. Officials in Florida and Texas have already threatened to add Unilever, Ben & Jerrys parent company, to a blacklist of businesses that are ineligible for investments.

One of the main reasons why the anti-apartheid movement succeeded in isolating South Africa in the 1980s is that it convinced major companies, such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Co, Reebok and Ford, to stop doing business with the country.

While French telecom group Orange ended its licensing agreement with an Israeli company in 2016, few other big companies have embraced the movement. In 2018, Airbnb said it would remove the listings of properties in Israeli settlements, but reversed itself a few months later after a flurry of anti-discrimination lawsuits were filed against it.

But despite the lack of substantive economic or diplomatic impact, I believe it would be a mistake to label the BDS movement as a failure. Rather, Ben & Jerrys decision hints at a watershed moment in the BDS campaign.

Shifting views of Israel

The company, founded by Jewish friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in 1978, has long embraced a liberal social mission  which it frequently expresses through its ice cream flavors, such as Save Our Swirled and Justice ReMixd. Even after Unilever bought the company in 2000, Ben & Jerrys remained independent in pursuing its progressive values.

In its statement announcing the shift, Ben & Jerrys said selling ice cream in the West Bank and Gaza is inconsistent with our values. Cohen and Greenfield defended the companys decision in an op-ed in The New York Times on July 28, 2021.

While I dont doubt the companys values were behind the decision, I also believe something else was at work: Israel is losing the battle for public opinion.

Israel currently has a net favorability of just 3% among Democrats and voters who lean Democratic, down from 31% in the early 2000s. Among liberal Democrats, Israel has a net unfavorability of 15%, as more of these voters express support for Palestinians. The trend is especially strong with younger Americans, who are much less supportive than their older counterparts.

A separate 2019 poll found that, although most Americans had never heard about the BDS movement, 48% of Democrats who were familiar with it said they support it. And almost three-quarters of all respondents of that survey said they opposed laws that punish people for engaging in a boycott.

During the anti-apartheid fight, big companies didnt join the movement until public opinion began to seriously shift in response to vibrant grassroots activism, typically led by college students.

Ben & Jerrys has faced a similar campaign from pro-Palestinian activists for years. The fighting in Gaza in May 2021 that left 253 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead seems to have accelerated the pressure as social media activists bombarded the company with demands to boycott Israel. This prompted a 20-day silence by Ben & Jerrys on social media, followed by the new policy just a few weeks later.

Shared values

In other words, public sentiment among a group of U.S. voters  including many American Jews  who used to be stalwart supporters of Israel has shifted, and they are increasingly turning their backs on the Jewish state.

For instance, while most Americans support a two-state solution that separates Israel from the Palestinian territories it occupies, the Israeli government and its citizens increasingly do not distinguish between Israel and the territories it has occupied since 1967.

The rhetoric of Israeli politicians condemning companies like Ben & Jerrys that join the boycott of settlements  such as calling it a form of antisemitism or equating it with terrorism  makes the problem worse. In my own research, I found that it validates and perpetuates the illiberal image of Israel that the BDS movement paints.

In an interview in January, Christopher Miller, Ben & Jerrys head of global activism strategy, said the strongest bond you can create with customers is around a shared set of values.

Thats why I believe Ben & Jerrys is likely to stay the course  and why more American companies will follow suit.

[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/why-ben-and-jerrys-decision-to-stop-selling-ice-cream-in-the-west-bank-rattled-israel-164980.
This remarkable 'by-invitation-only' partnership brings Aurora Expeditions together with Virtuoso's incomparable list of travel advisors in Asia-Pacific and expands it to the more than 50 countries where Virtuoso operates. "Becoming part of Virtuoso's global network is a milestone accomplishment for Aurora Expeditions," says Aurora Expeditions CEO Monique Ponfoort. "We've been afforded the opportunity to work with their incredibly talented and reputable member agencies in other areas of the world such as the Asia-Pacific, and our home country of Australia, so adding the Global Team and its adventurous client base to the mix is a true honor for us."

"Virtuoso is thrilled to expand our relationship with Aurora Expeditions to now include a reach that goes beyond our initial offerings to the Asian-Pacific market," says Beth Butzlaff, Vice President, Global Partner Relations, Virtuoso. "Aurora's passion for adventure, one of the leading drivers of post-pandemic travel, conservation and perspective-altering experiences, are what our advisors and their clients continue to seek out and embrace with open arms."

"The expedition and luxury travel space has evolved in a significant way. In a new landscape where travelers are looking for more life-changing and transformative experiences, Aurora Expeditions helps to ignite this curiosity. Our shared value of experiential travel resonates with the Virtuoso family, making Aurora an ideal fit for our network," said Matthew d. Upchurch, Virtuoso, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Virtuoso travel advisors can access the Aurora Expeditions profile which includes voyages, pricing sheets, images, trip notes and other relevant collateral via their portal.

Traveling to awe-inspiring places including Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands, the Arctic (European and Canadian), Alaska, the Russian Far East, Costa Rica, Baja California and West Papua, Aurora's unexampled adventures are led by an outstanding team of experienced expedition leaders. Soon announcing the maiden voyage of its newest ship named after world-renowned marine biologist, oceanographer and explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle, Aurora Expeditions joins Virtuoso's carefully curated list of luxury travel partners including airlines, hospitality, cruise lines, tour operators and tourism boards.

For all media enquiries, please contact Hayley Peacock-Gower // Global Head of Marketing & PR

+ 61 499 017 333 e: [email protected]

Notes to Editors

Ship Image credit: Al Bakker/Aurora Expeditions

Link to high res images here: https://library.aurora-expeditions.com/web/6476c8f22ad948ae/virtuoso/

About Aurora Expeditions

Aurora Expeditions is an award-winning, Australian owned expedition company celebrating its 30th anniversary year. A pioneer in Polar Expeditions, Aurora is truly committed to environmentally responsible travel, we are committed to preserving the beauty and majesty that mother nature possesses, and we take real actions for the care of the planet.

Founded on the guiding principles of adventure and endless exploration, the small ship experience is intimate and friendly, and Aurora Expeditions takes guests on perspective-altering experiences to some of the most remote and incredible places on earth.

With two ships, both designed for the discovery, the Greg Mortimer, and now a second and brand-new small expedition ship the Sylvia Earle, is named after the acclaimed marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer and conservationist Dr. Sylvia Earle.

As part of Aurora's ongoing commitment to ensure that we are doing small ship expedition travel in the safest and most enjoyable way possible, every aspect of Aurora Expeditions Health and Safety program has been strengthened. Further information can be found here: https://www.auroraexpeditions.com.au/why-travel-with-us/health-safety/

For North American bookings & sales enquiries: please contact Lisa Bertini, North American Director of Sales

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1 (206) 235-1964

For Asia Pacific enquiries please contact Steve McLaughlin, Director of Sales  Asia Pacific

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +61 (2) 9252 1033

Mobile: +61 (0) 417 233 635



For UK and Europe enquiries for the UK and Europe please contact Jos Dewing, Managing Director - UK

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +44 (0)7773 455 497

About Virtuoso

Virtuoso is the leading international travel agency network specializing in luxury and experiential travel. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 1,100 travel agency locations with more than 22,000 elite travel advisors in over 50 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Drawing upon its preferred relationships with more than 2,000 of the world's best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premier destinations, the network provides its upscale clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. (U.S.) $30 billion in annual travel sales make Virtuoso a powerhouse in the luxury travel industry.

For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com.

SOURCE Aurora Expeditions

Related Links

https://www.auroraexpeditions.com.au/


POINTE-CLAIRE, QC, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada supports green infrastructure projects that create good, middle-class jobs and get us to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Today, as part of #EVWeekinCanada, Francis Scarpaleggia, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis, Quebec, on behalf of the Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources, today announced a $1.7-million investment in FPInnovations to develop and demonstrate hybrid diesel-electric forestry harvesting trucks and help green transportation in Canada's forestry sector.

FPInnovations will retrofit two conventional forestry tractor-trailers into electric-hybrid tractor-trailers. This will be achieved by equipping two forestry trailers with electric drive axles that will assist the diesel-powered trucks, resulting in reduced fuel consumption and improved traction over challenging terrain.

The hybrid semi-trailer prototypes will be driven in real-world conditions in the provinces of British Columbia and Quebec, including over steep slopes, long distances and difficult road conditions, to evaluate the proposed configurations.

Transportation costs make up more than 50 percent of forestry production costs in Canada, with 30 percent of those being from fuel. Favouring hybrid solutions as opposed to diesel equipment will reduce GHG and fuel usage, making Canada's forest sector more competitive. Simulations have demonstrated that fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 15 percent, which represents a reduction of about 40 tonnes of GHG per truck per year.

British Columbia's Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, TYCROP Trailers, Deloupe, LTS Marine, Arrow Transportation Systems, Boisaco, Dana TM4, Grayson Thermal Systems, Hendrickson, Mack Ste-Foy, Meritor, Michelin, PMG Technologies, Promark Electronics, and Star Express are also contributing to this initiative, bringing the total project investment to over $2.4 million.

The project is funded through Natural Resources Canada's Clean Growth Program, which invests in clean technology research and development projects in Canada's energy, mining and forest sectors. The program is a $155-million investment fund that helps advance emerging clean technologies toward commercial readiness so that natural resource operations can further reduce their environmental impacts while enhancing competitiveness and creating jobs.

The government of Canada supports clean technologies that will get us to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Quotes

"Driving clean growth, increasing competitiveness and reducing pollution. This is how we get to net-zero emissions by 2050."

The Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr.

Minister of Natural Resources

"Reducing vehicle emissions from across economic sectors is vital to the success of Canada's efforts to combat climate change. I am proud that a long-standing research institute located in the heart of Lac-Saint-Louis is playing a key role, with the help of local engineering talent, in designing solutions to reducing diesel emissions in Canada's forest-products sector."

Francis Scarpaleggia

Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis, Quebec



"FPInnovations is committed to developing technologies that increase the competitiveness of our forest industry, and that means creating solutions to our challenges that are good for business and the environment. The hybrid tractor-trailer project is a good example of that, and we're grateful for the Government of Canada's support and that of our partners."

Stephane Renou

President and CEO, FPInnovations



Related Links

Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan)

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

For further information: Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6100, [email protected]; Ian Cameron, Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, 613-447-3488, [email protected]

Related Links

www.nrcan.gc.ca


Little Canada brings full-sized fun in miniature

TORONTO, July 27, 2021 /CNW/ - Toronto's newest big attraction, Little Canada, is opening its doors at long last; giants and little ones alike can satisfy their wanderlust by visiting Canada's striking landscapes and intricate landmarks by simply heading to downtown Toronto.

The highly detailed and immersive miniature attraction offers spectacular scenery, enveloping soundscapes, animated features, and moving cars, trains, and boats that all operate on a 15-minute day cycle; upon sunset thousands of tiny lights illuminate the display. A journey 10 years in the making, the attraction will open to the public August 5 at 10 Dundas East across from Yonge and Dundas Square.

"We are thrilled to finally be able to open our borders," says Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer, Founder and President of Little Canada. "People are itching to see the world and travel again; Little Canada offers an immersive cross-country adventure all under one roof. We can't wait for our visitors to experience the magic of Little Canada firsthand and the many great things this country has to offer, in miniature form. We're ready to welcome you all into our home and be a part of something small."

Upon opening, guests can visit five destinations including Little Niagara, Little Toronto, Little Golden Horseshoe, Little Ottawa and Petit Quebec. A sixth destination, Little North, will be under construction. To round out the experience, visitors can head to the Little Bites Cafe and enjoy some quintessentially Canadian food and beverages.

Both general and annual admission can be purchased online starting July 29. Tickets to the attraction come with a visitor guide and scavenger hunt, challenging guests to pay attention to the intricate details of the displays.

"Little Canada truly has something for everyone," notes Brenninkmeijer. "With the construction of Little North, guests will have the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at how our Miniature Makers bring our little country to life. And we plan to expand, year after year, by adding new destinations until the experience covers all of Canada, from coast-to-coast-to-coast, so visitors can come to Little Canada again and again for new experiences."

Guests can even become Little Canadians! By stepping inside the Littization Station and striking a pose, 128 cameras take a 360-degree instantaneous photo to create a 3D  inch Little Me. Guests then choose from a list of locations in the little destinations where their Little Me can be placed. For an additional cost, a second Little Me will be mailed to guests so they can proudly display a souvenir of their experience at home.

With a thorough COVID-19 safety plan in place, visitors can feel confident about entering the safe, 45,000-square-foot environment. Measures include ventilation airflow testing, an air filtration upgrade to MERV13 filters, mandatory mask wearing except while eating or drinking, timed entry to ensure physical distancing, limited hourly attendance to control capacity, routine cleaning before, during and after visits and hand sanitizing stations. Guests are also encouraged to purchase their tickets online, in advance.

For more information about Toronto's newest big attraction, Little Canada, and to purchase these unique experiences, please visit little-canada.ca to find the date and time of your choice.

You can also find Little Canada on Facebook Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok.

About Little Canada

Little Canada is a celebration of Canada and all that makes this country so great, shrunk into a 2-hour experience, a place for residents and visitors alike to experience Canada and all that it has to offer, all under one roof. Little Canada takes you on a journey of discovery from the moment you enter, it is a place where you'll lose yourself in our country's captivating vistas, famous landmarks, iconic cityscapes, and telling the many diverse stories that connect people to Canada and the residents of this great country. Our mission is to evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity about Canada.

SOURCE Little Canada

For further information: Danielle Wood, Communications and Digital Consultant, Enterprise Canada, [email protected], 905-483-2147; Joy Evenson, Director, Marketing & Sales, Little Canada, [email protected]; Camille Wodka, Communications Leader, Little Canada, [email protected]
WINNIPEG, MB, July 28, 2021 /CNW/ - Boyd Group Services Inc. (TSX: BYD) will release its fiscal 2021 second quarter results on August 11, 2021 before markets open. Following the release, Management of the Company will hold a conference call at 10:00 a.m. ET to review the financial results. The call will be hosted by Timothy O'Day, President and Chief Executive Officer, Pat Pathipati, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Brock Bulbuck, Executive Chair. All interested parties are invited to participate.

CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS:

DATE: Wednesday, August 11th, 2021



TIME: 10:00 a.m. (ET)



DIAL IN NUMBER: 416-764-8659 1-888-664-6392



CONFIRMATION NUMBER: 01481082



TAPED REPLAY: 416-764-8677 or 1-888-390-0541 Available from Wednesday, August 11th until Midnight Wednesday, August 18th, 2021



REFERENCE NUMBER: 481082 #

The call will also be webcast live and archived for 90 days on the Boyd Group's website https://www.boydgroup.com.

About Boyd Group Services Inc.

Boyd Group Services Inc. is a Canadian corporation and controls The Boyd Group Inc. and its subsidiaries. Boyd Group Services Inc. shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol BYD. For more information on The Boyd Group Inc. or Boyd Group Services Inc., please visit our website at https://www.boydgroup.com.

About The Boyd Group Inc.

The Boyd Group Inc. (the "Company") is one of the largest operators of non-franchised collision repair centres in North America in terms of number of locations and sales. The Company operates locations in Canada under the trade names Boyd Autobody & Glass (https://www.boydautobody.com) and Assured Automotive (https://www.assuredauto.ca) as well as in the U.S. under the trade name Gerber Collision & Glass (https://www.gerbercollision.com). In addition, the Company is a major retail auto glass operator in the U.S. with operations under the trade names Gerber Collision & Glass, Glass America, Auto Glass Service, Auto Glass Authority and Autoglassonly.com. The Company also operates a third-party administrator, Gerber National Claims Services ("GNCS"), that offers glass, emergency roadside and first notice of loss services. For more information on The Boyd Group Inc. or Boyd Group Services Inc., please visit our website at (https://www.boydgroup.com).

SOURCE Boyd Group Services Inc.

For further information: Timothy O'Day, President & CEO, Tel: (847) 410-6002, [email protected]; Craig MacPhail, Investor Relations, Tel: (416) 586-1938 or toll free 1-800-385-5451, [email protected]; Pat Pathipati, Executive Vice President & CFO, Tel: (204) 895-1244 (ext. 33841), [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.boydgroup.com


TORONTO, July 28, 2021 /CNW/ -

July 28, 2021

Hon. Doug Ford, Premier

The office of the Premier

Legislative Bldg Rm 281

Queen's Park

Toronto, ON

M7A 1A1

Dear Premier Ford,

Nurses are gravely concerned about the lack of information on Ontario's plan to reopen schools. The beginning of a new school year is six weeks away and parents and children are anxious to hear details about a safe and timely reopening.

RNAO shares those concerns. The government is not forthcoming about details. This too little, too late approach, which was the hallmark of stages one and two of the pandemic, cannot extend to the reopening of schools this fall. Students in Ontario have been out of the classroom longer than students in any other province. We agree that they must return to class for the obvious educational benefits, as well as for their physical health and social interactions that affect their emotional wellbeing.

While we acknowledge at-home learning provided a safer environment during the first, second and third waves, it is equally true that this created inequities within and across communities around the province.

Vaccination rates across the province are promising, however, the reality is schools will house the largest group of unvaccinated people in congregate settings come the fall. Currently, children under 12 cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19 and only 35 per cent of those between 12 and 17 are fully vaccinated at this time. Protecting children, and by extension their families and our communities, must be at the top of our priority list. This is why a solid plan is urgently needed.

RNAO is calling on the government to adopt the following measures:

improved ventilation in schools

mandatory indoor masking

smaller class sizes

mandatory vaccination of teachers (unless they have a medical exemption)

permanent employment status for the 625 public health nurse positions in Ontario schools and the additional 50 community wellness nurses to serve First Nations communities

RNAO is concerned about the lack of action on ventilation: an essential measure to keep people safe who are indoors. It has taken too long to recognize aerosol transmission of COVID-19  a point that infectious disease expert Dr. David Fisman has systematically emphasized time and time again. The implications of COVID-19 being transmitted via aerosols are profound, but change in public health measures and government policy is slow in coming. The government's own Science Table (ST) says COVID-19 is primarily transmitted by aerosols and respiratory droplets during close, unprotected contact, and it is recognized that aerosols play a role in longer range transmission, especially in poorly ventilated indoor areas. An ST report published July 19 contains a detailed discussion on how to achieve and maintain adequate air quality through ventilation and filtration in schools.

In a Globe and Mail article, a Winnipeg physician and mother, Dr. Jillian Horton, also weighed in on this issue. "On the aerosol front, we aren't listening closely enough to engineers, the experts who can help us understand the scope and nuance of the ventilation challenges in new and aging schools  a complex, heterogenous problem. What percentage of those schools have windows that are fused shut? What's a realistic timeline for making even simple modifications? What about an adjunct CO2 monitoring strategy? Where is a commitment to put free-standing HEPA filters into every classroom?"

RNAO's concern is not related to the identification of what should be done, which the experts in various fields have clearly delineated. Our concern is the lack of political will and sense of urgency to implement investments in school infrastructure that are necessary and costly, take time, and have traditionally not been seen as a priority. We are used to flashy buildings for financial institutions, such as banks. But our schools remain in decrepit buildings. So many of our children study in physical environments that are crowded, poorly ventilated and not up to standards.

RNAO also insists that masking should be seen as an essential and necessary component of the public health measures adopted everywhere across the province in September. Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's top doctor, has recognized there may not be high enough levels of immunity across the province for children and youth returning to school unmasked. "It may be that we have a very cautious start in September and then monitor the situation because I don't know that we'll achieve that high community immunity that we need in September," he said. RNAO wants to avoid confusion among parents, students and teachers: Let's be clear that masks (for all children over two years of age) and physical distancing must be part of the government's plan for the reopening of schools. We can relax this requirement when the numbers indicate that it is safe to do so (likely in the spring).

The number of unvaccinated people in schools in September is also key. "Time is of the essence now," Dr. Kieran Moore told reporters on July 20. Children younger than 12 cannot be vaccinated, but children 12 and older, as well as school staff and parents, can. However, we are running out of time. With a 28-day waiting period between two doses, plus two weeks to build immunity following the second dose  six weeks is the minimal requirement from a first dose to full vaccination. This week is the deadline for a first dose for those who have not received one.

Crucial investments are also required for smaller class sizes, to hire more teachers, improved ventilation and air quality, rapid testing and vaccination. We ask you: Has the funding from the federal government flowed from the province to the school boards? Have the COVID-19 closures been utilized to do the building renovations and engineering work? Was this funding sufficient to meet the proper standards? We require full disclosure and full accountability from the government and school boards on these crucial matters.

RNAO is also urging the government to grant permanent employment status to the 625 public health nurse positions in Ontario schools. This is a matter raised consistently by RNAO as a measure to protect students and teachers. An additional 50 community wellness nurses are also needed to serve First Nations communities across the province.

Premier, the government remains largely silent and has provided few specifics. Parents, teachers and nurses should not be forced to keep asking. Let's prioritize the health and wellbeing of students and teachers this fall. Governments exist to lead during good times and especially during difficult times.

More than two million children and youth attend elementary and secondary schools across Ontario, and they deserve a fulsome and transparent plan that enables them to return to the classroom safely.

Yours warmly,

Doris Grinspun RN, MSN, PhD, Morgan Hoffarth, RN, MScN LLD(hon), Dr(hc), FAAN, FCAN, O.ONT. President Chief Executive Officer Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario





Cc:

Hon. Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Hon. Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education Andrea Horwath, Leader of the Official Opposition Marit Stiles, NDP Education Critic, MPP France Gelinas, NDP Health Critic, MPP Steven Del Duca, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party John Fraser, Liberal MPP Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

For further information: Marion Zych, Director of Communications, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), Phone: 416-408-5605, Cell: 647-406-5605, [email protected]; Victoria Alarcon, Communications Officer/Writer, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), Phone: 416-408-5610, [email protected]

Related Links

https://rnao.ca/


As clashes between Assam and Mizoram peaked, Twitter saw a rise of #ShameOnAssam tweets, particularly from the US. It is alleged that bots were used in this process to create internal tension within India.

Assam and Mizoram have had border disputes for over a century now. On July 26, 2021, the dispute over the state boundary escalated, leaving seven Assam policemen dead. Over 60 individuals were injured due to the same. The recent dispute was over the land encroachment between the people of the two states. The Ministry of Home Affairs has called for a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Mizoram and Assam to solve the issue that dates back to several decades.

People reacted widely on the matter through social media. At first, there were some racist comments against Mizoram. However, the arguments quickly turned in the opposite direction. #ShameOnAssam was seen trending at number 5 on Twitter, with 98.4K tweets employing it by Wednesday evening.

Reports suggest that the decision of the Assam police to shoot the Mizo police was widely discussed by the public. The attack by Assam police is claimed to be unjustifiable. Sources say that the video of Mizoram police celebrating is the celebration of retreat of the Assam Police and not their injuries. Assam is blamed for breaking the status quo.

One Twitter user going by the handle @vikrantkumar tweeted an observation regarding the ongoing trend. The screenshot he shared shows the search result of the trending hashtag #ShameOnAssam on social media analytics. The results showed that most of the Twitter handles that posted the hashtag were from the USA. It is alleged that mostly bots were used in this process to create internal tension within India.

However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma retweeted the post stating that it is a very serious matter. I agree  Need to know who is behind this?.

Very serious matter. I agree  Need to know who is behind this ? https://t.co/Cp2IW2g6sc  Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 28, 2021

Apart from this, reports suggest the interesting fact that almost all the Twitter handles posting the hashtag belonging to non-Indians are unverified with no more than 10-11 followers. They have been retweeting each others posts. However, the actual face behind this and their motives are unclear.
The CCTV footage of the incident reveals that the autorickshaw, which had hit ADJ Anand, had manoeuvred out of its path and hit him. Based on this evidence, the police registered a case of murder.

Additional District & Sessions Judge, Uttam Anand of the Dhanbad District Court was hit by an autorickshaw on Wednesday while he was out for a morning walk. The judge succumbed to his injuries at the Shaheed Nirmal Mahato Medical College. The family of the deceased later identified his body after they were informed of the death of an unidentified accident victim.

Police probed a CCTV footage of the incident and found that the autorickshaw, which had hit ADJ Anand, had maneuvered out of its path and hit him. The footage showed that the stretch of the road had no traffic and the autorickshaw flew the spot after hitting the victim. Based on this evidence, the police registered a case of murder. Dhanbad SSP Sanjeev Kumar said that all possible angles will be investigated in the matter.

The Jharkhand High Court has taken cognizance of the case and said that it will monitor the police investigation. The court also said that it will hand the case to the CBI if the police probe is not found satisfactory.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Bar Association president Advocate Vikas Singh spoke about the matter before a bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud. He informed the bench that ADJ Anand was dealing with bail applications of gangsters. He also demanded a CBI probe into the matter. According to media reports, Dr. Arun Kumar, superintendent, SNMCH, said that Judge Anand had received injuries on the back of his head.
A gunman opened fire on a car carrying two engineers in the southern port city of Karachi. It is the latest attack on Chinese nationals in Pakistan.

A Chinese engineer was shot and wounded in a gun attack in the southern port city of Karachi, Pakistan. A gunman opened fire on a car carrying two engineers, one of the engineers was hit four times, mostly in the arm, but was in stable condition. The other engineer and a Pakistani driver were uninjured in the attack.

Local police said two masked assailants riding on a motorcycle fired at a car carrying two Chinese nationals, who were working at a nearby factory in the city. He is stable as fortunately, he wasnt hit on any vital part of his body, Javed Akbar Riaz, the police chief of Karachis southern district, told AFP.

Late in the evening Counter-Terrorism Departments senior official Raja Umar Khattab said that the banned Balochistan Liberation Fronts spokesperson Major Gohram through social media has claimed responsibility for the armed attack. A Pakistani security official said that investigators hadnt been ready to confirm so far that the group conducted the attack.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also confirmed the incident. China is following this matter closely and the relevant case is still under investigation, This incident is an isolated case. We are fully confident that the Pakistani side will make sure the safety of Chinese nationals and assets in Pakistan, said Zhao.

This shooting case comes just after weeks in which as many as 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals working on a dam project, were killed when their bus was hit by an explosion in Kohistan, northwest Pakistan, on July 14.
The company that owns KFC and Taco Bell posted better-than-expected sales in the second quarter thanks to stronger customer demand and a record new store building spree.

Yum Brands built 603 net new stores during the quarter, including 522 KFC outlets in 62 countries.

As a result of the strong quarter, the company raised its outlook for new store growth from 4% to between 4% and 5% in 2021 and 2022. CEO David Gibbs said the pace of store openings reflected the health of the company's brands coming out of the pandemic.

When our unit economics are good, its an attractive proposition for our franchisees to build, Gibbs said in a conference call with investors Thursday. Worldwide, 98% of Yum's restaurants are owned by franchisees.

Revenue for the Louisville, Kentucky, company rose 34% in the April-June period to $1.6 billion. That was ahead of Wall Streets forecast of $1.48 billion, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

Gibbs also noted a sharp increase in digital sales, including online orders for pickup and delivery. Digital orders grew 35% year-over-year to $5 billion.

Digital orders save on labor costs and ensure more seamless service, Gibbs said, and customers ordering online also tend to order more.

Digital is one of those things that have no downside, he said.

To facilitate that growth, Yum agreed to acquire Dragontail, an Autralian tech company, in May. Dragontails platform helps manage kitchen orders and dispatch delivery drivers; the deal is expected to close by the end of the third quarter. Yum now offers delivery from more than 70% of its stores globally.

Yums scale __ with more than 50,000 restaurants worldwide __ is helping blunt the impact of higher commodity prices, Gibbs said. But he said U.S. franchisees have made moderate price increases to account for higher labor costs.

Restaurants have been struggling to hire enough workers as the pandemic eases and demand soars. On Wednesday, Yum rival McDonald's said it has raised pay for U.S. workers by 5% this year.

Same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, jumped 23%, which was higher than Wall Street expected. Last year, the companys same-sales dropped 15% in the second quarter as the pandemic slowed customer traffic.

Same-store sales also rose compared to 2019 levels. But on that basis the numbers were more uneven, with stronger results in the U.S. where more outlets have fully reopened.

KFC U.S. same-store sales jumped 19% compared to 2019 levels, for example, but international KFC same-store sales fell 1%. The company said 2% of its international stores remained temporarily closed due to virus restrictions at the end of June.

Yum China Holdings, a separate company that reported results Wednesday, said it had to close or restrict service at 400 restaurants in southern China in late May due to a coronavirus outbreak.

Similarly, Pizza Huts U.S. same-store sales rose 9% compared to 2019, while international same-store sales were down 6%.

Net income rose 89% to $391. Adjusted for one-time items, the company earned $1.16 per share. That was also ahead of analysts forecast of 96 cents.

Yum Brands shared rose 6% to $129.82 in afternoon trading.

Yums results came the day after McDonalds reported a big rebound in the second quarter. McDonalds said its global same-store sales jumped 40.5% in the April-June period.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  Arkansas' Republican governor said Thursday that he will call lawmakers back to the Capitol to consider lifting the state's ban on mask requirements in public schools as the state's coronavirus cases continue surging weeks before students return to classes.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he will call the majority-Republican Legislature into session likely next week to amend a state law that prohibits state and local government entities from requiring face masks. Hutchinson said he'll propose allowing local school boards to make the decision for K-12 schools.

This is not a debate about mask mandates for those that can make their own decisions and have the means to get vaccinated, Hutchinson said a news conference at the state Capitol. This is a discussion about the school environment where schools can make decisions about the public health for their school environment and the children they have responsibility to protect.

Hutchinson also reinstated an emergency declaration because of COVID-19, two months after he lifted the declaration he issued early on in the pandemic last year.

Arkansas' coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in recent weeks, fueled by the delta variant of the virus and the state's low vaccination rate. The state reported more than 2,800 new virus cases on Thursday. The state ranks second in the country for new virus cases per capita, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.

Only 36% of the state's population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Hutchinson and legislative leaders have faced growing calls to revisit the ban, at least for public schools. Hutchinson said he's proposing keeping the rest of the mask mandate ban in place and did not plan to call for another state mask requirement.

The proposal by Hutchinson, who also chairs the National Governors Association, comes as other Republican figures are criticizing calls for more widespread use of masks in schools.

Its not healthy for these students to be sitting there all day, 6-year-old kids in kindergarten covered in masks," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told a gathering of the American Legislative Exchange Council on Wednesday. There is no evidence that wearing masks is harmful to children older than toddler age.

DeSantis did acknowledge that some school districts and parents have taken a different approach in his state on mask-wearing, and said he was OK with that.

Former President Donald Trump lashed out at revised Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines recommending everyone at schools wear masks indoors, declaring: We wont go back. We wont mask our children."

Republican governors in other states with mask mandate bans like Arkansas' said they're not seeking a similar rollback. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he'll instead push for a program to make N-95 masks available to any student who wants one.

Hutchinson said he expected that many school districts in Arkansas would not require masks, but most he's talked to want the authority to make that decision.

Hutchinson said legislative leaders have told him allowing schools to require masks would be a heavy lift."

The proposal will need at least two-thirds support in both chambers of the Legislature for it to take effect before school begins next month. If it passes by a smaller margin, the change wouldn't take effect until 90 days after the Legislature adjourns.

My issue is its real close that we would even have the majority right now," Senate President Jimmy Hickey, a Republican, said. Hickey, who voted against the ban, said he personally supports lifting it for schools.

House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, a Republican, called reaching that two-thirds threshold very challenging at this point." He said any powers schools are given may need limits on how long a mask mandate is in place or a requirement that boards revisit the issue.

The lawmaker who sponsored the measure banning mask mandates said he was disappointed with the governor's decision.

This is about a parents decision about what is best for their family, not any government entity to have that big government mandate," Republican Sen. Trent Garner said.

The top Democrat in the Senate said he believed it would be close but that there would be soul searching" among Republicans who backed the mandate ban.

Youre talking about lives, youre talking about childrens lives and teachers and staff," Senate Minority Leader Keith Ingram said.

One lawmaker who voted for the ban said he's changed his mind, as he's seen the delta variant take hold throughout the state.

It's about local control," Republican Rep. Joe Jett said. One situation doesn't fit everything across the state."

Hutchinson's renewed emergency proclamation for the pandemic will also have to be reviewed by the Legislature under a new law expanding lawmakers' ability to end a disaster declaration.

The governor said the declaration will allow Arkansas to request assistance from other states for its health care programs to ease licensing requirements for retired health care workers to re-enter the field.

Hutchinson said he had also spoken with the White House and one of the newly formed federal surge response teams" is coming to Arkansas to help the state strategize and maximize its hospital space.

___

Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City contributed to this report
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut City Council member and landlord has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple election fraud charges, including allegedly forging the signatures of his tenants on absentee ballots so it would appear they had voted for him.

Michael DeFilippo, 35, of Bridgeport pleaded not guilty Wednesday before a federal magistrate in New Haven. He was later released on a $250,000 bond. The charges stem from his run for the Bridgeport City Council in 2017 and 2018.
BEIJING (AP)  Chinas foreign minister met Wednesday with a delegation of high-level Taliban officials as ties between them warm ahead of the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan.

A photo posted on the ministrys website showed Wang Yi posing with senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his delegation in the city of Tianjin, then sitting down to talks. The highly conspicuous show of friendliness had the appearance of a diplomatic mission at a time when the Taliban are craving legitimacy.

Wang said China respects Afghan sovereign independence and territorial integrity and always adheres to non-interference in Afghanistans internal affairs.

He said the hasty withdrawal of the U.S. and NATO reveals the failure of Americas policies and offers the Afghan people an important opportunity to stabilize and develop their own country.

While no agenda was announced for the meeting, China has an interest in pushing the Taliban to deliver on peace talks or at least reduce the level of violence as they gobble up territory from Afghan government forces.

China and Afghanistan share a narrow border high in the remote Wakhan Valley, and China has long been concerned about a possible spillover of Islamic militancy into its formerly volatile Xinjiang region. China has also signed deals for oil, gas and copper mining in Afghanistan, although those have long been dormant.

The Taliban are a pivotal military and political force in Afghanistan and are expected to play an important role in the in process of peace, reconciliation and reconstruction," Wang said.

China, Wang said, hopes the Taliban will put the nation's and the people's interests first and focus on peace talks, set peace goals, establish a positive image" and work for unity among all factions and ethnic groups.

Wang also said China hopes the Taliban will deal resolutely" with the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a group China claims is leading a push for independence in Xinjiang, but which many experts doubt even exists in any operational form.

The heads of the Taliban Religious Council and the Propaganda Committee were also on the trip.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by Aug. 31 is seen as a boon to China, Washington's chief strategic competitor, which has long resented the presence of U.S. troops in what it considers its own backyard.

If the Taliban do topple the U.S.-backed central government, China could gain a strategic corridor allowing it and long-time ally Pakistan to bring further pressure against common rival India.

Baradar's visit comes shortly after Pakistans foreign minister and intelligence chief made their trips to China.

Pakistan is seen as key to peace in Afghanistan. The Taliban leadership is headquartered in Pakistan and Islamabad has used its leverage, which it says is now waning, to press the Taliban to talk peace.

While the Tianjin meeting could be seen as a snub at the U.S., Washington has been meeting with China and Russia to produce statements calling on the Taliban to enter into a peace deal.

Zalmay Khalilzad, Washingtons point person in talks aimed at ending decades of war in Afghanistan, also made a brief visit to Pakistan earlier this month as relations between Islamabad and Kabul reached a new low.

That has fed perceptions that the U.S. is engaged in stepped-up efforts to obtain a peace deal ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline that also includes China.

After U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met Wang in Tianjin on Monday, she and the State Department included Afghanistan on the list of areas of global interest" that the U.S. and China could cooperate on.
NEW HAVEN  The community rallied around Nelson Pinos in 2017, when he was forced to leave the New Haven home he shared with his wife and three children and seek sanctuary in a church to avoid deportation.

Its been almost four years since then, and Pinos, who moved to the United States from Ecuador in 1992, finally has some relief: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement granted him a one-year stay of deportation, according to his attorney, Glenn Formica.

I feel much more comfortable and much more relaxed, Pinos said Thursday, about a week after he got the news. Before this day I was always afraid that ICE would be behind me.

But theres still work to be done. Formica said he will try to get the government to reopen Pinos case, so that his client can be considered for permanent residency.

The case was closed in the 1990s, when Pinos missed a court hearing, according to Formica, who said Pinos never received a notice about the hearing.

For decades it has been common for the government to give immigrants inadequate notice about court hearings, according to Formica, who said individuals have often received hearing notices that lack dates and times.

But though he lacked papers, Pinos built a life for himself in New Haven. He started a family and got a job at a factory.

Formica said Pinos has a Social Security number and pays all his taxes.

Hes really been a model citizen, the attorney said.

But ICE in 2017 ordered Pinos to return to Ecuador. Rather than leave his family, he sought sanctuary in First and Summerfield United Methodist Church in the city.

Youre basically agreeing to church arrest, Formica said. If you leave that sensitive area, theyre gonna pick you up.

John Lugo, a New Haven-based immigrant rights activist and the community organizing director of Unidad Latina en Accion, which supported Pinos in his quest for a stay, said Pinos case gives activists hope things will get better.

Were really happy (with) whats going on with Nelson and his family, he said. We feel strongly it has been an injustice against him.  He should have had a stay a long time ago.

But Lugo also contended Pinos case signals a wider need for immigration reform.

There is millions of people in the same situation, and I think something should be done in this new administration, he said.

Even while Pinos was in the church, there was not much standing between him and deportation, according to Formica.

The sanctuary policy is just a policy, its not a law, and readers need to understand that if the government wants to go into the church at any time and arrest somebody, they can, he said.

Instead, what protected Pinos from deportation went back to an ancient deference toward churches as places of sanctuary, as Formica described it.

In modern times that deference is embodied in just a memo, the attorney said. ICE has just said, Listen, we will not detain people in sensitive areas.

Eventually, Pinos switched to part-time sanctuary, according to Formica, who said his client would sometimes risk leaving the church during the day to attend to family matters.

But now, he doesnt have to worry about being picked up.

Pinos said he was happy and excited about the stay of deportation. He hadnt expected the decision to go his way.

But, he noted, the stay has an expiration date.

My hope is that eventually everythings gonna get cleared up, he said. It has been over 29 years (of living in the U.S.) ... and I think I deserve to live without fear.

Pinos hopes to ultimately get U.S. citizenship.

I would want everybody to know that Im not a criminal, that Im a good citizen, he said. I deserve a chance.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
CHICAGO (AP)  A former federal prosecutor was named Wednesday to investigate the Cook County states attorneys office for wrongdoing during the aborted re-trial of a man accused of killing two Chicago police officers.

Judge Alfredo Maldonado appointed Lawrence Oliver to investigate the prosecutors office and a former employee who allegedly lied on the witness stand during the third trial of Jackie Wilson.

Former Assistant States Attorney Nicholas Trutenko in October testified he had a personal relationship with a jail informant who helped convict Wilson at a second trial in 1989 of the 1982 murders of Officers William Fahey and Richard OBrien. OBrien and Fahey were shot during a traffic stop by Wilsons brother, Andrew. He died in prison in 2007. The charges against Wilson were dropped as a result of Trutenkos testimony.

Jackie Wilson was accused of being a getaway driver. He said he had no idea his brother would shoot the officers. He also said he was forced into confessing due to police torture.

Oliver, who didnt respond to requests for comment, can convene a special grand jury to investigate and potentially bring criminal charges against Trutenko and probe the operations of Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxxs office for evidence of a coverup.

Whatever investigation happens, happens, Maldonado said during a brief on-line hearing. Now that this investigation is ongoing, this investigation goes wherever it goes.

Wilsons lawyer, Elliott Slosar, said his client is pleased the court has found a qualified special prosecutor.

In a statement, a Foxx spokesperson said the office would cooperate with Oliver.

Wilson has filed a federal lawsui t against city officials and Cook County prosecutors, claiming he was tortured into making a false confession for the 1982 murder of two police officers. He spent 36 years in prison.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  A Maine church that sued over coronavirus restrictions last year is taking a preemptive legal strike against future restrictions associated with a variant of the virus thats spreading across the country.

Calvary Chapel in Orrington is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop Democratic Gov. Janet Mills from enforcing or reinstating any pandemic-related restrictions due to the delta variant.

The state responded by noting that the governor's civil emergency already expired, making the lawsuit unnecessary.

For more than two months, there have been no restrictions whatsoever on the size of gatherings, and the state of emergency expired at the end of June. Given that, we are disappointed that Calvary Chapel continues to waste public and judicial resources by attempting to litigate an issue that is now moot," said Marc Malon, spokesperson for the attorney general's office.

But church officials are worried that restrictions could be reinstated. Describing Mills' previous restrictions as a 14-month reign of terror," church officials claimed in their request for a preemptive injunction that any restrictions would violate their religious liberties protected by the Constitution.

No pastor, church, or parishioner in America should have to choose between worship and criminal sanction flowing from demonstrably discriminatory restrictions," the church's attorney wrote.

The Supreme Court has heard similar requests on behalf of religious organizations and lifted limits in California.

The injunction request was filed last week, pending a Supreme Court decision on whether to hear the case.

The injunction is important because the Supreme Court won't be meeting until late September to consider cases that will be heard in the coming year, according to Florida-based Liberty Counsel, which is representing Calvary Chapel.

In other pandemic-related news:

VACCINES AND SCHOOLS

Maine is going to support free coronavirus vaccine clinics in schools and promote education about vaccines as part of a push to protect schools from the virus.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services and Maine Department of Education said Wednesday they're working on the effort in the wake of new guidance from the federal government. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended universal masking in schools.

Maine officials said the Maine CDC will connect schools with hospitals, doctors and others to support the vaccine clinics. Officials said the state will also send letters with information about the virus and the vaccine to school administrators, parents and community health providers.

The Maine health department said the state will also begin collecting school staff vaccination rates starting Sept. 1 and posting them publicly by the middle of the month.

The department said it will also begin posting vaccination rates of people age 19 and younger by school administrative unit every two weeks starting in the middle of August.

___

THE NUMBERS

Cases continued to rise in Maine.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 23.71 new cases per day on July 13 to 66.57 new cases per day on July 27. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 0.86 deaths per day on July 13 to 1.71 deaths per day on July 27.

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 CDC reported on Thursday that there have been more than 70,000 positive cases of the virus and 899 deaths in the state since the start of the pandemic. More than 60% of the state's population is fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

Maine officials said this week that residents of counties with high or substantial coronavirus transmission should return to wearing masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. The only county in that category in the state on Thursday was Waldo.
WASHINGTON - Executives of the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer predicted Wednesday that vaccine boosters would soon be needed, a declaration that came on the same day the company published data showing that its coronavirus shots remained robustly protective six months after vaccination, providing nearly complete protection against severe disease. Hours later, Israeli health officials moved toward making boosters available for older residents.

Pfizer's paper, which has not yet undergone peer review, showed a slight drop in efficacy against any symptomatic cases of covid-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, from 96% protection in the first two months after vaccination to 84% after four months.

Company officials also presented data showing that a third shot could boost disease-fighting antibodies many times higher than the level achieved by the standard two-dose regimen. They said on a quarterly earnings call that they planned to seek authorization for a booster by mid-August, reiterating the company's belief that a third dose would be needed to enhance immunity within a year of vaccination.

"There is very good protection in the beginning, and then there's waning. And when you come closer to six months, [waning] which is even more profound with delta [variant]," Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said. "The waning is . . . more profound for mild cases, but there is a clear waning also for hospitalizations and severe disease."

In Israel, Health Ministry officials late Wednesday recommended administering booster shots to older adults. The director general of the Health Ministry is expected to accept that recommendation in coming days and will decide whether the target group will include people older than 65 or older than 75.

Despite a lack of regulatory approval for boosters in the United States or Europe and the absence of definitive data, the Israeli experts concluded that the peril posed by the apparent waning of vaccine efficacy over time, alongside a spike in infections, outweighs the risk of pursuing a booster shot policy for the elderly.

The Israeli officials said protection against serious illness for those older than 60 who were vaccinated in January dropped from 97% to about 81%. For those older than 60 vaccinated in March, it fell to about 84%. They said efficacy remained at 93% for people ages 40 to 59 years.

The data released Wednesday by Pfizer, when viewed across the entirety of the six-month period covered in the paper, showed the vaccine was 91% protective overall. The findings come from the continuation of a large clinical trial that began last summer, so they do not include the period when the delta variant had emerged and become dominant.

Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer's chief scientific officer, said the vaccines' protection against severe disease remains "pretty high, but we do see some lowering, particularly in real-world evidence studies from Israel. We see some lowering in that protection in risk groups such as older adults, immunocompromised."

But outside vaccine experts described the data as encouraging, even if they believe boosters will be necessary at some point for the general population and probably sooner for some groups, such as people with compromised immunity. Pfizer's analysis showed the vaccine was 97% effective against severe disease. The protection in South Africa, where a particularly worrisome variant capable of dodging immunity exists, was 100%.

"This Pfizer study, I view it as incredibly good news," said Larry Corey, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. "We have to take some basic stock here about what's our primary goal of vaccination. If we do have a virus able to break through and give you a cold, but the vaccine is keeping you from severe disease, keeping you out of the hospital ... where should our emphasis and resources be?"

Kathleen Neuzil, director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said it was important to monitor how the vaccine's performance changes over time but noted that its protection against severe disease remains "extremely high."

"Our main concern in the U.S. and in the world right now are the large numbers of unvaccinated people, and getting them vaccinated should be the emphasis," Neuzil said.

Natalie Dean, a biostatistics expert at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, said the vaccines dawned with such a high level of efficacy that a comparatively slight erosion of effectiveness should not be regarded with alarm.

"You have to sort of take the numbers as they are, which is still just a high number," Dean said. "The fact that it started from an even higher place is what affects how people interpret the results. . . . It is possible that there's some waning of that first line of defense, that's going to be the best at preventing just infection or mild disease. But ... it's still holding up well."

Pfizer presented data on a third dose at least six months after full vaccination, showing that it caused antibody numbers to soar, including disease fighters capable of neutralizing the delta variant. Pfizer's leaders have repeatedly predicted that a third shot will be needed within a year of vaccination, but federal officials made the rare move this month to issue a statement that the decision would be made by public health officials on the basis of a totality of data only partly informed by data from pharmaceutical companies.

"We continue to believe it is likely that a third-dose booster may be needed within six to 12 months after full vaccination to maintain the highest level of protection," Dolsten said.

On its earnings call, Pfizer updated its financial predictions to say the company expected $33.5 billion of revenue from its coronavirus vaccines this year. The company plans to make 3 billion doses in 2021 and 4 billion in 2022.

"There are a fair number of infectious-disease doctors and public health persons who are disappointed and actually a bit grumpy about Pfizer. Pfizer is out there trying to make recommendations of national policy via press release," said William Schaffner, a professor of health policy and medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "Many of us think that's flagrantly inappropriate."

Instead, Schaffner said, the company should be having discussions with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "not out there to the general public."

Bourla said on the call that regulators would make the decision in each country, including the United States.

"I don't think that there is different interpretation of data between us and regulatory authorities around the world. Actually, there is extremely good collaboration and the same interpretation," Bourla said. "The FDA needs to review [the data] and then provide, or not, their approval. And then once it is approved, the third-dose booster, then the CDC needs to understand the situation in the country. And then, after a period of time, they will help to make a recommendation about the booster."
NAUGATUCK  Authorities have identified the body of a man found in the Naugatuck River on Tuesday.

Police identified the man Thursday as 30-year-old George Fiallos, a Waterbury resident.

Fiallos was found dead on a small island in the center of the river Tuesday afternoon, Deputy Chief Colin McAllister said during a press conference Thursday.

Given the location of the body, the Beacon Falls Fire Departments water rescue team was deployed to recover the remains.

McAllister said the section of the river is remote, and only sees passive recreation. Naugatuck police processed the scene with the help of the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crimes Squad.

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy on Wednesday, but said the cause of death is still pending studies, McAllister said.

The Naugatuck Police continues to look into the circumstances that led to the deceased being discovered in the river, he said.

Fiallos was last seen in Waterbury on July 16, but its unknown how he ended up in the river or how long his remains had been there. Police are still treating the death as a criminal investigation, however there are no indications that theres any threat to the public, McAllister said.

Police are asking for anyone with information, including knowledge of Fiallos movements around the day he was last seen, to speak with investigators.

McAllister extended the departments sympathies to the Fiallos family.

Fiallos had not been reported missing, but was known to go missing from family and associates for some time, McAllister said. There was no indication Fiallos was using the river recreationally. He was found by a hiker, who then contacted authorites, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Naugatuck police at 203-729-5221.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Stinging from the disappointment of Bernie Sanders' loss in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, supporters pumped millions into the powerful advocacy group Our Revolution to keep the progressive fight alive and prepare for another swing at the White House.

But after another defeat in 2020, the 79-year-old Vermont senator is unlikely to run for president a third time. And the organization centered on his fiery brand of politics is undergoing a rebranding.

Rather than insisting on Medicare for All  Sanders' trademark universal, government-funded health care plan  or the climate-change-fighting Green New Deal, Our Revolution is focusing on the more modest alternatives endorsed by President Joe Biden. Those include expanding eligibility for the existing Medicare program and curtailing federal subsidies for fossil fuel companies. The group says it wants to make sure Biden keeps his promises on those and other top issues.

The shift reflects a progressive movement that is at a crossroads. Biden won the Democratic nomination last year by offering more centrist alternatives to much of Sanders' agenda. Since then, progressive candidates have faced a series of electoral disappointments and are contending with anxiety from moderate Democrats worried that the party's leftward shift could cost them control of Congress during next year's midterm elections.

And, for the first time since 2016, Sanders is no longer the undisputed leader of the left.

Coming out of Bernies 2016 campaign, in some ways the organization was probably more of a bridge organization between the two electoral cycles, Joseph Geevarghese, Our Revolutions executive director, said in an interview. What were trying to build is something that is longer term" and "part of the overall ecosystem of the progressive movement.

I think we are rooted in a bold, progressive vision, but were also pragmatic progressives, Geevarghese said.

Sanders, who now heads the powerful Senate budget committee, can't legally work with outside political groups like Our Revolution. But many of his top allies have been closely aligned with the group since its August 2016 founding.

The senator didn't comment for this story.

Despite the group's change in emphasis, it remains deeply engaged in progressive politics. Its Ohio chapter has contacted more than 190,000 voters ahead of next week's Democratic primary to replace Rep. Marcia Fudge, who left Congress to become Biden's housing chief.

Former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, one of the top voices in Sanders' presidential campaigns and a former president of Our Revolution, is competing in a crowded Democratic field that has emerged as one of the final tests of the left's political strength this year. Her principal rival, county councilwoman Shontel Brown, has been endorsed by Hillary Clinton, House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn and the Congressional Black Caucus' advocacy arm.

Turner recently interrupted an evening of canvassing to address Our Revolution's weekly conference call.

I need you, whether you live in this district or not, to help us turn out the vote, said Turner, joining a video chat from a grocery store parking lot. "Our Revolution family, please keep doing what you are doing.

Sanders himself will campaign for Turner this weekend, and Our Revolution's all-out effort for one of his key acolytes shows that the group is not yet ready to distance itself from the democratic socialist. But Geevarghese said Our Revolution has forged an identity beyond its highest profile ally.

Is our brand identified with Bernie? Yes. But its really not the individual more than what he stands for," he said, "and were still committed to that.

Turner's race also exemplifies Our Revolution's renewed emphasis on on-the-ground organizing. It depends on roughly 600 chapters around the country who train activists to more efficiently mobilize behind candidates or causes  like cities raising their minimum wages to $15 per hour, even as the federal proposal to do so languishes in Congress.

Geevarghese dismisses perceptions that moderate Democrats are on the rise as fuzzy math. He notes that, some higher profile races this year aside, progressive candidates endorsed by Our Revolution have made down-ballot gains nationwide.

Were building a bench," Geevarghese said, "and the establishment should take notice.

In Congress, in addition to its more modest health care and environmental goals, the group is prioritizing passage of a major bill to make voting easier. While the bill faces significant hurdles, it would counter voting restrictions passed by many Republican-controlled legislatures.

Were not getting Medicare for All, but we can get major pieces of it, Our Revolution Board Chair Larry Cohen said on the same call where Turner spoke. But weve got to fight with every one of the Democrats. No Republicans are going to vote for any of these things."

California Rep. Ro Khanna, a member of the House Progressive Caucus, said Our Revolution has mastered an understanding of the minutia of policy better than many activist groups. Recently, the group's focus has been "translating the ideals into practical wins, Khanna said.

That's a far cry from the group's founding, when some activists worried that it was the kind of outside fundraising organization that could make Sanders  and his denunciations of big-money politics  look hypocritical. Sanders also spent the 2020 presidential campaign saying he didn't want a super PAC, and even though it is a nonprofit that doesn't produce campaign advertising, Our Revolution effectively acted like one for him in other ways.

Now, though, some other progressive organizations salute Our Revolution as further mobilizing grassroots activists heartened by Sanders' strong presidential runs.

You can see a real change in the trajectory of where the Democratic Party is when it comes to the big investments, the use of government levers to improve people's livelihoods, the fight against climate change, said Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth Action. "That is Our Revolution and Sen. Sanders really energizing that progressive base out there  and that base has made itself known in the electoral context.

With the midterms approaching, Our Revolution doesn't plan to stop supporting progressives who challenge more moderate Democrats in primaries  even as the party clings to its narrow majority in both chambers.

We want to have a united party going in, and that means mainstream Democrats have to make progress on our policy priorities," Geevarghese said. They cant just talk the talk in the campaign and then get elected and then say, Oh, its not doable.
Mark Humphrey/AP

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  WWE star Sheamus is offering ring-side seats and many beers" to anyone who returns a prop cross necklace that was stolen from an arena on the campus of the University of South Florida.

Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is also offering a $5,000 reward for information about the theft in May of the necklace, three title belts signed by various WWE stars and a corner pad.
Dear Sen. Blumenthal:

Would you please explain to Connecticut citizens how difficult it is for you to recommend a board member to President Biden for appointment to the United States Government Merit Systems Protection Board? President Biden should have nominated three members to serve on the board, but he has been busy, as have you, of course. Can you be a United States senator and not have a lot to do every day?

As one Connecticut resident, my case has been waiting for a board decision since 2016. Others go on longer, and now the list is over 3,000 waiting to continue their lives without the specter of past employment hanging over them. Yale University, in Connecticut, certainly has graduated many students who could serve as judge on the MSPB. This board affords all federal employees workplace protection.

As President Biden declared upon election, federal employees are the backbone of the entire government. How are those employee rights protected without adequate recourse? The judicial void is in its fourth year. Does that seem possible? What does it take to get you to act on this matter?

Michael Sheiman

Hamden
Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers have invaded Nasarawa State Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning in Lafia, and catered away the sum...

Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers have invaded Nasarawa State Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning in Lafia, and catered away the sum of N100 million.

It was gathered that the incident occured on Thursday afternoon when the gunmen invaded the ministry, shooting sporadically.

It was also learnt that the assailants trailed some members of staff who went to a commercial bank to withdraw some cash for the ministry.

The armed men were said to have snatched the N100 million on gun point at the premises of the ministry which is adjacent to the States Accountant Generals Office where some security operatives were stationed.

When contacted by our correspondent, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Ramhan Nansel said the case is yet to be reported to the command.

He told our correspondent that he cannot confirm the incident I cant confirm that, as it was not reported to the Police.
Abba Kyari, the deputy commissioner of police, is in dire straits. The celebrated police chief has now been embroiled in the cyber fraud c...

Abba Kyari, the deputy commissioner of police, is in dire straits. The celebrated police chief has now been embroiled in the cyber fraud case against Hushpuppi, the embattled Nigerian socialite who  according to the US court filing accused him of taking a bribe to arrest his fraud accomplice.

Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas, was infamously arrested in the UAE in June 2020 alongside 11 of his associates over allegations bordering on hacking, impersonation, scamming, bank fraud, and identity theft.

His extradition to the US came after the UAE police had carried out a special operation dubbed Fox Hunt 2. Hushpuppi was accused of defrauding 1.9 million persons of N168 billion. The Instagram celebrity was later arraigned and detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago ahead of trial.

On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge on him, standing the risk of 20 years jail term.

Not many saw it coming but it is here all the same: Kyari was dragged into the saga after the US department of justice quoted Hushpuppi as telling the court that he bribed the DCP to jail Chibuzor Vincent, an associate with whom he was locked in a dispute over how to share $1.1 million proceeds of a fraudulent deal with some Qatari business executives.

Vincent was said to have alerted the victim and told him he was being scammed by Hushpuppis syndicate. It was on this basis, the court documents stated, that Hushpuppi was said to have contacted Kyari to facilitate his arrest.

Hushpuppi alleged that Kyari sent him photos of Vincent in jail and followed this up with a bank account number to which a wire transfer should be made for the successful arrest and detention of his co-fraudster.

As news of the alleged dealings with the embattled socialite became public knowledge, Kyari denied the allegations. He said he only facilitated Hushpuppis purchase of native clothing and that there hadnt been a bribe. The DCP added that Hushpuppi made a distress call after threats were allegedly issued to his family by Vincent. But Kyaris indictment wont be the first to be made against the top police boss.

Supercop tasked with high-profile assignments

Kyari, born March 17, 1975, leads the inspector-general of the police intelligence response team (IGP-IRT). He is regarded as a no-nonsense investigator and has a track record of being saddled with high-profile assignments. Kyari led the operation that led to the arrest of Chukwudi Onuamadike, the notorious kidnap kingpin better known as Evans, in 2017.

Most recently, the crack investigator, who has won the police medal for courage three years in a row, was deployed to probe the attack on Samuel Ortom, Benue state governor.

Gunmen had opened fire on Ortoms convoy while he was visiting a farm in Benue on March 20, 2021.

The governor had accused herders of carrying out the attack and Mohammed Adamu, the former IGP, subsequently deployed Kyaris team to investigate the incident.

The Team, led by DCP Abba Kyari  a no-nonsense investigator  consists of operatives from the Tactical Investigation Units of the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) and other experienced, crack detectives with specialized competencies in crime scene investigation and reconstruction, ballistics, fingerprint analysis and other core areas of forensics, Frank Mba, police spokesman, had said.

But despite his well-publicised sterling qualities as a police officer, Kyari has also been accused of several acts unbecoming of a supposedly model cop.

N41 million extortion case

In October 2020, Kyari was accused of extorting N41 million from one Afeez Mojeed, a Lagos-based businessman. Mojeed claimed the extortion was done in 2014 when Kyari was the officer in charge of the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS) in Lagos. The accuser said he unsuccessfully sought justice at the Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

In a petition filed on October 22, 2020, through Salawu Akingbolu & Co, and addressed to the Lagos judicial panel of inquiry for victims of SARS-related abuses, Kyari and his officers were accused of forcefully taking about 32 items from Mojeeds house during a raid in 2014. The businessman, who was at home with his pregnant wife, an 18 month-old son, and mother-in-law, said he thought it was a robbery.

He said phones, cheque books, bank cards, and documents were taken. After ransacking the house, Mojeed was reportedly taken to the SARS office in Ikeja where he was detained for 14 days. He was later arraigned on a trumped-up charge of stealing N97 million. In the documents, it was alleged that for over one year during which the matter was in court, the police never showed up or brought any witness.

They forcefully took his wedding ring and that of his wife from them, opened their wardrobe and took the sum N280,000 and the sum of N50,000 was also taken from his car, after which the Honda Accord (2008) model was seized and taken away till today, the petition read, adding that the charges against him were later struck out in court.

Narrating his ordeal, Mojeed said while in detention, the police under the supervision and threat of Abba Kyari (OC SARS) forced him to sign three Zenith Bank cheques in the sum of N150,000 each, making N450,000 on October 22 to 23, 2014 and gave the sum to Alabi Olawale Nurudeen who is one of their cronies to withdraw.

The police allegedly obtained a password to his bank card and withdrew another N395,000 between October 20 to 23, 2014. Allegedly on the directive of Kyari, Mojeed was taken by one Inspector Fola, Corporal Bolu and Corporal Akeem to Diamond Bank Ajah branch on October 23 and 24 to forcefully transfer N41 million and N800,000 from his corporate account into the account of one Obinna Edward, whom Mojeed stated he had never seen or heard of before.

Alleged asset seizures, extrajudicial killings

In 2018, Amnesty International and the NHRC accused Kyari of illegally depleting the assets of one Collins Ezenwa, a suspected criminal, after his team shot the man dead. Ezenwas wife, at the time, said Kyari and his team withdrew money from her late husbands account and pocketed millions in from his hotels.

Kyari denied corruption amongst his team but did not categorically address the allegations made by Ezenwaswife.

Before the hearings of the Lagos judicial panel on #EndSARS, Kyaris squad had been accused of extrajudicial killings. In late 2019, a federal high court sitting in Jos, Plateau had threatened to jail Abubakar Mohammed, the then-IGP, and Kyari, for disobeying its orders.

This was after the duo failed to produce a suspect, Nanpon Sambo, who was alleged to have died in police custody in Abuja.

Years after that incident, Kyari  who recently made headlines after he was spotted at the lavish funeral of Obi Cubanas mother  now finds himself in the laws crosshairs.

The revered criminal hunter is now being hunted for his alleged sins.








Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, says Nigerians are looking forward to the return of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to power in ...

Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, says Nigerians are looking forward to the return of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to power in 2023.





The 2019 presidential candidate of the PDP spoke on Thursday during an interview with journalists after a meeting with Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

Atiku said he came to discuss with Wike on how to ensure unity and stability in the PDP for the party to take over in 2023.

Commenting on the state of the nation, the former vice-president said he hasnt seen Nigeria in such a bad state like this in his years of existence.





I came here to reconcile with the governor (referring to Wike) on party affairs and how we can ensure there is unity and stability of our party so that we will take over government in 2023, he said.

I believe Nigerians cant wait for 2023 to come so that PDP will return.

I have never seen it this bad, Im seventy plus. I have never seen it this bad in terms of security challenges, in terms of unemployment. I have never seen it so bad  this is worst.





The former vice-president said the PDP will unveil what it has for Nigerians when the time comes, noting that under the PDP, the country has the best foreign reserves.

Why cant you give us time. We will come up with our policies. We will present to Nigerians when the time comes, he said.

You know we can do that. We have done that before in PDP. We recorded the highest growth in this country, the best foreign reserves. We reduce unemployment. You know that we can do it.

He added that Wike is the topmost governor in the PDP in terms of projects, youth employment, and security.

I think he is topmost governor in the party. There is no doubt about that, in terms of projects, in terms of youth unemployment, in terms of security, he added.

Yes, we have security challenges all over the country but in Rivers, it is not as bad as other states.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for an emergency press conference following the Supreme Courts judgment on the Ondo stat...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for an emergency press conference following the Supreme Courts judgment on the Ondo state governorship election.

This is likely an indication that an emergency meeting has been held by the partys executive.

In the invitation sent to journalists on Thursday, Edegbe Odemwingie, assistant press director of the APC, said emergency press conference holding today at the APC national secretariat by 9 am prompt.

The Supreme Court in its judgment on Wednesday affirmed the election of Rotimi Akeredolu as Ondo state governor.

But what some did not anticipate was that Akeredolu will win by a narrow split decision of 4:3 in the seven-man panel of justices.

JEGEDES CASE

Eyitayo Jegede, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the party itself had lost their petition against Akeredolu and the APC at the election petition tribunal.

The tribunal dismissed the joint petition, Jegede and the PDP lodged against the declaration of Akeredolu of the APC as the valid winner of the Ondo gubernatorial contest.

Jegede and the PDP had in their case, queried the legal validity of Akeredolus nomination by the national caretaker committee of the APC headed by Mai Mala Buni, Yobe governor.

They specifically asked the court to determine whether Buni, as a sitting governor, could double as national chairman of the APC to sign Akeredolus nomination form for the governorship election.

According to section 183 of the Nigerian constitution, the governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.

However, Theresa Orji-Abadua who led the appeal court panel dismissed their case.

Although the appellate court acknowledged that the issues raised by the appellants had constitutional implications, they, however, failed to join Buni as a party in the matter.

SUPREME COURT

The appellants further appealed to the apex court seeking to determine whether it was of necessity to join Buni in the suit considering the immunity provided for governors in section 308 of the 1999 constitution.

In their split judgement, four members of the apex court panel led by Emmanuel Agim agreed that the non-joinder of Buni rendered the appeal incompetent.

But three other justices led by Mary Peter-Odili, had a contrary view.

The three justices said since the APC, for which Buni acted, was a party in the case, there was no need to include him as a necessary party in the appeal against Akeredolu.

IMPLICATION OF THE JUDGMENT ON THE APC CONGRESS

Already, the APC has approved the schedule for its 2021 congresses in all states of the country and the federal capital territory (FCT). The congress is where the party elects its wards, local governments and states officials.

The caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee (CECPC) is headed by Buni.

Going by the just delivered judgment, any election done by the Buni-led committee can be challenged in a competent court of law by opposition parties.

What this means going forward is that any other person affected by the actions of the Buni-led committee will not fail to join him as a party in any subsequent case in court. This includes future elections in any part of the country and all the APC congresses that are about to take place.

It is of note to state that Article 17 (iv) of the APC constitution states that no officer in any organ of the Party shall hold executive position office in government concurrently.

Abubakar Sani Bello, Niger state governor, and Isiaka Oyetola, Osun governor, are members of the Buni-led caretaker committee.

KEYAMO ASKS PARTY TO SACK BUNI

In a leaked letter to the party, Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour and employment, asked the party to immediately suspend the planned congress as it will be an exercise in futility.

He said: The supreme court has just weaponised all those that would be aggrieved by the APC congresses to proceed to court to challenge the competence of the Buni-led CECPC to organise the congresses and national convention. The judiciary will subsequently destroy the entire structure of the Party from bottom to top.

Keyamo advised that to avoid a wave of legal battles, the APC has the option of excluding not only Buni, but anyone holding any executive position in any government establishment from the caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee (CECPC) as stipulated in Article 17 of the partys constitution.

Under Article 25 of the APC Constitution, it is the national chairman or two-thirds of members of NEC that can summon an NEC meeting. Since we cannot vouch for the legality of any NEC meeting summoned by Mai Mala now, the safest is to get two-third of NEC members to sign an Invitation to summon a NEC meeting where the CECPC would be reconstituted and our party would be safe, the senior advocate said.

Alternatively, the board of trustees of the party, which includes Mr President, can be activated to organise a national convention in line with Article 13 of the APC Constitution where it is given such powers.

Those powers can be delegated at the meeting to a committee in line with the APC Constitution which will run the party and plan the convention. The new exco can then plan for congresses.
For the third time in as many administrations, citizen-led resistance has led to the withdrawal of a mayoral proposal to relocate New Orleans City Hall.

The most recent episode entailed advocates fighting Mayor LaToya Cantrells plan to put City Hall in the Municipal Auditorium, by Congo Square and Armstrong Park in the Faubourg Treme.

Eight years earlier, Mayor Mitch Landrieu proposed moving the seat of local government to another empty public building, the former Charity Hospital on Tulane Avenue.

Four years before that, in 2009, Mayor Ray Nagin proposed putting City Hall in the former Chevron Building at 935 Gravier Street.

The pros and cons of all three moves were widely discussed, and their fates are a matter of public record.

What has gone less noticed is the broader shift of citizens perception of City Hall as a neighbor. New Orleanians once fought to get iconic government buildings like City Hall located in their neighborhood. Now, the most passionate voices fight to get them out.

In analyzing cities and their dynamics, geographers and urban sociologists speak of "amenities" and "nuisances."

An amenity is something that enhances the livability, desirability or economic value of a neighborhood, such as parks, trees, beautiful buildings, recreational assets or scenic attractions.

A nuisance is the opposite  something perceived to diminish value, such as a highway, railroad, industries, transmission towers or landfills.

Theres a fair amount of subjectivity between the two. One persons amenity might be anothers nuisance, such as when a new park is viewed as a catalyst for gentrification, or a recreational facility is feared by those who think it might become noisy and congested.

Likewise, a nuisance to one resident might be viewed as a vital economic benefit to another, such as a highway exit, metro stop or industrial plant.

For centuries, New Orleanians wanted to have the seat of government in their backyard, viewing it as an amenity and a source of pride.

The tipping point in the citys tenuous early years, for example, came with the 1721 decision to relocate the Louisiana colonys capital and company headquarters from Biloxi to New Orleans.

Plenty of challenges lay ahead, but the move generated optimism and momentum. The year 1721 had been generally favourable to New Orleans, wrote French historian Marc de Villiers du Terrage, and with its new status, the struggling outpost became a small town, and the number of its irreconcilable enemies began to decrease.

By the mid-1800s, that town had become a major American city. French-speaking Creoles battled English-speaking Americans for political power and cultural sway, and one way to win both was to get local government in their backyard.

+9 Planned development near convention center was the cotton press district of the 1800s The coming years will likely see massive new development within the largest contiguous open space in historic New Orleans.

For Creoles, that meant the French Quarter, where City Hall had long been located. For Anglophones, it meant the American sector, todays Central Business District.

Political geography became so disputatious that, in 1836, the city split into three semi-autonomous municipalities. Each section took pride in its own Municipality Hall, which kept power and prestige close to home.

When the city reunified in 1852, Creoles were disheartened to see City Hall get relocated out of the aging Cabildo at Jackson Square to a majestic new structure, todays Gallier Hall, on Lafayette Square.

The relocation symbolized the ongoing loss of Creole power in the face of the citys gradual Americanization and upriver expansion.

State Capitol as amenity

The view of public buildings as amenities persisted later in the 1800s.

When two real estate speculators wanted to develop an open tract in Uptown in 1871, they knew building amenities would help their cause. According to researcher Hilary Somerville Irvin, they lobbied the state legislature to acquire the site for a public park on the river side of St. Charles Avenue, and for a new state capitol on the lake side.

+8 Faubourg revival: This old French term was nearly extinct until it was rescued in the 1970s This spring, Faubourg Beer will start to appear in regional stores and bars, following a decision last November by New Orleans oldest operati

The seat of state government had been in flux since the Civil War. Building a stately new capitol in Uptown would raise property values, and state legislators were promised parcels along the avenue to encourage their support.

The scheme soon became a scandal, and the capitol eventually returned to Baton Rouge. But in doing so, it left behind open space for two future amenities  the campuses of Tulane and Loyola universities.

As for that other amenity, it became Audubon Park, which together with the campuses has helped make Audubon/University among the citys wealthiest neighborhoods.

Federal buildings as amenities

A rivalry of the early 1900s further illustrates how neighbors once vied for prominent government buildings.

In 1899, city boosters petitioned to get a federal post office built in New Orleans. Around the same time, state officials called for a new courthouse to replace the century-old Cabildo on Jackson Square, formerly City Hall and now deemed inadequate.

What ensued was a spirited competition between the 2nd District, meaning the French Quarter, and the 1st District, now the Central Business District.

Advocates for both areas wanted these amenities on their side of Canal Street, and marshaled arguments that they felt were fair and reasoned.

One 1st District advocate thought the post office ought to be next to all the newspaper offices on Camp Street. Another noted that the growth of the city is upstream, and not towards the cemeteries, and held that all the big public buildings (should be) grouped around a park, namely Lafayette Square, having the City Hall there already.

Still another warned against any attempt to turn a nuisance into an amenity, saying, We do not want a Post-Office in the rear of the city, surrounded by houses of prostitution  There will be no Mardi-Gras business with Uncle Sams money.

Merchants in the 2nd District, meanwhile, argued their lower property values would ease acquisition costs, while reinvestment would reverse downtown decline. Why not site both buildings adjacently, they proposed, perhaps at 800-900 Customhouse (now Iberville), or 200-300 Bourbon?

One prominent Canal Street clothier placed a front-page ad in The Picayune, preemptively declaring Hurrah for Downtown. Downtown is Taking the Lead. Downtown Will Have the New Postoffice. Downtown Will Have the New Court House.

What resulted was a compromise  one amenity per neighborhood.

The state in 1903 selected the 2nd District for its courthouse. Demolitions of old Creole town houses ensued, and in 1910, the Louisiana State Supreme Court moved into its gigantic new Beaux Arts building at 400 Royal Street, where it convenes today.

As for the post office, federal officials selected a parcel in the 1st District, on Lafayette Square directly across from City Hall. They purchased the land in 1904, had it cleared by 1907, and in 1915 completed an Italian Renaissance behemoth for the post office and other federal offices. It now houses the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Current City Hall

What we dont necessarily hear in the historical record is the voices of those folks who might have suffered the deprivations of such relocations  the ones who got expropriated, who viewed the targeted nuisance as their beloved home, or who endured more costs than benefits from the supposed amenity.

That was probably the case for residents of the mostly African American 3rd Ward neighborhood who got displaced for the next relocation of City Hall, in the 1950s.

That was an era when slum clearance and urban renewal were nationwide trends, and when planners aimed to centralize government functions into sprawling civic and cultural complexes.

New Orleans new City Hall opened in 1957, followed by a new library, offices and courts, all in gleaming Modernist designs.

The opening of the Civic Center presaged a building boom on Loyola Avenue, and a decline of the Lafayette Square area which had just lost City Hall. The dynamic seemed to evidence the long-held sense that City Hall was an amenity.

New perspectives

What changed to make a project like City Hall no longer the neighborhood prize it once was?

In part, its due to new sensitivities on the impacts of such projects of the past, giving voice to the disenfranchised who were expropriated, displaced or otherwise harmed by societys power brokers.

Relatedly, it comes from a new appreciation for places once shrugged off, but now venerated, whereas City Hall, once venerated, is now often shrugged off. One prominent critic of the move to the Municipal Auditorium went so far to say that City Hall would desecrate Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square.

To others, the resistance is symptomatic of a broader American disdain of government, or of a polemical strain in civic discourse amplified by social media.

But to hear the resistors themselves tell it, they have rationality, facts and fairness on their side in keeping City Hall out of their neighborhood  which is just how proponents felt in times past, when they argued to do the exact opposite.

Richard Campanella, a geographer with the Tulane School of Architecture, is the author of The West Bank of Greater New Orleans, Cityscapes of New Orleans, Bourbon Street  A History, and other books. He may be reached at rcampane@tulane.edu, http://richcampanella.com, or @nolacampanella on Twitter.
While first studying architecture and living in a 1913 house in Davis, California, Z Smith spent a summer dismantling and repairing an old wooden window. He gained a new appreciation for the ingenuity behind working windows and the craftsmanship needed to construct and maintain them. Perhaps it was no surprise that years later when house hunting in New Orleans the triple-hung window on a Calhoun Street house caught his eye.

Smith, his wife, Caz Taylor, and their daughter moved to New Orleans from Canada in 2009 after Taylor accepted a faculty position at Tulane University. We had lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, where I was a 20-minute bike ride from work, but she had an hour-and-half bus commute, Smith said. It was her turn to be able to walk to work. Smith is now the director of Sustainability and Performance at the architecture firm Eskew Dumez Ripple.

Mindful of the citys unique environment, Smith and Taylor reviewed flood maps as they house hunted to focus their search in areas of lesser risk. They also sought out an older house. We had always lived in houses built around 1900 and really wanted that character, said Smith. Why not try to live in an amazing piece of history?

The couple found their piece of history on Calhoun Street after stumbling upon a walk-through intended only for real estate agents. The shotgun house was constructed around 1880 and expanded in the 1940s or 50s. The prior owners added a camelback in 2004.

It ticked the boxes for charm and location. Today, if Taylors commute runs long, its likely because shes distracted by an avian rarity. She is an avid birdwatcher, said Smith, and gets to walk to work through Audubon Park.

Having lived through multiple renovations, the couple was happy that this home was move-in ready. They spent a year getting to know the property before making their own mark. During that winter, Smith was shocked to find that a thermometer placed on the floor registered a chilly 55 degrees. We moved from Canada, and it was colder here because we just had the floorboards.

They soon set about making a series of upgrades focused on comfort and energy efficiency.

The careful installation of closed-cell insulation below the floorboards helped solve the problem of chilly toes in winter while leaving the joists exposed to allow for regular termite inspection.

Below the roof, open-cell foam insulation is moisture permeable in case of a leak and eliminates the problem of sweaty ducts in the attic by significantly reducing summer heat gain.

Atop the roof, a solar array provides clean electricity for systems and appliances. By upgrading a conventional gas furnace and air conditioner to an efficient heat pump, they reduced their electricity use significantly.

The couple have continued to upgrade their appliances, so the home is now 90% electric. As appliances were replaced, they switched from gas to electric; the only gas appliance left is the on-demand water heater, using only a few dollars worth of gas per month. They recently expanded the solar array and added a Tesla Powerwall. The battery system will enable the home to be up and running even if a storm knocks out the electric grid.

A significant solar array supplies all the power needed for efficient electric appliances while remaining mostly out of sight from the street.

Smith was adamant about keeping the triple-hung window, which he called an amazing piece of engineering for 1880. An experienced craftsman helped repair and weather-strip the facade windows. Others, however, were not original to the home and had significant deterioration. Smith and Taylor opted to replace them with new wooden windows. We had reproductions of the historic windows made for the less prominent parts of the house using the original form of six-over-two lites.

Throughout the process, Smiths professional knowledge of building science and experience as a LEED accredited professional served him well. For many owners of historic homes, however, uncertainty about what to do can be paralyzing. They may have heard horror stories about mold or rot caused by incompatible materials.

Its certainly true that off-the-shelf products intended for new homes may not be the right choice for older buildings. However, Smith, who serves as an adviser to Gov. John Bel Edwards Climate Change Task Force, is passionate that inaction is not the answer: We can make buildings that are more resilient and work well in our hot, humid climate.

In our climate, the best way to save energy is to reduce drafts, he advised. Drafts may be more noticeable in the winter, but the leaks are still there in the summer, taxing your air conditioner  and wallet.

Smith benefited from hiring a certified professional to conduct a blower-door test to identify air leaks and subsequently seal them. Old houses need to be able to dry. Thats different than needing to leak, he explained. We lowered our house leakage, but we still get plenty of fresh air.

Next, owners should look to add insulation, particularly in the attic, and upgrade heating and air conditioning systems. Those investments will pay off with energy savings over time, but just as importantly they will make a home more comfortable. Whats important when you live in an old house is preserving whats great about it, added Smith. You want the character of an older house and the comfort of a new home.

Over time, as you replace appliances, look for high-efficiency electric ones. Smith and Taylor converted their clothes dryer and cook top last year. Electric appliances can be greener because they can be powered by renewable energy, delivered over the grid or from on-site solar panels.

Homeowners looking to go solar in one of New Orleans historic districts may need a permit from the Historic District Landmarks Commission. Additional considerations include shade, roof pitch and direction (south-facing roofs receive more light). Smith and Taylors solar panels hug the roof perpendicular to the street, visible from the street only if you know where to look.

Even though Louisiana no longer offers a solar tax credit program, the couple still opted to expand the system last year. The price of solar panels had dropped significantly in the nine years since they did their initial solar installation, and the investment still made sense because their home was efficient and electric.

Bragging rights were a nice bonus: Last year, our house was net zero with us working from home, Smith said. This year, we've gone net positive.

This story was reported by The Preservation Resource Center, a nonprofit whose mission is to preserve New Orleans historic architecture, neighborhoods and cultural identity. For more information, visit PRCNO.org.

+15 7th Ward neighbors fight back against flooding by creating a green zone Like many neighborhoods throughout New Orleans, a small section of the 7th Ward that sits between North Broad and Florida avenues floods after
Tipitina's, the Maple Leaf Bar and d.b.a., three of New Orleans' most iconic music venues, will require proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID test from the previous 72 hours for admission.

The new policy, announced jointly by the three venues Wednesday, goes into effect on Friday, July 30.

They're following in the footsteps of Melissa "DJ Soul Sister" Weber, who announced last weekend that she would require proof of vaccination for her popular dance parties at the Hi-Ho Lounge, starting with this Friday's event.

"DJ Soul Sister's move was an inspiration to us," Galactic drummer and Tipitina's co-owner Stanton Moore said. "We applaud her for leading the way. That's the right direction. It's the right thing to do. We hope more people will follow suit and do the responsible thing."

+9 DJ Soul Sister requires COVID vaccination to attend her dance parties: 'It will be enforced' DJ Soul Sisters new policy of requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to attend her popular dance parties at the Hi-Ho Lounge wasnt intend

According to the press release from Tipitina's, "Guests will be required to provide proof of documentation along with a matching, valid ID for verification. Such documentation needs to be directly from the healthcare provider that performed the vaccination or the negative Covid-19 test within the previous 72-hours. Such proof may be displayed on a smartphone or presented as a physical copy. Masking of all attendees will also remain strongly encouraged consistent with CDC guidelines."

Tipitina's, the Maple Leaf, d.b.a. and essentially every other music venue in New Orleans went dark for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, hosting only livestreamed shows without audiences.

Tipitina's finally reopened for limited-capacity, seated, masked audiences in March. The club hosted its first general admission, standing room-only, full-capacity show, starring Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, on June 11.

The new admission requirements come as infection rates from the delta variant spike and vaccination rates remain low across Louisiana.

How long the new admission policy will remain in place depends on infection rates going forward.

Beyond keeping patrons safe, the goal is to avoid a return to the lockdown that devastated music communities across the country, Moore said.

"We don't want to close down. We want to stay open responsibly."
The music venues Tipitina's, Maple Leaf Bar and d.b.a. will begin requiring proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test beginning July 30.

The clubs sent out a joint press release explaining that due to the rise in Covid-19 cases, entrance to the venues will require a valid, complete Covid-19 vaccination card or proof from a health care provider of a negative Covid-19 test within the prior 72 hours. Vaccination cards or test results will need to be presented with a valid ID.

Earlier this week, DJ Soul Sister announced that she would require proof of vaccination for admission to her dance party at Hi-Ho Lounge.

Covid-19 cases have spike in Louisiana in recent weeks. The city has recommended wearing masks, but has not mandated it.

Youll need your vaxx card if you want to get your hustle on with DJ Soul Sister With the COVID-19 Delta variant hitting New Orleans hard, DJ Soul Sister on Sunday announced anyone attending her legendary dance parties at H
Yes, but only indoors

Yes, and let's make sure we have more outdoor venues!

No, the rules are working as they are

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A federal moratorium on evictions for failure to pay rent is set to expire over the weekend, as COVID cases surge and tens of thousands of debt-ridden Louisiana tenants and their fed-up landlords wait on emergency rental aid that has been slow in coming.

Delays in getting payments out from a huge pot of federal aid to cover rents lost during the pandemic have raised fears among low-income housing advocates of an impending flood of evictions that could leave many homeless statewide.

At First City Court in New Orleans, where most of the citys eviction petitions are filed, Court Clerk Austin Badon said about 400 of them are queued up for court hearings once the ban lifts. A steady stream of landlords have filed dozens of new petitions this week in anticipation of an end to the long eviction freeze, he said.

Its a train fast approaching, Badon said. The moratorium is going to expire, and so that coverage that (tenants) had is over. Its gone."

The freeze saved Terriana Clark from eviction last month, though shes not counting on a rescue once it lifts, she said.

Clark, 27, said she spent much of last year living out of her 2011 Ford Mustang with her husband and her two stepchildren before she landed a teaching job and an apartment in Harvey. But an illness earlier this year left her jobless again and unable to pay rent, she said. Clark applied in April to the emergency rental assistance program managed by Jefferson Parish and is still waiting.

They told me six to nine weeks. Its been like four months. If it comes, it comes. If it dont, it dont. Im doing what I have to do to survive, she said. Its going to be too late for a lot of people. A lot of people are going to be outside.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control moratorium began last September, trailing a series of federal and state eviction freezes in place since COVID first erupted in Louisiana. Aimed at keeping vulnerable families in their homes to prevent more spread of the virus, the CDC moratorium was extended four times, but it appears set to run out Saturday.

Advocates have pressed Gov. John Bel Edwards to enact a new state moratorium as a stop gap to let more of the rental aid money flow. Edwards has demurred. On Tuesday, his office sent out a press release noting the imminent end to the federal moratorium and urging tenants to apply to tap a huge pot of emergency rental aid managed by the state and seven large local agencies.

That money, however, remains mostly unspent, several months after the programs started.

The situation in Louisiana mirrors slow rollouts in other states for a program that began with $25 billion in aid from the December stimulus package. Louisiana received $308 million of it, with another $244 million available from a second round that Congress passed in March.

The pace of approvals is picking up, but the number of settled rent debts remains a small fraction of the applications that have come in.

A U.S. Census housing survey this month estimated that nearly 100,000 Louisiana households were behind on rent. About three in four of those households are Black. Two-thirds of them include children. Under the federal program, the emergency aid can cover as much as a years back rent and three months of forward rent, as well as utilities.

At Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, which represents low-income tenants in several eviction courts across the region, staff attorney Hannah Adams said some landlords have indicated theyll move forward with evictions if rental aid payments arent in hand.

Im very concerned that with the delta variant, things are blowing up again, and all of the protections are ending, she said. Im just worried its going to be a huge disaster.

Adams said a wave of evictions may be a bit less imminent in Orleans Parish, where a backlog will delay hearings on new eviction filings for perhaps a few months. Badon said he expects hearings to begin Aug. 12 on existing eviction cases for non-payment of rent, but that landlords filing for eviction now may need to wait a few months.

Adams said she is particularly concerned for tenants in Jefferson Parish, which struggled to get its rental aid program off the ground. In May, parish officials fired the private contractor brought in to run its program after it disbursed only $236,000 in the first three months. Hammerman & Gainer drew criticism from renters, property managers and advocates for being overly bureaucratic, and Jefferson quickened the pace of payouts after taking over.

While theyre moving much faster and more efficiently, theyre still taking a long time to get money out the door, Adams said of the rental aid. Im very concerned landlords are just done waiting at this point.

The feds sent $52 million of that first round of emergency rental aid directly to seven large jurisdictions: Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Caddo, Calcasieu, Jefferson, Lafayette, and St. Tammany parishes.

Those agencies can access another $87 million through the state once theyve spent down the initial funds. So far, only New Orleans, which began its program first, has reached the point of tapping those state-held funds.

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More than 16,000 applications have come into New Orleans since the program first started in February. The city was nearing the end of the first 5,000 applications this week and had run through nearly $18 million, a spokesperson said.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell insisted Wednesday that theres no bottleneck in the approval of those funds, only red tape to sift through from a big new federal program.

Its just the challenge we face moving public dollars, she said, while noting the city has been fastest in the state to disburse the money so far.

That may not be saying much.

In Lafayette, $4.4 million has been disbursed to 1,287 applicants, out of more than 3,000 submitted, officials said this week.

In Baton Rouge, where more than 6,500 have applied for the emergency rental aid, just $3.9 million in payments have been approved. Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish are allocated $29 million combined from the first round of emergency rental aid.

St. Tammany Parish has paid out $1.3 million of the $7.8 million the parish has received so far, officials said. That covers 184 applications, about a third of those who have put in for the money.

Meanwhile, federal aid has barely reached renters in many smaller parishes, according to data from the Louisiana Office of Community Development, which oversees the program for the remaining 57 parishes that are not running their own programs.

As of Wednesday, $17 million in rent and utility payments had gone out to cover debts for about 2,900 applicants in those 57 parishes from the start of the state program in March, according to the data. The state has $160 million allocated for those parishes in the first round of rental aid funding. More than 9,000 have completed applications.

Those rent and utility payments are averaging $5,900 under the state-run program.

The pace is picking up, but the data show there are still 20 parishes in which 10 or fewer households have been approved for emergency rental aid. Two parishes  Cameron and East Carroll -- had no households at all approved, the data show.

Housing advocates have urged the state to change its formula for allocating money by parish based on population, rather than renter. The states formula has a disparate impact on minorities who are more likely to rent in urban parishes and to have been hit financially by the pandemic, they argue.

Officials with the state agency, though, insist that there are ample funds, and that the agency plans to adjust its parish allocations if the data shows thats where the greatest need is.

Christoph Bajewski, an attorney who represents several big landlords across the state, said many of his clients are holding off on filing evictions until next week, in case Edwards puts in place a new moratorium.

He said some landlords are willing to wait a bit longer on the promise that rental aid is coming. But because the rental aid is capped at 15 months, the longer the wait, the less likely landlords are going to hold out for it, he said.

If we can get guarantees they can get checks in their hand within, say, 30 days, theyd be willing to accept it, he said. If its two months for a court date and then wait another 30 days, I dont think thatll happen.

Bajewski anticipated an explosion of eviction filings in Louisiana once the ban lifts, though an existing backlog of cases in New Orleans may delay some landlords there from filing immediately.

Cashauna Hill, executive director of the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center, urged the governor to invoke an 11th-hour state moratorium.

The slow pace of these programs means that tens of thousands of families across the state who followed directions and signed up for rental assistance will still be in jeopardy when the CDC eviction moratorium expires at the end of the week, she said.

If were going to avoid a homelessness disaster this fall, she said, the rental aid programs need to massively increase the staffing and resources dedicated to their programs and pull from all available sources to do so, not just the federal money.

Davida Finger, a Loyola Law School professor who has tracked eviction filings in New Orleans as they have crept up over the past year despite the moratorium, noted that more than half of the households in the city are renters. Finger also argued for a longer pause in evictions for non-payment of rent.

That might sound like pie in the sky, but we have a city thats majority renters. If the funding mechanisms arent there to sufficiently put money in the pockets of landlords, what do we expect to happen?" she asked. "Ultimately the lack of affordability and the economic loss is at the heart of it. But sending it to court is not going to make it go away.

Tenants looking to apply for emergency rental aid can visit lastaterent.com.

Staff writers Chad Calder, Terry Jones, Ben Myers and Sara Pagones contributed to this story.
ATLANTA  Hotel owner Vimal Patel has traced a familiar path to success in the U.S. hospitality industry.

Patel is part of the Indian diaspora, which owns a sizeable share of the hotels and motels in the country. Like others in the community, his start in the business was humble. He worked the front desk of a hotel owned by relatives in Louisiana, building his knowledge before eventually investing with them in multiple franchises.

Now hes spearheading a legal fight that reflects the growing clout and confidence of Indian Americans in the hospitality sector  and the toll of the coronavirus pandemic on their businesses.

Patel and scores of other Indian owners have filed lawsuits in federal court accusing two of the biggest hotel chains in the world of gouging them with fees, penalties and overpriced products. The excesses by Choice Hotels International, the company behind the Comfort Inn brand, and Holiday Inn franchiser Intercontinental Hotels Group reached a tipping point during the pandemic when the hospitality industry experienced a steep drop in business, the franchisees say.

The claims echo those made by franchisees in other industries. But the suits against IHG and Choice also claim the companies discriminate against Indian American owners, and Indian hoteliers have cast them as a racial struggle. Some, unironically, have likened the fight against United Kingdom-based IHG to Indias campaign against British rule.

Indians still have this mentality. Were still afraid to stand up regardless of how powerful you are, how well off you are, said Patel, 51. Why should we be scared of these larger corporations?

Patels lawsuit filed in May in U.S. district court in New Orleans was the first of at least five suits against IHG that are being coordinated by two law firms and seek to represent a larger group of franchisees as a class action.

+3 Louisiana hotelier sues IHG, world's largest hotel group, alleging fraudulent practices A Louisiana hotel owner is suing the world's largest hotel group, which operates under such brand names as Holiday Inn, InterContinental and C

IHG spokesman Jacob Hawkins said in a statement that the company is committed to treating its hotel owners fairly and does not believe the claims have merit.

Choice has always had a strong commitment to the success of its franchisees, the company said in a statement.

Entrepreneurs from the western Indian state of Gujarat  particularly those with the last name Patel  found their niche in the motel business in the 1960s and 70s. They bought motels in far-flung places and often lived on site. Some moved on to start management firms with stakes in multiple properties, including big city hotels. The 20,000 members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association  nearly all of whom are of Indian descent  own more than half the hotels in the country, according to AAHOA.

If there werent Patels entering the industry, taking the risk to improve it and expand it, then you wouldnt have as prolific of an industry as we have today, said Pawan Dhingra, author of Life Behind the Lobby: Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream.

Patels introduction to the hospitality business began immediately after he arrived in the U.S. in 1991. His cousin owned a motel outside New Orleans, and he lived with him there while working at a donut shop and a McDonalds. Today, he and two relatives have their own company, QHotels Management, which owns nine hotels in Louisiana  four of them IHG properties  and manages two other properties in Texas.

If we dont stand up, what are we teaching our next generation? he asked during a recent phone interview.

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His suit and the suit against Choice, which was filed by more than 90 franchisees last year, accuse the companies of receiving kickbacks from required vendors that charge franchisees higher prices for linens, utensils and other products.

That allegation strikes at a cardinal rule of franchising, said Joel Libava, a franchise consultant who blogs about the industry at thefranchiseking.com. In exchange for paying royalties and fees for the brand name, franchise owners should expect the franchise company to use its buying power to get them discounts on products and services.

If that is not true and if youre paying pretty much what the independent is paying, then why are you in a franchise? Libava asked.

Hotel franchisees from Connecticut, Texas join Louisiana hotelier's class action against IHG Hotel franchisees from Connecticut and Texas have joined the Louisiana hotelier who sued the world's largest hotel franchise operator, InterCo

During the pandemic, Rich Gandhi said Choice made him buy its branded hand sanitizer though he had already secured a cheaper supply for his Quality Inn in Middletown, New Jersey. The company has penalized him for using a different internet provider and piled on fees for services such as credit card processing and cybersecurity that were not in his original agreement, he said  all after his family spent $3.5 million buying and renovating the property.

Its extortion, blackmail, said Gandhi, 39, one of the plaintiffs in the Choice suit. They are basically cutting up the hen that is laying the golden egg for short-term gain.

Hawkins said IHG helped franchisees through the pandemic by relaxing standards, discounting fees and improving terms with suppliers. Choice suspended some fees and allowed owners to defer others, according to an April 2020 news release.

The suits also accuse Choice and IHG executives of routinely making racially derogatory comments about Indian American franchisees, though they dont provide examples of any remarks.

Both companies enforce their standards more strictly against Indian Americans, the suits allege. Choice provides more financing to white owners and has largely spared them from a rule forbidding two-story properties from carrying the Comfort Inn brand, the Choice suit says.

Choice said in its statement it does not tolerate any form of discrimination and is regularly recognized for its long-standing and deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Hawkins said IHG values the diversity of its franchisees and does not make decisions based on their ethnicity or national origin.

In a victory for Choice, a judge in Pennsylvania in March ordered the franchise owners in that suit to arbitrate their claims individually with the company.

Gandhi said he will fight on.

Theres nothing to lose now, he said. With COVID, weve been in such bad shape, it kind of emboldened us even more to go after these guys because youre like, Weve seen the worst.

By SUDHIN THANAWALA, Associated Press.
Sales tax collections in St. James Parish are in the midst of a periodic lull after hitting an all-time record in fiscal 2012-13 of more than $25 million due to the construction of the first phase of Nucor Corp.s steel complex near Convent, the school systems top finance official said Tuesday

But Jim Mitchell, the systems administrative director of business operations, told the School Board Finance Committee that collections are expected to pick up for the system of 3,800 students.

The question obviously for our financial vitality is can we define when that robustness will return. Again its due to industrial activity, he said.

In next-door Ascension Parish, where similar industrial growth has fueled a boom in sales tax collections, the parish government and that parishs School Board have reported or expect to see similar dips in collections off recent all-time highs.

In St. James, Nucors first phase cost $750 million to build and began operations late last year. The company has proposed four more phases for a total capital investment of $3.4 billion. The company has not made an announcement about its future plans, but Gov. Bobby Jindal, who championed major tax incentives to lure the integrated steel complex, has said the company will make a decision by the end of 2015.

Mitchell said the school system tried to budget conservatively and planned for a drop in sales taxes this fiscal year, from $25 million to $23 million. But collections dropped further than expected and are closer to $19.2 million. Mitchell is projecting essentially flat collections in fiscal 2014-15 at $20 million.

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Under the final $60.5 million general fund budget this fiscal year, the board plans to pull an extra $2 million from its general fund surplus, dropping it from $30.2 million to $21.8 million, according a budget memo.

Even with the sales tax drop, collections are still up $6 million on an annual basis over those from 2008, and property tax collections continue to rise unabated.

The full board deferred action on the $56.9 million general fund budget for fiscal 2014-15 until a meeting June 24, but approved next years salary scale for its 600 employees.

Superintendent Alonzo Lonnie Luce told the Finance Committee earlier on Tuesday before the full board voted that the salary schedule builds in 2 percent across-the-board pay increases.

The scale also has pay steps for years of experience, offering another roughly 1 percent pay increase for each annual step.
BOSTON (AP)  The Biden administration will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday, arguing that its hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled it could only be extended until the end of the month.

In a statement Thursday, the White House said President Joe Biden would have liked to have extended the federal eviction moratorium due to spread of the delta variant. Biden called on "Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay."

The moratorium was put in place put in place last September by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

+4 With eviction moratorium ending and rental aid delays, some fear a 'homelessness disaster' A federal moratorium on evictions for failure to pay rent is set to expire over the weekend, as COVID cases surge and tens of thousands of deb

By the end of March, 6.4 million American households were behind on their rent, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had said in June this would be the last time the moratorium would be extended when she set the deadline for July 31. It was initially put in place to prevent further spread of COVID-19 by people put out on the streets and into shelters.

Housing advocates and some lawmakers have called for the moratorium to be extended, due to the increase in coronavirus cases and the fact so little rental assistance has been distributed.

Congress has allocated nearly $47 billion in rental assistance that is supposed to go to help tenants pay off months of back rent. But so far, only about $3 billion of the first tranche of $25 billion has been distributed through June by states and localities. Some states like New York have distributed almost nothing while several have only approved a few million.

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The confluence of the surging Delta variant with 6.5 million families behind on rent and at risk of eviction when the moratorium expires demands immediate action, Diane Yentel, executive director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said. The public health necessity of extended protections for renters is obvious. If federal court cases made a broad extension impossible, the Biden administration should implement all possible alternatives including a more limited moratorium on federally backed properties.

The trouble with rental assistance has prompted the Biden administration to hold several events in the past month aimed at pressuring states and cities to increase their rental assistance distribution, coax landlords to participate and make easier for tenants to get money directly.

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta also has released an open letter to state courts around the country encouraging them to pursue measures that would keep eviction cases out of the courts. On Wednesday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unveiled a tool that allows tenants to find information about rental assistance in their area.

Despite these efforts, some Democratic lawmakers had demanded the administration extend the moratorium.

This pandemic is not behind us, and our federal housing policies should reflect that stark reality. With the United States facing the most severe eviction crisis in its history, our local and state governments still need more time to distribute critical rental assistance to help keep a roof over the heads of our constituents, Democratic U.S. Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Jimmy Gomez of California and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts said in a joint statement.

But landlords, who have opposed the moratorium and challenged it repeatedly in court, were against any extension. They have argued the focus should be on speeding up the distribution of rental assistance.

This week, the National Apartment Association and several others this week filed a federal lawsuit asking for $26 billion in damages due to the impact of the moratorium.

The NAA has long held that eviction moratoria are fundamentally flawed policies, leaving renters saddled with insurmountable debt and rental housing providers unfairly holding the bag despite unprecedented efforts to keep their residents housed over the past 18 months, Bob Pinnegar, the president and CEO of the NAA, said in a statement.
Louisiana nursing homes reported their first COVID-related deaths in more than a month Wednesday, as the highly-contagious delta variant fuels a surge among residents and staff, state data shows.

The nursing homes reported three deaths among residents whose deaths were either attributed directly to COVID or had a COVID diagnosis within the past 60 days, the data released Wednesday shows. The three deaths are the first reported since June 23 and match the total for all of June.

The latest data shows 68 resident cases reported by the state's nursing homes this week, nearly triple the previous week's total, and more than 10 times the total from two weeks ago when just six new cases were reported. Meanwhile, the infections among staff, who have a much lower vaccination rate than residents, went from 50 reported last week to 166 reported this week, the numbers show.

In addition, more homes are reporting infections and outbreaks. More than 20 homes reported at least one infected resident, up from just seven a week ago. Outbreaks -- defined by the state as two or more cases -- were reported in 15 homes.

+2 Rising COVID cases bring fresh worries to Louisiana's nursing homes, scenes of early tragedy Coronavirus cases among nursing home residents jumped more than fourfold in Louisiana last week, mirroring a broader community surge of the hi

The nursing home increases were anticipated, with experts and advocates signaling in recent weeks that the numbers were likely to mirror the rest of the state, where a fourth surge has sent overall case numbers to highs not seen since the winter. Hospitals around the state are pausing elective surgeries and non-emergency admissions and more than 1,500 patients are in Louisiana hospitals with COVID.

The surge in long-term care facilities has also been driven by low staff vaccination rates. Statewide, slightly less than half of nursing home workers are fully vaccinated. In contrast, more than 80% of residents are fully vaccinated.

One home, Heritage Manor of Franklinton, reported nine new "locally acquired" resident cases this week, meaning cases resulting from exposure inside the nursing home. Approximately 87% of that home's residents are vaccinated.

+2 Louisiana COVID numbers: Hospitalizations now above 1,500; cases grow by thousands The number of people hospitalized with coronavirus in Louisiana continued to surge, with 1,524 infected patients now in hospital beds across t

But Heritage Manor of Franklinton also reported 14 new staff cases. Only 20% of the home's staff is vaccinated, according to the state's data. Heritage Manor officials were not immediately available for comment.

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Some other homes showed similar numbers. Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation of Tallulah, which last week had 15 new resident cases, reported another seven this week. The home also had six new staff cases this week, after just three the week before. The state data shows 41% of the home's staff are vaccinated.

At least two other homes reported eight new resident cases, Woodlands Healthcare in Vernon Parish and Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation of Plaquemine, in Iberville Parish. Woodlands reported 48% of its staff is completely vaccinated, higher than the state average. At Legacy of Plaquemine, only 7% of the staff is vaccinated, according to the state's data.

In recent weeks, home operators have detailed various measures they have used to try to persuade staff to get the shot, including cash bonuses, lotteries and educational measures. In the state's approximately 270 homes, an average of 47% of staff are fully vaccinated, according to an analysis of the state data.

Nursing homes were an early epicenter of the pandemic's impact, as many of the residents suffered from the underlying health conditions that make the virus more deadly. Earlier this year, after nearly a year of tight restrictions, nursing homes began to reopen to indoor visitation and offer some services that had been cut off in the past.

But high positivity rates in many parishes will see some restrictions put back into place. In recent weeks, some nursing homes were already tightening up again as they saw rising case counts in their surrounding communities. Experts have noted that higher community spread of the coronavirus usually is reflected in long-term care facilities.

Experts are watching closely to see whether the infected residents will get as sick or die in similar numbers to what was seen during the pandemic's first three waves. Approximately 3,000 long-term care residents have died of COVID in Louisiana, nearly 30% of the state's total deaths.

Denise Bottcher, of the Louisiana Office of the AARP, said last week she hopes that the rise in infections will not result in the same level of mortality. Health officials have said the vaccinations should offer residents a much greater level of protection from severe cases.

"The best case is that these cases are not severe," she said.
As the fourth wave of COVID-19 continues to inundate Louisiana hospitals, pediatric facilities have also seen a swift rise in the number of patients. At Children's Hospital New Orleans, one patient has died during the most recent surge and there were 17 hospitalized Thursday morning, the most the hospital has seen during the pandemic, officials there said.

"There's a higher number of (pediatric) patients who require hospitalization compared to any other time during the pandemic," said Dr. Leron Finger, a pediatric critical care physician at Children's. "Talking to my colleagues in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, they've also seen the same number."

Six pediatric patients were hospitalized at Children's with COVID-19 on Monday, Finger said. That rose to 11 on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, it had grown to 17. Some went home, but were quickly replaced by new patients on Thursday.

The child who died while being treated for COVID-19 at Children's had no severe underlying conditions. Citing patient privacy, hospital officials did not give more details about the patient's age or residency.

About two-thirds of the children recently admitted to the hospital are too young to be vaccinated and the vast majority do not have underlying illnesses, Finger said.

The statewide rate of vaccination for children ages 12 to 17 is 12%.

Hospital officials attribute the increase in cases to the delta variant's grip on the state.

"Not just in New Orleans, but across the entire state, children under the age of 18 appear to be affected by this variant of the virus more so than previous iterations of the virus," Finger said.

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Children are not as susceptible to severe disease or death from the coronavirus as adults are, with only around .01% of cases resulting in death. Roughly 500 children across the U.S. have died of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nine of those who died were Louisiana residents.

However, as more virus circulates through the community, more children will get sick and more may die, Finger said. The number of exposures children experience can be driven down by vaccination.

"Unvaccinated family members by and large are giving this disease to their children," said Finger. "This is an urgent wake-up call for those in our community who have thus far been vaccine hesitant to get the vaccine."

Ochsner Health has also seen cases rise among children. The positivity rate among coronavirus tests in kids jumped from 7% to 21.4% in less than one month.

"This does show that we need to protect our kids by continuing to increase vaccination in adults and those around them and continue to protect (kids) by wearing masks in those situations where people are at risk," said Dr. Katherine Baumgarten, medical director of infection control and prevention at Ochsner.

As parents gear up to send their children back to schools in a little over a week, it will be without a statewide mask mandate as things stand today.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which is responsible for setting policies for the state's public school systems, has left the decision about masking up to local school officials. Only one local school district has made such an announcement  New Orleans, which is requiring masks be worn inside school buildings.

Meanwhile, children's hospitals are still full of patients suffering from a surge in respiratory viruses.

"We're full," said Finger. "My colleagues in larger pediatric facilities across the state, really the region, are at capacity every day."
Jefferson Parish public schools won't require students and faculty to wear masks when schools open next month, but masks will be "strongly encouraged" for all regardless of vaccination status, according new guidance the school system released Thursday.

The system plans to maintain some other vestiges of last year's pandemic-driven year, including social distancing and keeping some groups together throughout the day to limit exposure to other students. Frequent handwashing and other cleaning measures will continue as well.

School begins Aug. 12 for the parish's nearly 50,000 students and roughly 3,000 teachers.

+9 Masks? No masks? Here's how New Orleans area schools are working through COVID protocols All summer, New Orleans mom Carrie Booher limited her kids to outdoor-only activities while out in public, still wary of a pandemic that has d

"Our priority is to provide the best learning environment for students while keeping everyone safe," schools Superintendent James Gray said of the new plan. "As educators, we are not experts on the virus."

Students who are quarantined will be able to bring computers or other devices home and access class materials online to avoid falling behind, the guidance says. Teachers will monitor and provide feedback for the work done while on quarantine.

Jefferson joins St. Tammany Parish among the large metro area public school districts that will not require masks. New Orleans public schools, however, announced last week that students and staff would again have to wear masks inside schools.

Jefferson Parish's guidelines were established in consultation with the school district's medical partners and health officials, according to a copy of the document.

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The guidelines released Thursday are subject to be changed as medical situation changes, Gray noted.

"We will continue to work with medical experts to ensure our mitigation measures prioritize the safety of students and employees," he said.

+6 Jefferson's COVID hotspots? Cynthia Lee Sheng identifies several. Here's where they are Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng on Tuesday added her voice to the growing chorus of public and health officials pleading with rel

COVID cases in Jefferson Parish are climbing rapidly as the more-contagious delta variant spreads.

Jefferson Parish has reported the most cases and deaths in the state since the start of the pandemic, and the current positivity rate stands at 14.9%. During the last school year, hundreds of students and faculty reported positive COVID tests, and thousands others were quarantined at some point during the school year due to having the virus or because of contact tracing.

The new guidance comes a little more than a week after the American Academy of Pediatrics advised that all students should be masked in schools. The CDC this week tightened its recommendations, urging that even fully-vaccinated people where masks public indoor settings in areas experiencing outbreaks.

Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng has ordered that masks be worn inside government buildings.
A 15-year-old boy shot another teen to death Thursday during an argument in Kenner, police said.

The teens were fighting when one shot the other in the chest inside a home in the 3100 block of Tifton Street in the Lincoln Manor shortly before 1:50 a.m., Kenner police said in a statement. First responders were called out to the home and took the wounded teen to a hospital, where he died.

+2 Woman whose body was recovered from Kenner canal died of drug overdose; cousin faces murder charge A Kenner woman is behind bars on a murder charge, accused of supplying the heroin, fentanyl and other drugs that allegedly led to the overdose

The Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office identified the slain boy as Karnas Coleman, of New Orleans.

People at the home allegedly tried to convince police that Coleman actually shot himself. But officers found evidence contradicting that claim, and the 15-year-old boy admitted he fired the gun that killed Coleman and tried to hide evidence before investigators arrived, police said.

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Officers booked the 15-year-old with counts of second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and illegally possessing a handgun as a juvenile. They also seized four pistols from the home, police said.

Police didn't immediately release the name of the 15-year-old murder suspect because he is underage.

If ultimately tried for murder as an adult and convicted, the arrested boy could face life in prison, though he would have the possibility of parole after 25 years because of his age.
A pair of hook-and-line alligator traps set in a former Louisiana state senator's yard on Bayou St. John sparked confusion and outrage this week from some kayakers and other recreational users of the popular New Orleans waterway. But wildlife managers say the traps are a common method of removing the large reptiles when property owners complain of a threat.

Kayaker and bayou resident Stephany Lyman found an injured gator struggling on a hook set outside former Sen. Edwin Murray's Park Island Drive home on Sunday. She paddles the bayou almost daily but had never seen alligator traps and didnt notice any signs explaining their purpose. The traps were set more than a month before Louisiana's alligator hunting season begins.

The alligator was rolling from side to side on the concrete levee, Lyman, a retired writing instructor, said of the six-foot-long specimen. It looked tormented. I felt it was terribly inhumane.

So Lyman borrowed a knife, crept to within three feet of its snout and cut it free.

It reared up and swam away, she said.

Lyman, other people who saw the traps and two reporters from The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate repeatedly called the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to report the traps and find out if they were legal. They got an almost identical response from the agencys staff: They told me, I dont know, but that doesnt sound like it was us', Lyman said, which echoed the agencys initial responses to reporters.

Turns out, it actually was Wildlife and Fisheries, and the traps were legal. As the agencys alligator program manager Jeb Linscombe explained Wednesday, the traps were set by a contract hunter at the agencys direction.

Bayou St. John is a place where we frequently remove alligators, he said. They come in from Lake Pontchartrain, and if we get a complaint, we assign a hunter licensed with LDWF to set the lines and harvest the alligator.

Statewide, the agency uses about 50 hunters to catch and kill nuisance alligators. They typically install long poles with baited hooks that dangle just over the waters surface.

It hooks an alligator the same way a fish is hooked, Linscombe said.

Hooking and killing the bayous gators doesnt sit well with some residents, however.

I get that alligators can be a nuisance  but they have been here long before we ever showed up, said a kayaker and bayou property owner who did not want to be named.

Murray said he called Wildlife and Fisheries after finding a five- to six-foot-long alligator on his lawn near the bridge to Park Island, an affluent enclave just north of Harrison Avenue.

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I see them in the water all the time, but this one was sitting about three feet from where I park my car, he said.

Murray served in the Legislature from 1991 until 2016, elected from the 96th House District for 13 years and the 4th Senate District from 2005 until 2016. Shortly after leaving office, he joined LSU Health New Orleans as its vice chancellor for community and multi-cultural affairs.

A hunter installed the traps in Murrays yard shortly after his complaint. At least one alligator was caught on his property and then killed. Murray thought the alligator would be released in a natural setting outside New Orleans, but Linscombe said thats not the case with nuisance alligators. Because the alligators are heavy and dangerous, the state allows the contract hunters to kill them rather than haul them to a release site, as is typical with bears and some other animals.

The traps on Murray's property were removed Tuesday.

Linscombe said an alligator is usually judged a nuisance if its more than six feet in length and has been seen wandering around an urban environment.

And you cant get more urban than New Orleans, he said. The city was built in an area surrounded by wetlands. Youre always going to have alligators coming in from those wetlands.

Lyman hopes Wildlife and Fisheries will be more transparent about its urban trapping. She spoke with a couple who talked to the hunter as he installed the traps on Murrays property, but the hunter reportedly would not say who he was or what he was doing.

That seemed suspicious to Lyman. It didnt help that the Wildlife and Fisheries staff who talked to her were either evasive or indicated the traps were not sanctioned by the agency.

Maybe put up a sign next to the traps next time? Lyman suggested. I hope they refine the process so its a little more responsible.

Alligators vs. sharks: In Gulf Coast waterways the gators are winning, research finds A few years ago, a bird watcher was zooming her camera on a marsh bird when a photo-bombing alligator made the picture a lot more interesting.

Doug MacCash contributed to this report.
Some Gulf Coast researchers are raising alarms about a $2 billion Louisiana coastal restoration projects potential to kill and injure bottlenose dolphins. Now, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries employee whose job it was to count dolphin deaths in the state says she was fired because her work reaffirmed the project's potential to devastate a dolphin population.

Mandy Tumlin was the marine mammal stranding coordinator for the agency before she was fired in 2019. In that year, the Bonnet Carre Spillway was open for a total of 118 days to relieve pressure on the Mississippi River levees in New Orleans. It sent freshwater from the river into Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi Sound. A total of 337 dolphins were found on beaches along the Gulf Coast that year, and only nine of those survived, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Tumlin said it was disappointing, and completely disheartening to be fired while a large number of dolphins were dying from freshwater lesions due to the second opening of the spillway in 2019. We feel that this was done so that the state of Louisiana can proceed with its plan to construct and operate the Mid-Barataria Bay and Breton Sound Diversion projects, which will actually be lethal on dolphin populations in those areas due to freshwater lesions and other impacts, she said.

Wildlife and Fisheries records say Tumlin was fired for missing a federal deadline to enter data into an online system about dolphin and sea turtle strandings. Tumlins attorney, Arthur Smith III, said the allegations are untrue. The termination was a bogus, contrived setup, he said. Mandy made all deadlines for which she was responsible.

Tumlin began working for the department in 2005. She responded to marine mammal strandings during the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in 2010, saving hundreds of sea turtles. I gave my life to this. I missed out on celebrations and holidays, she said. My personal cell phone was the statewide hotline for marine mammal strandings. I was on call constantly.

When the 2019 openings of the Bonnet Carre Spillway were blamed for dolphin deaths, she said, she was not given permission to talk to reporters about the issue. When media requests came in, I had to toe the line as a state employee, she said. It felt like there was just this constant roadblock. However, when reporters had made previous requests for information about sperm whale strandings in 2017, she was allowed to do interviews.

Among those who felt they werent able to get information out of Tumlin while she was employed was George Ricks. He's a vocal opponent of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, designed to create a controlled opening in the Mississippi River's West Bank levee below New Orleans and flush river water into Barataria Bay in an effort to rebuild wetlands with river sediment. The project would allow freshwater to pass through the levee for longer durations than the spillway was opened in 2019, which could lead to more dolphin fatalities.

"There were a couple times I asked her in texts, Is river water whats killing these dolphins? She never would say, Ricks said.

Ricks testified in one of three meetings that Louisiana State Civil Service held after Tumlin appealed her dismissal in 2020. They put me under oath and asked me if there was any reason that I saw that she should have been terminated. I said no, Ricks recounted.

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A Wildlife and Fisheries spokesperson said civil service is expected to decide Tumlin's appeal in the next few months. The department denies that Tumlins dismissal had anything to do with the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.

A federal draft environmental impact study released in March for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project acknowledges its potential to have immediate and permanent major adverse impacts on the bottlenose dolphin population in Barataria Bay. A study requested by the Marine Mammal Commission and submitted in May found that the diversion would result in functional extinction of dolphin populations in two areas of Barataria Bay. The study attributed the deaths to prolonged exposure to freshwater, which causes burn-like lesions on dolphins.

+6 Bottlenose dolphins might go 'functionally extinct' here due to Mid-Barataria diversion Bottlenose dolphins would become "functionally extinct" in two of four areas of Barataria Bay, and the number of dolphins will drop dramatical

"Freshwater lesions will make them more susceptible to viral infections that will cause mortality, Tumlin said. Their skin turns into what looks like a Brillo pad. Tumlin said she was not given adequate resources to do her work responding to calls about marine mammal strandings, including dolphins.

Wildlife and Fisheries did not replace Tumlin after she was fired. The agency said it handed over her responsibilities for responding to and reporting marine mammal strandings to the Audubon Nature Institute on Oct. 1, according to the department.

In Tumlins absence, Moby Solangi, executive director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, grew concerned that marine mammal deaths were not fully counted in the transition to Audubon taking over. I know theres some controversy about it, he said. A large amount of animals were not recovered because of this sudden change.

More than 150 of the dolphins found dead in 2019 turned up in Mississippi, where Solangi is based. He blames the spillway opening for the dolphin deaths, as well as for oyster, blue crab and shrimp fatalities. More than 50% of the stranded dolphins in Mississippi had sores on their body from low salinity, he said. These animals cannot just swim away, Solangi said. By the time they realize things are bad, they are sick and die.

Dolphins have a very strong affinity to the areas where they live and are unlikely to move away when their environment becomes inhospitable, Solangi said. Its like saying every time theres a hurricane people from Louisiana should move, he said.

Despite no longer being the state stranding coordinator, Tumlin is still concerned about the future of marine mammals in Louisiana waters. These diversions are going to cause the salinity levels in these areas to drop drastically, she said. We cant catch 2,000 or more dolphins and move them.

This story was produced in partnership with Southerly. Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jarvis DeBerry for questions: info@lailluminator.com. Follow Louisiana Illuminator on Facebook and Twitter.
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.
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Bill Scanlon is a former Ward 6 city council member who volunteers in support of the Norman Police Department and Norman Fire Department and serves multiple city committees. Prior to his work in Norman, Scanlon served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force  where he last worked as chief of mission analyses under the assistant chief of staff for the Air Force, Studies and Analyses at the Pentagon  and worked for Northrop Grumman in Washington, D.C.
Pittsburgh, Pa. -- Leslie C. Davis was unanimously selected to succeed Jeffrey A. Romoff as president and Chief Executive Officer of UPMC beginning August 1, 2021, according to a Board of Directors announcement.

Under Jeffs leadership, UPMC has provided excellent and unmatched health care across our tri-state service territory and internationally. He has led UPMC in developing new models of care and supported advanced research that has benefitted our patients, said G. Nicholas Beckwith III, chair, UPMC Board of Directors.

Jeffs contributions are numerous in helping to build UPMC into the global health care leader that it is today. The full Board of Directors joins me in recognizing Jeffs accomplishments, including the establishment of a strong foundation for the advancement of patient care, research breakthroughs, and developing the overall vision for UPMCs growth.

Romoff will be named president emeritus, reflecting the transfer of responsibilities and his continuing role as a resource to Davis and UPMC until October 1, 2021.

Beckwith continued, We are thrilled to announce Leslie as UPMCs next leader. She brings a stellar track record built over three decades of leadership in health care with the background and expertise to help propel UPMC into the next phase of growth," he continued.

In Davis's 17 years at UPMC, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to clinical excellence and very strong relationships with patient families, physicians, employees, leaders, and communities, according to Beckwith.

"Leslie has also been an important part of UPMCs long-time commitment to serving the disadvantaged. We look forward to working with Leslie and are confident in her ability to lead UPMC to future success and growth at such a critical time for the health care and insurance industries, Beckwith said.

I am proud to have led UPMC during a time of exceptional growth, Romoff said. We are now in a well-earned period of stability and success, having overcome challenges and grown into a fully integrated health care system. We now have a clear path to continue UPMCs extraordinary and unique trajectory with new leadership. It has been clear to me for quite some time that Leslie has the right skillset to lead the organization forward. I am confident that she will continue UPMCs track record of success as CEO.

Davis has more than 30 years of health care experience, having most recently served as president of the Health Services Division at UPMC. In these roles, she has been responsible for leading UPMCs 40-hospital system with operations across Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. She has played a large role in positioning UPMC as a national health care innovator and directed the organizations efforts to improve the patient experience, provide superb patient care and enhance employee and physician engagement.

Davis served as president of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital from 2004 to 2018, prior to serving as chief operating officer of the Health Services Division for three years.

Before joining UPMC, Davis was president of Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia, part of Tenet Healthcare Corp. She began her career at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City and subsequently spent 13 years with Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in positions of increasing responsibility, including vice president of clinical affiliations and ambulatory programs.

Davis also served as chief operating officer of Presbyterian Medical Center and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the chief marketing and planning officer for the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

I am honored to have the opportunity to lead UPMC and work with the board, our talented physicians and nurses and all the employees associated with our provider, insurance, international and enterprises businesses as we seek to offer residents of the communities we serve the very best health care services, Davis said.

I look forward to continuing to ensure that health care is accessible and affordable to our communities while driving innovation, employee engagement, academic excellence and research across all of our hospitals and practices. I am confident in our organizations future and look forward to continuing to serve our patients, our members, our employees, and our communities as UPMC soars to even greater heights in the future, she continued.

For almost 50 years, Jeffs entrepreneurial outlook has created growth and success for the UPMC-University of Pittsburgh partnership in ways that have fueled cutting-edge medical innovations while transforming health care in our region, said Patrick Gallagher, chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. UPMC has selected the right leader to follow in Jeffs footsteps, and I am excited for all of the collaborations and innovations to occur as Leslie leads UPMC forward.

Under Romoffs leadership, UPMC has evolved from a preeminent academic medical center to a fully integrated $23 billion global integrated health care delivery system. Romoff has guided UPMC to become the largest non-governmental employer in Pennsylvania and has overseen its transformation of health care by integrating academic, community and specialty hospitals, physicians, doctors offices and outpatient sites, as well as a health insurance services division that is the largest medical insurer in western Pennsylvania.

Romoff also spearheaded UPMCs international expansion, and UPMC now has global programs spanning four continents with focused efforts in China, Italy, Ireland, and Kazakhstan.
Mill Hall -- Anna Marie Kozy, 78, of Fairground Road, Mill Hall passed away peacefully at her home Monday, July 26, 2021.

She was born in Canyon, West Virginia on January 5, 1943 to the late Stanley and Anne Hegedis Florek.

Anna was united in marriage October 6, 1993 to Kenneth E. Kozy who preceded her in death June 29, 2011. She was a 1960 Graduate of Masontown High School, Masontown, Pa. Anna was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed crocheting, she had a passionate love for flowers and her pet dogs.

Survivors include two daughters; Shelia Marie (Joe) Boskovich of Spraggs, Pa. and Rhonda L. Kephart of Mill Hall. Also surviving is a sister; Margaret (John) Novacich of Point Marion, Pa., nine grandchildren, and eleven great grandchildren, as well as several nieces and nephews.

In addition to being preceded in death by her husband Ken, she was also preceded in death by two sisters; Sophie Trader, and Adeline Meo.

She retired with her husband to the Mill Hall in 1996, Anna felt blessed to have such wonderful neighbors in the Walizers and the Glicks.

Funeral Services for Anna Marie Kozy will be held on Tuesday, August 3, at 11 a.m. in the Yost-Gedon Funeral Home & Cremation Services, LLC, 121 W. Main St., Lock Haven. Officiating will be Hospice Chaplain Tom Brokaw. Interment will be in the Cedar Hill Cemetery, Lamar Township. Family and friends will be received in the funeral home from 9 a.m. until time of service.

In lieu of flowers memorials will be accepted to the American Cancer Society, 1948 E. Third St., Williamsport, PA 17741.

Online thoughts and memories can be made at www.yost-gedonfuneralhome.com or the Yost-Gedon Funeral Home Facebook page.




Muncy -- Kay S. Houseknecht, 72, of Muncy went to be with her lord and savior on Saturday, July 24, 2021.

Kay was born in Muncy on February 9, 1949, a daughter of the late Britton and Cecelia Bieber.

She was a graduate of Warrior Run High School, Class of 1967. Kay dedicated her life to being a loving, nurturing wife, mother, and friend. She was very proud of her family and enjoyed spending time with them. She embraced life and shared her kindness with generosity. Kay enjoyed cooking, baking, and was an avid reader. She delighted in traveling, playing games, and attending car races with family. Kay passionately volunteered her time at the Turbotville Community Hall.

Kay is survived by her husband of 52 years, Russell; their two daughters, Stefanie (Danny) Roberts of Aberdeen, Maryland and Amy Houseknecht of Parkdale, Oregon; a sister, Faye Wilhelm of Muncy; a brother, Fred (Donna) Bieber of Watsontown; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Kay was preceded in death by her sister Alice and her brother Larry.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, July 31, from 2 to 5 p.m. at McCarty-Thomas Funeral Home, 557 E. Water Street, Hughesville.

The family will provide the flowers and suggest memorial contributions be sent to the Turbotville Community Hall.

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.mccartythomas.com.

To plant a tree in memory of Kay Houseknecht as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.




Rome, GA (30161)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. 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

A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Rome, GA (30161)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Devin Nunes has more cash on hand than any other Republican. What does he want to do next?
Sony has announced that the next PS5 beta firmware will let users expand their storage via an NVMe SSD. The SSDs need to be PCIe Gen 4 compatible and offer a sequential read speed of at least 5,500MB/s. Drive capacities can range between 250GB and 4TB.

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Although Sony added an extra NVMe SSD on the PS5, installing a drive in it would do nothing. Sony said that it had to iron out some kinks in the software and ensure that off-the-shelf SSDs were up to spec before enabling the functionality. An earlier report speculated that the feature would be available sometime in summer. We don't have to wait any longer, though, as one can soon expand their PS5 storage with a store-bought NVMe SSD.

One needs to run the beta version of the PS5 firmware, though. Users on the stable channel may have to wait a tad longer. Follow the instructions on Sony's official website to join the PS5 beta program. It is an integral step, as your external SSD will not be recognized otherwise.

Sony has also laid out several properties that an SSD must possess to operate as an expansion drive. You can find the complete list of requirements on Sony's dedicated landing page. Some of the required specs include a sequential read speed of 5,500MB/s, PCIe Gen 4 x4 compatibility, and capacities ranging between 250GB and 4TB. It is also worth noting that M.2 SATA SSDs will not work.

IGN India did some digging and found some SSD models that fit the bill. Refer to the attached image for the list, which includes drives from ADATA, Corsair, MSI, Gigabyte, Kingston and Samsung. Do bear in mind that the list is somewhat incomplete, and there could very well be other compatible SSDs out there.

Once you have the correct hardware at hand, refer to one of the many PS5 teardown guides online to install it. Sony has one on its official YouTube page, but you can also refer to third-party sources like iFixit. There is a step-by-step guide on the landing page, although it uses illustrations instead of an actual PS5. After you've installed and formatted the SSD, you will be able to offload games onto it and take advantage of the blazing-fast load times it has to offer.

While the process of installing an external SSD on the PS5 is pretty simple, it involves some disassembly. Some of the less tech-savvy users out there might find it a tad too complicated for their liking. On the other hand, Microsoft has made it relatively easy for users to expand their storage via a plug and play drive. However, it comes at a high cost; more than one would pay for a 1TB NVMe SSD. Nonetheless, high-speed expandable storage on consoles is always a plus, given the increasing file sizes of modern-day AAA games.

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Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission representatives will address the NWI Small Business Task Force.

Christopher Harris and Marilyn Moran-Townsend will give a talk titled "Why Redistricting Matters" to small business owners across Northwest Indiana via a NWI Small Business Task Force webinar at 2 p.m. Aug. 3.

The key message on fair redistricting is that every business is working so hard to attract talent, but what we heard in our district hearings was that many of our best and brightest are leaving the state for places where they believe there is a more welcoming atmosphere ... a place where their votes really counted," Moran-Townsend said. "No business can afford to lose these prospective employees."

Moran-Townsend is a co-founder and CEO of CVC Communications in Fort Wayne. A Republican member of the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission, she previously has served as chairwoman of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

Harris serves as an independent on the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission. A graduate of the Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation, he identifies as a grassroots community advocate inspired to be active in my community through the Central District Organizing Project in the early 2010s.
Live music filled Four Winds Casino's Silver Creek Event Center recently courtesy of The Beach Boys.

The Beach Boys brought out their summer surfing hits for fans who attended the first live show since the pandemic at the New Buffalo, Michigan casino.

The group's 90-minute show starred their biggest hits, cover tunes and other songs. Mike Love and Bruce Johnston remain in the forefront of the band who hit the heights of popularity during the 1960s. Other touring members include Christian Love, Mike's son and drummer John Cowsill of the famous Cowsill Family.

The show began with hit "Do It Again" and the group then proceeded with "Surfin' Safari," "Catch A Wave" and "Hawaii."

Concerts by The Beach Boys are always fun and filled with fast-paced performances of favorite songs audience members can't help singing along to.

Among highlights of the show were performances of the ballad "Surfer Girl," "God Only Knows" by Christian Love, "Don't Worry Baby," "California Girls" and "Kokomo."

Also on the roster was a cover of The Mama & The Papas tune "California Dreamin,' which was sung by John Cowsill.
Court papers state Obermiller stopped Silich July 20 for speeding, weaving from lane to lane and driving left of the center line in the 3800 block of Roche Street, near Silichs home.

Obermiller states in a probable cause affidavit that Silich appeared intoxicated because the pupils in his eyes were contracted, his reactions were dull, his speech was slurred, and Silich was unsteady on his feet, angry and uncooperative.

Obermiller states Silich failed a field sobriety test requiring him to stand on one leg, walk and turn on command and steadily focus both eyes.

Lake Station police said July 20 that when Silich refused a breath test, the officer obtained a court order requiring Silich to submit to a blood draw at an area hospital.

Court papers dont disclose the results of the blood test.

Silich told the officer he was using the prescription medicine Hydrocodone, an opioid commonly given to people for back pain. Hydrocodone can leave the user dizzy or tired, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Silich has a prior OWI arrest in Crown Point in 2006. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving.
CROWN POINT  A man charged in a 2015 homicide will have to wait until next week to learn if a judge will grant his motion to exclude testimony from a woman at the center of his case.

Xavier R. Jones, 30, is accused of kicking his way into an apartment in the 500 block of South Vermillion Place in Gary on April 4, 2015, and fatally shooting Juble Hairston Jr.

Hairston was the boyfriend of a woman Jones once dated, according to Lake Criminal Court records.

Hairston was charged in 2015 with murder and residential entry, but he remained at large until he surrendered himself to police in March 2021.

The woman initially did not name Jones as the man who broke into her apartment carrying a gun, court records show.

The woman told police she pushed the man, he pushed her back and she fled the apartment.

During another interview with police seven days later, the woman named Jones as the suspect and picked his image out of a photo lineup, records state.
CROWN POINT  A Merrillville man could face a sentence of one to four and a half years after pleading guilty Thursday to felony charges of kidnapping, resisting law enforcement and unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle.

Dashawn D. McIntee, 24, admitted in a plea agreement he kidnapped a woman Dec. 28, 2018, after she walked out of a home in Hobart.

McIntee approached the woman with a handgun and ordered her to drive him "somewhere," but allowed her to go inside her residence to retrieve her keys, according to Lake Criminal Court records.

While inside, the woman asked a family member to call 911. She drove the man a short distance from her home before noticing police cars behind her with emergency lights activated, court records state.

McIntee initially ordered the woman to speed up, but then told her to pull into an alley in the area of 50th Avenue and Virginia Street, the affidavit says. McIntee allegedly jumped out and attempted to flee, while the woman ran back to the police cars.

Police took McIntee into custody and found an extended magazine on the floorboard of the second womans SUV, records state.
HAMMOND  A Lake County woman is being accused of cashing her dead fathers Social Security checks for the last 10 years.

A federal grand jury has indicted Elizabeth Harris, also know as Elizabeth Harris-Liuhoulo, on a felony count alleging she defrauded the Social Security Administration out of $192,659.

The U.S. attorneys office alleges the 39-year-old Gary woman stole the money while acting as representative payee for her father, Nathaniel Howard, after he became incapable of managing his own federal disability and retirement benefits.

The government alleges her father died Sept. 23, 2010, and she had a duty to inform Social Security of his death but never did.

Instead, she repeatedly submitted forms to Social Security claiming her father was still alive.

The government alleges she concealed his death so she could continue collecting and spending Social Security checks made out to Elizabeth Harris for Nathaniel Howard as well as direct deposits, in his name, to which she was not entitled.

She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, if convicted of Social Security fraud.
Strack & Van Til shoppers could go into the clinic for minor check-ups, vaccinations or COVID-19 testing, but "nothing acute" and "nothing serious," Wieser said.

The clinic would be staffed by a nurse practitioner, a nurse and a clerical staff member, and include two small exam rooms and a reception area, he said.

NorthShore estimates the clinic will serve 30 to 45 people per day, Wieser said, noting the clinic will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

"There'll be some days when they clearly know it's going to be less than 30 people, but they don't anticipate, or expect at all, that there would be more than 45 on any given day, based on their due diligence and research where they've seen this done elsewhere," he said.

Board member Dan Rohaley asked if there would be another entrance for the clinic.

Wieser replied clinic patients would enter through the grocery store.

"This isn't a facility, and it isn't going to be advertised as one, for people that are sick," Wieser said.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Ron Popeil, the quintessential TV pitchman and inventor known to generations of viewers for hawking products including the Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Showtime Rotisserie and BBQ, has died, his family said.

Popeil died suddenly and peacefully Wednesday at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his family said in a statement. He was 86. No cause of death was given.

Popeil essentially invented the popular image of the American television pitchman, whose novel products solved frustrating problems viewers didn't know they had. He popularized much of the vernacular of late-night TV ads and infomercials, with lines like Now how much would you pay? and Set it and forget it."

Popeil, whose father was also an inventor-salesman, built his ability to sell things as a young man in the open-air markets of Chicago, where he moved as a teen in the 1940s after spending his earliest years in New York and Miami.

Building on an invention of his fathers, the Chop-o-Matic, he marketed the slicing-and-chopping machine he called the Veg-O-Matic, sold by the company he founded and named after himself  Ronco.
It was an extremely small percentage ... but there were some mainly German military and Nazi things, but there was no indication that there was any animosity towards the Sikh community, or any other group for that matter, Keenan said.

Police said Hole entered the FedEx building shortly before 11 p.m. and spoke with security, then returned to his vehicle in the parking lot to retrieve the two guns used in the shooting.

Hole walked back to the employee entrance of the building, killing one FedEx employee outside. He re-entered the facility for a second time, firing his weapons at employees inside the entry area. Hole was unable to go further into the building but fired several shots at victims beyond the security gate, police said.

He was very indiscriminate in his selection of his targets, said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief Craig McCart.

As Hole left the FedEx building a second time, he continued shooting in the parking lot, striking several more victims. An unidentified employee was able to recover a personal firearm from his vehicle and fired a round at Hole in the parking lot. Hole was not struck by the round, and the employee then fled the area to call 911.
They may both support the dissemination of government secrets, but Edward J. Snowden and WikiLeaks seem to disagree on how best to do it.

On Thursday, Mr. Snowden, the former government contractor who released a trove of National Security Agency documents and now lives in exile in Russia, credited WikiLeaks, a clearinghouse for similar disclosures, with furthering the cause of transparency but also criticized its unfiltered approach.
Lawmakers have yet to release legislative text of the bill, and although the Senate voted to advance it in an initial vote on Wednesday evening, it still faces several hurdles. But if enacted, the package would mark a significant step toward repairing the nations crumbling infrastructure and preparing it for the 21st century.

Here is a look at the bipartisan groups agreement for the final package.

Funding for roads and bridges

The package provides $110 billion in new funding for roads, bridges and other major projects. The funds would be used to repair and rebuild with a focus on climate change mitigation, according to the White House.

That funding would only begin to chip away at some of the nations pressing infrastructure needs, transportation experts say. The most recent estimate by the American Society of Civil Engineers found that the nations roads and bridges have a $786 billion backlog of needed repairs.

Highway and pedestrian safety programs would receive $11 billion under the deal. Traffic deaths, which have increased during the pandemic, have taken a particular toll on people of color, according to a recent analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association. Traffic fatalities among Black people jumped 23 percent in 2020 from the year before, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In comparison, traffic fatalities among white people increased 4 percent during the same time period.

The deal also includes funding dedicated to reconnecting communities by removing freeways or other past infrastructure projects that ran through Black neighborhoods and other communities of color. Although Mr. Biden originally proposed investing $20 billion in the new program, the latest deal includes only $1 billion.
For parts of this month, Ford has had to halt or slow production of highly profitable models like the F-150 pickup truck and various sport-utility vehicles. It has also slowed production of the Mustang Mach-E, an electric vehicle that Ford has been counting on to compete with Tesla and win new customers.

The company said the supply of computer chips would improve in the second half of the year but would remain tight. One of its main suppliers, the Japanese company Renesas, is increasing its production after a fire at one of its plants this year.

Mr. Lawler said Ford raised its profit outlook because it now expects to ship 30 percent more vehicles to dealers in the second half of the year than in the first half. Some of those cars will come from the 60,000 to 70,000 vehicles that the company has already produced without electronic components. Most of those will be send to dealers this quarter, he said.

General Motors has seemed to handle the shortage better than Ford, but it too has had to cut production of profitable pickup trucks this month. G.M. reports its second quarter results on Aug. 4.

Tesla on Monday reported a record profit of $1.1 billion for the second quarter. While the company has been affected by the shortage, it has been able to switch to types of chips that are more readily available.
A day after police officers told a House panel in riveting detail about the vicious assaults they faced during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, federal authorities on Wednesday charged a Brooklyn plumber  himself a former candidate for office  with being in the angry mob.

The plumber, Daniel Christmann, attracted scrutiny after posting images online that showed him inside the Capitol and telling associates he had stormed the halls of Congress and had been scaling walls, according to court documents. Asked by a friend whether he had entered the building, Mr. Christmann said, according to the documents, How could I not?

Mr. Christmann, 38, was charged in a complaint with four counts that accuse him of being in the Capitol illegally as the riot unfolded. He was released from custody on his own recognizance after appearing before a federal magistrate judge on Wednesday.

A lawyer for Mr. Christmann, Michelle Gelernt, declined to comment on the charges.

The case against Mr. Christmann is among the latest to be brought amid what a federal prosecutor described during the hearing on Wednesday as the largest prosecution the Justice Department has ever undertaken.
Her departure comes as the investigation, which is being led by two outside lawyers  Joon H. Kim, a former federal prosecutor, and Anne L. Clark, a prominent employment lawyer  may be entering its final phases. Investigators questioned Mr. Cuomo earlier this month after having interrogated many of his closest aides and allies. They are expected to publish their findings in a public report.

Investigators have already interviewed Ms. Mogul, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. It was unclear whether Ms. DesRosiers has been interviewed, but she has been on maternity leave since December and was replaced earlier this year as chief of staff, the administration announced in May. She declined to comment this week.

Other high-level officials, including Covid-19 advisers and staff from the communications office, have left the governors office in recent months since the administration became engulfed in scandals and investigations, including a separate impeachment inquiry underway in the State Assembly.

The attorney generals investigation is also looking more broadly at the workplace culture in the governors office and whether officials followed proper protocols in responding to sexual harassment complaints, people familiar with the matter have said.

Debra Katz, Ms. Bennetts lawyer, said in a letter to the attorney general in March that during Ms. Bennetts meeting on June 30, 2020, with Ms. DesRosiers and Ms. Mogul, she said she believed Mr. Cuomo was grooming her for sex. Ms. Katz said that Ms. Bennett believed Ms. Mogul took notes during the conversation and said that both women had described Mr. Cuomos behavior as inappropriate.

The three women spoke over the phone the following day, Ms. Katz said in the letter, and Ms. Bennett expressed reservations about bringing a complaint against Mr. Cuomo. Ms. Katz said Ms. Mogul told Ms. Bennett that no investigation was warranted because the governor had only groomed her for sex but had not actually sexually harassed her.

Ms. Moguls lawyer, Elkan Abramowitz, said his client flatly denies that she ever said to Ms. Bennett that the governor was grooming her for sex, adding that Ms. Katzs statement to that effect is false.
Forsythias owner, Jacob Siwak, said in an interview on Wednesday that a well-dressed man wearing a beanie and a scarf had tried to light the restaurants outdoor structure ablaze four times over the course of at least nine days in January.

Security-camera footage showed the man unpacking his backpack, placing a pile of kindling next to trash that had been out from the night before and then repeatedly setting the kindling on fire, Mr. Siwak said. The man waited for a sizable fire to burn before walking off.

Before he reviewed the security footage, Mr. Siwak said he was expecting it to be a guy that flicked a cigarette butt in the trash or a homeless man trying to keep warm. Instead, he discovered a nattily dressed man intent on setting fire to his business.

Several of the mans attempts to burn the shed were successful, and two were pretty damaging, Mr. Siwak said. Another resulted in flames that were at least two stories high and threatened to spread to the restaurant and from there to the rest of the building.

The restaurant spent about $3,500 to repair the shed, which had to be rebuilt after both ends burned down completely, Mr. Siwak said, adding that the structure was now fire retardant.

The damage was less severe at Prince Street Pizza, said Tony Sosa, the manager, but he added that it could have been very dangerous, especially if the fire had spread to the restaurant and the apartments above.

A native of Illinois, Mr. Ganzer moved to New York about a dozen years ago, according to a 2017 article in The Daily Journal of Kankakee, Ill., which noted that Food & Wine magazine had just named him one of its sommeliers of the year.
Some of those rocks settled into the gap between Mars and Jupiter and became the asteroid belt. Most of the material is believed to be fairly similar hunks of inactive rock that failed to form planets.

But then there are two objects called 203 Pompeja and 269 Justitia.

They orbit at about 2.7 and 2.6 times the Earth-sun distance, well within the asteroid belt. 203 Pompeja, at about 70 miles across, appears to be structurally intact, whereas 269 Justitia, only 35 miles or so, is likely a fragment of a previous collision. Both have stable circular orbits, meaning they must have settled into this space long ago.

Both also have an unusual color. Objects in the inner solar system tend to reflect more blue light because they are devoid of organic material  things like carbon and methane  whereas objects in the outer solar system are redder because they have a lot of organics, perhaps the building blocks of life on Earth.

In order to have these organics, you need to initially have a lot of ice at the surface, said Michael Marsset from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a co-author on the paper. So they must have formed in a very cold environment. Then the solar irradiation of the ice creates those complex organics.

These two rocks, as it turns out, are extremely red  more red than anything else seen in the asteroid belt. While tentative hints of other red asteroids have been found, these two appear to be special.
Local Jewish newspapers refused to publish photos of her, citing Jewish custom that expects men to guard their eyes against potentially immodest images. So Ms. Adler found a workaround: She had a 20-foot billboard made, plastered with an image of herself and her sons, and hired someone to drive it around surrounding neighborhoods, including Flatbush and Midwood, while playing an ice cream truck-like campaign jingle  Amber Adler, here for us! Affordable child care, housing too! She chuckled when friends flooded her WhatsApp messages with photos of the billboard parked in various locations around the area.

That enthusiasm, though, was the exception. Many of the comments Ms. Adler received were sharp and personal, focused less on her politics and more on her family situation.

In 2016, after struggling for years in a relationship she said was abusive, Ms. Adler requested a religious divorce, called a get, from her husband. In Orthodox Judaism, only the man can grant permission for a religious separation. Two years later, her husband agreed to grant her the get, and it took two more years of arbitration before Ms. Adler was granted full legal custody of her sons, now 9 and 7.

On the heels of her experience, Ms. Adler went on to become an advocate for the hundreds of Orthodox women whose husbands refuse to grant them divorces in the religious system; they are known as agunot, which means chained. Ms. Adler started a petition urging the New York State legislature to make coercive control a Class E felony, which now awaits a vote in the State Assembly.

To some men in the community, this work was all the more reason to brand Ms. Adler a rabble rouser. The movement ruffled the feathers of people who had been exploiting their ability to grasp control over their ex, she said, adding that many men in the community had grown accustomed to using their power in divorce proceedings as a kind of bargaining chip to get what they wanted from their exes, whether financially or in terms of child custody.

But Ms. Adlers advocacy also stirred emotional responses. On Election Day, Ms. Adler was standing outside a polling site near an affordable housing complex when an older Orthodox woman  modestly dressed, with a wig and hat covering her hair  stopped to thank her.

Image A campaign ad featured Ms. Adlers children holding up a sign saying, Vote 4 Mommy. Credit... Yana Paskova for The New York Times

We need you to keep fighting, the woman said, according to Ms. Adler. So that everyone knows we have a way out of a marriage.
Wisconsins governor declared a state of emergency on Thursday after severe thunderstorms with the potential to produce hurricane-force winds swept across the southern part of the state and elsewhere in the Midwest overnight.

Last nights storms affected communities from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, leaving many regions with widespread damage, Gov. Tony Evers said when issuing an executive order declaring the state of emergency, which directs state agencies to provide assistance and would allow members of the Wisconsin National Guard to help if needed.

The order said that heavy rainfall and large hail had caused damage in several counties, and that tornadoes had been reported. The National Weather Service later said that its preliminary investigation had confirmed that a tornado touched down near Concord, Wis., west of Milwaukee.
WASHINGTON  President Biden will formally announce on Thursday that all civilian federal employees must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel, two people familiar with the presidents plans said on Wednesday.

White House officials said the administration was still reviewing details of the policy, which the president is expected to announce in a speech from the White House. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Biden said his remarks would reveal the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated.

The presidents move is expected to be similar to an announcement on Wednesday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, who said tens of thousands of state employees would be required to show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing. Mr. Cuomo also said that patient facing health care workers at state-run hospitals would be required to be vaccinated as a condition of their employment.

Other governments around the country are beginning to put in place similar arrangements as well, as the highly contagious Delta variant has caused cases to balloon in recent weeks. New York City announced this week that it would require all 300,000 city employees to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. California also unveiled a plan to require vaccinations for state employees.
WASHINGTON  The Justice Department on Wednesday sent another warning shot to Republican state legislatures that have initiated private audits of voting tabulations broadly viewed as efforts to cast doubt on the results of the presidential election.

The department warned that auditors could face criminal and civil penalties if they destroy any records related to the election or intimidate voters in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 and federal laws prohibiting voter intimidation.

The admonishment came in election-related guidance documents issued as part of the departments larger plan to protect access to the polls, announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June. Another document released on Wednesday outlined federal laws on how ballots are cast and said that the department could scrutinize states that revert to prepandemic voting procedures, which may not have allowed as many people to vote early or by mail.

The warning was the Justice Departments latest effort to alert state lawmakers that their audits could run afoul of federal law. Department officials cautioned the Republican-led Arizona State Senate in May that its audit and recount of the November election in Maricopa County, widely seen as a partisan exercise to fuel grievances over Donald J. Trumps election loss, may be in violation of the Civil Rights Act.
The deal still faces several obstacles to becoming law, including being turned into formal legislative text and clearing final votes in the closely divided Senate and House. But the vote was a victory for a president who has long promised to break through the partisan gridlock gripping Congress and accomplish big things supported by members of both political parties.

If enacted, the measure would be the largest infusion of federal money into the public works system in more than a decade.

The compromise, which was still being written on Wednesday, includes $110 billion for roads, bridges and major projects; $66 billion for passenger and freight rail; $39 billion for public transit; $65 billion for broadband; $17 billion for ports and waterways; and $46 billion to help states and cities prepare for droughts, wildfires, flooding and other consequences of climate change, according to a White House official who detailed it on the condition of anonymity.

In a lengthy statement, Mr. Biden hailed the deal as the most significant long-term investment in our infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century.

He also framed it as vindication of his belief in bipartisanship.

Neither side got everything they wanted in this deal, Mr. Biden said. But thats what it means to compromise and forge consensus  the heart of democracy. As the deal goes to the entire Senate, there is still plenty of work ahead to bring this home. There will be disagreements to resolve and more compromise to forge along the way.
Covid-19: C.D.C. Reverses Testing Advice for Fully Vaccinated Anyone who has been potentially exposed to the virus should get tested, the C.D.C. now says. Previous guidance recommended testing only for fully vaccinated people who were symptomatic. Follow our latest coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

The C.D.C. now says fully vaccinated people should get tested after exposure even if they dont show symptoms. A medical technician administered a coronavirus test to a walk-in patient at a mobile testing site in Palmetto, Fla., last week. Credit... Octavio Jones for The New York Times In addition to revising its mask guidance on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also quietly updated its testing recommendations for people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The agency now advises that vaccinated people be tested for the virus if they come into contact with someone with Covid-19, even if they have no symptoms. Previously, the health agency had said that fully vaccinated people did not need to be tested after exposure to the virus unless they were experiencing symptoms. Our updated guidance recommends vaccinated people get tested upon exposure regardless of symptoms, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the agencys director, said in an email to The New York Times. Testing is widely available. Fully vaccinated people should wear a mask in public indoor spaces after exposure, the agency said. Three to five days later, they should be tested for the virus. If the results come back negative, they can stop wearing masks indoors. If results are positive, the infected should isolate at home for 10 days. Although people who are fully vaccinated may still get infected with the virus, these breakthrough infections tend to be mild or asymptomatic. The vaccines authorized in the United States provide strong protection against the worst outcomes, including severe disease, hospitalization and death, including from the Delta variant. The new testing recommendation came on the same day that the agency recommended that fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors under some circumstances. When levels of community transmission are high, everyone, regardless of vaccination status, should wear masks indoors when they are in public, the agency now says. The agency also recommended that vaccinated people in close contact with unvaccinated people, including children under age 12, consider wearing masks in public indoor spaces whatever the transmission rates in the local community. In a shift, the agency also recommended universal masking in schools. For months, the C.D.C. had resisted recommending masks for vaccinated people, even as the highly contagious Delta variant spread and the World Health Organization recommended continued mask wearing. The change was prompted by new data suggesting that even vaccinated people who are infected by Delta may carry large amounts of the virus and transmit it to others, Dr. Walensky said at a news briefing on Tuesday. Apoorva Mandavilli contributed reporting.

Mississippi cites astounding rise in Covid-19 cases as Delta variant spreads. Covid-19 vaccinations being offered Tuesday at the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium on the Jackson State University campus in Jackson, Miss. The state is seeing a steep rise in cases and deaths. Credit... Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press Mississippis top state health officials warned on Wednesday of an astounding rise in Covid-19 cases that threatens to overwhelm some hospitals intensive care units. They ordered hospitals to forgo some elective surgeries and to adhere to a plan to transfer patients to other facilities with available beds when necessary. The number of Covid-19 infections in the past two weeks was well over double the number recorded for the first half of July, the officials said at a news conference. Deaths rose by 51 percent over the same period and now average between three and four a day, according to the statistics presented. Statewide, the statistics showed, more than 300 Covid-19 patients were in intensive care or on a ventilator, compared with a few dozen at the start of the month. Where intensive care units are full, some patients are being treated in emergency rooms, the officials said. Rampant misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines is undercutting the states efforts, said Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the state health officer. Were going to make the vaccine available, but you know, theres a mountain of opposition to us from some folks, he said. We have gotten ourselves into this mess together, and we need to get ourselves out together. While the national outlook is also worsening quickly, Mississippi is one of a handful of states where the rate of infections is skyrocketing. Fewer than one half of adults have received at least one shot, putting the state at the bottom of the nations vaccination rate ranks and rendering much of its population vulnerable to the highly contagious Delta variant. Dr. Dobbs said the flood of Covid-19 patients means hospitals in the state must forgo elective surgeries that require overnight stays and must be prepared to fly Covid-19 patients to other facilities if beds run short. He said that many health professionals are absolutely worn out from previous surges and that some hospital nurses are quitting  a trend that could make it harder to handle the ongoing spike. Dr. Paul Byers, the state epidemiologist, called the rise in the number of daily infections astounding. He cited 72 long-term-care facilities where unvaccinated staffers have been largely spreading the virus, but he also mentioned settings like summer schools and cheerleading camps. He said he expects cases to continue to escalate in the coming weeks. Asked to identify where in the state outbreaks are most severe, he said: We are covered up with outbreaks.

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Nationals postpone M.L.B. game after 4 players and 8 staff members test positive. The bad news for baseball fans, posted outside the ballpark in Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Phillies-Nationals game was postponed by a coronavirus outbreak. Credit... Laurence Kesterson/Associated Press The Washington Nationals postponed their Wednesday night game against the Philadelphia Phillies after a dozen players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement, the Nationals said the game was postponed to allow for continued testing and contact tracing involving members of the Nationals organization. The wave of infections came after a Nationals shortstop, Trea Turner, left during the first inning of Tuesday nights game against the Phillies after testing positive for the virus. Dave Martinez, manager of the Nationals, told reporters that four players, including Turner, and eight staff members were among the positive cases, ESPN reported. Mr. Martinez also told reporters he believed that one of the dozen cases was a person who is unvaccinated, according to ESPN. The Nationals are among many M.L.B. teams that have been able to loosen safety protocols after reaching the 85 percent vaccination threshold set by the league. Players and coaches on these teams do not have to wear masks in the dugout or bullpen during games, can work out without masks in weight rooms and are subject to less frequent testing for the virus. The Nationals had an outbreak at the beginning of the season that forced a series against the New York Mets to be postponed in April after four Nationals players and a staff member tested positive. This month, after several New York Yankees players tested positive, that team had to postpone its July 15 game against the Boston Red Sox. The Nationals and Phillies are set to make up the Wednesday game as part of a doubleheader on Thursday.

The F.D.A. extends the Johnson & Johnson vaccines shelf life to six months. Administering a shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Milan on Wednesday. The single-dose formula can be stored in normal refrigeration. Credit... Antonio Calanni/Associated Press The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday agreed to allow Johnson & Johnson to extend the shelf life of its coronavirus vaccine to six months. The F.D.A.s decision came as state health officials in the United States were growing increasingly concerned that doses of the vaccine would expire and go to waste. The vaccines were previously set to expire after four and a half months. In a letter, the F.D.A. said its decision was applicable to batches that might have expired prior to the issuance of this concurrence letter and had been stored at the proper temperature, 2-8 degrees Celsius, or 35.6-46.4 Fahrenheit. The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be stored in normal refrigeration, which has helped states reach more isolated communities where it may be difficult to manage a two-dose vaccine like those made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Both of those must be stored at much lower temperatures. As of Wednesday, more than 13 million Americans had received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been the most widely administered in the United States, with more than 87 million Americans fully vaccinated with it. More than 63 million people in the United States have been fully vaccinated with the Moderna formula.

Biden plans to announce all civilian federal workers must be vaccinated or face testing. President Biden on Tuesday. Credit... T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times President Biden will formally announce on Thursday that all civilian federal employees must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, masking requirements and restrictions on most travel, two people familiar with the presidents plans said Wednesday. White House officials said the administration is still reviewing the specific details of the policy, which the president is expected to announce in a speech from the White House. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Biden said his remarks will reveal the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated. The presidents move is expected to be similar to an announcement on Wednesday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, who said that tens of thousands of state employees would be required to show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing. Mr. Cuomo also said that patient-facing health care workers at state-run hospitals would be required to be vaccinated as a condition of their employment. Two days earlier, New York City announced that all 300,000 municipal employees must be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. The federal plan will not force employees to get a shot unless they work directly with patients at hospitals run by the Veterans Affairs department. But public health officials are hoping that the prospect of extra burdens for the unvaccinated will help convince more people to get one. Mr. Bidens decision to embrace stricter vaccine rules for federal workers follow days of deliberations and reflect growing concern among top federal health officials about the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, which poses a special threat to children, older Americans and those with weakened immune systems, including cancer patients. But that concern, officials said, must be balanced against the threat of a backlash that could drive opposition to vaccination. Recent research has shown that vaccines remain effective against the worst outcomes of Covid-19, including those involving the Delta variant. Asked by a reporter on Tuesday whether he would require vaccinations for the nations nearly two million federal workers, Mr. Biden was blunt. Thats under consideration right now, he said, adding, But if youre not vaccinated, youre not nearly as smart as I thought you were. Mr. Biden did not provide details, but administration officials said the idea being debated was similar to the New York City mandate. It was not clear if Mr. Biden was planning something similar for the military, although he does have the authority to do so. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has said he would not be comfortable with a mandate until the Food and Drug Administration had fully approved the vaccine. The officials said that this was not a matter of simply firing federal employees who refused to be vaccinated, but that the government could add burdens or restrictions  like extensive testing or a ban on all but essential travel  for those who did not willingly get the protections. They said there was evidence that making life inconvenient for those who refuse the vaccine works reasonably well to increase inoculation rates. The move underscores the need by Mr. Biden and his top health advisers to grapple with the limits of his legal authority when it comes to forcing Americans to be vaccinated. Aides say the president has no power to order all Americans to get a shot, nor can he require children to be vaccinated as a condition of attending school; that is a function reserved for state or local governments.

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Citing new data, Pfizer outlined a case for booster shots, but theres a debate over whether theyre needed. A student received a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Family Life Academy Charter School Middle School in the Bronx on Tuesday. Credit... James Estrin/The New York Times Pfizer reported on Wednesday that the power of its two-dose Covid vaccine wanes slightly over time, but nonetheless offers lasting and robust protection against serious disease. The company suggested that a third shot could improve immunity, but whether boosters will be widely needed is far from settled, the subject of heated debate among scientists. So far, federal health officials have said boosters for the general population are unnecessary. And experts questioned whether vaccinated people should get more doses when so many people have yet to be immunized at all. Theres not enough evidence right now to support that that is somehow the best use of resources, said Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at Emory University in Atlanta. Still, the findings raise questions about how much the Pfizer vaccine will prevent infection in the months to come. And with coronavirus cases surging again in many states, the data may influence the Biden administrations deliberations about delivering boosters for older people. If third shots are cleared for the general population, the boosters would likely represent a multi-billion-dollar business for Pfizer. In a study posted online but not yet peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal, Pfizer and BioNTech scientists reported that the vaccine had a sky-high efficacy rate of about 96 percent against symptomatic Covid-19 for the first two months following the second dose. But the figure declined by about 6 percent every two months after that, falling to 83.7 percent after about four to six months. Against severe disease, however, the vaccines efficacy held steady at about 97 percent. Its not a big drop, but it is noteworthy, Dr. Dean said. Overall, they find that the vaccine is still performing very well, at very high efficacy. The study period ended before the rise of the Delta variant, the highly contagious version of the virus that now dominates in the United States and makes vaccines somewhat less effective against infection. The findings come from 42,000 volunteers in six countries who participated in a clinical trial that Pfizer and BioNTech began last July. Half of the volunteers got the vaccine, while the other half received a placebo. Both groups received two shots spaced three weeks apart. The researchers compared the number of people in each group who developed symptoms of Covid-19, which was then confirmed by a P.C.R. virus test. When the companies announced their first batch of results, the vaccine showed an efficacy against symptomatic Covid-19 of 95 percent. In other words, the risk of getting sick was reduced by 95 percent in the group that got the vaccine, compared with the group that got the placebo. That result  the first for any Covid-19 vaccine  brought an exhilarating dose of hope to the world in December when it was riding what had been the biggest wave of the pandemic. Since then, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has made up the majority of shots that Americans have received, with more than 191 million doses given so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In the new study, the researchers followed the volunteers for six months after vaccination, up to March 13. Over the entire period, the researchers estimated, the vaccines efficacy was 91.5 percent against symptomatic Covid-19. (The study did not measure the rate of asymptomatic virus infections.) But within that period, efficacy did gradually drop. Between one week and two months after the second dose, the figure was 96.2 percent. In the period from two to four months following vaccination, efficacy fell to 90.1 percent. From four months after vaccination to the March cutoff, the figure was 83.7 percent. Those figures still describe a remarkably effective vaccine, however, and may not convince critics that booster shots are widely needed. Earlier on Wednesday, Pfizer reported that a third dose of its vaccine significantly increases blood levels of antibodies against several versions of the virus, including the Delta variant. Results were similar for antibodies produced against the original virus and the Beta variant, which was first identified in South Africa. Pfizer and BioNTech expect to publish more definitive research in the coming weeks. The announcement was a preliminary snapshot of data contained in an earnings statement. The finding has not been peer-reviewed nor published in a scientific journal. And although antibody levels are an important measure of immunity, they are not the only metric. The body has other defenses that turn back infection. Pfizer also said in its statement that vaccines for children ages 5 through 11 years could be available as early as the end of September. The vaccine is already authorized in the United States for everyone ages 12 and up. Pfizers vaccine brought in $7.8 billion in revenue in the last three months, the company said, and is on track to generate more than $33.5 billion this year. The vaccine is poised to generate more sales in a single year than any previous medical product, and by a wide margin. The sales figures are poised to translate into billions of dollars in profit for the drugmaker. Carl Zimmer, Apoorva Mandavilli, Sharon LaFraniere and

Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California will require masks indoors again. Orange County, Fla., home to Disney World, has issued a state of emergency due to rising cases. Credit... John Raoux/Associated Press Starting Friday, Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California will require all guests older than 2 to wear masks in indoor spaces, reversing its policy that allowed fully vaccinated guests to go without them. The change was announced after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended on Tuesday that Americans, regardless of vaccination status, wear face masks in indoor public spaces in areas of the country with high rates of virus transmission. Mayor Jerry L. Demings of Orange County, Fla., where Disney World is located, signed an executive order on Wednesday declaring a state of local emergency as cases rose in the county and said that all nonunion county employees must be fully vaccinated by the end of September. I urge residents and visitors  vaccinated and unvaccinated  to wear a mask while indoors and to follow updated C.D.C. guidelines, Mr. Demings wrote on Twitter. Florida bars its counties from enforcing mask mandates. Over the past two weeks, coronavirus infections in the county have increased by 184 percent, and hospitalizations have risen by 116 percent, according to a New York Times database. Disney Worlds new policy could draw some backlash from Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican, who has opposed any new restrictions and who defiantly criticized the new C.D.C. guidance about mask-wearing indoors and in schools. I think its very important we say, unequivocally, No to lockdowns, no to school closures, no to restrictions, no mandates, Mr. DeSantis said in Salt Lake City at a gathering of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative lobbying group. In Florida, which has never imposed a statewide mask mandate and has recently seen a sharp rise in virus cases and hospitalizations, the public university system issued a letter on Wednesday strongly urging students to be vaccinated before classes start in the fall. And the new mask guidance from the C.D.C. prompted Miami-Dade County to reinstitute an indoor mask mandate at county facilities. Mr. DeSantis has said that he thinks mask requirements are counterproductive. I get a little bit frustrated when I see some of these jurisdictions saying, Even if youre healthy and vaccinated, you must wear a mask because were seeing increased cases, he said on July 21. Understand what that message is sending to people who arent vaccinated: Its telling them that the vaccines dont work. I think thats the worst message that you can send to people at this time. Resuming indoor mask rules is less politically fraught in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has said he planned to work closely with the C.D.C. Mr. Newsom announced earlier this week that the state would require two million health care workers and 246,000 state employees to get vaccinated or undergo frequent testing starting next month. Disney was not the only company that reversed course in response to the C.D.C.s advice. Apple said it would start requiring employees and customers, regardless of their vaccination status, to wear masks in certain stores across the country.

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State workers in New York must be vaccinated or get weekly tests, Cuomo says. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York announced a vaccine or testing mandate for all public employees on Wednesday. Credit... Mary Altaffer/Associated Press Responding to lagging vaccination rates and a rise in coronavirus cases, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Wednesday that New Yorks tens of thousands of state employees would be required to show proof of vaccination or face weekly testing. The governor also announced a much stricter mandate for state-run hospitals, saying that all patient-facing health care workers at those facilities would be required to be vaccinated, without the option of regular testing instead. Mr. Cuomos announcement comes two days after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a similar requirement for New York Citys government work force of 300,000 employees. Much of the nation is grappling with the rapid spread of the Delta coronavirus variant. Earlier this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California announced his own requirement that would cover 246,000 state government employees, as well as two million health care workers in the public and private sectors. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will require all workers and volunteers at state-operated facilities to be fully vaccinated or receive an approved medical or religious exemption by Sept. 30, according to a statement sent to The New York Times on Wednesday. Officials did not respond to questions about whether those with exemptions will be required to undergo testing. President Biden plans to formally announce on Thursday that all civilian federal employees must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel, two people familiar with the presidents plans said Wednesday. Such a policy would be a stark shift for a president who has grappled with the authority he has to force Americans to get vaccinated. Mr. Biden is expected to say more about his plans later this week. The increasing support among government officials for vaccine mandates, which have met with pushback from some unions, underscores their concern with a far more contagious variant that poses a special threat to children, and older and unvaccinated people. Were working with our unions to implement this quickly and fairly, Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, said during remarks to a state business group on Wednesday. The new state policy will go into effect by Labor Day, he said. Earlier this week, Mr. Cuomo had shied away from imposing such a requirement on the states work force, arguing that most public-facing employees were municipal workers, and suggesting it was more of a decision for localities. But Mr. Cuomos shift in stance appeared inevitable following Mr. de Blasios announcement and news that a similar move was under consideration at the federal level. Mr. Cuomo highlighted the urgency behind the change, noting the steady rise in coronavirus cases statewide: About 2,200 new cases were reported on Tuesday, up from 275 on a month ago, on June 28. Currently, most New York State employees are not subject to regular testing, except for those working in some congregate settings like colleges and universities. For example, staff and faculty members at the State University of New York and the City University of New York are required to get tested for the coronavirus weekly unless they are fully vaccinated, a policy similar to the one Mr. de Blasio announced this week. The public universities will require proof of vaccination from students attending in-person classes once the Food and Drug Administration fully approves the vaccines, although that could be months away. The vaccines are now being administered under an emergency use authorization. Dan Levin contributed reporting.

All of New York City falls under the C.D.C. guidelines for indoor masking. Most people wore masks at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on Tuesday. Credit... Brittainy Newman for The New York Times All of New York City currently exceeds the threshold for coronavirus transmission outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday in its guidance recommending that vaccinated people resume wearing masks in public indoor spaces in areas where the virus is raging. Agency officials said that Americans should wear masks indoors in parts of the country that have recorded more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents over the previous week, or where more than 8 percent of tests are positive for infection over that period. All five counties in New York City fall under those parameters. Staten Island, which has again become a virus hot spot and has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the city, recorded 109 cases per 100,000 residents last week, according to the C.D.C. In Brooklyn and Manhattan, 78.1 and 70.4 cases were recorded, respectively, while the Bronx (58.6) and Queens (56.4) are both closer to the 50-case benchmark set by the C.D.C. The agencys recommendations are not binding, and on Wednesday, it remained unclear whether New York City would alter its mask requirements to reflect the new guidelines. Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference that the city was still evaluating the guidance and the research and data that underpinned it. We got it less than 24 hours ago, and it is complicated information, Mr. de Blasio said. So our health team is reviewing and well have more to say on it in the next few days. As they weighed the C.D.C.s suggestions, city health officials continued to urge residents to get vaccinated. Starting Friday, the city will give $100 to residents who get their first dose of a vaccine at city-run vaccination sites. Mr. de Blasio has in recent days emphasized the need for vaccine mandates as the pace of inoculations has slowed in the city. But on Wednesday, he said that the city still believed incentives could work hand-in-hand with more forceful vaccine guidance. There are a huge number of New Yorkers open to vaccination but just havent quite gotten there, he said. I think when someone says heres $100 for you, thats going to make a big impact. Officials at the C.D.C. also called for universal masking in schools, a policy that New York Citys public school system, the nations largest, had already said it would keep in place. Currently, vaccinated individuals are largely not required to wear masks in New York State, though they are required on the citys buses, subways and trains.

Google mandates vaccines for employees and delays its return to the office to October. Googles campus in Mountain View, Calif. The company will delay its return to office and mandate vaccines for its workers. Credit... Christie Hemm Klok for The New York Times Google said Wednesday that it would require employees who returned to the companys offices to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. It also said it would push back its official return-to-office date to mid-October from September, joining a host of other companies whose plans have been scrambled in recent days by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Alphabet, Googles parent company, announced the news in a note to employees, which was reviewed by The New York Times. Getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy in the months ahead, Mr. Pichai wrote. He added that the vaccine mandate would apply to U.S. office locations in the coming weeks and to other regions in the coming months. Google has more than 144,000 employees globally. A Google spokeswoman said the company did not have any current vaccination rates to share, though Mr. Pichai wrote that it was encouraging to see very high vaccination rates among employees in places where vaccines were widely available. Mr. Pichai also said in the note that Googles voluntary work-from-home policy was being extended through Oct. 18. Previously, employees had been planning to return in September, though no specific date had been set. We recognize that many Googlers are seeing spikes in their communities caused by the Delta variant and are concerned about returning to the office, Mr. Pichai wrote. This extension will allow us time to ramp back into work while providing flexibility for those who need it. The decision followed a similar announcement from Apple, which said last week that it would push back to October, from September, the date by which employees would need to return to its offices. The companies are among many in tech that are changing their office plans as coronavirus cases spike. Lyft said on Wednesday that it would not require employees to return to the office until February, while Twitter said it would close its newly reopened offices in San Francisco and New York and indefinitely postpone other reopening plans. Some Google employees have been returning to work in the office on a voluntary basis. In California, as the Delta variant of the coronavirus has surged, workers began donning masks in Google offices again. Silicon Valley tech companies like Google led the push to remote work in the beginning of the pandemic, but Google has not fully pivoted away from office work, and it has said it expects most employees to eventually return to in-person work at least three days a week. The company said in March that it would spend $1 billion on California developments this year, including two office complexes in Mountain View. It is also building a 7.3 million-square-foot office space in San Jose. Kellen Browning, Erin Woo and

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Latin America risks other outbreaks as Covid interferes with prevention and treatment. A child receiving a yellow fever vaccine in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2018. Routine childhood vaccinations have dropped off in Latin America since the pandemic began. Credit... Andre Penner/Associated Press The coronavirus pandemic is opening the way for other preventable diseases to surge across Latin America and the Caribbean, interfering with routine inoculations and medical treatment in one of the worlds hardest-hit regions, World Health Organization officials warned on Wednesday. There has been a sharp decline in measles vaccinations throughout the region, and a recent survey found that the pandemic had slowed efforts to diagnose and treat viral hepatitis B and C infections throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 300,000 children, mostly in Brazil and Mexico, missed out on their routine immunizations last year, leaving them vulnerable to deadly yet preventable infections, said Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, a part of the W.H.O. If we do not reverse these trends, we risk an avalanche of worsening health issues in the Americas, she added. Soon, Covid-19 will not be the only health crisis demanding countries attention. Though overall caseloads have declined in the region since the spring, Covid-19 continues to take a devastating toll, and several Latin American nations, including Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador and Paraguay are among the countries reporting the worlds highest weekly death rates, Dr. Etienne said at a weekly briefing. She warned that too many places have relaxed the public health and safety measures that have proven so effective against this virus. Officials voiced particular concern about Cuba, which is reporting its highest rates of new cases and deaths since the pandemic began. Hot spots have also been detected in parts of Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, and new cases have risen sharply in the United States. Though vaccines have been plentiful in the United States, Canada, Chile, Uruguay and a few other countries in the Americas, they have been scarce elsewhere. Only one-sixth of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean has been fully vaccinated. One of the most extreme examples is Haiti, which was only recently able to begin its vaccination campaign after a donation of shots from the United States.

Biden administration undoes a Trump policy that severely restricted penalties imposed on unsafe nursing homes. Maureen McKinneys husband was one of fifteen residents who died from a coronavirus outbreak at the Prestige Post-Acute and Rehab Center in Ellensburg, Wash. Credit... Chona Kasinger for The New York Times As the Delta variant raises fresh concerns about the safety of the nations nursing homes, the Biden administration has quietly reversed a Trump administration policy that limited the fines levied on facilities that endangered or injured residents. Deaths in nursing homes account for nearly one-third of the U.S. pandemics overall death toll. They peaked at the end of last year, but have plummeted since the introduction of the Covid-19 vaccines. Even so, advocates and some officials say, inadequate staffing, shortages of protective equipment and poor infection control remain concerns at the nations 14,000 skilled nursing facilities. While 81 percent of nursing home residents are now fully vaccinated, only 58 percent of workers in the homes are immunized, according to federal data, heightening the risk of outbreaks even among vaccinated residents. There are signs of a creeping rise in infections in nursing homes, particularly among workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the source of outbreaks in Colorado nursing homes where vaccination rates may be low. The policy favoring lower penalties, adopted in 2017 by the Trump administration, directed regulators at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to shift away from fining a nursing home for each day it is out of compliance with federal standards. The relaxed policy reduced many penalties to a single fine, effectively lowering the penalties to a maximum of $22,000, instead of amounts running into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many of the nursing homes that are cited for poor infection controls, failing to protect residents from avoidable accidents, neglect, mistreatment and bedsores, are repeat offenders. Larger fines act as a deterrent and are more likely to signal strong enforcement of the rules, according to Toby Edelman, a senior policy attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy.

Vaccinated U.S. and E.U. travelers can travel to England and Scotland without quarantining. Travelers at Heathrow airport in London last month. Credit... Andy Rain/EPA, via Shutterstock Fully vaccinated travelers from the United States and most of the European Union will be allowed to enter England and Scotland without quarantining upon arrival starting Aug. 2, the British authorities said on Wednesday, as they sought to attract tourists after months of restrictions. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that he wanted Americans to travel to England freely. The Scottish government quickly followed Londons lead. Last week, the British government relaxed all but a handful of restrictions in England despite a major surge in infections. Cases have since declined, surprising experts and government officials who had expected them to keep rising. On Twitter, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, wrote, Were helping reunite people living in the U.S. and European countries with their family and friends in U.K. As of Aug. 2, the rules will apply equally to travelers from the United States and most of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland if they have been vaccinated with shots authorized by either American or European drug regulators, Mr. Shapps said. The exception is travelers from France, who will still have to self-isolate for 10 days. He said travelers will need a negative coronavirus test before a trip and another upon arrival. The government has been criticized for discriminating between travelers who were vaccinated in Britain and those inoculated elsewhere, without any medical justification. Vaccinated people arriving in England from most amber list countries, those with moderately high transmission, have been required to self-isolate  unless they received their shots in Britain. Most European countries have opened to American tourists after the European Union recommended lifting a ban on nonessential travel last month. Yet E.U. and British residents are still mostly banned from traveling to the United States unless they are U.S. citizens. The Biden administration said on Monday that it would continue to restrict the entry of Europeans and others into the United States, citing concerns that infected travelers may contribute to a further spread of the very contagious Delta variant. The State Department is advising American travelers not to go to Britain, Spain or Portugal, and to reconsider travel to other parts of Western Europe. Few experts are willing to draw definitive conclusions from the overall decline in cases in Britain over the past week, which could reflect transient factors like the school summer break, the end of the European soccer championships or fewer tests being administered. But if the trend is sustained, it raises a tantalizing prospect that Mr. Johnson may have bet correctly that the country could withstand a return to normalcy, even with the Delta variant circulating widely. Mark Landler contributed reporting.

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The U.S. House of Representatives will once again require masks in the chamber. Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority leader, at the U.S. Capitol in May, before the mask mandate was lifted. The House of Representatives is requiring masks again, following new C.D.C. guidance issued this week. Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times The House of Representatives will once again require all lawmakers and staff members to wear masks inside, a sharp reversal of policy as growing fears about the Delta variant reach the doorstep of Congress. Senators will be encouraged to mask up, too, but are not required to do so. In a memo late Tuesday night, Dr. Brian P. Monahan, Congresss top doctor, said he was recommending the change based on new C.D.C. guidance and the nature of the Capitol, where thousands of people traveling from across the country mix each week. Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the change official on the House floor Wednesday morning. For the Congress, representing a collection of individuals traveling weekly from various risk areas (both high and low rates of disease transmission), all individuals should wear a well-fitted, medical-grade filtration mask (for example an ear loop surgical mask or a KN95 mask) when they are in an interior space, Dr. Monahan wrote to House officials. In a letter to top Senate leaders, Dr. Monahan dispensed the same advice but stopped short of recommending a mask mandate. The Senate is a smaller body, and for much of the pandemic, its members wore masks voluntarily. Most Senators are vaccinated. The House triumphantly dropped its longtime mask requirement six weeks ago in a show of optimism that the grip of the pandemic was loosening. Since then, at least one House lawmaker and an aide to Speaker Nancy Pelosi have tested positive for the coronavirus after being fully vaccinated. Others on Capitol Hill have gone into voluntary quarantine after exposure to individuals who were sick with Covid-19, and on Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security Committee called off a business meeting after staff members tested positive for the virus, a committee aide said. At the same time, new cases have skyrocketed across the country. Like broader mask guidance from the C.D.C. and aggressive interventions being considered by President Biden to increase the nations vaccination rate, the new mask mandate in the House is likely to test the patience of a weary public and the opposition Republican Party, which is eager to accuse Democrats of undermining confidence in vaccines and jeopardizing the health of the recovering economy. Republicans in the House immediately protested and raised the prospect that they may refuse to comply. Make no mistake  The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state, Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California and the minority leader, wrote on Twitter. House rules say that any lawmaker who does not wear a mask in specified spaces in the Capitol complex can be fined $500 or more. Several Republicans were fined earlier this year for that reason. But it is unclear what Ms. Pelosi and other House leaders would do if many Republican members refuse to go along. Signs of such resistance were seen on Wednesday morning minutes after Ms. Pelosi announced the updated rules. When a staff member designated to work on the House floor handed a mask to Representative Lauren Boebert, Republican of Colorado, she tossed it back at the person, according to another aide who witnessed the exchange and requested anonymity to describe it. Asked about Mr. McCarthys comments on Wednesday, Ms. Pelosi did little to hide her scorn. Hes such a moron, Ms. Pelosi was heard to say by reporters. Ms. Pelosis spokesman later said he could not verify her precise words, but that the speaker indeed felt that Mr. McCarthys position on the issue is moronic. Senate Republicans have taken a more conciliatory tack, with their top leaders pleading with conservatives who have refused vaccination to get inoculated. For instance, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, plans to begin using tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to run radio ads in his home state promoting the coronavirus vaccines as a modern medical miracle and urging his constituents to accept them. If you havent been vaccinated, do the right thing for you  for your family  and get vaccinated right now, said Mr. McConnell, who recounts his own fight with polio in the ad. Im Mitch McConnell and I approved this message.
When South Koreans logged on to a government website this month to book Covid-19 vaccine appointments, a pop-up window told them there was just a bit of a delay.

There are 401,032 people waiting in front of you, read one of the messages that exasperated South Koreans captured in screenshots and shared online. Your expected waiting time: 111 hours, 23 minutes and 52 seconds.

Most people in the country are still waiting for shots.

Once held up as a model in fighting the pandemic, South Korea has stumbled for months with its vaccination program. The country is among the least vaccinated in the Group of 20 nations, with only 34.9 percent of its 52 million people having received at least one dose as of Wednesday, well below the 55 to 70 percent in other advanced nations. And now South Koreans are more desperate than ever for shots.

The country is in the throes of its worst wave of infections, with 1,896 new cases reported on Wednesday, its highest daily count. Critics say that the government, resting on its early success in the pandemic, miscalculated how urgently South Korea needed to secure shots, and that those mistakes are being amplified at a time when the country appears to be most vulnerable against the disease.
A pair of professional dancers filed a lawsuit on Wednesday accusing a former dance teacher of sexually assaulting and abusing them, and accusing his wife  an internet-famous ballerina who has danced with the Boston Ballet  of participating in some of that abuse.

The former teacher  who has been known by several names, but is called Mitchell Taylor Button in the suit  is married to Dusty Button, who was a principal dancer with the Boston Ballet and who has amassed more than 300,000 Instagram followers and several corporate sponsorships with viral photos and videos of her dancing.

The suit, filed in United States District Court in Nevada, claims that the Buttons abuse their positions of power and prestige in the dance community to garner the loyalty and trust of young dancers and said that the couple would exploit those relationships to coerce sexual acts by means of force and fraud. Mr. Button is a defendant in the lawsuit; Ms. Button is not, but is described as a non-party co-conspirator. A lawyer for the couple said that they denied the charges.
The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, named for the American abstract expressionist painter, announced on Wednesday that it had committed $10 million to the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative to help the nations visual arts institutions become more energy efficient.

We wanted to help U.S. art institutions join the climate fray, Fred Iseman, the president of the foundation, said in a statement. There is a void to be filled, a crying need to provide technical know-how and financial support to art institutions to scope their needs, define problems and implement solutions.

The first round of grants, which start at about $7,300 (the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, Calif.) and include a top award of $100,000, totals $5.1 million and includes 79 institutions in more than 25 states.
A California court this week ruled that Works Progress Administration frescoes depicting the life of George Washington cannot be removed from a local high school without an environmental review, thwarting the San Francisco Board of Educations plans to cover up the hotly debated artwork.

Painted in the 1930s by Victor Arnautoff, a onetime assistant to Diego Rivera, the Life of Washington murals dominate the entryway to the school and have been the subject of debate for years. Critics, including parents and students, have said that high school students should not be forced to see the racism in the murals portrayal of enslaved African Americans and Native Americans. They wanted the frescoes painted over. Mural supporters, who included art historians, said that destroying them would be equivalent to book burning.

Arnautoff, who was a Communist, was born in Russia and taught at Stanford University. His murals depicted the first president as a slave owner and the young country as being responsible for the killing of Native Americans. But the American Indian Parent Advisory Council and other organizations at the school said that students should not be forced to see that history.

When I as an Indigenous Pacific Islander look at the mural, I am hurt and offended, wrote Faauuga Moliga, vice president of the San Francisco Board of Education, in a text. I am certain most people of color who have viewed the mural at Washington feel the same as me.
THE VIXEN, by Francine Prose. (Harper/HarperCollins, $25.99.) In Proses latest novel, set in the 1950s, a young editor is hired by a New York publisher to spiff up a terrible novel about Ethel Rosenberg. Unlike the book within the book, Proses own novel is wonderful, giving readers a wise, thoughtful and sometimes funny window into a bygone era. Prose writes sentences that make me laugh out loud, Amy Bloom writes in her review. Her insights, the subtle ones and the two-by-fours, make me shake my head in despair, in surprise, in heartfelt agreement. The gift of her work to a reader is to create for us what she creates for her protagonist: the subtle unfolding, the moment-by-moment process of discovery.

THE PAPER PALACE, by Miranda Cowley Heller. (Riverhead, $27.) Summer after summer, multiple generations of a refreshingly dysfunctional family converge on a bare-bones but beloved Cape Cod compound in this engrossing debut novel, which alternates between scenes from the past and a present-day extramarital affair. From early morning swims to Clamato juice mixers, the authors well-chosen details effortlessly create a sense of place so specific that to quote them out of context seems vulgar, Caitlin Macy writes in her review. Doubly blessed when it comes to descriptive powers, Heller is as good on nature as she is on interiors.

TEST GODS: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut, by Nicholas Schmidle. (Holt, $29.99.) Schmidles remarkable account of the commercial space program adeptly jumps between our celestial aspirations and our human, earthbound limitations, shifting from an account of Virgins efforts to a more personal story of fathers and sons. We go to space because of whats on earth, Elliot Ackerman writes in his review: our communities, our families, our children and the perpetuation of humanity. This, it seems, is one of the conclusions Schmidle reaches in his deeply reported and deeply personal book. It is a masterly work, a reminder of what should inspire us all.

MERCURY RISING: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War, by Jeff Shesol. (Norton, $28.95.) Shesol cuts through the hyperbole of the U.S. space program to present its messy realities, as embodied in two men who were key to Americas earliest encounters with outer space. Shesol acknowledges the sheer courage of the astronauts who risked their lives, Mark Atwood Lawrence writes in his review, praising the books verve and Shesols extraordinary talent as a storyteller. But he strikes a distinctly ambivalent tone through his captivating portraits of two fallible men whose intertwined struggles and doubts tell the story that unfolded out of public view.

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL: A Biography, by Philip DAnieri. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26.) Three million people a year follow the Appalachian Trail  most for a pleasant few miles, some for multiday segments, a fragrant few for the entire length of its 2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine. DAnieris book explores how the trail came to be and what it represents for Americans. He profiles a cross-section of the organizers, visionaries, bureaucrats, promoters, planners, hikers, writers and politicians who brought the Appalachian Trail into existence, Jonathan Miles writes in his review. If the A.T. were a musical, this would be its playbill.
This summer brings a spate of well-timed comics about loneliness, not all of which address the fallout of Covid-19. They are, however, all redolent with the sense of disconnection the last year and a half has brought on. Kristen Radtke, the cartoonist and art director of The Believer magazine, where she publishes cutting-edge comics, has a follow-up to Imagine Wanting Only This, her melancholy 2017 debut memoir, which chronicled her pervasive sense of loneliness throughout her 20s. SEEK YOU: A JOURNEY THROUGH AMERICAN LONELINESS (Pantheon, $30) amplifies her previous effort (its longer by 75 pages), expanding the topic through extensive research interwoven with stories from her own life. Part literature review, part essay, part autobiographical meditation, Seek You exemplifies the capaciousness of nonfiction comics today. In the realm of fiction, the English cartoonist Lizzy Stewarts mournful, lovely ITS NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE (Fantagraphics, $24.99), nine interlinked vignettes about girls and young women, often embodies what Radtke makes explicit in her documentary form.

Seek You sat in a stack of books on my staircase for a while before its beautifully designed cover  a dark green apartment building with windows framing single figures, bedecked with a striking rooftop sign in peach and green bearing the large bold letters of the title  called out to me, along with its indubitably important subject. Even before the onslaught of Covid, as Radtke details, the loneliness epidemic was sizable, particularly among older Americans. As she points out, loneliness affects all populations, poses acute health risks and is not synonymous with being alone. The books title, a nod to the amateur radio operator CQ call, is evidence of Radtkes significant command of interesting facts, which range over five sections dedicated to various senses (plus Click, about life online, now its own special category of being in the world).
Momentum for vaccine mandates seems to be building  which could ultimately matter much more than any mask-wearing guidelines.

Facebook, Google and Netflix all said yesterday that they would require many employees to have been vaccinated for Covid-19, with limited exceptions for medical or religious reasons. The companies joined Morgan Stanley, The Washington Post and several other high-profile private employers.

Several local governments  including New York State yesterday  have announced worker mandates that cover a few million people combined. In some cases, people can take a regular Covid test instead of being vaccinated.

More than 600 universities have announced mandates for students or employees. California State, the countrys largest four-year public university system, joined the list Tuesday. Many hospitals also have mandates, including the sprawling Veterans Health Administration and the Mayo Clinic.

Perhaps the biggest new rule is scheduled to be announced today  from President Biden, covering the millions who work for the federal government.

These high-profile announcements make it much easier for other organizations that had been considering mandates to go ahead: Their leaders no longer need to worry they will become the subject of national attention for enacting one.

Still, vaccine mandates remain the exception. The vast majority of private companies have not required their workers to be vaccinated. Nor have almost any major companies required their customers  like airline passengers or theater goers  to be vaccinated. (One hurdle, some companies say, is the F.D.A.s failure to grant the vaccines full approval, despite strong endorsements by the F.D.A.s leaders.)

Mandates, in short, may be the most significant Covid response that the country has not yet really tried.

Real anger brewing

Mandates are controversial, obviously. Many Republican officials oppose them. Ohio has passed a law restricting school mandates, and Florida has banned businesses from requiring consumers to prove vaccination. Given this opposition, vaccine mandates are never going to be national.
Is Robinhood worth $32 billion?

Robinhood, the investing app, begins trading today, after its highly anticipated initial public offering priced at $38 a share last night. That was at the low end of the range bankers set for the deal, adding extra intrigue to the companys first day of trading. Even so, Robinhoods I.P.O. raised $1.9 billion from investors, valuing the eight-year-old firm at nearly $32 billion.

Is Robinhood really worth that much?

The numbers tell only part of the story. Robinhood has 22.5 million accounts, but they are far smaller, on average, than rival Charles Schwabs, with a balance of $4,500 versus $200,000. Not captured in those numbers is that Robinhoods customers, with an average age of 31, are far younger than rival brokers typical clientele. If Robinhood can retain its young customers through to retirement, or better yet convert them into credit card or banking customers, as Robinhood says it wants to, those accounts could be worth a lot more over time.

Robinhood has something no one else has: 22.5 million youngsters, said Thomas Peterffy, who founded Interactive Brokers in the 1970s. Thats huge.

Institutional investors are wary, and many sat out of the I.P.O. DealBook has been speaking with investment firms big and small, and a common view is that $32 billion is high, especially considering Robinhood still faces various investigations and lawsuits tied to its business model that, because it charges no commissions, attracts and, some say, encourages traders to take huge risks in the market.
The Berkeley and Chicago researchers found that discrimination isnt uniform across the corporate landscape. Some companies discriminate little, responding similarly to applications by Molly and Latifa. Others show a measurable bias.

All told, for every 1,000 applications received, the researchers found, white candidates got about 250 responses, compared with about 230 for Black candidates. But among one-fifth of companies, the average gap grew to 50 callbacks. Even allowing that some patterns of discrimination could be random, rather than the result of racism, they concluded that 23 companies from their selection were very likely to be engaged in systemic discrimination against Black applicants.

There are 13 companies in automotive retailing and services in the Fortune 500 list. Five are among the 10 most discriminatory companies on the researchers list. Of the companies very likely to discriminate based on race, according to the findings, eight are federal contractors, which are bound by particularly stringent anti-discrimination rules and could lose their government contracts as a consequence.

Discriminatory behavior is clustered in particular firms, the researchers wrote. The identity of many of these firms can be deduced with high confidence.

The researchers also identified some overall patterns. For starters, discriminating companies tend to be less profitable, a finding consistent with the proposition by Gary Becker, who first studied discrimination in the workplace in the 1950s, that it is costly for firms to discriminate against productive workers.

The study found no strong link between discrimination and geography: Applications for jobs in the South fared no worse than anywhere else. Retailers and restaurants and bars discriminate more than average. And employers with more centralized personnel operations handling job applications tend to discriminate less, suggesting that uniform rules and procedures across a company can help reduce racial biases.

An early precedent for the paper published this week is a 1978 study that sent pairs of fake applications with similar qualifications but different photos, showing a white or a Black applicant. Interestingly, that study found some evidence of reverse discrimination against white applicants.
Other large retailers refrained from making any immediate policy changes.

A spokeswoman for Publix, which has more than 1,000 stores across Florida and the rest of the South, said the grocer was reviewing the updated C.D.C. guidance at this time and will provide updates regarding our policies as appropriate.

Starbucks and Chipotle still allow customers to enter their locations without wearing a mask, except where required by local regulations or law, according to their websites. Officials for Macys, Target, Walmart and Kohls did not have any immediate comment.

The safest course of action to be able to have something to refer to is to simply say we plan to adhere to C.D.C. guidelines, said Joel Bines, who leads the retail operations at the consulting firm Alix Partners. But he said many companies he was speaking to were not prepared to reverse course on masks.

You have a set of retailers who have evaluated the data and the information and are coming to the conclusion that theyve already made the change that theyre going to make and theyre not planning on going back, Mr. Bines said.
In his paper, Mr. Bressler incorporated recent public health research that estimates the number of excess deaths attributable to rising temperatures into the latest version of the DICE model. The resulting extended model produced a startlingly high figure for the social cost of carbon: $258 per metric ton.

He coined a term for the relationship between the increased emissions and excess heat deaths: the mortality cost of carbon.

Heat waves, which have been made more frequent and more potent by climate change, have been linked to illness and death, with profound effects in less affluent countries. The recent off-the-charts temperatures in the Pacific Northwest and Canada have already been linked to hundreds of deaths.

Others have tried to put numbers on the mortality associated with climate change and the added costs that it entails, most notably the Climate Impact Lab at the University of Chicago. Maureen Cropper, senior fellow at Resources for the Future, a nonpartisan environmental research organization in Washington, suggested that Mr. Bresslers $258 estimate appeared to be too high, in part because of the way that the paper looks at how people around the world view the value of their own lives. She added that although one may disagree with some of the authors assumptions, it is important for researchers to continue the effort.

Mr. Bressler acknowledged that there were areas of uncertainty in the paper, including those built into some public health research investigating excess deaths caused by heat. He also relied solely on heat-related deaths without adding other climate-related causes of death, including floods, crop failures and civil unrest. The result is that the actual number of deaths could be smaller, or greater. Based on the current literature, he said, this is the best estimate.

Richard Revesz, a professor at New York University School of Law, praised the new work, which extends research that he and others have done to view the social cost of carbon as the beginning of an understanding of the costs of climate change, not the full cost.

It could well have a significant impact on climate change policies, he said.

The new research also shows the stark difference between personal carbon footprints and the kind of change that can be achieved through actions at the scale of government and business. Having calculated that 4,434 metric tons of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere would result in one death during this century, Mr. Bressler said that simply taking one coal-fired power plant offline and replacing it with a zero-emissions alternative for just one year, would result in a mortality benefit of saving 904 lives over the century. That would be a lot more impact than a personal decision, he said.

But he added that he was not promoting one form of action over another.

Im just quantifying things, he said, adding that ultimately, you just have to reduce carbon.
At Cornell Vineyards, where the proprietors, Henry and Vanessa, were on the cusp of full production after 21 years of experimentation and labor, the fires were a moment of reckoning. They had been in New York at the time of the blazes, and were stunned at the extent of the destruction. For a moment they wavered on reconstruction.

Oh my gosh, can we really take this on again? Ms. Cornell recalled. But we got over it pretty quickly. Our team was like, If youre game, were game.

Part of the reasoning was the potential of the property. The Cornell cabernet sauvignons are intense yet precise, with firm but fine tannins. The flavors are savory rather than sweetly fruity, in the best tradition of cabernet sauvignons.

As at Newton, firebreaks and forest management will be a crucial part of the rebuilding plan. With the accelerating effects of climate change, diminishing supplies of water and continued threat of fires, its no longer clear that the region will be hospitable to ambitious winemakers. But the Cornells are going to try.

On their return to the property after the fires they planted a Commitment Tree, an oak signifying their dedication to the property.
Was Matt DeHart an Air National Guard veteran who, having spent time in hacktivist circles, stumbled on information so explosive that the F.B.I. had him physically tortured during an interrogation process? (Thats what he claimed after he fled to Canada in 2013.) Or was he a fugitive from justifiable charges of producing and transporting child pornography, a case he suggested had been concocted?

Journalists who have covered the DeHart saga  and the summary above is only the tip of the iceberg  have tended to note when corroboration becomes impossible. The remarkable thing about Enemies of the State, a documentary directed by Sonia Kennebeck and executive produced by Errol Morris, no stranger to epistemological mysteries  is that it comes close to offering decisive yes and no answers, with evidence to back them up.
Even though she had a network of support when she gave birth to her daughter, State Senator Teresa Ruiz, a sponsor of the bill, said having a lactation specialist come to her home made her feel more secure about her transition into motherhood.

I had a good structure of support all around, she said, and I can tell you that even with all of that, and understanding my rights and advocating for myself as best as I could, nothing gave me that sense of just ease until that nurse came to my house and said to me that what I was doing was right.

Nurses will be specially trained to go into the home and assess both the mother and baby, checking for physical problems, issues with breastfeeding, postpartum mood disorder, and any social factors affecting the family. Ms. Ruiz said the home visit is also a chance for the nurse to connect families to other important resources they may need.

I think back to when I was a new mother and had a community nurse come out, it was very helpful, said Cecilia Zalkind, the president of Advocates for Children of New Jersey, which pushes for polices that advance child welfare in New Jersey. It really is to see how the family is doing, to offer assistance, and to give the parents some assurance that the baby is doing well.

Suzanne Spernal, vice president of womens services at RWJBarnabas Health, a network of health care providers in New Jersey, described the program as a home run that would provide key opportunities for early intervention.

We know that perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are one of the most underdiagnosed and under-treated complications of pregnancy, so this gives us a chance to do that assessment in the week or two following delivery, Ms. Spernal said.

We know that oftentimes when moms and families are experiencing some kind of life-threatening complication that theyve had the symptoms for hours or days before they present to care, she added. This is an opportunity to intervene earlier so that were able to possibly circumvent some of these catastrophic adverse events for mom and baby.
From the outset, legal experts said the case faced long odds, running headfirst into barriers that are built into federal law and protect gun companies from most litigation.

The case, brought by the families of those killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, seeks to hold responsible the companies that made and sold the weapon used in the attack, in part by unearthing documents they hoped would reveal the gun industrys inner workings.

The families acknowledged the hurdles they faced, but saw the lawsuit as a gamble worth taking.

Now, after winding through the courts for nearly seven years, the suit has yielded an offer: Remington, which made the AR-15-style Bushmaster that was used in the 2012 attack, has proposed settling with the families for $33 million as a trial date looms.

The companys offer underscores the viability of the novel strategy the families have adopted to pierce the legal shield that guards gun makers, offering a potential road map to the survivors and relatives of victims involved in other mass shootings.
Despite that report, the buildings condo association took two and a half years, after much internal strife, to pass a special $15 million assessment. For years, the association had not set aside enough money to deal with the problems, forcing the large special assessment to pay for them. And the building was clearly underinsured, which will create complications for those with claims for property loss or wrongful death.

Amazingly, only two counties in Florida, Miami-Dade and Broward, require condo buildings to be recertified for structural and electrical systems  and only after 40 years and then each 10 years thereafter.

Because there arent enough inspectors or regulators, some buildings have delayed recertification for years. But things can also go wrong before recertification, and at some buildings, owners merely patch and paint and ignore long-term maintenance repairs or otherwise cut corners to avoid the conflict and chaos that large special assessments cause with their neighbors.

What should be done? Recertifications of all life safety matters concerning structural and electrical building elements should be mandated statewide. The initial building recertification deadline should be reduced from 40 years to 10 or 20 years, and then every five years thereafter, with the inspections performed by licensed engineers or architects with a minimum of five or 10 years of experience.

More governmental oversight should be required of remediation work on buildings, ensuring its timely start and completion. Steeper monetary or even criminal penalties should be imposed for not adhering to the recertification process and carrying out required life-safety repairs.

Owners also should be required to provide adequate reserves for all life-safety repairs, and a loophole allowing owners to waive the full funding of reserves should be closed. These funds should always be segregated from other association reserve funds (such as those set aside for decorating lobbies and hallways).

And building codes, like the Florida Building Code, should require proper waterproofing by competent installers with a minimum warranty of 15 to 20 years. With rising seas and the corrosive salt air along the coasts, waterproofing of concrete is as important as brakes are to cars. Concrete is porous, and water can make it deteriorate. If not remediated promptly, the damage becomes exponentially worse. And huge maintenance fees or special assessments anger residents and hurt market values.
Less than a month ago President Biden promised a summer of joy, a return to normal life made possible by the rapid progress of vaccinations against Covid-19. Since then, however, vaccination has largely stalled  America, which had pulled ahead of many other advanced countries, has fallen behind. And the rise of the Delta variant has caused a surge in cases all too reminiscent of the repeated Covid waves of last year.

That said, 2021 isnt 2020 redux. As Aaron Carroll pointed out Tuesday in The Times, Covid is now a crisis for the unvaccinated. Risks for vaccinated Americans arent zero, but theyre vastly lower than for those who havent gotten a vaccine.

What Carroll didnt say, but is also true, is that Covid is now a crisis largely for red states. And its important to make that point both to understand where we are and as a reminder of the political roots of Americas pandemic failures.

Just to be clear, Im not saying that only Republicans are failing to get vaccinated. Its true that there are stark differences in attitudes toward the vaccines, with one poll showing 47 percent of Republicans saying they are unlikely to get a shot, compared with only 6 percent of Democrats. Its also true that if we compare U.S. counties, theres a strong negative correlation between Donald Trumps share of the 2020 vote and the current vaccination rate.
But I suspect all of this will change a depressingly modest number of minds. There are no speeches more powerful than the fear of disease and the grief of loss. Thats evident in the vaccination data now. Delta does appear to be driving a surge in vaccinations. But is this really our strategy? More death will lead to more shots in arms? One of the most heartbreaking stories Ive read lately came from a Facebook post by Brytney Cobia, a doctor in Alabama. She wrote:

Ive made a LOT of progress encouraging people to get vaccinated lately!!! Do you want to know how? Im admitting young healthy people to the hospital with very serious Covid infections. One of the last things they do before theyre intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that Im sorry, but its too late. A few days later when I call time of death, I hug their family members and I tell them the best way to honor their loved one is to go get vaccinated and encourage everyone they know to do the same. They cry. And they tell me they didnt know. They thought it was a hoax. They thought it was political. They thought because they had a certain blood type or a certain skin color they wouldnt get as sick. They thought it was just the flu. But they were wrong. And they wish they could go back. But they cant. So they thank me and they go get the vaccine.

Phil Valentine, a conservative radio host in Nashville who said he wouldnt get vaccinated and made parody songs about the Vaxman, caught the virus, and his condition quickly turned critical. Hes now in the hospital, on a ventilator. He regrets not being more vehemently pro-vaccine, and looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air, his radio station said in a statement.

This is one problem with trusting our rationality: The choice we make now, before we catch the virus, may not be the choice we will wish we had made once we get sick. Then theres the stubborn fact that individual decisions have collective consequences. It may indeed be the case that a healthy 19-year-old American has little to fear from the coronavirus. But his immunosuppressed grandfather has much to fear from him. Whether it is a more severe imposition on liberty to ask someone to get vaccinated or regularly tested than to ask all immunosuppressed people in the country to effectively shelter in place for the rest of their lives is a collective question that demands a collective answer.

Other countries are offering that answer, and seeing results. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, proposed a law requiring either proof of vaccination or a negative test result for many indoor activities. The mere prospect of a vaccine mandate set off mass protests. It also led to a surge in vaccinations. On July 1, 50.8 percent of the French population had gotten at least one shot  putting France 3.5 points behind America. By Sunday, 59.1 percent of France had been at least partially vaccinated, putting it 2.7 points ahead of us.

A number of American employers are following suit. On Thursday, the Biden administration is expected to announce a directive requiring all civilian federal workers to get vaccinated or face routine testing and restrictions. California and New York will require proof of vaccination or routine negative test results for all state employees. New York City is imposing the same requirement for its public employees. Around 600 college campuses have announced that theyll require vaccinations for students returning in the fall. Theres no hard count of how many businesses are requiring vaccinations or test results to come back to work, but the anecdotal answer appears to be a lot.

There is nothing new about this. We do not solely rely on argumentation to persuade people to wear seatbelts. A majority of states do not leave it to individual debaters to hash out whether you can smoke in indoor workplaces. Polio and measles were murderous, but their near elimination required vaccine mandates, not just public education. When George Washington wanted to protect his soldiers from smallpox, he made inoculations mandatory. It worked. No revolutionary regiments were incapacitated by the disease during the southern campaign, and the mandate arguably helped win the yearslong war, wrote Aaron Carroll.

The objection I find most convincing to any kind of vaccine mandate is that we have not built the infrastructure to make it work. What if someone who received a vaccine has lost her card, or her information was wrongly recorded when she got her shot? If we try to carry this out through smartphones, what if you dont have a smartphone, or you lose it? If you want to choose frequent testing, how do you get access to those tests, and who pays for it, and how are the results recorded? If you have a problem, who do you call to solve it? How long are the wait times when you call? What if you need an answer quickly?

I covered both the debacle of the HealthCare.gov launch and the now-multidecade failure to transition to electronic medical records. We just watched state unemployment insurance systems nearly collapse under the demands of the pandemic. Perhaps we dont have the capacity to do this well. But with so many public and private employers mandating vaccination for their workforces, well know soon enough. Either theyll build models that can scale or they will fail spectacularly enough to settle the question. And either way, this suggests a step the government could take right now: Funding, building and deploying an excellent vaccination passport infrastructure  backed up by ubiquitous rapid-testing options, for those cases when the passport fails  that private and public employers can use to implement their own policies.
Part of the misunderstanding derives from the truth that we all construct our own realities, but part of the problem, as Nick Haslam of the University of Melbourne has suggested, is there seems to be a generational shift in what constitutes abuse. Practices that seemed like normal parenting to one generation are conceptualized as abusive, overbearing and traumatizing to another.

Theres a lot of real emotional abuse out there, but as Coleman put it in an essay in The Atlantic, My recent research  and my clinical work over the past four decades  has shown me that you can be a conscientious parent and your kid may still want nothing to do with you when theyre older.

Either way, theres a lot of agony for all concerned. The children feel they have to live with the legacy of an abusive childhood. The parents feel rejected by the person they love most in the world, their own child, and they are powerless to do anything about it. Theres anger, grief and depression on all sides  painful holidays and birthdays  plus, the next generation often grows up without knowing their grandparents.

No one even thought to measure family estrangement until relatively recently. Coleman, the author of Rules of Estrangement, argues that a more individualistic culture has meant that the function of family has changed. Once it was seen as a bond of mutual duty and obligation, and now it is often seen as a launchpad for personal fulfillment. Theres more permission to cut off people who seem toxic in your life.

Becca Bland, founder of the British support and advocacy group Stand Alone, told the BBC: Now I can put my needs first rather than trying to fix things beyond my control. But, yes, Im angry I didnt get the mother I wanted.
Albert Bandura, a psychologist whose landmark studies on aggression are a staple of introductory psychology classes and whose work on the role of peoples beliefs in shaping their behavior transformed American psychology, died on Monday at his home in Stanford, Calif. He was 95.

The cause was congestive heart failure, his daughter Carol Bandura Cowley said.

Dr. Bandura, a native of Canada who joined the Stanford University faculty in 1953 and remained affiliated with the university until his death, was widely regarded as one of the most influential psychologists of his time. In a 2002 survey, he ranked fourth among the most-cited psychologists of the 20th century, behind Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner and the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget.

His social cognitive theory of human functioning emphasized peoples capacity for self-reflection and personal agency, and his extensive writing and research contributed to the understanding of personality formation, cognition, morality and the treatment of mental disorders like phobias. His theory of self-efficacy  peoples belief in their own competence and ability to exert control over their behavior and social environment  has been widely applied across many areas, including education, public health and drug and alcohol abuse.

But Dr. Bandura was most widely recognized for a series of laboratory studies  collectively known as the Bobo doll experiment  that he carried out with two colleagues at Stanford in the early 1960s.
But some researchers and public health officials have cautioned that much of this data is preliminary and people should not assume boosters are necessary. Two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna offer robust and lasting protection against severe disease and death. Johnson & Johnson said the companys data shows the vaccine was 85 percent effective against severe illness from the Delta variant and protected those who received it against hospitalization and death.

Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious-disease specialist and an assistant professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, said many of her patients who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have asked if they should get an additional shot. That vaccine, like AstraZenecas, is less effective than the mRNA vaccines.

It is not unreasonable for those patients to consider it, she tells them.

But Dr. Kuppalli said she explains to her patients that the data remains murky about potential side effects and the research is not definitive yet. We actually want science to be driving our policies, she said.



Terri Givens, a professor at McGill University in Quebec who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in March, said she was mulling a booster, but did not want to get ahead of the research.

I dont want to do it because it might work, said Professor Givens, 56, who teaches political science. I want to do it in a conscientious way where my doctor says its OK.

Given the decentralized system for booking vaccines in the United States, several people said it was easy to get a booster, even though they were not technically allowed.

In its emergency authorizations of the vaccines, the Food and Drug Administration permitted only two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Before the C.D.C. could recommend boosters, the F.D.A. would have to change this authorization or fully approve the vaccines. If they were fully approved, then doctors would have more leeway to prescribe a booster for their patients.
Hours after a new Russian module docked at the International Space Station on Thursday, it unexpectedly fired its thrusters again and set the space station into an unexpected spin.

It took 45 minutes for mission controllers to get the situation back under control. NASA officials said there was no danger to the seven astronauts on the space station.

Today was another day where we are learning how important it is to have an operational team that is prepared for every contingency, Kathy Lueders, NASAs associate administrator, said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

The 23-ton module, named Nauka, adds a laboratory, an additional sleeping quarter and other capabilities to the Russian segment of the space station. After its launch last week, it encountered a series of propulsion problems that Russian controllers were able to resolve ahead of its rendezvous with the space station.
Activision, based in Santa Monica, Calif., said in a statement for this article that it was committed to long-lasting change, listening and continuing the important work to create a safe and inclusive workplace that we can all be proud of.

In interviews, seven current and former Activision employees said egregious behavior had taken place at the company, up and down the hierarchy, for years. Three current employees declined to be named out of fear of retaliation. Their accounts of what happened at work largely align with what is laid out in the state lawsuit.

Ms. Stein, 28, who worked at Activision from 2014 to 2017 in a customer service role, helping gamers with problems and glitches, said she had consistently been paid less than her ex-boyfriend, who joined the company at the same time she did and performed the same work.

Ms. Stein said she had once declined drugs that her manager offered at a holiday party in 2014 or 2015, which soured their relationship and hampered her career. In 2016, a manager messaged her on Facebook, suggesting she must be into some freaky stuff and asking what type of pornography she watched. She said she had also overheard male colleagues joking that some women had their jobs only because they performed sexual favors for male superiors.

It was really hurtful, Ms. Stein said, adding that she felt like she had to endure it.

Ms. Welch, who joined Activision in 2011 as vice president of consumer strategy and insights, said she had known that the company was reputed to have a combative culture but had been intrigued by the prominent role.

Then at a hotel on a work trip that year, Ms. Welch said, an executive pressured her to have sex with him because she deserved to have some fun after her boyfriend had died weeks earlier. She said she had turned him down.
Type running shoes, best laptop or camping equipment into Google from just about anywhere in the world and the top of the screen will show a carousel of ads from websites promoting products to browse and compare.

Not in Turkey. Google eliminated those advertisements last year after Turkish antitrust officials ordered the company to make it easier for competing shopping websites to appear more prominently in the ads.

The Turkish demands went further to crack down on Googles shopping service than any other global regulator had to that point. But that was not all. In April, the countrys officials made another bold move, saying the companys lucrative search function for finding local destinations like nearby pharmacy violated antitrust laws, a first-of-its-kind decision that threw that services future into question, too.

The tension between Turkey and Google reflects how growing animosity toward Silicon Valley giants is popping up even in places, like Turkey, with little history of antitrust enforcement against the industry. The efforts threaten to upend conditions  an open global internet and light-touch government regulation  that have helped fuel the growth of those companies in the past two decades. In their place could be a checkerboard of laws and regulations, where the available products and services depend on where a person logs on.
This weeks criminal charges against Mr. McCarrick, filed in Dedham District Court in Massachusetts, represent a new moment in victims efforts to hold church officials accountable. The charges could proceed because of a feature of Massachusetts law: Because Mr. McCarrick was not a resident of Massachusetts, the clock on the statute of limitations there stopped when he was not in the state.

Mr. McCarrick, who now lives in Missouri, was charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person age 14 or over, and is expected to appear for arraignment on Sept. 3. Each charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and the requirement to register as a sex offender.

The complaint says that the alleged assaults occurred when the boy was 16. Now in his 60s, the man, whose name is redacted in the complaint, told investigators in January he had been assaulted repeatedly by Mr. McCarrick, a family friend, beginning when he was a young boy. He said the abuse took place not only in Massachusetts, but also in New York, New Jersey and California, and continued into adulthood.

The man said that at his brothers wedding reception at Wellesley College on June 8, 1974, Mr. McCarrick asked to take a walk with him outside to discuss his mischievous behavior. When he stopped to urinate, he said, Mr. McCarrick sexually assaulted him. Later, when they returned to the building where the reception was being held, Mr. McCarrick assaulted him  while praying  inside a coatroom, he said. Afterward, he said, Mr. McCarrick told him to say three our fathers and a Hail Mary so he would be redeemed of his sins.

Later that day, the man said, his father told him that he should listen to Mr. McCarrick and do what he told him.
The solution Biden announced for federal workers is aimed at sidestepping accusations that he is forcing shots in peoples arms. Workers can opt to wear a mask on the job and submit to regular testing, social distancing and restrictions on work travel. Officials hope employees will become vaccinated to avoid the hassle.

Bidens announcement comes as the E.U. pulled ahead of the U.S. in total vaccinations, adjusted for population. The bloc stumbled in the early days of its vaccination campaign, but is now on a pace to end this week having given about 105 doses per 100 people, and at least one dose to just over 70 percent of adults, while the U.S. is at about 103 doses per 100 people and 69 percent of adults for one dose administered.

Policymaking is far more centralized in Europe, and, crucially, some governments have been more willing to use some coercion. Vaccine resistance in the U.S. is also more vehement. The E.U. vaccination effort has slowed recently, but the drop is small compared to the U.S. drive, which has declined more than 80 percent since its peak.

Still, the E.U. has much wider geographic disparities than the U.S., with the wealthier western region far ahead of the east, and generational divides are emerging  where people under 45 are more hesitant.

Vittoria Colliza, a Paris-based epidemiologist at Inserm, the French public-health research center, said that new lockdown restrictions may have to be reimposed to stem the spread of the Delta variant if immunization fails to keep up.
Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington said on Thursday that an indoor mask mandate would be reimposed in the nations capital on Saturday, becoming the latest jurisdiction to change public health protocols after new federal guidance advised even vaccinated people in coronavirus hot spots to resume wearing face coverings in indoor public spaces.

The announcement from Washington came as some states and municipalities were quick to update their own mask rules, while others expressed outrage, another example of the political tensions that have often accompanied public health precautions during the pandemic.

The new federal guidance also suggested masks for all children, staff members and visitors in schools, regardless of their vaccination status and community transmission of the virus.

The mayors of Atlanta and Kansas City, Mo., both Democrats, reinstated mask mandates; Atlantas took effect immediately and Kansas Citys will start on Aug. 2. Gov. Steve Sisolak of Nevada, a Democrat, ordered that residents in counties with high rates of transmission  including Clark County, home to Las Vegas  wear masks in public indoor spaces starting on Friday. In Minnesota, health and education officials urged all students, staff and visitors to wear masks in schools, but held off making the guidance a state requirement.
The initiative expands on a program that was rolled out in April that offered a paid leave tax credit to offset the cost to companies with fewer than 500 workers incurred by giving paid time to workers getting vaccines.

President Biden on Thursday announced that all civilian federal employees must be vaccinated or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel. The president also directed the Defense Department to study how and when to add the coronavirus vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for all members of the military.

The Biden administration has been tussling with some states over how the relief money can be used, but earlier this year issued guidance that made clear it can go toward programs that are expected to increase the number of people who choose to get vaccinated. The Treasury Department said it will provide technical assistance for states and cities to help them use the money to boost vaccinations in their communities and it will be working with the Department of Health and Human Services.

States and cities have been taking creative approaches, such as lotteries, to encourage people to get vaccinated. Some experts, especially in the early days of the vaccination campaign, have expressed concern, though, over the idea of paying people to get vaccinated, worrying that it could be perceived as out of step with messaging that vaccines bring enormous benefits on their own. Opponents of the idea have also questioned whether paying people is the best use of funds to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City said this week that the city will begin offering $100 payments as part of an incentive plan to spur more people to get vaccinated. The program is expected to start on Friday.
President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the top Democrats in Congress met at the White House on Friday to discuss their partys faltering efforts to pass major voting rights legislation.

Mr. Bidens meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York came at a crucial moment, as activists are pushing the president to use his power and Democrats control of Congress to protect voting rights while they have the chance. Republican-led states have enacted at least 30 new laws containing a host of new restrictions on voting, and G.O.P. senators have blocked consideration of a Democratic bill that would impose sweeping new federal mandates aimed at overriding them.

Party leaders do not have many options to break through the gridlock. In June, Republicans successfully stalled Democrats marquee elections legislation, called the For the People Act, by filibustering it. Democrats hopes of changing Senate filibuster rules to bypass Republicans have flagged as a few holdouts within the party continue to oppose such a move. And their window for legislative action is narrow.

Democrats are close to finalizing a scaled-back bill that activists hope could be a battering ram in the fight over the filibuster. The party is also readying legislation to reinforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and lawmakers have discussed tucking voting provisions into the $3.5 trillion budget plan advancing in the Senate, which they can push through unilaterally over the opposition of Republicans. But the G.O.P. is largely opposed to all three.
Happy Infrastructure Week!

What became a punchline among political reporters during the Trump administration  when many a week was called infrastructure week by the White House, which was rhetorically committed to funding roads and bridges out of the federal purse  moved a step closer to reality on Wednesday, when the Senate voted to take up a $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

What exactly is and isnt in the infrastructure bill? The Upshot has you covered.

But also important are the terms under which it was hashed out and by which it will pass into law, if it does pass into law. For this bill is bipartisan, shaped by a core gang of senators, five Democrats and five Republicans, who were backed by six more Republican senators as well as by the Biden White House. Not for nothing is it known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework.

Wednesdays vote over whether to proceed to debating the bill had the support of two-thirds of the Senate: all 50 Democrats and independents, plus 17 Republicans  including Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, who has famously said his goal was to deny President Biden and, before him, President Barack Obama any significant legislative victories.

The House of Representatives, where Democrats hold a slim majority, still must go along with it. A separate, decidedly partisan $3.5 trillion Democratic spending bill looms as a complication. But all in all, the infrastructure plan has come further than many had expected. Here is what political scientists who study legislative compromise (and the lack thereof) have to tell us about how this happened.
WASHINGTON  President Biden asked Congress on Thursday to approve a one-month extension of a federal moratorium on residential evictions, a long-shot request made just two days before the current freeze expires.

The decision to ask Congress for help comes as the White House continues to struggle with a $47 billion rental relief program that has been plagued by delays, confusion and red tape. Just 600,000 tenants have been helped by the program, passed as part of two coronavirus relief packages in 2020 and 2021.

The request caught Democratic leadership by surprise. An attempt to pass an extension by a voice vote this week is expected to fail in the Senate, according to several people close to the situation.

The expiration of the moratorium will almost certainly lead to an increase in evictions across the country, with estimates ranging from 300,000 to more than a million families in the first month after the freeze ends.
Republicans in Georgias General Assembly have requested a performance review of the top election official in Fulton County, the first step in a possible takeover of the countys electoral process that could give the Republican-led legislature more control over an area with the largest concentration of Democratic voters in the state.

The request, submitted in a letter on Tuesday by State Senator Butch Miller and signed by about two dozen other Republican state senators, calls for a panel review of Richard Barron, the county election director, over what the lawmakers described as a failure to properly perform risk-limiting audits, a process that helps ensure the correct results and security, after the 2020 election.

We do so as a measure of last resort, having failed to adequately assuage the concern that we, as elected officials, have regarding the integrity of the Fulton County elections process, Mr. Miller wrote in the letter.

Fulton County, which includes much of Atlanta, has a record of problems with its elections. Most recently, its June 2020 primary contest was marred by voting machine difficulties that were exacerbated by the small size and poor training of its staff, causing lines to stretch for hours across the county.
Jill Biden, the first lady, underwent surgery on Thursday evening to remove debris from a puncture wound in her left foot, according to a spokesman.

President Biden had accompanied Dr. Biden to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the procedure, Michael LaRosa, Dr. Bidens press secretary, said in a statement.

After inspection of the wound by medical staff, it is unclear what object caused the puncture, Mr. LaRosa added. The wound is now clean, free of infection and it is anticipated that it will heal nicely.

Mr. LaRosa had said earlier in the day that Dr. Biden was walking on a beach in Hawaii over the weekend when she stepped on an object that became lodged in her left foot. Dr. Biden stopped over in the state after spending part of the week in Tokyo for the Summer Olympics. While in Hawaii, she participated in an event to promote Covid vaccinations at a high school in Honolulu.
Speaking in front of the Capitol on Thursday, Ms. Stevens said Mr. Whelan was being made to work six days a week at a prison garment factory, injuring his arm, and has been held by Russia for 944 days.

That is 944 days he has been away from his friends, his family, Ms. Stevens said at the news conference. It is 944 days too long.

In early June, Mr. Whelan did an interview with CNN, after which Russian authorities restricted his access to cellphones, though he was still allowed to call his family. President Biden raised the cases of Mr. Whelan, 51, and Mr. Reed, 30, during his June summit with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

Mr. Whelan made a call to his parents in early July and then a second on July 4.

At that time he said, If you dont hear from me tomorrow theres been some trouble, said Elizabeth Whelan, his sister, in an interview.

Since then neither the U.S. Embassy in Moscow nor Mr. Whelans parents have been able to contact him, Ms. Whelan said.
Final passage came days after police officers who defended the Capitol that day told an investigative committee in excruciating detail of the horrors they endured when a pro-Trump mob stormed the building. Since the attack, the Capitol Police force has been in a state of crisis, with funding, staffing and operational problems plaguing a deeply demoralized agency.

Today is a major step toward making necessary improvements for our department, supporting our work force and carrying out our critical mission, the forces chief, J. Thomas Manger, said in a statement on Thursday.

Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, had been warning for weeks that the agency was in danger of running out of money and canceling necessary training if Congress did not quickly approve more funding.

If we do not act, the Capitol Police will deplete salaries funding in a matter of weeks, and the National Guard will be forced to cancel needed training to carry out their mission at home and abroad, he said on Thursday. Doing nothing would be a security crisis entirely of our own making.

The legislation passed after several Republicans who had been holding it up dropped their objections and the Senate agreed to a proposal by Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, to require the administration to report to Congress on the Afghan special immigrant visa program.

The bill incorporates a measure passed by the House last week that adds 8,000 new visas for Afghans facing death threats from the Taliban for helping American personnel in Afghanistan as U.S. forces withdraw after a 20-year war. The House overwhelmingly approved the measure, which also expedites the application process and allows more Afghans to qualify. It also includes hundreds of millions of dollars for government programs that aid refugees and migrants and resettle them in the United States.

More than 18,000 Afghans who have worked as interpreters, drivers, engineers, security guards, fixers and embassy clerks for the United States during the war have been caught in bureaucratic limbo after applying for special immigrant visas, which are available to people who face threats because of work for the U.S. government.

We intend to keep our nations promises to brave Afghans who have taken great risks to help America and our partners fight the terrorists, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, said in floor remarks this week.
We were not clear what direction to take this. Do you have any insight here? Mr. Duffey wrote.

The files do not include any response from Mr. Blair. In addition, the federal judge who ordered the release of most of the emails sought by The Times, Amy Berman Jackson of Federal District Court in Washington, ruled that some were exempt from disclosure because they contained privileged communications involving Mr. Trump himself.

But by July 17, Mr. Duffey wrote again to Mr. Blair, saying that officials at the Pentagon, the State Department and the National Security Council wanted to know whether the freeze was limited to lethal support or applied to all security assistance  and questioning its rationale.

The officials were asking, he wrote, whether there is insight on motive or duration, such as an intent to gain leverage for an upcoming engagement with Ukrainian leadership. I understand there may be sensitivity behind much of this, but committed to see if I could get some insight beyond just the directive for a freeze.

Mr. Blair replied curtly: On Ukraine assistance, the president wants all security assistance frozen. We need to let that take hold and understand the implications of the freeze, and then see if he wants to revisit that decision.

It was a week later, on July 25, 2019, that Mr. Trump had a phone call with Mr. Zelensky that became central to the impeachment. According to a White House summary, after discussing military aid, Mr. Trump pivoted to pushing for the investigations he wanted, saying I would like you to do us a favor, though.

Mr. Blair and Mr. Duffey continued to correspond about the freeze, according to the documents. One anticipated topic for a July 26 meeting was the potential legal issue of whether Mr. Trumps withholding of funds would violate the Impoundment Control Act given that the money had been appropriated by Congress.

Facing growing scrutiny, Mr. Trump eventually lifted the hold in September 2019, but events were already barreling toward impeachment. Amid the growing furor, The Times requested disclosure of emails between Mr. Blair and Mr. Duffey; while the White House is generally exempt from requests under the open records law, the Office of Management and Budget is covered by it.
Covid Updates: New C.D.C. Mask Guidelines Rest on Data Showing the Vaccinated May Transmit Virus New research shows how fully immunized people can carry large loads of the Delta variant. The Biden administration wants states and cities to pay people $100 to get vaccinated. Follow our latest coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

The C.D.C.s decision on masks rests on new data showing the Delta variant thrives in the nose and throat. Anne Mikkelsen shops for clothes at Eileen Fisher clothing store while wearing a mask in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York on Tuesday. Credit... Brittainy Newman for The New York Times The recommendation that vaccinated people in some parts of the country dust off their masks was based largely on one troublesome finding, according to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New research showed that vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant carry tremendous amounts of the virus in the nose and throat, she said in an email responding to questions from The New York Times. The finding contradicts what scientists had observed in vaccinated people infected with previous versions of the virus, who mostly seemed incapable of infecting others. That conclusion dealt Americans a heavy blow: People with so-called breakthrough infections  cases that occur despite full vaccination  of the Delta variant may be just as contagious as unvaccinated people, even if they have no symptoms. That means fully immunized people with young children, aging parents, or friends and family with weak immune systems will need to renew vigilance, particularly in high-transmission communities. Vaccinated Americans may need to wear masks not just to protect themselves, but everyone in their orbit. The C.D.C. has not yet published its data, but four scientists familiar with the research said it was compelling and justified the agencys new advice on masks. In her email, Dr. Walensky said breakthroughs are rare, and unvaccinated people account for the bulk of virus transmission. Still, she said, the new data suggest even fully immunized people can be unwilling vectors for the disease. Previous versions of the virus rarely broke through the immunization barrier, which prompted the C.D.C. to advise in May that vaccinated people could go mask-free indoors. But the usual rules dont seem to apply to the Delta variant. The variant is twice as contagious as the original virus. The Delta variant seems to flourish in the nose, the main port of entry for the virus. The vaccines are injected into muscle, and the antibodies produced in response mostly remain in the blood. Some antibodies may make their way to the nose but not enough to block it. The vaccines  theyre beautiful, they work, theyre amazing, said Frances Lund, a viral immunologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. But theyre not going to give you that local immunity. When the virus tries to snake down into the lungs, immune cells in vaccinated people ramp up and rapidly clear the infection before it wreaks much havoc. That means vaccinated people should be infected and contagious for a much shorter period of time than unvaccinated people, Dr. Lund said. But that doesnt mean that in those first couple of days, when theyre infected, they cant transmit it to somebody else, she added.

Biden seeks to revive vaccination effort: We can make a huge difference and save a lot of lives. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:09 - 0:00 transcript Biden Says Federal Workers Must Be Vaccinated or Tested Regularly President Biden announced that all civilian federal employees must receive the coronavirus vaccine or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and travel restrictions. Mr. Biden also urged states to use financial incentives to get more people vaccinated. Im calling on all states and local governments to use funding they have received, including from the American Rescue Plan, to give $100 to anyone who gets fully vaccinated. I know the pain people to get vaccinated, it might sound unfair to folks who have gotten vaccinated already, but heres the deal. If incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them. Next, every federal government employee will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. Anyone who does not attest, or is not vaccinated, will be required to. mask, no matter where they work, test one or two times a week to see if theyve acquired Covid, socially distance and generally will not be allowed to travel for work. Likewise, today, Im directing my administration to take steps to apply similar standards to all federal contractors. If you want to do business with the federal government, get your workers vaccinated. President Biden announced that all civilian federal employees must receive the coronavirus vaccine or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and travel restrictions. Mr. Biden also urged states to use financial incentives to get more people vaccinated. Credit Credit... Kenny Holston for The New York Times President Biden on Thursday tried to revive the nations stalled push to vaccinate Americans against the surging Delta variant of the coronavirus, announcing new requirements for federal workers to be vaccinated and urging local and state governments to offer $100 to anyone willing to get a shot voluntarily. In a speech at the White House, the president announced that all civilian federal employees must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel. He also ordered the Defense Department to move rapidly toward requiring coronavirus vaccines for all members of the military, a step that would affect almost 1.5 million troops, many of whom have resisted taking a shot that is highly effective against a disease that has claimed the lives of more than 600,000 Americans. We all want our lives to get back to normal, and fully vaccinated workplaces will make that happen more quickly and more successfully, Mr. Biden said, speaking in the East Room. We all know that in our gut. With incentives and mandates, we can make a huge difference and save a lot of lives. Late on Thursday, the Defense Department said it would require all military and civilian personnel to follow the same rules as other federal workers. The federal government employs more than 4 million Americans, all of whom will need to attest to being fully vaccinated to avoid wearing a mask on the job, regardless of where in the country they work, and comply with screening tests once or twice a week. And he called on states, territories and local governments to pay $100 to Americans who remain unvaccinated to get their shots. Mr. Bidens announcement of new mandates in a speech was part of an attempt to reset expectations on the health scourge that just weeks ago he thought he had under control. On July 4, the White House celebrated the national holiday as a day of independence from Covid-19. But now, the Delta variant is ripping through unvaccinated communities, threatening to undo the progress made by the Biden administration in its first six months. About half of all Americans have been fully vaccinated, but the pace of vaccinations has declined significantly from early spring. This week, the European Union pulled ahead of the United States in total vaccinations, adjusted for population. Recent research has shown fully vaccinated people are protected against the worst outcomes of Covid-19, including those involving the Delta variant. And cases, hospitalizations and deaths are still far below their winter peaks. Mr. Biden acknowledged the news was frustrating. I know we hoped this would be a simple straightforward line without problems or new challenges, but that isnt real life, he said. Rebecca Robbins and Dan Levin contributed reporting. Annie Karni and

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U.S. military personnel will be asked their vaccination status or will face testing. A U.S. Army soldier standing guard while on patrol with local allied forces in May near the Turkish border in northeastern Syria. Credit... John Moore/Getty Images The Pentagon said on Thursday evening that it would require military personnel to attest to their vaccination status against the coronavirus or face frequent testing and other restrictions. The announcement came just hours after President Biden announced that federal employees and on-site contractors must be vaccinated against the coronavirus, or be required to submit to regular testing and other measures. Mr. Biden also called upon the Department of Defense to move rapidly toward requiring coronavirus vaccines for all members of the military, a step that would affect almost 1.5 million troops, many of whom have resisted taking a shot that is highly effective against a disease that has claimed the lives of more than 600,000 Americans. But he stopped short of saying he would use his powers as commander in chief to compel service members to get vaccines not yet fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration by issuing a waiver. On Thursday night, Jamal Brown, a deputy Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that military members would need to adhere to the same guidelines as the departments civilian workers. Employees would be asked to attest to their vaccination status and, if unwilling to do so, they will be required to wear a mask, physically distance, comply with a regular testing requirement and be subject to official travel restrictions, the statement said. The military sits firmly at the center of an escalating debate over vaccine mandates as Mr. Biden and other officials struggle to get ahead of the Delta variant sweeping through the nation. Members of the military are regularly given vaccines, and unvaccinated service members are sometimes not allowed to deploy abroad and face other restrictions. But as a political matter, forcing the coronavirus vaccines on the military is all but certain to set off a firestorm among Mr. Bidens critics.

Here are the details from Bidens latest push to spur vaccinations. President Biden detailed on Thursday the next steps to get more Americans vaccinated and combat the spread of the Delta variant. Credit... Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times In a speech at the White House on Thursday, President Biden announced plans for new actions to spur coronavirus vaccinations and slow the spread of the Delta variant in the United States. The contagious variant is ripping through unvaccinated communities, threatening to undo the progress made by the Biden administration in its first six months. About half of all Americans have been fully vaccinated, but the pace of vaccinations has declined significantly from early spring. Recent research has shown fully vaccinated people are protected against the worst outcomes of Covid-19, including those involving the Delta variant. And cases, hospitalizations and deaths are still a fraction of their devastating winter peaks. Here are the key points of the plan: Strengthen protocols for federal employees and contractors. All civilian federal employees will be required to be vaccinated or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements, as well as restrictions on most travel. The federal government employs more than 4 million Americans throughout the country and abroad. Urge vaccination mandates for members of the military. The Department of Defense has been asked to detail when and how they will add the coronavirus vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for members of the military. The president stressed the importance of immunization for service members because American troops serve in countries where vaccination rates are low and Covid-19 is prevalent. Expand paid leave to enable vaccinations for families and children. Small- and medium-sized businesses will be reimbursed for offering employees paid leave to get themselves and their family members vaccinated. Children younger than 12 cannot yet get vaccinated but will likely be eligible later this year. Call on local and state governments to offer $100 incentives for getting vaccinated. States, territories and local governments are being asked to do more to incentivize vaccination, including offering $100 to those who get the shot. Some states, including New Mexico, Ohio and Colorado, have piloted $100 incentive programs that have helped move the dial on vaccination rates. New York City said this week that the city will begin offering $100 payments, too. Increase vaccinations for children returning to classrooms. School districts are being encouraged to host at least one pop-up vaccination clinic over the coming weeks, with the goal of increasing vaccination rates among children 12 and older. Mr. Biden said that while almost 90 percent of educators and school staff are vaccinated, he believes every student should have an accessible way to receive a vaccine. The administration is also directing pharmacies in the federal pharmacy program to prioritize children 12 and older, and to work with school districts across the country to host vaccination clinics at schools and colleges.

The Biden administration wants states and cities to pay people $100 to get vaccinated. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City announced the city will offer a $100 incentive to those newly vaccinated, an approach that the White House has suggested. Credit... Desiree Rios for The New York Times WASHINGTON  The Biden administration is calling on states, territories and local governments to pay $100 to Americans who remain unvaccinated against the coronavirus to get their shots. The move comes as concern has grown about rising cases across the country, and the administration has shifted its strategy to focus on more personalized approaches. The Treasury Department said Thursday that the money to pay for the vaccine incentive payments could come from the $350 billion of relief funds that is being given to states and cities as part of the economic rescue package that Congress approved in March. The incentive is intended to boost vaccination rates, protect communities, and save lives. The administration is also stepping up efforts to get to companies to give their employees time off to get the vaccine. The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service said that employers can claim tax credits to cover wages paid to workers who take family members to get vaccinated or care for members of their households who are recovering from the vaccination. Self-employed workers are also eligible to receive the tax credits. The initiative expands on a program that was rolled out in April that offered a paid leave tax credit to offset the cost to companies with fewer than 500 workers incurred by giving paid time to workers getting vaccines. President Biden on Thursday announced that all civilian federal employees must be vaccinated or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel. The president also directed the Defense Department to study how and when to add the coronavirus vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for all members of the military. The Biden administration has been tussling with some states over how the relief money can be used, but earlier this year issued guidance that made clear it can go toward programs that are expected to increase the number of people who choose to get vaccinated. The Treasury Department said it will provide technical assistance for states and cities to help them use the money to boost vaccinations in their communities and it will be working with the Department of Health and Human Services. States and cities have been taking creative approaches, such as lotteries, to encourage people to get vaccinated. Some experts, especially in the early days of the vaccination campaign, have expressed concern, though, over the idea of paying people to get vaccinated, worrying that it could be perceived as out of step with messaging that vaccines bring enormous benefits on their own. Opponents of the idea have also questioned whether paying people is the best use of funds to encourage people to get vaccinated. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City said this week that the city will begin offering $100 payments as part of an incentive plan to spur more people to get vaccinated. The program is expected to start on Friday. I think when someone says heres $100 for you, thats going to make a big impact, Mr. de Blasio said. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota announced on Twitter that residents can also expect the incentive. Starting July 30, every Minnesotan who gets vaccinated will get $100! All you have to do is roll up your sleeves, he said. Dr. Elisa Sobo, an anthropologist at San Diego State University who studies vaccine hesitancy, said that the payment could be an incentive but suggested it was unlikely to sway every unvaccinated person. Some folks will find the offer insulting; others will use it as proof that the vaccine is no good, she said. But, she added, There are lots of people who will say why not to $100. Some people who have until now been on the fence will see $100 as a good reason to get off of it. In guidance that was issued in May, the Treasury said that the relief funds can be used to encourage vaccinations so long as such costs are reasonably proportional to the expected public health benefit. Rebecca Robbins and Sharon Otterman contributed reporting.

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The European Union pulls ahead of the United States in vaccinations. A vaccination center last week in Perpignan, France. E.U. countries were reported to have administered 102.66 doses per 100 people as of Tuesday, while the United States had administered 102.44. Credit... Raymond Roig/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images The 27 member states of the European Union altogether have now administered more coronavirus vaccine doses per 100 people than the United States, in another sign that inoculations across the bloc have maintained some speed throughout the summer, while they have stagnated for weeks in the United States. E.U. countries had administered 102.66 doses per 100 people as of Tuesday, while the United States had administered 102.44, according to the latest vaccination figures compiled by Our World in Data. This month, the European Union also overtook the United States in first injections; currently, 58 percent of people across the bloc have received a dose, compared with 56.5 percent in the United States. The latest figures provide a stark contrast with the early stages of the vaccination campaigns this year, when E.U. countries, facing a shortage of doses and delayed deliveries, looked in envy at the initially more successful efforts in the United States, Britain and Israel. But the European Union is now vaccinating its populations at a faster pace than most developed countries. More than 70 percent of adults in the bloc have now received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said the achievement put E.U. countries among the world leaders. The catch-up process has been very successful, she said in a statement on Tuesday. As inoculation campaigns in many American states have been marred by widespread anti-vaccine sentiment, E.U. countries have been able to immunize their populations with less pushback. Around 75 percent of residents in the bloc agree that vaccines are the only way to end the coronavirus pandemic, according to a public survey conducted across the European Union in May. Furthermore, 79 percent said they intended to get vaccinated sometime this year. Yet the spread of the Delta variant has added new urgency. Cases have soared in countries such as the Netherlands and Portugal, and hospitalizations have increased in France and Spain, among others, driving officials to try to speed up vaccination campaigns that have slightly slowed in recent weeks. Countries have tried in the first half of the year to stretch the interval between the first and the second doses, but now they have to reduce it to the minimum, with the shortest possible interval, Andrea Ammon, director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said this month. The center said last week that the Delta variant was now dominant in a majority of countries in the bloc. Countries including France and Italy have announced new vaccine requirements to try to speed up inoculations, with proof of vaccination or a negative test set to be required to gain access to most public indoor venues. The goal, President Emmanuel Macron of France said in announcing the measures this month, is to put restrictions on the unvaccinated rather than on everyone. As campaigns have slightly decreased or plateaued in some E.U. countries, health officials have also urged younger age groups to get vaccinated. We have focused a lot on the elderly, and its left a very strong perception among younger people that theyre not at risk, or that if they are, its very mild, said Heidi Larson, an anthropologist and founder of the London-based Vaccine Confidence Project, which tracks opinions about immunization across the world. Vittoria Colliza, a Paris-based epidemiologist at Inserm, the French public-health research center, said that vaccine saturation levels were high among many populations, but that large pockets had yet to even receive one dose. She added that new lockdown restrictions may have to be reimposed to stem the spread of the Delta variant if immunization fails to keep up. Theyre increasing already, Dr. Colliza said about inoculations, especially among younger people. But the fear is that the Delta variant will begin to fully impact our lives by the end of August.

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A troubled vaccine plant in Baltimore is given the go-ahead to reopen. The Emergent BioSolutions plant in Baltimore will resume production of Johnson & Johnsons Covid-19 shots after passing an inspection by the Food and Drug Administration. Credit... Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images Federal regulators have approved the reopening of a troubled Baltimore vaccine-making plant that has been closed for more than three months over contamination concerns that delayed the delivery of about 170 million doses of coronavirus vaccine. The turnabout came after a two-day inspection at the plant this week by the Food and Drug Administration and weeks of effort by Johnson & Johnson and its subcontractor, Emergent BioSolutions, to bring the site up to standard. The F.D.A. had halted production at the factory in late March after it was discovered that workers had accidentally contaminated a batch of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine with a key ingredient used in AstraZenecas, then made at the same site. The federal government also stripped Emergent of the responsibility to manufacture AstraZenecas vaccine and instructed Johnson & Johnson to assert greater control over Emergents operation. The American people should have high expectations of the partners its government chooses to help prepare them for disaster, and we have even higher expectations of ourselves, Robert Kramer, the chief executive of Emergent, said in a statement on Thursday. We have fallen short of those lofty ambitions over the past few months but resumption of manufacturing is a key milestone, and we are grateful for the opportunity to help bring this global pandemic to an end, he added. The development, reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal, is welcome news for Johnson & Johnson. Because of Emergents failures to meet manufacturing standards, Johnson & Johnson has fallen behind on its contractual pledges to deliver vaccine to the United States government and to Europe. The F.D.A.s decision that the Baltimore plant can resume operation does not mean that the agency has broadly authorized Johnson & Johnson to distribute doses made by Emergent on an emergency basis. In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said it is continuing to work toward that F.D.A. authorization. Without it, Johnson & Johnson has been unable to distribute Emergent-produced doses without specific, batch-by-batch clearance by regulators. The equivalent of up to 75 million doses have been cleared since production was halted, but tens of millions of doses still remain in limbo. It remains unclear whether the federal government would deploy additional Johnson & Johnson doses at home, export them or both. So far, the vast bulk of the nations vaccine stock has came from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, the two other vaccine developers. The federal government has purchased huge quantities of those vaccines for the future. Before it halted operations, Emergent said that the plant had the capacity to produce about a billion doses of vaccine a year. Production will need to gear up in stages, officials said. In a conference call with investors later on Thursday, company officials disclosed a $41.5 million loss from having to discard batches of vaccine that regulators deemed unusable. The company spent another $12.4 million to correct problems at the Baltimore facility, executives said. Also during the call, Mr. Kramer announced that Sean Kirk, a longtime Emergent executive overseeing manufacturing who went on personal leave earlier this year after regulators found a host of problems at the Baltimore site, would be leaving the company. Chris Hamby contributed reporting.

The Justice Dept. tells the Texas governor his new Covid rule restricting migrant transports violates federal law. Rold Gentez Occellentj, 3, looking out the window of a van ready to depart from a migrant shelter in Del Rio, Texas, earlier this year. Credit... Sergio Flores for The New York Times The Biden administration took aim on Thursday at a crackdown by Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on transportation for migrants, warning him to rescind his new executive order or be sued. The order, announced on Wednesday, would prevent nonprofits and other private transportation suppliers from providing ground transit to many migrants, which would make it far harder for them to reach shelters or their final destinations in the United States. Mr. Abbott cited a risk of spreading the coronavirus, which has driven up cases and hospitalizations in the state in recent weeks. In a letter to Mr. Abbott, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said that the order violates federal law in numerous respects, labeling it both dangerous and unlawful, and added that federal authorities would not be changing their transportation practices. Mr. Abbotts order bars the private transportation of migrants and reiterates an earlier assertion that the surge of people crossing the Texas-Mexico border poses an ongoing and imminent threat of disaster in Texas, including the potential for the spread of Covid-19. The order says that only federal, state or local law enforcement officials can provide ground transportation to migrants who have been detained on suspicion of illegally entering the country, along with anyone who would have been subject to expulsion under the Title 42 order. The order can be invoked on health grounds to prohibit border crossings by those who are not citizens or permanent residents, or their spouses and children. The United States often works with private companies and nonprofits to transport migrants in federal custody to other destinations. Mr. Garland said that Mr. Abbotts order would impair migrants releases, making it difficult for them to appear at their immigration hearings, obstruct the federal governments work to transport them to Covid-19 test sites and exacerbate and prolong overcrowding in facilities and shelters. To the extent the order interferes with immigration enforcement, the order is unconstitutional, Mr. Garland said, adding that Texas had no authority to interfere with the federal governments broad, undoubted power over the subject of immigration. The order also says that the Texas Department of Public Safety can stop and impound any vehicle under reasonable suspicion of violating the directive. Immigration advocates warned of a new opening for racial profiling. Mr. Abbotts order offered a contrast to the decision he made earlier this month to refuse to issue a statewide mask mandates. When he announced that position, he said that it was past the time of government mandates to stop the spread of the virus and that people should be personally responsible for their health.

Israel will give third Covid vaccine shots to those 60 and older. A man received a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine near Tel Aviv. Israel began administering third doses to patients with compromised immune systems earlier this month, and will open eligibility to anyone over 60. Credit... Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images JERUSALEM  Israel will begin administering a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to those 60 and older, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Thursday, citing the rising risk of a virus surge fueled by the Delta variant. The health ministry has instructed the countrys four main health care providers to begin giving on Sunday a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine to Israelis in that age group who received a second dose more than five months ago. President Isaac Herzog, 60, will be the first to get a booster shot on Friday, Mr. Bennett said. The battle against Covid is a global effort, Mr. Bennett said. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 0:43 - 0:00 transcript Israel to Offer Third Covid Vaccine Shot to Those Over 60 Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel said the country would begin offering a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to people over the age of 60, in an effort to slow the spread of the Delta variant. The battle against Covid is a global effort, and its vital that we all share information with each other. Therefore, Id like to update you that the expert committee at the Ministry of Health of Israel officially approved the recommendation of giving a third booster dose of the Covid vaccine to Israeli citizens above the age of 60. The decision was based on considerable research and analysis, as well as the rise in risk of the Delta variant wave. Israel has already vaccinated 2,000 immuno-suppressed people with a third dose, with no severe adverse events, and now were rolling out a national third dose campaign. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel said the country would begin offering a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to people over the age of 60, in an effort to slow the spread of the Delta variant. Whether booster shots are needed by older citizens is an issue that is far from settled among scientists. Most studies indicate that immunity resulting from the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna is long-lasting, and researchers are still trying to interpret recent Israeli data suggesting a decline in efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine months after inoculation. Pfizer on Wednesday offered up its own study showing a marginal decline in efficacy against symptomatic infection with the coronavirus months after immunization, although the vaccine remained powerfully effective against severe disease and death. The company has begun making a case for booster shots in the United States, as well. The latest government decision in Israel, an early leader in administering vaccines, follows an analysis by the health ministry that estimated that the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in preventing serious illness remained higher than 90 percent  but that its ability to stop infection had fallen over time. Some experts have pushed back against a rush to approve a booster in Israel. The data are too uncertain, they say, to estimate of how much efficacy has waned. For example, the Delta-driven outbreak hit parts of the country with high vaccination rates first and has been hitting other regions later. Since June, there has been a steady rise in Israels daily rate of new virus cases, and the seven-day average is 1,670 a day. The figure exceeded 2,300 one day this week, a spike that health experts have attributed to the spread of the more contagious Delta variant. The daily rate is still far lower than at the height of Israels third wave of infections in January, when number of new daily cases rose briefly above 11,000. But it is far higher than in mid-June, when the figure fell to single digits and the government eased almost all antivirus restrictions to allow daily life to return to normal. The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals nevertheless remains relatively low; a total of 159 people were hospitalized on Thursday, much less than the figure of more than 2,000 at the height of the third wave in January. In the United States, Biden administration health officials increasingly think that vulnerable populations may need additional shots even as research continues into how long the coronavirus vaccines remain effective. Sharon LaFraniere and Carl Zimmer contributed reporting.

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Despite setbacks, AstraZeneca logs a billion doses for 170 nations. AstraZeneca shots ready for use in Milan this year. The vaccine was developed with Oxford University. Credit... Alessandro Grassani for The New York Times AstraZeneca has released one billion coronavirus vaccine doses to 170 nations this year, the company said on Thursday, an important milestone despite the many challenges that its low-cost vaccine has faced  including legal fights with the European Union, slashed deliveries and hesitancy in many countries. The AstraZeneca vaccine, which was developed with Oxford University, was once earmarked for broad use throughout Europe and other continents, including Africa. But the vaccine has been held back by various problems. AstraZeneca has been embroiled in a legal dispute with the European Union after the company said this year that it could deliver only a third of the 300 million doses it was expected to provide to the bloc. Several European countries, as well as Australia and Canada, stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine for young people after reports of extremely rare but serious blood clots. Denmark and Spain have stopped using it altogether because of the blood clot risk. South Africa stopped using the vaccine after it was found to be ineffective on a variant there. And the United States has not authorized its use. AstraZenecas vaccine had been widely expected last year to become a major player in the U.S. vaccination campaign, and even after delays, the company still said for months that it planned to apply for an EUA in the United States. AstraZeneca said on Thursday that in the second half of the year, it would seek full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a process that can take many months to complete. Experts say they fear that the negative publicity the vaccine has received in some countries  President Emmanuel Macron of France called the vaccine quasi-ineffective among those over 65  may have also affected others that are in critical need of doses. We are definitely seeing that hesitancy in high-income countries can affect low-income countries, Andrew Pollard, a professor of pediatric infection and immunity who leads the group at Oxford University that developed the vaccine with AstraZeneca, said on the BBC on Thursday. Dr. Pollard added that he believed most people across the world were desperate to receive the vaccines and that the main issue remained the inequitable distribution of doses. AstraZeneca, which has pledged not to make any profit from the shots, said on Thursday that its Covid vaccine sales for the first half of the year had reached $1.2 billion. In comparison, Pfizer, which created a shot with the German company BioNTech and has made no such promise, said it predicted its Covid vaccine sales to reach more than $33 billion by the end of the year.
While many of these studies were conducted during times of very high community transmission, its not clear how effective these measures will be now that the highly contagious Delta variant has become the dominant cause of coronavirus infections in the United States. At the same time, far more people, including teachers and staff, now are vaccinated, which should also help reduce transmission rates in schools.

What are the risks of Covid-19 and the Delta variant to children?

Overall the news is reassuring when it comes to children and the risks of serious complications from Covid-19. New research suggests the Delta variant may cause more serious illness in adults, but its not known if the variant puts children at greater risk of more serious illness. Compared to adults, children diagnosed with Covid-19 are more likely to have mild symptoms or none at all. Children are also far less likely to develop severe illness, be hospitalized or die from the disease. Out of about 3.5 million cases of Covid-19 in children in the United States, the National Center for Health Statistics has reported, as of July 28, that 519 children have died from Covid-19 (fewer than 0.015 percent), including 346 children 5 to 17 years of age, and 173 children 4 or younger. Children with underlying medical conditions are the most likely to be hospitalized. Black and Hispanic children also had higher rates of hospitalization, although overall risk remained low.

Some children infected with Covid may develop a rare but serious inflammatory syndrome. By the end of June the C.D.C. had documented 4,196 cases (about 0.1 percent of all pediatric Covid), including 37 deaths.

While any death of a child is devastating, it may help parents to think about other risks to childhood health compared to Covid-19. The C.D.C. estimates there were 480 deaths among children from influenza during the 2018-19 school year. Injury is the leading cause of death among children  about 12,000 children and young adults 1 to 19 years of age die in accidents each year, including more than 4,000 deaths in car crashes, 900 drowning accidents and 761 unintentional poisonings or drug overdoses.

Public health experts say that, in most cases, the risk of educational and mental health setbacks associated with keeping kids home appears to be far higher than the risk of complications from Covid-19 among young people. A number of studies show the pandemic has taken a toll on childhood mental health. And recent findings show that students fell four to seven months behind in math and reading compared to similar students in 2019.

Weve scared parents so much they dont know what to do, and a lot of them are thinking about keeping children at home, said Neeraj Sood, a professor and vice dean for research at the University of Southern California and director of the Covid Initiative at the U.S.C. Schaeffer Center. We have to think about children as a whole and taking care of their total welfare.

What precautions can we take at home to lower a childs risk?

The most important step is to vaccinate everyone in the family as soon as they are eligible. This will lower the risk of a child getting infected at home and protect family members if a child brings coronavirus home from school. In addition, everyone in the family should get flu shots this fall.
KABUL, Afghanistan  At least 80 people were killed with a hundred more missing after a flash flood tore through a village in a Taliban-controlled area of eastern Afghanistan late Wednesday night, Afghan officials said.

The deluge swept away most of the village in the Nuristan Province, destroying around 200 homes, and caught most residents off guard because they were sleeping. By Thursday night, villagers had recovered around 80 bodies but as the search continues, local officials expect the death toll to surpass 200.

It is wiped out, nothing remains after floods, said Abdul Naser, a resident of the district who visited the village on Thursday. No aid has arrived yet, and there are no measures for caskets, coffins and funerals.

The flash flood is the latest blow for Afghanistan, where fighting between government forces and the Taliban has displaced hundreds of thousands of people in recent months and pushed the country to the brink of a humanitarian crisis, aid agencies say. Since international troops began withdrawing in May, the Taliban have made a swift military advance across the country, gaining control of more than half of the countrys 400-odd districts.
A tale making the rounds in Sri Lanka this week had all the gleaming ingredients needed to rivet a pandemic-weary nation that had been caught in a cycle of debt even before the coronavirus ravaged the economy.

The worlds largest cluster of sapphires, said to be worth up to $100 million, had been accidentally discovered by workers digging a well in a gem traders backyard, news reports said.

The details, reported this week by the BBC, gave many Sri Lankans something exciting and hopeful to talk about. In the Buddhist-majority country, famous for its gems, many tend to see the discovery of notable gem specimens as spiritually serendipitous, said Daya Amarasekara, a professor of sociology at the University of Peradeniya, south of the capital, Colombo.

All this time what we heard was negative news about Covid-19, he said. So people are drawn to the mental pleasure they get from the news about the gem.
In a speech at the White House on Thursday, President Biden announced plans for new actions to spur coronavirus vaccinations and slow the spread of the Delta variant in the United States.

The contagious variant is ripping through unvaccinated communities, threatening to undo the progress made by the Biden administration in its first six months. About half of all Americans have been fully vaccinated, but the pace of vaccinations has declined significantly from early spring. Recent research has shown fully vaccinated people are protected against the worst outcomes of Covid-19, including those involving the Delta variant. And cases, hospitalizations and deaths are still a fraction of their devastating winter peaks.

Here are the key points of the plan:

Strengthen protocols for federal employees and contractors. All civilian federal employees will be required to be vaccinated or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements, as well as restrictions on most travel. The federal government employs more than 4 million Americans throughout the country and abroad.

Urge vaccination mandates for members of the military. The Department of Defense has been asked to detail when and how they will add the coronavirus vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for members of the military. The president stressed the importance of immunization for service members because American troops serve in countries where vaccination rates are low and Covid-19 is prevalent.
Widespread vaccination, epidemiologists say, is the only way out of the pandemic, but reaching everybody  including those on the edges of mainstream society  is not easy. In the European Union, there are an estimated 4.8 million undocumented people, about 1 percent of the population. And they tend to fill jobs at increased risk of exposure, such as in the domestic care and hospitality sectors.

The European Union, like the United States and other wealthy places, is now in the fortunate position of not struggling for supply. But each country in the bloc has devised its own plan, and the arrangements vary widely in terms of how accessible vaccines are.

In the Netherlands, medical teams administer the shots directly in homeless shelters, and anyone can book a vaccination over the phone without a national registration number. Portugal has created an online platform dedicated to undocumented people, though people signing up for a shot still need to provide an address, birth date, phone number and nationality. In France, since late May, no documents have been required to sign up for a vaccine.

In Belgium, navigating between local, regional and federal administrations was a challenge even before the global health crisis.
The French government accused Britain on Thursday of enforcing discriminatory new rules that will lift quarantine requirements for most vaccinated travelers  but not for those arriving from France.

The British authorities announced on Wednesday that, starting in August, a quarantine would no longer be required for travelers from the United States or from most of the European Union who had been vaccinated with shots authorized by either American or European drug regulators. Travelers will still need a negative coronavirus test taken shortly before the trip, and another upon arrival.

The new rules do not apply to travelers from France, who will still have to isolate for up to 10 days after reaching Britain.

Its excessive and frankly its incomprehensible, from a health standpoint, Clement Beaune, the French junior minister for European affairs, told the broadcaster LCI.
Pfizer on Wednesday offered up its own study showing a marginal decline in efficacy against symptomatic infection with the coronavirus months after immunization, although the vaccine remained powerfully effective against severe disease and death. The company has begun making a case for booster shots in the United States, as well.

The latest government decision in Israel, an early leader in administering vaccines, follows an analysis by the health ministry that estimated that the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in preventing serious illness remained higher than 90 percent  but that its ability to stop infection had fallen over time.

Some experts have pushed back against a rush to approve a booster in Israel. The data are too uncertain, they say, to estimate of how much efficacy has waned. For example, the Delta-driven outbreak hit parts of the country with high vaccination rates first and has been hitting other regions later.

Since June, there has been a steady rise in Israels daily rate of new virus cases, and the seven-day average is 1,670 a day. The figure exceeded 2,300 one day this week, a spike that health experts have attributed to the spread of the more contagious Delta variant.

The daily rate is still far lower than at the height of Israels third wave of infections in January, when number of new daily cases rose briefly above 11,000. But it is far higher than in mid-June, when the figure fell to single digits and the government eased almost all antivirus restrictions to allow daily life to return to normal.
European Union lagged far behind the United States in Covid-19 vaccination in early April, the gap was widening rapidly, and the World Health Organization Fear and recrimination shook European capitals, while Washington brimmed with confidence. Thelagged far behind thein Covid-19 vaccination in early April, the gap was widening rapidly, and the World Health Organization berated Europe for an unacceptably slow pace. But the U.S. effort peaked in April and then nose-dived, while the E.U. campaign, so recently a target of ridicule, grew faster than those in any other region of the world. This week, the European Union pulled ahead of the United States in total vaccinations, adjusted for population. In July, it has given shots at four times the American pace  a turnabout that would have been hard to imagine in the spring. Source: Our World in Data | Note: Includes countries with a population greater than 500,000

Early on, while the United States and a handful of others surged ahead, the Europeans undermined their inoculation campaigns with repeated stumbles, delaying vaccine purchases, damaging public confidence in some shots and bungling the rollout when doses became available.

Now, the bloc is on a pace to end this week having given about 105 doses per 100 people, and at least one to just over 70 percent of adults, while the United States is at about 103 per 100 people and 69 percent of adults.

The catch-up process has been very successful, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the E.U. executive branch, said this week.

But the reversal is not just a story of the European Union and its member countries working out the early kinks, and in fact their vaccination campaigns remain far from trouble-free. Major political differences between the United States and Europe set them on divergent paths.

Europe has plenty of people who distrust the shots and their governments, but vaccine resistance in the United States is more widespread and vehement, particularly among conservatives, and falls more sharply along partisan lines. The E.U. vaccination effort has slowed recently, but not like the U.S. drive, which has declined more than 80 percent.

Share of the population willing to receive a Covid-19 vaccine Source: YouGov

Policy-making in most of Europe is far more centralized than in the United States, where a jumble of federal, state and local measures yield wildly different approaches from place to place. Central governments have more control over health care and, crucially, some have been more willing to use mandates and high-pressure tactics to get people to take the shots.

We are entering a new phase in Europe, where many leaders said vaccination wouldnt be compulsory, but where the spread of the virus has made them realize that tough incentives could be desirable, said Guntram Wolff, the director of the Bruegel Institute, a Brussels-based think tank.

In France, residents now have to show a health pass containing proof of vaccination or a negative test to gain entry to most indoor venues, including, starting in August, restaurants and bars. Unvaccinated high school students will have to stay home if a Covid-19 case is detected, while vaccinated students will be allowed in classrooms.

President Emmanuel Macron said the aim was to put restrictions on the unvaccinated rather than on everyone.

Italy announced similar measures last week. Germans have to show a proof of vaccination or a negative test to dine indoors at restaurants. In Britain, which left the European Union last year, residents in England will have to show that they have been inoculated to enter nightclubs, starting in September.

The governments of Greece, Italy and France are requiring health care workers to be vaccinated  or, in some cases, risk not being paid.

A vaccination site near Paris. Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times

In the United States, efforts to require inoculation of public employees suddenly picked up steam this week. The federal Department of Veterans Affairs announced a vaccine mandate for many employees, while the states of California and New York said their workers will have to be vaccinated or face frequent testing.

President Biden announced on Thursday that all civilian federal employees must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to regular testing, social distancing, masking requirements and restrictions on most travel. He also called on state and local governments to offer $100 to people who get vaccinated.

But most state and local governments have not mandated vaccination for their employees, and some of them have prohibited employer mandates. Governments in the United States have also not used the kind of pressure being applied in Europe to get members of the general public vaccinated.

On Wednesday, a group of Republican senators said Mr. Biden should offer more scientific evidence before imposing any requirement, even on government employees. This is America, said Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa. You cant force people to get vaccinated.

In Europe, public opinion polls show overwhelming support for vaccines as the only way out of the pandemic. A survey conducted in May found that 79 percent of E.U. residents intended to get inoculated sometime this year.

In France, 3.7 million people booked vaccine appointments in the week following Mr. Macrons announcements, leading experts to suggest that many of the unvaccinated were not staunchly opposed but indecisive, or just in no hurry.

Many people have been on the fence and would have waited until the end of the summer holidays to consider getting a shot, said Alain Fischer, the head of Frances vaccination campaign. The new requirements have given them a little boost.

A hospital in Milan. Alessandro Grassani for The New York Times

National and regional health systems in many European countries have made the work easier, experts say, not only providing everyone with care but giving the government an established role in that care.

In Spain, the fact that everyone is signed up with a family doctor helps bring structure, said Rafael Bengoa, a former director of health systems at the World Health Organization and former health minister for the Basque Country region. He said doctors could better track priority groups in the early stages of the campaign, and identify those who had yet to be vaccinated.

But at first, the European Unions efforts resembled the caricature its critics often cite  a bloated bureaucracy getting in its own way.

E.U. leaders decided to buy vaccine doses as one, rather than letting each country fend for itself, though it had little experience with huge purchases. It was slow to get a mandate from member states, and slow to make deals with drug makers. And the E.U. drug regulator was slower than its British and American counterparts to authorize shots.

The European Union had bet big on the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, but the company ran into manufacturing problems, creating a severe shortage just weeks into the rollout. E.U. leaders and the drug maker traded accusations of bad faith.

Then rare blood clotting problems prompted a temporary suspension of that vaccine and political leaders questioned its effectiveness, prompting some Europeans to shun it. (Europe, like the United States, came to rely primarily on the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.)

When doses were finally distributed en masse to member countries, they struggled to master the rollout logistics.

Those problems turned out to be temporary, but others linger.

Vaccine requirements in Europe have prompted some pushback. Heidi Larson, an anthropologist and the founder of the London-based Vaccine Confidence Project, said Europe and the United States faced similar challenges in addressing vaccine hesitancy, including anti-government rhetoric, and concerns about safety and individual freedoms.

In France, more than 160,000 people marched against the new requirements this month, and Mr. Macrons government had to backtrack on some of its proposals to get a law passed enforcing the rules.

In Italy, the authorities have urged leading politicians to support vaccination, but some remain evasive. Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League party, only received his first vaccine dose this week.

The European Union also has much wider geographic disparities than the United States. The wealthier western region, where in several countries, more than 80 percent of adults have had at least one vaccine dose, is far ahead of the east.

Vaccination rates in U.S. states and E.U. countries Share of the population that has received at least one shot. Circles are sized by the country or state population.

Just 19 percent of adults in Bulgaria and 32 percent in Romania have been at least partially vaccinated, and the pace has slowed sharply despite plentiful shots. They are the poorest E.U. members, where health care systems have suffered from low investment and public mistrust.

Bulgaria is doing much worse than the worst state in the United States, said Matteo Villa, a research fellow at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies.

European researchers are also increasingly concerned about a generational divide in highly vaccinated countries.

People under 45 years old were more hesitant to get the shots than those above that age, according to the E.U. survey.

We have focused a lot on the elderly, which has left a very strong perception among younger people that theyre not at risk, or that if they are, the symptoms are very mild, Dr. Larson said.

Vaccination rate by age Share of the population in the age-band that has received at least one shot. The width of each bar is proportional to the share of the adult population that age-band makes up. 18 25 40 50 65 75 50% United States Age-band 18 25 50 60 70 80 Austria 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Belgium 18 25 50 60 70 80 Bulgaria 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Croatia 18 25 50 60 70 80 Cyprus 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Czech Republic 18 25 50 60 70 80 Denmark 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Estonia 18 25 50 60 70 80 Finland 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% France 18 25 50 60 70 80 Greece 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Hungary 18 25 50 60 70 80 Ireland 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Italy 18 25 50 60 70 80 Latvia 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Lithuania 18 25 50 60 70 80 Luxembourg 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Malta 18 25 50 60 70 80 Poland 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Portugal 18 25 50 60 70 80 Romania 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Slovakia 18 25 50 60 70 80 Slovenia 18 25 50 60 70 80 50% Spain 18 25 50 60 70 80 Sweden Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control | Note: No vaccination data by age group available for Germany or the Netherlands

About 20.5 million doses were administered last week across the E.U., down from a peak of almost 28.4 million in early June. Officials expect a continued slide, and worry about how sharp it will be.

Countries that raced ahead in early vaccination have since slowed significantly, finding that some parts of their populations are hard to reach or persuade  and raising questions about the ultimate limits of their inoculation campaigns.

Britain and Israel, the early leaders, remain well ahead of almost all E.U. states. But Britain is vaccinating people about half as fast as the bloc  though about twice as fast as the United States  while Israel has slowed roughly to the American pace.

In most European countries, those who wanted a vaccine have gotten it, but that was the easy part, said Gerard Krause, a professor of infectious disease and epidemiology at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Germany. The next step in Europe is to go where the need is, to address language, cultural, and geographical barriers.
4:30

After the Storm, a Fight for Survival in Mozambique

1:41

State Dept. Increases Refugee Visas for Some Afghans

1:40

The Death Toll Continues to Rise Following Flooding in China

0:40

Olympic Sprinter Stays in Japan After Belarus Tries to Send Her Home

1:28

Thousands Protest Frances Vaccine Pass for a Third Week

1:17

Delta Variant Drives Global Virus Surge, W.H.O. Warns

1:26

Delta Variant Forces Japan to Extend State of Emergency

1:10

Wildfires Rage Across Turkey

1:15

Do What We Can: U.S. Official Promises Assistance for Afghans

1:23

Lawmakers Push for Release of Former U.S. Marines Imprisoned in Russia

0:33

Coronavirus Cases Surge in Tokyo and Throughout Japan

0:43
Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. High 74F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 68F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.

Tomorrow

Rain. High 72F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Kagami Numa is a mythical Japanese lake that turns into a giant eye every spring, during the thawing process, hence its nickname, Dragons Eye Lake.

Located near the summit of Mount Hachimantai in north-eastern Japan, in the middle of a dense forest, Kagami Numa doesnt look much different than the many other volcanic lakes in the area, most of the year. But for about a week  ate May to early June  it turns into a giant blue eye that inspired its intriguing nickname, Dragons Eye Lake. The unique appearance of the circular lake during this one week has inspired a legend of two dragons in love that chose this body of water as their meeting spot.

Photo: Liliana Iribarry/Facebook

Although many people choose to believe the legend of the lake over science, when it comes to explaining its eye-like shape, the magic does have a plausible explanation. During the spring thaw, pressure from the waters depths causes the snow to gather only in the middle of the lake, creating a pupil-like shape with a ring of blue water around it.

In windy weather, the snow-covered piece of ice in the center rotates, giving the impression of a moving pupil. Its a fascinating natural phenomenon, and its no wonder that many people from all over Japan and even from abroad flock to Mount Hachimantai at the end of spring just to see it first hand.

In recent years, photos of Dragons Eye Lake shared on social media and a popular video posted by the BBC have made Kagami Numa an even more popular tourist attraction.

For more awe-inspiring tourist attractions, be sure to check out Japans heart shaped lake, and the beautiful Monets Pond.
Erin Jacobson

Ogilvy PR names Erin Jacobson as head of digital & advocacy for North America. Jacobson comes to Ogilvy from NATIONAL Public Relations, where she most recently served as senior vice president and practice lead, digital, marketing and technology. She was previously a vice president at Edelman and has served in several executive communications positions with the New Democratic Party of Canada. In her new role, Jacobson will lead the evolution of Ogilvy PRs digital and advocacy offering including social strategy and content, public affairs, and advocacy while growing the digital public affairs practice across Canada, Washington D.C., and North America. Erins depth of experience as a digital strategist and advocacy expert is key to scaling our wider data-centric, audience-first approach for clients, said Ogilvy PR global CEO Juliana Richter.

Adrian Whant

H Code, the largest Hispanic digital media company in the U.S., appoints Adrian Whant vice president of marketing. Whant most recently served as head of global marketing and brand partnerships at BroadbandTV, which distributes, manages and monetizes creators' and publishers' content on YouTube and social media platforms. He has also served as head of global monetization strategy and brand solutions at ABS-CBN Corporation and was a vice president at NBCUniversal Media. At H Code, Whant will collaborate with vertical teams and senior leadership across the organization to develop brand strategy and management, refine advertising solutions, new products and vertical launches, and new trade and PR initiatives. Adrians expertise towards understanding and connecting with underrepresented communities is a highly sought after skill set, said H Code chief operating officer Jennifer White.

Isabel Lara

NPR promotes Isabel Lara to be NPR's first chief communications officer. Lara has led NPR's media relations team and acted as the organization's spokesperson since 2014. She was previously associate director for media strategy at the National Education Association and media relations manager at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum. As CCO, a new senior executive role, Lara will the existing media relations and corporate communications teams. "Isabel is known across the organization for her deep commitment to NPR's staff and mission, and her tenure at NPR is evidence of a communications expert who understands the unique needs of a media organization," said NPR President and CEO John Lansing.

Robin Tyler Rooney

Haberman hires Robin Tyler Rooney as director of account management, Rooney comes to Haberman from Fast Horse, where she was group director of integrated teams. She previously served as an account director at BBDO Minneapolis and Clarity Coverdale Fury. At Haberman, Rooney will partner on team leadership with agency president and partner Brian Wachtler. She will serve health, wellness, food and agriculture organizations.
Colangelo & Partners toasts Botter S.p.A., Italy's largest private wine producer in terms of revenue, as the company launches its first-ever integrated communications program in the US. The agency will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive communications strategy targeted to key media, trade members, consumer stakeholders and industry influencers. It will focus on engaging new and current consumers through strategic media relations, events, partnerships, and social media, with particular focus on the brands Gran Passione and Brilla! Prosecco. The United States market is a key part of our export strategy, and were excited to amplify our presence here through our partnership with Colangelo & Partners, said Botter head of marketing communications Annalisa Botter.

Falls & Co. picks up American Greetings digital business unit, AGInteractive. Falls & Co. will leverage its expertise in media relations, advertising, social media, and influencer marketing to enhance brand awareness of the companys SmashUps as a refreshed brand and product line. SmashUps are ecards that users can personalize by choosing options in a series of drop-down menus. The companys lineup of SmashUps includes celebrity collaborations with Dolly Parton, Donny Osmond, Kevin Nealon, Shaquille O'Neal and William Shatner. "When Falls presented their proposal to our team, we were really impressed and excited. Not only did we know their team had the skills to back up their strategy for SmashUps, but their vision was aligned with ours from the very beginning, said American Greetings executive director, direct to consumer business Rob Matousek.

Fox Communications checks in at Raffles Hotels & Resorts, part of the Accor Group. The agencys work for Raffles will focus on such press engagement strategies as daily press office support, news amplification and event management to enhance brand awareness and understanding. Fox Communications will also support the global launch activity of upcoming properties including Raffles Udaipur, India and Raffles The Palm in Dubai later this year, as well as Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences and Raffles London at the OWO, both slated to debut in 2022. To have a dynamic and well-connected PR partner is an essential part of our global communications strategy, and we are confident that this partnership will further position Raffles as the top luxury choice amongst consumers looking for purpose-led, authentic and personalized experiences, said Raffles Hotels & Resorts vice president Jeannette Ho.
An Offaly farm that was due to go up for sale this morning against the wishes of the farmer has been removed from auction after the community came together to protest the sale.

The Conway family farm near Rhode was removed from an online sale this morning following a protest at the family farm by the Rhode branch of IFA and the Offaly County Executive with the full support of IFA nationally and the local community.

The BRG Gibson Auctions website has reported that lot 12 a 90 Acres Non Residential at Coole, Croghan, Rhode, Co. Offaly was withdrawn from an online auction.

The property was due to go under the hammer at an unconditional online auction on July 29 at an advised minimum value of 420,000. The property was marketed at investors.

The Chair of IFA Debt Support Service, Martin Stapleton, has now called on vulture fund "Everyday" to engage constructively with IFA to agree on a solution with the Conway family in Offaly.

"It is regrettable that this action had to be taken. Earlier this week, the IFA put forward a very reasonable offer, on behalf of the farmer, but Everyday Finance rejected it," said Rose Mary McDonagh, IFA Farm Business Chair.

IFA Offaly Chairman Richard Scally thanked Offaly IFA and the local community for their efforts.

He said, "we sent a strong message today that this type of behaviour by vulture funds is not acceptable. Farmers, their neighbours, IFA and the farming community, in general, will not stand by and allow individual farmers to be picked off," he said.
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New York, July 29, 2021. Almost 70% of global consumers plan to travel domestically within the next six months, yet less than ten percent have booked their trips according to a new survey from consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

The summer travel surge is just the beginning of a recovery that seemed almost impossible a little more than a year ago, said Jessica Stansbury, a partner with Oliver Wyman. We expect to see a continued desire for leisure travel through the end of the year and travel providers should anticipate a sustained leisure recovery with strong bookings continuing at least through the end of the year.

Leisure travel

We predict that traffic out of US airports will match and may even exceed the rate of pre-pandemic travel sometime in early 2022.

The increase in US leisure travel will continue throughout the end of the year and we anticipate significant travel during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

International leisure travel continues to be the most impacted by the pandemic, as travelers opt to stay closer to home. US travelers are more than twice as likely to select a domestic destination for their next leisure trip (67% vs. 27% international).

Business travel

Business travelers are optimistic about the return of corporate trips. Globally, about 75% of business travelers expect to travel the same as or more than they did pre-pandemic. In the US, nearly 80% of US business travelers plan to book travel in the next three months.

There will be a catch up in business travel and bookings will spike significantly in the near-term. However, changing company policies and the effectiveness of teleconferencing may reduce the long-term need for business travel.

Business travel will also differ greatly by country. For example, business travelers in the US, China, and Australia are primed to travel significantly more than they did pre-COVID, while Europeans still plan to travel less than before the pandemic.

Business travel is being driven by fear of missing out, said Bruce Spear, a partner with Oliver Wyman. The US economy is so hot right now that some executives may feel short term pressure to catch up on business meetings with colleagues and clients.

Key factors for travel

Price is the most important criteria in travel decisions and has been throughout the pandemic, with 66% of global travelers ranking price as one of their top three factors to purchase a flight. This is consistent with the US, where the number is also 66%.

Cleanliness is becoming a less important factor in travel decisions as we get further away from the height of the pandemic.

While more airlines promote their environmental sustainability measures, only 17% of consumers globally and 12% of US consumers consider this as a top three factor when deciding about one flight over another. Overall, environmental sustainability measures continue to rank last across all three surveys.

Globally almost 70% of travelers are willing to enroll in a digital identification program which would include vaccine status and other healthcare data. Vaccinated respondents are more willing to share their data, compared to unvaccinated travelers.

The industry faces significant challenges, especially around the new Delta variant and a possible overall talent shortage, but demand for consumer travel will push the industry back sooner than we initially thought, said Bruno Despujol, a partner with Oliver Wyman.

About the survey

The third edition of our travel sentiment survey involved nearly 5,300 people across nine countries (Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States), all of whom had flown at least once in 2019; nearly 90 percent had been vaccinated against COVID-19 or are planning to be vaccinated.

The full Edition 3 survey report will be available in August/September. You can also access online Edition 1 of our survey from May 2020 here and Edition 2 from October 2020 here

About Oliver Wyman

Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With offices in 60 cities across 29 countries, Oliver Wyman combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organization transformation. The firm has more than 5,000 professionals around the world who work with clients to optimize their business, improve their operations and risk profile, and accelerate their organizational performance to seize the most attractive opportunities.

Oliver Wyman is a business of Marsh McLennan [NYSE: MMC]. For more information, visit www.oliverwyman.com. Follow Oliver Wyman on Twitter @OliverWyman.
Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

With $157.1 billion raised across 7,687 deals, Global venture capital (VC) investment reached a new high in Q2 2021, said a study.

According to a quarterly report published by KPMG Private Enterprise on VC trends globally, a robust IPO market, high valuations, and a seemingly endless supply of dry powder helped fuel the ongoing increase.

It said that the incredible level of VC investment was buoyed by ten $1 billion+ funding rounds across 8 countries including Sweden-based Northvolt ($2.75 billion) and US-based Waymo ($2.5 billion).

The Americas attracted a record $84.1 billion in investment during Q2'21, with the US accounting for $75.8 billion of this total. The US accounted for $75.8 billion of this investment and 3,297 deals.

In Europe, VC investment continued its strong climb, reaching $34 billion across 1,848 deals in Q2'21 in its sixth straight record quarter.

Meanwhile, VC investment in the Asia-Pacific dipped quarter-over-quarter to $38 billion across 2,066 deals but remained robust compared to historical norms.

While globally fintech was the most attractive sector of investment, health, biotech, edtech, gaming, and food delivery continued to see significant investment activity. Corporate investment was very robust in Q2'21 - accounting for $73.9 billion in investment across 1,70 deals.

In the meantime, VC-backed exit value reached $221 billion in Q2'21 - second only to the record $314 billion seen in Q1'21.......................

To view our full article Click here
Khair Muhammad Kumbher is a Pakistani Musical Artist who was born & residing in Khipro, Pakistan. 28 years old by the born date 04th June 1993, hes a musician, blogger, YouTuber, and a founder member of Al-Rahim Social Development Organization (ARSDO) also Senior Member of Young Social Reformers, and hes a hand for the influencers & Musicians who want to grow their audience and their presence on Google, Yahoo and 
In this March 20, 2019 file photo, Jason Carter speaks to attorney Nathan Olson during his first-degree murder trial in Council Bluffs. Carter was acquitted of the charge and has since turned his attention to attempting to overturn a civil verdict that found him liable for his mother's death and suing investigators that worked the case.
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Midlander Tommy Leppien has traveled across the country to work on various construction projects. Now, Leppien is undertaking the journey of a lifetime as he prepares to travel to Antarctica.

During his stay at McMurdo Station on the Ross Sea, Leppien will be operating a crane to load and unload cargo ships and construct buildings.

After graduating from Midland High School in 2015, Leppien pursued a career in industrial construction as a laborer and eventually worked his way to become a skilled tradesman; he earned his crane operator license a year and a half ago.

Among many other places, Leppien has worked on Blue Origins Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, from which Jeff Bezos flew to space last week, and on the tallest building in South Dakota.

The opportunity to travel to Antarctica came to Leppien through word of mouth. His older brother, who is also a crane operator, heard one of his coworkers in Afghanistan talk about his time working in Antarctica and encouraged Leppien to apply for a similar job.

At first, Leppien was skeptical, believing that working on the frozen continent wouldnt be ideal. But as he began researching, watching documentaries and meeting people who had experience working there, he began to get excited.

It seems like theres a really awesome community of people there, Leppien said.

Leppien went through several interviews before being listed as a potential crane operator for PAE, a contractor for the U.S. Antarctic Program. When he got the final call offering him the job, Leppien gladly accepted.

Its the pinnacle of traveling, Leppien stated.

Leppien spent the next six months preparing for the job, completing the necessary paperwork and undergoing intensive medical evaluations. He explained that transportation in and out of Antarctica is very limited in the winter months, and if a person falls seriously ill, there are very few options to receive treatment outside of the continent.

With his prolonged preparations, the prospect of journeying to Antarctica has become surreal, according to Leppien. He recently had a reality check when a special outfit arrived for him, including a thick padded coat.

Leppien flew from Midland earlier this month to New Zealand, where he is currently in required quarantine until August 4.

McMurdo Station is about 2,400 miles south of Christchurch, New Zealand, and about 850 miles north of the South Pole.

He is already looking forward to getting to work after waiting for his three-week quarantine to end and regain some structure in his life.

Im also excited to see the penguins, Leppien added.

While in Antarctica, Leppien will be almost completely cut off from the world, as there is no Internet connection. The only means of communication available to the outside world is a satellite phone on the base.

Although the situation may seem daunting to some people, Leppien is looking forward to the prospect of disconnecting himself from social media and the constant news stream.

Im super excited to clear my head, he said.

Leppiens contract lasts from August 2021 to February 2022, which constitutes the continents warmer season, with the option to stay another six months.

I truly am blessed to enjoy my job, and as soon as I get back, Ill be excited to get to a different job site. Theres much more out there, Leppien stated.
On a night when police officer James Ryan McCandless was supposed to fly home to Midland to see his family and attend a wedding, his life instead ended in a gunfight.

Ten years ago, on Aug. 2, 2011, the Midland native was assisting fellow officers with a group of public drinkers that led him being shot to death in Rapid City, South Dakota. While his death came 10 years ago, it still stings for his family and friends today, who continues to commemorate his life and death.

Ryan McCandless was born in 1982 and always wanted to go into law enforcement from a young age, doing ride-a-longs with deputies when he was just 14. His dad, Jim McCandless, said this desire came from being around law enforcement a lot as a kid, since Jim was part of the Midland County Sheriffs Office for about 27 years.

Jerry Cole, Jerome Township fire chief, said Ryan McCandless was serious, yet compassionate. His dad can also attest to this.

Ryan always treated people the way he want to be treated himself, Jim McCandless said.

After graduating from the police academy at Ferris State University, Ryan McCandless become part of the Rapid City Police Department in 2005. His father said he took a job there because jobs were hard to find in Michigan at the time and his love of hunting and fishing was a good fit in South Dakota.

After six years on the police force, Ryan McCandless was an engaged man, Jim McCandless said. However, he and his fiancee would never marry.

At about 4:24 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2011, Ryan McCandless stopped to help two other officers respond to a group of people drinking publicly in a residential area, Cole said. When he stepped out of his car, one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and started firing at the officers. Ryan was shot under his bullet-proof vest but was able to unload an entire gun magazine, killing the suspect who shot him.

Ryan died at the scene. One of the other officers also died from his wounds and another was in critical condition before recovering.

Grief and a funeral followed his death. Cole said he felt like he was going to be sick when he first found out about Ryan's death, and said Ryan had a bright future ahead of him.

Ten years on, people still commemorate Ryan's life. Every year, on the anniversary of his death, family and friends toast beers next to his grave.

Jim McCandless said he will never get over his son's death.

You never get over losing a child, Jim McCandless said. It is not like losing a parent. The loss of a child is probably one of the worst things anybody can go through.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's unemployment rate dipped to 5.6% in July, an unusual decline for the summer month as Europe's biggest economy showed more signs of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, official data showed Thursday.

The unadjusted jobless rate, the headline figure in Germany, was down from 5.7% in June. The Federal Labor Agency said the number of people registered as unemployed stood at 2.59 million - 24,000 fewer than the previous month and 320,000 fewer than a year earlier. The agency said it was the first July month-on-month decline since 2006.
Photo provided/Kroger

MIDLAND COUNTY  Local first responders will be onsite at Kroger collecting non-perishable food items to support the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan this Saturday.

The goal is to fill one of the back of the squad cars to the brim with donations.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  The largest earthquake in the United States in the last half century produced a lot of shaking but spared Alaska any major damage in a sparsely populated region, officials said Thursday.

The magnitude 8.2 earthquake was reported about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, and it struck just south of the Alaska Peninsula, nearly 500 miles (804.67 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage. The quake was about 60 miles (96.56 kilometers) offshore and 29 miles (46 kilometers) below the surface of the North Pacific Ocean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Alaska Earthquake Center said on its website that it was the largest quake in the U.S. since a magnitude 8.7 quake in the Aleutians in 1965. A year before that, the magnitude 9.2 Good Friday earthquake devastated parts of Anchorage and other Alaska communities. That quake and ensuing tsunami killed 131 people from Alaska to California.

The late Wednesday quake produced a lot of shaking. But the director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said Thursday no major damage was reported anywhere in the nations largest state.

You could imagine if that earthquake happened in Anchorage or in Los Angeles the damage that would have occurred and the loss of life and injury and property damage and all of that. But so far, so good, said the director, Bryan Fisher.

He has been with the agency for 26 years, and this was the largest quake he has experienced.

I was really assuming the worst, that there was going to be widespread catastrophic damage, Fisher said.

But as calls were made to coastal communities while they were evacuating during the tsunami warning, the calls were able to go through, a good initial sign. And local officials reported they didnt see any structural or significant damage.

Given how long the ground shook, up to two minutes in some places, they expected to have broken glasses or plates and items thrown out of pantries and refrigerators.

But to not have roads collapse, not have a damaging wave from the tsunami that was generated was just incredible, Fisher said. Its really a miracle.

A common saying is that earthquakes dont kill people, buildings do, said Peter Haeussler, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Because this earthquake was so far from the shore  it was basically out in the middle of nowhere and also in places where nobody is really living  then the ability to have strong ground shaking, to damage buildings, to injure people goes to pretty close to zero, Haeussler said.

Tsunamis generated by earthquakes can also cause a lot of damage. But he said this one occurred underneath a shelf, so it didnt displace very much water.

We were fortunate, very fortunate, said Jordan Keeler, the city administrator in Sand Point, a community of about 1,300 people located about 65 miles (104.61 kilometers) southwest of the quakes epicenter.

City crews went out at first light Thursday and performed assessments.

Everything appears to be in working order, he said. This followed reports of no major damage from the citys police chief and harbormaster.

A tsunami warning for Alaska was canceled early Thursday when communities started reporting minor wave sizes, some just over a half foot (15.2 centimeters). A tsunami watch that also had been issued for Hawaii was canceled, and officials said there was no threat to Guam, American Samoa or the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.

The tsunami warning for Alaska covered nearly a 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) stretch from Prince William Sound to Samalga Island, Alaska, near the end of the Aleutian Islands.

In the Kenai Peninsula community of Homer, a steady stream of cars was seen evacuating the Homer Spit, a jut of land extending nearly 5 miles (8 kilometers) into Kachemak Bay that is a draw for tourists and fishermen.

In King Cove, up to 400 people took shelter in the school gym.

Were used to this. This is pretty normal for this area to get these kind of quakes, and when the tsunami sirens go off, its just something we do, school principal Paul Barker told the Anchorage Daily News. Its not something you ever get used to, but its part of the job living here and being part of the community.

The earthquake was in an area where a roughly magnitude 8 earthquake was recorded in 1938. Haeussler said not much is known about that quake, but the Wednesday temblor seems to have re-ruptured the southwestern part of that area.

The quake was also in an area where two fairly strong earthquakes were reported last year. Haeussler said earthquake scientists will be interested in understanding the relationship between them.

Several aftershocks have been reported in the hours since the quake.

____

This story has been corrected to show the time of the earthquake was 10:15 p.m.
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Tunisia's president is proposing that hundreds of tycoons suspected of embezzlement reach a deal with the state to finance public hospitals, schools and development projects in poor regions to avoid convictions.

President Kais Saied seized new political powers this week and is trying to tackle the corruption and tax evasion that have long plagued the economy, notably in the lucrative phosphate sector and food trading.

Saied is also seeking to counter accusations that his surprise decision to fire the prime minister and suspend parliament amounts to a coup. He insisted Wednesday on the provisional nature of the move and on his attachment to the freedoms and rights guaranteed in the Tunisian Constitution, created after protesters overthrew a dictator in 2011. The country is considered the only democratic success story resulting from the Arab Spring uprisings that year.

Saied met Wednesday night with the head of the Tunisian employers organization, Samir Majoul, and proposed an unusual deal to some 460 leading business figures suspected of embezzling billions of dollars in the years leading up to Tunisia's 2011 revolution.

To avoid legal action, Saied suggested reaching a settlement with the magnates under which they would finance development projects in poor regions, to return the money looted from the Tunisian people."

The projects could include construction of hospitals, schools and public roads, and the businessmen would be responsible for ensuring their maintenance for 10 years, Saied said.

The businessmen's names appear in a voluminous report established by an investigative commission in the aftermath of the revolution which overthrew autocratic leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. They are suspected of embezzling around 13.5 billion dinars (nearly $5 billion) from state coffers.

Saied called out corruption in the phosphate sector, whose production has fallen significantly in recent years.

Phosphate producers charge 25 dinars per ton for (truck) transport, whereas by train, it does not exceed seven dinars. They pay people to block the train and put obstacles on the tracks. It is not normal that Tunisia, which was the second-largest exporter of phosphate in the world, becomes an importer," Saied said.

He also urged the president of the employers organization to work with wholesale and retail traders to lower food prices by avoiding monopolization and speculation.

Corruption was a major driver of Tunisia's 2010-2011 revolution, and many Tunisians are frustrated that a decade of democracy has failed to wipe it out.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin.

Wednesday, July 28:

9:28 a.m.  Deputies conducted a traffic stop at a Jerome Township location for an equipment violation. Deputies contacted the 26-year-old male. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the male didn't have a valid driver's license. The male was cited for driving with a suspended license and was given a warning for a cracked taillight. A report is being sent to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office.

8:35 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Homer Township residence regarding a 16-year-old Homer Township female who was harming herself. Deputies contacted the female and secured the scene and EMS and Homer Fire responded to provide medical aid. The female was transported by EMS to the MidMichigan Medical Center for further treatment and a mental evaluation.

7:15 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Jerome Township residence regarding a civil standby. Deputies contacted a 36-year-old South Carolina female who advised she needed a civil standby to pick up her daughter, a 12-year-old South Carolina female, from her ex-husbands residence. Deputies stood by while she and her daughter gathered her daughter's belongings.

5:04 p.m.  A deputy cited a 29-year-old Saginaw male for driving on a suspended license after a traffic stop in Greendale Township. A report will be forwarded to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office.

4:14 p.m.  Officers assisted with a K-9 request on Townsend Street.

2:55 p.m.  Deputies responded to a car-fire that took place on a Hope Township roadway. Deputies did not suspect anything suspicious, and a UD-10 crash report will be completed.

1:47 p.m.  Officers responded to a hit and run crash on North Saginaw Road.

12:10 p.m.  A 56-year-old male had a verbal dispute with his 40-year-old girlfriend. The female agreed to leave the property. No assault occurred.

11:54 a.m.  Officers were notified of a possible intoxicated driver in Jerome Township. Deputy checked the area, but the vehicle was not located.

10:11 a.m.  A damaged sailboat was located during a volunteer cleanup effort near the village of Sanford. No owner information was obtained.

10:00 a.m.  Officers responded to a case of larceny on Ramble Lane.

9:59 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to the area of North Waldo Road near East Parish Road for a two-vehicle traffic crash. A UD-10 was completed and the at-fault driver was issued a citation.

9:33 p.m.  A deputy responded to a Jerome Twp. business for a report of catalytic converters stolen from four vehicles. The estimated value of the stolen property was $6,000. This incident is under investigation.

Tuesday, July 27:

11:57 p.m.  Officers responded to a case of domestic violence on Oakmont Grove.

11:49 p.m.  A deputy spoke to a 32-year-old Homer Township man regarding a civil dispute with his estranged 35-year-old wife. Both subjects were referred to an attorney.

11:23 p.m.  A deputy contacted a 33-year-old Edenville Township male who reported that his 63-year-old Flint father-in-law kept sending him unwanted text messages. The deputy recommended to the complainant that he block his father-in-law's telephone number, and explained the process of how to file for a personal protection order. The complainant didn't want the deputy to contact his father-in-law.

9:32 p.m.  Deputies conducted a traffic stop at an Edenville Township location. Deputies contacted the 20-year-old male driver and upon further investigation, it was discovered the male didn't have a valid driver's license. The male was cited for driving with a suspended license and a report is being sent to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office.

8:29 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Jerome Township location regarding an assault. Deputies contacted a 17-year-old Jerome Township female who advised she was pushed by a 58-year-old Jerome Township female during an argument. Both parties were separated and interviewed. No apparent injuries were observed, and a report was sent to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review.

7:31 a.m.  Animal Control Deputy received a call regarding an ongoing problem with a dog running loose in Midland. Appearance citation was issued for dog running at large and co-license.
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The change is in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention altering its guidance on masks because of the highly contagious delta variant. The CDC now recommends that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in places where the coronavirus is surging.

ISU in a statement Wednesday said McLean County has a "substantial" transmission by the CDC.

"Therefore, until further notice, face coverings are required for students, faculty, staff, and visitors on campus ..." the statement said.

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Students, faculty and staff also have to provide proof they are vaccinated. Those who aren't have to be tested for COVID each week.

Illinois Secretary of State facilities to reinstate mask policy Secretary of State Jesse White announced Wednesday morning that all driver service facilities, Secretary of State offices and the Illinois State Capitol Building will require employees and customers to wear a mask again starting Monday, Aug. 2.

Vaccination is the best path forward, said Illinois State University President Terri Goss Kinzy, As a biomedical scientist who for decades has studied aspects of the process underlying the new COVID vaccines, I support the scientific evidence that COVID vaccination is the most effective strategy to keeping our community healthy.

The CDC is also recommending universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

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SHIRLEY  A 63-year-old man from Mascoutah is dead after a series of traffic crashes Wednesday on Interstate 55 south of Bloomington, according to Illinois State Police.

Traffic heading in both directions on I-55 near Shirley first came to a halt early Wednesday afternoon because of an overturned semitrailer truck in the southbound lanes, authorities said.

The semi overturned at 12:42 p.m. on the Timber Creek bridge, near milepost 151, about 3 miles south of Shirley and just north of the Funks Grove rest area exit.

The semi was entering a construction zone on the bridge when its driver failed to slow for traffic in front of him, according to the ISP. The truck struck the rear of an SUV, which then struck the sedan in front of it.

ISP said the series of collisions caused the truck tractor portion of the semitrailer to become suspended over the bridge.

The semi driver was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries, while the driver and the passengers  two juveniles  of the SUV were transported with minor injuries, ISP said.

The driver and passengers of the sedan, all adults, were all transported with minor injuries.

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Bloomington Fire Department spokesman Eric Davison said the department's hazardous-materials unit was on the scene to control a fuel spill caused by a "small puncture" in the semi's diesel tank.

Some of the fuel appeared to have leaked into the nearby Timber Creek and fire crews deployed buoys in the water to absorb the fuel, Davison said.

Dispatches for mutual aid were sent to neighboring municipalities' emergency departments, including McLean, Heyworth and Normal.

IDOT at 2:26 p.m. said on social media that southbound traffic was being diverted at exit 154 and northbound traffic was being diverted at exit 145.

Then, at approximately 3:29 p.m., a semitrailer truck driven by a 57-year-old man from Mishicot, Wisconsin, was traveling north in the right-hand lane of I-55 near mile marker 143, according to a news release from ISP.

The truck was slowing down due to traffic being backed up from the previous crash on southbound I-55. A tanker-trailer driven by the 63-year-old man from Mascoutah failed to slow down and struck the semitrailer, ISP stated.

The driver of the tanker-trailer was pronounced deceased on the scene by the McLean County coroner. The driver of the semitrailer was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

I-55 was open in both directions as of Thursday morning, the Mt. Hope-Funks Grove Fire Protection District said on social media.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include details about the first accident.

Contact Timothy Eggert at (309) 820-3276. Follow him on Twitter: @TimothyMEggert

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SPRINGFIELD  U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis' efforts to comfort police officers inside the Capitol in the hours after the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C., were mentioned in testimony this week from a Capitol police officer who said he was called the N-word by rioters.

Officer Harry Dunn told a House select committee  formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, to investigate the attack on the Capitol  that he was in the rotunda when Davis, R-Taylorville, "was there offering support to officers."

Dunn testified Tuesday that when he and Davis saw each other, Davis "came over and he gave me a big hug."

Davis had been one of five Republican members recommended by Republican leader Kevin McCarthy for the committee. McCarthy later withdrew the names of Davis and the other four lawmakers when Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy's picks  Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Davis, who the Chicago Tribune reported is considering a run for governor in 2022, said in a campaign fundraising email last week that Pelosi was conducting a "sham investigation" into the Jan. 6 event.

Davis told Fox News after Dunn's testimony that he and the officer were good friends and that he would have preferred to take part in the select committee.

"It was just tragic to hear the stories again from my friend like Harry Dunn about the hell that those officers went through on Jan. 6," Davis said.

"I was certainly looking forward to be part of this select committee," he said, "but the speaker decided, in an unprecedented way, to kick off my colleagues Jim Jordan and Jim Banks, which hasn't been done  not just in a select committee  it hasn't been done in Congress in any committee before."

The only Republicans on the select committee are Illinois congressman Adam Kinzinger of Channahon and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Eight Democrats serve on the committee.

Kinzinger and Cheney were among 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the insurrection. Davis was not among the 10.

Dunn, who is Black, testified about his interactions with rioters who were showing their support for former President Donald Trump by wearing "Trump 2020" T-shirts and "MAGA" hats, and some were waving Confederate flags.

He said the rioters told him they invaded the Capitol on the day Congress was counting Electoral College votes finalizing Democrat Joe Biden's election as president because "Trump invited us here."

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They said, "We're here to stop the steal," according to Dunn.

He said rioters also told him: "Joe Biden is not the president. Nobody voted for Joe Biden."

When Dunn told the rioters he voted for Biden, he said they yelled racial epitaphs at him. He said no one had ever called him the N-word before when he was in uniform.

In the rotunda after the insurrection, Dunn said he cried out: "How the 'blank' could something like this happen? Is this America?'"

The Fox interviewer asked Davis on Tuesday to react to statements "in some circles" that Dunn was a "left-wing activist." Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson called Dunn an "angry, left-wing political activist."

Davis replied, "I just wish people would get to know Harry like I know him."

The congressman said he wanted to be on the committee because Dunn and other officers who protect members of Congress "should never have been put into this situation in the first place."

Davis ducked a question from the interviewer on whether he believed Trump incited the riot.

Davis repeated a talking point among Republicans when he said his goal on the committee would have been to find out why there was inadequate security around the Capitol on Jan. 6.

"That shouldn't be political, and it's something that I've been asking since Jan. 6 and frankly, even before," Davis said. "It was the worst-case scenario of errors that kind of were compacted into one giant problem."

An aide to Davis didn't respond to a phone call and an email from The State Journal-Register.

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CLAYTON  St. Louis Countys acting health director says the rumor is true: He gave someone the middle finger on his way out of the council meeting on the mask mandate Tuesday night.

But in a letter to County Councilwoman Rita Heard Days sent Wednesday, Dr. Faisal Khan said he did it after a string of racist provocations from Republican politicians like Councilman Tim Fitch and a boisterously anti-mask audience pushed him past his limit.

I have never been subjected to the racist, xenophobic and threatening behavior that greeted me in the County Council meeting last night, he wrote, after noting hes been in public health for 25 years.

Fitch and others blamed for stoking racism and xenophobia dismissed Khans allegations as baseless. Fitch also said Khan was trying to provide political cover for County Executive Sam Page, who called for the mask mandate.

The entire letter is another desperate attempt at deflection and diversion by Sam Page, Fitch said in an interview. Dr. Khan knew he was in trouble for (giving the middle finger) and this was an opportunity to put that on someone else.

Khan appeared at the meeting as the council was considering a move to terminate the mask mandate as unlawful and unnecessary, which it would do despite the rising threat of the delta variant. During the debate, dozens of people, some of whom held signs with anti-mask messages, filled the council chambers to cheer on the action and jeer the mandates defenders.

Khan said the trouble began as soon as he took the podium with a dog-whistle question from Fitch, looking to emphasize Khans foreign background.

As he spoke, Khan said he also endured harassment from Republican politicians Paul Berry and Mark McCloskey, who sat close behind him in the audience.

Berry was an unsuccessful candidate for county executive in 2020; McCloskey, who is running for U.S. Senate, gained notoriety with his wife, Patricia, for brandishing firearms at protesters last year. Both McCloskeys attended the council meeting.

Khan also complained that when he asked Days for help ending the harassment, she lectured him on decorum rather than the hecklers.

Khan said he also heard audience members mocking his accent while he was presenting and doing an impersonation of Apu, the caricatured Indian character in The Simpsons, the long-running animated comedy.

And he said when he finished his presentation, the trouble really started.

I tried to leave the chamber but was confronted by several people who were in the aisle, he said. I was shoulder-bumped and pushed.

When he approached the exit, Khan said he was surrounded by the crowd and berated with racial slurs.

After being physically assaulted, called racist slurs and surrounded by an angry mob, I expressed my displeasure by using my middle finger toward an individual who had physically threatened me and called me racist slurs, Khan wrote.

He said he wished he had not reacted that way because it risked distracting people from the public health issue at hand.

I have to say, however, that when faced with the racist vitriol that Councilman Fitch has been privately and publicly stoking against me since my appointment, I cannot say I am sorry, he wrote.

Page, the county executive, backed Khan after the letters release.

These actions against Dr. Khan are troubling and under investigation, he said in a statement. The behavior he has detailed is shameful and cannot be tolerated.

Those criticized mostly brushed off the allegations.

Fitch said he had no idea what Khan meant in accusing him of stroking racist vitriol. And he said the so-called dog-whistle question was simply an attempt to familiarize the audience with Khans credentials and referred a reporter to a recording of the meeting.

Dr. Khan, we certainly have heard of your background before, but most here have not, he said during the meeting. Can you tell us why youre called Dr. Khan? Are you a physician in the United States?

Khan said at the time that he is not a clinical physician but an epidemiologist focused on infectious diseases control.

Fitch said that if Khan was indeed mistreated by the crowd, it would be uncalled for but said he did not know if Khans claims are true.

Ben Bradley, a spokesman for McCloskeys campaign, said his boss never once heckled Khan.

That is fictitious, he said.

And Days, who chaired the meeting, said she did not intend to allow for any hostility toward Khan as he was speaking.

She also noted that at one point Khan threw a little threat at her in threatening to leave if she did not impose decorum.

That aside, she called the alleged treatment of Khan by the audience "unfortunate.

Certainly its regrettable that he says he heard racial slurs and was surrounded by an angry mob, she said. That kind of activity should never be tolerated.

Updated at 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Austin Huguelet  314-788-1651 @ahuguelet on Twitter ahuguelet@post-dispatch.com

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As Karen Luparell drove from her home in Dawson to a Springfield drive-up clinic to receive her first COVID-19 vaccine shot Tuesday morning, she says she was nervous and close to tears.

Luparell, 62, a retired state worker, said she wasn't sure that the vaccine works and worried about potential vaccine side effects she had heard about, including heart inflammation and tremors.

The former is extremely rare; the latter is a rumor that has been spread on the internet but not documented by scientists studying COVID-19 vaccines.

"I'm not against vaccines, but it's not been out long enough," Luparell said.

After months of delaying and going through her own bout with COVID-19 in April, during which she received a monoclonal antibody infusion, she said she finally got her first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine dose because her 37-year-old son told her she couldn't attend his wedding in October without being vaccinated.

The pressure from her son and her 27-year-old daughter finally prevailed, she said, though Luparell held some resentment toward her children. "They took my choice from me," she said, half-smiling.

She got her first shot the same day the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that even fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in regions with "substantial" and "high" transmission of COVID-19. The new advice was prompted by the spread of the highly transmissible and common delta variant, according to the CDC. Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday it would fully adopt the CDC's recommendation.

The CDC says Sangamon County, Cass County and Logan County have substantial transmission of COVID-19, based on test-positivity rates. Menard and Montgomery counties are classified as "moderate" transmission, while high transmission rates are listed for Christian, Morgan and Macoupin counties.

In Sangamon County, where half of all residents and slightly less than half of residents 16 through 64 are not fully vaccinated, 36 new COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday, and 13 residents remained hospitalized. Even as new cases and hospitalizations rise locally, statewide and nationally, Luparell was not alone in her skepticism. Others seeking the vaccine also expressed doubt.

Patients often express their anxiety to registered nurses as they get free COVID-19 shots at a drive-through clinic operated six days a week outside the Sangamon County Department of Public Health, 2833 South Grand Ave. E., Springfield.

"We're seeing a lot of resistance," health department nurse Dee Kirby said.

One man who received his first vaccine Tuesday said he was only getting it to automatically enter Gov. JB Pritzker's vaccine lottery, titled All In For The Win, Kirby said.

Other patients have said they delayed because of skepticism related to the relative newness of the Pfizer, Modern and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, she said.

Some patients have been skittish because the vaccines don't yet have full approval from the Food and Drug Administration; they are offered based on the FDA's emergency-use authorization process.

Scott Winningham, 31, of Springfield, a dispatcher at the Illinois Department of Transportation, got his first Pfizer shot Tuesday after recovering from COVID-19 in December.

He said he was hesitant about getting a vaccine because of "the newness and speed at which it came out" but was convinced after having a talk with a friend who is a doctor.

"We need more educational efforts and FDA approval of the vaccines," he said.

Some patients have been fed misinformation, and some focus on the vaccines' rare side effects rather than the overwhelming impact vaccines have had to reduce serious illness and death from COVID-19, Kirby and her fellow nurses at the drive-through clinic said.

Some parents are getting vaccinated for the first time when they bring in their children for shots as schools prepare for in-person learning in the fall. Some vaccine seekers are being told they need to get shots to keep their jobs.

And some are finally taking action after a relative or friend is in an intensive-care unit with COVID-19 or dies, the nurses said.

Luparell, a supporter of former President Donald Trump who believes the November election was "rigged" in favor of now-President Joe Biden, said she quit watching TV news during the pandemic because the messages concerning COVID-19 are so confusing. She said she doesn't read newspapers.

She said she had not heard about documented statistics that 98% to 99% of people being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

She also wasn't aware that scientists say COVID-19 vaccines were developed so quickly because studies on coronaviruses and potential treatments had been ongoing for decades.

The lack of awareness is common among vaccine seekers now, Kirby said, in part because political divisiveness surrounding COVID-19, mask-wearing and vaccines has resulted in people turning away from traditional sources of factual information.

"People aren't listening to the news and reading the newspaper anymore," she said. "They're focusing on what they have heard, and it's the bad things."

When the health department first set up its drive-up building in January, patients getting shots were enthusiastic and thankful. While still courteous and receptive to education about vaccines, patients' attitudes have changed, and demand for vaccines has slowed down substantially, Kirby said.

Chuck Taylor, 79, of Springfield, a retired Horace Mann technical support worker, got his first Moderna shot Tuesday even though he could have been vaccinated months ago.

He said he has dealt with multiple health issues in recent years and "didn't want to get sick from the vaccine." He said he had been avoiding people for more than a year but relented and got his first shot because the pandemic is lasting so long.

"This is not going to go away in the next two to three years," Taylor said, adding that he wants the protection vaccines offer against serious illness and death. His wife is fully vaccinated, he said.

If he remained unvaccinated, "sooner or later I'm going to get the virus. ... and if I get the virus, it's over," he said.

Taylor said he's generally not a "big government person," but he believes the government should mandate masks and vaccinations at this point.

"When is it going to end?" he asked.

Mona Elam, 46, and her husband, Tim Charles, 50, both of Springfield, would like people to have the right to choose to receive a new vaccine. But the couple said their son, Kayson Elam, 15, who will be a sophomore this fall at Riverton High School, no longer will have the option of virtual classes.

Kayson received his first dose of Pfizer vaccine Tuesday.

Mona Elam, a homemaker, said she wants her son protected against COVID-19. But because Kayson will take part in in-person learning, she said she and her husband, a Menards assistant manager, need to take steps to protect themselves if Kayson happens to bring the virus home.

For Kayson, the vaccine is "his only line of defense at this point," Mona Elam said.

She considers it akin to being forced into getting the vaccine despite her concerns.

"I don't know what the effects will be five years from now," she said. "We don't know that this won't cause sterilization or blindness in 10 years."

The newness of the vaccine and past mistreatment of African Americans by the medical industry contributed to Margo Asbury's hesitancy, the Springfield woman said.

Asbury, 55, an administrative assistant at the Illinois Department of Public Health who is Black, received her first Pfizer shot Tuesday, and her husband, Rocky Asbury, 55, who is white, received his second Pfizer dose at the county clinic.

The couple were diagnosed with COVID-19 in November but didn't exhibit any symptoms, Margo Asbury said.

The fact that other family members got COVID-19 shots with no major complications, was what made the difference for her, she said.

Even though a family member in Texas and a work colleague both died from COVID-19, Margo Asbury still had concerns about the vaccines.

"This is all uncharted territory," she said.
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.

Trump ran his administration the way he ran his businesses  looking for any angle to benefit himself or his friends, without regard for the ethics of it. He refused to meaningfully separate himself from his businesses, ensuring that lobbyists, foreign governments and others would spend their travel budgets at his hotels and resorts to get in good with the leader of the free world. The military suddenly decided that putting up personnel at Trump properties overseas made sense, even when it didnt make sense logistically or financially. He stacked his administration with industry shills who, predictably, hollowed out environmental and energy standards. He used his Justice Department like a personal law firm, protecting his cronies and harassing his enemies.

It thus made sense for Biden to prioritize ethics reform during his presidential campaign. His 25-point ethics plan included promises to prohibit foreign governments from hiring lobbyists to influence the U.S. government, cracking down on the influence of personal financial holdings by members of Congress, and  crucially, given Trumps aggressive attacks against government whistleblowers  creating new whistleblower protections.

Unfortunately, its not unusual for presidential candidates to forget their promises once in office. (Remember how Trump was going to be the infrastructure president?) But Bidens failure to follow through on his ethics promises is baffling. The reforms hes called for dont have a significant cost. Theyre not partisan; theres no reason to believe the ethics proposals couldnt get at least the 10 Republican Senate votes theyd need to avoid a filibuster. Yet those proposals are languishing inside a broader, more controversial election-reform package that currently looks unlikely to pass.

Trumps atrocious ethics highlighted the need for real guardrails to replace the norms the nation thought it could always count on. The fact that Trump is no longer there doesnt change that need. Biden should get this issue off the back burner, now.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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About 60 percent of students who had plans to study overseas before the pandemic are still determined to go abroad and attend an international university despite the COVID-19, research has revealed.

According to the report, three in five high school students surveyed in 100 countries said that COVID-19 did not change their minds about leaving to pursue their academic dreams. However, the students acknowledged that there could be many delays, changes, challenges, and worries that could disrupt their goals because of the global health crisis.

One of these challenges pertains to being unable to enjoy the college experience to the fullest because some classes could be shifted to online learning. On top of their financial needs, the students also said that they now factor in other considerations like environmental impact, health and safety, and even social injustice if they decide to pursue higher education in another country.

The Benefits of Studying Abroad

For 76 percent of the study's respondents, the choice to pursue international education has been driven by the thrill of a new experience or of learning about other cultures. For others, to study overseas is to get access to better schools or programs that will bring bigger opportunities.

Read Also: Today's Kids Spend an Average of 9 Hours of Screen Time Every Day, Study Reveals

More than half of international college students in the U.S. had to deal with the restrictions and the lockdowns when the pandemic hit. According to the experts, some of these students are now starting to plan for applications to study overseas in multiple countries so they won't be "caught off guard if a certain country's border regulations change."

Anjali Chennapragada flew from the U.S. to Denmark in July to attend a three-week program to understand the health care system of the Scandinavians. The Rider University student is majoring in health care policy and needed to gain academic credit by getting hands-on experience abroad as part of the Engaged Learning Program.

She said that her brief stint to study overseas has been "extremely eye-opening" because she saw first-hand Denmark's proactive health care system. While the pandemic delayed her plans, it didn't prevent her from fulfilling her dreams to visit this part of Europe.

Chennapragada said that she was nervous about leaving because of the rampant COVID-19 cases in the U.S. However, the student said that Denmark has been able to control the virus transmission that Chennapragada was also able to visit various health clinics, cultural and tourist sites. She was also able to attend the Copenhagen Jazz Festival.

Renewed Commitment to International Studies

Meanwhile, as restrictions are easing off because of the vaccination rollouts, the U.S. Departments of Education and State issued a statement to uphold its commitment to international studies. The agency said it would "participate in a coordinated national approach" to ensure that scholars, students, and researchers who will come to U.S. universities and classrooms could gain a good experience.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that they would also work with the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security and partner agencies involved in higher education to provide an environment of learning similar to pre-pandemic levels.

Related Article: Parents Given Option To Let Children Repeat a Grade or Course if Online Learning Was Hard
Photo: (Photo : Alyssa Pointer-Pool/Getty Image)

A 10-year-old's death has been linked to the Colorado plague, prompting the local Department of Public Health and Environment to urge residents exposed to wildlife to be careful around the animals.

The CDPHE said that cases of mammals with fleas are increasing in the state, but this hasn't raised worrying concerns because positive tests for the Colorado plague are usually evident during the summer months.

Jennifer House, the state's public health veterinarian and epidemiologist, also said that it is "rare" for humans to contract the plague even as the risks increase in the warmer seasons. Nonetheless, the health officials said that residents should be cautious and be aware of the symptoms as unattended and untreated illnesses associated with this plague could have serious consequences. House said that locals who may have the symptoms should immediately receive medical care.

Reports cited that the 10-year-old who died from the complications had been raising hogs. The child's laboratory tests showed traces of the infection, but the officials are still conducting further tests to know the actual cause of death.

Read Also: TikTok 'Blackout Challenge' Claims Another Child's Life, Authorities Issue Warning

Tests were also conducted in six Colorado counties, including La Plata, where the child was based after a resident said that a pack of prairie dogs has gone silent. The health officials said that the pack is susceptible to the plague and may have likely contracted the disease if they have suddenly gone missing. However, locals were also told they shouldn't kill any prairie dogs that may pass by their properties as this could raise the risks of transmission.

How the Plague Transfers to Humans

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the plague, a bacterial disease, transfers to humans through direct contacts, such as when infected fleas bite them. The infection may also transfer to pets and other domesticated animals. From 2015 to 2020, Colorado had 22 cases detected in humans, and most of these were from La Plata County.

CDC also said that diseases from animals are present all year, but the cases may spike in the summer since more humans are actively in close contact with wildlife. The experts said that locals can still avoid the plague if they observe safety protocols. If they have to walk their pets outside, they need to keep the animals on a leash so they wouldn't wander off other animal habitats.

Homeowners must also fend off rodents from encroaching into their homes by carefully disposing of food items in their garbage bins. The CDPHE has provided a full list of preventive methods for locals to follow.

How Plagues are Treated

Symptoms of this disease include weakness, fever, chills, headache, and swollen lymph nodes. If a person has the Colorado plague, the doctors may request more samples to determine the kind of bacteria. In some cases, an endoscopy may be needed to check for pneumonic plague in the lungs.

The good thing is that plague can be cured with antibiotics if the doctors have made the proper diagnosis. Some of these treatments include Gentamicin, Doxycycline, or Moxifloxacin, but the doctor has to prescribe the right dosage and the duration of the treatment.

Related Article: Why Boy in Tent in London Zoo Pledges to Keep Sleeping Outdoors
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new mask guidelines requiring all people, including fully vaccinated individuals, to wear a mask indoors, especially in places with high virus transmission rates and low vaccination rates. It includes schools across the United States.

In a statement, the agency's director, Rochelle P. Walensky, said that they are recommending all K-12 schools to enforce mask wearing for the students, teachers, staff, and visitors "regardless of vaccination status." The new guidance replaces the CDC's previous statement in May 2021, stating that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks.

Walensky stressed that the change was brought on by emerging data showing that the Delta variant has caused 80 percent of the new infections in the U.S. The CDC said that some vaccinated individuals who have contracted the Delta variant might be contagious.

"This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendation," the director said.

President Biden Supports CDC

To be clear, the vaccines work to contain the spread of COVID-19 but vaccinated people could still have the infection without the worrying symptoms and dangerous outcomes. They can still pass the virus to the vulnerable.

Read Also: Mandatory Mask in School for All Students Recommended by Pediatric Group

The change in the guidance comes as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) set its guidelines for schools reopening this fall season to let everyone wear a mask to ensure everyone's safety. Top doctors in the country have also been calling for the CDC to alter its initial recommendations.

Following the CDC's latest call, President Joe Biden said that the mask guidelines would allow for schools in the U.S. to safely reopen full time and in time. The president said that he understands if some parents, students, and school staff may be disappointed by the recommendation, but it will provide "the best available protection" for the kids and the unvaccinated.

Vaccination Incentives at Universities

Meanwhile, with the Delta variant's rapid spread, colleges in the U.S. are launching incentives for students who have been vaccinated. Some schools are giving out "prizes" in the form of scholarships lotteries, free parking opportunities, school fees discounts, giveaways, and gift certificates. The Department of Education has also established a College Vaccine Challenge supporting the incentives.

However, the vaccination requirements in some states have triggered confusion for parents and students. For instance, in Texas, private universities can require students to get vaccinated, but public universities have to abide by state laws, which can punish establishments or institutions that ask for "vaccine passports." In New York, public universities acknowledged that they could not mandate students to get vaccinated due to religious reasons. However, private schools can.

In Alabama and Florida, which have high infection rates, vaccination isn't required for college students. In Georgia, only eight universities have mandated vaccination out of the over 70 universities.

A federal government agency's lack of a clear directive could stir legal action or complaints from the students, parents, or groups. Thus, universities are challenged to implement solid plans to safely reopen this fall.

Related Article: The Delta Variant of COVID-19: What Parents Should Do To Protect Their Kids
Photo: (Photo : MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images)

An Alabama mother with six children is facing prosecution after she refilled an opioid prescription medication while pregnant. Kim Blalock, 36, suffers from degenerative disc disease and spinal issues, but her situation has landed her in a serious legal battle with the Lauderdale County district attorney.

Blalock had a legitimate prescription for hydrocodone from her orthopedist to manage the severe pain on her back because of her health issues, aggravated by a car accident a few years ago. However, she stopped taking the prescription medication during most of her pregnancy, except when her back pains had been unbearable during the last trimester.

The mother was transparent with her OBGYN about taking hydrocodone and other medications. When she gave birth to a healthy baby in September, the doctors learned that the newborn was positive for hydrocodone. Soon after, Blalock was under investigation with the child services agency.

Two months after the authorities raided her home, Blalock was charged at the Alabama courts for prescription fraud. The prosecutors accused her of not disclosing to her orthopedist that she was with child when she had her prescription refilled.

A Felony in Alabama

Since 2006, Alabama established a law stipulating that it's a felony to expose children to a chemically toxic environment amid the growing number of meth labs in the rural areas. The law also included heavy sanctions on pregnant women exposing their babies to similar toxic environments in their bodies.

Read Also: Wealthy 23-Year-Old Mom Vows to Have 105 Children With Her 56-Year-Old Husband

Studies have shown that newborns who become exposed to opioids in their mother's womb could have withdrawal symptoms when they are born. While this was not life-threatening, some babies may require treatment and develop side effects like tremors or poor feeding.

As hydrocodone prescriptions have increased in recent years, so did the number of Alabama babies who received treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome due to opioids exposure. In the U.S, 18 states mandate doctors to turn in their patients if they have knowledge that they are taking prescription medication while pregnant.

Blalock's OBGYN was abiding by the law, but it has become a controversial mandate because of the glaring numbers of Alabama women who have been charged for allegedly breaking this law. According to Amnesty International, 479 women in Alabama had been prosecuted between 2006 to 2015 for taking prescription medication while pregnant. The advocacy group said that this has impacted women's healthcare and hasn't deterred drug use in the state.

In 2016, Alabama amended the law to exempt doctor-issued prescription medications for pregnant women. However, the district attorney found a way to charge Blalock with the felony.

Punishing the Mother

Emma Roth, Blalock's attorney, said that Lauderdale County officials are circumventing the amended clause to punish the mother. The National Advocates for Pregnant Women said that, if convicted, Blalock's case will set a precedent for other pregnant women to face the same case in court.

District Attorney Chris Connolly, however, denied Roth's assumptions. Connolly said that Blalock met the criteria of "doctor shopping" in committing prescription fraud. The lawyer said that her prescribing doctor could have helped her wean off the prescription medication while pregnant had the orthopedist been informed of her condition.

Related Article: Emmy Rossum Says New Daughter Has COVID-19 Antibodies, Urges Vaccination Even When Pregnant
Photo: (Photo : PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Children exposed to fentanyl patches, whether new or used, are at high risk of dying or getting seriously ill, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a reminder to parents or caregivers to store and properly dispose of this type of opioid medication.

Also known for its brand name, Duragesic, these fentanyl patches are potent drugs and are specifically prescribed for patients who need long-term and round-the-clock relief from chronic pain, such as those battling cancer. The patches are commonly replaced every three days, but the kids could come across a used patch if it falls off the skin of the patient during sleep.

The transdermal medication may also end up in the garbage bin to be picked off by the children. These patches could easily be mistaken for stickers.

Read Also: Alabama Mom With Health Issues Prosecuted for Taking Prescription Medication While Pregnant

The FDA said that children, especially toddlers or babies, might try to put the patches inside their mouth but doing so could immediately trigger a decrease of the oxygen level in the child's blood. Thus, it's important for families who have someone who needs to use fentanyl patches at home to practice care and caution about storing and disposing of this medication.

Cases of Deaths Send Warning

In 2017, a 10-year-old boy from Miami Dade County died of a fentanyl overdose. The Drug Enforcement Administration said that the boy likely "touched something" at home; hence the opioid got into his system.

The experts said that for the boy's tiny body, about two milligrams of fentanyl could be lethal. The exposure triggered an immediate effect, and investigators said he died within two hours.

During the lockdown, an 11-year-old girl from New Jersey also died from exposure, and her mother was imprisoned for child endangerment. The mother said she has a medical condition and admitted that she didn't properly store the patches, so her daughter had access to it. Before the girl's death, she was also hospitalized for fentanyl patch exposure.

What Parents or Caregivers Need to Do

Fentanyl patches have a medication guide from the FDA that enumerates the best way of handling this potent drug. Aside from keeping these out of reach of children, those who wear the patches should ascertain that it's securely in place on their skin. It might help to apply an adhesive or first aid tape over the patches so that they won't fall off.

For proper disposal, patches are supposed to be folded in half with the sticky sides attached. If possible, used patches shouldn't be thrown in indoor garbage bins where kids or pets can access them. The FDA also recommends flushing the patches down the toilet. The agency said that the risks of exposed opioid medicines like fentanyl to children far outweigh the environmental effects.

Having a naloxone nasal spray at home may also be handy as the drug can neutralize an opioid overdose in children and adults. Naloxone is not an over-the-counter medication, but pharmacists may dispense this drug to families at-risk, depending on the state's laws. Ask your pharmacists about the requirements and protocols before getting naloxone.

In case of fentanyl exposure in kids, parents and caregivers must watch out for signs like drowsiness, shortness of breath, stiff muscles, fever, and swelling of the tongue, throat, or face. The adults are advised to call 911 immediately if a child has had contact with the patches.

Related Article: Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' in Breast Milk Found in Study Among Seattle Moms
The Manager of the Vector Control Unit of Zoomlion, Rev Ebenezer Kwame Addae, has underscored the need for massive disinfection across all public places in the country in the wake of an imminent third wave of the malignant coronavirus (Covid-19) disease.

He explained that such an exercise was necessary to help mitigate the spike in what appears to be a third wave of the deadly Delta variant.



Ghana, according to reports, has recorded the deadly Delta variant in some schools across the country, a situation he described as worrying and unfortunate.



He noted that nationwide massive disinfection of all public places in the country will complement the government in halting any further surge in the virus



Rev Addae made the call on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, during the scheduled monthly disinfection of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).



According to him, aside from strictly adhering to the safety protocols, which he said was personal, massive nationwide disinfection of public places would augment the safety of the nation.



With regards to the potency of the chemicals used to combat the Delta variant, he disclosed that his outfit currently uses a chemical that contains hydrogen peroxide properties.



He further explained that the company had not settled on one particular chemical but all chemicals prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as potent enough to combat the virus.



"Due to the severity of the Delta virus, we use a chemical which can combat it. We started with Hypo Chlorine, viral oxy, one drop plus all of these are strong but we change as and when the virus changes," Rev Addae said.





On the use of hydrogen peroxide, he explained that it has a residual effect that enables it to last for six months or more rather than the earlier hypo chloride.



The sprayers from Zoomlion carefully disinfected terminals 1, 2, and 3 with a particular focus on door handles, touchable surfaces as a measure of containing the spread of the disease



The exercise, which was strategically scheduled, commenced at 10:00 p.m., on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, which saw the team of sprayers use knapsack sprayers to get rid of all possible disease-causing deadly virus.





At the terminal 1, 2 and 3, while some the team of sprayers took turns to disinfect the ground, chairs, and tables, others dusted surfaces machines and devices at the airport.





Open spaces of the KIA were also not left out. With the help of an atomiser, the airport environment was thoroughly disinfected to ensure the safety of both airport staff members and passengers.



Places disinfected included departure and arrival halls, washrooms amongst others.













Source: graphiconline.com









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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.
The rumors that Russian Wagner private military company is expanding on the African continent proved to be right. A man suspiciously reminding the Wagners boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has been noticed in Lagos, Nigeria. According to Yury Zverev, a Russian military expert, Nigerian media reported that he was seen at a meeting with the Nigerian Army's Chief of Staff, Farouk Yahya.



Why would Nigerian military authorities seek audience with Mr. Prigozhin? Currently the country is experiencing an acute security crisis that is a result of the rise of different bandit and terrorist networks, including the infamous Boko Haram.



Boko Haram is a terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria, which is also active in Chad, Niger and Cameroon. In May 2021, the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched an invasion of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, Nigeria, which served as main base of Boko Haram, a rival jihadist rebel group. Following heavy fighting, ISWAP overran the Boko Haram troops, cornering their leader Abubakar Shekau.



The two sides entered negotiations about Boko Haram's surrender during which Shekau committed suicide, possibly detonating himself with a suicide vest. Shekau's death was regarded a major event by outside observers, as he had been one of the driving forces in the Islamist insurgency which has affected Nigeria and neighboring countries since 2009.



How can we be sure that it was Mr. Prigozhin, who visited Nigeria recently? The thorough investigation managed to establish the exact aircraft and its route, pointing out the figure of the Wagner owner.



A business jet P4-BAR Gulfstream G550 landed at Lagos Airport in Nigeria from Benghazi, on June 24, 2021, according to flight control data. This aircraft is owned by Sonnig International Private Jets (SIPJ) registered airline On the island of Aruba, belonging to the Netherlands, this airline is linked to Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, where the official website of the airline states that the company, in cooperation with local authorities in Libya and investors, operates a large shopping center and an aircraft hangar in Benghazi. According to data from open monitoring sources, the plane flew 3 times to Benghazi, this July, and the private business plane was linked to Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is also indicated by the frequent flights of the plane to Libya.



Thus it proves that the man seen with Nigerian Army's Chief of Staff is Mr. Prigozhin who came to negotiate the terms of the Wagners contract with the Nigerian government. Sources, close to the Nigerian military, also confirm that work is underway to bring Wagner's military forces to Nigeria, to confront militants and terrorists in the north-east of the country, because Nigeria has become one of the main sources of the terrorist threat on the continent.

Source: United African Fund









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in accordance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 Constitution, has begun the process to remove Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, if found guilty of a $5 million bribery allegation.



First of all, a prima facie case should be found against the Chief Justice before the full process of his impeachment is triggered.



This was contained in a response from the Presidency to a petition filed by pressure group Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA).



ASEPA had petitioned the Presidency and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over the allegations levelled by Kumasi-based lawyer Akwasi Afrifa against the Chief Justice.



Lawyer Afrifa was responding to a petition filed at the General Legal Council (GLC) by a former client, Nana Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta II, who accused the lawyer of taking $100,000 legal fees from him when he could not continue the case.



The renowned lawyer also cited Anthony Akoto Ampaw, who has since responded to the claims made by Mr Afrifa.



Akoto Ampaw issues stringy-worded response to lawyer Akwasi Afrifa

It is on the back of all these that ASEPAs Executive Director petitioned the Presidency to trigger the process to oust the Chief Justice, who has also reported the matter to the GLC and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.



Find the Presidencys response below:

The Office of the President has stated that President Nana Akufo-Addo has commenced the appropriate processes for the removal of Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah.



The Presidency made this known in response to a petition from the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA).



A letter sent to ASEPA from the Office of the President, signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, said the President commenced the processes in accordance with Article 146 (6) of the 1992 Constitution.



The Chief Justice has been accused by a lawyer of taking a $5 million bribe.

Source: 3news.com









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The Minority in Parliament has accused First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei Owusu (Joewsie) of scheming to protect the Member of Parliament for Assin Central Kennedy Agyapong after he was hauled before the Privileges Committee.



Lawmaker for Sagnarigu, Alhaji ABA Fuseini said a request by Mr Joewsie that the hearing should be done via zoom is an indication of a plot to have the businessman and politician, Mr Agyapong shielded.



He told journalists in Parliament on Tuesday July 27 that Ever since the committee was constituted this is the first meeting of the committee.



When the chairman said the meeting should be done via zoom we said what the basis was for that. The best is for members to come physically to meet so we do not see any basis for zoom meeting.

The same chair advocating for zoom is sitting in parliament with more than hundred people. I have a lost if respect for him but on this one he has goofed.



The Speaker Alban Bagbin has referred Mr Agyapong to the Privileges Committee of Parliament for his utterances against a journalist with the Multimedia Group, Erastus Asare Donkor.

Mr Agyapong on Friday, July 9, is reported to have allegedly threatened to attack Mr Asare Donkor, for the journalistic work that the latter undertook during the recent shootings and killing incident at Ejura on his television station.



The Multimedia Group filed a formal complaint against Mr Agyapong.



On Wednesday July 14, Alhassan Suhuyini raised the issue on the floor of the house and asked the Speaker to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee.



He said Mr Speaker, I think that as a former journalist I feel obliged to draw the Houses attention to this conduct of an Honorable colleague of this house which in my view, brings this house into disrepute.



Mr Speaker, I urge you to exercise your powers under 27 and refer this conduct of the Honorable which is becoming unacceptable, to the Privileges Committee to ascertain the veracity of the comments that were made and recommend sanctions if possible that will act as deterrent to other members who may be tempted to act like him.

In response to his request, the Speaker accordingly referred Mr Agyapong to the committee.

He said he cannot take a decision on Mr Agyapong over his utterances against a journalist in Ghana.



That decision to determine whether or not the conduct smacks of abuse of privileges, he said, rests with the lawmakers as a House, to take.



As it is now, I am compelled to refer it to the Privileges Committee. I want to emphasize that it is the House that will take the decision, it is not the speaker, it is not any other person apart from the House.



That will be your collective wisdom that come to the conclusion whether what is alleged is just a mere allegation or is supported by facts and whether those facts constitute contempt of the House and abuse of a privilege of members,



It is important for me to emphasize here that the privilege and immunity of free speech applies in full force in plenary session and committee sessions, not when members are outside debating issues or on radio and TV. You dont have that right, that privilege, that immunity to just say anything because you are a member of parliament.



We are not above the law. It is for good reasons because you represent a large number of people, you should be given the full immunity to be able to say what the people say they want you to say. That is why you say it here and you are covered.



That immunity does not extend to you in anywhere else. So pleased the committee should go into the matter, submit the report.







Source: 3news.com









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"Koku will go to court," former Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs has disclosed.



The former NDC Deputy General Secretary and CEO of the Atta Mills Institute, Koku Anyidoho has been expelled from the party on grounds of indiscipline.



Details Of Koku Anyidoho's Dismissal



According to a statement signed by the NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Mr. Anyidoho exhibited an anti-party conduct and 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 Functional Executive Committee (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 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.



The petition filed by a Deputy Bono Regional Communications Officer of the party, Eric Adjei, cited Koku Anyidoho was showing gross misconduct saying the petition is grounded on many instances, ill-will speeches accentuated by malice and calculated to subject the party to public ridicule.



Koku To Take Legal Action



Reacting to the issue during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme, Allotey Jacobs, who was also expelled from the party on same grounds, bemoaned the Committee's decision against Koku Anyidoho.



He revealed that Mr. Anyidoho wasn't served with any letter of suspension neither was he summoned before the Disciplinary Committee, hence arriving at a decision to sack him is inappropriate and for that, he will "defend his cause".



Explaining why the party's FEC decided to dismiss their former Deputy General Secretary, Allotey said Mr. Anyidoho had told a truth about the leaders at a function to commemorate late President John Evans Atta Mills.



According to Allotey Jacobs, the truth that Koku shared was that the NDC leaders had sat aloof and unconcerned for the President and leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo to renovate the burial place of the late President.



Koku Anyidoho found the act by the President worth appreciating but condemned the NDC leaders, therefore infuriating his party executives to take such harsh decision against him.



"Koku will go to court. First, there was no letter of suspension served on him. I chat with Koku everyday; we've been a team from 2002 . . . we've been so close and you take us out but, well, what goes around comes around. Koku will go to court because [1] they didn't serve him with a letter of suspension. They didn't give him a letter to appear before the Disciplinary Committee.



"Those at the party headquarters know where Koku lives, then all of sudden, they claim they have had a FEC meeting. Anyway, every Tuesday, they hold their FEC meeting and then we don't know whether the devil was walking in the shadows of the meeting. Whether the devil was present, whether his shadows influenced the decision as to what we read yesterday that Koku has been expelled from the NDC party. He will defend his course," he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo''.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Social commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has jabbed the leadership of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for dismissing their former Deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidoho.



A statement issued by the NDC under the signature of the party's General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia indicated that Mr. Anyidoho has been sacked from the party with immediate effect.



"The Functional Executive Committee (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 Koku Anyidoho 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".



In reaction to Koku's dismissal, Allotey Jacobs feared for the future of the NDC with the party left in the hands of the current leadership, with particular emphasis on Mr. Asiedu Nketia.



Allotey Jacobs seemingly regretted playing a role in the election of Mr. Asiedu Nketia as the party's Chief Scribe saying their decision, which they made after being convinced by the late Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings to vote for Mr. Asiedu Nketia, had "boomerang on us".



On the trend that the party is taking, Allotey strongly opined that any person who dissents to the party's ways is seen as a threat and therefore faces dismissal.



This, to him, shouldn't be encouraged stating, "today, any dissention, you're sacked. You're suspended. You're this; you're that! And they keep the ignorant and the innocent ones going that what we've done is good for the party but well I no longer belong to that party''.



Allotey Jacobs warned the party executives not to rejoice over their acts because they will one day taste the punishment they're dishing out to others.



"What goes around comes around," he bellowed.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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A Member of Parliament (MP) with the Minority in Parliament says he is disappointed in the ruling of the Cape Coast High Court that cancelled the 2020 parliamentary elections at Assin North.



The MP for South Dayi, Rockson Dafiamekpor, said they will appeal the decision and seek a stay of execution from the court.



He is urging party members to remain calm as processes unfold to challenge the ruling.



A Cape Coast High Court has ordered for fresh parliamentary election in the Assin North constituency.



The court was presided over by Justice Kwasi Boakye who declared the 2020 parliamentary election held in the Assin North Constituency as null and void.



This ruling was given on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.



In his judgement, Justice Boakye upheld that the National Democratic Congress parliamentary candidate for the constituency, Joe Gyaakye Quayson, breached the provisions of the constitution with regard to dual citizenship.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament has indicated its readiness to challenge the ruling of the Cape Coast High Court on the dual-citizenship case involving the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin-North, Joe Gyaakye Quayson.



The Court, presided over by Justice Kwasi Boakye, annulled the results of the 2020 parliamentary elections in the Assin North Constituency and ordered for fresh elections to be conducted.



The Caucus said the judge erred in Law and a fact, saying it is a travesty of justice.



We in the Minority remain unshaken, we are confident that it is our seat and would remain our seat, the Minority said.



Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said this when he addressed a press conference in Parliament, in Accra.



But it is worrying we dont want to believe that the courts of Ghana have been captured and become forums being used surreptitiously to tilt the balance of power, and to weaken the time-tested historical notion of checks and balances, Mr Iddrisu said.



Justice must not only be done but must manifestly be seen to be done.



Mr Iddrisu said even when the Supreme Court directed Mr Quayson and his legal team to file the appropriate legal motions for the matter to be referred to the Supreme Court, he was denied that.



This is repugnant and affront to fair trial guaranteed under Article 19 of the 1992 Constitution, he said, adding that: Danger begets our democracy with these developments.



Mr Iddrisu said with the current development in the country, the Minoritys cooperation with the government was likely to suffer.



But as I have assured you, we remain unshaken, we remain very resolved but cooperation will suffer.



Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip, reacting to the Minoritys press conference, said even before the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic was sworn-in, the Majority Side had raised the issue of illegibility relating to the Assin North MP.



He said the Majority Caucus had given caution on the implication of the MP to take part in the election of the Speaker and that, from the courts ruling, the Majority Side had been vindicated.



Mr Annoh-Dompreh debunked claims by the Minority Leader, which sought to claim governments influence in the case, as totally flawed and should be rejected outright.



He said if one looked at the provisions in the law, especially Article 94 (2a), and the Canadian Citizens Act all put together, they anchored the ruling of the court.



He said any law-abiding citizen who did not agree with a ruling of a court could file for a review or an appeal, adding that the Minority should not drag in the Executive.

Source: GNA









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The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana is expected in the coming days, to announce modalities and timelines for the 1st by-election of the 8th Parliament of the fourth republic at the Assin North Constituency in the Central Region.



The by-election has been necessitated 7 months after the 8th Parliament was sworn into office following the judgment of the Cape Coast High Court presided over by Justice Kwasi Boakye, today the 28th of July 2021, in the election petition case between Michael Ankomah-Nimfah (Petitioner) and James Gyakye Quayson (1st Respondent) & the Electoral Commission of Ghana (2nd Respondent).



On 30 December 2020, Michael Ankomah-Nimfah, filed a parliamentary election petition at the Cape Coast high court challenging James E. Quaysons eligibility to be a Member of Parliament, contending that at the time he filed his nomination to contest the Parliamentary elections between the 5th and 9th of October 2020, when the EC opened nominations, he held Canadian citizenship in addition to his Ghanaian citizenship, in violation of Article 94 [2] [a] of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana 1992, Section 9[2] [a] of Representation of the People Act 1992 [PNDCL 284] as Amended, as well as Public Elections Regulations, 2020 [C.I. 127].



The deposed Member of Parliament James E. Quayson in the 7th December elections which has now been nullified polled 17,498 votes against 14,793 by the New Patriotic Partys Abena Durowaa Mensah, his closest challenger.



Reliefs Sought by Petitioner



The Petitioner, Michael Ankomah Nimfah, in his petition essentially prayed the Court for seven reliefs against the Respondents (James Gyakye Quayson, 1st Respondent) and the (Electoral Commission, (EC) 2nd Respondent. The reliefs are;



1. A declaration that the filing of Parliamentary nomination forms by 1st Respondent when he held a Canadian Citizenship at the time of filing the said nomination form between 5th  9th October, 2020, violates Article 94 [2] [a] of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana 1992, Section 9[2] [a] of Representation of the People Act 1992 [PNDCL 284] as Amended, as well as Public Elections Regulations, 2020 [C.I. 127] and same is illegal, void and of no effect whatsoever.



2. A declaration that the decision of the 2 Respondent to clear the 1st Respondent to contest Parliamentary Elections in the Assin North Constituency when the 1st Respondent was not qualified as a candidate on account of his holding dual nationality violates Article 94 [2] [a] of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana 1992, Section 9 [2] [a] of the Representation of the people Act 1992 [PNDCL 284] as Amended as well as the Public Elections Regulations, 2020 [C.I. 127] and same is void and of no effect whatsoever.



3. A declaration that the decision by the 2nd Respondent to allow the 1st Respondent to contest Parliamentary Election in the Assin North Constituency when he held a Canadian Citizenship at the time of filing his nomination form, violates Article 94 [2] [a] of the Constitution 1992, the Representation of People Act 1992, [PNDCL 284] as Amended, as well as Public Elections Regulations, 2020 [C.I. 127] and same is void and of no effect whatsoever.



4. A declaration that 1st Respondents election as Member of Parliament for the Assin North Constituency is null and void and of no effect whatsoever as same violates Article 94 [2] [a] of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana 1992, Section 9 [2] [a] of the Representation of the People Act 1992, [PNDCL 284], as Amended, as well as the Public Elections Regulations, 2020 [C.I. 127] being laws regulating Parliamentary Elections in Ghana.



5. A declaration that 13 Respondent at the time of the Parliamentary Elections in the Assin North Constituency was not qualified to contest as a candidate for the Assin North Constituency in accordance with the electoral laws for the time being in force in Ghana.



6. An order of the Court cancelling the Parliamentary Elections in the Assin North Constituency and further orders directed at 2nd Respondent to conduct fresh Elections in the Assin North Constituency.



7. An order of Perpetual injunction restraining 1st Respondent from holding himself out as Member of Parliament-Elect for the Assin North Constituency or presenting himself to be Sworn in as a Member of Parliament.



Contention of Toppled Assin North MP



On the other hand, 1st Respondent (James Gyakye Quayson) filed his answer to the Petition on 21st January 2021 and amended same with leave of Court on 30h March 2021. In his amended answer to the Petition, he contends that the Petition lacks any legal basis, it is incompetent and lacks any factual basis.



He argues that it is only intended to undermine the sovereign will of the people of the Assin North Constituency who validly voted for him. According to him, the Petition ought to be dismissed.



Further, he says that at the time 2nd Respondent opened nominations and he filed his nomination forms, he was not disqualified from standing for elections by any law in force in Ghana.



He contends that owing allegiance to another country other than Ghana within the meaning of article 94 [2] [a] of the 1992 Constitution does not and cannot mean that the person is necessarily a dual citizen as the Petitioner seems to suggest and that if the framers of the 1992 Constitution intended that to be the case, they would have expressly stated so in article 94 [2] a.



Therefore, to him, within the intendment of article 94 [2] [a] of the 1992 Constitution, he is only required not to owe allegiance to any other country other than Ghana which he did by disavowing his allegiance to Canada in 2019 prior to the commencement of the nomination processes.



Consequently, he says that at the time of filing his nomination forms to contest the Parliamentary Elections for the Assin North Constituency, he did not hold both Canadian and Ghanaian Citizenship. This is because, according to him, in December 2019, he had renounced his Canadian Citizenship by filing an application to that effect subject to the issuance of the Certificate of Renunciation which constitutes an administrative act and serves as evidence of the fact of renunciation.



Therefore, neither the 1992 Constitution, PNDCL 284, as amended, nor Act 451 which the Petitioner heavily relies on and or any other law in Ghana states in what shape or form or manner renunciation of citizenship of another country and or allegiance owed to another country other than Ghana must take or crystalize.



More precisely, he contends that no law in Ghana states that renunciation of citizenship of another country by a Ghanaian or disavowing allegiance owed to another country other than Ghana takes effect only when a Certificate of Renunciation is presented to the person who seeks to renounce the citizenship.



It is his case that prior to the filing of his Parliamentary nomination forms with 2nd Respondent, he met the requirement of article 94 [2] [a] of the 1992 Constitution on the basis that he had renounced his Canadian Citizenship. He was only awaiting for the issuance of the Certificate of Renunciation which only constitutes evidence of renunciation.



Consequently, at the time 2nd Respondent opened the filing of Parliamentary nominations, he was eligible and qualified under the electoral laws of the country to contest as a Member of Parliament. Admittedly, he says that the Certificate of Renunciation was issued to him in November 2020 before the 7 December Parliamentary Elections and that at the time of filing his Parliamentary nomination forms with 2nd Respondent, he had renounced his Canadian Citizenship.



He adds that as an Applicant renouncing his Canadian Citizenship, he has no control over the process of issuance of the Certificate of Renunciation by the Canadian Authorities since that was their primary duty and not his.



Meanwhile, he explains that the delay in the issuance of the Certificate of Renunciation which is an administrative act, was caused by two [2] months lockdown of administrative facilities and that generally, the process of renunciation and the issuance of the Certificate thereof take six [6] to nine [9] months to complete but that was derailed by two [2] months lockdown of administrative facilities world-wide.



Decision of the Court



The Court after establishing that it had jurisdiction to hear and determine the application before it zeroed in on the English translation of Mr James Gyekye Quaysons Certificate of Renunciation of Canadian Citizenship issued in French by the Canadian authorities. The certificate states as follow;



Name : JAMES GYEKYE QUAYSON.



Date of Birth : 09/10/1952.



Place of birth : Ghana



This is to certify that the person named above has formally renounced Canadian citizenship and pursuant to the Citizenship Act will cease to be a citizen on 26/11/2020.



The above information from the Certificate of Renunciation, without more, is completely conclusive. It caused the damage and destroyed 1st Respondents case. Indeed, it settles any ambiguity surrounding when the renunciation of 1st Respondents Canadian citizenship took effect.



Therefore, 1st Respondents arguments that before the 7th December Parliamentary Elections and that at the time of filing his Parliamentary nomination forms with 2nd Respondent, he had renounced his Canadian Citizenship, that as an applicant renouncing his Canadian Citizenship, he has no control over the process of issuance of the Certificate of Renunciation by the Canadian Authorities since that was their primary duty and not his.



The delay in the issuance of the Certificate of Renunciation which is an administrative act, was caused by two [2] months lockdown of administrative facilities and that generally, the process of renunciation and the issuance of the Certificate thereof take six [6] to nine [9] months to complete but that was derailed by two [2] months lockdown of administrative facilities world-wide, with due respect, are preposterous, untenable, unacceptable, baseless and without merit.



Indeed, if the Court is to go by them, it would serve as a dangerous precedent and thereby remain a cancerous tumor in our jurisprudence. Is it his case that like Claudio, the hero in Shakespeares Much I Do About Nothing, he has borne himself beyond the promise of his age? Accordingly, the Court in its consequential orders granted all the seven (7) reliefs the Petitioner was seeking. The Court thus ruled;



a. The filing of Parliamentary nomination forms by 1st Respondent when he held a Canadian Citizenship at the time of filing the said nomination forms between 5th and 9th October 2020 with 2nd Respondent violates article 94 [2] [a] of the 1992 Constitution, section 9 [21 [a] of PNDCL 284 and C.I. 127.



b. 2nd Respondents decision to clear 1st Respondent to contest the Parliamentary Elections in the Assin North Constituency when the latter was not qualified as a candidate on account of his holding allegiance to Canada other than Ghana violates article 92 [2]1 [a] of the 1992 Constitution, section 9 [2] [a] of PNDCL 284, as amended and C.I. 127.



c. The decision by 2nd Respondent to allow 1st Respondent to contest Parliamentary Elections in the Assin North Constituency when he held a Canadian Citizenship at the time of filing his nomination forms violates the electoral laws of Ghana and same is of no legal consequence.



d. 1st Respondents election as Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency in the 2020 Parliamentary Elections organized by 2nd Respondent is null and void and of no legal effect whatsoever as same violates the electoral laws of Ghana.



e. At the time of the Parliamentary Elections in the Assin North Constituency in 2020, 1st Respondent was not qualified to contest as a candidate in accordance with the electoral laws of Ghana.



f. The Court hereby cancels the Parliamentary Elections in the Assin North Constituency organized in December 2020 and further orders 2nd Respondent to conduct fresh Parliamentary Elections in the Assin North Constituency as such.



g.1st Respondent is hereby restrained perpetually from holding himself out as Member of Parliament-Elect for Assin North Constituency and or presenting himself to be sworn in as a Member of Parliament.



Costs Awarded



Justice Kwasi Boakyes Court awarded cost of thirty thousand Ghana cedis (GHc 30,000.00) against the 1st Respondent (unseated MP for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson), in favour of the Petitioner and an additional ten thousand Ghana cedis also against the 1st Respondent in favour of the Electoral Commission (2nd Respondent).

Source: asaaseradio.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Henry Nana Boakye, has provided detailed justifications of the annulment of Assin North parlimentary elections.



A Cape Coast High Court presided over by Justice Kwasi Boakye has canceled the 2020 parliamentary elections in the Assin North constituency, hence rendering the election of Mr. James Gyakye Quayson as Assin North Member of Parliament (MP) invalid.



The court has ordered Mr. Gyakye Quayson not to hold himself as Assin North MP stressing ''the Assin North MP who still holds himself as the MP is a complete violation of Article 94 (2a) and the court should declare his election null and void".



The court ruling is in relation to a challenge that the MP at the time of filing to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections had not renounced his Canadian citizenship, thus held dual nationality.



He was therefore dragged to court by a resident of Assin Bereku in the Central Region, Michael Ankomah-Nimfa.



NDC Threaten To Appeal Case



The NDC Minority in Parliament has challenged the court ruling, threatening to appeal the case.



The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu expressed his disappointments saying "we in the Minority remain unshaken, we are confident that it is our seat and would remain our seat".



But it is worrying we dont want to believe that the courts of Ghana have been captured and become forums being used surreptitiously to tilt the balance of power, and to weaken the time-tested historical notion of checks and balances.



Justice must not only be done but must manifestly be seen to be done, Mr Iddrisu added.



Assin North MP Breached The Laws



However, it appears to Nana Boakye, the NDC Minority's appeal might also fail in court as he provided details as to why the Assin North MP infracted the laws.



Speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Henry Nana Boakye disclosed that, "during the time he had interest to become an MP, he was binded by some documents between 5th to 9th October and while doing that, he also committed himself under a statutory declaration that the words he's saying are true. But during our investigations, we found out that it was on 26th of November that he received certificate of renunciation which shows he is no longer a Canadian; so the period that he filed for nomination, he was a Ghanaian and Canadian simultaneously''.



He read the Canadian Citizenship Act which states, ''if an application under subsection 1 is approved by the Minister, the Minister shall issue a certificate of renunciation to the applicant and the applicant ceases to be a citizen after the expiration of the day on which the certificate is issued to or any later day that the certificate may specify'', stressing the Act therefore proves that the Assin North MP's Canadian nationality had not been revoked at the time he contested the parliamentary elections.



"So, until you receive that certificate, you remain a Canadian citizen and that there is a date on the certificate; it's two things meaning you cease to be a Canadian citizen on the day that you receive the certificate or they will specify a date to authorize your renunciation as a Canadian," he expounded.



To him, by all indication, the MP is in violation of Article 92 (4a) of the 1992 constitution which demands that a person can only become an MP when he owes allegiance to only Ghana but, according to the Canadian Citizenship Act, the MP ceased to be a Canadian citizen on 26th November last year which was after he had filed for nomination and contested the elections.



He read that on the MP's certificate of renunciation was written, ''this is to certify that the person named above has formally renounced Canadian citizenship pursuant to the Citizenship Act will cease to be a citizen on 26th November, 2020''.



"So, it is only on this date that he is not a Canadian, but the time he filed for his nomination, he told us he holds no dual citizenship but owes allegiance to only one country which is Ghana," he emphasized.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Henry Nana Boakye, NPP National Youth Organizer, has reprimanded Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu over his comments regarding the Cape Coast High Court ruling on the Assin North parliamentary elections.



The High Court presided by Justice Kwasi Boakye on Wednesday, 28th July, 2020, canceled the 2020 parliamentary elections in the Assin North constituency and called for fresh elections to be conducted in the constituency.



The court rendered the Assin North MP's election invalid stressing Mr. James Gyakye Quayson "who still holds himself as the MP is a complete violation of Article 94 (2a) and the court should declare his election null and void".



The ruling is in line with a petition by a resident of Assin Bereku in the Central Region named Michael Ankomah-Nimfa who challenged the MP's victory in court.



He sought to nullify the declaration of the MP as winner for owing allegiance to Canada as at the time he contested the elections.



Reacting to the court ruling, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu described the Judiciary as being manipulated to "tilt the balance of power".



"We in the Minority remain unshaken, we are confident that it is our seat and would remain our seat.



"But it is worrying we dont want to believe that the courts of Ghana have been captured and become forums being used surreptitiously to tilt the balance of power, and to weaken the time-tested historical notion of checks and balances.



"Justice must not only be done but must manifestly be seen to be done," Haruna Iddrisu challenged.



Replying the Minority Leader, Lawyer Henry Nana Boakye described Haruna Iddrisu's comments as, "disgraceful and unparliamentary".



According to him, he didn't expect such unfortunate statements from the Minority Leader, a man he respects a lot.



"His comments yesterday were disgraceful and unparliamentary. You see, you belong to a leadership of one arm of government. You're a Minority Leader and another arm of government is doing its job but you say the NPP is manipulating the court to tilt the balance of power; very unfortunate coming from a whole Minority Leader. I have great deal of respect for him. He's a great lawyer and knows how to talk. I admire him but these statements from him are inappropriate," he snapped.



He slammed the NDC and Minority for bastardizing the courts saying, "the attempt to bastardize the Judiciary from the NDC's quarters, it is so bizarre".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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With the cancellation of the December 2020 parliamentary election in the Assin North Constituency, the two major parties  the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC)  have declared their readiness to contest the by-election.

While the National Chairman of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, was certain that the party would win any election held any day in the Assin North Constituency, for which reason it was notworried about a fresh election being held there, the Communications Director of the NPP, Mr Yaw Boaben Asamoah, indicated that the party was battle ready to contest the by-election and take back the seat.





Meanwhile, the NDC has vowed to use every available legal means to ensure the reversal of the cancellation of the parliamentary election in the constituency.



Cancellation



Yesterday, the Cape Coast High Court ordered a fresh parliamentary election to be held in the constituency after it cancelled the 2020 parliamentary election in the constituency, which was won by the NDC candidate, Mr James Gyakye Quayson.





That was after the court, presided over by Justice Kwasi Boakye, had upheld a petition challenging the election of the MP on the grounds that he had filed his nomination to contest as a parliamentary candidate when he was still a Canadian citizen.



The court awarded costs of GH30,000 against the MP in favour of the petitioner, Mr Michael Ankomah-Nimfa, and GH10,000 in favour of the second respondent, the Electoral Commission, to make up for the time wasted and the processes they had gone through.



However, in its reaction to the ruling, the NDC described the decision as a travesty of justice and declared its intention to pursue all legal means to reverse the decision.



The Minority in Parliament, the NDC leadership and Mr Quaysons legal team were unanimous in their verdict that the judge had erred in his ruling.





Violation



Justice Boakye said Mr Quayson violated constitutional provisions and other statutory provisions that guided the country's elections.



Delivering the over one-hour ruling, with reference to relevant laws, including international laws, Justice Boakye said it would be a bad precedent if he overlooked the glaring evidence and the legal issues raised during proceedings.



There was some security presence om the court premises yesterday.





But there was no nasty incident, as calm prevailed.



Petitioners case



The case of the petitioner, who is a resident of Assin North, was that when Mr Quayson was filing his nomination to contest as a parliamentary candidate, he was still a Canadian citizen, which was against the express provision of Article 94 (2) (a) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 9 (2) of the Representation of the People Act 1992 (PNDCL 284).



Among other reliefs, the applicant wanted the Cape Coast High Court to declare the nomination filed by Mr Quayson as illegal, void and of no legal effect.



NDC legal team disappointed





Speaking on behalf of the NDC legal team after the ruling, Mr Alex Segbefia said the team was disappointed by the ruling.



He said it would look at the ruling closely and react at the appropriate time.



Mr Segbefia said the team was obviously frustrated by the legal processes which put impediments in its way as it made efforts to file a motion to halt the process until it had sought proper interpretation of Article 94 (2) of the Constitution before the ruling.



Speaking to the media after the ruling, Mr Ofosu Ampofo said the NDC leadership would meet with the legal team to decide on the next line of action.



Views from Parliament



Stating its position on the ruling, the Minority in Parliament said it would contest the ruling, reports Nana Konadu Agyeman.



Addressing the press in Parliament, the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, said: The judge erred both in law and in facts; it is a travesty of justice; we do not want to believe that the courts of Ghana have been captured and that the courts of Ghana become forums being used surreptitiously to tilt the balance of power.



He said Mr Quayson won the 2020 parliamentary election in Assin North outright as a citizen born and bred in that community prior to leaving for Canada.



He said the MP subsequently renowned his Canadian citizenship as far back as 2019 and got his renunciation certificate before the parliamentary election.



Justice must not only be done but must manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done, he said.



Reacting, the Majority Chief Whip, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, said the Majority had been vindicated with regard to its challenge of Mr Quaysons eligibility to participate in the election of the Speaker on January 7, 2021, prior to current MPs being sworn in.



He said the Majority had cautioned the House about the implication for Mr Quayson to sit in and be part of the election of the Speaker on that day.



He described the suggestion by the Minority Leader that there was external influence in the decision of the court as "totally flawed and should be rejected".



NPP legal team hails ruling



A member of the NPP legal team, Mr Henry Nana Boakye, said the courts ruling had upheld the petitioners position that Mr Quayson did not do due diligence.



He said the judgement was elaborate and a victory for the rule of law.



He said the NDCs claim that the NPP was using technicalities to take away the seat was uncalled for.



We only sought redress using constitutional means. The laws of the land have been very clear on this; we stated our case forcefully and supported it with evidence, he said.



Mr Boakye said the NDCs claim that the ruling would thwart the sovereign will of Assin North was false and malicious, saying it was the rule of law that had prevailed.



Also commenting on the decision, Mr Buabeng-Asamoah told the Daily Graphic that the annulment of the election was a vindication of the position of the party.



Criminal investigations



Meanwhile, the Central Regional Secretary of the NPP, Mr Richard Takyi-Mensah, has petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to conduct criminal investigations into allegations of wilful falsehood against Mr Quayson.



He accused the former MP of lying under oath when he signed his nomination forms to contest as a parliamentary candidate when the Electoral Commission opened nominations between October 5 and October 9, 2020.



Part of his petition reads: As part of the nomination forms, Mr James Gyakye Quayson appended his signature before a judicial officer that he did not owe allegiance to any country other than Ghana, at the time when he was fully aware that, as a matter of fact, he owed allegiance to Canada at that material time of making the statutory declaration.













Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Strap-in ...
Wilfrid Laurier University's campus is shown on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015 in Waterloo, Ontario. The southern Ontario University says it will examine the "complex legacy" and present-day impact of its namesake in a new, multi-year public history project. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hannah Yoon
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People shop at a grocery store enforcing the wearing of masks in Los Angeles on July 23, 2021. - With the Delta variant pushing US Covid cases back up, fully vaccinated people are wondering whether they need to start masking indoors again. Covid vaccines remain extremely effective against the worst outcomes of the disease -- hospitalization and death -- and breakthrough infections remain uncommon. (Photo by Chris Delmas / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Along with bar-mounted lockouts and grip shift, inverted forks are one of those ideas that seems to keep coming back around in the mountain bike industry. Perhaps the most famous USD fork of all is the Manitou Dorado , which was updated a couple of weeks ago, but the design is also currently championed by Intend and RST While they will normally catch your eye on a mountain bike, the inverted design is the norm in the world of motocross. The touted advantages include less unsprung weight to allow the wheel to track the ground better, as well as far more fore/aft rigidity, however their Achilles' heel in the mountain bike world has always been the torsional stiffness. The car park test of sticking the front wheel between your legs and twisting the bars can be off-putting regardless of its actual validity on the trail.Regardless of their advantages and drawbacks, almost all suspension manufacturers have given the design a go. From the RockShox RS1 to the Bos's burly Obsys , they have come from all corners for all uses. Today though we're looking at one that never made it to market but definitely caused a stir, an unreleased prototype downhill fork from Fox.This fork was first spotted on Gee Atherton's Commencal in a practice run at the US Open in 2011 but it was also later tested by Aaron Gwin. The US Open was the first public viewing, but Fox had apparently been working on the design for a while and also had a number of prototypes that never made it to the public eye.Digging into the details, the fork didn't use the same 40mm diameter stanchion from Fox's regular downhill fork. Instead, it used 36mm stanchions that that slid into massive 48mm upper tubes. A number of axle setups were investigated, presumably to try and increase the lateral stiffness, but in the end a standard 20mm axle setup was what Gee was riding in 2011. The only info we had on the internals was that it used the same FIT RC2 as the Fox 40 of the time. However, from the outside, the spring leg in particular looked to be something different with its preload dial at the bottom of the leg and a 5mm hex bolt at the top.The fork never made it past the prototype stage and now simply exists as a curio in Fox's in-house museum. Word is that both Gee and Aaron were big fans of how the prototype fork handled fast, rough sections of trail head on - thanks to the increased fore/aft stiffness of the inverted design - but felt that the standard right-side-up arrangement of the current Fox 40 had the inverted fork soundly beaten in the corners. Fox could potentially have fixed this by adding some more material, but the inverted fork was already significantly heavier than its counterpart so the project was shelved.That's not to say it was a waste of time though - Fox doesn't look at this project as a failure, but rather an exploratory exercise to learn from. You may never be able to use one of these forks, but you may be currently riding suspension technology that owes some of its DNA to the fork pictured above.
Dapo Ajayi Wins WPT Choctaw for Career-High $558,610

July 28, 2021 Chad Holloway

On Tuesday, the World Poker Tour (WPT) Choctaw $3,700 Main Event concluded with Dapo Ajayi topping a 964-entry field to claim a $558,610 top prize and etch his name on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup.

The career-high score came a year and a half after Ajayi finished runner-up in the WPT Montreal Powered by partypoker LIVE, good for a prior career-high $254,966. According to The Hendon Mob, Ajayi now has just over $1.5 million in lifetime tournament earnings including $211,945 for finishing 39th in the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

"It's difficult to articulate. It's been a really interesting week. I almost didn't come. There was a friend of mine that convinced me to come down", Ajayi told WPT officials after the win. "I will say, this time, I appreciated the moment more than in past times, and I was able to kind of savor it.

He added: "Choctaw is a special place, that's for sure, and I'm definitely 2/2 here, so I will definitely be back. Maybe it's the south, they are very friendly, and it's a different brand of poker, feels more old school.

2021 WPT Choctaw Final Table Results

Place Player Prize 1 Dapo Ajayi $558,610 2 Viet Vo $372,415 3 Albert Calderon $275,085 4 Hunter Cichy $205,330 5 Will Nguyen $154,885 6 Michael Perrone $118,090

The tournament generated a $3,272,780 prize pool that was paid out amongst the top 122 finishers. Among those to cash were Terry Presley (7th - $91,010), DJ Alexander (12th - $44,500), James Mackey (16th - $29,215), Seneca Easley (28th - $16,950), Adam Hendrix (32nd - $16,950), Phil Mader (35th - $14,475), Bryan Campanello (41st - $12,510), Brian Altman (48th - $12,510), Farid Jattin (51st - $10,950), and Josh Reichard (59th - $9,700).

Final Table Action

The WPT Choctaw Final Table

According to the WPT Live Updates, Viet Vo began the day as the chip leader. It was the second time in three seasons he was at the WPT Choctaw Main Event final table, and he was looking to avenge his previous second-place finish.

Action resumed in Level 27 (50,000/100,000/100,000) and it only took three hands for the first elimination to occur. It happened when Michael Perrone three-bet jammed from the big blind with ace-jack and Albert Calderon, the original raiser, called with ace-queen. The kicker made the difference and just like that the field was down to five.

Two levels later, Will Nguyen lost with ace-three to the pocket nines of Hunter Cichy to fall in fifth place, and then Cichy followed him out the door in fourth ten hands later when his pocket sevens lost a race to the ace-nine of Calderon.

Three-handed play was a battle, but eventually, it was Calderon bowing out after missing a flush draw against the trip aces of Dapo Ajay, who took a near 3:1 chip lead into heads-up play against Vo.

On Hand #212 of the final table, Vo moved all in holding queen-three and Ajayi had an easy call after looking down at pocket kings. The board ran out clean and for the second time, Vo had to settle for second place and a $372,415 consolation prize.

"It feels great. It was a long battle. Vo is a really tough player, he has had a lot of success recently, so yea, it's humbling", Ajayi told WPT reporters.

The next live WPT stop will be the $5,000 buy-in bestbet Scramble, which will run from August 27-31. That will be a part of a longer festival that will run from August 13-31. PokerNews will be on-site to offer live updates from a trio of events including Event #1: $400 NLH Opener, Event #7: $600 NLH Multi-Flight, and Event #15: $25,000 High Roller.

*Images courtesy of WPT/Joe Giron/PokerPhotoArchive.com.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control recommended students K-12 to wear masks inside schools and on the school bus.

This is not a requirement, but a recommendation. The organizations also strongly recommend eligible students and teachers to be vaccinated before school starts.

We know based on the science and the data from numerous studies with literally hundreds and millions of people vaccinated worldwide that these are very safe and very affective vaccines. We know that they are the best way for us to bring this pandemic to end once and for all, said DHEC Public Health Director Dr. Brannon Traxler.

Currently, face masks are not required in Aiken County Public Schools in accordance with a state proviso that prohibits school districts from mandating the wearing of masks.

I recommend that staff members wear masks when they have to be within 6 feet of others. I encourage parents to have your children do the same, said King Laurence, superintendent of the Aiken County Public School District.

Laurence also encourages students and teachers to be vaccinated before the school year starts. Laurence sent out a message to parents this week about the new CDC recommendation and how Aiken County schools will be proceeding.

Laurence said volunteers and other visitors will be limited. There are also specialized air filters in all classrooms and additional disinfecting supplies in each classroom.

When is comes to visitors, we are following the same policy that we followed last year, especially with the rise and trend in our community we dont feel like this is a good time to relax those requirements on additional people in the schools," Laurence said.

DHEC officials also were concerned about the state's rise in COVID-19 cases before school has started. Traxler said regardless of whether school has started, cases need to be trending downward.

Depending on conditions in the schools, Laurence has the authority to be more restrictive with the rules for each school in the county. One of the thresholds for moving individual schools to hybrid or virtual learning models during the school year will be if more than 25% of the instructional staff is quarantined or in isolation.

We are seeing that delta is spread more easily among all people. We are seeing more cases in younger individuals, which is partially due to the fact that under 12 arent even eligible for the vaccination, and then the teenagers and young adults have a lower rates of vaccination, Traxler said.

Aiken County schools will start classes on Aug. 16 with five-day in-person classes. While elementary school students will be able to stay in single-class cohorts and mix with other students, middle and high school students will switch classes as usual.

"While it has become necessary to slow our progress toward the traditional operation of our schools, I believe that together we can ensure that we safely meet the needs of our students and families," Laurence said.

For more information on Aiken County's back to school plans, visit the district's website at acpsd.net.
The Savannah River Site has reinstated a mask mandate for all workers and visitors, in line with guidance from the Biden administration, as coronavirus cases in South Carolina spike and the dangerous delta variant looms large.

A site-wide memo issued Thursday morning shows masks are again required, regardless of vaccination status, because the CSRA exceeds the criteria for a substantial or high community transmission rate. Several other Department of Energy installations are in areas of concerning transmission, as well.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Wednesday logged 1,393 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina's top doctor, in a press conference that day said mask guidance, broadly, was again shifting due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases were seeing, which the CDC says is fueled by the delta variant.

The delta strain was first detected in India  where it wreaked havoc. It now dominates cases in the U.S.

From a public health perspective, this is a disheartening setback, Bell said, and we recognize that those who have made the decision to get vaccinated may feel the same way.

The Savannah River Site memo says face coverings must be worn in all public and work areas within a building, in all face-to-face meetings and while in vehicles with others. Those alone in an office with a closed door can remove their masks; so can those eating and drinking, given space. Religious and medical exemptions exist, as well.

President Bidens paramount concern is the health and safety of the American people, the Thursday communication reads, including all federal employees and contractors.

The first case of COVID-19 among the Savannah River Site workforce, some 11,000 people, was disclosed in late March 2020. Around that time, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions President and CEO Stuart MacVean described the burgeoning health crisis as unprecedented.

Twenty-nine site employees were quarantined with COVID-19 as of July 23. Cases among the workforce had been falling or plateauing for weeks, until recently.

Roughly 55,500 Aiken County residents are fully vaccinated, state data show.

Staff writer Landon Stamper contributed to this article.
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Boeing Co. has reported its first quarterly profit since 2019 in a surprise to investors, but the South Carolina-based 787 Dreamliner program continues to cause problems for the planemaker.

Boeing swung to the $567 million gain for the April to June period from a $2.4 billion loss it incurred during the same three months a year ago, according to figures released July 28. The company's commercial aircraft business still lost money.

Boeing's rebound this year has largely been boosted by the return of the long-troubled 737 Max. Grounded until November after two deadly crashes, the jet has since accounted for the vast majority of orders and deliveries while the 787 program has delivered just 14 planes in 2021.

Dreamliner deliveries have been temporarily halted, and a restart was again pushed off when Boeing disclosed this month that it had found another production flaw.

Overall, though, CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement Wednesday that the company made "important progress" in the quarter.

"While our commercial market environment is improving, we're closely monitoring COVID-19 case rates, vaccine distribution and global trade as key indicators for our industry's stability," Calhoun said.

Calhoun also told employees that the company doesn't expect as many job cuts this year as it had anticipated earlier.

Boeing had said that its global workforce would shrink to about 130,000 by the end of 2021. The company now estimates it will keep its employee count "roughly consistent" with where it is today, at about 140,000 worldwide, Calhoun said.

Boeing already made major workforce cuts companywide during the pandemic, and its South Carolina payroll shrank substantially. According to an annual tally of workers by state, the planemaker said it had 5,706 workers at its South Carolina operations as of Jan. 1, down from 6,869 at the start of 2020.

The 787 slowdown

Earlier this month, Boeing said that it had found another Dreamliner production problem: this time, gaps found in part of the plane's nose called the forward pressure bulkhead. The issue was uncovered while doing inspections after other manufacturing flaws were found last year.

Because of the latest issue, Boeing said it would slow production of the 787, which has been handled exclusively at its North Charleston plant since earlier this year. Before that, production had been split between the Lowcountry site and a widebody factory in Everett, Wash.

The 787 output rate has been lowered to less than five jets per month because of a decision to reassign employees to work on the defects. The five-per-month rate was already substantially reduced from normal production levels due to the steep decline in demand for new aircraft during COVID-19.

This temporary rate drop led some industry watchers to believe Boeing would report what's called a "reach-forward loss" this quarter that would reflect a change in the profitability projections for the program, but that wasn't the case.

The margins on the Dreamliner remain positive but are "near to zero," said Dave Dohnalek, the interim finance chief who stepped in for the recently retired Greg Smith.

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There are costs associated with the 787 inspections, rework and rate reduction, he said, but there are "some additional benefits" on the cost side that are offsetting those expenses.

The 787 production slowdown will continue for "a few weeks," according to Wednesday's earnings report.

"The exact timing of returning to a rate of five per month will depend upon our progress on production stability and delivering airplanes from inventory," Calhoun told investors.

Boeing has not disclosed how many 787s it's now producing each month or how many North Charleston assembly line workers are performing inspections and fixes.

'Closer to the end'

Dreamliner handoffs have been on hiatus since late May, when Boeing said it was waiting for the Federal Aviation Administration to approve a new inspection method for undelivered jets.

Previously, 787 deliveries had been halted for about five months through late March, because of the initial production problems traced to tiny gaps where sections of the fuselage are joined together.

Boeing has said the flaws do not pose any immediate safety issues but that they're out of line with the company's design specifications.

This is not the FAA getting tough on Boeing, Calhoun said. This is Boeing getting tough on Boeing.

He said the hope is that the 787 problems will be resolved before demand bounces back for widebody aircraft and long-haul international flights.

Demand for international travel is still about 80 percent below pre-pandemic levels, according to new June passenger statistics from the International Air Transport Association.

"If we ever had a window to get this behind us, once and for all, it's now," he said.

Calhoun added that Boeing is producing Dreamliners "at the lowest rate ever," and that customers aren't "knocking down (the) door to get their airplanes" because they aren't as needed right now amid the ongoing COVID travel slump.

He also said Boeing has competed its "tip to tail" inspections on the 787.

"Although it's been a long journey, we believe we're closer to the end than the beginning," Calhoun said of the Dreamliner debacle.
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COLUMBIA  A longtime office building on the northern edge of Columbia's Main Street District is on its way to being renovated into apartments.

Work will start in August on the Klondike building at 1813 Main St., with the goal of completing renovation into 28 to 30 apartments by spring 2022, according to the Cason Development Group, one of two companies leading the project.

The goal is to create one- and two-bedroom apartments that make the building an attractive address for empty-nesters and young professionals, said Frank Cason, CEO of Cason Development.

Cason is working with Columbia's Cohn Corp. on the project, a first collaboration for the two companies.

Plans also include about 1,000 feet of retail space where Cason sees a wine shop or boutique as possible tenants.

The building was built in 1961 as federal offices, and the project will involve restoring its exterior to its mid-century appearance. Original plans for the building from the Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina have been consulted.

The building sat vacant for more than five years and most people did not realize there was a historic, mid-century modern facade hidden behind all of that stucco," Cason said in a statement.

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The project will be the first apartment redevelopment in the 1800 block of Main, bringing the renovation that has shaped the district north into the block that includes the old Jefferson Square complex.

This is a major step toward the full redevelopment of the northern portion of Main Street and ties in well with the success of other Cason developments north of Elmwood, said Matt Kennell, CEO of City Center Partnership.

The developers have applied to list the building on the National Register of Historic Places and are using historic redevelopment tax credits on the project.

Cason is involved in several recent projects and land deals around Columbia.

The company is leading the project to redevelop the former Rosewood Church with shops and residences on Rosewood Drive.

Cason recently acquired the property on the northwest corner of Harden and Devine streets in Five Points that includes the Mens Warehouse and Carolina Barbershop.

The developer bought another property in Five Points, the former Pecknel Music Company store on Saluda Avenue.
COLUMBIA  With a powerful new coronavirus variant driving up cases again in South Carolina just weeks before schools are set to open, Columbia-area districts are doubling down on large-scale vaccination efforts hoping to keep the disease at bay enough to avoid another year of lengthy classroom disruption.

Although no public school system has yet gone as far as the University of South Carolina, which on July 23 mandated testing for unvaccinated students, new guidance by state public health officials suggests districts continue to offer information and vaccination opportunities.

Schools need to be open, and vaccination is not a criteria for that, state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said July 28.

Since Sept. 4, less than 3 percent of the states overall COVID cases were reported among public school students and staff, Spearman said.

On July 29, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control recommended districts keep access to vaccines a priority throughout the year.

Schools are strongly encouraged to work with local public health officials and healthcare facilities and professionals to provide factual information and education about COVID-19 vaccination, and to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines by coordinating vaccine clinics for staff, students and families who wish to be vaccinated, the agency wrote.

What does all this mean for capital region schools getting ready to welcome students back? Heres a look.

Richland One

More than 70 percent of employees in this 24,000-student district have responded in surveys theyre interested in receiving a vaccination ahead of classes opening on Aug. 18.

A standing partnership with Prisma Health and DHEC brought four vaccination clinics to schools over the summer. The final one is Aug. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Andrews Middle School.

The shots will be administered to anyone 12 and older by Prisma nurses, and no registration is needed for the drive-through events.

As of July 28, 1.7 percent of the districts students have tested positive for the illness, according to the districts dashboard, with six active cases. Among staff, just more than 6.5 percent have contracted COVID since tracking began in the middle of last year.

Richland Two

More than 1,600 employees across South Carolinas eighth-largest district have already been inoculated through summer clinics, and officials will keep a drive-through site open through September.

Officials are also in talks with Providence Health about launching a clinic for students 12 and older along with their parents ahead of the start of classes on Aug. 18.

Expect to see aggressive contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine as well.

But even if cases do surge again, Spearman said districts can weather them by using proven tactics such as separating sick students. There are nearly 650 schools statewide that stayed on five-day schedules last year despite being in areas identified as high spread areas.

Lexington-Richland Five

Not much is known about what this suburban Columbia district that includes the towns of Chapin and Irmo plans to do, though new superintendent Akil Ross has vowed to partner with health care providers about testing and vaccination options.

Currently, the 17,500-student district has no staff members with a positive case, and 26 of its students are in quarantine.

Ross has told district employees vaccination decisions should be left up to families, urging them not to give advice on whether students get a shot when they return to school on Aug. 18.

Lexington One

In January, the fast-growing district published a video featuring Health Services Director Amy Wood and a state epidemiologist discussing the efficacy of a COVID vaccine  part of an ongoing effort to give staff and community members real-time information.

That 30-minute interview is found on the districts Stronger Together web portal, which is a clearinghouse of COVID-related information including future vaccine clinic dates and newly announced partnerships and strategies.

Officials said theyll continue to follow DHEC protocol, including not requiring fully vaccinated people to be quarantined as a result of close contact exposure. Classes start on Aug. 31.

Lexington Two

The district renewed a partnership with Lexington Medical Center to host vaccination clinics throughout the year, and is expecting to have a system in place to get shots into the arms of students between the ages of six months and 11 years old within the first part of the academic year.
COLUMBIA  Wearing masks on school grounds in South Carolina will continue to be an option, despite federal guidance to make it a mandate, as district officials across the state said July 29 they will follow the Legislature's ban.

At issue is a clause in the state budget prohibiting districts from requiring students or employees to wear a mask on school property. As part of the budget, the one-year law took effect July 1.

Rep. Leon Stavrinakis contends the way it's worded leaves a loophole. Specifically, the paragraph prohibits using any state or federal taxes allocated through the budget to issue or enforce such a mandate. That provides an opening for districts to argue they're instead using local property taxes or federal COVID aid outside the Legislature's control, the Charleston Democrat said.

"I hope school districts will not be bullied and will instead read the actual language, follow the law, and demonstrate the leadership needed to protect students, teachers and families," Stavrinakis told The Post and Courier.

His Republican colleagues disagree, and they have no plans to revisit the ban during the Legislature's special session this fall.

"At the end of the day, people need to make these decisions. Government officials don't need to dictate them," said Rep. Stewart Jones, R-Greenwood, who introduced the budget clause inserted June 9 during floor debate in the House on a 71-37 vote, largely along partisan lines.

The law followed Gov. Henry McMaster's orders in May that parents be able to sign a form opting out of any mask mandate.

The Republican governor said repeatedly this week mask-wearing should still be a parental choice, no matter what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. And he dismissed Stavrinakis' argument as wrong.

"I understand why people may quibble with the language," said Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey.

But the seemingly strange wording is just a byproduct of budget rules needing to pertain to what's actually spent in the budget. The intent is clear, and that's what matters, he said.

"We dont want school districts mandating masks. I think thats what it says and I think thats what it means," said the Edgefield Republican.

The problem with arguing otherwise is that school operations, including employee salaries, are paid with a combination of local, state and federal taxes, he and other GOP lawmakers said.

"Enforcement requires people. Certainly teachers and administrators are paid with state money," Massey said. "I dont know how a district would enforce it without teachers and administrators being involved."

State schools Superintendent Molly Spearman agrees, saying July 28 she asked her agency's attorneys to evaluate the law and they reached the same conclusion about legislators' intent.

While she strongly encourages people to follow this week's updated guidance from the CDC by voluntarily wearing masks in schools, "we cannot require it," she said.

She made that clear in a July 6 memo to local superintendents, which concluded with a warning.

"Districts may not create or enforce any policy which would require the wearing of face coverings," it reads. "Should a district decide to act contrary to this law, state funding may be withheld."

The CDC's update following the national rise of COVID-19 cases did not change her agency's legal interpretation, she said.

School district officials reached July 29 said they aren't going to fight that.

"Our hands are tied," said Tim Waller, spokesman for the Greenville County School District, the state's largest district. "We are going to follow state law to the tee, and were going to do the best we can under these conditions."

"We will strongly encourage masks," he added. "We certainly encourage vaccinations for families old enough to have students vaccinated."

Other district officials saying masks will be encouraged, but not mandated, include those in Berkeley, Charleston and Horry counties, Dorchester 2, Lexington One and Richland One in downtown Columbia.

Charleston County's COVID-19 policies will be updated at the next school board meeting Aug. 2, said Jeff Borowy, the district's chief operating officer.

"At this point, I believe its clear that were not going to mandate masks, but we want to have the best language available to encourage folks to get vaccinated and wear masks," he said.

Even without masks and plexiglass barriers this school year, parents shouldn't be concerned about their children returning to class, Borowy said, noting other safety protocols remain, such as increased hand-washing, hand sanitizer stations, 3-foot distancing and contact tracing.

"We were safe last year, and I believe when we open schools that we'll be safe this year. But it's not a guarantee of no cases," he said.

Back-to-school guidelines issued July 29 by the state's public health agency largely echo the CDC's, with one obvious difference.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control "recognizes mask use cannot be mandated per the SC General Assembly," reads the seven-page document for K-12 schools, though the next line strongly recommends that everyone mask up when inside a school.

The agency also recommends districts take steps to ensure students who do wear masks "are not bullied or criticized."

Whether students wear masks will ultimately be a decision for parents, but they need to know public health experts recommend it, said DHEC's public health director, Dr. Brannon Traxler.

As for whether the law leaves a loophole, that's for each district to decide with its own attorneys, she said.

The one place DHEC and Spearman say districts can require masks is on a school bus. The CDC still requires masks on public transportation, and that includes school buses, according to DHEC's guidance.

Last school year, Spearman's agency  which owns and maintains the state's school bus fleet  enforced mask mandates on school buses. It won't this year, though local officials can do so themselves. The Legislature's ban doesn't extend to buses, her agency concluded.

Charleston County officials are still considering whether to require masks on buses, Borowy said.

Libby Stanford contributed to this report from Charleston. Adam Benson contributed from Columbia. Alex Brizee contributed from Myrtle Beach.
Everybody knows that the cruise ship industry in Charleston is controversial. Whereas it may be good for some businesses and regional economies, it also dumps hordes of people into already congested areas, disrupts the skyline and  the argument goes  detracts from quality of life both health-wise and aesthetically.

But at least theres a fairly reasonable limit on the number of berths permitted annually, which is about 104. (Cruise ship companies are getting around this problem by introducing larger cruise ships.) So, whereas a lot of people dont like the cruise industry, most arent totally up in arms about it, as is the case in other parts of the world.

Most anyone who has visited Venice in the last decade, for example, could clearly see that the cruise ship matter had devolved into a complicated mess. On any given day it seemed multiple behemoth ships were either docked and/or cruising the lagoon basin near St. Marks Square and the Giudecca Canal and obviously having an overall negative impact on one of the worlds most cherished and sensitive Heritage Sites. As a result, numerous activist and extremely vociferous protest organizations have sprung up over the years.

A consequence of the COVID era was that cruise ships in Venice (as with Charleston) sailed away and only recently started coming back. But before the situation could get completely out of hand yet again, and as reported in The New York Times and other outlets a couple of weeks ago, Italy announced on July 13 that it was banning large cruise ships from entering Venices waters and also declared the citys lagoon a national monument. The ban will take effect on Aug. 1.

In 2019, UNESCO, the United Nations culture body, warned Venice about the damage caused by a steady stream of cruise ships. The word was out that UNESCO was considering placing Venice on the World Heritage in Danger sites, a situation which Italys culture minister, Dario Franceschini, apparently thought a potential humiliation and more damaging than the ships themselves.

His relief was apparent when on July 22 The Associated Press reported that Venice had managed to avoid the danger designation with its decision to reroute massive cruise ships traveling through the citys historic center. In welcoming the decision, Franceschini was quoted as saying, Now, the global attention on Venice must remain high, and it is everyones duty to work for the protection of the lagoon and identify a sustainable development path for this unique reality.

The designation of Venices waterways as a national monument is interesting to the extent that such a designation is usually reserved for artworks and historical buildings. Now, the waterways will be under enhanced state protection.

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The ban applies to ships in excess of 25,000 metric tons, longer than 180 meters (about 590 feet), taller than 35 meters (about 115 feet), or that use up more than a set amount of fuel while maneuvering. The question then is whether this will mean fewer tourists visiting the City of Canals via cruise ship? Probably, but then again the plan is to divert the ships to the port of Marghera on the mainland or possibly the Lido entrance of the lagoon, from which passengers would be transported. Completion of the new docking facilities is still months away, though, and no doubt missing out on the signature views of St. Marks Square and the rest of Venice will seem less attractive to some tourists.

Not surprisingly, certain environmentalists and historians think the ban doesnt go far enough and would like to see cruise ships banned altogether. And yet, as a frame of reference, the MSC Orchestra, which has called on Venice before, weighs more than 90,000 tons and is 295 meters (965 feet) in length. So the ban does appear to have some teeth to it. Equally unsurprisingly, it has received mixed reviews from Venices business community.

Venice has had a bad cruise ship problem for over a decade, and now its finally doing something about it. Time will tell if changes taking place will have any staying power.

***

George Bernard Shaw is supposed to have said (or written) that, If the other planets are inhabited, they must be using the Earth as an insane asylum. This reminded me of the recent column on UFOs and the conundrum of Einsteins Theory of Relativity as pertains to the limitations of not being able to travel faster than the speed of light and the amount of time it would take to travel to distant solar systems.

Andrew Simmons thinks I have some misunderstandings about warp drive and the capacity to travel faster than light, or at least "from the frame of reference of an observer and the effect of time dilation for one inside a warp bubble. Mr. Simmons references the work of Frank Milburn and Christopher Mellon to gain better insight into these problems.

In laymans terms, my friend Irving Rosenfeld explains that a warp drive does not have to be accelerated beyond the speed of light to go faster than the speed of light. The idea of a warped space-time is that, by entering the warped space-time, you can exit in a different part of the universe, perhaps lightyears away. One theory is that by entering past the event horizon of a black hole and traveling to the singularity, you can exit the singularity in a different place in the universe; indeed, even in another universe.

Got that? Im thinking Id rather watch reruns of "Lost in Space" than feel that way trying to understand all this stuff.
A committee of state lawmakers will hold a public hearing in Greenville on Aug. 2 to listen to residents about how the state redraws its senate district boundaries.

The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Building 102 at Greenville Technical College Barton Campus, 506 S. Pleasantburg Drive. Residents can sign up to speak at the meeting in person, submit written comments ahead of the meeting or sign up to speak virtually via Zoom.

The meeting will mark the fourth of 10 being hosted across the state by the Senate Judiciary Committees Redistricting Subcommittee.

The subcommittee isnt scheduled to make a presentation or propose district boundaries at the meetings. It is an opportunity for residents to tell senators about interests  including keeping cities, school districts and neighborhoods together  that should be considered at the Senate moves ahead with redistricting plans.

The subcommittee will use comments from interested parties as it crafts initial plans for new district boundaries. The public will have opportunity to weigh in on those plans in the future.

This marks the first steps in the states process of redrawing senate district lines following the U.S. Census conducted in 2020. The process, usually performed every 10 years, has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Redistricting is the redrawing of district lines to accommodate for population changes since the last census. It is required by the U.S. Constitution and must take place before the first general election after the latest census was completed.

Though South Carolina has 46 senators equal to the states 46 counties, district boundaries often stretch across county lines. The boundaries must balance based on population with less than a 10 percent variance between districts.

The Aug. 2 hearing is for residents in Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union counties, and surrounding areas.

The hearing site was changed from County Square to Greenville Technical College. Residents interested in speaking can sign up ahead of time at redistricting.scsenate.gov or at the location on the night of the event. Residents can send an online notification to the redistricting subcommittee by 4 p.m. Aug. 2 to speak via Zoom.

Maps will be available at each location for residents to point out specific locations of interest.

Legislators are expected to finalize the new district boundaries in a special session this fall.

Reporter Seanna Adcox contributed.
South Carolina recorded 1,200 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on July 29, the most reported in a single day since February.

Four more deaths were also reported by the state health department that day.

New confirmed cases of COVID-19 are continuing to rise in South Carolina as the more transmissible Delta variant spreads.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control updates its variant dashboard weekly. As of July 21, the Pee Dee region of the state had 27 Delta variant cases, the most in the state. Thirteen cases were were reported in the Lowcountry, 23 in the Midlands and seven in the Upstate.

It is important to note that only a small number of COVID cases are sequenced to determine the strain.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 1,200 confirmed, 667 probable.

Total cases in S.C.: 504,234 confirmed, 110,678 probable.

Percent positive: 15.4 percent.

New deaths reported: 4 confirmed, 6 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 8,729 confirmed, 1,175 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled: 70 percent.

S.C. residents vaccinated

DHEC's vaccine dashboard shows that 50.8 percent of the state's residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 44.4 percent have completed vaccination.

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Hardest-hit areas

In the total number of newly confirmed cases, Horry County (105), Lexington County (106) and Richland County (102) saw the highest totals.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had 85 new cases on July 29, while Berkeley County had 60 and Dorchester County had 54.

Deaths

DHEC did not report the ages of the four people who died in the July 29 data.

Hospitalizations

Of the 453 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of July 29, 133 were in the ICU and 49 were using ventilators.

What do experts say?

Recent analysis from DHEC showed that more than 90 percent of COVID-19 cases and deaths in South Carolina and 86 percent of hospitalizations were among those who were not fully vaccinated.

While no vaccine offers 100 percent protection against an infection, medical experts say COVID-19 vaccinations are effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalizations.

Go to scdhec.gov/vaxlocator to find a nearby vaccine provider.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Five people were shot on Charleston's East Side amid an ongoing rift in a city-owned housing neighborhood, officials said.

Two people were in critical condition, one of them in surgery, the night of July 28.

The shooting occurred near Hanover and Johnson streets at the Meeting Street Manor community, which is owned by the Charleston Housing Authority.

Police responded about 4:50 p.m. to calls about a shooting, police spokesman Charles Francis said in a news release. The victims were transported to a hospital.

Police were investigating and there were no suspects, Chief Luther Reynolds said at a news conference that evening.

Reynolds said it was unclear what types of guns or how many guns were used.

The news conference was on the corner of Hanover and Harris streets, a block away from where the shooting occurred. Community members left their homes and walked onto the sidewalk, listening to Reynolds speak of his frustration with the increase in gang and gun violence in Charleston.

If youve been out on any of these crime scenes, youve heard the sound of a wailing mothers voice, Reynolds said. And I promise you, if youve heard it, youll never get it out of your mind.

Reynolds said he believed suspects would turn out to be repeat offenders of violent crimes, and this shooting related to ongoing gang crimes in Charleston.

We have a violent crime problem in our nation, Reynolds said. We have a violent crime problem in our state. And we have a violent crime problem in the Lowcountry.

Mayor John Tecklenburg shared Reynolds frustration with the rise of gun violence in Charleston.

"Is life so cheap in Charleston that people just pull out a gun over almost nothing to kill one another? Tecklenburg asked. Come on citizens, come on families. Lets drill down on this issue with our children, with our families, with our friends, with our cousins and talk about this issue of guns and the use of them in our streets.

Faye Smalls, minister at Mount Carmel United Methodist Church, said she heard gunshots while she was setting the table for dinner at her home on Hanover.

I looked out the window and saw what was happening, Smalls said. I just got up and ran to see what was happening. Kids live here. This is our community.

Smalls said she hoped for better surveillance in the community, such as video cameras, to stop future crimes.

Pierre King, who lives less than a block from the shooting, said he awoke to the sounds of sirens on his street.

He has lived in the neighborhood for a year and a half, but hes thinking about finding a new home. Sometimes King's son comes to hang out at his place and he worries for his safety.

Its sad, King said. If I get the opportunity to, Ill move. Nobody deserves to live in an environment like this.

A shooting that left one person injured happened near the same location less than a month ago.

City Councilman Robert Mitchell, who represents the area, was at the shooting scene.

Mitchell speculated violence has been happening in the area due to ongoing tit-for-tat shootings stemming from altercations between young men.

The councilman was heartbroken at the neighborhood violence.

I think its a beef going on between individuals, and its going back and forth and its not stopping, Mitchell said. Thats the sad part about it. Young people are dying, and there is no time to heal from one to the next.

Anyone with information can call police at 843-743-7200.
North Charleston residents have been calling for a racial bias audit of their police department for years.

Community members and activists have said for a long time that officers overpolice Black residents in their city, which is the third-largest in South Carolina. It's also the community where Walter Scott, a 50-year-old Black man, was gunned down while trying to flee a police officer.

That was six years ago.

A racial bias audit just got underway there last fall, and findings were presented to the community this month.

This week on Understand SC, breaking news and public safety reporter Steve Garrison explains what the audit showed, what researchers recommend North Charleston police do to improve and what community members had to say about the findings.

We also have an update on a story covered by this podcast in May: the death of Jamal Sutherland at Charleston County's jail. This week, Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said that the two deputies who tried to remove Sutherland from his cell using Tasers, pepper spray and physical force would not be criminally charged.

We go over some of Wilson's explanation and what the Sutherland family had to say in response to the decision.

Listen now below or on your podcast app.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. This episode was hosted by Gavin McIntyre and Emily Williams and edited by Emily Williams.

How to listen:

Related reading:
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
The Local Journalism Sustainability Act was recently introduced in the U.S. House and has now been introduced in the Senate. If passed, it will benefit every member of this community.

Unlike many issues in Washington, this legislation has bipartisan support and is focused on delivering benefits to communities across the United States by sustaining local news organizations, including this newspaper.

Newspapers are facing significant fiscal challenges due to technological disruption, including Googles and Facebooks use of newspapers content without compensation.

This legislation provides an important but temporary means of support to help newspapers with needed transition, and it deserves the support of congressional representatives across the country. The bill incentivizes the behaviors needed to facilitate changes to the business model. Please join your local newspaper in calling on members of Congress to support this legislation.

The Local Journalism Sustainability Act is designed to provide a much-needed boost to newspapers. What it isnt is a permanent handout for local newspapers. Instead, its a well-thought-out approach to help sustain local newsgathering efforts through a series of tax credits that expire in five years. And it would provide aid not only to newspapers but also to subscribers and small businesses through tax credits that would benefit them directly.

Newspaper subscribers already understand the importance of their local newspaper and that their continued support is critical. Through this legislation, subscribers would receive a tax credit of up to $250 per year. Its a win-win for subscribers as this tax credit would cover a significant part of their annual newspaper subscription, whether its print or digital.

There's a direct benefit for local businesses as well. When they use the effective print and digital solutions of their local newspaper, they would be eligible for a tax credit up to $5,000 the first year and $2,500 per year for the next four years.

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Not only would this credit offset some of their advertising investment, it also would help them improve their business by reaching more customers and generating more sales. It keeps money invested locally and helps maintain jobs and support other local initiatives.

For local newspapers, the act would provide a much-needed bridge to continue the evolution toward a digitally based model. The temporary tax credits for newspapers would be tied directly to maintaining healthy newsrooms and employing professional journalists committed to producing local news and information. The benefits would be local, not redirected to national media organizations, and would provide local readers with continued access to the information thats most important to their lives.

However, in order for the act to provide these benefits to subscribers, local businesses and newspapers, it needs support from members of the House and the Senate.

The best way for that to happen is for them to hear directly from their constituents and supporters. To support the future of local newspapers, reach out to your representatives and encourage them to support the Local Journalism Sustainability Act and  in turn  support the communities they serve.

Dean Ridings is CEO of Americas Newspapers, a 1,500-member group committed to explaining, defending and advancing the vital role of newspapers in democracy and civil life.
COLUMBIA  Gov. Henry McMaster is defending Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban ahead of its day in the U.S. Supreme Court, submitting a brief with 11 other Republican governors to explain their support for the law and why they think it should be upheld.

In a 25-page amicus brief filed July 29, McMaster's attorneys wrote that the court "should take this opportunity to correct the mistakes in its abortion jurisprudence and recognize that the text and original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment have nothing to do with abortion."

"Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process," the attorneys wrote. "This Court should hold as much  and in the process, help restore the constitutional (but currently disrupted) balance between the Federal Government and the States."

The Supreme Court's ruling on Mississippi's ban could have significant ramifications for South Carolina's more stringent law, which would ban most abortions after as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

If the increasingly conservative court sides with Mississippi by reversing or substantially amending the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that found women have a constitutional right to abortion access before a fetus can survive outside the womb, it could create an opening for South Carolinas law to eventually take effect.

The South Carolina ban was blocked by a federal judge soon after McMaster signed it into law. McMaster and other South Carolina officials appealed that ruling to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

On the other hand, if Mississippi's ban is found unconstitutional, that would likely foreclose any chance for South Carolina to succeed in court.

In a statement about his new brief, McMaster said there is "no fight more important than the fight for life."

"That is why South Carolina has stood tall and fought for life at every turn and will continue to do so until the lives of the unborn are protected once and for all," he said. "Todays action is another step closer to overturning Roe v. Wade and securing the precious gift of life for an untold number of children."

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South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson already filed a similar brief with 17 other states to the Supreme Court over a year ago, when they were still pressing the justices to consider the case.

The court ultimately decided to take up the lawsuit in May and will hear arguments over it in their next term beginning in October. A ruling is expected in the spring or early summer of 2022.

Viability, the stage when a fetus could survive outside of the womb, has historically been considered to occur around 24 weeks into a pregnancy.

South Carolina already bans abortion at 20 weeks beyond fertilization  what doctors actually consider a gestational age of 22 weeks  under a law signed in 2016 that hasnt been challenged in court. The law provides exceptions only if the mothers life is in jeopardy or a doctor determines the fetus cant survive outside the womb.

Earlier this year, South Carolina lawmakers approved a new law that would ban abortions after an ultrasound detects a "fetal heartbeat," which typically occurs around six to eight weeks into pregnancies. The bill included exceptions for cases of rape, incest, if the mothers life is in jeopardy or if the fetus has a fatal anomaly.

About a dozen states around the country have passed similar laws as part of a nationwide conservative movement against abortion access, boosting the odds that the Supreme Court may consider them.

The other Republican governors signing on to McMaster's brief hail from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas.
WASHINGTON  Before testifying about his harrowing experience in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, police officer Michael Fanone was treated to a paid vacation to Myrtle Beach courtesy of the area's congressman and a few of his colleagues.

U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-Myrtle Beach, told The Post and Courier he and some of his friends in Congress felt sympathy for Fanone after meeting him and wanted to do what they could to help him recharge after he was beaten during the riots.

So they pooled some personal funds together and Rice contacted some of businesses in his district, who also offered to pitch in with discounts, so Fanone could travel along with his family on an expense-paid trip to the coastal South Carolina city.

"I think they had a wonderful vacation, and I think he needed it," Rice said.

Among other activities during their week in his district, Rice hooked the family up with passes to a range of attractions, including Myrtle Waves Water Park, Ripley's Aquarium, Alligator Adventure and the Grand Prix go-kart center.

Fanone did not respond to requests for comment about the vacation. But Rice said he enjoyed spending a day by the pool with Fanone and his family after their planned boat trip was scuttled due to technical glitches.

After Fanone returned to Washington this week, where he works as an officer in the city's police department, he delivered impassioned testimony to a new U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots along with three other officers who were injured.

Fanone detailed how crowds of angry supporters of former President Donald Trump dragged him down the Capitol steps, beat him and shocked him with stun guns, relenting only when he yelled he has children, at which point a few others pulled him to safety. He suffered a heart attack, concussion and traumatic brain injury.

As he retold the story, Fanone grew particularly heated about how some of the lawmakers he shielded had downplayed the severity of the incident in the months since.

"I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room," he testified. "But too many are now telling me that hell doesnt exist  or that hell actually wasnt that bad."

Fanone then hammered his fist on the table in an apparent display of anger.

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"The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful," he testified.

Some of the other lawmakers who helped Rice fund Fanone's vacation were, like Rice, among the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his alleged role in the Capitol assault.

They included U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Peter Meijer of Michigan, Dan Newhouse of Washington, John Katko of New York, David Valadao of California and Fred Upton of Michigan. Rice said the group has remained in close contact since their consequential impeachment votes.

Kinzinger and U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., are now the only two Republican members on the Democratic-led panel investigating Jan. 6 after a tussle between Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy's suggested members for the panel, so he withdrew his entire slate in response, leaving only Kinzinger and Cheney still willing to serve on the committee.

In addition to his impeachment vote, Rice initially voted to create an independent commission to investigate the riots. But that effort was shot down by Republicans in the U.S. Senate, prompting Democrats to create an in-house committee within Congress to launch the probe.

Rice said he was disappointed by how the situation turned out.

"I think it's a real shame," Rice said. "I think the independent commission would have been a good, fair, bipartisan way to do it, and as it's evolved it's become a partisan circus."

Asked if he would have been willing to serve on the new committee Democrats created instead, Rice said, "Hell no," criticizing Pelosi for vetoing McCarthy's picks.

"I think she's taken away credibility that the committee had," he said.

Rice's impeachment vote has spurred backlash from Trump supporters in his district, leading to as many as a dozen opponents announcing their plans to challenge him in the 2022 GOP primary. He has responded that he believes his oath to the Constitution is more important than loyalty to any one politician.
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One of the factors Sen. Tom Cotton cited as contributing to the wave of violent crime is the unwillingness of big city prosecutors (some elected thanks to cash from George Soros) to prosecute entire categories of misdemeanors. I agree that this, coupled with a more lenient overall approach by local prosecutors, is a contributing factor.

Joe Biden seems determined to make things even worse by appointing soft-on-crime federal prosecutors. I infer this from his selection of Erek Barron to be U.S. Attorney for Maryland.

The Washington Post describes Barron as a member of the [Maryland] General Assemblys Legislative Black Caucus and a champion of criminal justice reform. It notes that he and seven other members of that caucus drafted police reform legislation after the death of George Floyd.

Barrons nomination received praise from the jailbreak crowd. One of them, the Speaker of the Maryland House, said that Barrons work on corrections and sentencing reform has helped Maryland become a national leader in smarter public safety strategies.

Marylands public safety strategies are so smart that Baltimore has become a national leader in crime, and one of the least safe cities in America. At the halfway point of this year, Baltimore was on track to hit 300 homicides for the seventh consecutive year and was projected to have more than 1,000 shootings by years end.

Blame goes mainly to Baltimores political establishment for its treatment of the police, among other misguided policies. But the Maryland legislature rates an assist for making the state a national leader in soft-on-crime policies.

Biden may talk tough (okay, semi-tough) about crime for public consumption, but appointing Barron demonstrates what he, or whoever is running the show, really thinks our criminal law policy should be. Team Biden wants less aggressive policing and more leniency for criminals, unless the lawbreakers happen to be Republicans and/or Trump supporters.

This agenda, which reverses the highly successful policies of the 1990s and early 2000s, will not lead to a reduction in crime. If anything, it will lead to an increase.

By nominating Barron, Biden shows his true colors when it comes to crime. Who needs George Soros when you have Joe Biden in the Oval Office?
The main reason why the United States easily outstripped Europe and Asia in economic growth and cultural influence in the 19th and 20th centuries is that we were a meritocracy. Talent and hard work prevailed over privilege of birth and adherence to established ideologies. Sadly, we have lost that advantage. As we have documented many times on this site, the Lefts war on standards has resulted in a dumbing down of our educational system and our culture. None of our competitors has been this stupid, and China, in particulardespite ostensibly being a Communist country!is a ruthless meritocracy where it counts.

At The American Mind, a Claremont Institute outlet, Joel Kotkin asks whether we have reached The end of merit. (Via InstaPundit.) Links omitted:

Over time, our educational deficit with other countries, notably China, particularly in the acquisition of practical skills in mathematics, engineering, medical technology, and management, has grown, threatening our economic and political pre-eminence. Our competitors, whatever their shortcomings, are focused on economic competition and technological supremacy. In math, the OECDs 2018 Program for International Student Assessment found the United States was outperformed by 36 countries, not only by China, but also Russia, Italy, France, Finland, Poland, and Canada. Critical Race Theory and its growing chorus of implementersfrom the highest reaches of academia down to the grade school levelhave little use for such practical skills acquisition and brook little dissent from teachers and researchers who raise objections to the new curriculum of racial grievance. Woke educators, like San Franciscos School board member Alison Collins, claim that merit, meritocracy and especially meritocracy based on standardized testing are essentially racist systems. Some among the new racial cadres even denounce habits such as punctuality, rationality, and hard work as reflective of racism and white privilege.

A society that denigrates hard work and rationality cannot possibly succeed.

This is an interesting point:

Even though the vast majority of corporate executives perceive a growing skills gap, they have failed to stop educators from abandoning skills in favor of ever greater emphasis on ephemera of race and gender.

It is worse than that: corporate America has signed on wholeheartedly to the woke agenda, despite the fact that businessmen are acutely aware that they need more welders and CNC programmers, not more untrained and ill-educated race fanatics.

The numbers are grim:

Only 5 percent of American college students major in engineering, compared with 33 percent in China; as of 2016, China graduated 4.7 million STEM students versus 568,000 in the United States, as well as six times as many students with engineering and computer science bachelors degrees.

***

The skills shortage may be even more profound on the factory floor. Due to an aging workforce, as many as 600,000 new manufacturing jobs expected to be generated this decade cannot be filled. The percentage of the skilled manufacturing work force over the age of 55 has doubled in the last 10 years to 20 percent of active workers. And there is no deep bench of talent waiting to replace retirees50 percent of the active workers are above the age of 45. The current shortage of welders, now 240,000, could grow to 340,000 by 2024.Manufacturing employment is expanding more rapidly than in almost four decades but there are an estimated 500,000 manufacturing jobs unfilled right now.

This is largely the result of the Lefts domination of our education system, I think.

Theoretically, progressives should embrace the idea of restoring a competitive workforce, particularly for people without college degrees, in order to extend opportunities to an increasingly diverse working-class population.

Heh. I dont think anyone believes that progressives care a whit about working-class people. Polls indicate that most people believe working-class Americans are mostly Republicans; election results suggest that they are right.

There is much, much more at the link. For example:

As the concepts of objectivity, debate, and merit decline, even talent is now seen as yet another social construct of our corrupt society. This undermines the very notions of upward mobility by which our diverse society accommodated immigrants. Asian parents have to fight off attempts to eliminate merit for admission to elite high schoolsoften the most affordable option for working class immigrantsin places like San Francisco or New York.

And finally:

The pushback against the war on merit wont come from the craven masters of Wall Street or Silicon Valley but from the grassroots, operators of small businesses, new and old, and most importantly, from parents. Most American votersby wide marginsreject the notion of teaching Critical Race Theory in schools, even though the effort is supported by most Democrats, the powerful teachers unions, particularly in deep blue cities like Los Angeles, and the White House.

Once again: much more at the link. But the conclusion is obvious. If America is no longer a meritocracy, but rather a cynical left-wing spoils system, we no longer have a meaningful reason for being.
Kto szuka: Nordea Bank Abp SA Oddzia w Polsce Stanowisko: Java Developer in Safekeeping & Corporate Actions Lokalizacja: Gdansk pomorskie

Wymagania stawiane pracownikowi:

#Java #Event-Driven Architecture #Spring

Are you a Java developer with experience in systems integration? Are you interested in joining the banking industry and exploring the internals of Safekeeping and Corporate Actions business? If so, then this offer should interest you.

We are professionals. There is no space for low quality solutions, but there is a space to learn, to grow, to support others and to propose better and efficient ways of working. We want to support you and also learn from you. Continuous improvements are very important part of our work.

About this opportunity

Welcome to the Software Development Team Poland. We add value by building a high quality trading platform for Nordeas clients. We contribute to a variety of projects related to the different steps in the trade lifecycle. This is our manifesto:

We code in Java

 and actually review it.

We take git flow seriously.

We discuss solutions

 and argue a lot.

We do stand-ups sitting.

We work together and play together

and we deliver.

Were looking for developers to work on the integrating our modern Safekeeping & Corpotate Action system with the rest of the banks IT resources. The responsibilities for this position include both maintenance and development on multiple integration components.

The role is based in Gdansk, Poland. We have an amazing office with a view of the sea. You can expect an environment where micromanagement is frowned upon, your private time is respected, and there are the occasional pizza talks. Nordea provides education possibilities and supports freedom to change ones career path. Occasionally, you'll go on business trips to meet up with our Nordic counterparts.

Who you are

Collaboration. Ownership. Passion. Courage. These are the values that guide us in being at our best  and that we imagine you share with us.

Hopefully, the following statements describe you:

You are fluent in English, Java, and SQL

If you encounter a problem, you run with it.

You are not afraid to ask questions

... but you are also eager to provide answers.

You have a sense of humor

... and you deliver.

These are the primary tools that we use:

Java 8, Maven, JUnit (4&5)

Spring Boot, Spring Integration

Oracle, IBM MQ, Kafka

Bitbucket, Bamboo

Business area:

Safekeeping

Corporate Actions

Trading

Settlement

Our agenda for incoming months:

Dockerization and migration to cloud platform

Integration with Kafka based communication layer

Implementation of various regulatory projects

If this sounds like you, get in touch!

Firma oferuje:

Next steps

Submit your application no later than 16/08/2021.

At Nordea, we know that an inclusive workplace is a sustainable workplace. We deeply believe that our diverse backgrounds, experiences, characteristics and traits make us better at serving customers and communities. So please come as you are.

Please include permit for processing personal data in CV as following:

In accordance with art. 6 (1) a and b. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) hereinafter GDPR. I agree to have: my personal data, education and employment history proceeded for the purposes of current and future recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp.

The administrator of your personal data is: Nordea Bank Abp operating in Poland through its Branch, address: Aleja Edwarda Rydza Smiglego 20, 93-281 odz. Your personal data will be processed for the recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp. You have a right to access your personal data, right to rectify and right to delete. Disclosing the personal data in the scope specified by the provisions of Polish Labour Code from 26 June 1974 and executive acts are mandatory. Providing personal data is necessary to conduct the recruitment processes. The request for the deletion of your personal data means resignation from further participation in recruitment processes and causes the immediate removal of your application. Detailed information concerning processing of your personal data can be found at:





We reserve the right to reply only to selected applications.

Kontakt do pracodawcy:
Kto szuka: Nordea Bank Abp SA Oddzia w Polsce Stanowisko: Senior Data Engineer for Market Risk Lokalizacja: Gdansk pomorskie

Wymagania stawiane pracownikowi:

Would you like to work with high-througput applications holding hundreds of gigabytes of data in-memory? We are now looking for a skilled hands-on Data Engineer to help us develop resilient and scalable risk management platform using JVM platform, ActivePivot and stream/batch-processing. Working in Agile environment, youll contribute to design, implement your ideas and see them in action.



In Nordea, were harnessing the power of technology to reinvent the future of banking. A tech revolution is underway  and you can make an impact. Though were a Nordic bank, were also one of the largest IT employers in Tricity and Warsaw. Working with international teams in an inspiring working environment, youll have lots of opportunities to expand your skills and advance your career.



About this opportunity



Welcome to the Market Risk Technology team. We add value by creating high-performance infrastructure that calculates market risk exposure. As a Developer, youll play a valuable role in expanding strategic risk platform. We are on a mission to transform legacy data workloads into modern streaming architectures. We achieve this by utilizing: cutting edge tools, sophisticated engineering systems and database expertise. We are a team of forward-looking professionals using modern technology offerings (distributed cache, kafka, NoSQL and in-memory column store).



What youll be doing:

Coding. We mostly use JVM languages, i.e. Java and Kotlin

Data modelling. We use relational and non-relational databases, including in-memory column databases (OLAP cubes)

Working on completely new solutions (70%), upgrading current ones (20%) and working on uplifting your skills (10%)

Participating in code reviews and design decisions with the rest of the team

Preparing easy to read documentation

Youll join a motivated team that has passion to turn IT knowledge into business capabilities. The role is based in Gdansk.



Who you are



Collaboration. Ownership. Passion. Courage. These are the values that guide us in being at our best  and that we imagine you share with us.



Your experience and background:

Solid Java 11 and SQL knowledge

Strong computer science fundamentals - data structures, algorithms, design patterns

Nice to have: Experience in building data pipelines based on Kafka, ActivePivot and Oracle

Nice to have: Knowledge of Docker, Consul

Good English

If this sounds like you, get in touch!

Firma oferuje:

Next steps



Submit your application no later than 15/08/2021.

At Nordea, we know that an inclusive workplace is a sustainable workplace. We deeply believe that our diverse backgrounds, experiences, characteristics and traits make us better at serving customers and communities. So please come as you are.

Please include permit for processing personal data in CV as following:

In accordance with art. 6 (1) a and b. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) hereinafter GDPR. I agree to have: my personal data, education and employment history proceeded for the purposes of current and future recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp.

The administrator of your personal data is: Nordea Bank Abp operating in Poland through its Branch, address: Aleja Edwarda Rydza Smiglego 20, 93-281 odz. Your personal data will be processed for the recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp. You have a right to access your personal data, right to rectify and right to delete. Disclosing the personal data in the scope specified by the provisions of Polish Labour Code from 26 June 1974 and executive acts are mandatory. Providing personal data is necessary to conduct the recruitment processes. The request for the deletion of your personal data means resignation from further participation in recruitment processes and causes the immediate removal of your application. Detailed information concerning processing of your personal data can be found at:





We reserve the right to reply only to selected applications.

Kontakt do pracodawcy:
Kto szuka: Nordea Bank Abp SA Oddzia w Polsce Stanowisko: Procurement Officer in Cost Control team Lokalizacja: odz odzkie

Wymagania stawiane pracownikowi:

Would you like to join dynamically developing team in Group Procurement and start your career in finance? We are now looking for a Procurement Officer in Cost Control team to join an exciting team in Group Procurement which has the ambition to be recognised as the best procurement function in the European Financial Industry.



In Nordea, we know that great customer experiences require a team that leads the way in first-class service and operations. Were more than just a Nordic bank, were one of the largest employers in Poland. With us, youll work with skilled, international teams in a bright, modern office. The lively and collaborative atmosphere offers plenty of opportunities to learn and grow as you build your career with us.



About this opportunity



Welcome to the Cost Control team team. We add value by supporting directly our Business Partners throughout Nordea to reach their targets by providing advice and executional services when it comes to optimize cost. As Procurement Officer in Cost Control team youll play a valuable role being involved in variety of tasks/projects, providing cost transparency and efficiency for various Nordea Business Areas.



What youll be doing:

Invoice verification against the signed contracts with the biggest Nordea IT suppliers;

Reporting discrepancies and spend under management in IT area;

Seeking improvement possibilities in daily work;

Actively participating in running projects;

Close cooperation with IT Business Area representatives and Nordea IT suppliers;

Implementing purchase orders for newly signed IT contracts for software and hardware.

Youll join a team with great atmosphere, possibility to work remotely and with flexible working hours. The role is based in odz.



Who you are



Collaboration. Ownership. Passion. Courage. These are the values that guide us in being at our best  and that we imagine you share with us.



To succeed in this role, we believe that you:

Have great communication skills;

Are focused on relation building;

Are self  reliance, precision, ability to solve problems;

Improvement mindset;

Being focused on details and high-quality results.

Your experience and background:

Finance/Accountancy area experience would be an asset;

Bachelor degree in economy, finances would be an asset;

English proficiency;

Strong expertise in Microsoft Excel required.

If this sounds like you, get in touch!

Firma oferuje:

Next steps

Submit your application no later than 15/08/2021. For more information, youre welcome to contact Ewelina Kowalska.

At Nordea, we know that an inclusive workplace is a sustainable workplace. We deeply believe that our diverse backgrounds, experiences, characteristics and traits make us better at serving customers and communities. So please come as you are.

Please include permit for processing personal data in CV as following:

In accordance with art. 6 (1) a and b. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) hereinafter GDPR. I agree to have: my personal data, education and employment history proceeded for the purposes of current and future recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp.

The administrator of your personal data is: Nordea Bank Abp operating in Poland through its Branch, address: Aleja Edwarda Rydza Smiglego 20, 93-281 odz. Your personal data will be processed for the recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp. You have a right to access your personal data, right to rectify and right to delete. Disclosing the personal data in the scope specified by the provisions of Polish Labour Code from 26 June 1974 and executive acts are mandatory. Providing personal data is necessary to conduct the recruitment processes. The request for the deletion of your personal data means resignation from further participation in recruitment processes and causes the immediate removal of your application. Detailed information concerning processing of your personal data can be found at:





We reserve the right to reply only to selected applications.

Kontakt do pracodawcy:
Yes, no matter what

Yes, but it depends on variety

No, for medical reasons, uncertainty

No, principle

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Seplat Energy PLC Thursday declared a rebound from loss to profit in its half-year financials, highlighting a rise by half in revenue to N120.4 billion as the redeeming force for the oil and gas firm after a period marked by record oil crash and a pandemic outbreak.

Although the boost to revenue was considerable and timely, Seplat realised N4 of every N5 sales it made from crude oil, with the rest contributed by gas, which underscores a steep imbalance between the two income sources.

Nigerias biggest oil company by market capitalisation, simultaneously listed in Lagos and London, took its new name in preference for Seplat Petroleum Development Company PLC it was known by until last month to reflect the fast-increasing shift of the global energy industry from hydrocarbons to cleaner energy.

In the spirit of that transition, the oil driller has disclosed its plan to raise gas contribution to revenue to 50 per cent by 2026.

Gas will be the baseload which will launch the spring board into renewable energy and renewable energy must be part of Nigerias future, CEO Roger Brown told Bloomberg this month.

Other incomes came to N25.658 billion jumping from N17.622 billion, according to the earnings reported published by the Nigerian Exchange Group, seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

Profit for the period stood at N14.118 billion in contrast to the N37.782 billion loss incurred in the corresponding period of last year.

Seplats shares were quoted at N770 per unit in Lagos at 11:20 WAT on Wednesday, yet to see any movement, and in London at 11:20 BST, trading at 98.40 and up by 0.41 per cent.
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Seplat Energy PLC will pay stockholders a total sum of $14.7 million (at USD2.5 cents per share) in cash compensation for the three months to June as the oil driller turned the tables to post a N14.1 billion in profit in the first half of this year, compared to a N37.782 billion loss in the same period of last year.

The company, which pays dividend four times in a year at quarterly intervals, paid the same sum for January to March, and could, by reason of global oil recovery and easing in the Covid-19s economic impact, surpass the $58 million it paid last year to investors in Lagos and London, where its shares are dual-listed.

With appropriate withholding tax to be factored into it, the cash will go to shareholders whose names appear in the register of members as at the close of business on 12th August 2021, Seplat said Thursday in a note unveiling the dividend plan, seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

Shareholders holding their shares on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) without a valid Nigerian Certificate for Capital Importation (CCI) will be paid their dividend in Naira as the default currency, it added.

Those holding theirs on the NGX and having a valid CCI will get their dividends in U.S. dollars, while shareholders holding shares via depository interests on the London Stock Exchange will get paid in U.S. dollars.

The market value of Seplat, Nigerias biggest quoted oil company by market capitalisation, was N453.1 billion as of Wednesday.
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Hong Kongs new National Security Law was used to snare its biggest target to date on Monday morning, as media mogul Jimmy Lai was arrested along with eight others on suspicion of collusion with foreign powers. The offence carries a maximum sentence of life in prison under the law.

Lai, 71, is a rare tycoon in Hong Kong to speak out against Beijing, and owns the avowedly pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper. The papers newsroom was later raided by about 200 police, as was a restaurant owned by one of his two sons, who were both also arrested.

The businessman, who came to Hong Kong from mainland China as a stowaway at the age of 12, has had numerous links with high-ranking officials in the United States in recent years. Last year, he met both Vice-President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington and in May called on Donald Trump to save Hong Kong. However, given the National Security Law is not retroactive, it is unclear if Lai has violated it since it came into force on 30 June.

It is the third time Lai has been charged this year  on the previous two occasions for illegal assembly and incitement to illegal assembly during last years protests and at this years outlawed Tiananmen vigil on 4 June. He has in the past been the target of violent attacks for his pro-democracy stance, most recently last September when suspected Triads threw petrol bombs at his home.

But it was the targeting of Apple Dailys newsroom, a couple of hours after Lais arrest, that aroused the most outrage in Hong Kong. Police officers descended en masse on the offices in the suburb of Tseung Kwan O, despite social distancing measures due to Covid-19 currently restricting public gatherings to two people. Apple Daily broadcast the raid live on its Facebook page.

The Democratic Party, of which Lai is a major donor, denounced the arrests of members of the press  also detained were executives of Next Media, the newspapers owners  and said the raid on the offices was intended to create a deterrent effect for pro-democracy media.

Former student leader Joshua Wong said the raid spelled the death of press freedom in Hong Kong. Several media groups were also refused entry to a police press conference after the raid; one of them, the public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong, reported its journalists were told the police were not admitting media that had previously obstructed them.

EU denounces tycoons arrest

The European Union on Monday accused China of using Hong Kongs new security law to crack down on media freedom, following the arrest of Jimmy Lai.

A spokesman for Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, said Lais arrest and the raid on his newspaper Apple Daily stoke fears for freedom of expression in Hong Kong.

The European Union recalls that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is a central element of the Basic Law and the one country, two systems principle.

In addition, media freedom and pluralism are pillars of democracy as they are essential components of open and free society, the spokesman said.

Beijing has welcomed the arrest, accusing Lai of being an anti-China rabble-rouser.

Radio France International is PREMIUM TIMES syndication partner. We have permission to republish its contents.
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Former President Goodluck Jonathan would deliver the keynote speech at the sixth anniversary ceremony of Gbaramatu Voice scheduled for August 10 in Lagos, the organisers have said.

The anniversary lecture will have as its theme, Dwindling State of Crude Oil Demand in the Global Market: The Way Forward.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will grace the event as the special guest of honour. Other guests include governors Douye Diri, Ifeanyi Okowa, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Bayelsa, Delta, and Lagos States respectively, according to the organisers.

The anniversary lecture will centre on critical new research themes as sustainable development goals in the Niger Delta. Its deliberations will address all spectra of analyses including the oil and gas industry, said Jacob Abai, the publisher of the Delta State-based newspaper.

The anniversary ceremony will also serve as an award night to recognise the good works of various individuals that have positively imprinted their names in various areas of endeavors while contributing to the life chances of humanity, Mr Abai said.

Mr Abai added that the list of the award recipients, drawn from different sectors of human endeavours through a rigorous but transparent process, would be made known to the general public in due course.

Gbaramatu Voice was established in 2015 as a monthly tabloid to bridge the information gap on the activities and people of the Niger Delta.
Several Nigerian cities including the capital, Abuja, and Lagos were plunged into darkness Wednesday after the national electricity grid collapsed yet again.

Electricity distribution companies announced a breakdown of the grid, the fourth this year, after extended hours of power outage experienced in many parts of the country. In some areas, the outage began on Sunday.

Eko Electricity Distribution Company, based in Lagos, said Dear valued customer, we regret to inform you of a system collapse on the National Grid thats causing outages across our network. We are working with our TCN partners to restore supply as soon as possible.

Ikeja Electric, also in Lagos, also updated its customers on Facebook: Dear Esteemed Customer, the current power outage is due to a nationwide system collapse that occurred at about 12:26hrs. Power supply will be restored gradually to various parts of the network as soon as the Grid is stabilized. Kindly bear with us.

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) said in a statement, by its general manager, corporate communications, Oyebode Fadipe, that the system collapse happened around 12:26pm on Wednesday.

The statement said Abuja and neighbouring states were affected by the outage.

We have been unable to serve our customers in Niger, Kogi and Nasarawa States as well as a significant portion of the entire Federal Capital Territory, it said according to the statement quoted by The Cable.

At the moment, only 20 megawatts (MW) has been allocated to AEDC as against the over 400MW that we have been receiving in recent times.

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company said, Please be informed that we lost supply this morning from our sources of power supply at Awada  New Haven and Egbu Transmission Stations, due to a total system collapse.

This has informed the present power outage being experienced by our customers across our network.

Work is on-going by the TCN engineers to identify the fault, clear it and restore supply accordingly and we are on standby to restore our feeders once this is concluded.

The story was the same with the Port Harcourt Electricity Company, responsible for parts of Niger Delta.

The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc. wishes to inform its esteemed customers in Uyo, Eket and Ikot-Ekpene that the power outage being experienced is due to loss of power supply from the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.

TCN technical crew is currently working to resolve and power will be restored as soon as the fault is cleared. We apologize for the inconvenience, It said on Sunday.

Also, the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company apologised to its customers for the inconvenience.

On February 17, the national grid experienced a partial collapse leading to power outage in some parts of Nigeria including Lagos.

In March, the country suffered extensive power outage when 18 plants accounting for most of the electricity the country generates faced operational problems.

In May, Nigeria experienced another system collapse that resulted to blackout in parts of the country.

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A spokesperson for the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Ndidi Mbah, did not respond to calls or text messages Wednesday.
Wire fraud convict, Obinwanne Okeke, widely known as Invictus Obi, has lost the appeal he filed against his years imprisonment.

The U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal after it was voluntarily withdrawn by the convict.

The 33-year-old Nigerian, who was arrested in the U.S. on August 6, 2019, had pleaded guilty to the offence of conspiracy to commit wire fraud last year June.

U.S. authorities said victims lost nearly $11million to the large-scale fraud perpetrated through global business email and computer hacking schemes between 2015 and 2019.

Mr Okeke, formerly celebrated internationally as a successful young African entrepreneur, was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment by a court in the Eastern District of Virginia on February 16.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the judge, Rebecca Smith, also ordered him to restitute about $10.7million proceeds of his fraud to the U.S. government.

The minutes of the sentencing proceedings seen by PREMIUM TIMES indicated that Mr Okeke was notified of his right of appeal, but waived it in his plea agreement with U.S. authorities.

Despite that the convict filed his notice of appeal against the sentence on Tuesday.

Appeal dismissed

But Mr Okeke, in a motion to withdraw appeal he filed on July 16, said he took the decision to terminate the appeal after consulting with his lawyer both by phone and email.

He stated in the motion personally signed by him that doing so is in his best interest.

The government did not oppose the motion.

The Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal on the same date the motion for its withdrawal was filed by the appellant.

Upon consideration of the motion to voluntarily dismiss this case pursuant to Rule 42(b) of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and there appearing no opposition, the court grants the motion, a copy of the court order seen by PREMIUM TIMES read.

Mr Okeke will continue serving his sentence at the Western Tidewater Regional Jail, Suffolk, in Virginia.

He had spent 19 months in detention from the time of his arrest in August 2019 till February 16when he was sentenced.

What he appealed against

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that Mr Okeke noted that he entered a guilty plea to Count One and was sentenced to one hundred and twenty months (10 years) as to Count One of the indictment by Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.

I, the above-named appellant, hereby appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from the above-stated sentence, he added.

The grounds of appeal are not disclosed in the notice, but he is likely going to be arguing that the sentence imposed along with restitution and forfeiture orders issued against him was excessive.

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PREMIUM TIMES recalls that the convict, his relatives, and other associates, had in a pre-sentencing filing, pleaded with the judge for leniency.

He also kicked against making restitution, with his lawyer, John Iweanoge, arguing that Unatrac, one of the fraud victims, had already recovered approximately $2.5 million.

But despite his initial opposition to a restitution, he and his lawyer signed in agreement to the restitution order issued by the judge on the day of his sentencing.

The judge and the Acting U.S. Attorney, Raj Parekh, who prosecuted him, also signed the restitution order.

Backstory

Mr Okeke was celebrated by Forbes African magazine as one of the 30 under-30 successful entrepreneurs on the continent in 2016, when he was only 28.

He operated his Invictus Group which he claimed had investments in oil and gas, real estate, agriculture, among others in Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operatives arrested him on August 6, 2019, on a criminal complaint for computer and wire fraud to defraud Unatrac Holding Limited, which is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He was arrested at Dulles International Airport, Virginia, as he prepared to depart the U.S. after a visit to witness the birth of his then less-than-a-month-old daughter born on July 15, 2019.

The entrepreneur, who holds masters degree in International Business and Counter-terrorism from Monash University, Australia, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud.

He initially denied the charges, but later entered into a plea bargain agreement with the U.S authorities and pleaded guilty to Count 1 on June 18, 2020.

The second count of computer fraud, with lesser penalty, was dropped as part of the plea agreement.

The judge, Ms Smith, sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment on February 16, and issued restitution and forfeiture orders against him.

The judge also ordered him to undergo three years of supervised release after completing his jail term.

He is prohibited from taking up jobs that grant access to money and bank accounts or hold positions involving investments if he will undergo the supervised release in the U.S.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) of imminent legal tussles if Governor Mala Buni of Yobe State remains its interim leader.

The minister, also a member of the party, in a leaked memo released on Wednesday, said the unity in the party may be short-lived if the party went ahead with its planned congresses under the leadership of Mr Buni.

The planned congresses hold nationwide on Saturday.

Hinging his reasons on the split decision of the Supreme Court to uphold Rotimi Akeredolu as Governor of Ondo State earlier on Wednesday, the minister said the APC escaped potential defeat due to little technicality which may not be applicable in subsequent court cases.

Four out of the seven-member panel apex court dismissed the appeal of Eyitayo Jegede, the October 2020 Governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo, to remove Mr Akeredolu as the elected state governor.

In his reaction to this judgement, Mr Keyamo said the ruling party would have lost the case if Mr Jegede had joined Mr Buni in the suit.

The little technical point that saved Gov AKEREDOLU was that Jegede failed to join GOV. Mai Mala Buni in the suit. Jegede was challenging the competence of Gov. Mai Mala Buni as a sitting Governor to run the affairs of the APC as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee.

He contends that this is against Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution which states that a sitting Governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever. In other words, had Buni been joined in the suit, the story may have been different today as we would have lost Ondo State to the PDP, he noted.

Mr Keyamo said the technicality found therein in the judgement may string chains of suits from APC members to question the legitimacy of the 13 month old interim leadership of Mr Buni to organise congresses and national convention.

He highlighted the continuous leadership of the Yobe State governor as a breach of Article 17 of the APC Constitution, adding that the party should stop its proposed congresses by the formers leadership or risk imminent division.

The planned Congresses across the country slated for this weekend must immediately be suspended because it will be an exercise in futility as analysed above. The competence of Gov. Mai Mala Buni to organise the congresses has been called to question by the Supreme Court, he said, calling for an urgent NEC meeting to appoint new interim leadership, anyone holding any executive position in any government establishment.

Alternatively, the Board of Trustees of the Party, which includes Mr. President, can be activated to organise a National Convention in line with Article 13 of the APC Constitution where it is given such powers. Those powers can be delegated at the meeting to a Committee in line with the APC Constitution which will run the Party and plan the Convention. The new Exco can then plan for Congresses, he added.

Aside Mr Buni, both the governors of Osun State Isiaka Oyetola and Sani Bello of Niger State representing the South-west and North-central zones respectively, are the other incumbent governors named among 13-member caretaker committee.

The committee was appointed in June 2020 following the controversial removal of Adam Oshiomhole-led executives.

However, Mr Keyamos leaked memo was received by PREMIUM TIMES a few hours after the inauguration of the APC congress committees for all the states of the federal at its headquarters in Abuja.

At the event expected to set in motion plans for its July 31 Wards Congresses, the partys congress committees were represented by their respective State Committee Chairmen while Mr Buni was represented by the APC interim National Secretary, John Akpanudoedehe.

In his address, Mr Akpanudoedehe said the outcome of party unity depends on the outcome of the congress and urged the committees to encourage consensus candidates.

The unity of our party also depends on the outcome; and the outcome essentially depends on your supervision of the issues and the overall conduct of the Exercise.

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Do not forget that the CECPC reserves the power to recall the team, or any of its members whose conduct is below expectation; afterall, he who hires, can also fire.

Youve been urged to encourage consensus arrangements, where possible, he said at the inauguration ceremony earlier on Wednesday.
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Nigerias latest surge in coronavirus infections gathered pace on Wednesday with new confirmed cases rising above 500 for the first time in four months following the spread of the more contagious Delta variant.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) figures on Thursday morning, showed another 535 cases were reported on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 535 is the highest daily number, which is now the biggest daily increase in the country since March 4, 2021, when 708 cases were relished.

After months of low recorded numbers, the countrys infection have been on the rise in the past two weeks shortly after the discovery of the 10 Delta variant, first identified in India and is considered by government scientists to be between 60 per cent and 80 per cent more transmissible than the previous dominant strain.

The NCDC noted that the additional 535 cases registered was an increase in the previous high figure of 404, which was reported as the highest daily record in four months.

The public health agency said the infection rates have been concentrated in Lagos State, which is the countrys epicentre.

It added that Lagos again recorded the highest in Wednesdays infection tally.

It stated that the countrys epicentre of the virus recorded 219 out of the 535 daily total, representing a decline from its previous high figures of 356, followed by Akwa-Ibom State with 142 new cases and Oyo with 47.

Amongst others were; Rivers State with 17 reported cases, Jigawa and Edo 13 each, Ekiti and Bayelsa 11 each, Ondo -10, Osun-9, Plateau-8, Ogun and Kaduna 7 each, Kano and the FCT 5 each, while Gombe and Nasarawa reported 4 and 3 respectively.

The agency regrettably recorded five additional COVID-19 related deaths on Wednesday with the death toll at 2,139 in the country.

The institute said that 49 people have recovered and were discharged from various centres in the country on Wednesday.

The agency added that till date, 164,886 recoveries have been recorded nationwide.

It added that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continues to coordinate the national response activities.

It noted that the country has also tested more than 2.4 million samples for the virus out the countrys roughly 200 million population.

The NCDC said that the countrys active cases stood out over 4,000, and the countrys total infections rose to 172,263 as of July 28, 2021. (NAN)
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A celebrated Nigerian police officer, Abba Kyari, who has been mentioned as a beneficiary in an international fraud case, has explained his stance.

Mr Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police, was mentioned by Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, as receiving part of the proceeds of fraud for which the latter is being prosecuted in the U.S.

Hushpuppi, who has agreed to plead guilty go the fraud, told U.S. prosecutors that he gave Mr Kyari part of the proceeds of the crime.

He said he also got Mr Kyari to arrest one of Nigerian accomplices when they had a disagreement.

Mr Kyari took to his verified Facebook page to state his stance.

In his statement, Mr Kyari said he did not demand any money from Hushpuppi. He, however, said he introduced the accused to a cloth seller whom Hushpuppi paid about N300,000.

See Mr Kyaris full post below.

Friends: Abbas who we later came to know as Hushpuppi called our office about 2years ago that somebody in Nigeria Seriously threatened to kill his Family here in Nigeria and he sent the persons Phone number and pleaded we take action before the Person attacks his family.

We traced and arrested the Suspect and after investigations we discovered there wasnt an actual threat to anyones life And they are long time friends who have money issues between them hence we released the Suspect on bail to go and he was not taken to any jail.

Nobody demanded for a kobo from Abbas Hushpuppi. Our focus was to Save peoples lives that were purported to have been threatened.

Later, he saw some of my Native Clothes and Caps on my social media page and he said he likes them and he was connected to the person selling the clothes and he sent about N300k directly to the persons account. The Native Clothes and Caps (5 sets) were brought to our office and He sent somebody to Collect them in our office.

Nobody demanded any money from Abbas Hushpuppi and nobody collected any money from him. We responded to a distress call he made on threat to his family and released the Suspect when we discovered there was no life threat from the Suspect. This is the true story. Vincent is alive, he can be contacted.

For those who are celebrating that this is an indictment on us and mentioning some fictitious Big Money, They will be disappointed once again as our hands are clean and our record of Service for 2 decades is open for everybody to See. They will continue seeing us serving our father land and we will Continue responding to ALL distress Calls from ALL Nigerians provided they are life threatening.

For Good Nigerians who appreciate our Service please dont worry as our hands are clean and they should please not respond to those celebrating and creating many false Narratives without any Evidence. We are used to such types of people and false newsmakers and distributors.

Thank you all and GOD bless Nigeria.
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday declined comments on whether it had launched an investigation into a bribery allegation levelled against a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, by Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi.

The police have also refused to speak on the matter.

The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, told PREMIUM TIMES that the anti-graft agency does not answer questions on whether it will investigate the case.

We dont answer that kind of question. Have you ever seen EFCC telling people what they want to do? Mr Uwajuren told this newspaper.

Attempts to speak with the police spokesperson, Frank Mba, were also unsuccessful as he did not answer calls to his mobile phone on Thursday and did not reply to a text message sent to him on the topic.

Mr Abbas, who is facing prosecution in the United States of America (USA), mentioned Mr Kyari as one of the beneficiaries of the $1.1 million loot received from a Qatari businessman whose name was not disclosed.

Mr Kyari has since denied the allegation.

The popular fraudster, in a document obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, pleaded guilty to the multi-million-dollar fraud charges filed by the U.S. government against him, implicating some of his associates.

Mr Kyari admitted to have arrested Kelly Vincent, one of Mr Abbas fraud associates at the request of the latter.

After the U.S. court document where he was mentioned became public on Thursday, Mr Kyari denied collecting money from the fraudster to make the arrest.

READ ALSO: Abba Kyari speaks on relationship with fraudster Hushpuppi

Nobody demanded any money from Abbas Hushpuppi and nobody collected any money from him. We responded to a distress call he made on threat to his family and released the Suspect when we discovered there was no life threat from the suspect. This is the true story. Vincent is alive, he can be contacted, the officer posted on his verified Facebook account.

He said he only introduced the accused to a cloth seller whom Mr Abbas directly paid about N300,000.

While there has not been any statement from the police addressing Mr Kyaris relationship with Mr Abbas, the controversial development has continued to generate discussion among Nigerians on different social platforms.
The United States of America government has named a Nigerian celebrated police officer, Abba Kyari, among co-conspirators of Ramon Abass, aka Huspuppi, an Instagram celebrity, who has now admitted his guilt in a multi-million-dollars money laundering fraud.

Hushpuppis plea agreement with the U.S. government was filed at the Central District Court of Central District of California, on Tuesday, and a date will later be fixed for him to change his previous not-guilty plea to guilty.

Mr Kyari is named among five of Hushpuppis conspirators in a $1.1million fraud charge recently approved by a U.S. grand jury.

A grand jury in the U.S. is a judicial body that determines if there exists sufficient evidence to charge a suspect with a criminal offence.

Abba Kyaris arrest

Following the grand jurys finding approving three charges against Mr Abba Kyari and others, the judge, Otis Wright of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California , made the order unsealing the docket, essentially opening up the records for public accessibility on July 26.

The judge in issuing the unsealing order also granted the governments request for detention order and arrest warrant against Mr Kyari and others.

In the indictment, Mr Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police, is alleged to have conspired with Hushpuppi together with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, knowingly conspired to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

He along with others is also accused of conducting financial transactions involving proceeds of unlawful activity, and aiding and abetting illegal use and transfer of a means of identification.

Others named along with Mr Kyari in the indictment are: Abdulrahman Juma (aka Abdul and Rahman), Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, Rukayat Motunrayo Fashola (aka Morayo), Bolatito Takakalitu Agbabiaka (aka Bolamide), and Yusuf Adeyinka Anifowoshe (aka AJ and Alvin Johnson).

They are all named in a $1.1 million fraud coordinated by Hushpuppi and others against a businessperson in Qatar between November 2019 and April 2020.

Mr Kyari, a police officer with a public image that has earned him accolades as a daring and effective crime buster, is a recipient of Nigerias House of Representatives honour.

Abba Kyaris involvement

Hushpuppi, a resident of Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), until his arrest in June 2020, had contacted Mr Kyari to arrange the arrest of one of the arrowheads of the heist, Chibuzo (Vincent), who was unhappy over his share of the proceeds of the fraud, and was prepared to hint the victim, a Qatari businessperson, to stop payments.

CHIBUZOs messages to ABBAS during that time show that he was unhappy with the amount that, and/or speed with which, ABBAS was paying him, so he contacted the Victim Businessperson directly, a special agent of the Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI), Andrew John Innocenti, said in an affidavit filed in support of the charge.

Mr Innocenti, whose account was based on message conversation extracted from Abass telephones, added, CHIBUZO told the Victim Businessperson that JUMA and ABBAS were fake, in an attempt to convince the Victim Businessperson to stop making fraudulent payments to ABBAS and JUMA, and to make fraudulent payments to him instead.

When JUMA and ABBAS learned of CHIBUZOs interference, ABBAS arranged to have KYARIa highly decorated Deputy Commissioner of the Nigeria Police Forcearrest CHIBUZO for interfering with the fraud scheme.

ABBAS specifically told KYARI that CHIBUZO contacted the job behind ABBAS back to divert the job for himself.

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ABBAS asked KYARI to have the police administer the serious beating of his life and arranged with KYARI to pay to keep CHIBUZO imprisoned for at least a month, so that the fraud scheme could be successfully executed, and the money could be obtained.

Mr Kyari was said to have arrested Chibuzo and held him in custody for about a month as instructed by Hushpuppi.

He sent Chibuzos photograph in custody to Hushpuppi, the federal agent said, and also facilitated payments from ABBAS to the Nigeria Police Force personnel who arrested CHIBUZO.

This, according to Mr Innocenti, was to ensure CHIBUZOs continued arrest, thereby preventing CHIBUZO from notifying the Victim Businessperson of ABBAS and JUMAs fraudulent scheme and preventing CHIBUZO from hijacking the scheme for his own benefit.

The decorated Nigerian cop was also said to have told ABBAS that he would not allow CHIBUZOs girlfriend to pay money to get CHIBUZO out of custody as he would have done for a normal arrest.

After Chibuzos arrest, the special agent said, JUMA and ABBAS convinced the Victim Businessperson to make the payments of $299,983.58 described above.

KYARIs knowing involvement in the scheme allowed ABBAS and JUMA to continue defrauding the Victim Businessperson undetected and receive money obtained from the Victim Businessperson after it was laundered, the document added.

Abba Kyari, Huspuppi in Dubai

The FBI special agent said Huspuppi appeared to have first interacted with Mr Kyari during the police officers trip to Dubai in September 2019.

He said conversations between them showed that Hushpuppi sent a car and a driver to drive Mr Kyari around in Dubai.

Soon thereafter, KYARI sent ABBAS a video slideshow which showed some personal photographs of KYARI, some of which appeared to have been taken in the U.A.E, Mr Innocenti added.

He said further that later in September after KYARI sent ABBAS an article that discussed him arresting alleged kidnappers, ABBAS wrote, in part, to KYARI, Am really happy to be ur boy, and later, I promise to be a good boy to u sir.

Charges

The three charges approved by the U.S. grand jury including an allegation that Mr Kyari together with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, knowingly conspired to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

The grand jury alleged in the second count that they conducted and attempted to conduct financial transactions, affecting interstate and foreign commerce, knowing that the property involved in the financial transactions represented the proceeds of some form of unlawful activity, which, in fact, involved the proceeds of specified unlawful activity  namely, wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

They were also said to have aided and abetted one another and knowingly in transferring, possessing and using, without lawful authority, a means of identification that each defendant knew belonged to another person, during and in relation to a felony violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, as charged in Count 1.

It was a response to distress call  Kyari

Mr Kyari took to his Facebook page on Tuesday to react to the revelation about his indictment.

He said he was contacted by Hushpuppi about two years ago complaining that somebody was threatening to kill his family members.

He admitted picking the suspect up but claimed that no one demanded money from Hushpuppi.

Nobody demanded for a kobo from Abbas Hushpuppi. Our focus was to Save peoples lives that were purported to have been threatened, he said.

He insisted that his team only responded to a distress call he made on threat to his family and released the suspect when we discovered there was no life threat from the suspect.

This is the true story. Vincent Chibuzo) is alive, he can be contacted, he added.

He said he only introduced the accused to a cloth seller whom Mr Abbas directly paid about N300,000 into the persons personal account.

EFCC, police keep mum

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday declined comments on whether it had launched an investigation into the allegations against Mr Kyari.

The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Iwajuren, told PREMIUM TIMES that the anti-graft agency does not answer questions on whether it is planning to investigate the case.

We dont answer that kind of question. Have you ever seen EFCC telling people what they want to do? Mr Iwajuren told this reporter.

Similar attempts to hear from the police spokesperson, Frank Mba, were abortive as he did not answer calls.
A former Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura, has reacted to the report of his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday.

He said he was not arrested but invited by the anti-graft agency, a statement by his chief press secretary, Danjuma Joseph, stated on Thursday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the anti-graft agency took Mr Al-Makura and his wife into custody over corruption allegations on Wednesday.

Mr Al-Makura served as Governor of Nasarawa State between 2011 and 2019 before he was elected into the National Assembly as senator representing Nasarawa South Senatorial District.

EFCC has not disclosed the details of the allegations that led to the arrest of the couple who were reportedly still being interrogated at the time of this report.

Mr Al-Makuras aide was contacted by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday but said he was not aware of his principals arrest.

Mr Joseph, however, said in a statement on Thursday that Mr Al-Makura was only invited to give his own side of the story to some petitions written against him.

He was invited to give his side of the story concerning some petitions against him, Mr Joseph said, adding, he personally reported to EFCC, where he met with the chairman and some officials of the anti-graft agency for a short period of time.

The statement also quoted the former governor as saying of the news of his arrest, The rumours surprised me and far as I am concerned, it is baseless.

He added that EFCC had invited him before the Sallah break, but he informed them that he would appear after Sallah and they (EFCC) obliged.

He said he gave the agency all the necessary answers to the petitions sent against him.

When I met with EFCC chairman, he told me there were petitions against me and they wanted to hear from me and my meeting with EFCC chairman wasnt more than 10 minutes, Mr Al-Makura was quoted as telling journalists.

Political ambition

The ex-governor, who described himself as a loyal member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), added that the invitation has nothing to do with his ambition to contest APC national chairmanship.

He also said he was waiting for the guidelines to officially declare his ambition.

What sources say

Sources with understanding of some suspicious transactions involving Mr Al-Makura and his wife told PREMIUM TIMES that their companies, including Taal hotel in Lafia, and some businesses, said the EFCC arrested the couple on suspicion of involvement in dirty money flow.

This newspaper learnt that about 55 accounts controlled by the couple and their companies were involved in the suspicious transactions, amounting to billions of naira, when Mr Al-Makura was the governor of Nasarawa State between 2011 and 2019.

In one of the accounts, less than $250 was lodged there in the two years preceding his assumption of office, sources said, adding that soon after he became governor, huge deposits started flowing in an apparently structured pattern.

Many deposits into this particular domiciliary account and others were made by businesses alleged to have carried out contracts for the state government.

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The transactions raised suspicion of money laundering or routing of proceeds of corruption, one source said.

The sources added that the anti-graft agency could have found that the depositors were lodging bribes into the accounts.

In one case, one business entity paid over N200 million, broken into structured nine transactions, in a single day, on August 9, 2016, into one of Mr Al-Makuras accounts, this newspaper learnt.
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The Inspector General of Police has ordered an internal review of the allegations against Abba Kyari, a celebrated Nigerian police officer.

Mr Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police, was indicted by U.S. authorities as part of the investigation of alleged fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly called Hushpuppi.

Hushpuppi, who recently agreed to plead guilty to multi-million dollar fraud charges by U.S. investigators, told the investigators that he gave Mr Kyari some of the proceeds of his crime.

U.S. investigators found Mr Kyari culpable and a U.S. court has ordered his arrest.

PREMIUM TIMES reported Mr Kyaris denial of the allegations

In a Thursday statement by the police spokesperson, Frank Mba, the Nigeria police affirmed its commitment to the pursuit of justice and the strengthening of its professional relationship with the FBI and other international partners.

Read the full statement by Mr Mba below.

ALLEGED INDICTMENT OF DCP ABBA KYARI: INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE ORDERS A REVIEW OF THE INFORMATION

Sequel to the receipt of allegations and indictment processes from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) against one of the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, DCP Abba Kyari, the Inspector General of Police IGP Usman Alkali Baba psc (+), NPM, fdc has ordered an internal review of the allegations.

The Nigeria Police Force reaffirms its commitment to the pursuit of justice and the strengthening of its professional relationship with the FBI and other international partners.

Further developments on this case will be communicated to members of the public accordingly.

CP FRANK MBA

FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

FORCE HEADQUARTERS

ABUJA
The United States government has described Abba Kyari, one of Nigerias celebrated cops, linked to a $1.1million transnational internet fraudsters, as a serious risk defendant.

A U.S. grand jury has approved three charges against Mr Kyari and five others for their roles in the scam spearheaded by a former Nigerian Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi.

Hushpuppi, then a resident of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was arrested in June 2020 in connection to the case and other fraudulent schemes.

He was charged in a separate case and has now pleaded guilty at a U.S. District Court of Central District of California to the crime.

Approving the charges earlier proposed by the U.S. government, the grand jury alleged that Mr Kyari, Hushpuppi together with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, knowingly conspired to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

They were also accused of conducting financial transactions involving proceeds of unlawful activity, and aiding and abetting illegal use and transfer of a means of identification.

Other defendants named alongside Mr Kyari are Abdulrahman Juma (aka Abdul and Rahman), Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, Rukayat Motunrayo Fashola (aka Morayo), Bolatito Takakalitu Agbabiaka (aka Bolamide), and Yusuf Adeyinka Anifowoshe (aka AJ and Alvin Johnson).

Following the grand jurys approval of the charges, Otis Wright, the same judge handling Hushpuppis case, made the order unsealing the indictment against Mr Kyari and others on July 26.

The judge in issuing the unsealing order also granted the governments request for a detention order and arrest warrant against Mr Kyari.

The U.S. governments Notice for Request of Request For Detention signed by an Assistant Attorney of the U.S government, Anil Antony, highlighted the reasons for asking for Mr Kyaris arrest and his subsequent detention.

Plaintiff, United States of America, by and through its counsel of record, hereby requests detention of defendant, the document read, in part, and further gave material factors necessitating the request.

It said, the government is entitled to detention hearing under  3142(f) because Mr Kyari as serious risk defendant will flee.

It also said the pretrial detention was requested because no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure: the appearance of the defendant as required.

Case against Kyari

A special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Andrew Innocenti, who detailed how a Qatari businessperson was swindled of the $1.1 million in a court document, said Hushpuppi brought Mr Kyari into the scheme to arrange the arrest of a rival ringleader, Chibuzo.

PREMIUM TIMES previous report contains Mr Innocentis account of how Hushpuppi and Mr Kyari met in Dubai in September 2019.

Mr Innocenti said Chibuzo, displeased with his cut of the proceeds of the crimes he was getting from Hushpuppi, had discouraged the victim businessperson from further making payments to other ringleaders in his bid to hijack the scheme.

The FBI agent revealed that in line with Hushpuppis instruction, Mr Kyari, a Nigerian deputy commissioner of police, arrested and jailed Mr Chibuzo for about month.

Mr Kyari sent Chibuzos photograph in custody to Hushpuppi, the federal agent said, adding that he also facilitated payments from ABBAS to the Nigeria Police Force personnel who arrested CHIBUZO.

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This, according to Mr Innocenti, was to ensure CHIBUZOs continued arrest, thereby preventing CHIBUZO from notifying the Victim Businessperson of ABBAS and JUMAs fraudulent scheme and preventing CHIBUZO from hijacking the scheme for his own benefit.

The decorated Nigerian cop was also said to have told ABBAS that he would not allow CHIBUZOs girlfriend to pay money to get CHIBUZO out of custody as he would have done for a normal arrest.

After Chibuzos arrest, the special agent said, JUMA and ABBAS convinced the Victim Businessperson to make the payments of $299,983.58 described above.

KYARIs knowing involvement in the scheme allowed ABBAS and JUMA to continue defrauding the Victim Businessperson undetected and receive money obtained from the Victim Businessperson after it was laundered, the document added.

Mr Kyari has, however, denied any wrongdoing concerning the case.

He said he only responded to a distress call from Hushpuppi who claimed Chibuzo wanted to kill his family members.

He said Mr Chibuzo was arrested by his team and later released.

According to him, it was found out that Chibuzo had no such murderous plan as alleged by Hushpuppi, but that the duo only had disagreement concerning money.

He said no one demanded money from Hushpuppi in handling the case.

The Nigerian police authorities on Thursday said it had commenced a review into the allegations against one of its prominent law enforcement officers.
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President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to increase the budget for the education sector by as much as 50 per cent over the next two years.

The Nigerian leader stated this at the ongoing Global Education Summit in London, United Kingdom, on Wednesday.

In a document titled : Heads Of State Call To Action On Education Financing Ahead Of The Global Education Summit, signed as a form of commitment at the on-going Summit in London, United Kingdom, the president stated:

We commit to progressively increase our annual domestic education expenditure by 50 per cent over the next two years and up to 100% by 2025 beyond the 20 per cent global benchmark.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit is being co-hosted by the Prime Minister of UK Boris Johnson and the President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta.

It seeks to give opportunity for leaders to make five-year pledges to support GPEs work to help transform education system in up to 90 countries and territories.

NAN reports that Heads of State from the GPE partner countries including Mr Buhari are expected to brainstorm on the way forward for transforming education.

The leaders would also be deliberating on innovative solutions and global commitment to new ways of working to address core challenges to gender equality and transforming education for girls.

Other African leaders expected to participate fully in the summit include: Presidents Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana; Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya; Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi and Faure Gnassingbe of Togo.

(NAN)
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The paramount ruler of Jaba in Kaduna State, Danladi Maude, who was abducted in Nasarawa State, has regained freedom.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the traditional ruler was abducted at his farm in the neighbouring Nasarawa State on Monday.

According to a report by Daily Trust newspaper, a palace source on Wednesday said the monarch was released around 9:30 p.m.

However, it was not immediately ascertained whether a ransom was paid for his release, as is usually done in such cases.

The Kaduna State Government has a policy against negotiation with kidnappers and payment of ransoms. But family members of victims are usually forced to pay ransom to save the victims.

The octogenarian traditional ruler was in his palace on Wednesday night with jubilant members of his family and palace officials.

The abduction of the Kpop Ham of Jaba came barely three weeks after the Emir of Kajuru, Alhassan Adamu, was released by kidnappers.

Both Kajuru and Jaba are in the troubled southern senatorial distinct of the state where over 100 students of Bethel Baptist Secondary School were recently kidnapped.
Two presidential aides have joined the State Minister for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, to demand the removal of Yobe State Governor, Mala Buni, as interim chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Babafemi Ojudu, the special adviser to the president on political matters and Ita Enang, the senior special assistant to the president on Niger Delta affairs, in a joint statement on Thursday, questioned the legality of Mr Bunis leadership.

Messrs Ojudu and Enang are former senators and members of the ruling APC.

The duo, in a statement shared on Mr Ojudus Facebook wall, said the Supreme Court judgement in favour of the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, is a narrow victory for the party that had again brought to fore subdued concerns and agitations of many members of the party.

The presidential aides reaction came on the heels of Mr Keyamos warning on Wednesday of the imminent legal implication of Mr Buni-led leadership on the party if aggrieved members choose to seek redress in court.

Aligning their concerns with that of the minister, Messrs Ojudu and Enang revealed that they had raised similar issues earlier but that it was swept under carpet by powers within the ruling party.

It has long been in contention whether unelected officers of a political party can exercise the powers of party vested in the Chairman and officers of the Party who ought, by Partys Constitution to be elected at duly convened convention of the Party at the National level and congresses at State and other levels.

A cursory reading of the Minority judgment, we submit, appears to have swept the carpet of legality off the CECPC rendering it illegal, null, void and of no legal capacity to undertake any action on behalf and in the name of the Party.

It has also brought to question the legality of ALL the actions taken by him since inception, the duo said in their statement on Thursday.

They asked the party to stop its proposed congresses to avert possible legal storms which may hurt the partys chances in the 2023 General Elections.

Also in his comment section on Facebook in reaction to the development, Mr Ojudu said Mr Akeredolu nearly became a victim of the illegality he encouraged as a senior lawyer when he picked his ambition over legality.

Some of us also warn. The folks who almost became victims yesterday were the architect of the illegality, he noted in reaction to PREMIUM TIMES earlier article that raised a breach of APC constitution.

I think we cannot, as a political association, run roughshod on legalities, while expecting to exercise power over others, judicially! Such a position is morally wrong!

If Eyitayo Jegede has had an equal number of LGA votes as Akeredolu, we would have been upset.

Why a lawyer as Akeredolu too did not see the legal anomaly in his nomination form being signed by Buni goes to show how careless our professionals are in practice. We get beclouded by self-interests, easily, Mr Ojudu further said in an excerpt from his comments on his Facebook wall.

He urged the party leadership to set up a team of legal experts to appraise the legal status of the CECPC in carrying out further activity on behalf of the party.

The interim leadership of the APC was appointed in 2020 after the Adams Oshiomhole-led national working committee (NWC) was removed from office.

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The interim National Secretary, John Akpanuodehede, also a former senator, hails from the same senatorial district as Mr Enang.

They both represented Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly at different times and they have both expressed interest in the Akwa Ibom governorship seat come 2023.

Their district is expected to produce the next governor of the state.
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A former member of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Haladu Bako, has been kidnapped.

Mr Bako was kidnapped on Wednesday night while travelling from Kano to Jigawa State, Mansur Ahmed, the media aide to former Jigawa governor, Sule Lamido, said.

Mr Ahmed noted that Mr Bako represented Auyo local government area in the state assembly from 2007 to 2015.

Mr Bako, a chieftain of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Jigawa, also contested for but again lost the seat in 2019.

PREMIUM TIMES contacted Lawan Adam, the police spokesperson in Jigawa, but he said I am yet to be briefed on the incident.

Kidnapping for ransom is rare in Jigawa.

However, analysts have warned that the recent deteriorating insecurity in the troubled Northwest region may ignite the phenomenon in the state.
It was a solemn evening as family and friends gathered to pay their last respect to the Super TV boss, Michael Usifo Ataga, at the service of songs held in his honour on Thursday in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The service of songs is part of a two-day funeral ceremony arranged for the deceased.

Mr Ataga was killed in the Lekki area of the state, a few days to his 50th birthday.

Following his death, the Lagos State Police Command arrested a 21-year-old undergraduate of the University of Lagos, Chidinma Ojukwu, for allegedly killing Mr Ataga.

The suspect confessed to fatally stabbing the father of two.

Tributes

The mother of the deceased, Sylvia Ataga, in her tribute said her son died an undeserved death.

God knows he did not deserve what those people did to him. My heart bleeds to him anytime I remember. He was generous to a fault, she said.

It took death for me to know how loved he was. He has been robbed of the joy of seeing a project he spent seven years working on.

He has been denied the joy of seeing his children grow up, go to the university, get married and make him a grandfather. These are the wishes of every parent. His love for his children cannot be quantified. No way!

Mrs Ataga said her son was so caring that she would hesitate to tell him when she was not feeling too well.

He would either hop on the next plane or send me funds to go and see the doctor. And monitor me for days. My pain is that I could not monitor him in his last days, she said.

His wife, Brenda Ataga, in her farewell speech said news of his demise was heartbreaking.

Finding out of your demise was the worst news imaginable. My mind had raced through all the possibilities of where you were and what could have happened but death, death wasnt an option, she said.

The girls and I were looking forward to seeing you, to celebrate your milestone. I had imagined how surprised you would be when you walked in to see a place set up for you. I had imagined the infectious smile.

Now Im yet to comprehend the stark reality that your life was cut short in your prime, at a renaissance of all you had toiled for. Im lost for words

Mr Atagas brother-in-law, Chuks Ezeokafor, who joined the event virtually described him as a curious and inquisitive person.

He chased after knowledge, he ran after things that made him a better person, he said.

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He cared about people and he chased his dreams, thats an unmatchable legacy.

Isi Ataga, Adesua Ezeokafor, Ezehi Ataga, Jenifer Abusime, Obehi Iyamabo read the five bible lessons in his honour.

His friends and cousins, Brume Okoloko, Okoedo Adomi, Rotimi Albert, Amiuki Garrick also a paid tribute to him.

His brother, Isi Ataga, in an emotional vote of thanks said his brothers image was tarnished on social media.

He added that their lives have been forever changed by his death.

The event was also attended by the Nigerian writer, Chimanmanda Adichie.
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TERRORISM: LET JUDICIAL PROCESS RUN ITS COURSE, PRESIDENT BUHARI, PM BORIS JOHNSON AGREE AT BILATERAL MEETING

President Muhammadu Buhari and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain Thursday appraised the war against different forms of terrorism in Nigeria, and agreed that the judicial process be allowed to run its course.

Holding bilateral talks at the sidelines of the Global Education Summit in London, the two leaders said it was important that the judicial process runs without interference, no matter who was involved.

President Buhari briefed the Prime Minister on Nigerias power needs and efforts being made, as well as initiatives geared at achieving food security.

He also reviewed the security situation in the different regions of the country, while PM Johnson pledged Britains preparedness to lend a helping hand.

We are available to help, he said.

The two leaders equally discussed how to increase trade between the two countries, develop solar and wind power, leadership of the Commonwealth going forward and other matters of mutual interest.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)

July 29, 2021
The Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) says the African continent was faced with syndemics, a combination of emerging infectious diseases, which are increasing the disease burden across the continent, according to John Nkengasong, Director, Africa CDC.

Me Nkengasong stated this in Abuja on Wednesday, day two of the Nigerian Conference of Applied and Field Epidemiology, (NiCAFE), 2021, themed Building Back Better: COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference, organised by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), is aimed at strengthening the countrys preparedness for emergencies in infection outbreaks.

The African continent as a whole faces what we call a syndemics; a combination of emerging infectious diseases. We are dealing with this pandemic, but there will be another pandemic.

Syndemics are exacerbating the disease burden across Africa. Emerging diseases, non-communicable disease/ injuries/ maternal and neonatal conditions; and endemic diseases, ex HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, he explained.

Speaking on the role of regional health institutions in the prevention, detection and response to infectious diseases outbreaks, Mr Nkengasong disclosed that if the continent had been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020, there wouldnt have been a single country with the reagents to test for the virus.

A continent of 1.3 billion cannot be that exposed. All countries in Africa now have diagnostics capacity, he added.

He stated that from the COVID-19 pandemic lessons learnt and response in the continent, coordination and collaboration is key for a whole of Africa approach, with a critical role for National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) in pandemic preparedness and response.

In addition, he added, development of continent specific guidelines and continental political leadership to guide the pandemic response were necessary.

Similarly, local diagnostic manufacturing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), therapeutics and medical equipment was a health security challenge; vaccines-related innovation was critical for Africas health security, while there was an urgent need for the development of Africas public health work force, he explained.

The director further noted Africas limited health facilities, budget and workers, citing the need to have a new public health order for the continent to tackle infectious diseases threats, based on specific guidelines.

Public health is local. You may think globally, but implementation is local, he added.

Me Nkengasong stressed the importance of continent-wide coordinated efforts at the national level, recognising that global health security starts with national health security that fits into regional health security.

Public health is about the pathogen, the population, the politics and the policy. Regional collaboration and cooperation is, therefore, crucial as this is the backbone of health security in Africa, he said.

Also speaking, President, International Epidemiological Association, (IEA), Akindele Adebiyi, highlighted enforcement as a key consideration in curtailing infectious disease outbreaks.

On disease exposure control and socio-economic factors in outbreaks, Mr Adebiyi described disease exposure as the process by which the spread of disease was minimised by limiting contact between uninfected individuals and other individuals who were potential spreaders of a contagious disease.

He stressed that preparedness must involve true community participation: citizens involvement in planning, implementation and evaluation of public health interventions.

Richard Hatchett, CEO, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, (CEPI), stated that in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CEPI established 13 partnerships and deployed $1.5 billion to develop COVID-19 vaccines, representing the largest vaccine portfolio globally.

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Speaking on the rapid vaccine development and equitable access to vaccines for COVID-19 and other priority pathogens, Mr Hatchett said the vision of CEPI was to create a world where epidemics and pandemics were no longer a threat to humanity.

This is not the first pandemic of the 21st century and it wont be the last, he said, adding: We have made major investments in the development of vaccines, together with the NCDC and other partners.

Me Hatchett also said that CEPI would develop vaccines against COVID-19, as soon as possible, and make two billion doses available through COVAX by the end of 2021.

He disclosed that the coalition had in 2020 also set up the largest ever Lassa fever epidemiological study, starting in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Zouera Youssoufou, Managing Director, Dangote Foundation, has said the private sector had a huge role to play in the health sector.

We need to strategise and think about translating science to speak a language that the private sector can understand, Youssoufou added.

NAN recalled that the NiCAFE conference brought together public health professionals, laboratory scientists, field epidemiologists, researchers, health care professionals and members of the public.

The participants reflected on the response to infectious disease outbreaks, reviewed gaps in epidemic preparedness and response and brainstormed on innovative solutions to strengthen health security. (NAN)
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Influential U.S. lawmakers are masterminding a hold on a proposed sale of attack helicopters to Nigeria over concerns that the President Muhammadu Buharis administration was drifting towards authoritarianism.

This comes at a time Nigeria is besieged by multiple security challenges, including a 12-year insurgency by Boko Haram militants in the countrys northeast, deadly spate of high-profile kidnapping-for-ransom campaigns and bandit attacks that observers said has morphed into full-scale insurgency, as well as separatists agitations in the south-east and south-west.

Citing U.S. officials and congressional aides privy to the blocked ammunition deals worth $875 million, Foreign Policy, a U.S. newspaper, said power brokers in Washington, particularly the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were hellbent on pushing the Biden administration to rethink the U.S. relations with Nigeria to ensure balance between national security and human rights.

Earlier in June, the chairperson of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, during a Senate hearing with Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, called for a fundamental rethink of the framework of our overall engagement with Nigeria.

Foreign Policy said state documents it saw showed that the blocked proposed sale included, in addition to the 12 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters accompanied by defense systems, 28 helicopter engines produced by GE Aviation, 14 military-grade aircraft navigation systems made by Honeywell, and 2,000 advanced precision kill weapon systemslaser-guided rocket munitions.

Although the U.S. Department of State described its relationship with Nigeria as among the most important in sub-Saharan Africa to whose military it has provided limited funding for training and education programmes, recent events in the most populous African country have raised concerns among human rights advocates.

Nigerian protesters calling for police reform were last year attacked by security operatives and thugs allegedly sponsored by the state, leading to some deaths, while no security official has been prosecuted for the mass killing of hundreds of Shiites in Kaduna in December 2015.

Nigeria has relied on the U.S. arms deals to help it tackle insecurity in the past and recently received some fighter Tucano jets from the U.S. However, the latest action by the U.S. lawmakers will not be the first time the North American nation would suspend arms sale to the African country.

Citing concerns about civilian casualties and human rights abuses, in 2014, former U.S. President Barack Obamas administration cut back the sale of Cobra helicopters by Israel to Nigeria.

Commenting on that failed deal in an interview, a former Nigerian ambassador to China and foreign affairs minister, Aminu Wali, called the blockade a blackmail (to) the sitting government at the time by the West, because it fell for the propaganda of opposition parties without proper verification.

Mr Wali was a minister when the Peoples Democratic Party was the ruling party. In 2015, the main opposition at the time, the All Progressives Congress, was coronated the ruling party after defeating the PDP at the polls.

For example, we (wanted) cobra helicopters from the U.S. they refused to sell it to us during my time. We headed elsewhere to get these helicopters, Mr Wali recalled his time as minister.

I visited Turkey. They said they are willing to sell those types of aircraft to us but, unfortunately, they cannot go ahead and sell to us because the engines are American, therefore, they have to have a license from the U.S. But the U.S. was not prepared to help.
For the second time, the Federal High Court, in Abuja, has ordered the State Service Service (SSS) to produce the 12 persons arrested at the residence of Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

The judge, Obiora Egwuatu, on Thursday, restated the order following the failure of the Nigerian secret police to produce the 12 detainees as directed by the judge on July 23.

The court had ordered the secret police to produce the 12 detainees and show cause why they should not be granted bail.

An order is hereby made directing the respondent (SSS) to allow the applicants counsel have access to the applicants, and the respondents are ordered to produce the applicants on the next adjourned date. The suit is adjourned till August 2 for continuation of hearing, the judge said.

Mr Egwuatu reminded the SSS of its battered public image of an institution that has gained notoriety in arbitrarily arrest and detention of Nigerians.

The judge advised the service to purge itself of such a negative public perception as it does not paint a good picture of Nigeria before the international community.

Why detainees were absent

The courts earlier order followed a fundamental rights enforcement suit that the lawyers to the detained applicants, Pelumi Olajengbesi, filed on their behalf, pursuant to section 32(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, as well as sections 6(6), 35 and 36 of 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The 12 persons, who have been in SSS detention since July 2, are; Abdullateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde (Aka Lady K), Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diakola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, and Jamiu Noah.

Others are Ayobami Donald, Adelabe Usman, Oluwafelumi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday.

However, at the resumed hearing on Thursday, counsel to the SSS, I. Awo informed the court that the service procured an order to hold the detainees.

Mr Awo based the absence of the 12 detainees on the grounds that investigation into the circumstances that led to their arrest at Mr Igbohos home were ongoing.

He added that of the 12 detainees on the courts order, only three were being held by the SSS.

Mr Awo listed the detainees in the SSS custody to include: Amoda Babatunde (Aka Lady K), Diakola Ademola and Bamidele Sunday.

But in a stern reaction to the SSS disobedience to the court order, Mr Olajengbesi, urged the court to reject the services explanation as it was in contempt of the courts order.

The apparent affront on the authority of the court by the SSS cannot be justified, the applicants lawyer argued.

He urged the court to discountenance the purported detention order that was procured by the SSS, arguing that it was not a Certified True Copy (CTC), and admit his clients to bail.

In his arguments, Mr Olajengbesi informed the court that he had been denied access to his client, and urged the court to make an order in that regard.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that Mr Adeyemo was recently nabbed at the Cardinal Bernadin International Airport in Cotonou while he was trying to travel to Germany.

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There are ongoing proceedings against him in the francophone country.

Background

Nigerias secret police had on July 1, confirmed that its operatives stormed Igbohos home in Ibadan in a bid to effect his arrest.

Addressing journalists at the headquarters of the SSS in Abuja, Peter Afunanya, the services spokesperson, said 13 suspects, including a female and 12 males, were arrested.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how gunmen invaded Mr Igbohos house, located in Soka, Ibadan, capital of Oyo State around 1:00 a.m. on Thursday.

His vehicles, including his G-wagon, Prado Jeep, and some valuable properties including furniture, and windows were reportedly vandalised.

The attack occurred barely 72 hours to the planned rally in Lagos by Mr Igboho and others to further canvas a Yoruba nation.

Mr Igboho had, in April, raised a similar alarm that his building was under siege. He claimed then that soldiers invaded his residence at midnight.

The army denied this at the time.

But confirming the early Thursday morning raid, Mr Afunaya said a total of seven AK 47 rifles were recovered, alongside pump-action guns and 5,000 rounds of ammunition including other weapons.

He said security operatives recovered the weapons after a hot gun duel between them and Igbohos guards.

Mr Afunaya said two of Igbohos men were killed in the process while a security agent was shot on the right hand and is currently responsible to treatment.

He added that aside from the rifles, other items recovered at Mr Igbohos residence include 30 AK 47 magazines, 5,000 rounds of ammunition, three locally made bulletproof jacket and a German resident permit, amongst others.
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Celebrated Nigerian police detective, Abba Kyari, has denied an allegation that he collected a bribe from convicted fraudster, Ramon Hushpuppi Abbas, to arrest fellow fraudster, Kelly Chibuzor Vincent.

An online newspaper reported that court documents in the United States, where Hushpuppi has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, showed that he claimed to have wire-transferred a sum in dollars to Mr Kyari after the officer sent him photographic evidence of the arrest of Mr Vincent.

But in his official Facebook post this morning, Mr Kyari denied soliciting money or receiving any from Hushpuppi.

However, Mr Kyari said he facilitated a business transaction involving Hushpuppi.

The cop confirmed that his team once arrested Mr Vincent following a formal complaint by Hushpuppi that somebody in Nigeria threatened to kill his family.

However, he said the police released the suspect after investigation showed he was a friend and business associate to Hushpuppi and the threat was imaginary.

Friends: Abbas, who we later came to know as Hushpuppi, called our office about 2 years ago that somebody in Nigeria seriously threatened to kill his Family here in Nigeria and he sent the persons phone number and pleaded we take action before the person attacks his family.

We traced and arrested the suspect and after investigations we discovered there wasnt an actual threat to anyones life, and they are longtime friends who have money issues between them, hence, we released the suspect on bail to go and he was not taken to any jail.

Nobody demanded for a kobo from Abbas Hushpuppi. Our focus was to Save peoples lives that were purported to have been threatened, Mr Kyari wrote.

According to Mr Kyari, Hushpuppi saw some of his native clothes and caps on his social media page and said he liked them.

The cop said he connected the fraudster to the person selling the clothes and Huspuppi sent about N300, 000 directly to the persons account.

The Native Clothes and Caps (5 sets) were brought to our office and he sent somebody to collect them in our office.

The cop added that since Mr Vincent is alive, he can give details of the story.

Hushpuppi pleaded guilty in the U.S after he was arrested in Dubai and taken for trial in an American court.
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Despite warnings, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said its July 31 ward congresses nationwide will hold as planned.

The party at a press briefing held in Abuja told its members to ignore statements from some of the party leaders calling for the removal of the Gov Mala Buni-led caretaker committee.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN), had on Wednesday warned of the legal implications of holding the exercise following the judgement of the Supreme Court on the appeal filed by the PDP candidate in the October 2020 governorship election in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede.

The little technical point that saved Gov AKEREDOLU was that Jegede failed to join GOV. Mai Mala Buni in the suit. Jegede was challenging the competence of Gov. Mai Mala Buni as a sitting Governor to run the affairs of the APC as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee.

He contends that this is against Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution which states that a sitting Governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever. In other words, had Buni been joined in the suit, the story may have been different today as we would have lost Ondo State to the PDP, Mr Keyamo said.

Apart from the minister, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojudu and the Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Ita Enang, in a joint statement on Thursday, also warned the party of the dire consequences should it go ahead with the congresses.

The presidential aides warned that if the caretaker committee organised the congresses, it could lead to legal tussles and ultimately affect the partys outing in 2023.

However, the APC at its emergency press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, told members to disregard the trio as their personal opinions had little effect on the legitimacy of the partys interim leadership.

We stand with our National Chairman, we will go ahead with the congresses as planned, the APC interim National Secretary, John Akpanudoedehe, said.

He said the party will not retract its plans to hold the nationwide congresses on Saturday as the ward Congress Committees of the party have already been inaugurated and delegated with the responsibility of conducting, supervising, and monitoring the scheduled Ward Congresses.

He added: The clarification is against the backdrop of personal opinions being expressed by some individuals on the status of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) and its capacity to conduct the Congresses.

While it is not our intention to join issues with these commentators, the Supreme Courts Wednesday judgement affirming the Election victory of the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu SAN had no bearing on the CECPCs status and its membership.
Nigerias top power brokers are breeding a new generation of pro-government NGOs masquerading as authentic civil society groups, a research paper published this week has found.

The paper said that almost all of the pro-government NGOs exist in name only as less than 7 per cent are listed on the countrys corporate registry as is legally required.

Many of the groups operate for only a short time before they fizzle out.

About 80 per cent of the groups examined by the paper held just one or two press conferences in total.

The reports author, an associate fellow at Chatham House, Matthew Page, said the findings in the paper  titled Fake Civil Society: The Rise of Pro-Government NGOs in Nigeria  suggest that Nigerias democracy may be on the decline.

The report found that of the 360 pro-government Nigerian NGOs researched, 90 per cent started operating since President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015.

This high correlation suggests, the author noted, that many of the groups receive high-level support and encouragement and they are controlled by a small number of individuals who have personal and ethnic connections to Nigerias ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In addition to praising government and military leaders, Nigerias pro-government NGOs, the report noted, often attack legitimate (NGOs), incite violence against them, champion illiberal causes, and downplay the Nigerian governments instances of corruption, underperformance and rights violations.

The fingered pseudo-NGOs are all opaquely funded, likely through off-budget payments or contracts for consulting services, the report read.

Many pro-government NGOs thrive on the coverage they receive from a few little-known media platforms, some of which are run by their leaders or their allies, the paper said. Mimicking legitimate civil society groups, pro-government NGOs often cite the work of supposed think tanks that validate their pro-government or illiberal views.

The paper said the NGOs are run from the stands by Nigerias top power brokers to help protect themselves from domestic pressure and outside scrutiny, while also currying favour from the ruling elites.

Like the fake grassroots groups bankrolled by past military juntas, these surrogate organizations masquerade as authentic civil society groups, singing the praises of top officials and attacking their critics, a summary of the report read.

Nigerian elites growing use of civil society surrogates should set off alarm bells both domestically and internationally, Mr Page, who is also a non-resident scholar at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote.

It is both corrupting and corruptive, compounding the countrys downward democratic trajectory. Like many countries in Africa  and, for that matter, elsewhere in the world  Nigeria has recently experienced democratic backsliding that threatens its long-term stability and prosperity. The rise of pro-government NGOs is both a cause and a consequence of this backsliding and must be addressed as part of any effort to arrest and reverse it.

This emboldens political and military leaders who behave counterproductively, undermining domestic and international efforts to encourage the Buhari administration to govern more effectively and humanely.

Recommendations

The paper urged the Nigerian government not to pass new laws but enforce existing ones to weed out the unregistered and unscrupulous groups.

It tasked Nigerias tax and anti-corruption agencies to investigate the groups.

Nigerias mainstream media outlets should conduct more due diligence when covering previously unknown civil society groups and refuse inducements to attend their events or place stories about them.

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Donors, diplomats, and development professionals, as well as legitimate domestic and international NGOs, should do more to call out pro-government groups toxic behaviors and press their high-level backers to stop sponsoring them. International diplomats should also levy visa bans on pro-government NGO leaders who issue violent threats or spew hate speech, the report recommended.
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Adeola Oyinlade, a Nigerian lawyer, human rights advocate and international law expert also known for providing pro bono legal services to those in need in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 ABA International Human Rights Award.

The award was established to honor an individual or organization that has made an exceptional contribution to the advancement of human rights outside of the United States. One of the associations top human rights honors, the award is given on behalf of five ABA entities  the Center for Human Rights, the International Law Section, the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, the Litigation Section and the Rule of Law Initiative.

Mr Oyinlade has advanced solutions to human rights issues across Africa, including the South Sudan political crisis, the Central African Republic crisis, the Congo Democratic Republic armed conflict and the Libyan peace talks, ABA President Patricia Lee Refo said. She also praised his contribution to the African Union on the implementation of the African Youth Charter.

In 2008, Mr Oyinlade began hosting a human rights empowerment radio program that educates Nigerians on the scope of their constitutional rights. The radio program simplifies listeners understanding of the law and assists to seek justice for human rights abuses. He also is a founder of Constitutional Rights Awareness and Liberty Initiative, an organisation that works toward expanding the frontiers of human rights and democracy in Nigeria by educating people about their rights and responsibilities and by providing legal assistance.

In 2016, Mr Oyinlade unveiled Know Your Rights Nigeria, the first-ever human rights empowerment app, which simplifies human rights and constitutional safeguards in several languages, including English, Pidgin and other major regional languages. Users have the option to chat with Mr Oyinlade and a team of 50 lawyers for free legal support on human rights issues and to report human rights abuses.

The virtual award presentation will take place during the ABA Hybrid Annual Meeting on Thursday, August 5 at 11:30 a.m. CDT.
The relationship between the executive and the ninth National Assembly is yielding results, Umar El-Yakub, senior special assistant to the president on the House of Representatives, has said.

Mr El-Yakubu specifically made reference to the passage and signing of legislations like the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), Police Trust Fund Act, Banking and other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) and others, as evidence and products of the smooth relationship between the two arms.

He stated this while briefing journalists on Thursday at the National Assembly, Abuja.

The ninth National Assembly has been accused of being a rubber stamp to the executive, as most requests by President Muhammadu Buhari were approved with little or no objection.

The only exception perhaps was the recent rejection by the Senate of Lauretta Onochie as INEC national commissioner.

Even though her nomination sparked outrage across the country because of her political leaning, the Senate had cited breach of the Federal Character Principle by Mr Buhari as the reason for her rejection.

Also, Mr Buhari refused to honour the invitation of the House of Representatives in 2020, after he had initially agreed to appear before it to brief it on the nations security challenges.

At the briefing, Mr El-Yakub said the cordial relationship was responsible for the adoption of January-December budget cycle and full implementation of the 2020 budget.

The relationship is yielding the right results, it could even yield better results, having this constructive and effective engagements, he said.

He stressed the need for more collaboration between the two arms while also commending the lawmakers for the swift confirmation of Faruk Yahaya as the chief of army staff.

As we know, the ninth assembly had resolved with the executive arm under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to work in a cooperative and collaborative manner so as to ensure the delivery of good services and governance for the Nigerian people.

We have achieved such a milestone in this partnership and relationship culminating in so many programmes and initiatives of government and policies that have been actualised.

I make bold to mention and commend the leadership of the National Assembly for returning the budget circle of January to December that was achieved primarily because of this cooperation between the executive and the legislative arm of government and for the benefit of Nigerians because now we have a budget that had been implemented fully in 2020 and we are hoping to have the same in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

We know the benefit of a budget that is being implemented on time because of the impact it has on our economic and social wellbeing as Nigerians.

Mr El-Yakub noted that the relationship between the two arms is anchored on the respect for the separation of powers between the executive and the legislature as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution which of course also understands that there is one government but essentially the various arms of government work creative, cooperative and collaborative manner to ensure that there is constructive and meaningful engagement to deliver services to the Nigerian people and to participate in nation-building as partners and that has been demonstrated in many areas of our national life.

Of course like I mentioned earlier, having such a good relationship further reinforces the confidence of the electorate and the Nigerian people in their government because there is synergy, there is cooperation, there is respect and there is an understanding of coming together for a common purpose to achieving the desired goals.

We have seen in the way nominees of Mr president have been cleared by the two chambers of the National Assembly, especially the service chiefs which also the House participated in their screening and clearance.

The relationship has been very cordial between the house of representatives and the executive arm of government and it has been harmonious and certainly very collaborative and this has been possible because of the cooperation between the two arms of government in terms of engagement.

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The Central Bank of Nigeria has said it will commence the refund of the N35 million minimum capital deposits to applicants of Bureau De Change licenses.

According to a statement signed by the apex banks Director of Financial Policy and Regulations Department, Ibrahim Tukur, the bank will also commence the refund of licensing fees.

A non-refundable licensing fee of N1 million and a minimum capital of N35 million are parts of the requirements for granting licenses to BDC operators.

The new development comes after the apex bank banned the sale of forex to the BDCs on grounds of illicit operations and graft.

The bank advised the BDC promoters to write to the banks Director of Financial Policy and Regulations Department, requesting for their refund.

The request should be accompanied (with) the Telex copy of the capital deposit of N35million; Account details for the refund which should be the same as the account from which the capital deposit originated from and a copy of the bank draft/telex for payment of licensing fee of N1 Million(if any).

Also a hardcopy of the letter of request to be submitted to CBN head office, Abuja or Lagos in an envelope clearly marked Refund of BDC capital deposit  at its top left corner.

There is an option of sending the softcopy of the writing in advance of the hardcopy to fprdlicensing@cbn.gov.ng

The apex bank directed all commercial banks to stop receiving the capital deposits on its behalf.

In addition all Deposit Money Banks are hereby directed to henceforth stop accepting instructions from customers to transfer capital deposit of N35 million to the designated CBN account for the purpose of applying for BDC licenses.

Teller Points

Meanwhile, the CBN has directed all Deposit Money Banks to set up teller points at designated branches across the country to fulfill legitimate forex requests.

Before now, the BDCs have been the major go-to for all Nigerians seeking forex for business, study, or pleasure.

The directive was contained in a memo by the CBN to the deposit money banks and signed by the Director, Bank Supervision Department of the apex bank, on Wednesday.

It directed all banks to attend to people seeking forex for personal travel allowance, business travel allowance, tuition fees, medical payments and SMEs transactions, among others.

In this regard, DMBs are also required to adequately publicise the locations of the designated branches and make necessary arrangements to sell FX to customers in cash and/or electronically in compliance with extant regulations.

READ ALSO: Naira falls after CBN stops forex sales to BDCs

DMBs are strongly advised to ensure that no customer is turned back or refused FX provided that documentation and all other requirements are satisfied. Equally, undue delays, rationing and/or diversion of FX is strongly discouraged whilst DMBs are required to establish electronic application and alert systems to update customers on status of their FX requests.

The bank said that a toll-free line had been set up at the CBN for bank customers to escalate unresolved complaints related to their FX requests.

The memo assured that CBN would continue to closely monitor banks conduct and compliance with the directive in order to ensure an efficient FX market for all legitimate users.

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The vice-chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Eyitope Ogunbodede, has lent his voice to the raging controversy surrounding the introduction of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to the university system by the Nigerian government.

Mr Ogunbodede, a professor of dentistry, said the introduction of the IPPIS by the government was undermining the autonomy of the nations university system.

The vice-chancellor, who spoke at the 9th memorial lecture in honour of the 10th substantive vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Babatunde Sofoluwe, also accused various agencies of government and the legislature of overbearing influences on the institutions managers.

He spoke on the theme: Education Administration and the New Normal: A Forecast of the Nigerian Educational System in a Post Pandemic Era.

He said the university system is unique and requires a special payment system that should factor the peculiarity of the university structure and responsibilities into the payment technique.

The VC said he was not against the IPPIS as a system but that its implementation hampers progress in the universities, saying he wouldnt be a proud vice-chancellor when his staff couldnt access their entitlements for months.

He said; The IPPIS is domiciled in the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF). The IPPIS project, which commenced in 2007, centralises the payment of salaries and wages directly to the bank accounts of all the federal government employees in Nigeria. It is one of the major issues that led to the 9-month strike by the ASUU in 2020, and the follow-up industrial actions by SSANU and NASU early in 2021. The challenges are enormous for all stakeholders and especially for the universities. Due to the peculiarities of the universities, it appears the disadvantages of IPPIS far outweigh any advantages. The scheme has become an albatross bedeviling the tertiary education system in the country, and further undermining the autonomy earlier enjoyed by the universities.

ASUU versus IPPIS

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has consistently kicked against the use of the IPPIS for the payment of its members salaries, saying it does not factor the peculiarities of the university system into its configuration.

The union also developed its payment platform, which it tagged, University Transparency and Accountability System, which is currently a subject of study by the government for possible adoption.

Other workers unions in the nations university system, that earlier endorsed the IPPIS, have also spoken out against the payment platform, saying its use has caused irregularities in payment of salaries such as non-payment of deductions, irregular deduction in salaries, among others.

Overbearing agencies

The guest speaker, who commended the successive federal government administrations for the endorsement of the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Amendment Act 2003, however, expressed regret that all the gains earlier recorded by the university system as a result of the the bill, are now being eroded by undue interference from various agencies of government.

He said; Unfortunately, this gain is now being rapidly reversed, and very negative policies, undermining the university autonomy, are now creeping into the university system.

The barrage of visitors to the universities from all sorts of agencies of government on inspection, oversight, review, assessment, appraisal, and similar terminologies have made a complete mess of any autonomy. Of recent, some non-governmental organisations have also joined the overbearing train, moving around Nigerian universities, particularly under the Freedom of Information Law.

Mr Ogunbodede said as a result of the interferences from these agencies, the university managers can no longer independently attract quality staff.

He said the idea of quota system and ethnic balancing in the recruitment of staff enrollment of students should be regarded as an aberration in the universities.

It is unfortunate that the vice-chancellors that used to recruit the best of staff for their universities can no longer recruit the most junior staff without authorisation from several agencies of government. Over the four years of my tenure, external incursions into university administration increased by the day, a dismal signal of the possibility of total annihilation of the so called autonomy of the universities.

I see ominous signs and administrative bottlenecks that not only dampen the morale of the vice-chancellors (and the principal officers) but grossly diminish the enormous developmental and innovative possibilities in these institutions.., Mr Ogunbodede said.

The lecturer, however, commended the leadership of the National Universities Commission (NUC) for what he described as its efforts at repositioning Nigerias university education system for national development and global relevance.

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Tributes

Earlier in his welcome remark, the immediate past vice-chancellor of UNILAG and close associate of the late Sofoluwe, Ramon Bello, said the theme of the lecture was significant and that the deceased, as a forward-looking administrator would have easily endorsed it if he were to be alive.

He described Mr Sofoluwe as a humble gentleman with a unique administrative skill, whom he said, served the university with all he had.

Also speaking, the incumbent vice-chancellor of the university, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the university would continue to miss the late scholar for his intellectual and administrative investment in the university throughout his productive life.

I never thought I could come out of the shock. It was a painful thing to experience; maybe because it was sudden, Mr Ogundipe said.

The President of the universitys alumni association and chairman of Channels Television, John Momoh, commended the leadership of the lagos chapter of the association for sustaining the memorial lecture in honour of a former member and the third alumnus to be appointed the institutions vice-chancellor.
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Armed men have abducted the proprietor of a popular night club in Yenagoa, Bayelsa capital, Tari Ajanami.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that Mr Ajanami, who also works as a cash officer with a commercial bank, was at his building site to pay workers when the gunmen swooped on him and whisked him away.

The abduction is coming barely 10 days after the kidnap of Madam Betinah Benson, mother of Secretary to Bayelsa State Government, Kombowei Benson.

Mr Ajanami, 43, who hails from Ayamasa town in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state, was said to have been abducted on Wednesday at his building project site on Otiotio Road in the state capital.

Police Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in Bayelsa, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident to NAN on Thursday in Yenagoa.

On July 28, at about 2100 hours, three armed men kidnapped one Oyintari Ajanani,  M , 43 years old, at Otiotio, Yenagoa.

All operatives have been alerted and are on the trail of the suspects, he said.
The Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mahdi Aliyu, has told the State House of Assembly he will not honour its summon because he has taken the lawmakers to court.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the lawamakers gave Mr Aliyu a 48-hour ultimatum to appear before it to defend himself against an allegation of misconduct.

The lawmakers accused Mr Aliyu of lack of empathy for the people of Zamfara for holding a political rally on July 10 after killings by bandits in Maradun LGA of the state.

They summoned him to explain his action, a development widely interpreted as a step towards impeaching the deputy governor.

But Mr Mahdi, in a letter dated July 29 he sent to the Assembly, said he will not appear before the lawmakers until his case in court is decided.

The pending court action touches among others on any process, in any form or manner relating to instant invitation extended to me, he said in the letter.

In this pending case, the office of the Speaker of this honourable house is a party. Further there is an order for maintenance of status quo made by the court on 19th July.

While I am willing to and ready to honour the invitation, sadly, I am constrained by pending suit, and its attendant order, the deputy governor stated in the letter.

After acknowledging receipt of the letter on Thursday, the House directed its legal department to analyse it and the court papers.

While the House was deliberating on the letter, Yusuf Kanoma, representing Maru North constituency, faulted the letter and the court order, saying at no time did the House discuss a move to impeach the deputy governor.

Mr Aliyu on Thursday issued a statement calling on the lawamakers to halt the alleged impeachment plan.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in June how Mr Aliyu declined joining his boss, the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, when he defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after months of speculation and denial.

Mr Aliyu, who is a son of a former Minister of Defence, Ali Gusau, was said to be opposed to moving into the APC, arguing that the court awarded the electoral victory in 2019 to the PDP and not just its candidates.

Below is the full statement from the deputy governor:

As you are no doubt already aware, my party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has instituted an action at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/650/2021: PDP vs. INEC & 5 Others challenging the vires of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, as presently constituted, to commence impeachment or any other proceedings against the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, elected on the platform of the PDP.

You will recall that; the Federal High Court has granted an order directing the maintenance of the status quo ante bellum by the Court on the 19th day of July 2021. The Court Order was served on the Chief Judge of Zamfara State, Zamfara State House of Assembly, and the Governor of Zamfara State.

Notwithstanding the service of the said Court Order, Mr Emmanuel C. Ukala SAN and Distinguished Life Bencher wrote a letter to the Honourable Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly drawing the attention of the Speaker and the House of Assembly to the Court Order and the Suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/650/2021: PDP vs. INEC & 5 Others challenging the vires of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, as presently constituted, to commence impeachment or any other proceedings against the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, elected on the platform of the PDP.

Despite the foregoing state of affairs, the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly and the House of Assembly have now embarked on steps and actions, to over-reach the pending suit, disobey the order of the court and render the effect of the suit nugatory by scheduling a sitting to proceed with impeachment proceedings on Thursday 29th July 2021 (today) against i the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State.

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I am of the honest view that action will be improper, indecorous, in appropriate and unlawful as it constitutes disobedience to court order and will be tantamount to a flagrant breach of the law as enunciated in a host of Supreme Court Cases such as the Supreme Court cases of Vaswani v Savallakh [1972] (PART 2) ALL NLR 438 and Ojukwu v Governor of Lagos State [1983] 2 NWLR (PART 10) 106 and Mohammed v. Olawunmi [1993] 4 NWLR (PART 287) 254,

These cases have laid down the principle which has become time honoured and a settled law beyond peradventure that where there is pending application pursuant to an appeal before a court, no action aimed at or capable of foisting on the court a fait accompli and render it decision nugatory should be taken or entertain. In fact, the parties should not engage itself in speculation by concluding or assuming that the application before the Court will fail because an action before a court is the civilised way of enforcement and maintenance of legal rights and a person that take that course of action should not be silenced or forced to abandon or renounce his right to complain.

I am constrained to draw the attention of the public this ugly situation in the matter in the hope that well-meaning citizens and people of goodwill will call the House of Assembly of Zamfara State to order and impress upon them the need to obey the subsisting order of the court and respect the judicial process to exercise restraint and await the outcome.
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded investigation into the alleged connection between a popular internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas and a Nigerian deputy commissioner of police, Abba Kyari.

The opposition party made the demand in a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Thursday in Abuja.

A U.S. court fingered Mr Kyari, who is the head of Nigerias police intelligence response unit, as one of the receivers of Mr Abbas fraud proceeds.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the accused, popularly called Hushpuppi, pleaded guilty to the multiple fraud charges levelled against him by the U.S government.

His plea agreement was filed at the Central District Court of Central District of California, on Tuesday, where he named the police boss among his five conspirators in a $1.1 million against a businessperson in Qatar.

Mr Kyari has, however, denied any relationship with the fraudster other than helping him to arrest Chibuzo Vincent who is a member of the fraud network, alleged to have threatened to kill Mr Abbas family in Nigeria.

Nobody demanded for a kobo from Abbas Hushpuppi. Our focus was to save peoples lives that were purported to have been threatened, the DCP wrote in reaction to the allegation on Facebook on Thursday.

Nonetheless, the U.S. court has issued a detention order and arrest warrant against Mr Kyari.

PDP

The PDP cautioned Mr Buhari-led administration against treating the case with disdain as it borders on the integrity of Nigeria.

The party accused the APC of lowering the country below the integrity benchmark, fight against corruption and fraudulent practices.

Our party demands that the APC administration should not sweep this matter under the carpet given the manifest rapport between Kyari and some top APC leaders. We urge President Buhari not to ease out this case of corruption but should immediately restore the integrity and image of our nation by allowing for a forensic investigation on the suspect.

Moreover, if this Abba Kyari matter is not well handled, it will be a permanent stain on the reputation of our police, security system and our nation at large.

The PDP therefore asks President Buhari to direct the Inspector General of Police to take in Abba Kyari for questioning and if found culpable, he should be handed over to the FBI, the statement said.

The Nigerian police authorities on Thursday said it had commenced a review into the allegations against Mr Kyari.
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Dragging the Commission to testify before the House on the feasibility of the electronic transmission of results was mischievous on the part of the lawmakers. It was a joke taken too far by a body that was supposed to understand the basics of the nations grundnorm, the Constitution. They feigned ignorance of relevant sections of the Constitution just to scapegoat the NCC and make themselves look squeaky clean.

In the heat of the debate over the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the propriety and workability of the electronic transmission of voting results, the House of Representatives invited the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the nations telecoms regulator, to answer some questions.

The House also invited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in this regard. But as it has now turned out, the invitation to NCC was needless, baseless and at best a futile exercise in red herring. The NCC, it must be stated, is one of the best performing public institutions in Nigeria, with its exemplary culture of good corporate governance spoken about abroad, even as far as Switzerland, the head office of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

The NCC has, over the years, become a worthy ambassador of Africa in the ITU family. It has not only represented Africa on the international circuit, it has sponsored young Nigerian techies and tech nerds to ITU-promoted competitions on innovation and, in most cases, these fecund Nigerians have come out tops, beating competitors from Asia, Europe and the rest of the world. NCC has functioned as a truly independent regulator, inspiring confidence in investors, telecom consumers and other stakeholders, including the media. It was, therefore, needless and a clear act of mischief to drag such an untainted Commission into the nations murky political waters.

Dragging the Commission to testify before the House on the feasibility of the electronic transmission of results was mischievous on the part of the lawmakers. It was a joke taken too far by a body that was supposed to understand the basics of the nations grundnorm, the Constitution. They feigned ignorance of relevant sections of the Constitution just to scapegoat the NCC and make themselves look squeaky clean.

By inviting NCC, and INEC shunning the invitation, it appeared the House was acting a devious and utterly treacherous script intended to do harm to the purity of the electoral process, and only conscripted NCC into the plot to draw legitimacy from the globally acknowledged good governance rectitude of the telecoms regulator. It was a wrong decision meant to hoodwink Nigerians

The Senate itself was fraudulent and duplicitous when it pushed the responsibility of electronic transmission of result to the NCC, in spite of what the Constitution says about the powers of INEC to determine the electoral process, including the pattern of voting and mode of transmission of results. Some senators, including the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, a man who once desecrated the hallowed chamber when he sponsored and promoted, in broad daylight, the ignoble venture of stealing the mace, the symbolic authority of the Senate, were quick to quote obviously false statistics, which they dubiously ascribed to the NCC. What a show of shame that persons elected to make laws for the good governance of the nation and who should know the rudiments of extant laws, including the Constitution, would feign ignorance of aspects of the law that makes utter nonsense of their tomfoolery and moral somersaults in the chambers of the Senate.

For the avoidance of doubt, Section 78 of the Constitution provides that: The Registration of voters and the conduct of elections shall be subject to the direction and supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Third Schedule, Part 1, F, Section 15 of the document further says that: INEC has power to organise, undertake and supervise all elections to the offices of the President, Vice President, Governor and Deputy Governor of a state, and to the membership of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly of each state of the Federation.

The electronic transmission of voting results is not rocket science. It is a universal norm in the 21st century. Smaller and poorer nations across the globe have achieved the electronic transmission of results even with their limited infrastructure, and Nigeria should not be an exception. Its as simple as sending a text message, WhatsApp message or using any other platform recommended by INEC, not the NCC, not the NASS.

The Constitution further provides that INEC operations shall not be subject to the direction of anybody or authority.

This, therefore, renders the action of the NASS nugatory. By inviting NCC, and INEC shunning the invitation, it appeared the House was acting a devious and utterly treacherous script intended to do harm to the purity of the electoral process, and only conscripted NCC into the plot to draw legitimacy from the globally acknowledged good governance rectitude of the telecoms regulator. It was a wrong decision meant to hoodwink Nigerians and clearly intended to make the lawmakers smell like rose flower, while the NCC and INEC appear like villains of a political plot.

The electronic transmission of voting results is not rocket science. It is a universal norm in the 21st century. Smaller and poorer nations across the globe have achieved the electronic transmission of results even with their limited infrastructure, and Nigeria should not be an exception. Its as simple as sending a text message, WhatsApp message or using any other platform recommended by INEC, not the NCC, not the NASS. Even if the telecommunications network is weak or non-existent in a particular unit, moving further away from such unit until you access a place of better network will still not vitiate the authenticity of the result already tallied at the polling units. The electronic copy only complements the physical copy, which must have been signed by all agents relevant to an election. The electronic copy as a back-up copy helps to strengthen the electoral process and reduce incidents of ballot-snatching and the primitive manipulation of the physical copy. There ought not to be a debate on this, especially when INEC, the only body mandated by the Constitution to organise, undertake and supervise all elections, has categorically stated that it can achieve the electronic transmission of results.

The joke truly is on NASS and an inconsistent INEC.

Aliyu Momodu, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cleared 478 candidates to contest in the election in the 68 constituencies of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The candidates, nominated by 14 political parties, including Nigerias ruling APC and main opposition, PDP, will fight for the control of the six area councils in FCT on 12 February, 2022.

It will be recalled that the Commission released the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election on 31st March 2021. Eight out of the 14 activities listed for the election have been carried out, including the conduct of primaries and nomination of candidates for the election, the INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye said in a statement released alongside a document highlighting names of the candidates for the elective positions on Thursday.

As contained in the document shared by the commission, 110 of the 478 candidates will contest the chairmanship and vice-chairmanship seats in Bwari, Abaji Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali and Abuja Municipal Council (AMAC) while 363 candidates will also jostle for 62 councillorship positions in the FCT.

Only six chairmen and 62 councilors are expected to emerge at the end of the electoral process.

In what has become a recurring theme, INEC list also projects low participation of women in the countrys electoral process.

Of the candidates approved to contest the elective positions in the FCT area council elections, only three females will slug it out with 52 males for the chairmanship seats. This is barely five percent of the chairmanship candidates.

While eight female candidates made the list of the vice-chairmanship seats, only 31 female contestants were sponsored by 14 political parties for the councillorship seats.
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A notorious banditry kingpin in Katsina State, Dogo Nabajallah, was killed in a fight with a rival gang Wednesday morning, several sources have told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Nabajallah was known to operate from Dungun Muazu, a community in Sabuwa local government area of the state, and was one of the kingpins with the largest groups of bandits.

He was known to be operating in Sabuwa, Faskari and some parts of Funtua local government area where he rustled cows and kidnapped people in local communities.

A local source in Sabuwa, who did not want to be named for reason of personal safety, told this reporter that Mr Nabajallah was killed by a rival gang he had been in conflict with for years.

But I heard that it was because of a woman two members of the rival gangs wanted to marry.

Another source in Funtua, who also declined being named , said one of Mr Nabajallahs favourite boys was seeking the hand of the divorcee in marriage, when a member of the other gang joined the list of her suitors.

You know how Fulanis are when it comes to competition in marriage. Nabajallah influenced the decision of the woman and she chose his boy which angered the other rival gang members, he said.

The sources said the notorious bandit was killed in his house early morning of Wednesday when most of his boys were not with him.

He, however, said Mr Nabajallahs boys went after the rival gang and killed three of their members.

The police spokesman in the state, Gambo Isa, said the Divisional Police Officer in Sabuwa local government area also heard the rumour of the gang war but it has not been confirmed.

He said the police would release an official statement when its officers are done with their investigation.

Katsina State is among the worst-hit states in the North-western part of the country battling cattle rustling, kidnapping and armed banditry.

In 2020, over 300 students of the Governrnmet Science Secondary School, Kankara, were kidnapped.

Villagers are also finding it difficult to reach their farms especially because of insecurity in some local government areas of the state.
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Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has approved the appointment of a four-man governing board for Ekiti State Agency for Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs).

The appointment letters signed by Secretary to the State Government, Biodun Oyebanji, stated effective date as July 12.

The board has Akin Obanise, a physically challenged person as Chairman.

Mr Oyebanji congratulated the board members and charged them to justify the confidence reposed in them by government.

Accepting the offer on behalf of other board members, Mr Obanise said on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti that Governor Fayemi is arguably the most physically challenged-friendly governor in the country.

He itemised the achievements of the governor for the PLWDs to include the signing of the Disability Bill into law, the establishment of the State Office of Disability Affairs and the appointment of Senior Special Assistant on Disability Matters.

He also lauded the governor for assuring that 5 per cent of opportunities in the state would go to PLWDs.

In his remarks, Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Disability Matters, Tunde Ogunrinde, praised Mr Fayemi for appointing a governing board for Ekiti State Agency for Persons with Disabilities.

He thanked the governor for making good his promise to constitute a governing board for the Office on Disability Affairs.

Mr Ogunrinde remarked that in the whole of south-west Nigeria, only Lagos State came close to what the Ekiti State government had achieved in the Disability Community within the space of two years.

Osun, Ogun, and Ondo states do not even have a disability agency, not to talk of a PLWD representative in their governments, he said.

Mr Ogunrinde went on to urge persons living with disabilities to be patient with the government as all their problems would be addressed through the newly constituted governing board.

Other members of the board are Adetuase Emmanuel (vision impairment), Ogunbiyi Azeez (albinism) and Bukola Fakunle (auditory impairment).

(NAN)
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The police in Lagos have arrested a car-snatching syndicate and two suspected traffic robbers at Ikorodu and Ikeja areas of the state respectively.

Muyiwa Adejobi, the Lagos police spokesperson, said the car-snatching suspects were arrested after allegedly snatching a Lexus car at gun point on July 11 at Ikorodu area.

The suspects were identified as Omoyemi Jimoh, 30; Ademola Michael, 31; and Olawale Adewale, 29.

They were arrested by the Special Squad two weeks after their operation, the police spokesperson said.

The suspected armed robbers, who went for the said operation with their Toyota Camry operational car, after the robbery operation, had an encounter with the men of Police Mobile Force Squadron 63 Ikorodu, Lagos and were forced to abandon the two cars and fled.

The case was transferred to the Special Squad, Ikeja, for further investigation and arrest of the armed robbers. The men of the Special Squad painstakingly went after the armed robbers and were able to arrest one Omoyemi Jimoh, m, 30, in Ikorodu on 23rd July, 2021, while the other two members of the gang, Ademola Michael, m, 31 and Olawale Adewale, m, 29, were arrested on 27th July, 2021 at different locations in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Mr Adejobi said.

The police said items recovered from the include one locally-made pistol, one expended cartridge, assorted charms, other dangerous weapons, one Toyota Camry car with Reg. No Reg.KRD 417 GL and the snatched Lexus Car (Reg. No withheld).

In another operation, police officers attached to the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), arrested two suspected phone snatchers on Thursday.

Mr Adejobi said the suspects were arrested along Obafemi Awolowo way, Ikeja, during routine patrol and anti-traffic robbery surveillance by men of the RRS

The suspects are members of a notorious syndicate which specialises in mobile phone theft, the police said.

The suspects, Abiodun Idowu, 40, and Adeleke Adekunle, 27, were said to have been arrested after disposessing one Olakunle John, an NYSC Corp member, of his phone.

Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to have been in the criminal act of phone theft for a while. Further credible intelligence is being channelled towards the arrest of their fleeing accomplices, the police spokesperson added.

Mr Adejobi, a Chief Superintendent of Police, said one Galaxy A20 model phone and two sim cards belonging to the victim were recovered from the suspects.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has directed that the suspects be moved to the Special Squad, Ikeja for investigation.
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The Oyo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun, has lost seven of its corps since its establishment in the state.

Governor Seyi Makinde disclosed this on Thursday in Ibadan, during a consultative meeting on the 2022 budget, held at International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Makinde had, on November 18, 2020, inaugurated 1,500 Amotekun corps to complement the efforts of the conventional security agencies in combating insecurity in the state.

He said the deceased met their untimely death in the course of ensuring that every nook and cranny of the state was secured.

The governor, who announced the donation of N2.5 million to each of the families of the deceased, promised to give scholarship to the children of the victims and assist in their respective areas of need, assuring that the deceased would not die in vain.

He also assured the people of the state that his government would continue to deploy resources in ensuring that the state was secured.

Mr Makinde urged residents to be vigilant and call his governments attention to any suspected security threat in any part of the state by dialing 615, assuring of prompt response.

(NAN)
Abimbola Ushi of RoLAC, Obioha Ononogbu, National Chairman of SCIAN, Abdulwahab Metepo, SCIAN chairman in Lagos during the unveiling and handing over of SCIAN secretariat by RoLAC on Thursday in Lagos.

The Lagos State Government on Thursday said that it would build a hub where People With Disabilities [PWDs] could easily be reached by those who wanted to assist them.

The General Manager of Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs [LASODA], Dare Dairo, said this during the unveiling and handing over of a secretariat complex to the Spinal Cord Injury Association [SCIAN] in Lagos.

It was donated by the British Council Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption [RoLAC] programme.

Mr Dairo, represented by the head of Social Development and Integration Department of LASODA, Akeem Kelani, said the need to have all the PWDs clusters situated in one place is essential in view of the challenges they were facing.

He said the state had eight PWD clusters, and that it was essential for them to have a hub where they could be easily reached to plan and execute various activities.

We have eight clusters of PWDs: the Physically challenge, Albino, Dwarf, Deaf and Dumb, Intellectually challenged, Vitual impaired, Leprosy and SCIAN.

Among these eight PWDs, only SCIAN has a building complex and a secretariat. This shows that the members have been sacrificing.

LASODA will continue to work and support SCIAN and other PWDs. The promised hub for the PWDs will be built for good management of the clusters, he said.

The GM commended RoLAC for implementing the project while he discrbed its members as good ambassadors of Nigeria.

The RoLAC Programme Officer in Lagos State, Ajibola Ijimakiwa, said the project was carried out after assessment of PWDs and their challenges.

Mr Ijimakiwa, who was represented by RoLAC Administration Officer, Abimbola Ushi, said that although all PWDs had challenges, they found out that SCIANs challenge was more severe.

She said that RoLAC decided to donate a secretariat to SCIAN as they requested so as to have a centre to meet their members with ease when the need arises.

She urged SCIAN to begin to engage those in authorities on issues that would be of great benefit to its members, particularly, those in the justice system.

The Chairman of SCIAN in Lagos state, Abdulwahab Metepo, said the secretariat was a sacrifice made by the British Council and the European Union( EU).

He said the centre would go a long way in meeting some of their needs.

He called on LASODA to make the PWDs hub a reality, stressing that through the hub, those seeking to assist them would find them easily.

The National Chairman of SCIAN, Obioha Ononogbu, commended ROLAC for the project, assuring the donor that the beneficiaries would make a judicious use of it.

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Mr Ononogbu said that SCIAN members had many challenges different from other PWDs.

We live in pains. We cant move like others. This secretariat will help a lot of our members to achieve something for ourselves.

Many of us that started this association had died, but three of the founders, including myself are still alive, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some other members called on the state government to look into the deplorable state of their road leading into the SCIAN complex in Amuwo-Odofin Industrial area.

They also called on the government to check the indiscriminate parking of articulated vehicles blocking the entrance into the complex.

(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
SINGAPORE, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueMeg, a leading cloud-based corporate governance software developer, today announced the execution of a long-term agreement to provide Tricor Group (Tricor) with a license to accelerate the digitization of their corporate services portfolio.

This partnership validates the powerful transformation that is underway in the Trust and Corporate Service industry in which companies are increasingly aware of the benefits of leveraging technology tools to improve service delivery and optimize business processes.

JP Koolmees, BlueMeg CEO noted: "We are excited to work alongside Tricor to help them in their digitization journey. This long-term partnership validates our software as a prime solution for firms looking to automate corporate governance, and we are proud to have a role in unlocking value for the industry as a whole".

Lennard Yong, Tricor Group CEO , said: "We are pleased to be working with JP Koolmees and the BlueMeg team. Our shared common vision to digitalize corporate services will make processes easier for our staff and our clients. We are impressed with BlueMeg's technology and will incorporate their innovations into our own client portal."

Adam Stuckert, Tricor Group Chief Digital Officer , said: "Partnering with leading technology companies is a key element of our digital strategy. When we met the team from BlueMeg and understood their vision, we saw an opportunity to take advantage of their advanced architecture to improve the digital experiences we are bringing to market."

BlueMeg's Console is the leading cloud-based entity management and corporate governance Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution in Asia. The BlueMeg Console is a collaborative platform that delivers automation and integration efficiencies to software partners and tens of thousands of entities across the world. The Console integrates with industry-leading solutions such as Xero, Stripe, Adobe, local regulators such as Singapore's Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority ("ACRA"). BlueMeg's ability to seamlessly integrate with partners' existing internal systems via their APIs opens limitless opportunities to easily support digital transformation efforts within the industry.

Tricor has a portfolio of 50,000+ clients including over 40% of Fortune Global 500 companies and offers a full range of business, corporate, investor, human resources & payroll, corporate trust & debt services, fund administration, and strategic business advisory across Asia Pacific. Tricor has invested heavily to strengthen its digital service offering and will release a self-service digital portal that will be powered by BlueMeg's Console. Tricor is confident that the BlueMeg-powered corporate service portal will transform the way they service their clients, further establishing them as a leading technology-enabled, global corporate services provider.

BlueMeg was created in early 2018 with a mission to fundamentally transform the global corporate services industry and tackle the paper-heavy archaic execution of corporate governance. It began deployment of the Console, its inhouse entity management and governance SaaS platform, in late 2019.

For more information please contact:

Andrew Jacobs, Vice President of Sales & Partnerships

singapore@bluemeg.com

Website: https://bluemeg.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/13637917

Twitter: @BlueMegAsia

SOURCE BlueMeg
DENVER, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BioIntelliSense, Inc., a continuous health monitoring and clinical intelligence company, today announced it has recently closed its Series B financing round that was significantly oversubscribed at $45 million. This financing round followed a prior Series A financing completed in 2019 and a Series A-Prime completed in 2020 to support BioIntelliSense's continued growth and global expansion of its medical grade wearable devices and advanced data services for scalable remote care.

Participation in the Series B financing was prominently led by Chimera (UAE), and joined by 7wire Technology Partners, Mary Tolan of Chicago Pacific Founders, James Murren formerly of MGM Resorts International, as well as Pendrell Corporation, Royal Philips, and Fresenius Medical Care North America. These parties joined the existing investors from the Series A financing, namely TripleTree Holdings, UCHealth and the CU Healthcare Innovation Fund.

"This series of strategic investments further validates our accomplishments to date and marks a significant milestone in the growth and expansion of BioIntelliSense," stated James Mault, MD, CEO of BioIntelliSense. "We proudly launched our Data-as-Service clinical intelligence platform, along with our flagship FDA-cleared BioSticker medical device, in January 2020. This industry first multi-parameter wearable device and data services for continuous vital sign monitoring, paved the way for the rapid acceleration and commercial launch of the BioButton health screening solution to address the COVID-19 pandemic and remote care. This pattern of success speaks to our collective passion and unyielding commitment in serving patients, the healthcare community along with our valued strategic partners and investors. With this strong financial support, the BioIntelliSense team will continue to innovate and commercialize its growing portfolio of medical grade wearables and data services across care settings, while making a profound impact on the delivery of personalized care, globally."

Investing parties provide the following remarks on this financing round with BioIntelliSense:

"The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic and surging prevalence of chronic disease has resulted in exponential global demand for remote care technologies that provide better patient care at a fraction of the cost," stated Mr. Syed Basar Shueb, Chairman of Chimera (UAE), part of Abu Dhabi's Royal Group. "BioIntelliSense is uniquely positioned to address health care provider and population-health initiatives with its proprietary portfolio of biosensors and data science that combines an unparalleled user experience with medical-grade clinical accuracy for cost-effective, scalable remote care. As the lead for the BioIntelliSense Series B financing, we are excited to support the company's innovation, global reach and adoption."

"The Remote Patient Monitoring market is in hyper-growth mode with projections reaching USD $117.1 billion by 2025," noted Lee Shapiro, former CFO of Livongo Health and Co-founder and Managing Partner at 7wireVentures. "BioIntelliSense is poised to grow its footprint with provider and payer organizations seeking to accelerate and operationalize their virtual care programs by deploying effortless medical-grade monitoring and advanced analytics that are built for scale."

"BioIntelliSense represents the future of health care; medical grade monitoring with best-in-class data science feeding life-changing AI and prescriptive analytics at reasonable cost," said Dr. Richard Zane, UCHealth Chief Innovation Officer and Professor and Chair of Emergency Medicine for the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "As one of BioIntelliSense's earliest partners, UCHealth already is utilizing this technology to remotely observe patients for detection of deterioration, allowing for early intervention to improve outcomes."

"Digital transformation within the senior living and post-acute market that optimizes clinical workflow, care pathways and reimbursement models is proven to benefit the provider-patient experience," said Mary Tolan, private investor, Co-founder and Managing Director of Chicago Pacific Founders. "BioIntelliSense represents a new standard for remote patient monitoring that aligns with CMS reimbursement codes and bundled payments to support a continuous model of care based on sophisticated biosensor wearable technology and actionable clinical intelligence."

"In today's business environment, data is currency," said Craig McCaw, Chairman and Co-CEO of Pendrell Corporation. "BioIntelliSense harnesses passive continuous health monitoring data and applies advanced algorithmic analytics to deliver a personalized care experience for improved clinical and financial outcomes. Its Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform leverages the latest sensor and wireless technologies, while adhering to strict privacy and security standards, enabling healthcare organizations to scale with confidence."

"Philips Ventures leverages its targeted investments and collaborations to help develop solutions that enable healthcare providers deliver a better experience for patients and staff, and lower cost of care," said Rich Wilmot, Managing Partner, Philips Health Technology Ventures. "As part of our ecosystem approach to enable seamless patient monitoring across multiple care settings, Philips also has a commercial relationship with BioIntelliSense for its medical-grade BioSticker and BioButton wearable devices and data services for remote monitoring of at-risk patient populations."

"Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) is committed to helping more people living with chronic kidney disease through earlier interventions and has proudly invested in BioIntelliSense as a leading innovation in remote health sensors and services to accelerate medical grade monitoring at home," said Jeff Burbank, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer of FMCNA. "With the BioSticker and BioButton, our medical staff can more efficiently and effectively continuously monitor patients between treatments with actionable clinical insights and facilitate precise and timely interventions to reduce cost of care."

"BioIntelliSense has established a comprehensive, novel approach to medical-grade remote monitoring at an attractive price point with strong reimbursement coverage, making it deployable at scale in a way that can revolutionize the industry," said Dawn Owens, CEO of TripleTree Holdings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for the rapid adoption and deployment of digital health technologies by healthcare providers and enterprise employers worldwide, commented James Murren, private investor and former Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. "Through public and private partnerships, a new era of technological innovations has enabled unprecedented public health emergency response and preparedness. The BioIntelliSense BioButton solution is a hallmark example by combining medical-grade wearables and analytics for the early detection of signs and symptoms associated with an infectious process. This continuous vital sign monitoring and health screening capability has proven beneficial to patients and frontline healthcare workers, as well as enterprises, in enabling safe return to work, school, travel and events at scale."

About BioIntelliSense

BioIntelliSense is ushering in a new era of continuous health monitoring and clinical intelligence for Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). Its medical-grade Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform seamlessly captures multi-parameter vital signs, physiological biometrics, and symptomatic events through an effortless patient experience. The FDA-cleared BioSticker and medical-grade BioButton devices make remote monitoring and early detection simple. Through the platform's advanced analytics, clinicians will now have access to high-resolution patient trending and reporting to enable medical grade care at home.

For more information on how BioIntelliSense is redefining remote patient monitoring through medical-grade and cost-effective data services, please contact us at [email protected] or visit our website at BioIntelliSense.com.

Media Contact

BioIntelliSense, Inc.

Carolyn Walsh

Chief Commercial Officer

[email protected]

SOURCE BioIntelliSense, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.biointellisense.com


BEIJING, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 27, the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum of Governance and Leadership was held in Beijing. Representatives from SCO member states, observer states, and dialogue partners attended the meeting and expressed their views on governance and prospects for future cooperation within the SCO.

Chen Xi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and President of China National Academy of Governance, and Azizi Abdujabbor Abdukahhor, First Deputy Chairman of the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan, attended the forum and delivered speech online. Chen Xi mentioned that the Communist Party of China has anchored the right direction in its governance of the country and shoulders the historical responsibility of seeking happiness for the people and progress for mankind consciously. China National Academy of Governance is willing to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with the academies of governance of the SCO member states, and make new contributions to building a closer SCO community with a shared future.

Azizi Abdujabbor Abdukahhor pointed out that no country can stand alone in dealing with various threats and challenges, and all countries should work together to solve the current challenges. Also, the SCO should play a more active role in safeguarding world peace and security, expanding economic and trade exchanges, and deepening cultural exchanges and cooperation.

In the keynote speeches, Li Shulei, Executive Vice President of China National Academy of Governance, mentioned that the Communist Party of China plays a leading role in the governance of China's overall situation and coordinating all parties, and China National Academy of Governance has always attached great importance to cooperation and communication with relevant institutions in the SCO countries.

Deputy Secretary-General of the SCO Grigory Logvinov emphasized that the SCO is playing a more vital role in forming a world order with broad representation, fair rule of law, mutually beneficial cooperation, and respect for cultural diversity.

In addition, the representatives of Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan mentioned the SCO's mutual help in containing the spread of COVID-19. The mutual assistance of member states is the main way to deal with the current crisis effectively.

When talking about the governance of the country, all of the speakers mentioned the importance of paying attention to the will and satisfaction level of the people of their country, agreeing with the people-centered governing concept and the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly put forward by the Communist Party of China.

At the same time, all participants also recognized the importance of the SCO in promoting regional exchanges. Speakers from China, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, etc. also called on all SCO countries to strengthen cooperation in more fields, including improving safety governance, infectious disease prevention and control, academic exchanges, and consumer protection, etc.

Contact: Xinchen Liu

Phone: +86-18611556318

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://youtu.be/pprT9Zwu2j4

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1579561/China_report_Logo.jpg

SOURCE China Report
ST. PAUL, Minn., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 3M (NYSE: MMM) today announced the following investor event:

Jefferies Virtual Industrials Conference on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021 . Monish Patolawala, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will speak at 11:30 a.m. EDT .

This event will be webcast live and a replay will be available on 3M's Investor Relations website at http://investors.3M.com.

About 3M

At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily as our employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative solutions to global challenges at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNews.

Investor Contact:

Bruce Jermeland

(651) 733-1807

Tony Riter

(651) 733-1141

Media Contact:

Tim Post

(651) 733-9789

SOURCE 3M

Related Links

www.3m.com


DUBLIN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth and Change" 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 ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market.



This report focuses on ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market which will be shaping and changing our lives over the next ten years and beyond, including the markets response to the challenge of the global pandemic.

Major players in the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market are Shimadzu Corporation, Agilent Technologies, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., PerkinElmer Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Buck Scientific, Bruker Corporation, Mettler-Toledo, Cole-Parmer, GBC Scientific Equipment, Hach Company, HORIBA. Ltd, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K, Analytik Jena, GBC Scientific Equipment, Biochrom, Ametek Process Instruments, Cecil Instrument, and GE Healthcare.



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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.

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Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market.

Understand customers based on the latest market research findings.

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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 ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward? The Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy market global report from the publisher 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 ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy 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 influence of the COVID-19 virus and forecasting its growth.

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 growth 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 ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market section of the report gives context. It compares the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market with other segments of the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market by size and growth, historic and forecast. It analyses GDP proportion, expenditure per capita, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy indicators comparison.

The global ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market is expected to grow from $0.95 billion in 2020 to $1.01 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%. The growth is mainly due to growing application and use of UV/visible spectroscopy in pharmaceutical & biotechnology environmental screening and other applications. The technological advancements and increasing need for food analysis and quality products is also adding to the growth of the market. The market is expected to reach $1.22 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 4.8%.



The ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market consists of sales of ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy products and related services by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that manufacture ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy devices. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy is a method used to measure light absorbance in the ultraviolet and visible ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. These devices find their application in analytical chemistry for the quantitative determination of different analytes, such as transition metal ions, highly conjugated organic compounds, and biological macromolecules.



The different types of the instruments included in ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy are single-beam system, double-beam system, array-based system and handheld system. Single-beam system utilizes one beam of light that passes through the sample and the intensity of the light reflected from a reference is measured without the sample. Double-beam spectroscopes calculate the sample and conduct blank adjustments using the sample and reference beams. Array-based system use array detectors that can simultaneously acquire an entire spectral image over a finite spectral region. Handheld systems allow researchers to analyze samples on the spot. Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy is implemented in wide range of verticals such as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic and research institutes, agriculture and food industries, environmental testing labs and is used in industrial applications, physical chemistry studies, life science studies, environmental studies, academic applications, life science research and development, quality assurance and quality control.



North America was the largest region in the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market in 2020. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.



The companies in the market are increasingly investing in handheld or portable ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market, which allows consumers to take informed decisions on the spot, thus saving valuable time. Major companies operating in the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy sector are focused on developing portable technological solutions for ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. For instance, in December 2019, Shimadzu, a Japanese analytical instrumentation company, launched six new UV-VIS spectrophotometer models under the UV-i Selection brand, which have improved portability amongst other characteristics. The six UV-i Range models are SolidSpec-3700i, UV-2700i, UV-1900i, UV3600i Plus, SolidSpec-3700i DUV and UV-2600i. UV-i Selection systems are ideal for a number of applications, including, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and academics.



In April 2020, Wiley, a USA based company that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials acquired Bio-Rad Laboratories informatics products including the company spectroscopy software and spectral databases for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition adds expertise, content, and powerful software to Wiley science solutions segment. Bio-Rad Laboratories is a USA based manufacturer and distributor of life science research products, clinical diagnostics, and analytical instrumentation.



The outbreak of COVID-19 led to increase in production of pharmaceutical drugs and demand for vaccines and fueled the growth of the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market. Due to increased demand for certain drugs during the pandemic, the demand of ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy instruments also grew for research and development of new medications and vaccines. UV Vis spectrophotometry provides fast, easy and accurate characterization of components such as nucleic acids, proteins, additives/preservatives and can impact the time-to-result for both downstream and upstream processes including quality control. According to a study by Mettler Toledo, these instruments were extremely crucial for the development of the COVID-19 vaccines, and thus supported the growth of the market.



The countries covered in the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK and USA.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market Characteristics



3. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market Trends and Strategies



4. Impact Of COVID-19 On Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy



5. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market Size and Growth

5.1. Global Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Historic Market, 2015-2020, Billion

5.1.1. Drivers Of The Market

5.1.2. Restraints On The Market

5.2. Global Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Forecast Market, 2020-2025F, 2030F, Billion

5.2.1. Drivers Of The Market

5.2.2. Restraints On the Market



6. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market Segmentation

7. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market Regional and Country Analysis

7.1. Global Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, Billion

7.2. Global Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, Billion

8. Asia-Pacific Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

9. China Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

10. India Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

11. Japan Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

12. Australia Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

13. Indonesia Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

14. South Korea Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

15. Western Europe Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

16. UK Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

17. Germany Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

18. France Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

19. Eastern Europe Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

20. Russia Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

21. North America Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

22. USA Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

23. South America Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

24. Brazil Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

25. Middle East Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

26. Africa Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market

27. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market Competitive Landscape and Company Profiles

27.1. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market Competitive Landscape

27.2. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market Company Profiles

27.2.1. Shimadzu 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. Agilent Technologies

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. Thermo Fisher Scientific, 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. PerkinElmer, Inc.

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. Bio-Rad Laboratories

27.2.5.1. Overview

27.2.5.2. Products and Services

27.2.5.3. Strategy

27.2.5.4. Financial Performance



28. Key Mergers and Acquisitions In The Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market



29. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy Market Future Outlook and Potential Analysis



30. Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ykkmjd

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

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CHICAGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of World Lung Cancer Day, the American Lung Association announced new patient resources and a lung cancer trends brief to further advance support for lung cancer patients and caregivers.

While lung cancer remains the #1 cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., the five-year survival rate has increased to nearly 22 percent. This encouraging trend will be further aided by improved early detection of the disease through lung cancer screening. In addition, advancements in research have resulted in more than 30 new lung cancer treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the last five years. The Lung Association is helping patients and caregivers through the launch of new educational tools and data-driven information about the disease.

KRAS Biomarker Video Series: Until recently, the common KRAS mutation that affects about one-quarter of non-small cell lung cancer patients was considered "undruggable." However, thanks to a new FDA-approved treatment, there is now a targeted immunotherapy option available for patients carrying the G12C variant of the KRAS mutation. In a recently launched video series, lung cancer experts and patients delve deeper into this breakthrough and what it means for the future. Visit www.lung.org/kras to learn more.

Until recently, the common KRAS mutation that affects about one-quarter of non-small cell lung cancer patients was considered "undruggable." However, thanks to a new FDA-approved treatment, there is now a targeted immunotherapy option available for patients carrying the G12C variant of the KRAS mutation. In a recently launched video series, lung cancer experts and patients delve deeper into this breakthrough and what it means for the future. Visit www.lung.org/kras to learn more. Lung Cancer Treatment Planning Tool: The Lung Association recently updated their interactive online tool to walk patients  particularly the newly diagnosed  through their treatment options. It starts with asking a patient whether they have small or non-small cell lung cancer and ends with an opportunity to download a treatment decision-making worksheet to use as a reference guide in conversations with their doctors. Learn more at www.lung.org/cancer-tool.

The Lung Association recently updated their interactive online tool to walk patients  particularly the newly diagnosed  through their treatment options. It starts with asking a patient whether they have small or non-small cell lung cancer and ends with an opportunity to download a treatment decision-making worksheet to use as a reference guide in conversations with their doctors. Learn more at www.lung.org/cancer-tool. Lung Cancer Trends Brief: New this year, the Lung Association released this data on lung cancer mortality, incidence, prevalence and other key measures of the burden of this disease. The detailed report presents descriptions, figures and links to more detailed tables on trends, as well as current patterns of the lung cancer burden. Data from the report indicate that racial disparities for lung cancer remain high and show that lung cancer incidence rates between 2013 and 2017 were highest among Black men.

"World Lung Cancer Day presents a meaningful opportunity to highlight our new and existing lung cancer resources that offer support for those impacted by this devastating disease, while building additional awareness across the country," said American Lung Association National President and CEO Harold P. Wimmer. "This occasion serves as a reminder of our mission's critical importance, today and every day, notably as it relates to the need to address lung cancer disparities."

The American Lung Association created LUNG FORCE, a national movement to defeat lung cancer, the leading cancer killer of women and men. LUNG FORCE has three priorities: make lung cancer a cause that people care about and act on, educate and empower patients and healthcare providers, and raise critical funds for lung cancer research. Learn more by visiting LUNGFORCE.org.

For media wishing to schedule an interview with a lung cancer expert, contact Elizabeth Cook at [email protected] or 312-801-7631.

About the American Lung Association

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Gold-Level GuideStar Member, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org.

CONTACT: Elizabeth Cook | American Lung Association

P: 312-801-7631 | E: [email protected]

SOURCE American Lung Association

Related Links

www.lung.org


TEL AVIV, Israel, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when global antisemitism is breaking records around the world and when Jews and Jewish communities are under a constant stream of attack, International March of the Living, Maccabi World Union and the Maccabiah launched a global campaign to combat antisemitism. The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness of the importance of participating in the fight against antisemitism, by having athletes take a public stand for this critical cause at this pivotal time.

Athletes say NO to Antisemitism campaign creative (PRNewsfoto/International March of the Living) Athletes say NO to Antisemitism campaign creative (PRNewsfoto/International March of the Living)

The campaign is slogan "Athletes say no to antisemitism"' aiming to encourage leading athletes to take a public stand against antisemitism, racism, and all forms of hate, and through this, inspire millions of people around the world to make a lasting change.

The campaign has been launched in light of the recent explosion of antisemitic incidents across the world. Jews have been attacked, both physically and verbally, throughout Europe and North America, with many more targeted online.

According to Yael Arad, Israel's first medalist at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, "To participate in the Olympics is an unparalleled personal high for every athlete, but also a collective high for the whole world, for all of us as one global society - a society which knows how to unite around a common denominator that celebrates sport. We know how to overcome preconceived opinions, hatred and racism, and the Olympics is an important lesson in the way we must live even after the Olympics, with respect and tolerance."

Chairman of the 21st Maccabiah Games, Olympic medalist and former judoka Arik Ze'evi said today from Tokyo that, "Antisemitism, like all racism, is contrary to the spirit of sport and has no place in sport. Athletes can and should also serve as role models for how we accept one another and look for what unites rather than divides us. Everywhere I went in our sport, I was always proud of my Judaism and never encountered discrimination. This is the spirit of judo, this is the spirit of sport, and this is the human spirit."

Dr. Shmuel Rosenman and Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, Chairman and President of the International March of the Living: "Antisemitism around the world is breaking records and we must do everything in our power to put a stop to this phenomenon. Athletes are meant to serve as role models for billions of people globally, and over the course of the coming weeks, everyone's eyes will be turned towards our Olympians. We call on athletes to heed our call and take a firm and clear stance against antisemitism, racism and hatred of all forms."

International March of the Living is the world's largest annual international Holocaust education program with close to 300,000 alumni. Since its inception in 1988, the March of the Living has been held without interruption, until the Covid 19 outbreak in 2020. Each year, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jewish students from around the world march the 3.2 kilometer distance from Auschwitz to Birkenau, arm in arm with Holocaust survivors. They are joined on this journey by thousands of other people of goodwill - of diverse backgrounds and faiths. They march in tribute to the greatest loss in the history of the Jewish people, in memory of all victims of Nazi genocide, and against prejudice, intolerance and hate.

SOURCE International March of the Living
DALLAS, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of back-to-school month this August, the National Financial Educators Council (NFEC) is sharing resources for parents to teach kids money matters tips this summer. A free downloadable back-to-school shopping list and hands-on activities to do at home are designed to help strengthen financial literacy skills in students of all ages.

Access: Back-to-School Checklist & Family Budgeting Tips.

"As families prepare to send students back to school, it's a good opportunity to teach kids important lessons about money management," said Vince Shorb, CEO, National Financial Educators Council. "We're sharing hands-on activities families can do together to show kids how to budget, prioritize purchases, and determine the value of the items they use in the classroom."

Back-to-school shopping provides an excellent opportunity each year to have important conversations with kids about money, including budgeting, how overspending can happen, and tips on bargain shopping. This teaching moment provides a yearly opportunity for kids to learn key financial literacy skills that often are not taught in school, including sticking to a budget, prioritizing spending decisions, identifying the value of important items, and price comparison shopping.

"Involving students in their own back-to-school purchase decisions can help take some of the stress out of shopping and strengthen key financial literacy skills for the future," said Shorb. "We should all take National Back-to-School Month as an annual reminder to teach our kids the value of money, how to spend it wisely, and the importance of saving for a rainy day."

Here are some tips for families to turn back-to-school shopping into life-long lessons:

Create a list of back-to-school items needed and prioritize the "must have" versus the "want to have."

Review store advertisements and list the estimated cost for each item, as well as the total back-to-school budget for each student.

Assign students items on their own list to research, compare advertised prices, and find the best bargains.

Identify ways to reduce spending, including coupons, sales, discount stores, and items that can be re-used, shared, or borrowed.

Discuss ways you might overspend, such as impulse buying or choosing brand name products.

After the back-to-school shopping trip, review the receipts. Did your family come in under budget, at budget, or over budget?

The family back-to-school shopping project aligns with the NFEC's Chores for Kids efforts to teach youth financial literacy lessons, help them develop positive money management skills and better understanding the value of money. This is provided complimentary to all parents that want an interactive way to teach kids about money  download Chores for Kids Lessons.

The National Financial Educators Council is a personal finance company whose mission focuses on providing top-quality financial education programming. As a social Benefit Corporation, the NFEC's social impact-focused enterprise has supported the development of thousands of programs over the last decade to reduce the cost and time needed to develop programming, while providing tools and training that increase program impact.

Media contact:

Trevor Stoll

[email protected]

702.620.3059

SOURCE National Financial Educators Council
SAN FRANCISCO and HANGZHOU, China, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bota Bio, a global industrial biotechnology company advancing sustainable biomanufacturing, today announced that it has raised more than $100 million in an oversubscribed Series B funding round. The financing was led by Sequoia Capital China. Other investors included previous backers Matrix Partners China, Source Code Capital, Sherpa Healthcare Partners, and 5Y Capital, among others. This Series B financing brings Bota Bio's total funding to $145 million to date.

The new funds will be used to expand the company's global operations and build out Bota Bio's lab-to-pilot scale platform to facilitate the rapid scale-up and deployment of the company's product pipeline in consumer goods, food, nutrition, and pharmaceutical products.

"Most traditional manufacturing comes with a high environmental cost. We are building Bota Bio to innovate solutions that help manufacturers in all industries leverage the power of biology to accelerate the design and scale-up of high-performance products using sustainable processes," said Cheryl Cui, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO, Bota Bio. "We are empowering a diverse global client base from different industries to develop bio-based alternatives to traditional ingredients. We are thrilled to have this syndicate of renowned investors support our efforts in transforming global manufacturing."

Bota Bio was founded in 2019 by a team of scientists and industry experts with proven track records in successfully developing and delivering industrial-scale bio-based products to market. The company has developed and deployed a technology platform known as the Bota Freeway that integrates advanced digital tools with lab automation. Bota Bio has also expanded synthetic biology's design-build-test-learn cycle to include downstream process development and select non-traditional microbial strains, accelerating the design and evolution of enzymes and cell-based factories.

"Bota Bio is rapidly delivering bio-based and biologically produced products at scale to replace fossil-fuel-based, energy-intensive products and processes with biologically produced sustainable alternatives," said Neil Shen, founding and managing partner, Sequoia Capital China. "The Bota Bio team has developed a leading integrated platform to bring innovative and efficient solutions to market for their partners. We are confident that Bota will keep enhancing their ability to accelerate the development of bio-based products, creating more value for consumers, while contributing to sustainability on a global scale."

Bota Bio previously announced its strategic investment led by BASF Venture Capital (BVC), the corporate venture arm of BASF Group, one of the world's leading chemical companies. BASF joined forces with Bota Bio to bring sustainably produced ingredients to market.

According to a 2020 World Economic Forum report, biologically engineered solutions can generate $10 trillion in value by the end of 2030. In addition, Boston Consulting Group and Hello Tomorrow believe that some $30 trillion of product manufacturing will be impacted over the next 30 years by biological manufacturing, the equivalent of 40 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product.

About Bota Bio

Bota Bio is a global industrial biotechnology company focused on programming biological systems for the clean and efficient biomanufacturing of common household and industrial products. Bota Bio is led by an experienced, multidisciplinary team of industry veterans combining data and automation to translate biotechnologies into business value and consumer welfare. For more information, visit www.bota.bio and www.bota.bio/careers.

Tweet This: Global industrial biotechnology company Bota Bio raises $100M series B funding in a round led by Sequoia Capital China.

#biomanufacturing #bio-based products #circulareconomy #manufacturing #sustainability #circulareconomy #synthetic biology

SOURCE Bota Bio

Related Links

http://www.bota.bio


CLEVELAND, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE: CBZ) (the "Company"), a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services, today announced results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021.

For the 2021 second quarter, CBIZ recorded revenue of $278.6 million, an increase of $41.7 million, or 17.6%, compared with the $236.9 million reported for the same period in 2020. Acquired operations, net of divestitures, contributed $16.9 million, or 7.1%, to second-quarter 2021 revenue growth. Same-unit revenue increased by $24.8 million, or 10.5%, for the quarter, compared with the same period a year ago. Income from continuing operations was $8.6 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, in the 2021 second quarter, compared with $21.5 million, or $0.39 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago. Income from continuing operations was impacted by two non-recurring items related to a settlement agreement and a divestiture.

As previously announced on June 30, 2021, the Company reached a settlement agreement with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center ("UPMC") related to claims arising from a lawsuit filed in connection with actuarial services provided by a former employee in 2013. Net of insurance proceeds, the pretax charge related to this settlement in the second quarter was $30.5 million. In addition, on June 1, 2021, the Company divested a small, non-core wholesale insurance business and recorded a pretax gain of $6.4 million on the sale. Eliminating the impact of these non-recurring items, Adjusted EPS increased by 28.2% to $0.50, compared with $0.39 reported a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter increased by 19.5% to $42.9 million, compared with $35.9 million for the same period in 2020.

For the first-half ended June 30, 2021, CBIZ recorded revenue of $579.4 million, an increase of $65.0 million, or 12.6%, over the $514.4 million recorded for the same period in 2020. Acquisitions, net of divestitures, contributed $30.2 million, or 5.9%, to revenue growth in the six months ended June 30, 2021. Same-unit revenue increased by $34.8 million, or 6.8%, compared with the same period a year ago. Income from continuing operations was $58.8 million, or $1.09 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared with $58.3 million, or $1.05 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago. For the first half of 2021, Adjusted EPS was $1.43 per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDA was $116.2 million, compared with $92.9 million in 2020.

Reconciliation tables for Adjusted EPS and Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP measures can be found in the tables of this release.

During the first half of 2021, the Company repurchased a total of 2.0 million shares of its common stock. The balance outstanding on the Company's unsecured credit facility on June 30, 2021, was $163.3 million with $233.4 million of unused borrowing capacity.

Jerry Grisko, CBIZ President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "I am pleased to report another quarter of exceptional results for CBIZ."

"Since the onset of the pandemic, we have focused our efforts on protecting our team, supporting our clients and continuing to invest in the growth of the business. The results that we have achieved through the first six months of this year reflect those efforts and investments. Given the growth we are seeing across virtually every service line combined with our successful acquisition activity, we are increasing our revenue guidance for the full year 2021 to 10% to 12% growth, up from our previous guidance of an 8% to 10% increase, Grisko, said."

"We are particularly pleased to have successfully completed four acquisitions this year, including three in the second quarter. On June 3rd, we announced our most recent acquisition of Optumas, a leading provider of actuarial and consulting services to state governments related to the administration of their Medicaid programs. Optumas is a complement to our government health care consulting business and will allow us to offer more comprehensive solutions to our clients. Together, the acquisitions that we have completed so far this year are expected to generate approximately $42 million in annualized revenue. Acquisitions remain a critical component of our overall strategy and our pipeline of potential opportunities is as strong as ever," concluded Grisko.

2021 Outlook

The Company increased its revenue growth expectations to within a range of 10% to 12% over the prior year, up from 8% to 10%.

Although a number of factors may impact the tax rate, the Company expects an effective tax rate of approximately 25%.

The Company expects a weighted average fully diluted share count of approximately 54.0 million shares.

On a GAAP basis, the Company expects full-year fully diluted earnings per share within a range of $1.25 to $1.29 . The Company expects Adjusted Diluted EPS to grow within a range of 12% to 15% over the $1.42 reported for 2020. A schedule reconciling GAAP Diluted EPS to Non-GAAP Adjusted Diluted EPS is attached.

Conference Call

CBIZ will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. (ET) today to discuss its results. The call will be webcast live for the media and the public, and can be accessed at www.cbiz.com . Shareholders and analysts who would like to participate in the call can register at https://dpregister.com/sreg/10158739/eb33b7ec50 to receive the dial-in number and unique personal identification number. Participants may register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

A replay of the webcast will be made available approximately two hours following the call on the Company's website at www.cbiz.com . For those without internet access, a replay of the call will also be available starting at approximately 1:00 p.m. (ET), July 29, through 5:00 p.m. (ET), August 6, 2021. The toll-free dial-in number for the replay is 1-877-344-7529. If you are listening from outside the United States, dial 1-412-317-0088. The access code for the replay is 10158739.

About CBIZ

CBIZ is a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services to businesses throughout the United States. Financial services include accounting, tax, government health care consulting, transaction advisory, risk advisory, and valuation services. Insurance services include employee benefits consulting, retirement plan consulting, property and casualty insurance, payroll, and human capital consulting. With more than 100 offices in 31 states, CBIZ is one of the largest accounting and insurance brokerage providers in the U.S. For more information, visit www.cbiz.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business and operations and those of our clients; the Company's ability to adequately manage and sustain its growth; the Company's dependence on the current trend of outsourcing business services; the Company's dependence on the services of its CEO and other key employees; competitive pricing pressures; general business and economic conditions; and changes in governmental regulation and tax laws affecting the Company's insurance business or its business services operations. A more detailed description of such risks and uncertainties may be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov .

CBIZ, INC. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2021 AND 2020 (In thousands, except percentages and per share data)





Three Months Ended June 30,



2021

%

2020

% Revenue

$ 278,648



100.0 %

$ 236,943



100.0 % Operating expenses (1)

236,934



85.0



209,016



88.2

Gross margin

41,714



15.0



27,927



11.8

Corporate general and administrative expenses (1)

13,816



5.0



11,160



4.7

Legal settlement, net

30,468



10.9









Operating (loss) income

(2,570)



(0.9)



16,767



7.1

Other income (expense):















Interest expense

(959)



(0.3)



(2,074)



(0.9)

Gain on sale of operations, net

6,385



2.3



57





Other income, net (1) (2)

8,373



3.0



13,336



5.6

Total other (expense) income, net

13,799



5.0



11,319



4.7

Income from continuing operations before income tax expense

11,229



4.1



28,086



11.8

Income tax expense

2,616







6,607





Income from continuing operations

8,613



3.1



21,479



9.1

Loss from operations of discontinued businesses, net of tax

(6)







(11)





Net Income

$ 8,607



3.1 %

$ 21,468



9.1 %

















Diluted income per share:















Continuing operations

$ 0.16







$ 0.39





Discontinued operations















Net income

$ 0.16







$ 0.39























Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

53,769







55,116





Other data from continuing operations:















Adjusted EBITDA (3)

$ 42,895







$ 35,890





Adjusted EPS (3)

$ 0.50







$ 0.39











(1) CBIZ sponsors a deferred compensation plan, under which a CBIZ employee's compensation deferral is held in a rabbi trust and invested accordingly as directed by the employee. Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan are included in "Operating expenses" and "Corporate general and administrative expenses," and are directly offset by deferred compensation gains or losses in "Other income, net." The deferred compensation plan has no impact on "Income from continuing operations before income tax expense."

Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan for the three months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020 are:





Three Months Ended June 30,



2021

% of Revenue

2020

% of Revenue Operating expenses

$ 6,761



2.4 %

$ 12,232



5.2 % Corporate general and administrative expenses

$ 850



0.3 %

$ 1,474



0.6 % Other income (expense), net

$ 7,611



2.7 %

$ 13,706



5.8 %

Excluding the impact of the above-mentioned income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan, the operating results for the three months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020 are:



Three Months Ended June 30,

2021

2020

As

Reported

Deferred

Compensation

Plan

Adjusted

% of

Revenue

As

Reported

Deferred

Compensation

Plan

Adjusted

% of

Revenue Gross margin $ 41,714



$ 6,761



$ 48,475



17.4 %

$ 27,927



$ 12,232



$ 40,159



16.9 % Operating (loss) income $ (2,570)



$ 7,611



$ 5,041



1.8 %

$ 16,767



$ 13,706



$ 30,473



12.9 % Other income, net $ 8,373



$ (7,611)



$ 762



0.3 %

$ 13,336



$ (13,706)



$ (370)



(0.2) % Income from continuing operations before income tax expense $ 11,229



$ 



$ 11,229



4.0 %

$ 28,086



$ 



$ 28,086



11.9 %





(2) Included in "Other income, net" for the three months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020, is expense of $0.1 million and $0.5 million, respectively, related to net changes in the fair value of contingent consideration related to CBIZ's prior acquisitions. (3) Refer to the financial highlights tables for a reconciliation of Non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, and for additional information as to the usefulness of the Non-GAAP financial measures to shareholders and investors.

CBIZ, INC. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2021 AND 2020 (In thousands, except percentages and per share data)





Six Months Ended June 30,



2021

%

2020

% Revenue

$ 579,378



100.0 %

$ 514,398



100.0 % Operating expenses (1)

460,905



79.6



408,843



79.5

Gross margin

118,473



20.4



105,555



20.5

Corporate general and administrative expenses (1)

28,299



4.9



21,649



4.2

Legal settlement, net

30,468



5.3









Operating income

59,706



10.2



83,906



16.3

Other income:















Interest expense

(1,836)



(0.3)



(3,193)



(0.6)

Gain on sale of operations, net

6,385



1.1



152





Other income (expense), net (1) (2)

13,162



2.3



(2,464)



(0.5)

Total other expense, net

17,711



3.1



(5,505)



(1.1)

Income from continuing operations before income tax benefit

77,417



13.3



78,401



15.2

Income tax expense

18,588







20,060





Income from continuing operations

58,829



10.2



58,341



11.3

Loss from operations of discontinued businesses, net of tax

(13)







(25)





Net income

$ 58,816



10.2 %

$ 58,316



11.3 %

















Diluted income per share:















Continuing operations

$ 1.09







$ 1.05





Discontinued operations















Net income

$ 1.09







$ 1.05























Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

54,109







55,515





Other data from continuing operations:















Adjusted EBITDA (3)

$ 116,212







$ 92,933





Adjusted EPS (3)

$ 1.43







$ 1.05











(1) CBIZ sponsors a deferred compensation plan, under which a CBIZ employee's compensation deferral is held in a rabbi trust and invested accordingly as directed by the employee. Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan are included in "Operating expenses" and "Corporate general and administrative expenses," and are directly offset by deferred compensation gains or losses in "Other income (expense), net." The deferred compensation plan has no impact on "Income from continuing operations before income tax expense."

Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan for the six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020 are:





Six Months Ended June 30,



2021

% of Revenue

2020

% of Revenue Operating expenses

$ 11,377



2.0 %

$ (2,568)



(0.5) % Corporate general and administrative expenses

$ 1,346



0.2 %

$ (330)



(0.1) % Other income (expense), net

$ 12,723



2.2 %

$ (2,898)



(0.6) %

Excluding the impact of the above-mentioned income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan, the operating results for the six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020 are:



Six Months Ended June 30,

2021

2020

As Reported

Deferred

Compensation

Plan

Adjusted

% of

Revenue

As Reported

Deferred

Compensation

Plan

Adjusted

% of

Revenue Gross margin $ 118,473



$ 11,377



$ 129,850



22.4 %

$ 105,555



$ (2,568)



$ 102,987



20.0 % Operating income $ 59,706



$ 12,723



$ 72,429



12.5 %

$ 83,906



$ (2,898)



$ 81,008



15.7 % Other income (expense), net $ 13,162



$ (12,723)



$ 439



0.1 %

$ (2,464)



$ 2,898



$ 434



0.1 % Income from continuing operations before income tax expense $ 77,417



$ 



$ 77,417



13.4 %

$ 78,401



$ 



$ 78,401



15.2 %





(2) Included in "Other income (expense), net" for the six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020, is expense of $0.8 million and income of $0.2 million, respectively, related to net changes in the fair value of contingent consideration related to CBIZ's prior acquisitions. (3) Refer to the financial highlights tables for a reconciliation of Non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, and for additional information as to the usefulness of the Non-GAAP financial measures to shareholders and investors.

CBIZ, INC. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) (In thousands)

SELECT SEGMENT DATA





Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020 Revenue















Financial Services

$ 186,589



$ 154,083



$ 390,738



$ 342,860

Benefits and Insurance Services

82,620



73,940



169,859



153,552

National Practices

9,439



8,920



18,781



17,986

Total

$ 278,648



$ 236,943



$ 579,378



$ 514,398



















Gross Margin















Financial Services

$ 35,669



$ 26,666



$ 98,072



$ 76,845

Benefits and Insurance Services

14,844



12,657



35,150



27,046

National Practices

952



930



1,753



1,713

Operating expenses - unallocated (1):















Other expense

(2,990)



(94)



(5,125)



(2,617)

Deferred compensation

(6,761)



(12,232)



(11,377)



2,568

Total

$ 41,714



$ 27,927



$ 118,473



$ 105,555







(1) Represents operating expenses not directly allocated to individual businesses, including stock-based compensation, consolidation and integration charges, and certain advertising expenses. "Operating expenses - unallocated" also includes gains or losses attributable to the assets held in a rabbi trust associated with the Company's deferred compensation plan. These gains or losses do not impact "Income from continuing operations before income tax expense" as they are directly offset by the same adjustment to "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Net gains/losses recognized from adjustments to the fair value of the assets held in the rabbi trust are recorded as compensation expense (income) in "Operating expenses" and "Corporate, general and administrative expenses," and offset in "Other income (expense), net."

CBIZ, INC. SELECT CASH FLOW DATA (In thousands)





Six Months Ended June 30,



2021

2020 Net income

$ 58,816



$ 58,316

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:







Depreciation and amortization expense

12,876



11,491

Gain on sale of operations, net

(6,385)



(152)

Bad debt expense, net of recoveries

265



3,234

Adjustments to contingent earnout liability, net

753



(155)

Stock-based compensation expense

5,454



4,280

Other noncash adjustments

1,514



(160)

Net income, after adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities

73,293



76,854

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions and divestitures

(6,986)



(21,286)

Operating cash flows provided by continuing operations

66,307



55,568

Operating cash used in discontinued operations

(13)



(45)

Net cash provided by operating activities

66,294



55,523

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

(40,137)



12,807

Net cash used in financing activities

(42,582)



(70,560)

Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

(16,425)



(2,230)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year

$ 170,335



$ 146,505

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period

$ 153,910



$ 144,275











Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash to the consolidated balance sheet:







Cash and cash equivalents

$ 4,677



$ 9,620

Restricted cash

39,268



42,411

Cash equivalents included in funds held for clients

109,965



92,244

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

$ 153,910



$ 144,275



CBIZ, INC. SELECT FINANCIAL DATA AND RATIOS (In thousands)





June 30, 2021

December 31, 2020 Cash and cash equivalents

4,677



4,652

Restricted cash

39,268



23,951

Accounts receivable, net

292,496



216,175

Current assets before funds held for clients

369,751



268,991

Funds held for clients

139,420



167,440

Goodwill and other intangible assets, net

807,939



756,750











Total assets

1,656,628



1,513,754











Current liabilities before client fund obligations

284,598



211,285

Client fund obligations

139,166



166,989

Total long-term debt

162,672



107,192











Total liabilities

944,296



811,134











Treasury stock

(661,772)



(595,297)











Total stockholders' equity

712,332



702,620











Debt to equity

22.8 %

15.3 % Days sales outstanding (DSO) - continuing operations (1)

84



72











Shares outstanding

52,719



54,099

Basic weighted average common shares outstanding

53,119



54,288

Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

54,109



55,359







(1) DSO is provided for continuing operations and represents accounts receivable, net, at the end of the period, divided by trailing twelve month daily revenue. The Company has included DSO data because such data is commonly used as a performance measure by analysts and investors and as a measure of the Company's ability to collect on receivables in a timely manner. DSO should not be regarded as an alternative or replacement to any measurement of performance under GAAP. DSO on June 30, 2020 was 87.

CBIZ, INC. GAAP RECONCILIATION Income from Continuing Operations to Adjusted EBITDA (1) (In thousands)



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Income from continuing operations $ 8,613



$ 21,479



$ 58,829



$ 58,341

Interest expense 959



2,074



1,836



3,193

Income tax expense 2,616



6,607



18,588



20,060

Gain on sale of operations, net (6,385)



(57)



(6,385)



(152)

Legal settlement, net 30,468







30,468





Depreciation 2,649



2,357



5,202



4,640

Amortization 3,975



3,430



7,674



6,851

Adjusted EBITDA $ 42,895



$ 35,890



$ 116,212



$ 92,933







(1) CBIZ reports its financial results in accordance with GAAP. This table reconciles Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, "Income from continuing operations." Adjusted EBITDA is not defined by GAAP and should not be regarded as an alternative or replacement to any measurement of performance under GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA is commonly used by the Company, its shareholders and debt holders as a performance measurement to evaluate, assess and benchmark the Company's operational results.

CBIZ, INC. GAAP RECONCILIATION Income and Diluted Earnings Per Share ("EPS") from Continuing Operations to Adjusted Income and EPS (1) (In thousands)



Three Months Ended June 30, 2021

Six Months Ended June 30, 2021

Amounts

EPS

Amounts

EPS Income from continuing operations $ 8,613



$ 0.16



$ 58,829



$ 1.09

Adjustments:













Gain on sale of operations, net (6,385)



(0.12)



(6,385)



(0.12)

Legal settlement, net 30,468



0.56



30,468



0.56

Income tax effect related to adjustments (5,608)



(0.10)



(5,782)



(0.10)

Adjusted income from continuing operations $ 27,088



$ 0.50



$ 77,130



$ 1.43







(1) CBIZ reports its financial results in accordance with GAAP. This table reconciles Adjusted Income and Adjusted EPS to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, "Income from continuing operations" and "Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations." Adjusted Income and Adjusted EPS are not defined by GAAP and should not be regarded as an alternative or replacement to any measurement of performance under GAAP. Adjusted Income and Adjusted EPS, which excludes significant non-operating related gains and losses, are used by the Company for its shareholders and debt holders as a performance measure to evaluate, assess and benchmark the Company's operational results.

CBIZ, INC. GAAP RECONCILIATION Full Year 2021 EPS from Continuing Operations Guidance to Full Year 2021 Adjusted Diluted EPS (In thousands)



Full Year 2021 Guidance

Low

High Diluted EPS - GAAP Guidance $ 1.25



$ 1.29

Gain on sale of operations, net (0.09)



(0.09)

Legal settlement, net 0.43



0.43

Adjusted Diluted EPS Guidance $ 1.59



$ 1.63









Diluted EPS - Reported for 2020 $ 1.42



$ 1.42

Change in diluted EPS - GAAP (12) %

(9) % Change in diluted EPS - Adjusted Guidance 12 %

15 %

SOURCE CBIZ, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cbiz.com


DENVER, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Much has been learned about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the novel coronavirus, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, questions remain about the long-term impact of the virus on our bodies and brains. New research reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021 , held virtually and in Denver found associations between COVID-19 and persistent cognitive deficits, including the acceleration of Alzheimer's disease pathology and symptoms.

In addition to the respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms that accompany COVID-19, many people with the virus experience short- and/or long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms, including loss of smell and taste, and cognitive and attention deficits, known as "brain fog." For some, these neurological symptoms persist, and researchers are working to understand the mechanisms by which this brain dysfunction occurs, and what that means for cognitive health long term.

Scientific leaders, including the Alzheimer's Association and representatives from nearly 40 countries  with technical guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO)  are part of an international, multidisciplinary consortium to collect and evaluate the long-term consequences of COVID-19 on the central nervous system, as well as the differences across countries. Initial findings from this consortium presented at AAIC 2021 from Greece and Argentina suggest older adults frequently suffer persistent cognitive impairment, including persistent lack of smell, after recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Other key results reported at AAIC 2021 include:

Biological markers of brain injury, neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's correlate strongly with the presence of neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients.

Individuals experiencing cognitive decline post-COVID-19 infection were more likely to have low blood oxygen following brief physical exertion as well as poor overall physical condition.

"These new data point to disturbing trends showing COVID-19 infections leading to lasting cognitive impairment and even Alzheimer's symptoms," said Heather M. Snyder, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association vice president of medical and scientific relations. "With more than 190 million cases and nearly 4 million deaths worldwide, COVID-19 has devastated the entire world. It is imperative that we continue to study what this virus is doing to our bodies and brains. The Alzheimer's Association and its partners are leading, but more research is needed."

Cognitive Impairment Correlates with Persistent Loss of Smell in Recovered COVID-19 Patients

Gabriel de Erausquin, M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc., of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Long School of Medicine, along with colleagues from the Alzheimer's Association-led global SARS-CoV-2 consortium , studied cognition and olfactory senses in a cohort of nearly 300 older adult Amerindians from Argentina who had COVID-19.

Participants were studied between three and six months after COVID-19 infection. More than half showed persistent problems with forgetfulness, and roughly one in four had additional problems with cognition including language and executive dysfunction. These difficulties were associated with persistent problems in smell function, but not with the severity of the original COVID-19 disease.

"We're starting to see clear connections between COVID-19 and problems with cognition months after infection," said Erausquin. "It's imperative we continue to study this population, and others around the world, for a longer period of time to further understand the long-term neurological impacts of COVID-19."

COVID-19 Infection Associated with Uptick in Alzheimer's Biomarkers in the Blood

Certain biological markers in blood  including total tau (t-tau), neurofilament light (NfL), glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), and species of amyloid beta (A40, A42) and phosphorylated tau (pTau-181)  are indicators of injury in the brain, neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease.

To study the presence of these blood biomarkers, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in older patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19, Thomas Wisniewski, M.D., a professor of neurology, pathology and psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, and colleagues took plasma samples from 310 patients who were admitted to New York University Langone Health with COVID-19. Of the patients, 158 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 with neurological symptoms and 152 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 without neurologic symptoms. The most common neurological symptom was confusion due to toxic-metabolic encephalopathy (TME).

In patients who were initially cognitively normal with and without TME related to COVID-19 infection, the researchers found higher levels of t-tau, NfL, GFAP, pTau 181, and UCH-L1 in COVID-19 patients with TME compared to COVID-19 patients without TME. There were no significant differences with A1-40, but the pTau/A42 ratio showed significant differences in patients with TME. Additionally, t-tau, NfL, UCHL1, and GFAP significantly correlated with markers of inflammation such as C-reactive peptide, which may suggest inflammation-related blood-brain barrier disruption accompanying neuronal/glial injury.

"These findings suggest that patients who had COVID-19 may have an acceleration of Alzheimer's-related symptoms and pathology," said Wisniewski. "However, more longitudinal research is needed to study how these biomarkers impact cognition in individuals who had COVID-19 in the long term."

Individuals Recovered from COVID-19 Who Experience Cognitive Decline More Likely to Have Poor Physical Condition, Low Oxygen Saturation

George Vavougios, M.D., Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher for the University of Thessaly (UTH), and colleagues studied cognitive impairment and related health measures in 32 previously hospitalized mild to moderate COVID-19 patients two months after discharge from the hospital. Among them, 56.2% presented with cognitive decline. Short-term memory impairments and multidomain impairment without short-term memory deficits were the predominant patterns of cognitive impairment.

Worse cognitive test scores correlated with higher age, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. After adjusting for age and sex, worse memory and thinking scores were independently associated with lower levels of oxygen saturation during the 6-minute walk test, which is commonly used to assess the functional capacity of people with cardiopulmonary disease.

"A brain deprived of oxygen is not healthy, and persistent deprivation may very well contribute to cognitive difficulties," said Vavougios. "These data suggest some common biological mechanisms between COVID-19's dyscognitive spectrum and post-COVID-19 fatigue that have been anecdotally reported over the last several months."

This cohort is also part of the global SARS-CoV-2 consortium.

About the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC)

The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer's and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community.

AAIC 2021 home page: www.alz.org/aaic/

AAIC 2021 newsroom: www.alz.org/aaic/pressroom.asp

AAIC 2021 hashtag: #AAIC21

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia  by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

Gabriel de Erausquin , MD, PhD, MSc, et al. Olfactory dysfunction and chronic cognitive impairment following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a sample of older adults from the Andes mountains of Argentina . (Funder(s): Alzheimer's Association; Fundacion de Lucha contra los Trastornos Neurologicos y Psiquiatricos en Minorias (FULTRA); Zachry Foundation Distinguished Chair of Alzheimer's Clinical Care and Research; Greehey Family Foundation Distinguished University Chair of Alzheimer's Research)

, MD, PhD, MSc, et al. Olfactory dysfunction and chronic cognitive impairment following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a sample of older adults from the Andes mountains of . (Funder(s): Alzheimer's Association; Fundacion de Lucha contra los Trastornos Neurologicos y Psiquiatricos en Minorias (FULTRA); Zachry Foundation Distinguished Chair of Alzheimer's Clinical Care and Research; Greehey Family Foundation Distinguished University Chair of Alzheimer's Research) Thomas Wisniewski , PhD, et al. Plasma Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with and without New Neurological Symptoms (Funder(s): National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging)

, PhD, et al. Plasma Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with and without New Neurological Symptoms (Funder(s): National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging) George Vavougios , MD, PhD, et al. Investigating the prevalence of cognitive impairment in mild and moderate COVID-19 patients two months post-discharge: associations with physical fitness and respiratory function. (Funder(s): 2020 National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) Scholarship)

SOURCE Alzheimers Association

Related Links

http://alz.org


NEW YORK, LONDON and SYDNEY, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Droit, the New York, London and Sydney based technology firm at the forefront of computational law, announces the appointment of Craig Butterworth as Chief Commercial Officer.

Reporting to Brock Arnason, Founder and Chief Executive, Craig joins the Droit executive team to lead the firm's commercial activities. Based in London with global responsibility, Mr. Butterworth will play a critical role in accelerating Droit's growth through increased strategic partnerships, expanded client relationships and greater brand awareness.

"We are delighted to welcome Craig to Droit," said Brock Arnason. "Our unique market-leading position will benefit greatly from Craig's vision, commercial drive and passion for digital transformation. Droit provides the perfect platform for leveraging Craig's deep industry and technology experience in growing our business."

Craig joins Droit from Symphony where he was Global Head of Sales and Account Management. Craig brings over 20 years of experience in capital markets having previously held Head of Sales roles at RBS, State Street and RBC. In addition, while at Nomura, Craig launched and was globally responsible for their Client Ecosystem program, a front-to-back digital transformation initiative spanning their Global Markets business. Craig started his career at Goldman Sachs after receiving a BSc (Hons) in Economics from the University of Warwick.

Butterworth commented, "Any successful digital transformation strategy needs technology which makes the act of regulatory decision-making profoundly simple, intelligent, fast, repeatable, auditable and entirely automated. Droit's ability to provide market-leading decision-making capability is going to become ever more critical for firms to provide the highest levels of client service, all whilst staying on the right side of the rules. I firmly believe Droit is the right firm at the right time, and for that reason, I couldn't be happier to be joining Droit in this next phase of the company's growth."

About Droit

Droit is a New York, London and Sydney based technology firm at the forefront of computational law and regulation within finance and other domains.

Founded in late 2012, Droit counts many of the largest financial institutions on the globe as its clients. Its award-winning, patented platform Adept has been in live production since February 2014, processing tens of millions of inquiries a day, deciding in real-time which interactions are legally permissible across the globe. Adept is used by institutions to evaluate, with sub-millisecond latency, the full regulatory implications of any given interaction within their transactional infrastructure.

For more information visit droit.tech. To obtain more information about Droit's products, please contact [email protected].

Media Contact:

Sarah Colgrove

Marketing and Communications Manager

[email protected]

+1-646-504-9739

SOURCE Droit

Related Links

https://droit.tech


ALBANY, N.Y., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hip replacements assist millions of patients regain mobility and relief from joint discomfort; however, the surgery takes few months of recovery. Hip implants are for mobility rehabilitation, and assist in restoring functionalities of hip joint following an injury or an accident. The process of bone deterioration can be slowed down with the help of hip replacement implants. In an effort to develop risk-free operations, emphasis has been laid on customized solutions. Several factors, such as age, sex, and weight of a person has to be taken into consideration while developing customized hip replacement implants. This factor is likely to work in favor of the global hip replacement implants market during the forecast period from 2021 to 2031.

The global hip replacement implants market is projected to cross the value of US$ 7.2 Bn through 2031, and the market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2021 to 2031. Hip replacement surgery, also known as total hip arthroscopy, is a procedure wherein a specialist substitutes anon-functioning or improperly functioning jointwith a prosthetics. Bone degeneration caused due to osteonecrosis, traumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, accidental injuries, and osteoarthritis serves as the primary reason for the hip replacement surgery.

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Key Findings of Market Report

Use of Advanced Materials to Develop Hip Replacements Implants to Support Market Growth

Alloys, polymers, and other materials have traditionally been utilized to make hip replacement implants. These days, surgeons are using hip implants made of materials such as advanced plastics and ceramic. Moreover, the use of advanced materials, including cross-linked polyethylene sockets in conjunction with metal or ceramic metal femoral heads are becoming more widely available, thereby offering new, advanced products to the patients. An alternate material that can be used as a new treatment pattern for acetabular cup articulation surfacesis highly cross-linked linear polyethylene. New materials for use in hip replacement implants are adopted quickly, which compels manufacturers to expand their product offerings.Thus, new materials for hip implants are likely to widen the scope of the growth for the global hip replacement implants market in the near future.

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Marketing of Customized Implants Through Advertising Platforms to Raise Awareness among Patients

Manufacturers of orthopedicproducts are now marketing products directly to the clients through advertisements. Prominent players are benefiting from telemarketing, newspapers, advertisements in magazines, and pamphlets distributed at clinics and hospitals. Advertisements affect the preferences of patients who want to customize hip implants before their surgery.This will help in lowering discomfort and pain.

Our reports provide industry players with crucial support for customer base expansion within specific market spaces, ask for custom research here - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=1901

Hip Replacement Implants Market: Growth Drivers

Growing elderly population leads to frequent joint disorders. The gradual degeneration of bones occurs as result of such disorders and age. This factor is likely to fuel the demand for metal-on-polyethylene hip replacement implants in the global market.

Demand for hip replacements in Asia Pacific is driven by increase in total hip implant surgeries due to increased knowledge about reconstructive operations. In nations such as Japan , South Korea , Singapore , China , and India , there is a significant demand for hip replacement surgeries. The need for better quality hip implants in Asia Pacific is expected to rise due to the increasing affordability of customized hip replacement implant in the region.

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Hip Replacement Implants Market: Key Competitors

MicroPort Scientific Corporation

DePuy Synthes Companies (Johnson & Johnson)

B. Braun Melsungen AG

Wright Medical Group

OMNIlife science, Inc.

Smith & Nephew plc,

Hip Replacement Implants Market: Segmentation

Product

Total Hip Replacement Implants

Partial Hip Replacement Implants

Hip Resurfacing Implants

Revision Hip Replacement Implants

Material

Metal-on-metal

Metal-on-polyethylene

Ceramic-on-metal

Ceramic-on-polyethylene

Ceramic-on-ceramic

End User

Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Orthopedic Clinics

Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Industry Research Reports by Transparency Market Research:

Orthopedic Implants Market: Orthopedic implants are used to prevent and treat deformities and injuries of the musculoskeletal system. In terms of revenue, the global orthopedic implants market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2018 to 2026. Developments in anesthesia techniques, rise in adoption of minimally invasive procedures, increase in incidence rate of injuries, surge in geriatric population, and rise in adoption of technologically advanced products to treat musculoskeletal disorders are likely to drive the market

Hip Reconstruction Devices Market: The increasing incidence of hip injuries and fractures, osteoarthritis, and wearing down of joints over time in aged people has fueled the need to reconstruct their hip joints, which is reflecting significantly over the demand for hip reconstruction devices.

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Press Release Source: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/hip-replacement-implants-market.htm

SOURCE Transparency Market Research
ATLANTA, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LexisNexis Risk Solutions, a leading provider of data, advanced analytics and technology for the insurance industry, today released findings from a new research study revealing how disruption, innovation and the COVID-19 pandemic are impacting the U.S. home insurance industry. The Innovations Transforming the Home Insurance Buying Process report illustrates how consumer expectations are evolving. As a result, carriers need to streamline their insurance buying processes in order to modernize their customer experience.

To conduct the research, LexisNexis Risk Solutions surveyed the top 50 U.S. home insurance carriers1 about the home insurance buying process. Results showed that carriers are prioritizing automation in home insurance buying as the impact of COVID-19 on claims activities continues. Additionally, self-service apps, drone imagery, the gig economy and insurtechs are emerging as market disrupters. Home insurance carriers can turn these market disruptions into opportunities by finding ways to more effectively leverage data analytics.

"While digital disruption to the home insurance buying process was already on the horizon, the pandemic accelerated carriers' needs and consumers' demand for virtual interaction," said George Hosfield, senior director of home insurance at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. "Carriers that have not already implemented investments in automation need to act now to catch up to market leaders. We see from this study and our conversations, it's just the tip of the iceberg. Carriers have the opportunity to improve the customer experience by using the intelligence at their fingertips to reduce time and expenses, maximize efficiencies and better know their customers, the risks and the return opportunities."

Innovating the Home Insurance Buying Process

To keep up with consumer demand for a digital insurance experience, most U.S. home insurance carriers are relying more heavily on available data sources to reduce the questions asked during the policy purchasing process and cut back on in-person inspections. According to the study:

67% are in the process of making changes to their investments in the home insurance buying process.

43% have already made significant changes in the past two years.

The top three goals of these investments are:

Improve customer experience (77%)

Increase profitability (63%)

Reduce underwriting expenses (53%)

As a result, the study predicts that by 2022, more than two-thirds (67%) of the Top 10 U.S. home insurance carriers will guide their customers on the best policy options by using a mostly automated approach, and only 10% of these carriers will conduct on-site inspections for most new policies. Carriers are also looking to leverage automation to increase speed and reduce frustration for customers in the binding process.

Digitizing the Home Insurance Experience

As the use of data prefill, advanced analytics and aerial imagery are increasing, these solutions are disrupting the home insurance industry. Carriers are mindful of new market entrants that are filling current gaps in the home insurance product set. To compete, 93% of carriers that are concerned about insurtechs are investing in digital and mobile capabilities, product innovations and ways to improve the customer experience.

Carrier Challenges and Looking Ahead

The current challenges and areas of focus for home insurance carriers vary based on size of carrier. Overall, losing targeted customers based on price is the top concern, followed by the cost of home inspections, agent attrition, and the time it takes to provide a quote. Looking ahead to the next three to five years, carriers are concerned about increasing customer expectations and the growing use of websites and comparative raters.

"Even as home insurance automation continues to evolve, the carriers that utilize quality data to optimize their customer experience will be able to offer a more consultative and trusted customer experience, while positioning themselves for better segmentation and helping them make decisions faster. They will do this by both confirming data versus collecting it from the consumer, and by leveraging prior policy information to guide them to the right coverages for that consumer," said Hosfield. "Now, more than ever, carriers need to evaluate their home insurance process to see where enhancements are needed. And at the end of the day, the carriers that use data to reduce customer friction throughout the policy lifecycle and to proactively address pain points like weather and roof condition will be those best positioned to compete in the post-pandemic marketplace."

To read more about the report on Innovations Transforming the Home Insurance Buying Process, click here.

Visit LexisNexis Home Insurance Solutions to learn more about the company's offerings.

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LexisNexis Risk Solutions harnesses the power of data and advanced analytics to provide insights that help businesses and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. We provide data and technology solutions for a wide range of industries including insurance, financial services, healthcare and government. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of RELX (LSE: REL/NYSE: RELX), a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. For more information, please visit www.risk.lexisnexis.com and www.relx.com .

1 Top 50 property/casualty carriers listed on the 2017 NAIC market share report.

Media Contacts:

Amanda Howard

LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Phone: +1.678.231.4890

[email protected]

Mollie Holman

Brodeur Partners for LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Phone: +1.646.746.5611

[email protected]

SOURCE LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Related Links

risk.lexisnexis.com


BOGOTA, Colombia, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: Ecopetrol;NYSE: EC) hereby reports that on July 28, 2021, it filed a statement in opposition to the preliminary injunctive relief requested within a public action (accion popular) to which it was named as defendant by means of a judicial order notified on July 21, 2021.

The accion popular is being processed by the First Section of the Administrative Court of Cundinamarca and was filed by Fundacion Defensa de la Informacion Legal y Oportunidad  Dilo Colombia. The claimant is requesting the Court to issue a preliminary injunctive relief measure to cause the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and Ecopetrol "... to refrain from continuing the process to sell the Nation's share ownership in ISA to Ecopetrol ..."

Ecopetrol opposes to the injunctive relief on the grounds that the claim has no legal basis. In its statement, Ecopetrol exposes the technical, financial, and legal arguments that show that Fundacion Dilo Colombia did not comply with the legal requirements for said preliminary injunctive relief measure to be granted. In addition, Ecopetrol explained that the potential sale of the Nation's ownership in ISA is allowed by Colombian legislation, maximizes benefits to the Nation and to Ecopetrol, and does not threaten or violate any of the collective rights invoked by the claimant.

Ecopetrol will continue to defend the legality of the potential ISA transaction in all stages of the judicial process described herein.

Ecopetrol is the largest company in Colombia and one of the main integrated oil and gas conglomerates in Latin America, with more than 13,000 employees. It accounts for more than 60% of the hydrocarbon production in Colombia, and it owns the largest refineries and most of the country's oil-pipelines and multi-purpose pipelines network. It also participates in the commercialization of energy and in the distribution of gas. At the international level, Ecopetrol focuses on strategic basins on the American continent, with E&P operations in the United States (the Permian basin and the Gulf of Mexico), Brazil and Mexico. This press release contains statements relating to business prospects, estimates of operating and financial results, and Ecopetrol's growth prospects. All are projections, and therefore are based solely on management's expectations of the company's future and its continuous access to capital to finance its sales plan. Achieving these estimates in the future depends on its performance under given market conditions, regulations, competition, the performance of the Colombian economy and industry, and other factors; therefore, they are subject to change without prior notice.

For further details, please contact:

Head of Capital Markets

Tatiana Uribe Benninghoff

Phone: +571-234-5190

Email: [email protected]

Media Engagement (Colombia)

Jorge Mauricio Tellez

Phone: + 571-234-4329

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.

Related Links

http://www.ecopetrol.com.co


CALGARY, AB, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Enbridge Inc. (TSX: ENB) (NYSE: ENB) is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has appointed Mayank (Mike) Ashar as a director of Enbridge.

Mr. Ashar has more than 30 years of energy industry experience. Most recently, Mr. Ashar was Executive Director, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Cairn Energy India Ltd. Prior thereto, he served as President of Irving Oil Ltd. Mr. Ashar is currently a director of Teck Resources Ltd.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors of Enbridge, we are very pleased to welcome Mike to the Enbridge Board. His extensive industry experience will be a strong addition to our Board," stated Greg Ebel, the Chair of the Board of Directors of Enbridge.

About Enbridge Inc.

Enbridge Inc. is a leading North American energy infrastructure company. We safely and reliably deliver the energy people need and want to fuel quality of life. Our core businesses include Liquids Pipelines, which transports approximately 25 percent of the crude oil produced in North America; Gas Transmission and Midstream, which transports approximately 20 percent of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.; Gas Distribution and Storage, which serves approximately 3.8 million retail customers in Ontario and Quebec; and Renewable Power Generation, which generates approximately 1,763 MW of net renewable power in North America and Europe. The Company's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ENB. For more information, visit www.enbridge.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Media

Toll Free: (888) 992-0997

Email: [email protected]

Investment Community

Toll Free: (800) 481-2804

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Enbridge Inc.

Related Links

http://www.enbridge.com


CHICAGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Envestnet, Inc. (NYSE: ENV) announces that Peak Trust Company (Peak), an advisor-focused firm offering customized trust administration for individuals and families, has joined the Envestnet Trust Services Exchange powered by Trucendent as a trustee partner for broker-dealers and Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs). Peak works with more than 1,500 estate planners across the country and specializes in the management of trusts pursuant to law in Alaska or Nevada. These states are considered top-tier trust jurisdictions because they have no state income tax and allow for self-settled and perpetual trusts.

"Peak Trust Company has embraced innovation to simplify and unify the estate planning processand put more power into the hands of advisors for effective conversations with clients and their families," said John Yackel, Co-Founder and CEO of Trucendent. "Every individual and family should consider an estate planbut the question is, do you want your most important decisions to be controlled by the state in which you reside, or by your estate plan? Advisors can now provide all of their clients, not just the high-net-worth, with jurisdiction of choice during the estate planning process. I am proud to join Trucendent in order to continue expanding the Envestnet financial wellness ecosystem in this way."

"Peak Trust Company is committed to helping advisers manage and retain control of client assets with the use of trusts. We focus on helping advisors transfer wealth more effectively and to provide income planning for the families they serve," said Matthew Blattmachr, CFP, CFIRS, President and CEO of Peak Trust Company. "As we continue to administer trusts for families around the country, the Envestnet Trust Services Exchange gives us the opportunity to team with all disciplines of estate planners on crafting a broad spectrum of trustsin the most favorable way for clientsin all 50 states."

Founded in 1997 and based in Anchorage, Alaska, Peak provides financial advisors with direct access to the quality trustee services they need to manage and retain control of clients' assets, while building relationships with their client's heirs. Peak's unbundled service offering allows advisors to select only the services and solutions they need, and its streamlined workflows make it possible to open a trust account in as little as three days. Peak serves as trustee for trusts totaling over $8 billion in assets and serves over 2,500 families residing in all 50 states as well as foreign countries. For more information, please visit https://www.peaktrust.com/services/.

Clients do not have to live in a trust jurisdiction, top-tier or otherwise, in order to establish a trust in that state. Prior to the addition of Peak, the Trucendent-powered Envestnet Trust Services Exchange recently welcomed Sterling Trusteeswhich specializes in the administration of trusts established in South Dakota, another top-tier trust jurisdictionas a trust partner. BOK Financial Advisor Trust Services, a nationally chartered, advisor-friendly trust company which is part of BOK Financial, joined the Exchange earlier this year.

"At a time when $68 trillion is expected to be passed from parents to children over the next 25 years, industry research finds that only 13 percent of affluent investors choose to engage the advisor their parents used," said Andrew Stavaridis Group Head, Solutions Distribution at Envestnet. "Our Trust Services Exchange can help position advisors to retain heirs as clients during the looming and massive intergenerational transfer of wealth. Advisors can work with trust partners on the Exchange to connect with clients' family members and heirs in ways they never could before, through sophisticated estate planning tools."

About Envestnet

Envestnet, Inc. (NYSE: ENV) is transforming the way financial advice and wellness are delivered. Our mission is to empower advisors and financial service providers with innovative technology, solutions, and intelligence to make financial wellness a reality for everyone. Over 106,000 advisors across more than 5,200 companiesincluding 17 of the 20 largest U.S. banks, 47 of the 50 largest wealth management and brokerage firms, over 500 of the largest RIAs, and hundreds of FinTech companiesleverage the Envestnet platform to grow their businesses and client relationships.

For more information, please visit www.envestnet.com, subscribe to our blog, and follow us on Twitter (@ENVintel) and LinkedIn.

About Trucendent

Trucendent provides a suite of estate planning and trust transfer solutions which are designed to help advisors connect with the next generation. The firm's offering enables a seamless wealth transfer process that incorporates crucial family insights. Trucendent has created a powerful network comprised of leading estate planning attorneys along with the industry's leading advisor-friendly corporate trustees for effectively servicing all types of trust accounts.

In addition to empowering advisors to leverage the unique characteristics of a trust account to achieve their clients' goals, Trucendent engages all parties involved in the wealth transfer processadvisors, attorneys, family members, and trusteesthrough a cohesive and collaborative platform that provides a unified and consistent experience. To learn more about Trucendent, please visit www.trucendent.com.

About Peak Trust Company

Peak Trust Company serves estate planners looking for a professional trustee, who want reliable and accessible expertise to help them with their client's complex trust plans. Peak offers the experience and sophistication to help you quickly and accurately establish trusts, backed by easy-to-use trust administration. Unlike traditional banks and trust companies, at Peak, your trust is our core business. This enables us to provide a highly customized delivery process tailored to your specific needs and an unbundled service structure, providing everything you need but only what you want.

Peak Trust Company, founded in 1997 in Anchorage, Alaska, serves as trustee of trusts nationwide, specializing in administration for trusts pursuant to Alaska or Nevada law. For more information, please visit www.peaktrust.com.

This release refers to information products or services that may be in development and not yet available. Accordingly, nothing in this release should be construed as a representation or legal agreement by Envestnet to make available specific products or services (including, without limitation, concepts, systems or techniques). Envestnet is not a law firm and as such, does not provide legal or regulatory advice or opinions to any party or client.

Trucendent, Peak and Envestnet are separate and unaffiliated firms. This release should not be construed as a recommendation or endorsement of any particular product, service, or firm.

Media Contact:

Dana Taormina

JConnelly for Envestnet & Trucendent

973.647.4626

[email protected]

SOURCE Envestnet, Inc.
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Contact

BizVibe

Jesse Maida

Email: [email protected]

+1 855-897-5880

Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/

SOURCE BizVibe
DETROIT, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rocket Mortgage, America's largest mortgage lender and a part of Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT), was today named the nation's top mortgage servicer for client satisfaction by J.D. Power for the 8th year in a row  every year it has been eligible for the accolade.

Rocket Mortgage servicing plays the important role of managing a homeowner's mortgage from closing until the loan is paid off. This includes collecting monthly mortgage payments, paying taxes and insurance on a client's behalf through an escrow account and helping homeowners if they need any assistance or are having difficulty making their payments.

In addition to ranking #1 for overall score, J.D. Power named Rocket Mortgage best-in-class in every category that makes up the total satisfaction score, including:

Overall Satisfaction

New Customer Orientation

Billing & Payment

Escrow Account Administration

Communication

Customer Interaction

"At Rocket Mortgage, our mission has always been to offer homeowners the best possible experience through a combination of innovative technology and the assistance of our Rocket Cloud Force  a team of highly trained professionals that can help with even the most complex circumstances," said Nicole Beattie, Rocket Mortgage Executive Vice President of Servicing. "Over the last year, our servicing team demonstrated its ability to deliver in both good and challenging times. We are proud to show what a difference it can make when a mortgage servicer provides best-in-class technology and caring team members  both of which resulted in forbearance rates much lower than the industry average during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Rocket Mortgage took an extremely proactive approach toward helping clients impacted by COVID-19. As the pandemic began to affect homeowners, the company released a proprietary automated system to quickly assist them. While many lenders were experiencing several-hour wait times, Rocket Mortgage clients were able to log into an online portal containing educational resources and an automated solution to apply for a forbearance plan.

Additionally, Rocket Mortgage servicing team members worked closely with clients to determine if forbearance was the right solution or if other options were more appropriate for their personal situation. The company then stayed in contact with clients who chose forbearance paths, connecting with them frequently to ensure they understood the next steps and answer any questions they had.

The net result of Rocket Mortgage's use of innovative technology, trusted expert advice and proactive outreach is a forbearance rate that is 35% lower than the industry average.

Thanks to the company's industry-leading mortgage servicing, homeowners come back to Rocket Mortgage for their next loan at an unmatched 90-plus percent retention rate  as of the first quarter of 2021.

According to Inside Mortgage Finance, Rocket Mortgage's portfolio of more than $467 billion in serviced loans  as of the end of Q1 2021  makes it the country's fifth largest mortgage servicer.

About Rocket Mortgage

Detroit-based Rocket Mortgage, the nation's largest home mortgage lender, enables the American Dream of homeownership and financial freedom through its obsession with an industry-leading, digital-driven client experience. Rocket Mortgage closed $320 billion dollars of mortgage volume across all 50 states in 2020. In late 2015, it introduced the first fully digital, completely online mortgage experience. Currently, 99% of all home loans originated by the company utilize Rocket Mortgage technology.

Rocket Mortgage moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010. Today, Rocket Mortgage and Rocket Companies employ 24,000 full-time team members nationwide. The company generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Phoenix and operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit. Rocket Mortgage ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction for primary mortgage origination by J.D. Power for the past 11 consecutive years, 2010  2020, and also ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers the past eight straight years, 2014  2021.

Rocket Companies, Rocket Mortgage's parent company, ranked #5 on Fortune's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2021 and has placed in the top third of the list for 18 consecutive years.

For more information and company news visit QuickenLoans.com/PressRoom.

SOURCE Rocket Mortgage

Related Links

https://www.rocketmortgage.com/


LONDON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wirex, the leading payments platform, has hired Diana Carrasco-Vime as their first Non-Executive Director. The Head of Risk for Digital Channels at Lloyds Banking Group will bring her vast experience to help the company move to the next level as it endeavours to become the go-to digital payments platform for everyday users.

Wirex has gained a reputation for constant innovation within the crypto sector. With nearly 4 million customers and astronomical growth in recent years, successes have included developing the first crypto-enabled debit card, becoming the first crypto-native principal member of Mastercard, and launching their X-Accounts feature offering users unprecedented levels of passive income.

As the London-based company matures and sets its sights on further growth, they have hired Diana Carrasco-Vime as the first Non-Executive Director. From July 2021, she will join CEOs and Co-Founders Pavel Matveev and Dmitry Lazarichev to take a leading role in deciding the trajectory of the company. Her responsibilities will include taking Wirex towards the next stage of growth in the UK market, and acting as an independent advisor to support and advise governance and strategy development.

She brings 20 years worth of international experience in innovation for consumer and commercial financial services, having worked in all areas of payments and banking, including product design, business development, public policy, risk, compliance and governance. Throughout her career she has held senior positions in ServiRed, Visa, HSBC and Lloyds. She has also held several advisory roles with industry bodies, regulators and private companies, of which she is most proud of working with the European Financial Coalition to counter child abuse online.

Utilising Wirex's industry-leading proposition as a platform bridging the gap between the digital and traditional financial worlds, she believes that her biggest asset will be her focus on customer-centricism, matching the company's mission to make crypto 'open to all'.

"At a time where technology and data are allowing such a revolution in financial services from every possible angle, there is a risk that companies jump into projects and experiments just because they are 'the next big thing', or because they feel they have to follow their competitors, without necessarily considering if it is what their customers actually need. What appealed most to me is that Wirex's approach has consumers in mind - demystifying crypto and bringing it to everyday life, making it accessible for everyone. This is a proposition I truly believe in, and I am very excited to be a part of," Carrasco-Vime expressed.

As the first female on the board, the appointment aligns with Wirex's goal to encourage everyone to get involved in the crypto sector. Having participated in several initiatives towards gender equality in the fintech and payments sectors, Carrasco-Vime will bring her passion for diversity and inclusion as Wirex approaches the start of their second 'Women in Crypto' campaign.

Pavel Matveev, CEO and Co-Founder, explained that "Carrasco-Vime's hire has come at an integral point in Wirex's development. With nearly 4 million customers and plans to release more game-changing products and features, her knowledge and expertise will be vital in ensuring that we scale-sensibly and suitably to continue providing a world-class digital payments platform."

About Wirex

Wirex is a worldwide digital payment platform and regulated institution that has forged new rules in the digital payments space. In 2015, the firm developed the world's first crypto-enabled payment card that gives users the ability to seamlessly spend crypto and traditional currencies in real life.

Wirex was created in 2014 by CEOs and co-founders Pavel Matveev and Dmitry Lazarichev, who identified the need to open up the esoteric world of cryptocurrencies and make digital money accessible for everyone. With the core aim of making it as easy as possible to use digital assets in everyday life, Wirex provides a trusted and cost-effective service for crypto and traditional currency transactions by incorporating the next generation of payments infrastructure integrated with cryptocurrency blockchains

With nearly 4 million customers across 130 countries, the company offers secure accounts that allow customers to easily store, buy and exchange multiple currencies instantly at the best live rates on one centralised mobile app. Quick and simple crypto transfer options are available, as well as the freedom to spend 150+ traditional and cryptocurrencies in more than 61 million locations around the world using the Wirex card.

Wirex continues to develop the product in line with market developments, whilst adhering to regional regulations and securing appropriate licensing where it exists. A proven industry pioneer, Wirex launched their own native utility token, WXT, and introduced the world's first crypto reward programme, Cryptoback, which earns cardholders up to 2% back in WXT for every transaction they make.

Wirex is based in London, with offices in Singapore, Kyiv, Tokyo, Toronto, Dallas, Dublin and Atlanta. With over $5bn worth of transactions processed already and rapid expansion into new territories, including the US, Wirex is uniquely placed to support and promote the mass adoption of a cashless society through creative solutions.

About Diana Carrasco-Vime

Diana Carrasco-Vime is a Non-Executive Director at Wirex, a leading payments platform aiming to make digital currencies more accessible in the everyday. With over 2- years of financial experience, her expertise spans across UK and EU strategy within the digital payments and banking industries. She has worked closely with regulators and industry bodies as well as being a guest lecturer at Cambridge. She has a strong interest in diversity and inclusion and has worked with a number of networks advocating for a safe and inclusive working culture.

| wirexapp.com |

SOURCE Wirex

Related Links

wirexapp.com


LOS ANGELES, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fly By Jing, one of the fastest-growing Asian food brands in the country and a pioneer in the modern Asian condiment space, announced an investment from Prelude Growth Partners ("Prelude Growth"), a private equity firm focused on high potential, fast-growing consumer brands. The capital will be used to expand the team and jumpstart the company's retail expansion, furthering its mission of bringing more diversity to natural foods with the highest quality artisanal Chinese sauces and condiments.

Since its founding in 2018, Fly By Jing has become one of the fastest growing modern Asian food brands in the country, redefining the narrative around Chinese food in the Western world. Following its launch on Kickstarter as the highest funded craft food project on the platform, Fly By Jing has experienced viral organic growth as a direct-to-consumer brand from a passionate fan base. Its wildly popular Sichuan Chili Crisp became the #1 best-selling hot sauce on Amazon just six months after launch.

Founder and CEO Jing Gao said: "We are thrilled to have the support of Prelude Growth Partners, a female-founded firm which has helped consumer brands we know and love, like Banza and Summer Fridays, reach new heights. Their expertise will help us fuel our mission to increase diversity in the natural food space and to become a household name eponymous with the highest quality Chinese food."

This Fall, Fly By Jing will see a massive retail rollout in natural grocery chains, launching in brick-and-mortar locations of Whole Foods, Target, Sprouts, Foxtrot and more, as well as online grocery platforms Thrive Market and FreshDirect.

"I created Fly By Jing because I didn't see products that spoke to me on the market. I wanted to rewrite false narratives about Chinese food and showcase the complexity of China's 5,000-year culinary history and that 'Made in China' can mean the highest quality products with no artificial flavors or preservatives," Gao says. "Launching Fly By Jing enabled me to reconnect with my own heritage and identity, and I'm proud of how this very personal expression of flavors inspired by my hometown has been embraced by so many others. I'm excited to continue creating more space for diversity to exist in the natural foods industry and beyond as we enter this next chapter of growth."

"Fly By Jing fits perfectly with Prelude Growth's strategy of partnering with passionate, purpose-driven founders of high-growth brands that speak to the bold tastes and preferences of the new modern consumer," said Neda Daneshzadeh, Co-Founder of Prelude Growth Partners. "Fly By Jing has experienced dramatic success since launch. With a passionate following, we see a significant opportunity for Fly By Jing to become a leader in the condiments category. We look forward to working with Jing and the team to bring these unique flavors to more customers, creating Fly By Jing fans everywhere."

About Fly By Jing

Where highly charged flavors meet 100% real ingredients. Fly By Jing is the first premium Chinese food company that brings thoughtfully crafted pantry staples to the modern kitchen. Developed by Jing Gao, a chef, entrepreneur and renowned expert on Chinese cuisine, we're on a mission to bring uncensored Chinese flavors to the table.

Following its launch on Kickstarter as the highest funded craft food project on the platform, Fly By Jing has seen viral organic growth from a passionate fan base and has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, Fortune, WSJ, Saveur, Esquire and more, which have described the company as revolutionizing Chinese food and heralding a new era of flavor. For more information about Fly by Jing, please visit www.flybyjing.com.

About Prelude Growth Partners

Prelude Growth Partners is a growth equity firm that supports brands made for the new modern consumer. Prelude Growth partners with founders and CEOs to provide deep category experience, value-added operational support and a broad network to power the high potential, fast-growing consumer brands of tomorrow. Prelude Growth seeks to make investments of $10 million to $40 million in each company, across branded consumer categories including personal care, beauty, food & beverage, baby, pet, health & wellness, and other consumer product, service and technology companies. Investments include: Banza, Sol de Janeiro, Summer Fridays, So Good So You, Westman Atelier, 8Greens, dpHUE and Fly By Jing. For additional information on Prelude Growth, please visit www.preludegrowth.com.

Media Contact for Fly By Jing

Karen Palmer

BLAKE LLC

[email protected]

Media Contact for Prelude Growth

Julie Hamilton

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449

[email protected]

Related Images

fly-by-jing.png

Fly By Jing

SOURCE Fly By Jing
As claims administrator, Aflac will accept applications, determine eligibility, and administer benefits for paid leave. Individuals will have flexible options to submit applications for paid leave, either online, by email, or by calling directly into a customer care advocate.

"This is not only great news for workers in Connecticut, it is further proof that our state is poised for economic growth," Governor Lamont said. "Ensuring that our residents don't have to choose between going to work and taking care of themselves and their families has always been a priority for our administration, and I'm pleased to see we're continuing our forward progress in building this program. Aflac is a trusted leader in the industry with decades of experience, and we're thrilled to partner with them in bringing this crucial benefit to Connecticut workers."

"Aflac is committed to the economic development and growth in the region while expanding our portfolio of services as trusted administrator of the Connecticut Paid Family Medical Leave Program," Aflac U.S. President Teresa L. White said. "This is a major step for Aflac as it signifies our commitment to develop our business and serve the people of Connecticut. We look forward to delivering an excellent customer experience for those who engage with Connecticut's PFML program."

"We are so excited to welcome Aflac to Windsor," Windsor Mayor Donald Trinks said. "Our economic development team and town council has been committed to building and growing business relationships, efforts that have been recognized with an accreditation from the Connecticut Economic Development Association and ranking among the 500 best cities to start a small business. Aflac's role in paid leave will bring jobs and investment, but will also support the needs of Connecticut residents, which aligns with our values as a town."

"The selection of Aflac reflects Governor Lamont and the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority's determination to provide the highest quality service to residents during times of celebration and challenge, while keeping administrative costs as low as possible," Josh Geballe, who serves as commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services, Connecticut's chief operating officer, and chairman of the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority's board of directors, said. "This partnership is further evidence of the strides the state is making in improving the quality of life for all residents under Governor Lamont's leadership."

"I am extraordinarily grateful to Governor Lamont, Mayor Trinks, the Town of Windsor, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and the many partners who made this possible, for their commitment to paid leave and economic growth," Connecticut Paid Leave Authority CEO Andrea Barton Reeves said. "We know that paid leave benefits workers and employers, and Aflac is an ideal partner to ensure that workers receive the care and compassion they deserve."

"We are pleased to bring our industry-leading technology platform, paired with our innovative customer care service model, to deliver a high-quality experience to employees and employers that engage with the paid family and medical leave program in Connecticut," Aflac Senior Vice President of Premier Life, Absence and Disability Solutions Scott Beeman said. "It is essential that qualified residents of the State of Connecticut receive the benefits to which they are entitled in a timely and efficient manner from a reliable source like Aflac. We are grateful to the State of Connecticut for the trust they have placed in us."

Aflac was selected through a competitive bidding process. In addition to its strong reputation, the company was committed to establishing a presence and growing jobs in Connecticut.

Connecticut's paid family and medical leave program was established through the passage of Public Act 19-25, which was signed into law by Governor Lamont. The program allows employees to take up to 12 weeks of leave in a 12-month period. Qualifying reasons include birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care; caring for one's health or that of a loved one or family member; serving as an organ or bone marrow donor; caring for a family member injured in military active duty; or being impacted by family violence.

Additional information on the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority is available at ctpaidleave.org.

Contact: David Bednarz

[email protected]

860-770-9792 (cell)

CT Paid Leave contact:

Andrea Comer

[email protected]

860-519-3043

Aflac contact:

Jon A. Sullivan

[email protected]

706-763-4813

Aflac Analyst and investor contact:

David A. Young

[email protected]

706.596.3264, 800.235.2667

SOURCE Aflac

Related Links

http://www.aflac.com


Q2'21 sales of KRW 23.4 billion increased 4% from the same period last year

Q2'21 operating profit of KRW 1.6 billion fell slightly by 3% compared to Q2'20

H1'21 sales of KRW 51.2 billion and operating profit of 6.3 billion grew by 15% and 56% YoY

[Business Performance and Financial Status]

SEOUL, South Korea, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HanAll Biopharma (KRX: 009420.KS) announced today that the company had achieved sales of 23.4 billion won, operating profit of 1.6 billion won, and net profit of 3.3 billion won in the second quarter of 2021.

In the first half of this year, cumulative sales were reported as 51.2 billion won, a 15% increase compared to the same period last year, and operating profit increased by 56% to 7 billion. In particular, with increased sales in major products such as Normix, an antibiotic for gastrointesinal infection; Eligard, a prostate cancer treatment; and Biotop, a probiotic product; operating margin was at 14%, indicating an increase of 362 basis-point in profitability compared to the first half of last year.

As of the end of the first half, HanAll Biopharma maintained a stable financial status with a debt ratio of 25% and assets of 201.9 billion won, equity of 161.2 billion won, and liabilities of 40.6 billion won.

[R&D Pipeline]

- HL161 (a novel, fully human, subcutaneous anti-FcRn antibody therapeutic for autoimmune diseases)

HL161 (INN: batoclimab), an antibody-drug for autoimmune diseases caused by pathogenic antibodies, is currently undergoing clinical trials in the US, and China through its partners Immunovant and Harbor BioMed.

In early June, global partner Immunovant announced plans to resume clinical trials, which were put on hold in February this year due to an issue related to increased cholesterol. As a result of a detailed analysis of patients participating in the clinical trials, it said lipid elevations are predictable and manageable. It plans to return to the clinic and initiate a pivotal MG trial in late 2021 or early 2022 as well as resume its trial in WAIHA on a similar timeframe. In addition, the company has a plan to initiate at least two additional clinical studies over the next 12 months, including another pivotal trial in 2022.

Meanwhile, HanAll Biopharma is preparing a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of myasthenia gravis in Japan in collaboration with Immunovant.

In China, Harbour BioMed is conducting clinical trials in myasthenia gravis, thrombocytopenia, and neuromyelitis optica. In July, it announced positive topline results from the Phase 2 clinical trial of batoclimab in myasthenia gravis.

Batoclimab demonstrated a statistically significant improvement (p=0.043) compared to placebo in patients with myasthenia gravis on MG-ADL (Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living), the primary endpoint of the study. In addition, the drug induced rapid, substantial and persistent clinical improvement over placebo as measured by all four predefined clinical efficacy scales - MG-ADL, QMG (Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis), MGC (Myasthenia Gravis Composite) and MG-QoL (Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life).

Furthermore, batoclimab has shown to be overall safe and well-tolerated, with incidence of adverse events (AE) comparable to placebo, majority of AEs characterized as mild, no serious adverse events (SAE) and no discontinuation due to AEs. Harbor BioMed plans to enter Phase 3 clinical trial of HL161 in myasthenia gravis in China in the second half of this year.

- HL036 (a novel, topical anti-TNF biologic therapy for dry eye disease)

HL036 (INN: tanfanercept), jointly developed by HanAll Biopharma and Daewoong Pharmaceutical, is a novel biologic treatment under development to treat inflammatory eye diseases by inhibiting TNF, which could cause inflammation in the eye. To target the dry eye disease market in the US, clinical trials are in progress in the US since Phase 2 and the first Phase 3 clinical trial for dry eye disease was completed in the first half of last year.

HanAll Biopharma submitted the IND for the second Phase 3 clinical trial (study name: VELOS-3) to the U.S. FDA on July 22, and is expected to begin clinical trials in the third quarter of this year and have topline results by the first half of next year.

The VELOS-3 study is a Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-masked and placebo-controlled study evaluating the efficacy and safety of tanfanercept (HL036) ophthalmic solution 0.25% compared to placebo in subjects with dry eye disease. Following two week screening period, 300 patients with dry eye disease will be randomized into treatment group and placebo. Each group will benefit administration of tanfanercept or placebo twice per day respectively for eight weeks.

Harbor BioMed, a license holder for the Chinese market, started a pivotal Phase 3 trial in dry eye disease in the first half of the year, and is still in progress. The first patient administration was started in March, and the efficacy and safety of tanfanercept will be evaluated in patients with dry eye disease throughout the study.

- HL189 (tanfanercept)

HanAll Biopharma is planning to expand tanfanercept, which is being developed in dry eye disease, with new inflammatory eye disorders including uveitis. The company will make a decision for the asset in the second half to the year.

- HL186/HL187 (novel immune-oncology therapies)

Currently, HanAll Biopharma is jointly developing a novel immune-oncology antibodies that target TIGIT and TIM-3 with Daewoong Pharmaceutical, and will take a step forward to preclinical study.

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights (consolidated, KRW billion)



2Q 2021 2Q 2020 %

change 1H 2021 1H 2020 %

change Sales 23.4 22.6 4% 51.2 44.7 15% Gross Profit 13.7 12.8 7% 31.5 26.2 20% Gross Margin 58% 57%

61% 59%

Operating Profit 1.6 1.6 -3% 7.0 4.5 56% Operating Margin 7% 7%

14% 10%

Net Income 3.3 5.9 -45% 7.8 9.8 -20% Net Margin 14% 26%

15% 22%



About HanAll Biopharma Co., Ltd.

HanAll Biopharma (KRX: 009420.KS) is a global biopharmaceutical company founded in 1973 with a mission of making meaningful contributions to patients' lives by introducing innovative, impactful therapies to address severe unmet medical needs. HanAll has been operating a portfolio of pharmaceutical products in areas of endocrine, circulatory, and urologic diseases for more than 47 years. HanAll is now focused on autoimmune disease, ophthalmology, oncology, and neurology to discover and develop innovative medicines for patients with diseases for which there are no effective treatments. Its leading pipeline asset, HL161 (INN: batoclimab), an anti-FcRn antibody drug, is in Phase 2 trials across the world for the treatment of rare autoimmune disorders. Another main asset, HL036 (INN: tanfanercept), an anti-TNF alpha protein drug, is in Phase 3 clinical trials in the US and China for the treatment of dry eye disease.

For further information, please contact:

HanAll IR team ([email protected]) or

Daewoong IR team ([email protected])

Forward-looking Statements

The contents of this announcement include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "may," "will," or "should" and include statements HANALL(the company, we) makes concerning its 2020 business and financial

outlook and related plans; the therapeutic potential of its product candidates; the intended results of its strategy and the company, and its collaboration partners', advancement of, and anticipated clinical development, data readouts and regulatory milestones and plans, including the timing of planned clinical trials and expected data readouts; the design of future clinical trials and the timing and outcome of regulatory filings and regulatory approvals. 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. The company's actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, our expectations regarding its the inherent uncertainties associated with competitive developments, preclinical and clinical trial and product development activities and regulatory approval requirements; our reliance on collaborations with third parties; estimating the commercial potential of our product candidates; our ability to obtain and maintain protection of intellectual property for its technologies and drugs; our limited operating history; and our ability to obtain additional funding for operations and to complete the development and commercialization of its product candidates. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in Korea Stock Exchange(KRX) filings and reports, including in our most recent annual report as well as subsequent filings and reports filed by the company with the KRX. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of publication of this document. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise the information in this press release, including any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by Korean law and regulations.

SOURCE HanAll Biopharma
PALO ALTO, Calif. and SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Gorilla, the largest interoperability provider in Puerto Rico, in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDOH), today announced a milestone achievement following the official launch of the Puerto Rico Health Information Exchange (PRHIE) on July 1st. In the one month since go-live, Health Gorilla has successfully connected 25% of Puerto Rico's population to the PRHIE. This innovative project enables healthcare providers to access and share patient medical record data securely and electronically across more than 400 care sites, 4,200 providers, and more than 700,000 patients.

Over the next three years, Health Gorilla will continue to expand the landscape of interoperability throughout Puerto Rico by deploying the full scope of the HIE project in stages, incorporating all healthcare stakeholders in Puerto Rico while ensuring adherence to the 21st Century Cures Act and to the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) standards that will go into effect in early 2022.

The continued development of the PRHIE will be an intensive process that will ultimately connect a complex and diverse ecosystem with 70+ hospitals, 9,000+ active providers, 900+ pharmacies, 900+ laboratories, and 22 Federally Qualified Health Centers which will allow health information to flow seamlessly throughout the island via Health Gorilla - providing its residents with the most comprehensive aggregation of patient data ever compiled in Puerto Rico.

"By making patient health information more readily available to medical professionals, we are improving the quality of patient care that our entire community will receive throughout the island," emphasized Puerto Rico HIT Coordinator, Alexander Quevedo. "We are excited to partner with Health Gorilla as we build out this health information exchange."

The PRDOH team, along with Health Gorilla and its partners, is working with other government agencies, providers, diagnostic laboratories, claims clearinghouses, public registries, and health technology companies to ensure a robust environment for healthcare innovation and patient care in Puerto Rico.

"Health Gorilla is thrilled to be selected to build the Puerto Rico HIE solution by the Puerto Rico Department of Health," said Steve Yaskin, CEO and Co-founder of Health Gorilla. "This milestone is a big first step towards bringing the island of Puerto Rico closer to delivering the best care for every patient."

Through the Health Gorilla network, the PRHIE will securely exchange data with national provider organizations, EMRs, hospitals, payers, labs, and patients to improve health outcomes and equity in access to care.

"Health Gorilla is committed to bringing the benefits of interoperability and data aggregation to both patients and providers," said Sergio Wagner, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-founder of Health Gorilla. "Our new collaboration with the government of Puerto Rico allows us to fulfill our core mission to provide high quality services to patients who need them, and revolutionize the entire healthcare ecosystem of the island through the secure exchange of data."

Through this partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Health, Health Gorilla has broadened its commitment to advance clinical interoperability efforts throughout the island of Puerto Rico. Over the past several years, Health Gorilla has established a robust series of major partnerships in Puerto Rico, including with Sistema De Salud Menonita, Dorado Health System, E-Health Partners Inc, and Triple-S Salud.

About Health Gorilla

Founded in 2014, Health Gorilla is a secure interoperability platform that enables the entire healthcare ecosystem  digital health solutions, payers, providers, patients, and diagnostic facilities  to seamlessly exchange health data. With FHIR-based clinical data APIs, HIPAA-compliant user authentication, a nationwide Master Patient Index and Record Locator Service, the Health Gorilla platform makes it easy for providers to bi-directionally exchange their patients' information with other organizations. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Health Gorilla powers health care organizations around the world, helping them deliver high quality value-based care. For more information, visit healthgorilla.com or follow us on Twitter @HealthGorilla.

SOURCE Health Gorilla

Related Links

http://www.healthgorilla.com


The annual McSAM Awards recognize builders, developers and associates in the Dallas area who have made significant contributions in the industry through specific achievements in product design and architecture, and sales and marketing categories.

"It is always a tremendous honor to be recognized with McSAM Awards," said Fred Balda, president of Hillwood Communities. "These awards continue to underscore our commitment to excellence and the tireless work of our team in creating communities that last for generations."

Pecan Square by Hillwood was named Master-Planned Community of the Year for its outstanding product diversity, unique amenities, robust technology offerings, planned on-site schools, and year-round lifestyle program that connects neighbors and the surrounding area to create a true sense of community.

Pecan Square was also voted People's Choice Community of the Year. This award is based on a consumer survey of the community's most recent buyers asking for feedback on everything from home design, sales experience, customer service community lifestyle and overall satisfaction. They were also asked to rate the community of a scale from zero to 10 on how likely they would be to recommend it to a friend or family member.

"Our vision for the future of master-planned communities really resonated with homebuyers at Pecan Square," said Andrew Pieper, Hillwood Communities Vice President. "We are so thrilled to be recognized by our residents with this award."

Hillwood Communities is a leading residential developer with a reputation for creating sustaining value for communities, homeowners, and other stakeholders. Their master-planned communities set a precedent for quality, innovation, and lifestyle. The developer purposefully designs each residential development around the needs and desires of today's homebuyers.

"Now, more than ever, designing neighborhoods that create a sense of community is so important," said Balda. "Incorporating state-of-the-art amenities, outdoor spaces, natural features and a lifestyle calendar full of events and gatherings creates opportunities for interaction and connection among neighbors. That connection forms the foundation for family and friends to enjoy life to its fullest."

About Hillwood

Hillwood, a Perot company, is a premier commercial and residential real estate developer, investor and advisor of properties throughout North America and Europe. With a diverse portfolio of properties and home to many of the world's leading companies, Hillwood is committed to bringing long-term value to our customers, partners and the communities we serve.

Through its Communities division, Hillwood has delivered more than 38,000 single-family lots in 92 master-planned communities across 13 states and Costa Rica. These communities continue to raise the bar in terms of quality, innovation, and the unmistakable sense of community that sets each property apart. Before laying the physical groundwork for any new residential development, Hillwood Communities takes the time to focus on the ideals that draw people together  and the everyday interactions that strengthen those bonds. By purposefully designing its walkways, gathering spaces, and structural amenities to spark spontaneous encounters and foster shared interests, Hillwood Communities creates community in every sense. For more information, please visit http://www.hillwoodcommunities.com.

Contact:

Caroline Bouldin

Hill+Knowlton Strategies

[email protected]

SOURCE Hillwood Communities

Related Links

https://www.hillwoodcommunities.com


NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hive , the productivity platform provider, has announced today it acquired Denmark-based project management startup Squidhub to better support European customers and expand its footprint in Europe. The company has also launched a new subscription plan that offers free access to its powerful productivity platform to small teams and individuals.

Currently, more than a quarter of Hive's customers are based in Europe, including Ascential, BDO and Nominet. As a remote-first company, Hive will expand its European user support, customer success and sales teams locally as their customers' needs grow.

"We're very excited to share that Squidhub is now a part of Hive. Our mission at Hive has always been to help customers move faster and by expanding our local presence in Europe, we will be able to support them better and address their needs even quicker," said John Furneaux, co-founder and CEO, Hive.

Founded in 2016 by Asger Stjernholm and Andreas Overbeck, Squidhub is one of Copenhagen's top startups. The company developed a simple collaboration and project management platform used by The Capital Region of Denmark, Houzz and Volvo as well as 100,000+ small teams and freelancers.

As many of Squidhub's customers are small teams and freelancers, Hive is also launching a new subscription plan - Hive Solo. It offers free access to a full suite of Hive's productivity tools including project management, collaboration, automated workflows and note-taking features.

"Last week we announced the launch of Hive Notes for Zoom, a free, collaborative note taking and task management app that is fully embedded in Zoom Meetings. And today we're extending our free offering to the complete Hive project management platform," John Furneaux commented.

About Hive

Headquartered in New York, Hive is the project management and collaboration platform provider helping teams of all sizes move faster. Hive customers include teams at Anthem, Comcast, Electronic Arts and Toyota. The company raised funding from leading venture capital firms Rembrandt Venture Partners, Tribeca Venture Partners, Comcast Ventures and Vocap Investment Partners.

Media contact

Addison Goff

E: [email protected]

M: +1 704 616 6497

SOURCE Hive

Related Links

hive.com


ALBANY, N.Y., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global needle coke market is driven by the growing requirements of the nuclear power sector. Needle coke is used in the making of nuclear graphite, which is utilized in nuclear furnaces. In the foreseeable future, the nuclear sector is projected to be driven by the increase in the number of nuclear projects. Economic growth, population rise, and rapid urbanization are expected to increase energy consumption in the upcoming years. The global needle coke market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period, from 2021 to 2031, in terms of value. However, the market has experienced a downturn as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Poor market sentiment has resulted in the decreased demand for products and services, causing production operations at steel plants to halt, thereby leading to a decline in the demand for needle coke. Companies in the market are making use of the plug-and-play technology to produce needle coke to meet consumer demand. Thus, the needle coke market is expected to observe growth opportunities in the nuclear energy sector.

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Key Findings of Market Report

Growing Demand for Needle Coke in Steel Industry to Develop Graphite Electrodes to Boost Global Market

The steel industry relies heavily on needle coke. It is utilized as a basic material in the manufacturing of graphite electrodes. Graphite electrodes are also utilized in the production of steel. The global needle coke market is also being driven by the rise of the metal business in both developing as well as industrialized nations.

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Needle coke is a common substance utilized as a heating element in electric arc furnaces (EAFs), which are used in the production of steel. Due to increasing environmental restrictions, manufacturers of steel are choosing the EAF process of steel manufacturing over the blast furnace-blast oxygen furnace (BOF) method. The BOF method requires 0.2 kg to 0.3 kg of graphite electrode to make 1 ton of steel. The EAF method, on the other hand, needs around 0.7 kg to 0.8 kg of it to produce the same quantity of steel. As such, the increasing demand for graphite electrode is likely to drive the global needle coke market in the near future.

Use of Advanced Coal-based Needle Coke Manufacturing Technology to Innovate in Specialty Carbon Products

The demand for needle coke is being fueled by the use of high-grade carbon products. In order to drive innovation in specialty carbon products, needle coke producers are upgrading the coal-based needle coke manufacturing technology. Moreover, vital applications such as semiconductor manufacturing equipment and nuclear power require these materials in large quantities.

In addition, specialty carbon products are utilized in the production of solar energy. Large amounts of raw materials are procured by manufacturers to increase the supply of high-value carbon material items. A steady supply of needle coke and associated products for lithium-ion batteries, graphite electrodes, and specialty carbon materials is ensured by the plentiful availability of raw materials.

Buy our Premium Research Report on Needle Coke Market @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=2258<ype=S

Needle Coke Market: Growth Drivers

Due to its higher energy density, petroleum needle coke is preferred over coal pitch needle coke. As a result, needle coke makers are exploring revenue potential in lithium-ion batteries with extended lifespan. Petroleum-based needle coke is being produced using advanced carbonization and microscopy technology.

Use of needle coke in the battery manufacturing sector is on the rise, particularly in developing and industrialized countries such as Japan , India , the U.S., and the U.K. In developing countries including India , there has been a rise in government measures to promote foreign investment in the metal sector, thus driving the needle coke market.

Needle Coke Market: Key Competitors

Sinosteel Anshan Research Institute of Thermo-Energy Co.

Mitsubishi Chemical Holding Corporation

Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited

JXTG Holdings Inc.

Petrochina International Jinzhou

Baotailong New Material Co., Ltd.

Needle Coke Market: Segmentation

Type

Petroleum Derived

Coal Tar Pitch Derived

Grade

Intermediate

Premium

Super Premium

Application

Graphite Electrodes

Lithium-ion Batteries

Chemicals & Materials Industry battles Tangible Impact of Economic and Cultural changes, Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Chemicals & Materialhttps://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/food-beverages-market-reports-4.html Industry:

Photo Emulsion Market - The fluctuation in raw material prices is likely to hamper the photo emulsion market in Europe during the forecast period. The increase in the demand for photo emulsion in screen printing and textile printing is anticipated to drive the photo emulsion market in Europe during the next decade, as photo emulsion is extensively employed in these industries.

Dewatering Aids for Mining Market - The dewatering aids for mining market in Europe and Middle East & Africa was valued at US$ 148.3 Mn in 2020 and is expected to reach US$ 203.4 Mn by 2031, expanding at a CAGR of 3.2% during the forecast period of 2021 to 2031. Dewatering aids are used to reduce cake moisture in the filtration of mineral slurries, such as sulfide flotation concentrates, iron ore concentrates, and coal concentrates, and tailings and alumina trihydrate in the Bayer process. Dewatering aids in mining increase filtration throughput in mineral processing by reducing moisture content and improving release of the filter cake. They offer unique chemistry that can significantly increases production rates, and lowers energy and transportation costs.

About Us

Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.

Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

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SOURCE Transparency Market Research
BENGALURU, India, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), the global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced the renewal of its strategic collaboration with Select Portfolio Servicing Inc. (SPS) to implement its Cobalt-powered infrastructure as a service (IaaS) solution in collaboration with Hitachi Vantara. Through this engagement, Infosys will offer SPS next-generation hybrid cloud, infrastructure services, and application services for the next five years.

As SPS' strategic partner, Infosys will leverage its Cobalt portfolio to design, build, operate, and automate a robust and resilient private cloud infrastructure as a service with on-demand flexibility and scalability. Furthermore, Infosys intends to implement hybrid cloud to maximize data centre flexibility underpinned by enhanced disaster recovery and security posture.

Murali S. Palanganatham, Chief Information Officer at Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. stated, "We have forged a strong collaboration with Infosys over the years, which has enabled us to leverage a repertoire of services & capabilities encompassing Application development, IT operations, IaaS, SaaS and Security. By resorting to Infosys' Cobalt solutions and leveraging their expertise in integrated infrastructure, applications, IT operations and services, we intend to continuously scale, increase performance, enhance flexibility of our technology ecosystem, and streamline IT operations, augmented by automation."

Narsimha Rao Mannepalli, Executive Vice-President, Head of Cloud & Infrastructure Solutions, Infosys, said, "Being future-ready is key to survive and compete in the current business environment. We are excited to extend our collaboration with SPS and explore new avenues for leveraging our Cobalt portfolio to address a range of technology needs on-demand in an efficient, timely, and agile manner."

Mark Ablett, Chief Revenue Officer, Hitachi Vantara, said, "We are thrilled to utilize our EverFlex infrastructure as-a-service offering in partnership with Infosys to design and operate a modern and resilient hybrid cloud transformation for SPS's regulated financial workloads. The ability to deliver a flexible consumption model for new storage and data services will enable SPS to innovate at scale and quickly address the needs of their growing customer base."

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect 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, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys 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. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys
SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Insurance companies are pushing ophthalmologists to use new biosimilar drugs as alternatives to Avastin that have never been tested in the eye, essentially making patients who depend on this commonly used drug unwitting subjects in a clinical experiment. Even the drugs' manufacturers have advised against injecting the alternative drugs into the eye because there is no scientific proof to support it. This development has alarmed ophthalmologists because one of the drugs may be harmful to corneal tissue.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prohibit these policies for Medicare Advantage and exchange plans. We've also informed the insurers that their pursuit of the bottom line is a danger to patient safety.

Avastin is a critically important treatment option for patients facing vision-threatening diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, macular edema, neovascular glaucoma and others. Avastin is a treatment for these serious eye conditions and is supported by years of published research validating its effectiveness and safety for use in the eye.

Optum, one of the largest suppliers of Avastin, is currently unable to ship the drug due to an overhaul of their production process to enhance safety. As a result, some ophthalmologists are experiencing challenges acquiring repackaged Avastin for their patients.

Several large healthcare insurers  including Aetna, CareFirst, United Healthcare, Humana, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, AmeriHealth and Health Assurance Pennsylvania  have stepped into this unfortunate supply chain disruption to recommend two biosimilars as alternatives to Avastin: Zirabev (bevacizumab-bvzr) from Pfizer and Mvasi (bevacizumab-awwb) from Amgen.

These two drugs are biosimilars for anti-VEGF medication. Avastin is also an anti-VEGF medication, however, its use in the eye is supported by clinical evidence. The newer biosimilar drugs have never been tested in the eye. They are approved for intravenous injection and their labels do not include treatment of eye disease. Pfizer and Amgen have not recommended the use of their biosimilars in the eye. The Academy does not oppose the use of biosimilars or the use of drugs off-label in general. We are against the use of drugs in the eye that have never been tested for ophthalmic diseases.

Ophthalmologists are also concerned that Pfizer's Zirabev is prepared with edetate disodium dihydrate (EDTA). This buffering agent has demonstrated toxicity to corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells. Potential retinal toxicity of EDTA has not been studied.

There are only four Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-VEGF medications for ophthalmic indications as an alternative to repackaged Avastin, each of which costs substantially more than Avastin.

The Academy has told HHS and CMS it is inappropriate for plans to recommend or mandate use of these biosimilars for intravitreal injection without a prior clinical trial in eye disease and testing for retinal toxicity.

Clarification: Health Assurance Pennsylvania, inc is the health plan that has the biosimilar policy. Maximus Federal is responsible only for reviewing Medicare appeals and is not associated with the coverage policies of the health plans they review for.

SOURCE American Academy of Ophthalmology

Related Links

http://www.aao.org


NEW HAVEN, Conn., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly's statement on removal of the Hyde Amendment from funding legislation:

"The Knights of Columbus is extremely disappointed in this week's actions by the House of Representatives to remove longstanding, bipartisan taxpayer and conscience protections including the Hyde Amendment. The House vote to make taxpayers pay for abortions is both an assault on the dignity of life and contrary to the wishes of most Americans. This year's Knights of Columbus/Marist polling, affirming over a decade of previous polling data, shows that 58% of Americans oppose the use of taxpayer-funding for abortions. We urge the Senate to include the Hyde Amendment and other similar provisions as they undertake the appropriations process and for the full Congress to ultimately pass spending bills that affirm this bipartisan desire of the American public.

We call on all legislators, especially our fellow Catholics, to have the courage to make a stand for conscience and to not force every tax-paying American to pay for the destruction of innocent life in the womb.

The Knights remain totally committed to supporting the cause of life. In the past decade, we have donated more than 1,400 ultrasound machines to pregnancy resource centers in all 50 states, and we will continue this and other efforts to build a Culture of Life."

About the Knights of Columbus

Founded in 1882 by Blessed Michael J. McGivney, The Knights of Columbus is one of the world's leading fraternal and service organizations with 2 million members in more than 16,000 parish-based councils. During the past year, Knights around the world donated more than 47 million service hours and $150 million for worthy causes in their communities. The organization also offers extensive life insurance services to members and their families, resulting in more than $116 billion of life insurance in force. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors offers investment services to individuals and institutions in accord with Catholic social teaching and has nearly $29 billion in assets under management. From helping children in need, to providing wheelchairs for the disabled, to helping stock food banks, to offering top-rated and affordable insurance products to its members, to creating a legacy of giving, the Knights of Columbus has supported families and communities for more than 139 years. To learn more please visit us at kofc.org.

SOURCE Knights of Columbus

Related Links

https://www.kofc.org


PHILADELPHIA, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lannett Company, Inc. (NYSE: LCI) today announced that it has entered into an exclusive U.S. commercialization agreement for a therapeutically equivalent generic of Spiriva Handihaler (Tiotropium Bromide inhalation powder) with Respirent Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. The 10-year term of the agreement commences upon distribution of the product. U.S. sales of Spiriva Handihaler were $1.5 billion for the 12 months ending May, 2021 according to IQVIA, although actual generic market values are expected to be lower.

"We continue to add drug and device combination respiratory medications to our pipeline. We believe such products provide durable sales opportunities with relatively fewer competitors, due to the technical expertise, specialized manufacturing and financial commitment required to develop these products," said Tim Crew, chief executive officer of Lannett. "With generic Spiriva Handihaler, our strategic relationship with Respirent now includes three inhaler products, each of which has the potential to be a meaningful contributor to our company's financial performance. The generic Spiriva Handihaler product is currently in development and tracking to Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) submission in 2023."

As previously disclosed, Lannett and Respirent are collaborating on two other inhaler products. For generic of ADVAIR DISKUS (Fluticasone Propionate  Salmeterol Xinafoate Powder Inhaler), Lannett announced in June 2021 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had accepted the ANDA, with priority review. For generic Flovent Diskus (Fluticasone Propionate Powder Inhaler), the company said development is underway and an ANDA submission is expected in 2022.

Spiriva Handihaler is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim. ADVAIR DISKUS and Flovent Diskus are registered trademarks of GlaxoSmithKline.

About Respirent Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.:

Respirent's commitment is to provide Affordable Respiratory Medicines. Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic diseases that require daily medications. We recognize the cost burden to patients and health authorities around the world, especially as prevalence and incidence have been increasing world-wide - particularly in underprivileged populations. At Respirent, we are dedicated to addressing a significant unmet need to tackle this growing global public health problem and to create value for healthcare providers and patients. Respirent's generic products are developed and manufactured in new state-of-the-art facilities that meet the most stringent regulatory and quality standards of the United States and Europe. Our upstream supply partners are also global leaders in their field of expertise which ensures our delivery and service to our commercial partners and patients is world-class.

About Lannett Company, Inc.:

Lannett Company, founded in 1942, develops, manufactures, packages, markets and distributes generic pharmaceutical products for a wide range of medical indications. For more information, visit the company's website at www.lannett.com.

This news release contains certain statements of a forward-looking nature relating to future events or future business performance. Any such statement, including, but not limited to, advancing the development of Tiotropium Bromide inhalation powder, Fluticasone propionate and Salmeterol inhalation powder, and Fluticasone Propionate Powder Inhaler, as well as FDA approvals and successfully commercializing such products, whether expressed or implied, is subject to market and other conditions, and subject to risks and uncertainties which can cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors which include, but are not limited to, the risk factors discussed in the Company's Form 10-K and other documents filed with the SEC from time to time, including the prospectus supplement related to the proposed offering to be filed with the SEC. These forward-looking statements represent the Company's judgment as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Robert Jaffe

Robert Jaffe Co., LLC

(424) 288-4098

SOURCE Lannett Company, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.lannett.com


INDIANAPOLIS and SAN DIEGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Loxo Oncology at Lilly, a research and development group of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), and Kumquat Biosciences today announced an exclusive collaboration focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of potential novel small molecules that stimulate tumor-specific immune responses.

Through the multi-year collaboration, Kumquat will utilize its small molecule immuno-oncology (IO) platform to discover novel clinical candidates and Lilly has the option to select a certain number of drug candidates for further development and commercialization worldwide, excluding Greater China. Kumquat has retained development and commercialization rights in Greater China for each of the drug candidates selected by Lilly, subject to Lilly's option to co-commercialize in Greater China. Additionally, Kumquat has the option to co-develop and co-commercialize a certain number of the drug candidates selected by Lilly in the U.S.

Kumquat will receive an aggregate of $70 million consisting of a cash upfront payment and an equity investment. Kumquat is eligible to receive over $2 billion in potential milestone payments based on the achievement of preclinical, development and future commercial milestones, as well as royalties on sales of commercialized products resulting from the collaboration.

"We are very excited to enter into this collaboration with Lilly," said Yi Liu, chief executive officer of Kumquat. "Kumquat is developing a novel small molecule IO platform and this collaboration with Lilly is expected to greatly expedite the development of this platform and maximize its full potential. We look forward to working with Lilly to identify the next generation IO drugs that will benefit a broad population of patients."

"Using small molecule inhibitors to target specific tumor antigens in complex with the immune machinery presents a unique opportunity to stimulate an enhanced tumor-specific immune response," said Jacob Van Naarden, chief executive officer of Loxo Oncology at Lilly. "We look forward to working with the accomplished Kumquat team to identify candidate medicines that interact with this target class."

This transaction will be reflected in Lilly's reported results and financial guidance according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). There will be no change to Lilly's 2021 non-GAAP earnings per share guidance as a result of this transaction.

About Kumquat Biosciences

Kumquat Biosciences is a privately held drug discovery and development company committed to creating breakthrough medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company focuses on translating breakthrough science into first-in-class therapeutics. Kumquat brings together an accomplished team and distinguished scientific founder with a proven track record of innovative oncology drug discovery and development. The company was launched in 2019 and has raised over $100 million from OrbiMed, Sequoia Capital China, EcoR1, Lilly Asia Ventures, and Roche Venture Fund. For more information, please visit www.kumquatbiosciences.com

About Loxo Oncology at Lilly

Loxo Oncology at Lilly was created in December 2019, combining the Lilly Research Laboratories oncology organization and Loxo Oncology, which was acquired by Lilly in early 2019. Loxo Oncology at Lilly brings together the focus and spirit of a biotech with the scale and resources of large pharma, with the goal of rapidly delivering impactful new medicines for people with cancer. Our approach centers on creating new oncology medicines that unequivocally work early in clinical development and will matter to patients.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com. C-LLY

Lilly Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about the benefits of a collaboration between Lilly and Kumquat Biosciences, Lilly and Loxo Oncology's research and development strategy, and potential payments to Kumquat in connection with the collaboration, and reflects Lilly's current beliefs and expectations. However, as with any such undertaking, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of drug research, development and commercialization. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that Lilly will realize the expected benefits of the collaboration, that the collaboration will yield commercially successful products or that Lilly and Loxo Oncology will execute their strategy as expected. For a further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from Lilly's expectations, please see Lilly's most recent Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company

Related Links

http://www.lilly.com


TULSA, Okla., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP) today reported net income of $280.4 million for second quarter 2021 compared to $133.8 million for second quarter 2020. The 2021 results included a $69.7 million gain primarily related to Magellan's sale of a portion of its interest in the Pasadena marine terminal joint venture during the current period.

Diluted net income per common unit was $1.26 in second quarter 2021, or 95 cents excluding the 31-cent favorable impact of the gain on asset sale, compared to 59 cents in second quarter 2020.

Diluted net income per unit excluding mark-to-market (MTM) commodity-related pricing adjustments, a non-generally accepted accounting principles (non-GAAP) financial measure, was $1.38 for second quarter 2021. These results exceeded the $1.15 guidance provided by management in late April primarily due to higher-than-expected refined products shipments, higher commodity prices that primarily benefited the partnership's fractionation activities and value of its product overages, as well as lower expenses primarily due to timing. Previous guidance had already included the expected gain on asset sale.

Distributable cash flow (DCF), a non-GAAP financial measure that represents the amount of cash generated during the period that is available to pay distributions, was $268.0 million for second quarter 2021 compared to $209.5 million for second quarter 2020. The gain on asset sale has not been included in DCF because it is not related to the partnership's ongoing operations.

"Magellan remains focused on creating long-term value for our investors, announcing asset sales exceeding $700 million and repurchasing more than $80 million of equity during the second quarter of 2021," said Michael Mears, chief executive officer. "Our strategic asset base continues to demonstrate strength throughout various business cycles, generating another quarter of solid financial results. Magellan's resilient business model and strong balance sheet position us well to safely and efficiently deliver essential fuels for our nation as the economy recovers and for many decades to come."

An analysis by segment comparing second quarter 2021 to second quarter 2020 is provided below based on operating margin, a non-GAAP financial measure that reflects operating profit before depreciation, amortization and impairment expense and general and administrative (G&A) expense. Due to the previously-announced pending sale of the partnership's independent terminals network, the financial results from these assets have now been reclassified from the refined products segment to discontinued operations for all periods.

Refined products. Refined products operating margin was $267.2 million, an increase of $103.7 million. Transportation and terminals revenue increased $70.1 million primarily due to significantly higher transportation volumes versus the pandemic levels of 2020 driven by the recovery in travel, economic and drilling activity as well as contributions from Magellan's recent Texas pipeline expansion projects. The current period also benefited from the partnership's mid-year 2020 tariff increase.

Operating expenses increased $11.2 million primarily due to an increase in integrity spending related to timing of maintenance work as well as higher compensation to reflect improved financial results and higher benefits costs, and other operating income increased $3.0 million due to the sale of unused air emission credits. Earnings of non-controlled entities increased $3.6 million due to a favorable revenue adjustment for the partnership's Pasadena marine terminal joint venture.

Product margin (a non-GAAP measure defined as product sales revenue less cost of product sales) increased $38.1 million between periods primarily due to unrealized losses on futures contracts in the 2020 period as well as more sales in the current period associated with the partnership's gas liquids blending activities as a result of improved blending opportunities.

Crude oil. Crude oil operating margin was $106.4 million, a decrease of $21.9 million. Transportation and terminals revenue decreased $15.0 million primarily due to lower average tariff rates and reduced storage revenues. Average tariff rates decreased primarily as a result of the expiration of several higher-priced contracts on the partnership's Longhorn pipeline in late 2020. Storage revenues declined primarily due to the 2020 period benefiting from increased short-term storage utilization at higher rates, with contract renewals at lower rates in the current period.

Operating expenses decreased $2.1 million primarily due to lower fees paid to the partnership's Seabrook joint venture export facility for ancillary services and the timing of integrity spending, partially offset by higher compensation to reflect improved financial results and higher benefits costs. Other operating expense was unfavorable $5.0 million primarily due to unrealized gains in the prior period on a basis derivative agreement.

Earnings of non-controlled entities increased by $3.3 million primarily due to additional shipments on the Saddlehorn pipeline, which was recently expanded. Product margin decreased $7.2 million as a result of unrealized losses on futures contracts during the current year on the partnership's crude oil inventory.

Other items. Depreciation, amortization and impairment expense decreased $2.7 million due to a reduction in asset retirement obligations, whereas G&A expense increased $14.4 million primarily due to higher compensation to reflect improved financial results and higher benefits costs in 2021.

Gain on disposition of assets was $69.7 million due to a gain on the sale of a portion of Magellan's interest in the Pasadena marine terminal joint venture during second quarter 2021. Other expense was $13.4 million unfavorable due to amounts recognized in second quarter 2021 related to certain legal matters.

Income from discontinued operations increased $11.6 million as a result of higher volumes at the partnership's independent terminals due to the economic recovery, improved product margin from higher sales volume at better pricing and lower operating expenses due to favorable product overages (which reduce operating expenses).

Net interest expense decreased $8.4 million primarily due to the absence of debt repayment costs recorded in 2020, partially offset by lower capitalized interest as a result of reduced expansion capital spending. As of June 30, 2021, Magellan had $5.0 billion of debt outstanding, with $258.0 million of cash on hand.

Financial guidance for 2021

Management continues to project annual DCF of $1.07 billion for 2021. The benefit from the stronger-than-expected second-quarter results are being offset as the partnership has now hedged approximately 80% of its forecasted gas liquids blending activities at lower margins than anticipated as well as higher costs in the second half of the year than assumed in the previous guidance.

Guidance assumes total refined products shipments will be generally in-line with initial estimates for the year, with an overall increase of 13% expected versus 2020 as incremental volumes associated with recent expansion projects within the state of Texas continue to overcome the lingering impacts of the pandemic. These estimates continue to expect 13% higher gasoline, 10% higher distillate and 25% higher aviation fuel shipments, based on general trends so far this year. For reference, total 2021 refined products shipments are still expected to increase approximately 3% versus 2019, which is more representative of historical demand, as additional gasoline and distillate volumes from expansion projects are partially offset by lower aviation fuel.

Further, guidance assumes continued contributions from the independent terminals throughout 2021, while the partnership awaits receipt of the required regulatory approvals for the pending sale.

Magellan intends to maintain its quarterly cash distribution at the current level of $1.0275 per unit for the remainder of 2021. Based on the current distribution amount and the current number of units outstanding, distribution coverage for 2021 is expected to be 1.17 times the amount necessary to pay cash distributions for the year.

Free cash flow (FCF), a non-GAAP financial measure that represents the amount of cash available for distributions, additional investments, unit repurchases, debt reduction or other partnership uses, is projected to be nearly $1.27 billion for full-year 2021, or more than $350 million after distributions. Full-year FCF guidance currently includes the proceeds from the second-quarter sale of a partial interest in the Pasadena marine terminal joint venture, but does not include the $435 million proceeds from the sale of the partnership's independent terminals, which is pending required regulatory approvals and assumed to close in 2022 for guidance purposes.

Based on actual results to date and the current number of common units outstanding, net income per unit is expected to be $4.25 for 2021, with third-quarter guidance of 87 cents per unit. Guidance excludes future MTM adjustments on the partnership's commodity-related activities as well as the pending independent terminals sale.

Management does not intend to provide financial guidance beyond 2021 at this time but expects to target annual distribution coverage of at least 1.2 times in future years now that refined products demand and commodity prices are trending more in-line with historical levels.

Capital allocation

Management remains focused on executing its long-term strategy to maximize value for Magellan's investors through a disciplined combination of cash distributions, capital investments and equity repurchases.

While attractive expansion projects remain Magellan's preferred capital allocation tool to reinvest in the business, the current environment is not conducive to new large-scale construction projects that meet the partnership's disciplined risk/reward profile. As a result, current expansion spending is expected to be approximately $75 million in 2021 and $15 million in 2022 to complete the partnership's current slate of construction projects, with additional smaller, attractive expansion opportunities under consideration at this time.

Magellan purchased approximately 1.7 million of its units for $82.3 million during the second quarter of 2021. The partnership currently has approximately $390 million remaining under its $750 million repurchase program authorized through 2022. The timing, price and actual number of potential future unit repurchases will depend on a number of factors including expected expansion capital spending, excess cash available, balance sheet metrics, legal and regulatory requirements, market conditions and the trading price of the partnership's common units.

Earnings call details

Management will discuss second-quarter 2021 financial results and outlook for the remainder of the year during a conference call at 1:30 p.m. Eastern today. Participants are encouraged to listen to the call via the partnership's website at www.magellanlp.com/investors/webcasts.aspx. In addition, a limited number of phone lines will be available at (800) 919-1728, conference code 21995591.

A replay of the audio webcast will be available for at least 30 days at www.magellanlp.com.

Non-GAAP financial measures

Management believes that investors benefit from having access to the same financial measures utilized by the partnership. As a result, this news release and supporting schedules include the non-GAAP financial measures of operating margin, product margin, adjusted EBITDA, DCF, FCF and net income per unit excluding MTM commodity-related pricing adjustments, which are important performance measures used by management.

Operating margin reflects operating profit before depreciation, amortization and impairment expense and G&A expense. This measure forms the basis of the partnership's internal financial reporting and is used by management to evaluate the economic performance of the partnership's operations.

Product margin, which is calculated as product sales revenue less cost of product sales, is used by management to evaluate the profitability of the partnership's commodity-related activities.

Adjusted EBITDA is an important measure utilized by management and the investment community to assess the financial results of a company.

DCF is important in determining the amount of cash generated from the partnership's operations, after maintenance capital spending, that is available for distribution to its unitholders. Management uses this performance measure as a basis for recommending to the board of directors the amount of cash distributions to be paid each period and for determining the payouts for the performance-based awards issued under the partnership's equity-based incentive plan.

FCF is a financial metric used by many investors and others in the financial community to measure the amount of cash generated by the partnership after considering all investing activities, including both maintenance and expansion capital spending, as well as proceeds from divestitures. Management believes FCF is important to the financial community as it reflects the amount of cash available for distributions, additional investments, unit repurchases, debt reduction or other partnership uses.

Reconciliations of operating margin to operating profit, adjusted EBITDA, DCF and FCF to net income and FCF to net cash provided by operating activities accompany this news release.

The partnership uses exchange-traded futures contracts to hedge against price changes of petroleum products associated with its commodity-related activities. Most of these futures contracts are not designated as hedges for accounting purposes. However, because these futures contracts are generally effective at hedging price changes, management believes the partnership's profitability should be evaluated excluding the unrealized gains and losses associated with petroleum products that will be sold in future periods. Further, because the financial guidance provided by management excludes future MTM commodity-related pricing adjustments, a reconciliation of actual results to those excluding these adjustments is provided for comparability to previous financial guidance.

Because the non-GAAP measures presented in this news release include adjustments specific to the partnership, they may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures of other companies.

About Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.

Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP) is a publicly traded partnership that primarily transports, stores and distributes refined petroleum products and crude oil. The partnership owns the longest refined petroleum products pipeline system in the country, with access to nearly 50% of the nation's refining capacity, and can store more than 100 million barrels of petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel and crude oil. More information is available at www.magellanlp.com.

###

Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release constitutes forward-looking statements as defined by federal law. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words and phrases such as: plan, guidance, assumes, believes, estimates, expected, continue, ongoing, to come, project, trends, maintain, potential, changes, outlook, future, target, remain, intends, long-term, may, will, should and similar references to future periods. Although management believes such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual outcomes to be materially different. Among the key risk factors that may have a direct impact on the partnership's results of operations and financial condition are: ongoing impacts from the pandemic; impacts of the oversupply of crude oil and petroleum products; changes in price or demand for refined petroleum products, crude oil and natural gas liquids, or for transportation, storage, blending or processing of those commodities through its facilities; changes in laws applicable to the partnership; changes in the partnership's tariff rates or other terms as required by state or federal regulatory authorities; shut-downs or cutbacks at refineries, of hydrocarbon production or at other businesses that use or supply the partnership's services; changes in the throughput or interruption in service on pipelines or other facilities owned and operated by third parties and connected to the partnership's terminals, pipelines or other facilities; the occurrence of operational hazards or unforeseen interruptions; the treatment of the partnership as a corporation for federal or state income tax purposes or the partnership becoming subject to significant forms of other taxation; changes in the partnership's capital needs, cash flows and availability of cash to fund unit repurchases or distributions; and failure of customers to meet or continue contractual obligations to the partnership. Additional factors that could lead to material changes in performance are described in the partnership's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the partnership's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2020 and subsequent reports on Forms 8-K and 10-Q. You are urged to carefully review and consider the cautionary statements and other disclosures made in those filings, especially under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements." Forward-looking statements made by the partnership in this release are based only on information currently known, and the partnership undertakes no obligation to revise its forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (In thousands, except per unit amounts) (Unaudited)



Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,

June 30,

2020

2021

2020

2021 Transportation and terminals revenue $ 399,766



$ 455,276



$ 845,277



$ 867,361

Product sales revenue 34,370



193,073



331,907



406,760

Affiliate management fee revenue 5,316



5,294



10,607



10,596

Total revenue 439,452



653,643



1,187,791



1,284,717

Costs and expenses:













Operating 139,687



149,116



288,386



276,351

Cost of product sales 43,974



171,798



275,541



342,759

Depreciation, amortization and impairment 54,984



52,258



114,787



106,903

General and administrative 41,647



56,089



77,983



102,039

Total costs and expenses 280,292



429,261



756,697



828,052

Other operating income (expense) 3,913



1,904



3,402



1,442

Earnings of non-controlled entities 33,689



40,589



77,349



79,641

Operating profit 196,762



266,875



511,845



537,748

Interest expense 69,259



56,981



125,159



113,960

Interest capitalized (4,228)



(417)



(9,179)



(925)

Interest income (223)



(148)



(643)



(301)

Gain on disposition of assets 



(69,702)



(12,887)



(69,702)

Other (income) expense 1,446



14,828



2,253



15,887

Income from continuing operations before provision for income

taxes 130,508



265,333



407,142



478,829

Provision for income taxes 589



434



1,345



1,223

Income from continuing operations 129,919



264,899



405,797



477,606

Income from discontinued operations 3,924



15,518



15,610



24,129

Net income $ 133,843



$ 280,417



$ 421,407



$ 501,735

































Basic and diluted income from continuing operations per

common unit $ 0.57



$ 1.19



$ 1.79



$ 2.14

















Basic and diluted income from discontinued operations per

common unit $ 0.02



$ 0.07



$ 0.07



$ 0.11

















Basic and diluted net income per common unit $ 0.59



$ 1.26



$ 1.86



$ 2.25

















Weighted average number of common units outstanding used

for basic net income per unit calculation 225,351



222,735



226,461



223,162

















Weighted average number of common units outstanding used

for diluted net income per unit calculation 225,351



222,863



226,461



223,226



















MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. OPERATING STATISTICS



Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,

June 30,

2020

2021

2020

2021 Refined products:













Transportation revenue per barrel shipped $ 1.675



$ 1.690



$ 1.626



$ 1.682

Volume shipped (million barrels):













Gasoline 61.3



78.8



127.5



143.8

Distillates 41.3



52.9



85.1



99.4

Aviation fuel 2.7



7.2



12.1



13.3

Liquefied petroleum gases 







0.4



0.5

Total volume shipped 105.3



138.9



225.1



257.0

















Crude oil:













Magellan 100%-owned assets:













Transportation revenue per barrel shipped $ 1.048



$ 0.816



$ 0.970



$ 0.803

Volume shipped (million barrels)(1) 47.7



49.6



122.8



96.1

Terminal average utilization (million barrels per month) 25.5



25.0



24.1



25.3

Select joint venture pipelines:













BridgeTex - volume shipped (million barrels)(2) 32.2



28.6



69.3



55.5

Saddlehorn - volume shipped (million barrels)(3) 15.1



20.0



31.4



36.1







(1) Volume shipped includes shipments related to the partnership's crude oil marketing activities. (2) These volumes reflect the total shipments for the BridgeTex pipeline, which is owned 30% by Magellan. (3) These volumes reflect the total shipments for the Saddlehorn pipeline, which was owned 40% by Magellan through January 31, 2020 and 30% thereafter.

MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. OPERATING MARGIN RECONCILIATION TO OPERATING PROFIT (Unaudited, in thousands)



Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,

June 30,

2020

2021

2020

2021 Refined products:













Transportation and terminals revenue $ 267,710



$ 337,782



$ 569,145



$ 635,465

Affiliate management fee revenue 1,513



1,609



3,097



3,159

Other operating income (expense) 138



3,167



2,030



3,406

Earnings of non-controlled entities 4,592



8,197



18,812



17,368

Less: Operating expense 96,985



108,145



202,058



199,629

Transportation and terminals margin 176,968



242,610



391,026



459,769

Product sales revenue 25,556



149,682



316,959



334,199

Less: Cost of product sales 39,081



125,108



254,754



265,944

Product margin (13,525)



24,574



62,205



68,255

Operating margin $ 163,443



$ 267,184



$ 453,231



$ 528,024

















Crude oil:













Transportation and terminals revenue $ 133,637



$ 118,683



$ 279,295



$ 234,897

Affiliate management fee revenue 3,803



3,685



7,510



7,437

Other operating income (expense) 3,775



(1,263)



1,372



(1,964)

Earnings of non-controlled entities 29,097



32,392



58,537



62,273

Less: Operating expense 45,917



43,828



92,689



83,030

Transportation and terminals margin 124,395



109,669



254,025



219,613

Product sales revenue 8,814



43,391



14,948



72,561

Less: Cost of product sales 4,893



46,690



20,787



76,815

Product margin 3,921



(3,299)



(5,839)



(4,254)

Operating margin $ 128,316



$ 106,370



$ 248,186



$ 215,359

















Segment operating margin $ 291,759



$ 373,554



$ 701,417



$ 743,383

Add: Allocated corporate depreciation costs 1,634



1,668



3,198



3,307

Total operating margin 293,393



375,222



704,615



746,690

Less:













Depreciation, amortization and impairment expense 54,984



52,258



114,787



106,903

General and administrative expense 41,647



56,089



77,983



102,039

Total operating profit $ 196,762



$ 266,875



$ 511,845



$ 537,748





















Note: Amounts may not sum to figures shown on the consolidated statements of income due to intersegment eliminations and allocated corporate depreciation costs.

MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME AND NET INCOME PER COMMON UNIT EXCLUDING COMMODITY-RELATED ADJUSTMENTS TO GAAP MEASURES (Unaudited, in thousands except per unit amounts)





Three Months Ended





June 30, 2021



Net Income

Basic Net

Income Per

Common Unit

Diluted Net

Income Per

Common Unit

As reported

$ 280,417



$ 1.26



$ 1.26



Commodity-related adjustments associated with future

transactions(1)

26,140











Excluding commodity-related adjustments

$ 306,557



$ 1.38



$ 1.38



















Weighted average number of common units outstanding used for

basic net income per unit calculation

222,735











Weighted average number of common units outstanding used for

diluted net income per unit calculation

222,863

































(1) Includes the partnership's net share of commodity-related adjustments for its non-controlled entities. Please see Distributable Cash Flow ("DCF") and Free Cash Flow ("FCF") Reconciliation to Net Income for further descriptions of commodity-related adjustments.

MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. DISTRIBUTABLE CASH FLOW AND FREE CASH FLOW RECONCILIATION TO NET INCOME (Unaudited, in thousands)



Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended





June 30,

June 30,

2021

Guidance

2020

2021

2020

2021





















Net income $ 133,843



$ 280,417



$ 421,407



$ 501,735



$ 945,000

Interest expense, net 64,808



56,416



115,337



112,734



225,000

Depreciation, amortization and impairment(1) 58,500



59,077



121,586



118,292



238,000

Equity-based incentive compensation(2) 4,256



5,381



(10,289)



3,909



14,000

Gain on disposition of assets(3) 



(68,435)



(10,511)



(68,435)



(68,000)

Commodity-related adjustments:

















Derivative (gains) losses recognized in the

period associated with future transactions(4) 9,982



20,737



(4,938)



23,496





Derivative gains (losses) recognized in previous

periods associated with transactions completed

in the period(4) 47,593



(21,805)



(15,964)



(29,545)





Inventory valuation adjustments(5) (43,899)



2,041



27,831



3,398





Total commodity-related adjustments 13,676



973



6,929



(2,651)



(32,000)

Distributions from operations of non-controlled

entities in excess of (less than) earnings 14,267



2,428



25,350



14,810



55,000

Adjusted EBITDA 289,350



336,257



669,809



680,394



1,377,000

Interest expense, net, excluding debt issuance cost

amortization(6) (50,827)



(55,642)



(100,459)



(111,184)



(222,000)

Maintenance capital(7) (28,982)



(12,592)



(53,302)



(24,676)



(85,000)

Distributable cash flow 209,541



268,023



516,048



544,534



1,070,000

Expansion capital(8) (86,487)



(31,559)



(241,532)



(42,063)



(75,000)

Proceeds from asset sales 83



269,920



332,872



270,576



271,000

Free cash flow 123,137



506,384



607,388



773,047



1,266,000

Distributions paid (231,245)



(228,962)



(466,019)



(458,385)



(914,000)

Free cash flow after distributions $ (108,108)



$ 277,422



$ 141,369



$ 314,662



$ 352,000























(1) Depreciation, amortization and impairment expense is excluded from DCF to the extent it represents a non-cash expense. (2) Because the partnership intends to satisfy vesting of unit awards under its equity-based long-term incentive compensation plan with the issuance of common units, expenses related to this plan generally are deemed non-cash and excluded for DCF purposes. The amounts above have been reduced by cash payments associated with the plan, which are primarily related to tax withholdings. (3) Gains on disposition of assets are excluded from DCF to the extent they are not related to the partnership's ongoing operations. (4) Certain derivatives have not been designated as hedges for accounting purposes and the mark-to-market changes of these derivatives are recognized currently in net income. The partnership excludes the net impact of these derivatives from its determination of DCF until the transactions are settled and, where applicable, the related products are sold. In the period in which these transactions are settled and any related products are sold, the net impact of the derivatives is included in DCF. (5) The partnership adjusts DCF for lower of average cost or net realizable value adjustments related to inventory and firm purchase commitments as well as market valuation of short positions recognized each period as these are non-cash items. In subsequent periods when the partnership physically sells or purchases the related products, it adjusts DCF for the valuation adjustments previously recognized. (6) Interest expense includes debt prepayment costs of $12.9 million in the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, which are excluded from DCF as they are financing activities and not related to the partnership's ongoing operations. (7) Maintenance capital expenditures maintain existing assets of the partnership and do not generate incremental DCF (i.e. incremental returns to the unitholders). For this reason, the partnership deducts maintenance capital expenditures to determine DCF. (8) Includes additions to property, plant and equipment (excluding maintenance capital and capital-related changes in accounts payable and other current liabilities), acquisitions and investments in non-controlled entities, net of distributions from returns of investments in non-controlled entities and deposits from undivided joint interest third parties.

MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. FREE CASH FLOW RECONCILIATION TO NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES (Unaudited, in thousands)





Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended



June 30,

June 30,



2020

2021

2020

2021 Net cash provided by operating activities

$ 178,632



$ 352,716



$ 563,253



$ 592,955

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

44,770



(79,565)



10,596



(21,557)

Net cash provided (used) in investing activities

(150,596)



228,997



(18,803)



197,836

Payments associated with settlement of equity-based incentive

compensation









(14,700)



(6,151)

Settlement gain, amortization of prior service credit and

actuarial loss

(1,413)



(2,818)



(2,526)



(4,464)

Changes in accrued capital items

36,266



(1,879)



56,645



7,350

Commodity-related adjustments(1)

13,676



973



6,929



(2,651)

Other

1,802



7,960



5,994



9,729

Free cash flow

$ 123,137



$ 506,384



$ 607,388



$ 773,047

Distributions paid

(231,245)



(228,962)



(466,019)



(458,385)

Free cash flow after distributions

$ (108,108)



$ 277,422



$ 141,369



$ 314,662

























(1) Please refer to the preceding table for a description of these commodity-related adjustments.

SOURCE Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.

Related Links

http://www.magellanlp.com


Alex Lubar, President of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, has been named President of the McCann advertising agency network in North America. Ghassan Harfouche, Group CEO of the Middle East Communications Network (MCN), McCann Worldgroup's and Interpublic Group's partner network in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, will add responsibilities as President of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific. And Ji Watson, CFO of McCann Worldgroup APAC & Representative Director of McCann Worldgroup Japan, has been named CEO of McCann Worldgroup Japan.

As with Lubar and Watson in their previous roles, Harfouche also will partner closely with Prasoon Joshi, APAC Chairman and CEO & Chief Creative Officer of McCann Worldgroup India, who continues to provide vision and direction to McCann Worldgroup regional leadership.

"Alex, Ghassan and Ji have each demonstrated an impressive ability to drive client growth and creatively effective marketing solutions before and even during the difficult period of the pandemic," said Bill Kolb, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup. "What they've accomplished with their teams in their respective regions, including expanding our integrated communications offering to clients, has been a key element of how we've continued to build our business as we prepare for the era of increased client activity when the pandemic ends. They are all great collaborators who know how to leverage our culture and capabilities to help our clients achieve success."

Lubar moved to Singapore two years ago to assume his Asia Pacific leadership role after an international career with the McCann Worldgroup network. He first joined McCann in New York in 2012 and two years later was promoted to global CMO, overseeing all integrated new business activity for McCann Worldgroup across the globe. In his new North American role, Lubar will drive creativity, growth and further integration across all McCann brand agencies. He will lead a region that has been highly recognized for its business and creative achievements.

"Alex has proven to be one of the most dynamic leaders in our industry and expanded upon the success of every region where he has held a leadership position," said Chris Macdonald, Chairman and CEO, McCann. "I know that Alex will elevate our award-winning operations for the McCann brand across North America to even greater success in providing creatively-effective solutions for our clients."

"I am thrilled to work with McCann teams I know well in North America, especially now, when our agencies are leading the industry in innovation, creativity and growth, and I look forward to helping us build on our success and playing a key role in making McCann Worldgroup the leading global marketing solutions network," said Lubar.

Ghassan Harfouche, who joined MCN in 2011, leads a network in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey that encompasses 14 different Interpublic Group advertising, media and PR agency brands in 15 cities across 13 countries. His experience includes working with many of the agency brands that are part of the core offering of McCann Worldgroup, including FP7 McCann, Commonwealth//McCann, MRM, McCann Health, Momentum, and Weber Shandwick in addition to other IPG media, promotional and ad agency units in that region. The MCN Network has enjoyed tremendous success under his leadership. According to the 2020 Global Effie Index, FP7 McCann Dubai was ranked the most effective individual ad agency in the world and FP7 McCann was nominated as the Most Effective Agency network. Weber Shandwick was named the best agency in the Middle East at PR Week Global Awards and Weber Shandwick UAE was the PRCA's Large Consultancy of the Year. MCN Mediabrands was recognized as the number one media group in MENAT by RECMA every year since 2017; UM, Initiative and Magna occupied the top three positions on RECMA's list; and UM was the number one Media Agency network in MENAT by RECMA and number two in the world.

"I consider myself fortunate to be working with the most innovative and creative global marketing network in McCann Worldgroup because they have been the greatest possible partner in building the most successful network of agencies in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey," said Ghassan Harfouche. "I look forward to seeing our network continue to grow in size and influence."

Harfouche joins Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia and CEO & CCO of McCann Worldgroup India, who is widely recognised as one of the industry's most celebrated leaders, in overseeing the APAC region's operations of 26 offices in 13 markets (including affiliate agencies).

Joshi said, "I congratulate Alex on his move and all he has achieved for our region during his tenure, and look forward to partnering with Ghassan in this next phase. Ghassan's experience working with the highly creative and effective agencies we have in the Middle East and North Africa will make him a great and fitting partner in the Asia Pacific region. His deep understanding of integrated marketing solutions will also greatly benefit our clients who are increasingly expanding the ways in which they are connecting with consumers."

Ji Watson, who takes over as CEO of McCann Worldgroup Japan, while retaining her role as CFO of McCann Worldgroup APAC & Representative Director of McCann Worldgroup Japan, has nearly 30 years of marketing industry experience. She spent the first 20+ years of her career in senior management roles on the client side, working for Turner Broadcasting, Coca-Cola and Samsung. She moved to the agency side with global roles at Ogilvy for seven years before she joined McCann APAC in 2016.

"Ji is central to the growth and expansion of our operations across APAC," said Bill Kolb. "Over the past two years, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific has placed increased focus on bolstering individual markets under strong local market leadership, as we leverage scale and expertise across the region to deliver the best possible solutions for our clients. Ji's expertise in the Japanese market and her experience in leading our agencies in the region are critical to our success in APAC."

"I am thrilled by this opportunity to lead our operations in Japan and continue to serve our agencies in APAC," said Ji Watson. "We see tremendous room for growth and to expand our clients' brands and businesses in APAC and on a global scale."

In addition to Joshi's APAC leadership and management of South Asia, and Ji Watson's dual roles in Japan and in APAC, other sub-regional hubs are led by:

Emily Chang , CEO, McCann Worldgroup China  former CMO for Starbucks and Apple and a passionate advocate for inclusive leadership;

, CEO, McCann Worldgroup China  former CMO for Starbucks and Apple and a passionate advocate for inclusive leadership; Nick Handel , President, McCann Worldgroup Southeast Asia, and APAC Regional Director for MRM  over 10 years with the network in Asia , leading multi-award winning agencies and the network's APAC MRM business.

Bill Kolb, global Chairman & CEO, McCann Worldgroup said: "APAC is a region of enormous significance for us as it encompasses the second and third largest advertising markets (China and Japan). Greater connectivity between the regions will lead to increased opportunities. We have some of our best talent in the network focused on APAC and I'm excited to see what the future holds."

McCann Worldgroup has been consistently recognized globally as among the world's leading networks both in creativity and effectiveness. McCann Worldgroup was named the 2021 Webby Awards Network of the Year for the second consecutive year. It was ranked by the Global Effie Effectiveness Index as the most Creatively Effective Network three years in a Row (2018, 2019, and 2020) and was named the #1 advertising agency network for creative effectiveness in the 2020 WARC Effective 100 rankings. It has been accorded recent "Global Network of the Year" honors at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and by both Adweek and Campaign magazines.

ABOUT McCANN WORLDGROUP

McCann Worldgroup, part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), is a creatively driven global marketing company whose professionals are united across 100+ countries by a single mission: To help brands earn a meaningful role in people's lives. McCann Worldgroup was named "Global Agency of The Year" by Adweek magazine, "Network of the Year" by the Cannes Lions, the world's most creatively-effective marketing services company by the Effie Awards (for three consecutive years), "Global Network of the Year" by Campaign Magazine and "Network of The Year" by The Webby Awards two years in a row. The network comprises McCann (advertising), MRM (science/technology/relationship marketing), Momentum Worldwide (total brand experience), McCann Health (professional/dtc communications), CRAFT (production), Weber Shandwick (public relations) and FutureBrand (consulting/design).

SOURCE McCann Worldgroup

Related Links

http://www.mccannworldgroup.com


MINNEAPOLIS, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- President Joseph Biden has authorized Minnesota as the official designated location for the United States bid to host a World's Fair officially designated a Specialized Expo in 2027. This candidature has now been formally submitted to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the coordinating agency for Expos. This Presidential designation affirms the recommendation of the Secretary of Commerce and has the strong support of the U.S. State Department.

"The official notification of the BIE of our bid is a very important next step," stated David Loehr, architect at DLR Group and co-chair of Minnesota USA Expo, the public-private partnership working to secure the right to host the first Specialised Expo in the US since the 1980s. If approved by a vote of the BIE membership at their General Assembly of all 169 member nations in 2022, the Minnesota Expo would be the first World's Fair ever specifically on health and wellness.

Mark Ritchie, President of Global Minnesota and Board Chair of the World's Fair Bid Committee Educational Fund, stated "with this crucial support, we can move to the next step - securing global support for Minnesota's bid."

Leni Moore, co-chair of Minnesota USA Expo, added that "Strong support from our federal congressional delegation and our local leaders has been important to our success thus far. Our focus on health and wellness aligns perfectly with the high-level of public interest created by the pandemic."

Steffen Hovard, Interim President & CEO, Medical Alley, a Minnesota-based association representing 700 established and startup companies in the field of medicine and healthcare, is uniquely positioned to display the latest innovations in a wide range of healthcare markets. "Hosting a Specialised Expo in Minnesota in 2027 will create the opportunity for the world to see up-close a broad spectrum of these advancements and showcase the vibrant, growing healthcare ecosystem in our region. We look forward to working with Minnesota USA Expo to develop an Expo that will support the goal of health care and we'll-being for all and will demonstrate why Medical Alley is truly a Global Epicenter of Health Innovation and Care."

More Information:

https://www.minnesotausaexpo.com

https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaUSAExpo2027/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/minnesota-usa-expo-2027

https://twitter.com/usaexpo2027

SOURCE Minnesota USA Expo

Related Links

www.minnesotausaexpo.com


Now in its 25 th year, and based solely on owner input, AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award measures owner satisfaction within individual categories ranging from driving performance and features' usability to seating comfort and interior design. "Our VSAs give consumers true, unbiased insight into which vehicles are providing their owners with the most satisfying experience," said AutoPacific president George Peterson.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross equaled or surpassed competitors in 32 of the 36 measured attributes, receiving strong praise for safety features and safety ratings, as well as owners' perception of durability and quality. AutoPacific added, "This is an excellent victory for the Mitsubishi brand who continues to take sales from the more popular Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson and Subaru Crosstrek."

"We strive to ensure Mitsubishi vehicles exceed the expectations of the most important criticsour owners," said Cason Grover, Director of Product Planning, MMNA. "To obtain top-in-class satisfaction marks from our Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross family of owners reinforces that we are delivering performance, design and safety that is changing the way consumers view the brand and its new, redesigned lineup of vehicles."

While the AutoPacific award was bestowed upon the 2020 model, the company believes the 2022 Eclipse Cross will repeat this success, having just undergone a substantial redesign. The sporty 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross recently received the same 5-Star Overall Safety Rating as the 2020 model, the highest-possible overall rating a vehicle can obtain, from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The design-forward 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross brings sophistication to the next level, featuring significant styling enhancements, producing a sporty SUV appearance that looks sleek, stable, upscale and unique.

In addition to Eclipse Cross, Mitsubishi recently refreshed its entire lineup, led by the all-new 2022 Outlander. The best equipped and most connected vehicle the company has ever sold in the U.S., Outlander has received strong accolades industry-wide, and as a result, powered significant sales growth in the last quarter while attracting new customers to the brand.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Through a network of approximately 330 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, marketing and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U.S. MMNA was the top-ranked Japanese brand in the J.D. Power 2020 Initial Quality study, ranking sixth overall and experiencing the greatest year-over-year improvement of any brand. In its 2030 Environmental Plan, MMNA's parent company, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, has set a goal of a 40 percent reduction in the CO2 emissions of its new cars by 2030 through leveraging EVs  with PHEVs as the centerpiece  to help create a sustainable society.

With headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, and corporate operations in California, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, Florida and Virginia, MMNA directly and indirectly employs more than 8,000 people across the United States.

For more information on Mitsubishi vehicles, please contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at 615-257-2698 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

Contacts

Jeremy Barnes

Senior Director, Communications and Events

[email protected]

Mobile: 714-296-1402

Lauren Ryan

Manager, Communications and Events

[email protected]

Mobile: 404-862-8286

SOURCE Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Related Links

www.mitsubishicars.com


PORTLAND, Ore., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the report the, global monoclonal antibodies market was pegged at $146.64 billion in 2020 and is estimated to reach $390.58 billion by 2030, manifesting a CAGR of 10.2% from 2021 to 2030.

Rise in prevalence of various cancer types, increase in demand for cost-efficient biosimilar monoclonal antibodies, and surge in likelihood of epidemic or pandemic outbreaks fuel the growth of the global monoclonal antibodies market. However, low demand in underdeveloped countries hampers the growth to some extent. Nevertheless, several growth opportunities in emerging markets are expected to unlock worthwhile opportunities for the market.

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COVID-19 scenario-

Increase in necessity for treatments available on a global scale has propelled rapid development of a large number of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).

As a result, COVID-19 infection boosted growth and opportunities for the key players of the monoclonal antibodies market.

The human segment to dominate throughout the forecast period-

Based on source, the human segment held the highest market share in 2020, with more than two-fifths of the total revenue share. The segment, furthermore, is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. In addition, the segment is also expected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 11.0% throughout the forecast period. This is attributed to increase in integration of advanced technology such as phage or yeast display, and transgenic mice, for human monoclonal antibodies generation, increase in usage for treatment of various chronic diseases, employment of advanced genetic engineering technology, increase in government support in infection control & management, and increase in number of product approvals.

The cancer segment to lead the trail throughout the forecast period-

Based on indication, the cancer segment accounted for the highest revenue share in 2020, holding nearly three-fifths of the total market share in 2020, and is anticipated to lead throughout 2030. The segment, furthermore, is also expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 10.7% throughout the forecast period. Increase in prevalence of cancer, and growth in adoption of monoclonal antibodies in cancer treatment drive the growth of the segment. In addition, increase in number of drug pipelines, rise in demand for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies, and surge in awareness level among the patient population regarding cancer treatment procedures further fuels the growth.

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North America to hold the highest revenue share throughout the forecast period-

Based on region, North America held the major share in 2020, with more than two-fifths of the global market. This is due to rise in awareness levels among patients & physicians pertaining to the applications of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) therapy, and rise in approval of blockbuster mAbs for a variety of applications. On the other hand, the market across Asia-Pacific, on the other hand, would cite the fastest CAGR of 11.7% during the forecast period. This is owing to rise in research on biomedical and regenerative medicine, rise in awareness related to monoclonal antibodies, and availability of trained medical professionals.

Key market players-

Abbott Laboratories

AstraZeneca plc.

Amgen Inc.

Eli Lilly

GlaxoSmithKline Plc.

Bayer AG

Johnson & Johnson

Pfizer

Merck & Co. Inc

Novartis

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JUPITER, Fla., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dawn Pfaff, founder and president of My State MLS, has been selected as a winner of the GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum's 2021 Woman of Influence award, within the Innovator category. GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum magazine is a publication for the nation's leading decision makers in all segments of the commercial property industry.

Pfaff is recognized as an accomplished and impactful leader within commercial real estate, and is highlighted in the July/August 2021 issue of GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum.

Dawn Pfaff, Founder and President of My State MLS

The 2021 Women of Influence were also honored at GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum's second annual GlobeSt. Women of Influence Awards Dinner, which took place in Park City, Utah on July 22, 2021.

Pfaff is a technology entrepreneur who has been involved in the real estate industry for the past 20 years from nearly every angle possible; she is an appraiser, agent, broker, dealer for manufactured housing, licensed instructor to teach continuing education and investor.

She founded NY State MLS in 2009 to fill a void in the market and offer agents and brokers their own statewide MLS, featuring streamlined listing options, ownership of data and a variety of enhanced tools to fit their unique needs. In 2015, the company expanded to My State MLS in response to a nationwide demand. In December 2020, Pfaff and My State MLS launched MHAuthority.com, a premier website for manufactured housing listings.

Today, My State MLS covers all 50 states and Puerto Rico with more than 50,000 members, making it one of the largest MLS platforms in the country.

In 2020 and throughout the pandemic, under Pfaff's leadership, My State MLS has been instrumental in helping its members pivot to accommodate new restrictions and regulations. In addition to the extensive work it does for real estate professionals, under Pfaff's leadership, My State MLS's team is also committed to educating and supporting the real estate industry as a whole. Throughout stay-at-home orders, My State MLS provided multiple classes per week teaching agents to adapt to changing regulations.

"It is a great honor to be named a 2021 Woman of Influence within the Innovator category," said Pfaff. "I consistently look for new ways to expand or improve our software and services, as well as create new products to benefit our members. My personal goal has always been to sell the best product, at the lowest possible price, to the most people."

About My State MLS

In 2009, Dawn Pfaff founded NY State MLS, a full multiple listings service (MLS) serving all 62 New York counties. Born from a desire to create a common-sense MLS solution, New York's statewide Multiple Listing Service quickly garnered agents across the state, as well as nationwide attention and demand for the company's services. In 2015, My State MLS, the first nationwide Multiple Listing Service of its kind, was created and today it has agents in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. LA State MLS debuted in October 2020. In December 2020, Pfaff and My State MLS launched MHAuthority.com, a premier website for manufactured housing listings. In addition to its MLSs, My State MLS's services and products have expanded to include direct feeds to all major sites (Zillow, Trulia, Homes.com, Realtor.com and ListHub), international syndication, IDX feed, branded virtual tours, access to Professional Search, website design, private MLS administration and much more. For more information visit, www.mystatemls.com.

Media Contact:

Duree & Company, Inc.

954.723.9350 / [email protected]

SOURCE My State MLS

Related Links

http://www.mystatemls.com


SHENZHEN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nam Tai Property Inc. ("Nam Tai" or the "Company") (NYSE Symbol: NTP) today announced its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.

SUMMARY

All of our PRC lenders have demanded us to repay their respective outstanding loans immediately due to the significant uncertainty on share ownership and the potential changes in the Board of Directors of the Company. The Company has been in an ongoing dialogue with the lenders to appease them from taking further legal actions, while exploring other potential lenders for refinancing. In addition, the lenders have suspended fund withdrawal of some of our bank accounts in light of freezing orders issued by the relevant PRC courts regarding some lawsuits filed by our suppliers, resulting in a liquidity crunch in our operations. As a result, the Company is unable to meet the progress payment of our contractors and suppliers, causing delays in the construction in progress and disrupting the day-to-day operations. Further, some of our suppliers and contractors have also taken legal actions against the Company for the outstanding payments. In general, our suppliers and contractors have imposed more stringent payment terms, further exacerbating the liquidity of the Company. The Company has been operating in this challenging environment, while striving to meet the completion schedule of Nam Tai Inno Park and the commencement of pre-sale of Nam Tai  Longxi.

In the quarter ended June 30, 2021:

Revenue was $9.5 million in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of $8.7 million year-on-year.

in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of year-on-year. Net loss from operations was $0.3 million in the second quarter of 2021, reduced from net loss from operations of $4.5 million in the second quarter of 2020.

in the second quarter of 2021, reduced from net loss from operations of in the second quarter of 2020. Consolidated net loss was $0.3 million in the second quarter of 2021, reduced from consolidated net loss from operations of $3.8 million in the second quarter of 2020.

in the second quarter of 2021, reduced from consolidated net loss from operations of in the second quarter of 2020. Real estate properties under development, net was $336.1 million as of June 30, 2021 , an increase of $23.9 million from the end of 2020.

as of , an increase of from the end of 2020. Real estate properties held for lease, net was $124.5 million as of June 30, 2021 , an increase of $32.3 million from the end of 2020.

In addition:

The occupancy rate of Nam Tai Inno Park reached 59% by the end of the second quarter, an increase of 11% from the first quarter of 2021.

Approximately 1,200 dormitory units of Nam Tai Inno Park have been delivered to our tenants as of June 30, 2021 .

. The capping of the roof of Nam Tai Technology Center has been completed as of June 30, 2021 .

. We have applied for the pre-sale of Nam Tai  Longxi. Subject to the approval of the local authority, the pre-sale is expected to commence in August 2021 . The sales center and the show flats for the pre-sale have been opened since July 2021 .

The following tables set forth key highlights of the financial information for the periods indicated:

(In thousands of US dollars, except per share data, percentages and as otherwise stated)





Quarterly Results

Six Months Results



Q2 2021

Q2 2020

YoY(%)(a)

6M 2021

6M 2020

YoY(%)(a) Revenue

$ 9,547

$ 843



1,032.5%

$ 78,594

$ 1,542

4,996.9% Gross profit

$ 5,469

$ 160



3,318.1%

$ 50,439

$ 242

20,742.6% Net (loss) income from operations

$ (306)

$ (4,489)







$ 35,934

$ (8,211)





% of revenue



(3.2) %

(532.5) %







45.7 %

(532.5) %



per share (diluted)

$ (0.01)

$ (0.11)







$ 0.91

$ (0.21)





Consolidated net (loss) income

$ (292)

$ (3,784)







$ 25,339

$ (6,960)





% of revenue



(3.1) %

(448.9) %







32.2 %

(451.4) %



Basic (loss) income per share

$ (0.01)

$ (0.10)



(90.0)%

$ 0.65

$ (0.18)



 Diluted (loss) income per share

$ (0.01)

$ (0.10)



(90.0)%

$ 0.65

$ (0.18)



 Weighted average number of shares ('000)



































Basic



39,226



39,144









39,212



38,888





Diluted



39,330



39,144









39,280



38,888











































Notes: (a) Percentage change is not applicable if either of the two periods contains a loss or no amount.





Financial Position



As of June 30,



As of December 31,



As of June 30,



2021



2020



2020 Cash and cash equivalents(a)

$ 4,378



$ 60,980



$ 68,091 Short-term investments(b)

$ 66,662



$ 150,150



$  Restricted cash

$ 100,582



$ 2,065



$ 1,134 Real estate properties under development, net

$ 336,116



$ 312,185



$ 370,674 Real estate properties held for sales type lease

$ 7,638



$ 31,558



$  Real estate properties held for lease, net

$ 124,489



$ 92,207



$  Property, plant and equipment, net

$ 26,132



$ 26,568



$ 25,026 Total assets

$ 694,384



$ 701,210



$ 490,140 Amount due to a shareholder

$ 146,869



$ 146,869



$  Current portion of long term bank loans

$ 121,517



$ 122,883



$ 3,297 Accounts payable

$ 80,653



$ 61,559



$ 40,111 Advance from customers

$ 5,242



$ 69,722



$ 95,884 Long term bank loans

$ 



$ 



$ 121,548 Total shareholders' equity

$ 277,122



$ 248,828



$ 208,435 Total number of common shares issued

$ 39,258



$ 39,198



$ 38,935























Notes:





















(a) Cash and cash equivalents included all cash balances and certificates of deposit having a maturity date of three months or less upon acquisition. (b) Short term investments included investments with original maturities of three months and less than 12 months, and investments that were expected to be realized in cash in the next 12 months. As of June 30, 2021, the Company had short term investments of principal amount of $66.7 million, which were from the proceeds of a private placement completed on October 5, 2020 (the "Private Placement"), investing into a supply chain finance fund managed by Credit Suisse (the "Fund") with underlying notes insured by insurance companies with a credit rating of at least A by Standard & Poor's or A2 by Moody's, which was terminated with effect as of March 4, 2021 due to some of the fund's assets being subject to considerable valuation uncertainty and reduced availability of insurance coverage for new investments, and was subsequently in liquidation. We were notified by Credit Suisse that the liquidation proceeds were to be repaid by instalments.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2021

Key Highlights of Financial Position























As of June 30,



As of December 31,

As of June 30,





2021



2020

2020

Current ratio(a)

0.86



0.87

0.46

Debt ratio(b)

60.1 %

64.5 % 57.5 % Return on equity(c)

9.6 %

6.8 % (6.6) % Ratio of total liabilities to total equity

1.51



1.82

1.35



















Notes:















(a) Current ratio is calculated with all current assets divided by all current liabilities. (b) Debt ratio is calculated with all total liabilities divided by total assets. (c) Return on equity is calculated with consolidated net income (loss) divided by average of total shareholders' equity at beginning and end of

the period.

FINANCIAL RESULTS

Revenue

Revenue for the second quarter of 2021 was $9.5 million, compared to $0.8 million for the second quarter of 2020. Revenue for the second quarter of 2021 mainly consisted of the lease income of $5.5 million recognized following the delivery of the dormitory units and operating lease income of $1.8 million from Nam Tai Inno Park, operating lease income of $1.1 million from existing buildings located on the sites of Inno Valley, Wuxi, Shanghai, and the leased space at Nam Tai  Tang Xi Technology Park. Revenue for the second quarter of 2020 mainly consisted of rental income of $0.8 million from existing factory buildings located on the sites of Inno Valley, Wuxi and the leased space at Nam Tai  Tang Xi Technology Park.

Gross Profit

Gross profit for the second quarter of 2021 was $5.5 million compared to $0.2 million in the second quarter of 2020. Gross profit for the second quarter of 2021 mainly consisted of revenue of $9.5 million, offset by cost of $4.0 million for the period. Gross profit for the second quarter of 2020 mainly consisted of revenue of $0.8 million, offset by rental cost of $0.6 million for the period.

Net (Loss) Income from Operations

Net loss from operations for the second quarter of 2021 was $0.3 million, compared to net loss from operations of $4.5 million for the second quarter of 2020. Net loss from operations for the second quarter of 2021 mainly consisted of gross profit of $5.5 million, offset in part by our general and administrative expenses of $4.2 million and selling and marketing expenses of $1.6 million for the period. Net loss from operations for the second quarter of 2020 mainly consisted of general and administrative expenses of $2.6 million and selling and marketing expenses of $2.1 million, offset in part by our gross profit of $0.2 million for the period. The increase in general and administrative expenses of $1.6 million in the second quarter of 2021 was mainly due to the increase in legal, agent and professional fees.

Consolidated Net Income (Loss)

Consolidated net loss for the second quarter of 2021 was $0.3 million, compared to consolidated net loss of $3.8 million for the second quarter of 2020. Consolidated net loss for the second quarter of 2021 mainly consisted of net loss from operations of $0.3 million and income tax expenses of $0.4 million, offset in part by other income of $0.3 million and interest income of $0.1 million. Consolidated net loss for the second quarter of 2020 mainly consisted of net loss from operations of $4.5 million and other net loss of $0.02 million, offset in part by interest income of $0.4 million from time deposits and deferred income tax credit of $0.3 million.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents decreased by $56.6 million in the six months of 2021 from $61.0 million as of December 31, 2020 to $4.4 million as of June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily attributable to net cash provided by investing activities of $83.2 million, offset by net cash used in operating activities of $39.2 million and financing activities of $2.0 million, an exchange rate effect of $0.05 million and the increase in restricted cash of $98.5 million. The net cash provided by investing activities was primarily attributable to proceeds from the redemption and distribution of short term investments of $83.5 million in the first six months of 2021.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash increased by $98.5 million in the six months of 2021 from $2.1 million as of December 31, 2020 to $100.6 million as of June 30, 2021, as our lending banks have restricted the remittance from the bank accounts of some of our subsidiaries in the PRC in light of freezing orders issue by the relevant PRC courts regarding some lawsuits filed by our suppliers in the PRC and an injunctive order was imposed on the Company by the High Court of Justice of the British Virgin Islands of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in March 2021, which has restricted us from dealing with the proceeds raised from the Private Placement.

Real Estate Properties under Development, Net

Real estate properties under development, net increased by $23.9 million in the six months of 2021 from $312.2 million as of December 31, 2020 to $336.1 million as of June 30, 2021, primarily attributable to the increase of $25.1 million for the construction of Nam Tai Technology Center, $15.2 million for the construction of Nam Tai  Longxi, and decrease of $16.8 million for the construction of Nam Tai Inno Park. During the six months of 2021, the Company completed Tower 5 of Nam Tai Inno Park which was then transferred to real estate properties held for lease, net.

Real Estate Properties Held for Sales Type Lease

Real estate properties held for sales type lease are stated at the lower of carrying amounts or fair value less selling costs. Real estate properties held for sales type lease decreased by $23.9 million from $31.6 million as of December 31, 2020 to $7.6 million as of June 30, 2021. The decrease was mainly due to delivery of part of Towers 8, 9 and 10 during the six months of 2021.

Real Estate Properties Held for Lease, Net

Real estate properties held for lease, net are recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation. Real estate properties held for lease, net increased by $32.3 million from $92.2 million as of December 31, 2020 to $124.5 million as of June 30, 2021. The increase was mainly due to the transfer of Tower 5 of Nam Tai Inno Park from real estate properties under development during the six months of 2021.

Accounts Payable

Accounts payable increased by $19.1 million in the six months of 2021 from $61.6 million as of December 31, 2020 to $80.7 million as of June 30, 2021. The increase was mainly due to the increase of project payable of $9.5 million, $1.9 million and $8.7 million for Nam Tai Technology Center, Nam Tai Inno Park and Nam Tai  Longxi, respectively, offset partially by the decrease of project payable of $1.0 million for other subsidiaries, respectively.

Advance from Customers

Advance from customers decreased by $64.5 million in the six months of 2021 from $69.7 million as of December 31, 2020 to $5.2 million as of June 30, 2021. The decrease was mainly attributed to the recognition of revenue of $72.4 million from the prepaid rent for the units delivered to customers of Nam Tai Inno Park during the period, offset by $7.9 million of rent and other fees received in advance during the period.

Current Portion of Long Term Bank Loans

The current portion of long term bank loans decreased by $1.4 million in the six months of 2021 from $122.9 million as of December 31, 2020 to $121.5 million as of June 30, 2021, due to $2.6 million of loan repayments and $1.2 million of exchange loss in the period. In March 2021, the Company received demand letters from Bank of China, Bank of Beijing, Industrial Bank, and Xiamen International Bank (the "Lending Banks"), regarding payment in full of amounts due under the respective loan agreements with the banks. Following the demand letters, the Lending Banks have restricted the remittance from the accounts of the subsidiaries of the Company in their banks in the PRC. The Company continues to negotiate with the Lending Banks. All bank borrowings were re-classified as current liabilities as of December 31, 2020.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of June 30, 2021, the Company had a total cash and cash equivalents of $4.4 million. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had a total cash and cash equivalents of $61.0 million.

The Company continues to discuss liquidity solutions with the lending banks and other financial institutions, and will provide a further update in due course.

Going Concern

The unaudited consolidated financial information of the Company for the second quarter of 2021 has been prepared on the assumption that the Company will continue as a going concern which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. As of June 30, 2021, the Company had net current liabilities of $55.0 million which, among other conditions and uncertainties, raised substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.

In addition to the continuing negotiations with the Lending Banks and certain other creditors, the Company is evaluating several methods of financing, such as additional external financings, acceleration of the leasing of Nam Tai Inno Park, and pre-sale of Nam Tai Technology Center and Nam Tai  Longxi, failing which rights offering and project disposal will also be considered. Currently, the Company intends to raise loans from financial institutions and potential funders to maintain our operations.

However, there are significant uncertainties pertaining to the management of the Company as a result of the postponing of a special meeting of shareholders. For more information, see "Recent Developments  Dispute with IsZo Capital LP ("IsZo")". The current Board and management are committed to taking actions to preserve the best interests of all shareholders.

Please see the Company's Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for further details. The information contained herein has also been published on the Company's website at https://www.namtai.com/quarterly/index.html.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

Leasing Progress

As of June 30, 2021, we had leasable area of approximately 365,000 square meters, of which around 85% was located in Shenzhen and 15% was located in Wuxi and Shanghai. As of June 30, 2021, the occupancy rate of our Shenzhen projects was approximately 63%, and that of our Wuxi and Shanghai projects was approximately 99%. The occupancy rate of Nam Tai Inno Park was 59%, an increase of 11 percentage points from the quarter ended March 31, 2021.

Projects

Leasable Area as of June

30, 2021 Leased Area as of June 30,

2021 Occupancy Rate Shenzhen

310,193 193,901 63% Nam Tai Inno Park

264,337 157,061 59% Nam Tai Inno Valley

38,270 30,241 79% Nam Tai  Tang Xi Technology Park

7,586 6,599 87% Wuxi & Shanghai

54,809 54,390 99% Wuxi facilities

50,828 50,828 100% Nam Tai  U-Creative Space (Lujiazui)

3,981 3,562 89% Total

365,002 248,292 68%

Project Construction and Development Progress

For Nam Tai Inno Park , all constructions have been completed and approximately 1,200 dormitory units have been delivered to our tenants as of July 28, 2021 . We attracted approximately 60 new corporate tenants in the second quarter of 2021, mostly from healthcare, technology and related industries. We will continue to promote the leasing of industrial office and commercial spaces in the second half of 2021.

, all constructions have been completed and approximately 1,200 dormitory units have been delivered to our tenants as of . We attracted approximately 60 new corporate tenants in the second quarter of 2021, mostly from healthcare, technology and related industries. We will continue to promote the leasing of industrial office and commercial spaces in the second half of 2021. For Nam Tai Technology Center, roof capping for Towers A, B, C and D has been completed as of June 30, 2021 . Currently, we are conducting masonry and plastering works, and mechanical and electrical works for the four towers. We have not met the conditions for applying the pre-sale permit for the project.

. Currently, we are conducting masonry and plastering works, and mechanical and electrical works for the four towers. We have not met the conditions for applying the pre-sale permit for the project. For Nam Tai Inno Valley , we are in the process of obtaining approval for our urban renewal application. Before obtaining the approval from the local authorities, we will continue to lease the units in Inno Valley for short-term tenancy. The occupancy rate of Inno Valley was 79% as of June 30, 2021 .

, we are in the process of obtaining approval for our urban renewal application. Before obtaining the approval from the local authorities, we will continue to lease the units in Inno Valley for short-term tenancy. The occupancy rate of Inno Valley was 79% as of . For Nam Tai  Longxi, the main structures of the towers of the project are under construction. Subject to the approval of the local authority, the Company expects to obtain the pre-sale permit and commence the pre-sale in August 2021 . The sales center for the pre-sale has been opened since July 2021 and show flats are available for public viewing. The Company will continue to make every endeavor to facilitate the pre-sale amid the liquidity issues. However, there is no assurance that the pre-sale permit will be obtained and the pre-sale will be a success. Further, there is no assurance that we will receive payments regarding the pre-sale in a timely manner from the purchaser of Nam Tai  Longxi and/or their respective mortgagees, which may adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.

Industrial Operation Progress

In the second quarter of 2021, we held several events to provide various services to our corporate tenants in respect of talent recruitment, technology facilitation, financing and policy consulting, aiming to support the growth of our corporate tenants and the technology community.

In respect of talent recruitment, we held a talent fair and partnered with six human resource agents to assist our corporate tenants. In respect of technology facilitation, we have established the "Nam Tai Inno Park Medical Device 3C Industry Platform" in Nam Tai Inno Park in April 2021 , aiming to facilitate cooperation and technology exchange among enterprises from biopharmaceuticals and medical device sectors.

, aiming to facilitate cooperation and technology exchange among enterprises from biopharmaceuticals and medical device sectors. In respect of financing, we co-organized the "2021 Investment and Financing for Smart Industry Roadshow" with the First Roadshow Co., Ltd. in Nam Tai Inno Park in May 2021 . The event, hosted by the Science and Technology Innovation Association of Guangming Science City, attracted nearly 80 investment institutions to participate and facilitate potential investments for the projects presented in the roadshow. In respect of policy consulting, we held the "1st Nam Tai National High-tech Enterprise Cultivation and Innovation Training Class" and provided one-on-one policy counseling services for 38 enterprises in the second quarter of 2021.

Real Estate Market update

In order to promote the healthy development of the housing market, the PRC government has been rolling out restrictive measures with the objectives to curb the rapid price increase in housing and speculation activities.

The Company is planning to launch the pre-sale of Nam Tai  Longxi situated in Dongguan in the second half of 2021. In particular on Dongguan housing market, the local government has also promulgated restrictive measures to curb rapid rise in housing price. For instance, on February 27, 2021, the Bureau of Housing and Urban Rural Development of Dongguan, Municipal Natural Resources Bureau and six other departments jointly issued a "Notice on the Further Regulating of the Real Estate Market Regulation" to curb speculation and excessive price increases. On April 29, 2021, the Bureau of Housing and Urban Rural Development of Dongguan, the Trade and Industry Department of Dongguan and the Immovable Property Registry of Dongguan have jointly issued a "Notice on Further Guiding the Selling Price of Commodity Housing" to restrict the pricing of the newly marketed commodity housing. Further, on July 9, 2021, the Bureau of Housing and Urban Rural Development of Dongguan has issued a "Notice on Declaring the Pricing of the New Commodity Housing Project" stipulating the rules to control the price of the new commodity housing and land tendering so as to curb speculation and excessive price increases.

Despite the implementation of these policies, the land sales market in Dongguan remains buoyant. On July 22, 2021, a parcel of residential and commercial land situated in Machong town, which is in close proximity to our Nam Tai  Longxi project, attracted 11 participants for public bidding and was transacted at a premium of 39.7% with an effective per-square-meter price of RMB14,008. This transaction, compared to the purchase price of the land where Nam Tai  Longxi is (i.e. approximately RMB10,950 per square meter), reflects our foresight to the market of GuangdongHong KongMacau Greater Bay Area, and our abilities to create value for shareholders through strategic expansion. Hence, we believe that despite the restrictive government measures, the growth of the real estate market remains steady and it is conducive for a healthy and sustainable development of our business.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Dispute with IsZo Capital LP ("IsZo")

On April 7, 2021, we filed an application to appeal the March 3, 2021 judgment issued by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the High Court of Justice in the British Virgin Islands where it was held that the Private Placement was void and should be set aside (the "Appeal"). On April 20, 2021, the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal in the British Virgin Islands (the "Court of Appeal") has granted an order postponing the special meeting of shareholders previously scheduled for April 26, 2021 at a later date to be determined pending judgment of the Appeal.

West Ridge Investment Company Limited ("West Ridge"), being the 3rd Defendant in the dispute with IsZo, filed a Notice of Application for judgment requesting the Company to refund the consideration paid for the purpose of the Private Placement and other costs incurred in relation to the dispute with IsZo. By an order approved on June 28, 2021, the said application was adjourned with permission to restore after the handing down of judgment by the Court of Appeal regarding the Appeal.

Further, IsZo filed a certificate of urgency to, among others things, restrain the Company and Greater Sail Limited ("GSL"), being the 2nd Defendant in the dispute with IsZo, from taking any further steps in relation to an arbitration in Hong Kong whereby GSL has requested the Company to refund the consideration paid for the purpose of the Private Placement. The hearing in relation to such certificate of urgency was adjourned, and the Company and GSL have undertaken to take necessary steps to stay the arbitration in Hong Kong as stated in an order dated May 28, 2021.

The Appeal was heard before the Court of Appeal from June 14, 2021 to June 16, 2021. However, there is no indication as to when the Court of Appeal will hand down its judgment.

Supply Chain Finance Fund Managed by Credit Suisse

We have placed $150 million out of the proceeds from the Private Placement to the Fund with the objective of seeking a stable and enhanced return through an insured cash management solution. The Fund was managed by Credit Suisse with underlying notes insured by insurance companies with a credit rating of at least A by Standard & Poor's or A2 by Moody's. In January 2021, the Company received a redemption amount of $15 million from the Fund. The Fund was terminated with effect as of March 4, 2021 due to some of the fund's assets being subject to considerable valuation uncertainty and reduced availability of insurance coverage for new investments, and was subsequently in liquidation. We have been notified by Credit Suisse that the liquidation proceeds will be repaid by instalments. As of July 7, 2021, the Company received three instalments in aggregate of $70.7 million (the "Sum") from the Fund. We are restricted from dealing with the Sum as it belongs to the proceeds from the Private Placement. Please see "Financial Result  Restricted Cash" for more information.

We continue to negotiate with Credit Suisse and are committed to act in the best interest of the Company. Further, the Securities & Futures Commission of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Monetary Authority have confirmed receipt of our complaint sent on April 19, 2021. We will render every assistance so requested by the aforementioned regulators to the extent necessary and appropriate, and as advised by our external counsels. However, there is no assurance that we can fully recover our principal from the Fund.

Lawsuits filed by our suppliers

As of July 28, 2021, the Group has received a total of seven writs of summons from our suppliers in the PRC seeking orders from the relevant PRC courts to settle the alleged outstanding construction fees/payments amounting to an aggregate of approximately RMB80.7 million, in which the respective PRC courts have issued rulings to freeze bank accounts of the relevant subsidiaries of our Group amounting to approximately RMB21.9 million in relation to four of the aforementioned writs of summons. We are negotiating with the relevant suppliers, and seeking legal advice from external counsel to prepare for the upcoming hearings. Further, an arbitration in the PRC regarding a dispute over a design fee of one of our suppliers in the PRC was concluded whereby the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration ordered that one of our subsidiaries in the PRC was to pay the supplier a sum as recognized and enforced via an award from the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in June 2021. The said awarded sum was subsequently deducted from the bank account of the relevant subsidiary.

OPERATING RESULTS





As of June 30, 2021 (By Floor Area)

(in square meter) Project Completed

295,365 Project Under Development

345,451 Project For Future Development

170,200 Total

811,016

Project Portfolio - As of June 30, 2021

Project



Nam Tai Inno Park

Nam Tai Technology Center

Nam Tai Inno Valley

Nam Tai  Longxi City



Shenzhen

Shenzhen

Shenzhen

Dongguan Type(a)



Office and Dormitory

Office and Dormitory

Office and Dormitory

Residential and

Commercial

Property Site Area (sq.m.)



103,739

22,364

22,367

33,763 Capacity GFA



265,139

139,746

N/A

84,408 Total GFA (sq.m.)



331,701

194,595

170,200(b)

114,520 Total

GFA Completed(c)



295,365

-

-

- Under

Development

(sq.m.)



36,336(d)

194,595

-

114,520 Future

Development

(sq. m.)



-

-

170,200(b)

- Interest

Attributable To

Us



100%

100%

100%

100% Address



Fenghuang

Community,

Guangming District,

Shenzhen

Namtai Road, Baoan District, Shenzhen

Dongtai Village,

Machong Town,

Dongguan























Notes:





















(a) The types of our projects are based on our development plans or certificates issued by the relevant authority subject to adjustment upon the final approval. (b) The gross floor area is based on the assumption that we will receive M-0 zoning approval for the entire Inno Valley site prior to its redevelopment. If we do not receive the M-0 zoning approval, we will be required to develop Inno Valley under the M-1 zoning requirements. In that case, appropriate adjustments to our plan will have to be made. The existing gross floor area of Inno Valley is 41,927 square meters. According to "Shenzhen Industrial Block Range Line Management Measures", the location of Nam Tai Inno Valley is within the designated industrial block range, of which the government strictly controls the proportion of M-0 zoning on industrial land. Therefore, the proportion of M-0 zoning, floor area ratio and construction area of Inno Valley are subject to the final approval of the government which is uncertain at this time. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to develop Inno Valley according to the floor area currently disclosed. (c) Properties completed refer to the status following the completion of the construction of the properties, the registration of the completion acceptance and the internal acceptance criteria. (d) As of July 28, all constructions of Nam Tai Inno Park have been completed.

Properties Under Development

The table below sets forth certain information of our property projects under development as of June 30, 2021, comprising properties under development with the foundation work construction permits obtained but the construction work was still in progress.



Project

Nam Tai Inno Park

Nam Tai Technology

Center

Nam Tai  Longxi City

Shenzhen

Shenzhen

Dongguan (Estimated) Total GFA (sq. m.)

331,701

194,595

114,520 (Estimated) Leasable GFA (sq. m.)

264,337

-

- (Estimated) Saleable GFA (sq. m.)

-

130,166

64,408(a) Commencement of Construction

May 2017

December 2018

July 2020 Status of Pre-sale Permit

Not eligible

To be obtained

To be obtained (Estimated) Completion Time

July 2021

2022

2022 Interest Attributable to Us

100%

100%

100%













Notes: (a) Excluding parking space and construction area that needs to be handed over to the local government free of charge. The final floor area is subject to the approval of the government.

Properties for Future Development

The table below sets forth certain information of our property projects held for future development as of June 30, 2021, comprising properties for which we have obtained the land use right certificate and are in the process of obtaining the foundation work construction permits, or we have entered into land grant contracts or are in the process of applying for special planning although the land use right certificate is not yet obtained.

Project

Nam Tai Inno Valley City

Shenzhen Estimated Total GFA(1) (sq. m.)

170,200 Estimated Completion Time

2025 Note: (1) The figures are subject to adjustment upon the final approval of the relevant authority.

Projects for Operation and Management

The table below sets forth certain information of our projects leased from third parties for operation and management as of June 30, 2021.



Project

Location

Contracted Floor Area (sq. m.)

Operation Model 1 Nam Tai  Tang Xi Technology Park

Shenzhen

7,586

Tenant Recruitment and

Operation 2 Nam Tai  U-Creative Space (Lujiazui)

Shanghai

3,981

Tenant Recruitment and

Operation

The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the website mentioned in this announcement does not form part of the announcement.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND FACTORS THAT COULD CAUSE OUR SHARE PRICE TO DECLINE

Certain statements included in this announcement, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "might", "can", "could", "will", "would", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "intend", "plan", "seek", or "timetable". These forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business and the industry in which we operate. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations about future events. There are several factors, many beyond our control, which could cause results to differ materially from our expectation. These risk factors are described in our Annual Report on Form 20-F and in our Current Reports filed on Form 6-K from time to time and are incorporated herein by reference. Any of these factors could, by itself, or together with one or more other factors, adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. There may also be other factors currently unknown to us, or have not been described by us, that could cause our results to differ from our expectations. Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements apply only as of the date of this announcement; as such, they should not be unduly relied upon as circumstances change. Except as required by law, we are not obligated, and we undertake no obligation, to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements that might reflect events or circumstance occurring after the date of this announcement or those that might reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

The Company will hold a conference call at 8 a.m. (Eastern Time) on August 2, 2021, in which the senior management will discuss the results for the second quarter of 2021. Investor may register and get access to the listen-only webcast through the link which can be found under "Investor News  Information and Activities  Investor Relations" on the Company's website at https://www.namtai.com/investornews/index.html. Please note that no question-and-answer session will be arranged during the call and investors are welcome to make enquiries by writing to the media and investor relations department of the Company by email at [email protected] or by contacting our US-based public relations agent Edelman at [email protected].

ABOUT NAM TAI PROPERTY INC.

We are a real estate developer and operator, mainly conducting business in Mainland China. Our main land resources are located in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("Greater Bay Area") and Wuxi, the PRC, of which the three plots of land in Shenzhen will be developed into the technology parks of Nam Tai Inno Park, Nam Tai Technology Center and Nam Tai Inno Valley. We plan to build these technology parks into landmark projects in the region, and provide high-quality industrial offices, industrial service spaces and supporting dormitories to the park tenants. Based on the experience of developing and operating technology parks, and the industrial relationship network accumulated over the past 40 years, we have also exported the operation mode of technology parks to other industrial properties using the asset-light model to rent industrial properties for repositioning and business invitation. We will also expand the commercial and residential property business in the PRC as an auxiliary development strategy of the Company. As the growth prospects of the PRC maintain, we will actively seize development opportunities in the Greater Bay Area and other first- and second-tier cities in the PRC, and continue to strengthen and expand the business of industrial real estate, and commercial and residential properties.

Nam Tai Property Inc. is a corporation registered in the British Virgin Islands and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (Symbol: "NTP"). Please refer to the Nam Tai website (www.namtai.com) or the SEC website (www.sec.gov) for our press releases and financial results.

CONTACTS

Ira Gorsky, Edelman

Email: [email protected]

Cell: 732-740-5872

Media and Investor Relations, Nam Tai Property Inc.

E-mail: [email protected]

NAM TAI PROPERTY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE PERIODS ENDED JUNE 30, 2021 AND 2020 (In Thousands of US dollars except share and per share data)















Three months ended June 30,



Six months ended June 30,



2021

2020



2021

2020



(Unaudited)



(Unaudited)



(Unaudited)



(Unaudited) Revenue

$ 9,547





843



$ 78,594



$ 1,542 Cost of revenue



(4,078)





(683)





(28,155)





(1,300) Gross profit

$ 5,469



$ 160



$ 50,439



$ 242 Expenses





























General and administrative expenses



(4,174)





(2,545)





(11,761)





(5,548) Selling and marketing expenses



(1,601)





(2,104)





(2,744)





(2,905) Total operating expenses

$ (5,775)



$ (4,649)



$ (14,505)



$ (8,453) Net income (loss) from operations

$ (306)



$ (4,489)



$ 35,934



$ (8,211) Other income (expense), net



291





(2)





336





(59) Interest income



93





368





174





779 Income (Loss) before income tax

$ 78



$ (4,123)



$ 36,444



$ (7,491) Income tax (expense) benefit



(370)





339





(11,105)





531 Consolidated net income (loss)

$ (292)



$ (3,784)



$ 25,339



$ (6,960) Other comprehensive income (loss) (1)



5,031





243





2,197





(2,494) Functional currency translation adjustment



5,031





243





2,197





(2,494) Consolidated comprehensive income (loss)

$ 4,739



$ (3,541)



$ 27,536



$ (9,454) Earnings (loss) Per Share





























Basic

$ (0.01)



$ (0.10)



$ 0.65



$ (0.18) Diluted

$ (0.01)



$ (0.10)



$ 0.65



$ (0.18) Weighted average number of shares ('000)





























Basic



39,226





39,144





39,212





38,888 Diluted



39,330





39,144





39,280





38,888

Notes: (1) Other comprehensive loss was due to foreign exchange translation.

NAM TAI PROPERTY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS AS AT JUNE 30, 2021 AND DECEMBER 31, 2020 (In Thousands of US dollars)















June 30, 2021



December 31, 2020



(Unaudited)



(Audited) ASSETS













Current assets:













Cash and cash equivalents

$ 4,378



$ 60,980 Restricted cash



100,582





2,065 Short term investments



66,662





150,150 Rental deposits



156





156 Accounts receivable



4,430





3,965 Real estate properties under development, net



136,912





121,693 Real estate properties held for sales type lease



7,638





31,558 Prepaid expenses and other receivables



9,163





7,141 Total current assets

$ 329,921



$ 377,708 Rental deposits



344





287 Real estate properties under development, net



199,204





190,492 Property, plant and equipment, net



26,132





26,568 Real estate properties held for lease, net



124,489





92,207 Right of use assets



9,161





9,695 Deferred income tax assets



5,033





4,154 Other assets



100





99 Total assets

$ 694,384



$ 701,210 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY













Current liabilities:













Current portion of long term bank loans



121,517





122,883 Accounts payable



80,653





61,559 Rental deposits from customers



709





1,498 Accrued expenses and other payables



28,381





30,136 Advance from customers



5,242





69,722 Amount due to a shareholder



146,869





146,869 Amount due to a related company



941





161 Current portion of lease liabilities



604





1,064 Total current liabilities

$ 384,916



$ 433,892 Long term rental deposits



2,481





300 Financing lease payable



19





19 Deferred income tax liabilities



20,990





8,927 Noncurrent portion of lease liabilities



8,856





9,244 Total liabilities

$ 417,262



$ 452,382 EQUITY













Shareholders' equity:













Common shares



393





392 Additional paid-in capital



265,841





265,084 Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)



14,517





(10,822 Accumulated other comprehensive loss(1)



(3,629)





(5,826 Total shareholders' equity

$ 277,122



$ 248,828 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$ 694,384



$ 701,210

Notes: (1) Accumulated other comprehensive loss represented conversion differences in foreign currency statements.

NAM TAI PROPERTY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE PERIODS ENDED JUNE 30, 2021 AND 2020 (In Thousands of US dollars)





Three months ended June 30,



Six months ended June 30, 2021

2020



2021





2020



(Unaudited)



(Unaudited)



(Unaudited)



(Unaudited) CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES





























Consolidated net (loss) income

$ (292)



$ (3,784)



$ 25,339



$ (6,960) Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:





























Depreciation and amortization



1,198





383





2,283





777 Amortization of right of use assets



505





444





971





852 Unrealized gain of trading securities









(97)











 Share-based compensation expenses



96





363





193





1,102 Unrealized exchange (gain) loss



(752)





16





(103)





(28) Deferred income tax benefit



589





(356)





11,184





(515) Changes in assets and liabilities:





























(Increase) decrease in accounts receivable



(306)





1





(465)





(6) (Increase) decrease in prepaid expenses and other receivables



(1,156)





18,322





(2,022)





6,242 Increase in deposit



(57)





(4)





(57)





(178) Increase in real estate properties under development



(17,908)





(106,673)





(10,291)





(114,357) Increase (decrease) in accrued expenses and other payables



650





1,317





(1,638)





(5,485) Increase (decrease) in accounts payable



3,510





(586)





(976)





(586) Decrease in lease liabilities



(952)





(197)





(1,303)





(851) (Decrease) increase in advance from customers



(2,950)





24,664





(64,480)





28,242 Increase in rental deposits from customers



916





94





1,392





470 Increase in amount due to a related company



780











780





 Total adjustments

$ (15,837)



$ (62,309)



$ (64,532)



$ (84,321) Net cash used in operating activities

$ (16,129)



$ (66,093)



$ (39,193)



$ (91,281) CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES





























Purchase of property, plant & equipment



(232)





(364)





(316)





(397) Proceeds from trading securities









2,823











 Decrease in short term investments



25,737





4,090





83,488





2,166 Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

$ 25,505



$ 6,549



$ 83,172



$ 1,769 CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES





























Repayment of bank loans



(1,317)





(872)





(2,584)





(8,135) Proceeds from bank loans









3,388











38,274 Proceeds from shares issued for option exercise



565











565





2,049 Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

$ (752)



$ 2,516



$ (2,019)



$ 32,188 Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted

cash

$ 8,624



$ (57,028)



$ 41,960



$ (57,324) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period



92,499





122,130





63,045





130,218 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and

restricted cash



3,837





4,123





(45)





(3,669) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period

$ 104,960



$ 69,225



$ 104,960



$ 69,225 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION ON CASH FLOWS





























Cash and cash equivalents

$ 4,378



$ 68,091



$ 4,378



$ 68,091 Restricted cash

$ 100,582



$ 1,134



$ 100,582



$ 1,134







































NAM TAI PROPERTY INC. NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIODS ENDED JUNE 30, 2021 AND 2020 (In Thousands of US dollars)

1. These financial statements, including the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020, which was derived from audited financial statements, do not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for complete financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Company's annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. 2. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal, recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2021. 3. Accumulated other comprehensive loss represents foreign currency translation adjustments. The consolidated comprehensive income was $27.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and the consolidated comprehensive loss was $9.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. 4. A summary of the operating income, other (expenses) income, net (loss) income and long-lived assets by geographical areas is as follows:





Three months ended June 30,

Six months ended June 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020 RENTAL INCOME WITHIN:























-PRC, excluding Hong Kong

$ 9,547

$ 843

$ 78,594

$ 1,542 NET (LOSS) INCOME FROM OPERATIONS WITHIN:























- PRC, excluding Hong Kong

$ 1,841

$ (2,578)

$ 33,774

$ (4,273) - Hong Kong



(2,133)



(1,207)



(8,435)



(2,687) Total net (loss) income

$ (292)

$ (3,785)

$ 25,339

$ (6,960)





June 30, 2021



December 31, 2020 LONG-LIVED ASSETS WITHIN:













- Real estate properties under development in PRC, excluding Hong Kong

$ 199,204



$ 190,492 - Property, plant and equipment in PRC, excluding Hong Kong



26,021





26,389 - Hong Kong



111





179 - Real estate properties held for lease in PRC, excluding Hong Kong



124,489





92,207 - Right of use assets in PRC, excluding Hong Kong



9,134





9,511 - Hong Kong



27





184 Total long-lived assets

$ 358,986



$ 318,962

SOURCE Nam Tai Property Inc.
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- America's chronic disease and health disparities crisis require policy interventions targeting structural racism and the social determinants of health, concludes a report released today by Trust for America's Health.

The report, Leveraging Evidence-Based Policies to Improve Health, Control Costs, and Create Health Equity, reviews five policy areas: access to healthcare, economic mobility, affordable housing, safe and healthy learning environments for children, and health-promoting excise taxes. Based on an extensive review of the evidence, the report recommends federal and state-level policies in each issue area to improve health outcomes, advance health equity and reduce healthcare spending.

Today, nearly half of all Americans have at least one chronic disease, and that number is growing. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic starkly illuminated the ways in which social and economic conditions and inequities often deeply rooted in communities due to historical and current day structural racism and discrimination - greatly increase health risks and burdens for certain populations groups, including many communities of color. According to the CDC, hospitalization rates during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic were 3.3 times higher for American Indian/Alaska Natives and approximately 3 times higher for Blacks and Latinos as compared to the hospitalization rate for whites.

"The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the role that social and economic conditions play in health and gives policymakers an opportunity to build an improved social supports and public health system," said J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE, President and CEO of Trust for America's Health. "Focusing solely on individual behavior will not solve America's health crisis. Building healthy and thriving communities and advancing health equity require improving the social and economic conditions that shape health. Only then will everyone have a fair and just opportunity to enjoy optimal health."

The social determinants of health are factors beyond traditional healthcare that significantly impact health including where you are born, live, work, play, go to school, and age. Data show that these factors impact a wide range of quality-of-life outcomes and health risks. For example, where you live, has a measurable impact on overall health status and longevity. Furthermore, inequities limit access to health resources and educational and economic opportunities that can lead to poor health.

Policy decisions can drive improvements in the social conditions in communities or they can perpetuate inequities. Policies do not need to be deliberately discriminatory to exacerbate inequities. For example, tying school funding to local property taxes leaves schools in lower income communities with fewer resources than higher income neighborhoods.

The report identifies policies that, if implemented, can create the conditions in people's lives that support optimal health. Recommended policy actions in each category includes:

Goal: Supporting Access to High-Quality Healthcare Services

Recommendation: Adopt Medicaid Expansion. States that have adopted Medicaid expansion experienced the largest reductions in the number of uninsured persons. In 2018, the uninsured rate among low-income, non-elderly adults in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility was about half that of the uninsured rate in states that did not expand the program. Increased access to healthcare saved lives and was associated with a reduction in total state spending on traditional Medicaid.

Goal: Promoting Economic Mobility

Recommendation: Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit. The earned income tax credit (EITC) is a tax credit offered to eligible low-income workers to enhance their economic security. EITC policies, both federal and state, help lift millions of working families out of poverty and reduces the severity of poverty for millions more.

Goal: Ensuring Access to Affordable Housing

Recommendation: Expand the Low-income Housing Tax Credit Program. Decades of research has demonstrated a connection between safe and secure housing and good health. The low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) provides tax incentives to encourage developers to build affordable housing. Since the LIHTC program was created approximately 3 million quality homes have been developed to serve working families, older adults, people with disabilities and those at risk of homelessness. Despite this success, the need for affordable housing remains high across the country.

Goal: Promoting Safe and Healthy Learning Environments for Children

Recommendation: Increase access to high-quality early childhood education programs. Research demonstrates the many ways in which safe and supportive school environments put children on healthy developmental pathways. High-quality early childhood education programming, such as Head Start and pre-K can have long-lasting positive impacts on children throughout their lives. Early childhood education centers and schools are also critical sources of nutrition for millions of children through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and provide access to healthcare for millions of students via school-based health centers.

Goal: Using tax policy to encourage healthy choices

Recommendation: Tax unhealthy products, like tobacco and sugar-sweeten beverages. Such taxes can be a win-win for localities, encouraging healthy choices and raising local revenue that can be reinvested in health-promoting and prevention programs.

Read the full report here.

Trust for America's Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. Twitter: @healthyamerica1

SOURCE Trust for America's Health

Related Links

http://www.healthyamericans.org


NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In the United States, more than 40 percent of Black men and women are living with high blood pressurethe highest rate in the country. As part of a $20 million award from the America Heart Association, NYU Grossman School of Medicine has been named as the coordinating center for a new collaboration between eight universities to prevent hypertension and reduce racial inequities in cardiovascular disease outcomes in Black communities.

This new initiative, called The RESTORE Health Equity Research Network, is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of investigators from eight institutions across the country (NYU Grossman School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Wayne State University, Tuskeegee University, and University of California at San Francisco) and led by Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH, Dr. Adolph and Margaret Berger Professor of Population Health and Medicine, and Director of the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity.

"It is an honor to help lead this endeavor and work with some of the most talented scientists in the country who have dedicated their careers to tackling racial inequities in health," said Dr. Ogedegbe. "There is no biological basis for the glaring racial disparities we see in hypertension and cardiovascular disease outcomes, especially the disturbingly high rates in Black populations. By mitigating the impact of social determinants of health on hypertension among Black adults, it is our goal to build a society where every person lives a healthy life free of high blood pressure and heart disease."

To prevent hypertension in Black communities, the RESTORE network will:

Partner with Black communities across the U.S. to reduce negative impacts of social determinants of health on blood pressure;

Develop and evaluate strategies to implement evidence-based lifestyle interventions in Black communities;

Disseminate findings to policymakers and stakeholders to ensure sustainability of hypertension prevention strategies;

Train the next generation of early career investigators in health equity and hypertension research

The RESTORE Network will use a community-engaged and implementation science framework to guide five hypertension prevention projects in Black communitieseach testing a different implementation strategy to overcome adverse social determinants of healthsuch as poor access to healthcare and food insecurity. Each of the five projects tests an implementation strategy that engages individuals in community-based settings, as well as healthcare settings such as Federally Qualified Health Centers.

One of the projects will assess a community-clinic linkage program to prevent hypertension in Black men in New York City. Led by Joseph Ravenell, MD, associate professor of Population Health, this project will use community health workers to screen Black men for hypertension in 30 barbershops, provide lifestyle counseling, and facilitate their linkage to care.

NYU Langone's Institute for Excellence in Health Equity (IEHE) will serve as the coordinating center for the RESTORE Network. The coordinating center will oversee the establishment of five cores that will provide resources to the projects: blood pressure measurement (Columbia University); statistical and cost-effectiveness (UAB, Columbia University and UCSF); intervention (NYU Grossman School of Medicine); community engagement (Johns Hopkins); and training (Columbia University).

According to Ogedegbe, The RESTORE Network will use its findings to forge new partnerships with payors, departments of health, and other organizations across the country to advance the science of health equity. It will also serve as a trusted partner for communities and academia to implement community-clinic linkage models for hypertension prevention in Black communities across the country.

"Preventing high blood pressure and addressing social determinants of health in historically excluded and under-resourced communities, especially in the Black community, is a top priority for the American Heart Association. High blood pressure remains a leading risk factor of heart disease and stroke and can often be managed if diagnosed and treated properly," said David Chubak, Chair, Board of Directors, American Heart Association in New York City. "The work of Drs. Gbenga Ogedegbe and Joseph Ravenell and the team at NYU Grossman School of Medicine to utilize community health workers to screen Black men for hypertension in 30 barbershops, provide lifestyle counseling, and facilitate access to care is remarkable. This program has the potential to save lives, build trust in the community, foster sustained impact and drive advancements that will ensure health equity for all."

In addition to Ogedegbe, NYU Langone researchers involved in the RESTORE Network include Tanya Spruill, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Population Heath; Rajesh Vedanthan, associate professor of Population Heath; Jasmin Divers, professor in the NYU Long Island School of Medicine; Mary Sevick, ScD, professor of Population Health; Nadia Islam, PhD, associate professor of Population Health; Antoinette Schoenthaler, EdD, associate professor of Population Health; and Benjamin Spoer, PhD, manager of metrics and analytics for the City Health Dashboard in the Department of Population Health.

Media Inquiries:

Sasha Walek

917 838 9607

[email protected]

SOURCE NYU Langone Health

Related Links

http://www.med.nyu.edu


DUBLIN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Automotive Digital Cockpit Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Equipment, by Display Technology, by Vehicle Type (Passenger Cars, Commercial Vehicles), by Region and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global automotive digital cockpit market size is expected to reach USD 36.1 billion by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2021 to 2028. The rising demand for automotive cockpit electronics, autonomous vehicle technology and advanced safety features such as advanced driver assistance systems is expected to drive market growth. The changing consumer buying behavior and increasing demand for enhanced in-vehicle experience, coupled with the global growth of the high-end, premium and luxury car segments, are also expected to fuel the growth of the market.



The surge in demand for vehicle connectivity and navigation system in the automotive sector has led to the increasing usage of visualization technology. Modern-day cars are highly influenced by unique consumer demands and advancements in digital technologies. The automotive industry is focused on offering more personalized experiences to drivers and vehicle occupants. Moreover, companies are developing innovative solutions to ensure seamless connectivity between the vehicle and external devices. The integration of vehicle systems can be considered as the most significant development. The digital cockpit architecture has become more capable and robust owing to the integration of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) functionality for enhanced safety and security and cloud-based services.



The automotive digital cockpit technology is expected to gain significant demand as major automotive component and solution providers are engaging in the development of complete automotive cockpit solutions. For instance, in January 2021, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the launch of the 4th Generation Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms. The new digital cockpit platforms offer software scalability and flexibility to support several real-time and high-level operating systems. The platforms also support multiple ECUs and domain integration, including digital instrument clusters, digital monitoring systems, Augmented Reality Heads-Up-Display (AR-HUD), e-Mirror and rear-seat displays.



In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, lockdowns and social distancing norms have been implemented globally. The overall automotive production volumes have declined globally on a year-on-year basis, mainly due to decreased production volumes in North America and Europe, among other regions. According to Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (OICA), automobile production globally dropped by more than 15%, i.e., 77.6 million units in 2020 compared to 91.7 million units in 2019. However, as restrictions ease in various economies, the market can expect a period of respite for the short-term owing to the increased demand for passenger cars from the middle-class population, in turn, is increasing the demand for automotive digital cockpit over the forecast period.



Automotive Digital Cockpit Market Report Highlights

The head-up display segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of over 15.0% from 2021 to 2028 owing to the integration of augmented reality for enhanced safety and driving experience

The LCD-TFT segment dominated the market in 2020 and is anticipated to generate revenue over USD 19.0 billion by the end of the forecast period, owing to the temperature and durability standards provided by LCD-TFT displays

by the end of the forecast period, owing to the temperature and durability standards provided by LCD-TFT displays The passenger car segment accounted for the largest revenue share of around 80.0% of the overall market in 2020. The increasing demand for connected car features in passenger vehicles and the onset of autonomous vehicles is expected to drive the segment

In Asia Pacific , the market is accounted for the largest revenue share in 2020. This growth can be attributed to the increased production and sales of passenger vehicles in the region

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Methodology & Scope



Chapter 2 Executive Summary

2.1 Market Outlook



Chapter 3 Market Variables, Trends, & Scope

3.1 Penetration and Growth Prospect Mapping

3.2 Automotive Digital Cockpit - Value Chain Analysis

3.3 Automotive Digital Cockpit Market Dynamics

3.3.1 Market Drivers Analysis

3.3.2 Market Restraint Analysis

3.4 Automotive Digital Cockpit Industry Analysis - PESTLE

3.5 Automotive Digital Cockpit Industry Analysis - Porter's



Chapter 4 Automotive Digital Cockpit Market: Equipment Estimates & Trend Analysis

4.1 Equipment Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028

4.2 Market Size & Forecasts and Trends Analysis, 2016 - 2028 (USD Billion, Units)

4.2.1 Digital Instrument Cluster

4.2.2 Driving Monitoring System

4.2.3 Heads-up Display



Chapter 5 Automotive Digital Cockpit Market: Display Technology Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1 Display Technology Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028

5.2 Market Size & Forecasts and Trends Analysis, 2016 - 2028 (USD Billion, Units)

5.2.1 LCD

5.2.2 TFT-LCD

5.2.3 OLED



Chapter 6 Automotive Digital Cockpit Market: Vehicle Type Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1 Vehicle Type Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028

6.2 Market Size & Forecasts and Trends Analysis, 2016 - 2028 (USD Billion, Units)

6.2.1 Passenger Cars

6.2.2 Commercial Vehicles



Chapter 7 Automotive Digital Cockpit Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

7.1 Regional Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028

7.2 Market Size & Forecasts and Trends Analysis, 2016 - 2028 (USD Billion, Units)

7.2.1 North America

7.2.1.1 U.S.

7.2.1.2 Canada

7.2.2 Europe

7.2.2.1 Germany

7.2.2.2 U.K.

7.2.2.3 Spain

7.2.3 Asia Pacific

7.2.3.1 China

7.2.3.2 Japan

7.2.3.3 India

7.2.4 Latin America

7.2.4.1 Brazil

7.2.4.2 Mexico

7.2.5 Middle East and Africa



Chapter 8 Competitive Landscape

8.1 Key Company Analysis, 2020

8.2 Company Profiles

8.2.1 Continental AG

8.2.1.1 Company Overview

8.2.1.2 Financial Performance

8.2.1.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.1.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.2 Denso Corporation

8.2.2.1 Company Overview

8.2.2.2 Financial Performance

8.2.2.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.2.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.3 Faurecia

8.2.3.1 Company Overview

8.2.3.2 Financial Performance

8.2.3.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.3.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.4 Garmin Ltd.

8.2.4.1 Company Overview

8.2.4.2 Financial Performance

8.2.4.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.4.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.5 HARMAN International

8.2.5.1 Company Overview

8.2.5.2 Financial Performance

8.2.5.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.5.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.6 Hyundai Mobis

8.2.6.1 Company Overview

8.2.6.2 Financial Performance

8.2.6.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.6.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.7 Panasonic Corporation

8.2.7.1 Company Overview

8.2.7.2 Financial Performance

8.2.7.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.7.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.8 Pioneer Corporation

8.2.8.1 Company Overview

8.2.8.2 Financial Performance

8.2.8.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.8.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.9 Robert Bosch GmbH

8.2.9.1 Company Overview

8.2.9.2 Financial Performance

8.2.9.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.9.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.10 Visteon Corporation

8.2.10.1 Company Overview

8.2.10.2 Financial Performance

8.2.10.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.10.4 Strategic Initiatives



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/969c7h

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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PITTSBURGH, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor is calling for a stronger investigation into COVID-19-related nursing home deaths.

Pittsburgh attorney Jason Richey said Wednesday that Attorney General Josh Shapiro isn't doing enough to hold nursing home and state officials accountable for the thousands of Pennsylvanians whose deaths could have been prevented.

"Thousands of our most defenseless Pennsylvanians died because of negligent actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and who is being held responsible?" said Richey, a partner and litigator at Pittsburgh's K&L Gates law firm. "It's time that Josh Shapiro stops playing political games and holds those who abandoned the families of our senior citizens accountable for the dereliction of their duty."

Richey's call to action comes on the heels of a Department of Justice announcement it will not open a civil rights investigation into nursing home deaths in three states, including Pennsylvania.

"We have reviewed the information provided by these states along with additional information available to the Department," DOJ officials wrote last week. "Based on that review, we have decided not to open a (Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act) investigation of any public nursing facility within New York, Pennsylvania, or Michigan at this time."

In total, 13,404 of Pennsylvania's 27,838 deaths attributed to COVID-19 occurred in a long-term care facility since March 2020. To date, only two nursing home officials have been charged by Shapiro's office for negligence, despite Shapiro's vow in May 2020 to investigate all nursing homes engaging in criminal neglect of residents.

Richey underscored the importance of officials being held responsible for their actions  including those at the state level.

"It's been 14 months since Josh Shapiro made Pennsylvania an empty promise that justice would be served," Richey said. "Shapiro has had a chance to do the right thing as the attorney general, instead, he made political maneuvers with token hollow investigations that advance his gubernatorial ambitions and political agenda. It seems as if Josh Shapiro has put his personal agenda ahead of the 13,404 people who died alone in nursing homes and their families. And they deserve better."

CONTACT: Daveen Kurutz 724.680.0076 | [email protected]

Additional press materials are available for download .

SOURCE Jason Richey For Governor
PITTSBURGH, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Peptilogics, a biotechnology platform company leveraging computational design to discover novel peptide therapeutics, today announced the appointments of Nikhil (Nik) Bhide as Chief Business Officer, Dr. Marc Lesnick as SVP Regulatory & Quality, Jodie GiIlon as SVP Corporate Affairs & Patient Advocacy, Albert Fonticiella as VP of People, and Steve Kulp as VP of Operations. These leaders will apply their decades of experience in business development, drug development, medical affairs, advocacy, talent development, and corporate strategy to further scale the company as it continues to grow strategic operations. They join Peptilogics to help drive its first-in-class lead peptide therapeutic drug candidate (PLG0206) for the treatment of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) through the clinic while continuing to evaluate new indications and discover novel, optimally-designed peptide therapeutics using the company's computational platform.

"Nik, Marc, Jodie, Albert, and Steve will serve as key members of our leadership team, bringing new dimensions of experience to Peptilogics as we continue to grow," said Jonathan Steckbeck, PhD, Founder and CEO of Peptilogics. "Their varied backgrounds will enable us to execute on our mission of discovering and developing medicines for patients in need of novel therapeutic solutions. We are thrilled to have them on board."

Nik Bhide, Chief Business Officer

Nik Bhide brings over 20 years of biopharma strategy and business development experience to his new role at Peptilogics. Most recently, Mr. Bhide was a member of the Business Development team at Merck Research Laboratories. Previously, he was at Allergan in a variety of business development positions of increasing responsibility. Earlier, Mr. Bhide worked at Novartis, Genzyme, and RBC Capital Markets in finance and corporate development roles. Mr. Bhide has completed multiple deals in the pharma industry with an aggregate transaction value exceeding $100 billion. Mr. Bhide received his MBA from UCLA Anderson and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester (NY).

Dr. Marc Lesnick, SVP Regulatory and Quality

Dr. Lesnick is a leader in drug development joining Peptilogics with over 20 years of experience in development, quality, and regulatory strategy with multiple successful marketing applications in the fields of anti-infectives, oncology, and women's health in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Most recently, Dr. Lesnick co-founded and served as the Chief Development Officer of Park Therapeutics, where he guided development of their novel pain drug until its acquisition in 2021 by Tris Pharma. He has been directly responsible for multiple successful drug approvals including anti-infectives and drugs in oncology, hepatology, and other therapeutic areas. Prior to Tris, he served as SVP of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Spruce Therapeutics, Cascadian Therapeutics, and at Shionogi, Inc. He received his PhD from the University of Oregon and performed post-doctoral work at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. In his new role at Peptilogics, he will focus on regulatory and quality strategy as the company advances their novel peptide candidates through preclinical and clinical studies.

Jodie Gillon, SVP Corporate Affairs and Patient Advocacy

Jodie Gillon brings over 20 years of advocacy, medical affairs, and communications experience to her new role at Peptilogics as SVP, Corporate Affairs & Patient Advocacy. She recently served as Chief Patient Officer and Head of Corporate and Medical Affairs at Abeona Therapeutics, a cell and gene therapy company. Ms. Gillon held similar roles at Novartis, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca, where she served as the head of the Chief Medical Office. She has built out platform functions serving virtually every therapeutic area, including anti-infectives, at Pfizer. Jodie began her career in hospitals, government, and advocacy both in the US and abroad. She holds a Master of Public Health with a dual degree in Health Economics and Epidemiology from Hebrew University as well as a BSFS from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. At Peptilogics, she will lead stakeholder engagement, medical, internal, and external communications.

Albert Fonticiella, VP of People

Albert Fonticiella is a highly experienced operations and human resources executive with expertise developing key support functions for emerging companies. Previously, Mr. Fonticiella was the Vice President of Corporate Services for specialty food company Edwards Marc Brands, where he scaled the business from 12 to 350 employees while building all administrative functions, leading talent development, and implementing organizational planning. His accomplishments include growing a refugee empowerment program and he has experience in healthcare startups as well as healthcare policy. Mr. Fonticiella holds an MBA with Honors from Georgetown University and a BBA from The George Washington University. As VP of People at Peptilogics, his role will focus on developing internal governance, employee engagement, and talent attraction.

Steve Kulp, VP of Operations

Steve Kulp has extensive experience in biotechnology, planning, and corporate operations. Most recently he was the head of corporate operations at Idera Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for building out and managing the technology, facilities, and procurement functions for the company. Prior to Idera, Mr. Kulp served as Head of Business Systems and Service Strategy at ViroPharma and led the information technology integration with Shire post acquisition. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Juniata College. Mr. Kulp will be responsible for contracting, procurement, corporate information technology, and facilities management at Peptilogics.

About Peptilogics

Peptilogics is a clinical-stage biotechnology platform company that designs and develops novel peptide therapeutics. The company is supported by investors including Presight Capital, Founders Fund, and Peter Thiel, who are known for their investments in companies such as AbCellera, Compass Pathways, SpaceX, and Synthego. Through its computational platform, Peptilogics is advancing drug discovery to uncover new, previously unexplored chemical design space while ensuring biological viability and scalable manufacturing. Peptilogics' internal anti-infectives pipeline includes a novel clinical stage anti-infective, PLG0206, that has been granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation and Qualified Infectious Disease Product Designation for its initial focus on the treatment of prosthetic joint infections, an urgent unmet medical need. More information on Peptilogics can be found at www.peptilogics.com as well as on Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Peptilogics

Related Links

https://www.peptilogics.com


"We are honored that President Biden chose to visit Mack Trucks today," said Martin Weissburg, president of Mack Trucks. "This week marks the 121 st anniversary of Mack Trucks, and we are very pleased to celebrate this milestone with the President. Mack is part of the only heavy-duty truck manufacturing group to assemble all of its trucks exclusively in the U.S. for this market."

Mack recently completed an $84 million investment in plant improvements at LVO, which included the insourcing of chassis assembly, the addition of new equipment and a 300,000 square-foot expansion of the facility. The plant upgrades were completed in 2020. LVO currently employs more than 2,500 people and plans to hire up to 400 more this year.

During Wednesday's visit, Biden met with employees, including those represented by United Auto Workers Local 677, and toured LVO, learning about Mack's assembly process, its supply chain, and Mack's commitment to battery-electric vehicles. Biden was able to see firsthand the Mack LR Electric battery-electric refuse vehicle, Mack's first fully electric Class 8 truck.

Mack emphasized to Biden the importance of robust funding investments in infrastructure for zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV), as well as for all types of transportation.

"We need these types of investments to support American manufacturing's competitiveness in the global economy and to prepare for innovative technologies like the Mack LR Electric," Weissburg said.

"President Biden's visit to Mack Trucks spotlights the importance of manufacturing and good-paying jobs to the U.S. economy, and we are pleased to have hosted him at our facility," said Gunnar Brunius, vice president and general manager of LVO.

Dedicated to moving and building a better world, Mack Trucks has provided purpose-built transportation solutions for more than a century. Today, Mack is one of North America's largest producers of heavy-duty trucks, and Mack trucks are sold and serviced through an extensive distribution network in many countries around the world. Mack trucks, diesel engines and transmissions sold in North America are assembled in the United States. Mack manufacturing locations are certified to the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standard for quality, ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems and OHSAS 18001 standard for health and safety management systems. Mack is also a proud sponsor of Share the Road, an American Trucking Associations public information campaign aimed at enhancing the safety of our nation's roadways.

Mack Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, which is driving prosperity through transport and infrastructure solutions, offering trucks, buses, construction equipment, power solutions for marine and industrial applications, financing and services that increase customer uptime and productivity. Founded in 1927, the Volvo Group is committed to shaping the future landscape of sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions. The Volvo Group is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, employs almost 100,000 people and serves customers in more than 190 markets. In 2020, net sales amounted to about $36.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.volvogroup.com. For more information about Mack, visit our website at www.macktrucks.com

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT

KIMBERLY PUPILLO

DIRECTOR  PUBLIC RELATIONS

MACK TRUCKS, INC.

336-662-1787

[email protected]

SOURCE Mack Trucks

Related Links

https://www.macktrucks.com


MINNEAPOLIS and NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RBC Wealth Management-U.S. (RBCWM) and Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR), a global Fintech leader, announced today that RBCWM will utilize the Broadridge Wealth Management Platform to power its growing U.S. business.

Broadridge's next-generation Wealth Management Platform is an open, industry-level platform offering an integrated and modern front-to-back-office solution, leveraging best-in-class technology. The platform enables wealth management firms and their advisors to drive their business to the next level by creating a better client experience, improving advisor productivity, and digitizing the back-office. As part of this multi-year agreement, RBCWM will also be migrating to Broadridge's next-generation Asset Servicing platform.

The move, part of RBCWM's multi-year technology transformation, represents the latest in a series of investments in state-of-the-art, third-party Fintech tools and services. The firm has also integrated Salesforce and Addepar into the business to give advisors better client insights, performance reporting and portfolio management tools to more quickly and more easily serve a client's needs.

"We've been on a multi-year journey to digitize our business and drive value not only for our clients, but for our nearly 2,100 advisors. The end-goal to which is a modernized platform that is competitive in the market, innovative, flexible and scalable yet provides a best-in-class, simple and intuitive client experience," said Michael Armstrong, CEO of RBC Wealth Management-U.S. "Leveraging the Broadridge Wealth Management Platform enhances the capabilities we've recently added with other Fintech solutions and will enable us to increase advisor productivity, enhance our client experience, and grow our business in the U.S. with a scalable, cost-efficient service model."

"We are excited to have RBC Wealth Management-U.S. join our industry leading wealth platform to optimize productivity for advisors, create richer experiences for clients, and digitize enterprise-wide operations," said Tim Gokey, CEO of Broadridge. "As we renew and expand our relationship, we look forward to continuing to work with RBC to innovate and win amidst accelerating changes in wealth and investment management."

The Broadridge Wealth Management Platform is open architecture powered by state-of-the-art APIs and micro-services that facilitate seamless connectivity to a client's proprietary and third-party applications. The platform includes a modernized advisor desktop and customizable tool set. Key advisory features include performance reporting, managed accounts support and sleeve accounting; multi-market order management and trade routing; and full back-office functionality that handles multi-currency, global clearance and settlement, asset servicing, and integrated workflow across the entire enterprise to accelerate client on-boarding and other key functions.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $4.5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance, and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $10 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 12,000 associates in 21 countries. For more information about us and what we can do for you, please visit www.broadridge.com.

About RBC Wealth Management  U.S.

In the United States, RBC Wealth Management operates as a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC. Founded in 1909, RBC Wealth Management is a member of the New York Stock Exchange, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, and other major securities exchanges. RBC Wealth Management has $500 billion in total client assets with more than 2,000 financial advisors operating in 180 locations in 42 states.

Broadridge Investors:

W. Edings Thibault

Investor Relations

(516) 472-5129

Media:

Gregg Rosenberg

Broadridge Corporate Communications

[email protected]

(929) 288-0774

Nicole Garrison

RBC Wealth Management Corporate Communications

[email protected]

(612) 371-2999

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.broadridge.com


NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Revolut, the financial superapp with 16 million customers worldwide, announced today its simplifying cross-border payments between the US and Mexico with the launch of its US-Mexico remittance corridor. With this launch, Revolut customers in the US and Mexico can now easily transfer money between one another without any hidden fees, at the real exchange rate.

In May 2021, remittance flows between Mexico and the U.S. increased a whopping 31% , reaching over $4.5 billion as migrants continue sending money to loved ones to alleviate the impact of the pandemic. Revolut's timely launch of this remittance corridor will enable customers to easily make cross-border payments between the US and Mexico at a time when cross-border peer-to-peer payments are reaching peak levels.

With Revolut, customers can spend and transfer money globally, as well as exchange 28 currencies in the app, enabling users to exchange money abroad without paying the exorbitant fees  which can reach up to 11%  charged by most major money transfer providers.

Revolut designed its money transfer features with ease-of-use and transparency in mind to afford its customers full visibility into where their money is going and when. Customers can sign up for an account in minutes and make money transfers soon after, and using Revolut's bank transfer tracker, customers can conveniently check the status of their transfers directly within the app.

Beyond improving cross-border payments between the US and Mexico, Revolut is exploring entry into new markets in Latin America, specifically Mexico and Brazil. Although still in the early stages of its expansion, the company has appointed a Head of Operations in Brazil, and continues to assess new talent to support the expansion of its team and offerings across the region.

Ron Oliveira, CEO of Revolut USA, said:

"At Revolut, we believe sending peer-to-peer payments cross-border should be simple. In the context of today's environment, people need to lean on each other for support now more than ever, and we are committed to providing consumers with a simple way to send money to loved ones and communities, no matter where in the world they may be. We know what matters most to our customers, how to ensure the largest amount of their hard earned money being sent home makes it home. The launch of this remittance corridor is a major milestone for Revolut  one that we're confident will improve the financial lives of customers in the US and in Mexico."

ABOUT REVOLUT - one app, all things money

Revolut is building the world's first truly global financial superapp to help people get more from their money. In 2015, Revolut launched in the UK offering money transfer and exchange. Today, more than 16 million customers around the world use dozens of Revolut's innovative products to make more than 150 million transactions a month. Across our personal and business accounts, we help customers improve their financial health, give them more control, and connect people seamlessly across the world.

www.revolut.com

Banking services are provided by Metropolitan Commercial Bank, Member FDIC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Jane Nho

Communications Manager, Revolut

[email protected]

SOURCE Revolut

Related Links

https://www.revolut.com


MOSINEE, Wis., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- S.C. Swiderski, LLC announced that they have agreed to terms for a developer agreement with the City of Niagara for a multi-family development. The company plans to build 44 market rate apartments. S.C. Swiderski, LLC is a regional leader in real estate development which has over a half billion dollars of residential projects in development.

The apartment site has been named SCS Niagara and will be located on 5.11 acres of land off of Coolidge Avenue and Ford Court. The plans for the site feature four buildings and will offer 6 different floor plans ranging from 900 to 1244 square feet. There will be a mix of two- and three-bedroom apartments. The site will feature two single level 6-unit apartment buildings and two 16 unit two-story apartment buildings. Director of Business Development Jacqui McElroy said, "Our floor plan mix is based on research of the area demographics and demand so we will be offering a variety of options for those seeking maintenance free living." All homes have private entrances, in-unit laundry and garage parking. Rent rates will include heat, water, garbage, cable and internet.

"We have been working with the City since the beginning of the year on the plans and are happy to bring quality housing with professional service to Niagara. We appreciate the support of the City and their participation in this project," explained McElroy.

Audrey Fredrick, City of Niagara Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer said, "This is an exciting project for us, and it has already generated a positive response in the city. S.C. Swiderski, LLC has many favorable reviews from other communities, and their marketing and development teams are a pleasure to work with. The project will bring quality housing to our entire area, including the neighboring municipalities on the Michigan side of the state border. We look forward to having additional families in the area patronizing our businesses and enrolling in our school."

Upon completion, the guaranteed assessed value of the project will be $4,922,372.00

Construction is planned for 2022. S.C. Swiderski Construction will be the general contractor for the project and the apartments will be managed by the property management division of S.C. Swiderski. The company currently has multi-family projects in construction in Waupaca, Shawano, Hortonville, Merrill, Stanley and Oshkosh.

About S.C. Swiderski, LLC: S.C. Swiderski, LLC is a regional leader in providing quality housing with professional service. As a fully integrated company, all areas of the business work together to deliver the SCS Difference. The company designs, plans, constructs, owns, and manages its real estate portfolio. The company attributes its success to their ability to listen to clients, focus on continuous improvement, develop their team, and operate with integrity. S.C. Swiderski has housing locations throughout the State of Wisconsin and continues to expand by investing in its people, processes and properties. S.C. Swiderski demonstrates innovation, quality and pride that one can expect from a Made in Wisconsin certified company. The company embraces its Wisconsin roots and is committed to providing support to the local communities it serves.

Media Contact:

Jacqui McElroy

Director of Business Development

[email protected] 715-693-7823

SOURCE S.C. Swiderski, LLC

Related Links

http://scswiderski.com


NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Royal Financial, Inc. ("Royal Financial" or the "Company") (OTC: RYFL) in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by Finward Bancorp ("Finward") (OTC Pink: FNWD). Under the terms of the merger agreement, the Company's shareholders who own 101 or more shares of Royal Financial stock will have the right to elect to receive $20.14 in cash or 0.4609 shares of Finward stock, or a combination of both, for each Royal Financial share they own, representing implied per-share merger consideration of approximately $40.42 based upon Finward's July 28, 2021 closing price of $44.00. Company shareholders who own less than 101 shares of Royal Financial stock will have the right to receive $20.14 in cash and no stock consideration for each share of Royal Financial shares they own. The transaction is valued at approximately $52.9 million.

If you own Royal Financial shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website:

https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/ryfl

Or please contact:

Joshua Rubin, Esq.

WeissLaw LLP

1500 Broadway, 16th Floor

New York, NY 10036

(212) 682-3025

(888) 593-4771

[email protected]

WeissLaw LLP is investigating whether Royal Financial's board acted in the best interest of Royal Financial's public shareholders in agreeing to the proposed transaction, whether the per-share merger consideration adequately compensates Royal Financial's shareholders, and whether all information regarding the process undertaken by the board and the valuation of the transaction will be fully and fairly disclosed to Royal Financial's public shareholders.

WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected]

SOURCE WeissLaw LLP

Related Links

http://weisslawllp.com


DENVER, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SM Energy Company (the "Company") (NYSE: SM) today announced operating and financial results for the second quarter 2021 and provided certain second half 2021 guidance.

Second quarter 2021 highlights:

Production was 12.4 MMBoe (136.5 MBoe/d) and was 54% oil. Production volumes exceeded expectations due to outperformance from new wells and base production in the Austin Chalk.

was 12.4 MMBoe (136.5 MBoe/d) and was 54% oil. Production volumes exceeded expectations due to outperformance from new wells and base production in the Austin Chalk. Capital expenditures reflected continued capital efficiencies with costs remaining at approximately $520 per lateral foot. Capital expenditures of $222.6 million adjusted for decreased capital accruals of $8.4 million totaled $214.2 million .

reflected continued capital efficiencies with costs remaining at approximately per lateral foot. Capital expenditures of adjusted for decreased capital accruals of totaled . Cash flows beat expectations. Net cash provided by operating activities of $296.4 million before net change in working capital of $82.5 million totaled $213.9 million , up 40% year-over-year and up 36% sequentially. Adjusted EBITDAX, (a non-GAAP measure defined and reconciled below) was $256.9 million , up 27% year-over-year and up 19% sequentially.

beat expectations. Net cash provided by operating activities of before net change in working capital of totaled , up 40% year-over-year and up 36% sequentially. Adjusted EBITDAX, (a non-GAAP measure defined and reconciled below) was , up 27% year-over-year and up 19% sequentially. New Austin Chalk wells delivered strong 30-day peak IP rates. Three new wells located in the NGL-rich East area of the Company's South Texas asset averaged 3,300 Boe/d three stream production at 24% oil and 58% liquids from approximately 11,450 foot average laterals, further supporting the consistency, predictability and extent of the Austin Chalk program. The most prolific of the wells averaged approximately 4,000 Boe/d, of which 1,100 Bbl/d was oil.

delivered strong 30-day peak IP rates. Three new wells located in the NGL-rich East area of the Company's asset averaged 3,300 Boe/d three stream production at 24% oil and 58% liquids from approximately 11,450 foot average laterals, further supporting the consistency, predictability and extent of the Austin Chalk program. The most prolific of the wells averaged approximately 4,000 Boe/d, of which 1,100 Bbl/d was oil. Balance sheet strengthening through the redemption of all 2022 senior notes outstanding and a majority of the 2024 senior notes outstanding and the issuance of $400 million in 6.5% senior notes due 2028.

strengthening through the redemption of all 2022 senior notes outstanding and a majority of the 2024 senior notes outstanding and the issuance of in 6.5% senior notes due 2028. ESG disclosure updated. Responses to the CDP Climate Change Questionnaire were submitted with 2020 data and posted to the Company's website at sm-energy.com.

Chief Executive Officer Herb Vogel comments: "Production outperformance, higher commodity prices and continued capital efficiencies supported excellent second quarter results. We are excited to see continued strong results from our Austin Chalk delineation and development program in South Texas, driving better than expected performance in the second quarter and putting SM one step closer to confirming our estimated inventory of 400 high return Austin Chalk wells. Our focus on generating free cash flow and improving leverage metrics is ahead of schedule, with the second quarter free cash flow neutral and the 18-month outlook showing a highly competitive yield to market capitalization based on current strip prices. Once again, the commitment of the SM Energy team delivered great operational performance."

SECOND QUARTER OF 2021

PRODUCTION:











Midland Basin South Texas Total Oil (MBbl / MBbl/d) 6,194 / 68.1 484 / 5.3 6,678/ 73.4 Natural Gas (MMcf / MMcf/d) 12,825 / 140.9 13,650 / 150.0 26,475 / 290.9 NGLs (MBbl / MBbl/d) 4 / - 1,329 / 14.6 1,333 / 14.6 Total (MBoe / MBoe/d) 8,336 / 91.6 4,087 / 44.9 12,423 / 136.5 Note: Totals may not calculate due to rounding.





Total production volumes of 12.4 MMBoe (136.5 MBoe/d) were up 11% compared with the prior year period and up 24% sequentially. Production was 54% oil. The significant sequential growth reflects the impacts from severe Texas weather in the first quarter of 2021 and better than expected performance from Austin Chalk wells in the second quarter.

weather in the first quarter of 2021 and better than expected performance from Austin Chalk wells in the second quarter. Production volumes were two-thirds from the Midland Basin and one-third from South Texas .

REALIZED PRICES:











Midland Basin South Texas Total

(Pre/Post-hedge) Oil ($/Bbl) $65.30 $65.90 $65.34 / $45.23 Natural Gas ($/Mcf) $4.01 $2.70 $3.34 / $2.87 NGLs ($/Bbl) nm $28.42 $28.41 / $19.19 Per Boe $54.71 $26.06 $45.28 / $32.50

Note: Totals may not calculate due to rounding.

The average realized price before the effect of hedges was $45.28 per Boe and the average realized price after the effect of hedges was $32.50 per Boe.

per Boe and the average realized price after the effect of hedges was per Boe. Benchmark pricing for the quarter included NYMEX WTI at $66.07 /Bbl, NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas at $2.83 /MMBtu and Hart Composite NGLs at $31.52 /Bbl.

/Bbl, NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas at /MMBtu and Hart Composite NGLs at /Bbl.

The average realized price per Boe of $45.28 before the effect of hedges was up 198% compared with the prior year period and up 8% sequentially.

before the effect of hedges was up 198% compared with the prior year period and up 8% sequentially.

The effect of realized hedges was a loss of $12.78 per Boe, or $158.8 million .

For additional operating metrics and regional detail, please see the Financial Highlights section below and the accompanying 2Q21 slide deck.

NET LOSS, LOSS PER SHARE AND NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES

Second quarter 2021 net loss was $223.0 million, or $1.88 per diluted common share, compared with a net loss of $89.3 million, or $0.79 per diluted common share, in the same period in 2020. The current year period benefited from 24% higher oil production and a 198% increase in the realized price per Boe before the effects of hedges leading to a 231% increase in revenue. Higher revenue in the current year period was partially offset by a $370.3 million net derivative loss, compared with a net derivative loss of $167.2 million in the prior year period. The prior year period also benefited from a $227.3 million gain on extinguishment of debt. For the first six months of 2021, net loss was $474.3 million, or $4.07 per diluted common share, compared with $501.1 million, or $4.43 per diluted common share, in the prior year period.

Second quarter 2021 net cash provided by operating activities of $296.4 million before net change in working capital of $82.5 million totaled $213.9 million, which was up 40% from $153.1 million in the comparable prior year period. The increase in the second quarter 2021 reflected higher production volumes and a nearly 500% increase in the operating margin, before the effects of hedge settlements, compared with the prior year period, which was partially offset by a $158.8 million realized hedge loss in the current year period versus a $142.5 million realized hedge gain in the prior year period. For the first six months of 2021, net cash provided by operating activities of $402.0 million before net changes in working capital of $31.1 million totaled $370.9 million, down 5% from the prior year period.

ADJUSTED EBITDAX, ADJUSTED NET INCOME (LOSS) AND NET DEBT-TO-ADJUSTED EBITDAX

The following paragraphs discuss non-GAAP measures including Adjusted EBITDAX, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) per diluted common share and net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDAX. Please reference the definitions and reconciliations of these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures at the end of this release.

Second quarter 2021 Adjusted EBITDAX was $256.9 million, up 27% from the same period in 2020. The increase in Adjusted EBITDAX was primarily due to an 11% increase in total production volumes and a 12% increase in the operating margin including the effect of realized hedge settlements. For the first six months of 2021, Adjusted EBITDAX was $471.9 million, down 3% from the prior year period.

Second quarter 2021 adjusted net income was $991,000, or $0.01 per diluted common share, compared with adjusted net loss of $17.3 million, or $0.15 per diluted common share, for the same period in 2020. For the first six months of 2021, adjusted net loss was $4.7 million, or $0.04 per diluted common share, compared with an adjusted net loss of $23.0 million, or $0.20 per diluted common share, in the prior year period.

At June 30, 2021, net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDAX was 2.35 times.

FINANCIAL POSITION, LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

On June 30, 2021, the outstanding principal amount of the Company's long-term debt was $2.25 billion. Long-term debt was comprised of $1.69 billion in unsecured senior notes, $446.7 million in secured senior notes, $65.5 million in secured senior convertible notes, plus $52.5 million drawn on the Company's senior secured revolving credit facility. During the quarter, the Company tendered for the total outstanding $212.4 million of its 6.125% senior notes due 2022 and $172.3 million of its 5.0% senior notes due 2024. The Company issued $400.0 million of 6.5% senior notes due 2028. These successful transactions resulted in reducing debt maturing through 2024 by $384.7 million, including $19.3 million in redemptions not tendered by holders through the tender offer.

The outstanding principal amount of the secured senior convertible notes was retired at maturity on July 1, 2021.

At June 30, 2021, the Company's available liquidity was $1.05 billion. The Company's cash balance was approximately zero.

Second quarter 2021 capital expenditures of $222.6 million, adjusted for decreased capital accruals of $8.4 million, totaled $214.2 million. During the quarter, the Company drilled 11 net wells and completed 40 net wells in the Midland Basin and drilled 11 net wells and completed 5 net wells in South Texas. All of the South Texas completions were Austin Chalk wells. For the first six months of 2021, capital expenditures adjusted for change in capital accruals totaled $399.2 million and the Company drilled 40 and completed 62 net wells, consistent with the full year plan for increased activity in the first half of 2021 compared with the second half of the year. Full year capital expenditures adjusted for change in capital accruals is expected to range between $650-675 million and include approximately 85 net wells drilled and 100-110 net wells completed.

COMMODITY DERIVATIVES

Commodity hedge positions as of July 28, 2021:

OIL: Approximately 75-80% of expected 3Q-4Q oil production is hedged to WTI at an average price of $41.67 /Bbl.

/Bbl. OIL, Midland Basin differential: Approximately 55-60% of expected 3Q-4Q Midland Basin oil production is hedged to the local price point at a positive $0.73 /Bbl basis.

/Bbl basis. NATURAL GAS: Approximately 85% of expected 3Q-4Q natural gas production is hedged. 24,987 BBtu is hedged to HSC at an average price of $2.41 /MMBtu, and 15,713 BBtu is hedged to WAHA at an average price of $1.85 /MMBtu.

/MMBtu, and 15,713 BBtu is hedged to WAHA at an average price of /MMBtu. NGL hedges are by individual product and include propane and normal butane swaps for the remainder of 2021.

A detailed schedule of these and other hedge positions are provided in the 2Q21 accompanying slide deck.

GUIDANCE

The full year 2021 production guidance range is narrowed to 47.5-49.5 MMBoe, or 130.1-135.6 MBoe/d.

All other 2021 guidance metrics are unchanged.

Third quarter 2021 guidance includes:

Production of 13.0-13.2 MMBoe or 141-143 MBoe/d. The production range reflects timing of new wells being turned-in-line.



Capital expenditures of $170 -190 million.

SCHEDULE FOR SECOND QUARTER REPORTING

July 29, 2021 - In conjunction with this release, the Company posts to its website a pre-recorded webcast discussion, a written transcript of the webcast, and an associated IR presentation. Please visit ir.sm-energy.com .

July 30, 2021  Please join SM Energy management at 8:00 a.m. Mountain time/10:00 a.m. Eastern time for the second quarter 2021 financial and operating results Q&A session. This discussion will be accessible via webcast (available live and for replay) on the Company's website at www.ir.sm-energy.com or by telephone. In order to join the live conference call, please register at the link below for dial-in information.

Live Conference Call Registration: http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/2948698

Replay (conference ID 2948698) - Domestic toll free/International: 800-585-8367/416-621-4642

The call replay will be available approximately one hour after the call and until August 6, 2021.

UPCOMING CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION

August 16, 2021  Enercom Oil & Gas Conference 2021. President and Chief Executive Officer Herb Vogel will present at 9.40 a.m. Mountain time . This event will be webcast, accessible from the Company's website, and available for replay for a limited period. An investor presentation for this event will be posted to the Company's website.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of securities laws. The words "assumes," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "generate," "guidance," "implied," "maintain," "plan," "project," "objectives," "outlook," "sustainable," "target," "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include, among other things, certain guidance for the full year and third quarter 2021, including third quarter capital expenditures and production, and the timing of bringing newly completed wells on production. These statements involve known and unknown risks, which may cause SM Energy's actual results to differ materially from results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Future results may be impacted by the risks discussed in the Risk Factors section of SM Energy's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as such risk factors may be updated from time to time in the Company's other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the 2020 Form 10-K. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak as of the date of this release. Although SM Energy may from time to time voluntarily update its prior forward-looking statements, it disclaims any commitment to do so, except as required by securities laws.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

SM Energy Company is an independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs in the state of Texas. SM Energy routinely posts important information about the Company on its website. For more information about SM Energy, please visit its website at www.sm-energy.com .

SM ENERGY INVESTOR CONTACTS

Jennifer Martin Samuels, [email protected] , 303-864-2507

Jeremy Kline, [email protected] , 303-863-4313

SM ENERGY COMPANY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2021































Production Data































For the Three Months Ended

Percent Change

Between

For the Six Months

Ended

Percent

Change

Between

Periods

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

2Q21 & 1Q21

2Q21 & 2Q20

June 30,

June 30,



2021

2021

2020





2021

2020

Realized sales price (before the effects of derivative settlements): Oil (per Bbl) $ 65.34



$ 56.33



$ 22.25



16 %

194 %

$ 61.30



$ 35.09



75 % Gas (per Mcf) $ 3.34



$ 4.16



$ 1.34



(20) %

149 %

$ 3.71



$ 1.44



158 % NGLs (per Bbl) $ 28.41



$ 26.93



$ 10.43



5 %

172 %

$ 27.77



$ 12.09



130 % Equivalent (per Boe) $ 45.28



$ 42.11



$ 15.18



8 %

198 %

$ 43.87



$ 22.25



97 % Realized sales price (including the effects of derivative settlements): Oil (per Bbl) $ 45.23



$ 45.95



$ 48.06



(2) %

(6) %

$ 45.55



$ 51.49



(12) % Gas (per Mcf) $ 2.87



$ 2.28



$ 1.38



26 %

108 %

$ 2.61



$ 1.74



50 % NGLs (per Bbl) $ 19.19



$ 16.14



$ 12.37



19 %

55 %

$ 17.86



$ 14.72



21 % Equivalent (per Boe) $ 32.50



$ 31.37



$ 27.93



4 %

16 %

$ 32.00



$ 31.42



2 % Net production volumes: (1) Oil (MMBbl) 6.7



5.4



5.4



23 %

24 %

12.1



11.7



3 % Gas (Bcf) 26.5



21.5



26.0



23 %

2 %

48.0



52.5



(9) % NGLs (MMBbl) 1.3



1.0



1.5



29 %

(10) %

2.4



3.1



(23) % MMBoe 12.4



10.0



11.2



24 %

11 %

22.5



23.6



(5) % Average net daily production: (1) Oil (MBbls/d) 73.4



60.3



59.0



22 %

24 %

66.9



64.4



4 % Gas (MMcf/d) 290.9



239.4



285.8



22 %

2 %

265.3



288.5



(8) % NGLs (MBbls/d) 14.6



11.4



16.2



28 %

(10) %

13.1



16.9



(23) % MBoe/d 136.5



111.6



122.9



22 %

11 %

124.2



129.4



(4) % Per Boe data:





























Realized price (before the effects of derivative settlements) $ 45.28



$ 42.11



$ 15.18



8 %

198 %

$ 43.87



$ 22.25



97 % Lease operating expense 4.62



4.64



3.30



 %

40 %

4.63



4.06



14 % Transportation costs 3.01



2.94



3.12



2 %

(4) %

2.98



3.11



(4) % Production taxes 2.03



1.94



0.56



5 %

263 %

1.99



0.90



121 % Ad valorem tax expense 0.45



0.52



0.22



(13) %

105 %

0.48



0.42



14 % General and administrative (2) 1.98



2.46



2.43



(20) %

(19) %

2.20



2.32



(5) % Operating margin (before the effects of derivative settlements) 33.19



29.61



5.55



12 %

498 %

31.59



11.44



176 % Derivative settlement gain (loss) (12.78)



(10.74)



12.74



(19) %

(200) %

(11.87)



9.17



(229) % Operating margin (including the effects of derivative settlements) $ 20.41



$ 18.87



$ 18.29



8 %

12 %

$ 19.72



$ 20.61



(4) % Depletion, depreciation, amortization, and asset retirement obligation liability accretion $ 16.48



$ 16.62



$ 16.17



(1) %

2 %

$ 16.54



$ 17.59



(6) %































(1) Amounts and percentage changes may not calculate due to rounding. (2) Includes non-cash stock-based compensation expense per Boe of $0.25, $0.44, and $0.41 for the three months ended June 30, 2021, March 31, 2021, and June 30, 2020, respectively, and, $0.34 and $0.39 for the six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020, respectively.

SM ENERGY COMPANY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2021

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets





(in thousands, except share data) June 30,

December 31, ASSETS 2021

2020 Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 



$ 10

Accounts receivable 229,512



162,455

Derivative assets 31,303



31,203

Prepaid expenses and other 8,595



10,001

Total current assets 269,410



203,669

Property and equipment (successful efforts method):





Proved oil and gas properties 9,107,281



8,608,522

Accumulated depletion, depreciation, and amortization (5,244,367)



(4,886,973)

Unproved oil and gas properties 656,848



714,602

Wells in progress 153,734



233,498

Other property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $75,328 and $63,662, respectively 41,313



32,217

Total property and equipment, net 4,714,809



4,701,866

Noncurrent assets:





Derivative assets 13,534



23,150

Other noncurrent assets 55,245



47,746

Total noncurrent assets 68,779



70,896

Total assets $ 5,052,998



$ 4,976,431

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY





Current liabilities:





Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 496,285



$ 371,670

Derivative liabilities 545,062



200,189

Other current liabilities 10,321



11,880

Total current liabilities 1,051,668



583,739

Noncurrent liabilities:





Revolving credit facility 52,500



93,000

Senior Notes, net 2,139,625



2,121,319

Asset retirement obligations 85,390



83,325

Derivative liabilities 116,273



22,331

Other noncurrent liabilities 55,033



56,557

Total noncurrent liabilities 2,448,821



2,376,532

Stockholders' equity:





Common stock, $0.01 par value - authorized: 200,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding: 120,970,853 and 114,742,304 shares, respectively 1,210



1,147

Additional paid-in capital 1,838,859



1,827,914

Retained earnings (deficit) (274,745)



200,697

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (12,815)



(13,598)

Total stockholders' equity 1,552,509



2,016,160

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 5,052,998



$ 4,976,431



SM ENERGY COMPANY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2021

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except per share data) For the Three Months Ended

June 30,

For the Six Months Ended

June 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Operating revenues and other income:













Oil, gas, and NGL production revenue $ 562,569



$ 169,790



$ 985,734



$ 524,023

Other operating income (loss) 1,280



(158)



21,961



1,343

Total operating revenues and other income 563,849



169,632



1,007,695



525,366

Operating expenses:













Oil, gas, and NGL production expense 125,456



80,445



226,386



199,997

Depletion, depreciation, amortization, and asset retirement obligation liability accretion 204,714



180,856



371,674



414,345

Exploration (1) 8,714



9,787



18,037



21,136

Impairment 8,750



8,750



17,500



998,513

General and administrative (1) 24,639



27,227



49,353



54,674

Net derivative (gain) loss (2) 370,348



167,200



715,037



(378,140)

Other operating expense, net 1,852



8,046



1,253



8,612

Total operating expenses 744,473



482,311



1,399,240



1,319,137

Loss from operations (180,624)



(312,679)



(391,545)



(793,771)

Interest expense (39,536)



(40,354)



(79,407)



(81,866)

Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt (2,144)



227,281



(2,144)



239,476

Other non-operating expense, net (853)



(185)



(1,224)



(679)

Loss before income taxes (223,157)



(125,937)



(474,320)



(636,840)

Income tax benefit 162



36,685



56



135,693

Net loss $ (222,995)



$ (89,252)



$ (474,264)



$ (501,147)

















Basic weighted-average common shares outstanding 118,357



113,008



116,568



113,015

Diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding 118,357



113,008



116,568



113,015

Basic net loss per common share $ (1.88)



$ (0.79)



$ (4.07)



$ (4.43)

Diluted net loss per common share $ (1.88)



$ (0.79)



$ (4.07)



$ (4.43)

Dividends per common share $ 



$ 



$ 0.01



$ 0.01

















(1) Non-cash stock-based compensation included in:













Exploration expense $ 812



$ 1,091



$ 2,096



$ 2,048

General and administrative expense 3,144



4,621



7,597



9,225

Total non-cash stock-based compensation $ 3,956



$ 5,712



$ 9,693



$ 11,273

















(2) The net derivative (gain) loss line item consists of the following:













Derivative settlement (gain) loss $ 158,822



$ (142,528)



$ 266,707



$ (215,965)

(Gain) loss on fair value changes 211,526



309,728



448,330



(162,175)

Total net derivative (gain) loss $ 370,348



$ 167,200



$ 715,037



$ (378,140)



SM ENERGY COMPANY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2021























Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (in thousands, except share data and dividends per share)







Additional

Paid-in

Capital

Retained Earnings

(Deficit)

Accumulated

Other

Comprehensive

Loss

Total Stockholders' Equity

Common Stock









Shares

Amount







Balances, December 31, 2020 114,742,304



$ 1,147



$ 1,827,914



$ 200,697



$ (13,598)



$ 2,016,160

Net loss 











(251,269)







(251,269)

Other comprehensive income 















191



191

Cash dividends declared, $0.01 per share 











(1,147)







(1,147)

Stock-based compensation expense 







5,737











5,737

Balances, March 31, 2021 114,742,304



$ 1,147



$ 1,833,651



$ (51,719)



$ (13,407)



$ 1,769,672

Net loss 











(222,995)







(222,995)

Other comprehensive income 















592



592

Cash dividends, $0.01 per share 











(31)







(31)

Issuance of common stock under Employee Stock Purchase Plan 252,665



3



1,312











1,315

Stock-based compensation expense 57,795



1



3,955











3,956

Issuance of common stock through cashless exercise of Warrants 5,918,089



59



(59)













Balances, June 30, 2021 120,970,853



$ 1,210



$ 1,838,859



$ (274,745)



$ (12,815)



$ 1,552,509







Additional

Paid-in

Capital





Accumulated

Other

Comprehensive

Loss

Total Stockholders' Equity

Common Stock



Retained Earnings





Shares

Amount







Balances, December 31, 2019 112,987,952



$ 1,130



$ 1,791,596



$ 967,587



$ (11,319)



$ 2,748,994

Net loss 











(411,895)







(411,895)

Other comprehensive income 















190



190

Cash dividends declared, $0.01 per share 











(1,130)







(1,130)

Issuance of common stock upon vesting of RSUs, net of shares used for tax withholdings 730







(3)











(3)

Stock-based compensation expense 







5,561











5,561

Balances, March 31, 2020 112,988,682



$ 1,130



$ 1,797,154



$ 554,562



$ (11,129)



$ 2,341,717

Net loss 











(89,252)







(89,252)

Other comprehensive income 















188



188

Issuance of common stock under Employee Stock Purchase Plan 297,013



3



944











947

Stock-based compensation expense 267,576



3



5,709











5,712

Issuance of Warrants 







21,520











21,520

Balances, June 30, 2020 113,553,271



$ 1,136



$ 1,825,327



$ 465,310



$ (10,941)



$ 2,280,832



SM ENERGY COMPANY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2021

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows











(in thousands) For the Three Months Ended

June 30,

For the Six Months Ended

June 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Cash flows from operating activities:













Net loss $ (222,995)



$ (89,252)



$ (474,264)



$ (501,147)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:













Depletion, depreciation, amortization, and asset retirement obligation liability accretion 204,714



180,856



371,674



414,345

Impairment 8,750



8,750



17,500



998,513

Stock-based compensation expense 3,956



5,712



9,693



11,273

Net derivative (gain) loss 370,348



167,200



715,037



(378,140)

Derivative settlement gain (loss) (158,822)



142,528



(266,707)



215,965

Amortization of debt discount and deferred financing costs 4,722



4,586



9,445



8,578

(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt 2,144



(227,281)



2,144



(239,476)

Deferred income taxes (162)



(36,921)



(214)



(136,268)

Other, net 1,215



(3,102)



(13,377)



(3,918)

Net change in working capital 82,529



(38,737)



31,092



(57,254)

Net cash provided by operating activities 296,399



114,339



402,023



332,471

















Cash flows from investing activities:













Capital expenditures (222,614)



(170,903)



(370,177)



(310,209)

Other, net 292



92



221



92

Net cash used in investing activities (222,322)



(170,811)



(369,956)



(310,117)

















Cash flows from financing activities:













Proceeds from revolving credit facility 504,000



415,500



944,000



841,000

Repayment of revolving credit facility (586,500)



(294,500)



(984,500)



(770,500)

Net proceeds from Senior Notes 393,583







393,583





Cash paid to repurchase Senior Notes (385,296)



(53,508)



(385,296)



(81,826)

Debt issuance costs related to 10.0% Senior Secured Notes due 2025 



(10,491)







(10,491)

Net proceeds from sale of common stock 1,315



947



1,315



947

Dividends paid (1,178)



(1,130)



(1,178)



(1,130)

Other (1)



(351)



(1)



(354)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities (74,077)



56,467



(32,077)



(22,354)

















Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 



(5)



(10)





Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period 



15



10



10

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period $ 



$ 10



$ 



$ 10



SM ENERGY COMPANY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2021

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Continued)











(in thousands) For the Three Months Ended

June 30,

For the Six Months Ended

June 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Supplemental schedule of additional cash flow information and non-cash activities:













Operating activities:













Cash paid for interest, net of capitalized interest $ (21,415)



$ (34,844)



$ (74,864)



$ (82,313)

















Investing activities:













Increase (decrease) in capital expenditure accruals and other $ (8,422)



$ (45,698)



$ 28,987



$ (28,896)

















Non-cash financing activities (1)















______________________________ (1) Please refer to Note 5 - Long-term Debt in Part I, Item I of the Company's Form 10-Q for discussion of the debt transactions executed during the six months ended June 30, 2021, and during the three and six months ended June 30, 2020.

DEFINITIONS OF NON-GAAP MEASURES AS CALCULATED BY THE COMPANY

The following non-GAAP measures are presented in addition to financial statements as the Company believes these metrics and performance measures are widely used by the investment community, including investors, research analysts and others, to evaluate and compare investments among upstream oil and gas companies in making investment decisions or recommendations. These measures, as presented, may have differing calculations among companies and investment professionals and may not be directly comparable to the same measures provided by others. A non-GAAP measure should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measure or any other measure of a company's financial or operating performance presented in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of each of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is presented below. These measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

Adjusted EBITDAX : Adjusted EBITDAX is calculated as net income (loss) before interest expense, interest income, income taxes, depletion, depreciation, amortization and asset retirement obligation liability accretion expense, exploration expense, property abandonment and impairment expense, non-cash stock-based compensation expense, derivative gains and losses net of settlements, gains and losses on divestitures, gains and losses on extinguishment of debt, and certain other items. Adjusted EBITDAX excludes certain items that the Company believes affect the comparability of operating results, including items that are generally non-recurring in nature or whose timing and/or amount cannot be reasonably estimated. Adjusted EBITDAX is also important because we are subject to financial covenants under the Company's Credit Agreement, a material source of liquidity for the Company, based on Adjusted EBITDAX ratios. Please reference the Company's 2020 Form 10-K and the most recently filed Form 10-Q for discussion of the Credit Agreement and its covenants.

Adjusted net income (loss) : Adjusted net income (loss) excludes certain items that the Company believes affect the comparability of operating results, including items that are generally non-recurring in nature or whose timing and/or amount cannot be reasonably estimated. These items include non-cash and other adjustments, such as derivative gains and losses net of settlements, impairments, net (gain) loss on divestiture activity, gains and losses on extinguishment of debt, and accruals for non-recurring matters.

Net Debt : Net debt is calculated as the total principal amount of outstanding senior secured notes and senior unsecured notes plus amounts drawn on the revolving credit facility (also referred to as total funded debt) less cash and cash equivalents.

Free cash flow : Free cash flow is calculated as net cash provided by operating activities before net change in working capital less capital expenditures before increase (decrease) in capital expenditure accruals and other.

Free cash flow yield to market capitalization : Free cash flow yield to market capitalization is calculated as Free cash flow (defined above) divided by market capitalization.

Net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDAX : Net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDAX is calculated as Net Debt (defined above) divided by Adjusted EBITDAX (defined above) for the trailing twelve-month period. A variation of this calculation is a financial covenant under the Company's Credit Agreement.

SM ENERGY COMPANY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2021

Adjusted EBITDAX Reconciliation (1)













(in thousands)





























Reconciliation of net loss (GAAP) and net cash provided by operating activities (GAAP) to Adjusted EBITDAX (non-GAAP) For the Three Months Ended

June 30,

For the Six Months Ended

June 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Net loss (GAAP) $ (222,995)



$ (89,252)



$ (474,264)



$ (501,147)

Interest expense 39,536



40,354



79,407



81,866

Income tax benefit (162)



(36,685)



(56)



(135,693)

Depletion, depreciation, amortization, and asset retirement obligation liability accretion 204,714



180,856



371,674



414,345

Exploration (2) 7,902



8,696



15,941



19,088

Impairment 8,750



8,750



17,500



998,513

Stock-based compensation expense 3,956



5,712



9,693



11,273

Net derivative (gain) loss 370,348



167,200



715,037



(378,140)

Derivative settlement gain (loss) (158,822)



142,528



(266,707)



215,965

(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt 2,144



(227,281)



2,144



(239,476)

Other, net 1,512



612



1,502



945

Adjusted EBITDAX (non-GAAP) $ 256,883



$ 201,490



$ 471,871



$ 487,539

Interest expense (39,536)



(40,354)



(79,407)



(81,866)

Income tax benefit 162



36,685



56



135,693

Exploration (2) (7,902)



(8,696)



(15,941)



(19,088)

Amortization of debt discount and deferred financing costs 4,722



4,586



9,445



8,578

Deferred income taxes (162)



(36,921)



(214)



(136,268)

Other, net (297)



(3,714)



(14,879)



(4,863)

Net change in working capital 82,529



(38,737)



31,092



(57,254)

Net cash provided by operating activities (GAAP) $ 296,399



$ 114,339



$ 402,023



$ 332,471

















(1) See "Definitions of non-GAAP Measures as Calculated by the Company" above. (2) Stock-based compensation expense is a component of the exploration expense and general and administrative expense line items on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations. Therefore, the exploration line items shown in the reconciliation above will vary from the amount shown on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the component of stock-based compensation expense recorded to exploration expense.

SM ENERGY COMPANY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2021

Adjusted Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation (1)













(in thousands, except per share data)





























Reconciliation of net loss (GAAP) to adjusted net income (loss) (non-GAAP): For the Three Months Ended

June 30,

For the Six Months Ended

June 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Net loss (GAAP) $ (222,995)



$ (89,252)



$ (474,264)



$ (501,147)

Net derivative (gain) loss 370,348



167,200



715,037



(378,140)

Derivative settlement gain (loss) (158,822)



142,528



(266,707)



215,965

Impairment 8,750



8,750



17,500



998,513

(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt 2,144



(227,281)



2,144



(239,476)

Other, net (2) 1,566



674



1,583



1,060

Tax effect of adjustments (3) (48,605)



(19,936)



(101,894)



(129,749)

Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets 48,605







101,894



10,017

Adjusted net income (loss) (non-GAAP) $ 991



$ (17,317)



$ (4,707)



$ (22,957)

















Diluted net loss per common share (GAAP) $ (1.88)



$ (0.79)



$ (4.07)



$ (4.43)

Net derivative (gain) loss 3.13



1.48



6.13



(3.35)

Derivative settlement gain (loss) (1.34)



1.26



(2.29)



1.91

Impairment 0.07



0.08



0.15



8.84

Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt 0.02



(2.01)



0.02



(2.12)

Other, net (2) 0.01



0.01



0.02



0.01

Tax effect of adjustments (3) (0.41)



(0.18)



(0.87)



(1.15)

Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets 0.41







0.87



0.09

Adjusted net income (loss) per diluted common share (non-GAAP) $ 0.01



$ (0.15)



$ (0.04)



$ (0.20)

















Basic weighted-average common shares outstanding 118,357



113,008



116,568



113,015

Diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding 118,357



113,008



116,568



113,015

















Note: Amounts may not calculate due to rounding.





























(1) See "Definitions of non-GAAP Measures as Calculated by the Company" above. (2) For all periods presented, other adjustments related to bad debt expense and impairments of materials inventory and other property. Additionally, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, other adjustments include pension settlement expense, and for the the three months ended June 30, 2020 and the six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020, other adjustments included (gain) loss on divestiture. (3) The tax effect of adjustments for each of the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020, was calculated using a tax rate of 21.7%. This rate approximates the Company's statutory tax rate for the respective periods, as adjusted for ordinary permanent differences.

SM ENERGY COMPANY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) June 30, 2021

Reconciliation of Total Long-Term Debt to Net Debt (1)

(in thousands)



As of June 30, 2021 Senior Secured Notes (2) $ 512,160

Senior Unsecured Notes (2) 1,689,913

Revolving credit facility (2) 52,500

Total funded debt 2,254,573

Less: Cash and cash equivalents 

Net Debt $ 2,254,573





(1) See "Definitions of non-GAAP Measures as Calculated by the Company" above. (2) Amounts are from Note 5 - Long-term Debt in Part I, Item I of the Company's Form 10-Q for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Free Cash Flow (1)















(in thousands)



















For the Three Months Ended

June 30,

For the Six Months Ended

June 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020 Net cash provided by operating activities (GAAP)

$ 296,399



$ 114,339



$ 402,023



$ 332,471

Net change in working capital

(82,529)



38,737



(31,092)



57,254

Cash flow from operations before net change in working capital

$ 213,870



$ 153,076



$ 370,931



$ 389,725

Capital expenditures (GAAP)

$ 222,614



$ 170,903



$ 370,177



$ 310,209

Increase (decrease) in capital expenditure accruals and other

(8,422)



(45,698)



28,987



(28,896)

Capital expenditures before accruals and other

$ 214,192



$ 125,205



$ 399,164



$ 281,313

Free cash flow

$ (322)



$ 27,871



$ (28,233)



$ 108,412



















(1) See "Definitions of non-GAAP Measures as Calculated by the Company" above.













SOURCE SM Energy Company

Related Links

www.sm-energy.com


STA affirms commitment to environmentally conscious student transportation, replaces diesel vehicles Tweet this

In Los Angeles, Blue Bird was responsible for manufacturing the new buses, which feature a Cummins battery electric system. Southern California's Beard Electric EV was tapped to help update the existing bus terminalssupported by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)the existing Infrastructure was modified to support the installation of the Level 2 Electrical Vehicle charging stations. The installation of the charging stations served as a mentoring project for LADWP's Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator class. Cohorts, primarily from underserved communities, watched the construction of the EV infrastructure from start to finish via Zoom as Brett Beard (Beard Electric's EV Infrastructure Operations Director) spoke to the intricacies of the installation of EV Charging Systems.

STA recently announced that Ronald Halley, Vice President of Fleet and Facilities, will lead the Electric Vehicle Pilot Program. Halley, a 45-year veteran of the transportation industry, will be responsible for designing and coordinating maintenance processes and new facilities for STA's vehicles throughout the country. Halley also leads the company's alternative fuel program, working closely with manufacturing and energy partners to expand the company's Green Fleet of lower-emission vehicles.

Halley's team plans to track battery life, monitor component life and collect other key data as the electric buses service the LA routes. With electric fleets planned for urban, suburban and rural areas, this information will give STA actionable intelligence into the performance of electric vehicles in distinct operating environments.

"What sets our electric program apart is its strategic rollout in varied neighborhoods, all of which have vastly different characteristics that could affect mileage, idling time and overall performance. What we learn in Los Angeles, we can apply toward the future markets and make better informed decisions on where to go next with the electric buses," said Halley. "Our schools, districts and drivers are all eager to see how this program grows and we are just as optimistic."

In Los Angeles, the buses are already serving several routes, primarily for private schools. Harvard-Westlake School being one of the first districts to have EVs implemented within their Mission School Transportation (MST) fleet, part of the STA family of companies.

"With almost two dozen daily routes, Harvard-Westlake School knows the tremendous benefit of buses as reliable, efficient and safe modes of student transportation. It brings us great pride to partner with MST/STA to begin implementing an electric fleet of buses, reducing maintenance demands, vehicular emissions and eliminating fossil fuel consumption," said David Weil, Chief Financial Officer, Harvard-Westlake School. "This is an important step toward a more sustainable future for the City of Los Angeles and, particularly, the students who entrust HW and MST with their transportation needs."

STA has plans to expand its electric bus initiative to additional markets including Trenton, NJ; Barre, VT and others. The new buses and related infrastructure for the larger rollout come at a total cost of $6.5 million, which will be funded by STA and a variety of grants, incentive projects and partnerships.

STA has been at the forefront of the industry in the use of electric, propane, compressed natural gas and biofuels. In 2012, the company purchased 400 propane-powered vehiclesthe largest all-propane school bus fleet in the United Statesto serve public schools in Omaha, Neb. It was also the first to introduce propane and alternate-fuel vehicles to communities in St. Paul, Minn.; Grand Junction, Colo.; Canby, Lake Oswego and Tigard, Ore. and others.

To date, STA has replaced more than 2,700 diesel-engine school buses with alternative-fuel vehicles. The company has received a Green Fleet Magazine Sustainability All-Star Award for its leadership in the space.

About Student Transportation of America

Founded in 1997, Student Transportation of America (STA) is an industry leader in school transportation, safety and fleet services. STA operates more than 16,000 vehicles, providing customers with the highest level of safe and reliable student transportation, management, logistics and technology solutions throughout the U.S. and Canada. Services are delivered by drivers, dispatchers, maintenance technicians, managers, information technology professionals and others, who are caring members of their local communities. For more information, please visit www.rideSTA.com.

SOURCE Student Transportation of America

Related Links

http://www.rideSTA.com


WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Susan Osweiler has joined Sammons Financial Group as Vice President, Financial Strategy. In this new role, Osweiler will support the company's overall financial strategy in several key areas.

Osweiler will specifically work with the finance and investment teams to develop and implement a reinsurance strategy focused on Sammons Financial Group's competitive positioning and to maximize capital efficiency, assist in the evaluation of merger and acquisition opportunities, and support the Corporate Services team special projects and initiatives.

Susan Osweiler

"I am very excited to have Susan join our team, and I am confident she is a great fit for our organization," said Don Lyons, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Sammons Financial Group. "Susan's wealth of actuarial and financial experience in both corporate and academic settings positions her well to help lead our financial strategy efforts."

For the past 20 years, Osweiler has owned and actively managed all operations of a multi-tenant office and retail buildings in the Des Moines metropolitan area. Prior to taking on these responsibilities as co-founder of BP Real Estate Group, she held various senior executive roles in Finance and Corporate Actuarial at Equitable of Iowa Companies and ING.

Additionally, Osweiler was on faculty at Drake University in Des Moines where she served as Associate Professor of Practice in Actuarial Science and as Director of the School of Actuarial Science and Risk Management.

About Sammons Financial Group, Inc.

The companies of Sammons Financial Group, Inc. help families and businesses protect their future to enjoy life's moments today. A subsidiary of Sammons Enterprises, Inc., Sammons Financial Group is privately owned with member companies that are among the most enduring and stable in the financial services industry. Our companies include Midland National Life Insurance Company (including Sammons Corporate Markets); North American Company for Life and Health Insurance; Sammons Institutional Group (including Midland Retirement Distributors and Sammons Retirement Solutions) and Beacon Capital Management, Inc. Together, we offer today's most sought-after life insurance, annuity, and retirement planning products. Sammons Financial Group: With You for Every Moment.

SOURCE Sammons Financial Group, Inc.

Related Links

www.sammonsfinancialgroup.com


LEXINGTON, Ky., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tempur Sealy International, Inc. (NYSE: TPX) announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. The Company issued updated financial guidance for the full year 2021 that reflects the improved business trends and the acquisition of Dreams, which is scheduled to close in early August.

SECOND QUARTER 2021 FINANCIAL SUMMARY

Total net sales increased 75.8% to $1,169.1 million as compared to $665.2 million in the second quarter of 2020. On a constant currency basis (1) , total net sales increased 72.6%, with an increase of 73.8% in the North America business segment and an increase of 64.5% in the International business segment.

as compared to in the second quarter of 2020. On a constant currency basis , total net sales increased 72.6%, with an increase of 73.8% in the business segment and an increase of 64.5% in the International business segment. Gross margin was 44.3% as compared to 40.0% in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted gross margin (1) was 40.6% in the second quarter of 2020. There were no adjustments to gross margin in the second quarter of 2021.

was 40.6% in the second quarter of 2020. There were no adjustments to gross margin in the second quarter of 2021. Operating income increased 318.2% to $223.3 million as compared to $53.4 million in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted operating income (1) increased 191.7% to $227.2 million as compared to $77.9 million in the second quarter of 2020.

as compared to in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted operating income increased 191.7% to as compared to in the second quarter of 2020. Net income increased 512.2% to $140.8 million as compared to $23.0 million in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted net income (1) increased 294.9% to $161.5 million as compared to $40.9 million in the second quarter of 2020.

as compared to in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted net income increased 294.9% to as compared to in the second quarter of 2020. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") (1) increased 212.3% to $266.1 million as compared to $85.2 million in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted EBITDA per credit facility (1) increased 146.6% to $270.3 million as compared to $109.6 million in the second quarter of 2020.

increased 212.3% to as compared to in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted EBITDA per credit facility increased 146.6% to as compared to in the second quarter of 2020. Earnings per diluted share ("EPS") increased 527.3% to $0.69 as compared to $0.11 in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted EPS (1) increased 295.0% to $0.79 as compared to $0.20 in the second quarter of 2020.

as compared to in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted EPS increased 295.0% to as compared to in the second quarter of 2020. Net cash provided by operating activities increased to a record $226.7 million as compared to $155.4 million in the second quarter of 2020.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

(in millions, except percentages and per common

share amounts) Three Months Ended

% Reported

Change

% Constant

Currency Change(1) June 30, 2021

June 30, 2020 Net sales $ 1,169.1



$ 665.2



75.8 %

72.6 % Net income $ 140.8



$ 23.0



512.2 %

486.5 % EBITDA(1) $ 266.1



$ 85.2



212.3 %

202.8 % Adjusted EBITDA per credit facility (1) $ 270.3



$ 109.6



146.6 %

139.2 % EPS $ 0.69



$ 0.11



527.3 %

500.0 % Adjusted EPS (1) $ 0.79



$ 0.20



295.0 %

280.0 %

Company Chairman and CEO Scott Thompson commented, "Our strong performance in the quarter was broad-based across geographies and channels. Our investments and strategies to strengthen the long-term growth potential of Tempur Sealy continue to enhance our competitive position. This quarter we were pleased to report global sales growth of 62% compared to 2019, a base year unaffected by COVID. We were especially pleased with our double-digit global web sales growth this quarter verses second quarter 2020 which grew over 125% versus the prior year when traditional retail stores were impacted by COVID. The strength of our brands and products combined with the acquisition of Dreams resulted in increasing our full year guidance for 2021. At the midpoint of our updated 2021 adjusted EPS(1) range, we expect to deliver full year growth of over 200% compared to 2019, again a base year unaffected by COVID.

"While the strong industry and healthy consumer have been tailwinds for us recently, our sales and earnings growth has been significantly outpacing the overall market. Our performance is linked to our company initiatives, with new distribution driving approximately 50% of our expected 2-year sales growth. Another approximately 35% of our expected growth is from strategic mergers and acquisitions as well as sales from previously untapped markets, including the direct to consumer and OEM markets. This leaves only 15% of our 2-year growth coming from the underlying strength of the market. This broader foundation, combined with significant cash flow, gives us confidence in our ability to deliver double-digit earnings growth in 2022 and beyond."

(1) This is a non-GAAP financial measure. Please refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Constant Currency Information" below.

Business Segment Highlights

The Company's business segments include North America and International. Corporate operating expenses are not included in either of the business segments and are presented separately as a reconciling item to consolidated results.

North America net sales increased 75.2% to $1,013.8 million as compared to $578.6 million in the second quarter of 2020. On a constant currency basis(1), North America net sales increased 73.8% as compared to the second quarter of 2020. Gross margin was 42.0% as compared to 37.7% in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted gross margin(1) was 38.4% in the second quarter of 2020. There were no adjustments to gross margin in the second quarter of 2021. Operating margin was 21.4% as compared to 11.7% in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted operating margin(1) was 15.0% in the second quarter of 2020. There were no adjustments to operating margin in the second quarter of 2021.

North America net sales through the wholesale channel increased $388.0 million, or 77.2%, to $890.8 million, as compared to the second quarter of 2020. North America net sales through the direct channel increased $47.2 million, or 62.3%, to $123.0 million, as compared to the second quarter of 2020. The increase in net sales across all channels was driven by higher sales volume compared to the prior year period, which was impacted by COVID-19.

North America gross margin improved 360 basis points as compared to adjusted gross margin(1) in the second quarter of 2020. The improvement was driven by leverage from higher sales volume compared to the prior year period, which was impacted by COVID-19. North America operating margin improved 640 basis points as compared to adjusted operating margin(1) in the second quarter of 2020. The improvement was primarily driven by gross margin and operating expense leverage.

International net sales increased 79.3% to $155.3 million as compared to $86.6 million in the second quarter of 2020. On a constant currency basis(1), International net sales increased 64.5% as compared to the second quarter of 2020. Gross margin was 59.8% as compared to 54.8% in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted gross margin(1) was 55.4% in the second quarter of 2020. There were no adjustments to gross margin in the second quarter of 2021. Operating margin was 27.9% as compared to 13.0% in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted operating margin(1) was 19.5% in the second quarter of 2020. There were no adjustments to operating margin in the second quarter of 2021.

International net sales through the wholesale channel increased $53.7 million, or 88.2%, to $114.6 million as compared to the second quarter of 2020. International net sales through the direct channel increased $15.0 million, or 58.4%, to $40.7 million as compared to the second quarter of 2020.

International gross margin improved 440 basis points as compared to adjusted gross margin(1) in the second quarter of 2020. The improvement was driven by leverage from higher sales volume compared to the prior year period, which was impacted by COVID-19. International operating margin improved 840 basis points as compared to adjusted operating margin(1) in the second quarter of 2020. The improvement was primarily driven by operating expense leverage and the improvement in gross margin. The previously announced Dreams acquisition is expected to generate annual sales of approximately $450 million in the first year post-acquisition.

Company Chairman and CEO Scott Thompson commented, "We look forward to officially welcoming the Dreams organization to the Tempur Sealy family. With the closing of the Dreams acquisition, we estimate our annualized worldwide direct-to-consumer business will reach nearly $1 billion in sales and will represent approximately 25% of consolidated sales on a trailing twelve month basis.

Corporate operating expense increased to $37.5 million as compared to $25.6 million in the second quarter of 2020. The increase in operating expense was primarily driven by the low level of variable compensation expense in the prior year when the full-year outlook included worldwide shutdowns and significant retailer door closures due to COVID-19.

Consolidated net income increased 512.2% to $140.8 million as compared to $23.0 million in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted net income(1) increased 294.9% to $161.5 million as compared to $40.9 million in the second quarter of 2020. EPS increased 527.3% to $0.69 as compared to $0.11 in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted EPS(1) increased 295.0% to $0.79 as compared to $0.20 in the second quarter of 2020.

The Company ended the second quarter of 2021 with total debt and consolidated indebtedness less netted cash(1) of $1.5 billion. Leverage based on the ratio of consolidated indebtedness less netted cash(1) to adjusted EBITDA per credit facility(1) was 1.44 times for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2021, a significant reduction from prior year. The Company expects leverage will be approximately 1.80 times after the closing of the acquisition of Dreams in early August. Additionally, in the second quarter of 2021, the Company incurred $18.0 million of loss on extinguishment of debt associated with the early redemption of the 2026 Senior Notes as the Company refinanced its long-term debt at a lower interest cost. The Company expects an annual interest savings of $15 million from the actions it has taken to optimize its debt structure since the start of 2021.

During the second quarter of 2021, the Company repurchased 1.6 million shares of its common stock for a total cost of $62.4 million. Over the last twelve months, the Company has repurchased 15.6 million shares of its common stock for a total cost of $507.8 million. As of June 30, 2021, the Company had approximately $376.8 million available under its existing share repurchase authorization.

Additionally, today the Company announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 9 cents per share payable on August 26, 2021, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 12, 2021. This represents a 29% increase over the Company's previous quarterly dividend of 7 cents per share.

Company Chairman and CEO Scott Thompson commented, "I am pleased to report that our Board of Directors have declared a nearly 30% increase to our quarterly dividend while still maintaining a conservative payout ratio. The significant increase to our quarterly dividend demonstrates the confidence we have in our outlook, which includes the impact of the acquisition of Dreams as well as our expanded direct to consumer and OEM businesses, all of which have diversified our sales and significantly improved our operating cash flow. With this backdrop, the Board of Directors decided to significantly increase the quarterly dividend, aligning closer to the Company's previously announced annual dividend payout target of 15% of net income. We expect to evaluate future increases each year on an annual basis."

Financial Guidance

The Company updated its financial guidance for 2021 to reflect the improved business trends and the acquisition of Dreams, which is expected to close in early August. For the full year, the Company currently expects net sales growth to exceed 35% over prior year, with adjusted EPS(1) between $3.10 and $3.25. The midpoint of this guidance implies an increase of 64% from the Company's prior year adjusted EPS(1) of $1.94 and a 2021 adjusted EBITDA(1) of approximately $1.1 billion.

The Company noted that its expectations are based on information available at the time of this release, and are subject to changing conditions, many of which are outside the Company's control.

Conference Call Information

Tempur Sealy International, Inc. will host a live conference call to discuss financial results today, July 29, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The call will be webcast and can be accessed on the Company's investor relations website at investor.tempursealy.com. After the conference call, a webcast replay will remain available on the investor relations section of the Company's website for 30 days.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Constant Currency Information

For additional information regarding EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA per credit facility, adjusted EPS, adjusted net income, adjusted gross profit, adjusted gross margin, adjusted operating income (expense), adjusted operating margin, consolidated indebtedness and consolidated indebtedness less netted cash (all of which are non-GAAP financial measures), please refer to the reconciliations and other information included in the attached schedules. For information on the methodology used to present information on a constant currency basis, please refer to "Constant Currency Information" included in the attached schedules.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that may be characterized as "forward-looking," within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Such statements might include information concerning one or more of the Company's plans, guidance, objectives, goals, strategies, and other information that is not historical information. When used in this release, the words "assumes," "estimates," "expects," "guidance," "anticipates," "might," "projects," "plans," "proposed," "targets," "intends," "believes," "will" and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company's expectations regarding the Dreams acquisition, quarterly cash dividend, the Company's share repurchase targets, the Company's expectations regarding net sales for 2021, EBITDA for 2021, and EPS for 2021 and subsequent periods and the Company's expectations for increasing sales growth, product launches, channel growth, acquisitions and commodities outlook. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based upon current expectations and beliefs and various assumptions. There can be no assurance that the Company will realize these expectations, meet its guidance, or that these beliefs will prove correct.

Numerous factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, could cause actual results to differ materially from any that may be expressed herein as forward-looking statements. These potential risk factors include the risk factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Part I, ITEM 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. There may be other factors that may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made.

About Tempur Sealy International, Inc.

Tempur Sealy is committed to improving the sleep of more people, every night, all around the world. As a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of bedding products, we know how crucial a good night of sleep is to overall health and wellness. Utilizing over a century of knowledge and industry-leading innovation, we deliver award-winning products that provide breakthrough sleep solutions to consumers in over 100 countries.

Our highly recognized brands include Tempur-Pedic, Sealy featuring Posturepedic Technology and Stearns & Foster and our non-branded offerings include value-focused private label and OEM products. Our distinct brands allow for complimentary merchandising strategies and are sold through third-party retailers, our Company-owned stores and e-commerce channels. This omni-channel strategy ensures our products are offered where ever and how ever customers want to shop.

Lastly, we accept our global responsibility to serve all stakeholders, our community and environment. We have and are implementing programs consistent with our responsibilities.

Investor Relations Contact:

Aubrey Moore

Investor Relations

Tempur Sealy International, Inc.

800-805-3635

[email protected]

TEMPUR SEALY INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (in millions, except percentages and per common share amounts) (unaudited)



Three Months Ended





Six Months Ended





June 30,

Chg %

June 30,

Chg %

2021

2020





2021

2020



Net sales $ 1,169.1



$ 665.2



75.8%

$ 2,212.9



$ 1,487.6



48.8% Cost of sales 650.9



399.3







1,235.8



864.6





Gross profit 518.2



265.9



94.9%

977.1



623.0



56.8% Selling and marketing expenses 216.8



135.1







414.5



306.1





General, administrative and other expenses 85.1



82.4







164.6



163.0





Equity income in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates (7.0)



(5.0)







(13.7)



(4.8)





Operating income 223.3



53.4



318.2%

411.7



158.7



159.4%























Other expense, net:





















Interest expense, net 20.0



20.6







32.3



40.9





Loss on extinguishment of debt 18.0











23.0









Other (income) expense, net (0.1)



0.3







(0.4)



0.8





Total other expense, net 37.9



20.9







54.9



41.7





























Income from continuing operations before income taxes 185.4



32.5



470.5%

356.8



117.0



205.0% Income tax provision (44.7)



(9.4)







(85.2)



(32.9)





Income from continuing operations 140.7



23.1



509.1%

271.6



84.1



222.9% (Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax (0.3)



0.1







(0.5)



(1.1)





Net income before non-controlling interests 140.4



23.2



505.2%

271.1



83.0



226.6% Less: Net (loss) income attributable to non-controlling interests (0.4)



0.2







(0.2)



0.3





Net income attributable to Tempur Sealy International, Inc. $ 140.8



$ 23.0



512.2%

$ 271.3



$ 82.7



228.1%























Earnings per common share:













































Basic





















Earnings per share for continuing operations $ 0.72



$ 0.11







$ 1.36



$ 0.39





Loss per share for discontinued operations 





















Earnings per share $ 0.72



$ 0.11



554.5%

$ 1.36



$ 0.39



248.7%























Diluted





















Earnings per share for continuing operations $ 0.69



$ 0.11







$ 1.32



$ 0.40





Loss per share for discontinued operations 















(0.01)





Earnings per share $ 0.69



$ 0.11



527.3%

$ 1.32



$ 0.39



238.5%























Weighted average common shares outstanding:





















Basic 197.0



206.4







200.4



210.0





Diluted 204.1



208.0







204.9



212.0







TEMPUR SEALY INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in millions)



June 30, 2021

December 31, 2020 ASSETS (unaudited)











Current Assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 58.1



$ 65.0

Accounts receivable, net 462.5



383.7

Inventories 324.2



312.1

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 80.9



207.6

Total Current Assets 925.7



968.4

Property, plant and equipment, net 518.2



507.9

Goodwill 767.0



766.3

Other intangible assets, net 623.7



630.1

Operating lease right-of-use assets 325.4



304.3

Deferred income taxes 14.9



13.5

Other non-current assets 102.7



118.1

Total Assets $ 3,277.6



$ 3,308.6









LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY













Current Liabilities:





Accounts payable $ 346.7



$ 324.1

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 451.9



585.1

Current portion of long-term debt 36.4



43.9

Income taxes payable 23.3



21.7

Total Current Liabilities 858.3



974.8

Long-term debt, net 1,473.2



1,323.0

Long-term operating lease obligations 295.1



275.1

Deferred income taxes 100.4



90.4

Other non-current liabilities 140.5



131.8

Total Liabilities 2,867.5



2,795.1









Redeemable non-controlling interest 8.5



8.9









Total Stockholders' Equity 401.6



504.6

Total Liabilities, Redeemable Non-Controlling Interest and Stockholders' Equity $ 3,277.6



$ 3,308.6



TEMPUR SEALY INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in millions) (unaudited)



Six Months Ended

June 30,

2021

2020 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS:





Net income before non-controlling interests $ 271.1



$ 83.0

Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax 0.5



1.1

Adjustments to reconcile net income from continuing operations to net cash provided by operating activities:





Depreciation and amortization 53.5



47.5

Amortization of stock-based compensation 30.2



14.8

Amortization of deferred financing costs 1.2



1.7

Bad debt expense 2.9



26.5

Deferred income taxes 8.0



(6.6)

Dividends received from unconsolidated affiliates 5.3



1.5

Equity income in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates (13.7)



(4.8)

Loss on extinguishment of debt 3.0





Foreign currency adjustments and other 0.6



1.0

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of business acquisitions (49.6)



4.7

Net cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations 313.0



170.4









CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS:





Purchases of property, plant and equipment (52.6)



(49.4)

Acquisitions, net of cash acquired (5.6)



(37.9)

Other 0.3



0.1

Net cash used in investing activities from continuing operations (57.9)



(87.2)









CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS:





Proceeds from borrowings under long-term debt obligations 1,936.1



1,073.9

Repayments of borrowings under long-term debt obligations (1,782.3)



(866.9)

Proceeds from exercise of stock options 8.5



1.5

Treasury stock repurchased (374.4)



(199.5)

Dividends paid (28.1)





Payments of deferred financing costs (14.2)



(1.6)

Repayments of finance lease obligations and other (6.1)



(6.0)

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities from continuing operations (260.5)



1.4









Net cash (used in) provided by continuing operations (5.4)



84.6









Net operating cash flows used in discontinued operations (0.7)



(1.0)









NET EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (0.8)



(1.7)

(Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (6.9)



81.9

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period 65.0



64.9

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period $ 58.1



$ 146.8



Summary of Channel Sales

The following table highlights net sales information, by channel and by business segment, for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020:



Three Months Ended June 30, (in millions) Consolidated

North America

International

2021

2020

2021

2020

2021

2020 Wholesale (a) $ 1,005.4



$ 563.7



$ 890.8



$ 502.8



$ 114.6



$ 60.9

Direct (b) 163.7



101.5



123.0



75.8



40.7



25.7



$ 1,169.1



$ 665.2



$ 1,013.8



$ 578.6



$ 155.3



$ 86.6







(a) The Wholesale channel includes all third party retailers, including third party distribution, hospitality and healthcare. (b) The Direct channel includes company-owned stores, online and call centers.

TEMPUR SEALY INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

(in millions, except percentages, ratios and per common share amounts)

The Company provides information regarding adjusted net income, adjusted EPS, adjusted gross profit, adjusted gross margin, adjusted operating income (expense), adjusted operating margin, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA per credit facility, consolidated indebtedness and consolidated indebtedness less netted cash, which are not recognized terms under GAAP and do not purport to be alternatives to net income, earnings per share, gross profit, gross margin, operating income (expense), operating margin or an alternative to total debt as a measure of liquidity. The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with performance measures that better reflect the Company's underlying operations and trends, providing a perspective not immediately apparent from net income, gross profit, gross margin, operating income (expense) and operating margin. The adjustments management makes to derive the non-GAAP financial measures include adjustments to exclude items that may cause short-term fluctuations in the nearest GAAP financial measure, but which management does not consider to be the fundamental attributes or primary drivers of the Company's business.

The Company believes that exclusion of these items assists in providing a more complete understanding of the Company's underlying results from continuing operations and trends, and management uses these measures along with the corresponding GAAP financial measures to manage the Company's business, to evaluate its consolidated and business segment performance compared to prior periods and the marketplace, to establish operational goals and to provide continuity to investors for comparability purposes. Limitations associated with the use of these non-GAAP financial measures include that these measures do not present all of the amounts associated with the Company's results as determined in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered supplemental in nature and should not be construed as more significant than comparable financial measures defined by GAAP. Because not all companies use identical calculations, these presentations may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. For more information about these non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation to the nearest GAAP financial measure, please refer to the reconciliations on the following pages.

Constant Currency Information

In this press release the Company refers to, and in other press releases and other communications with investors the Company may refer to, net sales, earnings or other historical financial information on a "constant currency basis," which is a non-GAAP financial measure. These references to constant currency do not include operational impacts that could result from fluctuations in foreign currency rates. To provide information on a constant currency basis, the applicable financial results are adjusted based on a simple mathematical model that translates current period results in local currency using the comparable prior corresponding period's currency conversion rate. This approach is used for countries where the functional currency is the local country currency. This information is provided so that certain financial results can be viewed without the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency rates, thereby facilitating period-to-period comparisons of business performance.

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS

A reconciliation of reported net income to adjusted net income and the calculation of adjusted EPS is provided below. Management believes that the use of these non-GAAP financial measures provides investors with additional useful information with respect to the impact of various adjustments as described in the footnotes at the end of this release.

The following table sets forth the reconciliation of the Company's reported net income to adjusted net income and the calculation of adjusted EPS for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020:



Three Months Ended (in millions, except per share amounts) June 30, 2021

June 30, 2020 Net income $ 140.8



$ 23.0

Loss (income) from discontinued operations, net of tax (1) 0.3



(0.1)

Loss on extinguishment of debt (2) 18.0





Overlapping interest expense (3) 5.2





Acquisition-related costs (4) 3.9





COVID-19 charges (5) 



7.9

Asset impairments (6) 



7.0

Incremental operating costs (7) 



4.9

Restructuring costs (8) 



3.4

Accounting standard adoption (9) 



1.3

Tax adjustments (10) (6.7)



(6.5)

Adjusted net income $ 161.5



$ 40.9









Adjusted earnings per common share, diluted $ 0.79



$ 0.20









Diluted shares outstanding 204.1



208.0



Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted Gross Margin, Adjusted Operating Income (Expense) and Adjusted Operating Margin

A reconciliation of gross profit and gross margin to adjusted gross profit and adjusted gross margin, respectively, and operating income (expense) and operating margin to adjusted operating income (expense) and adjusted operating margin, respectively, are provided below. Management believes that the use of these non-GAAP financial measures provides investors with additional useful information with respect to the impact of various adjustments as described in the footnotes at the end of this release.

The following table sets forth the Company's reported gross profit and the reconciliation of the Company's operating income (expense) to the calculation of adjusted operating (income) expense for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The Company had no adjustments to gross profit for the three months ended June 30, 2021.



2Q 2021 (in millions, except percentages) Consolidated

Margin

North America

Margin

International

Margin

Corporate Net sales $ 1,169.1







$ 1,013.8







$ 155.3







$ 





























Gross profit $ 518.2



44.3 %

$ 425.4



42.0 %

$ 92.8



59.8 %

$ 





























Operating income (expense) $ 223.3



19.1 %

$ 217.4



21.4 %

$ 43.4



27.9 %

$ (37.5)

Adjustments:

























Acquisition-related costs (4) 3.9























3.9

Adjusted operating income (expense) $ 227.2



19.4 %

$ 217.4



21.4 %

$ 43.4



27.9 %

$ (33.6)



The following table sets forth the reconciliation of the Company's reported gross profit and operating income (expense) to the calculation of adjusted gross profit and adjusted operating income (expense) for the three months ended June 30, 2020.



2Q 2020 (in millions, except percentages) Consolidated

Margin

North America

Margin

International

Margin

Corporate Net sales $ 665.2







$ 578.6







$ 86.6







$ 





























Gross profit $ 265.9



40.0 %

$ 218.4



37.7 %

$ 47.5



54.8 %

$ 

Adjustments:

























Incremental operating costs (7) 4.5







4.0







0.5









Adjusted gross profit $ 270.4



40.6 %

$ 222.4



38.4 %

$ 48.0



55.4 %

$ 





























Operating income (expense) $ 53.4



8.0 %

$ 67.7



11.7 %

$ 11.3



13.0 %

$ (25.6)

Adjustments:

























COVID-19 charges (5) 7.9







6.3







1.6









Asset impairments (6) 7.0







7.0

















Incremental operating costs (7) 4.9







4.3







0.6









Restructuring costs (8) 3.4















3.4









Accounting standard adoption (9) 1.3







1.3

















Total adjustments 24.5







18.9







5.6





































Adjusted operating income (expense) $ 77.9



11.7 %

$ 86.6



15.0 %

$ 16.9



19.5 %

$ (25.6)



EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA per Credit Facility and Consolidated Indebtedness less Netted Cash

The following reconciliations are provided below:

Net income to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA per credit facility

Ratio of consolidated indebtedness less netted cash to adjusted EBITDA per credit facility

Total debt, net to consolidated indebtedness less netted cash

Management believes that presenting these non-GAAP measures provides investors with useful information with respect to the Company's operating performance, cash flow generation and comparisons from period to period, as well as general information about the Company's progress in reducing its leverage.

The Company's credit agreement (the "2019 Credit Agreement") provides the definition of adjusted EBITDA ("adjusted EBITDA per credit facility"). Accordingly, the Company presents adjusted EBITDA per credit facility to provide information regarding the Company's compliance with requirements under the 2019 Credit Agreement.

The following table sets forth the reconciliation of the Company's reported net income to the calculations of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA per credit facility for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020:



Three Months Ended (in millions) June 30, 2021

June 30, 2020 Net income $ 140.8



$ 23.0

Interest expense, net 14.8



20.6

Overlapping interest expense (3) 5.2





Loss on extinguishment of debt (2) 18.0





Income taxes 44.7



9.4

Depreciation and amortization 42.6



32.2

EBITDA $ 266.1



$ 85.2

Adjustments:





Loss (income) from discontinued operations, net of tax (1) 0.3



(0.1)

Acquisition-related costs (4) 3.9





COVID-19 charges (5) 



7.9

Asset impairments (6) 



7.0

Incremental operating costs (7) 



4.9

Restructuring costs (8) 



3.4

Accounting standard adoption (9) 



1.3

Adjusted EBITDA per credit facility $ 270.3



$ 109.6



The following table sets forth the reconciliation of the Company's net income to the calculations of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA per credit facility for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2021:



Trailing Twelve Months Ended (in millions) June 30, 2021 Net income $ 537.4

Interest expense, net 63.2

Overlapping interest expense (3) 5.2

Loss on extinguishment of debt (2) 28.1

Income tax provision 154.9

Depreciation and amortization 176.1

Aspirational plan amortization (11) 49.4

EBITDA $ 1,014.3

Adjustments:

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax (1) (0.6)

Acquisition-related costs (4) 3.9

Aspirational plan employer costs (12) 2.3

Accounting standard adoption (9) 0.8

Facility expansion costs (13) 0.6

Restructuring costs (8) 0.4

Other income (14) (2.3)

Adjusted EBITDA per credit facility $ 1,019.4





Consolidated indebtedness less netted cash $ 1,466.6





Ratio of consolidated indebtedness less netted cash to adjusted EBITDA per credit facility 1.44 times



Under the 2019 Credit Agreement, the definition of adjusted EBITDA contains certain restrictions that limit adjustments to net income when calculating adjusted EBITDA. For the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2021, the Company's adjustments to net income when calculating adjusted EBITDA did not exceed the allowable amount under the 2019 Credit Agreement.

The ratio of consolidated indebtedness less netted cash to adjusted EBITDA per credit facility is 1.44 times for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2021. The 2019 Credit Agreement requires the Company to maintain a ratio of consolidated indebtedness less netted cash to adjusted EBITDA of less than 5.00:1.00 times.

The following table sets forth the reconciliation of the Company's reported total debt to the calculation of consolidated indebtedness less netted cash as of June 30, 2021. "Consolidated Indebtedness" and "Netted Cash" are terms used in the 2019 Credit Agreement for purposes of certain financial covenants.

(in millions) June 30, 2021 Total debt, net $ 1,509.6

Plus: Deferred financing costs (15) 14.0

Consolidated indebtedness 1,523.6

Less: Netted cash (16) 57.0

Consolidated indebtedness less netted cash $ 1,466.6



Footnotes:

(1) Certain subsidiaries in the International business segment are accounted for as discontinued operations and have been designated as unrestricted subsidiaries in the 2019 Credit Agreement. Therefore, these subsidiaries are excluded from the Company's adjusted financial measures for covenant compliance purposes. (2) In the second quarter of 2021, the Company recognized $18.0 million of loss on extinguishment of debt associated with the redemption of the 2026 Senior Notes. In the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recognized an additional $10.1 million of loss on extinguishment of debt associated with the redemption of the 2023 Senior Notes and early repayment of the 364-day term loan. (3) In the second quarter of 2021, the Company incurred $5.2 million of overlapping interest expense during the period between the issuance of the 2029 Senior Notes and the redemption of the 2026 Senior Notes. (4) In the second quarter of 2021, the Company recorded $3.9 million of acquisition-related costs, primarily related to legal and professional fees associated with the acquisition of Dreams. (5) In the second quarter of 2020, the Company recorded $7.9 million of COVID-19 charges associated with temporarily closed company-owned retail stores and sales force retention costs. (6) In the second quarter of 2020, the Company recorded $7.0 million of asset impairment charges related to the write-off of certain sales and marketing assets. (7) In the second quarter of 2020, the Company recorded $4.9 million of incremental operating costs associated with the global pandemic. Cost of sales included $4.5 million of costs for relief efforts, increased sanitation supplies and services and other items. Operating expenses included $0.4 million of charges related to increased sanitation supplies and services. (8) In the second quarter of 2020, the Company incurred $3.4 million of restructuring costs associated with International headcount reductions driven by the macro-economic environment. In the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recorded $0.4 million of similar costs. (9) In the second quarter of 2020, the Company recorded $1.3 million of charges related to the adoption of ASU No. 2016-13, "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326)". In the second half of 2020, the Company recorded $0.8 million related to the adoption. As permitted by the 2019 Credit Agreement, the Company elected to eliminate the effect of this accounting change within its covenant compliance calculation. (10) Adjusted income tax provision represents the tax effects associated with the aforementioned items. (11) In 2020, the Company recognized $49.4 million of performance-based stock compensation amortization related to the Company's long-term aspirational awards. (12) In 2020, the Company recognized $2.3 million of employer-related tax costs related to the aspirational plan compensation. (13) In 2020, the Company recorded $0.6 million of costs related to the opening of a Sealy manufacturing facility. (14) In 2020, the Company recorded $2.3 million of other income related to the sale of a manufacturing facility. (15) The Company presents deferred financing costs as a direct reduction from the carrying amount of the related debt in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. For purposes of determining total debt for financial covenant purposes, the Company has added these costs back to total debt, net as calculated per the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. (16) Netted cash includes cash and cash equivalents for domestic and foreign subsidiaries designated as restricted subsidiaries in the 2019 Credit Agreement.

SOURCE Tempur Sealy International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tempursealy.com


MIAMI, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New momentum is building in the fight for Cuba's freedom. As the communist regime cracks down on street protests within the island, Americans are urging world leaders to step in and help the Cuban people secure their long-awaited freedom after 62-years of oppression.

More than 38,900 people so far have signed a petition asking the White House to take "all measures needed to effect this regime change."



The petition is hosted by www.tfp.org/freecuba



"Communism is the cancer. And now is the time to cure the cancer that's been hurting the Cuban people for so long. But you can't cure the cancer without addressing the root cause of the illness," said John Horvat II, vice-president of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP).



"The world is waiting for Pope Francis to speak out against communism in Cuba," Horvat said. "The pink elephant in the room is communism and socialism, but the pope hasn't said a word about that. His Holiness found time to talk about plastic in the ocean, but nothing was said to help the poor Cuban people break the shackles of communist slavery."



While the minimum wage in Cuba is about $17 dollars a month, seniors are expected to survive on less.



"If Pope Francis wants to help the poorest of the poor in Cuba, why doesn't he denounce the root cause of poverty there  communism?" Horvat asked.



Although some blame the U.S. embargo for the ills on the island, Horvat disagrees:



"Food and medicine are exempted from the embargo and nothing stops Cuba from buying whatever it wants from other countries," he said. "But it's beyond ironic how Cuban communists blame their misery on a shortage of capitalist goods while they fight to overthrow the capitalist system."



TFP volunteers are currently on the streets of Miami, Florida, collecting petitions as part of the Free Cuba Now! campaign.



"The future of Cuba does not belong to revolutionary rebels like Fidel, Che, or Lenin," Horvat said. "The future of Cuba belongs to Christ the King!"
IRVINE, Calif., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Habit Burger Grill , the California-based restaurant company renowned for its award-winning Charburgers grilled over an open flame, signature sandwiches, fresh-cut salads and more announces the grand opening of a new location in Santa Ana. Located at 2640 S. Bristol St.,the fast-casual restaurant will serve up its 'Habit Hospitality' beginning on August 4th.

In honor of the exciting grand opening, The Habit Burger Grill is hosting an exclusive pre-opening VIP event for The Habit's CharClub members. Guests can receive an invite to this exclusive sneak peek by signing up for the CharClub at www.habitburger.com/santaana.

Free Charburger Day ( Monday, August 2nd ): The first 200 guests at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. will receive a free freshly-made Charburger, Fries and Drink. Must be a CharClub member and present VIP invitation. (Safely serving our guests is our top priority, proper safety measures will be in place.)

The first 200 guests at and will receive a free freshly-made Charburger, Fries and Drink. Must be a CharClub member and present VIP invitation. (Safely serving our guests is our top priority, proper safety measures will be in place.) Free Habit Day ( Tuesday, August 3rd ): The first 200 guests at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. will receive a free chargrilled meal from one of our pre-set menus. Must be a CharClub member and present VIP invitation.

Upon opening, the local restaurant will offer dine-in, takeout and drive-thru ordering. Convenient curbside pick-up and delivery is available via The Habit Mobile App and online at order.habitburger.com. Contactless delivery is also available through DoorDash, Postmates and Uber Eats. Guests also have additional convenient ordering options including state-of-the-art indoor self-serve kiosks and ordering ahead via phone.

"We're looking forward to connecting with even more customers across our home state of California and in our backyard of Orange County. The Santa Ana team is ready to bring our signature Habit Hospitality and fresh grilled Charbugers to the entire community," said Iwona Alter, Chief Brand Officer at The Habit Burger Grill.

The Habit Burger Grill is California's best-kept secret, as it was recently named in Thrillist's list of "Underrated Burger Chains that Need to be in Every State!" With its cooked-to-order mantra, The Habit Burger Grill's open flame sears a distinctive smoky flavor into their famous Charburgers, fresh marinated chicken, sushi-grade Ahi tuna and USDA Choice tri-tip steak. The Habit Burger Grill also offers three family bundles at an unbeatable value, perfect for lunches or dinners at home. Guests at The Habit Burger Grill can always count on freshly-made, handcrafted quality served up with genuine hospitality.

This Habit Burger Grill restaurant's dining room will be open Monday - Sunday: 10:30 am - 10:00 pm , with the drive-thru remaining upon until 11:00 pm.

Connect with The Habit Burger Grill on social media at facebook.com/habitburger , instagram.com/habitburgergrill , twitter.com/habitburger , and youtube.com/habittube .

About The Habit Restaurants, Inc.

The Habit Burger Grill is a burger-centric, fast-casual restaurant concept that specializes in preparing fresh, cooked-to-order chargrilled burgers and handcrafted sandwiches featuring USDA choice tri-tip steak, grilled chicken and sushi-grade Ahi tuna cooked over an open flame. In addition, it features fresh-cut salads and an appealing selection of sides, shakes and malts. The Habit Burger Grill was named the "best tasting burger in America" in July 2014 in a comprehensive survey conducted by one of America's leading consumer magazines. The first Habit Burger Grill opened in Santa Barbara, California in 1969 and was recently named in Thrillist's list of "Underrated Burger Chains that Need to be in Every State!" The Habit Burger Grill has since grown to over 300 restaurants in 14 states throughout Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Washington as well as 12 international locations, eight in China and four in Cambodia. More information is available at www.habitburger.com.

SOURCE The Habit Burger Grill
First Place, Company or Producer-Funded Advertising Campaign Directed to Consumers for the launch of Dairy West's Unbottled brand.

First Place, Corporate Identity for Dairy West's Unbottled brand expression.

First Place, Blogs for Think Shift's Looking for Lemonade blog series.

First Place, Radio  Single for ADAMA Canada Ltd.'s Peas' Personal Ad.

Merit Award, Corporate Identity for ADAMA Ltd.'s brand expression.

Merit Award, Company or Producer-Funded Advertising Campaign Element Directed to Consumers for Dairy West's Unbottled Food Service.

Dave Hardy, Creative Director at Think Shift, says the awards are very exciting for both the clients and the agency.

"The purpose of our work is to meet our clients' objectives and drive their message in what can be a crowded market, all to help them grow their business. By cultivating the relationship between strategy and creativity, we create great results for our clients. The external validation we get in the agri-marketing community is the icing on the cake," says Hardy.

The Best of NAMA Awards were held in conjunction with the 2021 Agri-Marketing Conference. The three-day event brings together the best and brightest in the agri-marketing industry for a week of professional development, networking and industry celebration.

SOURCE Think Shift

Related Links

https://thinkshiftinc.com/


Though officially heading to space for the first time ever next week, Tic Tac was spotted in the atmosphere in 2004 by Navy Lt. Commander Alex Dietrich who reported a UFO in the shape of a Tic Tac breath mint. The newly de-classified video footage of the incident has resulted in worldwide fanfare and additional speculated sightings. The most recent witness account occurred just last month in the United Kingdom spawning continued interest from believers around the globe.

"Tic Tac has a very strong connection with the history of space, having launched the same year that American astronauts landed on the moon in 1969 and the UFO reference that has made news for over 15 years now," said Noah Szporn, Senior Vice President, Ferrero Sugar Confections North America. "Our fans have been so receptive and excited by the UFO connection, especially in the last few months, that it seemed fitting to send our own Tic Tac vessel into space containing the universal mints while displaying their personal words into the galaxy."

The Tic Tac packs in the space vessel include fan-favorite flavors, Freshmint, Orange, and Fruit Adventure. They will feature phrases that inspire moments of connection prompting a kind, refreshing encounter with our alien friends. The exterior of the vessel will project messages and greetings on a scrolling ticker-tape board. Consumers can go to the Tic Tac Twitter @tictacusa, Instagram @tictacusa or Facebook @TicTacUSA channels by August 1 to submit their own refreshing messages for a chance to have them projected into the atmosphere.

Upon landing back on Earth, 100 lucky fans can get their hands on a pack that went to space by following instructions to come on the Tic Tac social channels, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Everyone will be able to purchase the limited edition Tic Tac breath mints later this year at major retailers nationwide.

For more information on Tic Tac, visit www.tictac.com

ABOUT TIC TAC MINTS

The Tic Tac brand was launched in the U.S. in 1969 by the Italian confectionery manufacturer Ferrero and has been a leading mint brand for over 50 years.

ABOUT FERRERO

For over 70 years, Ferrero has created products loved by generations. We've grown from a bakery in Alba, Italy into the third largest confectionery company in the world. Ferrero entered the North American market in 1969 and continues to spread joy with Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, Kinder, Tic Tac and Fannie May chocolates. Ferrero Group expanded its portfolio in 2018 with the addition of Butterfinger, CRUNCH, Baby Ruth, 100Grand and other legendary chocolate brands.

We're proud to be a family-owned company with 3,000 employees in eight offices and ten plants and warehouses in North America, including a cocoa processing plant in Brantford, Ontario and a planned chocolate processing factory in Bloomington, Illinois. Instilled in every aspect of our business is the entrepreneurial spirit of our founders, and their passion for quality, creativity, and innovation. Follow @FerreroNACorp on Twitter and @FerreroNACorp on Instagram. www.ferreronorthamerica.com

Contact:

Jaclyn Giuliano

[email protected]

SOURCE Ferrero North America

Related Links

http://www.tictac.com


"In his new, expanded role, Tim will focus on growing our business with the largest, most important national brokerage and consulting firms, which represent more than 30% of our current clients and drive the majority of Demand for our corporate business," said Wilbert. "Since joining us in 2019, he has demonstrated remarkable ability to successfully develop and strengthen relationships at the senior executive level across the top employee benefit consulting organizations. We look forward to his shepherding further expansion of our program among industries whose employee base can directly benefit from Purchasing Power."

Prior to joining Purchasing Power in 2019 as national director, partnership development, Kastrinelis served as senior vice president, partnership development at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company where he helped lead the employee benefits division to achieve unprecedented new business growth nationally with market-leading client retention results. Over the course of his career, Kastrinelis has held a number of senior positions including leadership of the northeast region for Prudential's group benefits operation and the New England region for Canada Life. He also has served in sales leadership roles with Lincoln Financial, Principal Financial Group, and Confederation Life.

Kastrinelis earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Additionally, he is a member of the Disability Management Employers Coalition (DMEC), the New England Employee Benefits Council (NEEBC), and The Employee Benefits Leadership Forum.

About Purchasing Power, LLC

Purchasing Power, LLC, is an Atlanta-based voluntary benefit company celebrating 20 years as the leading employee purchase program for consumer products and services through payroll deduction. Helping employees achieve financial flexibility, Purchasing Power is available to millions of people through large companies including Fortune 500s, associations and government agencies. Purchasing Power is a Flexpoint Ford, LLC company. For more information, visit www.corp.purchasingpower.com

Purchasing Power is a registered trademark of Purchasing Power, LLC.

2021 Purchasing Power, LLC. All rights reserved.

Media Contact:

Joe Swaney, 404.609.5630

[email protected]

Juliann Kaiser, 770.643.0615

[email protected]

SOURCE Purchasing Power

Related Links

http://www.corp.purchasingpower.com


Located along Parker's vibrant Mainstreet, Enclave at Pine Grove gives residents prime access to shopping and dining in historic downtown Parker, plus close proximity to the city's extensive park and trail system. The Denver Tech Center (DTC), downtown Denver and Denver International Airport (DIA) are also just a short drive away.

Interested homebuyers and agents are invited to visit the community to tour the model and explore available homes.

Get directions and community information at www.CenturyCommunities.com/PineGroveCO.

More About Enclave at Pine Grove:

5 ranch and two-story floor plans from the upper $500s

3 to 6 bedrooms

2 to 5 bathrooms

1,673 to 3,616 square feet

2- to 3-bay garage

Open-concept layouts with well-appointed kitchens, private home offices, spacious lofts (select plans) and more

Options (depending on plan): covered patios, extended kitchens, chef's kitchens, main-floor bedrooms, finished basements with media rooms and more

Sales Center:

10995 Wooden Pole Drive

Parker, CO 80134

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 720-216-5938.

About Century Communities

Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS) is a top 10 national homebuilder. Offering new homes under the Century Communities and Century Complete brands, Century is engaged in all aspects of homebuilding  including the acquisition, entitlement and development of land, along with the construction, innovative marketing and sale of quality homes designed to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. The Colorado-based company operates in 17 states and 30 markets across the U.S., offering title, insurance and lending services in select markets through its Parkway Title, IHL Home Insurance Agency, and Inspire Home Loan subsidiaries. To learn more about Century Communities, please visit www.centurycommunities.com.

SOURCE Century Communities, Inc.

Related Links

www.centurycommunities.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE: TFC) today released its 2020 CSR and ESG Report, highlighting the company's meaningful progress on ESG performance and disclosure and a continued, intense focus on community involvement and financial inclusion as the company continues to help people and companies emerge from the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Truist also set clear, measurable goals and enhanced oversight to ensure its business and social impact remain connected, with ESG and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) among its top 10 strategic priorities.

"One of the many ways we live out our purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities is through our growing commitment to strong and sound CSR and ESG practices," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kelly S. King. "The events of 2020 strengthened our resolve to stand for better as we work together to advance equity, create more opportunities for economic mobility, and protect our environment."

Truist's second CSR and ESG report highlights the company's continued commitments, initiatives and progress in:



Building better communities: Truist became the first regional bank to issue a social bond with $1.25 billion in aggregate principal to support new and existing eligible social programs for communities in need, including investments in affordable housing and enhancements to essential nonprofit services. Additionally, Truist Cares, a cooperative effort between Truist Financial Corporation; Truist Foundation, Inc.; and Truist Charitable Fund, granted $50 million to help communities and small businesses come back stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic.



Truist became the first regional bank to issue a social bond with in aggregate principal to support new and existing eligible social programs for communities in need, including investments in affordable housing and enhancements to essential nonprofit services. Additionally, Truist Cares, a cooperative effort between Truist Financial Corporation; Truist Foundation, Inc.; and Truist Charitable Fund, granted to help communities and small businesses come back stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic. Accelerating financial inclusion : Truist advanced and increased the company's giving strategy to directly improve building career pathways that drive economic mobility and strengthen small businesses. In 2020, Truist gave $178.6 million across the enterprise, and the Truist Foundation awarded more than 900 grants totaling $79.8 million in 2020, with 53% of strategic partner grants serving Black and African American, Hispanic and Latinx, and multiracial individuals and families. The company also put $40 million behind its promise to provide sustainable funding for diverse businesses through its initial donation to help launch CornerSquare Community Capital, an innovative nonprofit fund supporting ethically and racially diverse and women-owned small businesses.



Truist advanced and increased the company's giving strategy to directly improve building career pathways that drive economic mobility and strengthen small businesses. In 2020, Truist gave across the enterprise, and the Truist Foundation awarded more than 900 grants totaling in 2020, with 53% of strategic partner grants serving Black and African American, Hispanic and Latinx, and multiracial individuals and families. The company also put behind its promise to provide sustainable funding for diverse businesses through its initial donation to help launch CornerSquare Community Capital, an innovative nonprofit fund supporting ethically and racially diverse and women-owned small businesses. Setting measurable emissions reduction targets: The report outlines progress and goals to achieve the transition to a lower-carbon economy. Using 2019 as a baseline, Truist committed to a 35% reduction in both Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030.



The report outlines progress and goals to achieve the transition to a lower-carbon economy. Using 2019 as a baseline, Truist committed to a 35% reduction in both Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030. Advancing DEI: Truist announced objectives to increase hiring from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) from 3% to 5% by 2023 and spending with diverse suppliers by 10% by the end of 2022, building upon the diversity in senior leadership objectives the company introduced in 2020. Truist also released EEO-1 data.



Truist announced objectives to increase hiring from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) from 3% to 5% by 2023 and spending with diverse suppliers by 10% by the end of 2022, building upon the diversity in senior leadership objectives the company introduced in 2020. Truist also released EEO-1 data. Enhancing ESG governance: Truist has taken formal steps to increase transparency and accountability, including creating a Climate Risk Management and ESG Working Group, naming a new head of climate risk, and enhancing board oversight of ESG issues.

Accompanying the report are detailed disclosure indices aligned with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting frameworks, and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For a full copy of the report, visit: 2020 CSR and ESG Report

About Truist

Truist Financial Corporation is a purpose-driven financial services company committed to inspiring and building better lives and communities. Formed by the historic merger of equals of BB&T and SunTrust, Truist has leading market share in many high-growth markets in the country. The company offers a wide range of services including retail, small business and commercial banking; asset management; capital markets; commercial real estate; corporate and institutional banking; insurance; mortgage; payments; specialized lending; and wealth management. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist is a top 10 U.S. commercial bank with total assets of $522 billion as of June 30, 2021. Truist Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more at Truist.com.

SOURCE Truist Financial Corporation

Related Links

https://www.truist.com/


MONTREAL, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. ("Turquoise Hill" or the "Company") today announced its financial results for the period ended June 30, 2021. All figures are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.

"The Oyu Tolgoi team turned in another strong performance with production of 36,735 tonnes of copper and 113,054 ounces of gold, generating revenue of $317.8 million, a 14% increase over the same quarter last year despite the impact of significant COVID related challenges experienced during the quarter which included a series of lockdowns and constraints on staffing levels." stated Steve Thibeault, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Turquoise Hill Resources. "Looking to the second half of 2021, we are maintaining our production guidance of 150,000  180,000 tonnes of copper, and 400,000  480,000 ounces of gold as we continue to access the higher copper and gold grades from Phase 4B through the remainder of the year.

We continue to advance the underground development project with all project-related technical criteria on-track to initiate the undercut. While the COVID situation in the country is improving as more people are vaccinated, Oyu Tolgoi will, along with the Government of Mongolia and the local communities, continue to work to protect the health and safety of its employees, contractors and neighbours. I am pleased to report that over 98% of our workers are fully vaccinated, and recent easing of quarantine constraints have supported gradual improvements in site personnel levels."

FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Oyu Tolgoi open pit and underground workforce posted an AIFR of 0.14 per 200,000 hours worked for the six months ended June 30, 2021 .

. In Q2'21, Oyu Tolgoi produced 36,735 tonnes of copper and 113,054 ounces of gold.

Q2'21 mill throughput of 9.4 million tonnes was 2% lower than Q2'20 and 4% lower than Q1'21 due to lower personnel numbers and planned maintenance activities.

Turquoise Hill's current estimate of its base case incremental funding requirement is now $2.4 billion ( March 31, 2021 : $2.3 billion ). The increase is primarily related to resequencing of ore phases of the Oyu Tolgoi open pit mine and the additional 2021 underground development cost impacts of the known COVID-19 issues up to June 30, 2021 , which are estimated to be approximately $100 million , partially offset by improved commodity price forecasts.

( : ). The increase is primarily related to resequencing of ore phases of the Oyu Tolgoi open pit mine and the additional 2021 underground development cost impacts of the known COVID-19 issues up to , which are estimated to be approximately , partially offset by improved commodity price forecasts. As at June 30, 2021 , Turquoise Hill has $0.7 billion of available liquidity, which under current projections is expected to meet the Company's requirements, including funding of underground capital expenditure, into Q3'22.

, Turquoise Hill has of available liquidity, which under current projections is expected to meet the Company's requirements, including funding of underground capital expenditure, into Q3'22. Revenue of $317.8 million in Q2'21 increased 14.3% from $278.0 million in Q2'20, reflecting an increase of $74.9 million in revenue from gold partly offset by a decrease of $34.3 million in revenue from copper. Gold revenue benefitted from a 6.3% increase in the average price of gold and a 135.5% increase in volumes of gold in concentrates sold. Copper revenue was impacted by a 50.6% decrease in volumes of copper in concentrates sold, partly offset by an 82.5% increase in the average price of copper.

in Q2'21 increased 14.3% from in Q2'20, reflecting an increase of in revenue from gold partly offset by a decrease of in revenue from copper. Gold revenue benefitted from a 6.3% increase in the average price of gold and a 135.5% increase in volumes of gold in concentrates sold. Copper revenue was impacted by a 50.6% decrease in volumes of copper in concentrates sold, partly offset by an 82.5% increase in the average price of copper. Income for the period was $118.8 million in Q2'21 compared with $72.3 million in Q2'20, primarily reflecting the impact of a $139.2 million increase in gross margin driven by both increased revenue and a decrease in cost of sales. This was partly offset by the impact of a lower deferred tax asset recognised in Q2'21 versus Q2'20 and higher operating cash costs 1 driven mainly by higher royalty costs due to the increased revenue as well as additional COVID-19 related costs. Income attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill in Q2'21 was $96.9 million , or $0.48 per share, compared to $72.6 million , or $0.36 per share in Q2'20.

in Q2'21 compared with in Q2'20, primarily reflecting the impact of a increase in gross margin driven by both increased revenue and a decrease in cost of sales. This was partly offset by the impact of a lower deferred tax asset recognised in Q2'21 versus Q2'20 and higher operating cash costs driven mainly by higher royalty costs due to the increased revenue as well as additional COVID-19 related costs. Income attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill in Q2'21 was , or per share, compared to , or per share in Q2'20. Cost of sales was $1.91 per pound of copper sold and C1 cash costs 1 were $0.83 per pound of copper produced. All-in sustaining costs 1 were $1.48 per pound of copper produced.

per pound of copper sold and C1 cash costs were per pound of copper produced. All-in sustaining costs were per pound of copper produced. Total operating cash costs 1 of $210.5 million in Q2'21 increased 16.4% from $180.8 million in Q2'20, due principally to higher royalty costs driven by higher sales revenue as well as additional COVID-19 related costs, partially offset by lower power study costs.

of in Q2'21 increased 16.4% from in Q2'20, due principally to higher royalty costs driven by higher sales revenue as well as additional COVID-19 related costs, partially offset by lower power study costs. Underground capital spend in Q2'21 was $211.4 million , including $49.9 million of underground sustaining capital. Total underground capital spend since January 1, 2016 is now approximately $4.9 billion , including $0.2 billion of underground sustaining capital.

, including of underground sustaining capital. Total underground capital spend since is now approximately , including of underground sustaining capital. Cash generated from operating activities was $209.3 million in Q2'21, compared to $81.8 million cash used in operating activities in Q2'20. The difference was due to the impact of a $261.0 million improvement in cash from operating activities before interest and tax, which was primarily due to a $139.2 million higher gross margin as well as more favourable movements in deferred revenue in Q2'21 compared to Q2'20 driven by the timing of ramp-up in concentrate shipments during Q2'21 following the declaration of force majeure as well as related contingency measures to improve Oyu Tolgoi's short-term liquidity.

in Q2'21, compared to cash used in operating activities in Q2'20. The difference was due to the impact of a improvement in cash from operating activities before interest and tax, which was primarily due to a higher gross margin as well as more favourable movements in deferred revenue in Q2'21 compared to Q2'20 driven by the timing of ramp-up in concentrate shipments during Q2'21 following the declaration of force majeure as well as related contingency measures to improve Oyu Tolgoi's short-term liquidity. Q2'21 concentrate shipments to customers were impacted by COVID-19 related Mongolian-Chinese border restrictions, which resulted in force majeure being declared effective 30 March 2021 . Shipments to Chinese customers recommenced on April 15, 2021 , and Oyu Tolgoi continues to work closely with Mongolian and Chinese authorities to manage supply chain disruptions. The force majeure will remain in place until sustained volumes of convoys are crossing the border to ensure Oyu Tolgoi's ability to meet its on-going commitments to customers and to return on-site concentrate inventory to target levels.

. Shipments to Chinese customers recommenced on , and Oyu Tolgoi continues to work closely with Mongolian and Chinese authorities to manage supply chain disruptions. The force majeure will remain in place until sustained volumes of convoys are crossing the border to ensure Oyu Tolgoi's ability to meet its on-going commitments to customers and to return on-site concentrate inventory to target levels. All technical undercut readiness activities have been met or are on track to being met. Non-technical criteria are still pending and are critical elements for consideration to proceed with the decision to commence the undercut which has been delayed from the Company's expected timing.

Given the cumulative and on-going impacts of COVID-19, delayed commitments resulting from non-approval of the Definitive Estimate (DE) budget by the OT Board and outstanding non-technical issues related to the undercut decision, the Company expects that there will be further impacts on overall project cost and schedule.

_______________________ 1 Please refer to Section  NON-GAAP MEASURES  on page 19 of this press release for further information.

OPERATIONAL OUTLOOK FOR 2021

Oyu Tolgoi's operational outlook for 2021 remains unchanged and is expected to produce 150,000 to 180,000 tonnes of copper and 400,000 to 480,000 ounces of gold. The increase in gold production in 2021 compared with 2020 is the result of transitioning lower into the higher grade areas of Phase 4B.

Operating cash costs2 for 2021 are expected to be $800 million to $850 million.

Capital expenditure for 2021 on a cash-basis is still expected to be $105 million to $125 million for the open-pit and at the low end of the $0.9 billion to $1.0 billion range previously disclosed for the underground, including underground sustaining capital expenditure.

Open-pit capital is mainly comprised of deferred stripping, equipment purchases, tailings storage facility construction and maintenance componentization. Underground capital is inclusive of VAT.

2021 C1 cash costs2 are expected to be in the range of negative $0.20 to positive $0.20 per pound of copper produced. Unit cost guidance assumes the midpoint of the expected 2021 copper and gold production ranges and a gold price of $1,804 per ounce.

OUR BUSINESS

Turquoise Hill is an international mining company focused on the operation and continued development of the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in Mongolia, which is the Company's principal and only material mineral resource property. The Company's ownership of the Oyu Tolgoi mine is held through a 66% interest in Oyu Tolgoi LLC; the remaining 34% interest is held by Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi LLC (Erdenes), a Mongolian state-owned entity.

The Oyu Tolgoi property is located approximately 550 kilometres south of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital city, and 80 kilometres north of the Mongolia-China border. The property is cut by the Oyu Tolgoi trend, a 12 kilometres north-south orientated corridor which is host to the known deposits, Hugo North, Hugo South, Oyut and Heruga. Open pit mining operations commenced at Oyut in 2013. The Hugo North deposit (Lift 1) is currently being developed as an underground operation.

The copper concentrator plant, with related facilities and necessary infrastructure, was originally designed to process approximately 100,000 tonnes of ore per day from the Oyut open pit. However, since 2014, the concentrator has consistently achieved a throughput of over 105,000 tonnes per day due to improvements in operating practices. Concentrator throughput for 2021 is targeted at over 110,000 tonnes per day and expected to be approximately 40 million tonnes for the year due to improvements in concentrator performance and more favourable ore characteristics.

At the end of Q2'21, Oyu Tolgoi had a total workforce (employees and contractors), including for underground project construction, of approximately 13,500 workers, of which over 96% were Mongolians.

___________________________ 2 Please refer to Section  NON-GAAP MEASURES  on page 19 of this press release for further information.

SELECTED FINANCIAL METRICS (1)



Three months ended Six months ended ($ in millions, unless otherwise noted) 2Q 2021 2Q 2020 Change % 2Q 2021 2Q 2020 Change %













Revenue 317.8 278.0 14.3% 844.3 408.6 106.6% Income (loss) for the period 118.8 72.3 -- 451.0 91.3 -- Income (loss) attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill 96.9 72.6 -- 333.6 117.8 -- Basic and diluted income (loss) per share attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill 0.48 0.36 -- 1.66 0.59 -- Revenue by metals in concentrates











Copper 187.4 221.7 (15.5%) 521.1 318.5 63.6% Gold 127.5 52.6 142.4% 315.7 84.2 274.9% Silver 2.9 3.7 (21.6%) 7.5 5.9 27.1% Cost of sales 82.6 182.0 (54.6%) 238.2 327.9 (27.4%) Production and delivery costs 61.4 137.1 (55.2%) 164.8 241.8 (31.8%) Depreciation and depletion 21.2 51.1 (58.5%) 73.4 86.1 (14.8%) Capital expenditure on cash basis 230.3 261.9 (12.1%) 480.6 563.0 (14.6%) Underground-Development 161.5 239.0 (32.4%) 342.6 530.5 (35.4%) Underground-Sustaining 49.9 11.0 353.6% 110.8 11.0 907.3% Open pit 18.9 11.9 58.8% 27.2 21.5 26.5% Proceeds from pre-production revenue (12.0) (7.6) 57.9% (12.0) (7.6) 57.9% Royalties 22.5 14.2 58.5% 45.2 24.5 84.5% Operating cash costs (2) 210.5 180.8 16.4% 411.7 368.9 11.6% Unit costs ($)











Cost of sales (per pound of copper sold) 1.91 2.08 (8.2%) 1.84 2.27 (18.9%) C1 (per pound of copper produced) (2) 0.83 1.61 (48.4%) 0.42 1.84 (77.2%) All-in sustaining (per pound of copper produced) (2) 1.48 2.18 (32.1%) 0.93 2.29 (59.4%) Mining costs (per tonne of material mined) (2) 2.71 1.69 60.1% 2.27 1.71 32.6% Milling costs (per tonne of ore treated) (2) 7.09 6.77 4.8% 6.66 6.14 8.5% G&A costs (per tonne of ore treated) 4.98 3.25 53.1% 4.21 3.09 36.3% Cash generated from (used in) operating activities 209.3 (81.8) 355.9% 76.1 (106.3) 171.6% Cash generated from operating activities before interest and tax 295.7 34.7 752.2% 543.9 36.2 1,402.5% Interest paid 84.5 118.7 (28.8%) 111.0 145.5 (23.7%) Total assets 13,873 12,895 7.6% 13,873 12,895 7.6% Total non-current financial liabilities 4,407 4,374 0.8% 4,407 4,374 0.8%





(1) Any financial information in this press release should be reviewed in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements or condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the reporting periods indicated. (2) Please refer to Section  NON-GAAP MEASURES  on page 19 of this press release for further information.

Q2'21 vs. Q2'20

Revenue of $317.8 million in Q2'21 increased 14.3% from $278.0 million in Q2'20, reflecting an increase of $74.9 million in revenue from gold, partially offset by a $34.3 million decrease in revenue from copper. Gold revenue benefitted from a 6.3% increase in the average price of gold and a 135.5% increase in volumes of gold in concentrates sold, which resulted from the scheduled move to the higher grade gold areas of Phase 4B . Volumes of copper in concentrates sold decreased 50.6%, primarily as a result of the force majeure, partly offset by an increase of 82.5% in the average price of copper.

in Q2'21 increased 14.3% from in Q2'20, reflecting an increase of in revenue from gold, partially offset by a decrease in revenue from copper. Gold revenue benefitted from a 6.3% increase in the average price of gold and a 135.5% increase in volumes of gold in concentrates sold, which resulted from the scheduled move to the higher grade gold areas of Phase . Volumes of copper in concentrates sold decreased 50.6%, primarily as a result of the force majeure, partly offset by an increase of 82.5% in the average price of copper. Income for the period was $118.8 million in Q2'21 compared with $72.3 million in Q2'20, primarily reflecting the impact of a $139.2 million increase in gross margin, which was driven by the increased revenue as well as a decrease in cost of sales, partly offset by the impact of a lower deferred tax asset recognised in Q2'21 versus Q2'20 and higher operating cash costs 3 driven mainly by higher royalty costs due to the increased revenue as well as additional COVID-19 related costs. Income attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill in Q2'21 was $96.9 million , or $0.48 per share, compared to $72.6 million , or $0.36 per share in Q2'20.

in Q2'21 compared with in Q2'20, primarily reflecting the impact of a increase in gross margin, which was driven by the increased revenue as well as a decrease in cost of sales, partly offset by the impact of a lower deferred tax asset recognised in Q2'21 versus Q2'20 and higher operating cash costs driven mainly by higher royalty costs due to the increased revenue as well as additional COVID-19 related costs. Income attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill in Q2'21 was , or per share, compared to , or per share in Q2'20. Cost of sales of $82.6 million in Q2'21 decreased 54.6% from $182.0 million in Q2'20, due to a 52.3% decrease in the volumes of concentrates resulting from the impact of the force majeure during Q2'21.

in Q2'21 decreased 54.6% from in Q2'20, due to a 52.3% decrease in the volumes of concentrates resulting from the impact of the force majeure during Q2'21. Capital expenditure on a cash basis was $230.3 million in Q2'21 compared to $261.9 million in Q2'20, comprised of $211.4 million (Q2'20  $250.0 million ) in underground capital spend, including $49.9 million in underground sustaining capital (Q2'20  $11.0 million ), and $18.9 million (Q2'20  $11.9 million ) in open-pit sustaining capital expenditure.

in Q2'21 compared to in Q2'20, comprised of (Q2'20  ) in underground capital spend, including in underground sustaining capital (Q2'20  ), and (Q2'20  ) in open-pit sustaining capital expenditure. Total operating cash costs 3 of $210.5 million in Q2'21 increased 16.4% from $180.8 million in Q2'20, principally due to higher royalty costs driven by higher sales revenue as well as additional COVID-19 related costs associated with the increased safety measures and controls implemented, partially offset by lower power study costs.

of in Q2'21 increased 16.4% from in Q2'20, principally due to higher royalty costs driven by higher sales revenue as well as additional COVID-19 related costs associated with the increased safety measures and controls implemented, partially offset by lower power study costs. Unit cost of sales of $1.91 per pound of copper sold in Q2'21 decreased 8.2% from $2.08 per pound of copper sold in Q2'20 reflecting a 54.6% decrease in cost of sales partially offset by a 52.3% reduction in volumes of copper in concentrates sold.

per pound of copper sold in Q2'21 decreased 8.2% from per pound of copper sold in Q2'20 reflecting a 54.6% decrease in cost of sales partially offset by a 52.3% reduction in volumes of copper in concentrates sold. Oyu Tolgoi's C1 cash costs 3 of $0.83 per pound of copper produced in Q2'21 decreased from $1.61 per pound of copper produced in Q2'20, primarily reflecting the impact of a $74.9 million increase in gold revenue.

of per pound of copper produced in Q2'21 decreased from per pound of copper produced in Q2'20, primarily reflecting the impact of a increase in gold revenue. All-in sustaining costs 3 of $1.48 per pound of copper produced in Q2'21 decreased 32.1% from $2.18 per pound of copper produced in Q2'20. Similar to the decrease in C1 cash costs 3 , the decrease primarily reflects the impact of the higher gold revenues but, unlike C1 cash costs 3 , was partly offset by the impact of increased royalty costs due to the increased revenue.

of per pound of copper produced in Q2'21 decreased 32.1% from per pound of copper produced in Q2'20. Similar to the decrease in C1 cash costs , the decrease primarily reflects the impact of the higher gold revenues but, unlike C1 cash costs , was partly offset by the impact of increased royalty costs due to the increased revenue. Mining costs 3 of $2.71 per tonne of material mined in Q2'21 increased 60.1% from $1.69 per tonne of material mined in Q2'20. The increase was mainly due to lower material mined, driven by increased cycle times caused by mining deeper into the open pit, as well as higher spend on maintenance and a higher market price for fuel.

of per tonne of material mined in Q2'21 increased 60.1% from per tonne of material mined in Q2'20. The increase was mainly due to lower material mined, driven by increased cycle times caused by mining deeper into the open pit, as well as higher spend on maintenance and a higher market price for fuel. Milling costs 3 of $7.09 per tonne of ore treated in Q2'21 increased 4.8% from $6.77 per tonne of ore treated in Q2'20, mainly due to lower milled ore and higher power consumption costs partly offset by lower maintenance and consumables costs. The lower milled ore and higher power consumption costs were due to overall higher feed hardness as a result of increased Phase 4B ore replacing the softer ore from Phase 6B and stockpiles.

of per tonne of ore treated in Q2'21 increased 4.8% from per tonne of ore treated in Q2'20, mainly due to lower milled ore and higher power consumption costs partly offset by lower maintenance and consumables costs. The lower milled ore and higher power consumption costs were due to overall higher feed hardness as a result of increased Phase ore replacing the softer ore from Phase and stockpiles. G&A costs of $4.98 per tonne of ore treated in Q2'21 increased 53.1% from $3.25 per tonne of ore treated in Q2'20, mainly due to lower milled ore and higher G&A costs in Q2'21.

per tonne of ore treated in Q2'21 increased 53.1% from per tonne of ore treated in Q2'20, mainly due to lower milled ore and higher G&A costs in Q2'21. Cash generated from operating activities was $209.3 million in Q2'21 compared to $81.8 million cash used in operating activities in Q2'20, the improvement due mainly to the impact of a $261.0 million improvement in cash from operating activities before interest and tax, which was primarily due to a $139.2 million improvement in gross margin as well as favourable movements in deferred revenue. The $137.1 million increase in deferred revenue in Q2'21 vs. Q2'20 was particularly significant and was impacted by the timing of ramp-up in concentrate shipments during the quarter following the declaration of force majeure as well as related contingency measures to improve Oyu Tolgoi's short-term liquidity.

______________________ 3 Please refer to Section  NON-GAAP MEASURES  on page 19 of this press release for further information.

OYU TOLGOI

Safety Performance and COVID-19 Update

Oyu Tolgoi open pit and underground workforce posted an AIFR of 0.14 per 200,000 hours worked for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

During Q2'21, COVID-19 cases increased significantly in Mongolia, causing a series of lockdowns in the country and South Gobi region, which limited the ability of Oyu Tolgoi to maintain normal roster changes for its workers. To mitigate the risk of roster changes transmitting COVID-19 to the region, Oyu Tolgoi introduced isolation and testing protocols in cooperation with government authorities. In addition, Oyu Tolgoi continues to implement multiple COVID-19 controls at site, including maintaining social distancing, wearing masks at all times, regular hand washing, and monitoring of personnel temperatures in all high traffic areas. In Ulaanbaatar, all office-based employees continue to work from home. Vaccinations have progressed extremely well with over 98% of our workforce now fully vaccinated. Health and safety remain a high priority and appropriate measures will be maintained to protect employees, contractors and the community.

During Q2'21, limitations on people movement impacted personnel numbers on site, which at times were below 25% of planned requirements. This adversely impacted both open pit operations and the underground project. The additional 2021 development cost impact of the known COVID-19 delays up to June 30, 2021 is estimated to be approximately $100 million including travel, accommodation, quarantine and standby costs as well as accounting for productivity impacts. COVID-19 impacts are ongoing and the Company will continue to monitor the overall costs associated with COVID-19 delays and update the market as appropriate.

On March 30, 2021, Oyu Tolgoi declared force majeure in connection with customer contracts for concentrate. Shipments to Chinese customers recommenced on April 15, 2021, and Oyu Tolgoi continues to work closely with Mongolian and Chinese authorities to manage supply chain disruptions. The force majeure will remain in place until sustained volumes of convoys are crossing the border to ensure Oyu Tolgoi's ability to meet its on-going commitments to customers and to return on-site concentrate inventory to target levels.

Due to the COVID-19 situation in Mongolia and the Mongolian-Chinese border region, the situation at the border remained fluid throughout Q2'21. Despite steps taken by Oyu Tolgoi to maintain its concentrate shipments, limitations set by the Chinese authorities on the number of trucks allowed to cross the border as well as daily testing requirements are impacting Oyu Tolgoi's ability to export at planned levels and disrupting inbound supply routes for the underground project and operations.

Selected Operational Metrics:

Oyu Tolgoi Production Data

All data represents full production and sales on a 100% basis



2Q 2021 2Q 2020 Change 1H 2021 1H 2020 Change Open pit material mined ('000 tonnes) 15,829 23,218 (31.8%) 38,417 50,052 (23.2%) Ore treated ('000 tonnes) 9,401 9,645 (2.5%) 19,214 20,534 (6.4%) Average mill head grades:











Copper (%) 0.47 0.47 0.0% 0.51 0.45 13.3% Gold (g/t) 0.50 0.19 163.2% 0.59 0.17 247.1% Silver (g/t) 1.19 1.22 (2.5%) 1.24 1.18 5.1% Concentrates produced ('000 tonnes) 173.2 169.9 1.9% 375.1 334.4 12.2% Average concentrate grade (% Cu) 21.2 21.5 (1.4%) 21.9 21.4 2.3% Production of metals in concentrates:











Copper ('000 tonnes) 36.7 36.5 0.5% 82.2 71.7 14.6% Gold ('000 ounces) 113 31 264.5% 259 57 354.4% Silver ('000 ounces) 235 212 10.8% 490 426 15.0% Concentrate sold ('000 tonnes) 92.6 194.3 (52.3%) 278.9 320.2 (12.9%) Sales of metals in concentrates:











Copper ('000 tonnes) 19.6 39.7 (50.6%) 58.6 65.5 (10.5%) Gold ('000 ounces) 73 31 135.5% 183 51 258.8% Silver ('000 ounces) 106 220 (51.8%) 313 366 (14.5%) Metal recovery (%)











Copper 79.7 79.1 0.8% 83.4 76.7 8.7% Gold 69.3 52.0 33.3% 71.0 49.3 44.0% Silver 62.5 55.8 12.0% 64.0 53.6 19.4%

In Q2'21, Oyu Tolgoi produced 36,735 tonnes of copper and 113,054 ounces of gold. Copper and gold production was lower than Q1'21 due to slower mining rates in Phase 4B. This resulted in an increase in lower-grade stockpile material being processed. It is anticipated that mill feed will continue to be comprised of higher-grade Phase 4B and lower-grade stockpiles for the remainder of 2021.

Q2'21 mill throughput of 9.4 million tonnes was 2% lower than Q2'20 and 4% lower than Q1'21. The reduction in processed ore tonnage was due to lower personnel numbers and planned maintenance activities.

Ongoing optimisation activities are focused on maximising metal production despite reduced mining rates in Phase 4B, geotechnical challenges and higher than planned lower-grade stockpile feed.

Oyu Tolgoi Underground Update

During Q2'21, progress on the underground project was significantly impacted by COVID-19 constraints on site and in Mongolia, including restrictions on movement of international expertise.

The undercut commencement, which had been scheduled for mid-2021, requires a number of technical and non-technical criteria to be met and has been delayed as a result of the delayed resolution of non-technical undercut criteria. All technical undercut readiness activities have been met or are on track to being met, including:

all lateral development and undercut drilling to initiate the undercut is complete; and

supporting infrastructure for Panel 0 production is on track for completion under current site conditions. Material Handling System 1 is greater than 90% complete and Primary Crusher 1 is expected to be completed in Q3'21.

The ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on rosters require careful management to ensure that the appropriate personnel are available for undercutting activities.

Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto continue to engage with various Mongolian governmental bodies with a view to resolving outstanding non-technical undercut criteria. All parties remain committed to moving the project forward in a mutually beneficial manner. However, as noted above, delayed resolution of the non-technical undercut criteria has delayed the scheduled timing for the initiation of the undercut. A significant delay to the initiation of the undercut would have a material impact on project schedule, including the timing of sustainable production for Panel 0, as well as the timing and quantum of underground capital expenditure, which would materially adversely impact the timing of expected cash flows from the Oyu Tolgoi underground project thereby increasing the amount of Turquoise Hill's incremental funding requirement. The Company will continue to monitor the situation and assess any impact of a delay to the undercut initiation and update the market as appropriate.

Development activities pertaining to ramp-up post-Panel 0 continue to be impacted by COVID-19 constraints. Conveyor to Surface progress slowed during Q2'21 but remains broadly in-line with schedule. Shaft 3 and Shaft 4 sinking progress has been impacted by travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, which reduced the Project's ability to remobilise required personnel to site. Specialised personnel arrived on site on the 25th of June to complete Shaft 4 readiness activities prior to Shaft 3 construction activities. The Shaft 4 sinking team arrived in Mongolia on the 28th of June. Further delays to Shafts 3 and 4 could impact the ramp-up post-Panel 0. However, ongoing optimisation activities are focused on minimising any departure from plan. The Company continues to monitor the situation and will update the market as appropriate.

At the end of Q2'21, cumulative underground development progress was 57,928 equivalent metres (eqm) and cumulative Conveyor to Surface advancement was 14,532 eqm. It is anticipated that development rates will continue to be impacted into Q3'21.

Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project Development Progress Excluding Conveyor Declines Year Total Equivalent

Development (Km) Lateral Development (Km) Mass Excavation ('000' m3) 2016 1.6 1.5 3.0 Q1'17 1.0 0.8 5.2 Q2'17 1.4 0.9 9.2 Q3'17 1.4 1.2 8.3 Q4'17 2.2 1.9 8.9 2017 6.1 4.8 31.6 Q1'18 2.6 2.1 11.6 Q2'18 2.4 2.1 8.6 Q3'18 3.0 2.1* 23.3* Q4'18 2.3 1.6 16.0 2018 10.3 7.9 59.5 Q1'19 3.2 2.3 21.4 Q2'19 3.2 2.4 19.3 Q3'19 3.6 3.2 11.4 Q4'19 4.8 4.5 9.0 2019 14.9 12.4 61.1 Q1'20 5.5 5.3 3.2 Q2'20 5.5 5.1 10.6 Q3'20 4.7 4.1 14.3 Q4'20 4.2 3.8 8.5 2020 19.9 18.4 36.6 Q1'21 3.5 2.9 13.5 Q2'21 1.7 1.2 11.6 Total 57.9 49.2 217.1 Notes: Totals may not match due to rounding. * Lateral development and mass excavation amounts for Q3'18 have been updated to reflect revised results.

Oyu Tolgoi Conveyor Decline Project Development Progress Year Total Equivalent

Development (Km) Lateral Development (Km) Mass Excavation ('000' m3) 2016 0.0 0.0 0.0 Q1'17 0.1 0.1 0.0 Q2'17 0.4 0.4 0.2 Q3'17 0.9 0.9 0.5 Q4'17 0.9 0.8 0.5 2017 2.3 2.3 1.2 Q1'18 0.8 0.8 0.1 Q2'18 0.8 0.8 0.1 Q3'18 0.8 0.8 0.3 Q4'18 0.6 0.6 0.1 2018 3.0 3.0 0.6 Q1'19 0.8 0.8 0.8 Q2'19 0.9 0.9 0.8 Q3'19 0.9 0.7 4.9 Q4'19 1.1 0.7 8.3 2019 3.7 3.1 14.7 Q1'20 1.0 0.7 7.5 Q2'20 1.0 0.9 2.6 Q3'20 0.9 0.9 0.0 Q4'20 1.0 1.0 0.0 2020 4.0 3.6 10.1 Q1'21 0.8 0.8 0.0 Q2'21 0.7 0.6 3.2 Total 14.5 13.3 29.9 Note: Totals may not match due to rounding.

The DE, which was completed in December 2020, forecast first sustainable production in October 2022 and estimated a development capital cost of $6.75 billion. The DE assumed COVID-19 related restrictions in 2021 would be no more stringent than those experienced in September 2020. In light of the actual 2021 COVID-19 restrictions thus far, which have been and are expected to be, for a period of time, more stringent than those assumed in the DE, a reassessment is underway to consider potential impacts thereof on the underground development capital estimate as well as the overall project schedule. The additional 2021 development cost impact of the known COVID-19 delays up to June 30, 2021 is estimated to be approximately $100 million, and additional impacts are expected as COVID-19 restrictions persist into Q3'21. The Company will continue its reassessment and to monitor the impacts associated with COVID-19 delays as well as the time to resolve the non-technical undercut and other issues on the underground development capital estimate as well as the overall project schedule. The ability to meet the sustainable production date of October 2022 is dependent on the timing of the undercut commencement, and therefore resolution of the non-technical issues.

Due to the pending approval of the DE and required budget uplift by the Oyu Tolgoi Board, some contractual commitments for future works such as on Material Handling System 2 and the concentrator upgrade, have experienced delays.

Given the cumulative and on-going impacts of COVID-19, delayed commitments resulting from non-approval of the DE budget by the OT Board and outstanding non-technical issues related to the undercut decision, the Company expects that there will be further impacts on overall project cost and schedule.

Oyu Tolgoi spent $211.4 million on underground capital during Q2'21, including $49.9 million of underground sustaining capital. Total underground project spend from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2021, was approximately $4.9 billion, including $0.2 billion of underground sustaining capital. Underground project spend on a cash basis includes VAT and capitalised management services payments but excludes capitalised interest. In addition, Oyu Tolgoi had contractual obligations4 of $0.4 billion as at June 30, 2021. Since the restart of project development in 2016 through June 30, 2021, Oyu Tolgoi has committed over $3.9 billion to Mongolian vendors and contractors.

______________________ 4Please refer to Section  NON-GAAP MEASURES  on page 19 of this press release for further information.

Incremental Mine Design Refinements

The Panel 1 and Panel 2 caves are currently the focus of additional study work. These caves are required to support the ramp-up to 95 ktpd beyond Panel 0.

The foundation of the Panel 1 and Panel 2 studies is the collection of additional data from surface and underground drilling to support the evaluation of different design and sequencing options for Hugo North Lift 1. During Q2'21, the drilling programs continued, but drilling rates were slower than planned due to the reduction of personnel on site. Despite the slower drilling progress, the study work is tracking well and the interim study results for Panel 2 were delivered during the quarter. Learnings from this work are:

geotechnical conditions are largely as anticipated; and

mine design requires further refinement including mining area extents and ore handling infrastructure locations.

These learnings will be incorporated into the first phase of the detailed studies which are due to commence in Q3'21. Other studies, including assessments of pillar recoverability are also planned and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

FUNDING OF OYU TOLGOI LLC BY TURQUOISE HILL

In accordance with the Amended and Restated Shareholders' Agreement dated June 8, 2011 (ARSHA), Turquoise Hill has funded Oyu Tolgoi LLC's cash requirements beyond internally generated cash flows by a combination of equity investment and shareholder debt.

For amounts funded by debt, Oyu Tolgoi LLC must repay such amounts, including accrued interest, before it can pay common share dividends. As at June 30, 2021, the aggregate outstanding balance of shareholder loans extended by subsidiaries of the Company to Oyu Tolgoi LLC was $7.9 billion, including accrued interest of $1.9 billion. These loans bear interest at an effective annual rate of LIBOR plus 6.5%.

In accordance with the ARSHA, a subsidiary of the Company has funded the common share investments in Oyu Tolgoi LLC on behalf of state-owned Erdenes. These funded amounts earn interest at an effective annual rate of LIBOR plus 6.5% and are repayable, by Erdenes to a subsidiary of the Company, via a pledge over Erdenes' share of Oyu Tolgoi LLC common share dividends. Erdenes also has the right to reduce the outstanding balance by making cash payments at any time. As at June 30, 2021, the cumulative amount of such funding was $1.4 billion, representing 34% of invested common share equity, with unrecognised interest on the amounts funded of $0.9 billion.

As at June 30, 2021, Turquoise Hill has $0.7 billion of available liquidity, which under current projections is expected to be sufficient to meet the requirements of the Company, including its operations and underground development, into Q3'22. During the quarter ended March 31, 2021, the Company purchased copper and gold put options to establish a synthetic copper and gold price floor in order to provide increased certainty around the Company's liquidity horizon.

On April 9, 2021, Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto signed a binding Heads of Agreement (HoA) to provide an updated funding plan (the Funding Plan) for the completion of the Oyu Tolgoi LLC underground project in Mongolia. The Funding Plan was designed to address the estimated remaining funding requirement and replace the non-binding Memorandum of Understanding that Rio Tinto and Turquoise Hill previously entered into on September 9, 2020.

Under the HoA, subject to securing approval by the Oyu Tolgoi LLC Board and any required support from the Government of Mongolia, Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto will:

pursue re-profiling (rescheduling of principal repayments) of existing project debt to better align with the revised mine plan, project timing and cash flows; and

seek to raise up to US$500 million in senior supplemental debt (SSD) under the existing project financing arrangements from selected international financial institutions.

In addition, Rio Tinto has committed to address any potential shortfalls from the re-profiling and additional SSD of up to US$750 million by providing a senior co-lending facility (the Co-Lending Facility) on the same terms as Oyu Tolgoi's project financing, while Turquoise Hill has committed to complete an equity offering of common shares for up to US$500 million in the form of, and at Turquoise Hill's discretion, either (i) a rights offering of common shares or (ii) a public offering or private placement of common shares, in either case sufficient to satisfy any remaining funding shortfall of up to US$500 million within six months of the Co-Lending Facility becoming available.

Successful implementation of the HoA is subject to achieving alignment with the relevant stakeholders in addition to Rio Tinto (including existing lenders, any potential new lenders and the Government of Mongolia), market conditions and other factors.

In the event there is a residual funding requirement after implementing the Funding Plan under the HOA, the Company would consider all funding options available to it at that time. Such options may include additional debt from banks or international financial institutions, an offering of global medium-term notes, a gold pre-sale transaction, a gold streaming transaction and additional equity.

Turquoise Hill's liquidity outlook will continue to be impacted, either positively or negatively, by various factors, many of which are outside the Company's control, including:

changes in commodity prices and other market-based assumptions;

open pit operating performance as well as the successful implementation (or otherwise) of related optimisation efforts;

further and/or unanticipated impacts on operations and underground development related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the economic, commercial and financial consequences thereof;

delays entering into contractual commitments for future works (e.g. Material Handling System 2 and the concentrator upgrade) due to the pending approval of the DE and the required budget uplift by the Oyu Tolgoi Board;

the ability of Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto to engage with various Mongolian governmental bodies with a view to resolving outstanding non-technical undercut criteria as discussed in the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Update section above;

the ability of Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto to engage with various Mongolian governmental bodies with a view to implementing the Power Source Framework Agreement (PSFA) as amended (PSFA Amendment), including how a domestic long-term power solution is implemented; and

developments in the ongoing discussions with the Government of Mongolia to address their outstanding concerns with respect to the Oyu Tolgoi underground development project including in relation to Parliamentary Resolution 92.

Turquoise Hill continues to monitor its liquidity outlook and will provide updates as and when circumstances require.

Turquoise Hill currently estimates its base case incremental funding requirement to be $2.4 billion (31 March 2021: $2.3 billion), taking into consideration:

metal price assumptions for copper and gold over the incremental funding period;

the DE, which forecast first sustainable production in October 2022 and estimated a development capital cost of $6.75 billion as discussed in the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Update section above;

and estimated a development capital cost of as discussed in the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Update section above; the additional 2021 development cost impact of the known COVID-19 delays, estimated to be $100 million up to June 30, 2021 ; and

up to ; and the impact of the resequencing of ore phases of the open pit over the incremental funding period.

Additionally, Turquoise Hill currently estimates its base case incremental funding will continue to be influenced by various factors over the incremental funding period, many of which are outside the Company's control, including:

the timing of commencement of the undercut (for further information, see Oyu Tolgoi Underground Update section above);

any further revisions to the amount of development capital required to bring the underground mine into production, if it were to deviate from the aforementioned DE estimate of $6.75 billion plus the additional 2021 underground development cost impacts of the known COVID-19 issues up to June 30, 2021 , which are estimated to be approximately $100 million ;

plus the additional 2021 underground development cost impacts of the known COVID-19 issues up to , which are estimated to be approximately ; the delays entering into contractual commitments for future works (e.g. Material Handling System 2 and the concentrator upgrade) due to the pending approval of the DE and the required budget uplift by the Oyu Tolgoi Board;

the timing of sustainable production and ramp-up profile and their impact on cash flows, which are also impacted by the timing of undercut commencement;

engagement with various Mongolian governmental bodies with a view to implementing the PSFA Amendment, including how a domestic long-term power solution is implemented;

the timing and potential impacts of the ongoing discussions with the Government of Mongolia to address their outstanding concerns with respect to the Oyu Tolgoi underground development project, including in relation to Parliamentary Resolution 92;

to address their outstanding concerns with respect to the Oyu Tolgoi underground development project, including in relation to Parliamentary Resolution 92; changes to the amount of cash flow expected to be generated from open-pit operations, net of underground and open-pit sustaining capital requirements;

further and/or unanticipated impacts on operations and underground development related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the economic, commercial and financial consequences thereof;

changes in expected commodity prices and other market-based assumptions (upside and downside pricing sensitivities would have, respectively, a favourable or unfavourable impact on the base case incremental funding requirement); and

incremental mine design refinements to Panels 1 and 2.

More generally, any changes in the above factors will impact the incremental funding requirement and, as a result, the actual quantum of incremental funding required may be greater or less than the $2.4 billion base case estimate, and such variance may be significant.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Turquoise Hill's ownership of the Oyu Tolgoi mine is held through a 66% interest in Oyu Tolgoi LLC. The remaining 34% interest in Oyu Tolgoi LLC is held by Erdenes. Turquoise Hill is obliged to fund Erdenes' share of the capital costs under the ARSHA.

Underground construction recommenced in May 2016 when Oyu Tolgoi LLC received the final requirement for the restart of underground development: formal notice to proceed approval by the boards of Turquoise Hill, Rio Tinto (as project manager) and Oyu Tolgoi LLC. Approval followed the signing of the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Mine Development and Financing Plan (UDP) in May 2015 and the signing of a $4.4 billion project finance facility in December 2015. Development had been suspended in August 2013 pending resolution of matters with the Government of Mongolia.

Turquoise Hill's investment in the Oyu Tolgoi mine is governed by the 2009 Investment Agreement among Turquoise Hill, the Government of Mongolia, Oyu Tolgoi LLC and an affiliate of Rio Tinto (Investment Agreement or IA). The Investment Agreement framework was authorised by the Mongolian Parliament and was concluded after 16 months of negotiations. It was reviewed by numerous constituencies within the Government. Turquoise Hill has been operating in good faith under the terms of the Investment Agreement since 2009, and we believe not only that it is a valid and binding agreement, but that it has proven to be beneficial for all parties.

Adherence to the principles of the Investment Agreement, the ARSHA and the UDP has allowed for the development of the Oyu Tolgoi mine in a manner that has given rise to significant long-term benefits to Mongolia. Benefits from the Oyu Tolgoi mine open-pit operations and underground development include, but are not limited to, employment, royalties and taxes, local procurement, economic development and sustainability investments.

As previously announced by Turquoise Hill on January 11, 2021, the Government of Mongolia has expressed concern with the results of the DE, which was completed and delivered by Rio Tinto and publicly announced by the Company on December 18, 2020, and is concerned that the significant increase in the development costs of the Oyu Tolgoi project has eroded the economic benefits it anticipated to receive therefrom. The Government of Mongolia has indicated that if the Oyu Tolgoi project is not economically beneficial to the country, it would be necessary to review and evaluate whether it can proceed. The Government of Mongolia has stressed the importance of achieving a comprehensive solution that addresses both financial issues between the shareholders of Oyu Tolgoi LLC as well as economic and social issues of importance to Mongolia, such as water usage, tax payments, and social issues related to employees, in order to implement the Oyu Tolgoi project successfully. In particular, the Government of Mongolia has expressed its intention to initiate discussions with respect to the termination and replacement of the UDP.

While acknowledging Oyu Tolgoi's significant contributions to Mongolia, Turquoise Hill continues to engage with the Government of Mongolia and remains open to improving the UDP to deliver even greater benefits from Oyu Tolgoi to all stakeholders.

In Q1'20, Oyu Tolgoi LLC submitted a mineral resources and reserves update for registration with the Mongolian Minerals Council as required pursuant to local regulatory requirements in Mongolia. The expert review has been favourably concluded and is awaiting discussion at the Minerals Council. Oyu Tolgoi Feasibility Study (OTFS20) is expected to be considered for endorsement by the Mongolian Minerals Council following registration of the mineral resources and reserves update.

Negotiations with the Government of Mongolia

Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto were in Ulaanbaatar in March and April 2021 to discuss a path forward to address outstanding concerns that the Government of Mongolia has with respect to the Oyu Tolgoi underground development project including in relation to Parliamentary Resolution 92. Turquoise Hill remains committed to its presence in Mongolia and, in all discussions with Rio Tinto and the Government of Mongolia, is focused on maximizing value for all stakeholders. Constructive engagement has been ongoing with Government representatives and the Company has remobilised our negotiations team and anticipates resumption of discussions in country in August 2021.

Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto continue to engage with various Mongolian governmental bodies with a view to resolving outstanding non-technical undercut criteria. All parties remain committed to moving the project forward and ensuring long-term and mutually beneficial solutions to the issues under discussion. Delayed resolution of these issues and the slowing of discussions as a result of the COVID-19 situation in Mongolia, have delayed the Company's expected timing for the initiation of the undercut. A significant delay to the initiation of the undercut would have a material impact on project schedule, including the timing of sustainable production for Panel 0, as well as the timing and quantum of underground capital expenditure, which would materially adversely impact the timing of expected cash flows from the Oyu Tolgoi underground project thereby increasing the amount of Turquoise Hill's incremental funding requirement. The Company will continue to monitor the situation and assess any impact of a delay to the undercut initiation and update the market as appropriate.

Oyu Tolgoi Mine Power Supply

Oyu Tolgoi LLC currently sources power for the Oyu Tolgoi mine from China's Inner Mongolian Western Grid, via overhead power line, pursuant to back-to-back power purchase arrangements with Mongolia's National Power Transmission Grid JSC, the relevant Mongolian power authority, and Inner Mongolia Power International Cooperation Co., Ltd (IMPIC), the subsidiary of Inner Mongolia's power grid company.

Oyu Tolgoi LLC is obliged under the Investment Agreement to secure a long-term domestic source of power for the Oyu Tolgoi mine. The PSFA provides a binding framework and pathway for long-term power supply to the Oyu Tolgoi mine. The PSFA originally contemplated the construction of a coal-fired power plant at Tavan Tolgoi (TTPP), which would be majority-owned by Oyu Tolgoi LLC and situated close to the Tavan Tolgoi coal mining district located approximately 150 kilometres from the Oyu Tolgoi mine. In April 2020, the Government of Mongolia advised that it was unwilling to support Oyu Tolgoi LLC's proposal to develop TTPP and announced its intention to supply power to Oyu Tolgoi from SOPP, a Government of Mongolia funded, owned and operated power plant at Tavan Tolgoi.

In June 2020, Oyu Tolgoi LLC and the Government of Mongolia entered into the PSFA Amendment to reflect their agreement to jointly prioritise and progress SOPP, in accordance with and subject to agreed milestones, as the domestic source of power for the Oyu Tolgoi mine. The milestones included: signing a power purchase agreement (SOPP PPA) for the supply of power to the Oyu Tolgoi mine by March 31, 2021, commencing construction of SOPP by no later than July 1, 2021, commissioning SOPP within four years thereafter, and reaching agreement with IMPIC on an extension to the existing power import arrangements by March 1, 2021 in order to ensure there is no disruption to the power supply required to safeguard the Oyu Tolgoi mine's ongoing operations and development.

The PSFA Amendment provides that if certain agreed milestones are not met in a timely manner (subject to extension for Delay Events as defined) then Oyu Tolgoi LLC will be entitled to select from, and implement, the alternative power solutions specified in the PSFA Amendment, including a coal-fired power plant at Oyu Tolgoi, the Mongolian grid or a primary renewables solution, and the Government of Mongolia would be obliged to support such decision.

Three PSFA Amendment milestones (execution of the extension of the IMPIC supply arrangements, execution of the SOPP PPA, and start of SOPP construction) were not met by the original dates of March 1, 2021, March 31, 2021, and July 1, 2021, respectively.

The Ministry of Energy formally notified Rio Tinto on February 25, 2021, that the Tavan Tolgoi thermal power station project will be implemented and will be connected to the Central Energy System and operated with integrated dispatch control in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. A separate letter was sent from the Ministry of Energy to Oyu Tolgoi LLC on the same date, stating that agreement on the long-term power supply to Oyu Tolgoi LLC is related to the extension of the power import arrangements with IMPIC. In recognizing the linkage of the extension of the IMPIC supply arrangements with making progress on resolving the issue of long-term domestic power supply, the Ministry of Energy proposed that milestones under the PSFA Amendment be extended pending further discussions at the sub-working group.

Discussions to extend the power import agreement with IMPIC in a way that satisfies both the Government of Mongolia's and Oyu Tolgoi LLC's requirements, as well as agreement on the long-term power supply for Oyu Tolgoi LLC remain ongoing, and Oyu Tolgoi LLC is engaging with the sub-working group to agree to a standstill period following the lapsing of the PSFA Amendment milestones and to discuss the long-term power solution that would enable reliable supply from the Mongolian grid (Central Energy System). During the standstill period, Oyu Tolgoi LLC would not exercise its rights to select and proceed with an alternative power solution but would not waive its right to do so in the future. Preserving these rights remains critical considering that historical and ongoing assessments by the Government of Mongolia of the Central Energy System indicate it being unable to reliably supply power to Oyu Tolgoi until supplementary generation (in addition to SOPP) and transmission capacity are added.

Oyu Tolgoi LLC continues to collaborate with the Government of Mongolia to ensure a secure, stable and reliable long-term power solution is implemented with an immediate focus on extending the IMPIC supply arrangements prior to the commencement of the undercut.

Oyu Tolgoi Tax Assessments

On January 16, 2018, Turquoise Hill announced that Oyu Tolgoi LLC had received and was evaluating a tax assessment for approximately $155 million (which was converted from Mongolian Tugrik to U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on that date) from the Mongolian Tax Authority (MTA) relating to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by Oyu Tolgoi LLC between 2013 and 2015 (the 2013 to 2015 Tax Assessment). In January 2018, Oyu Tolgoi LLC paid an amount of approximately $4.8 million to settle unpaid taxes, fines and penalties for accepted items.

On February 20, 2020, the Company announced that Oyu Tolgoi LLC would be proceeding with the initiation of a formal international arbitration proceeding in accordance with dispute resolution provisions within Chapter 14 of the Investment Agreement and Chapter 8 of the UDP. The dispute resolution provisions call for arbitration under the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) seated in London before a panel of three arbitrators. By agreeing to resolve certain matters within the 2013 to 2015 Tax Assessment dispute under UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, both parties have agreed that the arbitral award shall be final and binding on both parties and the parties shall carry out the award without delay.

On December 23, 2020, Turquoise Hill announced that Oyu Tolgoi LLC had received and was evaluating a tax assessment for approximately $228 million (which was converted from Mongolian Tugrik to U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on that date) from the MTA relating to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by Oyu Tolgoi LLC between 2016 and 2018 (the 2016 to 2018 Tax Assessment). Most of the matters raised in respect of the 2016 to 2018 Tax Assessment are of a similar nature to the matters that were raised in the 2013 to 2015 Tax Assessment. The MTA also proposed a $1.5 billion adjustment to the balance of Oyu Tolgoi LLC's carried forward tax losses. The adjustments are to disallow or defer certain tax deductions claimed in the 2016 to 2018 years.

On January 11, 2021, Turquoise Hill announced that Oyu Tolgoi LLC had completed its evaluation of the 2016 to 2018 Tax Assessment claim and confirmed that Oyu Tolgoi LLC had given notice of its intention to apply to the UNCITRAL tribunal to amend its statement of claim to include certain matters raised in the 2016 to 2018 Tax Assessment. Oyu Tolgoi LLC's application to include these matters in the pending arbitration for the 2013 to 2015 Tax Assessment was accepted. In addition to those matters included within the statement of claim, there are certain limited tax matters included in the 2013 to 2015 and 2016 to 2018 Tax Assessments which are being addressed in local Mongolian tax courts. The local court process is ongoing. As there is less certainty with respect to the resolution of these matters, the Company has accrued for certain amounts and has also adjusted its loss carry forwards.

In February 2021, Oyu Tolgoi received notices of payment totalling approximately $228 million (which were converted from Mongolian Tugrik to U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on those dates) relating to amounts disputed under the 2016 to 2018 Tax Assessment, and in March 2021, Oyu Tolgoi received notices of payment totalling $126 million (which were converted from Mongolian Tugrik to U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on those dates) relating to amounts disputed under the 2013 to 2015 Tax Assessment. Under the Mongolian General Tax Law, the amounts were due and paid by Oyu Tolgoi LLC within 10 business days from the dates of the notices of payment. Under the same legislation, Oyu Tolgoi LLC would be entitled to recover the amounts, including via offset against future tax liabilities, in the event of a favourable decision from the relevant dispute resolution authorities.

On May 3, 2021, the Company announced that the Government of Mongolia filed its statement of defence together with a counterclaim ("GOM Defence and Counterclaim") in relation to the tax arbitration proceeding. Turquoise Hill is not a party to the arbitration, but the GOM Defence and Counterclaim has requested that the arbitral tribunal add both the Company and a member of the Rio Tinto Group as parties to the tax arbitration. The principal thrust of the GOM Defence and Counterclaim is to seek the rejection of Oyu Tolgoi LLC's tax claims in their entirety. As part of the counterclaim, the Government of Mongolia also makes assertions surrounding previously-reported allegations of historical improper payments made to Government of Mongolia officials and seeks unquantified damages. Also, in the event Oyu Tolgoi LLC's tax claims are not dismissed in their entirety, the Government of Mongolia is seeking in the counterclaim an alternative declaration that the Investment Agreement is void.

The Company denies the allegations relating to the Company in the GOM Defence and Counterclaim and filed a submission to the arbitral tribunal to oppose the Government of Mongolia's request that it be added to the tax arbitration. If nevertheless the Company is added to the arbitration proceedings, Turquoise Hill will vigorously defend itself against the counterclaim.

The Company remains of the opinion that the tax positions adopted by Oyu Tolgoi LLC in its tax filings were correct and that Oyu Tolgoi LLC has paid all taxes and charges required under the Investment Agreement, the ARSHA, the UDP and Mongolian law.

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINTS

In October 2020, a class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York against the Company, certain of its current and former officers as well as Rio Tinto and certain of its officers. The complaint alleges that the defendants made material misstatements and material omissions with respect to, among other things, the schedule, cost and progress to completion of the development of Oyu Tolgoi in violation of Section 10(b) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Under the schedule established by the court, an amended complaint was filed on March 16, 2021 and defendants filed motions to dismiss the complaint on May 17, 2021. The Company believes that the complaint against it is without merit.

In January 2021, a proposed class action was initiated in the Superior Court in the District of Montreal against the Company and certain of its current and former officers. The claim alleges that the Company and its current and former officers named therein as defendants made material misstatements and material omissions with respect to, among other things, the schedule, cost and progress to completion of Oyu Tolgoi, in violation of, among other things, sections 225.8, 225.9 and 225.11 of the Securities Act (Quebec). The Company believes that the complaint against it is without merit and is preparing to defend the application for leave and certification of the proceeding.

See the risk factor titled "The Company may be subject to public allegations, regulatory investigations or litigation that could materially and adversely affect the Company's business" in the "Risk Factors " section of the AIF.

CORPORATE ACTIVITIES

Exploration

Turquoise Hill, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Asia Gold Mongolia LLC, Heruga Exploration LLC and SGLS LLC, operates an exploration program in Mongolia on licences that are not part of Oyu Tolgoi. Turquoise Hill owns three exploration licences: Bag and Od-2 in the Omnogovi province and Khatavch in the Dornogovi province.

During Q2'21, the work plans for the three exploration licences were approved by the Mineral Resource and Petroleum Agency of Mongolia and the State Inspection Agency. In addition, the environmental plans for Bag and Od-2 licences were also approved. The environmental approval for Khatavch is pending until the exploration team is able to travel to the Dornogovi province.

The exploration team is fully vaccinated and ready to begin field work. Current restrictions on people movements in the Omnogovi and Dornogovi provinces have resulted in delays to our field work. Safety remains our first priority and appropriate measures will be maintained to protect our exploration team, contractors and the communities in which we work.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

The Company presents and refers to the following non-GAAP measures, which are not defined in IFRS. A description and calculation of each measure is given below and may differ from similarly named measures provided by other issuers. These measures are presented in order to provide investors and other stakeholders with additional understanding of performance and operations at the Oyu Tolgoi mine and are not intended to be used in isolation from, or as a replacement for, measures prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Operating cash costs

The measure of operating cash costs excludes: depreciation and depletion; exploration and evaluation; charges for asset write-down (including write-down of materials and supplies inventory) and includes management services payments to Rio Tinto and management services payments to Turquoise Hill, which are eliminated in the consolidated financial statements of the Company.

C1 cash costs

C1 cash costs is a metric representing the cash cost per unit of extracting and processing the Company's principal metal product, copper, to a condition in which it may be delivered to customers net of gold and silver credits from concentrates sold. This metric is provided in order to support peer group comparability and to provide investors and other stakeholders with additional information about the underlying cash costs of Oyu Tolgoi LLC and the impact of gold and silver credits on the operations' cost structure. C1 cash costs are relevant to understanding the Company's operating profitability and ability to generate cash flow. When calculating costs associated with producing a pound of copper, the Company deducts gold and silver revenue credits as the production cost is reduced by selling these products.

All-in sustaining costs

All-in sustaining costs (AISC) is an extended cash-based cost metric providing further information on the aggregate cash, capital and overhead outlay per unit and is intended to reflect the costs of producing the Company's principal metal product, copper, in both the short term and over the life-cycle of its operations. As a result, sustaining capital expenditure on a cash basis is included rather than depreciation. As the measure seeks to present a full cost of copper production associated with sustaining current operations, development project capital is not included. AISC allows Turquoise Hill to assess the ability of Oyu Tolgoi LLC to support sustaining capital expenditures for future production from the generation of operating cash flows.

A reconciliation of total operating cash costs, C1 cash costs and AISC is provided below.



(Three Months Ended) (Six Months Ended) C1 costs (Stated in $000's of dollars) June 30, 2021 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2020 Cost of sales 82,584 181,956 238,228 327,880 Cost of sales: $/lb of copper sold 1.91 2.08 1.84 2.27 Depreciation and depletion (21,223) (51,106) (73,417) (86,072) Provision against carrying value of copper-gold concentrate - 6,254 - - Change in inventory 72,576 (12,265) 102,873 19,884 Other operating expenses 73,276 49,893 129,764 94,804 Less:







- Inventory (write-down) reversal (1,522) 1,195 3,604 2,359 - Depreciation (593) (1,997) (1,195) (3,950) Management services payment to Turquoise Hill 5,400 6,872 11,878 13,954 Operating cash costs 210,498 180,802 411,735 368,859 Operating cash costs: $/lb of copper produced 2.60 2.25 2.27 2.33 Adjustments to operating cash costs(1) (12,994) 6,564 (13,201) 12,646 Less: Gold and silver revenues (130,416) (57,428) (323,295) (91,253) C1 costs ($'000) 67,088 129,938 75,239 290,252 C1 costs: $/lb of copper produced 0.83 1.61 0.42 1.84









All-in sustaining costs (Stated in $000's of dollars)







Corporate administration 8,525 9,855 21,568 14,572 Asset retirement expense 1,388 1,502 2,983 2,931 Royalty expenses 22,462 14,216 45,202 24,455 Ore stockpile and stores write-down (reversal) 1,522 (1,195) (3,604) (2,359) Other expenses 552 2,998 806 3,466 Sustaining cash capital including deferred stripping 18,876 18,355 27,172 27,904 All-in sustaining costs ($'000) 120,413 175,669 169,366 361,221 All-in sustaining costs: $/lb of copper produced 1.48 2.18 0.93 2.29

(1) Adjustments to operating cash costs include: treatment, refining and freight differential charges less the 5% Government of Mongolia royalty and other expenses not applicable to the definition of C1 cost.

Mining costs and milling costs

Mining costs per tonne of material mined for the three months ended June 30, 2021 are calculated by reference to total mining costs of $42.9 million (Q2'20: $39.3 million) and total material mined of 15.8 million tonnes (Q2'20: 23.2 million tonnes).

Milling costs per tonne of ore treated for the three months ended June 30, 2021 are calculated by reference to total milling costs of $66.7 million (Q2'20: $65.3 million) and total ore treated of 9.4 million tonnes (Q2'20: 9.6 million tonnes).

Working capital

Consolidated working capital comprises those components of current assets and liabilities which support and result from the Company's ongoing running of its current operations. It is provided in order to give a quantifiable indication of the Company's short-term cash generation ability and business efficiency. As a measure linked to current operations and the sustainability of the business, the Company's definition of working capital excludes: non-trade receivables and payables; financing items; cash and cash equivalents; deferred revenue and non-current inventory.

A reconciliation of consolidated working capital to the financial statements and notes is provided below.

Working capital June 30, December 31, (Stated in $000's of dollars) 2021 2020







Inventories (current) $ 296,463 $ 197,962 Trade and other receivables 28,230 60,012 Trade and other payables:





- trade payables and accrued liabilities (263,739) (315,570)

- payable to related parties (115,917) (65,552) Consolidated working capital $ (54,963) $ (123,148)

Contractual obligations

The following section of this press release discloses contractual obligations in relation to the Company's project finance, lease, purchase, power and asset retirement obligations. Amounts relating to these obligations are calculated on the assumptions of the Company carrying out its future business activities and operations as planned at the period end. As such, contractual obligations presented in this press release and in the Company's Q2 2021 MD&A will differ from amounts presented in the financial statements, which are prepared on the basis of minimum uncancellable commitments to pay in the event of contract termination. The presentation of contractual obligations here and in the Company's Q2 2021 MD&A is provided in order to give an indication of future expenditure, for the disclosed categories, arising from the Company's continuing operations and development projects.

A reconciliation of contractual obligations as at June 30, 2021 to the financial statements and notes is provided below.

(Stated in $000's of dollars) Project Finance Facility Purchase obligations Other Obligations Power commitments Lease

liabilities Decommissioning obligations













Commitments (MD&A) 4,303,885 441,164 388,019 247,129 31,777 229,273 Cancellable obligations - (418,603) - (183,464) - - (net of exit costs) - - - - - - Accrued capital expenditure - - - - - - Discounting and other adjustments (132,824) - - - (5,965) (93,436) Financial statement amount 4,171,061 22,561 388,019 63,665 25,812 135,837

INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING AND DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

There were no changes in the Company's internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the three months ended June 30, 2021, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Company under applicable securities legislation is gathered and reported to senior management, including the Company's CEO and CFO, on a timely basis so that appropriate decisions can be made regarding public disclosures. There were no changes in the Company's disclosure controls and procedures during the three months ended June 30, 2021.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Disclosure of information of a scientific or technical nature in this press release and in the Company's Q2 2021 MD&A in respect of the Oyu Tolgoi mine was approved by Jo-Anne Dudley (FAusIMM(CP)), Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Jo-Anne Dudley is a "qualified person" as that term is defined in NI 43-101.

SELECTED QUARTERLY DATA

($ in millions, except per share information)

Quarter Ended



Jun-30 Mar-31 Dec-31 Sep-30



2021 2021 2020 2020























Revenue

$ 317.8 $ 526.5 $ 405.1 $ 264.4











Income for the period

$ 118.8 $ 332.1 $ 241.6 $ 161.7











Income attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill

$ 96.9 $ 236.7 $ 159.9 $ 128.6











Basic and diluted income per share attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill

$ 0.48 $ 1.18 $ 0.79 $ 0.64





Quarter Ended



Jun-30 Mar-31 Dec-31 Sep-30



2020 2020 2019 2019























Revenue

$ 278.0 $ 130.7 $ 221.4 $ 209.2











Income (loss) for the period

$ 72.3 $ 19.0 $ 109.5 $ 45.1











Income (loss) attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill

$ 72.6 $ 45.2 $ 113.1 $ 71.7











Basic and diluted income per share attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill

$ 0.36 $ 0.22 $ 0.56 $ 0.36

Consolidated Statements of Income







(Stated in thousands of U.S. dollars)





(Unaudited)





























Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended











June 30,

June 30,







Note

2021

2020

2021

2020

























Revenue

4

$ 317,799

$ 277,967

$ 844,345

$ 408,626 Cost of sales 5

(82,584)

(181,956)

(238,228)

(327,880) Gross margin



235,215

96,011

606,117

80,746

























Operating expenses 6

(73,276)

(49,893)

(129,764)

(94,804) Corporate administration expenses



(8,525)

(9,855)

(21,568)

(14,572) Other income (expenses) 20

(14,610)

(1,418)

(27,787)

1,800 Income (loss) before finance items and taxes



138,804

34,845

426,998

(26,830)

























Finance items

















Finance income 7

607

3,212

1,897

14,624 Finance costs 7

(1,596)

(1,516)

(3,231)

(3,325)











(989)

1,696

(1,334)

11,299 Income (loss) from operations before taxes



$ 137,815

$ 36,541

$ 425,664

$ (15,531)

























Income and other taxes



(19,047)

35,777

25,253

106,805 Income for the period



$ 118,768

$ 72,318

$ 450,917

$ 91,274



























Attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd.

96,870

72,586

333,585

117,767

Attributable to owner of non-controlling interest



21,898

(268)

117,332

(26,493) Income for the period



$ 118,768

$ 72,318

$ 450,917

$ 91,274













































































Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share attributable

















to Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. 17

$ 0.48

$ 0.36

$ 1.66

$ 0.59

























Basic weighted average number of shares outstanding (000's)

201,231

201,231

201,231

201,231

The notes to the Company's financial statements, which are available on the Company's website, are part of its consolidated financial statements.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows





(Stated in thousands of U.S. dollars)







(Unaudited)





























Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended











June 30,

June 30,







Note

2021

2020

2021

2020

























Cash generated from operating activities



















before interest and tax 16

$ 295,693

$ 34,698

$ 543,929

$ 36,193

























Interest received



678

5,367

1,853

17,198 Interest paid



(84,511)

(118,696)

(111,022)

(145,518) Income and other taxes paid 19

(2,525)

(3,198)

(358,648)

(14,149) Net cash generated from (used in) operating activities

$ 209,335

$ (81,829)

$ 76,112

$ (106,276)

























Cash flows from investing activities

















Receivable from related party: amounts withdrawn 18

-

204,284

-

511,284 Expenditures on property, plant and equipment



(230,283)

(261,934)

(480,570)

(563,030) Purchase of commodity put options



-

-

(29,907)

- Proceeds from pre-production revenues



12,001

7,593

12,001

7,593 Other investing cash flows



62

184

62

247 Cash used in investing activities



$ (218,220)

$ (49,873)

$ (498,414)

$ (43,906)

























Cash flows from financing activities

















Repayment of project finance facility



(21,744)

(1,545)

(21,744)

(1,545) Proceeds from bank overdraft facility



-

-

8,500

- Repayment of bank overdraft facility



(8,500)

-

(8,500)

- Payment of lease liability



(166)

(1,992)

(295)

(3,899) Cash used in financing activities



$ (30,410)

$ (3,537)

$ (22,039)

$ (5,444)

























Effects of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

(165)

420

(207)

436 Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents



$ (39,460)

$ (134,819)

$ (444,548)

$ (155,190)

























Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period



$ 718,533

$ 1,631,614

$ 1,123,621

$ 1,651,985 Cash and cash equivalents - end of period



679,073



1,496,795

679,073

1,496,795 Cash and cash equivalents as presented on the balance sheets $ 679,073

$ 1,496,795

$ 679,073

$ 1,496,795

The notes to the Company's financial statements, which are available on the Company's website, are part of its consolidated financial statements.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income







(Stated in thousands of U.S. dollars)









(Unaudited)

























Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended









June 30,

June 30,









2021

2020

2021

2020























Income for the period

$ 118,768

$ 72,318

$ 450,917

$ 91,274























Other comprehensive income:















Items that will not be reclassified to income:

















Changes in the fair value of marketable securities at FVOCI

2,631

1,502

4,887

127 Other comprehensive income for the period (a)

$ 2,631

$ 1,502

$ 4,887

$ 127























Total comprehensive income for the period

$ 121,399

$ 73,820

$ 455,804

$ 91,401





















Attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill

99,501

74,088

338,472

117,894

Attributable to owner of non-controlling interest

21,898

(268)

117,332

(26,493) Total comprehensive income for the period

$ 121,399

$ 73,820

$ 455,804

$ 91,401

(a) No tax charges and credits arose on items recognized as other comprehensive income or loss in 2021 (2020: nil).

The notes to the Company's financial statements, which are available on the Company's website, are part of its consolidated financial statements.

Consolidated Balance Sheets









(Stated in thousands of U.S. dollars)





(Unaudited)





















June 30,

December 31,







Note

2021

2020

















Current assets









Cash and cash equivalents 8

$ 679,073

$ 1,123,621 Inventories 9

296,463

197,962 Trade and other receivables



28,230

60,012 Prepaid expenses and other assets



92,760

127,274 Other financial assets 20

2,952

-











1,099,478

1,508,869 Non-current assets









Property, plant and equipment 10

11,433,861

10,927,512 Inventories 9

49,807

37,557 Prepaid expenses and other assets 19

348,670

- Deferred income tax assets 13

922,484

880,705 Other financial assets



19,009

14,118











12,773,831

11,859,892 Total assets



$13,873,309

$ 13,368,761

















Current liabilities









Borrowings and other financial liabilities 12

$ 53,632

$ 28,288 Trade and other payables 11

388,019

390,059 Deferred revenue



140,798

103,289











582,449

521,636 Non-current liabilities









Borrowings and other financial liabilities 12

4,143,242

4,173,491 Deferred income tax liabilities 13

128,077

111,717 Decommissioning obligations 14

135,837

133,964











4,407,156

4,419,172 Total liabilities



$ 4,989,605

$ 4,940,808

















Equity











Share capital



$11,432,122

$ 11,432,122 Contributed surplus



1,558,781

1,558,834 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)



6,305

1,418 Deficit





(3,082,016)

(3,415,601) Equity attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill



9,915,192

9,576,773 Attributable to non-controlling interest 15

(1,031,488)

(1,148,820) Total equity



$ 8,883,704

$ 8,427,953

















Total liabilities and equity



$ 13,873,309

$ 13,368,761

The notes to the Company's financial statements, which are available on the Company's website, are part of its consolidated financial statements.

Consolidated Statements of Equity









(Stated in thousands of U.S. dollars)









Unaudited











Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill



















Accumulated





























other









Non-controlling











Contributed

comprehensive









interest







Share capital surplus

income Deficit Total

(Note 15) Total equity

































Opening balance $ 11,432,122

$ 1,558,834

$ 1,418

$ (3,415,601)

$ 9,576,773

$ (1,148,820) $ 8,427,953 Income for the period

-

-

-

333,585

333,585



117,332

450,917 Other comprehensive income for the































period

-

-

4,887

-

4,887



-

4,887 Employee share plans

-

(53)

-

-

(53)



-

(53) Closing balance $ 11,432,122

$ 1,558,781

$ 6,305

$ (3,082,016)

$ 9,915,192

$ (1,031,488) $ 8,883,704

































Six Months Ended June 30, 2020

Attributable to owners of Turquoise Hill























Accumulated































other











Non-controlling













Contributed

comprehensive











interest









Share capital

surplus

income (loss)

Deficit

Total



(Note 15)

Total equity

































Opening balance $ 11,432,122 $ 1,558,811 $ (813) $ (3,821,889) $ 9,168,231

$ (1,237,174) $ 7,931,057 Income (loss) for the period

-

-

-

117,767

117,767



(26,493)

$ 91,274 Other comprehensive income for the

























$ -

period

-

-

127

-

127



- $ 127 Employee share plans

-

317

-

-

317



- $ 317 Closing balance $ 11,432,122 $ 1,559,128 $ (686) $ (3,704,122) $ 9,286,442

$ (1,263,667) $ 8,022,775

The notes to the Company's financial statements, which are available on the Company's website, are part of its consolidated financial statements.

About Turquoise Hill Resources

Turquoise Hill is an international mining company focused on the operation and continued development of the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in Mongolia, which is the Company's principal and only material mineral resource property. Turquoise Hill's ownership of the Oyu Tolgoi mine is held through a 66% interest in Oyu Tolgoi LLC (Oyu Tolgoi); Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi LLC (Erdenes), a Mongolian state-owned entity, holds the remaining 34% interest.

Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information

Certain statements made herein, including statements relating to matters that are not historical facts and statements of the Company's beliefs, intentions and expectations about developments, results and events which will or may occur in the future, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements and information relate to future events or future performance, reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events and are typically identified by words such as "anticipate", "could", "should", "expect", "seek", "may", "intend", "likely", "plan", "estimate", "will", "believe" and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. These include, but are not limited to, statements and information regarding: discussions with, and the nature of the Company's relationship and interaction with, the Government of Mongolia on the continued operation and development of Oyu Tolgoi, including with respect to the DE and the potential termination, amendment or replacement of the IA or the UDP; the willingness and ability of the parties to the IA or the UDP to amend or replace either such agreement; the implementation and successful execution of the Funding Plan that is the subject of the HoA and the amount of any additional future funding gap to complete the Oyu Tolgoi project as well as the amount and potential sources of additional funding required therefor, all as contemplated by the HoA; the expectations set out in the Oyu Tolgoi Technical Report dated as of June 30, 2020 (OTTR20); the timing and amount of future production and potential production delays; statements in respect of the impacts of any delays on achieving first commercial production and on the Company's cash flows; expected copper and gold grades; the merits of the class action complaints filed against the Company in October 2020 and January 2021, respectively; the likelihood that the Company will be added as a party to the international tax arbitration brought by Oyu Tolgoi against the Government of Mongolia and the merits of the GOM Defence and Counterclaim; liquidity, funding sources and funding requirements; the amount of any funding gap to complete the Oyu Tolgoi project; the amount and potential sources of additional funding; the Company's ability to re-profile its existing project debt in line with current cash flow projections; the amount by which a successful re-profiling of the Company's existing debt would reduce the Company's currently projected funding requirements; the Company's ability to raise supplemental senior debt; the timing of studies, announcements and analyses; status of underground development; the mine design for Panel 0 of Hugo North Lift 1 and the related cost and production schedule implications; the re-design studies for Panels 1 and 2 of Hugo North Lift 1 and the possible outcomes, content and timing thereof; expectations regarding the possible recovery of ore in the two structural pillars, to the north and south of Panel 0; the possible progression of SOPP and related amendments to the PSFA as well as power purchase agreements; the timing of construction and commissioning of the potential SOPP; sources of interim power; the potential impact of COVID-19, including any restrictions imposed by health or governmental authorities relating thereto on the Company's business, operations and financial condition; capital and operating cost estimates; mill and concentrator throughput; the outcome of formal international arbitration proceedings; anticipated business activities, planned expenditures, corporate strategies, and other statements that are not historical facts.

Forward-looking statements and information are made based upon certain assumptions and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements or information. There can be no assurance that such statements or information will prove to be accurate. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies, local and global economic conditions, and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of copper, gold and silver; projected gold, copper and silver grades; anticipated capital and operating costs; anticipated future production and cash flows; the anticipated location of certain infrastructure in Hugo North Lift 1 and sequence of mining within and across panel boundaries; the availability and timing of required governmental and other approvals for the construction of the SOPP; the ability of the Government of Mongolia to finance and procure the SOPP within the timeframes anticipated in the PSFA Amendment subject to ongoing discussions relating to a standstill period; the willingness of third parties to extend existing power arrangements; the status and nature of the Company's relationship and interactions and discussions with the Government of Mongolia on the continued operation and development of Oyu Tolgoi and Oyu Tolgoi LLC internal governance (including the outcome of any such interactions or discussions); the willingness and ability of the parties to the IA and the UDP to amend or replace either such agreement; the nature and quantum of the current and projected economic benefits to Mongolia resulting from the continued operation of Oyu Tolgoi; the implementation and successful execution of the Funding Plan that is the subject of the HoA and the amount of any additional future funding gap to complete the Oyu Tolgoi project as well as the amount and potential sources of additional funding required therefor, all as contemplated by the HoA.

Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and information include, among others: copper, gold and silver price volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated production; mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; development plans for processing resources; public health crises such as COVID-19; matters relating to proposed exploration or expansion; mining operational and development risks, including geotechnical risks and ground conditions; litigation risks, including the outcome of the class action complaints filed against the Company; the outcome of the international tax arbitration proceedings; regulatory restrictions (including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability); Oyu Tolgoi LLC or the Government of Mongolia's ability to deliver a domestic power source for the Oyu Tolgoi project within the required contractual time frame; communications with local stakeholders and community relations; activities, actions or assessments, including tax assessments, by governmental authorities; events or circumstances (including public health crises, strikes, blockades or similar events outside of the Company's control) that may affect the Company's ability to deliver its products in a timely manner; currency fluctuations; the speculative nature of mineral exploration; the global economic climate; global climate change; dilution; share price volatility; competition; loss of key employees; cyber security incidents; additional funding requirements, including in respect of the development or construction of a long-term domestic power supply for the Oyu Tolgoi project; capital and operating costs, including with respect to the development of additional deposits and processing facilities; defective title to mineral claims or property and human rights requirements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. All such forward-looking statements and information are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company's management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements or information.

With respect to specific forward-looking information concerning the continued operation and development of Oyu Tolgoi, the Company has based its assumptions and analyses on certain factors which are inherently uncertain. Uncertainties and assumptions include, among others: the timing and cost of the construction and expansion of mining and processing facilities; the timing and availability of a long-term domestic power source (or the availability of financing for the Company or the Government of Mongolia to construct such a source) for Oyu Tolgoi; the implementation and successful execution of the Funding Plan that is the subject of the HoA and the amount of any additional future funding gap to complete the Oyu Tolgoi project as well as the amount and potential sources of additional funding required therefor, all as contemplated by the HoA; the status and nature of the Company's relationship, interactions and discussions with the Government of Mongolia on the continued operation and development of Oyu Tolgoi and Oyu Tolgoi LLC internal governance (including the outcome of any such interactions or discussions); the willingness and ability of the parties to the IA and the UDP to amend or replace either such agreement; the nature and quantum of the current and projected economic benefits to Mongolia resulting from the continued operation of Oyu Tolgoi; the potential impact of COVID-19, including any restrictions imposed by health and governmental authorities relating thereto; the impact of changes in, changes in interpretation to or changes in enforcement of, laws, regulations and government practices in Mongolia; the availability and cost of skilled labour and transportation; the obtaining of (and the terms and timing of obtaining) necessary environmental and other government approvals, consents and permits; delays (including delays in the decision to commence the undercut), and the costs which would result from delays, in the development of the underground mine (which could significantly exceed the costs projected in OTTR20); projected copper, gold and silver prices and their market demand; and production estimates and the anticipated yearly production of copper, gold and silver at Oyu Tolgoi.

The cost, timing and complexities of mine construction and development are increased by the remote location of a property such as Oyu Tolgoi. It is common in mining operations and in the development or expansion of existing facilities to experience unexpected problems and delays during development, construction and mine start-up. Additionally, although Oyu Tolgoi has achieved commercial production, there is no assurance that future development activities will result in profitable mining operations.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, which contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcomes will not occur. Events or circumstances could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those estimated or projected and expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements are included in the "Risk Factors" section in the Company's AIF and in the "Risks and Uncertainties" section in the Q2 2021 MD&A.

Readers are further cautioned that the list of factors enumerated in the "Risk Factors" section of the AIF and in the "Risks and Uncertainties" section of the Q2 2021 MD&A that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions with respect to the Company, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements and information contained herein are made as of the date of this document and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. The forward-looking statements and information contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE TURQUOISE HILL RESOURCES LTD
We play a critical role in serving engineering firms, developers, contractors and architects in all of our communities. Tweet this

Nate Ward, co-founder of Palm Beach Capital, and industry veteran Gary H. Elzweig, PE, F.ASCE, created what is now known as the UES family of companies. Elzweig will remain with the firm as Vice-Chairman. Nate Ward and Palm Beach Capital will remain a major investor and retain board representation.

"We are excited to partner with BDT given their experience investing in and advising founder-led businesses with transformative growth opportunities," said Ward. "We would like to thank our partners and every UES team member for their contributions which led to this significant milestone. With BDT as the lead investor, UES will achieve our goal of becoming the nation's most sought after, respected, and successful geotechnical, construction materials testing, inspections and environmental consulting business."

"The geotechnical engineering, construction materials and environmental services industries are highly fragmented, and I see a great deal of opportunity to identify and partner with strong, well-run businesses who will expand our portfolio and our geographic footprint," said Burke. "As the country focuses on the repair and improvement of our existing infrastructure, we play a critical role in serving engineering firms, developers, contractors and architects in all of our communities. I look forward to supporting this impressive leadership team as they lead UES through our next phase of rapid growth and development."

Founded by Sy Israel in 1964, UES offers nearly six decades of experience and recognition as the premier engineering and consulting firm in the geotechnical engineering space and is well-positioned to serve the needs of commercial, residential, and civic customers across the country. Recent mergers with GFA International, Inc., NOVA Geotechnical & Inspection Services, Contour Engineering, Wallace-Kuhl & Associates, Construction Testing & Engineering, SUMMIT Engineering, Laboratory & Testing, P.C., GEOServices, LLC, McGinley & Associates and Geotechnology Inc. have made UES one of the largest, most resource-rich organizations of its kind nationwide.

UES, a privately held company, has made a commitment to growth, both organically and through strategic acquisition. UES' presence includes locations throughout the high growth markets in the South, Midwest and West, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Washington, D.C., California, Utah, Nevada, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.

The closing of the investment is subject to customary conditions and is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2021.

About Universal Engineering Sciences

Universal Engineering Sciences, headquartered in Orlando, is a rapidly growing engineering and consulting firm with nearly six decades of experience in geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, building code compliance, threshold inspections and environmental consulting. UES is considered a pioneer of the industry and stands at the forefront of emerging technology, best practices, and influential legislature. Projects include both public and private clients, ranging from transportation and healthcare to commercial and education. UES engineers, geologists, certified inspectors, and scientists offer an unwavering commitment to excellence, approaching each project as an opportunity to cultivate enduring relationships with clients.

UES was recently named number one on the Zweig Group Hot Firm List which honors the fastest-growing firms in the architecture, engineering, planning, environmental and construction (AEC) industry. With 2,500 professionals across 60 branches in 17 states nationwide, UES consults on projects of all sizes to help deliver needed infrastructure and build safe and successful communities. For more information, please visit universalengineering.com or follow UES on social media.

Press Contact: [email protected]

About BDT Capital Partners

BDT Capital Partners provides family- and founder-led businesses with long-term, differentiated capital. The firm has raised over $18 billion across its investment funds and its global investor base has invested an additional $10 billion of debt and equity in the funds' portfolio companies. The firm's affiliate, BDT & Company, is a merchant bank that works with family- and founder-led businesses to pursue their strategic and financial objectives. BDT & Company provides solutions-based advice and access to a world-class network of business owners and leaders.

SOURCE Universal Engineering Sciences

Related Links

http://universalengineering.com


NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NYC whistleblower attorney Timothy J. McInnis announced today a $6m settlement against an importer of Chinese apparel and related companies. The settlement resolves a False Claims Act lawsuit against Joseph Bailey and his two New York City companies, Stargate Apparel, Inc. and Rivstar Apparel, Inc. The case began with the filing of a qui tam whistleblower complaint under seal in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2014. The settlement agreement among the whistleblower, the United States and the defendants was approved by U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken on July 28, 2021.

The action, initiated by a former employee, alleged that the defendants submitted invoices to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") that understated the true value of the clothing that they imported into the United States in order to avoid paying millions of dollars in U.S. customs duties. The United States investigated the whistleblower's allegations and joined in the lawsuit. All the defendants admitted the allegations against them as part of the civil settlement. Bailey also pleaded guilty to related criminal charges and was sentenced to 6 months in federal prison.

According to attorney McInnis, a former federal prosecutor, the whistleblower who brought this action will receive more than $1.2m (20%) for the information he provided. That unnamed person was "very courageous and extremely helpful to the United States during the ensuing civil and criminal investigations," according to McInnis. McInnis also acknowledge the tremendous work and successful results of the Assistant U.S. Attorneys and federal agents on the matter.

The case is captioned, United States of America ex rel. John Doe, Plaintiffs, v. Stargate Apparel, Inc., Rivstar Apparel, Inc. and Joseph Bailey,. Defendants, Index No. 1:14-cv-08991-JPO (S.D.N.Y.)

For additional information, please contact Timothy J. McInnis, Esq. of McInnis Law at (212) 292-4573 or [email protected].

SOURCE McInnis Law

Related Links

http://www.mcinnis-law.com


NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Khaled Salem, the Egyptian-American U.S. Senate candidate running against incumbent Chuck Schumer in the 2022 election and CEO of American Human Rights, today expressed outrage that Staten Island borough residents are still paying a discounted partial toll fee of $2.95. Residents have not been successful in lobbying to become exempt from toll fees, soit continues to be compulsory that they pay the toll every time they cross the bridge. Instead of paying nothing when they commute to their homes using the Verrazano Bridge, they are "bullied into paying."

New York Senate Candidate Khaled Salem New York Senate Candidate Khaled Salem

Candidate Salem is putting his complete support behind Staten Island residents and will put forth a petition to Mayor deBlasio, and to the next mayor who succeeds him, to ensure that residents are not punished with fees, "just because they happen to live in a borough that doesn't have the choice of a free way to get home."Residents of all other boroughs have multiple choices and Staten Island residents do not.

"Property owners in Staten Island are taxed at the same rate as their 'borough counterparts,' said Salem. "Residents of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens all have multiple options to travel between boroughs without having to pay a toll. Staten Island has no options other than the Verrazano or the Staten Island Ferry  both for a cost.In April, the MTA approved a rate hike for Staten Island residents' 'discount,' from $2.75 to $2.95, which is ridiculous and categorically unfair."

At present, Manhattan offers three ways to cross bridges to Brooklyn. There is one free bridge to and from Queens and one free bridge to the Bronx. Candidate Salem believes that all boroughs connected by bridges should always offer one free inter-borough bridge option. Staten Island communities should be afforded the same opportunity as everyone else  at least to not be charged a fee when they return home. "They don't deserve to be set apart from their fellow New York City residents, and I support them 100%," said Salem.

For more information, visit khaled2022forcongress.com/ .

Or follow Salem at facebook.com/Khaledforcongress/, twitter.com/KhaledYork or khaled2022forcongress.com/donate

Media contact:

Khaled Salem

[email protected]

1518 348 6868

SOURCE Khaled Salem for U.S. Senate in New York

Related Links

http://khaled2022forcongress.com


KATY, Texas, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLCA), a diversified industrial minerals company and the leading last-mile logistics provider to the oil and gas industry (the "Company"), today announced net income of $26.0 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, compared with a net loss of $20.8 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2021.

The second quarter results were positively impacted by $46.9 million net, or $0.46 per diluted share, due to a customer settlement of $48.9 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, recorded in the Oil & Gas segment, and partially offset by delayed winter weather impacts and facility closure costs.

Bryan Shinn, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Our strong financial and operational performance during the second quarter exceeded both revenue and Adjusted EBITDA expectations. Additionally, we recorded sequential volume growth in both of our operating segments, supported by the broader market recovery and constructive commodity prices.

"In the Industrial & Specialty Products segment, second quarter revenue grew at a rate that exceeded GDP growth and we recently announced our third price increase this year for our industrial and specialty products beginning September 1st. Our Oil & Gas segment benefited from strong commodity prices and completions activity, as we out-executed our competition and gained market share in the second quarter, which drove sequential increases in proppant volumes and SandBox delivered loads.

"I'm also happy to report that in late June, we came to an agreement with a customer to settle a dispute regarding fees related to minimum purchase commitments from 2014-2020. As a result of this resolution, the Company received approximately $128 million of consideration, including $90 million in cash. Half of the cash settlement amount was received in the second quarter and the balance was received in July. We have used a portion of this settlement to pay off our outstanding revolver balance of $25 million.

"Our commitment to deleveraging the balance sheet remains a key corporate initiative. As the macro environment continues to improve, we are focused on prioritizing free cash flow, growing the Industrial & Specialty Products segment, and maximizing efficiencies in the Oil & Gas segment."

Second Quarter 2021 Highlights

Total Company

Revenue of $317.3 million for the second quarter of 2021 increased 84% when compared with the second quarter of 2020 and increased 35% compared with $234.4 million in the first quarter of 2021. However, excluding the $48.9 million benefit in the Oil & Gas segment related to a customer settlement, revenue increased 15% sequentially.

for the second quarter of 2021 increased 84% when compared with the second quarter of 2020 and increased 35% compared with in the first quarter of 2021. However, excluding the benefit in the Oil & Gas segment related to a customer settlement, revenue increased 15% sequentially. Overall tons sold of 4.104 million for the second quarter of 2021 increased 15% compared with 3.561 million tons sold in the first quarter of 2021 and increased 116% when compared with the second quarter of 2020.

Contribution margin of $128.6 million for the second quarter of 2021 increased 110% when compared with the second quarter of 2020 and increased 109% compared with $61.6 million in the first quarter of 2021. However, excluding the $48.9 million benefit in the Oil & Gas segment, contribution margin increased 29% sequentially. In addition, costs associated with delayed winter weather impact and facility closure costs negatively impacted the second quarter.

for the second quarter of 2021 increased 110% when compared with the second quarter of 2020 and increased 109% compared with in the first quarter of 2021. However, excluding the benefit in the Oil & Gas segment, contribution margin increased 29% sequentially. In addition, costs associated with delayed winter weather impact and facility closure costs negatively impacted the second quarter. Adjusted EBITDA of $103.3 million for the second quarter of 2021 increased 170% compared with $38.3 million in the first quarter of 2021. However, excluding the $48.9 million benefit in the Oil & Gas segment, adjusted EBITDA increased 42% sequentially.

Industrial & Specialty Products (ISP)

Revenue of $124.0 million for the second quarter of 2021 increased 10% compared with $112.7 million in the first quarter of 2021, and increased 24% when compared with the second quarter of 2020.

for the second quarter of 2021 increased 10% compared with in the first quarter of 2021, and increased 24% when compared with the second quarter of 2020. Tons sold totaled 1.08 million for the second quarter of 2021 increased 10% compared with 0.984 million tons sold in the first quarter of 2021, and increased 36% when compared with the second quarter of 2020.

Segment contribution margin of $45.9 million , or $42.50 per ton, for the second quarter of 2021 increased 15% compared with $40.0 million in the first quarter of 2021, and increased 31% when compared with the second quarter of 2020.

Oil & Gas

Revenue of $193.3 million for the second quarter of 2021 increased 59% when compared with $121.7 million in the first quarter of 2021 and increased 167% when compared with the second quarter of 2020. However, excluding the $48.9 million customer settlement, revenue increased 19% sequentially.

for the second quarter of 2021 increased 59% when compared with in the first quarter of 2021 and increased 167% when compared with the second quarter of 2020. However, excluding the customer settlement, revenue increased 19% sequentially. Tons sold of 3.024 million for the second quarter of 2021 increased 17% compared with 2.577 million tons sold in the first quarter of 2021, and increased 172% when compared with the second quarter of 2020.

Segment contribution margin of $82.7 million , or $27.35 per ton, increased 285% when compared with $21.5 million in the first quarter of 2021 and increased 216% when compared with the second quarter of 2020. However, excluding the $48.9 million customer settlement, segment contribution margin increased 57% sequentially.

Capital Update

As of June 30, 2021, the Company had $212.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and total debt was $1.235 billion. The Company's $100.0 million Revolver had $25.0 million drawn, with $22.0 million allocated for letters of credit, and availability of $53.0 million. On July 27, 2021, the Company paid off its $25.0 million outstanding Revolver balance. Capital expenditures in the second quarter totaled $3.6 million. During the second quarter of 2021, the Company generated $68.3 million in cash flow from operations including the cash settlement. However, excluding the $48.9 million customer settlement, cash flow from operations would have been $23.3 million. The Company remains focused on building on its fundamental operating successes, its disciplined approach to expanding its business, ensuring that it generates sustainable free cash flow and continuing to de-lever its balance sheet.

Outlook and Guidance

Looking ahead to the second half of 2021 and beyond, the Company is well positioned for sustainable, long-term growth. The Company has a strong portfolio of industrial and specialty products, supported by a robust pipeline of new products under development as well as recent pricing increases.

The Industrial & Specialty Products segment continues to prove its strength and stability through cycles.

The oil and gas industry is progressing through a transitional year of what is forecasted to be a multi-year growth cycle as economic activity recovers. The first half of 2021 was marked by strong WTI crude oil prices and the completion of previously drilled but uncompleted wells. Progressing through the second half of 2021, customer spending in the Oil & Gas segment is anticipated to rebalance from well completions towards drilling activity.

The Company expects to deliver positive free cash flow this year and to continue to reduce net debt by year end.

Conference Call

U.S. Silica will host a conference call for investors today, July 29, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. Central Time to discuss these results. Hosting the call will be Bryan Shinn, Chief Executive Officer and Don Merril, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Investors are invited to listen to a live webcast of the conference call by visiting the "Investors" section of the Company's website at www.ussilica.com. The webcast will be archived for one year. The call can also be accessed live over the telephone by dialing (877) 869-3847 or for international callers, (201) 689-8261. A replay will be available shortly after the call and can be accessed by dialing (877) 660-6853 or for international callers, (201) 612-7415. The conference ID for the replay is 13721444. The replay will be available through August 29, 2021.

About U.S. Silica

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. is a performance materials company and is a member of the Russell 2000. The Company is a leading producer of commercial silica used in the oil and gas industry, and in a wide range of industrial applications. Over its 121-year history, U.S. Silica has developed core competencies in mining, processing, logistics and materials science that enable it to produce and cost-effectively deliver over 600 diversified products to customers across our end markets. U.S. Silica's wholly-owned subsidiaries include EP Minerals and SandBox Logistics. EP Minerals is an industry leader in the production of products derived from diatomaceous earth, perlite, engineered clays, and non-activated clays. SandBox Logistics is a state-of-the-art leader in proppant storage, handling and well-site delivery, dedicated to making proppant logistics cleaner, safer and more efficient. The Company currently operates 24 mines and production facilities and is headquartered in Katy, Texas.

Forward-looking Statements

This second quarter 2021 earnings release, as well as other statements we make, contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws - that is, statements about the future, not about past events. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations and projections relating to our financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. These statements may include words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "plan," "intend," "believe," "may," "will," "should," "could," "can have," "likely" and other words and terms of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements made include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact and may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding U.S. Silica's growth opportunities, strategy, future financial results, forecasts, projections, plans and capital expenditures, technological innovations, the impacts of COVID-19 on the Company's operations, and the commercial silica industry. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions, which may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements. Among these factors are global economic conditions; the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on markets the Company serves; fluctuations in demand for commercial silica, diatomaceous earth, perlite, clay and cellulose; fluctuations in demand for frac sand or the development of either effective alternative proppants or new processes to replace hydraulic fracturing; the entry of competitors into our marketplace; changes in production spending by companies in the oil and gas industry and changes in the level of oil and natural gas exploration and development; changes in oil and gas inventories; general economic, political and business conditions in key regions of the world; pricing pressure; weather and seasonal factors; the cyclical nature of our customers' business; our inability to meet our financial and performance targets and other forecasts or expectations; our substantial indebtedness and pension obligations, including restrictions on our operations imposed by our indebtedness; operational modifications, delays or cancellations; prices for electricity, natural gas and diesel fuel; our ability to maintain our transportation network; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements, including those related to mining, explosives, chemicals, and oil and gas production; silica-related health issues and corresponding litigation; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in this press release and our most recent Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize (or the consequences of such a development changes), or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those reflected in our forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update publicly or revise such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

U.S. SILICA HOLDINGS, INC. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA FROM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited; dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)



Three Months Ended

June 30, 2021

March 31, 2021

June 30, 2020 Total sales $ 317,301



$ 234,416



$ 172,537

Total cost of sales (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) 192,955



176,989



124,743

Operating expenses:









Selling, general and administrative 27,509



26,224



39,126

Depreciation, depletion and amortization 41,165



41,348



37,086

Goodwill and other asset impairments 



38



3,956

Total operating expenses 68,674



67,610



80,168

Operating income (loss) 55,672



(10,183)



(32,374)

Other (expense) income:









Interest expense (17,918)



(17,711)



(22,179)

Other (expense) income, net, including interest income (186)



2,605



(1,670)

Total other expense (18,104)



(15,106)



(23,849)

Income (loss) before income taxes 37,568



(25,289)



(56,223)

Income tax (expense) benefit (11,666)



4,354



23,605

Net income (loss) $ 25,902



$ (20,935)



$ (32,618)

Less: Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest (126)



(157)



(264)

Net income (loss) attributable to U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. $ 26,028



$ (20,778)



$ (32,354)













Earnings (loss) per share attributable to U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.:









Basic $ 0.35



$ (0.28)



$ (0.44)

Diluted $ 0.34



$ (0.28)



$ (0.44)

Weighted average shares outstanding:









Basic 74,339



73,927



73,620

Diluted 76,136



73,927



73,620

Dividends declared per share $ 



$ 



$ 



U.S. SILICA HOLDINGS, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS Unaudited; dollars in thousands)



June 30, 2021

December 31, 2020







ASSETS Current Assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 212,700



$ 150,920

Accounts receivable, net 223,229



206,934

Inventories, net 113,346



104,684

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 19,915



23,147

Income tax deposits 



628

Total current assets 569,190



486,313

Property, plant and mine development, net 1,300,211



1,368,092

Lease right-of-use assets 37,103



37,469

Goodwill 185,649



185,649

Intangible assets, net 154,815



159,582

Other assets 8,310



9,842

Total assets $ 2,255,278



$ 2,246,947

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities:





Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 135,595



$ 121,920

Current portion of operating lease liabilities 15,074



17,388

Current portion of long-term debt 38,841



42,042

Current portion of deferred revenue 10,464



13,545

Total current liabilities 199,974



194,895

Long-term debt, net 1,196,409



1,197,660

Deferred revenue 17,053



20,147

Liability for pension and other post-retirement benefits 31,739



48,169

Deferred income taxes, net 57,148



49,386

Operating lease liabilities 71,068



76,361

Other long-term liabilities 33,148



33,538

Total liabilities 1,606,539



1,620,156

Stockholders' Equity:





Preferred stock 





Common stock 837



827

Additional paid-in capital 1,207,670



1,200,023

Retained deficit (390,238)



(395,496)

Treasury stock, at cost (183,420)



(181,615)

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 3,161



(8,479)

Total U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. stockholders' equity 638,010



615,260

Non-controlling interest 10,729



11,531

Total stockholders' equity 648,739



626,791

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 2,255,278



$ 2,246,947



Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Segment Contribution Margin

Segment contribution margin is a key metric that management uses to evaluate our operating performance and to determine resource allocation between segments. Segment contribution margin excludes selling, general, and administrative costs, corporate costs, plant capacity expenses, and facility closure costs.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to segment contribution margin.

(All amounts in thousands) Three Months Ended

June 30, 2021

March 31, 2021

June 30, 2020 Sales:









Oil & Gas Proppants $ 193,298



$ 121,697



$ 72,495

Industrial & Specialty Products 124,003



112,719



100,042

Total sales 317,301



234,416



172,537

Segment contribution margin:









Oil & Gas Proppants 82,676



21,540



26,170

Industrial & Specialty Products 45,939



40,038



35,119

Total segment contribution margin 128,615



61,578



61,289

Operating activities excluded from segment cost of sales (4,269)



(4,151)



(13,495)

Selling, general and administrative (27,509)



(26,224)



(39,126)

Depreciation, depletion and amortization (41,165)



(41,348)



(37,086)

Goodwill and other asset impairments 



(38)



(3,956)

Interest expense (17,918)



(17,711)



(22,179)

Other (expense) income, net, including interest income (186)



2,605



(1,670)

Income tax (expense) benefit (11,666)



4,354



23,605

Net income (loss) $ 25,902



$ (20,935)



$ (32,618)

Less: Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest (126)



(157)



(264)

Net income (loss) attributable to U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. $ 26,028



$ (20,778)



$ (32,354)



Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of our financial performance or liquidity under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) as a measure of operating performance, cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of free cash flow for management's discretionary use, as it does not consider certain cash requirements such as interest payments, tax payments and debt service requirements. Adjusted EBITDA contains certain other limitations, including the failure to reflect our cash expenditures, cash requirements for working capital needs and cash costs to replace assets being depreciated and amortized, and excludes certain charges that may recur in the future. Management compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and by using Adjusted EBITDA only supplementally. Our measure of Adjusted EBITDA is not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the methods of calculation.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to Adjusted EBITDA:

(All amounts in thousands) Three Months Ended

June 30, 2021

March 31, 2021

June 30, 2020 Net income (loss) attributable to U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. $ 26,028



$ (20,778)



$ (32,354)

Total interest expense, net of interest income 17,902



15,803



21,295

Provision for taxes 11,666



(4,354)



(23,605)

Total depreciation, depletion and amortization expenses 41,165



41,348



37,086

EBITDA 96,761



32,019



2,422

Non-cash incentive compensation (1) 3,954



4,574



4,388

Post-employment expenses (excluding service costs) (2) 363



363



527

Merger and acquisition related expenses (3) 109



194



386

Plant capacity expansion expenses (4) 19



41



2,390

Goodwill and other asset impairments (5) 



38



3,956

Business optimization projects (6) 4



39



(4)

Facility closure costs (7) 490



502



2,738

Other adjustments allowable under the Credit Agreement (8) 1,586



546



23,963

Adjusted EBITDA $ 103,286



$ 38,316



$ 40,766









(1) Reflects equity-based and other equity-related compensation expense. (2) Includes net pension cost and net post-retirement cost relating to pension and other post-retirement benefit obligations during the applicable period, but in each case excluding the service cost relating to benefits earned during such period. Non-service net periodic benefit costs are not considered reflective of our operating performance because these costs do not exclusively originate from employee services during the applicable period and may experience periodic fluctuations as a result of changes in non-operating factors, including changes in discount rates, changes in expected returns on benefit plan assets, and other demographic actuarial assumptions. (3) Merger and acquisition related expenses include legal fees, consulting fees, bank fees, severance costs, certain purchase accounting items such as the amortization of inventory fair value step-up, information technology integration costs and similar charges. While these costs are not operational in nature and are not expected to continue for any singular transaction on an ongoing basis, similar types of costs, expenses and charges have occurred in prior periods and may recur in the future as we continue to integrate prior acquisitions and pursue any future acquisitions. (4) Plant capacity expansion expenses include expenses that are not inventoriable or capitalizable as related to plant expansion projects greater than $5 million in capital expenditures or plant start up projects. While these expenses are not operational in nature and are not expected to continue for any singular project on an ongoing basis, similar types of expenses have occurred in prior periods and may recur in the future if we continue to pursue future plant capacity expansion. (5) The three months ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2020 reflect impairment charges of $38 thousand and $4.0 million, respectively, related to long-lived assets, operating lease right-of-use assets and inventory related to idled facilities in our Oil & Gas Proppants segment. (6) Reflects costs incurred related to business optimization projects within our corporate center, which aim to measure and improve the efficiency, productivity and performance of our organization. While these costs are not operational in nature and are not expected to continue for any singular project on an ongoing basis, similar types of expenses may recur in the future. (7) Reflects costs incurred related to idled sand facilities and closed corporate offices, including severance costs and remaining contracted costs such as office lease costs, maintenance, and utilities. While these costs are not operational in nature and are not expected to continue for any singular event on an ongoing basis, similar types of expenses may recur in the future. (8) Reflects miscellaneous adjustments permitted under the Credit Agreement, such as recruiting fees and relocation costs. The three months ended June 30, 2021 also included $1.0 million related to expenses incurred with severe winter storms during the first quarter and costs related to a power interruption at a plant location of $0.5 million. The three months ended March 31, 2021 also included $0.8 million related to expenses incurred with severe winter storms during the first quarter, partially offset by $0.1 million for a measurement period adjustment related to the Arrows Up bargain purchase. See Note E - Business Combinations to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for more information. The three months ended June 30, 2020 also included $1.9 million in transload shortfalls and exit fees, $4.1 million in inventory adjustments, $2.5 million measurement period adjustment to the gain attributable to the bargain purchase of Arrows Up, $3.1 million in severance costs, and $11.8 million in legal expense due to unsuccessful defense of a small number of our patents.

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.

Investor Contact

Patricia Gil

Vice President, Investor Relations

(281) 505-6011

[email protected]

SOURCE U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

www.ussilica.com


NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost 70% of global consumers plan to travel domestically within the next six months, yet less than ten percent have booked their trips according to a new survey from consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

"The summer travel surge is just the beginning of a recovery that seemed almost impossible a little more than a year ago," said Jessica Stansbury, a partner with Oliver Wyman. "We expect to see a continued desire for leisure travel through the end of the year and travel providers should anticipate a sustained leisure recovery with strong bookings continuing at least through the end of the year."

Leisure travel

We predict that traffic out of US airports will match and may even exceed the rate of pre-pandemic travel sometime in early 2022.

The increase in US leisure travel will continue throughout the end of the year and we anticipate significant travel during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

International leisure travel continues to be the most impacted by the pandemic, as travelers opt to stay closer to home. US travelers are more than twice as likely to select a domestic destination for their next leisure trip (67% vs. 27% international).

Business travel

Business travelers are optimistic about the return of corporate trips. Globally, about 75% of business travelers expect to travel the same as or more than they did pre-pandemic. In the US, nearly 80% of US business travelers plan to book travel in the next three months.

There will be a "catch up" in business travel and bookings will spike significantly in the near-term. However, changing company policies and the effectiveness of teleconferencing may reduce the long-term need for business travel.

Business travel will also differ greatly by country. For example, business travelers in the US, China , and Australia are primed to travel significantly more than they did pre-COVID, while Europeans still plan to travel less than before the pandemic.

"Business travel is being driven by fear of missing out," said Bruce Spear, a partner with Oliver Wyman. "The US economy is so hot right now that some executives may feel short term pressure to catch up on business meetings with colleagues and clients."

Key factors for travel

Price is the most important criteria in travel decisions and has been throughout the pandemic, with 66% of global travelers ranking price as one of their top three factors to purchase a flight. This is consistent with the US, where the number is also 66%.

Cleanliness is becoming a less important factor in travel decisions as we get further away from the height of the pandemic.

While more airlines promote their environmental sustainability measures, only 17% of consumers globally and 12% of US consumers consider this as a top three factor when deciding about one flight over another. Overall, environmental sustainability measures continue to rank last across all three surveys.

Globally almost 70% of travelers are willing to enroll in a digital identification program which would include vaccine status and other healthcare data. Vaccinated respondents are more willing to share their data, compared to unvaccinated travelers.

"The industry faces significant challenges, especially around the new Delta variant and a possible overall talent shortage, but demand for consumer travel will push the industry back sooner than we initially thought," said Bruno Despujol, a partner with Oliver Wyman.

About the survey

The third edition of our travel sentiment survey involved nearly 5,300 people across nine countries (Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States), all of whom had flown at least once in 2019; nearly 90 percent had been vaccinated against COVID-19 or are planning to be vaccinated.

The full Edition 3 survey report will be available in August/September. You can also access Edition 1 of our survey from May 2020 here and Edition 2 from October 2020 here

About Oliver Wyman

Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With offices in 60 cities across 29 countries, Oliver Wyman combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organization transformation. The firm has more than 5,000 professionals around the world who work with clients to optimize their business, improve their operations and risk profile, and accelerate their organizational performance to seize the most attractive opportunities.

Oliver Wyman is a business of Marsh McLennan [NYSE: MMC]. For more information, visit www.oliverwyman.com. Follow Oliver Wyman on Twitter @OliverWyman.

SOURCE Oliver Wyman

Related Links

www.oliverwyman.com


CHICAGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Venzee Technologies Inc. (TSX-V:VENZ,OTCQB:VENZF), the artificial intelligence platform for product data, today announced that CEO John Sexton Abrams will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on August 5th.

DATE: August 5th, 2021

TIME: 2:00PM ET

LINK: https://bit.ly/3hUv6XG

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 Venzee Technologies, Inc.

Venzee (TSXV: VENZ) (OTCQB: VENZF) is an artificial intelligence platform for product data used by global brands to speed time to market and create competitive supply chain advantages. Venzee displaces costly, labor-intensive last-mile retail processes with a low-cost, intelligent platform solution. Venzee is building the foundation for a future where seamless, accurate, automated data flow removes friction for all those that rely on the myriad of data and information surrounding any product, anywhere.

Venzee unlocks shareholder value by carrying out its mission to create intelligent technology that removes friction from the global supply chain. Its products disrupt and displace inefficient manual processes in favor of integrated, machine-driven solutions.

To learn more about the Venzee platform, visit venzee.com

Twitter: @usevenzee

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/venzee-inc/

Podcast: venzee.com/resources/podcast

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.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the terms of the Offering, the completion of the Offering and the expected use of the net proceeds received by the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; and regulatory risks. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2018, and the quarter ended August 29, 2019, which are available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.

The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Venzee Technologies, Inc.

SOURCE VirtualInvestorConferences.com

Related Links

http://venzee.com


A second joint study conducted by Lunit and Massachusetts General Hospital, published in European Radiology

When used as a second reader, the AI algorithm can enhance effective diagnosis on chest x-ray

With AI, radiology residents were able to recommend 28% more chest CT exams for potential lung cancer patients, and radiologist could reduce 30% of unnecessary CT exams

SEOUL, South Korea, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent study published in European Radiology has shown that a deep learning-based AI algorithm can improve the performance of readers in detecting lung cancers on chest radiographs. According to the study, AI had 28% sensitivity benefit for radiology residents, helping them properly recommend CT exams for potential lung cancer patients, and 30% specificity benefit for radiologists in lung cancer detection, reducing unnecessary CT exams.

The study was conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Lunit, a leading medical AI company. The joint research team has previously focused on validating the accuracy of AI, and proved that Lunit INSIGHT CXR, an AI software for analyzing chest x-rays, can accurately detect malignant pulmonary nodules, which can cause lung cancer. In this consecutive study, the team focused on whether AI can affect the performance of medical professionals in finding lung cancers.

For the study, 519 images of cancer-positive and cancer-negative patients were selected from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). Eight readers, including three radiology residents and five board-certified radiologists, participated in the reading.

By comparing the analysis of the readers and Lunit INSIGHT CXR, the result showed that AI could lead to more efficient and precise diagnosis for both doctors and patients. With AI, radiology residents were able to recommend 28% more chest CT examinations (54.7% vs 70.2%, p < 0.001) for patients who may have potential risk of lung cancer. Also, radiologists recommended about 30% lesser proportion of unnecessary chest CT examinations (16.4% vs. 11.7%, p < 0.001) in cancer-negative patients.

"The use of AI could help to detect pulmonary nodules accurately with chest x-rays, as well as reduce the need for unnecessary chest CT exams in some patients," said Mannudeep K. Kalra, MD, a radiologist at the MGH and Co-investigator on the study, 'AI-based improvement in lung cancer detection on chest radiographs: results of a multi-reader study in NLST dataset'. "This finding can benefit patients by enabling them to avoid unneeded radiation exposure, and it can benefit the healthcare system by preventing certain medical costs."

"Chest x-ray is the firsthand diagnostic tool to detect lung cancer, but it has limitations as it is a compressed 2D rendering of 3D human structures," said Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit. "An accurate analysis through Lunit INSIGHT CXR can help medical professionals provide diagnosis to patients with increased efficiency --preventing potential cancer at an early stage, while saving time and cost for those who do not need a further examination."

Trained with more than 3.5 million medical data, Lunit INSIGHT CXR is used in over 300 hospitals and medical centers in more than 30 countries. It detects 10 major chest diseases including lung nodules, pneumothorax, and tuberculosis with 97-99% accuracy. The software is CE marked and approved for commercial sales in around 35 countries, expecting FDA approval within this year.

SOURCE Lunit

Related Links

https://lunit.io/


DENVER, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A significant hurdle in developing therapeutics and care models for Alzheimer's disease that work for people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds is the recruitment and retention of traditionally underrepresented groups in clinical trials. At the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021 , in Denver and virtually, researchers shared new evidence-based insights into why people from communities of color do and do not choose to participate in clinical trials.

Also at AAIC 2021, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, launched a new online tool, Outreach Pro, to help researchers and clinicians increase awareness and participation in clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, especially among traditionally underrepresented communities.

"There is a well-recognized need for diversity in clinical trial populations to ensure diagnostics and treatments are safe and effective for everyone," said Carl V. Hill, MPH, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. "It's imperative that the Alzheimer's community is aware of the impact of historical racism, and also the current racial discrimination in health care that presents obstacles for inclusive participation in Alzheimer's trials. And, just as important, it is critical that we evaluate strategies that have been shown to be effective when recruiting historically underrepresented individuals and communities in these vital Alzheimer's research studies."

Other key findings reported first at AAIC 2021 include:

Individuals are most willing to volunteer for a clinical trial if they are invited to participate (85%), want to contribute to the goal of research (83%) or have a family member with the disease (74%).

African American, Latino and American Indian respondents are significantly more likely to volunteer if asked by a person of the same race, and are more concerned than Whites about disruption of work and family responsibilities and availability of transportation and childcare.

Commonly used Alzheimer's clinical trial exclusion criteria have the potential to disproportionately affect African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos, which may play a role in their reduced enrollment in research.

The Alzheimer's Association is leading two major clinical trials with a strong focus on diverse participation. The New IDEAS study is recruiting 2,000 Latinos and 2,000 African Americans to investigate the impact of a brain amyloid PET scan on clinical care outcomes, including diagnosis and treatment. The U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk ( U.S. POINTER ) study is a two-year clinical trial studying the effects of multi-component lifestyle interventions on risk of cognitive decline in a diverse population in the U.S.

NIA Launches Alzheimer's Research Recruiting Materials for Under-Represented Communities

NIA has launched a new online tool to help increase awareness and participation in clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Called Outreach Pro (V1.0), the tool allows researchers, clinicians, clinical trial administrators and staff to create and customize outreach materials such as websites, handouts, videos and social media posts with an emphasis on reaching traditionally underrepresented communities.

Using NIA's Outreach Pro, researchers and clinicians can make outreach materials from templates designed to:

Educate people about Alzheimer's and dementia. Increase overall awareness of Alzheimer's clinical trials. Provide information about a specific Alzheimer's or dementia clinical study open to recruitment.

Each template can then be tailored using a central library of messages, headlines, photos and text that have been extensively tested with individuals, including those representing diverse and underserved populations.

The development of Outreach Pro is an integral part of NIA's efforts to implement the National Strategy for Recruitment and Participation in Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Clinical Research . Released in 2018, the national strategy was developed with facilitation by the Alzheimer's Association, with the goal of engaging broad segments of the public in Alzheimer's and dementia research, with a particular focus on underrepresented communities.

"It is critical that clinical trials have appropriate representation to ensure that we have a complete understanding of how well different therapies or approaches to dementia care work in different populations," said Holly Massett, PhD, Senior Advisor on Clinical Research Recruitment and Engagement at NIA, who oversees the implementation of the national strategy. "Outreach Pro was designed to provide well-tested and culturally appropriate outreach materials that resonate with diverse populations and encourage them to participate in clinical trials."

Outreach Pro's current library of content includes materials designed specifically for African American and Hispanic/Latino populations and is available in English and Spanish. Plans are underway to add materials developed for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in multiple languages by Fall 2021, and materials for American Indian and Alaska Native communities to be developed and added in 2022.

People More Likely to Participate Clinical Trials if Invited By Someone of the Same Race

Dorothy Farrar Edwards, Ph.D., Faculty Director of the University of Wisconsin Collaborative Center for Health Equity and investigator and Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core Leader for the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and colleagues created the Voices Heard Survey to identify factors associated with willingness to participate in biomedical research. The survey was administered to a diverse sample of 406 Wisconsin residents, including White (n=100), African American (n=105), Latino (n=100) and American Indian (n=101) adults. The 96-item survey assessed trust in medical research and identified factors positively or negatively affecting willingness to participate in biomedical studies and clinical trials.

Factors most highly associated with willingness to volunteer for a study in the full group were (1) Invited to Participate (85%), (2) Research Goal (83%), and (3) Family Member with Disease (74%).

Significant differences were observed between the White and minority groups. Notably, African American, Latino and American Indian respondents are significantly more likely to volunteer for a research study if asked by a person of the same race, and they are more concerned than Whites about disruption of work and family responsibilities, availability of transportation, and childcare.

"We identified opportunities for tailored messaging designed to increase awareness of the value of Alzheimer's research participation," said Farrar Edwards. "As we get better at recruiting diverse populations, it will increase the urgency to get the conduct of trials right."

Are Common Exclusion Criteria in Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Keeping out Underrepresented Groups?

In a first of its kind, systematic look at commonly used exclusion criteria in active NIA-funded Alzheimer's disease and related dementia clinical trials, NIA researchers suggest many criteria have the potential to inadvertently exclude African American and Hispanic participants. This new research reported at AAIC 2021 suggests a closer, collaborative look at the criteria may improve enrollment. Eligibility criteria are integral components of clinical trials, helping to ensure participant safety and reducing factors that may confound results.

Alexandra Mitchell, Clinical Research Coordinator at NIA, Holly Massett, Ph.D., NIA Senior Advisor on Clinical Research Recruitment and Engagement, and colleagues conducted a content analysis of 235 active NIA-funded Alzheimer's and dementia clinical trials to identify the most widely used criteria and their potential to disproportionately exclude African Americans and Hispanics from the research. They identified 2,761 exclusion criteria and grouped them into 56 categories. On average, each trial had 11.75 exclusion criteria, with drug trials having the highest (18.14 per trial). Not surprisingly, "dementia/cognitive impairment" was the most common category (identified in 49% of trials). However, the next three most common categories included medical, neurological and psychiatric-related criteria that were classified as "broadly defined" such that they could introduce an unintentional level of subjectivity by investigators when determining participant eligibility. Additionally, the researchers found that 142 trials (60%) had at least one exclusion category that could disproportionately affect African American or Hispanic populations.

"This analysis is helping us ask an important question: Can we strengthen our criteria for clinical trials to maximize the number of eligible people from diverse and under-represented communities?" said Mitchell. "We hope the Alzheimer's community will take a closer look and can mimic the success in the oncology field where a concerted effort resulted in reworded, more equitable exclusion criteria."



About the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC)

The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer's and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community.

AAIC 2021 home page: www.alz.org/aaic/

AAIC 2021 newsroom: www.alz.org/aaic/pressroom.asp

AAIC 2021 hashtag: #AAIC21

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia  by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

Holly A Massett, PhD, et al. Outreach Pro: The National Institute on Aging's (NIA) Online Tool for AD/ADRD Clinical Studies Recruitment and Engagement of Diverse and Underserved Populations. (Funder(s): National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health)

Dorothy Farrar Edwards , PhD, et al. Tailoring Recruitment Message Content to Reach Diverse Communities for AD Research Participation. (Funder(s): National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities)

, PhD, et al. Tailoring Recruitment Message Content to Reach Diverse Communities for AD Research Participation. (Funder(s): National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities) Alexandra K Mitchell, et al. Analysis of exclusion criteria in NIA-funded Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias clinical trials. (Funder(s): National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health)

SOURCE Alzheimers Association

Related Links

https://www.alz.org


The new fund aims to raise US$200 million through the Airwallex founders and other investors, and will look for opportunities to invest among companies within Airwallex's ecosystem, across a number of industries including e-commerce, SaaS, digital and technology, business services and enablers, and fintech. To date, Capital 49 has completed investments in two such fintech firms.

"We are so excited to share the news of our new fund," said Jack Zhang, Co-founder and CEO of Airwallex and Founder of Capital 49. "As part of the fintech and start-up ecosystem, we have consistently observed that a clear technological advantage is incredibly important for a business to stand out from the competition. That is why we are committed to invest in and foster the growth of tech-enabled companies, particularly at a time where there is huge appetite for innovative solutions to enhance business efficiencies."

Founded in 2015 in Melbourne and headquartered in Hong Kong, Airwallex has grown to become a global fintech platform that is supported by a team of over 800 employees across 12 global offices. Earlier this year, Airwallex announced an additional capital raise of US$100 million, nearly tripling its valuation to US$2.6 billion in just two years. Airwallex also continues to broaden its suite of products and applications, providing end-to-end solutions for customers across business accounts, expense cards and other customised value-add solutions. Most recently, Airwallex announced a suite of new product solutions, including the rollout of its online payment solution in Hong Kong and Australia, as well as the launch of its Airwallex Borderless Cards for businesses in Hong Kong.

"As an organisation, Airwallex could not have achieved what it has today if not for the players within our ecosystem," added Zhang. "With this fund, we will continue to empower businesses to grow without borders by providing them access to capital, a global network and deep insights and expertise, while ensuring we continue to generate financial returns for our investors."

About Airwallex

Airwallex is a global fintech payment platform with a mission to empower businesses of all sizes to grow without borders, and by doing so, contribute to the global economy. With technology at its core, Airwallex has built a financial infrastructure and platform to help businesses to manage payments, treasury and expenses globally, without the constraints of the traditional financial system.

Airwallex has secured over US$500 million since it was established in Melbourne in 2015, and is backed by world-leading investors. Today, the business operates with a team of over 800 employees across 12 global offices. For more information, please visit www.airwallex.com

SOURCE Airwallex
NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes the opening today of the Azerbaijan Trade Representative Office in Tel Aviv, the first Azerbaijani diplomatic representation in Israel. Azerbaijan Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov led an Azerbaijani delegation to Israel for the official opening of the office, and meetings with Israeli trade and tourism officials. Azerbaijan and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992.

"Azerbaijan, a predominantly Shiite Muslim country, is a strategic partner for Israel and the U.S.," said AJC CEO David Harris, who has visited Baku many times and received the "Dostlug" Order of Friendship, one of the country's highest honors, in 2012. "The Azerbaijan trade mission in Israel will further strengthen the extensive cooperation between the two countries, and, hopefully, lead to the opening of Azerbaijan's embassy in Israel, to complement Israel's embassy in Baku."

AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, maintains close contact with Azerbaijan through its offices across the U.S., Europe, and other locations. AJC delegations have visited Baku annually, and met with senior Azerbaijani officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly every fall.

"AJC may well have been the pioneers in creating ties to Azerbaijan," Prime Minister Netanyahu told the 2019 AJC Global Forum. He praised "AJC for the work that you did, making a lot of connections that we needed when we didn't have the kind of open channels that we have today."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


ENGLEWOOD, Colo., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ampio Pharmaceuticals (NYSE American: AMPE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the advancement of immunology-based therapies for prevalent inflammatory conditions, today announced details on the Company's poster presentation, "Efficient Applied Toxicology during COVID-19: A Preclinical Study that Advanced Clinical Use of Ampion," being given virtually at the American College of Toxicology 42nd Annual Meeting, November 14 to 17, 2021, at the Gaylord National Harbor in Washington, DC.

Ampio's poster is based on the Company's preparations for its recently completed AP-014 Phase I clinical trial utilizing an inhaled form of Ampio's drug, Ampion, for treatment of respiratory distress in patients as a result of COVID-19. The study showed inhaled Ampion significantly reduced all-cause mortality for patients suffering from COVID-19 induced respiratory distress by 78% over the Standard of Care (SOC) alone. Based on those strong positive results, Ampio has recently undertaken a Phase II trial.

Prior to launching the initial AP-014 trial, Ampio undertook pre-clinical research to establish the safety of its Ampion anti-inflammatory therapy whereby the method of use would be through inhaled delivery. Ampion, a novel biologic drug containing a blood-derived cyclized peptide and other small molecules, with the potential for treating a variety of serious and often life-threatening inflammatory conditions, had previously demonstrated its safety utilizing injection and intravenous (IV) delivery formats in other previously completed trials.

The FDA identified a need to assess the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) in animals with Ampion via inhalation as the intended route of administration. Ampio designed a study with FDA feedback to assess the potential local toxicity to the lung and other respiratory tissues at a range of inhalation doses. The company's presentation will highlight the program as an example of efficient development that is responsive to both the COVID-19 pandemic and FDA requirements.

The presentation will be given by Laura Goldberg and Holli Cherevka, both of Ampio Pharmaceuticals based in Englewood, CO, and Philip J. Kuehl of Lovelace Biomedical based in Albuquerque, NM.

For more information on the abstract presentation or American College of Toxicology 42nd Annual Meeting, visit https://www.actox.org/am/am2021/.

About Ampio Pharmaceuticals

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the advancement of immunology-based therapies to treat prevalent inflammatory conditions for which there are limited treatment options. Ampio's lead drug, Ampion, is backed by an extensive patent portfolio with intellectual property protection extending through 2037 and will be eligible for 12-year FDA market exclusivity upon approval as a novel biologic under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA).

Forward Looking Statements

Ampio's statements in this press release that are not historical fact, and that relate to future plans or events, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified using words such as "believe," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding Ampio's expectations with respect to Ampion and its classification, as well as those associated with regulatory approvals and other FDA decisions, the Biological License Application (BLA), the ability of Ampio to enter into partnering arrangements, clinical trials and decisions and changes in business conditions and similar events, the ability to receive regulatory approval to conduct clinical trials, that Ampion may be used to treat ARDS induced by COVID-19, all of which are inherently subject to various risks and uncertainties. The risks and uncertainties involved include those detailed from time to time in Ampio's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation, under Ampio's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ampio undertakes no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Contact

Katie Kennedy

[email protected]

610-731-1045

SOURCE Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ampiopharma.com


SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/  From ransomware to data breaches, global cybersecurity incidents against organizations, governments, and individuals are on the rise. There have been a multitude of attacks over the past year, from SolarWinds and Kaseya to the Microsoft Exchange attack and the breach of Canadian plane manufacturer Bombardier. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts global cybercrime costs will hit $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. As the sophistication, complexity, and frequency of cybersecurity attacks continue to grow, organizations must decrease their security risk to ensure that they are protected on all fronts.

"It's not enough to do what's always been done - attackers are advancing their approaches and finding different ways to access and compromise sensitive information in the cloud," said Brendan O'Connor, founder and CEO of AppOmni, the leading provider of SaaS Security Management. "Our research shows that 55% of companies have sensitive SaaS data that has been inadvertently exposed to the anonymous internet and requires no username or password for access. That's a critical risk that every organization should be working to remediate now."

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications continue to be adopted rapidly by organizations of all sizes and are critically important to day-to-day operations. Today, most companies rely on manual processes and good intentions to ensure proper SaaS security management, but that is not enough. IT and security teams are already overburdened and it's essential that security technologies contribute to efficiency, rather than introduce more friction.

AppOmni makes it simple for CISOs, enterprise security, application administrators, and IT teams to fully secure their growing SaaS environments. The AppOmni SaaS Security Management (SSM) platform , which offers a full suite of SaaS security posture, protection, and monitoring capabilities, covers the most widely adopted and business-critical SaaS applications on the market including Salesforce, ServiceNow, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, GitHub, Workday, Box, Slack, and Zoom.

AppOmni has expanded its customer base to include global leaders across technology, healthcare, banking, finance, and cybersecurity. The company has also created new and expanded partnerships with implementation providers worldwide, including Accenture, PwC, 4C/Wipro, Optiv, activereach, GuidePoint Security, and NCC Group. AppOmni recently closed $40 Million in Series B funding and has accelerated company growth and product development, including:

New Product Functionality: AppOmni Insights

AppOmni Insights, part of the core product offering, is an industry first and delivers a "security engineer in a box." Every SaaS platform has unique nuances to its configuration and security, from the language used to the default settings in place. With so many SaaS platforms in use, it's difficult to maintain a high-level of SaaS expertise among security teams. Insights is designed to make it easy for admins who are not security experts. It provides in-product SaaS security management expertise so teams can quickly review information on SaaS risk, the priority of those potential risks, where they're applicable, and how to resolve them. With this capability, companies have unparalleled context and an easy button to remediate SaaS risk.

New SaaS Platforms Covered

AppOmni has extended the breadth of SaaS platforms covered while maintaining the depth and comprehensive coverage customers have come to rely on. AppOmni's platform now offers integrations with and enhanced SaaS security for:

The Atlassian suite (Jira, Confluence, BitBucket)

Docusign

Zendesk

AppOmni also expanded posture capabilities across its Microsoft 365 solution to include Exchange Online and SharePoint, and increased its GitHub posture capabilities via a technology partnership. With this support, AppOmni now provides coverage for the modern enterprise's most popular business-critical applications.

"The SaaS security market is growing rapidly. Organizations that have transitioned to cloud and SaaS applications are beginning to understand that there's a shared responsibility model when it comes to SaaS security," said O'Connor. "SaaS vendors are responsible for providing secure products, but SaaS customers need to use and manage those products responsibly. We've built AppOmni to help companies manage, secure, and monitor their many SaaS platforms, without adding additional workload for their security and IT teams."

Visit AppOmni in person at Black Hat, August 4-5, 2021, at Booth #1576 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

ABOUT APPOMNI

AppOmni is the leading provider of SaaS Security Management. AppOmni provides unprecedented data access visibility, management, and security of SaaS solutions, enabling organizations to secure mission-critical and sensitive data. AppOmni's patent-pending technology deeply scans APIs, security controls, and configuration settings to evaluate the current state of SaaS deployments and compare against best practices and business intent. With AppOmni, organizations can establish rules for data access, data sharing, and third-party applications that will be continuously and automatically validated. The company's leadership team brings expertise and innovation from leading SaaS providers, high tech companies, and cybersecurity vendors.

MEDIA CONTACT

AppOmni

Lumina Communications for AppOmni

Danielle Scotto

646-775-6303

[email protected]

SOURCE AppOmni
"I am very pleased with my initial experience using the Amplifi System. The device was simple to implant and well tolerated by all patients," noted Dr. Ebner. "We observed significant vein enlargement in each enrolled patient and were able to successfully create AVFs in all patients after treatment, including patients who were poor candidates for AVF before treatment."

A reliable vascular access site is critical to delivering life-saving hemodialysis treatment, however these sites can be difficult to create and maintain, and complications and site failure remain a significant healthcare burden1. An AVF is the preferred type of vascular access for hemodialysis patients,2 yet only 63% of US hemodialysis patients use an AVF for vascular access. The National Kidney Foundation recommends forearm AVF as the first choice for vascular access, citing ease of creation, low complication rates, and preservation of more proximal access options3, however, only 32% of all AVF creations in the US are attempted in the forearm.4 In patients who are eligible for AVF, more than 50% fail to mature without additional procedures or surgeries, and many are abandoned prior to routine use.5 Studies suggest baseline vein diameter may play an important role in eligibility for AVF surgery, and in achieving AVF maturation and use.6 The Amplifi Vein Dilation System is the first and only medical device intended to dilate and prepare veins prior to AVF surgery.

"I am grateful for Dr. Ebner and the entire team at Sanatorio Italiano who contributed to the success of this first-in-human study," stated F. Nicholas Franano, MD, President and CEO of Artio Medical. "The company looks forward to sharing data on these first five patients in the coming months and building upon this promising early clinical experience. We remain focused on delivering a much-needed solution to the millions of patients worldwide who need hemodialysis."

About Artio Medical

Artio Medical is a medical device company committed to developing innovative products for the treatment of peripheral vascular, neurovascular, and structural heart diseases. For more information, please visit www.artiomedical.com.

About the Amplifi Vein Dilation System

Patients with end-stage renal disease have a complete loss of kidney function and usually require routine hemodialysis. Creating and maintaining a suitable vascular access site is one of the most difficult and expensive aspects of hemodialysis. The National Kidney Foundation and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agree that an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred form of vascular access. The AmplifiTM Vein Dilation System is a wearable, external blood pump system designed to stimulate arm vein enlargement in hemodialysis patients using rapid, non-pulsatile blood flow. The system is used for 7 and removed during AVF surgery. The Amplifi System aims to make more patients eligible to receive an AVF and to increase successful maturation after AVF creation surgery.

1Mccarley P., et al. "Vascular access blood flow monitoring reduces access morbidity and costs". Kidney International. Vol. 60, Iss 3. Sept 2001, Pages 1164-1172.

2Hemodialysis National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/kidney-failure/hemodialysis

3National Kidney Foundation KDOQI Guidelines. "Clinical Practice Guidelines and Clinical Practice Recommendations". 2006 Update. http://kidneyfoundation.cachefly.net/professionals/KDOQI/guideline_upHD_PD_VA/va_guide2.htm

4Pisoni RL., et al. "International Differences in the Location and Use of Arteriovenous Accesses Created for Hemodialysis: Results From the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS)". American Journal of Kidney Diseases. Vol 71, Iss 4, April 2018.

5United States Renal Data System (USRDS) End Stage Renal Disease Annual Data Report. 2018. https://www.usrds.org/

6Robbin M., et al. "Arteriovenous fistula development in the first 6 weeks after creation". Radiology. Vol. 279: No. 2 - May 2016



SOURCE Artio Medical, Inc.

Related Links

https://artiomedical.com/


WASHINGTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation National Bridge Inventory (NBI) show that more than 220,000 U.S. bridges need major repair work or should be replaced, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) says.

If placed end-to-end, the length of these bridges would stretch over 6,000 mileslong enough to travel across the country from Atlanta to Los Angeles, and continue up to Deadhorse, Alaska the furthest point north on the state's highway system.

As U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg heads to Baltimore today, the problem hits close to home.

In Maryland, cars, trucks and school buses cross the state's 273 structurally deficient bridges more than 2.8 million times every day.

ARTBA's analysis, conducted by its chief economist, Dr. Alison Premo Black, finds that while the number of structurally deficient (SD) bridges declined nationally last year to 45,000, the number of bridges falling into fair condition grew more than 3,600 to almost 295,000.

At the current pace, it would take four decades to repair the current backlog of structurally deficient bridges nationally, Black says.

"The current 40-year timeline to repair bridges in poor condition is an unacceptable outcome for the American motoring public," Black said. "Our bridge report highlights key national infrastructure challenges and underscores the need for congressional and presidential action this year on a robust multi-year transportation investment bill."

Bridge decks and support structures are regularly inspected by the state transportation departments for deterioration and are rated on a scale of zero to ninenine being "excellent" condition. A bridge is classified as structurally deficient and in need of repair if its overall rating is four or below.

While these bridges may not be imminently unsafe, ARTBA believes they should be sign posted so the public knows they have structural deficiencies that need repair.

ARTBA also notes a review of 2019 Federal Highway Administration data finds that freight bottlenecks cost the U.S. economy $42 billion in 2019a hidden tax on the American people that is only likely to increase in the post-pandemic return to normalcy. Truckers lost 660 million hours of time stuck in traffic.

In Maryland, the economic costs were more than $1 billion and over 16 million hours of lost time.

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate continue working on multi-year surface transportation investment legislation. The latest federal highway and public transit funding authorization expires Sept. 30.

Established in 1902, the Washington, D.C.-based ARTBA brings together all facets of the transportation construction industry to responsibly advocate for infrastructure investment and policy that meet the nation's need for safe and efficient travel.

Learn more: www.artbabridgereport.org.

SOURCE American Road & Transportation Builders Association

Related Links

www.artba.org


WASHINGTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Beyond20 announced today that it will support the U.S. Navy through the contract vehicle known as SeaPort Next Generation (NxG). The multiple-award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract holds a total value of $2.5 billion over the course of a three-year base period with one five-year option.

"We're thrilled to be a part of the Navy's SeaPort Next Generation program." said Erika Flora, Co-Founder and CEO at Beyond20. "SeaPort NxG gives our Navy customers an avenue to more easily and quickly obtain IT services and, ultimately, solve their most pressing digital transformation needs."

Under this contract, Beyond20 will compete for individual task orders supporting the Navy with a variety of engineering, technical, and program management services spanning 23 functional areas. This award solidifies Beyond20's continued excellence in assisting the federal government with its mission to make the world safer, healthier, and more efficient through information technology, engineering, and science.

About Beyond20

Beyond20 is a transformation accelerator for industry and government clients alike. We integrate best practice training, software implementation, and a variety of consulting offerings into targeted solutions that evolve our clients' IT and program management skills. We empower clients to accelerate digital transformation through IT Service Management, project management, Agile/Scrum, cloud, and cyber security solutions. Our technology partners include ServiceNow, Cherwell (acquired by Ivanti), BeyondTrust, OpsRamp, and Microsoft. Our clients include over 30% of the Fortune500, along with numerous universities and government agencies. Follow @beyond20 or visit https://www.beyond20.com to learn more.

SOURCE Beyond20
BERLIN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced a 500,000 donation from the Boeing Charitable Trust to the American Red Cross to assist with flood relief efforts in Germany. Funds will be deployed by the German Red Cross to provide emergency power, distribute emergency relief supplies, improve communication infrastructure and mobilize medical care, first aid and rescue services to the hardest hit areas in the region.

"Our hearts go out to all of the people of Germany who have been impacted by these devastating floods," said Marc Allen, Boeing's chief strategy officer, senior vice president of Strategy and Corporate Development and interim leader of Government Operations. "Through our partnership with the American Red Cross and German Red Cross, we are working quickly to bring much-needed emergency funding to communities hit hardest by these recent events. Germany is an important partner to both the U.S. and to Boeing, and we hope that this emergency assistance package provides some level of relief during these difficult times."

"Boeing has a strong relationship with Germany and we feel that it is our responsibility to stand at the side of the German people in these exceptional circumstances," added Dr. Michael Haidinger, president of Boeing Germany.

In the aftermath of the severe flooding, hundreds of people have lost their lives and the property loss is estimated to be in the billions. More than 3,000 German Red Cross workers are providing assistance in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. The work is only just beginning, and the Red Cross will continue to provide assistance in the months to come.

"The American Red Cross is grateful for partners like Boeing for stepping up during these unprecedented times," said Koby Langley, senior vice president of International Services for the American Red Cross. "Boeing's contribution supports the Red Cross efforts to help communities affected by flooding in Germany. We are deeply grateful for their generous support during this challenging time."

Boeing continues to monitor the situation and is in regular communication with its 1,000 employees in Germany. All Boeing facilities in Germany are currently operating normally.

Disaster relief efforts in Germany align with Boeing's ongoing commitment to the communities where the company has a presence. Boeing Germany supports an estimated 23,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country. Boeing is active and engaged in German communities, contributing more than 240,000 in charitable giving in 2020.

About Boeing

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and living the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Learn more at www.Boeing.com.

For more information about Boeing's work in Germany, visit https://www.boeing.de/.

For more information about Boeing's philanthropic efforts, please visit the Company's Global Engagement website .

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Contacts

Daniel Moszynski

Boeing Communications

Germany

Phone: +49 173 6278769

[email protected]

Jason Capeheart

Boeing Communications

Corporate

Phone: +1 703 209 5560

[email protected]

Jenelle Eli

American Red Cross

Phone: +1 202 303-5551

[email protected]

SOURCE Boeing

Related Links

http://www.boeing.com


The dataset, which is publicly available for anyone in the community to browse and use, maps the fine structures and connectivity of 200,000 brain cells and close to 500 million synapses all contained in a cubic millimeter chunk of mouse brain  approximately the size of a grain of sand  from the visual neocortex, the part of the mammalian brain that processes what we see.

The public data collection is hosted online by the Brain Observatory Storage Service & Database (BossDB), and Amazon Web Services (AWS) is making the data freely accessible on the cloud through its Open Data Sponsorship Program. Google contributed storage and computing engine support through Google Cloud, and an open source visualization tool Neuroglancer through Google Research.

This massive project, dubbed the Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS) program, took five years to complete and was funded and coordinated by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, or IARPA. The goal of the research funding was to mine brain-wiring information to improve machine learning. But the dataset is also valuable to the neuroscience field  both for scientists seeking to understand how the brain conveys information along defined circuits, and for biomedical researchers wanting to treat brain disorders where wiring or connections are altered.

"We're basically treating a brain circuit as a computer, and we asked three questions: What does it do? How is it wired up? What is the program?" said R. Clay Reid, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Investigator at the Allen Institute and one of the lead scientists of MICrONS. "Experiments were done to literally see the neurons' activity, to watch them compute. The reconstructions that we're presenting today let us see the elements of the neural circuit: the brain cells and the wiring, with the ability to follow the wires to map the connections between cells. The final step is to interpret this network, at which point we may be able to say we can read the brain's program."

The dataset joins the ranks of other recently released wiring diagrams from human and fruit fly brains captured using the same technology, electron microscopy or EM. This method reveals incredible details of an entire microscopic landscape  in this case, the densely packed topography of tendrilled neurons, astrocytes, blood vessels and other cells that make up the brain's physical matter, as well as all the miniscule internal components of each cell.

The newly released MICrONS data contains the most cells and connections of any such dataset to date, and it is large enough to capture entire local circuits and near-complete 3D shapes of individual mouse neurons. Some neurons make connections at incredibly long distances, sending their axons all the way across the brain, and those long-distance connections aren't represented fully in this dataset. But the cubic millimeter volume was chosen to catch circuits across multiple brain areas involved in vision while also capturing the structure of as many entire neurons as possible. Before the structural data was gathered, the research team at Baylor captured neurons' activity in this part of the brain as the mouse viewed images or movies of natural scenes.

"The neocortex contains billions of neurons communicating through trillions of connections that have endowed mammals with astonishing capabilities. A key question to untangling this bewildering complexity is to discover the relationships between the wiring rules and the functional properties of neurons," said Andreas Tolias, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence at Baylor College of Medicine and one of the lead scientists of MICrONS. "This program is unique since it enabled us to assemble an interdisciplinary team to perform a very ambitious experiment that will enable us to answer this question."

After the Baylor experiments, Allen Institute researchers preserved and sliced the brain piece in more than 27,000 equally thin slices, capturing a total of 150 million images of those slices using customized electron microscopes. The research team at Princeton then used machine learning approaches to "segment" the images, defining each cell and its internal components individually. The end result: beautiful, intricate digital renderings of 200,000 brain cells and the connections between them, many of which had never been captured in their complete form before.

"Our five-year mission had an ambitious goal that many regarded as unattainable. Today, we have been rewarded by breathtaking new vistas of the mammalian cortex," said H. Sebastian Seung, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Computer Science at Princeton University and one of the lead scientists of MICrONS. "As we transition to a new phase of discovery, we are building a community of researchers to use the data in new ways. Only the collective efforts of this community can realize the resource's potential for enabling new discoveries about the brain."

About the Allen Institute for Brain Science

The Allen Institute for Brain Science is a division of the Allen Institute (alleninstitute.org), an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit medical research organization, and is dedicated to accelerating the understanding of how the human brain works in health and disease. Using a big science approach, the Allen Institute generates useful public resources used by researchers and organizations around the globe, drives technological and analytical advances, and discovers fundamental brain properties through integration of experiments, modeling and theory. Launched in 2003 with a seed contribution from founder and philanthropist, the late Paul G. Allen, the Allen Institute is supported by a diversity of government, foundation and private funds to enable its projects. The Allen Institute for Brain Science's data and tools are publicly available online at brain-map.org.

Supported by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) via Department of Interior / Interior Business Center (DoI/IBC) under contracts D16PC00003 (Baylor), D16PC00004 (Allen), and D16PC0005 (Princeton). The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright annotation thereon. Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of IARPA, DoI/IBC, or the U.S. Government.

Media Contact:

Rob Piercy, Sr. Director of Communications

206.548.8486 | [email protected]

SOURCE Allen Institute for Brain Science

Related Links

http://alleninstitute.org


SARASOTA, Fla., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Convivial Life, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit organization, is pleased to announce it has entered into a purchase agreement of The Cabana at Jensen Dunes, a 126-unit assisted living and memory care community nestled on 22+ acres in Jensen Beach, FL. LifeStar Living will serve as the acquisition consultant and provide management services after facilitating a transition over the next fifteen months with the current manager, Solvere Living.

Convivial Life and the current owner group, One HC-Jensen Beach, LLC, reached an agreement as a private sale, with the closing expected to occur on or around October 15, 2021. Ziegler, one of the leading investment banks for senior living and life plan communities, will be the underwriter for the bond transaction to fund the purchase.

The Cabana at Jensen Dunes, a favorite of the Port St. Lucie area and voted locally by Hometown News as the #1 Assisted Living Community on the Treasure Coast over the past two years, is expected to continue its commitment to high-quality services and amenities at the beautiful campus surrounded by natural dunes and a preserve with neighboring Atlantic coast breezes. "We are very excited about the purchase of The Cabana at Jensen Dunes," says Rick Grindrod, Board Chair of Convivial Life. "It is a well-respected senior living community."

Grindrod, who was elected as Convivial's Board Chair in March, is the CEO of Provider Partners Health Plans, a Medicare Advantage Plan serving the needs of long-term care residents in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, Ohio, and Missouri. He also is the former president of Erickson Retirement Communities which during his 25 years grew to over $1.5B in revenue with 11,000 employees serving 23,000 residents at 19 communities in 10 states. Grindrod is joined by other major influencers within senior living including Dr. Judah Ronch, dementia expert and former dean of the Erickson School of Aging at The University of Maryland Baltimore County, Ps. Jeff Metzger, president and CEO of New International Ministries, Cedric Richner, senior consultant with Marts & Lundy and former co-founder and president of Richner+Richner philanthropic consulting group, and Art Schloss, retired municipal bond vice president for Van Kampen Advisors/INVESCO.

As a separate transaction, Convivial intends to acquire the adjacent 11.35 acres to The Cabana at Jensen Dunes and expand into a full continuum campus with independent living homes and other common amenities for retirees to enjoy. LifeStar Development will be engaged to direct the pre-development planning activities for the future expansion with no timeline or plans determined.

LifeStar personnel have 100+ years of industry executive experience in successfully managing and growing senior living communities," said Grindrod. "Our groups have a strong commitment in working together. At the heart of our relationship is marrying similar values, cultures, and philosophies of care and service to make the most valuable experiences for residents, staff, and their families," adds Grindrod.

About Convivial Life

Convivial Life is a Florida, not-for-profit senior living organization. The company's mission seeks to enhance the lives of those served  residents, staff, and the local community. They are committed to creating vibrant and joyful lifestyle experiences at their communities with quality healthcare and other supportive services.

SOURCE Convivial Life, Inc.
TAMPA, Fla., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Widget, the manufacturer and distributor of the iconic CBD brand Hemp Bombs, will be showcasing its newest alternative health and wellness brands at ASD Market Week, Aug. 22-24 in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Global Widget will be in booth W12131. In addition to its Hemp Bombs brand, Global Widget will feature its newest product lines Mystic Labs, Black Diamond Kratom, hyper brain iQ and Forever Well Nutrition.

"As a leading distributor and manufacturer of premium CBD and alternative health and wellness products, ASD Market Week allows us to see our long-time distributor and retail partners face to face," said Vince Gillen, Vice President of Sales. "We continue to grow our market share with Hemp Bombs, and we are excited to bring retailers our newest product offerings from the Hemp Bombs line, as well as new brands. As consumer trends continue to evolve, we want to help retailers maximize sell-through by offering the latest hot-selling products."

According to IRI and SPINS industry data, Hemp Bombs currently owns a CBD category share of 62% in the convenience channel. Its line of CBD Gummies, reformulated last year with more CBD per gummy, was voted 2020 Retailer Choice Best New Product by more than 1,000 retailers nationwide.

As Global Widget continues to expand its manufacturing facilities in Tampa, Florida, it now has the capacity to manufacture more than eight million gummies each day, in addition to formulating and manufacturing edibles, tinctures and topicals for leading CBD and health and wellness brands across the U.S.

"Across a number of retail channels, gummies continue to be a top delivery method," said Kevin Collins, co-founder of Global Widget. "We pride ourselves on doing everything in-house, from our formulation, manufacturing and distribution to compliance, sales and marketing. Everything is under one roof, and that's one of our biggest assets as we look to grow and explore new opportunities, formulas and trends that are emerging in the market."

To book an appointment with Global Widget during ASD Market Week, retailers can visit Global Widget's online portal for ASD here.

About Us

Global Widget, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida, is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor and marketer of CBD and health and wellness products, and a leader in gummy production and packaging. The company is the trusted powerhouse behind CBD brands Hemp Bombs and Nature's Script and the wellness brand, Defense Boost. With more than 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space and about 300 employees, Global Widget is one of the nation's largest CBD companies and a leading contract manufacturer providing quality products and support services to retailers, distributors and private brands worldwide. www.globalwidget.com.

Media Contact:

Joe Agostinelli, PR Manager

813.497.5752 | [email protected]

SOURCE Global Widget

Related Links

http://www.globalwidget.com


DALLAS, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today announced its partnership with Scamadviser, the leading free-to-use online tool that enables users to check websites for potential risk or fraudulent activity. As the key security vendor to Scamadvisor's site, the partnership provides Trend Micro with the opportunity to educate a sizeable audience around the importance of combating online scams and misinformation.

As a Foundation Partner, Trend Micro will support Scamadviser's Global State of Scam Report as well as the 2021 Global Online Scam Summit  the organization's annual event occurring in November. The event brings together the world's leading Consumer Protection Agencies, Law Enforcement Bureaus, Governments, NGOs, and Commercial Organizations to work together in fighting online fraud by sharing insights, knowledge, and data. In addition, Scamadvisor will join Trend Micro in promoting the company's 2021 TMIE Global Cybersecurity Summit for University Students that will take place in October, which seeks to promote cybersecurity knowledge sharing and stimulate students' interest in cybersecurity careers.

"Facing an ever-expanding threat landscape, Trend Micro continues to do what it has always done best - building global partnerships that will help to secure the connected world we all live in," said Brook Stein, Director of Product Management for Consumer Security Products at Trend Micro. "We are excited to support Scamadviser and the Ecommerce Foundation in their mission to protect consumers across the world against being victims of fraud-related crime. As two organizations that are endlessly driven to diminish the impact of scams on the undeserving, our collaboration is a natural fit."

"We are very proud to welcome Trend Micro to our network of strategically selected allies. With over 30 years of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro is a trusted authority in all matters of digital security," says Jorij Abraham, Managing Director at Scamadviser. "Together we will work harder than ever to combat the growing threat of online fraud and scams."

The partnership announcement follows the fall 2020 U.S. launch of Trend Micro Check  the company's free online Google Chrome extension that utilizes the latest AI technology to detect scams. The quick-install extension offers users the ability to identify and avoid online fraud and misinformation in real-time, including suspicious stories and websites, news sources and sales scams. The tool was recently updated with new features, including real-time scam alert notifications and AdBlock, which prevents third party tracking and allows for enhanced privacy online.

Trend Micro Check was developed in response to the proliferation of cybercrime, a topic Trend Micro has been researching for several years. To find out more, please visit check.trendmicro.com. And for more information on Scamadviser, please visit https://www.scamadviser.com/.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, helps to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data centers, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints. All our products work together to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a connected threat defense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, faster protection. With more than 6,000 employees in over 50 countries and the world's most advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro secures your connected world.

About Scamadviser

Scamadviser is an initiative of the Ecommerce Foundation. Since 2012, Scamadviser has been developing an algorithm that gives every domain a Trust Score based on 40 different data sources. More than 100.000 consumers check Scamadviser.com every day and Scamadviser adds more than 1 million new websites to its database every month. For questions you can contact: [email protected].

SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated

Related Links

www.trendmicro.com


SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Skai , -- a leading commerce intelligence platform -- is publishing its Q2 2021 Digital Marketing Quarterly Trends Infographic , an analysis of the digital marketing trends that defined the last quarter, with a full report to follow next week. The overall picture is one of growth as the momentum of the pandemic recovery continues to drive investment across the entire online advertising space.

Search Hits New Highs

In Paid Search, spending outpaced Q2 2020 by 60%, the highest growth ever recorded by Skai. Elevated clickthrough rates once again helped drive the increase, although those rates started to trend slightly downward through the first half of the year. This 2021 trend, along with a slowdown in search shopping spend, may indicate that the urgency of online search for vital goods and services during lockdowns could be easing as cities and regions continue to reopen.

Social Pricing Increase Pushes Spending Growth

A 41% increase in CPMs compared to the same quarter last year drove an increase of the same amount for overall dollars spent in the channel. Impressions remained flat year-over-year with a 10% dip from last quarter, possibly as a result of social advertisers having to adjust their media buying in light of data privacy changes on the Apple mobile operating system.

Retail Media Reigns Supreme, Prime Day Is a Key Driver

Ad spending on retail media networks jumped 55% over the same quarter last year as both the overall volume of clicks and the cost of those clicks increased. The month of June, which included this year's edition of Amazon Prime Day, saw an increase of 61% versus 2020. With the holiday season approaching and advertisers pushing to create a direct path to purchase, retail media spend will likely eclipse those June highs later this year.

App Advertisers Are Diversifying Dollars

App advertisers on the Skai platform appear to be diversifying away from Facebook, possibly a strategic move in reaction to data privacy changes which are impacting targeting and measurement models. In Q2 2020, 43% of spending for this category was allocated to Facebook, with 57% devoted to Apple Search Ads. That ratio has shifted with 22% of spend for Facebook this quarter - a significant change from how advertisers were budgeting just one year ago.

Click Prices Complete Pandemic Rebound in Search

Average cost-per-click for Paid Search ads was up both quarter-over-quarter (+17%) and year-over-year (+34%), and while the impact of those increases on advertisers is very real, this really marked a return to average prices from before the pandemic.

Travel Rebound Continues, Search Spending Spikes

Search spending in the travel segment took a big jump forward this quarter, up 74% from the previous quarter and more than 400% since the same quarter last year. While spending has not fully recovered from early 2020 levels, brands are recognizing consumers' appetite for summer travel, making this a hot area to watch for future spending across Social and Search.

"Ultimately, we knew this quarter would look strong from a spending perspective, because this quarter last year was so tough on advertisers in both search and social," said Chris Costello, Senior Director of Marketing Research for Skai. "The big question for the rest of 2021 is how that momentum can sustain itself when compared to the second half of last year, when the recovery was in high gear. The overall economy on the horizon still looks like the rising tide that can lift all boats, but virus variants could still make an impact."

Methodology

Analysis is drawn from a population of approximately $7 billion in advertising spend, comprising more than 3,000 advertiser and agency accounts across 40 vertical industries and more than 150 countries running on the Skai platform on Google, Microsoft, Baidu, Yandex, Yahoo! Japan, Verizon Media, Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, Criteo, Apple Search Ads, Pinterest, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and the Facebook Audience Network. Except where noted, only advertisers with 15 consecutive months of performance data are included. Some additional outliers have been excluded. Ad spending and pricing have been translated to USD at the time the spending was incurred.

About Skai

Skai is a commerce intelligence platform that powers brand insights, decisions and execution for faster, more predictable go-to-market outcomes. Skai's platform includes a suite of data-driven products for market intelligence, omnichannel media activation, testing and measurement, enabling product, insights and marketing teams to accurately plan strategies and benefit from connected omnichannel launches. Skai merges the former Kenshoo and Signals Analytics capabilities and for more than a decade, has been trusted by an impressive roster of global brands including Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Estee Lauder, Nestle, Johnson & Johnson, Mars and others. With its expanded product suite, Skai is unifying data and helping companies better understand their consumers in real-time. It has seven international locations and is backed by Sequoia Capital, Arts Alliance, Tenaya Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Pitango and Qumra Capital.

For more information, visit www.skai.io .

SOURCE Skai

Related Links

http://www.skai.io


AUSTIN, Texas, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), the largest global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data center, colocation and interconnection solutions, announced today financial results for the second quarter of 2021. All per-share results are presented on a fully-diluted share and unit basis.

Highlights

Reported net income available to common stockholders of $0.45 per share in 2Q21, compared to net income available to common stockholders of $0.20 in 2Q20

per share in 2Q21, compared to net income available to common stockholders of in 2Q20 Reported FFO per share of $1.78 in 2Q21, compared to $1.49 in 2Q20

in 2Q21, compared to in 2Q20 Reported core FFO per share of $1.54 in 2Q21  including a $0.12 non-cash charge to reflect the higher corporate tax rate in the UK  compared to $1.54 in 2Q20

in 2Q21  including a non-cash charge to reflect the higher corporate tax rate in the UK  compared to in 2Q20 Signed total bookings during 2Q21 expected to generate $113 million of annualized GAAP rental revenue, including a $13 million contribution from interconnection

of annualized GAAP rental revenue, including a contribution from interconnection Revised core FFO per share outlook from $6.50 - $6.55 to $6.45 - $6.50 , likewise including the $0.12 non-cash charge related to the higher corporate tax rate in the UK

Financial Results

Digital Realty reported revenues for the second quarter of 2021 of $1.1 billion, unchanged from the previous quarter and a 10% increase from the same quarter last year.

The company delivered second quarter of 2021 net income of $126 million, and net income available to common stockholders of $127 million, or $0.45 per diluted share, compared to $1.32 per diluted share in the previous quarter and $0.20 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.

Digital Realty generated second quarter of 2021 Adjusted EBITDA of $603 million, a 2% decrease from the previous quarter and an 8% increase over the same quarter last year.

The company reported second quarter of 2021 funds from operations of $515 million, or $1.78 per share, compared to $1.49 per share in the previous quarter and $1.49 per share in the same quarter last year.

Excluding certain items that do not represent core expenses or revenue streams (but including a $0.12 non-cash charge related to the higher corporate tax rate in the UK), Digital Realty delivered second quarter of 2021 core FFO per share of $1.54, an 8% decrease from $1.67 per share in the previous quarter, and unchanged from $1.54 per share in the same quarter last year.

Leasing Activity

In the second quarter, Digital Realty signed total bookings expected to generate $113 million of annualized GAAP rental revenue, including a $13 million contribution from interconnection.

"Digital Realty's global platform, strong customer relationships, and a healthy demand environment for data center services drove solid second quarter financial results," said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein. "Bookings in the quarter reflect the continued adoption of PlatformDIGITAL with strong new logo growth and balanced product sales. By investing to support our customers' growth around the world, we are widening our competitive moat which results in sustainable growth for our shareholders."

The weighted-average lag between leases signed during the second quarter of 2021 and the contractual commencement date was seven months.

In addition to new leases signed, Digital Realty also signed renewal leases representing $178 million of annualized GAAP rental revenue during the quarter. Rental rates on renewal leases signed during the second quarter of 2021 rolled up 0.1% on a cash basis and up 2.1% on a GAAP basis.

New leases signed during the second quarter of 2021 are summarized by region as follows:

































Annualized GAAP























Base Rent





GAAP Base Rent





GAAP Base Rent The Americas

(in thousands)

Square Feet

per Square Foot

Megawatts

per Kilowatt 0-1 MW



$10,377

39,453



$263

2.9



$296 > 1 MW



45,254

333,508



136

38.9



97 Other (1)



211

8,941



24





 Total



$55,843

381,902



$146

41.8



$111



























EMEA (2)

























0-1 MW



$19,315

69,995



$276

6.8



$238 > 1 MW



4,639

42,153



110

3.3



117 Other (1)



15

339



44





 Total



$23,969

112,487



$213

10.1



$198



























Asia Pacific (2)

























0-1 MW



$11,489

11,734



$979

2.1



$465 > 1 MW



9,095

46,848



194

4.7



161 Other (1)



365

5,028



73





 Total



$20,949

63,610



$329

6.8



$254



























All Regions (2)

























0-1 MW



$41,181

121,182



$340

11.8



$292 > 1 MW



58,988

422,509



140

46.9



105 Other (1)



591

14,308



41





 Total



$100,761

558,000



$181

58.7



$142



























Interconnection



$12,648

N/A



N/A

N/A



N/A



























Grand Total



$113,409

558,000



$181

58.7



$142



Note: Totals may not foot due to rounding differences. (1) Other includes Powered Base Building shell capacity as well as storage and office space within fully improved data center facilities. (2) Based on quarterly average exchange rates during the three months ended June 30, 2021.

Investment Activity

During the second quarter of 2021, Digital Realty closed on the acquisition of a five-acre land parcel in Seoul, South Korea for approximately $66 million, or $13.5 million per acre, and an 18.5-acre land parcel in Sydney, Australia for $65 million, or approximately $3.5 million per acre. The two sites are expected to support the development of approximately 64 megawatts and 97 megawatts of IT load, respectively. Commencement of development on these land parcels will be subject to market demand, and delivery will be phased to meet future growth requirements.

Separately, Digital Realty also closed on the sale of a vacant, 240,000-square foot office and industrial property in Phoenix, AZ during the second quarter of 2021 for $19 million, or approximately $79 per square foot.

Balance Sheet

Digital Realty had approximately $13.9 billion of total debt outstanding as of June 30, 2021, comprised of $13.7 billion of unsecured debt and approximately $0.2 billion of secured debt. At the end of the second quarter of 2021, net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA was 6.0x, debt plus-preferred-to-total enterprise value was 25.2% and fixed charge coverage was 5.4x.

Digital Realty recently completed the following financing transactions.

In mid-May, Digital Realty redeemed all $201 million of its 6.625% Series C preferred stock.

of its 6.625% Series C preferred stock. In mid-June, Digital Realty issued approximately 0.5 million shares of common stock under the company's at-the-market equity offering program at a weighted average price of $161.57 per share, generating gross proceeds of approximately $77 million .

per share, generating gross proceeds of approximately . Subsequent to quarter-end, Digital Realty closed an offering of CHF545 million , or approximately $595 million , of Swiss green bonds with a weighted-average maturity of approximately 6.6 years and a weighted-average coupon of approximately 0.37%.

, or approximately , of Swiss green bonds with a weighted-average maturity of approximately 6.6 years and a weighted-average coupon of approximately 0.37%. Likewise subsequent to quarter-end, Digital Realty liquidated its remaining stake in Megaport with the sale of 1.95 million shares at a price of A$17.55 per share, generating gross proceeds of A$34 million , or approximately $26 million .

COVID-19

We are closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our global business and operations, including the impact on our customers, suppliers and business partners. Digital Realty data centers have been deemed essential operations, allowing critical personnel to remain in place and to continue to provide services and support for our customers. To date, all our facilities have remained fully operational and continue to operate in accordance with our business continuity and pandemic response plans. While we have not experienced any significant disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic to date, we cannot predict the impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows due to numerous uncertainties.

2021 Outlook

Digital Realty revised its 2021 core FFO per share outlook from $6.50-$6.55 to $6.45-$6.50, including a $0.12 non-cash charge related to the higher corporate tax rate in the UK. The assumptions underlying the outlook are summarized in the following table.



















As of

As of

As of Top-Line and Cost Structure

February 11, 2021

April 29, 2021

July 29, 2021 Total revenue

$4.250 - $4.350 billion

$4.300 - $4.400 billion

$4.325 - $4.425 billion Net non-cash rent adjustments (1)

($10) - ($15) million

($20) - ($25) million

($20) - ($25) million Adjusted EBITDA

$2.300 - $2.350 billion

$2.330 - $2.380 billion

$2.350 - $2.400 billion G&A

$365 - $375 million

$380 - $390 million

$380 - $390 million













Internal Growth











Rental rates on renewal leases











Cash basis

Slightly negative

Slightly negative

Slightly negative GAAP basis

Slightly positive

Slightly positive

Slightly positive Year-end portfolio occupancy

84.0% - 85.0%

84.0% - 85.0%

84.0% - 85.0% "Same-capital" cash NOI growth (2)

(2.5%) - (3.5%)

(2.5%) - (3.5%)

(2.5%) - (3.5%)













Foreign Exchange Rates











U.S. Dollar / Pound Sterling

$1.25 - $1.30

$1.30 - $1.38

$1.30 - $1.38 U.S. Dollar / Euro

$1.15 - $1.20

$1.15 - $1.20

$1.15 - $1.20













External Growth











Dispositions











Dollar volume

$0.6 - $1.0 billion

$0.7 - $1.0 billion

$0.7 - $1.0 billion Cap rate

0.0% - 12.0%

0.0% - 12.0%

0.0% - 12.0% Development











CapEx (3)

$2.0 - $2.3 billion

$2.0 - $2.3 billion

$2.0 - $2.3 billion Average stabilized yields

9.0% - 15.0%

9.0% - 15.0%

9.0% - 15.0% Enhancements and other non-recurring CapEx (4)

$5 - $10 million

$5 - $10 million

$5 - $10 million Recurring CapEx + capitalized leasing costs (5)

$220 - $230 million

$220 - $230 million

$210 - $220 million













Balance Sheet











Long-term debt issuance











Dollar amount

$1.0 - $1.5 billion

$1.0 - $1.5 billion

$1.8 - $2.0 billion Pricing

1.00%

1.00%

1.00% Timing

Early-to-mid 2021

Early-to-mid 2021

Early-to-mid 2021













Net income per diluted share

$1.40 - $1.45

$2.00 - $2.05

$2.20 - $2.25 Real estate depreciation and (gain) / loss on sale

$4.90 - $4.90

$4.25 - $4.25

$4.15 - $4.15 Funds From Operations / share (NAREIT-Defined)

$6.30 - $6.35

$6.25 - $6.30

$6.35 - $6.40 Non-core expenses and revenue streams

$0.10 - $0.15

$0.25 - $0.25

$0.10 - $0.10 Core Funds From Operations / share

$6.40 - $6.50

$6.50 - $6.55

$6.45 - $6.50





(1) Net non-cash rent adjustments represent the sum of straight-line rental revenue and straight-line rent expense, as well as the amortization of above- and below-market leases (i.e., ASC 805 adjustments). (2) The "same-capital" pool includes properties owned as of December 31, 2019 with less than 5% of total rentable square feet under development. It also excludes properties that were undergoing, or were expected to undergo, development activities in 2020-2021, properties classified as held for sale, and properties sold or contributed to joint ventures for all periods presented. (3) Includes land acquisitions. (4) Other non-recurring CapEx represents costs incurred to enhance the capacity or marketability of operating properties, such as network fiber initiatives and software development costs. (5) Recurring CapEx represents non-incremental improvements required to maintain current revenues, including second-generation tenant improvements and leasing commissions.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains non-GAAP financial measures, including FFO, core FFO and Adjusted EBITDA. A reconciliation from U.S. GAAP net income available to common stockholders to FFO, a reconciliation from FFO to core FFO, and definitions of FFO and core FFO are included as an attachment to this document. A reconciliation from U.S. GAAP net income available to common stockholders to Adjusted EBITDA, a definition of Adjusted EBITDA and definitions of net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA, debt-plus-preferred-to-total enterprise value, cash NOI, and fixed charge coverage ratio are included as an attachment to this document.

Investor Conference Call

Prior to Digital Realty's investor conference call at 5:30 p.m. EDT / 2:30 p.m. PDT on July 29, 2021, a presentation will be posted to the Investors section of the company's website at https://investor.digitalrealty.com/. The presentation is designed to accompany the discussion of the company's Second Quarter 2021 financial results and operating performance. The conference call will feature Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein and Chief Financial Officer Andrew P. Power.

To participate in the live call, investors are invited to dial (888) 317-6003 (for domestic callers) or (412) 317-6061 (for international callers) and reference the conference ID# 0833892 at least five minutes prior to start time. A live webcast of the call will be available via the Investors section of Digital Realty's website at https://investor.digitalrealty.com/.

Telephone and webcast replays will be available after the call until August 29, 2021. The telephone replay can be accessed by dialing (877) 344-7529 (for domestic callers) or (412) 317-0088 (for international callers) and providing the conference ID# 10157227. The webcast replay can be accessed on Digital Realty's website.

About Digital Realty

Digital Realty supports the world's leading enterprises and service providers by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL, the company's global data center platform, provides customers a trusted foundation and proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx) solution methodology for scaling digital business and efficiently managing data gravity challenges. Digital Realty's global data center footprint gives customers access to the connected communities that matter to them with 291 facilities in 47 metros across 24 countries on six continents. To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact Information

Andrew P. Power

Chief Financial Officer

Digital Realty

(415) 7386500

John J. Stewart / Jim Huseby

Investor Relations

Digital Realty

(415) 7386500

Consolidated Quarterly Statements of Operations Unaudited and Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Data





















































Three Months Ended



Six Months Ended





30-Jun-21



31-Mar-21



31-Dec-20



30-Sep-20



30-Jun-20





30-Jun-21



30-Jun-20 Rental revenues



$768,826



$754,544



$754,422



$726,441



$698,041





$1,523,370



$1,277,815 Tenant reimbursements - Utilities



169,743



184,973



154,937



155,111



141,576





354,716



255,096 Tenant reimbursements - Other



60,261



59,328



62,084



53,654



62,630





119,589



119,573 Interconnection & other



90,565



89,061



86,424



85,725



85,428





179,626



155,263 Fee income



3,628



2,426



4,722



3,687



4,353





6,054



6,805 Other



165



59



20



50



967





224



1,780 Total Operating Revenues



$1,093,188



$1,090,391



$1,062,609



$1,024,668



$992,995





$2,183,579



$1,816,332













































Utilities



$185,010



$176,046



$169,282



$177,925



$160,173





$361,057



$289,698 Rental property operating



198,207



185,733



205,177



180,755



172,474





383,940



308,656 Property taxes



42,795



49,005



42,442



39,732



45,071





91,800



87,194 Insurance



5,703



3,498



3,410



2,926



3,370





9,201



6,917 Depreciation & amortization



368,981



369,733



359,915



365,842



349,165





738,714



640,622 General & administration



94,956



97,568



101,582



90,431



90,649





192,524



152,915 Severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses



2,536



2,427



606



920



3,642





4,963



4,914 Transaction and integration expenses



7,075



14,120



19,290



14,953



15,618





21,195



72,419 Impairment of investments in real estate















6,482













 Other expenses



2,298



(257)



641



297



22





2,041



136 Total Operating Expenses



$907,561



$897,873



$902,345



$880,263



$840,184





$1,805,435



$1,563,471













































Operating Income



$185,627



$192,518



$160,264



$144,405



$152,811





$378,144



$252,861













































Equity in (loss) earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures



52,143



(23,031)



31,055



(2,056)



(7,632)





29,112



(86,628) Gain on sale / deconsolidation



499



333,921



1,684



10,410









334,420



304,801 Interest and other (expense) income, net



10,124



(7,186)



(2,747)



4,348



22,163





2,938



18,621 Interest (expense)



(75,014)



(75,653)



(77,848)



(89,499)



(79,874)





(150,667)



(165,674) Income tax (expense)



(47,582)



(7,547)



(3,322)



(16,053)



(11,490)





(55,129)



(18,672) Loss from early extinguishment of debt







(18,347)



(49,576)



(53,007)









(18,347)



(632) Net Income / (Loss)



$125,797



$394,675



$59,510



($1,452)



$75,978





$520,471



$304,677













































Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests



(4,544)



(8,756)



(1,818)



1,316



(1,147)





(13,300)



(5,831) Net Income / (Loss) Attributable to Digital Realty Trust, Inc.



$121,253



$385,919



$57,692



($136)



$74,831





$507,171



$298,846













































Preferred stock dividends, including undeclared dividends



(11,885)



(13,514)



(13,514)



(20,712)



(21,155)





(25,399)



(42,310) Gain on / (Issuance costs associated with) redeemed preferred stock



18,000











(16,520)









18,000



 Net Income / (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders



$127,368



$372,405



$44,178



($37,368)



$53,676





$499,772



$256,536













































Weighted-average shares outstanding - basic



281,791,855



281,094,798



280,117,213



270,214,413



267,569,823





281,445,252



244,866,574 Weighted-average shares outstanding - diluted



282,433,857



281,928,182



281,122,368



270,214,413



270,744,408





282,075,611



247,576,014 Weighted-average fully diluted shares and units



289,484,805



289,210,666



288,903,143



281,523,515



278,719,109





289,218,609



255,704,473













































Net income / (loss) per share - basic



$0.45



$1.32



$0.16



($0.14)



$0.20





$1.78



$1.05 Net income / (loss) per share - diluted



$0.45



$1.32



$0.16



($0.14)



$0.20





$1.77



$1.04

Funds From Operations and Core Funds From Operations Unaudited and in Thousands, Except Per Share Data



















































Three Months Ended



Six Months Ended Reconciliation of Net Income to Funds From Operations (FFO)



30-Jun-21



31-Mar-21



31-Dec-20



30-Sep-20



30-Jun-20





30-Jun-21



30-Jun-20













































Net Income / (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders



$127,368



$372,405



$44,178



($37,368)



$53,676





$499,773



$256,536 Adjustments:











































Non-controlling interest in operating partnership



3,200



9,800



1,300



(1,000)



1,400





13,000



9,200 Real estate related depreciation & amortization (1)



363,640



364,697



354,366



358,619



342,334





728,337



628,851 Unconsolidated JV real estate related depreciation & amortization



20,983



19,378



21,471



19,213



17,123





40,361



37,046 (Gain) on real estate transactions



(499)



(333,921)



(1,684)



(10,410)



-





(334,420)



(304,801) Impairment of investments in real estate



-



-



-



6,482



-





-



- Funds From Operations - diluted



$514,692



$432,359



$419,631



$335,536



$414,533





$947,051



$626,832













































Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - basic



288,843



288,377



287,898



278,079



275,545





288,588



252,995 Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - diluted (2)



289,485



289,211



288,903



281,524



278,719





289,219



255,704













































Funds From Operations per share - basic



$1.78



$1.50



$1.46



$1.21



$1.50





$3.28



$2.48













































Funds From Operations per share - diluted (2)



$1.78



$1.49



$1.45



$1.19



$1.49





$3.27



$2.45



















































Three Months Ended



Six Months Ended Reconciliation of FFO to Core FFO



30-Jun-21



31-Mar-21



31-Dec-20



30-Sep-20



30-Jun-20





30-Jun-21



30-Jun-20













































Funds From Operations - diluted



$514,692



$432,359



$419,631



$335,536



$414,533





$947,051



$626,832 Termination fees and other non-core revenues (3)



(11,122)



(59)



(25)



(5,713)



(21,908)





(11,181)



(24,333) Transaction and integration expenses



7,075



14,120



19,290



14,953



15,618





21,195



72,419 Loss from early extinguishment of debt



-



18,347



49,576



53,007



-





18,347



632 (Gain on) / Issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock



(18,000)



-



-



16,520



-





(18,000)



- Severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses (4)



2,536



2,427



606



920



3,642





4,963



4,914 (Gain) / Loss on FX revaluation



(51,649)



34,072



(27,190)



10,312



17,526





(17,577)



98,814 Other non-core expense adjustments



2,298



(19,240)



3,353



6,697



22





(16,942)



5,531 Core Funds From Operations - diluted



$445,830



$482,026



$465,241



$432,232



$429,433





$927,856



$784,809













































Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - diluted (2)



289,485



289,211



288,903



281,524



278,719





289,219



255,704













































Core Funds From Operations per share - diluted (2)



$1.54



$1.67



$1.61



$1.54



$1.54





$3.21



$3.07















































(1) Real Estate Related Depreciation & Amortization

Three Months Ended



Six Months Ended





30-Jun-21



31-Mar-21



31-Dec-20



30-Sep-20



30-Jun-20





30-Jun-21



30-Jun-20













































Depreciation & amortization per income statement



$368,981



$369,733



$359,915



$365,842



$349,165





738,714



640,622 Non-real estate depreciation



(5,341)



(5,036)



(5,549)



(7,223)



(6,831)





(10,377)



(11,771) Real Estate Related Depreciation & Amortization



$363,640



$364,697



$354,366



$358,619



$342,334





$728,337



$628,851





(2) For all periods presented, we have excluded the effect of dilutive series C, series G, series I, series J, series K and series L preferred stock, as applicable, that may be converted into common stock upon the occurrence of specified change in control transactions as described in the articles supplementary governing the series C, series G, series I, series J, series K and series L preferred stock, as applicable, which we consider highly improbable. See above for calculations of diluted FFO and the share count detail section that follows the reconciliation of core FFO to AFFO for calculations of weighted average common stock and units outstanding. For definitions and discussion of FFO and core FFO, see the definitions section. (3) Includes lease termination fees and certain other adjustments that are not core to our business. (4) Relates to severance and other charges related to the departure of company executives and integration-related severance.

Adjusted Funds From Operations (AFFO) Unaudited and in Thousands, Except Per Share Data



















































Three Months Ended



Six Months Ended Reconciliation of Core FFO to AFFO



30-Jun-21



31-Mar-21



31-Dec-20



30-Sep-20



30-Jun-20





30-Jun-21



30-Jun-20













































Core FFO available to common stockholders and unitholders



$445,830



$482,026



$465,241



$432,232



$429,433





$927,856



$784,809 Adjustments:











































Non-real estate depreciation



5,341



5,036



5,549



7,223



6,831





10,377



11,771 Amortization of deferred financing costs



3,718



3,538



3,709



3,655



3,661





7,256



7,921 Amortization of debt discount/premium



1,166



1,134



1,033



987



1,011





2,300



1,953 Non-cash stock-based compensation expense



15,579



16,097



16,315



15,969



15,060





31,676



27,213 Straight-line rental revenue



(16,139)



(18,492)



(14,402)



(10,017)



(10,928)





(34,631)



(26,330) Straight-line rental expense



7,175



6,709



3,629



3,934



7,373





13,884



8,833 Above- and below-market rent amortization



1,858



2,137



3,239



2,360



3,794





3,995



7,087 Deferred tax (expense) benefit



35,522



(4,509)



(4,226)



6,421



(150)





31,013



(943) Leasing compensation & internal lease commissions



11,078



11,042



10,506



6,052



1,739





22,120



4,533 Recurring capital expenditures (1)



(39,231)



(39,522)



(83,571)



(53,683)



(38,796)





(78,753)



(73,473)













































AFFO available to common stockholders and unitholders (2)



$471,897



$465,196



$407,022



$415,133



$419,028





$937,093



$753,374













































Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - basic



288,843



288,377



287,898



278,079



275,545





288,588



252,995 Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - diluted (3)



289,485



289,211



288,903



281,524



278,719





289,219



255,704













































AFFO per share - diluted (3)



$1.63



$1.61



$1.41



$1.47



$1.50





$3.24



$2.95













































Dividends per share and common unit



$1.16



$1.16



$1.12



$1.12



$1.12





$2.32



$2.24













































Diluted AFFO Payout Ratio



71.2%



72.1%



79.5%



76.0%



74.5%





71.6%



76.0%



















































Three Months Ended



Six Months Ended Share Count Detail



30-Jun-21



31-Mar-21



31-Dec-20



30-Sep-20



30-Jun-20





30-Jun-21



30-Jun-20













































Weighted Average Common Stock and Units Outstanding



288,843



288,377



287,898



278,079



275,545





288,588



252,995 Add: Effect of dilutive securities



642



834



1,005



3,445



3,174





631



2,709 Weighted Avg. Common Stock and Units Outstanding - diluted



289,485



289,211



288,903



281,524



278,719





289,219



255,704





(1) Recurring capital expenditures represent non-incremental building improvements required to maintain current revenues, including second-generation tenant improvements and external leasing commissions. Recurring capital expenditures do not include acquisition costs contemplated when underwriting the purchase of a building, costs which are incurred to bring a building up to Digital Realty's operating standards, or internal leasing commissions. (2) For a definition and discussion of AFFO, see the definitions section. For a reconciliation of net income available to common stockholders to FFO and core FFO, see above. (3) For all periods presented, we have excluded the effect of dilutive series C, series G, series I, series J, series K and series L preferred stock, as applicable, that may be converted into common stock upon the occurrence of specified change in control transactions as described in the articles supplementary governing the series C, series G, series I, series J, series K and series L preferred stock, as applicable, which we consider highly improbable. See above for calculations of diluted FFO available to common stockholders and unitholders and for calculations of weighted average common stock and units outstanding.

Consolidated Balance Sheets Unaudited and in Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data

























































30-Jun-21

31-Mar-21

31-Dec-20

30-Sep-20

30-Jun-20 Assets







































Investments in real estate:





























Real estate



$23,287,853



$22,762,279



$23,142,988



$22,125,486



$20,843,273 Construction in progress



3,270,570



2,904,642



2,768,326



2,328,654



2,514,324 Land held for future development



143,575



192,896



226,862



198,536



175,209 Investments in real estate



$26,701,998



$25,859,817



$26,138,175



$24,652,676



$23,532,806 Accumulated depreciation and amortization



(5,919,650)



(5,649,019)



(5,555,221)



(5,250,140)



(4,945,534) Net Investments in Properties



$20,782,348



$20,210,798



$20,582,954



$19,402,536



$18,587,272 Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures



1,119,026



970,703



1,148,158



1,059,978



1,033,235 Net Investments in Real Estate



$21,901,374



$21,181,501



$21,731,112



$20,462,514



$19,620,507































Cash and cash equivalents



$120,482



$221,140



$108,501



$971,305



$505,174 Accounts and other receivables (1)



630,086



657,096



603,111



585,506



542,750 Deferred rent



539,379



524,200



528,180



510,627



496,684 Customer relationship value, deferred leasing costs & other intangibles, net



2,956,027



3,057,245



3,122,904



3,106,414



3,128,140 Goodwill



8,185,931



8,125,706



8,330,996



8,012,256



7,791,522 Assets associated with real estate held for sale



















10,981 Operating lease right-of-use assets (2)



1,452,633



1,495,869



1,386,959



1,363,285



1,375,427 Other assets



365,308



279,734



264,528



423,426



391,451 Total Assets



$36,151,220



$35,542,491



$36,076,291



$35,435,333



$33,862,636































Liabilities and Equity





























Global unsecured revolving credit facilities



$1,026,368



$451,007



$531,905



$124,082



$64,492 Unsecured term loans











536,580



512,642



799,550 Unsecured senior notes, net of discount



12,659,043



12,566,198



11,997,010



11,999,170



11,268,753 Secured debt and other, net of premiums



242,410



239,634



239,222



238,866



238,826 Operating lease liabilities (2)



1,545,689



1,581,759



1,468,712



1,444,060



1,451,152 Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities



1,367,240



1,305,921



1,420,162



1,610,814



1,303,337 Deferred tax liabilities, net



742,127



650,543



698,308



711,474



664,802 Accrued dividends and distributions











324,386



571



 Security deposits and prepaid rent



362,606



362,008



371,659



353,902



348,253 Liabilities associated with assets held for sale



















238 Total Liabilities



$17,945,483



$17,157,070



$17,587,944



$16,995,581



$16,139,403































Redeemable non-controlling interests - operating partnership



41,490



40,097



42,011



41,265



40,584































Equity





























Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 110,000,000 shares authorized:





























Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock (3)







$219,250



$219,250



$219,250



$219,250 Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (4)



















241,468 Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (5)



















242,012 Series J Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (6)



$193,540



193,540



193,540



193,540



193,540 Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (7)



203,264



203,264



203,264



203,264



203,264 Series L Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (8)



334,886



334,886



334,886



334,886



334,886 Common Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 392,000,000 shares authorized (9)



2,806



2,795



2,788



2,784



2,670 Additional paid-in capital



20,844,834



20,700,282



20,626,897



20,566,645



19,292,311 Dividends in excess of earnings



(4,153,407)



(3,952,497)



(3,997,938)



(3,726,901)



(3,386,525) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net



31,733



(77,783)



135,010



(123,623)



(358,349) Total Stockholders' Equity



$17,457,656



$17,623,737



$17,717,697



$17,669,845



$16,984,527































Noncontrolling Interests





























Noncontrolling interest in operating partnership



$513,897



$571,292



$608,980



$620,676



$633,831 Noncontrolling interest in consolidated joint ventures



192,694



150,295



119,659



107,966



64,291































Total Noncontrolling Interests



$706,591



$721,587



$728,639



$728,642



$698,122































Total Equity



$18,164,247



$18,345,324



$18,446,336



$18,398,487



$17,682,649































Total Liabilities and Equity



$36,151,220



$35,542,491



$36,076,291



$35,435,333



$33,862,636





(1) Net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $20,356 and $18,825 as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. (2) Adoption of the new lease accounting standard required that we adjust the consolidated balance sheet to include the recognition of additional right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for operating leases. See our quarterly report on Form 10Q filed on May 10, 2019 for additional information. (3) Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, 6.625%, $0 and $201,250 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 0 and 8,050,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. (4) Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 5.875%, $0 liquidation preference (redeemed October 15, 2020, reclassified to accounts payable as of September 30, 2020 for accounting purposes) ($25.00 per share) and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020. (5) Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 6.350%, $0 liquidation preference ($25.00 per share) and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020. (6) Series J Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 5.250%, $200,000 and $200,000 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 8,000,000 and 8,000,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. (7) Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 5.850%, $210,000 and $210,000 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 8,400,000 and 8,400,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. (8) Series L Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 5.200%, $345,000 and $345,000 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 13,800,000 and 13,800,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. (9) Common Stock: 282,603,152 and 208,900,758 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.

Reconciliation of Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation &

Amortization and Financial Ratios Unaudited and Dollars in Thousands





































Three Months Ended Reconciliation of Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization (EBITDA) (1)



30-Jun-21



31-Mar-21



31-Dec-20



30-Sep-20



30-Jun-20































Net Income / (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders



$127,368



$372,405



$44,178



($37,368)



$53,676 Interest



75,014



75,653



77,848



89,499



79,874 Loss from early extinguishment of debt







18,347



49,576



53,007



 Income tax expense (benefit)



47,582



7,547



3,322



16,053



11,490 Depreciation & amortization



368,981



369,733



359,915



365,842



349,165 EBITDA



$618,945



$843,685



$534,839



$487,033



$494,205 Unconsolidated JV real estate related depreciation & amortization



20,983



19,378



21,471



19,213



17,123 Unconsolidated JV interest expense and tax expense



15,523



8,786



12,143



9,002



9,203 Severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses



2,536



2,427



606



920



3,642 Transaction and integration expenses



7,075



14,120



19,290



14,953



15,618 (Gain) on sale / deconsolidation



(499)



(333,921)



(1,684)



(10,410)



 Impairment of investments in real estate















6,482



 Other non-core adjustments, net



(60,308)



38,574



(23,842)



4,945



(3,404) Non-controlling interests



4,544



8,756



1,818



(1,316)



1,147 Preferred stock dividends, including undeclared dividends



11,885



13,514



13,514



20,712



21,155 (Gain on) / Issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock



(18,000)











16,520



 Adjusted EBITDA



$602,684



$615,319



$578,156



$568,054



$558,690





(1) For definitions and discussion of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, see the definitions section.





































Three Months Ended Financial Ratios



30-Jun-21



31-Mar-21



31-Dec-20



30-Sep-20



30-Jun-20































Total GAAP interest expense



$75,014



$75,653



$77,848



$89,499



$79,874 Capitalized interest



11,558



11,434



11,836



12,379



13,133 Change in accrued interest and other non-cash amounts



(43,604)



44,620



(37,182)



19,718



(38,478) Cash Interest Expense (2)



$42,968



$131,707



$52,502



$121,596



$54,529































Scheduled debt principal payments



















57 Preferred dividends



11,885



13,514



13,514



20,712



21,155 Total Fixed Charges (3)



$98,457



$100,601



$103,198



$122,590



$114,219































































Coverage





























Interest coverage ratio (4)



6.1x



6.6x



5.8x



5.2x



5.6x Cash interest coverage ratio (5)



10.9x



4.5x



9.3x



4.4x



9.1x Fixed charge coverage ratio (6)



5.4x



5.8x



5.1x



4.4x



4.6x Cash fixed charge coverage ratio (7)



9.0x



4.1x



7.7x



3.8x



6.8x































Leverage





























Debt to total enterprise value (8) (9)



23.9%



24.1%



24.4%



22.8%



23.3% Debt plus preferred stock to total enterprise value (10)



25.2%



25.9%



26.2%



25.0%



26.0% Pre-tax income to interest expense (11)



2.7x



6.2x



1.8x



1.0x



2.0x Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA (12)



6.0x



5.6x



6.0x



5.5x



5.6x





(2) Cash interest expense is interest expense less amortization of debt discount and deferred financing fees and includes interest that we capitalized. We consider cash interest expense to be a useful measure of interest as it excludes non-cash based interest expense. (3) Fixed charges consist of GAAP interest expense, capitalized interest, scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends. (4) Adjusted EBITDA divided by GAAP interest expense plus capitalized interest (including our pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture interest expense). (5) Adjusted EBITDA divided by cash interest expense (including our pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture interest expense). (6) Adjusted EBITDA divided by fixed charges (including our pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture fixed charges). (7) Adjusted EBITDA divided by the sum of cash interest expense, scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends (including our pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture cash fixed charges). (8) Mortgage debt and other loans divided by market value of common equity plus debt plus preferred stock. (9) Total enterprise value defined as market value of common equity plus debt plus preferred stock. (10) Same as (8), except numerator includes preferred stock. (11) Calculated as net income plus interest expense divided by GAAP interest expense. (12) Calculated as total debt at balance sheet carrying value, plus capital lease obligations, plus Digital Realty's pro rata share of unconsolidated of joint venture debt, less cash and cash equivalents (including Digital Realty's pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture cash) divided by the product of Adjusted EBITDA (including Digital Realty's pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture EBITDA), multiplied by four.

Management Statements on Non-GAAP Measures

Unaudited

Definitions

Funds From Operations (FFO) :

We calculate funds from operations, or FFO, in accordance with the standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or Nareit, in the Nareit Funds From Operations White Paper - 2018 Restatement. FFO represents net income (loss) (computed in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains (or losses) from real estate transactions, impairment of investment in real estate, real estate related depreciation and amortization (excluding amortization of deferred financing costs), unconsolidated JV real estate related depreciation & amortization, non-controlling interests in operating partnership and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. Management uses FFO as a supplemental performance measure because, in excluding real estate related depreciation and amortization and gains and losses from property dispositions and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures, it provides a performance measure that, when compared year over year, captures trends in occupancy rates, rental rates and operating costs. We also believe that, as a widely recognized measure of the performance of REITs, FFO will be used by investors as a basis to compare our operating performance with that of other REITs. However, because FFO excludes depreciation and amortization and captures neither the changes in the value of our data centers that result from use or market conditions, nor the level of capital expenditures and capitalized leasing commissions necessary to maintain the operating performance of our data centers, all of which have real economic effect and could materially impact our financial condition and results from operations, the utility of FFO as a measure of our performance is limited. Other REITs may not calculate FFO in accordance with the NAREIT definition and, accordingly, our FFO may not be comparable to other REITs' FFO. FFO should be considered only as a supplement to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance.

Core Funds from Operations (Core FFO) :

We present core funds from operations, or core FFO, as a supplemental operating measure because, in excluding certain items that do not reflect core revenue or expense streams, it provides a performance measure that, when compared year over year, captures trends in our core business operating performance. We calculate core FFO by adding to or subtracting from FFO (i) termination fees and other non-core revenues, (ii) transaction and integration expenses, (iii) loss from early extinguishment of debt, (iv) gain on / issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock, (v) severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses, (vi) gain/loss on FX revaluation, and (vii) other non-core expense adjustments. Because certain of these adjustments have a real economic impact on our financial condition and results from operations, the utility of core FFO as a measure of our performance is limited. Other REITs may calculate core FFO differently than we do and accordingly, our core FFO may not be comparable to other REITs' core FFO. Core FFO should be considered only as a supplement to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance.

Adjusted Funds from Operations (AFFO) :

We present adjusted funds from operations, or AFFO, as a supplemental operating measure because, when compared year over year, it assesses our ability to fund dividend and distribution requirements from our operating activities. We also believe that, as a widely recognized measure of the operations of REITs, AFFO will be used by investors as a basis to assess our ability to fund dividend payments in comparison to other REITs, including on a per share and unit basis. We calculate AFFO by adding to or subtracting from core FFO (i) non-real estate depreciation, (ii) amortization of deferred financing costs, (iii) amortization of debt discount/premium, (iv) non-cash stock-based compensation expense, (v) straight-line rental revenue,

(vi) straight-line rental expense, (vii) above- and below-market rent amortization, (viii) deferred tax (expense) benefit, (ix) leasing compensation and internal lease commissions, and (x) recurring capital expenditures. Other REITs may calculate AFFO differently than we do and, accordingly, our AFFO may not be comparable to other REITs' AFFO. AFFO should be considered only as a supplement to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA :

We believe that earnings before interest, loss from early extinguishment of debt, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA (as defined below), are useful supplemental performance measures because they allow investors to view our performance without the impact of non-cash depreciation and amortization or the cost of debt and, with respect to Adjusted EBITDA, unconsolidated joint venture real estate related depreciation & amortization, unconsolidated joint venture interest expense and tax, severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses, transaction and integration expenses, gain on sale / deconsolidation, impairment of investments in real estate, other non-core adjustments, net, non-controlling interests, preferred stock dividends, including undeclared dividends, and issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock. Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA excluding unconsolidated joint venture real estate related depreciation & amortization, unconsolidated joint venture interest expense and tax, severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses, transaction and integration expenses, gain on sale / deconsolidation, impairment of investments in real estate, other non-core adjustments, net, non-controlling interests, preferred stock dividends, including undeclared dividends, and gain on / issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock. In addition, we believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of REITs. Because EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are calculated before recurring cash charges including interest expense and income taxes, exclude capitalized costs, such as leasing commissions, and are not adjusted for capital expenditures or other recurring cash requirements of our business, their utility as a measure of our performance is limited. Other REITs may calculate EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do and, accordingly, our EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other REITs' EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. Accordingly, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should be considered only as supplements to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our financial performance.

Net Operating Income (NOI) and Cash NOI :

Net operating income, or NOI, represents rental revenue, tenant reimbursement revenue and interconnection revenue less utilities expense, rental property operating expenses, property taxes and insurance expenses (as reflected in the statement of operations). NOI is commonly used by stockholders, company management and industry analysts as a measurement of operating performance of the company's rental portfolio. Cash NOI is NOI less straight-line rents and above- and below-market rent amortization. Cash NOI is commonly used by stockholders, company management and industry analysts as a measure of property operating performance on a cash basis. However, because NOI and cash NOI exclude depreciation and amortization and capture neither the changes in the value of our data centers that result from use or market conditions, nor the level of capital expenditures and capitalized leasing commissions necessary to maintain the operating performance of our data centers, all of which have real economic effect and could materially impact our results from operations, the utility of NOI and cash NOI as measures of our performance is limited. Other REITs may calculate NOI and cash NOI differently than we do and, accordingly, our NOI and cash NOI may not be comparable to other REITs' NOI and cash NOI. NOI and cash NOI should be considered only as supplements to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as measures of our performance.

Additional Definitions

Net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA ratio is calculated using total debt at balance sheet carrying value, plus capital lease obligations, plus our share of JV debt, less unrestricted cash and cash equivalents (including JV share of cash) divided by the product of Adjusted EBITDA (inclusive of our share of JV EBITDA) multiplied by four.

Debt-plus-preferred-to-total enterprise value is mortgage debt and other loans plus preferred stock divided by mortgage debt and other loans plus the liquidation value of preferred stock and the market value of outstanding Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock and Digital Realty Trust, L.P. units, assuming the redemption of Digital Realty Trust, L.P. units for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock.

Fixed charge coverage ratio is Adjusted EBITDA divided by the sum of GAAP interest expense, capitalized interest, scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends. For the quarter ended June 30, 2021, GAAP interest expense was $75 million, capitalized interest was $12 million and scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends was $12 million.



































Reconciliation of Net Operating Income (NOI)

Three Months Ended



Six Months Ended (in thousands)

30-Jun-21

31-Mar-21

30-Jun-20



30-Jun-21

30-Jun-20

































Operating income



$185,627



$192,518



$152,811





$378,144



$252,861

































Fee income



(3,628)



(2,426)



(4,353)





(6,054)



(6,805) Other income



(165)



(59)



(967)





(224)



(1,780) Depreciation and amortization



368,981



369,733



349,165





738,714



640,622 General and administrative



94,956



97,568



90,649





192,524



152,915 Severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses



2,536



2,427



3,642





4,963



4,914 Transaction expenses



7,075



14,120



15,618





21,195



72,419 Other expenses



2,298



(257)



22





2,041



136

































Net Operating Income



$657,680



$673,624



$606,587





$1,331,303



$1,115,282



































































Cash Net Operating Income (Cash NOI)

































































Net Operating Income



$657,680



$673,624



$606,587





$1,331,303



$1,115,282

































Straight-line rental revenue



(17,127)



(18,607)



(10,713)





(35,734)



(24,105) Straight-line rental expense



7,069



6,750



7,296





13,819



8,791 Above- and below-market rent amortization



1,858



2,137



3,794





3,994



7,087

































Cash Net Operating Income



$649,480



$663,904



$606,964





$1,313,382



$1,107,055

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to: our economic outlook, our expected investment and expansion activity, our redemptions, the COVID-19 pandemic, our liquidity, our joint ventures, supply and demand for data center and colocation space, our acquisition and disposition activity, pricing and net effective leasing economics, market dynamics and data center fundamentals, our strategic priorities, our product offerings, available inventory rent from leases that have been signed but have not yet commenced and other contracted rent to be received in future periods, rental rates on future leases, lag between signing and commencement, cap rates and yields, investment activity, the company's FFO, core FFO and net income, 2021 outlook and underlying assumptions, information related to trends, our strategy and plans, leasing expectations, weighted average lease terms, the exercise of lease extensions, lease expirations, debt maturities, annualized rent at expiration of leases, the effect new leases and increases in rental rates will have on our rental revenue, our credit ratings, construction and development activity and plans, projected construction costs, estimated yields on investment, expected occupancy, expected square footage and IT load capacity upon completion of development projects, 2021 backlog NOI, NAV components, and other forward-looking financial data. Such statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions made based on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are not guarantees of future performance and may be affected by known and unknown risks, trends, uncertainties and factors that are beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected. Some of the risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:

reduced demand for data centers or decreases in information technology spending;

increased competition or available supply of data center space;

decreased rental rates, increased operating costs or increased vacancy rates;

the suitability of our data centers and data center infrastructure, delays or disruptions in connectivity or availability of power, or failures or breaches of our physical and information security infrastructure or services;

our dependence upon significant customers, bankruptcy or insolvency of a major customer or a significant number of smaller customers, or defaults on or non-renewal of leases by customers;

our ability to attract and retain customers;

breaches of our obligations or restrictions under our contracts with our customers;

our inability to successfully develop and lease new properties and development space, and delays or unexpected costs in development of properties;

the impact of current global and local economic, credit and market conditions;

our inability to retain data center space that we lease or sublease from third parties;

global supply chain or procurement disruptions, or increased supply chain costs;

information security and data privacy breaches;

difficulty managing an international business and acquiring or operating properties in foreign jurisdictions and unfamiliar metropolitan areas;

our failure to realize the intended benefits from, or disruptions to our plans and operations or unknown or contingent liabilities related to, our recent acquisitions;

our failure to successfully integrate and operate acquired or developed properties or businesses;

difficulties in identifying properties to acquire and completing acquisitions;

risks related to joint venture investments, including as a result of our lack of control of such investments;

risks associated with using debt to fund our business activities, including re-financing and interest rate risks, our failure to repay debt when due, adverse changes in our credit ratings or our breach of covenants or other terms contained in our loan facilities and agreements;

our failure to obtain necessary debt and equity financing, and our dependence on external sources of capital;

financial market fluctuations and changes in foreign currency exchange rates;

adverse economic or real estate developments in our industry or the industry sectors that we sell to, including risks relating to decreasing real estate valuations and impairment charges and goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges;

our inability to manage our growth effectively;

losses in excess of our insurance coverage;

our inability to attract and retain talent;

impact on our operations and on the operations of our customers, suppliers and business partners during a pandemic, such as COVID-19;

environmental liabilities, risks related to natural disasters and our inability to achieve our sustainability goals;

our inability to comply with rules and regulations applicable to our company;

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.'s failure to maintain its status as a REIT for federal income tax purposes;

Digital Realty Trust, L.P.'s failure to qualify as a partnership for federal income tax purposes;

restrictions on our ability to engage in certain business activities;

changes in local, state, federal and international laws and regulations, including related to taxation, real estate and zoning laws, and increases in real property tax rates; and

the impact of any financial, accounting, legal or regulatory issues or litigation that may affect us.

The risks included here are not exhaustive, and additional factors could adversely affect our business and financial performance. Several additional material risks are discussed in our annual report on Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Those risks continue to be relevant to our performance and financial condition. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such risk factors on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any responsibility to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Digital Realty, Digital Realty Trust, the Digital Realty logo, Turn-Key Flex, Powered Base Building, and PlatformDIGITAL, Data Gravity Index and Data Gravity Index DGx are registered trademarks and service marks of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other names, trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Digital Realty
The new, multi-story facility, Digital Seoul 2 (ICN11), is expected to encompass 970,000 square feet and to be fully operational and offer more opportunities for domestic and international companies to expand their digital capabilities across South Korea by the first half of 2023. The carrier-neutral campus will form a key building block in the development of the industry's largest open fabric of fabrics, providing access to the rich connected data community on PlatformDIGITAL with over 4,000 participants in 47 metros across 24 countries.

The new development is part of a broader vision to build a new era of open, secure and dynamically connected data communities in major hubs around the world to unlock opportunities and trapped value in digital business, as outlined earlier this year in Digital Realty's industry manifesto for open interconnection. The collaborative approach with the industry aims to remove legacy barriers to digital transformation by more closely aligning with the hybrid IT and security considerations of multinational enterprises.

"South Korea is one of the world's largest economies and represents a significant opportunity to extend coverage, capacity and connectivity options for the world's leading enterprise customers and service providers," said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein. "Our continued investment in the country supports the delivery of carrier-neutral solutions to enable the digital transformation strategies of local and global customers in the region."

Digital Realty's Data Gravity Index DGx projects that Forbes global 2000 enterprises will be adding storage at a combined rate of more than 620 terabytes per second for data aggregation and exchange across 53 metros by 2024, with Asia Pacific expected to generate the fastest growth across all regions. Seoul, in particular, is expected to realize significant growth in the volume of enterprise data exchange, led by its banking and financial services sector.

"South Korea is one of the fastest growing data center markets in the region, driven by leading global service providers as well as local over-the-top and gaming companies," said Mark Smith, Managing Director APAC for Digital Realty. "South Korea is a leading player on the global digital stage, and we expect the country's new 'Digital Deal' investments in 5G, big data and artificial intelligence to drive greater demand for highly connected centers of data exchange."

"The launch of ICN11 is an integral part of our go-to-market strategy in South Korea and is expected to go a long way towards meeting the rapidly growing demand and bringing value for customers across the region," said Jay Weon Khym, Digital Realty Country Manager for Korea. "Current and future customers on our carrier-neutral campus in one of the world's most innovative economies will have access to greater coverage, capacity, and connectivity capabilities to unlock the true potential of digital transformation."

About Digital Realty

Digital Realty supports the world's leading enterprises and service providers by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL, the company's global data center platform, provides customers a trusted foundation and proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx) solution methodology for scaling digital business and efficiently managing data gravity challenges. Digital Realty's global data center footprint gives customers access to the connected communities that matter to them with 290 facilities in 47 metros across 24 countries on six continents. To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contacts

Marc Musgrove

Digital Realty

+1 (415) 508-2812

[email protected]

Omer M. Wilson

Digital Realty, APAC

+65 6505 3951

[email protected]

Investor Relations

John J. Stewart / Jim Huseby

Digital Realty

+1 (415) 738-6500

[email protected]

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially, including statements related to PlatformDIGITAL, Data Gravity Index DGx and projections regarding data gravity, aggregation and exchange, the company's strategy, expected growth in digital transformation, development plans in Korea and APAC, and customer demand. For a list and description of risks and uncertainties, see the reports and other filings by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Digital Realty

Related Links

http://www.digitalrealtytrust.com


SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Domino Data Lab, provider of the leading Enterprise MLOps platform trusted by over 20% of the Fortune 100, today announced the Domino Partner Network (DPN), a rich new ecosystem of technology and services partners designed to empower more organizations to accelerate the delivery of data science and machine learning at scale using Enterprise MLOps.

With DPN, Domino can now orchestrate a complete data science ecosystem, connecting technology and services partners across four categories: Tools & Data, Infrastructure, Solutions, and Implementation & Consulting. For customers, this convergence around Domino's platform dramatically accelerates their journey towards model-driven decision making, quickly proving value from data science investments.

Building upon the unique openness of Domino's platform, DPN is designed to unlock channel opportunities for partners. Unique benefits extend beyond reseller discounts and referral fees to first-class, API-based integrations, enterprise-level support, training, and joint marketing opportunities. Partners get access to Domino Beta Programs for insight into new Domino features, as well as a partner advocate devoted to their successful co-development and joint go-to-market efforts. In this way, DPN accelerates joint customers' journey to model-driven business.

Beyond future-proofing clients' analytics infrastructure, DPN also enables consultants, system integrators and more to create tailored client offerings based on Domino's openness and ability to orchestrate data science services. This, paired with Domino's powerful audit and reproducibility features, means partners can quickly deliver differentiated industry-specific solutions to clients.

"Domino's data science orchestration abilities allow our data scientists to work in the language they prefer - whether that's R, Python, SAS, or MATLAB - leveraging the power of NVIDIA accelerated computing to speed model training," said Sean Otto, Director of Analytics at AES. "We can then push that data back into our Google Cloud Environment, using BigQuery to share model output with business users. Domino's open platform has enabled us to scale from zero to 50+ deployed models in under two years."

Freedom to Innovate with Diverse Tools and Infrastructure

DPN Tools & Data partners including AWS SageMaker, Anaconda, and Snowflake provide data scientists with the flexibility to use all the most innovative tools and data sources they know and love in Domino's collaborative environment. Infrastructure partners such as NVIDIA, Dell, VMware, and AWS accelerate the development and delivery of models with MLOps infrastructure automation  removing bottlenecks in the data science lifecycle in partnership with IT.

"Leading companies across all industries rely on NVIDIA DGX systems to power AI training, inference, and data science workloads," said Charlie Boyle, vice president and general manager, DGX systems at NVIDIA. "The Domino platform allows data scientists to orchestrate and optimize utilization of their NVIDIA DGX systems for accelerated data science productivity, all governed within a single environment for easy IT management."

"Domino's network of technology partnerships with NVIDIA, Snowflake, and MathWorks are key components to how data science and machine learning solve some of the world's most difficult problems," said Nick Elprin, co-founder and CEO at Domino Data Lab. "Our customers have been able to drive up to 100x efficiency gains for their data scientists by streamlining access to infrastructure and tooling - one example of the power of Domino's ecosystem.

"Our goal with implementation partners is to give them additional resources to scale the pace at which they can help as many of the Global 2000 as possible unleash the power of data science," added Elprin.

Expert Guidance, Support and Custom Solutions

Implementation and consulting partners like Slalom, Arthur D. Little, DataArt, and Corios support Domino customers from migration to implementation so organizations can experience the full benefits of Domino's platform, supporting the transformation and adoption of data strategy, analytics and data science across organizations.

"As companies increasingly invest in ML technologies, we help enterprise clients bootstrap capabilities to prove and then scale the benefits of data science," said Peter Vaihansky, Senior Vice President and Partnership Lead at DataArt . "Our partnership with Domino allows us to quickly prove value for our clients leveraging the latest in data science technologies, enabling more confident, model-driven decisions."

Solutions partners leverage Domino's powerful versioning, audit, and reproducibility features in many highly specialized and/or regulated industries. Domino empowers third parties to build custom solutions to address specific industry needs - from managing clinical trials with improved transparency within the Accenture Intient product suite , to BioRankings for bioinformatics through a statistical analysis platform for precision medicine and precision agriculture, to model risk management for financial services within the Moody's Analytics Cap solution.

"As an open platform, Domino not only provides access to all the tools data scientists know and love but also the ability for enterprises to future-proof their investments by buying best-in-breed solutions and not having a vendor make the decisions for them," said Thomas Robinson, vice president of strategic partnerships & initiatives at Domino Data Lab. "Our growing partner ecosystem accelerates the development and delivery of models for our customers, greatly increasing the productivity of data scientists."

About the Domino Enterprise MLOps Platform

The Domino Enterprise MLOps platform is designed to unleash data science teams. With self-serve access to their preferred tools and compute, automatic reproducibility, and easy ways to manage, develop, deploy, and monitor models, Domino gives superpowers to data scientists. It provides flexibility and freedom for these teams to do what they do best, explore, experiment and solve business problems; rather than constantly troubleshoot technical issues.

Additional Resources

About Domino Data Lab

Domino Data Lab powers model-driven businesses with its leading Enterprise MLOps platform that accelerates the development and deployment of data science work while increasing collaboration and governance. More than 20 percent of the Fortune 100 count on Domino to help scale data science, turning it into a competitive advantage. Founded in 2013, Domino is backed by Sequoia Capital and other leading investors. For more information, visit dominodatalab.com.

SOURCE Domino Data Lab

Related Links

www.dominodatalab.com


The Algorand blockchain offers developers an unprecedented combination of open-source Layer-1 capabilities: fast speed, global scale, powerful smart contracts, cryptographic security, low cost & instantly finalized transactions, simple tokenization, and a negligible energy footprint that is built for the enterprise (security, uptime, support).

The 4 "S" of Algorand's unique Pure PoS algorithm (Scale, Speed, Security and Sustainability) guarantee a platform that will underpin application development decades into the future, by allowing developers, businesses and innovators to bring the power of digital money, decentralized-open systems & censorship resistant transparency to their users and customers around the world.

Algorand's unique combination of open-source Layer-1 capabilities  bringing together global scale, cryptographic security, low cost/instantly finalized transactions, easy to build yet powerful smart contracts, simple tokenization with a negligible energy footprint  will finally allow businesses, innovators and creators to bring the power of digital money, decentralized open systems & censorship-resistant transparency to their users and customers around the world.

Draper University is an ideal education partner for Algorand Foundation with Tim Draper being an early adopter of blockchain. Draper University and Borderless Capital are also early investors in Lemon Cash, an Algorand platform crypto wallet.

"Draper University was the first institution to offer a blockchain education program, and we are excited to partner with Algorand Foundation and Borderless Capital to bring more entrepreneurs into the ecosystem." Andy Tang - CEO, Draper University and Partner, Draper Associates

Program Details:

The Algorand x Draper Blockchain Program is a ten-week online program and is scheduled from September 7th - November 12th, 2021. Each team selected to participate will be granted $20,000 in funding from Algorand Foundation, plus $15,000 from Borderless Capital for 3% equity. Follow-on funding of up to $500k may be offered to teams displaying exceptional potential and performance. Applications close August 22nd, 2021. The program is open to all blockchain entrepreneurs from around the world, however, admissions are subject to accreditation. The program will comprise LIVE sessions with Algorand platform experts and advisors from Silicon Valley.

Program Page: https://www.draperuniversity.com/algorand-x-draper

Video + Assets: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PiuhK5ZdCJ8VaQcs__iW1dm2kJqG9O3K?usp=sharing

Media Contact

Company Name: Draper University

Contact Person: Chris Joannou

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +61 406 422 677

Country: USA

Website: https://www.draperuniversity.com/

SOURCE Draper University

Related Links

https://www.draperuniversity.com/


JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fair Home Buyers, LLC, has officially expanded beyond the company's original service areas of Florida and Georgia. Effective immediately, the organization will provide home-buying services to clients across the United States looking to sell a home fast.

"The goal is providing homeowners more value with the most convenient way to sell their propertyWe call it the Easy Way," explained co-owner James Hawk.

To create that "Easy Way", Fair Home Buyers will roll out a wide range of critical services designed to help people in a wide range of situations sell a home fast, including:

Inherited property

Landlords selling properties

Financial and situational distress

Vacant or abandoned properties

Owners relocating

Divorce

Foreclosure

Fair Home Buyers will provide owners with moving assistance, as well as other critical services to accelerate the sale and move-out. For instance, many people hesitate to sell their homes simply because moving is such a daunting task, even if staying in the home means living in an undesirable situation. To combat that, Fair Home Buyers provides moving assistance, rental and new home finder services, and will even clean out the old home at no cost to the seller. They are allowing homeowners to leave any "unwanted items" behind without adjusting the price. Along with title resolution services to overcome even the most difficult title issues.

The company is dedicated to ethical business practices and handling each sale with integrity, as well. Sellers are never charged realtor commissions, nor are they on the hook for repairs or closing costs. Homes with storm damage, that require renovations, and even those with structural issues can be sold quickly and easily.

Finally, Fair Home Buyers, LLC, purchases all types of homes, including:

Single-family homes

Townhouses

Condos

Multifamily properties

Commercial properties

Land

In a way, the nationwide rollout is simply business as usual for Fair Home Buyers. However, as Hunter Hayden, co-owner and co-founder of the organization, explains, "Conducting business with integrity and honesty is conducting business as usual."

To learn more about Fair Home Buyers, LLC, visit https://www.fairhomebuyers.com .

About Fair Home Buyers, LLC: Fair Home Buyers, LLC, is the brainchild of James Hawk and Hunter Hayden. The company was founded to help people struggling to sell their homes in difficult situations and provide value, assistance, and guidance. Fair Home Buyers, LLC, is owned by Hayden Hawk Investment Group, which has purchased over 1,000 properties since its founding in 2013.

Contact:

Name: Fair Home Buyers, LLC

Phone: 866-605-1056

Web Address: https://www.fairhomebuyers.com

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Fair Home Buyers, LLC

Related Links

http://www.fairhomebuyers.com


ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In an emotional victory, Attorney Jenet Pequeno of the Law Offices of Jenet G. Pequeno, LLC, was able to obtain an Emergency Temporary Restraining Order with quick thinking and sound legal strategy allowing for a Chicago father to travel to Colorado to pick up his daughter and return with her to Illinois after the child's mother refused to return her from her summer vacation. The two had agreed that their daughter would travel to Colorado for the month of June and then return in July. It was at the beginning of July that the mother then refused any calls or texts and prevented the father from even communicating with his child. The silence and absence of communications were heart wrenching and deafening as this father did not know how his daughter was faring in Colorado.

The Law Offices of Jenet G. Pequeno, LLC

In a resounding turn of events, the child's father never doubted Pequeno or his legal strategy and his belief paid off when the father was able to return to Illinois this week with his daughter by his side. It was a harrowing couple of weeks that transpired when the child's mother refused to return the child after the completion of her summer vacation. In very uncertain times, the father's phone calls and texts messages to the mother went unresponded to as it seems the mother was hoping the father would give up his parental rights and leave the child in Colorado.

In heartbreaking testimony, the Chicago courts were able to hear both parents testify via Zoom. The Court ruled that Illinois has home state jurisdiction and ordered the mother to return the child to the father. In cases of this nature, Pequeno says, "Time is of the essence in inter-state cases where the parent-child relationship can be irreparably harmed the longer the absence lasts." Since the pandemic, Cook County Domestic Relations courts have operated primarily on Zoom and the mother was able to attend Court while living in Colorado. Pequeno gives credit to his legal team, including new arrival, Izzy McNally, whose commitment and tenacity enabled the legal team to secure the Temporary Restraining Order commanding the child be returned to her father and allowed to travel back to Illinois. Daughter and father are doing well.

For more information, contact Bridget Graham at 847-616-0980.

Related Images

jenet-g-pequeno.png

Jenet G. Pequeno

SOURCE The Law Offices of Jenet G. Pequeno, LLC
NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Finitive, the leading data-driven private credit marketplace, today announced that it has been named one of the Top 100 Financial Technology Companies of 2021 by the Financial Technology Report.

Founded in 2017, Finitive's tech-enabled platform offers institutional investors access to a multi-trillion-dollar market of private credit opportunities across multiple asset classes and structures, including specialty finance, online lending, marketplace lending, and private credit funds. Using Finitive, borrowers have opportunities to access private credit funding from over 700 institutional investors with over $6 trillion in AUM.

"Finitive's private credit marketplace uses technology and proprietary algorithms to connect borrowers with capital providers quickly and efficiently," said Finitive founder and CEO Jon Barlow. "It is a distinct honor for Finitive to be recognized by Financial Technology Report for making private credit transactions fast and accessible through its tech-enabled platform. As we continue to enhance our deal-sourcing capabilities, Finitive will help more borrowers access capital and increase shareholder value, while helping more investors find deals."

Finitive's deal origination engine draws opportunities from across the world, providing investors with a source of private credit transactions not found anywhere else. All investments are funded directly by investors to borrowers, with no intermediary entity to add to time and costs.

The Financial Technology Report provides industry executives, professionals, and investors with important news and information on the financial technology industry. The awardees were selected based on product quality, customer adoption, management team caliber, organizational effectiveness, and company growth. This year's list highlights companies that provide faster, streamlined, and individualized services. The awardees have a diverse range of products and services that have transformed the financial industry. View the full list here: https://thefinancialtechnologyreport.com/the-top-100-financial-technology-companies-of-2021/

To learn more about Finitive's private credit marketplace visit www.finitive.com.

About Finitive

Finitive is the leading data-driven private credit marketplace. Through its tech-enabled platform, institutional investors access a multi-trillion-dollar market of private credit opportunities across multiple asset classes and structures, including specialty finance, online lending, marketplace lending, and private credit funds. Borrowers gain efficient access to capital via a global network of investors who are actively allocating to private credit. All regulated activities are conducted through North Capital Private Securities, a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC. For additional information, please visit Finitive's website at www.finitive.com.

About The Financial Technology Report

The Financial Technology Report is a comprehensive source for market research and insights, business news, investment activity and corporate actions related to the financial technology sector. Based in New York City, the firm is run by a seasoned team of editors, writers and media professionals highly knowledgeable on financial technology and the various companies, executives and investors that make up the sector. http://www.thefinancialtechnologyreport.com.

Media Contact:

Patty Buchanan

JConnelly

(973) 567-9415

[email protected]

SOURCE Finitive

Related Links

http://www.finitive.com


BOSTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Student Selin Kocalar (17) has won the seventh annual Genes in Space STEM competition. Kocalar, who attends Leigh High School in San Jose, CA, proposed to pilot a new technique for detecting waterborne pathogens on the International Space Station (ISS). Her experiment will be performed by astronauts aboard the ISS next year.

Genes in Space 2021 winner Selin Kocalar

Kocalar's winning experiment proposes to use synthetic biology to test a spacecraft's water supply for bacterial contamination. The test will rely on an engineered biosensor that detects a molecule emitted by populations of disease-causing bacteria. Based on cutting-edge BioBits cell-free protein expression technology, the test will not require specialized laboratory equipment and offers a direct visual readout, making it well-suited for use on resource-limited spacecraft. Kocalar hopes such an assay will reduce dependence on Earth-based testing facilities as spacefarers embark on increasingly long-duration missions into space.

Kocalar developed her proposal with guidance from her advisor, Dylan Barcelos, and mentor, Harvard University scientist Bess Miller. Kocalar will watch her experiment launch to space in 2022.

This announcement concludes the 2021 Genes in Space competition. Despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,020 students across the U.S. submitted a total of 630 applications, from which five finalists were selected. Finalists presented their ideas to a distinguished panel of scientists and educators at the Genes in Space 2021 Finalist Launchpad, a three-day online event. The Launchpad concluded Thursday afternoon, as the judges announced the selection of this year's winner.

Now in its seventh year, Genes in Space invites students in grades 7 through 12 to design biology experiments that address real-world challenges in space exploration. Previous contest winners have achieved significant milestones through their experiments, including the first use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology in space. The competition was founded by miniPCR bio and Boeing, and is sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory and New England Biolabs.

Media contact: Katy Martin, [email protected], +1 781-990-8727

SOURCE Genes in Space
"In today's environment, in which precision Earth sensing is becoming ever more critical, GeoOptics is deploying a flexible observatory made up of dozens of small satellites. The real time services will satisfy a broad range of needs for government and civil users around the world," said Alex Saltman, Chief Executive Officer of GeoOptics.

The first CICERO-2 launches will achieve several key milestones in small satellite Earth observation, including:

Global Precipitation Watch  Monitoring heavy precipitation using Polarimetric radio occultation (RO), an advanced remote sensing technique pioneered by GeoOptics' collaborators at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Spanish PAZ mission.

Advanced GNSS Reflectometry (GNSS-R)  Measuring many phenomena near Earth's surface, including ocean winds, flooding, land cover (snow, ice, vegetation), soil moisture, and topography by means of reflected Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals. NASA's recent CYGNSS mission demonstrated the broad utility of the GNSS-R technique. GeoOptics is working with JPL to deploy an advanced operational version, offering dramatically enhanced performance in a small, low-cost package. This collaboration is funded jointly by GeoOptics, the U.S. Air Force, and NASA.

demonstrated the broad utility of the GNSS-R technique. GeoOptics is working with JPL to deploy an advanced operational version, offering dramatically enhanced performance in a small, low-cost package. This collaboration is funded jointly by GeoOptics, the U.S. Air Force, and NASA. Triple RO  Profiling of atmospheric temperature, pressure, density, and other key properties by means of GNSS  RO. First proposed by company founder Tom Yunck while he was at JPL, GNSS-RO offers unrivalled measurement precision and is an essential contributor to global weather forecasting. The CICERO-2 satellites will yield three times the data volume of their predecessors and many times the volume of any other commercial GNSS-RO satellites.

For GeoOptics strategic partner Climavision, a revolutionary weather data provider, these innovations will enable customers to manage significant risks in a time of global change. "With these new developments in remote sensing technologies from GeoOptics, we'll be able to further enhance our climate and weather prediction capabilities," said Chris Goode, CEO and Co-Founder of Climavision. "Through the combination of advanced RO profiles, GNSS-R data about surface conditions and our proprietary gap-filling radar network data, we'll help customers in weather sensitive industries see weather like never before and give them the tools and data to make informed critical decisions."

GeoOptics will later extend the system to a range of new applications, including precise mapping of Earth's gravitational field, which has been named a top NASA Earth science priority for the next decade. This measurement shows the imprint of climate-related movement of water and other key changes in the earth. With internal investment and nearly $4 million from NASA, GeoOptics has devised a unique system architecture for daily gravity mapping with clusters of small satellites. This patented technique promises to improve gravity sensing 20-fold over current methods at a fraction of the cost.

Under the umbrella of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), GeoOptics is also designing a radar instrument to observe ocean vector winds, topography, soil moisture, and a variety of other surface properties with patented multi-satellite radar techniques. NOPP is seeking to sponsor a trial flight of GeoOptics' Cellular Ocean Altimetry/Scatterometry Technology (COAST) within the next two years.

Tom Yunck, GeoOptics' Chief Technology Officer, said, "These advanced remote sensing applications  from basic RO to advanced radar and gravity mapping  exploit shared micro technologies that fit in the palm of one's hand. Each new function builds naturally upon the previous, yielding prodigious observing capacity in a low-cost system of great simplicity and reliability."

"CICERO-2 is designed to help provide high priority NOAA climate and weather monitoring observations, as ranked by the NOAA Space Platform Requirements Working Group (SPRWG)," said Conrad C. Lautenbacher (Vice Admiral, USN ret.), Executive Chairman of GeoOptics and former NOAA Administrator. "It can also play a key role in supporting crucial Defense Department satellite weather data requirements."

GeoOptics' CICERO satellites continue to provide the most precise global profiles of the Earth's atmosphere available. In February 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) selected GeoOptics to provide the first commercial satellite data to be included in their operational forecasts. In 2020, GeoOptics was selected by NOAA to lead an end-to-end design study for their next-generation low-orbiting weather satellite system, planned to come online later this decade, building in part on RO and GNSS-R technologies.

For more information about GeoOptics, click here .

Press Contact:

Diane Smiroldo

703-819-1963

https://geooptics.com

SOURCE GeoOptics

Related Links

http://geooptics.com


DENVER and HOUSTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Project Canary, the leading certifier of responsibly sourced gas (RSG), announced a pilot partnership agreement with GEP Haynesville, LLC (GEP) today, to install continuous monitoring and certify production from select well pads in their Haynesville operating area as responsibly sourced.

Through the agreement, GEP's operations will produce RSG using Project Canary's continuous on-site monitoring technology and TrustWell certification process, which provides third party verification that the operator has utilized the highest standards and practices in all phases of their operations.

"Safety and environmental responsibility are core to GEP's values and we're proud to partner with Project Canary to independently review and verify our environmental performance," said Margaret Molleston, GEP President and CEO. "There's a clear differentiated market for responsibly sourced gas and Project Canary, with its rigorous standards, is the market leader in operational and analysis and outside certification."

According to the agreement details, Project Canary will deploy 42 'Canary X' continuous monitoring units across 14 well pads in the company's Haynesville Shale producing area and certify production from 26 wells through the comprehensive, 600 unique data points evaluated by the TrustWell review process.

"In gaining responsibly sourced gas certification, GEP is showing ESG leadership through action," said Chris Romer, Project Canary co-founder and CEO. "Certified responsibly sourced gas will soon account for 10 percent of U.S. daily production as leading oil and gas companies, like GEP, and customers in the utility and LNG space recognize the value of this differentiated product."

A Denver-based B-Corp, Project Canary provides emissions monitoring data and related technologies, and has developed a unique wellhead to burner-tip pilot that can be used across the energy value chain  from the production, transmission and marketing of RSG.

GEP joins producers in the Marcellus, Utica, Haynesville, Cotton Valley, Eagle Ford, Permian, DJ and Green River Basins, in partnering with Project Canary on responsibly sourced gas certification.

GEP Contact:

Jeff Easterwood

Investor Relations

[email protected]

Project Canary Contact:

Brian Miller

Vice President, Growth and Policy

[email protected]

About the Pilot Participants

GEP Haynesville, LLC, based in The Woodlands, Texas, is a leading energy company focused on the development of natural gas properties in stacked Haynesville and Middle Bossier shale plays in North Louisiana. GEP is an experienced operator focused on generating free cash flow from its core acreage position while demonstrating environmental, social and governance leadership.

Project Canary, an International Environmental Standards company based in Denver, Colorado, is a mission-driven B-Corporation accountable to a double bottom line of profit and the social good. Project Canary believes it is possible to create a financially successful, self-sustaining business that "does well and does good." Project Canary's goal is to mitigate climate change by helping the oil and gas industry operate on a cleaner, more efficient, more sustainable basis. Project Canary partners with the Colorado School of Mines Payne Institute to develop a collaborative environment for oil and gas companies and external parties to share best practices and insights garnered through continuous monitoring. To learn more, visit projectcanary.com.

SOURCE Project Canary
DUBLIN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cell And Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Therapy Type, by Scale (R&D, Commercial), by Mode, by Workflow (Vector Production, Cell Banking), by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global cell and gene therapy manufacturing market size is expected to reach USD 57.4 billion by 2028.

The market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 20.3% from 2021 to 2028. An exponential rise in clinical pipeline coupled with a rising number of regulatory approvals for advanced therapies has majorly driven the market.



Considering promising growth opportunities in contract development of cellular and gene-modified therapies, market participants are making focused efforts to boost their market presence.

Also, bio manufacturers are signing strategic alliances with contract manufacturers to accelerate the R&D of their candidate programs. Rising demand for CMOs/CDMOs services has led to the entry of several new players as well as expansion of product development capabilities, thereby positively impacting market revenue.



Several novel methods are being introduced to advance cell and gene therapy manufacturing. For instance, the manufacturers are exploring the potential of single-use technology in production workflows.

This technique is gaining increasing attention in this arena to speed the development process while reducing the overall cost and production timeline. Such technological advancements in space are anticipated to bolster market growth in the coming years.



Cell And Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market Report Highlights

The cell therapy manufacturing segment dominated the market in 2020 in terms of revenue

A high number of ongoing clinical trials of cell therapies to address the robust need for effective treatment against COVID-19 infection has resulted in segment growth

A high number of candidate molecules in the pre-commercial scale stage has contributed to the largest revenue share of the segment in 2020

On the other hand, the recent success of CAR-T therapies supplements the growth of the commercial-scale manufacturing segment

The contract manufacturing segment is expected to witness lucrative growth during the forecast period as a substantial number of bio manufacturers are turning to CMOs for efficient and rapid product development

Ongoing pandemic has accelerated the global investments in the R&D of viral vector-based vaccines, creating lucrative opportunities in the vector production segment

North America dominated the market in terms of revenue in 2020 owing to the strong research as well as a commercial base for cell and gene therapy products in the U.S.

dominated the market in terms of revenue in 2020 owing to the strong research as well as a commercial base for cell and gene therapy products in the U.S. U.S. is leading the CAR-T and gene therapy space with the highest number of approved products, thus positively influencing market growth in the region

Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate throughout the forecast period

is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate throughout the forecast period Constantly evolving viral vector production and CDMO landscapes through plant expansions and new sites are spurring the market in this region

The key players are engaged in collaboration with biopharma developers to support their product development process

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2 Executive Summary



Chapter 3 Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1 Market Segmentation

3.2 Parent Market Lineage

3.3 Ancillary Market Lineage

3.4 Market Dynamics

3.4.1 Market Drivers Analysis

3.4.1.1 Growing Pipeline Of Cell and Gene Therapy

3.4.1.2 Supportive Regulatory Bodies

3.4.1.3 Increase In Investment By Government and Private Players

3.4.2 Market Restraint Analysis

3.4.2.1 Technological Challenges Associated With Manufacturing

3.4.2.2 High Cost Of Manufacturing

3.4.3 Market Opportunity Analysis

3.4.3.1 Rising Pressure On Drug Developers/Manufacturers To Meet The Growing Market Demand

3.4.3.2 Expansion In Potential Markets Such As Asia Pacific and Latin America

3.4.4 Market Challenge Analysis

3.4.4.1 Lack Of Manufacturing Capacity

3.5 Swot Analysis; By Factor (Political & Legal, Economic and Technological)

3.6 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.7 Major Deals and Strategic Alliances Analysis

3.8 Covid-19 Impact Analysis



Chapter 4 Competitive Analysis

4.1 Recent Developments and Impact Analysis By Key Market Participants

4.2 Company Mapping, By Location, Purpose, Scale Of Operation, Source Of Cell, Regulatory Compliant

4.3 List Of Potential End Users

4.4 List Of Emerging Players

4.5 Market Differentiators

4.6 Competitive Dashboard Analysis

4.7 Regional Network Map



Chapter 5 Therapy Type Business Analysis

5.1 Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market: Therapy Type Movement Analysis

5.2 Cell Therapy Manufacturing

5.2.2 Stem Cell Therapy

5.2.3 Non-Stem Cell Therapy

5.3 Gene Therapy Manufacturing



Chapter 6 Scale Business Analysis

6.1 Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market: Scale Movement Analysis

6.2 Pre-Commercial/R&D Scale Manufacturing

6.3 Commercial Scale Manufacturing



Chapter 7 Mode Business Analysis

7.1 Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market: Mode Movement Analysis

7.2 Contract Manufacturing

7.3 In-House Manufacturing



Chapter 8 Workflow Business Analysis

8.1 Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market: Workflow Movement Analysis

8.2 Cell Processing

8.3 Cell Banking

8.4 Process Development

8.5 Fill and Finish Operations

8.6 Analytical and Quality Testing

8.7 Raw Material Testing

8.8 Vector Production



Chapter 9 Regional Business Analysis

9.1 Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market: Regional Movement Analysis



Chapter 10 Company Profiles

Thermofisher Scientific

Merck Kgaa.

Lonza

Catalent Inc.

Takara Bio Inc.

F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd

Wuxi Advanced Therapies

Samsung Biologics

Boehringer Ingelheim International Gmbh

Novartis Ag

Hitachi Chemical Co Ltd.

Cellular Therapeutics.

Miltenyi Biotech.

Bluebird Bio Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yqyeht

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



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SOURCE Research and Markets

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DUBLIN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Elevator & Escalator Market Outlook, 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The overall global market was at USD 68.31 Billion in the year 2015, which faced a downfall in the year 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. The market is to grow with an anticipated CAGR of over 6% through 2021-2026.

'Global Elevator & Escalator Market Outlook, 2026' offers a valuable insight with an emphasis on the global market from the period of 2015 to 2026.

The segments considered for the elevators & escalators market include type, service, and end-use industry. The report covers a detailed study on market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges that are affecting the growth of this industry. It also aims to study the individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions of various segments to the total market.



Rising usage of elevators and escalators at airports, malls, subways, hospitals, office buildings, and other commercial spaces to offer ease in transit is driving the market growth. By type, the elevator segment leads the market at a share of 58.26% in 2020. The growing geriatric population is another factor boosting its installation.

The booming construction sector resulting in the rapid demand for elevators in high-rise and mid-rise buildings is further pushing the market growth. Similarly, the moving walkway segment is to grow with an anticipated CAGR of 6.70%, while the escalator segment is expected to show a decline in the market.



Keeping an elevator, escalator, or moving walk functioning at its peak requires regular maintenance and occasional repairs. These services include new installation, maintenance & repair, and modernization, which put together form the market. The life cycle of the escalators and elevators starts with the new equipment installation, which in 2020 accounted for a value of USD 33.14 Billion.

Modernization is the next step in the complete life cycle of escalators and elevators. After a certain period, the equipment requires a full replacement. Among these, the maintenance & repair segment amounts to the highest, globally, expected to hold a market of 45.44% by the forecasted period.



One of the major factors driving the growth of the elevators and escalators market is the increasing demand from the end-use sectors like residential, commercial, industrial, etc. Much evidently, the market is dominated by the residential end-user segment, which accounted for a value of USD 31.30 Billion in the year 2015. The increasing focus of government towards high-rise infrastructures coupled with an increasing need for rapid transit is expected to fuel the growth of the global elevators and escalators market.

The commercial end-user segment is expected to show a marginal decline and reach 28.81% in the year 2020. Continuous investment for the improvement of infrastructure at public places like railway stations, airports, shopping malls, etc. is further expected to upsurge the demand during the forecast period.

Tourism is another sector, which encourages the demand for elevators and escalators in places of importance for the ease and convenience of the tourists visiting the respective countries. These factors are to influence the other end-user segment that is expected to grow with an expected CAGR of over 6%.



Growing concerns of aging infrastructure in North America and Europe are likely to drive the need for elevator services and modernization. However, the maintenance of elevators will largely be influenced by factors including equipment base, regulatory landscape, and service costs across different countries.

Asia-Pacific offers potential growth opportunities, as developing countries such as China and India are projected to be emerging markets, making the Asia-Pacific region the fastest-growing market, expected to cover 47.77% by the end of the year 2026. The regions of Latin America and Middle East & Africa together contributed to less than 15% of the market in 2020.



In the elevator and escalator market, the profitability of the companies depends on engineering expertise and efficient production. Large companies have economies of scale in purchasing, and small companies can compete effectively by specializing.

Globally, the market has been dominated by four key players: Otis Elevator Company, Schindler Holding Ltd., ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG, and KONE Corporation, which together controls a major share, holding to more than half of the market.

Other considerable players in the market are Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi Ltd, Fujitec Co., Ltd, Sigma Elevator Company, Hyundai Elevator Company, Toshiba Corporation, Stannah, Gulf Elevator & Escalator Co. Ltd., Kleemann Hellas SA, Sicher Elevator Co., Cibes Lift Group AB, etc



CONSIDERED IN THE REPORT

Geography: Global

Base year: 2020

Historical year: 2015

Forecasted year: 2026

Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Report Methodology



3. Global Elevator And Escalator Market Outlook

3.1. Market Size By Value

3.2. Market Share

3.2.1. By Type

3.2.2. By Service

3.2.3. By End User

3.2.4. By Region

3.2.5. By Country

3.2.6. By Company



4. North America Elevator And Escalator Market Outlook

4.1. Market Size By Value

4.2. Market Share

4.2.1. By Type

4.2.2. By Service

4.2.3. By End User

4.2.4. By Country

4.3. Us Elevator And Escalator Market Outlook

4.3.1. Market Size By Value

4.3.2. Market Share

4.3.2.1. By Type

4.3.2.2. By Service

4.3.2.3. By End User

4.4. Canada Elevator And Escalator Market Outlook

4.4.1. Market Size By Value

4.4.2. Market Share

4.4.2.1. By Type

4.4.2.2. By Service

4.4.2.3. By End User

4.5. Mexico Elevator And Escalator Market Outlook

4.5.1. Market Size By Value

4.5.2. Market Share

4.5.2.1. By Type

4.5.2.2. By Service

4.5.2.3. By End User



5. Europe Elevator And Escalator Market Outlook



6. Asia Pacific Elevator And Escalator Market Outlook



7. Latin America Elevator And Escalator Market Outlook



8. Middle East & Africa Elevator And Escalator Market Outlook



9. Market Dynamics

9.1. Key Drivers

9.2. Key Challenges



10. Market Trends And Developments



11. Company Profiles

11.1.1. Fujitec Corporation Limited

11.1.2. Hitachi Group

11.1.3. Hyundai Elevator Corporation Limited

11.1.4. Kleemann Hellas

11.1.5. Kone Corporation

11.1.6. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

11.1.7. Otis Worldwide Corporation

11.1.8. Schindler Group

11.1.9. Sigma Elevator Company

11.1.10. Stannah Lifts Holdings Limited

11.1.11. Thyssenkrupp Ag

11.1.12. Toshiba Elevator And Building System Corporation



12. Strategic Recommendations

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/z4r1tu

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

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SOURCE Research and Markets

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DUBLIN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients CDMO Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Highly Potent API, Antibody Drug Conjugate), by Synthesis, by Drugs, by Application, by Workflow, by Region and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global active pharmaceutical ingredients CDMO market size is expected to reach USD 136.1 billion by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2021 to 2028.

The increasing pharmaceutical R&D investment, patent expirations and rise in demand for generic drugs and biologic innovation are the factors driving the market.



The growth of small molecules, rising Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) complexity and the need to reduce costs are factors contributing to the rapid expansion of outsourcing services in the pharmaceutical sector. Only a few companies have achieved global reach and scale in the Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) sector, which is still fragmented. Besides, many companies are providing one-stop-shop solutions as an integrated source of APIs and formulations.



However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments worldwide have opted to boycott APIs made in China. Due to government-imposed lockdown limitations in China, 44 firms were declared non-operational during the pandemic. As a consequence, various countries have launched programs to develop their own APIs and countries across the EU have re-evaluated their healthcare models in order to combat the virus and ensure a steady supply of APIs.



COVID-19 has placed unprecedented expectations on API makers, as evidenced by the substantial increase in demand for medications required to manage critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation. As a result, the sudden need to rapidly increase production has emphasized the need for adaptability for API CDMOs in maintaining drug supply, with some companies proving better able to withstand the pressures of quick scale up than others.



Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients CDMO Market Report Highlights

The traditional active pharmaceutical ingredient dominated the market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 40.5% in 2020

The innovative drugs segment held 74.6% of the revenue share in 2020. This is largely attributed due to increasing FDA approvals for new molecular entities and the increased focus on R&D by innovator API companies

The oncology segment dominated the market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 35.1% in 2020. This is due to the increasing demand for highly active APIs for cancer therapy

In Asia Pacific , the market is expected to register the fastest growth rate of 8.9% over the forecast period. Due to the extreme rising number of pharmaceutical companies and contract manufacturing organizations in developing countries like India and China , Asia Pacific is likely to overtake Europe and North America in the near future

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2 Executive Summary



Chapter 3 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Variables, Trends, & Scope

3.1 Market Segmentation and Scope

3.2 Market Dynamics

3.2.1 Market Driver Analysis

3.2.1.1 Increasing pharmaceutical R&D investment

3.2.1.2 Rising demand for generic drugs

3.2.1.3 Patent expiration

3.2.1.4 Expanding consumption of biopharmaceuticals

3.2.2 Market Restraint Analysis

3.2.2.1 Stringent government regulations

3.3 Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping

3.4 COVID-19 Impact on the Market

3.5 Major Deals and Strategic Alliances Analysis

3.6 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO: Market Analysis Tools

3.6.1 Industry Analysis - Porter's

3.6.2 PESTEL Analysis



Chapter 4 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Product Segment Analysis

4.1 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Product Market Share Analysis, 2020 & 2028

4.2 Traditional Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient

4.2.1 Traditional Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market, 2016 - 2028 (USD Million)

4.3 Highly Potent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient

4.4 Antibody Drug Conjugate



Chapter 5 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Synthesis Segment Analysis

5.1 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Synthesis Market Share Analysis, 2020 & 2028

5.2 Synthetic

5.3 Biotech



Chapter 6 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Drug Segment Analysis

6.1 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Drug Market Share Analysis, 2020 & 2028

6.2 Innovative

6.3 Generics



Chapter 7 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Application Segment Analysis

7.1 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Application Market Share Analysis, 2020 & 2028

7.2 Oncology

7.3 Hormonal

7.4 Glaucoma

7.5 Cardiovascular

7.6 Diabetes



Chapter 8 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Work Flow Segment Analysis

8.1 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Workflow Market Share Analysis, 2020 & 2028

8.2 Clinical

8.3 Commercial



Chapter 9 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Regional Analysis



Chapter 10 Company Profiles

10.1 Company Overview

10.2 Service Benchmarking

10.3 Financial Performance

10.4 Strategic Initiatives

Cambrex

ReciPharm

ThermoFisher Pantheon

Corden Pharma.

Samsung Biologics

Lonza

Catalent

Siegfried

Piramal Pharma Solutions

Boehringer Ingelheim

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/e1hdva

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

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DUBLIN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Aircraft Braking System Market by Aircraft Type, End Use (OEM, Aftermarket), Actuation (Power Brake, Boosted Brake, Independent Brake), Component (Wheels, Brake Discs, Brake Housing, Valves, Actuators, Accumulator, Electronics), Region - Forecast to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global aircraft braking system market size is projected to grow from USD 10.9 billion in 2021 to USD 13.1 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 3.6% from 2021 to 2026.

Actuators: The largest segment of the aircraft braking system market, by component.

The actuators segment is expected to be the largest market by value. Actuators in braking systems are used to convert the hydraulic fluid pressure into motion. Brake actuators are used to move the piston to apply pressure to the discs together, thus generating friction to stop the aircraft. The majority of brake actuators used on commercial aircraft are hydraulic, although electrically powered electromechanical actuators are also present in the market. Brakes on the Airbus A220 (formerly known as the Bombardier C-series) and the Boeing 787 are actuated electromechanically.

Independent Brake: The fastest-growing segment of the aircraft braking system market, by type.

Based on actuation, the independent brake segment is projected to be the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft braking system market during the forecast period. The growth of the independent brake segment of the aircraft braking system market can be attributed to the increasing demand for general aviation and regional aircraft.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: The fastest-growing segment of the aircraft braking system market, by aircraft type.

Based on the aircraft type, the unmanned aerial vehicles segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft braking system market during the forecast period. UAVs are commonly termed drones and are mostly known for their wide usage in various military missions such as border surveillance. They are also used for mapping, surveying, and determining weather conditions of a specific area. Certain remotely piloted UAVs are designed to operate as loitering munition for defense forces.

OEM: The fastest-growing segment of the aircraft braking system market, by end use.

Based on the end use, the OEM segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft braking system market during the forecast period. OEMs are responsible for the installation of braking system in an aircraft during the assembly stage and are then made available for delivery to aircraft manufacturers. Over the years, there has been a significant rise in the demand for different aircraft types across regions. According to Airbus, it delivered 863 commercial aircraft to 99 customers in 2019.

North America: The largest contributing region in the aircraft braking system market.

North America is projected to be the largest regional share of the aircraft braking system market during the forecast period. The key factor responsible for North America, leading the aircraft braking system market owing to the rapid growth of the technologically advanced braking system in the region. In North America, the rise in aircraft orders and supplies is encouraging manufacturers of aircraft braking system to increase their sales year on year. The increasing demand for commercial aircraft and the presence of some of the leading players operating in the market, such as Crane Co., Parker-Hannifin Corporation, Honeywell International, Inc, are expected to drive the aircraft braking system market in North America. These players are focusing on R&D to increase their product lines and using technologically advanced systems, subsystems, and other components for manufacturing aircraft braking system.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

4.1 Attractive Growth Opportunities in Aircraft Braking System Market

4.2 Aircraft Braking System Market, by Component

4.3 Aircraft Braking System Market, by Actuation

4.4 Aircraft Braking System Market, by Country

5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Increase in Operations in the Commercial Aircraft Industry

5.2.1.2 Technological Improvement in Aircraft Braking Component

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Long Life Span of Aircraft Braking System

5.2.2.2 Manufacturing Challenges Faced by Product Manufacturers

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Expanding Mro Service Providers in Asia-Pacific and Latin America

5.2.3.2 Growth of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Industry

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 COVID-19 Affecting the Aviation Industry

5.2.4.2 Stringent Regulatory Environment

5.3 Operational Data

5.4 COVID-19 Impact on the Aircraft Braking System Market

5.5 Ranges and Scenarios

5.6 Technology Analysis

5.6.1 Electric Brakes

5.6.2 Aircraft Brake Control System

5.7 Trends/Disruptions Impacting Customers' Business

5.7.1 Revenue Shift and New Revenue Pockets for the Aircraft Braking System Market

5.8 Market Ecosystem

5.8.1 Prominent Companies

5.8.2 Private and Small Enterprises

5.8.3 End-users

5.9 Value Chain Analysis

5.10 Trade Data Analysis

5.11 Porter's Five Forces Model

5.12 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.13 Average Selling Price

5.14 Volume Analysis

5.15 Case Study Analysis

6 Aircraft Braking System Market, by Component

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Wheels

6.3 Brake Discs

6.4 Brake Housing

6.5 Valves

6.6 Actuators

6.7 Accumulator

6.8 Electronics

7 Aircraft Braking System Market, by Actuation

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Power Brake

7.2.1 Increase in Wide-Body Commercial Aircraft to Drive the Segment

7.3 Boosted Brake

7.3.1 Rising Single-Aisle Aircraft Segment to Boost the Segment

7.4 Independent Brake

7.4.1 Increasing Demand for General and Regional Types of Aircraft to Drive the Market

8 Aircraft Braking System Market, by Aircraft Type

8.1 Introduction

8.1.1 Impact of COVID-19 on Aircraft Type Segment

8.1.1.1 Segment Most Impacted

8.1.1.2 Segment Least Impacted

8.2 Fixed Wing

8.2.1 Commercial Aviation

8.2.1.1 Narrow Body Aircraft (Nba)

8.2.1.1.1 Rising Air Traffic Driving Growth

8.2.1.2 Wide Body Aircraft (Wba)

8.2.1.2.1 Increasing International Passenger Air Travel

8.2.1.3 Regional Transport Aircraft (Rta)

8.2.1.3.1 Rising Demand for Regional Transport Aircraft in the Us and Asia-Pacific

8.2.2 Military Aviation

8.2.2.1 Fighter Aircraft

8.2.2.1.1 Growing National Security to Drive the Market

8.2.2.2 Transport Aircraft

8.2.2.2.1 Increasing Use of Transport Aircraft in Military Operations to Drive Demand

8.2.2.3 Special Mission Aircraft

8.2.2.3.1 Growing Defense Spending and Territorial Disputes to Drive Demand

8.2.3 Business and General Aviation

8.2.3.1 Business Jets

8.2.3.1.1 Increase in Corporate Activities Globally to Drive Demand

8.2.3.2 Light Aircraft

8.2.3.2.1 Advancement in Technology for General Aviation Driving Demand

8.3 Rotary Wing

8.3.1 Commercial Helicopters

8.3.1.1 Expanding Applications of Commercial Helicopters

8.3.2 Military Helicopters

8.3.2.1 Advance Military Helicopters Equipped with Next-Generation Sensors

8.4 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

8.4.1 Fixed Wing Uavs

8.4.1.1 Long Duration Flying Hours to Drive the Market

8.4.2 Fixed Wing Hybrid Vtol Uavs

8.4.2.1 Ability to Carry Heavy Payloads to Drive Demand

8.4.3 Rotary Wing Uavs

8.4.3.1 Increasing Application of Rotary Wing Uavs for Commercial and Military Purposes

9 Aircraft Braking System Market, by End Use

9.1 Introduction

9.1.1 Impact of COVID-19 on End Use

9.1.1.1 Most Impacted Segment, by End Use

9.1.1.2 Least Impacted Segment, by End Use

9.2 Oem

9.2.1 Increase in Aircraft Deliveries to Drive the Segment

9.3 Aftermarket

9.3.1 Rising Size of Aircraft Fleet to Drive the Segment

10 Aircraft Braking System Market, by Region

11 Competitive Landscape

12 Company Profiles

12.1 Oems

12.1.1 Honeywell International, Inc.

12.1.2 Safran

12.1.3 Parker-Hannifin Corporation

12.1.4 Meggitt plc

12.1.5 Crane Co.

12.1.6 Collins Aerospace

12.1.7 Beringer Aero

12.1.8 Jay-Em Aerospace

12.1.9 Grove Aircraft Landing Gear Systems Inc.

12.1.10 Matco Mfg.

12.1.11 Tactair

12.1.12 Carlyle Johnson

12.1.13 Airframes Alaska

12.1.14 Electroid

12.1.15 Rapco Inc.

12.1.16 Goldfren

12.1.17 Sonex Aircraft LLC

12.1.18 Mcfarlane Aviation

12.1.19 Aviation Products Systems, Inc.

12.1.20 Nmg Aerospace

12.2 Mros

12.2.1 Lufthansa Technik Ag

12.2.2 Jamco

12.2.3 Sumitomo Precision Products Co. Ltd

12.2.4 Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited

12.2.5 Aar Corp.

13 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ynriil

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For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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DUBLIN, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Iris Recognition Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global iris recognition market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.51% over the analyzed period to reach a market size of US$1,857.427 million in 2026 from US$676.795 million in 2019.

Iris recognition is advanced automated technology of biometric identification that works on the principle of mathematical pattern recognition technique. In comparison to other biometric identification methods, iris recognition is superior as it nullifies the risk of collusions or false matching even at cross-comparison across a massive population. Iris recognition system is different from retina scanning as the latter is an oscular-based biometric technology that scans the individual's retina blood vessels.

The prime reason driving the growth in the market is rising instances of cybercrime and the growing adoption of advanced security technology across several industry verticals. Moreover, the booming demand for smart devices also plays a key role in market development. Technological innovation in the consumer electronic segment provides potential growth opportunities.

However, distance constraints and cyber hacking weakens the technology's security and hence hinders the market development.



Surging cases of cybercrime encourage the adoption of stronger security systems which favors the market for iris recognition.



One of the prime reasons supporting the market growth of iris scanners is surging cases of cybercrime that have the potential to harm the individual, especially financially. In the digitalized world, when every activity is online, the birth of cybercrime has threatened the safety of individuals and organizations, resulting in financial or other losses to them.

Further, the growing penetration of smart devices comes with a risk of robbery, hacking, data theft, and others. Thus, the requirement of stricter technology encourages the market growth of iris recognition solutions.



Based on product integration, the market for iris recognition is segmented into smartphones, tablets and notebooks, smartwatches, PC or Laptops, scanners, and others. Smart Devices, such as smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, and electronic notebooks are anticipated to hold a dominating share of the market.

Further, with rising disposable income, a surge in demand for these smart devices is observed that facilitate better operations. Particularly skyrocketing sales of smartphones have provided humungous growth prospects for iris recognition technology.

Moreover, with new technological up-gradation such as the introduction of 5G networking and various smartphone application, demand for smartphones is anticipated to increase many folds. With growing digitalization and rising internet penetration smartphones enables access to banks, e-wallets, social media profiles, and other applications to the users, carrying sensitive information and hence requires topmost security.

Hence, iris recognition is gaining preferability as it is more secure than other biometric technology. ViewSonic was the first company that adopted iris recognition in its ViewSonic V55 smartphones in the year 2014. Microsoft as well adopted this technology in its smartphones and smart devices in 2015. Samsung, Oppo, and Vivo are other leading brands that adopted iris scanner technology in their smart devices.



Failing to provide hack-proof security constrains the market growth of iris recognition technology.



A major constraint hindering the market growth of iris recognition solution is that even this biometric security technique is defeated at the hands of technology hackers and that too in a very simple way. Hackers defeated the iris recognition system and decreased its efficiency using the image of the authorized person in the year 2015, soon after several leading smartphone companies introduced this feature in their devices. Other glitches that hinder the market prospects are that the iris recognition solution fails to scan from a far distance, more than a meter or two, and may find it difficult to recognize while the person is moving.



Consumer electronics will have a leading share in the market of global iris recognition industry.



Based on end-users, the market is segmented as consumer electronics, healthcare, BFSI, government, military and defense, automotive, and others. During the forecasted period the consumer electronics and automotive sector are projected to grow at an auspicious rate resulting in higher demand for iris recognition technology. Rising disposable income and the increasing necessity of smart devices are the prime reasons supporting these segments' growth.

The BFSI, government, and military and defense segments are anticipated to hold a dominating share of the market owing to the sensitivity of the information they carry. The healthcare sector as well will show notable growth owing to surging investment in healthcare infrastructure. The government of India, for example, has set aside US$87.85 billion to be invested in healthcare infrastructure in the next 6 years will provide growth potential for the iris recognition security market.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

1.1. Market Definition

1.2. Market Segmentation



2. Research Methodology

2.1. Research Data

2.2. Assumptions



3. Executive Summary

3.1. Research Highlights



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Global Iris Recognition Market, by Component

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Hardware

5.3. Software



6. Global Iris Recognition Market, by Product Integration

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Smartphones

6.3. Tablet and Notebook

6.4. Scanner

6.5. PC/ Laptop

6.6. Smartwatches

6.7. Others



7. Global Iris Recognition Market, by End-Users

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Consumer Electronics

7.3. Healthcare

7.4. BFSI

7.5. Government

7.6. Military and Defense

7.7. Automotive

7.8. others



8. Global Iris Recognition Market, by Geography

8.1. Introduction

8.2. North America

8.2.1. United States

8.2.2. Canada

8.2.3. Mexico

8.3. South America

8.3.1. Brazil

8.3.2. Argentina

8.3.3. Others

8.4. Europe

8.4.1. Germany

8.4.2. France

8.4.3. United Kingdom

8.4.4. Spain

8.4.5. Others

8.5. The Middle East and Africa

8.5.1. Saudi Arabia

8.5.2. UAE

8.5.3. Israel

8.5.4. Others

8.6. Asia Pacific

8.6.1. China

8.6.2. India

8.6.3. South Korea

8.6.4. Taiwan

8.6.5. Thailand

8.6.6. Indonesia

8.6.7. Japan

8.6.8. Others



9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrative

9.3. Mergers, Acquisition, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



10. Company Profiles

Gemalto (Thales Group)

Iritech Inc.

SRI International

HDI Global Corporation

EyeLock

IrisGuard UK Ltd

IDEMIA

BioEnable

IrisAccess

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yazylp

Media Contact:

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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

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SAO PAULO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. ("GOL" or "Company") (NYSE: GOL and B3: GOLL4), Brazil's largest domestic airline, today announced its consolidated results for the second quarter of 2021 (2Q21), also outlining its continued initiatives in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

All information is presented in Brazilian reais (R$), according to both International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and adjusted metrics, and is made available to enable comparability of this quarter with the same period last year. Such adjusted metrics exclude expenses related to the portion of the non-operating fleet that GOL grounded this quarter and are detailed in the table showing "operating expenses". Comparisons are made to the second quarter of 2020 (2Q20), unless otherwise specified.

The 2Q21 was marked by three relevant themes:

First, the resilience of the Brazilian air travel market . Demand for travel in Brazil is recovering rapidly as a result of the consistent decline in Covid-19 cases and fatalities since June 24, 2021, with a reduction of more than 2% per day in new transmissions registered in the country, and a decline in cases across all Brazilian states. This promising trend is driven by the higher availability of vaccines in the second quarter; as of June 30, 2021, over one third of the Brazilian population had received at least one dose of a vaccine, and over 12% fully vaccinated. Further, the Brazilian government has guaranteed that 173 million shots will be delivered in the third quarter, an increase over the 143 million doses made available in the first half of 2021. That will be sufficient to vaccinate approximately 90% of all Brazilians over 12 years old.

"Brazilians are not hesitant about getting vaccinated. 92% of over 60s have already taken the first shot, and 59% are fully vaccinated," said Paulo Kakinoff, CEO. "We are confident that approximately 85% of over 30s in Brazil will be immunized at the end of the third quarter this year, a demographic group that currently represents over 98% of the severe cases of Covid-19 in Brazil. This progress on vaccinations is promising for the continued recovery of Brazil's economy and a ramp-up in travel demand as Brazilians feel safe to return to their normal routines."

Second, GOL's disciplined yield management led the Company, through a continuous and agile approach, to preserve the equilibrium between capacity and demand in the second quarter, keeping its load factors and yields high, as well as and minimizing cash burn. In conjunction with this prudent management of yields and cash flow, GOL was the only airline in South America to raise equity capital during the pandemic via a R$423 million capital increase, 63% anchored by its controlling shareholder, and a R$607 million equity issuance as part of the R$1.3 billion take-in of the minority interest of its loyalty program, Smiles. The commitment from the Company's controlling shareholder is a key differential to the business, driving a focus on sustained, long-term growth rather than unsustainable short-term movements.

Kakinoff continued: "Throughout the pandemic, we have executed a robust strategy to ensure liquidity, maintain the relationships with all of our main business partners, protect our Employees, preserve the Company's cost advantage, and minimize dilution to our shareholders. Those well-implemented initiatives position GOL advantageously to create significant shareholder value in the post-pandemic environment. In 2Q21, GOL systematically presented a market efficiency superior to its competitors, which reinforces our commitment to balancing the size of the seat supply with the predictive demand forecast."

Third, GOL's path to continuing its sustained growth . GOL has a unique set of advantages, comprising of the best network, a personalized product and Customer journey, a low-cost business model, the lowest financial leverage among its peers, and the commitment to create value for shareholders. These advantages will be essential for attracting business travelers, who usually account for 50% of demand for air travel in Brazil, when they return to the skies. While a small percentage of corporate Customers might prefer virtual meetings, the expansion of key sectors such as the oil & gas, infrastructure, agribusiness, services and real estate will make up a significant portion of Brazil's economic growth and business air travel post-pandemic. These industries require executives and employees to have a greater number of in-person interactions and site visits than other industries where it is easier to conduct business virtually. While overall market demand for air travel in July reached around almost 70% of the pre-pandemic levels, the business segment is only just now starting to recover.

"Based on our expectations for the vaccination roll-out in Brazil, we anticipate that business travel will show a sharp recovery as of 1Q22. When that happens, we will increase the GOL network to enable high frequencies in the Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia markets, restoring those routes to pre-pandemic levels. GOL will also resume international flights to South American and U.S. destinations with disciplined capacity management and following the restrictions and compliance rules of each country. By the end of this year, we will resume flights to the Caribbean, with tickets for that destination already available to purchase on the Company's website. In July/21 we reached daily sales volumes of R$26 million, the highest figure since March 12, 2020, and second only to last year's Black Friday," Kakinoff concluded.

Summary of 2Q21 Results

Revenue Passenger-Kilometers (RPK) increased 344% compared to the same period in 2020, totaling 3.4 billion (-63% vs. 2Q19);

Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) increased 307% compared to 2Q20 (-65% vs. 2Q19);

GOL transported 2.9 million Customers in the quarter, an increase of 366% versus 2Q20 (-64% vs. 2Q19);

Net revenues totaled R$1.0 billion , an increase of 187% versus 2Q20 (-67% vs. 2Q19). Other revenues (mainly cargo and loyalty) amounted to R$141 million , equivalent to 13.7% of total revenues;

, an increase of 187% versus 2Q20 (-67% vs. 2Q19). Other revenues (mainly cargo and loyalty) amounted to , equivalent to 13.7% of total revenues; Net Revenue per Available Seat Kilometer (RASK) was 25.50 cents (R$), 29.5% lower than in 2Q20. Net Passenger Revenue per Available Seat Kilometer (PRASK) was 22.01 cents (R$), a 10.5% reduction over 2Q20;

(R$), 29.5% lower than in 2Q20. Net Passenger Revenue per Available Seat Kilometer (PRASK) was (R$), a 10.5% reduction over 2Q20; The Cost per Available Seat Kilometer (CASK) was 42.47 cents (R$), 46% down from 2Q20 on nominal basis, and 45% lower excluding exchange variation between periods. Costs strictly related to the flights operated (adjusted CASK) corresponded to 21.94 cents (R$), down by 36% on nominal basis, and 34% lower excluding exchange variation;

(R$), 46% down from 2Q20 on nominal basis, and 45% lower excluding exchange variation between periods. Costs strictly related to the flights operated (adjusted CASK) corresponded to (R$), down by 36% on nominal basis, and 34% lower excluding exchange variation; Adjusted EBIT totaled R$144 million , corresponding to a margin of 14%, which shows the restoration of the operating margins necessary to support operational growth. Adjusted EBITDA reached R$222 million , with margin of 22%, reflecting GOL's successful sustainability efforts in balancing supply and demand;

, corresponding to a margin of 14%, which shows the restoration of the operating margins necessary to support operational growth. Adjusted EBITDA reached , with margin of 22%, reflecting GOL's successful sustainability efforts in balancing supply and demand; The net loss after minority interest was R$1.2 billion , excluding exchange and monetary variations, non-recurring net expenses, gains related to Exchangeable Notes and capped calls unrealized results;

, excluding exchange and monetary variations, non-recurring net expenses, gains related to Exchangeable Notes and capped calls unrealized results; Average yield per passenger of 25.86 cents (R$), down by 18% from 2Q20, mainly due to higher RPKs volume over 2Q20, a period with lower operations during its "essential network" phase at the beginning of the pandemic and as a consequence of the worsening of the second wave of Covid-19, which particularly impacted GOL's operations in April and May 2021 ;

(R$), down by 18% from 2Q20, mainly due to higher RPKs volume over 2Q20, a period with lower operations during its "essential network" phase at the beginning of the pandemic and as a consequence of the worsening of the second wave of Covid-19, which particularly impacted GOL's operations in April and ; Average load factor of 85.1%, up by 7.0 p.p. over 2Q20, mainly due to prudent supply management, adding capacity based on demand indicators and GOL's proprietary data analytics;

Aircraft utilization of 8.0 hours/day, up by 23.1% over 2Q20, in line with the Company's strategy of adding capacity according to demand recovery; and

On-time departures of 96.3%, up by 0.2 p.p. versus 2Q20, according to Infraero and data provided by the main airports.

MANAGEMENT VIDEOS WITH PRESENTATION & FULL EARNINGS RELEASE

Access earnings release, management videos, presentation and complete financial statements at: www.voegol.com.br/ir

2Q21 Conference Call: July 29, 2021, 11:00 a.m. (NY Time), Phone: +1 (412) 317-6382, Code: GOL, with webcast (https://webcastlite.mziq.com/cover.html?webcastId=e761a9c3-ea18-42a9-ac3b-3d9a1ceceb06)

Investor Relations: [email protected], +55 (11) 2128-4700

About GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (www.voegol.com.br): Brazil's largest airline group with three main businesses: passenger transportation, cargo transportation and coalition loyalty program.

SOURCE GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A.

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MIAMI, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This past weekend, on Friday July 23, Heal the Earth started their concert series, "Rx for Cuba," featuring the iconic big band Miami Blues Band. The band, along with Heal the Earth Foundation, is a non-profit with a current mission to raise money and awareness for special causes that benefit the lives of people around the world. With the recent news about Cuba and their dire need of supplies, Heal the Earth is dedicating a series of free concerts around South Florida, to increase awareness of the desperate plight that Cubans are facing today. Donations raised will be used for the purchase of medicine to send over to Cuba. Heal the Earth and Miami Blues Band, kicked off the first concert series at Calle Ocho in Miami. Calle Ocho is the well known and beloved strip located in the heart of Little Havana, a vibrant neighborhood home to many Cubans in Miami.

Heal the Earth Foundation

The tour continued with their second show at Titanic Brewery in Coral Gables. From two shows, has already raised enough money to purchase much needed supplies and medicines to send to Cuba.

Heal the Earth is hoping to be able to send medicine to Cuba as often as possible until the country's medical supplies and economy improve. As reported by Reuters, "Even as Cuba is leading the race to become the first country in Latin America to develop its own COVID-19 vaccine, the country is suffering acute shortages of basic medicines amid its worst economic crisis in decades."

A guest from Saturday night's show, Katherine DeFranco, traveled two hours to be at the event and make a donation. She said, "It is great to be able to contribute to this fundraising effort. I know the money is all going to help the people of Cuba." Kristen Carranza, the Associate Director for Heal the Earth said today, "I am very pleased with the fundraising capital so far. It is so important to get awareness and help the plight of the people of Cuba as soon as possible and I'm glad we are involved., please come out and support and join us."

More chances to support Heal the Earth in their "Rx for Cuba" tour start again in August. Catch the Miami Blues Band perform for this effort on August 5th at Bay 13 Brewery in Coral Gables, August 6th at Shipwreckers Bar in Fort Lauderdale, and August 20th at Kelly Brothers Irish Pub in Fort Lauderdale. For additional information, visit healtheearth.us and follow @healtheearthfoundation on Instagram.

Related Images

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SOURCE Heal the Earth Foundation
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SOURCE Hearing Components; Comply

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CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ) presents NJMEP's Pro-Action Education Network with the 'Excellence in STEM Education Award', recognizing the outstanding work by the NJMEP workforce development team over the past 18 months. The team is being honored for preparing students and upskilling the current workforce to meet the needs of today's modern manufacturers. Through training programs, apprenticeships, and numerous professional development initiatives, NJMEP's Pro-Action Education Network is working to ensure has the workforce has the right skills to sustain New Jersey's standing as a global innovation leader. NJMEP will be accepting this award at State-of-the-State PART 3, registration is open now.

"Manufacturers have been struggling for years with a dwindling workforce. Without people, there is no manufacturing. The industry continues to struggle with an outdated stigma and our Pro-Action Education Network team has done a tremendous job of breaking down those misconceptions. Between the training and certification programs, as well as our student outreach, we are gaining ground to bridge the skills gap," stated John W. Kennedy, Ph.D., CEO, NJMEP. He continues, "I'm incredibly thankful HINJ is recognizing the efforts of the team. There's plenty of work left to do, but it's always nice being honored by such an important organization".

The Pro-Action Education Network is a statewide program that creates a collaborative network with the goal of identifying and filling open job positions by providing critical skills to students and workers. It accomplishes its mission by offering training and upskilling opportunities to incumbent workers, assessing the demand for education and training across geographic and institutional boundaries, and creating a collaborative relationship between education providers and workforce development stakeholders.

Since 2000, NJMEP has helped manufacturers retain more than 34,000 jobs and create over 8,000 jobs. New Jersey manufacturers are directly benefiting from the Pro-Action Education Network's efforts, as it provides individuals with the skills they need to enter the workforce or advance from their current role.

About NJMEP:

NJMEP is a private, not-for-profit organization that improves the profitability and competitiveness of New Jersey's manufacturers. Backed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NJMEP enables organizations to enhance their productivity and efficiencies, reduce costs, and improve employee performance.

For more than 25 years, NJMEP has used its extensive network of connections and a proven track record of success to help manufacturers adopt the latest innovative technologies and best practices to realize more than $5.4 billion in value. Our services are categorized into the following three areas: Operational Excellence, Innovation and Growth Strategies, and Workforce Development. NJMEP also has a signature philanthropic program, Manufacturing Cares, which is designed to provide a platform for manufacturers to give back to the community by pooling efforts to increase our impact.

SOURCE New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Implicity , a leader in remote patient monitoring and cardiac data management solutions, today announced its newest technology will be featured at Heart Rhythm 2021 (HRS) and that the company will present scientific data at the annual Scientific Sessions. HRS is one of the biggest international medical events and is taking place July 28 - 31, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as virtually.

Implicity's newest technology is presented in an abstract that was selected by the Scientific Committee for an e-Poster presentation. The poster presentation, "A Novel Proprietary Algorithm Reduces The False Positive Rate Of Medtronic LNQ11 ICM Devices By 79%", is scheduled for Friday, July 30, 2021, at 10:20 am ET.

During the session, the company's founder and CEO, Dr. Arnaud Rosier, will highlight positive results of a scientific study examining the use of Implicity's new cloud-based machine-learning algorithm to analyze ECG recordings from patients implanted with a Medtronic Reveal LNQ11 insertable cardiac monitor (ICM)  a wireless device that provides remote patient monitoring for detection of irregular heartbeats. Findings of the study demonstrate that Implicity's proprietary algorithm successfully reduced false positives by 79%, while maintaining 99.28% sensitivity.



"The results have significant implications for the clinical resources allotted to remote monitoring. False positives from ICMs are very common, which places a significant burden on clinicians who need to sift through noise and adjudicate misclassified abnormalities, especially for atrial fibrillation diagnosis," said Dr. Rosier, who is also an electrophysiologist. "We are excited to report that our AI demonstrated clear clinical value by effectively reducing false positive rates without compromising specificity or patient safety."

Implicity is also exhibiting at the event (Booth #1048) and is showcasing a number of product enhancements and AI-driven innovations to its advanced technology platform. The Implicity platform is medical decision aid software that collects and unifies data from all cardiac implants manufacturers (Abbott, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, MicroPort). The platform includes a billing engine, a heart failure module, and numerous features and functionalities designed to optimize care workflows. New releases include:

Disconnected Patient Management  this feature included on the Implicity remote monitoring platform notifies care teams when data from a patient's cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) is interrupted or stops, and sends automated patient communications via an SMS app.

 this feature included on the Implicity remote monitoring platform notifies care teams when data from a patient's cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) is interrupted or stops, and sends automated patient communications via an SMS app. Insertable Cardiac Monitoring Analysis Solution - a CE-marked medical device software, pending 510(k) FDA clearance, designed to assess arrhythmias in Insertable Cardiac Monitors (ICM) and tackle the false positive issue. This algorithm's performances are demonstrated in the abstract described above.

a CE-marked medical device software, pending 510(k) FDA clearance, designed to assess arrhythmias in Insertable Cardiac Monitors (ICM) and tackle the false positive issue. This algorithm's performances are demonstrated in the abstract described above. Advanced Research Tool  enables multicentric research and clinical studies by collecting data readily available for research from Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices and other connected devices. The solution also manages patient data consent and organizes cross-device data.

In-booth presentations will be conducted every day to demonstrate Implicity's technology.



To schedule a time to meet with the Implicity team at Heart Rhythm Society 2021, click here.

About Implicity

Implicity provides a remote monitoring and research platform used by Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities and cardiac electrophysiology centers to deliver better high-quality care of high quality for their patients with connected Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices. On this platform, Implicity aggregates, normalizes and standardizes data from any implantable cardiac device across all manufacturers. Furthermore, Implicity carries out R&D on AI-based algorithms aiming at improving patient care and serving the future of preventive medicine. Implicity has been the first private company authorized to access the Health Data Hub 4 , one of largest databases of patients with heart diseases in the world, supporting the development of its AI solutions. Implicity covers more than 40,000 patients in over 70 medical facilities across Europe and the United States.

www.implicity.com

Media Contact:

Andrea LePain

eMedia Junction

617-275-8112

[email protected]

SOURCE Implicity
ALBANY, N.Y., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Back to School takes on special meaning in this post-pandemic world where most kids spent the last year in isolation and homeschooling. Parents are going the extra mile to provide a smooth transition and one unique boutique has just the thing to make kids of color feel extra special. BrownKidSwag, a New York brand is bringing a special twist to this back-to-school season with fashion-forward gear featuring faces with deep caramel hues to rich mocha complexions.

Inclusive New York Designer Puts A New Spin on kids' accessories including backpacks and lunchboxes for Kids of Color with 'BrownKidSwag'

Founded in 2017, BrownKidSwag specializes in making kids of color feel good in their skin. The boutique online shop known for its large assortment of personalized items hand-crafted specifically for black and brown children is a breath of fresh air for parents searching for unique items for their kids. The products celebrate Black culture and are designed with anime, chibi, manga, and 3D art which is hand-painted onto custom backpacks, notebooks, stickers, umbrellas, clocks, pillowcases, and more.

Historically, manufacturers have failed to meet the demand for merchandise designed specifically for Black children, but BlackKidSwag efforts are pushing the industry forward by making such items available themselves. The purpose of the online shop is to change the narrative to one of positivity and cultural awareness.

"Growing up, there were no Disney princesses that looked like me on backpacks, lunch boxes, or clothing," says BrownKidSwag owner and founder Marcel Moore. "I know firsthand how imperative it is for young black children to see characters that look just like they do, and my company is an acknowledgment of the fact that we don't have to wait on other people to represent us."

Her comments fall in line with a recent USA today article addressing the lack of Black representation in items geared towards children. "While the industry's progress has been significant, most agree minorities remain underrepresented," it states.

Moore adds: "Brown and black children have either been ignored or completely misrepresented in every aspect of popular culture. They find a sense of joy, identity, and camaraderie in their favorite childhood characters. They want to get things with their faces on them, but what happens when the faces splashed all over the things you love are consistently far different from your own?" That is where BrownKidSwag steps in to bring awareness and inclusivity.

For media inquiries regarding BrownKidSwag, please contact Marcel Moore at 518-229-3609

or [email protected] . To learn more about the company, please visit www.Brownkidswag.com .

www.etsy.com/shop/BrownKidSwagcom

www.Brownkidswag.com

SOURCE BrownKidSwag
Mr. Yim Yang, the founder and CEO of INMO, announced the official release of the INMO Air. He elaborated on the company's pursuit of consumer-grade AR glasses in the past year around user's needs, and his understanding of the AR track. Mr Yang shared with everyone his company's efforts to persistently surpass itself and consistently search for the final form of AR glasses. INMO is committed to everyone owning a pair of stylish, slim, user-friendly and affordable AR glasses.

Mr. Yang said that INMO has chosen a path that few people dare to take and created a brand-new technical route. He also elaborated on his company's brand concept: to challenge the impossible together with the Z generation, and to truly open the entrance to the "metaverse".

Mr. Ryan Zhang, the product director of INMO Technology, gave a detailed introduction on INMO Air's software and hardware and product applications. With "liquid style" and "surrealism" as its design concept, the appearance of INMO Air has been fully upgraded, making it more fashionable to wear. The whole glasses maintain a consistent wireless integrated design and supports independent computing. The main frequency is upgraded to 2Ghz, and the performance is doubled compared to the previous generation. The optical display pioneers the vertical array waveguide technology, making its viewing angle completely unobstructed, while it still looks like ordinary glasses from the front. The new product has further optimized its battery life, reaching 4 hours of continuous use, and at the same time it has introduced a brand-new 3D Launcher display interface and adds more interactive methods including voice, head control, and fusion positioning.

In addition to the three basic functions of the previous generation product: call, music, and photo& video, INMO Air adds a series of new and interesting applications, such as AR navigation, instant translation, smart assistants, and Discovery, a travel& shop application, to allow consumers to further break away from the shackles of mobile phones and open a new way of life. For example, the video clips that turns "offline PUBG" into reality aroused enthusiastic response from the scene. It's worth mentioning that Ryan Zhang's entire speech was completely "out of draft", as he used his smart glasses as a "public speech teleprompter". INMO is committed to opening the SDK to more developers so as to explore more applications together with their partners in the INMO Verse.

Mr. Alfie Lv, the co-founder and CMO of INMO, shared with the audience the enthusiastic response from users of overseas sales platforms and social media, and announced that the official price of INMO Air was set at US$ 469. Its sales will start on INDIEGOGO, the only designated sales platform in the world, INMO Air is now available on Indiegogo.

INMO will start the INMO Verse project this year, from the "Developer Program" to the "Brand Experience Officer Program", focusing on themes such as photography, games and tourism, aiming at attracting more Z-generation users. Alfie Lv said that INMO will work with its peers to create an "AR ecosystem" and will launch the "One Hundred Cities Program" for agents, distributors and partners, so that more consumers can experience INMO Air in person.

Unlike the wide variety of audio glasses, camera glasses, and mobile phone projection glasses on the market, INMO, as an explorer of consumer-grade AR glasses, has chosen the most difficult path--wireless AR glasses with independent computing power, a product form that has almost not been tapped by other manufacturers and is quite "groundbreaking". The public's needs and understanding of the AR glasses is still in its infancy, but industry explorations like what INMO has been doing will bring more imagination to the public, accelerate the maturity of the AR ecosystem, and truly open the entrance to the "metaverse". We look forward to the era when everyone like what shows in the movie wears a pair of high-tech glasses sooner.

ABOUT INMO

Established in 2020, INMO creates modern technology products for young users to stay informed about trends and technology. Together with this generation, INMO aims to explore and create a new lifestyle for the future.

In July 2020, INMO released the first ultra-thin, all-in-one AR glasses, the xView, at the China Resources Art Center in Shenzhen Bay, and introduced the leading innovative AR design to the world. Since then, INMO has released other AR smart glasses products and collaborated with many domestic and foreign head-content companies. From software and hardware development to content applications, INMO's products have been used in a wide variety of platforms such as games, sports, and aiding tourism. As the head partner of Epson and the one and only designated XR manufacturer for the Qualcomm 2021MWC, INMO and its products have benefited archiving, industrial engineering, and many other industries.

To learn more, visit the campaign here:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/inmo-air-world-s-1st-consumer-grade-ar-glasses--2/

Visit our website: www.inmoglass.com

Media contact:

James Wu

[email protected]

+86-18520775627

SOURCE INMO
NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLP, a global investor rights law firm, announces it is investigating the following companies:

Retail Properties of America, Inc. (NYSE: RPAI) concerning potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties relating to its sale to Kite Realty Group Trust. Under the terms of the merger agreement, each Retail Properties common share will be converted into 0.6230 newly issued Kite Realty common shares. On a pro forma basis, following the closing of the transaction, Retail Properties shareholders are expected to own approximately 60% of the combined company's equity. If you are a Retail Properties shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.

J. Alexander's Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: JAX) concerning potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties relating to its sale to SPB Hospitality LLC for $14.00 in cash per share. If you are a J. Alexander's shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.

Covanta Holding Corporation (NYSE: CVA) concerning potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties relating to its sale to EQT Infrastructure for $20.25 per share. If you are a Covanta shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.

Lonestar Resources US Inc. (OTCQX: LONE) concerning potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties relating to its sale to Penn Virginia Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, Lonestar shareholders will receive 0.51 shares of Penn Virginia common stock for each share of Lonestar common stock they own. If you are a Lonestar shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.

Halper Sadeh LLP may seek increased consideration, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders.

Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email [email protected] or [email protected].

Halper Sadeh LLP represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Halper Sadeh LLP

Daniel Sadeh, Esq.

Zachary Halper, Esq.

(212) 763-0060

[email protected]

[email protected]

https://www.halpersadeh.com

SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLP

Related Links

www.halpersadeh.com


TEL AVIV, Israel, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading health professionals from Israel and around the world, government officials and top Israeli med-tech companies discussed the exciting future of medicine in diverse fields such as bioengineering and cell therapy, remote medicine, the use of artificial intelligence and big data, and more, at the IMPROVATE Life-Saving Technologies conference.

Watch the conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVXG6xOEUcY

IMPROVATE LIFE-SAVING-TECHNOLOGIES CONFERENCE 2021 Prof. Zeev Rotstein, Director of Hadassah Medical Center, IMPROVATE co-founder and CEO Ronit Hasin Hochman,VP Marketing Elta -Ilan Bublil Ori Shaham VP of customer service MDA-NET

Among the speakers at the conference were Israel's Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Orit Farkash Hacohen; Dr. Andrei Baciu, Secretary of State within the Romanian Ministry of Health; and Rosen Plevneliev, former president of Bulgaria. Leading health experts included Prof. Roni Gamzu, Director of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center; Prof. Ze'ev Rotstein, Director of Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem; Nikolay Hadjidontchev, General Manager of Teva Pharmaceuticals, Bulgaria; Dr. Galia Barkai, Director of Sheba Beyond, Sheba Medical Center's Virtual Hospital; Dr. Cristina Berteanu, Director of the Neolife Medical Center, Bucharest, Romania; Milena Stoycheva, a Bulgarian Entrepreneur and Educator; Dr. Yossi Bahagon, a Serial Med-tech Entrepreneur and VC; Bareket Knafo, Head of Israel's Economic and Trade Mission to Romania and Ukraine; and Dr. Laurentia Nicoletta Gales, Associate Professor of Oncology at Bucharest's "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Companies represented at the conference: MDA, IAI Elta Systems, G-medical, Telesofia, Patho-Logica, Innocan Pharma, BioLight Life Sciences , Imedis, Sivan, Rithem Life Sciences, Kadimastem, Pulsenmore, Vayyar, Healables, Precise-Bio, Enlivex Therapeutics, and Hospikol.

Prof. Ze'ev Rotstein, Director of Hadassah Medical Center, addressed the conference on how better data creates better care.

"We are on the verge of being able to constantly monitor patients 24 hours a day - in modern countries - and using AI to interpret this data, and this is exactly the difference between life and death," Rotstein said. "Big data is enormously important. Big data is not only the clinical data of the patients, but we are deepening our understanding of all the genomics. We know how to perform full gene diagnostics, we know how to perform next generation sequencing of the data, we can collect data on risk groups, and we can provide better or earlier diagnostics to prevent disease or at least detect disease early on in order to be able to treat it."

Prof. Ronni Gamzu, currently the director of the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv and a former director general of Israel's Ministry of Health said that the future of medicine lies in a convergence of all scientific disciplines.

"Biology, mathematics, physics - they are all connected. The future is convergence," said Gamzu. "We cannot go ahead with silos and silos. We have great minds, we have a great culture of hi-tech and start-up companies, great minds that are reinventing everything - not only medicine, but technology and the internet. All of that can be and should be converged in a way that we reinvent the way that we understand things, confront challenges and progress with therapies. This is what medicine is going to look like in the future. Not only classic medicine, but a convergence of all sciences to rebuild the future."

Israel's Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Orit Farkash Hacohen said that Israel's advanced health data records had given it a huge advantage in the coronavirus vaccination roll-out and looking to the future the fact that Israel has the world's second-largest database of health records was a huge asset for the health, technology and academic communities.

"We need to continue to exploit our data and combine it with genetic data and so on, and connect the data with the academic and scientific communities so that they can access it," Farkash Hacohen said. "At the same time, we also need to create a regulatory framework that will on the one hand provide access to the technological and academic communities to these health records and on the other hand will safeguard the privacy of each citizen that is part of this database."

Dr. Andrei Baciu, Secretary of State within the Romanian Ministry of Health described the Israeli healthcare sector as one of the leading in the world in terms of digitalization, and said there were strong opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, especially between Israel's healthcare sector and Romania's IT sector where he said a "powerful marriage" could be created.

"We have to identify common goals and start building bridges for our patients at a regional and global level," Baciu said. "At the end of the day, any and every breakthrough in digital healthcare is going to help the patient community worldwide. It is important to find common projects with very specific goals and from that point on it is only a matter of time to get competitive results at a global level."

Former Bulgarian President and IMPROVATE advisory board member Rosen Plevneliev said the European market holds huge opportunities for Israeli companies.

"The European Union has amazing potential because of the sheer size of its market, and the opportunity to really transform technology standards for 27 countries with over 500 million people living with the same regulations and standards."

IMPROVATE co-founder and CEO Ronit Hasin Hochman said: "The conference showed how Israel is at the forefront of medical technology and is able to improve lives around the world, something that is very much in line with IMPROVATE's mission."

Precise Bio is leading a revolution in the field of bio-convergence and tissue engineering. Precise Bio's unique 3d printing technology together with cell biology, biomaterials and a comprehensive multi-disciplinary approach enable bringing 4D biofabriacted tissues to the clinic.

Enlivex Therapeutics is a clinical stage macrophage reprogramming immunotherapy company developing Allocetra, a universal, off-the-shelf cell therapy designed to reprogram macrophages for the treatment of life-threatening diseases such as solid cancers, sepsis, COVID-19 and many others.

Kadimastem is a leading cell therapy company developing a treatment for ALS and a cure for diabetes.

Patho-Logica is a service company that supports projects in the early stages of development of laboratory animal experiments.

SIVAN is a leader in the e-health industry, and developed MOOVCARE  a medical application that detects relapses and complications in the follow-up process of lung cancer patients. It was the first digital therapy that was proven to improve life expectancy and to be reimbursed in France.

Hospikol focuses on improving communication in hospitals between the patient and the care team, while allowing management to analyse and improve efficiency and patient satisfaction.

Rithem Life Sciences is a technology company that is set to address needs in resuscitative medicine by creating a defibrillator that is small enough to fit in a kitchen drawer, and removes he cost factor from preventing ownership.

Innocan Pharma is a pharmaceutical company, developing several patent-pending Cannabinoids Delivery Systems to enhance the potency and efficacy of CBD as a therapeutic device.

IMedis has developed Duali-Q, a revolutionary medical innovation that promotes early detection of cancer and other life-threatening diseases using AI technology.

BioLight Life Sciences is a TASE-listed company investing in the best Israeli innovation in ophthalmology.

SOURCE IMPROVATE
TEL AVIV, Israel, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading health professionals from Israel and around the world, government officials and top Israeli med-tech companies discussed the exciting future of medicine in diverse fields such as bioengineering and cell therapy, remote medicine, the use of artificial intelligence and big data, and more, at the IMPROVATE Life-Saving Technologies conference.

Watch the conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVXG6xOEUcY

IMPROVATE LIFE-SAVING-TECHNOLOGIES CONFERENCE 2021 Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Orit Farkash Hacohen, IMPROVATE co-founder and CEO Ronit Hasin Hochman

Among the speakers at the conference were Israel's Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Orit Farkash Hacohen; Dr. Andrei Baciu, Secretary of State within the Romanian Ministry of Health; and Rosen Plevneliev, former president of Bulgaria. Leading health experts included Prof. Roni Gamzu, Director of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center; Prof. Ze'ev Rotstein, Director of Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem; Nikolay Hadjidontchev, General Manager of Teva Pharmaceuticals, Bulgaria; Dr. Galia Barkai, Director of Sheba Beyond, Sheba Medical Center's Virtual Hospital; Dr. Cristina Berteanu, Director of the Neolife Medical Center, Bucharest, Romania; Milena Stoycheva, a Bulgarian Entrepreneur and Educator; Dr. Yossi Bahagon, a Serial Med-tech Entrepreneur and VC; Bareket Knafo, Head of Israel's Economic and Trade Mission to Romania and Ukraine; and Dr. Laurentia Nicoletta Gales, Associate Professor of Oncology at Bucharest's "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Companies represented at the conference: MDA-NET, IAI Elta Systems, G-medical, Telesofia, Patho-Logica, Innocan Pharma, BioLight Life Sciences, Imedis, Sivan, Rithem Life Sciences, Kadimastem, Pulsenmore, Vayyar, Healables, Precise-Bio, Enlivex Therapeutics, and Hospikol.

Prof. Ze'ev Rotstein, Director of Hadassah Medical Center, addressed the conference on how better data creates better care.

"We are on the verge of being able to constantly monitor patients 24 hours a day - in modern countries - and using AI to interpret this data, and this is exactly the difference between life and death," Rotstein said. "Big data is enormously important. Big data is not only the clinical data of the patients, but we are deepening our understanding of all the genomics. We know how to perform full gene diagnostics, we know how to perform next generation sequencing of the data, we can collect data on risk groups, and we can provide better or earlier diagnostics to prevent disease or at least detect disease early on in order to be able to treat it."

Prof. Ronni Gamzu, director of the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, said the future of medicine lies in a convergence of all scientific disciplines.

"Biology, mathematics, physics - they are all connected. The future is convergence," said Gamzu. "We cannot go ahead with silos and silos. We have great minds, we have a great culture of hi-tech and start-up companies, great minds that are reinventing everything - not only medicine, but technology and the internet. All of that can be and should be converged in a way that we reinvent the way that we understand things, confront challenges and progress with therapies. This is what medicine is going to look like in the future. Not only classical medicine, but a convergence of all sciences to rebuild the future."

Israel's Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Orit Farkash Hacohen said that Israel's advanced health data records had given it a huge advantage in the coronavirus vaccination roll-out and looking to the future the fact that Israel has the world's second-largest database of health records was a huge asset for the health, technology and academic communities.

"We need to continue to exploit our data and combine it with genetic data and so on, and connect the data with the academic and scientific communities so that they can access it, Farkash Hacohen said. "At the same time, we also need to create a regulatory framework that will on the one hand provide access to the technological and academic communities to these health records and on the other hand will safeguard the privacy of each citizen that is part of this database."

Dr. Andrei Baciu, Secretary of State within the Romanian Ministry of Health described the Israeli healthcare sector as one of the leading in the world in terms of digitalization, and said there were strong opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, especially between Israel's healthcare sector and Romania's IT sector where he said a "powerful marriage" could be created.

"We have to identify common goals and start building bridges for our patients at a regional and global level," Baciu said. "At the end of the day, any and every breakthrough in digital healthcare is going to help the patient community worldwide. It is important to find common projects with very specific goals and from that point on it is only a matter of time to get competitive results at a global level."

Former Bulgarian President and IMPROVATE advisory board member Rosen Plevneliev said the European market holds huge opportunities for Israeli companies.

"The European Union has amazing potential because of the sheer size of its market, and the opportunity to really transform technology standards for 27 countries with over 500 million people living with the same regulations and standards."

IMPROVATE co-founder and CEO Ronit Hasin Hochman said: The conference showed how Israel is at the forefront of medical technology and is able to improve lives around the world, something that is very much in line with IMPROVATE's mission.

MDA-NET combines the knowledge and experience accumulated in Israel in the field of disaster preparedness and response and medical emergencies with the advanced and innovative technology of the start-up nation. The company implements a comprehensive solution for improving and streamlining work processes in PSAPs through integration of data and systems, integration of media and AI.

ELTA Systems, a group and subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, one of Israel's leading defense and technology companies, presented TAMAR, a modular solution developed from defense and advanced sensor technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic at the request by the Israeli government. TAMAR remotely measures at safe distances and with a high level of accuracy a person's vital signs such as body temperature.

GMedical develops and markets medical-grade health monitoring solutions to healthcare providers and consumers. The company is involved in four verticals: R&D of mobile remote patient monitoring technologies In Israel; Remote Patient Monitoring Centers in the United States; Big data and A.I analytics.

Vayyar Home is a unique touchless, camera-free solution for the elderly enhancing wellbeing either at home or in senior care facilities. The platform gathers rich data that supports instant fall detection and 24/7 activity monitoring - without cameras, buttons, cords or wearables - identifying signs of deteriorating physical or mental health, improving dementia care, and delivering timely interventions that save lives.

HEALABLES.IO is a digital health company devoted to reducing the burden of inflammatory illness and chronic pain. It leverages AI and e-textiles to deliver a synergy of bioelectric therapy and behavioral health that will redefine state-of-the-art care and make it accessible via telemedicine.

Pulsenmore has developed a handheld at-home ultrasound scanner that allows high quality images to be created anywhere, forwarded for clinical review or streamed to a doctor as part of an online consultation.

Telesofia Medical improves patient outcomes using auto-generated videos that are personalized based on demographic and clinical data.

SOURCE IMPROVATE
Dr. Duntsch injured 31 patients and killed two patients during his two years as a neurosurgeon in Dallas, Texas. In addition, he is the first doctor to be convicted of a crime committed in the operating room during the act of surgery. On February 20, 2017, the courts sentenced Christopher Duntsch to life in prison.

"I wish I could say that, as a result of my efforts and the national publicity, the system failures have been fixed," Van Wey said, speaking on the systemic problems that helped keep Duntsch in the operating room. "Unfortunately, that is far from the truth. There remain many problems that must be fixed."

Now, on the heels of the success of its true crime series, Peacock is releasing a documentary series exploring Dr. Duntsch's crimes. Van Wey has spoken on multiple major platforms about Dr. Death, including Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and American Greed. However, she will share even more insights and continues to be available for interviews and speaking engagements.

Your Organization

Van Wey & Williams is selective about the cases they take on because they care about their clients, and they become part of their family. In fact, many clients continue referring their friends and family long after their cases have been resolved. They are passionate advocates for patient safety and will continue to fight for reform within the medical community.

Related Links

Webpage: vwpwlaw.com

Facebook: @vwwlaw

Instagram: @vww_law

LinkedIn: Kay Van Wey

SOURCE Van Wey & Williams, PLLC
FORT WORTH, Texas, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 29, 2021, Kimbell Tiger Acquisition Corporation ("TGR" or the "Company"), a newly formed special purpose acquisition company and a subsidiary of Kimbell Royalty Partners LP ("Kimbell"), filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the "Registration Statement") with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") in connection with a proposed initial public offering of its units. TGR may pursue a business combination in any industry; however, TGR intends to search for a target in the energy and natural resources industry in North America.

The proposed public offering is expected to have a base offering size of $200 million (20,000,000 Units at $10.00 per Unit), or up to $230 million if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full. Under the terms of the proposed public offering, the sponsor of TGR, which is controlled by Kimbell, would own 20% of TGR's issued and outstanding common stock upon the consummation of the offering. Each unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and 1/2 of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share.

TGR expects to apply to list the units in the offering on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") under the ticker symbol "TGR.U" and once the securities constituting the units begin separate trading, the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols "TGR" and "TGR.WS," respectively.

UBS Investment Bank is acting as sole book-running manager for the proposed offering, and Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. is acting as capital markets advisor in connection with the initial public offering. When available, copies of the prospectus related to the proposed initial offering by TGR may be obtained for free by visiting Edgar on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or from UBS Securities LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10019, telephone: (888) 827-7275, or email: [email protected].

The Registration Statement relating to the securities of TGR has been filed but has not yet been declared effective by the SEC. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the Registration Statement becomes effective. 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 these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

There can be no assurance the public filing of a registration statement on Form S-1 will result in any transaction or other action by the Company. Kimbell does not intend to comment on or provide updates regarding these matters unless and until it determines that further disclosure is appropriate or required based on the then-current facts and circumstances.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating the proposed initial public offering of TGR, as well as the terms thereof and the use of proceeds therefrom, and the listing of TGR's securities with the NYSE. These and other forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including risks relating to unanticipated developments that may prevent, delay or negatively impact the proposed offering, general market and economic conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic and other risks and uncertainties described in Kimbell's filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, Kimbell undertakes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after this news release. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in Kimbell's filings with the SEC.

Contact:

Rick Black

Dennard Lascar Investor Relations

[email protected]

(713) 529-6600

SOURCE Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP
MEXICO CITY, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- La Haus , the proptech market leader in Mexico and Colombia that enables 100 percent online transactions, today announced it has raised $50 million in a Series B follow-on co-led by Acrew Capital and Renegade Partners. In addition, the company secured $50 million in debt funding. The round brings the company's total Series B funding to $135 million and cements the company's leadership in Spanish-speaking Latam.

The funding expansion was driven by exponential growth in Mexico, where transactions grew almost 10 times from Q2 2020 to Q2 2021. La Haus expects to achieve more than $1 billion in annualized gross sales by the end of the year. Selling more than 500 homes per month, La Haus is the market leader in Spanish-speaking Latam by an order of magnitude.

Also investing in this round are Jeff Bezos' Bezos Expeditions, Endeavor Catalyst, Moore Strategic Ventures, Marc Benioff's TIME Ventures, Rappi's Simon Borrero, Maluma, and Gabriel Gilinski. Past investors also participating in this round include Greenspring Associates, Kaszek, NFX, Spencer Rascoff's 75 & Sunny Ventures, Hadi Partovi and NuBank's David Velez. Acrew Capital has also invested in past rounds.

New funding will be used to fuel geographic expansion and introduce financing solutions to help solve housing inequality

By the end of 2021, La Haus will be in every major metropolitan area in Mexico and Colombia.

La Haus will leverage its debt funding and proprietary data to accelerate its business  and to help solve Latam's extreme housing inequality. In the region, more than 100 million people live in informal housing like slums and favelas. In the emerging world at large, 1 billion people live in informal housing[1].

The need for new housing in Latam and other emerging markets is acute. The pace of building new homes is slow because small- and mid-sized developers  who build 80 percent of new homes in Latam  are cash constrained. Additionally, mortgages are largely unaffordable for consumers, with banks extending only a fraction of the credit to individuals compared to the U.S., and often at worse terms.

La Haus is already Spanish-speaking Latam's leader in selling new housing  a $70 billion per year market today, with the potential to grow to a $200 billion per year market if financing is made more accessible. The company has partnerships with significant developers like Mexico-based Arquitectoma, GDC Desarrollos, CLASS, Punto Destino, Yukon, and Terraforma, who leverage La Haus' platform and audience to enable seamless 100-percent online transactions.

With the new debt funding and its one-of-a-kind, proprietary data gleaned from thousands of real estate transactions, La Haus is now positioned to extend capital to developers and consumers more quickly, with much lower risk and at better terms. The company has rolled out financing programs that it expects to catalyze growth in H2 2021 and beyond. Over time, La Haus will enable more new, sustainable homes to be built faster, alleviating the inequality caused by lack of access to inventory.

La Haus employs home-grown innovations to solve the region's housing challenges

"We are so grateful that our international investors recognize the transformative impact La Haus is having on the unstructured residential markets of Latin America. We are tailoring our solutions specifically for the needs of Latam, bringing more transparency and higher productivity to the entire ecosystem," said La Haus co-founder and President Rodrigo Sanchez-Rios. "Today we are bringing the pride of quality home ownership to Latin Americans. Longer term, our vision is to change the social structure of all emerging markets, in Latin America and beyond."

"La Haus is building a solution specific to the issues of Latin America's housing market  not importing solutions from the U.S.," said Lauren Kolodny of Acrew Capital. "We were attracted to the team and the incredible opportunity ahead of La Haus. They have already become the number one platform in Mexico and Colombia, and this new capital will create a flywheel of supply and demand that will benefit both the business and society."

La Haus was founded by Jeronimo Uribe, CEO; Rodrigo Sanchez-Rios, president; Tomas Uribe, Chief Growth Officer; and Santiago Garcia, CTO. Jeronimo Uribe and Tomas Uribe met Sanchez-Rios at Stanford University, and prior to La Haus they started and ran Jaguar Capital, a Colombian real estate development company with over $350 million of completed retail and residential projects.

About La Haus

La Haus is transforming the real estate industry in Latin America, bringing consumers an end-to-end marketplace aimed at addressing the many hardships home buyers and sellers face in Latin America. The company makes homeownership more accessible to many in Latin America where lack of infrastructure and access to transparent information can impede people's ability to buy homes. The company launched in 2017 and today operates property search portals lahaus.com in Colombia and lahaus.mx in Mexico -- the first portals that ensure high-quality and de-duplicated listings -- and a brokerage that is facilitating more than $400 million in annualized gross transaction value.

La Haus operates in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Medellin and Bogota.

[1] According to the United Nations. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2019/goal-11/

SOURCE La Haus

Related Links

https://www.lahaus.mx


SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vulnerable Americans who needed comprehensive medical insurance were fooled into buying limited healthcare plans that didn't meet their needs by a group of insurance agencies that used misleading advertising, according to a new federal lawsuit filed by California-based McLaren Insurance Solutions. The lawsuit alleges that Insurance Care Direct (ICD) and its various business entities engaged in a malicious scheme that hurt families and individuals. Insurance Care Direct claims to be one of the nation's largest health and life insurance agencies.

Filed July 27, 2021, in the United States District Court for the District of California, the complaint (Case 2:21-cv-06066) describes a scheme hinged on false and deceptive advertising. Families and individuals looking to purchase healthcare coverage were led to believe they would be receiving comprehensive health insurance through reputable insurers like Humana, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Cigna, Aetna, or others. But instead, the ICD scheme forced nearly every person who reached to purchase a limited benefit plan that exposed the consumers to the risk of being under- or un-insured.

"ICD used deceptive and misleading marketing tactics to rip people off," said Jim Gale, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs. "This wasn't about getting people coverage. This was about ICD making money and padding its pockets on the backs of unsuspecting victims."

The lawsuit alleges the people who bought these policies were carefully and deliberately targeted and deceived by ICD.

"Limited healthcare benefit plans can be right for many people," said Gale. "But they are not the same as comprehensive plans, and ICD and its many pseudonym entities simply deceived people through its advertising and marketing."

The ICD scheme involved operating websites under unregistered fictitious names, such as "Affordable Healthcare of California." Unwary consumers would go to these sites that were filled with logos from well-known insurance carriers. Seeing these familiar companies, consumers would believe they were on a trustworthy website selling quality healthcare plans.

Consumers were then directed to share their personal information, including a phone number and email address, to receive "instant health plan quotes." But instead of seeing a quote, they would receive a phone call from an agent who would then force the consumer into a limited benefit plan when they thought they were buying a comprehensive plan that would provide full healthcare coverage.

"As we detail in our lawsuit, ICD is a well-oiled marketing machine that takes advantage of people who are vulnerable," said Gale. "It's a classic bait-and-switch."

In fact, in a recent bulletin, the Texas Department of Insurance warned insurance companies, agents, and marketers of discount health care programs, that this type of activity could lead to cease and desist orders, fines, suspensions, as well as possible criminal referrals.

The lawsuit also explains how ICD hired well-connected former politicians to escape regulatory scrutiny, such as former United States Senator and Governor of Nebraska, E. Benjamin Nelson and former Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner, John Doak.

In addition to the false advertising and unfair competition alleged in the complaint, ICD conducted their insurance business without a registered agent, which is a direct violation of insurance regulations. In fact, the person designated as the company's agent admitted under oath that he was just a "figurehead."

Attorneys for McLaren have already heard from many victims of this scheme and expect to hear from more. If you suspect you are a victim, email [email protected].

Attorneys for McLaren are available for comment upon request.

SOURCE McLaren Insurance Solutions
ALBANY, Ore., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lazarus 3D received its first 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its patented PRE-SURE technology. Lazarus 3D's PRE-SURE models are created in synthetic, soft-tissue materials that can be cut, sutured, and can even bleed. These hyper-realistic models are 3D printed directly from patient MRI/CT data to allow doctors to perform surgical rehearsals before operating on the actual patient. This clearance covers all genitourinary conditions, including conditions of the kidneys, prostate, bladder, and genitalia.

"Traditionally, surgeons utilize 2D imaging studies and occasionally 3D imaging reconstructions to understand a patient's particular anatomy and tumor configuration. This has obvious limitations and prevents surgical rehearsal. Physical 3D models have been limited in availability, and their hard plastic design limits their usefulness. PRE-SURE is a unique technology that provides physical patient-specific 3D organ replicas that aid in surgical planning and allow for surgical rehearsal. These models are also extremely useful for both patient and trainee education," said Dr. Wesley A. Mayer, MD, Vice Chair of Education and Associate Professor of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine.

"We build our models to imitate the patients' organs so that surgeons can practice their upcoming procedures before the patient enters the hospital. This can reduce risk to patients and help surgeons achieve surgical perfection," said Dr. Jacques Zaneveld, Founder and CEO of Lazarus 3D.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has issued medical billing codes covering Lazarus 3D's technology. Lazarus 3D PRE-SURE models will be covered by major health insurance plans facilitating rapid adoption across the United States. PRE-SURE models are designed, produced, and directly delivered to the surgeon, providing a turn-key solution that can help improve surgical outcomes for over 32,000 kidney cancer patients in the US annually.

"Just like practice leads to perfection for an orchestra, surgical rehearsals on PRE-SURE models inspire confidence in surgeons and patients. These models may lead to markedly improved patient outcomes and become a new standard of care for a wide range of complex procedures," said Dr. Smriti Zaneveld, Founder and President of Lazarus 3D. "This technology has the potential to significantly reduce the US healthcare burden resulting from surgical complications."

Lazarus 3D, headquartered in Albany, Oregon, was founded in 2016 to develop innovative solutions that help doctors operate with confidence. Lazarus 3D's patented PRE-operative SUrgical REhearsal (PRE-SURE) technology allows physicians, for the first time, to rehearse on realistic copies of patients' organs before operating on the patient. These unique life-like models are 3D printed directly from patient's MRI/CT data and are FDA cleared for pre-operative surgical rehearsals for all genitourinary conditions, including conditions of the kidneys, prostate, bladder, and genitalia. Lazarus 3D's mission is to enable surgical perfection by bringing PRE-SURE technology to every patient and every surgeon. Learn more at https://www.Laz3D.com

SOURCE Lazarus 3D
ARLINGTON, Mass., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leader Bank is excited to welcome live music back to Boston's Seaport district with the first show of the 2021 season at the newly-renamed Leader Bank Pavilion featuring country-music duo Brothers Osborne on Friday, July 30.

For their heroic efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Leader Bank will be giving 100 healthcare and frontline workers from Greater Boston free tickets to the show. The Bank's guests will also be able to enjoy the concert from the VIP section of the venue.

Leader Bank launched a social media campaign through which members of the community nominated healthcare and frontline workers to receive free tickets to Friday's concert. Throughout the 2021 concert season, the Bank will continue to offer music fans exciting ways to interact with the Leader Bank brand.

"We are very happy to be welcoming healthcare and frontline workers to the first show of 2021 at the Leader Bank Pavilion," said Sushil K. Tuli, Chairman & CEO of Leader Bank. "It is a small gesture of thanks for their tireless work serving our community during the pandemic, and we are excited to honor these frontline heroes as we re-open the Leader Bank Pavilion."

At Friday's show and throughout the 2021 season, concertgoers will be treated to different experiences at the venue, including a photobooth. Additionally, Leader Bank clients will enjoy unique opportunities for VIP experiences at the Pavilion in 2021 and beyond.

In April, Leader Bank announced a multi-year agreement to be the naming rights partner for the Pavilion concert venue in Boston's Seaport district, now called Leader Bank Pavilion.

Leader Bank Pavilion is one of Boston's most popular outdoor amphitheaters and has hosted some of the city's most memorable concerts. Situated on Boston Harbor and adjacent to Fish Pier, Leader Bank Pavilion is the city's premiere outdoor summer concert. With a seating capacity of 5,000, the site is also one of the largest in the area. The concert destination's top of the line sound system, spectacular lighting capabilities and cool harbor breezes make for a truly unforgettable experience. Some of the most notable acts to perform in recent years include Norah Jones, Diana Ross, Van Morrison, and Elvis Costello.

ABOUT LEADER BANK

Founded in 2002, Leader Bank is a Massachusetts-based entrepreneurial financial institution that approaches banking differently. The core tenets of Leader Bank include customer service, exemplary products, and innovation to meet the needs of its clients. Leader Bank's best-in-class staff has been at the forefront of supporting the Bank's rapid growth and customer-oriented solutions, as the bank has continued to expand its commercial and retail products and solutions over the last two decades. Leader Bank is a committed corporate citizen and prides itself on partnering with and supporting philanthropic organizations. More information on Leader Bank can be found at www.LeaderBank.com.

LEADER BANK MEDIA CONTACTS

Matthew Chmura: 857.294.0117, [email protected]

Kerry Ferraro: 781.641.8671, [email protected]

SOURCE Leader Bank

Related Links

leaderbank.com


HOUSTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lummus Technology and Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG) today announced multiple technology contracts from North Huajin Refining and Petrochemical Co., Ltd. for a grassroots refinery and petrochemical complex in Liaoning Province, China.

The complex will include one of the largest vacuum residue desulfurization (VRDS) units in China and one of the largest Novolen polypropylene (PP) plants. Lummus will provide the license and basic engineering for its Novolen PP technology, plus the associated catalysts. CLG will provide the license and basic engineering for the VRDS technology, plus proprietary reactor internals and catalysts.

"Lummus and CLG are uniquely equipped to provide multi-technology solutions for our customers," said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lummus Technology. "By supplying our world-class technologies and services, we can enhance the productivity throughout the entire life cycle of North Huajin's complex, reduce their capital and operating costs, and increase their profitability."

"The VRDS technology we are licensing, and the catalysts and reactor internals we are supplying, will help optimize product quality, product yield and run-length over a range of vacuum residue," said Ujjal Mukherjee, Managing Director of CLG. "Our VRDS technology has a very strong market share worldwide, and this award further strengthens our position and leadership in licensing world-class residue desulfurization technology."

Once complete, the VRDS unit will process 5 MMTPA of vacuum residue, providing hydrotreated feed for the downstream conversion unit while simultaneously producing low sulfur bunker oil that meets International Maritime Organization (IMO) specifications. The Novolen plant, embedded in a compact plot area, will produce 1,000 KTA of polypropylene homopolymers, random copolymers, and impact copolymers  making it one of the largest in China  with high-end products encompassing the complete portfolio.

About Lummus Technology

Lummus Technology is the global leader in developing process technologies that make modern life possible and focus on a more sustainable, low carbon future. Lummus is a master licensor of clean energy, petrochemical, refining, gas processing and renewable technologies, and a supplier of catalysts, proprietary equipment, digitalization and related lifecycle services to customers worldwide. To learn more about Lummus, visit www.LummusTechnology.com.

About Chevron Lummus Global

Chevron Lummus Global (CLG), a joint venture between Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Lummus Technology, is a leading process technology licensor for refining hydroprocessing technologies and alternative source fuels, as well as a global leader in catalyst system supply. CLG offers the most complete bottom-of-the-barrel solution for upgrading heavy oil residues. Our research and development experts are continuously seeking advancements in technology and catalysts that will improve operating economics for your next project. For more information, visit www.chevronlummus.com.

SOURCE Lummus Technology, LLC

Related Links

www.LummusTechnology.com


SAN RAFAEL, Calif., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With over a dozen fires currently burning in California, fire season is here. One non-profit, Marin Center for Independent Living (Marin CIL), is stepping in to help residents ready themselves in case of emergency. Located in Downtown San Rafael, Marin CIL focuses on providing support services to individuals living with disabilities and older adults, two populations whose daily living challenges tend to overlap and may be particularly vulnerable when disaster strikes.

Last year saw the organization distribute over 100 of the portable batteries, a goal Execute Director, Eli Gelardin, says he's looking to double for 2021. "As fire season is now something that is recurring and sustained for all of us, we anticipate a greater need. Power outages can be doubly dangerous for those of us that rely on the support of medical devices." Gelardin continued, "As we have seen throughout the pandemic, the health and safety of our community members must continue to be prioritized. It's all about building resiliency."

The batteries are available in two sizes and take about 24 hours to fully charge. With wheels and a retractable handle, the batteries are portable for most residents regardless of age or ability in an emergency. Each battery has 6 outlets, including USB, for running medical devices, and a power light that makes the units easy to find in the dark. The battery distribution is part of Marin CIL's Powered & Prepared, a larger program that also encompasses disaster preparedness planning. The program also includes support for residents to purchase preparedness supplies by distributing over 100 individual gift cards through a network of local partners.

Maurice Pollard, who facilitates the hand-off of the batteries, says that the batteries are extremely easy to use. "Usually, when someone comes in to pick up their battery, I can take them through how it works within 5 minutes. We've had people call back in and tell us how easy they are to use." Pollard recommends that interested Marin County residents apply to the program now, before fire season becomes heavy. "I would hate for anyone in Marin who needs a battery not get one this year. If you apply now, you can have [the battery] on hand and be ready."

For more information about the program and to see if you qualify, visit marincil.org/prepare .

SOURCE Marin Center for Independent Living
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Early Warning Services, LLC, the network operator behind Zelle, announced its Q2 2021 transaction results, which include signed FIs representing more than 500 million DDA accounts. In Q2 2021, the Zelle Network processed $120 billion on 436 million transactions. Year-over-year sent payment values increased by 68%, while payment transactions increased by 58%.

Credit Unions and Community Banks Turn to Zelle

FI participants with less than $10 billion in assets now account for 40% of the Zelle Network. Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union joins the network as the 1,000th FI to go live with Zelle.

"By offering Zelle in our app, we are giving our 6,000 members a convenient way to transact digitally," said Andrea Thune, CEO of Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union. "Our members are considered part of our family and rely on us for banking services that adapt to their lives. By joining the Zelle Network, we now give them a service that allows them to transact with their friends and family no matter where they may bank."

"Zelle plays the role of digital cash for tens of millions of people and businesses, giving them a fast, easy and safe way to send and receive money in an app they use and trust," said Al Ko, CEO of Early Warning. "First responders and their families are an important community, and it is an honor for Zelle to now be a part of the financial services offered by Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union."

Zelle Small Business Transactions Grow 157% Year- Over -Year

With the challenges of the past 18 months, businesses of all sizes have leveraged Zelle when checks and cash were no longer options. Zelle Small Business continues to be a fast-growth area in the network, growing 157% year-over-year.

Consumers should only use Zelle to send and receive money with friends, family, and people they know and trust.

About Zelle

Brought to you by Early Warning Services, LLC, an innovator in payment and risk management solutions, Zelle makes it fast, safe and easy for money to move. The Zelle Network connects financial institutions of all sizes, enabling consumers and businesses to send fast digital payments to people they know and trust with a bank account in the U.S. Funds are available directly in bank accounts generally within minutes when the recipient is already enrolled with Zelle. To learn more about Zelle and its participating financial institutions, visit www.zellepay.com.

About Early Warning Services, LLC

Early Warning Services, LLC is a fintech company owned by seven of the country's largest banks. For almost three decades, our identity, authentication and payment solutions have been empowering financial institutions to make confident decisions, enable payments and mitigate fraud. Today, Early Warning is best known as the owner and operator of the Zelle Network, a financial services network focused on transforming payment experiences. The combination of Early Warning's risk and payment solutions enable the financial services industry to move money fast, safe and easy, so people can live their best financial lives. To learn more about Early Warning, visit www.earlywarning.com.

Zelle and the Zelle related marks are property of Early Warning Services, LLC.

SOURCE Early Warning Services, LLC

Related Links

http://www.earlywarning.com


HONOLULU, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Matson, Inc. ("Matson" or the "Company") (NYSE: MATX), a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, today reported net income of $162.5 million, or $3.71 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 was $32.8 million, or $0.76 per diluted share. Consolidated revenue for the second quarter 2021 was $874.9 million compared with $524.1 million for the second quarter 2020.

"Matson's Ocean Transportation and Logistics businesses continued to perform well in the second quarter as the U.S. economy further recovers from the pandemic," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Matt Cox. "Within Ocean Transportation, our China service continued to see significant demand for its expedited CLX and CLX+ ocean services, which was the primary driver of the increase in consolidated operating income year-over-year. The supply chain environment continues to be marked by widespread congestion and pressure points at critical junctures for both ocean and overland transportation. We remain focused on what Matson does best, which is maintaining reliable tradelane services and helping our customers in Ocean Transportation and Logistics manage through this unique and difficult period of congestion."

Mr. Cox added, "In our domestic ocean tradelanes, we continued to see improving demand as the local economies further reopen with meaningfully higher year-over-year volumes compared to the pandemic volume lows in the second quarter of last year. In Hawaii, we experienced elevated westbound freight demand as the state's tourism and economy rebounded sharply from the pandemic lows. In Logistics, operating income increased year-over-year compared to the pandemic low operating income achieved in the year ago period as we continued to see elevated goods consumption and inventory restocking in addition to favorable supply and demand fundamentals in our core markets."

Second Quarter 2021 Discussion and Update on Business Conditions

Ocean Transportation: The Company's container volume in the Hawaii service in the second quarter 2021 was 9.9 percent higher year-over-year. The increase was primarily due to higher retail and hospitality-related demand due to the reopening of the Hawaii economy compared to the pandemic low in the year ago period, partially offset by volume associated with the dry-docking of a competitor's vessel in the year ago period. Domestic visitor travel to the state accelerated since the beginning of the year and the local economy continued to reopen with COVID-19 vaccinations, leading to a sharp rebound in Hawaii's tourism industry and economy. The economic recovery in the state is on a cautiously optimistic trajectory due to improving tourism and unemployment trends.

In China, the Company's container volume in the second quarter 2021 increased 59.1 percent year-over-year. The increase was primarily due to incremental volume from the CLX+ service in addition to higher volume in the CLX service as a result of our increased capacity in the tradelane. The total number of eastbound voyages in the China service increased by nine year-over-year of which six were from incremental CLX+ voyages and three from extra loaders. Volume demand in the quarter was driven by e-commerce, garments and other goods. Matson continued to realize a significant rate premium in the second quarter 2021 and achieved average freight rates that were considerably higher than in the year ago period. Currently in the Transpacific tradelane, supply chain congestion continues, and consumption trends remain elevated. We expect these conditions to remain in place and lead to a high level of demand at least until Lunar New Year in the first quarter of 2022. As a result of the exceptional level of demand for our expedited Transpacific services, Matson recently announced the initiation of our CCX service as a seasonal string with Matson-owned vessels from China to the U.S. West Coast with Oakland as the first call. Consequently, we expect our vessels in the CLX, CLX+ and CCX services to be operating at capacity at least until Lunar New Year next year.

In Guam, the Company's container volume in the second quarter 2021 increased 35.7 percent year-over-year primarily due to higher retail-related demand compared to the pandemic low in the year ago period as well as volume attributable to a competitor's schedule issues. The economic recovery trajectory in Guam remains uncertain as the economy recovers slowly and tourism remains constrained.

In Alaska, the Company's container volume for the second quarter 2021 increased 15.2 percent year-over-year due to higher northbound volume primarily due to (i) higher retail-related demand compared to the pandemic low in the year ago period, (ii) higher southbound volume and (iii) the addition of volume from the Alaska-Asia Express service, partially offset by one less northbound sailing. In the near-term, we expect improving economic trends in Alaska, but the recovery's trajectory continues to remain uncertain.

The contribution in the second quarter 2021 from the Company's SSAT joint venture investment was $12.8 million, or $9.1 million higher than the second quarter 2020. The increase was driven by higher lift volume.

Logistics: In the second quarter 2021, operating income for the Company's Logistics segment was $12.9 million, or $4.0 million higher compared to the pandemic low operating income achieved in the second quarter 2020. The increase was due primarily to higher contributions from transportation brokerage, freight forwarding and supply chain management as a result of elevated goods consumption and inventory restocking in addition to favorable supply and demand fundamentals in our core markets.

Results By Segment Ocean Transportation  Three months ended June 30, 2021 compared with 2020





Three Months Ended June 30,

(Dollars in millions)

2021

2020

Change

Ocean Transportation revenue

$ 682.9

$ 410.8

$ 272.1

66.2 % Operating costs and expenses



(481.9)



(368.5)



(113.4)

30.8 % Operating income

$ 201.0

$ 42.3

$ 158.7

375.2 % Operating income margin



29.4 %

10.3 %



































Volume (Forty-foot equivalent units (FEU), except for automobiles) (1)























Hawaii containers



39,800



36,200



3,600

9.9 % Hawaii automobiles



12,700



8,200



4,500

54.9 % Alaska containers



19,700



17,100



2,600

15.2 % China containers



43,600



27,400



16,200

59.1 % Guam containers



5,700



4,200



1,500

35.7 % Other containers (2)



5,200



3,900



1,300

33.3 %



















(1) Approximate volumes included for the period are based on the voyage departure date, but revenue and operating income are adjusted to reflect the percentage of revenue and operating income earned during the reporting period for voyages in transit at the end of each reporting period. (2) Includes containers from services in various islands in Micronesia and the South Pacific, and Okinawa, Japan.

Ocean Transportation revenue increased $272.1 million, or 66.2 percent, during the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared with the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher revenue in China and Hawaii, higher fuel-related surcharge revenue and higher revenue in Alaska and Guam.

On a year-over-year FEU basis, Hawaii container volume increased 9.9 percent primarily due to higher retail and hospitality-related demand due to the reopening of the Hawaii economy compared to the pandemic low in the year ago period as a result of the state's COVID-19 mitigation efforts, including restrictions on tourism, partially offset by volume associated with the dry-docking of a competitor's vessel in the year ago period; Alaska volume increased 15.2 percent due to higher northbound volume primarily due to higher retail-related demand compared to the pandemic low in the year ago period as a result of the state's COVID-19 mitigation efforts, higher southbound volume and the addition of volume from the Alaska-Asia Express service, partially offset by one less northbound sailing; China volume was 59.1 percent higher primarily due to incremental volume from the CLX+ service in addition to higher volume in the CLX service as a result of our increased capacity in the tradelane; Guam volume was 35.7 percent higher primarily due to higher retail-related demand compared to the pandemic low in the year ago period as a result of the island's COVID-19 mitigation measures as well as volume attributable to a competitor's schedule issues; and Other containers volume increased 33.3 percent primarily due to higher volume in Okinawa.

Ocean Transportation operating income increased $158.7 million during the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared with the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher contributions from the China and Hawaii services and SSAT, partially offset by higher vessel operating costs, higher terminal handling costs and higher depreciation.

The Company's SSAT terminal joint venture investment contributed $12.8 million during the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to a contribution of $3.7 million during the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was driven by higher lift volume.

Ocean Transportation  Six months ended June 30, 2021 compared with 2020





Six Months Ended June 30,

(Dollars in millions)

2021

2020

Change

Ocean Transportation revenue

$ 1,243.4

$ 811.7

$ 431.7

53.2 % Operating costs and expenses



(928.3)



(761.5)



(166.8)

21.9 % Operating income

$ 315.1

$ 50.2

$ 264.9

527.7 % Operating income margin



25.3 %

6.2 %



































Volume (Forty-foot equivalent units (FEU), except for automobiles) (1)























Hawaii containers



75,500



71,700



3,800

5.3 % Hawaii automobiles



23,400



21,500



1,900

8.8 % Alaska containers



37,000



35,300



1,700

4.8 % China containers



84,700



40,300



44,400

110.2 % Guam containers



10,700



9,100



1,600

17.6 % Other containers (2)



9,200



8,000



1,200

15.0 %



















(1) Approximate volumes included for the period are based on the voyage departure date, but revenue and operating income are adjusted to reflect the percentage of revenue and operating income earned during the reporting period for voyages in transit at the end of each reporting period. (2) Includes containers from services in various islands in Micronesia and the South Pacific, and Okinawa, Japan.

Ocean Transportation revenue increased $431.7 million, or 53.2 percent, during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared with the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher revenue in China, Hawaii and Guam.

On a year-over-year FEU basis, Hawaii container volume increased 5.3 percent primarily due to higher retail and hospitality-related demand due to the reopening of the Hawaii economy compared to the negatively impacted volume in the year ago period as a result of the pandemic and the state's COVID-19 mitigation efforts, partially offset by volume associated with the dry-docking of a competitor's vessel in the second quarter of last year; Alaska volume increased by 4.8 percent due to higher northbound volume primarily due to higher retail-related demand compared to the negatively impacted volume in the year ago period as a result of the pandemic and the state's COVID-19 mitigation efforts, higher southbound volume and the addition of volume from the Alaska-Asia Express service, partially offset by two less northbound sailings; China volume was 110.2 percent higher primarily due to incremental volume from the CLX+ service in addition to higher volume on the CLX service as a result of increased capacity in the tradelane; Guam volume was 17.6 percent higher primarily due to higher retail-related demand compared to the negatively impacted volume in the year ago period as a result of the pandemic and the island's COVID-19 mitigation measures as well as volume attributable to a competitor's schedule issues; and Other container volume increased 15.0 percent primarily due to higher volume in Okinawa.

Ocean Transportation operating income increased $264.9 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared with the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher contributions from the China and Hawaii services and SSAT, partially offset by higher vessel operating costs, higher terminal handling costs and higher depreciation.

The Company's SSAT terminal joint venture investment contributed $22.0 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to a contribution of $7.7 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was largely attributable to higher lift volume.

Logistics  Three months ended June 30, 2021 compared with 2020





Three Months Ended June 30,

(Dollars in millions)

2021

2020

Change

Logistics revenue

$ 192.0

$ 113.3

$ 78.7

69.5 % Operating costs and expenses



(179.1)



(104.4)



(74.7)

71.6 % Operating income

$ 12.9

$ 8.9

$ 4.0

44.9 % Operating income margin



6.7 %

7.9 %











Logistics revenue increased $78.7 million, or 69.5 percent, during the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared with the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher transportation brokerage revenue.

Logistics operating income increased $4.0 million, or 44.9 percent, for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared with the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher contributions from transportation brokerage, freight forwarding and supply chain management.

Logistics  Six months ended June 30, 2021 compared with 2020





Six Months Ended June 30,

(Dollars in millions)

2021

2020

Change

Logistics revenue

$ 343.3

$ 226.3

$ 117.0

51.7 % Operating costs and expenses



(324.3)



(212.3)



(112.0)

52.8 % Operating income

$ 19.0

$ 14.0

$ 5.0

35.7 % Operating income margin



5.5 %

6.2 %











Logistics revenue increased $117.0 million, or 51.7 percent, during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared with the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher transportation brokerage revenue.

Logistics operating income increased $5.0 million, or 35.7 percent, for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared with the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase was due primarily to higher contributions from transportation brokerage, freight forwarding and supply chain management.

Liquidity, Cash Flows and Capital Allocation

Matson's Cash and Cash Equivalents increased by $3.0 million from $14.4 million at December 31, 2020 to $17.4 million at June 30, 2021. Matson generated net cash from operating activities of $238.8 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $140.6 million during the six months ended June 30, 2020. Capital expenditures totaled $101.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared with $50.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. Total debt decreased by $98.6 million during the six months to $661.5 million as of June 30, 2021, of which $596.5 million was classified as long-term debt.

Under the recently amended debt agreements, as of June 30, 2021 Matson had available borrowings under its revolving credit facility of $641.9 million and a leverage ratio per the amended debt agreements of approximately 0.9x.

As previously announced, Matson's Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.30 per share payable on September 2, 2021 to all shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 5, 2021.

Teleconference and Webcast

A conference call is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET when Matt Cox, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Joel Wine, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will discuss Matson's second quarter results.

Date of Conference Call: Thursday, July 29, 2021 Scheduled Time: 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT / 10:30 a.m. HT Participant Toll Free Dial-In #: 1-877-312-5524 International Dial-In #: 1-253-237-1144

The conference call will be broadcast live along with a slide presentation on the Company's website at www.matson.com, under Investors. A replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after the call through August 5, 2021 by dialing 1-855-859-2056 or 1-404-537-3406 and using the conference number 6564633. The slides and audio webcast of the conference call will be archived for one full quarter on the Company's website at www.matson.com, under Investors.

About the Company

Founded in 1882, Matson (NYSE: MATX) is a leading provider of ocean transportation and logistics services. Matson provides a vital lifeline to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, and to other island economies in Micronesia. Matson also operates premium, expedited services from China to Long Beach, California, provides service to Okinawa, Japan and various islands in the South Pacific, and operates an international export service from Dutch Harbor to Asia. The Company's fleet of owned and chartered vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges. Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends the geographic reach of Matson's transportation network throughout North America. Its integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage, warehousing, freight consolidation, Asia supply chain services, and forwarding to Alaska. Additional information about the Company is available at www.matson.com.

GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation

This press release, the Form 8-K and the information to be discussed in the conference call include non-GAAP measures. While Matson reports financial results in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), the Company also considers other non-GAAP measures to evaluate performance, make day-to-day operating decisions, help investors understand our ability to incur and service debt and to make capital expenditures, and to understand period-over-period operating results separate and apart from items that may, or could, have a disproportional positive or negative impact on results in any particular period. These non-GAAP measures include, but are not limited to, Earnings Before Interest, Income Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization ("EBITDA") and Net Debt-to-EBITDA.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including without limitation those statements regarding performance and financial results, capital expenditures, vessel deployments, duration and availability of vessel charters, vessel transit times, organic growth opportunities, lift volumes at SSAT, demand for our expedited Transpacific services, seasonality of the CCX service, supply and demand dynamics in the Transpacific tradelane, supply chain congestion and pressure points, consumption trends, retail and e-commerce demand, tourism levels, unemployment trends, economic recovery and drivers in Hawaii, Alaska and Guam, volume levels, and the financial effects of the Maunalei transaction. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statement, including but not limited to risks and uncertainties relating to repeal, substantial amendment or waiver of the Jones Act or its application, or our failure to maintain our status as a United States citizen under the Jones Act; regional, national and international economic conditions; new or increased competition or improvements in competitors' service levels; fuel prices, our ability to collect fuel-related surcharges and/or the cost or limited availability of low-sulfur fuel; delays or cost overruns related to the installation of scrubbers; our relationship with vendors, customers and partners and changes in related agreements; the actions of our competitors; our ability to offer a differentiated service in China for which customers are willing to pay a significant premium; the imposition of tariffs or a change in international trade policies; the magnitude and timing of the impact of public health crises, including COVID-19; any unanticipated dry-dock or repair expenses; any delays or cost overruns related to the modernization of terminals; consummating and integrating acquisitions; changes in general economic and/or industry-specific conditions; competition and growth rates within the logistics industry; freight levels and increasing costs and availability of truck capacity or alternative means of transporting freight; changes in relationships with existing truck, rail, ocean and air carriers; changes in customer base due to possible consolidation among customers; conditions in the financial markets; changes in our credit profile and our future financial performance; our ability to obtain future debt financings; continuation of the Title XI and CCF programs; the impact of future and pending legislation and regulations, including regulations related to greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental laws and regulations; government regulations and investigations; relations with our unions; satisfactory negotiation and renewal of expired collective bargaining agreements without significant disruption to Matson's operations; war, terrorist attacks or other acts of violence; the use of our information technology and communication systems and cybersecurity attacks; and the occurrence of marine accidents, poor weather or natural disasters. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. This release should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and our other filings with the SEC through the date of this release, which identify important factors that could affect the forward-looking statements in this release. We do not undertake any obligation to update our forward-looking statements.



MATSON, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)





Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended



June 30,

June 30, (In millions, except per share amounts)

2021

2020

2021

2020 Operating Revenue:























Ocean Transportation

$ 682.9

$ 410.8

$ 1,243.4

$ 811.7 Logistics



192.0



113.3



343.3



226.3 Total Operating Revenue



874.9



524.1



1,586.7



1,038.0

























Costs and Expenses:























Operating costs



(615.6)



(426.3)



(1,160.3)



(874.6) Income from SSAT



12.8



3.7



22.0



7.7 Selling, general and administrative



(58.2)



(50.3)



(114.3)



(106.9) Total Costs and Expenses



(661.0)



(472.9)



(1,252.6)



(973.8)

























Operating Income



213.9



51.2



334.1



64.2 Interest expense



(5.5)



(8.2)



(12.8)



(16.8) Other income (expense), net



1.5



1.5



2.9



2.1 Income before Income Taxes



209.9



44.5



324.2



49.5 Income taxes



(47.4)



(11.7)



(74.5)



(12.9) Net Income

$ 162.5

$ 32.8

$ 249.7

$ 36.6

























Basic Earnings Per Share

$ 3.74

$ 0.76

$ 5.75

$ 0.85 Diluted Earnings Per Share

$ 3.71

$ 0.76

$ 5.70

$ 0.85

























Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding:























Basic



43.5



43.1



43.4



43.0 Diluted



43.8



43.3



43.8



43.3

MATSON, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)





June 30,

December 31, (In millions)

2021

2020 ASSETS











Current Assets:











Cash and cash equivalents

$ 17.4

$ 14.4 Other current assets



385.3



291.5 Total current assets



402.7



305.9 Long-term Assets:











Investment in SSAT



50.1



48.7 Property and equipment, net



1,715.8



1,689.9 Goodwill



327.8



327.8 Intangible assets, net



186.5



192.0 Other long-term assets



353.3



336.3 Total long-term assets



2,633.5



2,594.7 Total assets

$ 3,036.2

$ 2,900.6













LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY











Current Liabilities:











Current portion of debt

$ 65.0

$ 59.2 Other current liabilities



467.3



452.3 Total current liabilities



532.3



511.5 Long-term Liabilities:











Long-term debt, net of deferred loan fees



581.5



685.6 Deferred income taxes



404.9



389.6 Other long-term liabilities



344.7



352.7 Total long-term liabilities



1,331.1



1,427.9













Total shareholders' equity



1,172.8



961.2 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$ 3,036.2

$ 2,900.6

MATSON, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)





Six Months Ended June 30,

(In millions)

2021

2020

Cash Flows From Operating Activities:













Net income

$ 249.7

$ 36.6

Reconciling adjustments:













Depreciation and amortization



67.9



55.6

Amortization of operating lease right of use assets



49.2



35.6

Deferred income taxes



15.2



11.4

Share-based compensation expense



9.5



6.1

Income from SSAT



(22.0)



(7.7)

Distribution from SSAT



21.0



7.8

Other



(1.0)



0.5

Changes in assets and liabilities:













Accounts receivable, net



(60.2)



(9.3)

Deferred dry-docking payments



(17.4)



(7.6)

Deferred dry-docking amortization



12.6



11.8

Prepaid expenses and other assets



(38.7)



25.2

Accounts payable, accruals and other liabilities



3.7



14.0

Operating lease liabilities



(47.1)



(36.0)

Other long-term liabilities



(3.6)



(3.4)

Net cash provided by operating activities



238.8



140.6

















Cash Flows From Investing Activities:













Capitalized vessel construction expenditures







(16.5)

Other capital expenditures



(101.3)



(34.0)

Proceeds from disposal of property and equipment



1.7



15.4

Cash deposits into Capital Construction Fund



(31.2)



(97.1)

Withdrawals from Capital Construction Fund



31.2



97.1

Net cash used in investing activities



(99.6)



(35.1)

















Cash Flows From Financing Activities:













Proceeds from issuance of debt







325.5

Repayments of debt



(26.8)



(192.8)

Proceeds from revolving credit facility



241.9



411.5

Repayments of revolving credit facility



(313.7)



(612.6)

Payment of financing costs



(3.0)



(18.5)

Proceeds from issuance of capital stock







0.1

Dividends paid



(20.2)



(19.1)

Tax withholding related to net share settlements of restricted stock units



(14.4)



(5.5)

Net cash used in financing activities



(136.2)



(111.4)

















Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash



3.0



(5.9)

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash, Beginning of the Period



19.7



28.4

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash, End of the Period

$ 22.7

$ 22.5

















Reconciliation of Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash, End of the Period:













Cash and Cash Equivalents

$ 17.4

$ 19.5

Restricted Cash



5.3



3.0

Total Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash, End of the Period

$ 22.7

$ 22.5

















Supplemental Cash Flow Information:













Interest paid, net of capitalized interest

$ 10.4

$ 17.9

Income tax payments and (refunds), net

$ 75.2

$ (21.0)

















Non-cash Information:













Capital expenditures included in accounts payable, accruals and other liabilities

$ 7.7

$ 4.6

Accrued dividends

$ 13.2

$ 10.0



MATSON, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Total Debt to Net Debt and Net Income to EBITDA Reconciliations (Unaudited)

NET DEBT RECONCILIATION





June 30, (In millions)

2021 Total Debt (1):

$ 661.5 Less: Cash and cash equivalents



(17.4) Net Debt

$ 644.1

EBITDA RECONCILIATION





Three Months Ended











June 30,

Last Twelve

(In millions)

2021

2020

Change

Months

Net Income

$ 162.5

$ 32.8

$ 129.7

$ 406.2

Add: Income taxes



47.4



11.7



35.7



127.5

Add: Interest expense



5.5



8.2



(2.7)



23.4

Add: Depreciation and amortization



32.9



27.8



5.1



122.8

Add: Dry-dock amortization



6.0



5.7



0.3



25.9

EBITDA (2)

$ 254.3

$ 86.2

$ 168.1

$ 705.8

































Six Months Ended











June 30,







(In millions)

2021

2020

Change







Net Income

$ 249.7

$ 36.6

$ 213.1







Add: Income taxes



74.5



12.9



61.6







Add: Interest expense



12.8



16.8



(4.0)







Add: Depreciation and amortization



65.2



54.6



10.6







Add: Dry-dock amortization



12.6



11.8



0.8







EBITDA (2)

$ 414.8

$ 132.7

$ 282.1



























(1) Total Debt is presented before any reduction for deferred loan fees as required by GAAP. (2) EBITDA is defined as the sum of net income plus income taxes, interest expense and depreciation and amortization (including deferred dry-docking amortization). EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income (as determined in accordance with GAAP), as an indicator of our operating performance, or to cash flows from operating activities (as determined in accordance with GAAP) as a measure of liquidity. Our calculation of EBITDA may not be comparable to EBITDA as calculated by other companies, nor is this calculation identical to the EBITDA used by our lenders to determine financial covenant compliance.

Investor Relations inquiries: News Media inquiries: Lee Fishman Keoni Wagner Matson, Inc. Matson, Inc. 510.628.4227 510.628.4534 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Matson, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.matson.com


"The American Humane Hero Dog Awards celebrate the tremendously important roles dogs play in our lives," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane president and CEO. "We wish the best of luck to these remarkable finalists as they enter the final round because all of them have displayed exemplary courage and compassion."

"The Hero Dog Awards celebrate America's often unsung heroes," said philanthropist and Platinum Presenting Sponsor Lois Pope. "From those who defend our country to those who help us heal, guide us, protect us, and help find the lost, every single contender exemplifies the courage and heroism we seek to spotlight in this campaign. Our goal is not only to honor these magnificent dogs but to inspire America to reflect on the outsized contributions that animals make in our lives each and every day."

All seven finalists took top honors in their individual categories from an initial field of more than 400 nominees and will take part in the star-studded Hero Dog Awards gala in Palm Beach on November 12. The animal-loving public is invited to vote for their favorite once a day through September 7 at www.herodogawards.org. The top winner will be determined through a combination of ballots from the public and a special, blue-ribbon panel of animal experts and celebrity animal lovers.

Meet the seven remarkable Hero Dog Awards finalists

Here are brief descriptions of this year's finalists, written by the hero dogs' owners/handlers:

2021 Shelter Dog of the Year (sponsored by Lulu's Fund)

Deputy Chance (Cape Coral, Florida)  Chance was a victim of animal abuse in Lee County, Florida. The Lee County Sheriff's Office investigated the animal cruelty case and used forensics evidence to identify a suspect and subsequently get a conviction. Chance was adopted by Lieutenant Castellon and deputized by Sheriff Carmine Marceno. Deputy Chance is the spokesdog for the public affairs unit at the Sheriff's Office. Deputy Chance was also named a Good Will Ambassador by the county commissioners. He regularly visits schools, hospitals, and community events. He promotes good will, has become an advocate against animal cruelty and helps promote adoption of shelter pets. Deputy Chance is the face of the Deputy Dogs Person Patrol program in Lee County, Florida.

2021 Military Dog of the Year

SSG Summer (Mt. Airy, Maryland)  My retired canine partner's name is Staff Sergeant Summer, a 10-year-old female Labrador. Summer retired from the Marines Corps in 2013 as a Military Working Dog and proud war dog. She most recently retired as a Police Explosive Detection Dog after serving proudly for seven years. While deployed, she conducted a substantial number of routine patrols, searching for and positively identifying countless weapons caches and improvised explosive devices, swept and cleared routes for the troops and was involved in numerous fire fights with insurgents. Summer put her life on the line to protect, defend and save the lives of countless troops. As a result of these exposures in war zone environments and other traumatic events that Summer experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan, she was diagnosed with canine PTSD in December 2015. She copes with this condition daily. For her heroic, extraordinary valor and service to our country, Staff Sergeant Summer received the PDSA Commendation Award in July 2017 and the Lois Pope K9 Medal of Courage on Capitol Hill the following year. In retirement, SSG Summer continues to serve her country and fellow veterans by visiting them at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, located in St. Mary's County, Maryland. The veterans who reside at that location truly admire her story of service and enjoy the love and pats as she walks through their rooms.

2021 Therapy Dog of the Year

Boone (Hookstown, Pennsylvania)  Boone survived heartbreaking cruelty as a puppy, which resulted in the loss of his back legs. His life changed when he was adopted by a family with a soft spot for special needs pets. His family had him fitted with a wheelchair to improve his mobility, and he has been a dog on a mission ever since  a mission to spread his joy to others with his infectious smile and story of resilience. Despite his challenges, his sweet nature and enthusiasm for life make him a perfect fit for his new profession as a therapy dog. They say that when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life, and that is the truth for Boone. Children light up when he enters the room. Boone is an ambassador for the nonprofit Joey's P.A.W. (Prosthetics and Wheels). So far, the charity has provided mobility devices to over 700 dogs in need in Pittsburgh, across the country, and even internationally. Boone and Joey's P.A.W. hope to improve both the outcome for dogs with mobility issues in shelters and rescues across the country, as well as perceptions about their adoptability. Boone deserves the title of American Hero Dog because he inspires those around him every day to overcome the obstacles that life throws at them. When he is not spreading joy as a therapy dog, he is working to make life better for dogs with mobility issues in shelters. Just look at his smile. He is going to change the world!

2021 Service Dog of the Year

Sobee (Holt's Summit, Missouri)  Once living hopelessly and suffering from human neglect with only two days left on the euthanasia list in an overcrowded shelter in Georgia, Sobee is now living a purposeful life with her combat veteran in Missouri. Sobee was rescued in 2016 by K9s on the Front Line and began her training as a service dog for a veteran seeking rescue to complete the daily tasks that each of us commonly engage. Jason Howe, a disabled combat veteran in Missouri, was secretly fighting the internal demons of PTSD and addiction after returning from two deployments in the U.S. Navy. While Jason spiraled into a dark place, he found himself in Maine, talking with a high school friend who introduced him to Dr. Hagen of K9s on the Front Line, a non-profit organization that rescues/trains service dogs for combat veterans. Sobee and Jason were paired together in 2016 and an instant bond was built between them. Jason began to feel the weight lift off his chest and he now had a sense of responsibility with Sobee by his side. Jason would put two feet on the ground each day instead of covering up in bed and self-medicating. Sobee is trained to assist Jason with panic attacks and watch over Jason when he is in public places. Sobee has also been the reason Jason found himself assisting and training service dogs for K9s on the Front Line's Missouri chapter. The bonded pair are paying it forward by successfully training service dogs for veterans.

2021 Guide/Hearing Dog of the Year

Henna (Albuquerque, New Mexico)  I am deaf and legally blind. Henna, my amazing guide dog, has given me the freedom of travel and saves my life on a daily basis. She is an extension of my body, becoming my eyes and ears. Last year, while simply crossing a familiar intersection, I was nearly crushed by the trailer of an 18-wheeler. It was a sunny warm spring day and I was waiting with Henna to cross the road. After a few moments, Henna's ear flick indicated it was our turn. I gave the forward command and we started crossing towards the opposite corner. We had reached the midway point when Henna suddenly backed up. She reversed so fast I knew instantly something was wrong. Her movement was strong, sure and deliberate, while ensuring I was not going to trip or fall. When Henna slowed enough for me to take in my surroundings, I could see a large truck was now completing a left turn in front of us. No more than five feet away, the trailer wheels rumbled where Henna and I were only moments ago. After the trailer passed, she guided me safely across to the opposite curb without me prompting her. Despite me being in shock from almost being hit, Henna continued to perform her job perfectly. To this day, I can still see the trailer's reflective strips in front of me and know that this was only one of many times she saved my life, while allowing me freedom. She continues to confidently guide me and acts as if it had never happened. I can almost see in her face and hear in her voice, "I got you, mom! Just follow me."

2021 Law Enforcement Dog of the Year

K-9 Hansel (Millville, New Jersey)  K-9 Hansel was only 7 weeks old when he was seized from an alleged dog-fighting ring in Ontario, Canada. He never fought. He along with 20 other pit bulls were slated for euthanasia. After a 2-year-long battle with the Ontario courts, Hansel was then transferred to the Dogs Playing for Life shelter down in Florida. Throw Away Dogs project was then notified of a potential working dog candidate for their program. Hansel was accepted into the program for more training. The Millville Fire Department was looking for an accelerant detection K-9 and Hansel was a perfect fit. Hansel and I went through 16 weeks of scent training and we were later certified as an arson detection team. I believe that Hansel is the first pit bull certified in accelerant detection in the United States. Hansel can recognize 14 different ignitable liquid odors. He really is the best partner and a rock star. He was also honored as one of the dogs of the year featured on the CW network. If you Google K-9 Hansel you can see all the obstacles he has overcome and learn about his story in more detail. Thank you for reading and considering Hansel.

2021 Search and Rescue Dog of the Year

Little Man (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)  All dogs are heroes, but Little Man takes it to a new level. NASAR-certified, he ranges off-leash for a specific human scent, articles or human remains. His joyous spirit and amazing work ethic have won him friends with law enforcement and SAR personnel in multiple states. But his story did not begin well. In 2013, a monster tornado ground the city of Moore, Oklahoma into rubble. The carnage was terrible. Molly Gibb, a professional SAR volunteer, worked with animal control and the American Humane Rescue team to meet the animal response needs. Five days after the storm, a tiny pit bull puppy was found buried. It was a miracle that he survived. He came to be known as Little Man. When he went unclaimed, Molly adopted him as she thought he had something special. His intelligence, drive, curiosity, athleticism and upbeat nature made him a great candidate for search and rescue work. Little Man's trainability, determination and affinity for people epitomizes just what can make many pit bulls great working dogs. He balances SAR training and deploying with participating in youth programs and serving as a neutral helper dog for shelter and adjudicated dogs in need. For him, searching is a great game, but in reality it can mean life or death. In 2020, he found a missing traumatized assault victim alive, bringing his life full circle. He has grown from tornado survivor to hero and has fully blossomed in public service, eagerly paying it forward by helping families and communities in crisis and graciously welcoming their love in return.

During the past 10 years, Americans have cast millions of votes for thousands of dogs seeking the coveted title of American Hero Dog. The program reaches billions of people each year and draws the support and participation of top celebrity dog lovers from all over the world. Hosts, judges, award presenters and entertainment acts have included Jay Leno, Billy Crystal, Betty White, Ariel Winter, Vivica A. Fox, Rebecca Romijn, Alison Sweeney, James Denton, Beth Stern, Faithe Herman, Marcus Scribner, Bindi Irwin, Derek Hough, Richard Marx, Katharine McPhee, Michelle Beadle, Whoopi Goldberg, Denise Richards, Lisa Vanderpump, Chelsea Handler, Martin Short, Jewel, Wilson Phillips, John Ondrasik, Carson Kressley, Miranda Lambert, Pauley Perrette, Kristen Chenoweth, Naomi Judd, Eric Stonestreet, Danica McKellar, Bailee Madison and many more.

Key upcoming dates for the 2021 American Humane Hero Dog Awards (all rounds open and close at 12pm Pacific Time):

 Final Round of Voting: July 29  September 7  Hero Dog Awards television broadcast Date to be announced  Hero Dog Awards gala in Palm Beach November 12

And because behind every hero pet is a hero vet or veterinary nurse, American Humane will also be announcing the winners of the 2021 American Humane Hero Veterinarian and Hero Veterinary Nurse Awards, sponsored by Zoetis Petcare (a U.S. business unit of Zoetis) at the Hero Dog Awards. Read these heroic professionals' stories and keep up with all the action at www.HeroVetAwards.org.

For more information about the 2021 American Humane Hero Dog Awards, sponsorships, and tickets to the November 12 gala in Palm Beach, please email Mari Harner at [email protected] or call 1-800-227-4645.

About American Humane

American Humane is the country's first national humane organization, founded in 1877. For more information, please visit www.americanhumane.org. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and to inquire about Hero Dog Awards sponsorship opportunities, please email Mari Harner at [email protected].

About Lois Pope, The Lois Pope LIFE Foundation, Inc., and LIFE (Leaders in Furthering Education)

As one of America's leading philanthropists, Lois Pope has positively impacted the lives of individuals at the local, national and international levels. She has established three separate organizations dedicated to helping those in need. These organizations are the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation, Inc., Leaders In Furthering Education (LIFE), and the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation. For more than 20 years she has been the driving force behind the Lois Pope LIFE Center at the University of Miami School of Medicine, The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, and a groundbreaking new program with American Humane in Palm Beach County. Lois Pope recently donated to American Humane several Lois Pope Rescue Vehicles. Each rescue vehicle is a 50-foot long response unit, complete with a Ford F-350 truck and trailer, which is specifically designed and outfitted to provide an array of animal emergency services and cruelty responses within a region.

On Oct. 5, 2014, Mrs. Pope saw the completion of a decades-long dream  the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, which was dedicated by President Obama in Washington DC. It will stand in perpetuity as a reminder to the public and legislators of the courage and sacrifices of the four million-plus living disabled veterans and all those who died before them, as well as the need to be vigilant in assuring their support and understanding the human cost of war. Through her advocacy, Oct. 5 every year will serve as a National Day of Honor for disabled veterans.

A mother, a grandmother, and a great grandmother, Lois has trained for and completed five New York City Marathons.

About Hallmark Channel

Hallmark Channel, owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc., is Crown Media Family Networks' flagship 24-hour cable television network. As the country's leading destination for quality family entertainment, Hallmark Channel delivers on the 100-year legacy of the Hallmark brand. The network features an ambitious lineup of original content, including movies, scripted primetime series, and a lifestyle show, "Home & Family." Additionally, Hallmark Channel is the exclusive home to world premiere presentations of the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame franchise. Dedicated to helping viewers celebrate life's special moments, Hallmark Channel also offers annual holiday programming franchises including Countdown to Christmas and many other seasonal offerings. Rounding out the network's slate are some of television's most beloved comedies and series, including The Golden Girls and Frasier.

For more information, please visit www.crownmediapress.com

To visit the network website, please visit www.hallmarkchannel.com

Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube

About Lulu's Fund

Lulu's Fund, which is part of the Timothy T. Day Foundation, was founded in 2012. Named after the Day's beloved pug Lulu, Lulu's Fund continues the Foundation's ongoing commitment to supporting organizations in the animal rescue community throughout the United States. Organizations that receive support from Lulu's Fund are primarily those that rescue abused, neglected and abandoned dogs. Their focus is to treat existing medical issues, provide spay and neuter services, place dogs in safe foster homes, and ultimately find forever homes for the animals. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.tdayfoundation.org.

SOURCE American Humane

Related Links

http://www.americanhumane.org


COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE: MTD) today announced second quarter results for 2021. Provided below are the highlights:

Reported sales increased 34% compared with the prior year. In local currency, sales increased 27% in the quarter as currency benefited reported sales growth by 7% .

Net earnings per diluted share as reported (EPS) were $7.85 , compared with $5.22 in the prior-year period. Adjusted EPS was $8.10 , an increase of 53% over the prior-year amount of $5.29 . Adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP measure, and a reconciliation to EPS is included on the last page of the attached schedules.

Second Quarter Results

Patrick Kaltenbach, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We had another quarter of excellent sales growth with very strong broad-based growth in all regions and most product lines. Customer demand was robust and we were ideally positioned to capitalize on the growth opportunities in our end markets. Exceptional sales growth and continued focused execution of our margin initiatives drove excellent growth in Adjusted Operating Profit, Adjusted EPS and cash flow generation."

GAAP Results

EPS in the quarter was $7.85, compared with the prior-year amount of $5.22.

Compared with the prior year, total reported sales increased 34% to $924.4 million. By region, reported sales increased 31% in the Americas, 34% in Europe and 37% in Asia/Rest of World. Earnings before taxes amounted to $230.4 million, compared with $155.3 million in the prior year.

Non-GAAP Results

Adjusted EPS was $8.10, an increase of 53% over the prior-year amount of $5.29.

Compared with the prior year, total sales in local currency increased 27% as currency benefited sales growth by 7%. By region, local currency sales increased 29% in the Americas, 23% in Europe and 28% in Asia/Rest of World. Adjusted Operating Profit amounted to $255.3 million, a 45% increase from the prior-year amount of $176.6 million.

Adjusted EPS and Adjusted Operating Profit are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the attached schedules.

Six Month Results

GAAP Results

EPS was $14.17, compared with the prior-year amount of $9.25.

Compared with the prior year, total reported sales increased 29% to $1.729 billion. By region, reported sales increased 23% in the Americas, 29% in Europe and 37% in Asia/Rest of World. Earnings before taxes amounted to $415.8 million, compared with $273.8 million in the prior year.

Non-GAAP Results

Adjusted EPS was $14.66, an increase of 58% over the prior-year amount of $9.28.

Compared with the prior year, total sales in local currency increased 23% as currency benefited sales growth by 6%. By region, local currency sales increased 22% in the Americas, 18% in Europe and 28% in Asia/Rest of World. Adjusted Operating Profit amounted to $465.9 million, a 47% increase from the prior-year amount of $317.9 million.

Adjusted EPS and Adjusted Operating Profit are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the attached schedules.

Outlook

The Company stated that forecasting continues to be challenging. Management cautions that market conditions are dynamic and changes to the business environment can happen quickly. Uncertainty remains surrounding the impact of COVID-19 and the challenges in the global supply chain on the economic environment. The estimates include uncertainty and management acknowledges that market conditions are subject to change.

Based on today's assessment of market conditions, management anticipates local currency sales growth in 2021 will be approximately 15%, and Adjusted EPS is forecasted to be in the range of $32.60 to $32.90, an increase of 27% to 28%. This compares with previous guidance of Adjusted EPS in the range of $31.45 to $31.90.

For the third quarter of 2021, based on current market conditions, the Company anticipates that local currency sales growth will be in the range of 11% to 13%, and Adjusted EPS is forecasted to be $8.12 to $8.27, a growth rate of 16% to 18%.

While the Company has provided an outlook for local currency sales growth and Adjusted EPS, it has not provided an outlook for reported sales growth or EPS as it would require an estimate of currency exchange fluctuations and non-recurring items, which are not yet known.

Conclusion

Kaltenbach concluded, "Demand in our end markets remains positive although sales growth for the remainder of the year will reflect more challenging comparisons from the previous year. We are making incremental investments for future growth including expanding our best-in-class sales and marketing programs, increasing our product development efforts and boosting productivity in our manufacturing operations. Challenges exist in the global supply chain which require us to be agile and adapt as necessary to changing market conditions. We believe we are in an excellent position to continue to gain share and deliver strong results in 2021 and beyond."

Other Matters

The Company will host a conference call to discuss its quarterly results today (Thursday, July 29) at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To hear a live webcast or replay of the call, visit the investor relations page on the Company's website at www.mt.com/investors. The presentation referenced in the conference call will be located on the website prior to the call.

METTLER TOLEDO (NYSE: MTD) is a leading global supplier of precision instruments and services. We have strong leadership positions in all of our businesses and believe we hold global number-one market positions in most of them. We are recognized as an innovation leader and our solutions are critical in key R&D, quality control and manufacturing processes for customers in a wide range of industries including life sciences, food and chemicals. Our sales and service network is one of the most extensive in the industry. Our products are sold in more than 140 countries and we have a direct presence in approximately 40 countries. With proven growth strategies and a focus on execution, we have achieved a long-term track record of strong financial performance. For more information, please visit www.mt.com.

Statements in this press release which are not historical facts constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You should not rely on forward-looking statements to predict our actual results. Our actual results or performance may be materially different than reflected in forward-looking statements because of various risks and uncertainties, including statements about expected revenue growth and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue." We make forward-looking statements about future events or our future financial performance, including earnings and sales growth, earnings per share, strategic plans and contingency plans, growth opportunities or economic downturns, our ability to respond to changes in market conditions, customer demand, our competitive position, pricing, our supply chain, adequacy of our facilities, access to and the costs of raw materials, shipping and supplier costs, gross margins, planned research and development efforts and product introductions, capital expenditures, cash flow, tax-related matters, the impact of foreign currencies, compliance with laws, effects of acquisitions and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our businesses. Our forward-looking statements may not be accurate or complete, and we do not intend to update or revise them in light of actual results. New risks also periodically arise. Please consider the risks and factors that could cause our results to differ materially from what is described in our forward-looking statements, including the uncertain duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. See in particular "Factors Affecting Our Future Operating Results" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and other reports filed with the SEC from time to time.

METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (amounts in thousands except share data) (unaudited)











































Three months ended









Three months ended















June 30, 2021

% of sales



June 30, 2020

% of sales









































Net sales



$924,351

(a)

100.0







$690,673





100.0



Cost of sales



387,447





41.9







292,703





42.4



Gross profit



536,904





58.1







397,970





57.6











































Research and development



42,603





4.6







31,193





4.5



Selling, general and administrative



239,045





25.9







190,134





27.5



Amortization



16,218





1.8







13,889





2.0



Interest expense



10,439





1.1







9,582





1.4



Restructuring charges



876





0.1







860





0.1



Other charges (income), net



(2,661)





(0.3)







(2,943)





(0.4)



Earnings before taxes



230,384





24.9







155,255





22.5











































Provision for taxes



45,621





4.9







28,693





4.2



Net earnings



$184,763





20.0







$126,562





18.3











































Basic earnings per common share:



































Net earnings



$7.97















$5.29











Weighted average number of common shares



23,191,155















23,940,278



















































Diluted earnings per common share:



































Net earnings



$7.85















$5.22











Weighted average number of common



23,521,793















24,228,989











and common equivalent shares











































































Note:



































(a) Local currency sales increased 27% as compared to the same period in 2020.











































RECONCILIATION OF EARNINGS BEFORE TAXES TO ADJUSTED OPERATING PROFIT











































Three months ended









Three months ended















June 30, 2021

% of sales



June 30, 2020

% of sales









































Earnings before taxes



$230,384















$155,255











Amortization



16,218















13,889











Interest expense



10,439















9,582











Restructuring charges



876















860











Other charges (income), net



(2,661)















(2,943)











Adjusted operating profit



$255,256

(b)

27.6







$176,643





25.6











































Note:



































(b) Adjusted operating profit increased 45% as compared to the same period in 2020.





METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (amounts in thousands except share data) (unaudited)











































Six months ended









Six months ended















June 30, 2021

% of sales



June 30, 2020

% of sales

































Net sales



$1,728,741

(a)

100.0







$1,339,835





100.0



Cost of sales



720,141





41.7







567,456





42.4



Gross profit



1,008,600





58.3







772,379





57.6











































Research and development



81,875





4.7







65,580





4.9



Selling, general and administrative



460,797





26.7







388,878





29.0



Amortization



30,102





1.7







27,887





2.1



Interest expense



19,910





1.2







19,801





1.5



Restructuring charges



2,069





0.1







2,765





0.2



Other charges (income), net



(1,951)





(0.1)







(6,286)





(0.5)



Earnings before taxes



415,798





24.0







273,754





20.4











































Provision for taxes



81,372





4.7







49,077





3.6



Net earnings



$334,426





19.3







$224,677





16.8











































Basic earnings per common share:



































Net earnings



$14.37















$9.37











Weighted average number of common shares



23,277,636















23,984,055



















































Diluted earnings per common share:



































Net earnings



$14.17















$9.25











Weighted average number of common



23,603,805















24,291,321











and common equivalent shares











































































Note:



































(a) Local currency sales increased 23% as compared to the same period in 2020.











































RECONCILIATION OF EARNINGS BEFORE TAXES TO ADJUSTED OPERATING PROFIT











































Six months ended









Six months ended















June 30, 2021

% of sales



June 30, 2020

% of sales









































Earnings before taxes



$415,798















$273,754











Amortization



30,102















27,887











Interest expense



19,910















19,801











Restructuring charges



2,069















2,765











Other charges (income), net



(1,951)















(6,286)











Adjusted operating profit



$465,928 (b)

27.0







$317,921





23.7











































Note:



































(b) Adjusted operating profit increased 47% as compared to the same period in 2020.







METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(amounts in thousands)

(unaudited)

















































June 30, 2021



December 31, 2020





















Cash and cash equivalents



$142,252







$94,254

Accounts receivable, net



600,191







593,809

Inventories



350,159







297,611

Other current assets and prepaid expenses



80,009







71,230

Total current assets



1,172,611







1,056,904























Property, plant and equipment, net



790,512







798,868

Goodwill and other intangibles assets, net



935,905







747,055

Other non-current assets



243,876







211,722

Total assets



$3,142,904







$2,814,549























Short-term borrowings and maturities of long-term debt



$53,025







$50,317

Trade accounts payable



210,811







175,801

Accrued and other current liabilities



674,533







614,209

Total current liabilities



938,369







840,327























Long-term debt



1,602,005







1,284,174

Other non-current liabilities



411,106







407,373

Total liabilities



2,951,480







2,531,874























Shareholders' equity



191,424







282,675

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity



$3,142,904







$2,814,549



METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (amounts in thousands) (unaudited)





















Three months ended

Six months ended



June 30,

June 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020

















Cash flow from operating activities:













Net earnings $184,763

$126,562

$334,426

$224,677 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to













net cash provided by operating activities:













Depreciation 11,318

10,194

22,261

20,327 Amortization 16,218

13,889

30,102

27,887 Deferred tax benefit (2,355)

(852)

(7,423)

(4,570) Other 4,581

4,423

9,156

8,818 Increase (decrease) in cash resulting from changes in













operating assets and liabilities 31,010

29,021

15,890

(28,387) Net cash provided by operating activities 245,535

183,237

404,412

248,752

















Cash flows from investing activities:













Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 3,248

1,994

3,248

2,025 Purchase of property, plant and equipment (22,758)

(18,223)

(47,363)

(37,089) Acquisitions (460)

(632)

(185,534)

(6,242) Other investing activities (14,622)

727

3,604

(9,281) Net cash used in investing activities (34,592)

(16,134)

(226,045)

(50,587)

















Cash flows from financing activities:













Proceeds from borrowings 377,005

243,830

1,204,996

1,076,098 Repayments of borrowings (343,007)

(616,806)

(866,153)

(1,168,125) Proceeds from exercise of stock options 2,784

10,615

7,833

17,750 Repurchases of common stock (212,499)

-

(474,999)

(200,000) Other financing activities (1,574)

-

(2,288)

(800) Net cash used in financing activities (177,291)

(362,361)

(130,611)

(275,077)

















Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 1,946

(1,050)

242

(3,596)

















Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 35,598

(196,308)

47,998

(80,508)

















Cash and cash equivalents:













Beginning of period 106,654

323,585

94,254

207,785 End of period $142,252

$127,277

$142,252

$127,277



































RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW

















Net cash provided by operating activities $245,535

$183,237

$404,412

$248,752 Payments in respect of restructuring activities 975

3,001

5,548

4,627 Payments for acquisition costs 1,974

-

2,091

- Transition tax payment 4,288

-

4,288

- Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 3,248

1,994

3,248

2,025 Purchase of property, plant and equipment (22,758)

(18,223)

(47,363)

(37,089) Adjusted free cash flow $233,262

$170,009

$372,224

$218,315

METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC.

OTHER OPERATING STATISTICS





















































SALES GROWTH BY DESTINATION

(unaudited)



































Europe

Americas

Asia/RoW Total





























U.S. Dollar Sales Growth























Three Months Ended June 30, 2021



34%

31%

37%

34%





Six Months Ended June 30, 2021



29%

23%

37%

29%





























Local Currency Sales Growth























Three Months Ended June 30, 2021



23%

29%

28%

27%





Six Months Ended June 30, 2021



18%

22%

28%

23%























































RECONCILIATION OF DILUTED EPS AS REPORTED TO ADJUSTED DILUTED EPS

(unaudited)































Three months ended Six months ended



June 30, June 30,



2021

2020

% Growth

2021

2020

% Growth

























EPS as reported, diluted $7.85

$5.22

50%

$14.17

$9.25

53%

























Purchased intangible amortization, net of tax 0.19 (a) 0.12 (a)



0.31 (a) 0.23 (a)

Restructuring charges, net of tax 0.03 (b) 0.03 (b)



0.07 (b) 0.09 (b)

Income tax expense 0.03 (c) (0.08) (c)



0.01 (c) (0.29) (c)

Acquisition costs, net of tax -

-





0.10 (d) -





























Adjusted EPS, diluted $8.10

$5.29

53%

$14.66

$9.28

58%

























Notes:





















(a) Represents the EPS impact of purchased intangibles amortization of $5.9 million ($4.5 million net of tax) and $3.7 million ($2.8 million net of tax) for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, and of $9.7 million ($7.3 million net of tax) and $7.5 million ($5.6 million net of tax) for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. (b) Represents the EPS impact of restructuring charges of $0.9 million ($0.7 million after tax) for both the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, and $2.1 million ($1.7 million after tax) and $2.8 million ($2.2 million after tax) for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, which primarily include employee related costs. (c) Represents the EPS impact of the difference between our quarterly and estimated annual tax rate before non-recurring discrete items during the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 due to the timing of excess tax benefits associated with stock option exercises. (d) Represents the EPS impact of acquisition costs of $2.8 million ($2.3 million after tax) for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

SOURCE Mettler-Toledo International Inc.
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To mark the 10th International Space Apps Challenge, the largest annual global hackathon in the world, NASA is collaborating with nine space agency partners to bring the event to even more communities Oct. 2-3, 2021.

Each year, NASA's International Space Apps Challenge , or Space Apps, engages thousands of people around the world to work with the agency's open source data in a 48-hour sprint. Since its start in 2012, Space Apps has grown from 25 local events in 17 countries to more than 250 local events in 87 countries and territories. In 2020, the program engaged 26,000 people. Teams of technologists, scientists, designers, entrepreneurs, artists, and others collaborate to answer some of the most pressing challenges on Earth and in space.

"Over the last ten years, open data has been the cornerstone of Space Apps. Thanks to open innovation programs like Space Apps, the public knows that NASA's vast data archives are freely available to browse online," said Kevin Murphy, NASA's chief data officer.

ESA (European Space Agency), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Australian Space Agency, Brazilian Space Agency, National Space Activities Commission of Argentina, Paraguayan Space Agency, South African National Space Agency and the Bahrain National Space Agency will join NASA to extend collaboration in the Space Apps Challenge.

Space Apps inspires local communities to come together and think creatively. A panel of experts selects the winning teams, and awards include an invitation to visit a rocket launch in the United States.

Space agency partners will provide subject matter experts to judge project submissions and promote the event in their countries and regions. They also will have an opportunity to provide open data, interact with participants over hackathon weekend, record video tutorials, and help coordinate local events.

"We are really proud of Space Apps and the way the program has engaged people from all over the world," said Sandra Cauffman, deputy director of NASA's Earth Science Division. "Over the next ten years, we would like to work with our partner space agencies to expand our geographic footprint even more to include people from all regions of the world and populations that are underrepresented in the STEM fields such as women and girls."

Past winners include a team of high schoolers and their mentors who created an idea for an augmented reality game that taught players about wildlife conservation and environmental preservation. Another team included a brother and sister in grade school who created a piece of music using NASA open data and homemade instruments that documented the environmental changes happening during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Space Apps is managed by NASA's Earth Science Division .

This year's event will be entirely virtual. Participant registration is open through Oct. 3, 2021 at:

https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


SAN FRANCISCO, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Experience management platform Raydiant has released the findings from its State of the Post-COVID Workplace Experience .

The report surveyed 600 U.S. workers on June 9, 2021, who were employed full time, either salaried or hourly, and who worked in an office, had to go remote, and had recently returned.

Raydiant

Key Findings:

64% are happy about returning to the workplace. Almost two-thirds of employees are looking forward to getting back to in-person work

Almost two-thirds of employees are looking forward to getting back to in-person work They feared loss of productivity when they went remote. With 51% reporting that they feel more productive now that they've returned to work, they did experience a loss of productivity working remotely.

With 51% reporting that they feel more productive now that they've returned to work, they did experience a loss of productivity working remotely. 46% refused to return to in-person work. 13% were fired and 15% quit, but 72% worked out a plan with their employer for accommodations or hybrid.

13% were fired and 15% quit, but 72% worked out a plan with their employer for accommodations or hybrid. 51% are required to be vaccinated as part of the return to the workplace. Additionally, 42% need to wear a mask at all times at work.

Additionally, 42% need to wear a mask at all times at work. Respondents missed socializing with co-workers the most. They also missed collaborating with co-workers and having in-person meetings, as well as the lack of distractions they had at home.

They also missed collaborating with co-workers and having in-person meetings, as well as the lack of distractions they had at home. 66% say their employer has prioritized their health and safety well. Additionally, 49% believe their office did a great job in preparing the technology and tools needed to return.

To download a full copy of the report, please click HERE.

About Raydiant

Raydiant's Experience Management Platform enables organizations to build strong, long-lasting relationships with their employees and customers by helping them create memorable, interactive experiences both in-location and in the workplace. Their easy-to-use, plug-and-play, cloud-based solution empowers Raydiant customers to create, manage and scale experiences across one or 100,000 locations anytime, anywhere. Founded in April 2017, Raydiant is backed by notable investors, including Bloomberg Beta, Lerer Hippeau, Transmedia Capital, 8VC, Atomic Ventures, and Ron Conway. For more information, please visit https://raydiant.com.

Media Contact: [email protected]

Related Images

image1.jpeg

SOURCE Raydiant
WALTHAM, Mass., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Two new publications in respected medical journals further examine the importance of high-flux dialyzers in maintaining serum albumin levels in hemodialysis patients, Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) announced today. Studies document how reduced levels of serum albumin predict morbidity and mortality among hemodialysis patients, although the causality of that link is less strongly established.

The most recent study titled "Real-World Performance of High-Flux Dialyzers in Patients with Hypoalbuminemia" was published in the ASAIO Journal. This real-world analysis evaluated the performance of four high-flux dialyzers with varying surface areas in 271 patients with baseline hypoalbuminemia. The findings of the study "support the use of high-flux dialyzers in patients with hypoalbuminemia." This conclusion is especially relevant in patients with increased markers of systemic inflammation. The study showed no significant loss in serum albumin levels within one month of using high-flux dialyzers, and serum albumin increases were associated with reductions in a key marker of systemic inflammation.

"Patients with baseline hypoalbuminemia represent a high-risk population for whom further reductions in serum albumin levels must be avoided," said Dr. Mike Anger, a co-author of the study, and SVP and Chief Medical Officer of FMCNA's Renal Therapies Group. "This study further demonstrates that high-flux dialyzers can play a role in increasing albumin levels, and especially for those patients with higher body mass index and inflammation."

"We're committed to improving patient outcomes with products backed by research and innovation," said Joe Turk, President of FMCNA's Renal Therapies Group. "These results further reinforce the important role that high-flux dialyzers like Optiflux can play in helping address the potential dangers of low serum albumin levels."

A second publication entitled "Slipping Through the Pores: Hypoalbuminemia and Albumin Loss During Hemodialysis", documents that "albumin losses into the dialysate appear to vary greatly depending on the dialyzer used." This study was published earlier this year in the International Journal of Nephrology and Renovascular Disease. The authors note that "excessive" loss of albumin is a theoretical concern with the chronic use of increasingly permeable dialyzers.

"This research furthers our understanding of the role of high-flux dialyzers in managing kidney failure, especially those patients already at increased risk of complications due to low levels of albumin," said Dr. Kam Kalantar-Zadeh, lead author of this second publication and head of the Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Kidney Transplantation, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, "We also believe more research is needed to better understand how the permeability of dialyzers impacts patient outcomes."

To learn more about high-flux dialyzers, visit: https://fmcna.com/products/disposables/dialyzers/high-flux/

About Fresenius Medical Care North America

Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) is the premier healthcare company focused on providing the highest quality care to people with renal and other chronic conditions. Through its industry-leading network of dialysis facilities and outpatient cardiac and vascular labs, Fresenius Medical Care North America provides coordinated healthcare services at pivotal care points for hundreds of thousands of chronically ill customers throughout the continent. As the world's largest fully integrated renal company, it offers specialty pharmacy and laboratory services, and manufactures and distributes the most comprehensive line of dialysis equipment, disposable products, and renal pharmaceuticals. For more information, visit the FMCNA website at https://fmcna.com/.

Media contact:

Brad Puffer

Fresenius Medical Care North America

781-699-3331

[email protected]

 2021 Fresenius Medical Care. All Rights Reserved. Fresenius Medical Care, and the triangle logo are trademarks of Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc., or its affiliated companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. P/N 104849-01 Rev A 07/2021

SOURCE Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

https://fmcna.com/


-"All Hands on Deck," the Third Episode of a Five-Part Docuseries Will Stream Live Tonight, July 29, 2021, at 8 p.m. ET at www.ncl.com/embark -

MIAMI, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel, premieres "All Hands on Deck," the third episode of "EMBARK  The Series," tonight at 8 p.m. ET at www.ncl.com/embark and Facebook.

In the third episode of Norwegian Cruise Line's five-part docuseries, team members come together to prepare for the Company's great cruise comeback with contactless technologies designed to enhance the guest experience and support elevated health and safety protocols. Viewers will also have a first look at the Company's new cruise terminal at Port Miami, an iconic beacon on the Miami skyline. Watch live on July 29, 2021 at 8 p.m. ET at www.ncl.com/embark and Facebook.

Tonight's episode, the third of a five-part series, provides an exclusive look at how onboard and shoreside team members are working together to prepare for a defining moment in the brand's 54-year history. Viewers will have a front-row seat to witness how NCL prepares for its great cruise comeback with contactless technologies designed to enhance the guest experience and support elevated health and safety protocols as well as highlight new product offerings and experiences. The episode will also provide a much-anticipated sneak peek into the Company's new cruise terminal at PortMiami  the cruise capital of the world.

During the episode, executives Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and Harry Sommer, brand president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line, visit Norwegian Gem to discuss the upcoming renovations to the ship. Norwegian Gem will be the first vessel to sail from the new NCL terminal in Port Miami, when she returns to service on Aug. 15, 2021.

The first two episodes of "EMBARK  The Series," streaming on-demand at www.ncl.com/embark, showcase the brand's efforts towards its safe return to cruise focusing on health and safety enhancements, upgrades to dining and Great Stirrup Cay  the Company's private island in the Bahamas, and a look into the brand's shipboard crew's passion to putting guests first.

The Company recently announced its return to cruising on July 25, 2021 as Norwegian Jade made its debut as the first of the 17-ship fleet to welcome guests after 500 days and made NCL history as the first vessel to homeport in Athens (Piraeus). Norwegian will restart its cruises from the U.S. on Aug. 7, when Norwegian Encore makes her first appearance in Seattle for her inaugural season of Alaska cruises.

Travelers seeking the latest details about NCL's redeployment should click here.

For more information about the Company's award-winning 17-ship fleet and worldwide itineraries, or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784), or visit www.ncl.com.

SOURCE Norwegian Cruise Line

Related Links

http://www.ncl.com


CONOVER, N.C., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaskan King Bed Company announced the official launch of a shorter version of its popular bed to meet specific customer requests for the Alaskan king short. Measuring in at 108 inches by 80 inches, the shorter bed will be available for all three Alaskan King Bed mattress models, with bed frames and bedding to match. The original artisan-crafted Alaskan King Bed is 9 feet by 9 feet and has been sold directly to consumers since 2001. A portion of every single bed purchase is donated to charity, helping to fight hunger in America.

The Luxe Alaskan King Mattress The Kincaid Tufted-Bed

"We've always designed and made our own beds, selling directly to the public," said Communication Director Tiffany Ellis. "And this direct-to-consumer model allows us to offer ultra-premium products at fair prices, while also enabling us to make fast changes when we receive consumer feedback. And that's just what we've done here, addressing the problem of customers wanting the width of the original Alaskan king, but a shorter version; some people aren't tall and don't need the length, and others don't have the room in their bedroom. Ultimately, we've created a smaller version of our bed without sacrificing any of the comfort or luxury clients have come to expect from us. We'll also be rolling out a 0% financing plan soon, allowing our beds to reach even more people."

Alaskan King Bed: Additional Features Available

Mattress Protector: A waterproof barrier to protect each bed and keep it looking new.

A waterproof barrier to protect each bed and keep it looking new. Sheet Set: Super-soft and durable sateen made from 100% premium Egyptian cotton .

Super-soft and durable sateen made from 100% premium Egyptian cotton Upholstered Bed Frame: Handmade to order, wood construction with no coils.

Handmade to order, wood construction with no coils. Kincade Tufted Bed Frame: 112 inches wide by 115 inches long, made to order with multiple color options.

The origin story of the Alaskan King Bed is still somewhat debated, but probably began in the 1960s and 1970s after the popularity of the California king bed proved Americans were looking for a bigger place to sleep. Named for the largest state in the nation, the Alaskan King Bed is far larger than the California model and dwarfs even the Texas and Wyoming king beds, making it the largest bed available.

Explore the Alaskan King Bed Company on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest.

About Alaskan King Bed Company

Crafted by artisans in North Carolina, The Alaskan King bed is the biggest bed in America, handcrafted and assembled to perfection for each client. Measuring in at an incredible nine feet long by nine feet wide, the original master of all mattresses has been sold to a wide range of customers including elite NBA, NFL, and MMA athletes. Learn more at: www.AlaskanKingBeds.com.

Media Contact:

Tiffany Ellis, Communication Director

+1 877.267.7772

[email protected]

SOURCE Alaskan King Bed Company

Related Links

http://www.AlaskanKingBeds.com


TEL AVIV, Israel and BIELEFELD, Germany, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Panaxia Labs Israel Ltd. ("Panaxia Israel"), (TASE: PNAX), a global pharma company, specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing progressive medical cannabis products in pharmaceutical quality and the German pharmaceutical company AxioNovo GmbH, specialized in the field of Oncology, announced today the signing of an agreement. The agreement, a part of Panaxia's collaboration with Neuraxpharm, is for the marketing, sale and distribution of a new series of medical cannabis products, with a unique formulation, designed and being used in Israel for oncology patients. These formulations will be distributed in Germany as pharmaceutical intermediates for magistral preparations.

Dr. Dadi Segal, CEO of Panaxia Israel: "We welcome the agreement with AxioNovo GmbH and we are proud of this vote of confidence from a specialized German pharma company in the field of Oncology, which has chosen Panaxia as a strategic partner to make advanced and innovative medical cannabis-based treatments accessible to patients all over Germany, as well as our collaboration with Neuraxpharm on CNS. This is a significant step in recognizing our contribution and fulfilling our potential within the largest market in Europe".

Udo Wieners, CEO of AxioNovo GmbH:" As part of PharmaMed Group, we offer various services and products in the field of oncology in Germany. We look forward to launching the Naxiva Panaxol Onko product line in partnership with Panaxia as a part of our already existing portfolio for cancer patients and believe that this is an excellent extension of our holistic approach to treatment."

The agreement was signed for 5 years, during which Panaxia will be responsible for manufacturing the products under the European standard (EU-GMP), and their registration according to regulatory requirements in Germany. AxioNovo GmbH will be in charge of marketing, sale and distribution of medical cannabis-based products by Panaxia to cancer patients through direct purchase in pharmacies, following prescriptions from oncologists at cancer specialized clinics in Germany. These products are designed and currently being used in Israel for various medical indications, such as Cancer Pain, Loss of appetite and other side effects, related to Cancer treatments.

The new series of products, under the brand Naxiva Panaxol Onko, is characterized by designated formulations and new extracts adapted for oncology patients in Israel. The products were developed based on extensive clinical data accumulated in Panaxia for over a decade and its comprehensive experience in treating cancer patients in Israel. First sales of the products in Germany are expected in the 3rd quarter of 2021, subject to obtaining a regulatory approval from the German authorities for marketing and distribution of the products.

This collaboration is in addition to Panaxia's collaboration in Germany with Neuraxpharm in the field of traditional CNS, regarding marketing Panaxia's products to patients since early 2021.

About AxioNovo GmbH

AxioNovo GmbH, a member of PharmaMed Group, is a modern pharmaceutical company based in Bielefeld, Germany, focusing on Oncology, with a clear vision, innovative concepts, progressive approach and a unique organizational culture. For over 15 years, AxioNovo GmbH has been focusing on the most important value  Health, specializing in the treatment and cure of diseases and providing relief to patients by advanced, high-quality and cost-effective oncology medicines. AxioNovo GmbH is committed to the principles of the FSA Code (Code of Transparency of the German Association for Voluntary Self-Regulation in the Pharmaceutical Industry) and thus regards social responsibility as a matter of course.





About Panaxia Labs Israel

Panaxia Labs Israel, Ltd. is a publicly traded company at TASE (TASE: PNAX). It is a global pharma company, that develops, manufactures, and markets advanced medical cannabis products of pharmaceutical high quality. Panaxia, the pioneer and largest medical cannabis manufacturer in Israel, is the only company in Israel with an EU-GMP approved factory from the European Health Authority, which is required for the commercial production and export of medical cannabis and its products to Europe. Panaxia specializes in the development, production, and marketing of complex and advanced cannabis plant products, based on clinical information and a broad database of tens of thousands of patients.

Panaxia Israel is a subsidiary of the Panaxia Pharmaceutical Industries, established in 2010 by Dr. Dadi Segal (PhD), Dr. Eran Goldberg (PhD) and Assi Rotbart (LL. B), as the cannabis division of Segal Pharma Group, operating for over four decades, producing more than 600 different pharmaceutical products distributed in over 40 countries.

The Panaxia Group has over 150 employees.

Panaxia website: https://panaxia.co.il/

AxioNovo GmbH: https://www.axionovo.net/

For further information, please contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Panaxia Pharmaceutical Industries
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Pay Our Interns announced the "Protect Interns" campaign in honor of National Intern Day. The campaign is a multi-coalition effort to pressure the Department of Labor to end unpaid internships and contains four key requests:

The reversal of a 2018 Trump Department of Labor rule, which created guidelines which made it easier for interns to be hired but not be paid; and

Collecting data on internships, which are largely unaccounted for and unregulated; and

Paying interns at the Department of Labor at least $15.00 an hour; and

an hour; and The establishment of an Internship Task Force, similar to the Department's Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship, with the goal of studying and preventing exploitative internship practices.

"The four requests we're making to the Department of Labor are a part of our ongoing efforts to improve the economic mobility and rights of young people," said Carlos Mark Vera, Executive Director at Pay Our Interns. "The Department helps regulate internships for the rest of the country, and it's important they not only set a precedent by paying their interns, but ensure there are criteria and accountability created for detailing internship statistics from across the rest of the country. This is particularly important for young and low -income interns of color, who we must stand up for and make sure their work is counted. "

"Not only are interns critically important to the success of every congressional office but for so many, internships are a pipeline to public service," said Congressman Tony Cardenas (D-CA 29th). "Yet, between the cost of housing, transportation, and food, low-income students and students of color continually face impenetrable barriers to access. To truly advance equity, congressional staff and the next generation of policymakers must reflect the diversity of our nation which means making internship opportunities accessible to every community and every student. That is why the fight to adequately pay and support our interns continues today, and every day after that."

"Internships are a critical part of career growth for young people," said Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA 9th). "Unpaid and low-paying internships severely limit opportunities for people who want to pursue a career in public service, but cannot afford to take these positions. In particular, this represents a significant barrier for people of color seeking internship opportunities, which perpetuates a lack of diversity among Congressional staff. Earlier this year, I led a letter with 90 other members of the House to support higher funding for interns, and ensure they are paid at a rate of $15 an hour. I am very pleased that the House Appropriations Committee increased the intern pay fund by 40% for next year. It is essential that internships are paid a fair wage, and that congressional internships are a feasible option for a diverse pool of candidates."

"Unpaid internships encourage race and class discrimination and access to earnings and high-quality work-based learning," said Dr. Anthony Carnevale, Director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

"For too long, there's been a toxic expectation that if you care about social justice, you should be 'passionate enough' to work for little to no pay," said Mariam Martin, Co-founder of Second Day. "Not only does this prevent millions of people from bringing their skills, perspectives and energy to create lasting, community-driven solutions for crises like climate change, racial injustice, and inequitable access to healthcare and education, but also creates an industry which perpetuates burnout and high turnover rates. Pay Our Interns is on the forefront of fighting the institutional practices which take advantage of eager young people who want to dedicate their careers to service. We join them in calling on the Department of Labor to end the practice of unpaid internships, and for allies to sign the Pay Our Interns petition. If you care about creating a more just world, paying fair wages to those at the forefront of this work is paramount."

The full letter and petition to the Department of Labor can be viewed at the Pay Our Interns website.

Pay Our Interns is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2016 and led by two formerly unpaid interns of color. It is the nation's only organization fighting to ensure all studentsespecially Black, Latinx, and Native American studentshave equitable access to professional career paths through the implementation of paid internships countrywide.

Pay Our Interns (POI) seeks to ensure individuals from all backgrounds are represented across industries impacting their communities and develop pathways for advancement. In doing so, POI creates a more equitable workforce, more diverse leadership, and a more just world. POI is headquartered in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.payourinterns.org .

SOURCE Pay Our Interns
The 2021 scholarship winners will have a special opportunity to participate and be recognized during the #PepBoysRoadTrip, a custom Pep Boys-branded bus that is traveling across the country and visiting the communities the Company serves. To follow along with the #PepBoysRoadTrip and see future centennial celebrations, visit @PepBoysAuto .

"For 100 years, Pep Boys has supported the technicians who keep America moving," said Brian Kaner, CEO. "This year's Find Your Drive scholarship program is another example of how we are preparing Pep Boys to serve the drivers of the future. Our industry thrives when we have talented technicians in the service bays, and we're excited to celebrate these 15 students who are truly exceling in the field."

This year's scholarship program included five $10,000 scholarships to qualified students studying to become professional automotive technicians in major metro areas: Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Orlando, Florida.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Caguas, Puerto Rico. Students receiving $10,000 scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year are:

Valentin Davy , Miami, Florida  Universal Technical Institute , Orlando, Florida

,  , Jonathan Cotto , Trujillo Alto , Puerto Rico  Mech-Tech College Caguas, Puerto Rico

, ,  Mech-Tech College Caguas, Eli Alvarez , Hutto, Texas  Texas State Technical College, Waco , Texas

,  , Julien Vargas , Lehighton, Pennsylvania  Universal Technical Institute , Exton, Pennsylvania

,  , Cecilia Ledesma , El Monte, California  Rio Hondo College , Whittier, California

The additional ten $5,000 scholarships were awarded to qualified students in other areas of the U.S. Students receiving $5,000 scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year are:

John Paul Jansen , Bellevue, Nebraska  Pittsburg State University , Pittsburg, Kansas

,  , Kasey Tarantino , Pennsburg, Pennsylvania  Pennsylvania College of Technology , Williamsport, Pennsylvania

,  , Hannah Armstrong , Shamrock, Texas  Universal Technical Institute , Irving, Texas

,  , Esperanza Murguia , San Dimas, California  Universal Technical Institute , Avondale, Arizona

,  , Daniel Gorski , Chicago, Illinois  Southern Illinois University  Carbondale , Carbondale, Illinois

,   , Mark Jones , Mountainside, New Jersey Ohio Technical College , Cleveland, Ohio

, Mountainside, New Jersey , Erick Poole , Waukegan, Illinois  Lincoln Technical Institute, Melrose Park, Illinois

,  Nicail Andres Ruiz Alcaide , San Juan, Puerto Rico  Mech-Tech College, Caguas, Puerto Rico

,  Mech-Tech College, Caguas, Derek Deddo , Midlothian, Illinois  Lincoln Technical Institute, Melrose Park, Illinois

,  Lincoln Technical Institute, Zachariah Riehle , Milan, Indiana  University of Northwestern Ohio , Lima, Ohio

This year, the Find Your Drive scholarship committee also reviewed applications and selected winners from among those who had applied through the University of the Aftermarket Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps provide funding and helps facilitate scholarships within the aftermarket for students pursuing an automotive technician degree or certification.

The annual scholarship program is part of Pep Boys' "Race to 2026" initiative that aims to increase the number of trained technicians and help fill an industry-wide talent gap projected to grow to 46,000 over the next five years.[1] Pep Boys offers a broad range of industry-leading opportunities and career paths designed to encourage talented future technicians to follow their passion for automotive. In addition to scholarships, the Company partners with leading technical schools, internship, and work opportunities during a student's education. After graduation, technicians can launch their careers with the Company performing basic maintenance and take advantage of benefits such as tuition assistance, apprenticeships, Company-sponsored certifications, and continuing education to move on to more complex repairs, or progress to a leadership role. Learn more about careers with Pep Boys.

About Pep Boys

Pep Boys is driven by its promise to its customers: We go further to help you go farther. Founded in 1921 by military veterans, generations of drivers have counted on Pep Boys ASE-certified Pros to care for their cars. With a national network of Service and Tire Centers, millions of vehicles and fleets pass through Pep Boys bays each year. Our commitment to being the ONE our communities count on is demonstrated through our exceptional customer experience and support of the critical technical training initiatives needed to close America's skills gap. For more information, visit www.pepboys.com.

Media Contact

Arianna Stefanoni Sherlock, Pep Boys

609-969-8349, [email protected]

Christine Bowser, Pinnacle Media

330-688-3515, [email protected]

[1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

SOURCE Pep Boys

Related Links

https://www.pepboys.com


PORTLAND, Ore., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Portland Audubon has officially launched its search for the organization's next executive director. The nonprofit conservation organization has retained Motus Recruiting and Staffing, Inc., Portland's leading DEI executive search agency.

Portland Audubon

Portland Audubon is nearing completion of its five-year strategic plan (2017-2022) and a core priority moving forward is to infuse equity, inclusion, and diversity into all facets of the organization. The new executive director will play an important role in achieving the organization's DEI goals through engagement with staff, board members, donors, volunteers, and the public.

"We hope to attract a person with a true passion for the Portland Audubon mission - to inspire people from all walks of life to enjoy, understand, and protect native birds and wildlife and the natural environment upon which we all depend," said Judith Ramaley, Board President. "Our organization is looking for an individual who possesses the thoughtfulness, skills, and energy to help us grow from our experiences during the pandemic surrounding environmental justice, social justice, and the growing impact of climate change. We want to approach our core commitments to education, conservation, and advocacy in ways that respond to the needs of the people of Oregon and the world around us."

Scheduled to be finalized fall 2021, the recruitment aims to be an inclusive, holistic process that incorporates the board of directors' desired qualifications while addressing the needs and considerations of the Portland Audubon staff.

"Portland Audubon is a phenomenal organization, and I am thrilled they decided to partner with Motus Recruiting in their search for a new executive director," said Orlando Williams, Motus Recruiting Chief Executive and Equity Officer. "Portland Audubon's mission to inspire people from all walks of life to love nature and their dedication to building community is in perfect alignment with our goal of moving people forward."

Click here for more information and the full job description.

Contact:

Elizabeth McGarry

(503) 496-1310

About Portland Audubon:

Portland Audubon's volunteer-empowered and growing community has loved and advocated for Oregon's wildlife and wild places for more than 100 years. Through collaboration with a vast network of advocates, nature enthusiasts, and partners, Portland Audubon inspires and connects people to nature through a variety of programs that are grounded in science and learning. Their mission is to inspire all people to love and protect birds, wildlife, and the natural environment upon which life depends. Learn more at: audubonportland.org

Related Images

motus-recruiting-and-portland.png

Motus Recruiting and Portland Audubon executive search

SOURCE Portland Audubon
ST. LOUIS, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PowerPublish , a virtual marketplace connecting brand marketers with leading journalists and writers, was recently recognized in an annual list of top 10 tech startups .

MarTech Outlook, a monthly magazine that shares marketing and technology insights, develops the annual list to recognize solution-providers that offer innovative technological capabilities. The publisher applauded PowerPublish for its virtual talent marketplace and SaaS platform, both of which are redefining and modernizing how brands outsource talent.

"PowerPublish empowers modern brands to instantly access leading journalists to create premium content. We have dramatically simplified how brands outsource their blog and social media content," says Dan Curran, PowerPublish's president and founder.

More information

PowerPublish is transforming the way brands outsource content. Our unique, streamlined approach to brand journalism  with fully managed and self-serve offerings  focuses on delivering premium content and a seamless client experience. For more information about our virtual content newsroom, talent marketplace and SaaS platform, visit powerpublish.io .

Please Contact:

Berkeley Combs

314-602-4155

[email protected]

SOURCE PowerPublish
SAN MATEO, Calif., July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rakuten Medical, Inc., a global clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing innovative oncology products for multiple indications, today announced the completion of a $166 million Series D preferred stock financing, including $75 million in new capital and the conversion of $91 million of convertible promissory notes, including accrued interest. The round was led by General Catalyst with additional participation from existing investors, including Rakuten Group and SBI Group.

Rakuten Medical's lead drug, ASP-1929, achieved approval in Japan for unresectable locally advanced or locally recurrent head and neck cancer in September 2020. The company is continuing to develop additional therapies on its Illuminox platform for a range of oncological indications.

"In an ever competitive and changing landscape, we are hopeful and excited to have the solid support of both our new and long-standing investors who believe in Rakuten Medical's Illuminox platform technology, as well as our commitment to bring impactful treatments to cancer patients globally," said Mickey Mikitani, Chief Executive Officer of Rakuten Medical, Inc. "We believe this latest round of financing speaks to our strong position to continue to meet and exceed the goals that have been set and achieve milestones across our entire portfolio."

"We are excited to partner with the world-class Rakuten Medical team as they pioneer breakthrough therapies and provide vital treatments to those battling cancer," said Paul Kwan, Managing Director at General Catalyst. "We believe the extensibility of the Illuminox platform has the potential to redefine the way clinicians care for their patients. We are proud to lead Rakuten Medical's Series D funding as they expand into new therapies and indications."

Tap Advisors and Momentum Capital Markets served as financial advisors to Rakuten Medical.

About Rakuten Medical, Inc.

Rakuten Medical, Inc. is a global clinical stage biotechnology company developing and commercializing precision, cell-targeting investigational therapies on its Illuminox platform, which, in pre-clinical studies have been shown to induce rapid and selective cell killing and tumor necrosis. Outside of Japan, Illuminox therapies have not yet been approved as safe or effective by any regulatory authority. The company's first drug developed on the Illuminox platform, ASP-1929, has received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, and is currently the subject of a global phase 3 clinical trial for recurrent head and neck cancer. Rakuten Medical is committed to its mission to conquer cancer and aims to realize a society where cancer patients can lead fulfilling lives. The company has 6 locations in 5 countries, including the United States, where it is headquartered, Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Switzerland. For more information, visit www.rakuten-med.com.

About ASP-1929

Since 2013, Rakuten Medical, Inc. has been using an exclusively licensed antibody complex to develop new cancer therapies based on its Illuminox technology platform. Rakuten Medical's first pipeline drug developed using its Illuminox platform is ASP-1929, an antibody-dye conjugate comprised of the antibody cetuximab and IRDye 700DX, a light activatable dye. ASP-1929 binds to epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR), a cancer antigen expressed in multiple types of solid tumors, including head and neck, cutaneous, esophageal, lung, colon and pancreatic cancers. After binding to cancer cells, ASP-1929 is locally activated by non-thermal red light (690 nm) illumination emitted by a laser device system. Pre-clinical data indicates that Illuminox technology induces a biophysical process that compromises cell membrane integrity, leading to cancer cell death and tumor necrosis. ASP-1929 received conditional early approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in September 2020, and is currently under investigation in a global phase 3 clinical trial for recurrent head and neck cancer. Rakuten Medical, Inc. is moving forward with product development by conducting clinical trials of monotherapy and combination therapy with other drugs. Outside of Japan, ASP-1929 and the laser device system have not yet been approved by any regulatory authority.

About Illuminox platform

The Illuminox platform is an investigational platform based on a cancer therapy called photoimmunotherapy, which was developed by Dr. Hisataka Kobayashi and team from the National Cancer Institute in the United States. Rakuten Medical is developing the Illuminox platform as a technology consisting of a drug, device, and other related components. The drug component of the platform consists of a targeting moiety conjugated with one or more dyes leading to selective cell surface binding. The device component consists of a light source that locally illuminates the targeted cells with non-thermal light to transiently activate the drug. Pre-clinical data have shown that this activation elicits rapid and selective necrosis of targeted cells through a biophysical process that compromises the membrane integrity of the targeted cells. Therapies developed on Illuminox may also result in local and systemic innate and adaptive immune activation due to immunogenic cell death of the targeted cells and/or the removal of immunosuppressive elements within the microenvironment. Outside of Japan, Illuminox therapies have not yet been approved as safe or effective by any regulatory authority.

About General Catalyst

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that invests in powerful, positive change that endures  for our entrepreneurs, our investors, our people, and society. We support founders with a long-term view who challenge the status quo, partnering with them from seed to growth stage and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time. With offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York City, and Boston, the firm has helped support the growth of businesses such as: Airbnb, Deliveroo, Guild, Gusto, Hubspot, Illumio, Lemonade, Livongo, Oscar, Snap, Stripe, and Warby Parker. For more: www.generalcatalyst.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward looking statements that correspond to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include various risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that may cause Rakuten Medical's business plans and results to differ from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in these statements. These "forward looking statements" contain information about the status and development of our products, including ASP-1929, the Illuminox platform and IRDye 700DX, as well as other regulatory and marketing authorization efforts, the potential benefits, efficacy, and safety of ASP-1929 and other therapies created using the Illuminox platform, and the status of regulatory filings. The approval and commercial success of such therapies may not be achieved, and the results and effects shown in pre-clinical studies and data may not be replicated in clinical trials. Such statements may include words such as "expect," "believe," "hope," "estimate," "looks as though," "anticipate," "intend," "may," "suggest," "plan," "strategy," "will," "hopeful," "excited," "do," "aims," "develop" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Such forward-looking statements are based upon Rakuten Medical's current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the future of its business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of Rakuten Medical's control. Rakuten Medical's actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. In addition, this press release uses terms such as "immune activation," "important," "notable," and "abnormal" to express opinions about clinical trial data. Ongoing clinical trial studies include various risks and uncertainties, in particular, problems that arise during the manufacturing stage of ASP-1929 or other product candidates, the occurrence of adverse safety events, situations in failure to demonstrate therapeutic benefits, and other various risks and uncertainties, both reasonable and unreasonable. For this reason, actual results, including regulatory approvals and uncertainties in the commercialization process of ASP-1929 or other product candidates, may differ from published information. Except to the extent required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update this or any other forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future developments or events, changes in assumptions, changes in the factors affecting forward-looking statements. If one or more forward-looking statement(s) is updated, no inference should be drawn that additional updates will be made to those or other forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Rakuten Medical, Inc.

Related Links

https://rakuten-med.com/us


JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Redwire, a leader in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy, announced today that it is launching new manufacturing hardware to the International Space Station (ISS) that will demonstrate additive manufacturing processes using lunar regolith simulant. This demonstration is critical to advancing the ability to develop a permanent presence for humankind on the Moon using in-situ resources. This will be the first time that lunar regolith simulant has been used for 3D printing in space. The mission is currently set to launch onboard Northrop Grumman's 16th commercial resupply mission (NG-16) no earlier than 5:56 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 10, from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.

"At Redwire, we are developing versatile, autonomous manufacturing capabilities that will maximize in-situ resources and enable robust construction on the lunar surface," said Michael Snyder, Chief Technology Officer of Redwire. "The Redwire Regolith Print (RRP) mission is an important step for proving these advanced manufacturing processes and ultimately accelerating NASA's exploration timeline to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon."

RRP is a technology demonstration mission, developed in partnership with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The mission will demonstrate autonomous, on-orbit 3D printing with regolith feedstock material using Redwire's Additive Manufacturing Facility currently aboard the ISS. Redwire will launch three custom-design 3D printing heads and three print bed surfaces on NG-16 to support RRP's on-orbit operations.

The objective of this mission is to successfully demonstrate the manufacturing process capability (3D printing of a regolith-laden simulant material) in microgravity. Upon successful print operations, the material samples will return to Earth for scientific analysis.

The RRP mission will advance NASA's efforts to develop critical in-situ resource utilization capabilities for the Artemis program and will help determine the feasibility of using resources available on the Moon as the raw materials for on-demand construction of housing and other structures. RRP technology is ultimately intended to manufacture infrastructure and mission hardware on the lunar surface using local materials, thus reducing launch mass for future Artemis missions. Construction applications include landing pads, foundations, roads, habitats, and habitat furnishings.

To learn more about the RRP mission visit www.redwirespace.com.

About Redwire

Redwire is a new leader in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy, with valuable IP for solar power generation and in-space 3D printing and manufacturing. With decades of flight heritage combined with the agile and innovative culture of a commercial space platform, Redwire is uniquely positioned to assist its customers in solving the complex challenges of future space missions. For more information, please visit www.redwirespace.com.

Media Contact:

Austin Jordan

[email protected]

321-536-8632

Forward Looking Statements

This document includes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "forecast," "intend," "seek," "target," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," "outlook," and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward looking statements with respect to revenues, earnings, performance, strategies, prospects and other aspects of the businesses of Genesis Park Acquisition Corp., Redwire or the combined company after completion of the Business Combination are based on current expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties.

A number of factors could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those indicated by such forward looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement governing the proposed business combination; (2) the inability to complete the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement due to the failure to obtain approval of the shareholders of Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. or other conditions to closing in the merger agreement; (3) the ability to meet NYSE's listing standards following the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement; (4) the risk that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations of Redwire as a result of the announcement and consummation of the transactions described herein; (5) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; (6) costs related to the proposed business combination; (7) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (8) the possibility that Redwire may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and (9) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. and Redwire undertake no commitment to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Additional Information

In connection with the proposed business combination between Redwire and Genesis Park Acquisition Corp., Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. filed with the SEC a preliminary proxy statement / prospectus on July 6, 2021 and will mail a definitive proxy statement / prospectus and other relevant documentation to Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. shareholders. This document does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed business combination. It is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect to the proposed business combination. Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. shareholders and other interested persons are advised to read the preliminary proxy statement / prospectus and any amendments thereto, and, when available, the definitive proxy statement / prospectus in connection with Genesis Park Acquisition Corp.'s solicitation of proxies for the special meeting to be held to approve the transactions contemplated by the proposed business combination because these materials will contain important information about Redwire, Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. and the proposed business combination. The definitive proxy statement / prospectus, when it becomes available, will be mailed to Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. shareholders as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed business combination. Shareholders are also able to obtain a copy of the preliminary proxy statement / prospectus, and will be able to obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement / prospectus once it is available, without charge, at the SEC's website at http://sec.gov or by directing a written request to Genesis Park Acquisition Corp., 2000 Edwards Street, Suite B, Houston, Texas 77007. This document shall not constitute a solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the proposed business combination.

Participants in the Solicitation

Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. and its directors and officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies of Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. shareholders in connection with the proposed business combination.

Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. shareholders and other interested persons may obtain, without charge, more detailed information regarding the directors and officers of Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. in Genesis Park Acquisition Corp.'s prospectus relating to its initial public offering filed with the SEC on November 24, 2020. Redwire and its directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. in connection with the Business Combination.

Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. shareholders in connection with the proposed business combination is set forth in the preliminary proxy statement / prospectus for the transaction and will be set forth in the definitive proxy statement / prospectus for the transaction when available. Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction is included in the preliminary proxy statement / prospectus Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. filed with the SEC and will be set forth in the definitive proxy statement / prospectus Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. intends to file with the SEC.

SOURCE Redwire

Related Links

www.redwirespace.com


Exclusive Opportunity to Introduce the Rritual Superfoods Difference to Top Buyers

VANCOUVER, BC, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Rritual Superfoods Inc. ("Rritual" or the "Company") (CSE: RSF) (FSE: 0RW) (OTC: RRSFF) is excited to announce that the Company has been chosen to participate in the Kroger Natural & Organic Innovation Summit, a highly exclusive opportunity to meet with top buyers on a direct basis.

"Kroger, the top grocer in the USA, is holding a focused summit on natural & organic products in an effort to bring the best of the best to their customers, and we are thrilled that Rritual has been chosen to participate," said Mr. David Kerbel, Rritual Superfoods CEO and Director. "Our team has done a tremendous job, raising awareness within Kroger to put us in position to meet some 65 influential buyers and establish the Rritual brand as we advance our sales campaign to put our products within arm's reach of every consumer in the country."

The Kroger Co., operates 2,750 grocery retail stores, serving nearly 11 million customers a day across the United States. The Kroger Natural & Organic Innovation Summit is an exclusive event where approximately 65 buyers meet one on one with selected brands, including Rritual Superfoods, and where Rritual's sales team will have the opportunity to share in-depth knowledge on product characteristics and benefits and discuss the growing superfoods category.

Rritual product offerings are all USDA-certified organic and are a caffeine-free option that can be mixed with other beverages or enjoyed by itself. Rritual's proprietary Immune-Synergy Six Mushroom Blend is the only functional health product on the market that contains a daily prebiotic blend which nourishes a healthy gut microbiome and facilitates balanced digestive function.

About Rritual

Rritual is a fast-growing functional superfood company that creates natural wellness products which support a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle. The company is poised to dominate a segment where demand and sales are growing exponentially. Under the executive leadership with over 100 years of CPG pedigree, Rritual has launched distribution to major retailers and is positioning itself as a leader in the functional health and wellness industry as a superfood platform. Rritual markets organic wellness products in the United States through initial retail rollout which includes over 10,000 points of sale and through www.rritual.com.

Follow Rritual on Twitter , LinkedIn , Facebook , and Instagram .

Functional Foods Market

According to Grandview Research*, it is estimated that the global functional food market is projected to reach $275 billion by 2025, growing at 7.9% each year with consumers putting more emphasis on health and wellness.





*https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-functional-foods-market





Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements") that relate to Rritual's current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "expects", "will continue", "is anticipated", "anticipates", "believes", "estimated", "intends", "plans", "forecast", "projection", "strategy", "objective" and "outlook") are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. In particular and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Company's plans to leverage third party manufacturing and logistics, the Company's broader retail distribution plans and the Company's other plans, focus and objectives.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Rritual's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact and progression of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors set forth under "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the final long form prospectus of the Company dated February 26, 2021 and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Rritual 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 by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Rritual to predict all of them or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE Rritual Superfoods Inc.
NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sam Badawi, a leading capital markets lawyer specializing in distressed transactions and financial restructurings, today joined Ropes & Gray's 500-lawyer New York office as a partner. Sam enhances an elite team of the world's most established and seasoned private equity, capital solutions, leveraged finance and restructuring attorneys.

Creative and innovative problem solving are hallmarks of how Sam approaches complex client challenges. A capital markets lawyer by training, Sam has extensive experience in the securities laws and capital markets aspects of business restructuring and alternative capital transactions.

Clients benefit from Sam's multi-dimensional practice. That includes the representation of financial institutions and issuers in U.S. and international debt and equity offerings and liability management transactions. He also has experience in SPAC and de-SPAC transactions, an area where Ropes & Gray is consistently ranked a top-three firm in league tables. And he brings an extensive knowledge of in- and out-of-court restructurings, having represented debtors, creditors and other stakeholders on numerous high-profile and complex bankruptcies and other restructurings, an area where Ropes & Gray also excels.

"Sam is known for helping clients optimize transactions that push the limit on risk and also reward," said managing partner David Djaha. "That's because Sam has handled both a high volume and a complex range of distressed and capital markets transactions. Add to that his reputation for being personable and innovative, and Sam is a great fit for both our clients and for Ropes & Gray."

"Sam is in an especially strong position to help our clients capitalize on and navigate distressed and alternative capital situations, and also complex transactions more generally," said David Blittner, head of Ropes & Gray's private capital transactions practice. "Our entire team at Ropes & Gray is structured to help clients execute deals across a wide array of industries and transaction types, and Sam's expertise nicely supplements our expanding roster of very experienced lawyers who excel at doing that."

Ropes & Gray is home to one of the world's leading capital solutions teams, featuring more than 20 partners and 50 associates who regularly work on deals in this area across the globe. Recently, Ropes & Gray has expanded this practice area with the arrivals of business restructuring partners Ryan Dahl, Cristine Pirro Schwarzman and Matthew Roose, capital solutions and private credit partner Leonard Klingbaum, finance partner Andrea Hwang, and with capital solutions and private credit partner Samuel Norris and business restructuring partner Matt Czyzyk in London. Sam's addition continues Ropes & Gray's commitment to grow its presence in New York, adding in recent months asset management partner Bryan Hunkele, private equity partner Scott Abramowitz, IP transactions partner Violetta Kokolus and private equity partner Carolyn Vardi.

Aaron N. Kellogg

Director of Public Relations

ROPES & GRAY LLP

T +1 617 235 4403

Prudential Tower, 800 Boylston Street

Boston, MA 02199-3600

[email protected]

www.ropesgray.com

SOURCE Ropes & Gray

Related Links

www.ropesgray.com


AUBAGNE, France, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The life science company Sartorius Stedim Biotech acquired cell culture specialist Xell AG headquartered in Bielefeld, Germany. Xell AG develops, produces, and markets media and feed supplements for cell cultures, especially for manufacturing viral vectors that are used in gene therapeutics and vaccines. Beyond these media, the company offers various analytical services for characterizing, screening and quantifying media components, as well as for optimizing media composition.

Xell AG has so far been privately owned, employs around 35 people, and is expected to generate sales revenue of approximately 5 million euros at strong growth rates and a substantial two-digit EBITDA margin for the full year of 2021. Recently, a major state-of-the-art capacity expansion was completed at the company's headquarters. The contractual parties agreed on a purchase price of around 50 million euros in addition to two earnout components contingent upon the achievement of defined revenue targets in 2022 to 2025.

"With this acquisition, we are expanding our current media offering specifically by specialized media for manufacturing viral vectors and, additionally, in the area of media analytics. At the same time, we are accelerating the expansion of our production network in this fast-growing area," said Rene Faber, a member of the Sartorius Stedim Biotech Board of Directors. "I would like to cordially welcome the Xell team to Sartorius Stedim Biotech and am looking forward to our collaboration in this demanding time."

"Sartorius Stedim Biotech, with its strong sales team and complementary product portfolio, offers an excellent platform for further expansion, and we are extremely excited about our joint future development," added Stefan Northoff, CEO of Xell AG.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the future development of the Sartorius Group. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Sartorius assumes no liability for updating such statements in light of new information or future events. This is a translation of the original German-language press release. Sartorius shall not assume any liability for the correctness of this translation. The original German press release is the legally binding version.

A profile of Sartorius Stedim Biotech

Sartorius Stedim Biotech is a leading international partner of the biopharmaceutical industry. As a total solutions provider, the company helps its customers to manufacture biotech medications safely, rapidly and economically. Headquartered in Aubagne, France, Sartorius Stedim Biotech is quoted on the Eurolist of Euronext Paris. With its own manufacturing and R&D sites in Europe, North America and Asia and an international network of sales companies, Sartorius Stedim Biotech has a global reach. The Group has been annually growing by double digits on average and has been regularly expanding its portfolio by acquisitions of complementary technologies. In 2020, the company employed more than 7,500 people, and earned sales revenue of 1,910 million euros.

A profile of Xell

Xell AG is a globally active biotech company with a strong focus on cell culture media as well as associated analytical and process services. Within ten successful years in the market, Xell has established itself as an experienced, reliable partner for the biopharmaceutical industry, providing efficient off-the-shelf media and feed products, customized developments, as well as solid analyses.

Contact

Petra Kirchhoff

Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

+49 (0)551.308.1686

[email protected]

Follow Sartorius on Twitter @Sartorius_Group and on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A.
NEW YORK, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against RenovaCare, Inc. ("RenovaCare" or the "Company") (OTCMKTS: RCAR) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and docketed under 21-cv-13930, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired RenovaCare securities between August 14, 2017 and May 28, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired RenovaCare securities during the Class Period, you have until September 14, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

RenovaCare is a development stage company that has not generated any revenue since its inception and has no commercialized products. Its activities primarily consist of research and development, business development, and capital raises. It owns the CellMist System, which consists of a treatment method for cell isolation for the regeneration of human skin cells and other tissues (the CellMist Solution) and a solution sprayer device to deliver cells to the treatment area (the SkinGun).

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) at the direction of the Company's controlling shareholder and Chairman, Harmel Rayat ("Rayat"), RenovaCare engaged in a promotional campaign to issue misleading statements to artificially inflate the Company's stock price; (ii) when OTC Markets Group, Inc. ("OTC Markets") inquired, RenovaCare and Rayat issued a materially false and misleading press release claiming that no director, officer, or controlling shareholder had any involvement in the purported third party's promotional materials; (iii) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were defective; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On May 28, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") issued a litigation release stating that RenovaCare was being charged with alleged securities fraud. According to the SEC's complaint, between July 2017 and January 2018, Rayat "arranged, and caused RenovaCare to pay for, a promotional campaign designed to increase the company's stock price." Specifically, "Rayat was closely involved in directing the promotion and editing promotional materials, and arranged to funnel payments to the publisher through consultants to conceal RenovaCare's involvement in the campaign." When OTC Markets requested that RenovaCare explain its relationship to the promotion, the complaint alleges that "Rayat and RenovaCare then drafted and issued a press release and a Form 8-K that contained material misrepresentations and omissions denying Rayat's and the company's involvement in the promotion."

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $0.66, or 24.8%, over three consecutive trading sessions to close at $2.00 per share on June 2, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


NEW YORK, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Petroteq Energy Inc. ("Petroteq" or the "Company") (OTCMKTS: PQEFF). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Petroteq and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On July 16, 2021, post-market, Petroteq issued a press release entitled "Petroteq Announces Expected Late Filing of Financial Statements and Application for Management Cease Trade Order; Cautions Against Reliance on Certain Previously-Issued Financial Statements". The press release disclosed, among other things, that certain previously-issued financial statements for periods in 2018 through 2021 should no longer be relied upon; that the Company intends to file restatements for the periods at issue; and that "[t]he Company will be unable to file its quarterly report on Form 10-Q (and related certifications) for the period ended May 31, 2021 . . . until it has completed the planned restatements . . . , which is anticipated to take several weekswell beyond the extended filing deadline of July 20, 2021."

On this news, Petroteq's stock price fell sharply during intraday trading on July 19, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:



Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


SAN MATEO, Calif., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Talview , a leading provider of an end-to-end, AI-powered hiring and proctoring solution , today announced it closed $15M in Series B funding led by Silicon Valley investor Eileses Capital with participation from existing investors Storm Ventures, Inventus Capital and Emergent Ventures. Kishore Bopardikar , Co-founder at Eileses Capital LLC, will join the Talview board, while Arun Penmetsa , Partner at Storm Ventures, will continue on the board.

The new capital further validates that Talview's video AI platform is perfectly positioned to help organizations analyze talent interactions for more efficient and effective talent decisions in a digitized world where video plays a key role. With 42% of organizations believing assessing a candidate for a job fit is challenging, Human Resources (HR) and Talent Acquisition (TA) leaders seek AI-powered talent solutions to support smarter decisions through the talent lifecycle.

"Our customers seek to tap into the rich talent and video data generated off and on the platform to improve decision-making through the talent process beyond the date of hire to career development, advancement, upskilling, and more," explained Sanjoe Tom Jose , CEO, and Co-founder of Talview. "With this funding, we plan to further innovate our video AI platform by adding major capabilities at transaction and aggregate levels and also build extensions for many of the mainstream remote-work platforms to help our customers gain profound insights into talent, and make informed, data-driven, and unbiased talent decisions."

The funding caps a strong year for the company, where it tripled its customer base, grew revenue more than twice and launched a remote and live proctoring solution for education and certification institutions. It also entered into key partnerships with SAP and expanded scope of its already strong partnership with Microsoft. By transforming talent hiring and lifelong learning, combined with actionable intelligence, the company's enterprise-grade hiring and the proctoring solution delivers better talent and learning results for all stakeholders. Ultimately, this enables customers to create a level playing field for candidates and learners who aspire to succeed in their careers.

"The talent lifecycle is increasingly complex and digitized, and we see Talview well positioned to leverage their innovative AI-powered video platform to address the challenges of remote hiring and exam-taking with automation and data intelligence," said Kishore Bopardikar . "Their customer growth globally and product innovation is a testament to their leading platform and strong leadership. We are excited to continue our partnership with Talview to turbocharge their growth."

Talview will continue to accelerate and expand their business with enterprise corporations, educational institutions, and certification organizations on a global scale. The company will expand go-to-market efforts across the US, EMEA, and APAC to better support existing and new customers, including Accenture, Allianz, Best Buy, Cognizant, Enel Group, City & Guilds, Cambridge Assessments, and the British Council.

"We've been impressed with the level of collaboration and partnership we've experienced from Talview for our hiring initiatives," said Sarah McPherson , Senior D&T Product Manager, Hiring, Onboarding, and Inclusion at Best Buy. "Talview's approach to video AI provides us with valuable candidate insights to support our talent hiring decisions, selection speed, and development strategies for today and the future."

About Talview

Talview offers an end-to-end, AI-powered hiring and proctoring solution that unifies how organizations screen, interview, and assess top candidates and learners while ensuring a simple, engaging experience for everyone. From the testing center to the office or the home, Talview reimagines, humanizes, and democratizes large-scale recruiting and credentialing processes so every person can realize their full potential both academically and professionally.

"With Talview, you can discover a world of untapped talent."

About the investors

Eileses Capital invests in companies that will improve the way we live, learn, and work. They look for teams whose creativity matches with bold ambition and are ready to adapt themselves to changes in our world.

Emergent Ventures , a Silicon Valley-based VC firm, partners with high-potential entrepreneurs and helps them find a product-market fit and develop a go-to-market. Emergent Ventures focuses on the Intelligent Software space, which includes themes such as Artificial Intelligence, Enterprise Automation, and Cloud Infrastructure.

Inventus Capital was founded in 2007 by successful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and early-stage VCs with a founder-first philosophy. The GPs have backed nearly 90 founders to date and invest with high conviction behind a very select number of new teams each year.

Storm Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based VC firm focused on Building Enterprise Leaders. Storm Ventures' current enterprise software investments include Algolia, AtScale, and Talkdesk. Storm Ventures was the first or early investor in Airespace (Cisco), Marketo (Adobe), and Mobileiron.

Contact:

Name: Jacob Crompton

Phone: 1-646-480-0356

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Talview

Related Links

www.talview.com


WASHINGTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters are applauding the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for passing the Fair and Open Skies Act, HR 3095. The bill was approved unanimously yesterday by voice vote.

"The Teamsters fought hard for this  congratulations on a great victory for our union brothers and sisters," said Capt. David Bourne, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division. "This bipartisan policy protects the middle-class prosperity of jobs in the American airline industry while ensuring the continued safety of both passengers and workers alike. I'd like to thank Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio and Aviation Subcommittee Chair Rick Larsen for their hard work and advocacy on this critical legislation."

If enacted into law, HR 3095 will prevent the Dept. of Transportation from issuing a permit to a foreign airline if it conflicts with the labor standards outlined in the U.S.-EU-Iceland-Norway open skies agreement. This will prevent new foreign airlines from exploiting "flags of convenience," a practice whereby an airline bases its operation in a country with weak labor standards and lax safety regulations rather than its country of origin in order gain an unfair competitive advantage in the market.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Galen Munroe, (202) 439-7427

[email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Miller Law Firm has recovered $2.25 Million for a boutique Hayes Valley condominium association for construction defect related damages in only 10 months from serving the builder with a notice of construction defects and building standards violations.

The Board of Directors of the 35-unit HOA located near the Market Street corridor in Hayes Valley retained The Miller Law Firm just days away from turning 4 years old. Faced with serious plumbing & sewer system defects, the Board of Directors hired The Miller Law Firm, specialty defect counsel.

According to Senior Partner Rachel M. Miller, "While the statute of limitations or time limits in California for condo HOAs to pursue a Builder Claim is 10 years from the date of completion, oftentimes Boards of Directors must take legal action earlier to preserve shorter time limits. For example, there is also a 4-year plumbing time limit. In this case, the building was just 11 days from the 4-year time limit and was facing major plumbing and sewer repair needs. By acting diligently, the Board stopped the clock and was able to recover sufficient funds necessary for the building's repairs."

The HOA sent a notice of defects for plumbing and other building deficiencies, including, but not limited to, deformed and detached exterior panels, efflorescence and staining, stucco cracks, serious deterioration of HVAC insulation on the rooftop, and a compromised building maintenance system. The claim was settled in mediation efforts facilitated by Gerald A Kurland Esq., of JAMS, in only 10 months without filing a formal complaint in Superior Court.

"Builder insurance policies are often 'burning limits' policies, and the insurance funds can erode or burn down during these claims because that insurance pays for the builder's attorney and expert time. Therefore, we often have to work on an expedited timeline. If these funds burn down by long claims processes, those are funds that are taken away from the HOA," states founding Partner and CEO, Thomas E. Miller. "This 10-month settlement was a testament to how important it is to have the right team in place to aggressively investigate the common area deficiencies and mediate claims outside of the often backed up court or arbitration system. Since the Board acted within the allowable time frames, they were able to capture repair funds from the Builders' insurance without the policies eroding and avoid special assessments or the use of reserve funds for these costly repairs."

Celebrating 40 years of practice, The Miller Law Firm (www.constructiondefects.com) continues to be California's construction defect authority and leading resource for San Francisco homeowners, Boards of Directors, and community management. The newly released 3rd Edition of, Home and Condo Defects: A Consumer Guide to Faulty Construction (2021), was written to aid and assist homeowners, board members and association management companies in pursuing legitimate claims against builders and their insurance companies. Contact Communications Director Sara Brown for more information on how to receive a copy. ([email protected])

The Miller's legal treatise, Handling Construction Defects, now in its fourth edition, remains the definitive practice guide for lawyers, mediators, arbitrators and judges.

Media Contact: Rachel Miller

(415) 437-1800

[email protected]

SOURCE The Miller Law Firm

Related Links

http://www.constructiondefects.com


WASHINGTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tonight, Just The News hosts a primetime TV special, "The War Against Black America," which probes the impacts of crime, economic policies, immigration, and more on Black Americans. Led by award-winning investigative journalist John Solomon, this primetime TV special, sponsored by the recently-launched news aggregation site Off The Press, airs tonight at 8:00 pm EDT on various TV and digital platforms, including Just The News, OffThePress.com, The Star News Network, Real America's Voice, and Rumble.

The program examines the impact that economic and social policies implemented by establishment politicians in Washington are having on the lives of Black Americans.

"We're proud to support programming like this primetime TV special because the war against black Americans is real and is being hidden from the American people by the mainstream media," said Joseph Curl, Editor in Chief of Off The Press, the main sponsor of "The War Against Black America."

The primetime TV special will feature interviews including former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, immigration attorney and Miami mayoral candidate Mayra Joli, Job Creators Network President Alfredo Ortiz, and civil rights icon Bob Woodson.

Highlights of comments from the interviews on "The War Against Black America" include:



Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell on crime:

"political leaders  talking about defunding the police  are turning our cities into killing fields, not fields of dreams, and people are going to start pushing back against that."

Civil rights icon Bob Woodson on critical race theory:

"no individual nation should be defined by its birth defects. And slavery was America's birth defect. But America is a country that is founded on the whole notion of redemption and transformation."

Job Creators Network President Alfredo Ortiz on economic pressure on Black small business owners:

"we're so concerned about this war on small business because frankly, they have no protection  against this onslaught of higher regulations, higher taxes, the push for  increasing wages (when we have a)  labor shortage."



Watch "The War Against Black America" live at 8 pm EDT on Thursday, July 29 on JustTheNews.com, OffThePress.com, thestarnewsnetwork.com, realamericasvoice.com, and Rumble.



SOURCE Off the Press

Related Links

http://OffThePress.com


PORTLAND, Ore., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thompson Duke Industrial , the leader in cannabis oil vaporizer device filling and capping equipment, has released its IZR Automatic Filling Machine . This newest innovation in the company's line of patented, cETLus Certified and GMP-ready filling machines, the IZR was designed specifically to streamline large-scale cartridge filling and capping operations. Made in the United States, the versatile new machine automatically fills cartridges and pods directly in manufacturer packaging.

"The IZR is a great example of Thompson Duke responding to the needs of the industry to solve a complex problem with a simple design," said Chris Gardella, Chief Technology Officer for Thompson Duke Industrial. "Our experience with all types of cannabis oil and vape devices, and our ability to quickly adapt to ever-changing filling requirements and oil formula changes, are reflected in this latest release. We are always thinking ahead about how to keep our clients operating efficiently, and the IZR does just that."

Thompson Duke's IZR Automatic Filling Machine (U.S. Patent No. 10,440,989 and cETLus Certified - UL 61010-1, UL 61010-2, UL508, CSA C22.2, IEC 61010-1) was designed to solve not only the challenges surrounding the different oils found in the cannabis extraction space, but also to proactively address the constant evolution of the industry as a whole. The machine is backed by the company's U.S.-based knowledgeable technical support and ongoing commitment to innovation in the space.

Designed specifically to create operational efficiencies for filling and capping operations, the IZR Machine:

Accommodates oil vaporizer device manufacturer packaging directly out of the box with a configurable design and precise filling adjustability;

Dispenses high and low viscosity oils with a patented oil dispense system;

Provides extremely accurate control over weight, temperature and speed with an optimized color touch screen;

Includes an optional data reporting solution for all system process variables to help improve overall performance and manage supply chains;

Adheres to rigorous Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines required for legal compliance.

As with all of the company's products, the industrial-quality IZR system is open, modular and easily serviced in the field even by non-technicians. Existing clients can readily upgrade their systems to IZR capabilities, as the machine works with all existing Thompson Duke Industrial ACF1 trays and components.

More information about IZR can be found here: https://thompsondukeindustrial.com/izr-industrial-filling-machine/

About Thompson Duke Industrial, LLC

Thompson Duke Industrial, LLC is an original equipment manufacturer, a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association and a wholly owned subsidiary of Portland Engineering, Inc. The company's Portland, Oregon operation designs, manufactures, and distributes a line of patented, cETLus Certified and GMP-ready filling machines specifically designed for filling cannabis oil vaporizer devices, along with mouthpiece fastening machines and process performance and reporting data systems. With over 1,200 filling machines deployed in the cannabis industry, Thompson Duke Industrial is the leader in cannabis oil vaporizer device filling and capping equipment. The complete line of filling and capping machinery enables cannabis processors to be more successful by increasing accuracy, consistency, efficiency and overall throughput of vaporizer device fulfillment operations. https://thompsondukeindustrial.com/

Media contact: Morgan Whitehouse, [email protected] , 802-373-4686



SOURCE Thompson Duke Industrial
CHANGZHOU, China, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TrinaTracker, a leading tracker manufacturer and business unit of Trina Solar Co., Ltd. has globally published a white paper "Strategies to mitigate wind related risks in trackers compatible with ultra-high-power modules" after launching the webinar "Ensuring the tracker stability in extreme weather conditions" in partnership with PV Magazine. TrinaTracker ratified the stability of its Agile 1P and Vanguard 2P in extreme weather conditions by performing wind tunnel tests in collaboration with the leading wind engineering consultancy firms CPP and RWDI.

PV tracking system has become a critical investment for asset owners and investors who expect long-lasting and reliable systems to optimize returns. Nowadays, PV plants are installed in various sites, many of them with highly demanding terrain characteristics and extreme weather conditions. Moreover, the mounting of ultra-high-power modules, in strong demand by the industry, involves higher wind loads added to the trackers. The solar industry has long realized that building codes do not consider the tracker-specific aeroelastic effects produced by the action of wind. Therefore, more advanced analytic tests are necessary for reliable tracker design.

In the webinar, Markus Balz (Managing Director of SBP  independent third-party global leading renewable energy engineering consulting firm) and Trina Solar presenters Cruz Argueso Chamorro (TrinaTracker Senior Civil Engineer), Marcos Cerezo (TrinaTracker Engineer) and Gonzalo de la Vina (Head of Trina Solar Europe) discussed the different models used in the wind tunnel testing and the importance of performing the Full Aeroelastic Model Test. Moreover, they presented TrinaTracker's optimized design solutions to mitigate wind-related risk on trackers. The designs include strengthened structures and different stow strategies for 1P and 2P configurations according to the wind tunnel tests results, which further upgrade the stability and reliability of TrinaTracker in terms of application with ultra-high-power modules.

Markus Balz, Managing Director of SBP stated: "after several years of supporting tracker companies, EPCs and developers in the field of trackers, it is a relief to see TrinaTracker offering sophisticated design approaches to tackle safety and cost optimization at the same time."

Jason Duan, Head of tracker business unit at Trina Solar, said: "I am proud to confirm that TrinaTracker offers a bankable product to asset owners and investors. TrinaTracker will continue to put its efforts into designing optimized tracking solutions for customers that can provide validated reliability, durability and maximum energy yield in every site."

To know more about how TrinaTracker ensures the tracker stability in extreme weather conditions, please download the whitepaper at: https://bit.ly/36RSXSI.

More about Trina Solar:

https://www.trinasolar.com/en-glb/about_trina_solar

SOURCE Trina Solar Co., Ltd
Leading global suppliers can assist buyers in realizing high-cost savings through their efforts on areas such as forward integration, reducing total ownership cost, manage ad hoc spend, negotiate on pricing and contractual terms, conference participation, managing labor price volatility, level of automation, quality management, and reduction in ad-hoc spend. Collaborations with global suppliers will also help buyers in cost-saving and ensure high-quality procurement in the dynamic market.

The report also offers information on the upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth.

www.spendedge.com/report/welding-consumables--procurement-market-intelligence-report

Welding Consumables Market in India: Key Price Trends

According to the Welding Consumables price trends, higher anti-dumping duties imposed by the governments in countries such as China , the US, France , Germany , and India will increase the price of exported Welding Consumables.

, the US, , , and will increase the price of exported Welding Consumables. The steady increase in crude oil prices will drive the prices of raw materials such as optical fiber, PE, PVC, steel, and aluminum. This will propel Welding Consumables suppliers' manufacturing costs.

Insights Offered in this Welding Consumables Market Report

Top Welding Consumables suppliers and their cost structures

Top Welding Consumables suppliers in the US and their cost structures

Welding Consumables market spend analysis in the US

Welding Consumables price trends, and forecasts

Cost drivers influencing the Welding Consumables prices

Some of the Top Welding Consumables suppliers listed in this report:

This Welding Consumables procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

Lincoln Electric Co.

Colfax Corp.

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Panasonic Corp.

Air Liquide

Voestalpine AG

Regional Analysis

Further breakdown of the market segmentation at requested regions.

Market Player Information

Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players, vendor segmentation, and vendor offerings.

Know the strategies adopted by vendors during the COVID-19 Recovery Phase.

View Free Sample Report

Related Reports on Heavy Industry Include:

Fruits and Vegetable Processing Equipment - Forecast and Analysis : The fruits and vegetable processing equipment will grow at a CAGR of 5.52% during 2021-2025 . Click the above link for a free sample report.

The fruits and vegetable processing equipment will grow at a . Click the above link for a free sample report. Amusement Park Construction Services Sourcing and Procurement Report : This report evaluates suppliers based on quality of services to ensure safety of drugs and medical devices, therapeutic expertise, reputation and level of experience, and global reach and capacity.

This report evaluates suppliers based on quality of services to ensure safety of drugs and medical devices, therapeutic expertise, reputation and level of experience, and global reach and capacity. Waste Management Equipment- Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: This report evaluates suppliers based on warranties, low lifecycle costs, proximity to the buyers location, and manufacturing performance. The pressure from substitutes and a high level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the moderate bargaining power of suppliers.

To access the definite purchasing guide on the Welding Consumables that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis:

Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Welding Consumables TCO (total cost of ownership) favorable?

How is the price forecast expected to change? What is driving the current and future price changes?

Which pricing models offer the most rewarding opportunities?

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contact

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
Founded on the premise that the electrification of mobility is likely to be a transformational shift, Volta Charging builds and operates a nationwide EV charging network that has among the best utilization per station in the EV charging industry for the United States. Centered around capturing new spending habits expected to result from the shift to electric vehicles, Volta Charging seeks to transform the fueling industry by building open-network charging stations in locations where drivers already spend their time and money, including grocery stores, pharmacies and other retail locations.

The new charging stations at Stop & Shop furthers Volta Charging's mission to build a convenient, simple and delightful charging infrastructure that is seamlessly incorporated into a driver's everyday experience. This station joins other recently announced locations in Volta Charging's New Jersey network, including in the town of Westfield and at the Bergen County Zoo.

About Volta Charging

Volta Charging is an industry leader in commerce-centric EV charging networks. Volta Charging's vision is to build EV charging networks that capitalize on and catalyze the shift from combustion-powered miles to electric miles by placing stations where consumers live, work, shop and play. By leveraging a data-driven understanding of driver behavior to deliver EV charging solutions that fit seamlessly into drivers' daily routines, Volta Charging's goal is to benefit consumers, brands and real-estate locations while helping to build the infrastructure of the future. As part of Volta Charging's unique EV charging offering, its stations allow it to enhance its site hosts' and strategic partners' core commercial interests, creating a new means for them to benefit from the transformative shift to electric mobility. To learn more, visit www.voltacharging.com .

In February 2021, Volta Charging and Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: SNPR), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company with a strategic focus on energy sustainability and decarbonizing transportation, announced they entered into a business combination agreement. Upon the closing of the transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, the combined entity will be named Volta Inc. and remain on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "VLTA".

SOURCE Volta Inc.
WESTERLY, R.I., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Trust Company has committed $200,000 over the next four years to support the STAR Campaign for San Miguel, a capital campaign that will enable the San Miguel School in Providence, RI to continue to provide a nurturing environment and exceptional education to their students for years to come.

Edward "Ned" Handy III, Chairman & CEO of The Washington Trust Company and John Wolf, Executive Director of the San Miguel School in Providence, RI celebrate the $200,000 commitment to the school's STAR Campaign.

The San Miguel School is a Lasallian middle school dedicated to providing a high-quality educational experience to boys with great potential from low-income communities, especially in the Providence area. Since the school opened its doors more than 27 years ago, 365 boys have graduated and the school boasts impressive statistics: 98% of their students graduate high school, 80% go on to post-secondary education and 80% are 'first in family' college attendees.

"We're more than just a safe place for these boys to get a good education," says John Wolf, Executive Director of the San Miguel School. "It's our goal to not only provide a top-notch education, but to also help these boys grow into young men who are confident, responsible, and who have a positive vision for the future. We are grateful for the support of Washington Trust- both in their leadership and their financial commitment- to help ensure our school's sustainability long into the future."

"For more than two centuries, Washington Trust has been deeply involved in the communities that we serve by providing trusted advice, financial services, and support to help turn dreams into reality," said Ned Handy, Chairman and CEO at Washington Trust and co-chair of the STAR Campaign for San Miguel. "There is no better example of a place where dreams truly become reality than at the San Miguel School. Our investment in the future of this school will ensure that this transformational educational experience reaches hundreds more young men for many years."

Washington Trust has pledged a $200,000 investment in the STAR campaign for San Miguel, which will deliver $50,000 each year over the next four years.

The San Miguel School's STAR campaign has secured $4.6 million of the $5 million total required. The campaign has opportunities to support a state-of-the-art STEAM Lab, 21st Century Learning spaces, building upgrades, student support services and more. To support the campaign, visit their website and contact the school here: https://www.sanmiguelprov.org/campaign.

ABOUT WASHINGTON TRUST

Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is the oldest community bank in the nation and one of the Northeast's premier financial services companies. Washington Trust offers a full range of financial services, including commercial banking, mortgage banking, personal banking and wealth management and trust services through its offices located in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., (NASDAQ: WASH). Additional information on Washington Trust and its subsidiaries can be found at https://www.washtrust.com/.

SOURCE The Washington Trust Company
CHICAGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NuCurrent announced today that its NuEva Development Platform for Near-Field Communication (NFC) Wireless Charging technology has surpassed the capabilities of the NFC Forum's Wireless Charging Specification (WLC).

This chart details the advanced benefits of NuCurrent's NuEva Development Platform for NFC Wireless Charging. NuCurrent's NuEva Development Platform for NFC Wireless Charging provides advanced wireless power and data functionality that is well-suited for small, space-constrained devices including wearables, pinless hearables and more.

NuCurrent leads the industry by delivering over 3x more wireless power and over 8x faster data speeds. The NFC WLC currently specifies power levels ranging from 100mW - 1W transmitted and data rates up to 106 kb/s. Based on industry-leading wireless power expertise and complimentary technology, including over 180 patents granted or pending, the NuEva NFC Wireless Charging Development Platform is capable of providing up to 3W of power received and data rates up to 848 kb/s.

"Most people are familiar with NFC for its popular use in mobile and contactless payment, identity documents, and key cards, but are unaware of its extended wireless charging capabilities. NuCurrent began working on our NuEva NFC Wireless Charging Development Platform three years ago," said EVP of Sales & Marketing Tim Tumilty. "It's exciting to see the industry begin to realize the potential of our platform to enhance this unique communications technology that's already in billions of devices worldwide."

Operating at 13.56MHz, NFC Wireless Charging utilizes a single antenna to deliver both communications and low amounts of power, making it an ideal solution for devices that are incompatible with Qi - or non-standard low frequency - wireless power solutions. NFC Wireless Charging brings innovation to devices such as wireless charging hearables , fitness trackers, computer peripherals, smart glasses and other small, space-constrained devices.

"Charging up to 3W or 848 kb/s of data may sound like an incremental innovation, but when you survey all of the real-life products operating within those requirements, and then add the business benefits that NFC technology can bring, you start to realize the major impact that extended wireless charging and data will have," said Tumilty.

NuCurrent's NuEva Development Platform is available today for product managers wanting to innovate with a NFC WLC or custom NFC Wireless Charging solution. For more information on how to get started, contact [email protected] .

About NuCurrent

NuCurrent supplies Fortune 1000 companies and other high-flying product developers with wireless power technologies and product integration expertise. Our core technologies span magnetics, software and systems simulation. We have generated over 180 patents granted and pending globally, and unparalleled internal tools that enhance speed to market, improve product performance and mitigate major development risks. Our broad systems integration expertise supports manufacturers of appliances, smartphones, wearables, hearables, consumer electronics, medical devices, robotics, IoT, sporting equipment and other emerging product categories.

NuCurrent solutions are based on inductive and inductive resonant wireless power transfer which offers convenience, safety, efficiency, and enhanced user experience. Founded in 2009, we are a venture-backed company based in Chicago with offices in Hong Kong, San Diego and Bangalore. More information at www.nucurrent.com.

Media Contact:

Amaya Adams

312.637.3511

[email protected]

SOURCE NuCurrent

Related Links

http://www.nucurrent.com


WASHINGTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 30,000 women cancer victims would retain their constitutional right to have juries decide if talc in Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE:JNJ) baby products caused their ovarian cancer under bankruptcy reforms proposed Wednesday by key lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

The Nondebtor Release Prohibition Act of 2021 would close controversial bankruptcy loopholes, including non-consensual third-party releases and the so-called "Texas Two-Step." Recent media reports indicate that Johnson & Johnson  with a market cap of more than $400 billion  is contemplating bankruptcy to avoid paying claims and damages that would likely cost a fraction of that amount. In a quarterly earnings report issued this week, J&J announced sales of $23.31 billion, a 27 percent increase year over year, and upgraded its annual sales forecast to $94.6 billion.

"Many of us are shocked that Johnson & Johnson would consider abusing the bankruptcy process to avoid caring for the women and families they've harmed," says Deane Berg, whose 2013 trial resulted in the first jury verdict establishing a link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. "Before we were harmed by J&J, we were loyal J&J customers. They've turned their back on all of us."

Dozens of studies published in peer-reviewed journals during the past 25 years have shown a statistically significant association between talc use and ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Documents produced at trial show that the company was aware of the dangers as far back as the 1960s.

The bankruptcy reform proposal introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in the Senate, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) in the House, would address a growing trend in which a profitable company is able to quickly corral legal liabilities and debts into a separate corporate entity. Known as a "divisive merger" or the "Texas Two-Step," the liability-laden subsidiary is then reincorporated elsewhere and eventually declared bankrupt. The threat of bankruptcy is used to intimidate individuals who file lawsuits and to drive down the value of negotiated settlements.

"These conscientious and well-informed lawmakers recognize that allowing highly profitable companies to shirk their responsibilities to society is reprehensible and can't be tolerated," says Andy Birchfield, Mass Tort Section Head at the Beasley Allen Law Firm, which represents thousands of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer after exposure to Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and other talc-based products. "The courts  not the federal bankruptcy system  are the proper forum for resolving disputes between wrongdoers and the people they injure."

The Nondebtor Release Prohibition Act would prohibit bankruptcy judges from allowing companies that are not a party to gain non-consensual releases of liability as part of the bankruptcy process. This tactic allows corporations to employ bankruptcy as a shield against liability. The legislation aligns with other proposed legislation  dubbed the SACKLER Act  introduced by Rep. Maloney.

In addition, bankruptcy filings often result in indefinite delays that freeze ongoing lawsuits in state and federal courts. Sen. Warren's bill would limit stays for a duration of only 90 days.

"These legislators should be applauded for recognizing the need to close the loopholes that allow powerful individuals and successful corporations to play blame-shifting with people's lives," says Michelle Parfitt, co-lead counsel in the federal talc MDL and a senior partner in the law firm Ashcraft & Gerel. "Whether it's a baby powder, a pharmaceutical or any other dangerous product, consumers need to be able to gain adequate compensation for any losses and injuries they've suffered. Without these proposals, that fundamental tenet of our justice system is at risk."

About the Beasley Allen Law Firm

Headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, Beasley Allen is comprised of more than 70 attorneys and 200 support staff. One of the largest Plaintiffs law firms in the country, Beasley Allen is a national leader in civil litigation, with verdicts and settlements of more than $26 billion. For more information visit www.beasleyallen.com.

About the Ashcraft & Gerel Law Firm

Washington, D.C.-based Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP was first developed in 1953. The goal of the law firm is to help those who have been injured while on the job. Since its founding, this law firm has become one of the largest and most well-known personal injury firms in the U.S.

Contact:

Mark Annick

[email protected]

800-559-4534

SOURCE Beasley Allen Law Firm
BOULDER, Colo., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Record-low inventory in markets across the U.S. made it easy to sell a home in the first half of 2021  but increasingly harder to find and buy one. That made moving tricky for the 70% of sellers who also needed to buy a home.

Fortunately, new ways of selling and buying are meeting consumer needs in the difficult market. "Power Buyer" companies offer services that enable consumers to buy their new house before selling their current home. And, cash offers from iBuyer companies became stronger than ever and increasingly available.

A new midyear zavvie Seller Preferences Report details the explosive growth of Power Buyers and several other new selling solutions available to homeowners throughout the U.S. between January and June 2021. See zavvie.com/seller-preferences In Q1 2021 iBuyers exceeded their pre-pandemic levels one year ago by 21%. And in Q2 2021, iBuyer purchases rocketed to nearly double their Q1 2021 total. The new zavvie report found that in the first half of this year, more sellers than ever utilized the services offered by a range of companies that are fundamentally changing how residential real estate works. See zavvie.com/seller-preferences

A new midyear zavvie Seller Preferences Report details the explosive growth of Power Buyers and several other new selling solutions available to homeowners throughout the U.S. between January and June 2021.

Released today by zavvie, a brokerage-branded marketplace connecting brokers and their clients with Verified Buyers, the report also details that iBuyers are back. In Q1 2021 they exceeded their pre-pandemic levels one year ago by 21%. And in Q2 2021, iBuyer purchases rocketed to nearly double their Q1 2021 total.

But the biggest trend is the rapidly growing influence of Power Buyers (a term coined by real estate tech strategist Mike DelPrete). Power Buyers provide homeowners with "buy before you sell," "sale leaseback" and "cash offers" services. Power Buyer firms include EasyKnock, Homeward, Knock and Ribbon.

The new zavvie report found that in the first half of this year, more sellers than ever utilized the services offered by a range of companies that are fundamentally changing how residential real estate works.

Stefan Peterson, zavvie Chief Data Officer and Co-Founder, explains the impact on the typical consumer. "A Denver buyer with a traditional mortgage and a loan contingency had to make offers on an average of seven homes before winning the day," Peterson said. "Homebuyers with all cash averaged just 1.1 submissions before getting their offers accepted. Power Buyers give homeowners a massive advantage in today's marketplace," he added.

The zavvie Seller Preferences Report is the only ongoing review of its kind for every selling solution available to homeowners throughout the U.S. The report looks specifically at activity among iBuyers and the increasing influence of Power Buyers nationwide. It examines offer strength, offer acceptance rates, service fees, market availability, buy boxes, average concessions, and time to close for selling solution providers.

The zavvie Seller Preferences Report 2021 highlights:

Power Buyers are showing explosive growth: Ribbon reports demand for cash offers has increased 10x in 2021. EasyKnock's Q1 business grew 70% from the previous quarter. And Knock expanded from three markets at the end of 2019 to 49 markets by the end of June 2021 .

Ribbon reports demand for cash offers has increased 10x in 2021. EasyKnock's Q1 business grew 70% from the previous quarter. And Knock expanded from three markets at the end of 2019 to 49 markets by the end of . iBuyers are making better offers: iBuyer purchases by Opendoor, Zillow Offers, Offerpad and Redfin Now, on average came in at 104.1% of market value during the first half of 2021.

iBuyer purchases by Opendoor, Zillow Offers, Offerpad and Redfin Now, on average came in at 104.1% of market value during the first half of 2021. " Buy boxes" expand: The average home sale price for iBuyers increased 22% by June 2021 , as the average iBuyer purchase price jumped at the end of 2020 from $280,000 to $344,000 in Q2 2021.

The average home sale price for iBuyers increased 22% by , as the average iBuyer purchase price jumped at the end of 2020 from to in Q2 2021. iBuyers are lowering fees as average concessions, service fees plummet: Average consumer costs of selling to an iBuyer dropped 25% by midyear 2021. iBuyer service fees dropped in Q2 2021 to 5.1% versus 7.2% in 2020. Moreover, the average concession charged to sellers for home repairs fell in Q2 2021 to 1.9%, down sharply from 3.8% in 2020.

Average consumer costs of selling to an iBuyer dropped 25% by midyear 2021. iBuyer service fees dropped in Q2 2021 to 5.1% versus 7.2% in 2020. Moreover, the average concession charged to sellers for home repairs fell in Q2 2021 to 1.9%, down sharply from 3.8% in 2020. iBuyers want more: In iBuyer markets, eligible inventory increased from 32% to 43%.

In iBuyer markets, eligible inventory increased from 32% to 43%. Power Buyers top iBuyers with higher price points: Average transaction price for Power Buyers was nearly $430,000 , or 25% higher than the average transaction price for iBuyers ($344,000) .

Average transaction price for Power Buyers was nearly , or 25% higher than the average transaction price for iBuyers . Power Buyers drive more cash offers: Various Power Buyers reported growth for cash offers provided sellers ranging from 2x to 10x compared with Q4 2020.

Various Power Buyers reported growth for cash offers provided sellers ranging from 2x to 10x compared with Q4 2020. Offer acceptance rates up for both Power Buyers and iBuyers: Sellers accepted 37% of offers provided by Power Buyers through June 2021 , up from 31% in 2020. The iBuyer offer acceptance rate also increased in the first half of 2021 to 5.7% versus 4.6% in 2020.

Sellers accepted 37% of offers provided by Power Buyers through , up from 31% in 2020. The iBuyer offer acceptance rate also increased in the first half of 2021 to 5.7% versus 4.6% in 2020. Faster closings: For iBuyers across all markets, the average time to close midyear 2021 was 38.3 days versus 48.5 days for 2020.

For iBuyers across all markets, the average time to close midyear 2021 was 38.3 days versus 48.5 days for 2020. Power Buyers and iBuyers both win high consumer satisfaction scores: Both posted impressive customer satisfaction scores - roughly 9 out of 10 - indicating their customers would do it again.

The complete zavvie Seller Preferences Report is available for free at zavvie.com/seller-preferences.

About zavvie

zavvie is a brokerage-branded marketplace that connects broker-agents and their clients with Verified Buyers on new ways to buy and sell homes while keeping agents at the center of the transaction. Over 60,000 real estate agents in 47 states leverage zavvie's platform to serve their clients better. zavvie gives modern brokerages and agents all they need to thrive in today's evolving real estate landscape: easy-to-use tools, technology, training, marketing, and strategy. Discover more at zavvie.com.

Media Contact:

Kevin Hawkins | zavvie

206-866-1220 | [email protected]

Related Images

zavvie-releases-new-midyear-seller.jpg

zavvie releases new midyear Seller Preferences Report

A new midyear zavvie Seller Preferences Report details the explosive growth of Power Buyers and several other new selling solutions available to homeowners throughout the U.S. between January and June 2021. See zavvie.com/seller-preferences

ibuyers-are-back.jpg

iBuyers are back!

In Q1 2021 iBuyers exceeded their pre-pandemic levels one year ago by 21%. And in Q2 2021, iBuyer purchases rocketed to nearly double their Q1 2021 total.

new-seller-preferences-report-from.jpg

New Seller Preferences Report from zavvie details news "all cash offer" services

The new zavvie report found that in the first half of this year, more sellers than ever utilized the services offered by a range of companies that are fundamentally changing how residential real estate works. See zavvie.com/seller-preferences

SOURCE zavvie
A look at some of today's major headlines from the Proactive newswire

( , ) has discovered an extensive new gold-in-soil target on its licence area in the Longford-Down Massif in Ireland.

( , ) said its phase I clinical trial of potential next-generation Covid vaccine has been given the green light by South African regulators. The company also said Professor Lindy Durrant has been appointed chief executive of the drug developer  a role she previously split with Dr Cliff Holloway.

( ), the cross-border eCommerce technology solution provider focused on China, saw revenues triple in the financial year to the end of March.

( , ) said trading activity had continued at healthy Ievels in the first three months of its current fiscal year albeit below the exceptional volumes seen in the previous twelve months.

DiscoverIE Group PLC said its performance in the first quarter of its financial year was ahead of the boards expectations.

( ) has offloaded the Black Pine nickel-cobalt project and associated licences in Southern Cyprus for 0.5mln (A$0.9mln) in a cash and shares deal with Aeramentum Resources Pty Ltd.

( , ) announced plans to rebrand as Chill Brands Group plc and Chill will be renamed CHILL.COM.

( ) said drilling results returned wide, high-grade intersections of gold mineralisation at the Nielle Concession in northern Cote d'Ivoire.

( , , ) has unveiled a senior secured credit facility for up to US$30mln with Oxford Finance, a specialty finance firm that provides senior debt to life sciences and healthcare services companies.

( , ) has partnered with Young Lives vs Cancer to make it easier and cheaper to donate via the Mode app.

( , ) said joint venture partner IAMGOLD Corporation has completed its Phase 1 drilling programme at the Fare prospect and partially completed a Phase 2 drilling programme at the Madina Bafe prospect, both part of the Senala project in Senegal.

( , ) has secured a contract to supply consultancy services to support a Phase II trial in Onchocerciasis Disease, an infectious disease commonly known as river blindness.

( ), a West-Africa focused natural resources investor, said non-executive chairman Peter Francis will step down for personal reasons on August 2 and Oliver Andrews will take over the role.

( ) highlighted quarterly updates from Sandfire Resources Ltd and two more of its natural resource investments.

( , , ) has issued an update on several board appointments and resignations.

The key performance indicators were all pointing in the right direction for PLC, which declared a maiden dividend on Thursday.

( , , ) said it has launched a new range of eco-friendly graphene nanoplatelet dispersions that will improve the sustainability of paints, coatings and composite materials.

( , ) said its half-year performance was solid with continued strong cash generation.

Coinsilium Group Limited has updated investors on the build and development of a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace by its Gibraltar subsidiary, Nifty Labs Limited.

Minds + Machines Group Limited said it has agreed to extend the longstop date for the transfer of its 27 top-level domains and related assets to Registry Services LLC to August 23 from August 7.

( ) said under the terms of the letter on intent initially announced on February 3, Poseidon Enhanced Technologies has informed the company of a further extension of the existing exclusivity period through September 1, 2021, adding that the parties continue to work towards the execution and delivery of a definitive purchase agreement, contemplating a reverse takeover of Curzon by Poseidon.

( ) said its Annual General Meeting for 2021 will now take place as a closed meeting on August 4 at 2:30pm.

Bacanora Lithium PLC said the put up or shut up deadline for its acquisition by Ganfeng has been extended to 5pm London time on August 26, 2021.

( , ) reported a 45% jump in estimated resources at its Pitombeiras ferrovanadium project in Brazil.

( , , ) highlighted ongoing strong demand and said all its products are supported by price increases in the quarter. The company, in its quarterly update, additionally told investors it has achieved production guidance for the 2021 financial year. Rutile production totalled 73,248 tonnes (against guidance of 70,000 to 80,000), 317,276 tonnes of ilmenite (300,000 to 320,000) and 27,122 tonnes of zircon (26,000 to 28,000).

i3 Energy PLC completed operations for two new wells in the Marten Hills project, Canada, which are now in production, with a clean-up process presently underway.

Europa Oil & Gas (Holdings) PLC told investors the proppant squeeze operation on the Ashover Grit reservoir interval in the Wressle-1 well in North Lincolnshire has been completed safely and successfully.

Zephyr Energy PLC said seven wells it has interests in at the Williston Basin project in North Dakota are now in production.

( ) ( ) has doubled the size of its acreage in Western Arizona through staking ground adjacent to its existing land package.

( , , ) updated investors on operations at Tawke PSC, in Kurdistan, where combined production from the Tawke and Peshkabir oil fields averaged 110,300 barrels of oil per day in the second quarter.

( , ) has appointed Jonathan Battershill as chief executive with effect from 1 August 2021. Battershill is a mining geology graduate from Camborne School of Mines and has extensive experience both in operations and in finance in Australia and in the UK.

( , )s executive chairman has said the companys construction of its first commercial-scale plant at Protos remains its top priority.
New Delhi, July 29 : Hitting out at former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the BJP on Wednesday wondered if a "weapon" (Pegasus) had been implanted on his phone then why did he not speak about it for so many days.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson, Sambit Patra said: "Rahul Gandhi is saying that a weapon has been implanted on his mobile phone. Why did he not speak for so many days and kept mum? Has he filed any FIR on this issue?" "For the Congress party and some other opposition parties, Pegasus has become a bigger issue than the Covid pandemic. When the entire country was unitedly fighting the Covid pandemic, the leaders of the Congress party and some other opposition parties were hiding inside their homes. The meaning of Rahul Gandhi is being an irresponsible and non-serious leader," Patra said.

Attacking the Congress for not allowing the Parliament to function, Patra said: "When the entire country was fighting the Corona pandemic, the Congress party was demanding debate in Parliament. And now when Parliament is in session, the Congress party is not allowing it to function and creating ruckus." "People of the country have elected them and sent them to Parliament to do constructive debate. The Congress party is least interested in letting Parliament to discuss and debate the important issue of Corona, it only looks for baseless and redundant issues and creates obstacles to not let Parliament function," he said.

Taking a dig at Congress leader's claims of united opposition, Patra said: "Rahul Gandhi is saying that the Opposition is united. Before the 2019 general elections a similar photo had some light, but everyone knows what happened to the so-called unity of the imaginary 'Mahaghatbandhan' (grand alliance)." He claimed that the leaders and parties who formed the imaginary 'Mahaghatbandhan' are the ones who just think about their families and they have just one ambition, one goal and that is to save their own families.

"Do you think that Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi want to take India to its golden era? Absolutely not. It's a myth, a big lie. All these leaders have just one ambition and that is to settle their children in politics. And on the other hand we have our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji whose only mission is to take our nation forward," the BJP leader said.

Patra also hit out at the Kerala government for the surge in Covid cases. "Recently on the festival of Eid the Kerala government gave some relaxation to the Covid protocols, on which the Supreme Court had raised serious concern. But unfortunately the politics of appeasement won in Kerala as the State government did not follow the instructions given by the Supreme Court for the Eid celebrations," Patra said.

He alleged that it is because of the highly callous and irresponsible behaviour of the Kerala government that today more than 50 per cent of the Corona cases are being reported from Kerala.

"Today 22,000 Corona cases have been reported from Kerala and it looks like a new wave of the Corona pandemic has already started in Kerala," he said.

He claimed that yesterday the Health Minister of Rajasthan Raghu Sharma celebrated his birthday in an indoor stadium where a large number of people gathered.

"All protocols related to the Corona pandemic were grossly violated. Schools and colleges of Rajasthan are closed, but the Health Minister of Rajasthan celebrated his birthday by putting the lives of hundreds of people at risk," Patra added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
San Francisco, July 29 : Twitter has announced to shut its offices in New York and San Francisco in response to the new guidelines issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The microblogging platform reopened the offices just two weeks ago on July 12.

"Twitter has made the decision to close our opened offices in New York and San Francisco as well as pause future office reopenings, effective immediately," a company spokesperson told TechCrunch on Wednesday.

"We're continuing to closely monitor local conditions and make necessary changes that prioritise the health and safety of our Tweeps," the spokesperson added.

Barely three months after suggesting that vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks, indoors or out, the US CDC has now recommended people to resume wearing masks amid the surging delta variant.

The new guidance 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.

Other tech companies also took cognizance of the new CDC guidelines.

Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said the company will require employees to be vaccinated before returning to the office in the later part of the year.

From Thursday, Apple will require customers and staff at most of its more than 270 US retail stores to wear masks even if they are vaccinated.

Facebook and Amazon have also confirmed similar policies around vaccination and wearing masks.

Facebook will require its US employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19 when they return to the office.

"As our offices reopen, we will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our US campuses to be vaccinated," Facebook's vice president of people Lori Goler told The Verge.

Netflix will also require the casts and some crew on its productions in the US to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
New Delhi, July 29 : Twitter on Thursday revealed six key consumer insights from millions of conversations happening on its platform in India amid the pandemic that would help brands and marketers foster lasting consumer relationships by driving relevance and fast adoption.

According to the 'Twitter Trends Report 2021', the six trends that dominate conversations in India are - Wellbeing, Creator Culture, Everyday Wonder, One Planet, Tech Life and My Identity.

To reach this conclusion, Twitter studied millions of Tweets from January 2020-June 2021 and compared them to Tweets from the previous 18 months to learn more about what conversations people were having on Twitter in India.

The company said that these six trends present an opportunity for brands to align with consumers.

"An analysis of the millions of Tweets we see everyday, gives us a window into culture and how it's evolving. This report also taps into various trends to give brands insights into what's on people's minds, what matters to them, and how they can lean into these conversations to stay ahead of the curve," said Preetha Athrey, Head of Marketing at Twitter India.

For example, within the 'Wellbeing' umbrella, the top three sub-trends to emerge are self-care (+88 per cent), health and fitness (+103 per cent), and mental health Matters (+150 per cent).

"#SelfLove, #LoveYourSelf, #GoodHealth and #MentalHealthMatters are some of the popular hashtags used in these conversations. Brands should lean into this conversation by approaching it with honesty, sharing their perspectives and always encouraging people to take steps to be better - no matter how small," the report said.

There's been a 78 per cent growth in conversations around content, creators and the emerging creator economy in India.

"#ContentStrategies, #ArtistOnTwitter, #VideoOfTheDay, #Podcast are some of the popular hashtags used," Twitter said.

Some of the other popular hashtags under 'Everyday Wonder' used are #Numerology, #Consciousness, #Spiritually, #Meditation.

One Planet conversations have risen by 80 per cent, with environment urgency (+40 per cent) and inclusive sustainability (+57 per cent) being at the forefront of these conversations, and #ClimateChange, #GoGreen and #SaveThePlanet being some of the prominent hashtags.

Tech life conversations are driven by the sub-themes of tech communication (+111 per cent), smarter living (+57 per cent) and tech for good (+61 per cent), and #DigitalIndia, #BigData, #ResponsibleTech, #TechForGood are some of the noteworthy hashtags.

"As the pandemic continues to keep people at home, conversations around technology and its impact on our lives are growing. Brands can help people envision and adapt to this by showing how their new products/services make lives easier," Twitter said.

Under the 'My Identity' umbrella, #PrideMonth, #FanArmy, #EachForEqual some of the hashtags driving these conversations in India.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, July 29 : Actress Kirti Kulhari is all set for the release of her upcoming web-series "Human". She says it is a new representation of her in more ways than one.

"'Human' is a medical drama. It is based on human trials. It has Shefali Shah and me. I am playing a doctor," Kirti told IANS.

The series is an emotional drama about the underbelly of human drug testing and the world of medical scams. The web-series also stars Ram Kapoor and Seema Biswas. "Human" is co-directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah along with Mozez Singh.

Talking about the show, she said: "It is treated like a thriller and very interesting. I had a blast doing this. I can't wait for it to be out and for everyone to watch it. It is a new representation of me in more ways than one. It has been an amazing experience." "Human" will be released on Disney+ Hotstar.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Phnom Penh, July 29 : Cambodia will impose a two-week lockdown in eight provinces from Friday to August 12 aimed at containing the spread of highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant, according to an order signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The locked-down provinces are Koh Kong, Pursat, Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Siem Reap, the order, signed on Wednesday night, said.

The locked down areas would be classified into three zones, namely "Red Zone" for a severe pandemic, "Dark Yellow Zone" for a moderate transmission, and "Yellow Zone" for a low community spread, Xinhua news agency quoted the order as further saying.

"The decision is made to prevent the spread of the Delta variant in the community," it added.

In the order, Hun Sen also advised the Foreign Ministry to immediately contact the Thai side to close the border temporarily for passengers, but still keep it open for the transport of goods and emergency patients.

The move came after Cambodia witnessed a spike in Delta variant cases in recent days.

According to the Health Ministry, Cambodia has recorded a total of 114 cases of the Delta variant.

As of Thursday, the country's overall coronavirus caseload and death toll stood at 74,386 and 1,324.
Bengaluru, July 29 : Panatone Finvest Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Sons Private Ltd plans to acquire controlling stake in telecom equipment maker Tejas Networks.

Panatone Finvest will buy a 43.3 per cent stake in Tejas Networks for Rs 1,850 crore and along with other Tata Group companies, Panatone would make a public announcement to acquire up to another 26 per cent stake in Tejas.

Tejas Networks has executed definitive agreements with Panatone.

In a regulatory filing, Tejas said that it sees a very large opportunity in the telecom sector both in India and global markets with the new cycle of investments in 5G and fiber-based broadband rollouts.

Tejas Networks will utilise the proceeds raised from the preferential allotment to invest organically and inorganically in the research & development, sales and marketing, people, infrastructure and to enhance its manufacturing and operational capabilities to cater to this large market opportunity, and for other general corporate purpose.

Saurabh Agrawal, Executive Director of Tata Sons Pvt Ltd, said: "We are excited to partner with Tejas Networks, India's leading telecom and network company with a strong DNA of R&D. We look forward to working with the highly experienced management team of Tejas Networks and creating a full stack of globally competitive wireline and wireless products." Sanjay Nayak, CEO and Managing Director at Tejas Networks said: "We are privileged to be part of the Tata group, which has a rich legacy as India's most visible and trusted business brand. Tejas Networks was started with a vision of creating a top-tier global telecom equipment company from India. The association with Tata group will accelerate the realisation of this vision and enable us to address the large market opportunity available to us to build a financially strong global company, backed by a trusted brand." Sanjay Nayak will continue as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer to lead Tejas Networks along with the existing management team through the next phase of growth.

Shares of Tejas Networks touched the 5 per cent upper circuit post the announcement.

Around 10.55 p.m., its shares were at Rs 246, higher by Rs 11.70 or 4.99 per cent from its previous close.
New Delhi, July 29 : In the initial days of the pandemic, the recovery rates seemed to be high and deaths reported much lower, we as citizens seemed to have coped with the lockdown. We made banana bread at home, dalgona coffee, and enjoyed the time spent with family. This was soon replaced with no boundaries at the workplace, more and more deaths due to the virus were reported, cases increased exponentially, the virus mutated and India was hit by a second wave. This has been horrific in more than one way.

During early 2020, sometime around February, I distinctly remember sitting at a cafA enjoying my coffee while reading a lot of incoming news from the international borders regarding Covid-19. The virus which was initially perceived to have been localized to China now seemed to have started impacting a handful of other countries with a handful of cases. Quite sporadically, by March 2020, most countries saw a rise in the number of cases, leading to a worldwide panic, people started hoarding ration and essentials in the anticipation of a lockdown.

A few weeks in, most countries including India were put under strict lockdown. Amidst the initial chaos and warnings, doctor friends suggested I take some precautions and not worry. However, fast forward to 2021, life has changed so significantly for everyone and most of us have even adapted to the major challenges brought on by this pandemic.

Many youngsters, actors, comedians, NGOs, and even doctors took to social media to offer help. Individuals were altruistic and went out of their way to find the drug Remdisiver, aid in arranging hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, doctors, meals for people stuck in home quarantines, and this extended to arranging burial spots in the cremation grounds. We were overwhelmed by grief and sorrow yet we tried to support one another. Things were so overwhelming for most of us that we wanted to help but we couldn't. The empathy that pushed us to arrange for oxygen cylinders, started to fade with news of deaths, we felt angry with ourselves and people around us, we may have even started projecting it onto our family members. This lost empathy and compassion due to an overwhelming environment are often referred to as a phenomenon known as 'Compassion Fatigue'.

In simple terms, compassion fatigue is the loss of empathy due to mental and physical exhaustion. It may or may not be accompanied by burnout and even sound similar to burnout but is different because the individual suffering from compassion fatigue feels a sudden loss of empathy and suffers from emotional issues such as anger outbursts, anxiety, irritation, dreads the thought of people along with physical changes such as increased stress headaches, weight loss, etc. During this time, the individual usually assumes that people are responsible for his sufferings.

Jiah, a 21-year-old college student, met me in June 2021. She is a bright young girl who had been volunteering at a Covid helpline center since April 2021 where she was doing her best to cater to the needs of individuals who needed aid in arranging ICU beds and Oxygen. This job had initially made her feel content but soon she was grief-stricken with the news of people dying in record numbers, reading or hearing news was triggering for her, even social media overwhelmed her with everyone seeking help. Every time she received a distress call, she would get afraid. She tried her best to help as efficiently as possible but in some cases by the time the hospital beds were arranged, she would find the distress caller's family member had passed away. This happened multiple times during May 2021. She cursed herself for not being fast enough. When she found out that her dad had Covid by early June 2021, she was overcome with no emotion and felt exhausted, was unable to cry, easily angered, and felt that her mental health was on the decline and came to me to understand her mind. She thought this was due to her dad's illness and the ineffectiveness of the colleagues at the helpline center that she is suffering so much. With a few sessions, Jiah improved and is doing well now. This is how compassion fatigue can look like. It can happen to teachers, nurses, doctors, psychologists, and often as a result of excessive trauma exposure.

Some of the ways to overcome Compassion Fatigue include: Start by taking care of yourself: In airplanes, the initial instructions always state that in case of variation in air pressure, the oxygen masks will be deployed, first help yourself then the people around you. Similarly, in life, even if you are volunteering or taking on these tough jobs, ensure that you take care of your mental and physical well-being before catering to the needs of others. If you are doing well, you will be able to think clearer and help better. This will keep you motivated and feeling content.

Spend time improving your mental health: Our mental health can get impacted by stress. Being stressed is often a starting point, this can soon spiral into anxiety, depression, or other mental illnesses. Learning effective stress management boasts our mental health. This can be done by spending time with nature, writing a journal or a gratitude journal, spending time with loved ones, exercising, meditating, etc. Find out your most effective way of stress management. This will help you improve your mental and emotional health.

Focus on what you can control: Pandemic has been a humbling time for most of us. We may have had the epiphany of the limited control we have in our lives. We may not be able to control the circumstances around us but reminding ourselves that our actions are under our control can help us focus and redirect our energies in constructive ways. For instance, students may not know when the pandemic will end and when they will return to school but they can focus on aspects like their studies, their sleep cycle, exercise regime and so on which are within their control.

Limit bad news: Compassion fatigue is a result of attending to bad news over some time without taking care of oneself. If you are getting impacted by bad news, limiting the engagement with the sources of bad news is one of the best ways to start, to focus on your mental well-being.

The pandemic is a collective trauma that we all are living in, it can make anyone experience compassion fatigue. Thus, taking care of oneself or seeking professional help would be best if you are unable to cope as well as you had expected.

(Dr. Prerna Kohli an M.Phil. & Ph.D., is a renowned clinical psychologist and the Founder MindTribe.in. This article is website exclusive and cannot be reproduced without the permission of IANSlife. Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Houston, July 29 : Two people were dead and 30 others have been hospitalised following a chemical leak in La Porte, a city near the Gulf of Mexico in the US state of Texas, authorities confirmed.

During a press conference on Wednesday, officials from LyondellBasell Industries said its facility in La Porte experienced a chemical leak, which has been identified as acetic acid, at around 7.35 p.m. on Tuesday evening, reports Xinhua news agency.

About 100,000 pounds of acetic acid were released during the leak, according to officials.

The leak was quickly stopped and was believed to be contained to the site.

The two people killed in the leak were contractors for the plant, according to the company.

Site manager Stephen Goff said 30 workers were taken to local hospitals and all other employees and contractors at the facility had been accounted for.

Company officials said there was still much they didn't know as for the cause of the leak, adding that part of the unit was shut down and planned maintenance was underway when the incident occurred.

Manufacturing Operations Manager Michael Vandersnick said the company is working with the authorities and there are no off-site impacts.

Pollution Control experts were on the scene to conduct air monitoring.
New Delhi, July 29 : Buoyed by the launch of WhatsApp payments in India and Brazil, Mark Zuckerberg has reiterated his commitment towards a deeper integration within the family of Facebook apps including Instagram and Messenger to provide a unified commerce experience to millions of users in the near future.

In an earnings call after declaring strong Q2 results late on Wednesday, Zuckerberg said that as the company works its way down the stack from discovery and ads to native commerce storefront, it is also making progress on payments at the same time.

"WhatsApp payments are now available to everyone in Brazil as well as for some in India. There are a lot of people already using this as a simple and secure way to send money to friends. We're adding new payments features in Messenger in the US like QR codes," he told the analysts.

WhatsApp Payments went live for 20 million users in India in November last year currently being used for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions via the platform. The company also has over 15 million users on its WhatsApp for Business platform in India.

"Commerce experiences are now accessible across most of our services, and we have a full roadmap of deeper integrations that I'm excited about in the months ahead," Zuckerberg announced.

Facebook last month also rolled out the ability for Messenger users in the US to leverage QR codes and payment links when they want to send or request money with Facebook Pay, even if they're not connected on Facebook.

Facebook Pay is also arriving on other online shopping platforms, starting with e-commerce platform Shopify, that will help businesses ensure a seamless checkout experience for their customers on their own websites.

"We are also making Facebook Pay available outside of our apps for the first time, which means that you're going to start seeing it as a checkout option on the web and especially in WebViews that you see within our app after clicking on ads or other business content," Zuckerberg added.

People already use Facebook Pay to send money, shop, donate and more, across Facebook apps and services.

There are now more than 3.5 billion people who actively use one or more of Facebook services globally.
Ankara, July 29 : A massive wildfire erupted in four different locations in Turkey's southern province of Antalya, a popular destination for foreign tourists, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli said.

"Unfortunately, wind conditions, low humidity and other factors are helping the fire spread. There are all kinds of reasons for fuelling the fire right now," the Minister told reporters in Antalya's Manavgat district on Wednesday.

Winds of up to 50 km an hour were fanning the flames and the smoke affected 53 people, Pakdemirli said, adding that an investigation has been launched to find out the cause of the blaze, reports Xinhua news agency.

TV footage showed fire fighters are dumping water from helicopters on the burning buildings, but the flames have not been under control yet.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes as the forest fire is fanned by strong winds.

The flames reached residential areas, but there was nothing to worry about in tourism areas, Manavgat Mayor Sukru Sozen said.

"We are experiencing an unprecedented fire. There is no casualty at the moment, but we do not have clear information," said Manavgat District Governor Mustafa Yigit, noting that isolated people from the villages are possibly injured.
Gandhinagar, July 29 : The Gujarat High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on a woman, who following a domestic dispute had urged the court to sack her daughter-in-law from the government job. While rejecting her plea, the HC also advised advocates not to encourage litigants to move such petitions.

High Court Justice A.S. Supehia on Wednesday said that "frivolity was at its heights".

Rasilaben Kharadi from Aravalli district had filed the petition, demanding termination from government service of her daughter-in-law, Chetna Ninama as she had lied about her marital status and provided false information, following which, she secured government employment through the Gujarat Public Services Commission (GPSC). Therefore, her appointment should be cancelled.

Kharadi's advocate submitted to the HC that Ninama had obtained a government job by showing herself as unmarried, whereas her divorce petition is pending since 2016. The daughter-in-law had obtained the government job by suppressing information and therefore in violation of the service rules.

However, the court failed to find a valid reason to entertain the petition. The court observed, "The prayers and petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution by the mother-in-law, is seeking direction for setting against the daughter-in-law's appointment saying that it was obtained wrongly by suppressing the facts.

"This is a dispute between them. This is very unusual and strange. The court fails to understand how this petition is maintainable when such prayers were asked for by the petitioner on her personal account." The court further said, "The court is at pains to see that the advocate has also encouraged such litigation, instead of advising the petitioner to file appropriate proceedings before any other forum.

"By moving such a petition, petitioners are wasting the court's time. Advocates are advised not to encourage people to file such petitions," the HC said.

The court ordered the petitioner, Rasilaben to deposit a fine of Rs 10,000 with the registry within 15 days from the date of the order, for wasting its time.
New Delhi, July 29 : Atal Bihari Vajpeyee was known to choose his words carefully which explained his long pauses between sentences. Thus, when he once declared that after Jawaharlal Nehru, Anant Pai, the creator of the iconic Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) comics and Tinkle magazine, was perhaps the second favourite "uncle" of Indias children, it was no off-the-cuff remark.

"First and foremost, it was his steadfast self-belief. Considering the era he lived in and his conservative, middle class family, the dream that he not only saw, but nurtured so zealously, seemed almost impossible to attain. Honestly, even in retrospect, it seems impractical. Yet, he stuck to it. It's not possible without extreme self-belief," his biographer, Rajessh M. Iyer, told IANS in an interview of "Uncle Pai" (Fingerprint) that is replete with little-known stories about the creation of the two epochal brands.

"Next was his meticulousness. He followed a painstaking, almost machine-like, methodology, as if he had been programmed with certain algorithm. I've written at length in the book about his influences, especially the impact of success literature. I personally know many who follow the dictums that these success literature books espouse. Seldom have I seen anyone follow it to a T. Mr. Pai did, and with such astounding results," added Iyer, a media professional of over two decades standing who, in his last corporate avatar, was creative head in the Amar Chitra Katha group.

The legacy is for all of us to see.

"We are part of that legacy, at least three generations of Indians, who now know - and are proud of - the rich heritage of this nation. It's not as if our heritage would have been lost in the maze, but if you see the usual flag bearers of any cultural legacy and heritage anywhere in the world, it's often a serious study: scholars wanting general populace to know the history better, parents asking their kids to love something they know so little about.

"Here was something that Mr. Pai created that the end users not just wanted, but cherished, and continue to do so. Little wonder Mr. Pai's creations, especially Amar Chitra Katha is much more than a mere set of comic books. They are an inseparable part of childhood of millions of Indians, cutting across generations," Iyer elaborated.

At the same time, he lamented the "apathy towards a man who did so much for India's heritage. No major recognition for him, especially from the government. That's sad. I'm planning to soon initiate a public awareness campaign to impress upon the government to recognise the man and his immense contribution", Iyer said.

From a small village in Karnataka to Mumbai, Pai's journey and vision, which eventually touched countless lives across many generations, is as interesting as the books he created that helped millions across India get to know their cultural roots..

Consider this scenario: A typical middle-class family of the 1980s' India. The elder child has a personal collection of a comic book set. The younger sibling who has just stepped into this world demands one of his own. The strictures, though, are clear. First, finish the comics from the old collection, which, in all probability, are bound in sets of four or five in home-stitched packs. Such was the craze for Amar Chitra Katha comics. And such was the vision of Pai, who left behind a cultural and publishing world legacy.

How did the biography come about? "Rather out of blue, I must say," Iyer replied, adding that when his literary agent mooted the, he had left his job at Amar Chitra Katha "and frankly, wasn't very enthusiastic about it. I felt everyone knew everything that they needed to know about the man".

However, before he could decide on it, he thought of meeting a few of his relatives and therein lay a few surprises that intrigued him.

"I realised that meeting more relatives and colleagues would surely open up vistas neither I nor any of those who admired him knew about him. Before I knew it, I had met a few enthusiastic relatives and a couple of close colleagues from the heyday of Amar Chitra Katha. It was an eye-opener. I was soon sucked into a quicksand of a wonder world and before I knew it I was headlong into my research," Iyer said.

"The initial research happened rather unknowingly. Obviously for someone who grew up on ACK and Tinkle, being in the middle of the creative whirlpool, there were zillion questions that needed to be satiated. So, rather unwittingly, I was gathering data, which would hold me in good stead," he said.

What also helped was that during his ACK tenure, he had met Pai's wife Lalita a few times and she had innumerable anecdotes to recount. Thus, when the idea of the biography cropped up and he decided to write it upon meeting a few relatives, the initial work was to piece these random bits of information together.

"Then came the task of meeting as many relatives and colleagues as possible, who were with Mr. Pai during the heyday of these iconic brands. Sadly, not many from the close circles were around, though thankfully three of the writer-editors who worked closely with Mr. Pai - Ms. Kamala Chandrakant, Mr. Subba Rao and Mr. Luis Fernandes - cooperated and gave me ample insight. Of course, there were Mr. Pai's relatives, especially his nephews and nieces, all of whom went out of their way to help the book with anecdotes and instances, most of which have found its way in the book," he said.

The tough part during the research was the contradictory nature of statements. Each instance had multiple paradoxical versions and to give it a true and cohesive structure was undoubtedly a task.

"There was also the task of getting old, out of print issues to validate dates of publication and events around them. There are many urban legends about ACK comic books, many of which carry false dates. Though it was tough to get answers to some of my questions, since very few close colleagues are alive, it was enjoyable, to say the least. It was much akin to reliving your childhood," Iyer maintained.

Any anecdotes he found amusing during his research that he would like to share? "There are a few of such amusing instances, but one that takes the cake is how a seasoned artist deliberately made a wrong display on the cover art, just to test the overzealous copyeditor, who invariably kept finding faults in the art. Everyone from the copyeditor to the colourist, and even Mr. Pai, who inspected every single art before approving, missed it.

"Since the book was published much later, the artist also forgot with the eventual cover featuring the image with the error. What intrigued me more was that it is one of the iconic covers from ACK. So, to all the readers, please pick up the book to know which cover that is," Iyer teased.

How have ACK and Tinkle managed to thrive in this Internet age? "One, because their appeal has been extremely strong. Even as the generations who grew up on them crossed the age of reading comics, the strong nostalgia made them go back to both the brands when their kids started reading. Also, what's undeniable is the credible, well-researched stories that have stood the test of time.

"That, more than even nostalgia, has kept both the brands alive and thriving. The content is testimony to Mr. Pai's foresight. Neither the stories and the language nor the art seem dated. They're as contemporary as they were forty years ago. Little wonder both the brands have seamlessly flowed into different versions and platforms, be they ebooks or apps," Iyer concluded.

(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)
Visakhapatnam, July 29 : A day after the Central government filed an affidavit in the Andhra Pradesh High Court justifying Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) sale plan, employees staged a protest on Thursday.

Large numbers of steel plant workers reached the administrative building to hold protest, leading to some tense moments.

Some of them even tried to block workers going to attend their duty in the steel plant at that time.

In the affidavit filed in the High Court, the central government claimed that the iron and steel sector has not been categorized as strategic in the new public sector enterprise policy under Atmanirbar Bharat.

The Centre asserted that employees' rights are not fundamental and noted that the policy allowed selling away public sector enterprises which are non-strategic and wherever possible.

The cabinet committee of economic affairs took this decision in January.

For months together already, steel plant workers unions, employees and their families have been protesting against the central government's steel plant sale plan.

Hundreds of employees took out rallies and sloganeered to protest the Centre's plans.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote a couple of letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look at alternative plans other than selling away the steel plant.

However, the affidavit makes it clear that there is no change in the central government's plans.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Thiruvananthapuram, July 29 : The Kerala Assembly on Thursday witnessed angry exchanges between the opposition and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who was trying his best to defend State Education Minister V. Sivankutty.

Sivankutty along with another present legislator -- K.T. Jaleel, a former Minister, and four other former legislators will have to face trial after the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the Kerala government's plea to withdraw the cases against the CPI-M leaders for vandalism in the state Assembly in 2015.

On Thursday, senior Congress legislator P.T. Thomas sought leave for an adjournment motion demanding to discuss the resignation of Sivankutty in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling.

"Never in the history of the Kerala Assembly has witnessed such vandalism as had happened on March 13th, 2015. Over Rs two lakh property inside the floor of the Assembly was destroyed and it was led by our present Education Minister Sivankutty. It would be good if you can air the visuals in the Victers Channel (this channel airs the online classes in the state) of Sivankutty going berserk with his 'dhoti' folded and jumping over the desks. Let the students of Kerala see who is Sivankutty. Can he ever be a role model to the students. I also shudder to think, if Sivankutty continues to be the Education Minister, foreign Universities might go to the extent of not accepting Kerala students. If you (Vijayan) don't see that Sivankutty is ousted, you too will have to take the responsibility of shielding him," said Thomas.

Vijayan, replying to the demand, ruled out the resignation of Sivankutty. He said he accepted the verdict of the apex court and also referred to similar acts of vandalism in various State Assemblies in the country.

"The government decided to take legal steps in withdrawing the case and there is nothing wrong in it, as we did it in the general public interest. This has happened before also. The Congress-led opposition has been trying to tinker with the privilege that each member has and such an action is unheard of," said Vijayan.

"We also know of the manner in which the infamous palm oil case was withdrawn in the past and following the intervention of the court and the strong strictures passed by the apex court, the case still is going on. For the Congress opposition, it has now become a habit to stir up unnecessary things for political needs and this also needs to be seen in that way," said Vijayan.

Before leading the entire opposition out of the House after the Speaker M.B. Rajesh refused to take up the motion, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan slammed Vijayan.

"Public property has been destroyed and using public money, you (Vijayan) went to all the courts in the country trying to defend this grave vandalism act conducted by your leaders, but you lost that. There is no privilege for anyone who engages in criminal activities and this includes we, legislators also," said Satheesan.

"How can this Education Minister Sivankutty be a role model to the students and teachers in our state. The whole world has seen the visuals and Kerala has been shamed and it has gone up after even the apex court ruled against what you are trying to defend," said Satheesan.

Later the entire opposition decided to boycott the day's proceedings and squatted in front of the Assembly shouting slogans demanding Sivankutty's resignation.

Outside the Assembly, feeder organisations of both the Congress and the BJP took their position in front and were seen engaging in pushing and pulling the police officials who thwarted the attempt of the protesters to break the police cordon.

Sivankutty was not present in the Assembly as he is recuperating from fever at his house.

The vandalism took place on March 13, 2015 when erstwhile State Finance Minister K.M. Mani was presenting the state Budget for the new fiscal.

The then CPI-M-led opposition had taken a strong stand that Mani, who was accused of taking a bribe of Rs one crore from a bar owner for reopening closed bars, would not be allowed to present the Budget.

When Mani began his speech, the Left legislators went berserk, throwing out the Speaker's chair from the dais and also damaging the electronic equipment on his table.

The list of the other accused includes former State Minister E.P. Jayaraja; K. Kunju Ahamed, C.K. Sadasivan and K. Ajith, who are no longer legislators, while K.T. Jaleel, the former Higher Education Minister is a legislator now.

Since 2020, the late K.M. Mani's party- Kerala Congress (M), now led by his son Jose K. Mani moved out from the Congress-led UDF and is presently the third biggest ally of the Vijayan government and has been given a cabinet berth.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, July 29 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang, which was erected to commemorate China's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, and laid a wreath to mark the 68th anniversary of the armistice that ended the war, state media reported on Thursday.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) report, Kim was accompanied by Kim, including Jo Yong-won, secretary for Organizational Affairs of the party's Central Committee, and Ri Pyong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, during Wednesday's visit.

In a speech later, Kim stressed that "kindred ties" with China will carry on "generation after generation", Yonhap News Agency reported citing KCNA.

The Friendship Tower, a monument dedicated to the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) who fought in the 1950-1953 Korean War, was erected in 1959.

North Korea and China have emphasized their close and friendly relations amid stalemated nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, and an escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry.

Earlier this month, Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged messages to mark the 60th anniversary of signing their friendship treaty and stressed their commitment to further strengthen relations between the two countries.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, July 29 : Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were adjourned second time on Thursday till 2 p.m. following the opposition's protest on Pegasus snooping, farm laws and fuel price hike.

The opposition members resorted to sloganeering. After a sound of whistle was heard in the House during the sloganeering, Deputy Chairman Harivansh warned that he will name the member.

While stating that during the golden jubilee celebration of Independence, the House had passed a resolution not to stall proceedings.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon first and when it met again the Deputy Chairman continued the question hour for 35 minutes in which questions of the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of Women and Child Development were replied.

The opposition has stepped up its attack on the government and has decided to jointly oppose the government. Though Leader in the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi met the opposition leaders at Mallikarjun Kharge's office, the opposition insisted on discussion on the snooping row and fuel hike.
New Delhi, July 29 : Minimalist, a new-age homegrown skincare brand, has raised Series A funding of Rs 110 crore through multiple international investors in just nine months of its inception. The round was led by Sequoia Capital India, with participation from Unilever Ventures.

The brand plans to utilise the funds to enhance its infrastructure and R&D capabilities, launch in global markets, as well as double down on its content creation efforts by sharing well-researched knowledge about skincare with its consumers.

Launched in 2020 by Mohit and Rahul Yadav, Minimalist, which is a mission-driven brand committed to bringing high-levels of efficacy and transparency to the personal care segment, is rapidly gaining popularity due to its values and ethos.

So far, they have served over one million customers and is the fastest growing skincare brand in India. Their products are popular among both women and men looking for solutions to acne, pigmentation, excess sebum, dull skin.

Speaking about the fundraise, Mohit Yadav, Co-founder - Minimalist, said, "Consumers today are looking beyond marketing claims and are seeking efficacy based skincare products. Our growth so far proves that a radical change in skincare industry is underway. Together with our customers, we are creating 'Skincare 2.0' by offering proven solutions driven by scientific innovations." Having a portfolio of diverse skincare and hair care products, the brand retails through its own website, along with e-commerce giants like Amazon, Nykaa, Flipkart, Myntra, and numerous other marketplaces. Minimalist currently offers 20 products ranging from serums, toners, face acids and moisturizers that are well researched, backed by proven science, safe, effective, mindfully created, and suited for all skin types.

"Minimalist's products take an efficacy-first approach using transparency and science as underpinnings to improving personal care outcomes. This has resulted in a strong following and business momentum. Having seen the power of Mohit and Rahul's execution over many years, Sequoia Capital India is thrilled to lead the Series A financing in the company," said Shailesh Lakhani, Managing Director, Sequoia India.

"Minimalist is trailblazing science-backed clean beauty formulations in India, a trend that has gained massive consumer acceptance worldwide and with growing consumer traction in India. We look forward to working with the founders and management team along with our fellow investors in supporting the brand's ambitions over the coming years," said Pawan Chaturvedi, Partner at Unilever Ventures.

Sequoia Capital India operates in India and Southeast Asia, where they actively partner with founders across sectors from idea to IPO. Unilever Ventures is the venture capital arm of British multinational consumer goods company Unilever PLC that invests in fast growing companies across consumer and enterprise technology.
Mumbai, July 29 : The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi ally Shiv Sena on Thursday lauded West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for setting up a commission of enquiry into the Pegasus snoopgate that has rocked India and other countries.

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre for not heeding the Opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to investigate the spygate scam, the Shiv Sena termed Banerjee's move as "right".

In sharp edits in the party newspaper 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana', the Sena said that keeping an eye on ministers, Opposition, judiciary, journalists, lawyers and other citizens to encroach on their private lives was not only a shameless move but a crime.

"This entire matter is related to the country's national security since only a handful of organisations like IB, RAW, CBI, ED, NCB, CBDC, etc., are involved in such acts. Now, if an Israeli agency like Pegasus enters the scene, then it can undermine the country's security, but the Centre seems to be giving it a 'national shelter'. The nation deserves to know the truth," said the edit.

The Sena added that it was expected the Centre would take stringent action and set up a probe commission, but nothing has been done.

"Mamata Banerjee has become the first state to probe the spygate. Her move is right. It has jolted the Centre and will wake up others," the Sena said.

Incidentally, just two days back, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole and party MP Suresh Balubhau Dhanorkar made a strong demand to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to set up a commission of retired judges to probe the spyware scandal.

The edits pointed out how other countries like France have also announced a probe into the Pegasus scandal, but yet the Indian Government does not consider the matter as serious -- "it appears a bit mysterious".

Referring to the global expose of how more than 50,000 people around the world were being monitored, the Sena called upon all the countries affected to appoint probe commissions and help unravel the masterminds behind the snoopgate scam.
New Delhi, July 29 : Supreme Court Bar Association and senior advocate Vikas Singh on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to take suo moto cognizance of the alleged killing of Uttam Anand, additional district judge (ADJ) in Dhanbad, Jharkhand.

Singh mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana. "If someone is killed like this after rejecting a gangster's bail, it is dangerous situation for the judiciary," he told the court.

Chief Justice Ramana said he has spoken to the chief justice of the Jharkhand High Court in the morning about the incident. Singh said the incident is a shocking attack on the independence of the judiciary and demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.

Justice Ramana said the high court has issued notice to the police and district officials. "They are hearing this matter on Thursday. Let them handle it. It does not require interference by us at this stage," said the Chief Justice. Singh emphasized that this issue is important and it is also in the interest of justice.

The bench said it is overwhelmed with the initiative of the SCBA and also appreciated the steps taken by it.

ADJ Anand was said to be handling cases in connection with gangsters. He was hit by an auto-rickshaw on his morning walk on Wednesday. Anand succumbed to the injuries at the hospital. The CCTV footage indicates that he was deliberately hit by the auto-rickshaw which was stolen the previous night.

The wife of deceased judge has reportedly lodged a murder case against unknown people.

Singh, before mentioning the matter in the chief justice's court, raised it before a bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.

Singh said that the CCTV footage of the area should be brought on record, as this incident looks like a premeditated attack on the judge. Singh said: "This is a brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary. The video which has gone viral was actually being taken by someone who was recording with prior knowledge of the attack".

However, Justice Chandrachud asked him to mention the matter before the Chief Justice Ramana.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, July 29 : In a rare instance, OTT giant Amazon Prime Video has released data, revealing its highest streaming projects within their launch-weeks so far in this year. Actor Farhan Akhtar's 'Toofan' is on top position as the most watched video within first week of its release globally.

According to the data released by the OTT platform, the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra directorial was watched by more customers on Prime Video India than any other Hindi film in its opening week. The film was viewed in over 3,900+ towns and cities in India and in 160+ countries and territories across the globe.

Besides this, in the local languages catagory, films 'Narappa' (Telugu), 'Sarpatta Parambarai' (Tamil) and 'Malik' (Malayalam), were each watched in over 3,200+ towns and cities in India and in over 150+ countries and territories globally.

In the catagory of web shows, Adarsh Gourav's 'Hostel Daze (S2)' emerged as one of the most loved shows amongst young adults within just a week of its launch, with viewership from 3,600+ towns and cities in India and from over 100+ countries and territories around the world.

The data comes to light as Amazon marked July 26 and July 27 as Prime Days. Prime Day 2021 marked the most Small Medium Businesses (SMBs) selling on Amazon.in ever, as they saw an overwhelming response from Prime members.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Hoskote : , July 29 (IANS) A notorious chain-snatching thief allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison during the police team's raid on his hideout on Thursday, the police said.

The police said that based on a tip-off, Shankar was to visit the temple on Thursday, before changing his hideout in Chintamani to elsewhere and when he saw police teams coming, he consumed a pill and died instantly.

"We suspect he might have consumed cyanide laced pill but it is not confirmed yet as we are awaiting a post-mortem report," a police officer from Hoskote police station told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

According to Hoskote police, the deceased is identified as Shankar, 48, hailing from Madanapalle town of Andhra Pradesh while his accomplice Chandrashekar, 52, resident of Bengaluru, has been arrested by the Bengaluru city police.

Hoskote police said that the duo are notorious chain-snatchers who mainly operated in K.R. Puram and other parts of IT Corridor of the city which includes Whitefield, Sarjapura, Electronic City and others.

"After snatching chain, Shankar often visited a temple situated in Pillagumpe, a small village that is located in Hosakote Tehsil of Bangalore Rural district in Karnataka," the police explained.

Pillagumpe village is situated just 20 kms from KR Puram in Bengaluru which has now transformed into an industrial town.

The police has registered a case and an investigation is underway.
Canberra, July 29 : A new reported published on Thursday revealed that Indigenous Australians were significantly more likely to be imprisoned, die by suicide or have their children removed, than non-Indigenous people.

The report was published by Closing the Gap program that aims to reduce disadvantage among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Xinhua news agency reported.

Thursday's report was the first time that data on the strategy has been published since federal, state and territory governments reached an agreement with Indigenous organisations to overhaul the framework in July 2020.

It found that while improvements in life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since the baseline of 2005-2007 narrowed the gap to 8.6 years for boys and 7.8 years for girls in 2015-2017, the national target of "no gap" was not on track to be met.

The suicide rate among Indigenous people rose to 27.1 per 100,000 in 2019, with the target of a "significant and sustained reduction in suicide towards zero" not on track to be met.

Among the agreement's targets is a goal to reduce Indigenous incarceration rates by 15 percent within the decade.

The report found that the Indigenous incarceration rate rose to 2,081 per 100,000 people in June 2020, with the national target not on track to be met.

In 2020, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0-17 years in out-of-home care was 56.3 per 1,000 children in the population, an increase from the 2019 baseline, with the national target of a "reduction in the rate of home care by 45 per cent" not on track to be met, said the report.

However, the rate of Indigenous children in youth detention fell to 25.7 per 10,000, with the national target on track to be met.

The Productivity Commission could not provide an update on some of the 17 targets due to a lack of available data.

"The agreement is now 12 months old, but the most recent available data for monitoring these socioeconomic outcomes are only just hitting the commencement date for the agreement," commissioner Romlie Mokak said in a media release.

"It is likely to be some years before we see the influence of this agreement on these outcomes."
Islamabad, July 29 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Afghanistan's repeated accusations against his country for being responsible for its worsening situation was unfortunate, adding that Islamabad has always desired for peace and an inclusive government setup for its neighbour as it goes in favour of the two nations.

Speaking to journalists and Afghan in Islamabad, Khan said Pakistan is not the spokesperson for the Taliban nor does it have anything to do with what the militant group is doing in Afghanistan.

"What the Taliban are doing or not doing has nothing to do with us and we are not responsible, neither are we the spokesperson of the Taliban," he said, adding that "Pakistan has always desired for peace in Afghanistan".

Khan said Pakistan has been and continues to be willing to go to every extent required to ensure a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.

However, he ruled out the use of force against the Taliban.

"We believe that Afghanistan cannot be controlled from the outside. Our policy is to have the best relationship with whoever the people of Afghanistan choose," he said.

Referring to the US' demand of using Pakistani bases to carry out operations in Afghanistan, Khan said: "I fail to understand what can the US achieve in Afghanistan while sitting on the outside, as it badly failed while being inside Afghanistan for 20 years." The Prime Minister regretted that his country is being blamed for the promoting and spreading unrest in Afghanistan, insisting that an unsettled Kabul was not in Islamabad's interest.

"What interest would Pakistan possible have for a civil war in Afghanistan? We would do everything short of military action against the Taliban as doing so would only drag Pakistan into a conflict.

"If there is a civil war in Afghanistan, its spillover will fall into Pakistan's tribal areas. We cannot afford to do that any more. We have already lost over 70,000 Pakistanis when the country took part in the US-led war on terror," he added.

Khan also spoke about Pakistan's relationship with India, stating that Islamabad will not accept any participation of New Delhi in the Afghan peace process until the latter reverses what he called "illegal decisions of August 4, 2019".

"Pakistan has always desired for peace with India, but it was India which did not want peace because it was at present under the influence of the RSS ideology."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kanpur : , July 29 (IANS) The kin of two Bikru massacre victims who were killed in an ambush by slain gangster Vikas Dubey last year in July, have been given jobs by the government.

Vaishnavi Mishra, daughter of deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra, who was killed along with his aides in the Bikru ambush, has been appointed as an officer on special duty (OSD) by the state government.

Umesh Kumar, the brother of constable Bablu Kumar, has joined as a trainee constable in the Kanpur Police Commissionerate.

Vaishnavi Mishra had applied for the post of OSD. After a year-long process, Vaishnavi has finally got the appointment.

Vaishnavi was initially posted at the police headquarters, but now she has been transferred to Kanpur Police Commissionerate. She has joined the police office and is being trained by the concerned officials.

Remembering her father, Vaishnavi said, "I believe my father is always going to be part of my life. At one point, it seemed as if everything was over. But my mother and other family elders inspired me. I also received huge support from my relatives and friends, and I decided to join the state police." Constable Bablu Kumar was posted in the Bithoor police station when the Bikru massacre took place.

Bablu's younger brother Umesh had applied for a government job.

After clearing the physical and medical examination, Umesh has now been selected in the state's police force. He has also been given posting in the Kanpur Police Commissionerate.

A senior official in Lucknow said that the family members of the remaining six martyrs would soon be given jobs as per their qualifications soon.

Eight policemen were ambushed in the Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Dubey and fell to bullets fired from rooftops on July 3.

Vikas Dubey was killed in an encounter in the morning of July 10 when a police vehicle carrying him from Ujjain to Kanpur met with an accident and he reportedly tried to escape from the spot in Sachendi in Kanpur.
Kabul, July 29 : A total of 23 militants were killed and three others injured as Afghan government forces stormed Taliban hideouts in Pashtunkot and Almar districts of Faryab province, an army spokesman said on Thursday.

In the operations launched on Wednesday afternoon, a large number of arms and ammunitions as well as four motorbikes were also destroyed, the official said.

According to the official, the government forces will continue to pursue the militants elsewhere in the restive province, Xinhua news agency reported.

Taliban militants are reportedly in control of major parts of Faryab province and have been fighting to overrun the provincial capital Maimana city.

In a similar development, at least 10 Taliban militants were killed as fighting flared up in Taluqan city, capital of Takhar province, on Thursday, a local police spokesman said.

The clash, according to the official, erupted after the Taliban fighters attacked security checkpoints in the city's Sarai Sang area, triggering a gun battle.

Three security personnel have also been killed in the fighting.

Five more militants and two security personnel have been injured, the official further said.
Kanpur : , July 29 (IANS) In a nondescript corner of Kanpur, a pond near a Shiva temple has become home to a thriving turtle population.

At a time when water bodies in India are either shrinking or vanishing, the pond surrounded by a concrete jungle in Kanpur, is thriving mainly due to the religious beliefs of the Hindus.

Hindu devotees ensure that nobody harms the turtles and visitors to the temple feed them regularly.

Turtles are an endangered species and possessing or catching one is banned under India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

According to Rajesh Pathak a local resident, "The temple was built about 200 years ago and the pond is much older. There is a possibility that the turtles may also be very old but things are yet to be verified by a wildlife expert. Till date, no expert has visited the pond." According to him, some of the turtles have shells that are three feet long.

Pathak says he once tried to lift them but found them too heavy. "Going by their size and weight, I think they are quite old," he said.

Pathak is not sure about the number of turtles in the pond. "There may be hundreds in number," he said.

The surface of the pond looks blackish green and going by the colour, it is hard to believe that the pond supports a rich aquatic life.

The turtles have started responding to human voices. On Tuesdays, a large number of devotees gather at the pond because Tuesday is considered an auspicious day for feeding turtles.

The people shout, "Aah, aah, aah...." Ripples break the calmness of the surface. Then, there is some disturbance on the surface close to the bank. Finally with a splash, a turtle appears, perhaps the biggest and the boldest one -- its pink mouth wide open.

It hungrily devours the cottage cheese that people are offering. Soon, another one appears. Then, a third. In less than a minute the bank is lined with turtles.

Once the stock of cottage cheese gets exhausted, people start throwing loaves of bread at them. But the turtles have apparently developed a taste for cottage cheese and ignore the bread.

One by one, they start returning to the depths of the pond and soon the surface is once again calm.

"The turtle is much revered in the Hindu mythology. It is mentioned in some texts that the earth rests on the back of a giant turtle. In some, it is written that the turtle is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Many Hindus believe feeding turtles will help them in getting salvation. Hence people feed them," said Pathak.

"Whatever may be the reason, it is good that if the people are feeding the turtles. Try to imagine what would happen if people stop feeding them. They may starve to death," he added.

"It is not unusual if a small turtle sneaks into a home but it is safely returned to the pond," said Pathak.

In the past, some people have tried to poach the turtles but were chased away by locals.

A retired forest official said a turtle population flourishing in a pond in a straggling, unplanned city was no less than a miracle.

"Where in Kanpur can a person today see a turtle? Either in the zoo or in the Ganga," he said.

"Once, Kanpur had hundreds of ponds. Most of them have disappeared over the years. But if there is a pond that supports a big population of turtles, then it is something very unique. And we must remember that till date no government or any organisation has protected the pond or the turtles. Still, both have survived for such a long time. Steps must be taken to preserve the pond and the lives in it," the official added.

Rain is the only source of water for the pond at present. Pumps are installed that draw water from the ground and fill the pond. The water level in the pond will then remain constant throughout the year," said Pathak.
New Delhi, July 29 : The indiscriminate usage of antibiotics to treat Covid-19 patients is likely to make antimicrobial resistance (AMR) the next big public health crisis in India and globally, said experts here on Thursday.

The World Health Organization identifies AMR as one of the significant threats to global health and estimates that it will contribute to 10 million deaths by 2050.

Calling for harmonised action on AMR, a group of researchers, led by Professor N K Ganguly, former Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), have on Thursday released a white paper.

A recent study led by researchers at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in Missouri, US, showed that a total of 16.29 billion doses of antibiotics were sold in India in 2020.

Adult dose usage increased from 72.6 per cent in 2018 and 72.5 per cent in 2019 to 76.8 per cent in 2020.

The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, indicated that almost everybody who was diagnosed with Covid-19 received an antibiotic in India.

"AMR is a bigger threat than Covid-19, we need harmonised on-ground action on human, animal, and environmental fronts to prevent its escalation into a public health emergency. India and many low and middle-income countries are already seeing a surge in drug resistance, even in common infections. I worry that due to Covid-19, the AMR situation has worsened. We need collective and immediate actions to curtail the aftermath," said lead author Professor Nirmal Kumar Ganguly, in a statement.

Besides direct intake of antibitocs, the drugs are also used indiscrimately in the animal husbandry and livestock industry. This allows for the spread of AMR as drug-resistant bacteria find their way into the food chain.

Another often ignored reason for the spread of AMR is the discharge of untreated effluents by pharmaceutical manufacturing units and hospital wastewater. It degrade the environment and affect animal and human health by increasing AMR, the experts said.

"To understand the emergence and mitigation of drug-resistant hotspots, we need better surveillance. Surveillance data in India is very limited. The effective antimicrobial agents are rapidly diminishing from the quiver of available standard of care treatment options. This is a major concern," Professor V Samuel Raj, Director of the Centre for Drug Design Discovery and Development and Dean Academic Affairs, SRM University, Sonipat.

The White paper recommends the need to bring about behavioural change to limit the overuse of antibiotics in humans and misuse of antibiotics in agriculture and livestock industry.

It called for the development of mechanisms and standards for harmonised surveillance of AMR in animal, human and environmental ecosystems.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chitradurga : , July 29 (IANS) Powerful Lingayat seer Dr. Shivamurthy Murugha Sharana Swamiji of the Murugha Mutt here has stated that with the appointment of Basavaraj Bommai as the Chief Minister, the BJP high command has put an end to instability in the state politics.

The seer also complimented the high command by saying it was a shrewd move to anoint Bommai as the chief minister.

"There will be phases where political developments would take away the peace of mind from the people including the politicians. Political instability if the reason behind it, this will disrupt the political scenario.

"Political stability must be found and that has been achieved in Karnataka by BJP high command," the seer said on Wednesday.

He further stated that the installation of Bommai as the Chief Minister has put a full stop to the instability. "We, all seers congregated in the premises of Bengaluru Palace Grounds to demand an end to political instability. We wish that Chief Minister Bommai would take the path of Yediyurappa," he said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised the contributions of Yediyurappa. Present Chief Minister Bommai will also deliver. We will pressurise him to implement the Upper Bhadra project, (a major lift irrigation scheme, which would benefit central districts of Karnataka)," he added.
Tokyo, July 29 : Three prefectures near Tokyo will jointly request the Japanese government to declare a Covid-19 state of emergency following a recent increase in new Covid-19 cases, local media reported on Thursday.

Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai has expressed "a strong sense of crisis" over the rapid spread of the virus, reports Xinhua news agency.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister in charge of the Covid-19 response, said he would "swiftly decide and respond flexibly once the request is made" by Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures.

Japan's daily Covid-19 cases in total struck a record number of 9,583 on Wednesday, and the Olympic host city Tokyo, which is already under an emergency state until August 22, has faced surging cases with a record high of 3,177 infections.

The three neighbouring prefectures also reported record single-day highs.

The three prefectures are currently under a quasi-state of emergency, with fewer restrictions on business activity than the state of emergency.

Shigeru Omi, an infectious disease expert who leads the government subcommittee on the Covid-19, urged the government in a parliamentary hearing on Thursday to give out a strong message to citizens, warning about the rising stress on the health care system.

"I have a strong sense of crisis. There are not many factors that will lower the current level of infections," said Omi.

He also said the "greatest danger is in the fact that the general public does not share a sense of crisis", and that such a situation would bring a further spread of the virus.

"I want the government to send out a message that is clearer and stronger than ever without missing this timing," Omi said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, July 29 : The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) on Thursday said that it has invited bids for the construction of Sabarmati Rolling stock depot for 508 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, popularly known as Bullet Train project.

NHSRCL spokesperson Sushma Gaur said that it has invited bids for design, construction, installation, testing and commissioning of Sabarmati Depot consisting of workshop, inspection sheds, various buildings, maintenance facilities and associated works.

Gaur said that the last date for submitting bids is December 2, 2021.

"The Bidding Documents will be available for sale at NHSRCL's office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on all the working days from Augist 4 to December 1.

She said that Sabarmati maintenance depot will be the largest depot among three depots planned for MAHSR corridor.

Other depots will be at Surat (Gujarat) and Thane (Maharashtra).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe on September 14, 2017 had laid the foundation stone for the ambitious Rs 1.08 lakh crore ($17 billion) project. The bullet trains are expected to run at speeds of 320 km per hour covering the 508-km stretch in about two hours.

In comparison, trains currently plying on the route take over seven hours to travel the distance, whereas flights take about an hour.

The NHSRCL has awarded several tenders for the construction of railway tracks, railway bridges, tunnels, railway stations and depots for the project till date.
Ankara, July 29 : At least one person was killed, and 10 others were trapped in a forest fire that erupted in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Antalya, officials announced on Thursday.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said an 82-year-old man died in his burning home in the Kepezbeleni neighbourhood of the Akseki district, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to news reports, 80 per cent of the houses in Kepezbeleni were engulfed in flames.

Meanwhile, the Minister added that ten people, who were believed to be restaurant owners and employees, have been trapped in the Oymapinar Dam area.

"They do not have a life-threatening condition," Pakdemirli added.

Winds of up to 50 km an hour were fanning the flames, the Minister said, adding that an investigation has been launched to find out the cause of the blaze.

The massive forest fire began at four different points in the Manavgat district on Wednesday but later expanded to other areas by strong winds, forcing the evacuation of 18 neighbourhoods.

Over 60 people have been reportedly affected by the fire.
Amaravati, July 29 : Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former minister Nakka Anand Babu on Thursday advised Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government to refrain from alleged rampant misuse of the SC, ST Atrocities Act for political vendetta.

He claimed that the government is using this legal provision to suppress the principal opposition party and all the dissenting voices in the state.

"Jagan regime was indeed hatching a conspiracy to get the atrocities law revoked at the national level. Already, the Supreme Court received petitions about the political misuse of this law by the ruling Governments across the country," said Babu.

The TDP leader asserted that the Supreme Court could take a serious view of the alleged ongoing indiscriminate misuse of the SC/ST law.

He questioned whether the government was making a mockery of the SC/ST law by applying it on former minister and TDP leader Devineni Uma Maheshwar Rao.

"CM was not just getting cases filed against the political opponents but he was also getting them jailed," he alleged.

According to Babu, Reddy 'opened a dark chapter in the history of the country' by allegedly getting SC, ST atrocities cases filed against Dalit victims as well.

He demanded an explanation from the Chief Minister as to why he was allegedly misusing the laws created to safeguard Dalits for political and personal victimization.

"The atrocities law was brought in to ensure prevention of atrocities against Dalits. The CM has been openly misusing this law. The Dalit officers were being used to perpetrate political harassment," he alleged.

He claimed that Reddy came to power with Dalit votes but he was allegedly using them to create chaos in the state.

Babu noted that Dalits were facing unprecedented attacks and victimization ever since Reddy came to power.

"For just opposing sand mafia activities, Dalit youth Vara Prasad was tonsured and humiliated in East Godavari. SC, ST cases were filed against Dalit farmers in Amaravati and they were sent to jail for 20 days. They were handcuffed by the AP police," he alleged.

Babu made these remarks in the light of the police arresting Rao for allegedly attacking YSRCP leaders.
New Delhi, July 29 : The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the AERA (Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India), Amendment Bill 2021. The bill was tabled by the new Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

The Bill proposes to amend the definition of "major airport" so as to extend its scope to determine the tariff for a group of airports.

Consequently, this will encourage the development of the smaller airports.

-IANS rv/sn/skp/
Patna, July 29 : Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of opposition in Bihar assembly, will soon meet chief minister Nitish Kumar to discuss caste-based census in Bihar.

This comes in the wake of central government's denial to do the same in the country. Tejashwi Yadav said that Nitish Kumar also advocated caste-based census in the country. He said the opposition party leaders will ask him to put their views before Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Entire opposition parties in Bihar are with caste-based census. Hence, we will put our viewpoint before the chief minister and ask him to form a delegation comprising ruling as well as opposition leaders to meet with Narendra Modi on this issue," Tejashwi said.

"As the central government has already denied for initiating caste-based census in the country and may not give time to us, in that case, Nitish Kumar should initiate the same in Bihar at the expense of the state government. The Karnataka government did the same in its own state after central government's denial, the Nitish Kumar government can do the same," Tejashwi Yadav said.

Tejashwi said that 70 per cent of the Hindu population in the country is from the backward castes. Then, why the Centre is ignoring it is not understandable.

Tejashwi also raised this issue in the Bihar Assembly and requested the Speaker for discussion in the Question Hour. However, Speaker Vijay Sinha disallowed him from doing so. He asked Tejashwi Yadav to discuss the matter later in the day.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
San Francisco, July 29 : Chipmaker Qualcomm is likely to announce a new chipset -- Snapdragon 898 -- for smartphones in December.

Renowned tipster Ice Universe wrote on Weibo that the chipset is called the Snapdragon 898, reports Gizmo China.

He also added that the prime core which is expected to be based on the new Cortex-X2 will be clocked at 3.09GHz.

Arm announced the high-performance CPU core in May and it said it brings a 16 per cent increase in performance over the Cortex-X1, the report said.

The Snapdragon 898 will be a 4nm chipset that will be manufactured by Samsung as reported earlier this month when it was still referred to as the Snapdragon 895.

The higher-clocked plus variant expected to be released in mid-2022 will be manufactured by TSMC.

Qualcomm is also expected to go with a different CPU cluster from that of the Snapdragon 888.

Instead of a 1+3+4 CPU cluster, a leak from a few weeks ago revealed that the Snapdragon 898 will have a 1+3+2+2 CPU cluster.

This translates to -- 1x Cortex-X2 prime core + 3x Cortex-A710 cores + 2x Cortex-A510 cores + 2x Cortex-A510 cores (at a lower clock speed).

The report said that AQualcomm surprised its users last year when it announced the successor to the Snapdragon 865 as the Snapdragon 888 instead of the Snapdragon 875.
New Delhi, July 29 : Fourteen of India's 51 tiger reserves have received prestigious global accreditation from Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS), it was announced at the Global Tiger Day event held by the Environment Ministry here on Thursday.

Manas, Kaziranga, and Oran (Assam), Satpura, Panna, and Kanha (Madhya Pradesh), Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh), Pench (Maharashtra), Sunderbans (West Bengal), Valmiki Nagar (Bihar), Parambikulam (Kerala), Mudumalai and Annamalai (Tamil Nadu) and Bandipur (Karnataka) tiger reserves received the accreditation.

However, more popular tiger resorts such as Corbett, and Ranthambore do not feature on the list. Also, only three other tiger reserves - one each from Russia, Nepal, and Bhutan - been bestowed this honour.

The government had initiated this process of CATS standardisation process 10 years ago.

Addressing the event, Union Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav said: "We are not owners, but we are the trustees of this natural inheritance. We are the trustees of the country, of the nature and of the local community too. We need to acknowledge the contribution of the local community in tiger conservation." He also appealed to the Ministry staff and forest field staff to recognise the indigenous knowledge of the community along with the scientific knowledge.

Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Ashwini Chaubey said: "We have traditionally valued and worshipped all living beings." He went on to recount a story from mythology related to Parvati and how she took upon tiger as her 'vahan' (ride) and drew parallel for lessons in conservations.

Environment, Forests and Climate Change Secretary C.K. Mishra said: "While India has been successful in conserving the wildlife by and large, the situation continues to remain worrisome due to habitat destruction, illegal trafficking etc." A report on the leopard census too was released on the occasion.
Guwahati/Aizawl, July 29 : An Assam Police team, including CID officers, is going to Delhi to probe Mizoram's Rajya Sabha member K. Vanlalvena's alleged role in the Monday's violence along the inter-state border, which left six Assam cops dead, officials said on Thursday.

A senior Assam Police official said that the decision to question Vanlalvena was taken following his "controversial interview to the electronic media in which he allegedly has warned the Assam police with objectionable words".

Contacted by IANS for a response, Vanlalvena said: "I do not have any comment now. I have not received any official information." The most violent clashes along the Assam-Mizoram border left six Assam Police personnel dead and around 100 civilians and security personnel of the two neighbouring states injured, including an Inspector General of Police in Assam and Cachar Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Chandrakant Nimbalkar.

Assam Police's Special Director General G.P. Singh, in a tweet, said: "Assam police team including officers of CID are leaving for Delhi to take lawful action relating to conspiracy behind the incident in light of media interviews of Rajya Sabha MP Sri K Vanlalvena indicative of his active role in conspiracy." In another tweet, he said that a case has been registered at the Dholai police station in Cachar district in the killing of Assam Police personnel, under various provisions of Indian Penal Code, and the Arms Act besides Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

An Assam Police spokesman said that a "picture gallery" of Mizoram Police personnel and civilian miscreants who fired at Assam Police has been prepared, and is being further updated.

"They would be brought to law," he said, adding that the state also announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the individuals involved in the "barbaric killing of the Assam Police" personnel.

Meanwhile, the Assam government has transferred Hailakandi Superintendent of Police Ramandeep Kaur to Cachar as incumbent Nimbalkar, who had sustained serious injuries in the Monday's firing and clashes, has been airlifted to Mumbai. IPS officer Gaurav Upadhyay has been posted as new SP of Hailakandi.

An uneasy calm now prevails on the border areas where the Central Reserve Police Force and Assam and Mizoram Police have been posted.

The Chief Secretaries and DGPs of Assam and Mizoram met Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Wednesday in Delhi to discuss the prevailing situation, and it was decided to deploy "neutral" Central Armed Police Force, headed by a senior CAPF officer, along National Highway 306 to keep peace along the border".

The Mizoram Chief Secretary also complained of the problems faced by the state due to the "economic blockade" by Assam and the destruction of railway tracks leading to the state's lone rail head at Bairabi.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Gandhinagar, July 29 : The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Thursday said that it has arrested a wanted criminal in drugs peddling, from the New Delhi International Airport. The accused was involved in four different cases of international drug peddling of more than 500 kg heroin and is also believed to be involved in terror activities.

The Gujarat ATS on Thursday arrested one Shaheed Sumra, a resident of Kutch in Gujarat, in connection with 4 cases of heroin peddling in India from Pakistan.

Based on a tip-off, the Gujarat ATS arrested Sumra as he landed at Delhi Airport from Dubai. According to the Gujarat ATS, Sumra has been involved in four cases of peddling heroin and other narcotics substances worth Rs 2,500 crore.

"Based on a tip-off from sources and surveillance carried out, we were informed that Sumra was about to land at the Delhi International Airport. Sumra is wanted in a drug peddling case where 20 kg drug was confiscated in 2021 and he was also wanted in a 5 kilo drugs confiscated in 2018. Besides that, he was also wanted in two other drug cases registered in Punjab, involving over 500 kilograms drugs (heroin)," said Imtiaz Sheikh, SP, Gujarat ATS.

"Sumra was earlier involved in narcotics peddling in India, but thereafter he is believed to be involved in drug terrorism. We are interrogating him and trying to find out the details of the terror activities he is involved in," added Sheikh.

Sumra is believed to be facilitating drug vessel's entry from neighbouring Pakistan into Kutch region of Gujarat through the Arabian Sea waters and distribution of drugs from there to the rest of the country.
Varanasi, July 29 : Students of a school for the visually impaired in Varanasi, have been left out in the cold following the closure of the Sri Hanuman Prasad Poddar Andh Vidyalaya.

NSUI general secretary Nagesh Kariyappa has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and save the school that provided free boarding and lodging and education to visually impaired students.

Last year, on June 17, at an executive meeting of the school administration, a decision was taken to stop admissions to classes nine to twelve. The reason given for this was financial crunch. Since then, the 250 students of the school have been protesting.

"For two years now, the school administration has been trying to close down the institution stating financial reasons even though it gets government funds," Vikas, a 22-year-old class ten student from Sripur in Mirzapur district, who studied at the Vidyalaya.

Nagesh Kariyappa told IANS that the process to close down the school began from February 2019 and a notification issued by the school claimed that students have become undisciplined, unruly and are disturbing the peace of trustees and school management. However, no action was cation on the notification until June 2020 when the pandemic struck. The management held a meeting under the chairmanship of Krishna Kumar Jallan and passed the closure proposal of the blind school.

"Shri Hanuman Prasad Poddar Blind School is one among four blind schools in Uttar Pradesh. The school was run and managed by Varanasi based businessman Krishna Kumar Jallan. Jallan's group has varied interest in supermarkets and real estate properties for the same. The blind school property is situated in middle of the city in Durgakund and a few steps away from Jallan's mall. As the significance of this property increased, Jallan's group decided to close this school and ruin the future of thousands of blind students," he said.

The Sri Hanuman Prasad Poddar Andh Vidyalaya was set up in 1972 in memory of Hanuman Prasad Poddar, a freedom fighter, philanthropist and writer. He was also trustee of Gita Press, the world's largest publisher of Hindu religious texts.

The school for the blind was initially only till the fifth class. It became a junior high school in 1984 and a high school in 1990. In 1993 it became an intermediate school.

"We appeal to the Prime Minister that the central government should take over the institution and run it. The issue involves the government's commitment towards the cause of disabled community. Moreover, the matter concerns his own parliamentary constituency," the NSUI leader said.
Beijing, July 29 : China's smartphone market saw a steep decline of 10 per cent in the second quarter owing to weaker-than-expected demand and a lack of flagship products that could trigger consumer interest, an IDC report said on Thursday.

Nearly 79 million smartphones were shipped in China in the second quarter, down 10 per cent year-on-year (YoY).

Nevertheless, the first half of the year still saw a 7.1 per cent YoY growth with 165 million shipments, mainly due to the low comparison base last year when the pandemic struck, according to IDC 'Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.' "Honor entered the Top 5 for the first time in China after it was divested from Huawei. Honor managed to shake off some impact of the US sanctions at least in its home market and gave it a good start," said Will Wong, Research Manager for Client Devices at IDC Asia/Pacific.

Vivo gained the top spot in Q2. Both its existing and newly launched Y-series continued to support its position in the mainstream price segment.

At third place, OPPO's budget-friendly models like the A32, A55, and A93 were the volume drivers in the quarter.

Xiaomi at fourth place strengthened its market share in the $250-350 segment with its K40 series and focus on the "6.18" online festival.

Apple managed to achieve a higher market share in its off-season, mainly supported by its active promotions in the online shopping festival and at the expense of Huawei's decline, the report mentioned.
Ranchi, July 29 : A Special Investigating Team (SIT) has been set up under Additional Director General of Police (ADG) to probe the death of a Judge who was hit by an auto-rickshaw while he was on his morning walk, in Dhanbad.

The hit-and-run incident took place on Wednesday morning.

ADG operation, Sanjay Ananad Latkar will lead the SIT, while the other members are Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Bokaro and Dhanbad Senior Superintendents of Police (SSP).

Additional District Judge (ADJ) of Dhanabad district, Anand Uttam died after he was hit by a vehicle on Wednesday when was on his morning walk near Magistrate colony of coal city Dhanabd. He was admitted to a hospital where he died during treatment.

Later CCTV footage showed that an auto-rickshaw deliberately hit the Judge.

Two people including driver of the auto-rickshaw, Lakhan Verma and his associate Rahul Verma have been arrested. The driver has reportedly admitted that he hit the judge with the vehicle.

The Jharkhand High Court, after knowing about the death of the judge, on Thursday summoned the DGP and Dhanbad SSP. While hearing the case, the court said, "If at any stage it is found that any slackness has been maintained in the probe, it will be handed over to the CBI".

The auto was recovered from Giridih district on Wednesday night itself. During investigation it was found that the auto was stolen on Tuesday and the judge was hit by it on Wednesday morning at 5.08 a.m. He died in the hospital at 9.30 a.m.

The judge was hearing matters of more than 15 criminal cases including high profile murder cases in his court.

The Supreme Court has also taken note of the judge's death.
New Delhi, July 29 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday pulled up Delhi's Drug Controller for initiating prosecution against AAP MLA Praveen Kumar for procuring medical oxygen amid the second wave of Covid.

A division bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh observed there is no need to initiate prosecution, especially against the backdrop where both Delhi government and the Centre failed to provide sufficient medical oxygen to the people. In this case, it said, then every gurudwara, temple or church, social organisation and every good Samaritan, providing medical oxygen amid second wave, should be booked.

"How can you prosecute him? Both GNCTD and Union failed in providing sufficient oxygen to people in Delhi. There were some Samaritans who provided oxygen. You can't prosecute them," it said.

The court also asked the Drug Controller to make a distinction between those MLAs or public representatives, who helped people by distributing oxygen, and those who indulged in stocking key drugs such as Remdesivir or Fabi Flu.

The bench held that this is different from Gautam Gambhir Foundation's matter, which distributed Fabi Flu. Citing its June 3 order, the high court said the issue of medical oxygen being technical is different from the issue of hoarding of Covid-19 drugs.

"This way you'll pick up half of Delhi. Why to proceed against specific political parties then?" it said, telling the Drug Controller that targeting political parties is very unfortunate, and further emphasised that a human tragedy has been used for political capital.

Counsel, representing the Drug Controller, said that as per the earlier court's order, the exemption was given for personal use.

Indicating that it was not happy with the Drug Controller prosecuting MLAs for sourcing/supplying oxygen, the court, citing Gambhir's case, said the reason for picking up this case was that he was very irresponsibly having covid medicines.

As senior Advocate Kailash Vasdev, representing the Gambhir Foundation, requested the court to not make any adverse observations which might be used against him in the court of law wherein prosecution has been launched against it, the court clarified that these observations should not come in way of parties in the criminal court and the case should be adjudicated on merits.

The high court made these observations after learning that the Drugs Control Department has launched a prosecution in the court against Gautam Gambhir Foundation, its trustees and CEO, as well as AAP MLAs Praveen Kumar and Imran Hussain on July 8 for contravening the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Recently, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition filed by Gambhir's Foundation challenging the Delhi High Court order to initiate inquiry into alleged hoarding of Covid-19 drugs by it.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Patna, July 29 : A 22-year-old man was beaten to death in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district on Thursday morning allegedly for having a love affair.

The deceased Rajesh Kumar sustained multiple injuries and died in Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH). Deceased's uncle Harendra Ram has alleged that Rajesh was having a love affair with a girl and her parents are involved in his murder.

"The girl's parents came to our house in Panapur village under Meenapur police station on Wednesday evening and took him to their house. They beat him mercilessly using batons, iron rods and bricks until he became unconscious. The girl's family members, after Rajesh became unconscious, took him to SKMCH where he succumbed to his multiple injuries," Ram said.

"Rajesh sustained scull fractures apart from several blunt wounds on his body. He also had marks on hands and legs which indicate that he was tied with ropes before being tortured," Ram said.

Girl's father, who is on the run, claims that Rajesh came to his house to steal a bike.

"He was caught red handed and the neighbours beat him until he became unconscious. We took him to the hospital where he died," He said.

Manoj Pandey, the DSP of Muzaffarpur (East) said: "We have started the investigation of the case by taking the statements of neighbours who may be accused in this case. The girl's family is on the run. We have constituted a team to nab them." "We have recorded the statements of deceased's family members and are waiting for post-mortem report. An FIR under relevant IPC sections of murder and criminal conspiracy has been registered against the accused. Further investigation is underway," Pandey said.

This was the second incident in just a week where a man was tortured until death over love affair.

On last Friday, a 22-year-old man named Saurav Kumar (22) was beaten to death in Repura Rampur Shah village under Kanti police station of Muzaffarpur. Saurav, a resident of neighbouring Sonvarsa village had gone to the girl's house to meet her.

The girl's parents caught him and allegedly beat him to death. They even cut off his genitals.

Agitated over the murder, victim's parents performed his last rites in front of the girl's house.
Hyderabad, July 29 : KIMS Heart & Lung Transplant Institute head, Dr Sandeep Attawar, has became the first-ever Indian heart and lung transplant physician or surgeon to be a part of a committee on the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation which sets transplant guidelines for medical fraternity around the world.

The field of organ transplantation is a highly regulated one while lung transplantation is relatively new. The past few decades have seen clinical data being generated on patients with end stage disease, and every seven years, a new set of patient guidelines, and new indicators for lung transplants are agreed upon. This then becomes the standard protocol which is followed by all lung transplant centres across the world.

Of the 24 preeminent lung transplant physicians worldwide on the panel, Attawar is the first Indian ever and the only Asian transplant surgeon.

This high-powered commitee has just released the new set of guidelines for selection of lung transplant candidates. This document will guide the practice of lung transplants worldwide.

"I am deeply humbled by the honour and privilege to be on this august panel. I am thankful to all my team members and KIMS Hospitals for the tremendous support given to make this a reality. I am sure the new guidelines will pave the way for greater clarity and help pulmonologists and lung transplant surgeons across the world especially given the case of Covid affected lung cases. This is a just a start for us and we will rededicate ourselves to the cause of lung transplantation in India," said Attawar.

"Dr Attawar and team have been working tirelessly through the pandemic to help end stage lung patients get a new lease of life. I am sure, this achievement well spur them to achieve more," KIMS Hospital MD, Dr Bhaskar Rao, said.
Patna, July 29 : RJD chief Lalu Prasad has claimed that his son Tejashwi Yadav is more successful than he was at that age in early 30s.

"Tejashwi is a popular leader in Bihar and he has proved it during the 2020 assembly elections. He single-handedly challenged the BJP and JDU in Bihar. I was in the jail when the assembly elections were held. People of Bihar voted for him and RJD turned out to be the single largest party in the state with 75 seats.

"It is an achievement for Tejashwi," Lalu Prasad said while interacting with the media in New Delhi on Thursday as he wasadministered the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine in the Parliament House.

"Leaders cannot be made. If he/she has talent, they will become leaders on their own like Tejashwi has," Lalu Prasad said.

"Tejashwi Yadav has demanded strong action against officials allegedly responsible for beating the legislators -- its judicious. People of the country have witnessed how police officers brutalized them," he said.

Reacting on the caste-based census, Lalu Prasad said that he has struggled on that front his entire life. "It is the need of the hour and respective governments of states and the Centre should take initiative in their respective capacities.

He also expressed his gratitude towards other party leaders for visiting him. "I am extremely pleased that leaders like West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Congress leader Akhilesh Singh, SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav came to my place and met me. Seeing our old friends is extremely good and satisfying experience for me," Lalu Prasad said.
New Delhi, July 29 : Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky on Thursday partnered with Bharti Airtel to ensure instant security for internet users in India.

The collaboration will allow Airtel customers to purchase Kaspersky Total Security solution directly from the Airtel Thanks app in a matter of few clicks.

"We're very much looking forward to supporting Bharti Airtel, the leading global telecommunications company and one of the biggest mobile service providers, in its goal to protect their users, create a more secure internet, and build a safer digital world together with Kaspersky," Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky, said in a statement.

"I am convinced that this partnership will further contribute to establishing Airtel as an innovational pioneer and a leader in its industry," Kaspersky added.

Airtel customers can also enjoy exclusive deals on these advanced solutions from Kaspersky.

The alliance is formed to increase cybersecurity awareness amongst Indian internet users and encourage them to practice cyber safety in the wake of growing cyber threats.

The company said that cyber threats are constantly evolving and cybercriminals in the past two years have been actively targeting internet users in India.

In the first quarter of 2021, Kaspersky products detected 37,650,472 different Internet-borne cyberthreats.

Mobile users are also at risk as cybercriminals are constantly targeting them for financial gains, as well as to obtain important private data, the company said.

Mobile threats in India have drastically increased since 2019 and are becoming more targeted and sophisticated. India ranked 7th amongst the countries attacked with Mobile Threats in 2020, it added.
Bengaluru, July 29 : In a bid to discredit newly-appointed Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Siddaramaiah, on Thursday defended his controversial remark that 'Mahatma Gandhi's son turned into a drunkard'.

Siddaramaiah had made the contentious comment while reacting to the appointment of Basavaraja Bommai as the 30th Chief Minister of Karnataka, making a veiled reference to the latter's father, late S.R. Bommai, a former Chief Minister of the state and erstwhile Janata Dal leader who was known for his socialist ideology.

"It can't be said that present Chief Minister Bommai would get the character of his father," Siddaramaiah had said on Wednesday.

"What happened to Mahatma Gandhiji's son? Being the son of Mahatma Gandhi, he lost track. He turned out to be a drunkard. So it is unlikely that sons will have to inherit all the virtues of their fathers," Siddaramaiah had said.

Defending his statement on Thursday, the senior Congress leader said: "Mahatma Gandhi was a good man, but didn't his son become an alcoholic? I made the statement only to convey that sons don't always inherit all the good principles of their fathers." Taking a dig at Siddaramaiah for his remarks, the BJP's state unit asked him as to how many of his virtues have been inherited by his son and Congress MLA Yathish Siddaramaiah?.

"The media has reported that your elder son Rakesh was an alcoholic. It was also reported that he had beaten up elders in an inebriated state. Can this be analysed as virtues gotten from the father," the BJP asked.

Generally, there is a chance of children inheriting chronic diseases from their parents, as etiquette, efficiency and character are developed by them on their own, the BJP maintained.
Panaji, July 29 : Opposition MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai, on Thursday, demanded an apology from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for blaming the parents of two minor girls, who were raped on a Goa beach on July 24.

"CM owes an apology to the parents of the minor girls. Such an irresponsible statement,... is a very insensitive statement by the CM, when actually he should be comforting the parents, giving them solace and courage by his timely action and by actions to prevent further such instances," Sardesai told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing state legislative assembly session.

"The statement of the chief Minister that it is the responsibility of parents of minors to ensure the safety of their children when they go out at night is a condemnable statement.

"It is victim blaming which is shifting the responsibility of law and order and security of the state from the government and the home department that he heads, to the parents of the children," Sardesai said.

On Wednesday, Sawant in a discussion during the monsoon assembly session had said that parents should introspect why their minor wards are allowed to spend time on beaches after dark.

"Ten children went for a party on the beach. Out of the 10, six returned home. The remaining four, including two boys and two girls, stayed on the beach the whole night. When a 14-year old girl spends the night on the beach, the parents too have to introspect, they too should be taking care," Sawant had said.

On the night of July 24, two minor girls were raped at the Colva beach in South Goa. Four persons, including a government servant, have been arrested in connection with the crime.

Sardesai claims that instead of blaming parents for allowing their children to step out at night, Sawant should make 'Brand Goa' about providing security to residents and visitors irrespective of age and the time of the day.

"'Brand Goa' is about giving security to citizens of whichever age and whichever time. Up to now people who come to the state know it as a peace loving state. We invite tourists from all over the world. They come to Goa, they dress up in bikinis, they enjoy and nobody has ever bothered them," Sardesai said.
Chennai, July 29 : AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu minister K. Pandiarajan on Thursday said he has taken a five year sabbatical from active politics and is now back as the Chairman of human resources firm Ma Foi group.

"It is an emotional homecoming for me," he told the media.

Pandiarajan, who was a Minister in the AIADMK government for nearly five years but lost the 2021 polls from Avadi, said: "I am continuing in the AIADMK party. But I will be away from active politics for next five years." On his learnings from politics, he said he was able to meet officials from about 50 industries as a member of the GST Council and it gave him a macro perspective as well as contacts.

He also said states that go for "son of the soil" approach in reserving jobs will lose out on investments and job generation as the industries do not appreciate such moves.

"India should have a unified employment policy," Pandiarajan The present DMK government headed by Chief Minister M.K.Stalin had made a poll promise of reserving jobs for people of the state.

In 1992, Pandiarajan had floated the Ma Foi and pioneered the concept of human resources outsourcing in the country.

Later, he sold majority stakes to The Netherlands-based company Vedior which was later acquired by Randstad.

On his business plans, he said that group company Ciel HR Services Private Ltd plans to come out with an initial public offer by 2023 end or 2024 beginning and he will be focusing on the business fully.

According to him, CIEL HR Services, floated in 2015, has the largest network in the industry with a presence in 40 locations.

"Now our focus will be on deepening our depth," he added.

CIEL was listed among the largest staffing companies in India, at 14th place by revenues, as per the report published in February 2021 by Staffing Industry Analyst (SIA).

Pandiarajan said based on the research of Indian Staffing Federation, the market size of temporary staffing in India is about 4 million.

The market continues to remain fragmented and just a handful of firms have a national presence, he said.

Reforms in labour laws are underway and slated to reduce complexities for companies to use contract employees.
New Delhi, July 29 : Veteran Actor Sachin Pilgaonkar apparently has done more Hindi films then Marathi films, however the actor is often defined as a Marathi actor and director.

"I have worked more in Hindi films than Marathi films. I don't want filmmakers to put a stamp that if it's a Marathi character then only they think about me. I have a good command over Hindi language and have been part of some great films in Hindi cinema," Sachin told IANS.

The actor was recently seen in the web series 'City of Dreams' seasons 1 and 2, where he played the role of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The actor shared that he doesn't want Hindi filmmakers to only think of him as a Maharashtrian character.

Sachin started his career as a child artist in the Marathi film, 'Ha Majha Marg Ekla' in 1962 while he was six years old.

He went on to work in around 65 films as a child artist, before switching to adult roles, and being part of highly successful films like 'Geet Gaata Chal', 'Balika Badhu', 'Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se' and 'Nadiya Ke Paar' as a lead actor and he became a household name.

Off late, the actor has not been offered substantial roles in Hindi films and web series. The actor was last seen in Yash Raj Films, 'Qaidi Band' (2017) and 'Hichki' (2018).

He attributes his less visibility in Hindi films to being a Marathi director.

"When an actor becomes a director his acting assignments reduce in number. After a long time some people thought of me, when I did 'Hichki' and 'Qaidi Band'. In our industry when any actor becomes a successful director in any language, immediately people from the industry start jumping to the conclusion that he has left acting. Nowhere, I have claimed that or declared that I will not act anymore." He added: "And then they think that I have become successful so I would be very busy directing Marathi films. They don't ask if I would want to act in Hindi films. They assume that I am busy." "The third thing I feel, they have assumed that I will now interfere in the making of the film. So they withdraw. But once you will work with me then only you will understand the truth." Sachin has worked in Hindi, Marathi and also in Bhojpuri cinema, and has acted, produced and directed successful comedy shows on Indian television, including 'Tu Tu Main Main' and 'Kadvee Khatti Meethi'. He also directed several hit Marathi films starting with 'Mai Baap', 'Navri Mile Navryala', 'Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi', 'Amchyasarkhe Aamich' and 'Navra Mazha Navsacha'.

Sachin shared that he wants to work in Hindi films, provided he gets a convincing role with a good director. "I want to work in Hindi films and web series, provided I have a good director. I cannot say yes to everything. I never concentrate on the length of the role. I concentrate on the strength of the role." "There was never a thing like - I never wanted to work in Hindi films. I cannot go and jump into a film which is being made. Somebody has to think about me, approach me or cast me," signed off Sachin.
New Delhi/Washington, July 29 : Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was not simply killed in a crossfire, nor was he a collateral damage; rather, he was brutally murdered by the Taliban, Michael Rubin wrote in the Washington Examiner.

Local Afghan authorities say that Siddiqui had travelled with an Afghan National Army team to the Spin Boldak region to cover the clash between Afghan forces and the Taliban to control the lucrative border crossing with Pakistan.

When they got to within one-third of a mile of the customs post, a Taliban attack split the team, with the commander and a few men separated from Siddiqui, who remained with three other Afghan troops, the report said.

During this assault, a shrapnel hit Siddiqui, after which he and his team went to a local mosque where he received first aid. As the word spread, however, that a journalist was in the mosque, the Taliban attacked, as per the report.

The local investigation suggests that the Taliban attacked the mosque only because of Siddiqui's presence there, it said.

Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified Siddiqui's identity and then executed him, as well as those with him. The commander and the remainder of his team died as they tried to rescue him, the report said.

"While a widely circulated public photograph shows Siddiqui's face as recognisable, I reviewed other photographs and a video of Siddiqui's body provided to me by a source in the Indian government that show the Taliban beat Siddiqui around the head and then riddled his body with bullets," Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote in the report.

"The Taliban's decision to hunt down, execute Siddiqui, and then mutilate his corpse shows that they do not respect the rules of war or conventions that govern the behaviour of the global community," Rubin said.

"There are many paralles between the Khmer Rouge and the Taliban. Both infused radical ideology with racist animus. The Taliban are always brutal but likely took their cruelty to a new level because Siddiqui was an Indian. They also want to send a signal that Western journalists are not welcome in any Afghanistan they control and that they expect Taliban propaganda to be accepted as truth.

"In effect, Siddiqui's murder appears to show that the Taliban have concluded that their pre-9/11 mistake was not that they were cruel and autocratic, but rather that they were not violent or totalitarian enough," Rubin wrote in the report.

The real question for journalists is why the State Department continues to pretend that Siddiqui's death was just a tragic accident.

Rubin said the Joe Biden administration's decision to uphold the US-Taliban agreement even though the Taliban have not, and to withdraw completely, is condemning Afghanistan to a bloodbath.

"It threatens to destabilise the broader region. But rather than confront reality, the Biden administration appears intent to whitewash Taliban crimes. To acknowledge the fact that the Taliban executed Siddiqui and that the photographer's death was not a tragic accident, would contradict the White House spin," Rubin said.
New Delhi, July 29 : A massive influx of transnational terrorist networks, particularly Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let), along with influx of Daesh is giving the Afghan war new regional and international dimensions, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has said.

Ghani said the planting of carpet mining, car bombs, suicide bombing, summary executions, revenge killings, and forced marriages constitute a recurrent pattern of violations of human rights, as per local media reports.

Addressing the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB) meeting at the Presidential Palace, Ghani said, "I offered a bridge to peace through the holding of early elections. The Loya Jirga took the unprecedented step of releasing 5,000 hardened Taliban fighters and some of the largest drug dealers under the assurance of good conduct by the international community.

"Today's war is not a civil war, it's the war of the networks. I assure the international community that the people of Afghanistan don't want anti-government elements." Religious scholars from various countries, including Pakistan, have said that the "current war in Afghanistan is not a religious war", he added.

"We call on the international community to review the narrative of the willingness of the Taliban and their supporters on embracing a political solution," he said.

President Ghani added: "There is no military solution to the country's issue," adding that the Afghan government believes in political settlement.

"The only solution for the Taliban is a political agreement that satisfies all the people," he mentioned, as per media reports.
New Delhi, July 29 : The Parliament on Thursday passed the Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, following its passage in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha earlier this week.

In industry parlance, 'Factoring' is defined as a financial transaction in which a business sells its accounts receivable to a third party for debt financing. This legislation will make it easier for small businesses to monetise their receivables.

The Bill intends to include non-NBFC players that can engage in factoring business.

The amended legislation will allow 'factors' (such as NBFCs) to acquire the receivables of a company at a discount and realise them from entities that owe the money. This will help the company monetise its receivables quickly and tackle cash-flow problems.

The new legislation has also lifted the eligibility requirement for entities to become factors. This is expected to allow a lot of opportunities to the non-bank lenders.

The current Bill is based on the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance.

On Monday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that the government has accepted all the recommendations made by the committee.

The Bill, once converted in to a law, is expected to increase the supply of funds available to small businesses scuh as MSMEs.
New Delhi, July 29 : Global funding agency International Finance Corporation (IFC), along with its associated entities, has made equity investment in Federal Bank to promote green recovery.

The investment is expected to improve access to finance for the small businesses.

"Increased financing for climate-friendly projects as well as more financing for small businesses to help accelerate India's economic recovery from Covid-19 are expected in the wake of a $126 million (Rs 916 crore) equity investment in Federal Bank, one of the country's leading private sector banks," an official statement said.

Accordingly, IFC, along with two investment funds managed by IFC Financial Institutions Growth Fund, and IFC Emerging Asia Fund, has made an equity investment for a 4.99 per cent stake in Federal Bank Limited (FBL).

"The investment will also support FBL's commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, while strengthening its Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio (CAR) and expanding its micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSME) and climate finance portfolios -- which are key for growth opportunities as the country recovers from the pandemic," the statement said.

The equity investment is also expected to see Federal Bank grow and strengthen its ESG portfolio, with increased green portfolio financing for projects including energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate smart agriculture, green buildings, and waste management.

At present, India ranks third globally in terms of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, with the country needing substantial investments to meet its goals under the Paris Agreement to reduce GHG emissions by 2030.

IFC estimates a total climate-smart investment opportunity of $3 trillion in India through to the year 2030.

"The investment is also expected to create thousands of jobs with MSMEs gaining access to much-needed financing, which will also help ensure an inclusive recovery," Roshika Singh, Acting Country Manager for IFC in India, was quoted as saying in the statement.

"With Federal Bank's focus on ESG, IFC will also consult with the bank on developing a new Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) that will be applied to its entire portfolio. To further strengthen FBL's environmental and social sustainability capacity, IFC will also implement an E&S technical advisory programme," the statement said.
Bengaluru, July 29 : Nearly a dozen seers from the Kuruba (shepherd) community on Thursday appealed to the BJP high command to appoint veteran saffron party leader in the state, K.S. Eshwarappa, as the Deputy Chief Minister in the newly sworn-in Karnataka cabinet led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Kuruba is the third biggest community in the state after the politically dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga, forming nearly 8 per cent of the state's population.

Nearly a dozen Kuruba seers from north Karnataka region, led by Sri Shantamaya Revanasiddeshwara Swamiji, told reporters that the Kuruba community is spread over a large area, from Bidar district in the north of the state to Chamarajnagar district in the south, and Eshwarappa along with former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had worked equally hard to build the BJP's base in the state.

"Ideally, Eshwarappa should have replaced Yediyurappa, going by his seniority and given his contributions to the party in the state. But with the BJP central leadership choosing another Lingayat to replace him (Yediyurappa), Eshwarappa should at least be made the Deputy Chief Minister in the new dispensation," the seers demanded.

Another Kuruba seer, Siddayogi Amareshwara Maharaj of Hanamapura Matha, said, "When Yediyurappa was working to unite his community with the BJP, Eshwarappa was working hard to unite the Kurbas across the state. The BJP should not treat Eshwarappa in an unfair manner." Sri Malingaraya Maharaj of Hulajanti Matha said that the BJP should have made Eshwarappa the Chief Minister at least once, given that his contemporary (Yediyurappa) got four chances at the helm of the state and was even allowed to choose his successor.

During the interaction with the media that lasted for over 90 minutes, the seers highlighted Eshwarappa's contributions to the BJP's rise in the state.
New Delhi, July 29 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Thursday that it has arrested two officials of the Employees State Insurance Company (ESIC) in connection with a bribery case.

A CBI spokesperson said here that the agency has arrested Mohit Jha, Social Security Officer, ESIC, and Paras Gregory Khalkho, Deputy Director, ESIC, both posted at Puducherry.

He said a case was registered against Jha based on a complaint.

In the FIR, it was alleged that ESIC had issued recovery notice to the complainant's company for pending dues since January 2020 amounting to Rs 8.51 lakh, along with interest.

It was further alleged that in July 2021, the accused had contacted the bank and asked it not to allow operations in the said account.

It was also alleged that the accused had demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant for himself and also in the name Khalkho for de-freezing the bank account till the disposal of the matter in the court.

"The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant," the CBI official said.

After arresting the accused persons, the agency also carried out searches at two locations in Puducheery which led to the recovery of some documents, he said.

The accused have been sent to judicial custody till August 12.
San Francisco, July 29 : Google has updated its Google Maps app for the iPhone to add support for widgets that can be added both to the Today View and the Home Screen.

There are two separate widget options.

The first allows users to check traffic conditions, store opening times, restaurant reviews and more for a given location, reports MacRumors.

The second one is designed to let users find places that are nearby like restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores.

The widget can be used to get quick access to home directions as well, and it has a search interface available for inputting directions right from the 'Home Screen'.

The Google Maps widget can be accessed using the "+" button either in the Today View or on the Home Screen after downloading the latest version of the app.

Recently, the company has expanded the number of cities where Maps offers information about public transport crowding and would provide transit crowdedness predictions for over 10,000 transit agencies in 100 countries around the world.

Google Maps will also provide more information about your past trips.

Available to all Android users, you can now use the Trips tab to transport yourself back in time, the company said earlier.
New Delhi, July 29 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday to discuss the Covid-19 situation and vaccination programmme in the state.

He also sought information about the third Covid wave.

As health experts are repeatedly warning of the approaching third wave, the meeting was called to take stock of Covid-19 situation in the state. The two also discussed the development of health infrastructure in the state.

Along with the discussion on Covid, the Health Minister also talked about the development of chemical and fertilisers plants in the state.

Earlier, in a series of tweets, Chouhan said that Covid situation in the state is under control and the active case stands at 130 only. Seven Covid cases had been detected in Indore district.

From 71,090 samples tested, only 18 reported positive for Covid-19, he said. As per the data available, a total of 70,000-75,000 Covid tests are being conducted everyday in the state.

He has, however, warned the people that the second Covid wave is not over and they should follow Covid appropriate behaviour.

About vaccination, he said: "Madhya Pradesh has achieved a milestone in vaccination against Covid-19. The state has administered 10.34 lakh vaccines today which is highest in India for today and also over 3 crore people in the state have been vaccinated so far."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, July 29 : A day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to India, the Commander of US Special Operations Command, General Richard D. Clarke, met Indian defence and military officials here on Thursday.

The meetings were part of a routine visit by Clarke through multiple countries in Asia.

Clarke began the trip by honouring India's fallen service members by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial.

"We are proud to recognise the efforts of all those who've fought for and defended India," Clarke said.

"Laying this wreath reminds us of what our respective countries have given to protect our ways of life. We thank India's service members who've made the ultimate sacrifice and we appreciate the work of all those who protect India today," he added.

After the ceremony, Clarke met with Indian defence officials. They discussed ways in which India and the US can continue to work together to improve defence partnerships and grow interoperability.

"Our partnership with India is vital in the Indo-Pacific, and our teamwork helps provide security throughout the region," Clarke said.

"Whether we're training together in exercises, or cooperating in many other areas, our relationship with India is strong and continues to grow. I want to thank the Indian defence team for their leadership, friendship, and commitment to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region," he added.
Bengaluru, July 29 : Registered Unaided Private Schools Management Association, Karnataka, (RUPSA) on Thursday urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to give consent for the reopening of primary schools from the first week of August.

RUPSA President Lokesh Talikatte said that since the first week of June, the Corona positivity rate in the state had dipped to less than 5 per cent. Experts in India and abroad have also clearly allayed fears of Covid third wave and the children being carriers of deadly infection, he added.

"The committee headed by Dr Devi Shetty has stressed on conducting offline classes for children. The government has given permission for high schools and colleges to operate from the first week of August. Likewise, permission must also be given to conduct primary classes," Talikatte said, noting that the children have not attended classes for 16 months.
Chandigarh, July 29 : In a move that will earmark a part of the state's annual budget for welfare of the Scheduled Castes in proportion to their population in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday gave the go-ahead for putting a new Bill for this before the Cabinet, paving the way for its enactment in the next Assembly session.

The Punjab State Welfare and Development of Scheduled Castes (Planning, Earmarking and Utilisation of Financial Resources) Sub-Allocation Bill, 2021 will also enable the government to put in place an institutional mechanism to formulate and monitor the implementation of the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP), and matters connected with it.

The legislation, when passed in the Assembly, will provide the state government a platform to ensure the overall development of Scheduled Castes through effective implementation of various welfare schemes under the SCSP, an official statement said.

Punjab has the highest percentage of SC population in the country, at 31.94 per cent.

Reiterating his government's firm commitment to the socio-economic and educational development of the SC population in the state, the Chief Minister said the Bill will give a big boost to his government's efforts to ensure the welfare of this segment.

An official spokesperson said the Directorate of Scheduled Castes Sub Plan would be the nodal agency to ensure formulation of the SCSP, besides monitoring its implementation.

The authority competent to approve the state's annual budget estimates would also accord approval to the SCSP simultaneously with the state budget of the relevant financial year, before submitting it to the Vidhan Sabha.

There would be a single mechanism for flow of funds under SCSP, and the Finance Department would remain the controlling authority for this purpose.

The progress of the SCSP would be reviewed and monitored at state, district and block levels, as per procedure and by the committee as prescribed. Each department shall ensure transparency and accountability at all levels in the implementation of the SCSP.

The efficacy of the legislation would be ensured by the systematic and exhaustive procedures on all aspects with respect to the formulation and implementation of the SCSP in the state.

Moreover, the departments implementing SCSP would become liable to implement it in its true spirit for the benefit of stakeholders i.e. Scheduled Castes population in the state.

There will also be a provision of incentives for commendable performance and penalties for wilful neglect of any rule under the law by a government functionary.
Hyderabad, July 29 : Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's Director General Dr Shekhar Mande on Thursday lauded the efforts and contributions made by CSIR institutes in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

Addressing staff and students of the three CSIR institutes in Hyderabad - the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), he congratulated the institutes for their various contributions, as diverse as setting up Covid-19 surveillance strategies, affordable diagnostics, drugs and therapeutics development, hospital-assistive device development, and building supply chain and logistics.

He specifically cited how the CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratory used its expertise of building next-generation flights to build ventilators during the pandemic. They collaborated with CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology to understand how lungs and ventilators function, and together, built the first non-invasive ventilator in record time and is now widely used.

Mande also mentioned the praise CSIR-IICT received from policymakers for its contributions in developing an adjuvant for Covaxin, making it a totally indigenously built effective vaccine.

"No one group, one individual can take credit for the CSIR's contributions in fighting Covid-19. The entire credit goes to the CSIR as an organisation," he said.

Thanking the institutional leadership for going out of their way to ensure labs functioned every single day during this fight, he also reminded the unique placement of the CSIR in terms of its mandate.

"In the spectrum of science organisations in India that span from being strategic with pre-decided end points to others that perform blue-sky research and create quality human resources for future, the CSIR is sandwiched between the two," Mande said.

This, he added, makes it possible for the CSIR, as an organisation, to address fundamental unsolved questions as well as work tangibly towards societal good and create solutions to the pressing challenges of today, and helps in building viable bridges with the otherwise risk-averse industry sector.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Hyderabad, July 29 : Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu recently resumed shooting for his upcoming film "Sarkaru Vaari Paata" (Government's Bid). Now, the makers have announced that the actor's first look from the film will be unveiled on July 31.

"Sarkaru Vaari Paata" is being directed by Parasuram Petla and the shooting is taking place here.

According to the film's production team, the makers revealed a small teaser of Mahesh's first look while hiding the main details of his character. They intend to reveal the first look of his character on July 31.

In the new poster, he can be seen walking with a bag in his hand. Several cars, bikes and few goons on the ground are also part of the image. Apparently, the poster is from an action sequence.

The film is being produced jointly by Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Shankar, Ram Achanta and Gopichand Achanta.

Thaman SS, who has delivered innumerable chartbuster albums in the last couple of years, is tuning music for the film that has cinematography by R. Madhi. Marthand K. Venkatesh is the editor, while A.S. Prakash is the art director of the film.

Actress Keerthy Suresh will be seen as the leading lady in "Sarkaru Vaari Paata".
New Delhi/Kabul, July 29 : If there is no movement at the negotiating table, and instead, human rights abuses and worse still atrocities occur in districts they control, the Taliban will not be seen as a viable partner for the international community, UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, said.

Lyons said at the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB) meet in Kabul that the world has now recognised that the Taliban must be a partner in Afghanistan's transition to self-reliance. International donors have signaled their willingness to continue to support Afghanistan after a peace agreement is reached.

"But no major donor will finance the repression of women, let me say that again, no major donor will finance the repression of women, nor any major donor will finance the discrimination of minorities, the denying of education to girls, or the decrees of an authoritarian government. They cannot do so, not only because these are against the norms of the United Nations and international community, but because a society built on these restrictions cannot and will not function for its citizens," she said.

Lyons added that whatever the government of the day, Afghanistan is, and will remain part of the international community, and so, bound by the existing international human rights obligations of the treaties that it has ratified.

She said of particular concern in terms of the present relevance of the Afghan Partnership Framework is the loss of control by the government of border posts. The border posts that are currently under Taliban control last year yielded substantial income in government revenue, amounting to about a third of the revenue raised by the government in Afghanistan.

"Assuming that the Taliban remain in control of these posts, this means, first, that the percentage of international funding as a share of total government revenue increases, setting back what had previously been indeed a major achievement by the state and the Government of Afghanistan. But more importantly, the total revenues available to the government declines, which will surely impact service delivery as well as add to the economic losses that were already significant as a result of Covid," Lyons said.

The loss of control of border areas also calls into doubt Afghanistan's ambitions to quite rightly transform itself by becoming a regional node of connectivity, she added.
New Delhi: A view of deserted Delhi Zoo after bird flu scare in New Delhi on Oct 22, 2016. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Delhi zoo reopens for public today after a gap of one year on Thursday 01st April, 2021. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Delhi zoo reopens for public today after a gap of one year on Thursday 01st April, 2021. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, July 29 : The Delhi Zoo lost 456 animals, including tigers, lion and black bucks, among others, in the last three years, according to an RTI reply.

The zoo lost a white tigress named Nirbhaya in December 2020 after she developed complicactions following the birth of her two cubs. She was the daughter of Vijay, the white tiger which had killed a man in 2014 after he fell into his enclosure.

The data from the RTI, which was filed by social activist Vivek Pandey, stated that from April 1, 2018 to June 7, 2019, the Delhi Zoo lost 245 animals.

The report stated that from July 8, 2019 to March 31, 2020, a total of 115 animals died, while between April 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020, the zoo lost 35 animals.

From July 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020, a total 32 animals lost their lives in Delhi Zoo, while 29 animal lost their lives between October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.

The report also gives the causes of death. Shockingly, maximum deaths occured due to shock, senility and traumatic distress.

The RTI reply stated that in the last three years, six tigers, tigresses and one lion died at Delhi Zoo.

Speaking to IANS, Pandey said, "As per the data, more than 450 animals have died in the past three years at the Delhi Zoo. What I have noticed is that most of the animals died due to shock." He further stated that government funds to Delhi Zoo are higher than its expenses. However, the zoo authorities might not have spent an adequate amount on the treatment of animals.

"This might be the reason that so many animals have died in recent years," he said.

He also said that around 70 black bucks died due to shock in the last three years and there should be a proper investigation into the matter.

If so many animals have died at the zoo in the national capital, what would be the condition in the other zoos of the country, Pandey asked.

Pandey also demanded that a committee should be formed to probe the matter to find out the causes of deaths.

Delhi Zoo Director Ramesh Pandey refused to comment on the matter.
Hubballi : , July 29 (IANS) Outlining his plans about the state's north region, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said that his priority is getting the Mahadayi river project completed at the earliest.

Popularly known as the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project in Karnataka, the project was undertaken by the state to improve drinking water supply to the districts of Belagavi, Bagalkot, Hubballi-Dharwad, and Gadag.

During his maiden visit to Hubballi on Thursday after being sworn-in as Chief Minister on Wednesday, Bommai told reporters that he was quite aware of the issue and knows how to complete the project (Mahadayi).

"My priority will be to complete this project at the earliest as soon as the Centre issues the gazette notification in this regard," he said.

In February, the dispute was resolved after the Central government notified the final award of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal that allocated 13.42 thousand million cubic feet of water to Karnataka, 24 tmcft to Goa and 1.33 tmcft to Maharashtra.

Last year, then Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar had also asked Karnataka to start work on the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project after gazette notification of the tribunal and necessary forest and wildlife permissions.

On the Upper Krishna Project, the Chief Minister said that after the tribunal's award, Andhra Pradesh had approached the Supreme Court, and, along with Maharashtra, and Karnataka, was fighting the case in the apex court.

"We are hopeful of the matter being resolved in another one and a half months. Soon after that gazette notification will have to be made, followed by preparation of rehabilitation, resettlement and community development plan, which is a very crucial task," he said.

Bommai added that he has clarity on the project and what needs to be done. "It is a very huge project for irrigating around 13.5 lakh acres of land and is crucial for agricultural and economic growth of the north Karnataka region. It will be my priority project," he said.
Hyderabad, July 29 : The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed a Record of Discussions with the Indian government for a technical cooperation project at the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IITH).

The purpose of the project, 'Future Researchers at IITH to Enhance Network Development with Scholarship of Japan' (FRIENDSHIP) Phase 2 is to establish a sustainable platform for academic and industrial collaboration between India and Japan at the IITH.

To achieve this, JICA experts will be dispatched to the institute and several initiatives will be implemented. These include launching the Japan Desk at the IITH, student exchange programmes, supporting collaborative activities with Japanese educational and research institutes, and providing JICA research funds to enhance research and technology development and industrial collaboration between India and Japan, the JICA said on Thursday.

JICA's Chief Representative Katsuo Matsumoto said the relationship between the JICA and the IITH is steeped in legacy and has strengthened with time.

"Initially, in 2007, it was based on the commitment between the Prime Ministers of the two countries. Since then, we have been cooperating with the IITH through various projects such as ODA loan for campus development, several technical cooperation projects, joint research projects and public-private partnership projects," he said.

The FRIENDSHIP project is one of the core activities between the JICA and the IITH, which supports personal and organisational interaction at various levels of faculty members, industry experts and students in the field of science and technology by providing opportunity and facilitation.

"I believe these activities are contributing towards enhancing academic and industrial relationship of two countries and in achieving quality growth of India in developing innovative technologies and conducting cutting edge research at the frontiers of science and technology," he said.

The previous phase of the technical cooperation project was implemented to enhance the research network between the IITH and first-rate higher education institutions/industrial clusters of Japan through the interaction of human resource in educational and research activities between the IITH and Japan.

Through the project, several quantitative achievements were observed such as 116 grantees were provided scholarships, 271 faculty members were exchanged between Japan and the IITH, 32 MOU were signed between the IITH and Japanese academic institutions, and 15 MOUs signed between the IITH and Japanese industries.
New Delhi, July 29 : Floor leaders of like-minded opposition parties will be meeting on Friday morning to devise their strategy in both houses of the Parliament to corner the government.

The meeting will take place in officer of the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge as the opposition is targeting the government for not discussing the Pegasus project snooping row, farm laws, and fuel hike in the house.

The government's action of passing bills amid din has also not gone down well with the opposition.

Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi and Union Minister and Leader of House in the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal had met opposition leaders at Kharge's office on Thursday to resolve the impasse, but the latter insisted on discussion on the snooping row and fuel price rise.
New Delhi, July 29 : The Income Tax Department has carried out a search operation on a prominent Jharkhand group dealing in building construction and real estate.

The search began on July 28 in Ranchi and Kolkata and more than 20 premises were covered.

The department said that during the search, it found that the group was not maintaining regular books of account. In view thereof, the audit certificates and statements submitted to the Income Tax Department are under investigation for genuineness.

As per details found during the search operation, it was seen that the group has been undertaking huge outside-the-books transactions in the building construction business and a large portion of sale proceeds is received in cash which remains unaccounted, the department said.

Part of the cash generated has been brought into the business through bogus share capital and unsecured loans from shell companies.

Investigations have revealed that at least 8 shell companies were involved. Relatives and persons of no means were appointed as directors of these 'companies' which existed only on paper. These 'directors' have admitted that they were only 'dummy directors' and would sign wherever the group told them to do so. Transactions of unsecured loan and bogus share capital to the tune of Rs 25 crore have been detected.

Shell companies investing money in the group have been found to be non-existent in Kolkata. Incriminating documents about front companies having employees as directors that received share capital and unsecured loan from shell companies have been seized.

The group has purchased a very large tract of land measuring 1,458 acres on the outskirts of Ranchi and is developing the same by constructing and selling residential apartments.

It was seen that the land has been registered at a consideration of one-tenth of the value for stamp duty purposes. Brokers have been paid fee in cash running into crores. Other expenses with regard to the purchase of land also are in crores. The sellers of the land have also been searched and they have admitted that more than 25 per cent of land included in the registered document is forest land, not owned by them and for which they have received no consideration.

Evidence gathered during the search established that the group had fraudulently got more than 300 acres of forest land registered in its name, said the I-T Department.

Unexplained cash of Rs 50 lakh has been seized and three lockers have been found and placed under restraint. Preliminary evidence found suggests evasion of tax of more than Rs 50 crore.

Post search investigations are going on and tax evasion figures may go up substantially.
New Delhj, July 29 : The Delhi Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution for conferring 'Baharat Ratna', the country's highest civilian award, to late environmentalist Sundarlal Bahuguna, a founding member of the Chipko movement.

Addressing the Assembly on the opening day of the two-day Monsoon Session, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that Bahuguna gave a vision for India to protect the environment.

Just like B.R. Ambedkar worked for uplifting the poorer section of the society and fought for shaping the new generation of India, Bahuguna gave all his life for the betterment of the society, Kejriwal said.

"Bahuguna's contribution is not just limited to environment, as he also fought against untouchability and for bringing justice to the poor. His works set examples for the whole country. At present, not only Delhi, but the entire country wants to confer the Baharat Ratna on him," Kejriwal said.

On July 15, Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had installed a portrait of Bahuguna in the Delhi Assembly to keep alive his legacy.

On July 5, Kejriwal had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to confer India's highest civilian award on Bahuguna.

"We believe that conferring Bharat Ratna on Sunderlal Bahuguna will be an honour for the Bharat Ratna award itself," Kejriwal said while concluding his speech in the Assembly on Thursday.

Incidentally, Bahuguna belonged to Uttarakhand where Kejriwal's party will contest the Assembly polls due next year.
Bengaluru, July 29 : Karnataka's former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will on Friday visit the house of his supporter who committed suicide after he stepped down.

Yediyurappa will reach Gundlupet in the state's Chamarajanagar district in the morning and meet his supporter Ravi's family members and share his condolences for the tragedy.

Rajappa aka Ravi, a resident of Bommalapura in Gundlupet taluk, had hanged himself on July 27, allegedly heart-broken after Yediyurappa was asked to step down as Chief Minister.
New Delhi, July 29 : The National Gallery of Australia has decided to return 14 artworks from its Asian art collection to the Indian government.

Worth a combined value of $3 milion, 13 of the artworks were purchased from the New York-based gallery, Art of the Past, run by antiquities dealer and alleged smuggler Subhash Kapoor.

The artworks include six sculptures, six photographs, a painted scroll and a processional standard. Some of the items date back to the 12th century.

This is the fourth time that the NGA will be returning illegally exported works from Kapoor and his associates.

In fact, Kapoor was extradited from Germany to India in July 2012 and has been charged with stealing and illegally exporting antiquities.

"We have strengthened our processes and have zero tolerance now for any inconsistencies in the provenance of a work of art. This is another step towards us building an ethical approach to managing our collections," ABC News quoted NGA director Nick Mitzevich as saying.

"It's unfortunate, and the institution is sorry for this development. We are doing all we can to avoid any future missteps of this kind," Mitzevich said in The Australian.

"It's a historic issue... The NGA was part of an international fraud campaign that affected more than a dozen of the world's leading institutions," he said.

Kapoor's clients included the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, as well as the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore, the NGA and the Art Gallery of NSW.

The Indian High Commission in Australia has welcomed the move, though it will take a few months before the works are actually handed over.

In a tweet, Manpreet Vohra, the Indian High Commissioner to Australia, said that India is grateful to Australia and the National Gallery of Australia for their decision to return the extraordinary pieces of art to India.
New Delhi, July 30 : Future progress and growth is dependent on the level of education and direction given to the youth today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as he announced that 14 engineering colleges of eight states are going to impart education in five Indian languages -- Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Bangla.

A tool has been developed for translating the engineering courses in 11 languages, Modi said during his address to the policy makers in the domain of education and skill development to mark the completion of one year of reforms under the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP).

The emphasis on mother tongue as the medium of instruction will instil confidence in the students from poor, rural and tribal backgrounds.

Even in elementary education, mother tongue is being promoted and the Vidya Pravesh programme launched on Thursday will play a big role in that, Modi noted.

He also informed that Indian sign language, for the first time, has been accorded the status of language subject. Students will be able to study it as language also.

There are more than 3 lakh students who need sign language for their education. This will give a boost to Indian sign language and will help the Divyang people, noted the Prime Minister.

He also launched multiple initiatives in the education sector on the occasion.

Congratulating the countrymen and students for the completion of one year of NEP, the Prime Minister lauded the hard work of the teachers, professors and policymakers in realising the new education policy on the ground, even during the difficult times of Covid-19.

Noting the significance of the year 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Prime Minister said that the new education policy will play a major role in this important period.

The Prime Minister said that our future progress and growth is dependent on the level of education and direction given to our youth today.

Modi also noted the changes brought about by the pandemic and how normal online education has became for the students.

More than 2,300 crore hits on the Diksha portal bear the testimony to the utility of portals like Diksha and Swayam, he said.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the strides made by the youth from the small towns, citing their impressive performance in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.

Lauding the efforts of the youth in the fields of robotics, AI, startups and their leadership in industry 4.0, he said if the younger generation gets the environment suitable for their dreams, there is no limit to their growth.

He stressed that the new education policy assures the youth that the country is with them and their aspirations.

Similarly, the National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) and the National Education Technology Forum (NETF) will go a long way in providing a digital and technological framework to the entire country, the Prime Minister said.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister launched the Academic Bank of Credit that will provide multiple entry and exit options to students in higher education.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Uttara Kannada : , July 30 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said that the state government will stand up for the people who have suffered losses during floods in the state.

After his day-long tour in flood-affected areas of Uttar Kannada district, ravaged due torrential rains since onset of the southwest monsoon, Bommai told reporters that there is no dearth of funds to tackle devastation of such magnitude.

"Flood victims will soon be provided with suitable relief soon," he said.

Noting several roads and bridges linking villages to towns and even the national highways have been damaged, he said that he has directed Public Works Department officials to commence restoration works once the rain recedes.

Bommai said he had met officials at the district and taluk levels and instructed them to take all suitable measures to ensure those affected are being aided in a swift and proper manner.

The CM flew from Bengaluru to Hubballi in a special plane, after which he decided to go by road to Uttara Kannada's Yellapur, Karwar, and Ankola, where he assessed the damages and inspected relief measures.

After his inspection, he said Rs 48 crore is available at present with the Deputy Commissioner which would be used to ensure that people who lost homes are compensated.

The CM added that another Rs 100 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) would also be spent accordingly.

Meanwhile, Bommai directed the district administration to shift those in Kalache village in Yellapur taluk to a safer place. The area had reported widespread devastation due to frequent landslides earlier.

Officials and elected representatives said, in a review meeting, that the residents of the village had apprised them that they were not in a position to continue living in the area.

"The residents have consented to relocate to a safer place. From what I have understood, spending more on relief works taken up there would be a waste. A proposal should be submitted after identifying 10-15 acres of land that suits the purpose," he said.

According to officials, as many as 283 houses in the village have been damaged after heavy rains and landslides struck on July 22 and 23. The village has a population of 993.

A total of 31,360 people were evacuated from low-lying areas, while 22,417 people are taking shelter in 237 relief camps that have been opened by the government till July 25.

According to data shared by the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, 283 villages in 45 taluks were worst affected due to torrential rains which affected a total population of 36,498.

Earlier, on his way to visit the affected areas, Bommai took a pause at the Yellapur Taluk Hospital where he inspected the anti-Covid vaccination centre. He also met doctors, nurses, and other health professionals on duty there and instructed them to ensure good care and treatment to patients admitted there and those seeking outpatient aid.
Guwahati, July 30 : In wake of the bloody border clash on Monday and subsequent developments, the Assam government on Thursday asked its citizens not to visit Mizoram and those staying in the neighbouring state to maintain utmost caution.

The unprecedented travel advisory, issued by Commissioner and Secretary, Home and Political, M.S. Manivannan said that given the critical prevailing situation, the people of Assam are advised not to travel to Mizoram as any threat to their personal safety cannot be accepted.

"People of Assam, staying in Mizoram due to work related compulsion, should exercise utmost caution," it said.

The advisory said that there have been several cases of violent skirmishes in the Assam-Mizoram border area, including recently in Assam's Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts bordering Mizoram.

Noting that Cachar on Monday saw indiscriminate firing on the police personnel as well as civilians, claiming the lives of six policemen and leaving scores of police personnel and civilians seriously injured, it said: "Even after this incident, certain Mizo civil society, students, and youth organisations are constantly issuing provocative statements against the state of Assam and its people.

"It has been reliably learnt from video footage available with Assam Police, that many civilians are heavily armed with automatic weapons etc. In view of the above and with the purpose of ensuring safety and security, this travel advisory was issued to all the people of Assam," it said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hubballi : , July 30 (IANS) Declaring his love for his hometown Huballi in his maiden visit after taking over, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said that will do everything for the city.

After landing here on way to inspect flood damage and relief in Uttara Kannada district, Bommai told reporters that Hubballi is the city he was born in and brought up. "I have a large number of friends and acquaintances here. Hubballi is the city I love the most. I will do everything for its development," he said amidst his supporters raising slogans.

Bommai, fondly called 'Basanna' by his supporters, was given a rousing welcome as soon as he landed at Hubballi airport in a special aircraft. Slogans were raised and many tried to shake his hand. Police had a difficult time controlling the crowd.

"I never imagined that one day I would land in Hubballi as Chief Minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda, Union Minister Rajnath Singh have given me this opportunity and I know this is a big responsibility. Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has blessed me," he said.

Bommai said that he is aware of the issues concerning Hubballi-Dharwad and has plans for their betterment. "Being the second biggest municipal corporation in Karnataka after Bengaluru, there are issues concerning infrastructure and industrialisation. I have seniors like Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar. I will discuss the issues with them, along with the party's senior leaders. Based on their suggestion, I will implement programmes for its development," he said.

Regarding Shettar's statement that he would not be part of the new cabinet, Bommai said that he had already spoken to him over phone.

"He has expressed his views and I have told him that I will meet him personally. Even before entering politics, we were friends. We have a very cordial relationship, friendship and trust, even when we were in different parties. I will meet him personally, will try to understand his feelings and then will speak to party seniors and will then speak on this issue," he said.
Patna July 30 : Bihar's Nitish Kumar government managed to gave only 3 per cent employment to labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme between 2014 to 2019, the Comptroller and Auditor General said in a report.

As per the report, there were 26 to 36 per cent people in Bihar who applied for 100 days guaranteed employment under the MNREGS but only 3 per cent got work.

The report further said that 86.61 per cent labourers do not have land in Bihar and were completely dependent on the scheme. It conducted a survey among 60.88 lakh labourers before preparing the report.

The CAG has also found financial irregularities in the Nitish Kumar government's ambitious project, Lohia Path Chakra, the multi-purpose grade separator on Bailey Road near Raj Bhavan in Patna.

The government auditor said that construction company Bihar Rajya Pul Nirmaan Nigam Ltd (BRPNNL) has taken some wrong decisions during planning, preparation of Detail Project Report (DPR) and construction, wrongly expending Rs 6.04 crore in design, Rs 10.86 crore on specialist observers, and Rs 1.52 crore on other expenses.

As a result, the state exchequer bore a loss of Rs 18.42 crore, it said.
Agartala, July 30 : With seven prominent leaders from the Congress joinig the Trinamool Congress in Trupura on Thursday, the ruling party of West Bengal said that the state committee of the Tripura unit of Trinamool would be announced on Monday after the party's National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee arrives in the BJP-ruled state.

Congress leaders Subal Bhowmik, Prakash Das, Md Idrish Mia, Tapan Dutta, Panna Deb, Premtosh Debnath and Bikas Das, who had jumped ship from the BJP to the Congress in 2019, joined the Trinamool on Thursday in the presence of party leaders who had come from West Bengal on Wednesday.

Bhowmik, a former Congress MLA, later claimed that in all, 40 Congress leaders and four leading BJP leaders, who are holding chairmanship of various government boards and corporations, along with many workers have joined the Trinamool.

"The BJP-led government deployed hundreds of police personnel in front of the hotel where we were supposed to join the Trinamool. It also pressurised the hotel management not to allow us to hold our programme inside the hotel," Bhowmik claimed.

After the alleged "house arrest" of 23 I-PAC members by the police in Agartala, three senior Trinamool leaders -- Bratya Basu, Moloy Ghatak and Ritabrata Banerjee -- had arrived here on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Trinamool's Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien and the party's Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar aslo arrived here.

O'Brien told the media that under the instruction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah from Delhi, the BJP government's police detained the 23 members of political strategist Prashant Kishor's Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and placed them under 'house arrest' in a hotel in Agartala.

He also claimed that at least 100 police personnel were deployed for surveillance on the visiting Trinamool leaders.

"We are all elected leaders, MPs, MLAs and ministers. Are we terrorists," he asked.

On July 26, the Trinamool had alleged that 23 members of I-PAC have been placed under 'house arrest' in Agartala even though the police termed the claim as 'totally false' and 'fabricated'.
Visakhapatnam, July 30 : A city-based hospital has saved the life of a 37-year-old man suffering from severe Covid infection after 60 days of hospitalisation.

Naresh, the patient, has also been saved from going through a lung transplant, Phaneendra, a pulmonologist at the KIMS Hospital, said on Thursday.

"Naresh, who was initially admitted to another hospital for treatment, came here in May after his oxygen saturation level dropped of a sudden. Initially, he required a lot of oxygen," said Phaneendra.

Later, Naresh was diagnosed with pulmonary thromboembolism, which leads to the blockade of blood capillaries transporting blood from the heart to the lungs.

After spending 25 days in the ICU, Naresh was shifted to the general ward, where he spent another 40 days.

Following this, the doctors executed a bronchoscopy for secondary infection in his lungs, including suspecting fungal infections because of cavities in the lungs.

On completing these multiple medical procedures, the doctors finally declared that Naresh has been cured and can perform everyday activities now.

Support from family members also played a crucial role in Naresh's recovery.

Despite warnings from the doctors, Naresh's wife, Saranya, attended him wearing PPE kit, boosting his confidence. She even stayed by her husband's side in the ICU for 21 days.
New Delhi, July 30 : The Directorate of Education of Delhi Government said that it will take over the management of Bal Bharati School in Rohini over alleged arbitrary fee hike and has received the required approvals from the Lieutenant Governor's office, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday.

The Delhi government had issued orders several times to withdraw the arbitrarily increased fees by the school, but the school management has failed every time to comply with these orders. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had approved the proposal of the Directorate of Education to take over the management of Bal Bharati School. This file was sent to the LG, which has now been approved, Delhi government said in statement.

"If any school increases fees arbitrarily then strict action will be taken against it," he added in an official statement.

According to DoE officials, the department had conducted an in-depth inspection of the financial statements of Bal Bharati School for the financial years 2016-2017 to 2017-2018.

"During the detailed inspection of the records, it was found that the total funds with the school for the year 2017-2018 were Rs 23.81 crore. Out of this amount, Rs 20.94 crore was estimated to be spent. Even after spending Rs 20.94 crore the school management had a net surplus of about Rs 2.87 crore," it stated.

"After this, the Directorate of Education came to the conclusion that there is no need for the school management to increase the fees," it read.

In this regard, the DoE refused to accept the fee hike proposed by the school for the academic session 2017-2018," a senior DoE official said.

The DoE further noted that apart from this, the fees increased by the school in 2017-18 had to be adjusted further. But, in the meantime, the Delhi government again received complaints from the parents that the school had increased the fees several times in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and further asked them to deposit arrears.

"In view of this situation, the Delhi government has decided to initiate the process of taking over the management of the school, and the file was sent to the LG for approval. This file was therefore approved by the LG and further proceedings are in progress," the official added.

The Delhi government had yesterday approved taking over management of Apeejay School in Sheikh Sarai over the same issue.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New York, July 30 : India and the US are sponsoring a virtual meeting of the Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) to promote government and business cooperation across the region, according to the State Department.

The US Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) are partnering in the fourth meeting of the forum scheduled for October 28 and 29.

The government and business leaders from across the region at the meeting will "be able to explore regional government and business partnerships and commercial opportunities" at the forum, the Department said on Thursday.

The participants will "exchange ideas through interactive discussions organized around three broad themes: Economic Recovery and Resilience; Climate Action; and Digital Innovation," it added.

Although this is not within the ambit of the Quad - the regional grouping of India, the US, Japan and Australia - the forum reflects its growing interest in developing economic interests regionally.

"The IPBF will showcase high-impact private sector investment and government efforts to support market competition, job growth, and high-standard development for greater prosperity and economic inclusion in the Indo-Pacific," the Department said.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Washington, July 30 : The administration of US President Joe Biden on Thursday released a sweeping strategy to address the root causes of migration from Central American nations to the US, which has been rising to the point where it is posing an increasing challenge to the administration.

The 18-page report, released by the National Security Council, specifies the strategy by dividing it into several pillars, including addressing economic insecurity and inequality, combating corruption and strengthening democratic governance, and promoting respect for human rights, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The pillars also include addressing violence and crimes committed by criminal gangs and trafficking networks, as well as curbing sexual, gender-based and domestic violence.

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement accompanying the report that although the US has engaged with Central America for the past decades, "the engagement has often not been consistent. And over the last few years, the United States significantly pulled back from work in the region." Harris was tapped by Biden in March as the liaison person leading the administration's efforts to address the root causes of migration by engaging with the Northern Triangle nations in Central America -- namely El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras -- and Mexico.

Along with the just-released plan, the White House also rolled out the "Collaborative Migration Management Strategy," which included several "lines of efforts," such as stabilising populations, improving and expanding temporary labour programs and expanding access to lawful pathways for protection and opportunity in the US.

The number of migrants encountered at the US-Mexico border reached a yearly high in June, totalling 188,829 people and up 5 per cent from the May figure, according to new statistics released earlier this month by Customs and Border Protection.

Polls conducted since the Biden-Harris administration took office have shown that immigration is one of the most poorly-handled policy arenas by the administration. Biden is under pressure from both the Republicans, who attacked him for reversing the restrictive immigration policies during the Donald Trump administration, as well as progressive Democrats and immigration advocates, who said the current administration has not done enough to help migrants.

In the meantime, recent approval ratings for Harris, a longtime state prosecutor boasting ample experience in law enforcement, indicate that the vice president is viewed less favourably than the President.

Harris earned a combined unfavourable rating of 46 per cent, according to an aggregate average compiled by RealClearPolitics. That number is 3 percentage points below Biden's 43 per cent in the same category.

Specifically on immigration, the vice president sparked criticism from immigration advocates during her trip to Mexico and Guatemala in June, where she told migrants "do not come" and said they would be turned back if they came to the border.

The negative implications of the administration's handling of the immigration issue may continue to loom large as the 2022 midterm elections near. The space for policy errors or failures in communicating its message is very little for the Democratic Party, as it must fight to keep its slim majorities in both the House and the Senate.
Kuwait City, July 30 : Washington is fully prepared to continue negotiation with Iran to return to the Iranian nuclear agreement, visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said here on Thursday.

Blinken made the remarks after he met with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Blinken said that the US is willing to reach an agreement with Iran, urging Iran to make the decision, adding that "the ball is in Iran's court." The Iranian side has been criticising the United States for "violating their promises and commitments" to the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal from May 2019.

Between April 6 and June 20, the JCPOA Joint Commission, attended by a US delegation indirectly, held talks in Vienna to discuss a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the deal.

The parties recently said serious differences remain between Iran and the United States over the revitalisation of the deal after six rounds of talks.

Meanwhile, on the US relations with Kuwait, the US top diplomat said that his country is committed to strengthening the partnership and cooperation with Kuwait.

Blinken praised Kuwait's role and efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis, saying that Kuwait showed good leadership in resolving regional crises.

For his part, the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister said that they talked about "the importance of strategic dialogue in matters of concern to the two countries and the development of bilateral relations," while stressing the importance of the ties between the two countries in all fields.

Earlier in the day, the Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also held talks with Blinken.
The KanAm Grund Group has acquired a listed building that is entirely let to the state for one of its special real estate funds for institutional investors in the historic city center of Luxembourg. Seller is the Munich-based family office AM alpha. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

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AM Alpha's Managing Director Martin Lemke explains, Due to the implementation of our business plan, the property has become a highly attractive, rare investment opportunity for long-term core investors. We are very pleased to have far exceeded our investors' expectations with this transaction and to have created significant added value. Oliver Honrath, Director and responsible for the Benelux markets in the Investment Management division, commented, We have succeeded in setting a new yield benchmark in the Luxembourg market with this product. At the same time, we are convinced that the strong investor demand will continue to further compress yield levels on such properties.



The property with around 3,000 square meters of office space and 433 square meters of archive space is located on 3a-5,, Rue Plaetis. The Luxembourg state has housed several state and public institutions in the property. The historic building, formerly used as a brewery, was extensively renovated in 2006. Since many mini-stalls, public institutions and the courts (Cite Judicaire) have settled in this historic and prestigious inner-city area, the old town enjoys the reputation of a so-called Ministry District.



With the Plaetis property, KanAm Grund European Cities KI will in the future be represented with the first property in Luxembourg. The real estate portfolio will be further diversified both geographically and in terms of the tenant mix and and the focus on prime locations further emphasized. The KanAm Grund European Cities KI is exclusively invested in prime office properties. The already low tenant default risk of the fund is consolidated with the state of Luxembourg as a long-term tenant at a very low passing rent. The Luxembourg office property market stands out clearly from the European context because of its stability. This market is characterized by a low vacancy rate, low investment risk, and unbroken investor demand.



AM Alphas legal advisers were Baker McKenzie Luxembourg, and Jones Lang LaSalle Luxembourg have acted as marketing agents.
You wont find this combination of features in any other flat iron

Spun-off from Samsung Electronics in-house venture C-Lab, the MANGOSLAB team created the ideal product they would want to use themselves, after being frustrated with other hair irons in the market. Leveraging the companys in-house thermal technology, their product Aesty successfully raised its initial Kickstarter funding goal of $10,000 in just under 15 hours.

Powered by a 4-cell lithium-ion battery, Aesty delivers convenience and unrestricted styling movements with its cordless feature. Aestys heat-resistant pouch allows users to store the product right away without having to wait for it to cool down.

Aestys intelligent heat control system regulates its temperature 150 times a second, delivering even heating all throughout the styling process. Even heating allows users to achieve desired results with just one pass which minimizes heat damage significantly.

The MANGOSLAB team collaborated with their product development partners to develop the ideal design, encompassing the optimal size, grip and quality materials. With its premium titanium plates, hinge-less smooth design, Aesty received the 2021 Red Dot Design Award.

Finally, the heater, battery, and charging cradle are each equipped with multiple safety designs to prevent safety accidents and reduced product performance.

You wont find this combination of features in any other flat iron - Sue Lee, Product Manager

Additional features such as the dual heater, heating speed, hybrid mode and more can be found on the Aesty Kickstarter page. Backers who are interested in grabbing one for themselves are encouraged to reserve their reward as soon as possible, before the $199 early bird reward tier is sold out.

Any editors or influencers (particularly in the beauty, fashion, product design, or technology industries) interested in reviewing a product can contact the company through the contact information listed below:

Hailey Yun, Global Marketing Coordinator

info@aesty.com


To be honored with this recognition again is a testament to our employees and leadership in the Atlanta office, said Ben Nichols, Amerisures regional vice president of Field Marketing and Underwriting for the Central region.

Amerisures Atlanta Core Service Center (CSC) has once again been named one of Atlantas Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association for Business Resources (NABR).

A six-time recipient of this honor, the Atlanta CSC was selected from among hundreds of businesses in metro Atlanta and was evaluated by an independent research firm based on key categories, such as:



Communication

Compensation and Benefits

Diversity

Enrichment and Engagement

Education and Development

Retention and Work-life Balance

Were excited to be recognized for the outstanding work culture created by our employees and congratulate our team for their dedication over the past year. This was achieved even as the pandemic presented challenges to maintaining a thriving workplace, said Ben Nichols, Amerisures regional vice president of Field Marketing and Underwriting for the Central region. To be honored with this recognition again is a testament to our employees and leadership in the Atlanta office. Together they were able to maintain the momentum from prior years by staying engaged and connected with each other.

The NABR provides the business community an opportunity to gain recognition, showcase their best practices and demonstrate why they are an ideal place for employees to work. The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For competition celebrates those companies that are cultivating better business, creating richer lives, and building stronger communities.

As a recipient, the Atlanta CSC was invited to celebrate in the regional Awards Gala and Symposium. For more information and to see the complete list of winners, visit the Atlanta event page.

In addition to this award, Amerisures corporate office in Farmington Hills, Michigan, has been named 13 times to Metropolitan Detroits 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For.

About Amerisure Insurance

Amerisure is an insurance organization charged with creating exceptional value for its Partners For Success agencies and policyholders. As an A-rated (Excellent) property and casualty insurance company licensed in 50 states, Amerisure provides a comprehensive line of insurance products to protect businesses focused in construction, manufacturing and healthcare through strategically located Core Service Centers. For more information, visit amerisure.com.
Autism Learning Partners expands to Eugene, OR We are looking forward to providing resources and immediate support to our Eugene community for individuals across the life span in need of customized care plans, said Gina T. Chang, Ph.D., BCBA-D, CEO of ALP

Autism Learning Partners (ALP), a national leader that specializes in the treatment of autism and other developmental disabilities, is pleased to announce its in-state expansion with the addition of the Eugene, Oregon location. ALP initiated this extension in response to the need for quality in-home services as well as the current substantial waiting lists in the community. The Eugene location will join the existing Portland office in effectively serving the state. ALP is committed to continuing collaborative efforts with related service providers, EI/ECSE programs, and school districts in the Eugene area. ALP is steadfast in its dedication to providing resources to families and communities who need support.

ALP strives to give hope, support, and paths of progress for children and their families living with autism and related disorders. With their vast network of community partnerships and ever-growing list of accepted insurances, families can receive quality support. ALP believes that a tailored, comprehensive care plan with a dedicated clinical team allows children and their family units to experience the most progress possible.

We are looking forward to providing resources and immediate support to our Eugene community for individuals across the life span in need of customized care plans, said Gina T. Chang, Ph.D., BCBA-D, CEO of ALP

ALP is a national leader in the special needs field for over 30 years. They are headquartered in Pasadena, CA, employ over 300 Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and have a total workforce of 3,000, including Behavior Technicians providing in-home and in-clinic ABA-based care across the country. Services include: Applied Behavioral Analysis and additionally offer speech, occupational, physical therapies, and diagnostic services in select regions. Treatment is now offered in 19 states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

To learn more about Autism Learning Partners and its services, please visit http://www.AutismLearningPartners.com.
Ours is a proven concept that allows our franchise owners to build a significant business while also serving a higher purpose in the community, said Brian Garrison, British Swim School President.

British Swim School, the nations leading learn to swim franchise company, is celebrating its 10th year in franchising in 2021. The first franchise location opened its doors in 2011, and since then, British Swim School has expanded to more than 215 schools across 23 states and Canadian provinces.

The franchise system has enjoyed impressive growth in the first half of its anniversary year, having recently finalized the largest single franchise deal in the companys history in Charlotte, North Carolina while welcoming new owners in San Diego, California, Charleston, South Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida.

Ours is a proven concept that allows our franchise owners to build a significant business while also serving a higher purpose in the community, said Brian Garrison, British Swim School President. Its rewarding to reflect on our growth over the course of the past decade and the thousands of families weve impacted. Im really looking forward to a bright future as we move into our next decade of franchising, and beyond.

British Swim Schools first franchise owner, Bonnie Alcid, started with the company in the greater Washington, DC area. After simultaneously serving as the National Aquatics Director for several years, she now operates out of multiple British Swim School territories across Maryland and Virginia and recently opened a flagship pool in Germantown, Maryland.

The new pool is gorgeous and was 10 years in the making, said Alcid, owner of several British Swim School locations. I am honored to be the first franchisee, and now I am privileged to be someone who can mentor new franchise owners as they start their journey towards becoming business owners. I have believed in our model and teaching methods for over a decade now, and its gratifying to have seen firsthand the growth British Swim School has seen during that time.

British Swim School, an elite swim school franchise brand, launched in England in 1981. It was then brought to the United States and Canada and eventually rolled out to more than 215 locations.

Research shows that participation in formal swim programs, such as those offered by British Swim School, can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children who are most at risk for accidental death by drowning. British Swim School teaches water safety and survival first and swim stroke development second. Students are placed in classes based on skill level.

For more information, visit http://www.britishswimschool.com.

About British Swim School

British Swim Schools mission is to teach water safety and survival skills to children as young as 3 months old. Rita Goldberg founded British Swim School in 1981 and developed the unique and highly effective teaching methods that are a recognized trademark of the brand today. Acquired by Buzz Franchise Brands in early 2019, British Swim School is a member Buzz Franchise Brands family, which includes Pool Scouts, a pool cleaning and maintenance company, and Home Clean Heroes, a residential cleaning company. British Swim School currently operates over 215 schools across the United States and Canada and celebrates its 40th year in business this year! For more information about British Swim School, visit http://www.britishswimschool.com. To learn more about the benefits of British Swim Schools franchising opportunities, visit https://britishswimschoolfranchise.com/. For more information about Buzz Franchise Brands, visit https://www.buzzfranchisebrands.com/.
Auto and Home Insurance ...Every customer experience delivers unmatched value...Our customers expect that from us.

California Casualtys latest Net Promoter Score survey shows that its auto and home insurance policyholders are highly likely to recommend the company to others. The organization has been using the widely adopted NPS methodology to closely monitor customer experience quarterly since September 2015.

The June 2021 NPS score is the highest California Casualty has received yet.

The continued upward trend indicates that the companys business decisions, brand efforts and customer initiatives are delivering positive results despite the tumultuous year experienced by the insurance industry as a whole.



When asked What does California Casualty do really well, Customer Service was the leading answer - followed by Rates, Claims and then Coverage

Group Endorsement (42%) is still in the top spot when new customers were asked to self-categorize why they chose California Casualty

For customers who have recently renewed their policy for the first time, Endorsement (37%) and Good Price (30%) remain the top two reasons given when they were asked to self-categorize why they chose California Casualty

Customers who have been policyholders for more than two years, once again stated Endorsement/Affinity (44%) as the primary reason for choosing California Casualty

While the overall score is indicative of a company thats doing what is best for its customers, California Casualty believes the real value of the survey is found in the specific written comments gathered.

With a compilation of over 48,000 customer responses from twenty NPS surveys now mature, the organization is able to share the detailed impressions of customers across all departments.

2020 and the first half of 2021 was a very challenging environment with a global pandemic that changed almost every aspect of our business. That said, we must continually focus on any incremental changes needed across the organization to make sure that every customer interaction is seamless and every customer experience delivers unmatched value, said Joe Volponi, California Casualtys President and CEO. Our customers expect that from us.

California Casualty will continue to deploy the survey on a regular basis to monitor NPS data for customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Company-wide analysis of the information will allow the organization to collectively prioritize improvements needed in the areas driving customer experience.

Net Promoter Score is a key metric used in customer experience programs and is widely adopted by Fortune 1000 companies and other organizations. It measures customer loyalty and is often used as a predictor for business growth.

Founded in 1914 and headquartered in San Mateo, California with Service Centers in Arizona, Colorado and Kansas, California Casualty provides auto and home insurance to educators, firefighters, law enforcement and nurses across the country. Learn more about California Casualty at http://www.calcas.com or call 1.800.800.9410.
Woodlawn Commons was selected among 140 student housing developments submitted for a total of 25 award categories at the Innovator Awards. According to Jeff Jones, Capstone principal, This beautiful residential community, with excellent academic and social amenities, delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, and privately funded, is a credit to every member of the University and Capstone teams."

Capstone Development Partners (Capstone) and Harrison Street today announced that Woodlawn Residential and Dining Commons at the University of Chicago was awarded the Best Public-Private Partnership (P3) Development at Student Housing Business 11th Annual Innovator Awards event held July 14, 2021 during the Interface Student Housing conference in Austin, TX.

The P3 project was selected among 140 student housing developments submitted for a total of 25 award categories. The awards were judged on multiple criteria including: the unique need the project solved for the university; why the P3 structure was advantageous for the school, its residents, and the developer; building architecture; the design fit within the existing campus fabric; and the projects performance relative to budget and schedule.

Woodlawn Residential and Dining Commons provides 1,300 UChicago students and staff with an on-campus home in an engaging, enriching community, offering 19,500 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art academic and social amenities and a 25,000 sq. ft., 670-seat dining commons. The community includes resident communities made up of 11 Houses designed for freshmen-to-senior students to build academic and social networks. The innovative residence hall is a new center for campus life located at the campus southern edge and adjacent to Chicagos historic Woodlawn neighborhood between Woodlawn and University Avenues along 61st Street. Woodlawn Residential and Dining Commons was completed in June 2020 and opened for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Woodlawn Commons was developed by Capstone in a P3 collaboration with the University of Chicago and was financed with 100% equity through Capstones P3+ financing program with Harrison Street.

According to Jeff Jones, Capstone principal, We have enjoyed building a successful, long-term partnership with the University of Chicago, and appreciate the confidence the University showed in selecting Capstone as its development and operating partner for this first P3 housing community on its campus. Our collaboration has been exceptional, and mutually rewarding. This beautiful residential community, with excellent academic and social amenities, delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, and privately funded, is a credit to every member of the University and Capstone teams. We are thrilled to have partnered with Harrison Street to positively impact the quality of campus and student life at the University of Chicago for decades to come."

Christopher Merrill, Harrison Streets Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, We are honored to receive the recognition from Student Housing Business for this important project, which has had a demonstrable and highly positive impact on the University of Chicago community despite the uncertainty over the past academic year. P3s are an important area of focus for Harrison Street and a critical source of financing for higher education institutions facing tighter budgets as a result of the pandemic. We are proud to be a partner of choice to these institutions to ensure they have access to resources that keep them on the cutting edge and to continue our highly successful partnership with Capstone, a best-in-class developer, over the long term.

The Project was designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects; constructed by Turner Construction; and the project is managed by COCM.

This is Capstones and Harrison Streets third project to be recognized as the Best Public-Private Partnership Development, having previously received the award in 2020 for Vi Hilbert Hall at Seattle University and in 2016 for Cornish Commons at Cornish College of the Arts. Capstone also received its fourth Best Public-Private Partnership Development award in 2019 for its New Residence Hall and Dining Commons at University of Massachusetts Boston.

About Capstone Development Partners

Capstone Development Partners, LLC is a leading student housing developer in the on-campus and university-affiliated student housing market. The company has offices in Birmingham, Alabama and Denver, Colorado. Its principals, Jeff Jones and Bruce McKee, have 50 years combined experience as leaders in the higher education student housing sector specializing in the development and management of on-campus student housing through Public-Private Partnerships. Since 1997, the principals of Capstone have partnered with 70 public and private colleges and universities and delivered more than 46,000 beds of student housing nationwide. For more information please visit http://www.capdevpartners.com.

About Harrison Street

Harrison Street is one of the leading investment management firms exclusively focused on alternative real assets. Since inception in 2005, the firm has created a series of differentiated investment solutions focused on demographic-driven, needs-based assets. The firm has invested across senior housing, student housing, healthcare delivery, life sciences and storage real estate as well as social and utility infrastructure. Headquartered in Chicago with offices in London and Toronto, the firm has more than 195-employees and approximately $36 billion in assets under management. Clients of the firm include a global institutional investor base domiciled in North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Latin America. Harrison Street has been awarded Best Places to Work by Pensions & Investments for the last seven consecutive years and was named 2020 Global Alternatives Investor of the Year by PERE. For more information, please visit http://www.harrisonst.com.
The pet industry is projected to grow 6.1% annually by 2027. This latest ClearAngel funding reflects the importance of giving access to pet industry entrepreneurs outside of traditional networks and regions. - Andrew DSouza, CEO and co-founder, Clearco

Clearco, the worlds largest e-commerce investor and the company revolutionizing the way founders grow their businesses, today announced that its ClearAngel program is funding Moki Runs, a Calgary-based apothecary providing high-quality, low-waste pet food. ClearAngel supplies early-stage founders with access to revenue share capital, data-driven advice, as well as Clearcos extensive network of apps, agencies, and investors.

Founded in Calgary, Alberta, Moki Runs provides raw, small-batch pet foods for all animals  from dogs, to cats, to horses. Founder and animal lover Nadia Shiwdin stepped in to fill a market gap after noticing a need for natural and nutritious pet food. ClearAngels backing will allow Moki Runs to create new growth funnels, including adding treatboxes to its product offering, as well as launch Moki Care - a pet insurance alternative.

ClearAngel is a new, equity-free, flexible capital option for early-stage founders who dont have the network or mentorship to raise an angel round or join exclusive accelerators. The program has already funded over 350 companies since its February 2021 launch.

Were thrilled to fund Moki Runs and help the brand develop new growth channels, said Andrew DSouza, CEO and co-founder, Clearco. The pet industry is projected to grow 6.1% annually by 2027. This latest ClearAngel funding reflects the importance of giving access to pet industry entrepreneurs outside of traditional networks and regions.

Through ClearAngel, Moki Runs will also receive access to a network of more than 500 investors, growth teams, agencies, apps, lawyers, and buyers; and data-driven advice designed to help scale and hit new revenue milestones. As it hits these milestones, Shiwdin will have the opportunity to secure additional funding from ClearAngel.

Thanks to ClearAngels ongoing support, Moki Runs can not only expand our apothecary channels, but also continue our mission to evolve the pet industry by focusing on high quality, low waste, small batch products, said Moki Runs founder Nadia Shiwdin.

To learn more about Moki Runs and browse its variety of all-natural pet food, visit https://www.mokiruns.com/.

ClearAngel is currently onboarding E-commerce and product companies, and has limited spots available for SaaS, Apps, marketplace and stealth companies. To learn more about applying, visit https://angel.clearbanc.com/.

About Clearco:

Co-founded as Clearbanc in 2015 by Michele Romanow from Canadas Shark Tank (Dragons Den), Andrew DSouza, Ivan Gritsiniak, Charlie Feng, and Tanay Delima, Clearco offers the most founder-friendly capital solutions for e-commerce, mobile apps, and SaaS founders as well as a full suite of products and access to a powerful global network, insights and data, and recommendations. Clearco has invested over $2 Billion in over 4,500 companies to date, including Leesa Sleep, fashion-rental service Le Tote, home goods company Public Goods, shirtmaker UNTUCKit, online speech therapy practice Expressable, and digital real estate marketplace SetSchedule. For more information visit clear.co and @getClearco.
Intelligent Assets with Phoenix Contact and ClearBlade has accelerated my oil and gas solutions from years to months. Their combined offering is flexible, and allows me to connect to any existing system and process data with ease. -Adam Meyer, CEO Lansera

ClearBlade and Phoenix Contact announce a partnership that delivers field IoT and Edge solutions via Intelligent Assets. Together, the two companies can provide a full solution including hardware, connectivity, edge, and cloud services. The collaboration dramatically shortens time to deployment and most importantly, time to value.

Phoenix Contact brings proven, robust industrial hardware and deep domain knowledge to address the operational process needs and field application tasks. The breadth of products and existing industry-compliant solutions solve application challenges the right way the first time. ClearBlades leading Intelligent Assets application makes connecting that hardware a simple task. The application allows end-users, operators, and analysts to configure their applications in a no-code manner that makes IIoT easy.

Intelligent Assets with Phoenix Contact and ClearBlade has accelerated my oil and gas solutions from years to months. Their combined offering is flexible, and allows me to connect to any existing system and process data with ease. Intelligent Assets is the SCADA version 3 that we, in the oil and gas industry, sorely need. -Adam Meyer, CEO Lansera

Phoenix Contact and ClearBlade are already in the field solving critical challenges. Whether its reducing the cost of reporting to regulatory bodies for compliance, auditable remote monitoring to reduce liability, or acting to prevent failures in field locations, the partnership provides an out-of-the-box solution.

Weve been delighted in our experience working with ClearBlade. The combination of their Intelligent Assets platform and Phoenix Contacts open PLCnext-based Edge Gateway allows our customers to truly harness the power and agility of the Industrial IoT. Our customers gain immediate operational insight with no programming through the powerful, yet intuitive Intelligent Assets interface, said Pat McCurdy, Vice President of Industry Management and Automation at Phoenix Contact USA.

The solution provides 100% remote monitoring that breathes life into legacy SCADA systems and makes new sensors plug-and-play, while providing a clear path for digital transformation. A growing list of customers in various vertical markets such as oil and gas, water, wastewater, energy, and transportation are already realizing the benefits of the partnership.

Phoenix Contact is a hugely exciting opportunity, already proving incredible expertise as solving hard-core industrial problems. Their ability to go above and beyond to ensure customer success makes a tremendous partnership, said Eric Simone, CEO ClearBlade

The value continues beyond the initial deployments. The companies provide a shared support model ensuring certified gateways for Intelligent Assets, a clear support agreement for critical service level agreement (SLA), and an agreement to continue product innovation into the future. The pricing is simple for end users wishing to purchase a single bundle of devices with the option to include a subscription for built-in connectivity over cellular, satellite, or LPWAN.

The partnered offerings are available today. For further information, please contact sales@clearblade.com.

About ClearBlade

ClearBlade is the industry-leading Edge Computing software company that enables enterprises to rapidly engineer and run secure, real-time, scalable IoT applications. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, ClearBlade is an award-winning, fully scalable, secure, flexible and autonomous IoT edge platform that enables companies to ingest, analyze, adapt and act on any data in real-time and at extreme scale. ClearBlade provides a consistent platform across edge, cloud and on-premise environments. For more information, please visit https://www.clearblade.com.

About Phoenix Contact

Phoenix Contact develops and manufactures industrial electrical and electronic technology products that power, protect, connect, and automate systems and equipment for a wide range of industries. Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG, Blomberg, Germany, operates more than 50 international subsidiaries, including Phoenix Contact USA in Middletown, Pa.

For more information about Phoenix Contact or its products, visit http://www.phoenixcontact.com, call technical service at 800-322-3225, or e-mail info@phoenixcontact.com.

Media Contacts:

ClearBlade

Michelle Davis

marketing@clearblade.com

+1(866)999-3343
Our Direct Portfolio college savings plan has a long track record of maximizing savings by lowering fees at every opportunity, which aligns with our mission to provide the very best value for every dollar saved.

CollegeInvest announced today that the administrative fees for its Direct Portfolio 529 college savings plan have been reduced by 3 percent, effective August 1, 2021. This is the eighth fee reduction for the Direct Portfolio plan, since its inception in 2009. Overall, fees for the Direct Portfolio college savings plan have dropped more than 38 percent.

CollegeInvests modest administrative fees are proportionate to the volume of savings held by Colorado families; the more they save, the lower the costs. CollegeInvest has been leading the industry in account growth for the past five years, resulting in lower fees and keeping more of the hard-earned savings of Colorado families for higher education expenses.

Even through recent difficulties, we know that Colorado families are saving as much as they can, and more than ever before, every dollar counts, said Angela Baier, CollegeInvests chief executive officer. Our Direct Portfolio college savings plan has a long track record of maximizing savings by lowering fees at every opportunity, which aligns with our mission to provide the very best value for every dollar saved.

CollegeInvest is Colorados self-sustaining not-for-profit state agency which receives no taxpayer funding. 100 percent of CollegeInvests costs are covered by low administrative fees. Working to bring the most effective college savings resources to Colorado families, CollegeInvest works closely with the agencys financial partners to provide the lowest fees possible, maximizing every dollar saved.

In addition to providing a variety of savings options for higher education, CollegeInvest also provides $1.3 million annually in direct financial support to Colorados low and middle-income families with its Matching Grant Program, need-based assistance through the 529 Scholarship program, and First Step, a child savings kickstarter program. These programs are operated independent of administrative fees charged, and without any tax dollars. This additional support goes directly to the education savings of families who need it the most.

As we emerge from the challenges of the pandemic, our future economic growth and sustainability will rely on a trained workforce, which is only possible through access to higher education, said Baier. We remain committed to Colorado families and making their goals for higher education more affordable.

Based on the principle that saving for higher education is a vastly more effective strategy than borrowing, CollegeInvest is Colorados trusted resource in breaking down the financial barriers to attaining a postsecondary education, whether through community college, vocational training or a four-year university. Savings can even be used for online learning. For more information, please visit us at collegeinvest.org

About CollegeInvest

CollegeInvest is Colorados foremost resource designed specifically to help break down the financial barriers to attaining a higher education or vocational training. By providing expert information, easy-to-use planning tools, and an exceptionally diverse menu of tax advantaged college savings plans, CollegeInvest works to help Coloradans maximize their potential to save for college. CollegeInvest currently represents $11 billion in savings and 383,000 accounts, the majority of which are held by Colorado residents. Money saved in a CollegeInvest 529 savings plan can be used at any public or private college, university, community college or vocational school, anywhere in the country. For more information, visit collegeinvest.org or call 1-800-448-2424, or contact your financial advisor.

Important Considerations

To learn about CollegeInvests 529 program, its objectives, risks, charges, expenses, limitations, restrictions and qualifications regarding the Plans benefits and potential tax advantages, please read and consider carefully the Program Disclosure Statements (PDS) available at collegeinvest.org before investing. Also, check with your or your beneficiarys home state to learn if it offers tax or other benefits for investing in its own plan. Administered and issued by CollegeInvest. CollegeInvest and the CollegeInvest logo are registered trademarks of CollegeInvest. Copyright  2021 CollegeInvest.

About Vanguard

Vanguard is one of the worlds largest investment management companies. As of May 30, 2021, Vanguard managed $7.9 trillion in global assets and over $162 billion in college savings assets across 39 college savings plans and 8 prepaid tuition plans in 37 states. The firm, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, offers more than 417 funds to its more than 30 million investors worldwide. For more information, visit vanguard.com.

About Ascensus

Ascensus helps millions of people save for what mattersretirement, education, and healthcare. Through co-branded, private-labeled, and other governmental partnerships, our technology, market insights, and business knowledge enhance the growth and success of our partners, their clients, and savers. Ascensus is the largest independent record keeping services provider, third-party administrator, and government savings facilitator in the United States. For more information visit ascensus.com


ConverseNow, the leading voice-based AI technology for restaurants, has closed a $15 million Series A round led by Craft Ventures. The round included participation from investors in the companys $3.3 million seed round (May 2020), including LiveOak Venture Partners, Tensility Venture Partners, Knoll Ventures, Bala Investments, 2048 Ventures, and Bridge Investments. Moneta Ventures and angel investors Federico Castellucci and Ashish Gupta also participated, bringing the total funding to $18.3 million.

ConverseNow transforms how quick-service restaurants (QSRs) serve customers with George and Becky, sophisticated AI voice ordering assistants that help optimize the deployment of valuable staff hours and improve the speed and accuracy of orders. Its cloud-based, multilingual solution personalizes restaurant orders in high-volume voice channels such as phone, drive-thru, self-service kiosks, and voice-assisted chat on mobile devices.

Already deployed with multinational and national restaurant brands, ConverseNow is shown to increase average orders by 23% and revenues by 20% while adding up to 12 hours of extra deployable labor time per store per week. By allowing human time to be shifted from order-taking to food preparation and high-value guest interaction, George and Becky measurably improve the entire customer experience.

In the last year, with the pandemic accelerating drive-through habits and preferences, QSR operators have rapidly embraced technologies like ConverseNow to keep up with demand and optimize for efficiency and customer service, said Vinay Shukla, co-founder and CEO of ConverseNow. With this additional investment, we will rapidly scale and develop other Drive-Thru solutions such as digital line-busting technology, which we will roll out later this year.

Attracting and maintaining staff is one of the biggest challenges facing the restaurant and hospitality industries as the economy roars back to life, added Rahul Aggarwal, co-founder and COO & CPO of ConverseNow. By strategically using voice AI solutions to more accurately capture orders, we help our customers refocus this scarce human resource to deploy in areas that add the most value.

Meet George and Becky!

George and Becky are among the smartest voice assistants created. Equipped with conversational and emotional intelligence, they replicate natural human dialog to gauge customer sentiment and guide conversations.

Leveraging anonymized machine intelligence, George and Becky can:



Detect nuances and predict ordering behaviors based on tailored questions and responses.

Save time, streamline the customer experience, and maximize revenues, by making recommendations based on contextual data and information available to them in real-time.

Assess variables such as past order history, the probability of upsells being approved, time of day, weather conditions, and even how busy the restaurant is  in some cases recommending items with shorter prep times during peak hours.

Tailor their personalities and voices can be tailored to the individual brand or restaurant chain.

Joining ConverseNows board of directors, Bryan Rosenblatt, Partner at Craft Ventures, commented: Post-pandemic, quick service restaurants are primed for digital transformation, and we see a unique opportunity for ConverseNow to become a driving force in the space. Since its launch, the company has seen tremendous growth, and we look forward to supporting the team in becoming the leading digital gateway for QSR orders across multiple channels.

Rajiv Bala, Managing Director at Bala Investments that led the companys seed round, added, With Voice AI becoming a vital part of QSR operators strategy, ConverseNow provides an efficient solution to integrate its benefits at scale. Once its algorithms are trained in one voice channel, it can be deployed across multiple channels, reducing cost and time to market, making it a strong investment. We are thrilled to continue to participate in its growth.

Wayne Pederson, CIO of Fazolis Restaurant Management, LLC, adds, During the pandemic, Fazolis continued to serve guests while investing in technologies and infrastructure to fuel growth during the recovery. AI is an integral part of our ongoing strategy, and with ConverseNow, we have found a best-in-class partner. Their solutions allow our operators to better utilize the talents of their teams, thereby enhancing our guests' overall experience and ultimately improving revenue.

To learn more about ConverseNow, schedule a demo, or explore career opportunities, please visit http://www.conversenow.ai

About ConverseNow

ConverseNow empowers restaurants with voice-based AI technology to provide fast and personalized customer service. The companys platform automates and personalizes restaurant orders in high-volume voice channels such as phone, drive-thru, self-service kiosks, voice assistants, and voice-assisted chat on mobile devices. Founded by Vinay Shukla and Rahul Aggarwal in 2018, ConverseNow is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information, please visit: https://www.conversenow.ai
The success of DAOU is all about our people, said Georges Daou, Proprietor of DAOU Family Estates. The past year has taught us to cherish our team more than ever and to embrace brand goals that are compatible with the well-being of all.

DAOU Family Estates has announced three new appointments to key leadership positions that encompass strategic brand and business development, hospitality and human resources. Family-owned and operated, DAOU Family Estates is committed to producing award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon and other quality wines from Paso Robles to rival the most respected appellations in the world. A people-first approach to hospitality and business has fueled DAOU Familys recognition as a leading U.S. winery, as embodied by their dynamic new personnel announcement:



Maeve Pesquera joined DAOU five years ago and will expand her role on the leadership team as Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development.

Elise Spangenberg joined DAOU in 2013 and has been promoted to Vice President, People & Culture.

Marino Monferrato, Vice President of Hospitality Operations, starred with Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay on the hit television series, Hells Kitchen, and brings years of restaurant and hospitality accomplishment to the DAOU team.

The success of DAOU is all about our people, said Georges Daou, Proprietor of DAOU Family Estates. The past year has taught us to cherish our team more than ever and to embrace brand goals that are compatible with the well-being of all. Were thrilled to promote from within our current team and to welcome Marino Monferrato to DAOU. Congratulations to Maeve, Elise and Marino on their many accomplishments and for the creativity, passion and heart they embody.

Maeve Pesquera, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development

A member of the DAOU leadership team since 2016, Maeve worked tirelessly as Senior Vice President to implement Georges and Daniel Daous vision as a people company in the wine business, realizing unprecedented success through direct-to-consumer, hospitality, and marketing initiatives. As part of her newly expanded executive role, Maeve will continue to drive high-level strategy and business development to support global brand awareness with trade and consumer audiences. Currently serving as the most senior woman executive on the DAOU team, Maeve is committed to corporate mentorship and holds certifications from the Court of Master Sommeliers, Wine & Spirit Education Trust and Society of Wine Educators. She currently serves on the Board of the Paso Robles CAB Collective and the California Wine Institute.

Elise Spangenberg, Vice President, People & Culture

Over the last eight years, Elise has been an integral part of DAOUs growth and success. Since becoming Senior Director of People & Culture in 2019, Elise has developed profound strategies to enhance the employee experience and offer greater workplace transparency. The past year, Covid presented enormous challenges that underlined the importance of Elises contribution to building the People & Culture team at DAOU. In her new role as Vice President, People & Culture, Elise will work to enrich employee life in all aspects from compensation and benefits to professional development, keeping the DAOU team at the center of every initiative.

Marino Monferrato, Vice President of Hospitality Operations

A native of Torino, Italy, Marino began his career in hospitality working for the 3-Michelin star restaurant, Gualtiero Marchesi, at the age of 17. A seasoned and dynamic hospitality professional, Marino has worked as General Manager for 5-Star, 5-Diamond and Michelin star restaurants across the United States, including Alex at the Wynn Hotel, Wolfgang Pucks CUT, Cecconis in West Hollywood and as Store Director of the first Eataly on the West Coast. Known for his outgoing personality and flair for hospitality, Marino entertains global audiences alongside Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay as the star Maitre d on the popular television series, Hells Kitchen, and was most recently the Restaurant Director for Gucci Osteria by Massimo Bottura in Beverly Hills.

For more information, including management team interviews, please contact: Emma Mrkonic, emma@gregoryvine.com or Helen Gregory, helen@gregoryvine.com.

About DAOU Family Estates

Family-owned and operated, DAOU Family Estates is committed to producing collectible, world-class wines to rival the most respected appellations in the world. Situated on a 212-acre hilltop estate in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles, DAOU was founded by brothers Daniel and Georges Daou in 2007 to develop the potential of Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties in the region. The family estate at DAOU Mountain combines remarkable geology, favorable microclimate and high elevation, once described by renowned California winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff as a jewel of ecological elements. As a steward of this beautiful terroir, winemaker Daniel Daou offers a quality-focused range of complex but accessible wines that are a pleasure to drink.
Elation has already done the hard work of creating a platform that physicians love and trust. I'm thrilled to join the team and help expand the capabilities of our platform so that independent primary care providers achieve new heights of business and clinical success.

Elation Health, the clinical-first technology powering the future of independent primary care, today announced three new executive hires: Pratik Savai is joining as chief technology officer (CTO), Sara Pastoor MD, in a new role as director of primary care advancement, and Jenifer Ho, as vice president of marketing. Elation Health is continuing to hire rapidly after doubling its team size last year and raising a $40M Series C round led by Generation IM in December 2020. For more information on remote and San Francisco-based digital health careers with Elation, visit elationhealth.com/careers.

About the executives:

Pratik Savai, chief technology officer Savai is responsible for leading Elation's product and engineering teams, ensuring security and stability of its clinical-first SaaS platform, and scaling its infrastructure and processes to support continued growth. He was previously EVP Engineering at Cornerstone where he led multiple transformations for accelerating their product development at scale in the cloud. Savai has experience building product development teams globally, architecting platforms that support multiple products used by millions of users, and setting up product development processes that allow for effective collaboration amongst hundreds of team members.

The importance of primary care to both our healthcare system and to us as individual patients can't be understated," said Savai. "Elation has already done the hard work of creating a platform that physicians love and trust. I'm thrilled to join the team and help expand the capabilities of our platform so that independent primary care providers achieve new heights of business and clinical success.

Sara Pastoor, MD, director of primary care advancement Dr. Pastoor is collaborating with primary care leaders across the Elation network and the companys allied partners to support a healthier future for patients in this new role. She brings over 20 years of experience as a practicing primary care physician and healthcare executive, previously leading transformation with the Army Medical Department, serving as the inaugural director for University of Texas Healths Primary Care Center in San Antonio, and most recently as medical director for value based solutions with 3M.

Jenifer Ho, vice president of marketing Ho is leading strategy for Elations marketing operations, including product marketing, demand generation, integrated marketing and creative. As a digital marketing leader with over 17 years experience in B2B, B2C and B2B2C marketing, she previously served as head of business growth and demand generation marketing at Lyft and held marketing leadership roles at hyper growth companies including DocuSign and Fastly.

Elation continues to invest in its core platform while adding new capabilities to support business operations for independent primary care. The company has plans to develop solutions in billing and payment collection, patient population management and interoperability  ensuring practices have the tools to drive high-quality patient outcomes and business success in the transition to value-based care.

About Elation

Elation Health is the most trusted technology platform for independent primary care. Since 2010, the company has delivered clinical-first solutions  built on an award-winning collaborative electronic health record  that help practices start, grow, communicate, and succeed in delivering the highest-quality personalized care to patients. Elation Health is empowering primary care providers to uphold the craft of medicine, while thriving in an evolving healthcare landscape. Today, Elation Health serves 14,000 clinicians caring for seven million Americans. Learn more at elationhealth.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Family Office Portal logo I founded Family Office Portal as a place to centralize this network with an emphasis on deal flow and other unique opportunities. We are excited to work with families and individuals to access early-stage companies, and to help them invest to fit their personal priorities

Launching today, Family Office Portal (aka FOPort) sits at the hub of a community comprised of over 5000 ultra-high net worth individual, single, and multi-family offices, the asset managers they work with, service providers, early-stage companies and other members of this unique professional network geared to making the lives of its members easier, more profitable, and more enjoyable.

Family Office Portal curates a network of investors and issuers to connect investors with investment opportunities that match their personal mandates and preferences. Family Offices and UHNWIs that choose to join this exclusive community are able to view or be directly connected with vetted issuers.

Family Office Portal also partners with best-in-class technology solutions that help family offices in all that they do. Through a range of technologies from basic to incredibly dynamic and complex solutions, FOPort offers the convenience of aggregation and consolidation of these tools, discounted rates, streamlined account management and more. These technologies help family offices with everything from automated and compliant investment processes, and peer to peer due diligence, to enhanced lifestyle experiences, and much more.

Family Office Portal enables members to browse and connect with rare family office sponsored opportunities, the kind that are spoken for before they are public, including early-stage companies that are poised to disrupt industries, or otherwise grow through strategic value add partnerships, investments, etc.

The founders of Family Office Portal are CEO Peter Apostol who has an extensive background working with family offices, alternative investments and lifestyle services. Peter worked with a South Florida based family office packaging and syndicating investments before he began to develop an international family office community. Cecil Robles, FOPorts VP of Strategy, is an entrepreneur with 17+ years of corporate strategy and global brand-building experience. He has also served as a CMO and CEO and has built and sold multiple businesses in various industries. They are joined by legal advisor Nate Sumbot, who prior to FOPort, was a lawyer with Ballard Spahr LLP, has an extensive background as a securities attorney, and worked as general counsel for the governors office of Utah.

Apostol notes, I founded Family Office Portal as a place to centralize this network with an emphasis on deal flow and other unique opportunities. We are excited to work with families and individuals to access early-stage companies, and to help them invest to fit their personal priorities whether its ESG investing, future-proofing their funds, or enabling them to live their passions. And were equally excited to bring investment to well vetted young companies that will continue to grow family wealth.

With events returning, Family Office Portal is excited to host their first 2021 event, a family office/venture capital mixer at the Meat Market Steakhouse 191 Bradley Place, Palm Beach, FL 33480 on September 14 at 5:30 pm. Future events will take place in Miami, Orlando, and Houston, with more to be announced soon. Potential invitees can sign up at https://foport.com/events/.
The successful companies of today, and tomorrow, are laser focused on delivering a better employee experience to drive business performance.

Culture Amp, the worlds leading employee experience platform, announced today a valuation of over USD$1.5 billion through a recent USD$100 million Series F funding round. Culture Amp helps organizations modernize their approach to employee engagement and performance management delivering the platform, insights and suggested actions at over 4,000 organizations globally.

TDM Growth Partners (TDM) and Sequoia Capital China led the round, with participation from new investor Salesforce Ventures and existing investors Felicis Ventures, Blackbird Ventures, Index Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Skip Capital, Grok Ventures and Global Founders Capital.

Since 2011, Culture Amp has pioneered the application of behavioral science and data analytics across the employee lifecycle to help organizations humanize the performance management process and invest in the growth and development of their people. In an environment of rapid change, and with a massive increase in hybrid and remote work, Culture Amp provides organizations with the data they need to rapidly iterate the experience they are delivering to their employees.

With this strategic round of funding, we will empower more organizations and people leaders to unlock the power of humanity at work, as the industrys single most trusted place for all of their employee experience needs, said Didier Elzinga, CEO and co-founder of Culture Amp. The successful companies of today, and tomorrow, are laser focused on delivering a better employee experience to drive business performance.

Hamish Corlett, co-founder of TDM Growth Partners (TDM) said, "Organizations are living in a world of unprecedented change, and the last 12 months have only accelerated this. We have seen first hand the power that Culture Amps unrivalled data set and unique insights can have inside boardrooms globally, and we expect this only to amplify in coming years.

Culture Amp has enabled over 4,000 organizations to embrace our core belief as investors that people and culture are fundamental to driving long term competitive advantage and success. We will look back in the decades to come and see it was these businesses that were early adopters in understanding this.

Steven Ji, Partner of Sequoia Capital China said, "As the trailblazer in employee experience, Culture Amp is charting a path forward for organizations to succeed in the new world of work with data-driven insight. Culture Amp has the purpose, leadership and the ability to truly impact peoples lives and were excited to see what they will achieve in this next stage of growth and beyond.

Rob Keith, Head of Australia, Salesforce Ventures added, Culture Amp is the clear leader in employee experience, and as a customer for many years weve seen first hand the power of the Culture Amp platform to drive meaningful change in the workplace. We seek to invest in the most innovative cloud companies and founders, solving the world's most pressing challenges globally - Culture Amp is at the forefront of driving positive behavior change at work and we look forward to contributing to the companys continued growth and success."

About Culture Amp

Culture Amp revolutionizes how over 25 million employees across 4,000 companies create a better world of work. As the global platform leader for employee experience, Culture Amp empowers companies of all sizes and industries to transform employee engagement, develop high performing teams, and retain talent via cutting-edge research, powerful technology, and the largest employee dataset in the world. The most innovative companies across the globe, such as Salesforce, Unilever, PwC, KIND, SoulCycle, and BigCommerce depend on Culture Amp everyday.

Culture Amp is backed by 10 years of innovation, leading capital venture funds, and offices in the U.S, U.K, and Australia. Culture Amp is recognized as one of the worlds top private cloud companies by Forbes and one of the most innovative workplace companies by Fast Company.

Learn more about how Culture Amp can help you create a better world of work at cultureamp.com.

About TDM Growth Partners

TDM Growth Partners is a global investment firm with offices currently in Sydney and New York. TDM invests in fast growing companies run by passionate management teams. Our unique and flexible mandate allows us to invest in public and private companies globally. TDM operates on long-term time horizons, and a commitment to help build businesses were proud of. We have a highly focused approach to investing, with a portfolio of no more than 15 investments globally. TDM has the ability to deploy capital up to $200 million per investment. More information at http://www.tdmgrowthpartners.com.

About Sequoia China

The Sequoia team helps daring founders build legendary companies. In partnering with Sequoia, companies benefit from our unmatched community and the lessons weve learned over 49 years. As The Entrepreneurs Behind the Entrepreneurs, Sequoia China focuses on three sectors: TMT, consumer/services and healthcare. Over the past 16 years weve had the privilege of working with approximately 600 companies in China.

More information at http://www.sequoiacap.com/china/en/

About Salesforce Ventures

Salesforce is the global leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), bringing companies closer to their customers in the digital age. Salesforce Ventures, the global investment arm of Salesforce, invests in the next generation of enterprise technology that extends the power of the Salesforce Platform. Salesforce Ventures is building the world's largest ecosystem of enterprise cloud companies and extending that technology to customers. Portfolio companies receive funding, strategic advisory, and operating support, and can easily join Pledge 1% to make giving back part of their business model. Salesforce Ventures has invested in more than 400 companies, including DocuSign, GoCardless, Guild Education, nCino, Twilio, Zoom, and others across 22 countries since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.salesforce.com/ventures.
Gymshark Boosts Design Productivity by 30% with Centric PLM Centric PLM has opened our eyes as to how to be a leaner, smarter business.

Centric Software is delighted to announce the release of a success story about its customer, Gymshark.

Formed in 2012 in a garage in Birmingham, Gymshark has developed from a small screen-printing operation to one of the fastest-growing, most recognizable fitness brands. It specializes in functional training apparel, designing innovative performance technologies and building empowered conditioning communities. Gymshark sells direct to customers via 15 international online stores, has over 4 million customers in more than 180 countries and reaches an online audience of over 12.5M.

Prior to PLM, the Gymshark teams were working within outdated systems that didnt support the businesses exponential growth, and employees were growing frustrated with lengthy, manual and error-ridden processes. Gymshark knew it was time to introduce a modern digital solution that could help them bring their A-Game.

Before Centric PLM, we were working in the old-fashioned way, using a million different Excel documents, says Justine McCarthy, Development Director at Gymshark. Our teams were growing rapidly, so it was getting harder and harder to maintain consistency and know exactly where the latest version of information was.

In January 2020, Gymshark made the strategic decision to implement Centric Softwares market-leading PLM. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all training, testing and implementation of the initial phase was completed with teams working from home, and now, with PLM, theres no limit to what they can achieve when working remotely.

In this early stage, we are seeing huge benefits in our Materials process, with an estimated 30% increase in productivity, shares McCarthy. Centric PLM has opened our eyes as to how to be a leaner, smarter business.

Gymshark is now benefitting from one single source of truth, seamless admin and communication between teams, greatly reduced human error, enthusiastic adoption and increased productivity.

Discover more ways to stay ahead of the competition with PLM by reading the full Gymshark Success Story!

Read the full story

Request a Demo

Gymshark (uk.gymshark.com)

Gymshark is a conditioning brand dedicated to creating functional training apparel, designing innovative performance technologies and building passionate, empowered conditioning communities.

Formed in 2012 in a garage in Birmingham, UK, it is now a leading brand in the sportswear industry and it is still growing. The company currently has offices in four different regions and over 500 employees. Its GSHQ headquarters operates out of a central hub in Solihull, UK and it recently opened its first US office in Downtown Denver, Colorado.

The Gymshark family consists of over 4 million customers in over 180 countries. It only sells directly to customers, via 15 international online stores and occasional pop-up stores, to provide everyone with the best possible experience.

Renowned for its ever-growing community of athletes and followers, its social media content reaches an audience of over 12.5M in over 55 countries.

Always driven by progress, and after being named the UKs fastest growing company in 2016 in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100, Gymshark turned over approximately 200M in 2018/19.
Hampton Inn Williamsville Lobby Seating These renovations demonstrate our commitment to guest satisfaction and alignment with the standards of this category-leading brand.

Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC announced the 4-story, 80-rooms and suites, Hampton Inn by Hilton Buffalo-Williamsville located at 5455 Main Street in Williamsville NY has completed a major renovation to its guest rooms and public spaces. The scope of the multi-million-dollar renovation includes new carpets, bedding, floor tile, window treatments, paint, wall vinyl, artwork and all new soft seating furniture and lighting. Thoughtfully designed by Thomas Hamilton and Associates, including touches of teal in the guest rooms with custom designed wall vinyl that resembles Williamsville Water Mill and sleek blues and orange accents in the lobby, the new modern furnishings accommodate guests desires to stay connected and comfortable during their stay.

Hampton Inn by Hilton Williamsville takes pride in providing our guests with a memorable travel experience backed by the latest innovations and amenities in hospitality, said Megan Manning, general manager. These renovations demonstrate our commitment to guest satisfaction and alignment with the standards of this category-leading brand.

Hampton Inn by Hilton Buffalo-Williamsville hotel is located in the heart of a quaint village, 5 miles from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The hotel is also within walking distance to boutique shops, restaurants, cafes and parks on Main Street in Williamsville. Dont leave your furry friend at home, explore Williamsville with your dog. Pets are welcome.

The hotel offers several amenities including a hot breakfast served daily, breakfast to-go bags, complimentary Wi-Fi, and the brands 100% Hampton Guarantee, which guarantees each guest full satisfaction or their nights stay is free. Each guest room features the clean and fresh Hampton bed, a flat screen cable television, an in-room coffee maker, mini-fridge, and microwave. The hotel features several suites, offering separate living and sleeping areas in addition to a wet bar, microwave, mini-fridge, and a sleeper sofa. After a busy day out, unwind in the indoor pool, whirlpool, fitness center or by the fireplace in select suites.

Hampton Inn by Hilton Williamsville is part of Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest loyalty program for Hiltons 18 world-class brands. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount that cant be found anywhere else and free standard WIFI. Members also have access to contactless technology exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton Honors mobile app, where Hilton Honors members can check-in, choose their room and access their room using Digital Key.

To make reservations or request information, please visit Hampton Inn by Hilton Williamsville or call +1 (716) 632-0900.

Buffalo Lodging Associates, in partnership with Benderson Properties, LLC, owns and operates hotels throughout New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Florida, New Jersey, and Ontario, Canada. A fully integrated hotel development and management organization, Buffalo Lodging provides operations, marketing, accounting, architectural, construction and MIS services for its own account as well as providing third-party management for outside owners and investors. The company is equipped to develop, construct and manage properties, and is constantly seeking new opportunities throughout the country. For more information about Buffalo Lodging Associates management services or award-winning hotels, please visit http://www.buffalolodging.com.
The complete HEDO skincare line is 100% cruelty-free without artificial colors, fragrances, synthetic chemical preservatives, parabens or other harmful toxins. Past News Releases RSS HEDO Mens Skincare From LA Lakers...

Currently only available online at https://hedo.co/ and ReBalance of Radiance Aesthetics & Wellness in New York, lucky attendees at the Breakfast with Champions (BWC) marketing event will receive exclusive products from HEDO skincare for women and men.

Recently introduced by Christy Curtis Buss, successful choreographer, entrepreneur and proud member of the Los Angeles Lakers Buss Family, the HEDO skincare products are made in the USA and include unisex, anti-aging products for all skin types.

I look forward to introducing my new skincare line to busy professionals at the BWC event so that they can destress, look healthier and use high-quality ingredients they can feel good, states Buss. Based on the word, Hedonism, the complete HEDO line is 100% cruelty-free without artificial colors, fragrances, synthetic chemical preservatives, parabens or other harmful toxins.

HEDO is made of clinically proven, advanced pharmaceutical-grade formulas under FDA labs that deliver bio-active ingredients directly to target areas deep in the skin. The complete line of skincare for women and men includes anti-aging creams, serums, cleansers, eye treatments, sunscreen, and much more.

Anyone can register for the BWC Consortium Live Event to be held at the Boro Hotel, 38-28 27th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101, July 28-30, 2021, at https://championsnyc.com/.

To purchase HEDO products and get more information, visit https://hedo.co.

About HEDO

Choreographer, entrepreneur and proud member of the Los Angeles Lakers family, Christy Curtis Buss, created the HEDO skincare line to aid in your everyday routine for success. Derived from the word hedonism, the unisex, anti-aging products focus on self-love, self-care and taking care of your skin now and in the future so you can look and feel your best. HEDO is made in the USA under FDA labs with advanced pharmaceutical-grade formulas. The products are 100% cruelty-free and have no artificial colors or fragrances, synthetic chemical preservatives, parabens or other harmful toxins. For more information, visit https://hedo.co.

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Media Contact: Melanie Rembrandt, Rembrandt Communications, 800-771-0116
College Graduates in Muskogee can apply for bonuses on their New Hyundai Models at James Hodge Hyundai.

James Hodge Hyundai is offering a bonus program for college graduates. Through this, the college graduates can avail bonuses on their newly purchased Hyundai vehicles. A sum of $400 bonus can be collected by them on all new Hyundai models. This offer is not valid for Hyundai Certified Pre-Owned vehicles or any used vehicles.

The Hyundai College Grad Bonus Program offer is valid for all Hyundai vehicles purchased after January 4, 2021. Eligible customers must have graduated with a Masters, Bachelors or Associates degree from a U.S.- accredited college or registered nursing school within the past two years or will graduate from such a school within the next six months from the date of purchase of their Hyundai vehicle. Recently graduated customers must produce their proof of employment that has to be within 90 days from the date of purchase of their vehicle. Customers in the area are encouraged to verify their eligibility for this bonus program either online or by visiting the dealership during work hours.

Please visit jameshodgehyundai.com to learn about the dealership, its vehicle inventory, vehicle services, and more. In case of any queries or concerns, customers can contact the dealership team by phone, 833-331-0067 or visit the dealership in person at James Hodge Hyundai, 1330 North Main Street, Muskogee, OK. For more details, customers can check the Contact Us page available on the website.


UNINSTALLED - The Authorized John McAfee Documentary When we first secured the rights to John McAfees official story, we had no idea what we were in for, What started as a story about a tech icon turned renegade evolved into something much deeper and darker than we ever expected.

IMPACT MEDIA, a next-generation media and film company, today announced UNINSTALLED: The John McAfee Documentary in NFTs assets (IMEAO) ahead of the films release. UNINSTALLED is the only authorized documentary about the life of madman software pioneer John David McAfee. Initial Media Asset Offerings (IMEAOs) are a new way for media companies and producers to bring exclusive access of their work to audience and collectors while offering them a stake in the project by way of non-fungible token (NFT) assets.

The shockingly bizarre and true story of McAfee will be the first-ever full-length documentary to be pre-released on the blockchain by way of an NFTs IMEAO. Film producers spent more than eight years investigating and documenting the full life of the controversial figure.

"When we first secured the rights to John McAfees official story, we had no idea what we were in for, stated IMPACT MEDIA founder and CEO Francois Garcia. What started as a story about a tech icon turned renegade evolved into something much deeper and darker than we ever expected. But we made a promise to uncover the truth and tell the truth, and by God thats what we are doing."

In 2012, Canadian-based IMPACT MEDIA acquired the exclusive intellectual property (IP) rights to McAfees life story, with authorization to produce it in a multitude of formats for properties including documentary films, live events, television productions, books, feature film and multimedia under the working title Who Is McAfee? For nearly a decade, IMPACTs team thoroughly documented McAfees life, including past and present scandals. The culmination of these efforts has yielded countless never-before-seen interviews, pictures, personal documents, financial statements, emails and more. Often extremely bizarre and shocking, the revealing footage from the life and times of John McAfee will show viewers who the man really was.

A vast majority of these properties will be published as NFTs, which will eventually be released in full format as the Official Documentary deconstructing the legend, the myth and finally the man, while providing facts and answers to questions about who McAfee was and what really happened.

As our film company has converged into the blockchain revolution, we are excited to launch this new way for people to watch, research and distribute captivating stories, added Garcia. And doing it with a story about a man whose final stand was all about cryptocurrency couldnt be more appropriate. It is the most fitting way for the truth and answers to the most sought-after questions about McAfee to finally come out.

This is a unique opportunity for collectors to be a part of history by participating in the first-ever full-length NFT documentary while owning a piece of John McAfees life by way of an IMEAO. The good, the bad and the ugly will be revealed as producers separate fact from fiction, delving deep into McAfees darkest places. Some of the properties are now available and up for auction on OpenSea, the worlds largest NFT marketplace. A multitude of assets will be added, curated and minted over the next year.

THE JOHN MCAFEE ARCHIVES ARE BROKEN DOWN INTO THE FOLLOWING OpenSea CATEGORIES



ABOUT THE MCAFEE DOCUMENTARY

Few have left a mark on society like John David McAfee, both the snake charmer and the snake. McAfees wild journey takes us from deity to demon. Starting at the chaotic moment he was conceived, we follow the rise and fall of the man through his own tinted lens.

Guns, henchman, a gaggle of young girls and drugs kept him fuelled, but his con-artistry and sense of humor are what kept him alive. From the death of his nephew and the subsequent lawsuits to his mysterious Escobar-esque life in Belize, we embark on a drug-fueled journey of excess, conspiracies, fraud, murder and paranoia.

For more, visit

johnmcafeenft.com On Twitter , Instagram , Telegram , DISCORD

About IMPACT MEDIA

Founded at the turn of the millennium during the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, IMPACT MEDIA funds, develops, produces and distributes quality and commercially viable original content and intellectual properties (IP). Ranging from Blockchain & Web properties, to television, feature films and documentaries, IMPACT MEDIA focuses on high involvement, controversial and special interest topics. For more, visit impfm.com or Follow IMPACT MEDIA on Twitter @IMPFMGROUP
If you would like to know more about the Fineline Woodworking, Inc. and Fineline Architectural Millwork, Inc. lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland K. Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

The Orange County labor law attorneys, at Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC, filed a class action complaint against Fineline Woodworking, Inc. and Fineline Architectural Millwork, Inc. for allegedly failing to accurately pay employees' wages for all their time worked. The class action lawsuit, Case No. 30-2021-01208607-CU-OE-CXC, is currently pending in the Orange County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit, Fineline Woodworking, Inc. and Fineline Architectural Millwork, Inc. allegedly violated California Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 204, 206.5, 226, 226.7, 246, 510, 512, 558, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802 by failing to: (1) pay minimum wages; (2) pay overtime wages; (3) provide required meal and rest periods; (4) provide accurate itemized wage statements; (5) reimburse employees for required expenses; and (6) provide wages when due.

The lawsuit also alleges Fineline Woodworking, Inc. and Fineline Architectural Millwork, Inc. violated the Private Attorneys General Act ("PAGA"), which gives rise to civil penalties as a result of Fineline Woodworking, Inc.'s and Fineline Architectural Millwork, Inc.s conduct. PAGA allows aggrieved employees to file a lawsuit to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the State of California for Labor Code violations. An "aggrieved employee" is defined as "any person who was employed by the alleged violator and against whom one or more of the alleged violations was committed." Cal. Lab. Code section 2699(c). PAGA allows aggrieved employees to become deputized as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code.

If you would like to know more about the Fineline Woodworking, Inc. and Fineline Architectural Millwork, Inc. lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland K. Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC are labor and employment law firms with offices located in California that dedicate their practices to fighting for employees who have been wronged by their employers due to unfair employment practices. Contact one of their attorneys today if you need help with workplace issues regarding wage and hour, wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment.

-THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT-
With international travel slowly returning this year, Le Diner en Blanc will be sending you on an uplifting holiday in our own city thus making you feel like you are on vacation in the south of France. While all the recommendations made by the local city health department regarding the pandemic will be followed, the festive and community feel of this long-standing French picnic tradition will not change.

Participation in this unique event happens in three stages: Phase 1 is for members from the previous year; Phase 2 is for new members who are referred by Phase I attendees; and Phase 3 is for people who signed up on the waiting list.

People can sign-up now to the waiting list by visiting the official website at richmond.dinerenblanc.com and clicking on the Register tab.

Le Diner en Blanc is an event that, even by staying home, transports into another world. The sea of people all adorned in white creates images that are instantly Instagram-able. Meeting new people or reuniting with longtime friends - dearly missed during quarantine. Getting all dressed up to attend a dinner a la francaise where conversation and champagne are essential.

Ayana Obika, co-host of Le Diner en Blanc in Richmond, is glad that Le Diner en Blanc is returning to the city, and that this years event will help the local economy: This chic and elegant affair seems perfect to encourage support of the local economy while celebrating the city and friendship. This year, the number of participants will be limited, so we strongly encourage the participants not to wait until the last moment."

To maintain the uniqueness of Le Diner en Blanc as well as staying true to tradition, certain requirements must be followed:

 Dress code: elegant and white only. Originality is encouraged as long as it is stylish and tasteful.

 Table setting: all white!

 Champagne and/or wine only. Beer and hard liquor are prohibited.

 As per local alcohol regulations, guests cannot bring their own alcohol. Guests wishing to enjoy some wine or Champagne, must reserve online through Le Diner en Blancs e-store. However, guests are welcome to bring their own non-alcoholic beverages

 To ensure that the location secret is kept undisclosed until the last minute, guests meet at the assigned departure location and are escorted by a Diner en Blanc volunteer.

 In order to leave the event location as clean as when they arrived, guests are required to leave with all their belongings, leftovers and litter.

Guests must bring

 A table, two white chairs, white tablecloth.

 A picnic basket comprising fine food and proper stemware and white dinnerware.

 A catered picnic basket option, which can be picked up on site, will be available for those who do not wish to pack their own. Guests wishing to do so must reserve online through Le Diner en Blancs e-store.

Le Diner en Blanc  Richmond gratefully acknowledges Chloe Wine Group as an official local partner of the 2021 edition of Le Diner en Blanc.

About the Hosts of Le Diner en Blanc  Richmond

Le Diner en Blanc  Richmond host team is composed of Ayana Obika, Christine Wansleben, and Enjoli Moon. Together, they possess over 20 years event production experience. Ayana has honed her skills by producing large scale events such as expos and film festivals nationally. Christine is the chef/owner of Mise en Place offering amazing culinary experiences through private and group classes. Enjoli is the founder and creative director of Afrikana Film Festival and the assistant curator of film and special events for the Institute for Contemporary Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. All three bond over their shared love for their city an enthusiasm for a great glass of wine.

About Le Diner en Blanc

Over the years, Le Diner en Blanc has become a worldwide epicurean phenomenon. What was a friends and word-of-mouth only event has grown into an international sensation celebrated on six continents. Launched in Paris in 1988 by Francois Pasquier and a handful of friends, Le Diner en Blanc de Paris marked its 30th anniversary in 2018 with a record 17,000 guests from Paris and around the world. While the technology behind the event may have changed over the years, the principle fuelling this fantastic event has not: guests dressed in all white continue to gather at a secret location for the sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends in one of their citys most beautiful public spaces. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Diner en Blanc International is responsible for developing this secret posh picnic in over 80 cities in 30 countries around the world. Each event is headed by passionate local organizers who fell in love with the concept and wanted to bring it to their city, giving this rendezvous a local flair. For more info, photos and videos of Diner en Blanc events from around the world, visit dinerenblanc.com.

To keep up to date on event announcements, visit richmond.dinerenblanc.com

For media requests, interviews or images, contact:

Lauren Manns  919-559-0898  e. lauren.debrva@gmail.com
After two years of development, we are thrilled to see our vision of the first locum tenens search engine come to fruition. We worked hard to bring Locumpedia Search to market and are eager to see the locum tenens industry embrace this free service.

Locumpedia today announces the launch of Locumpedia Search, the first locum tenens search engine that allows physicians, CRNAs, and advanced practitioners to search job listings posted on staffing agency websites from a central location. The search engine is free to use and does not require registration by employers or by job seekers.

Unlike traditional job boards, which require registration, verification, expensive fees, and manual posting, staffing agency jobs are included in Locumpedia Search automatically with no action needed by agencies. At present, more than 30,000 locum tenens opportunities can be searched, and the index is expected to continually grow in the months ahead.

For physicians and other providers, Locumpedia Search offers a one-stop shop where all available jobs online can be searched in one location using standard web search queries, such as hospitalist texas or oregon family practice job in august. Search results are presented in a familiar list of up to 10 search results per page. Clicking on a job search result takes the job seeker straight to the agency source, where providers can apply directly online.

For locum tenens staffing agencies, Locumpedia Search introduces a new source of leads for job postings, reducing the cost to fill job orders. If a job posting can be visited by clicking a link on an agencys website, the job is searchable in Locumpedia Search, saving agencies time and hassle.

After two years of development, we are thrilled to see our vision of the first locum tenens search engine come to fruition, said Cory Kleinschmidt, founder and publisher of Locumpedia. We worked hard to bring this product to market and are eager to see the locum tenens industry embrace this free service.

While Locumpedia Search features a high degree of accuracy in search results, improvements will be regularly introduced, much as Google constantly refines its acclaimed search algorithm.

Getting web search right is a major technical challenge. We are committed to investing further in our proprietary technology to continually improve the quality and accuracy of our search results, he said.

Locumpedia Search follows the launch of Locumpedia News in March 2020 and Locumpedia Directory in August 2020. Kleinschmidt promises several major new upgrades and product launches by the end of 2021.

This launch is the first of many innovative tools that we expect to gain widespread adoption due to their simplicity, robustness, and elegance  not to mention their low or no cost. Locumpedia Search is just the beginning of our aspiration to become the most indispensable platform for the locum tenens industry. As they say, watch this space!

To begin searching locum tenens jobs, visit https://www.locumpedia.com/job-search/.

About Locumpedia

Locumpedia is a locum tenens industry platform that helps physicians, staffing firms, and healthcare facilities make smart decisions with free news, resources, and tools. The company is based in St. Louis, Missouri, and is an official vendor member of NALTO, the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations.
Wire-free localization that works for breast surgery procedures; FDA cleared and Health Canada approved. What started as a promise to patients and their families  to lessen the strain and inconvenience of their breast cancer journey; to safeguard their health and well-being; to prioritize and improve their comfort and care  has become a reality at Sunnybrook," Chairman Jim Temerty, MOLLI Surgical.

MOLLI, a homegrown, wire-free, radiation-free technology for breast cancer surgery, will replace the radioactive seed localization process being used at Sunnybrook Hospital. The newly developed tool, which was recently approved for use by Health Canada, enables radiologists to quickly and accurately localize lesions. The technology facilitates more efficient removal by surgeons, and results in a better overall experience for patients.

MOLLI was created at the Louise Temerty Breast Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook, and its only fitting that this visionary hospital will now be the first to adopt this groundbreaking technology, said Jim Temerty, Chairman of MOLLI Surgical. What started as a promise to patients and their families  to lessen the strain and inconvenience of their breast cancer journey; to safeguard their health and well-being; to prioritize and improve their comfort and care  has become a reality at Sunnybrook.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in delayed procedures and breast cancer screenings over the past 18 months at Sunnybrook and at every hospital around the world, said Andy Smith, President and CEO of Sunnybrook Hospital. Having seen the indelible positive impact that MOLLI can have in the lives of patients and doctors, we couldnt be more proud to make use of this Canadian-developed technology and to help introduce MOLLI to the world.

MOLLI employs a small, 3.2 mm magnetic marker which is implanted by a radiologist in the patient to localize the breast cancer tumour. During the procedure, the surgeon uses the MOLLI Wand, which detects the MOLLI Marker, to remove the lesion more efficiently. Unlike wire-guided techniques and radioactive seed technology, the MOLLI Marker can be implanted within 30 days prior to surgery. By decoupling localization of the lesion from removal, MOLLI allows for more efficient clinical workflows, while allowing for greater comfort and convenience for patients. The technologys ease-of-use allows for quick adoption by doctors and its miniature size facilitates improved cosmetic outcomes for patients.

The benefits of MOLLI extend beyond its use. By using magnetism instead of radioactive technology, hospitals avoid expensive equipment and extensive safety regulations surrounding radiation and disposal protocols. The technology has also been designed to be compatible with conventional mammography and ultrasound imaging, facilitating a smooth transition into hospitals.

This milestone would not be possible without the tremendous partnership between MOLLI Surgical Inc. and Sunnybrook Hospital, said President and CEO of MOLLI Surgical Inc., Fazila Seker, PhD. We look forward to having more hospitals across Canada and throughout North America join us in prioritizing care and putting patients first.

ABOUT OUR TECHNOLOGY

Our first product, MOLLI, is a wire-free, radiation-free localization technology for breast cancer surgery. Consisting of a marker, detection wand and visualization tablet, MOLLI is designed for superior tumour localization accuracy, enhanced reliability, ease-of-use and a more efficient lumpectomy workflow compared to wire or radioactive seed methods. The MOLLI solution provides comfort, convenience, and confidence to both clinicians and patients  and is the first of many accessible solutions that can be imagined and brought to life through partnerships between MOLLI Surgical and clinicians who envision using MOLLIs capability across the surgical spectrum.

ABOUT MOLLI SURGICAL

MOLLI Surgical started in the operating room, where surgeons were using dated tools to treat cancer patients  and we knew we could do better. Our surgical wand is precise, easy-to-use and built with the realities of the operating room in mind. More importantly, it is built with patients in mind. Our technology replaces procedures to mark tumours with one that is not only kinder  but more accurate, efficient and cost-effective. MOLLI Surgical is proud to build the advanced equipment that patients prefer to have and that physicians prefer to use.


Despite the pandemic, NFI has shown resilience and continued to grow while providing a safe and stable environment for employees, said Nancy Stefanowicz, CHRO at NFI. NFI puts their people first and our family values can be felt throughout our culture.

NFI, a top supply chain solutions provider, was named 25 on Philadelphia Business Journals largest employer list. Published in the July issue, the list is ranked by the number of local employees. Within the Philadelphia region, NFI employs 2,215 people across 23 locations that include offices, distribution centers, and truck terminals. NFIs corporate headquarters is located on the waterfront in Camden, NJ.

Deeply rooted in South Jersey, NFI was founded out of Vineland by the Brown family in 1932. Today to support its suite of supply chain solutions, NFI employs more than 14,500 associates across North America. The companys solutions include dedicated transportation, distribution, brokerage, transportation management, port drayage, intermodal, global logistics, and real estate.

NFI continues to grow and hire across the Philadelphia region and beyond. With over 2,500 open roles across North America, NFI offers diverse career opportunities spanning warehouse associates, truck drivers, technicians, engineers, corporate functions, and more.

Despite the pandemic, NFI has shown resilience and continued to grow while providing a safe and stable environment for employees, said Nancy Stefanowicz, CHRO at NFI. NFI puts their people first and our family values can be felt throughout our culture.

NFI has previously been recognized as a Top Workplace and a Top Family Owned Business by the Philadelphia Business Journal, as well as a Top Company for Women to Work For in Transportation by Women in Trucking.

View the full list from Philadelphia Business Journal here.
With the steep rise in doxingposting personal information online for malicious intentdirected toward police officers, 360Civic has experienced a heightened demand for their IronWall360 online privacy protection service. The company is bringing their expertise to the 2021 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) this September.

We want to be present and available to those with the greatest concerns about how to help police officersthe leadership of law enforcement, said Ron Zayas, CEO of 360Civic. During the pandemic, our virtual webinars about online privacy issues consistently sold out. The IACP gives us the opportunity to meet face-to-face, hear their concerns and then share information about what they can do to protect officers and their families.

Police officers are a favorite target of doxing actions, including:



Following the fatal shooting of a homeless man on Skid Row in Los Angeles, an unknown individual or group posted the officers names, addresses and details about their kids schools on the internet.

In 2020, 38 law enforcement officers in Portland, Oregon, were doxed amid ongoing protests in the area.

High-ranking police officials nationwide  including members of the NYPD  have had their personal information posted online. The officials have had their home addresses, emails and phone numbers published online, according to an unclassified intelligence document from the US Department of Homeland Security.

The Deputy Director of Operations for the Federal Protective Service, Richard Cline, released in a press conference that almost 40 federal officers had their private information released online. This, despite officers having their nametags removed from their uniform with only their badge numbers displayed.

Sadly, the internet trains individuals to attack law enforcement. Our community needs to be aware of whats going on and how to protect ourselves, said retired police Sergeant Mark Clifford. My work in online surveillance and observance revealed to me how certain groups actively encourage people to attack officers and their families. The need for a service that mitigates that imminent threat has never been greater.

The 2021 IACP Annual Conference and Expo, September 11-14 in New Orleans, will be attended by 16,000 top or mid-level leaders within law enforcement agencies. The conference features 175 educational workshops that present new techniques, advance knowledge and careers, and equip departments for ongoing success. As an exhibitor, 360Civics IronWall360 team will be available throughout the conference for consultation about the tools and resources available for online privacy protection.

About 360Civic

360Civics IronWall360 works with superior courts, justice departments and law enforcement agencies as a legally-contracted agent, to formally remove any personal information from any website in violation of state and federal restrictions. The company is currently offering new clients a no-cost trial of the IronWall360 service . For more information about the company, visit http://www.ironwall360.com.

The company also provides secure website design and development services, content management, security services and ADA review for public sector websites. http://www.360civic.com.
Fabien Pinckaers, Odoo CEO & Founder In our experience, traditional ERP is expensive and frequently fails to adapt to the unique needs of dynamic businesses. With its flexible suite of applications and a relentless focus on product, we believe Odoo is ideally positioned to capture this large and compelling market opportunity.

Odoo, a leader in open source all-in-one business software, today announced a $215M investment from growth equity investor Summit Partners. The transaction represents an exit for investors Sofinnova Partners and XAnge who invested in the Company in 2010 and 2015, respectively. Odoo is the first IT unicorn in the Wallonia region of Belgium.

With 7 million users worldwide, Odoo is one of the most popular business management software solutions in the world. The Companys SaaS offering includes applications covering all business needs: accounting, inventory, manufacturing, project management, HR, marketing, website builder and more. Odoos vision is to streamline operations for small and medium-sized enterprises, by offering accessible, affordable solutions.

Odoo has delivered sustained, strong and profitable growth over the course of the last several years, and this momentum has only accelerated in recent months, said Antony Clavel, a Managing Director at Summit Partners who joined the Odoo Board of Directors upon Summits initial investment in the Company in December 2019. We are excited to continue our partnership with the Odoo team and believe the Company is positioned to transform the landscape of business software.

Odoo is more than an overnight success. From its bootstrapped founding in 2005, Odoo reached considerable scale with limited external funding; prior to Summits initial investment in 2019, the Company had raised just 10M in two rounds. Odoo today is the result of a relentless focus on building a great product and a strong community.

This focus has resulted in a sustained average billing growth rate of more than 50% per year over 10 years.

Today, Odoo has a team of 1700 employees, an accelerating growth rate and forecasted billings of 160M in 2021  and the Company is profitable. With 3,850 partners and 90,000 community members working with the software, Odoo has built a strong global ecosystem. The Company also has one of the biggest business app stores in the world,

with more than 30,000 apps.

This transaction is a signal  a signal that open source business models are not limited to technical products that serve only developers or system administrators, said Fabien Pinckaers, Founder & CEO, Odoo. Over the course of the last 15 years, open source software has been a catalyst for growth and change in the IT industry. Now, it has the maturity to transform business software too.

We are thrilled to support the Odoo team for this next phase of growth, added Han Sikkens, Managing Director and Head of Europe at Summit Partners, who has joined the Companys board with this investment. We believe the future is bright, and Odoo clearly has the potential to disrupt the market led by software giants like SAP, MS Dynamics and Oracle.

About Odoo:

Odoo is a leading provider of all-in-one, open source business software for small and medium sized businesses worldwide. Founded in 2005, Odoo thrives in a unique and fully open ecosystem combining the resources of its community and partners to deliver a full range of easy-to-use, integrated and scalable business applications. For more information: http://www.odoo.com

Key figures:

Founded in 2005  7 million users worldwide - Forecasted billing of 160M in 2021  1700 employees globally  3850 partners with 90,000 Odoo related jobs created in 150 countries  10 offices (3 in Belgium, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, India, San Francisco, New York, Dubai, Mexico).
Shawns impressive background and experience working with high-growth SaaS companies make him a great fit for his new role at Planet DDS. He will be instrumental in providing financial leadership for our company, said Eric Giesecke, CEO of Planet DDS.

Planet DDS, the nations leading provider of cloud-based dental practice management and imaging solutions, welcomes its new Chief Financial Officer, Shawn Edwards.

Shawn comes to Planet DDS with vast experience as a SaaS CFO, having led finance, accounting, and HR teams for large, private equity sponsored software companies for nearly a decade. Before joining Planet DDS, Shawn partnered with CEOs and leadership teams to accelerate growth and maximize value for diversified middle market companies specializing in software and IT. With over 15 years of private equity and M&A experience, Shawn has participated in over 10 M&A transactions, making him an invaluable addition to the leadership team at Planet DDS. He will oversee all finance, accounting and HR at Planet DDS.

Im thrilled to join the Planet DDS team. Planet DDS is already the clear leader in cloud-based solutions for the dental industry, and I look forward to working with the entire team to accelerate the growth trajectory of the company, said Shawn.

Shawns impressive background and experience working with high-growth SaaS companies make him a great fit for his new role at Planet DDS. He will be instrumental in providing financial leadership for our company. We welcome Shawn to our executive team and we look forward to his contributions in finance and M&A as we continue our rapid growth, said Eric Giesecke, Chief Executive Officer of Planet DDS.

Shawn is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce with a concentration in Accounting. Shawn resides with his family in Newport Beach, California.

ABOUT PLANET DDS

Planet DDS is a solutions company for dental practices. Through its innovative solutions, including cloud-based practice management and imaging software, Planet DDS helps clients improve the efficiency and economics of their dental practices.

Planet DDS was the first to the cloud with its top-rated practice management solution, Denticon. Its all-in-one, cloud-based Denticon software is the go-to solution for dental practices of all sizes. Denticons robust capabilities include patient-facing features, patient communications, analytics, and revenue cycle management.

Planet DDS recently acquired Apteryx Imaging, a company with over 20-years of experience providing dental health professionals with advanced diagnostic imaging software. Planet DDS continues to lead in the cloud-software space, now also offering Apteryx XVWeb, a cloud-based imaging software that delivers state-of-the-art clinical image capture, visualization, analysis, backup, and secure data sharing to dentists and oral health specialists.

Trusted by both top DSOs and single location offices looking to scale, Planet DDS offers robust, comprehensive solutions for practices of all sizes. Planet DDS has successfully converted thousands of dental practices from legacy desktop software to the cloud.

To learn more about Planet DDS and Denticon, visit https://www.planetdds.com/.
Gaining this important endorsement from GHHS further validates the key role ActionCue CI plays in facilitating continuous performance improvement in patient care and safety by providing actionable insights in real time to healthcare leaders and their staffs.

Prista Corporation, an industry leader in clinical intelligence software for healthcare quality-safety and performance improvement, is proud to announce that their flagship product, ActionCue Clinical Intelligence, has been endorsed by Georgia Hospital Health Services (GHHS), a subsidiary of the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA).

Over the past 12 years, Prista has successfully deployed ActionCue CI to many hospitals in 33 states. Gaining this important endorsement from GHHS further validates the key role ActionCue CI plays in facilitating continuous performance improvement in patient care and safety by providing actionable insights in real-time to healthcare leaders and their staffs. We look forward to working with GHHS/GHA members to bring ActionCue CI to bear on solving their challenges, said Don Jarrell, President of Prista Corporation.

GHHS is pleased to endorse Pristas ActionCue as a premier data-driven platform that can facilitate improvement and advance the health of individuals and communities in Georgia, said Bill Wylie, Sr. VP of Business Operations for the Georgia Hospital Association. Wylie continued, ActionCue has passed GHHSs rigorous due diligence process, and this endorsement signifies GHHS believes the platform to be of high quality, that it can provide a benefit to our members, and that it fits within GHAs strategic plan.

About Prista Corporation: Pristas mission is to help healthcare providers create and sustain a Culture of Quality in their organizations. In other words, an environment that drives continuous performance improvement in patient care and safety. Prista does this by developing innovative, intuitive, easy-to-use software that goes beyond traditional reporting to provide actionable insights in real-time. With Pristas ActionCue CI platform, information is more readily available, more meaningful, and more actionably insightful for healthcare executives, managers, and clinical staff.

About GHHS: GHHS, Inc. is a for-profit subsidiary of the Georgia Hospital Association. Founded in 1989, GHHS serves member hospitals by offering various types of programs. GHHS may either create a program to serve a membership need, exclusively market a program for GHA members, or endorse services and assist in creating awareness plans.

About GHA: Founded in 1929, GHA serves more than 170 hospitals in Georgia and promotes the health and welfare of the public through the development of better hospital care for all Georgias 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.
The Ritchie Law Firm is pleased to announce the addition of Kenneth C. Kettler as Associate Attorney. Kenneth practices at the firms Harrisonburg location and will focus his practice on personal injury, workers compensation, and Social Security disability claims.

Kenneth graduated from the University of Houston  Clear Lake with a Bachelors degree in Legal Studies. In 2020, he graduated from Washington and Lee University School of Law. During law school, Kenneth represented undocumented immigrants in immigration court, represented the United States in federal court, and focused on practical litigation and negotiation skills in his classes. After graduating from Washington and Lee, he clerked for Judges Milam and Reynolds in the Danville Circuit Court.

A member of the Virginia State Bar and the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County Bar Association, Kenneth is happy to return to the Shenandoah Valley and fight for the rights of injured people in our local communities.

The Ritchie Law Firm is a personal injury law firm devoted to helping individuals who have suffered serious and catastrophic injuries or lost a loved one as a result of someone elses negligence. Ritchie Law Firm serves all of Virginia, while helping clients in cities and surrounding areas of Winchester, Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, and Staunton, and also serves clients throughout West Virginia with an office in Martinsburg, WV.

Kenneth may be reached through the firms website at https://www.ritchielawfirm.com or https://www.ritchielawfirm.com/kenneth-c-kettler/
Roland DGA's completely redesigned "Roland TV" hub makes accessing and viewing the wide-format imaging leader's treasure trove of educational, support, and inspirational videos easier than ever. With this complete overhaul of Roland TV and its collection of videos, users gain even better access to useful information on a variety of Roland DG products and solutions, free of charge." Dan Wilson, Marketing Director - Roland DGA

Wide-format digital imaging leader Roland DGA Corporation has announced the launch of its new and improved Roland TV video hub, offering customers an easier way to view educational videos on a wide variety of products and applications, in one place. The new Roland TV is comprised of a series of channels, separated by category, that include videos and recorded webinars related to Roland DG device operation, applications, how to successfully grow your business, and much more.

Roland TV is designed to be an ever-evolving resource of informative and inspirational videos for existing and prospective Roland DG customers. The initial redesign includes videos covering some of the companys most popular desktop machines, RIP software, and dental devices, as well as webinar recordings on UV printing, vehicle graphic design/installation, and starting and growing a print business. New videos will be added to the current library on a regular basis, providing customers with a continuously growing source of information.

At Roland DGA, our goal is to offer not only the highest quality, most productive technology of its kind, but also the best customer service and support, notes Marketing Director, Dan Wilson. With this complete overhaul of Roland TV and its collection of videos, users gain even better access to useful information on a variety of Roland DG products and solutions, free of charge. Its part of our ongoing commitment to exceed the expectations of our customers.

To learn more about Roland TV, visit https://www.rolanddga.com/gallery/roland-tv. For more information on Roland DGA Corporation, or the complete Roland DGA product line, visit https://www.rolanddga.com.

About Roland DGA Corporation

Roland DGA Corporation serves North and South America as the marketing, sales, distribution and service arm for Roland DG Corporation. Founded in 1981 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Roland DG of Hamamatsu, Japan is a worldwide leader in wide-format inkjet printers for the sign, apparel, textile, personalization and vehicle graphics markets; engravers for awards, giftware and ADA signage; photo impact printers for direct part marking; and 3D printers and CNC milling machines for the dental CAD/CAM, rapid prototyping, part manufacturing and medical industries.
Sandpiper Hospitality  a Virginia-based hotel management company whose vast expertise is in the extended-stay segment  is continuing its strong growth trajectory with the addition of the Suburban Extended Stay Hotels brand to its roster.

Sandpiper Hospitality is now managing the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel Camp Lejeune, NC hotel in Jacksonville, under the Choice Hotels chain.

Sandpiper Hospitality is thrilled to add the Suburban brand to our quickly expanding portfolio, said President & CEO Jim Darter. Additionally, we look forward to continuing to expand our partnership with Choice Hotels with the addition of new hotels and markets in the immediate future.

Approved by Marriott International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Choice Hotels and Extended Stay America to manage their select-service and extended stay brands, Sandpiper Hospitality now has a portfolio of 47 open and managed hotels in 13 different states.

Sandpiper Hospitality also manages 27 WoodSpring Suites properties across the country as a part of the Choice Hotels franchise system. We have a long-standing, successful relationship with Sandpiper and are thrilled be working with them on this additional brand, said Anna Scozzafava, Vice President of Extended Stay Brands, Strategy & Operations for Choice Hotels. Sandpiper is a top partner who has delivered excellent results in the flourishing extended stay segment.

Sandpiper Hospitality continues to demonstrate its unique ability to combine a flexible approach to 3rd-party management with extra-ordinary financial results for its investors and clients.

Located in Jacksonville, the apartment-style Suburban Extended Stay Hotel provides easy access to Camp Lejeune and the Salvation Armys Camp Walter Johnson Retreat and Conference Center. Each of the 117 rooms features cozy beds, flat-screen TVs, desks and a fully equipped kitchen. Amenities at the economy extended stay hotel include free WiFi, a business center, meeting space, guest laundry, a large fitness center and an outdoor pool. For more information, please visit http://www.choicehotels.com/north-carolina/jacksonville/suburban-hotels/nc616.

Sandpiper Hospitality has aggressive plans for further expansion in the extended stay hotel segment, as well as into additional market tiers, including additional new properties in Colorado, Florida, Texas and Nevada. For more information, please visit http://www.sandpiperhospitality.com.

About Sandpiper Hospitality

Based in Richmond, Va., Sandpiper Hospitality is a high-performance hotel management firm recognized as experts in the extended stay hotel space. With 47 hotels under management for a diverse group of clients across the country, Sandpiper Hospitality is on the leading edge of the hottest segment in hospitality. According to the April 2020 edition of Hospitality Business, Sandpiper Hospitality was the fastest growing Top 100 hotel management company from 2018 to 2019 and that expansion has continued into 2021. The firm has earned its position as the leading operator in the extended stay hotel segment of hospitality by virtue of superior returns on investment for its investors and clients. Sandpiper Hospitality - where expertise grounds us and flexibility elevates us. http://www.sandpiperhospitality.com
Satori Interactive Launches an exciting rebrand. The brand fits Satori because we are forward-thinking and aspirational with lofty goals and our standards are high above the average, said Fela Strickland-Smith, founder and UX/UI strategist at Satori. Satori is the Japanese word for enlightenment because were all about the aha moment.

Satori Interactive, a user research and design firm with national reach and Fortune 500 clients, launches an exciting rebrand. The new logo, the Satori giraffe, is symbolic of the companys ability to look ahead, examine things from a higher level and accomplish goals that seem out of reach. Over the past 15 years, Satori has grown by making their clients technology easy and enjoyable for their customers to use.

The new brand is personally meaningful to our team because at Satori we are forward-thinking, we set aspirational, lofty goals and our standards are high above the average, said Fela Strickland-Smith, founder and UX/UI strategist at Satori. Satori is the Japanese word for enlightenment because were all about the aha moment.

Satori has recently partnered with creative marketing firm, Liger Partners, who designed their updated brand. This new collaboration offers numerous benefits for both companies current and potential clients, including an expanded roster of talented experts and a wider range of services, including full-service creative, marketing and public relations combined with award-winning UX/UI and research services.

The rebrand symbolizes Satoris exciting future and aligns the Satori and Liger brands. Liger Partners is known for our Liger logo, which fits nicely with Satoris new giraffe. Together the combined visuals show were powerful, tenacious, fearless and absolutely unstoppable, said Eric Holtzclaw, chief visionary partner at Liger.

Satori delivers creative digital solutions for amazing customer experiences. A top-notch roster of researchers, designers, developers, and project managers create technologically-innovative user interfaces with humanity and heart. When they began in 2004, most businesses didnt know they needed to focus on their customers digital experiences. But the dawn of the smartphone and personal apps created a major growth spurt for Satori, as the need for UX research and user-based design became a necessity for most businesses. Now, Satori works with some of the most prestigious brands in Georgia and the nation, including Ritz-Carlton, Harris Teeter, Lowes, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

About Satori Interactive

Satori Interactive is a user research and design firm that takes ideas from vision to reality and makes tech easy and enjoyable for customers to use. No matter what digital business application is needed, the Satori team of researchers, designers, developers, and project managers create a technologically-innovative experience with humanity and heart. The Atlanta based agency offers numerous services, including UX and UI design, user research, proof of concept, and more. Satori, a female and minority-owned business, was named one of Atlantas Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in 2014-2015. Connect with Satori on Linked-in/satori-Interactive, @Satori, or the website for more information. For more information about Liger Partners connect via Linked-in/LigerPartners, @LigerPartners, or Facebook, or visit the website.


Data Recovery Partnership The partnership between Secure Data Recovery Services and Oyen Digital represents a step-change in the way both businesses address the needs of the market.

Secure Data Recovery Services and Oyen Digital announced today that they have entered into a strategic partnership, combining the unrivalled expertise of Secure Data Recoverys certified specialists for Oyen Digital product recovery needs. Secure Data Recovery Services is a leading data recovery company in North America, and Oyen Digital is a manufacturer of storage devices for videographers, independent filmmakers, professional photographers, and other industries.

This partnership is great news for Oyen customers. When their product requires data recovery services, Secure Data Recovery offers a 20 percent discount on any Oyen Digital device. Secure Data Recovery also dedicates research and development to recovery techniques on new media, ensuring technicians and engineers remain at the forefront of data recovery services. Oyen Digital users have a wallet-friendly option with Secure Data Recovery that ensures their device is in good hands.

Our partnership with Oyen Digital is the latest addition in what has been an exciting time at our company, said Ken Higgins, Vice President of Business Development for Secure Data Recovery Services. We are thrilled that in a period of such rapid growth, Oyen Digital entrusts us to help their customers.

Secure Data Recovery Services started in 2007 and has become the #1 rated data recovery company in North America. Secure Data Recovery Services owns and operates its own facilities and invests heavily in Research & Development and its engineering team to create cutting-edge data recovery solutions. In addition to being a world class in-lab data recovery services provider, it also offers emergency onsite and remote data recovery options.

Secure Data Recovery has a state-of-the-art Class 10 ISO 4-Certified Cleanroom, which enables its technicians to provide recovery services in an environment safe for delicate components and parts. On top of that, they also boast a 96 percent recovery success rate and offer all customers a no data, no recovery fee guarantee, meaning there are no service charges if your data is unrecoverable.

The partnership between Secure Data Recovery Services and Oyen Digital represents a step-change in the way both businesses address the needs of the market. Were impressed with the overall responsiveness and professionalism, said Steve Oyen, owner at Oyen Digital. Were excited about this new partnership, ensuring that our customers will benefit from all the capabilities that Secure Data Recovery Services has to offer.

About Secure Data Recovery Services:

Secure Data Recovery Services provides professional data recovery and digital forensic services to customers worldwide on a wide range of storage media, including laptop and desktop computers, HDD, SSD, RAID arrays, mobile devices, and all other data storage types. Our secure labs in the United States and Canada are audited to meet SSAE 18 SOC 1, 2 & 3 standards and operate out of Class 10 ISO 4 Certified cleanrooms. Secure Data Recovery Services has a proven track record of success with a documented recovery rate of 96% to give data the best chance for recovery. Our data recovery services are approved by all leading storage manufacturers and offer free professional diagnostics and a no data, no recovery fee policy.

For more information, please visit https://www.securedatarecovery.com/ and https://www.securedata.com/

About Oyen Digital:

Oyen Digital is an innovative developer and manufacturer specializing in storage for videographers, independent filmmakers, professional photographers, and many other industries. They are dedicated to developing ground-breaking products using their extensive knowledge and experience in audio/video production and mass storage. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Oakdale, Minnesota, Oyen Digital has established a reputation for high quality products and exceptional customer service.

For more information, please visit https://oyendigital.com/
This new contract is essential to the growth and adoption of electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to power them. We look forward to providing new charging stations to Sourcewell participating agencies.

SemaConnect, a leading provider of electric vehicle amenities to the North American commercial, residential, and fleet market, has been awarded a cooperative purchasing contract from Sourcewell. Sourcewell has over 40 years of dedicated service, helping 50,000 government, education, and nonprofit agencies operate more efficiently through their cooperative purchasing program.

The Sourcewell Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) and Related Services contract streamlines the national procurement process, helping more American and Canadian organizations install EV charging stations for fleets and employees in the next five years.

SemaConnect was awarded the contract following a rigorous proposal and review process for EVSE vendors. Public entities can now use the Sourcewell list to find SemaConnect listed as a designated charging equipment provider with top-rated customer support.

"Sourcewell is very excited about the class of quality suppliers awarded in our Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment solicitation," said Scott Carr, supplier development supervisor at Sourcewell. "With the country moving towards electric vehicles, we are confident we have strong infrastructure solutions that will meet our member's needs today, tomorrow, and well into the future. We are excited to have SemaConnect as an awarded supplier and will bring great value to our clients."

"SemaConnect is honored and excited to receive the Sourcewell preferred provider designation for EV charging solutions," said Mark Pastrone, chief operating officer at SemaConnect. "It is truly a testament to the great work our team has done delivering innovative products and partnering with our clients to meet the changing needs of the EV charging market. Especially with the Biden-Harris Administration's focus on electric vehicles, this new contract is essential to the growth and adoption of electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to power them. We look forward to providing new charging stations to Sourcewell participating agencies."

SemaConnect manufactures and distributes smart networked electric vehicle charging stations and the SemaConnect Network. The Series 6 is a 7.2kW Level 2 charging station that is designed for shared use at all commercial applications including office, university, multifamily, and public parking. The Series 7 and the Series 7 Plus, which charge at 7.2kW and 19.2kW respectively, are Level 2 charging stations for fleet applications and include SemaConnect Fleet Management. The Series 7 Plus, introduced earlier this year, is a high-powered charging station designed for medium-duty commercial fleets. With the SemaConnect Network, station owners can control access, set custom pricing, generate usage and sustainability reports, and program smart load management features. SemaConnect offers the widest variety of ways to initiate a charging session, with options to charge via SemaConnect membership, SemaConnect app, an automated phone system, or multiple third-party applications such as PlugShare and ChargeHub, making EV adoption easier in the United States and Canada.

For more information about Sourcewell and the EV Supply Equipment contract with SemaConnect, visit sourcewell-mn.gov or visit https://semaconnect.com/partners-affiliates/sourcewell/.

About SemaConnect:

SemaConnect is a leading provider and pioneer of electric vehicle charging infrastructure solutions to the North American commercial, residential and fleet market. A complete EV support partner, SemaConnect is making transportation electrification possible in this decade through innovative, elegantly designed charging stations, a robust and open network platform, and an unparalleled charging experience for drivers and station owners. Since our founding in 2008, SemaConnect has installed thousands of smart charging stations at top companies like CBRE, JLL, Hines, Greystar, Nike, Electrify America, and Standard Parking. SemaConnect remains the preferred charging solutions partner to municipal, parking, multifamily, hotel, office, retail and commercial fleet customers across the United States and Canada. For more information, visit http://www.semaconnect.com.
SEO.co (https://seo.co/), a search engine optimization (SEO) agency, in collaboration with DEV.co (https://dev.co/), a custom software development company, has launched AI.DEV.co (https://ai.dev.co/), a tool that makes it easier for businesses and individuals to generate web copy.

Businesses of all sizes and in all industries face a similar dilemma online: getting attention and standing out. Most brands use a combination of different marketing and advertising strategies to get this attention and differentiate themselves from their competitors. For a campaign to succeed, it needs a set of compelling, unique copy  persuasive writing that concisely makes a point and motivates a web user to take an action (such as clicking a link, buying a product, or watching a video).

AI.DEV.co (https://ai.dev.co/) aims to make it easier to generate copy for these purposes. Generating copy is challenging for several reasons, even if one is experienced in the field. Persuasive writing isnt intuitive, and to be successful, writers need to ensure its unique. On top of that, copy is needed for dozens of channels and applications, including ads, email newsletters, blogs, and websites.

AI.DEV.co uses an artificial intelligence (AI) engine to learn" about a company or product by extrapolating sentiment from existing marketing materials, and generating unique copy based on that. Users can choose from a variety of different tones for the copy generated, including friendly, professional, or adventurous, and can choose from a number of different formats for the created copy. The AI-powered components of the tool were created using the API from OpenAI and GPT-3, OpenAIs AI system for natural language generation.

The tools primary focus is SEO, generating copy thats optimized for search engines. Optimized copy increases the likelihood of a website ranking highly in the search engine results pages (SERPs) of search engines like Google. SEO is the specialty of SEO.co, the agency responsible for the AI.DEV.cos creation and ongoing support.

Several AI-based copy generation tools currently exist, but AI.DEV.co is unique because of its SEO potential and low price point. Users who sign up for the tool now get 1,000 free credits, which they can use to spend on words generated by the tool. Pricing is incremental and done on a rolling basis, so users pre-pay only for the copy they need. There are no commitments, no minimums, and no monthly fees.

AI.DEV.co is especially useful for companies looking to generate large amounts of copy for SEO and other digital marketing purposes. This tool makes it possible to quickly and easily produce content that might otherwise take weeks and save money in the process.

SEO is challenging, expensive, and confusing for newcomers, said Nate Nead, Principal of both SEO.co and DEV.co. But it shouldnt be. The internet is a big place with room for everyone who wants to use it to build and promote a business, so we believe SEO should be more accessible. AI.DEV.co is a tool that makes SEO copywriting simpler, faster, and cheaper  and therefore more accessible to a wide range of options. While it may not immediately replace our blog writing services (https://seo.co/blog-writing-service/) we do expect it to help it greatly augment it.

The creators of AI.DEV.co are optimistic about the future of the tool. They have plans for future expansion and development, including a set of more dynamic tools for both copywriting and software development. The developers also plan to lengthen the content prompts currently available through AI.DEV.co and provide more customization options to end users.

We dont want this tool to remain stagnant. We want it to evolve, so it can continue serving the needs of marketers and business owners well into the future  and do it better, Nead added.

AI.DEV.co is currently live and and available in public beta. Users interested in trying the tool can sign up for a free account and get 1,000 free credits to use on AI-generated copy.

About SEO.co

SEO.co (https://seo.co/) is a search engine optimization (SEO) agency that offers a number of digital marketing services, including SEO, content creation, pay per click (PPC) ad management, link building (see https://seo.co/link-building-services/), and public relations (PR) management. SEO.co aims to help businesses of all industries and sizes (including Fortune 500 companies) get more online visibility and more web traffic, while prioritizing quality content and ethical white hat tactics. SEO.co was founded in 2010.

About DEV.co

As a sister company to SEO.co, DEV.co (https://dev.co/) is a custom software development and staffing agency with experience in everything from website design to software development in artificial intelligence (https://dev.co/ai/)

AI.DEV.co (https://ai.dev.co/) is an AI-based copywriting tool that helps marketers generate SEO-optimized copy for web pages, blog intros, ads, product descriptions, and other marketing applications. After entering a few sentences and customizing a few settings, users can get access to unique, persuasive copy capable of converting.
Scotts investor relations background will be a tremendous addition to the OraSure executive suite, Slone Partners CEO Leslie Loveless.

Slone Partners, a nationwide executive search firm for life sciences, biotechnology, and diagnostics companies, has announced the placement of Scott Gleason as Senior Vice President Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at OraSure Technologies, a leader in point of care diagnostic tests, specimen collection devices, and microbiome laboratory and analytical services.

Gleason possesses a range of corporate leadership experience in business development and strategic communications across industries. Most recently he served as Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy for Myriad Genetics, a leading specialty diagnostic laboratory focused on genetic testing and precision medicine. Prior to his tenure with Myriad, Gleason was a senior publishing analyst at Stephens, Inc. covering the life science tools and diagnostics industry. Before joining Stephens, Gleason was a United States Air Force aircraft maintenance officer and served in two wartime deployments.

It was a great pleasure working with the OraSure team over the past several months as they sought and secured a talented and experienced candidate to fill this important position, said Slone Partners CEO Leslie Loveless. Scotts investor relations background will be a tremendous addition to the OraSure executive suite.

Scott comes to OraSure with over 20 years of executive leadership experience focused in investment banking, investor relations, corporate communications, and corporate strategy and business development. His extensive experience gives him unique insights that will make him a strong addition to OraSures executive team as the Company advances its work to help solve the worlds greatest health challenges, said Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D., President and CEO of OraSure Technologies.

Gleason received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.

ABOUT SLONE PARTNERS

Slone Partners delivers the leaders who build amazing and diverse life sciences organizations  People Are Our Science. Founded in 2000, Slone Partners specializes in delivering world-class C-suite leadership, executive, and upper management talent to the most promising and established biotech, diagnostics, research tools, healthcare, precision medicine, CRO, and laboratory services companies. With coast-to-coast presence in the most active healthcare industry hubs of Boston, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, Research Triangle Park NC, and Washington DC, Slone Partners uniquely and precisely provides an array of executive search and advisory services, including diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, to innovative life sciences companies. To learn more about Slone Partners value proposition and processes, visit http://www.slonepartners.com or call 888.784.3422.

ABOUT ORASURE TECHNOLOGIES

OraSure Technologies empowers the global community to improve health and wellness by providing access to accurate, essential information. OraSure, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, DNA Genotek, Diversigen, and Novosanis, provides its customers with end-to-end solutions that encompass tools, services and diagnostics. The OraSure family of companies is a leader in the development, manufacture, and distribution of rapid diagnostic tests, sample collection and stabilization devices, and molecular services solutions designed to discover and detect critical medical conditions. OraSures portfolio of products is sold globally to clinical laboratories, hospitals, physicians offices, clinics, public health and community-based organizations, research institutions, government agencies, pharma, commercial entities and direct to consumers. For more information on OraSure Technologies, please visit http://www.orasure.com.
Consumers shouldnt worry about having their data collected or fear that their privacy is being compromised every time they do a search.

Startpage, a search engine that lets consumers search and browse online without personal data collection, tracking or targeting, today announces the launch of its Private Language Translator. The new feature supports the autodetection of 109 languages and can be activated by simply entering translate into Startpages search box.

With consumers translating more than 100 billion words daily, the goal of Startpages Private Language Translator is to create an opportunity for some of those billions of personal messages and text translations to be processed without passing a persons Personally Identifiable Information (PII). On Startpage, a persons IP Address and personal data are all removed per search, ensuring there is never a trace or history of their activity.

This is the fourth new privacy-focused feature released by Startpage in 2021. Earlier this year, the company also launched Private Shopping, Private Currency Converter and Private Stocks as well as significant improvements in its private browsing feature Anonymous View.

Consumers shouldnt worry about having their data collected or fear that their privacy is being compromised every time they do a search, said Robert E.G. Beens, founder and CEO of Startpage. With Startpage, we put consumer privacy at the forefront of everything that we do, while also delivering world-class search.

###

About Startpage

Startpage is the worlds most private search engine. Founded in the Netherlands in 2006, the company has grown to become the preferred choice of anyone who cares about accurate search results as much as they care about their privacy. Startpage doesnt track, log, share or sell user data or search history.

The company offers an exclusive feature Anonymous View which allows users to browse other websites without being tracked. Startpage partners with Google for best-in-class search results and applies their proprietary anonymizing process to protect users online privacy. The company delivers completely un-profiled search results and protects consumers from annoying ads and price trackers. Startpage protects their world-wide users by adhering to the stringent Dutch and EU privacy laws, including GDPR. To find out more about how to change to the worlds most private search engine, read installing the Startpage browser extension or setting Startpage as your default homepage. Follow the company on Twitter @startpage
Stellar MLS, Floridas largest multiple listing service (MLS), today announced its partnership with Prospects Software, a provider of premium agent productivity and marketing solutions, to bring its Prospects CRM platform and MLS-Touch mobile app to Stellar MLS nearly 70,000 customers as a subscriber benefit.

We surveyed our customers and asked how we could better support their businesses, said Merri Jo Cowen, Stellar MLS CEO. They wanted an improved MLS experience and more robust MLS capabilities on their phones, and they also wanted a CRM that was connected with their listing data and contacts. Were pleased to partner with Prospects and CoreLogic to deliver what our customers have been asking for.

Prospects CRM and MLS-Touch are now available to Stellar customers. Agents will enjoy:



Time saving efficiencies with contacts and client activity data flowing seamlessly between platforms

Advanced mobile capabilities such as hotsheet, live market stats, access to CoreLogic Property Insights Platform (Realist) tax info, parcel lines, flood zone data and listing edit on-the-go

Ability to create and share their own branded mobile app

Advanced CRM features such as email campaigns, action plans, market reports, automatic Facebook publishing, and branded listing announcements, all powered by integrated listing data

Real estate professionals are looking for digital tools that are seamlessly connected and integrated, said Scott Little, Executive of Real Estate Solutions for CoreLogic. Weve worked closely with Prospects, a member of our Alliance Network, to help facilitate those connection points between the essential tools that agents use every day. We are very excited that Stellar MLS has chosen Prospects to enrich the technology options available to their customers.

It is a great privilege to work with Stellar MLS and CoreLogic to bring Florida brokers and agents a new level of client service tools. Our priority is to make their lives easier and help elevate the experience they provide to their customers. These tools deliver that both in the office and in the field, said Charles Drouin, CEO Prospects Software.

About Stellar MLS

Stellar MLS invests in people and technology to give brokers and agents the access they deserve to trusted, standardized data. With nearly 70,000 customers and a dynamic vision, Stellar MLS is poised to help brokers and their agents thrive in tomorrows competitive real estate market with a comprehensive suite of the industrys best products and world-class customer service. Today, Stellar MLS makes the market work for real estate agents and brokers in 19 REALTOR Associations throughout Central and Southwest Florida and in Puerto Rico. Learn more at StellarMLS.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 http://www.corelogic.com.

CORELOGIC, the CoreLogic logo, MATRIX, and REALIST are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Prospects Software

Prospects Software provides two of the most critical tools that real estate professionals rely on every day beyond their primary MLS - mobile MLS and CRM. MLS-Touch, also known as Prospects Mobile in Canada, keeps agents connected to listings, leads, and contacts from anywhere, on any device. Prospects CRM gives agents a powerful tool to organize contacts and manage customer relationships. Prospects apps are intelligent, easy-to-use, and fully integrated with each other and with the CoreLogic Listing Management Platform (Matrix). Available to over 450,000 agents in 275+ markets. For more information, visit http://www.prospects.com.
Stockton Hyundai has Announced Parts Specials up till September

Stockton Hyundai, located in Stockton, California, is running Stockton Hyundai Parts Special for all Hyundai car owners. The Stockton Hyundai Parts Special will be available until September 24, 2021. All the Hyundai car owners who plan to get the latest upgrades on their vehicles can use the coupons and save money.

Hyundai car owners can get $5.00 off on a Hyundai battery, free belt with labor purchase, $25.00 off on brake replacement/inspection, $5.00 off on in-cabin and engine air filter replacement, $50.00 off on clutch replacement, and $15.00 off on cooling system special. Also, 10% off on Hyundai muffler and exhaust, $49.95 on oil and filter change, free Hyundai multi-point inspection, $25.00 off on shocks and struts replacement, free mounting and balancing with tire purchase, Hyundai wiper blades replacement starting at $19.95, and discounts on vehicle service. The cost for various services offered under Stockton Hyundai Parts Special may vary by model of the vehicle.

This is a good option for Hyundai car owners looking to get spare parts replaced with genuine Hyundai units. Interested owners can visit stocktonhyundai.com for more information about the ongoing car parts special coupons. For any queries, call the dealership at (209) 277-108. Monday to Saturday, the dealership is open from 7:30 a.m.  8 p.m. and 10 a.m.  8 p.m. on Sunday. The dealership is located at 2979 Auto Center Cir, Stockton, California.


While we remain fully committed to supporting all instrument vendors, partnering at a strategic level with SCIEX is a logical next step to deliver tomorrows technology sooner to our joint customers.

Genedata, leading provider of biopharma enterprise software solutions, and SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, have entered into a strategic partnership to develop new software solutions for the biopharmaceutical mass spectrometry market. The goal of this partnership is to jointly innovate new workflows that leverage the proven Genedata Expressionist enterprise software platform and the analytical power of new SCIEX hardware such as the ZenoTOF 7600 system. This smart integration of software and hardware will allow biopharma customers to characterize progressively more complex molecules with increased speed and confidence, ultimately allowing them to accelerate the development of life-changing drugs.

Genedata Expressionist has become the software solution of choice for the characterization and quality monitoring of innovative biotherapeutics and related applications such as host cell protein analysis at many of the worlds leading biopharma organizations, stated Othmar Pfannes, Ph.D., CEO of Genedata. While we remain fully committed to supporting all instrument vendors, partnering at a strategic level is a logical next step to deliver tomorrows technology sooner to our joint customers. This will ultimately accelerate discovery, development, and commercialization of novel biopharmaceuticals, while reducing costs by streamlining and automating complex analytical processes.

Our customers tell us that the future of biotherapeutics lies in the development of next-generation therapies such as mAb variants, including multi-specific antibodies, said Mani Krishnan, Vice President, and General Manager, CE & Biopharma, at SCIEX. However, they also tell us the complexity of these molecules presents a significant characterization challenge in both analytics and data processing. This strategic partnership with Genedata will enable the development of customized data processing workflows to address key customer challenges, so that therapies can progress through the development pipeline faster.

About Genedata

Genedata transforms data into intelligence with innovative software solutions that incorporate extensive biopharma R&D domain knowledge. Multinational biopharmaceutical organizations and cutting-edge biotechs around the globe rely on Genedata to digitalize and automate data-rich and complex R&D processes. From early discovery all the way to the clinic, Genedata solutions help maximize the ROI in R&D expenditure. Founded in 1997, Genedata is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland with additional offices in Boston, London, Munich, San Francisco, Singapore, and Tokyo.

http://www.genedata.com

LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

About SCIEX

SCIEX delivers solutions for the precision detection and quantification of molecules, empowering our customers to protect and advance the wellness and safety of all. We have been at the forefront of the field of mass spectrometry for 50 years. From the launch of the first ever commercially successful triple quadrupole in 1981, we have developed groundbreaking technologies and solutions that influence life-changing research and outcomes.

Today, we continue to pioneer robust solutions in mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis. Our customers are able to quickly respond to environmental hazards, better understand biomarkers relevant to disease, improve patient care in the clinic, bring relevant drugs to market faster and keep food healthier and safer.

Thats why thousands of life science experts around the world choose SCIEX to get the answers they can trust to better inform critical decisions that positively impact lives.

For more information, visit sciex.com.

Lets connect: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Advances in human wellness depend on the power of precise science.

________________________________________

Contact

Helena Magloire

Genedata

Public Relations

pr@genedata.com

Disclaimer

The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with uncertainties related to contract cancellations, developing risks, competitive factors, uncertainties pertaining to customer orders, demand for products and services, development of markets for the Company's products and services. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

All product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.
Keyless deadboltsalso known as electronic deadboltsrepresent a significant advance in residential and commercial security. Instead of requiring a key for entry, they use an access code. Some also have voice control, wifi, and alarm options.

Texas Premier Locksmith has seen an increase in requests for keyless deadbolt installation thanks to their high-tech advantages. For one, homeowners never need to worry about being locked out of the house when they forget their keys; a keyless deadbolt is unlocked with a unique PIN. Because theyre powered by batteries, they are not affected by power outages, but they do have backup access to ensure that even if the batteries run out, the deadbolt can be opened.

Many brands of keyless deadbolts can be integrated with home and commercial security systems, offering customers peace of mind knowing they have an extra layer of protection from intruders. Some keyless deadbolts even have the ability to connect to lights within a home or business, so they can be set to turn on when the deadbolt is opened.

Texas Premier Locksmith is pleased to help Dallas homeowners take advantage of this new technology by offering a 10 percent discount on keyless deadbolts for the entire month of August.

With same-day services, licensed and insured technicians, and high quality equipment and materials, Texas Premier Locksmith is the top choice of homeowners and businesses looking for expert keyless deadbolt installation in Dallas.

About Texas Premier Locksmith

Texas Premier Locksmith provides expert locksmith services in Dallas, TX and its surrounding area. Learn more about their services by visiting https://txpremierlocksmith.com, calling 972-301-2292, or stopping by their storefront at 6959 Arapaho Rd. Suite 125, Dallas,TX 75248.
Globee Awards Judges Each qualified judge will receive a printed certificate of appreciation. Industry Experts, Executives and Professionals from all over the world and from every industry and job function can apply to become a judge and help in the scoring and judging process.

The Globee Awards organizer of worlds premier business awards programs and business ranking lists is now accepting applications from industry experts, executives, and professionals to apply and volunteer as judges and help in the scoring and judging process.

As an industry expert each qualified judge will be helping in the scoring process and give vital inputs to nominees. Qualified judges will also get an opportunity to learn more about how their peers and other organizations from all over the world are becoming and staying successful. How they are tackling and solving issues and major challenges. Each qualified judge will receive a printed certificate of appreciation and acknowledgement on the Globee Awards website.

Industry experts, executives, and professionals from all organizations operating anywhere in the world from large to small and startups, government, public and private, for-profit and non-profit are eligible to apply to become judges. All applications will be reviewed by Globee Awards team and if accepted judges will receive access to assignments based on their industry, function, and area of expertise.

Heres a list of all the current award programs in which applications to become judges can be submitted:

Business Excellence Awards

Apply to be a judge https://globeeawards.com/business-excellence-awards/judges/

CEO World Awards

Apply to be a judge https://globeeawards.com/ceo-world-awards/judges/

Communications Excellence Awards

Apply to be a judge https://globeeawards.com/communications-awards/judges/

International Best in Business Awards

Apply to be a judge https://globeeawards.com/international-business-awards/judges/

Women World Awards

Apply to be a judge https://globeeawards.com/women-world-awards/judges/

More than 1,000 professionals worldwide participate in Globee Awards judging each year. Judges are from every industry, job function and from all over the world. Learn more about the judging and awards process here https://globeeawards.com/judging-and-awards-process/

About the Globee Awards

Globee Awards are conferred in eleven programs and competition: the American Best in Business Awards, Business Excellence Awards, CEO World Awards, Communications Excellence Awards, Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards, Disruptor Company Awards, Golden Bridge Awards, International Best in Business Awards, IT World Awards, Sales, Marketing, & Customer Service Excellence Awards, and Women World Awards. Learn more about the Globee Awards at https://globeeawards.com

All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Leslie Darrigo, Chief Operating Officer Leslie is one of the main reasons that Thomas Financial has cultivated a reputation for legendary client service. She is a collaborative, hands-on leader, with exceptional product and estate planning knowledge. Her contribution to the firm is immeasurable.  Lauren Thomas Compton, CEO

Thomas Financial, one of the nations leading providers of insurance solutions and wealth management to affluent individuals and high-growth companies, today announced the appointment of Leslie Darrigo as a Principal and equity partner in the firm.

Leslie joined Thomas Financial in 1984 and quickly assumed roles of increasing responsibility. In 1995, she became the Manager of Underwriting and Client Services. In 1999, she was elevated to the Director of Underwriting, where she utilized relationships with carrier chief underwriters, medical staff, and reinsurance organizations to provide clients with an underwriting advocacy partnership.

In 2017, Leslie was promoted to Director of Operations, and her responsibilities increased to include Case Design, Client Service, and Administration. As Thomas Financial expanded into Wealth Management, Group Benefits, and Retirement Plans, she took on additional executive leadership as the Chief Operating Officer. She now oversees all facets of business operations, including the coordination between departments, the flow of business, process improvement, strategic planning, and training.

Leslie is one of the main reasons that Thomas Financial has cultivated a reputation for legendary client service, said Thomas Financial CEO Lauren Thomas Compton. She is a collaborative, hands-on leader, with exceptional product and estate planning knowledge. Her contribution to the firm is immeasurable.

Thomas Financial has been my second family since I joined as a receptionist after graduation, said Leslie Darrigo. Early on, Rick Thomas told me to smile before answering the phone, and the clients will feel we appreciate them. I guess it worked because Im still working with many of those same clients today. Thomas Financial has always been a place where you can get out as much as you put in. Ill always be grateful for the opportunity.

At Thomas Financial, Leslie oversaw the underwriting process for over $5 billion of life insurance face amount.

Leslie is a graduate of the University of South Florida. She earned her CLU designation from the American College and maintains her FINRA Series 6 securities license and Florida 2-15 life and health insurance license. In addition to serving as Chief Operating Officer, Leslie is the Director of Underwriting and the firms Compliance Officer.

A Tampa native, Leslie is married with two children and a newborn grandchild.
A variety of demographic, business, and government trends are contributing to rising out-of-pocket healthcare expenses in the United States.

In 2021, total U.S. out-of-pocket healthcare spending by consumers reached an estimated $491.6 billion, up about 10% from the prior year with continued annual growth of 9.9% expected through 2026. This will result in almost $800 billion of consumer out-of-pocket healthcare spending in 2026, reports leading medical market research publisher Kalorama Information in the recent study Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Expenditures in the United States, 5th Edition.

A variety of demographic, business, and government trends are contributing to rising out-of-pocket healthcare expenses in the United States, says Bruce Carlson, publisher for Kalorama Information.

Among the multiple drivers contributing to significant out-of-pocket spending growth, are the following:



government, regulatory and insurance/payer actions including Managed Care Organization cost shifting, the Affordable Care Acts Individual Mandate Repeal, and various policy changes that make healthcare more expensive;

business and economic trends, including actions taken by the business community and healthcare providers;

demographic trends that affect large groups of people such as obesity, aging and chronic conditions. Less common, yet expensive, demographic trends include mental illness and addiction.

Continuing a long-standing trend, out-of-pocket expenditures for healthcare products and services in the United States represent a significant portion of consumers incomes as of 2021. This is the result of a variety of factors including an aging population, rising utilization of medical products and services, and ongoing cutbacks to both public and private health coverage.

Over the years, U.S. consumers annual out-of-pocket healthcare costs have risen from about $250 per person in 1980 to $1,650 in 2021, with yearly increases of about $40 to $50. Increases for health plan premiums, in particular, have outpaced increases in overall prices and workers earnings. Consumers have noticed this trend and are becoming increasingly concerned with their ability to pay for the costs of illness. And for the lowest wage earners, these healthcare costs have become astronomical.

Greater gains in out-of-pocket spending will be mitigated by continued rising usage of lower cost medications (generic drugs, OTC medicines, Rx-to-OTC switches), growing utilization of disease management programs and the proliferation of low premium, high deductible health plans. Furthermore, salary growth will continue to lag healthcare cost increases and as consumers are unable to afford rising expenditures, they will increasingly forgo treatment and/or search for less expensive options such as generic or OTC medications. The economic effects of the Covid pandemic will further dampen spending, although not significantly.

More information about the report can be found here: https://kaloramainformation.com/product/out-of-pocket-healthcare-expenditures-in-the-united-states-5th-edition/

About Kalorama Information:

Kalorama Information, part of Science and Medicine Group, is the leading publisher of market research in healthcare areas, including in vitro diagnostics (IVD), biotechnology, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. Science and Medicine Group supports companies seeking to commercialize the rapidly changing marketplace at the intersection of science, medicine, and technology. Comprised of industry-leading brands, Science and Medicine Group serves analytical instrument, life science, imaging, and clinical diagnostic companies by helping them create strategies and products to win markets and provide platforms to digitally engage their markets through a variety of innovative solutions. Kalorama Information produces 30 reports a year. The firm offers a Knowledge Center, which provides access to all published reports.
UPSTACK Acquires Telecom and Cloud Advisory Firm LanYap Networks "We're excited to welcome LanYap Networks to the UPSTACK family. Angie and Laura are well known in the channel both for their high performance and high integrity... Culturally, theyre a perfect fit for UPSTACK, and we look forward to building on their remarkable legacy together.

UPSTACK, a profitable, fast-growing platform that transforms the buying experience for businesses seeking cloud and internet infrastructure solutions, announced today that it has acquired LanYap Networks, a woman-owned provider of strategic telecom and cloud solutions for medium and large businesses. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

UPSTACK's acquisition of Phoenix-based LanYap Networks is part of the company's strategy to accelerate the growth of its ground-breaking platform, which combines the industry's leading Advisor Partners with advanced technology, support resources and data.

UPSTACK also announced in April an initial $50 million equity investment from Berkshire Partners, which will enable the company to continue to scale its platform through technology expansion and partner acquisitions.

As part of the deal, LanYap Networks Co-founders Angie Tocco and Laura Dashney will join UPSTACK as Partners and Managing Directors, as well as true equity stakeholders in one of the industry's most innovative companies. They also will serve as Advisors to business customers that are sourcing data center, colocation, cloud, network connectivity and more through the UPSTACK platform.

"We're excited to welcome LanYap Networks to the UPSTACK family," said Christopher Trapp, CEO of UPSTACK. "Angie and Laura are well known in the channel both for their high performance and high integrity. Giving back is a cornerstone of their business. Culturally, theyre a perfect fit for UPSTACK, and we look forward to building on their remarkable legacy together.

LanYap Networks was founded in 2011, but its history began a decade earlier when owners Dashney and Tocco became friends while working at Mitel. Named after the Cajun-French word lagniappe, meaning a little something extra, LanYap Networks owners focused on providing customers with an extra benefit  integrity. They handpicked subject matter experts to build a team of knowledgeable, trusted advisors.

Today, LanYap Networks is a well-respected telecom and cloud consulting firm with numerous industry accolades. Notably, in 2014 LanYap Networks achieved Platinum status  $1 million in monthly billings  with master agency Intelisys. That same year, the owners founded a philanthropic organization, Telecom for Change, which has raised more than $1 million for charities serving women and children.

LanYap Networks sustained its top performance over the next six years and, in 2020, was courted by would-be buyers. Tocco and Dashney werent initially interested in selling, but the calls sparked a conversation between the two women about their priorities and future goals.

We enjoyed great success and recognition, but we began to ask, Is it sustainable? We were each chief, cook and bottle washer, said Tocco. Over the years, we hired operations support but always ended up working in the business. Partnering with UPSTACK allows us the autonomy to focus on the aspects of the business we each find most fulfilling.

The pair entertained a few options and, ultimately, chose UPSTACK because of its ability to structure a deal with staggered earn-outs while also offering a home for LanYap Networks employees and taking on its operational workload.

UPSTACK is not one size fits all, said Dashney. Theyre interested in our business and want to do what's best for us, the employees and our clients. UPSTACK gives us additional resources and frees us up to work with our customers and drive additional levels of value.

For more information about the UPSTACK Advisory Partnership, visit upstack.com/for-advisors or contact partners@upstack.com.

About LanYap Networks

LanYap Networks, a WBENC Certified Woman-Owned Business, is a provider of strategic telecom and cloud solutions for medium and large enterprises nationwide. Since 2011, weve been helping our business clients assess their current infrastructure, plan for future objectives and source the best solutions from more than 150 service providers. Plus, our team negotiates the contracts and provides support for the life of the contract, offloading telecom headaches from internal teams. We deliver real solutions that enable businesses to communicate easily, scale quickly and generate ROI. We manage your telecom needs so you can get on with your life. For more information, visit http://www.lanyapnetworks.com.

About UPSTACK

Launched in 2017 in New York, N.Y., UPSTACK is transforming the way cloud and internet infrastructure is sourced and sold. The company uses advanced technology to enable an extensive team of cloud infrastructure advisors to offer customized solutions for businesses of all sizes. With UPSTACK, business buyers streamline IT procurement by tapping into a single source for mission-critical technology services from hundreds of proven providers along with the professional guidance to identify and evaluate the best solutions. UPSTACK's service portfolio includes colocation and data center, network connectivity, SD-WAN, unified communications, cloud contact center, private and public cloud, security, mobile, business continuity and IoT. For more information, visit us at http://www.upstack.com.
The 2021 Microsoft Inner Circle along with worldwide and US performance awards, are testaments to Velosios success in the Microsoft ecosystem and were certainly proud of the recognition."

Velosio, a Microsoft technology partner specializing in business management solutions for small and medium-sized companies and larger enterprises, has achieved the prestigious Microsoft Business Applications 2021/2022 Inner Circle award. Membership in this elite group is based on sales achievements that rank Velosio in the top echelon of the Microsofts Business Applications global network of partners. Inner Circle members have performed to a high standard of excellence by delivering valuable solutions that help organizations achieve increased success.

This recognition of Inner Circle for Microsoft Business Applications coincided with Microsoft Inspire, the annual premier partner event, which took place July 14-15, 2021. Microsoft Inspire provides the Microsoft partner community with the opportunity to learn about the companys road map for the upcoming year, establish connections, share best practices, experience the latest product innovations and learn new skills.

In a year of deep business transformation for every company and every industry on the planet, it is extremely rewarding to be able to recognize Microsoft Business Applications partners from every corner of the world that accelerated our joint customers digital transformation and drove unsurpassed customer success, said Cecilia Flombaum, Microsoft Business Applications Ecosystem Lead. Our Inner Circle members are chosen based on their business performance as well as capabilities as an organization, whether thats creating IP, developing solutions, or having an industry leading focus on digital transformation. Microsoft is honored to recognize Velosio for their achievements this past year, their dedication to our customers, and their innovation around the Microsoft Cloud.

Velosio supports the entire Microsoft Dynamics portfolio, Office 365 family and Azure services to deliver innovative and fresh ideas across ERP, CRM, Power Platform, business intelligence, and cloud technology helping clients optimize their business operations. Every day we strive to enable clients to realize business value faster, simplify the process of deploying technology, acquire deeper data-driven insights, and explore ongoing innovation to drive business forward.

In addition to achieving the Microsoft Business Applications 2021/2022 Inner Circle award, Velosio was the proud recipient of multiple US and Worldwide awards for outstanding achievements in 2021, including the 2021 Microsoft US Dynamics 365 Business Central Partner of the Year and 2021 Worldwide Indirect Partner of the Year Finalist.

"The 2021 Microsoft Inner Circle along with worldwide and US performance awards, are testaments to Velosios success in the Microsoft ecosystem and were certainly proud of the recognition. Were even more honored by the 4000+ companies that have put their faith in our team to help them best leverage technology to innovate and achieve their respective goals, said Velosio President and CEO, Joseph Longo. I am excited for another year of accomplishment in 2022 as we grow our direct and indirect provider business, bring new cloud solutions to market and continue to play a key role in our clients success. 

About Velosio

Velosio is a leader in deploying business applications through the cloud and delivering unparalleled client experiences for small and medium-sized businesses, and larger enterprises. One of the largest Microsoft partners in North America, Velosio supports the entire Microsoft Dynamics portfolio, Microsoft Office 365 family, and Azure services. Our solutions portfolio includes ERP, CRM, Productivity, Business Intelligence, and Power Platform with industry expertise and solutions for Professional Services, Field Service, Agribusiness, and Distribution, and extends to NetSuite and Sage. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Velosio serves over 4,000 clients across US and Canada.

About Stratos Cloud Alliance

Stratos Cloud Alliance is Velosios Indirect Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program providing deep specialization in Dynamics 365 business solutions to support Indirect CSP Resellers Microsoft Cloud initiatives. Stratos Cloud provides all the sales support, enablement, and services a partner needs to build a profitable cloud solutions business with Microsoft Dynamics 365. With over 33 years experience implementing Dynamics business management solutions, Stratos Cloud offers partners a comprehensive portfolio of Microsoft Cloud Business and Productivity Solutions, ISV Products and Tools, Customer Services, and flexible Partner Programs supporting transformation at the pace and investment level that is right for you. Stratos Cloud Alliance is a Microsoft certified ISV Development Center and holds over a dozen Microsoft Gold Competencies providing the know-how and experience partners want in an Indirect CSP Provider to support their business.
Verilock, a Colorado based Hardware Security company, today announced the launch of its newly formed strategic council of trusted advisors. This Strategic Council includes distinguished industry leaders whose focus is to shape and guide the strategy and go-to-market priorities of Verilock, working closely with the leadership team.

New Verilock Strategic Council members include:



Dr. Ronald Black - Dr. Black is a semiconductor and technology industry veteran with over 25 years of experience, most recently as CEO of Imagination. Previously, he held roles as CEO of Rambus, UPEK and Wavecom. He also held leadership roles with Agere Systems, Gemplus, IBM, and Motorola, led companies both in the USA and Europe, and created partnerships and joint ventures in China. Dr. Black holds a BS, a MS and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University.

Michael Hadsell - Michael Hadsell is President and CEO of Toppan Photomasks and is a member of the Toppan Photomasks Board of Directors. Previously, Mike served as the Chief Operating Officer of Toppan Photomasks. In his 35 years with the company, he has served in numerous sales and operations roles in the United States and Asia Pacific. Previously, Mike served in engineering, operations, and management roles at E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company. Mike holds a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and a Master's of Business Administration from St. Edward's University.

Richard Hurwitz - Rick Hurwitz has a proven track record of building and successfully exiting high growth companies spanning 30 years and includes extensive experience in talent development, general management, and capital raising with software service and technology companies in the U.S. and abroad. A partner in The TIFIN Group, Rick is part of a team that builds next-gen financial services products. Prior to joining TIFIN, he was Chief Executive Officer at Tungsten Corporation a London Stock Exchange-listed business transaction network. Prior to Tungsten, Rick held the chief executive position at Pictometry International, Benefit Finance Securities, and Bridge Information Systems (UK) Ltd. Mr. Hurwitz holds a BA in Economics and BA in Philosophy from the University of Rochester

Eric Uner - Eric Uner is an industry-recognized scientific expert in the areas cryptography, embedded systems, and information security. He has a 25-year history of bringing innovative secure inventions and products to US government and Fortune 500 companies alike. In addition to co-founding Redwall Technologies where he serves as CTO, he is an active board member on three technology companies serving first responder, tactical military, and intelligence communities. Mr. Uner holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University

"This is an important milestone for us," said Jim Northup, CEO of Verilock. "We thoughtfully curated this council to include experts whose collective experience ensures Verilock has the guidance it needs to navigate its way in the dynamic and complex cybersecurity market. I am excited to work closely with these four esteemed leaders as we develop and refine our winning strategy.

Verilocks novel chaos-based authentication technology brings a powerful new weapon to bear in the fight against cyber threats. With the potential for game-changing security in virtually any silicon-based electronics, Verilock now has a highly qualified advisory team to help us achieve our full potential.

About Verilock:

Verilock, along with its collaborative partner Potomac Research, recipient of multiple STTR funding grants, is commercializing novel silicon-based technology for security and authentication. Verilock offers Silicon IP and Firmware that enables hardware-based, unclonable, and virtually unhackable authentication and verification. Verilock holds a worldwide exclusive IP license from the Ohio State University.
By automating some of the most common and critical integration processes that directly impact data quality and privacy, we have been able to help our clients achieve analytics-ready data at a fraction of the time and cost.

Chicago-based Wavicle Data Solutions, a leading data analytics firm offering cloud migration services and data management consulting, today announced the launch of Augment, the companys new data management platform for achieving clean, compliant data as quickly as possible. Augment was specifically developed to address the ongoing challenges Wavicle teams experienced with their clients data analytics and data management projects and the gaps that lead to expensive developments and delayed data delivery. Specifically, Augment:



Eliminates source and target database limitations during integrations and migrations. One of the most common challenges faced by enterprises during a data integration or cloud migration is the ability to connect a large number of data sources through target databases easily and quickly without driving up project costs. Augment takes a unique approach to how it builds out it's connections. Augment leverages the most popular databases so users can connect to virtually any source available. During initial setup, Wavicles Augment services can also build out API connections, doing in days or weeks what can take months to accomplish with other products available today.

Changes the trust paradigm surrounding data quality. According to Gartner, 60% of organizations say the need for data quality across data sources and environments is their biggest data management challenge. Augment automates data quality assessments and provides a dashboard view of more than 20 of the most commonly used data checks to give you a snapshot of the health of your data, and make sure data is as clean as possible and ready for analytics. With a user-friendly interface and point-and-click functionality, it is easy for technical and non-technical users to operate with no additional coding required. Additional data checks can be added rapidly with almost no downtime and minimal cost and effort.

Automates compliance and data privacy regulations. CIODive reports that 67% of companies that met the GDPR compliance deadline worry about maintaining compliance. Frequently Wavicle customers are faced with daunting compliance and data privacy challenges that can result in monetary penalties and damage if not managed properly. Augment uses machine learning and NLP capabilities to pre-emptively secure sensitive data before/after ingestion, ensuring that it doesnt end up compromised.

Speeds time to value, freeing up data engineers, citizen developers, data scientists, and budget for other strategic, complex work. Augment has baked in most features enterprises would need for their data management and governance activities to make integrations and migrations simple and quick, but it also complements the full gamut of ETL tools and data quality and PII tools. For example, Augment has successfully accelerated development of data pipelines by 90% for one client, reduced the time spent on data quality processes by 70%, and decreased the time spent managing data privacy rules for another client by 90%.

As a data analytics firm, weve seen hundreds of cloud migration and data management projects and over and over again, we see the same challenges emerge with most of our clients - particularly around data quality and compliance, stated Naveen Venkatapathi, president of Wavicle Data Solutions. By automating some of the most common and critical integration processes that directly impact data quality and privacy, we have been able to help our clients achieve analytics-ready data at a fraction of the time and cost.

In addition, Wavicle has taken extra steps to ensure that Augment is truly an augmented and unified platform by implementing sophisticated machine learning techniques. And where many tools in the space claim to be unified platforms, Wavicle has seen where the challenges lie and created a platform that can stand alone as a single unified data management platform, or it can be implemented with other tools to achieve a more simple and unified data governance platform.

According to Gartners Top 10 Trends in Data and Analytics 2021: The Rise of the Augmented Consumer, Organizations need to widen the focus of their analytics initiatives, from enabling analysts to augmenting consumers. Data and analytics leaders must view this shift as pivotal in getting more people to use data in more decisions.

For additional information about Wavicles Augment data platform and a free demo, please visit, https://wavicledata.com/augment.

ABOUT WAVICLE DATA SOLUTIONS

Wavicle Data Solutions is a cloud, data, and analytics solution specialist. From data integration services and cloud consulting to dashboard development and data analytics consulting, Wavicle employs a team of professionals who enable and empower data-driven enterprises. Wavicle combines its expertise in data engineering and architecture with artificial intelligence and machine learning concepts to help enterprises imagine new ways of managing costs, increasing sales, and becoming more efficient. Wavicle was recognized as an Inc. 500 company on its 2019 and 2020 lists of fastest-growing private companies in America, by Crains Chicago Business to its Fast 50 list of fastest growing companies in Chicago, and won a 2020 Chicago Top Workplaces award from the Chicago Tribune. For more information about Wavicle Data Solutions offerings, please visit https://wavicledata.com.
Worlds Largest Marketing Association Calls for an Unprecedented Industry-Wide 24-Hour Pause for Global Day of Learning Marketings Global Day of Learning comes from a groundswell of top CMOs reconciling with the rapid transformation of business culture and capabilities. said Nick Primola, Executive Vice President of the Association of National Advertisers & Global CMO Growth Council.

The ANA, through the Global CMO Growth Council in partnership with Cannes LIONS, is calling on the worldwide marketing industry to take a collective pause for a Global Day of Learning. On September 14, 2021, through a series of world-class trainings, workshops, master classes and team building, the industry will reinvest in itself, with the intent of bringing all professionals up to speed on best practices as businesses return to their new normal worldwide.

Confirmed education partners offering complimentary access to world-class learning resources so far include: the ANA and its network of subject experts and instructors, Cannes LIONS, 42Courses.com, Spencer Stuart, Morning Consult, Facebook, Google, Twitter, The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, MediaLink, Verizon Media, Forbes CxO Series, best-selling author and global CMO Raja Rajamannar, and Yale School of Management, among many others.

A Global Call-to-Action

Marketings Global Day of Learning comes from a groundswell of top CMOs reconciling with the rapid transformation of business culture and capabilities. said Nick Primola, Executive Vice President of the Association of National Advertisers & Global CMO Growth Council. By bringing together todays marketing, business, and academic leaders to share best practices, powerful case studies, practical solutions, and research, the ANA and the Global CMO Growth Council will help the entire industry address the challenge of todays recovery together.

The Global Day of Learning will be one complete 24-hour period on September 14th where the entire industry focuses on training, development, culture, innovation, creativity, and new ideas. All sessions will be virtual and accessible at no cost to anyone in the industry who registers, including professionals and students alike.

Participants will be able to build their own agendas for themselves or together with their teams. Options include on-demand content that is available throughout the day of September 14, self-paced courses, webinars, group workshops, and research. All will be available for download for the entirety of the 24-hour period of September 14 (EST).

Session formats will include:



Self-Paced: Structured courses available on-demand for 24-hour period covering the most demanded topics.

Best of 2021: Curated keynotes and video interviews of the past year from top CMOs, industry leaders and subject matter experts.

Auditorium-style Group Workshops: Instruction for teams or individuals. Participants can convene their teams in groups or in private for the day, Instructor-led or On-Your-Own, including Zoom-conducted team building, off-sites, etc.

Insights: Curated research, case studies, papers and trends for marketers at all levels and industries. For 24 hours, participants will be able to download academic research, brand cases, the latest consumer research

The Global Day of Learning is available at no cost to anyone in the marketing industry who registers through this centralized website.

ABOUT THE GLOBAL CMO GROWTH COUNCIL

The Global CMO Growth Council is a partnership between ANA and Cannes LIONS and represents over 1,200 chief marketers worldwide. Chaired by Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer at Procter & Gamble, the leadership team includes 50 chief marketers from the worlds top brands. Since its launch in 2018, the Growth Council has mobilized thousands of CMOs and industry leaders around the world to transform marketing into a force for economic growth and a force for societal good. It is a community of influential and distinguished marketing leaders addressing key issues facing CMOs, their companies, and all of the stakeholders they serve. Chief marketers hold a privileged responsibility to accelerate broad and bold initiatives that will lead to lasting benefits for their brands, their customers, and our global society. https://ana.foleon.com/2020cmosummit/global-growth/summit/
Albert Bandura, a psychologist whose landmark studies on aggression are a staple of introductory psychology classes and whose work on the role of peoples beliefs in shaping their behavior transformed American psychology, died on Monday at his home in Stanford, Calif. He was 95.

The cause was congestive heart failure, his daughter Carol Bandura Cowley said.

Dr. Bandura, a native of Canada who joined the Stanford University faculty in 1953 and remained affiliated with the university until his death, was widely regarded as one of the most influential psychologists of his time. In a 2002 survey, he ranked fourth among the most-cited psychologists of the 20th century, behind Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner and the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget.

His social cognitive theory of human functioning emphasized peoples capacity for self-reflection and personal agency, and his extensive writing and research contributed to the understanding of personality formation, cognition, morality and the treatment of mental disorders like phobias. His theory of self-efficacy  peoples belief in their own competence and ability to exert control over their behavior and social environment  has been widely applied across many areas, including education, public health and drug and alcohol abuse.

But Dr. Bandura was most widely recognized for a series of laboratory studies  collectively known as the Bobo doll experiment  that he carried out with two colleagues at Stanford in the early 1960s.



Read the whole story: The New York Times
When you imagine your future, what do you see? In a recent study of goal-directed imagination published in Clinical Psychological Science, answers ranged from passing exams and traveling the world to reaching new fitness goals and strengthening relationships with friends and family. But to participants with depression, the future looked much dimmer, if they could imagine it at all. In the words of one participant experiencing a major depressive episode:

Everything is just so blurred, its just like blackness Thats probably why I dont set goalsbecause I dont see anything.

They arent alone. Beau Gamble (University of Auckland, New Zealand) and colleagues found that, among 153 adult participants in New Zealand, those with higher well-being were able to more vividly describe what it would be like to achieve their goals. In addition, those who imagined more positive future scenarios were likelier to report high well-being 2 months later, whereas those who struggled to imagine a bright future were likely to remain depressed.

Imagination is clearly an adaptive abilityand one that might be better harnessed to help individuals reach the futures they want, Gamble and colleagues wrote. These findings may have implications for the design of goal- and imagery-based interventions to reduce depressive symptoms or increase positive aspects of functioning.

The researchers began by asking participants to list their short-, medium-, and long-term goals. After selecting their two most important goals for each time period, participants spent 3 minutes imagining and verbally describing a future scene in their life related to each one.

Participants also rated the attainability and importance of each goal and the joy or sorrow they expected it to evoke, in addition to completing a series of questionnaires on well-being and depression. Two months later, the participants completed the questionnaires again and reported their goal progress.

Overall, participants who considered their goals attainable and central to their identity were found to report higher well-being, whereas participants who perceived their goals as less under their own control or less likely to bring them joy were more likely to be depressed. Critically, the participants who perceived their goals as more attainable and important also described the future more positivelyand that capacity for imagining a positive future was the strongest predictor of mental health 2 months later.

We found strong associations between many aspects of goal setting and imagination and well-being and depressive symptoms, Gamble and colleagues wrote. Effects were evident whether examining depressive symptoms correlationally or when comparing individuals with clinical levels of depressive symptoms with individuals with symptoms of no clinical significance.

It remains to be seen if encouraging people to set goals differently could protect against depression, the researchers wrote, although prior research has suggested that imagining a more positive future could help people with depression find the energy to engage in more rewarding activities.

Reference

Gamble, B., Tippett, L. J., Moreau, D., & Addis, D. R. (2021). The futures we want: How goal-directed imagination relates to mental health. Clinical Psychological Science, 9(4), 732751. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702620986096
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Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High around 80F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

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KevlinX will deploy a media ecosystem in its Brussels datacentre campus to support broadcasters, media and e-gaming companies in their digital transformation process. Key to the success of the endeavour is the ability to provide ultra-low latency, highly reliable streaming services.

MainStreaming provides a video delivery network (VDN), which takes into account the fact that video delivery has a specific and unique set of data transfer requirements that make demands on a network which differ from those of other forms of data.

MainStreaming will deliver a solution running on its intelligent Media Delivery Platform (iMDP); a proprietary AI-powered technology which uses Smart Synapses. Built on a series of embedded, high density and low power delivery smart nodes that are located in strategic network positions, it facilitates real-time decisions based on a continuous flow of metrics relating to viewer QoS.

This video-specific approach to the management of network pathways  using a hybrid configuration across global and private CDNs  enables KevlinX to provide network solutions which will ultimately deliver a reliable, buffer-free video experience for end-users. This will be key to maintaining the reputational benefits and resultant customer retention that come from flawless content delivery.

Antonio Corrado, founder and CEO of MainStreaming, said: We have always been confident that our technological innovation in the field of video delivery network provision makes us a strong choice for enterprises that need exceptional reliability and ultra-low latency in their network structures. But what were particularly happy to see is that companies like KevlinX share our environmental values and recognise how important this element of network provision is. Were proud and excited to be working with KevlinX to push the boundaries of video distribution in a sustainable, responsible, environmentally-conscious way.

Added KevlinX CEO Barro Luitjes: At KevlinX we are committed to building a dynamic market proposition for broadcast, media, and gaming industries, for whom ultra-fast, secure content delivery is critical. We are continuously acquiring new sites in emerging markets in Europe  of which our Brussels location is a perfect example  in order to develop and operate large scale data centre campuses which provide low latency access to the largest European markets. As such, we are excited to partner with MainStreaming, a world leader in ultra-low latency, environmentally sustainable VDN services.
The 32-year-old woman and two children, one of whom later died, were removed from the second floor of a burning row house by Reading firefighters Thursday morning.
Michael Bailey, Berks County facility report mechanic, left, and Robert Quinter, county voter registrar, unload a new voting machine at the Temple Fire Company for use during the 2019 general election.
National Weather Service meteorologists from the Mount Holly, N.J., office checked spots, mainly to the east of Berks.
Crime

Man held for court in rape of child
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Man's foot fetish comes with an odd twist
Intense focus on the carbon emissions attributable to mining Bitcoin has united in common cause among cryptocurrency critics and climate activists. Their goal: ban cryptocurrencies  particularly Bitcoin  to avoid carbon emissions. Cryptocurrency and carbon reduction each have a role in global growth and stability: crypto being the latest in a line of financial innovations that bring efficiency and security; lower emissions support sustainable and resilient growth. The intersection of these two pressing global issues deserves, and requires, clear thinking based on sound data in assessing the net benefits and environmental impact of cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin is the worlds leading cryptocurrency. Its popularity stems from its security and privacy. These benefits are afforded by the computationally-intensive verification process and the distributed ledger of the blockchain. Much of this is provided by miners who are rewarded with new Bitcoins. Mining has been up this year with Bitcoin trading at new highs until recently. Incentives matter.

More mining means greater energy consumption because of the sheer energy intensity of Bitcoins verification process. Bitcoin miners seeking to reduce variable energy costs have found low-cost power in remote corners of the world like Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Northern Europe. Others have found it in the U.S., using stranded wind power in Texas, curtailed solar power in California, and natural gas that would otherwise be flared in Montana. These net-zero emissions solutions both promote renewable investment and benefit miners.

The existing data about electricity usage and emissions attributable to Bitcoin mining is foggy at best. The estimates attribute mining locations to IP addresses and assign average electricity grid mixes to the activity, but do not provide a precise mining carbon footprint. Indeed, the incentives and trends suggest that Bitcoins carbon footprint is far greener than some critics allege.

Alarmism based on extrapolating limited data does not aid prudent policy-making or inform sensible investment decision-making. The difference between upper and lower bound estimates can be an order of magnitude. In this case, the widely-cited Cambridge data shows a range of Bitcoin electricity consumption from 25 to 164 terrawatt hours in 2021. In concrete terms, the uncertainty about Bitcoin mining energy use is enormous  on the order of the annual consumption of Sweden.

China is an important piece of the puzzle. In recent years, a majority  as much as 75 percent  of Bitcoin mining has been inferred to be in China. This spring, the Chinese government banned Bitcoin mining. The ban was ostensibly based on market stability risks and carbon emissions concerns, even though Chinas financial regulators have the tools to address market risks, and China has enormous pools of curtailed renewables. Perhaps not coincidentally, the ban came as China was promoting its own digital currency (one that raises concerns over pervasive control over capital flows and financial data privacy, and presents risks to Chinas own domestic financial stability), not to mention U.S. concerns over the sanctity of its sanctions program.

The outright Bitcoin ban affected mining provinces like Xinjiang, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, and Yunnan. Those provinces put up a fight against the mining ban. A less severe policy would have been to limit mining only to those employing zero-emissions solutions.

In the thick of the China tussle, Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla suspended Bitcoin payments because of environmental concerns. Crypto critics and climate activists took heart. Fewer than 100 words brought a 15 percent drop in Bitcoin prices. But Musk soon reversed himself when faced with the ambiguity of claims about Bitcoin emissions, and the price recovered to its original level. Such episodes do nothing to foster crypto market stability.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are not climate villains. They deliver demonstrable benefits in excess of their costs. Bitcoin has positively disrupted market trading and payments systems and enhanced financial access and inclusion, not to mention the blockchains powerful tools to trace illicit finance. Production by definition requires energy consumption. And, of course, the utility of production must measure energy and environmental factors. However, even the highest estimates of crypto mining account for less emissions than other valuable enterprises, like cloud computing. Nobody is seriously proposing eliminating the cloud  or paper currency or traditional banking  due to their carbon footprints.

If there is a problem to be solved, it is how to foster financial innovation in an energy-efficient and carbon-neutral manner. The market is already heading in that direction. Bitcoin miners are already utilizing carbon neutral mining techniques, known innovators and investors crowding into the green mining space. If China does not welcome Bitcoin mining, then so be it. Let the flowers of digital currency innovation blossom right here in the U.S. in places like Texas and Montana, or any other liberal economy in the world where stranded or curtailed carbon-neutral power is abundantly available.

Mitchell Silk was Assistant Secretary for International Markets at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, 2019-2021. Timothy Fitzgerald is an Associate Professor in the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University.
Good morning, its Thursday, July 29, 2021. Seventy-six years ago today, the USS Indianapolis, a 610-foot-long heavy cruiser, was leaving the Marianas on a course for Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. Affectionately known by her crew as the Indy Maru, the vessel had been President Franklin Roosevelts favorite U.S. Navy warship. He knew it well: Before the outbreak of World War II, FDR had spent most of his month-long goodwill tour of South America aboard the Indy.

She had been a lucky ship, too. The Indianapolis was away from Hawaii on routine exercises when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. In the ensuing time she had seen action in many of the most decisive naval battles of the war in the Pacific. And as the war was winding to its devastating and climactic end, the Indianapolis was again doing her part -- she had just delivered key atomic bomb components to the B-29 base on Tinian Island.

Now, on the morning of July 29, 1945, the plan was to rendezvous with the USS Idaho three days later. It was a journey of 1,300 nautical miles on the open ocean. Knowing that the Indy lacked the Navys most sophisticated sonar equipment, its captain, Charles B. McVay III, had requested a destroyer escort. He had been informed the day before that this request was denied. What he wasnt told was that U.S. Naval Intelligence had detected two Japanese submarines in the waters he was heading into -- or that one of them had sunk a Navy destroyer.

But Capt. McVay was the son and namesake of a renowned admiral and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Trusting the U.S. Navy to give him the best equipment, men, and information at its disposal, he took his orders in stride. This was war, with an enemy that was not yet defeated. McVay gathered his officers together. We are going to Leyte, he told them, to prepare for the invasion of Kyushu.

Instead, they sailed into a horror movie. With that, Id point you to our front page, which aggregates, as it does each day, columns and stories spanning the political spectrum. We also offer a complement of original material from RCP reporters and contributors, including the following:

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Cruz: Bidens Crazy-Ass Ideas Will Lead to GOP Majority. Phil Wegmann had exclusive access yesterday when the Texas senator spoke to members of the Republican Study Committee.

Following in The Donalds Celebrity Footsteps. Wayne Avrashow assesses the appeal of Herschel Walker, J.D. Vance and Larry Elder, among others.

Biden Reveals His True Goal: To Ban Most Guns. John R. Lott Jr. responds to comments the president made last week during a CNN town-hall meeting.

Russiagates Fallen Guardian(s) of Integrity. At RealClearInvestigations, Aaron Mate considers why major media outlets ignored a new report in The Guardian on documents that sounded like the Holy Grail of Trump-Russia collusion.

Should Kids Be Taught About How Racism Shapes Society? At RealClearEducation, David Bernstein considers a question that underpins the CRT debate.

The Other Vaccine Denial. At RealClearHealth, Peter J. Pitts advocates passage of a bill that would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for vaccines covered under Medicare, Part D.

When Cryptocurrency and Climate Collide. At RealClearMarkets, Mitchell Silk and Timothy Fitzgerald hail the benefits of bitcoin but say the energy consumption required for its verification process needs to be reined in.

The Cascade Institutes Assault on Western Civilization. At RealClearEnergy, Tammy Nemeth asserts that the think tanks net-zero plan would bring down the current market system, its institutions, and the energy system at its core.

The PRO Act Is a Threat to Housing Affordability. At RealClearPolicy, James Schloemer warns of dire implications from the union-organizing bill.

Hillsdales 1776 Curriculum: Antidote to Civics Miseducation. At RealClears American Civics portal, Matthew Mehan highlights a new resource for parents, teachers, and students.

Beer and Exercise. At RealClearScience, Ross Pomeroy examines a study of beer's effects on exercise performance, recovery, and adaptation.

* * *

Carl M. Cannon

Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics

@CarlCannon (Twitter)

ccannon@realclearpolitics.com
In the night he was elected President in November 2008, Barack Obama addressed a vast throng in Grant Park in my hometown of Chicago and remarked that we had built this country calloused hand by calloused hand, for 221 years. Obama professed an admiration for Abraham Lincoln, but it was clear that he hadnt understood  or accepted  Lincolns teaching. In contrast to Obamas 221 years, Lincoln said at Gettysburg that Four score and seven years earlier our fathers brought forth . . . a new nation. Counting back, Obama found the beginning of the country in 1787, with the drafting of our current Constitution. But counting back, Lincoln took the beginning of the nation to 1776 and the Declaration of Independence. It was not merely the claim of independence; it was the articulation of that proposition as Lincoln called it, the father of all moral principle among us: that all men are created equal, that the only just government over human beings must draw its powers from the consent of the governed. Lincoln reminded us that the Union, the American republic, was older than the Constitution. The Constitution was made, as it said, for a more perfect Union.

Lincoln reminded us that the Union, the American republic, was older than the Constitution. The Constitution was made, as it said, for a more perfect Union.

For Lincoln, the nation began with that first principle that marked the character of the regime. The task of forming a Constitution was a matter of working out a structure of governance consistent with that principle. The first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, did not work well. The government couldnt summon the wherewithal to support itself and defend the country against enemies foreign or domestic. Instead of integrating the separate states into a more unified nation, it set off centrifugal tendencies, driving the states farther apart with discriminatory tariffs and separate currencies. It was not the sense of a nation we would come to know, with the free movement of persons and goods across the boundaries of the states.

Lincoln recalled the biblical proverb that a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver (Prov. 25: 11): The words fitly spoken were all men are created equal, which provided the apple:

The Union and the Constitution are the picture of silver, subsequently framed around it. The picture was made, not to conceal or destroy the apple; but to preserve it. The picture was made for the apple  not the apple for the picture.

The Constitution was made for the Union, not the Union for the Constitution. When the Founders took up the task of framing a new Constitution, they had to draw upon those principles of law and moral truths that were there  as they had to be  before the Constitution. If those principles were not there, to tell us of the forms of government that were better or worse, how would we know of just what institutions claimed a rightful authority to put in place those positive laws that we were obliged to obey? And over time, jurists found it necessary to appeal back to those principles that were there before the Constitution, in order to apply the Constitution sensibly to the cases coming before them. John Quincy Adams would argue that the right to petition the government was simply implicit in the logic of a free government: it would be there even it hadnt been set down in the First Amendment. By the same reasoning, it would be there even if there were no First Amendment; it would be there even if there were no Constitution.

When the Founders took up the task of framing a new Constitution, they had to draw upon those principles of law and moral truths that were there  as they had to be  before the Constitution.

But if that is all true, people will raise the question: Are you saying that we dont need a Constitution? Of course we do, for it is a matter again of the structure of governance. It is utterly critical to know just whom the military will be expected to obey if a president dies in office. And we would certainly want to know if any state may enter a treaty or alliance or make its territory available as a military and naval base for a foreign power. Even more recently there was a jolting bump in the road to the enactment of Obamacare, when the Constitution delivered up, for the 111th time, in peace and war, a midterm election. And no one thought of litigating over this working of the Constitution.

But what of the beginning of everything in that first principle itself? Obama has affected the manners of the urbane half-educated in our own day as he blithely dismisses the notion that all men are created equal has ever been a real truth, let alone one of those anchoring, necessary truths that furnished the moral ground of this government. He has fallen in readily with the doctrines of historicism: that truths can be known only in that historical period when they are believed to be true; that there are no moral truths that hold across the ages  except of course for the truth of historicism. And yet Lincoln and the Founders did take that proposition seriously. Lincoln regarded it as one of those abstract truths applicable to all men and all times.

Only one kind of creature understands what it means to consent to a contract  and to honor a commitment even when it no longer accords with his self-interest.

Alexander Hamilton went to the root in explaining that point when he wrote about those first principles, or primary truths on which all subsequent reasonings must depend. They contained an internal evidence which, antecedent to all reflection and combination command the assent of the mind. They were grasped per se nota, as true in themselves, as we grasp the law of contradiction: that two contradictory propositions both cannot be true. Then how would one grasp in that way that anchoring principle of the American regime? The answer would be quickly revealed if we posed this question to anyone we know: Why is it that, in this age of animal liberation, we are not signing labor contracts with our horses and cows  or seeking the informed consent of our household pets before we authorize surgery on them? We can expect any person we encounter to be quite puzzled by the question  and wondering why we are asking it. But what the ordinary man grasps already is that animals cannot reason about the terms of a contract, give a promise, and keep their commitments. Only one kind of creature understands what it means to consent to a contract  and to honor a commitment even when it no longer accords with his self-interest.

The ordinary man who grasps at once that simple thing takes hold of the principle in the Declaration. As the argument ran, no man is by nature the ruler of other men in the way that God is by nature the ruler of men and men are by nature the ruler of dogs and horses. Anyone who denies that, said Jefferson, had to assume that the mass of mankind had been born booted and spurred, ready to ride them.

The question, as Lincoln said, was whether the black man is not or is a man. If he is not a man  he who is a man may do just as he pleases with him. But if the negro is a man, is it not  a total destruction of self-government to say that he too shall not govern himself?

And so, when the question was put, Where in the world would it be wrong for human beings to be ruled in the way that dogs or horses are ruled? The answer was: that would be wrong anywhere in the world  and at any time  where that difference in nature remains the same. Thus the notion of certain enduring rights, grounded in an enduring nature, or natural rights.

But as Lincoln recognized, slavery was in conflict with those deep premises of the American regime. And that disturbing truth was recognized in the South as well as the North.

But as Lincoln recognized, slavery was in conflict with those deep premises of the American regime. And that disturbing truth was recognized in the South as well as the North. A group of slaveowners, meeting at Darien, in Southern Georgia, declared in 1775 their disapprobation and abhorrence of the unnatural practice of slavery in America . . . debasing part of our fellow creatures below men, and corrupting the virtues and morals of the rest, and is laying the basis of the liberty we contend for . . . upon a very wrong foundation. They vowed then to emancipate their own slaves.

After the war, the move to gradual emancipation swept through the North, and by 1810 the number blacks freed through manumission in the South exceeded the number of free blacks in the north. The famous black leader, Frederick Douglass would say later that the Founders had made the right judgment: They had to accept slavery in the South in order to have the Union. But if those southern states had formed a separate nation, they would have expanded a slave empire into the Caribbean or beyond. It was far better to bring the slave states into a Union, or framework, in which slavery was rejected in point of principle. The word slavery would appear nowhere in the Constitution; as Lincoln said, only covert language was used. But at the same time, the framers would block the import of more slaves from abroad (after 1808) and bar its extension into the western territories. As Lincoln said, all of the marks here suggested a policy, not of endorsing and encouraging, but discouraging and compressing, with the hope of putting slavery in the course of ultimate extinction.

The famous black leader, Frederick Douglass would say later that the Founders had made the right judgment: They had to accept slavery in the South in order to have the Union.

As Justice George Sutherland reminded us in the 1930s, the Union was older than the Constitution, and the right to defend the country would be there under any Constitution. But defending the country meant the need to plan military operations, while concealing those operations from potential enemies. There could be a need, then, of course, to deploy spies and secret agents. These are the things that are, by nature, executive functions. And they continue to be distinctly executive functions even if they are directed by John Jay as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, through a committee in Congress, under the Articles of Confederation. When the Iranian revolutionary government seized American hostages in 1979, the Carter Administration froze Iranian assets in the United States. That could not be done by the Congress, after holding hearings, for those assets would have been gone by the time the hearings had concluded. If this strategic action were to be done at all, then in Macbeths words, twere well / It were done quickly. Only the executive could act with dispatch in a crisis of this kind.

At the beginning of the Civil War, the novelist Richard Henry Dana defended, in the Supreme Court, the authority of President Lincoln to order a naval blockade of the South. Dana observed that a Declaration of War was an artifact, a thing created under the positive law of a Constitution. But war, he said, was a fact. And could it really be sensible to assume that an enemy would be decorous enough to hold back its attack until the Congress could be assembled to declare war? Or was it more sensible to conclude that the authority to defend the country had to fall to that one branch of government that was never out of town, or out of session: namely, the executive, charged with the ongoing administration of the laws.

. . . it is one of the deepest principles in the American regime, running back to the revolution, that the safety of the American people cannot be put in the hands of officials in Westminster, or unelected judges, who bear no direct responsibility to the people whose lives are at stake.

In that vein, it is one of the deepest principles in the American regime, running back to the revolution, that the safety of the American people cannot be put in the hands of officials in Westminster, or unelected judges, who bear no direct responsibility to the people whose lives are at stake. That is why some of us would argue that it was a profound mistake for Justice Anthony Kennedy and four of his colleagues to inject the judges onto the battlefield in Iraq in the Boumediene case (2008). Actions taken in the heat of battle may not indeed satisfy a demanding test of due process of law. But judges are in no decent position to second guess because they bear no responsibility for the lives that may be lost.

Before the Civil War there was in this country another civil war  in Rhode Island. Two different legislatures and governors were put forth to represent the legitimate government of Rhode Island. President John Tyler signaled the intention to intervene on the side of the established government, and that signal was enough to induce the armed opposition to stand down. Chief Justice Roger Taney would later explain (in Luther v. Borden, 1842) that a crisis of this kind could not be handled by trial court, with the time it takes to select a jury, hold a trial, and reach a verdict. Nor could an appellate court handle the matter by calling for briefs, hearing the arguments, and retiring to chambers to write opinions. What came through was an unseasonable but inescapable truth: that it is not mainly the courts that sustain a regime of constitutional freedoms. It is rather the sword of the law that preserves that civil peace in which courts are free to render a more scrupulous justice, with those procedures more exacting and more fitting the function of judges.

We have seen, in recent years, presidents and administrations blocked in their initiatives by judges operating with nationwide injunctions. And yet we have also seen, on matters ranging from the launching of wars to the steady administration of the laws, that the executive will hold a rightful authority to act at grave moments outside the reach of the legislative or judicial branches. If that leaves people uneasy, we think of Thomas Hobbess taunt: If you are uncomfortable with the notion of sovereign power, you will have to call forth some other authority to limit it. And whatever power you call forth will be, then, even more sovereign yet. If one doesnt trust an American president in conducting war and foreign affairs, the solution cannot be had by putting authority in the hands of unelected judges, who cannot be held responsible for their acts.

Even a president bound up with a thick body of laws will be compelled at times to act well beyond the restraints of the law. The question will always arise then how we can be sure that a president, freed in this way, will use his power to preserve this regime and our freedoms, and not create a new regime built around himself. The only answer to that old question remains the same: the only ground of assurance lies in the character of that person we elevate to the highest office. We would find the deepest assurance in a man who could say, as Lincoln said to a contingent of soldiers, that I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am a living witness that any of your children may look to come here as my fathers child has. This was a man whose loyalty to the regime ran to the deepest levels of his own character. The question for us now is whether we cultivate men like that anymore  and whether we have cultivated among ourselves the wit to recognize them when we see them.

Hadley Arkes is the Ney Professor of Jurisprudence at Amherst College where he taught for 50 years. He is also the Founder/Director of the James Wilson Institute on Natural Law and the American Founding in Washington, D.C. Among his numerous books are First Things (1986) and Constitutional Illusions and Anchoring Truths (2010). He is completing a book to be entitled Mere Natural Law.

This essay may be republished for free with attribution. (These terms do not apply to outside articles linked on the site.) Images and photos that appear with this essay are not available for republishing.
Winston Duke and Zazie Beetz, who star in the movie Nine Days, out Friday, said their characters have inspired them since completing the film.

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Beetz plays Emma, a soul waiting to be born, and Duke plays Will, the being who gets to decide if the soul can become a person.

"Will taught me a lot of acceptance," Duke said in a Zoom interview. "Will taught me to welcome and celebrate my light and also to acknowledge my shadow to feel whole."

Will lives in a spiritual realm in which he decides what souls will be born. It is a house in the middle of a barren desert.

Every nine days, Will interviews a new set of candidates from whom only one can be born. The others cease to be.

Beetz plays Emma, one of the candidates, along with Tony Hale and Bill Skarsgard . Beetz said Emma is living in the moment visiting Will's house, regardless of whether she is born.

Emma would like to be chosen to be born, but Beetz said she is enjoying her nine days with Will regardless of his decision. Beetz said Emma taught her not to live in the past or look to the future too long.

"This is what she's going to get right now," Beetz said. "Right now, wherever it is, is the best because it's right now."

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Brazilian writer/director Edson Oda developed Nine Days at the Sundance Screenwriting Lab. In the film's press notes, Oda said he was inspired by his uncle's suicide when Oda was 12 to think about life and death.

Each candidate in Nine Days views the process differently. Alexander (Hale) tries to negotiate with Will. Kane (Skarsgard) is cynical toward living beings, while Emma remains optimistic.

"I think everybody is born with certain personality traits," Beetz said. "All of the candidates have this inherent self, and I think Emma just came to be with this sense of not fearing the future and a heightened sense of curiosity."

As represented in Nine Days, the 30-year-old Beetz plays Emma in her adult body and with a full fluency in English. However, Beetz said that because Emma has never been born, she approaches Will's world like a baby.

"I thought a lot about how young children react to the world," Beetz said. "What do they find interesting?"

Will, on the other hand, attempts to remain businesslike throughout the nine days. The 34-year-old Duke said Will has never encountered a soul like Emma.

"He has had a system that protects him, that protects his sense of safety -- the little safety and control that he has," Duke said. "He can never be the same after these nine days."

Will was human once, and he still watches the souls he's granted life on television sets via VHS tapes he had recorded. Duke said Will has been denying his human side since taking the job in this spiritual realm.

"Will is a failure at a lot of things and he fails to stop being human," Duke said. "He fails to stop feeling."

Duke said the characters defied stereotypes. Because the candidates were unborn spirits, and Will a spiritual bureaucrat, Duke said no limitations existed for casting.

"It's not a very gendered role," Duke said. "It's not age-specific, either. Anyone could play that role."

Although Will no longer is human, Duke said trying to deny parts of himself is a human quality.

"I think we try to define wholeness as the pursuit of happiness, instead of an acceptance of who you are, which is a duality, a yin and yang, day and night," Duke said.

And, whether Will chooses Emma or another candidate at the end of nine days, Beetz said, Emma has made the most out of her time. Beetz said she hopes to live her life as present as Emma did.

"Elements of Emma were things that I strive to be in terms of remaining present, remaining curious and meeting people where they're at," Beetz said. "Her presence and her ability to remain in wonder at the world, those are things I hope to continue to carry with me."
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/29/2021



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Season 13 Episode 2

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

featured Michaela and Zack tying the knot and hitting it off, Myrla and Gil getting married and Gil noticing a couple of red flags, and Johnny and Bao participating in a traditional tea ceremony during Wednesday night's Season 13 episode on Lifetime.The pairs of strangers who are tying the knot at first sight on Season 13 are Michaela and Zack, Myrla and Gil, Bao and Johnny, Brett and Ryan, and Rachel and Jose.The couples were matched by experts Dr. Viviana Coles, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, and Pastor Calvin Roberson.The broadcast began on Michaela and Zack's wedding day. Michaela woke up very excited but missed her father and wished he could have been there.Michaela hoped to be matched with someone just like her father, someone kind, open, protective and strong. Michaela wanted to feel safe with her future husband like her father had always made her feel.Zack's parents had been married for 28 years and his middle brother was engaged. Zack's youngest brother also had a long-term girlfriend, and so Zack hoped he was about to meet his soul mate and that it would be his "first and last time falling in love."Zack clearly idealizes marriage, and Pastor Cal thought Michaela would bring her partner "all the good feels of marriage." Michaela's sisters just hoped Michaela -- aka "Hurricane Chae" -- wouldn't be too stubborn in her marriage.Zack got very emotional before his wedding because he was about to meet his wife and the potential love of his life. He called the experience "surreal," telling his family how he didn't want anything more.Before walking down the aisle, Michaela's sisters gave Michaela a little model "Trekkie" spaceship their father had made because watching Star Trek was one of their shared family hobbies.The gift brought Michaela to tears, and she and Zack were both anticipating an unbelievable love story to unfold.Zack cried in his mother's arms and then walked to the top of the aisle, where he awaited his bride-to-be. Michaela also cried tears of joy before her brother-in-law, Ruben, joined her side."The worst case scenario is that we're matched and we're not compatible at all. What if this actually doesn't work out and we don't have a fairy-tale ending? That would be devastating for me," Zack admitted.When Zack saw Michaela for the first time, he flashed an enormous smile, and when the couple joined hands at the altar, she gushed about how her groom was "gorgeous!" Zack in turn told Michaela that she looked gorgeous as well.When Michaela learned Zack's name is Zachary, she immediately asked him if he wants "a Zachary Junior," and Zack replied, "It's up to you!"Michaela's family and friends wanted Zack to know that she's a beautiful soul with a beautiful heart. The dog mom's loved ones gushed about her being giving, loyal, fearless, and both energetic and chill -- but stubborn.Michaela was told Zack would do anything possible to make her happy and has always wanted to be a husband. Zack's family and friends believe he is fiercely loyal, passionate, kind, and adventurous.In their self-written vows, Zack complimented his wife on being courageous and a believer in love. He vowed to be patient, loving, understanding, forgiving, committed and charming.Michaela nearly ran down the altar hand-in-hand with Zack because she was so excited about his words, but then she composed herself and shared how she'd always keep his best interests in mind and provide him with an open and safe place to build stability and grow in love.Michaela promised to always be there for Zack, and she broke down into tears while delivering her vows.The couple kissed at the end of their ceremony and Michaela was proud to call Zack "my man" since she thought he was so good looking. She believed Zack had been made for her.During their first conversation, Zack discovered Michaela is 30, and she seemed fine with him being a little younger at 27. Zack said he was drawn to Michaela's obvious confidence and great smile.Michaela said Zack seemed kind and genuine, and she was taken with his mix of shyness and goofiness.Johnny and Bao were then shown participating in a traditional tea ceremony. The couple bonded over their shared culture and similar identities, and they even picked similar colors to wear, as Johnny selected wine and gold and Bao had picked red and gold."This was meant to be," Bao said, recalling how she and Johnny had led similar student-organization events in college. "I'm thinking about the possibility that this is the start to the biggest and best love story ever!"Michaela and Zack said they felt very comfortable taking wedding photos together, and Zack hoped this wasn't going to be "too good to be true."Michaela described her chemistry with Zack a 9 on a scale from 1-10 and said she wouldn't be reluctant to sleep with him that night. The pair kissed during their first dance as man and wife, and Michaela said she'd love to dance with Zack forever.Meanwhile, Bao said she was very attractive to Johnny because he's handsome and seemed physically fit, and the pair agreed they'd love to start a family soon. Bao said she didn't want more than two children, and Johnny said that was perfectly fine with him.Johnny could tell Bao was "a little stiff" and not used to his touch yet, so he made sure not to cross any lines or even go in for a kiss, even though he said he'd love to make out with his wife.Myrla and Gil were then shown picking out their wedding attire, and Myrla told the cameras she didn't plan on changing the lifestyle she was used to in terms of traveling and enjoying nice things for her husband. Myrla simply wanted a partner to do those things with."Although Myrla is somewhat of a diva, we believe Gil can balance her out. We believe he has the kind of patience and he has the kindness, and he's not going to be a pushover!" Pastor Cal explained of the couple."He's going to be able to meet her strength and give her the balance she needs so that they can move forward successfully."Myrla chose a very sexy wedding dress with a lot of sheer panels, and she told her bridesmaids that if her groom didn't like the dress or thought it was too much, then he's probably too conservative for her.Gil told his groomsmen that if his wife is materialistic, they'd have a little bit of an issue, although he's good at making expensive trips cheaper.Brett, a self-declared hopeless romantic, also went shopping for her wedding dress and selected an A-line embroidered gown with a plunging neckline. And as Ryan shopped for a tux, he said he couldn't wait to be married and welcome children so that he can be an active dad at age 35.Pastor Cal said Brett is unlike any of the women Ryan has dated in the past and would put effort into diving deep and opening Ryan up, which is exactly what Ryan needed as a reformed serial dater.Rachel and Jose, Mr. Picky, also selected their wedding attire. After losing a lot of weight, Rachel's confidence was boosted and so she search for a dress that would show off her beautiful curves.Jose desired a confident and classy woman with a gorgeous smile and stable job, and he was a little afraid of not feeling love at first sight as well as an instant connection."Jose can be a perfectionist, but I believe he is a really kind guy behind that perfectionistic facade, so if they can meet on that deeper level, they will have something that is enviable," Pastor Cal said, adding that Rachel was ready to compromise in her relationship but not totally change herself.The formerly-insecure bride was ready to be herself and have her husband hopefully fall in love with her for who she is.On Myrla and Gil's wedding day, Myrla said how she hoped her husband would want to go shopping with her, and she admitted she'd prefer a tall, dark and handsome man -- with hair.Myrla's bridezilla side came out when she was getting her makeup done, saying she knows what she likes and knows what she doesn't like. She also admitted she'd be distracted by a man with a bald head, which Gil has.Gil absolutely planned to kiss his bride at the altar but said he may want to wait longer to have sex so their first intimate encounter can be passionate. Gil joked he'd be willing to wait 24 hours to consummate his marriage.Meanwhile, Myrla told her friends that she'd only want a kiss on the cheek, even though she was planning on this union being "until death do us part."Myrla's brother walked her down the aisle because their father is no longer alive, and she said she was grateful that her brother was there to support her and love her on her big day.When Myrla began her walk, she and Gil smiled at each other. Myrla noticed right away her husband is bald, but she said she's open to it and still looked forward to being married.Gil told Myrla that she looked gorgeous and he loved her dress, and then Gil learned that Myrla is a true romantic who's a big fan of physical touch.Myrla's loved ones revealed she's a hard worker who enjoys the fruits of her labor but also gives back to those less fortunate, "even if it means showing up in designer clothes to a clothing drive."Gil learned Myrla is a great cook and baker but would rather spend her time shopping than cleaning the house.Gil's friends and family shared with Myrla how Gil is "the life of the party," especially when tequila and salsa dancing are involved. Gil has a good sense of humor, and chocolate chip cookies are apparently the way to his heart.When Myrla discovered Gil is a proud dog dad of a pitbull mix, Myrla asked if the dog slobbers, and Gil's wedding guests appeared to make disapproving and concerned eyes at each other.In his vows, Gil promised to be worth Myrla's time and energy. He said she'd always come first in his life, and if he doesn't live up to that, he'd buy her some food and some shoes.Gil promised to be faithful, protect her from harm, listen, and give all that he has to the marriage. Gil asked Myrla to teach him how to love her, and Myrla gushed, "That's really nice!"Myrla in turn vowed to be patient, kind, understanding and dedicated to his happiness as they build their own memories and traditions. She said she'd listen and learn from him and stand by him "in my red bottoms," meaning Christian Louboutins, which also made a groomsmen wince.When it became time for their first kiss as husband and wife, Myrla gave Gil the cheek and he laughed.Gil gushed after the ceremony, "I am mesmerized by how pretty she is," and Myrla confirmed, "I am definitely attracted to my husband. I think he's a handsome man."Myrla said she was a little distracted by her husband's bald head but not for long because she was looking at his big smile and kind eyes. She also noted how he looked sharp and seemed to dress nicely.Gil and Myrla bonded over how they both speak Spanish, and Myrla said she's always wanted to travel to Colombia, where Gil is from. Their mothers also only speak Spanish, so the couple was happy they'd be able to communicate with each other's in-laws.The couple discussed having one or two kids, and then Myrla said she needs "a mommy makeover" after that. Myrla revealed her passion is making sure children have quality education, and Gil shared how he's passionate about his job as a firefighter and serving the community."I can't say that I love her, but I know for a fact that I like her," Gil gushed. "And so that is one step forward into moving this along in the right direction."Gil then asked Myrla if she likes dogs, and she said she's okay with them as long as they don't shed. Gil admitted his dog sheds but he's "a neat freak" and takes care of that."I just don't like to clean up after them," Myrla confessed to her new husband.It then became time for Brett and Ryan's wedding day, the day Brett had been dreaming about ever since she was a little girl. Brett had asked for a man with an open heart who would at least be open to loving her dog.Brett said she had been hurt a lot in past relationships and is a commitment girl. She hadn't kissed a man in two years and looked forward to her next kiss being with her husband.Ryan told the cameras he wanted to be matched with a genuinely good person, and Pastor Cal assured viewers that Ryan is a romantic and sensitive guy who loves to make cheesecake, even though it may take a little digging to see those sides of him.Ryan also said he wants a fit and outdoorsy wife, someone with whom he can be active.Prior to the ceremony, Ryan gave Brett's mother a beautiful bouquet of flowers and his bride a pair of sneakers, saying this was her "last chance to run."Ryan tried to hold the tears back once he found his spot at the altar, and Brett admitted she was extremely nervous before walking down the aisle.The episode concluded with Ryan getting a brief glimpse of his wife when she entered the room.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our newspage!And click here for more updates on former cast members and info on where they are now!
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/28/2021



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Ryan has defended his extensive dating history that's caused the show's experts to dub him a "reformed serial dater."During the July 21 episode of : Unfiltered, which followed the premiere of 's thirteenth season, Ryan watched back a clip of himself explaining to the cameras, "I've spent a lot, a lot of time and resources and effort into dating."Ryan admits in the clip from the premiere, "I'd say I've dated 50-plus [women] in the last three or four years, and not just in Houston. I've joked that there are some small towns I'm not allowed to go back to because of people that I've dated."Unfiltered host Jamie Otis -- who starred on Season 1 of and is still married to her match, Doug Hehner -- laughed about how Ryan had just "put it all out there" for the world."With that being said, you did say you've dated pretty much all of Houston. Do you feel like there's something about yourself maybe that caused this serial dating?" Jamie asked the participant."Yeah, I've gotten blamed for commitment issues a lot -- and by a lot of people," Ryan confessed."And the term 'looking for the next best thing' comes out. I don't know, I guess I can see that from the outside looking in, but I mean, me myself, I know that's not the case."Ryan clarified, "I know what I want, and that's kind of, I stick to it."Jamie joked that Ryan just can't catch all of the women in his small town, adding, "There aren't enough fish in the sea!"Given Ryan had dated so many women in or around Houston, TX, prior to getting engaged, it wouldn't have been a surprise if Ryan recognized or even met his bride, Brett, before their wedding day, which has yet to air on the Lifetime series."I would have been okay with it [if we knew each other]," Ryan shared."I've had some great relationships with some great people with incredible qualities where just the timing, for whatever reason, wasn't right. So, I would have been good with it!"Ryan admitted he's dated "an obscene" amount, and his sister Alexa called the romances in Ryan's life his "Flavors of the Week" or "Flavors of the Month" once he got a little older.Alexa teased Ryan during the premiere that he falls in love easily, but Brett shared with the cameras how she actually takes her time in getting to know a man on a deep level and prefers "quality over quantity."Brett and Ryan will therefore be shown tying the knot coming from very different dating histories, but Ryan insisted on Unfiltered he was definitely committed to the process and even open to the idea of a "honeymoon baby."The possibility of Brett and Ryan consummating their marriage right away, however, seems slim considering Brett hadn't been intimate with a man in two years and waits until the relationship is serious to have sex.'s thirteenth season, which currently airs on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime, also stars Johnny and Bao, Myrla and Gil, Rachel and Jose, and Zack and Michaela.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our newspage!And click here for more updates on former cast members and info on where they are now!
ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill has died at his home in Houston, the Texas-based rock band announced Wednesday. He was 72.

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His fellow band members, Frank Beard and Billy Gibbons, didn't reveal the cause of his death, which took place Tuesday.

"We are saddened by the news today that our compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX," Beard and Gibbons wrote in a post on the band's website. "We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature, and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the 'Top'. We will forever be connected to that 'Blues Shuffle in C.'

"You will be missed greatly, amigo."

Hill joined the band in 1970 -- replacing previous bassists Billy Ethridge and Lanier Greig -- shortly after the band's formation in 1969. The Dallas native also sang lead and backing vocals and played keyboards.

His death comes less than a week after the band announced he was leaving their current tour "to address a hip issue."

ZZ Top is perhaps best known for hits from its 1983 album Eliminator -- "Gimme All Your Lovin,'" "Sharp Dressed Man," "Legs" and "Got Me Under Pressure. They won a number of MTV Video Music Awards during the 1980s, but their popularity declined through the 1990s.

They continued to put out music -- 15 studio albums in total -- and tour through this summer. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, alongside Prince, Bob Seger, George Harrison, the Dells, Jackson Browne and Traffic.
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.
County would be in orange tier if tier system was still in effect
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.
Brattleboros new Police Chief Norma Hardy gets familiar with her surrounding on her first day on the job on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Hardy is Vermonts first black female police chief.
General Assignment Reporter

Chris Mays is a general assignment reporter for the Brattleboro Reformer. He has been with New England Newspapers Inc. since 2012.
WYOMING COUNTY Virginia Bazzie passed away on Saturday July 31, 2021. Visitation will be Tuesday August 3, 2021 from 6-8pm at the Evans-Calfee Funeral Service in Pineville. Graveside service will be on Noon on Wednesday in the Lilly-Crews Family cemetery in Nimitz. More information can be fo
SAN DIEGO (AP)  California's public health agency recommended on Wednesday that people wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status, while more employers announced that workers must be vaccinated or face testing.

State officials said they were following the lead of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reversed course on masking rules Tuesday and advised fully vaccinated people to mask up in public indoor settings in areas where transmission is high or substantial.

Meanwhile, the San Jose Unified School District, with more than 30,000 students, said it will require teachers and staff to get inoculated against the coronavirus or get tested twice a week for the coronavirus. Google and Facebook announced a vaccine mandate for returning workers, with exceptions for medical or other reasons. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said more than 2.4 million state and health care workers must provide proof of vaccination or be tested.

The changes come amid spiking coronavirus infections and hospitalizations as the highly contagious delta variant sweeps the country with widely varying vaccination rates. The vaccine protects most people from becoming seriously ill or dying. But unlike with previous variants, new data shows that vaccinated people infected with the delta variant have the potential to spread that virus to others, said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

Virginia McCuistion, who had her mask in her bag while visiting a San Diego beach on Wednesday, said she agrees with the masking recommendation, but is frustrated the country is once again wrangling over masks because people refuse to get vaccinated.

I think its selfish, she said of people refusing shots. Too many people are not getting vaccinated so that puts us at risk. Ive been vaccinated and Im still worried.

Although case numbers in California remain well below the winter peak, infections and hospitalizations are rising and health officials fear that not enough people are vaccinated. In California, more than 62% of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

California and some of its counties have been stricter than most in the U.S. in battling the pandemic, imposing earlier and longer economic shutdowns. Despite the caution, officials said more than 90% of the states nearly 40 million residents live in areas where community spread is now high or substantial. California's seven-day positivity rate has jumped to 5.9% from 1.4% a month ago.

The delta variant has caused a sharp increase in hospitalizations and case rates across the state. We are recommending masking in indoor public places to slow the spread while we continue efforts to get more Californians vaccinated, said Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, the states public health officer.

Yolo and Los Angeles are the only counties to mandate masks for everyone, while most San Francisco Bay Area counties have been encouraging people to cover up indoors.

In announcing the vaccinate-or-test policy this week, Newsom said he wanted to encourage other employers to do the same. The state policy applies to nearly 250,000 state workers and an estimated 2.2 million people who work in private or public health care and long-term care facilities.

San Francisco is now requiring new hires get vaccinated or get an exemption before they start work, while an estimated 35,000 employees already on the job must show proof of inoculation, seek an exemption or risk disciplinary action once the vaccines are given full approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

California State University, the largest four-year university system in the U.S., said on Tuesday it would no longer wait for full FDA approval and instead will require faculty, staff and students to be immunized against COVID-19 if they plan to be on campus this fall.

In San Jose schools, officials are going a step beyond state guidelines and said everyone will be required to mask up indoors and outdoors.

The federal recommendation is a shift from May, when the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people could skip masking in most indoor spaces.

___

Har reported from San Francisco.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  Connecticut's Health Department issued a recommendation Thursday that residents go back to wearing masks indoors when in Hartford, New Haven or New London Counties and said evidence suggests the state is entering into another wave of the pandemic.

The department said all three counties have been downgraded into the category of substantial transmission areas under the classification system set up by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The department said the mask-wearing recommendation holds for everyone in those counties, regardless of vaccination status.

The state also reported that four towns  Bozrah, Hartland, Salem, and Sprague  are now in the states red zone, indicating they have case rates over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 people. There were two towns in the red zone last week.

The recent increase in the case rate and hospitalization rate among unvaccinated persons suggests that we are seeing the beginning of the fourth pandemic wave in Connecticut," the department said in its weekly report. This wave is caused by the delta variant.

There is already an executive order in place that requires all individuals who have not been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to wear a cloth face covering when indoors and unable to maintain an adequate distance from others.

The department also is recommending that all state residents who have underlying medical conditions that put them at risk for COVID-19 complications, or who live with high-risk or unvaccinated individuals, wears masks in indoor public spaces.

The state reported that seven more people died over the past week from causes related to COVID-19, bringing the state total to 8,293 during the pandemic.

The number of people hospitalized with the virus rose by nine on Thursday to 112.

The department also reported that it has now recorded 1,133 so-called breakthrough cases of COVID-19 and a total of 27 deaths among fully vaccinated people during the pandemic. But they said that represents just .06% of those who have been vaccinated. Of the 1,133 cases, there were 171 hospitalizations.

Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases in Connecticut has increased by just over 190 or 207.1%, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University.

There were 87.3 new cases per 100,000 people in Connecticut over the past two weeks, which ranks 41st in the country for new cases per capita. One in every 1,809 people in Connecticut tested positive in the past week.

Health officials say the spike in cases is directly related to the prevalence of the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus.

Back with the (original) virus, the average number of people, across a large population, was each person infected spread it to two other people, Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief clinical officer for Yale New Haven Health, said in a news conference Thursday. "With the delta variant, that number is six other people.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico Education Secretary Ryan Stewart is the latest cabinet secretary to call it quits during the coronavirus pandemic.

The education post will be filled by former Los Alamos Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus starting Aug. 20, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday.

Alongside the governor at a Thursday news conference, Steinhaus said hell emphasize overall student well-being, including mental health, as fall classes resume in August amid a surge in coronavirus infections.

He wants New Mexico to surpass all other states when it comes to improvement in academic achievement across diverse subjects including music, and said the state will encourage school districts to spend roughly $1 billion in new federal coronavirus relief funds on education.

It's a lofty goal for new Mexico, where the state's graduation rates and other education measures have improved so slowly over the past decades that it ranks last in the country.

The short-range goal is to jump on the energy of the first day of school, Steinhaus said. The middle-range goal is about the federal money that has just been approved.

There will also be a new top cop.

Lujan Grisham named Deputy Chief of the Rio Rancho Police Department Jason Bowie as the next secretary of the Public Safety Department, which oversees the New Mexico State Police.

Lujan Grisham has seen a wave of retirements among department heads, with some citing the pressures of the pandemic.

She said that Education Secretary Stewart is stepping down for personal reasons, after serving in the position for two years.

The simple fact for all of us is that family comes first, and I know he is looking forward to a change of pace that will allow him more time with his family at an important time for them, she said of Stewart's departure.

The governor is still looking to fill top positions such as the Department of Workforce Solutions and the Department of Health.

___

Attanasio 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. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.
The Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater  or the Amp as it has already come to be known  welcomed thousands of concertgoers Wednesday for the first major concert of its first season.

Owner and developer Howard Saffan has been working for years to turn the former home of the Bridgeport Bluefish  the Ballpark at Harbor Yard  into a Live Nation concert venue. Attendees on opening night were treated to performances by REO Speedwagon and Styx.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a plan to keep a statue of the late Sen. J. William Fulbright on its flagship campus, despite calls to remove it because of his opposition to integration.

The board approved a resolution that calls for keeping the statue at its current location on the Fayetteville campus, but with contextualization" about Fulbright's legacy. The resolution cites a new Arkansas law that prohibits removing or relocating monuments without state approval.
With cases of COVID-19 starting to surge again in some parts of the country, retailers large and small in the New Haven area are considering a return to stricter mask-wearing policies for their customers in the wake of an announcement that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was changing its recommendations.

The CDC now is recommending that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas with high transmission. Officials with the administration of Gov. Ned Lamont say he is reviewing whether the state should return to a mask mandate for indoor spaces.

But officials at technology giant Apple told USA Today Wednesday they will require shoppers to wear masks again at half of the companys U.S. stores starting Thursday, becoming the first major retailer to do so. The stores that will be requiring shoppers to wear masks are in COVID hot spots or in areas where there are local or state mandates.

Right now, New Haven retailers interviewed by Hearst Connecticut Media Wednesday arent requiring shoppers to wear masks.

Its too soon, said John LeTourneau, owner of Wallingford Lamp & Shade, when asked whether he would return to requiring that everyone entering his Center Street store wear a mask. If the trend (of increasing COVID-19 numbers) continues, then yes, I will go back. Ive got to see whats going on and Ill probably wait until September before making a decision.

Anita Bruscino, owner of Elegant Touch Fine Gifts in Cheshire, said her store has never had a formal mask policy since the start of the pandemic.

Weve never had a sign on the front door saying you have to wear a mask, Bruscino said. If there are very few people in the store, I dont require masks, although I will probably wear one more often than not. The customers we have, they know me and I know them; its all about mutual respect.

Ray Andrewsen, executive director of the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce, said if the retailers who are members of the organization choose to return to mask mandates, it will take a while for consumers to adjust.

I think weve all gotten out of mask practice; I know I have, Andrewsen said. I went to Bradley (International Airport) yesterday to pick up my son and daughter-in-law who were arriving from Chicago. As a transportation center, threairport requires that you wear masks, but I almost walked in the door without one.

Businesses, he said, are looking to do the right thing.

Our members have looked to do two things with mask mandates, Andrewsen said. They want to protect their employees and their customers and they want to protect their livelihoods.

Claire DAmour-Daley, Big Y supermarkets vice president of corporate communications, said officials with the regional grocery chain are monitoring the CDCs recommendations closely. But DAmour-Daley said Big Y currently doesnt require either customers or most of its employees to wear a mask inside stores.

Right now, we adhering to CDC and state guidelines, as well as any local guidelines that may be in place, she said. The only mask-wearing requirement we have is when our in-store pharmacists are giving out the vaccine because the people who are getting them havent been vaccinated yet.

Maura OBrien, a spokeswoman for Massachusetts-based grocery chain Stop & Shop, said the company remains committed to the health and safety of its customers and associates.

Stop & Shop will review evolving CDC guidance along with state and local requirements, and will take necessary actions to ensure our stores continue to be safe places to shop, OBrien said.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
(The Center Square)  Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar is urging President Joe Biden to put a pause on accepting or releasing those who enter the U.S. illegally, citing the risk of spreading COVID-19, after news reports reveal that those who have tested positive are being released into local Texas border communities.

Its not fair to local communities, people being released there that might have COVID-19, Cueller told Fox News. What Im asking of the Biden administration is to do a pause. Do a pause. They need to prioritize border communities, they need to prioritize the men and women of DHS.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday issued an executive order restricting ground transportation of illegal immigrants who have tested positive for COVID-19 or could be carrying it after having passed through Mexico, where a third wave of the coronavirus is spreading. The Texas Department of Public Safety has been ordered to stop any vehicle upon reasonable suspicion and reroute drivers to their point of origin or a port of entry and impound the vehicle.

"The dramatic rise in unlawful border crossings has also led to a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases among unlawful migrants who have made their way into our state, and we must do more to protect Texans from this virus and reduce the burden on our communities," Abbott said in a statement.

In his amended order, Abbott says, President Bidens failure to enforce the Title 42 order, combined with his refusal to enforce the immigration laws enacted by Congress, is having a predictable and potentially catastrophic effect on public health in Texas.

Title 42 has been used to rapidly expel illegal immigrants who might transmit the coronavirus or other contagious diseases in America.

Both the governors action and Cuellers call took place after it was revealed that Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley arranged for COVID-19 positive illegal immigrants to stay in a hotel in La Joya, Texas. The charity, using federal funds, rented the entire hotel. Hotels in McAllen and other border communities have also been rented to be used for such purposes.

We did not know this, La Joya Sgt. Manuel Casas told reporters at a Tuesday press conference. No one told the city of La Joya. No one told the police department that these people were here. And no one told us that these people were possibly ill.

On Monday, a concerned citizen told a police officer that she saw family members coughing and sneezing at a Whataburger and the manager had asked them to leave. A police officer learned that the family had recently been apprehended by Border Patrol agents who released them into the general public because they had tested positive for COVID-19. They were being housed at no cost to them at the Texas Inn Hotel, which is fully booked to house migrants who entered the U.S. illegally.

The information we have is that everybody that is staying in that hotel is COVID-19 positive, Casas said.

In response, Hildago County Judge Richard Cortez, said in a statement, We have been doing well as a community in slowing the spread of this deadly virus. But ill-conceived policies by both the federal and state governments are beginning to have serious consequences on Hildago County. I call on federal immigration officials to stop releasing infected migrants into our community.

Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley Sister Norma Pimentel told Border Report that the charity had made the arrangements to book COVID-positive immigrants into local area hotels.

However, a spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection said that Border Patrol was continuing to expel individuals under Title 42, despite the full hotels in McAllen and La Joya and others that have not yet been made public.

RGV continues to expel individuals under Title 42 authorities as part of COVID mitigation efforts and utilizes pathways under Title 8 proceedings to remove those amenable to their home countries, a CBP spokesperson said. During these challenging times, our federal, state, and local partnerships are indispensable as we work to secure our borders and to quickly move individuals out of USBP custody and through the appropriate immigration pathway.

Cuellar says he supports the use of Title 42, especially right now. They need to publicize and show images of people being deported. He asked the host of a Fox News program: I ask you, ... have you seen one single picture of somebody being deported? No. I havent seen one. I see people coming in. But were not showing people being deported.

These numbers are not stopping and with all due respect to the administration, they need to put a pause on this now for the sake of our border communities.
Creating a massive buzz amongst the augiences, Vishnuvardhan's Shershaah is all set to release right before India's Independence day on August 12. It is based on the events of the 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil conflict. The movie was also shot in Kargil adding to its authenticity. As the netizens witnessed high octane action in the trailer, one can imagine how difficult it might have been for the makers and cast to film the movie.

Sidharth Malhotra on filming in Kargil

With only a few days left for the release, the Shershaah team is ramping up the promotions for the film. In the wake of its trailer launch on Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, the team of the war film arrived in Kargil and revealed the details of the movie with Hindustan Times. While talking about shooting the movie in Kargil, lead actor Sidharth Malhotra opened up about the challenges they faced in the hilly mountains of the city.

Based on the life events of Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra, Shershaah is the first Bollywood movie to be shot in Kargil. The makers of the movie wanted to shoot the movie as authentic as possible and were faced with numerous physical challenges while executing their vision. Though the actual Kargil war was fought at the height of 17,000 feet, the actioner's team shot at an impressive height of 14,000 feet.

Continuing his statement, Malhotra revealed that the team did not have enough infrastructure and would huddle under the rocks and umbrellas during a downpour. However, the actor believed that it was the most authentic and real way for filming the movie as there were no massive sets or equipments at the location. He also stated that it was an honour for him and the other actors involved in the movie to have an experience of shooting with just one camera and crew at times. At times, crouching under a rock, the actor stated that they would forget about the shooting. The director also added that the crew found unexploded mines and shells laying around.

More Sidharth Malhotra's Shershaah

Set to release on July 12, Shershaah features Sidharth Malhotra in the double role of Captian Vikram Batra and his twin brother, Kiara Advani in the role of Dimple Cheema along with Ankita Goraya and Shiv Panditt.

IMAGE- SIDHARTH MALHOTRA'S INSTAGRAM

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Days after the so-called 'general elections' were held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) that declared the Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) as victorious, India hit out at its neighbour calling it a 'cosmetic exercise' rejected by the local people.

Addressing the media on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the sham elections in PoK were an attempt to camouflage Pakistan's illegal occupation.

The so-called elections in Indian territory, under illegal occupation of Pakistan, are nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and the material changes undertaken by it in these territories, Bagchi said.

India has lodged a strong protest with Pak authorities on this cosmetic exercise protested and rejected by local people. Such exercise can neither hide illegal occupation by Pakistan nor grave human rights violations, exploitation, and denial of freedom to people in occupied territories, he added.

Bagchi further said that Pakistan has no locus standi on the Indian territories and asked it to vacate all Indian areas under its illegal occupation.

Earlier this week, amid claims of poll rigging by the Opposition, Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party won 25 of 45 seats in PoK legislative assembly elections. During the electoral process, clashes were reported at numerous polling stations and two people lost their lives in the violence.

Protests erupt in PoK over 'poll rigging'

Besides this, citizens of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir also raised slogans demanding 'Azadi' from the Pakistan government after the election results were announced. In the video shared by PML-N's Maryam Nawaz Sharif, PoK citizens were heard sloganeering against the newly-elected PTI government in the region demanding 'Azadi' from them. Several parties such as Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) claimed that the process was 'rigged'.

Last year, Pakistan conducted the legislative assembly election in the illegally occupied region of Gilgit-Baltistan. India had slammed Pakistan for its decision to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and said any action to alter the status of the militarily occupied region has no legal basis.
India gears up to assume the Presidency at United Nations Security Council for the month of August while the powerful UN body resolutes to take a holistic approach to the issue of maritime security to safeguard common prosperity and other security interests.

On January 1, India returned to the UN Security Council for a term of two years. India will preside over the 15-nation Council from August 1.

Ambassador of India to UN, TS Tirumurti said," Conflicts have only increased during the pandemic, putting considerable pressure on UN resources even as the Council is deeply divided on major issues on its agenda. Against this tense backdrop, India has made several valuable contributions and it will assume UNSC's rotating presidency in August."

India's UNSC Presidency in 2021-22 as non-permanent member

India will assume the rotating Presidency of the UNSC which will mark the country's first Presidency during its term (2021-22) as a non-permanent member of the UNSC. The country will preside over the Council in December 2022 i.e. the last month of its tenure.

Earlier in the month, the President-elect of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Abdulla Shahid during his visit to India affirmed his support to the ongoing campaign for UNSC reform, in a bid to ensure India a permanent seat at the UNSC. Currently, the process is stalled at the UNGA in Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN).

Tirumurti clarified that maritime security attained high priority in India's foreign policy with a holistic approach. The theme will be the first time to undergo a special discussion in the vital UN organ. Noting previously passed resolutions on maritime security and maritime felony, Tirumurti has sought discussions in an integrated manner.

"We have been a net provider of maritime security, particularly in the Indian Ocean region. Consequently, we believe that it is time for the Security Council to take a holistic approach to the issue of maritime security that safeguards common prosperity and other security interests," he said.

Counter-terrorism on top priority for India

Tirumurti noted counter-terrorism as a national and utmost priority for India; he even underscored New Delhi's conviction to keep its attention on the matter intact at UNSC.

"We are firmly against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and believe there could be no justification whatsoever for terrorism," he stated.

India was amongst the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions during its Presidency tenure and strongly advocated for "proactive measures to protect the protectors." According to India's Permanent Representative to UN, Tirumurti, peacekeeping is an issue that is "close to hearts" given the country's long and pioneering intervention with peacekeeping and women peacekeepers' indulgence too.

India's contribution to UN peacekeeping

India has deployed more than 5,500 military and police serving peace operations in Abyei, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan and Western Sahara. More than 170 peacekeepers hailing from India have laid down their lives in the UN's peacekeeping missions over the last seven decades. As peacekeepers function in volatile situations, the mandate of the UNSC should be enforced, Tirumurti stated.

In May 2021, India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, K Nagaraj Naidu had coined the idea of infusion of appropriate technology to play a significant role in improving the safety and security of UNSC' peacekeepers. India has partnered with the Department of Peace Operations and the Department of Operational Support to work towards the development of a mobile app- UNITE AWAR- which will help increase situational awareness and provides terrain-related information too.

"India has contributed USD 1.64 million towards this project," Naidu had said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on an official visit to New Delhi, called on Union Minister of Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Thursday and discussed several infrastructure projects in the state, to invite global investors.

The leaders discussed issues related to road and infrastructure projects, including transport, road connectivity, and manufacturing units with electric buses. Discussions were also held on building flyovers in Kolkata.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Mamata Banerjee said, "I requested that it'll be good if we have a manufacturing industry in our state that will manufacture electric buses, electric autos, electric scooters."

On infrastructural development, Banerjee told Gadkari that West Bengal needs proper roads, as the state shares borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and northeastern states.

Chief Minister of West Bengal Sushri @MamataOfficial called on Union Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari Ji today. In the presence of officials they reviewed various road projects being undertaken in the state. pic.twitter.com/ueDD4jTys0  Office Of Nitin Gadkari (@OfficeOfNG) July 29, 2021

After Mamata Banerjee's request, Gadkari said will be holding a meeting tomorrow with West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, PWD Minister Moloy Ghatak, and Transport Secretary Rajesh Kumar Sinha. "As per the convenience of Nitin Gadkari, I'll send my Secretary to meet him," the CM said.

West Bengal road projects

Banerjee also raised issues concerning pending road and transport projects, including the deep-sea port at Tajpur, in her discussions with Gadkari. The seaport, located nearly 200 km from Kolkata, is expected to draw an investment of Rs 15,000 crore and generate 25,000 jobs in Bengal.

As per reports, she also presented a report to the Union minister on the construction of rural roads in West Bengal under the third phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Mamata Banerjee is in Delhi to initiate talks with Opposition parties to stitch together a united front against the ruling BJP. Banerjee will also meet ministers of key departments such as petroleum, aviation, railways, and commerce soon to discuss various development projects in the state.

(With inputs from agency)
A day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached Dushanbe to attend the annual meeting of the Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tajikistan, the Union minister interacted with the Indian students on Thursday where he discussed the emerging trends in healthcare and education. Explaining the objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Rajnath Singh affirmed that New Delhi has unlimited potential to explore and establish business even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Embassy of India in Dushanbe, currently, over 650 Indian students are undergoing an MBBS course in the Avicenna State Medical University located in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Read Rajnath Singh's tweet here:

Had a wonderful interaction with the Indian students studying in Tajikistan. We talked about the unlimited potential our country has and the ongoing efforts towards Atmanirbharta in India. We also discussed emerging trends in healthcare and education. pic.twitter.com/iBB2eHf36I  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 29, 2021

Earlier in the day, Singh addressed the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting and reiterated New Delhi's stand over creating and maintaining a peaceful, secure and stable region. "Any act of terror and support to such acts, including cross border terrorism, committed by whomsoever, wherever and for whatever motives, is a crime against humanity," said Singh and further assured New Delhi's support to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Had an excellent meeting with Tajikistans Minister of Defence, Col. Gen. Sherali Mirzo in Dushanbe today. We had extensive discussions on expanding defence cooperation between both the countries. pic.twitter.com/ABhONS2cWz  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 28, 2021

Earlier on Wednesday, the Defence minister met his Belarusian counterpart Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers' Meeting. In a tweet, Rajnath Singh said he had a "productive" interaction with his Belarusian counterpart where he had extensive discussions on expanding defence cooperation between both countries.

Defence Minister also extends deep condolences to COVID-19

The defence minister also extended deep condolences to friends and families of nearly 4.2 million victims worldwide who have lost their loved ones to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. "The pandemic has affected nations, civil societies and citizens in multiple ways. This is a warning sign of how non-traditional security challenges like pandemics, climate change, food security, water security and associated societal disruptions can impact the national and international landscape. Non-traditional threats and new technology have combined to form a whole new spectrum of sub-conventional security issues," read the statement released by the defence ministry.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image Credit: @rajnathsingh/ Twitter)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and extended greetings on behalf of the US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as briefed Indias Prime Minister about his fruitful exchange with EAM Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, held earlier yesterday. Blinken expressed a strong commitment to strengthening India-US bilateral ties in several key areas which include defence, maritime security, trade and investment, climate change as well as science and technology.

Our warm relationship with India is rooted in our vibrant democratic traditions. It was a pleasure to visit New Delhi and reaffirm our commitment to strengthen the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with Prime Minister @narendramodi and @DrSJaishankar. pic.twitter.com/7cSH9gBDTb  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 28, 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, conveyed his warm greetings to President Biden and Vice President Harris as he appreciated initiatives taken by US President Biden Joe Biden, particularly with respect to Quad, COVID-19 pandemic, and Climate Change, Indias ministry of external affairs stated in a press release.

The US Secretary of State acknowledged the convergence between India and the US on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues, Indias external ministry informed, adding that the former hailed the progression of the two nations mutual strategic ties into a robust and multifaceted bilateral relation.

In a subsequent tweet, Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed US President Joe Bidens strong commitment to strengthening the India-US strategic partnership as he stressed, that this continued cooperation between the two nations is anchored in our shared democratic values and is a force for global good.

Good to meet US Secretary of State @SecBlinken today. I welcome President Biden's strong commitment to strengthen the India-US Strategic Partnership, which is anchored in our shared democratic values and is a force for global good. pic.twitter.com/HlNqKVTM95  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 28, 2021

Prime Minister Modi lauded US-Indias deep commitment to the shared values of democracy, freedom, and liberty. The Indian diaspora in the US has contributed immensely to the enhancement of bilateral ties, PM Modi said, according to the statement released by Indias MEA. PM further noted, that India-US strategic partnership will be of even greater global significance in the coming years, and that the two countries will mutually overcome challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and will steer towards the global economic recovery. PM also highlighted US-Indias mutual commitment towards combatting global climate change.

PM Modi and his American counterpart discussed a range of other issues such as coronavirus response efforts, Indo-Pacific engagement, shared regional security interests, shared democratic values, and framework for addressing the climate crisis, the US Department of State, meanwhile, said in a statement.

Review of US-India's 'robust and multifaceted' bilateral relations

Speaking ahead of PM Modis scheduled meeting with US Sec, Indias MEA had stressed that, at the high-level bilateral dialogue with the US designatory, the two countries India and the United States will review their robust and multifaceted bilateral relations and the potential for consolidating those ties further. Discussions will focus on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indo-Pacific region, Afghanistan, and cooperation in the UN, the Ministry of External Affairs had informed.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has informed the Kerala High Court (HC) that it suspects Pakistan's involvement in the infamous ISRO spy case, which involved famous scientists S Nambi Narayan. The investigating agency made the submission while opposing the anticipatory bail plea of former Intelligence Bureau officer RB Sreekumar, stating that he was part of the conspiracy to derail the development of cryogenic technology.

Meanwhile, RB Sreekumar has claimed that he has never interrogated Nambi Narayan or met him. The former Intelligence Bureau officer once was accused of hatching conspiracy to frame Narayanan and others in the 1994 espionage case registered by the CBI.

ISRO Spy Case: Ex-DGP Sreekumar seeks transit bail from Gujarat HC

Earlier on July 22, the Gujarat High Court had issued a notice to the CBI and ordered protection from arrest to retired Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar till July 28 on his plea seeking transit bail in connection with an ISRO "espionage" case in which he is an accused.

Shreekumar, a Gujarat cadre IPS officer, was named as an accused, along with 17 other retired law enforcement officers, in an FIR filed by the CBI in the 1994 espionage case, in which former ISRO scientist S Nambi Narayanan was allegedly framed. While issuing the notice to the CBI, which is returnable on July 28, Justice AS Supehia granted him protection from arrest till that date.

Sreekumar had sought protection from arrest till he approaches the Kerala High Court for anticipatory bail as the matter was under its jurisdiction because the FIR was filed in the Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial Magistrate court.

Between July 1992 and April 1995, Sreekumar was posted as deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau at Thiruvananthapuram, then promoted to the IGP rank in IB and stayed there until July 2000 before being repatriated to Gujarat cadre.

In its FIR, the CBI had booked Sreekumar and others in IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save a person from punishment or property from forfeiture 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt).

Other IPC sections which were invoked against them included 330 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort confession) 195 (giving or fabricating false evidence), 348 (wrongful confinement to extort confession), 477 (falsification of accounts) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

The Supreme Court had directed the CBI to conduct an investigation into the allegations of framing Nambi Narayanan, an aerospace engineer who worked for the ISRO, on false espionage charges by the police. The top court's ruling was based on the findings of a three-member committee set up under the chairmanship of retired apex court judge DK Jain.

In its FIR, the CBI had named 18 former Kerala police officers, including Sreekumar. Narayanan, who was working at ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, was absolved of the espionage charges following a CBI probe. After the probe, he had approached the apex court seeking action against Kerala police officials who allegedly framed him. In the past, Sreekumar had been critical of the Gujarat government over its handling of the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

(Image: PTI-Representative Image)
Amid protests from locals, the Centre has clarified that the Lakshadweep administration has sent no proposal to shift its legal jurisdiction from Kerala to the Karnataka High Court. This was revealed in Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju's written response to an unstarred question by Congress MPs Anto Antony, Rajmohan Unnithan and Hibi Eden. Earlier, PTI had reported that such a proposal was mooted after 23 applications, including 11 writ petitions, were filed against the decisions taken by the Union Territory's administrator Praful Khoda Patel.

Notably, only the Parliament has the power to shift the jurisdiction of a High Court as per Article 241 of the Constitution. In another key development, the Kerala HC rejected the plead calling upon the administration to publish the draft regulations in vernacular languages, especially Malayalam. At the same time, the division bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly allowed the petitioners to approach the Ministry of Home Affairs for further relief.

Opposition seeks withdrawal of draft regulations

Multiple opposition parties including Congress, NCP, Makkal Needhi Maiam and CPI(M) have joined hands in seeking the recall of the Lakshadweep Administrator for his purported "anti-people" policies. A BJP leader, Praful Khoda Patel took charge in December 2020, thus becoming the first person from a non-civil service background to be appointed to this post. Defending the contentious rules, the Lakshadweep Collector claimed that the administration wished to develop the Union Territory as the next Maldives. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured that all their concerns will be addressed.
The High Court on Thursday came down heavily on the Delhi Drug Controller for initiating prosecution against two lawmakers from the Aam Aadmi Party for allegedly illegally procuring oxygen and supplying it to people.

"How can you prosecute them? The State, both the Delhi government and Union, failed in providing sufficient oxygen to people in Delhi. There were some Samaritans who provided oxygen. You can't prosecute them," said a division bench of the high court presided by Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh.

The court further went on to say that if the Drug Controller wishes to proceed with the prosecution of these lawmakers then it would have to also prosecute each temple, Gurudwara, and all other organisations which were indulged in the same.

"Oxygen issue is a bit of a technical type, if you prosecute these people, this way you'll have to pick up half of Delhi...why prosecute members of a particular political party then?" the bench said.

It further expressed dismay that the human tragedy that occurred during the second wave of COVID-19 is being politicized. "You're very consciously targeting political parties. It's very unfortunate. We'll not permit this. It's unfortunate that this human tragedy has been used for political gains," the bench said.

The court has now granted time till August 5 to the Drug Controller of Delhi to decide the future course of action with regards to such prosecutions. The court also clarified that the case regarding the Gautam Gambhir Foundation is however different.

It said, "The reason for picking up Gautam Gambhir's case was that he was very irresponsibly having COVID-19 medicines. He may have had the best intentions but it is not allowed."

Delhi HC orders DCGI probe into Gautam Gambhir

On May 24, Delhi High Court directed the drug agency to probe into hoarding of essential COVID medicines by BJP MP Gautam Gambhir and medical oxygen by AAP MLAs Priti Tomar and Praveen Kumar. Maintaining that the lawmakers may have had the best intentions, the court viewed their action as a disservice, directing DCGI to submit a report. The matter heard by Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh pertained to Delhi police's clean chit to nine politicians on 'hoarding medicines & oxygen supplies'.

The court noted that Gambhir had purchased 2,628 strips of Fabiflu on prescription by Dr Garg and distributed it among Delhi citizens, leaving only 258 strips for the DGHS. Similarly, in the AAP MLAs case, the court noted that oxygen cylinders were transported via the MLAs' offices instead of the nodal officers. The court had termed the clean chit given to nine politicians by the Delhi police on 'hoarding medicines & oxygen supplies' a 'wash-up report' and ordered it to file a fresh status report.

Delhi police probed nine politicians - BJP leaders Gautam Gambhir, Harish Khurana, Sujay Vikhe Patil, Congress leaders BV Srinivas, Mukesh Sharma, Anil Kumar, Ali Mehndi, Ashok Bhagel, and AAP MLA Dilip Pandey - for alleged hoarding, but gave them a clean chit stating that "they were actually helping people".
As BJP MPs boycotted the Parliamentary IT panel meeting on Pegasus row, Opposition MPs slammed the denial of quorum. Taking to Twitter, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Thursday, claimed that while the panel members had denied quorum, the witnesses from MHA and MeiTY refused to appear making up excuses. Terming Pegasus a 'no-go' area for the government, Chidambaram jr claimed that the BJP wanted to expunge Pegasus from any debate, scrutiny or enquiry.

Opposition MPs slams BJP MPs' walkout in Parl IT panel

@BJP4India members come to the IT Committee & refuse to sign the attendance register to deny a quorum. Further all the witnesses called from MiEIT & MHA wrote in excuses & didnt appear as called to testify. Its very clear that #Pegasus is a no go area for this government.  Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) July 28, 2021

Similarly, TMC MP Mahua Moitra too pointed out that no quorum had been established as 17 of 30 members had walked out of the meeting. Bristling at this blocking, Manish Tewari said that the three Union secretaries were in contempt of House for ducking a Standing committee meeting. He suggested that 100-150 MPs must file a joint Article 32 petition in SC and demand a court-monitored probe into the alleged snooping.

Am a bit amused by charges of name-calling.

IT mtng did not happen because NO quorum - members did not attend.



How can I call someone a name who was not even present!!

Check attendance sheet!@ShashiTharoor , @KartiPC @NasirHussainINC @MdNadimulHaque6  Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 28, 2021

BJP MPs seeks Tharoor's removal

On Wednesday, all 17 BJP members of the Parliamentary IT Committee boycotted the session where MHA & IT ministry officials were summoned over the Pegasus probe. Due to the absence of a quorum in the 30-member panel, the meeting had to be postponed. Moreover, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey claimed that 17 out of 30 members have lost trust in Tharoor and hence seek his removal. Tharoor stated that the matter was being undertaken under the subject of Citizens Data Privacy and Security which is an approved agenda item of the committee and earlier discussions on the Pegasus issue in November-December last year were held.

The parliamentary panel led by Shashi Tharoor summoned officials of the Ministry of Information Technology & Ministry of Home Affairs for questioning the Pegasus allegations amid the Opposition's demand for debate in Parliament over the alleged snooping. The Tharoor-led anel has already been probing into snooping allegations using Pegasus via Whatsapp since 2020. Moreover, Rahul Gandhi and several other MPs have given adjournment notices to debate the Pegasus snooping issue. Parliament has been in constant ruckus, leading to multiple adjournments as the Opposition has demanded to debate the issue.

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. While Centre has refuted all allegations, two pleas have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an SC-monitored probe into the allegations.
In a bid to bring West Bengal back on the list of global investors, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been striving hard to improve the condition of the roads, infrastructure, and industry in the state, and for the same, she met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Thursday. The meeting took place as a part of the five-day visit of Mamata Banerjee to the national capital, which is also her first visit after her landslide victory in the assembly elections in West Bengal in the month of May.

After meeting Nitin Gadkari, Mamata Banerjee addressed the media. Talking about her request to the Union Minister, the Chief Minister of West Bengal said, "I requested him for an elevated road in the Digha area. A lot of people reside there, so I thought an elevated road would be a better option as it would improve commutation without leading to the displacement of people." She added, "I also asked for the improvement of roads in some areas that were damaged due to cyclones like Yaas, Amphan."

She also requested a tiered system of road. Justifying her request, she added, "Our state shares borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and northeastern states. So, we need proper roads."

Besides roads, she also made demands for industries in West Bengal. Speaking about the same, she said, "I requested that it'll be good if we have a manufacturing industry in our state that will manufacture electric buses, electric autos, electric scooters. "

Calling the meeting a fruitful one, she outlined that Nitin Gadkari agreed to a meeting, and asked her to send her Chief Secretary for the same. The meeting will also have in attendance the PWD Minister and Transport Secretary, apart from the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, she said.

Mamata Banerjee meets PM Modi

A couple of days back, Mamata Banerjee visited 7 Lok Kalyan Marg to pay a visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking to the media, on Tuesday, after the meeting, the Chief Minister underlined that it was nothing but a 'courtesy meeting', as per the protocols specified in the Constitution of India.

She pointed out that she had raised two important issues during the meeting. "I discussed the issue of COVID-19 and the need for more vaccines and medicines in the state. I also raised the pending issue of the change of name of the state," she said, pointing out that PM Modi, during the meeting was in a good mood, and appeared healthy - both 'healthwise and mindwise.'

Apart from meeting the Ministers, Mamata Banerjee has also been paying visits to Opposition leaders. On Wednesday, the West Bengal Chief Minister, who has been on a high horse after her victory against the BJP in the recently conducted polls, met Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Strangely, while she has been accepting that the formation of a third front is on the cards, she has been mum on the topic of the leadership of the said front. Dodging the question before her meeting with the Opposition leaders, Mamata Banerjee said," I am not a political astrologer, depends on the situation. I have no problem if someone else leads."
A research report by astrophysicists from Nepal and India suggested that stars can have a midlife crisis and enter an inactive phase. The study, which was published on Wednesday, July 29, in the peer-reviewed Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, offers a novel theoretical explanation for the stellar mid-life crisis of stars in our solar system that are roughly as old as the Sun.

Astrophysicists explain why stars can face a midlife crisis

According to Dibyendu Nandy, professor at CESSI, Sun-like stars have a quick transition to an inactive period, as per observations. For stars that are roughly 4.6 billion years old, stellar activity such as sunspots, flares, and plasma wind emission decreases.

The researchers used simulations of magnetic field formation in stars to discover that around the Sun's age, the magnetic field generating mechanism can become sub-critical or inefficient. As a result, stars can exist in two separate activity states-- low activity and active. This is the first study to explain a variety of strange behaviour seen among middle-aged stars.

A constant stream of magnetised plasma or charged particles, known as the solar wind, escapes from the star, causing magnetic braking. Over time, the wind carries away angular momentum. This discharge of plasma can slow the star's rotation over billions of years.

Because of the slower rotation, magnetic fields are generated inefficiently, and star activity is reduced. This means fewer stellar spots, magnetic storms, and other phenomena in star atmospheres that are inextricably tied to the intensity of their magnetic fields, as well as the failure of the widely used technique of stellar gyrochronology. Astrophysicists all over the world utilise gyrochronology to estimate the age of a star by measuring its rotating periods. According to computational models developed by IISER Kolkata experts, gyrochronology no longer works for stars older than the sun because the link between a star's rotational period and its age breaks down as the star reaches middle age.

Stars can experience midlife crisis

Professor Nandy explained that dynamo simulations reveal that a middle-aged star like the Sun can frequently flip to a low activity mode, resulting in dramatically reduced angular momentum losses by magnetised stellar winds and the collapse of gyrochronology relations.

Divya Oberoi, an associate professor at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Pune, who was not involved in the study, said that this study finds that the solar dynamo, which is responsible for continuously generating the magnetic field on the Sun, exists in two states: its normal state, where the Sun appears to follow its usual 11-year solar cycle, and its extreme state, where the Sun appears to follow its extreme 11-year solar cycle.

The most well-known of these extended minima for our Sun is known as the Maunder Minimum,' which lasted from around 1645 to 1715. It also gives an intriguing explanation for why watching other middle-aged stars, such as the Sun, during one of these periods of low activity might result in inconsistencies in the results of a regularly used technique for estimating a star's age. If correct, this is a big step forward in our knowledge of solar cycle changes, she noted.

Picture Credit: Unsplash/RepresentativeImage
Australias Defense Minister Peter Dutton had earlier exposed Chinas belligerent approach towards the West in fulfilling its regional expansionist agenda, stating, that no matter how focused Australia is on maintaining good relations with Beijing, the CPC has been very clear about the prospect of a battle over Taiwan. I dont think it [conflict] should be discounted, Dutton had told an Australian news channel.

On Wednesday, another Australian senator delivered a dire warning against China, cautioning both Beijings Asian neighbours and the West against the Chinese threat and its intentions of waging a war, stressing that the down-under nations, including Australia, in terms of their military might, needed to bolster up. In a shocking statement, the liberal Senator and Australian Armed forces former major general asserted that the United States is unable to stop China.

[Credit: AP]

In his televised remarks, Australias Ex-major general Jim Molan on July 28 said that Australia is "not prepared at all" to fight a war in the Pacific against China, as tensions between both countries continued to simmer. While the Australian politicians, he said, are looking towards the United States to interfere and resolve regional differences should an armed conflict breaks out, America hasnt been "confident" whether it could resolve the Taiwan issue, Molan shockingly revealed.

Further in his statement broadcasted earlier yesterday, the Army major general stated, that while some think tanks believed that CPCs war with Australia over Taiwan is inevitable, it is to note that Beijing has stepped up its war game against both Taiwan and the US. Speaking to Sky News Australia, Molan asked Australia to bolster defences as he hypothetically listed a scenario of war breaking out in the Pacific.

"I'm not a believer that the Chinese nation will get on 500 ships and come down and invade Australia in the first instance, the big target for China is the US, said the Australian ex-Army Major General in his broadcasted statement. What worries me is that if China finally does move on Taiwan, the US has indicated it has no confidence that, after war game after war game and we got one more from Secretary Austin today, he stressed. Further, Molan elaborated, that the US indicated that the Americans can't deal with a Taiwan scenario with confidence, adding, weve got to look after ourselves and it's about time we started."

Molan told Australias Sky that Beijings move to squash the democratic freedom of Hong Kong was an intentional act of exerting its power. It should remind us of one thing, and that is were dealing with a country which has a particular view as to the use of power, as to the exercise of its power, its not mucking around, he warned.

[The USS Carl Vinson during the last Rim of the Pacific military exercises. Credit: AP]

Both the US and Australia have challenged Chinas extensive maritime claims in the hotly contested South China Sea. The two countries have been conducting joint freedom of navigation military exercises in the Pacific, as China has scrambled over the past few years to militarize the 3.6 million square kilometres vast the South China Sea with military-grade, underground oceanic air combat bases, Chinas PLA warships routinely patrol maritime regions from the northern edge at Taiwan to the southern edge at the Strait of Malacca, claiming sovereignty on the nine-dash line that covers over half the sea, despite that the international tribunal in The Hague had ruled against those claims.

China 'a dangerous threat,' but Canberra 'not prepared to fight'

Australias retired army general called China the most dangerous threat to the existence of Australia, quickly adding that Canberra wasnt militarily prepared to fight a war in the Pacific. Were not well prepared to fight a war in the Pacific at all, defence department mobilization reports have produced information quite publicly which indicate that this is the case, Molan told Sky in a live-streamed interview.

[The US Navy operating in the South China Sea. Credit: Bullit Marquez/AP]
Just a day later, China retaliated against US State Secretary's rendezvous on July 26 with Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Dorji Damdul, the current director of Tibet House in the national capital and a close aide of Dalai Lama. After one of the most conspicuous contacts between any representative of Tibet and American official, Beijing appeared to have hit the roof evidently in a series of Tibet-related posts by their state-affiliated news agency in a short span.

China established that they oppose "any form of US military contact with China" and its part. Via an outright message to the US, the Xi Jinping-led regime expressed hostility towards any external body attempting to redeem China's misdeeds and violations of human rights.

Setting a tone on his India visit, Antony Blinken met with the representative of Tibet spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama- Tensin Gyatso also known as Tibetan government in exile. Of late, the Tibetan advocacy groups have hailed a boost in international support amid heightened reports on criticism of China's self-imposed hegemony and human rights record.

I was pleased to meet civil society leaders today. The U.S. and India share a commitment to democratic values; this is part of the bedrock of our relationship and reflective of Indias pluralistic society and history of harmony. Civil society helps advance these values. pic.twitter.com/5NL2WiQ13o  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 28, 2021

US' interaction with Tibetan leaders irks China

A spokesperson for Beijing, Zhu urged the US to stop sending wrong signals to Tibetans and asked to abide by the one-China principle. Intensifying the gravity of her comments, she even warned authorities in Tibet that its attempts to seek US aid and use of force to resist unification with China will head to disaster.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said, "Tibetan affairs are purely China's internal affairs that allow no foreign interference." "The 14th Dalai Lama is by no means just a religious person but rather a political exile who has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities attempting to split Tibet from China," he further stated.

Zhao also ruled out the possibility of any formal contact between the US and the Dalai clique. According to Beijing, the unison is violative of the US commitment to acknowledge Tibet as part of China.

He urged the US to not support Tibetan independence and attempts to separate the invaded Tibet from China.

"We urge the US to honour its commitment to stop meddling in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Tibetan affairs. and offer no support to Tibet independence forces to engage in anti-China separatist activities. China will take all necessary measures to defend its interests," he added.

China exhibits new 'rising' Tibet

Amounting to validation by Beijing to the rest of the world in relation to China's invasion of Tibet in 1950, their state-affiliated news agency published a headline- New Tibet, the rising "Roof of the world".

Before comprehending Tibet's situation from the eyes of an oppressor, it is pertinent to note that Chinese troops invaded Tibet in 1950 and later annexed it. Tibetans and Chinese soldiers clashed violently during the 1959 Tibetan uprising and after a failed revolt against Chinese sovereignty, the 14th Dalai Lama escaped to India. Tensin Gyatso is the highest Tibetan Buddhist leader and is called the Dalai Lama who fled China and set up the government-in-exile in India. The oppression continued for over eight years until the Tibetans, aiming to overthrow the Chinese, initiated a full-swing civil uprising. Beijing claimed that Tibet is a part of its Communist regime and labelled Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist.

The results were, however, nowhere close to the expectations and, in fact, led to a complete downfall of the Tibetan Government and the self-imposed exile of Dalai Lama along with 100,000 Tibetans, established the Tibetan Government-in-exile, headquartered in Dharmshala, Himachal Pradesh. Nearly 64,000 Tibetans living in exile in India, Nepal, North America, Europe, Australia and elsewhere voted.

Exiled Tibetans chose Penpa Tsering in elections held in January and April who told Republic TV in an exclusive conversation, "The Chinese community is completely overwhelming our minority community and destroying its identity, amounting to a certain level of cultural genocide. Tibetan Buddhists' freedom of religion is being violated., he added, referring to the placement of surveillance cameras in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries."

Terming invasion as the "70th anniversary of peaceful liberation of Tibet", thr Beijing affiliated agency stated that PRC signed an accord with the local government of Tibet to help people to "break free from the fetters of invaders".

"A subsequent democratic reform in the late 1950s abolished theocracy and feudal serfdom in Tibet. The 14th Dalai Lama, clinging jealously to the system of serfdom and slavery that dominated old Tibet, fled China in the wake of a failed coup to resist the reform," the article read.

New Chinese Ambassador to US

Another development right after Antony Blinken's visit to New Delhi and subsequent to Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's recent visit to China was that Beijing delegated Qin Gang as China's new Ambassador to the Joe Biden-led administration and stated that bilateral ties between both nations "has once again come to a new critical juncture, facing not only many difficulties and challenges but also great opportunities and potentials."
Beijing/Tianjin, Jul 28 (PTI) China on Wednesday feted Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, praising the insurgent group as an "important military and political force" in Afghanistan and asked it to make a "clean break" with all terrorist groups, especially the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) - the Uyghur Muslim militant group from Xinjiang.

Amid deepening concerns here over the regrouping of the ETIM, blamed by Beijing for all the violent attacks in its volatile Xinjiang province and elsewhere in the country, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Mullah Baradar at Tianjin and sought to prevail on him to build a "positive image and establish a broad and inclusive political structure that suits Afghanistan's national realities".

Most importantly for Beijing, with reports of the ETIM militants who fought till recently in the Syrian war along with the Islamic State (IS) regrouping in Afghanistan, Wangs emphasis was that the Taliban which is rapidly advancing in Afghanistan ahead of the complete withdrawal of the US forces should not allow the Uygur militants in the war-torn country.

Mullah Baradar, who made the surprise visit to China, termed Beijing as a "trustworthy friend" and assured that his group will not permit any force to use Afghanistans territory.

A recent UN report said hundreds of ETIM fighters have gathered in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, which borders China's volatile Xinjiang province, along with militants of Al-Qaeda and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which has been waging an insurgency against Pakistan, especially in its lawless tribal areas.

"Wang pointed out that the Afghan Taliban is an important military and political force in Afghanistan and is expected to play an important role in the country's peace, reconciliation and reconstruction process, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in his updated comments at the media briefing.

"We hope that the Afghan Taliban will put the interests of the country and nation first, hold high the banner of peace talks, set the goal of peace, build a positive image and pursue an inclusive policy, Wang said.

Wang stressed that "the ETIM is an international terrorist organisation designated by the UN Security Council that poses a direct threat to Chinas national security and territorial integrity".

"Combating it is a common responsibility for the international community. We hope the Afghan Taliban will make a clean break with all terrorist organisations including the ETIM and resolutely and effectively combat them to remove obstacles, play a positive role and create enabling conditions for security, stability, development and cooperation in the region, Wang said.

The ETIM may have been listed as terror group but the previous Trump administration has lifted the ban on it as the US stepped up allegation of genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

The US and the EU besides many other countries have accused China of committing a genocide against the Muslim Uygurs in Xinjiang and called for an international probe by human rights groups.

China is vehemently refuting allegations of interning millions of Uygurs in mass detention camps which were officially termed as re-education camps.

The China-Taliban rapprochement took place after last weeks talks between Wang and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at Chengdu where both the countries decided to launch joint actions in Afghanistan.

"After in-depth communication, we decided to launch joint actions" which included making "every effort to pursue peace, give top priority to avoiding the spread of war, and prevent Afghanistan from spiralling into a full-scale civil war, Wang had said after the talks with Qureshi.

Earlier, Wang worked on trilateral diplomacy trying to iron out differences between the Afghan government, which has been accusing Pakistan of hosting the Taliban leaders on its soil, and Islamabad.

Appreciating the opportunity to visit China, Mullah Baradar told Wang that "China has always been a reliable friend of the Afghan people and commended Chinas just and positive role in Afghanistans peace and reconciliation process, according to the press release quoted by Zhao.

"The Afghan Taliban will never allow any force to use the Afghan territory to engage in acts detrimental to China, Baradar said, without referring to the ETIM.

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted a Taliban spokesman as saying that the meetings focused on the political, economic and security issues facing the two nations, as well as the peace process.

He said the group had assured China that Afghan territory would not be used to threaten the security of other nations, and that China had promised not to interfere in Afghanistans affairs but to help build peace and solve problems.

However, observers say it may be an uphill task for the Taliban to drive out or hand over Uyghur militants to China as they were part of the IS and Al-Qaeda mix.

Andrew Small, a senior transatlantic fellow with the German Marshall Fund, told the Post recently that whatever benign language the Taliban use, China remains highly concerned about the security situation there.

China previously hosted the Taliban in 2019.

Yan Wei, an international relations professor at Northwest University in China, said it was necessary for both the Taliban and China to engage each other.

"Regardless of whether the Taliban will become the government, it is a key force affecting the political development and security of Afghanistan, he told the Post.

"The Taliban can constrain some other terrorist organisations in Afghanistan. China can through the Taliban put certain constraints on other terrorist organisations, which is useful for Chinas security and regional security, he said. PTI KJV ZH AKJ ZH ZH

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In a major setback for China, two Chinese citizens who were en route to a factory in Karachi were brutally attacked by bike-borne masked men. One Chinese national was wounded and the other died. This is the second time in a row that Chinese nationals are being targeted in Pakistan. Earlier, as many as 9 Chinese workers were targeted and killed in a bus explosion. The Chinese workers who were killed were working at the Dasu hydroelectric project, which is being built by China in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Meanwhile, the Chinese government downplayed the attack and called it "an isolated case".

The Chinese workers were on their way to work when they were attacked, the gunmen riding on a motorcycle fired at the car and fled from the scene said Pakistani security personnel. Meanwhile, Chinese foreign minister Lijian expressed his confidence in the Pakistan government and said Pakistan will protect Chinese workers and property in Pakistan.

Nine Chinese nationals were killed in Pakistan

Earlier on July 14, as many as 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed in a targeted bomb attack in Kohistan, northwest Pakistan. The Chinese workers who were killed were a part of the China-Pak Dasu hydroelectric project.

Initially, the Pakistan government denied the involvement of any terrorists and said the explosion happened due to a mechanical issue on the bus. On further investigation, it was found the bus explosion was carried out by terrorists based in Pakistan.

Later, the Imran Khan-led government confirmed the explosion as a terrorist attack. The Chinese government offered condolences and urged the Pakistani government to strictly investigate the matter. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also asked Pakistan to protect Chinese nationals living in Pakistan.

Why are Pakistani terrorists killing Chinese nationals?

To connect western China to the southern Pakistani port of Gwadar, China has invested $65 billion in Pakistan. In the last six years, as a part of the CPEC project, hundreds of Chinese workers and engineers have come to work in Pakistan.

If reports are to be believed, the China-Pakistan project is not accepted by locals and separatist leaders in Pakistan. Talibani leaders who are situated in Pakistan are unhappy with the ongoing China-Pakistan project, as they claim the CPEC project gives no direct benefit to them.

China hosted a Taliban delegation

Recently, China hosted a Taliban delegation led by Mullah Baradar. As the terror outfit in Afghanistan continues to gain power in the country, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yu on "peace efforts" in the war-stricken country of Afghanistan along with other bilateral matters.

IMAGE: AP
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the embattled opposition of Belarus, expressed her hope that the United States and the European Union (EU) will impose new sanctions on money-making government enterprises that would eventually lead to the fall of authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenkos regime. According to her, the sanctions would enable a peaceful transition that pro-democracy supporters in the country are preparing for because it can happen very fast".

Tsikhanouskaya was the main opposition challenger to Lukashenko in last Augusts disputed elections. In an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday, she said that the former Soviet Union is very unprecedently collapsing in six days and the same situation can be there in Belarus and ... our task is to be mobilized". Tsikhanouskaya called on the US to take active and non-symbolic measures in response to a crackdown by the Belarusian President on the countrys dissidents.

Tsikhanouskaya returned to US to meet Biden

As per reports, Tsikhanouskaya had returned to Washington on July 28 to meet with US President Joe Biden who spoke in support of the pro-democracy supporters in Belarus. Biden even took to Twitter to say that he was honoured to meet her and added that the United States stands with the people of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human rights. While she termed her meeting with Biden a big step forward, and said that they still have a long way to go, she told AP that she was successful in securing Bidens support.

I secured the support of President Biden in that the U.S. will stand together with Belarus in our very difficult fight right now, she told AP. Tsikhanouskaya also said that the duo did not discuss the specific sanctions on Belarus but exchanged views about the need to expedite the measures that would mount pressure on the Lukashenko regime. She said that she urged the US officials to back the negotiations aimed at fresh national elections under international monitoring. She called the US the most powerful leveller".

We will see what will be (the) response, but Im sure that new sanctions are near, and American sanctions, together, of course, with the European sanctions, will have a huge impact on the regime, she said. Further, in a telephonic interview, she said, Economic pressure on the regime, on cronies, on sectors like oil, potash, steel, wood, financial sphere -- this constant pressure will help to split allies inside the regime.

(Inputs from AP)

(IMAGE: AP)


The leader of Belarus' embattled opposition hopes the United States and Europe will impose new sanctions on money-making government enterprises that will lead to the collapse of President Alexander Lukashenko's regime and a peaceful transition that pro-democracy supporters are preparing for because "it can happen very fast."

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger to Lukashenko in last August's disputed election, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the former Soviet Union very unexpectedly collapsed in six days and "the same situation can happen in Belarus and ... our task is to be mobilized."

She was visiting New York Tuesday after a round of high-level meetings in Washington with senior Biden administration officials and members of Congress where she urged the United States to take "active and non-symbolic" measures in response to a massive crackdown by Lukashenko on Belarus dissidents.

She returned to Washington on Wednesday and met President Joe Biden who tweeted that he was "honored to meet her" and that "the United States stands with the people of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human rights."

Tsikhanouskaya said in the interview that the best tool to weaken the regime is sanctions.

"We will see what will be (the) response, but I'm sure that new sanctions are near, and American sanctions, together, of course, with the European sanctions, will have a huge impact on the regime," she said.

Months of protests rocked Belarus after Lukashenko's declaration of victory for a sixth term in the August 2020 election, a vote that the opposition and the West denounced as neither free nor fair.

Belarusian authorities responded to huge post-election opposition demonstrations with a massive crackdown, including police beating thousands of demonstrators and arresting more than 35,000 people.

Leading opposition figures have been jailed -- including Tsikhanouskaya's husband who had sought the presidency -- or been forced to leave the country, while independent media outlets have had their offices searched and their journalists arrested.

The West responded to the crackdown by imposing sanctions on Belarus.

The European Union and the U.S. ramped up restrictions after Belarus in May diverted a passenger jet to Minsk to arrest a dissident journalist.

The government in neighboring Lithuania has accused Belarusian authorities of organizing a flow of migrants from the Middle East and Africa in retaliation.

While it's easy to suppress mass demonstrations, Tsikhanouskaya said, the protests in which the majority of Belarusians participated changed people, and it's impossible for the government to influence them now.

"They step by step continue to resist and it's unstoppable," she said. "They woke up and they understand everyone's responsibility for the future of our country. ... They want to build a new Belarus together, and everyone is responsible."

Tsikhanouskaya, asked about her safety, said no Belarusian is safe at the moment.

"But even if one day I disappear, the movement will not end ... because everyone is fighting at the moment," she said. "We don't need leaders of this uprising because everyone is the leader."

IMAGE: AP

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French Defense Minister Florence Parly wants to learn from her Israeli counterpart what, if anything, Israel knew about the clients of the spyware company NSO that possibly targeted the cellphones of President Emmanuel Macron and other members of the government.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was meeting Parly in Paris on Wednesday, and the French government spokesman said she planned to question him about "the knowledge the Israeli government had about the activities of NSO clients."

Gabriel Attal said Parly also wants to know what measures will be taken to prevent such "misappropriations."

France is doing diplomatic detective work to try to get to the bottom of allegations that in 2019 Macron and members of his government at the time may have been targeted by an unidentified Moroccan security service, using the NSO's Pegasus spyware.

Morocco has denied those reports and is taking legal action to counter allegations implicating the North African kingdom in the spyware scandal. NSO has also denied that Macron was targeted.

Parly did not make any public comments on her meeting with Gantz, who was in Paris on a long-planned visit, the government spokesman said.

NSO has also denied that Macron was targeted. It says it sells the product only to governments and that it is used to catch criminals and terrorists.

The Israeli Defense Ministry announced Wednesday that government officials met with representatives of NSO Group. The Defense Ministry regulates all military exports, including cybersecurity products, and private companies like NSO must receive approval to do business abroad.

"Representatives of several bodies visited the office of NSO in order to assess the allegations raised in regards to the company," the ministry said. It did not elaborate.

Israel's Channel 13 TV said Macron's phone was analyzed by NSO and it was determined that it had not been hacked. It said Gantz was delivering this "calming" message to the French.

Before that meeting, the Israeli defense minister met with members of the French Jewish community for a discussion about the rise in antisemitic attacks. He emphasized that "an attack on any Jew in the world is an attack on us as a nation," his office said.

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Russia has beefed up combat competence in its military base in Tajikistan. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on July 29, Wednesday warned the Islamic State (ISIS) millitants of illegal influx into war-torn regions through Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan. Moscow announced weapons and artillery to support its ally amid the "deteriorating" situation in Afghanistan, Shoigu announced during his visit to Tajikistan.

Russia to hold Army drills along Afghan border

Russian Defense Minister Shoigu issued a statement about the military backing along with heavy arms supply to counter the Islamic rebel group on Wednesday while he addressed the media in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. The Defence minister is on a tour to Tajakistan, where he met his counterpart Sherali Mirzo. Moscow has organized training facilities and artillery usage routines for Tajik military personnel in its 201st Russian Military Base in Tajikistan, he added. Moscow is said to send about 1000 soldiers to participate in the joint military exercise in Tajikistan next week to neutralize the radical Islamist Group.

Russian Defense Forces are said to use Tajikistan as a base to mitigate security threats to the already war-torn country, Interfax reported. Along with Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are scheduled for joint military exercises next week. The drills are said to be carried out along the Afghanistan borders, where ISIS has made its obtrusive presence, the report added. Last week, the Tajik military conducted its first-ever largest military exercise in the presence of the Taliban in its neighbourhood. A troop of about 2,30,000 soldiers participated in the drill along with another 20,000 who were deployed to strengthen Tajik-Afghan border security.

The rebel group has claimed 90 percent border controls in Afghanistan, according to ISIS. However, the Afghanistan Defence Ministry in Kabul has reluctantly refused such claims of near-border control. Meanwhile, the Soviet entry to administer military backing to Afghanistan has come after Moscow began to acknowledge the security threat to the Central Asian countries and power vacuum within the nation as a result of the outbreak along the Shir Khan border in Afghanistan following the US military evacuation. Especially, after the ISIS-led Taliban effectively took control of the main Shir Khan Bunder border with Afghanistan. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) also warned of a surge in Taliban activities post-military retreat from the conflict region.

US to continue airstrike even after 95 percent evacuation completed

The withdrawal process continues; U.S. Central Command estimates that we have completed more than 95% of the entire withdrawal process.https://t.co/V0WHZ5nZZi  U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 27, 2021

Meanwhile, the United States Army has vowed to continue airstrikes in support of Afghanistan forces fighting the rogue Taliban. US Army General Kenneth McKenzie on July 25, Sunday has announced that the US forces will provide a "heightened level of support" in the coming weeks as the Taliban continue attacks and insurgents capture scores of districts. General McKenzie, who leads the US Central Command, which controls US Forces for a region that includes Afghanistan has acknowledged the "stern test" in days ahead post-US-led foreign forces evacuate the conflict-ridden country.

Image: AP

With Inputs from AP
Spain's former King Juan Carlos has tumbled into a fresh pool of controversy on Wednesday after his ex-mistress rumoured to be his longtime partner announced that she was suing him in the High Court in London for putting her under illegal surveillance in the UK. According to the claim filed by Corinna Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein against the ex-Spanish monarch in December last year, accessed by the state and foreign broadcasters, Carlos had subjected her to the harassment from 2012 until the present time.

The accusations against Spains former monarch range from threats to defamation, and unlawful covert and overt surveillance of her ex-lover by the agents of the Spanish secret service and intelligence agencies. Reports reveal, that the latter is now seeking damages and a restraining order against Carlos, but the ex-Spanish monarch, who had abdicated in 2014, has denied any wrongdoings. His legal team meanwhile is yet to file a defence motion in the court.

The 56-year-old Danish businesswoman Sayn-Wittgenstein was introduced to Carlos at a shooting party in 2004 and had earlier told British broadcaster BBC that she was impressed with the then Spanish Kings knowledge of the firearms, that onset an affair between them. Having spoken over the phone for few months the duo decided to go on a date. The two found common ground over similar interests related to politics, history, fantastic food, wines, she told the network. The entrepreneur had then just started her consultancy business and was a single mother of two.

Affair exposed in public over 'elephant killing'

Carlos proposed Sayn-Wittgenstein in 2009, after allegedly ending a 20-year relationship with another woman. In 2012, Carlos and his partner embarked on a trip to Botswana, where he shot an elephant before fracturing its ribs. This invited an emergency reparation and his affair was exposed in public. The controversy intensified with Carlos making payment of 65m to his former lover from the $100m gift to him from the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. As their relation soured, Juan Carlos asked for the money back, which Sayn-Wittgenstein declined to hand over. The ex-Spanish King accused her of stealing the funds and defaming King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia.

While Sayn-Wittgenstein later claimed that she ended her relationship with Carlos in 2009, she alleges that the Spanish National Intelligence Agency, CNI, and its then head Felix Sanz Roldan, had started spying on her. The filing reportedly reads that she was 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.
Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday accused the U.S. and the West of waging an "economic war".

Ghaliban spoke after holding talks with Syrian officials, including his counterpart Hammoud Sabbagh, in Damascus.

Ghalibaf's visit was to increase economic ties between the two countries.

Iran has been a supporter of president Bashar Assad's regime and backed his forces in its 10 year war.

The Syrian economy has been hard hit by a decade of war, Western sanctions, widespread corruption and most recently a severe economic and financial crisis in neighboring Lebanon.

Many countries including the US have imposed harsh sanctions on Syrian officials over the years.

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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has hit out at the United States and said that it 'really messed it up' in Afghanistan by initially opting for a military solution and then considering a political solution. Khan stated that the United States sought a political solution from a position of weakness. The statement comes in the aftermath of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghan soil. The situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated as the Taliban continues its offensive against civilians and government troops.

'US really messed it up': Pakistan PM Imran Khan

In an interview, Imran Khan remarked that the United States 'really messed it up in Afghanistan' and suggested that it should have instead opted for a political solution. Khan added that the political solution should have been considered when US and NATO presence was at an all-time high during the war.

"I think the US has really messed it up in Afghanistan," said Imran Khan "The US should have opted for a political solution when the presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan was at an all-time high and not when they had reduced the troops to barely 10,000." he added

As per its deal with the Taliban, US and its NATO allies agreed to withdraw all troops in return for a commitment by the insurgent group that they would prevent extremist groups from operating in areas they control. US President Joe Biden had announced that the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan will be completed by August 31.

'Pakistan had no role in 9/11': Imran Khan

Imran Khan's statement also comes at a time when Afghanistan is in a tussle with Pakistan as the former has repeatedly accused it of aiding the Taliban. Pakistan has been accused of aiding the Taliban and its affiliates militarily, financially and with intelligence inputs in their fight against the Afghanistan government. However, Khan has dismissed the allegations as 'extremely unfair'. In addition, he also claimed that 70,000 Pakistanis lost their lives in the aftermath of the US war in Afghanistan. Khan also added that when Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan, there were no 'militant Taliban' in Pakistan denying his country's involvement in the attack on the World Trade Centre

"Pakistan had nothing to do with what happened (in New York on September 11, 2001)." said Imran Khan "We had nothing to do with," he repeated, regretting that the war in Afghanistan had resulted in a loss of 150 billion dollars to Pakistan's economy.

'6,000 Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists operating on Afghan soil': Report

As per a report prepared for the UN Security Council, about 6,000 terrorists of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are operating on the Afghan side of the border. The TTP which follows anti-Pakistan objectives also supports its Afghan counterparts inside Afghanistan against Afghan Forces, the report by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said. When asked about a recent report of 10,000 Pakistani fighters crossing over the border to help the Taliban, Imran Khan demanded evidence.

"This is absolute nonsense. Why don't they give us evidence of this?" he said '

With agency inputs
In a recent update on the Panama Papers case, on Tuesday, July 27, Pakistan Prime Minister has filed a reply concerning the identity of a "common friend" who allegedly offered him Rs 1,000 crore on behalf of Shahbaz Sharif to withdraw the Panama Papers case in the Supreme Court against then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In a written reply to the Lahore session court, Imran Khan disclosed the name of the person as Omar Farooq.

The Pakistan Prime Minister's counsel told the court, "Omar Farooq -- a common friend -- made this offer to Imran Khan".

The council said the incident was disclosed for the consumption of the public at large and in the interest of the public good which does not constitute any defamation. He said that for the past two decades, the plaintiff and the defendant have been political rivals.

The council further added that Shahbaz himself made numerous "defaming and malicious" statements against Khan and other leaders of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) as well as other political parties in the past. And further requested the court to dismiss the suit as the PML-N leader is not entitled to any damages.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Mudassir Farid adjourned the hearing till August 4.

Shahbaz filed a defamation case against Imran Khan

In 2017, Imran Khan had claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shabaz offered him Rs 1,000 crore through a common friend to withdraw the Panama Papers case in the Supreme Court against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif. But, he had not disclosed the identity of the person who offered him a bribe.

Following this allegation, Shahbaz is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, filed a defamation case against Imran Khan. And, for the past 4 years, Khan's legal team had sought adjournments on at least 50 hearings.

Shahbaz in his petition had requested the court to issue a decree for recovery of Rs 1,000 crore as compensation for the "defamatory" comment, which caused great damage to his reputation in the public.

In a statement on July 28, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb demanded an apology from Prime Minister Khan for imposing baseless allegations against the Opposition leader. She referred to Imran Khan as a pathological liar who is no longer morally eligible to hold the office of a member of the National Assembly and the prime minister of Pakistan.

She questioned, "Does a liar, incompetent and unqualified person deserve to be the leader of the Pakistani nation?"

Panama Papers scandal

Regarding the Panama Papers scandal, the Supreme Court had disqualified Sharif's plea in July 2017. He was later convicted in two corruption cases, Avenfield properties and Al-Azizia and sentenced to a seven-year jail term.

Since November 2019, the PML-N supremo has been residing in London after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treatment.

In 2020, Sharif was declared a proclaimed offender by the Islamabad High Court after he failed to appear before it despite several warnings.

(Image credit: AP/REPRESENTATIVEIMAGE)
In a shocking statement, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the Taliban is not some military outfit, but 'normal civilians'. In an interview, Khan questioned how Pakistan was supposed to hunt down the Taliban as it hosts three million Afghan refugees, the majority of whom are Pashtuns, the same ethnic group as the Taliban fighters. Imran Khan's statement comes amid a raging war between the Taliban and Afghanistan government forces. Khan has also denied claims regarding alleged Taliban safe havens on Pakistan's soil and has repeatedly shifted his argument towards the three million refugees in the country.

'Taliban are normal civilians': Imran Khan

"Now, there are camps of 500,000 people; there are camps of 100,000 people. And Taliban are not some military outfits, they are normal civilians. And if there are some civilians in these camps, how is Pakistan supposed to hunt these people down? How can you call them sanctuaries?" Khan argued. "Where are these safe-havens? There are three million refugees in Pakistan who are the same ethnic group as the Taliban..."

Pakistan continues to support Taliban, Al Qaeda

Imran Khan's statement also comes at a time when Afghanistan is in a tussle with Pakistan as the former has repeatedly accused it of aiding the Taliban. Pakistan has been accused of aiding the Taliban and its affiliates militarily, financially and with intelligence inputs in their fight against the Afghanistan government. However, Khan has dismissed the allegations as 'extremely unfair'. In addition, he also claimed that thousands of Pakistanis lost their lives in the aftermath of the US war in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan had nothing to do with what happened" on September 11, 2001, in New York said Imran Khan

However, Pakistan and its army continue to provide a safe haven to the insurgent groups and their affiliates. As per reports, the Taliban has stepped up its attack in the Nangarhar Province and captured some security check posts in border districts of Achin and Pacher wa Agam. It is believed that the insurgent group is making gains with assistance from Pakistan's army. Among other areas where increased Taliban attacks have been reported include Hesarak, Sherzad, Pacher wa Agam, Deh Bala (Hska Mina), Achin, and Surkhrod Districts.

Moreover, in the wake of rising casualties among the Taliban and its affiliates, including Al-Qaeda, a number of injured terrorists have been moved to Quetta city where they are receiving medical treatment in the Jailani Hospital. Similarly, some terrorists injured in clashes with Afghan security forces in the Spin Boldak area were also admitted to the DHQ Hospital in the Chaman district. In addition, some Afghan Taliban fighters were also brought to Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar for medical treatment.

'6,000 Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists operating on Afghan soil': Report

As per a report prepared for the UN Security Council, about 6,000 terrorists of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are operating on the Afghan side of the border. The TTP which follows anti-Pakistan objectives also supports its Afghan counterparts inside Afghanistan against Afghan Forces, the report by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said.

Situation in Afghanistan

The security situation in Spin Boldak remains turbulent as both sides have claimed to control the district. Afghan security officials have claimed to have killed Deputy Commander of the Taliban in Spin Boldak, Mullah Mujahid Nizami, and Commander of the Taliban Red Brigade, Hafiz Saidq. They have stated that the National Directorate of Security (NDS) Special Forces conducted an operation on July 26 in Surkh Rod District of Nangarhar Province killing the Taliban and injuring 6 others.

In a security meeting during his visit to Nangarhar Province on July 22, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and other government authorities had decided to form a security belt around Jalalabad city to fight and push the Taliban. In addition, the Daikundi-based Shia cleric, Ayatullah Wahizada issued a fatwa motivating people to raise arms against the insurgent groups.

As per the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Report (Jan-July 2021) that was released on July 26, there have been 5,198 civilian casualties (1,659 dead and 3,524 wounded). The report has stated that there has been a 47 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2020, including a doubling of female casualties. The figures after the commencement of the US/NATO withdrawal (May and June 2021) were 783 dead and 1,609 wounded, the highest ever for these months since UNAMA started documenting civilian casualties in 2009. However, the Taliban has rejected the report's findings as "biased".

With agency inputs
Raising their voice against Pakistan for supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Afghan diaspora held protests across the globe. The demonstration was staged in significant locations including Washington, Brussels, Denmark, Germany, and UK. The protestors not only raised their voice against Pakistan's support to the Taliban but also against the alleged capture of Gilgit-Baltistan with Beijing's assistance and abduction of Silsila Alikhil, daughter of Afghan envoy Najibullah Alikhil on July 16.

Here's how and where Afghan diaspora raised their voice:

In Washington, the demonstration was held on July 23 where the demonstrators emphasised upon activities of terror outfits in Pakistan that are being promoted by China's support.

In Brussels, the outcry was staged on July 25th where they said that Pakistan's religious seminaries are the breeding ground for terrorists.

In Copenhagen, Denmark, elements affiliated with Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) organised a protest on July 23 in front of the Pakistan Embassy against the alleged abduction of 11-years old Ulus Yar Khan by the Pakistan intelligence agency.

In Germany, Afghans came together on July 24th in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to raise their voice against 'Pakistan's intervention in affairs of Afghanistan'.

In London, Afghans came together on July 23rd outside Pakistan High Commission and raised anti-Pakistan, anti-army slogans while demanding the country to stop supporting the Taliban.

Afghanistan's allegations against Pakistan

The ties between the two nations deteriorated since the kidnap of the daughter of the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan. The tensions further escalated with Pakistan official's statement which mentioned that no evidence was found regarding the abduction of Afghan envoy Najibullah Alikhil's daughter Silsila Alikhail. Meanwhile, Afghanistan Vice President had also dragged India in the war of words with Pakistan by sharing the historic picture of 1971 post-war where the Pakistan Army had surrendered to India.

Taliban's increasing oppression in Afghanistan

Since the US Army started leaving Afghanistan's territory, the Taliban terrorists started sweeping major territories across Afghanistan. Apart from the continued fight with the Afghan Army, the Taliban's intensified oppression was witnessed after it demanded a list of all girls above 15 and widows under 45 to be married as sex slaves to the groups foot soldiers. Reportedly, all the girls and women, as per the Taliban, were to be transported to the mountainous region of Waziristan in Pakistan where they would be married to the insurgents, converted into Islam, and reintegrated into the society. On Wednesday, July 28, Afghan comedian Zwan was killed by the Taliban following his abduction and subsequent torture by the terrorists. A video doing rounds on social media showed that Nazar Mohammad was slapped several times before the Taliban executed him.

(With ANI inputs)
A Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar paid a surprise visit to China on Wednesday, July 28, and met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during which the Taliban commander described Beijing as a "trustworthy friend" and pledged that the group would not allow "anyone" to utilise Afghan territory.

Won't let anyone use Afghans territory: Taliban

This is the first time China and the Taliban have met since the US and NATO troops left Afghanistan. The Taliban's ongoing offensive, which has seen them seize a significant amount of territory from government forces, has raised fears in China that the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a separatist Uygur militant group from China's volatile Xinjiang province, will infiltrate through its Afghan borders.

Taliban spokesperson Mohammed Naeem tweeted about the China visit, he wrote, "Politics, economy and issues related to the security of both countries and the current situation of Afghanistan and the peace process were discussed in the meetings."

The group, led by Taliban negotiator and deputy commander Mullah Baradar Akhund, was also meeting China's special envoy for Afghanistan, according to Naeem, and the trip was made after Chinese authorities invited them.

Taliban delegation meets Chinese Foreign Minister

At a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian acknowledged that the team led by Baradar met Wang in Tianjin, a port city near Beijing. Wang, Baradar, and his delegation were also photographed by the Ministry.

According to the Chinese foreign ministry, China informed a visiting Taliban delegation on Wednesday that it expects the insurgent group to play a key role in ending Afghanistan's war and reconstructing the country. The Taliban delegation's visit came only days after Pakistan and China announced plans to undertake joint efforts in Afghanistan to drive out terrorists during meetings between Wang and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Chengdu, China.

The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (#ETIM) is a terrorist group designated by the #UN Security Council. To combat ETIM is a common responsibility of the international community. #China hopes Afghan Taliban will make a clean break with ETIM and all other terrorist groups. pic.twitter.com/u04gYH9xvI  Spokesperson (@MFA_China) July 28, 2021

Wang expressed hope during Wednesday's negotiations that the Taliban will be able to create a clear line between themselves and the ETIM, according to Zhao, who read a press release issued after the Wang-Baradar meeting. Hundreds of ETIM fighters have assembled in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, which borders China's volatile Xinjiang state, according to a recent UN report.

Picture Credit: AP/@MFA_China/Twitter
As Armenian-Azerbaijan tensions continue to simmer on July 29, Armenias acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suggested stationing Russian border guards along the countrys border with the former Soviet nation. Pashinyan floated the idea of deploying Russian troops on the border after three Armenian troops were killed in the cross-border hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Both sides are locked in a decades-long conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused each other of starting the fight on July 28 that left soldiers injured on either side.

As per The Associated Press report, both ex-Soviet nations opened fire at their positions on the Kalbajar section of the border. Meanwhile, the Armenian military reportedly said that its personnel were attacked by Azerbaijani forces. Armenias acting PM said on Thursday that stationing Russian border guards along the border with Azerbaijan would allow to carry out the demarcation and delimitation of the border without the risk of military clashes.

We plan to discuss the issue with our Russian partners, the acting prime minister reportedly told a government meeting.

Armenia-Azerbaijan border tensions escalate

Tensions on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been simmering since May when Armenia protested what according to it is described as an incursion by the rival troops into its territory. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has laid emphasis on the fact its soldiers were deployed to what according to it is its own territory in areas where the border has yet to be demarcated.

The clash on Wednesday was reportedly one of the deadliest since the end of a 6-week war over Nagorno-Karabakh last fall. In November 2020, Russia had brokered a deal that led to the cessation of an offensive that claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people. Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but was under the control of ethnic Armenian separatists supported by Armenia since a previous war ended back in 1994.

The truce brokered by Russia had allowed Azerbaijan to reclaim its control over the major parts of the disputed landlocked region in the South Caucasus and the adjacent areas. Moscow has also deployed around 2,000 peacekeepers in the region.

(With inputs from agencies)

(IMAGE: AP)


Bhutan has vaccinated more than 90% of its eligible population with the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine within seven days. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan with a population of 800,000 began administering the second dose of vaccine on July 20. The mass vaccination drive of the country has been praised by UNICEF as "arguably the fastest vaccination campaign to be executed during a pandemic."

Bhutan vaccinates 90 per cent of its population

The Bhutan Health Ministry in a Facebook post said that 90.2% of its eligible population was fully vaccinated. It added that 61.8% of the total population was fully vaccinated. Bhutan started its vaccination drive in April after neighbouring country India sent the first set of 550,000 shots of AstraZeneca vaccines. The country used all the shots to vaccinate its population with the first dose. The vaccination drive received a setback after India a major supplier of the AstraZeneca shot, halted exports due to the rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

Bhutan however, restarted its vaccination drive last week after it received the Moderna vaccine from the United States under the UN-backed COVAX program. The country received more than 400,000 AstraZeneca shots from Denmark, Croatia and Bulgaria in the last two weeks. It also received some 5,000 shots of the Pfizer vaccine through COVAX. More than 3,000 health workers worked to vaccinate the population of Bhutan. About 1,200 vaccination centres were made across the country to ensure that every adult received the vaccine.

Dr Sonam Wangchuk, a member of Bhutans vaccination task force told The Associated Press that health workers trekked for days through landslides and pouring rain to reach extremely remote villages to administer doses to those who were unable to reach the vaccination centre. According to Bhutan Health Ministry, the country has reported 2,501 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. Among them, 2,331 people have recovered while there were 168 active cases in the country. Two persons have died due to the coronavirus in Bhutan.

IMAGE: AP/PMOBhutan/Facebook

Inputs from AP
Kuwait's government announced on Tuesday, July 29 that unvaccinated citizens will be barred from travelling overseas. The rule will be effective from August 1. The travel ban does not apply to children under the age of 16 or those who have received a Health Ministry exemption. Pregnant women with acceptable proof of pregnancy will also be granted an exemption.

Since May 22, Kuwaitis who have gotten one dosage of the Coronavirus vaccine have been authorized to travel overseas. However, under the new rules, passengers must have taken both the doses of their government-approved vaccine and must display the green colour in a phone app designed by the Ministry of Health before boarding a plane.

Kuwaitis who leave the country must also have health insurance that covers COVID-19-related illnesses. Kuwait stated this month that non-citizens can travel to Kuwait starting August 1 if they are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines, six months after barring its borders to international travelers.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, the country of 4.8 million people has recorded over 394,000 cases of the virus and almost 2,200 deaths. The Kuwaiti government announced on Monday that it was easing restrictions on commercial operations such as malls, restaurants, and cafes, citing a decrease in coronavirus cases. Weddings, business conferences, and other large social gatherings are still outlawed. On September 1, children's activities, including summer camps, will reopen.

Emirates extends ban on flights from India, Pakistan

Passengers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka will be unable to travel to Dubai until August 7. Passengers connecting through India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka in the previous 14 days will not be allowed to travel to the UAE from any other place. Nationals of the United Arab Emirates, holders of UAE Golden Visas, and personnel of diplomatic missions who follow revised COVID-19 protocols are excluded and may be allowed to travel.

The embargo on inbound flights from India has been extended again. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) have put a stop to all inbound flights for national and international carriers coming from India as of April 24. The flying prohibition was initially attributed to an increase in the COVID-19 virus's "Delta" version. The resumption of travel has been postponed on multiple occasions.

Thousands of Indians who flew home from the UAE when travel restrictions were loosened have been stranded in India due to new regulations that have taken effect. India is the UAE's largest source of market, accounting for roughly a third of all exports. In 2019, there were around 3.42 million Indians living in the United Arab Emirates.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, two major UAE airlines, Etihad and Emirates, have extended the suspension on flights from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to Dubai. According to Geo News, Emirates has suspended flight operations till August 7, while Etihad has prolonged the stoppage until August 2.

UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions are allowed to travel

According to Emirates' travel advisory, "In line with UAE government directives, Emirates will be suspending the carriage of passengers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Dubai until 07 August 2021." It further stated, "UAE nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with updated COVID-19 protocols, are exempt and may be accepted for travel."

Passengers who have connected through India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka in the previous 14 days will not be allowed to go to the UAE from any other place. Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, the UAE's official carrier, has declared that flights between India and Pakistan and the Gulf state will be banned until at least August 2.

Hi Malik, as per current regulations, all the flight from Pakistan have been suspended until 02 August 2021, subject to extension. Please visit our website here https://t.co/hWA7ZGfiaF for latest update. Thank you. *Mia  Etihad Help (@EtihadHelp) July 26, 2021

Earlier, the government extended the flight suspension on July 24th

On July 24, the government issued an official announcement that due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Emirates extended its flight suspension from India, Pakistan, and three other South Asian countries until July 28. The decision was made in accordance with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government's directives. Although it said that UAE nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas, and personnel of diplomatic missions who are up to date with COVID-19 protocols, are exempt and may be permitted for the voyage.

It also stated that passengers who have travelled to any of these four countries in the previous 14 days will be prohibited from flying with UAE-based airlines. Last week, Emirates' Chief Operating Officer, Adel Al Redha claimed that the airline was awaiting orders from the UAE government to either extend or lift the restriction.

The travel prohibition was extended by Emirates due to the highly transmissible Delta variant of coronavirus. Similarly, Etihad Airways, the UAE's second flagship carrier, had previously suspended flights to India until July 31. Etihad Airways announced in an official announcement that it would stop flying to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and two other Southeast Asian nations.

(Inputs from ANI)

Tweet- @EtihadHelp
Moussa Diawara, the former Malian espionage head, has been prosecuted and detained in connection with the disappearance of a journalist in 2016, international reports said citing judicial and security sources. Diawara, who led the West African state's intelligence services under ex-president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, has been charged with participation in the abduction of journalist Birama Toure, according to a legal official.

According to a gendarmerie source, the ex-spy head is currently being held in Bamako, the capital. His arrest comes after Malian investigators requested an arrest warrant for Keita's son, Karim Keita, earlier this month in connection with the same affair.

Birama Toure worked for Le Sphinx before going missing

Before going missing in 2016, Birama Toure worked for the Bamako weekly Le Sphinx and was purportedly chasing a storey that would have harmed Karim Keita's reputation.

Before the army deposed his father in a coup in August 2020, Keita was a prominent figure in Malian industry and politics. The son of the former president, who fled to the Ivory Coast after the coup, has always denied any involvement in Toure's abduction.

Diawara is well-known in Mali for his friendship with Karim Keta, the former deputy and powerful president of the National Assembly's defence committee, who fled to Cote d'Ivoire following his father's fall in August 18, 2020. Colonel Assimi Gota, Mali's leader, is the mastermind behind two putsches in nine months, the first on August 18, 2020, and the second at the end of May.

In early July, a Bamako investigating magistrate issued an international arrest warrant for the former president's son. Birama Toure addressed Karim Keta regarding a file he portrayed as compromising for the president's son, according to Adama Drame, the director of the Sphinx. Karim Keta, who has consistently denied any role in the reporter's disappearance, has so far refused to appear in front of his country's courts to explain himself.

Birama Toure was tortured for several months

Birama Toure was tortured for several months before being executed "with three shots" at the end of 2016, according to a witness, whose identity RSF does not reveal for security reasons. In a news release issued on Thursday, the organisation praised Moussa Diawara's arrest, calling it "a turning point" after "years of indifference."
On Thursday, Republic TV accessed a letter issued by the office of Taliban head Mullah Hibatullah which exposes the nefarious nexus between the terror group and Pakistan. It orders the fighters to not only give shelter to Pakistani terrorists but also treat them well. As per sources in the Afghanistan government, thousands of fighters from Pakistan are joining ranks with the Taliban on a daily basis.

Commenting on this, Colonel VN Thapar (retd.) remarked, "Pakistan has been the originator of this problem. Pakistan is the agent provocateur. For Pakistan not to protect them will be news. But for Pakistan to protect them is no news."

Exposing Pakistan's real intentions on Wednesday, its PM Imran Khan told PBS NewsHour in an exclusive interview that the Taliban are "normal civilians". When asked about his country's military, financial and intelligence support to the Taliban, he dismissed this allegation as "very unfair". He highlighted that thousands of Pakistani nationals had lost their lives in the aftermath of the US war against terror in Afghanistan.

Imran Khan stated, "Now, there are camps of 500,000 people; there are camps of 100,000 people. And the Taliban are not some military outfits, they are normal civilians. And if there are some civilians in these camps, how is Pakistan supposed to hunt these people down? How can you call them sanctuaries?"

Here is the letter:

As the US military mission in Afghanistan comes to an end on August 31, concerns have grown over the Taliban push back against the elected government in the country. While the US-led coalition forces had ousted the terrorist organization from power in 2001 following the 9/11 terror attack, it has been gradually regaining territory over the last few years. Many Afghan officials have regularly accused Pakistan of providing a safe haven to the Taliban top brass. For instance, Afghanistan's First Vice President Amrullah Saleh claimed that the Taliban is guided by Pakistan's special forces from Peshawar and Quetta.

Though the Taliban had committed to cut ties with foreign terror outfits threatening the security of the US and its allies as per the agreement signed on February 29, 2020, it is believed that Pakistan-based outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed are active in Afghanistan. Speaking on the floor of Pakistan's National Assembly recently, PTM parliamentarian Mohsin Dawar stressed that his nation exports Taliban terrorists to Afghanistan. Moreover, Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has admitted that the kin of many Taliban terrorists lives in his country.
In the wake of the rising spread of the Delta variant across various countries of the world, the Ireland government on Tuesday decided to open vaccination against COVID-19 for children up to 12 years of age. The decision comes a day after the country opened up vaccine registration for 16-17-year-olds to get the jab.

Ireland opens vaccination for 12 & above

The Ireland government decided to expand their vaccination program by adding another age group, after the recommendation from Dublins jab taskforce. In its statement, the government said that there was a warning by the top experts that the Delta variant still poses "a significant risk" in the country despite a significantly high vaccination pace. The government added that after consulting the cabinet minister, it has "accepted advice" from Dublin's jabs taskforce, which has recommended the extension of the vaccination programme to children aged 12-15.

In its mandate, the government also said that it will review the decision with the planning and operations team in the coming days. Further steps will be taken after considering the operational and clinical perspectives. Health Minister has recommended that children shall be inoculated with mRNA based vaccines only, which have been approved by the European Medicines Agency. This will include Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. He also pointed at the rise in the cases among the younger people in the country and termed the vaccination necessary. He said the country is observing a surge in the COVID-19 cases, especially among young people. Stephen Donnely emphasised that vaccination along with adherence to the COVID-19 preventive measures and public health advice is the best way to stay protected.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Ireland government had allowed Irish teenagers (16-17) years old to get themselves registered for getting the vaccine against COVID-19. This age group also is only allowed to take mRNA Covid vaccinations. Health Ministry earlier in July permitted the vaccination for the 18 plus age group. Now in the country, people aged 16 and above are eligible to get vaccinated.

COVID-19 situation in Ireland

The country has recorded around 2,95,386 coronavirus cases till now and more than five thousand people have lost their lives due to the fatal disease. The country has been able to vaccinate around 69% of its population fully and around 81% have been administered the first dose. Over 5.5 million doses have been administered till now.

Image: AP
At least six Rohingya refugees died on Tuesday while thousands were forced to relocate in refugee camps in Bangladeshs southeast after the monsoon rains triggered landslides and flash floods in the hilly areas. The Rohingyas who lost lives in the disaster included three children who were reportedly buried and killed after part of the hill crushed their bamboo-and-tarpaulin shanties in the Balukhali camp. The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency said in a statement on July 28 that it is deeply saddened by the situation.

As per the initial reports, the UN agency said that over 1,200 refugees were impacted as strong winds pelted massive refugee sites in Bangladeshs Cox Bazar area and caused floods and landslides. UNHCR said in a statement on Wednesday that around 2,500 shelters have been either damaged or fully destroyed. This years monsoon season led to more than 300 mm of rain falling on camps on Tuesday. These camps house over 800,000 Rohingya refugees. The rainfall on July 27, according to UNHCR is nearly half the monthly rainfall average for July in one day.

Furthermore, such heavy downpours are expected in the upcoming days with the monsoon season that would last over the next three months. With the climatic condition in the region coupled with the grim situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rohingyas are facing compounded problems.

UNHCR teams deployed in the area

UNHCR said, In support of the government-led response, UNHCRs network of Emergency Response Teams have been deployed, to provide immediate support and assistance to affected families and to those forced to temporarily relocate. Teams are also assessing the damage to shelters and initiating immediate shelter repairs and site improvements. Ensuring access to essential services for all those affected is another priority.

Refugee volunteers trained by UNHCR, and partners are also working day and night in heavy rain to help families in urgent need. In some cases, this has involved rescuing refugees from shelters destroyed by landslides. So far, more than 5,000 refugees have temporarily relocated to other family members shelters or communal facilities. The adverse weather, latest landslides and floods further exacerbate the suffering and massive humanitarian needs of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, it added.

(IMAGE: BDRCS/UNHCR)
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, on Thursday morning in a move to bolster ties with Vietnam, one of the Southeast Asian nations embroiled in a territorial rift with China.

Vietnam and the Philippines are among China's fiercest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has ignored its neighbors' protests and has constructed several islands equipped with airstrips and military installations.

Vietnam has previously accused China of obstructing its gas exploration activities off its southern shores.

Austin's visit comes as Vietnam is in the grip of a coronavirus surge, with Hanoi and half of the country in lockdown.

The US has donated 5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, part of the 80 million doses that President Joe Biden pledged to lower-income nations around the world.

Austin is on a two-day visit of the country, which started Wednesday.

He leaves for the Philippines on Friday.

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Supporters of Peru's new President Pedro Castillo said they were very happy that one of "our own" was going to lead the nation.

"I am extremely proud of this historic event," said supporter Alberto Noriega outside the Congress where the swearing-in was to taking place. "That a brother, one of ours, arrives at the government gives hope to us all."

Castillo, a leftist political novice who has promised to be a champion of his country's poor, took oath on Wednesday.

The rural teacher who has never held political office before was sworn in less than two weeks after he was declared the winner of the June 6 runoff election.

He is Peru's first president of peasant origin.

In a ceremony in the capital of Lima, Castillo made a commitment "for God, for my family, for my peasant sisters and brothers, teachers, patrolmen, children, youth and women, and for a new Constitution."

He then he sang the national anthem, taking off his signature hat and placing it over his heart.

He succeeds President Francisco Sagasti, whom Congress appointed in November to lead the South American nation after weeks of political turmoil.

IMAGE: AP

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Tennessee Titans wide receiver Julio Jones is facing allegations of illegally harvesting and selling millions of dollars of cannabis in California, according to court records.

California-based cannabis company Genetixs filed the suit earlier this month against a handful of defendants including Jones, former Atlanta Falcons player Roddy White and White's company, SLW Holdings  one of the five entities that comprise Genetixs.

The complaint claims that the defendants have failed to report cannabis sales since March, estimating that the defendants have harvested and sold $3 million worth of cannabis per month.

The scope of said defendants theft, black-market sales, money laundering, and diversion of assets and expenses without documentation or approval, is staggering and has caused, and is causing, Genetixs substantial and irreparable harm and damage, the 26-page lawsuit states.

An attorney representing Jones, White and White's company, SLW Holdings, described the allegations in the lawsuit as conspiracy theories.

The vague allegations against SLW Holdings LLC and its members Roddy White and Julio Jones are meritless, attorney Rafe Emanuel told The Tennessean. In May, SLW obtained a temporary restraining order in a related civil case to prevent unlawful conduct involving Genetixs LLC. In reply, the defendants argued conspiracy theories that were not proven by evidence in court, nor were they substantiated before any agency."

A spokesperson for the Titans said the team was aware of the lawsuit but would not provide a comment.

The lawsuit said that Jones and White worked with two other defendants to run a black-market sales of cannabis" out of the Genetixs facility in Desert Hot Springs, California.

The complaint alleges Genetixs fired a manager in March after a state inspection of the Genetixs facility reported several violations. The complaint also says that the manager failed to report cannabis sales and refused to provide budgets and other business paperwork to Genetixs.

After the firing, Genetixs' complaint states, Jones, White and the others operated an illegal black-market operation from the Genetixs Cannabis Facility to sell cannabis and misappropriate the illegal sales proceeds without reporting them.

Jones, 32, was traded to Tennessee in June. He left as the Falcons all-time leader in catches and receiving yards.

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With coronavirus cases rising throughout Iowa and around the nation, health experts are becoming increasingly worried about next months Iowa State Fair, which will bring more than 1 million people to Des Moines from around the state, including many from counties with low vaccination rates and increasing prevalence of the disease.

Iowas biggest annual event comes at a time when giant summer events will draw crowds throughout the nation, including in states that are experiencing more virus infections due to low vaccination rates and growth of the Delta variant. They range from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota to the Minnesota State Fair, which typically draws more than 2 million people.

In Iowa, officials have encouraged people to get vaccinated, but the state's Republican-majority legislature and governor have blocked local governments from imposing vaccination or mask requirements, so there will be no limits on who can attend the fair when the event begins its 11-day run on Aug. 12.

Unfortunately our current leadership has turned their back on science and turned their back on whats available to us to fight this pandemic and leaving Iowans struggling against what could be prevented, said Dr. Megan Srinivas, an Iowa-based infectious disease physician nationally recognized for her research, which includes COVID-19.

She said people have the misconception that being outdoors ensures safety, when the virus actually can spread in large dense crowds such as state fairs and large concert venues.

Anytime we see a large congregation of people especially with the mixed vaccination status, were going to see high risk for transmission and increases in transmission, she said.

In addition, the Delta variant is two to three times more transmissible than prior virus strains, creating an additional risk among fairgoers as they stand in line for food, share condiment dispensers and hop into carnival rides, Srinivas said.

The Iowa State Fair will be in Polk County, where health department spokeswoman Nola Aigner Davis expressed concern about the states virus trends and a reluctance to get vaccinated or wear masks.

We know what the numbers say. We know that our cases are going up. We know trends are going up. What is the safe thing to do when people cant get vaccinated? They need to wear a mask, Davis said.

Asked Wednesday if she was concerned about infections at the Iowa State Fair, Gov. Kim Reynolds didn't directly answer but advised potential fairgoers to get vaccinated and noted most people hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated.

So its a decision that theyve made, she said. Theyve made the calculation on whether to do it or not and so I dont feel that we should punish everybody because some have made the decision not to.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that 49% of Iowans were fully vaccinated, ranking the state 21st in the nation. In at least 18 of Iowa's 99 counties, fewer than 40% of the population is vaccinated, and CDC data shows 35 counties with a high rate of spread and 12 counties with substantial spread of the virus.

Iowa also has the sixth-lowest testing rates in the nation among states reporting the data, which could make it difficult to pinpoint an outbreak if one occurs.

Srinivas said she's also concerned by RAGBRAI, an annual week-long bike ride across Iowa that continues through Friday, drawing about 15,000 cyclists from around the country to small towns in counties with some of the state's lowest vaccination rates.

She called it the perfect environment for outbreaks to occur.

In South Dakota, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is expected to attract over 700,000 people. The event went forward last year amid the pandemic, leading to 463 infections traced among rallygoers. Many health experts labeled the event a superspreader. Cell phone data shows that, for two weeks in August, the rally turns the normally-sleepy city of Sturgis into a travel hub comparable to a major U.S. city.

Its sort of the perfect storm for pandemic spread, said Dr. Doug Lehmann, a doctor who runs a health clinic in Rapid City.

While South Dakota this summer has seen significantly lower case rates compared to last year, local doctors are still worried the massive crowds could lead to a fresh surge.

This year, theres a lot of forces that are coming together to make it potentially worse (than last year), said Dr. Jim Buchanan, a retired physician.

Only about 37% of people in Meade County -- where the rally will be held -- have been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Chicago, the citys top public health officials said Tuesday that shes still comfortable with the four-day Lollapalooza music festival set to begin Thursday. Organizers are requiring attendees to show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result, Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday. People attending all four days will have to be tested at least twice.

The festival  the citys largest music event  is expected to draw 100,000 people each day to Chicagos Grant Park. Those who are not fully vaccinated must wear face masks when they are attending the festival.

The Minnesota State Fair will be back starting Aug. 26 after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. It typically draws more than 2 million visitors during its 12-day run, which ends on Labor Day.

Nearly all of Minnesotas pandemic restrictions have been lifted, so fair officials dont anticipate daily attendance limits. As things currently stand, masks will not be required for guests but are strongly encouraged for anyone not fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccination will not be required. Hand sanitizer will be provided at locations throughout the 322-acre fairgrounds in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights.

Garth Brooks fans will have a chance to be vaccinated against COVID-19 when the country music star performs at Arrowhead Stadium on Aug. 7. Chiefs president Mark Donovan said Monday the team plans to take every opportunity to offer vaccinations at Arrowhead, The Kansas City Star reported.

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California and Nevada on Wednesday toured a state line area blackened by one of several massive wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in the West.

Cooler weather and even some rain helped in the battle against some of the largest blazes but fire officials warned that hotter, drier weather will return later in the week and could pose a threat of renewed fire ferocity.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, both Democrats, surveyed some of the damage from the Tamarack Fire that has swept through an area south of Lake Tahoe along the border of both states.

Both governors called for more federal aid to help western states battling wildfires amid record heat waves and historic drought conditions across the region.

"I want to reach out to our federal government and say we need some more help," Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said. "We need to hire more firefighters. We need to have a more federally orchestrated planned response to these fires."

The 106-square-mile (275-square-kilometer) Tamarack Fire was more than halfway surrounded by containment lines. At least 23 buildings have burned since lightning sparked the fire on July 4.

Evacuation orders for about 2,000 residents on both sides of the state line were lifted early in the week.

Tuesday saw thunderstorms that brought some rain and cooler and more humid weather that made grass and brushy areas less prone to burning, fire officials said. The chance of thunderstorms with some rain, possibly heavy at times, was expected to continue through Friday.

It fell gently overnight over the whole fire and coupled with firefighter efforts moderated the ferocity of the blaze. It was a welcome relief from the fiercely dry, hot weather that had scorched much of the West only a week or two earlier, when flames feeding on bone-dry fuel raged through a dozen states.

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.

Californias largest blaze, the Dixie Fire, was 23% contained but remained a threat to more than 10,000 homes in the region about 175 miles (282 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.

The fire had scorched nearly 340 square miles (880 square kilometers), an area bigger than New York City. Weather conditions trapped smoke over the blaze and the shade helped lower temperatures and keep humidity up but authorities said temperatures could warm up to well above normal in the second half of the week.

The Tuesday night incident status sheet showed 34 structures and 19 minor structures destroyed, and seven other structures damaged. It did not specify the types of structures.

Nearly 80 large, active wildfires that have blackened more than 2,300 square miles (6,000 square kilometers) continued to burn through 11 Western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

On Tuesday, record-breaking heat hammered the northern Rockies and smoke from dozens of large wildfires as far away as California drove pollution 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.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon. Their appearance comes two days after al-Kadhimi met with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office.

The Iraqi prime minister is also scheduled to meet with Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell shortly after his appearance with Pelosi.

"It is a great honor to welcome the prime minister of Iraq to the United States Capitol," Pelosi said.

"We Americans feel that we've had a close relationship over the years and want to continue working together for stability in the region," she said.

Pelosi also mentioned working with Iraq to fight the pandemic, as well as climate change.

On Monday, President Joe Biden said the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year.

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.

Biden told reporters that his administration remains 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.

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.

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his GOP counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Khadimi to the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon.

The two Senate leaders met the Iraqi prime minister, and his delegation, for lunch at the Capitol.

Earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomed Iraq's top political leader on the other side of the Capitol.

On Monday, President Joe Biden met with al-Khadimi in the Oval Office and said 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.

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.

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.

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A Wisconsin judge on Wednesday found probable cause to charge a police officer in the 2016 slaying of a Black man who was sitting in a parked car, taking the rare step of overruling prosecutors years after they declined to charge the officer.

Milwaukee County Judge Glenn Yamahiro said probable cause existed to charge Joseph Mensah with homicide by negligent use of a weapon in Jay Anderson Jr.s death. He ordered a special prosecutor to formally file the charge within 60 days.

Yamahiros decision marks a victory for Andersons family, who took advantage of a little-used provision in state law to ask the judge for a second look at the case.

Mensah, who is also Black, discovered the 25-year-old Anderson sleeping in his car at 3 a.m. in a park in Wauwatosa, a Milwaukee suburb. Mensah said he shot Anderson after Anderson reached for a gun, but Anderson's family disputes that and the judge on Wednesday said the evidence did not back up Mensah's version of events.

Anderson was the second of three people Mensah shot to death during a five-year stint with the Wauwatosa Police Department. Prosecutors cleared him of criminal wrongdoing in each case.

Andersons family asked Yamahiro to review that case under an obscure state law that allows judges to directly question witnesses in whats known as a John Doe proceeding. A judge who finds sufficient evidence for charges can file them directly, leaving prosecutors out of the equation. At least six other states have similar statutory provisions, but attorneys say the process is rarely used in Wisconsin.

The judge said he decided that the single charge against Mensah was warranted based on testimony about the circumstances of the shooting. Mensah should have been aware that pulling his weapon on Anderson created an unreasonable risk of death, Yamahiro said.

Mensah could have taken steps to de-escalate the situation, including waiting for backup that was on the way, the judge said.

Anderson's behavior was consistent with someone who was intoxicated, had been asleep and was trying but having difficulty complying with Mensah's orders, Yamahiro said.

The evidence did not back up Mensah's claims that Anderson was pretending to be asleep or that Anderson lunged for his weapon, the judge said.

The judge also noted problems with the investigation and cited what he said were structural defects with having neighboring law enforcement agencies investigate one another and nearby district attorneys make charging decisions.

He ordered a special prosecutor to be appointed to handle the case.

Mensah joined the Wauwatosa Police Department in 2015. That year he fatally shot Antonio Gonzales, who identified as Latino and American Indian. Prosecutors said Gonzales refused to drop a sword.

The Anderson shooting came the next year. Then, in 2020, Mensah fatally shot 17-year-old Alvin Cole as Cole fled from police during a disturbance in a mall. Mensah said he shot Cole, who was Black, after he pointed a gun at him. That set off months of protests. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholms decision not to charge him in that shooting led to more protests in Wauwatosa in October.

Mensah remained under pressure even after being cleared in Coles death and resigned in November. He collected a $130,000 severance payment and now works as a Waukesha County deputy, another Milwaukee suburb.

Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson, who hired Mensah as a deputy in January, didnt immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Motley, the Anderson familys attorney, also represents the Gonzales and Cole families. She said she is considering invoking the John Doe process for them.

IMAGE: AP

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The Cambodia Democracy Act provides for sanctions on officials responsible for uprooting democracy in the country.

CNRP activist Pen Chan Sangkream (R) participates in a protest outside the municipal courthouse in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh in an undated photo.

A Cambodian court has convicted a former commune councilor from the outlawed main opposition party of incitement to commit a felony for participating in weekly protests demanding the release of other arrested opposition party members, sentencing him to 18 months in prison, his lawyer said.

The ruling Wednesday came the same day that the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed an act calling for sanctions on Cambodian officials responsible for undermining democracy in the Southeast Asian nation  the first step in legislation punishment for abuses in Phnom Penh.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court also ordered Pen Chan Sangkream, an activist for the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) who served as a local official in the capitals Daun Penh district, to pay a 3 million-riel (U.S. $728) fine.

Police arrested Pen Chan Sangkream on Dec. 23, 2020, with court officials charging him the same day with incitement to commit a felony for participating in several Friday protests in the capital, organized by family members of detained opposition activists to call for their release.

He was remanded to pre-trial detention in Prey Sar Prison, where he has been for the past seven months.

The Friday Wives group of women holds weekly protests demanding the release of their husbands, CNRP members who were jailed on incitement charges for opposing Prime Minister Hun Sens crackdown on the party.

Cambodias Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP in November 2017, two months after the arrest of its leader Kem Sokha for his role in an alleged scheme to topple Hun Sens government. The ban, along with a wider crackdown on NGOs and the independent media, paved the way for the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win the countrys 2018 general elections.

CNRP activists, their relatives, and their supporters still face backlash, targeted and beaten by anonymous attackers, mostly by motorbike-riding assailants who hit them with batons, bricks, and their vehicles.

Pen Chan Sangkream refused to accept the verdict and asked his lawyer to appeal the decision, said the attorney who declined to be named for safety reasons

Am Sam Ath, deputy director of the human rights monitor Licadho, told RFA that the former official did not commit any crime because he was expressing his views under Cambodias right of freedom of expression, and that the charge was politically motivated.

This conviction will lead to more criticisms against the threats, intimidation, and persecution of opposition activists, he said.

RFA was unable to reach court spokesman Y Rin for comment.

Also on Wednesday, the Tboung Khmum Appeal Court postponed a ruling to Aug. 4 in the case of another CNRP activist, Kong Sam An, who also had participated in the Friday protests.

The 69-year-old, CNRP commune councilor was arrested in September 2020 and sentenced to seven years in jail on conspiracy charges. He has been in prison for nearly a year.

Kong Sam Ans wife, Eab Sour, told RFA she was disappointed with the delay because she had gone to the courthouse expecting the ruling on Thursday.

She urged the court to release her husband saying he did not commit any crime.

Please release him on Aug. 4, she said. He is innocent. Let him leave to live peacefully because he has been suffering for almost a year already.

Am Sam Ath said that the arrest of Kong Sam An was also politically motivated and that he should not have never been convicted in the first place.

We have seen since the beginning that all these cases have been politically motivated, so the politicians need to have talks or continue their culture of dialogue so we will have hope that all activists will be released, he said.

Sanctions legislation introduced

In Washington on Wednesday, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed the Cambodia Democracy Act, which provides for sanctions on officials responsible for uprooting democracy in the country.

The bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Steve Chabot and Alan Lowenthal, the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Cambodia, allows the U.S. president to impose sanctions on Cambodian officials deemed responsible for actions that undermine democracy in the Southeast Asia country of nearly 17 million people.

It also allows the president to suspend the sanctions if Cambodia makes significant progress towards ending government efforts to undermine democracy and commit human rights violations.

Prime Minister Hun Sen and his cronies must face significant consequences from the United States in response to their arrest of Kem Sokha and the dissolution of the opposition party in 2017  a crackdown that has continued until today, Chabot said in a statement.

The Cambodia Democracy Act will hold him accountable and support Cambodians legitimate democratic aspirations, he said.

Sanctions under the act are the price Hun Sen and his regime must pay for their relentless assault on the freedom of the Cambodian people, said Lowenthal.

From shuttering or co-opting the free press, to banishing political opponents, to holding a sham election declaring him the peoples choice, the regime of Prime Minister Hun Sen has done everything in its power to destroy any hope of democracy in Cambodia, he said.

In November a group of U.S Senators publicly called on the Trump administration to impose targeted sanctions against the senior leadership of the CPP under the Global Magnitsky Act that targets perpetrators of rights abuses, arguing that strongman Hun Sen, in power since 1985, was not responding to diplomatic engagement.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
National security police in Hong Kong have confiscated the passport of a journalist who livestreamed the stabbing of a police officer outside the Sogo department store on



The former journalist with the online Vision Times, identified only as "Nina," was forced to surrender their travel documents by a magistrate's court order under Article 43 of the draconian law, which was imposed on Hong Kong by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from , 2020.



The law provides for the measure to be applied for anyone who may form part of a national security police investigation, and has sparked concern that it could be widely applied to intimidate and discriminate against journalists who report on sensitive news stories.



The Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA) said she had been merely doing her job by recording a suspected crime, and she had attended a police station on , where she gave a statement aimed at assisted police with their enquiries, it said.



Officers then searched her home under a warrant, seizing various items including a computer and a smartphone.



Nina, 56, is currently under investigation but hasn't been arrested, the report said.



Indirect arrest

Executive Council member Ronny Tong denied that the move was an abuse of police power.



"This is in line with legal procedures, and naturally the person affected can apply for habeas corpus or lodge an appeal with the court," Tong said.



"When it comes to national security, all rights can be reasonably restricted ... now that there is this law, and it is up to court to decide what is reasonable," he said.



Eric Lai, a Hong Kong law fellow at the Asia Law Center of Georgetown University, said the move is an indirect form of arrest, however, which is inherently unfair.



"There has been no arrest or move towards prosecution by the police," Lai told RFA. "What they're doing is tantamount to an indirect form of arrest, because it restricts the freedom of the individual concerned."



"If they police believe the person has broken the law, or the national security law, then they should go ahead and arrest them, not confiscate their travel documents and restrict their freedom that way," he said.



"It looks as if they may be buying themselves time to gather enough evidence before arresting [her]," Lai said.



Basic Law conflict

He said Article 43 of the national security law was potentially in conflict with Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and local human rights laws.



"The implementation rules give police very sweeping powers ... but without being subject to the usual restrictions," he said. "Both the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance guarantee the freedoms of entry and exit [into Hong Kong]."



On , 50-year-old Leung Kin-fai stabbed himself to death after knifing a policeman outside the Sogo department store.



Officials have warned that anyone visibly mourning or sympathizing with his death could be breaking the national security law, and are treating the incident as a terrorist attack.



A court in Hong Kong on Tuesday 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.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The charges against Tam Tak-chi are linked to slogans he wrote or shouted out in public.

Photographers try to take photos inside a prison van transporting democracy activist Tam Tak-chi after he is denied bail and charged with sedition in Hong Kong, Sept. 8, 2020.

A prominent political activist and radio show host stood trial in Hong Kong on Thursday under colonial-era sedition laws, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent under a draconian national security law imposed on the city by Beijing.

Online talk-show host and Peoples Power activist Tam Tak-chi, 48, also known by his nickname Fast Beat, faces eight counts of sedition linked to slogans he either spoke or wrote between January and July 2020.

He is also being tried for "inciting an illegal assembly" and "disorderly conduct," after he gave a number of public speeches calling for the "liberation" of Hong Kong, some of which were peppered with Cantonese swear-words.

Tam stands accused of using the now-banned slogan of the 2019 protest movement, which was found to have "secessionist" intent in a separate trial this week under the national security law, "Free Hong Kong, revolution now!".

He is also accused of calling for Hong Kong's police force to be disbanded, saying the the authorities should "delay no more," a homonym for a Cantonese epithet involving the target's mother.

Tam allegedly also shouted: "Down with the [ruling] Chinese Communist Party (CCP)!"

While the authorities have already warned people not to use the slogan "Free Hong Kong, revolution now!", Tam's trial will likely lay down fresh "red lines" governing what speech the government regards as criminal. It is being conducted by national security judge Stanley Chan.

The trial was delayed pending Tuesdays verdict in the case of motorcyclist Tong Ying-kit, who was found guilty of "terrorism" and "inciting secession" for flying the banned slogan from his motorbike during a protest against the national security law on July 1, 2020.

Judge Chan said he would likely apply the legal reasoning given in Tong's verdict to Tam's use of the "Free Hong Kong, revolution now!" slogan.

He also reprimanded some people attending the trial for "speaking loudly," implying that they could be held in contempt of court.

While he recognized that the verdict wasn't binding on the case, Chan said the High Court had provided "strong, highly applicable and persuasive guidance" on the slogan.

'Hatred, contempt'

In the sweeping colonial-era legislation under which Tam's charges were brought, sedition is defined as any words that generate "hatred, contempt or dissatisfaction" with the government, or "encourage disaffection."

The law was passed under British rule in 1938, and is widely regarded as illiberal and anti-free speech. However, by the turn of the century, it had lain dormant on the statute books for decades, until being resurrected for use against opposition politicians, activists, and participants in the 2019 protest movement.

Police last week charged three speech therapists with "sedition" under the same law after they published a children's picture book about sheep trying to defend their village from wolves, a storyline that was deemed to glorify the 2019 protests and "incite hatred" against the authorities.

While anyone convicted of a national security offense under the National Security Law for Hong Kong could face up to a lifetime in prison, sedition carries a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment for a first offense.

Meanwhile, Economic Journal co-founder and veteran columnist Lam Hang-chi said he would be giving up writing, due the unpredictability of risk under the national security law.

"We never know when [Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam] will say that you have crossed a red line or violated the national security law," CitizenNews editor and columnist Chris Yeung told RFA in response to the news. "You could lose your freedom before you even have a chance to plead, because you can be arrested with no chance of bail."

"It's entirely natural [that journalists are] thinking, should I carry on writing?"

Current affairs commentator Johnny Lau said that a worsening political climate had made everyone start worrying.

"Even a very specifically used term could be deemed to have other meanings," Lau said. "These red lines aren't clearly defined; they're floaty, interdeterminate things."



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The outbreak of the Delta variant is sparking calls for Pfizer booster shots in China.

An elderly man receives a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 in Nanjing, in eastern China's Jiangsu province, July 29, 2021.

Millions of people in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing were under partial lockdown on Thursday as the authorities scrambled to contain an outbreak of the Delta coronavirus variant in the city.

Health authorities said that, as of Thursday, the city had seen 153 confirmed cases of COVID-19 linked to a cluster at Nanjing Lukou International Airport first discovered on July 20, and many more expected to be confirmed in a new wave of Delta variant infections.

Cases have been detected among airport workers, university dormitory administrators, teachers, and taxi drivers, official media reported.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s central commission for discipline inspection has publicly criticized the airport management, accusing it of "unprofessional management" and a lack of supervision.

"A number of infection prevention measures weren't implemented in detail," it said in a statement on its website on July 28.

"The early confirmed cases of this round of the epidemic were mainly found among ground staff and aircraft cleaning teams, which were outsourced to the Nanjing Lukou Airport Cleaning Co.," the statement said.

"The airport did not separate the cleaning personnel responsible for cleaning domestic flights from those cleaning international flights, and routine supervision was seriously lacking," it said.

It said the failure to separate processes for international and domestic passengers extended across all of the airport's operations.

Nanjing health officials are now gearing up for another round of citywide testing, covering the entire population of nine million residents for the third time since the start of the airport outbreak.

Nanjing under lockdown

The Delta strain of coronavirus found in Nanjing has since spread to six provinces and 12 cities elsewhere in China, including Anhui, Guangdong, Hunan, and Sichuan, and authorities have pretty much sealed off the city from the rest of the world, as cases continue to rise, residents told RFA.

"The current situation in Nanjing is basically a lockdown," Nanjing-based student Zhou Ning told RFA.

"Transportation links have been cut off to the whole city, because there are many places here that are now medium and high-risk areas," Zhou said.

"All of the medium- and high-risk residential communities are closed, and people are being forced to stay home," he said. "They cut off Lukou airport as soon as the outbreak started."

Long-distance rail and bus stations, karaoke, and other nightspots and gyms have all been ordered to close.

Nobody is being allowed to leave the city without a health code, which essentially requires a recent, negative PCR test.

A child receives a nucleic acid test for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Nanjing, in eastern China's Jiangsu province, July 29, 2021. Photo: AFP

Vaccine concerns

But concerns over the efficacy of Chinese-made vaccines against Delta remain, according to Zhang Jianping, who lives in Yixing, Jiangsu province, of which Nanjing is the capital.

"More than 2,700 people from surrounding areas, including Yixing, had been in Nanjing Airport around the time the outbreak started," Zhang said.

"This tells us two things: the first is that the disease prevention response in China is very fast, and the second is that there is a problem with our vaccines."

"Most people who have been vaccinated are still getting infected," Zhang said.

More affected areas

Since the Lukou Airport outbreak, the Delta variant has been detected in Dalian and Shenyang in the northeastern province of Liaoning, in Maanshan and Wuhu in the eastern province of Anhui, in Zhongshan and Zhuhai in the southern province of Guangdong, in Mianyang and Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan, in Suqian and Yangzhou in Jiangsu, and in Changde in the central province of Hunan.

According to China News, close contacts of known cases have also been found in Taizhou city, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, with one infected person from Dalian traveling to the popular tourist spot of Zhangjiajie, passing through the northern city of Xi'an along the way.

The Changde City Health Commission reported on July 28 that one case of asymptomatic infection was detected in the city's Wuling district, following contact with a confirmed case in Chengdu.

A resident of Anhui surnamed Wu said Chinese-made vaccines are fairly ineffective against the Delta variant.

"The body can't make antibodies to fight this strain after receiving [Chinese-made] vaccines," Wu said. "What is needed is a booster shot of Pfizer vaccine, and I heard they will start administering these soon."

"Without them, things will only get worse."

Chinese state media quoted Hu Shanlian, a professor at the School of Public Health at Shanghai's Fudan University, as saying that one person infected with the Delta variant can infect between 5 to 8 others, often different generations.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Pyongyang likely wants something from Seoul after reopening links that it unilaterally froze, experts say.

This photo shows the South Korean end of an inter-Korean hotline in Seoul, July 27, 2021, after the two Koreas resumed communications.

North and South Korea have restored an inter-Korean hotline cut off last year by Pyongyang amid deteriorated relations, in a move that experts called a positive step, but warned against overinterpreting its significance.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged multiple letters since the third anniversary of their April 2018 summit, and have been renewing their goal of rebuilding their strained relationship, the Souths presidential office said Tuesday after communication lines were reopened.

North Koreas state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said the resumption of communications meant that Now, the whole Korean nation desires to see the north-south relations recovered from setback and stagnation as early as possible.

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, it said.

The U.S. Department of State told RFA that it welcomed the resumption of communications.

The United States supports inter-Korean dialogue and engagement and welcomes today's announcement on the restoration of inter-Korean communications lines. This is a positive step, a department spokesperson said.

Diplomacy and dialogue are essential to achieving complete denuclearization and to establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, said the spokesperson.

The hotline had been inactive since June 2020 when Pyongyang shut it down, with state media reporting at the time that it was because Seoul was not taking action to stop groups in the South from launching balloons carrying anti-Kim regime leaflets across the border into North Korean territory.

Pyongyang then blew up an inter-Korean liaison office inside North Korea later in the month.

Cautioned optimism

North Korea watchers in the South expressed doubts to RFAs Korean Service that the restored hotlines would soon lead to warmer relations between Seoul and Pyongyang.

The argument that North Korea will actively engage in dialogue by restoring these communication lines is still speculative, Kwak Gil Sup, president of the One Korea Center, told RFA Tuesday.

Kim In-tae of the Institute for National Security Strategy told RFA that the restoration of lines cut off by Pyongyang should not be blown out of proportion.

At this point, it cannot be evaluated as significant enough to be regarded as the beginning of a change in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, he said.

Several experts outside of Korea told RFA that Pyongyangs motive for restoring communications was open to debate.

We know and have seen reporting on North Koreas dire food situation brought on by the pandemic. While we cant pinpoint Pyongyangs motivation for restoring the communication lines to the food situation, its certainly a possibility, analyst Soo Kim of the California-based Rand Corporations told RFA.

Kim [Jong Uns] foolish pride is a hindrance to directly appealing for international aid. But he knows that the current South Korean government is unlikely to turn a blind eye to the Norths humanitarian situation. By opening the door to communication with Seoul, Kim may be indirectly appealing for assistance from the South, she said.

Expectations of change should be kept in check, Soo Kim said.

We may see Kim slightly modify his demeanor towards the South, but once he extracts what he needs from the relationship, he is likely to discard Seoul once again, she said.

Restoring communication could be a tactical move by Pyongyang to help South Korean progressives in the upcoming presidential election in 2022, or it could be to put pressure on the U.S., the Hawaii-based Pacific Forums Ralph Cossa told RFA.

Its also typical of the Norths behavior. First they terminate a communications link. Then they later get credit just for restoring it, Cossa said.

The real question is, what will they have to say once the link is reestablished? Will they be more forthcoming regarding denuclearization? I very much doubt it. Will they make some major positive gesture toward to South? We will have to wait and see but I would not hold my breath, he said.

The fact that Moon and Kim have been exchanging letters is more significant, but bringing the hotline back online is a small but meaningful step, Mark Barry, Associate Editor of International Journal on World Peace, told RFA, noting that it occurred on July 27, the anniversary of the signing of the armistice agreement that ended hostilities in the Korean War in 1953.

North Korea appears to be projecting that it is reasonable and open to relations with other nations. If it is going to request international food or medical assistance, then todays move helps pave the way. I would not be surprised if South Korea tries to provide some modest food aid in August or September until the new harvest is ready, he said.

North Korea is dealing with a grain shortage and last years harvests only produced enough to meet the populations demand for about 10 months, according to a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Analyst Bruce Klingner of the Washington-based Heritage Foundation told RFA that bringing the hotline back is a carrot offered by Pyongyang with strings attached.

North Korea's resumption of communication lines will be hailed by some as a thaw in inter-Korean relations that portends great opportunities for dialogue and negotiations. Such a view is inevitably followed by advocacy for Washington and Seoul to refrain from anything deemed provocative and to offer yet more concessions and benefits, Klingner said.

Ken Gause of the Virginia-based CNA think tank said the move could be aimed to stoke and exploit tension between Seoul and Washington ahead of annual joint military exercises scheduled for later this month.

North Korea now mysteriously just comes back up on the net, you know, reestablish communications with South Korea, which of course is going to incentivize South Korea to say we need to downplay the exercises, he told RFA.

Video conference

News of the letter exchanges between the leaders of the two Koreas prompted speculation about another inter-Korean summit in the near future.

Reuters news service reported Wednesday that Moon and Kim were planning a summit, citing South Korean government sources, but Park Kyung-mee, a spokesperson for the presidential Blue House said the report was not true and there have been no discussions to that end.

The Reuters report also said that Seoul and Pyongyang discussed rebuilding the liaison office.

South Koreas defense and unification ministries confirmed that an inter-Korean phone call took place Tuesday as agreed.

A Blue House official told South Korean media that he was hopeful that the restoration of communication could lead to another summit.

Now that the two Koreas will continue to engage in working-level consultations, we can think of establishing a video conference system, said Park Soo-hyun, the Blue Houses senior public communication secretary.

An unnamed Blue House official told the South Korean Hankyoreh newspaper, President Moon Jae-in had previously suggested North Korea hold a video conference. We can aim for a non-face-to-face summit.

Reported by Kyung Ha Rhee, Sangmin Lee and Albert Hong. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Cost of vaccination in Vladivostok too high for the Norths privileged diplomats.

The wife of a North Korean consul stationed in Vladivostok, Russia, contracted COVID-19 and died this month, RFA has learned from sources in Russia, who said the North lacked the cash to vaccinate its diplomats in the Pacific coast city.

The woman, whose name was not disclosed, had been living in Vladivostok since 2018, when her husband became one of only five people working at the tiny consulate in the major Pacific Ocean port city near Russias borders with North Korea and China.

Though the Russian-made Sputnik coronavirus vaccine is available in the city, production cannot keep up with demand and doses command top ruble.

North Koreas government would not cover the costs of vaccinating the consulate staff and their families, and there was no vaccination plan in place, sources in the city told RFA.

A close North Korean acquaintance informed me that the wife of a North Korean consul here in Vladivostok died of coronavirus, so the North Korean mission officials here and all over Russia are on high alert, a Russian citizen of Korean descent told RFAs Korean Service July 25.

The news of her death came during a diplomatic office meeting. The consulate sent an emergency notice to the human resources company that manages dispatched workers, instructing them to raise their awareness that there was a coronavirus death in the family of the consulate, said the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Vladivostok is home to many North Korean government-owned firms that sell the labor of workers sent to the Russian Far East by Pyongyang to earn foreign cash for the regime, usually in the construction sector.

The companies, which forward the lions share of the workers earned wages to Pyongyang, have a close-knit relationship with the consulate.

The consuls wife was hospitalized on July 15, after she had coronavirus symptoms including a high fever and coughing that started at the beginning of the month. The woman, who is in her early 40s, died while receiving treatment in the hospital, according to the source.

The Russian coronavirus vaccine costs 7,000 rubles, which is about U.S. $95 per dose. People say that the North Korean diplomats and their families have not yet made a plan to vaccinate because it costs at least $190 to get both doses, and they suffer from economic difficulties, the source said.

Under the direction of North Korea, the consuls wife was immediately cremated, and a quiet funeral was held.

Another source, a resident of Vladivostok, confirmed the death to RFA on July 26, saying that all the North Koreans in the city are now living in fear after seeing that even such a high-profile person could not afford the vaccine.

Although we have a Russian-made vaccine, production is insufficient, so it costs too much. So there are many non-vaccinated people in the Vladivostok area, the second source said, adding that the consulate had convened several meetings related to the womans death.

Due to shortages in the supply of the Russian coronavirus vaccine, most people living in Vladivostok have not yet been vaccinated Vladivostok is also known as a region with high medical costs in Russia. If you are hospitalized for more than 10 days at a general hospital, it costs nearly $10,000 on average, the second source said.

People who die in the hospital will have about $1,000 extra added to their bills for cremation, the source added.

So its not only the North Korean dispatched workers in nearby areas, but also mission staff that cannot really go to the hospital, even if they are sick.

Russia has recorded 6,195,232 coronavirus cases and 156,178 deaths as of Thursday.

According to CNN, in January 2018 an estimated 50,000 North Koreans were working in Russia  many in construction  in what the U.S. Department of State called slave-like labor.

Following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2397 in Dec. 2017, all North Korean workers in Russia were supposed to have been repatriated by the end of 2019, and host countries were forbidden from issuing new working visas.

North Korea had been able to get around this by sending workers to Russia on student visas and having them apply for work permits. Pyongyang had hoped to continue doing this beyond 2019, but the pandemic in early 2020 shut down cross-border travel and put a snag in those plans.

A source familiar with the North Korean labor situation in Russia told RFA in February that there were 2,000 to 3,000 North Koreans in Russia working to earn foreign cash for Pyongyang in violation of sanctions.

Reported by Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Please dont say that, if you dont know whats really going on, Ther Una said of reports of his arrest.

Lao musician and social commentator Ther Una is shown in an undated photo.

A popular young Lao musician and producer known for songs and videos criticizing official corruption in the one-party communist state, thought to be detained by police, broke a recent spell of social media silence Thursday to say hes merely editing a movie.

A local police officer in southern Laos Savannakhet province told RFA this week that Syphone Vongchinda, better known as Ther Una, was taken into custody last week in the Sepon district of the province, while neighbors said his lengthy absence from Facebook pointed toward detention.

On Thursday, however, the 20-something entertainer and social critic, popped up on his popular Facebook page to say hes merely been busy editing and adding sound to a brief film and producing an ad for a transport firm.

Hello, my friends and followers. Its been a big chaos on my Facebook page, he wrote in the Lao language.

A lot of people have been checking my Facebook page. Ten percent of them are worried about me and up to 90 percent of them are curious after hearing news about me, Ther Una added.

Some say that Ther was arrested because he was involved in drug trafficking; some others say that Ther is so wealthy, receiving money from some unspecified sources, he wrote.

Please dont say that, if you dont know whats really going on, he said, before saying he was merely busy at work on the film and the advertisement.

Right now, its difficult to shoot the ad because its constantly raining. Thats it; I have those two works to do, said Ther Una.

Please stay tuned for my short story movie and ad that will be published soon, he added.

On Tuesday, the local Savannakhet police officer told RFAs Lao Service that the musician was summoned and taken away by provincial police and was being held and questioned at the Savannakhet Provincial Police Headquarters in Kaysone Phomvihane City.

RFA was unable to reach the policeman following Ther Unas Facebook comments Thursday.

One of Ther Unas neighbors also told RFA he had been detained but that the reason for his arrest is still unknown, while fans said they were worried about his absence from Facebook.

In his late twenties, Ther Una is a well-known performing artist in Laos, with more than a million followers on YouTube and his Facebook page and fans in next-door Thailand.

He is also the owner of Una Studio, which produces songs, videos, news, and short feature stories about social and economic issues in the country.

In a promotion for a December 2018 event featuring Ther Una, the American Center in the Lao capital Vientiane called him the man behind Una Studio, Laoss most popular Facebook page.

Reported by RFA's Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
His songs took on bribery and social ills in a one-party state that brooks no public criticism.

Authorities in Laos have arrested a popular young Lao musician and producer known for singing songs criticizing official corruption in the one-party communist state, sources in the country say.

Syphone Vongchinda, better known as Ther Una, was taken into custody last week in the Sepon district of Savannakhet province in southern Laos, according to a district police officer and his neighbors.

According to reports, he was summoned and taken away by provincial police, the district police officer told RFAs Lao Service on July 27, speaking on condition of anonymity. I dont know why they arrested him," he said.

Ther Una is currently being held and questioned at the Provincial Police Headquarters in Kaysone Phomvihane City, capital of Savannakhet province, the officer added.

Requests by RFA for comment from the provincial police headquarters received no response this week.

Also speaking to RFA, one of Ther Unas neighbors confirmed the musicians arrest, adding, The reason for his arrest is still unknown.

Because Ther Una lives close to me in the same village, I want to know why he has been detained, he said.

A fan of Ther Unas music who regularly follows him on Facebook said he wasnt sure of his arrest. But Ive noticed that he has stopped all his activity on social media like Facebook for a while now.

I saw a post on one Facebook page saying hed been arrested, but Im waiting for an official announcement from the authorities, another music fan said. They may not announce anything about this case, though, since they usually only broadcast the arrests of drug traffickers on their show, he said.

Now in his late twenties, Ther Una is a well-known performing artist in Laos, with more than a million followers on YouTube and his Facebook page and fans in next-door Thailand. He is also the owner of Una Studio, which produces songs, videos, news, and short feature stories about social and economic issues in the country.

Concert shut down

On Oct. 14, 2018, police in Savannakhets Kaysone district shut down a benefit concert held by Ther Una to raise funds for schools in remote areas after they objected to a slogan found on T-shirts sold at the site, sources told RFA in an earlier report.

The concert had run for only 40 minutes before police closed it down and attempted to detain a concert organizer found wearing a T-shirt carrying the slogan No bribes for jobs!

Speaking to RFA the following day, Ther Una said that authorities should have shown more consideration to the concerts organizers and audience, simply warning them not to wear the T-shirts if they were inappropriate.

This should not have been a big enough deal to stop our concert, he said.

A year later, Ther Una published a song titled Poor Guy With a Degree, telling the story of a high school graduate from the countryside whose parents sold their rice field to finance his college education, but who later couldnt find a job because he had no money to bribe the officials who could help him get one.

Lao musician and social commentator Ther Una is shown in an undated photo. Facebook / Ther Una

Interviews with US, EU ambassadors

Host of Una Studio interviews in July last year and April this year with U.S. Ambassador to Laos Peter Haymond, Ther Una spoke in Lao with Haymond about U.S. aid programs to Laos supporting initiatives in education, nutrition, health, and anti-trafficking efforts, and the clearance of unexploded ordnance left behind in Laos after the Vietnam War.

And in an Una Studio interview conducted in English in December last year, Thun Era spoke with European Union Ambassador to Laos Ina Marciulionyte about EU efforts to promote European investment in Laos and to support rural schools and provide financial and health-care support to victims of flooding in Savannakhet.

Ther Una is also a close friend of Lao blogger Houayheuang Xayabouly, also called Mouay, now serving a five-year prison term for criticizing the Lao government in posts online.

Mouay, now in her early 30s, was arrested Sept. 12, 2019, a week after she voiced her concern about the government response to flooding in the countrys southern Champassak and Salavan provinces in a Facebook Live video.

The delayed government response had left many Lao villagers stranded and cut off from help, she said in the video, which was viewed more than 150,000 times.

In an annual survey of press freedom released in 2021, Laos was ranked 172 out of 180 countries for the previous year by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) which said the ruling Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party exercises absolute control over the media.

Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The discovery comes weeks after villagers found more than a dozen corpses scattered in a nearby forest.

Five unidentified bodies have been discovered in Myanmars remote Sagaing region, days after junta troops arrested several people in the area, a scene of heavy fighting for months, and two weeks after villagers found more than a dozen corpses left to rot in a nearby forest.

Residents of Kani township told RFAs Myanmar Service that the body of a man was discovered hanging from a tree in a forest outside of the town center on Tuesday and that a closer investigation revealed four graves containing the remains of what they believe are at least 10 people.

The bodies were found on Tuesday. A man was also found hanging from a tree with a noose around his neck. The victim was over 60 years old, one resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

Four bodies were found in one shallow grave. There are still some graves to be dug up, but people are scared to do so, fearing they might trigger landmines. Its difficult.

From the discovery of the five bodies, the source said he believes that no fewer than 10 people were killed at the site, citing the three unexplored graves.

The victims have yet to be identified, but sources noted that there had been clashes on Monday in nearby Zee Pin Dwin village between military troops and members of the Peoples Defense Force (PDF) militia formed to protect villagers following the militarys Feb. 1 coup detat.

Additionally, they said, the military arrested at least 10 men from nearby villages in Kani on July 24 who had been in hiding.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun about the killings went unanswered Wednesday.

Fighting has raged between junta forces and the PDF in Kani in recent months, and residents recently told RFA that they found the hog-tied and severely beaten bodies of at least 15 people scattered in the jungle surrounding Yin and Kone Thar villages on July 11-12, days after a government military unit left the area.

Photos obtained by RFA of that discovery show several rigid, discolored corpses littered face down on the forest floor, either naked or wearing soiled clothing, stretched tight from swelling during decomposition.

The victims were not members of the PDF, but rather a group of civilians ranging in age from their late teens to mid-60s who were arrested after attempting to flee the arrival of junta troops on July 8, the residents said at the time.

Rights groups have called for the mass killing in Kani to be classified a war crime and litigated accordingly.

Militiamen slaughtered

Also on Wednesday, a PDF source in Sagaings Monywa township told RFA that junta troops killed more than 30 militia fighters in Kani township, including five Monywa PDF members sent as reinforcements during Mondays clashes in Zee Pin Dwin village.

The PDFs went there because the villagers were calling for help. As soon as they did, they became trapped in a killing field. The military attacked them everything they had, including heavy weapons. One guy who went to bring back the bodies of his comrades was also shot at, the source said.

We found out [about the fighting] on Monday night, but we werent sure of their fate. We thought they could have lost their way in the forest. But [on Tuesday] some villagers said there were about 30 dead bodies.

The five members of the Monywa PDF were identified as Chan Myae Soe, Kaung Htet, Htet Naing Oo, Kyaw Hlwan Htet and Naing Ye Khant.

On Feb. 1, Myanmars military staged a coup, seizing power from Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD), rejecting its landslide victory in November 2020 general elections as the result of voter fraud. The junta has provided no evidence to back up its claims and citizens from all walks of life have protested the junta.

Amid nationwide turmoil, the military has stepped up offensives in remote parts of the country of 54 million that have led to fierce battles with several PDF militias, including in Kani township, where more than 15,000 people from some 40 villages have been displaced by fighting between the two sides since April 2.

Residents of Kani said that villagers are also forced to flee because military troops regularly steal their valuables, destroy their homes, and arrest and torture them.

A resident told RFA that hundreds of troops stormed Zee Pin Dwin village on Wednesday morning, driving villagers into the jungle.

We wanted to fight back but we were surrounded from three sides. We had to run during the heavy rain. They came from the front, from the main road and from the south. All we could do was flee for safety, said the resident, who declined to be named.

The other day, they fired four rounds of RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) at people fleeing into the jungle. They will kill us if we are found hiding in the forest, but if you remain at home, you could get killed too.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Six months of strife and a vicious third wave of the coronavirus point to bleak times, economists say.

People gather with empty oxygen canisters as they wait to fill them outside a factory in Yangon, Myanmar, July 11, 2021, amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

Violent political conflict since the February military coup and a deadly third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic have pummeled Myanmars economy, with the World Bank predicting a double-digit contraction of GDP this year and many urban residents struggling with shrinking incomes and rising food prices.

The military ouster of the countrys elected civilian-led government nearly six months ago came after a year of business and travel lockdowns to prevent the spread of the pandemic had hobbled the countrys $75 billion economy.

The Feb. 1 coup detat brought widespread anti-military protests and walkouts by civil servants and white-collar workers that were met with military violence, killing more than 900 civilians.

Post-coup turmoil has disrupted critical services, including transportation, telecommunications, and public health and education  chaos that has hampered the fight against the third wave of the coronavirus and set the stage for worse economic hardship for Myanmars 54 million people.

The World Bank, in an economic update published Monday, said Myanmars economy is expected to contract by about 18 percent in the current fiscal year (Oct. 2020-Sept. 2021), threatening to wipe out progress the country had made over the past decade of increasingly civilian rule that the coup has cut off.

Following weak economic growth in 2020, the new double-digit contraction would mean that Myanmars economy is about 30 percent smaller than it would have been without the COVID-19 pandemic and the military coup, with the number of people living in poverty likely to be double early 2019 levels by early next year, the World Banks Myanmar Economic Monitor said.

The loss of jobs and income and heightened health and food security risks are compounding the welfare challenges faced by the poorest and most vulnerable, including those that were already hit hardest by the pandemic last year, said Mariam Sherman, World Bank country director for Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, in a statement issued Monday.

For people in the Yangon region, the countrys most populous region with 6 million people, the bleak numbers translate into fewer jobs and lower income, higher food prices, and food insecurity.

People have been in trouble since the first wave, said San Myint Htay, a housewife in Dala township.

Jobs have been scarce, and the coup has taken a turn for the worse. With rising unemployment in the country, rising commodity prices could lead to famine, she told RFAs Myanmar Service.

San Myint Htay said the price of staples like rice, sunflower cooking oil and eggs have nearly doubled.

Third wave has compounded problems

The World Bank report noted that Myanmars currency, the kyat, has depreciated by around 23 percent against the U.S. dollar between late January and July, leading to higher prices for imported goods, including fuel.

Nay Nwe from Yangons Thingangyun township, who lost her job after the coup, said many workers have been forced to leave their positions because of the closure of factories and many small local companies.

After the coup, almost everyone became unemployed, and now COVID has become so powerful and is ravaging us really badly, she said. Many lives will be lost without money for emergencies.

As of Wednesday, Myanmar recorded nearly 284,100 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including almost 5,000 new infections, and 8,210 deaths, including 365 new fatalities, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Soe Tun, a Myanmar economist, said the economic downturn following the coup would get worse in the rest of this year as the pandemic takes its toll.

COVID has really hit hard in the third wave, which began in early July, he said. There are so many infections. I think the next six months will be difficult because the third wave has compounded problems that arose after the current coup.

When the contagious respiratory virus hit Myanmar in March 2020, it led to business closures and lockdowns that hit the countrys garment factories, tourism industry, and international trade. In addition, international sanctions have been imposed on military-owned businesses since the coup.

Economist Zaw Pe Win said the economy will not recover until next year if the current political instability continues.

The economy is a part of politics, and if the political situation gets worse, the economy will only get worse, he said. Looking at things at present, politics here will not be good for the next one or two years. If the political situation is not good, the economy will not be good at all.

A charity worker told RFA that despair and hunger can drive people to take drastic actions.

Last week in Yangons Thongwa township, a 50-year-old woman tried to jump off a bridge because she could not afford not afford food, medicine, or medical treatment for her ailing husband.

She was standing on the bridge at Thongwa. We just happened to get to the spot when she was about to make the jump. We gently persuaded her and brought her back, said May Ei Ei Phyo, an aid worker with the Thongwa Relief Society.

She used to pick up trash with her husband, and now her husband is sick, she said. They have nothing. They have no food.

Reported by Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Aid groups use the markers to locate homes in desperate need of food and medical supplies.

A white flag is displayed at a home in Yangon, in an undated photo.

Families stricken with COVID-19 are hoisting flags above their homes in Myanmars most populated cities to solicit much-needed donations during a third wave of the coronavirus that critics say has been poorly mismanaged by the military regime.

Aid groups and volunteers launched the campaign on social media in recent days, calling on needy families quarantining because of an infected loved one to display the flagswhite for food and yellow for medicationso that they know where to donate supplies.

The campaign, which allows for groups to anonymously assist households, comes after authorities began arresting social activists and healthcare volunteers in an entrapment scheme involving false requests for aid, sources told RFAs Myanmar Service.

Ko Myo, who lives in eastern Yangons Thingangyun township, told RFA that he had raised a white flag after his 76-year-old mother became sick and he needed to take off time from work to care for her, leaving him with little money to buy food.

In the beginning, I thought Id have to rely on myselfI even had to pawn my bicycle to get [my mother] to the clinic, he said.

After finding out about the campaign online, I talked to my neighbors and [raised a flag], and I received help. It was wonderful. I got assistance from groups and individuals, and even some well-wishers from as far away as Mandalay.

Daw Htwe Yin, a vendor from eastern Yangons North Dagon township, told RFA that after she was no longer able to work, she displayed a white flag on her roof and donations soon followed.

After I asked for help online for food, I received dried noodles and cooking oil and rice, she said.

At the moment, I only need food, as I cant leave my home to run my shop. I really want to say thank you to those who have helped me.

Myanmar is struggling with a devastating third wave of COVID-19 infections, the number of which rose Wednesday to a total of 279,119 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 7,845 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 936 people and arresting 5,400, 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.

More than 4,600 people have died from COVID-19 over the past two months, according to the juntas Ministry of Health and Sports, although the actual number is believed to be substantially higher, based on reports by charity groups that provide free burial services.

The junta said Tuesday that it would build 10 new crematoriums in Yangon that can handle a total of more than 3,000 bodies each day, but the announcement drew criticism from members of the public who say authorities should be spending money to control the spread of the coronavirus, rather than on measures to deal with the dead.

An image instructing residents how to use flags to request donations. COVID-19 True Information Myanmar Facebook page A failure to act

A member of the Healthy Youth welfare group in Yangons Mayangone township, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said her organization decided to provide food and medical aid to those hoisting the flags because the government had failed to act.

Some of them are really sick and the family cant afford to go out shopping. For people like that, our group buys and sends stuff, she said.

Some [donors] pay the cost of the merchandise. We dont charge any delivery fees. For those who don't have money, we even provide a small amount of money from our funds.

She said her group can only assist about 30 of the households who have asked for help, due to financial constraints.

Min Han Htet, chairman of the Dagon University Students Union, said the junta is doing nothing to help people who are suffering during the third wave of COVID.

People are facing not one problem, but two during this period. Many are suffering from the aftereffects of the military coup. Unfortunately, the third wave of COVID is raging uncontrollably, but we just have to rely on ourselves, he said.

People need food to be well-nourished. The next step is to have enough medicine. The last step is health care. Thats what the yellow flag is forto get medical help.

Min Han Htet said help can be sought through the Facebook page COVID-19 True Information Myanmar, and that those who make requests will be connected to charity groups that manage donations.

Junta to blame

Meanwhile, the junta is arresting aid volunteers helping homes with flags raised. On July 24, soldiers in central Yangons Sanchaung township arrested several volunteers who were delivering medicine and food to flag-bearing houses, only to free them later.

Min Han Htet said the junta is responsible for those who have died as a result of its obstruction.

Right now, while we people are helping each other, the junta is harassing and arresting volunteers and committing acts that are truly unethical, he said.

They are committing crimes and violating human rights. The main culprit for all these deaths from COVID is the junta.

A cursory investigation by RFA documented 83 homes with flags raised in Yangon during the four days from July 20 to 23, but the actual number is much higher, according to aid groups.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
The alternatives are home care or private hospitals, where treatment is costly and questionable.

Volunteers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carry the body of a victim of COVID-19 to a cemetery in Yangon's Hlegu township, July 10, 2021.

The sickest COVID-19 patients in Myanmar are now being denied admittance to military junta-run public hospitals, family members and relief workers said Thursday, as the countrys healthcare system has been pushed to the brink of collapse during a poorly managed third wave of the coronavirus.

The number of COVID-19 infections rose Thursday to a total of 284,099 since Myanmars 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 8,210 have died.

The countrys public hospitals are operating at maximum capacity and had been turning away all but the most seriously ill, while others were forced to settle for treatment at home amid shortages of basic medical necessities, including oxygen supplies critical to mitigating hypoxia.

But sources told RFAs Myanmar Service that as of Thursday, even the worst afflicted patients are being rejected from hospitalsincluding those operated by the military regimethat had pledged to accept people infected with COVID-19, often with deadly consequences.

Charity groups said that when patients are sent to hospitals, they will not be accepted without a referral letter from the township health officer. But even with a referral letter, they said, patients are generally refused admittance because of high body temperature. Other hospitals reject patients on the grounds that there are not enough doctors or beds.

Myint Aung, 66, of Yangons South Dagon township, died at his home on July 9 after being refused a bed at an area hospital earlier that day, according to a family member who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity.

A chest x-ray was taken on arrival, and nothing was found in his lungs, so he was sent home as just a suspected patient, the family member said.

He was told to go to Yangon General Hospital or to North Okkalapa Hospital, but we knew they wouldnt accept him either, so we took him back home. If they had taken him into the ICU at the time, he might still be alive.

The circumstances surrounding Myint Aungs death are becoming increasingly common. A video recently went viral on social media in which a crying young man claims that his sister exhibited severe COVID-19 symptoms and was rushed to a public hospital but was denied treatment and died.

Oxygen is distributed to COVID-19 patients in Lashio, in northern Shan State, in an undated photo. RFA Soaring costs

The alternative for COVID-19 patients is to go to a private hospital, but the cost of treatment is exorbitant, and the quality of care is questionable, sources said.

To get into a private hospital, you need to make a deposit of 100,000 kyats (U.S. $61), but even then, there is no guarantee you will get enough oxygen, said Ma Khine Za from Yangons Shwepyithar township, adding that few people can afford the cost because many have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

If you can afford the deposit, you still have to bring your own oxygen cylinder, and it seems they have no guidelines for COVID-19 treatment, she said.

Ma Ei, who works for a charity group, said that for COVID-19 patients in Yangon that require treatment at home, the cost of nursing had risen from 80,000-100,000 kyats (U.S. $49-61) in mid-July to 120,000 kyats (U.S. $73).

Additionally, the patients family has to provide PPE (personal protective equipment) and other equipment, as well as a separate bedroom for them to live in, she said.

Meanwhile, oxygen prices have doubled in the past week, and even the cost of traditional medicines is on the rise, sources said.

In Yangon, where COVID-19 infections are rising dramatically, aid workers told RFA that patients are dying every day without access to medical care and oxygen.

There are currently five charity groups in Myanmars largest city that are providing oxygen to the infected because clinics are refusing to treat patients with fever and hypoxia.

Among them, the Cetanar Shin Charity Association said that every day it treats 40-60 patients who need emergency oxygen because they were turned away from hospitals and clinics.

Wai Phyo Aung, Cetanar Shins chairman, said that two or three patients die each day while receiving emergency oxygen from his group because they did not have access to proper medical treatment earlier.

Min Din, chairman of the Yangon-based Metta Thingaha Free Funeral Association, which provides medical transportation and burial services for the less fortunate, told RFA that a growing number of COVID-19 patients are dying at home.

We are now taking on funerals only, beginning on July 10. We couldnt transport COVID-19 patients anymore because the hospitals arent accepting them, he said.

Recently, weve been picking up more bodies from peoples homes. Most of the corpses have oxygen canisters by their side [indicating that they were being treated for COVID-19].

Arrests continue

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 936 people and arresting 5,425, 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. Many have faced arrest for voicing criticism of the regime.

More than 4,600 people have died from COVID-19 over the past two months, according to the juntas Ministry of Health and Sports, although the actual number is believed to be substantially higher, based on reports by charity groups that provide free burial services.

Dr. Than Naing Soe, a spokesman for the juntas Ministry of Health, said the countrys hospitals are overburdened due to a shortage of health workers.

For various reasons, only about 50 percent of the staff are working in some cases. Those who are working are exhausted, but more and more people are being infected, he said.

For every 100 people infected, 20 need to be hospitalized and, of them, five need to go to intensive care.

Than Naing Soe said he was saddened by reports that patients are being turned away from hospitals due to staffing issues. He also urged people to stay home to reduce the risk of infection.

But a doctor who declined to be named dismissed attempts by the military to appease the public, saying the situation would continue to worsen for as long as authorities continue to arrest people who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), a walkout of medical and other professionals against military rule.

Doctors and other health workers continue to be arrested and tortured during this third wave  So, naturally, the healthcare they are providing is going to get worse, he said.

The doctor told RFA that the military has been too concerned with maintaining its grasp on power following the coup to effectively deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, he said, doctors in the CDM continue working to provide public health care, despite the risks they face.

Earlier this week, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, called on the U.N. Security Council and its members to pressure the junta to immediately end the arrests of health workers at a time when the countrys death toll is rising.

On Thursday, Britains U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward warned that half of Myanmars 54 million people could be infected with COVID-19 in the next two weeks as Myanmars envoy called for U.N. monitors to ensure an effective delivery of vaccines.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
The New Delhi rendezvous is being read as a message to China and others.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Ngodup Dongchung, a representative of the Central Tibetan Administration (right)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with a representative of Tibets exile government in New Delhi, India Wednesday, a move that Tibet analysts said showed Washingtons commitment to supporting Tibetan rights in the face of harsh Chinese rule.

Blinken met in the Indian capital with Ngodup Dongchung, a representative of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan exile government based in Dharamsala, a northern Indian city that has hosted the Dalai Lama since he fled his homeland in 1959.

Vijay Kranti, a Sino-Indian analyst and journalist, told RFAs Tibetan Service the meeting represented a very significant diplomatic development at the international level. It simply shows a big change for the Tibetan movement.

Kranti said the meeting sent a message to Beijing and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who made an unannounced visit to the Tibetan capital Lhasa last week. Chinese state media did not cover the visit until two days after it happened.

It is a very interesting contrast that has happened within just one week. Secretary Blinken met with the Dalai Lamas representative openly, but Xi Jinping had to visit Tibet in secret, Kranti said.

This will also send a message to the Indian government, the European Union, and all those countries who had been waiting for years for some kind of initiative on Tibet, and they could join too, he said.

The latest in a series of U.S. contacts with the CTA shows that President Joe Biden is delivering on his campaign promises regarding Tibet, says Tenzin Lhadon, a research fellow at the Dharamshala, India-based Tibet Policy Institute.

President Joe Biden said that if elected, his administration will meet with the Dalai Lama and work on resolving the Tibetan issue, and the administration also as mandated by last years Tibet Policy and Support Act 2020, I think this visit reassures Biden administrations commitment to Tibetan issue.

The Tibetan Policy Support Act of 2020 affirms the right of Tibetans to choose their next Dalai Lama, whose advancing age has brought to the fore uncertainties in recent years over his possible successor. Beijing claims the right to name his successor and the 86-year-old Dalai Lama says that any future Dalai Lama will be born outside of China.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson, when asked about Blinkens meeting with Dongchung, told RFA in an email that Washington respected the Dalai Lamas dedication to the rights of all people, including Tibetans around the world.

The United States also supports Tibetans religious freedom and their distinct religious, cultural, and linguistic identity. We respect Tibetans right to select, educate, and venerate their own leaders, like the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, according to their own beliefs, and without government interference, the spokesperson said.

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago, following which Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers fled into exile in India and other countries around the world.

Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on Tibet and on Tibetan-populated regions of western China, restricting Tibetans political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to imprisonment, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

Reported by Lobsang Gelek for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Talks focused on security in the South China Sea, where China has intruded on territorial waters claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, and other countries in the region.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin inspects a guard of honor during a welcome ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, July 29, 2021.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang in Hanoi on Thursday for talks on strengthening security in the South China Sea, where China has encroached on territorial waters and maritime resources claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, and other countries in the region.

Austins visit to Vietnam was the first to that country by a high-ranking U.S. official since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January.

Following Thursdays talks, Austin will leave on Friday for talks in the Philippines, where China has sent fishing fleets and coast guard vessels into the Philippiness exclusive economic zone, ignoring repeated requests to leave.

Chinese vessels have also intruded into Vietnamese territorial waters in the South China Sea, called the East Sea by Vietnam, obstructing Vietnamese oil exploration efforts and building airstrips and other facilities on disputed island groups.

In a Tuesday speech in Singapore, his first stop in the region, Austin repeated the U.S. view that Chinas claim to almost all of the South China Sea has no basis in international law and encroaches on the sovereignty of other states in the region.

Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isnt just occurring on the water, Austin said, pointing to recent aggressive moves by China against Vietnam, military threats against Taiwan, and genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Ahead of Thursdays talks, Austin assured Vietnam that he was not seeking to force Vietnam to choose between China and the United States, however, saying only that U.S. allies and partners should have the freedom and the space to chart their own futures, the Reuters news service said in a report on Thursday.

COVID assistance

Talks on Thursday also focused on U.S. assistance to Vietnam in containing the spread of COVID-19 amid a new surge in infections in the country. The U.S. has already shipped 5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, already in widespread lockdown, to contain the spread of the disease, with 3 million doses sent to Vietnam on Sunday alone, according to news sources.

The U.S. and Vietnam also signed an agreement on Thursday for Harvard and Texas Tech University to create a database helping Vietnam to search for missing dead from the Vietnam War, and discussed moves to remove landmines, clean up areas contaminated by the defoliant Agent Orange, and search for Americans also missing in the war.

Human rights abuses in Vietnam, where authorities retain tight controls on the media and jail peaceful critics of the government, remain a concern for the United States, though, Austin said in a speech in Singapore on Tuesday.

In discussions abroad, the U.S. always leads with its values, Austin said, quoted by Reuters in a report.

We will discuss those values with our friends and allies everywhere we go, and we dont make any bones about that, Austin said.

Meeting with Austin on Thursday, Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he looks forward to meeting with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris when Harris visits during a possible trip to Vietnam and Singapore sometime in August, Reuters said, quoting an informed source.

RFA has not confirmed the reported Asia visit plans of Harris.
Discussions will focus on stability and security in the South China Sea, where China is encroaching on territorial waters and maritime resources claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Vietnam on Wednesday for talks scheduled on regional security issues, including the South China Sea, where China has encroached on waters and maritime resources claimed both by Vietnam, the Philippines and others.

Austin will meet on Thursday with his counterpart, Minister of Defense Gen. Phan Van Giang, and with Vietnams President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in the first visit to Vietnam by a high-ranking U.S. official since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January.

Talks on Thursday will likely focus on efforts by the U.S. and its allies and partners to meet the regions security challenges, and cooperation ins maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, said Carl Thayeremeritus professor at Australias University of South Wales Canberrain remarks sent by email to RFAs Vietnamese Service.

Talks will also likely focus on COVID recovery, a theme of Austins speech in Singapore on Tuesday, Thayer said, adding that the defense secretary had presented a detailed list of U.S. assistance on offer, including testing equipment, oxygen cylinders, ventilators, vaccine storage and mobile clinics.

The U.S. has already shipped 5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, already in widespread lockdown to contain the spread of the disease, with 3 million doses sent on Sunday alone, according to news sources.

Secretary Austin is also expected to take part in a ceremony honoring Vietnams war dead, Thayer said, adding that a Memorandum of Understanding reportedly will be signed regarding U.S. assistance to identify the locations and remains of Vietnamese soldiers who died in the Vietnam War.

Strategic partnership

Also in comments sent to RFA, Ha Hoan Hopvisiting senior fellow at Singapores Institute of South East Asian Studiessaid that the two sides in Thursdays talks will exchange information about security and peace situations in the Indo-Pacific area and in Southeast Asia, especially in the South China Sea.

There is also a possibility that discussions will be held on raising the relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership, Hop said, adding, That [will be] the core topic in the talks between the two defense ministers, as well as in the meeting with the Vietnamese president and prime minister.

This is also an opportunity for the US defense secretary to see how the coastguard ships that the US donated to the Vietnamese coastguard are being used. There might also be some other secret talks that they will not reveal to the public, Hop said.

In his Tuesday speech in Singapore, his first visit in the region with a final stop in the Philippines on Friday, Austin repeated the U.S. view that Chinas claim to almost all the South China Sea has no basis in international law and encroaches on the sovereignty of other states in the region, the Associated Press said in a report early Wednesday.

Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isnt just occurring on the water, Austin said, pointing to recent Chinese aggressive moves against India military threats against Taiwan, and genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims in northwest Chinas region of Xinjiang.

Speaking in response in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian accused the U.S. of interfering in Chinas internal affairs and sowing discord among regional countries with the aim of serving its own geopolitical interest.

We admonish the U.S. side not to make an issue about China at every turn and do more for the benefit of peace and stability in the region, Zhao said.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists has called on authorities in Minsk to transfer jailed media worker Andrey Skurko so he can receive treatment for coronavirus-induced pneumonia -- a condition he reportedly developed while in pretrial detention.



The association said on July 29 that it filed its request with the Interior Ministry's penitentiary department and the Health Ministry. It calls for Skurko to be immediately transferred to a civilian hospital for urgent treatment.



Skurko, the head of the advertising and marketing department of the prominent Nasha Niva newspaper and website, was one of several employees arrested during a July 8 police raid on the media outlet's Minsk headquarters.

Nasha Niva reported this week that the 43-year-old Skurko had been transferred to the medical ward of the detention center where he is being held due to "structural changes in his lungs."



It said Skurko's cellmates were placed in quarantine because he was suspected to have been infected with COVID-19.



The newspaper says Skurko had previously spent 13 days in another detention center that is notorious for its harsh conditions.



It said he did not have a bed or a mattress there and was not allowed access to his diabetes medications.



Andrey Skurko is an insulin-dependent diabetic. For people like him, the coronavirus can be deadly, the journalists' association said on July 29.



Belarusian authorities have ramped up pressure on nongovernmental organizations and independent media as part of a brutal crackdown against those who dispute the official results of the August 2020 presidential election.



Election officials declared authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka the winner by a landslide, but demonstrators and opposition leaders say the results were rigged in Lukashenka's favor.

The Vyasna human rights center says that, in July alone, Belarusian police have conducted more than 200 raids on the offices and apartments of activists and journalists.



Lukashenka has vowed to continue what he called a mopping-up operation against civil society activists whom he has denounced as "bandits and foreign agents."



Nasha Niva has published videos showing police brutally detaining protesters during the crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.Founded in 1906, Nasha Niva's website now has an audience of more than 100,000.



Other Nasha Niva employees detained in the July 8 raid included its editor in chief Yahor Martsinovich, journalist Andrey Dynko, and office accountant Volha Rakovich.



Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition candidate in last year's presidential election, says Lukashenka's regime is trying to silence the voice of the democratic opposition and independent media because "it is so afraid of the truth."



"Nasha Niva is not just a website," she said on Twitter after the July 8 police raid. "It is the oldest Belarusian newspaper mentioned in every schoolbook on the history of Belarus."



"This is how the regime treats our history," the self-exiled Tsikhanouskaya said. "The regime tries to silence us and hide the truth about the fraudulent presidential election, about violence, tortures, and repressions. But we remember."

Tsikhanouskaya, who met at the White House on July 28 with U.S. President Joe Biden, has called on the international community "to provide practical support" for Belarus's independent media and journalists.



She says that support should include "legal aid to repressed journalists, technical assistance for media outlets, [and] assistance to those media and reporters forced to flee Belarus" in order to continue their work.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, AP, AFP, and Reuters
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Bolat Atabaev, a noted Kazakh theater director and outspoken critic of the Kazakh government, has died at the age of 69.

Activists and human rights groups in the Central Asian nation's largest city, Almaty, said on July 29 that Atabaev died of an unspecified medical condition in hospital.

Earlier in July, reports said that Atabaev had been hospitalized and placed in an intensive care unit in a hospital in Almaty.

Last year, one of Atabaev's legs was amputated in a hospital in Germany, where he lived in self-imposed exile since 2012. His relatives said at the time that the surgery was performed due to diabetes and kidney problems.

Shortly after the surgery, Atabaev returned to Kazakhstan.

Kazakh authorities arrested Atabaev and charged him with inciting social discord after he openly supported striking oil workers in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen, where law enforcement opened fire at the strikers, killing at least 16 demonstrators in December 2011.

Amnesty International and human rights organizations in Kazakhstan designated him as a prisoner of conscience at the time.

Under pressure from international and domestic human rights organizations and theater directors from Germany, Atabaev was released in 2012 and left Kazakhstan for Germany, where he staged several performances with his Aqsarai theater.

One of the most known performances directed by Atabaev, Avalanche, was about people living in a village in the mountains in constant fear of an avalanche. But life in the village is disrupted by a protest, which leads the residents to lose their fear.

In August 2012, Germany's Goethe-Institut awarded Atabaev the Goethe Medal, a prize of the German government for noncitizens for artistic contributions.
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz lawmakers have approved a controversial bill that they say is aimed at stopping the spread of fake news online, but which civil rights defenders and opposition activists fear is an attempt to stifle free speech.



A total of 97 lawmakers voted for the bill on July 28, while five voted against it.



Civil rights organizations and media groups in the Central Asian nation have criticized the legislation saying it contradicts the constitution, Kyrgyzstans international commitments, and violates human rights and freedom of speech.



The bill envisages the creation of a government watchdog that would "react to complaints" regarding the content of online posts within 48 hours. The sites where the content was posted are obliged to follow any instructions received from the watchdog within 24 hours.



Under the bill, Internet providers must register their clients in a unified identification system and provide officials with full information related to users if a court or a state organ requests such data.



The bill also stipulates that owners of websites and social network accounts must have their personal data and electronic email addresses open and accessible to everyone, while anonymous Internet users will be located and cut off.



The legislation, initially called the "draft law on the manipulation of information," was proposed by lawmakers Gulshat Asylbaeva and Ainura Osmonova a year ago.



It sparked mass rallies in Bishkek in June 2020, prompting then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to reject it. He returned the bill back to lawmakers for additional discussion.



Disputed parliamentary elections sparked more mass rallies last October, leading to the resignations of the government and Jeenbekov.



Sadyr Japarov easily won a presidential election in January and has initiated many legal changes that he says are needed to create a strong central branch of government to "establish order."
MOSCOW -- The last living member of the so-called Gang of Eight that tried to take over the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991 has died at the age of 89.

The head of Russia's Roskosmos space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, tweeted on July 29 that Oleg Baklanov, the Soviet Union's minister of the common machine-building industry, who also used to lead the Soviet space industry, had passed away.

The cause and time of death were not mentioned.

Baklanov was a member of the group of eight Soviet officials that placed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev under house arrest in August 1991. The group declared itself a provisional government, or the State Committee for the Emergency Situation known by its Russian acronym, GKChP. The group also included three other senior Soviet political and military officials.

Baklanov was deputy chairman of the presidential Defense Council at the time.

One Gang of Eight member, Soviet Interior Minister Boris Pugo, committed suicide shortly after the coup failed.

In total, 10 people implicated in the coup were granted amnesty by parliaments lower chamber, the State Duma, on February 23, 1994 -- ending their 14-month trial on high treason charges by the military branch of the Supreme Court.

They went on to play various roles in politics and the private sector in postcommunist Russia.

The leader of the Gang of Eight, Gennady Yanayev, who at the time declared himself acting president of the Soviet Union, died in Moscow in September 2010 at the age of 72.
YEREVAN -- Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has suggested that Russian border posts be placed along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to secure its safe demarcation as simmering tensions between the two South Caucasus nations threaten to boil over again.



Speaking at a government session on July 29, Pashinian also said that observers from the member states of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) could also monitor the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, adding that the Minsk Group of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other formats could be acceptable alternatives to secure a peaceful border delimitation.



Internationally mediated negotiations involving the Minsk Group co-chaired by Russia, the United States, and France, have been unable to produce a lasting settlement of the conflict.



"As a member of the CSTO, Armenia, which will take over the chairmanship in the organization in September, fully understands its responsibility to avoid threats to the CSTO's security and stay away from involving allies in armed conflicts, and I officially exclude any provocative actions from Armenia's armed forces," Pashinian said. The CSTO includes Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow shortly after Pashinians statement that "Russia continues contacting Yerevan and Baku to secure the implementation of three-party agreements" that resolved last year's 44-day war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Fighting ended in November with Baku regaining control over parts of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh and all seven adjacent districts that were under ethnic Armenians' control for almost 30 years.

Pashinian's suggestion of Russian border posts comes a day after the Armenian Defense Ministry said three of its servicemen were killed and two wounded after Azerbaijani armed forces violated the cease-fire along the border.



Clashes have become more frequent along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border since mid-May.



Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but has been controlled by ethnic Armenians since the early 1990s.



Last year's war claimed at least 6,900 lives from both sides.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
A small plane crashed in western Ukraine, killing the local pilot and three U.S. citizens on board.

Police said an Aerospool WT10 Advantic aircraft crashed into a house in the village of Sheparovtsy, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, in the early afternoon on July 29.

The three passengers were Hasidic Jews from the United States, the United Jewish Community of Ukraine said.

A woman and two children who were inside the house managed to escape unhurt from the crash, police said.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Leon Botstein, the president of Bard College in the United States, was awaiting the publication of his video tribute to Lyudmila Verbitskaya, his late counterpart at St. Petersburg State University (SPSU) in Russia, when he received news that the pioneering dual degree program the two scholars had conceived in 1994 was coming to an abrupt end.



Three years after the Soviet collapse, Bard and SPSU joined forces to launch SPSU's Arts and Humanities course, Russia's first liberal arts curriculum, informally known as Smolny College. Hundreds of Russian and American students took part in its academic exchange program, and Smolny graduates received two diplomas -- one from Bard, and one from SPSU.



But on June 21, less than two weeks before Smolny students gathered for their graduation ceremony, The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office declared Bard an "undesirable" organization representing "a threat to the foundations of Russia's constitutional order." The Justice Ministry formalized the designation nine days later, suddenly making any involvement with the school a potential crime.



"I was shocked. We had been working collaboratively with our Russian colleagues for more than 25 years," Botstein said in an interview by videolink from the Bard campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, north of New York City. "We operated entirely in good faith about building an educational program, and had remarkable success."

When Smolny students stepped on stage on July 3 in a colonnaded hall of the 18th-century building that houses their university, they were handed only one diploma. The Bard degree, a gateway to further study and career prospects abroad for many gifted Russian students, was denied them with two weeks' notice.



"Everyone is upset," said Liza Skorobogatova, a member of this year's graduating class who planned to continue her studies in the United States. "A Bard diploma would have made it easier to gain admission abroad. Of course, I'll be writing in all my applications that I spent a semester at Bard, but that won't replace a Bard diploma."



The effective end of the Bard-Smolny partnership comes at a time of heightened political tensions both within Russia and between Russia and the United States. Half of the 40 organizations Russia has declared "undesirable" are American  though Bard is the first educational institution to be blacklisted -- and expulsions of U.S. embassy staff have slowed the process of issuing visas to a crawl. A crackdown on opposition to President Vladimir Putin's government, as well as civil society and independent media outlets, has intensified ahead of parliamentary elections in September.



Interviews with more than a dozen Bard and Smolny teachers, staff, and former and current students -- many of whom asked to speak anonymously because of the risks of being affiliated with an "undesirable" organization -- highlight the effects this political decision will have on a study program that facilitated a rare exchange of ideas between citizens of countries whose leaderships are deeply at odds. Some students see themselves as collateral in a great power game whose scale they struggle to fathom.



"For many Russian students, this was the first step to an international education," said Ilya Utekhin, a sociology professor who has given lectures at Smolny for over 15 years. "Now all this is gone."



A Radical Break From Soviet Teaching



When it launched in 1998, Smolny College was a radical break from the legacy of Soviet academia. In the liberal arts system, students engage in a broad course of study including politics, economics, and history, a far cry from the intense singular specialization that underpinned education in the U.S.S.R., which produced some world-class scientists and mathematicians but stifled progress in other disciplines due to its submission to Marxist dogma.

Bard helped fund the program and ran it jointly with SPSU, but former teachers at Smolny say it was never a purely American import. Classes were in Russian, and the curriculum prioritized skills and knowledge applicable to a career in Russia.



"There was a feeling that Russian education needed serious reforms," said Nikolai Koposov, Smolny's dean from 1998 to 2009, who now teaches at Emory University in Atlanta. "Bard had a strong sense of mission, and they wanted us to be as close to their model as possible. But they also understood that we can't create an imitation version of them."



Smolny maintained its close ties with Bard even as it forged its own identity, despite worsening relations between the United States and Putin's government especially since 2014, when Russia was slapped with Western sanctions for seizing Crimea and fomenting war in eastern Ukraine. Until the pandemic limited international travel, Botstein would visit Smolny every year to give a commencement speech and personally hand graduates their Bard diplomas.



Bard accepted around 70 Smolny students annually at its campus in upstate New York, and several dozen students from Bard and other American colleges and universities spent semesters at Smolny, whose campus housed a dedicated "American corner" that brought the U.S. visitors together with Russian students for lively discussions and language practice.



American students spent their semesters absorbing the best that Russia's cultural capital had to offer, going to museums and performances, interacting with peers, and unpacking a complex country. Gina Lentine, a former Bard student, recalled her parents' visit to St. Petersburg during her semester at Smolny in 2008. "They realized this is a country that has a real heritage and culture, that these are people just like us, with the same quotidian struggles," she said. "They told me: 'Had you not studied here, we would never have come and gained this perspective.'"

The Bard-Smolny project was itself the product of Russophiles. The 74-year-old Botstein, a historian who has been Bard president since 1975 and also serves as chief conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra, is the son of Russian-speaking Jewish emigres from Eastern Europe. He was taught to read and write Russian by his grandfather, and in conversation he rattles off the names of famous Russian composers, writers, and scholars.



"Reading Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, and Gogol, I never thought I'd see any of the places [they wrote about]. They were off-limits, only known through the memories of emigres," he said. He recalled walking the streets of St. Petersburg "in wonderment and astonishment" during his first trip to the Soviet Union, in June 1987. In practicing Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, members of Bard's orchestra learn about the Siege of Leningrad and read Vasily Grossman's books about the Soviet campaign in World War II, a key pillar of Putin's symbolic politics.



Growing Scrutiny



Even as U.S.-Russia ties frayed, Smolny endured as other bilateral projects closed. In 2014, Russia pulled out of the American high school exchange program FLEX after a Russian teenager sought asylum in the United States on the grounds that he faced persecution as a homosexual in Russia. In Russia, academics were subjected to increasing rules on communicating with the press and with foreign institutions, and some have engaged in self-censorship to avoid criminal liability.



The Higher School of Economics in Moscow, one of Russia's best universities, was forced to side with the authorities last year in disciplining an outspoken student and to close its student newspaper, whose editors were detained in April after police raided their homes.

"I'm not getting the sense that there's any kind of wider signal saying 'That's it, we need to lock our scholars away from their Western counterparts,'" said Mark Galeotti, a Russia expert at University College London's School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies . "But obviously individual institutions may well feel the need to plan for worst-case scenarios."



But as a clampdown on dissent grew in Russia, unorthodox schools like Smolny were attracting the attention of nationalist groups tacitly backed by the Kremlin, which railed against it as a bastion of what senior officials now routinely cast as dangerous Western-style liberalism.



In 2009, law professor Nikolai Kropachev was appointed by presidential decree to become rector of SPSU. Two years later, Smolny College was turned into a full-fledged Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, appointing as its dean then-Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin, a Putin ally and fellow SPSU graduate who is one of the most powerful liberal-leaning politicians in Russia. Smolny had gained the reputation of a renegade school within SPSU, and Kropachev commenced a strict review of its curriculum. Critics say he also actively sought to circumscribe its autonomy.



"Smolny always demonstrated independence, and this is something that Kropachev never accepted," said Dmitry Dubrovsky, who taught at Smolny from 2002 until his dismissal in 2015, which he blamed on a long-running dispute with Kropachev. Kropachev declined an interview request for this article.

Kudrin lobbied for Smolny to break away from SPSU and become a separate university, and in March of this year, he announced that the government had finally approved the request. A few weeks later, on April 1, Bard announced a new $500 million investment from billionaire financier George Soros, a friend of Botstein's and a longstanding Bard benefactor.



Two of Soros's organizations, Open Society Foundations and OSI Assistance Foundation, were declared 'undesirable' by Russia in 2015, shortly after the law criminalizing such groups was passed by parliament. Soros donated large amounts of money to support education in Russia in the years after the Soviet collapse, but Bard says no Soros money has gone to Smolny since 2015.



'Clarion Call'



It's unclear how big a role either of those developments played in the events that followed, but after Bard's announcement, Anton Tsvetkov, the head of an obscure organization called the Coordination Council on Nonprofit Organizations and the former leader of a pro-Kremlin movement, gathered a group of conservative public figures in Moscow for a press conference about Soros and his alleged influence on the Russian education system.



Protests across Russia in January and early February had prompted a massive crackdown on the Russian opposition and civil society groups, and Tsvetkov's event -- in line with unsubstantiated claims by Putin and other Russian officials -- portrayed foreign chicanery as the reason for Russia's unrest. The backdrop to his opening speech was a collage featuring a Trojan horse painted in the stars and stripes of the American flag and an image of Soros -- a prominent target of false conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic rhetoric -- with his hands clasped together.

Bard was declared 'undesirable' two months later, and the following day, Kropachev's deputy Sergei Andryushin sent a letter to Bard College notifying its management that all cooperation and existing agreements between SPSU and the American institution were being unilaterally halted.



Vitaly Milonov, a socially conservative lawmaker from St. Petersburg who is a critic of the West and joined Tsvetkov's press conference via videolink, told RFE/RL without giving details that Bard "is a college created specially to advance certain ideas that differ from the curriculum accepted in Russia." He added: "People from various foundations think that by virtue of some U.S. exceptionalism they have the right to unconditionally export their ideas."

State news agency RIA reported that Tsvetkov's group had petitioned Russia's Prosecutor-General to investigate Smolny over its alleged ties to "foreign NGOs under the control of George Soros" and "destructive activities on Russian territory." It was this appeal, according to an investigation by the news outlet Meduza, that prompted authorities to label Bard "undesirable."



The decision most likely did not come from the Kremlin, Galeotti believes. "It's more that the Kremlin won't step in to save Smolny," he said. "The machine has its own momentum," with freelance actors advancing the state's preferred narrative "because they feel that they have heard the clarion call, and they want to make damn sure that they demonstrate that they are responsive to what they assume the Kremlin wants them to do."



'They Cannot Imagine How Precious This Is'



Few of the Smolny students interviewed by RFE/RL seemed to dwell on the motives. For most, the practical consequences came first. When news of Bard's prohibition surfaced, confusion took hold. Many had merchandise with the Bard name and logo, and wondered if they can continue to display it, both online and offline. Some took to social media to express their support for the American partner school; others kept quiet for fear of making things worse.



When Dubrovsky and two other teachers were fired from Smolny in 2015, dozens of students staged one-person pickets outside St. Petersburg State University and hundreds signed a petition calling for their reinstatement.



This time, a consensus was reached that any form of street protest would bring more harm than good, students say, and comments in support of an "undesirable" organization could lead to fines and even jail. It was a sign of how dramatically the political landscape, and the costs of dissent, had changed.



"We understood that we would only worsen the situation," one student said. "And our actions would be used for political propaganda, to drive home the idea that Smolny is advocating protest."



For Utekhin, Bard's designation hit close to home not only because he teaches at Smolny but because the decision dashed the hopes of his daughter, who studies there and was looking forward to spending a semester at the U.S. college next year. "She had prepared herself to go to Bard, and this was one of the most attractive things about the program," he said. "For her, this [situation] is now one more reason to start asking me: 'Why do we go on living in this country?'"



He believes the authorities fail to appreciate the benefits that a joint program like Bard-Smolny could bring to Russia.



"They cannot imagine how precious it is. People who are able to express themselves and are not inhibited and possess critical thinking -- they are the most important contribution to the future of this country," Utekhin said. "Russia can have people like this, but they appear spontaneously in spite of the efforts of the education system. [Smolny] is one the few places where they are created."

On July 7, he added his signature to an open letter written by Smolny teachers and addressed to their counterparts at Bard, expressing remorse over Russia's decision to effectively sever their ties and denouncing a move that "goes against Russian national interest and deprives our students [of the] better future that they deserve."



Masha Gessen, a Russian-American journalist and author who teaches at Bard and regularly travels to report from Russia, told RFE/RL this month that they had been advised not to visit Russia due to the lack of clarity over their possible legal liability as the employee of an 'undesirable' organization.



"There's a nonnegligible probability that I would come to Russia and discover that I actually have a criminal case against me," Gessen said. On June 28, a week after Bard's designation, Putin signed a law that makes it illegal for Russian citizens abroad to participate in the work of NGOs declared 'undesirable' in Russia.



A Hope Of The Post-Cold War World



Smolny is forging ahead with the goal of spinning off from SPSU and establishing a separate university. Koposov, Smolny's founding dean, said that Kudrin has long hoped to secure independence for the college because he felt the pressure from SPSU was growing excessive. Since Smolny's founding, three Russian universities have launched liberal arts programs, paving the way for the model to spread. But whether Smolny survives, Koposov said, "will depend in large part on whether Kudrin survives in power."



Kudrin, who was finance minister from 2000 to 2011 and now heads Russia's Audit Chamber, was not available to comment for this article, but a source close to him said in e-mailed comments that the "situation is very sad."

"Our goal is the creation of a new university and we're trying not to jeopardize this goal with our actions," including speaking to the press, this person said.



Denis Yesaulov, a spokesman for Kudrin, told Meduza that a new Smolny university would sever ties with Bard but "cooperate with leading Russian and foreign universities."



Gessen said the campaign against Bard reflects the Russian government's broader aversion to allowing any institutions to flourish outside its control.
Russia says it wants Britain and France to become part of wider nuclear arms control talks with the United States as Washington continues to seek China's inclusion in the negotiations.

Anatoly Antonov, Moscow's envoy to the United States, said on July 29 that enlarging the framework of the arms control talks to include more nuclear powers would be inevitable and that Russia sees Britain and France as priorities in that regard.

"This question has taken on particular relevance in light of London's recent decision to increase the maximum level of nuclear warheads by 40 percent -- to 260 units," Antonov said in comments published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, a day after senior U.S. and Russian officials restarted nuclear talks in Geneva.

In separate comments reported by the Interfax news agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the head of the Russian delegation to the Geneva talks, said on July 29 that Washington wanted China to be included in wider talks on nuclear arms control.

The United States and Russia possess some 90 percent of the world's arsenal of nuclear weapons.

The exact agenda of the Geneva talks was not made public, but State Department spokesman Ned Price said the meeting was "substantive and professional" and the two sides agreed to hold a further plenary round of high-level talks in late September.

The rivals have been looking at strategic stability issues such as how to move beyond the New START treaty that Biden and Putin have agreed to extend until 2026.

New START first went into effect in 2011. The treaty limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550, deployed strategic delivery systems at 700, and provides for a verification regime.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed last month to launch a bilateral dialogue on strategic stability to "lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures."

With reporting by Reuters and Interfax
As medical workers in Russia struggle with a third wave of COVID-19 infections, many are reaching out to the public directly to share information. Some are using social media to report on shortages and crisis conditions, while others have a simple message to their fellow Russians: Get vaccinated.
A court in Russias North Ossetia region on July 28 sentenced a group of police officers to prison for the high-profile death of a man in custody nearly five years ago.



Vladimir Tskayev, 37, was tortured to death overnight on October 31, 2015, while under interrogation at a police station in the regional capital, Vladikavkaz, on suspicion of shooting an officer.



Two weeks later his neighbor confessed to the shooting.



When Tskayevs family picked up his body from the city morgue it showed signs of severe trauma. A forensic report gave asphyxiation as the cause of death.



Tskayevs death triggered years of protests by family and friends demanding justice amid repeated stonewalling of the investigation and court proceedings.



After nearly two years of court hearings, a Vladikavkaz court on July 28 sentenced 10 former police officers to between 2 1/2 and 10 years in prison after finding them guilty for Tskayevs death.



All the defendants maintained their innocence throughout the trial.



The widow of Tskayev, Zemfira Tskayeva, expressed dissatisfaction with what she called a lenient verdict after a five-year struggle for justice.



She announced that she would likely appeal the verdict.
A Russian space-laboratory module unexpectedly fired its engines on July 29 after successfully docking with the International Space Station (ISS), changing the position of the ISS until another set of thrusters could be fired.



NASA said the newly arrived modules engines fired as it was in the process of being integrated into ISS systems. It said the reason for the unplanned firing was unknown.



The station returned to "full attitude control" when another module in the ISS fired its engines, NASA said, adding that the astronauts and cosmonauts on board were never in any danger.



NASA and the Russian space agency Roskosmos said earlier that the so-called Nauka module, which means "science" in Russian, docked with the ISS at 1:29 p.m. GMT.



The docking took place eight days after the 20-metric-ton multipurpose laboratory module was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.



Nauka is one of the largest modules on the ISS. The docking was performed after a series of maneuvers controlled by Russian mission-control specialists and Russian cosmonauts aboard the ISS.



NASA says it will take several months and up to 11 spacewalks to fully integrate the module with the space station.



The launch of Nauka has been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems.



It was initially scheduled to be sent into orbit in 2007.



In 2013, experts discovered contamination in its fuel system -- resulting in a long and costly replacement.



Other Nauka systems also have undergone modernization or repairs during the past 14 years.



Nauka will be primarily used for research. But it also provides the space station with more storage space, new water and oxygen regeneration systems, and an additional toilet.



Nauka replaces the long-serving Pirs docking module, which docked with the ISS in 2001 as a temporary addition but remained in service for two decades.



Pirs was detached from the ISS earlier this week and fell into the Pacific Ocean.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, TASS, Reuters, and Nasa.gov
WASHINGTON -- Early in 2018, when Ukrainian media reported that Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko had been denied entry into the United States, the nations top lawman rushed to deny the story.

And with good reason.

That would have been the end of his political career, Daria Kaleniuk, the executive director of the Kyiv-based Anti-Corruption Action Center, told RFE/RL.

Lutsenko would go on to serve another 16 months and play a key role in the events that would lead to the first impeachment trial of then U.S. President Donald Trump, in 2020.

To this day it is not publicly known whether Lutsenko, who had a tense relationship with the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv over questions about his commitment to fighting corruption, was in fact barred from entering the United States: U.S. law prevents the State Department from disclosing such information in most cases.

Now, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers wants to change that. The legislators are backing a bill that would give the State Department the right to disclose the names of tycoons, officials, and other individuals whom it bans because allowing them entry could have serious adverse foreign policy consequences -- often linked to alleged corruption, human rights abuses, and transnational aggression.

The REVEAL Act, as the legislation is known, would override a section in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that prevents public disclosure of those banned for foreign policy reasons.

Advocates say the bill, if adopted, would be the U.S. governments newest tool to battle corruption and human rights abuses amid growing concern in Washington over the rollback of democracy, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law in many parts of the world including Russia and several other former Soviet republics.

Kleptocrats rely on anonymity. When we bring their crimes to light, we curb their power. The United States should not allow crooks and cronies to hide behind confidentiality, Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland and a co-sponsor of the REVEAL Act, said in a statement on July 20, the day it was introduced to Congress.

'Huge Step'

Serik Medetbekov, a representative of the Civil Society Coalition of Kazakhstan, an umbrella organization that unites various democracy and rights groups in the Central Asian nation, told RFE/RL that passage of the bill would be an important sign from the West to foreign activists like himself.

When you publicly ban someone, it is a huge step for the whole anti-corruption fight, said Medetbekov, who is lobbying Congress for sanctions against 22 Kazakh nationals.

Kaleniuk said it would also send a powerful signal to current officials that they could be next on the visa ban list if they, too, engage in corruption or human rights abuses.

There is no public information on the number of people who are banned under the section of the INA pertaining to serious adverse foreign policy consequences though it could easily be in the hundreds, including many tycoons and officials from the former Soviet Union.

The names of some who might be barred under that section of the INA can be gleaned from Treasury Department sanctions lists, State Department documents published under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and U.S. lobby filings.

The Treasury Department must publicize the names of people it sanctions so that U.S. individuals and businesses know not to transact with them. Inclusion on a sanctions list does not mean that the individual is barred from the United States, but the likelihood is high because visa bans are a common element of such measures.

State Department officials sometimes express views of the character of foreign magnates and officials in their correspondences, which can be obtained through public information requests. These views -- such as referring to someone as corrupt -- may suggest that the person in question is barred from the United States, but there is no direct correlation.

Foreign tycoons banned from the United States sometimes hire lobbying firms to help them overturn their inadmissibility or receive a waiver.

Kazakh billionaire Aleksandr Mashkevich, a suspect in a long-running bribery probe in Britain, in February hired Washington-based Sonoran Policy Group to lobby the U.S. government on issues related to business and travel though there is no evidence to suggest he is banned.

Ukrainian billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskiy, who had long been rumored to be banned entry to the United States, hired a firm in 2017 for $80,000 to lobby the State Department for the issuance of a U.S. E-2 Investor Visa.

In a surprise move this March, the State Department publicly barred Kolomoyskiy and his immediate family from entering the United States for involvement in corruption in 2014-2015 while serving as a regional governor.

It did so using section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, which not only mandates the State Department to ban an individual and his immediate family from entry when there is credible evidence of their involvement in corruption or human rights abuses, but also gives it the right to release their names to the public.

U.S. And Beyond?

Since first utilizing the power of 7031(c) to shame former Albanian Prosecutor-General Adriatik Llalla in 2018, the State Department has since publicly named more than 160 people who are banned from entering the United States under that provision, including officials immediate family members.

However, its use to ban an individual is limited compared with the INA because it requires greater proof of their involvement in corruption or human rights abuses.

That can often be hard to obtain, as foreign governments may not be willing to cooperate and share material with the United States.

The INA section is much faster, much more flexible, and it doesnt require that credible evidence standard, Paul Massaro, a senior policy adviser to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), told RFE/RL.

The CSCE, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is an independent commission of the U.S. government that promotes human rights and democracy in Europe and Central Asia. Three of its leading members -- Cardin, Representative Steve Cohen (Democrat-Tennessee), and Senator Marco Rubio (Republican-Florida) -- introduced the REVEAL Act.

The State Department used the INA to ban 76 Saudi nationals in February believed to have been involved in threatening dissidents overseas, including but not limited to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the State Department would also review the Saudi nationals for designation under Section 7031(c) with the possibility of publicly naming them.

Should the REVEAL Act be passed, Blinken would have the authority to name them without the need for obtaining credible evidence.

Other nations could follow the U.S. lead, expanding the impact of the bill, said Representative Steve Chabot, a Republican congressman from Ohio who is another co-sponsor of the REVEAL Act.

In order to become law, the bill must be passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by President Joe Biden.

Biden administration officials have said little about the legislation, but Massaro said that it has strong bipartisan support and that he expects it to become law.

If the REVEAL Act is adopted, the administration would still be able to keep confidential the names of some individuals banned over concerns of "serious adverse foreign policy consequences" if it is believed to be in the U.S. national interest.
Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya made clear that she saw her meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on July 28 as crucially important, thanking him for a "powerful sign of solidarity with millions of fearless Belarusians who are peacefully fighting for their freedom."



Tsikhanouskaya has been in the United States since July 18 to drum up support for her pro-democracy movement amid intense pressure from authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

The Belarusian strongman has shown no signs of relenting on a crackdown that intensified after an August 2020 election that millions of voters suspect he stole.



She has held talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland as well as the U.S. national-security adviser, Jake Sullivan. Tsikhanouskaya also attended the launch of the Friends of Belarus Caucus in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress.



"She has had a very successful visit, meeting the Secretary of State, [the] NSC (National Security Council) advisor, key senators, and the major press and media outlets. Also, a Belarus Caucus was set up in the House," Ken Yalowitz, who was a U.S. ambassador to Belarus in the 1990s, told RFE/RL in e-mailed comments.

In her talks in Washington, Tsikhanouskaya urged the United States to guarantee the independence of Belarus. She also called for tougher U.S. sanctions targeting industries that fund Lukashenka, and the Wall Street Journal has reported that Washington was mulling more sanctions.



The United States and the European Union have hit Lukashenka, government officials, cronies, and entities with sanctions. The latest of a total of four rounds came in June, a month after Belarus forced a commercial flight to divert to Minsk to arrest a blogger, an incident, described by many as a "state-sponsored hijacking."

What next? Some analysts say that, at least for now, Washington has few options to influence events in Belarus or to impose game-changing pressure on Lukashenka, who is widely seen as being more dependent on neighboring Russia than ever.



"The first thing is to moderate its ambitions and understand that it's extremely limited in what it can do, with regard both to helping Belarus's democratic opposition and to further pressuring Lukashenka," said Chris Tooke, associate director at GPW, a political risk consultancy.



He noted that Belarus did not seem to figure prominently in talks between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin at their summit in Geneva on June 16.

Belarus was thrown into turmoil after Lukashenka, in power since 1994, claimed a landslide victory in the August 2020 election, which opponents, Western governments, and many Belarusians charge was badly rigged in his favor.



Tskihanouskaya, whose campaign was marked by unprecedented crowds of people eager for change, received 10 percent of the vote according to the official tally, but no election in Belarus since 1994 has been deemed free, fair, and democratic by Western observers and her backers claim she was the real winner.



Massive protests erupted and the state responded with a severe crackdown. More than 32,000 people have been detained and many opposition leaders have been locked up or forced to flee, including Tsikhanouskaya, who left for Lithuania a day after the August 9 election. Media and NGOs have been targeted -- especially so in recent weeks -- in raids and arrests and observers say Lukashenka, 66, seems bent on rubbing out resistance to his rule.



The Sanctions Option



During her talks in Washington, Tsikhanouskaya said she handed U.S. officials a list of firms linked to Lukashenka and "his cronies," that she wants Washington to hit with sanctions, including Belaruskali  Belarus's profitable potash producer -- as well as oil, wood, and steel enterprises.



The latest EU sanctions targeted sections of the Belarusian economy intertwined with Lukashenka's regime, hitting the banking, oil, tobacco, and fertilizer industries. Also hit were several businessmen who are either part of Lukashenka's inner circle or provide crucial services to the authorities.

Overall, the EU's restrictive measures on Belarus now apply to a total of 166 people -- including Lukashenka -- and 15 entities.



The latest round of U.S. sanctions, meanwhile, largely focused on individuals and entities suspected of involvement in the persistent crackdown.



Among the entities targeted by the U.S. Treasury Department were the main Belarusian security service, the KGB; the Interior Ministry troops; and the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPIK.)



In April, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it was revoking a license that had allowed transactions with nine sanctioned state-owned companies in Belarus since 2015, including the oil company Belneftekhim, which accounts for 30 percent of Belarus's industrial output.



In Washington, Tsikhanouskaya noted that the latest sectoral sanctions by the EU were strong and said the United States could follow that policy "and also look at [the] possibility to impose sectoral sanctions on Russia."



The Wall Street Journal reported on July 25 that the Biden administration was considering new sanctions. Franak Viacorka, a senior adviser to Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, said State Department officials indicated their intent to enact new sanctions, specifically on the Belarusian potash and crude-oil sectors.



Do Sanctions Work?



While the existing rounds of sanctions have sent powerful signals, some observers say they may not have gone far enough.



"All the sanctions before June 2021 were quite symbolic, and mostly involved travel bans for government officials, or targeted macroeconomically insignificant companies. The June 2021 sanctions were more serious, although also with a delay in effect, and just a first step: they only target 20 percent of the exported potash fertilizers, and apply only to future contracts," said Kateryna Bornukova, a research fellow at the Minsk-based Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center (BEROC).



Industry analysts with the Russian investment bank VTB Capital said in a note quoted by Reuters that the "measures do not cover the key Belarusian potash export, potassium chloride, whichaccounts for 80 percent of the country's supplies to the EU."

Exports of potash, important for fertilizer, are a major source of foreign currency for Belarus; the state firm Belaruskali says it produces 20 percent of the world's supply.



Potash fertilizer is the regime's second-largest export after refined petroleum, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.



The EU statistics agency said the bloc imported $1.5 billion worth of chemicals including potash from Belarus last year, as well as more than $1.2 billion worth of crude oil and related products such as fuel and lubricants.



Some have argued that the latest sanctions were strong enough to convince Lukashenka to transfer Raman Pratasevich from jail to house arrest. Pratasevich had been dragged off the Ryanair Athens-to-Vilnius flight that was diverted to Minsk on May 23 and arrested along with his girlfriend Sofia Sapaga, a Russian citizen.

Pratasevich was reportedly tortured during his detention and was paraded on state TV, clearly under duress, praising Lukashenka and renouncing past activities.



Other analysts, including Bornukova, aren't convinced.



"I believe it is too early to tell if the sanctions are working, but the release of Pratasevich does not seem to be one of the consequences. Instead, we see more aggression towards the West through the orchestrated migrant flows to Lithuania. We also see a crackdown on civil society," explained Bornukova. "So, the sanctions do bother the Belarusian government, but so far the reaction is more aggression instead of concessions or dialogue."



Lithuanian authorities said on July 28 that the number of people illegally crossing its border from Belarus has passed 3,000 from the start of the year in what it sees as a coordinated campaign by Lukashenka, who vowed to flood EU countries with migrants and drugs in revenge for the latest round of sanctions.
COLUMBUS -- Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Thursday joined a coalition of 23 other states in a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

He said the court is unable to explain the constitutional source of a right to abortion, or even a consistent legal standard for determining when it is violated by a state law.

The brief was filed in a challenge to Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks.

"The jurisprudence of abortion has become like the 1960s fights over pornography--no one can say exactly what's allowed and what's not," Yost said.

"It's like Justice Potter Stewart's definition of pornography: 'I know it when I see it.' It's time to end this failed experiment in judicial law-making and return the matter to the states."

The Constitution says nothing about abortion, Yost said, and until Roe was decided in 1973, it was generally regulated by state law.

In Roe, the Court cited five separate amendments to the Constitution  along with the penumbras that emanate from those Amendments  to justify creating a right to abortion.

Later, it found the right in a different part of the Fourteenth Amendment, citing a due process right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.

Nor has the Court, in nearly five decades, yet settled on a test for determining when the right is violated, Yost said in an emailed press release.

In Roe, the Court adopted the soon-to-be-abandoned trimester regime, and effectively forbade states from regulating abortion in the first trimester, and only for the preservation and protection of the mother's health in the second trimester.

In Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)  Casey overruled Roes trimester framework. A three-justice plurality announced a new test of undue burden  whether a law places a "substantial obstacle" in the way of abortion.

In Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt (2016)  The Court abandoned the "substantial obstacle" definition of the undue burden test with a balancing test: do the benefits outweigh the costs?

In June Medical Services v. Gee (2020)  The Court in this case seemed to go back to the original definition of undue burden test.

After Roe, the Justices began splintering over the results in abortion cases, both because they couldnt agree on whether to recognize any right, and also because they couldnt agree on the nature of the right at stake.

Many cases were 5-4 one way or the other, and some only had plurality opinions (meaning five justices agreed to a result, but couldn't agree on a reason why).

The coalition states noted in their brief that the Court, 30 years ago in Casey, wrote that its decision would preserve the Courts integrity and "...call the contending sides of a national controversy to end their national division by accepting a common mandate rooted in the Constitution."

The coalition states' brief notes the court has done neither.

"Time has not lessened the belief that unborn life deserves protection ... People of good conscience will always disagree on this issue, and the Courts attempt to settle it has failed. Moreover, the Courts continuing vacillation over the constitutional test and the creation of new, abortion-specific rules have only made matters worse," Yost said.
HOLMES COUNTY -- The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a Millersburg contractor  with a history of not cooperating with federal safety inspectors  for exposing workers to deadly fall hazards for the sixth time in three years.

According to an emailed OHSA press release, fall-protection equipment remained unused at a Medina residential work site.

On April 28, OSHA inspectors observed roofers employed by JMH Roofing LLC working up to 24 feet off the ground.

The agency issued two willful, two repeat and two serious violations. OSHA cited the company and owner, Jonas Hershberger, and proposed penalties of $136,453. OSHA requires the use of fall protection at heights greater than six feet.

OSHA inspectors also found the five-person crew working without required eye, face or head protection. Inspectors determined JMH Roofing lacked an effective safety and health program and failed to audit work sites for safety hazards and ensure compliance.

Fall hazards make roofing work among the most dangerous jobs in construction. Yet too often, OSHA inspectors respond to reports of workers without protective gear and find safety equipment on-site but not in use, explained OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts in Cleveland.

When an employer requires employees to work from heights, they must provide fall protection and appropriate equipment, and train workers to use the equipment safely," Eberts said.

OSHA cited JMH Roofing LLC for similar hazards in February 2021, June 2020 and May 2018. The agency cited RAM Roofing LLC, also owned by Hershberger, in April and September 2019, which resulted in penalties of $137,441. Hershberger has refused to respond to the citations, provide abatement or pay penalties.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports in 2019 that 1,061 construction workers died on the job, 401 of them in falls from elevation. In Fiscal Year 2020, fall protection in construction was the standard most frequently cited by OSHA inspectors.

OSHAs stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about hazards and proper safety procedures.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
COLUMBUS  An organization hoping to regulate marijuana in Ohio has changed routes on legalization.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol announced Tuesday it will now try passing a state law instead of through a constitutional amendment, which was the original plan, as outlined in March 2020.

We are proposing to regulate marijuana for adult use, just like we do for alcohol," said Tom Haren, a spokesman for the group, in a statement. "Our proposal fixes a broken system while ensuring local control, keeping marijuana out of the hands of children, and benefiting everyone.

The coalition submitted its proposal, along with more than 1,000 signatures, to the Ohio attorney general's office on Tuesday. The AG has 10 days to review the summary proposal.

The group would need to collect 132,887 signatures of registered Ohio voters to put the measure before the Legislature.

Lawmakers would then have four months to either pass, reject or pass an amended version of the bill.

If the legislature does not pass the bill as it stands, the group said it would collect another 132,887 signatures to present the issue to Ohio voters on the November 2022 ballot.

The proposed law calls for legalizing the consumption, cultivation, manufacturing, testing and sale of marijuana to people aged 21 and up. It also allows people to grow up to six plants per person and 12 plants per household.

The tax could bring in $400 million a year. It would go to:

 $150 million, around 36%, to social equity and jobs.

 $150 million, around 36%, to communities that host dispensaries.

 $104 million, around 25%, to addiction treatment and education.

 $12 million, around 3%, to the Division of Cannabis Control (the agency that would regulate the industry.

Read the entire proposal here.

State Rep. Darrell Kick, R-Loudonville, said he has not read the proposal in its entirety but that he would not be in favor of the state law. Kick, who was elected in 2016, represents Ashland County and portions of Medina and Holmes counties.

I dont know if we really have the full effects of long term use, he said.

He said he continues to be a proponent of medical marijuana, but that he has heard from business owners and legislators in states where recreational pot has been legalized.

They say dont do it. But if I were a betting man, it would probably pass whether Im for it or not. I dont know when that would be. But Id be a no vote at this time, he said of recreational marijuana in Ohio.

The last time Ohio attempted to legalize recreational pot was in 2015 through a constitutional amendment. The effort failed, but paved the way for the states medical marijuana program.

Medical marijuana has been in effect in Ohio since 2016.

Today, there are 34 licensed cultivators, 58 dispensaries, 47 provisional licenses for processors and 9 provisional licenses for testing. There are 215,874 registered patients and 650 doctors who can recommend marijuana for 25 medical conditions, according to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Board.

The program has overseen $471.2 million in sales since April 2019.

Critics of the states medical marijuana program have said it is too expensive, hard to navigate and that restrictions have led to low participation.

Kick has not heard of any efforts on the horizon to revamp the program and that he would have to see the legislation before saying whether or not he would be in support of such an effort.

The groups announcement comes on the heels of a federal effort to legalize marijuana. Senators Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker and Ron Wyden, all Democrats, unveiled the first-draft of a bill on July 14.

The highlights of the bill, dubbed the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, include descheduling cannabis as a schedule 1 narcotic, expunging prior convictions, a way for people to petition for resentencing and maintaining states authority on individual marijuana policies.

Read the bill's summary here.
Written By

Joe Schulz served as the reporter of the Green Laker in 2019 and 2020, before being hired as a reporter for the Commonwealth in October 2020. He is from Oshkosh and graduated from UW-Oshkosh in December with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

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...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.
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Partly cloudy early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain this afternoon. High near 75F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

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JAIME CAMPOS/Staff photoGov. Charlie Baker, addressing reporters and other attendees during a press conference in Gloucester, said the state is reviewing the CDC guidance, but wouldnt say if he plans to bring back a mask mandate.
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A 1711 law reversed convictions from the 1692 witchcraft trials, specifically naming 22 individuals. Lawmakers over the years have cleared the names of several others accused of witchcraft, and a bill before the Judiciary Committee would do the same for Elizabeth Johnson Jr. Courtesy/Library of Congress
News

More than 1K receive food Wednesday

Photos by Jasmine Gallup | The Sanford Herald Volunteers load up a truck with boxes of food Wednesday at the O.T. Sloan Boys & Girls Club in Sanford. Jasmine Gallup | The Sanford Herald Members of the O.T. Sloan Boys & Girls Club help Feed the America volunteers give out boxes of food and day-to-day essentials Wednesday. Jasmine Gallup | The Sanford Herald A volunteer tosses a box of food to a fellow volunteer Wednesday at the O.T. Sloan Boys & Girls Club in Sanford.

Some 1,200 people received food Wednesday during a giveaway at the O.T. Sloan Boys & Girls Club in Sanford.

The event was part of a national campaign to feed families in rural areas organized by nonprofit Feed the Children, chicken producer Tyson Foods and shipping company Americold.

The three companies teamed up to provide nonperishable food and day-to-day essentials to people in 10 cities across the United States, said Chet Jones, director of GIK Partnerships for Feed the Children. Jones helps the nonprofit coordinate with companies who want to donate goods or services.

Access to healthy food is often a bigger problem in rural areas, where grocery stores and food pantries are spread out and transportation may not be available, Jones said. He and a cohort of volunteers have already made stops in Arkansas, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Kansas and will later visit Washington, Iowa, Texas, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Were really going from coast to coast, Jones said. Im really excited about Sanford because the Boys & Girls Club is so wonderful here. Its one of the biggest ones weve worked with.

Nearly 400 families received boxes of food Wednesday that included pasta, instant mac-and-cheese, canned vegetables, cereal, ham, hot dogs and chicken. Families also left with soap, shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, baby wipes, toys and childrens books.

You can talk about it and see photos, but unless youre out here taking part, its not the same magnitude, Jones said. When youre out here actually seeing the faces and the hearts, and seeing everything that youre doing, thats life-changing.

Giving out the supplies was hard work. For two or three hours, volunteers in bright orange T-shirts labored under the hot summer sun, occasionally helped by children at the Boys & Girls Club.

So many kids were telling me this morning, My moms coming at 10,  said club director Jaslyn Walker. We had some of them come out to help so they could actually see the process.

Tyson and Americold 18-wheelers are already back on the road, but before the volunteers leave, theyll also work with the Christian United Outreach Center of Lee County to set up a pantry where children can get food and school supplies for two months before the start of school, Jones said.

Were gonna leave a footprint, he said. We didnt just want to be here and gone, we wanted to leave something for kids and families to access during the summer months.
Close

According to a new theory formulated by a multinational and multidisciplinary research team suggests that the land we now know as Iceland is the tip of a continent that has since sunken into the North Atlantic Ocean.

The new theory suggests that the existence of Icelandia - a sunken continent the size of Texas that sank some 10 million years ago - could explain the geological features found in the ocean floor as well as the reason why the Earth's crust under Iceland is a lot thicker than it's supposed to be. Additionally, the new theory proposes a new alternative aside from existing notions about how Iceland was formed.

Researchers detail the new, radical Iceland theory in "Icelandia," a chapter in the upcoming book "In the Footsteps of Warren B. Hamilton: New Ideas in Earth Science," set to be released next year.

ALSO READ: Iceland Earthquakes 2021: 18,000 Tremors Signals Volcanic Eruption? Mid-Atlantic Ridge Tectonic Plates Moving

Far-Reaching Effects of the New Icelandia Theory

Although the new theory might be backed by geological studies, the idea of a sunken continent with Iceland as its last remnant might have future implications for addressing fuel discovery and exploration disputes under its seafloor. Existing international laws dictate that resources found on the seafloor belong to the country that can prove that their continental crust covers the contested area.

"The region that's got continental material underneath, it stretched from Greenland to Scandinavia," says "Icelandia" lead author and British geologist Gillian Foulger in an interview. Foulger also serves as Durham University's emeritus professor of geophysics. "Some of it in the west and east has now sunk below the surface of the water, but it's still standing higher than it should. ... If the sea level dropped 600 meters [2,000 feet], then we would see a lot more land above the surface of the ocean."

Rediscovering a Lost Continent

Foulger additionally explains that the water-filled region of the North Atlantic was also once dry land, a part of the supercontinent Pangaea from 335 to 175 million years ago. According to a 2014 study in the Geological Society, the landmasses that would become Europe and North America separated at the final Pangaea break up during the early Cenozoic, forming the North Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, geologists long believed that the basin of the North Atlantic Ocean started forming 200 million years ago, with Iceland forming 60 million years ago, above a volcanic plume under the waters.

However, in the new theory, the authors raise a new possibility: that the oceans started forming south and north of what used to be the sunken continent Icelandia, but not in the west and east. These directions that didn't immediately fill with water were the connections to Greenland and Scandinavia. While tectonic plates are often visualized as discrete masses of land, Foulger explains that the mass underneath a continent is more like a "pizza, or a piece of artwork" that could break off in any direction, with different sections having different material strengths.

In their estimate, the now sunken continent might have covered as far as 230,000 square miles (600,000 square kilometers) of dry land between Greenland and Scandinavia.

RELATED ARTICLE: Tarantulas Almost Everywhere Because of the Continental Drift

Check out more news and information on Continental Drift in Science Times.
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Nearly half of the 911 calls Seattle police receive could be responded to without sworn police officers present, according to new findings by a nonprofit that worked with the city to analyze three years-worth of dispatch data.



A report detailing the findings, published earlier this week, is one result of Mayor Jenny Durkans plan to "reimagine" policing and safety in Seattle, which she launched via executive order last September following a tumultuous summer of protests following the murder of George Floyd.



The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, which analyzed the citys dispatch data, said that 49% of 911 calls police receive could, "at some point in the future, be responded to via an alternative non-sworn response," without involvement from the Seattle Police Department. That figure is based on the institutes review of the 1.2 million calls Seattle police responded to between 2017 and 2019.



The institute also found that 80% of the calls Seattle police responded to during that time were logged as non-criminal events, though it pointed out that calls not officially logged as criminal incidents could still have involved some criminal behavior.



"Officers often end calls, based on their discretion, as not involving criminal behavior, even when it did," the report said.



To better respond to calls, the institute recommended a tier-based model that involves officers and community members working together or separately depending on the call. The model is divided into four tiers.



Tiers one and two call for responses by an unarmed community member with no visible officer presence. The difference is that a tier two response would require sworn officers stationed nearby for safety.



Tiers three and four call for a sworn officer to be the primary responder. The difference is that a tier three response would require that officers turn over the call to community responders after the scene is safely secured.



Based on this model, the institute found that more than 685,000 of the 1.2 million calls Seattle police responded to between 2017 and 2019 could have been classified as tier one responses, and therefore could have been handled primarily by community responders.



The report of the institutes findings, which was authored by Durkans office, said Seattle police anticipate using the tiered response model in a neighborhood or precinct as pilot project.



"This would allow the scaling up of community-based resources, and the testing of dispatch assumptions for call outcome types to confirm how often the tiered model, based on what is known at the time of dispatch, was correct," the report said.



The report also points out the Seattle Police Department takes issue with some aspects of the institutes analysis of its dispatch data.



The department agrees that some calls the institute analyzed did not require an officer response, but argued that an officers visible presence  especially in areas with high violent crime  is valuable.



"The nearby staging of the officers, as well as their visible presence, is part of a deployment strategy grounded in research," the report said. "It would not make sense to have resources other than (police) engage in some of this work."



The department also argued that the institute didnt pay due attention to the possibility of harm to responders while it was assigning some of the departments past calls to its tier-based model.



In May, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to move 911 dispatch operations out of the Seattle Police Department and into the hands of the newly established Community Safety and Communications Center, which is under civilian control.
SEATTLE (AP)  At least nine Seattle bars temporarily closed because a worker tested positive for COVID-19 or came into contact with an infected person.

The Seattle Times reports the Unicorn on Capitol Hill and Jupiter bar in Belltown each had two vaccinated workers who tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, and bar management said they immediately closed.

Owners at both bars say they plan to reopen Friday since test results for the rest of their staff were negative.

The closures come as King County is seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases because of the highly infectious delta variant. Health officials in the past week have recommended that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in public indoor settings.

Unicorn bar owner Adam Heimstadt said he doesn't think local health officials went far enough with the mask suggestion. When he reopens Friday, Heimstadt will require all patrons to show their COVID-19 vaccine card along with ID.

I wish this was a mandate for all bars, he said. We need to all join together to require a vaccine card. Its the only way.

Another bar on Capitol Hill, The Doctors Office, posted on Facebook that starting Aug. 1, proof of full vaccination or a negative test within 48 hours will be required for entry.

In Belltown, Jupiter bar owner Joey Nix said he'll reopen at 50% capacity and bring back a plastic shield used to separate customers from people behind the bar. Two employees tested positive for COVID-19 last week although both were vaccinated. Both had mild symptoms, management said.

The other temporary closures included Rumba and Inside Passage on Capitol Hill, Shortys in Belltown, Bar Harbor in South Lake Union, Holy Mountain Brewing in Interbay, The Masonry in Uptown and The Masonry in Fremont.
ATLANTA (AP)  The city of Atlanta and Georgia school districts announced mask mandates Wednesday even as Gov. Brian Kemp repeated his vow that he wont impose a statewide mask rule or restrict business and public activities.

Infections and hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Georgia continued to rise steeply Wednesday.

Georgia will not lock down or impose statewide mask mandates, Kemp tweeted on Wednesday, repeating a stance that has remained consistent since the Republican lifted closures early in the pandemic.

Hours later, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an order requiring face coverings in all indoor public spaces including private businesses.

Public health experts overwhelmingly agree, and data has proved, that wearing a face covering helps slow the spread of this deadly virus, Bottoms said in a statement.

She ordered that city buildings remain closed to the public. Atlanta City Hall has been closed to non-employees since the start of the pandemic but was scheduled to fully reopen Aug. 9.

Kemp tried to use his powers under the public health state of emergency to keep cities and counties from issuing their own mask rules, suing Atlanta to try to block its mask mandate. That showdown ended in a compromise in which Kemp said cities and counties could require face coverings if infections were above a certain level. Kemp did not challenge school rules last year. The public health state of emergency expired July 1.

Additional school districts continued to announce Wednesday that they will require students and employees to wear masks, with the share of Georgia public school students covered by mask mandates now above 30%, according to Associated Press calculations.

Nearly 4,000 positive COVID-19 tests were reported Wednesday by the state Department of Public Health. That continued a sharp upward trend in newly reported cases. The last time Georgia reported more than 4,000 cases was on Feb. 11.

The share of positive molecular tests was above 12% for the third day in a row, far above the 5% level that experts say indicates most cases are being detected.

The number of hospitalized patients also continued to spike. The number of confirmed COVID-19 patients statewide rose to to 1,674 on Wednesday from 1,501 on Tuesday. More than 10% of all patients now hospitalized in Georgia for any reason have COVID-19.

Rural hospital regions around Waycross and Dublin have seen more than twentyfold increases in the number of COVID-19 patients since July 5.

At least 15 school districts statewide have announced new mask mandates or reaffirmed existing ones, with the 30,000-student Muscogee County district becoming the latest to do so on Wednesday.

This recommended added layer of protection is meant to promote the safe return to in-person instruction, help us do our part to further reduce transmission of the virus in our community, and to maintain continuity of operations, the district said in a news release. The Columbus-based district said it was following guidance from a local advisory panel, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

So far, a small fraction of Georgia's 180-plus school districts are requiring masks. But the districts that have done so include six of the 11 largest districts in the state and represent more than 28% of all students statewide. A number of other districts have said they're considering tightening mask optional stances, and more announcements could be coming ahead of next week, when most Georgia districts start class.

Kemp had vowed in May that Were not going to have a mask mandate for our kids," but an executive order he issued that month fell short of actually banning masks in schools. Instead, the governor said school districts couldn't cite Georgia's public health state of emergency as a basis for requiring masks.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson imposed a partial mask mandate in the coasts largest city on Monday.

Kemp imposed other orders using a different state of emergency law when he ended the public health state of emergency.

On Wednesday, Kemp again focused on encouraging people to get vaccinated voluntarily. Georgia ranks in the bottom 10 states for vaccination rates.

My family, myself, and other state leaders have all rolled up their sleeves and gotten their shot, Kemp tweeted. I encourage all Georgians who have concerns or questions to talk to a medical provider and get vaccinated as quickly as possible.

The Atlanta-based CDC on Tuesday changed earlier guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in areas with substantial or high transmission. CDC figures show 138 of 159 Georgia counties in those zones. The CDC also recommended that everyone in schools wear masks indoors, accelerating the shift in local school policies.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
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From left, Weston Whittier, 5, Huckson Bradley, 6, and Kaleb Arlen, 5, play on the playground with their masks on at Mount Caesar Elementary School in Swanzey Center on the first day back in school full time in May. Monadnock Superintendent Lisa Witte says no mask mandate is planned when students and staff return this fall.
Facing billions of dollars in potential liability to cancer victims, Monsantos parent company said Thursday it would stop selling the current version of Roundup, the worlds most widely used herbicide, for U.S. home and garden use in 2023.

The forthcoming version of the weed-killer will replace its current active ingredient, glyphosate, with new formulations that rely on alternative active ingredients, subject to approval by the Environmental Protection Agency and state regulators, said Bayer AG, the German pharmaceutical giant that purchased Monsanto for $63 billion in 2018.

This move is being made exclusively to manage litigation risk and not because of any safety concerns, the company said in a statement. It will continue to market the current version of the product for farm use in the United States and for general use in other nations that permit its sale.

But while the EPA has found the current version of Roundup to be safe, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization, concluded in 2015 that glyphosate was a probable cause of cancer in humans.

Tens of thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Monsanto and Bayer in state and federal courts. In the first case to go to trial, a San Francisco jury awarded nearly $290 million in damages in 2019 to Dewayne Lee Johnson of Vallejo, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer after spraying the herbicide as a groundskeeper for the Benicia Unified School District. State courts reduced the damages to $21.5 million and rejected the companies appeal.

Two later trials resulted in damage awards of $25.2 million to Edwin Hardeman, who sprayed Roundup on his North Bay properties for more than 26 years, and $86.2 million to Alva and Alberta Pilliod of Livermore, who used the herbicide on their properties for 30 years. In Hardemans case, the first to be tried in federal court, an appeals court ruled in May that a jury was entitled to decide whether the chemical had caused his cancer, despite the EPAs safety findings. Bayer says it will appeal to the Supreme Court.

Bayer has also agreed to pay $10 billion to settle pending lawsuits. But the companys additional efforts to resolve future suits with a fund of $2 billion have not yet won approval from U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of San Francisco, who has questioned its limits on compensation and its proposed establishment of a scientific panel that would determine the products safety.

California health officials have tried to add warning labels to Roundup sold in the state but were blocked by a federal judge, who said the labeling was barred by federal law because of safety findings by the EPA and regulatory agencies in other countries.

Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Food Safety, said Bayers announcement Thursday should serve as a warning to customers to choose another weed-killer before 2023.

Bayers decision to end U.S. residential sale of Roundup is a historic victory for public health and the environment, Kimbrell said. As agricultural, large-scale use of this toxic pesticide continues, our farm workers remain at risk. Its time for EPA to act and ban glyphosate for all uses.

Aimee Wagstaff, a lawyer for Hardeman and other users of the herbicide, said the announcement was a great start to making the world a safer place.

Speaking to investors, Bayers chief executive officer, Werner Baumann, said, It is important for the company, our owners and our customers that we move on and put the uncertainty and ambiguity related to the glyphosate litigation behind us.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Welcome to Pandemic Problems, an advice column from The Chronicles engagement reporters that aims to help Bay Area residents solve their pandemic-related conundrums  personal, practical or professional. Send your questions and issues to pandemicproblems@sfchronicle.com.

Todays question is fielded by The Chronicles Kellie Hwang.

Dear Advice Team: I have tickets to a major outdoor stadium concert in a few weeks. Im fully vaccinated, but also have an unvaccinated kid at home. Should I wear a mask at the concert? Should I skip it?

Dear Reader: Its a particularly confusing and difficult time right now.

Back in mid-May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 could shed their masks in most settings. California aligned with the guidance on June 15 and reopened the state, though like the CDC, officials said unvaccinated people should wear masks indoors.

But on Tuesday, amid rising cases and hospitalizations due to the highly transmissible delta variant, the CDC updated its mask guidance and is now recommending vaccinated people in areas of high COVID-19 transmission again wear masks indoors.

On Wednesday, California public health officials went further, recommending universal masking for all state residents in public indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status  a step that most Bay Area counties had already taken. So far in California, only Los Angeles and Yolo counties have made that guidance mandatory.

The CDCs new guidance reflects increasing signs that the delta variant can more easily infect those who are fully vaccinated  and that they may be just as able to transmit the virus as the unvaccinated, though the vaccines remain highly effective at preventing serious illness resulting in hospitalization and death.

With all that in mind, Dr. Robert Siegel, an infectious disease expert at Stanford, said the answer to your question depends on a number of factors: the prevalence of the virus at the time of the concert, your level of risk aversion, your own behavior and the behavior of other concertgoers.

If your risk aversion is high and you want to eliminate the possibility, however unlikely, of breakthrough infection or long COVID, then the simple answer is that you should probably avoid high-risk settings like concerts, he said.

If you decide to attend, wearing a mask is a good idea.

If theres going to be a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated, the safest thing to do is to just wear a mask, said UCSF infectious disease expert George Rutherford, who said if he were in a crowd outdoors where it is safer, he would still mask up.

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If possible, Siegel said, its best to choose events with good COVID-19 protocols or, better yet, entry requirements.

It is better to choose events that are outdoors, events where vaccination is required, events where people nearby are not singing or shouting, events where masks are required, and events where people can maintain distance, Siegel said.

California has restrictions for mega events, defined as more than 5,000 people indoors and more than 10,000 outdoors. Indoor mega events require proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test for entry, while verification is strongly recommended for outdoor mega events. If your event is in another state, you should check the recommendations and restrictions there.

The CDC still notes that the risk of coronavirus transmission outdoors is minimal, and vaccinated people shouldnt need masks. Californias guidance also says masks generally arent needed outdoors  though in areas where transmission is high, those not fully vaccinated are encouraged to wear a mask in outdoor settings that are crowded or involve sustained close contact with others not fully vaccinated.

Siegel said with high-risk exposures to infected individuals, data suggests that 1 in 20 fully vaccinated people may get symptomatic infection.

For a large concert, that could result in quite a few infections, he said. Vaccinated individuals who get infected have a low risk of passing the virus on, but this kind of transmission has now been documented.

So what does this mean for your child?

In light of the CDCs updated findings that vaccinated people may carry a higher viral load with the delta variant than other strains, and assuming your child isnt coming to the concert with you, Siegel said it again comes down to your threshold for risk. Concerts often involve a lot of people crowded together shouting, and are ideal for superspreader events, he said. And the level of transmission in the Bay Area is high now.

If their goal is protect their child, they should probably not go to the concert based on everything we know, he said.

Rutherford still thinks it shouldnt be too risky to attend the concert.

Transmission to a vaccinated person is a rare event, and children are at low risk for developing serious disease, he said. As the concert is outdoors, the risk of transmission is even lower. Id wear a mask though.

Health experts seem to agree that even with the more contagious delta variant, childrens risk of developing an illness serious enough to warrant hospitalization or lead to death is relatively low, and infections usually result in mild or asymptomatic cases.

Siegel said that coronavirus infections in young children are generally far less serious than in adults. However, there is a risk of complications, including multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which is rare but serious.

We still do not know if there are long-term consequences of mild infections, Siegel said.

Siegel said the best thing to prevent infection on top of being vaccinated yourself is to convince everyone around you to get vaccinated too, and avoid situations where you will have close exposure to someone who is unvaccinated or their status is unknown.

These measures will also help protect children under 12 for whom the vaccine is not available, as well as immunocompromised individuals for whom the vaccine may be less protective, he said. In addition, these measures will decrease the overall prevalence of disease and decrease the probability that new variants may arise.

Pandemic Problems is written by Chronicle Advice Team members Annie Vainshtein and Kellie Hwang, combining thorough reporting and guidance from Bay Area experts to help get answers and find a way forward.
The former waste management executive accused of funneling $1 million in bribes to ex-Public Works director Mohammed Nuru has agreed to plead guilty to a federal fraud charge, officials said Wednesday.

Paul Giusti, 65, is the former community relations manager for the San Francisco group of trash company Recology and the latest defendant tied to a City Hall scandal to strike a plea deal with prosecutors and agree to cooperate with investigators.

Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds, FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Fair, and IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Daniels announced the development in a joint statement released Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors said between 2014 and January 2020, Giusti conspired with others to direct a stream of payments and benefits from the waste management company to Nuru, directly or through his designees. The bribes came in the form of gifts, services and financial contributions, including $60,000 from 2016 to 2019 to fund the annual Department of Public Works holiday party.

These gifts, prosecutors said, were all intended to curry favor with the former public works director. Officials said it was Giustis job to keep Nuru happy as the company attempted to negotiate rate increases for garbage collection. Nuru played a key role in this process.

Prosecutors said Nuru in turn helped Recology obtain the fee increases, which were approved by the city but paid by an unsuspecting public.

Nuru is at the center of a widespread federal corruption case that has linked city officials, contractors, nonprofit groups and others in a web of alleged bribery and fraud. The former public works director was arrested in January 2020 for allegedly attempting to bribe an airport commissioner. His case is still pending in federal court.

Giusti is charged with one count of conspiracy to bribe a local official and to commit honest services fraud, and faces up to five years in prison if convicted. He was arraigned on Wednesday and remains out of custody on bond.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
Sacramento County health officials on Thursday ordered all residents regardless of vaccination status to wear masks again indoors. Its the latest California jurisdiction to reinstate face coverings to stem rising cases of the coronavirus.

Starting July 30, people must wear masks inside at workplaces and other public settings.

The state Capitol had already reinstated its mask mandate on July 7 for lawmakers and staffers, regardless of vaccination status, following an outbreak.

Public health officials across the country are urging people to wear masks again. So far the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California officials have recommended but not required that everyone, including those who are vaccinated, voluntarily wear masks.

Sacramento is the third California county to reinstate indoor mask orders for everyone. Los Angeles County health officials were the first to do so, on July 15. Yolo County  which borders Sacramento County  followed suit earlier this week. California lifted its indoor mask rules in mid-June as cases and hospitalizations plummeted, but conditions have changed since the highly contagious delta variant arrived.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Thursday that the city was considering ordering people in the city to wear masks again indoors. Across the Bay Area, health officials so far have not reissued a mask mandate, but they have recommended that people wear masks indoors again even if they are vaccinated.

Breed said she was coordinating with Bay Area health officers regarding mask rules and hoped to have more clarity this week or next. All city employees must also show proof of vaccination or a negative test.

We are looking at mask mandates for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, Breed said Thursday. Yes, we are looking at mandatory vaccines for people who are not ... just city employees.

The San Francisco Bar Alliance, a group representing 500 bars in the city, Monday announced it would recommend its members require customers to show their vaccine cards before going inside.

Sacramento Countys case rates have increased more than fivefold in the past six weeks, qualifying it as an area of high transmission, according to the CDC. Hospitalizations have risen from 60 patients on June 15 to 175 patients as of July 27, officials said.

Julie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: julie.johnson@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @juliejohnson
The state Supreme Court cleared the way Wednesday for construction of a housing and retail complex in West Berkeley on the site of an ancient shellmound burial ground of the Ohlone tribe.

The project, challenged by Berkeley and the tribe, would build 260 apartments, half of them priced for lower-income households, on what is now the parking lot of the former Spengers restaurant, which closed in 2018, at 1900 Fourth St.

The land was first occupied 4,900 years ago, according to a UC Berkeley anthropologist, and was in use as a sacred burial ground for at least 3,700 years. Human remains were unearthed from the site in 1950.

Berkeley officials, supported by the Ohlone tribe Confederated Villages of Lisjan, rejected the plan in 2018 and said the site was a landmark. An Alameda County judge ruled in their favor in 2019 but was overruled this April by the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco, which said the development would serve the urgent public need for housing and would not harm the historic underground site.

The states intrusion into local government authority over land use is justified in this case in light of the Legislatures long history of attempting to address the states housing crisis and frustration with local governments interference with that goal, Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline said in the 3-0 ruling.

Berkeley and the Ohlone tribe appealed to the states high court, but the court denied review Wednesday. Four votes are needed for review by the seven-member court, but only Justice Leondra Kruger voted to grant review. Justice Carol Corrigan was absent.

Raymond Cardozo, a lawyer for the property manager, said the courts action reaffirms the developers right to proceed with construction and deliver badly needed affordable housing to Berkeley.

Tom Lippe, lawyer for the tribe, said the tribe was disappointed and would review its remaining legal options to protect this sacred Ohlone shellmound from destruction.

In the appeals court decision, Kline said Berkeleys own report had found that the heart of the West Berkeley shellmound was west of the project site. He said remnants beneath the development site, most likely deposited there by creeks or other projects, consisted of a thin layer of crushed shell rather than any actual structures that would be destroyed by further development.

Under a 2018 state law, Kline said, a local government that has failed to provide its share of regional housing needs must approve multifamily residential projects in properly zoned urban areas  unless the development would require the demolition of a historic structure.

The case is Ruegg & Ellsworth vs. Berkeley, S269012.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
When Maya Booker, 18, got her first Pfizer shot, at a pop-up clinic Saturday at the Oakland Zoo, she tried to calm her nerves by repeating to herself, If I can get piercings and tattoos, I can do this.

Booker, a San Leandro resident whose phobia of shots was among several reasons she hesitated on vaccination, even though shed been eligible for a few months, added, I kept telling myself that over and over.

As health officials race to once again quell new cases of the coronavirus, which are growing at a particularly fast clip among young adults, Booker is squarely in the demographic they want to reach for vaccination. Todays actions by young people  getting vaccinated or not  could shape the next stage of the pandemic.

Nationwide, and in most Bay Area counties that report vaccination data by age group, young adults  generally defined as ages 18 to 34  are lagging behind people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and older in getting vaccinated. Nationwide, just 43% of 18- to 24-year-olds have been fully vaccinated  compared with 82% of those ages 65 to 74, and 78% of those 75 and older, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The gap is less stark in the Bay Area, which has higher overall vaccination rates, but it still persists. In Alameda County, where Booker lives, about 62% of 16- to 34-year-olds have been fully vaccinated, compared with 74% or higher for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s. Similarly, in San Francisco, 67% of people ages 18 to 24 have been vaccinated  compared with 84% or higher for those 55 and older.

While not new, the trend is becoming increasingly concerning now that young adults make up the largest and fastest-growing proportion of new cases statewide, and the average age of hospitalized COVID patients is dropping in some regions.

The reasons some young adults have put off vaccination are complex and mirror some reasons people of all ages have not gotten their shots.

Booker, for example, was worried about the side effects  a cousins girlfriend had a bad fever after she got her shot  and she thought the vaccine was too new for her to feel completely comfortable getting it. Plus, she said, shed been careful throughout the pandemic when interacting with friends and didnt feel that getting vaccinated was urgent.

I was scared to get it, said Booker, expressing a sentiment shared by some unvaccinated young people. It was so new. I wanted to wait until it was out a little (longer) and more people around the world got it.

What eventually got Booker to the zoo clinic was, in part, a desire to protect her grandmother, with whom she lives. Her grandma is vaccinated, but because Booker goes out around other people, she wanted to get vaccinated to make sure when I come back home, everyone is good, and Im good, she said.

It helped that Booker came with a friend, who had similar anxieties about the vaccine. Maxine Grant, 17, also got her first shot Saturday. She works at the zoo and felt comfortable getting it there. She and Booker were among the 26 people who received their shots Saturday at the pop-up clinic, which was staffed by the urgent care and primary care provider Carbon Health.

Maxine, of Castro Valley, decided to get her shot because she had COVID recently and doesnt want a repeat infection. Her case wasnt that bad, she said  she had a cough and sore throat, felt tired and weak, and had to stay home for two weeks. She said if not for the clinic coming to her work Saturday, she probably wouldnt have gotten vaccinated. She too felt uneasy about the newness of the vaccine.

That tracks with what health experts say is holding back many young adults. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been administered to hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and have proved to be safe and effective. But for many, getting vaccinated doesnt seem that pressing, with young people at much lower risk than older adults for becoming severely ill and hospitalized, or dying, from COVID, according to the CDC.

From the beginning ... there was a lot of attention and focus on working with older people, said San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip. Its possible that through that, younger people understood it wasnt as big a risk for them to end up in the hospital or dying. So they saw it as important for their parents and grandparents but not themselves.

Even so, its important young people get vaccinated because they can contract and transmit the virus. And they can develop whats known as long COVID  impairment that lasts weeks or months after an initial infection, with symptoms including prolonged fatigue, brain fog and other neurological problems.

But many young adults have already had COVID, didnt feel it was that bad, and dont understand why there is so much pressure now to get vaccinated, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, a UCSF professor of epidemiology and biostatistics who speaks to unvaccinated patients and youth groups about vaccination.

Erica Huynh, a youth ambassador for Santa Clara Countys Public Health Department who does outreach to urge young people to get vaccinated, hears this a lot from college students. Many have had COVID or know someone who did, had mild symptoms and recovered with few complications.

My peer who got (COVID) is still OK, is the sentiment of many youth, said Huynh, 20. They think risk of vaccination is higher than the risk of getting COVID.

Public health experts say the benefits of the vaccine greatly outweigh the risk of side effects, which for the vast majority of people are short-term and much milder than the disease.

Others have not gotten around to shots because work or school have taken top priority.

Tanner Jackson, 28, said his computer science studies at Sacramento City College kept him so busy that it wasnt until he had a break between semesters that he had time to get a shot: He too got his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine Saturday, after a friend whose girlfriend works at the zoo recommended the clinic. Hed just finished school the week before and will start again in four weeks, so the timing to get his shots now worked out well, he said.

Jackson, who lives in Folsom (Sacramento County), said he felt relieved afterward.

As soon as I get my second (shot), Ill feel more comfortable going outside, he said. Most of my friends are vaccinated. I think Im the slow one.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
Sakhone Lasaphangthong starts his day at 5 a.m. power-washing the streets of Oaklands Chinatown.

As he cleans, he keeps his ears and eyes open in case there is a cry for help. Sometimes help means offering water or food to passersby  which Lasaphangthong keeps in the back of his truck. Other times, it means working with police to de-escalate a tense situation with a bystander.

Lasaphangthong is one of about five community ambassadors who recently started roaming Oaklands Chinatown in green vests. Their role is to build relationships with merchants and residents to help foster safety amid an uptick in violent crime.

The program comes as Oakland and cities nationwide see a rise in crimes against Asian Americans. On Monday, law enforcement officials and Asian American community advocates held a news conference in Chinatown to decry two brazen daytime armed robberies there earlier this month.

Carl Chan, head of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, was the victim of an attack earlier this year. Chan has publicly decried the surge in crimes in downtown Oakland  many of which have targeted Asian seniors.

Corinne Jan, CEO of Family Bridges, a social services organization in Oakland, said at a news conference Thursday that shes hopeful ambassadors can help prevent violence. The program, launched by Family Bridges, is one of the citys key tools to prevent violence.

We are not enforcers, she said. We are actually catalysts for listening, empathy and taking care of each other.

The Department of Violence Prevention plans to use part of its recent $18 million budget allocation to fund 10 such groups with six ambassadors each throughout the city.

The department partners with community organizations, including Family Bridges, doing street outreach, intervention and other social services. Part of the departments strategy is to disperse community ambassador groups to help residents harmed by violence and economic turmoil exacerbated by the pandemic.

In 2020, 60% of Chinatowns businesses earned half or less of what they earned in 2019 and 25% lost 75% or more of their revenue, according to Family Bridges. More than 10 stores in Chinatown have closed permanently.

A business owner in Chinatown, who declined to give his name due to safety concerns, said he has seen the community ambassadors in Chinatown and they are really nice. He stressed the importance of having people from the community work together to deter crime. While the ambassadors do help, he said, more needs to be done.

In addition to graffiti abatement and street cleaning, ambassadors will report crimes and connect people to resources, including health care, benefits, housing and employment.

Heidi Wong, program manager at Family Bridges, said ambassadors are crucial in preventing crime, giving seniors a sense of security and promoting neighborhood health.

This is exactly the kind of thing we want to be supporting, said Miya Saika Chen, chief of staff to Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas.

Chen said the program in Chinatown builds a model for both the city and nation to show what true community ambassadorship is.

Family Bridges received a $75,000 grant from the Department of Violence Prevention to bolster the program. The programs total cost is about $200,000, but Wong said she hopes they can eventually raise up to $1 million in private donations to grow the number of ambassadors.

We are still in basically a pilot phase right now and so we have just minimal staff, Wong said.

For ambassadors, the work is meaningful.

Somsak Uppasay, who was formerly incarcerated, said when he was on parole, he would see stories about the importance of serving ones community. Now, as an ambassador, he feels a renewed purpose.

I always dreamed that I wanted to be a part of that, and I am today, he said. It feels like a proud moment, that I did something great.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
Pastrami sandwiches, Korean fried chicken and desserts with a cult following are now available under one roof from a new San Jose ghost kitchen.

The new operation is a pop-up version of DoorDash Kitchens, following the delivery companys first ghost kitchen in Redwood City. Opening Thursday, the hub is slinging food from the popular Aria Korean Street Food in San Francisco, the famed Canters Deli in Los Angeles, local Indian chain Curry Up Now, dessert favorite Milk Bar in New York, grilled cheese chain the Melt and bubble tea chain YiFang Taiwan Fruit Tea.

DoorDash Kitchens is located in Westfield Oakridge at 925 Blossom Hill Road. Customers in San Jose, Saratoga and Campbell are able to order for home delivery. Takeout is available for those further away. The pop-up will be open until November.

While DoorDashs initial ghost kitchen in Redwood City sees restaurants rent kitchen space and hire their own staff, the San Jose pop-up is testing out a format more similar to All Day Kitchens, formerly known as Virtual Kitchen Co., and Local Kitchens. DoorDash handles the staffing and trains one team on how to prepare the menus for all six restaurants.

This model allows for far-away restaurateurs, such as Christina Tosi of famed bakery Milk Bar or Marc Canter of Jewish deli Canters, to more easily expand and test out new markets. Both Milk Bar and Canters also recently joined DoorDashs ghost kitchen in Redwood City.

Canter said he prefers the DoorDash set-up compared to licensing or franchising because theres more collaboration. DoorDashs chefs went to Los Angeles for training, and Canter is satisfied with the results. Before the ghost kitchens, Canters faced some difficulties when it expanded through a licensing deal into Nevada. One of the restaurants closed because of complaints from diners. Canter suspects the chefs had too much pride to follow the recipes.

At the San Jose ghost kitchen, Canters fans will be able to order the delis greatest hits: sandwiches made with corned beef or pastrami, crispy potato pancakes and matzo ball soup. The same brined meats are shipped to this location.

Youre already starting with a good product but you have to handle it right, cook it right, make sure its tender, Canter said. Robots cant make it.

Courtesy Soraya Matos / DoorDash Kitchens

For a small mom-and-pop like Aria, the new ghost kitchen appeals as an expansion method because DoorDash handles the day-to-day operating. Co-owner Charlie Kim said its almost impossible for small businesses to open new locations right now because of the pandemic. The Tenderloin restaurant steadily grew its delivery business pre-pandemic, with DoorDash comprising about 70% of total sales. The logical next step was a ghost kitchen, which Aria attempted last year through CloudKitchens. With CloudKitchens, restaurants pay rent and also have to provide staff.

Despite being so busy that the Aria spin-off consistently sold out, Kim closed the operation after one year.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

It didnt really work out as I expected, he said. The operating expenses were too high.

Kim said hes hopeful this style of ghost kitchen, where DoorDash and the restaurants split the revenue, pencils out better for small restaurants. Hes also optimistic about the execution. So far during tests, hes been pleased with the fried chicken, sauces, bulgogi fries and bulgogi kimbap.

Some of sauces I thought were maybe better than our original location, he said with a laugh. I was a little surprised, which is good.

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Los Angeles will require city employees to show proof vaccination against COVID-19 or be regularly tested, officials said Tuesday, a policy in line with a new state rule announced by the governor a day earlier.

Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Nury Martinez said the requirement is part of a broader push toward a vaccine mandate for city employees.

They said the requirement is needed because of the growing threat from the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

This urgent need means that if youre a city employee, were now going to require you to either show that youre vaccinated or take a weekly test, and were committed to pursuing a full vaccine mandate, Garcetti said in the statement. "I urge employers across Los Angeles to follow this example.

Garcetti said at an evening news conference that there's an alarming spike of COVID-19 among the city workforce, with 110 new cases in the past week, compared to 34 in the prior week.

The plan is expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks following a meeting Wednesday of a City Council committee focused on employee relations. City departments will be directed to collect data on vaccination rates and deliver it by Aug. 15, Garcetti said.

The city would pursue a vaccine mandate once the Food and Drug Administration grants full approval to the three most commonly used shots.

Long Beach, the second-largest city in Los Angeles County, also announced a similar requirement.

The announcements come after Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that he will require state employees and millions of health care workers, public and private, to provide proof of vaccination or get regular virus tests.

Under the new state 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.

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.

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 states population, is again requiring masks for people in indoor settings, and several other counties have encouraged it.
On Monday, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley stood with Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, Oaklands police chief LeRonne Armstrong, and representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to announce a tougher on crime approach in response to two recent robberies that took place in Chinatown.

During the news conference, OMalley promised to charge enhancements, fight the release of people from pretrial detention and increase militarized police presence on Oaklands streets. In what I can only describe as a Hillary Clinton super predator moment, OMalley said: These perpetrators are ruthless and they are aggressive

Thats code for: They arent human. Engage as such.

That kind of talk shouldnt make any of us feel safe. That kind of talk leads to racial profiling, harassment of Black and brown people, and police use of force. That kind of talk also isnt helpful in addressing the egregious race-based violence our Asian community members are facing.

That kind of talk is about using fear to justify a city-wide crackdown on Black and brown children.

You know who is ruthless and aggressive? The Oakland Police Department. In 2019, The Community Police Review Agency received 500 complaints of misconduct by sworn members of the Oakland Police Department. After 21 years, the department remains in federal receivership.

Also ruthless and aggressive? The FBI. Particularly when it comes to Black bodies. Oakland is the birthplace of the Black Panther Party. When the Party fought to feed, heal and liberate the Black community in the 1960s, the FBI launched a ruthless campaign called COINTELPRO to destroy their efforts, resulting in dead and incarcerated Party members.

And theyre still at it.

The FBI has been aggressively surveilling Black Lives Matter activists for years, including an intelligence operation called Iron Fist that was prioritized over the effort to fight white supremacist violence.

Nope, them boys dont make me feel safe either.

At the end of the day, we cant send a message to those that want to commit violence that its OK, Chief Armstrong said. Our community can no longer stand to be victimized this way.

There we agree.

I want our relatives in Chinatown to feel and be safe. The uptick in violence against Asian bodies is scary and unacceptable and it is up to all of us to confront and end this rise in violence.

This is the point of the community ambassador program, funded in the Oakland budget, which employs community members to keep eyes on Asian businesses and walk elders and other vulnerable community members to their destination.

We all want safe streets. I am raising a teenage daughter in this city. I want to not be terrified every time that she walks out the door. Which I am. Bullets fly with abandon on Oakland streets.

But if we are not safe with a police budget of $350 million a year, what is the magic number that will make a militarized police department and violent carceral state work to create safe communities?

Newsflash. There isnt one.

One last time for the people in the back who are intentionally and willfully repeating this lie: There was no reduction in the police budget. Zero. Zip. The Oakland Police Department received an increase of $38 million dollars this budget cycle. It is beyond disturbing that elected officials like Mayor Libby Schaaf, appointed officials like Chief Armstrong and community leaders like Carl Chan continue to push an agenda of fear-mongering that is incredibly effective in manipulating pain and trauma, but sadly will not produce the results Oaklanders so desperately desire.

Black communities are no strangers to racialized violence and I deeply understand the fear driving the calls for more law enforcement. But the truth is, you cant police your way out of hate either. Black, brown and other communities are ready and willing to stand in solidarity with and defend our Asian relatives. But an increased militarized police and federal presence will not remain boxed in Chinatown. It will impact all marginalized Oakland communities.

Amid the violence of the 1990s, politicians ran a similar tape. The result was Black people literally begging for a three strikes sentencing law. What we got instead was continued gunfire, nonstop funerals and the added bonus of thousands of Black people being funneled into American concentration camps (prisons). And just like the three strikes law, the rhetoric we heard from that Chinatown news conference protends an approach that will only serve to rip families apart, criminalize children and funnel even more Black bodies into jails and prisons.

Americas justice system is supposed to mean innocent until proven guilty. Leaving people to languish inside of jails because they cannot afford bail is unconstitutional at best.

Nancy OMalley is stepping down from office at the end of her term. She remains ever tone deaf to the Alameda County voter base who have been supporting alternatives to incarceration for decades.

If the voters change their mind about criminal justice reform and an end to militarized policing when her term ends in 2022  well, I guess we can cross that bridge then. In the meantime, OMalley is a lame duck who is fighting for reactionary crackdowns that fly in the face of the will of voters. Her efforts should offend all of us who will be here cleaning up her mess long after she retires.

The only way to end crime is to prevent it in the first place. Cops dont do that. Federal policing agencies dont do that. Racist tough-on-crime practices and policies certainly dont do that either. Investment in people and communities is the only pathway to safety.

We cant allow fear to sell us our own destruction.

Cat Brooks is an award-winning actress, playwright, executive director of the Justice Teams Network, co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project and co-host of UpFront on KPFA.
SACRAMENTO  As San Diegos former mayor and now a leading Republican contender in Californias recall election, Kevin Faulconer has sought to portray himself as a GOP outlier on climate change.

Unlike some of his Republican rivals seeking to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom, Faulconer doesnt express doubt that human activity is altering the planets atmosphere, and he has frequently touted his work passing San Diegos first climate plan in 2015.

But that posture is a dramatic shift from a little-known, earlier period in Faulconers career when he fought tougher fuel-efficiency standards as a lobbyist for a group funded by the auto industry.

Public records from the late 1990s show Faulconer was paid to lobby Congress on behalf of the Coalition for Vehicle Choice, an organization created by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers that opposed legislation to reduce tailpipe emissions and that questioned climate science.

Big car manufacturers, such as GM and Ford, spent millions to bankroll the group, which functioned as their lobbying and public-relations arm against early efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that have created a warmer climate and more severe weather patterns.

Resisting tighter auto emissions standards still remains part of Republican orthodoxy. But Faulconers lobbying work suggests he had a more hands-on role in the fight in the 1990s.

The coalition he represented fought against the global climate agreement that became the Kyoto Protocol. Archived versions of its website contain a host of discredited assertions about climate change, such as: Some people claim theres a scientific consensus that climate is changing, due to man-made emissions of greenhouse gases. But many respected voices in the scientific community believe theres little evidence of that so far, and no reason for extreme action.

Faulconers lobbying on behalf of the group has never been publicly reported. He is one of a half-dozen well-known Republicans running to replacing Newsom, a Democrat, in the Sept. 14 recall election.

Many details of Faulconers work on behalf of the Coalition for Vehicle Choice are unknown because few public records exist from the time. He declined to be interviewed and would not answer questions about how long he represented the group and what kind of work he did on its behalf.

At the time, Faulconer was working as an account executive for Solem & Associates, a San Francisco public affairs firm run by the late Don Solem, a Democratic consultant who often represented industry groups on environmental disputes.

In a written statement, Faulconer downplayed his work on behalf of the coalition, portraying himself as a lower-level staffer at Solems firm.

One of my first jobs out of college was an entry-level position at a PR firm that had a wide variety of clients, Faulconer said. It was in these early years of my career that I decided that I wanted to serve the public and I started a journey that eventually lead to serving as a city council member and mayor.

Public records and newspaper archives, however, suggest Faulconer played a prominent role in the auto industrys lobbying and public relations efforts.

In one newspaper story from 1996 he was quoted as the California state coordinator for the Coalition for Vehicle Choice. The story contained information about vehicle safety and was published in the Mountain Democrat, a paper in Placerville.

Lobbyist registration records from 1996 state that the coalition used Faulconer to lobby Congress primarily (over) corporate average fuel economy standards. Solem & Associates was paid more than $24,000 for the work performed that year by Faulconer and Anne Solem, the firms vice president and wife of Don Solem, records show.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Anne Solem said she doubts Faulconer directly spoke with members of Congress about emissions standards, saying his work on the project probably included writing talking points, handouts and calling lawmakers offices. At that time, we didnt consider it a climate-denying issue, she said.

She and Don Solem later regretted representing the coalition, she said, and dropped the contract not long after Faulconer left the firm.

I think, a lot of us, our views have changed since 25 years ago, she said. We grow, we evolve, we change.

Faulconer declined to comment on how his views on climate and emissions standards have evolved over time. He worked at the Solems firm until he was about 30, when he moved to San Diego for another job in public relations. He was elected to the City Council in 2006, and later won the mayors seat.

Environmentalists who spoke with The Chronicle said Faulconers lobbyist past shows how even Newsoms arguably most moderate GOP challenger lacks the governors more eco-friendly record.

Mike Young, political director for the California League of Conservation Voters, which supports Newsom in the recall, said Faulconer could set back the states efforts to reduce vehicle emissions. Young said he worries Faulconer would appoint industry-friendly regulators to agencies like the California Air Resources Board, the states clean-air watchdog.

It should make every voter question his convictions, Young said of Faulconers lobbyist work. Voters should be very skeptical when somebody suddenly turns a new leaf.

Faulconer, 54, struck a more centrist tone on the environment after he was elected to public office. In 2015, San Diego passed a Climate Action Plan he introduced, which aims to cut emissions in half by 2035. He also backed an effort to create the citys own renewable-energy utility, to transition it away from San Diego Gas & Electric.

Faulconer has touted that record as he runs for governor. His campaign website includes a brief statement about the environment, saying he supports common-sense solutions.

We Californians value clean air, clean water, and a sustainable environment, and I am proud to have a strong record of supporting policies that protect our environment and grow good jobs for our communities, he said in a statement.

But some environmentalists say his record as mayor is more of a mixed bag. San Diego has been accused of using faulty data, with overstated reductions in tailpipe emissions, to bolster claims that it has reduced vehicle traffic.

Richard Miller, chapter director of the Sierra Club San Diego, said Faulconers work on the citys climate plan seemed like more a of public relations move than a substantive effort to address the global crisis.

Hes a PR guy, he knows what to say and knows what to do to get his message out and make him look good, Miller said. I think he was looking through the lens of somebody who was seeking higher office.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
Janice Mirikitani, the co-founder of San Franciscos Glide Memorial Church and foundation and the citys former poet laureate, died Thursday. She was 80.

Glide confirmed Mirikitanis death in a message to supporters who were scheduled to attend a virtual justice event Thursday night, calling it sad and sudden. They said she died early in the morning with family and friends at her side.

Mirikitani, the poet laureate in San Francisco from 2000 to 2002, used her poetry to further the fight for equality and to call for a more just and peaceful world, Mayor London Breed said in a statement Thursday.

In her work at Glide with her husband, the Rev. Cecil Williams, Breed said, Mirikitani served San Franciscos most vulnerable residents for decades and provided a place of refuge and love for all.

She was boundless in her energy and in her devotion to this City and to her fellow San Franciscans, Breed said. My heart goes out to her friends and family, especially to Cecil. She was loved and will never be forgotten.

As a third-generation Japanese American, she survived World War II internment camps, grew up in Petaluma and Los Angeles, and co-founded Glide, an organization that has worked for decades to combat systemic inequities and create pathways for people experiencing poverty. When she was an infant in 1941, her family was forced off their Stockton farm and sent to an internment camp in rural Arkansas. She was 3 years old when her family was freed.

She was known for her warm, contagious laugh and energy while working in the community. Mirikitani wrote books of poetry and led poetry classes for survivors of incest, of which she was also a survivor.

Del Seymour, the founder of Code Tenderloin, said he had been friends with Mirikitani for 28 years and considered her a sister. He called her the first lady of the Tenderloin.

Mirikitani ran programs at Glide for women who survived abuse, Seymour said, as well as recovery programs for people addicted to drugs in the Tenderloin.

She stood up for these women in the community big-time, he said. She was a strong woman. You couldnt play with her. If you needed help, you were going to get help. She steered so many people into recovery, its unbelievable.

Lydia Bransten, the director of the Gubbio Project, which provides church space for people experiencing homelessness to sleep during the day, said Mirikitani influenced the entire nonprofit community.

She was a compass for how to love without judgment, Bransten said. Her teachings were like a ripple in the community that taught and inspired us all.

Lateefah Simon, a member of the BART Board of Directors, first met Mirikitani in the mid-1990s at a Board of Supervisors meeting about young mothers. Simon was a young single mother herself and ran the Center for Young Womens Development in the Tenderloin. She recalled Mirikitani approaching her after the meeting and asking, Do you go to church? She didnt, but started attending Glide after that meeting  and even gives a sermon there once a year now.

Later, Glide helped Simons dad, who was homeless and struggling with addiction, get housed and into recovery. He died five years ago, Simon said, in that hotel with complete dignity in his own beautiful space.

Ive been crying for two hours  I am heartbroken, Simon said. You just think that Cecil and Janice are going to live forever. Theyre like the parents of consciousness in our city  of grace and clarity  and theyve raised so many of us in this movement. If there is a heaven, she got an express elevator there.

Simon added, Glide is the North Star for my people. ... We just lost one of our giants.

Paul Harkin worked as Glides harm reduction manager for 10 years starting in 2010 and took over the HIV program Mirikitani founded.

Her sense of humor was wicked, he said. She had some unpredictability. She didnt feel like she had to play the poet waif under the lightning rod presence of Cecil Williams. She didnt hide in the shadows. She had her own platform, and there was an incredible chemistry between both of them. The two together were bigger than each one individually.

State Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco said Thursday that Mirikitani was one of the most exceptional human beings Ive ever met, combining strength and love like no one else.

My condolences to the love of her life  Rev. Cecil Williams  to the entire Glide community, and to all of San Francisco, Wiener said. This is a huge loss for our community.

In keeping with Janices wishes, Glide President and CEO Karen Hanrahan said, the nonprofit has established a memorial fund in her name to support womens and childrens programs at Glide.

Janice co-created so much of the early vision and the roots of Glides impact, Hanrahan said. She took deep pride in serving the most marginalized communities, including support for women and children, education, recovery, primary and mental health care, job training and housing.

Williams, Hanrahan said, is being held with love and support in this sensitive and difficult time.

Lauren Hernandez and Heather Knight are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com, hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez, @hknightsf
San Francisco landlords seeking to evict tenants in order to raise rents are paying more money than ever before to renters willing to leave voluntarily, according to reports filed with the citys rent board.

One bonus, paid in May to the longtime renters of a luxury 7-bedroom Presidio Heights apartment, hit an all-time record of $475,000.

Some peoples reaction is that this is crazy, said Steven MacDonald, the San Francisco real estate lawyer who negotiated the settlement on behalf of a couple in their 60s who had lived in the apartment for 30 years. It isnt.

Tenant buyouts  even ones that appoach half a million dollars  are a natural result of San Franciscos system of rent control that enables renters to remain in San Francisco despite market forces that would otherwise drive them out.

Typically, large buyouts go to longtime renters of upscale units whose monthly rents have remained well below market value after decades of residency.

Any tenancy in San Francisco that is 30 years old is, by definition, half the market rate, he said.

More than 330 tenants negotiated buyout deals last year, according to reports filed with the San Francisco Rent Board. The average payout was around $50,000.

Six-figure buyouts are clearly an outlier, said tenants rights advocate Shanti Singh of the Tenants Together renters coalition.

The majority of buyouts are orders of magnitude less than that, she said. Theyre paltry. Theyre $10,000 to $20,000. Theyre barely enough to keep you afloat with a few months reprieve, given how crazy the real estate market is. Theyre not setting you up for life.

The tenants who got the $475,000, who declined to reveal their identity, were among the residents of a six-story brick apartment building at Laurel and Washington streets overlooking San Francisco Bay. They were among at least a dozen tenants of the building who had complained for months about the landlords noisy renovations of the building.

MacDonald said the six-figure settlement was chump change in the world of high-end San Francisco real estate.

San Francisco renters attorney Jacqueline Ravenscroft said she also regularly negotiates six-figure buyout deals between renters and landlords. San Francisco has among the most renter-friendly property laws in the U.S., she said  this year the legal limit for rent increases is 0.7%.

Is this a good city to be in for this line of work? she said. Yes.

Most renters who hire lawyers to negotiate buyout deals pay about one-third of the settlement to the lawyer for his or her services, Ravenscroft said. Others pay legal fees of around $500 an hour.

Renter buyouts have become increasingly common over the past several decades as the rental market has tightened, as rents have increased and as rent control has limited landlord profits, she said.

The economics is the motivation behind this, she said. It makes sense to pay someone to leave if you can recoup the settlement in a couple of years. It all depends on how badly you want the renter to leave.

Since 2015, city law requires so-called cash-for-keys buyouts, and their amounts, to be reported to the rent board.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF
Mayor London Breed signed San Franciscos $13.2 billion budget Thursday, a massive spending plan boosted by federal aid and higher taxes despite the economic impacts of the pandemic.

San Francisco, both a city and county, has a $13.25 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year and $12.75 billion for the following year. That is less than last years $13.6 billion budget, as big departments like the San Francisco International Airport generated less revenue amid the pandemic.

San Franciscos largest rising expense is compensation for 36,000 employees in one of the countrys most expensive areas, which accounts for 44% of budget spending. The average employee costs more than $187,000 in wages and benefits.

The two-year city budget focuses spending on some of the citys biggest issues: housing and homelessness, law enforcement, alternative responses to mental health and drug crises on the streets, and rent relief and support for small businesses recovering from the pandemic.

San Francisco will pump more than $1 billion into tackling homelessness, largely funded from Proposition C, a voter-approved business tax.

Lets make sure these dollars work to change the conditions that we see on our streets, Breed said during a news conference inside City Hall on Thursday. I want to make sure that when we make these investments that were held accountable to deliver for you.

Supervisor Matt Haney, chair of the boards budget committee, told The Chronicle he believed the citys top three priorities were health, housing and safety, with a focus on recovery.

He said Thursday that residents sacrificed so much over the last year and what they needed from us during this budget process was for us to honor those sacrifices and to focus on needs and recovery.

This years budget was precariously balanced after more than 30 hours of negotiations between the mayors office and the Board of Supervisors, led by Haney. Breed agreed to increase the budget from her initial proposal by $124 million over two years to add investments supervisors wanted, the largest among them rent relief. The final product is a compromise, especially on the most hotly debated issue of law enforcement funding, which will increase over the next two years.

Supervisor Dean Preston was the sole dissenting vote against the budget, saying it failed to reduce police funding after some advocates called for a racial reckoning and reform following the murder of George Floyd.

On Tuesday before the boards final vote on the budget, a small, diverse crowd representing causes ranging from climate change to child care gathered outside City Hall to celebrate money secured for their priorities. Still, other advocates criticized the budget as upholding a status quo that keeps funding law enforcement despite persistent racial inequities.

The most significant investment that the board added in was $32 million to help landlords and tenants hurt by the pandemic. Other major spending pushed by supervisors included $12.8 million for public restrooms, $12 million to waive first-year fees for new small businesses and $3.8 million for more ambulance staff. Millions more will go toward support for survivors of domestic violence, legal defense for immigrants and basic income for transgender residents.

David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State University, said budgets are about ordering scarce resources that reflect the values a politician holds dear. Although the city buoyed its budget with federal aid this year, McCuan said that next year, fiscal stress returns as the normal operating condition and uncertainty abounds as a result.

Demands for services in the public space will always exceed resources, McCuan said in a text message.

The main debate of a values-based budget remains funding for law enforcement.

Last year, Breed announced the Dream Keeper Initiative, which pledged to redirect $120 million in law enforcement funding toward the Black community. While the investment was included in the new budget, the money is now being taken out of the General Fund instead of from law enforcement. Both the Sheriffs and Police departments budgets will actually increase over the next two years.

The sheriffs budget will jump from $245 million currently to $269 million, largely due to capital improvements for facilities, and then drop to $259 million the following year. The police budget will drop from $668 million to $657 million this fiscal year, then rise to $683 million to pay for new hires and equipment.

The board cut Breeds initial proposal to increase police funding and will pay to hire 135 officers instead of 200 requested by the department. Police Chief Bill Scott told supervisors he needed more resources to respond to the rise in violent crimes this year and to meet mandated calls for police reform.

The approved plan also invests in alternative responses, with $22.8 million more for additional teams to respond to mental health crises and overdoses instead of police, with an additional $3 million to develop an alternative response to homelessness.

In response to criticism, Breed said Tuesday that if your son was shot and killed or your grandfather or father was assaulted, youre going to want a police officer to figure out what happened.

She added that her goal is to make sure theres a balance that we keep people safe and that we invest in our Police Department for a number of training mechanisms that exist to ensure that everyone feels as if they can trust that the police are there to serve and protect them.

Haney said the budget invests in both alternative responses to mental health and addiction issues, and police officer foot patrols to address public safety concerns.

Chinatown and downtown S.F. and Market Street and the Tenderloin want community policing and a diverse police force, and that requires some investments, Haney said. We really tried to strike a balance to protect our residents and do it the right way.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen said she thought the board was responsible in trimming the proposed police budget this fiscal year. The second year is always subject to change, she said.

You cant just cut the police budget overnight and not have programs in place, Ronen said. She added that replacing those functions done by police takes time and thought and building of infrastructure.

Not everyone is celebrating this years budget. Phelicia Jones, a Black activist who founded the organization Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community, and who coordinates rehabilitation services for the Sheriffs Department, called the budget racist.

Jones said the city continues to increase funding for law enforcement and other departments that are not improving outcomes for either Black residents or city workers despite known disparities in numerous areas  instead of investing directly in the Black community.

For me, the budget process is just another racist process in which Black folks are left behind, she said.

Racial inequities in policing prompted the Department of Justice to mandate reforms for the Police Department. The DOJ criticized the SFPD in a report last year for its slow progress. To date, 193 out of 272 are completed.

Theres no consequence or accountability, Jones said.

In response to criticism, Haney said Tuesday that supervisors do hold police accountable with quarterly updates on police reforms, with the chief laying out a plan of how it would meet its mark. Haney also pointed out the new budget includes $2 million for new sheriff oversight.

Other Black community leaders supported the budget, including the $2 million added to build capacity for Black-led organizations.

Often the Black community gets crumbs and the excuse is that we are a small percentage of the demographics in San Francisco, said Majeid Crawford, executive director for New Community Leadership Foundation and a leader of the San Francisco Black-Led Organizations Coalition representing 70 organizations. However, the lack of investment is part of the reason why our population has been decreasing so much.

This year, he thanked the city for giving the Police Department less than what they asked for.

Chronicle staff writer Trisha Thadani contributed to this report.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench
BEIJING (AP)  A prominent Chinese pig farmer who was detained after praising lawyers during a crackdown on legal activists by President Xi Jinpings government was sentenced Thursday to 18 years in prison on charges of organizing an attack on officials and other offenses.

Sun Dawu, chairman of Dawu Agriculture Group, was among 20 defendants who stood trial in Gaobeidian, southwest of Beijing in Hebei province. They were detained after Dawu employees in August 2020 tried to stop a state-owned enterprise from demolishing a company building.

Sun also was fined 3.1 million yuan ($480,000), the People's Court of Gaobeidian said in a statement.

Sun was convicted of gathering people to attack state organs, obstructing public affairs, picking quarrels, sabotaging production, illegal mining, illegal occupation of farmland and illegally taking public deposits, the court said.

Other defendants received sentences ranging from one to 12 years, according to a statement from Dawu Group. It said the company was ordered to refund 1 billion yuan ($155 million) in investment that was raised improperly.

Sun became nationally known in 2003 when he was charged with illegal fundraising after soliciting investments for his business from friends and neighbors. The case prompted an outpouring of public support for Sun.

Since then, Sun has praised lawyers who help the public at a time when prominent legal figures have been imprisoned by Xis government. Suns lawyer in the 2003 case, Xu Zhiyong, disappeared in February 2020. Fellow activists say he was charged with treason.

Sun was accused of provoking quarrels, a charge used against labor and other activists, when he was detained in August 2020.

The trial officially was open to the public but only one spectator from the family of each defendant and 10 from the company were allowed due to coronavirus restrictions, defense lawyers said earlier.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Digital Realty Trust Inc. (DLR) on Thursday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results fell short of Wall Street expectations.

The real estate investment trust, based in Austin, Texas, said it had funds from operations of $445.8 million, or $1.54 per share, in the period.

The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of $1.58 per share.

Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization.

The company said it had net income of $127.4 million, or 45 cents per share.

The real estate investment trust posted revenue of $1.09 billion in the period, beating Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.08 billion.

Digital Realty Trust expects full-year funds from operations in the range of $6.45 to $6.50 per share, with revenue in the range of $4.33 billion to $4.43 billion.

The company's shares have increased almost 8% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $150.49, a drop of slightly more than 4% in the last 12 months.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on DLR at https://www.zacks.com/ap/DLR
GENEVA (AP) _ STMicroelectronics NV (STM) on Thursday reported second-quarter net income of $412 million.

The Geneva-based company said it had profit of 44 cents per share.

The chip company posted revenue of $2.99 billion in the period.

For the current quarter ending in October, STMicroelectronics said it expects revenue in the range of $3.2 billion.

STMicroelectronics shares have risen 6% since the beginning of the year. The stock has risen 35% in the last 12 months.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on STM at https://www.zacks.com/ap/STM
Winds pushed wildfire smoke from the raging Dixie Fire in Plumas County to the south Wednesday, flooding the Sacramento Valley.

Photographs from the state capital showed an eerie scene with chalky skies and low visibility.

"This smoke has Sacramento looking like it's fog & overcast outside while maintaining 100+ degree weather," one Twitter user wrote. "Fire season in NorCal don't be playing at all."

The website Purple Air measures air quality around the country, and on Wednesday, the site showed downtown Sacramento at unhealthy levels, while some spots to the northeast of Sacramento along the Highway 80 and 50 corridor were at very unhealthy levels.

The National Weather Service's Sacramento office said Wednesday that smoke is expected to continuing to impact the Central Valley through the day.

San Francisco Bay Area residents may be wondering whether winds will push the smoke toward the bay. For now, the answer to that question is reassuring.

"It doesnt look like the smoke is going to make it here," said National Weather Service meteorologist Eleanor Dhuyvetter, noting that the ocean breeze is keeping the sooty air away from the region. "We have onshore flow, and there isnt anything thats going to push it over here. The smoke isnt going to reach us."

The Dixie Fire ballooned to 217,581 acres Wednesday, making it the 14th largest wildfire in California history, the U.S. Forest Service said. It's burning about 250 miles northeast of San Francisco and is 23% contained.

Started near Cresta Dam in the Feather River Canyon on July 14, the Dixie Fire is torching a bone-dry landscape and triggering thousands of evacuations in a region still recovering from the 2018 Camp Fire, California's deadliest blaze. More than 5,300 personnel are fighting the fire straddling Butte and Plumas counties. PG&E has said its equipment may have started the blaze.
Investigators are reportedly searching the hills of Arroyo Grande, a city about 20 miles south of the Cal Poly campus, for the remains of missing college student Kristin Smart.

Smart hasn't been seen since disappearing on the walk from a party to her dorm on Memorial Day weekend 1996. The lone suspect for more than two decades was Paul Flores, a fellow Cal Poly student who walked back with her that night. Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested April 13, marking the first time anyone has been arrested in connection with Smart's disappearance.

Investigators say Paul Flores killed Smart during an attempted sexual assault and his father helped hide the body under their family home in Arroyo Grande. A number of search warrants have been executed on the property in recent years, including two in the past year that permitted investigators to dig up the backyard.

San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office/Handout

Last week, unsealed court documents from the prosecution said investigators found a "large approximately 4-foot-by-6-foot anomaly" under the back deck, as though "someone dug the soil out and put it back," prosecutor Christopher Peuvrelle wrote. Soil within the area was tested and came back as a likely match for human blood, prosecutors allege.

A neighbor on White Court also told investigators she noticed unusual activity at the Flores home in February 2020. According to the neighbor, she saw Paul's mother and Ruben's ex-wife Susan Flores and her boyfriend Mike McConville. The witness said Ruben Flores, Susan Flores and McConville attempted to "back an enclosed travel trailer to the back of the house near the deck."

On Wednesday, Chris Lambert, who helped revive interest in the case with his popular true crime podcast "Your Own Backyard," said police were following up on tips he received from listeners.

"Since appealing to the Central Coast in Episode 10, Ive received dozens of tips from citizens who have spotted unusual activity," Lambert wrote on Instagram. "Several of those tips pointed to one area in particular, and after passing the information on to law enforcement, investigators are following up TODAY and searching for Kristin Smarts body in an area of rural Arroyo Grande that the Flores family has returned to repeatedly."

Google Street View

Neighbors told KTLA they saw detectives searching near the Huasna Road area. This is not the first time the investigation has zeroed in on this area. In 1996, police unsuccessfully searched the hills, and they've returned a few times over the years after receiving tips.

Investigators and prosecutors have declined to comment on this week's search.

The preliminary hearing for Paul Flores, who was charged with murder, and Ruben Flores, who was charged with being an accessory after a murder, is scheduled to begin Aug. 2 and last for at least 12 days. Both men have pleaded not guilty.
A Texas man has admitted to the murder of a 37-year-old nurse and mother of four who was killed while jogging in Redding in 1995.

On Monday, James Earl Watkins pleaded guilty in the cold-case murder of Christine Munro, a slaying that shocked the tight-knit community of Redding. Watkins pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and admitted to the allegations of kidnapping, robbery and lying in wait, the Shasta County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 25.

"Christine Munro has three surviving children," the District Attorney's Office said. "They were all consulted and are pleased with the resolution of the case."

Munro was attacked while running on the south side of the Sacramento River Trail on June 24, 1995.

In 1997, a convicted rapist falsely confessed to the crime, but there was insufficient evidence to charge him, and the case went cold, the Redding Police Department said in a statement.

In late 2019, major crimes Detective Rusty Bishop reopened the case and began looking at "physical evidence that could be analyzed with modern DNA technology," the police department said. Using fingernail scrapings taken from Munro, the Department of Justice found a possible match through the department's Combined DNA Index System and notified Bishop.

The DNA matched with Watkins, who was serving a 14-year sentence for robbery in a Texas state prison, police said.

Detectives immediately began reviewing Watkins' history and discovered he moved from Texas to Redding in early 1995 when he was 17. Police said they were contacted more than eight times about Watkins in a two-year period for a series of complaints, including shoplifting, a warrant arrest and an unlawful camping citation.

Watkins returned to Texas in the fall of 1997, where he would go on to be accused of multiple crimes, including sexual assault, burglary and bank robbery, Redding police said. "He has spent a significant portion of his life in prison," they added.

In August 2020, Redding detectives flew to Texas to interview Watkins and secured a search warrant for his DNA. It matched the DNA found under Watkins' fingernails, they said. In November, they flew Watkins via private plane to Redding from Texas, after obtaining a warrant for transfer. Watkins was then booked into Shasta County Jail.

"To Christine's family, we know it has been a long time since the loss of Christine," Redding police said. "Thank you for your support during this investigation. We sincerely hope it brings you some measure of closure."
Six weeks after Disneyland dropped its mask requirements for vaccinated guests, a mask mandate is being reimplemented at all indoor areas of the Anaheim theme park, starting tomorrow, July 30. All guests (ages 2 and up) must wear face coverings when indoors, including on many attractions and in enclosed transportation vehicles, regardless of vaccinations status, said new guidance on Disneylands website as of this morning. Face coverings are optional in outdoor common areas for all guests.

With the delta variant spreading and COVID-19 cases on the rise across the country, mask-wearing has returned to the forefront of the debates about the pandemic, especially after the CDCs new guidance issued Tuesday. Infections happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant, the CDC wrote. However, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others. To reduce their risk of becoming infected with the Delta variant and potentially spreading it to others: CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people wear a mask in public indoor settings if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

Most counties in California fall into the high or substantial transmission categories, per the CDCs map. Orange County, where Disneyland is, is currently classified as high transmission, as are three of the four surrounding counties: Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside. The fourth county adjacent to Orange, San Bernardino, has substantial transmission.

Decisions right now are being made on the county level. Los Angeles County reimplemented a universal indoor mask mandate last week in response to rising COVID infection rates, which have increased 145.6% over the past 14 days, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

Orange County, per the LA Times, has seen an increase of 169.4% in the same 14 day span, but per KTLA has has no plans yet to reinstate a mask requirement. The Orange County Health Care Agency and the County Health Officer could not be reached for comment.

Over the past few months, Disneyland and Walt Disney World have taken differing approaches to their mask policies. Walt Disney World in Orlando first allowed guests to go maskless outdoors in May, much longer than was required by the state of Florida, which issued guidance in September 2020 stating that businesses were no longer required to enforce mask wearing. The indoor mask requirement was dropped in June, shortly after the CDCs statement that vaccinated people were allowed to be mask-free anywhere.

Disneyland, however, kept its outdoor mask policy in place until California Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the restrictions across the state in mid-June, when Disneyland lifted both indoor and outdoor mask requirements and started allowing out-of-state guests back in the parks. As of now, masks are not required outdoors anywhere on Disneyland property. The company is unlikely to reinstitute mandatory masks outdoors unless required by the state to do so.

Mandatory masking, though, could be coming shortly. The Delta variant has caused a sharp increase in hospitalizations and case rates across the state, State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomas Aragon said in a statement Wednesday. We are recommending masking in indoor public places to slow the spread while we continue efforts to get more Californians vaccinated.

Newsom said Tuesday the state would issue updated statewide guidance sometime after the CDC guidance was released. As of now, the state allows businesses to decide their own mask policies in determining whether guests are vaccinated and therefore not required to wear masks. Unvaccinated people are required to wear masks indoors, but are largely doing so  or not doing so  on the honor system.

Until yesterday, Disneyland had been allowing guests to self-attest that they were vaccinated and exempt from masks. When asked for comment, the company reiterated that the most current information about its mask policies is on the parks website. Starting June 15, 2021 face coverings will no longer be required for fully vaccinated guests both indoors and outdoors, Disneylands website read until this morning. Guests (ages 2 and up) who are not fully vaccinated must continue wearing face coverings indoors, except when dining. While guests will not be required to show proof of vaccination, vaccinated guests will self-attest that they are in compliance prior to entry.

Part of the warning, though, has remained in place. The State of California strongly recommends that all guests be fully vaccinated or receive a negative COVID-19 test prior to entering the Disneyland Resort.
Scrolling through my Instagram feed recently, a startling dish caught my eye. A block of whimsically arranged squid tentacles, English peas, halibut and asparagus stood suspended in midair, topped with colorful edible flowers. It was breathtaking. What was it? I squinted. Was this  some sort of jelly?

Immediately, an unpleasant memory came flooding back  creating and tasting my very first savory jelly from a vintage 1950s recipe, a harrowingly jiggly tomato aspic with a glob of tuna in the center I served to my friends on Thanksgiving in the name of journalism (somehow they are still my friends).

My inedible creation seemed miles from the beautiful work of art in this Instagram photo  but the texture evoked that of the much-maligned 1950s favorite, where housewives hosted the boss for dinner. Upon further research, this was not the only Bay Area restaurant that featured a savory meat-based jelly on their menu in recent months. Could aspic be making a comeback?

I called Michelin-starred chef Nicolas Delaroque to ask him about the unique dish on the menu at his San Francisco French restaurant, Maison Nico. He says he was inspired by the popularity of charcuterie and wanted to make a lighter, more interesting version.

When I told my wife I was going to put it on the menu, she was like, Huh, aspic, said Delaroque. But as soon as she tried it out, she was like, Oh, OK! ... Without seeing it, a lot of people imagine something very wiggly, a big blob of jelly with not much inside, which is not what we do.

On Maison Nicos menu are two showstopping aspics: the aforementioned pescatarian one, and another with guinea hen, cabbage and curry. Delaroque says that before seeing them, some people can be hesitant about trying the aspics, but once they try it, they are always sold.

They get attracted by the look of it ... the look of it makes them want to try it, and the taste makes them come back, he said. ... We build it with a layer of meat  fish or guinea hen  and vegetables, and you really never get the jelly by itself. By the time youre eating it the jelly is melting in your mouth, which adds something to the meat and vegetables.

Aspic is made from thickened meat broth that turns into jelly when cooled, traditionally through the process of boiling down animal parts for hours. It's a technique as old as time  the oldest known aspic recipe dates back to the 1300s.

Courtesy of Maison Nico

In the United States, the dish had its heyday in the first half of the 20th century, when commercial gelatin powder Jell-O became popular, simplifying the laborious process. Congealed salads created in decorative Jell-O molds became eye-catching mainstays of the dinner table.

From the late 19th into the 20th century, industrialization is making foods that were previously associated only with the wealthy  usually because they're incredibly labor intensive  suddenly not labor intensive anymore, but they still retain some of that wealthy mystique, explained food historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson. ... You're not boiling calfs meat in your kitchen, but it still has kind of that multi-course, you know, wealthy person sheen on it, and I think it takes a while for that sheen to come off.

That sheen did eventually come off in the '60s and '70s, Johnson said, when gelatin started to become associated more with inexpensive food. Today, gelatin-based desserts are still popular in some parts of the country, but savory gelatin dishes are rare.

As of late, the internet has a habit of digging up vintage aspic recipes to gawk at them. But while meat jelly faded from favor in the U.S., it endured in many parts of the world, particularly in Eastern Europe, Korea and Nepal. Terrine, a loaf of aspic similar to a pate, is still relatively popular in France, so its not completely surprising that a French restaurant like Maison Nico would venture to bring aspic back.

I have definitely seen the more nose-to-tail restaurants tend to be a little bit more interested in meat-based jellies and aspics, said Johnson. But it tends to be, from what I've observed, the fancier restaurants where people are maybe going there specifically to have an experience, rather than, I'm hungry, where are we going for dinner? At that kind of restaurant, you're a little bit more open to try something new.

Johnsons line of thinking tracks with what I observed  the two other Bay Area restaurants I tracked down with savory jelly dishes on their menus were both upscale affairs. A few months ago, Michelin-starred San Francisco Italian restaurant SPQR offered a starter of pork, salami and mortadella terrine encased in a "gelatina" of clarified apple cider.

But what separates these fine dining meat jellies from the often unsavory specters of 1950s kitchens is that they arent cracking open canned vegetables, stirring in commercial gelatin and slapping it in a Jell-O mold. Instead, theyre thoughtfully filling their aspics with fresh, peak-season California produce and making jelly the old-fashioned way: boiling down animal bones and making it from scratch, a multi-day process.

Were a whole animal restaurant, so were buying the whole animals and focusing on utilization, said SPQR chef Matthew Accarrino. So if we have bones from something, were making stock, were making consomme.

Making aspic from scratch is time-consuming, for sure, but after such a long period of dining rooms being closed because of the pandemic, Accarrino says its a joy to be able to take on big creative projects again.

Courtesy of Maison Nico

Now is the time to be inspired and the time to really try to focus on these kinds of more complex techniques that we haven't been able to focus on in a while, he explained.

And diners are eating it up.

[The aspic] was actually very popular. Its a visually stunning presentation, said Accarrino. There's a couple of things we need to do as restaurants to sort of delight our customers. One is to acquire ingredients that people cant easily get at home.  The other thing is to undertake these projects like making aspic that you probably wouldnt do at home, because the barrier to entry on time and technique is too difficult.

Press, a St. Helena fine dining mainstay, recently had a fish-based terrine in aspic with fennel and tomato on the menu. Chef Phil Tessier took his inspiration from the past, but also from a desire to not waste any part of the animal.

I think in today's day and age, Im always looking for ways that I can bring back classic dishes and ways of presentation without feeling like we're still in 1985, said Tessier. ... And then the other side of it is really a utilization aspect of it. The main emphasis here is just, we do a cured snapper dish on the menu, like what are we going to do with these [fish] heads?

There are plenty of explanations for why this vintage dish is reappearing on Bay Area menus, but Johnson makes an important point.

In a lot of ways, there is no new food, she said, pointing out that all cooks draw inspiration from their own upbringing and culinary history. ... Sometimes you just have to go further back into history than maybe people have before to find something that is new to modern diners.

And now, more than ever, people are willing to try new-to-them things.

In the last, well say 20 years, I think people are more open to trying new things, particularly people who live in urban areas where access to different types of food and a lot more restaurants is a lot easier than if you live in a really rural area, or if you live in an urban area where there are food deserts, said Johnson. ... I think the internet also had a huge impact ... I think people are more likely to seek out and understand new experiences.
Fuzzy sundews that trap bugs in their sticky tendrils, Venus flytraps that snap shut on insects and fingers and tropical pitcher plants that catch flies in their protuberances  all of these and more can be found at a large roadside greenhouse off San Mateo Road in Half Moon Bay.

Josh Brown is the man behind the greens. He has been altogether obsessed with carnivorous plants since his seventh-grade science fair project, for which he purchased his first 15 sundews  spiky little plants that lure, capture and digest bugs in their red tendrils  and one tropical pitcher plant, which he still owns to this day.

He said he focused on carnivorous plants for his project just on a whim.

At the end of the project, it didnt occur to him that hed have to keep all these plants. But he did. Now his life revolves around all things predatory.

Brown began Predatory Plants in 2009 by selling a variety of carnivorous creatures at farmers markets. It all started while he was working for Microsoft in quality assurance. He found his work boring, so he began looking for a way out.

Having owned carnivorous plants since that fateful science fair, and having attempted to grow them out of his San Francisco apartment with an IKEA glass-plated box and some lights, he thought hed try his hand at making the hobby more than that. He found a greenhouse for rent in Half Moon Bay, where he grew up, checked it out, then quit his day job on the spot.

Michelle Robertson/SFGATE

Carnivorous plants are a strange sort of hobby. Theyre not like static house plants, which sit in their pots all day soaking up sunlight. Rather, theyre dynamic  they move and catch and curl and stick. Theres something about them that perplexes human understanding. Theyre plants, yes, but they catch meat and eat it. In other words, they transgress our normal associations of what a plant is and does.

I asked Brown why he loves carnivorous plants, and he responded: Shouldnt you ask me if I love them in the first place?

Brown, who speaks carefully and technically, says he has a special affinity for tropical pitcher plants. Venus flytraps, not so much. But well get to that later.

Theyre just this very evocative plant, he said. And they have a lot of personality. Each one is very charming.

If you get the bug and youre driven to collect, you need a small speckled red one, a big dark one, one with teeth, one with ribs ... eventually you want all of these.

Michelle Robertson/SFGATE

Eventually, Brown went back to tech as a side gig while he expanded his plant collection, but his heart always remained with the carnivorous.

I just kind of did that for years while working at a startup, he said. Eventually again, I got burned out on startups and tech, so I left that in 2016, moved from Half Moon Bay to a much nicer greenhouse in San Francisco, and started hiring people, getting business structure, advertising, social media, just to learn how to do all of that.

In 2016, he launched his online commerce brand, and three years later, he began renting the San Mateo Road greenhouse which he works out of to this day.

Things were going smoothly until 2020 rolled around. In February, before the state locked down, Brown saw the writing on the wall. He closed his retail shop, sent his mom (who worked in the greenhouse) home and began further expanding his online shop.

These days, Brown sells tens of thousands of plants each month, mostly online, but also from the walk-up window hes opened from what used to be the storefront.

Michelle Robertson/SFGATE

Ive been way over my head, like super in over my head in sometimes very scary ways, he said. You know, youre already on the edge as a small business, and guess what, a pandemic hits.

During the pandemic, Brown made it a priority to keep all of his employees on payroll. The storefront jobs became back-of-house jobs. He says he strives to pay all of his employees a livable Bay Area wage. Weed-trimming gigs, for example, start at $20 an hour and go up from there.

Ive taken this kind of audacious position that we must target a living slash thriving wage for our employees, he said. Its an expensive area to work. Its hard times. The easy thing is to run a small business and take advantage of a workforce that, frankly, is underserved. And so we have the privilege, at least right now, of overpay.

Brown doesnt usually discuss this sort of thing with reporters. But he thought it was important to mention, given the ongoing discussions about so-called worker shortages in a variety of industries.

Is it good business? I asked him frankly.

He said its good business because it enables him to pay workers a living wage.

But times are not exactly easy. Most of Browns plants go for anywhere from $14 to $2,000 for what he described as a hybrid between a very desirable, fairly common plant and an extraordinarily desirable and very rare plant.

If you found the right person, you can just kind of name the price, he said. Certain types of people collect carnivorous plants, much like theyd collect orchids. Theyre looking for unique features, colors, sizes. Once you get the bug, Brown says, its hard to stop  and even harder not to spend.

Michelle Robertson/SFGATE

But generally, the hottest plant he sells are the somewhat pedestrian Venus flytraps. The infamous jaw-toothed plants are native to the Carolinas and propagated widely. Brown explained that theyve been popular since the 1970s, and because theres a supply chain in place for them, people know them and buy them.

But he has some problems with the ubiquitous carnivorous plant. For one, its hard to keep alive like a houseplant.

They come from swamps in the Carolinas, which is kind of an extreme climate compared to most peoples window sills, right? he said.

The plants need very hot, sunny summers and very cold, relatively dry winters. During the snowy season, they look as if theyve died due to their dormancy cycles.

A lot of people could have good success growing Venus fly traps outdoors year round, but thats never why they buy them, he said.

I asked Brown what plant hed recommend for houseplant enthusiasts, and he was effusive about Cape sundews, native to South Africa. The sundews require less light, consistent temperatures and sunny windowsills.

Those sticky droplets, the leaves curl around bugs when they land on them and get stuck, so theyre still dynamic, though admittedly not as high-drama as the more popular flytrap, he said (no jaws snapping shut here).

As is the case with most rare plants, there is a black market for carnivorous greenery. Brown said some sellers knowingly hawk plants poached from wildernesses, an ongoing problem in the industry.

All of Browns plants, however, are propagated in laboratories. His next step, he says, is controlling the entire supply chain, from seedling to sale. He recently rented a large greenhouse down the way from his storefront for this express purpose, with the goal being to grow enough plants to outpace demand  a wistful dream at the moment.

Weve never been able to build up the inventory to grow out finished plants ... those guys you find at Safeway or whatever, he said.

What drives him isnt necessarily the plants, he said, but the business side of things, learning to innovate and grow and expand.

Thats been my drive for all these years has been actually building a real business with real employees, he said.

Overall, he says the business is doing OK. Hes worried about the risk of a pending financial collapse, which could destroy everything hes built.

But for now, hes content with a life lived among plants  even the carnivorous kind.
CONWAY, S.C. (AP)  A manufacturer of cages for inmate transport vans has agreed to pay $1 million to the family of a South Carolina mental health patient who drowned during 2018's Hurricane Florence while trapped inside a sheriffs department van outfitted by the company.

A court on Monday approved the agreement between American Aluminum Accessories and Linda Green, the mother of drowning victim Nicolette Green, according to WBTW-TV.
BOSTON (AP)  A health insurance company worker and a rising sophomore at a suburban high school are the first winners of the state's VaxMillions Giveaway lottery for people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday.

Darrell Washington, 63, of Weymouth, won the $1 million prize, while Daniela Maldonado, 15, of Chelsea won a $300,000 college scholarship.

This is a very exciting day and I hope it does serve as a reminder to others that this day can happen again, and so with the delta variant sort of creeping around our state, now is as good a time as any to make sure that you get vaccinated," said state Treasurer Deb Goldberg, whose office oversees the state lottery.

Getting a vaccination was never an issue for Washington, a case manager for Blue Cross Blue Shield.

It was rather important for me to actually do this ... because I have family members who have co-morbidities and I just couldn't imagine me being a host for the virus and then getting them sick and critically ill and possibly passing away, he said at a news conference where the winners were announced.

He urged those hesitant to get a vaccine to think of their families and protect them.

Maldonado, who attends Chelsea High School, is still a few years away from college but already has her sights set on either Boston University or the University of Massachusetts, she said.

Now she has more options.

Were a low-income family so it was going to be hard for me to continue my education, she said, describing history and mathematics as her academic passions.

Chelsea was one of the communities hardest hit in the state by the virus.

Washington and Maldonado both said they were a little skeptical when they were first informed earlier this week by a state official they had won.

I thought it was a scam, Maldonado said.

Washington went online to confirm that the person who called and emailed him about his windfall really worked for the state.

Washington didn't say exactly what he would do with the money other than to say he had good things planned, and noting that he is nearing retirement age.

The goal of the vaccine lottery was to spur more people to get vaccinated, and it appears to be working, Baker said. Since the state announced the lottery, about 200,000 additional people have gotten at least one shot, he said.

About 4.3 million state residents are fully vaccinated and 7,000 to 10,000 shots are going into arms every week, he said.

There are four more drawings for each prize, which are being funded by federal coronavirus relief funds.
PARIS (AP)  Vaccination rates are picking up again in France as the government requires a virus pass for more and more activities  but social workers worry that the measure will further marginalize migrants and other poor populations.

So aid group Doctors Without Borders has set up a tent this summer in northeast Paris to vaccinate migrants, homeless people and others without access to state or private health insurance. Aid groups are carrying out similar actions in other countries, too.

People think that these people wouldnt need a vaccine passport, Cristiana Castro, who oversees Doctors Without Borders COVID operations in France, told The Associated Press. But they often need to access public places for housing, administrative processes, and they worry that one day the passport would be required to access those, and it creates a lot of anxiety.

A line of about 30 people had already started to form when the tents opened Thursday, most of them migrants from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and sub-Saharan African countries. Many of them arrived only recently in France.

Im feeling good because today Im getting the COVID vaccine, and after Ill feel safe, Mdmasud Parves, a migrant from Bangladesh who arrived six months ago, told the AP. Doctors Without Borders gave Parves his first shot of a Pfizer vacine, and an appointment for the second dose in three weeks.

Since President Emmanuel Macrons announcement on July 12 that a health pass would be needed in restaurants, trains and many other places around France, the vaccination rate at the Doctors Without Borders tent site has risen from about 25 people to 120 people a day.

To get the health pass, people must be fully vaccinated or have proof of a negative test or recent recovery from the virus.

The pandemic has hit migrants and the poor especially hard around the world, and France is no exception. More than twice as many people born abroad died in 2020 as those born in France, according to the national statistics agency, a number attributed to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 pandemic on less well-off populations.

Castro said Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, is trying to target people living in precarious conditions, finding people at food banks, homeless shelters, housing facilities for migrants, women's health centers.

She said migrants generally see vaccines positively, and have questions and fears similar to the general population.

The aid workers initially worried that not a lot of people would come back for the second dose, given that they don't have regular places to stay and are sometimes rounded up by police. The only single-dose vaccine available, by Johnson&Johnson, isn't authorized in France for those under 55, so thats not an option for operations like this one.

But its a population that wants vaccines, in spite of some fears, she said. So we have a good rate of people coming back.

France has among the worlds highest virus-related death tolls, at more than 111,000 lives lost, and infections and virus hospitalizations are now on the rise again.

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Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration and pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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This story has been corrected to show that the migrants name is Mdmasud, not Mdamasud.
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Alert: Navy charges sailor with setting worst U.S. warship fire outside of combat in recent memory
HOLBROOK, Ariz. (AP)  An Arizona man already facing assault charges for allegedly plowing his pickup truck into people participating in a bike race nearly six weeks ago has been charged with murder.

An indictment made public Wednesday adds a murder charge against Shawn Michael Chock in the death of 58-year-old Jeremy Barrett.

Barrett was one of those injured on June 19 when Chock sped into a crowd gathered for the annual 58-mile (93-kilometer) Bike the Bluff race in Show Low, a mountain city about three hours northeast of Phoenix, authorities say.

He is also charged with aggravated assault of nine other people, leaving the scene of an accident and fleeing from law enforcement. Chock previously pleaded not guilty to some of the charges, though he hasnt yet entered a plea on the murder charge.

Hunter T. Lewis, an attorney representing Chock, declined to comment on the indictment.

After plowing into the crowd, Chock hit a a telephone pole, and backed out of the crowd as cyclists pounded on the trucks windows, screaming for him to get out, witnesses said. He then drove down the road, turned around and headed back toward the cyclists before driving away, witnesses said.

Police shot Chock at a nearby hardware store. He was charged after being released from the hospital and remains jailed on a $500,000 bond.

Barretts condition had been improving with surgery, and doctors in Flagstaff planned to transport him to Tucson. But a friend has said Barrett suffered another setback as he was fighting to survive.

He died July 10.

Barrett, who spent parts of his life in Zimbabwe and Australia, was well-known in the cycling community for welcoming new riders and hosting bicyclists who were training in southern Arizona, friends said.
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP)  Armenia's acting prime minister proposed stationing Russian border guards along the country's border with Azerbaijan, as tensions between the two ex-Soviet nations continue to simmer Thursday.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan floated the idea a day after three Armenian troops were killed in cross-border hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which for decades have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The two countries accused each other of starting Wednesday's fighting, which wounded soldiers on both sides.

Azerbaijan said Armenian forces opened fire at its positions on the Kalbajar section of the border, and the Armenian military said its personnel were attacked by Azerbaijani forces.

Pashinyan said Thursday that stationing Russian border guards along the border would allow to carry out the demarcation and delimitation of the border without the risk of military clashes."

We plan to discuss the issue with our Russian partners," the acting prime minister told a government meeting.

Tensions on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been simmering since May, when Armenia protested what it described as an incursion by Azerbaijani troops into its territory. Azerbaijan has insisted that its soldiers were deployed to what it considers its territory in areas where the border has yet to be demarcated.

The clash on Wednesday was the deadliest since the end of a 6-week war over Nagorno-Karabakh last fall. Russia brokered a November peace deal that ended the fighting that had killed more than 6,000 people. Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but was under the control of ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Armenia since an earlier war there ended in 1994.

The Russia-brokered truce allowed Azerbaijan to reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas. Moscow has also deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers to the region.

Commenting Thursday on Pashinyan's proposal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia helped cease Wednesday's border hostilities, but he was tight-lipped about whether Moscow would agree to send border guards.

Contacts with Yerevan continue. I have nothing else to add, Peskov said during a conference call with reporters.



Associated Press writer Daria Litvinova contributed from Moscow.
ROCKPORT, Maine (AP)  The state medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death of a man whose body was recovered in 112 feet (34 meters) of water in a quarry, but police said there's nothing to suspect foul play.

The body of Joshua D. Clapp, 38, of Rockport, was recovered Tuesday night, hours after police found a bicycle at the quarry's gate and personal items including a backpack and clothes at the water's edge, Camden-Rockport Police Chief Randy Gagne told the Bangor Daily News.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A California inmate died of natural causes while awaiting execution for killing his physically disabled mother, officials said Wednesday. He was 68.

Donald R. Millwee died at an outside hospital Tuesday evening, correctional officials said. He had been housed at a state prison in Corcoran, midway between Bakersfield and Fresno.

He was sentenced to death in Riverside County in 1990 for the fatal shooting of his mother, Esta Millwee, in 1986. She was paralyzed on one side of her face after suffering a brain aneurysm in 1981, according to court records.

Millwee was living on the streets of Riverside at the time. He didn't get along with his mother but was seen near her home that day.

His father hired Millwee for odd jobs from time to time so his son wouldn't be penniless, according to trial testimony, but the day of the shooting the two had argued because Millwee had shown up at their meeting place dirty, barefoot and smelling of alcohol.

Prosecutors said after his father left, Millwee went to his parents' house and shot his mother. His father found the body and noticed a rifle missing from a closet, authorities said.

Millwee was convicted of first-degree murder, an enhancement for use of a firearm, robbery and first-degree burglary.

By the time of that conviction, he was already serving a San Diego County prison term for voluntary manslaughter, inflicting great bodily injury, and having a prior felony conviction of a serious offense.
Federal agents near New Orleans ordered a cargo ship to leave the U.S. after an inspection found wood infested with a type of Asian beetle that has been destroying trees in the U.S. for about 25 years.

They discovered the beetle in wood onboard the Pan Jasmine on July 17, The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune reported. The discovery came just after the 590-foot-long vessel anchored in the Mississippi River about a mile downriver from New Orleans.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  A lawsuit by Alaska's attorney general against the Legislative Affairs Agency is really an action by the governor against the Legislature that is barred by the Alaska Constitution, a state court judge ruled Thursday.

Superior Court Judge Herman Walker Jr. cited comments by Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Attorney General Treg Taylor in reaching his decision.

The state constitution allows a governor to take legal action in the name of the State to enforce compliance with laws but says that the authority shall not be construed to authorize any action or proceeding against the legislature.

Taylor sued the Legislative Affairs Agency on June 21, after the House failed to adopt effective date provisions for a state spending package. Dunleavy said the budget was constitutionally impaired if the goal was for it to take effect on July 1.

A week after the lawsuit was filed, and days before the new fiscal year started on July 1, the House passed the effective date provisions. Attorneys for the Legislative Affairs Agency, in court filings, said that action itself rendered the lawsuit moot.

But they also argued the lawsuit in substance was brought in the name of the state against the Legislature, and barred by the constitution.

Margaret Paton Walsh, an attorney for the state, argued the attorney general has independent authority to bring actions in the public interest.

The fact that the governor wanted him to do it doesnt change the fact that he has that independent authority, she argued last week.

Walker, in his ruling, noted a June 18 letter Dunleavy sent the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. In the letter, Dunleavy said that given the consequences flowing from the lack of an effective date he had asked Taylor to seek a determination of the issue through the courts.

This belies the assertion that Attorney General Taylor brought the present suit under his common-law powers as Attorney General, Walker wrote.

Despite having independent powers, the attorney general "serves under the supervision of the Governor and at this pleasure," Walker wrote.

The judge also said public statements by Dunleavy and Taylor had consistently framed the suit as a vehicle to resolve a dispute between the executive and legislative branches.

He said he concluded the lawsuit was an action by Dunleavy 'in the name of the state' directed against the legislature,' and prohibited by the constitution.

Grace Lee, a state Department of Law spokesperson, said the department, which Taylor leads, was disappointed that the decision did not resolve the underlying issue on the effective date clause, an important question that still needs to be answered.

A decision on a possible appeal has not yet been made, Lee said by email.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  More than a dozen high-risk Missouri residents who were vaccinated against COVID-19 were among those who died amid a surge of cases that has led the University of Missouri to reinstate a mask mandate and some St. Louis restaurants to permit only the immunized to eat indoors.

High risk, immune compromised and sadly couldnt muster an immune response, tweeted Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth, in announcing Thursday that there had been six COVID-19 pneumonia deaths among vaccinated patients at its hospitals in southwest Missouri.

An additional eight fully vaccinated Mercy Springfield patients have died since June 1, spokeswoman Sonya Kullmann said in a text. That amounts to 12% of the 68 total deaths at that hospital during that time.

They all had other serious health conditions, she wrote, adding that seven of the patients were over the age of 75 and one was over the age of 65.

COVID-19 vaccines greatly reduce the chance of severe illness and death and remain effective against the variants, including the delta variant. Like many other vaccines, they are less effective in people with weakened immune systems and frail elderly.

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at Johns Hopkins University, said the deaths were partially a reflection of the level of COVID-19 spread.

The state ranks fourth nationally in the number of new cases per capita in the past 14 days. And the seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Missouri has risen over the past two weeks from 12 per day on July 13 to 17.29 per day on Tuesday, according to data from John Hopkins University.

Health officials are blaming low vaccination rates and the fast-spreading delta variant for sending hospitalizations in the state soaring.

There are so many cases that you are going to see more breakthroughs, Sharfstein said. That is why you are seeing them in Missouri because you have so many cases."

Just 47.7% of Missouri residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, far lower than the national rate of 57.1%, state and federal data shows. Many counties in southwest Missouri have vaccination rates that are less than half the state average.

I do think that scenario that we are hoping for is that if enough people get vaccinated, then the virus will find it much harder to move around in the population and that will protect everyone, including children and people who dont respond to the vaccine," he said.

Meanwhile, health officials in St. Louis County said in a news release that they had documented more than 600 cases in which vaccinated people tested positive for COVID-19, and they stressed that the total is likely higher. They said Thursday that they would release more details soon.

The issue of breakthrough cases and masking has gotten more attention after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it now recommends that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in places where the coronavirus is surging. Under the guidance, those recommendations would apply to all but three of the states counties.

The University of Missouri-Columbia said Thursday that all students, faculty, staff and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks in classrooms and meeting spaces where social distancing isn't possible starting Aug. 2.

Some restaurants in the St. Louis area have announced plans to limit indoor dining to vaccinated customers only, seating unvaccinated customers outdoors.

Given the events of the last 18 months, our businesses can not afford the threat of unvaccinated individuals are exposing our staff and guests to unnecessary health risks, wrote Bengelina Hospitality Group, which runs Elaia, Olio and Nixta restaurants, in a Facebook post. It also said the restaurant group was only hiring vaccinated people.

Apotheosis Comics and Lounge also announced that beginning Thursday, only customers who can show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus will be allowed to sit at the in-store bar.

The restrictions go a step further than what is required under mask mandates that took effect this week in St. Louis County and St. Louis city. They demand that even the vaccinated wear masks if they 5 or older, but include exceptions for people who are seated in a restaurant or bar eating and drinking.

The St. Louis area mandates have been hotly contested, with Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt suing and the St. Louis County council voting to overturn the county mandate. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page insists the mandate remains in effect, but Schmitt said it isn't. He tweeted that his office is seeking a court order to halt enforcement.

Schmitt also has threatened to sue over a Kansas City mask mandate that is set to take effect this coming Monday.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Unions top migration official is urging member countries to help Lithuania beef up surveillance on its border with Belarus and not to give in to political pressure from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Lithuanias border guard service said it detained 171 people caught crossing in from Belarus on Tuesday night, the largest number in a single day this year. It brought the total number of migrants detained so far this year to 3,027.

The border service said the migrants, all from Iraq, were to be placed in one of Lithuanias already crowded immigration detention centers.

Movements of people across the border have spiked dramatically since the EU imposed sanctions this year on more Belarus government officials.

Once dubbed Europes last dictator, Lukashenko ordered a crackdown on opponents and protesters since he was named the winner of a sixth term last August in a vote that the West denounced as rigged. His main election challenger fled to Lithuania.

The unacceptable instrumentalization of people for political purposes must stop. Our first priority must be to assist Lithuania in security its border with Belarus, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson wrote to Lithuanias 26 partner countries in a letter seen Thursday by The Associated Press.

I call on all of you to contribute to this effort as a matter of priority, Johansson said.

She said 35 officers from the EU's border and coast guard agency, Frontex, have now been deployed to Lithuania and four to EU neighbor Latvia, which also borders Belarus. More workers are due to be sent to help with border surveillance. Frontex is also providing equipment, including fingerprint scanners.

Johansson said the commission stands ready to provide 12 million euros ($14.3 million) to help meet urgent migrant reception and asylum processing needs, and that Lithuania can also benefit from other material aid including temporary shelter from the EUs civil protection mechanism.

A commission team is to visit Lithuania to study ways to boost surveillance along its entire border with Belarus.

Lithuanian authorities believe most of the people attempting to enter the country traveled to the Belarus capital of Minsk on one of the four weekly flights from Iraq, which carry up to 500 passengers each.

In the letter, sent Wednesday, Johansson said the EU has been in contact with the Iraqi government to better control flights to Belarus and readmit Iraqi nationals who want to return voluntarily or have no right to international protection.

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Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A former suburban Kansas City police chief who helped rescue a baby from an icy pond and later assaulted the man accused of trying to kill the infant has pleaded guilty in the case.

Greg Hallgrimson, 51, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday, the Kansas City Star reported. He was indicted in 2019 on a single count of violating the civil rights of Jonathon Zicarelli.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP)  A task force has proposed two portions of a Bloomington street be renamed for former slaves once the thoroughfare is stripped of the name after a 19th century Indiana University president who supported eugenics.

A city-owned portion of Jordan Avenue would be renamed Eagleson Avenue to honor the Eagleson family, a prominent Bloomington family for four generations whose members have made significant contributions to the city, university, state, and nation, starting with Halson Vashon Eagleson, who was born into slavery and came to Bloomington in the 1880s, the city said Wednesday.
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP)  The families of eight Marines and one sailor who died when their amphibious assault vehicle sank off the Southern California coast last summer plan to sue the manufacturer of the vehicle that resembles an armored seafaring tank, their lawyers announced Thursday, a day before the anniversary of the accident.

BAE Systems knew for a decade or more about a design defect that makes it nearly impossible for troops to open the cargo hatches and escape the 26-ton amphibious vehicles when they sink, attorney Eric Dubin said at a news conference in Oceanside, the city bordering Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base, where most of the troops were based.

They were kids, and they were put in a death trap," said Dubin, who was accompanied by relatives of five of the service members who died on July 30, 2020, and ranged from 18 to 22.

Dubin added that the troops were trapped inside for 45 minutes before the vehicle, known as an AAV, sank. Four Marines tried to use their body weight to force the hatch open, the lawyers said, adding that if the doors went inward and locked instead of to the outside, they could have gotten out in under two minutes.

He said the lawsuit would be filed within two days in U.S. District Court in San Diego.

The families cried as he spoke; three of the mothers embraced. Among them was Aleta Bath of East Troy, Wisconsin, who lost her only child.

She and her son would talk almost daily. Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, often forgot about the time difference between California and Wisconsin, calling her in the middle of the night.

I still don't sleep because I'm waiting for a call that doesn't come," she said, crying. I just want to make things safer so this doesn't happen to anybody else."

Military leaders agreed the tragedy could have been prevented. An investigation by the maritime branch found the accident off San Clemente Island was caused by inadequate training, shabby maintenance of the 35-year-old amphibious assault vehicles and poor judgment by commanders.

About a dozen Marine officers have been forced out of their jobs or disciplined in another way. The Marine Corps also relieved a two-star general in June who had overseen the exercise.

BAE Systems declined to comment on the expected lawsuit and directed questions to the Marine Corps.

We offer our deepest sympathies to the families impacted by this tragedy and we mourn the loss of the nine service members," company spokesman Tim Paynter wrote in an email.

Lawyers for the families said they also would have considered suing the military but were prevented by the Feres doctrine, a 1950 decision that says service members cannot sue the federal government for injuries sustained while serving.

Instead, they are asking the military to support the lawsuit and pull its amphibious assault vehicles out of the water until the problem is resolved by the manufacturer. The Marine Corps did that for months while the accident was investigated, but recently troops have been back inside them in the water.

The troops who died were inside a decades-old amphibious vehicle, but lawyers said the newer ones, including a line now in production, have the same issue, which is why they are suing.

BAE Systems has a $366 million contract with the Marine Corps to produce 72 amphibious combat vehicles, which will replace the AAVs.

The Marine Corps said in a statement that a comprehensive review of amphibious operations is being conducted by senior Marine Corps and Navy personnel" and that it is taking numerous actions to improve safety standards, including training troops to escape amphibious vehicles and ensuring the units using them are proficient in their skills. But it stopped short of saying it would stop using the AAVs.

It said it continues to mourn the loss of troops and is making safety a priority.

Christiana Sweetwood of Danville, Virginia, said she never wants another mother to experience what she has over the past year.

When they took my son, they kind of took my life," she said through tears. There's a hole in my family I can't fix. And I don't want another mother standing at a door at 7 a.m. and two casualty officers telling her that her son is missing."

The accident occurred a day before Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood's 19th birthday. He left behind seven siblings.

His mother said she and the other families who lost loved ones plan to spend the anniversary of the accident together, sharing memories. She may put flowers in the ocean.

On Saturday, Sweetwood plans to visit her son's grave at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego and eat his favorite dish  peach pie  to honor him on what would have been his 20th birthday.

The vehicles have been at the heart of the Marine Corps' amphibious operations, carrying troops from ship to shore for both combat and humanitarian operations since the early 1980s. It can traverse both land and sea.

The investigation found the troops had not received appropriate instruction on how to escape a sinking amphibious vehicle and that the unit had not completed a required evaluation meant to address any issues, including their swimming qualifications.

Marine officers in charge that day also failed to have safety boats nearby.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  A long-running investigation into an Ohio branch of the violent El Salvador-based MS-13 gang, including the solving of eight homicides, neared conclusion Thursday with the sentencing of the last defendant in custody, central Ohio's top federal prosecutor announced.

Over the years, racketeering conspiracy charges against gang members have included murder, attempted murder, assault, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Among the victims were Wilson Villeda, a 17-year-old Columbus area high school student whose body was mutilated beyond recognition by machete-wielding assailants, and Genesis Lizbeth Cornejo-Alvarado, a 15-year-old girl shot to death in Texas for dating a rival gang member.

The prosecution of 23 members of the Columbus clique of MS-13 was the first federal case against the gang in the Midwest, said Vipal Patel, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

Of those, 22  including a 33-year-old gang member sentenced Thursday to more than three decades in prison  have been convicted. The last of the group is a fugitive in El Salvador.

They brought terror to this community using machetes; we removed them from this community using evidence, legal process, and the rule of law, Patel said.

Gang leader Martin Neftali Aguilar-Rivera was sentenced to life in prison in 2019.

Federal prosecutors resolved the MS-13 cases fairly, said veteran Columbus defense attorney Diane Menashe, who represented Aguilar-Rivera and noted he took responsibility for his actions.

The gang culture of MS-13 is far deadlier than U.S. gangs, with neither membership nor leaving the group an option, Menashe said Thursday.

The trauma that they lived through that caused them to come here, literally, its nothing like Id ever seen before, Menashe said. And nothing like gang culture within this country.

That background does not excuse the defendants' behavior, said Brian Martinez, an assistant U.S. attorney involved in the investigation. Most people fleeing Central American poverty and violence who come to the U.S. don't make the choices these individuals did, he said.

Nothing that ever happened to these individuals excuses the conduct to which they admitted in this case, Martinez said. And it is particularly insulting for them to bring to this community the very violence from which they claim to be escaping.

Across the country, federal authorities have brought multiple charges against MS-13 members in recent years.

On Wednesday, the acting U.S. Attorney in Nashville announced that nine MS-13 members face charges alleging their involvement in killings, kidnappings, assaults, robberies and large-scale drug distribution in and around Nashville.

On July 20, an MS-13 member in Maryland was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in the killing of a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed and cut more than 100 times before his body was set on fire.

Authorities have also prosecuted MS-13 members for a series of killings on Long Island.
BEIRUT (AP)  Clashes between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters in the countrys southern province of Daraa escalated this week, with reports saying three civilians were killed there on Thursday, as well as eight government troops and five rebel fighters.

The violence is one of the most serious challenges to a 2018 tenuous deal between the two sides, negotiated by Russia.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war through activists on the ground, said the escalation began with raids by Syrian government troops on opposition-held areas earlier this week. Opposition fighters fought back and routed government forces from some military posts.

On Tuesday, government troops and their allies launched raids and shelled areas controlled by opposition forces in Daraa al-Balad, a southern district of the provincial capital of Daraa, reportedly in search of wanted men.

The province became known as the cradle of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad that erupted in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring revolts. It was recaptured by Syrian government troops in 2018. Assad has since regained control of most of the country with the help of Russia and Iran.

The Russian-mediated deal allowed some of the provinces armed opposition to remain in their former strongholds, in charge of security. Government troops retained control of the province, but security duties were divided. Tension regularly erupted and government troops tried several times to take over areas under opposition control.

The Observatory said Russian mediation since Wednesday has failed to contain the latest escalation in Daraa. On Wednesday, government forces shelled the only medical clinic in the area, according to the Observatory.

Syrian state news agency SANA said two civilians were killed on Thursday, including a child. The Observatory meanwhile said eight government troops and five opposition fighters were killed.

The Observatory also reported that opposition fighters pushed government forces back and took over some military posts. It said 40 fighters allied with the government were abducted. It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the report.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  Gov. Kim Reynolds fired the leader of Iowas state-run nursing home for veterans in May after learning he had been overpaid by $90,000 over a nearly two-year period, a state audit reported Thursday.

Iowa Veterans Home Commandant Timon Oujiri told governor's office representatives in May that he was long aware of payroll errors that improperly boosted his salary by nearly $950 per week but that he kept receiving the excess pay, the report said.

Oujiri, 63, said he noticed the overpayments shortly after they began in July 2019 but did nothing to resolve the issue, the report said. By the summer of 2020, he said he definitely noticed he was still being overpaid but was too embarrassed to report the problem by that point, it said.

The governor fired Oujiri, who had been commandant since 2017, the next day and her office reported the financial irregularities to the state auditor.

Reynolds spokesman, Pat Garrett, said Thursday that the governors office was working with the attorney generals office to recover any overpayments Oujiri received during his employment.

The report issued by State Auditor Rob Sand said that Oujiri received $90,000 in excess salary payments and that the state incurred another $15,000 in improper retirement and insurance benefits payments for him from July 2019 through April.

The report shed light on what had been a surprise and unexplained firing.

Reynolds appeared with Oujiri at a news conference in December to praise the outstanding job he and his staff had done running the veterans home, which is Iowa's largest nursing home, during the coronavirus pandemic. In May, Garrett told reporters that Oujiri had been abruptly relieved of his duties as commandant, but he didn't say why.

State officials refused to pay Oujiri $11,625 for unused vacation that he was owed when he was fired and credited that amount as a partial repayment. That leaves nearly $94,000 in improper disbursements, including $14,000 in retirement account contributions that the Iowa Veterans Home is trying to recover, the audit found.

Department of Administrative Services employees identified the excess payments to Oujiri in April while reviewing payroll information for accuracy before switching to a new system.

They found that the problems began in July 2019, when salaried department directors, elected officials, and board members were supposed to change the defaults on their timesheets from 56 hours to 40 hours per week.

While DAS officials sent an email to state agencies instructing them of the change, Iowa Veterans Home payroll assistants reported that they didn't recall receiving it and the email wasnt sent to Oujiri, the report said.

The state changed Oujiris default hours to 40, but Iowa Veterans Home staff responsible for entering his hours in the system overrode the change every pay period and added in 56, the report said.

The result was that Oujiri got a 43% pay hike beginning in July 2019 that increased his annual salary to $172,681.60  far more than the maximum $128,890 salary that he knew was allowed for the job, the report said. His pay was $948.50 per week higher than his authorized salary over the next year, and that increased to $957.57 per week in July 2020.

Oujiri was the only person affected by the payroll change at the Iowa Veterans Home, and the audit found that he was the only state official who received an unauthorized increase in pay.

Oujiri has not responded to messages seeking comment since May and he declined to speak with auditors and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agents looking into the matter, according to the report.

Sand sent his report to county prosecutors in Des Moines and Marshalltown, where the veterans home is located. So far, Oujiri has not been charged.

On Monday, the governor appointed former Marine Corps official Matthew Peterson as the new commandant of the home, which houses more than 500 veterans and spouses and has 900 employees.
GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP)  A public ceremony to commemorate the life of former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi will be held Aug. 6 at the Gillette College Pronghorn Center, the Gillette Memorial Chapel announced.

Enzi, a Wyoming Republican known as a consensus-builder in an increasingly polarized Washington, died Monday after he broke his neck in a bicycle accident near his home in Gillette. He was 77.
A dozen Republican governors and more than 200 GOP members of Congress are wading into a court fight over a Mississippi law to restrict abortion, the outcome of which could have implications for similar measures across the country.

On Thursday, attorneys for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, leader of the gubernatorial effort, submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Mississippi, which wants to enforce its 2018 law that would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mississippi's Republican attorney general filed papers last week asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Mississippi's sole abortion clinic is challenging the legality of the 2018 law, arguing that it unconstitutionally restricts access to abortion. The nations high court will likely hear that case in the fall, with a decision probably in 2022.

Arguing the issue of abortion is best left to the states, rather than federal-level entities, the attorneys for the dozen Republican governors wrote that citizens have the ability to vote out state lawmakers with whom they disagree over abortion policies.

The Court should take this opportunity to correct the mistakes in its abortion jurisprudence and recognize that the text and original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment have nothing to do with abortion, McMasters attorneys wrote. Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process.

McMasters attorneys also argued that the high courts landmark abortion decisions have upended the careful balance that the Constitution strikes between the Federal Government and the States.

The arguments are similar to the ones made by Mississippi's attorney general.

Also Thursday, an amicus brief from 184 U.S. House members and 44 U.S. senators, all Republicans, also argued in favor of delegating governance over abortion-related issues to the states, calling it "long overdue for this Court to return lawmaking to legislators."

About a dozen other states have passed similar or more restrictive abortion bans, which could take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Earlier this year, McMaster signed the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, which requires doctors to perform ultrasounds to check for a heartbeat in the fetus, something typically detected about six weeks after conception. If its found, the abortion can be performed only if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or the mothers life was in danger.

Planned Parenthood attorneys sued immediately, and the entire law has been blocked from taking effect during the lawsuit, which is on hold pending the Mississippi case.

In 2019, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation that would outlaw almost all abortions, with no exceptions for cases of rape and incest. A federal judge has blocked that measure from taking effect.

There is nothing wrong with giving this issue back to the people, McMasters attorneys wrote, adding that allowing states to handle the issue individually should lower the proverbial temperature in these debates, lessening the consternation over abortion in judicial confirmations and presidential campaigns.

Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement that the Republicans want to ban abortion outright, something she called deeply out of the step with the American public  80 percent of whom support access to safe, legal abortion.

Also signing onto McMasters brief are the governors of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

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Associated Press writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi, and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Senate Republicans on Thursday called for a deep dive into pandemic-driven problems in the state's unemployment insurance program after a routine audit found $155 million in potentially invalid benefits paid in just the first few months of the COVID-19 crisis.

The virus put millions of Americans out of work, including record numbers in Illinois in spring 2020, overwhelming Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Department of Employment Security.

A report by Auditor General Frank Mautino, which covered a period that ended June 30, 2020, found that state unemployment agency paid $97 million to those receiving more than the minimum weekly amount of $198 without validating their wages and $42 million to nearly 4,600 claimants without validating their identities. Nearly $2.7 million was paid to 266 claimants who listed their birthdays as the same day they applied or some future date. And 35 people who were dead received more than $343,000.

This report is just the beginning of what will be found," Sen. Sue Rezin, a Morris Republican, said in a teleconference with reporters. "The governor has an obligation to the people of Illinois to inform them exactly how much money the state has lost because of this administrations shortcomings.

The Democratic governor's administration laid the blame at the feet of former Republican President Donald Trump for leaving the newly designed pandemic unemployment system up to the states with ever-changing rules.

The audit findings are the result of that burden placed on state unemployment systems across the country as they simultaneously worked to quickly get billions of dollars into the hands of an unprecedented number of claimants in the middle of a global pandemic and economic crisis, Illinois Department of Employment Security spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said in a written statement.

The administration did not comment on whether it supported a special audit. The Senate GOP's resolution seeking the review cannot be acted on until the Senate reconvenes  scheduled for the fall  or the bipartisan Legislative Audit Commission takes it up.

Republicans complained from the beginning that Pritzker's administration was not doing enough to help desperate families who couldn't get through on the agency's lines and that fraud was going undetected.

Many have complained the agency still is unresponsive, with local offices closed because of the virus. Through last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported that COVID-19 had led to 23,401 deaths in Illinois among 1.4 million confirmed or probable cases.

While many expected widespread vaccination to have the virus in retreat by now, it continues to rebuff submission. Pritzker announced late Thursday that face coverings necessary to stymie transmission will again be required in all state facilities, regardless of vaccination status. Pritzker said it was necessary because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most counties in Illinois are reporting substantial or high COVID-19 transmission, including Cook County, where Chicago is located.

Pritzker again touted vaccines not only as a way to stay healthy but to prevent the virus.

Vaccines work, but we cannot promise those protections for every single future variant if we allow this virus to spread and mutate unchecked in our communities," Pritzker said in a statement.

He urged people who resist vaccination to consult a trusted medical professional to answer their questions.

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Follow Political Writer John OConnor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  As Utah's daily coronavirus count eclipsed 1,000 cases Thursday for the first time in five months, Gov. Spencer Cox said he wouldnt be pushing for mask mandates in schools during the upcoming year or a rollback of a state law that prohibits individual districts from passing their own mandates.

Children cant yet receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and health experts have raised alarms about a school year without masks set to begin next month.

Young children have suffered far fewer adverse effects as compared to older adults, Cox told The Associated Press before a speech in front of nearly 1,500 conservative state legislators and business people from around the U.S. at the American Legislative Exchange Commission convention in Salt Lake City.

I dont believe that mandates are, under the circumstances, with what we know right now, are necessary, said Cox, a Republican. He said he's instead pushing for a program to make N95 masks available to any student who wants one.

Almost none of the attendees wore masks in spite of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance this week that said people should resume wearing masks indoors if they live in areas where the virus is surging.

The state's weekly positivity rate of 14.7% was also the highest since February as a summer surge of the virus continued, new data from the Utah Health Department showed.

Cox called it a another step in the wrong direction while renewing his plea for residents to get vaccinated. Nearly 57% of Utah residents ages 12 and older were fully vaccinated as of Thursday, state data shows.

Nearly everyone who is getting sick, and who will end up in the hospital because of todays case counts, is unvaccinated, he said in a statement. This pandemic of the unvaccinated is tragic because it is preventable.

Meanwhile, the Democratic mayor of Utah's largest city, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, issued a new mask mandate Wednesday requiring face coverings at all city facilities.

Utah reported three new deaths Thursday from COVID-19, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 2,450.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan drivers whose license or registration expires between April and week's end will have 120 additional days to renew it without being assessed late fees under new laws that also prohibit such fees broadly unless the secretary of state resumes letting people conduct same-day service at a branch without an appointment.

The bills were signed Thursday by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who said they give motorists needed flexibility during the coronavirus pandemic. A 13-month grace period ended March 31, leading to a transactions backlog. The new leeway helps residents whose driver's license, vehicle registration or state ID card lapsed from April 1 through this Saturday.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The Belarusian Association of Journalists on Thursday called on authorities in Belarus to transfer a jailed journalist to a civilian hospital so he could get treatment for a coronavirus-induced pneumonia he has reportedly developed in detention.

The association said it filed a request with the Interior Ministry's penitentiary department and the Health Ministry to urgently hospitalize Andrei Skurko, head of the advertising and marketing department of the prominent Nasha Niva newspaper. Skurko, who used to be the paper's chief editor from 2006 to 2017, was arrested three weeks ago and is in a pre-trial detention center in Minsk, the capital.

Nasha Niva reported this week that Skurko has been transferred to the facility's medical ward with structural changes in his lungs, and his cellmates were placed in quarantine because Skurko was suspected to have been infected with COVID-19.

The newspaper said before Skurko, 43, was moved to the detention facility he is in now, he had spent 13 days in another detention center that is notorious for its harsh conditions, without a bed or a mattress and lacking access to his diabetes medications.

Andrei Skurko is an insulin-dependent diabetic. For people like him, coronavirus can be deadly, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said.

Belarusian authorities raided the offices of Nasha Niva, the country's oldest and most well-respected independent newspaper, on July 8 along with the homes of some staff members. Skurko was detained that day along with the paper's editor, Yahor Martsinovich, and two other employees of Nasha Niva, who were later released.

Martsinovich and Skurko remain in custody and are facing charges over incorrect payments of utility bills, charges that carry punishment of up to five years in prison.

Belarusian authorities have ramped up the pressure against non-governmental organizations and independent media, conducting more than 200 raids of offices and apartments of activists and journalists so far this month alone, according to the Viasna human rights center.

Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has vowed to continue what he called a mopping-up operation against civil society activists whom he has denounced as bandits and foreign agents.

Lukashenko faced months of protests triggered by his being awarded a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition and the West saw as rigged. He responded to demonstrations with a massive crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police.

According to Viasna, Belarus authorities are deliberately creating unbearable conditions for political prisoners behind bars, including by placing them into coronavirus cells.

Raids targeting journalists and more detentions took place Thursday in Minsk and other cities, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said.

Earlier this week, Belarusian authorities declared the Polish-funded Belsat TV channel an extremist group.

A total of 28 Belarusian journalists  including those working with Nasha Niva, Belsat and the popular independent news site Tut.by  remain in custody either awaiting trial or serving their sentences.

In a statement Thursday, the International Federation of Journalists condemned the government crackdown on Belarusian media.

We call on the international community to denounce the situation in Belarus. Each day, the authorities violate the medias and citizens freedoms with impunity, said the Federation's general secretary, Anthony Bellanger.

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Follow all AP stories on developments in Belarus at https://apnews.com/hub/Belarus.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Thursday signed onto an amicus brief in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could overturn the courts landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

He joined Republican governors from 11 other states in supporting a Mississippi law that would ban abortion at 15 weeks. The law would allow exceptions in cases of medical emergency or severe fetal abnormality.

The Mississippi case is the first big abortion-rights test in a Supreme Court reshaped with three conservative justices nominated by then-President Donald Trump.

Protecting the lives of preborn babies has always been and will continue to be a priority of mine," Little said in a statement that also touched on states' rights. "I am asking the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify there is no constitutional right to an abortion and restore state sovereignty by allowing states to regulate all abortions consistent with the principles of democratic self-governance.

The court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and its 1992 decision in a Pennsylvania abortion case said states may not put an undue burden on abortion before viability. If those rulings are overturned, as Mississippi officials argue they should be, states would decide whether to regulate abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb.

The Mississippi 15-week law was enacted in 2018, but was blocked after a federal court challenge.

A 6-3 conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court said in May that the court would consider arguments over the Mississippi law. Justices are likely to hear the case this fall and could rule on it in the spring.

The 11 other states whose Republican governors also signed onto the amicus brief in support of Mississippi are Montana, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Iowa, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma.

In a related matter, Little in April signed into law legislation that would outlaw nearly all abortions in Idaho by banning them once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. That law contains a trigger provision, meaning it wont go into effect unless a federal appeals court somewhere in the country upholds similar legislation from another state.

Fetal cardiac activity can be detected as early as six weeks using an invasive vaginal ultrasound  before many women know they are pregnant.

The measure makes providing an abortion to a woman whose embryo has detectible cardiac activity punishable by up to five years in prison. It would also allow the woman who receives the abortion to sue the provider.

Backers of the Idaho law have said their intent is to get a legal challenge to the law before the U.S. Supreme Court.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  An Illinois woman faces criminal charges after she was captured on video being bluff charged by a grizzly bear while she was taking photos in Yellowstone National Park.

The woman was among a small group of tourists who spotted the female grizzly and her two cubs on May 15 in the Roaring Mountain area of the park, The Billings Gazette reported.
GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM

SEATTLE (AP)  Inquests into fatal shootings by police can resume for the first time in three years in King County, and now will include far-reaching changes that had been opposed by county law enforcement agencies.

Executive Dow Constantine signed an order Wednesday allowing for the inquests, which are required for any death involving law enforcement, the Seattle Times reported.
BERLIN (AP)  Jean-Pierre Hocke, a Swiss humanitarian official who headed the United Nations' refugee agency in the late 1980s, has died, the agency said Thursday. He was 83.

Hocke died in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Monday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said. The current high commissioner, Filippo Grandi, described him in a statement as a tireless advocate of international cooperation and solidarity in finding solutions to the great refugee crises of his time.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sought to shift blame to President Joe Biden for Georgia's poor vaccination rate Thursday as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continued to sprint upward.

The Republican, speaking to reporters, blamed the Democratic president for not doing enough to push the Food and Drug Administration to upgrade its emergency authorization for the vaccines to a permanent authorization. Kemp said urging people to use masks again is a mixed message that could discourage vaccination.

The governor reiterated his call for people to get vaccinated against the disease, saying he would only seek other solutions if Georgia hospitals began to get overwhelmed. Georgia ranks in the bottom 10 states for vaccination rates.

We know that the vaccines work," Kemp said. "I want to encourage people to get vaccinated if youre comfortable doing that.

Democratic State Sen. Michelle Au, an anesthesiologist with a master's degree in public health, said Kemp's approach to increasing vaccination rates is unimaginative and passive. She said the state needs to do more to make it easy for people to access vaccines and should push more testing among the unvaccinated.

We aren't trying hard enough, Au said. We like to blame the unvaccinated.

Georgia recorded more than 4,800 positive tests for COVID-19 on Thursday, the worst number since Feb. 5. The state peaked on Jan. 8, with nearly 13,000 recorded cases.

The daily case count has more than doubled in a week, as the more infectious delta variant rushes through the state. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients rose above 1,800 statewide.

The Georgia Department of Public Health says that fewer than 5,000, or about 0.1%, of the 4.1 million Georgians who have been fully vaccinated had tested positive for COVID-19 through Tuesday. Of those, 118 were hospitalized and 24 died.

Richmond County schools on Thursday joined a list of at least 20 districts keeping or reimposing the mandate, which now extends to a third of Georgias 1.7 million public school students.

Dougherty County and Albany returned to requiring people to wear masks inside public buildings, but WALB-TV reported the city would not require people to wear masks at businesses and other privately owned locations. Atlanta on Wednesday made masks mandatory in all indoor public spaces, including private buildings.

The southwest Georgia town of Doerun, meanwhile, closed its city hall lobby until Aug. 9, citing employee exposure to COVID-19.

Infection rates have been highest in southeast Georgia. Charlton County Administrator Hampton Raulerson told The Brunswick News that he believed vaccine rates would climb, but that community interest has been low.

Its not lack of availability, he said. Theres a lot of distrust when it comes to the vaccine. A lot of people thought (COVID-19) was going away.

Kemp said he hears many people hesitating because the vaccines are still only approved for emergency use.

"Id love to see the Biden administration put an operation warp speed on moving away from the emergency use authorization, the governor said.

The Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday changed earlier guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in areas with substantial or high transmission. CDC figures show 138 of 159 Georgia counties in those zones. The CDC also recommended that everyone in schools wear masks indoors. Kemp said that shift was eroding trust.

When you tell them they can get vaccinated and then take their mask off and then you turn around weeks later and reverse that, whos gonna trust anybody, any politician, Republican, Democrat, or otherwise? Kemp said.

The governor also said he thought it was counterproductive to ask businesses or local police officers to enforce mask mandates.

The city of Atlanta cant keep up with violent crime right now," Kemp said. "I know these officers damn well dont have time to be writing tickets for not being masked up. I mean, that is ridiculous, in my opinion."

Kemp gave no indication, however, that he would try to quash mask rules being issued by cities or school systems, saying, I trust the local school systems with local control. The governor allowed a public health state of emergency to expire at the end of June. He had used those emergency powers to try to control local masking orders.

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Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
FRANKFORT, Ky (AP)  Longtime Kentucky state Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr has said she will not run for reelection in 2022.

I make this decision knowing that there are other capable individuals in the district that will give voters a choice as to who will represent the 12th Senate District beginning in 2023, Kerr, a Republican, said Wednesday in a statement posted to social media.
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP)  A man accused of fatally shooting a Clark County sheriffs detective in Vancouver, Washington, has been ordered held without bail.

Guillermo Raya Leon, 26, made his first appearance in county court Thursday on suspicion of aggravated murder in the death of detective Jeremy Brown, and possession of a stolen gun, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. A phone message for his attorney seeking comment wasn't immediately returned.

Authorities arrested Raya Leon Sunday in Salem, Oregon, after police say he fled from the Friday shooting of Brown, who was working undercover at an apartment complex in Vancouver.

Raya Leon is accused of walking up to Browns parked Jeep, confronting Brown and shooting him as he sat in the drivers seat. Brown was doing surveillance on Raya Leon, Raya Leons brother Abran Raya Leon and Misty Raya, who is married to Abran Raya Leon, court documents said.

Other officers also doing surveillance werent aware Brown had been shot, according to court records. They heard gunshots and saw a car they had been tracking peel out of the parking lot, according to the documents. They followed, and tried but couldn't reach Brown.

Residents found Brown and called 911. Brown, a 15-year veteran of the Sheriffs Office and a member of a regional drug task force, died Friday night at a Vancouver hospital.

Clark County officers were conducting surveillance on the trio as part of an investigation into the June burglary of a storage unit and theft of over two dozen guns, ballistic vests, tools, tires and watches.

After the shooting, Misty Raya, Abran Raya Leon and Guillermo Raya Leon fled the scene and crashed their car near Interstate 205 in Clark County, documents said. Police found Abran Raya Leon and Misty Raya in a backyard early Saturday.

The revolver that Guillermo Raya Leon is accused of firing at Brown was among the guns stolen from the storage unit, according to court documents.

Abran Raya Leon was facing federal charges possessing counterfeit postal service keys and stolen mail in Oregon at the time of the Clark County shooting. He was arrested July 15 and placed on home detention with a GPS ankle monitor and ordered not to have contact with his wife, described in court papers as a co-defendant in the federal case.

He cut the monitor three days later and fled Oregon, Assistant U.S. Attorney Claire Fay told a federal magistrate judge earlier this week when Abran Raya Leon was returned to federal court in Portland.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo on Tuesday ordered Abran Raya Leon to remain held.

Clark County on Tuesday issued a warrant for Abran Raya Leons arrest, accusing him of rendering criminal assistance in the first degree, in the shooting, according to court records.

Clark County last week issued a warrant to arrest Misty Raya in connection with the storage unit burglary and gun theft. She faces burglary, identity theft, theft of a firearm, theft and unlawful possession of a firearm charges. She made a brief appearance Monday in Clark County Superior Court. Additional charges are expected to be filed against her in connection with Browns killing, a Clark County prosecutor said.

It wasn't immediately known if Misty Raya and Abran Raya Leon have lawyers to comment on their behalf.
OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP)  An Oskaloosa man who injected a woman with methamphetamine before she died was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Cody James Vancenbrock, 28, was sentenced Thursday in the death of Ashley Shafer, 24, who died from methamphetamine injected by Vancenbrock in an Oskaloosa apartment on Aug. 4, 2019.
Midland County Department of Public Health Medical Director Catherine Bodnar is seeing a concerning trend as the countys COVID-19 transmission rates have increased in the past few weeks.

According to the CDCs COVID data tracker, Midland County has a moderate level of community transmission for the COVID-19 virus  10-49 cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period  as do Bay, Gladwin and Isabella counties.

Saginaw County, however, has a substantial level of community transmission with 50-99 cases per 100,000 in a seven-day period.

Bodnar is concerned because Midlands positivity rates have recently increased. She reported that during the last two weeks in June, the county saw about four positive tests per week. But from July 1-26, there were an average of 2.3 positive tests per day. Eight new cases were reported in a single day this week.

Even though Midland County is at a moderate level of SARS CoV-2 transmission (virus that causes COVID-19) at this time, the Midland County Department of Public Health recommends behaving as if we are in an area of substantial or high transmission, since this is the direction we are heading. This includes following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) masking recommendations to wear properly fitting masks in public indoor places, regardless of vaccination status.

Other measures that reduce viral transmission include staying home when ill with symptoms that could be from COVID-19, getting tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms, quarantine of close contacts who have not been vaccinated or diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 90 days, physical distancing and handwashing.

Even though were still moderate, I dont like the direction were heading, Bodnar said.

Furthermore, 21% of the cases recorded in Midland County between July 1-26 occurred in people who are considered fully vaccinated  meaning those who had received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least two weeks earlier. The upside is that vaccinated individuals who do contract the virus have milder symptoms and recover quickly.

Bodnar has heard of individuals going to see their primary care providers with summer colds, nursing sore throats and runny noses. She is concerned that theres the possibility that these colds may be milder indications of the Delta variant, and she urges healthcare providers to test patients for the virus if their symptoms persist, just to be on the safe side.

The exact extent of the Delta variants presence in Michigan and in Midland remains unknown, as only a small fraction of COVID-19 testing is sequenced for variants.

Five cases of the Delta variant have been identified in Midland County residents in the past month, Bodnar said. By comparison, only 72 (total) cases of the Delta variant were confirmed in all of Michigan as of July 21. Much of the SARS CoV-2 transmission we are seeing in the community may be the Delta variant.

On July 27, the CDC revised its recommendations for wearing masks, asking individuals to wear masks in indoor public spaces in areas of substantial or high transmission. Both the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend universal masking, regardless of vaccination status, for schools K-12.

With the first day of school coming as soon as Aug. 23 for some students, Midland County is currently awaiting MDHHS School Guidance for the 2021-22 school year, Bodnar said.

In the meantime, Bodnar is encouraging individuals to be mindful of social distancing when outside and inside and is encouraging unvaccinated individuals who are eligible to receive a COVID-19 shot to talk with their healthcare provider or someone at the health department to know all their options.

If we dont do all the things were supposed to be doing, like staying home when ill, getting tested for COVID-19 when you have symptoms, quarantining, practicing social distancing and hand washing, thats inviting another peak. I know were all tired of it  Im tired of it  but it doesnt seem to be tired of us, Bodnar said.

Midland County Department of Public Health is hosting COVID vaccination clinics 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. every Tuesday on the second floor of the Midland County Services Building, 220 W. Ellsworth St., Midland. More information can be found at www.co.midland.mi.us/HealthDepartment/COVIDVaccineInformation.aspx
SEATTLE (AP)  Three schoolteachers in Washington state who sued chemical company Monsanto over exposure to materials in fluorescent lights have been awarded $185 million.

The law firm that represented the teachers, Friedman Rubin, said a jury returned the verdict Tuesday in King County Superior Court. The teachers, who worked at the Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe, Washington, said they suffered brain damage from exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in the fluorescent lighting at the school.

This is a big step in holding Monsanto accountable, the teachers attorney, Rick Friedman, said in a statement.

Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, said the company disagreed with the verdict and may appeal.

The undisputed evidence in this case does not support the conclusions that plaintiffs were exposed to unsafe levels of PCBs at the Sky Valley Education Center (SVEC) or that any exposure could have possibly caused their claimed injuries, Bayer spokesperson Susan Skiles Luke said in a statement.

The company said the light ballasts that were the focus of the lawsuit were obsolete.

These are historic claims that relate to products Monsanto has not produced in more than 40 years, Luke said.

This was the first of 22 trials involving teachers, parents and students who spent time at the Sky Valley Education Center.

A 2019 Associated Press investigation found that millions of fluorescent light ballasts containing PCBs probably remain in schools and day care centers across the U.S. four decades after the chemicals were banned over concerns that they could cause cancer and other illnesses.

Many older buildings also have caulk, ceiling tiles, floor adhesives and paint made with PCBs, which sometimes have been found at levels far higher than allowed by law.

PCBs are mixtures of compounds manufactured by Monsanto Co. and widely used as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment until they were banned in 1979.

Monsanto also has faced a deluge of litigation over its weed killer Roundup. Last year, Bayer said it would pay more than $10 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming Roundup causes cancer. The company said the settlement involves about 125,000 filed and unfiled claims.

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Susan Skiles Luke's name.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  The U.S. Navy charged a sailor Thursday with starting a fire last year that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard docked off San Diego, marking the maritime branch's worst warship blaze outside of combat in recent memory.

The amphibious assault ship burned for more than four days. Left with extensive structural, electrical and mechanical damage, the ship was later scrapped. Estimates to replace it ran up to $4 billion.

The sailor was a member of the crew at the time, Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a U.S. 3rd Fleet spokesperson, said in a statement. The sailor was charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel, Robertson said. No name was released.

No other details were provided, and it was unclear what evidence was found or what the motive was.

The amphibious assault ships are among the few in the U.S. fleet that can act as a mini aircraft carrier.

The Bonhomme Richard had been nearing the end of a two-year upgrade estimated to cost $250 million when the fire broke out on July 12, 2020.

About 160 sailors and officers were on board when the flames sent up a huge plume of dark smoke from the 840-foot (256-meter) vessel, which had been docked at Naval Base San Diego while undergoing the upgrade.

The fire started in the ships lower storage area, where cardboard boxes, rags and other maintenance supplies were stored. But winds coming off the San Diego Bay whipped up the flames and the flames spread up the elevator shafts and exhaust stacks.

Then two explosions  one heard as far as 13 miles (21 kilometers) away  caused it to grow even bigger.

The fire sent acrid smoke billowing over San Diego, and officials had recommended people avoid exercising outdoors.

Firefighters attacked the flames inside the ship, while firefighting vessels with water cannons directed streams of seawater into the ship and helicopters made water drops.

More than 60 sailors and civilians were treated for minor injuries, heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
HELSINKI (AP)  Wireless network maker and 5G technology provider Nokia reported substantially improved second-quarter profit Thursday, citing the help of its new operating model and booming sales of 5G equipment.

The company, based in Espoo, Finland, reported net profit of 539 million euros ($640 million) for the April-June period, up 71% from 316 million euros a year earlier. Sales were up 4% at 5.3 billion euros.

CEO Pekka Lundmark, who took over Nokia's top job a year ago and has drastically changed the business strategy, said the second-quarter results showed the company was on the right track.

We are already seeing the benefits of our new operating model, which helped us to deliver such a strong financial performance, Lundmark said.

The executive has vowed to make Nokia the world leader in 5G - the new generation of broadband technology - even if it means sacrificing short-term profitability.

In 5G technology, Nokia is in a tight race with Nordic competitor Ericsson, Chinas Huawei and South Koreas Samsung, among others.

Lundmark said Nokia has revised its full-year profit outlook upwards and we now expect comparable operating margin between 10 and 12% for full year 2021, compared to our previous range of 7-10%.

We have executed faster than planned on our strategy in the first half, which provides us with a good foundation for the full year," he said.

Lundmark acknowledged, however, that Nokia faced headwinds in markets like the United States ,where the company has lost market share. Challenges also loom in China, where Nokias market share has remained low despite the company recently securing an important 5G deal with key operator China Mobile.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP)  A sheriffs office has accused a North Carolina man of committing sex crimes against two children dating back several years.

The Pitt County Sheriffs Office said in a news release that Johnny Ray Perry, 54, is charged with statutory rape of a child age 15 or younger and two counts of first-degree statutory sex offense.

According to the news release, the sheriffs office received a report in August 2020 of a possible sexual assault involving a minor that allegedly occurred years ago. In January, there was another report of a sexual assault involving a different child.

The Daily Reflector reported that a warrant said the incidents with one of the children occurred between Dec. 1, 2015 and Dec. 1, 2017. The incidents involving the other child took place between Feb. 1, 2016 and Aug. 1, 2018.

Perry, who the sheriff's office said was arrested at his home by the Lenoir County Sheriff's Office, is being held in the Pitt County jail on a $300,000 bond. It's not known if he has an attorney.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday decided to reverse course from guidance he issued last week and will now urge all K-12 public school students and staff to be masked, even if they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

The Democratic governor and the state's top public health official, Dr. Mandy Cohen, pinned much blame on unvaccinated people and renewed calls for them to get the shot.

Our trends have turned sharply in the wrong direction," Cooper said at a news conference. "Unvaccinated people are driving this resurgence and getting themselves and other people sick."

But at a time when nearly all available metrics show spread of the virus at its worst levels in months, Cooper said he'll let the statewide mask mandate expire on Friday.

In the two weeks prior to Cooper's announcement last week that he'd let the statewide mask mandate expire and ease masking requirements for high school students starting July 30, cases had already more than tripled and hospitalizations had gone up over 69%  a move that frustrated the state's largest lobbying group for teachers. It also confused some Democratic lawmakers and prompted several school districts to make masks optional for all K-12 students.

I cant get into the governors mind on why he felt that way, state Rep. Garland Pierce, a Democrat representing Hoke and Scotland counties, said in an interview following Coopers decision to ease restrictions. I will be honest about it. Im just a little concerned with that because its kind of hard to tell people to take the masks off but get the shots. I hope that he can rethink that just a little bit because it will send a mixed message.

Nineteen school districts have decided to make mask wearing optional for K-12 students, according to an Education NC analysis. Pupils under age 12 are not currently eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

While data has shown minimal transmission within schools, researchers recommend continued mask wearing.

Since Coopers announcement, spread of the virus has continued to skyrocket, largely fueled by the more contagious delta variant and those who are not fully vaccinated.

New daily COVID-19 cases surpassed 3,200 on Thursday for the first time since Feb. 25. More than 10% of test results on Sunday came back positive, the worst positivity rate since Feb. 1. Additionally, 1,141 people are currently hospitalized in North Carolina due to the virus  the highest count since April 22.

Our trends are accelerating at an alarmingly fast rate, Cohen said, adding that this is a pandemic now of the unvaccinated.

North Carolina is not unique.

The surge is happening across the country, which prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reverse course this week by recommending vaccinated people in most counties wear masks in public indoor settings.

The latest CDC data has all but 14 of North Carolinas 100 counties showing substantial or high levels of transmission because at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people emerged over the past seven days. This means nearly all of the roughly 5 million fully vaccinated North Carolinians should continue wearing masks when they are indoors and out in the public.

Top North Carolina Republicans worry the abrupt shift in recommendations from state and federal health officials will prompt fewer residents to come in for a vaccine because they'll still need to wear masks indoors.

All were getting from public health authorities are shifting rules and perpetual panic," Republican Senate leader Phil Berger's office said in a news release. The CDC offers more consistent guidance on consuming raw cookie dough than on masks. Thats a problem and heres why: If the CDC erodes its credibility on masks, then it risks eroding its credibility on the far more important message of vaccines.

Still, there were some signs of optimism that more people would come in for a shot, particularly as students prepare to return to school, adults grow increasingly worried about the delta variant and employers compel workers to get vaccinated.

More than 60,000 North Carolinians came in for a first dose of a vaccine last week, which is the highest weekly count since the week of May 24.

While the plans have drawn substantial pushback from top Republican lawmakers concerned about individual rights, 14 state-run health care facilities and several major hospital systems, including WakeMed Health & Hospitals, are compelling workers to get a COVID-19 shot if they want to remain employed.

Cooper announced Thursday that cabinet agency workers will be asked to show proof they were vaccinated. Unvaccinated officials will be required to wear a mask and get tested weekly, he said.

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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

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Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson.

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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.
Andy Kropa/Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

GREENFIELD, Mass. (AP)  Magician Penn Jillette is urging people to support a fundraising effort by the agricultural fair in his Massachusetts hometown he credits with inspiring his show business career.

Jillette saw his first fire eater and his first freak show at the Franklin County Fair in Greenfield and spent some of the happiest times of my life there, he says in a nearly four-minute video posted on the fair's Facebook page Wednesday. He even participated in the demolition derby one year.
SMITHFIELD, N.C. (AP)  A man has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a traffic accident in 2018 which killed a North Carolina day care worker.

Seth Charles Tracy, 40, of Holly Springs pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder and driving while impaired in the Nov. 6, 2018, crash that killed Martha Darlene Peterson, 39, WRAL reported. Authorities say at least five others, some of them children, were injured.

Tracy was sentenced to between 10 years and 13 years in prison.

Investigators said the work van Tracy was driving crossed the center line on and slammed into a day care van. Tracy worked for a plumbing firm.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said troopers determined that Tracy was impaired at the time of the crash. Troopers noted he was falling down and falling asleep while in a patrol car and then at the Johnston County jail.

A blood test found both methadone, which is used to treat opioid addiction, and generic Xanax in his system, according to authorities.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Portland, Oregon, has banned homeless people from camping in forested parks to both protect them from potential wildfires and prevent them from accidentally starting blazes during a summer of drought and record-breaking heat.

The City Council adopted the rule Wednesday for high-risk hazard zones, including in and around Portlands famous Forest Park and in heavily forested wetlands and natural areas around the city. The ban will apply during wildfire season or whenever a county burn ban is in effect. The 8-square-mile (21-square-kilometer) Forest Park in the heart of Portland is one of the largest urban forests in the U.S.

There have been frequent reports of fires at unsanctioned campsites and at clusters of RVs around the city from illegal burning, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

The city stressed that the rule was to prevent fires from starting in the city but also to protect homeless people from blazes started near encampments by others.

Nonprofit groups working with the city will visit the camps, provide information about fire risk and help residents relocate voluntarily before any aggressive sweeps take place, the newspaper said.

I do not like sweeps, and I do not like that we have a shortage of housing that people can afford to live in, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty said. But I cannot stand by and do nothing as people are at risk of dying by fire.

Detailed maps of high-risk areas prepared by the city's fire marshal will help campers know where they can't live, said Kaia Sand, director of Street Roots, an advocacy group for people experiencing homelessness and weekly alternative newspaper. But she said the solution is half baked unless the city also provides safe places for displaced residents to go.

The fact that our city removes people without good alternatives for them to live has always been a problem and continues to be a problem, she said.

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.
BUCHAREST (AP)  Romanian authorities have confiscated 503 kilograms (1,109 pounds) of cocaine that was discovered in a fruit and vegetable warehouse near Bucharest, officials said Thursday.

The cocaine, which was hidden among 35 boxes of bananas in Chiajna, was seized on July 26 and has an estimated market value of around 25 million euros ($30 million), Romanias anti-organized crime agency said.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  A state appeals court on Thursday upheld a trial judge's dismissal of charges accusing a former New Mexico sheriff of embezzlement, fraud and other financial crimes.

A Court of Appeals panel disagreed with parts of now-former District Court Judge Charles Brown's decision dismissing the case against Heath White but said prosecutors failed to provide evidence that probable cause existed to warrant making the ex-Torrance County sheriff stand trial.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  The University of Mississippi has reached a settlement with an assistant professor who was terminated after publicly criticizing the school as racist while speaking out for criminal justice reform.

Details of the settlement remained confidential, including how much money the university agreed to paid to Garrett Felber. University officials have never said the tenure-track assistant history professor was fired because of any public statements he had made.

In a December 2020 termination letter from History Department Chair Noell Howell Wilson, Wilson told Felber they had experienced a breakdown in communication after she rejected a grant he was awarded to support a project focusing on mass incarceration and immigrant detention. She said he had refused to meet with her by phone or online, only in writing.

Felber has asserted that his termination was a result of his outspoken criticism of the university.

We believe that Dr. Felbers termination violated the First Amendment, attorney Rob McDuff of the Mississippi Center for Justice said in a statement Thursday. This all went down after his very pointed criticisms of the University. The reasons given for the Universitys decision dont hold up and Dr. Felber had an excellent record as a teacher and a faculty member, including stellar reviews from his Department Chair."

Wilson informed Felber that his contract with the university would end in December 2021. He was on leave at the time from the University of Mississippi at a one-year fellowship at the W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute at Harvard Universitys Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.

In October of that year, Felber tweeted that Wilson had rejected a $42,000 grant he had been awarded to support Study and Struggle, a political education project on mass incarceration and immigrant detention. At the same time, the university had recently publicized a grant from FWD.us, an organization centered on American immigration and prison systems reform.

Felber said Wilson told him the Study and Struggle project would be a political not historical project, and that it could jeopardize department funding.

The real issue is that (the University of Mississippi) prioritizes racist donors over all else, he tweeted. So its not some mythic politics v. history binary, but that this antiracist program threatens racist donor money. And racism is the brand. Its in the name.

McDuff said Felber decided to settle rather than spend time and resources litigating the matter in court, saying he'd rather spend his energy focusing on his work.

The Associated Press reached out to a university spokesperson for comment and didn't hear back.

Felber was represented during the negotiations by McDuff and Attorney Naomi R. Shatz of the Boston law firm of Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP, which specializes in defending the rights of students and teachers.

Shatz said the firm is increasingly concerned about universities ignoring and violating their faculty members rights to free speech and academic freedom.

Professors like Dr. Felber have a constitutional right to speak out about injustices they see in their institutions, Shatz said.

Felber has accepted a faculty fellowship at Yale University in American Studies at the Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration.

In a statement Thursday, he said the University of Mississippi is a political institution.

When the University of Mississippi was constructed with enslaved labor to reproduce the wealth and power of a handful of white men, it was political. When it refused to accept Black students, it was political, he said. When it arrested and expelled the Black students it did admit, it was political. And as it continues to support and benefit from policing, prisons, and other life-destroying institutions dedicating to upholding white supremacy, extracting capital, and devastating the planet, it is no doubt political.

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Leah Willingham is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
LONDON (AP)  The British government on Thursday approved plans to build a national Holocaust memorial beside Parliament, rejecting claims by campaigners that the location was unsuitable.

The government said building the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens, a park in the shadow of Parliament, would send a powerful associative message.

The memorial was announced in 2016, but the choice of location has faced opposition. A group of campaigners argued that it would remove valuable green space in the heart of the city and would be better built elsewhere.

After public inquiries last year, the government said the benefits of the location outweighed the modest loss of open space in the park.

The 100 million pound ($140 million) memorial  designed by leading architects David Adjaye and Ron Arad  is scheduled to open in 2024 and will be free to visit. It is intended as the focal point for Britains national remembrance of the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and all other victims of Nazi persecution, and to provide a place for reflection on subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said there will be something uniquely powerful about locating a memorial to the Holocaust right next to the center of the U.K.s democracy.

Whilst the Holocaust was a particular crime against Jewish people, the Nazis also viciously persecuted Roma, gay and disabled people, and this memorial will speak to that, she said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  In the face of rising regional COVID-19 infection numbers, the nations capital is returning to mandatory indoor mask requirements, regardless of vaccination status.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser says the new regulations will kick in on Saturday and apply to everyone over age 2.

I know that D.C. residents have been very closely following the public health guidelines, and they will embrace this, Bowser said on Thursday. We will continue to do what is necessary to keep D.C. safe.

The announcement didn't come as a surprise considering rising local infection numbers and fresh guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which now encourages vaccinated people to wear masks indoors in areas classified as having substantial community transmission levels. That includes Washington and the neighboring Virginia communities of Loudoun County and Alexandria. The city of Alexandria recently took the step of encouraging indoor masks for everyone, but has not made masks mandatory.

Just before Bowsers announcement, the Smithsonian network of museums announced that it would unilaterally require all museum visitors to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

The citys public health emergency expired this week, but a general state of public emergency remains in place, empowering Bowser to impose the new restrictions. She said the only exception to the mask requirement is when people are actively eating and drinking, but added that the city is not imposing any fresh limits on capacity or indoor social distancing.

Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said the new precautions will be paired with a renewed vaccination push, offering incentives to help boost lagging vaccination rates in Washingtons Black community. Nesbitt said that the city's daily case rate had jumped fivefold in July but that vaccinations appear to be having a positive effect. Infections among vaccinated people, known as breakthrough cases, have constituted less than 1% of infections in recent months.

The vaccines are working as they were expected to do, Nesbitt said. They continue to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death.

Bowser said she didn't expect the mask mandate to be too much of a hardship for D.C. residents, whom she credited with remaining generally cautious even when the infection numbers declined over the spring and early summer.

A lot of people still do wear masks. They never stopped, especially in public places, she said. Were still going to have to function in the world. Kids are going to have to go to school. People are going to have to go to work.

Bowser said the city was also strongly encouraging and incentivizing  but not yet requiring  D.C. government employees to get vaccinated. A recent voluntary internal survey of government employees received responses from just over half of city employees, and 92% of those respondents reported that they were fully vaccinated. Without getting into details, Bowser said the next step was sitting down and having some very serious discussions with our labor leaders as to how we go forward.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia will begin offering some fully vaccinated people free tests to measure antibody levels against the coronavirus, a move to study whether some elderly and immunocompromised individuals should receive a third booster shot.

State officials said they are following the lead of Israel, which announced Thursday that the country would offer a third COVID-19 booster shot for fully vaccinated people over the age of 60. West Virginia officials said the state will offer antibody testing for residents age 60 and over, particularly those living in nursing homes, who received their final vaccine dose at least six months ago.

If the results show their antibody levels are low, a booster shot may be recommended to shore up the body's protection against the virus. The move comes as the more contagious delta variant takes a hold in the United States, leading to the return of mask mandates in some parts of the country.

Republican Gov. Jim Justice said he would not reinstate an indoor mask mandate at this time. Instead, he pledged to hold more coronavirus news briefings every week and directed his pandemic response taskforce to review the state's supply of personal protective equipment and hospital capacity.

I feel that the enemy is coming, and the enemy is this delta variant, Justice said at a news conference.

The state recorded its 100th confirmed case of the delta variant on Thursday. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have doubled since the start of the month, up to 133 people.

Israel, a global leader in vaccinating its citizens, has become the the first country to offer a third dose of a Western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale. West Virginia's coronavirus czar, Dr. Clay Marsh, said the state aims to mimic Israel's strategy and gather data on antibody levels for older and immunocompromised individuals. The data would be shared with the federal government to help officials study whether some Americans could use a third dose.

Research from multiple countries shows the Pfizer shot and other widely used COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against the highly contagious delta variant, which is spreading rapidly around the world and now accounts for most new U.S. infections.

But antibodies naturally wane over time, so studies also are underway to tell if and when boosters might be needed. Pfizer has said it soon plans to seek U.S. authorization for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Justice, who is 70, said he would have his blood drawn for an antibody test. He received his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Dec. 14, 2020, becoming one of the first public officials to receive a shot at the start of the vaccine rollout.

West Virginia lags behind five bordering states in total vaccine doses administered per 100,000 people, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state has given at least a first dose to 59% of its residents, and 49% are fully vaccinated.

James Hoyer, a retired major general leading the pandemic taskforce, said high vaccination rates among residents age 50 and over have stemmed deaths and hospitalizations, which peaked at over 800 patients in early January.

But he noted the pandemic is increasingly affecting younger people, and only 42% of people age 12 to 17 have received at least one dose. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, 47.5% have received a dose.

We've got to quit paying attention to the ... misinformation that's out there, and we've got to get our fellow West Virginians vaccinated, Hoyer said. We still have a fight ahead of us.
MIAMI (AP)  Alan Reyes Picado fled Nicaragua by bus in the middle of the night, haunted by memories of government officials harassing him, throwing him in jail and then leaving him half naked in a dumpster.

After crossing the Mexican-U.S. border in February and being detained for two months, the 20-year-old immigrant lives in San Francisco and hopes to receive a work permit soon.

I lived in fear and decided to seek help in this country, said Reyes Picado, who left his partner and an 8-month-old baby in his home country.

Reyes Picado is one of the thousands of Nicaraguans the U.S. government has encountered at the border in recent months. Customs and Border Protection data shows a big jump in arrivals from the Central American country, which is the focus of international criticism over arbitrary arrests and the restriction of fundamental rights.

U.S. authorities stopped Nicaraguans 7,425 times in June compared to 534 times in January. So far in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, U.S. officials have stopped Nicaraguans more than 19,300 times at the southern border. That's the highest number of encounters registered in recent years, surpassing record figures from fiscal year 2019, when authorities stopped Nicaraguans more than 13,000 times.

At that moment, Nicaragua was immersed in a political crisis after the government announced a plan to cut social security benefits. Widespread protests caused the government to back down, but demonstrations grew into a movement demanding that President Daniel Ortega step down after more than a decade in power. At least 328 people died during repression of the demonstrations, said the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Now, Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term as president in elections in November and has been systematically clearing his path of potential challengers through arrests for alleged crimes against the state.

According to the rights commission, more than 20 people have been detained, including presidential candidates Cristina Chamorro, Arturo Cruz, Felix Maradiaga, Juan Sebastian Chamorro, Miguel Mora, Medardo Mairena and Noel Vidaurre.

Ortega's government did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants from other countries have also arrived at the U.S. border this year, as the new administration of President Joe Biden has eased some restrictions on immigration imposed under former President Donald Trump.

Other nationalities have also shown large increases, including Ecuadorians and Venezuelans. In June, more than one of four people stopped by CBP were from countries other than Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Nicaraguans have usually been a small number of the Central Americans trying to migrate to the U.S. However, Nicaraguas government migration offices are now full of people trying to obtain passports, a scenario that also occurred during the 2018 crisis.

Managuas Roman Catholic Archdiocese has noticed the exodus.

It is with sadness that we see again the migration of Nicaraguans, mostly young people fleeing because of political persecution, the Archdiocese said recently.

Reyes Picado, the 20-year-old who recently fled Nicaragua, participated in the 2018 protests with his brother. Recently, he said in a telephone interview, local officials in Tipitapa, a city in western Nicaragua, would show up at the familys truck depot asking to use the six trucks the family had. He said the government wanted the trucks to move its supporters around.

Reyes Picados family said no to the request and thats how their problems started, he said.

They would look for me at home; we couldn't live in peace, he said. They would threaten us because we did not want to join them; they told us they would kill us, they would kidnap us.

White House officials did not respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press regarding the increase in arrivals of Nicaraguans. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, told the AP that the arrests of political rivals in Nicaragua and violence against the opposition must be stopped.

These actions are destabilizing Nicaragua and forcing Nicaraguans who are fearful for their lives to flee their country, he said.

Anita Wells, an activist who helps fellow Nicaraguans on their way to the U.S. and recent arrivals, said she is overwhelmed with work.

We have tons of people, of young men, in detention centers. Some are hurt, some are former political prisoners, and still, some of them are not allowed in (the U.S.), she said from her home in Virginia.

Wells is one of the founders of Abuelas Unidas por Nicaragua (Grandmothers United for Nicaragua), a group that raises and sends money to Nicaraguans in need. She is also one of the founders of the Nicaraguan American Human Rights Alliance, which has increasing work because it assists with asylum applications and tries to avoid the expulsion of Nicaraguans at the border.

Like Reyes Picado, Jose Olivera also fled Nicaragua, leaving behind a wife and two children.

A sales executive in an appliances company based in the north of Nicaragua, Olivera took buses and walked towards the U.S. border in May after being fired for not accepting an ID card indicating support for the official political party, the Frente Sandinista.

Government officials would knock on his door insisting he accept the card, and soon the threats started, he said.

I never accepted the offer of being one of their supporters, said the 38-year-old from his small apartment in Miami. Honestly Im scared, they would have killed me.

He fled to Honduras and then Guatemala by bus. Afterwards he walked, following train tracks until blisters hurt his feet. In Mexico, he said he was kidnapped by drug traffickers. Relatives put together $6,500 and Olivera was released three days after, he said.

He crossed the border in June and told Customs and Border Protection officials he wanted to ask for asylum. After being in a detention center for two days, he was released with an ankle bracelet.

The number of Nicaraguans entering the U.S. legally also is increasing: It went from 3,692 in January to 7,375 in June, according to CBP data. Immigration attorneys and activists say that many of those Nicaraguans decide later whether to ask for asylum in the U.S. or return home before their visa expires.

Nicaraguan asylum-seekers seem to fare well in U.S. immigration courts compared to people from neighboring countries. The grant rate for Nicaraguan asylum-seekers was 36% in the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, compared to 26% for all nationalities, 17% for El Salvadorans, 13% for Guatemalans, 12% for Mexicans and 11% for Hondurans, according to Syracuse Universitys Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Reyes Picado dreams of being among these lucky ones.

His brother, who also participated in the student protests and was kidnapped by paramilitary groups in the 2018 upheaval, won asylum in the U.S.

For Reyes Picado, life in Nicaragua meant moving in with his aunt to avoid putting his immediate family in danger.

In December 2020, a paramilitary group, their faces covered in black ski masks, took Reyes Picado and handed him over to police. He was detained for three days, he said. He then was handcuffed, sprayed with gas in the eyes and left half naked in a dumpster in a rural area.

I feel better now because I know I can be safe, he said. I miss my family but I know they will be here with me one day.



Torrens reported from New York. Associated Press Writer Elliot Spagat contributed to this report.
Two years after the mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival claimed the lives of three people and injured 17, pandemic-related court delays have not stopped victims and families from seeking justice.

Lawyers representing 12 victims and families announced Tuesday the addition of a fourth defendant to their long-delayed lawsuit.

Century Arms LLC., gun manufacturer of the military-grade weapon used in the shooting, is the latest to join the list of defendants that also includes the city of Gilroy, festival organizers and the private security firm hired that weekend.

So Lamorinda will be on fire Saturday morning.

Only virtually ... as far as anyone knows.

Lafayette, Orinda and Moraga police, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and Contra Costa's community warning system will all play their parts in a virtual emergency/evacuation at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

The virtual fire will cover all three cities and the community of Canyon, all of which have their own specific geographic evacuation zones, according to a release from Moraga police.

City leaders on Wednesday announced the completion of the Upper Haight Transit Improvement and Pedestrian Realm Project, which aims to improve safety and efficiency along Haight Street -- one of San Francisco's most iconic corridors.

Construction on the $22.3 million project began in September 2018 and sought to revitalize and improve Haight Street, home to diverse shops, bars and restaurants.

With the project completed, the street now includes several new safety features, including new pedestrian lighting, curb ramps compliant with the American Disabilities Act, and expanded bus boarding areas.

In an effort to increase housing production throughout the city, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman on Tuesday proposed legislation to allow fourplex units to be built in areas designated for single-family homes.

Currently, zones designated for single-family and low-density housing only allow for a maximum of three units per lot.

Such zones, however, account for about 60 percent of the city's developable residential parcels, according to Mandelman's office.

The newly proposed legislation would allow residential buildings with up to four units to be built in residential housing zones, which makeup large parts neighborhoods like the Richmond, the Sunset, West Portal, Noe Valley, Glen Park, the Excelsior, Visitacion Valley and Bayview.

The city of Vallejo announced major staffing changes within city hall a day after Anne Cardwell was appointed interim city manager by the Vallejo City Council.

Cardwell tapped Kyle Long to serve as Vallejo's permanent fire chief. Long had been serving as interim fire chief following the sudden resignation of Fire Chief Daryl Arbuthnott in mid April.

Cardwell also named interim deputy City Manager Gillian Hayes as interim assistant city manager and also promoted analyst Felicia Flores to assistant to the city manager.

San Joaquin County COVID-19 case rates have more than doubled in the past two weeks, raising concern for public health officials.

In a presentation Tuesday for the Board of Supervisors, San Joaquin County Public Health Officer Maggie Park said on July 12, the county's COVID-19 case rate was at at 4.7 per 100,000 people and the current rate is at 11.5.

Park pointed out to the board that when California had reopened on June 15, San Joaquin County's case rate was at 3.2 and it has significantly increased in the past weeks.

The county said current test positivity is 6 percent, a number that also doubled in the last two weeks, according to Park. As of Tuesday, San Joaquin County reported 74 people hospitalized for COVID-19, 25 of which are in intensive care units and 13 people are on ventilators.

Seven people were displaced by a fire Wednesday afternoon at an apartment complex near San Jose State University, fire officials said.

The blaze was reported about 3:10 p.m. in the 300 block of William Street, the San Jose Fire Department said on social media.

No injuries were reported in the fire but two of the building's six units sustained significant damage. The other four units have smoke and water damage, fire officials said.

The blaze was under control by 3:55 p.m. The cause has not been determined.

A person was shot Wednesday afternoon in Fremont, police said.

The shooting was reported at 2:06 p.m. and happened on Locke Court, which is near Paseo Padre Parkway, police spokeswoman Yanneth Contrada said.

The victim suffered one bullet wound, which is not considered life-threatening.

Contrada said two suspects are outstanding, but police believe they have left the city. Police did not have any details on the suspects.

The shooting appears to be an isolated incident, Contrada said.

A driver inadvertently hit the gas Wednesday morning in a Richmond parking garage, careening down to the floor below and somehow managing to perfectly wedge her SUV between two parked cars, police said.

The maneuver didn't seriously injure the driver or any bystanders at the Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center parking garage, according to Richmond police.

The driver had accidentally put the SUV in drive instead of reverse, propelling the vehicle from the fifth to fourth level.

The SUV ended up tilted on two wheels and partly resting on a sedan, seemingly double- or triple-parked between two cars, police said on social media.

A 3.0 preliminary magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in Lake County just east of the border with Sonoma County.

The quake was centered 2 km (1.2 miles) southwest of the town of Anderson Springs in the Mayacmas Mountains about 20 miles east of Geyserville, at a depth of 5.5 km (3.4 miles).

It occurred 15 minutes after an 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska about 900 miles west-southwest of Juneau.

The National Weather Service forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area calls for sunny skies Thursday with high temperatures ranging from the 60s along the coast to the 70s and 80s around the Bay, with inland valley areas reaching the low to mid 90s. Overnight lows will be in the 50s to low 60s.

A modest cooling trend starts this weekend for inland areas as onshore winds strengthen

and the marine layer deepens along the coast.

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Most people know the story of the Donner Party, the snowbound pioneers who were trapped at the foot of the pass and resorted to cannibalism for survival.

But far fewer realize the railroad tunnels on Donner Summit were built by Chinese immigrants who endured two deep and snowy Sierra winters. Not only did they avoid the same fate as the Donner Party, they built one of the nations greatest infrastructure achievements.

While many historians and textbooks focus on the image of two trains coming together in Utah to celebrate the Transcontinental Railroads legacy, a growing group of Chinese advocates and historians argue that the more dramatic event is the one that happened on Donner Summit.

That story includes the ability to tell what can be accomplished when diversity and inclusion are integrated into a national effort and national purpose, said Ted Gong, executive director of the 1882 Foundation. Every one of those workers earned their spot in America and we need to remind ourselves of that fact, especially in these times of social stress.

More:

Avoid the traffic and take Amtrak from SF to Tahoe. While planning a recent trip to Tahoe, writer Madeleine Wells realized she had a ride there but no ride back to the Bay Area. At first she panicked, then she realized she could take the train. Heres why she says the train beats the traffic on Interstate 80. Read more.

Death toll in Truckee plane crash increases to 6. The Bombardier CL 600 jet crashed while the pilot was attempting to land at Truckee-Tahoe Airport at 1:18 p.m., the FAA said Monday. Read more.

Last week's top story:

Is it The Sierra or The Sierras? Californians cant agree. The debate over what to call the Sierra Nevada is more than a name. Read more.

The Tahoe Report is curated by Tahoe editor Julie Brown. Contact Brown at Julie.Brown@sfgate.com.
The delta variant has changed the course of the pandemic and as a result the Bay Area tech giants are adjusting their plans about returning to work, with new clauses regarding vaccination. With the rise in delta variant cases, which is far more transmissible than the original COVID-19 strain, the CDC announced earlier this week that Bay Area counties with high transmission rates should advise all individuals to wear a mask indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. Tech companies took it a step further as some announced new mandatory vaccination requirements before entering company offices. Here are the new vaccination policies for some of the Bay Areas biggest tech companies.

On Wednesday, Facebook announced it was mandating employees that lived in America to be vaccinated before returning to office. As our offices reopen, we will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our U.S. campuses to be vaccinated, Lori Goler, Vice President of People, stated. The company is still assessing its global campuses and how to create processes for those who cant be vaccinated for medical or other reasons. It is unclear how they will enforce this policy.

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Google

CEO Sundar Pichai announced yesterday that Google employees will need to be vaccinated in the coming weeks before they can return to any campus in the U.S. Google also extended their return to office date to Oct. 18. In an email to staffers, Pichai said, ...we recognize that many Googlers are seeing spikes in their communities caused by the delta variant and are concerned about returning to the office. It was also noted that Googlers with special circumstances would be able to apply to work from home through the remainder of 2021.

Twitter

In an effort to prioritize the health and safety of their workers from the delta variant, the tech company immediately closed its New York and San Francisco offices Wednesday after other tech companies announced their new policies. Twitter was already requiring proof of vaccination for employees that wished to work from the office, but after the new CDC guidelines, they will also pause future office reopenings.

Lyft

Like Twitter, the ride-hailing company was already mandating vaccination before employees could return to the office. According to CNN, the company also pushed back its return to office date to Feb. 2, 2022.

DoorDash

In an email to SFGATE, a spokesperson said, Employees voluntarily returning to any of our U.S. corporate offices...will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (where permissible by local law). In a blog post last week, DoorDash announced that the company would switch to a hybrid work model that would be implemented starting in January 2022. As of now, workers are allowed to completely work from home.

Apple

Currently, workers do not need to return to the offices until October 2021. After some disconnect between leadership and employees on a return to office date, the company gave in and delayed the return to office by a month. With new CDC guidelines around masks and perhaps pressure from other companies requiring vaccination, Apple has yet to change its corporate policy, which currently does not require vaccination. They do require masks for store employee and customers, according to Reuters.

Salesforce

The CRM company, which was one of the first to allow employees to work from home forever, but then backtracked slightly in April, has not updated its mask or vaccine policy yet after the new guidelines from the CDC.

Uber

The other ride-hailing company based in the Bay Area has not officially changed its policies around returning to work after the CDC update. Currently operating at 20% capacity, the company is still enforcing a hybrid work model.

---

This article will be updated as more companies outline their vaccination policy.
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South Pymatuning Township farmer Michael Kovach and his wife, Karen, snagged invitations to the nations most prestigious Fourth of July celebration  at the White House.

Youre not in a bad mood when youre having hamburgers on the White House lawn on the Fourth of July, Kovach said with a broad smile.

Kovach, owner of Walnut Hill Farm, scored the invitation through his activism in the farming community and participation in a high-profile video.

Serving as vice president of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union, a state trade group, Kovach is often called on to participate in meetings that focus on government interaction with the agriculture community.

His big hit was appearing on a public video meeting in May to talk about farming issues. But it wasnt just any video  country music legend Willie Nelson and Tom Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture, appeared with Kovach.

I couldnt believe I was on video with Willie Nelson and Secretary Vilsack, he said.

How that catapulted him to the White House invitation isnt clear. Nevertheless, he got it.

For Kovach and his wife, getting into the party involved a lot more than just going to the door and flashing their invite.

+2 Shenango Dam slowly releasing all that rainfall Those thinking local rainfall has surged over the past couple of weeks are right  depending on where they live or play.

We had to go through background checks before going, Kovach said.

When the Kovachs arrived at the White House gates on July 4, they had to produce their invitation and pass through metal detectors.

We werent asked for our vaccination cards but we took them anyway, he said.

Once inside the grounds, they were led to the south lawn with hundreds of other guests.

Attendees represented a cross-section of Americans  first responders, food workers, and physicians were among the professions represented at the party, Kovach said.

The guests, seated at outdoor tables, were served traditional Independence Day food, such as hamburgers and hot dogs.

It was such a remarkable experience, he said. Everyone was really friendly.

Biden put in an appearance and spoke 15 minutes on a number of topics that included COVID-19, improving the environment and the economy.

He was cautiously optimistic about our progress with COVID, and emphasized the need for unvaccinated people to get vaccinated, Kovach said.

Over several hours, guests ate and listened to concert performers, with a fireworks show ending the evening. Guests received gifts that included an American flag that flew on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., during the inauguration of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden shook hands and spoke to members of the crowd who were required to stand behind a roped off section of the lawn. Michael and Karen Kovach never got close enough to greet Biden personally.

But the trip was still meaningful.

It was every bit as impressive as you thought it would be, Kovach said. This was an opportunity of a lifetime.

See Michael Kovachs video conference with Willie Nelson and Tom Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQEg_QG4u-o
GREENWICH  Its an extraordinary estate: A 22,000-square-foot home, tucked away on a wooded 84-acre property on Sterling Road, the remote northwest corner of Greenwich near the border with Armonk, N.Y. It has a gym, a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, full-size bar, lounge and game room. The jaw-dropping list of amenities includes an indoor lap pool and an outdoor pool, tennis courts and basketball courts, a baseball diamond and organic gardens.

Its a stunning backcountry hideaway, and one that comes with a steep, $35 million price tag.

For any property at that price point, theres a limited pool of buyers out there. For 100 Sterling Road, in particular, the site of Greenwichs last murder, in 2009, that pool may be even smaller.

The property was listed for sale in May on Zillow, but was taken off the market this week. Its unclear why.

An adviser to the property owner, Christine Heenan, founder of Clarendon Group (which works with an impressive list of client, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and Harvard University), did not elaborate on the reasons for de-listing the property or the owners plans for the estate. She also did not provide information on the owner.

According to the Town Assessors office, the property was purchased in 2009 by S. Donald Sussman, a hedge fund executive, and then transferred to 100 Sterling Road LLC., the entity that is connected to another Sussman property, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

But for any property where a violent crime has occurred, like 100 Sterling Road, one question lingers when entering the real estate market: How much does the gruesome history of a home impact its market value?

Do memories fade?

Police arrived at 100 Sterling Road, on the night of Dec. 30, 2009, to find Amanda Dobrzanski dead in the an auxiliary building on the estate.

The 20-year-old recent Greenwich High School graduates father, Adam Dobrzanski, a live-in caretaker at the estate, was found with self-inflicted injuries, but survived and, ultimately, pleaded guilty to murder. He was sentenced to 40 years for the slaying.

The murder is one of just two occurring in Greenwich in the last dozen years. It got an abundance of local  and some national  press. And it arguably left a stain on an otherwise palatial home and extraordinary property in Greenwichs backcountry, as similar events do on homes throughout the country.

Randall Bell, a California-based specialist in valuing properties deemed undesirable for reasons not related to the physical condition or features, has told the Los Angeles Times that properties on which a murder has occurred typically sell for a discount of between 10 percent to 15 percent on the low end, and 25 percent on the high end. They also tend to stay on the market longer.

Many variables can potentially affect the price. How long ago was the murder? Did it happen in the living quarters of the property or an auxiliary building?

I guess it also depends on how the murder was reported, said John Engel, co-founder of the New Canaan-based real estate group the Engel Team and chair of the New Canaan Town Council. Was it a particularly graphic story in the papers? Did it make it to national TV?

In Connecticut, state statute does not require a real estate agent to disclose a homicide that occurred at a property for sale, so media coverage can play a major role in alerting potential buyers.

The Dobrzanski murder did not get the same kind of national attention as, for instance, the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, a New Canaan resident of whom the husband, Fotis Dulos, was the suspected killer. And the Dobrzanski murder and subsequent trial are both nearly a decade in the past.

Over time memories do fade for all but the most notorious crimes, Engel said. Yes, they should expect a discount because some buyers draw the line and will not consider these houses at any price. Its a much smaller buyer pool.

Engel has some experience in this realm.

His Engel Team group, which is a subsidiary of the New York City firm Brown Harris Stevens, was listing a home built by Fotis Dulos. It was not the Welles Lane home in which Jennifer Dulos was living when she disappeared  that home has been on the market since her 2019 disappearance and its owner, Arnold Karp, did not respond to a request for comment  but even its tenuous connection the alleged murder caused problems for Engel and his company ultimately passed the listing to another broker.

According to Craig Oshrin, a Fairfield-based real estate agent with Coldwell Banker, prospective home buyers operate largely on intuition. Any knowledge of the macabre at a property can spur an emotional response.

I think one of the things people cant necessarily articulate is when you walk into a property sometimes the energy just does not feel right, Oshrin said. People pick up on energy. They may not like the vibe. So when someones spending an obscene amount of money on a property its not just economics at play. Its emotion.

Oshrin, who has not personally listed any such properties, said often a significant amount of investment is required to offset the bad vibes of a property where something horrific occurred. He gave the example of Sandy Hook School, which was razed and rebuilt after the 2012 massacre that left 26 people dead.

Its an extreme example, Oshrin said, but sometimes a propertys grim past endures and a fresh start is required.

These homes become notorious, Oshrin said. They dont become famous. They become well known, but for all the wrong reasons. So how much renovation will you need?

Engel noted that homes where violent crimes took place can be good candidates for redevelopment, an option that, especially on a large parcel of land, allows an investor to start fresh and turn a profit by creating multiple homes where there was once one. He said, as an example, that the home on Down River Road in New Canaan where a man allegedly murdered his wife earlier this year may be ripe for redevelopment.

In the case of Sterling Road, Oshrin said, there is already a small pool of buyers for a property listing at $35 million. That pool may only shrink because of what transpired there in 2009 and some may patiently wait for that number to come down.

There are people on Zillow who like that home, but you know what, not many people are going to touch it, Oshrin said. Im going to wait until that home drops (in price), then Im going to go in and make an offer.

A ghostly niche

While some properties that saw violent crimes languish on the market, others are picked up by buyers with unusual needs.

Lance Zaal is one of those buyers.

The Virginia-based entrepreneur and business owner recently purchased the Lizzie Borden House, in Fall River, Mass., the site of one of the most infamous murders in American history, in 1892.

According to legend, the 32-year-old Borden hacked up her father and stepmother with an ax in the home. She was ultimately acquitted, and there is some debate over whether Borden actually perpetrated the crime. Whether Borden is guilty or not, the murder has been etched into the countrys collective memory and the house has been forever stamped as the site of a violent deadly assault.

And, perhaps because enough time has elapsed since the homicide, there is opportunity in the tragedy of the Bordens.

Since the 1990s, the Lizzie Borden House has operated as a museum and bed-and-breakfast, which allows visitors to briefly occupy the former scene of the crime.

In March of this year, Zaal purchased the home and will continue its use as a museum and B&B as part of his U.S. Ghost Adventures brand, which offers haunted tours of more than 40 sites throughout the United States.

For his purposes as a business owner, the Borden House is perfectly haunting. But Zaal acknowledged the mental block many prospective buyers might experience.

I do think a lot of houses are unfairly stigmatized if something negative happened there, Zaal said. I think its just human psychology. Were like, Wow, this is the place where something bad happened and therefore I dont want to be where something bad happened. I think theres the impression that something bad might happen to them in the future or that theres some lingering bad luck left over.

But that potential bad luck doesnt carry much water for Zaal.

I think thats probably unfair to a property, Zaal said. Because if you think about it, most properties in most places, people have died in there, whether it was violent or not. Its just a fact of life. We all live. We all die. But I think a lot of people are extra sensitive to those things. But it depends on the person, it depends on the persons mind.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586
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Federal law allows employers to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees who've been infected with COVID-19 and those who haven't, legal experts say.

"Although COVID-19 vaccination continues to be a polarizing issue in the United States as a whole, private employers who wish to require employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19 can do so with little legal risk, provided they comply with accommodation, confidentiality and any other legal obligations," said Christopher Durham, an attorney with Duane Morris in Philadelphia.



Currently, there aren't valid legal arguments forbidding private employers from requiring vaccinations against COVID-19, except that legally required accommodations must be provided, he added. The vaccine mandates can include employees who have been infected with and recovered from COVID-19, Durham said.

Kevin Troutman, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Houston, explained, "Employers have the legal right to require employees to be vaccinated, but each employer must decide whether a requirementrather than encouragementis the right choice for them. The more people who are vaccinated, the sooner life and work can return to normal."

But employers should monitor state and local developments, cautioned Jo Bennett, an attorney with Schnader in Philadelphia. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance and the Houston Methodist Hospital decision in favor of mandatory vaccinations did not address state and local law, she said.

Donna Glover, an attorney with Baker Donelson in Baltimore, said the court held in the Houston Methodist Hospital decision that the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) does not grant an employee subject to an employer's vaccine mandate the right to sue that business, despite the vaccines having received only emergency use authorization. She said once full Food and Drug Administration approval is conferred on the vaccines, "we may see less frivolous litigation."

In addition, the U.S. Justice Department stated in a July 6 opinion that the FDCA doesn't bar public or private entities from imposing vaccination requirements, even when the only vaccines available are those authorized under emergency use.

CDC's Stance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that people should be vaccinated regardless of whether they have already had COVID-19.

"That is because it's not certain how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19," said Emily Harbison, an attorney with Baker McKenzie in Houston. So if an employer has a mandatory vaccine policy, it should require vaccines for all employees and not create an exception for those who have already had COVID-19, she said.

Nonetheless, Troutman said, people who were treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma should wait 90 days to get a vaccination.

"According to the CDC, studies have shown that vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19," Harbison said. "It may be that if employees are challenging the policy and asking for an exception because they have previously had COVID, the company should provide information to educate employees and raise awareness about the benefits of vaccination even to those who have already had COVID."



[Want to hear from experts from the CDC and more? Join us at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2021, taking place Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas and virtually.]



Mandate's Purpose

For employers in safety-sensitive industries, such as hospitals, a vaccine mandate can serve to communicate the employer's mission, Bennett noted.

"As the judge in the recent Houston Methodist Hospital case succinctly stated, the hospital is in the business of saving lives without infecting patients with the virus," she said. "An employer that mandates vaccines, regardless of whether it is in a safety-sensitive industry, may intend to demonstrate that it cares for all of its employees and wants to ensure a safe workplace."

Reasonable Accommodation Process

"Based on the current EEOC and CDC guidance, employers can require vaccinations as long as certain legal steps are taken, and based on the CDC's guidance, this should include individuals who already had COVID-19," said Andrew Maunz, an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Pittsburgh.

Objections based on a previous COVID-19 infection would have to be made through the reasonable accommodation request process, he noted, and the employer should then follow its normal accommodation procedures to determine if the following applies:

The employee has a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that conflicts with the employment policy. While COVID-19 that lasted a short time and didn't substantially limit a major life activity would not be an ADA disability, a "COVID-19 long-hauler" may have an ADA disability that must be reasonably accommodated.

A reasonable accommodation can be provided without an undue hardship on the employer.

Difficulty Identifying Who Has Been Infected

In some cases, it would be difficult to know whether an employee had COVID-19, particularly if that person's infection occurred before testing was available and was identified solely based on the presence of antibodies or self-reported symptoms, said Martha Boyd, an attorney with Baker Donelson in Nashville, Tenn. "Accordingly, we advise employers who require employees to be vaccinated not to distinguish between those who were previously infected and those who were not with regard to the vaccination protocol," she said.

From an employee relations perspective, letting employees who have previously been infected opt out of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate seems like a recipe for employee conflict, Boyd said. "Proving that an employee was previously infected may be difficult in many instances, and the level of immunity may depend to some extent on the severity of the prior infection and the time since the prior infection," she noted.

An employer that lets an employee bypass a vaccine mandate by claiming prior infection may be in the uncomfortable position of having to determine on a case-by-case basis whether the employee's account of the previous illness substantiates the worker's claim, Boyd said.




Page Content

Employers covered by the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, Part 2 (EPEWA) will now have to post wage and benefit information for all covered promotional opportunities and job openings (including remote jobs that can be performed anywhere), unless that work is specifically tied to a non-Colorado worksite.

In a reversal of its prior interpretation, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) issued a revised Interpretative Notice & Formal Opinion (INFO) #9 on July 21six months after the law went into effect on Jan. 1. The revised INFO #9 contains several critical changes with regard to the CDLE's interpretation of the EPEWA that will affect virtually all employers with at least one employee in Colorado.



Salary and Posting Requirements

The original INFO #9 and the Equal Pay Transparency (EPT) Rules 7 CCR 1103-13 excluded out-of-state jobs from the requirement to include wage and benefit information in promotional opportunity notices and job postings. Specifically, the EPT Rules clarify that the compensation posting requirements do not apply to "either (1) jobs to be performed entirely outside Colorado, or (2) postings entirely outside Colorado." This led some covered employers to specifically exclude Colorado workers from remote postings in order to be excepted from the compensation posting requirements. Under the revised interpretation, the CDLE is taking the position that, unless the work is specifically tied to a non-Colorado worksite (e.g., wait staff at restaurants in states other than Colorado), the remote work theoretically could be performed in Colorado and, therefore, the EPEWA wage and benefit disclosure obligations would apply.

The new guidance expressly provides that covered postings include "any posting by a covered employer for either (1) work tied to Colorado locations or (2) remote work performable anywhere, but not (3) work performable only at non-Colorado worksites." To avoid any confusion, the guidance further provides, "a remote job posting, even if it states that the employer will not accept Colorado applicants, remains covered by the act's transparency requirements." In other words, the revised INFO #9 applies to remote job postings even if they expressly exclude Colorado as a worksite. Colorado employees must still be given advance notice of all promotional opportunities, regardless of location, and employers must include compensation and benefits information in that notice if the work could be performed in Colorado or from any remote location.

It is possible that this broadened interpretation will trigger a revised request for injunctive relief. In the meantime, promotional opportunities and/or job postings that are tied to a physical worksite outside of Colorado are still excluded from the compensation posting requirements under this new guidance.

'Help Wanted' Signs and Open-Ended Salary Ranges

The revised INFO #9 clarifies that the wage and benefit disclosure obligations do not apply to nonspecific "help wanted" signs indicating an employer is accepting applications. The revision also clarifies that wage postings that do not include a range do not comply with the EPEWA and EPT Rules. For example, wage postings that provide a minimum salary without a maximum (for example, "$30,000 and up") and wage postings that provide a maximum without a minimum (for example, "up to $60,000") are equally noncompliant.

Similarly, the CDLE has clarified that, with respect to disclosure of benefits, employers may not "use an open-ended phrase such as 'etc.,' or 'and more,'" and instead must "provide the required 'general description of all of the benefits," pertaining to a covered listing. (Emphasis in original.) According to INFO #9, "[b]enefits that must be generally described include heath care, retirement benefits, paid days off, and any tax-reportable benefits, but not minor 'perks' like use of an on-site gym or employee discounts."



INFO #9 is not binding law but does represent the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics' officially approved opinion and notice to employers, employees, and other stakeholders as to how the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics applies and interprets the law.


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The joint meeting on Wednesday was the first of its kind since 2014 and gathered ministers of health and environmental protection from both sides, Xinhua news agency quoted Israel Radio as saying in a report.

Jerusalem, July 29 (IANS) Israeli and Palestinian officials have agreed on medical services cooperation during a meeting held in Jerusalem, according to media reports

Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila said in a statement that a technical ministerial meeting included teams from the Palestinian and Israeli health ministries, in the presence of her Israeli counterpart Nitzan Horowitz.

"The meeting dealt with a number of important health issues, including an agreement on cooperation in medical services between the two sides, mainly about combating the spread of coronavirus," she added.

Al-Kaila also said that it was agreed to transfer patients from the Gaza Strip to get medical treatment at hospitals in the West Bank.

The meeting was held amid increasing high-level contacts between Israelis and the Palestinians after the new Israeli government was sworn in last month.

Last week, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that resident Mahmoud Abbas had received four phone calls from senior Israeli officials, including his newly-appointed counterpart Isaac Herzog.

Also on Wednesday, Israel announced that it will increase the number of work permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank by 16,000 to 105,000.

Peace talks between Israel and Palestine, which were sponsored by the US, stopped in April 2014 following deep disputes over settlement, security, and borders.

--IANS

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to allow non-bank cost system suppliers (PSPs), together with pay as you go cost devices (PPI) issuers such as cellular wallets, card networks and white label ATM operators to participate within the Centralised Processing System (CPS) as direct members.

The RBI transfer first hinted in April 2021 means allotment of a separate Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) to non-banks, opening a present account with the RBI in its core banking system (e-Kuber) and sustaining a settlement account with the RBI. It could even imply membership of Indian Financial Network (INFINET) and utilize of Structured Financial Messaging System (SFMS) to speak with CPS.

However RBI believes that direct entry for non-banks to CPS lowers the general threat within the funds ecosystem. It also brings advantages to non-banks like reduction in cost of payments, minimising dependence on banks, cutting down the time taken for completing payments, it stated.

The RBI stated the chance of failure or delay in execution of fund transfers can be prevented when the transactions are immediately initiated and processed by the non-bank entities.

Non-bank entities shall switch funds from their Current Account to RTGS Settlement Account and vice versa in the course of the working hours.

CPS contains Real Time Gross Settlement and National Electronic Funds Transfer programs, owned and operated by the RBI.
The subsidiary of FedEx known as FedEx Express is investing a total of $100 million in Delivery, an Indian logistic startup. The investment move proves that FedEx is trying to expand its firm with its presence in the South Asian country. The deal will include a long-term commercial agreement. The focus of FedEx Express will lie on international export and import to and fro from India. On the other hand, Delhivery will focus on pickup and delivery services across the Indian market. Further, FedEx will be helping Delhivery with its assets to expand its business in India.

Sahil Barua, co-founder of Delhivery commented after gaining the investment that the company aims to bring new opportunities and products to both Indian and global businesses and consumers with the help of its network, technology and engineering capabilities. Don Colleran, the current president and chief executive of FedEx Express will soon join the board of Delhivery. FedEx Express is an international courier service that runs its operation in more than 220 countries.

The Story Of Delivery

In the initial phase, Delhivery was a food delivery firm but then with a change in its business plan, it shifted to become a full logistic firm that serves 2,300 cities and more than 17,500 PIN codes. Delhivery is one of the few startups and courier services like Trackon that is digitizing the entire demand and supply of the lost market using a freight exchange platform.

The Delivery platform further provides road transport solutions by connecting agents, consignors and truckers. By doing so, Delivery eliminates the role of the brokers. The round the clock operations of the firm is ensured through trucking which is the most popular transportation system.

Digitization is important in the logistics industry to increase the efficiency required for boosting the national economy. Poor planning and prediction of the demand and supply in the logistic industry can result in additional costs, damages, thefts and delays.

Delivery till date has delivered more than one billion orders that work with almost all the popular eCommerce websites like Nykaa. Further, it has worked with more than 10,000 customers. Delhivery is also backed by SoftBank.

Delivery In Numbers

Till now, Delivery has fulfilled more than one million orders and have delivered these products to the households of 420 million people. Further, it has 20 automated sort centres, more than 70 fulfilment centres, 65 plus hubs. Along with that, it has supported 2,200+ direct delivery, 5,000+ partner centres and 39,200 plus team members. The team members make it possible to make 1.5 million package deliveries in a day.

Delivery is trying to change the world, one shipment at a time. In 2011, it only had 150 team members, and in 2020, it launched three new mega trucking terminals across popular cities like Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. Further, it has successfully established infrastructure of 12 million sq ft. And it serves 2300 plus cities and more than 17,500 pin codes in India. With recent development with FedEx, the numbers will keep growing.is trying to change the world, one shipment at a time.

How Big Is India's Logistics Market?

The total addressable market of the Indian logistic market is more than $200 billion according to Bernstein analysts. The current valuation of Delhivery is $3 billion. It has previously raised $277 million from Fidelity and Singapores GIC. Also, it has secured $413 million from other investors including SoftBank. In 2019, Delhivery became a unicorn. 80% of the revenue Delhivery comes from its business-to-business service. After the latest round, Delhivery has successfully raised equity capital of $1 billion. In the upcoming 12-15 months, the company might go public.

Services of Delivery

Delivery provides three kinds of services which includes shipping services, special services and technology services. Shipping services include on-demand delivery, same-day/next-day delivery, slot-based delivery and returns management. Special services of Delhivery include product replacement/exchange services, large/oversize order delivery, high-value product delivery, HAZMAT/Dangerous good delivery. The technology services of Delhivery includes real-time monitoring and control, consignee address validation, fraud detection and flexible payment on delivery. Further, Delivery allows additional members to partner with them with three simple steps that involve signing up for constellation, selection of preferred location and then finally, start the delivery service for the customers present in that territory.
The Government of India is trying its best to help farmers and develop the agricultural sector in the country by providing various schemes and services in the agriculture sector. The main motive behind these schemes is to encourage the farmers, improve crop production, and develop the agriculture sector of the country.

Lets check out some of the most important schemes by the Indian Government in the Agriculture Sector:

1. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)

The Government of India is very much foxed about water conservation and its management in the country. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) is a scheme by the Government of India to extend the irrigation system in the country and improve the efficient use of water in the country.

The motto of this scheme is Har Khet Ko Pani which means water for every farm. Through this scheme, the government tends to focus on water source creation, its distribution, and management in the fields.

2. Electronic National Agriculture Market (E-NAM)

E-NAM or Electronic National Agriculture Market is an online trading portal for farmers. The portal unites all the existing APMC mandis in the country so that a single national market is available for agricultural commodities. This Portal is managed by the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India.

The objective of this scheme is to promote uniformity in the agriculture marketing sector and providing a common online marketplace to facilitate agriculture commodities and making the whole system of price discovery and auction transparent, which will depend on the quality of the crop.

3. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is a crop insurance scheme by the Government of India that was launched in 2016. Under this scheme, the government provides insurance coverage and financial support to farmers in case there is crop failure or crop destruction due to natural calamities or any unforeseen events.

Through this initiative, the government of India aims to provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in case of the failure of crops due to any unpredictable event. Along with this, the government also aims to stabilize the income of farmers so they can continue farming and encourage them to adopt modern-day agricultural technologies.

4. National Scheme on Welfare of Fishermen

This scheme was launched by the Indian Government to provide financial assistance to the fisherman for the construction of houses, community halls, and common working places. Under this scheme, the government also aims to install tube wells for drinking water and also provide financial assistance to fishermen during the lean period.

5. Micro Irrigation Fund

Under this scheme, the government of India approved a fund of 5000 Crore to bring more land area under micro-irrigation to promote agriculture, boost agriculture production, and empower farmers by providing them income.

The fund is set under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and it will provide this amount to the state at a lower rate of interest to promote micro-irrigation in the state. The country has a potential of about 70 million hectares for micro-irrigation and currently, the coverage is around 10 million hectares. Implementation of this will definitely boost the agricultural growth in the country.

6. PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana

PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana is a welfare scheme by the central government of India to provide financial aid to the farmers. Under this scheme, all the eligible applicants who have applied for the scheme will get 6000 per year as income support from the government of India. The scheme was launched by the India Government in December 2018 and all the farmers in the country can apply for this scheme regardless of their land area. The main objective of this scheme is to provide financial help to the farmers to improve their financial condition and encourage them to continue farming which will result in the growth of the agriculture sector in the Country.

7. Livestock Insurance Scheme

The livestock Insurance Scheme aims to protect the farmers and cattle rearers who own crossbred and high-yielding cattle against any loss of the animal due to any unpredictable circumstance such as natural accident, diseases, surgical operations, terrorist acts, etc. The objective of this scheme is to provide the benefit of insurance of livestock and cattle to the farmers and cattle rearers to attain improvement in livestock/cattle and their products. This scheme is under the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries and at the state level State Livestock Development Boards. Interested beneficiaries can contact the respective departments to apply for this scheme.

8. Scheme on Fisheries Training and Extension

It is a scheme by the central government under the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries for the development of fishermen in the country by providing them with training opportunities and encouraging them by providing various welfare services. This scheme is only for the fishermen to improve their skills and give them assistance for setting up fish farms.

9.Gramin Bhandaran Yojana

Gramin Bhandaran Yojana is a capital investment subsidy scheme by the government of India for the construction and preparation of rural godowns and warehouses for storing farming produce. When the farmers dont have enough holding capacity then they are forced to sell their produce in distress immediately after harvest which hampers their economical conditions.

10. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is a scheme to promote organic farming in the country. The scheme was launched in 2015 and according to this initiative, the farmers will be encouraged to form groups and take on organic farming methods over larger areas in the country.

Through this initiative, the government aims to promote organic farming, reduction in the use of fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, improve the quality of soil and soil health while at the same time increasing the yield of the produce.

Through this scheme, the government aims to increase the farm produce holding capacity which will help the farmers and they will be able to avoid distress sale and sell the produce at rewarding prices which will encourage them to continue farming.

These were some of the schemes that the Government of India is providing to its citizens. Apart from these agricultural schemes, the Government of India is also providing various schemes in various other sectors such as National Scholarship Portal, SSY (Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana), etc to help the citizens as much as possible in various sectors.
As India drives the policy, this article assesses how a multilateral accord-based approach to digital taxation may benefit the Indian economy and the need of the time. The taxation for digital goods or services, sometimes referred to as digital tax or a digital services tax, is gaining popularity across the globe. Digital taxation consists of software programs, music, videos or other electronic files that users download exclusively from the Internet.

India in the previous decade has appeared to be a critical voice in the international tax debate, initiating developing countries source and market-based taxation rights. Through its participation in the G20 and OECDs BEPS initiative, in its Press Release of July 1, 2021, the Ministry of Finance wrote that India chose an accord-based solution, which is simple to implement and allocates meaningful returns to market domains.

India has acted to a multilateral program for achieving a more equitable, stable and unbiased international tax policy management for developing countries. It was only sensible that India recently upheld OECDs Inclusive Framework, which strives to direct tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy and reallocates taxing rights for large businesses to market jurisdictions.

After the arrival of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in 2014, initially encouraged by the fact that most technology giants did not pay income tax in India despite being one of the largest markets. Indias contribution to the accelerated digitalisation was reasonably balanced with its journey to tax the thriving digital economy.

Indias First Transit

India and Israel were amongst the quickest countries to unilaterally levy a digital tax on foreign companies. While an accord eluded the powerful nations on the appropriate taxation of the digital economy, India introduced a new concept called the equalisation levy (EL) in the 2016 Budget. India levied a 6 per cent tax on the B2B online advertisement revenues of the foreign e-commerce companies. On the indirect tax front, the government started levying service tax (and later GST) on various cloud and electronic services furnished by these foreign companies in India.

Equalisation levy is an imperfect tax, a temporary arrangement at best. Prominently efficacy has been challenged because of its relevance to revenues against net income and incompatible with existing international tax principles. Furthermore, disjointed unilateral taxes have imposed an excessive burden on companies regarding compliance costs and double taxation. These arguments have also been the mainstay of the USTR investigations, which led to trade and tariff actions globally.

Equalisation Levy 2.0 Taxation

India was a pioneer of such unilateral programs with the implementation of the Equalisation Levy 1.0 in 2016. The Equalisation Levy 1.0 applied a 6% tax on non-resident companies that generated gross revenues above INR 100,000 (USD 1,500 approx.) annually from online advertisements from Indian residents or non-resident companies with a permanent establishment (PE) in India. The Indian Tax Authority (ITA) claims to have initiated the idea of an equalisation levy as a temporary measure and has expressed that such a levy could be revoked with the implementation of Pillar 1 and 2 Inclusive Framework.

Intending to monetise the developing digital transactions further, via Budget 2020, India proactively extended the scope of equalisation levy to charge a 2 per cent tax on e-commerce transactions carried out by foreign companies in India. The EL2.0 taxed various online sales and digital services, including digital platform services, software-as-a-service, etc.

The government's official stand is that the EL is not income tax but a tax on digital transactions and generates a level playing discipline between foreign and Indian companies. It was done to impair non-ecommerce operators from evading paying tax by claiming tax treaty benefits available for income tax.

Most companies maintain some electronic platforms to sell goods or services. As per the Finance Act, an e-commerce operator is described as a non-resident that owns, administers or runs a digital or electronic facility or platform for online sale of goods or online provision of assistance.

E-commerce services include all kinds of sales of goods and services by an e-commerce operator. Each financial year, gross revenue of INR 20 million is applied to an e-commerce operator directed to the Equalisation Levy 2.0. The EL 2.0 could have a notable influence since it covers more industries. The materiality origin is significantly lower than other unilateral approaches implemented by other tax authorities, impacting even small and medium-sized companies.

Result of digital taxation

By the delay in global consent on the Inclusive Framework, the unilateral measures passed by the Indian government have made the issues acted by the digitalised economy a certainty for many companies. It has promptly become essential to assess the implications of the Equalisation Levy 2.0, particularly with the tax optimisation possibilities when coupled with the recent ISC ruling on authorities. From a global tax management point of view, businesses must take a role in this Equalisation Levy as part of their international tax planning.

Moreover, India must watch ahead to the future. It cannot misrepresent the connection between its economic development and the ICT sector. For ICT to trigger economic growth, the tax policy should be investor and business-friendly, induce trust, promote fair competition and innovation and minimize financial risk and uncertainty. India's policy narrative today must prepare it as a home for tech companies and unicorns in the future, and so India must understand both sides of the coin.

The global answer to the digital tax problem was always a great deal for all nations. Indeed, there are several political and economic concerns involved. In an interview, Pascal Saint-Amans, director-Tax, OECD, said that the proposed global tax regime should result in significant revenue for India. The government has taken a fair stand by committing to the multilateral approach to address digitalization's tax challenges.
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (AFP) -- Malaysia's embattled leader was accused of treason and urged to quit Thursday after the king denounced his crisis-hit government for misleading parliament, a rare public rebuke from the revered monarch.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin leads a scandal-plagued coalition that seized power last year without an election, but his government is on the verge of collapse after allies withdrew support.

Parliament convened this week after a months-long suspension under a coronavirus state of emergency, which critics said was a bid by Muhyiddin to cling on to power.

On Monday, the law minister told the legislature the emergency would end on August 1 and that several regulations enacted under it were being cancelled.

But rival MPs were furious, claiming Muhyiddin was just seeking to dodge a debate -- and it was not clear the monarch had agreed to revoke the emergency laws, as is required under the constitution.

On Thursday the royal palace confirmed the king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, had not given his consent, and said that he expressed his "great disappointment".

The announcement about cancelling the regulations was "inaccurate and confused the members of parliament", said a statement from the palace.

It "did not just fail to respect the principles of the sovereignty of the law.... but it undermined the functions and powers of his majesty as head of state," it said.

It is unusual for Malaysia's constitutional monarch, who is widely revered in the Muslim-majority country, to speak out so forcefully against the government.

After the royal statement was released, the legislature erupted in uproar with calls of "treason" and "resign" from the opposition benches.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim urged Muhyiddin to quit as his government had "gone against the constitution, insulted the institution of the constitutional monarchy and confused parliament".

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) -- the biggest party in Muhyiddin's coalition -- also accused the premier of treason and urged him to resign.

Zahid had already announced earlier this month that UMNO was withdrawing support for Muhyiddin, although some party members were still believed to be backing the premier.

There was no immediate reaction from the premier, and it was not clear whether the rebuke would have any impact.

The regulations enacted under the emergency give authorities extra powers to punish virus rule breakers, as well as some other tools to fight the pandemic.

Even when the emergency ends, the country will remain under a strict lockdown as it faces a worsening outbreak.
Sin Chew Daily



The strike by contract doctors nationwide on Monday morning at about 11am has not created much wave in the Malaysian society. They made sure they passed their jobs to their colleagues before they walked out of their hospitals to rationally voice out their appeals, and when the whole thing was over, they were quickly back at their respective positions and continued to save lives.

What they wanted is very straightforward. They only hoped the government would formalize their positions at the end of their contracts so that they are entitled to the perks enjoyed by other resident doctors, as well as the opportunity for further studies or on-job training so that they could qualify as specialist doctors some day.

Such an appeal is never excessive, and will not entail the question of professional ethics in the first place.

The ratio of specialist doctors to a country's population serves as a benchmark for that country's medical care standards. Currently this ratio in Malaysia is 4:10,000, far behind the 14:10,000 recommended by the OECD.

As for the number of doctors, we are ranked beyond 100th at 17.45 for every 10,000 people.

Obviously, there is a very real doctor shortage issue in this country that warrants immediate attention of the government. The health ministry should take the initiative to seriously look into this matter and map out the long-term plans for the country's healthcare manpower needs, instead of waiting for contract doctors to voice up.

The contract doctor's shortlived strike ended very quickly. Now that the voices were made and heard on the other side, by right this whole thing should come to a close momentarily, but sadly not much wave has been stirred.

The contract doctors have not been proportionately appreciated for their hard work, and we therefore must not stigmatize or smear these people just because of the peaceful walkout they staged.

While it is understandable that many outsiders may not feel their woes, it is unbecoming for Klang Hospital director Dr Zulkarnain Mohd Rawi to threaten disciplinary actions against doctors joining the walkout. He said doctors should sacrifice themselves for their patients and not sacrifice the patients' rights for their own benefits.

How did these contract doctors sacrifice the patients' rights for their own benefits? They have taken tremendous risks to work unbearably long hours to save lives at the height of the coronavirus pandemic!

There are currently about 57,000 doctors in this country. From 2016 to May 31 this year, we had as many as 23,077 contract doctors. These numbers alone suffice to tell us how important these contract doctors are in our ongoing war against the virus.

Some doctor has disclosed that about 85% of frontline doctors since the onset of the pandemic have been contract doctors!

Klang Hospital aside, other hospitals are also mulling disciplinary actions against walkout participants.

Health minister Adham Baba has pledged that the government will not take actions against contract doctors. He says two-year extension of their contracts is only a transitional solution, and he will bring this matter to the parliament and fight for the rights they deserve, which is a positive move that should help settle this problem.

But the thing is: will public hospital directors take the minister's order seriously?

A more appropriate way of doing things is to issue an official directive to all hospitals not to take any action against contract doctors that took part in Monday's strike.

Meanwhile, the police have denied to have opened file to probe the walkout incident, and members of the public should stop all the name-calling so that this issue can be settled positively.

On the eve of the strike, health DG Noor Hisham wrote on his Facebook to call upon all doctors and healthcare workers to remember the oath they made when they began their profession, "primum non nocere", first do no harm or injustice to their patients!

From this incident, we can see clearly that these contract doctors have not forgotten the Hippocratic Oath. If not because of their dedication and devotion, Malaysia's healthcare system could have collapsed long ago under the weight of the raging pandemic.
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Google is mandating staff worldwide to have COVID-19 vaccinations to return to the office, but the tech giant may struggle to enforce the policy in Australia.

Facebook has quickly followed suit, requiring its workers in the United States to be vaccinated for an office return, though the social networks policy does not apply in Australia at this stage, with companies here more limited in what they can require employees to do.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce is considering making vaccination mandatory for aviation workers, while local tech firms like Atlassian and Zip are giving workers leave to encourage vaccination rather than making it compulsory.

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai has mandated Google employees get vaccinated to return to the office. Credit:Eric Risberg

Google announced its policy in an email sent by chief executive Sundar Pichai to the companys more than 130,000 employees worldwide. He said the requirement to be vaccinated would be first imposed in the United States before being extended to the more than 40 other countries where Google operates.
Thousands of Sydney bus services are breaching COVID-19 social distancing requirements each day, including dozens in the epicentre of the latest outbreak.

The NSW government confirmed to the Herald on Thursday that about 3300 services are unable to keep passenger numbers low enough to meet social distancing caps, two weeks after it slashed capacity on the network in a bid to curb peoples movement.

A Herald analysis has found all but two bus routes listed as exposure sites were found to have recorded at least one service as being overcapacity in the past week.

As restrictions again tightened across much of Sydney on Thursday and daily cases pushed past 200, new mobility data also shows Sydney failed to slow movements as quickly and as effectively as Melbourne in its latest Delta outbreak.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday pointed to reports of mobility data comparing Sydney to Melbourne as evidence her city was doing the right thing. But Google and Apple mobility data shows Melbourne was able to reduce mobility more within one week of their latest lockdown than Sydney was able to achieve in about a month.
The Australian Defence Force will assist with enforcement of Sydneys lockdown following a formal request to Prime Minister Scott Morrison from NSW Police.

While NSW has previously declined an offer for military assistance with the operation to enforce COVID-19 public health orders, police said an escalation of efforts over the coming days justified the request.

The military helped the police with compulsory quarantining at Sydney Airport in March last year. They have been called in to help again. Credit:Edwina Pickles

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller made the formal request to the federal government for 300 Defence Force personnel, police said in a statement.

With an increase in enforcement activity over the coming week, I have now made a formal request to the Prime Minister for ADF personnel to assist with that operation, Mr Fuller said.
Under the NSW governments new lockdown restrictions announced on Thursday, residents in eight Sydney local government areas of concern will have to wear masks anywhere outside and cannot travel further than five kilometres from home.

People in the areas of concern (Fairfield, Liverpool, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Blacktown, Parramatta, Georges River and Campbelltown) are not allowed to leave the LGA they live in for work unless they are on the list of authorised workers.

So how far is five kilometres? The tool below lets you enter your address and then see how far you can travel without breaking the basic rule (there are some exemptions).

To use the tool, type in your address and hit search. Your address should then appear as an option. Click on the correct address option and a red circle should be generated to show you where you can travel. Please check on the map where the centre of the circle has landed as, if youre on a long road, it may be a little distance from your place. If that applies to you, you can also try entering the nearest side street.

The circle that youll see will show you the direct distance  as the crow flies  so you might see a discrepancy with how far away your navigation system says things are, particularly if theres a winding road or a river on the way.
That anger is worth thinking about. The fact that it seems so laser-focused on the vaccine rollout is telling because it suggests two things: 1) that Australians (especially Sydneysiders) largely blame this for the fact they are experiencing lockdowns; and 2) that we imagine a world where vaccination will bring the pandemic to a close. And I have to confess this worries me because neither of these things is likely to be true. And if our anger is based on false expectations, its going to destroy us when those expectations are inevitably dashed. Theres no doubt our under-vaccination has made our current outbreaks worse than they might have been. But take Singapore, which is similar to us in not manufacturing the Pfizer vaccine, and not having special access to it by being a part of the EU or sharing a border with the US.

Its vaccine rollout has been admirable: far better than ours and probably at the limits of what we reasonably could have achieved amid global shortages. About 73 per cent of Singaporeans have received a shot. About 46 per cent have received two. And theyre in yet another lockdown. This time for at least a month. At what point will that be a thing of the past? No one really seems to know. Britain is rolling the dice by radically removing restrictions with more than 70 per cent of its adults fully vaccinated. But that only equates to a little over half the total population once you factor in children. Loading For context, this week, the Grattan Institute released modelling saying wed likely need a vaccination rate of around 80 per cent of the total population to do something similar. So, even Britains celebrated rollout falls miles short  about 25 per cent. And will we ever get there? Just over 20 per cent of Australians remain hesitant to get the vaccine. That could change  indeed it is falling as a result of the current outbreaks  given children under 12 currently cannot receive the vaccine, wed probably need that to get frighteningly close to zero. And while it might be tempting to say, in the Victorian premiers phrase that we wouldnt be having lockdowns to protect people who werent prepared to protect themselves, this ignores that a good number of the unvaccinated will likely be children.

Already, the Delta variant is challenging the assumption that young people are safe from COVID. Can we be sure we wouldnt lock down to protect them? Loading Meanwhile, continued transmission among the unvaccinated will almost certainly deliver more variants. Thats a significant enough risk in well-vaccinated countries if they dont get to herd immunity. But also, because wealthier nations are frankly doing a terrible job of sharing their vaccines with developing nations (most of Africa is less than 2 per cent vaccinated), there are plenty of unvaccinated people available. We can expect variants only to become more infectious and therefore quicker since thats what evolution demands for the virus survival. Theres every chance a strain eventually finds its way around our vaccines. Then were back to redesigning those vaccines and rolling them out.

Sure, that may not happen. Perhaps Britains experience will be a triumph and well all follow its lead at lower vaccination rates. Perhaps the virus will quickly evolve into something far less deadly. I will admit that everything Im hearing from experts makes that seem unlikely, but Im certainly not making predictions here. I am, however, asking us to consider plausible scenarios. Its an important exercise because were already paying the price for failing to do that. NSW is in a lengthy lockdown because it thought itself so uniquely capable of controlling such outbreaks. The federal governments strange laziness on finding alternatives to hotel quarantine has delivered increasing virus leakages into the community. Its assumption the worst was behind us meant it was slow to recognise the need for a proper financial support package. And we, as citizens, feel a general impatience and anger because deep down we assumed wed beaten this. In each case, theres a false mythology at play.

Perhaps the biggest is the apparent assumption that COVID was a 2020 thing. We seem affronted and unprepared for its return, which, if we were honest and paying attention, was always wholly plausible. Loading So sure, let us interrogate the failures of our vaccine rollout. Vaccination is, after all, the most potent weapon we have. But if, in making the slow rollout such a singular focus of our anger, we assume its the singular cause of our predicament, then we will inevitably assume it should deliver our singular solution. Beneath the anger, then, lies a comforting assumption that might be yet another myth. And what if, having laboured under that myth, it eventually comes to pass that the rollout is done but our problems are not? My fear is that having discovered our shortcut is a mirage, we might fall apart completely.
The 2032 Olympic Games could be the catalyst for Brisbanes commercial television networks shifting from Mt Coot-tha after almost 60 years on the mountain.

While the networks say they have no immediate plans, they are now eyeing new sites closer to Brisbanes CBD as the city begins its decade-long march towards the 2032 Olympics.

Television transmission towers at Brisbanes Mt Coot-tha. Credit:Michelle Smith

It could mean dramatic change to the mountains aesthetic, as experts say there is no need for each commercial network to retain a transmission tower.

Seven decommissioned its tower in 2018 and all programming has since been broadcast from rival Nines tower.
Housing groups are calling on the state government to wrap a financial ring of steel around residential tenants who are struggling to pay their rent due to lockdowns.

It comes as the preliminary results of a Tenants Victoria survey of 400 renters found that 70 per cent had taken a financial hit during the states latest lockdown, losing an average $1280 in income. About half of these renters said this had affected their ability to pay rent.

Jennifer Beveridge, the organisations chief executive, said no targeted support was provided to residential renters during the states last two lockdowns.

Krista Gopurenko works in hospitality and struggled to pay her rent after losing work during Victorias recent lockdown. Credit:Eddie Jim

These are ordinary people like waiters, shop assistants, beauticians and manicurists, gym instructors, people working in spas and the local cinema, whose incomes have become like a yo-yo, she said. They are finding it very challenging to pay for essentials such as rent.
There were 187 deaths involving heroin last year, down from 212 the year before. The last time it was this low was in 2015 when there were 171 overdoses related to heroin. Overdoses involving methamphetamine remained steady, while there were increases in deaths involving cocaine, GHB and MDMA, which all reached 10-year highs. Mr Biondo said limited international and domestic trafficking, restricted market conditions, and a lack of other substances during the pandemic would have had an impact on these trends, and the statistics were in line with what treatment centres had been telling them in terms of presentations. He said a drop in fatal heroin overdoses was generally good news, and said a drop from 17 to 9 heroin-related deaths in the Yarra area was likely due to the supervised injecting room. Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association executive officer Sam Biondo.

The coroners report noted that while there was much public discussion about the geographical distribution of heroin-related harm in Victoria due to debates about the supervised injecting room, overdose deaths were not the most helpful statistics for measuring the impact of the facility, which provides other vital public health services. Synthetic drugs, or new psychoactive substances (NPS), which are manufactured to mimic the effects of classic drugs like cannabis and cocaine, contributed to more deaths in 2020 than in any previous year: 33 deaths last year, compared to 17 the year before. While the report suggested that better detection by toxicologists could have contributed to the rise, it also said it could reflect changes in the unregulated drug markets and the access to and use of illegal drugs during the pandemic. Theyve increased from two fatal overdoses in 2017 to 33 in 2020, said Mr Biondo. These substances are produced to mimic ... MDMA and cannabis, but theyre in fact, much more harmful than the classic substances, and the consumers are generally unaware of how dangerous they can be.

Loading You buy them on one occasion and they are very different from the next occasion. If theyre not produced properly then you can get a spike in the active ingredient that can be very harmful. We noticed the increased presence of these sorts of substances mixed with say heroin or with other substances, he said. In April, Victorian Coroner Paresa Spanos called for the state government to urgently implement public drug testing following the deaths of five young Melbourne men who had mistakenly consumed a cocktail of synthetic drugs they believed were MDMA or magic mushrooms. She has also recommended the state government roll out an early warning network to alert the public to dangerous drugs in the community. Mr Biondo said the pragmatic reforms recommended by the coroner were supported by VAADA.

The director of addiction, research and education centre Turning Point, Professor Dan Lubman, agreed that innovative public health solutions needed to be a priority. In other parts of the world they have introduced drug checking services to be able to rapidly warn the community, he said. We are very familiar with public information around keeping safe during COVID but we should think about how we adopt similar approaches that have been so successful in other parts of the world in informing community about what is out there, how to keep safe and making sure that with a range of other strategies in place, we make sure we minimise Victorians lives lost because of overdoses. Professor Lubman said while it was reassuring there hadnt been a dramatic increase in overdose deaths in 2020, people will be struggling this year as the pandemic continued to impact on peoples daily lives. [Last year] basically people just generally did their bit, bunkered down and managed their alcohol and drug use or just tried to, like the rest of the community, follow public health orders and do the right thing and just try to survive, he said.

What we see ... is an escalation in alcohol and drug harm post-disaster as people start the recovery process, thats when people who have put all their energy into essentially surviving sort of become exhausted and are turning to more alcohol and drugs to cope. Rose McCrohan, manager and nurse practitioner at Uniting ReGen, a residential withdrawal facility in Ivanhoe. Credit:Eddie Jim Practitioners also expressed concern that alcohol contributed to 154 fatal overdoses last year. Rose McCrohan, manager and nurse practitioner at Uniting ReGen withdrawal facility in Ivanhoe, said the report had reflected patterns they had seen. I am not surprised that the data reflects an increase in alcohol-only related deaths, she said.
Henry Kissinger famously suggested that the fights in academia are so vicious because the stakes are so small.

Theres something in that, no doubt. But many of my colleagues at the University of Western Australia are about to be summarily sacked, for no other reason, apparently, than university leaders have historically been unable to balance the books.

The University of Western Australias independence is being eroded as it panders to the states resources sector. Credit:Trevor Collens

Stakes really dont get much higher than getting the chop for no fault of your own after spending decades acquiring intellectual capital that cant be easily redeployed elsewhere.

An instructive lesson for the next generation of scholars  if there is one  currently toiling over their PhDs.
Supreme Court Justice Jeremy Curthoys has reserved his decision over the matter after listening to two hours worth of arguments from the Finks lawyer, Lachlan Palmos, and Joshua Berson from the State Solicitors Office. Loading Justice Curthoys initially questioned why the Finks case went beyond a personal tragedy and was in the public interest given we may never know [all the reasons] and this will be a source of grief forever. Not wishing to discredit the grief of the family, the issue of suicide is all too common ... if the Coroners Court investigated every suicide, the system would be overwhelmed, he said. Mr Palmos argued that a coronial inquest should go beyond the mere cause of death and probe the Department of Education and the schools response in the lead up to Cohens suicide, which included a failure to put Cohen on a Student At Educational Risk (SAER) list despite being advised to do so.

Mr Palmos called it the best fact finding system available to the family, who have already used freedom of information laws to uncover what information they could but who still had unanswered questions not satisfied by the departments investigation into the matter. He argued if an inquest was held and new evidence came out there was an opportunity for the state coroner, at their discretion, to make comments about the public health and safety within WA schools. Lessons can be learned but thats up to the coroner and we want that opportunity, Mr Palmos said. He said those findings would also go on the public record. Mr Palmos quoted in court the former medical advisor to the coroner, Dr Robert Turnbull, who said: It is the role of the Coroners Court to speak for the dead to protect the living.

The Coroner has a vital role to play as an independent judicial officer serving the Crown and the public. Cohen Fink was 17 when he killed himself. The coronial system is essentially a fact finding system that should reflect commitment to the deceased, the community and the family of the deceased. The system seeks to be efficient, consistent throughout the state and compassionate and ever mindful of human distress and the need to preserve human dignity. Mr Berson argued there had already been an administrative finding by then-deputy state coroner Barry King last year, which was revisited by the coroners registrar and no inquest was deemed necessary given the answers supplied by the Education Departments investigation into the matter.

He questioned whether Cohen being put on to a SAER list would have altered the monitoring that his teachers and others were already conducting, and if it would have prevented his suicide. Knowing now, staff at Warnbro Community High School would have acted differently, he said. Mr Berson argued that Cohens teachers witnessed no signs of emotional distress beyond what was seen in his exams in the days before his suicide, which the acting school principal sought to address with the family the week of his death. The state extends its condolences to the family of Cohen Fink on his passing, Mr Berson said at the outset of proceedings and privately to the family after the hearing. Mr Palmos countered in court that the deputy coroner was not presented with the correct facts and the coroners office changed the goal posts only weeks before the Supreme Court was to make a decision on the matter.
Army troops will door-knock homes of people who have tested positive to COVID-19 and those deemed to be close contacts to ensure they are isolating in a crackdown on Sydney hotspots after NSW reached a record number of new infections.

The ADF has accepted NSWs request for six weeks of assistance to ensure people are staying home and not mixing with extended families. Transmission between family members remains one of the main reasons the virus continues to spread, with almost 200 children aged nine or under testing positive in Sydney in the past two weeks.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the state should prepare for an enhanced police presence. Credit:Janie Barrett

Along with the increase in positive cases in children, there has been a rise in the number of infections among unvaccinated people in their 20s, with cases in young people tripling in the past two weeks.

University of Sydney infectious diseases specialist Robert Booy said the increase in cases in children reflected the greater transmissibility of the Delta variant.
Ange Postecoglous first major test as Celtic manager has ended in heartbreak after a 2-1 loss to Danish side FC Midtjylland.

The 3-2 aggregate result means the Scottish giants have missed out on the group stages of the Champions League for a fourth consecutive season.

After a 1-1 stalemate at Celtic Park last week, Callum McGregor broke the deadlock for the Hoops in the 48th minute. Socceroo Awer Mabil again levelled proceedings on the hour mark after James Forrest had missed a golden chance to put Celtic two ahead.

The sides headed to extra time in front of a vocal Herning crowd with the Danes substitutes proving the difference.
The reason the CDC dramatically relaxed its mask guidance in mid-May was the accumulating evidence that the vaccines were incredibly effective at halting the spread of the virus. CDC director Rochelle Walesnsky told Americans that if you are vaccinated, you generally dont get asymptomatic infection and generally cannot transmit to other people. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Bidens top medical adviser, was even more forceful, saying that once vaccinated you become a dead end to the virus and when there are a lot of dead ends, the virus is not going to go anywhere. Thats not what the experts are saying any longer. The reason for the new guidance, Walensky said this week, is fresh data suggesting that vaccinated people may be contagious and spread the virus to others.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky this week announced changes to mask-wearing guidance. Credit:AP Particularly worrying, she said, was evidence that vaccinated people infected by the Delta variant appear to carry viral loads that are actually quite similar to unvaccinated people who contract it. This means they are highly likely to pass it on to others. If this trend continues, Australians will have to be prepared for the virus to circulate within the community even if the country achieves an impressive vaccination rate. The risk of people getting seriously ill, however, will be dramatically lower than before the vaccines became available. The economic implications of breakthrough infections are also significant.

Many American companies were planning for most, if not all, of their employees to return to the office from the start of September after over a year working from home. The greater transmissibility of the Delta strain - even among the vaccinated - may make some chief executives rethink those plans. This would have a damaging knock-on effect on the restaurants, cafes and dry cleaners in central business districts that rely on office workers to make a living. Among those who do return to the office, many will be wearing masks throughout the work day. Australian business leaders will face similar complications after lockdowns lift and vaccination rates rise. Loading The fact vaccinated people are at more risk of contracting COVID-19 than previously thought has also prompted tougher policies to pressure the hold-outs into getting a jab.

Until now, the un-vaccinated were believed to essentially only pose a risk to themselves - as well as children who are too young to get vaccinated and the immunocompromised. The greater transmissibility of the Delta variant makes it imperative for them to get vaccinated for the good of society. As a result, the land of the free is moving away from vaccine incentives - like free beer or gift cards - to vaccine mandates. In a major move on Friday (AEDT) Biden will announce that all federal government employees and contractors - a workforce comprising over two million people - will be required to present proof of vaccination. The mayors of New York or Los Angeles have also announced that all city workers must provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing. Similarly, vaccine mandates in Australia will likely extend well beyond the aged care worker requirement the Morrison government announced in June.

After his diagnosis, my friend Hugo is isolating at home with a high fever and flu-like symptoms. All things going well, he will be out of quarantine just in time to celebrate his 29th birthday. Loading The worst part of getting COVID, he says, was the uncomfortable task of having to tell a multitude of colleagues and friends that they were close contacts and needed to get tested for COVID-19. Hes still glad he was vaccinated: its possible his illness would have been more serious if he had not gotten the jab. He knows that the vaccines remain societys most powerful tool in our fight against the virus. Even if they are not quite as foolproof as wed like, and post-vaccination life more complicated than wed hoped for just a few months ago.
Somerset, KY (42501)

Today

Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 58F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
How body worn cameras and AI can curb the issue of abusive behaviour

Amongst the many negative consequences of the pandemic is a rise in violent and abusive behaviour across society. Health workers have experienced it on a regular basis. So too have police officers and public transport workers. Unfortunately, violence and abuse towards shop workers is also endemic in British society. To address this problem which, in truth, has been on the rise since long before the emergence of COVID-19, we need better deterrents. The ability to prosecute these offences is one such deterrent, but just as important is the ability to deescalate situations before they spill over into unacceptable or unlawful behaviour. Major retail customers In both instances, organisations of all sizes are now recognising that the answer could involve greater use of rapidly advancing body worn camera technology. Andy Marsh, the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, is one of the police officers responsible for introducing body worn cameras to the UK police force, where they are now in widespread use. Andy Marsh is one of the police officers responsible for introducing body worn cameras to the UK police force He explains that The reason the majority of people dont speed or drink-drive is that rational human beings weigh up the risk and consequences of breaking the law and getting caught. Body worn cameras help provide appropriate desistance, especially where there are forward-facing screens so the person interacting with the wearer can see themselves and their behaviour. Evidence shows that if a forward-facing camera is switched on before the intervention becomes hostile, it will generally lead to a de-escalation  as often as 90% of the time, according to one of our major retail customers. Digital evidence investigations Only a tiny handful of abusive incidents ever translate into arrests and prosecutions. A key issue is a lack of clear evidence  how to get past the usual impasse of one persons word against the other. Body worn cameras break the deadlock and allow organisations to report incidents to the police with confidence, knowing that they will lead to action. Marsh suggests that We usually see an earlier admission, an earlier guilty plea and a more appropriate sentence, where body worn camera footage is in play. The technology has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. For example, its now possible to record high-definition footage on a lightweight device thats barely the size of a palm. And its not just about the evidence organisations gather themselves. Many police forces are looking at ways to make it easier for businesses and the public to collaborate on digital evidence investigations. Body worn cameras This is good for the victims of crime because it means we get the evidence more quickly" Weve created an online crime portal in Avon and Somerset which people can use to pass digital evidence and material to us without an officer having to attend their premises. This is good for the victims of crime because it means we get the evidence more quickly and can take action more swiftly to resolve that issue, adds Marsh. Our body worn cameras can now even support facial recognition thanks to new, smart AI on the devices themselves, which can scan and process faces within a three-metre distance against a pre-defined database of people (which we call a watchlist). Any matches trigger alerts or additional camera activity such as recording and streaming, while the facial recognition data of people not on the watchlist itself is not recorded or saved to assuage privacy concerns. Similar criminal behaviour Where could this technology come in handy? Well, staff at gambling venues or in-store retail workers could undoubtedly benefit from the ability to quickly spot known fraudsters or addicts who have requested that venues refuse their custom. Stewards at mass sporting events could play a key role in helping to identify people who have been banned from attending. The primary reason for using body worn cameras is to increase the safety of frontline workers The primary reason for using body worn cameras is to increase the safety of frontline workers, deescalating confrontations and limiting the use of force. AI-powered facial recognition can also serve this purpose by helping them make better-informed choices about how to handle specific situations. For example, it is a massive advantage to police officers on the beat to understand that the person they are dealing with may have a history of similar criminal behaviour. Facial recognition technology But its also an advantage within retail, where aggressive incidents are on the rise and staff need all the help they can get to determine what an appropriate response should be to a particular customer incident. In fact, extensive consultation with our retail, police, transport and gambling customers indicates that introducing facial recognition technology to body worn cameras could be instrumental, not just in helping to prevent crime, but in tracking down vulnerable and missing people too. Of course, facial recognition technology has to be balanced against the need to protect the privacy of ordinary citizens. Video recording using body worn cameras has to be done proportionately  the same is true for the use of facial recognition technology. The technology also has to be compliant with GDPR, Data Protection, the Information Commissioners recommendations and so on. Positive working environment Violent and abusive incidents affect everyone in the immediate vicinity and create a culture of fear Importantly, it should be for a specific, proportionate and justifiable reason which, of course, means it should never be used for indiscriminate mass surveillance. Every organisation using this technology must remember that a facial recognition system match is not proof of someones identity, but rather, an indication of likelihood to help inform the user rather than dictate the course of action. Violent and abusive incidents affect everyone in the immediate vicinity and create a culture of fear and apprehension. This is why its so important to get on top of the problem  both on a societal and at an organisational level. Body worn cameras have a vital role to play, as an evidence-gathering tool and as a deterrent that empowers the wearer and creates a more positive working environment. Deterring unlawful behaviour One of the critical roles these cameras play is in staff training, providing real-world video evidence that can be used to educate and upskill workers across a variety of industries. Societys problem with abusive and violent behaviour cannot be solved by technology alone. But with exceptional quality camera footage now a reality, and the possibility of AI technology at the device level in real-time, body worn cameras will only get better at deterring unlawful behaviour and helping to protect hardworking frontline staff. Alasdair Field is CEO of video technology provider Reveal, which works with UK police forces and major brands such as Matalan, JD Sports and Boots to help them improve staff safety, deescalate confrontations and reduce violent and abusive incidents.
Enterprise, AL (36331)

Today

Cloudy with occasional showers this afternoon. High 83F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Much is said about the volatility of Bitcoin and market criptomonedas in general, in fact, even those who have not invested will be exposed to the idea of the volatility that exists in these markets, but not for this, could not take advantage of price cycles to withdraw a percentage of profits in a timely manner and have more profitable entries in the market.

In recent weeks, the setbacks that Bitcoin presented have been attributed to Elon Musk's tweets, but is it the businessman who moves the market or is it the cryptocurrency that prompts him to publish a tweet?

Musk's tweets

On February 20, he declared after an interaction on Twitter with Peter Schiff, that the price of BTC (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) seemed somewhat high to him.

That said, BTC & ETH do seem high lol - Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2021

On February 22, a 7-day bearish rally would begin, going from a maximum of 58,367 to a minimum of 43,016 dollars (-26.51%).

On May 12, Musk shared a screenshot on his Twitter feed about suspending the purchase of Tesla vehicles with Bitcoin.

That day, the lowest price of the most famous cryptocurrency in the world was 48,500 and it would close at $ 49,498.77, this is -12.78% compared to its opening price of $ 56,753.19.

On June 3, the CEO of Tesla published a meme, hinting at a break with bitcoin expressed with the heartbroken emoji.

This day, Bitcoin would present a 5% retracement (-2,098 dollars).

The graph

Source: Trading View

In this first image we see the historical maximum (ATH) at $ 64,899 reached on April 14 with a minimum of $ 28,800, a level that would become support on December 31 and on which it would retest on January 22 and 27. The 3 important setbacks presented in this rally are also pointed out.

Setbacks

February 22 (-26.51%)

Before the bearish rally (-26-51%), the graph indicated that from February 8 to February 21 the price had reached the Overbought level, according to the RSI and Stochastic indicators. At the same time the Fisher Transform indicator showed a price reversal. Despite the price rise, the volume was not above average, indicating little interest in the market to push the price at that time to new highs.

When the price enters the overbought level, the market can project a bearish scenario in the time period analyzed. Likewise, the reversal that was presented in the Fisher Transform indicator could be considered as a point to value the withdrawal of profits or a percentage of these.

In Trading, the confirmation of the price action for the bearish scenario would be a good entry point for SHORT operations, generating profits with the depreciation of Bitcoin.

April 14 (-27.51%)

Source: Trading View

As in the February retracement, both the volume and the RSI and Stochastic indicators would give us the parameters to consider a new retracement, this time from the projection of a Bearish Divergence.

Projecting a trend line -in red color- on the maximums created on February 21, March 14 and April 14, and the same for the maximums in the RSI indicator, we see that in the price these maximums were  Higher Highs while the peaks on the RSI were making Lower Highs , it is this disparity that is known as Regular Bearish Divergence, and it is an indicator of price retracement.

May 10 (-49.62%)

Source: Trading View

In addition to the retracement indicated by the bearish crossover in Fisher Transform and the decline in the RSI, projecting the Fibonacci Channels we could detect the downtrend that began on April 14.

Source: Trading View

At the same time that the RSI and Fisher Transform showed an exit signal on May 10, it could be seen that the price would not be able to overcome the resistance of the Fibonacci Channel.

June 3 (-49.62%)

Currently, within the Fibonacci channel 1 ( 46960.44 ), a price pattern called "Symmetric Triangle" would start from May 19.

When a breakdown of any price pattern occurs, both in the support or resistance level, it is necessary to wait for price confirmation before taking any action such as opening a position ( trading ), taking profits or entering the market, since the supports and resistances They are tested again for price, as happened after the breakout, without finding support in the Fibonacci channel and not at the upper end of the symmetrical triangle, where both supports would interact .

Prior to each Elon tweet, the graph promptly indicated when the setbacks would occur, opening the possibility that after the confirmations of each setback they motivated him to send the tweets.

Nowadays

According to the theory of the Symmetric Triangle, Height can represent the growth or fall of an asset, depending on the breakdown of the pattern. If the breakout occurs at resistance, and manages to find support, we can expect growth above $ 49,000 and if the breakout occurs at support, the decline could drive the price to support below $ 22,000 .

It should be noted that such movements are not abrupt and previously created supports and resistances are tested again, so the setbacks are healthy market movements, since new supports are created for an asset that grew parabolically. Recall that the historical maximum of 2017 was ~ $ 20,000 and this level would not be exceeded until December 2020, achieving a growth of $ 44,895 ( + 224.60% ) in less than four months.

The "Market Sentiment"

Even when there is no confirmation of a Bear Market or Bear Market, there is uncertainty of the continuation of the Bullrun given the percentages of the retracements, the Fibonacci channel on which it is interacting and the symmetric triangle pattern in which the price.

This same uncertainty is what causes more attention to be paid to negative news such as the Bitcoin ban in China (again), or the aforementioned setbacks being attributed to Elon Musk creating by the level of FUD -Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt- and positive news is overlooked such as the announcement by the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, about the acceptance of Bitcoin as a legal tender in the country, or the presence of Bitcoin in the Indy 500.

If the positive news had occurred while Bitcoin surpassed all-time highs, the price would have risen further, adding to the FOMO - fear of missing out -, without a doubt, the interpretation and importance of conducting your own technical analysis is key for your investments and afternoons are more profitable.

In addition to the efforts of institutions such as the Mexican Exchange MEXO, who have free and live courses for traders, investors and enthusiasts from beginner to intermediate level, thanks to the democratization of information we have at our disposal pages, documents, videos and podcasts with tips and advice for those who want to learn and polish their skills.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
GREENWICH  XPO Logistics reported sharply rising revenues this week, days before it plans to complete the spin-off of its logistics business into another publicly traded company.

Greenwich-headquartered XPO, the No. 190 company on this years Fortune 500 list, posted quarterly revenues of about $5 billion, jumping 44 percent year over year. The increase reflected its transportation business revenues soaring 50 percent to about $3.2 billion, while logistics returns leaped 34 percent to around $1.9 billion.

The companys quarterly profit of $156 million compared with a loss of $132 million a year ago.

Were very happy that we reported such a strong quarter, XPO CEO and Chairman Bradley Jacobs said Thursday in an earnings call with investment analysts. And I want to take this opportunity to give a big thanks to all the employees around the country and around Europe and Asia who have worked so hard over the last eight or nine months to create two industry powerhouses launching next week.

XPO shares closed Thursday at about $141, up 2 percent from Wednesday. The shares hit a 52-week high of about $153 and a 52-week low of around $72.

The new numbers marked the last quarterly results for XPO in its current structure. On Monday, the new GXO Logistics is scheduled to complete its spin-off from XPO and start trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Last December, XPO announced its plan to split into two separately run and publicly traded companies, a decision reached after it had earlier considered the sale of key businesses.

XPO is keeping its global transportation operations  which are primarily truck brokerage and less-than-truckload shipping services  while spinning off its logistics business into GXO, which will be headquartered in London. XPO officials describe GXO as the largest pure-play contract logistics company in the world.

Following the spin-off, XPO will have about 42,000 employees and GXO will have about 66,000, based on XPO headcounts in the past couple of months. In the U.S., XPO will employ about 27,000, compared with around 19,000 for GXO.

XPO employs about 600 in Connecticut, according to data provided earlier this year by the company. Logistics facilities in North Haven and Windsor will be operated by GXO, while last-mile sites in Bridgeport, Norwich, Wallingford and Windsor and less-than-truckload terminals in Bridgeport and Meriden will stay with XPO.

After the spin-off, XPO will keep its headquarters at 5 American Lane in Greenwichs northwest corner, where 63 employees will be based. GXO will have 16 employees at the neighboring 2 American Lane.

Jacobs will continue to serve as CEO and chairman of XPO and also become chairman of GXOs board.

Were going to build on the leading positions weve got in LTL and truck brokerage. Were going to continue to focus on innovative technologies, Jacobs said. The future looks bright.

For Greenwich, XPOs commitment reinforces its status as a corporate destination. The companys continued presence will also boost Connecticuts coffers. The company paid $8 million last year in state income taxes, compared with $3 million in 2019 and $6 million in 2018, according to its 10-K annual report.

The decision of XPO Logistics to keep their headquarters in Greenwich is welcomed by our town and residents. We appreciate their faith in and loyalty to our town, Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo said earlier this year. Greenwich has the amenities that really appeal to companies like XPO, attributes that include a great location, proximity to big cities, an educated citizenry, beautiful shoreline and countryside, a well-run and active community local government and a very civic-minded and welcoming population.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
NanoVMs

It's no secret that cybersecurity has become a major concern in the modern digital age. Google+ was forced to shut down in 2018 after exposing 52.3 million users' data in a breach, Uber paid $148 million in fines after covering up a years-long data breach, and this year, the Colonial Pipeline hack continues to have ramifications across the entire globe. But it's not just corporate giants at risk; 47 percent of small businesses experienced a cyber-attack over the past year. Today, new solutions like NanoVMs offer an intriguing solution, making it a compelling alternative investment.

Any company that relies on servers to store large amounts of data is at risk of experiencing a data breach that can cost millions of dollars. Unfortunately, server operating systems were built 50 years ago and have been virtually unchanged for the past 20 years. Once upon a time, that wasn't a problem. But today, servers still allow multiple users to run multiple programs at the same time, creating a greater opportunity than ever for data breaches and targeted cyber attacks as more data than ever is stored online.
DANBURY  The founder of Connecticut Institute for Communities is stepping down as the head of the nonprofit that provides health and education programs for western Connecticut.

Katherine McKeon Curran will become president and chief executive officer of the institute beginning Aug. 1, replacing former U.S. Rep. James Maloney, who founded the organization known as CIFC 18 years ago.

I am honored to assume the role of president and CEO at CIFC, where I look forward to continuing to lead our efforts in providing the highest quality services to the thousands of patients, clients, individuals, and families that we serve throughout Connecticut, Curran said in a statement.

As the institutes chief operating officer and general counsel, Curran led the organizations response to the coronavirus pandemic. She supported employees as they administered more than 23,000 COVID-19 tests and 12,000 vaccines to the community.

Maloney will be a part-time consultant for CIFC. I am enthusiastic about continuing to engage with CIFC to make notable progress for our communities, Maloney said in a statement. And I especially look forward to working with Katie Curran in her new role. She is a very talented and dedicated leader, who will do a great job as CIFCs president and CEO.

CIFC is based in Danbury and serves low- and- moderate-income families in Connecticut through a combination of health and education programs, as well as housing and economic development projects.

CIFC Board of Directors search process for a new leader was lengthy and extensive, the organization said. Francis J. Muska, chairman of the board, said hes delighted with the choice of Curran.

We knew her credentials, and her prior work at CIFC over nearly a decade, he said in a statement. Her great achievements confronting the COVID-19 public health emergency this last year speak also to her determination, work ethic, and integrity during a crisis. We know that she will continue to flourish in her future endeavors for the community as CIFC president and CEO.

Curran joined CIFC in the fall of 2011 as the institutes first staff attorney and compliance officer. She built CIFCs compliance department, becoming an expert in regulatory compliance and operations in CIFCs service fields, CIFC said. She oversaw the Health Centers move to 120 Main St. in downtown Danbury.

During the coronavirus pandemic, her duties included working at the vaccine registration center and coordinating with city, state and local partners over various pandemic issues. She oversaw collaboration with the federal government to acquire and distribute vaccines, and then expand CIFCs vaccine delivery capacity.

Of the organizations vaccine supply, 65 percent went to underserved and minority populations, identified by the state.

Curran holds a Bachelor of Arts in government studies from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., graduating cum laude in 2003. She graduated cum laude with a law degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the Quinnipiac Health Law Journal from 2008-09. She was certified in health care compliance by the Health Care Compliance Association, and last year completed the Harvard Kennedy Schools Executive Education Program for Non-Profit Financial Stewardship.
Paul Mayer, owner of Cafe Nine in New Havens Ninth Square district, has a sold-out show Saturday night with the band Murphys Law.

Whether the latest spate of COVID-19 illness affects that crowd and beyond that, Mayers return this fall to full, seven-day operations, remains to be seen. Hes following all the rules.

This much we know: The rise of the delta variant as the dominant coronavirus strain has brought a renewed strain in a rift weve seen since the start of the crisis 16 months ago: Do we need a rigid set of rules on masking, distancing, business hours and now, vaccinations? Or do we stay flexible and rely on common sense?

Some say we need clearer rules. Here in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont stands as the Olympic gold medalist in flexibility, the undefeated king of coordinated chaos when it comes to COVID control.

He has it exactly right. I think Im going to lean heavily on the common-sense approach, Lamont said Wednesday. There will be guidelines but its not going to be rigid.

And yet, the people in this world who cant live without clean, black-and-white order clamor for specifics as fears of a widespread resurgence  most likely overblown  bubble up. The novel coronavirus crisis has been a nightmare for the orderly set, all the more now that we dont even know whether the 70 percent of us who are vaccinated face a real threat.

What about mandatory masks indoors, where we cant keep six feet apart? How about mandatory vaccinations for state employees, and for private companies to impose on their workers? How about some rules for kids in schools, just a few short weeks away? What if were vaccinated but have come in contact with someone who tested positive?

We all need some common sense, Mayer told me Wednesday afternoon, before heading to Cafe Nine in the summertime, Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule. I hope people do what they feel is safe for them, thats all. I cant control other peoples behaviorI right now feel safe in the environment and I hope other people do as well.

He added, I dont feel that we need to institute strict rules.

Mayer sticks with the guidance of the state and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which, as of now, means a return to masks in some indoor situations. Theres no way to enforce that strictly.

Like many business owners, hes wrestling with whether to restore a mask mandate for his staff. At the moment, he has two who wear masks  one of whom has declined to get the vaccination. As he correctly says, youll find that at every bar, every restaurant, every grocery store.

And when customers come in, he said, some wear masks, some dont. We dont ask their vaccination status.

It being the eve of an election year, Republicans are cranking up the criticism  including that Lamont should return decision-making powers to the legislature. Some, though few who are elected, say the governor has gone too far with orders that arent needed for safety.

As expected, Lamont did not say on Wednesday when I asked him, whether hell request an extension of his emergency powers beyond the Sept. 30, the latest of several extended deadlines.

I dont know where were going to be on Sept. 30, the governor said.

Likewise, hes asking for more time in setting rules for back-to-school, and more time in deciding whether to order holdout state employees to roll up their sleeves for a COVID inoculation.

In answer to a reporters question about whether hed issue different orders for different parts of the state, he said  drumroll please  maybe.

Some districts have 99 percent vaccinated, some have half that, Lamont said. Give us a couple of weeks, well figure that out.

He pushed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to declare the vaccines fully approved, not just emergency authorized  a designation he said feeds the naysayers.

By now weve seen this order-vs.-chaos rift play out a million times since the crisis started. Like the Vietnam War, COVID just keeps delivering new confusion every day.

Its tougher now, Lamont said Wednesday. Just two weeks ago, the Capitol was being circled by protesters saying The emergency is over, get off my back. And that didnt happen nine months ago. People were ready to do everything they needed to do to keep their families and their friends safe.

Lamont must have missed the unmasked, undistanced, pro-Trump rally at the Capitol on Nov. 7, and the anti-mask rallies before that. But his point is taken: Its harder to manage a crisis when people arent dying and getting sick in large numbers, and thankfully, the numbers remain much smaller now.

Theres a balance you have to reach, he said. You know, rules only work if people generally think youre going in the right direction.

And hard enforcement is a myth anyway.

Besides, said state Sen. Saud Anwar, who supports a flexible approach, the information is changing so rapidly. If you make an executive decision in a situation like this and three days later the ground reality has changed, that will reduce the confidence of people.

Anwar, a lung doctor working in the thick of the crisis, lays the blame for tension over rules on political rifts, not lack of clarity.

Its heartbreaking that these things are being politicized, he said.

I ask Anwar whether he thinks its right and good that the majority of us may need to return to mask wearing and other measures because fewer than a third of eligible people arent willing to be vaccinated. Cant we just let them suffer from the consequences?

No, Anwar says. Hes had success in persuading holdouts to get the vaccination. And the hard-cores have rights.

If everybody starts to think that we are just responsible for ourselves and anybody else who is doing wrong, its not our problem  we dont build a society like that, Anwar said. For the sake of our society we just need to show love, respect, understanding, and help them get to the point.

Love, and live music. At Cafe Nine, Mayer will stick with common sense and hope the vaccination rates increase.

Were not asking you to...storm Normandy Beach, he said. Were asking you to go stick a needle in your arm so we can move forward as a society.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
NEWTOWN  The $3.6 million Remington insurers have offered each of the nine Sandy Hook families suing the bankrupted gunmaker for wrongfully marketing the rifle used in the 2012 massacre does not in itself signal an end to the seven-year court battle.

The reason: only two of the four insurance companies handling the gunmakers estate were involved in the settlement offer to Sandy Hook families this week, the families lead attorney confirmed on Wednesday.

Ironshore and James River, two of the four insurance companies that once did business with Remington, deserve credit for now realizing that promoting the use of AR-15s as weapons of war to civilians is indefensible, attorney Josh Koskoff said in a prepared statement after the two insurers offers were filed in state Superior Court in Waterbury. It appears that the other two insurance companies involved  Chubb and Swiss Re  have yet to learn that lesson and continue to stand firmly behind dangerous marketing and against the families.

James Rotondo, an attorney for Remington who signed each settlement offer, declined to comment Wednesday about the limited offers.

Remingtons lead attorney, James Vogts, could not immediately be reached for comment.

It was not clear on Wednesday how the limited settlement offers would affect what has become the highest profile case of its kind in the country.

Moreover, since the $3.6 million settlement offers by two Remington insurers were made separately to each family, there is no global requirement for the families to act as one.

Theoretically, some families could accept the offer, while others could refuse it and look ahead to trial.

Neil Heslin, whose son Jesse Lewis was among the 26 first-graders and educators slain at Sandy Hook School, declined to comment on Wednesday.

The complexity of the lawsuit stems in part from the gunmakers recent $156 million sell-off in U.S. bankruptcy court in Alabama, where a federal judge assured Sandy Hook families that some of the sale proceeds would be preserved to keep Remingtons insurance intact.

The settlement offers, which are subject to approval by the same Alabama bankruptcy judge, came one day after state Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis denied a motion by Remington to throw the families amended complaint out of court.

This case is moving forward to trial, Koskoff said after Bellis ruling. If Remington did not understand that before today, it should understand it now.

The limited settlement offer is the latest development in a lawsuit that was thrown out of state Superior Court, reinstated by Connecticut Supreme Court, turned down for review by the U.S. Supreme Court when Remington appealed, and sent back to trial court after Remingtons bankruptcy.

The case made headlines earlier this month when pretrial documents handed over to the families by Remington included 18,000 random cartoons, among thousands of other irrelevant images and videos, the families attorneys said.

The next step is for the families to discuss the limited settlement with attorneys, Koskoff said.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
AURORA, Colo. (AP)  A video showing a police officer pistol-whipping and choking a Black man during an arrest in a Denver suburb has reignited anger over policing in the community, with activists decrying what they say is just the latest example of the mistreatment of people of color.

Aurora Officer John Haubert was arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault and felony menacing charges, after officers responded Friday to a trespassing report where they found Kyle Vinson, who is biracial and identifies as Black.

Haubert's lawyer, Reid Elkus, has vowed to zealously defend him. Another officer is accused of not intervening to try to stop him.

The body camera footage shows Haubert hold his pistol to Vinsons head, strike him with it, choke him and threaten to shoot him.

Youre killing me, Vinson cried, gasping for air, as Haubert holds him down, the video shows. If you move, I will shoot you, Haubert said.

The footage angered activists on Wednesday. They want to bring attention to a police department plagued by allegations of misconduct in recent years, including the 2019 death of Elijah McClain.

McClain was walking down a street in the city east of Denver in August 2019 when he was stopped by local police after a 911 call reported a suspicious man. The 23-year-old Black man was wrestled to the ground, put into a neckhold and injected with 500 milligrams (0.02 ounces) of ketamine by paramedics. McClain died less than a week later.

No officers were charged in that case but Democratic Gov. Jared Polis asked Attorney General Phil Weiser to reinvestigate whether anyone should be prosecuted after the case drew renewed attention following the killing of George Floyd. The investigation is still pending.

Last year, the Police Department also came under fire for an incident where four Black girls were handcuffed and ordered face down in a parking lot after a stolen car mix-up.

This isnt about just Elijah or just about Kyle. This is about the community at whole, said Lindsay Minter, a high school track coach and member of the citys police task force. When I talk to the kids that I coach, theyre always like If you come into Aurora, you leave on probation. Period. They dont feel safe.

Police Chief Vanessa Wilson called Vinson's case an anomaly on Tuesday and asked the public not to paint the department with a broad brush. She put the officers on leave and denounced Vinsons treatment as a very despicable act.

Rathod praised her for trying to change the department but blamed Mayor Mike Coffman for not denouncing what happened or apologizing to Vinson. He called on Coffman to resign.

Vinsons lawyer, Siddhartha Rathod, whose law firm also represents McClains mother in a lawsuit against Aurora, said the city has a long history of failing to discipline is officers for misconduct.

In a tweet, Coffman said he did not think it was appropriate for him to comment until the investigation is complete.

The time has come for a leader who will stand up for communities of color and stand against police violence, Rathod said.

Based on his experience with previous cases, Rathod believes race played a role in how Vinson was treated by police.

Both our clients appear to have been treated with hatred and disdain in part because of the color of their skin, he said.

Rathod said the criminal justice system treated Vinson, who faced an arrest warrant for a probation violation, more harshly than the officer accused of beating him. His bond was not set until Wednesday, requiring him to remain in jail as he waited, while Haubert was able to turn himself into authorities and be released quickly, he said.

Mari Newman, the lawyer for Elijah McClains father and estate, said she represented the family of a young Black man, Jamaal Bonner, who was fatally shot three times in the back by Aurora police nearly 20 years ago. The case resulted in a settlement in which police agreed to change training and recruitment tactics and to make sure their force looked more like the community theyre policing, she said.

Despite these legally binding commitments that the city of Aurora made, they have gone on to continue to brutalize Black and brown bodies for decades, Newman said.

____

Slevin in Denver 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 undercovered issues.
Contributed Photo / Stamford Police Department

STAMFORD  A city man threatened to pull a knife on a variety store clerk and tried to rob the store after a dispute over the price of a cigar, police said.

Justice Hunter, 22, was arrested Tuesday on charges of third-degree robbery, second-degree forgery and interfering with an officer, police said.
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The chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu told the private Romania TV broadcaster Wednesday night that it is out of the question that the party he leads supports a minority PNL government, among the solutions he mentioned being a PSD minority government or early elections.

He also added that should the Save Romania Union (USR) would be ousted from government, that would not be the PSD's problem, but Mr. Iohannis's.

USR and PLUS (Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity) make up an alliance and is at rule alongside the National Liberal Party (PNL).

"It is out of the question for the Social Democratic Party to vote for a PNL minority government. There are solutions, there are minority governments, there can be PSD minority government, it can be a USR minority government, there can be early elections. We'll see then," Ciolacu added.

Asked if he would support a USR minority government, the PSD leader avoided to provide an answer, stating that "no political decision has been made" on the USR, but as far as the PNL is concerned, "a political decision has been made within the party."

Marcel Ciolacu said he would "definitely" support a PSD minority government, because the party has specialists.

He also said that "the current Parliament no longer reflects the reality and the options of the Romanians".

"I inform the President that six months after the elections forced by him and Mr Orban (PNL chairman, ed. n.), and with hidden dead that we are reporting even now, the current Parliament no longer reflects the reality and the options of the Romanians," the PSD leader claimed.
A number of 93,600 doses of Janssen vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company Johnson&Johnson will arrive, on Friday, at the National Institute for Medical-Military Development and Research "Cantacuzino," informs the National Coordinating Committee for Vaccination Activities against COVID-19 (CNCAV).

According to CNCAV, the transport is provided by the manufacturing company, and the vaccine doses will be brought to Bucharest by land.

The doses will be stored at the National Storage Centre, and in the following period they will be distributed in the existing regional centres at national level, Agerpres informs.

To date, 987,700 Janssen doses have been received and 431,018 have already been used to immunise the population.

In Romania, the allocation of vaccine doses is made according to the delivery schedule provided by the manufacturing company, meaning that, periodically, our country receives the vaccine tranches necessary to immunise the population.
The representatives of the Declic Community announced that they will file a complaint on Friday, to the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), against Prime Minister Florin Citu and the former state councilor Mioara Costin, Agerpres informs.

"The representatives of Declic, alongside attorneys, will submit, on Friday, July 30, at 11:30, a denouncement against the PM Florin Citu and the former state councilor Mioara Costin. The denouncement for abuse of office and instigating to abuse of office will be submitted at the registry of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Central Structure," the Declic press release reads.

Mioara Costin was released last week, on request, from the position of state councilor with the PM Chancellery.

Her leaving comes following the appearance in the media of a "document" with the Government's header, where the signature of Mioara Costin shows up, which would refer to the Prime Minister's campaign regarding the internal elections in the National Liberal Party (PNL).

When questioned about it, during a press conference, Prime Minister Florin Citu explained: "I, from the position of PM, can only comment on official documents. (...) Never has such a document been registered or presented to me, at any time".

"Regarding documents which surface in the media or papers, which I don't know if they are documents, drafts or editable documents which appear in the media, I cannot comment. I can only comment on official documents (...) Official documents, from my point of view, meaning documents which went through a certain procedure," Citu said.
The Headquarters of the Multinational Corps South East (HQ MNC-SE) of NATO will be fully operational starting 2024, being moved on July 1 from Bucharest to central Sibiu, announced, on Thursday, Minister of National Defence, Nicolae Ciuca, Agerpres informs.

"We plan in 2024 to declare full operational capacity, which means that in the next three years all the phases for reaching this objective will take place," said Nicolae Ciuca.

According to the minister, presently the NATO HQ in Sibiu is hosting Romanian servicemen mentored by foreign servicemen.

The NATO command in Sibiu is situated in two military units and currently infrastructure repair work is ongoing.

The Headquarters of the Multinational Corps South East (HQ MNC-SE) of NATO started, on July 1, its activity in the Sibiu Garrison, occasion on which the commander of this military capability, Lieutenant General Tomita Catalin Tomescu, announced that several hundred servicemen will be present there, and starting with 2022 servicemen from the Alliance structures will start arriving.

The Minister of National Defence, 4-star General (r) Nicolae Ciuca, participated on Thursday in the military ceremony to grant the first rank of office to the graduates of King Mihai I - 100 class of 2021 of the Nicolae Balcescu Land Forces Academy in Sibiu.
More than 60 delegates from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are currently participating in the Cross-Border Cultural Forum - development and financing opportunities organised in Iasi by the County Council.

The event was attended by the Secretary of State with the Department for Relation with the Republic of Moldova, Adrian Dupu, the Secretary of State with the Ministry of Culture, Liviu Bratescu, the Consul General of the Consulate of the Republic of Moldova in Iasi, Alexei Jurcan, the Consul General of the Consulate General of Romania in Chernivtsi, Irina-Loredana Stanculescu, sub-prefect Adina Girjan, the president of the County Council, Costel Alexe, and Deputy Mayor Daniel Juravle.

During the debates, they discussed opportunities and solutions of cross-border collaboration in the cultural field in the end signing a resolution in this respect, Agerpres informs.

"I am glad to be part of a government that has always paid special attention to the relation with the Republic of Moldova. The Department for the Relation with the Republic of Moldova was set up precisely to show that the citizens on the left bank of the Prut are a priority for the Romanian Government," said Adrian Dupu.

Costel Alexe mentioned that the purpose of the forum is to prepare a portfolio of cross-border cultural projects for the Joint Operational Programme Romania - Republic of Moldova 2021 - 2027.

The Consul General of the Consulate General of the Republic of Moldova in Chernivtsi underscored the importance of culture and that "it is important to overcome all the difficult historical moments between our countries."

"Culture must not have borders, it is important to overcome all the difficult historical moments between our countries, to see that Ukraine, Romania and the Republic of Moldova shake hands and carry forward our national values. the Chernivtsi region hosts the largest Romanian historical community that we represent. The Consulate General of Romania assures you of all the support for your cross-border projects," said Irina-Loredana Stanculescu.

The Consul General of the Consulate of the Republic of Moldova in Iasi supported the need to organise the Forum as "a good opportunity to strengthen cooperation in the cultural field between the territorial-administrative units of our countries."

"Cross-border and transnational cooperation programmes, funded with the generous support of the European Union, are concrete examples of the fact that borders are not just barriers, but can be an opportunity for development and successful cooperation. An example of this is the "Cross-border cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and Romania, which, thanks to funded projects, manages to create new opportunities for cooperation between countries and regions for the development of border areas and thus contributes to reducing regional disparities," said Alexei Turcan.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu welcomed on Thursday Palestinian Ambassador to Romania Fuad Kokaly, on a farewell visit, commending the latter's contribution to the development and deepening of bilateral relations, as well as professionalism throughout his tenure in Romania.

The head of Romanian diplomacy highlighted Romania's full openness for the development and diversification of cooperation with Palestine in sectoral areas of common interest, as well as Romania's commitment to continue the support offered in strengthening Palestinian institutions, including those agreed during visits to Ramallah, the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) says in a press release.

Minister Aurescu reiterated the importance of organising a new meeting of the bilateral intergovernmental committee. He also stressed the importance of cooperation in the field of education and science, with the Palestinian ambassador expressing "special" appreciation for the scholarships granted by Romania to Palestinian students. Ambassador Kokaly pointed out that the growing number of graduates in Romania is an additional valuable link between the two countries, Agerpres informs.

The head of Romanian diplomacy also referred to Romania's constant support for the development of EU-Palestine relations, including by concluding a proper association agreement.

Aurescu and Kokaly had an exchange of views on the Middle East Peace Process, in which context the head of Romanian diplomacy reiterated Romania's constant position in support of the two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, to coexist in peace and security, in accordance with international law. He stressed the need for confidence-building measures to facilitate the resumption of direct dialogue between the parties. Aurescu reiterated Romania's support for resuming this "absolutely necessary" dialogue, the MAE shows.
A working group set up at the level of the Ministry of Justice analyzes with priority the practice of courts and prosecutor's offices in cases of sexual offences with minor victims, one of the proposed solutions being the establishment of inquiry chambers for minors at each and every prosecutor's office.

According to a press release of the Justice Ministry, the working group focusing on victims of crimes started its activity in February on three main areas: sexual abuse of minors, domestic violence and human trafficking. The group brought to the same table, in regular meetings, the representatives of the Police, the prosecutor's offices, the Child Protection Directorates, the College of Psychologists and representatives of the university environment.

The Minister of Justice, Stelian Ion, asked the working group to analyze with celerity the Report of the Judicial Inspection on "the practice of courts and prosecutor's offices attached to them in investigating and resolving cases of sexual crimes with minor victims" and to propose measures to remedy the reported shortcomings, Agerpres informs.

One of the solutions supported by the Ministry of Justice is the establishment of juvenile inquiry chambers at the level of each prosecutor's office.

Another decision already adopted at the level of the working group is the update of GD 49/2011, which approves the framework methodology for the intervention in a multidisciplinary team in situations of violence against children and domestic violence.

Also, following the meetings at the Ministry of Justice, the working group identified solutions for the involvement of community assistants in the territory to collaborate with employees of the Child Protection Directorates, the involvement of academia in organizing training courses on the psychological component and solutions for a methodology, at INML (National Forensics Institute) level, regarding the collection of serological and DNA samples.

The working group will pay particular attention to the practice of courts in cases of sexual offences with minor victims and will propose legislative solutions to achieve a unified practice.
:14Liberal leader and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Ludovic Orban declared on Thursday that he does not agree with "any other government reshuffle", mentioning that no one disputes the Prime Minister's constitutional power to replace a member of the government, but that this requires a discussion and an objective assessment of the ministers' activity.

"I do not agree with any other reshuffle, I tell you from the beginning. As a matter of fact, we have amended, supplemented the coalition agreement, stating that there must be an objective, no one disputes the constitutional provisions and the constitutional powers of the Prime Minister. On the other hand, we are in a coalition and the ministers' activity must be discussed and assessed objectively," Orban said, as he attended the National Anthem Day ceremony in the Bucharest Tricolor Square.

With regard to the Finance portfolio, Orban said that he will initiate a dialogue with the Prime Minister for them to come to a solution that truly allows filling the Finance portfolio and "carrying out the government's public finance program."

"As I said before Minister Nazare's dismissal [as Finance Minister], if you look at the budget data you will see that there was absolutely no reason for him to be sacked. In fact, I cannot even understand why the Prime Minister says that he will keep office as interim FinMin for 45 days whilst the National Liberal Party has many valuable finance and budget experts who are capable to take over the portfolio. People like Bogdan Hutuca, Sebastian Burduja, Lucian Heius, we have an extremely strong public finance team and I don't understand why the Prime Minister should stay in office for 45 days. I will have a discussion with him to start the procedure for appointing a Finance Minister. I will be in dialogue with the Premier for us to find a solution to fill the Finance portfolio, to ensure the carrying out of the government's public finance program," Orban said, Agerpres informs.
The Romanian banks have given new loans to the population and companies worth 388 billion RON, during the period of 2016-2002, and over 80% of the loans were in RON, according to an analysis made within the #dreptullabanking campaign.

"The distribution on currencies shows an increased interest for new loans granted in the national currency, over 80% of loans during the period of 2016-2020 being given out in RON, while 17.1% were in Euro and 2.5% in USD. The population has accessed loans almost entirely in RON, 98% of the total being in the national currency, which led to the elimination of currency risk. The companies have taken out loans, 66.13% of the total have been in RON, the rest being loans in foreign currency," the quoted source specifies.

The new loans, given in Euro, were accessed mostly by companies (95.24%), while new loans in USD were taken almost exclusively by companies (98.7%).

During the period of 2016-2020, the Romanian banks have given out loans to the population and companies worth 388 billion RON, with 37.5% more than the non-government loan balance since the end of last year, which stood at 282 billion RON.

According to the quoted source, during the last 5 years, the loan requests from companies have boosted the crediting activity at the level of the Romanian banking system. The population accessed 44.45% of the total new loan volume in those 5 years, while companies have taken out loans worth 55.55%.

In Romania, the ratio between loans / deposits for the population and non-financial institutions is 66.38% in March 2021 (64.13% only for Romanian legal entities), while the EU average is of 111%, which shows a large potential which the Romanian banks have in increasing their crediting activity.

Through the #Dreptullabanking campaign, for the first time, the Romanian banks wish to send a message in unison: People need to exercise their right to banking starting with purchasing a home and the goods they need, to their role in the economic development, Agerpres informs.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) announced on Thursday that it will submit a contentious-administrative challenge to the Government Decision on the measures applicable starting August 1 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining that "disproportionate" restrictions are introduced for organising public meetings and rallies, respectively the participation of a maximum of 500 people.

"PSD will challenge in justice the Government Decision which introduces disproportionate restrictions on the organisation of rallies. (...) This restriction on the freedom of assembly, guaranteed by the Romanian Constitution, is disproportionate in relation to the pandemic risk, given that, in the same decision, for other similar events, a considerably larger number of participants is allowed, such as, for example, open-air concerts that can be attended by up to 75,000 people," a PSD press release, Agerpres informs
Capitalizing on Rosia Montana's cultural and natural heritage is key for a sustainable future of this exceptional cultural site, but also for the inhabitants of this place, the Royal House states, Agerpres informs.

"The Royal Family has supported Rosia Montana's case ever since 2009, backing in every possible way the safeguarding and flourishing of the Rosia Montana virtues and values. In 2011, Her Majesty Margareta awarded the High Patronage of the Royal House to the Rosia Montana Cultural Foundation. The Foundation set itself as a mission the promotion and conservation of the natural riches and values of this unique region of the Apuseni Mountains, as well as supporting the community here to assert itself and become visible nationally and in Europe," reads a post on The Royal Family of Romania Facebook page.

According to the cited source, Crown Custodian Margareta has always considered that Rosia Montana can be "an example of connection, harmony, prosperity, but also a model of European development".

"Finally, this UNESCO decision opens opportunities for new economic activities in the area, fund attracting, but also for the development of the local community. Capitalizing on Rosia Montana's cultural and natural heritage is key for a sustainable future of this exceptional cultural site, but also for the inhabitants of this place. The decision of our country to preserve this cultural and natural heritage can only be applauded by the international community," the Royal House emphasizes.

The Rosia Montana mining cultural landscape was inscribed on July 27 on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The National Heritage Institute welcomed the decision, stating that "the Rosia Montana mining cultural landscape today joins the family of values recognized as relevant to all humanity, values for which international solidarity can turn into cooperation and technical assistance for the purpose of conservation and restoration."
The newest customised wagon of the Tramclub Iasi Associaiton is called "Spain's tram" and will carry the people of Iasi on the municipality streets starting Saturday in an Iberian atmosphere.

The initiative belongs to the Spanish Embassy in Bucharest, which organises and supports the development of numerous cultural actions nationwide, to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Spain and Romania.

"The connection between the two countries dates back to the Middle Ages, with the recording of the visit of the Castilian ambassadors to the Court of Stephen the Great, the collaboration treaty between the Transylvanian voivode Iancu de Hunedoara with Alfonso IV of Aragon, and the cultural connections recorded in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries by chroniclers Grigore Ureche and Miron Costin, by high steward Constantin Cantacuzino and by scholar Dimitrie Cantemir. The beginning of the Spanish-Romanian diplomatic relations dates back to June 23, 1881, when the Legation of the Kingdom of Spain was founded in Bucharest, led by Juan Pedro de Aladro," a press release issued by the Embassy of Spain points out, Agerpres informs.

According to the quoted source, in Iasi, the historical capital of Romania, in institutional partnership with the Iasi City Hall and the Iasi Public Transport Company (CTP Iasi), two special cultural projects are carried out - the campaign to promote Spanish literature in Iasi trams - "Travel and... read!" and the graphic customisation of a wagon, called "Spain's tram," within the cultural project "Iasi - the city of painted trams."

"The concept of the graphic composition brings together cultural elements of Spanish and Romanian identity (personalities, architectural monuments, literature characters, inventions, symbols) associated with expressions and words, inscribed bilingually (Romanian / Spanish), used at the first contact with a new language and culture. The composition is treated in two colors, red - yellow, the colors of the Spanish flag, the latter becoming a support for the inscription of graphic elements," the release reads.
Honor their sacrifice. Educate their legacy. An encounter while returning home from a second tour of duty in Iraq led Maj. Dan Rooney, an F-16 pilot with the Oklahoma Air National Guard, 

Instead, he was sent as an MP to guard American soldiers imprisoned at a stockade in Pennsylvania. Once, when several servicemen escaped, he was told to find them and shoot them if necessary.

Rosenberg said he couldnt do it. He went to his commander and handed him back the rifle and the ammunition and said, There is no way Im going to shoot an American soldier after they had liberated me from the concentration camp.

Two weeks later he was made a company clerk, he said.

Later he was assigned overseas and volunteered to go to Europe but was instead stationed in Tokyo, where he needed a translator to help supervise Japanese mechanics working to repair the Armys halftracks and tanks and returning them to Korea.

After his two-year enlistment was up, Pfc. Rosenberg returned to Ohio, married and became a naturalized citizen. His employer transferred him to St. Louis, where he went on to build a successful window company, complete his high school diploma and raise a family.

For years, he never spoke of the horrors of his earlier life, though his children knew he suffered from nightmares. Then a friend asked him to speak to students of his religion class.
Directed by Tom McCarthy, Stillwater (a title that works on so many levels) moves slowly but stealthily. It edges toward one kind of film, then veers into another. It also serves as a gateway for Taken fans looking to expand their reach.

Using his Tommy Lee Jones voice, Damon does plenty with few words and even fewer gestures. He has a great relationship with Siauvaud and a budding one with Cottin that could have made this a relationship drama, not a rescue one. When he asks others to pray, his intention is heartfelt, not calculating. Hes a simple man caught up in a complex situation. When he hurts, it seems real.

In play with Breslin, hes the typical I dont know what Im supposed to do kind of dad. But he hides his awkwardness with a desire to do whatever she says.

McCarthy helps the audience feel his awkwardness just by letting conversations around him unfold in French. He catches on. But you can sense this is how it would be if you plucked someone from the Midwest and plopped him down in a foreign country.

Because the film has a mystery to solve, McCarthy puts opportunity in Bills path. Bill then has to make a decision and, frankly, live with it. Debate his actions all you will, but dont fault the motive.
Thats how quick this thing is spreading, again, Simmons said. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors  its not over with.

Dr. William Powderly, a professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and director of the schools Division of Infectious Diseases, said masks are needed in the St. Louis region because not enough people have been vaccinated and a lot of virus is circulating in the community.

The delta variant of the coronavirus, which accounts for most cases in the Midwest, is estimated to be about twice as contagious as the first variants that circulated in the U.S.

The fundamental answer to this, to get us out of this mess, is to get everybody vaccinated, Powderly said. But, he added, when you have that many people who are not being vaccinated and you have rampant spread of a virus ... what else can we do?

In St. Louis County, which has one of the higher vaccination rates in the state, 52% of the population has received at least one dose, according to state data. In the city of St. Louis, the first-dose rate is 42%  the same level as southwest Missouris Greene County, home to Springfield.
I called Mercy executives and got their side of the story. They believed that to protect the freedoms and safety of their other employees, and their patients, all employees who had regular contact with patients had to have a flu shot.

I never wrote the column. There was an undercurrent of anti-vaxxer philosophy that was finding new life in the age of Trump, and I didnt want to feed it, even unintentionally.

Three years later, my worst fears were on display this week at the St. Louis County Council meeting. Despite a new mask mandate having been issued in both the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County, an angry group of mostly maskless Trumpists crowded the council chambers Tuesday night and booed and chanted and carried on in protest of the mandate issued by County Executive Sam Page. The political spectacle was a clear sign: Our social contract is broken.

On the same day, several police officers who survived the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol testified in harrowing and emotional detail in front of a U.S. House committee about the politically fueled violence of that day.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry said she was concerned about statements by Haddix that could be interpreted as threats of violence and warned Haddix that she would be jailed if all the chimps were not present.

One chimp, 38-year-old Tonka, died last month, Haddix said, but PETA has questioned the lack of documentation of the death or the chimps purported cremation.

The chimps were removed in a large trailer just before 1 p.m. Deputies and marshals kept journalists and onlookers off the property, which is behind tall chain-link fences with privacy screens and no trespassing signs. Three people securing a gate and the privacy screen after the convoy of vehicles left declined to comment.

Haddix did not return a message Wednesday. Jared Goodman, a PETA lawyer, said in an email that, PETAs rescue team is focused on carrying out the federal court order to remove all chimpanzees from the Festus facility. Details will be available after the rescue is complete.

The chimps removal came a day after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused an emergency request to put it on hold. After the chimps already were gone, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh also denied a stay.
CHESTERFIELD  A robber who escaped a Chesterfield bank heist last week carrying cash in a Gucci bag left behind a fingerprint on a holdup note that helped police track him down, authorities said in court papers.

St. Louis County prosecutors on Wednesday charged Donnell Starks, 58, of Florissant, with first-degree robbery. Authorities said Starks robbed Midwest BankCentre at 500 Chesterfield Center Drive on July 21. His bail is set at $150,000 cash.

Starks was on parole for a street robbery in St. Louis from 1988  a crime for which he was sentenced to life in prison. His fingerprints on file in connection with that crime helped Chesterfield police tie him to the bank heist, authorities said.

A teller told investigators that the robber who came into the bank just after noon July 21 handed her a handwritten note that said, Put money in this bag.

The robber told her to hurry or he would shoot another teller, Chesterfield police Detective Clayton McGee said in court papers.

The robber put his hand on his waistband, indicating he had a gun, the teller told police. He wore dark sunglasses, a face mask and a ball cap. Graying hair was showing on the sides of the cap, police said.
KIRKWOOD  A former dentist from Kirkwood accused of threatening three St. Louis County judges involved in his divorce and custody battle was indicted this week on a federal gun charge.

The three judges and Jeffrey D. Reuters ex-wife all testified at a detention hearing Thursday that he could be dangerous if released from jail.

A criminal complaint against Reuter was filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Dec. 19, 2019, but was sealed until this week, when he was arrested on the charge of possession of a firearm by someone with an order of protection or restraining order. A federal grand injury indicted him on that charge Wednesday.

Reuter, 52, has been behind bars for more than 18 months but could soon get out of jail to await trial on felony charges of tampering with judicial officials. A ruling last week by Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer  reducing Reuters $5 million bail and approving his release with several conditions  now has officials on edge, according to court testimony this week.

Reuters trial on the state charges was postponed due to the pandemic but was slated to begin in June. It was delayed again when the Missouri Attorney Generals Office appealed a judges order tossing out some statements Reuter made to police.
But because players insert money with the hope of winning more, opponents say the machines are, in effect, gambling devices.

Even though the Highway Patrol has deemed such devices illegal, not all county prosecutors have pursued charges against video slot machine companies.

Legislators have attempted to remove any ambiguity from state law by clearly outlawing games that arent regulated by the state. But Torch, with a network of Capitol lobbyists, has worked against those attempts.

Torch and Warrenton Oil also continue to pump money into Missouri politics.

The two companies last month contributed more than $275,000 to political action committees associated with one of the companys lobbyists, former House Speaker Steve Tilley, according to Missouri Ethics Commission records.

The Missouri Gaming Association, which represents the states regulated casinos, said in a statement that it supported heightened efforts by the Highway Patrol to police the games.

Unlike casino games, unregulated gaming machines do not provide any money to public education and do not have to abide by rules to protect consumers from low payouts.

The Missouri Gaming Association supports the Missouri State Highway Patrols investigations and recent mass seizures of illegal slot machines at Missouri gas stations, truck stops and restaurants, the organization said. Because last sessions legislative efforts to address illegal slot machines in Missouri failed, the Missouri State Highway Patrol is now left to deal with the issue on their own.

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The consent judgement stated it was designed to enhance the publics confidence in the citys police department and require police to protect the constitutional rights of protesters engaging in peaceful expressive activity in the city.

As part of the settlement, the city would not admit to any fault or wrongdoing to the claims filed in the lawsuit.

Police would be required to send the consent judgement to all officers within 60 days. Officers also would have to be trained on the requirements within a specified time frame. Annual training also would be required, along with First Amendment instruction.

Other requirements of the consent judgment include: police issuing audible orders to disperse, providing sufficient warnings of the consequences of failing to disperse and if a chemical agent will be used, announcing the agent and ensuring a means of safe egress from the area.

Exceptions to the rules would include when police are defending themselves or others from imminent threat of violence.

The plaintiffs in the suit were Maleeha Ahmad, W. Patrick Mobley and Pamela Lewczuk.

A federal appeals court ruled in April that Perrys injunction would have to end unless a trial was held within six months.

In a previous memo, Perry had said that based on the evidence presented, the ACLU was likely to succeed in its underlying lawsuit over police practices. She faulted police use of mace against nonviolent protesters and those recording police activity, and she said police had improperly declared an unlawful assembly on some occasions and then gave protesters and others unreasonable and vague dispersal orders.

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Stop this virus in its tracks

In May, after vaccines became widely available, Missouris governor ordered state workers back to their offices after nearly a year of allowing some to work remotely.

But the states vaccination rate has lagged, and the spread of the delta variant has begun infecting workers. In the states largest office building in the capital city, there have been 10 new cases this week.

Chris Moreland, spokesman for Parsons Office of Administration, said there are 45 active COVID-19 cases in the Harry S Truman State Office Building near the Capitol.

On Wednesday, two office suites in the building were temporarily closed for cleaning after positive tests were reported.

Other state agencies have seen outbreaks. The Department of Corrections currently lists 52 employees who have tested positive.

In his letter, Knodell, who is also Parsons deputy chief of staff, said hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine have been safely administered, monitored and backed by high rates of effectiveness.
Led by South Carolinas Henry McMaster, a dozen Republican governors, including Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, are wading into a lawsuit over Mississippis new anti-abortion law, the outcome of which could have implications for similar measures across the country.

On Thursday, attorneys for McMaster submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Mississippi, which wants to enforce its abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

That states sole abortion clinic is challenging the measures legality. The nations high court will likely hear that case in the fall, with a decision probably in 2022.

Arguing the issue of abortion is best left to the states, rather than federal-level entities, the attorneys wrote that citizens have the ability to vote out state lawmakers with whom they disagree over abortion policies.
ST. LOUIS  City leaders on Wednesday continued to clash over how to spend the latest round of federal aid  and who should be in charge of it.

Aldermanic President Lewis Reed called on Mayor Tishaura O. Jones to rescind parts of a public health proclamation giving her health director power to spend without consulting the Board of Aldermen.

The proclamations provisions that go beyond the revival of the citys mask mandate amount to an illegal money grab, Reed said in a statement.

Mayoral spokesman Nick Dunne dismissed Reeds demand as silly.

Dunne said Reed has spent weeks refusing to make changes to the board bill that the administration thinks are necessary for it to meet federal spending guidelines, leaving relief for thousands of people in limbo.

When we continue to have these funds held up, we have to consider all of our options, Dunne said. We are in a public health emergency. Weve got an eviction moratorium that lifts in three days.
After being physically assaulted, called racist slurs and surrounded by an angry mob, I expressed my displeasure by using my middle finger toward an individual who had physically threatened me and called me racist slurs, Khan wrote.

He said he wished he had not reacted that way because it risked distracting people from the public health issue at hand.

I have to say, however, that when faced with the racist vitriol that Councilman Fitch has been privately and publicly stoking against me since my appointment, I cannot say I am sorry, he wrote.

Page, the county executive, backed Khan after the letters release.

These actions against Dr. Khan are troubling and under investigation, he said in a statement. The behavior he has detailed is shameful and cannot be tolerated.

Those criticized mostly brushed off the allegations.

Fitch said he had no idea what Khan meant in accusing him of stroking racist vitriol. And he said the so-called dog-whistle question was simply an attempt to familiarize the audience with Khans credentials and referred a reporter to a recording of the meeting.
There is some historical precedent for winning with less than 40% of primary voters, he said.

Tom Ridge won Pennsylvania's Republican primary for governor in 1994 with under 35% of the vote, while Dick Thornburgh won the Republican primary for governor in 1978 with under 33% of the vote.

"This is a very doable proposition and were going to do it," Snyder said.

The campaign is very simple, he said.

Snyder said he will ask every candidate in the primary to answer two questions: did Biden fairly win Pennsylvania's presidential election in 2020? And was the Jan. 6 event at the U.S. Capitol a violent attempt to block the peaceful transfer of power in the United States?

Theres only one acceptable answer to those questions, and that is yes and yes, without any equivocation," Snyder said.

Snyder predicted that he will be the only candidate who will answer both questions affirmatively.

He may be right.


WHAT DOES IT COST?

The cost to plug an orphaned well varies depending on its age, depth and location. In North Dakota, where some wells are drilled to depths of more than 20,000 feet, it can cost $150,000 to plug a single well and restore the land around it. In Pennsylvania, the state budgets about $33,000 to plug each well.

Many states require companies to post bonds to pay for well plugging. But the bond amount is generally far lower than the cost of plugging. On federal lands, the average amount the government held in bonds was just $2,122 per well in 2018, according to the Government Accountability Office. Some groups are pushing states to tighten rules on how long a well can remain idle or to raise the bond amounts required of operators.

An effort in 2005 to obtain funding from Congress for a federal well-plugging program failed to secure much money. Many states, including Texas, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and North Dakota, fund their plugging operations through fees or taxes paid by the oil and gas industry. But that money isn't enough to plug all the wells that need it. And state lawmakers often face pushback from groups that would rather have that money go to education or other community needs.
In case you need a quick art history lesson, Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who after his death, became one of the most famous artists in western art. He created some 2,100 artworks  860 oil paintings, many during the last two years of his life  landscapes, (Wheatfield with Crows still life, his sunflowers are among the most famous, portraits and self-portraits. The bold colors  reds and yellows and blues  and brushwork became one of the foundations of modern art. His paintings are now among the most expensive to have ever sold and his legacy is honored at museums around the world, including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which has the largest collection, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
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.
The U.S. Navy has come up with a novel idea for using offensive mobile naval mines and a robotic submarine to plant them. This approach could even operate as an offensive weapon against Chinese submarines seeking to block access to the South China Sea and Taiwan. China is considered the major submarine threat in the Pacific and the South China Sea is seen as a major future battleground.

Currently China has about 55 diesel-electric subs of recent design in service versus 42 operated by Japan and South Korea, each with 21. Malaysia and Indonesia each have two and Australia has six. The United States has about 30 nuclear attack subs in the Pacific. The anti-China coalition also has a large array of surface and aerial ASW (Anti-submarine warfare) forces.

To even the odds China has built a network of underwater sensors in the South China Sea that is complemented by ASW (anti-submarine warfare) aircraft and surface ships. South Korea and Japan have similar technology monitoring their coastal waters. The only nation capable of blocking Chinese subs from moving out of the South China Sea is the United States, which has underwater sensors and a large fleet of ASW aircraft. The problem is defeating the Chinese diesel-electric submarine force. China has been trying to build effective SSNs for decades and that is still a work-in-progress. Chinese non-nuclear subs are another matter and they have become world-class.

The U.S. Navy believes robotic subs carrying mobile mines would be an effective new ASW asset because the U.S. is already developing some of the new ASW technology needed for this. This includes UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vessels) and mobile mines. Over a decade ago the navy adopted civilian underwater UUVs used for monitoring the oceans and has been using them to do that as well as collect data useful for wartime submarine operations. With a growing number of civilian and military customers, American UUV developers and manufacturers have been coming up with new ocean research UUVs that also have military applications. The latest example of this is the new class of XLUUVs (extra large UUVs) with the ability to go deeper, carry a cargo bay for other research gear to be stored and deployed from, and operate autonomously for up to six months. The first of these XLUUVs is the Echo Voyager, which Boeing developed from a research project and had the first one ready for testing in 2016. The tests were successful and have involved more complex and completely autonomous operations. In 2019 the navy ordered four militarized Orca versions of the Echo Voyager for $11 million each. Both models are diesel-electric powered autonomous subs that are 16 meters (51 feet) long with a payload compartment 9.1 meters long and 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) in diameter and inside the pressure hull. Propulsion is by battery powered electric motors and diesel generators to recharge the batteries when on or near the surface. This XLUUV has no topside sail and can stay underwater for days at a time because there is no crew on board to sustain. While submerged these UUVs can move at 14 kilometers an hour and have sufficient generator fuel to travel 12,000 kilometers. The main difference between Echo Voyager and Orca is that Echo Voyager is built to dive to extreme (3,400 meters/11,000 feet) depths. Orca does without that but adds additional passive sensors and signal processing computers to detect other submarines or surface ships. There is also an underwater communications system for arming the dozen Hammerhead mobile mines Orca is designed to carry and place on the ocean floor in areas like the South China Sea. These Hammerhead bottom mines carry a Mk 54 lightweight torpedo, which is normally carried by ASW helicopters and aircraft. Mk 54 has a range of ten kilometers and a guidance system that is regularly updated. Hammerhead is being used in a similar fashion to a larger version of this used during the Cold War that deployed a larger Mk 48 torpedo. Hammerhead is an encapsulated system equipped with passive sensors to detect and identify submarines and surface ships and attack specific types of targets, like diesel-electric subs larger than Orca.

The first Orca will be delivered in 2022 and if the system works, a big if for the navy these days, the plan is to buy as many as 24 Orcas and use them for a variety of tasks while trying to avoid Chinese efforts to accidentally capture one.
Turkey is buying its way into Libya by offering lucrative, and often illegal, offers to the current GNA (UN backed Government of National Accord). Turkey has a lot of contacts in Libya because before the 2011 revolution Turkey was a major supporter of Libyan dictator Moamar Kaddafi, who was overthrown and killed during a 2011 revolution. At that time Turkish firms had over $20 billion worth of unfinished contracts, mainly in construction. There were more than 20,000 Turks in Libya before the 2011 revolution. Since then, nearly all of them have been evacuated for their safety because Turkey was regarded as an ally and strong backer of Kaddafi. The Turks were early backers of Kaddafi after he led a coup against the Libyan monarchy in the 1960s. Turkey was rewarded for this support with over $50 billion worth of government contracts since the 1970s, most of them for construction.

Most Libyans and Arabs fear the Turks are trying to rebuild the empire they lost because they were on the wrong side during World War I (2014-2018). The empire was not popular with most Turks, who were fed up with ruling the troublesome and often self-destructive Arabs. Recep Erdogan, the current (since 2003) Turkish leader leads an Islamic party that got elected on the promise to reduce corruption. It did that for a while before becoming quite corrupt itself. Now Erdogan is trying to regain his popularity by invading Syria to establish an area where he can move millions of unpopular (with most Turks) Syrian refugees. The EU states are threatening sanctions and other economic retaliation over what the Turks are doing in Syria. The UN is now having a more difficult time justifying the Turkish military presence in Libya. Arab hostility to the Turks helps the LNA (Libyan National Army) and hurts the GNA.

The Turks expected more of a welcome in Libya. They should have known better. The Turks first showed up there in the 1550s as the Ottoman Empire conquered the coastal towns and cities of what is now Libya. Eventually the Turks advanced inland but there was no real incentive to because south of the coast it was mainly desert and, before oil was discovered and developed in the 1960s, there was little of economic value down there. Empires have bills to pay and tend to keep their soldiers where the money is.

From the 1550s to 1910 Libya was technically a province of the Ottoman Empire but, was mainly run by local strongmen who were often Turks who had gone native. In 1911 Italy took advantage of the Turks weak control and invaded.

By 1912 Italy controlled what is now Libya. The Italians sent in colonists and brought the industrial revolution to Libya. Italian rule ended in 1943 when Italy, an ally of Germany during World War II (1939-45), surrendered to the allies. Occupied by allied troops, Libya was given independence in 1951 as a constitutional monarchy. The royal family was led by a prominent local religious leader who became king. Its parliament demonstrated the political divides between eastern and western coastal Libya and the less populous tribal interior. The discovery and development of oil fields down south in the 1960s brought unprecedented wealth and prosperity to Libya. It also brought a military takeover in 1969. This coup was led by Captain Kaddafi, an ambitious communications officer who organized other ambitious young officers into a movement that deposed the king and proceeded to misrule Libya until 2011 when he was overthrown and killed.

The Turks had good relations with the Libyan monarchy but initially less stable and cordial relations with Kaddafi. It took nearly a decade of effort for the Turks to gain the support of Kaddafi. The Turks were a member of NATO and many NATO nations lost billions of dollars in assets when Kaddafi seized foreign assets to support his revolutionary ideas, which included a merger with Egypt. Egyptian rejected that and throughout the 1970s sought an opportunity to invade and annex Libya. The Turks were useful in helping to convince the Egyptians to back off. Even more convincing was the Egyptian defeat in the 1973 war with Israel which eventually led to peace with Israel and military aid from the United States to guarantee that Libya would never be a threat.

Libyans took note of who supported the Kaddafi dictatorship and the Turks were on that list. In 2019 the Turks returned with the aid of the losing faction (the GNA) in the civil war that came after Kaddafi was overthrown. The GNA had the backing of Islamic militias, which were seen as a major reason for the internal chaos since 2011. Kaddafi had also favored Islamic radicals and gave sanctuary to some Islamic terrorist groups. Kaddafi was also friendly with the religious dictatorship that took over in Iran during the 1980s. In short, Kaddafi and the Turks represented a past that was not popular with most Libyans, who have learned to fear the chaotic and unpredictable militias and their foreign allies.

Libya remains a thinly populated and divided (by tribal and local loyalties) place. When the kingdom was established in 1951 the population was about a million. The 1960s oil wealth triggered a population explosion, including lots of imported workers, that reached six million when the 2011 revolution occurred. Despite many Libyans fleeing the country the population is still about six million and a third of that is found in and around Tripoli. Thats why the city is so important to the GNA and why the LNA went after Tripoli only after they had established themselves in the rest of Libya.

By 2019 GNA control was, and largely still is, limited to a portion of western Libya along the coast. This includes the cities of Tripoli, Misrata and (until 2020) Sirte. The other two are much smaller than Tripoli and defended by local militias rather than any elected government. The LNA and HoR (House of Representatives government in Tobruk) advocate elected governments while the GNA is less eager to discuss that lest it offend the many militias it depends on.

There are few things Libyans agree on and these include dislike of the Turks, Islamic terrorists, militias, especially Islamic ones, and foreign interference in general. For that reason UN peacemaking efforts are none too popular. Thats because the UN backed an unpopular and weak government in Tripoli, a city controlled largely by rival militias. The UN is seen as outsiders more interested in pursuing their own goals rather than what Libyans want; peace and some form of unity. The LNA and its leader Khalifa Haftar know that and made themselves useful by subduing the militias and Islamic terror groups in eastern Libya and slowly moving south and west to do the same throughout Libya. At that point a desperate GNA made an illegal deal with the Turks. This involved promises of billions in new business for Turkish firms and some instant cash that would be illegally transferred to Turkey. The Turks brought in over a thousand Turkish personnel and over 12,000 Syrian mercenaries. While better fighters than the Islamic militias occupying Tripoli and Misrata, the Syrians showed no enthusiasm for getting killed fighting the better trained and led LNA forces, at least not on a large scale. With help of Turkish air power and artillery, the mercs will still take part in small scale operations against the LNA and several of these have been successful. Despite that, since mid-2020 there has been a stalemate between Turk and LNA forces and ever since then efforts to get the Turks to leave have failed. The Turks believe they are invulnerable and Libyans note the similarity with the Ottoman attitudes.

The HoR government and most European nations agree that the treaties signed by the GNA and Greece are illegal and the Turks show some flexibility in negotiating, as long as any compromise leaves their economic interests in Libya intact. The Turks believe they can just stall efforts to oust them and eventually win.

An example of those stall tactics was seen after the June 30 deadline for the two rival factions to agree on how to run the national elections in December that will finally unite the country. The two factions are the UN created GNA (Government of National Accord) controlling the least territory and the HoR (House of Representatives) the last elected government that disagreed with the formation of the GNA.

In early 2021, after months of effort a stable ceasefire was worked out. This was part of a unification plan that was to make it possible for the two rival factions to work on a merger agreement. In February 2021 Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh was selected to head (as prime minister) the temporary GNU (Government of National Unity) while bringing together representatives of the two factions to work out details of the election process and a new constitution. Dbeibeh has been a successful businessman since the 1980s and, during the 2011 revolution favored the Moslem Brotherhood, but was perceived as doing so mainly to protect his family and business interests. He is known to have used corrupt behavior to keep his businesses going during the decade of fighting but is believed trustworthy enough to form the temporary government that has until December to organize elections. By mid-2021 Dbeibeh was facing accusations that he had sold out to the Turks. There were discussions with the UAE over possible investment opportunities, but no determination to cancel the deals the Turks already had.

By mutual agreement the GNU only lasts until the end of the year. If there is not an elected government by then, the civil war resumes. Currently the main obstacle is agreeing on whether the national leader will be an elected president or a prime minister chosen by parliament. It is understood that the legislative elections will create a legislature/parliament composed of many political factions with different ideas about how Libya should be governed. While a president does not have to worry about losing his majority in parliament and triggering new parliamentary elections, the parliamentary process makes it easier to avoid a resumption of the civil war by giving all factions a role in forming new governments led by a prime minister.

July 25, 2021: Leaks from within the Syrian mercenary force and from banking officials in Libya revealed that the GNA agreed to pay the salaries of the 13,000 Syrian mercenaries in Libya. These mercenaries have complained of pay cuts and delays in payment because the Turks are having economic problems at home. The GNA was told that if they wanted those mercenaries to remain in Libya they had to arrange for the Libyan Central Bank to get enough money into a Turkish bank to cover mercenary pay. That proved difficult, but not impossible because of recent banking reforms.

In early 2020 one of the HoR demands, that the UN backed, involved agreement on a long-sought list of anti-corruption measures. These meant reforms on how oil income was collected and spent. Before the late 2020 reforms went into force, the NOC (National Oil Corporation) was refusing to turn over any oil revenue to the Central Bank until the bank installed an accounting system that was transparent and clearly specified who gets the money and how the money is spent. There have been a growing number of complaints about corruption, like with the distribution of dollars obtained from oil sales by the Central Bank, often in cooperation with GNA officials. In 2019 the HoR government complained that the GNA had sought, with some success, to deprive the LNA of much oil income it was entitled to. This was taking place at the time when the LNA had upgraded oil facility security to the point where full production could be achieved. The GNA had never been able to achieve much security anywhere, except in Tripoli. Even with full and sustained oil production there were also continuing problems with corruption in how oil income was spent.

Most of those reforms have gone into effect, and cost many corrupt Libyan leaders and businessmen a lot of money, and there are still efforts to get around the reforms. The illegal presence of the Turks is one GNA corrupt action that defies solution and now the Turks have apparently cooperated in bank fraud.

July 24, 2021: An LNA delegation completed a five-day visit to Russia to discuss the future of Libya and the Russian role in that. No details of exactly what was covered during those five days but the LNA founder and commander Khalifa Haftar is now calling in all Libyans to participate in the December elections. The Russians also have economic deals in Libya that depend on who leads the unified government. Russia has been promised billions of dollars worth of oil research and development contracts. Even more than the Turks, the Russians need the money. Haftar has promised to resume his offensive against the GNA, despite the Turkish presence, if the December elections are not held and the results respected.

July 18, 2021: Turkey has quietly set up an air defense system around the munitions and weapons factory at Bani Walid, a town inland between the coastal cities of Tripoli and Misrata. The Turks fear that the LNA ground and/or air forces will attack the weapons complex as well as the nearby Bani Walid airport.

July 17, 2021: Russia and Turkey are supposed to have secretly agreed to withdraw their forces from Libya in return for some kind of mutual economic benefits. This is unlikely but rumors like this are believed by many factions in Libya and are a reason why the civil war has been going on for a decade. Meanwhile the GNU prime minister insists that the December 24 national elections will take place despite a growing list of obstacles.

July 3, 2021: Egypt officially opened a new naval base near the Libyan border. This opening was given a lot more publicity than earlier base openings because the Egyptians wanted to get the message. The Turks did notice the base opening and shrugged. Egypt is another former province of the Ottoman Empire. Egypt continues to help facilitate negotiations between opposing groups in Libya but that has not been much help since the Turks showed up.

July 1, 2021: The EU (European Union) is seeking member nations willing to contribute military observers to supervise and verify disarmament and departure of foreign troops from Libya. All but a few EU nations (except Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta, and Sweden) are also members of NATO and are the ones that contribute troops for missions like this as well as EU support of peacekeeping operations in Africa. The EU tried to keep these Libya plans quiet but it soon leaked to the media.
Highlights:

Sale of medical cannabis cultivated from Flowrs outdoor medical cannabis facility in Aljustrel, Portugal.

The sale represents significant revenue from a single transaction and supports future business model growing outdoors in Portugal.

The transaction represents the largest known medical cannabis bulk sale transaction in the E.U. to date.

TORONTO, July 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR; OTC: FLWPF) (Flowr or the Company) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, RPK Biopharma Unipessoal, Ltd., has entered into a medical cannabis supply agreement (the Supply Agreement) with Galaxiavertical - Unipessoal Lda. (the Galaxia). Pursuant to the terms of the Supply Agreement, Galaxia has agreed to purchase from RPK the high THC medical cannabis biomass at a price of approximately $750,000 (500,000).

This Supply Agreement is a major step forward in the development of the Companys European strategy. Last year, we were able to successfully grow medical cannabis outdoors over more than 30 acres. The results showed that the Aljustrel site is the ideal location to grow outdoor medical cannabis and with a cost structure that will make our product very competitive as an input for medical cannabis derivative products, such as tinctures, commented Darryl Brooker, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. We expect Galaxia to take receipt of the product by year-end and look forward to working with them in the future as they develop their extraction business in Portugal.

The European medical cannabis market has continued to grow as additional countries have updated their regulations to legalize the use of medical cannabis. Brightfield estimates the market will generate over U.S.$570 million in 2021 and reach over U.S.$3.11 billion by 2025.(1) In October 2020, Flowr completed the harvest of the largest known outdoor medical cannabis project in the European Union. Flowr grew more than 40,000 plants and was able to achieve high THC results from its Aljustrel site.

The Supply Agreement is subject to certain conditions precedent, including the requisite approvals from INFARMED, I.P. and receipt by Galaxia of a final certificate of analysis.

To view the highlights of the Aljustrel project, please visit: https://flowrcorp.com/operations/europe/default.aspx.

(1) Source: Brightfield Cannabis Group annual report 2020.

About Flowr

The Flowr Corporation is a Toronto-headquartered cannabis company with operations in Canada and Europe. Its Canadian operating campus, located in Kelowna, BC, includes a purpose-built, GMP-designed indoor cultivation facility; an outdoor and greenhouse cultivation site; and a state-of-the-art R&D facility. From this campus, Flowr produces recreational and medicinal products. Internationally, Flowr intends to service the global medical cannabis market through its subsidiary Holigen Holdings Limited, which has a license for cannabis cultivation in Portugal and operates a GMP licensed facility in Portugal. In 2020, Flowrs BC Pink Kush was recognized as the top indica strain in Canada by KIND magazine.

Flowr aims to support improving outcomes through responsible cannabis use and, as an established expert in cannabis cultivation, strives to be the brand of choice for consumers and patients seeking the highest-quality craftsmanship and product consistency across a portfolio of differentiated cannabis products.

For more information, please visit flowrcorp.com or follow Flowr on Twitter: @FlowrCanada and LinkedIn: The Flowr Corporation.

On behalf of The Flowr Corporation:

Darryl BrookerChief Executive Officer

CONTACT INFORMATION:

INVESTORS & MEDIA:John ChouChief Financial OfficerJohn.chou@flowr.ca

Forward-Looking Information:

Certain statements made in this press release may constitute forward-looking information, future oriented financial information or financial outlooks (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information may relate to anticipated events or results including, but not limited to: the satisfaction of all of the conditions under the Supply Agreement; the anticipated size of the European medical cannabis market; the Companys expectation that it will build on its achievements as it continues to invest in sales and marketing; Flowr servicing the global medical cannabis market and operating GMP facilities in Portugal; Flowrs business, production and products; Flowrs plans to provide premium quality cannabis to adult use recreational and medical markets; EU-GMP certification opening the medicinal cannabis opportunity for the Company in global markets; the Company being well positioned to distribute EU-GMP compliant product into underserviced markets; Flowrs ability to realize revenue from the Companys European operations within the anticipated timeframe or at all; Flowrs ability to establish further sales and distribution channels in Europe to deliver medicinal cannabis to underserviced markets; future legislative and regulatory developments in Canada, in Europe and elsewhere; the cannabis industry in Canada and Europe, generally; the ability of Flowr to implement its business strategies; and the ability of Flowr to produce or sell premium quality cannabis. Particularly, information regarding our expectations of future results, targets, performance achievements, prospects or opportunities is forward-looking information. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as may, will, expect, believe, estimate, plan, could, should, would, outlook, forecast, anticipate, foresee, continue or the negative of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Forward-looking information is current as of the date it is made and is based on reasonable estimates and assumptions made by us at the relevant time in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that we believe are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. To the extent any forward-looking information in this press release constitutes future oriented financial information or financial outlooks, within the meaning of applicable securities laws, the purpose of such information being provided is to demonstrate the potential of the Company and readers are cautioned that this information may not be appropriate for any other purpose. However, we do not undertake to update any such forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws in Canada. There can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Many factors could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements or future events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information as discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Companys 2020 Annual Information Form dated April 28, 2021 (the AIF). A copy of the AIF and the Companys other publicly filed documents can be accessed under the Companys profile on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com. The Company cautions that the list of risk factors and uncertainties described in the AIF is not exhaustive and other factors could also adversely affect its results. Readers are urged to consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions carefully in evaluating the forward-looking information and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Source: The Flowr Corporation
Soldiers with the Indiana National Guard provide security near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 21, 2021. The Senate on Thursday unanimously voted to pass a $2.1 billion funding measure that will reimburse the National Guard for costs incurred to support security in the nations capital in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. (Tamara Dabney/U.S. Air National Guard)

WASHINGTON  The Senate on Thursday unanimously voted to pass a $2.1 billion funding measure that will reimburse the National Guard for costs incurred to support security in the nation's capital in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

The spending bill would provide $521 million to reimburse the National Guard, as well as more than $70 million to support more U.S. Capitol Police officers, plus hazard pay, overtime and retention bonuses for the police. The bill also includes $1.1 billion in relief to Afghans who worked with the U.S. during nearly two decades of war in the country.

National Guard leaders have warned for months that without the additional funding, units across the United States will be forced to stop training next month. Top Guard officials said recently that units will have to ground aircraft, cancel long-planned summer training operations and weekend drills and the Guards 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade could miss a rotation to a major combat training center without the funding by Sunday.

National Guard all over the country will be forced to cancel needed training to carry on their mission at home and abroad I was speaking to members of the National Guard from most of our states who were here to help the security of the Capitol in January. So, if we did nothing, that'd be a sort of a security crisis entirely of our own making, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a speech on the Senate floor before the vote.

More than 25,000 troops deployed to the Capitol grounds between January and May after a mob of former President Donald Trump supporters broke into the Capitol building Jan. 6 to attempt to disrupt Congress from formally certifying President Joe Bidens election victory.

The measure would also give $300 million to bolster safeguards for the Capitol complex, including funds for window and doors of the Capitol and the installation of new security cameras.

The bill from Leahy and ranking committee Republican Richard Shelby of Alabama comes after months of stalled action on the issue. Lawmakers had been debating how much funding to provide.

The Senate bill passed Thursday is a separate measure from a $1.9 billion security spending bill that the House passed in May. The House bill does not include any funding to aid Afghans, and it also provides $200 million for the creation of a "quick reaction force that would support and augment the Capitol Police.

While Leahy and Shelbys legislation has received broad bipartisan support, it will have to be taken up by the House and passed before it can be signed into law. It is unclear whether the House will take up the measure before adjourning for summer recess at the end of the week.

The measure would provide $600 million for Afghan refugee assistance specifically, as well as 8,000 new visa slots for Afghans who worked with the U.S. government as translators and other jobs, as the security situation in Afghanistan rapidly deteriorates. It would also expand eligibility to apply for the visa program that has been mired in delays by changing the employment requirement from two years to one year.
President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June and said afterward that he is not going to walk away from the situations of the two wrongfully imprisoned Americans, referring to Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed. (Ej Hersom/Joint Hometown News Service )

WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service)  Members of Congress from Michigan and Texas renewed their calls Thursday for Russia to release prisoners Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, directing a bipartisan message to Vladimir Putin that the men are a priority and the U.S. wont give up its demands.

This is entirely unacceptable and will never stand in the United States of America, said U.S. Rep Haley Stevens, the Rochester Hills Democrat who represents Whelan in Congress. We believe and we continue to envision, and pray and push for their return home.

The lawmakers gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol as Whelan marked 944 days in detention and the families of both men have gone weeks without hearing from them. Its been nearly a month of silence in the case of Whelan, who has been in solitary confinement but whose exact whereabouts are unknown, his family said.

Our main concern right now, quite frankly, is the well-being of our brother, said Elizabeth Whelan, Pauls sister, who joined the eight House lawmakers at the Capitol.

Were assuming hes still at the prison IK-17. We actually dont know because he has been put in solitary for reasons we dont understand.

Whelan, 51, of Novi is expected to remain in solitary until early August, continuing four weeks of no contact with his family, according to his brother, David Whelan. Stevens said Paul had previously been forced to work six days a week at a prison garment factory, sustaining a repetitive use injury to his arm.

Reeds father said his family hasnt heard from him in two weeks, since his transfer presumably to a labor camp.

Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, charged with attacking police, adjusts his face mask while standing inside a defendants cage during his verdict hearing at Moscows Golovinsky district court on July 30, 2020. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP)

The U.S. Senate last week adopted by voice vote a resolution calling for Russia to provide credible evidence or to immediately release Whelan.

A companion resolution has been reintroduced in the U.S. House by Stevens and Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and is expected to be taken up by the chamber in September.

Walberg represents Whelans parents, Ed and Rosemary, in Manchester, Michigan, who are in their 80s and expect that its possible they will never see their son Paul again in their lifetimes.

I cant fathom it, Walberg said. We are not going to give up.

Elizabeth Whelan said her family appreciates the lawmakers support but the frustration is building that more has not been done.

Things are reaching a bit of a boiling point, and we want this addressed. We want these Americans to come home, she said.

President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June and said afterward that he is not going to walk away from the situations of the two wrongfully imprisoned Americans, referring to Whelan and Reed.

The families of the detained Americans I have hope for, Biden told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, after the summit. It came up, and we discussed it. Were going to follow through with that discussion. I am not going to walk away on that.

Lawmakers a week ago received a classified briefing about Whelans case. U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Thursday there have been some high-level meetings on the matter with Russian officials since the Biden-Putin summit, but he didnt elaborate.

I think there potentially could be some progress, McCaul said. And I think fundamentally thats because the family and bipartisan members of Congress raised it to a level where President Biden put it on the agenda. That was hugely important.

McCaul also noted the Biden administrations recent decision not to sanction Russias Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline in Europe and said he doesnt want to see any more concessions to Putin until we get these men home.

Massachusetts Rep. Bill Keating, who chairs the Foreign Affairs subcommittee with jurisdiction over Russia, said Putin should be on notice that the U.S. will use all our resources ... to make this message clear, including imposing sanctions and calling on U.S. corporations with investments in the Russian economy to act.

Asked what specific actions the U.S. government might take, Keating did not offer details.

We have a lot of leverage that could be used. We have a lot of options that can be used. But in the course of these kind of delicate negotiations, its really better to keep those private, but well use them when theyre necessary, Keating said.

Whelan has been in custody in Russia since his arrest at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and later conviction on espionage charges that hes vehemently denied. He is now serving a a 16-year sentence of hard labor.

He last spoke to his parents in Michigan by phone either July 2 or 3 and was then placed in solitary confinement for 15 days, his brother, David, said.

Apparently a guard found some food in a bag, which sounds like a pretext to me and he has been there ever since, David said Thursday.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has not been able to speak with Whelan but learned that he had been given a second 15 days, David said. If the solitary confinement is not extended, the family expects him to be out of it around the middle of next week.

It has been the longest stretch of time that Whelan has been isolated and unable to call his parents or have contact with any embassy staff since he arrived at the labor camp in Mordovia last fall, David said.

The family last month had released an audio message from Whelan recorded during a May 30 phone call with his parents. In it, Whelan had implored Biden to secure his release when he met with Putin to bring this appalling case of hostage diplomacy to an end.

I remain innocent. No crime of espionage occurred. The secret trial, without evidence, proves those facts. The abduction of an American tourist cannot stand. Congress, American citizens and supporters throughout the world echo my call for immediate, decisive action, Whelan said in the recording.

Please bring me home to my family, and my dog, Flora, where I belong. Thank you, Mr. President, for your commitment to returning me home and bringing this deplorable hostage situation to an expedient conclusion.

A former security executive, Whelan was convicted about a year ago after a secret trial. His family has said he was in Russia to attend a friends wedding.

The State Department has called Whelans closed trial a mockery of justice, noting Russian prosecutors produced no evidence, and Whelan was not able to produce witnesses in his defense.

Like Whelan, Reed is a former Marine who traveled to Russia as a tourist. Reed was arrested following an altercation with police in Moscow in 2019. U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan described Reeds trial as a theater of the absurd. He was sentenced to nine years in a prison camp.

A spokesman for the State Department, Ned Price, last week told reporters that he had no update to share with them.

Of course, we continue to be concerned over their plight, Price said. We will continue to speak out on behalf of their cases. We will continue to do all we can, both publicly and behind the scenes, to effect their safe return to their families in the United States. We do so and we will do that knowing that they have been deprived of their freedom for far too long.

Reeds father, Joey, said Thursday he believes the State Department is doing all it can for his son, but we wish theyd move faster.

The last time he spoke to Trevor he was in good spirits, in part because Biden and members of Congress had stated their belief in his innocence by way of a formal resolution, Joey said.

He has low hopes of being returned, he said. Of course, we have high hopes, especially because of the people with us here today.

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Sailors and firefighters combat a blaze aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego, July 12, 2020. (Christina Ross/U.S. Navy)

A crewmember of the Navys fire-decimated USS Bonhomme Richard has been charged with starting the blaze under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the service said Thursday.

The charges were brought forth against a Navy Sailor in response to evidence found during the criminal investigation into the fire that began July 12, 2020, while the amphibious assault ship was docked in San Diego, according to a statement by Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a spokesman for the Navys 3rd Fleet.

The statement did not identify the sailor, and Robertson did not respond to a emailed query by Stars and Stripes.

Evidence collected during the investigation is sufficient to direct a preliminary hearing in accordance with due process under the military justice system, Robertson said in the statement.

Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, the commander of 3rd Fleet, is considering court-martial charges, he said.

Koehler has ordered a preliminary hearing headed by an impartial hearing officer who will make determinations and recommendations, including whether or not there is probable cause to believe an offense has been committed, he said.

The Bonhomme Richard was undergoing maintenance at Naval Base San Diego when the blaze seared through 11 of the ships 14 decks, destroyed its forward mast and damaged the superstructure before being put out four days later.

Sailors and firefighters combat a blaze aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego, July 14, 2020. (Benjamin Kittleson/U.S. Navy)

More than 60 sailors and civilians were treated for minor injuries, such as smoke inhalation.

The Navy announced in December that the ship, only 22 years in service, would be scrapped because repair would be too expensive.

The Navy has not made public several investigations into the blaze.

A Navy spokesman told the San Diego Union-Tribune this month that a command investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire had been completed and is being reviewed by Navy leaders.

Justice
Petty Officer 3rd Class Brianna Vasquez-Ragan monitors surface contacts from the combat information center as the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold sails through the Taiwan Strait, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Deanna Gonzales/U.S. Navy)

Another U.S. Navy destroyer steamed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday amid increasing attention on the contentious waterway.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold passed through the strait in a routine transit that demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Navy said in a news release Wednesday.

The Benfold's passage marks the seventh Taiwan Strait transit this year by a Navy vessel, 7th Fleet spokesman Lt. Mark Langford told Stars and Stripes in an email Wednesday. The guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur made the Navys past two trips through the strait on June 22 and May 18.

The Navy routinely steams through the approximately 110-mile waterway that separates China and Taiwan. Its warships made 13 transits throughout 2020, Langford said.

The Chinese government routinely condemns as provocative the presence of Navy destroyers in the strait.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold passes through the Taiwan Strait, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Deanna Gonzales/U.S. Navy)

Wednesdays trip was the first through the strait by the Benfold since July 2018.

Its passage comes just after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Shermans visit to China this week. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian, during a press conference Monday, said Beijing had expressed strong dissatisfaction with the U.S. over issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Beijing considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has consistently maintained that the island should be reunited with the mainland, possibly by force.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Japan are monitoring Chinas stance on Taiwan. A Japanese Ministry of Defense report released July 13 said the country is focused on the island with a sense of crisis.

Stabilizing the Taiwan situation is important for Japans national security and stability of the international community, the report said.
A sailor aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto goes on liberty following the ship's return to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Aug. 9, 2020. (Colbey Livingston/U.S. Navy)

Sailors who missed vacation opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic may carry up to 120 days of unused leave for another three years, the Navy announced Wednesday.

The leave time  twice the carryover amount allowed in normal times  must have been accrued during the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, according to a Navy memo.

The pandemic has made it difficult for many sailors to take time off and necessitated the Special Leave Accrual policy, the service said.

Sailors are allowed to retain the special leave they have accrued during the current fiscal year until Sept. 30, 2024, the Navy said. Leave accrued after Sept. 30 is not protected by the policy.

The memo made no mention of leave policy for the Marine Corps.

Enlisted sailors who have more than 120 days of leave can sell back leave, the Navy said. This is limited to once in a career and counts towards the 60 day career limit.

Officers are not authorized to sell back leave.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense approved leave carry-over for all the services during the previous fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2020, due to the pandemic.

The Pentagon has left each service to set its own accrual carryover policy for the current fiscal year.

The Navys policy was approved by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

The Air Force last week announced a very similar leave accrual policy for the current fiscal year.
Cavalier Air Force Station, N.D., home of the 10th Space Warning Squadron, has led the way in the fields of missile warning and space surveillance with its powerful Perimeter Acquisition Radar Characterization System, or PARCS. (U.S. Air Force photo)

(Tribune News Service)  North Dakota has announced that Cavalier Air Force Station will officially become part of the U.S. Space Force effective July 30.

The site will be re-designated as the Cavalier Space Force Station and will continue to serve in the tracking of Earth-orbiting objects.

North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer said that the potential for North Dakota to contribute to bolstering America's dominance in space, and Cavalier becoming part of Space Force is the first of what the state hopes to be many steps in formalizing that relationship between the state and the newest branch of the U.S. military.

"Cavalier will now be able to use its capabilities to effectively monitor our adversaries' space activities and ensure we keep our country safe," Craemer said. "I look forward to working with (USSF Chief of Operations) Gen. (John) Raymond to ensure this transfer is successful and Cavalier maximizes its potential."

Senator John Hoeven said the station has been an important part of America's space operations, and that's why we made the case with military leadership for ensuring the station continues in this role as we stand up the Space Force, he said.

"This re-designation is part of our broader efforts to build a central role for North Dakota as we move into this new chapter in the race in space, building on the low-Earth orbit satellite mission and the UAS laser communications project that we've worked to bring to Grand Forks," Hoeven said.

The re-designation adds to the state's work in building its role in the United States space program including:

 Establishing a new space networking center in Grand Forks and linking it with unmanned aircraft operations in the Red River Valley, including the 319th RW in Grand Forks.

 Securing a $6 million award from the SDA to General Atomics to demonstrate satellite to MQ-9 Reaper laser communications. This grant includes utilizing high frequency lasers, rather than radio frequencies, which enables transmissions between satellites and unmanned aircraft to use less power and be more secure against detection and interference. These capabilities could be used to enhance the MQ-9 mission flown by the North Dakota Air National Guard's 119th Wing in Fargo.

Cavalier Air Force Station is a United States Space Force installation, where the 10th Space Warning Squadron, Space Delta 4, United States Space Force monitors and tracks potential missile launches against North America with the GE AN/FPQ-16 Enhanced Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS). The PARCS also monitors and tracks over half of all earth-orbiting objects to enable space situation awareness and space control. In addition to contractors, NORAD has U.S. and Canadian military members assigned to the facility. The facility was built as one site of the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex for the Safeguard Program's anti-ballistic missile defense, with the PAR providing detection data for computing preliminary trajectories to be provided to the Missile Site Radar. The USAF acquired the site and expanded it into the Concrete Missile Early Warning System (CMEWS) named for the nearby Concrete ND community, in 1977.

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European hotels are restaurants who rely on seasonal workers are struggling to find enough staff to fill open positions just as the busy August tourism season gets underway. (iStock)

The Hotel Martinez is famous for a strict access policy to protect its famous guests.

People hoping to catch a glimpse of celebrities attending the film festival here this month had to wait outside, sitting on their suitcases, in the sweltering sun. Only those with reservations or on a list are allowed inside the art deco entrance.

Or those who might be able to prepare Mediterranean bluefin tuna.

"Cooks or room maids are not easy to find these days," said Yann Gillet, the hotel's manager, as he took a short break between welcoming stars during the festival. "It was a bit of a challenge."

Whereas the Martinez has often been inundated with applications in the past, it now faces a post-pandemic staff shortage that has hit the entire industry and could threaten the speed of the continent's economic recovery.

As Europeans embark on their annual summer vacations, they are finding that some restaurants and hotels are still shuttered or operating at reduced hours, with many citing staff shortages, a lack of customers in some regions, and uncertainty over pandemic restrictions.

Starting in August, anyone who wants to eat at a restaurant in France is expected to need a vaccination certificate, proof of immunity or a negative coronavirus test, which could keep more customers away. But in many of the restaurants that have reopened in domestic tourism destinations, overworked staffers are struggling to keep up with orders.

American hospitality businesses report similar problems, which put pressure on employers to raise wages and offer better benefits. Europe, though, wasn't expecting this. Expansive wage subsidy and furlough programs were supposed to help workers get through the pandemic and ensure they would still be in place when businesses were able to reopen.

Those programs appear to have worked for the people they covered. A study in the International Journal of Hospitality Management found businesses that put employees on paid furlough instead of laying them off were more likely to retain them beyond lockdowns.

But seasonal workers, of the sort that staff resort hotels, had to apply for normal unemployment benefits instead. And, after 16 months of on-and-off lockdowns, it is increasingly clear that many of them sought out new, and, in some cases, more stable jobs in the retail industry and other sectors. Many may not return to hotel reception desks and restaurant kitchens anytime soon, if ever.

France's hospitality sector estimates that 150,000 workers have left the industry. In Germany, union experts estimate that every sixth worker - almost 300,000 people - left the sector last year. There are about 200,000 vacancies in the sector in Britain, where the effects of the pandemic have been compounded by Brexit.

As in the United States, labor unions in Europe are seizing the moment to demand better pay and benefits.

In France, unemployment agencies are setting up "speed meeting" programs to allow desperate employers to introduce themselves to potential workers. A number of companies have begun to offer recommend-a-friend bonuses for waiters and other positions.

But some experts say the crisis could prompt a deeper shift in how businesses and governments approach staffing in the hospitality industry.

"I don't think that the salary is the main issue," said Andreas Kallmuenzer, a professor at France's Excelia Business School.

The European industry's biggest challenges are rooted in the nature of work, Kallmuenzer said: long hours that make it hard for employees to juggle family and job responsibilities, seasonal work that forces staffers to relocate, and limited opportunities for long-term careers.

A crucial lesson from the pandemic, he said, should be that hospitality businesses need to provide employees with options that advance their careers and "allow them to plan their lives."

At the Martinez in Cannes and its parent company Hyatt, executives said the pandemic has intensified efforts to experiment with recruitment and retention.

Hospitality businesses need to be able to provide a "dynamic career and experiences," said Michel Morauw, who is in charge of Hyatt's operations in France.

During the Cannes Film Festival, the Martinez's staffing levels were bolstered by 18 workers from other Hyatt hotels, including three participants from programs for high school dropouts, disadvantaged youths and refugees, launched before the pandemic.

While the primary aim of the program for disadvantaged youths has been to find new ways of recruitment, Morauw said it may also help with the retention of older employees who come from similar backgrounds.

The program's message to them, said Morauw, is: "We value them for who they are."

Similar approaches of moving staffers to high-demand sites or expanding the pool of potential workers through dedicated training programs may be more difficult to implement in smaller hospitality businesses, however.

In Austria, where more than two-thirds of hotels are small businesses that are often family-run, industry representatives say the pandemic exodus of workers has been unprecedented in magnitude and impact.

Stefan Koeb, the manager of several hospitality businesses in the mountainous Vorarlberg region of Austria, said the sector was used to an annual staff fluctuation of about 15 to 20 percent. But during the pandemic, about 30 percent left the sector in Austria, he said.

Whereas departures were most pronounced among lower-level workers in the past, "this time, we've lost a lot of senior staff, too," he said, adding that their absence risked leaving serious gaps.

Researcher Kallmuenzer said he hoped the pandemic would prompt Europe's family-run hospitality businesses to provide employees with "a regular career that assures them that they can live a regular family life."

Before becoming a researcher, Kallmuenzer worked as a ski instructor in Austria, where he met other young employees who enjoyed working in the region's hospitality industry - but only "as long as they were single."

"As soon as family comes in, as soon as future planning comes in, you're like: OK, is that something that I want to do forever?" he recalled.

One solution, he said, is for family businesses to treat employees as part of their extended family and to "integrate outsiders to become key players."

At the Martinez in Cannes, where good workers have become as sought-after as the guests who tend to pay at least $1,000 a night to stay here in summer, staffers are often referred to as part of an extended "family," too.

One of the first graduates of Hyatt's training program for disadvantaged youths in France, 20-year-old Garaba Traore, said his path from leaving school in a Parisian suburb without a diploma to helping out with housekeeping at a luxury hotel on the Cote d'Azur has puzzled some of his friends and family members.

"Everyone is proud of me," he said, before pausing for a moment as director Spike Lee passed the table. "Frankly, this is an opportunity not everyone gets."
A painting of Mt. Fuji at the Daini Kotobuki-yu sento in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo. (The Yomiuri Shimbun/The Japan News-Yomiuri)

From the stately changing room of a nearly 60-year-old sento public bath in a residential area of Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, you can enjoy a majestic view of Mt. Fuji. But only through a painting. With white clouds floating in a blue sky, the mural connects the mens and womens baths at the Daini Kotobuki-yu sento.

It was created by 38-year-old artist Mizuki Tanaka, said to be one of only three artists who paint public bathhouses in Japan. Tanaka paints 20 to 30 public bathhouses a year, on walls that are usually 10 meters wide.

I start in the morning and paint all day when the bathhouse is closed, she said.

Tanaka painted the mural at Daini Kotobuki-yu in November. She usually consults with the client before deciding what to paint, but Daini Kotobuki-yu let her have free rein over the design.

For the first time in a while, I decided on a standard public bath painting, she said. As soon as you walk in, you see Mt. Fuji against a clear blue sky, even when its dark outside. I hope the painting will brighten someones day or help them relax.

She also included an amabie, a yokai supernatural being that protects against diseases.

Amabie, a yokai supernatural being that protects against diseases, is included in the mural at the Daini Kotobuki-yu sento. (The Yomiuri Shimbun/The Japan News-Yomiuri)

Owner Kazuyuki Shigihara, 64, started his career as a boiler stoker at a public bath run by his wifes parents after quitting his job. Shigihara asked Tanaka to paint the mural nearly 10 years ago to breathe new life into his sento.

However, fewer people use public bathhouses these days. Shigihara has been employing various methods to attract new customers, including creating Oyu no Fuji, a mascot for the local branch of the public bath association.

Regular visitors to the sento include people who live alone and working couples. Even though they have a bath at home, they tend to find it easier to come to the public facility.

The number of families who came to the sento fell sharply during the pandemic. But to Shigiharas surprise, young customers increased, possibly because they needed a change of scenery after working from home all day.

Shigihara repeatedly sanitizes the sento and has put a sign in the changing rooms that reads mokuyoku, meaning bathe in silence.

Having murals in public baths is said to have originated in the early Taisho era (1912-1926). They are called background paintings, and are mainly found in public baths in Tokyo. In rural areas, the walls of bathhouses are either left blank or have tile art.

Tanaka majored in art history at Meiji Gakuin University. For her thesis, she studied how Mt. Fuji was depicted in modern times through art at public baths.

She was apprenticed to the painter Morio Nakajima, who was designated as a contemporary master craftsman, after watching him paint a mural at a public bath. Now an independent artist, she works with exhibitions and collaborates with companies at advertising events.

More and more public bathhouses are closing because the owners are getting older and there are fewer customers. There are also concerns about the future of sento paintings, but Tanaka uses her art history background to think of ways to keep the art form alive. One method she devised is to form a group of artists and work together to create a mural.

If a lot of people work together on a single piece, they can stably continue the work and also pass on the techniques, she said.

This method was also used by Rembrandt and the Kano School, among others.

Osamu Dazai made fun of scenery including Mt. Fuji in his novel Fugaku Hyakkei (One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji), saying it was like a painting in a bathhouse, Tanaka said. Sento art may not be considered high-end, but what fascinates me is that bathhouses in a small corner of the city have been painted this way for a long time.

Sento murals also raise the question, what is art?

The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei, Tokyo, has been holding the special exhibition The Sento: The history and the culture of the bathhouses in Tokyo since last year. Some of the pieces have been changed to introduce the culture of public baths to domestic residents as well as to foreigners visiting the country.

The exhibition traces the history of public bathhouses in Tokyo from the Edo period (1603-1867). The descriptions of the bathhouses architecture are particularly thorough and describe Tokyo-style Sento, which feature large roofs and coffered ceilings similar to shrines and temples.

Curator Manae Kobayashi said that particular style was popular when public baths were being rebuilt after the Great Kanto Earthquake.

The impressive buildings were a sign of the times, when public bathhouses were thriving as reconstruction took place nationwide. When building the Kodakara-yu sento in Tokyo in 1929, the owner is said to have brought in carpenters from his hometown in Ishikawa Prefecture and paid more than double the average rate.

The sento was built in the Irimoya-zukuri architectural style, which has karahafu gables. The carvings on the underside of the roof, such as gegyo and unokedoshi decorative wooden boards, were made by skilled craftsmen. Kodakara-yu was later rebuilt at the museum to preserve the historical building.

Outside of Tokyo, sento designs were deeply influenced by local culture. In Kyoto, Western-style architecture was required for sento to differentiate them from the traditional machiya-style buildings. Unlike Tokyo, the interiors were decorated using tile art as opposed to paintings.

Kyotos public baths have a unique culture of decorating their sento with tiles, Kobayashi said.

Reverse glass paintings of the couples Oishi Kuranosuke and Okaru, and Yamauchi Kazutoyo and his wife, used to adorn the walls of sento Ine-yu, located near Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto, but can now be seen at the exhibition. The pieces are said to have been made by a movie billboard painter around the beginning of the Showa period (1926-1989). This shows the vitality of the time, when film studios were being built one after another.

The fourth part of the museums sento exhibition will run through Sept. 12. Online reservations are required.
Buy Photo Construction work for a runway into Oura Bay is pictured at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Jan. 19, 2019. (Stars and Stripes)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  The prefectural government on Okinawa has given reluctant approval to the Japanese government to relocate 40,000 colonies of endangered coral from a U.S. military construction site.

Forced by a decision by Japans Supreme Court, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki announced the prefectures acquiescence to a plan to move the colonies from Oura Bay, just offshore of the Marine Corps Camp Schwab. The Marines are building a runway into the rural bay to relocate its airfield from crowded Ginowan city.

"Since the final decision of the judiciary, it is necessary for the prefecture to approve it," Tamaki said at a news conference Wednesday evening. There is no need to hurry, he implied.

Turning his comments to the Okinawa Defense Bureau, which represents Japan's Ministry of Defense and will oversee the project, Tamaki said: "I want you to respond to the dialogue with the prefecture instead of transplanting the coral quickly."

Moving the coral should not occur during typhoon or breeding seasons, he said, nor during a period of high sea temperatures, to give the coral the best chance at survival.

Okinawa prefecture opposed transplanting the endangered coral species, Porites okinawensis Veron and others, and filed a suit to block the project, which the high court dismissed July 6.

An attempt at relocation in July and August 2018 ended with five of nine colonies dying, a prefectural spokesman from the Henoko Base Construction Countermeasures Division told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday.

The prefecture refused to sign off on another attempt by the government the following year.

The survival rate of transplanted coral is low, the prefectural spokesman said. Transplantation needs to be done very carefully.

The defense bureau will be required to follow guidelines set by experts and carefully monitor the coral, he said.

Government officials in Japan customarily speak to the media on condition of anonymity.

Relocating the coral is tied to the Marines airfield project which Tamaki has long opposed. Without a permit from the prefecture for changes to the site plan, all work at the site will be shut down, he said Wednesday.

"In the case that we do not approve the changes he said, it is meaningless to proceed with the transplantation."

The fight over relocating coral is the latest in the decades-long saga regarding the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from a densely packed urban area in the central part of the island to its northern coast at Schwab.

Work finally began on the runway in April 2017. But cost overruns and delays have pushed the completion date past 2014 to 2030 and the cost from $2.2 billion to at least $8.7 billion.

The Japanese government supports the plan, but Tamaki is a staunch opponent of the Marines relocation within the prefecture.
A Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey, assigned to the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepares to take off from the amphibious assault ship USS America during the Talisman Sabre exercise in Australia, July 19, 2021. (John Tetrault/U.S. Marine Corps)

The coronavirus pandemic has proved little hindrance to Talisman Sabre, the biennial military exercise in Australia involving the United States and its allies, one U.S. admiral said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

Rear Adm. Chris Engdahl, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7, said certain components of Talisman Sabre, which began in late June and runs through mid-August, have been adjusted in light of COVID-19, but the pandemic also provided unplanned training opportunities.

U.S. forces have maintained the commitment and the capability to operate through the COVID-19 environment for a long time now, he said. Theres a very large land component in Australia, which is part of this exercise  as well as a large maritime component  so the government of Australia and the Australia Defense Force ensured that vaccines and all the precautions necessary [were taken.]

Several person-to-person events and planning sessions among U.S. and allied military commanders were reconfigured to prevent spreading the coronavirus respiratory disease.

The fantastic thing is the flexibility of both of these militaries and our partners that we can move to virtual environment and connect in that fashion, Engdahl said. Based on what were doing here, [there has been] almost minimal impact to the value of the binational and bilateral engagement between the U.S. and Australia.

Engdahl also called attention to two Chinese spy ships loitering in the region, which he also said had very little effect on this exercise.

U.S. Army paratroopers jump onto a drop zone during the Talisman Sabre exercise in Queensland, Australia, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Alyssa Chuluda/U.S. Marine Corps)

Dealing with the coronavirus and Chinese surveillance werent the only novel experiences at this years Talisman Sabre. The U.S. Army also fired a live Patriot missile for the first time on Australian soil on July 16.

Every Talisman Sabre since 2005 has had an experimentation, Engdahl said. This Talisman Sabre was no different in terms of experimentation and high-end warfare opportunities to explore different things.

The exercise involves a combined task force of 17,000 U.S., Australian, New Zealand, Japanese, South Korean and British troops. Engdahls command, which includes the amphibious assault ship USS America, homeported at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, and 70 fixed-wing aircraft and 50 helicopters, are taking part in the drills.

Highlights from this years Talisman Sabre include a task force of Marine Corps gunners practicing expeditionary base operations, amphibious landing operations, night infiltration exercises and a variety of other scenarios.
The Coast Guard fast-attack cutters Myrtle Hazard, Oliver Henry and Frederick Hatch are commissioned together during a ceremony on Guam, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Travis Magee/U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Coast Guard renamed its Guam outpost the Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam during a rare, triple commissioning of fast-response cutters there Thursday.

The services commandant, Adm. Karl Schultz, announced the rebranding of Sector Guam during the commissioning of the cutters Frederick Hatch, Myrtle Hazard and Oliver Henry.

This change signifies a different operational construct than how weve operated beforehand. Today, these [cutters] are so capable that we bring expeditionary capability to the region that we havent had before, he said during the livestreamed event.

Schultz in October 2019 said that placing the three cutters in Guam is a response to coercive and antagonistic behavior from China.

Coast Guard commandant Adm. Karl Schultz presides over the rare commissioning of three fast-attack cutters during a ceremony on Guam, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Travis Magee/U.S. Navy)

During the ceremony, the admiral echoed former national security adviser Robert OBrien, who said in October that the Guam-based cutters are expected to help police Chinas illegal fishing in the region through fisheries patrols, enhanced surveillance and enforcement efforts with U.S. partners in the Western Pacific whose own capacities are limited.

Coastal nations worldwide seek to strengthen their coastal forces and to whom do they look? They look to our Coast Guard as a key strategic partner, Schultz said during Thursdays ceremony. Many small nations lack the capacity to protect their vast waters, to protect and thwart those threats from sea and to protect their rich maritime and natural resources.

Rear Adm. Matthew Sibley, commander of Coast Guard District 14, explained the roles the cutters are expected to fill.

Coast Guard Sector Guam has already started routinely deploying these fast-response cutters over 1,400 nautical miles from Guam to counter foreign intelligence collection, combat illegal unregulated and unreported fishing, execute search-and-rescue cases and deliver vital support to remote island nations, he said during the ceremony.

Sibley said the cutters homeport, Guam, is more than a strategically important island for the U.S. It also presents a unique area of operations for the Coast Guard to conduct exercises and utilize new assets.

The fast-response cutters are designed for missions beyond the traditional search-and-rescue work for which the Coast Guard is best known. Armed with four, .50-caliber machine guns and a remote-controlled, 25-mm cannon, the $65 million vessels may also be used for drug interdiction, defense operations, maritime law enforcement and environmental protection.

They can reach speeds up to 28 knots and remain at sea for five days, giving them a range of more than 2,500 nautical miles, according to the Coast Guard.

In December, the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard issued Advantage at Sea, a tri-service naval strategy responding to Chinas revisionist approach that aims at the heart of the United States maritime power.

Beijings strategy hinges on the use of a multipronged deployment of ships from its navy, coast guard and maritime militia to subvert other nations sovereignty and enforce unlawful claims, the report said.

The report suggested that a more robust Coast Guard presence in the Western Pacific could provide joint force commanders greater flexibility in responding to Chinas gray zone confrontations that remain below the threshold of armed conflict.
Over 80% of U.S. Forces Korea troops and civilian employees have been vaccinated for the coronavirus, and less than 1% of its active-duty service members have tested positive for COVID-19. (Ashley McLaughlin/U.S. Marine Corps)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 1,674 new COVID-19 patients on Thursday, hundreds less than the pandemic-record 1,896 cases announced the previous day.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, had five people test positive for the coronavirus respiratory disease after arriving on the peninsula between July 20 and Sunday, U.S. Forces Korea announced Thursday.

One of the new patients is a service member who landed at Osan Air Base aboard the Patriot Express military charter flight from the United States on July 20, a news release said. The others  three service members and a family member of a USFK contractor  arrived at Incheon International Airport on July 21, 22 and Sunday.

Four of those individuals tested positive before entering quarantine, while the other infection was discovered during in isolation, USFK said.

Meanwhile, South Koreas Ministry of National Defense has tightened its social distancing measures, which have been particularly restrictive when compared to regulations governing the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the country.

According to the defense ministrys regulations, only 10% of troops from a military unit will be allowed to take leave, and only within the country. An additional 5% of troops may also be allowed to take leave at the commanders discretion.

All private gatherings have been suspended or canceled for two weeks, and service members are banned from attending in-person religious gatherings outside of their military base.

Troops stationed in a South Korean base are also prohibited from meeting outside visitors and having overnight stays outside the bases gates. A defense ministry official told Stars and Stripes on Thursday that there may be some exceptions, such as attending a funeral.

South Korean service members stationed in metropolitan areas are also restricted from leaving the barracks-area with a few exceptions, while those in less-populated regions where there have been no infections for the past seven days may leave with a commanders approval.

Nearly 1,500 of South Koreas 550,000 active-duty troops have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the defense ministry.

USFK similarly extended its own enhanced COVID-19 mitigation measures until Aug. 27. Unit-level commanders are generally able to implement their own rules in addition to USFK policies, and all service members are instructed to follow local guidelines.

U.S. troops are allowed to leave their bases, but regardless of their vaccination status are banned from visiting bars and clubs and are prohibited from visiting the greater Seoul-area except for mission-essential duties.

Seoul continues to report a higher number of infections than any other area in the country. The capital city recorded 515 new cases Thursday, down from its record high of 638 daily cases earlier this month.

Over 80% of USFK troops and civilian employees have been inoculated and less than 1% of its active-duty service members tested positive for COVID-19. The command has maintained that it remains at a high level of readiness, despite the recent surge of infections in the surrounding communities.
Buy Photo Another 3,865 people tested positive for the coronavirus in Tokyo on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

TOKYO  The coronavirus wave in Japans capital city broke its one-day record for new infections again Thursday, one week into the citys pandemic-delayed Olympic Games.

Another 3,865 people tested positive in Tokyo, the most ever on one day, and a day after reaching the previous peak of 3,177, according to public broadcaster NHK and metro government data. Three people died of COVID-19 in the city, NHK reported.

The fifth wave of the coronavirus in the city has set a caseload record three days in a row.

The Tokyo Olympics on Thursday reported 24 new COVID-19 patients, including three foreign athletes, the highest daily total since the organizing committee started keeping track July 1, according to The Mainchi newspaper. That brought the total Olympic cases to 193.

The surge is also growing in the citys three neighboring prefectures, where new infections also broke pandemic records Wednesday, NHK reported Thursday. The national government may declare an emergency in those prefectures as soon as Friday.

Kanagawa prefecture, home to the headquarters for the U.S. Army and Navy in Japan and homeport of the 7th Fleet, reported 1,051 new COVID-19 patients Wednesday. North of Tokyo, Saitama prefecture announced 1,870, and Chiba, to the east, reported 577.

The U.S. military in Japan on Thursday and late Wednesday announced 11 new COVID-19 patients, including four on Okinawa and seven in Kanagawa.

Naval Air Facility Atsugi, 26 miles south of Tokyo, had six people test positive: four after close contact with other individuals and two after falling ill with COVID-19 symptoms, according to a base news release. The base has nine people under medical supervision.

On Wednesday evening, Yokosuka Naval Base, 38 miles south of Tokyo, reported that an unvaccinated child care provider at the Duncan Street Child Development Center had tested positive earlier in the day. An infant room at the center was closed Thursday, according to a Facebook post by the base.

On Okinawa, the Marine Corps had four people test positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, according to a Facebook post by Marine Corps Installations Pacific.

Okinawa prefecture on Thursday also reported its highest one-day caseload, thus far, 392 newly infected people, surpassing 347 new cases Wednesday and the previous peak, 354 cases Tuesday, according to NHK and prefectural Gov. Denny Tamaki. A total of 23,940 people on Okinawa have been infected since March 2020 and 235 have died, including two Thursday, according to NHK and prefectural data online.

It is not an exaggeration to say that we are experiencing the worst situation, Tamaki said at a news conference Wednesday.

The coronavirus surge on Okinawa, home to the largest concentration of U.S. troops in Japan, is particularly strong among teens, Tamaki said. In central Okinawa, employees of bars and restaurants are most affected, followed by construction workers.

Tamaki, who received the first shot of the two-shot Moderna vaccine Tuesday, urged his constituency to get vaccinated. Vaccines are in short supply on the island, and Tamaki said he has asked Tokyo for enough to inoculate the islands population.

Stars and Stripes reporter Mari Higa contributed to this report.
Students at overseas Department of Defense Education Activity schools, like these in Netzaberg, Germany, in 2016, will be eligible for free lunches through June 2022, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service announced. (Julie Mitchell/AAFES)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany  Defense Department schools overseas will continue to offer free meals to students through June 2022, school officials said Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture granted the extension, said Stephen Smith, a spokesman for Department of Defense Education ActivityEurope.

Officials with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which provides meals at 76 school cafeterias throughout Europe and the Pacific, said breakfast and lunch will be free at the DODEA schools. The meals are also available to students learning virtually, said Chris Ward, an AAFES spokesman.

DODEA schools overseas first offered free meals in November after gaining USDA approval to participate in the program, which was started to provide relief to families during the coronavirus pandemic. USDA subsidizes the meals for all children, regardless of household income.

This is a tremendous benefit to military families," Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Osby, the Exchange's senior enlistment advisor, said in a statement.

AAFES served an average of 17,700 meals per day during the 2020-2021 school year, including grab and go meals for students in remote classes.

To participate, students must have a DODEA student ID number and meal account through AAFES, the Navy Exchange or Marine Corps Community Services. No action is required to receive free school meals for students who already have an account, AAFES said.

Parents may set up accounts at their local military exchange customer service area.
Buy Photo Zalmay Khalilzad, American special envoy for Afghan reconciliation, signs a peace deal with the Taliban, along with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the militant groups top political leader, in Doha, Qatar, Feb. 29, 2020. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)

KABUL, Afghanistan  Afghanistan faces an existential crisis after a continuing rise in Taliban attacks that began well ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, a government watchdog agency said Thursday.

Each quarter since the U.S. and Taliban signed a peace deal in February 2020 has shown a marked increase in enemy attacks compared to the same periods in previous years, a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said. NATO data on the increases had been kept from the public since December 2019, the report said.

Between March and May, enemy forces conducted nearly 10,400 attacks, over 1,000 more than were recorded during that time last year, and 3,000 more than the same time in 2019, the report said.

Each of the last four quarters saw more than 10,000 enemy attacks, according to the data, which NATO said was based on reporting by Afghan forces and could be higher.

Last year, the U.S. said the Taliban verbally agreed to curb violence, and warned the insurgents would face consequences if they didnt. But the relentless attacks did nothing to stop the drawdown of international forces, which is nearly complete.

On Sunday, U.S. Central Command leader Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters in Kabul that the military had stepped up airstrikes against the Taliban and could continue doing so, at least until the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan ends Aug. 31. The announcement came just days before chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, said the Taliban had taken control of about half of Afghanistans roughly 400 districts.

The overall trend is clearly unfavorable to the Afghan government, which could face an existential crisis if it isnt addressed and reversed, SIGAR inspector general John Sopko said in a letter accompanying Thursdays report.

Since the Taliban launched its most recent offensive in May, the Afghan army has appeared surprised and unready, and is now on its back foot, Sopko said.

The report pointed to several problems plaguing Afghan security forces as they fight the Taliban.

Most Afghan army units refuse to conduct missions without support from Afghan special operations forces, SIGAR said. When special operations forces do arrive, theyre often misused to perform tasks intended for conventional forces, like route clearance and checkpoint security, the report said.

All Afghan aircraft have also become strained since the departure of most international troops because of increased requests for close air support, intelligence, reconnaissance missions and aerial resupply, SIGAR said. The aircraft are flying at least 25% over their recommended maintenance intervals, which could have dire consequences, the report added.

The report came after the United Nations said earlier this week that May and June saw the highest number of civilian war deaths and injuries in Afghanistan for those two months since systematic documentation began in 2009.

Phillip Walter Wellman
Buy Photo Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko testifies before the oversight and investigations subcommittee of the House Committee on Armed Services on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, July 25, 2017. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  An independent watchdog appointed by Congress warned Thursday that the United States could become embroiled in another complex conflict like Afghanistan, just weeks before American forces are expected to complete their withdrawal from the country after nearly 20 years of war there.

Don't believe what you're told by the generals, or the ambassadors, or people in the administration saying we're never going to do this again. That's exactly what we said after Vietnam. We're never going to do this again. And lo and behold we did Iraq. And we did Afghanistan. We will do it again, John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said at a Defense Writers Group discussion with reporters.

Sopko made the comments as the SIGAR office released its latest quarterly report, which provided a grim outlook on the state of Afghanistan as the U.S. military ends its involvement in the war by Aug. 31. Since Congress created SIGAR in the fiscal 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, the inspector general has detailed years of waste, corruption and fraud.

Afghanistan remains poor, aid-dependent, and conflict-affected, with any potential economic growth in the short term further limited by the lingering effects of the [coronavirus] pandemic, according to the report.

Despite the United States funneling more than $837 billion into the country for reconstruction efforts, the report also said Afghanistan could face an existential crisis after a steady uptick in Taliban attacks that began last year.

Each quarter since the U.S. and the Taliban signed a peace deal in February 2020 has shown a marked increase in enemy attacks compared to the same periods in previous years, the report concluded. Between March and May, enemy forces conducted nearly 10,400 attacks  1,000 more than were recorded during that time the previous year and 3,000 more than the same time in 2019, the report said.

Since the Taliban launched its most recent offensive in May, the Afghan army has appeared surprised and unready, and is now on its back foot, Sopko told reporters.

He said the United States must learn from the nearly two decades of war in the country.

Afghanistan was the largest redevelopment program ever in the history of the United States. Bigger than rebuilding Europe with the Marshall Plan after World War II.  What we have identified in Afghanistan is relevant in other places of the world, Sopko said Thursday.

The inspector general also insisted his offices work will continue without boots on the ground in Afghanistan, though it could be limited. With a reduced U.S. military force in Afghanistan since 2014, he said satellite data and other technology, as well as communication with civil society organizations, has been key to his work.

Sopko said his preference was to be present in the country to rely on their offices extensive informant network, but we still can do the work outside of Afghanistan, because a lot of our work is paper. And particularly, we follow the money from the contracting here to where it goes.

SIGAR will continue to be able to access the Afghan governments computer systems and paperwork for now, he said.

We've had access in the past. And as far as I know, we still have that access. It's kind of clunky now, because we had access through other agencies to these records. Having direct access would be very, very useful for us, Sopko said.

Sarah Cammarata
First lady Jill Biden speaks after touring a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at a high school in Waipahu, Hawaii, Sunday, July 25, 2021. (Caleb Jones/AP)

WASHINGTON  First lady Jill Biden is undergoing a medical procedure on Thursday to remove an object that became lodged in her foot while walking on a Hawaiian beach, her spokesperson said.

President Joe Biden is joining her at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for the removal.

The incident occurred last weekend before her two official events in Hawaii, where she went after attending the start of the Olympics in Tokyo, spokesperson Michael LaRosa said.

During her time in Hawaii, she visited a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Waipahu on Sunday and later joined military families for a barbecue at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

The president was asked by a reporter Thursday how his wife's foot was feeling.

"We're going to find out in a minute," he said.

previous coverage Jill Biden calls on unvaccinated in Hawaii to get shots
Oregon National Guard soldiers and airmen trained in June for the 2021 wildfire season. Troops are now deployed in the state, which is one of about 14 dealing with fires throughout the West. (John Hughel/Oregon National Guard)

More than 370 National Guard troops from seven states are fighting wildfires in the western portion of the United States as multiple large-scale blazes have destroyed homes and forced thousands of residents to evacuate.

More than a dozen states are now battling wildfires, which ignited earlier this month as the region faces a historic drought and record high temperatures. More than 36,500 fires have burned a total of 2.8 million acres, roughly the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined, according to the National Guard Bureau, the Washington headquarters that is monitoring Guard support.

"We are continually evaluating and evolving our readiness," said Brig. Gen. Nick Ducich, vice director of operations for the National Guard Bureau. Understanding the weather trends affecting wildfires, we've been preparing since March.

Oregon, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California and Wyoming have contributed soldiers and airmen to help combat fires across the West. The latter three states have contributed a total of four C-130 transport planes outfitted with firefighting equipment.

As of Wednesday, the crews had made 253 drops and flown 264 missions, the Guard said. Additional troops and aircraft are on standby as officials expect military support to peak in mid-August.

Ducich said they remain in close coordination with state and federal agencies to keep up with the need to scale troop and equipment levels up or down as needed. More than 2,100 hand crews from nine states are also available to construct fire lines on the ground, the Guard said.

Two of the largest fires burning now are in California and Oregon. The Bootleg Fire encompasses more than 413,000 acres in southern Oregon and is about 53% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The Dixie Fire in Plumas County, Calif., has grown to more than 221,500 acres and is about 23% contained.

Rose Thayer

previous coverage Montana National Guard mobilized to support firefighting
Three new plaques in Lafayette Square note the contributions of enslaved people to the building of the White House, the location of the park as a protest zone and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy's role in preserving the park and creating the White House Historical Association. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON  The unveiling ceremony on the north side of Lafayette Square on Wednesday wasnt large and it didnt last long, but history was made. Or rather, history was recognized. Finally.

Fifty or so people gathered in the late-morning swelter to watch as Stewart D. McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association (WHHA), and John Stanwich, the National Park Services liaison to the White House, removed black cloth draping three historic markers on the north side of the square.

Each marker told a different story about the park, but it was the first marker, the one that acknowledged the role slavery played in building the nearby White House, that felt monumental. To date there had been no other formal recognition, not a plaque or a memorial, noting that hundreds of enslaved people helped build and later maintain and staff the White House.

This new marker tells some of that story, noting that beginning in 1792, enslaved African Americans were hired out by their owners to work alongside English, Scottish and Irish wage laborers and craftsmen. During the eight-year project, hundreds of free and enslaved African Americans contributed to every aspect of the construction.

It concludes: The use of enslaved labor to build the home of the President of the United States  often seen as a symbol of democracy  illuminates our countrys conflicted relationship with the institution of slavery and the ideals of freedom and equality promised in Americas founding documents.

For Brandon A. Robinson, a Black attorney from North Carolina and a member of the WHHA who came to Washington for the unveiling, the message is an essential one.

It represents, he said, a microcosm of a larger conversation that America is trying to have about telling all stories as opposed to having just one story. And that narrative is important not just for sentimental reasons, but because its the more correct way to tell the story.

The impetus for the marker and a greater focus on the history of slavery at the White House came from a comment made by former first lady Michelle Obama at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, according to McLaurin.

She said, I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, McLaurin recalled in an interview Tuesday. And the next day we were inundated online with questions from people wanting information on the backstory of what she said and people who wanted to learn more.

McLaurin,who is White, helped launch a research effort to find out as much as possible about the role slavery played in the White House. Early last year, the WHHA launched Slavery in the Presidents Neighborhood, an online exhibit that examines and traces the lives of enslaved people at Americas most famous address.

John Stanwich of the National Park Service talks about the three new plaques unveiled Wednesday in Lafayette Square. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

To date it has chronicled information about more than 300 enslaved men, women and children who can be linked to the building and staffing at the White House beginning in 1792 and lasting through the first half of the 19th century. They served in the presidential households of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor.

McLaurin said the WHHA is continuing its research and hopes to be able to locate descendants of individuals who had been enslaved at the White House, though that can be difficult because in many cases only the first names are known. He also said he wants there to be some acknowledgment or marker inside the White House, too. In a normal year, before the coronavirus, 500,000 to 600,000 visitors tour the White House. Learning more about its complete history would benefit everyone, he said.

Dedrick Makle and his son Joseph stopped to read the marker soon after it was unveiled. Makle, 39, a D.C. native who moved to California a decade ago, said he was glad to see the role of slavery acknowledged.

Everyone knows the stories of the presidents who lived here, but no one knows how it was built, said Makle, who is Black. The comments about how slaves were pivotal and how much of a part they played in this presidential space is great to see after so many years.

Eula Adams, a retired executive who is on the national council of the WHHA and lives in Denver, said it was important to stress that the history is nonpartisan.

This is history for all Americans, said Adams, who is Black. So many of my friends and colleagues dont really know this part of the story, and its important that we all know it.

The two other markers unveiled Wednesday address the importance of Lafayette Square itself in the nations history and how that came to be.

One points to the significant role that former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy played in preserving the square and preventing the destruction of some of the historic buildings that surround it. Kennedy also helped found the White House Historical Association as a private organization that partnered with the Park Service to finance restoration and improvements to the White House and acquire art and furniture for its stately rooms.

Shes 31 years old when her husband becomes president of the United States. Due to tragic circumstances, she is first lady for less than three years, but what she accomplished in that short period of time is still in process and procedure, McLaurin said. The foundation that she built has grown and is still what supports and enables presidents and first ladies today to maintain that museum standard of the White House.

The final marker explains how the park has been the locus of protests over the past century, beginning with protests by female suffragists in 1917, after which a number of the participants were fined or arrested, and continuing to the present.

Protests are a regular feature in the square, from smaller daily demonstrations to much larger gatherings favoring or opposing presidents or their policies.

McLaurin describes it as Americas public square. Its a place where you can express your First Amendment views and you are literally within earshot of the president of the United States, he said. And thats pretty remarkable.
Dr. Robert Lee Swaim left this earth on Sunday, August 1, 2021, and will be greatly missed. He was born in Rensselaer, Indiana on August 7, 1935 to Maurice Lee Swaim and Viola Nina (Houston) Swaim. Bob passed away peacefully in Oklahoma City surrounded by family. Cremation will follow. "Bob"
Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view.
UPDATE 9.41AM: The Commerce Commission's draft report into competition in the retail grocery sector has found that it is not working well for consumers.

Its chairperson Anna Rawlings says if competition was more effective, retailers would face stronger pressures to deliver the right prices, quality and range to satisfy a diverse range of consumer preferences.

The government asked the commission to look at whether competition in the $22 billion a year grocery industry was working well and, if not, what could be done to improve it.

"Our preliminary view is that the core problem is the structure of the market," Rawlings says.

"In competitive terms, the major retailers, Woolworths NZ and Foodstuffs, are a duopoly, and while there is an increasingly diverse fringe of other grocery retailers, they have a limited impact on competition.

"This is because they are unable to compete with the major grocery retailers on price and product range in order to satisfy the widespread consumer demand for a main shop at a single store," Rawlings says.

Woolworths owns the Countdown chain and and Foodstuffs has has the Pak'nSave, New World and Four Square brands.

The major retailers were earning "persistently high profits" and New Zealand had high grocery prices compared to other countries, the commission's draft report found.

"The major retailers appear to avoid competing strongly with each other, particularly on price," Rawlings says.

"Competitors wanting to enter the market or expand face significant challenges, including a lack of competitively priced wholesale supply and a lack of suitable sites for large scale stores."

The commission found the major retailers' complicated pricing strategies, promotions and loyalty programmes could confuse customers and make it informed buying decisions difficult.

Many suppliers had few alternatives but to supply the major retailers, which allowed the retailers to use buyer power to push risks costs back on to suppliers, it found.

"Without intervention, we currently see little prospect of a new or expanding rival being able to constrain the major retailers effectively, and improve competition in the sector," Rawlings says.

"We consider the best options for improving competition are those that enable an increase in the number of retailers directly competing against Foodstuffs and Woolworths NZ for a consumer's main shop."

The commission recommends making it easier for new competitors to enter the market, or existing independent retailers to expand, by increasing wholesale access to a wide range of groceries at competitive prices.

It suggested making land more available through changes to planning laws and restrictions on the use of covenants.

If this did not work, another potential option is to directly stimulate retail competition by creating a further major grocery retailer.

Options to strengthen suppliers' bargaining power with retailers included introducing a mandatory industry Code of Conduct and allowing suppliers to bargain collectively.

Introducing mandatory unit pricing, and asking the major retailers to simplify pricing and promotions and make loyalty programme terms clear, could help consumers, the commission said.

The commission's draft findings are preliminary and subject to consultation before its final report is published late November.

In a statement this morning, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark welcomed the findings, saying consumers deserved to know if they were getting a fair deal at the checkout.

"And the draft findings indicate they may not," the statement says.

"I encourage everyone to read the draft and make a submission as this will help the Commission form the final report. I look forward to a public discussion of the issues in the draft report and seeing the Commission's final recommendations."

EARLIER:

The country's main supermarket chains could be in for a shake up this morning - and shoppers in for cheaper food - when the Commerce Commission releases its draft investigation into the groceries industry.

Sector experts say it could recommend forcing supermarkets to let in more competition, or call for the government to intervene to cut the cost of essential items.

Food prices rose 2.8 per cent in the year ended June, the highest annual rate in six months, while fruit and vegetable prices gained close to 10 per cent on a year ago.

Supermarket shoppers told RNZ they are concerned about how much they are paying for pantry staples.

"I think they've gone up quite sharply," says Warwick Seymour, in Christchurch.

"It's taking a big chunk of our salaries just to put a proper meal on the table," Nelson resident Ali Kahawaji says.

Consumer NZ says six out of 10 New Zealanders name food and groceries as the everyday expense they are most worried about.

Shoppers told RNZ there is a clear reason - Foodstuffs and Countdown control over 90 per cent of the country's grocery market.

"There's a duopoly happening and that basically means there's no competition for prices," Aaron Hemi, from Ratana, says.

Jon Duffy says the government may consider legislating control prices. Photo: Jon Duffy.

For a year the main supermarket chains have been under the scrutiny of the Commerce Commission, which has been looking into the price, quality and range available to customers, whether the major retailers have too much bargaining power, and if they co-ordinate with one another to profit more.

Consumer NZ's chief executive Jon Duffy says the commission will make recommendations to the government in its report this morning.

That could include "pedestrian" or "nuclear" recommendations, he says.

"The government could sweep in here and say 'this is an essential industry, food prices are too high and the supermarkets margins are contributing and we want to legislate to control prices',"

The commission could also suggest a mandatory code of conduct for supermarkets, to ensure they do not use their dominant market position to abuse suppliers.

"We think that's a no brainer," he says.

The government may also consider forcing Foodstuffs and Countdown to give up some of their stores or warehouses, to make way for a new nationwide supermarket chain, he says.

Auckland University senior marketing lecturer Dr Bodo Lang says when the German-owned supermarket chain Aldi entered the Australian market, prices went down.

"That's a pretty clear indication of a market that's similar to ours in a similar geographic position, culturally similar, that competition works for grocery retailing prices."

Lang says a less "heavy handed" approach could be to change the law to make it easier for an online grocery retailer like Amazon to join the market, at least in large centres.

"That's one of those trends that's been picking up anyway since Covid. We've all become a little bit more used to online grocery shopping, and many people don't enjoy grocery shopping particularly," he says.

-RNZ/Katie Todd.
Yes, we have to spend money to prepare for our future

No, council needs to upgrade these services without expecting ratepayers to fork out for it
The first day of the Covid-19 vaccination national booking system being live to the public was a resounding success, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says.

Around 165,000 people aged 60-64 were sent invitations yesterday by letter, email or text message asking them to reserve their two appointments online at Book My Vaccine  www.bookmyvaccine.nz  or by calling the Covid Vaccination Healthline.

There were 105,811 new bookings made yesterday, bringing the total number of future bookings in the system to nearly 950,000.

More than 70 per cent of people aged 65 and over  a large proportion of group three  have either been vaccinated or are booked in.

Yesterday was also another record day for the vaccination programme, with 41,305 doses administered, says Ashley.

This really demonstrates that our teams throughout the country are working to our plan as they ramp up the delivery of vaccines to New Zealanders.

Over the past week, our vaccinators have administered 212,527 doses, setting a new seven-day benchmark.

But this isnt just about the health system  its New Zealanders responding together. Its really heartening to see that everyone is playing their part to protect themselves, their whanau and the whole country.

Ashley says anyone who is eligible who hasnt booked a vaccination appointment should do so as soon as they can, either online or by calling the vaccination call centre at 0800 28 29 26.

That includes people in groups two and three  once youre eligible to book, theres no cut-off, and you can book your appointment at any time.

The call centre did a great job yesterday, taking more than 21,000 calls. But theyre ready and waiting to take more.

The Covid Vaccination Healthline is available from 8am-8pm seven days a week.

Fewer bookings are made on weekends so Saturdays and Sundays are good times to call, although the average call wait times yesterday was only four minutes.

Ashley says anyone in the wider population can also visit Book My Vaccine and register their details.

Once bookings are open for your age group you will be sent an email or text letting you know its time to reserve your spot.

Vaccination statistics at a glance (as at 11.59pm 28 July):

Total doses administered: 1,800,777

First dose administered: 1,089,156

Second dose administered: 711,621

Future bookings in system: 943,187




Health Minister Andrew Little says the Governments National Bowel Screening Programme is saving lives.

More than 1000 New Zealanders have had bowel cancer  New Zealands second-most-common cause of death from cancer - detected under the Screening Programme.

The screening programme aims to save lives by catching it early, giving patients a greater chance of survival. More than 1200 New Zealanders died from bowel cancer in 2017.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the developed world and thats why we need this programme, says Little.

This country records 100 deaths a month from bowel cancer. The programme is starting to reduce that toll. Thirty-nine per cent of the cancers found have been in the early stages, where there is a 95 per cent chance of patients living at least another five years.

On top of that, the programme has led to hundreds of people having pre-cancerous polyps removed, saving more lives.

The National Bowel Screening Programme started in 2017 and is the first cancer-screening programme offered to both men and women.

It targets people aged 60 to 74, the age group most at risk from bowel cancer, and is now offered by 17 of the 20 district health boards and is set to go live in the Bay of Plenty next month.

Weve already spent $197 million on the programme, and Budget 2021 allocated $50.6 million over four years to bring in the remaining three districts, says Little.

Once it is fully rolled out, the programme will screen about 700,000 people every two years.

Everyone who gets a bowel-cancer test kit in the mail should use it. The test is easy to do and takes just a few minutes. It could save your life.
Flood flows on the Buller River this month were the largest of any river in New Zealand in almost 100 years, NIWA measurements show.

NIWA hydrodynamics scientist Richard Measures says records show even larger flooding of the Buller River in 1926.

"Its not the largest river in New Zealand but it does experience the biggest flood flows, says Richard.

The flood levels through the Buller gorge are incredible.

NIWA environmental monitoring technician Mike ODriscoll used a radar gun from the Westport and Orowaiti bridges to measure the speed of the Buller River at its surface on July 17.

These measurements, coupled with surveys of the riverbed level carried out from a jetboat after the flood, provided the data for flood flow calculations at the bridges. As the bridges were being closed, the measurements showed a flow of 7640 cubic metres per second - the largest direct measurement of river flow ever completed in New Zealand.

The previous record was a flow measurement of 5870 cubic metres per second taken in the Grey River in 1988. As a comparison the mean flow of the Buller River is 454 cubic metres per second.

Meanwhile, a NIWA monitoring station on the Buller River at Te Kuha, about 10km upstream, was continuously recording water levels throughout the flood. The monitoring station is part of NIWAs national network of benchmark hydrometric monitoring stations as well as being a key flood forecasting site for the West Coast Regional Council.

Because of its importance the site has three independent monitoring systems in place - one sensor system to provide rapid updates during floods, plus primary and back-up sensors to record data for future analysis.

However, the magnitude of the flood meant debris knocked two sensors out of action leaving only the back-up providing real time information to inform emergency management decisions.

The water level at Te Kuha peaked at 12.8 metres at 1.35pm on Saturday, July 17, several hours ahead of the peak flooding in Westport. In the 1970 flood the flood peak was 11.9 metres. This was the biggest flood recorded since the Te Kuha monitoring site was established in 1963.

"We can confidently say that the recent flood flows in the Buller River are the highest of any river in New Zealand since 1926, when historic records and photographs of flooding show an even bigger flood on the Buller," says Richard.

Work is now ongoing to gather more data to refine the flood analysis and NIWAs flood flow forecasting tool. Repairs to the monitoring systems have already been completed.

Measuring river flow during large floods is essential. The data is used to model and map flood risk, design flood defences, provide flood forecasts and understand the effects of climate change. Data collected during this event is being used as part of a project that began in April to develop improved flood forecasts for Westport.
Civil Defence is not expecting any coastal inundation in New Zealand from the massive magnitude 8.1 earthquake in the Alaska Peninsula this evening, but is still assessing the quake.

The strong quake was located about 91 kilometres east southeast of Perryville, Alaska, at a depth of 46.7 km.

The National Emergency Management Agency and GNS Science are assessing whether the earthquake, which registered at 6:16pm (NZT), has created a tsunami and whether that could affect parts of the country.

"If a tsunami has been generated in this location it is not likely to arrive in New Zealand for at least 12 hours," says a statement from Civil Defence.

In its latest statement, released just before 8pm, it says coastal inundation is not expected in New Zealand, but the earthquake is still being assessed.

The National Emergency Management Agency and scientific advisors are still assessing whether any other tsunami activity is expected, such as strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore, says the statement.

The US Tsunami Warning Center has forecasted that any tsunami waves would be less than than 0.3m above the tide level for New Zealand and the Pacific.

A tsunami warning has been issued for the US Pacific territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, while the Pacific Warning Centre is also assessing the risk to other Pacific countries. There's no tsunami threat for Anchorage in Alaska.

There have been at least two strong aftershocks, including a preliminary magnitude 6.2 and magnitude 5.6, the USGS has reported.
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PARK HILL [mdash] JOHN BERRY PRESLEY entered this life on April 28th, 1937, in Welling, Oklahoma and passed to his heavenly home July 29th, 2021 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. John was a long-time employee at Wal-Mart, a dedicated father and husband. He was preceded in death by his mother Geneva Wr
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports an alarming uptick in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations nationwide, especially among young adults. Floridas COVID-19 numbers are following the same trend and the transmission rate is high.
Aditya Team-BHP Support

Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 11,808 Thanked: 53,185 Times

View My Garage





Chennai lady gives up corporate life to start a car workshop Samir for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via



Generally, when you say car service centre - one doesnt think of women, except maybe, in an administration or management role. Its men in workshop overalls that come to mind. However, there is a lady in Chennai, who has broken the stereotype.







Affunissa Chaudhary runs Motorheads - a multi-brand car service outlet at Neelankarai on East Coast Road. Affunissa gave up a corporate career ten years ago. After spending a decade in the automobile industry, in 2020, she founded Motorheads. She has a hands-on approach to running the show.







Affunissa has had a love for cars for a long time. When she was growing up, she would spend time at workshops and learn about the working of a car. She finds it thrilling to solve complex problems on her own. Her workshop is getting publicity by word-of-mouth.







Motorheads employs school dropouts, who are then trained by senior technicians. The organisation also picks youngsters from under-privileged communities and trains them, making them financially independent.







The Covid-19 pandemic broke out just as Motorheads started. It forced the service outlet to shut down for three months. This has given the small team of technicians the opportunity to take up complex jobs as they have more time in hand. Motorheads is also offering a pick and drop service for multi-brand vehicles within a 10-km radius, due to the outbreak of the pandemic.



Affunissa also owns a small collection of two-wheelers which includes a Yamaha RX 135, a modified Honda Unicorn and a Rajdoot GTS 175, which was popularly called Bobby.



Link to Team-BHP News Article



Source: Thanks tofor sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page Generally, when you say car service centre - one doesnt think of women, except maybe, in an administration or management role. Its men in workshop overalls that come to mind. However, there is a lady in Chennai, who has broken the stereotype.Affunissa Chaudhary runs Motorheads - a multi-brand car service outlet at Neelankarai on East Coast Road. Affunissa gave up a corporate career ten years ago. After spending a decade in the automobile industry, in 2020, she founded Motorheads. She has a hands-on approach to running the show.Affunissa has had a love for cars for a long time. When she was growing up, she would spend time at workshops and learn about the working of a car. She finds it thrilling to solve complex problems on her own. Her workshop is getting publicity by word-of-mouth.Motorheads employs school dropouts, who are then trained by senior technicians. The organisation also picks youngsters from under-privileged communities and trains them, making them financially independent.The Covid-19 pandemic broke out just as Motorheads started. It forced the service outlet to shut down for three months. This has given the small team of technicians the opportunity to take up complex jobs as they have more time in hand. Motorheads is also offering a pick and drop service for multi-brand vehicles within a 10-km radius, due to the outbreak of the pandemic.Affunissa also owns a small collection of two-wheelers which includes a Yamaha RX 135, a modified Honda Unicorn and a Rajdoot GTS 175, which was popularly called Bobby.Source: The Hindu Last edited by Aditya : 27th July 2021 at 18:48 .
harish BHPian



Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 71 Thanked: 438 Times

re: With friends to Pondicherry | 2 Thars, Octavia vRS230 & Sonet Day 2 :



Went for a walk by the beach in the morning, saw a few people surfing. Even before the trip I had enquired with Kalialay Surf School for surf lessons. They did have one day lessons but I wanted to get a 5 day one. We were short of a day to complete the surf lesson. Hence dropped the plan, it is due to be done in the next trip to Pondi







After the walk and breakfast at a nearby food joint, I had to spend half a day finishing my last exam of the academic year. After that I had finally gotten my sense of freedom back



Our other 2 friends had also arrived by that time:





Decided on a South Indian Place for lunch; Kamatchi Mess.







Food was great, highly recommend you try their Biriyani, Kamatchi Prawn, Mutton Kola Balls etc.



Well, what next? Back to the BEACH!

Walked by the shore line on ROCK BEACH...







To get some Gelato at "Gelateria Montecatini Terme" aka GMT





I got the Strawberry and it was Okay, The best that you could get there are "Bacardi" and "Dubai Cream". They have the best Gelato in town!



Back to the AirBNB;



and then later for dinner we had to shuffle between restaurants as 9PM was the curfew time and a lot of restaurant had already started closing at 8:30. Finally ended the hunt when we arrived at Celine's Kitchen in White Town. Food was good. Sorry I have no pictures from there.



Chilled at the AirBNB for a while and at around 2:30AM 5 of us weren't able to catch sleep. So decided to head out to Mahabalipuram which was a 93km drive on way, so round trip totalling to 186kms. It's a nice drive on ECR except for the lack of lighting in some stretches and being single lane as well. Luckily there weren't many vehicles on the road, which allowed us to cruise at a healthy pace throughout. Also I had just got ARB Intensity driving lights so it was the perfect occasion to test them out extensively.



Thar Lights and the ARB's at 5% brightness with amber lens cover:





The lights lit up the road so well, I had a two way switch wired to the brightness controller (that comes with the lights) which let me switch between high beam and always-on. So when I spot on-coming vehicles in the opposite direction I just have to flip the high beam off and these aux-lights will turn off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSnG2eQpz-I



At 4:00AM reached Mahabalipuram, few bakeries were just opening up. Got some Tea/Bournvita:





Then drove to the beach, parked outside and had to walk about a kilometre into the beach. It was pitch dark and started to get scary as well walking through the alleyway of shops to the beach. Once we got to the shore, sat there with plans of waiting to catch the sunrise and then leave. But after an hour boredom started to get to us and we had to leave. Walked back to the car and left to our AirBNB.



Say 45kms away from Mahabalipuram, when I was cruising at 100kmph with my eyes set straight on the road. Suddenly I heard a loud "PHATTT", the next moment I see a cracked windscreen straight to my head and I also am able to see a crow slide away from my A-Pillar into a bush on the right side. 4 of my friends who were sleeping had woken up thinking we had gotten into an accident. I pulled over, had some water and assessed the damage.

My friend got behind the wheel for the rest of the way back.







Stopped to refuel:







At that point the Thar had run 590kms so 590/50.61=11.65kmpl. That was our real mileage for highway cruising, city driving and 4H/4L usage in the beach.



Back at the AirBNB reunited with the other Thar:







And there comes the end of Day 2. Went for a walk by the beach in the morning, saw a few people surfing. Even before the trip I had enquired with Kalialay Surf School for surf lessons. They did have one day lessons but I wanted to get a 5 day one. We were short of a day to complete the surf lesson. Hence dropped the plan, it is due to be done in the next trip to PondiAfter the walk and breakfast at a nearby food joint, I had to spend half a day finishing my last exam of the academic year. After that I had finally gotten my sense of freedom backOur other 2 friends had also arrived by that time:Decided on a South Indian Place for lunch; Kamatchi Mess.Food was great, highly recommend you try their Biriyani, Kamatchi Prawn, Mutton Kola Balls etc.Well, what next? Back to the BEACH!Walked by the shore line on ROCK BEACH...To get some Gelato at "Gelateria Montecatini Terme" aka GMTI got the Strawberry and it was Okay, The best that you could get there are "Bacardi" and "Dubai Cream". They have the best Gelato in town!Back to the AirBNB;and then later for dinner we had to shuffle between restaurants as 9PM was the curfew time and a lot of restaurant had already started closing at 8:30. Finally ended the hunt when we arrived at Celine's Kitchen in White Town. Food was good. Sorry I have no pictures from there.Chilled at the AirBNB for a while and at around 2:30AM 5 of us weren't able to catch sleep. So decided to head out to Mahabalipuram which was a 93km drive on way, so round trip totalling to 186kms. It's a nice drive on ECR except for the lack of lighting in some stretches and being single lane as well. Luckily there weren't many vehicles on the road, which allowed us to cruise at a healthy pace throughout. Also I had just got ARB Intensity driving lights so it was the perfect occasion to test them out extensively.Thar Lights and the ARB's at 5% brightness with amber lens cover:The lights lit up the road so well, I had a two way switch wired to the brightness controller (that comes with the lights) which let me switch between high beam and always-on. So when I spot on-coming vehicles in the opposite direction I just have to flip the high beam off and these aux-lights will turn off.At 4:00AM reached Mahabalipuram, few bakeries were just opening up. Got some Tea/Bournvita:Then drove to the beach, parked outside and had to walk about a kilometre into the beach. It was pitch dark and started to get scary as well walking through the alleyway of shops to the beach. Once we got to the shore, sat there with plans of waiting to catch the sunrise and then leave. But after an hour boredom started to get to us and we had to leave. Walked back to the car and left to our AirBNB.Say 45kms away from Mahabalipuram, when I was cruising at 100kmph with my eyes set straight on the road. Suddenly I heard a loud "PHATTT", the next moment I see a cracked windscreen straight to my head and I also am able to see a crow slide away from my A-Pillar into a bush on the right side. 4 of my friends who were sleeping had woken up thinking we had gotten into an accident. I pulled over, had some water and assessed the damage.My friend got behind the wheel for the rest of the way back.Stopped to refuel:At that point the Thar had run 590kms so 590/50.61=11.65kmpl. That was our real mileage for highway cruising, city driving and 4H/4L usage in the beach.Back at the AirBNB reunited with the other Thar:And there comes the end of Day 2. Last edited by moralfibre : 29th July 2021 at 09:43 . Reason: As requested.
Venerable Danish luxury audio maker Bang & Olufsen today launched its $399 Beoplay EQ, the first true wireless earphones with adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC). Adaptive ANC is a more sophisticated kind of ANC that uses microphones and speakers to adjust noise cancelling automatically to your surroundings. Bang & Olufsen claims that the Beoplay EQs Adaptive ANC effectively eliminates surrounding noise to allow total immersion in the companys signature sound.

To achieve the maximum noise-cancelling effect, Bang & Olufsen says it developed an adaptive ANC that combines excellent passive sealing. That one-two combination effectively blocks outside noise.

The Beoplay EQ work their adaptive ANC magic via a dedicated ANC DSP chip and six microphones that allow for automatic adjustment of noise-cancellation levels to create what the company calls, a seamless audio experience. The microphones do double duty with directional beamforming technology in an effort to deliver crystal clear call and speech quality.

Bluetooth wireless features

The Beoplay EQ headphones sport all the latest wireless goodies. Bluetooth 5.2 is on board with wireless range of approximately 33 feet, and support for both Apples lossy AAC codec and Qualcomms aptX Adaptive codec. Aptx Adaptive can deliver high-res audio wirelessly with up to 24-bit resolution and sampling rates as high as 48kHz, with a maximum bit rate of 420Kbps. For those who switch sources often, the Beoplay EQ will remember the last eight paired devices. The Beoplay EQ are rated IP54 for dust (they prevent enough dust ingress to protect the earphones) and water resistance (water sprayed from any direction) respectively. The Beoplay EQs companion mobile app will perform over-the-air software updates as needed.

Pairing the Beoplay EQ with Apple and Android smart devices promises to be simple and painless thanks to Microsoft Swift Pair and Made for iPhone licenses.

The Beoplay EQ weigh a mere 0.28-ounces. The earbuds have a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a total capacity of 85mAh. Bang & Olufsen says that youll get about 7.5 hours without ANC active, 6.5 hours with ANC turned on, and up to 5.5 hours of talk time.

The Qi-certified, 340mAh wireless charging case is crafted from spacecraft-grade aluminium, complementing Bang and Olufsens luxury brand. The compact 1.03 x 3.03 x 1.58-inch case was designed to be as small as possible to fit easily into a pocket while on the go. The case will give two charges with up to 20 hours of play time. The earbuds will reach a full charge in about 1.5 hours while a 20-minute charge will give you up to 2 hours of playback.

When creating Beoplay EQ, we made a commitment to deliver on the expectations of our customers whether they are using their earphones for travel, business or pleasure, noted Bang & Olufsen SVP of Product Management Christoffer Poulsen. The ergonomic earphones have been designed for comfort and provide powerful and authentic sound, making them a must have for design and music lovers. Thanks to the durable aluminium charging case as well as the adaptive active noise cancellation, Beoplay EQ provides a revolutionary listening experience wherever you go.

Finishes and included accessories

The new Beoplay EQ are available in two finishes: Black Anthracite and Sand Gold Tone. Black Anthracite is available starting today; Sand Gold will be available online and in Bang & Olufsen stores starting August 19th.

One of the biggest problems with true wireless headphones is that they tend of fall out easily. Bang & Olufsen says that the Beoplay EQ are luxurious yet functional. Thanks to their small and ergonomic shape, Bang and Olufsen says that the Beoplay EQ have a comfortable and secure fit.

In the box, youll find a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, 0.5m Comply sport 200 tips, and silicone tips in four sizes.

Well be taking the Beoplay EQ for a hands-on review. Stay tuned for our full report in the coming weeks.
What just happened? Tech companies are sending a clear message to employees: if you want to return to work, you must be vaccinated against Covid-19. Google has said its staff must have received their jabs before returning to the office in October, so has Facebook. Netflix, meanwhile, will require vaccinations for all cast and crew on its US productions.

In a note to employees (via The New York Times), Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the vaccine mandate would apply to US office locations in the coming weeks and to other regions in the coming months.

In addition to the requirement, Google is delaying its official return to the office date from September to October 18 due to a surge in Covid-19 cases spurred by the Delta variant. Apple recently did the same thing, telling staff they wont be coming back until October at the earliest.

Facebook, also expecting to reopen offices in the US this October, confirmed its vaccine mandate to The Verge. As our offices reopen, we will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our US campuses to be vaccinated, Facebooks vice president of people, Lori Goler, said in a statement. How we implement this policy will depend on local conditions and regulations. We will have a process for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons and will be evaluating our approach in other regions as the situation evolves. We continue to work with experts to ensure our return to office plans prioritize everyones health and safety.

Deadline reports that Netflix has become the first major Hollywood studio to implement a vaccine policy. It covers everyone working in Zone A, which includes the casts of all of its US productions, as well as those who come into contact with them on set. Netflix is allowing some exceptions to the policy based on age, medical, and religious reasons.

Policy changes are stacking up. Now Lyft will also require proof of vaccination to return to the office, the company confirms to @cfarivar. Uber will allow unvaccinated people to return but they will be required to wear a mask.  Ezra Kaplan (@EzraNBC) July 28, 2021

Up until recently, few companies had mandated vaccinations for employees, but the Delta variant has seen many large firms introduce the policy. Lyft, which isnt allowing workers back in the office until February, will require them to show proof of vaccination. Moreover, the CDC now says fully vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas with high Covid-19 transmission rates.

Image credit: Tero Vesalainen
In brief: There are several types of apps Google doesnt allow on its store, including pornography, those promoting hate speech, any that sell dangerous products, and, as of September 1, another category: sugar daddy apps.

Android Police reports that Googles latest Play Store policy update includes new restrictions on sexual content, specifically prohibiting compensated sexual relationships, i.e. sugar daddy or sugar dating apps.

For those unfamiliar, sugar daddy is the term for an older, usually quite wealthy man who financially compensates a woman for companionship and/or sexual favors. There are also sugar mommys, which is the same arrangement but with the male and female roles reversed.

There are currently several of these apps available on the Play Store, many of them with the words Sugar Daddy in their names. Some have over one million downloads, and most have user ratings of four stars or higher.

Are you looking for a generous sugar daddy seeking arrangements? Do you want a beautiful and young sugar baby to increase the fun of life? Whether you are seeking serious sugar daddy relationships or casual hookup dating, you can make full use of the online secret arrangement dating app and find both of them easily and safely, reads one of the apps descriptions.

Sadly for those who use these apps, they will be removed from the store on September 1, leaving users the option of a website or sideloading, the latter of which can come with security risks.

Elsewhere, Google is updating its Financial Services policy so that as of September 15, the definition of what the total cost of a loan is will be clarified, and all personal loan apps must be properly tagged under the Finance category. Additionally, on September 29, Google will prohibit spam text and graphics in app titles, icons, and developer names.
Elon Musk raised the possibility of Tesla Cybertruck's price hike, racking up to a million dollars due to the production problems the EV company is currently grappling with.

Tesla Cybertruck Production Problems

Despite the hype that came upon the launch of the obscure trapezoid-shaped Cybertruck, fans of the vehicle have yet to see it in mass production.

It is to note that the manufacturing of the heavy electric vehicles of Tesla, such as the Cybertruck and the Semi Truck, has already been delayed due to the supply chain issues, alongside the battery cells stock problem.

Musk has already confirmed that the latter is delayed until 2022.

As per Fox News, the Tesla exec revealed that the vehicles are also experiencing challenges in engineering, aside from the parts supply problem.

He further noted that fans of the company will not be seeing the Cybertruck until the production of the Model Y starts running at the Texax facilities of the EV titan, which will produce both the pickup and the mid-size SUV.

Moreover, Tesla found it challenging to produce the next-generation high capacity 4680 battery tech that the carmaker plans to stuff in the Model Y, Cybertruck, and the Semi.

While the mid-size SUV could go the route of using similar batteries used in China and California, the power-hogging pickup and the truck could not use that instead.

Tesla Cybertruck Price Hike

Nevertheless, the Tesla boss revealed that there is another route to make the Cybertruck readily available despite the current production hurdles, which he floated during the second quarter of the 2021 earnings call of the EV maker.

Interesting Engineering reported that if Tesla fails to be able to bring the Cybertruck into large-scale production, the cost could likely balloon from its initial $36,000 price.

Musk went on to reveal that his company could instead go on to produce the electric truck in smaller batches. However, the billionaire claimed that the cost is "insane," adding that "they would literally cost a million dollars piece or more."

Read Also: Tesla Cybertruck, Roadster on Mars? Tencent Games Trailer Flaunts Upcoming EVs-Elon Musk Approves?

Cybertruck Production Delay

According to Electrek, the Tesla CEO was asked twice about the Cybertruck production during the earnings call, but he did not confirm if the promise to begin manufacturing by the end of 2021 will be held off.

Musk answered the query regarding the Cybertruck production this year by saying that the electric pick-up is the best product of his company. However, it is the most difficult as well.

It is also to note that the production status of the Cybertruck is "in development" compared to the "construction" level of the Model Y. The pickup was joined in that status by the Tesla Semi, Roadster, and a "Future Product."

Previously, on July 16, Elon Musk already admitted that the Tesla Cybertruck is likely to be a complete failure, but he said that it does not bother him, and what is important is that he loves the design of the upcoming pickup.

Related Article: Tesla Cybertruck: Samsung Penned $436 Million Deal to Supply Cameras for EV Maker, According to Korean Sources [RUMOR]

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TikTok is currently one of the most popular apps when it comes to entertaining content. However, it still disappoints some users because of existing system bugs, glitches, and other similar issues.

This is not quite surprising since even the old social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other big names, also suffer from serious internal bugs. Since this is the case, their developers are releasing regular updates to fix the new glitches and other system issues.

Meanwhile, TikTok users are currently complaining that the app is suffering from the so-called FYP bug. Once this glitch happens, the videos in the application's "For You Page" will automatically stop playing.

My tiktok fyp is glitching, every other video stops working half way through. And will just stop or start over after 10 seconds. Anyone else have this problem? #TikTok #fyp #tiktokfyp #tiktokglitch  kayla nichole (@k_aylanichole) January 25, 2021

On the other hand, some users said that the offered content would reload after ten seconds. However, the specific video they are watching will be removed, which is certainly annoying.

Why Does Tiktok FYP Bug Exist?

According to HITC's latest report, TikTok hasn't confirmed why the current system glitch still happens. However, some people claimed that they never encountered the issue before.

Also Read: Viral TikTok Video Shows a Woman Duct Taped to Seat After Trying to Open The Plane Door Mid-Flight

If this is the case, this means that the application's bug doesn't really affect the social media platform itself. Instead, the glitch will only appear randomly on certain TikTok accounts.

My tiktok fyp is glitching, every other video stops working half way through. And will just stop or start over after 10 seconds. Anyone else have this problem? #TikTok #fyp #tiktokfyp #tiktokglitch  kayla nichole (@k_aylanichole) January 25, 2021

As of the moment, TikTok hasn't confirmed if its developers are already working on a fix. The giant social media firm also hasn't released any statement if the FYP issue is actually a system glitch.

"@tiktok_us my tiktok is glitching really bad. Video freezes and turns into green and black pixels. Anyone else? #tiktok #glitch," said one of the complainers on Twitter.

"My tiktok fyp is glitching, every other video stops working half way through. And will just stop or start over after 10 seconds. Anyone else have this problem? #TikTok #fyp #tiktokfyp #tiktokglitch," added another TikTok fan.

Fixing the TikTok FYP Glitch

If you are spending your time watching viral TikTok challenges, such as the recent "My Name Is Suzie" trend, the current FYP bug will certainly annoy you.

Since the developers haven't addressed the glitch, the best thing you can do is follow these steps provided by Dexerto to fix the issue yourself:

Restarting the app or your whole device.

Clear your cache (Go to the 'Me' tab, click the three dots to open settings, scroll down to the clear cache button).

Check your internet connection.

For more news updates about the current TikTok FYP Glitch and other similar app bugs, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Here's How to Use Green Screen Effect on TikTok

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Who Will Win the Blockchain Payment Race? )

When Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin, the original intention, as stated in the white paper, was for it to be "a peer-to-peer electronic cash system." For the avoidance of any doubt, Satoshi referred to "the possibility for small casual transactions" and the concepts of disputes between merchants and buyers in the introductory paragraph. Therefore, Satoshi's objective that Bitcoin was a medium of exchange was in evidence from the very beginning.

Of course, Bitcoin's inherent scalability issues became apparent from its earliest days. Expecting merchants and customers to stand at a checkout waiting ten minutes or more for a transaction to clear was never realistic.

However, in building Bitcoin, Satoshi had proven what was possible, and the world's first blockchain-based cryptocurrency quickly gained a cult following. But people weren't adopting Bitcoin because they wanted to spend it. Most people who bought it believed in a future where Bitcoin would be a valuable asset, so they held it as a long-term store of value.

Over the years, as Bitcoin became more popular, a new generation of innovators decided to revive the idea of "small casual transactions" with the Lightning Network. By creating a system of off-chain payment channels, two parties can send small amounts of Bitcoin between themselves instantly and securely, effectively solving Bitcoin's "spend ability" problem.

Nevertheless, Bitcoin as a spending currency simply hasn't taken off. In the finance pages, among institutions and retail users, and the entire cryptocurrency community, Bitcoin is an investment asset. You're more likely to see BTC compared with gold and stocks than US dollars or euros.

The Rise of Blockchain Payment Networks

By the time Lightning Network was in development, another group of innovators had identified that blockchain makes an ideal payment layer. However, they decided to implement their own platform and currency. Chris Larsen and Jed McCaleb released the first version of Ripple in 2012, targeting settlement and remittance systems. Unlike Bitcoin, which uses a decentralized proof of work consensus, Ripple consensus relies on a fixed group of servers to confirm transactions.

XRP, the currency associated with Ripple, was designed to be a bridge or settlement currency, allowing users of the network to transact seamlessly between any two assets with XRP as the intermediary.

An important point to note about Ripple is its relationship with the XRP currency, which has been somewhat nebulous over the years. The company has always operated a variety of products, not all of which utilize XRP. In 2019, Ripple rebranded its main payment network to RippleNet, while the XRP ledger became the main ledger for facilitating XRP payments.

But in December 2020, Ripple suffered a significant blow when the US Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that XRP is a security. Now, the company's management, which includes founder Chris Larson and CEO Brad Garlinghouse, stands accused of illegal securities dealings.

The Competition Emerges

Meanwhile, Ripple hasn't been the only project to spot the need for a comprehensive payment and settlement network. XinFin is an enterprise blockchain platform supporting trade finance, which has been making impressive headway in its native region of SouthEast Asia. It runs a live mainnet called the XDC Network, supporting over 100 institutions and over 10,000 wallets holding a balance of the platform's XDC token.

Unlike the XRP ledger, which simply settles payments, XinFin currently runs over a dozen decentralized applications on its regulatory compliant smart contract platform. These include TradeFinex, a network for trade finance originators to distribute deals to the growing base of alternative asset investors, and Globiance, a regulated stablecoin issuer based in Singapore, which manages stablecoins backed by Singapore dollars, Hong Kong dollars, and euros. MyContract is another XinFin service, providing ready-made oracle solutions for developers on the network, allowing them to tap into a wide array of external data sources.

XinFin operates as a hybrid public-private blockchain running on a delegated proof of stake consensus. As a hybrid blockchain, The XDC Network has close connections with applications running on enterprise platforms such as R3 Corda. This provides the platform's enterprise users with full control over their privacy and speed, with the additional security benefits of a public network.

Two Big Fish

Although Ripple and XinFin have been operating in different geographies to date, it seems evident that they'll begin to fish in the same enterprise client waters at some point as both projects expand. However, Ripple is currently in the most precarious position due to the pending lawsuit.

The latest developments seem to be working in the firm's favor, but there are no guarantees it will win the case or that the SEC won't find another angle to exploit for a future lawsuit. In this sense, being in the more blockchain-friendly Asian region, XinFin has the advantage.

One thing is certain - while Bitcoin may not fulfill Satoshi's original vision of being a medium of exchange, there are plenty of contenders willing to deploy variations of Satoshi's technology for more effective payment solutions.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An international scientist collaboration, which consists of 15 researchers, claimed that they transformed water into metal. Their innovation is currently a big deal since the approach they used is quite unique.

(Photo : Photo credit should read JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT/AFP via Getty Images)



For the past few years, most researchers and other experts believed that water is an almost perfect insulator under normal conditions. This means that heat and electricity can't easily pass through the liquid substance.

On the other hand, scientists also explained that water could only develop metallic properties if it is under extreme pressure. This can be seen in the videos showing the core of planets, where a molten metallic liquid is found.

But, some people are confused since they believe that water is a good conductor. Experts explained that water could only be a conductor if it contains massive amounts of salt. Pure, distilled water, which is usually found in cities, is a perfect insulator.

Did Water Turn Into Metal?

As of the moment, various international collaborations of scientists are creating different innovations. These include Phononic's Cooling Chip, which will be used in refrigerators, as well as snake venom super glue.

Also Read: X-ray Space Telescope eROSITA Creates Map of Black Holes With Captured Images

However, they are still not that unique since they are still achievable. On the other hand, the new study titled "Spectroscopic evidence for a gold-coloured metallic water solution," which was published by the Nature journal, is a different one.

The involved scientists explained that they used alkali metals, which release their outer electrons very easily to turn water into metallic liquid.

However, alkali metal and water are known to have an explosive reaction when combined together. To avoid this from happening, scientists combined alkali metal and a sodium-potassium alloy.

Instead of dropping the metallic substance in the diluted water, they released a tiny bit of the liquid into the metal solution.

Water Transformed Into Shiny, Golden Metal

According to Phys Org's latest report, researchers confirmed that they were able to turn distilled water into a shiny, golden metal ball.

"You can see the phase transition to metallic water with the naked eye! The silvery sodium-potassium droplet covers itself with a golden glow, which is very impressive," said the study's leading supervisor, Dr. Robert Seidel.

For more news updates about the metallic water and other similar experiments, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: NASA Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope's Captured Dying Star Radiation Blast Turns Out To Be Shortest One To Hit Earth

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : GettlyImages/ SOPA Images ) Apple Logo

Apple is continuing its campaign to prevent leakers from illegally obtaining product information and releasing them to the public ahead of the product's release.

Apple's Anti-Leak Campaign

Apple reportedly sent another cease and desist letter to a Chinese leaker involved in an iPhone prototype selling scheme. The said leaker would offer the prototype to any interested party on social media.

Motherboard reported that Apple warned the leaker through a letter to stop obtaining, advertising, and selling leaked prototypes of devices.

The company also requested the seller to release their list of resources and asked for them to cooperate.

Also Read: Apple Leaks: 'A16' Processor for iPhone Will Feature 4nm TSMC Chip, Similar to ARM-Based Silicon in 2 Years!

According to MacRumors, the letter reads that the tech giant had investigated the matter thoroughly and discovered numerous pieces of evidence about the unauthorized distribution of unreleased and rumored products.

Apple also pointed out that the intentional infringement is manifested as "publishing unpublished information about Apple's new products" through different social media platforms. The seller allegedly publishes the design and the performance of the leaked products.

This is not the first time that Apple had sent a cease and desist letter to an individual. In June, Apple sent letters to two known leakers and threatened them with a lawsuit if they continue to post information about unreleased products.

Apple is a victim of leaks almost every year. Dozens of leaks are released on different social media apps.

While some of the leaks are proven false and were only done to get as many likes as possible, there are many cases wherein Apple factory workers and designers steal and sell unreleased products and prototypes.

It is also possible that Apple intentionally spreads disinformation within the company, especially when it comes to hardware releases and events. It is Apple's way to hunt down leakers within the company.

In March, top leakers were wrong about an upcoming Apple event, suggesting that the tech giant was trying to weed out secret-spilling employees.

Deleted Twitter Accounts

As the number of letters distributed increased, more and more prominent leakers are disappearing. On June 11, one of the well-known leakers named "Mr. White," had his account deleted.

Now, a new Mr. White account posts images of Apple prototypes, but it was the original one responsible for posting images of a shorter, third-generation Apple Pencil and a second-generation AirPods Pro.

Mr. White is known to have leaked images of the iPhone 12 Pro's rear glass and the mini display unit of the iPhone 12 mini. He also leaked the A14 chip, the chassis of the iPad mini 5, and more. All of the images that he posted online were accurate.

Mr. White also posted pictures of unreleased products like the black ceramic Apple Watch Series 5, a fifth-generation iPod Touch, and a Jet Black iPhone X, according to Bloomberg.

Apple also sent a letter to other well-known leakers like "Kang," "CConceptCreator," and others. However, not everyone was tracked down by the tech giant yet.

A leaker called "Jin" told Vice that he had not received any letter yet. Jin was the one who leaked the images of the molds of the iPhone 12 lineup.

Related Article: MacBook Pro M1 2021 Redesign Leaks: 5 Reasons Why You Should Wait for Official Release Date!

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Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : GettlyImages/ TOLGA AKMEN) Google office

Google has announced that it would delay its plans to have employees back in the office due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

All Google employees can continue working remotely until Oct. 18, according to CEO Sunder Pichai. He also stated that all employees expected to return to the office would have to be fully vaccinated.

Google Employees Must Be Vaccinated

According to CNBC, Google reopened some of its offices for employees who will return voluntarily. However, the company said that employees would not be required to come back until September.

The sudden surge in COVID-19 cases is due to the continuous spread of the Delta variant. Google has more than 140,000 employees.

Pichai wrote a memo on July 28. It was later published on the company's official blog.

Also Read: Google Pay: Save Digital Vaccine Cards on Android, Show it to Local Establishments With API

The Google CEO said that since the cases are increasing due to the Delta variant, they are concerned about the safety of the employees returning to the office.

The delay gives the tech companies more time to prepare to get back to work while providing flexibility for those who need it.

Will Other Companies Follow?

So far, Google is the only tech giant that required employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pichai added that all employees in the United States will be required to present their vaccination cards. The new rule will apply in the next few weeks. Google will extend the requirement to other regions in the next few months.

Google stated that when the employees go back, it will increase the flexibility of remote work. This is in response to the requests of some employees regarding the need to go back to the offices, accordng to Business Standard.

Meanwhile, Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, is still undecided on whether he will impose the same rule at Apple or not.

According to The New York Times, Apple also delayed its plans of having employees return to work due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Apple employees were supposed to go back to their respective offices in September. However, the employees were not happy about the company's new policy that will require them to go to their respective offices at least three days a week.

Google's Hybrid Setup

Google's hybrid work model was announced in May of 2021. The hybrid setup will require only 20% of the employees to come back to the office.

Pichai stated that they believe the future of work is flexible and that the changes they will employ will benefit employees who are more comfortable working in their own homes.

The hybrid shows that 135,000 of Google's employees can continue to work from home until the end of this year.

Also, the employees can work from any location instead of their main office for up to 20 days per year. That is an increase from the original allotment of 10 days.

Google is based in Mountain View, California, and will continue to offer more reset days off to help employees cope with the stress that the pandemic caused.

Meanwhile, other tech giants like Twitter and Facebook have announced that employees can permanently work from home if their jobs allow it.

Related Article: Apple Offers Paid Vacation Leaves for Employees COVID-19 Vaccination, Including Those Experiencing Side Effects

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Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Facebook will soon have returning employees to physical offices, and it has now confirmed that there is a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for them to follow. This means that the company would have a "No Vaccine, No Entry" policy, and they require everyone to follow this. The company aims to follow its schedule of re-opening its doors for employees.

The social media company has a lot of projects going on within the company's development, including that of Mark Zuckerberg's "Metaverse," which needs "all hands on deck." Having said this, Facebook is determined to have employees back in no time.

Facebook to Require COVID-19 Vaccine for Employees

According to a report by TechCrunch, Lori Goler, Facebook's Vice President of People, has confirmed this news and that Facebook would require a COVID-19 vaccine for all employees returning to the office.

Going back to the office means being exposed to different people of numerous backgrounds and origins. This only shows that Facebook does not want anyone to be at risk of acquiring the virus.

Additionally, Facebook does not want to be the source of another outbreak in the country, particularly since a more deadly variant known as the Delta runs rampant on the streets. It was said that vaccinated people are still at risk of the virus, despite completing their doses from those with mRNA-based shots from Pfizer or Moderna.

Read Also: Business Messaging Startup Gupshup Secures $240 Million in Follow-on Funding Round

This news was confirmed right after Google has also announced its plans to accept only vaccinated people back to its offices. CEO Sundar Pichai's blog post has detailed this, saying it would be meticulous in asking for proof for the safety of everyone.

Facebook Schedule for Return to Office Remains Unchanged

The planned return to office schedule by Facebook would remain unchanged, and it would continue despite the looming threat of the Delta Variant among the public. This is why the company is also having its strict rule of allowing only vaccinated employees to return to its offices.

What Would Happen to the Unvaccinated?

Despite this, Goler said that vaccination requirements will depend on the location or state's regulation or an underlying medical condition that prevents them from doing so.

But for places that have no special restrictions or regulations, it might be so that a previous Facebook employee may be denied to enter its offices. Especially if they cannot provide any legitimate record of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Related Article: Facebook Recalls Oculus Quest 2 After Several Complaints of Skin Irritation Caused by Foam

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine's protection against severe infection remains high after six months, but declines for symptomatic infection overall. This is according to the findings of a study published by Pfizer itself.

Despite the decline of vaccine protection against symptomatic disease, efficacy is still considered high.

The published data comes at a time when Pfizer is pushing for booster shots to strengthen its COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. government has been deliberating on whether boosters are necessary.

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Protection Declines for Symptomatic Disease

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine's protection against symptomatic disease declines after a six month period. Despite the decline, its efficacy is still considered high.

According to The Verge, data published by Pfizer shows that the vaccine is 91% effective in general. It is strongest seven days after two months after the second dose, where the efficacy of the vaccine is at 96%.

The vaccine protection of the Pfizer vaccine drops to 90% four months after vaccination and then to 84% six months after vaccination.

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Protection Remains High for Severe Cases

Such a drop is not seen in the data involving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine's protection against severe cases of the virus. According to the report by The Verge, a case is considered severe when "blood oxygen levels drop below 93 percent and heart and respiratory rate are elevated."

As far as severe cases are concerned, the vaccine efficacy of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine remains at 97% during the six months after the second shot has been administered.

Related Article: Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Effective Against New Variant, Study Shows

Pfizer's Call for Booster Shots

According to The Wall Street Journal, Pfizer is set to ask U.S. regulators to approve the use of booster shots next month. The company insists that booster shots are needed to strengthen vaccine efficacy against the ever-changing coronavirus.

While the U.S. government in general has been deliberating over the need to authorize boosters, there have been federal health officials who said that "boosters for the general population are unnecessary," per a report by The New York Times.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said earlier this month that they don't think COVID-19 booster shots are necessary for now.

Experts have also pointed out that many people remain unvaccinated, questioning the need for boosters when the focus should be getting as many people vaccinated first.

The World Health Organization (WHO) slammed countries ordering booster shots, reiterating the fact that many governments around the world are still struggling to acquire vaccines for their citizens. The WHO has also emphasized the need for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The new data published by Pfizer, however, is seen to strengthen the company's call for an additional shot.

Also Read: COVID-19: New Study Says Third Booster Shot of mRNA Could Create Better Results

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Written by Isabella James

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A prediction made by Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity has come true as astrophysicists have detected light coming from behind a black hole.

A team of scientists made the analysis after a series of bright flares of X-rays was detected behind a supermassive black hole.

"Any light that goes into that black hole doesn't come out, so we shouldn't be able to see anything that's behind the black hole," according to Dan Wilkins, an astrophysicist from Stanford University and lead author of the paper about the research, as quoted by Phys.org.

Wilkins added, "The reason we can see that is because that black hole is warping space, bending light and twisting magnetic fields around itself."

The analysis made by the astrophysicists has been published in Nature.

Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity Predicted X-ray Reverberations

Albert Einstein once proposed in his theory of general relativity that a black hole's "intense gravity could bend light around itself," according to Gizmodo.

Despite the prediction made by Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity, which he published in 1915, it has not been proven until now.

"Fifty years ago, when astrophysicists starting speculating about how the magnetic field might behave close to a black hole, they had no idea that one day we might have the techniques to observe this directly and see Einstein's general theory of relativity in action," according to the paper's co-author, Roger Blandford, as quoted by the Phys.org article.

Related Article: Albert Einstein's General Relativity Proven By Scientists By Studying A Distant Galaxy

Light Behind Black Hole: How it was Detected

According to the report by Gizmodo, the astrophysicists studied the coronal flares detected from a supermassive black hole called I Zwicky 1. What the researchers saw was that "some of the X-rays produced by the flares were reflected off the far side of the black hole's disk, bent around the object by its gravitational field."

The X-ray light then reverberated off what is known as the accretion disk of the supermassive black hole, causing the X-ray light to bend around it and back toward the telescopes used by the astrophysicists.

According to Wilkins, he first detected a series of bright flares of X-rays, which were then followed by smaller flashes of X-rays of different colors he found "unexpected."

What is a Black Hole?

Central to the new research as well as Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is the black hole, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) says is "a gravitational field so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape."

There are different types of black holes. A supermassive black hole is considered the largest type.

Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity

Physicist Albert Einstein published the theory of general relativity in 1915. The theory of general relativity deals with "how gravity affects the fabric of space-time," according to Space.

General relativity expounded on a prior theory known as the theory of special relativity that Albert Einstein published a decade prior. Albert Einstein's theory likewise refines Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation.

Also Read: Einstein's Theory Of Relativity Is Fraying At The Edges, But It Still Holds Up For Now

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Written by Isabella James

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Screenshot From Pexels Official Website) ESA Confirms 'Proper Pronunciation' of Agency Name | Top 5 Worldwide Space Agencies

The ESA has just confirmed what the "proper pronunciation" of their name should be. For those that have been pronouncing the space agency as "E.S.A.," well, the agency says this is not the proper way their agency's name should be pronounced.

A tweet from the ESA noted that when a name is an acronym, it might be mispronounced a lot. They then said that they are the ESA and it is pronounced "EE-SAH" and that they are definitely NOT "The E.S.A." Of course, they also noted that calling them the European Space Agency is still fine.

This can actually be quite common with some other space agencies as well and not just ESA or "EE-SAH." In fact, even the most famous NASA can also be mispronounced sometimes as well. The top 5 space agencies, according to Ranked, include agencies that almost everyone into space exploration might already know.

Here are the Top 5 Space Agencies and Their Proper Pronunciation:

NASA

"Na-Suh"

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

For a solid 6 decades, NASA has been leading peaceful space exploration, making new discoveries about the Earth, other planets, the solar system, different galaxies, and the whole universe. It is reportedly an independent organization that technically isn't part of any executive department. However, the space agency reports directly toward the United States President. NASA has just spotted a dying star radiation blast through its Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope.

CNSA

"C.N.S.A."

China National Space Administration

The CNSA is reportedly responsible for planning and implementing all of the country's space missions on a national level. The CNSA is responsible for signing government agreements that are reportedly related directly to space research.

ESA

"EE-Sah"

European Space Agency

The ESA is reportedly an international organization composed of 22 member states. The organization works by harmonizing the intellectual as well as financial assets of all of its members. The ESA can manage activities and programs that are far beyond the scope of just any single European nation.

RosCosmos

"Rose-Cosmos"

Russian Federal Space Agency

RosCosmos is known to be a coordinating hub for all the different kinds of space activities happening in Russia. It reportedly conducts a number of civilian activities as well. This includes astronaut projects and even monitoring Earth. The agency is also known to coordinate military launches along with the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation.

ISRO

"Is-Roh"

Indian Space Research Organization

The ISRO harnesses space technology in order for it to be used for national development while still pursuing different planetary exploration as well as space science research. The agency has been able to carry out a number of major operations both on the national as well as international levels.

There are also other private players stepping into the space scene like SpaceX and more recently, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin as they are trying to work closely with NASA.

Read Also: WATCH: This is How SpaceX's Super Heavy Booster Orbital Launch Tower is Made-Elon Musk Congratulates Team for Finishing

Related Article: X-ray Space Telescope eROSITA Creates Map of Black Holes With Captured Images

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Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google is removing sugar daddy dating apps from the Play Store as part of its policy updates in September.

The tech giant has been updating its policies and guidelines every now and then. As such, Google previously removed apps that carry misleading names and graphics from the Play Store. This time around, the changes in the search engine giant will commence in multiple phases in September.

The first policy update will be concerning inappropriate content, which begins on the first day of the month.

Meanwhile, on September 15, changes involving the financial services will undergo an update.

Google to Remove Sugar Daddy Dating Apps

The tech titan announced that it will be specifically banning sugar daddy dating apps on their app marketplace. However, it is to note that other mainstream online dating platforms will remain available on the Google Play Store.

Google said that it is applying "new restrictions on sexual content" as part of its Inappropriate Content policy. And to be precise, the latest inclusions involve "specifically prohibiting compensated sexual relationships," which the tech titan went on to include "sugar dating" as an example.

Meanwhile, Phone Arena reported that Google is known to be against app listings that exhibit sexual content, especially on the Play Store. As such, the tech giant went on to exclude sugar dating apps from the marketplace.

Sugar Daddy Dating Apps

As per Yahoo, the sugar daddy and sugar baby relationship has been on the rise, serving as an opportunity for young women, and even students, to earn some extra cash, get a regular allowance, or fancy gifts and meals.

In some cases, other sugar daddies are generous enough to provide luxury goods and sumptuous meals, on top of the handsome bulk of money.

According to Android Police, the term "sugar daddy" is used to identify a person, which is older in most cases, who provides compensation as part of a sexual relationship arrangement between the sugar baby.

However, it is worth noting that it is not necessarily a man. It could also be a woman, who is called a sugar mommy.

Read Also: Google Chrome Built-In Screenshot Button To Be Included in 'Centralized' Share Menu: Leak

Google Play Store Policy Updates

Aside from changes in the Inappropriate Content policy, Google is also focusing on financial services.

The tech giant will be defining the actual cost of a loan. Also, personal loan apps in the Play Store will be required to be tagged under the Finance category of Google's marketplace.

Separately, for India and Indonesia, Google will be releasing new guidelines and requirements for all the personal loan apps on the platform.

Android Police said in the same report that Google has yet to further explain the logic behind removing sugar dating apps while leaving other dating platforms alone.

Elsewhere, here are the 25 Google Play Store apps that fooled rookie investors to pay a fee to mine crypto on their smartphones.

Related Article: Google Drive Update Helps Users Block Spammers and 'Gross People' to Preserve Safety

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Bob Odenkirk is in a stable condition after he collapsed on the set of 'Better Call Saul'.

The 58-year-old actor was shooting the drama series - in which he plays Jimmy McGill aka Saul Goodman - on Tuesday (27.07.21) on the Sony lot in Culver City, California, when he suddenly fell down.

And after being rushed to hospital, representatives for the actor have said he is now in a stable condition after suffering what they referred to as a heart-related incident.

They told The Hollywood Reporter: We can confirm Bob is in stable condition after experiencing a heart-related incident. He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side. The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery.

Bob was busy filming the sixth and final season of the 'Breaking Bad' spin-off series, for which he has received four Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

The remaining episodes are expected to air early next year, almost two years since the fifth season hit screens.

But during that time, fans were able to see Bob - who has two sons with wife Naomi Yomtov - in action movie 'Nobody' and he recently admitted he expected people to laugh when he revealed his interest in a role in the genre.

He said: "Listen. When I suggested to my manager, 'I think I could do an action movie', I expected him to laugh. But he did not laugh.

"Then I expected him to get laughed at when he ran it up the flagpole here in Hollywood. But people responded like, 'Yeah, that'd be cool.'"

Bob spent two years preparing for the part of Hutch 'Nobody' Mansell with stunt actor Daniel Bernhardt but refused to consider "bulking up" as he didn't want to resemble a "superhero".

He explained: "I was totally against bulking up.

"I didn't want to look like a superhero. I've had friends who do these superhero movies, and they do that kind of weight training, and it's all about their biceps and all that s***.

"I said, 'I want to do my own fighting, but I also want to look like a dad.'"
Chrishell Stause is romancing her boss, Jason Oppenheim.

The Selling Sunset star has confirmed her new boyfriend is actually her boss, whom she works with at real estate agents Oppenheim Group, which is the company at the centre of the Netflix series.

Chrishell posted pictures on Instagram of herself and Jason enjoying a holiday with friends, and in two of the photos, she and her new beau could be seen cuddling together on a boat.

And to further prove their romance, several of their co-stars on the hit Netflix show also left comments on the post congratulating them on their relationship.

Amanza Smith, Mary Fitzgerald and husband Romain Bonnett, and Jasons brother Brett Oppenheim were among those leaving touching messages.

Mary wrote: Nothing makes me more excited than to see two of my closest friends together and making each other so happy!

While her spouse Romain added: So happy for you guys! Finally people will stop with Jason and Mary hopefully.

Brett thanked Chrishell for making my brother happy, while Amanza said she was so happy the news was out.

Jasons sibling wrote: Love you Chrishell. Thank you for making my brother happy.

And Amanza said: love you both! So happy its out!! Ahhhh we can all just be normal now! Happy!!!! Makes me sooooo happy for you both!! (sic)

Jason, 44, has also confirmed his romance with Chrishell in a statement to People magazine.

He said: "Chrishell and I became close friends and it has developed into an amazing relationship. I care about her deeply and we are very happy together."

The 40-year-old beauty was previously married to Justin Hartley from 2017 until November 2019 when Justin filed for divorce.

Chrishell then filed for dissolution of the marriage in December 2019, and their divorce was finalised in February this year.
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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
HAMMOND  Louisianas governor dangled lottery tickets. State and local officials tried going door-to-door. Some ran online campaigns aimed at funneling residents towards information from medical experts, hoping to counter speculation and fear over COVID-19 vaccinations that brewed on social media.

None of it seemed to work in Tangipahoa Parish. Vaccinations stagnated even as the more-contagious delta variant spread and cases and hospitalizations soared.

So Hammond's North Oaks Hospital tried something new: Giving people cash to get vaccinated.

Funded by donations from local businesses and government agencies, the hospital is offering $100 cash payments to those who sign up for the two-shot Pfizer vaccination  $50 after their first shot, with another $50 when they return for the second.

So far, hospital staff say the cash inducement is working.

All 500 appointments scheduled for July 31 under the incentives program are full, said North Oaks spokesperson Melanie Zaffuto. The first 400 slots were snatched up three days after online sign-ups opened on July 19.

When a new round of donations allowed the hospital to open another 100 shots-for-cash appointments on Tuesday, those took just 24 hours to be filled, said Zaffuto.

Wasted COVID vaccine doses spike in Louisiana amid hesitancy As coronavirus vaccine interest plummeted in Louisiana, the state saw a spike in the number of wasted shots, with more than 79,000 vaccine dos

The initiatives success shows how people still on the fence over whether to get vaccinated  a population scientists are calling the movable middle  can be persuaded to seek out vaccines, said Dr. Robert Peltier, North Oaks Hospitals chief medical officer.

Clearly there is a portion of the population who delayed vaccination not wanting to be the first in line for a new therapy, Peltier said in an email Wednesday. As the incidence of COVID in our region dropped and many began to prematurely believe we had entered a post-COVID era, many in this group believed the need to be vaccinated was obsolete. Now that we are in the midst of a fourth wave predominately amongst the unvaccinated, attitudes about vaccinations are changing  albeit slowly.

Several state governments around the country offered lotteries and jackpot prizes to try luring people to get vaccinated, like Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards Shot at a Million vaccine campaign. But few governments have opted to pay residents a flat fee to get a shot. New York City officials on Wednesday announced $100 payments for people who get vaccines at city-run clinics.

North Oaks' cash-for-shots effort gathered steam earlier in July as word spread among a group of local organizations that funded the incentives effort. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards, the 21st Judicial District, Ponchatoula businessman Thomas Enmon, Anderson Traylor Edwards law firm and several anonymous donors gave a total of $50,000 to the hospital's North Oaks Foundation for the effort, according to Zaffuto.

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Ochsner tightens policies for unvaccinated employees as COVID patients increase by 700% Ochsner Health, the state's largest health care system, is tightening policies for unvaccinated employees but is not yet requiring vaccination

Enmon, the Gulf Coast CEO for global cleaning services company Jani-King, gave $5,000 to fund 50 appointments, starting the wave of donations. His company later matched that grant, and the other organizations followed, Zaffuto said.

"If this incentive gives unvaccinated people who are on the fence the extra support they need to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, then its worth it," Enmon said.

The 500 vaccine series scheduled for Saturday under the campaign would make up about 1.25% of people who have been fully vaccinated in Tangipahoa Parish so far. Just shy of 40,000 of parish residents have been fully inoculated, Louisiana Department of Health Data show.

That translates to just over 30% of parish residents having either both shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or a single shot of the one-time Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Thirty-seven percent of Louisianans overall are fully vaccinated, according to LDH data.

While Tangipahoa officials thought fears over the new delta-driven wave could spur a rise in vaccinations across the parish, the quick sign-ups at North Oaks may be an outlier.

Parish-wide vaccinations have remained stagnant, to the point where you could trip over a vaccine in Tangipahoa Parish, said Dawson Primes, the parishs emergency preparedness director.

North Oaks is continuing to offer other vaccine appointments that dont fall under the cash-payment program. Whether its attributable to extra publicity generated by the incentives or peoples fears over delta, those appointments have filled up faster lately, Zaffuto said.

The hospital was running 10 or fewer regularly-scheduled vaccine appointments each day two weeks ago. This week, daily vaccine appointments have hovered around 30, according to Zaffuto.

Editor's note: This file has been updated to correct the initial number of appointments funded by Thomas Enmon's donation to the North Oaks Foundation.
The small, rectangular strips that quickly detects whether a deadly synthetic opioid known as fentanyl is present in drugs are no longer illegal in East Baton Rouge Parish.

A unanimous vote by Metro Council Wednesday cuts away red tape that prevented people from buying and distributing the rapid-test strips to those struggling with addiction, something advocates and police say can decrease the risk of fentanyl overdoses.

We just want to help people, said District 7 council member LaMont Cole, who introduced the item.

The measure came before the council at a time when opioid overdoses  a vast majority tied to fentanyl  are skyrocketing in the parish.

About 75% of the 242 overdose deaths in the parish last year were fentanyl-related, according to the Parish District Attorneys Office. That number is even higher in 2021. Roughly 89% of the confirmed overdose deaths in the parish this year included fentanyl in the toxicology report, the office said.

This is an epidemic that affects everyone in the parish, from the curbside to the country club, said Tonja Myles, an advocate and proponent of the measure who has been in recovery for more than 30 years.

The first fentanyl-linked overdose death was reported in the parish in 2014. Fatal overdoses from all drugs steadily increased since then before exploding last year.

+4 Baton Rouge overdose deaths are soaring. Could a settlement with Big Pharma turn the tide? 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 o

From 2014 through 2017, only 8.3% of the 348 overdose deaths involved fentanyl, according to the District Attorneys Office. Some 31% of the 103 overdose deaths were attributed to fentanyl in 2018. In 2019, fentanyl became the deadliest drug in the parish, attributed to 51% of the 126 overdose deaths.

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Until we can get people into recovery, the risk of them dying outweighs a lot of things going on, Myles said. This is not a license for people to use. Its something we hope will save lives until the recovery outweighs the risks.

District Attorney Hillar Moore III also voiced support for the measure despite hearing arguments that it could encourage people addicted to opioids to keep using.

From what weve seen, those who are addicted are going to continue using until theyre ready to quit, Moore said. Wed rather they have the option of having a strip that can test for fentanyl.

While the measure is targeted toward people addicted to opioids, several overdoses involving using cocaine or marijuana laced with fentanyl have been reported in the parish, Moore said. Increasing access to the test strips may prevent people who have no intention of using opioids and no tolerance to its effects from accidentally ingesting the drug, he said.

Its becoming more of the norm that every drug could be laced with fentanyl, Moore explained. Thats why were in favor of people being able to have access to this rather than risk themselves dying.

Myles and Moore both said research from academics supports increasing the access to the test strips.

A study from Harvard University called the tests a "cheap and cost-effective way to reduce the risk of overdose and death" and encouraged the removal of legal barriers to their access.

Providing the test strips to lessen harm is hardly a new concept nationally or in Louisiana.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in April that federal funding can be used to buy the test strips to curb the dramatic spike in overdose deaths largely driven by fentanyl. And in May, New Orleans approved a measure identical to the one that just passed in Baton Rouge.
For nearly six years, the Nucor Steel iron plant in St. James Parish released caustic sulfuric acid mist and highly flammable, rotten egg-smelling hydrogen sulfide into the air  and neither the plant nor regulators knew about it, documents show.

It wasn't until mid-2019 when a test revealed the plant was among the 15 largest emitters of hydrogen sulfide in Louisiana  even though the plant didn't have a permit to discharge the gas.

The company faults a design flaw in the eight-year-old plant and higher than expected sulfur content in the ore it was processing.

Four months after the test, the North Carolina-based company reported the results to the state Department of Environmental Quality. Less than three months after that, the regulators revised the plant's permit to allow the gasses to be released at significantly reduced levels that won't trigger tougher pollution controls.

Sanctions against the company are still pending.

Nucor touts St. James plant performance Nucor Corp.s St. James Parish plant produced 4.55 million tons of direct reduced iron, with peak operating rates exceeding 90 percent of capa

Environmental groups and some local residents say the episode highlights the kind of weak scrutiny DEQ has placed on Nucor since the facility opened in 2013 amid great fanfare from the administration of former Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Those advocates are also criticizing a proposed $89,760 settlement between DEQ and Nucor to address other violations from 2014 to 2018, saying it's far too small. Put together, they say it all shows a pattern of Nucor admitting wrongdoing without facing any consequences from the state and later seeing its permits adjusted to make some of its former violations legal.

"Allowing such lax compliance with regulations is extremely dangerous for both Nucor's current neighbors and the future of St. James Parish," lawyers with the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic wrote.

DEQ took a similar tack with Noranda Alumina after the company discovered in 2014 that its Gramercy plant had been unintentionally releasing toxic mercury into the air. DEQ ended up permitting the level of reported emissions at the St. James plant, finding they didn't pose a risk to the public, and fined Noranda $95,750.

New permit from Louisiana regulators allows Noranda plant to continue releasing mercury in air Noranda Alumina, a manufacturer near Gramercy that learned more than three years ago it was unwittingly releasing mercury into the air potenti

At the time, the air permit ended up authorizing Noranda to be Louisiana's top air emitter of mercury near the Blind River  where fish mercury advisories have been in place for years  even as state and federal authorities were pushing Louisiana's coal-fired power plants to cut mercury emissions.

For Nucor's settlement, the environmental groups want a far bigger fine that would act as a better deterrent, requirements that Nucor improve its environmental safeguards, better monitoring near the plant to detect gases and notification of residents about plant upsets.

Nucor is currently seeking an $120 million expansion, but the company's own permit application shows the addition also would double or nearly double fine particulate and some smog-producing air pollution that can harm the respiratory system.

The only reason that the state and Nucor want this settlement is so that Nucor can expand, said Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. But as the companys own records show, it cant even handle its current operations. Only an agency like our sorry DEQ  polluters paradise  would offer such a pathetic settlement to a notorious polluter endangering people's lives."

DEQ and Nucor officials didn't respond to a request for comment Wednesday about the settlement and opposition from the Tulane clinic, which is representing residents who live next door to Nucor in Romeville.

Trump tariffs could help Louisiana steel producers, but hurt imports, energy, petrochemical industries President Donald Trumps plan to levy tariffs on steel and aluminum imports could have negative impacts on Louisiana as major users of steel s

Jindal administration officials had hoped Nucor would build a five-phase, $3.4 billion complex offering 1,250 jobs. A $1 billion blast furnace would have been the centerpiece.

Among many state and local tax breaks, the state lured Nucor with an unusual, 30-year property tax exemption on 4,000 acres that still rankles local officials. Nucor ended up only building one of the phases, a direct reduced iron complex, on the agricultural land between River Road and La. 3125.

The $750 million facility, the largest of its kind in the world, purifies iron ore of oxide contaminants so the metal can be made into steel elsewhere in Nucor's supply chain. The plant, which employs 150 people, relies heavily on Louisiana's cheap natural gas supplies.

Now Nucor is talking about a new pelletizer plant that will reuse leftover iron oxide bits, coke dust and other material to make 400,000 tons per year of additional iron oxide pellets that can be reprocessed in the DRI plant, permit records say.

A high emitter  and nobody knew it

Hydrogen sulfide and sulfuric acid mist are potentially harmful to workers and the surrounding public. In the highest concentrations, they can lead to severe injury and death, private and federal reports show.

There's no indication in the state's reports than anyone outside the plant was harmed by the emissions.

Hydrogen sulfide is colorless gas that is heavier than air and can hug the ground and collect under raised homes and other low-lying, poorly ventilated areas until it poses an explosive risk. Chemical and energy industry workers are trained to take precautions against it.

Nucor working to improve St. James plants yield Nucor Corp. on Friday reported an expected operating loss at its new direct reduced iron plant in St. James Parish, with expectations that adj

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Nucor released an estimated 167.3 tons of hydrogen sulfide over the six years in question, company estimates say. Based on federal reporting data, those years of emissions were in the top 15 among all complexes in Louisiana, with three years in the top 10.

In the biggest year, in 2016, Nucor had the fifth highest hydrogen sulfide emissions statewide, federal Toxics Release Inventory data show. The company released an estimated 42.74 tons that year.

Earlier estimates that Nucor had submitted to DEQ put combined emissions over the six years nearly 15% higher than the current estimates and had pushed the company even higher up statewide rankings. In late June, Nucor revised down its figures.

The release of unpermitted sulfuric acid mist, while sizeable and reaching nearly 8 tons in 2018, ranks far lower among other Louisiana facilities.

Under the revised permit levels, Nucor can't emit more than 9.77 tons per year of hydrogen sulfide. Annual sulfuric acid mist emissions can't be more than 4.7 tons.

Nucor says it has fixed the design flaw. Hydrogen sulfide gas had been erroneously routed past a scrubber designed to keep it from being released.

The company also says it is making other changes to cut down on other sulfur emissions and bring them lower than the current permit limits.

How big should fines be?

Environmentalists have frequently criticized DEQ for other settlements with longstanding and unresolved violations by multi-billion dollar manufacturers seeking new permits to expand their operations.

In early December, DEQ approved two settlements with the Plaquemine-based Shintech worth a combined $150,000, which closed out dozens of violations dating back to 2008. The agreement came just weeks before the company announced a $1.3 billion expansion of its operations in Iberville Parish.

Under state law, DEQ generally has authority to issue fines of up to $32,500 per day per violation, depending on the year, but the agency rarely uses the full extent of that fining power. Agency officials have said they prefer to bring companies into compliance.

At the same time, DEQ also has been under fire for moving too slowly in bringing industrial violations to a close.

In January, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor faulted DEQ for allowing years of violations to hang around unresolved. The audit found the average time to end them doubled from 10 to 20 months between 2015 and 2019.

Some violations took as long as nine years to resolve, auditors found.

Since the end of 2018, however, the pace of settlements has picked up markedly. Settlements averaged 72.4 per year between 2011 and 2018 but hit 104 in 2019 and 120 in 2020, an Advocate analysis of DEQ data shows.

The average pace of settlements in 2019 and 2020 represents a nearly 55% increase over the average pace from the prior eight years.

A little more than halfway through 2021, DEQ has proposed or reached 83 settlements statewide, including the one with Nucor, agency data show.

Why was the air monitor turned off?

In the pending settlement, DEQ found Nucor committed a variety of paperwork failures and a number of other elevated emissions releases for fine particulates, tiny particles that cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems and for smog-producing nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. The company acknowledged many of these failures were preventable, DEQ says.

Also, for a year and a half in 2017 and 2018, the company failed to conduct required ambient air monitoring for fine particulates from the iron oxide ore and other dusty materials.

Company officials have told DEQ they thought the responsibility for air monitoring had ended and turned the monitor off sometime before Jan. 1, 2017. That led to 77 instances of reporting failures.

In fact, DEQ says, the ongoing requirement, which had been in place since the plant opened in late 2013, hadn't ended. But after inspectors found the failures, Nucor asked DEQ for and received a permit change in mid-2018 that removed the monitoring requirement in exchange for new dust controls, agency enforcement records show.

Under the proposed settlement, Nucor would admit no fault over that or any other alleged violations.

"Soot and chemicals from Nucor are landing on my property, and the pollution is wearing down my health. I live on a fixed income, so I have no choice but to clean up Nucors mess myself. Why isnt Nucor held accountable to repair its own mess? I am so sick and tired and fed up, Romeville resident Myrtle Felton said in a joint statement with the Bucket Brigade.

The Times-Picayune/The Advocate reporter Jeff Adelson contributed to this story.
The Diocese of Baton Rouge, for now, is sticking with making masks optional for students and staff in the 2021-22 school year, but will announce final rules Monday.

And Bishop Michael Duca says the mask policy and other safety measures could change depending on how bad the latest surge of the deadly coronavirus is by then.

As I write this, reported COVID numbers, particularly the Delta variant cases, are rising, Duca said in a letter sent out on Wednesday to Catholic school parents and on Thursday to local media. The CDC has expanded substantially its guidance with respect to the wearing of masks.

On July 15, Duca reversed a policy announced by diocesan leaders the day before that would have required masks, though those who were vaccinated and could prove it would have been exempt. Such disparate treatment of the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated was in line with CDC guidance issued July 9, but it prompted an immediate backlash, which led to Ducas swift reversal.

The CDC changed its guidance earlier this week and is now calling for universal mask-wearing in school.

Catholic school mask mandate reversed in Baton Rouge; bishop blames confusion over state guidance A day after saying masks would be required in Catholic schools for the unvaccinated, the Diocese of Baton Rouge reversed course Thursday.

In his letter Thursday, Duca talks more about what happened two weeks ago.

The ensuing reaction surprised me in intensity, conviction and breadth of reasons which were based on both medical and political opinions, and in some few cases, in the rage and disrespect (though possibly not intended) shown to the parish secretaries, pastors, and the staff at the Catholic Life Center, Duca wrote.

I felt this personally, not because of the disagreement about guidelines or proposed protocols, but because of the explicit assumption that the diocese was not acting in the best interest of our children or that I was being influenced by a political narrative that was obstructing personal or religious freedom. I want to be clear and assure you that such thoughts are not true.

Last year, diocesan schools were among the first to reopen in person in the Baton Rouge area. Like the public schools, Catholic schools required masks for all adults and for children in grades three and up, as well as mandatory social distancing as well as capacity limits on school gatherings.

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In his letter, Duca said it was a successful school year with low infection rates  less than 10% of students in all diocesan schools as a whole tested positive for COVID during the 2020-21 school year, and few of those infections occurring inside school buildings.

+2 Few teens are getting COVID vaccines. What does that mean for next school year? The prospects for a safe return to traditional in-person instruction in Louisiana schools got a lift earlier this month when almost 250,000 te

Almost all mandatory restrictions on schools were lifted by Gov. John Bel Edwards on May 26. The Louisiana Department of Education let its own rules expire with the just ended 2020-21 school year and announced from then on schools and school districts would make those safety calls.

To help them, the state agency prepared COVID safety guidelines for schools to follow in 2021-22, but the agency made clear in late May they would be voluntary, not mandatory. Those guidelines were released June 23 and have been updated three times since.

Each version has recommended, but not required, mandatory mask-wearing. The latest version calls for mask-wearing for children ages 5 and up, broader than what was in place last year.

Bishop Duca has said, and he reiterated Thursday, that Catholic schools leaders assumed that the new state guidelines were mandatory and changed his stance after state Superintendent Cade Brumley clarified that the guidelines were in fact only recommendations.

In his latest letter, Duca said the concerns he has received are not only from parents who dont like mask-wearing.

When our plan for reopening schools changed, some sent me thank-you notes for listening to parents. While I appreciate this acknowledgment, please know that for every parent who does not want his or her child to wear a mask, there is a parent who believes that masks are still important to ensure safety, Duca wrote.

I believe that both views come from concern for our children. These disagreements in viewpoint will not be settled by any decision we make. I accept this fact, and so I will move forward with a focus only on keeping our schools open and everyone safe. These two goals remain at the core of my motivation.
Baton Rouge criminal court Judge Beau Higginbotham, who claims he was unlawfully passed over for a seat in civil court despite his seniority, is suing the entire 19th Judicial District Court bench and three of its former judges.

Higginbotham initially sued East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court Doug Welborn last December, citing the clerk's refusal to assign civil cases to him after longtime 19th JDC Judge Janice Clark retired at the end of 2020.

A special judge appointed by the state Supreme Court to hear the case ruled in February that Higginbotham needed to add his fellow judges as defendants because they are "indispensable" parties to the case.

Higginbotham appealed that issue to the state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal and then to the Louisiana Supreme Court, and after both courts let that portion of retired Judge Emile St. Pierre's ruling stand, Higginbotham amended his lawsuit July 22 to add his 14 19th JDC colleagues as well as former 19th JDC Judges Bonnie Jackson, Richard Anderson and Clark as defendants.

+2 Judge Beau Higginbotham must add his fellow judges to lawsuit over seniority, civil seat A Baton Rouge criminal court judge must add his 19th Judicial District Court colleagues to a lawsuit in his seniority-based fight for a civil 

Higginbotham's amended lawsuit referenced a portion of St. Pierre's ruling.

"In this Court's February 2, 2021 judgment, this Court recognized that `the evidence adduced at hearing seems to support the argument that the right of Judge Higginbotham to be assigned to a civil docket may have been denied by the actions of a majority of the judges of the 19th Judicial District Court by their not following their own previously-established policies,'" wrote Higginbotham's attorney and sister, Whitney Higginbotham Greene.

Beau Higginbotham is the son of former 1st Circuit Judge Toni Higginbotham and ex-19th JDC Judge Leo Higginbotham. Whitney Greene is currently running for a vacant Baton Rouge City Court seat.

Clark, who was forced to retire at the end of December due to her age, said Thursday said had not been served with a copy of the lawsuit.

"I will accept service and do what needs to be done," she added.

Jackson said she was aware of the lawsuit but had no comment.

The lawsuit explains that at a Dec. 9 meeting of the 19th JDC judges, Higginbotham formally moved to be assigned to the civil bench, and Judge William Morvant seconded the motion, but it did not pass. Judge Don Johnson then offered a motion to assign the civil spot to his twin brother, Judge Ron Johnson, and the motion was approved.

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Morvant declined comment Thursday on being named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Higginbotham, who has served on the 19th JDC criminal bench since 2015, claims he was "next in line" based on seniority to move to the civil bench.

+3 Judge Higginbotham presses his claim to the civil docket. Could it be a stepping-stone move? Baton Rouge state Judge Beau Higginbotham told a special judge Monday that a majority of his 19th Judicial District Court colleagues ignored t

Welborn had told Higginbotham that he lacked the authority to assign civil cases to the criminal court judge after a majority of Higginbotham's fellow 19th JDC judges passed him over for a civil seat on the court when Clark retired.

Higginbotham was elected to the 19th JDC Division M seat in fall 2014, then to the Division C seat nearer to his home in fall 2019.

A majority of Higginbotham's colleagues decided he lost his seniority on the court when he switched criminal divisions, and lost his right to lay claim to Clark's old civil seat.

Higginbotham's lawsuit, however, argues there was "no gap" in his service on the court.

Higginbotham's lawyers have argued that Welborn declined to perform his "clear and specific ministerial duty" to begin allotting civil cases to Higginbotham. The clerk of court denies that allegation.

Nine of Higginbotham's 19th JDC colleagues told Welborn's office in a Jan. 4 order to allot the civil cases that formerly would have gone to Clark to Judge Ron Johnson, who was elected in fall 2019. A week later, a second order from 10 of the court's 15 judges informed the clerk's office that Ron Johnson and fellow 19th JDC Judge Kelly Balfour would evenly share those civil cases while also splitting a criminal docket.

+3 Why judge Beau Higginbotham is suing to move into a vacant civil seat in Baton Rouge Judge Beau Higginbotham, who has sat on the 19th Judicial District Court's criminal bench for six years, is fighting for what he calls his "ri

Higginbotham's lawsuit claims the two January orders were "unlawful."
Dividend tax trades, which involved dozen of banks including Macquarie Bank, have been blamed for costing German taxpayers billions of euros, were illegal and can be punished as crimes, the countrys top criminal court ruled.

In the first case about the controversial cum-ex tax strategy to reach the top tribunal, the Federal Court of Justice backed the conviction last year of two former London investment bankers, according to the verdict Wednesday in Karlsruhe. The judges also upheld the seizure of 176 million ($283 million) from M.M. Warburg Group, the profit that the private lender made from these transactions.

This was no loophole, Rolf Raum, the presiding judge, said in explaining the verdict. It was a blatant grab from the bag that holds all taxpayers contributions.

Macquarie Bank is being investigated by German authorities in relation to a share trading practice banking on dividend tax refunds to boost returns. Credit:Ian Waldie

Throwing out the appeal boosts the prospects of probes still pending into more than 1000 suspects and dozens of banks across the global financial industry that prosecutors say benefited from the trades. The scandal has engulfed large parts of the finance sector because setting up the transactions required the help of multiple players, from traders to brokers to lawyers.
News Corps Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph will stop publishing columns from controversial broadcaster Alan Jones after weeks of anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown commentary.

The Daily Telegraphs editor Ben English recently informed Jones his column will no longer appear in the Sydney-based publication. Media industry sources briefed on the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity said it was made because the column had failed to resonate with readers, a claim that Jones rejects.

Alan Jones will no longer publish a column in The Daily Telegraph.

Jones publishes a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph (which appears in The Gold Coast Bulletin and Courier Mail), and also writes a column for The Australians sports pages. He has not published a column in The Daily Telegraph since last Thursday. His column in The Australian usually appears on Friday.

News Corp declined to comment.
Trevor Milton, the billionaire founder and former chief executive of Nikola, was criminally charged on Thursday (US time) with defrauding investors by lying to them about the electric- and hydrogen-powered truck maker.

Milton, 39, pleaded not guilty at a hearing in Manhattan federal court to two counts of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud over statements he made from November 2019 to September 2020 about Nikolas products and technology.

Trevor Milton stepped down as Nikolas executive chairman last September, two weeks after short-seller Hindenburg Research labelled the company a fraud and said it made many misleading statements about its technology. Credit:AP

Authorities said Milton relied on a public relations blitz of social media posts as well as TV and podcast interviews to drive up Nikolas stock price, become one of the worlds 100 richest people and elevate his stature as an entrepreneur.

Milton lied about nearly every aspect of the business, US Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan said at a news conference. Todays criminal charges against Milton are where the rubber meets the road.
The company was accused of buying into the heart of the pharmaceutical industry by anti-smoking campaigners who urged the Government to intervene and block the deal. Loading Bosses at Philip Morris insist the Vectura deal is part of its goal to become a wellness company and stated ambition in delivering a smoke-free future. Where do we go? asks Andre Calantzopoulos, chairman of Philip Morris, venting his frustration at being told he cannot diversify into pharmaceuticals. Then there are some other critics who are telling me alternatives to smoking, [the tobacco] industry shouldnt be allowed to do. So what I am left with is continuing selling cigarettes. We just get back to the point [that] we are actually trying to leave!

The notion of Big Tobacco looking beyond cigarettes is not new. Philip Morris has owned Miller Brewing and Kraft Foods - the latter floating as recently as 2001 in what was then the second-biggest stock market listing of all time. British American Tobacco (BAT), Londons biggest listed tobacco company, owned retailers Argos and Saks Fifth Avenue in the 1970s and combined Eagle Star, Allied Dunbar and Farmers Group a decade later to form the UKs biggest insurance group. In recent years Big Tobacco has largely returned to its roots, with an arsenal of vaping, heated tobacco and nicotine pouch products. Pharmaceuticals appear to be the next frontier - at the moment only Philip Morris has delved into the sector. Armed with gargantuan marketing budgets, health campaigners are sceptical of Big Tobaccos intentions.

Ian Walker, an executive director at Cancer Research, is concerned that companies are positioning themselves as part of the solution to a smoke free world, all the while continuing to aggressively sell and promote lethal cigarettes globally. Big Tobacco continues to make big profits. BAT is this week expected to report 5.2 billion of operating profit on 12 billion of sales - an eye-watering margin that its FTSE 100 rivals could only dream of. Big Tobacco is moving into pharmaceuticals. Credit:AP Ahead of this, Vuse, BATs vaping product, embarked on a publicity stunt on the River Thames. Laying claim to be the first carbon neutral brand of its type, a Vuse-liveried sailing boat passed through the gates of Tower Bridge - much to the chagrin of angry taxi drivers, whose diesel-guzzling black cabs pumped out noxious fumes as they stood idling. Kingsley Wheaton, BATs chief marketing officer, understands the scepticism but insists companies like his are best-placed to wean people off cigarettes.

He points out that although cigarette sales are falling, the number of global smokers - roughly 1.1 billion - has remained static for some time. In 2012 I was handed a [World Health Organisation] forecast of the number of smokers by 2050, and it was ostensibly flat. Tobacco control policy of its day, and still of now, is the one of quit or die, he says. And I dont believe quit or die is an effective public health policy. The effective policy is giving consumers alternative ways to enjoy tobacco, nicotine with less of the harm. And thats what were doing. To prove the veracity of lofty straplines like creating a better tomorrow, industry critics say tobacco companies should either stop selling cigarettes, or at the very least sell off their cigarette making arms. The former idea will not solve the problem, says Wheaton. If you take South Africa last year, we had a smoking ban for four-and-a-half months because of Covid; consumption didnt decline at all. The void was just filled by counterfeit, contraband, smuggling and illicit traders. Selling off their business is also unappealing. Not in the foreseeable future, says Murray McGowan, strategy director at BATs FTSE 100 rival Imperial Brands. Cash flow from our combustible business is absolutely fundamental to our ability to invest into the development of our [next generation products] business.

Wheaton suggests a sell-off might not yield a good price. You have to have willing buyers and willing sellers, he says. And when we talk about creating a better tomorrow, we are talking about creating a better tomorrow for multiple stakeholders. We have employees, we have society, we have consumers. And we do have a fiduciary responsibility to our shareholders. Loading While only Philip Morris is pushing into the pharmaceutical sector, BAT and Imperial Brands have interests in cannabis derivatives, which are legal across Canada and parts of the US. Japan Tobacco International (JTI), with brands such as Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut making it the biggest cigarette seller in the UK, is more defensive. A spokesman says: We are a legitimate business in a legal industry just like beverage companies. They, like us, have introduced potentially less harmful products such as sugar- free or alcohol-free drinks to cater to changing consumer choices and lifestyles. As a legitimate company selling legal products, we should be able to provide adult consumers with innovative and potentially less harmful products. Critics like Walker are unconvinced. He says: The industry has a long history of subverting tobacco control policies for its own financial gain, both in the UK and globally, and so protecting public health from its vested interests is crucial.
Residents and farmers have raised the alarm over logging in a small forest north of Wilsons Promontory, an area of remnant bushland home to rare and endangered species like powerful owls, greater gliders and Strzelecki koalas.

State government logging agency VicForests has begun logging in four coupes in Alberton West State Forest, in the states south-east, but locals have described the move as madness, with millions in federal funding spent on Landcare works over 15 years to create wildlife corridors to link the isolated forest to the nearby Strzelecki ranges.

In the face of dwindling koala numbers in NSW and Queensland, Strzelecki koalas have a growing national significance because they are more genetically robust than other Victorian koalas. They have a small but healthy population in Alberton West.

Plain madness: Kevin Heggen says logging in the Alberton forest is illogical.

Richard Appleton worked for 16 years as an environment officer at nearby HVP Plantations, which is one of Australias largest private timber plantation companies and has a forest reserve for Strzelecki koalas.
It turns out that our federal MPs have the capacity to shoot the breeze and talk gibberish just like the rest of us.

Yesterday, the House of Representatives economics committee was quizzing Nathan Jacobsen, managing director of financial services firm Easton Investments, when events took an unexpected turn.

Tim Wilson with Jason Falinski, Celia Hammond and Andrew Leigh. Credit:Illustration: John Shakespeare

Jacobsens internet stream dropped out and didnt come back, so Liberals Tim Wilson, Jason Falinski and Celia Hammond relaxed with Labors Andrew Leigh over the video hook-up and let it all hang out by turning to the only logical thing available: the womens 4x200m relay in Tokyo.

Victorian Wilson and ACT MP Andrew Leigh were all of us as they battled with Sevens smartphone app. Despite his status as a Modern Liberal, Wilson only managed to log in as the race was ending.
The current world president of the Finks bikie gang says he is a reformed stay-at-home dad after pleading guilty to assaulting a man outside a Melbourne strip club.

Father-of-two Kosh Radford, also known as Koshan Rashidi, fronted Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday charged over his role in the 2019 King Street attack.

Magistrate Tim Bourke questioned the 43-year-olds description of himself as a family man.

You moved to Victoria by the sound of it to start a new life, he told Radford. Maybe a family man would not find themselves at a nightclub at 6.30am.
Tony Mokbel is incredibly eager to start an appeal hearing against convictions he says are tainted by his past association with informer Nicola Gobbo, but his current lawyer argues police are dragging out releasing documents that could be crucial in the legal challenge.

Mokbel appeared in a video link from prison on Thursday so the Court of Appeal could be updated in the 55-year-olds fight to have his convictions quashed, based on Ms Gobbos involvement in his case while she was his lawyer but also a registered police informer providing assistance to investigators.

Nicola Gobbo with Tony Mokbel outside a court in 2004. Credit:Nine News

The crime boss, who is serving a 30-year jail term for drug trafficking, had his link on mute as he watched the hearing dressed in a dark suit and tie.

His current lawyer, Ruth Shann, was critical of the time Victoria Police was taking to disclose key documents, including details about a supergrass paid $10,000 by police for evidence that helped convict 24 people, including Mokbel. Zlate Cvetanovski last year had an unrelated drug trafficking conviction quashed when the Court of Appeal found his trial was contaminated by the involvement of Ms Gobbo and the supergrass.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A young Perth Uber driver who slit his wifes throat two months into their forced marriage told the womans brother to come get your sisters dead body as she lay bleeding on the kitchen floor.

The reality of forced marriages in Australia was thrust into the spotlight at Western Australias Supreme Court on Thursday as details of the couples loveless marriage were read out during the first day of the 25-year-old mans sentencing.

Ruqia Haidari was murdered in her Balcatta home by her husband Mohamed Ali Halimi two months into their arranged marriage. Credit:

The court heard Mohammad Ali Halimi and Ruqia Haidari migrated separately to Australia from Afghanistan looking for a better life.
A West Australian man has tested positive for COVID-19 just days after being denied entry into the state and isolating in a local hotel for two days.

The man had travelled from the Philippines and completed two weeks hotel quarantine in Queensland before being released on July 17 following three negative tests.

The infected man was refused entry to Perth after flying in from Brisbane. Credit:Erin Jonasson

He then flew to Perth Airport but was refused entry after authorities determined he did not have approval to enter the state, which is required for all Queensland travellers due to an outbreak.

The man spent two days isolating in a Perth hotel near the airport before he was placed on a return flight to Queensland on July 20. It was around this time he began to feel unwell.
A weekly, million-dollar lottery and proof of vaccination for travel and to attend sport or music festivals are among ways the federal government could encourage immunisation as more COVID-19 doses arrive in Australia.

Thats according to the Grattan Institutes Race to 80 report on how the country can begin to shift away from lockdowns and economically damaging restrictions on travel and business towards COVID-normal in 2022.

Vaccination should be an entry requirement for events including music festivals both as a public health measure and an incentive to get people immunised, Grattans Stephen Duckett says. Credit:Edwina Pickles

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also flagged unvaccinated people will face tougher measures than their vaccinated counterparts as the country looks to ease restrictions.

 ... [We] would have to have more restrictions on people who are unvaccinated because theyre a danger to themselves and others, he said on 3AW on Thursday.
It took 17 days for the Education Department to be notified and to send out a clean-up crew after contractors disturbed asbestos while installing airconditioning at a Brisbane school.

The incident was among 19 asbestos exposure incidents at Queensland schools during the installation of airconditioning under the governments Cooler Schools program since 2019.

Education officials faced a grilling about asbestos removal at Sunnybank State High School during budget estimates. Credit:Rohan Thomson

On November 9, at 6.35am, airconditioning contractors disturbed asbestos at Sunnybank State High School but a professional crew was not sent to the school for testing, and to clean up more than 30 rooms, until November 26, 17 days later.

Education Department director-general Tony Cook said a contractor was told to clean up dust and debris by a school staff member in early November.
Taxpayers have stumped up more than $334,000 while continuing to pay the salary of a senior Queensland public servant who was stood down over the controversial hiring of a school principal which cost a high-ranking minister her job in cabinet.

Jackie Trad resigned as treasurer and deputy premier in May 2020 after the Crime and Corruption Commission launched a probe into whether she interfered in the appointment of the new Brisbane South State Secondary College principal.

A senior public servant remains suspended on paid leave during an investigation into the hiring of a school principal that led to Jackie Trad resigning from cabinet. Credit:Robert Shakespeare/Fairfax Media

Days later, Education Department deputy director-general Jeff Hunt was stood aside.

A CCC report found Mr Hunt was behind a plan to test principal candidate Tracey Cook at a meeting with Ms Trad in 2019, to see if she could hold her own with the deputy premier.
As Australians, we love to indulge in a bit of finger-pointing. And now, more than ever, our primal need for certainty has us seeking to lay blame and find fault in the midst of a pandemic, where little certainty exists.

Consider it a coping strategy. Finding a villain is a self-serving bias that can help us feel as if we have some control or clarity as this insidious virus robs us of both.

Governments have been blaming individuals during the pandemic to shift responsibility from themselves. Credit:Getty, Luis Enrique Ascui

Governments understand the power of the blame game and have repeatedly used it as a political tool to pin responsibility on individuals during the pandemic.

Its a clever little trick that means governments can avoid responsibility for cockups which are the result of their own policies, by instead blaming citizens who appear to have broken the rules.
Up for debate:

Live legislation tracker

Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics.
Staff Reporter

Nyamekye Daniel has been a journalist for five years. She was the managing editor for the South Florida Media Network and a staff writer for The Miami Times. Daniel's work has also appeared in the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and The New York Times.
Staff Reporter

Tim Gruver is a politics and public policy reporter. He is a University of Washington alum and the recipient of the 2017 Pioneer News Award for Reporting. His work has appeared in Politico, the Kitsap Daily News, and the Northwest Asian Weekly.
Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. spokesman Ed Troyer, center, talks to reporters, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in front of the home, center, in Spanaway, Wash., where authorities say a member of the U.S. Air Force, who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, fatally shot his two young children and their mother before killing himself overnight.
UW President Tommy Thompson seen here in his official photo from the UW System.
Gov. Evers says more money for schools will help get people back to work in Wisconsin
With many children still ineligible to be vaccinated, masks are an effective way to help keep our kids safe in the classroom, the learning environment we know serves them best.

Kate brown, Oregon Governor
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on March 18, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Susan Walsh/Pool/Getty Images/TNS)
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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 
Forest City, NC (28043)

Today

Rain showers this morning with mostly cloudy conditions during the afternoon hours. High 76F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
The L.A. City Council finalized a sweeping ordinance today to restrict sleeping and homeless encampments in certain areas, including within 500 feet of schools, day care facilities, parks and libraries.

It now goes to Mayor Eric Garcetti for final approval, and if signed, will go into effect 30 days later.

It will also protect the public right of way within 500 feet of a "sensitive" facility (including schools, day care facilities, parks and libraries) once the council passes a resolution to designate a specific area for enforcement, posts signage and gives notice of the date that the ordinance will be enforced for the area.

However, removing a homeless encampment could take as long as four months under the new ordinance, notes the L.A. Times.

L.A. sleeping and camping restrictions applies under these conditions

 Up to 500 feet of a designated overpass, underpass, freeway ramp, tunnel, bridge, pedestrian bridge, subway, wash or spreading ground, railroad track or where lodging unsheltered or in tents is unhealthy, unsafe and incompatible with safe passage; and

 Up to 1,000 feet of a facility opened after Jan. 1, 2018 that provides shelter, safe sleeping, safe parking or navigation centers for persons experiencing homelessness.

The ordinance will also allow the city to prevent encampments for a period of no longer than one year in areas that are deemed an ongoing threat to public health or safety, including due to:

 Death or serious bodily injury of any person at the location due to a hazardous condition;

 Repeated serious or violent crimes or threats of serious or violent crimes, including human trafficking; and

 Fires at the location.

People who violate the ordinance will face an infraction or citation, but "a person who willfully resists, delays, or obstructs a city employee from enforcing this section or who willfully refuses to comply after being requested to do so by an authorized city employee" can face higher fines and a misdemeanor charge, according to the ordinance.

Councilmember Nithya Raman of Silver Lake opposed the restrictions

Councilman Mike Bonin and Councilwoman Nithya Raman, whose Council District 4 includes Los Feliz and Silver Lake, voted against the ordinance.

He said the ordinance tells people where they cannot sleep, but it doesn't tell them where they can sleep.

"That's what it comes down to for me ... where can people go, where can people sleep when they do not have an alternative," Bonin said.

Engaging the homeless about removal

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Yolanda Chavez from the City Administrator's Office told council members today that the office recommends a "concentrated engagement process" be implemented before enforcing the ordinance for encampments in areas that require a resolution and posted signage. The CAO's recommendations include:

 Allowing time for comprehensive engagement;

 Understanding a specific encampment's residents and their needs, such as the number of men, women, children, people with disabilities, pets and more;

 Documenting outreach consistently;

 Identifying resources that can be offered, including housing, trash disposal, hygiene trailers and COVID-19 vaccinations;

 Understanding the encampment's informal leadership;

 Identifying members of the encampment who want to stay together in shared housing; and

 Identifying housing options before engaging with the encampment.

Supporters and opponents voiced their opinions before the L.A. City Council

Several people called into the meeting to voice their opposition or support.

"This law unfairly paints unhoused people as a threat to children and the public. The lack of appropriate housing is the real threat to public safety," said Ricci Sergienko, an organizer with the People's City Council.

Another caller, who identified herself as a certified bankruptcy specialist attorney who provides pro bono services to homeless people, said, "you are going to end up levying fines against the very people who have the least ability to pay and give them no viable options to be able to have any relief from those fines or penalties."

Ahead of the vote, a coalition of advocates for the unhoused led a rally outside City Hall to oppose the ordinance.

Theo Henderson, who has been unhoused for eight years and hosts the "We The Unhoused" podcast, said at the rally, that the ordinance "is unjust, and it was always unjust and it does exactly what it's supposed to do. It is to divide human beings and embrace inhumanity."

Several people -- some identifying themselves as property managers, homeowners and neighborhood and business association representatives -- called in to today's council meeting to voice support for the ordinance, saying that street encampments have become out of control.

"As you may or may not be aware, Vermont Avenue has become overrun with tents. I've been a property manager there for the last seven years. In the last year and a half, the violence has been incredible, not only to the property but more importantly to the managers and employees of the tenants," said a caller who manages a shopping center on Vermont between Hollywood and Sunset boulevards.

"This situation has become a crisis. No one should be living on the streets of Los Angeles ... this ordinance is a first step. You must adopt this policy to ensure we can create a safe environment for the entire community," said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association.

Diana Yedoyan, vice president of public policy and economic development for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said, "small businesses are struggling immensely and are under unimaginable pressure after the pandemic and the sprawling and expanding encampments are adding to the obstacles."
15-Year-Old Survivor: Horrors of a Flooded Subway

A 15-year-old survivor is opening up after escaping a flooded subway in China. She says dozens of people died in front of her while trapped insideand even more remains were seen lying on the subway platform afterward.

Flooded subway cars in Zhengzhou city are taken away, with black cloth covering the windows. Netizens are questioning what the authorities are hiding.

New evidence has emerged surrounding Chinas flood disasters. A video online shows Chinese authorities clashing with locals, who say the troops came to destroy local river embankments.

Chinas Red Cross faces a serious accusation. A businessman says the organization embezzled thousands in donation funding.

American investors are rushing to divest from Chinese companies in the health sector, as fears rise that Beijings crackdown on private companies will hit the medical industry next.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
Pro-life activists demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court during the 47th annual March for Life in Washington on Jan. 24, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

228 Federal Lawmakers Urge Supreme Court to Reverse Roe v. Wade

Americans United for Life filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Supreme Court on behalf of 228 federal lawmakers urging the court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion.

Abortion opponents are optimistic that the 63 conservative majority created on the court with the addition last year of Justice Amy Coney Barrett creates an opportunity to return the regulation of abortion to the states, as had been the case before Roe.

The high court is expected to reexamine Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, court file 19-1392, which will be heard at some point in the courts upcoming term, which begins in October. Thomas E. Dobbs is the state health officer of the Mississippi Department of Health.

It is time for the national embarrassment of Roe v. Wade to be reversed and for justice to prevail for the human right to life, Catherine Glenn Foster, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, which prepared the brief filed with the court July 29, said in a statement.

Today, 228 Members of Congress44 Senators and 184 Representativesstand in solidarity with preborn Americans and their mothers. The leaders and people of Mississippi showed wisdom and compassion when they acted to protect preborn children at 15 weeks gestational age. Mississippis common-sense law is obviously constitutional. It is far past time for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve the bitter culture war that it started, and has perpetuated, through its ill-conceived abortion rulings.

In the Dobbs case, in 2018, federal courts enjoined Mississippis H.B. 1510, the Gestational Age Act, which, according to court documents, 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.

Lynn Fitch, the states attorney general, a Republican, filed a brief with the court on 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 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.

Among the 44 senators to sign the brief are Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), John Kennedy (R-La.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

Among the 184 members of the House to sign are Christopher Smith (R-N.J.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Andy Harris (R-Md.), and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).

The lawmakers, who represent 40 states, have a special interest in the legislative branchs ability to enact and to see enforced laws that address abortions risks and harms on behalf of the People of the States they represent, the brief states.

Mississippis case provides the Court a chance to release its vise grip on abortion politics, as Congress and the States have shown that they are ready and able to address the issue in ways that reflect Americans varying viewpoints and are grounded in the science of fetal development and maternal health.

Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi Republicans, said in a statement that they were pleased to be part of the brief.

Mississippi is leading the charge in standing up for the most vulnerable in our society, Wicker said. This case represents the most significant challenge in a generation to Roe v. Wade, which has imposed abortion on demand across this country for nearly 50 years.

Hyde-Smith stated: In taking up Mississippis pro-life law, the Supreme Court has a chance to reconsider the current misguided abortion jurisprudence. As a Senator, as a woman, and as a mother, I think this case offers us a chance to overturn Roe and return the abortion issue to the political process and away from activist judges.

The friend-of-the-court brief is part of a deluge of briefs filed by various individuals and groups in the case in recent days. Many more such briefs are expected.
Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Standing from left: Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. (Erin Schaff/Pool/Getty Images)

228 Republican Lawmakers Urge Supreme Court to Overturn Roe v. Wade

Forty-four Senate Republicans and 184 House Republicans urged the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark abortion ruling Roe v. Wade when the justices review a Mississippi law during their next term.

Congress and the States have shown that they are ready and able to address the issue in ways that reflect Americans varying viewpoints and are grounded in the science of fetal development and maternal health, wrote the lawmakers in an amicus brief (pdf) to the court dated Wednesday.

At issue in the case is a 2018 Mississippi law that bars most abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. The Mississippi law was challenged by the Jackson Womens Health Organization and lower courts have since ruled against it.

The lawmakers filing comes about a week after Mississippis attorney general, Lynn Fitch, called on the high court to overturn Roe v. Wade so the state can uphold its law, arguing that the conclusion that abortion is a constitutional right has no basis in text, structure, history, or tradition and further characterized the 1973 ruling as dangerously corrosive to our constitutional system. Roe v. Wade ruled that abortion is legal prior to what they said is viability, or around the 24th week of pregnancy.

Abortion is fundamentally different from any right this Court has ever endorsed, Fitch wrote a week ago. No other right involves, as abortion does, the purposeful termination of a potential life.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and other Republican leadership members signed onto the brief. Several days before that, a trio of Republican senatorsJosh Hawley (Mo.), Mike Lee (Utah), and Ted Cruz (Texas)filed their own brief.

The States, the lawmakers Wednesday filing further argued, have expressed the desire to protect life through a burgeoning number of laws enacted to further the States important interests in protecting women from dangerous late-term abortion, ending the destruction of human life based on sexism, racism, ableism, upholding the integrity of the medical profession against the barbaric practice of dismembering human beings in the womb, and protecting preborn infants from the horrific pain of such abortions.

For decades, conservatives have fought to overturn Roe v. Wade and the 1992 follow-up Supreme Court decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Some believe that the current Supreme Court, which has six justices who were appointed by Republican presidents, is their best chance in decades to have the ruling overturned or eroded.

The court now includes the addition of President Donald Trumps third appointee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who replaced Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburga longstanding proponent of abortionin September 2020.

An opposing legal brief from the Jackson Womens Health Organization is due by Sept. 13. Previously, the clinic said that that 50 years of precedent and court rulings have established Roe v. Wade.

Before viability, the States interests, whatever they may be, cannot override a pregnant persons interests in their liberty and autonomy over their own body, the clinic wrote in 2020.
An ethnic Armenian soldier stands guard next to Nagorno-Karabakh's flag atop of the hill near Charektar in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh at a new border with Kalbajar district turned over to Azerbaijan, on Nov. 25, 2020. (Sergei Grits/File/AP Photo)

Armenia Wants Russian Army Outposts on Azerbaijan Border After Clashes Killed 3 Soldiers

MOSCOWArmenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed on Thursday that Russian border outposts be stationed along the length of Armenias border with Azerbaijan after a rise in tensions between Yerevan and Baku.

Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other earlier on Thursday of flouting a Russian-backed ceasefire that both sides had accepted the previous day to halt deadly clashes over their joint border, which Yerevan wants demarcated.

Given the current situation, I think it makes sense to consider the question of stationing outposts of Russian border guards along the entire length of the Armenian-Azeri border, Pashinyan said during a government meeting.

He said Yerevan was preparing to discuss the proposal with Moscow and that the move would allow work to be carried out on the demarcation and delimitation of the border without the risk of military clashes.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Yerevan, Armenia, on Oct. 13, 2020. (Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure via Reuters)

The Kremlin said it was in close contact with both Armenia and Azerbaijan, but declined comment on Pashinyans proposal.

Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics, are watched closely abroad for any threat to Azeri gas and oil pipelines and the risk of regional powers Turkey and Russia being dragged into any conflict.

Armenias defense ministry said Azeri troops had opened fire on Armenian positions at the Gegharkunik section of the border early on Thursday, prompting Armenia to return fire. It later said the situation was calm.

Azerbaijans defense ministry said Armenian forces had fired with machine guns and grenade launchers towards a village in the Kelbajar region, and had thrown hand grenades. It said its forces returned fire.

The ceasefire was called on Wednesday after one of the deadliest border incidents since last years six-week war between ethnic Armenian forces and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding areas.

Armenia said three of its soldiers were killed and four wounded. Azerbaijan said two of its soldiers were wounded.

In fighting from last September to November, Azeri troops drove ethnic Armenian forces out of swathes of territory they had controlled since the 1990s in and around Nagorno-Karabakh before Russia brokered a ceasefire.

A border dispute has since flared up, with Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of incursions into each others territory, highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire.
Contractors working for Cyber Ninjas, who was hired by the Arizona Senate, work during a 2020 election audit at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Ariz. on May 1, 2021. (Courtney Pedroza/Getty Images)

Auditors Finish Counting Ballots in Arizonas Maricopa County

Auditors in Arizonas largest county on July 28 finished a third count of ballots and will shift to compiling a draft report on the audit results.

Workers overseen by retired auditor Randy Pullen, a former Arizona Republican Party chair, completed the third count at the Wesley Bolin Building on the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, according to Arizona Senate President Karen Fann.

The physical tabulation of the ballots are complete and are being returned to Maricopa County tomorrow, Fann told The Epoch Times via email.

The data gathered by the auditors will now be taken to their labs for analysis.

Teams led by Florida-based Cyber Ninjas last month finished an initial hand tally of the nearly 2.1 million ballots cast in the 2020 election.

The third set of numbers was needed because the initial recount and the number Maricopa County reported didnt match, Fann said earlier this month.

Maricopa Countys Board of Supervisors has repeatedly denounced the auditors and Jack Sellers, the chairman of the board, saying that the methods used were flawed and would produce incorrect results.

In the third count, workers led by Pullen only tabulated the number of ballots, instead of marking down some or all of the votes, which the auditors and the county did.

The third count was done on the advice of the Arizona Senate Republicans attorney, according to Fann.

The completion of the physical audit comes after days of tension between Cyber Ninjas and Ken Bennett, a former Republican secretary of state tapped by Fann to serve as the state Senates audit liaison.

(L-R) Doug Logan, CEO of Cyber Ninjas, the firm leading Arizonas vote audit in Maricopa County, gives testimony on preliminary findings at a Senate hearing, sitting beside Arizona Senate audit liaison Ken Bennett, and Ben Cotton, the founder of a digital security firm called CyFIR LLC, in Phoenix, on July 16, 2021. (Allan Stein/Epoch Times)

Arizona Sen. Warren Petersen (L), and Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R) hear testimony during a hearing on the Maricopa county audit on July 15 in Phoenix. (Allan Stein/Epoch Times)

Bennett said on July 26 that he was considering stepping down after being blocked from the audit following his sharing of some of the auditors findings with outside analysts, casting doubt on whether the third count was done independently of Cyber Ninjas. On July 28, he told radio host James Harris he would resign later in the day.

I do remain locked out of the audit and as such, its impossible for me to really function as the liaison, he said.

Bennett didnt respond to a request for comment. He later told the Arizona Mirror that he had reached a deal with Fann to remain as the liaison.

While speaking to Harris, Bennett remained open to helping examine the draft report and final report, but said he would only do so if he had access to the source data and any other information used to produce the report.

I cant just come in at the last minute and be asked to endorse something I cant be a part of really building the way it needs to be built, he said.

Fann told The Epoch Times in an email that senators dont have access to the numbers the auditors have tallied.

We should not be looking over their shoulder, telling them how to do their job or asking for premature information. When the audit is complete, then they will need to provide us with all their proof and documentation of their results, she wrote.

She also said in a statement that it was irresponsible of Bennett to disclose how many ballots were in some of the boxes to a trio of analysts who have repeatedly disparaged the audit.

But she said Bennett would be involved and a vital part of the draft and final reports to ensure their accuracy with his knowledge and contributions throughout the audit process.

The completion also came after the Department of Justice issued a new warning against audits like the one conducted in Arizona, and after Arizona senators subpoenaed the county and Dominion Voting Systemswhose machines the county uses to run electionsfor more election-related data, including administrative passwords for the machines.

Both county officials and Dominion have refused to provide more information, despite a judge ruling in February the initial subpoenas issued last year were lawful.

Without the additional data, the final report will be incomplete, state Sen. Warren Peterson, a Republican, told a hearing in mid-July.

We sincerely hope Maricopa County will produce the missing documents and information we have requested for the audit to be complete and finalized. The voters deserve to know their votes are safe, secure, and legally counted, Fann said.
The Newport Beach City Council is moving forward with the formation of an assessment district for the undergrounding of utility lines in the public right of way, involving a 50-block area of central Balboa Island. (Courtesy of Visit Newport Beach)

Balboa Island Joins Utility Undergrounding Trend

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.The Newport Beach City Council is moving forward with the formation of an assessment district for the undergrounding of utility lines in the public right of way, involving a 50-block area of central Balboa Island.

The project is estimated to cost $32.8 million in construction and financing costs. Parcels will be assessed according to size with costs estimated, on average, to be $34,000 per parcel for owners.

According to the citys underground utilities assessment guidelines, 30 days after the close of a public hearing, property owners have the option to pay the full amount or a portion of the assessment amount in cash, or wait until construction is close to starting.

Bonds will be sold for any unpaid portion of the assessment and a lien will be placed on the property until the bond is fully paid.

The undergrounding project, which was proposed by a group of residents seeking to improve neighborhood aesthetics, system reliability, and safety, would include trenching for new a conduit system and installation of a utility vault, removal of poles and wires, and the repaving of affected roadways and alleys.

Concerned citizens took to the podium to say that despite high property values and perceived wealth, many longtime Balboa Island residents are on fixed incomes and the assessment would impose an unfair financial burden. Others expressed concern that the construction could change the feel of the community, the majority of which is made up of quaint bungalows and narrow, tree-lined streets.

The California Public Utilities Commissions (CPUC) Rule 20 sets policies and procedures for the conversion of overhead power lines and other equipment to underground facilities.

While Southern California Edison (SCE) assists residents and cities in establishing assessment districts and is responsible for removing existing polls and wires and completing the undergrounding work, the financial burden of moving utilities underground is not its responsibility.

We are involved in helping to plan what to assess and determine the potential cost of an underground utility project depending on the situation, SCE spokesperson David Song told The Epoch Times.

The funding is driven by the local communities that have a desire for an underground system, he said, adding that overhead wires cost substantially less than undergrounding.

Underground projects cost about $3 million per mile, whereas an overhead could be more in the six figures per mile.

Those in favor of the undergrounding expressed concerns that despite Balboa Island having its own fire station, antiquated electric wires and poles could be a potential fire hazard for the densely populated island, which has only two points of entry, as well as narrow streets and alleys.

Other property owners concurred with the safety concerns and also pointed to the benefits of improved views and a rise in property values they feel will result from the undergrounding.

One resident said that a similar undergrounding proposal 12 years ago had to be tabled after becoming irreconcilably contentious among island property owners.

Had we done this back then, the assessment at that time would have averaged approximately $17,000 per parcel, half of what we are now looking at.

Despite some outcry from opponents that the polling was improperly handled, the city clerk counted the 769 ballots during the council meeting, returned from the 966 distributed to residents, representing 79.6 percent of total parcels.

The tabulation of ballots submitted by property owners resulted in 65.3 percent in favor, 34.7 percent against.

The city council approved the assessment district by a vote of 40, with Councilman Duffy Duffield absent and councilmen Kevin Muldoon and Noah Blom recusing.
Beijing Has No Choice but to Buy Australias Iron Ore: Economist

Despite politically motivated trade sanctions on Australian goods, Beijing has been left buying Australias expensive iron ore by the boatload.

Professor of Economics at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Richard Holden, said that Canberra holds a great deal of influence over Beijing, who has nowhere else to turn to meet its ravenous iron ore demand, even if it wanted to.

Weve actually got quite a lot of leverage with China in this instance, which is that they need a lot of iron ore, Holden told The Epoch Times. And they dont buy iron ore from us because they want to be particularly nice to Australia.

They buy it because we produce a lot of it, we produce it very efficiently and effectively, and we dont have some of the situations that have led to the iron ore price going up so much, like when Brazil had so many issues with supply.

Brazil, Chinas other primary source for iron ore, has been forced to reduce its production since earlier this year after severe rains and floods severely impacted mining site output.

Exacerbated by a lack of supply, Chinas unabated demand for the mineral had propelled iron ore prices to an unprecedented US$200 per tonne in May. It continued to stay above that amount throughout June.

A man works in front of a furnace at a steel plant of Dalian Special Steel Co Ltd. in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, on June 20, 2018. (Reuters)

The result has seen Australias economic lifebloodits export industrysurpass a record $40 billion (US$30 billion) in June, of which more than a thirdor around $15 billion (US$11 billion)was from iron ore shipments to China alone.

However, Holden warned that Beijing would not hesitate to switch to a new source of iron ore should the opportunity arise, particularly given it had previously done just that after slapping sanctions on Australian wine, barley, beef, and lobsters.

I think Chinas demonstrated in recent times a willingness to use that leveragetheyve done it with other types of export, where it didnt matter that much to Chinese consumers whether they were drinking French wine or Chilean wine.

If that happens, Id be very worried, Holden said. How likely is it to happen? I think probably not that likely.

Beijing had previously threatened to diversify its sourcing of iron ore, and last month signed a deal that could oversee the development of a massive project in Africa that could deliver 100 million tonnes of iron ore per year.

A laborer works at a cold-rolling mill of the Wuhan Iron & Steel Group on the outskirts of Wuhan, capital of central Chinas Hubei Province, on Aug. 22, 2006. (Alfred Cheng Jin/Reuters)

Australian Strategic Policy Institute Director of Defence, Strategy and National Security, Michael Shoebridge, argued that Australian iron ore had been protected from Chinese state coercion because of its overwhelming value to Chinas own economy.

China, the worlds biggest steelmaker, utilises iron in the production of steel, which sees applications ranging from the construction industry to military-class submarines.

Shoebridge also pointed out that African iron ore mines tended to underperform compared with Australias refined and highly advanced production methods.

The reliability and scale of other producers have not been able to match Australian suppliers, and much of this is unlikely to change fastsovereign risk in a number of African states remains an enduring problem, Shoebridge told The Epoch Times in an email.

Australias comparative advantages from the nature of the deposits and the high technology techniques of the mining companies make Australia the highest volume, most globally competitive producer of iron ore. That is an enduring advantage supported by continual investment, he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the Intelligence Community workforce and its leadership while on a tour at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Va., on July 27, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Announces Strict New COVID-19 Rules for Unvaccinated Federal Workers

The Biden administration on July 29 stated that federal workers and contractors will have to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or else wear masks, engage in social distancing, and submit to regular COVID-19 testing.

Right now, too many people are dying or watching someone they love die and say if Id just got the vaccine, President Joe Biden said in the East Room of the White House. This is an American tragedy. People are dying who dont have to die.

In a statement released by the White House, the administration said the new rules were laid out because of the Delta COVID-19 variant.

Anyone who does not attest to being fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask on the job no matter their geographic location, physically distance from all other employees and visitors, comply with a weekly or twice weekly screening testing requirement, and be subject to restrictions on official travel, the White House stated in a fact sheet.

Those rules, according to the White House, apply also to onsite contractors who work with the federal government. The Biden administration will also recommend the same model to employers across the United States.

Along with the new federal government requirements, the White House stated that Biden would direct the Defense Department to investigate how and when it will require military members to take the vaccine.

As a large employer, the largest in this country, who cares about individuals who keep the government running, we have an obligation to be good stewards of the work force and ensure their health and their safety, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on July 29.

The United States has around 2.18 million civilian employees and 570,000 other employees who work for the U.S. Postal Service, according to federal data. It isnt clear if the Biden administration will apply the mandate to Postal Service workers.

The American Postal Workers Union (AWPU) stated this week that it opposes the administrations vaccine mandate, arguing that it isnt the role of the federal government to mandate vaccines or other testing measures.

Maintaining the health and safety of our members is of paramount importance. While the APWU leadership continues to encourage postal workers to voluntarily get vaccinated, it is not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent, the unions statement reads.

Issues related to vaccinations and testing for COVID-19 in the workplace must be negotiated with the APWU. At this time the APWU opposes the mandating of COVID-19 vaccinations in relation to U.S. postal workers.

Brian Rothenberg, a spokesman for the 397,000-member United Auto Workers, told The Associated Press that while the union encourages workers to get vaccinated, its against mandates because some people have religious or health concerns. Larry Cosme, the head of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, which represents 30,000 federal officers and agents, stated that the shots shouldnt be compelled although the union supports vaccines.

The administrations announcement, meanwhile, comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance this week recommending vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals wear masks in high-transmission areas. Throughout the pandemic, the CDC has stated that people should wear masks, but in May stated that unvaccinated individuals dont need them before it reversed course several days ago.

Some of the nations biggest companies have moved to require vaccinations for their employees. Big tech firms such as Facebook and Google announced that employees would have to show proof theyve been fully vaccinated before returning to work.

About 60 percent of American adults have been fully vaccinated to date. Biden had set a July 4 goal to get at least one COVID-19 shot in 70 percent of adults. The latest figure is about 69 percent.
The Northern Lights, the Milky Way, and a Lyrid meteor at the Bathing House near Howick, Northumberland, Britain, on April 22, 2020. (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Blast Off for UK Space Industry as New Regulations Come Into Force

Space flights and satellite launches can now blast off from UK soil after new regulations came into force, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced.

The rules provide a framework to regulate the space industry and will unlock a potential 4 billion ($5.58 billion) of market opportunities over the next decade, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).

The first launch is expected to take place next year.

It would be the first time a spacecraft or satellite has taken off from a European country, the DfT said.

Many European companies currently launch from a site in French Guiana, South America.

Proposed locations for UK spaceports are Newquay in Cornwall, Snowdonia in North Wales, and the Western Isles, Glasgow, Machrihanish, Sutherland, and Shetland, all in Scotland.

It is hoped the UK space industry will launch satellites to improve satnav systems, and boost the monitoring of weather patterns and climate change.

Space tourism trips and hypersonic flightswhich are faster than the speed of soundwill eventually launch from the UK, the DfT claimed.

Shapps said: We stand on the cusp of the new commercial space age, and this is the blast-off moment for the UKs thriving space industry, demonstrating governments commitment to put Britain at the global forefront of this sector.

These regulations will help create new jobs and bring economic benefits to communities and organisations right across the UK, helping us to level up as we inspire the next generation of space scientists and engineers.

Howard Nye, president of the Royal Aeronautical Society, said it was a landmark day for the UKs space sector.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been formally appointed as regulator of the UK space industry following 18 months of preparation.

The body announced it is ready to receive applications for launch licences.

Colin Macleod, head of UK space regulation at the CAA, said it has built an experienced team working across policy, engineering, and licensing.

He added: We will act in a safe, secure, and sustainable manner to protect the people and property involved, other airspace users, and enable a growing and active space industry.

Safety incidents involving space flights in or over the UK will be investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which already examines aviation accidents.

Crispin Orr, chief inspector of spaceflight accidents, said: Our inspectors will conduct spaceflight investigations with the same rigour, expertise, and professionalism that we are renowned for in aviation.

By Neil Lancefield
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken boards his plane at New Delhi Palam Airport to depart for Kuwait from New Delhi on July 28, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst / POOL / AFP)

Blinken Calls for an Interference-Free Investigation Into the COVID-19 Origin, Backing WHOs Proposal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 28, backing the latters proposal to further investigate the origin of the pandemic, which was believed to have originated in China.

Secretary Blinken affirmed U.S. support for the WHOs plans to conduct additional studies into the COVID-19 origins, including in the Peoples Republic of China, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement issued later yesterday.

According to his release, the top U.S. diplomat called for a timely, evidence-based, transparent, expert-led, and free from interference second-phase investigation, so as to better understand the current situation of the global pandemic and prepare for the future.

Two weeks ago, the public health agency proposed to audit laboratories and wet markets in central Chinese city Wuhan, where the pandemic is thought to have broken out in 2020, as a second phase of investigations.

It comes after the WHO failed to secure transparency and information sharing from the Chinese regime, through a four-week study in and around the central city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers.

Yet the second-phase plan was pushed back by Beijing, claiming the proposal did not respect common sense and violated science.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded on July 22 that Washington is deeply disappointed, calling the position both irresponsible and dangerous.

Blinken emphasized on Wednesday the significance of a joint force from the globe on the international public health crisis.

The earliest documented patient in Wuhan can be traced back to early December 2019. Yet Chinese authorities did not implement the first emergency precautions, until Jan. 23, 2020, when Wuhan imposed a lockdown.

In less than two months, the outbreak was declared a global pandemic.

Australia became the first country to publicly hail global support in April 2020, for an independent and comprehensive investigation into Chinas handling of the initial outbreak.
A masked student at an elementary school in Chula Vista, Calif.. on July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

California Health Officials Join CDC, Recommend Mask Wearing Indoors

LOS ANGELES, Calif.California public health officials July 28 aligned with new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and recommended that everyone wear masks in indoor public settings, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.

The announcement by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is only a recommendation, not a mandate.

The Delta variant has caused a sharp increase in hospitalizations and case rates across the state, Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, CDPH director and state public health officer, said in a statement. We are recommending masking in indoor public places to slow the spread while we continue efforts to get more

Californians vaccinated.

Los Angeles County tightened its public-health order earlier this month, requiring everyone wear masks in indoor public settings whether theyve been vaccinated or not. The move came in response to rising COVID infection numbers blamed on the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Mask-wearing is only required indoors in other Southern California counties for non-vaccinated people, but enforcement is primarily limited to a self-attestation honor system.

The CDC changed its mask-wearing guidance on Tuesday, recommending face coverings for everyone indoors in areas with high or substantial COVID-19 transmission. That includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties.

Thus far, no other Southern California county has followed Los Angeles lead in requiring masks indoors.

According to state health officials, more than 90 percent of Californias population is in areas with high or substantial transmission of COVID-19.
California One-Ups CDC With More Restrictive Masking Guidance

California health officials have issued revised guidelines for mask-wearing that recommend universal masking indoors statewide, a posture that is stricter than updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC on July 27 revised its guidance on masking, citing the threat of the Delta variant, with the agency now recommending fully vaccinated people to mask up indoors in public places if theyre in areas of substantial or high transmission. According to the CDC, most of California falls into that category, though a handful of counties are in moderate and low categories.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on Wednesday announced its updated guidance, urging all Californians statewide to mask up.

To achieve universal masking in indoor public settings, we are recommending that fully vaccinated people also mask in indoor public settings across California, the CDPH notice reads. This adds an extra precautionary measure for all to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, especially in communities currently seeing the highest transmission rates.

While the new guidelines for universal masking are a recommendation, not a mandate, facial coverings are a requirement for all Californians regardless of vaccination in a range of circumstances. This includes people on public transit, indoors in kindergarten through 12th grade schools, in homeless and emergency shelters, in health care and long-term care settings, and in prisons and jails.

CDPH director Dr. Tomas Aragon cited the spread of the more highly transmissible Delta variant as driving the policy shift.

The Delta variant has caused a sharp increase in hospitalizations and case rates across the state. We are recommending masking in indoor public places to slow the spread while we continue efforts to get more Californians vaccinated, Aragon said in a statement Wednesday, according to The Los Angeles Times.

It comes after Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, told reporters on a call July 27 that new data about 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.

Walensky added that this new science is worrisome and warrants an update to our recommendations.

Unlike the Alpha variant that we had back in May where we didnt believe that if you were vaccinated, you could transmit further, this is different now with the Delta variant, Walensky said.

The Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, has been listed as a variant of concern by the CDC, which considers it to be more transmissible and potentially more resistant to vaccines.

While the CDCs revised masking guidance isnt binding, its closely followed by health departments, businesses, and other entities across the country, which often calibrate enforceable policies according to the agencys recommendations.

Mask-wearing amid the COVID-19 pandemic has become a hot-button issue, with some questioning the efficacy of facial coverings and others opposing mandates on grounds of personal liberty. Advocates tend to have taken a better-safe-than-sorry approach in the face of underpowered efficacy studies on mask-wearing, while generally viewing mandates as a minor inconvenience that helps protect people who are prone to serious complications if they get infected.
A U.S. Customs and Protection vehicle stands beside a sign reading that the border is closed to non-essential traffic at the Canada-U.S. border crossing at the Thousand Islands Bridge in Lansdowne, Ontario, Canada, on Sept. 28, 2020. (Lars Hagberg/Reuters)

Canada Border Guards Vote to Strike Days Ahead of Reopening to US Tourists

VANCOUVERCanadian border guards and customs officials voted Tuesday to go on strike just days before fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents will be allowed into Canada, unions representing the workers said, a move that could potentially cause disruptions and hurt businesses emerging out of the pandemic-driven economic downturn.

A strike would slow down commercial traffic at the land border, the unions said, as well as impact international mail and collection of duties and taxes. But a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said 90 percent of the front-line border services officers have been identified as essential, and will continue to work in the event of a strike.

Last week, Canada announced plans to allow fully vaccinated Americans on Aug. 9, and fully vaccinated international travelers starting on Sept. 7. The border has been shut for non-essential travel for more than 16 months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) said in a joint statement that strike action could begin as soon as Aug. 6, after 8,500 members voted in favor of the action. Contract talks reached an impasse in December 2020, the unions said.

Prior to the pandemic, tourism was the fifth-largest industry in Canada, contributing C$105 billion ($83.4 billion) to the GDP and providing one in ten jobs, according to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

Corinne Pohlmann, senior vice president of national affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said a strike would compound issues faced by small businesses throughout the pandemicslow shipping times, lack of customers, rising costs.

Its not favorable at all for a lot of small businesses relying on either goods coming across the border or people coming across the border, Pohlmann said, calling the timing of the strike extremely unfortunate.

But CIU President Mark Weber told Reuters that the union didnt plan this strike to coincide with the reopening of the U.S. border, pointing out that the unions began the strike vote before we even knew what day the borders would be opening on.

Weber is still hopeful theyll be able to make a deal with the federal government without going on strike. Their demands include higher pay, the ability to carry their guns in areas like airports and to address issues of toxic workplaces, he said.

The federal government is disappointed that PSAC rejected a fair offer for its members, but remains open to returning to the bargaining table at any time, a government spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

CBSA spokesperson Judith Gadbois-St-Cyr said officers have proven their resilience since the beginning of the pandemic by helping to prevent the spread of the virus and its variants.

We expect that our officers will continue to fulfill their duties with the highest level of integrity and professionalism.

By Moira Warburton
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)

CBP in Rio Grande Apprehend Largest Group of Illegal Immigrants This Year

Texas Border Patrol agents stationed in the Rio Grande Valley Sector have encountered more than 800 illegal immigrants within a 24-hour period, including what officials described as the largest group apprehended thus far, this year.

The two large groups were encountered by border agents on Tuesday and the first batch of aliens attempting to illegally enter the United States was taken into custody in the morning.

At the time, [this] was the largest group encountered this summer, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a press release. Many within the group suffered from dehydration and exhaustion, they added.

The group consisted of 336 immigrants of which 328 were family members. The remaining eight were unaccompanied children. The majority were coming from Guatemala.

Border Patrol Emergency Medical Technicians responded and provided medical assistance to those in need before being sent to the hospital for further treatment, officials said.

A group of 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)

Later that day, border agents working near Hidalgo in Texas located the single largest group so far this year. The Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector (RGV) started to track large groups of illegal immigrants in 2007 and Tuesdays encounter was by far, one of the largest to date.

The group consisted of 509 immigrants which included 331 family members; 115 unaccompanied children and 63 single adults, the agency said.

These apprehensions account for the single largest group apprehended thus far, this year, they noted, adding that the group consisted of immigrants coming from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

The RGV also said that at the time of the statements publication, the agency has made more than 700 rescues of immigrants.

From the river to ranchlands, our agents are doing everything they can to locate and rescue individuals who are lost or distressed, and we are witnessing firsthand that migrants are experiencing the worst as their trek to the border is unforgiving, RGV Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings said.

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)

Border agents said they are continually discovering unusually large groups of illegal aliens in the area trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in significant numbers.

According to CBP, around 1 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border since President Joe Biden took office, with numbers in June seeing another increase compared to the prior month which already had record-high numbers. Last month, agents apprehended 188,829 people illegally crossing the border, up from 180,034 in May, according to CBP. That averages 6,294 apprehensions per day for the month.

In some border sectors, particularly the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, the Border Patrol facilities have been so overwhelmed that many individuals werent released with the common Notice to Appear document that states a date and time to appear in court. Rather, they received a Notice to Report, which is an honor system that requires the person to check in at their closest ICE facility within 60 days.

Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report.

From NTD News
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 9, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

CDC New Mask Guidance Based on Vaccine Not Approved in America: GOP Leader

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) recent mask guidance update is based on a study that evaluated the efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine thats not approved in America.

I just left speaking with Dr. Monahan from the House. He said he used the CDC recommendation on a report that hasnt been printed yet, McCarthy said on the House floor, referring to Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician of Congress.

He did not know that the report is based upon India, about a vaccine thats not approved in America, and now he did not know that it didnt even pass peer-review.

The CDC report, published July 27, notes that studies from India with vaccines not authorized for use in the United States have noted relatively high viral loads and larger cluster sizes associated with infections with Delta, regardless of vaccination status, referring to the COVID-19 Delta variant. According to the CDC, the data suggests that breakthrough Delta infections are transmissible.

McCarthy argued that its likely that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other top doctors werent aware of the CDCs report.

Thats why vaccinated people in this House now have to wear a mask. There is no science, but I guess the Speaker must have not known that. Why wouldnt the Speaker know the facts? Do you know what frustrates Americans the most? Hypocrisy, he said.

Some experts have questioned whether the CDC would provide data for its recommendation that unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals wear masks in high-transmission areas.

In the text of its masking guidance, the agency cited CDC COVID-19 Response Team, unpublished data, 2021. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky spoke to reporters on July 27 and cited new scientific data but provided few details.

A spokesperson for the CDC told The Epoch Times on July 28 that the studies the agency cited to make its mask recommendation havent yet been published.

Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health, told The Washington Post that the agency is making a claim that people with Delta [variant] who are vaccinated and unvaccinated have similar levels of viral load, but nobody knows what that means.

Its meaningless unless we see the data, he said.

Another expert questioned whether an increase in breakthrough cases of the virus could be attributed to the efficacy of the vaccine in the long term, rather than newer variants.

If were seeing more breakthroughs, is it just because the virus is better and the vaccines dont hold up quite as well, or is the efficacy of the vaccines beginning to wane, independent of the Delta [variant]? Robert Wachter, chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco, asked the Post. This is three-dimensional chess, theres a hundred things going on at the same time.
David Kilgour, a former MP and secretary of state for Asia-Pacific, speaks at a press conference ahead of a House of Commons session to debate a bill on organ trafficking, S-240, in Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada, on Nov. 20, 2018. (Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times)

Chinas Grotesque Commerce Involving Human Organs Must End: Expert

Foreigners who venture to China to receive life-saving organ transplants may not know that theyre feeding a grotesque commerce involving the large-scale murder of innocent prisoners of conscience.

Thats according to former Canadian MP David Kilgour, co-author of Bloody Harvest: Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China, who spoke at a July 28 webinar hosted by the Anticommunism Action Team (ACAT).

In a hypothetical example that Kilgour gave, a critically ill patient in New York might reach out to an organ broker to book a transplant, then find himself being flown to Shanghai. Someone takes his blood, and within a short time, a donor with a matching blood type is found and the patient is told that hell soon receive a new vital organ from a voluntary donor.

Unbeknownst to the patient, chances are that the organ has come from a prisoner of conscience who has suffered inhumane treatment under the Chinese communist regime.

Among about 200 countries today, theres only one, the Peoples Republic of China, where the organ harvesting is run by the government in the state, Kilgour said. The system is run by the government for the benefit of the government and the people who do the operations.

Chinas persecution of prisoners of conscience is driving its industrial-scale operation involving hundreds of hospitals to supply forcibly harvested organs to the transplant market. Kilgour said that this grotesque commerce must end, and he said the U.S. government and all other responsible governments must take action.

If we had other democracies show more commitment to our core values, this despicable commerce  would end, I believe, more quickly, Kilgour said.

He offered some suggestions, including the application of Magnitsky sanctions on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials responsible for organ harvesting.

Any deal with China on any matter must include an insistence that the barbaric practice is stopped immediately, coupled with a mechanism whereby such stoppages can be verified, Kilgour said.

For decades, the Chinese regime sourced organs from executed prisoners before it announced that such practices would end in January 2015. Now Beijing claims it relies on a system of voluntary donations for the countrys organ transplantation.

However, a London-based peoples tribunal refuted the CCPs claim, in a 2019 report. It concluded that the stated-sanctioned practice of forced organ harvesting was happening on a significant scale in China, with Falun Gong practitioners being the main source of organs.

Adherents of Falun Gong, a self-cultivation practice involving moral teachings and gentle meditative exercises, have been the targets of persecution by the Chinese regime since 1999. Since then, millions of Falun Gong adherents have been held in prisons, labor camps, psychiatric hospitals, and other detention facilities in China.

Jennifer Zenga Falun Gong adherent, a YouTube host, and a contributor to The Epoch Timesalso spoke at the webinar. She described how she was nearly a victim of Chinas organ harvesting while she was detained in a labor camp in the early 2000s because of her beliefs.

Zeng recalled that she and other Falun Gong adherents were subjected to repeated physical check-ups, including X-rays and blood tests. She said she never heard back about the test results, and at the time, she questioned all the money and effort going into the examinations.

It was only after 2006, the year when allegations of forced organ harvesting from detained Falun Gong adherents first emerged, that she realized the physical examinations were done to build a live organ database, and that she had narrowly escaped becoming an organ harvesting victim.

Zeng speculated that her organs werent harvested because she told doctors during her imprisonment that she had hepatitis C, which would have made her unfit to be an organ donor. She fled China in 2001 for Australia, and she now lives in the United States.

ACAT founder Chris Wright said at the webinar that people can take actions to ensure that the United States is combative and not complicit in the heinous practice of forced organ harvesting.

One such action is signing an online petition calling on Congress to swiftly approve legislation that combats forced organ harvesting and human trafficking. Two bills with such intent were introduced in March.

If approved, the legislation would authorize the U.S. government to deny or revoke passports for people who engage in the illegal purchase of organs. It would also prohibit the U.S. export of organ transplant surgery devices to foreign entities associated with the crime.

Theyre looking for more co-sponsors for the bills in the House and the Senate, Wright said.

The Senate bill (S.602) was introduced by Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), while the House bill (H.R.1592) was introduced by Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and is now co-sponsored by 17 Republicans and two Democrats.

So talk to your representative about co-sponsorship, Wright said.

Eva Fu contributed to this report.
Qin Gang is at a press brief in Beijing on Feb. 10, 2007. (China Photos/Getty Images)

Chinas New Ambassador to US Tones Down Rhetoric Days After Testy USChina Meetings

The Chinese regimes new envoy to the United States adopted a placating tone upon his arrival in Washington on July 28, just two days after high-ranking Chinese diplomats denounced a visiting Biden official over a range of alleged U.S. wrongdoings.

Qin Gang, a veteran diplomat, called for continued engagement between the two countries. The ambassador, in remarks posted on the website of the Chinese Embassy, emphasized that he would bring ChinaU.S. relations back on track, turning the way for the two countries to get along with each other  from a possibility into a reality.

Qins arrival comes as the United States and allies step up actions countering the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over a range of aggressions, including its state-sponsored theft of foreign technology, its human rights abuses, and its ongoing obstruction to a virus origins probe.

The ambassadors conciliatory note stood in stark contrast with the hostile tone set by his colleagues during meetings with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman earlier this week in the Chinese port city of Tianjin.

The regimes Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng told Sherman on July 26 that the United States should change its highly misguided mindset, and accused the administration of treating Beijing as an imaginary enemy.

The Tianjin meetings mirrored a testy public confrontation earlier this year when the CCPs top foreign affairs official lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan at a meeting in Alaska.

CCP diplomats have adopted a belligerent rhetorical style, dubbed wolf warrior diplomacy, in an attempt to defend Beijing and deflect attention away from swelling global criticism directed at the regimes various predations, analysts say.

The 55-year-old Qin gained a reputation for his sharp rhetoric employed in retorts to Western criticism of the regime while serving as a spokesman of Chinas Foreign Affairs Ministry from 2005 to 2010 and again from 2011 to 2014.

In 2009, in response to a question about why YouTube was being blocked in China, Qin told reporters that the internet in China was fully opened.

As for what you can and cannot watch, watch what you can watch, and dont watch what you cannot watch, he said.

His combative style won him praise domestically, with state-run media trumpeting his comments as proof that the Chinese regime was full of confidence and not afraid of other governments or international organizations criticisms.

In February, in response to a German journalists question about Beijings wolf warrior diplomacy at a press briefing in Beijing, Qin struck a strident tone, saying that other countries and peoples who blatantly smeared China are evil wolves.

Before replacing his predecessor Cui Tiankai, Qin worked directly with China leader Xi Jinping while heading the Foreign Ministrys Protocol Department. Qin has also accumulated experience by accompanying Xi on his overseas trips since 2014.

Qin served as one of Chinas nine vice foreign ministers from 2018 to 2021. Since joining the foreign ministry in 1988, Qin has steadily risen from junior aide to the vice minister responsible for overseeing European affairs and protocol. But Qin doesnt have experience in Washington.

The new envoy is on a 14-day quarantine at the embassy residence and will get down to work soon, according to his Twitter account on July 29.
Investigators examine a damaged car at the site of a firing incident, in Karachi, Pakistan, on July 28, 2021. (Fareed Khan/AP)

Chinese National Shot and Wounded in Pakistans Karachi

KARACHI, PakistanA Chinese national was shot and wounded in an attack in Pakistans largest city Karachi on Wednesday, July 28, police said, two weeks after nine Chinese workers were killed when an explosion sent their bus over a ravine in the north of the country.

Wednesdays victim and another Chinese national were being driven to Karachis industrial area when they were attacked, police deputy inspector general Javed Akbar Riaz said.

Two men wearing face masks riding a motorcycle carried out the shooting, Riaz told Reuters, adding that the passengers in the car were travelling without a police escort.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

A police officer examines a damaged car at the site of a firing incident, in Karachi, Pakistan, on July 28, 2021. (Fareed Khan/AP)

China is a close ally and major investor in Pakistan, and various militants opposed to the Pakistani government have in the past attacked Chinese projects and citizens.

As many as 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals working on a dam project, were killed when their bus was hit by an explosion in Kohistan, northwest Pakistan, on July 14.

Pakistan initially blamed a mechanical failure but later said traces of explosives had been found and terrorism could not be ruled out. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang described it as a terrorist attack and urged his Pakistani counterpart to hold the culprits accountable.

The Chinese workers killed on the bus were employed at the Dasu hydroelectric project, part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment plan aiming to link western China to the southern Pakistani port of Gwadar.

CPEC, part of Beijings massive Belt and Road Initiative, has brought thousands of Chinese workers and engineers to work in Pakistan over the last six years.

It was not clear if the Chinese national shot on Wednesday was linked to any CPEC project.
Xiaomi's Mi4i smart phone and Mi Band fitness tracker. Security weaknesses on many popular fitness trackers may allow hackers to access or potentially manipulate user data, a study showed. (MONEY SHARMA/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese Smartphone Maker Xiaomi Leaps to Second Place Globally as Biden Administration Removes It From Blacklist

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, which was taken off the blacklist by the Biden administration in May, became the worlds second-largest smartphone maker in the second quarter of 2021, overtaking Huawei domestically and Apple globally, by expanding its overseas business through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

According to a July 15 report by market research firm Canalys Research, Samsung ranked first with 19 percent, Xiaomi second with 17 percent, and Apple third with 14 percent in global smartphone market share in the second quarter of this year. The other two Chinese brands, Vivo and OPPO, ranked fourth and fifth respectively.

Xiaomi is expanding rapidly in Latin America, Africa, and Western Europe, with shipments up 300 percent, 150 percent, and 50 percent respectively compared to the same period last year.

According to Canalys research manager Ben Stanton, Xiaomi has adopted a 40 percent lower price than Samsung in order to attract more customers, hoping to one day replace Samsung as the worlds largest cell phone supplier.

Communist Chinese Military Companies

During the Trump administration, Xiaomi was identified as having close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)s military, and the company was placed on a blacklist by the Department of Defense on Jan. 14.

Xiaomi was among the 44 companies labeled as Communist Chinese Military Companies by the Pentagon.

However, the Biden administration officially removed Xiaomi from the list on May 12.

Sanctions were also imposed on Chinese telecom giant Huawei by the Trump administration, and they are still in place, which has given Xiaomi an opportunity to fill the void vacated by Huawei.

In China, its no secret that the CCP authorities ask big tech companies to cooperate with the military.

In 2019, Chinese state media Peoples Daily explicitly stated that The synergistic innovation of military and civilian science and technology must draw on integration. To significantly enhance the countrys innovative power, we must break the military-civilian division and realize a deep integration between them.

Keith Krach, a Silicon Valley veteran and former undersecretary of state for Economic Growth, Energy, & Environment, says the Biden administration should continue to crack down on Chinese companies such as Xiaomi and unite global strategic partners against these Chinese companies on cybersecurity issues.

General Secretary Xi uses military-backed companies like Baidu, Tencent, Alibaba, and Xiaomi to grow the CCPs influence while dangerously abandoning global technology trust standards, Krach told The Epoch Times.

In addition, Xiaomis development is also leveraged to complement the CCPs global expansion strategy through the BRI.

Back in 2018, Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi, told Chinese and foreign journalists at the CCPs State Council Information Office that Xiaomi hopes to rapidly expand its overseas business through the BRI.

As a delegate to the CCPs rubber-stamp legislature, Lei proposed the development of satellite internet and commercial space industries at meetings in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Both are key development industries controlled by the communist regime.
Communism Is a Cult, Says Music Producer Upon New Song Release

A new song dedicated to the victims of unprecedented persecution of faith under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) honors the perseverance of these spiritual believers and highlights the regimes crimes against humanity.

Voices is the debut solo album by Jankovsky, a daring music producer fresh out of Abbey Road Institute in London and former drummer for Ebony Bones. The thought-provoking lyrics are co-written by Vic May, an emerging British pop artist and songwriter.

Voices are the voices of those we cannot hear, Jankovsky, 33, told The Epoch Times. The song talks about the importance of knowing the truth and remembering that evil cannot touch your heart if your faith is strong.

Communism is a cult, a form of perverted religion that has a tremendous impact on human thinking and can justify committing all types of crimes in the name of their ideology. People should pay attention to these issues because they are a serious threat to our fundamental principles of freedom and human rights in general. For me, the CCP is the opposite of freedom.

Songwriter May added: China isnt an isolated country. The CCP has invested in businesses, universities, schools, and governments globally. If we dont stand up for these innocent victims, it inevitably will affect all of us.

The music video Voices exposes the true nature of the CCP. (Courtesy of Alisa Aronson)

The almost six-minute song talks about the true nature of the CCP and draws inspiration from the life story of the woman who features in the animated film, Up We Soar. The video begins with the hard-hitting message of how life can be misleading when you dont call for the truth.

In the film, we see that while endeavoring to honor her faith, the resilient womanan imprisoned teacher who believed in the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, and toleranceendured torture for seven years; the persecution deprived her little daughter of any motherly care. Facing endless abuse while being incarcerated along with murderers, drug dealers, and other criminal inmates, the woman remained steadfast in her faith and continued to be courageous in the darkest of times.

Its so important for people to know about the persecution, May said. Not just because freedom of belief is a fundamental human right, not just because the scale of the persecution is so huge and so horrendous, but also because truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance are universal principles and should belong to all of us.

Jankovsky added: We should value our traditions and not abandon the past when it comes to moral values. I believe this will help us become better in the long run.

Jankovsky says his own family had lived through the impacts of a totalitarian reign firsthand. He was born in the small town of Tartu in the northern European country of Estonia, and then moved to the capital city Tallinn.

My family experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, as a result, theyamong more than 20 million Russiansmigrated to neighboring countries in search of a safer and more stable future, he said.

In Estonia, there were many people who fell under the brutal rule of the Soviet regime and were deported to labor camps in Siberia, a lot of them were educated professionals, academics, military personnel. Many suffered under the communist dictatorship.

His great-grandparents lived during the days of Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin. Reflecting back on the historical legacy of the socialist-communist era, he says that one can now see it was one big propaganda machine that cut people off from common sense and made them act extremely fanatical.

Jankovsky, who is currently working at a local radio station in Estonia as a music producer and sound engineer, credits his parents and family traditions for his natural talent; his mother studied classical piano as a teenager, and his dad played guitar. Raised in a family with musical roots, he seamlessly inherited the love and passion for music.

With his natural sense of music, he dreamed of playing in a band. After attending music school and studying drumming, the then-teenager attended a university to learn orchestral conducting. At the age of 16, Jankovsky joined his first band. Within the next five years, the group bought a one-way ticket to London in the hope of a better future.

However, when things fell through, Jankovsky joined a famous Afrobeat electronic band that allowed him to tour the world and perform on foreign stages in countries such as Russia, the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, gaining invaluable experience. After graduating from Abbey Road Institute in London in 2019 and becoming a qualified music producer and sound engineer, he returned to his home country.

Jankovsky, 33, music producer and sound engineer in Estonia. (Courtesy of Igor Jankovsky)

In a challenge to express creatively and write something original whilst practicing composition, sound design, production, and mixing skills, Jankovskys first solo album Voices was born.

I wanted to boil the whole thing down to some principle which I could refer to and feel connected to, he said. What got me inspired aside from coming back home to Estonia after 10 years of living in London was Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice that has been violently persecuted in China since July 20, 1999. It comprises five meditative exercises and moral teachings based on truthfulness, compassion, tolerance. In the last 22 years of persecution, tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been unlawfully imprisoned, persecuted, and even tortured to death by the CCP.

Jankovsky, who began practicing the peaceful meditation system just a year ago, in 2020, said that the first time he heard of the persecution, it just didnt make any sense to him.

In Europe and around the world, you can practice any faith you want, let alone be imprisoned or tortured for it, he said. The actions of the Chinese Communist Party send a clear signal to the world that they do not tolerate humanity, that they are acting contrary to the very principle of human rights and freedom.

This is an iron dome of fear, and I know this firsthand because my family grew up during the time of socialism in Soviet Russia.

Jankovsky and May believe that the world needs to become aware of and stand up against the ongoing persecution of faith as people in China do not have the ability to deal with it on their own.

People living under that regime really have to seek truth and look outside of what the CCP says, May said. Its not easy for them as they are indoctrinated by their government from a very young age.

With the CCPs ideological propaganda penetrating all sections of society, and due to the Great Firewall that blocks factual and truthful information from overseas, Jankovsky stresses that it is important for people in Western countries to take a stand by signing petitions to help put an end to communism and by raising awareness about its crimes against humanity.

There is a moral standard here, namely: you cannot persecute and kill people who practice meditation, let alone sell their organs, this is simply wrong, he said. Firm faith in the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, tolerance can develop great compassion and kindness towards each other, and it will be apparent that we must not put up with such injustice.

Voices is a collective effort in spreading facts about what happened in China on July 20th, 1999.

Falun Gong is currently taking a big hit to reveal the true nature of the CCP. This is a very dreadful experience for many people in these camps right now, so we have to do something about it immediately, he concluded.

You can watch the full song video here.

Arshdeep Sarao contributed to this report.
Coroner Identifies Shooter in California Standoff That Killed Sheriffs Deputy, 3 Others

LOS ANGELESAuthorities have identified the shooter involved in a California standoff that killed a sheriffs deputy and three others who were held hostage in a San Joaquin Valley home.

The shooter, identified Tuesday as Jose Manuel Ramirez Jr., was fatally shot by Kern County sheriffs deputies. He had a history of arrests on domestic violence offenses and a restraining order was supposed to have prohibited him from having guns and approaching the home where the attack occurred Sunday in Wasco, a small community in the middle of farm fields northwest of Bakersfield.

The sheriffs office has not said what led to the deadly shootings or the specifics of the 41-year-olds previous arrests. He had been armed with an AK-47 style rifle and a handgun on Sunday.

The county coroner identified the victims who were held hostage inside the home as Ramirezs sons, 24-year-old Jose Manuel Ramirez III and 17-year-old Angel Manuel Ramirez, and their mother, Viviana Ruiz Ramirez, 42. Autopsies are pending.

Sheriffs Deputy Phillip Campas, 35, was also fatally shot by Ramirez. Another deputy survived his gunshot wounds.

Two women and two girls, believed to be acquaintances of the victims, were able to escape the home safely.

Ruiz Ramirez had filed the restraining ordereffective June 3against Ramirez, but authorities have not disclosed what prompted her to do so.

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 Monday, and, quite frankly, how a restraining order is not bulletproof.

By Stefanie Dazio
Doctor Calls for More Transparency on Assisted Suicide Legislation

As changes to Californias assisted suicide End of Life Options Act are proposed to state legislators, a physician is calling for more transparency.

I dont think that physicians should be in the business of trying to deliberately end life, Dr. James Grisolia, a San Diego neurologist, told The Epoch Times. Its our job to keep people comfortable and try to give them a sense of empowerment.

In 2016, the End of Life Options Act (EOLA) legislation, also known as AB 15, took effect. The bill, spearheaded by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), gives terminally ill patients the right to assisted suicide. While it was originally meant to sunset on Jan. 1, 2026, SB 380 would extend the act indefinitely.

The current act requires qualified patients to wait 15 days to receive the lethal drug, but SB 380 would reduce the waiting period to 48 hours.

Under the existing legislation, those suffering from a terminal illness must receive medical confirmation that death will occur within six months in order to qualify for assisted suicide.

Its always going to be kind of a guess on the part of the physician as to how long somebody has, Grisolia said. Apart from that, we dont really have any kind of independent medical records or anything to verify that physicians are actually using it for the way the laws intended.

According to documents provided by the California Department of Public Health, for a patient to be eligible for the act, physicians must determine if the person has a terminal disease, is a California resident, is acting voluntarily, and can make their own medical decisions.

A patients mental health also plays a role in a physicians decision-making process.

Grisolia expressed concern over the lack of verification once a physician checks all the boxes to determine a patients eligibility, including the possibility of falsifying claims.

He highlighted situations where family members applied pressure to others to consider assisted suicide or circumstances where people felt as if they were a burden to those around them.

Rather than having people use that as a reason to check out, it would be nicer to support that person in their life, their home, and with their family so that they dont have to use these means to end their life, Grisolia said. Were all concerned about being a burden on other people, but there are better ways of alleviating it than just checking out.

When it comes to the conditions within the EOLA, Grisolia said he wants more information, including more detailed knowledge about whether the lethal process is safe, and whether people are being coerced into choosing the option.

With unknown factors regarding the drug, Grisolia said its too soon to move forward with additional changes to the act.

A lot of problems or unsafe things happen, and people should know that before they make a longer-term decision, he said.

If patients self-determine to end their own lives, organizations such as the Hemlock Society, End of Life Choices, and Death with Dignity assist in providing people with the resources they need to do so.

Nearly 2,000 terminally ill individuals with six months or less to live have received a prescription for aid-in-dying medication since the legislation took effect in 2016, according to data collected by the California Department of Public Health through Dec. 31, 2019.

Compassion and Choices Action Network, a nonprofit that helps people with their end of life journey, praised SB 380s efforts to reduce the waiting period for the terminally ill.

Californias legislature has taken a bold and compassionate step towards bringing peace of mind to many terminally ill Californians and their families, said Samantha Trad, California senior campaign director for Compassion and Choices Action Network. We look forward to working with the Assembly to pass this important bill and deliver it to Gov. [Gavin] Newsoms desk.
The Ever Given container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March, docks in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on July 29, 2021. (Eva Plevier/Reuters)

Ever Given, the Ship That Blocked the Suez Canal, Arrives in Rotterdam

ROTTERDAMThe container ship Ever Given, which got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days in March, arrived in the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Thursday after being released by authorities in Egypt.

It was scheduled to dock at Rotterdams ECT Delta terminal for unloading until Aug. 3 before departing for Felixstowe, England, the port said.

The vessel, one of the worlds largest container ships, became jammed across the canal in high winds on March 23, halting traffic in both directions and disrupting global trade.

Roughly 15 percent of world shipping traffic transits the Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

The 400-meter (1,312-foot) vessel, which is carrying about 18,300 containers, left Egypt on July 7, 106 days after becoming wedged across a southern section of the waterway.

By Anthony Deutsch
Kids do school work at their family home and cattle property on April 05, 2020 in Tarpoly Creek, Australia. (Getty Images)

Extremely Harmful: Push to Teach Sex Ed to Aussie Primary School Students Met With Heavy Criticism

The Australian governments push to teach primary school students about consent, relationships, and gender diversity has attracted heavy criticism from parents who worry about the unhealthy impact it will have on young children.

According to the revised Health and Physical Education curriculum that will be finalised by the end of 2021, students from years 3-6 will start learning about consent and sexuality, such as setting personal boundaries, challenging gender identities and applying strategies to give permission in different situations, such as when sharing photos online.

The groundwork of giving permission like saying no to inappropriate touching will be laid in children as early as in years 1 and 2.

Janice Atkin, who leads the curriculum review, said that these contents are merely suggested as a way of starting the conversation, before the kids go on to explore sexual consent, online intimacy, breaking up, gender diversity, and pregnancy prevention methods, etc from year 7-10.

So we want this conversation to be more than just about giving consent around sexual interactions. We want it to be about learning the skill of taking control of their bodies almost from a very young age, she said in an online webinar in June.

They have a right to learn and that those skills and understandings are going to serve them well not just as young people, but going into the later lives as well.

But whether students learning those skills would suffer any adverse effects on their mentality and behaviour was not broached by any of the experts on the panel, and it should be argued, said Glenn Fahey, an Education Policy researcher at the Centre for Independent Studies.

Early sex education can have a high tendency for unintended consequences, Fahey said while noting that any education policy should be guided by evidence-based studies, not emotional concerns.

We dont really have many evidence-based studies of the effects [of these programs] on the development of young people, he told The Epoch Times, Thats partly the reason why we should be cautious when it comes to these things.

The truth is that some children are exposed to different things at very different times, so having a one size fits all approach with the curriculum is just an example of why some of these issues are not well suited to be taught in the education system.

While many sex education proponents claim it will reduce sexual violence and prevent unwanted health outcomes, he said trying to draw a causal relationship with sex ed as a preventative force is very hard.

The causes are very complex and are related to really complex home conditions, and its hard to say that education is a very effective cure when it comes to these issues.

In fact, according to a US research re-examining the evidence for CSE in schools, sex education programs can produce harmful effects on children as they can either increase teen sexual experimentation, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), number of sex partners, sexual activities, forced intercourse, or they decrease condom use in participants.

One of the main reasons include inappropriate sex ed materials, the paper revealed.

In a program that increased the rate of teen sex, secondary school students engaged in a role-play, asking each other sensitive questions such as I think we should do more than just kissing and touching, or If we use a condom, it will spoil the mood.

The research also found that most pro-sex ed studies set low or unclear criteria for measuring the programs success, such as neglecting the long-term impact on childrens behaviour. Some reviews also ignored strong evidence about a programs ineffectiveness while they disproportionally reported on a significant effect of a single study.

The concept of sex education was first introduced to the world by Hungarian Marxist Gyorgy Lukacs, founder of the Frankfurt School, who saw the program as a way to expose younger generations to the idea that marriage was an outdated human construct and about the concept of free love.

Parents Pushing Back

The experts do note that the new program for early sex education, which is suggested to be performed without parental consent, is receiving massive pushbacks from parents.

Vietnamese-Australian mother Mai Nguyen is one of them. The Sydney-based teacher who has a 10-year-old daughter said educating kids about sex-related issues is the responsibility of parents, not the school.

40-year-old mum Mai Nguyen with her 10-year-old daughter Han Nguyen on July 28, 2021, in Sydney, Australia (supplied).

The term knowledge here is used as a protective shield to hide the fact that these programs will morally corrupt our next generations, she argued.

Nguyen added that sex ed often stimulates and takes advantage of kids intense curiosity to make them indulge in unhealthy topics.

Sex ed programs are based on the assumption that extramarital sexual activities are unavoidable. By doing this, they are normalising, desensitising, then popularising these phenomenons, eventually making them happen on a larger scale, she said, This is extremely harmful.

The solution should be teaching kids about virtue and moral aspects of marriage instead.
A sign at the Mall of America, the largest mall in the United States, is seen in a file photo. (Tim Gans/AFP/Getty Images)

Family of Boy Thrown From Mall of America Balcony Files Lawsuit

MINNEAPOLISThe family of a boy who was thrown off a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in April 2019 has filed a lawsuit accusing the mall of failing to provide proper security.

The complaint filed Tuesday says the mall and its security detail knew about the previous violent, aggressive, and erratic behavior displayed at the shopping center by the boys attacker, Emmanuel Aranda. Security should have have prevented Aranda from prowling at the building without an officer following him closely, the suit said. Aranda was allegedly banned from the mall twice in previous years.

The boy, identified only as Landen, was 5 years old when he was thrown nearly 40 feet to the ground by Aranda, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison for attempted first-degree murder. Aranda told investigators he went to the Bloomington, Minnesota, mall looking for someone to kill after women had rejected his advances.

Emmanuel Aranda, who threw a 5-year-old boy over a Mall of America balcony, listens as Judge Jeannice Reding hands out a 19-year sentence at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 3, 2019. (Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP)

The suit seeks unspecified damages. Mark Briol, an attorney for the family, said that while the child has made remarkable progress, the family has incurred more than $1.7 million in medical expenses and faces ongoing medical and health challenges.

Mall officials said in a release that such suits are not unexpected and they will try to find a resolution for all parities.

From the day that this tragic event happened, our concern has been focused on Landen and his well-being, the statement said. We are thankful for his ongoing and continued recovery. We cant imagine how traumatic this ordeal has been for Landen, his family, and friends.
Former Oregon Lawmaker Gets Probation In State Capitol Breach Incident

A former Oregon lawmaker on Tuesday pleaded guilty to one count of official misconduct and was sentenced to 18 months probation for letting anti-lockdown protesters into the state Capitol last year, according to local reports.

Mike Nearman, a Republican who in June was expelled from the Oregon Congress for his role in the Dec. 21, 2020 breach, will have to complete 80 hours of community service and is banned from the Capitol building and grounds, according to The Statesman Journal. He is also required to pay around $3,000 in court fees and fines.

Speaking before Marion County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Pellegrini, the former lawmaker admitted he let protesters into the Capitol building, which at the time was closed to the public for a special legislative session on COVID-19 relief measures.

I think that the citizens were allowed to be in the Capitol, so I was letting them in, Nearman told the judge, adding that he didnt support what they did when they entered, according to The Statesman Journal.

According to surveillance footage released by the Capitol in the aftermath of the Dec. 21 breach, Nearman appeared to hold open a door to the building, allowing protesters to rush inside. A scuffle with police ensued, leaving several officers injured and thousands of dollars in damage to the building.

Following the incident, Nearman was charged with official misconduct and criminal trespass, both misdemeanors. Under Nearmans plea deal, the court dropped the criminal trespass charge.

On April 30, following the announcement of criminal charges filed again Nearman, Oregon House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner issued a call for Nearmans resignation.

Given todays charges, its clear that hes got to go. I urge every one of my colleagues, in every caucus, to call this out for what it is and join me in demanding that Nearman resign immediately, Smith Warner said in a statement, according to Oregon Live.

Nearman was later expelled from the Oregon Congress for his role in the incident, with the move being the first-ever lawmakers expulsion in Oregons 162 years of statehood.

In a 591 vote on House Resolution 3 (pdf)with Nearman casting the sole vote againstOregon House lawmakers voted for his expulsion, concluding that the Republican had engaged in disorderly behavior.
Georgia Seeks Dismissal of Department of Justice Lawsuit Over Voting Law

The state of Georgia asked a judge on July 28 to toss a case brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) over a voting law passed earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp.

The federal lawsuit fails to plead a legally cognizable claim under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, wrote in the 37-page filing in The United States v. The State of Georgia.

Legal precedent holds that discriminatory results must be found to affirm a violation of the act, Carr said.

The Court will search in vain for such allegations in the complaint because DOJ cannot plausibly allege that SB 202 has any discriminatory results.

Even if discriminatory intent was actionable, the Department of Justice complaint fails to present facts showing such intent, instead relying on innuendo and hyperbole, according to the filing.

The filing also asserts that the complaint couldnt survive the Supreme Courts recent decision in Brnovich v. the Democratic National Committee, in which the nations top court stated that mere inconvenience cannot be enough to demonstrate a violation of the Voting Rights Act.

Indeed, Brnovich so forecloses this action that it raises the question why DOJ is still pursuing it. One answer, again, is politics: The complaint was filed just three days after voting reforms advanced by U.S. Senate Democrats and the administration failed on the Senate floor. But regardless of actual motive, the complaint lacks the most basic allegations to support a Section 2 claim. It must therefore be dismissed, Carr said.

In a separate motion, the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senate Committee, and the Georgia Republican Party also asked the judge overseeing the case to throw it out, offering similar arguments.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr speaks at a news conference in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 3, 2020. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

The DOJ sued Georgia last month over the states Election Integrity Act, or Senate Bill 2020, alleging that the law violated the Voting Rights Act.

Federal lawyers said the law created burdensome provisions for mail-in voting, claiming that they were adopted with the aim of denying or infringing upon the right to vote on account of race.

U.S. District Judge Jean-Paul Boulee, a Trump appointee, is overseeing the case.

Georgias attempt to have the case dismissed came on the same day the DOJ indicated that it might sue states that return to voting regulations that were in place before the COVID-19 pandemic.

We didnt want to sort of give jurisdictions or think jurisdictions should have a safe harbor to say, Because we ran our voting system this way before the pandemic, were free to go back to that, even going back to that has a racially discriminatory impact or even if going back to that is in part motivated by racial reasons, a DOJ official told reporters in a call.

The official cited the Georgia law as an example, noting the bill drops some of the voting practices implemented due to the pandemic, such as a major increase in drop boxes where ballots could be dropped off.

One of two guidance documents the agency releasedone centers on auditsdealt with the matter, warning that the Department does not consider a jurisdictions readoption of prior voting laws or procedures to be presumptively lawful.

The right of all eligible citizens to vote is the central pillar of our democracy, and the Justice Department will use all of the authorities at its disposal to zealously guard that right, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. The guidances issued today describe certain federal laws that help ensure free, fair, and secure elections. Where violations of such laws occur, the Justice Department will not hesitate to act.
The logo Google Play displayed on a tablet screen in Paris, on April 19, 2018. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images)

Google App Charges Subject of New UK Legal Claim

Google unfairly and excessively charges people for digital purchases in its Play Store, a new legal action brought against the tech giant in the UK claims.

The action is seeking damages of up to 920 million ($1.284 billion) on behalf of 19.5 million Android phone users in the UK, claiming the 30 percent cut Google takes from digital purchases means consumers are being overcharged while also shutting down competition.

The case follows a similar action being launched against Apple in May and accuses Google of breaching UK and European competition law.

The claim has been filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London by former Citizens Advice digital policy manager Liz Coll.

It argues that Google requires pre-installation and prominent placing of its Play Store on phones and tablets using its Android operating system, which stifles competition as the majority of UK users rely on the store for access to apps and other digital items.

Furthermore, by driving people to the Play Store, where Google processes transactions through its own payment system and takes a 30 percent service charge on digital purchases, the company was generating massive and rising profits through an unlawful and unearned tax, the claim says.

Google has recently cut its service charge to 15 percent for the first one million U.S. dollars of revenue a developer earns each year, which the tech giant says will see charges halved for almost all of the developers on the platform.

Google has done a great job in opening up access to all the benefits of smartphones for millions of people, including me, in the UK, Coll said.

But while it claims to be an open system offering choice, in reality, Google has shut out competition and locked consumers into its own app store and its own payment system.

Google created the Android app marketplace and controls it with a vice-like grip. Customers are herded towards the Google Play Store, and once there have no option but to pay a 30 percent fee whenever they buy an app or make an in-app purchase.

Competing app stores, which could give the same service at a fraction of the price, never get a look in.

Google is a gatekeeper to so many digital services, and it has a responsibility not to abuse that position and overcharge ordinary consumers.

These hidden charges are unlawful, and Googles customers deserve compensation and better treatment from Google in future.

In response, a Google spokesperson said: Android gives people more choice than any other mobile platform in deciding which apps and app stores they usein fact most Android phones come preloaded with more than one app store.

We compete vigorously and fairly for developers and consumers97 percent of developers on Google Play dont pay any service fee at all, which means their apps are free to consumers.

Less than 0.1 percent of developers are subject to a 30 percent service fee and only when theyre earning over one million dollarsthat fee is comparable with our competitors and allows us to constantly reinvest in building a secure, thriving platform that benefits everyone who uses it.

This lawsuit ignores the benefits and choice Android and Google Play provide as well as the competitive market in which we operate.

The new legal claim is the latest incident in an ongoing row targeting both Google and Apple and claims their policies and management of app stores are anti-competitive.

Last month, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced an investigation into the two companies and their services over concerns they have too much power and harm other businesses, while the two firms have also been the subject of legal action in the United States on the issue.

By Martyn Landi
Reps. Matt Gaetz (L) and Louie Gohmert speak to the press outside the D.C. Central Detention Facility in Washington on Jan. 29, 2021. (Screenshot RSBN/The Epoch Times)

GOP Lawmakers Barred From Checking Prison Conditions for Jan. 6 Inmates

Two days after being denied entrance into the Department of Justice and then being chased away by protesters, four Republican lawmakers probing the conditions of the inmates arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol have been barred from a facility where 50 of the prisoners are said to be held.

Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) showed up at the D.C. Central Detention Facility on the morning of July 29. The lawmakers have been inquiring into reports that those involved in the incursion into the Capitol have been severely beaten, held in solitary confinement, and denied access to evidence about their own cases.

The members of Congress were allowed into the lobby but were quickly told by a corrections officer that they were trespassing.

Youre obstructing, the corrections officer could be heard saying on a live broadcast streamed by the Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN).

My gosh, the government is upside down, Gohmert said in response.

The corrections officer indicated to the members of Congress that her supervisor would speak to them outside. But when the lawmakers went outside, they found that they were then locked out of the building in what Gaetz called a bait and switch. Gaetz attempted to reenter the facility, but was deniedalong with an attorney who was trying to enter to see a client.

The supervisor came down, was standing right here, but she turned her back on me, Gohmert said. The other one wont talk to me.

Gohmert said he and his colleagues gave the facility advance notice that they would be attendinghe didnt say how far in advancebut they never received a response. He said there shouldnt be anything preventing members of Congress from examining the facilities over which they have oversight, as he has done numerous times in the past.

The Republican lawmakers expressed dismay at what they said were authoritarian tactics displayed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and D.C. Department of Corrections.

Weve turned a corner. Were in a totalitarian, Marxist territory here, Gohmert told RSBN correspondent Liz Willis.

The federal employees here spent more time taking videos and photos of us than they spent trying to give us the opportunity to do what members of Congress do every month of the year: to review a federal detention facility, he said.

If this is any indication of how theyre treating the prisoners inside, Im very concerned, Greene said.

The lawmakers left the facility to go vote on Capitol Hill. Around 1 p.m., they reconvened outside to talk to reporters and others about their experience that morning.

Greene said that any lingering doubts she had about the reports of abuse are now removed, and shes convinced that the Jan. 6 inmates and other prisoners there are being mistreated.

Im not just concerned for the Jan. 6 defendants. Im concerned for all of the people in that prison, she said. Because we showed up, walked in, and were told we were trespassing.  We vote to fund these facilities!

Gohmert proposed the idea of defunding federal facilities that dont accept congressional oversight and allocating those funds to local jurisdictions to house federal inmates.

The lawmakers failed attempt to enter the correction facility comes two days after they were prohibited from entering the DOJ. On the afternoon of July 27, they held a brief press conference to list a number of unanswered questions they have about the Jan. 6 inmatesbefore being run off by left-wing protesters.

Gohmert said they havent heard back from the DOJ since then, bringing the number of their unanswered queries to the DOJ and corrections officials to at least seven.

The AG [attorney general] and the head of the federal bureau of prisons cannot hide forever. Ultimately, if they wont answer the door when we go to them, then theyre going to have to come to us, Gaetz said. Thats how Congress works.

The longer they delay in answering these questions, the more suspicious it looks.
It Is Time for Dr. Fauci to Retire

Commentary

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is 80, has had an extraordinary career. As the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he has both engaged in and supervised a remarkable range of research including HIV/AIDS in the 1980s. One of his sharpest and most aggressive critics about the AIDS crisis, Larry Kramer, ended up saying Dr. Fauci was the only true and great hero among the government researchers trying to find a cure for HIV. Fauci himself has said my career and my identity has really been defined by HIV.

Dr. Fauci has been a leading researcher saving lives and a leading health administrator spending billions of taxpayer dollars on groundbreaking studies. The most recent NIAID budget is $6.1 billion, and Fauci has been administering that budget since 1984 (37 years).

The fact is: Dr. Fauci was one of the most effective, indeed brilliant medical researchers of the last century. However, he is now so absorbed in defending the indefensible that he can best serve the country by stepping down.

Dr. Fauci forecast his own problems in an Oct. 9, 2012 article in the American Society for Microbiology. Written in true scientific fashion, the average citizen is unlikely to read a short study entitled Research on Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Virus: The Way Forward.

This article from nearly nine years ago predicted the kind of problem that might be posed by scientific research on a dangerous, highly contagious virus that could potentially spread rapidly as a pandemic with devastating consequences.

The scientific community had already recognized that researching potential pandemic creating viruses was a dangerous process. In fact, Dr. Fauci was writing during a moratorium on this kind of research imposed by the researchers themselves.

His comments add up to a tragic forecast of what was not done, and a condemnation of the path taken at the Wuhan Institute of Virologyeven though Fauci and his team were supposedly monitoring and funding the Chinese lab.

In his 2012 paper, Fauci warned:

In an unlikely but conceivable turn of events, what if that scientist becomes infected with the virus, which leads to an outbreak and ultimately triggers a pandemic? Many ask reasonable questions: given the possibility of such a scenario however remoteshould the initial experiments have been performed and/or published in the first place, and what were the processes involved in this decision?

Back then, Dr. Fauci already recognized that dealing with the potential for a worldwide pandemic that might kill millions, incur enormous dislocations in the economy, and impose extraordinary restrictions on citizens the potential benefits and risks of these experiments must be discussed and understood by multiple stakeholders, including the general public, and all decisions regarding such research must be made in a transparent manner.

Fauci knew that decisions that affect billions of people cannot be made by scientists on their own. He warned his fellow scientists in 2012, We cannot expect those who have these concerns to simply take us, the scientific community, at our word that the benefits of this work outweigh the risks, nor can we ignore their calls for greater transparency, their concerns about conflicts of interest, and their efforts to engage in a dialog about whether these experiments should have been performed in the first place. Those of us in the scientific community who believe in the merits of this work have the responsibility to address these concerns thoughtfully and respectfully.

Nine years ago, Dr. Fauci knew that pandemic creating research required a new standard of transparency and candor. As he wrote:

[T]he influenza virus research community can no longer be the only player in the discussion of whether certain experiments should be done. Public opinion (domestic and global) and the judgments of independent biosafety and bio-security experts are also critical. If we want to continue this important work, we collectively need to do a better job of articulating the scientific rationale for such experiments well before they are performed and provide discussion about the potential risk to public health, however remote. We must also not rule out the possibility that in the course of these discussions, a broad consensus might be reached that certain experiments actually should not be conducted or reported.

The principles Dr. Fauci had outlined were right. The practice which followed failed to meet those principles.

It is impossible to have transparency with the Chinese Communist Partys dictatorship. That is why as recently as this week the Chinese dictatorship announced it would block any effort to investigate the Wuhan lab. This is almost two years after COVID-19 likely emerged and began infecting people in China.

The more than $826,000 the National Institutes of Health funneled to the Wuhan laboratory through the EcoHealth Alliance was apparently not accompanied by any serious controls. Fauci and the U.S. government relied on Chinese promises of doing the right thing. When the crisis broke, none of the research the American taxpayer paid for had been copied and placed in American hands.

Just for trusting the Chinese dictatorship Dr. Fauci should retire.

The failure to be honest from day one about American government involvement in the Wuhan laboratory would be a second reason for Dr. Fauci to resign. He should have briefed the President and Vice President, the Congress, and then the country on what we had funded in Wuhan.

Instead of the transparency Fauci called for in his 2012 article, we got a cover up, obfuscation, and argument.

Even today, we really dont know what happened to the money or what research it funded.

By his own standards, Dr. Fauci has failed and should retire.

From Gingrich360.com.

Newt Gingrich, a Republican, served as House speaker from 1995 to 1999 and ran as a presidential candidate in 2012.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is seen during a hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on May 11, 2021. (Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images)

Its Meaningless: CDC Under Pressure to Release Data Behind Mask Guidance Reversal

A growing number of health officials and scientists are calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to release data behind its decision to recommend that COVID-19 vaccinated people wear masks in high-transmission areas.

One of them, New York City Health and Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, said hes reluctant to follow the agencys guidelines on universal masking.

While the CDC issued their guidance yesterday at about 3 p.m., they have not yet released their scientific reports on the data that underlies their recommendation, Katz said at a news conference. I think we owe it to New Yorkers to very carefully, as you say, review that information and understand its implications, Katz added. Our focus has to be on getting people vaccinated.

A spokesperson for the CDC told The Epoch Times on Thursday that the first publication of the data it used for the guidance will be published tomorrow.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a news conference with Katz, suggested that he will delay action around mask-wearing until the data is released.

Were assessing the information. What really is important is to assess the research behind it. Which is what our team is doing, the mayor said. Weve got to make sure we understand the ramifications and what makes sense to do.

Several states, cities, the White House, Congress, businesses, and federal agencies have already adopted the CDCs latest mask guidelines. The reason why mask-wearing is recommended for some areas, said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, is because some vaccinated individuals may be contagious and pass the virus to other people.

When contacted by The Epoch Times on Wednesday, a CDC spokesperson said the studies the agency cited for its latest guidance havent yet been published. As for when they will be available, its not clear.

CDC guidance posted on its website Tuesday cited unpublished data reviewed by the agencys COVID-19 Response Team.

Federal health officials have not yet issued any public comments about the possibility of mass non-compliance with the CDCs guidelines even as de Blasio and several other high-profile Democrat officials hesitate to implement masking rules.

And its not just elected officials asking questions about the missing CDC studies and data.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) (center) wears a protective mask while departing the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 25, 2021. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

Theyre making a claim that people with delta who are vaccinated and unvaccinated have similar levels of viral load, but nobody knows what that means, Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health, told The Washington Post. Its meaningless unless we see the data.

Robert Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, wondered whether there are more COVID-19 cases among vaccinated individuals because the virus is better and the vaccines dont hold up quite as well, or is the efficacy of the vaccines beginning to wane, independent of the Delta COVID-19 variant.

This is three-dimensional chess, theres a hundred things going on at the same time, he said.

The CDC has not mandated that people wear masks, leaving it up to states and municipalities. Throughout the pandemic, some governors and mayors have closely followed the agencys guidelines.

Kansas City Gov. Quinton Lucas, a Democrat, said Wednesday that he will reinstate a citywide mask mandate that will last until Aug. 28.

Lucas explained that hes followed the guidance issued by our nations leading scientific experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the pandemics start and will continue to do so.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the CDC for additional comment.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) speaks during a congressional hearing examing the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach, in Washington on July 27, 2021. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Kinzinger to Remain a Republican Amid Growing Attacks for Serving on Jan. 6 Panel

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) plans to stay in the GOP despite facing harsh criticism from within the caucus for agreeing to serve on the panel investigating Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Look, I am a Republican at heart, right? I was a Republican way before Donald Trump, since I was six years old, Kinzinger said during an appearance on CNN on Wednesday night.

I believe in the values Im fighting for and I believe a party with such a great, rich history deserves to have people, even if its only a couple of us at the moment, in there to fight for the soul of it. So Im going to fight hard for that, he added.

Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who both have openly shown a strong dislike of Trump, are the only Republicans on the Jan. 6 panel, which was formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Pelosi rejected two of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) picks for committee members, prompting McCarthy to withdraw all five.

Pelosi then asked Kinzinger to join, which he agreed to. Cheney opted to serve as a member after being asked earlier by Pelosi.

Republican leaders have increasingly vocalized discontent with the pair, who appear out of step with the majority of their caucus.

McCarthy dubbed Kinzinger and Cheney Pelosi Republicans while speaking to reporters outside the White House this week. Other members have taken to television or social media to denounce them. And the House Freedom Caucus held a press conference Thursday calling for a resolution that would expel Kinzinger and Cheney from the GOP conference.

While meeting as a caucus, Republicans discuss strategy, policy, and advancing the GOP platform, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) told reporters in Washington.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) speaks during a press conference in Washington on July 27, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

It was antithetical to have sitting in your conference individuals who have professed that they want to take out the minority leader, and that they want to go join the Democrats on a witch hunt through the Republican Party to try to take members of the Republican Party out. It would be antithetical to invite somebody in to hear you strategize how you will respond to something like that when theyre sitting on that committee, Biggs said.

Cheney has also vowed to remain a Republican.

Both face primary challenges. Cheney faces eight challengers, including attorney Darin Smith and state Sen. Anthony Bouchard. Many of them have professed support for former President Donald Trump.

Catalina Lauf, a former aide to Trump, is taking on Kinzinger in Illinois. She received an endorsement from Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) on Wednesday.

Trump won the Illinois 16th Congressional District in 2016 and 2020, Lauf noted on Newsmax this week.

Kinzinger beat Democrat Dani Brzozowski last year, but did not face a primary challenger. He beat James Marther in the 2018 primary before winning the general election.

Adam has shown nothing but contempt for Republican voters, his base, his constituency. Hes a never-Trumper, which is why he wanted to be on this commission, Lauf said.
Attorney and human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng speaks at a rally to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, on the West Lawn the Capitol on June 4, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Lawyer Explains Harsh Reality Facing Those Who Defend Peoples Rights in China

On May 28, 2020, Chinese premier Li Keqiang told a journalist that 600 million Chinese people have an average monthly income of only $154, reported Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

Chen Guangcheng, the well-known Chinese human rights activist and lawyer, revealed in an interview with The Epoch Times Chinese-language edition that Chinas peasants actually earn as little as $46 to $77 per year.

Chen became famous in China for his work helping vulnerable groups, such as peasants, migrant workers, and the disabled, defend their rights.

According to Chen, Chinese peasants are forced to pay agricultural taxes and various fees as reported by local governments to their superiors on an annual income of $539 to $555.

Many peasants are not able to pay, Chen said from the safety of the United States.

Game Starts With Deception

Communist officials have ways to fool or threaten peasants to pay, Chen continued. The local officials would typically tell the peasants to sign a document acknowledging that the money is not paid by saying, You can pay later if you sign the paper.

The consequence of signing means the peasant admits to owing the government money. Now, it becomes a loan, and banks are entitled to collect it, Chen said.

He recalled that when banks come to collect, they were accompanied by judicial officials and men he described as thugs.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has thugs coming along to beat you up, he said.

After a beating or roughing up, the official would force the farmer to borrow the money from his neighbors. Otherwise, they would break down the door of the farmers house and take away his food and livestock to pay for the taxes.

This is illegal, against Chinese law, Chen said.

But the farmers have no place to appeal for justice.

Learning that Chen had successfully helped disabled people and migrant workers file for compensation from the regime, many peasants went to him for help.

Chinese migrant workers arrive to board a train at Shanghai station before returning to their home towns for the Chinese New Year holiday on Feb. 8, 2007. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Difficulty Filing Lawsuits

In China, Chen helped peasants with administrative litigation, which is better known in China as lawsuits of ordinary people against the government.

He explained that this is the hardest point in Chinese law because the CCP controls almost everything. He said that, under the communist regime, besides good legal knowledge, a person needs great courage to file administrative litigation.

Some legal scholars and experts in Beijing and Shanghai universities told me that they would never touch it if they could, Chen said.

The first difficulty is to get the lawsuit filed, Chen said. With no case filing, there is no case at all.

According to the CCPs Administrative Litigation Law, the case filing division must issue a written receipt upon receiving the complaint and relevant documents. Then, the division has about five to ten days to verify the lawsuit.

After that, it should issue a written notice on whether the lawsuit is filed.

Theoretically, you can take a written notice to a higher court if you think the decision is unjustified. But in reality, the case-filing division does not give you any receipt. That means you have come nowhere with the case because youre not able to file it, Chen said.

The CCP exploits procedures to make it impossible to file a lawsuit, Chen said.

He gave one particular case filing experience as an example.

A female officer in the case filing division surnamed Liu received a complaint from Chen and his clients. She accepted the materials and told them to go home and wait five days for the administrative division to decide whether the lawsuit would be filed.

I agree to wait for five days, as is required by law, but I need a written receipt of the complaint, Chen had told Liu.

But Liu insisted the case filing division did not have a receipt, which was to be issued by the administrative division.

Chen suggested that Liu take the complaint to the administrative division.

She went with the complaint and materials to the administrative division on the second floor.

Then, Chen said to Liu, I now ask you to follow the Chinese law to give me a written receipt because your case filing division has received my complaint. Whether the case is filed or not, it is a decision to be made in several days. But now, you must give me a receipt of yours. This is a legal regulation, right?

Liu was wordless. She admitted that she had received the complaint because Chen had been recording the whole process. But she still wouldnt give him a receipt.

Chen told her that, in this case, hed need the documents back, so she went back upstairs to the administrative division for the complaint and copies of evidence that Chen had given her.

It was rare for a court official to listen to a lawyer in China, Chen said. One possible reason is that the officials had never seen ordinary people with such courage and determination to enforce the law.

A 1998 file image of Chinese plain-clothes police questioning a peasant together with his child as they try to hawk their produce in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. (Goh Chai Hin/AFP via Getty Images)

In a short while, she came back to Chen and his clients but without the documents. She told Chen that the administrative division wanted to talk with him.

Encountering the Administrative Division

The president of the administrative division, also surnamed Liu, was called Chaowei. He came downstairs and summoned Chen and his clients to a room next to the case filing division.

Chen told The Epoch Times that in that room, there were various torture instruments, including rubber batons, handcuffs, and shackles, among others.

Liu Chaowei told Chen, your lawsuit [documents], you take them back first. Well discuss and see if the case is to be filed.

Chen was not scared. He asked Liu, What do you mean by saying, You take them back first. Does that mean the legal procedure has started? Will you give me a notice in five days?

But Liu said that Chen had not signed any authorization documents with his clients. Chen replied he could sign it with his clients right away because they were all there, adding that it wouldnt impact the court to file the case with or without the authorization.

After listing many other excuses, Liu failed to persuade Chen. In the end, Liu became furious. What you say doesnt count! he shouted.

Chen replied: Dont forget that the state has laws and regulations. It is illegal if you dont file a case that is to be filed. Youll be held legally responsible.

Liu left the room angrily with the complaint and relevant documents. Chen told his clients to follow him to see what he planned to do. Luckily, Chens clients were very courageous, and followed him to Lius office.

A peasant woman cries as she holds photos of her son who she alleged was brutalized and killed by local officials, as she joins other petitioners queueing outside a complaints bureau in Xian, central Chinas Shaanxi Province Aug. 18, 2005. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

When Liu found all three plaintiffs following him to his office, he was shocked. He asked them what they were there for, and they made it very clear: We are here for your receipt, your receipt of our file.

At that time, a person came out from the office next door and asked what was going on. The plaintiffs told him that they were there to sue the local township government. He has received our complaint, but he doesnt give us the receipt, they said.

The man said: This should be given to them. On what grounds wouldnt you give them the receipt?

Chen said he had no idea why the other person intervened. Probably, he was from a different division, and had a different opinion, Chen said. Under such circumstances, with our efforts and cooperation, the administrative division had to issue us a receipt acknowledging that they had received our complaint.

Now, they were able to initiate the lawsuit.

Chinese Law Nothing More Than a Piece of Paper

Chinese popular human rights activist Chen Guangcheng poses in Paris on Aug. 31, 2015. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images)

After the case was filed, the troubles would only continue.

As a litigant, you are obligated to go to the court when the court tells you, Chen said.

The court would intentionally torment plaintiffs like disabled persons or poor peasants by calling on them frequently to appear in court. The frequent trips would be extra financial burden for plaintiffs.

When the court had to conduct a hearing at the insistence of Chen and his clients, the local government officials as defendants in the case wouldnt show up in court. Under such circumstances, when the accused are absentin accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Lawthe court should immediately rule unconditionally in favor of the plaintiff.

However, the court often plays the role of the defendants agent, creating way too many troubles for the plaintiff, Chen said.

In reality, the CCP sees no law. What the law stipulates means nothing more than a piece of paper. The CCP will only enforce it when its beneficial to itself, he said.

As for local governments, they are supported by central officials. With the endorsement of the high power, they wont bother with the laws. Their behavior is exactly what had happened in the Cultural Revolution. They do whatever they want at their own will, Chen said.

Chen said he is regarded by the CCP as an enemy of the state after many years of creating negative stories of the regime by helping ordinary Chinese people defend their rights.
Madison Cawthorn Endorses Ex-Trump Aide Catalina Lauf, Kinzingers Primary Challenger

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) on Wednesday endorsed Catalina Lauf, a former top adviser to former President Donald Trump, in challenging Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) for his 16th Congressional District seat.

America faces a tough choice in 2022, a choice between electing voices for all the people or voices for only the powerful, Cawthorn, a freshman Republican congressman from North Carolina, told media outlets in a statement.

Establishment hacks, who prioritize the approval of CNN, Nancy Pelosi, and radical Democrats in Congress have more in common with socialist activists than American Patriots, he added. Elected officials who side with Pelosi and sideline the American people, have no place in the Republican Party.

In endorsing Lauf, Cawthorn said Kinzinger, a Trump critic, has no place in the Republican Party.

I am the first to condemn D.C. insider Kinzinger and the first to endorse a powerful America first, political outsider, in Catalina Lauf. I assure you I will not be the last, Cawthorn said. She is dedicated to working for, not against, the interests of the people of Illinois, and I know that she will be a powerful fighter in Washington.

In this screenshot from the RNCs livestream of the 2020 Republican National Convention, North Carolina congressional nominee Madison Cawthorn addresses the virtual convention on Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images)

The day of the pandering politician is over, it is time for American lions to rise, the congressman added. And in 2022, this nation will hear the roar of freedom.

The endorsement comes as, Kinzinger who was asked to serve on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), faces backlash from fellow party members for participating in the panel.

The Illinois representative said last week that the panel would allow lawmakers to provide a transparent look into the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, echoing claims from Democrats that it was an attack on our democracy.

Kinzinger also voted to impeach Trump following the riot.

Lauf is challenging Kinzinger in Illinoiss 16th Congressional District.

This is a very Trump Republican district. So now hes in a fight, because were coming in, we have the resources and then we have the groundswell of support to be challenging him, she told The Epoch Times in March.

Responding to Cawthorns endorsement, Lauf said in a statement on Twitter that she is honored to have his support.

@CawthornforNC has been a fearless conservative leader and a fighting voice the American people desperately deserve, she wrote. I look forward to advancing our shared values beside him in Congress.

Kinzinger didnt immediately respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.
Maine Governor Janet Mills attends the Climate Action Summit 2019 in the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City, on Sept. 23, 2019. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

Maine Church Seeks to Prohibit Governors COVID-19 Restrictions in Supreme Court

A Maine church filed a motion in the Supreme Court on July 27, seeking to prevent Gov. Janet Mills from issuing new COVID-19 restrictions.

The plaintiff, Calvary Chapel of Bangor, alleges in the petition (pdf) that the governor continued to impose discriminatory and unconstitutional restrictions on religious worship services, and even though Mills suspended the restrictions, Calvary Chapel remains under a constant threat that the governor will reinstate her unconstitutional restrictions at any time.

From March 14, 2020 to May 24, 2021, Mills had issued a series of executive orders, declaring religious services to be non-essential and illegal if they contain more people than she required.

The petition alleges that Mills initially prohibited all religious service, then modified it to no more than 10 people, then 50, and, most recently, no more than 5 people per 1,000 square feet, which for Calvary Chapel was 50.

It also points out that in March 2020, Mills allowed businesses such as Marijuana Dispensaries, Spas, or Tattoo Parlors to operate, but Calvary Chapels religious worship was not included.

The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, on June 8, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

The plaintiff expresses deep concern about a possible reinstating of restrictions with the recent state officials narrative about the Delta variant.

Its only a matter of time before it takes greater hold here in Maine, the petition states, citing the remarks of Maines top health official, Nirav Shah. Shah also said earlier this month that he expects the delta variants impact to grow in the coming weeks.

The petition pointed out that the purported Delta variant is already the source of fresh lockdown restrictions on gatherings throughout the world.

No pastor, church, or parishioner in America should have to choose between worship and criminal sanction flowing from demonstrably discriminatory restrictions, the petition claims.

Marc Malon, the spokesperson for attorney general Aaron Frey, told The Epoch Times the issue is moot.

For more than two months, there have been no restrictions whatsoever on the size of gatherings, and the state of emergency expired at the end of June, Malon said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times.

Given that, we are disappointed that Calvary Chapel continues to waste public and judicial resources by attempting to litigate an issue that is now moot.

Mills suspended her restrictions on May 24, 2021.

Even if the government withdraws or modifies a COVID restriction in the course of litigation, that does not necessarily moot the case, the plaintiff stated, citing the Supreme Courts decision in Tandon v. Newsom (pdf), which was issued on April 9.

The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that discriminatory restrictions on religious worship services during COVID-19 are unconstitutional under the First Amendment, the petition states.

The high court has at least 10 times issued orders forcing lower courts to comply with its rulings on COVID-related worship restrictions, the petition points out.
Founder and Chairman of Shake Shack, Danny Meyer, visits the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City on Jan. 30, 2015. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Restaurant Groups CEO: Customers Will Have to Give Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination

The founder of Shake Shack said Thursday his Union Square Hospitality Group will require indoor diners and drinkers at its restaurants to show that theyve been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Employees will also have to get the vaccine, Danny Meyer said, although he didnt say whether they would be fired or be forced to wear masks.

However, the policy will not be extended to Shake Shack, a hamburger fast-food restaurant that has a number of locations in the northeastern United States.

The policy will be implemented at the Union Square Hospitality Group, which oversees Gramercy Tavern, Manhattan, and Union Square Cafe. The group operates Anchovy Social in Washington, as well.

Meyer made the announcement about his restaurants vaccine policy on CNBC, saying the vaccine requirement is the most logical thing Ive ever seen.

Im not a scientist, but I know how to read data, and what I see is that this is a crisis of people who have not been vaccinated, and I feel strong responsibility, on our part as business leaders, to take care of our team and our guests, and thats what were doing, said Meyer, who is chairman of Shake Shacks board.

Were going to give our employees 45 days to make the choice and hopefully this will be the incentive that really makes them say, You know what, now Im going to do it.'

Regarding Shake Shacks policy, Meyer told CNBC that the fast-casual burger chain will make the appropriate decision for them at the appropriate time.

Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan, New York. (Google Maps Street View)

Several New York City government officials applauded Meyers announcement on July 29.

BIG: Restauranteur and NYCEDC Chair Danny Meyer just announced a vaccine mandate for staff and customers at his restaurants. A bold move supported and encouraged by [Mayor de Blasio], with the full backing of the NYC government. This is the path forward, Bill Neidhardt, Mayor Bill de Blasios press secretary, wrote on Twitter.

Vaccine passports or similar systems have been routinely criticized by Republican officials as well as civil liberties groups for creating a two-tiered, caste-based society. Vaccinated people would essentially have rights that unvaccinated people dont have under such a system, critics have argued.

Some Republican-led states have moved to ban vaccine passports in government buildings. Florida passed a bill into law earlier this year that prohibits all businesses from using such a system.

Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reversed its mask policy and recommended that vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks in high-transmission areas, although the agency hasnt yet published data backing up its claims.

Several large businesses and various federal government agencies followed suit and reimposed masking mandates after the CDCs announcement. The mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, meanwhile, implemented a citywide masking order a day after the agencys policy update.

The Epoch Times has contacted Union Square Hospitality Group for additional comment, including how restaurants will verify whether a customer is vaccinated.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
Man Who Began Drinking Alcohol at Age 14 Overcomes Addiction After Missing Dads Funeral

A man who was addicted to drinking alcohol for the most part of his life decided to quit after he missed his fathers funeral. Now, two years sober, he is helping people who have fallen into addiction get their life back.

Today I am living life; what came before was just an existence, Karl Finn, 46, told The Epoch Times via email. Staying sober is my way of making amends, and my tribute to my dad and the rest of my family who stood by me.

I think he would be proud of the person Ive become and of the journey Ive been on to overcome my addiction, Finn, who resides in Southend, Essex, in the United Kingdom, added.

Karl Finn as a boy. (Courtesy of Karl Finn/Step by Step Recovery)

Finn was born and raised by his parents along with his older brother in a working-class area of Dublin, Ireland, called The Liberties, which is famous for its bars and markets. According to Finn, the area was full of addiction and crime and it was easy to fall into drinking. At the age of 14, Finn, who says he was a sensitive child back then, began drinking just to fit into the crowd.

However, his addiction spiraled out of control, and within just one year, Finn went off the rails, with drinking becoming a major problem in his life.

At the time, my mom and dad were going through a marriage breakup, which made me very sad but I couldnt really express how I felt, so I drank to forget what was going on, he said.

After his parents separated, Finn decided to stay with his father. Life wasnt very easy for him though. His father had bouts of alcoholism and was unpredictable when he drank. It was left to Finn to grow up and take on some responsibilities at home while also supporting his father emotionally.

It wasnt easy seeing a strong man like my dad deal with the breakdown of his marriage, he said.

During this phase, Finn, who dropped out of school, began drinking on most days, and felt lost. Without any plan for the future, and no qualifications, a then-15-year-old began to work in a bar.

In an attempt to help him with his addiction, his aunt allowed him to stay with her at Weymouth, in order to detox.

It workedfor a whileand I managed to cut right down, Finn said.

However, not long after, when he turned 17, he decided to live with his father, who had moved to Birmingham. Surrounded by his fathers side of the family whose business was pubs and clubs, Finn went back to his habit of drinking.

During this time, he became the manager of the biggest pub and club in the city.

I was working during the week and thought I could contain my drinking to weekends, but it soon spilled over until I was drinking most days of the week, Finn said.

With the addiction taking over his life, he became unreliable and began showing up to work late, completely hungover, or would disappear for hours. Unable to take control of himself, he eventually lost his job.

For the next two years, he moved jobs and relationships, unable to stick to anything, as his drinking habit dominated his life, making him selfish, and chaotic.

At the age of 19, he went to live with his mother in Bournemouth. His mom thought he would start with a clean slate. However, the same episode repeated. He began to lose new jobs and relationships because of his drinking habit.

Karl Finn when he suffered from alcohol addiction. (Courtesy of Karl Finn/Step by Step Recovery)

I became a different person when I drank and my life was unmanageableI wouldnt turn up to work or I would disappear for several hours at a time. I couldnt stop, Finn said. Each day I would wake up and focus on how to get money so I could drink. I would sell things, like my phone, or I would hang around with other addicts and alcoholics who had drinks, which I didnt always like. I was existing, but not living.

As days passed by, Finn drank a liter of vodka and as many as six cans of lager a day, until he would blackout.

Despite suffering from cardiac arrest, a kidney and liver failure, and sustaining serious injuries due to a bike accident while he was drunk, he lacked the motivation to quit.

In 2018, he was even warned by multiple doctors that he would die within a year if he didnt decide to change himself.

As an alcoholic, I continually lied and put my family through hell, he said. I pushed the boundaries and broke their hearts repeatedly.

Then, on one Christmas, when Finn called up his mother, he was met with the news that would change his life forever. His mother told him that his father had died alone after a bout of food poisoning.

He was still drinking. And, to make matters worse, I found out I had missed his funerala month after it had happened, Finn said. My family had tried hard to let me know, but as I was always losing or selling my phone, they werent able to contact me.

Finn was heartbroken on hearing the devastating news. Whilst, on the other hand, it also served as a catalyst for him to quit drinking.

The addiction had cost him everything, and I didnt want that to be my future. It was time to make a change, Finn said. I felt incredibly guilty that Id not been therebecause of my own addiction problems, I was absent when he most needed me.

In a decision to change his life, Finn solicited the help of Danielle Byatt, the founder of Step by Step Recovery, a private residential clinic that provides a safe and confidential environment for those affected by addiction but who are looking to begin recovery.

Karl Finn when he became sober. (Courtesy of Karl Finn/Step by Step Recovery)

The residential treatment he underwent was for a period of six weeks, and it had a tremendous impact on his life.

Ive now been sober for two years and I couldnt be happier. My life is a million times betterIm in a flat and I have a partner. And Im full of hope for the future, Finn told The Epoch Times.

With a desire to give back to society, he began volunteering to help people who are in the same condition he once was, and was then offered a job as an alcohol and drug recovery worker at The Lighthouse in Southend, the clinic for Step by Step Recovery.

He has also rekindled his relationship with his mother, who stood by him through the darkest of times.

Currently living his best life, Finn advised those who are trying to overcome their addiction that theres always hope.

Dont ever give up, he said. Somewhere, there is the chance of a new start and a better way to live.

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
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a mobilization event at Belle Isle Casino in Detroit, Michigan, with former US President Barack Obama and Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden on Oct. 31, 2020. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Michigan Governor Rakes in Millions for Reelection Campaign From Out-of-State Donors

LANSING, Mich.Though a favorite punching bag for conservative media personalities and the object of several recall petition efforts by her own citizens, Michigans Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is very popular with big donors.

Campaign finance reports filed with the Michigan secretary of state show that from Jan. 1 to July 20, Whitmer raised a nonelection-year record of $8.6 million dollars in campaign contributions, with $1,250,000 coming from just five donors, three of whom are from outside Michigan.

Among the highest contributors was Illinois Democratic governor and billionaire J.B. Pritzker, who gave Whitmers campaign $250,000. The Stryker sisters, Patricia and Ronda, both wealthy heiresses, philanthropists, and progressive activists, donated $250,000 each toward Whitmers reelection. Samson Energy and Granite Properties chair Stacy Schusterman of Oklahoma chipped in $250,000, as did Detroit area attorney Mark Bernstein.

Pritzker, Patricia Stryker, and Stacy Schusterman dont reside in Michigan.

Four individuals contributed $100,000 each to the Whitmer campaign, three of whom reside outside of Michigan. One of the two donors who gave $75,000 is from out of state. Two out of the three donors who each gave $20,000 arent Michigan residents. Both donors who gave $15,000 are from out of state. And 30 out of the 44 contributors who donated $10,000 arent from Michigan.

Ironically, it was the effort to recall Whitmer that made possible this tremendous surge of large campaign donations. Michigan law limits an individual contribution to a candidate for governor to $7,150, but a quirk in the interpretation of the law by a former secretary of state dating back to the early 1980s removes the $7,150 cap for a governor defending against a recall petition drive.

Ninety-three of Whitmers donors listed on the report gave more than $7,150 each. These donations accounted for 43 percent of the $8.6 million Whitmer raised.

Mark Fisk, a spokesman for the Whitmer campaign, said in a statement, This unprecedented fundraising achievement is even more remarkable given the early and unprecedented attacks from national groups, special interests, and other extremists trying to distort the governors record and lie to the people of Michigan.

Garrett Soldano, a Kalamazoo chiropractor who gained notoriety as a leader of the successful statewide attempt to curb Whitmers use of emergency executive power during the pandemic, has emerged as the leading fundraiser among a half dozen GOP candidates for governor. According to his campaign contributions report, Soldano has raised $624,847 since announcing his candidacy in April.

In contrast to Whitmers contributions, Soldano said, ours are all pure grassroots. Ninety-three percent of our 10,000 donations are under $200. No PAC money, no dark money. She [Whitmer] can raise $500 million; its not going to matter to the voters. She has hurt so many people. She has shut down so many businesses.

In what could be a veiled reference to former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who only recently entered the race and has not yet begun to fundraise, Soldano told The Epoch Times, The party bosses think they get to decide who the next Republican nominee for governor will be, but theyre wrong. Thats up to we the people.

Several recent polls show Whitmers approval rating still hovering around 50 percent despite the frequent attacks and the widely publicized violations of her own lockdown orders when she visited a crowded bar and flew to Florida.
A view of "Handcuffs" by Ai Weiwei at the UNITAS 2nd annual gala against human trafficking at Capitale in N.Y., on Sept. 13, 2016. (Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for UNITAS)

Missouri Woman Pleads Not Guilty in Friends Stabbing Death

TROY, Mo.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 Farias husband killed her.

Hupp declined to respond to reporters questions as she was led out of the courthouse, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Farias husband, Russell Faria, was convicted of her murder but the conviction was overturned in 2015. He was later found not guilty in a retrial after prosecutors argued Hupp was responsible.

Hupp is serving a life sentence without parole for the 2016 shooting death of 33-year-old Louis Gumpenberger. Prosecutors said Hupp shot Gumpenberger in an effort to divert attention from herself in the reinvestigation of Farias death.

Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood said he will seek the death penalty if Hupp is convicted of first-degree murder in Farias death.
Nestle and Other Brands Recall Ice Cream Contaminated With Carcinogenic Substance

The Froneri ice cream factory accidentally contaminated several batches with ethylene oxide

A statement from FACUA-Consumidores en Accion reported that the Froneri ice cream factory in Spainresponsible for Nestle, Milka, Toblerone, Nuii, Oreo, Princesa, La Lechera, and Smarties productsaccidentally contaminated several batches with ethylene oxide, a gas used as an antifreeze that is flammable and has carcinogenic effects.

From the Swiss multinational brand, there are 46 varieties of ice cream that have been withdrawn from the market due to this event. There is already a list with the affected lots, disseminated internally by the Carrefour, Dia, and Coviran chains, but they suspect that it is not complete because it is part of Froneri product withdrawal alerts.

Ingesting the gas, which is prohibited by the European Union, may pose a low health risk. The manufacturing company points out that the amount of ethylene oxide is negligible in the final product, less than the legal limit of 0.02 mg/kg, and that it does not do much damage. They have a website that tells you if the batch of ice cream you bought could be contaminated or not.

The factory explained that there is no product category affected in its entirety and not all products produced under the same batch number are necessarily affected. The same batch has several ranges of products, some of which used the affected stabilizer and others dont.
The Netflix logo is seen on their office in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif., on July 16, 2018. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Netflix to Join Facebook, Google in Mandating Vaccines for On-site Employees

Netflix will impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the cast and crew of all of its U.S. productionsthe first major Hollywood studio to do so.

According to a report from Deadline, the vaccination mandate applies to all actors and any crew who come into close contact with themalso known as Zone A workers. Exceptions for the requirement could include religious, medical, and age reasons, but are likely to be rare, the outlet reported.

Netflix didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

It comes amid a surge in cases nationwide of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant, and as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask-wearing guidance to state that fully vaccinated individuals should wear masks indoors in some areas.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters on July 27 that research indicates that on rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others.

Fully vaccinated individuals who contract the Delta variant may have the same viral load as people who are unvaccinated, Walensky said, noting that the variant can be transmitted by vaccinated people.

The Delta variant currently accounts for more than 80 percent of new cases in the United States.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has said the White House is considering mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for all federal workers. He is set to deliver his remarks on COVID-19 at the White House on Thursday afternoon.

Google on July 28 also stated that all employees working on company campuses must be vaccinated against COVID-19, making it the first big tech company to announce such a mandate.

Getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy in the months ahead, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a letter sent to Google employees. Anyone coming to work on our campuses will need to be vaccinated.

Pichai added that exceptions would be made for medical or other protected reasons.

Facebook on the same day also announced a similar measure.

Critics of COVID-19 vaccine mandates argue that the three vaccines currently available in the United StatesPfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnsonhavent yet received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration pending the safety and efficacy results of the ongoing phase three trials.

The three vaccines are currently being administered under emergency use authorization (EUA), meaning that vaccine manufacturers arent held liable for any injury, including death, that their COVID-19 vaccine may cause.

The president on July 27 suggested that those who are still unvaccinated are sowing enormous confusion.

We have a pandemic because of the unvaccinated, and theyre sowing enormous confusion, Biden said while visiting McLean, Virginia. And theres only one thing we know for sure, if those other 100 million people got vaccinated, wed be in a very different world. So get vaccinated. If you havent, youre not nearly as smart as I said you were.
New Hampshire Gov. Christopher Sununu delivers remarks during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of DraftKings Sportsbook Manchester in Manchester, N.H., on Sept. 2, 2020. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images for DraftKings)

New Hampshire Gov. Rejects Imposing Mask Mandate After CDC Reversal

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, said Wednesday hes opposed to bringing back a mask mandate in the state following a guidance reversal by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that now calls for some fully vaccinated people to wear facial coverings indoors.

Everyone in America agrees that the messaging out of Washington is extremely confusing and this latest announcement only reinforces that at this time, the best solution to getting out of this pandemic lies with the individual, Sununus office said in a statement to Boston25News, referring to the CDCs recent masking policy shift, which came several months after the agency announced that fully vaccinated persons didnt need to wear masks indoors because of the protection provided by the vaccines.

The CDC on July 27 revised its guidance on masking, citing the threat of the Delta variant, with the agency now recommending fully vaccinated people to mask up indoors in public places if theyre in areas of substantial or high transmission. According to the CDC, much of the country falls into that category.

New Hampshire has among the lowest rates of COVID of anywhere in the United States, and Governor Sununu does not support the reimplementation of COVID restrictions, including mask mandates, Sununus office said in a statement to CBS Boston.

Calling the COVID-19 vaccines the single greatest tool individuals have to protect themselves and their family, Sununu encouraged New Hampshire residents to get inoculated, according to the statement.

At the same time, Sununu has stressed he views vaccinations as a matter of personal choice.

Right now, its folks individual responsibility. If someone hasnt been vaccinated at this point, theyve made that conscious decision not to, Sununu said on July 22. The governments job is to provide that open door. If you want the vaccine, here it is, nice and easy.

So you have every tool in the toolbox available to you and your family to make that decision, he added.

Sununu signed a medical freedom bill (pdf) into law this week, preventing government entities in New Hampshire from denying people access or services based on their vaccination status.

Every person has the natural, essential, and inherent right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion by government to accept an immunization, the bill reads.

The new law leaves in place state regulations requiring vaccinations for admission to school and it allows mandatory vaccinations in prisons and jails.

The Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, has been listed as a variant of concern by the CDC, which considers it to be more transmissible and potentially more resistant to vaccines.

While the CDCs revised guidance isnt binding, its closely followed by health departments, businesses, and other entities across the country, which often calibrate enforceable policies according to the agencys recommendations.

Mask-wearing amid the COVID-19 pandemic has become a hot-button issue, with some questioning the efficacy of facial coverings and others opposing mandates on grounds of personal liberty. Advocates tend to have taken a better-safe-than-sorry approach in the face of underpowered efficacy studies on mask-wearing, while generally viewing mandates as a minor inconvenience that helps protect people who are prone to serious complications if they get infected.
New Mexico House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton, a Democrat, is under criminal investigation y the Attorney Generals Office on allegations of racketeering, money laundering, receiving illegal kickbacks, and other violations, officials said this week. (New Mexico House of Representatives)

New Mexico House Majority Leader Under Criminal Investigation, Racketeering, Money Laundering

New Mexico House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton, a Democrat, is under criminal investigation by the Attorney Generals Office on allegations of racketeering, money laundering, receiving illegal kickbacks, and other violations, officials said this week.

Investigators from the Attorney Generals Office searched Stapletons Albuquerque office on Tuesday and her home on Wednesday, according to arrest warrants. They were looking into irregularities in her work as an administrator at Albuquerque Public Schools since the spring

The investigators are trying to determine whether Stapletons connections to Robotics Management Learning Systems, a Washington-based company that has done business with the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS). They found that every invoice issued by Robotics Management to the school system was for an even dollar amount, with no cents, and most payments were reportedly for $40,000.

Stapleton is involved with several other companies that received payments from Robotics Management, investigators said.

APS paid Robotics $5,360,030.00 from March 2006 to June 2021, according to a search warrant. Bank of America records detail that overwhelmingly, Robotics primary source of income is its contracts with APS. APS employees and [New Mexico Attorney General] Investigators have noted that the procurement process with regard to Robotics was not performed in accordance with state law.

The warrant further stated that investigators found that about 60 percent of the money paid to Robotics by APS between 2014 and 2021 was subsequently redirected to Sheryl Williams Stapletons direct interests, including to her son and her restaurant and other businesses.

No charges have been filed yet in the case.

While we cannot comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation, I can assure New Mexicans that because this matter involves schools and public funds, we will be swift and diligent in concluding this investigation, Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement about the investigation.

In a statement, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she is deeply, deeply troubled by the reports this morning about a law enforcement investigation into Rep. Stapleton, adding that public confidence in government is seriously damaged by even the appearance of impropriety, or illegal activity, which is why public officials must always hold themselves to the highest possible standard of behavior.

New Mexicans expect and deserve elected officials who, regardless of party, will put the people before themselves. Anything less violates a sacred public trust and must be dealt with accordingly, the Democrat governor added.

Stapletons attorney, Ahmad Assed, told the Albuquerque Journal on Wednesday that its too early to comment on the investigation.

We have to do our due diligence and our own investigation, Assed said. Rep. Stapleton will have a comment when it is appropriate. That could be soon or later in the process.

The Epoch Times has contacted the lawmakers office for comment.
An MS-13 gang member is being detained in El Salvador, on March 4, 2013. (Marvin Recinos/AFP/Getty Images)

Nine MS-13 Gang Members Indicted in Murders, Kidnappings in Tennessee

A federal grand jury in Tennessee has indicted nine suspected MS-13 gang members with racketeering and violent criminal conspiracy that includes murder, officials announced Wednesday.

The grand jury returned the charges in a 60-count second superseding indictment against Carlos Ochoa-Martinez, 31; Jason Sandoval, 35; Jorge Flores, 29; Kevin Tidwell, 28, all of NashvilleJose Pineda-Caceres, 22; Franklin Hernandez, 22; Luis Colindres, 24, all of Hondurasas well as Gerson Serrano-Ramirez, 34, of El Salvador and Juan Melendez of Lebanon, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.

All suspected gang members are currently in federal custody and face, if convicted, a maximum sentence of ten years to life in prison.

The indictment charges members of one such clique operating in Nashville  with committing a wide range of offenses, including the murder of seven individuals, the attempted murder of an additional five individuals, drug distribution, robberies, kidnappings, and assaults, the DOJ said. The victims included innocent people.

Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said the seven murders happened between April 2016 and September 2017, over a 17-month period.

Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake speaks during a press briefing in Nashville, Tennessee on July 28, 2021. Courtesy of Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)

These murders and other violent acts put our community and our citizens in jeopardy, Drake said, Main Street Nashville reported. Im bothered that these individuals fired shots from a vehicle into another, further jeopardizing our community.

The MS-13 gang, also known as La Mara Salvatrucha, was initially formed by Salvadoran immigrants fleeing the civil war in their home country. It is widely viewed as one of Americas most violent criminal groups, which also endangers the safety of communities in Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

The vast majority of prosecuted MS-13 defendants are foreign nationals, the DOJ stated in a separate report, adding that the gang was able to thrive and operate in the U.S. for decades by exploiting weak immigration enforcement policies.

The gangs motto is kill, rape, control and routinely uses brutal assault methods on victims to instill fear and force compliance.

From NTD News
North Carolina Lt. Governor Opposes Critical Race Theory: Teach the Real Story

As legislation prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) in K-12 classrooms circulates in the North Carolina General Assembly, a critic of the theory, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, has set up a task force to gather evidence of it being taught in the school system.

Robinson, a Republican and North Carolinas first black lieutenant governor, stepped into office in 2020 and serves under Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat.

Robinson entered the political limelight in 2018 when he was an adult student, two classes short of receiving his undergrad at the University of North Carolina Greensboro while working full time at a furniture factory.

At the time, members of the Greensboro City Council aimed to cancel a gun show, and during the public comment section of the council meeting, Robinson spoke against the proposal, with his remarks later going viral.

The Bully Pulpit

Robinson told The Epoch Times that he used his social media presence as a platform to seek office.

His role as lieutenant governor is to preside over the state Senate, as well as sit on the North Carolina Board of Education as a voting member.

Robinson said that another role significant to the lieutenant governor is that of the bully pulpit from which he voices opinions on issues.

The term was coined by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who referred to his office as the bully pulpit, from where he could advocate for matters Roosevelt considered important at the time.

From this pulpit, Robinson highlighted what he called the conservative message, however, he said, the growing trend in public education to incorporate complex racial concepts withinor aroundthe math, science, and English curriculum, is not a left or a right issue, but a threat of radical indoctrination on children who, he said, should be focusing their efforts on basic learning skills.

Robinson, who said he aspires to complete his bachelors degree so that he can later become a history professor, said: This isnt about whitewashing history. Its not possible to teach history without talking about the bad things that happened. We must look at the impact that slavery had on our economy, social structure, our government, and the dreadful effects that it had on the people themselves. We have to look at how odd it was that a nation built on freedom had slaves.

What the education system must also teach, he said, is how the system of government that is now being called systematically racist is the same system utilized to combat historically racist policies.

We need to stop demonizing people based on their color, and we need to stop telling people that they are victims based on the color of their skin, Robinson said. We need to start telling them that they are Americans, and the way we as Americans overcame these injustices was by using our unique system of government. Thats what we are trying to teach. We arent trying to hide anything. We dont want to whitewash anything. We want to teach the real story, and the real story isyes, we have injustices, but we overcame those things together.

Critical Race Theory Defined

In a March 2021 webinar held by Legal Insurrectiona nonprofit organization that examines government overreach policiesWilliam A. Jacobson, a professor at Cornell Law School and president of the Legal Insurrection, said that the problem with CRT is that it reduces everything to what historically has been the single most divisive aspect of American society, which is race, and makes everything about race, and that makes the U.S. systemically racist.

Theres nothing anybody can do about it, Jacobson said. And, therefore, everything we do in education focuses on race, which is extremely, extremely destructive. It focuses on equality of outcome, what they euphemistically call equity, and justifies discrimination in order to achieve equity because we all know in our regular lives, not everybody performs the same.

Within this framework, Jacobson said, anyone who disagrees with the teachings is classified as racist.

Also in the webinar was Thomas Lindsay, senior constitutional scholar for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a nonprofit that defends and promotes liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas public policy, according to its mission statement.

He defined CRT as a product of German philosopher Karl Marxs Critical Theory, which divides people between oppressors and the oppressed.

To class struggle, Critical Race Theory adds racial struggle, Lindsay said in the webinar. Specifically, Critical Race Theory argues that all aspects of our life are interwoven with, and products of, racial prejudice, with an overriding emphasis on white supremacy. So, under this theory, even those whites who adhere to the Declarations foundational principle, that all human beings are created equal, even they are guilty, whether they know it or not, of racism by virtue of their skin color.

F.A.C.T.S. Task Force

As K-12 curriculums surfaced within the North Carolina school system, Robinson initiated the F.A.C.T.S. (Fairness and Accountability in the Classroom for Teachers and Students) task force to provide an online portal through which teachers and students can submit examples of CRT being taught in schools.

The information is being compiled into a report that will be presented to the public and the legislature, Robinson said, which will then consider solutions.

The objective of North Carolinas newly introduced Senate Bill 729 (pdf) is to prohibit discriminatory practices in public employment, public contracting, and public education.

In joining other states in passing legislation, Senate Bill 729 seeks to prohibit consideration of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public contacting, and public education.

State Sen. Phil Berger said the bill will be brought before the legislatures education committee next week for review.

He called it a commonsense bill.

Our public schools should not be indoctrinating our children in certain concepts that I believe there is broad agreement in terms of the concepts being problematic, Berger told The Epoch Times. Some examples I generally refer to is the idea that one race is inherently superior to another race. I dont think anybody believes thats the sort of thing that ought to be pushed in our schools, that one sex is inherently superior to another sex. I dont think thats something that most folks would want promoted, that someone today is responsible for some injustice that was perpetrated by someone scores of years ago.

While there is no official curriculum approved by the state board of education in relation to critical race theory, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) said that the theory is not included in the state boards social studies standards.

A DPI spokeswoman provided this statement to The Epoch Times:

As required by state statute, the state board of education sets the baseline for what schools are required [to] teach in each class. The state board does this by approving and adopting standards for each course. These standards are simply a list of general items that are to be taught in a particular class. Local boards of education implement these standards by adopting the curriculum taught within classrooms. If a parent or individual has questions about the material taught within a classroom, those matters are under the jurisdiction of the local school board. We would encourage parents to connect with their childs school and/or local school board if they have questions about materials, teaching methods, or specific lessons that are used in a classroom.
Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are audited at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 29, 2021. (Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via AP/Pool)

Outside Groups Contributed $5.7 Million for Arizona Election Audit

Outside groups have contributed approximately $5.7 million to the 2020 election audit taking place in Arizonas largest county, auditors said late Wednesday.

Five nonprofits have taken contributions and passed them on to auditors.

The America Project, started by former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne, contributed the bulk of the funds, according to Cyber Ninjas, which is running the audit for the Arizona Senate.

The America Project contributed $3.2 million, according to the new disclosure.

Americas Future, whose Board of Directors is chaired by retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, gave nearly $1 million to auditors. Voices and Votes, headed by two One America News Network employees, sent $605,000; Defending the Republic, a group affiliated with attorney Sidney Powell, is listed as having contributed $550,000.

The Legal Defense Fund for the American Republic contributed $280,000 thus far, according to auditors. The group is linked to Matthew DePerno, a Michigan attorney who represented a voter who sued over alleged election fraud in Antrim County.

In addition to providing financial support, the America Project, Voices and Votes, and the DePerno team have also provided operational support and advice pivotal in executing the audit, Doug Logan, Cyber Ninjas CEO, said in a statement.

None of the groups responded to requests for comment.

The $5.7 million does not include the $150,000 the Arizona Senate allocated for the audit.

Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, a Republican whose caucus ordered the election review, has said senators knew the audit would cost more and that the additional funds would be provided by outside groups.

It was important for the Senate to fund to the amount we were comfortable with considering our other obligations. We are grateful to all the grassroots groups and individuals who have sent contributions to help pay for all the added costs which were incurred because of Maricopa Countys lack of cooperation, Fann told The Epoch Times in a previous email.

Logan in the new statement thanked workers, volunteers, and sponsors.

Our sponsors have raised and provided over $5 million; and tens of thousands of you have prayed for the work of our hands to determine truth, whatever it may be. For all of this, we are eternally grateful. We truly couldnt have done this without you, he said.

As we continue our commitment to transparency, we want to take this opportunity to publicly thank and disclose those organizations that have supported us during this audit.

Cyber Ninjas owner Doug Logan talks about overseeing a 2020 election ballot audit ordered by the Arizona Senate at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, during a news conference in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 22, 2021. (Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo)

Arizona Sen. Warren Petersen (L), and Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R) hear testimony during a hearing on the Maricopa County audit in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 15, 2021. (Allan Stein/Epoch Times)

Arizonas Senate fought against disclosing the records, arguing they were not in their possession. But Arizona Superior Judge Michael Kemp rejected the Senates arguments, ruling earlier this month that nothing in state law absolves Senate defendants responsibilities to keep and maintain records for authorities supported by public monies by merely retaining a third-party contractor who in turns hires subvendors.

Before the new disclosure, little was known about the total cost of the audit and where funds were coming from, beyond the portion the Senate contributed.

That fact was assailed by Democrats, who largely oppose the audit.

The Cyber Ninjas are tryingand failingto hide public records about the #fraudit from the people of Arizona. They have no interest in transparency, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat running for governor, said in a recent social media post.

Also noted by audit opponents: the groups contributing to the review have pushed election fraud claims.

Byrne, for instance, told NTD, an Epoch Times partner, in April that he knew fraud occurred in the 2020 election purely on the numbers.

Christina Bobb, a One America News host who has been covering the audit at the same time her group raised money to fund it, told followers on Twitter in January that then-President Donald Trump would still be in office this time next year. She has also alleged that Trump is the true winner of both Georgia and Pennsylvania, two states where Democrat Joe Biden was certified as the victor by state officials and Congress.

Auditors finished counting ballots for the second time earlier Wednesday. Theyre planning to spend time analyzing the data from the audit before submitting a draft report to Fann.
The Pentagon, the headquarters of the Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, across the Potomac River from Washington, is seen from the air on Dec. 8, 2019. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

Pentagon to Require Masks Indoors in COVID-19 Hot Spots Regardless of Vaccination Status

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that masks will be mandated indoors at Defense Department installations in areas with substantial or high community transmission of COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status.

Service members, civilian workers, contractors, and visitors must wear masks indoors at military installations and other facilities owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the Pentagon in areas where COVID-19 transmission is substantial or high, according to a statement from Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Jamal Brown.

The decision follows the latest mask-wearing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which moved to say that fully vaccinated individuals should wear masks indoors in some areas, citing new research into outbreaks from several states and other countries.

A memo from Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks states also says that those who have not yet been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus must practice social distancing.

It comes after CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters on Tuesday research indicates that on rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others.

Fully vaccinated individuals who contract the Delta variant may have the same viral load as people who are unvaccinated, Walensky said, noting that the variant can be transmitted by vaccinated people.

This new science is worrisome and warrants an update to our recommendations, Walensky said at the time.

All defense personnel should continue to comply with CDC guidance regarding areas where masks should be worn. The Department will review and revise all applicable Force Health Protection guidance to address the new CDC guidelines, Brown wrote in his statement on Wednesday.

The mask mandate announcement comes as the Navy said that two sailors had died from COVID-19 complications in the past week. Capt. Corby Ropp, 48, of Swansboro, N.C., died on July 23, and Navy Reserve Master-at-Arms 1st Class Allen Hillman, 47, of Boise, Idaho, died July 26. Their vaccination status is unknown.

According to the Pentagon, a total of 28 service members have died of the CCP virus since the start of the pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the White House, and the House of Representatives have also mandated that all staff again wear masks indoors following the CDC recommendations.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has said that the White House is considering mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for all federal workers. He is set to deliver his remarks on COVID-19 at the White House on Thursday afternoon.
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)

Sydney Police Calls for Army to Help Enforce Lockdown Rules

Request comes after Sydney residents forced to stay at home for 4 more weeks

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been called in to help police expand their lockdown operations in the Greater Sydney area as the New South Wales (NSW) state government moves to enforce stricter CCP virus lockdown rules.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has said he wants a contingent of 300 defence force personnel to boost efforts over the coming days to enforce lockdown rules and other restrictions imposed by the government amid the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus Delta variant outbreak.

The assistance of the ADF has been essential over the past 18 monthsparticularly during last years border operation, the ongoing hotel quarantine operation and the assistance provided with logistics support in the Police Operations Centre, Fuller said in a media release on July 29.

With an increase in enforcement activity over the coming week, I have now made a formal request to the Prime Minister for ADF personnel to assist with that operation, Fuller said.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller takes a question during a press conference at the Victorian border checkpoint in South Albury in Albury, Australia, on Nov.22, 2020. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklean on Wednesday tightened restrictions for 2 million people in eight western Sydney local government areas, who are now not permitted to leave their council areas unless they are essential workers.

Masks will be mandated to be worn at all times, including outdoors, and people will be restricted to within five kilometres (3.1 miles) of their home.

Police will also be able to shut down businesses that repeatedly breach public health orders.

Fuller said that nothing is off the table in terms of stronger compliance, saying officers will be going door to door looking for people in the wrong house.

This is one of the police operations that Fuller has requested ADF personnel to help carry out.

David Elliot, the NSW state minister for police and emergency services, welcomed the move. As I have said previously, support from the Army will add another line of defence to the NSW Governments crackdown on COVID-19 compliance, Elliot said.

The Armys unique skills and training have combined many times with those of our police officers to serve the people of NSW in times of crisis, such as the floods and severe bushfires weve experienced in recent years.

This will be a functional, effective and dynamic team to fight this pandemic, he said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks during a COVID-19 update and news conference in Sydney, Australia, on July 28, 2021. (Lisa Maree Williams Pool/Getty Images)

This comes after Sydney residents are forced to face four more weeks of lockdown and restrictions, with the NSW government citing low vaccination rates as a key factor in its decision.

There were 239 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. on July 28, which broke a domestic record.

Berejiklean said new case numbers were expected to go up in the coming days, given over 80 people were circulating in the community while infectious. We can only assume that things are likely to get worse before they get better, the premier said on July 29.

She previously said in a statement that higher vaccination rates and following the health orders are the only way to guarantee that the restrictions will ease up.

The latest police call for the armys backing comes five days after anti-lockdown protests in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane that saw dozens of thousands of people taking to the streets in a largely peaceful fashion to express their opposition to the state governments measures.

Fuller labelled the Sydney protesters anarchists and said that police had received over 10,000 tip-offs about individuals involved in the protests, and that 57 people had been charged.

Thousands of protesters march on the streets of the central business district of Sydney, on July 24, 2021. (Steven Saphore/AFP via Getty Images)

The Australian Associated Press contributed to this report.
A body is taken from the scene where multiple people were shot at a FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 16, 2021. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)

Police: Indianapolis FedEx Shooter Not Racially Motivated

INDIANAPOLISThe former employee who shot and killed eight people at an Indianapolis FedEx warehouse in April acted alone and was not racially or ethnically motivated, authorities said Wednesday.

Brandon Scott Hole, 19, used the April 15 attack as an act of suicidal murder and believed he would demonstrate his masculinity and capability while fulfilling a final desire to experience killing people, Indianapolis police and federal authorities said during a news conference.

Eight employees, including four members of the citys Sikh community, were killed in the attack and five others were injured, police said.

Police said Hole considered other locations for the shooting but chose the FedEx building because it was familiar to him. He also believed the site would give him access to a large number of vulnerable victims.

Paul Keenan, special agent in charge of the FBIs Indianapolis field office, declined to disclose other potential targets.

He knew the location well, Keenan said. He knew there would be a large group of people there that he would consider targets.

Hole had suicidal thoughts almost daily in the months prior to the attack and attempted suicide on more than one occasion, Keenan said. Although Hole had struggled with mental health stressors throughout his life, he had no previously diagnosed mental illness, and he did not share his plans for the FedEx shooting with family or friends.

Hole was able to legally purchase the two rifles used in the shooting, even after his mother called police last year to say her son might undertake suicide by cop.

Police seized a pump-action shotgun from Hole, then 18, in March 2020 after they received the call from his mother. One of the responding officers also witnessed white supremacist websites on Holes computer after the teen asked officers to cut the power to his computer, according to a police probable cause narrative from the incident.

Keenan said Wednesday an investigation by the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit determined that Hole was viewing World War II, Nazi-like propaganda on the computer, but he did not appear to have been motivated by a bias or desire to advance an ideology.

It was an extremely small percentage  but there were some mainly German military and Nazi things, but there was no indication that there was any animosity towards the Sikh community, or any other group for that matter, Keenan said.

Members of the Indianapolis Sikh community pressed local and federal law enforcement for months for an investigation into the shooters motive, emphasizing concern that Hole chose a place known for hiring people of color, specifically a Punjabi Sikh-majority.

Sikh Coalition Legal Director Amrith Kaur said that while its impossible to know Holes thinking, she was disappointed police did not release additional details about how they ruled out bias as a possible motive.

It is important to recognize that bias can be a factor in addition to these other issues, Kaur said in a statement Wednesday. Though law enforcement has said this investigation is over, for all the families who lost loved ones, the survivors, the Sikh community, and anyone else impacted by hate violence, these questions will remain forever.

Police said Hole entered the FedEx building shortly before 11 p.m. and spoke with security, then returned to his vehicle in the parking lot to retrieve the two guns used in the shooting.

Hole walked back to the employee entrance of the building, killing one FedEx employee outside. He entered the facility for a second time, firing his weapons at employees inside the entry area. Hole was unable to go further into the building but fired several shots at victims beyond the security gate, police said.

He was very indiscriminate in his selection of his targets, said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief Craig McCartt.

As Hole left the FedEx building a second time, he continued shooting in the parking lot, striking several more victims. An unidentified employee was able to recover a personal firearm from his vehicle and fired a round at Hole in the parking lot. Hole was not struck by the round, and the employee then fled the area to call 911.

When Hole entered the building a third and final time, he used guns to kill himself. Hole was onsite just over 10 minutes. The shooting lasted less than four minutes.

Hole was a former employee of FedEx and last worked for the company in 2020. McCartt said police found no indication that Hole had any animosity towards FedEx, specifically: He had never had any kind of issue there. He simply stopped showing up to work.

Preparation for the attack likely started in July 2020, McCartt continued. Thats when Hole purchased an HM Defense HM15F, just months after police had seized the pump-action shotgun. He later purchased a Ruger AR-556 in September, which was also used during the shooting.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears has since faced sharp criticism for choosing not to pursue court hearings that could have prevented Hole from accessing the guns.

By Casey Smith
Republican Members Blast Mask Mandate on House Side of Capitol

Many Republican members of the House of Representatives slammed the reinstatement of the mask mandate and the threat of arrest, asking how science applies when the Senate side is being exempt from the same rule.

Whats interesting, we stand out here in front of the Capitol by the chambers of the House, but as you look across on the other steps is the Senate. Im not quite sure where the CDC got, but somewhere in the middle of that dome, the science changes, said McCarthy at a press conference in front of the Capitol.

Capitol police officer you got orders that you work in some parts during the day on the House side and some parts on the Senate. If a vaccinated staffer comes across in the House side without a mask, you are ordered to arrest them, but not on the Senate, added McCarthy.

Meanwhile, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) called the mandate a power grab and said she draws the line at wearing a mask in the halls of the Capitol, where there is ample space for social distancing.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) talks to supporters during her election night party in Mount Pleasant, S.C., on Nov. 3, 2020. (Mic Smith/AP Photo)

Madam Speaker, your insane power grab is showing. Today Im not wearing a mask outside of the chamber because I follow sciencenot Pelosi. Come and get me, Mace said in a social media post on Thursday.

The Capitol Attending Physician Brian Monahan informed congressional staffers in a letter Tuesday that masks were required in all House office buildings. Monahan, in his memo, warned that violators of the Houses mask mandate would be fined.

For the Congress, representing a collection of individuals traveling weekly from various risk areas (both high and low rates of disease transmission), all individuals should wear a well-fitted, medical-grade filtration mask (for example an earloop surgical mask or a KN95 mask) when they are in an interior space, Monahan wrote.

I had COVID, Ive had two vaccinations, Im washing my hands, Im even wearing my mask inside the chamber, but Im not going to wear it anywhere else. So, Madam Speaker, come and get me, Mace said in a video posted to her Twitter account.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) meanwhile told reporters she is only following Monahans recommendations and will honor his expertise.

But McCarthy said Monahans recommendations were made from CDC guidance based on a report from India that has not been peer-reviewed.

He did not know that the report is based upon India, about a vaccine thats not approved in America, and now he did not know that it didnt even pass peer-review, the GOP leader said, referring to a CDC study published July 27.

The CDC report, in part, notes that studies from India with vaccines not authorized for use in the United States have noted relatively high viral loads and larger cluster sizes associated with infections with Delta, regardless of vaccination status, referring to the COVID-19 Delta variant. According to the CDC, the data suggests that breakthrough Delta infections are transmissible.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) criticized the Democrats mask mandate in a speech on the House floor Thursday, as random and not following science, citing the constant change in mask and vaccine mandates.

We have a crisis at our border, and were playing footsie with mask mandates in the Peoples House, said Roy.

The Speaker comes down here at 10 oclock in the morning saying we got to wear masks. We got to go around and see, okay, we cant come to the floor, I cant execute my Constitutional duty unless I wear a mask. Which is it? Vaccines or masks. Do the vaccines work or they dont work? Do the masks work or they dont work? Id like to know which it is, Roy continued.

Medics suit up in PPE before testing illegal immigrants who had been released by the U.S. Border Patrolfor COVID-19, in Brownsville, Texas, on Feb. 25, 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) criticized the mask mandate as hypocritical when migrants are being let in, most without COVID testing.

She wants us to talk about this ridiculous mask mandate. She wants to divide us, but were not going to be divided. Were going to be focused on one thing, securing our southern border and helping the American people, Gonzales said outside the Capitol. And what do we have in El Paso, at Fort Bliss, you have Secretary Mayorkas hiding the fact that COVID is spreading in these detention centersupward of 20 percent of migrants have COVID.

However, Democrat Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) urged people to follow Monahans recommendations as well as getting vaccinated so the pandemic is no longer a threat to public safety.

Todays announcement underscores the fact that we already have the tools needed to protect Americans against this deadly virus: safe and effective vaccines. We must double down in our collective efforts to get more Americans vaccinatedto protect themselves, their families, and their communities. I urge all Americans 12 years of age and older who remain unvaccinated to get their vaccinations immediately, Clyburn said in a statement Tuesday.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Lyubov Sobol, a Russian opposition figure and a close ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, speaks with journalists after a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on April 15, 2021. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters)

Russian Court Asked to Restrict Navalny Allys Freedoms for Two Years

MOSCOWRussian state prosecutors asked a court on Wednesday to find Lyubov Sobol, a close ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, guilty of breaching COVID-19 safety regulations, and to impose a set of restrictions on her for two years, her lawyer said.

Prosecutors told the court to order Sobol to remain at home from 22:00 to 06:00 for the next two years, to ban her from attending mass events or political meetings, and to have her check in with the police four times a month, her lawyer Vladimir Voronin said on Twitter.

Sobol, who says the charge against her is politically-motivated nonsense, was charged with breaching COVID-19 safety regulations at an unsanctioned street protest in support of Navalny earlier this year.

She was initially placed under house arrest. Several close Navalny allies, including his brother, are being tried for the same offense.

Navalny himself is serving 2-1/2 years in jail for parole violations in an embezzlement case he says was trumped up. Navalnys allies accuse the authorities of using the law to crush dissenting voices ahead of September parliamentary elections.

By Anton Zverev
Scuba Diver Finds Phone Lost 2 Years Ago on Bottom of ReservoirTracks Down Owner to Return It

One Colorado scuba instructor is no stranger to finding lost objects on the bottom of the lake.

But its not every day that a lost phone and wallet filled with money, once thought gone forever, find their way back to their owner.

Thanks to Matthew Wesselink, thats exactly what happened when he and his scuba students were visiting Deer Creek Reservoir in Utah last month.

I find GoPros, scuba masks, a lot of paddleboard oars, phones, sunglasses is a big one, Wesselink told Fox 13 in an interview.

I dropped down and right when I hit the bottom, about 20-some feet down, there was a phone right there in front of me.

He could tell that it had been there for a long time.

The find included a number of credit cards and $56 in cash.

As a retired Army serviceman, integrity is a big thing for Wesselink, he added, explaining the motive behind his honest act.

Wesselink took to Facebook to seek out the owner of the phone.

It belonged to Evan Byington, from Utah, also an avid outdoorsman. He had been ice fishing on the reservoir with his neighbor two years earlier. Forgetting that his phone was resting on his lap, he stood up and it slid directly into the hole in the ice.

It was crystal clear, you could see it all the way to the bottom, Byington told the station.

Under almost two feet of ice, with just a small hole for his fishing line, he thought hed never see his phone or wallet again.

The ice fishermen, too, once found a pack and a wallet on a hiking trail, and decided returning it was the right thing to do.

The good deed was repaid in turn when he learned that someone was returning his own lost phone and wallet.

Wesselink contacted Byington; they now plan to meet up in October, the diver told The Epoch Times.

He replaced the worn-out bills with new ones from the bank, and plans to return the cash, along with the cards and phone.

Its great that there are still kind and loving individuals who are honest, like Matthew, Byington said.

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
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) (L) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) (C) answer questions from members of the press as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) looks on during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, on July 28, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Sinema Opposes $3.5 Trillion Price Tag for Spending Bill

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz) indicated on Wednesday that she does not support the $3.5 trillion price tag for a spending bill backed by most Senate Democrats.

In a statement, Sinema said that she supports many of the goals in this proposal. However, she added, While I will support beginning this process, I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion.

In the coming months, I will work in good faith to develop this legislation with my colleagues and the administration to strengthen Arizonas economy and help Arizonas everyday families get ahead, she said.

Her remarks come just before she and 49 other Democrats joined with 17 Republicans in the Senate voting 67-32 late Wednesday to advance a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes $550 billion in new spending.

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion spending bill will together fund President Joe Bidens jobs and families plan.

Democrats want to add $3.5 trillion to Congresss budget via budget reconciliationwhich requires only a simple majority in the Senateto bypass a Senate filibuster that would otherwise require the measure to secure support from 10 Republicans.

The bill would still require the support of all 50 Senate Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harriss support with her tie-breaking vote to pass. Lead Senate Democrats have said they want a vote to start congressional talks on the budget resolution before the August recess, and hope to pass the measure some time in the fall.

A number of House Democrats reacted to Sinemas statement in an all-or-nothing fashion, threatening to put a hold to the other $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) issued a statement on Twitter criticizing Sinema, saying, Good luck tanking your own partys investment on childcare, climate action, and infrastructure while presuming youll survive a 3 vote House marginespecially after choosing to exclude members of color from negotiations and calling that a bipartisan accomplishment.

Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) threatened to put a hold to the other $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal, writing on Twitter, Without a reconciliation package that meets this moment, Im a no on this bipartisan deal.

Moderate Democrat voices have yet to express a definitive stance on the $3.5 trillion measure. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has not said how he will vote, while Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) has said he will vote to start the process but hasnt commented on what conditions would be required for him to support the final product.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) previously said that she will not hold a House vote on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill if the $3.5 trillion bill does not pass the Senate.
A U.S. flag flies before a closed theater on Eighth Street in Cairo, Ill., on July 20, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Taxes Separate Dying Illinois From Thriving Missouri

High taxes, political corruption, and disastrous local policies drive decline in southern Illinois as nearby Missouri prospers

On the I-57 highway through Illinois, time seems to go backward with each southbound mile.

The houses and cars in the yards get older. As years pass, town populations shrink. Eventually, homes turn back into piles of disconnected wood and glass, then empty lots. At the end of the highway, the town of Cairo slowly sinks back into the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

A town of 15,000 people in the 1920s, Cairo now houses fewer than 2,000 residents. Today, the town is so silent that the few voices heard while walking the streets underscore its emptiness.

Cairos citizens live between abandoned buildings and walk sidewalks covered in burrs. Many work in Missouri or Kentucky.

Glenn Collier is one of the few Cairo residents with a job in the city. Hes a general contractor. Although he has lived in Cairo for most of his life, he said he only stays because he has family in the area.

The closest place that youll find a job around here is probably 30 miles away, Collier told The Epoch Times.

Even Cairos gas stations have gone out of business, and residents buy their food from the local Dollar Store, Collier said. The nearest grocery store selling unprocessed meat is miles away.

Over the past 30 years, Alexander County, where Cairo is located, has lost nearly a third of its population. Although not all southern Illinois counties have experienced such a drastic loss, all are shrinking.

Its tempting to blame this population loss on the rural decay trends that afflict many other places in the United States. But according to the people who live there, whats happening in southern Illinois, locally known as Little Egypt, is the result of decades of destructive government policies.

Just across the Mississippi River, some Missouri counties are growing. And none of Missouris counties have lost population at the same rate as the fastest-shrinking southern Illinois counties.

Buildings crumble beside the brick street of historic downtown Cairo, Ill., on July 20, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Big Trouble in Little Egypt

Cairo is the way it is because of decades of political corruption, rejected business opportunities, and high taxes, Collier said.

There were lots of businesses at one time, Collier said. Cairo was a very popular destination. People from the tri-state area would come here to do the grocery shopping and clothes and all that type of stuff.

The local government in Cairo has often been corrupt, Collier noted. Public utilities were charged at different prices in different locations. A pair of volunteer firefighters burned down houses in 2012 because they only got paid when fighting a fire.

Despite Cairos excellent location on two rivers, corruption and poor policy turned it into a ruin. But less than an hour away, the river town of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, is prospering. In the past decade, its county population grew by 4 percent.

Dozens of shops line Cape Girardeaus streets. A few storefronts are for lease, but the towns streets bustle with life. Unlike in Illinois towns, people stroll the streets on a weekday. Nothings overgrown, and the people look happier.

Mayberry in the Midwest

Although most Americans know little about rural Illinois, it matters when Americas small towns rot. Rural Illinois towns may not be places people visit, but theyre often the places where impactful people come from.

The list of famous rural Illinois people is surprisingly long. It includes actor Dick van Dyke, Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmum, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick, actor John Malkovich, and Abraham Lincoln. Memorial Day was created by Murphysboro, Illinois, resident Gen. John Logan.

Murphysboro local Jane Cottonaro calls Gen. Logan Johnny.

Murphysboro used to be real friendly, Cottonaro said. Everybody knew everybody.

Jane Cottonaro, a hairdresser, in her shop in Murphysboro, Ill., on July 20,2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

But the town has become less close as people have left and gotten fewer economic opportunities, she admitted.

Cottonaro said that the close community ties in Murphysboro still make the town special. Residents of other southern Illinois towns say similar things about their own communities.

This is where I was born, Cairo resident Tony Baker said. If I go somewhere else, its probably going to be a city. This is country. It would be like Andy Griffith moving out of Mayberry.

Holly Harrell, another Cairo resident, shared Bakers sense of community.

Theres some of us that stick together, Harrell said. Hopefully, well get our town going back again.

Chicago Taxes, Murphysboro Money

Most people dont want to leave southern Illinois, local residents say. But year after year of high taxes, poor economic growth, and bad government put a strain on hometown loyalties.

The policies that changed Murphysboro and Cairo emanated from Chicago and its surrounding counties, local residents say. Chicago is the center of political power in Illinois.

More than 9 million people live in the Chicago metropolitan area, according to World Population Review. The rest of Illinois is home to about 3 million people. This population concentration means that although Chicago and its nearby counties make up only a small percentage of Illinois land, they often decide policy for the rest of the state.

Chicago and its surrounding counties all vote Democrat. But the rest of Illinois is solidly Republican.

Chicagos population has consistently voted for high taxes and more government regulation. Today, Illinois has one of the United States highest average local and state tax burdens at 10 percent of income. In contrast, Missouri has an average tax burden of 7.8 percent of income.

Chicago is wealthy: The average citizen there earns $72,000 per year.

But in Murphysboro, the average citizen earns $37,996 per year. In Cairo, the average citizen earns only $12,081 per year.

In this area, its a lot different from the larger cities, Murphysboro resident and worship pastor Jermaine Bollinger said. The representation of the necessities of the people around here arent really felt in Cook County [where Chicago is located].

Illinois politicians dont notice the problems of southern communities, Bollinger said. The southern part of the state doesnt offer the same jobs or need the same politics.

Many southern Illinois residents say that most of their taxes go into Chicago without benefitting them. But they lack the political power to change the way Illinois laws impact their communities, Cottonaro said. The problem is bad enough that some residents wish for secession from the state.

Its the Democrats up in Chicago that run the whole state. Whatever they say goes, Cottonaro said. So we have nothing to say down here. Does it truly matter when how you vote is not going to make any difference?

Illinoiss government also has a reputation for corruption. From 1970 to 2010, about 1,500 people have been convicted for political corruption in the state.

Were no longer shocked or surprised whenever bad government happens, Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens said. People treat Illinois politics like a game instead of a true public service.

Americans Against Prosperity

Despite the concerns of many southern Illinois residents over Chicagos fiscal and cultural politics, some of the economic problems are homegrown.

Illinois local and state government has a habit of destroying its own best economic resources, many southern Illinois citizens say. Although some businesses have left rural Illinois because of global manufacturing trends, many left because local leaders made decisions that drove them away.

Bollinger said that the college town of Carbondale, Illinois, once had a thriving music scene with at least a dozen music venues. But after the city passed a restrictive noise ordinance in 2015, the music died. Today, only three active music venues remain in Carbondale.

The nail in the coffin was the noise ordinance issues, said Bollinger.

Cal-Crest Jacket Factory made clothes in Murphysboro, former supervisor Vicky Penrod said. Nearly 30 years ago, the factory asked the town for tax breaks so it could stay in Illinois, but the town refused, she said.

In 1985, the factory left for Mississippi, Jackson County Historical Society photo collector Nick Quigley said. Publicly, its owners cited competition from China as the driving reason.

Stephens said he didnt think Cal-Crest left because the town failed to provide incentives for it to stay.

In the 1990s, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Walmart, and a mall attempted to open businesses in Cairo, Collier said. But local leaders rejected the investment because they feared it would disrupt local business.

The business owners inside of Cairo thought these places would disrupt their business, he said. So, of course, they did whatever they could to make it not be. Actually, it had just the opposite effect.

The mall went to Cape Girardeau in Missouri and people didnt visit Cairo, Collier said.

A clean street filled with businesses in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on July 21, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Bridges to Opportunity

Today, many people who live within Illinois borders work in Missouri. On weekday mornings, droves of cars with Illinois license plates cross the bridge into Cape Girardeau. Some come from as far as an hour away.

The jobs are in Cape Girardeau, along with cheaper food, gas, and clothes. In the evening, the Illinois cars trace the same route home.

But theres no corresponding traffic from Missouri to Illinois. One side of the Mississippi has jobs and the other doesnt.

Businesswoman Jamie Davis works in her store with two employees in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on July 21, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Jamie Davis, the owner of Cape Girardeaus Aesthete clothing store, said it never occurred to her to open her shop in Illinois.

Theres nothing that I would know to cross into Illinois for, said Davis. Cairo was a big place but now theres nothing there.

If Missourians visit southern Illinois, they go to strip clubs, bars, and wineries, Davis said. Theres not much else.

But lifelong Illinois resident Lisa Lesch visits Missouri for work every weekday. Leschs husband, her sister, her sisters husband, her aunts, her uncles, and her granddaughter also all work in Missouri.

Down here on this southern end, theres nothing, Lesch said. Theres poverty.

Lesch said she wont leave Illinois because she has family roots in the state and because its hard to sell her house. But Illinois keeps getting worse.

I dont think therell be many people left unless something changes, and we get some righteous leaders in there who can lead the state in justice and righteousness, she said.

Happy Missouri, Illinois Misery

Murphysboro Mayor Stephens said he has worked to attract businesses to his town. Unlike some southern Illinois towns, Murphysboro is still charming. Volunteers work to beautify the streets and businesses are open. But people still leave, and 73 homes have been torn down in the eight years since Stevens took office.

Stevens said his efforts to revitalize the town have been hampered by Illinois tax policy. Both businesses and people prefer adjacent states with lower taxes.

Although people love their local communities, they dont love Illinois, he said. A few years ago, some Illinois citizens started flying Missouri flags because they wished they were part of Missouri.

You have to work twice as long and twice as hard to get half as much when it comes to economic development in this region, Stevens said.

Many southern Illinois residents say that the population loss from their side of the state wont stop until political leaders from the more populous northern areas of the state take notice. Although they fight to maintain their communities, its just a last stand unless something changes.

Several southern Illinoisans interviewed by The Epoch Times said they wanted political change, but were more concerned about incompetence and corruption than party lines.

Theres been millions squandered on crazy things, Collier said.

He didnt mention which political party controls Cairos government.

Attempts to fix Cairos historic downtown made Collier laugh. The city government paved a street with bricks and repainted a locked movie theater. If someone was living in the collapsing, ivy-cluttered building across the street, they would have a charming view.
Teachers Union Head Doesnt Rule Out Strike as States Opt for Right to Choose Over School Mask Mandate

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten on Wednesday said it is necessary to enforce that all K-12 students and staff wear masks in order to keep schools safely open, and that her organization wouldnt rule out striking over states that ban mask mandates.

During an interview with MSNBC, Weingarten was asked about the AFTs position on states like Texas, where public schools can no longer require that masks have to be worn on their campuses under Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order. Abbott has made it clear he will not rescind the order.

Texas isnt the only state that has tried to basically ban mandates, either on masks or on vaccines, host Chuck Todd said. What is the position of the union on this, and is this something that would be worth striking over?

Weingarten replied, We want schools to reopen and have a safe and welcoming climate in the fall.

The AFT head last year had led an effort to block schools from reopening, citing health concerns and calling parents privileged for demanding in-person instruction. She successfully lobbied the CDC to release a more conservative version its reopening guidelines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) latest recommendation is that all students and adults should wear masks in schools.

According to Weingarten, as there is neither herd immunity nor enough of a vaccinated population. schools need to be masked up again in response to the Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. She also implied that those who oppose mandating the CDC recommendation are politicizing the issue of school reopening.

If we want kids to be in school and we want everybody to be safe and we want to keep schools open, this is what the scientists, this is what the pediatricians, are telling us we need to do because of Delta, she said. And lets just all try to put the politics to the side and try to do this to get schools open.

In Texas, schools have been prohibited from requiring that any student, teacher, parent, or visitor wear a mask while on campus since June 5. In a statement released Tuesday, the governors office affirmed that this policy is not going to change.

Governor Abbott has been clear that the time for government mandating of masks is overnow is the time for personal responsibility, said Abbotts press secretary, Renae Eze. Every Texan has the right to choose whether they will wear a mask or have their children wear masks.

Vaccines are the most effective defense against contracting COVID and becoming seriously ill, and we urge all eligible Texans to get the vaccine, she added. The COVID vaccine will always remain voluntary and never forced in Texas.
The Team GB shooter Matt Coward-Holley celebrates his bronze medal win at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, on July 29, 2021. (Mike Egerton/PA)

Team GB Shooters Bronze Medal at First Olympics Incredible Achievement

Team GB shooter Matt Coward-Holleys bronze medal in the mens trap at the Tokyo Olympics is an incredible achievement, the headmaster of his former school has said.

The Chelmsford-born athlete, now living in Salisbury in Wiltshire, shot 33 of 40 in the final to secure third place, finishing behind the Czech duo of gold medallist Jiri Liptak and silver medallist David Kostelecky.

The 26-year-old was a pupil at the independent Felsted School, near Braintree in Essex, from the age of 11 until his mid-teens.

The schools headmaster, Chris Townsend, said he was so proud of Coward-Holleys achievements at what was his first Olympics.

Matt Coward-Holley in action at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, on July 29, 2021. (Mike Egerton/PA)

To see him out there competing at the absolute pinnacle for his country, I just feel so proud and so pleased for him, so pleased hes got a medal to bring home with him, he said.

Its fantastic news and I look forward to cheering him on to gold in a few years time as well.

He said that lovely lad Coward-Holley had been a keen rugby player until he injured his back and was forced to give up the sport.

He wasnt someone who at the time he was at school you would have picked out as a future Olympian, said Townsend.

He struggled with injuries, he had some bad back injuries which stopped him playing rugby which he quite enjoyed and at that point he turned his hand a bit more seriously to shooting, and obviously the rest of it is a pretty extraordinary story.

He said Coward-Holley showed nerves of steel in the brutal format of the final, and believes there will be lots to look forward to from him at future Olympics.

Matthew Coward-Holley poses with his bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, on July 29, 2021. (Mike Egerton/PA)

Coward-Holleys partner, Augusta Rose Campos-Martyn, said ahead of the final that he is an immensely driven athlete.

Campos-Martyn, who is also a professional shooter and competes for Puerto Rico internationally, said: He is never content, constantly striving for perfection, and more success.

But he is also incredibly modest and down-to-earth.

When hes not training himself he is helping out other young athletes that are coming up through the sport.

Coward-Holley had ambitions of being a professional rugby player but he was forced to give up the sport after he broke his back twice as a teenager.

He had stopped shooting at the age of 12 to concentrate on his rugby career, but returned to the sport aged 16.

By Sam Russell
Caeleb Dressel of the United States poses with his gold medal for the men's 100-meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan on July 29, 2021. (Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

Team USA Adds Two Gold Medals as Dressel Sets New Record

Americans added two gold medals to the countrys count in the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday morning, with one swimmer setting a new record.

Caeleb Dressel won the 100-meter freestyle in 47.02 seconds, setting a new Olympic record and finishing just six-hundredths of a second ahead of Australias Kyle Chalmers.

Russias Kliment Kolesnikov took bronze.

It was a really tough year, really hard, Dressel, 24, of Florida, told reporters after the race. To have the results, it really came together so Im happy.

The old 100-meter record was 47.05 seconds. It was set by Australias Eamon Sullivan in the 2008 Olympics.

The gold medal is Dressels first in an individual event; he has three from relays.

Team USAs Bobby Finke also won a gold on Thursday in Japan.

Finke completed the 800-meter freestyle in seven minutes, 41.87 seconds, barely ahead of Italys Gregorio Paltrinieri (seven minutes, 42.11 seconds). Ukraines Mykhailo Romanchuk finished in third.

Finke blasted through the final length after being outside the top three before the last turn.

I just really wanted to get my hand on the wall, Finke, 21, of Florida, told reporters following the event. I was able to switch into another gear.

Bobby Finke of the United States reacts after winning the first-ever 800-meter freestyle at the Olympics, during the Tokyo Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, on July 29, 2021. (Lisi Niesner/Reuters)

It was the first 800-meter freestyle in the Olympics.

Americans took another set of silver medals in other events.

Kayle Browning, 29, of Arkansas, finished in second in Asaka shooting, behind Slovakias Zuzana Stefecekova.

Regan Smith, 19, of Minnesota, took silver in the womens 200-meter butterfly, behind Chinas Yufei Zhang. Hali Flickinger, 27, of Pennsylvania won bronze.

Team USA also took silver in the womens 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay, finishing between China, which won gold, and Australia.

American teams advanced in volleyball. Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil made it to the womens volleyball playoffs while Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena are poised for the playoffs on the mens side.

COVID-19 could prevent some Americans from competing as planned.

Twenty-four new positive cases, including three athletes, were detected on Thursday, organizers said.

American officials said Sam Kendricks, a pole vaulter, was one of those who tested positive.

Kendricks will no longer compete in the Olympics, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee said.
Texas Democrat Urges Biden to Do More to Curb Illegal Immigration

A Texas Democrat who has been critical of the White Houses immigration policies on Wednesday renewed his calls for the Biden administration to do more to stem the flow of illegal immigrants across the southern border.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said in an interview on Fox News Your World program that he has urged President Joe Biden to put a pause on accepting or releasing illegal border crossers, citing the risk of COVID-19.

Its not fair to local communities, people being released there that might have COVID-19, Cuellar said. What Im asking of the Biden administration is to do a pause.

Do a pause. They need to prioritize border communities, they need to prioritize the men and women of DHS, the Texas lawmaker added.

Cuellars remarks came after reports that border officers in Texas were releasing illegal immigrants who test positive for COVID-19 to a nonprofit organization.

The immigrants were handed over to the Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley, which arranged for their stay in a La Joya, Texas, hotel that it had rented out entirely, La Joya police officials said.

We did not know this. No one told the city of La Joya. No one told the police department that these people were here. And no one told us that these people were possibly ill, La Joya Sgt. Manuel Casas told reporters at a July 27 press conference.

A representative for Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley didnt return an earlier request for comment but the charitys executive director, Sister Norma Pimentel, told Border Report that the group has been helping house COVID-positive immigrants in hotels.

A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told The Epoch Times via email that the agency in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector continues to encounter significant numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the border.

Brian Hastings, chief of the RGV sector, said in a Twitter post after agents there made more than 20,000 arrests in a single week: Its the hottest part of the summer and apprehensions are skyrocketing!

The CBP spokesperson added that officials in the Rio Grande Valley continue to expel illegal immigrants under Title 42 authority, a policy invoked by former President Donald Trump that allows for the expulsion of foreign nationals arriving from regions where there is a risk of contagious disease.

Cuellar told Fox News that he is aware of expulsions taking place under Title 42 and suggested the White House publicize this fact, presumably to discourage would be illegal border crossers.

I support Title 42 especially right now, Cuellar said. They need to publicize and show images of people being deported: Because I ask you, Charles, have you seen one single picture of somebody being deported? No. I havent seen one. I see people coming in. But were not showing people being deported.

These numbers are not stopping and with all due respect to the administration, they need to put a pause on this now for the sake of our border communities, Cuellar added.

The Biden administration initially planned to phase out Title 42 enforcement on July 31, but a Wednesday report from the Washington Post, citing anonymous officials working on border policy, indicated that these plans have been put on hold.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation that Title 42 enforcement was being shelved.

Republicans have blamed Bidens rollback of Trump-era policies for fueling the border surge, which they insist is a crisis, while members of the administration have sought to portray the spike in illegal crossings as a challenge, driven in part by seasonal factors.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Murder defendant Otis McKane looks around the 379th District Court in San Antonio, Texas, during his capital murder trial in the shooting death of San Antonio Police Dept. officer Benjamin Marconi, on July 26, 2021. (Robin Jerstad/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

Texas Man Convicted of Killing Officer, Then Attacks Bailiff

SAN ANTONIOA Texas man elbowed a bailiff attempting to handcuff him after the man was convicted of killing a San Antonio police detective.

Jurors deliberated about 25 minutes Monday before convicting Otis McKane, 40, of capital murder in the November 2016 fatal shooting of Detective Benjamin Marconi. Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty against McKane. The trials punishment phase began Tuesday afternoon.

A bailiff was trying to handcuff McKane when McKane elbowed him in the face before several officers pushed him into an adjacent room.

District Attorney Joe Gonzales and defense attorney Joel Perez declined to comment on the outburst. Gonzales said the bailiff was not seriously injured. In fact, the bailiff, Bexar County sheriffs Deputy Isidro Gonzalez, was the first witness prosecutors called to testify afterward.

Gonzalez said he noticed McKane removing his necktie, unbuttoning his shirt, and untucking his shirttail after the guilty verdict was read.

I had a feeling that he was going to fight us, Gonzalez testified. Because he was taking off his clothes.

Prosecutor Tamara Strauch points to defendant Otis McKane during closing statements on day 11 of the McKanes capital murder trial for the 2016 shooting of SAPD detective Benjamin Marconi, in San Antonio, Texas, on July 26, 2021. (Kin Man Hui/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

Marconi was fatally shot as he sat in his patrol car during a traffic stop that did not involve McKane, authorities said.

McKane, as he was being taken to jail following the shooting, told reporters that he lashed out at someone who didnt deserve it because he was upset with the court system. McKane said he was angry because he had not been allowed to see his son during a custody battle.

Perez argued that Marconi had sent and received personal text messages moments before the traffic stop and was not officially on duty. Therefore, McKane could not be charged with capital murder and be eligible for the death penalty.
The CCPs Crisis Management Model

Commentary

The July floods in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan Province in central China, provide a classic example of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) crisis management model, which is made up of three elements: concealing facts, information blackouts, and spinning official narratives.

Concealing Facts

There was no doubt that Zhengzhou experienced an exceptionally intense torrential downpour. The citys meteorological bureau registered a 1-hour rainfall of 201.9 millimeters (8 inches) from 4 to 5 p.m. on July 20equivalent to nearly one-third of the annual rainfall of 640 millimeters (25 inches) the city receives in a normal year. Understandably, this would cause serious citywide flooding.

The official narrative played up that fact and claimed that it was a once-in-a-thousand-year event, implying that it was beyond human ability to avert the resulting loss of life and property.

Tech-savvy netizens immediately dug up statistics to refute the official claim. The Weibo page of the China Amateur Meteorologists posted a table comparing the 2021 July downpour with the 1975 August one, which shows the largest rainfalls recorded for the 1-hour, 3-hour, 6-hour, 24-hour, and 72-hour period, respectively. Clearly, the latest downpour was definitely not once in a thousand years, and in many ways, it was less severe than the last one. This table was later deleted but a screenshot is reproduced here.

Source: Weibo page of China Amateur Meteorologists. Note: the first column shows different time intervals at 1-, 3-, 6-, 24- and 72-hour, respectively; the second and third columns show the actual largest rainfalls recorded in millimeters in the corresponding intervals for August 1975 and July 2021, respectively.

Chen Sou, the chief forecaster at the Central Meteorological Bureau, agreed. He said China doesnt possess a reliable long-term record to back up such a statement.

Obviously, the authorities lied. In doing so, they purposely tried to conceal two facts.

First, despite multiple alerts and forewarnings, the provincial and municipal authorities did nothing to mitigate the crisis. As of July 27, the official death toll was 71, but the actual number is presumed to be much higher due to strict CCP censorship.

Before the inundation on July 20, the provincial meteorological bureau had issued an alert almost a week ahead of the incoming calamity. On July 19, the citys meteorological bureau issued four warnings, and on July 20, it altogether issued six warnings and urged authorities to take precautionary measures, including a general stoppage of social gatherings, schooling, work, and transportation.

If these warnings had been heeded, fewer lives would have been lost.

Article 11 of Chinas Administration of the Release and Dissemination of Early Warning Signals for Meteorological Disasters obligated regional authorities to take prompt actions to alleviate the crisis once such early warnings were issued. From the first warning issued at 1:08 a.m. on July 20 until the crisis set in at 4 p.m. in the afternoon, the city government had fully 15 hours to declare a general stoppage as suggested by the meteorological bureau and would have avoided the unnecessary deaths. Clearly, the authorities are guilty of malfeasance.

Second, an unalerted flood discharge took place at the Chang Zhuang dam.

The dam lies 3.7 miles west and upstream of Zhengzhou. While a flood discharge might have been unavoidable, it should have been forewarned. But it took place at 10:30 a.m. on July 20 and wasnt announced until 1 a.m. on July 21. This showed the authorities blatant disregard for lives and property downstream. An intense torrential downpour coupled with an irresponsible flood discharge could only aggravate the crisis.

So to divert attention away from the authorities negligence, it played up the once-in-a-thousand-year theme, which is a stark lie.

Information Blackouts

Whenever a crisis strikes China, the CCP official media are completely silent. The Henan Provincial TV station showed nothing of the crisis on the evening of July 20. On July 21, the front page of the Peoples Daily didnt carry a single word about the calamity, which was relegated to a seventh-page position.

Another move to black out the news was to cordon off the fatal highway tunnel where hundreds of vehicles were piled up, preventing people from filming the scene and families from finding their loved ones. Wi-Fi and internet services in the area were also suspended to prevent real-time transmission of information to the outside world. Three different departments issued handouts warning people not to accept interviews by foreign correspondents or to report on the whereabouts of foreign journalists covering the crisis.

Spinning the Official Narrative

The authorities also tried to spin the calamity to their own advantage. For example, the Propaganda Department of the Zhengzhou Party Committee declared that after the flood, The city will become cleaner. Plants will grow better. Our people will emerge stronger.

The suffering of the people was never mentioned. Worse still, the Henan branch of the Chinese Communist Youth League tried to incite hatred against foreign journalists covering the waterlogged city, claiming that they tried to paint a dark picture of Henan. This resulted in several foreign journalists being harassed.

By doing so, the authorities tried to divert peoples attention away from the misdeeds of the Party and its regime.

Hiding facts, blacking out information, and spinning the event to its own advantagethis is the CCPs standard operating procedure in coping with a crisis. We saw it during the CCP virus pandemic, and we see it now in the Henan floods.

Ching Cheong is a graduate of the University of Hong Kong. In his decades-long journalism career, he has specialized in political, military, and diplomatic news in Hong Kong, Beijing, Taipei, and Singapore.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Dos and Donts of Starting a Side Business

While starting a side business can be exciting, it is critical that you take some proactive steps to avoid getting in trouble with your employer

Running a business may seem excitingespecially if that business is built around the things you are most passionate about. After all, who can say no to extra money?

However, running a business comes with risksrisks that are greater if you want to run a successful side business while being employed. Here are some of the legal issues you may want to consider as you build your new enterprise.

Dont Ignore Your Employment Obligations

Your employer will likely have asked you to sign an employment agreement when you started your job. This employment agreement describes the legal obligations you owe to your employer while employed. The obligations stated in your employment agreement will dictate your ability to operate a side business and what you can and cant do while operating a side business.

Related: Starting a Side Business? Here Are 5 Steps to Avoid Getting Fired

Here are three restrictions you may find in your employment agreement and their implications on your ability to conduct a side business:

Duty of loyalty. Your employment contract may state you owe a duty of loyalty to your employera duty that generally prohibits employees from competing with their employer during employment. If you think your side business is marginally competitive with that of your employer, consider obtaining legal advice to assess and quantify such risks. Confidential information. In the course of your employment, your employer may trust you with access to its confidential information, the value of which is derived from being kept secret from the rest of the world. Dont use your employers confidential information for the pursuit of your own business interests. Doing so is simply a recipe for an expensive lawsuit. Intellectual property. Through the course of your employment, you may discover an invention that you may want to monetize and exploit. Tread carefully! If you are hired to invent products for your employer, your employer may wish to assert ownership over the invention. This is another area where advice from a lawyer is crucial.

Dont Build Business Using the Assets of the Employer

This may seem obvious, but youd be surprised how many employees unintentionally use their employers assets to run their side business. Here are three assets you should not use if you dont want to land in hot water:

Laptop and tools. This is pretty obvious; dont use the assets provided by your employer to conduct your personal business. This includes any phone, laptop, or other electronic devices that your employer provides as well as any electronic software applications provided by your employer. Email. Many employees use the email address their company provides to conduct their personal business. Little do they know that this is a very risky personal and business practice. For most employers, the email address provided to employees is an asset belonging to the employer, which can be taken away at any time. So, if you are considering starting a side business, ensure all communications are through an email address that you have full control over. Time. If you are working remotely, employers have more challenges in overseeing your conduct than they would if you were working in their offices. You may think you have the flexibility to work on your side projects while completing your employment duties. Be careful in your assumptions: Some tech-savvy employers have the capacity to supervise employees remotely.

Related: 3 Agreement Types Every Entrepreneur Needs

Do Invest in Building an Advisory Team

The success of your business will depend on your ability to make informed business decisions. However, you cant be expected to know everything. You need to have an advisory team that can guide your decision-making on the issues most critical to your business. Here are three team members we recommend our clients include on their advisory team:

Banker. One of the first things any new business owner should do is open up a bank account solely for the new business. This offers an opportunity to get introduced to a business advisor at your local banka relationship you should rely on as you grow your business. Business lawyer. Want to avoid getting into trouble with your employer because of your side business? Your business lawyer will play a key role in both identifying and minimizing these risks while also protecting your broader business interests as you grow your company. Accountant or bookkeeper. The success of your business will also depend on your understanding of the financials underlying your business model. Your accountant can help strengthen your understanding as well as analyze the financial data of your business.

Related: 8 Steps to Creating an Effective Advisory Board

In short, no matter what business youre planning on starting up, invest a little time and energy to make sure you do not run into any trouble with your employer and get help from people who know what theyre doing.
After being apprehended by Border Patrol, illegal immigrants wait to be transported to a central processing center shortly after they crossed the border from Mexico into the United States in the Rio Grande Valley Sector near McAllen, Texas March 26, 2018. (Loren Elliott/AFP via Getty Images)

Top Republicans Introduce Bill to Restart Border Wall Construction

Several top House Republicans on July 29 introduced a bill that targets security along the U.S.Mexico border amid worsening numbers under President Joe Biden.

The bill, known as the Border Security Act, was signed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), and other conference Republicans.

In statements about the bill, the Republicans tied the surge of illegal immigrants along the border to the current administration and characterized Bidens policies as ineffective and inhumane.

The Biden Administrations failure to secure our southern border puts every Americans security at risk, Stefanik said in a statement.

The policies, she added, have been a complete disaster, causing the worst border crisis weve seen in over 20 years.

As the number of encounters continue to rise, drugs and weapons are flooding across our southern border, and Democrats have turned their backs on our border patrol agents and law enforcement, she said.

Since taking office in January, Biden has signed dozens of executive orders rescinding President Donald Trumps policies, including border wall construction and the remain in Mexico protocols. Last month, according to the most recent data, Customs and Border Protection agents arrested nearly 190,000 people who had crossed the border illegally.

The bill would renew border wall construction contracts that were recently rescinded by the Department of Homeland Security, invest in advanced technology, and provide more support to federal law enforcement officers. In issuing an order suspending border wall constructiona project that has been long championed by TrumpBiden described it as wasteful and ineffective, although DHS has spent funds on repairing some areas along already-built wall sections.

A U.S. border agent looks on near a gate on the U.S.Mexico border wall, in Abram-Perezville, Texas, in this file photo. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

Weve been down to the southern border several times to see this crisis firsthand and hear directly from those on the frontlines, Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement. This legislation tackles key shortcomings and weaknesses weve seen for ourselves that are fueling the border crisis.

Other than ordering the construction of the border barrier to restart immediately, the measure would also call on the DHS to deploy practical and effective technology to support Border Patrol operations and use high-technology implements including drones, improved license plate readers, and more surveillance sensors along the border.

The Border Patrol, under the legislation, would be mandated to field at least 22,478 agents, or more than 1,000 over the current funding, as the agency has reportedly suffered from hiring problems in recent years. To deal with a lack of manpower along the border, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently authorized the states National Guard to assist in making arrests of illegal immigrants in his state.

The House Republicans bill comes just days after the White House, in a statement, said its working toward an orderly, secure, and well-managed border while treating people fairly and humanely.

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. We successfully processed over 12,500 people who had been returned to Mexico under the Migrant Protection Protocols, the White House said.

The DHS didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
The logo of Twitter is displayed on the screen of a smartphone and a tablet in Toulouse, France, on Oct. 26, 2020. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images)

Twitter Shutters New York and San Francisco Offices Over Virus Concerns

Twitter has announced its closing its two largest offices in New York City and San Francisco, which reopened just two weeks ago, citing concerns about the dynamics of the pandemic.

After careful consideration of the CDCs updated guidelines, and in light of current conditions, Twitter has made the decision to close our opened offices in New York and San Francisco as well as pause future office reopenings, effective immediately, a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 27 revised its guidance on masking, citing the threat of the Delta variant, with the agency now recommending fully vaccinated people to mask up indoors in public places if theyre in areas of substantial or high transmission. According to the CDC, most of California falls into that category, though a handful of counties are at moderate and low levels. The bulk of New York counties are moderate, with several in the substantial or high transmission category.

Were continuing to closely monitor local conditions and make necessary changes that prioritize the health and safety of our Tweeps, the Twitter spokesperson said.

While the CDCs guidance isnt binding, it has been closely followed by health departments, businesses, and other entities across the country, often calibrating policies according to the agencys recommendations.

California health officials have issued revised guidelines for mask-wearing that recommend universal masking indoors statewide, a posture that is stricter than the updated CDC guidance.

To achieve universal masking in indoor public settings, we are recommending that fully vaccinated people also mask in indoor public settings across California, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) stated in a July 28 notice. This adds an extra precautionary measure for all to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, especially in communities currently seeing the highest transmission rates.

Californias new masking guidance is a recommendation, not a mandate.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, told reporters during a call on July 27 that new data about 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.

Unlike the Alpha variant that we had back in May where we didnt believe that if you were vaccinated, you could transmit further, this is different now with the Delta variant, she said.

The Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, has been listed as a variant of concern by the CDC, which considers it to be more transmissible and potentially more resistant to vaccines.

Renewed concern about the Delta strain has prompted renewed fears of another surge and a bevy of moves in response by businesses, as well as state and local governments.

Facebook and Google recently stated they would require employees to be vaccinated. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said state workers will have to get inoculated or subject themselves to weekly testing, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said state employees will be required to get the shot.

According to Fortune, around a third of the companies listed on the Fortune 500 list of Americas largest companies are mulling vaccine requirements for employees, though only around 10 percent have imposed mandates.
The House side of the U.S. Capitol is seen in the morning in Washington on March 10, 2021. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

US Capitol Police: Visitors Will Be Asked to Wear a Mask or Leave Premises

No reason it should ever come to an arrest, Capitol police say

The United States Capitol Police (USCP) said Thursday that visitors will be asked to wear a mask or leave the buildings, and they said there is no reason failure to comply should ever result in an arrest.

Regarding the House mask rule, there is no reason it should ever come to someone being arrested. Anyone who does not follow the rule will be asked to wear a mask or leave the premises. The Departments requirements for officers to wear masks is for their health and safety, stated a USCP press statement put out Thursday.

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) said she has received a memo in which Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told police to arrest visitors who did not comply with mask mandate and report members of congress.

In todays edition of Pelosis abuse of power, Capitol Police have been directed to arrest staff and visitors to comply with her mask mandate for vaccinated individuals. For Members, they advise not arresting but reporting Members to SAA for their failure to comply, wrote Cammack in a social media statement Thursday morning.

Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News in a Thursday interview that the mask mandate was reinstated because of the spread of the Delta Variant in the United States.

Changes because of the Delta variant as you already said, and I think its going to confuse people because the mask is just an added feature. Its not meant to undermine that the vaccine is way more important. But the reason is because of those people who got sick, who were already vaccinated, they found a lot of virus, the same amount of virus as if you were unvaccinated, said Siegel who is a physician, Professor of Medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center, author, and contributor to Fox News.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the mask mandate is based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and recommendations made by the Capitol Attending Physician Brian Monahan.

Besides Republican members of Congress opposing the mask mandate, a growing number of health officials and scientists are calling on the CDC to release data behind its decision to recommend that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) viruswhich causes the disease COVID-19vaccinated people wear masks in high-transmission areas.

One of them, New York City Health and Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, said hes reluctant to follow the agencys guidelines on universal masking.

While the CDC issued their guidance yesterday at about 3 p.m., they have not yet released their scientific reports on the data that underlies their recommendation, Katz said at a news conference. I think we owe it to New Yorkers to very carefully, as you say, review that information and understand its implications, Katz added. Our focus has to be on getting people vaccinated.

A spokesperson for the CDC told The Epoch Times on Thursday that the first publication of the data it used for the guidance will be published tomorrow.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated that the Capitol Police would not arrest visitors who refused to comply with the order to wear a mask or leave the premises. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
A Coast Guard Station Key West boat crew on scene with a 21-foot vessel with 22 people aboard approximately 7 miles south of Key West, Fla., on July 23, 2021. (U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary)

US Coast Guard Sends 27 Cubans Found at Sea Back to Communist Island

The U.S. Coast Guard said that it has repatriated 27 Cuban migrants found at sea to their communist-ruled homeland after it intercepted two groups off Floridas coast.

The announcement on July 28 comes amid unrest in Cuba sparked by mass protests across the nation that started on July 11 when thousands of citizens took to the streets to call for an end to the communist regime, crying out for freedom.

The Coast Guard intercepted one group of Cuban migrants on the afternoon of July 23 after a person reported the vessel to watchstanders of the Coast Guard Sector Key West, according to a statement. The 21-foot vessel, which was 7 miles south of Key West, was found to have 22 people aboard.

Crew members of the Coast Guard Cutter William Trump brought them onto the ship. The 22 migrants were later transferred to the Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton.

A second group of Cuban migrants was intercepted on the afternoon of July 24. A makeshift raft was reported by Coast Guard Station Islamorada to Sector Key West watchstanders.

The raft was about 15 miles offshore of Islamorada and carried five people. Coast Guard crewmen personnel up the five people and transferred them to the Charles Sexton.

All the Cuban migrants were reported to be in good health. Before they were sent back to Cuba, all the migrants received food, water, shelter, and basic medical attention, the Guard announced.

#SeeSomethingSaySomething Mariners  if you see any migrant voyage, call the @USCG to help prevent loss of life at sea.#DontTakeToTheSeas Read more at: https://t.co/bhz5mCSksg pic.twitter.com/2o65Pkj0I6  USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) July 27, 2021

The latest two interdictions are believed to be of the first wave of migrants seeking to flee Cuba by sea since the July 11 proteststhe largest seen in Cuba in decades. The Cuban regime responded to the protests with mass arrests and sent Communist Party militants and paramilitary forces to monitor dissidents in cities and towns across the country.

Coast Guard Sector Key West Commander Capt. Adam Chamie said in a statement that all mariners are asked to report any possible migrant voyages to help prevent loss of life at sea, adding, Taking to the seas on unsafe vessels is dangerous and can result in loss of life.

The Biden administration previously warned Cuban and Haitian migrants against sailing to the United States.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a Cuban native, said on July 13, The time is never right to attempt migration by sea. To those who risk their lives doing so, this risk is not worth taking. Allow me to be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States.

The Coast Guard continually monitors the Florida straits in the Caribbean Sea for approaching vessels, he said, adding that the Guard has also been monitoring for unpermitted vessel departures from Florida to Cuba.

The Guard previously issued a statement on July 16 warning any U.S. residents from sailing to Cuba without a permit.

In the current fiscal year, since Oct. 1, 2020, the Guard has intercepted 554 migrants from Cuba, up from 49 in fiscal 2020.
Flowers placed as tributes are seen in front of a metro station in memory of flood victims in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province on July 27, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Wives Search for Loved Ones in China Floods End in Tragedy

In the aftermath of a disaster, searching for, and sometimes finding a lost loved one is the most difficult point on the path to recovery. When deadly floods were inundating the city of Zhengzhou in China on July 20, a local subway line was still in operation. The service was brought to an abrupt halt when it was almost completely submerged under water.

Two widows have shared about what they witnessed at Subway Line 5 on July 20.

Both had found the bodies of their husbands after Zhengzhou Metro agreed to drain floodwaters from its submerged tunnel. While some families still remain hopeful as they continue to search for their loved ones, these two women have already received their tragic closure a week after the disaster.

The flood struck Zhengzhou on July 20, when the regime ordered a nearby reservoir to drain its water just as as heavy rain hit central Chinas transportation hub but without alerting the city. Floodwaters entered the still-operating metro system, inundating line 5, which left hundreds of passengers trapped for over two hours in what, for some, became a watery grave.

More bodies have been found among those who were washed away as they tried to flee the metro train or station.

On July 27, the regime announced a total of 14 deaths at metro line 5, which include the husbands of the two widows found on July 25 and 26. On the same day, the Henan Provincial government said that the total death toll of the flood in the province was 71.

Its unclear how many people are still trapped inside the flood in metro line 5. By press time, a large number of posts for missing persons was posted on the social media group Henan Heavy Rain Mutual Assistance.

Last Call Received

Sha Tao, one of the husbands who lost his life on July 26, was several days away from his 34th birthday.

I finally saw him at the funeral home. He was lying inside a freezer box, marked anonymous. From today, I dont have a husband, my daughter doesnt have a father, and our parents dont have a son, his wife wrote on her Weibo account, a popular Chinese social media platform. She did not provide her name.

Shas wife described the gruesome reality of seeing her husbands body after five days of water damage.

She had begun her desperate search for her husband on the evening of July 20, calling family members, friends, city officials, police, the media, and posting social media for help. None of the government entities assisted her. She went to different hospitals and funeral homes to search for her husband, but was unable to find her loved one.

She told local news outlet Jimu on July 21: He called me yesterday afternoon after 6:00 p.m., and asked me to call the police for help. Sha was riding Line 5 on his way home. As he spoke to his wife, the metro train had stopped between stations, and the floodwater was already ankle deep.

Then, I couldnt reach him anymore, his wife wrote.

If wefamily membersdidnt keep asking Zhengzhou metro to drain the floodwater for rescue efforts, I dont know when Sha Taos body would have been found, she wrote on Weibo. Zhengzhou metro made a series of big mistakes  [they] must take major responsibility.

She continued that the metro company didnt stop their operations in time, didnt make efforts to disperse passengers until over an hour after flooding was evident, didnt report deaths on time, and didnt make attempts to rescue passengers in good time.

Rescuers from Jiangsu Province are searching inside metro line 5, which was flooded in Zhengzhou, central Chinas Henan Province on July 26, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

She thanked Shas classmates, colleagues, friends, and a large number of online strangers in Zhengzhou for their support. She said that they gave her and her family the clues that they needed to finally find Shas body.

Sha Tao is survived by his wife and infant daughter.

The Pain Is Indescribable

From July 22 to July 25, the sound of a womans voice was repeatedly heard on a megaphone resonating through the submerged metro tunnel. Her voice called out his name, Zou Deqiang, you have never disappointed me!  Hubby, Hold on! Im coming.

Zou, 38, had traveled from Shanghai to Zhengzhou for a business trip. His body was found in the subway tunnel on July 25.

The voice on the megaphone was Zous wife, surname Bai. She immediately began the nearly 600-mile journey from Shanghai to Zhengzhou on the evening of July 20, hours after realising that Zou was missing.

I asked for help from police and all the professional rescue groups I could reach, but couldnt find any support, Bai told news outlet Qihuan on July 23. So, I recorded this audio and asked the metro staff to play it inside the submerged tunnel to encourage Zou.

Bai held onto hope that Zou could survive the flood.

According to Zous colleague Wang, they two took the metro together on the afternoon of July 20. They were riding in the last car when floodwater stopped the train between the stations. Seeing the rapidly rising water, Zou, Wang, and other passengers decided to abandon the car and make a break for the station.

The passengers gripped the walls of the tunnel as they moved, while treacherous waters rushed past them. Wang later told Bai that disaster struck when Zou was swept away by the water. Wang was powerless to rescue him.

For the following days after he escaped, Wang reserved himself in silence. Nonetheless, he accompanies Bai in her search for her husband.

My husband is short and slim. Its possible that he couldnt grab the wall. [I] hope they can drain the water out. Maybe my husband is still alive, Bai said on July 23.

But her hopes were dashed away on the morning of July 25, as Zous body was recovered. She said that the pain in her heart is indescribable.

Zou is survived by his wife. She did not publicize if they had any children.
Tibetan Buddhists walk the kora in front of the Jokhang Temple, a UNESCO heritage site, in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, on June 1, 2021. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Xi Jinping Visits Tibet to Mark the 70th Anniversary of the CCPs Rule

On the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) takeover of Tibet, Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited the region and inspected a railroad project that has a strategic importance in maintaining stability along the Sino-Indian border.

Xi visited Nyingchi (also known as Linzhi) and the capital Lhasa from July 21 to 23, according to state-run media Xinhua. Nyingchi, a prefecture-level city that has a strategic location, borders Arunachal Pradesh of India.

Xi inspected a railroad construction project that runs from Sichuan Province to Lhasa, and took a ride in the LhasaNyingchi railway line.

On June 25, Nyingchi made the news when the Chinese regime opened the first electrified railway in Tibet, the LhasaNyingchi Railway, also known as the Lalin Line, according to a Xinhua report. The 270-mile rail line significantly reduces travel time from Lhasa to Nyingchi, as the railway has a maximum speed of about 100 miles per hour, the report said.

The Secretary of the Party Committee of Tibet Autonomous Region, Wu Yingjie, said during the opening ceremony that the railway plays an important role in maintaining stability along the China-India border.

Wu said that as a component of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, the Lalin Line is a critical strategic project that Xi Jinping himself planned, deployed, and promoted.

The Sichuan-Tibet Railway is the second railroad linking Tibet with mainland China, starting in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, passing through Yaan, Ganzi, Changdu, and Nyingchi, and finally reaching Lhasa.

The railroad would also be useful for the Chinese military for transporting equipment and supplies in the event of a border crisis between India and China, according to Beijings overseas mouthpiece Global Times.

Sino-Indian relations have deteriorated since Chinese and Indian soldiers clashed at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15, 2020. At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed, according to the Indian military. Chinese officials said that four people were killed and one was seriously injured. However, the Indian Hindi newspaper Navbharat Times reported last year that 43 Chinese soldiers were killed in the incident.

Chinese authorities have been expanding airbases in at least 16 locations bordering India, including those close to Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, according to a July 23 report by India Today.

Last year amid the tensions in Ladakh, the Chinese authorities began building the Tashkurgan Pamir airport in the westernmost part of China. The airport is located in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, bordering Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

With its proximity to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the airport [Tashkurgan Pamir] is considered to be a critical strategic base for China, India Today reported.

In recent months, India and China have built infrastructure along the border to support the troop surge. According to The Wall Street Journal, China has increased its military presence to at least 50,000 troops, up from 15,000 at this time last year; India has also deployed at least 50,000 additional troops to the India-China border. In addition, a significant military buildup is gathering in eastern Ladakh. The area overlaps with Kashmir and Tibet, making it an important strategic location.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Scientists say New Mexico temperatures will likely continue to climb over the next 50 years  a change with major consequences for regional water supplies and landscapes.

Nelia Dunbar, director of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, serves on the eight-member advisory panel crafting a leap-ahead climate analysis for the Interstate Stream Commission of what water supplies could look like in 2070.

The question is not so much will (temperatures) increase, but by how much, Dunbar said during a recent video update on the states long-term water plan.

New Mexico models show that annual average statewide temperatures could rise between 5 and 7 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 50 years, regardless of whether global carbon dioxide emissions rise or fall, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

Experts have been warning state lawmakers and others that a warmer climate could impact nearly every aspect of New Mexicos water and land.

Dunbar listed likely impacts, including:

 Decreased aquifer recharge, more common and hotter drought periods, earlier winter runoff, greater groundwater demands and stress on plant life.

 Dry vegetation and catastrophic wildfires that could affect runoff and floodplain ecosystems.

 Warmer streams and rivers that could mean changing oxygen levels, which can disturb fish habitat.

Likely the dominant impact on water quality going forward is going to be related to temperature increase, Dunbar said.

State law requires that the Office of the State Engineer update a water plan every five years.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tasked the agency with creating a 50-year water plan with proposed adaptation strategies.

The advisory panel compiled climate and water data and projections into an 11-chapter report that is under review by other New Mexico and Arizona scientists.

Dunbar said the science-based foundation will help inform the water plan, and should be publicly available by the end of August.

The team found precipitation changes more difficult to predict than temperature, but concluded that New Mexico could see gradual declines in streamflow and snowpack as the state becomes more arid.

Temperature changes may not be uniform across the Land of Enchantment.

The bottom line is that the northwest part of the state in the San Juan Basin area may experience the highest temperature increases over the next 50 years, whereas the Bootheel, the southwest part of the state, will experience some of the lower temperature increases, Dunbar said.

New Mexico water planners can learn from tribes, acequia communities and municipalities that have adapted over the past 20 years of drought, said ISC Director Rolf Schmidt-Petersen.

Theyve experienced lots of disturbance without losing their essential character or becoming something else, Schmidt-Petersen said.

The ISC estimates the 50-year water plan will be finalized by April 2022.

Water policy proposals will include local, state and federal recommendations.

This is not a regulatory document, nor is it a water budget for the state, Schmidt-Petersen said. It is conveying information about what people should expect for continuing increasing temperatures within New Mexico.

A $1 million Rio Grande Basin Study by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District will help inform the long-term plan.

___

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Republican-controlled committee plans to block the University of Wisconsin from instituting COVID-19 testing, masking and vaccination protocols on campuses across the state, a move that comes as health officials sound warnings a bout the rapidly spreading, highly contagious delta variant.

State Sen. Steve Nass said Wednesday that he will be moving to require the university to get approval from the Legislature before enacting any virus-related regulations. Nass co-chairs the Legislature's GOP-controlled rules committee, which Nass said will vote remotely Tuesday to block UW virus protocols without a public hearing.

UW System interim President Tommy Thompson, a former Republican governor and U.S. Department of Health Services secretary, reacted to the proposal by saying the biggest threat to in-person classes this fall would be actions that strip the UW System of the tools it has so successfully utilized to date to address outbreaks and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Thompson promised the UW System would take nimble and reasonable steps that enable us to keep our campuses open for the education students need, parents expect, and Wisconsin deserves.

Thompson has led UW's response to the pandemic and urged vaccinations, aggressive testing and other measures to slow the spread. He is opposed to mandating vaccinations.

UW-Madison spokesman John Lucas had no comment on the plans.

Democratic state Sen. Kelda Helen Roys, whose district includes the Madison campus and is on the rules committee, said the move shows Republicans would like as many people to get sick and die as possible.

Honestly, I cannot imagine why Republicans are so hellbent on preventing any safety measures to save peoples lives, she said. The majority of people in this state believe the science and they want to live and they want their kids to live. It sends a terrible message that this cohort of Republican senators dont care about the lives and health of students and people on our UW campuses.

No university campus is requiring anyone to be vaccinated for COVID-19. But Madison and other campuses are requiring weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated students. Nass said he was also trying to stop any new requirements on mandatory masking on campus.

At UW-Madison, home to 45,000 students, vaccinations are being offered for free but are not required for students, faculty, staff or visitors. As of late June, masks were not required to be worn on campus. However, this week the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended them for indoor areas in communities with high transmission rates. Health officials in Madison echoed that recommendation, even though transmission rates in Madison are currently rated as moderate.

Weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated UW-Madison students living on campus is currently required, but would be blocked under the Nass proposal.

Nass said some UW chancellors believe they are not beholden to following state law and are taking advantage of delta variant hysteria to enact new mandates. The seven-day average of COVID-19 cases grew to 556 on Thursday, nearly eight times as high as a month ago and the highest since early May. That continues a steep increase that led state health officials to urge people to get vaccinated to slow the spread and stop an even more deadly variant from developing.

Nass said he would be putting forward a motion declaring that UW policies related to COVID-19 meet the definition of rule, which requires them to be approved by the legislative committee he co-chairs. Once a proposed rule is submitted to the committee, it could suspend it in part or whole, thereby blocking any virus-related mitigation measures across every UW System campus.

Republican Rep. Adam Neylon, who co-chairs the rules committee with Nass, said he was supportive of the proposal.
MOSCOW (AP)  A Moscow court ordered Google on Thursday to pay a fine of 3 million rubles (roughly $41,000) for refusing to store the personal data of Russian users on servers in Russia, a move that is part of the government's longstanding effort to tighten its grip on online activity.

The fine is the first one given to Google in Russia over data storage regulations. Facebook and Twitter previously received similar penalties for allegedly violating Russian regulations.

The Russian governments efforts to control internet and social media use date back to 2012, when a law allowing authorities to blacklist and block certain online content was adopted. Since then, a growing number of restrictions targeting messaging apps, websites and social media platforms have been introduced.

One legal provision required tech companies to keep servers in Russia for storing personal information they gather from Russian citizens. Russias state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has tried unsuccessfully for several years to force large tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google to move the data of Russian users to Russia.

The law allows online services that dont follow the data storage requirement to be banned from Russia. The government has repeatedly threatened to block Facebook and Twitter, but stopped short of outright bans, likely fearing the move would elicit too much public outrage. So far, authorities only have banned LinkedIn for failing to store user data in Russia, and the social media platform was not very popular in the country before then.

Pressure on major social media platforms increased this year after Russian authorities criticized them for being used to bring tens of thousands of people into the streets to demand the release of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putins most well-known critic. The wave of demonstrations across the country posed a major challenge to the Kremlin.

Officials alleged that social media platforms failed to remove calls for children to join the protests, and Putin urged police to more steadfastly monitor social media platforms and to track down those who draw children into illegal and unsanctioned street actions.

Facebook and Twitter have been fined repeatedly this year for failing to remove content that Russian authorities deemed unlawful. Roskomnadzor once threatened to ban Twitter and since March has slowed down the speed at which the platform can operate.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Alabama public health officials are recommending that all students and teachers wear masks this school year because of a surge in COVID-19 cases, but a spokeswoman said Gov. Kay Ivey has been crystal clear that there will be no state mandates to do so.

The Alabama Department of Public Health will recommend universal masking in schools due to the high levels of COVID-19 in the state, department spokesperson Ryan Easterling said. The recommendation will be included in the school toolkit suggesting guidelines to mitigate pandemic risk.

Schools can choose to follow guidelines or not. However, these guidelines represent the best evidence available to protect students, teachers, and staff by reducing the transmission of COVID-19, along with disease, potential hospitalization, and risk of death from this virus, Easterling wrote in an email.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. The recommendation comes amid a sharp uptick in COVID-19 fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus.

Ivey will not issue statewide requirement on masks, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The American people, Governor Ivey included, are understandably frustrated with the changing goal post and whiplash over the CDCs COVID-19 guidance. Governor Ivey has been crystal clear on her position that there will be no mandates from the state level, spokesperson Gina Maiola said.

Maiola said the governor believes the current circumstances do not warrant a blanket one size fits all approach."

Generally, it is school officials who are in charge of making decisions that work best for their school. The governor trusts these school officials to make the best decision possible using all available information, Maiola said.

Alabama has seen a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Alabama has more than tripled over the past two weeks from 559.57 new cases per day on July 12 to 1,775.14 new cases per day on July 26.

The number of people in state hospitals on Wednesday rose to 1,181, the most the state has seen since winter when there were 3,000 people hospitalized at the pandemics peak.

Some Alabama school systems have already announced they will require students and teachers to wear face masks indoors following new federal guidelines to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Bessemer and Opelika school systems are among those that have said that masks will be required indoors.

Due to the upward trend of COVID transmission and the current local positivity rate, this decision is in the best interest of our students and staff at this time, Opelika City Schools Superintendent Mark Neighbors said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Education said Tuesday that mask mandates will be a local decision unless they get specific new guidance from state health officials.

However, local superintendents and school boards can determine for themselves if they want to enforce masking. That would be a local decision, spokesperson Michael Sibley said Tuesday.

State Health Officer Scott Harris said earlier this week that the state was waiting for the new CDC guidance before issuing recommendations to the school systems.

The issue of masks in schools is like everything else  highly controversial. They really shouldnt be, Harris said.

Ivey in an opinion piece first published Tuesday by The Washington Post, Ivey promoted vaccinations over masks and distance learning.

Here is the truth: Closing businesses will not defeat covid-19. Wearing masks will not defeat covid-19. And keeping our students from in-classroom learning will not defeat covid-19, Ivey wrote.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Maine is home to the last wild Atlantic salmon populations in the U.S., but a new push to protect the fish at the state level is unlikely to land them on the endangered list.

Atlantic salmon once teemed in U.S. rivers, but now return from the sea to only a handful of rivers in eastern and central Maine. The fish are protected at the federal level under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, but a coalition of environmental groups and scientists said the fish could be afforded more protections if they were added to Maine's own list of endangered and threatened species.

State law allows Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher to make that recommendation, but his office told The Associated Press he does not intend to do it. The department has done extensive work to conserve and restore the fish, and the commissioner does not believe a listing at the state level would afford additional conservation benefits or protections," said Jeff Nichols, a department spokesperson.

The environmentalists who want to see the fish on the state list said they're going to keep pushing for it and other protections. Adding the fish to the state endangered list would mean conservation of salmon would be treated as a bigger concern in state permitting processes, said John Burrows, executive director for U.S. operations for the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

The state of Maine and a handful of our rivers are the only places in the country that still have wild Atlantic salmon, Burrows said. It's something that should happen, and should have happened.

Atlantic salmon have disappeared from U.S. rivers because of damming, pollution and others environmental challenges, and they also face the looming threat of climate change. Nevertheless, there have been some positive signs in Maine rivers in recent years.

More than 1,400 salmon returned to the Penobscot River in 2020. That was the highest number since 2011, the Maine marine resources department found. The Penobscot is the most productive river for the salmon. It averaged only about 700 fish per year from 2012 to 2019.

Attempts to repopulate Atlantic salmon in other states have stalled. The federal government ended an attempt to restore Atlantic salmon in the Connecticut River basin in 2012 after several decades because of lack of success.

Getting the fish listed on the Maine endangered list has long been a goal of many environmental groups. The Maine Endangered Species Act includes 26 endangered species and 25 threatened ones. The list includes two fish: the endangered redfin pickerel and the threatened swamp darter.

The list is designed to provide state-level protection to jeopardized species and is a complement to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. A few species, including the piping plover, are listed on both.

Environmentalists supported a bill in the Maine Legislature earlier this year that would have required the marine resources commissioner to recommend a state listing for any species that is federally listed as endangered or threatened. The proposal died in committee in June.

A group of 19 organizations and 10 scientists and conservationists sent a letter to the state that said Maine is one of the few states that doesn't mandate or recommend state-level listing of federally listed species. Dwayne Shaw, director of the Downeast Salmon Federation, said wildlife advocates will continue pushing for salmon protections.

There would be great symbolism in this, but there would also be direct implications, positive implications for the species, Shaw said.
ALTON  Zoom meetings and virtual events may have replaced most of the in-person gatherings over the past 16-plus months of the pandemic, but otherwise, the Sierra Club remains as committed as ever in its mission to explore, enjoy and protect the planet.

The Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club is comprised of 14 local groups, including the Piasa Palisades Group, which has an office in Alton. Its coverage area includes Madison, Jersey, Calhoun, Greene, Macoupin, Montgomery, Fayette and Bond counties.

Our No. 1 priority for this year across Illinois is to get a clean energy policy passed through the legislature, Virginia Woulfe-Beile, Co-Coordinator of the Three Rivers Project for the Piasa Palisades Group. We worked very hard to get the Clean Energy Jobs Act passed and unfortunately, we were unable to get that across the line. But Governor (JB) Pritzker has his own energy bill that very much aligns with us on decarbonization and transition of coal communities.

Were hoping that in the August session of the general assembly that the governors energy bill is passed. Were trying to educate not only our constituents but the people of Illinois in general about the benefits of clean energy and what dirty fossil fuels have done in terms of health impacts on our community.

The Sierra Clubs Cool Cities campaign, meanwhile, provides its members, volunteers and staff with concrete ways to work together on climate change solutions locally.

I worked with a lot of municipalities that have signed on to be Cool Cities Committees, Woulfe-Beile said. Sometimes they have a different name such as in Godfrey, where its the Climate Protection and Energy Efficiency Committee, but it has the same goals.

There are also Cool Cities initiatives in Glen Carbon, Edwardsville, Alton, Godfrey and Granite City.

On Friday, Woulfe-Beile attended a meeting with the Granite City Cool Cities Committee, which is working on a reforestation project on a wetlands bank.

Its a twofold project where were not only addressing the flooding problem in Granite City but the air quality through reforestation, through planting trees and being more of a carbon sink, Woulfe-Beile said.

Among the organizations that the Sierra Club partners with is Grow Solar Metro East (growsolarmetroeast.org), which allows participants to pool their buying power to secure significant discounts that make installing solar simple and more affordable.

Participants start by attending a virtual or in-person Solar Power Hour. The free virtual information session teaches them the basics of solar, its financial implications for their property, and how the Grow Solar Metro East program works.

Grow Solar started in the Metro East in 2016 with Solarize Godfrey and thats when I got my solar installation, so Im the proud owner of a solar home, Woulfe-Beile said. Ive been part of the advisory committee since 2014 and I do Power Hour presentations.

During the pandemic, all Power Hour presentations have been held via Zoom. The first live presentation in nearly 18 months was held Monday at the Old Bakery Beer Company in Alton.

The Sierra Club itself, meanwhile, is still not doing indoor in-person events.

As part of its monthly speaker series, the Piasa Palisades Group presented a 20-minute documentary, Wood River Station, produced and presented by John Woodall, a recent graduate of Principia College. This is the story of the now-demolished coal power plant in East Alton.

That was a huge initiative that the Sierra Club, the Metro East Green Alliance and the United Congregations of the Metro East worked on, Woulfe-Biele said. It began around 2014 when we got word that Dynegy was going to close the Wood River station. We wanted to make sure that the communities that benefited from the tax implications and the workers at the plant knew the closure was coming and had a transition plan in place.

The station closed even before we projected it to, and it caught the municipalities off guard. The transition continues because what happens to the property? There are issues like toxic coal ash and asbestos and we wanted to make sure there was a plan to clean this up. We got stonewalled quite a bit, but we worked on it through the spring of 2021. Were happy to say that we got the Illinois EPA to do some oversight of the demolition.

The Metro East Green Alliance (MEGA) works closely with the Sierra Club on many projects. MEGAs mission is to hold polluters accountable and support the advancement of the clean energy economy through education, activism, intervention, and advocacy.

Were a small group of volunteers focused on the Sierra Clubs national campaign of Beyond Coal. We are targeted a little more in what we do and were probably a little more political, said Toni Oplt, chairperson of MEGA and a Sierra Club volunteer.

As does the Sierra Club, MEGA pays close attention to environmental issues on the legislative level in Illinois.

There is an energy bill sitting in the legislature and its something the governor has worked on, Oplt said. The House and the Senate have been debating it and MEGA is heavily involved in those talks. We are a voting member of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition and so is Piasa Palisades.

We do a lot of phone banking and a lot of activism and target most of our person power onto the fossil fuel issues. Its a huge factor in climate change and the reason we do the work we do is that we love the planet.

Oplt said that MEGA and Sierra Club are focused on environmental justice, which includes social justice and holding polluters accountable.

In what we consider sacrifice zones like Sauget, or even East Alton, where the power station was recently demolished, we go to bat for those people, Oplt said. You cant divorce that from fighting for climate change. Polluters depend on being able to sacrifice whole communities to make their profits. The Wood River plant was shuttered basically without any warning and it devastated Wood River and East Alton in terms of their tax base and their local economy. Its never recovered from that.

Oplt noted the similarities between the Wood River plant and the old Crawford Coal Plant in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, where a botched implosion covered the neighborhood in dust in April 2020.

Crawford and Wood River were two plants that got demolished and now without any input from the community, that property could be built into something else, whether they want it or not, Oplt said. This has been a habit across the state  coal plants are shuttering, or their retirements are being announced. Ive had conversations with people in the Illinois EPA and there are no regulations that govern the demolition of coal plants, other than outside of an asbestos permit.

Oplt feels that energy legislation is becoming more important than ever as the number of coal plants closing or scheduled to close continues to grow.

The communities that supported these coal companies for years are going to be left with a mess, Oplt said. A lot of these towns have become one-industry towns and Marissa is a perfect example. There is no other economy other than the Prairie State Energy plant, which is the seventh-largest polluting plant in the country and the worst polluter in Illinois. When it shutters, those people are going to have nothing else available to them unless we get an energy package in place.

Oplt adds that the Sierra Club and MEGA are concerned not only for the environment but for the communities where those plants are located.

These communities have done nothing wrong, Oplt said. People have worked all their lives, sometimes for several generations, but coal is going to end. It isnt going to be the environmentalists that end it; its going to be the economy.

What were trying to do now is safeguard those communities. MEGA is a tiny group, but we did a smart thing when we joined the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition. Its a coalition of groups like us across the state and this is going to be the future. We need to have regulations in place that safeguard the demolition of these plants.

For more information about the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club or the Piasa Palisades Group, visit Sierra Club Illinois Chapter | Sierra Club or Piasa Palisades Group | Sierra Club.

For more information on MEGA, visit Metro East Green Alliance on Facebook.
Dr. Hallie Ray Moore lived near the intersection of Cheshire Lane and West 43rd Street for about 15 years. But the owner of Oak Forest Veterinary Hospital often steered clear of it when driving to and from her house. There are two lanes going in each direction on 43rd Street, and the median to the []
Salida, CO (81201)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 77F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Phuket worker camps targetted in COVID crackdown

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew inspected workers camps across the island yesterday (July 28) to see the disease control measures in effect at each camp following 13 workers at a camp in Patong testing positive, prompting officials to place the camp under one-month Bubble and Seal isolation.

COVID-19Coronavirusfootballhealth

By The Phuket News

Thursday 29 July 2021, 11:08AM

Workers camps across Phuket are being taregtted to contain any spread of COVID-19. Photo: PR Phuket

Workers camps across Phuket are being taregtted to contain any spread of COVID-19. Photo: PR Phuket

Workers camps across Phuket are being taregtted to contain any spread of COVID-19. Photo: PR Phuket

Workers camps across Phuket are being taregtted to contain any spread of COVID-19. Photo: PR Phuket

Joining Governor Narong to inspect a workers camp on site at a waterpark under construction in Kathu were Kathu District Chief Trithip Sakulpradit and officers from the Office of Disease Prevention and Control Region 11, based in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, reported the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket).

Wanna Sangtuang, the company staffer responsible for managing the camp, told officials that there are 450 workers currently staying on site, including Myanmar nationals and Cambodians.

The PR Phuket report did not name the waterpark under construction, yet the contractor was identified as JWS Construction, which is building what it calls the Vana Nava Water Park as part of the Andamanda Phuket project.

Andamanda Phuket is being built as part of the B20 billion Blu Pearl The Pride of Phuketmega-project by the Mall Group, comprising a hotel, shopping mall and commercial property located on 150 rai along Phra Phuket Kaew Rd in Kathu.

We have strict measures to take care of our workers. Before coming and leaving the camp, all workers must have their temperature checked. They need to wear a face mask at all times while working, Ms Wanna said.

In the camp, we also manage the space clearly by separating bathing areas, toilets and living areas, so we are pretty confident about hygiene, Ms Wanna continued.

Almost 100% of workers in this camp have been fully vaccinated, she added.

Governor Narong said that provincial officials were paying particular attention to workers camps on the island, especially in terms of having workers vaccinated to create herd immunity among workers.

From inspections of many camps, we have seen that each camp has only one entrance and exit, so its quite easy to control the movement of workers. They also buy their food and other items from nearby shops and vendors, Governor Narong said.

Right now, I have ordered all camp managers to set up stricter measures for their workers and apply the same system that SHA managers use at hotels, so that managers can quickly contact immigration, the Phuket Employment Office and other officials [if the need arises].

We will set [enforcement] standards and evaluate each camp, so we can use the camps with high scores as role models for other camps. We will also create a better information system about migrant workers in Phuket, he added.

Meanwhile, in yesterdays live broadcast, Ubon Chuaiphat, Chief of the Phuket Employment Office, explained that there are 26,764 migrant workers currently registered as employed in Phukets construction industry under the management of 2,102 employers.

There are 868 worker camps in the three districts [across Phuket]. Of those, 32 camps are considered big camps with more than 100 workers living on site, 102 camps are medium-sized, and 734 camps are considered small, Ms Ubon said.

Pracha Asawathira, Manager of the DEPA office in Phuket, yesterday detailed the number of migrant workers in Phuket who have received COVID vaccination injections.

Since we started providing vaccines to migrant workers, among those who are 18-64 years old, 35,168 have received their first injection, and 18,115 have received the second injection, he said.

For those who are older than 65 years old, 26 have received their first injection and 10 have received the second injection, Mr Pracha said.
Ratchanok progresses to last 8 at Games

Sport >> Thailand

Phuket

World Ratchanok progresses to last 8 at Games

OLYMPICS: Ratchanok Intanon beat Indonesian Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-12, 21-19 today (July 29) to make it to the last eight of the Tokyo Games.

BadmintonOlympics

By Bangkok Post

Thursday 29 July 2021, 11:03AM

Ratchanok will meet World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan in the next round. Photo: AFP

The World No. 6 took 39 minutes to win the contest at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo that earned a spot in the last eight. The victory gave Ratchanok, nicknamed May, eight consecutive wins over the World No. 23. She will meet World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan in the next round. World No.13 Busanan Cream Ongbamrungphan ended her quest for a medal today, losing 15-21, 15-21 to No.8 An Se-Young of South Korea. The Thai fought for 53 minutes but she could not break the stiff defence and decisiveness of the South Korean. Busanan has failed to take a set in their three encounters. Her exit left Ratchanok as the only Thai player still in the contest.
Virus easing in 4-6 weeks

BANGKOK: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha hopes the COVID-19 situation in the country will ease in the next four to six weeks, a source said, amid public concerns over a rise in daily coronavirus cases.

COVID-19Coronavirushealth

By Bangkok Post

Thursday 29 July 2021, 08:51AM

Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha holds a video conference on the COVID-19 crisis at Government House with top business leaders on July 21, 2021. The prime minister reportedly said he hoped the situation would improve in the next four to six weeks. Photo: Government House

I hope the situation will improve in the next four to six weeks based on the current medical evidence, the source quoted Gen Prayut saying during an online meeting as the infection rate set another daily record of 16,533 new cases, along with 133 fatalities on Wednesday (July 28), reports the Bangkok Post.

But I am concerned about the public use of antigen test kits. I am not sure whether they know how to use them properly, Gen Prayut reportedly said.

Gen Prayut, in his capacity as the director of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), chaired an online meeting attended by governors of 12 dark-red zone provinces  Pathum Thani, Chon Buri, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Ayutthaya, Chanchoengsao, Samut Prakan, Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala and Songkha.

The urgent meeting was held because Gen Prayut wanted to better understand how each governor was managing the COVID-19 situation, said Anucha Burapachaisri, government spokesman. Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and other agencies were involved but the Bangkok governor did not attend.

The prime minister told the governors to update the government on their problems so the government could step in to fix them. They were also instructed to monitor and prevent transmissions caused by people moving across provinces.

During the meeting, each governor reported how they were handling COVID-19 infections. For example, the Chachoengsao governor said that a bubble and seal method was adopted to control infections at factories and worker camps which are main clusters in the province, with workers travelling from other provinces such as Samut Prakan.

Some factories were ordered closed for 14 days, the governor said. The meeting agreed the bubble and seal approach should be applied to provinces with COVID-19 clusters breaking out at factories.

During the meeting, Gen Prayut asked the governors whether the number of daily infections in their provinces had dropped at all, but none had any reply, the source said.

Gen Prayut said that they must publicise the number of people who had recovered and were discharged from hospitals, which in turn shows the number of hospital beds available for new patients, the source said.

Mr Anucha added that Gen Prayut told the meeting that the government is not sitting idle, adding that it has assigned the Public Health Ministry to adjust its policy to treat COVID-19 patients under home isolation or community isolation.

Mr Anucha said Gen Prayut insisted the country is not facing a shortage of medical supplies, including medicine and oxygen tanks. He pledged to provide support for all provinces, insisting COVID-19 vaccines will still be distributed to provinces as per government policy.

Mr Anutin gave an assurance that from next month onwards, an average of 10 million vaccine doses will be procured per month and an average of 1 million doses will be administered per day. The doses will be distributed to all target areas designated by the CCSA.

Meanwhile, Chalermchai Boonyaleepun, deputy chairman of a Senate committee on public health, said on social media there may be about 400,000-500,000 asymptomatic cases in Bangkok.

Symptomatic cases account for 20% of infections while asymptomatic cases account for up to 80%, Dr Chalermchai said. Even though RT-PCR tests are reliable, they have capacity constraints and are expensive, limiting large-scale use.

Therefore, most of the new daily cases were those detected in hospitals and medical facilities while the number of cases defected from proactive mass testing were lower, he said.
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Rain likely. High 73F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Overcast with rain showers at times. Low near 65F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Evaluating the food choices made by their peers may improve the eating habits of young adolescents.

A study in the United Arab Emirates found that asking adolescents to consciously evaluate the food choices made by their peers caused them to choose healthier foods.

The idea behind this result is that evaluating the choices of others forces young adolescents to think more deliberatively, which leads to less impulsive choices when it is their time to pick what to eat. Interestingly, this effect materialized irrespective of whether the peers choice was healthy or unhealthy, Ernesto Reuben, lead researcher of the study and professor at the Center for Behavioral Institutional Design at New York University Abu Dhabi told Theravive.

Our results suggest that, nowadays, early adolescents are knowledgeable about the healthiness of different foods and understand the value healthy eating. In other words, when they engage in unhealthy eating, it is not due to lack of information about which foods are healthy or the general benefits of eating healthy foods. Instead, they suggest that it is due to impulsive decision-making. Hence, interventions that naturally reduce impulsiveness and trigger more a deliberative thinking process have the potential to improve their food choices.

In undertaking the research, Reuben and colleagues recruited 467 students in 5th and 6th grade in three international schools in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

In an experiment, the participants were presented with four trays of food each containing five different kinds of food of similar nutritional value. The participants were asked to select four items of food. Before they made their selection, the participants were told about the items of food an unknown peer had selected at a different school as part of the same experiment.

The participants were also asked how healthy they thought their unknown peers choice of food was, ranging from very unhealthy, unhealthy, healthy or very healthy.

Whether or not their remote peers food choice was healthy or unhealthy, being asked to evaluate how healthy it was caused the participants to choose significantly healthier food options.

Since people model their peers, even if they are remote, societies with poor eating habits can fall into a negative self-perpetuating dynamic. This research reports a way to potentially counteract this adverse dynamic, Reuben said.

Our study suggests that incorporating evaluations of the healthiness of the food choices of others to generate greater awareness of ones decision-making can be an important tool to fight unhealthy eating lifestyles. We show that the impact of interventions that give people information about what others do can be enhanced if deliberative thinking is triggered. And that interventions meant to trigger deliberative thinking appear to work well also among early adolescents.

He says it is important the findings of the study be taken in context and not generalized.

Understanding the context of the study is crucial when thinking about potential downsides in other contexts. In our study, the evaluation of peer choices was done in private and the peer whose choices were being evaluated was not actually present or known personally to the evaluator. I can easily imagine how in other social contexts, where peers can feel judged or marginalized if they are being evaluated, such a policy might have unintended consequences, he told Theavive.

He is hopeful the findings of the study may play a role in developing strategies to curb childhood obesity.

The fraction of children and adolescents classified as overweight and obese has risen dramatically from just 4% in 1975 to just over 18% in 2016. Hence, identifying effective public health strategies to address this problem is crucial to prevent obesity and other lifestyle diseases later in adulthood. In this respect, successful interventions during childhood have the potential to have large, long-run effects, he said.

From a public health perspective, having a better understanding of how young adolescents develop, evaluate, and subsequently make food choices can help us design efficient strategies to improve the eating habits of people while they are young. Early adolescence is an important age to influence food choice since it is the age at which obesity starts to have a strong negative impact on self-esteem and social relationships.
DANBURY  Despite rising COVID-19 cases and changing federal guidance on indoor masking, Danbury-area towns and businesses plan to keep their masks rules about the same,

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the country with high COVID infection rates.

Connecticuts infection rate is considered moderate, and the CDC did not suggest indoor masks for vaccinated populations here, nor has the governor reinstituted a mask mandate.

Matthew Rispoli, manager of the Wire Mill Saloon and Barbecue restaurant in Redding, said its nerve-wracking to see guidance change. He hopes the area wont go in the wrong direction and that restrictions dont come back into play.

The saloons leadership has discussed how the guidance could affect them, but its still too early to tell, he said.

I dont think itll impact us too much  [wed] just require employees and customers to wear masks again, he said.

Albert Ko, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Yale School of Public Health, acknowledged criticism of the CDC, but that its latest guidance makes sense because the delta variant is spreading and highly transmissible, and we are in another wave of the pandemic.

He said concern is increasing over the fully vaccinated becoming infected by the variant and possibly becoming COVID-19 transmitters.

We know face masks work, Ko said. The guidance is well-informed.

What businesses are doing

The Lounsbury House in Ridgefield is leaving mask-wearing optional for clients and guests, but strongly suggests it, Executive Director Suzanne Brennan said.

The venue hosts local events regularly and plans to keep a watchful eye on local and state changes that could affect businesses.

All staff are fully vaccinated, and certain safety measures, such as regular deep cleanings and some social distancing, continue, she said.

The venue has encouraged clients to make sure their guests are vaccinated, and, if not, or immunocompromised, that they wear masks.

We all need to pay attention to what the professionals are saying, but long before that, the Lounsbury events team were recommending those things to our clients, she said. We have a great responsibility to the community so were pretty vigilant when it comes to safety.

Planet Fitness, which has a location in Danbury, plans to follow state and local mask mandates.

The health and safety of our members and staff is always our top priority, and we have numerous protocols in place to keep our clubs safe and clean, Mike Shapiro, vice president of Planet Fitness Connecticut Operations, said in a statement. We are closely monitoring COVID-19 cases and have not had any cases in our Connecticut clubs since the onset of the pandemic.

The Ridgefield Playhouse has required patrons to wear masks when inside since the onset of the pandemic and doesnt plan to change its policy, at least through 2021, said Allison Stockel, the Playhouses executive director.

At the Brookfield Craft Center, masks are required for all instructors and students participating in programs at the centers studios.

We place the safety of our community, our staff, our instructors and our students and customers first and foremost, Howard Lasser, executive director, said in an email.

At town halls

Unless state guidance changes, Mayor Joe Cavo said the mask rules at Danbury City Hall will remain the same.

Vaccinated city hall employees may go unmasked, while visitors must wear masks regardless of their vaccination status. Employees are not required to be vaccinated nor show proof of vaccination, but Cavo said the vast majority have received their shots.

About 56 percent of Danbury residents were fully vaccinated as of July 22, and roughly 63 percent of residents had received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, according to state data.

First Selectwoman Pat Del Monaco said New Fairfield will continue to follow state guidance.

If the state recommended a mandate or issued a mandate, we would follow the guidance, she said, noting that CDC guidance is still being followed at Town Hall. If you are vaccinated then the choice is yours whether or not to wear a mask, and if you are unvaccinated you are required to wear one in the building.

First Selectman Steve Dunn said Brookfield is sticking with requiring masks for unvaccinated people in municipal buildings until the state says otherwise.

The only exception is the local library, where masking is required for all visitors.

With many of their patrons under the age of 12 and not eligible for the vaccine, the library has decided to make masks mandatory regardless of vaccination status, Dunn said.

Theyre trying to protect those children, he said.

In New Milfords municipal buildings, business is continuing as usual, with masks required for the unvaccinated but not for fully vaccinated people. There is no requirement for vaccines or proof of vaccination.

Mayor Pete Bass said things would continue pretty much status quo until the town hears otherwise from the state.

In Sherman, First Selectman Don Lowe said there are no planned changes for the town  mask-wearing is still recommended, including inside Mallory Town Hall  but policies will be revised if necessary.

We are always listening to new news and new CDC recommendations and may make changes suitable for what COVID brings us, he said. We listen to the health experts.

Redding requires unvaccinated community members and staff to wear masks when in public buildings, but it is optional for those who are fully vaccinated. First Selectwoman Julia Pemberton said she plans to continue with this policy unless the state mandates otherwise.

There is some concern but no reason to go to a mandate, she said.

Staff writer Julia Perkins contributed to this report.
Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center / Contributed photo

RIDGEFIELD  Whats your familys origin story? That is the question visitors at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center will get to answer this summer as part of a community-sourced exhibit appearing alongside the museums larger exhibit, A Land of Opportunity? Community Building in 19th-Century Ridgefield.

Running through Sept. 18, A Land of Opportunity? showcases photos of Ridgefield residents from the late 1800s taken by Joseph Hartmann. The pictures illustrate aspects of life for Ridgefields Italian immigrants as they found and made their place within the community. The exhibit demonstrates how Hartmann, a German immigrant, documented compelling aspects of local immigration stories through his photography, emphasizing the importance of diversity in a thriving community and the centrality of immigration to the American experience.
RIDGEFIELD  The towns cultural district designation may answer a pandemic-prompted question that has plagued local arts leaders since last March: Can their organizations survive post-COVID?

Amy Piantaggini, executive director of The Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, believes this to be so.

As the only nonprofit dance school within the states first cultural district, Piantaggini views the designation as an opportunity to enhance RCDs collaborations within the community and widen its audience base.

It is considered to be the center of artistic and economic activities, Board President Hilary Aronow said of the designation, and the enthusiasm on social media and overall media attention is contributing to increased enrollment for (the) fall.

Although the conservatory is more than 50 years old, it was established as a nonprofit in 2003 following the passing of its founder, Patricia Schuster. Through RCD, students earn a high level of foundational dance training to prepare them for careers in professional conservatories, ballet companies and even on Broadway.

The skills they learn here  dedication, organization, discipline  they can carry into anything they do, Piantaggini said.

Since taking over as executive director eight years ago, Piantaggini has honed RCDs focus on engaging with other arts organizations in Ridgefield to give students a more integrative experience outside of routines and recitals.

Whether its dancing alongside actors from Thrown Stone or SPHERE, or partnering with the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, we like to be out there, doing more and giving back, Piantaggini said. Its really important for the students to see how, as artists, we can engage with others.

There has been some discussion at the board level on collaborations to come, but Piantaggini couldnt disclose further details. She personally envisions large-scale projects with partners such as the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra and the Ridgefield Chorale.

The cultural district ... is only going to bring us more opportunities to collaborate, and ... allow us to do more of what we do with a wider audience, she said. And I think thats true of all the organizations.

Piantaggini expressed excitement about reinstating RCDs elite student companies that perform to the public throughout the year. The groups have previously performed at Ridgefields annual Holiday Stroll and Stamfords DanceFest.

The conservatory is also gearing up for its full-stage production of The Nutcracker at The Ridgefield Playhouse. All of these happenings are bringing energy back to RCD.

Its wonderful to see the reclaimed joy that these kids have, Piantaggini said.

alyssa.seidman@hearstmediact.com
Jackie Mason, controversial stand-up comedian who embraced Jewish themes and political incorrectness on television, plus one-man shows internationally, died July 24. He was 93.

During December 2003, after eight years of writing a column about art for The Suburban, I decided to call it quits. Six months later, in the last week of July, 2004, on a Friday morning I received an unexpected call from Jim Duff, who was at that time the newspapers editor.

Bernie, he excitedly shouted, How would you like to interview Jackie Mason this afternoon at Lesters Deli?

Mason was in town, performing a one-man show as part of the Just For Laughs Festival. When I arrived at the deli, I walked into a luncheon where Jackie had come to schmooze with some old friends. Duff never pre-arranged the interview. Mason started a tirade on how vicious a person I was for invading his privacy. He did a number on me accompanied by a chorus of hoots from his buddies.

Mason then chastised me for not following protocol and consulting his publicity agent to set up a proper time and meeting place. What good will this do me if your article only appears after the show closes? I never heard of The Suburban and I dont like to talk while Im eating.

I then told Jackie that I was a long time fan of his, going back to earlier days when I saw him performing at the La Diligence, a dinner, theatre club that used to be on Decarie Blvd., and I also caught his act at a Miami hotel nightclub when he teamed up with his pal Eddie Fisher.

Finally consenting to the interview, Billy Berenholc, owner of the deli, suggested we eat outside on the terrace.

I dont sit in the street. Im an international star!

But when the food arrived he didnt seem to mind while fressing on smoked meat and roast beef. Mason refused the rye bread. I dont eat bread. I come from a family of very fat people. I have to watch my weight.

Asked about other comics, Mason offered the following: Woody Allen did great stand-up. George Carlin is a favourite. Bill Maher is clever and bright. Among the Blacks, Richard Pryor was a comedians comedian. Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock were greatly influenced by him.

In 1986, Masons The World According to Me ran for two and a half years on Broadway. I asked Jackie if the world according to him was better or worse since then.

A lot worse, he replied,9/11 has had a crippling effect on the whole world. Deep down everyone wonders where and when the next terrorist threat will come from. Mason, well known for his pro Israel stance always had a passion for politics, often expressing his opinion in articles he has written for newspapers. I dont earn much money from this, but I do it because I must be a sick ego-maniac.

Masons gruff manor, barbs and insults are illusionary. Underneath lies a man of compassion. When Mason learned that Berenholcs father was deathly ill he was there to help him. Another of the friends that had joined him for lunch revealed to me that Mason visited his father to cheer him up after a stroke.

From a rough start, Mason gave me much more time than I expected. I would have loved to stay on longer, but I thought it best to stop before he gave me the finger- the one he gave in 1962 to Ed Sullivan on his television show, when he was pulled off before his act ended.

Soliloquy: My interview appeared on the front page of The Suburban in the July28, 2004 issue, underneath a photo of Jackie and I seated in the terrace of the deli.

Two weeks later, Duff suggested that I write a column, as often as I wanted, about any subject I choose- which I have been doing ever since.

 By Bernard Mendelman

 riben@videotron.ca

 AB
WOOD RIVER  Nearly three dozen COVID-19 patients were recorded in Madison County hospitals on Wednesday, one of the highest patient counts since the pandemic began in March 2020.

According to the Madison County Health Department, county hospitals on Wednesday evening were treating 34 COVID-19 patients. Four of those patients were on ventilators.

Cases and rates are continuing to rise, the MCHD stated Wednesday on its Facebook page. If you are unvaccinated and eligible, get vaccinated to protect yourself and others around you.

Regionally, the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force on Thursday was reporting staffed bed capacity was at 92% across the four major health systems and intensive care units were at 80% of their total staffed bed capacity.

The figures include data from BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health and St. Lukes Hospital, all members of the task force.

Inpatient confirmed COVID positive hospitalizations increased Thursday to 398 from 367 on Wednesday. The number of patients on ventilators increased to 68.

Late Thursday Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that face coverings are now required in all state facilities for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

The announcements comes as data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show the majority of counties across Illinois are experiencing substantial or high COVID-19 transmission. A CDC county map, viewable at https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, shows much of the states western half along the Missouri border is at high or substantial risk, as is most of southern Illinois.

Pritzkers office said the state is taking the action as an employer, but more broadly, the CDC and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) continue to recommend everyone  including fully vaccinated individuals  wear a mask in public indoor setting in areas with substantial and high transmission.

Pritzker said the state will continue to evaluate the need for additional mitigations and will not hesitate to put them in place as needed.

Vaccines work. But we cannot promise those protections for every single future variant if we allow this virus to spread and mutate unchecked in our communities, Pritzker said.

With all the misinformation out there, I encourage all eligible Illinoisans who havent been vaccinated yet to talk to their doctors to alleviate any of their fears, he said. Vaccines are how we put this pandemic behind us for once and for all, but I will continue to evaluate the need for further additional mitigations.

On Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced it was fully adopting the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention masking recommendations to protect against COVID-19 and the Delta variant.

The CDC is also recommending universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

Madison Countys three-day COVID-19 positivity rating was 9.2% on Wednesday, the second highest since Feb. 10, according to the MCHD. The seven-day rate was 7.9% and the 10-day rating was 8.97%.

The MCHD recorded 59 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. To date the county has recorded 535 COVID-19 related deaths, 31,970 cases and 360,556 tests.

In Madison County, 229,132 people had received at least one COVID-19 vaccination as of Wednesday night. The county also had 115,702 residents fully vaccinated, or 43.75%.

The percentage is among the highest among area counties, topped only by Monroe County with 47.54%. Other fully vaccinated rates include St. Clair County at 42.07%, 42.76% in Clinton County, 41.17% in Jersey County, 41.19% in Macoupin County, 39.02% in Montgomery County, 34.88% in Bond County, 33.38% in Calhoun County and 30.12% in Greene County.

The MCHD has multiple COVID-19 vaccination clinics planned in August at schools. For details visit www.madisonchd.org. Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments are preferred. For assistance, call 618-692-8954, Ext. 2.

The Greene County Health Department is hosting a vaccination clinic 9 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m. Friday, July 30, at 310 5th St., Carrollton. No appointments are necessary.

The Calhoun County Health Department is hosting a first dose Moderna clinic 2:30-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 5; call 618-576-2428 to sign up.
EDWARDSVILLE  The reason every angler takes to the water is different.

For Patrick McRae, its the lure of being able to catch a 100-pound catfish.

National Fishing Month starts Sunday, and McRae is helping Madison County kick off its campaign while looking forward taking part in one of his favorite sports.

The largest fish Ive caught so far is a 90-pound blue catfish, McRae said. The most unusual was a pallid sturgeon, which is an endangered species.

McRae, the Madison County chief deputy treasurer, caught both fish in the Mississippi River near Alton where hes spent quite a bit of time dropping a line.

He said his father  Madison County Circuit Clerk Tom McRae  took him fishing for the first time when he was 5 years old, and hes continuing the tradition by taking his 3-year-old twin boys, Rory and Grady.

Its a great father-son experience, Patrick McRae said. Its a great way for anyone to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

County officials want people to explore all Madison County has to offer for anglers during the month-long celebration.

It is a chance for more people to get out there and fish the countys waterways, said Madison County Chairman Kurt Prenzler.

Prenzler said that, although the Mississippi River borders the western side of the county, there are dozens of creeks, lakes and ponds throughout the county where people can fish.

My favorite spot is at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in Hartford, Patrick McRae said. But I enjoy fishing almost anywhere.

He said before someone goes fishing they should know the rules  especially on public waterways. Visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website at https://www.ifishillinois.org/ for more information, including licensing requirements.

Not only do you need a license if youre older than 16, but there are some fish you cant keep, he said. Anytime I catch a large fish I use the CPR method.

McRae said in the trophy fishing community, anglers practice Catch, Photograph and Release. Catch and release fishing improves native populations by allowing more fish to remain and reproduce in the ecosystem. Smaller fish, such as crappie, are more plentiful and can be kept; the practice of CPR is usually reserved for larger fish

People are invited to share their fishing photos with Madison County on its Facebook or Instagram pages by tagging them #ifishmadcoil or #MadisonCountyIL. The photos may be shared in an upcoming issue of the county newsletter.

National Fishing Month is a great way for more people to get outdoors, learn a new skill and make new friends, McRae said.
On Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 2621 into law, creating new financing programs and tax incentives to support the creation and preservation of affordable housing in communities across Illinois.

The legislation includes several provisions aimed at reducing the shortage of affordable housing and builds on efforts to support housing stability in areas disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The bill passed both the House and Senate with unanimous bipartisan support.

Pritzker also signed Senate Bill 0265 into law, prioritizing access to the state's Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for families with young children and expanding access to undocumented residents.

"These two new laws mark another step forward by state government on our collective mission to ensure all our residents have the basic foundation upon which to build a successful future for themselves and their families," Pritzker said in a statement. "To date, our COVID-19 relief dollars have helped more than 289,000 families pay their utility bills and over 76,000 families stay in their homes, with tens of thousands more to come. With this legislation, we'll fund 3,500 new affordable rental units - changing the lives of thousands of more families for the better."

HB 2621 directs the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) to create a COVID-19 Affordable Housing Grant Program to support the construction and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing in areas most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program directs $75 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to multifamily development costs to help keep rent affordable for low-income households. The program will supplement properties that qualify for federal low-income housing tax credits and is expected to fund the development and preservation of up to 3,500 affordable rental homes and apartments by the end of 2024.

Through this bill, the Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credit is extended through 2026 to encourage monetary or real estate donations to affordable housing developments. The program provides a one-time state of Illinois income tax credit equal to 50% of the value of qualified donations to affordable housing developments. Since creation in 2001, the program has motivated donations of land, buildings and funds to support the development of 21,000 affordable rental units.

HB 2621 creates two separate property tax incentives which support the preservation of affordable housing, including a provision that encourages owners of multifamily buildings with seven or more units to invest in their properties and keep rents affordable through providing reductions in post-improvement assessed value. The legislation adds to existing state law requiring communities with limited stock of affordable housing to create plans to address their local housing needs.

"Everyone deserves a safe, stable, and affordable place to live, and this bill will help us bring housing investment and opportunity to the communities where they are needed most," IHDA Deputy Executive Director Karen Davis said. "House Bill 2621 is a tremendous step forward in helping IHDA further our mission, and we want to thank Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Legislature for taking action to begin addressing housing affordability needs in our state."

Madison County currently has multiple locations for affordable housing and has three housing authorities which help with affordable housing, including the Alton Housing Authority, Granite City Housing Authority and Madison County Housing Authority.

"Those are the basic homes you think of," said Jenny Pruitt, homeless services program coordinator with Madison County. "It's a block of the section and it's divided up into apartments for lower-income people. Some are based on income, as people pay what they can and it's funded through the federal government."

"Then there is low-income housing of apartments which get funding from the federal government as they provide housing to lower-income individuals. There are rent-controlled apartments for everybody who lives there. There are some programs we have that provide assistance in the form of a deposit and a couple of months rent and rapid rehousing for the homeless, also paid for through federal funds, where we partner with them to work on education, employability, some people have gone to college and gotten degrees and that lasts two years."

These are the types of programs the new funding likely aims to help. There are also websites that list available housing for those with lower incomes.

Also on Thursday, Pritzker signed Senate Bill 0265 into law, allowing the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which oversees LIHEAP, to prioritize assistance for families with children under the age of six. The legislation also expands access to the state's LIHEAP program to all Illinois residents, regardless of immigration status.

"Since launching the launch of Help Illinois Families last year, DCEO is proud to have deployed a record amount of economic relief - including expanded LIHEAP eligibility to serve hundreds of thousands of low-income families all around the state," said DCEO Acting Director Sylvia Garcia. "Thanks to the Governor's leadership throughout the pandemic and the bold action taken by members of the Illinois General Assembly, SB 0265 will help DCEO further increase the impact of the LIHEAP program this year and to bring more families on the brink of economic crisis the relief needed as we work to rebuild the economy."

As part of Governor Pritzker's Help for Illinois Families program, last year DCEO expanded access to LIHEAP utility assistance funds. Since launching the program last June the Department has issued over $343 million in assistance to over 289,000 families statewide. Expanded eligibility created by passage of SB 0265 into law comes as the Department prepares to launch a new program to deploy additional LIHEAP funds authorized by ARPA - with funds set to be made available in September 2021.

For more information on LIHEAP and to determine if you are eligible for utility payment assistance, go to DCEO's website. HB 2621 is effective immediately. SB 0265 is effective January 1, 2022.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden took quick action after his inauguration to start shifting federal inmates out of privately run prisons, where complaints of abuses abound.

It is just the beginning of my administrations plan to address systemic problems in our criminal justice system, Biden promised in January as he signed an executive order on the matter.

The administration also is expected to encourage reductions in bulging state and local prison populations by allowing the use coronavirus relief dollars to help reduce overcrowding.

But in both of these efforts, Biden is overlooking a prime -- and, in some ways, easier -- target for improving the conditions of incarcerated people: the federal Bureau of Prisons.

While most criminal justice overhauls require action from local officials or legislation, reforming the federal prison system is something Biden and his Justice Department control. And there are crying needs there for improvement.

Even before the coronavirus, federal prisons were plagued by violence, suicide, escapes, understaffing and health concerns. The pandemic made things worse. And now these facilities are set to absorb even more prisoners from private institutions that are no longer in business with the government.

Advocates say that while the Democratic president has talked a good game, his actions tell a different story, particularly because the Justice Department has refused to reverse a legal opinion requiring inmates released during the pandemic to return to prison.

There isnt an appetite in the administration to act, said Inimai Chettiar of the Justice Action Network.

The administration has prioritized infrastructure as its top legislative target and is intently focused on working to contain rising coronavirus cases. Other issues -- like prisons -- have prompted impassioned speeches but less action. Administration officials say its just been six months, a half-year colored by the virus, and much more is in store.

But a key part of Bidens agenda is combating racism, and nowhere is racial equity a more fraught issue than inside prisons -- institutions that first proliferated in the 1800s as a way to lock away Black men for minor offenses after the abolition of slavery and that are still disproportionately filled with Black people.

In his January speech on racial equity in which he issued the prisons order, Biden said it was a step to stop corporations from profiteering off of incarcerating -- incarceration that is less humane and less safe, as the studies show.

Meanwhile, the number of federal prisoners is rising. Defendants end up in federal prison usually because their crime crossed state lines, or they violated a specific federal law. There are about 156,000 federal inmates. In total, 38% are Black and 57% are white, 1.5% Asian and 2.4% Native American.

Most are serving sentences between 5 and 20 years, and 46% of those sentences are for drug offenses. Another 20% are for weapons, explosives or arson charges.

The administration cant control the laws that get someone sent to prison. But it can control staffing, transparency, health care, the use of solitary confinement and, most of all, agency leadership.

The head of the Bureau of Prisons is a Trump holdover, Michael Carvajal, who has been in charge as the coronavirus raged behind bars, infecting more than 43,000 federal inmates. He also oversaw an unprecedented run of federal executions in the last six months of Donald Trump's presidency that was a likely virus super spreader.

Administration officials have been mulling whether to replace him, but no decision has been made, according to officials who spoke to The Associated Press.

One question they should be asking, according to Andrea Armstrong, a Loyola Law School professor who studies prisons, is whether the directors role is to do more than keep operations running smoothly.

Real leadership, she says, would be convening people incarcerated, wardens and programming staff together to say, OK, we have an enormous problem ... how do we address this?

Armstrong and other advocates do not diminish what has been done already in six months, including the private prisons order and a moratorium by the Justice Department that halted federal executions.

Its just they had higher hopes for action, including a more definitive end to executions, especially because Biden is the first president to openly oppose the death penalty. And they hoped he would push harder to make sure the Justice Department was implementing changes enacted under former President Donald Trump.

The First Step Act, approved in 2018, gives judges more discretion when sentencing some drug offenders, eases mandatory minimum sentences and encourages inmates to participate in programs designed to reduce the risk of recidivism, with credits that can be used to gain an earlier release.

But those programs cant be completed right now, because there are not enough workers to facilitate them. Nearly one-third of federal correctional officer jobs in the United States are vacant, forcing prisons to use cooks, teachers, nurses and other workers to guard inmates.

There need to be enough people working in a prison to keep people housed in a prison safe. And they must be able to get access to the programs that should allow their release, said Maria Morris of the American Civil Liberties Unions National Prison Project.

Under Trump, the Bureau of Prisons wasnt granting the early-release credits that inmates were due. In addition, the absence of a uniform policy on masks and hygiene led to massive coronavirus outbreaks.

More than 28,000 inmates were released as part of an effort to ease pandemic conditions as long as they met certain criteria, including they were not likely a danger to others. But about 1,900 of the more than 7,000 people who remain on home confinement - the others completed their sentences - likely have to go back, and advocates question why it is necessary to send them back, particularly as the highly transmissible delta variant surges.

A legal opinion issued in the waning weeks of the Trump administration said the remaining inmates would have to return to prison at the end of the coronavirus emergency, and the Biden administration appears on track to stand behind that legal interpretation.

That approach is frustrating civil rights groups and advocates who say Biden is ignoring opportunities for real reform.

If the president is really trying to walk back from his 94 crime bill and be supportive of criminal justice reform, it would just be completely in conflict to allow these individuals to return to prison, Chettiar said, referring to Bidens support as a senator of a bill that was aimed at reducing crime and wound up sending thousands more to prison.

Advocates for the incarcerated are puzzled by the presidents reluctance to step in on matters that could be addressed with the stroke of a pen or internal changes.

It is clear it is their willingness and not their inability, Chettiar said.
OFALLON  Dr. James Jablonski has joined the HSHS Medical Group Family Medicine OFallon - Springfield Court at 100 Springfield Court in OFallon, Illinois.

As a primary care provider, he cares for patients of all ages and offers a variety of services, including minor procedures, general wellness care, well-child exams and chronic illness management.
ALTON  The Sierra Clubs Piasa Palisades group will host its next Speaker Series called Time Travel and Transformation in the Lower Mississippi Valley via Zoom on Tuesday, Aug. 10 from 6-7:30 p.m.

People will learn about the Native American people who lived in the Lower Illinois River Valley during the Middle Woodland period (50 BC to AD 400).
EDWARDSVILLE  A St. Louis man faces natural life in prison after being charged with multiple counts of sex assault against two children.

Noe Duque-Ugarte, 36, of St. Louis, was charged July 27 with five counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, all Class X felonies with the possibility of mandatory natural life imprisonment; and four counts of criminal sexual assault, all Class 1 felonies.

The charges had been filed Tuesday and sealed, and were unsealed on Thursday.

The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department.

There was an allegation that came forward that we immediately acted on, said Capt. Dave Vucich of the Sheriffs Department.

He said the incidents occurred in the Glen Carbon area.

The abuse and sexual exploitation of innocent children are some of the most heinous acts in our society, Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine said. Our office and law enforcement agencies in Madison County are dedicated to aggressively pursuing justice for abused and exploited children.

According to court documents, between May 11, 2018, and May 10, 2019, Duque-Ugarte committed sex acts with a girl then under 13 years old, and also committed sex acts with her from May 11, 2019, to July 20, 2020. The victim is now 15.

Court documents also say that from Jan. 30, 2019, to July 20, 2020, he committed multiple sex acts with a second victim who was under 13.

No bail was set. He was arrested in Missouri and is currently being held by the St. Louis County Sheriffs Department and is awaiting extradition.

The predatory criminal sexual assault of a child charges are normally enhanced Class X felonies punishable by six to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, however, in this case, they carry a penalty of mandatory natural life imprisonment due to the fact that there are multiple victims, Haine said. The penalty for the criminal sexual assault charges is four to 15 years in prison, with the sentence being non-probational.

He also thanked the Madison County Sheriffs Office, the Collinsville Police Department, the Madison County Child Advocacy Center, and Assistant States Attorney Alison Foley for their work in pursuing the charges.
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP)  Health authorities in Thailand raced to set up a large field hospital in a cargo building at one of Bangkok's airports on Thursday as the country reported record numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths.

Other field hospitals are already in use in the capital after it ran out of hospital facilities for thousands of infected residents.

Workers rushed to finish the 1,800-bed hospital at Don Mueang International Airport, where beds made from cardboard box materials were laid out with mattresses and pillows. It is to be ready for patients in two weeks.

The airport, a domestic and regional hub, has had little use because almost all domestic flights were canceled two weeks ago.

The quick spread of the delta variant also led neighboring Cambodia to seal its border with Thailand on Thursday and order a lockdown and movement restrictions in eight provinces.

Thailand reported 17,669 new cases and 165 deaths on Thursday, its highest number since the pandemic began in early 2020. Of those, 7,875 cases and 127 deaths were in metropolitan Bangkok, a region of nearly 15 million people.

Bangkok and its surrounding provinces have been in lockdown for more than two weeks, with overnight curfews and access only to supermarkets, pharmacies and essential services such as hospitals.

Authorities said about 6,100 patients in the Bangkok area are waiting for beds. Of those, 103 are in critical condition, 1,410 have moderate symptoms and 4,662 have mild symptoms. Nearly a quarter of a million people around the country are in medical facilities, some with symptoms and some without.

Thailand has recorded a total of 561,030 cases and 4,562 deaths. More than 90% have been reported during the surge that began in early April.

At a market near the airport, a few people were out shopping and many said they were concerned about the virus's spread.

I watched the news and I got so stressed and depressed about so many people needing help. I dont leave the house very often anymore, only once in a while when it becomes necessary to buy some supplies, said Chaninart Aimoat, a 32-year-old office worker.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ochas government is facing harsh criticism over its handling of the virus surge and slow vaccination program, amid reports of people dying in the streets or in their homes while waiting for treatment.

Thailand hopes to provide 100 million doses of vaccines and inoculate 70% of its population within this year. So far it has administered 16.6 million doses nationwide. Around 18.5% of its 69 million people have received at least one dose while 5.5% are fully vaccinated.

On Wednesday, Swiss Humanitarian Aid dispatched 100 respirators and more than a million antigen tests to Bangkok to help fight the outbreak, while Britain is to send 415,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine within two weeks.

Meanwhile, 1.5 million doses of Pfizer vaccine donated by the U.S. government are to arrive Saturday morning.

We will be sending no less than 1.5 million doses of COVID vaccine, in fact the goal is 2.5 (million). But the first shipment will be 1.5 (million), said Thai-born U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Neighboring Cambodia is to receive its first batch of 1 million vaccines donated by the U.S. on Friday, as it takes steps to slow a surge around the country thought to be caused by Cambodian workers fleeing Thailand.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said the border will be shut to everything except commercial traffic until Aug. 12.

Cambodia's health ministry on Thursday reported 765 new cases and 11 deaths. It has confirmed a total of 75,152 cases and 1,339 deaths.

Unlike Thailand, more than 40% of its population has had at least one vaccine dose. Cambodia plans to vaccinate at least 12 million of its approximately 17 million people.

___

Associated Press journalists Patrick Quinn in Bangkok and Sopheng Cheang from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, contributed to this report.
On Tuesday, the St. Louis County Council moved to strike down the mask mandate reinstituted by County Executive Sam Page on Monday. The Council voted 5-2 to end the mandate, but Page insists that the power to end the mandate does not lie with the Council, and that the mandate for the county is still in effect, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

However, now, state Attorney General Eric Schmitt is siding with the Council, and filed for a temporary restraining order against the county mandate. The city of St. Louis has also instituted a mask mandate, and although the Board of Aldermen is currently on summer recess, the mask mandate, if it's still in place when the Board reconvenes, could be high on the priority list.

This fight over the mask mandate comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance on Tuesday stating that in areas listed as "high" or "substantial transmission", even those who are fully vaccinated should mask up in indoor public spaces to help mitigate the spread of the delta variant, which is proving to be faster spreading than the alpha strain. The delta variant is now the dominant strain in the United States.

High transmission counties are counties where more than 100 cases per 100,000 people are reported over the previous seven days. Substantial transmission means counties that have 50 to 100 cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period.

High transmission areas include both Morgan and Madison counties, as well as several other counties throughout western central and southern Illinois. New areas are still being added to the mask recommendation, as collar counties DuPage and McHenry were added to the "substantial" description on Thursday.

Every county in Missouri but three -- Scotland and Clark counties in the northeastern part of the state and Pemiscot, on the southeastern edge of the state -- is described as either substantial or high transmission, falling under the mask recommendation. That includes St. Louis county, which is currently described as high transmission.

Dr. Faisal Khan, the director of the Department of Public Health for St. Louis County, said the delta variant is creeping toward the St. Louis region and could eventually overwhelm hospitals without the help of masking, per the Post-Dispatch.

In surrounding regions including in Illinois like Madison County, the virus is already seeing an upward trend in part due to the surging delta variant. While Illinois has yet to issue its own mask mandate, there is a requirement for masks in Illinois Secretary of State facilities and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said masks could return to the city. Illinois is also encouraging residents to wear masks indoors in the counties described as high or substantial transmission, especially if it makes them feel safer.

While the St. Louis County Council is waiting for a court to decide if the vote to remove the mandate stands, a mask mandate remains in place at least within the city itself. The vote was 5-2, with all three County Council Republicans voting against the mandate and the four Democrats splitting their votes.

The Council also voted to rebuke Page for failing to consult them before issuing the mandate.
To find the home renovation projects with the lowest return on investment, Upnest analyzed data from the 2021 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report. The Cost vs. Value (CVV) Report relies on an econometric model that uses construction cost estimates along with economic indicators, such as local market housing, income, and employment, in 150 U.S. markets to create the best estimate of the cost of a project and its resale value.
Federal prosecutors are creating a database to transmit a massive volume of data to defendants and lawyers involved in the U.S. Capitol riot case, including three accused Northeast Pennsylvania residents.

The local defendants awaiting prosecutors evidence are former Old Forge School Director Frank Scavo, 58, volunteer firefighter Michael J. Rusyn, 35, of Olyphant, and Annie Howell, 31, of Swoyersville.

The three, all supporters of former President Donald Trump, have pleaded not guilty and remain free without bail. All three are charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, the Capitol; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, the Capitol; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Scavo and Rusyn are charged with parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol. Howell is also charged with obstruction of justice or Congress.

According to a recent filing in Howells case, similar to filings in Scavos and Rusyns cases, federal prosecutors say substantial discovery has already been provided in the case, and the federal government has agreed to pay $6.1 million to Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, LLP to create the database.

The investigation and prosecution of the Capitol breach will be the largest in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of the evidence, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel A. Fletcher wrote in the filing, meant to update the court on the status of discovery. In the six months since the Capitol was breached, over 500 individuals located throughout the nation have been charged with a multitude of criminal offenses.

The voluminous materials involved in the case includes thousands of hours of security camera and body camera footage, radio transmissions, hundreds of thousands of tips, location histories for thousands of devices that were inside the Capitol during the breach, cellphone data and more than 1 million posts and replies from the conservative social media site Parler, according to the filing.

Howell is next due to appear for a video status conference before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan on Sept. 14. Rusyn has a status conference scheduled today before District Judge Amy Berman Jackson. Scavo has a status conference Aug. 5 before Senior District Judge Royce C. Lamberth.

Prosecutors allege Howell was recorded inside a trashed conference room in the Capitol and could be heard chanting Whose house? Our House! and Fight for Trump!

Howell used her Facebook account to message and brag about being inside the Capitol, prosecutors allege.

Rusyn, a volunteer firefighter with Liberty Hose Company 6, joined a group of people who tried to enter the U.S. House chamber and called Capitol Police fending them off traitors. They chanted threateningly against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and stop the steal, the rallying cry that falsely claims vote fraud cost Trump reelection.

Rusyn held a cellphone and recorded the encounter, according to a criminal complaint.

He and Scavo claim the crowd pushed them into the building. Rusyn told investigators he tried to take broomsticks with hooks and nails and other weapons away from other people.

Scavo denied entering the Capitol to local reporters, but video from his cellphone shows him inside celebrating, chanting with rioters, posing for a picture near a painting and climbing a staircase while recording, a federal criminal complaint charges.

Your own personal tour of the freaking Capitol, Scavo can be heard saying, according to the complaint. We ... took it back. Took it back.
A Lackwanna County judge ordered a western Pennsylvania man who faces time in state prison for soliciting a teenage girl for sex online to surrender at Lackawanna County Prison before the end of week.

Theodore Knisely Jr., 34, of Brownsville, was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Andy Jarbola to two to four years in state prison plus a year of probation on charges of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a communication facility.

The judge gave Knisely, who appeared for his sentencing hearing remotely, until 4 p.m. Friday to report to the county jail.

The state attorney generals office arrested Knisely on Aug. 25 in Scranton after he traveled to the city to meet a 14-year-old girl with whom he communicated online and arranged to have sex. The purported teen turned out to be an undercover agent of the attorney generals office.

Knisely spoke at length before he was sentenced, telling Jarbola his arrest finally forced him to confront his sex addiction and seek treatment.

Although he lost his job and he lost relationships, he said, he is no longer living what he called a life of insanity and will be a better person in the end with rehabilitation and therapy.

Its embarrassing, but Im glad that it happened, Knisely said, adding that he knows he must be punished for what he did.

His attorney, Bernard Brown, asked Jarbola to consider that Knisely is undergoing treatment and has no prior criminal record.
Californias Death Valley recorded temperatures of 130 degrees Fahrenheit this month, a measurement that could be the highest ever reliably made on Earth.

Or not. For decades the global heat record was a 136.4-degree reading from Libya in 1922, but that was thrown out about a decade ago after scientists uncovered methodological errors. The record that officially replaced it, a 134-degree reading from Death Valley in 1913, is itself disputed.

Journalists like to cover record-setting weather in real time, and for good reason: Extreme heat can have significant consequences for our health and the fate of the planet. The seven warmest years in the history of accurate worldwide record-keeping have been the past seven years, and 19 of the 20 warmest years have occurred since 2000; worldwide, June 2019 was the hottest ever recorded for the month, and June 2020 essentially tied it.

But the process of formally certifying such records can require months, or years, of nuanced vetting. Plus some expensive laboratory gear.

If you just want to know if it is freezing outside, your small home weather station is fine, said Andrea Merlone, a metrologist in Italy who recently helped to certify two 129.2-degree readings from Kuwait and Pakistan.

But if you need to assess a record, then you have to go down to the millikelvin level, he added.

Bear with us a moment. Metrology is the science of measurement, and a millikelvin is equivalent to a thousandth of a kelvin, the unit of measurement on a temperature scale that begins at absolute zero  or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius or minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit. One way metrologists establish the validity of purported temperature records is by checking meteorological sensors with instruments that are themselves accurate to within a thousandth of a degree Celsius, or one millikelvin.

This reading is a real reading

Weather records specific to a country or region are often handled by national agencies, like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States and the Met Office in Britain.

In 2016, for example, scientists from NOAA and Florida International University reanalyzed Hurricane Camille, whose estimated wind speeds of 190 mph at landfall in 1969 were the highest of any Atlantic hurricane. By combining a study of the original observations from ships, weather stations, coastal radar and other data with the current understanding of hurricanes, the researchers found that Hurricane Camilles winds  about 175 mph  were weaker than previously assumed, when it slammed into Mississippi. As a result, a pair of storms with winds of 185 mph  a 1935 hurricane that hit the Florida Keys and Hurricane Dorian in 2019  were elevated to the top of the list of Atlantic storms with the highest wind speed at landfall.

At the international level, the job of certifying weather records falls to the World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations agency that opened a Weather and Climate Extremes Archive in 2007.

From a WMO point of view, its important to scientifically evaluate them with a kind of security to say, This reading is a real reading, it was measured in that place and we are confident its the highest or lowest observation of this variable,  said Manola Brunet, the president of the agencys Commission for Climatology.

Brunet, a geographer at the University Rovira i Virgili in Spain, said that committees organized by the WMO typically include eight to 12 experts and that at least 20 records had been evaluated since 2007. Of those, only the 1922 Libya reading was a reevaluation of an official record; the others were newer and had not been officially confirmed.

In the Libya case, the WMO research resulted in a peer-reviewed scientific article that identified a number of issues with the 1922 reading, including problematical instrumentation and an inexperienced observer.

In a more recent WMO investigation, one of the agencys committees accepted a reading of 64.9 Fahrenheit from February 2020 as the Antarctic regions highest observed temperature. It also rejected a slightly higher one, from an Antarctic permafrost monitoring station, as biased, although it noted that the station was not badly designed for its purpose.

Brunet said the WMO might soon decide to open an investigation of another weather record: a 253 mph wind gust in Barrow Island, Australia, in 1996 that is considered the strongest on record. She said the agency was consulting mechanical engineers for their opinions about the way the anemometer, which measures wind speed, was set up on the island at the time.

Death Valley dispute

Jeff Masters, a meteorologist and a co-founder of Weather Underground, an online news service, said the reason more temperature records are not overturned is because the process is too time-consuming. A case in point, he said, is that an effort to reanalyze every named Atlantic storm since 1851, which began two decades ago, has so far reached only the year 1965.

There are hundreds of temperature records in the U.S. alone that would not survive a re-analysis, Masters said. The most famous of these is the world-record hottest temperature in history of 134 degrees Fahrenheit in 1913 in Death Valley.

Two extreme weather experts, William T. Reid and Christopher C. Burt, have argued on the Weather Underground site that the 1913 reading was not possible from a meteorological perspective, in part because it was not consistent with other observations made in that part of Death Valley over the same week. They say the man who recorded the temperature, at Greenland Ranch in California, appears in retrospect to have knowingly or inadvertently exaggerated the reading, and that he may not have even been present at the time.

But Randall Cerveny, who leads the World Meteorological Organizations efforts to research and verify global weather records, said in an email that the 1913 reading was still recognized as the hottest temperature recorded for the United States and for the world.

Cerveny, who teaches geographical sciences at Arizona State University and worked with Burt to debunk the 1922 Libya record, described the research on the 1913 Death Valley record by Burt and Reid as conjectural, not new evidence. He added that the U.S. Climate Extremes Index, a NOAA project, has also opted not to investigate it.

We do not dismiss records without substantial evidence proving their inaccuracy, he said.

As for newer Death Valley records, Cerveny said the WMO was still trying to verify a 129.9-degree reading from that area on Aug. 6, 2020.

If confirmed, it would be the third-highest temperature ever recorded on Earth and the second-highest in the United States. But Cerveny said the investigation is taking a while because his team has been testing the temperature sensor that made the reading.
Nursing grads

The Career Technology Center of Lackawanna Countys Practical Nursing program graduated 27 students during its graduation on June 9.

Members of the Practical Nursing programs 88th graduating class include Tatiana J. Atkinson, Matthew Briskie, Byron Jeremias Castillo, Stephanie A. Cieciorka, Kasey L. Davis, Lisa Marie Engroff, LeahBeth Evans, Tony Galea, Eileen M. Harrington, Andrea M. Herring, Mae Huffman, Kelsey A. Johnson, Gwendolyn N. Kirkland, Patricia A. Mancini, Shindanah Mangual, Brandi L. Markle, Rebecca M. Menderis, Maria A. Minich, Christina M. McHuigh, Daniel Newhart, Cassandra M. Ramos, Gabriela Reese, Jenn Rivera, Kajah Alizae Romero, Sue Six, Kacie Szczech and Mikayla Dorothy Wolynski.

Super students

Local residents were among 21 of their peers from the University of Scrantons class of 2021 who graduated from its undergraduate honors program.

The graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects include:

Brittany Cadwalder of Scranton graduated summa cum laude as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Cadwalder worked with faculty adviser Kathleen Dwyer, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled Design and Preparation of the CRISPR Constructs pBC1g11280CR2 and pBC4g10767CR2 Targeting the Arabidopsis thaliana Receptor-Like Kinase (RLK) Gene At1g11280 and the S-Locus Cysteine_Rich Like (SCRL) Gene At4g10767.

Danielle M. Cook of Kingston graduated summa cum laude as a psychology major. Cook worked with faculty adviser Emily Hopkins, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled Parent/Child Play: A Descriptive Analysis of Mothers, Fathers, Gender Norms, and the Division of Labor.

Jessica L. Fanelli of Carbondale graduated summa cum laude as a biology major. Fanelli worked with faculty adviser Robert Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled A Study of the Impact of Habitat on the Composition of Breeding Bird Communities in the Lackawanna State Park During the Summer of 2020.

Denise L. Pinto of Pittston graduated magna cum laude as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Pinto worked with Dwyer on a thesis titled Design and Preparation of CRISPR Construct pDP4g03230CR2 Targeting Arabidopsis thaliana Receptor Like Kinase (RLK) Gene At4g03230.

Parita Ray of Scranton graduated magna cum laude as a biology major. Ray worked with faculty adviser Cara Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled Geographical Variation in the Song Structure of Female Troglodytes aedon.

Dagny C. Rippon of South Abington Twp. graduated magna cum laude as an international business major. Rippon worked with faculty adviser Susan Trussler, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance, on a thesis titled Gender Inequality and Conceptualization in International Business Research. Rippon was also a member of the Universitys Business Leadership Honors Program.

Ashley C. Spencer of Tunkhannock graduated summa cum laude as a biology and biomathematics double major. Spencer worked with faculty adviser Bryan Crable, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled The Antimicrobial Effects of Pennsylvania Honey on Clinical Isolates of Escherichia coli.

Casey E. Welby of Scranton graduated summa cum laude as a classical language Latin and history double major. Welby worked with faculty adviser Michael Knies, professor, library, on a thesis titled European Medieval Manuscript Leaves: Varieties of Script and Content from the Jims Sims Collection.

Students in the honors program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation, presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year, according to the university.
In other business Tuesday, Scranton City Council:

Adopted legislation regarding Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti's appointment of Gerald Smurl of Prospect Avenue to serve on the Scranton Municipal Recreation Authority. Smurl will fill the unexpired term of Mary Beth Mikolayczak, who resigned June 30. The term expires June 18, 2025.

Adopted legislation approving the acceptance of $10,000 in grant funds awarded by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council for a bike trail project at Connell Park. The city also has $10,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding available for the project, which will serve as the city's match. Plans are also underway for the renovation of a concession stand at the park, previously slated for demolition, to become the new home of the nonprofit Anthracite Bicycle Coalition, according to a cover sheet submitted with the legislation. The nonprofit collects, repairs and gives bikes to children in need.

Adopted legislation allowing the submission of a grant application seeking up to $400,000 in state Mutlimodal Transportation Fund dollars for phase II of a street sign replacement project. During phase I of the project, KS Engineers performed an assessment of the city's street signs and determined more than 2,000 to be in poor condition. Phase II of the project will entail replacing those signs. The grant application is due July 31.

Adopted legislation supporting the nonprofit NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania's application to the state Department of Community and Economic Development to designate the West Scranton Neighborhood Focus Area as a Keystone Elm Street. The designation will support the revitalization of the West Scranton Neighborhood Plan target area, according to a cover sheet accompanying the legislation. The cover sheet lists numerous benefits of the designation, including priority consideration for a variety of DCED programs. The designation would come at no cost to the city.

Heard from several residents and business owners who want council to reconsider renaming both the Central Scranton Expressway and Spruce Street in honor of President Joe Biden, who was born and spent the first 10 or so years of his life in Scranton. Council voted unanimously to authorize the renaming last week. That vote came amid criticism from several Spruce Street business owners and city residents, many of whom asked council to only rename the expressway. Business owners opposed to the renaming have cited the costs associated with changing their address and updating everything from stationery to their online presence and marketing. Council President Bill Gaughan  who spearheaded the renaming effort  emphasized Tuesday that the decision has been made and it is final. He also said the mayor, council and the nonprofit Scranton Tomorrow "are committed to working hand in glove with the Spruce Street business owners to help with this transition and any inconveniences."

Noted a recent email from city Controller John Murray stating Scranton is at 90.71% of its budgeted overtime for the year. Members expressed concern over that figure. Gaughan said he wants council to send correspondence to Cognetti and Business Administrator Larry West seeking an explanation and information on how the city plans to curb overtime spending moving forward.
Introduced by a 22-year Mack Trucks employee, President Joe Biden came to a podium in the massive Lower Macungie Twp. assembly plant Wednesday to the sounds of Life is a Highway and cheers from the 130 politicians, executives and union leaders gathered to hear him speak during his first visit to the Lehigh Valley as chief executive.

Speaking against a backdrop of an American flag and two Mack trucks, and between two Made in America signs, the 78-year-old then offered a history lesson.

See, he said, when John Mack laid the groundwork for the iconic U.S. manufacturer in 1890, things really didnt start rolling until he brought in his brother William  from Scranton.

So it goes to show you: If you want to get things moving, bring a guy from Scranton to get it going, the Scranton native said.

He then took off his suit coat and said: And folks, were getting things moving.

Biden then rolled up his sleeves and spoke for about 30 minutes, focusing on rebuilding the countrys backbone: the hard-working, middle-class folks such as the more than 2,500 employees who work at the plant assembling all heavy-duty Mack trucks for North America.

During the speech, Biden was notified that Senate Republicans had reached a deal with Democrats on a $1 trillion infrastructure package, something the president said will lead to investments in transit systems, high-speed internet and clean drinking water.

The focus, however, was on Bidens Buy American policy to support and grow American companies, put more American workers in good-paying union jobs, strengthen U.S. manufacturing and secure critical supply chains while confronting the climate crisis.

A major part of that proposal is increasing U.S. content in the products the federal government buys, which the White House called the most robust changes to the implementation of the Buy American Act in almost 70 years.

Its a straightforward solution  support and grow more American-based companies, Biden said to applause. I can sum it up all in two words: Buy American.

Biden also toured the 1 million-square-foot plant, and was briefed on Macks electric garbage trucks and its future electrification ambitions. The ability to build and sell those trucks, the White House said, would be helped by Bidens proposed investment in Buy American production incentives for domestic electric vehicle manufacturing.

As far as his commitment to strengthening American infrastructure and creating good-paying American jobs, the president and I are 100% aligned, Mack President Martin Weissburg said.

After he finished speaking at 2:32 p.m., Biden mingled with the crowd inside Mack for about a half-hour before the motorcade departed for Lehigh Valley International Airport. He lifted off about 3:45 p.m., nearly four hours after he arrived the airport and was greeted by Gov. Tom Wolf and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild.

Air Force Ones departure wrapped up the third visit to the Lehigh Valley by a sitting president in the last 14 months in the important 7th Congressional District in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

It was an occasion marked by traffic disruptions on major highways, ramps and overpasses, along with some gatherings of protesters and supporters across the street from the Mack plant. It also was a visit filled with a little bit of Biden humor, right at the start of his speech.

Republicans, however, blasted Bidens visit.

Lou Barletta, a former congressman and Hazleton mayor who is running as a Republican for governor, said in a statement that Biden is trying to fool Pennsylvanians into thinking he cares about jobs and manufacturing.

Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, said Biden should focus on using unspent funds from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package to invest in infrastructure, rather than turning to increasing taxes.

I welcome President Biden back to the Lehigh Valley, Toomey said in a statement. Hopefully he will use his visit to learn about the real, physical infrastructure needs of Pennsylvanians  and the huge sums of unused COVID funds which should pay for that infrastructure.

Kevin Dellicker, a candidate for the Republican nomination to challenge Wild in the 7th District, said in a statement that most of Bidens speech was about federal procurement policies, which he said represent a small portion of U.S. manufacturing sales.

The Democrats Buy America campaign is style over substance, Dellicker said. If they were serious about growing American jobs, they would stop burying the nation in massive amounts of debt.

The White House said the federal government has $600 billion in annual procurement spending, almost half of which is in manufactured products, from helicopter blades to trucks.

The Buy American statute says products bought with taxpayer dollars must substantially all be made in the United States.

Currently, products with just over half the value of their component parts manufactured in the U.S. qualify, but the proposed rule announced Wednesday pitches an immediate increase of that threshold to 60% and a phased increase to 75%.

Stephanie Sigafoos, Morning Call content editor, contributed to this story.
Editor: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Democrats are holding a special committee investigation into the Jan. 6 unruliness at the U.S. Capitol.

The Times-Tribune prefers the term insurrection, and some Democrats enjoy using the words sedition and coup to describe it. This is only about getting and degrading former President Donald Trump. What did you in the press and Democratic politicians call the rioting, looting, attacks on law enforcement, arson and destruction of government property and buildings in Minneapolis, Portland, St. Louis, Seattle, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and many large cities, all controlled by Democrats? I guess you all missed it.

The Jan. 6 event was nasty. Congress did not vote to authorize a special committee to investigate it. House Democrats voted articles of impeachment against then-President Trump one week after the event, with all 222 House Democrats voting that Trump was responsible for instigating this insurrection.

Pelosi formed her own special committee, but removed Republicans Reps. Jim Banks and Jim Jordan because they are staunch Trump supporters. Pelosi named Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger to the panel. Those two do not like Trump and voted for impeachment.

So, now we have Pelosis seven, hand-picked House Democrats on the panel plus two anti-Trump Republicans who are going to determine how and why this happened. Yep, there is absolutely no political bias and prejudice involved in this decision.

Meanwhile, President Joe Bidens Democratic Department of Justice decided not to investigate thousands of nursing home deaths that resulted from patient transfers from hospitals in states with Democratic governors including New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. There is, again, absolutely no political bias, prejudice involved in this decision.

RICHARD S. SUPKO

BROWNDALE,

WAYNE COUNTY

Editor: Someone with a high position in the national Democratic Party or the national news media should inform people such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, that they hurt the party by calling themselves Democratic socialists.

They are not true socialists at all. I am tired of people like Republican former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley sending me ridiculous emails in which she uses the terms socialist, democratic socialist, far-left and radical-left as meaning the same exact things as progressive and liberal.

I am not a socialist, and I resent being called one.

As New York Times columnist and 2008 Nobel Prize-winner in economics Paul Krugman has pointed out, so-called Democratic socialists are actually social democrats who want to keep our market-based economic system but favor a lot of federal government social programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, and college student loans, in order to help our lower classes and middle classes.

A truly socialist economy has never successfully worked in any large-scale society. A true socialist wants to abolish capitalism and replace it with an economy in which the workplaces are owned and controlled by a public entity such as the state, government or the people.

For any reasonable human being to believe in true socialism in 2021, he would lack common sense.

STEWART B. EPSTEIN

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

Editor: Lake Mead at the Hoover Dam is at 36% capacity, which is the lowest level since the 1930s.

It provides water to about 40 million people in Nevada, Arizona and California, but a severe drought and diminished snowfall in the Rocky Mountains have significantly reduced the supply of water. Other lakes in the region are at historically low levels. It appears current water conservation measures will have to continue and probably be expanded in the Southwest, along with the reuse of treated wastewater for agriculture.

Although sea water desalination plants are expensive, typically costing about $4 billion, people in the Southwest need drinking and agricultural water to survive. There are about 20,000 plants in the world, including one near San Diego that provides 50 million gallons of water per day to 10% of residents. Another 10 plants operate in California and 10 more are proposed.

Drawbacks of desalination plants include construction costs, high cost to produce the water, disposal of briny residue water and impacts on sea life, but the cost of running out of water far exceeds the costs associated with desalination plants.

Although desalination plants might only provide 10% to 20% of water consumption, the plants and pipeline delivery systems in the Southwest region are needed to help replace the lower supply from the Colorado River.

DONALD MOSKOWITZ

LONDONDERRY,

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Editor: I understand Scranton City Councils desire to rename Spruce Street after President Joe Biden but I also understand the frustration of the businesses and the residents of Spruce Street regarding the impact on them.

I think renaming the Central Scranton Expressway after the president would be a great idea and would have the least impact on the residents and businesses on Spruce Street. I would propose that a monument or a statue of Biden be placed on Lackawanna County Courthouse Square, preferably on the Spruce Street side, to depict his birth in the city.

I propose that the statue or monument not be paid by the taxpayers of Lackawanna County but through a fundraiser initiated by Bidens supporters. When it would be unveiled, the president and his family could be here to formally thank all those who participated in the momentous occasion for the city.

BRIAN D. KAEB

CLARKS SUMMIT
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
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High around 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.
Virgin Mobile is axing its Pay As You Go option meaning 123,000 customers will no longer be able to use it on the network.

Those affected by the changes will be notified by October 2021 with changes taking place in January 2022.

After then, the network will cut off any PAYG customers still using this service. The move comes thanks to dwindling numbers paying this way.

Those with PAYG will have the option to take an alternative pay monthly Sim-only plan from Virgin Mobile or can choose to move to another mobile provider with no financial penalty.

Virgin Mobile is axing its Pay As You Go services, affecting 123,000 customers as of January

Customers can use any remaining credit between being notified of the change and the date their service will end or they will have up to 12 months to claim back any unused credit once their PAYG service has ended.

A Virgin Media spokesperson said: 'We regularly review our products and services to ensure our offering reflects our customers' needs and best supports their usage.

'Over the last few years, we have seen a 75 per cent reduction in active PAYG use, so have decided to close our PAYG services and focus on providing even greater Pay Monthly and Sim only plans.

'Customers impacted by this change will be notified in a clear, timely way and will be offered an alternative pay monthly plan or the option to switch provider.'

Many people have moved away from PAYG plans in recent times as more people rely on their smartphones and are swayed towards monthly contracts with large data, minutes and text bundles.

However, there are still many elderly customers who still rely on their PAYG phones.

Those who still have a PAYG mobile could benefit from switching to a Sim-only plan where they will pay monthly for their usage.

This is a good option for those who have a phone already or can purchase one upfront.

Sim only deals may be a good option for those who can no longer use their PAYG phone

Top Sim-only deals

One of the cheapest Sim-only deals currently on the market is with Lebara which offering unlimited minutes and texts with 3GB of data for 4.95.

Those who take up the deal via Uswitch will also get the first month for 3.47 with no contract.

Customers, again who go through Uswitch, who take up the same offer but with 10GB of data will also still be able to get the first month for 3.47 but the monthly price does increase to 6.95 afterwards.

Smarty also offers a good deal with unlimited minutes and texts as well as 12GB of data for 7 a month.

O2 offer unlimited minutes and texts with 12GB of data for 8 but will give customers 3 months free Disney+ as well. However, customers will be tied in for a 12 month contract.

Similarly, Three are offering unlimited minutes, texts and data for 16 a month but customers must sign up for a year.
Of all Britain's companies Unilever, among the largest of them all with a stock market value of 107billion, is the most politically correct.

The previous chief executive, Paul Polman, was a supporter of the climate change agenda long before it was fashionable. Current boss, Alan Jope, went a step further with his mantra that Unilever is not just about selling Dove soap, Hellmann's mayonnaise, Magnum and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, but is a firm with a purpose.

The group's embrace of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda makes it an easy target for those with an extreme 'woke' agenda.

Cold war: Palestinian artists paint a mural in support of a boycott of Israeli products

This could well explain why it finds itself in the cross-hairs of a battle over ice cream supplies to Israeli settlements, which has members of that country's cabinet yelling anti-Semitism and prime minister Naftali Bennett up in arms.

The row over the decision of the 'independent' Ben & Jerry's board to withdraw its goods from freezers in Israeli settlements is proving a defining test for Jope's diplomatic skills.

The Ben & Jerry's board acted after coming under fierce pressure from pro-Palestinian activist groups in its native Vermont, known for its radical politics and the home state of senator Bernie Sanders, the Jewish firebrand with White House aspirations and thin support for Israel.

Fearing a backlash in the US, Unilever's biggest market, Jope wrote to major Jewish organisations this week making it clear that his company 'does not support' the boycott movement. He added the company 'repudiates unequivocally any forms of discrimination or intolerance'. He said: 'Anti-Semitism has no place in society.'

What gives the current row an edge is that both Anglo-Dutch Unilever and Ben & Jerry's have strong Jewish roots.

Unilever was formed almost a century ago when Liverpool-based Lever Brothers merged with the Dutch firm Margarine Unie, a continental giant forged by the Jewish entrepreneur Samuel van den Bergh.

Samuel, the younger van den Bergh, became general director of his father's margarine company in 1907 and built it into a colossus through a series of mergers and takeovers.

There is no secret about Ben & Jerry's origins. It was founded by childhood Jewish friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

A condition of the sale to Unilever in 2000 was that it would retain its independence and operate with a separate board. That remains true to this day.

It has always proudly displayed the kosher mark on its tubs. And Ben & Jerry's founders Cohen and Greenfield wrote in the New York Times that 'it is possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies'.

Unilever could easily have decided to go the whole hog and follow the independent recommendation of the Ben & Jerry's board and boycott Israel altogether. But chief executive Jope has stood firm and recognised that such a decision could be devastating, way beyond Israel.

What, for instance, would be the impact in China, one of the fastest-growing markets, for its Lifebuoy sanitary products, should activists decide to boycott because of Beijing's oppression of the Uighurs, or the clampdown on freedoms in Hong Kong?

Even companies with a purpose, under company law, have a fiduciary duty to their shareholders above all others.

Being sucked into Israeli politics, with prime minister Bennett, a settlement supporter, crying foul, is not ideal.

Behind the furore in the United States, Israel and Unilever's headquarters in London, there is a much more insidious development. Social media, including the TikTok app, has embraced the Palestinian cause, leading to an outbreak of boycott activism across the US. So the Ben & Jerry's imbroglio may not be the last commercial battle for antiboycott forces.

Boycotts can do amazing things and contributed greatly to the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa.

But it is also the case that among the first steps taken by the Nazis in the 1930s was to boycott Jewish enterprises.

From small beginnings in Germany  stirring up hate against Jewish businesses  came the Nuremberg laws in 1935 and the Holocaust. That's why boycotts matter so much to Israel.
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Barre, VT (05641)

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Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 79F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.


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Thomasville, GA (31792)

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Cloudy this morning with thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Damage from the storm in East Norriton is seen in this photo posted on Facebook on July 21, 2021
With hospitalizations on the rise, Ballad could again suspend surgeries
Glens Falls is bustling. The restaurants, cafes and breweries on Ridge and Glen streets, two spokes off the traffic circle downtown, are crammed with sidewalk crowds in the sunshine. Theyre munching tacos at Rauls, burgers and beers at Davidsons Brewing and Downtown Social, small plates on tiny tables at Radici Kitchen and sipping cocktails at Farmacys counter seats. Theres dinner on the wraparound porch of Morgan & Co. and lounging on patio sofas at The Queensbury Hotel.

But come on through to a quieter place tucked in the former Samanthas cafe. Alif Cafe is an unexpected spot.

Alif is a lounge with modernized Pakistani street foods and a halal bar  a rare sight, with Kashmiri chai tea, the milk scalded to oxidized pink; malai wali, intense espresso with steamed cream; and Tez coffee, its flavor from Monsoon Malabar beans soaked and aged in Indias monsoon rains. The cafe opened in Glens Falls in January as a sibling to a lakefront original in Lake George Village, where made-to-order rolled ice cream and South Asian cushioned lounge furniture appeals to a captive pedestrian crowd strolling past the steamboats across the street.

In Glens Falls, the look is different: The large, open space blends barn wood and industrial piping, with black support columns graffiti-ed by visiting guests. The 24-year old owner, Muhammed Saud, whose parents own the Tandoori Grill and Alif Cafe in Lake George, installed a tandoor oven for pillowy, blistered naan and created a series of handheld naanwiches stuffed with beef, chicken tikka or vegetables, and buttery paratha bread stuffed with cheese or potato (aloo), quartered for bites on the move.

Saud has created something missing upstate, and Im reminded slightly of Dishoom, a London-based chain designed around the heady days of the Bombay jazz age  all vintage retro, bentwood chairs and ceiling fans, brunch menus and small plates. Here, exposed brick walls, retro furniture and a vintage cigarette dispenser beneath a Pakistani flag meld with a honky-tonk piano, an antique sink, velvet armchairs, long dining tables and thoughtfully wired counters for something part '90s coffee lounge, part international coworking space.

It goes further, the vibe getting at the faded elegance of 1940s Irani cafes in Bombay (now Mumbai), when Parsi settlers re-created the Parisian brasseries and grand cafes of Vienna and such spaces became community hubs. The Muslim origins of coffee in Yemen and Ethiopia meant Muslim cities from Makkah and Istanbal to Cairo and Baghdad were dotted with coffeehouses. In recent years, cafe culture has taken hold in tea-loving Pakistan with coffee chains Gloria Jeans and Second Cup in Lahore and Karachi and Islamabad, designed as places for post-millennials to embrace their espresso drinks and ice creams in workspaces with free Wi-Fi on tap.

Choose from banana, mango or strawberry lassi, a traditional South Asian yogurt milkshake, or go beyond with Oreo, chocolate and vanilla ice cream with baklava, pistachios and caramel chopped into sweet cream poured on a minus-20-degree metal surface for perfectly scraped rolls.

Food served in to-go boxes fuses East and West. Masala french fries are dusted in Sauds custom blend of dried mango, cumin, ginger, black salt, red chile, cinnamon and salt and drizzled in yogurt-cucumber raita for some distant Pakistan relative of poutine. Channa papree chaat layers chickpeas, onions, tomatoes with tamarind and mint chutney, yogurt raita and a handful of tiny air-filled cracker puffs. A recent special of chicken tikka masala over basmati rice jostles crisp, raita-dressed salad. Im told they have sold out of the beef naanwich, so I accept the chicken and ask if they can make a plain naan, too. Its not on the menu, but my server, Sauds brother, is willing, and I unwrap the foil and tear into it, still warm from the tandoor wall.

In Glens Falls, Alif has only two tables on the street, so it looks quiet, almost empty, till I park myself in the high-back armchairs in the window. But those who know are steadily coming in for Monsoon Malabar coffee, takeout boxes and rolled ice cream. The savory Kurkure snacks on the counter in flavors like Naughty Tomato and Green Chutney are spicy enough to need water on hand.

Saud has a TikTok following of his own  almost 30,000 strong  and his quick videos surely fuel interest in his halal bar and modern Pakistani street food. The cafe embodies its own laid-back brand with songs by Atif Aslam, Abida Parveen, Rahat Fateh and Ali Khan, from Indias Coke Studio live recordings, filling air-conditioned air. Arguably outpacing any workspace coffee spots in Saratoga Springs, Albany or Troy, options in Glens Falls just keep getting better.
CATSKILL  Greene County will not ask vaccinated residents to wear masks indoors after COVID-19 case numbers in the county crossed a threshold where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends mask-wearing for all adults.

The CDC announced new mask guidance Tuesday after cases of COVID-19 doubled nationally over the previous 11 days, suggesting counties with more than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period require indoor masking for the unvaccinated and vaccinated.

The new CDC guidance is only a recommendation, and it is up to counties to decide whether to mandate universal indoor mask-wearing.

County Administrator Shaun Groden told the Times Union Thursday morning the county would not mandate the new guidance.

"I had a discussion last night with my board, and we feel we're not going to go backwards," he said. "We're not going to shut down, we're not going to have our businesses shut down like they did before."

Groden encouraged residents to get vaccinated at their local pharmacy, saying he had gotten both shots and felt no ill effects.

"We vaccinate our kids for measles and whooping cough and all these other diseases  why arent we vaccinating for this? Its the same concept," he said.

However, Groden distinguished his stance from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's, saying Greene County would not mandate vaccinations for county employees, or the testing of staff or visitors to county buildings.

Cuomo announced Wednesday all 130,000 state employees would need to get vaccinated by Labor Day.

"We are not going to become the mask police," Groden added.

As of Wednesday, the county had 59 new cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days, according to the CDC  the highest rate of transmission in New York north of The Bronx.

The county was the only county upstate to cross the threshold as of Wednesday, but updated CDC data Thursday showed both Orange and Warren counties above the threshold for the new masking guidance.

There are currently 39 people known to be infected with COVID-19 in the county, according to the Greene County Health Department, with one person hospitalized. Eight new cases were reported Wednesday, and the seven-day rolling positivity rate for the county was 5 percent.
One surefire way to know a film isnt working the way its intended is if you notice yourself pondering each individual element rather than being swept away by how theyre working together. Thats the problem with Disneys new adventure film inspired by a theme park ride, Jungle Cruise. Directed by Jaume Collett-Serra and starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, Jungle Cruise should be a stew of flavors perfectly blended together, but instead, its a salad, each discrete element tossed together, and tossed, and tossed, and tossed again.

Collett-Serra, who is known for his twisty horror films (The Orphan) and lean action thrillers (The Commuter, The Shallows) is an interesting choice for this latest Disney ride-as-movie endeavor. His usually efficient style is subsumed by the machinations of the Disney apparatus and the overstuffed script by Glen Ficarra, John Requa, Josh Goldstein, Michael Green and John Norville, which zips from 1916 London to colonial Brazil to 1556 Spain and back again.

Jungle Cruise is modeled on classic screwball adventure movies like The Mummy, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pirates of the Caribbean, The African Queen and Romancing the Stone. There are also references to tantalize the cinephiles in attendance. Edgar Ramirezs haunted conquistador baddie character Aguirre, plus Jesse Plemons decidedly Herzogian accent as German Prince Joachim calls to mind Werner Herzogs Amazonian boat trip film Aguirre: The Wrath of God.

But therein lies the problem with Jungle Cruise: youd rather think about the references and extra-textual meanings of all the moving parts than the on-screen action itself, which is as muddled as the bottom of the Amazon River. The macro plot is fairly simple and a familiar one, wherein an adventurer sets out to find a precious item in the deepest jungle which may or may not be the stuff of legend. But all the stuff around this plot is just too busy.

The adventurer at hand is Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt), who is of course, plucky, scrappy and radical because she wears pants (Johnsons skipper character, Frank, almost exclusively refers to her as Pants). With her fastidious brother MacGregor (the films MVP Jack Whitehall) in tow, she hires Frank, through a series of absurd mishaps, to take them up the river in search of a flower called the Tears of the Moon, which can heal anything, and also has the aforementioned German prince in hot pursuit, for vaguely World War I reasons.

There are too many capers, high jinks, antics and escapades at play in Jungle Cruise, and it all starts to feel rather harried, with little modulation in tone and dynamic. Its so manic at times that none of the choreographed action sequences have any suspense or heft. The most memorable is a neat little combat scene that Blunt executes on a rolling ladder while absconding with an artifact from a London historical society. But then the film repeats similar sequences again and again until it all becomes rather meaningless.

Not to mention the lack of emotional connection. If you can suspend your disbelief enough to place Johnson in an early 20th century period piece, and move past his characters predilection for puns, theres very little palpable chemistry between he and Blunt, who is doing her very best Katherine Hepburn.

While Jungle Cruise wants to remind you of those classic adventure romance films, unfortunately, thats all it is, a reminder that those other films have vastly more emotional weight, with action sequences that feel earned and chemistry thats undeniable, not forced. Jungle Cruise may seek to fit into a specific void in the current movie landscape, but its not quite enough to satisfyingly fill it up.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  An injured bear cub that was rescued after it suffered burns in a California wildfire is being nursed back to health at a wildlife center at Lake Tahoe.

Officials at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care have named the young bear Tamarack after the fire that burned through the Sierra south of the lake and into Nevada.
ALBANY  The SEFCU and CAP COM credit unions are planning to merge, creating what would be the regions largest financial institution at $8 billion and one of the top five credit unions in the state.

Still subject to due diligence research as well as state and federal approval, the merger plan was approved Wednesday by the institutions' directors. The merger is expected to take place in 2022. Leaders of the credit unions say there will be no layoffs as a result, describing the merger as a union of two equals.

We are excited to explore this potential opportunity to become stronger together. As like-minded, mission-driven credit unions who share a commitment to our employees, members, and community  this represents an exciting possibility to continue to expand our award-winning service to members across New York state, while continuing to invest in technology that makes banking more convenient, said CAP COM President and CEO Chris McKenna. We look forward to continuing the process, with the intent to merge in 2022.

Along with growing in size, this alignment will allow us to expand our reach and positive impact on our members and the communities we serve. CAP COM and SEFCU share similar values, culture, and commitment to community. We plan to apply the best of both worlds principle in everything we do as we integrate our approach to supporting employees, members and the community, SEFCU President and CEO Michael Castellana said in a prepared statement announcing the merger plan.

SEFCU stands for State Employees Federal Credit Union and Cap Com is Capital Communications Federal Credit Union.

One reason for a merger, those involved said, was the need to compete amid growing consolidation in the credit union industry.

Credit unions are akin to banks, offering consumer loans, credit cards and mortgages as well as deposits, but they are nonprofits technically owned by the members.

If the credit unions manage to merge without cutting jobs it will buck the trend among some large banks that have laid off employees after merging with or being acquired by competitors.

In fact, the creation of a brand new, $8 billion financial institution will provide the scale necessary to create greater opportunities for existing employees, the need for additional team members, and significant advancements in products, services, and support for members and community partners, the credit unions said in a joint statement.

This effort will create the largest financial institution in the Capital Region based on local deposits, and one of the top five credit unions in the state. The unified financial institution will also become one of the top 30 credit unions in the nation.

SEFCU has approximately 358,366 members and operations in Buffalo, Binghamton and Syracuse. Cap Com has about 147,000 members.

SEFCU has about $4.7 billion in assets, which are mostly loans while CAP COM has $2.2 billion, according to federal records.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518 454 5758  @RickKarlinTU
ALBANY  Nearly four months after the state agreed to spend $15 million directly to address vaccine hesitancy, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo finalized deals with organizations working within communities where cases of COVID-19 are skyrocketing because of relatively low vaccination rates.

The money was specifically planned for expected vaccine hesitancy in the state's $212 billion budget passed in April. Tucked away in it was $15 million for "services and expenses related to public education, communication efforts and outreach to communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and in communities with vaccine hesitancy."

The money was to be used to "disseminate public information regarding health and safety measures, warnings about risks and hazards and to promote vaccine confidence related to the COVID-19 pandemic."

Cuomo announced Monday his $15 million initiative to accelerate efforts in 117 targeted ZIP codes where vaccinations are lagging and COVID-19 positivity rates are above the state average. It is to address the "pandemic among the unvaccinated." Nearly 80 percent of the communities targeted by the administration are in New York City and on Long Island, in both places of communities of color, and also white conservative neighborhoods.

"We just provided $15 million in funding for community organizations," Cuomo said Wednesday when addressing the Association for a Better New York, a city-based business group. "Hear them out. Talk it through. Get them the facts and let's get people passed their hesitancy."

The announcement though comes while cases of COVID-19 are spiking and hospitalizations have grown nearly 80 percent statewide since this time last month. The money will go to the Hispanic Federation, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, New York Immigration Coalition, Asian American Federation, Charles B. Wang Community Center and APICHA Community Health Center.

The leaders of those organizations, flanking Cuomo at his Monday news conference at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, praised the governor for his support and direction throughout the pandemic.

"It's been a long 16 months and you stayed the course," Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and executive director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, said. "We know that we can count on you to stay the course. So I just want to thank you for that."

The $5.5 million Austin's organization is receiving from the state though could have been doled out at any point once the budget passed in the beginning of April.

Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for the governor, deferred questions on why the state waited to spend its vaccine hesitancy money to the Division of the Budget.

The state worked with diverse community organizations to develop a plan to deliver funding that would support outreach and vaccine education in communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 that have also shown to be hesitant and the plan, which will do exactly that, was announced this week when it was finalized," Freeman Klopott, a Division of the Budget spokesman, said in a statement.

The state comptroller's office confirmed none of the $15 million has been spent to date, according to its records. The money is part of the $25 billion of federal money the state has access to for emergency relief, related to the pandemic. About $774 million has been allocated and $379 million has been spent, according to the comptroller's office.

An additional $10 million is in the budget for "services and expenses of social service crisis intervention programs and providers disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic."

Cuomo, while touting his plan to mandate vaccines for state workers among the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant, said that "you have to talk it through with people who are hesitant. Give them the facts." He said the state knows the areas to target, and now, in late July, with that knowledge and the $15 million, it can get to work in those particularly vaccine hesitant communities.

The governor has taken to making splashy announcements this summer to detail spending plans from the approved budget in April, including on the issue of addressing gun violence. Cuomo is fundraising for a potential fourth term as governor. He was outraised by Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin through the first half of the year, marking the first time since assuming office.
SCHENECTADY  Dequan Greene, an ordained minister, engaged in a course of conduct that included forcing his 4-year-old foster son to take a cold shower, making him do wall sits and force feeding him before he killed the boy either by forcefully stepping or stomping on his stomach, according to court filings by attorneys involved in the criminal case.

The documents stating the disturbing details of the Dec. 20 killing of the child, who authorities have identified as Charlie, also accuse Greene of keeping the boy's 5-year-old brother confined in a dog cage and subjecting him to extreme cold at the Rotterdam home where Greene lived with his wife, Latrisha, and their foster and biological children.

Last week, a pre-trial hearing for the case was held in a Schenectady County Courtroom. That proceeding will likely resume next month.

The physical abuse against Charlie's brother, Schenectady County Assistant District Attorney Christina Tremante-Pelham said in court documents, appears to have occurred sometime between Sept. 25 and Dec. 20, and resulted in multiple bruises and abrasions to the older boy's body.

The 27-year-old Greene, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is being held without bail at the county jail.

His attorney, James Tyner, did not respond to a message Wednesday left on his cell phone seeking comment.

But in an application seeking bail for his client, Tyner wrote that Greene is an ordained minister who belongs to a church where he played keyboard and since 2016 has been involved with a family-run charity Harmony and Friends, a community outreach program that "focused on improving the lives of local community children."

In January, Greene was arraigned on murder, manslaughter and other counts a grand jury handed up after an investigation into the boy's death.

He and his older brother were placed in the care of the Greenes in September by Child Protective Service in Albany County. Prosecutors said the children had been removed from the custody of their biological parents by an Albany County Family Court judge.

Schenectady County had certified the Greenes as foster parents but the husband and wife had only cared for one previous child and that was only for a day, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Dequan Greene told authorities Charlie's speech became slurred and he passed out after falling out of a child's chair. But, they allege, he told others that the child had choked.

On the day the boy was found, police and paramedics went to the Greenes' Broadway residence to find the child was not breathing.

They were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at Ellis Hospital.

A medical investigation revealed the Charlie died due to extensive internal injuries to his liver and intestines caused by blunt force trauma, the district attorney's office said.

His brother was taken from the home and treated at Albany Medical Center where it was revealed he also suffered from bruises, abrasions and an injury to his mouth.

Charlie's brother survived and was released from the hospital and placed with a foster family on Dec. 23.

That same night, $800 worth of Christmas gifts purchased by the District Attorneys Office were delivered to the residence, fulfilling a wish from the boy who days earlier and alone in the hospital told nurses that the only thing he was looking forward to was Christmas.

The day Charlie died, Greene called Latrisha Greene, who was shopping. Prosecutors said she called 911 after she returned home.

Court documents also show that the most serious felony charge of tampering with physical evidence leveled against Latrisha Greene was dismissed so she now only faces two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney has previously said Latrisha Greene asked her husband to clean up the house knowing investigators would be returning to more closely scrutinize the scene. She was charged by police and released.

The Greenes have two biological children and Latrisha Greene also has a 5-year-old child from a previous relationship. It was not immediately clear if the children, who were removed from the home at the time of their parents' arrest, were back at the residence.

Though Charlie and his brother were living in Schenectady County, they remained under the supervision of child protective services workers in Albany County.

It was unclear how frequently social services workers checked on the children.

Schenectady County officials have said the Greenes were certified foster parents who passed background checks, including an investigation by the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Justice Center's Clearinghouse.

Albany County officials said the county placed the boys with the Greenes after learning of the potential foster family from their counterparts in Schenectady County.

Social services workers from Albany County and an agency the county contracts with, the St. Anne's Institute in Albany, both made visits to the home after the boys were placed with the Greenes in late September.

A county spokeswoman did not immediately respond Wednesday to an email about the status of the Schenectady County's Department of Social Services probe into the child's death.
LA PORTE, Texas (AP)  Two people are dead and 30 were hospitalized after a chemical leak at a Houston-area plant, officials said.

LyondellBasell said that about 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) of a mixture that primarily included acetic acid was released in the leak that started Tuesday evening at its La Porte Complex. The company said that the all clear was given early Wednesday, and that the leak had been isolated and contained.

The company said air monitoring was ongoing and hasnt shown actionable levels."

Two contractors were killed and 30 workers were taken to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment, the company said. Of those, it said 27 had been released as of Wednesday afternoon. The names of the contractors who died were not immediately released.

The cause was under investigation, the company said, adding it was cooperating with authorities.

Harris County Pollution Control spokesperson Dimetra Hamilton told the Houston Chronicle that a cap burst on a pressurized line of acetic acid.

The chemicals involved in the leak can severely burn skin and are toxic if inhaled, Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen said.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a statement on Twitter saying that she was heartbroken" to learn of the deaths.

According to LyondellBasell, its La Porte Complex, located on about 550 acres (223 hectares) on the shore of the Houston Ship Channel, has over 600 employees and contractors. The company has two businesses there, one dealing with chemicals, the other with acetyls, which is where the leak occurred.

The company said acetic acid is produced to meet requirements for shipping in the food industry and is used in textiles, plastic bottles, industrial solvents and other chemicals.

Last week in La Porte, evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were issued after a chemical release at a Dow Chemical plant there. A tank truck trailer had over-pressurized, causing the chemical hydroxyethyl acrylate to escape through a safety valve. The orders were later lifted.

La Porte is located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Houston. The plant is in an unincorporated part of Harris County, adjacent to La Porte, according to a statement issued by La Porte EMS, and no shelter in place or other protective actions were recommended for the community.
INDIAN LAKE  Helicopters will soon fill the skies over the Adirondacks for a nearly weeklong training exercise of the U.S. Armys 10th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Drum.

Twenty-seven aircraft, flying in fleets of four, will travel from Aug. 8 to 13 from Rome to private property in the area of Blue Mountain Lake. The training exercise, called Falcons Peak, will involve AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Blackhawk and HH-60 medevac helicopters.

Veronica Bryant Bean, public affairs officer for the 10th Combat Aviation Division, said the training event will be the most concentrated and largest number of helicopters flying on the same mission since a similar exercise conducted in 2018 in the Newcomb area. The exercise was not conducted in 2019 because troops were deployed to Afghanistan. It was also not conducted last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Its imperative that our aviators are trained in diverse environments, Bean said. We are exposed to conflict all over the world, unfortunately. If we could only fly on Fort Drum, we wouldnt be able to get the scales of flying over water, mountains, low treetop levels.

The aircraft will fly above 1,000 feet, but in some nonresidential areas they could fly as low as 200 feet above ground, Bean said. A private landowner near Blue Mountain Lake volunteered their land for the U.S. Armys use and Bean said some people may see aircraft loitering in the area. Bean said there will be no land-based military vehicles in the Adirondacks as part of the exercise.

From Aug. 9 to 12, the Army is expected to conduct some nighttime flights as well.

We dont get to choose when we fight in combat, Bean said. We need our aviators to maintain safety regulations. They are required to fly a certain amount of time in the day and night.

The Army wished to alert the public of their upcoming training so no one is caught off guard, Bean added.

The upcoming training and its location did come as a surprise to some members of an ad hoc committee the Army formed at the end of last year to review environmental impacts and potential training locations. The committee, made up of representatives from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Adirondack Park Agency and environmental advocacy groups, met in response to a programmatic environmental assessment the Army released about increased training in the Adirondack region.

Following those meetings and public feedback, the Army had announced it will avoid forest preserve lands, sensitive wildlife areas and community hubs. The area of Blue Mountain Lake had never been proposed in the assessment, however. That concerned some ad hoc committee members because of the areas proximity to the forest preserve.

John Sheehan, communications director for the Adirondack Council, has been a member of the ad hoc committee convened recently and in years past.

News to me, he said on Wednesday of Fort Drums aviation training plans for August near Blue Mountain Lake. I dont recall that being an option presented to us.

David Gibson, managing partner of Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve, was also on the ad hoc committee. He, too, was not aware of any upcoming air training nor that the Blue Mountain Lake region was an option. Gibson said he was concerned that even if the Army was training on private property there could be effects to the forest preserve and wildlife.Later on Thursday, Gibson received a phone call from an Army colonel who assured him no soldiers would be landing on the property and the Adirondacks part of the training focused on flying only.

A DEC spokesperson said the department was aware of the training exercise.

DEC anticipates minimal impacts to wildlife, the spokesperson wrote. The flights over Forest Preserve will be transitory, causing only brief disturbance, if any. Proposed flight routes were chosen to minimize or avoid impacts to sensitive habitats.

The DEC added that the flight paths also appear to minimize the distances to be flown over Wilderness areas.

Bean said the Army has a coordinator for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, to avoid conflicts over endangered or sensitive species protections. For example, the Army has identified a new bald eagles nest and will avoid disturbing it.

Also news to some of the ad hoc committee members was that the Army finalized its programmatic environmental assessment in April.

The draft assessment originally rolled out last summer and was filled with misunderstandings about the Adirondack Park. The Army, for example, did not appear to know that the parks forest preserve is constitutionally protected, or know about the Adirondack Park Agency and its role managing public and private use. The information has since been updated in the April 2021 assessment.

In an email that Gibson sent to Fort Drum and DEC officials and shared with the Adirondack Explorer, he said he received varying information from both entities about what to expect when it came to the training. As a member of the ad hoc committee, he had expected to know about the revised environmental assessment, the Armys training and site selection ahead of time.

I fully appreciate that the Army is working with the state agencies and a private landowner and is not conducting training on the publics Forest Preserve, avoiding sensitive locations such as bald eagle nesting sites and is observing other decisions reached with us last winter, Gibson wrote. My sole concern here is an apparent gap in providing us with advance information.

A version of this story was first published by AdirondackExplorer.org.
Farmington, WV (26555)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 75F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
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If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 570-724-2287 or email dtaylor@tiogapublishing.com.
Portions of Honolulu police body camera videos were shown in court Wednesday during a hearing to determine whether there is probable cause to support murder and attempted murder charges against three officers in the shooting death of a 16-year-old Micronesian boy
Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed onto an amicus brief in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could overturn the court's landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide
Inquests into fatal shootings by police to resume

Inquests into fatal shootings by police can resume for the first time in three years in King County
As coronavirus cases continue to soar, two Florida mayors are announcing mask and vaccine mandates and defying the governor who is firmly opposed to any pandemic restrictions
Some city facilities in Arizona to again have mask mandates

As the number of new COVID-19 cases in Arizona grows, worried officials in several cities are reinstituting mask requirements in response to new federal guidelines
A former Weld County District Judge who tipped off a friend that their mutual acquaintance was the target of a federal drug investigation has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison
July 29, 2021





Bitcoin is a decentralized blockchain that uses peer technology to pay instantly between people and companies. It can be purchased and used as a medium of exchange, as well as a source of investment.

Bitcoin has been around since 2009. On March 13, 2021, it reached the front line of its price with one Bitcoin at $61,683.86.

Bitcoin Examples and Definition:

Bitcoin is a digital currency that is stored on computers electronically produced. No paper money such as pounds, euros or central or monetary yen is Bitcoins. Bitcoin is the first example of an advanced software crypto-monetary system that addresses the mathematical problems of people and businesses worldwide.







Bitcoin offers many features that set it apart from conventional currencies as a digital tool for trade. No central banks nor monetary bodies oversee the number of bitcoins and the decentralized and global Bitcoin. Bitcoin is anonymous, and users can create multiple addresses without providing any personal information.

What is the mechanism of Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a payment or value transfer system that is not regulated by government agencies such as central banks, which have historically controlled the global money and currency supply. Transfers are made using a computer and have low transaction fees.

As only 21 million coins are valid, Bitcoin is a fixed asset. They have advanced math problem-solving results in the removal of Bitcoins. However, Bitcoin is divided because the trading media has unlimited growth potential. One of the most interesting technologies alongside Bitcoin was Blockchain or distributed lead technology (DLT). DLT has a tremendous opportunity in traditional activities and settlements for companies both in the financial and other industries.

DLT monitors ownership and makes it possible to move Bitcoin immediately and efficiently.

Notable occurrences

Satoshi Nakamoto first suggested bitcoin as a payment based on mathematics in a 2009 white paper. The concept behind Bitcoin was to create a monetary system without banks but instead using a decentralized blockchain ledger

Bitcoin's initial value in January 2017 exceeded $1,000 before peaking later this year. Since then, it has enjoyed periods of tremendous growth and large sales. At the end of 2017, Bitcoin's price was more than $19,000, down to almost $3,000 a year later, hitting over $61,000 by March 2021.

Is it legal to use bitcoin?

In the U.S. and a variety of other countries worldwide, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are legal. Central banks have advised people in most countries that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are not a lawful bid and are not backed by any government, so all transactions are in danger.

Where are banned Bitcoin transactions?

Some countries in cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, also prohibited transactions. These countries include: As of June 2018:

Algiers.

Bolivia

Egypt

Iraq

Macedonia

Morocco

Nepal Nepal

United Emirates Arabs

North Africa

Bitcoin common constraints

Other countries have restrictions that do not prohibit cryptocurrencies altogether but make transactions extremely difficult. For instance, Qatar and Bahrain ban local cryptocurrency, but citizens can transact outside their borders in cryptocurrency. Crypto-currency transactions are indirectly forbidden in countries such as Bangladesh, Iran, Thailand, Latvia, Lesotho, China and Colombia by placing restrictions on financial institutions. For more information on bitcoin mostly traders consult with the Bitiq app.

Do I need Bitcoin Taxes?

The IRS acknowledges that cryptocurrencies are property and taxes them based on their worth. For example, you are obligated to disclose profits equal to the value of the Bitcoin sum you earned at the time of receipt when you conduct a service and are payable in Bitcoin.

Often, income gained from the purchase and sale of Bitcoin should be reported as capital gains and money from the purchase and sale.

Alternatives to Bitcoin

Bitcoin wasn't the only feasible cryptocurrency, yet its market value is more than double that of the next ten combined cryptocurrencies. As of March 2021, bitcoin's Market Cap is over $1,000,000,d Ethereum exceeds $2021 billion, with XRP exceeding $56 billion. There is a minimal market limit of $1,000 billion in March 2021 in 17 distinct cryptocurrencies.

Conclusion:

Bitcoin has been at the center of media for the past two years. Much like other revolutions, although Bitcoin is losing value, the cryptocurrencies have pointed out that internet operations institutionally sponsored are alternatives.

Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate without the Central government or the banks; the sale and issuance of bitcoins are the joint responsible-source network. Bitcoin open-source architecture is available, nobody owns it, and nobody can participate in Bitcoin. Bitcoin offers exciting applications which, thanks to many of its unique features, cannot be covered by any prior payment system.
[July 29, 2021] Annual Scholarships for The University of British Columbia Created in Honor of Ryan Principal Sandra Cawley

Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider, announced that the annual Sandra Cawley Awards in Education, Nursing, and Social Work for Indigenous Students have been approved by The University of British Columbia (UBC) Senate Board in honor of Ryan Principal and Regional Leader Sandra Cawley. These awards are given as annual scholarships worth $5,000 each, through a gift from the Y.P. Heung Foundation in honor of Ms. Cawley for a First Nations, Inuit, or Metis student of Canada studying at UBC in the Bachelor of Education program, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, and the Bachelor of Social Work program. Students awarded are those who have achieved superior academic standing and demonstrated leadership and community involvement. The first awarding of these scholarships will be available for the 2021/2022 winter academic session. Ms. Cawley has been a board member at UBC for more than five years and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board. She is also on the UBC Properties Trust Board and has contributed to the UBC Foundation for more than 15 years, providing support for students within their first and second years of universty to expand their education through community involvement.



"Congratulations to our friend and colleague, Sandra Cawley, for the tremendous honor of having a foundation created under her name to provide annual scholarships to students for years to come," said Ryan President of Canadian Operations Garry Round. "Sandra's involvement with UBC extends beyond her board membership. The time she devotes and the support she provides to UBC students have, and will continue to have, an invaluable impact on their lives." Ms. Cawley has been a real estate appraiser since 1981 and specializes in commercial real estate valuation, marketing studies, and development consultancy in the residential, office, shopping centre, industrial park, land subdivision, and hotel markets. In the residential sector, her expertise has focused on providing valuation services and market input for apartment buildings and condominium projects. She has been retained by landowners, government, and financial institutions as well as many of the largest British Columbian and Canadian companies, some of whose higher profile developments have been valued between $100 million and $1 billion.

She also acts as an expert witness on behalf of property owners and law firms and has taught courses in the Urban Land Diploma Program at UBC and the Urban Development Institute's School of Development Program. Ms. Cawley is also a member of the UBC Properties Trust Board of Directors. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from The University of British Columbia. 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/20210729005025/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Blackmagic Design Announces New HyperDeck Studio

Blackmagic Design today announced a new family of HyperDeck Studio models that feature better design, upgraded codecs and support for more media types. All models now support record and playback to H.264, ProRes and DNx files, as well as PCM (News - Alert) or AAC audio. Plus all models support SD Cards and UHS-II cards, with the Pro models adding extra SSD support. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729006146/en/ Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro (Photo: Business Wire) HyperDeck Studio are available immediately from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide from US$495. HyperDeck Studio lets customers record broadcast quality video files directly onto SD cards and SSD media. All models now support recording to H.264, Apple ProRes or DNxHD files with either PCM or AAC audio. Plus the 4K model adds support for H.265 files. For ISO recording, there's even built in timecode and reference generators for syncing multiple units. All of these powerful features make HyperDeck Studio perfect for broadcast, live production or multi screen digital signage. The new HyperDeck Studio recorders have been totally redesigned with dozens of new features. The advanced models have new broadcast style front panel controls and more connections on the rear panel. There are 4 different models of HyperDeck Studio, perfect for all types of work. The 3G-SDI based HD Mini model records and plays H.264, ProRes or DNxHD files onto SD cards, UHS-II cards or external USB disks in SD and HD formats up to 1080p60. The larger HD Plus model adds better transport controls, front panel headphone and speaker, 6G-SDI with fill and key out, SDI monitoring and records H.264 up to 1080p60 or ProRes and DNxHD up to 2160p30. The full rack HD Pro model is the same as the HD Plus model but adds 2 SSD slots and a machined metal search dial with clutch. The incredibly powerful 4K Pro model records H.264, H.265, ProRes or DNx in SD, HD and Ultra HD in standards up to 2160p60. HyperDeck Studio features traditional deck style transport controls, including a search dial for jog, shuttle and scroll. The LCD includes monitoring for video, plus audio level meters, selectable between technically accurate VU or PPM ballistics. The combination of familiar VTR style controls with the built in LCD screen makes HyperDeck Studio incredibly fast to use and very easy to learn. All HyperDeck Studio models support recording to common SD cards and UHS-II cards so customers don't need expensive custom media. However the Pro models also add two SSD slots so customers can use two different types of media. Plus, customers can even record to external USB disks. With H.265, customers can record up to 58 hours in 2160p60 Ultra HD or up to 157 hours of H.264 recording in 1080p59.94 on a 1 TB card. That's over 6 days of recording in HD using a single 1 TB card. All HyperDeck Studio models feature dual media slots for non stop recording. When the recording card becomes full, recording automatically continues onto the next card. That's perfect when recording long live events because customers can "hot swap" a full card for an empty card while recording continues in the other slot. HyperDeck supports the most popular codecs in use today. All models include DNx and ProRes file formats. However all models also include H.264 in quality levels up to full 10 bit 4:2:2 when recording in NTSC, PAL, 720p, 1080p and true 1080i interlaced formats. While the 4K model adds H.265 when recording in Ultra HD. That means customers get tight 60:1 to 285:1 compression ratios for very small files at full broadcast quality. Plus customers can choose uncompressed PCM audio, or even AAC audio when uploading files to YouTube (News - Alert) . All models support both ExFAT and HFS+ disk formats and long duration single file recordings. The Plus and Pro models even support ProRes 4444 allowing fill and key playback. Depending on the model HyperDeck Studi features a wide range of video and audio connections such as 3G-SDI, 6G-SDI or 12G-SDI. All models include HDMI for connecting to televisions and projectors. There's even a dedicated SDI monitoring output on the Pro and Plus models with on screen status. The Pro and Plus models include two SDI outputs so customers can play ProRes 4444 files, allowing simultaneous fill and key output for keying in live production switchers. The 4K model has 10G Ethernet for extremely fast network file copying.



With multi-rate SDI, customers get support for the most popular video standards. SD formats include NTSC and PAL. 720p HD standards include 720p50 and 720p59.94p. 1080i HD interlaced formats include 1080i50 and 1080i59.94. 1080p HD formats include 1080p23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60p. HyperDeck can even support 1080 PsF formats. On the 4K model, Ultra HD formats up to 2160p60 are supported. Plus the 4K model supports 2K and 4K DCI rates up to 30p. For compatibility with a wide range of computer software, HyperDeck Studio features webcam support using the USB connection. The computer is tricked into thinking the HyperDeck is a common webcam, but it's really a broadcast quality video source. HyperDeck Studio's USB webcam feature works with any video software including Zoom, Microsoft (News - Alert) Teams and Skype, or get live streaming with Open Broadcaster, XSplit Broadcaster and more.

Customers will be ready for the latest feature film workflows with support for advanced HDR (News - Alert) standards. When recording, the SDI and HDMI inputs will also automatically detect HDR video standards and then tag the files with the correct HDR information. Static metadata PQ and HLG formats are handled according to the ST2084 standard. HyperDeck Studio Plus and Pro models even allow customers to load a 3D LUT into the monitoring output to add looks or to convert film to video gamma. HyperDeck Studio includes professional multi channel SDI audio for recording up to 16 channels. There's extra space on the SDI monitoring status overlay, which allows the audio meter display to show the number of channels customers have enabled all at the same time, and the audio meters will show 2, 4, 8 or 16 channels simultaneously. The audio meters are designed to use the correct ballistics, and customers can change between different VU and PPM meter displays in the LCD menu. Sometimes their media can fill before customers change to a blank card, or if the card is too slow, then customers can get dropped frames while recording. To eliminate this problem, the HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro model can be upgraded to add an M.2 flash disk to use as a record cache. This eliminates any potential speed problem if the user tries to use cheap media or external disks, because the cache will automatically take over and record any content the media was not fast enough to capture. Even if a card fills, recording will continue to using the cache. The cache even lets customers record formats that are too fast for the media, so customers could even record Ultra HD to a slow mechanical USB hard disk. With a timecode and sync generator built into all models, customers can stack multiple units for digital signage or multi channel recording. Each HyperDeck has dedicated outputs for reference and timecode, direct from the internal sync and timecode generators. The generators "free run" unless reference or timecode is connected to the inputs, and then generators will automatically lock. This means customers can loop from HyperDeck to HyperDeck to create perfectly timed array or recorders. HyperDeck Studio supports multiple languages so customers don't need to learn a new language just to use it. Customers get support for English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Polish and Ukrainian languages. HyperDeck Studio records files that are compatible with virtually all post production software. Plus if customers record in H.264, customers can upload files from HyperDeck Studio direct to streaming services such as YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Twitter (News - Alert) and more. Customers can use popular editing software such as DaVinci Resolve, Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro or Avid Media Composer, because HyperDeck uses the same file formats used in post production. Even VFX software such as Fusion and Adobe After Effects work with the files. Because HyperDeck records to disks formatted on computers, customers can simply mount the disk on any computer and start editing without needing to transcode or convert the files. When customers need a portable broadcast solution, the HyperDeck Studio HD Mini model includes most features miniaturized into an elegant 5 inch wide compact design that's only one third of a rack unit wide. That means customers can fit 3 recorders in a single rack unit. Just use the optional Teranex Mini Rack Shelf and customers can mount the 3 units side by side, then bolt it into a standard equipment rack. Or customers can combine HyperDeck Studio Mini with other modules, such as a Teranex Mini Analog to SDI 12G to convert the input from analog to SDI, all in the same rack which is perfect for archive work. HyperDeck Studio HD Mini looks great when it's not rack mounted and simply used by itself on a desktop. "We think the new HyperDeck Studio models will offer customers a much better user experience, along with a more consistent feature set between models," said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. "Even the lowest cost model is extremely powerful, as HyperDeck Studio HD Mini still has reference and timecode generators, H.264, ProRes and DNx recording, dual media slots, recording to USB disks and more. It's very exciting." HyperDeck Studio Features New elegant design in 4 different models.

Built in color LCD with deck status.

Dual media card slots allow non stop recording.

Records standard H.264/5, ProRes and DNx files.

Supports latest broadcast technology connections.

Choose 3G-SDI, 6G-SDI or 12G-SDI models.

USB looks like a webcam allowing support for all video software.

Advanced HDR support into recorded files.

Professional multi channel digital audio.

Built in timecode and sync generators for ISO recording.

Localized for 11 popular languages.

Supports all popular editing and VFX software.

Compact models only 1/3rd of a rack unit wide. Availability and Price HyperDeck Studio are available now From US$495, excluding local duties and taxes, from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide. Press Photography Product photos of the HyperDeck Studio, as well as all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images. About Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Design creates the world's highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design's DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company's Emmy award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729006146/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Damien Memorial School Sells Used MacBook Airs; Raises Nearly $500,000 for New Technology

SKOKIE, Ill., July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Second Life Mac, the most experienced Apple device buyback company for schools and businesses, was awarded a contract to purchase approximately 900 used MacBook Airs from Damien Memorial School in Honolulu, HI. The nearly $500,000 contract provides the school enough funds to pay for the first year lease of its brand new MacBook Airs.

Second Life Mac buys pre-owned Apple devices from schools and businesses, allowing organizations to recoup the remaining value in these devices and then use the funds to invest in future technology purchases or for other purposes. Data is securely erased and devices are refurbished before being resold via wholesale and retail channels. Brother Christopher Hall, assistant head of Damien Memorial, said he was pleasantly surprised by how much money the school was able to get for its used technology devices. It couldnt have been easier, and the payback was much higher than I was expecting, said Brother Hall. Our students take good care of their laptops, and Apple devices hold their value. We are glad to see that someone else will be able to use them. Second Life Mac sent a team onsite to pack up and ship the equipment for the school. Ive done device sellbacks to other companies, who required us to do a lot of the wok and then didnt pay much for the devices. The payback and work it took to ship in the devices made me wonder if it was worth it. said Brother Hall. This time it was easy and the payout was much higher.



Damien Memorial has been a one-to-one technology school since 2016, providing a MacBook Air to each student for use in the classroom and at home. Being a one-to-one school, we were much better prepared for the closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Brother Hall. Beyond the pandemic, we believe its important for students to have their own laptop to prepare them for the future.

The school is planning another device trade-in soon for older devices they had accumulated, not realizing they still had value. Damien Memorial was founded in 1962 by The Congregation of Christian Brothers. Today, the school boasts a thriving middle and high school with 600 students. The graduating class of 2021 was awarded more than $6 million in academic scholarships from 25 institutions nationwide. The school is part of the Edmund Rice School Network, an international consortium of Catholic college preparatory schools across the U.S., Canada and South America. About Second Life Mac

Second Life Mac is disrupting the device buyback industry by coupling the best Apple lifecycle expertise with outstanding customer service, start to finish custody of devices, and the most transparent process. The used devices Second Life Mac procures from schools and businesses are refurbished, data is securely erased to Department of Defense standards, and they are resold via wholesale and retail channels. Headquartered in Skokie, Ill., the company is an Entrepreneur 360 winner, and has been awarded for its innovation by EdTech Digest and Tech & Learning. More information is available at www.secondlifemac.com or on Twitter @SecondLifeMac. For information contact: Linda Muskin, 847-432-7300

lmuskin@teamclarus.com Mara Conklin, 847-816-9411

mconklin@teamclarus.com



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[July 29, 2021] EML Awarded Northern Ireland Government Tender For AU$273million Economic Stimulus Solution

EML Payments (ASX: EML) (S&P/ASX 200) is delighted to win a tender to disburse an AU$273million economic stimulus boost to the citizens of Northern Ireland through Mastercard prepaid cards. The new High Street Scheme (HSS) will provide everyone resident in Northern Ireland, aged 18 and over, with a prepaid card worth 100 to spend in local businesses. It follows the innovative, world-first card-based stimulus solution that EML and Mastercard developed for the Government of Jersey in 2020. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005550/en/ Pictured in Carrickfergus, County Antrim: Far left, Lee Britton, CEO Euope at EML, centre with card, Gordon Lyons, Northern Ireland's Minister for the Economy, and second from right, Sarah Cunningham, Vice President and Lead at Mastercard's Dublin Technology Hub. (Photo: Business Wire)



''This scheme is a key element of my Department's Economic Recovery Action Plan and will give a very welcome boost to our high streets, which were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,'' commented Gordon Lyons, Northern Ireland's Minister for the Economy.

''Using our payment technology, the Northern Ireland Government can determine how much, where and over what timeframe taxpayers' funds can be spent, maximising the impact and benefits for the communities and businesses in which they are trying to reach,'' explained Kelly Devine, Divisional President, UK and Ireland at Mastercard. ''Our award-winning economic stimulus product trusted by governments worldwide will help to boost the Northern Ireland economy by AU$273million,'' stated Lee Britton, CEO Europe at EML. EML is committed to helping governments worldwide to get money to people who need it most - fast. Most recently, citizens in the United States, the United Kingdom, Jersey, Australia, Spain, Italy and Finland have been assisted with innovative Disbursement-as-a-Service (DaaS) payment solutions across 562 EML initiatives. About EML Payments EML provides an innovative payment solutions platform, helping businesses all over the world create awesome customer experiences. Wherever money is in motion, our agile technology can power the payment process, so money can be moved quickly, conveniently and securely. We offer market-leading programme management and highly skilled payments expertise to create customisable feature-rich solutions for businesses, brands and their customers. Come and explore the many opportunities our platform has to offer by visiting us at: EMLPayments.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005550/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Exyte Empowers the Biopharmaceutical Industry: First ExyCell Facility Launched in Shanghai

STUTTGART, Germany and BERGISCH GLADBACH, Germany, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Exyte has successfully completed the construction of the first ExyCell facility in China, the CliniMACS Cell Factory of Miltenyi Biotec, a global provider of integrated solutions for Advanced Therapy Medical Products (ATMPs). The patented ExyCell technology was developed by Exyte as an end-to-end, integrated facility solution with standardized and modularized elements. These pre-configured and pre-fabricated modules enable fast-track construction thereby shortening time-to-market for new therapeutics and vaccines. The ExyCell facility is installed on the fourth floor of the ATLATL building located in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, and Miltenyi Biotec is now transferring production technology from Germany to China with regular operations for ATMP production is expected by autumn 2021. The facility will soon be open to visitors by appointment. Through their cooperation, Exyte and Miltenyi Biotec have developed an innovative, sustainable, and cost-effective facility for cell therapy manufacturing. This facility combines the CliniMACS Cell Factory manufacturing platform with the pre-fabricated ExyCell module enabling a fast deployment of small, medium, and large scale cell manufacturing facilities based on a flexible cell therapy manufacturing module. Endusers can purchase a personalized version of this pre-engineered and pre-fabricated manufacturing module ready to host their CliniMACSCell Factory for ATMPs. Chris Miller, President Global Business Unit Biopharma and Life Sciences at Exyte stated: "The completion of the first ExyCell facility with our partner Miltenyi Biotec marks an important milestone. We consider ExyCell to be a transformational development of our "next generation" of award winning modular concepts." Exyte has developed and implemented several other modular facilities including the renowned Catapult Development and Manufacturing Centre for cell and gene therapy in Stevenage, UK, several modular biotech facilities in China, and a large modular biomanufacturing facility for upstream and downstream processing in Lithuania. All these plants have been designed and constructed, shipped, and installed for operational readiness. Dr. Boris Stoffel, Member of the Management Board of Miltenyi Biotec, emphasized the importance of this partnership: "As a company, we want o enable our customers in their efforts to make innovative cell and gene therapies available to patients worldwide. We believe that combining the proven CliniMACS Cell Factory manufacturing platform with the pre-fabricated ExyCell module will help fast-tracking new therapies to the benefit of global healthcare."



The effective combination of the CliniMACS Cell Factory ballroom concept built into the ExyCell module allows the flexibility to build, scale-up, expand, or repurpose a facility with minimal impact to ongoing production operations. The ExyCell platform can either be purchased in its standard version or adapted to specific needs of production capacity, cleanroom size, control systems, and finishing options. Exyte can build and qualify a turn-key ExyCell facility in a matter of months. The ExyCell facility sizes start from 75 m2 for a fully equipped and operational turnkey facility hosting a CliniMACS Cell Factory with one to twelve CliniMACS Prodigy units, scaling up to several thousand square meters to accomodate several hundred units. The ExyCell facility can be either realized in an existing building or built in a greenfield setting and presents clients with the opportunity for a significant reduction in construction timelines and overall energy use. The design is adaptable to any process layout and meets the requirements for current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). Innovations in process technology, adaptable plant design, combined with the integration of physical and virtual supply chains allow biopharmaceutical manufacturers to remain competitive in a dynamic market. Biopharmaceutical manufacturers will benefit from the end-to-end sustainable solutions, which can be deployed globally, are cost predictable, provide speed to market, and flexibility for facility re-purposing. This reflects the characteristics of a drug lifecycle, mitigates associated risks, and effectively protects the CAPEX (capital expenditure) and OPEX (operational expenditure).

About Exyte

Exyte is a global leader in the design, engineering and delivery of facilities for high-tech industries. With a history of more than 100 years, the company has developed a unique expertise in controlled and regulated environments. Exyte has a truly global footprint, serving the most technically demanding clients in markets such as semiconductors, batteries, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and data centers. The company offers a full range of services from consulting to the managing of turnkey solutions  delivered to the highest quality and safety standards. Solving the most complex challenges, Exyte forges trusted, long-lasting relationships with its clients. In 2020, Exyte generated sales of EUR 4.1 billion with around 4,900 highly experienced and motivated employees. The company is ideally positioned to further strengthen its market leadership with its broad industry insight and its exceptional talents. Contact

Adriana Williams

Vice President Corporate Communications

& Investor Relations

+49 711 8804 1489

adriana.williams@exyte.net

www.exyte.net About Miltenyi Biotec

Miltenyi Biotec is a global provider of products and services that empower biomedical discovery and advance cellular therapy. Our innovative tools support research at every level, from basic research to translational research to clinical application. Used by scientists and clinicians around the world, our technologies enable solutions for cellular research, cell therapy, and cell manufacturing. Our more than 30 years of expertise spans research areas including immunology, stem cell biology, neuroscience, and cancer. Today, Miltenyi Biotec has more than 3,500 employees in 28 countries  all dedicated to helping researchers and clinicians make a greater impact on science and health. Contact

Holger Bulow

Corporate Communications

+49 2204 8306-6680

holgerb@miltenyi.com

www.miltenyibiotec.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583757/ExyCell_module.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583758/CliniMACS_Cell_Factory.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1487100/Exyte_Logo.jpg

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[July 29, 2021] Henley & Partners: Investment Migration: "We Need More, Not Less Immigration of People Who Contribute Positively to Society"

Henley & Partners Chairman Dr. Christian H. Kaelin says the significant worldwide expansion of investment migration, by which affluent individuals invest in other countries to acquire residence or citizenship, is simply unstoppable. Speaking at The World Ahead Gala Dinner hosted by The Economist in Athens last week, Dr. Kaelin stated that all over the world countries have realized the importance of residence and citizenship to attract much-needed foreign direct investment, debt-free capital, talented entrepreneurs, and experienced investors.



Dr. Kaelin, who is widely considered the pioneer and one of the world's foremost experts in investment migration, shared the stage with Ireland's Minister for Finance and President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, and Greece's Minister of Finance, Christos Staikouras, at the annual event to discuss the year ahead with government and business leaders. Further accelerated by the need to alleviate the financial distress following the Covid-19 pandemic across the world, Dr. Kaelin pointed out that more and more countries are offering investment migration programs or introducing new options in order to attract highly sought-after talent and capital to support their economies and strengthen their 'sovereign equity'. Dr. Kaelin coined the term 'sovereign equity' in 2019 in Davos to describe how investment migration has the ability to endow nations with sustainable investments in a relatively short time frame without them having to increase debt and thereby burden future generations - while gaining highly qualified and experienced entrepreneurs and investors as new residents or even citizens.

Dr. Kaelin stressed that, particularly in Europe, there is also a pressing need to introduce much more positive migration policies to manage the global refugee crisis constructively while also attracting international investors and talent. He acknowledged that although politically challenging, it also presents a tremendous opportunity for the EU. "We need more, not less immigration of people who contribute positively to society," he told the audience. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005041/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Instem to Release Next Edition of its Leading Computational Toxicology Software Suite

Instem, a leading provider of IT solutions and services to the global life sciences market, announced today that the latest edition of its Leadscope Model Applier computational toxicology software solution will be released in September, ahead of a number of key industry meetings. This latest release includes a comprehensive package of new and updated models and alerts to meet the growing market demand for in silico solutions. Renowned for their advanced informatics and prediction technology, together with comprehensive database solutions, Instem's in silico solutions enable organizations around the world to effectively unlock valuable knowledge contained in both public and proprietary sources of research data. Clients can also access well over 500,000 toxicology studies for more than 200,000 chemicals, enabling fast, accurate, defendable and regulatory-accepted predictions. Key highlights of the 2021 software release include: New ICH M7 Protocol Tool - A new out-of-the-box ICH M7 protocol tool that enables faster, more consistent ICH M7 reporting, identification of carcinogenicity and bacterial mutagenicity data, and the ability to assess whether a chemical is in the cohort of concern.

- A new out-of-the-box ICH M7 protocol tool that enables faster, more consistent ICH M7 reporting, identification of carcinogenicity and bacterial mutagenicity data, and the ability to assess whether a chemical is in the cohort of concern. New Bioactivation Profiler - This brand new, first-to-market Bioactivation Alerts suite includes a series of structural alerts associated with reactive metabolite formation. It replaces existing, labor-intensive manual literature review processes, reducing literature review timescales from days to seconds. The Bioactivation Alerts suite also directly supports recent FDA guidance for industry in relation to in vitro drug interaction studies.

This brand new, first-to-market Bioactivation Alerts suite includes a series of structural alerts associated with reactive metabolite formation. It replaces existing, labor-intensive manual literature review processes, reducing literature review timescales from days to seconds. The Bioactivation Alerts suite also directly supports recent FDA guidance for industry in relation to in vitro drug interaction studies. New Structure Drawing Tool - A new, easy-to-use, integrated structure drawing package that supports chemical structures and substructure qeries, eliminating the need for 3 rd party structure drawing applications.

- A new, easy-to-use, integrated structure drawing package that supports chemical structures and substructure qeries, eliminating the need for 3 party structure drawing applications. Enhanced Skin Sensitization Models - Updated models and alerts for the assessment of skin sensitization; Includes new models to predict ECETOC categories and supports assessment of chemical products, extractables and leachables, and classification and labelling.

- Updated models and alerts for the assessment of skin sensitization; Includes new models to predict ECETOC categories and supports assessment of chemical products, extractables and leachables, and classification and labelling. New Skin Irritation and Corrosion Models - New expert alerts and statistical models to predict Cat. 1 (corrosive), Cat. 2 (irritants), Cat. 3 (mild irritants), and Not Classified, as well as a new, comprehensive skin corrosion/irritation database of approximately 4,000 chemicals.

- New expert alerts and statistical models to predict Cat. 1 (corrosive), Cat. 2 (irritants), Cat. 3 (mild irritants), and Not Classified, as well as a new, comprehensive skin corrosion/irritation database of approximately 4,000 chemicals. New Endocrine Activity Models - New statistical-based models to support the assessment of endocrine activity, including models for estrogen receptor bioactivity and thyroperoxidase inhibition.

- New statistical-based models to support the assessment of endocrine activity, including models for estrogen receptor bioactivity and thyroperoxidase inhibition. Improved Bacterial Mutagenicity Expert Alerts - Updated alerts based on an analysis of 50,000 public and proprietary chemicals with Ames data, including aromatic amines, nitrosamines, halo pyridines and boronic acids. Clients can expect fewer false positives, false negatives, and out-of-domains, as well as benefiting from additional information to support an expert review.

Updated alerts based on an analysis of 50,000 public and proprietary chemicals with Ames data, including aromatic amines, nitrosamines, halo pyridines and boronic acids. Clients can expect fewer false positives, false negatives, and out-of-domains, as well as benefiting from additional information to support an expert review. Abuse Liability - A new database has been compiled along with structural alerts to profile potential abuse liability.



News - Alert) , Instem said "We are extremely excited about the 2021 software release, which supports the continued global demand for reliable alternatives to traditional testing methods. Industry and regulators alike are increasingly recognizing the huge benefits of computational toxicology approaches and we are seeing strong and sustained growth in the acceptability and adoption of in silico methods." Dr. Myatt continued "This latest software release will enable both existing and prospective clients to accelerate their drug discovery and development processes by ensuring fast, accurate, defendable and regulatory accepted predictions for an increasing range of applications."

Instem will be conducting a comprehensive program to help raise awareness of this important 2021 software release through on-demand demonstrations and at key industry events. To be added to the release alert list and be first to receive a copy of the on-demand presentation, please email insilico@instem.com About Instem A global provider of leading software solutions and scientific insight services, Instem is helping clients bring their life enhancing products to market faster. From Concepts to Cures, we enable organizations in the life sciences to more efficiently collect, report and submit high quality regulatory data, while offering them the unique ability to generate new knowledge through the extraction and harmonization of actionable scientific information. Across the entire drug development value chain, every day Instem solutions are meeting the rapidly expanding needs of life science organizations for data-driven decision making, leading to safer, more effective products. Instem supports its global roster of clients through offices in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, China, and India. http://www.linkedin.com/company/instem/

https://twitter.com/Instemsoftware View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005077/en/

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[July 29, 2021] IPO Edge to Host Fireside Chat with Spire Global CEO

Spire Global, Inc. ("Spire," "Spire Global" or the "Company"), a leading provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, today announced that Peter Platzer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Spire, will participate in a fireside chat with IPO Edge on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 1:00 PM ET. The live event is expected to focus on Spire's value proposition across the Company's data and space services solutions to global customers, ranging from civil and defense government agencies to corporations across a range of industries, including maritime, aviation, and weather. The discussion will also address the previously announced merger of NavSight Holdings Inc. ("NavSight") (NYSE: NSH) and Spire (the "Business Combination") that has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as of July 22, 2021. IPO Edge Editor-in-Chief John Jannarone will moderate the conversation with Mr. Platzer, which will last approximately 60 minutes and include a Q&A segment with the audience. To register for the event, please CLICK HERE. Special Meeting of NavSight Stockholders to Approve Business Combination A previously announced special meeting of NavSight's stockholders (the "Special Meeting") is expected to be held on August 13, 2021 at 10:00 AM ET to, among other things, allow stockholders to vote to approve the proposed Business Combination with Spire. The Special Meeting will be completely virtual and conducted via live webcast. Stockholders of record of NavSight common stock as of the close of business on the record date of June 21, 2021 may vote at or before the Special Meeting. If the proposals at the Special Meeting are approved, the parties anticipate that the Business Combination will close shortly thereafter, subject to the satisfaction or waiver (as applicable) of all other closing conditions. Upon the closing of the Business Combination, the parties expect that the combined company will operate as Spire Global, Inc., and that the shares of common stock and the warrants of the combined company are expected to be listed on New York Stock Exchange under the symbols "SPIR" and "SPIR.WS," respectively. NavSight stockholders who need assistance voting, have questions regarding the Special Meeting, or would like to request documents may contact NavSight Holdings, Inc., 12020 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 100, Reston, Virginia 20191, by telephone at (571) 500-2236, or by email at jack@navsight.com, or NavSight's proxy solicitor D.F. King & Co., Inc. by calling (800) 207-3158 or banks and brokers can call at (212) 269-5550, or by emailing NSH@dfking.com. About Spire Global, Inc. Spire is a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services, offering access to unique datasets and powerful insights about Earth from the ultimate vantage point so that organizations can make decisions with confidence, accuracy, and speed. Spire uses one of the world's largest multi-purpose satellite constellations to source hard to acquire, valuable data and enriches it with predictive solutions. Spire then provides this data as a subscription to organizations around the world so they can improve business operations, decrease their environmental footprint, deploy resources for growth and competitive advantage, and mitigate risk. Spire gives commercial and government organizations the competitive advantage they seek to innovate and solve some of the world's toughest problems with insights from space. Spire has offices in San Francisco, Boulder, Washington DC, Glasgow, Luxembourg, and Singapore. To learn more, visit http://www.spire.com. About NavSight Holdings, Inc. NavSight Holdings, Inc. is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of efecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.



Additional Information and Where to Find It In connection with the proposed Business Combination (the "Proposed Transaction"), NavSight has filed the Registration Statement with the SEC (News - Alert) , which includes a proxy statement which has been distributed to holders of NavSight's common stock in connection with NavSight's solicitation of proxies for the vote by NavSight's stockholders with respect to the Proposed Transaction and other matters as described in the Registration Statement, a prospectus relating to the offer of the securities to be issued to Spire's stockholders in connection with the Proposed Transaction, and an information statement to Spire's stockholders regarding the Proposed Transaction. NavSight has mailed a definitive proxy statement/prospectus/information statement and other relevant documents to its stockholders of record as of June 21, 2021, the record date established for the Special Meeting. Investors and security holders and other interested parties are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus/information statement, any amendments thereto and any other documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC carefully and in their entirety as they become available because they will contain important information about NavSight, Spire and the Proposed Transaction. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the proxy statement/prospectus/information statement and other documents filed with the SEC by NavSight (when available) through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to: NavSight Holdings, Inc., 12020 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 100, Reston, VA 20191.

Participants in Solicitation NavSight and Spire and their respective directors and certain of their respective executive officers and other members of management and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies with respect to the Proposed Transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of NavSight is set forth in its final prospectus filed on July 22, 2021 (the "NavSight Prospectus"). Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is included in the Registration Statement, the NavSight Prospectus and other relevant materials filed or that will be filed with the SEC regarding the Proposed Transaction as they become available. Stockholders, potential investors and other interested persons should read the Registration Statement and NavSight Prospectus carefully before making any voting or investment decisions. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. No Offer or Solicitation This press release shall not 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 such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Forward-Looking Statements The information in this press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws with respect to the Proposed Transaction. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "target" or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Spire's data and space services solutions to global customers, ranging from civil and defense government agencies to corporations across a range of industries potential benefits of the Proposed Transaction and the potential success of Spire's market and growth strategies, and expectations related to the terms and timing of the Proposed Transaction. These statements are based on various assumptions and on the current expectations of NavSight's and Spire's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of NavSight and Spire. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including (i) the risk that the Proposed Transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of NavSight's securities; (ii) the risk that the Proposed Transaction may not be completed by NavSight's business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain an extension of the business combination deadline if sought by NavSight; (iii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the Proposed Transaction, including the approval of the Proposed Transaction by the stockholders of NavSight, the satisfaction of the minimum trust account amount following any redemptions by NavSight's public stockholders and the receipt of certain governmental and regulatory approvals; (iv) the inability to complete the PIPE investment in connection with the Proposed Transaction; (v) the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the Proposed Transaction; (vi) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the Proposed Transaction on Spire's business relationships, performance, and business generally; (vii) risks that the Proposed Transaction disrupts current plans of Spire and potential difficulties in Spire employee retention as a result of the Proposed Transaction; (viii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against NavSight or Spire related to the business combination agreement or the Proposed Transaction; (ix) the ability to maintain the listing of NavSight's securities on the New York Stock Exchange; (x) the ability to address the market opportunity for Space-as-a-Service; (xi) the risk that the Proposed Transaction may not generate expected net proceeds to the combined company; (xii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after the completion of the Proposed Transaction, and identify and realize additional opportunities; (xiii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the business combination agreement; (iv) the risk of downturns, new entrants and a changing regulatory landscape in the highly competitive space data analytics industry; and those factors discussed in the NavSight Prospectus under the heading "Risk Factors," and other documents of NavSight filed, or to be filed, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or Spire's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that neither NavSight nor Spire presently know or that NavSight and Spire currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect NavSight's and Spire's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. NavSight and Spire anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause NavSight's and Spire's assessments to change. However, while NavSight and Spire may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, NavSight and Spire specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing NavSight's and Spire's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005398/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Leading Colorado-Based Hemp Manufacturer Apollo Sciences Licenses Spotlite360 Technologies for Supply Chain and End-User Applications

DENVER and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SPOTLITE360 TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (Spotlite360 or the Company) (CSE: LITE) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a software license agreement (the License Agreement) with Apollo Sciences (Apollo, and together with the Company the Parties), a vertically integrated producer and distributor of hemp in Aurora, Colorado. Under the License Agreement, Apollo will have the right to utilize Spotlite360s suite of blockchain and Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies which can provide unprecedented visibility to all participants in a supply chain and ensure optimal product and service quality (collectively, the Spotlite360 Technologies). The Parties have explored several potential applications of the Spotlite360 Technologies to Apollos business activities, which include biomass storage, pharmaceutical grade extraction, post-processing, and white-label production of hemp-derived products. Moreover, the Spotlite360 Technologies could enable legal-aged purchasers of hemp products produced and/or distributed by Apollo to trace the origin and verify the authenticity of the product through matrix barcodes (commonly referred to as Quick Response or QR codes) printed on product packaging, which can match individual product units to their respective provenance records in seconds using a smartphone camera.

Apollo is fully licensed with the Colorado Department of Agriculture and leverages a network of more than 200 contract farmers and greenhouses to procure top-shelf hemp flower and biomass which it uses to fill orders. To improve its overall efficiency and provide greater value, Apollo has identified opportunities to integrate blockchain and IoT technologies into its supply chain to enhance visibility and traceability of each and every unit throughout its journey. For instance, if a customer prefers to use hemp oil extracted from plants grown in a specific region or of a particular genetic strain, the immutable records of the plants origin stored on a decentralized blockchain network can easily allow attributes such as region of origin or strain type to be identified. Numerous opportunities exist for clients of Apollo to directly or indirectly benefit from the firms use of Spotlite360 Technologies. Apollos services are offered on an a-la-carte basis to the hemp ecosystem as part of its business model to offer flexibility to the many entities in the rapidly evolving hemp industry. The National Industrial Hemp Council values the 2019 market at USD $4 billion and is projected to grow to around USD $16 billion by 20271. The Company believes this use case could be instrumental in demonstrating the value of the Spotlite360 Technologies, which can also be utilized in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Spotlite360s team will work closely with Apollo to integrate the Spotlite360 Technologies into its day-to-day workflows, while making observations to identify areas for potential improvement as the Company prepares to launch the Spotlite360 Technologies on a broader scale. Spotlite360 President James Greenwell commented, As the hemp category becomes more sophisticated with each passing year, consumers and industry stakeholders have become more discerning when it comes to the origin of their products and the accuracy of tracking mechanisms throughout the supply chain. Moreover, given the stringent regulations relating to hemp, as well as to agriculture at a macro level, manufacturers such as Apollo are now held to very high stanards in terms of how diligent they must be in the management and supervision of their supply chains. The Spotlite360 Technologies are designed for easy integration, reducing the burden of adding blockchain capabilities to existing systems. We look forward to working with Apollo to make the Spotlite360 Technologies a key part of how they do business.



Sources 1 - https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanstrickler/2021/01/20/hemp-industry-gets-lift-from-new-usda-rule/?sh=41798e654e79

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company, Spotlite360 Technologies Inc. James Greenwell James Greenwell, President For more information about Spotlite360, please visit: http://spotlite360.com Charles Lee

Investor Relations and Media Inquiries

+1 (720) 830-6120

ir@spotlite360.com THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE) HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE, NOR HAS OR DOES THE CSES REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER. About Spotlite360 Technologies Inc. Spotlite360 is a logistics technologies solutions provider unlocking value, opportunities, and efficiencies for all participants in a supply chain. Building upon existing applications of IoT technologies, distributed ledgers, and machine learning, Spotlite360 endeavors to set new standards of transparency, integrity, and sustainability in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and agriculture industries. As regulators across the globe begin to impose new tracing and accountability requirements for the protection of consumers (e.g., DSCSA and FSMA from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), the need for reliable, cost-effective, and versatile tracking technology is expected to grow considerably. Spotlite360s flagship SaaS solution has been engineered to seamlessly track the movement of a product by integrating with systems of all major stakeholders in a supply chain ranging from the raw materials to the hands of the end consumer. With a primary objective of onboarding new clients in 2021, Spotlite360 plans to explore innovative use cases for its proprietary stack of technologies which could transform logistics workflows in some of the worlds largest industries. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, with respect to the Company. The forward-looking information included in this news release is not based on historical facts, but rather on the expectations of the Companys management regarding the future growth of the Resulting Issuer, its results of operations, performance, business prospects, and opportunities. This news release uses words such as will, expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, estimates, or similar expressions to identify forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information reflects the current beliefs of the Companys management, based on information currently available to them. This forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements relating to: the intentions, plans and future actions of the Company; statements relating to the business and future activities of the Company; anticipated developments in operations of the Company; market position, ability to compete, and future financial or operating performance of the Company; the timing and amount of funding required to execute the business plans of the Company; capital expenditures of the Company; the effect on the Company, of any changes to existing or new legislation or policy or government regulation; the length of time required to obtain permits, certifications and approvals; the availability of labour; estimated budgets; currency fluctuations; requirements for additional capital; limitations on insurance coverage; the timing and possible outcome of regulatory and permitting matters; goals; strategies; future growth; the adequacy of financial resources; our expectations regarding revenues, expenses and anticipated cash needs. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, intentions, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of the experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect, and there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Given these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, prospective investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Whether actual results, performance, or achievements will conform to the expectations and predictions of the Company is subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors, including those listed in the Company's non-offering prospectus dated May 26, 2021. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results might vary materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Information contained in forward-looking statements in this news release is provided as of the date of this news release, and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or future events or results, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, potential investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or the information contained in those statements. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements. Statement Regarding Third-Party Investor Relations Firms Disclosures relating to investor relations firms retained by Spotlite360 Technologies Inc. can be found under the Company's profile on http://sedar.com .



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[July 29, 2021] Lumen launches new on-net subsea fiber route between U.S. and France

The push for international bandwidth grows; Lumen offers diverse, low-latency solutions via trans-Atlantic route on the Dunant subsea cable DENVER, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of COVID-19, almost 70% of organizations using cloud services say they plan to increase their cloud spending. This is creating a spike in the demand for cloud connectivity services and data worldwide. The need for international bandwidth is already more than doubling every two years, with internet growth increasing rapidly on all continents. To help meet the growing need for more data flow and online content between the U.S. and Europe, Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) is significantly increasing its network capacity across the Atlantic Ocean by adding a new on-net route utilizing the Google Dunant subsea cable system between Richmond, Virginia and Paris, France. "No other subsea cable route comes close to the capacity levels traversing the trans-Atlantic," said TeleGeography research director Alan Mauldin. "Looking forward, there's no question that tremendous new capacity will be required on this route. Lumen's decision to increase their capacity across the Atlantic makes a world of sense." Providing complete network diversity to support global organizations The Dunant trans-Atlantic cable connects the flourishing Virginia data center corridor in the U.S. with Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez on the French Atlantic coast. The new Lumen route on the Dunant system will offer optional diversity, latency, and custom routing guarantees. This will give international businesses and wholesale providers a secure, diverse trans-Atlantic network option connecting to the Lumen global 450,000 route fiber mile network. "We're in an era of 'more'. The need for more online content, more applications and more cloud services between continents won't diminish anytime soon," said Laurinda Pang, Lumen president, global customer success. "That's why this subsea infrastructure is so important. The capacity Lumen will be offering on the Dunant subsea cable can be scaled to meet increased customer broadband demands for years to come. With our comprehensive trans-Atlantic subsea portfolio, customers will enjoy diverse routes, low latency and a connection to one of the most inteconnected and deeply peered networks in the world."



Providing the Virginia data center hub with a European gateway Establishing a new subsea route provides the greater Washington, D.C., data center corridor with a direct and efficient connection to Europe, including Paris and Frankfurt. Lumen also just recently announced the expansion of its fiber network in Europe, strengthening its service capabilities in France, Switzerland and Spain.

Lumen has owned and operated global subsea networks for more than 20 years and continues to support market growth where businesses need it most. Lumen plans to deliver services on the Dunant subsea system in September. About Lumen Technologies:

Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 450,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences. Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communication and collaboration solutions and our purpose to further human progress through technology at news.lumen.com/home , LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks in the United States. Forward-Looking Statements Except for historical and factual information, the matters set forth in this release identified by words such as "will," "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "intends," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are based on current expectations only, are inherently speculative, and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or implied by us in those statements if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to: the continued increase in demand for cloud services and data worldwide; our ability to safeguard our network, and to avoid the adverse impact of possible security breaches, service outages, system failures, or similar events impacting our network or the availability and quality of our services; the effects of new, emerging or competing technologies, including those that could make our products less desirable or obsolete; the demand for new capacity on the Trans-Atlantic route on the Dunant subsea cable; whether we continue to make investments in global network connections at current levels or at all; our ability to deliver services on the Dunant subsea system by the projected time horizons; and other risks referenced from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). For all the reasons set forth above and in our SEC filings, you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments, changed circumstances, or otherwise. Furthermore, any information about our intentions contained in any of our forward-looking statements reflects our intentions as of the date of such forward-looking statement, and is based upon, among other things, existing regulatory, technological, industry, competitive, economic and market conditions, and our assumptions as of such date. We may change our intentions, strategies or plans (including our plans expressed herein) without notice at any time and for any reason. Services not available everywhere. Business customers only. Lumen may change, cancel or substitute products and services, or vary them by service area at its sole discretion without notice. 2021 Lumen Technologies. All Rights Reserved. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583736/VA_France_SubSea_Cable_final.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1387693/Lumen_Logo.jpg

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[July 29, 2021] Nearly 280,000 Ontario residents to benefit from historic agreement to improve access to high-speed Internet

SELWYN TOWNSHIP, ON, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how much we rely on our Internet connections, making access to fast and reliable Internet service even more critical. For too long, many rural Canadians have lacked access to high-speed Internet, impacting their ability to work, learn and keep in touch with family and friends. The pandemic has made addressing this divide even more urgent. That's why the governments of Canada and Ontario are accelerating their investments in broadband infrastructure. Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for UniversityRosedale; the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development and Member of Parliament for PeterboroughKawartha; the Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure and Member of Provincial Parliament for Etobicoke Centre; and Dave Smith, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (Northern Development and Mines) and to the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Member of Provincial Parliament for PeterboroughKawartha, announced a historic agreement to bring high-speed Internet to nearly 280,000 rural Ontario households in hundreds of communities across the province. Under this agreement, the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario have partnered to support large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed Internet access to all corners of the province by 2025. This historic agreement is being made possible by an equal federal-provincial investment totalling more than $1.2 billion. In addition, the Canada Infrastructure Bank is assessing opportunities proposed through the Universal Broadband Fund to provide additional financing on a project-by-project basis toward significant expansion of broadband in partnership with private and institutional investors. Canada-wide, more than 890,000 rural and remote households are on track to be connected to high-speed Internet as a result of federal investments. At the end of March 2021, 175,000 rural and remote households had been connected to high-speed Internet under projects supported by the Government of Canada. By the end of this year, over 435,000 households will be connected thanks to support from the federal government. This investment represents a concrete step forward that will move Ontario almost 40% of the way in its ambitious plan to achieve 100% connectivity for all regions in the province by the end of 2025. This investment builds on Ontario's recently announced investment of up to $14.7 million for 13 new projects under the Improving Connectivity for Ontario (ICON) program. This will provide up to 17,000 homes and businesses with access to reliable high-speed Internet and builds on a range of provincial initiatives under way that will connect another 70,000 homes and businesses. Also part of Ontario's plan to achieve 100% connectivity is a recently announced innovative procurement process that is being used to help connect the vast majority of the remaining underserved and unserved communities. Procurement under this delivery model, led by Infrastructure Ontario will begin later this summer. Together, these initiatives are part of Ontario's plan to help bring reliable high-speed Internet to more communities across Ontario.



Today's announcement builds on the progress the governments of Canada and Ontario have already made to improve critical infrastructure in Ontario. This includes leveraging over $30 billion in federal, provincial and partner funding for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). This investment supports over 265 local transit projects; 140 projects in rural and northern areas; over 70 green infrastructure projects; and over 270 community, culture and recreation projects. Also, as part of ICIP, Ontario launched the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure stream with combined federal and provincial funding of $1.05 billion. This includes up to $250 million in federal and provincial funding for municipalities to address critical local infrastructure needs to improve health and safety. Quotes

"Broadband is critical infrastructure, and the pandemic has made this more apparent than ever. Reliable highspeed Internet allows us to learn, attend school and work remotely, and it allows small businesses to serve customers. But too many rural communities still do not have access to high-speed Internet. Broadband access is critical for our country's economic growth and recovery, and our government is committed to making sure no community is left behind. This investment, in partnership with Ontario and the Canada Infrastructure Bank, will connect nearly 280,000 rural Ontario households to high-speed Internet. Our government will continue to work with all partners to connect as many households as possible, as quickly as possible, to this essential service."

 The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for UniversityRosedale "Access to high-speed Internet will create jobs, improve health and safety for all, and help bridge the rural-urban divide. The pandemic added urgency to this work, and the Government of Canada responded with the Universal Broadband Fund. Our government's investments to date have helped connect 175,000 households to highspeed internet. By this Christmas, 435,000 households that didn't have high-speed internet last Christmas will be connected. That number will grow to more than 700,000 by the end of 2022 and more than 800,000 by the end of 2023. The agreement announced today will help nearly 280,000 households in close to 900 communities in Ontario benefit from this essential service, including 8,700 households in PeterboroughKawartha. On behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada, I would like to thank all our partners for their hard work. We won't stop until every Canadian has access to high-speed Internet."

 The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development and Member of Parliament for PeterboroughKawartha "The CIB's Growth Plan has a goal to invest $2 billion toward broadband connectivity across Canada to leverage additional capital from private and institutional investors. By collaborating through the federal Universal Broadband Fund and public sector partners, the CIB sees potential to finance large-scale projects in cooperation with Internet service providers. The CIB is part of the solution to connect more Canadians faster."

 Ehren Cory, President and CEO, Canada Infrastructure Bank "Our government is stepping up and delivering on our commitment to achieve 100% access to high-speed Internet across Ontario. This investment will help bring faster access to high-speed Internet to more families, individuals and businesses in communities across the province. We continue to work hard to ensure that all Ontarians, no matter where they live, can work, learn, start a business, access vital services like health care, connect with family and friends, and thrive in our digital world."

 The Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure and Member of Provincial Parliament for Etobicoke Centre "The investment we're making today is one that will create incredible potential for our rural communities. Access to reliable high-speed Internet across PeterboroughKawartha and Eastern Ontario will support families and students and help foster our long-term recovery, especially in our rapidly changing economy."

 Dave Smith, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Member of Provincial Parliament for PeterboroughKawartha. Quick facts Since 2015, Government of Canada investments have helped more than 175,000 rural and remote households across Canada gain access to high-speed Internet.

investments have helped more than 175,000 rural and remote households across gain access to high-speed Internet. The Government of Canada has committed $7.2 billion to broadband Internet infrastructure, including $2.75 billion through the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF).

has committed to broadband Internet infrastructure, including through the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF). These investments will help ensure that 98% of Canadians will have high-speed Internet access by 2026, and 100% will have access by 2030.

The Government of Ontario is helping to improve connectivity across the province. This is supported by a commitment of nearly $4 billion to ensure all Ontarians have access to high-speed Internet by the end of 2025.

is helping to improve connectivity across the province. This is supported by a commitment of nearly to ensure all Ontarians have access to high-speed Internet by the end of 2025. The Ontario government has invested in initiatives to improve connectivity across Eastern and Southwestern Ontario . It has also invested in high-speed Internet projects in rural and Northern Ontario , such as through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and the Next Generation Network Program.

government has invested in initiatives to improve connectivity across Eastern and . It has also invested in high-speed Internet projects in rural and , such as through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and the Next Generation Network Program. The Ontario government is also helping to speed up construction of broadband projects through the Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, 2021, which received royal assent this spring. Stay connected Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media.

Twitter: @ISED_CA, Facebook: Canadian Innovation, Instagram: @cdninnovation and LinkedIn SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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[July 29, 2021] Sartorius acquires cell culture specialist Xell AG

GOTTINGEN, Germany, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The life science company Sartorius, through its subgroup Sartorius Stedim Biotech, acquired cell culture specialist Xell AG headquartered in Bielefeld, Germany. Xell AG develops, produces, and markets media and feed supplements for cell cultures, especially for manufacturing viral vectors that are used in gene therapeutics and vaccines. Beyond these media, the company offers various analytical services for characterizing, screening and quantifying media components, as well as for optimizing media composition. Xell AG has so far been privately owned, employs around 35 people, and is expected to generate sales revenue of approximately 5 million euros at strong growth rates and a substantial two-digit EBITDA margin for the full year of 2021. Recently, major state-of-the-art capacity expansion was completed at the company's headquarters. The contractual parties agreed on a purchase price of around 50 million euros in addition to two earnout components contingent upon the achievement of defined revenue targets in 2022 to 2025. "With this acquisition, we are expanding our current media offering specifically by specialized media for manufacturing viral vectors and, additionally, in the area of media analytics. At the same time, we are accelerating the expansion of our production network in this fast-growing area," said Rene Faber, a member of the Sartorius Executive Board and Head of the Bioprocess Solutions Divsion. "I would like to cordially welcome the Xell team to Sartorius and am looking forward to our collaboration in this demanding time."



"Sartorius, with its strong sales team and complementary product portfolio, offers an excellent platform for further expansion, and we are extremely excited about our joint future development," added Stefan Northoff, CEO of Xell AG. This press release contains forward-looking statements about the future development of the Sartorius Group. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Sartorius assumes no liability for updating such statements in light of new information or future events. This is a translation of the original German-language press release. Sartorius shall not assume any liability for the correctness of this translation. The original German press release is the legally binding version.

A profile of Sartorius The Sartorius Group is a leading international partner of life science research and the biopharmaceutical industry. With innovative laboratory instruments and consumables, the Group's Lab Products & Services Division concentrates on serving the needs of laboratories performing research and quality control at pharma and biopharma companies and those of academic research institutes. The Bioprocess Solutions Division with its broad product portfolio focusing on single-use solutions helps customers to manufacture biotech medications and vaccines safely and efficiently. The Group has been annually growing by double digits on average and has been regularly expanding its portfolio by acquisitions of complementary technologies. In fiscal 2020, the company earned sales revenue of some 2.34 billion euros. At the end of 2020, nearly 11,000 people were employed at the Group's approximately 60 manufacturing and sales sites, serving customers around the globe. A profile of Xell Xell AG is a globally active biotech company with a strong focus on cell culture media as well as associated analytical and process services. Within ten successful years in the market, Xell has established itself as an experienced, reliable partner for the biopharmaceutical industry, providing efficient off-the-shelf media and feed products, customized developments, as well as solid analyses. Contact

Petra Kirchhoff

Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

+49 (0)551.308.1686

petra.kirchhoff@sartorius.com Follow Sartorius on Twitter @Sartorius_Group and on LinkedIn. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sartorius-acquires-cell-culture-specialist-xell-ag-301343986.html SOURCE Sartorius AG

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[July 29, 2021] SES Enters Multi-transponder Agreement with NewSpace India Limited via SES-8

SES (News - Alert) announced today that it had entered into a multi-transponder agreement for its SES-8 satellite with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under Department of Space (DoS) based in Bengaluru, India. The nine-transponder capacity agreement on SES-8 at 95 degrees East will be used to support India's thriving direct-to-home (DTH) market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210728006179/en/ SES Enters Multi-transponder Agreement with NewSpace India Limited via SES-8 (Photo: Business Wire) Deepak Mathur, Executive Vice President of Sales at SES Video, said, "Satellite TV and the programmes it brings hold a very important role for Indian TV viewers. We are honoured to be able to provide continued support and satellite capacity needd to support DTH operations in the country in collaboration with NSIL."



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Visit the Media Gallery > About SES SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world's only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world's leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES's video network carries over 8,400 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 361 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210728006179/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Surna Cultivation Technologies Announces Cultivation Facility Architectural Design Services

Expands Services to Include Floor Plan Layout and Licensed Architectural Design

Boulder, Colorado, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Surna Inc. (OTCQB: SRNA), operating as Surna Cultivation Technologies, announces the addition of architectural design services to its growing portfolio of product and service offerings. Jon Kozlowski, Vice President of Sales for Surna Cultivation Technologies, stated, The architectural design for a facility is the backbone of the construction project, and effective coordination with engineering teams and providers of cultivation-specific infrastructure for a facility is absolutely crucial to ensuring that the foundational design is accurate. Were excited to be able to provide these services at the earliest stages of the design, and to coordinate frequently with the other members of the team. This sets our customers up for an on-time, on-budget project, and long-term operational success. Surna Cultivation Technologies architectural design services include: Efficient Design  Surna understands that workflow processes in cultivation facilities are critically important to the bottom line and will work with its customers to deliver a thoughtfully considered plan that addresses every requirement of their business.





Surna understands that workflow processes in cultivation facilities are critically important to the bottom line and will work with its customers to deliver a thoughtfully considered plan that addresses every requirement of their business. Deep Expertise  Having worked with cultivators all over the world on over 200 commercial cultivation facilities, Surna has a deep understanding of the systems used in cultiation operations and how those systems must be integrated within the building itself.









Having worked with cultivators all over the world on over 200 commercial cultivation facilities, Surna has a deep understanding of the systems used in cultiation operations and how those systems must be integrated within the building itself. Flexibility  From simple floorplan development and schematics, to a fully integrated architectural and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) permit and construction plan set, Surna can help with any or all of a facilitys design needs.





From simple floorplan development and schematics, to a fully integrated architectural and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) permit and construction plan set, Surna can help with any or all of a facilitys design needs. Long Term Support  From permitting support, to construction administration, to post-construction assistance and future design collaboration, Surna will provide project support for the length of the project.

Tony McDonald, Surnas Chairman and CEO stated, This is a vital service offering as it gets us closer to the customer earlier in the project timeline. When we engage early in a project we are able to clearly articulate the advantages we bring with our wide array of products and services. The customer is thereby provided with better options based on their particular needs and budgets, which enhances our customers success throughout their project.

About Surna Surna Inc. (www.surna.com), operating as Surna Cultivation Technologies, is an industry leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facility design and technologies. We provide full-service licensed architectural and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering services, carefully curated HVACD equipment, and proprietary controls systems. Our team of project managers, licensed professional architects and engineers, technology and horticulture specialists and systems integrations experts help our customers by precisely designing for their unique applications. Through our partnership with a certified service contractor network we provide installation and maintenance services to assist in a smooth build-out and optimal facility performance. We have been providing solutions to indoor growers for over 15 years and have served over 800 cultivators with over 200 of them being large, commercial projects. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, we leverage our experience in this space to bring value-added solutions to our customers that help improve their overall crop quality and yield, optimize energy and water efficiency, and satisfy evolving state and local codes, permitting and regulatory requirements. Contact:

Jamie English

Vice President, Marketing Communications

jamie.english@surna.com

303.993.5271



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[July 29, 2021] UnionTech and Evonik Set up a Joint Laboratory for 3D Printing

SHANGHAI, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UnionTech and Evonik announced the establishment of the "UnionTech and Evonik Joint R&D Laboratory" in Shanghai, China in late July, 2021. "Evonik is committed to promoting the wide application of scale 3D printing technology across the whole value chain through ready-to-use material formula," said Toni Schreibweiss, "The close cooperation between material manufacturer and equipment manufacturer is essential for the opening up of new application fields of 3D printing. The establishment of the joint laboratory will further accelerate the speed of new photopolymer product launch in the market, especially for the fast-growing Chinese market. We will actively contribute our expertise in 3D printing materials and provide more efficient and faster additive manufacturing solutions for all industries." Toni Schreibweiss, general manager of Evonik High-Performance Polymers Division in APAC, and Mr. MA Jisong, general manager of UnionTech, made speeches respectively. Both sides spoke highly of the establishment of the joint R&D laboratory. This is another major cooperation project following Evonik's investment in UnionTech in 2020.



Rainer Hahn, global head of Evonik Photosensitive Resins Business, sent his congratulations from Germany via video. He believes that greater market value is bound to be created by strengthening cooperation at the R&D level. Mr. MA Jinsong, general manager of UnionTech, welcomed and thanked the Evonik management team for their visit. He pointed out in his speech, "The establishment of the joint laboratory means that the two sides have strengthened the comprehensive and in-depth cooperation, and represents the openness and mutual trust of both sides, as well as their consensus and determination for the industrial development. We will work together on a number of joint R&D projects. "

"The transition from 'prototype production' to 'real manufacturing' is the overall development tone of the 3D printing industry. It has become an irreversible trend in this field. Let's look forward to the future together, develop diversified cooperation models, accelerate industry iteration and innovation, and better serve customers." The cooperation between UnionTech and Evonik is an inevitable collision and represents the mutual recognition and joint technology accumulation between the famous material giant in Germany and UnionTech, a local 3D printing enterprise in China. The two sides will work together to embrace the whole industry with a positive attitude, facilitate bilateral cooperation in R&D, accelerate the development of high-performance materials and expedite the application implementation. SOURCE UnionTech

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[July 29, 2021] WeBank Wins 4 Awards at The Asian Banker China Awards 2021 for Digital Financial Inclusion Achievements

SHENZHEN, China, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WeBank, the world's leading digital bank and the first digital-only bank in China, participated in the Finance China 2021 Conference in conjunction with The Asian Banker China Awards 2021 held in Beijing by The Asian Banker. Speaking at the event, Gong Li, the General Manager of Corporate Banking at WeBank, discussed WeBank's successful practices in servicing micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with its corporate working capital loan product "Weiyedai". WeBank won four honors awarded by The Asian Banker, one of the region's most authoritative platforms for strategic business information for the financial services community. The awards, namely "Best Digital Bank in Asia Pacific", "Best Digital Bank in China", "Best AI Initiative" and "Best SME Loan/Financing Product in China", recognize WeBank's continuous innovation in digital banking services, particularly its outstanding performance in providing financial support to MSMEs. WeBank achieved outstanding results servicing MSMEs At the Conference, Mr. Gong discussed how WeBank uses its self-innovated fintech to serve MSMEs, including connecting and financing the upstream and downstream MSMEs in the industry chain. WeBank has always been committed to serving the real economy. At the end of 2017, WeBank launched Weiyedai, China's first online corporate working capital loan. It fulfills MSMEs' financing demand of highly frequent, short in duration, small in ticket size, and at times, urgent in nature, which effectively solves their financing problems of low approval rate. Mr. Gong also discussed how WeBank proactively explores new methods to better serve underbanked customers from different industries. Based on thesuccessful model of Weiyedai, WeBank further offers supply chain financial services, and provides loans to start-up technology MSMEs.



During the COVID-19 pandemic, WeBank gave full play to the advantages of Weiyedai, leveraging its contactless service to provide instant credit service to ease the sudden financial burden encountered by MSMEs. WeBank has achieved outstanding results in terms of supporting the real economy. As of the end of 2020, WeBank had reached 1.88 million MSMEs, provided credit services to 560,000 of them, and issued more than RMB 450 billion in MSME loans. In 2020, its balance of MSMEs' managing loans increased by 207%, while over 100,000 corporate customers received their first loans from WeBank. Further, its number of corporate customers accounts for 7% of the total corporate loan customers nationwide.

WeBank won "Best Digital Bank in Asia Pacific" for the third consecutive year At the Awards, WeBank won "Best Digital Bank in Asia Pacific" under The Asian Banker's International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards 2021 category for the third consecutive year. In addition, WeBank won "Best Digital Bank in China", "Best AI Initiative" and "Best SME Loan/Financing Product in China", showing that WeBank is widely recognized for its application of digital capabilities in financial inclusion. Since its inception, WeBank has been adhering to driving business development through technology innovations and constructed its ABCD (Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Big Data) fintech capabilities. In 2015, it launched the world's first core banking system based on a secure and controllable distributed architecture. The system significantly reduced technology costs, with single-account IT operation and maintenance costs lower than the average level of 10% in the industry. Its high availability, high flexibility, and high scalability enable WeBank to support a large number of customers and a high concurrent transaction volume. As of the end of 2020, the system had supported 750 million transactions per day at its peak, which effectively supported WeBank's inclusive financial service. Over the years, WeBank has optimized its risk management and expanded the scope of long-tail customers it serves at lower costs, which has further developed its commercially sustainable model of financial inclusion. WeBank has built a financial business ecosystem driven by artificial intelligence (AI), making financial services more convenient and accessible to the public. With R&D investment in related fields including federated learning, precision marketing, WeBank has widely applied AI technologies at the front, middle, and back offices. This enables the front office services to significantly improve efficiency with such technologies as facial recognition, optical character recognition (OCR), online customer service, etc. Further, the application of AI recommendations and advertising have realized precision marketing and customized services. At the middle and back offices, AI also plays a crucial role in streamlining business process automation and ensuring intelligent risk control. About WeBank WeBank Co., Ltd. ("WeBank") is the world's leading digital bank and the first digital-only bank in China. Launched in 2014, WeBank has provided more convenient financial services to 270 million individuals and 1.88 million micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). In 2019, Moody's and Standard & Poor's gave WeBank "A3" and "BBB+" ratings respectively. Adhering to the vision "Connect and Empower with Fintech", WeBank is driven to build core competencies through innovation, technology and skilled employees. www.webank.com SOURCE WeBank Co. Ltd.

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[July 28, 2021] Cox Energy America, S.A.B. De C.V., Reports Second Quarter 2021 Results

MEXICO CITY, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- COX ENERGY AMERICA, S.A.B. DE C.V. ("Cox", "Cox Energy America" or "the Company") (BIVA: COXA*, BMV: COXA*), a Company dedicated to the strategy and development of solar photovoltaic renewable energy projects reports its results for the quarter ending June 30, 2021. All figures included in this report are in nominal Mexican pesos and in line with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). For further information, please consult the file annexed to this relevant event. For financial information and its notes, please consult the XBRL format reported in the Institutional Stock Exchange and the Mexican Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV). Agreement signed for the acquisition of 40% of Ibox Energy, a PV solar energy company in Spain with a portfolio at different stages of development and attributable capacity of over 4.0 GWp.

with a portfolio at different stages of development and attributable capacity of over 4.0 GWp. On July 12 th , 2021 Cox Energy America began the process for a capital increase through preferred subscription rights for shareholders, with the possibility of accessing new shareholders in a third round. The capital increase is approved for up to 18.5 million shares.

, 2021 Cox Energy America began the process for a capital increase through preferred subscription rights for shareholders, with the possibility of accessing new shareholders in a third round. The capital increase is approved for up to 18.5 million shares. Sonnedix Cox Energy Chile SpA, a joint venture between Cox Energy America and Sonnedix Chile Holding SpA (JP Morgan) signed a financing agreement with SMBC for development of the "Sonnedix Meseta de los Andes" project, for an estimated US$120mm. The project is currently under construction and includes a PV solar energy platform with a 160 MWp capacity.

In the Dominican Republic a project under advanced development with an estimated capacity of 162 MWp has been identified, in line with Cox's strategy. The Company is currently negotiating the conditions for the acquisition. The project includes energy commercialization through long-term contracts with operations expected to begin in the second half of 2023.

a project under advanced development with an estimated capacity of 162 MWp has been identified, in line with Cox's strategy. The Company is currently negotiating the conditions for the acquisition. The project includes energy commercialization through long-term contracts with operations expected to begin in the second half of 2023. " Portezuelo ", a new greenfield project located in central Chile with an estimated capacity of 170 MWp, was added to the portfolio, considering battery storage capacity.

", a new greenfield project located in central with an estimated capacity of 170 MWp, was added to the portfolio, considering battery storage capacity. A purchase intent agreement was signed for "RTB" projects in Panama with an estimated capacity of 25 MWp on which construction is expected to start in 2022.

with an estimated capacity of 25 MWp on which construction is expected to start in 2022. The Company has a portfolio of 43 projects in different development pases, with 2.17 GWp attributable to the Latin American region.

In the quarter, an attributable capacity of 156 MWp in different development phases was added, compared to the capacity of the previous quarter's portfolio.

The communication strategy was strengthened with the creation of the Investor Relations area under Enrique Gonzalez Casillas as Vice President. Enrique has over 12 years of experience working in public companies in the Investor Relations area. Additionally, Cristian Gastelum Rodriguez joins the team as Director of Financial and Markets Information.

On July 7 th, 2021 Cox Energy America celebrated its first anniversary as a public company, and remains the only company of its kind to be listed in Latin American capital markets. The Company continues to reinforce its process of institutionalization to achieve the goals established in the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan.



Jose Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza , Chief Executive Officer of Cox Energy America, commented: "During the second quarter of 2021 we continued to drive our 2020-2024 Strategic Plan forward. This allowed us to create a robust project portfolio with over 43 opportunities in different phases of development, representing an estimated total capacity of 2.17 GWp. We are in the process of expanding our presence in Europe with the acquisition of 40% of Ibox Energy, a photovoltaic solar energy generation company in Spain , with an estimated pipeline of 4.0 GWp. Additionally, we strengthened our portfolio in Latin America , signing a financing agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui to develop "Sonnedix Meseta de los Andes", in Chile . This project is already under construction and has an expected capacity of 160 MWp." He added: "Cox Energy America, is the first company of its kind to be listed in Latin-American markets, which gives us the opportunity to create a unique precedent as an industry model in the region. We are a 100% green company, seeking to operate under the highest Environmental, Social and Governance standards, aiming to leave a lasting legacy due to our sustainable commitment. Lastly, it fills me with pride to be part of a team with such talent, industry knowledge, commitment, and discipline, working continuously to achieve the Company's goals, and always seeking the highest returns for our shareholders."

To download full 2Q-2021 Report (English version) To download full 2Q-2021 Report (Spanish version) ABOUT COX ENERGY AMERICA

Cox Energy America is a photovoltaic renewable solar energy generation company, listed on the Mexican Institutional Stock Exchange ("BIVA"). COX develops, promotes and operates photovoltaic plants in several Latin American countries, with a presence in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Central America and the Caribbean. It has a unique portfolio of projects at different stages of development and has identified opportunities to carry out its activity within a sustainable development framework. DISCLAIMER

This document contains certain statements related to the comprehensive overview of Cox Energy America (COX) regarding its activities to the present day, as well as assumptions and information currently available for the Company. The statements contained herein reflect the current views of COX with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause future results, performance or achievements of COX to differ from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements, including, among others, economic or political changes and global business conditions, risks related to the COVID-19 global pandemic impact, changes in exchange rates, the overall state of the industry, changes in demand for photovoltaic energy, raw material costs, the Company's ability to execute commercial continuity plans as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, among others. COX does not intend nor assume any obligation to update the statements presented in this document. CONTACT:

Investor Relations

inversores@coxenergyamerica.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cox-energy-america-sab-de-cv-reports-second-quarter-2021-results-301343786.html SOURCE Cox Energy America

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[July 28, 2021] Education Leaders, Students Praise Bold Action to Expand College Affordability and Lower Textbook Costs

A coalition of educators, students, and policy experts are applauding California's historic budget allocation of $115 million to expand Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) degree pathways for students enrolled in California Community Colleges. "We stand in awe of Governor Newsom and the State Legislature for their visionary commitment to increase college affordability in California," said Gary K. Michelson, M.D., founder and co-chair of the Michelson Center for Public Policy. "In a system where textbooks cost more than tuition at a time when students are struggling with food and housing insecurity, they can ill afford to be taken advantage of. The Governor heard their cries for relief, and his proposal will not only address this crisis now but well into the future." "I commend Governor Newsom's historic investment in California's college students," said Keith Curry, Ed.D., President/CEO of Compton College. "Now is the time to tackle the high cost of textbooks, to ensure that higher education is affordable and accessible. As president/chief executive officer of Compton College, I take this issue personally. It is an essential part of our work to find and implement solutions that ensure all students who wish to attend college are able to do so." "The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) congratulates Governor Newsom and the legislature for their strong support of California community college students in this year's budget," said Gerardo Chavez, SSCCC president and a student at Riverside City College. "The cost of textbooks is a significant burden for students, particularly those who are struggling to pay for their education while continuing to meet their basic needs. In providing this funding, the state makes one more step to providing access to the neediest of California community college students." "California's historic investment in Zero Textbook Cost degrees is public policy at its best. It scales up a successful model in response to a pressing challenge, and it invests in changes that will reduce the cost of textbooks for California community college students for years to come," said Nicole Allen, Director of Open Education for te Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC). "SPARC applauds Governor Newsom for his leadership in fighting the rising cost of textbooks."



On July 27, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 132 which provides more than $47 billion for higher education in California, including the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges, including ZTC degree pathways. Education Leaders, Students Praise Bold Action to Expand College Affordability

"The California Comeback Plan doubles down on our commitment to making college more affordable and accessible than ever before," said Governor Newsom. "With massive increases in funding for our world-class colleges and universities, expanded college savings accounts, increased student financial aid and opportunities to gain work experience while learning, we are helping students reach their full potential and driving upward mobility across California." The expansion of ZTC will profoundly impact students across the state and those most in need. Recent surveys have shown that 25% of college students needed to work extra hours to afford course materials. 19% said that they decided what course to take based on the cost of materials. Those costs forced one in nine students surveyed to skip meals. These stresses are only greater since the onset of the pandemic. California community college students spend about $700 per year for textbooks. The ZTC program allows students to start and finish their degree programs without paying anything for costly textbooks and other instructional materials. "We want to deal with the racket... that is the textbook industry that is abusive," said Governor Newsom at his May 14, 2021 press conference announcing his proposal to provide $115 million for the ZTC program. Governor Newsom called out "the usury nature of the costs associated with textbooks that makes no sense whatsoever except to those that are the beneficiaries of huge rewards on the backs of our children." Research has found that students perform better in classes and save as much as $8 for every dollar invested in ZTC degree programs. The broad coalition includes leaders from Compton College, College of the Canyons, West Hills College Lemoore, San Mateo Community College District, Student Senate of California Community Colleges, SPARC, CALPIRG, The Education Trust-West, John Burton Advocates for Youth, uAspire, Achieving the Dream, among others. A full list can be found at https://www.ztc4ca.com/. About the Michelson Center for Public Policy The Michelson Center for Public Policy is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization that propels legislative change through meaningful collaboration with elected officials, government agencies, and civic leaders to achieve positive outcomes in education, equity, medical research, and animal welfare. The Michelson Center for Public Policy is an affiliated but separate organization from the Michelson Philanthropies network of foundations (Michelson 20MM Foundation, Michelson Found Animals Foundation, and Michelson Medical Research Foundation) and complements the Michelson Philanthropies' thought leadership and expertise with bold and effective advocacy. For more information, visit https://www.michelsonpolicy.org/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210728006110/en/

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[July 28, 2021] Tech Alert: Navigating Driver Privacy and Safety of Electric Vehicles, Self-Driving Vehicles

A growing number of connected electric vehicles, as well as the evolution of self driving and automated vehicles are putting a greater demand on processing power. New technologies are advancing rapidly with the introduction of new processing methods, according to experts at BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN), (OTCQX: BRCHF), a leading provider of ultra-low power high performance artificial intelligence technology. These automotive systems rely heavily on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) to train an increasing number of sensors, components, image and video processors in each vehicle. Autonomous vehicles and near-autonomous vehicles are predicted to generate 12-15 terabytes (1014) of data for every two hours of driving, and all this data has vulnerabilities as it is uploaded to the cloud. Consumer advocates have raised alarms about operator and passenger privacy, including location data, driver health, speed, and more with the dependence on the cloud. "Many of the concerns about driverless cars and driver assist systems can be addressed with improved AI/ML operations and internal components," said BrainChip Founder and CEO Peter van der Made. "Safety is a particularly salient one, but energy efficiency, privacy and security are critical considerations for the automotive industry and their supply chain to address." Notable ways that improved technology "under the hood" will reduce accidents, protect data, and conserve energy include: Real-time learning Improved chips can perform "incremental learning," and add to their knowledge of the world as they are confronted with new information. Object recognition is one situation when real-time learning is impactful - a car needs to "see" whether an object in the road is a rock, an animal, or a plastic bag and be able to recognize the differences of each to react accordingly. Under current AI/ML processing methods, all are viewed as obstacles. "Real-time incremental learning, sometimes called one-shot learning, makes it possible to train a chip within a fraction of a second, and trigger corrective action," said van der Made. "As this is widely adopted, the safety improvements will be enormous." On-chip learning Traditional micropocessors are too slow to perform the type of calculations that are required to recognize objects. A large array of parallel operating cells, each operating according to the same principle as brain cells, perform rapid computations in the vehicle, rather than sending data to a cloud / data center and then waiting for instructions. Not only does this reduce latency so decisions are made faster, it removes the need for internet connectivity, so the vehicle continues to operate even when there is no internet available. And, by retaining data within the vehicle itself, instead of transmitting it to a remote location, security and personal data privacy is vastly improved.



"On-chip learning is likely the single biggest breakthrough for the automotive industry, because this alone addresses critical concerns like response times and data privacy," said van der Made. "A car travelling at 110 km/h does 50 meters in one second. A one-second, or even a fraction of a second delay in receiving data from the cloud could be fatal." Greener processing

Today's luxury cars contain many microchips. In the future, more advanced self-driving cars will have so many on-board computing systems that their power consumption will have a major impact on the car's performance. Smaller, light weight, energy-efficient chips will reduce this impact. Ultra low power brain-like processors that can deliver high performance object recognition and an overall higher range of efficiency, so the car's battery performance or overall power consumption is maximized. "Combined with on-chip learning, power-efficient processors will also save vast amounts of energy versus transmitting data via the cloud," said van der Made. "A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests a 97% energy savings over current technologies, which not only improves the efficiency of the car, it reduces the data center's energy use." Each instance that runs on a remote data center is contributing to its huge carbon footprint. Mechanical monitoring Advanced AI processing can be used to monitor the health status of the vehicle for early diagnostics through real-time analysis of sensor data. Sensors can identify sounds, vibrations, even odors to identify upcoming problems or failures. This is a safety feature that also eliminates human error, reduces labor and maintenance costs, and prevents machinery deterioration. Operator monitoring Future systems will be capable of "seeing" the driver to gauge attention, to verify their identity to ensure they are authorized to operate the vehicle, and alert drowsy or distracted drivers instantly. "There are valid reasons to question the safety and security of self-driving cars, but the largest and most dangerous threat is the processing limitation of present technologies," said van der Made. "Less capable processors are the real obstacle, especially if corners are cut. It is critical that all data is processed within the car itself, that the data be protected from leak or attack, and that these developments do not come at a greater cost to people or even our planet." BrainChip's Akida brings artificial intelligence to the edge in a way that is different from existing technologies. The solution is high-performance, small, ultra-low power and enables a wide array of edge capabilities. The Akida AKD1000 and its 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. 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/20210728006111/en/

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[July 28, 2021] Decoding Taiwan's Information Security Industry's Dilemma

TAIPEI, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brain Shen, Chairman of Information Service Industry Association (CISA), has recently published an article titled "Decoding Taiwan's Information Security Industry's Dilemma", sharing the views of the Information Security development in Taiwan. The full text is as follows: In November of 2017, Taiwan held the Information Security Industry Strategy Conference, and in 2018 Taiwan's public sectors and private enterprises visited Israel to observe their Information Security (InfoSec) industry. These two events led to the formulation of the 2018-2025 Taiwan Information Security Industry Development Plan. Many parts of this plan refer to Israel's InfoSec industry; however, it fails to take the differing industrial strengths and public roles of Taiwan and Israel into account. The result is that now, three years later, the Taiwan InfoSec industry has only seen severely limited growth marked by the complete absence of any sizeable InfoSec businesses. Though the Taiwan InfoSec market is limited, many small-scale businesses do exist, an indication that there is still plenty of potential fr innovation in the industry. Yet even though the industry is full of opportunities to capitalize on, in scale it remains stagnant. How the authority should develop an environment in which the InfoSec industry can flourish is a question of the utmost importance. I recommend that the authority should work to build an InfoSec ecosystem by integrating resources in the industry and assisting businesses with outsourcing; after all, in order for this industry to grow, it cannot rely solely on the Taiwan market.



How, then, should an environment for the InfoSec industry be constructed? First, public policies should be developed to guide large Taiwanese companies to invest in the industry, so that these enterprises become the focal and dominant firms in the InfoSec ecosystem. The fields in which they invest should enable them to integrate different kinds of InfoSec solutions, including providing InfoSec cloud services and developing products which combine software with hardware. Only when these focal firms come together to continually invest in the industry will it further drive the development of startups, as this would provide momentum to attract talent and spur innovation. Furthermore, as there is a severe lack of InfoSec talent in Taiwan, unless large-scale ICT companies are guided to invest in the InfoSec industry, the result will be a lack of industry-academia cooperation and the industry finding it hard to resolve the dearth of talent and major companies. Current public policy favors expanding Taiwan InfoSec market, but doing so neglects the characteristics of Taiwanese enterprises: large international groups and financial holding companies in Taiwan will not risk utilizing the security solutions of small-scale InfoSec companies (these companies might not even have products suitable for large companies), and small and medium-sized enterprises favor products from foreign InfoSec companies, thus failing to benefit local small-scale InfoSec manufacturers.

I suggest the authority prioritize the efficiency of capital output and input. In order to do so, it must: 1) use tax policy to incentivize large-scale ICT manufacturers to invest in InfoSec development; 2) use the Taiwan Development Fund to set up an InfoSec investment fund in collaboration with large-scale ICT manufacturers, with a professional investment team handling the fund to invest in Taiwan InfoSec manufacturers; 3) establish Public Information Security Policies as important fields for Taiwan security solutions to develop in; 4) reward large-scale ICT manufacturers for global acquisitions of InfoSec startups; and 5) encourage large international InfoSec companies to set up research and development centers in Taiwan. Currently, there is sufficient funding in the InfoSec market; only by utilizing big data analysis combined with researchers in the field and policies dedicated to developing an industry ecosystem can we resolve the dilemma of stagnant growth in the InfoSec industry. SOURCE Information Service Industry Association, Taiwan (CISA)

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[July 29, 2021] iProov Achieves Record-breaking Growth as Demand for Genuine Presence Assurance Soars

iProov, world leader in secure biometric authentication technology, today announced record-breaking growth in the first half of 2021. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210728006091/en/ iProov's Genuine Presence Assurance technology verifies that an online user is the right person, a real person, authenticating right now. (Photo: Business Wire) From January to June 2021, iProov saw a 15x increase in the number of people verified using its technology versus the same time period last year. Its flagship Genuine Presence Assurance technology solidified its global market leadership, with verifications growing at a consistent rate of 25% per month worldwide. This has been driven by demand from organizations needing to verify the identity of online users to prevent fraud. iProov's patented technology assures the genuine presence of an online user to ensure they are the right person, a real person, and authenticating right now. iProov has been profitable in 2021, while at the same time growing its worldwide team by 25% to 85 staff. In April, the company welcomed cybersecurity veteran Paul King who joined iProov's advisory board following 27 years at Cisco (News - Alert) , most recently as Chief Security Officer. iProov has also been awarded numerous prestigious awards, including Best Biometric Solution at the 2021 Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards. In what has been a tumultuous year across the globe, iProov's technology has provided safe and secure digital identity verification for a growing range of vital services. Since the start of 2021, iProov has added major customers and partners to its portfolio spanning government, health, travel, financial services and ID providers. In February iProov announced it had been selected by the Australian government to provide the liveness solution for myGovID. Millions of Australians will be able to strengthen their digital identity using a simple face scan on their mobiles, providing access to a range of government services, including online tax. iProov's existing service to NHS Digital in the UK became even more crucial this year. Since 2020, iProov has enabled users in England to create an NHS login remotely and securely. A user scans their identity document, such as a valid passport or driver's license, and then completes a brief iProov face verification to confirm their identity, giving them secure access to the services of the NHS App. Since May 2021, this has included the COVID vaccination status service. In January 2021, iProov announced a collaboration with its partner, Mvine, to trial private COVID status certificates. The solution enables an individual to register a test result or vaccination status and then securely share that status without disclosing their identity, using either paper or a smartphone. The trials, which took place in care and education settings, were backed by investment from Innovate UK and showcased how biometric verification could greatly simplify the checking of COVID status credentials while enhancing user privacy. The iProov partner pogram grew by a third in the first six months of the year, from sectors including identity, health, travel and cryptocurrency. In April, Jumio, the leading provider of AI-powered end-to-end identity verification and eKYC solutions, announced that it had selected iProov technology to deliver high conversion rates, fast onboarding, a natural user experience and small SDK size to its customers.



Andrew Bud, iProov Founder and CEO, commented: "In the first half of 2021, iProov has secured users' identities online and protected major organizations from fraud on a vast scale across the globe. The dramatic acceleration in the digital identity market, caused by the pandemic, has demonstrated our market leadership based on our unrivaled usability, inclusiveness and resilient security, and the extraordinary scalability of our platform. I am continually impressed by the remarkable work of the iProov team in successfully rising to the many challenges created by such transformative growth." The highlights from 2021 so far include: -

Awards ? iProov Takes Home Gold in Three Cybersecurity Excellence Awards: Government, Financial Services, and Identity Proofing & Corroboration - https://www.iproov.com/blog/cyber-security-awards-government-finance ? iProov wins Best Biometric Solution at 2021 Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards - https://www.iproov.com/blog/best-biometric-solution-cyber-security-2021 ? iProov Named Winner of Coveted Global InfoSec Award During RSA (News - Alert) Conference - https://www.iproov.com/press/iproov-winner-of-global-infosec-award-during-rsa-conference-2021 Customers and partners ? Australian Taxation Office extends national digital identity program with face verification technology from iProov - https://www.iproov.com/press/australian-taxation-office-national-digital-identity-program-face-verification-technology ? Jumio adds iProov's award winning liveness detection to its KYC platform - https://www.iproov.com/press/jumio-adds-iproov-award-winning-liveness-detection-to-its-kyx-platform ? iProov selected by itsme to support global expansion - https://www.iproov.com/press/iproov-face-verification-selected-by-itsme-to-support-global-expansion ? COVID-19 certificate solution from iProov and Mvine moves into trial phase - https://www.iproov.com/press/uk-covid19-passport-moves-into-trial-phase Senior team hires ? Cybersecurity veteran Paul King (News - Alert) joins iProov's Advisory Board - https://www.iproov.com/press/cyber-security-veteran-joins-iproov-advisory-board -ENDS- About iProov Founded in 2012, iProov is the world leader in online facial biometric authentication, working with governments, financial institutions and other enterprises to securely verify customer identity. Used for effortless onboarding and authentication, customers include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the UK Home Office, the UK National Health Service (NHS), the Australian Taxation Office, GovTech Singapore, Rabobank, ING and others. iProov's technologies include Liveness Assurance and Genuine Presence Assurance, which ensures that an online customer is the right person, a real person, and is authenticating right now. This protects against spoof attacks from photos, videos, masks and digital injection attacks that use deepfakes and other synthetic media. Supported by capital from private equity firm JRJ Group, iProov has grown a global footprint with offices in the UK, US and Singapore. iProov was recognized as a Gartner (News - Alert) Cool Vendor 2020 in Identity Access Management & Fraud Detection and as the 5th fastest growing technology company in the UK in the Deloitte 2020 UK Technology Fast 50. For more information, please see www.iproov.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter (News - Alert) . View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210728006091/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Deploying Cobwebs Digital Forensics on the Dark Side of the Web

NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The dark web is the primary domain of criminals, terrorists, fraudsters and hackers, so the need for international law enforcement agencies to monitor this pool is of global importance. They have to move through the dark web landscape without so much as raising their profiles, not leaving any digital footprints or invoking suspicion from those that they have an interest in following. Law enforcement agencies are increasingly turning to dark web monitoring tools: a veritable armory of super-tech innovations that enable them to ghost into the dark web. While threat actors, criminal elements, and illegally organized structures exchange information, buy and sell stolen data, illicit goods, plan criminal activities, and get paid in cryptocurrency, digital forensics tools are being used to collect masses of data and then scanned for real-time information that can prove helpful in investigations. Where the manual collection of data is often slow and time-consuming, by which time the threat actors may have moved on, dark web monitoring tools such as OSINT and WEBINT are being utilized across the planet by governments and law enforcement agencies. These can be deployed efficiently and effectively to reap data and monitor everything from dark web marketplaces, forums, blogs, online message boards, and social media.>



These digital forensics tools are available to assist investigators and experts in solving a crime and enabling better and effective decision-making throughout the process. Rather than be reactive, they can be proactive and remain on the front foot.

AI-enabled WEBINT solutions also enable investigators to probe the dark web by collecting, analyzing, and monitoring data within a timeframe. This web intelligence platform contains dark web monitoring tools and internet monitoring software designed to expedite web investigation processes. Even working with the most minimal data thread, investigators can quickly and successfully reach into the dark web and monitor threat actors. These dark web monitoring tools allow investigators to reveal a threat actors' name, location, IP address, or image. Experts are also turning to other digital forensics tools such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), since many dark web forums and message boards are in various languages, including English, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. Tools can help investigators overcome language barriers when collecting and analyzing intelligence. Law enforcement and security agencies need the best dark web monitoring services available in the market in addition to digital forensics and other tools normally used to investigate and prevent crimes such as cyber threats. The forensic tools are also designed to meticulously race through and scan endless digital channels of the web and analyze vast sums of data to help you protect precious assets. All these digital forensics tools offer an upper hand in the investigators' battle against illegal activities emanating from the dark web. Contact us to learn more: info@cobwebs.com , www.cobwebs.com Related Images

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Dark Web Monitoring View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deploying-cobwebs-digital-forensics-on-the-dark-side-of-the-web-301343165.html SOURCE Cobwebs Technologies

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[July 29, 2021] OpenExchange Unveils London-Based Event Centre for Virtual and Hybrid Investor Events

LONDON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenExchange, the leader in video and virtual event solutions for financial communications, today opened a first-of-its-kind facility dedicated to originating virtual and hybrid investor events, located in Central London. "OE Event Centre - London" is designed to be used by public and private companies, investment and research banks, buy-side investment firms, private equity and venture capital firms to create engaging and secure virtual investor events from a studio and conference room space designed specifically for investor communications. Located at 78 Cowcross Street, Farringdon, London, the new OE Event Centre is equipped with a state-of-the-art streaming video control room, configurable green-screen studio with robotic cameras and teleprompter/autocue, advanced video conferencing rooms, a configurable video wall, and workspaces suitable for originating a wide variety of virtual investor events. These events include investor conferences, road shows, capital markets meetings, quarterly earnings announcements, virtual company meetings, and news conferences. The facility's technology is complemented by an on-site staff of highly-trained video production personnel, backed by a global team of video specialists who have successfully executed more than one hundred thousand investor meetings in the past year, as well as by OE VIZION, the next-generatin virtual and hybrid event platform from OpenExchange.



"When we designed this space, I imagined a CEO in London who had scheduled several in-person one-on-one meetings, but at the same time needed a space to conduct virtual meetings with investors on the continent, Asia and the US," said OpenExchange CEO Mark Loehr. "Our new space allows for senior executives to stop in for a first-class group breakfast, followed by a few virtual meetings and then a green screen fireside chat with their favorite sell side analyst -- all before seeing their core buy-side investors in person in the City and the West End. The OE Event Centre is purpose-designed and built to meet those demands and expectations." "The design for the OE Event Centre is born directly of the experience we've gained from the thousands of investor meetings and events we have been facilitating for clients throughout the UK and Europe," said Ben Burnside, OpenExchange's Head of EMEA. "By creating a state-of-the-art studio in the heart of London that is specifically tuned to the needs of investor communications, we seek to elevate the production values of these meetings and events, while supporting our clients in a comfortable, sophisticated environment."

To book a virtual investor meeting or event or get more information about the OE Event Centre - London, please visit www.openexc.com/oe-event-centre-london or email londonbooking@openexc.com . About OpenExchange Based in Boston, New York, London, Hong Kong and Seoul, OpenExchange video-enables the vital daily communications of the financial services and professional investment industry and its clients with advanced one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many video technologies, tools and services. Anchored by its experience in connecting more than 100,000 video endpoints in the professional investment community and more than 500,000 registered users to its Knovio and OE VIZION video platforms, the OpenExchange Network bridges the worlds of real-time videoconferencing, video live-streaming, and searchable on-demand video archives and showcases, making it easy to connect, create, disseminate, and discover information critical to investment and business decisions. Media Contact:

Elena Connolly

Elena.connolly@edelman.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1493779/OpenExchange_Logo_Logo.jpg

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[July 29, 2021] Wanxiang Blockchain Labs Holds the Seventh Global Blockchain Summit from Sep.14-15

SHANGHAI, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wanxiang Blockchain Labs, a non-profit research institution focusing on blockchain technology based in China, announced that it was going to hold the Seventh Global Blockchain Summit from Sep.14 to Sep.15 in Shanghai, China. This event will be broadcast on the Internet to engage blockchain followers around the world. Free registration for the online broadcasting will be open soon at the official website of this event: https://www.blockchainlabs.org/week2021/home. Starting from 2015, the Global Blockchain Summit hosted by Wanxiang Blockchain Labs has been carried out for 7 years running and has grown into an influential blockchain feast in Asia and beyond. This event has a reputation of getting global blockchain experts, investors, and entrepreneurs all under one roof year after year. Vitalik Buterin, Founder of Ethereum and Chief Scientist of Wanxiang Blockchain Labs, Gavin Wood, Founder of Polkadot, Jed Mccaleb, Co-found and CTO of Stellar, Nick Szabo, Inventor of Smart Contract, Jae kwon, Founder of Cosmos and other blockchain influencers shared their thoughts on the industry and their experience at previous Global Blockchain Summit. This year, under the theme of Digital Transformation, the Seventh Global Blockchain Summit will focus on the convergence of blockchain and other digital technologies, such as IoT, AI, 5G and its value in empowering the digitalization of our life, economy and society. Impacted by COVID-19, we are getting used to working, shopping and connecting with others on the Internet. It seems like that we are gradually moving from the physical world to a digital world built on digital technologies, which indicates that our daily life is undergoing a digital transformation. Moreover, a data becomes an indispensable production factor, companies, governments, factories and many other organizations are in an urgent need of digital transformation to improve their ability of managing data and exploring the value of data to get the upper hand in this digital age.



What roles can blockchain and other digital technologies play in the digital transformation of our life, economy and society? Are there any practical solutions or use cases to learn from? How will the digital transformation change our world? The Seventh Global Blockchain Summit, a two-day event that will take place in Shanghai, China and be broadcast online at the same time from Sep. 14-15, will feature one stage with speeches and panels delivered by prominent speakers to explore the potential of blockchain and other digital technologies in empowering the digital transformation of our life, economy and society and think about the changes the digital transformation will bring to the world.

Prior to the Seventh Global Blockchain Summit, there will be two warm-up activities. From early August to Sep. 12, 2021 Wanxiang Blockchain Hackathon will invite talented developers around the world to explore the value of blockchain and the collaboration of blockchain and other digital technologies, such as AI, IoT, 5G, VR and AR in building the digital future and to compete for a prize pool of more than $26,000. On Sep. 13, to nurture an atmosphere of dynamic and in-depth communication, we save this special day as Open Day for fellow companies to display their projects and technologies and our audience to explore more exciting opportunities. We believe this healthy interaction will contribute to accelerating the development of the blockchain industry. The activities mentioned above, namely 2021 Wanxiang Blockchain Hackathon, Open Day and the Seventh Global Blockchain Summit, make up the 2021 Shanghai International Blockchain Week. For the details and the latest news of this event, please visit the official website: https://www.blockchainlabs.org/week2021/home. About Wanxiang Blockchain Labs Funded by China Wanxiang Holdings, Wanxiang Blockchain Labs is a non-profit research institution focusing on Blockchain technology. Wanxiang Blockchain Labs provides support for the research, entrepreneurship, developments and applications in the industry. It will also provide reference information for regulatory bodies. Overall, Wanxiang Blockchain Labs dedicate itself to the promotion and application of Blockchain industry, and to explore how the technology will be contributing to the development of the economy and the society. As the earlier research organization in China and determines to devote itself to promote the development of blockchain technology globally, Wanxiang Blockchain Labs has been hosting global blockchain summits in China, which have become an influential and iconic industrial events in Asia. Through these efforts, participants from various industries have showed great interest in blockchain technology and the known the potential of what it could bring to the world. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wanxiang-blockchain-labs-holds-the-seventh-global-blockchain-summit-from-sep14-15-301343987.html SOURCE Wanxiang Blockchain Labs

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[July 29, 2021] Wanxiang Blockchain Announces its Blockchain and FinTech Plans in JTC's Punggol Digital District

SHANGHAI, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At the inaugural PDD: Connecting Smartness event today, JTC - a government agency under Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry, officially announced its partnership with Wanxiang Blockchain, a China-based blockchain technology pioneer, to test-bed new use-cases for emerging technologies like blockchain, IoT, AI, 5G and more at JTC's Punggol Digital District in Singapore. Blockchain is a closely watched technology that is playing an increasingly vital role in developing a vibrant digital economy and, eventually, building a well-functioning smart city. For instance, the use of blockchain technology will help with thorough and effective 3D city planning, enabling a forward-looking digital city by integrating the physical world, data and communication infrastructure in a holistic and evolving urban planning canvas. Alongside with IoT, AI, and other adjacent technologies, blockchain also helps establish an advanced energy, governance and distributed commerce infrastructure that enables smart administration, meet carbon neutrality objectives, and foster a vibrant urban economy. More importantly, blockchain innovation and the distributed logic it represents will help smart cities to develop resilience in a world of climate change and pandemics. Wanxiang Blockchain, part of China Wanxiang Holding, is a pioneer of Blockchain technology that aims to build a vibrant blockchain ecosystem with investment and entrepreneurship empowerment on the one hand, and providing technology and innovative solutions on the other. It aims to promote the continued development and industry applications of blockchain. Its paid-in investments in blockchain have exceeded 1 billion RMB to date, through over 200 world-class projects globally. Leveraging its echnological capabilities and business resources, Wanxiang Blockchain has stepped up in-depth, all-round cooperation with partners in Singapore. It has worked with the Infocomm Media Development Authority ("IMDA") to co-develop blockchain-based financial solutions for cross-border trade and finance, and has managed to deploy its Supply Chain Finance Platform onto TradeTrust. Wanxiang Blockchain is committed to sharing its experience with blockchain technology with local partners in Singapore, joining forces to develop blockchain-based solutions for digital cities, cross-border trade, supply chain finance, etc.



Wanxiang Blockchain is part of a Wanxiang ecosystem of affiliated blockchain and FinTech companies that will be expanding their operations in Singapore. Grouped under "The Digital Lab" by Wanxiang, it is committed to building a strong talent pipeline for the digital community to leverage on. For example, partnerships with local start-up accelerators in Singapore will be developed for the Punggol Digital District Blockchain Makerspace and Incubator Programme to support and help students as well as early-stage startups to address data privacy issues and strengthen capabilities in data management. In addition, in partnership with local training provider AGB Education Centre in Singapore, a skills training programme named "Punggol Digital District Digital Skills 4.0" will be launched that will focus on developing the skillsets of mid-career professionals and offer certifications in areas such as blockchain, cybersecurity, robotic process automation, digital marketing, and emerging technologies like 5G, AI and cloud computing. Wanxiang shares JTC's vision to develop Punggol Digital District as Asia's smart district and epicentre for the growing digital sectors in the region. With an ecosystem of government agencies, academia and industry experts, the district can be a hotbed for digital talent and skills development and will create new opportunities for the digital economy as well as sought-after digital economy jobs.

As a living lab for test-bedding of technological innovation and smart living, there is much potential for the cross-pollination of ideas between JTC's Punggol Digital District project and Wanxiang's various Smart City projects in China. There will be more opportunities for Wanxiang to gradually expand its business in Singapore, facilitating the exchange of intellectual and human capital between the two countries. About Wanxiang Blockchain Wanxiang Blockchain aims to build a vibrant blockchain ecosystem with investment and entrepreneurship empowerment on the one hand, and provide technology and innovative solutions on the other, to promote the continued development and industry applications of blockchain. Wanxiang Blockchain's paid-in investment in blockchain has exceeded 1 billion RMB to date, through over 200 world-class projects globally. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wanxiang-blockchain-announces-its-blockchain-and-fintech-plans-in-jtcs-punggol-digital-district-301343990.html SOURCE Wanxiang Blockchain Labs

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[July 29, 2021] MZ Technologies Rolls Out New Technology Roadmap

ROME, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MZ Technologies has released its roadmap for its device/packaging Co-Design EDA tools that lays out an agenda of added features and reveals plans for generation 2.0 GENIO IC/package co-design tool. GENIO became the first commercially available IC/package co-design tool when MZ Technologies began taking order in August, 2020. The roadmap calls for additional features to the current tool set. Expected in the first quarter of next year is availability of a parasitic estimation capability and stack planning support. Parasitic Estimation and Stack Planning Support Parasitic Estimation enhances GENIO's time-to-design superiority. This function enables early-on system analysis, based on virtual routes, prior to physical implementation. Parasitic Estimation should be implemented after a chiplet-based system design and its system-level interconnects have optimized end-to-end 3D-aware signal assignment. Parasitic Estimation then simulates a process-static timing analysis. he more technology information that is available, the more accurate is the estimation.



Stack Planning Support helps the designer to automatically identify the best possible 3D stack configuration, given physical and thermal constraints. This new floor planning methodology provides a more efficient chiplet-based 3D-IC system organization, optimizing for effective heat dissipation and reducing the physical resources (TSVs) required for vertical interconnect. The roadmap also identifies four other upgrades and reveals plans to introduce GENIO 2.0 sometime in 2023.

First Available Integrated Co-Design Tool GENIO's proprietary, fully integrated EDA co-design tool features an end-to-end IC and packaging platform for 2D/2.5D/3D system design. To date, the platform's environment-agnostic feature has attracted significant interest, with a number of big-name companies conducting feasibility trials. GENIO integrates existing silicon and package EDA flows to create full co-design and optimization of complex multi-chip designs that comprise advanced heterogeneous microelectronic systems. "As the company who rolled out the first commercially available co-design tool, we feel an obligation to the EDA community to continue to innovate," said Anna Fontanelli, Founder and CEO of MZ Technologies. "Advance packaging is clearly the pathway to keeping the spirit of Moore's Law alive across the entire semiconductor industry spectrum." GENIO's complete cross-hierarchical, 3D-aware, design methodologies streamline the entire IC eco-system. It integrates IC and advanced packaging design to ensure full system level optimization, shorten the design cycle, drive faster time-to-manufacturing and improve yields. For a more information, go to www.monozukuri.eu About MZ Technologies MZ Technologies is the marketing function of Monozukuri S.p.A. Monozukuri's mission is to conquer 2.5D & 3D design challenges for next generation electronic products by delivering innovative, ground-breaking EDA software solutions and methodologies. The technology redefines the co-design of heterogeneous microelectronic systems by providing an improved level of automation in three-dimensional interconnect optimization. Business contact Eric Gunn

eric.gunn@monozukuri.eu

+44 0783 4490803 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mz-technologies-rolls-out-new-technology-roadmap-301343902.html SOURCE Monozukuri Technologies

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[July 29, 2021] Securitas acquires leading electronic security company in Germany

STOCKHOLM, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Securitas, the world's leading intelligent protective services partner, has agreed to acquire Protection One, the German market leader specializing in remote technology-driven security solutions and electronic security. The acquisition will enhance Securitas' protective services capabilities in Germany and is in line with the Group's strategy of doubling its security solutions and electronic security sales by 2023. The purchase price is approximately MEUR 72 (MSEK 735) on a debt-free basis. In 2020, Protection One's annual sales were more than MEUR 33 (MSEK 337), of which over 90 percent were on a recurring monthly revenue basis. The company has 230 employees in Germany and is present at 12 locations with the operation center based in Meerbusch, offering remote monitoring services with 24/7 real-time intervention. Combining its high-performance and tailor-made installation offering, the company provides full scope of electronic security services across 10 300 objects for approximately 7 000 clients, mainly small and medium-sized businesses. Peter Karlstromer, Divisional President Security Services Europe: "We are very happy to welcome the Protection One team to the Securitas family. As the leading German player selling remote monitoring services and installations Protection One fits perfectly with Securitas' security solutions and electronic security strategy. We are excited about the new opportunities that Protection One's strong experience in customized client solutions will enable, given their high client satisfaction and Securitas' increased focus on the SME segment. With this acquisition, we will further strengthen our leading offerings in the growing German security market. We believe this acquisition will help us serve our clients in an even better way today and in the future." The acquisition-related costs are expected to be MSEK 45, to be recognized?in the period 2021 to 2023.?The acquisition is expected to be accretive to EPS as of?2022. The acquisition is subject to approval from competition authorities and is expected to be finalized during the third quarter of 2021. Further information: CONTACT: Investors: Micaela Sjokvist, Head of Investor Relations; +46 76 116 7443, micaela.sjokvist@securitas.com Media: Helena Andreas, SVP Communications & People, +46 10? 470 30 20; press@securitas.com About Securitas Securitas is the world's leading intelligent protective services partner. Our guarding, electronic security, fire and safety, and risk management solutions enable more than 150,000 clients to see a different world. We are present in 48 markets and our innovative, data-driven approach makes us a trusted partner to many of the world's best-known companies. Our 355,000 employees live our values of integrity, vigilance and helpfulness, and our purpose is to help make your world a safer place. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/securitas/r/securitas-acquires-leading-electronic-security-company-in-germany,c3390310 The following files are available for download:







https://mb.cision.com/Main/1062/3390310/1449130.pdf Protection One_eng_210727_final

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/securitas-acquires-leading-electronic-security-company-in-germany-301344006.html SOURCE Securitas

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[July 29, 2021] Avalara for Hospitality Helps Lodging Businesses Manage Tax Compliance

Avalara, Inc. (NYSE: AVLR), a leading provider of cloud-based tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, today announced the availability of Avalara for Hospitality, a solution for hotel chains, resorts, online travel agencies, property management groups, and short-term rental operators that automates the most onerous and time-consuming aspects of tax compliance, including calculation and filing of sales and lodging tax returns. "Today's announcement coincides with businesses in this sector emerging from shutdowns and curtailed operations, and developing a path forward to growth and profitability," said Sanjay Parthasarathy, chief product officer at Avalara. "Many hospitality businesses have used the enforced downtime to implement new technologies that modernize operations, streamline processes via automation, gain efficiencies, and reduce the risk of audits and fines for noncompliance of tax and other obligations. Avalara for Hospitality helps these businesses manage the full breadth of their tax compliance commitments, and deal with the many changes in rates, rules, and new tax types added by jurisdictions." Address compulsory hospitality compliance obligations with Avalara Avalara for Hospitality provides the following benefits to businesses: Improve compliance. Maintaining accurate tax rates and rules is a labor-intensive process, whether a business is managing a single property or a chain of hotels. Getting rates wrong or not understanding total obligations can result in overpaying or underpaying taxes. Tax experts at Avalara track lodging and related tax rates at the city, county, and state level, and Avalara for Hospitaliy automates these tax calculations. Avalara also helps determine which taxes are owed and remits your funds to the jurisdiction on a regular cadence, facilitating compliance.



Streamline reporting. Manually consolidating data to determine tax obligations for online travel agencies, property management groups, and hotel chains via their back-end systems is a time-consuming process, prone to human error. Avalara for Hospitality can integrate with your existing hospitality marketplace, ERP, PMS, point-of-sale, or accounting platforms, delivering consistent rates and reporting across sales channels and internal systems. Improve process efficiency. Preparing, filing, and remitting reports for city, county, and state jurisdictions requires significant manual effort, with even greater complexity if a business is operating properties in multiple jurisdictions or renting through multiple channels. Customers can offload returns preparation, filing, and remitting to Avalara. Avalara for Hospitality also allows businesses to write a single remittance check, and Avalara distributes the funds based on what is owed to each jurisdiction, helping to reduce costs and increase efficiency and compliance.

Reduce audit risk, improve customer experience. Streamline processes to create a simple, reliable booking experience that includes tax rates to show exact charges up front. In addition, improve pricing transparency while mitigating audit risk. Avalara integrates with booking platforms to provide a consistent rate, no matter how your customers make their reservation. "Avalara for Hospitality provides businesses with a technology solution to solve for an ongoing, complex, time-consuming compliance burden that diverts resources away from business-building activities," said Oliver Hoare, general manager for Lodging at Avalara. "As hotels and resorts begin a return to full capacity, streamlining a host of back-office operations including the calculation, filing, and remittance of lodging, sales, and other taxes is essential to remaining competitive, mitigating current and future risk, and maintaining a laser focus on growth." Avalara will continue to add new capabilities and functionality, including additional hospitality tax types, to upcoming releases of the Avalara for Hospitality solution. For additional information on Avalara for Hospitality, please click here. About Avalara Avalara helps businesses of all sizes get tax compliance right. In partnership with leading ERP, accounting, ecommerce, and other financial management system providers, Avalara delivers cloud-based compliance solutions for various transaction taxes, including sales and use, VAT, GST (News - Alert) , excise, communications, lodging, and other indirect tax types. Headquartered in Seattle, Avalara has offices across the U.S. and around the world in Brazil, Europe, and India. More information at avalara.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005205/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Gangavaram Port achieves 2 records in Bauxite Discharge and highest iron ore loading target

VISAKHAPATNAM, India, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gangavaram Port the deepest and the most modern port in the country today achieved yet another historic milestone by setting a National Record by discharging 125,380 tons of Bauxite within 24 hours using the Mechanical Unloading System. The vessel M V. Berge Apo carrying 165,598 tons of Bauxite was berthed at GPL on account of M/S Vedanta Limited. This achievement stands out as the fastest Bauxite discharge rate in the history of any port in India and possibly in the world. Vedanta Limited expressed their gratitude and appreciated the port management and staff who helped in achieving this milestone of bauxite discharge. The Port recorded another milestone in iron ore loading target by changing its loading pattern. The team achieved the highest loading in difficult grade of Iron Ore Fines. The vessel MV Night Sky which was berthed at GPL used MHC Mechanical and Ship loader simultaneously. The vessel was erthed at 09:40 hrs on July 27, 2021 and commenced her loading at 14:05 hrs on July 27, 2021 by engaging manual MHC mode as well as Mechanical through Ship Loader mode to help customer to achieve their goal.



The record discharge rate yet again reaffirms Gangavaram Port's superior infrastructure and operational efficiency. The Port offers substantial economic benefits to Indian importers in terms of reduced ocean freight, highly efficient operations, advanced material handling and evacuation system, vast storage areas for all types of cargo, extensive ancillary facilities, and faster turnaround time & delivery. The trade derives benefits of modern deepwater infrastructure at Gangavaram Port. The port management is extremely delighted at this dual achievement by the team. Gangavaram Port in the past has accomplished numerous such operational milestones and has today redefined the economics of Cape Size Vessel Handling at Indian Ports. Over the last years of operations, GPL has handled numerous vessels with a broad spectrum of cargo including coking/non-coking coal, iron ore, fertilizers, agri-products, project cargo, industrial raw materials like alumina, bauxite, etc.

About Gangavaram Port Gangavaram Port is the most modern and the deepest port in India located at Visakhapatnam, the industrial nerve center of Andhra Pradesh. Gangavaram Port has been developed as an all-weather, multipurpose port with water depth up to 21 meters, making it the deepest and capable of handling fully laden Super Cape size vessels. The Port has become the gateway port for a hinterland spread over 8 states across Eastern, Western, Southern, and Central India. Its ability to handle larger vessels efficiently has resulted in substantial savings to trade and port users. Gangavaram Port provides efficient cargo handling services for a variety of bulk and breakbulk cargo. The Port, its related facilities, and material handling system are among the most advanced in Asia and meet the highest standards in terms of pollution prevention and safety. For more information, please contact: Mukta Kumar

+91-9885907090.

mukta.kumar@konnections.co.in

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[July 29, 2021] Bank of America Provides 10,000 Chromebooks to CMS Students in Charlotte

As the need for connectivity among Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' students and their families has become increasingly more evident, Bank of America is helping to close the digital divide by donating 10,000 Chromebooks for students to use in their homes. Today, distribution of those devices to the students and their families begins, in partnership with Novant Health, Eliminate the Digital Divide (E2D), the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and CMS. The Chromebooks will support students with their education and help their families by providing critical connectivity to educational tools, job opportunities, online training and other resources. More than 90% of the households receiving devices are racially and ethnically diverse. In addition to 10,000 devices, Bank of America is pledging 10,000 volunteer hours to support local students this school year through tutoring, mentoring, and in other ways. "This effort will be transformative for students and their families as they navigate a world that is increasingly reliant on technology," said President of Bank of America Charlotte Kieth Cockrell. "Insufficient access to digital resources is a problem our residents have faced for years, and it has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. With the leadership of CMS Superintendent Ernest Winston, Pat Millen from E2D and numerous members of the public and private community, our city is coming together to solve it. And I look forward to other companies in our region coming forward to help Charlotte become the first city in the nation to eliminate the digital divide." These brand-new devices come complete with full functionality and are provided to the students and their families on a permanent basis, so that the entire household can benefit both during the school year and between academic calendar years. Select students from 69 schools, including 5 Title I high schools and their feeder elementary and middle schools, will be prioritized to receive the Chromebooks. "I am grateful to Bank of America for this generous donation to our students and their families," said CMS Superintendent Earnest Winston. "Access to technology is a crucial step in our commitment to equity and is necessary for success in the 21st century. These Chromebooks will allow our students to readily engage in their education and open new opportunities for them and their loved ones." Bank of America is partnering with Novant Health to provide coronavirus vaccinations at an upcoming distribution event. The health system will also help schedule appointments for back-to-school immunizations. "We are excited to partner with Bank of America to make sure that our students in Charlotte have access to all the resources they need before returning to school this fall," said Dr. Jerome Williams, senior vice president of consumer engagement, Novant Health. "By offering on-site COVID-19 vaccinations and scheduling appointments for back-to-school immunizations, we can ensure students' health needs are taken care of so they can have a safe and healthy school year." Bank ofAmerica is also working in partnership with E2D, a non-profit agency committed to ensuring that all students have affordable access to essential at-home technology and digital literacy training to support academic success and prepare students for college, careers, and beyond. E2D will assist in the distribution of the Chromebooks, which will be delivered before the 2021-2022 school year begins.



"Since 2013, E2D has been working diligently to chip away at Charlotte's digital divide and we have been delighted to see corporate Charlotte step up to join us in our work," said Pat Millen, E2D Founder and President. "Bank of America's generous computer donation is single-handedly eliminating a massive chunk of this remaining need. We are hopeful that Bank of America's laptop donation may inspire other large corporate technology grants to help Charlotte eliminate its digital divide permanently." Bank of America invests in the communities it serves through programs and partnerships that address complex societal challenges. As a part of that, the bank has committed $6 million in Charlotte over the past five years working with non-profit and governmental agencies to support education, employment, leadership training, and mentoring for local students, including programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Read Charlotte, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department's Envision Academy, the Mayor's Youth Employment Program, and Freedom School Partners. Bank of America also has created its own Student Leaders program, which annually connects more than 300 community-minded high school juniors and seniors from nearly 100 communities to employment, skills and development service.

Bank of America

At Bank of America, we're guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We're delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It's demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Connect with us on Twitter (News - Alert) (@BofA_News). For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts. www.bankofamerica.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005131/en/

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[July 29, 2021] MGI Australia Demo Lab Opens to Support APAC Customers

BRISBANE, Australia, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MGI Tech Co. Ltd. (MGI), a world-leading life science technology innovator, announces the opening of MGI Australia Demonstration Laboratory (Demo Lab) to support the users in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). The lab is dedicated to offering the users in Asia-Pacific (APAC) unique access to MGI's cutting-edge technology portfolio including DNBSEQ platforms*, laboratory automation systems and bioinformatics products, for application development, technology assessment and technical support. MGI Australia will announce a $100,000-worth grant program to APAC scientists in August. Email us to receive grant updates. The Demo Lab acts as a centralised customer support center to provide troubleshooting, technology trials, validation or proof-of-concept programs, and other technical support for MGI platform users in the region. MGI Australia is locally incorporated in February 2021. Dr. Bicheng Yang, Director of MGI Australia, introduces that "the Demo Lab also serves as a Research and Development center to conduct innovative application developments with regional focus and importance." The Demo Lab showcases a suite of MGI's proprietary technology platforms including a series of ultra-high, high and medium throughput DNBSEQ sequencers*,automated laboratory systems, and bioinformatics products, with the goal to sharpen existing technical strengths and grow local capabilities to support the users in accelerating their research and applications. MGI genetic sequencers*, based on the proprietary sequencing technology DNBSEQTM, feature low amplification error rate, high density patterned arrays, high SNP and indel detection accuracy, and low index hopping.



MGI automated laboratory systems simplify the labour-intensive and time-consuming procedures in a sequencing laboratory and enable a highly efficient streamlined workflow. MGI automation systems are playing an instrumental role in the global pandemic control including Australia by enabling fast-turn-around COVID-19 testing. MGI Australia has a strong local technical team offering on-the-ground support for local customers and has implemented over 70 innovative systems to date proudly supporting ANZ customers. Since the establishment in 2016 MGI has independently developed a full range of patented technologies, including sequencing*, patterned array, fluidics, opto-electromechanics and more. MGI has more than 140 valid Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patents applications filed globally. The MGI platform is gaining wide industry recognition in the scientific community around the world, with over 1,600 papers using DNBSEQTM sequencing* platform published in top scientific journals and over 40 petabytes of data generated to date.

About MGI Headquartered in Shenzhen, MGI is committed to building core tools and technology to lead life science through intelligent innovation. Based on its proprietary technology, MGI focuses on Research & Development, production and sales of sequencing instruments, reagents, and related products to support life science research in agriculture, precision medicine and healthcare. MGI's multi-omics platforms include genetic sequencing*, medical imaging, and laboratory automation. For more information please visit MGI website or connect with us on Twitter, Linkedin or Youtube. *Unless otherwise informed, all sequencers and sequencing reagents are not available in Germany, USA, Spain, UK, Hong Kong, Sweden, and Belgium. SOURCE MGI Tech Co., Ltd.

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[July 29, 2021] Ontario Southeast Regional Hospitals to Expand Use of Novari Technology

KINGSTON, ON, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Novari Health has announced that it has executed an agreement to expand the current use of the Novari Access to Care software platform in the southeast health area of Ontario. As part of a regional initiative, the southeast regional hospitals are embarking on a transformational project designed to improve access to care, standardize workflows and improve efficiencies for both medicine and surgical referrals. The highly configurable Novari eRequest technology will be the enabling system to support this innovative transformation. Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) will be the initial pilot site. The software as a service (SaaS) technology is being provided as an electronic means to manage the processing and workflows associated with inbound referrals for medicine and surgery. Referral workflows for these specialized services are complex and still paper based at most Canadianhospitals. The Novari technology provides front line staff, clinicians, and management with accurate and real-time data on the volume of referrals, the status of every patient's referral and bottlenecks in the system.



As the southeast hospital organizations implement a regional health information system (HIS), Novari eRequest will be integrated with this Cerner Millennium system to support a paperless process. This deployment of Novari eRequest builds on KHSC and Lennox and Addington County General Hospital's (LACGH) long standing use of the Novari ATC surgical eBooking and wait list management system and KHSC's current implementation of the Novari Medical Imaging Requisition Management (MIRM) technology. The Ontario Ministry of Health, Ontario Health and hospitals across the province have been working to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients. Having a modern referral management, wait list management and electronic workflow system complements these efforts for all patients including those waiting for surgical & medical consults, surgery and other procedures.

Novari Health's innovative and unique access to care technologies are live and being implemented at dozens of hospitals and regional health authorities across Canada. KHSC has been a long-time client and as they and the hospitals of the southeast embark on this innovative transformation, we are proud to provide the foundational technology to support them.

John Sinclair, CPHIMS-CA

President, Novari Health About Novari Health

Novari Health is the leader in Access to Care solutions and is one of Canada's fastest growing digital health companies. We design, build, and implement award-winning enterprise scale SaaS solutions that improve access to care, coordination of care, and the delivery of healthcare services. Based in Kingston Ontario and with offices in Vancouver, Australia, and New Zealand, Novari is ISO 27001 certified and a Microsoft Gold Partner. Central Intake??Surgical Wait List Management??eReferral

?eVisits / Virtual Care? Novari, Novari Health, Novari ATC, Novari eVisit, Novari eRequest, Novari Access to Care are all trademarks of Novari Health Incorporated. Novari Health Head Office

1473 John Counter Blvd, Suite 401

Kingston, ON, K7M 8Z6

Canada

Visit our website for more information on Novari Health. SOURCE Novari Health Inc.

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[July 29, 2021] Excision BioTherapeutics Appoints Industry Veteran Lisa Danzig, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Excision BioTherapeutics Inc, the developer of CRISPR-based therapies intended to cure viral infectious diseases, today announced the appointment of Lisa Danzig, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Danzigs broad infectious disease and drug development experience will play a critical role as we advance EBT-101 for HIV toward the clinic and continue our pre-clinical work on our additional pipeline programs, said Daniel Dornbusch, Chief Executive Officer of Excision. Excisions focus on utilizing our CRISPR-based therapeutic platform to address chronic viral infectious diseases aligns exceptionally well with Dr. Danzigs expertise and we are thrilled to have her join the growing Excision team. Dr. Danzig brings more than 20 years of infectious disease R&D experience, including advancing novel vaccines and diagnostics from research stage through clinical development. Most recently, she has worked with Pandefense Advisory helping various institutions, non-profits, companies, and governments around the world on COVID-19 responses and protocols. In July 2021, Dr. Danzig was awarded Perus Order of Merit for Distinguished Services at the rank of Grand Official for her outstanding contributions that enabled effective vaccine procurement. Dr. Danzig previously served as EVP and Chief Medical Officer at infectious disease and travel vaccine developer, PaxVax. Prior to PaxVax, she held senior global roles at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc., supporting both the blood screening diagnostic and vaccines business nits. Dr. Danzig began her industry career at Chiron Corporation, leading the clinical meningococcal franchise team, before the Company was acquired by Novartis International AG. Before joining the industry, she served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer for the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the Nosocomial Infections Surveillance Activity Branch, Hospital Infections Program, and completed an Infectious Diseases fellowship at UCSF-Mt. Zion. A published author in the Wall Street Journal and Foreign Affairs, Dr. Danzig earned her M.D. from Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine and a B.S. in Biology from Reed College.



Excisions CRISPR gene editing platform has demonstrated preclinical proof of efficacy as a potential functional cure for HIV in animal models, said Dr. Danzig. This novel approach, which leverages how CRISPR evolved as an innate antiviral in bacteria, has the potential to truly impact the care of HIV patients. I am excited to be joining the team as we prepare to advance this cutting-edge research toward the clinic. About Excision BioTherapeutics, Inc.

Excision BioTherapeutics, Inc., is a biotechnology company developing CRISPR-based therapies intended to cure viral infectious diseases. Excision is focused on improving the lives of chronically ill patients by eliminating viral genomes from infected individuals. By using CRISPR in unique ways, the Company has already demonstrated the first functional cure for HIV in animals. Excision is developing technologies and IP developed at Temple University and U.C. Berkeley. Excision is located in San Francisco, California and is supported by ARTIS Ventures, GreatPoint Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Adjuvant Capital, Cota Capital, WRVI Capital, IndusAge Partners, Loreda Holdings, Olive Tree, Anzu Partners, SilverRidge Venture Partners, Oakhouse Ventures, and Gaingels. For more information, please visit www.excision.bio. Contacts: Investors

Eric Ando

Burns McClellan, Inc.

212-213-0006

eando@burnsmc.com

Media

Robert Flamm, Ph.D.

Burns McClellan, Inc.

212-213-0006

rflamm@burnsmc.com





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[July 29, 2021] Kane Biotech Receives Decisions to Grant for Two European Patents Providing Broad Protection of coactiv+ Technology for Wound Care, Skin Infections and Personal Care Formulations

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kane Biotech Inc. announces that it has received two Decisions to Grant from the European Patent Office for patents covering its best-in-class coactiv+ technology. The allowed claims cover composition of matter for the company's proprietary formulations for use in treating wounds and skin infections and in personal care formulations.

A Decision to Grant is the European Examiners confirmation that the European Patent Office has decided to grant Kane the patent and has set the grant date. "These patents are important additions to the existing portfolio covering Kanes coactiv+ technology platform," said Gordon Guay, the company's Chief Scientific Officer. "Kane already had strong patent coverage in Europe, and the coverage of the coactiv+ technology is now significantly enhanced, both in terms of the scope of protection, and term of protection." Marc Edwards, CEO of Kane Biotech added: The versatility of our coactiv+ technology, as in our existing shampoo, pet water additive and wound gel applications, offers a pipeline of commercialization opportunities to licence, partner or go direct to market with innovative applications to treat problems caused by biofilm proliferation. Kane Biotechs patented coactiv+ is a continuously active technology specifically formulated to destabilize biofilms in order to promote an environment for fast wound healing. The key ingredients are recognized as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration and have been purposefully selected to provide support throughout the entire wound healing cascade. Its multi-functional and gentle formulation makes it a perfect companion treatment to DispersinB Hydrogel, also part of the Kane Biotech antibiofilm wound care portfolio. Watch Kanes latest 2021 business update video series here. About Kane Biotech

Kane Biotech is a biotechnology company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of technologies and products that prevent and remove microbial biofilms. The Company has a portfolio of biotechnologies, intellectual property (54 patents and patents pending, trade secrets and trademarks) and products developed by the Company's own biofilm research expertise and acquired from leading research institutions StrixNB, DispersinB, Aledex, bluestem, bluestem, silkstem, goldstem, coactiv+, coactive+, DermaKB and DermaKB Biofilm are trademarks of Kane Biotech Inc. The Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "KNE" and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol KNBIF.



For more information, kanebiotech.com , or: Marc Edwards Ray Dupuis Lorne Gorber Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer Investor Relations Kane Biotech Inc Kane Biotech Inc Kane Biotech Inc. medwards@kanebiotech.com rdupuis@kanebiotech.com lgorber@kanebiotech.com +1 (514) 910-6991 +1 (204) 298-2200 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain statements regarding Kane Biotech Inc. that constitute forward-looking information under applicable securities law. These statements reflect managements current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks relating to the Companys: (a) financial condition, including lack of significant revenues to date and reliance on equity and other financing; (b) business, including its early stage of development, government regulation, market acceptance for its products, rapid technological change and dependence on key personnel; (c) intellectual property including the ability of the Company to protect its intellectual property and dependence on its strategic partners; and (d) capital structure, including its lack of dividends on its common shares, volatility of the market price of its common shares and public company costs. Further information about these and other risks and uncertainties can be found in the disclosure documents filed by the Company with applicable securities regulatory authorities, available at www.sedar.com. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive.



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[July 29, 2021] CAI International, Inc. Announces Receipt by Subsidiary CAL Funding IV Limited of Requisite Consents in Consent Solicitation Relating to its 2.22% Fixed Rate Asset-Backed Notes, Series 2020-1, Class A

CAI International, Inc. (NYSE: CAI) ("CAI" or the "Company"), one of the world's leading transportation finance companies, announced today that its subsidiary CAL Funding IV Limited ("CAL Funding") has received the requisite consents, under a consent solicitation (the "Consent Solicitation") related to CAL Funding's 2.22% Fixed Rate Asset-Backed Notes, Series 2020-1, Class A (the "Notes"), to enter into a supplemental indenture to affect certain amendments to and waivers under the indenture, dated September 9, 2020, between CAL Funding and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee, as amended. The amendments and waivers were sought in connection with the proposed migration (the "Migration") of the jurisdiction of certain of the Company's subsidiaries, including CAL Funding, to the United States, which migration is among the conditions to closing of the previously-announced proposed acquisition by merger (the "Merger") of CAI by Mitsubishi (News - Alert) HC Capital Inc. ("MHC"). The amendments to the indenture will become effective immediately prior to, and contingent upon, the effectiveness of the Migration, which will precede the closing of the Merger. The Consent Solicitation expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 28, 2021 (the "Expiration Time"). The holders who delivered valid and unrevoked consents prior to the Expiration Time will receive a cash payment of $1.00 multiplied by the Notes' scaling factor as of the Expiration Time of the Consent Solicitation per each $1,000 original principal amount of Notes for which consents were delivered by such holders. Such payment is expected to be made immediately prior to the Migration. Wells Fargo (News - Alert) Securities served as the solicitation agent for the Consent Solicitation. D.F. King & Co., Inc. served as the information agent and tabulation agent for the Consent Solicitation. This announcement is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any Notes or any other securities. This announcement is also not a solicitation of consents with respect to the Notes or any other securities. About CAI International, Inc. CAI is one of the world's leading transportation finance companies. As of March 31, 2021, CAI operated a worldwide fleet of approximately 1.8 million CEUs of containers. CAI operates through 13 offices located in 12 countries including the United States. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements included in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Statements about the proposed Migration and the proposed merger and related transactions and all other statements in this press release, other than historical facts, constitute forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "goal," "plan," "intend," "estimate," "may," "will" or similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Readersare cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the following cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. The Company may not be able to complete the proposed merger transaction on proposed terms or other acceptable terms or at all because of a number of factors, including, but not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, (2) the failure to obtain stockholder approval or the failure to satisfy the closing conditions in the merger agreement, (3) the potential for regulatory authorities to require divestitures, behavioral remedies or other concessions in order to obtain their approval of the proposed merger, (4) risks related to disruption of management's attention from the Company's ongoing business operations due to the proposed merger, (5) the effect of the announcement of the proposed merger on the ability of the Company to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its customers, suppliers, operating results and business generally, (6) the proposed merger may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or delays, (7) the Company's business may suffer as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the proposed merger, including the timing of the consummation of the proposed merger, (8) the outcome of any legal proceeding relating to the proposed merger, (9) the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors, including, but not limited to, those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and (10) other risks to consummation of the proposed merger, including the risk that the proposed merger will not be consummated within the expected time period or at all, which may adversely affect the Company's business and the price of the common stock.



Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. In addition, the forward-looking statements represent the Company's views as of the date on which such statements were made. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause its views to change. However, although the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. Additional factors that may affect the business or financial results of the Company are described in the risk factors included in the Company's filings with the SEC (News - Alert) , including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 1, 2021, as updated by the Company's subsequent filings with the SEC. The Company expressly disclaims a duty to provide updates to forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or other occurrences, except as required by applicable law. Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication relates to the proposed merger involving the Company. In connection with the proposed merger, the Company has filed a preliminary proxy statement and will file or furnish other relevant materials with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Once the SEC completes its review of the preliminary proxy statement, a definitive proxy statement and a form of proxy will be filed with the SEC and mailed or otherwise furnished to the stockholders of the Company. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, THE COMPANY'S STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED MERGER OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THE PROXY STATEMENT, IF ANY, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED MERGER AND THE PARTIES TO THE PROPOSED MERGER. This communication is not a substitute for the proxy statement or any other document that may be filed by the Company with the SEC. Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain the documents (when available) free of charge at the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov, and the Company's website, www.capps.com. In addition, the documents (when available) may be obtained free of charge by directing a request by mail or telephone to: CAI International, Inc., Steuart Tower, 1 Market Plaza, Suite 2400, San Francisco, California 94105, Attention: Secretary, (415) 788-0100. Participants in the Solicitation The Company, MHC and certain of their respective directors, executive officers, certain other members of management and employees of the Company and MHC and agents retained by the Company may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders of the Company in favor of the proposed merger. Information about directors and executive officers of the Company and their beneficial ownership of the Company's common stock is set forth in the Company's definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A for its 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, as filed with the SEC on April 21, 2021. Certain directors, executive officers, other members of management and employees of the Company may have direct or indirect interests in the proposed Merger due to securities holdings, vesting of equity awards and rights to other payments. Additional information regarding the direct and indirect interests of these individuals and other persons who may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation will be included in the proxy statement with respect to the proposed merger the Company will file with the SEC and furnish to the Company's stockholders. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005358/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Mastercard Incorporated Second-Quarter 2021 Financial Results Available on Company's Website

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) today announced its second quarter 2021 financial results through an earnings release available on the company's Investor Relations website at investor.mastercard.com. The earnings release will be furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC (News - Alert) ) on a Form 8-K and available here. At 9:00 a.m. ET today, the company will host a conference call to discuss these financial results. Conference Call Details:

>U.S. dial-in: 833-714-0894







U.K. local dial-in: 02035478612

Conference ID: 4561068 A replay of the call will be available for 30 days using the following dial-in:

U.S. dial-in: 800-585-8367

International dial-in (outside the U.S.): +1-416-621-4642

Conference ID: 4561068

The webcast recording and all related materials can also be accessed at investor.mastercard.com. About Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005596/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Fujitsu and HFR Networks Enhance Smart xHaul for 5G Transport

Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. and HFR Networks, Inc. today introduced new and enhanced Smart xHaul solutions for versatile, cost-efficient, scalable 5G network transport. Enhancements include new innovative optics for the M6424 time sensitive networking (TSN) aggregation and transport switch - which is in use with a Tier 1 U.S. service provider as the lead customer - and the new M6208E TSN switch for hardened environments. As service providers ramp up 5G service, and begin to merge radio access network (RAN) traffic across legacy 4G frequencies and newly acquired C-band spectrum, Cloud RAN (C-RAN) transport requires high performance and optimized economics to scale capacity efficiently per macro cell site. The enhanced M6424 delivers up to 400G transport capacity with the new xWave 400G optical solution for high-capacity TSN with precision time protocol (PTP) over a single fiber. This significant increase in transport efficiency results in an 8 to 1 fiber savings, with a pay-as-you-grow solution provisioned in 100G increments. Moreover, the M6424 switch includes integration of 10Gbps/25Gbps Smart Tunable Optics, offering a powerful "semi-active" transport solution when cell site power and space challenges exist. The M6424 utilizes its management software to access the smart self-tuning optics for automated turn-up and remote visibility at passive cell sites, allowing proactive Operations, Administration and Management (OA&M) capabilities, resulting in high availability services support. In this way, optics can be disaggregated from the transport system and plugged directly into radios at space constrained or zoning-restricted locations such as lamp posts, utility poles or building facades, soving challenges related to power, aesthetics and space.



The new M6208E switch is a scalable, high-capacity TSN switch in a compact, hardened enclosure for outside plant wall or pole mounting, built for rapid site deployment in challenging conditions ranging from rural cell sites to constrained environments, such as subways or venues. The versatile M6208E reduces fiber needs by enabling service blending across legacy 3G or 4G LTE (News - Alert) common public radio interface (CPRI) infrastructure at remote radio heads with 5G enhanced CPRI traffic and Ethernet services on a common RAN. "As service providers face the complexities of building out ubiquitous 5G coverage, they need operational flexibility with greater efficiency and performance. Leveraging TSN and innovative optics optimized for xHaul enables significant cost savings, business agility and faster time to market," said Paul Havala, vice president of technology business unit, Fujitsu Network Communications (News - Alert) , Inc. "The combination of Fujitsu's integration services and HFR Networks' standards-compliant technology empowers versatile Smart xHaul solutions with centralized management across multiple RAN types to support a wide variety of 5G transport use cases."

"HFR Networks continues to listen to customers as we expand our flexiHaul solutions portfolio," said Paul Crann, chief executive officer, HFR Networks. "These enhanced switching solutions help operators to accelerate 5G coverage to more locations, including sites that require rugged, passive or compact solutions with the ability to converge multiple services onto common infrastructure." As an HFR Networks' partner, Fujitsu offers the M6424, xWave 400G and M6208E switching solutions as part of its Smart xHaul transport portfolio, along with network integration and management services. About Fujitsu Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 126,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$34 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. For more information, please see https://www.fujitsu.com. About Fujitsu Network Communications Inc. Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of digital transformation solutions for network operators, service providers and content providers worldwide. We combine best-in-class hardware, software and services with multivendor expertise to enable cost savings, faster services delivery and improved network performance. Working closely with our customers and ecosystem partners, we design, build, operate and maintain better networks for the connected world. For more information, please see http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom or connect with us on LinkedIn (News - Alert) at www.linkedin.com/company/Fujitsu-network-communications. About HFR Networks HFR Networks, Inc. is leading the industry with our flexiHaul portfolio of intelligent xHaul RAN Transport and Edge Access solutions. We solve today's most critical RAN transport demands, especially when fiber is constrained for fronthaul or backhaul applications. Our solutions have optimized economics for this segment of the network, while also delivering high performance, simplified operations, interoperability across wireless technologies, and a diverse ecosystem of third-party RAN suppliers. HFR Networks' technological leadership helps customers to lower costs for 3G/4G operations, while also accelerating new 5G and Ethernet services. We enable advanced mobile networks by utilizing nanosecond timing to connect radios using CPRI and eCPRI, within both traditional and cloud-based mobile architectures. For more information, visit www.hfrnetworks.com. Fujitsu (and design), 1FINITY, Virtuora and "shaping tomorrow with you" are trademarks of Fujitsu Limited in the United States and other countries. All rights reserved. All other company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005156/en/

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[July 29, 2021] HVR Expands Global Partner Program to Deliver Best-in-Class Data Integration Solutions to Customers

SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HVR , the leading independent provider of real-time cloud data replication technology, today announced the expansion of its Partner Program , which includes new features and benefits to its already fast-growing portfolio of global partners. Delphix and MariaDB will join the growing list of HVRs notable partners, including Snowflake, AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Databricks , and more.

As real-time data replication has become a key foundation for customers digital transformation, HVR partners with cloud providers, independent software vendors (ISVs), and both global and regional-based systems integrators. Together, HVR and its partners provide enterprise-grade data integration solutions across all major vertical markets. When moving to the cloud, our enterprise customers want a solution that is fast, secure and reliable. By partnering with HVR, we are able to provide an end-to-end solution hat moves customer data to MariaDB SkySQL , our database-as-a-service, supporting any cloud while keeping all data in sync from multiple sources, said Kevin Farley, director of strategic alliances at MariaDB Corporation. Were excited to formally join HVRs Partner Program to deliver a comprehensive data solution that supports our joint customers journey to the cloud.



Through the HVR Partner Program, partners can attain a new revenue stream in an opportune market, providing customers with a flexible and scalable solution that handles high data volumes and complexity without a hefty price tag. With sales and technical training, a dedicated partner manager, access to the partner portal, support from start to implementation, and more, HVR is dedicated to its partners success. New features and benefits to the Partner Program include:

Enhanced partner portal that provides access for partners to solution and use case content, videos, marketing material, and online technical training

that provides access for partners to solution and use case content, videos, marketing material, and online technical training Flexible partnership structure s that include resell and referral fee programs

s that include resell and referral fee programs Partner-focused people resources that enable deeper collaboration with partners to drive joint success

As a foundational technology of a larger solution, 100 percent of HVRs implementations touch or involve its partners. HVRs real-time change data capture (CDC) platform is commonly part of a best-in-class enterprise reference architecture that also includes value-added solutions from multiple HVR partners. The HVR Partner Program is integral to the success of our technology. The HVR Partner Program plays a major role in our overall global GTM efforts, and we continue to see partner driven revenue playing a major role in our growth says Dennis Concannon, senior director of channels and partnerships at HVR. With digital transformation top of mind for our customers, the HVR Partner Program aims to provide solutions in a streamlined, enterprise-ready manner. We are proud to welcome Delphix and MariaDB to our ecosystem and look forward to empowering customers in their digital efforts. Helpful Links: Become an HVR Partner

HVRs Partners

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





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[July 29, 2021] Levitee Labs Acquires Five Addiction Clinics in Alberta

Levitee acquires the majority of the operating assets of ACT Medical Centres Inc.

Five acquired addiction clinics have conducted 35,000+ patient visits over last 12 months

Clinics will be integrated with Levitees growing portfolio of healthcare assets

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Levitee Labs Inc. (CSE: LVT) (the "Company" or "Levitee), an integrative wellness company with a diversified portfolio of healthcare and wellness assets, today announces the completion of the acquisition of the majority of the operating assets of ACT Medical Centres Inc. (ACT Medical) as of July 28, 2021. These assets include 5 addiction treatment clinics across the province of Alberta that have conducted over 35,000 patient visits during the past 12 months. ACT Medical is a community-based organization providing in-depth assessment, customized treatment and counselling to patients suffering from opioid use disorder, chronic pain, and mental health conditions. Each clinic employs a highly educated and specialized team of dedicated physicians, nurses and therapists working in unison with patients to ensure treatment goals are achieved. ACT Medicals clinics are located throughout the province of Alberta, including Calgary, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Grande Prairie and Lethbridge. In consideration for the acquisition, Levitee paid $350,000 in cash on the closing date. Pouya Farmand, CEO of Levitee, states: We are thrilled to have acquired these five addiction clinics, which directly interface with patients that need alternative medicines and therapies the most. Unfortunately, substance abuse and addiction in Canada is far too prevalent, and current service options do very little to improve the health and wellness of these patients. With innovation and our patient-centric approach, we expect to make a meaningful impact and improve services to the Alberta communities where these clinics are located. These assets give us a great start in building our platform for addiction treatment services, with over 20,000 individual patient records and a name brand in the Alberta market, added Ken Osborne, Head of M&A at Levitee. We are currently evaluating additional accretive opportunities to grow our footprint across Canada. Levitee intends to integrate these clinics with its current assets in mental health and addiction treatment, aswell as assets that are acquired by Levitee in the future.



Over the past 5 years, ACT Medical has become a leader for the provision of evidence-based treatment programs for people suffering from addictions and chronic pain in Alberta, said Carrie Wylie, Executive Director, ACT Medical. We are delighted to join the Levitee team on its journey to become a leader in the area of mental health and wellness nationally. Levitee is also pleased to announce the acquisition of a 5,400 square foot building in Grande Prairie, Alberta. In the future, Levitee intends to use the building to host business operations that are complementary to the Companys mental health and addiction services which are also currently operating in the building.

About ACT Medical Centres Inc. ACT Medical provides a bridge to recovery. In the continuum of care, it plays a significant role in preparing individuals for recovery. ACT Medical is a community-based organization focused on treating people with opioid use disorder, chronic pain, and mental health issues. ACT Medical has established Care Teams at each of its locations to serve patients. The Care Teams are comprised of a medical director, physicians, nurses, and medical office assistants (MOAs). They provide specialized treatment services as well as provide patients access to recovery programs/beds; access to AISH programs; access to case workers; access to other social supports such as housing support, food services, and dental care, and more. Recovery is the focus of ACT Medicals policies and practices. About Levitee Labs Levitee Labs is establishing itself as a leader in the integrative wellness space. Through leveraging an M&A regimen that focuses on the centralization of complementary integrative wellness assets, Levitee Labs aims to transform mental health and addiction treatments through the integration of psychedelic medicines and therapies.? Further information about the Company is available on its website at? www.leviteelabs.com .?? Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain?statements that may constitute forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. All statements, other than those of historical fact, which address activities, events, outcomes, results, developments, performance, or achievements that Levitee anticipates or expects may or will occur in the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking information. Such information may involve, but is not limited to, statements?respecting the Companys planned acquisitions, the closing of same and the expected benefits of same,?Levitees?business plans and proposed products. Forward-looking information is based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans, strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Levitee to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information.?These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those identified and reported in the Companys public filings under the Companys SEDAR profile at? www.sedar.com . Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that any such statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether?as a result of?new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.?Any and all?forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.?????? The CSE (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.? For further information about Levitee, please contact: Levitee Media Contact media@leviteelabs.com Levitee Investor and Corporate Communications ir@leviteelabs.com



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[July 29, 2021] G2 Ranks Toucan Toco No.1 For Embedded Analytics And Business Intelligence

BOSTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- G2, the world's leading business solution review platform, has awarded storytelling pioneer Toucan Toco the No. 1 ranking in every business intelligence product category it assesses. Sweeping the rankings for both midmarket and enterprise customers, Toucan received G2's top rating for the 2nd year in a row, thanks to strong support from the real-world users who determine G2's category leaders. Toucan, which provides groundbreaking data visualization tools to help organizations integrate powerful data analysis into their software, operations, and workflows, was ranked as G2's No. 1 business analytics provider across all business sizes. The company's embedded analytics offerings outperformed giants including Google, Microsoft, SAP, and Oracle to secure accolades including No. 1 rankings in: Grid for Embedded Business Intelligence Software

Momentum Grid Report for Embedded Business Intelligence | Summer 2021

Enterprise Grid for Business Intelligence Software

EnterpriseGrid for Analytics Platforms Software

Momentum Grid Report for Analytics Platforms | Summer 2021



#1 for Usability for both midmarket and enterprise companies, and for both technical and nontechnical users, across G2's full range of Business Intelligence, Embedded Business Intelligence, and Analytics Platform categories. The Usability ranking celebrates organizations that are straightforward for both administrators and end-users, while still meeting all their customers' business requirements. Toucan also scored #1 for Results for both midmarket and enterprise companies across all three categories, in recognition of its ability to deliver tangible ROI and meet customer requirements at scale. The company's exceptionally strong Results ranking also reflects the number of existing customers who said they would recommend Toucan's services to others in their industry.

Toucan's users also honored the company with #1 for Relationship rankings in recognition of its commitment to customer support and ease of doing business, and #1 for Implementation rankings in recognition of its ease of setup, short time to deployment, and streamlined user adoption process. "Toucan is obsessed with helping customers to do more with data, so to take the top spot in G2's rankings  which are driven by reviews and feedback from real-world users of our products  is incredibly meaningful to us," says Charles Miglietti, Toucan's CEO and co-founder. "This is a recognition of our team's commitment to helping both midmarket and enterprise customers to seamlessly unlock the power of data across their organizations and their products, and to bringing the transformative power of data analytics within reach of everyone  even end-users who aren't trained data scientists and number crunchers." About G2

G2, the world's leading business solution review platform, leverages more than 1,000,000 user reviews to drive better purchasing decisions. Business professionals, buyers, investors, and analysts use the site to compare and select the best software and services based on peer reviews and synthesized social data. Every month, more than five million people visit G2's site to gain unique insights. About Toucan Toco:

Toucan is a modern BI platform committed to the belief that data has to be coupled with an intuitive user experience to generate actionable insights. It offers streamlined reporting for non-techies, which SaaS companies can white-label and embed into their own product to wow users and gain a competitive advantage. Toucan is trusted by 140 clients worldwide, from global corporations to fast-growth tech companies. For more information, visit: https://toucantoco.com/en/ . View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/g2-ranks-toucan-toco-no1-for-embedded-analytics-and-business-intelligence-301344152.html SOURCE Toucan Toco

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[July 29, 2021] Idaho Health Data Exchange (IHDE) Partners with Orion Health to Migrate to a Next Generation Platform

Idaho Health Data Exchange (IHDE), Idaho's statewide designated health information exchange (HIE), is partnering with Orion Health, a leading global provider of population health management solutions, to migrate IHDE to Orion Health's state-of-the-art, next generation HIE platform. Orion Health will migrate IHDE from its legacy platform, including interface connections and historical data, to the company's multi-tenant Amadeus platform. The migration will increase the overall value of the HIE for participants and will help Idaho communities create lasting system-wide improvements in the value of patient care. Amadeus is a highly scalable and open platform built on modern technology to securely capture, aggregate and store all types of health data in one place, creating and supporting an innovative health ecosystem. The platform is well-positioned to support population health management initiatives and value-based care models, as well as to adapt to new and emerging models of care and extract future value from data collected today. Amadeus' API management layer allows third-party developers to build new capabilities and specialty applications on the platform, which helps to break down data silos and fosters innovation, enabling the best applications to be developed for every healthcare scenario. The migration will also include the deployment of new modules to expand capabilities within the HIE, including: Orion Health Communicate, Orion Health Coordinate, Orion Health Medicines Viewer and Orion Health Performance Metrics Monitoring.



"In 2020, IHDE embarked on a major overhaul and revitalization of its business model, technology stack and services offering," said Hans Kastensmith, Executive Director of IHDE. "The majority of this work has been completed and is now being enhanced. As part of the vision and technology stack revitalization, IHDE made the decision to move to the Orion Health Amadeus platform to support our goal of improving the quality and coordination of healthcare in Idaho. The migration to a multi-tenanted shared platform will offer advanced capabilities and greater value to our participants across the state, helping improve population health and creating an enhanced partnership with Orion Health." To support the migration and ongoing partnership, Orion Health will provide dedicated resources to perform the ongoing technical onboarding of new data providers and their interfaces, as well as work as an extension to the IHDE team on technical solutions within the HIE.

"Orion Health is excited to leverage our long-established relationship with IHDE to migrate its HIE to our Amadeus platform, which will increase capabilities, data sharing and interoperability, benefiting both patients and providers across the state of Idaho," said Chad Peterson, Chief Revenue Officer (U.S.) of Orion Health. "The IHDE platform will serve as a model for the industry and support the vision of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to enhance, utilize and share technology in place in the healthcare ecosystem." About Idaho Health Data Exchange Idaho Health Data Exchange (IHDE), a non-profit 501(c)(3) company, is Idaho's statewide Health Information Exchange, dedicated to meeting the needs of healthcare providers and ensuring that Idaho's citizens receive the most effective health services possible. To achieve these goals, IHDE is working with a wide array of stakeholders and actively building a best in breed technology infrastructure to provide access to reliable data and information, combining traditional healthcare data with other data sources to help address the medical, behavioral, and social needs that influence the well-being of Idahoans. For more information, visit https://idahohde.org/. About Orion Health Orion Health is a global healthcare technology company and one of the world's foremost providers of healthcare integration solutions to healthcare organizations. Worldwide, Orion Health solutions are used in 13 countries by more than 300,000 clinicians. Orion Health provides an open platform which enables access to healthcare by more than 100 million patients across the world. In the U.S., the company provides interoperability, population health management and precision medicine solutions for health information exchanges (HIEs), accountable care organizations (ACOs) and payers. The company is committed to continual innovation, investing substantially in research and development to cement its position at the forefront of precision medicine. For more information visit www.orionhealth.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005170/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Inriver Named a Leader in 2021 IDC MarketScape for PIM Applications for Commerce

CHICAGO and MALMO, Sweden, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inriver, the solution that empowers organizations to deliver revenue-driving product information management (PIM) across every customer touchpoint, today has been named a leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Product Information Management Applications for Commerce 2021 Vendor Assessment (Doc #US47482521, June 2021). This is the second year IDC MarketScape named inriver as a Leader and reflects the solution's ease of use, digital shelf analytics capabilities, and flexibility that is core to the product as its strengths. "Customers and partner organizations we interviewed rated inriver above average for its ease of use/UI." The IDC MarketScape identifies capabilities and strategies of PIM solutions. "Inriver's maintained its position among the leaders because of its ability to help merchants face the evolving challenges of commerce today, including channel explosion, lofty customer expectations, and fierce competition," said Jordan Jewell, research director, digital commerce, IDC. "In this environment a scalable and flexible PIM solution is increasingly essential for merchants to deliver exceptional commerce experiences and grow their online businesses."



Strengths of inriver: Ease of use: A new user interface helps customers and partners use inriver as a foundation for digital commerce solutions across industries. The solution is built for marketers and helps ensure even the largest organization can easily manage





"Customers and partner organizations we interviewed rated inriver above average for its ease of use/UI."





A new user interface helps customers and partners use inriver as a foundation for digital commerce solutions across industries. The solution is built for marketers and helps ensure even the largest organization can easily manage "Customers and partner organizations we interviewed rated inriver above average for its ease of use/UI." Digital shelf analytics: Digital shelf analytics help solve a big piece of the revenue gap that impacts conversions.



Integrating digital shelf analytics into inriver delivers the Engagement Intelligence  that helps customers identify and fix common challenges like stock-outs, missing product information, and competitive pricing.





Digital shelf analytics help solve a big piece of the revenue gap that impacts conversions. Integrating digital shelf analytics into inriver delivers the Engagement Intelligence that helps customers identify and fix common challenges like stock-outs, missing product information, and competitive pricing. Built for the future: As market and customer needs evolve, a PIM solution needs to be able to support future needs.



"One inriver partner commented 'Their core data model is extremely future-proof as it allows you to be very dynamic and onboard different data sets. They have also invested a ton in the past year in digital shelf analytics and syndication." According to the report, buyers should choose inriver if seeking a PIM that is designed for marketers and has embedded syndication capabilities. "Maintaining a position in the Leaders Category in the IDC MarketScape is a great testament to the innovation of inriver," said Thomas Zanzinger, CEO, inriver. "When looking for a solution that is the foundation of commerce, make sure to invest in one that prioritizes innovation and has a track record of enabling organizations to take advantage of revenue-driving moments." To learn more about how inriver, a pure-play SaaS PIM, can help you open the digital front door, download your excerpt of the 2021 IDC MarketScape here. About inriver

Inriver empowers organizations to deliver revenue-driving product information at every touchpoint. Inriver's Digital-first PIM enables organizations to bring compelling product stories to life for highly customized purchases, obtain actionable guidance on what influences buying decisions, and then quickly adapt to put insights into action. Inriver helps B2B and B2C organizations turn product information into strategic assets to drive revenue for over 1,600 brands and 600 customers globally. Headquartered in Malmo, Sweden, inriver has offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago, Davao, London, Manila, and Stockholm. For more information, visit inriver.com. About IDC MarketScape

IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigours scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current prospective vendors. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inriver-named-a-leader-in-2021-idc-marketscape-for-pim-applications-for-commerce-301344321.html SOURCE inriver

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[July 29, 2021] Practifi Launches New Compliance Role-Based App To Platform, Enabling Firms To Proactively Mitigate Risk

CHICAGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Practifi, a business management platform for high-performing wealth institutions, broker-dealers, and RIAs, today announced the release of its new compliance-focused solution to its existing suite of innovative role-based apps. The revolutionary apps surface data, dashboards and reports most pertinent to the different roles within an organization helping teams save time, minimize risk and streamline processes. The new compliance app offers compliance teams the ability to proactively identify and mitigate risk within a unified platform. Instead of waiting to uncover issues and violations, compliance teams can use the customized app to manage, monitor and track compliance obligations quickly and efficiently. Users can also set and receive alerts for missing client data and overdue documents, and directly task advisors and client service team members to swiftly resolve the possible risk. "When it comes to business management technology, tilored operational visibility is key for both company and client success," said Adrian Johnstone, Practifi's co-founder and chief commercial officer. "We believe the future of financial advice relies on centralized technology that curates information, tasks and reports to fit the different roles within an organization. With the new compliance app, our platform not only gives compliance teams and wealth managers greater peace of mind, but also advances our vision of providing unified technology for financial firms."



Practifi's role-based apps provide tailored dashboards and information to enable different teams to focus on their most important work. Complementing existing advisory, client service, marketing, and management apps, the new compliance app solidifies Practifi as the unified platform for high-performing advisory firms. About Practifi

More than a CRM, Practifi is an enterprise-grade business management platform designed for high-performing financial advice firms. Practifi's innovative product suite helps advisory teams integrate systems and automate processes while maximizing revenue, boosting growth, and strengthening client relationships. With a focus on client success and product innovation, Practifi provides the foundation and support needed to build the financial advisory firm of the future. Practifi was founded in Sydney, Australia, and has U.S. headquarters in Chicago. To learn more, visit practifi.com .

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/practifi-launches-new-compliance-role-based-app-to-platform-enabling-firms-to-proactively-mitigate-risk-301343879.html SOURCE Practifi

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[July 29, 2021] THE WEST BRIDGFORD SCHOOL HELPS BOOST STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY SKILLS FOR STAFF WITH RAPID TRANSFORMATION TO ONLINE TEACHING DURING COVID-19

London, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- D2L, a global learning technology leader, announced today that its partner, The West Bridgford School (WBS), is celebrating the success of its rapid transformation to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. For WBS, adjusting to national restrictions and school closures in spring 2020 meant expanding its existing use of D2L Brightspace to deliver virtual classrooms, online assessments and interactive discussion forums. The high-performing school for students aged 11-18 has used the Brightspace platform since 2017 and this foundation in online learning meant it was well equipped to make a swift and successful adjustment to ensure educational continuity for its students. In anticipation of school closures, WBS adjusted lesson plans and timetables for a fully online environment, and teachers needed to rapidly integrate new tools into their delivery of teaching, while balancing various work and home demands. To get ahead, WBS prioritised expanding the range of Brightspace tools to enable a more complete teaching and learning environment, followed by implementing comprehensive staff training to ensure they were supported and prepared for the change. The great thing about Brightspace is that its modular  so you can easily add functionality and features as required, says Mark Deans, Deputy Headteacher at The West Bridgford School. We were familiar with the Virtual Classrooms tool, the Video Assignments tool and a range of similar features that we could implement as circumstances change. We have a very good relationship with the D2L support team, and their flexibility and responsiveness meant that, in the period before lockdown commenced, we could properly train all of our staff on the technology. A total of 100 staff members were trained in a short space of time and, after a week of preparation, WBS began rolling out engaging online lessons, starting with students in years 10 and 12 who were working towards their final exams this year. Students were taught live, in their usual groups, by their regular teachers. The school was also determined to maintain its high standard of pastoral care and support. Video assemblies helped establish important lines of contact while bridging materials were provided to years 11 and 13  the important transitional years between GCSEs and A-Levels  and A-Level to post-school. Weekly drop-in lessons gave year 11 students tasters in various A-Level subjects, during which they not only had the opportunity to meet the members of staff who would be teaching them, but also other students considering the subject wo would be their classmates.



The adaptability of the Brightspace platform enabled WBS to meet its objectives in rapidly migrating lessons online and continuing to provide a stimulating learning environment. The platform supported high levels of student logins, students engaged well with a variety of tasks and the school received positive feedback from parents. Whats more, teachers who previously viewed technology as a barrier, embraced the transition, citing the live engagements they were still able to have with students as central to bringing them on board. Despite the difficulties, the situation has raised overall skill levels in technology use.

Looking ahead to September 2021, all year group Key Assessments will be pre-plotted in our online gradebooks, with a clear rationale and revision materials attached, said Mark. After extensive surveys of what parents preferred, all Information Evenings will continue as online live events, all Parents Evenings will continue as bookable video conferences and all our transition lessons from Year 11 to 12 are taking place as online lessons  the possibilities really are endless. To achieve this pace of change would have been unthinkable 15 months ago, now the shibboleths that have stood throughout my career seem to fall every day. 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," says Elliot Gowans, Senior Vice President, International at D2L. Its wonderful to see how well The West Bridgford School has adjusted to such a challenging period for the education sector, and how much positive feedback the varied online lessons and interactions have received from teachers, students and parents. Learn more about D2Ls work with West Bridgford School here: https://www.d2l.com/customers/the-west-bridgford-school/ ABOUT THE WEST BRIDGFORD SCHOOL

The West Bridgford School is an OFSTED Outstanding school located in Nottingham, UK. With over 1600 pupils and a thriving Post-16 provision, the school has embraced the use of technology for many years, delivering homework, course materials and access to pupil grades via a variety of platforms. The school holds on passionately to the belief that it exists to serve its local community and strive to meet the needs of all the children irrespective of their ability, ethnicity, gender, disability or special needs. Evidence shows that all children who attend the school realise their potential, giving credence to the belief that it is truly comprehensive. 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 .?

?

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 . UK PRESS CONTACTS??

Pippa Twigg, Finn Partners??

07769 719 719??

D2L@finnpartners.com ??

Twitter:?@D2L_EMEA?

 2021 D2L Corporation.?



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[July 29, 2021] Washlava Announces $9 Million in Financing; Appoints Tommy Hart as Interim CEO

Washlava, the mobile-first Internet of Things (IoT) start-up, today announced the closing of $9MM in recapitalization and equity financing from the Jacksonville-based Monterey Private Capital and the Tampa-based David A. Straz Jr. Foundation. In addition, the company announced the arrival of Tommy Hart as interim Chief Executive Officer and Michael Wik as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Straz Foundation has been a supporter of Tampa Bay performing arts, higher education, visuals arts and civic engagement for over 25 years. Monterey Private Capital has expanded on its existing investment in Washlava, alongside its long-term investments in a number of other Southeast-based startups. Hart is president of Offload Business Solutions, a professional services firm in Jacksonville offering outsourced payroll and HR solutions. In addition, he was recently appointed Washlava CFO and will now serve dual roles until the appointment of a permanent CEO. Hart replaces founding CEO Todd Belveal, who is leaving the company. Wik, Managing Director of Matrix Capital Advisors LLC, also joins Washlava as Chairman of the Board. The two will collaborate to continue the advancement of the company's mission to transform the laundry industry through the use of mobile technology, with a focus on growth. "Washlava's impressive IoT technology offering has already demonstrated great traction in its key university housing market, where the company has won contracts at prestigious instittions such as MIT (News - Alert) , Syracuse, and Monmouth," said Hart. "Washlava's app-enabled concept store in Tampa has also shown tremendous potential in its ability to improve store performance and ultimately scale. I jumped at the chance to take a more active role that is focused on the advancement of mobile technology and cashless payments and am thrilled to help lead the growth of a company whose mission is to bring industry-wide transformation to a space very much in need of it."



"I founded Washlava six years ago, and I'm proud of the IoT platform we've built and the accomplishments that have come with the shared laundry experience the technology delivers," said Belveal. "It's time for a fresh face at the helm, so I've made the decision to step aside. Tommy and Michael have been ardent supporters of Washlava and I'm confident that together with the board of directors, we will identify the right leadership team to continue to build on the momentum we're already enjoying." Under Belveal's leadership, Washlava's innovative offerings have allowed customers across multiple shared laundry venues to reserve and pay for laundry machines directly from their smartphones, creating a digital ecosystem for a cashless laundry network. In October 2019, it was announced that Washlava closed a Series A-1 financing round with LG Electronics (News - Alert) to further support Washlava in its goal of transforming the self-service laundry industry through its proprietary smartphone-enabled technology platform, helping both brands create forward-looking technology and opportunities for the next generation of users.

About Washlava Washlava is the laundry experience that lets customers reserve and pay for machines from their smartphones. Washlava intends to transform the self-service laundry industry through its patent-pending, smartphone-enabled technology platform and digital brand by creating a connected, convenient laundry experience for businesses and their customers. The company was founded by Todd Belveal, who previously co-founded the Austin-based, mobile-enabled car rental company, Silvercar (now owned by Audi). For more information, visit washlava.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005698/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Creating a Safe, Inclusive and Open Online Environment

The Government of Canada is seeking comments on a proposed approach to combatting harmful online content. GATINEAU, QC, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to taking concrete action to combat serious forms of harmful online content, specifically hate speech, terrorist content, content that incites violence, child sexual exploitation content and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, alongside the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, launched a public consultation on a proposed approach for promoting a safe, inclusive and open online environment. The proposal has been informed by extensive work, led by the government over the last year, on the issue of online harm. It reflects targeted engagement with communities that experience inequitable outcomes or treatment, including victims of hate speech and organizations combatting child sexual exploitation. The proposal also draws on insights from civil society and advocacy groups from across Canada, and on approaches taken by Canada's international partners. The government aims to present a new legislative and regulatory framework this fall, with rules to make social media platforms and other online services more accountable and transparent in combatting harmful online content. This framework would also contemplate the role of law enforcement and security and intelligence agencies in addressing the real-world impacts of online harm. These proposals aim to support inclusive online participation and protect public safety, while protecting the freedom of expression and privacy of Canadians online. Seeking public input on the complex and technical elements of regulating harmful online content is an important step in establishing this framework. More specifically, the Government's proposed regulatory framework would: Define the types ofharmful content to be regulated;

Establish which entities would be subject to the new rules;

Set out new rules and obligations for regulated entities; and

Create new regulatory bodies to administer the new framework. In the week ahead, the government will also hold roundtable discussions to have focused conversations on aspects of the law enforcement and national security proposals. This includes how the regulatory framework can be structured to require the removal of serious forms of harmful online content, facilitate the investigation of potential criminal activity online, and disrupt threats to public safety and national security, all while supporting victims and protecting Canadians' privacy and Charter rights.



The government welcomes all comments, perspectives and evidence concerning these issues and potential options. Submissions will help inform the upcoming legislation. Canadians and stakeholders have until September 6 to submit their comments. Click here to participate.

Quotes "Canadians are increasingly concerned social media is being used to spread potentially illegal and abusive content such as hate speech and child sexual exploitative content. We need consistent and transparent rules for how online platforms address hate, incitement of violence and harmful online content. This engagement is a crucial step in proposing solutions for a safer and more inclusive online environment where everyone can be heard." The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage "Canadians expect their government to take action against serious forms of harmful content online. We need to create new rules for social media platforms and online services to address harmful online content and hold individuals accountable, while respecting the importance of freedom of expression in a free and democratic society. Along with the recent introduction of Bill C-36, the engagement being launched today will help create an online environment that is safer and more inclusive for all Canadians." The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada "We look forward to engaging with Canadians in the weeks ahead to seek their views on how social media platforms and other online services can better address serious forms of harmful content while also protecting fundamental freedoms and human rights. Only by working together can we make Canada a safer place, both online and offline." The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Quick Facts As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to better protect Canadians from hate speech and online harm, on June 23, the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, introduced Bill C-36, which proposes amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Criminal Code, and related amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act The definition of harmful content in an upcoming legislative and regulatory proposal would focus on hate speech, child sexual exploitation content, terrorist content, content that incites violence and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. Details are available in the technical paper. Related Products Have your say: Engaging Canadians on the government's proposed approach to address harmful content online Associated Links Government of Canada takes action to protect Canadians against hate speech and hate crimes SOURCE Canadian Heritage

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[July 29, 2021] BenefitMall Expands Partnership with Ease

DALLAS, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BenefitMall, the leading provider of next-generation broker services, today announced its expanded partnership with Ease, the No. 1 rated benefits administration software provider. Through this partnership, brokers will enjoy improved selling and renewal processes, as well as increased sales on new lines of coverage through a completely digital marketplace. "Our mission has always been to provide exceptional full-service support for our clients," said Scott Kirksey, CEO of BenefitMall. "With the Ease partnership, we will be the only General Agency with these capabilities integrated into a single digital solution. The combined free technology suite offers a streamlined, integrated purchasing experience from quoting to enrollment and ongoing administration of groups." BenefitMall Agency Workspace and Client Ready Quote System will integrate with Ease's Benefit Administration platform to offer brokers a completely digital solution that is paperless, secure, and cohesive across every point of client engagement, from new quotes to annual renewals. Through data management, BenefitMall and Ease will provide more accurate processing and turnaround times. This integrated technology suite will be accessible through the cloud using BenefitMall Agency Workspace, a seamless, secure support center where brokers can efficiently nvigate between quoting, enrollment, and benefit administration by accessing:



Client Ready Quote System : Run multi-carrier quotes to evaluate, compare and present plan options and benefit bundles.

: Run multi-carrier quotes to evaluate, compare and present plan options and benefit bundles. Submit Electronically : Ease's electronic feature allows brokers to avoid keying in spreadsheets by allowing direct enrollment.

: Ease's electronic feature allows brokers to avoid keying in spreadsheets by allowing direct enrollment. Rate Libraries : Access to all BenefitMall plan rates is available through Ease, enabling brokers to build groups quickly and efficiently.

: Access to all BenefitMall plan rates is available through Ease, enabling brokers to build groups quickly and efficiently. Document Library : Important carrier documents, links to medical SBCs, provider lookups, wellness programs are available inside Ease.

: Important carrier documents, links to medical SBCs, provider lookups, wellness programs are available inside Ease. Product Portfolio : Broker partners will be able to more effectively access and upsell needed voluntary products and services driven by life changes.

: Broker partners will be able to more effectively access and upsell needed voluntary products and services driven by life changes. Benefit Administration Group Management: BenefitMall's team will help brokers transition clients to online enrollment as a service and update group census post-sale, giving brokers time back to grow their book of business. "We are excited to partner with BenefitMall to provide large, group style benefits to the small business market," said David Reid, CEO of Ease. "Together, we are creating a differentiated value proposition for brokers to effectively compete in the current industry landscape." Beginning in September 2021, brokers in the Florida and Georgia markets will pilot the platform before BenefitMall launches it to the entire network nationwide in 2022.

About BenefitMall

Headquartered in Dallas, BenefitMall is the largest general agency partnering with a network of 20,000 Brokers to deliver employee benefits to more than 140,000 small and medium-sized businesses. BenefitMall uniquely leverages innovative technology backed by human expertise to provide the fastest, easiest, and most secure benefits selling experience for carriers, brokers, and their clients. Owned by Management and The Carlyle Group, BenefitMall also operates HealthCareExchange.com, the leading online community for health care reform and compliance. More information is available at www.benefitmall.com. About Ease

Ease is an online benefits enrollment system built for insurance brokers and employers. Ease makes it simple to set up and manage benefits, onboard new hires, stay compliant, and offer employees one destination for all their human resources information. Started in 2012 in San Francisco by employee benefits veteran David Reid and web and engineering architect Courtney Guertin, Ease works with insurance brokers and small businesses to create seamless HR and benefits processes on an easy-to-use system. Ease has offices in Las Vegas, New York, Omaha and San Diego. In 2015, Ease was launched on the West Coast and is among the most widely adopted, fastest growing solutions for brokers and employers in the area, with over 70,000 employers and over 2 million employees. For more information, head to www.ease.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/benefitmall-expands-partnership-with-ease-301344325.html SOURCE BenefitMall

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[July 29, 2021] Government of Canada launches third phase of CanCode Program targeting 3 million training opportunities for youth $80-million investment to help students and teachers gain coding and digital skills

OTTAWA, ON, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Canada needs a workforce savvy in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), capable of taking on challenges to compete in the digital economy. That's why, to prepare the next generation of Canadian workers, the Government of Canada is supporting millions of young Canadians in improving their digital skills. Today, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, launched the third phase of CanCode and highlighted an $80-million federal investment in the program. CanCode 3.0 is seeking applications for projects that will provide students from kindergarten to grade 12 with the opportunity to learn the in-demand digital skills that will prepare them for future jobs. The program also aims to provide 120,000 teachers with training opportunities so they can incorporate new digital skills and technologies into their classrooms.



CanCode 3.0 builds on the success and momentum of CanCode 1.0 and 2.0, launched in 2017 and renewed in 2019. CanCode was part of the 2017 Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy to create well-paying jobs for the middle class. This initiative aims to create a strong, more resilient Canada by providing youth with a pathway to employment, with a focus on inclusion of under-represented groups, including girls, Indigenous youth, Black youth, youth with disabilities, and youth living in rural, remote and Northern communities. By reaching out to young people inside and outside the school environment and providing coding and digital skills training in community settings, CanCode seeks to accommodate different learning styles, stmulate and sustain interest in STEM fields, and appeal to a wide diversity of young people in a variety of ways. A broad and inclusive approach to digital skills training for young people and teachers will contribute to diversifying the digital technology sector in the future. This third phase of CanCode will encourage more intensive training, particularly for under-represented groups.







CanCode aligns with Canada's Digital Charter, a made-in- Canada , principles-based approach to building trust in the digital world. The first principle of the Charter is focused on ensuring that all Canadians have equal opportunity to participate in the digital world and the necessary tools to do so, including access, connectivity, literacy and skills.



Quotes

"By investing to help young people gain the coding and digital skills needed to succeed in our 21st century economy, we are preparing them for the jobs of tomorrow. These short-term strategic solutions will help youth not only transition successfully from classrooms to research labs but also drive our economic success for years to come.''  The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry



Quick facts As announced in Budget 2021, the Government of Canada is investing $80 million in CanCode. This investment is in addition to the $60 million from Budget 2019 and $50 million from Budget 2017.

is investing in CanCode. This investment is in addition to the from Budget 2019 and from Budget 2017. In its first phase, CanCode helped provide coding and digital skills training to 1.9 million Canadian students and 96,000 teachers. In the second phase, more than 2 million training opportunities were provided by March 2021 . This third phase seeks to provide an additional 3 million training opportunities.

. This third phase seeks to provide an additional 3 million training opportunities. CanCode has a student stream and a teacher stream. CanCode funding recipients deliver digital skills learning opportunities for students from kindergarten to Grade 12 and/or training programs and workshops for teachers.

CanCode is designed to complement educational curricula, promote awareness of coding, spark interest in coding and encourage digital skills more broadly. The long-term goal is to make Canada a leading innovation economy with a diverse and inclusive workforce.

a leading innovation economy with a diverse and inclusive workforce. In 2019, 27 projects from across Canada received funding from the CanCode program.

received funding from the CanCode program. Funding applicants must be not-for-profit organizations incorporated in Canada . They must have a minimum of three years of experience delivering education-related programs to young Canadians.

. They must have a minimum of three years of experience delivering education-related programs to young Canadians. Applications are being accepted until Monday August 30, 2021 . Associated links CanCode

Innovation and Skills Plan Stay connected Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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[July 29, 2021] Juniper Square Launches Institutional Reporting, a Revolutionary Investment Data Network That Allows General Partners to Efficiently Address Limited Partner Reporting Needs

Juniper Square, the leading provider of investment management solutions for commercial real estate (CRE), today announced the launch of Institutional Reporting, the industry's first networked reporting system designed to unite institutional LPs and GPs around a shared set of partnership, performance and asset data. The solution enables GPs to efficiently service all of their LPs' bespoke reporting needs while managing and maintaining control of their data from one centralized record. Learn more about Institutional Reporting in this explanatory video. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005263/en/ Juniper Square, the leading provider of investment management solutions for commercial real estate (CRE), today announced the launch of Institutional Reporting, the industry's first networked reporting system designed to unite institutional LPs and GPs around a shared set of partnership, performance and asset data.(Graphic: Business Wire) "Today, LPs are demanding a higher level of transparency and sophistication in reporting, which has put added pressure on an already time-consuming and burdensome process for GPs," said Alex Robinson, CEO and co-founder of Juniper Square. "By integrating all investment data into one shared digital record, customized reports can be pulled instantly by LPs, saving significant time and alleviating frustrations on all sides." Hundreds of GPs including Beacon Capital Partners, Rockpoint Group, Waterton and 59 of the PERE top 100 already use Juniper Square Institutional Reporting, which allows some of the world's largest LPs including Bouwinvest, Ivanhoe Cambridge, Oregon State Treasury and UPS Pension Investments to access information on their real estate holdings unavailable elsewhere. The current reliance on individual datasets shared redundantly through a complex web of partners is leaving investors dissatisfied without enough information to empower their investmen-making decisions. According to Juniper Square's December 2020 survey1 of some of the largest institutional investors, only one in seven LPs said they receive "good data in a timely manner" on their real estate investments. More than 50% noted that it often takes three months or more for managers to provide aggregate portfolio data for the preceding quarter. Nearly 40% reported that they get much better data about their investments in other asset classes, and roughly 60% believed that the data they are getting from their real estate managers is insufficient.



Previously, GPs and LPs managed their datasets individually. Information about a single property owned by a fund would live in hundreds of disconnected datasets across GPs, LPs and consultants, loosely stitched together by error-prone Excel spreadsheets and PDFs. To achieve a complete portfolio view, LPs and consultants would have to manually combine data from multiple sources and interpret different data definitions from each manager before the analysis could begin, often delaying key decisions. Now, with Juniper Square Institutional Reporting, all LPs in a partnership - even those with custom and complex reporting requirements - can easily access the shared data in Juniper Square's platform, including exporting that data for use in other systems. With direct access to custom asset and performance data from all their GPs in one place, LPs have more accurate, timely and standardized information across portfolios, making it easier for them to evaluate performance and make important investment decisions.

"In a short period of time, Juniper Square has emerged as a clear leader in real estate reporting. It is helpful to have my portfolio in one place, with all transactions listed by manager and by entity," said Judy McMahan, portfolio manager at UPS Pension Investments. "The time saved by not needing to go email by email to extract data allows me to focus on managing our portfolio. Additionally, Juniper Square's team of professionals helps ensure data is being validated and accurately recorded." Institutional Reporting is designed to serve the needs of both GPs and LPs, with a particular focus on enabling GPs to satisfy the data needs of all LPs and consultants with a single dataset, instead of managing separate templates, reporting systems and ad-hoc requests. Juniper Square saves GPs significant time in the reporting process and offers better control over their data. Even GPs who are not using Juniper Square's Investment Management solution only have to enter data once, and the system automatically and securely converts a single common input from GPs to a customized dataset for each of their participating LPs and consultants. "Juniper Square has created a solution that enhances efficiency for both LPs and GPs, while supporting industry-wide efforts for transparency and consistency of data reporting across the real estate universe," said Tanya Oblak, senior managing director, investor relations and capital raising at Rockpoint Group. "The Juniper Square team has created a technology solution that reduces the friction of information flow and expands the capabilities of our partners as they analyze their aggregate portfolio holdings." Joseph G. Nahas, Jr., senior vice president, institutional marketing and investor relations at Equus Capital Partners, Ltd. added, "Being a member of the Reporting Standards Council and having worked closely with the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries on various reporting matters, we're excited to see Juniper Square pioneer a technology solution that promotes standards in the industry, streamlines data sharing and drives the industry toward greater transparency. As new members of Juniper Square Institutional Reporting, we expect this centralized data record to advance how GPs and LPs think about reporting, enabling more data requests to be satisfied with unprecedented visibility, efficiency and control." Juniper Square Institutional Reporting is free for Institutional LPs and GPs. LPs may request to join the network at junipersquare.com/institutional-reporting, and GPs can use Institutional Reporting by invitation from participating LPs. To share more about reporting trends and opportunities that exist today, Juniper Square and iREOC are hosting "The Future of Institutional Reporting," a webinar taking place at 10 a.m. PST on August 19. Sign up to hear representatives from NCREIF, Oregon State Treasury and the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan discuss their observations, experiences and insights. About Juniper Square Founded in 2014, Juniper Square is transforming the private funds industry with solutions that streamline fundraising, investment operations and investor reporting. Designed specifically for real estate, Juniper Square is trusted by hundreds of investment sponsors to manage more than $1 trillion in real estate investments. By using Juniper Square, clients such as Tishman Speyer, Rockpoint Group and Beacon Capital Partners improve investor satisfaction, boost fundraising productivity and save time and money on investment administration. Juniper Square is based in San Francisco and Austin, Texas, and has quickly become the leader in commercial real estate investment management solutions. Learn more at www.junipersquare.com. 1Juniper Square: What Institutional Investors Want From Their Real Estate Managers (Dec. 2020) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005263/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Insights on the Life Insurance Global Market to 2030 - Identify Growth Segments for Investment - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "Life 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 life insurance providers market as it emerges from the COVID-19 shut down. The global life insurance market is expected to grow from $2475.85 billion in 2020 to $2880.18 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.3%. 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 $3519.44 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 5.1%. Companies Mentioned Munich Re

AXA

Generali

Allianz

China Life Insurance Company Limited

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China

Ltd.

Zurich Insurance

Nippon Life Insurance

Japan Post Holdings

Berkshire Hathaway

Metlife

Manulife Financial

CPIC

Chubb

AIG

Aviva

Marsh & McLennan

AON

Willis Group Holdings

Arthur J. Gallagher

Swiss Re

Hannover Re

SCOR SE

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The rise in disposable income in emerging countries such as India and China is expected to drive the life insurance providers market. Economic growth in the middle-income group translates to higher disposable income which allows them to invest in life insurance products. According to a report by the Swiss Re Institute, the world's seven largest emerging markets will contribute 42% of global growth with China contributing 27%. This rising disposable income, especially in emerging countries is expected to increase demand for life insurance plans thereby driving the life insurance providers market.

Lack of awareness about life insurance and complex insurance products are acting as a restraint on the life insurance providers market. A large number of people tend to invest in traditional investment instruments as they are unaware of the benefits of life insurance. According to a survey conducted by PHD Research Bureau, around 49% of the population in India is not familiar with insurance products and around 57% of the people find insurance products too complicated and difficult to understand. This lack of awareness and information proves to be a restraint on the life insurance providers market. Robotic process automation and artificial intelligence have transformed the way in which business is done in the insurance industry. Robotic process automation and artificial intelligence are being used in the life insurance industry to accurately predict outcomes, improve customer service, guide the development of new products, detect risks, and cross-promote products. For example, Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance has launched DISHA 2.0, an Upgraded AI-Enabled ChatBot to navigate personalized solutions for life insurance choices. These technological developments will enhance the customer experience and will drive the market. Life insurance companies are monitored by regulatory bodies such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in the USA, the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) in the UK, and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission in China. For instance, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (the "CIRC"), established on November 18, 1998, is authorized by the State Council to conduct administration, supervision, and regulation of the Chinese insurance market, and to ensure that the insurance industry operates stably in compliance with the law. CIRC is responsible for licensing, developing regulations on the administration of reinsurance business, and measures on administration of life and health insurance. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/17jeqi View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005730/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Yugo, the First Global Student Housing Operator, Is Launched to Innovate Student Living Spaces and the University Experience

Yugo, the global student housing operator, launched today to create a new platform for college and university living, one that will enhance students' overall experiences throughout and beyond university and college life. The new Denver-based business is the first global student housing operator and will offer a truly differentiated living experience that is environmentally and socially conscious, emotionally supportive and safe. Nicholas Porter, a pioneer in the student housing sector for more than 30 years, is Founder and Chair of Yugo. Mr. Porter's family of investments specializes in the higher education space and includes Global Student Accommodation Group ( GSA (News - Alert) ), the leading real estate and investment asset manager. Yugo is the latest business by Mr. Porter, created through merging three successful international operational brands - The Student Housing Company, Nexo Residencias and Uninest Student Residents with the U.S. operations of UComm, previously all under GSA. This move enables Yugo and GSA to unlock significant opportunity to scale and drive investment performance. Yugo's global portfolio will encompass 95 properties (living spaces) in nine countries, with 45,000 beds in more than 75 of the top cities in the world for higher education, stretching from Seattle to Melbourne. In the U.S., Yugo's 29 living spaces span 19 states in cities such as Philadelphia, PA, Columbia, MO, Minneapolis, MN, and Seattle, WA, and college towns such as Madison, WI, Tallahassee, FL and Tempe, AZ, among others. "The launch of Yugo is more important now than ever to support Gen Z students to live their best life," said Mr. Porter. "We know that students who are happy with their housing are ten times more likely to be happy with their university experience. Yugo's student-led approach gives them continuous opportunities to express their needs and collaborate with us to develop training and workshops that support their transition to and from student life, and to create and run programs that educate them about sustainable living - an issue of huge importance to this generation of students." According to new research conducted by Yugo, young Americans rank climate change as the top issue the world is facing today, ahead of government and law enforcement corruption and racial justice (42 pecent vs. 39 percent and 36 percent, respectively). Sixty percent feel more should be done to tackle climate change and one-third (31 percent) refuse to use plastic in order to minimize their impact on the environment.



Yugo will join forces with students to build a better future for the planet and themselves. The business pledges to eliminate single-use plastics in living spaces and corporate offices, supply sustainably sourced beds and chairs to support students' physical and emotional environment and educate students on energy usage and sustainable living in Yugo spaces around the world. This approach will be enabled by Yuniverse, Yugo's bespoke technology platform providing digital services with greater reach and connectivity to students globally. Yugo launches as demand for learning, research and employability skills from developed and developing countries drives growth in the global higher education sector. In the U.S., applications for Fall 2021 are up year over year1 and institutions anticipate a post-COVID surge in international enrollments.2 At the same time, the availability of new student housing is expected to hit its lowest rate since 20083 and many off-campus accommodations have reached replacement age.4

"Student housing continues to be a compelling and resilient asset class during the COVID-19 pandemic, capable of delivering superior returns at lower volatility than mainstream real estate," said Mr. Porter. "The growing supply and demand imbalance, combined with the quality and appeal of American universities and maturity of the student housing sector in the U.S., present a significant market opportunity to offer more living spaces and to ensure they are designed and managed to empower students to live their best lives with purpose and impact." Yugo's platform focuses on providing living experiences to ensure that students' intellectual, personal and professional growth is supported throughout their studies. This is relevant because Yugo's research suggests that the pandemic has put distance between students and their best lives. Half of young Americans (52 percent) say that their mental wellbeing is worse today than it was before the pandemic due to reliance on digital interactions to learn and socialize, and almost half (47 percent) agree that colleges and universities need to do more to support them mentally and emotionally. The experienced Yugo leadership team has a deep understanding of the sector with years of extensive research and lessons learned from students over the last three decades to help students successfully learn, grow and thrive. In doing so, Yugo is positioned to become the student housing operator of choice, delivering responsive living spaces at scale, globally. About Yugo Yugo is the first global student housing operator, created to enhance students' overall experiences throughout and beyond university and college life. Yugo offers a truly differentiated living experience that is environmentally and socially conscious, emotionally supportive and safe. Based in Denver, Colorado, the business was created through merging three successful international operational brands - The Student Housing Company, Nexo Residencias and Uninest Student Residents with the U.S. operations of UComm, which were previously all under Global Student Accommodation (GSA), the leading real estate and investment asset manager. Yugo's experienced leadership team builds on decades of experience to help more students across the globe learn, grow and thrive. Learn more at www.yugo.com. 1 Common App: Application & Applicant Trends, March 2021

2 International Institute of Education: COVID-19 Snapshot Survey Series, June 2021

3 Real Capital Analytics: 2021

4 ANKF Multifamily Capital Markets: 2019 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005693/en/

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3 Takeaways Podcast Reaches Top 2.5% of Global Podcasts in First 12 Months

In its first year, the leadership podcast 3 Takeaways has soared up the rankings to the top 2.5% of podcasts worldwide with interviews of prominent leaders in business and government.

In the interviews, Lynn Thoman, creator and host of 3 Takeaways, brings her personal experience working in business, nonprofits and government. "Listeners write in to say they're getting valuable information from incredibly interesting people, so it's truly rewarding to know 3 Takeaways is providing insights that are really elevating the way people tackle important issues in their own lives," said Thoman. "3 Takeaways, is a must listen for anyone looking to learn from the people leading and changing the world."

3 Takeaways has skyrocketed in growth since launching less than a year ago, featuring a prominent guest list of world leaders in government, business, education, and more, such as:







- Former Google (News - Alert) CEO

- Marriott CEO

- JetBlue Chairman

- Former Secretary of the Treasury

- Former Secretary of Education

- Former Prime Minister of Australia

- Former Foreign Minister of Mexico

Every episode provides listeners with a deeper understanding of the guests' insights, expertise, and three takeaways that the guest wants listeners to remember.

Upcoming guests include:

- Former Director of National Intelligence

- Founder of Impossible Foods (the Impossible Burger)

- Former FDA Commissioner

- Former NYC Police Commissioner

3 Takeaways Website

3 Takeaways Ranking - Listen Notes

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Lynn Thoman Columbia bio

Lynn Thoman is a professor at Columbia University and serves on boards including Brookings, Harvard Kennedy School, and Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005085/en/
[July 29, 2021] RAADR Inc Updates Shareholder Base On App Version 2.0 Beta Test

PHOENIX, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RAADR, Inc. (OTC PINK: RDAR), a technology and software development company that monitors cyber-bullying and social media platforms with artificial intelligence, is pleased to announce the results of its beta test of their updated version 2.0 RAADR mobile application. The new version of the app boasts a multi-parent account feature that allows up to (8) customizable child profiles for monitoring. The app will connect to each child's individual social media account including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. RAADR will then go to work and seamlessly monitor for potentially harmful keywords across these social media accounts. Parents may now choose to receive updates and warning messages by email or mobile phone push notifications if any negative keyword instances are found. Navigating the updated version 2.0 RAADR mobile app is now even easier with an improved walk-through guide feature. This will allow every parent to utilize the RAADR app to its fullest potential. RAADR plans to launch the updated version 2.0 into the IOS and Google Play stores in August 2021. CEO Jacob DiMartino sas " We can't wait to get this app in the hands of parents! The beta test has been going great ! Our new updated version 2.0 app is very close to finally being able to launch live for our subscriber base and we are very excited !"



RAADR, Inc., publishes software and apps that protect children who use social media and the internet. Known as the "internet anti-bullying company", RAADR produces products that allow children, parents, and school districts to monitor bullying and other threatening behavior on the Internet in real time. Armed with many features including keyword tracking, real time alerts, facial recognition and site filtering, RAADR's apps determine in real time whether children or young adults are the victim of stalkers, bullies and other threatening behavior. Parents love the facial recognition feature because in seconds, the app allows parents to upload the child's image and parents can be armed with one of the most powerful tools available to receive alerts each time their child's image appears on a social media site. RAADR Parental 2.0, which is the parenting app that helps parents and adults protect children by using real time monitoring on social media will be released in August 2021. Bully RAADR which arms the kids with RAADR's powerful suite of products allows children to protect themselves and other kids from threatening and dangerous behavior on the internet and social media will be released by the end of summer 2021. RAADR Inc. is committed to making our world and social media a safer and better place for kids and young adults." Video :

Link : youtu.be/1juAWI14jgA

Media Contact:

Jacob Dimartino,

jacob.d@raadr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raadr-inc-updates-shareholder-base-on-app-version-2-0-beta-test-301344409.html SOURCE RAADR, Inc.

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[July 29, 2021] Action1 Reports Record 1,815% Growth in Q2 2021

HOUSTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Action1 Corporation, provider of a cloud-based remote monitoring and management (RMM) solution, today announced its Q2 2021 results. The company's revenue increased by a record 1,815% YoY worldwide, mainly due to expansion across Europe and North America. Action1 achieved a number of significant milestones during the quarter, including a major update of its RMM platform and being listed in both the "30 Fastest Growing Tech Companies 2021" by the Silicon Review and "30 Admired Companies to Watch 2021" by CIO Bulletin.

The company attributes its success in Q2 to a comprehensive strategy focused on working carefully with customer feedback "The rapid adoption of hybrid and remote work poses challenges to efficient remote IT management and rives demand for cloud-native RMM software," said Mike Walters, President of Action1 Corporation. "To help internal IT departments and MSPs address these challenges, we continuously innovate and improve our platform, empowering them to secure their endpoints and ensure seamless business continuity."



The company attributes its skyrocketing success in Q2 to a comprehensive strategy focused on working carefully with customer feedback and investing heavily into R&D. For example, the features recently added to Action1 RMM empower customers to gain extensive control over software installation and removal, patch drivers and firmware, and minimize business disruption during patching  all remotely. At the same time, Action1 continues to support small businesses by providing them with a free license for up to 50 endpoints without limitations or hidden costs. About Action1 Corporation

Action1 provides a cloud-based solution for remote monitoring and management (RMM) that includes automated patch management, remote desktop access, software deployment and distribution, IT asset inventory, network monitoring, reporting, and more. The company was founded by Netwrix cybersecurity veterans Alex Vovk and Mike Walters in 2018 to give companies and MSPs worldwide a modern alternative to traditional on-premises solutions that do not function in remote workforce scenarios. For more information, please visit www.action1.com or call 1-346-444-8530. Contact: press@action1.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/action1-reports-record-1-815-growth-in-q2-2021--301344174.html SOURCE Action1 Corporation

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[July 29, 2021] Fully Managed Acquires Quartet Services

Fully Managed, a leader in digital business transformation and managed services, today announced its acquisition of Quartet Services (Quartet), a Toronto provider of Managed IT services and security solutions with SOC2 certification. Quartet, in business for more than 20 years, specializes in IT solutions for mid-sized organizations, providing a range of services including IT planning, asset management services, managed security, hosted server infrastructure, 24x7 support, project management, telephony, and consulting. "We are very happy to welcome the Quartet team to the Fully Managed family," said Mark Scott (News - Alert) , CEO of Fully Managed. "As a top 5 managed IT provider in the Greater Toronto Area, Quartet gives us a stronger geographical presence in Canada's largest business marketplace and deep expertise in security-expanding our ability to securely deliver vital managed services to our clients." With the addition of Quartet, Fully Managed has reached $100M in annual revenues with 415 employees supporting 3,000 customers across North America in three lines of business: Digital Business : managed IT and security for small and medium-sized businesses

: managed IT and security for small and medium-sized businesses Digita Enterprise: Elite ServiceNow (News - Alert) practice for IT, customer, and employee workflow automation

Elite ServiceNow (News - Alert) practice for IT, customer, and employee workflow automation Digital Health: IT solutions for Senior Care communities



News - Alert) VentureTech (now TrustX Alliance). Rob will be responsible for team and customer integration, Toronto office operations, and will also contribute to future corporate development. "We are thrilled to be joining forces with Fully Managed," said Rob Bracey, President of Quartet. "In my June remarks after Quartet won the Canadian Business Excellence Award for the fourth year in a row, I talked about excellence being a journey. This is the next leg of our journey-one that will lead to greater things by combining our vast expertise and experience."

"Acquiring Quartet helps us further strengthen our position as a digital business transformation leader for companies across North America," added Joel Abramson, Chief Strategy Officer and head of corporate development at Fully Managed. "Our aligned strategies and business priorities make this an ideal next step for both organizations that will help us continue to deliver more to our customers." About Fully Managed Fully Managed is a leading managed services provider specializing in digital business transformation. As a ServiceNow Elite partner, we enable organizations to navigate and excel in the digital-first work world. Our mission is Creating Peace of Mind through better IT, customer and employee experiences to make work flow! View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005130/en/

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[July 29, 2021] SRI Spinout Wingsure Develops AI-driven Mobile Insurance App for Small Farmers

Underserved farmers can now insure crops with rapid claim resolution through mobile phones using the Wingsure app NEW DELHI AND MUMBAI, India, July 29, 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. 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 visio 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 centre 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. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1584371/Wingsure_Logo.jpg

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[July 29, 2021] O-CITY and DSK Bank's team up to launch contactless payments in Bulgarian public transport and to accelerate the drive towards smart city and digital transformation

SOFIA, Bulgaria, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BPC's smart city payment division O-CITY has partnered with DSK Bank in Bulgaria and its subsidiary DSK Mobile, both part of OTP Group and local operator CNS, which is delivering the new ticketing system overseen by the Sofia Urban Mobility Center. Together the companies have accelerated Sofia's digital payment transformation in mass transit by enabling an open loop contactless EMV card to pay directly into the transport vehicle, which allows travelers across the capital to experience contactless payments. Passengers can now pay using contactless Visa or Mastercard bank cards issued by any bank or fintech company across the world or respective NFC mobile wallet, in 3,900 validators installed across the capital's public ground transportation system including buses, trams, trolleybuses. The project will see 450 stations across the metro system accept payments in a second phase. With Visa Mass Transit and Mastercard Pay As You Go solutions, a payment can be processed in milliseconds and reduces the need for cash, as the bank card can be used as a 'ticket' on public transport. With a population of 1.3 million people and around 0.5 million guests daily, Sofia sees its residents and visitors getting a superior travel experience which will continue to be improved with the new payments system. O-CITY ensures passengers can seamlessly and securely tap- to-pay with their bank card in public transport or any other means of payment, wallet, QR code and more. The rllout has come at a time when the pandemic has boosted the adoption of contactless payments everywhere in response to social distancing and contact-free precautions.



In addition, O-CITY's platform delivers a supplemental web functionality that enables travelers to create a web profile online and register their cards via the Sofia Urban Mobility Center (SUMC), where they can receive access to their travel history and charges applied as well as other fiscal information. Using a BPC eCommerce solution for DSK Bank, the SUMC web portal provides functionality to pre-purchase a travel subscription on close loop transport cards, completing the full scale of digital payments for public transport services for the new ticketing system in Sofia. This same information is available for online registered users through the "City by DSK" mobile app, which is compatible with iOS and Android.

This flexibility in payments is possible with O-CITY's open loop technologies, which helps operators expand the choice for payment and transition to contactless payments. The solution has already been implemented in over 130 cities worldwide and quickly adopted by travelers, leading to a rapid return on investment for operators and governments. Countries that went digital amid the pandemic include Kenya, The Philippines and Kyrgyzstan. The digitisation of payments is part of the Bulgarian government's commitment to making Sofia a "green capital" and a model of sustainable urban development . As a means to achieve this goal, Sofia Municipality and Sofia Urban Mobility Center implemented a new unified ticketing system in May 2021, which enables a variety of new channels, including open loop EMV contactless cards. Sofia's Smart City strategy has involved the development of its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) to improve residents' lives and to make Sofia's urban operations more innovative and sustainable for the future. Commenting on the partnership, Tokhir Abdukadirov, SVP, Head of Smart City Solutions at O-CITY, said: "In cities around the world, transport is undergoing accelerated digital transformation, spurred on by pandemic concerns. Contactless is becoming a convenient and efficient reality everywhere, and there is simply no way back. We are proud to see Sofia Municipality and Sofia Urban Mobility Center working together with DSK, CNS, Visa, MasterCard and O-CITY to power this exciting initiative which will make travelling around the capital city easier for everyone." View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/o-city-and-dsk-banks-team-up-to-launch-contactless-payments-in-bulgarian-public-transport-and-to-accelerate-the-drive-towards-smart-city-and-digital-transformation-301344432.html SOURCE O-CITY by BPC

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[July 29, 2021] AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Al Dhafra Insurance Company P.S.C.

AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "bbb+" (Good) of Al Dhafra Insurance Company P.S.C. (ADIC) (United Arab Emirates). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect ADIC's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. ADIC's balance sheet strength assessment is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), a history of good internal capital generation and excellent liquidity. Offsetting factors in the balance sheet strength assessment include elevated exposure to investments in UAE equities, which increases the potential for capital volatility, and a high reinsurance dependence, with a premium retention ratio ranging between 25% and 30% since 2017. The credit risk associated with this reinsurance dependence is mitigated partially by the use of a diversified reinsurance panel of sound financial strength. ADIC has a track record of strong operating performance as demonstrated by its five-year (2016-2020) weighted average combined ratio and return-on-equity ratio of 73.7% and 14.7%, respectively (both as calculated by AM Best). The company's underwriting performance has seen a level of volatility in the past, with its combined ratio peaking at 140.1% in 2015 following significant reserve strengthening in its medical portfolio. Subsequently, management has taken a series of actions to enhance underwriting performance including portfolio rationalisation and increased usage of reinsurance coverages. As a result, ADIC's technical profitability has stregthened, and in 2020 ADIC reported a combined ratio of 57.3%, the third consecutive year the company has achieved a combined ratio lower than 60%.



AM Best's views ADIC's business profile as limited, reflective of its market position as a mid-tier insurer in the UAE. ADIC wrote AED 289.8 million of premium in 2020 on a gross basis (2019: AED 323.8 million). AM Best considers the company to have a high level geographic concentration with respect to the competitive UAE market. While ADIC benefits from a diversified underwriting profile on a gross basis, the company's retained portfolio has an increased concentration to motor and medical lines of business. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright  2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005789/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Cansel Brings TinySurveyor Robot to Canada

GPS-guided mobile robot will help surveying, civil engineering and infrastructure professionals increase quality, efficiency and above all, safety VANCOUVER, BC, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Cansel, a software, hardware, and service provider to engineering, surveying, construction, and utility industries, announced today an exclusive agreement with Denmark-based TinyMobileRobots to distribute the TinySurveyor robot in Canada. TinySurveyor is the ultimate high-precision instrument for the surveying, civil engineering, construction, and infrastructure industries. Supported by an onboard Trimble GNSS receiver, it has an unparalleled ability to execute large tasks up to 10x faster than traditional surveying and stakeout methods. This robot is capable of performing pre-marking, stake- out/set-out, data collection, as-built surveys and more, increasing quality, efficiency and safety for the construction industry. "Cansel has always been dedicated to supporting innovation in industries like construction and infrastructure, and we're proud to bring the TinySurveyor to the Canadian market," said Martin Trudelle, president, Cansel. "In documented use cases, the robot completed five weeks of work in just five days. We're excited to offer that level of efficiency to our customers. For businesses that struggle with razor-thin profit margins, this level of time savins means they'll realize ROI  and greater profits  quickly."



TinySurveyor Tablet The tablet that accompanies the robot gives the operator full control of the TinySurveyor robot as well as job parameters. With the pre-installed app, the operator can customize marking settings, apply projection shifts and adjust robot velocities directly from the tablet.

Existing CSV and DXF files can be sent directly from the tablet to the TinySurveyor, allowing operators to start working minutes after arriving on site. Onboard Trimble GNSS Rover System The TinySurveyor is equipped with Trimble GNSS. This GPS receiver is a rugged, all-in-one solution combining strength and durability into a compact form that is easy to use and virtually indestructible. Its rugged construction and longer battery life make it ideal for more demanding field work and reduce the risk of downtime. The Trimble receiver is both user-friendly and highly accurate. Availability Cansel offers the TinySurveyor bundled with the accompanying TinySurveyor tablet, and the onboard Trimble GNSS receiver. Please contact Cansel directly for information or a product demonstration. Learn more about the TinySurveyor and its capabilities here. About Cansel For over 50 years, Cansel has helped clients capture, transform, and manage data leading to increased efficiency and profitability. We provide solutions to engineering, surveying, construction, mining, utilities, forestry, and government sectors to improve productivity in the complete field to finish workflow. The company is headquartered in Burnaby, BC, Canada. Learn more at www.cansel.ca About TinyMobileRobots Our company specializes in high-precision outdoor robots that perform marking and stake-out. Our robotics engineers combine advanced robotics software with artificial intelligence and high-precision technologies from the land surveying industry. To ensure reliable and robust technology, we also incorporate proven technologies from other industries. Our aim is always to turn the scientific and technological evolution into meaningful solutions for our customers. We are located in Denmark, close to the world's largest robotics hub. Our company is based on many years of consulting and research experience of our CEO Jens Peder Kristensen, who has been involved in international research projects for European authorities and private businesses.

https://tinymobilerobots.com/ SOURCE Cansel

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[July 29, 2021] ResourceX offers local governments a framework to act on the American Rescue Plan Act Funds

DENVER, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ResourceX has assembled a comprehensive approach to develop an ARPA strategy and act on your ARPA plan. Through the ResourceX OnlinePBB software, organizations can create proposals or upload an existing list of proposals. Through his customizable toolset:



Evaluate each proposal with important criteria such as level of complexity or a specific category of Treasury Guidance.

Develop a narrative around each proposal by completing a set of customized proposal evaluation metrics specific to your community.

Apply a scoring method that allows for complete customization of scoring parameters and returns a prioritized list of proposals to consider and incorporate into your budget. The data created and stored with each proposal is aggregated into an easy-to-use PDF report for budget meetings and Treasury reporting. ResourceX is hosting a workshop that will demonstrate how local government organizations are already putting this framework into action to ensure their ARPA funds are applied in a manner aligned with Treasury Guidance and their community's priorities.

This is a chance of a lifetime to make sure that we take this bounty of resources and deploy them to make a tremendous difference. At the same time, we have pressures around what is actually eligible. There are other pressures to get resources out the doors as quickly as possible. For all of those reasons, we understand that this has not been easy to process and to understand what is the best way to use the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of us. -Chris Fabian, CEO, ResourceX Join ResourceX for this opportunity to pursue a pathway to action, a true framework for developing and implementing your ARPA strategy. Chris Fabian, ResourceX Co-founder and CEO, will lead this webinar Tuesday, August 10, 2021, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM CST. Learn more and register here. ResourceX

Organizations need a reliable, repeatable process that creates accessible data to apply to their decision-making process. The ability to communicate budget decisions increases trust and accountability between citizens and the local government entity. The framework OnlinePBB is built upon provides an important foundation for improving the ability to communicate those decisions. Contact:

Liz Johnston

Marketing

ljohnston@resourcex.net

www.resourcex.net View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/resourcex-offers-local-governments-a-framework-to-act-on-the-american-rescue-plan-act-funds-301344380.html SOURCE ResourceX

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[July 29, 2021]

Parents, Teachers, and Administrators Encouraged to Avoid the Health and Financial Traps of Unproven Technology by Safeguarding Classrooms with Proven High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (HEPA) Purifiers to Achieve Better Indoor Air Quality

BUFFALO, N.Y. and TORONTO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Austin Air SystemsNorth America's premier manufacturer of advanced, medical grade HEPA air purification productsaddressed growing public concerns and criticisms regarding the purchasing of inadequate and unproven (non-HEPA) purification technology by various high-profile U.S. school districts. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the proliferation of the Delta coronavirus variant, HEPA filtrationsuch as is offered by the HealthMate Plus producthas received increased prominence as the most effective portable purification technology to create better classroom indoor air quality, while also helping to reduce the transmission of airborne viruses.

"Over the last several months our company has watched as city, suburban, and rural school districts all across North America have made the correct and scientifically proven decision to purchase HEPA-filtration units for their facilities and classrooms," said Lauren McMillan, President, Austin Air Systems. "Yet recently, as Covid-19 relief funds have become more accessible, many notable districts have failed to conduct proper due diligence in their procurement efforts. This oversight has resulted in taxpayer dollars being wasted on inadequate purifiers that likely won't keep students and teachers as safe as they could be and may also produce harmful byproducts."

Austin Air Systems has successfully delivered over 100,000 HealthMate Plus (MSRP $855.00 USD) units to school districts in the U.S. and Canada during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company has continued to meet increased consumer demand by fulfilling orders for a multitude of municipal facilities, government buildings, colleges, universities, and public venues.

In Spring and Summer 2021, several leading public health organizations weighed in to validate the use of HEPA purifiers and filtration, including the U.S. Department of Education,CDC, World Health Organization (WHO), Public Health Agency Canada, and Harvard University. More specifically, a study from Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, found that HEPA air filtration in classrooms has a critical role to play in helping to keep students and teachers safe. The study noted that after just 30 minutes, airborne particulate levels were reduced by 90% in classrooms with HEPA purifiers.







"As students and teachers go back to school this August and September for critical in-person learning, the need for clean air has never been more important," continued McMillan. "At Austin Air, we understand that choosing the right air purifier to protect children, students, and staff is a big decision; however, it is also a choice that should be made based on quality and effectiveness, not convenience or bargain pricing."

Many school districts have selected the popular Austin Air HealthMate Plus following extensive product research, as this unit addresses critical everyday air quality concerns. The Medical Grade HEPA technology present within each purifier is proven to remove up to 99.97% of all airborne contaminants as small as 0.3 microns. This filtration includes certain viruses, bacteria, dust, dander, and allergens. The carbon blend used in the filter also effectively removes chemicals, gases, and odors from the air. As a result, Austin Air HealthMate Plus units are anticipated to significantly improve air quality in related academic and administrative settings.

"This issue of classroom air quality is here to stay now and into the future," concluded McMillan. "We have no doubt that those school districts who choose to acquire proper purifier technology will realize the benefits immediatelyboth in performance and peace of mind."

More information about the Austin Air HealthMate Plus unit and its specifications is available at https://austinair.com/shop/healthmate-plus/.

Austin Air's full lineup of purifier products is available at https://austinair.com/shop/.

ABOUT AUSTIN AIR SYSTEMS

For over 30 years Austin Air Systems has delivered state-of-the-art air filtration products to help improve indoor air quality and protect consumers all across the world. With a focus on air that is clean to breathe, safe, and free from contaminants, our company is driven by an unwavering commitment to the distribution of high-performing products. As the premier manufacturer of individual air purifiers in North America; whenever clean air is critical, Austin is called upon to deliver. You can follow Austin Air Systems on Facebook, or check out the company's school customers webpage and videos at https://austinair.com/for-schools/.

Contact: Chris Colton

ccolton@martingroupmarketing.com

1 (845) 642-0762

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SOURCE Austin Air Systems
[July 29, 2021] Trading.TV Launches Out of Stealth with $6.1 Million in Seed Funding to Support Financial Creators

Trading.TV, the world's first social livestream and immersive chat platform for traders and financial content creators, announced today the launch of its platform, closed beta and a $6.1M seed funding round led by L Catterton Growth, Activant, Navy Capital and Tribe Capital. As part of the launch, Trading.TV also announced a $1M Creator Fund to support the first group of creators joining the platform. Trading.TV is the only dedicated platform for creators to develop and share financial content on everything from stocks to crypto to NFTs and rare sneakers. Eventually, Trading.TV will also serve as a commission-free trading platform where community members can turn information into action. There has never been such a large influx of new asset classes and new traders to the markets - and with that comes a massive need for both entertaining and educational financial content. Trading.TV will remove the friction between idea generation and investment execution for millions of fans, followers and audiences around the world. "By building a platform that is digitally native, values diversity of interests and assets, and puts inclusion at its center, we hope to unlock financial wellbeing for millions of peoplethat haven't previously felt welcome in the financial conversation," said Trading.TV Founder and CEO Tobias Heaslip. "We want to empower and excite younger generations to start thinking about their financial futures sooner -- to do smart things with their investments earlier on so they can live life on their own terms."



Trading.TV is the first and only fintech platform purpose built for the creator economy. It will be a destination for financial influencers to create entertaining content and build communities around their interests and users to buy and sell the underlying assets that creators are talking about. Trading.TV is currently hand picking its first 50 creators to join the closed beta, unlocking new ways for them to monetize their content and offering immediate support through the $1M Creator Fund. In addition to the fund, Trading.TV will use its seed funding to continue building the team and investing in platform growth ahead of public availability in the fall.

Creators interested in joining Trading.TV's closed beta can apply here. People interested in joining the Trading.TV community and getting early access to creator content can sign up for the waitlist here. About Trading.TV Trading.TV is the world's first social livestream platform purpose-built for the next generation of traders and financial content creators. In an era where everything is an asset and everyone is a trader, Trading.TV offers the content, community and collaboration necessary to become an expert. We're dedicated to a future where anyone can Stream, Chat and Trade their way to financial independence. For more information, visit https://www.trading.tv/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005765/en/

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[July 29, 2021] John Tyers Named Head of Independent Advisor Group at Wells Fargo Advisors

Wells Fargo (News - Alert) & Company (NYSE: WFC) announced today that John Tyers will join the company on July 30 as head of the Independent Advisor group at Wells Fargo Advisors. He will report to Jim Hays, head of Wells Fargo Advisors. In this role, Tyers will oversee the leaders and businesses of Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, First Clearing, and the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) custody business. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005026/en/ John Tyers (Photo: Wells Fargo) "I am thrilled to bring John on board as I believe we have enormous growth potential in our independent advisor channels," Hays said. "With John's past experience leading so many facets of the independent experience throughout his career, we are set to make these already strong independent businesses even more powerful." Tyers joins us most recently from wealth management fintech, AdvisorEngine, where he was chief growth officer. Previously, he was with Citizens Financial Group leading their private wealth segment. He also brings a breadth of experience from Merrill Lynch, having served in a variety of roles such as president of Merrill's custody and clearing business for RIAs and independent broker dealers. He has been a leader in Merrill's boutique ultrahigh net worth business, and led the group responsible for managed solutions and wealth management technology tools. At both Bear Stearns and Charles Schwab institutional services, Tyers led efforts on custody services and platforms for RIAs, independent broker dealers, single and multi-family offices, and trust companies. Tyers earned his B.A. from the University of Georgia, completed a fintech program at the University of Oxford's Said Business School, and also completed an executive strategy and innovation program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets and proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of all small businesses in the U.S., and is the leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment, and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 37 on Fortune's 2021 rankings of America's largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter (News - Alert) : @WellsFargo. About Wells Fargo Advisors With $1.94 trillion in client assets as of June 30, 2021, Wells Fargo Advisors provides advice and guidance to help clients maximize all aspects of their financial lives. Our vast network of financial advisors, one of the nation's largest, serves investors through locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Wells Fargo Advisors is a part of Wells Fargo Wealth & Investment Management (WIM), a division within Wells Fargo & Company and one of the largest wealth managers in the U.S. WIM provides financial products and services through various bank and brokerage affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company. Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC, Members SIPC, separate registered broker-dealers and non-bank affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company. All data includes Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC, as of June 30, 2021. www.wellsfargoadvisors.com







Investment and Insurance Products: NOT FDIC Insured / NO Bank Guarantee / MAY Lose Value

News Release Category: WF-LO View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005026/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Kohl's Renews Commitment to Milwaukee Community Partners with Additional $1 Million in Donations

Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) announced today, in support of the company's ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as well as family health and wellness, it is deepening its support of the Milwaukee community with donations totaling nearly $1 million to five nonprofit Hometown Partners that help under-resourced communities. This donation is one action Kohl's is taking as part of its Diversity and Inclusion Pledge for Progress, which was announced earlier this year, outlining how the company plans to deliver meaningful change for the good of the people, customers and communities Kohl's serves. Specifically with this donation, Kohl's is working to enhance equity and economic prosperity for Milwaukee families. "Giving back to communities and serving families is at the heart of who we are as a company, especially in our hometown of Milwaukee," said Michelle A. Banks, Kohl's chief diversity & inclusion officer. "We are both proud and excited to be renewing our commitment to several of our Hometown partners that work hard to promote equity and economic empowerment in under-resourced communities in Milwaukee. We are not only continuing, but expanding our support of Acts Housing, Employ Milwaukee, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, Safe & Sound and Milwaukee's Urban League and we thank each of these organizations for the positive impact they are making in Milwaukee." To support the unique needs of diverse, under-resourced communities with a focus on addressing disparities in career development, family support, housing and wellness, Kohl's is renewing its partnerships with the following Milwaukee-based organizations. Kohl's Hometown Partner Grant Renewals Acts Housing: With Kohl's donation of $250,000, Acts Housing will continue to provide access to homeownership opportunities for low-income families through support of virtual orientation and data platforms, as well as poviding welcome home baskets filled with home essentials. By helping all families who are willing to put in the work to become homeowners, Acts Housing provides a pathway out of the housing crisis and helps build stronger communities.

Employ Milwaukee (EMI): Kohl's financial commitment of $250,000 will continue to support Employ Milwaukee's efforts to provide access to workforce development programming while simultaneously improving the efficacy of service delivery through a human-centered, whole family, culturally aware, and technology-focused approach.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee: With its gift of $200,000, Kohl's will enhance its existing support of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee by continuing to help the organization increase access to diverse Club Leadership and Service programs and activities that promote social-emotional skills, develop strong character traits, and inspire youth in Milwaukee.

Safe & Sound: Kohl's support of $175,000 will allow Safe & Sound to continue the organization's evolution of its approach to community engagement and support in marginalized communities in Milwaukee by using collective impact as a framework. Safe & Sound has a unique model of community organizing and engagement that brings together residents, youth, and public safety resources.

Milwaukee Urban League (MUL): Kohl's has committed $100,000 to Milwaukee Urban League (MUL) in support of its education, employment, and advocacy efforts to achieve economic vibrancy and position African Americans to create wealth and a better way of life. With Kohl's generous support, Milwaukee Urban League will continue to focus on empowering communities and changing lives.



Kohl's 2020 ESG Report, visit Corporate.Kohls.com. About Kohl's

Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) is a leading omnichannel retailer. With more than 1,100 stores in 49 states and the online convenience of Kohls.com and the Kohl's App, Kohl's offers amazing national and exclusive brands at incredible savings for families nationwide. Kohl's is uniquely positioned to deliver against its strategy and its vision to be the most trusted retailer of choice for the active and casual lifestyle. Kohl's is committed to progress in its diversity and inclusion pledges, and the company's environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) stewardship. For a list of store locations or to shop online, visit Kohls.com. For more information about Kohl's impact in the community or how to join our winning team, visit Corporate.Kohls.com or follow @KohlsNews on Twitter (News - Alert) . View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005817/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Health Gorilla and the Puerto Rico Department of Health Reach Milestone in Health Information Exchange Network

PALO ALTO, Calif. and SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Gorilla, the largest interoperability provider in Puerto Rico, in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDOH), today announced a milestone achievement following the official launch of the Puerto Rico Health Information Exchange (PRHIE) on July 1st. In the one month since go-live, Health Gorilla has successfully connected 25% of Puerto Rico's population to the PRHIE. This innovative project enables healthcare providers to access and share patient medical record data securely and electronically across more than 400 care sites, 4,200 providers, and more than 700,000 patients. Over the next three years, Health Gorilla will continue to expand the landscape of interoperability throughout Puerto Rico by deploying the full scope of the HIE project in stages, incorporating all healthcare stakeholders in Puerto Rico while ensuring adherence to the 21st Century Cures Act and to the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) standards that will go into effect in early 2022. The continued development of the PRHIE will be an intensive process that will ultimately connect a complex and diverse ecosystem with 70+ hospitals, 9,000+ active providers, 900+ pharmacies, 900+ laboratories, and 22 Federally Qualified Health Centers which will allow health information to flow seamlessly throughout the island via Health Gorilla - providing its residents with the most comprehensive aggregation of patient data ever compiled in Puerto Ric.



"By making patient health information more readily available to medical professionals, we are improving the quality of patient care that our entire community will receive throughout the island," emphasized Puerto Rico HIT Coordinator, Alexander Quevedo. "We are excited to partner with Health Gorilla as we build out this health information exchange." The PRDOH team, along with Health Gorilla and its partners, is working with other government agencies, providers, diagnostic laboratories, claims clearinghouses, public registries, and health technology companies to ensure a robust environment for healthcare innovation and patient care in Puerto Rico.

"Health Gorilla is thrilled to be selected to build the Puerto Rico HIE solution by the Puerto Rico Department of Health," said Steve Yaskin, CEO and Co-founder of Health Gorilla. "This milestone is a big first step towards bringing the island of Puerto Rico closer to delivering the best care for every patient." Through the Health Gorilla network, the PRHIE will securely exchange data with national provider organizations, EMRs, hospitals, payers, labs, and patients to improve health outcomes and equity in access to care. "Health Gorilla is committed to bringing the benefits of interoperability and data aggregation to both patients and providers," said Sergio Wagner, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-founder of Health Gorilla. "Our new collaboration with the government of Puerto Rico allows us to fulfill our core mission to provide high quality services to patients who need them, and revolutionize the entire healthcare ecosystem of the island through the secure exchange of data." Through this partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Health, Health Gorilla has broadened its commitment to advance clinical interoperability efforts throughout the island of Puerto Rico. Over the past several years, Health Gorilla has established a robust series of major partnerships in Puerto Rico, including with Sistema De Salud Menonita, Dorado Health System, E-Health Partners Inc, and Triple-S Salud. About Health Gorilla

Founded in 2014, Health Gorilla is a secure interoperability platform that enables the entire healthcare ecosystem  digital health solutions, payers, providers, patients, and diagnostic facilities  to seamlessly exchange health data. With FHIR-based clinical data APIs, HIPAA-compliant user authentication, a nationwide Master Patient Index and Record Locator Service, the Health Gorilla platform makes it easy for providers to bi-directionally exchange their patients' information with other organizations. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Health Gorilla powers health care organizations around the world, helping them deliver high quality value-based care. For more information, visit healthgorilla.com or follow us on Twitter @HealthGorilla. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/health-gorilla-and-the-puerto-rico-department-of-health-reach-milestone-in-health-information-exchange-network-301343767.html SOURCE Health Gorilla

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[July 29, 2021] Phone2Action Appoints New Chief Financial Officer and Chief Technology Officer to Facilitate Major Growth

Phone2Action, the leading public affairs and government relations technology platform, expanded its leadership team, hiring Adrian Muniz as Chief Financial Officer and Mikhail Opletayev as Chief Technology Officer. Muniz joins Phone2Action after more than a dozen years as CFO at Logi Analytics, while Opletayev served as a vice president at both Higher Logic and Real Magnet during that same period. Both have deep experience leading high-growth companies that offer business-to-business software solutions. "Adrian and Mikhail understand what it takes to steer a fast-growing company like Phone2Action," said CEO Steven Schneider. "We believe that our recent acquisitions, strategic initiatives and new leadership put the pieces in place to give government affairs teams the edge needed to win their policy outcomes, and subsequently accelerate Phone2Action's growth." Schneider joined the company in June and has steadily built a management team charged with steering a company that has seen significant momentum and a dramatic increase in platform adoption in the last year. Phone2Action acquired KnowWho, the world's largest directory of public officials and influencers, and GovPredict, a technology company that provides legislative ad regulatory intelligence, in late 2020. Empowered by a strategic investment from Charlotte-based equity firm Frontier Growth in 2019, Phone2Action now provides the most comprehensive government relations and public affairs solution available, serving major clients such as Amazon, American Airlines, eBay (News - Alert) and the American Heart Association.



"Phone2Action's trajectory is impressive," Muniz said. "The company is growing in so many ways. It's exciting for the market, for our customers and for those of us who have the privilege to steer some of that growth. I'm very happy to be a part of it." Opletayev, who manages one of the largest development teams in the industry, said he is enthusiastic about Phone2Action's mission to help government relations professionals affect policy outcomes. "The best companies are those that do important work," he said. "Phone2Action provides access to actionable intelligence that informs and influences decisions at every level of government. That's vital. Our platform must continue to be a transformative force in the industry-and we absolutely will."

About Phone2Action Phone2Action is a comprehensive digital engagement and communications platform for grassroots advocacy, public affairs and government relations. Phone2Action's innovative, user-friendly products make government participation accessible in the digital age. The world's leading nonprofits, associations and companies have used Phone2Action to build their advocacy programs and support their public policy goals since 2013. The Phone2Action platform includes solutions for legislative tracking and alerting, donor insight, grassroots advocacy, GOTV, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement. For more information, please visit: www.phone2action.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005864/en/

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[July 29, 2021] EarthLink Re-Certified as a 2021 Great Place to Work

ATLANTA, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthLink, a leading internet service provider, today announced that is has been honored with the coveted Great Place to Work certification based on extensive employee feedback for the second year in a row. "This certification for two years in a row is such an honor. We are truly humbled by the feedback our team shared," said Glenn Goad, CEO of EarthLink. "Our team is made up of highly-skilled employees from many different fields, and we know how important they are to our ongoing success. So, we make employee experience a priority every day because we understand that our employees directly impact our ability to deliver the outstanding customer experiences we are known for." EarthLink's Great Place to Work 2021 certification was awarded based on validated employee surveys completed through the platform and affirms that that 87% of employees at EarthLink say it is a great place to work (compared to 59% of employeesat a typical U.S.-based company).



A few key data points from the employee survey: 95% say that when you join the company, you are made to feel welcome

95% say our facilities contribute to a good working environment

96% believe they are given a lot of responsibility

97% believe EarthLink is a safe place to work during the COVID-19 pandemic

95% believe they are treated fairly, regardless of age or gender Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue and increased innovation. Their independent survey, used to evaluate companies for certification, measures employee satisfaction and various aspects of company culture, including their sense of pride within the company.

About EarthLink:

EarthLink is a top U.S. internet service provider offering access to fast, secure, and reliable internet to more homes and small businesses than any other ISP. As an internet pioneer founded in 1994, EarthLink continues to lead the way by offering customers the right connection  the right speed at the right price. An independent company, EarthLink was certified as a Great Place to Work in 2020 and 2021. To learn more, visit earthlink.net. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/earthlink-re-certified-as-a-2021-great-place-to-work-301344453.html SOURCE EarthLink

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[July 29, 2021] Sincro and Tekion Announce First Real-Time Integration Between Automotive Dealer Management System and Dealer Websites

SEATTLE and PLEASANTON, Calif., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Automotive digital marketing leader Sincro and transformative cloud-native platform company Tekion today announced the first API-based direct two-way integration of a dealer management system (DMS) and dealer websites in real time. Dealers using a Sincro website and Tekion's Automotive Retail Cloud can now access accurate data synced simultaneously between both technologies. This improves the buying experience for consumers, who will see up-to-date vehicle inventory and pricing information as well as receive personalized communications from dealers. Dealers with a Sincro website and Tekion's Automotive Retail Cloud can now sync data in real time between technologies. Sincro drives performance for dealers through a fusion of intelligent technology, expert services and strategic insight. Tekion's Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC) is the first and fastest cloud-native retail platform including all functionalities of a DMS and accompanying tech stack to run a seamless retail business. With this integration, dealers can take advantage of: Accurate online inventory and pricing  DMS data is sent to and from the website, updating information instantly so consumers can view and shop for vehicles that are actually in stock with accurate pricing.

 DMS data is sent to and from the website, updating information instantly so consumers can view and shop for vehicles that are actually in stock with accurate pricing. Personalized marketing  Customer and sales information from Tekion ARC arrives in Sincro's digital marketing platform via the cloud, enabling dealers to market with relevant, highly tailored messaging in real time at no additional cost. Communications can range from dealership promotions, services and reminders to Facebook advertising.

 Customer and sales information from Tekion ARC arrives in Sincro's digital marketing platform via the cloud, enabling dealers to market with relevant, highly tailored messaging in real time at no additional cost. Communications can range from dealership promotions, services and reminders to Facebook advertising. Improved efficiency  Tekion takes consumer data from Sincro websites and removes duplicate records. With one consolidated view of the shopper, dealers can access compehensive information for more meaningful interactions during the sales process.



Jay Vijayan , Founder and CEO of Tekion. "We look forward to deepening our integrations with Sincro so that dealers have the data and insights they need to compete and win in today's market." "Sincro has been a strong industry voice advocating for more open ecosystems to reduce friction in automotive marketing," said Sincro President Jen Cole. "Simultaneous two-way integrations will enable dealers to harness the power of their data, which improves their efficiency and overall performance. We're excited to join forces with Tekion for this milestone that propels the industry toward the online experiences that today's consumers expect."

The two companies plan to further their partnership with integrations that will drive more innovation and dealer benefits in modern automotive retailing. Dealers interested in connecting their Sincro and Tekion solutions can visit www.sincrodigital.com/Contact or https://tekion.com/. About Sincro Sincro, an? Ansira ?company, provides auto dealers a seamless approach to digital marketing brought to life by intelligent technology, expert services, and powerful strategic insight. Sincro solves complex marketing problems for retailers through offerings that include a modern digital storefront, coordinated omnichannel marketing campaigns, local search strategies and consulting. Sincro is the leading provider of local marketing services and technologies for automotive clients, driving more than 83 million monthly unique visitors through a cross-channel landscape. For more, visit SincroDigital.com . About Tekion Disrupting a 50-year reliance on aging Dealer Management System platforms, Tekion has challenged the paradigm with the first and fastest cloud-native automotive retail platform, Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC). This transformative dealership software platform uses cutting-edge technology, big data, machine learning, and AI to seamlessly bring together OEMs, retailers/dealers and consumers. With its highly configurable integration and greater customer engagement capabilities, ARC is simplifying the dealer/consumer relationship and journey. Founded in the Silicon Valley, Tekion employs over 1,000 innovators globally. For more information, visit www.tekion.com. Media Contacts

Sincro

Betsy Goldberg

communications@sincrodigital.com Tekion

Marylou Hastert

press@tekion.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sincro-and-tekion-announce-first-real-time-integration-between-automotive-dealer-management-system-and-dealer-websites-301343819.html SOURCE Sincro

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[July 29, 2021] ORYZON Reports Results and Corporate Update for First Half Ended June 30, 2021

MADRID, Spain and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. (ISIN Code: ES0167733015, ORY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging epigenetics to develop therapies in diseases with strong unmet medical need, today reported financial results for the first half of 2021 and provided an update on recent developments. Dr Carlos Buesa, Oryzons Chief Executive Officer, said: Oryzon continued to make strong progress on our clinical pipeline this quarter, with very positive data from iadademstats Phase II trial in acute myeloid leukemia. The 30-month data we recently reported continued to confirm a very robust percentage of responses, with responses also maturing in longer times of remission, extending survival. We believe the combination approaches with iadademstat will increase therapeutic options for acute myeloid leukemia patients in first line, as well as for refractory or intolerant patients who have received BCL2 inhibitors as first line. Our CNS pipeline reached important milestones with Investigational New Drug approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for our Phase IIb trial with vafidemstat in Borderline Personality Disorder, PORTICO and Clinical Trial Application approval of our Phase IIb trial with vafidemstat in Schizophrenia, EVOLUTION, in Europe. The initiation of PORTICO also highlights the importance of our growing U.S. clinical activities. Furthermore, vafidemstat also showed clear anti-inflammatory responses in moderate and severe CoVID-19 patients in our two-arm, randomized Phase II study, ESCAPE. We finished this second quarter with a reinforced cash position of $40.1 million, which provides funding for further development of our exciting pipeline until 1Q 2023. First Half and Recent Highlights Iadademstat in oncology: Phase II ALICE trial, investigating iadademstat in combination with azacitidine in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), continues recruitment. The preliminary results corresponding to the 30 months of the study, presented at the EHA 2021 congress, show robust signs of clinical efficacy, with ORR of 83%, of which 67% are CR/CRi. Five patients with remissions greater than one year were reported and the longest remission of 858 days, is still ongoing. The responses appear early. The combination of iadademstat and azacitidine continues to show a good safety profile. The company plans to present a new clinical update on ALICE at the ASH 2021 congress.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Orphan Drug Designation granted to iadademstat for the treatment of AML. The drug now has orphan designation in both U.S. and EU.

New trials in combination in AML and solid tumors are under preparation. The company believes that there is potential for fast market regulatory paths in both areas. Oryzon expects to announce further details in 2H 2021.

Vafidemstat in neurological and inflammatory disease: Actively recruiting patients in the Phase IIb clinical trial with vafidemstat in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The study, named PORTICO, is a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase IIb to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vafidemstat in BPD patients. The trial has two primary objectives: reduction of aggression/agitation and overall BPD improvement. The study will include 156 patients, with 78 patients in each arm, and has a pre-defined interim analysis to adjust the sample size in case of excessive variability around the endpoints or an unexpectedly high placebo rate. The trial will be conducted in 15-20 sites in Europe and US, with three Spanish hospitals activated in the first stage.

Following a successful pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) meeting with the FDA, Oryzon submitted an IND application for vafidemstat to perform PORTICO in the second quarter of 2021. The company has received confirmation from the FDA of IND authorization to conduct this trial.

Received Clinical Trial Application (CTA) approval from the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) to carry out a Phase IIb clinical trial with vafidemstat in patients with schizophrenia. This Phase IIb study, called EVOLUTION, aims to evaluate the efficacy of vafidemstat on negative symptoms and cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia. Recruitment is expected to begin during the summer. This project is partially financed with public funds from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and will be carried out in various Spanish hospitals.

The collaborations in the field of autism with researchers at the Seaver Center for Autism Research and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and the Institute of Medical and Molecular Genetics (INGEMM) at Hospital Universitario La Paz of Madrid continue to advance. The collaboration in precision medicine in schizophrenia with researchers from Columbia University in New York has also made progress. The results of the ongoing pilot studies to characterize these patients with specific mutations to inform subsequent precision psychiatry clinical trials with vafidemstat are expected in the second half of 2021.

Preliminary data from vafidemstats clinical study in seriously ill patients with CoVID-19, ESCAPE, presented at the 31st European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, ECCMID-2021. This open-label, randomized, double-arm Phase II trial was aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of vafidemstat in combination with standard treatment used in hospitals to prevent progression to acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The trial recruited 60 patients. Vafidemstat was safe and well tolerated in severe CoVID-19 patients. The anti-inflammatory effects of vafidemstat have been confirmed in severe CoVID-19 patients. Vafidemstat reduced the exacerbated activation of CD4 + T cells and reduced the release of key inflammatory cytokines. There were no significant differences in the number of deaths between the two arms of the study and the patients in both arms of the study recovered quickly.

Financial Update: First Half 2021 Financial Results Research and development (R&D) expenses were $2.9 and $7.3 million for the quarter and 6 months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $2.7 and $7.1 million for the quarter and 6 months ended June 30, 2020. General and administrative expenses were $1.20 and $2.5 million for the quarter and 6 months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $0.9 and $1.8 million for the quarter and 6 months ended June 30, 2020. Net losses were $1.9 and $3.9 million for the quarter and 6 months ended June 30, 2021, compared to net losses of $1.3 and $2.5 million for the quarter and 6 months ended June 30, 2020. This is due to a higher investment in research and non-capitalized development of the ESCAPE clinical trial and non-recurring expenses. The result is in accordance with the specificity of the biotechnology business model, in the development phase of the Company, with a long-term maturation period for its products, and without recurrent income. Negative net result of $1.2 million (-$0.02 per share) for the first 6 months ended June 30, 2021, compared to a negative net result of $1.5 million (- $0,03 per share) for the first 6 months ended June 30, 2020. Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $40.1 million as of June 30, 2021, compared to $54.9 million as of June 30, 2020. ORYZON GENOMICS, S.A. BALANCE SHEET DATA (AUDITED)1 (Amounts in thousands US $) June 30th,

2021 June 30th,

2020 Cash and cash equivalents 40,083 54,782 Marketable securities 0 159 Total Assets 113,226 112,122 Deferred revenue 0 0 Total Stockholders' equity 89,047 86,995

ORYZON GENOMICS, S.A. STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (AUDITED)1 (US $, amounts in thousands except per share data) Three Months Ended





Six Months Ended

June 30th 2021 2020 2021 2020 Collaboration Revenue 0 0 0 0 Operating expenses: Research and Development 2,928 2,731 7,264 7,142 General and administrative 1,200 906 2,520 1,770 Total operating expenses 4,128 3,636 9,784 8,912 Loss from Operations -4,128 -3,636 -9,784 -8,912 Other income, net 2,256 2,312 5,840 6,414 Net Loss -1,872 -1,324 -3,944 -2,498 Net Financial & Tax 2,823 1,102 2,733 984 Net Result 951 -222 -1,211 -1,515 Loss per share allocable to common stockholders: Basic 0.02 -0.00 -0.02 -0.03 Diluted 0.02 -0.00 -0.02 -0.03 Weighted average Shares outstanding Basic 52,761,554 45,808,246 52,761,554 45,648,400 Diluted 52,761,554 45,808,246 52,761,554 45,648,400 1 Spanish GAAP * Exchange Euro/Dollar (1.1884 for 2021 and 1.1198 in 2020) About Oryzon

Founded in 2000 in Barcelona, Spain, Oryzon (ISIN Code: ES0167733015) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company considered as the European champion in Epigenetics. Oryzon has one of the strongest portfolios in the field. Oryzons LSD1 program has rendered two compounds, vafidemstat and iadademstat, in Phase II clinical trials. In addition, Oryzon has ongoing programs for developing inhibitors against other epigenetic targets. Oryzon has a strong technological platform for biomarker identification and performs biomarker and target validation for a variety of malignant and neurological diseases. Oryzon has offices in Spain and the United States. Oryzon is one of the most liquid biotech stocks in Europe with +90 M shares negotiated in 2020 (ORY:SM / ORY.MC / ORYZF US OTC mkt). For more information, visit www.oryzon.com About Iadademstat

Iadademstat (ORY-1001) is a small oral molecule, which acts as a highly selective inhibitor of the epigenetic enzyme LSD1 and has a powerful differentiating effect in hematologic cancers (see Maes et al., Cancer Cell 2018 Mar 12; 33 (3): 495-511.e12.doi: 10.1016 / j.ccell.2018.02.002.). A first Phase I/IIa clinical trial with iadademstat in refractory and relapsed acute leukemia patients demonstrated the safety and good tolerability of the drug and preliminary signs of antileukemic activity, including a CRi. Beyond hematological cancers, the inhibition of LSD1 has been proposed as a valid therapeutic approach in some solid tumors such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), neuroendocrine tumors, medulloblastoma and others. Iadademstat has been tested in four clinical trials (two in monotherapy in SCLC and AML, and two in combination, in SCLC and AML) in more than 100 patients. In the combination studies, ALICE (ongoing), a Phase IIa trial in combination with azacitidine in elderly or unfit AML patients, and CLEPSIDRA (finalized), a Phase IIa trial in combination with platinum/etoposide in second line ED-SCLC patients, preliminary efficacy results have been reported.

About Vafidemstat

Vafidemstat (ORY-2001) is an oral, CNS optimized LSD1 inhibitor. The molecule acts on several levels: it reduces cognitive impairment, including memory loss and neuroinflammation, and at the same time has neuroprotective effects. In animal studies vafidemstat not only restores memory but reduces the exacerbated aggressiveness of SAMP8 mice, a model for accelerated aging and Alzheimers disease (AD), to normal levels and also reduces social avoidance and enhances sociability in murine models. In addition, vafidemstat exhibits fast, strong and durable efficacy in several preclinical models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Oryzon has performed two Phase IIa clinical trials in aggressiveness in patients with different psychiatric disorders (REIMAGINE) and in aggressive/agitated patients with moderate or severe AD (REIMAGINE-AD), with positive preliminary clinical results reported in both. Additional finalized Phase IIa clinical trials with vafidemstat include the ETHERAL trial in patients with Mild to Moderate AD, where a significant reduction of the inflammatory biomarker YKL40 has been observed after 6 months of treatment, and the pilot, small scale SATEEN trial in Relapse-Remitting and Secondary Progressive MS. Two Phase IIb trials in borderline personality disorder (PORTICO) and in schizophrenia patients (EVOLUTION) have been recently authorized. The company is also deploying a CNS precision medicine approach with vafidemstat in genetically-defined patient subpopulations of certain CNS disorders. Vafidemstat is also being explored in a Phase II in severe Covid-19 patients (ESCAPE) assessing the capability of the drug to prevent ARDS, one of the most severe complications of the viral infection. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This communication contains, or may contain, forward-looking information and statements about Oryzon, including financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, capital expenditures, synergies, products and services, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally identified by the words expects, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates and similar expressions. Although Oryzon believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and holders of Oryzon shares are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Oryzon that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the documents sent by Oryzon to the Spanish Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), which are accessible to the public. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and have not been reviewed by the auditors of Oryzon. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to Oryzon or any of its members, directors, officers, employees or any persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above. All forward-looking statements included herein are based on information available to Oryzon on the date hereof. Except as required by applicable law, Oryzon does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Oryzons securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. Any public offering of Oryzons securities to be made in the United States will be made by means of a prospectus that may be obtained from Oryzon or the selling security holder, as applicable, that will contain detailed information about Oryzon and management, as well as financial statements. IR, US IR & Media, Europe Spain Oryzon Ashley R. Robinson Sandya von der Weid Patricia Cobo Emili Torrell LifeSci Advisors, LLC LifeSci Advisors, LLC / Carlos C. Ungria BD Director +1 617 430 7577 +41 78 680 05 38 +34 91 564 07 25 +34 93 515 13 13 arr@lifesciadvisors.com svonderweid@lifesciadvisors.com pcobo@atrevia.com

cungria@atrevia.com etorrell@oryzon.com



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[July 29, 2021] Latest List of Top Web Design Companies in the USA by GoodFirms - 2021

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Presently, various industries embrace online presence by creating a website for their customers to become more accessible. However, establishing an online presence is not the only solution to thrive in the market and gain success. Therefore, it is crucial to have an excellent design for the website that reflects the business, appears more appealing to the users, and increases engagement. Top Web Design Companies in the USA and most recommended web designers for varied sectors of industries at GoodFirms. Website design creates a significant impact on the audience and business. It can either make or break the business the entrepreneurs are trying to deliver. The design has the power to make a difference in how the target audience perspective the business and turns them into customers. The visitors judge the business within seconds to remain on the page, know about the business, leave the page, and turn to a competitor. Thus, every business needs to build a website with a unique and responsive design utilizing several features. A good web design helps enhance the SEO strategy; it serves as a reflection of the company, boosts the brand, builds trust, and much more. Here GoodFirms has disclosed the list of Top Web Design Companies in the USA evaluated with several research parameters. The service seekers from varied sectors of fields can also associate with the web designers experienced and specialize in the following industries like Dental, Non-Profit, Healthcare, Real Estate, Automotive, Manufacturing, Retail. Check out the list of Top Web Design Companies in the USA for Varied Sectors of Industries at GoodFirms: Top Web Design Companies in the USA: Unified Infotech, Caveni Digital Solutions, 3 Media Web, SmartSites, Bachoo, The Creative Momentum, LLC, Omni Agency, PageTraffic Inc, Brights, CodeBright. https://www.goodfirms.co/directory/country/top-web-design-companies/us Best Health Care Web Design Companies: New Media Campaigns, Hook Agency, Jameson, The Web Surgery, DubSeo, Clear, Radiant Elephnat, Priority Pixel, Brain Bits, Square Flair. https://www.goodfirms.cotop-web-design-companies/healthcare



Best Real Estate Web Design Companies: Webby Central, Designs Guru Studio, Dynamic Dreamz, Cirkle Studio Pvt. Ltd., Master Creationz, Dedicated Developers, A Dying Art Company Ltd., Xtreem Solution, Creole Studios, Seven Dynamic.

https://www.goodfirms.co/top-web-design-companies/real-estate Top Dental Web Design Companies: Creative Navy, Cobold Digital LLP, MBG MEDIA, iTreeni Technolabs, 300DEVS, Maven Cluster, Digital Promotion Agency, Inqsys Technologies, SITSL, SEO Daddy Company. https://www.goodfirms.co/top-web-design-companies/dental Top Non Profit Web Design Companies: Aalpha Information Systems India Pvt. Ltd., WebFX, Next Big Technology(NBT), UPQODE, Cyber Infrastructure Inc., Terasol Technologies, MobileCoderz Technologies, Vrinsoft Technology, Digital Web Avenue (I) Pvt. Ltd., The Bureau Of Small Projects. https://www.goodfirms.co/top-web-design-companies/non-profit Top Automotive Web Design Companies: Click Dealer, izmocars, Autoshop Solutions, Frogspark, EDealer, Blue Cubes Web Design, Autoweb Design, ThePixel, Five by Five Web Design, IndiaNIC. https://www.goodfirms.co/top-web-design-companies/automotive Top Manufacturing Web Design Companies: KrishaWeb, Bird Marketing Limited, Seven Dynamic, Vrinsoft Technology, Digital Web Avenue (I) Pvt. Ltd., Mantthan Web Solutions LLP, Immersive Infotech, Aryavrat Infotech Inc., Creative Navy, Raindrops InfoTech. https://www.goodfirms.co/top-web-design-companies/manufacturing Top Retail Web Design Companies: Kadam Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Web Shine Tech, Vrinsoft Technology, Auxesis Infotech, Fluper Ltd., Brain Technosys Pvt. Ltd., RipenApps, Vinille, Technoloader, Immersive Infotech. https://www.goodfirms.co/top-web-design-companies/retail B2B GoodFirms.co is a maverick research, ratings and reviews platform. It helps to build a strong platform for the service seekers to make it effortless for them to get in contact with the best partners. The research team of GoodFirms assesses each agency through numerous factors. It includes three main pillars that are Quality, Reliability, and Ability. Further, these components are subdivided into various measures to determine every firm's past and present portfolio, years of experience, online market penetration, and client feedback. Thus, by focusing on the overall research methodology each agency obtains a set of scores that are out of a total of 60. Hence, according to these points all the top development companies, best software and other organizations from diverse industries are indexed in the catalog along with genuine ratings and reviews. Additionally, GoodFirms invites the service providers from varied industries to participate in the research process and show the strong evidence of their work. Hence, get a wonderful chance to Get Listed in the catalog of top companies and best software as per their categories. Obtaining a presence in the list of top service providers at GoodFirms will help to spread its wings globally and increase productivity. About GoodFirms:

GoodFirms is a Washington, D.C. based research firm that aligns its efforts in identifying the most prominent and efficient web design companies that deliver results to their clients. GoodFirms research is a confluence of new age consumer reference processes and conventional industry-wide review & rankings that help service seekers leap further and multiply their industry-wide value and credibility. CONTACT:

Rachael Ray

(360) 326-2243

rachael@goodfirms.co View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/latest-list-of-top-web-design-companies-in-the-usa-by-goodfirms---2021-301343999.html SOURCE GoodFirms

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[July 29, 2021] AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries

AM Best has affirmed the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of "a-" (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings (Long-Term IR) of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (The Hartford) (Delaware) [NYSE: HIG], which is the ultimate parent of the companies hereinafter mentioned. AM Best also has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of "aa-" (Superior) of Hartford Fire Insurance Company (Hartford, CT) and its pooling subsidiaries and affiliates, collectively known as the Hartford Insurance Group. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. (See below for a detailed listing of the companies and Long-Term ICRs.) The ratings of the Hartford Insurance Group reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The ratings reflect the Hartford Insurance Group's risk adjusted capitalization, which remains at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio. Additionally, the group reports strong liquidity metrics and has a diverse and well-managed investment portfolio. Hartford Insurance Group also benefits from strong financial flexibility at The Hartford, demonstrating access to capital markets as needed as well as full borrowing capacity to $750 million through its five-year revolving credit facility, which matures in March 2023. AM Best notes that the Hartford Insurance Group also has access to additional funds through its membership with Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLB). The group continues to maintain a comprehensive reinsurance program with highly rated insurers. Hartford Insurance Group's diverse product portfolio and distribution capabilities are a direct contributor to the group's adequate top line trends and operating performance metrics. AM Best notes that the Navigators operations, acquired in 2019, have been fully integrated and now are considered part of the Hartford Insurance Group. Hartford Insurance Group has reported a steady stream of net investment income supplementing revenue, though yields have been lower due to generally lower reinvestment rates. While premium growth was modest in 2020, driven in part by the impacts from COVID-19, going forward, AM Best expects more favorable written premium growth across core lines of business. Additionally, the group continues to benefit from its Hartford Next cost reduction plan, which has effectively reduced annual operating costs. The group's favorable business profile can be attributed to its recognized presence and excellent market position in the property/casualty market as well as its leading position within the group benefits market. Additionally, the group's experienced management team has proven success in implementation of its business strategies and initiatives supporting its goal of long-term profitable growth. Hartford Insurance Group cntinues to work to further evolve its risk management expertise, which is considered to be appropriate for the support of its investment, operations and insurance-related risks.



The Hartford's debt-to-total capital ratio and interest coverage ratios are within AM Best's guidelines for its current ratings. AM Best anticipates The Hartford will maintain solid liquidity to support any potential capital needs of its operating subsidiaries. The FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of "aa-" (Superior) have been affirmed with stable outlooks for the following subsidiaries of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.:

Hartford Fire Insurance Company

Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company

Hartford Insurance Company of Illinois

Hartford Casualty Insurance Company

Hartford Underwriters Insurance Company

Pacific Insurance Company, Limited

Twin (News - Alert) City Fire Insurance Company

Nutmeg Insurance Company

Hartford Insurance Company of the Midwest

Hartford Insurance Company of the Southeast

Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company

Property and Casualty Insurance Company of Hartford

Trumbull Insurance Company

Sentinel Insurance Company, Ltd.

Hartford Lloyd's Insurance Company

Navigators Insurance Company

Navigators Specialty Insurance Company

Maxum Indemnity Company

Maxum Casualty Insurance Company The following Long-Term IRs have been affirmed with stable outlooks: The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. -

-- "a-" (Excellent) on $600 million 2.8% senior unsecured notes, due 2029

-- "a-" (Excellent) on $300 million 5.95% senior unsecured notes, due 2036

-- "a-" (Excellent) on $300 million 6.625% senior unsecured notes, due 2040 (approximately $295 million outstanding)

-- "a-" (Excellent) on $409 million 6.1% senior unsecured notes, due 2041

-- "a-" (Excellent) on $425 million 6.625% senior unsecured notes, due 2042 (approximately $178 million outstanding)

-- "a-" (Excellent) on $300 million 4.3% senior unsecured notes, due 2043

-- "a-" (Excellent) on $500 million 4.4% senior unsecured notes, due 2048

-- "a-" (Excellent) on $800 million 3.6% senior unsecured notes, due 2049

-- "bbb" (Good) on $600 million fixed-to-floating rate junior subordinated debentures, due 2042

-- "bbb" (Good) on $500 million floating rate junior subordinated debentures, due 2067

-- "bbb" (Good) on $345 million 6% non-cumulative preferred stock The following indicative Long-Term IRs on securities available under the shelf registration have been affirmed with stable outlooks: The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.-

-- "a-" (Excellent) on senior unsecured

-- "bbb+" (Good) on senior subordinated

-- "bbb" (Good) on preferred stock

-- "bbb" (Good) on junior subordinated This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright  2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005952/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Cincinnati Bell Announces Partnerships in Northern Kentucky to Invest $181M and Deliver Fiber-Based Gigabit Internet to All 207,000 Campbell, Kenton, and Boone County Addresses in 24-36 Months

Cincinnati Bell (News - Alert) is expanding its fiber network in Campbell County, Kenton County, and Boone County, and will be able to provide all 207,000 consumer and business addresses in those counties with fiber-to-the-premise gigabit Internet in the next 24-36 months. The $181 million investment continues Cincinnati Bell's ongoing commitment to increase digital equity in Northern Kentucky and ensure that all residents have access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. Once the fiber build is complete, 95,000 new addresses in Campbell County, Kenton County, and Boone County will have access to fiber-to-the-premise gigabit Internet from Cincinnati Bell. Cincinnati Bell currently offers fiber-based gigabit Internet to 112,000 addresses in these counties. Under the agreement with Campbell County, which was approved on July 21, Cincinnati Bell will expand its fiber network and offer fiber-based gigabit Internet to 17,600 addresses that are currently unserved or underserved. Campbell County is committing up to $4.5 million to the project. Under the agreement with Kenton County, which was approved on July 27, Cincinnati Bell will expand its fiber network and offer fiber-based gigabit Internet to 37,000 addresses that are currently unserved or underserved. Kenton County is committing up to $10.8 million to the project. Under the agreement with Boone County, announced in March, Cincinnati Bell will expand its fiber network and offer fiber-based gigabit Internet to 40,000 addresses that are currently unserved or underserved. The Boone County Fiscal Court is committing up to $13.6 million to the project. In addition to expanding its fiber network, Cincinnati Bell is also announcing that its UniCity organization will invest a total of $1.1 million to support Smart City initiatives in each county to enhance the quality of life for residences and businesses, and allow local governments to provide more value-added services to consttuents.



"Broadband Internet expansion through the use of fiber to the premises is a goal the County Commissioners and I have had for several years, and the COVID-19 pandemic only accentuated the need for this project," said Campbell County Judge/Executive Steve Pendery. "We are proud to partner with Cincinnati Bell on this transformative initiative that will improve the daily lives of our residents and businesses for years to come." "One of Kenton County's top priorities is to deliver access to high-speed broadband Internet to all of our families. That goal is now becoming a reality with the approval of our contract with Cincinnati Bell to make fiber-to-the-premise available to all residents in the next 24 to 36 months, offering one gigabit internet to more than 37,000 addresses," Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann said. "It's an exciting development for Kenton County, and as historic as any initiative ever undertaken here in our community. Most importantly, I believe in the potential of our people, and I know delivering fiber-based broadband to their homes will empower them to pursue their dreams."

"I am very pleased that our three Northern Kentucky counties will have a unified regional approach to broadband fiber, in partnership with Cincinnati Bell, that will enhance connectivity through the deployment of high speed fiber-to-the-premise," said Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore. "This project will be transformative to Boone County and the region and will improve the quality of life for our citizens." Cincinnati Bell has a long history and progressive experience in providing and managing large and complex wireline and wireless projects. As the leading supplier of fiber-based services in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati Bell has invested more than $1 billion into its fiber network to date, which currently reaches approximately 500,000 addresses in Greater Cincinnati. The company in 2014 became the first Internet Service Provider in Greater Cincinnati to offer 1 gigabit Internet, and earlier this year became the first Internet Service Provider to introduce 2 gigabit speeds in this market. "Access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities are the great equalizers in our society, and high-speed Internet is absolutely essential to level the playing field in Northern Kentucky," said Tom Simpson, Chief Operating Officer of Cincinnati Bell. "We are imagining the possibilities of fiber, and we're excited about partnerships like these that are helping to bring that reality to life for their communities." About Cincinnati Bell Inc. With headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Bell Inc. (NYSE: CBB) delivers integrated communications solutions to residential and business customers over its fiber-optic and copper networks including high-speed internet, video, voice and data. Cincinnati Bell provides service in areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Hawaii. In addition, enterprise customers across the United States and Canada rely on CBTS and OnX, wholly-owned subsidiaries, for efficient, scalable office communications systems and end-to-end IT solutions. For more information, please visit www.cincinnatibell.com. The information on the Company's website is not incorporated by reference in this press release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729005977/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Imhealthytoday is the Most Advanced Solution in the Market to Protect Businesses as They Continue to Navigate the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

MIAMI, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Imhealthytoday, a leading Covid-19 protection program headquartered in Miami, Florida, is ready to assist organizations with the most robust and comprehensive solution in the market. Imhealthytoday was launched in March 2020, offering COVID-19 protection, relief, and guidance to businesses, educational institutions, and the community. The program's tremendous success results from the combined experience and expertise brought by EliteHealth, a leader in value-based healthcare for the last thirty years, and 1.800MD, one of the nation's oldest and largest telemedicine companies with over 3 million members. After more than 2 million screenings and thousands of cases managed, Imhealthytoday was able to keep COVID-19 under control, maintaining numbers well below the community transmission levels and avoiding crisis scenarios for clients nationwide. In recent weeks, the landscape has changed, with the pandemic continuing to peak in some states and returning in others. Businesses are faced with new challenges like maintaining in-person activities under less strict regulations than the previous year, a mixed unvaccinated and fully or partially vaccinated population, and a looming flu season with the potential to create confusion between regular flu and COVID-19 will only make matters worse. Lessons learned from 2020 taught us how crucial it is to be prepared. Imhealthytoday was created to make organizations future-ready at the click of a button and to relieve administrators at the time of managing the burdensome day-to-day tasks of keeping COVID-19 under control. Imhealthytoday goes beyond the existing symptom checking tools and apps, offering online screenings, medical televisits, COVID-19 testing, real-time dashboard reporting, vaccinaton tracking (optional), contact tracing tools, surveillance testing, COVID-19 test coordination, and expert medical guidance to support schools as they navigate the next phase of the pandemic.



How Does Imhealthytoday Work? Upon activation via SMS messaging and email, members securely log in and complete an initial assessment. This assessment allows members to self-report the risk of exposure by answering a series of screening, contact, health-related, and COVID-19 symptom questions.

The initial assessment triages members, according to their results, into two groups using color-coded alerts. Those who have not been exposed receive a date-stamped green sign on their phone and inbox, clearing them to return to school. Those whose results indicate they might be infected receive a yellow sign letting them know our member services team will contact them to schedule a prompt tele-visit. Board-certified physicians review the algorithm results and make final recommendations. All this information is reflected in the Population Health Dashboard, providing administrators with a real-time view of the school population. In addition, our specialists become part of your team, providing guidance, support, test coordination, and contact tracing when appropriate. Our program focuses not only on what to do now but what to do next, protecting our members from uncertainty and risk. Beyond empowering businesses to respond to the challenges of COVID-19 effectively, Imhealthytoday allows them to take the first step in safeguarding their workforce and be ready for any future disruption. "As the scenarios continue to change, those who decided to arm their organizations with risk control programs and expert medical guidance will be ready to lead the charge with insight and agility," said Imhealthytoday CEO and COVID-19 expert Steven Schnur, MD. Founded by Steven Schnur, MD, EliteHealth CEO, Andrew Jacobson, 1.800MD CEO, and a team of innovators, thought leaders, and infectious disease experts. Imhealthytoday is the result of five decades of combined experience in the healthcare industry. We embrace innovation and thrive on collaboration. To learn more, visit www.Imhealthytoday.com Media Contact: Agustina Visconti

Email: 315529@email4pr.com

Call: (786) 326-5233 For information, call (833) 215-3177 or email 315529@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/imhealthytoday-is-the-most-advanced-solution-in-the-market-to-protect-businesses-as-they-continue-to-navigate-the-impacts-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-301344579.html SOURCE Imhealthytoday

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[July 29, 2021] LS and KM Software Developer Lucidea to Sponsor SLA 2021 with Exciting Events

Vancouver-based software developer Lucidea will attend this year's SLA Conference on August 4th through 13th as a Diamond Sponsor. As a long-time supporter of special librarians, Lucidea is once again bringing an exciting lineup of events and updates to SLA's annual meeting. Attendees can visit the Lucidea Team in their Virtual Exhibit Booth and see the latest developments to their suite of integrated library system and knowledge management solutions. ILS and KM Product Portfolio SydneyEnterprise. Take full advantage of the most powerful unified ILS and KM platform, featuring a single venue for administrators and end users to manage and leverage knowledge assets, enhanced search and discovery, and optimized workflows. GeniePlus. The perfect ILS for agile libraries-it empowers a small staff to deliver large-library impact, with an extensible, highly flexible platform. Inmagic Presto. Knowldge management practitioners implement this solution to deliver enhanced search and discovery options, improved access to content, collaboration and sharing features, and DIY tools and deployment.



PrestoWorks. Their next generation web publishing software with potential limited only by your imagination. Its many features include improved reporting, calculated fields, the ability for users to act on content, access to internal and external structured or unstructured information via a single venue, and a powerful web presence. Special Events

Lucidea's events this year are focused on ways special librarians can deliver a full portfolio of services and content virtually, in addition to exploring the impact of knowledge management in special libraries. 60 min Education Session: Wednesday, August 11, 1:30- 2:30 pm ET The Five Cs of Knowledge Management in Special Libraries (presented by KM Expert, Consultant and Author Stan Garfield) 30 Min Education Session: Thursday, August 12, 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm ET Go from Chaos to KM in Minutes 30 Min Solutions Showcase Friday, August 13, 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm ET Show Your Stuff & Meet Users Where They Are, with Powerful 3rd Party Content Importing Lucidea's experts will be on hand in their Virtual Exhibit Booth to demonstrate their library automation, knowledge management, and CMS products, designed to accommodate every budget and organization size. SydneyEnterprise, Inmagic Presto, PrestoWorks, GeniePlus, and ArchivEra specialists will be available throughout the conference. In their booth, download free eBooks from KM guru (and SLA 2021 presenter) Stan Garfield, library expert and advocate Stephen Abram, and archives consultant and author Margot Note, or watch informative webinars of interest to special librarians and knowledge managers. Get product demonstrations, and chat with Lucidea's experts about your ILS, CMS, and KM system challenges. And don't miss the chance to win a set of AirPods. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729006074/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Bell extends 5G leadership with additional high-value 3500 MHz wireless spectrum

Bell secures prime 3500 MHz spectrum in urban and rural markets across the country

Acquiring 678M MHz-POP in auction for $2.07 billion

MHz-POP in auction for Brings total holdings to 1,690M MHz-POP, or 37% of 3500 MHz spectrum available to national wireless carriers, acquired at industry-leading average blended cost of $1.25 per MHz-POP

MHz-POP, or 37% of 3500 MHz spectrum available to national wireless carriers, acquired at industry-leading average blended cost of per MHz-POP Ongoing 5G leadership a key driver of Bell's multibillion-dollar network investment acceleration supporting Canada's COVID recovery and ongoing economic prosperity MONTREAL, July 29, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced it is acquiring significant additional mid-band, flexible-use 3500 MHz wireless spectrum in the recently concluded auction by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Essential to Canada's ongoing transition to 5G communications, these high-capacity airwaves unleash the full potential of Bell's 5G advantage, extending Bell's leadership in delivering enhanced 5G digital experiences to Canadian consumers and businesses in urban, rural and remote communities. Bell is acquiring 271 licences for 678M MHz-POP of 3500 MHz spectrum  critical to enabling the full potential of 5G  for $2.07 billion. Together with existing holdings, Bell now possesses 1,690M MHz-POP, or 37% of this high-value spectrum available to national wireless carriers, acquired at an industry-leading average blended cost of $1.25 per MHz-POP, in line with Bell's network leadership objectives and the expectations of the financial community. "Underscoring the Bell team's goal to advance how Canadians connect with each other and the world, acquiring this significant additional 3500 MHz spectrum will drive Bell's ongoing leadership in 5G, a critical component in our multibillion-dollar program to accelerate investment in Canada's next-generation network infrastructure and services," said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada. "Leading the way in 5G is a great reflection of the Bell for Better initiative and our focus on delivering the economic, social and environmental benefits of broadband network leadership to Canadians everywhere." Launched in major centres across Canada last year and now first to offer 5G roaming in the US, Bell 5G is ranked by multiple analysts as Canada's fastest mobile network (most recently by Ookla in its 2021 Speedtest Awards). Bell 5G is currently available to approximately 35% of the national population, and is expected to reach 70% by the end of 2021. Bell's Wireless Home Internet (WHI) service is bringing broadband Internet access to small towns and rural locations in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, and will also be enhanced with 5G capability later this year. Bell is acquiring 30% of total 3500 MHz spectrum available to national wireless carriers at auction, including spectrum in major and secondary urban markets across the country, which, together with existing holdings, secures all the 3500 MHz spectrum necessary for Bell to continue leading the roll out of 5G across Canada. This includes 52% of available spectrum in WHI rural markets. "With our strong 3500 MHz spectrum position, we're ready to take the country's top-ranked 5G service even further, leveraging the full capabilities of the technology to help bridge the digital divide with enhanced broadband access for more rural and remote communities," said Stephen Howe, Bell's Chief Technology Officer. "The speed and capacity of 5G, coupled with Bell's unparalleled fibre backhaul infrastructure and rapidly expanding network footprints, offers infinite service possibilities for consumers and business users, from augmented reality and machine learning to smart homes, vehicles and cities, and we're eager to deliver these benefits to Canadians no matter where they may live." Bell's accelerated infrastructure investment

Enabled by government and regulatory policies encouraging significant investment in Canada's critical infrastructure, Bell's network acceleration program ncreases capital investment in 5G, fibre and rural network infrastructure by up to $1.7 billion over 2 years  in addition to the $4 billion Bell typically invests each year in network expansion and enhancement. With increased spending on network capacity in 2020 to manage the extraordinary usage increases during the COVID crisis, capital investment by Bell from 2020-2022 will total approximately $14 billion, representing the company's largest infrastructure investment program in its 141-year history.



The Bell 5G advantage

5G capitalizes on the power of both wireless and fibre communications, and with 94% of Bell's cell sites connected to its fibre network, Bell 5G leads in providing the low latency critical to real-time applications ranging from remote surgery to ultra-HD video. With over 2,700 network locations across the country, Bell has more network points of presence than any other carrier in Canada, a key enabler for multi-access edge computing (MEC) that brings the computing power, processing and storage potential of 5G closer to developers and end users. Bell recently announced a MEC agreement with Amazon Web Services and a strategic technology partnership with Google Cloud to deliver enhanced digital experiences for Canadians that take full advantage of Bell 5G's speed, latency and bandwidth benefits, empowering Bell to take a leading share in 5G services. Bell also leads the industry in research and development, including projects under way with Universite de Sherbrooke and Western University to develop new 5G consumer and business services. 5G delivers important environmental benefits, with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association estimating 5G technology can support 1000x the data traffic at half of current energy consumption over the next decade. These sustainability advantages are a prominent part of Bell's plan to achieve carbon neutral operations in 2025.

About Bell

Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing advanced broadband wireless, TV, Internet media and business communication services throughout the country. Founded in Montreal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca. Through Bell for Better, we are investing to create a better today and a better tomorrow by supporting the social and economic prosperity of our communities with a commitment to the highest environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. This includes the Bell Let's Talk initiative, which promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout the country. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk. Media Inquiries

Nathan Gibson

905-614-9596

nathan.gibson@bell.ca

@Bell_News Investor inquiries

Thane Fotopoulos

514-870-4619

thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this news release are forward-looking statements, including statements relating to our network deployment and capital investment plans as well as the benefits expected to result therefrom, including our two-year increased capital investment program to increase capital investment in 5G, fibre and rural network infrastructure, the benefits expected to result from the acquisition of 3500 MHz spectrum licenses, our plan to achieve carbon neutral operations in 2025, our business outlook, objectives, plans and strategic priorities, and other statements that are not historical facts. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws and of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events, and we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe our expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Our capital investment and network deployment plans and the benefits expected to result therefrom are subject to risks and, accordingly, there can be no assurance that our capital investment and network deployment plans will be completed or that the benefits expected to result therefrom will be realized. The value of the planned investments assumes our ability to access or generate the necessary sources of capital. However, there can be no certainty that the required sources of capital will be available with the result that the actual investment made by us could materially differ from current expectations. For additional information on assumptions and risks underlying certain of our forward-looking statements made in this news release, please consult BCE Inc.'s (BCE) 2020 Annual MD&A dated March 4, 2021, BCE's 2021 First Quarter MD&A dated April 28, 2021 and BCE's news release dated April 29, 2021, announcing its financial results for the first quarter of 2021, filed by BCE with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities (available at Sedar.com) and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available at SEC.gov). These documents are also available at BCE.ca. SOURCE Bell Canada

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[July 29, 2021] EY Announces Ling Chai Maginn of Jenzabar as an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 New England Award Winner

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Ling Chai Maginn Jenzabar President, CEO, and Founder was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 New England Award winner. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program is one of the preeminent competitive awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The award recognizes those who are unstoppable entrepreneurial leaders, excelling in talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation, and future plans. Ling was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was announced during the program's virtual awards gala on July 28, 2021. "I'm truly honored to win this award and stand in the footsteps of so many people who I've admired," said Ling Chai Maginn, Founder, President, CEO, and Chairwoman of the Board of Jenzabar. "Entrepreneurship is the bedrock of America; it is our single greatest export and the foundation of the American dream. I came here from China with nothing in my pockets because I believed in the freedom to pursue your dreams that can change the world." "I've lived my life following, pursing three guiding principles," Ling continued. "Freedom for all, which pushed me to be a leader of the revolution in Tiananmen Square. Human rights for all, which led me to found All Girls Allowed, which is dedicated to ending China's brutal one child policy. Education for all, which led me to found Jenzabar, creating pathways for everybody to become their own masterpiece. In America, I founded and grew Jenzabar to help provide people with the education and knowledge to follow their dreams. I'm proud of the work that my team and all the other finalists did, following their dreams to drive entrepreneurship in this country, the spirit of America." Jenzabar helps higher education institutions and students achieve success by delivering technology such as student information systems, enterprise resource planning systems, financial aid management systems, and other solutions that enable better and more rewarding learning experiences. Jenzabar's mission is to create pathways to empower all to know who they are, what work they are destined to do, and how they can unlock their full potential - at home, at work, and in the world! Despite all the challenges, including COVID-19, EY's award and recognition of Ling and Jenzabar are a great encouragement for everyone to continue being unstoppable. For 35 years, EY US has honored entrepreneurs whose ambition, courage, and ingenuity have driven their companies' success, transformed their industries, and made a positive impact on their communities. Ling will go on to become a lifetime member of the esteemed multi-industry community of award winners, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight, and wisdom of fellow alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries - all supported by vast EY resources. As a New England award winner, Ling is ow eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 National Awards. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nation's most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.



The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has honored the inspirational leadership of entrepreneurs such as: Brian Niccol of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

Saeju Jeong of Noom

Joe DeSimone of Carbon, Inc.

Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corporation

Jodi Berg of Vitamix

Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn (News - Alert)

Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani

Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC

Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks

James Park of Fitbit

Daymond John of Fubu Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation. In New England, sponsors also include Woodruff-Sawyer & Co., PNC (News - Alert) Bank, fama PR, T3 Advisors, Nixon Peabody, LLP, Sullivan & Worcester LLP, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP. About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year title. ey.com/us/eoy About EY Private

As Advisors to the ambitious, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. About Jenzabar

Created out of a passion for education and a vision for technology, Jenzabar offers disruptive, innovative software solutions and services that empower students' success and help higher education institutions meet the demands of the modern student. Over 1,350 higher educational campuses harness Jenzabar solutions for improved performance across campus and a more personalized and connected experience for the student. For further information, please visit www.jenzabar.com or on Twitter (News - Alert) @Jenzabar or LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729006190/en/

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[July 29, 2021] Evaluate and Track Hosting Companies | View Company Insights for 500+ Hosting Service Providers | BizVibe

NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BizVibe has made available 500+ company profiles for the hosting services category on its B2B platform. Companies listed in this category are primarily engaged in providing various types of hosting services (such as website hosting, cloud hosting, video hosting, etc.). Get Free Access to These 500+ 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 companies who provide hosting services. 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 Hosting Services Company 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 Copany Insights



Hosting Services Companies on BizVibe

BizVibe's platform contains 10M+ company profiles, spanning across 200+ countries, categorized into 40,000+ products and services. There are 500+ company profiles related to hosting services on BizVibe, covering 10+ related categories. Each company profile contains detailed insights dedicated to helping procurement and sales teams find trusted suppliers and target sales prospects. Examples of hosting services profiles that can be discovered on BizVibe include companies that specialize in:

Website hosting services

Cloud hosting services

Domain hosting services

Email hosting services

Video hosting services 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: jesse@bizvibe.com

+1 855-897-5880

Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/ View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/evaluate-and-track-hosting-companies--view-company-insights-for-500-hosting-service-providers--bizvibe-301341672.html SOURCE BizVibe

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NASHVILLE  The Tennessee Soil and Water Conservation Commission will meet Aug. 22, 2021 in Memphis, Tenn.

The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. CDT at the Guest House located at 3600 Elvis Presley Blvd.

The meeting is open to the public to attend.

The agenda includes approval of the previous meetings minutes, reports from partner agencies and organizations, discussion of a new statute, and consideration of a new seal.

The commission was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1939 for the purpose of assisting in the development of local soil conservation districts. The committee advises the Tennessee Department of Agriculture on matters pertaining to soil conservation and water quality improvement.

For more information, contact John McClurkan at 615-837-5305 or john.mcclurkan@tn.gov.
Strengthening Districts & Educators Ability to Provide High-Quality Literacy Instruction

NASHVILLE, TN Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced 92 school districts will be participating in the Reading 360 Early Literacy Network and opened registration for the Reading 360 Virtual Summit this September.

"Tennessee is deeply committed to building strong reading skills in our youngest students, and Reading 360 has already reached 50,000+ families through free, at-home reading resources and 9,000+ Tennessee educators through summer literacy trainings, said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. With over half of our school districts participating in the Early Literacy Network and 1,500 seats for Tennesseans to attend the Reading 360 Summit, our state can delve more deeply into this collaborative work-- all for the benefit of our students.

Representing more than half of school districts statewide, 92 Tennessee school districts will be participating in the Reading 360 Early Literacy Network to engage in regional communities of practice and receive access to a series of advanced learning modules that teachers can view at their own pace.

Districts participating in the network received grant awards of $80,000 to provide direct district support for teachers and leaders for the implementation of sounds-first instruction in Pre-K2 grades. The work of the network will begin in August 2021, with participating districts engaging in regional communities of practice and gaining access to optional, asynchronous monthly trainings to provide support for school and district leaders to continue to advance the implementation of foundational literacy skills instruction.

View the list of districts participating in the Early Literacy Network here.

The Reading 360 Virtual Summit, taking place September 21-23, 2021, is free and open to all Tennessee educators, district and school leaders, higher education partners, and education stakeholders, and will highlight best practices for the Reading 360 comprehensive literacy initiative. Featuring six roundtable sessions with national literacy experts and Tennessee educators and breakout sessions that will further dive into the topics highlighted during the roundtable discussions, the summit will focus on foundational literacy skills instruction, high-quality materials implementation, family-community partnerships, and educator preparation. There is also a special track of sessions for districts participating in the Early Literacy Network.

Registration for the summit is first-come, first-served and is limited to 1,500 virtual seats. View the agenda here, and register for the summit here.

District leaders shared their excitement for the Early Literacy Network and the Reading 360 Virtual Summit below.

Bedford County Schools is elated to strategically partner with the Tennessee Department of Education's Early Literacy Network to increase early literacy success for our youngest learners, said Dr. Tammy Garrett, Director of Schools, Bedford County. Our membership with the Early Literacy Network will provide continued opportunities for our teachers and students. We are committed to moving the needle for our students under the leadership of the TDOE.

Tennessee has a bold vision for literacy where all children will read proficiently, said Joey Hassell, Director of Schools, Haywood County Schools. Our district is excited to have the opportunity to participate in the Reading 360 summit where we will learn and share with other district and school leaders across Tennessee about what works in literacy.

Lebanon Special School District is super excited to engage with the TDOE and the Early Literacy Network to provide additional supports for our teachers and students in the implementation of the foundational skills of literacy in our district, said Scott Benson, Director of Schools, Lebanon Special School District. We cant wait to see the impact this partnership will have on our students!

Lenoir City Schools is honored to participate in the Reading 360 Summit and have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues regarding promising practices for serving our students, said Millicent Smith, Supervisor of Instructional Services, Lenoir City Schools. Literacy instruction is a cornerstone of our work and we are proud to share our experiences implementing high-quality instructional experiences as well as learn from others so we can provide the best possible learning experiences for our students.

Districts interested in joining the Early Literacy Network may reach out to the department for more information.

Reading 360 is a comprehensive statewide literacy initiative to provide optional grants and resources to help more Tennessee students develop strong phonics-based reading skills by supporting districts, teachers, and families. Components of the Reading 360 initiative are funded with federal COVID-19 relief and stimulus funding. To access additional resources on Reading 360, click here.

For Tennessee Department of Education media inquiries, contact Edu.MediaInquiries@tn.gov.

###
TKC readers remind us that the old school cleric resided in Kansas and now lives somewhere in Kansas.



Check the links . . .

Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick criminally charged for alleged sex abuse of a minor nearly 50 years ago Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked by The Vatican in 2019 over sex abuse allegations, is now facing criminal charges in Massachusetts for alleged sex abuse of a minor nearly 50 years ago, according to a court filing.

Theodore McCarrick, once a high-ranking American cardinal, charged with sexually assaulting teen Defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been charged with sexual assault in Massachusetts, officials said Thursday, making him the highest U.S. clergyman accused in the abuse scandal that's rocked the Catholic Church. McCarrick, 91, is charged with indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, stemming from an incident that happened in Wellesley in the 1970s, according to Norfolk County District Attorney's spokesman David Traub.

Ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick charged with assault of a teen in the 1970s Theodore McCarrick, a former Cardinal who was defrocked by the Vatican two years ago after a Vatican investigation confirmed he had sexually molested adults as well as children, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a wedding reception in the 1970s, court records show.

Developing . . .
Admittedly, TKC didn't really think this was going to happen . . .

And then, the horrible consequences became clearer . . .

Big picture . .

Is the U.S. Leaving Afghanistan on the Brink of Civil War? As President Joe Biden withdraws U.S. troops nearly 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion, Afghanistan faces instability on a number of fronts: The Taliban is resurgent; fears of civil war are rising; and a new threat is emerging - Iran's growing influence.

China's ties to Taliban warm ahead of US leaving Afghanistan BEIJING - (AP) - China's foreign minister met Wednesday with a delegation of high-level Taliban officials as ties between them warm ahead of the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan. A photo posted on the ministry's website showed Wang Yi posing with senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his delegation in the city of Tianjin, then sitting down to talks.

Why the US won't be able to shirk moral responsibility in leaving Afghanistan The majority of the remaining American troops in Afghanistan were withdrawn recently, with the rest due to leave by the end of August 2021. This withdrawal marks the end of nearly 20 years of American military presence in Afghanistan.

What happens if the Taliban wins in Afghanistan? "Is the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan inevitable?" That's the question a reporter put to President Joe Biden this week at a press conference on the US's drawdown in Afghanistan. "No, it is not," Biden said, noting that Afghan government troops greatly outnumber the Taliban and are "as well-equipped as any army in the world."

The local angle . . .

As U.S. Troops Leave Afghanistan, Kansas City Veterans Try To Make Sense Of War's Legacy As members of the Association of the United States Army met for beer call at a hot, sunny rooftop bar in Overland Park, Kansas, their conversation quickly turned to the ongoing withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Three of the five veterans at the table spent time in Afghanistan as Army officers.

You decide . . .
There is more metro mask news to share but this snippet of the discourse resonated with a rather KICK-ASS TKC READER . . . Check-it:



Be Respectful

"With the mask mandate going back into effect on Monday, please be respectful to retail, grocery and any other public employees. Wearing a mask isnt their idea, but you wearing yours keeps their business open and running. Were all in this together as a community, so there is no need to take your anger out on someone who has no control of the situation."

The first response that was deleted in less than a minute . . .



Why don't you go *&#$&#&&# a #*&#&$ with your mask and try not to stick it in your @*#&*$&#& before telling me #*#*&$*$ about #*#&#* . . .



We'll report back if there was any progress in the discussion. In the meantime, here's more news on the topic of masks . . .

'This pandemic is not over': Children's Mercy Hospital urges parents to mask kids, vaccinate those eligible KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Children's Mercy Hospital announced Monday beds were at full capacity due to an increase in COVID patients, along with other illnesses . That new reality has Dr. Angela Myers concerned. "This pandemic is not over," she said. "The cases have continued to increase week after week throughout the month of July."

Independence health order encourages masks overall, requires them in city facilities INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) -- Independence Mayor Eileen Weir has issued a health order that will go into effect on Thursday, which encourages people to wear masks but will require them inside city facilities. As part of the health order, everyone is encouraged to wear masks indoors and avoid large groups.

Unified Government of Wyandotte County releases guidance for K-12 schools KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Unified Government of Wyandotte County on Wednesday released guidance for schools in the area to safely reopen as the school year approaches. According to the county, the guidance was based largely on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended as cases of the delta variant rise in the area.

KCPS 'likely' to require masks after new mandate announced in Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri Public Schools are still deciding whether to require masks for the upcoming school year. KMBC 9 talked to the district about how the Kansas City mayor's new mask mandate affects their plans moving forward, and why some families think masking is the right move.

Developing . . .
The Sunflower State also suffers from a tragic surge of plague . . . Here's the latest TKC wanted to share from MSM news and right-wing outlets . . .

Kansas governor says masks required for state workers, visitors in state buildings Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced that starting Monday, state employees, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks in state buildings.The governor made the announcement Wednesday during a media briefing, citing the state's rising cases of COVID-19 cases and calling it a "mostly self-inflicted problem."The order also applies to visitors entering state buildings or facilities."Close to half of our population has refused to get a vaccine that is safe.

Kelly admin is pushing COVID-19 testing, vaccines in schools - The Sentinel The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is urging school districts to plan for the upcoming school year by pledging to spend millions on COVID-19 testing and vaccination resources in school buildings. The department received $74 million in funding to be used for COVID-19 testing in pre-K-12 schools.

Developing . . .
Recently, shocking headlines regarding murder suspects on the loose terrified cowotwn residents about the reality of so-called local control.

For those who have already forgotten . . .

3 St. Louis murder cases dismissed in 1 week ST. LOUIS (AP) - Three St. Louis murder cases have been dismissed in the past week. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner's office on Monday dropped the case against 19-year-old Terrion L. Phillips, whose trial in the fatal shooting of a man washing his truck at a park in 2019 had been scheduled for this week, the St.

Nevertheless, the police control debate continues . . . Here's a worthwhile passage that hopes to write-off a great deal of human misery . . .

STLMPD data from three years before St. Louis switched to local control, and three years after, show that from 2009-11, the city reported, on average, 133 homicides per year and 57,099 total crimes per year. Meanwhile, from 2017-19, the city reported 195 homicides per year, on average, and and average of 46,982 total crimes per year.

The data show that with the switch to local control, overall crime decreased, but homicides increased.

Read more . . .

Learning from St. Louis: How local control of KCPD could make a difference Local control of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department currently is being debated in Kansas City. But it's already been done in St. Louis City. KSHB 41 News sent a crew to talk to police and city leaders there to ask if the move was worth it.

You decide . . .
As our neighbors on the Kansas site struggle with this new phase of the pandemic, the political conversation ramps up.

Accordingly . . .



A quote from Attorney General candidate, Kris Kobach

"Laura Kelly has assumed the role of state nanny, attempting to use local governments and school boards to control Kansans and restrict civil liberties. This push for mask mandates is about politics and power grabs -- not science. As your attorney general and as a former law professor for 15 years, I will stand up for Kansans' God-given freedoms and fight back against oppressive mandates whether at the state or local level."

Related news links . . .

JoCo health director recommends schools require masks; county officials hold off on any new restrictions OLATHE, KS (KCTV) -- During a Thursday morning meeting with Johnson County's top elected officials, the county's health director recommended local schools require masks because of the high risk of COVID spread. The Johnson County commissioners began their regularly-scheduled meeting by noting that there were no items on the agenda dealing with mask mandates.

Johnson County to review mask mandate policy next week KANSAS CITY, Mo. - During a meeting on Thursday, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners did not make any decisions on whether to follow recent COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Instead, those recommendations will be discussed at next week's board meeting.

Kansas will require state employees to wear masks at work, Gov. Kelly says TOPEKA, Kan. - Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says state employees will soon be required to wear face masks at work if they cannot social distance. All visitors at state buildings will also be required to wear masks. Kansas' Democratic governor said the new mask rules will take effect Monday.

Kansas and Missouri Republican leaders say mask mandates could increase vaccine hesitancy KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri and Kansas Republican leaders say mask mandates will only thwart efforts to get people vaccinated and lead to more vaccine hesitancy. Missouri Governor Mike Parson and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) made the statements as Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced a new mask mandate will go into effect Monday.

You decide . . .
Sorry for the stupid post title but "Smorgasbord" is probably the most unappetizing foodie term I can recall offhand and this post is an apropos place to dump so much tragic human suffering currently plaguing Missouri . . . Check-it . . .

'A lot of people are dying': Ravages of COVID-19 surge evident inside Missouri hospital Daryl Barker was passionately against a COVID-19 vaccination, and so were his relatives. Then 10 of them got sick and Barker, at just 31, ended up in a Missouri intensive care unit fighting for his life.It's a scenario playing out time and again at Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach, where 22 people died from the virus in the first 23 days of July.

University of Missouri requiring masks starting Aug. 2 COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- The University of Missouri is "temporarily reinstating" its indoor masking requirement. As of Aug. 2, all students, faculty, staff and visitors are required, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear masks in classrooms and in meeting spaces where social distancing isn't possible. Classes are set to begin Aug.

Hospital morgues fill as death count climbs in Missouri A Springfield hospital announced Tuesday that it expanded its morgue capacity amid an increase in COVID-19 deaths, while the Kansas City mayor announced he would reinstate a mask mandate for indoor spaces. Missouri has the nation's fourth-worst COVID-19 diagnosis rate over the past week, with one in every 360 people diagnosed with COVID-19.

Some people in Missouri are getting vaccinated against Covid-19 in secret for fear of backlash from loved ones who oppose the vaccines, doctor says The Covid-19 vaccine has become so polarizing that some people in Missouri are getting inoculated in secret for fear of backlash from their friends and family who oppose vaccination, a doctor told CNN Wednesday.

Missouri AG wages war on masks as state blazes with delta cases View more stories Missouri has been one of the hardest-hit states so far in these early days of a delta-fueled COVID-19 surge. Cases increased nearly 500 percent since the start of July, while vaccinations stalled. Right now, with just 41 percent of the state fully vaccinated, 112 of the state's 114 counties have high or substantial levels of coronavirus spread.

In Joplin, Missouri, There's No End In Sight For COVID ICU Nurse: 'We Need Help Too' When critical care nurse Sarah Carter makes her 45-minute drive to work at Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, she likes to spend the time mentally preparing herself for the day. Working in the COVID ICU requires it. One COVID patient she was treating died on a Friday, and another died on the Monday she came back to work after the weekend.

Nearly 500 COVID patients in Missouri ICUs by: Kevin S. Held Posted: / Updated: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Nearly 500 Missourians are in ICUs across the state, as COVID hospitalizations rise. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the state has recorded 559,778 cumulative cases of SARS-CoV-2-an increase of 1,777 positive cases (PCR testing only)-and 9,622 total deaths as of Tuesday, July 27, an increase of 64 over yesterday.

73.9% of Missouri seniors have been vaccinated by: Kevin S. Held Posted: / Updated: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri's senior citizens continue to shine as an example for getting vaccinated. Nearly three-quarters of all residents 65 years of age and older have completed vaccination, a statistic that dwarves other age groups in the state.

Developing . . .
Hostal Aptofive in Cuba Is nominated International Travel Awards



(TRAVPR.COM) CUBA - July 27th, 2021 - The Hostal Aptofive offering in addition the bed and breakfast service in Havana Cuba, services of city tours, excursions and transfers, has obtained the Certificates of Excellence Awards 2017 and 2018 and the Travelers Choice Awards 2020 and 2021; theyre annually granted by Tripadvisor: the worlds largest travel portal.

At the moment, Hostal Aptofive is among the nominees for the International Travel Awards 2021 in the category of best small hotel. These awards are annually granted by KS Aadhavan Enterprises LLP (KSA Enterprises LLP) as well as those of Tripadvisor to companies in the tourism and hospitality industry such as hotels, SPA, restaurants, travel agencies, etc. The awards will be announced on the 15 October 2021.

Any independent tourism entity of its size can strive for these awards which are granted by a jury that will evaluate the candidates based on the products they offer and the opinions given by their customers.

The nominees have the opportunity of getting votes until August 30, 2021. The voting process is very fast and simple and all the persons interested in this matter can vote since membership in the tourism industry or any other requirement to vote arent requested. Vote for Hostal Aptofive Now.

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Fourth consecutive quarter of REVPAU recovery in 2Q 2021



(TRAVPR.COM) SINGAPORE - July 27th, 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] and realised exchange gains.

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

1H 2021 1H 2020 Variance % Revenue (S$ million) 185.0 208.5 (11) Gross Profit (S$ million) 82.1 88.6 (7) Distributable Income (S$ million) 63.8 (1) 32.6 (2) 96 Distribution Per Stapled Security (DPS) (cents) 2.05 1.05 95 Revenue Per Available Unit (REVPAU) (S$/day) 60 70 (14)

(1) Distributable income for 1H 2021 included:

a) 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.

b) termination fee income received upon termination of the sale of Citadines Xinghai Suzhou and Citadines Zhuankou Wuhan.

c) realised exchange gain on the receipt of the divestment proceeds.

d) 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:

Distribution For 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2021 Distribution Rate 2.045 cents per Stapled Security Book Closure Date 4 August 2021 Payment Date 27 August 2021

For ARTs 1H 2021 financial statement and presentation, please visit

[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.

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Jeff Edelstein is a columnist for The Trentonian. He can be reached at jedelstein@trentonian.com, facebook.com/jeffreyedelstein and @jeffedelstein on Twitter.
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 
Canton, GA (30114)

Today

Mostly cloudy this morning. A few showers developing during the afternoon. High 78F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
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State experts say the death of beloved Bear 211, who was put down after being critically hurt when he was hit by a vehicle in Easton this week, was likely the result of repeated habituation to humans because of easy access to food.

Will Healey, a spokesperson for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said Bear 211s death should serve as a reminder to Connecticut residents to make sure animals dont have an easy path to food, garbage, bird seed or other attractants in their yards or around their homes.

This is another sad outcome resulting from habituation, Healey told Hearst Connecticut Media. Bears that become habituated to humans and associate people with food are at much greater risk of being hit and killed by motor vehicles.

Bear 211 was hit by a motor vehicle around 6:20 p.m. Monday on Route 136 near Wilson Road, according to Easton Police Chief Richard Doyle. He said responding officers found the bear, with ear tags No. 211 from the state DEEP. Healey said Easton police humanely euthanized Bear 211 after finding him severely injured. The driver left the area before police arrived.

Healey said Bear 211 was a yearling that was first handled as a cub by state experts in New Hartford. He said the bear was captured and tagged by the state DEEP on May 14 in Waterbury. Healey said Bear 211 weighed 156 pounds.

He was acting bold around people due to suspected feeding, Healey said, adding that he was hazed and released in nearby Naugatuck State Forest.

Bear 211 had a massive online following, with thousands who followed a Facebook page that shared photos and stories of the animals adventures throughout Fairfield County, with notable stories coming out of Trumbull and Westport.

Healey said sightings of Bear 211 began in Trumbull in late May. There, Healey said, the animal was again showing bold behavior around people. Healey said the bear investigated decks, went into sun rooms, followed hikers and caused property damage in town while looking for easy meals near homes. When town officials contacted the state DEEP, police were given advice on how to keep the bear and the residents safe  and, how to reignite a fear of humans for the animal.

Bear 211 eventually moved on from Trumbull, wandering into other nearby towns.

In Westport, Healey said, Bear 211 showed bold and aggressive behavior toward humans, like chasing people into their homes, causing property damage, going into a sun room and coming into physical contact with at least one resident.

When personnel from the state DEEP responded to one of the Westport incidents, Healey said, they were able to haze the bear, who fled.

The bears movement patterns over a large area made it impractical for DEEP to try and trap the bear, Healey said. This bear covered long distances during his life. It is not unusual for yearling males to wander long distances when they are looking for their own territory.

The community that loved Bear 211 took to a Facebook page in his honor as news of his death spread, sharing stories and photos of the animal wandering in backyards, peaking in windows and swimming in pools this summer. The page was created in late May as sightings of the bear first started to circulate online.

Among the ideas to come out of Bear 211s death is a memorial carving of the bear, expected to be placed at Weston-based Wildlife in Crisis, a wildlife rehabilitation and education center, which has previously raised orphaned bear cubs. The facility held a discussion with a bear expert Wednesday night in the wake of Bear 211s death.

For more information on bears in Connecticut, visit the state DEEP website on living with black bears.


A Local Composer Enjoys A Month In The Limelight. By Dave Irwin TUCSON CLASSICAL COMPOSER Jay Vosk has not gotten rich from his work. Not yet, anyway. But that's not why he writes. "I write a lot of stuff on spec," he says. "You just have to do it. It's like a compulsion. I'm fortunate to at least be very careful with my time, so I can write the stuff. You just have to write." This month will see two of his works performed in the Old Pueblo, including a world premiere. His Dance Features for Brass Quintet and Solo Percussion, written for Tucson Symphony Orchestra percussionist Homero Ceron, debuts Sunday, January 17, at a TSO ensemble concert; and Jerry Kirkbride will play Vosk's "Oasis," a work for solo clarinet, at the UA School of Music's Faculty Artist Series concert on Monday, January 25. By his own estimation, the 50-year-old composer has written somewhere between 75 and 100 works so far. They range from solo instrumentals and chamber music to orchestral works and vocal works for soloists and choirs. "Little by little, people are beginning to ask me to write things," Vosk admits. "Pieces that I thought were forgotten are being performed, finally. The percentage is getting a little better; more and more are getting performed, and I'm starting to get paid for it." Vosk also plays saxophone, clarinet, modern flute and Native American flute. His background includes jazz and Yiddish klezmer music. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, he teaches Jewish music at the UA, and music appreciation classes at Pima Community College. "My style is a conglomeration," he says. "Rhythmically, (there's) my jazz background; melodically, some minimalism seeps in; and there's still some vestiges of expressionistic style. I think the idea of expression and soul comes up in a number of things I do. It seems to be helpful when writing and getting heart into the music. I use it when I play jazz and klezmer. I've been playing Native flute lately, and it uses the same kind of soul, music from the heart." When composing, Vosk prefers starting from small bits of melody and then building around that material. "I organize in a very motivic way," he explains. "I often take simple information and try to get it abstract sounding. I also vary the genres I do. At any given time, I might work on an orchestral piece, a piece for piano and instrument, and a vocal piece. I do different genres at the same time." Vosk's Dance Features for Brass Quintet and Solo Percussion was written to take advantage of unusual combinations of instrumentation. The six movements include pairing French horn and timpani, two trumpets with wooden percussion, trombone and marimba, and tuba with vibraphone. It has a strong sense of Americana and the Southwest, with section names like "Hoedown at the Pass" and "St. David Shuffle." Vosk's "Oasis" is more exotic and world-influenced. "Tucson shares a common latitude with Morocco, Tunisia and Israel, and of course, they all have a desert," Vosk notes. "So I tried to make the piece common to all those things, to split the difference and combine Western with Middle Eastern and Eastern. "It's a piece I'm fond of. It's somewhat spiritually oriented. It stands on its own, and is pretty portable, since it doesn't need an accompanist. The clarinet has such a wide range--the low notes can function as a kind of percussive bass line, and the upper notes and higher range for melodic material. I wrote it as a piece where the clarinetist almost accompanies himself. Some of my interest in the music of other cultures comes out of that one. Dance Features is more traditional and more American in character." The composers that Vosk looks to are contemporary and eclectic. Among his favorites, he cites Toru Takemitsu from Japan and Einojuhani Rautavarra from Finland, each only a few years older than he. "I also like some of the post-minimalism people," he adds. "My music isn't that jazz oriented, but I like listening to Duke Ellington and the golden age of jazz, people from the '20s and '30s. These days, it's such an international approach to music that on any given day, I might listen to Pakistani music or Moroccan or Andalusian music." When asked about the biggest problem with being a composer, the otherwise exuberant Vosk answers, "Getting enough opportunities to make you feel like your work is worthwhile." Fortunately for Vosk, January will be a good month for people to discover his music. The TSO presents Brass Quintet and Percussion as part of its ensemble series, at 2 p.m. Sunday, January 17, in the Tucson Symphony Center, 2175 N. Sixth Ave. The concert will repeat at 3 p.m. Sunday, February 14, in the Green Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol. Tickets are $30. For reservations and information, call 882-8585. The UA Faculty Artist Series continues on Monday, January 25, with Jerry Kirkbride, soloist, and guest artists Rex Wood and Jeff Showell. Show time is 7:30 p.m. in Crowder Hall, on campus at the southwest corner of the pedestrian underpass on Speedway and Park Avenue. Tickets are $10 general, $5 for students and seniors. For tickets and information, call 621-1162.


Will The County Attorney Play Schoolyard Bully For The TUSD Rat Pack? By Chris Limberis UNSATISFIED IN THEIR quest to ruin Tucson High School Principal Cecilia Mendoza's life, TUSD administrators are asking Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall to do their dirty work. Tucson Unified School District Superintendent George F. Garcia, using one of his tax-supported legal lackeys, last week asked LaWall to review TUSD investigative reports on Mendoza for possible prosecution. At issue is Mendoza's role in approving the expenditure last year of $879 for a mailing to parents of Tucson High students. The mailing was prepared by the Concerned Citizens for the Future of Tucson High Magnet School in response to the TUSD Governing Board's controversial vote to transfer one of Mendoza's assistant principals, Paul Hatch, to Catalina High School. The $879 came from a discretionary faculty account funded by such revenues as soda machine sales. TUSD, at the direction of the Governing Board and Garcia, has spent thousands of dollars investigating Mendoza. Tainted by TUSD's oppressive political alliances, the matter was twice investigated. An internal investigation last year showed Mendoza should not have allowed the parents' group to include student matriculation numbers in the mailout. Mendoza was reprimanded. But TUSD Board Member Gloria Copeland, an ardent Mendoza foe who suffered a crushing defeat in her November 3 re-election bid, and then-Board President Joel Tracy Ireland got Board approval to spend more money on an independent counsel, Ronna Fickbohm. With an odd mix of piety and the type of nervousness that comes from not being comfortable with the subject matter, Fickbohm flipped the previous investigation. She said Mendoza was in violation of state law over the use of the $879. Ireland, Copeland and the rest of the TUSD Board handed the matter to Garcia. And Assistant Superintendent Larry Williams, who frequently carried out Copeland's directives, then ordered Mendoza to repay $879.63 by no later than December 18. Mendoza declined. In a January 13 letter to LaWall--a copy of which was provided to The Weekly by a Pima County official--TUSD's senior legal counsel Jane Butler asked for review for "possible prosecution." Mendoza has been credited, along with Hatch, with restoring order to a Tucson High campus torn by fights and riots five years ago. She also has shown toughness in dealing with Garcia, his investigators and the Board by insisting that discussions about her be held in public. LaWall, a Democrat in her second year, also should remember the peculiar standard set by her longtime predecessor and mentor, Stephen D. Neely in official misconduct cases. Handed a clear conflict of interest case in 1988 against then-county Parks Director Gene Laos, Neely established profit, or lack of it, as a standard for prosecution. At issue in that case was the restaurant Laos and two partners owned at county-owned Old Tucson. As parks director, Laos was in charge of all leases at Old Tucson in addition to general physical and fiscal oversight of the western theme park. But because his restaurant, the Three Amigos, was a money-loser, Neely said Laos should not be prosecuted--a rationalization, of course, designed to cover for an entrenched bureaucrat's act of craven stupidity, but it was certainly a much clearer situation than Mendoza's. She appeared to act out of genuine concern for one of Tucson's most important institutions. There's another twist to include now that TUSD's Garcia has asked LaWall to fight his fight. Mendoza has been represented by Tucson lawyer John O'Dowd, a Tucson High alumnus who has been active in a number of Tucson High causes, including opposition to Hatch's transfer. In 1997, O'Dowd's wife filed a claim against the county and LaWall alleging she suffered injuries when LaWall, driving her county-issued car, struck her in a downtown crosswalk.
Over the past day, July 28, thirteen ceasefire violations by Russian occupiers were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine.

Russian invaders opened fire from 82mm mortars, hand-held antitank grenade launchers, grenade machine guns, heavy machine guns, and small arms near Zaitseve (62km north-east of Donetsk); 120mm mortars  outside Vodiane near Donetsk; antitank missile systems  in the area of Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers and small arms  towards Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk); grenade machine guns  in the area of Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk); 82mm mortars and grenade machine guns  near Vodiane in the Sea of Azov area; under-barrel grenade launchers and small arms  towards Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); two attacks were launched using 120mm mortars, tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns, and grenade machine guns in the area of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol); two attacks were launched using hand-held antitank grenade launchers and grenade machine guns near Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk), the press center of JFO Headquarters informs.

In addition, an enemy Orlan-10-type unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted crossing the line of contact on the border between Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The enemy also delivered POM-2 mines in the area of Pivdenne.

Ukrainian troops fired back in response to the enemy attacks.

No casualties were reported.

The Ukrainian side of the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) informed the OSCE SMM about all violations by the Russian-occupation troops, using the established coordination mechanism.

As of 07:00 on July 29, no ceasefire violations were recorded.

ol
By its order, the Cabinet of Ministers endorsed the draft agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Federal Government of the United States on projects in the field of research and development, test and evaluation and authorized Defense Minister Andriy Taran to sign the agreement.

The relevant decision was made at the Cabinets meeting on July 28, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

According to the explanatory note to the draft document, the conclusion of the agreement is especially important in the current situation in Ukraine as it provides for the development of military-technical projects aimed at equipping the Armed Forces with modern weapons and military hardware according to NATO standards.

The draft agreement aims to launch projects in the field of research and development, test and evaluation between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the U.S. Department of Defense and ensure optimal use of relevant capabilities in research and development of new technologies, creating conditions for interoperability and yielding the most efficient and cost-effective results through cooperation in research and development, test and evaluation, the explanatory note reads.

As noted, the implementation of joint projects under the agreement will be carried out within the state budget expenditures provided by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for research and development or research work in accordance with the budget section "Development, procurement, modernization, and repair of weapons and military hardware, tools and equipment".

In 2020, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine had the greatest military-technical cooperation with the United States, Turkey, Great Britain, Israel, Iraq, and France.

In 2020, Ukraine organized, held, and participated in 99 events of international cooperation.

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An agreement between Turkey and Ukraine for the sale of a batch of Turkish-built corvettes has turned out to involve two vessels, a Ukrainian official has revealed.

Ukraines Consul General in Istanbul, Oleksandr Haman, speaking with a Turkish TV channel, said that the deal covered two Ada-class corvettes to be co-produced by STM, which is Turkeys state-controlled defense technologies company, and a Ukrainian shipyard, Defense News reported, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

Under the contract signed, the first vessel shall be delivered to Ukraine by the end of 2023 unfinished, to be completed at Ukrainian capacities.

The Ukrainian Navy intends to deploy the corvettes in both the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

Read also: USA to begin transferring Mark VI combat boats to Ukraine in 2022

A source in Turkeys procurement circles says the contract is worth nearly EUR 200 million (US$ 236 million), although the sum could change depending on workshare agreements and ship configurations.

Memo

The Ada-class corvette is capable of performing location, classification, identification and destruction of air, surface, and underwater targets, as well as provide naval gunfire support. It also performs maritime surveillance, patrol missions, coastal and infrastructure protection missions.

Boasting a max speed of 29 knots, the 99.44-meter vessel can carry two S70 Seahawk helicopters, while the ships sensors and weapons include a 3D radar. It will also be equipped with electro-optical sensors, an electronic support system, a laser warning system, a torpedo detection/countermeasure capability, a hull-mounted sonar, and two 12.7mm guns with electro-optical capabilities.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, as part of Ukraine-Turkey military-technical cooperation, a Turkey-based arms producer Bayrak Makina is currently using Ukrainian engines in the production of their new-generation Aknc combat drones, further planning to install them on all company products.

Several Bayraktar TB2 drones, also produced by Bayrak Makina, are already in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and have been tested in the combat zone in the countrys east.

In total, Ukraine intends to purchase 48 such vehicles.
Russia, as a party to the Additional Measures, agreed on within the TCG to strengthen the ceasefire on July 22, 2020, must return to its ceasefire commitments.

Thats according to Ukraines Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna, Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, who addressed the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday, July 29, Ukrinform reports.

Commenting on the recent sharp rise in ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine by Russian-controlled armed groups, Ambassador Tsymbaliuk has called on the Russian side to return to the ceasefire and ensure its comprehensive and sustainable nature.

The diplomat pointed out that the truce had generally yielded positive results, as the number of Ukrainian servicemen killed had almost halved over the year (45 against 88), and there were 30% fewer wounded among Ukrainian soldiers (163 against 494). In addition, the lives of civilians in the conflict zone have become safer.

At the same time, the Ukrainian ambassador pointed to a sharp increase in ceasefire violations, as evidenced by the OSCE SMM reports, since April 2021, along with Russia's intensive build-up of forces along the border with Ukraine and in the occupied Crimea.

Both of these trends, Tsymbaliuk noted, prevail to this day.

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Over the years of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, Special Operations Forces (SOF) soldiers have performed about 10,000 special missions, more than 600 soldiers received state awards, and seven special operations soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.

Eighty special operations soldiers gave their lives for Ukraine, said President Volodymyr Zelensky while taking part in the events dedicated to the Day of Special Operations Forces in Zhytomyr region, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The event was live streamed on the Facebook page of the President's Office.

"Over the years of the war in Donbas, personnel have performed about 10,000 special missions. For personal courage, heroism, and loyalty to the military oath, more than 600 soldiers in gray berets received state awards, and seven special operations soldiers were awarded the title of the Hero of Ukraine," the President said.

He stressed that a total of 80 special operations heroes had given their lives for Ukraine.

On May 26, 2014, special operations soldiers were the first to start defending the Donetsk airport, striking the militants with the first shot of the MANPADS operator.

Moreover, the SOF was the first division of the Armed Forces to move in 2020 to a standard structure of NATO army headquarters and was the first to change Soviet models of sniper weapons to modern Ukrainian-made systems.

The Kremlin must fulfil its commitments and end its aggression so as to end the conflict in Ukraine it unilaterally started, Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Courtney Austrian at the U.S. Mission to the OSCE has said.

In addition, Zelensky noted that the Special Operations Forces cooperated with international partners, while certain units were fully integrated into NATO Special Operations Forces, and the 140th SOF Center had been certified as a special operations forces unit and has the right to be involved in NATO operations.

According to the head of state, this is the first-ever unit of a non-NATO country to receive such a certificate.

As reported, Ukraine marks the Day of Special Operations Forces on July 29.

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky invited Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva to visit Ukraine and personally discuss further steps of effective cooperation.

The press service of the Head of State released a corresponding statement following ZelenskyGeorgieva phone conversation on July 28.

Zelensky thanked Georgieva for supporting Ukraine in the difficult year of the pandemic: "The $2.1 billion tranche we received helped us support people, SMEs, our medical industry during several lockdown periods."

The parties also discussed the progress in the implementation of the current IMF Stand-By Arrangement, namely Ukraines implementation of key structural beacons envisaged by the program. In particular, two key bills aimed at strengthening corporate governance in banks, amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the High Council of Justice", the Law of Ukraine "On the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine", etc.

"Ukraine's position remains unchanged: relations with the IMF are very important for us and we will continue to implement agreements with international partners," the President of Ukraine stressed.

Zelensky and Georgieva exchanged views on the progress of reforms and institutional changes taking place in Ukraine, including the launch of the land market, infrastructure reforms, and the de-oligarchization bill approved by the Parliament at first reading.

As the President noted, he keeps the implementation of the judicial reform under personal control and makes every effort to implement it successfully.

The pace of Ukraine's economic recovery, including the fulfillment of the state budget of Ukraine and specific indicators of its growth, were discussed separately. Agreements were reached on intensifying the joint work of representatives of the Government of Ukraine and the IMF.

The President of Ukraine invited the IMF Managing Director to visit Ukraine and personally discuss further steps of effective cooperation.

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Lithuania requested Ukraine to provide humanitarian aid in the form of barbed wire to strengthen the border due to a critical increase in the number of illegal migrants entering the country from Belarus.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba made a corresponding announcement at the Cabinets meeting on July 28, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"From January 1 to July 27, the number of illegal migrants entering the territory of Lithuania from the territory of Belarus increased critically at the LithuaniaBelarus state border. In this regard, the Lithuanian side, experiencing the lack of technical means of border management, requested Ukraine to provide humanitarian assistance in the form of barbed wire to strengthen the border," Kuleba said, submitting a draft presidential decree on humanitarian assistance to the Republic of Lithuania to the Cabinet of Ministers for consideration.

The government officials were asked to support this project as Lithuania is a friend of our country and always supports Ukraine in crisis situations.

At the suggestion of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the Cabinet of Ministers endorsed the draft decree with revision within one day.

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Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Ihor Zhovkva and the newly appointed Secretary of State at the Polish President's Office and the head of the International Policy Bureau, Jakub Kumoch, have discussed via video link the support for the European integration movement of Ukraine and the strengthening of its interoperability with NATO, the Ukrainian President's Office has said.

According to the report, Zhovkva congratulated Kumoch on his appointment to the post and expressed hope that the Ukrainian and Polish presidential offices would continue their traditionally dynamic and rich cooperation.

Kumoch reaffirmed Poland's unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the readiness of the Polish side to continue to support the relevant initiatives of Ukraine, including within regional and international organizations.

Zhovkva also spoke about the tense security situation in eastern Ukraine and ceasefire violations recorded every day, as well as a Russian military build-up along the Ukrainian-Russian border and in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

Kumoch expressed support for Ukraine's initiatives aimed at ensuring the de-occupation of Crimea and confirmed that Poland would be represented at a high level at the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform in Kyiv in August.

Both parties also exchanged views on the importance and symbolism of the declaration concluded between Ukraine and Poland on further support by Polish partners of Ukraine's movement towards EU membership.

Zhovkva and Kumoch also discussed the issue of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration. They agreed on the importance of further bilateral cooperation to strengthen Ukraine's military interoperability with NATO, in particular using the format of the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade (LitPolUkrBrig) as a clear example of successful cooperation between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and NATO member states.

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Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Government Agent before the European Court of Human Rights Ivan Lishchyna believes that Ukraine and the Netherlands will win the lawsuit over Russia's responsibility for human rights violations in Donbas.

Lishchyna said this in an interview with the Yevropeyska Pravda online media outlet, Ukrinform reports.

In particular, Lishchyna expressed the opinion that Ukraine had good chance to win.

"I really hope so. We have gathered enough evidence," he explained.

The lawyer stressed that the main challenge is the legal proof of Russias control over the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and this decision will be the main victory of the Ukrainian side. "The key point in this case is the effective control of the Russian Federation in this territory. And if we pass this filter in the European Court of Human Rights, then everything else is more or less easy ... We, of course, also prove the existence of human rights violations. But they [Russians] do this so brazenly and openly, its a total breeze to prove," the deputy minister said.

Lishchyna said that the ultimate goal of the Ukrainian side in this action was the recognition of the fact that "the territory, in which the pseudo-referendum [in the part of Donetsk and Luhansk regions that got beyond the control of the Ukrainian central government] was held, has been under the control of the Russian Federation since its conduct".

However, the deputy minister clarified that part of localities occasionally returned to the control of Kyiv, so Ukraine is also proving a more complicated scheme of Kyiv's loss of control over certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

As reported, on June 29, Lishchyna informed that a hearing of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in the case Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia is scheduled for November 24, 2021.

In November 2020, the Grand Chamber of the ECHR attached Ukraine v. Russia case No. 43800/14 (regarding children from state institutions who were illegally taken to Russia at the beginning of the war) and the Netherlands v. Russia case No. 28525/20 (the Dutch interstate legal action regarding MH17) to the interstate case Ukraine v. Russia (re Eastern Ukraine) No. 8019/16.

The new title of the case is Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russian Federation nos. 8019/16, 43800/14, and 28525/20.

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The Kremlin must fulfil its commitments and end its aggression so as to end the conflict in Ukraine it unilaterally started, Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Courtney Austrian at the U.S. Mission to the OSCE has said.

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, she said this at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on Thursday, July 29.

"I agree with my esteemed Russian colleague's statement last week that the only way to resolve this conflict is through peaceful means. Such means would have to include the Kremlin fulfilling its commitments and ceasing its aggression," Austrian said in a statement on Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine and illegal occupation of Crimea.

She said she was alarmed by the growing number of ceasefire violations recorded in recent OSCE SMM reports. "We are alarmed by recent reports from the SMM, which recorded 3,600 ceasefire violations, including 427 explosions. Those are not peaceful means. Also included in the report was an account of two UAVs targeted by Russia-led forces. Those are not peaceful means," Austrian said.

Read also: Ukraine at OSCE calls on Russia to respect truce

According to her, it remains unclear "how any state claiming to desire the resolution of this conflict through peaceful means can continue to fuel the conflict by arming, training, leading, and fighting alongside forces in eastern Ukraine." "At the same time, "Russia's Spokespeople and 'Chief Negotiators' rhetorically deny the state of Ukraine the sovereign right to charter its own political future," she added.

She reminded the Russian delegation once again that most OSCE participating states rejected Russia's attempt to pass itself off as "a neutral mediator."

"The Minsk agreements, the OSCE more broadly, and the G7 have all identified Russia as a party to this conflict," Austrian said.

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The promotion of the Ukrainian language is one of the main issues when approving the norms of the Law On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language.

Commissioner for the Protection of the Ukrainian Language Taras Kremin said this in an interview, Ukrinform reports with reference to his press service.

Ukraine's steps to approve the state language are taken in the right direction and strengthened by the actions of intellectuals and masters of the literary and cultural environment. However, there should be a clear and accessible strategy for promoting Ukrainian. I would very much like Ukraine to be spoken about positively in terms of national and linguistic dignity and large international business projects, he said.

According to the commissioner, on the way to implementing the norms of the language law, Ukraine has considerable domestic support of a conscious part of civil society, as well as the assistance of our international partners.

On April 25, 2019, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law of Ukraine On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language. Its articles are being implemented in stages. The vast majority of its rules came into force on July 16, 2019.

On January 16, 2021, rules of Article 30 of the Law On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language regulating the use of the state language in the field of consumer service came into force.

According to the new rules, customer service must be provided in the state language. In particular, this applies to enterprises, institutions and organizations of all forms of ownership; individual entrepreneurs; business entities providing services to consumers (including online stores).

On June 21, 2019, the Constitutional Court received a submission from 51 MPs regarding the constitutionality of the law.

On July 14, 2021, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine recognized the Law of Ukraine On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language as constitutional.

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Cyprus has introduced mandatory PCR testing for COVID-19 for all unvaccinated tourists arriving in the country.

Thats according to the Ukrainian health ministrys official Telegram channel Coronavirus_info, as reported by Ukrinform.

"Starting this week, unvaccinated passengers must hold a negative PCR test (returned 72 hours prior to crossing in), and upon their arrival to undergo another PCR test. Pending test results (for three hours), citizens remain in self-isolation," said the statement.

According to the Foreign Ministry, as of July 26, Covishield is not on the list of vaccines allowing foreigners to travel to Cyprus without a mandated PCR test.

Vaccinated passengers may cross in without additional tests required if they hold an internationally recognized certificate issued by public authorities.

The list of recognized vaccines and detailed conditions of entry are available on the website of Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on July 21, the cost of PCR tests at Cyprus airports of Larnaca and Paphos decreased. Thats according to the updated Cyprus travel COVID-protocol.

According to the protocol, from July 21, PCR testing at Larnaca Airport costs EUR 15, and at Paphos Airport its EUR 19. This marks a significant drop from the previous prices (EUR 30 and EUR 35, respectively).

Photo: cyprus-mail.com

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As part of the cultural diplomacy project, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska presented a Ukrainian-language audio guide at the Fort Jesus historical monument of the 16th century in Kenya.

The guide became the 25th in the network of Ukrainian-language audio guides around the world and the first one in East Africa, Ukrinform reports citing the Presidents press service.

Audio guides are a small part of such a large-scale area as cultural diplomacy. Systematic and gradual steps should be taken to build and develop international relations. The main goal of the audio guide project is to promote the Ukrainian language around the world so that it is known and heard in as many places as possible, Zelenska said.

As noted, Fort Jesus is a unique fortress located in Mombasa, the main tourist city of Kenya, which was an outpost of Europeans in the Indian Ocean. Since 2011, the fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Presidents Office informs that Ukrainian is the first foreign language to be heard within the walls of the 400-year-old fort.

The launch of a Ukrainian-language audio guide at the Fort Jesus has become especially relevant in connection with the launch of direct charter flights between Ukraine and Kenya in April 2021 which has already increased significantly the number of Ukrainian tourists in the south of this country, the Presidents Office explains.

As noted, the First Ladys project to launch Ukrainian-language audio guides has already covered a number of world-famous museums: Louvre and Versailles in France, Albertina Museum and the Museum of Art History in Austria, Dolmabahce Palace and Goreme National Park in Turkey, Latvian National Museum of Art, Maritime Museum of Montenegro, Colosseum and Roman Forum in Italy, Gapar Aitiev Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts, as well as the Vilnius bus route and the Vilnius-Trakai route in Lithuania, etc.

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Ukraine is likely to introduce a digital certificate for internal use in the form of a QR code to ensure simplified access of vaccinated Ukrainians to certain services if another lockdown is enforced in the country.

Thats according to Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin, who spoke in an interview with the Ukrayinska Pravda outlet, Ukrinform reports.

"The main benefit for those vaccinated is that they are protected. On the other hand, we understand and we see from other countries that vaccinated persons enjoy additional benefits or simplified access to certain services or, say, when attending public events. The main idea applied in other countries, which Ukraine is likely to use, is to introduce as widely as possible an internal digital certificate. It should become a conditional pass," the senior health official said.

Now such certificates are only being tested, Kuzin noted, adding that so far no details are available on how the QR code will work at various levels of anti-epidemic restrictions.

We will consider it after the testing is complete. It will be a QR code that will prove its holder has undergone vaccination, already recovered, or received a negative PCR or antigen test result, Kuzin said.

As Ukrinform wrote earlier, over the past day, on July 28, Ukraine reported 846 new COVID-19 cases.

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This family is among the thousands of people in Honduras supported by Jovenes contra la Violencia, a community-led organization that helps prevent and respond to forced displacement.  UNHCR/Rafael Zaldivar

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the continued efforts of the United States government towards implementing measures that protect refugees and asylum-seekers as part of its Blueprint for a Fair, Orderly, and Humane Immigration System. Guaranteed access to safe territory and prohibition of push-backs of asylum-seekers in need of refugee protection are core precepts of the 1951 Refugee Convention.

We encourage and applaud efforts, such as those in the Blueprint and its subsequent components, including the Root Causes Strategy and the Collaborative Migration Management Strategy, that provide this protection to asylum-seekers, address the root causes of forced displacement in the region, and are consistent with the UN-backed Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS).

UNHCR urges the U.S. to continue ensuring that decisions which affect asylum-seekers and forcibly displaced persons are in line with international protection obligations. We remain ready to offer continued expertise and support to the U.S. government as it implements additional policy measures that will strengthen its asylum system.

For more information, please contact:

In Washington, Chris McGrath, [email protected]
Mr. Jean-Pierre Hocke, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1986-1989).  UNHCR/E.Knusli

Former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Jean-Pierre Hocke, who led the UN Refugee Agency from 1986 to 1989, passed away on Monday in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Prior to becoming UNHCRs sixth High Commissioner in 1986, Mr. Hocke, a Swiss national, served as Director of Operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross for nearly two decades.

The passing of Mr. Hocke is a loss for the humanitarian community worldwide. He was a tireless advocate of international cooperation and solidarity in finding solutions to the great refugee crises of his time, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

In safeguarding the principles and values of international refugee protection he championed the critical importance of the collective conscience of nations.

As High Commissioner, Mr. Hocke played a pivotal role in launching the CIREFCA process in Central America, helping to bolster the fragile peace in the region by extending assistance to returnees and war-affected populations. CIREFCA, the Spanish acronym for International Conference on Central American Refugees, was a highly successful international effort that during the 1980s and 1990s, after nearly 20 years of war, violence and widespread human rights abuses in Central America, spelled hope for hundreds of thousands of refugees, returnees, and other displaced people in seven Latin American countries .

During his time in office, the Indochinese refugee crisis escalated and UNHCR, led by Mr. Hocke, worked hard to provide for the voluntary return of Vietnamese refugees. The UN Refugee Agency also began establishing and managing large camps for Ethiopian refugees in Sudan and for Somali refugees in Ethiopia under Mr. Hockes leadership.

In recognition for his work and role as High Commissioner, Mr. Hocke received the Balzan Peace Prize in 1986 for promoting humanity, peace and brotherhood among peoples.

We at UNHCR extend our sincere condolences to Mr. Hockes family for their great loss.
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A Celebration of Life for Mr. Lionel A. "Sam" Watson, 94, will be conducted on Saturday, July 31, 2021, at 11 a.m. in Williams Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Mac Enfinger officiating. Mr. Watson was a native of West Virginia, married, raised his son in Atlanta, and retired with his wife, 
Milledgeville, GA (31061)

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Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
Union Springs, AL (36089)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds light and variable..

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Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
VIENNA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 29th Jul, 2021) His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Sebastian Kurz, Chancellor of Austria, held a meeting today in Vienna and discussed bilateral relations and ways of enhancing the strategic partnership between their countries in various fields.

The sides discussed bolstering their cooperation to serve their mutual interests, and reviewed the latest developments regarding regional and international issues of mutual concern.

The Austrian Chancellor underlined the visit's importance in driving the growth of the relations between their countries and enhancing cooperation efforts.
NIAMEY, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 29th Jul, 2021) President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger has received Major General Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Inspector General of the Ministry of Interior, and discussed with him ways to enhance bilateral relations in the police and security fields.

President Bazoum expressed his appreciation for the role of the UAE leadership, government and people, and wished the UAE further growth and prosperity.

During his visit to Niger, Al Raisi also met with the Minister of Interior of Niger, Alkache Alhada, and a number of police officials, where they discussed ways to improve ties between them to enhance regional and international security, especially within international organisations.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 29th Jul, 2021) The Federal government in Pakistan on Thursday set 31st August, 2021, as deadline for COVID-19 vaccination, following which only vaccinated staff and people would be allowed to enter both public, private sector offices, businesses and high risk sectors.

"This is being done for you. This is not a punishment but acknowledgement to make you realise that you play an important role for this society and economy. And we, on priority basis want that your health is not compromised so that your livelihood continues and economy also continues," Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said while addressing a press conference here.

Asad Umar, who is also Chairman of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), said that NCOC had already a made decision earlier that unvaccinated people would barred from traveling in domestic flights from 1st August likewise teachers and staff would also not be allowed to enter educational institutions unvaccinated from this date, APP news agency reported.

He said that we cannot take risk of children, adding that around 80 percent of teachers have already been vaccinated.

The minister said the ban would be extended from 31st August on other sectors and places where risk of coronavirus spread is high due to excessive assembling of people, including transport sector, markets and public-dealing offices.
Niamey, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2021 ) :A fresh attack in western Niger near the border with Mali has left 18 civilians dead, a local elected official said Thursday.

The attack Wednesday was in the village of Deye Koukou in the Banibangou area, where 14 civilians were killed Sunday -- also by men aboard motorbikes, the official told AFP.
Sydney, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2021 ) :Police in Australia's largest city have requested military help to enforce a coronavirus lockdown as infections in Sydney reached a new record Thursday.

Commissioner Mick Fuller said New South Wales police had asked for 300 Australian Defence Force personnel to be deployed "to boost its operational footprint".

The city of five million people is in its fifth week of a lockdown that is set to run until the end of August.

Stay-at-home orders have failed to reduce new infections to zero, and compliance has been patchy.

Sydney residents are only allowed to leave their homes for exercise, essential work, medical reasons, and to shop for necessities such as food.

But for weeks, parks and beach promenades have been filled with Sydneysiders drinking coffee and chatting with friends.

Police have increasingly been doling out fines to those violating the restrictions and Fuller said those efforts would be stepped up in the coming days.

Last weekend thousands of people gathered in central Sydney to protest against the measures, and further demonstrations have been mooted.

Police have also requested more powers to shut down businesses that they say are not abiding by rules on social distancing.

On Thursday state premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that the outbreak -- which began mid-June when a driver for an international flight crew contracted the virus -- is "likely to get worse".

Officials announced 239 new infections in Sydney, a record for this outbreak, which now totals 2,810 cases.

With under 14 percent of the Australian population vaccinated, many experts have warned that Sydney's lockdown could run for months more.

Supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech shots are low and there has been widespread scepticism about the AstraZeneca jab, slowing the vaccine rollout.
The engines of the new International Space Station (ISS) module Nauka were switched off after unplanned activation, according to the negotiations of the crew with the Earth, broadcast by NASA

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2021) The engines of the new International Space Station (ISS) module Nauka were switched off after unplanned activation, according to the negotiations of the crew with the Earth, broadcast by NASA.

The situation did not pose a danger to the ISS crew and no damage was done to the station, a NASA broadcaster said.

He clarified that the engines had been launched at 16.

45 GMT, during the integration of the module into the ISS, this led to a change in the position of the station in space by 45 degrees.

The Nauka module docked to the ISS Zvezda module on July 29.

Earlier, Russian cosmonauts told ground specialists that Nauka's engines had unexpectedly activated. This led to a change in the position of the station, and the engines of this module and the Progress MS-17 cargo vehicle had to be switched on in order to compensate for the operation of the Nauka engines.
LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) Former Ecuadorian consul in the UK Fidel Narvaez told Sputnik on Thursday that the South American country's government and its judicial system acted in "bad faith" by stripping WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of his Ecuadorian citizenship.

"They have decided, in a very crude manner, to revoke his citizenship in an attempt to justify the crime they committed on April 11, 2019, and at the same time, submit themselves to the United States," Narvaez said.

Assange received Ecuadorian citizenship in 2017 while he was an asylee at the country's embassy in London. In April 2019, Assange's citizenship was suspended based on the National Comptroller's Office report on irregularities in the procedure of granting it, and the UK Police was allowed into the embassy to arrest him.

On Monday, Ecuador's justice system formally notified the WikiLeaks founder of the nullity of his naturalization in a letter that came in response to a claim filed by the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry.

"The citizenship was granted as a humanitarian gesture to protect him, in line with the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, so his naturalization cannot be dealt with in a conventional way but under international law," the former diplomat, who was Assange's main liaison during most part of the seven years the whistleblower spent holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

According to Narvaez, the fact that the Ecuadorian court did not mention the Geneva Convention or allow Assange's defense team to take part in the legal process proved that both the judicial system and the government had acted in "bad faith.

"

He also argued that by handing in the WikiLeaks founder to the UK police, the Ecuadorian government betrayed a person that had trusted in them for protection.

"This is a historical shame for my country," Narvaez said, adding that then president Lenin Moreno had handed in Assange to the UK knowingly that he would be subjected to "torture and political persecution."

Since his arrest at the Ecuadorian embassy in 2019, the Australian publisher has been locked up in a maximum-security prison in southeast London, waiting for the outcome of an extradition request filed by the United States.

The whistleblower is wanted by the US Justice Department on espionage and computer fraud charges after WikiLeaks published thousands of secret files and classified information that shed light on war crimes committed by US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He faces up to 175 years in solitary confinement inside a top security American prison if convicted in the US.

In January, UK district judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled not to extradite Assange to the United States, citing health reasons and the risk of suicide in the US prison system, but decided that he must wait in prison for the outcome of an appeal filed by US prosecutors.
(@FahadShabbir)

The European Union on Thursday called on Cuba to release people arrested "arbitrarily" during unprecedented protests against the government earlier this month

Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2021 ) :The European Union on Thursday called on Cuba to release people arrested "arbitrarily" during unprecedented protests against the government earlier this month.

"We are very concerned about the repression of these protests, as well as for the arrest of protesters and journalists, especially after the demonstrations held on 11 July across the country," the 27-nation bloc said in a statement.

"We urge (the Cuban government) to release all arbitrarily detained protesters, to listen to the voices of its citizens, and to engage in an inclusive dialogue on their grievances.

" On July 11 and 12, thousands of Cubans took to the streets, shouting "Freedom," "Down with the dictatorship" and "We're hungry" in the biggest protests since the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959.

Hundreds of people were arrested and many face charges of contempt, public disorder, vandalism and propagation of the coronavirus epidemic for allegedly marching without face masks.

Independent observers and activists have published lists of those arrested with at least 600 Names on them.

About 60 Cubans have been prosecuted so far for participating in the demonstrations, a senior official said Saturday.
(@FahadShabbir)

A Spanish court on Thursday said it had archived a case against a former defence minister involving spying allegations within the right-wing Popular Party (PP).

Madrid, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2021 ) :A Spanish court on Thursday said it had archived a case against a former defence minister involving spying allegations within the right-wing Popular Party (PP).

Maria Dolores de Cospedal, the party's former secretary general who served as defence minister between 2016 and 2018, and her husband, were accused of corruption, embezzlement and influence peddling.

She was also accused of trying to obtain information and documents from the PP's former treasurer, Luis Barcenas, who at the time was at the centre of a probe into a kickbacks scheme within the party.

Barcenas was later jailed for 33 years over the affair.

The aim of the alleged spying was to find out what dirt Barcenas had on party officials.

Quizzed as a defendant at the National Court in June, Dolores de Cospedal denied any involvement in the alleged spying on Barcenas and other party officials.

The court on Thursday shelved the case against her and her husband, citing "lack of evidence".

"The weakness of the reasons for incriminating them is striking," the court said in a statement.

By contrast, the court is expected to put former interior minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz on trial over the affair.

Both Dolores de Cospedal and Fernandez Diaz served under former PP prime minister Mariano Rajoy.

Last year, prosecutors said they were looking into widespread evidence the pair were involved in the spying scandal.

The probe into the so-called "Operation Kitchen" spying affair is one of several opened after the arrest of ex-police chief Jose Manuel Villarejo who for years secretly recorded conversations with top political and business figures in order to smear them.
Spain's Catalonia on Thursday extended for a second time a nighttime curfew that was imposed on the tourist hotspot to fight a Covid-19 surge

Barcelona, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2021 ) :Spain's Catalonia on Thursday extended for a second time a nighttime curfew that was imposed on the tourist hotspot to fight a Covid-19 surge.

A Catalan court approved the regional government's request to extend the nightly curfew between 1:00 am and 6:00 am in 163 cities including Barcelona and popular beach resorts like Sitges and Salou.

The measure was imposed in the northwestern region bordering France in mid-July and this is the second time that it is extended.

Catalonia has Spain's highest Covid-19 incidence rate. Before imposing the curfew, the region had instituted other virus restrictions such as limiting gatherings in public and private to 10 people.

The surge in infections has put pressure on Catalonia's hospitals, with 45 percent of the region's hospital beds occupied by Covid-19 patients, compared to 17 percent nationally.

Several other regions, including Andalusia in the south and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, have also moved recently to reimpose limits on nightlife to fight a rise in infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.

Spain's infection rate per 100,000 population over 14 days stabilised on Wednesday at nearly 700, a level about five times higher than it was a month ago. In hard-hit Catalonia it stands above 1,000.

"We have started to see a certain stabilisation in the infection curve," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday.

Spain's vaccination rollout has gathered speed and the country has one of Europe's highest Covid-19 immunisation rates, with 66 per cent of its population having had at least one dose.
(@FahadShabbir)

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, started a six-day visit to Ethiopia on Thursday to discuss further humanitarian action in the country, which has recently witnessed an increase in violence

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2021) The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, started a six-day visit to Ethiopia on Thursday to discuss further humanitarian action in the country, which has recently witnessed an increase in violence.

"This visit is an opportunity to discuss with the Government of Ethiopia's officials and partners how the United Nations and its humanitarian partners can best serve the people of Ethiopia. I look forward to constructive discussions on scaling up the humanitarian response across the country," Griffiths said in a release.

During his visit, Griffiths is expected to meet with high-level government officials, humanitarians and donors.

He added that the armed conflict in Tigray, droughts in the Somali, Oromia, and Afar regions, coupled with existing challenges associated with floods, the desert locust infestation, chronic food insecurity, and the COVID-19 pandemic, have increased humanitarian needs in the country in 2021.

The UN chief also plans to conduct a first-hand assessment of operations in the Tigray region, where an estimated 5.2 million people (about 90% of the population) require humanitarian aid.

Clashes in the province of Tigray erupted in November after the Ethiopian government accused the local ruling party the Tigray People's Liberation Front of ambushing a regional army post to hijack weapons and arm the anti-government militia. Since then, the Ethiopian military has occupied the Tigray region, resulting in fighting with rebels, which has caused severe humanitarian challenges.

An estimated two million of Tigray's six million people are reported to have fled their homes, and an estimated 900,000 people are likely experiencing famine conditions. In addition, about 33,000 severely malnourished children are projected to face imminent risk of death if more aid is not forthcoming to the people of Tigray.
KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2021) The Ukrainian ruling party leader Davyd Arakhamia said that he expects the closed-door part of the upcoming meeting of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden to be "heated" due to the Nord Stream 2 deal recently reached by the United States and Germany.

Zelenskyy is expected to pay a visit to the White House on August 30.

"I expect, taking into account the degree [of tension in relations], that at least the closed-door meeting of Zelenskyy and Biden will be heated. Today, the US largely underestimates, or maybe pretends to underestimate, the blow it has delivered by such an action [the deal on Nord Stream 2]. Using diplomatic language [they] say that 'we are deeply disturbed' and so on, but in the non-diplomatic [language] people call it what it is... Everybody understands that ... flirting [of the US] with Russia is, actually, an informal anti-China coalition," the Servant of the People party leader said, as quoted by the Ukraina24 broadcaster on Thursday.

Arakhamia has noted that Ukraine receives numerous letters from US congressmen willing to attend the meeting despite the summer recess.

The politician labeled Nord Stream 2 a geopolitical project, and said that Ukraine's allies on Nord Stream 2 in Europe include the United Kingdom, Poland, and the Baltic states. And a consolidated position on the project is already being discussed with all the allies.

"Every country has its expat community in he US - Polish, Baltic ones, they have contacts. We aspire to consolidate every contact into the unite position in the Congress now. Because when the Congress starts to work in September, you will see, that it will be strongly oppose to this decision of Biden," he added.

Last week, Germany and the US struck a deal that implies the completion of the Nord Stream 2 twin pipeline without the threat of American sanctions. Among the conditions stipulated in the deal, Germany vowed to prevent Russia from "using energy as a weapon" and to use all possible leverage to prolong Russian gas transit through Ukraine. However, Kiev sees Nord Stream 2 as a threat to its energy security. Currently, the pipeline is reported to be 99% completed.
University of South Florida President Steve Currall today announced the appointment of Kim Hill as vice president for University Communications and Marketing and USFs chief marketing officer. Hill has served in the role on an interim basis since January 2021.

As USF moves into its next chapter as one of the nation's top urban research universities, our brand and reputation are more important than ever, Currall said. After discussions with members of USFs leadership team, representatives from units across the university and external stakeholders, it became clear that Kim is highly regarded and the right person for this position. Kim emerged as the strongest candidate because of both her extensive background in higher education and the breadth of her experience including the for-profit sector. Her energy, strategic vision and ability to motivate others to carry out that vision make her uniquely qualified to lead USFs communications and marketing efforts at this critical juncture.

As vice president and chief marketing officer, Hill will lead USF's strategic communications and marketing agenda to elevate the universitys brand, reputation and visibility locally, nationally and internationally. She will continue to work closely with colleagues across all campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee to promote USF to key internal and external stakeholders. Hill will also continue to direct USF's crisis communications and will lead communications efforts in support of the upcoming presidential search and transition.

The University of South Florida has an incredible story to tell -- a story of tenacity, creativity and relentless optimism. I am honored to play a role in telling that story, alongside a team of talented individuals who work tirelessly to position the university to succeed, Hill said. The future for USF is certainly bright, and Im thrilled to continue serving our great institution.

Hill initially joined USF in 2013 and held roles in the Office of the President and Office of the Provost. In 2016, she became director of communications at ReliaQuest, a global cybersecurity firm based in Tampa, where she helped develop the company's communications, brand positioning and public relations strategy after its first major venture capital investment. She returned to USF in 2018 as assistant vice president for communications and public relations, leading USF's media relations, crisis communications, executive communications, USF News team, social media and the USF Magazine. During her career, shes also served as communications director for the Florida Board of Governors and as a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times.

Hill earned a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Florida and an MBA with a concentration in marketing from USF.
John Pitzer and the journey to Loutre Island



Refugees crossing behind U.S. Army lines, circa 1862. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The American Civil War began in April 1861 as a response to preserve the United States. Within a month, enslaved African Americans seeking shelter behind Union lines shifted the wars objectives. Many U.S. Army leaders, such as Major General Benjamin Butler, were unwilling to return these individuals to their disloyal enslavers. Hoping to deny the Confederacy of its labor force, U.S. officials recognized these self-emancipated people and harbored them as contraband of war. By running away from slavery, these Black Americans helped make emancipation a strategical component of preserving the Union.

During 1861 and 1862, Black freedmen and women arrived at U.S. military posts in such great numbers that newspapers often described them as stampedes. Hoping to legitimize their contraband policy, Congress passed An Act to Make an Additional Article of War, which forbade the Army from returning self-emancipated persons to bondage; and the Second Confiscation Act, which freed the enslaved of disloyal masters. Passed in March and July 1862, respectively, these acts lent U.S. military legal authority to harbor freedmen and women and employ them as laborers.

These emancipation measures created a tenuous situation in the loyal slave states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri. This border region separated the free North from the slaveholding South, and while it officially remained part of the Union it maintained the institution of slavery. Loyalties here blurred as U.S. officials dealt with enslaved Blacks who stampeded to their lines. Unsure of whether their enslavers were loyal or not, the actions of these freedom seekers compelled civil and military leaders to champion increasingly broad federal emancipation policies.

In November 1862, a group of enslaved Missourians from Loutre Island (77 miles west of St. Louis) escaped across the Missouri River to federal territory in Hermann, Missouri. The Fourth Missouri Infantry and its commander, Captain Bathasar Mundwiller, allowed the group of refugees to pass through their lines. They settled throughout Gasconade County where many found work on farms. Some of the Loutre Island enslavers, however, hoped to claim the rights of loyal masters and persuaded a local sheriff to arrest and jail some individuals. The anti-slavery German population of Hermann armed themselves and threatened to free them. Known nationally as the Loutre Island Stampede, many White and Black Missourians watched to see how the U.S. government would respond.[i]







The enslaved refugees escaped across the Missouri River from Loutre Island to U.S. troops in Hermann, Missouri. Maps from "David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries" (Maps from 1865 and 1882).

On December 24, 1862, Major General Samuel Curtis, commander of the U.S. Department of the Missouri, responded to the unrest in Hermann by issuing General Order No. 35. Curtis order authorized local commanders to determine the loyalty of slaveowners so the status of contraband could be established per the new federal laws.[ii] In this case, Curtis deemed Loutre Island slaveowners as disloyal and deferred to Mundwillers initial decision to harbor the refugees under the Armys protection.

General Samuel R. Curtis, circa 1862. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.



While it is hard to identify self-emancipated individuals, they probably belonged to local enslavers. Census and military record reveals that one man, John Pitzer, was likely a refugee who reached Union lines at Hermann.[iii]

Pitzer first appears in official records on September 15, 1863, in St. Louis when he mustered into Company K of what became the 56th U.S. Colored Infantry.[iv] Initially little evidence connected him to Loutre Island or the city of Hermann. His enlistment record, possibly by design, left his free-or-enslaved status ambiguous, and listed his birth in a different county.

John Pitzers enrollment card for the 56th U.S. Colored Infantry.



Nonetheless, in 1866, a White man named James Pitzer of Loutre Island filed a compensation claim for John Pitzers military service. Claiming to be his owner, James claim provides a possible link between John and the Loutre Island Stampede.

James Pitzer filing for financial compensation for John Pitzers service to the United States.

In 1864 and 1866, respectively, Congress passed legislation that allowed loyal border state slaveholders up to $300 compensation for the military service of their bondsmen. James hoped to benefit from this policy by claiming John was not contraband but instead the property of a loyal slaveholder. James took an oath and even had friends testify to his unionist sentiment, but he lacked Johns enlistment certificate and did not sign his consent on the muster papers.[v] This implies that John escaped and volunteered on his own accord. It is unlikely that James received compensation without the necessary documents and because Congress halted slave claims in 1867, but his effort reveals that he lived in Loutre Island and had lost a bondman because of the U.S. Army.[vi] While there is no record of any Pitzers in the November 1862 Loutre Island Stampede, military and compensation records imply that John lived in the area around that time and had escaped from bondage.

In any case, the Loutre Island slave stampede is significant as it pressured U.S. officials to constantly adapt its emancipation policy to conditions on the ground. In January 1863, President Abraham Lincoln rationalized the Emancipation Proclamation, in part, as a reaction to freed people stampeding in Missouri and across the country.[vii] Accordingly, the Loutre Island Stampede, and John Pitzers possible participation in it, is significant as it forced U.S. officials to address Black emancipation and make it a federal war aim.

Corporal John Pitzer died of cholera on August 14, 1866, prior to mustering out of the army.[viii] His body was buried along Mississippi River between Helena, Arkansas, and St. Louis, Missouri. He is memorialized on the 56th USCIs (United States Colored Infantry) monument in Jefferson Barrack National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri (Section 57 Site 15009).

The 56th USCI memorial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, 201, where Pitzer is memorialized. Photo courtesy of NCA Archives.







U.S. Major General Samuel Curtiss orders that his troops would protect self-emancipated black Missourians belonging to rebel masters. Daily Missouri Republican. December 8, 1862. Courtesy of Newspapers.com.



By Jacob Klinger, National Cemetery Administration history intern and West Virginia University doctoral student

[i] Cooper Wingert, Slave Stampedes on the Missouri Borderlands: The 1862 Loutre Island Stampede, A Joint National Park Service  House Divided Project Research Initiative, June 8, 2020, accessed July 12, 2021. https://housedivided.dickinson.edu/sites/stampedes/the-1862-loutre-island-stampede/.

[ii] Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1891), series 1, vol. 22, pt. 1, 868.

[iii] Ancestry.com. 1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010, citing: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1860. M653, 1,438 rolls.

[iv] Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served the United States Colored Troops: 56th-138th USCT Infantry, 1864-1866, database and images, Fold3 accessed on July 12, 2021, (https://www.fold3.com/image/301809340), image of Corporal John Pitzers enlistment card; citing Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served the United States Colored Troops: 56th-138th USCT Infantry, 1864-1866, National Archives Catalog ID: 300398, Record Group 94, Roll 56th_USCT_INF_roll_26, National Archives, Washington, D. C.

[v] Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served the United States Colored Troops: 56th-138th USCT Infantry, 1864-1866, database and images, Fold3 accessed on July 12, 2021, (https://www.fold3.com/image/301809474), image of James Pitzers compensation application and oath of allegiance; citing Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served the United States Colored Troops: 56th-138th USCT Infantry, 1864-1866, National Archives Catalog ID: 300398, Record Group 94, Roll 56th_USCT_INF_roll_26, National Archives, Washington, D. C.

[vi] Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served the United States Colored Troops: 56th-138th USCT Infantry, 1864-1866, database and images, Fold3 accessed on July 12, 2021, (https://www.fold3.com/image/301809483), another image of James Pitzers compensation application which directly mentions Loutre Island, Hermann, and Gasconade County as his and Corporal John Pitzers location; citing Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served the United States Colored Troops: 56th-138th USCT Infantry, 1864-1866, National Archives Catalog ID: 300398, Record Group 94, Roll 56th_USCT_INF_roll_26, National Archives, Washington, D. C.

[vii] Wingert, Slave Stampedes on the Missouri Borderlands: The 1862 Loutre Island Stampede, A Joint National Park Service  House Divided Project Research Initiative.

[viii] Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served the United States Colored Troops: 56th-138th USCT Infantry, 1864-1866, database and images, Fold3 accessed on July 12, 2021, (https://www.fold3.com/image/301809413), image of Corporal John Pitzers enrollment card which notes the circumstances of his death; citing Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served the United States Colored Troops: 56th-138th USCT Infantry, 1864-1866, National Archives Catalog ID: 300398, Record Group 94, Roll 56th_USCT_INF_roll_26, National Archives, Washington, D. C.
Indian citizens, concerned about values enshrined in the countrys Constitution, observed July 28 as National Justice Day in honour of late the Jesuit rights activist.

By Vatican News staff reporter

Christians and citizens of India joined hands on Wednesday to observe National Justice Day as an expression of their solidarity with late Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy, a human rights activist who died in custody.

Legacy of Fr. Swamy

The observance was called by the Jesuit Conference of India. To pay our deep respects to Fr. Stan Swamy, SJ, and carry forward his legacy, we, the concerned citizens of India, stand in solidarity to observe 28 July 2021 as a National Justice Day, said a press release by Jesuit Father Stanislaus DSouza, Provincial and President of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (JCSA).

Fr. Swamy, who championed the cause of indigenous and marginalized people of eastern Indias Jharkhand state, died on July 5 in custody in a hospital in Mumbai, having been denied bail. He was being treated for Covid-19, which he contracted while in detention in Taloja Central Jail, near Mumbai.

Terrorism charges

The ailing 84-year-old priest, affected by Parkinsons disease, hearing impairment and other age-related health issues, was arrested on October 8 from Bagaicha, his social action centre on the outskirts of Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, on charges of alleged links with Maoist insurgents who were said to have been behind the violence in Bhima Koregaon village in Maharashtra state in January 2018.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is tasked with fighting terrorism and sedition under the controversial Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), arrested him and lodged him in Taloja Jail the following day.

Father Swamy denied all charges against him, saying Bhima Koregaon is a place that I have never been to in all my life. He became the oldest prisoner charged with terrorism to die in custody in India.

In a statement on the death of the priest, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), lamented that in the nine months that he was jailed, his "case did not even come up for hearing." Under the Indian criminal law, one is innocent until proved guilty, the cardinal said.

Dont be a silent spectator

Amidst growing inequalities, violence, atrocities, discrimination and exclusion in our country, not to be a silent spectator is the message that Swamy left for us, said the statement by Father Stanislaus. He said the late Jesuit inspired people "to sing the values of the Preamble to the Constitution of our country" - Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity - amidst the adversities, as "the caged bird can still sing and sing in chorus. As a Jesuit, Father Stanislaus said, he committed himself to walk with the excluded, whose dignity is violated, in a mission of Reconciliation and Justice.

The Jesuit Provincial said Father Swamys death is not an end; rather it is another moment of awakening in our journey to affirm our faith in the Constitution of our country.

Sensing that his arrest was imminent, Father Swamy had released a video stating his stand and mission. He said that what was happening to him was not something unique or happening to him alone. Its a broader process that is taking place over the country. Prominent intellectuals, lawyers, writers, poets, activists and student leaders, he said, are all put into jail just because they have expressed dissent This however did not dim his resolve to pursue his convictions. I am happy to be part of this process because I am not a silent spectator, he said in the video.

An icon of justice

Bagaicha, Father Stans social action centre in Ranchi, has a stone slab inscribed with the names of all the indigenous rights activists who have been killed fighting for their peoples rights. On July 18, the Jesuit priests name was engraved on the martyrs memorial.

Father Stanislaus pointed out that Father Stan has joined the company of Adivasi martyrs and all those who sacrificed their lives to protect the secular and democratic fabric and diverse cultures of our nation. He described the priests death as a moment of deep consolation, as he has been able to unite people across cultures, religions and nationalities to walk boldly and courageously in the path of justice to human family and creation.

Stan Swamy stands tall today as an icon of justice to the marginalized, the Jesuit Provincial of India stated, adding, He has given us a new ethical mandate to be compassionate, to be the voice of the voiceless and defenders of human rights, speaking truth to power.

Free rights defenders

Father Stan and his work continue to receive broad support and appreciation within the country and abroad. In a statement on July 15, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor said the custodial death of Father Stan, despite many requests for his release as his health deteriorated in prison, will forever remain a stain on Indias human rights record.

Father Stanislaus said that Father Swamys prophetic spirit urges us to demand justice for him and all the accused in Bhima Koregaon case. He urged Indias Union Government to free the human rights defenders and the under-trial prisoners languishing in jails in appalling conditions and, above all, to defend democracy, to repeal Sedition Law, Unlawful Atrocities (Prevention) Act, and repressive State laws and to restore citizens' right to dissent. On this day, we give to ourselves this mandate.

In conclusion, Father Stanislaus invoked Gods power with the prayer of India's renowned Nobel Laureate poet, Rabindranath Tagore: "Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake." (Source: JCSA)
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Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan got vaccinated against the coronavirus Wednesday to kick off the country's first vaccination campaign. Its a sharp turnaround from her predecessor, the late John Magufuli, who claimed vaccines were dangerous and that prayer had saved Tanzanians from the pandemic.

In a televised event held at the statehouse Wednesday, Tanzanias President Samia Hassan launched the countrys vaccination campaign against COVID-19 by receiving her first shot of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

The prime minister, chief justice and other top officials also got their shots.

The event marks a break with late president John Magufuli, who dismissed vaccines and said God had protected Tanzania from the coronavirus.

Speaking before receiving the vaccine, Hassan said it is safe and that those who are willing to get it have nothing to worry about.

The president said she would not risk her life or put herself in danger while knowing that she has so many responsibilities awaiting her. She said shes also a mother, grandmother, and wife, and that as the president, she must show this to the masses who are behind her.

Tanzanias Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima urged leaders to encourage people to get vaccinated.

"Im asking all our religious leaders, political leaders, and other leaders from each area in Tanzania to receive this vaccination, encourage and educate others that this vaccine is a modern weapon to slowdown COVID-19 and eradicates it completely, as other diseases, said Gwajima.

Tanzanian citizens seem to have welcomed the campaign. Ibrahim Maximillian is a Dar es Salaam resident.

He says the way the fear is presented, not only in Tanzania but also in the whole world, fear that these vaccines are not safe. Maximillian adds that if the president has dared on the frontline to do that, she has shown that the vaccine is safe.

James Tumaini, a Morogoro resident speaking via a messaging app, said that he believes that the vaccine is safe.

Tumaini says there are many who have received the vaccine and reported to have not faced any negative effects. On my side, Im ready to get vaccinated and I urge my fellow Tanzanians to also accept it since it has met the criteria of the World Health organization.

In a Twitter message Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to Tanzania, Donald J Wright, termed the presidents act as a historic moment that hopefully marks the turning of the tide against the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania.

According to the Ministry of Health, procedures and centers for the vaccination will be announced soon.

But the ministry already has said priority groups will include health care workers, hotel workers, employees of foreign embassies and international travelers, such as pilgrims to Mecca.
Zimbabwe is planning to send more than 300 soldiers to Mozambique to train a battalion, which will fight against an Islamic State-linked insurgency.

According to the state-controlled Herald newspaper, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri told reporters in Harare today that the soldiers will consist of 303 trainers and one specialist officer, who is expected to be based at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Force Headquarters in the countrys capital city, Maputo.

Kashiri is quoted by the newspapers as saying parliament would be informed about the planned deployment of the soldiers in accordance with some provisions of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

Section 214 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe stipulates that when the Defence Forces are deployed in Zimbabwe to assist in the maintenance of public order or outside Zimbabwe; the President must cause Parliament to be informed, promptly and in appropriate detail, of the reasons for their deployment and where they are deployed in Zimbabwe, the place where they are deployed; where they are deployed outside Zimbabwe, the country in which they are deployed.

Reuters reports that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorized the use of 1,495 members of the military to help Mozambique fight the Islamic State-linked insurgency.

The use of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comes after southern African regional bloc SADC last month approved the deployment of troops to Mozambique to combat a conflict which began in 2017 and has killed thousands.

Ramaphosa said the SANDF personnel would be used between July 15 and October 15 at an expected cost of 984 million rand ($66.3 million), a letter sent to the speaker of parliament showed.

In the letter. Ramaphosa referred specifically to authorizing the employment of SANDF members and did not spell out how many of those would be soldiers deployed on Mozambican soil.

The conflict in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province has displaced hundreds of thousands and brought a natural gas project led by French energy company Total Energies to a grinding halt.

At the time SADC nations authorized the deployment of the bloc's standby force, they did not say how many troops would be involved.

Ramaphosa's letter said South Africa's military would help Mozambique combat "acts of terrorism and violent extremists that affected the area of Cabo Delgado." (Reporting for Reuters - Alexander Winning; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Zimbabwe is opening popular tourism destination Victoria Falls to visitors who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, in a move welcomed by the countrys suffering tourism industry.



Late Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa told reporters that the government had resolved to lift a lid on Victoria Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world and the countrys top tourism destination.

[The] Cabinet acceded to a request by the tourism industry to open the Victoria Falls and Kazungula Border posts to tourists who are fully vaccinated. This is in view of the realization that over 60% of the population in Victoria Falls has been vaccinated. The lockdown measures, however, are being enforced throughout the country in order to curtail a surge under the third wave of COVID-19, Mutsvangwa said.



Godfrey Koti, spokesman for the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, says the pandemic had brought the tourism industry worldwide to its knees. He says it is time for Zimbabwe to begin the long climb back with the opening up of Victoria Falls, within the confines and guidelines of the COVID-19 pandemic.



"And from a regional perspective, the tourism traffic will grow and this will send a very strong message to our source markets. This is a definite way of showing, of a benefit being shown from [the] governments drive of vaccinating the entire city of Victoria Falls and subsequently Victoria Falls reaching herd immunity. So, we are very excited to see this happening and it can only show that we are definitely moving in the right direction," Koti said.



About 1.5 million Zimbabweans out of a population of 14 million have received their first vaccination shot, and nearly 695,000 have received their second inoculation.

Clement Mukwasi, a spokesman for Shearwater, one of the tourism operators in Victoria Falls, sounded an optimistic tone.



It is the industrys hope that towards the end of the pandemic  which we think we are in  there shall be some credit lines extended to the industry for the industry to recover. We applaud the government for taking our call to open the borders of Zambia and Botswana because Victoria Falls has reached its herd immunity. We are hoping that in addition to opening the borders, they are also going to set up a policy on how people should flow across all three countries, he said.



Mukwasi said those who are vaccinated should be allowed to move across the country without any problem, while those who are not vaccinated should produce results showing they have tested negative for the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19.



Zimbabwe currently has 101,711 confirmed coronavirus infections and 3,280 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global outbreak.



The government says the vaccination program will intensify after the arrival of more doses from China in the coming days. The number of cases has been rising, as the delta variant becomes more widespread.
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Brian Warner. Photo: Kurt Krieger - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco is suing Marilyn Manson for sexual assault and sexual battery. The complaint, obtained by Vulture on Friday, claims that Manson, real name Brian Warner, also violated human-trafficking laws by bringing Bianco from London to Los Angeles under the pretense that she would be filming a music video for his song I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies, which was never released, and a movie based on the works of Lewis Carroll, Phantasmagoria, which was never made. Mr. Warner used drugs, force, and threats of force to coerce sexual acts from Ms. Bianco on multiple occasions, the lawsuit says. Mr. Warner raped Ms. Bianco in or around May 2011. Bianco is one of more than a dozen women to come forward with accusations against the musician. In a February interview with the Cut, she described the alleged abuse she faced during their relationship in 2011. The lawsuit, first reported by Rolling Stone, also claims Manson committed sexual acts when Bianco was unconscious or unable to consent. These acts include spanking, biting, cutting, and whipping Ms. Biancos buttocks, breasts, and genitals for Mr. Warners sexual gratification  all without the consent of Plaintiff.

Bianco came forward earlier this year along with actress Evan Rachel Wood, who also accused Manson of abuse. As millions of survivors like myself are painfully aware, our legal system is far from perfect, Bianco said in a statement to Rolling Stone. This is why I co-created the Phoenix Act, a law which gives precious additional healing time to thousands of domestic-violence survivors. But while I fight for a more just legal system, I am also pursuing my right to demand my abuser be held to account, using every avenue available to me.

Update, July 28: Mansons attorneys filed documents today claiming that Bianco is part of a conspiracy cynically and dishonestly seeking to monetize and exploit the Me Too movement, according to Billboard. The document alleges that Biancos claims are provably false, and that she and other accusers have plotted their testimony with the intention of conflating the imagery and artistry of Mansons stage persona with the private actions of Brian Warner.

Update, July 29: Tony Ciulla of Ciulla Management, who formerly represented Manson, was removed as a defendant in the case in an amendment filed July 9, per documents seen by Vulture. The above article has been updated to reflect this.
Vamos! Lin-Manuel Miranda is a cherubic lil mammal with a penchant for reuniting lost loves in the official trailer for Vivo, which follows a kinkajou (a rainforest animal also known as a honey bear, not to be confused with the honey badger who doesnt give a shit) who travels from Havana to Miami in order to deliver a romantic song on behalf of his owner and mentor. (Can you blame the guy for trying? The chanteuse is voiced by Gloria Estefan.) Its so adorable that we dont even want to mention the concept of FedEx. Along the way, Vivo also joins forces with a local tween, where they pretty much sing and dance their way around the Florida city. Miranda wrote several original songs for the film, which sadly dont include an updated mix of Miami and And the Beat Goes On. Netflix will release Vivo on August 6.

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Gossip Girl Fire Walks With Z Season 1 Episode 4 Editors Rating 2 stars * *  Previous Next Photo: HBO

I was really hoping I wouldnt hear the series of words immunocompromised mom DIED in the first five minutes of this episode, but here we are! After a thoroughly amusing and classically chaotic episode last week, this show is back on its bullshit, shoving Zoya and Juliens rather stale familial woes down our throats once again.

Its not that this depressing-ass backstory that all of a sudden involves maternal death isnt antithetical to a fun viewing. We found out that Serena van der Woodsen had a suicidal brother and kind of killed someone in season one of the original. But the latter revelation at least was soapy and hilariously over the top, bolstered by the iconic villainy of Georgina Sparks. Here, the dead mom trope as the underlying tension between these two families plays out so tediously that her passing feels more like an inconvenience than an actual source of loss and pain for these characters. We also know nothing about this woman other than that shes dead and procreated with two men. Can we at least get some flashbacks? What was she like? Why did she leave Davis for Nick? Whats her name?? Why does the only image we see of this woman look like a stock photo in a picture frame from Walmart???

As I previously alluded to, we find out very abruptly at the start of this episode that Zoyas mother died while giving birth to her. Gossip Girl, a.k.a Keller, announces this to the world, recognizing that teen birthdays are canonically rife with drama. Um, I guess? In the world of teen soaps, sure. Still, its frightening to watch this grown woman nearly foam at the mouth over a child having an awful birthday. Surprisingly, the teachers also think Keller needs to chill on her cyberstalking, not because its morally bankrupt but because she needs to focus more on her dreams of being a writer. Hold the phone. I get that, as an English teacher, she would have the inclination to write some fiction here and there. But youre telling me this woman is risking her entire livelihood for a job that isnt even the No. 1 thing she wants to do??

Anyway, Zoya spends most of the episode embarrassed about her birthday that almost no one really seems to care about, much less know the grim details of. Except Julien, whom Zoya assumes is the informant and lashes out at after Obie shows up to school with a bunch of food trucks for her. Hold on: Your sister got you a free spot at a fancy private school and her billionaire boyfriend just corralled several businesses for you, and youre upset that she might have told someone about your birthday?? Also, Im pretty sure she doesnt want to be reminded about the anniversary of her mothers death as much as you dont!

The real juicy factoid of the day is that Zoya might be getting kicked out of her grandmothers apartment, which she and her father have been squatting in since she moved to a nursing home. Its Luna who shares this with Gossip Girl and seemingly reports it to the New York housing board, even though Julien is made out to be the culprit. For a second, it seems like were going to get a classic dueling-party scenario, after Julien announces an event at Webster Hall to honor her mother but really to win over her peers. So Zoya plans her own extravaganza with the help of Obie and even hires some random boy genius at school to dig up Juliens old problematic tweets (theres a difference between being thick and fat!) in order to thwart hers. If we had just stayed with this bitchy back-and-forth for the rest of the episode, I wouldve had a lot more fun. But Nick and Davis end up forcing their daughters to temporarily put their issues aside and hold a joint event that takes so many random turns. I personally think a better, more entertaining resolution for everyone involved would be an hour of much-needed group therapy!

Okay. Boring setup aside, lets move on to my favorite not-so-in-love lovebirds, Aki and Audrey. I dont care what Twitter says about Evan Mock allegedly behaving like a mannequin on this show. Hes my mannequin, and the subtlety he brings to Aki actually works for the character. Im honestly more compelled watching him stutter and dart around the school awkwardly than, I dont know, hearing Monet recite a list of pop-culture references in the same cadence over and over again. Dont @ me! Anyway, Audrey is, like, very concerned now that Aki might be interested in boys, even though shes been thirsting over a pansexual guy this whole time. She comes off weirdly conservative and judgmental in this episode, even though she tried to eat his ass a second ago. When she asks him point-blank if hes gay at Zoya and Juliens party he says he doesnt know. This feels like the 20th time this question has been posed to him directly and indirectly since the premiere, so were either going to need some backstory soon or move out of this ambiguous phase with Audrey.

Meanwhile, Max, like Ally Maine, has gone off the deep end after his dads quasi-affair that he exposed. Not to victim blame, but this is why you stay out of grown folks business. This child is literally downing Altoid containers full of pills and is somehow still alive and speaking in coherent sentences. After a long game of cat-and-mouse/child-and-predator, Max manages to receive some affection from Rafa, whos pretending to be a responsible adult concerned about his students well being but really wants to tap that emotionally vulnerable underage ass. And he does. Is this gross? Yes. Will the age-gap police on Twitter be in a tiff over this? Definitely. Im just glad these writers finally committed to depicting some kind of heinous act on this historically inappropriate but currently overly corrective show, although Im sure the next episode will open with Rafa in the back of a police car.

Now onto this very drab party thats set against a backdrop of maternal mortality, has parent chaperones, and features a performance from Princess Nokia. (Compared to the elite musician cameos of the original  Robyn, Lady Gaga, Sonic Youth, No Doubt, Florence and the Machine  weve really regressed here.) I should also point out that, along with Nick and Davis, Keller & Co. are in attendance. I dont know how many times I can repeat how creepy this group is throughout these recaps, but yeah.

Basically, this party implodes before neatly coming back together, like every acrimonious moment between these sisters, when Julien projects a video of Zoya, given to her by Luna and Monet, for the entire room. It shows Zoya vandalizing a school wall with her former Buffalo classmates before they lock her in a classroom and start calling her a mom killer. Fun stuff! Julien didnt even know about the horrific last part of the video but owns up to being a bully in front of the entire crowd. LOL. One of the main problems with this show is that Julien isnt a bully, and it only takes three seconds of self-reflection for her conscience to kick in. Zoya explains that incident was the reason she got kicked out of her school, and she and Julien lock eyes and do their special sister thing where they say each others first and middle names lovingly. Boo!

At the very least, this episode isnt totally sleep-inducing, thanks to our much more fascinating supporting characters, and a tone that still feels a lot more playful and livelier than the first two episodes. But the writers still havent nailed an enthralling narrative for their two leading ladies who occupy so much story. Lets hope we have a remorse-free episode next week, and the writers bring back some cocaine.

XOXO

 Nick and Daviss attractiveness really snuck up on me this episode. The added glasses and beard combo for Johnathan Fernandez has been game-changing. And the promise of Luke Kirby inevitably wearing a bomber jacket and a porkpie hat in the next episode has given me the strength to keep tuning in.

 The voice of Gossip Girl is becoming a little too Carrie Bradshaw for me. Why does the account sound like a quippy advice column at certain points and not like a terrifying, ominous force?

 When Keller mentioned Hannah Horvath, I had no idea whether she was referring to the fictional character or whether Hannahs become a notable person in the world of this show. If the latter, I feel like the combined lunacy of Keller and Horvath existing in the same reality should rip a hole in the universe.
Disney World and Disneyland, the two crown jewels of Disney's parks unit, will again require masks indoors.

The company announced on Wednesday that it was adapting its health and safety guidelines based on "guidance from health and government officials."

The resorts  which are located in Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California  will require employees, known as "Cast Members," and guests aged 2 and up to wear masks and face coverings indoors starting Friday.

This is "regardless of vaccination status," according to Disney.

The move comes as the Delta Covid-19 variant is rapidly spreading, leading major companies to rethink their plans to bring employees back to the office and even making vaccinations mandatory. For example, Google and Facebook on Wednesday became two of the biggest companies to require employees to be vaccinated when they return to work.

The decision to once again ask guests to wear masks is also notable since Disney is the premier destination in the theme park industry as well as a linchpin of the company's media empire.

The change in guidance comes after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask guidance on Tuesday, recommending that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas of "substantial" and "high" transmission of Covid-19.

The news that masks are returning at Disney's domestic parks also follows the mayor of Orange County, where Disney World is located, saying that the county is in "crisis mode."

"These numbers are extraordinary. We are seeing nearly 1,000 new cases in Orange County daily. Those are the numbers we saw at the highest peak last year," Mayor Jerry Demings said on Monday.

Disney's parks and resorts division was hit very hard because of the pandemic. The outbreak led to a challenging year that brought extended closures and significant layoffs.

-- CNN's Clare Duffy, Jacqueline Howard and Devan Cole contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire

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Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked by The Vatican in 2019 over sex abuse allegations, is now facing criminal charges in Massachusetts for alleged sex abuse of a minor nearly 50 years ago, according to a court filing.

According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, McCarrick is charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14. The complaint was filed by Wellesley Police in Dedham District Court.

The Boston Globe was the first to report the charges.

The filing states that the unnamed victim told investigators via Zoom in January that McCarrick had been friends with a family member and outlined multiple incidents of alleged abuse by McCarrick, most of which took place outside of Massachusetts in New Jersey, New York and California. One incident took place in Wellesley, Massachusetts, in June 1974 at the victim's brother's wedding, where the victim said McCarrick allegedly pulled him aside and told him, "Your dad wants you to come with me and have a talk. You're being mischievous at home and not attending church. We need to go outside and have a conversation," according to the complaint.

The victim told investigators McCarrick told the victim to take down his pants and then held and "kissed" his genitalia "saying prayers to make me feel holy," according to the complaint. After telling him to pull up his pants, McCarrick allegedly told the boy to say certain prayers "so God can redeem you of your sins."

The complaint states that the victim told investigators that McCarrick repeatedly sexually abused him over the years, including when he was an adult, with abuse that also allegedly took place in nearby Newton, Massachusetts when he was older.

The complaint states that the victim told investigators that McCarrick repeatedly sexually abused him over the years, including when he was an adult, with abuse that took place in nearby Newton, Massachusetts, when he was older.

The criminal charges make McCarrick the highest-ranking Catholic official in the US to face criminal charges for sex abuse of a minor, according to the unnamed victim's attorney, Mitchell Garabedian.

"Historically, this is the first time ever in the United States that a Cardinal has been criminally charged with a sexual crime against a minor," Garabedian said in a news release. "It takes an enormous amount of courage for a sexual abuse victim to report having been sexually abused to investigators and proceed through the criminal process."

Barry Coburn, an attorney for McCarrick, told CNN in a statement, "We are going to address this issue in the courtroom."

McCarrick has maintained his innocence in the past regarding previous allegations.

Raised to cardinal in 2001 by John Paul, a year after he became Archbishop of Washington, McCarrick went on to become a power player both in the

Church and in Washington, DC, and was known for his fundraising and influence overseas.

He resigned from the College of Cardinals in 2018 and was defrocked by the Vatican in 2019 after a Church trial found him guilty of sexually abusing minors.

McCarrick has been issued a summons ordering him to appear in court for an arraignment on August 26, according to the filing.

CNN has reached out to the Wellesley Police Department, the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office and The Vatican for a comment.

This is only the third high-ranking member of the Catholic church in the US to be criminally charged with crimes related to sex abuse, said Marci Hamilton, CEO of Child USA, who has worked with hundreds of victims of sex abuse at the hands of priests and clergy.

"When prosecutors bring charges against the powerful in a religious institution like the Catholic church they are validating the thousands of victims that have come forward," Hamilton told CNN. "In the state of Massachusetts for prosecutors to file these charges against a powerful member of the church shows that the child sex abuse movement is making inroads and it heartens me."

In the court filing, investigators wrote that the January interview with the victim took place in response to a letter sent to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office by Garabedian. Meghan Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney's Office told CNN, "our investigation remains ongoing at this time."

The-CNN-Wire

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Greenland is experiencing its most significant melting event of the year as temperatures in the Arctic surge. The amount of ice that melted on Tuesday alone would be enough to cover the entire state of Florida in two inches of water.

It's the third instance of extreme melting in the past decade, during which time the melting has stretched farther inland than the entire satellite era, which began in the 1970s.

Greenland lost more than 8.5 billion tons of surface mass on Tuesday, and 18.4 billion tons since Sunday, according to the Denmark Meteorological Institute. While this week's total ice loss is not as extreme as a similar event in 2019  a record melt year  the area of the ice sheet that's melting is larger.

"It's a significant melt," Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, told CNN. "July 27th saw most of the eastern half of Greenland from the northern tip all the way to the southern tip mostly melted, which is unusual."

As human-caused climate change warms the planet, ice loss has increased rapidly. According to a recent study published in the journal Cryosphere, Earth has lost a staggering 28 trillion tonnes of ice since the mid-1990s, a large portion of which was from the Arctic, including the Greenland ice sheet.

"In the past decade, we've already seen that surface melting in Greenland has become both more severe and more erratic," said Thomas Slater, a glaciologist at the University of Leeds and a co-author on that report. "As the atmosphere continues to warm over Greenland, events such as yesterday's extreme melting will become more frequent."

Although the current ice meltdown in Greenland isn't record-setting, the magnitude at which these events occur is a clear signal of how climate change is creating more melt periods.

"Overall, we're seeing that Greenland melts more often," said Scambos, who also authors the National Snow and Ice Data Center's Greenland updates. "In previous decades or centuries, it's extremely rare to get above freezing temperatures at the summit of Greenland."

In 2019, Greenland shed roughly 532 billion tons of ice into the sea. During that year, an unexpectedly hot spring and a July heat wave caused almost the entire ice sheet's surface to begin melting. Global sea level rose permanently by 1.5 millimeters as a result.

As Greenland's surface continues to thaw, Slater said coastal cities around the world are vulnerable to storm-surge flooding, especially when extreme weather coincides with high tides. Melting from Greenland is expected to raise global sea level between 2 and 10 centimeters by the end of the century, he added.

Massive ice sheets can melt rapidly when the air temperature is warm. But warmer ocean water is also eroding the ice sheet around the edges.

As humans release heat-trapping greenhouse gas, the warming atmosphere thaws the fresh white ice  which reflects the sun's energy back into space  on the surface. That exposes the darker ice below which absorbs solar energy and causes more melting.

Additionally, warmer coastal water melts the ice sheet around the edges, breaking off massive icebergs that contribute to sea level rise.

Scientists say the trends at which climate change is accelerating are quite clear, and that unless emissions are curbed, such extreme events will continue to occur more frequently.

"While such events are concerning, the science is clear," Slater said. "Meaningful climate targets and action can still limit how much the global sea level will rise this century, reducing the damage done by severe flooding to people and infrastructure around the world."

Correction: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect description of Greenland. Greenland is part of North America. This story has been updated.

The-CNN-Wire

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Covid-19 cases are increasing in north Alabama and so is the number of COVID-19 tests being administered every day.

A doctor at Synergy Wellness said that they haven't seen this many people getting tested since February and even though the numbers are not as high as they were during December and January he said they're significant.

More people are getting tested for COVID-19 in Madison County. More people are getting tested for COVID-19 in Madison County.

"Our volume's gone up 500% in the past three weeks. It's getting very busy again," said Dr. Steven Werdehoff, Synergy Wellness physician.

Synergy Wellness is not the only place seeing more people come to get tested for COVID-19.

Huntsville Hospital is experiencing the same increase.

"So about two weeks ago we were seeing 18 to 20 people per day come to our Fever and Flu Clinic on 120 Governors. And today they saw 78 people. So, the numbers have gone up quite a bit. People seeking out to see if they've been exposed," said Tracy Doughty, Huntsville Hospital President and Chief Operating Officer.

Tracy Doughty said that more people in the community could also be getting exposed to the Delta variant.

"The variant is some people say up to 10 times more transmissible. You don't have to be around the person as long. People have a higher viral load so it's easier to transmit. So we're thinking there's more transmission in the community," said Doughty.

Even with the increase of people getting tested both Huntsville Hospital and Synergy Wellness said that they have enough supplies to meet demand.

"Fortunately having gone through what we did last fall, you know a lot of the logistics is already set up in terms of getting tests and having PPE so that has not been a problem yet," said Werdehoff.

Doughty said that it should only take about 15 minutes to get a COVID test at the Fever and Flu Clinic.
Masks are on the minds of many as students, educators and staff head back to schools for the 2021-2022 school year.

Weve checked with all school systems in North Alabama to learn what, if any, mask-wearing rules theyll have this school year.

Heres what weve learned. Find plans for all the school systems HERE. Both lists will be updated.

Masks Required

Arab City Schools (Through Sept. 3)

Huntsville City Schools

Madison City Schools

Masks Optional at this time

Decatur City Schools

Boaz City Schools

Madison County

Hartselle City Schools

Madison City Schools

Colbert County Schools

Fayetteville, TN City Schools

Jackson County Schools

DeKalb County Schools

Lincoln County Schools

Scottsboro City Schools

Muscle Shoals City Schools

Limestone County Schools

Albertville City Schools

Athens City Schools

Tuscumbia City Schools

Sheffield City Schools

Franklin County Schools

Morgan County Schools

Marshall County Schools

Russellville City Schools

Guntersville City Schools

Fort Payne City Schools

No Decision Yet

Florence City Schools: Will make a decision week of Aug. 2

Lauderdale County Schools: Waiting on guidance from the state

Lawrence County Schools: Waiting on guidance from the state
Growing concerns from the largest hospital system in North Alabama as the number of people in the hospital with coronavirus rising.

Tracy Doughty, the president of Huntsville Hospital said as of Wednesday, there are 69 people in the hospital in Madison County with COVID.

A month ago, there were 17. That's quadruple the amount of people in the hospital fighting the virus in just a month.

Doughty said the rate at which people are coming to the hospital to get treatment for the virus is alarming.

"This could take off and then put us in a bad situation pretty quickly...You don't see people wearing masks as much as they used to and then put that on top of the delta variant is that much more transmissible that really sends worries to us as a hospital system," said Doughty.

Doughty said right now the hospital has enough staff to take care of patients. But he's worried about the mental and physical toll working those long hours can take on his staff.

"They pick up extra shifts, stay over, help each other out, float in other departments. So I'm not worried about our culture here, I'm just worried about burning our people out," he said.

The good news is right now at Huntsville Hospital they have enough beds, PPE and medicine to fight COVID-19. Hospitals like Huntsville Hospital are already busy.

Add on top of that, the growing number of COVID patients.

Doughty said when you see more people in the hospital, obviously wait times in the emergency room could get longer.

He said as of right now, Huntsville Hospital is not changing their visitation policy.

They are not doing away with elective surgeries or anything like that.

But they are having conversations about those topics because they need to be prepared if there is a surge in cases.

"Preparing for a surge, you have to talk about staffing, you have to talk about supplies, you have to talk about visitation, elective procedures, all those things are on the list to go through," said Doughty.

Doughty also said about 95 percent of people who are at Huntsville Hospital because of COVID are unvaccinated. He stressed that people need to go get the vaccine before you put yourself or other people in danger.
The North Alabama Zoological Society (NALZS) released a rendering of the zoo its planning to bring to Huntsville.

It also announced it secured land for the zoo and aquarium. The group said they secured about 500-acres of land between two properties.

One will house the zoo and the other will be a research and education center.

"We have been working on the project for the last 2 years setting the groundwork for creating a much wanted experience in our area," Executive Director Ethan Woodruff said. "Other regions and communities our size have them, now is the right time for us to get one."

Details on the exact location of the property will be released next week.
Redstone Arsenal announced Thursday that, as part of following guidance from the Secretary of Defense in regard to masking, that all employees and visitors must wear masks on the installation.

This comes as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase across the country, including Alabama.

Read the full news release below:

Out of an abundance of caution and effective immediately, Redstone Arsenal has reinstated full masking requirements for all employees and guests in facilities on the installation regardless of vaccination status.

This decision is in line with the Secretary of Defense memo on Updated Mask Guidance for all DoD Installations and Other Facilities, dated July 28, 2021.

Specifically, the memo highlights that beginning on July 28, In areas of substantial or high community transmission, DoD requires all Service members, Federal employees, onsite contractor employees, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask in an indoor setting on Installations and other facilities owned, leased, or otherwise control by DoD.

Redstone Arsenal continues to see low COVID-19 case rates on the installation proper. However, when taking into account the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicators and definitions for substantial or high community transmission, this decision is the safest and most prudent to continue to protect our transient workforce and the vital missions that occur on the installation daily.

Redstone Arsenal and the Garrison remain open and in HPCON Bravo status.

All employees are highly encouraged to stay in close contact with their direct supervisor and tenant organization leadership for their work status and any other tenant-specific requirements.
Former investigator charged with DUI in deadly Christian Co. crash case pleads not guilty
The Irish Film Festa returns to the big screen on Saturday 31 July and Sunday 1 August at the Open-Air Cinema at the Casa del Cinema in Villa Borghese.

After the forced cancellation of its 13th edition in 2020, and two subsequent online versions, the Irish Film Festa returns to stage its first open-air event - the IFF Summer Arena - with live audiences in the grounds of its usual venue in Rome.

The summer edition of the festival, this weekend, will screen two titles previously unreleased in Italy but which have earned acclaim elsewhere: Bruno by Karl Golden and Extra Ordinary by Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman.

Bruno, a truly low-budget film, introduces the viewer to the bond created between a homeless man, a child and a dog, following them for a day and a night on the streets of London.

The supernatural comedy Extra Ordinary, centres around a widower (Barry Ward) who is haunted by his dead wife, a driving instructor capable of communicating with the hereafter (Maeve Higgins) and a declining rock star (Will Forte).

IFF Summer Arena will screen Bruno

The Irish Film Festa's Summer Arena stems, naturally, from our strong desire to return to screenings for live audiences, in this instance al fresco, but also from the wish to recover and share two of the best films we had planned for the Covid-frozen 2020 edition", said artistic director Susanna Pellis.

The films are screened in their original language with Italian subtitles. Entry is free but booking is required at the Casa del Cinemas reception desk, from 19.30 (subject to availability of seats on a first-come-first-served basis), with seating from 20.30.

Bruno (95 minutes) will be shown on Saturday 31 July and Extra Ordinary (94 minutes) on Sunday 1 August.

For further information info@irishfilmfesta.org and/or tel. 06423601, reception desk Casa del Cinema. For more details about the Irish Film Festa see IFF website. Cover image: Barry Ward, Maeve Higgins in Extra Ordinary.
All of these artifacts were acquired between 2009 and 2014, and almost all prior to 2011. The Museum has taken extraordinary steps since to resolve the issues associated with them. We approached both Iraq and Egypt ourselves in 2017 and early 2018 to inform them of our intention to research and return these objects. All of this was done amicably and directly with the countries of origin along with the awareness of the United States government, Kloha said. It is unfortunate that much of the reporting on this subject does not make it clear that this is the completion of a long process and not a new story.
Heres a contest that we havent done in years, but  as you can see from the examples above  is as timely (and timeless) as ever. This week: Take any sentence from an article or ad in any publication (print or online) dated July 29 through Aug. 9, 2021, and interpret it in plain English, as in the examples above from our 2007 PE contest. Please include a link to the online article youre quoting from, or the name and date of the print publication, for quality assurance purposes (Plain English: I dont trust you).
Although delta is more than twice as transmissible as earlier variants, it does not have some of the mutations seen in other variants that can help the virus evade antibodies. But the delta floods the zone. It grows so quickly in the nose that it may be overwhelming the bodys vaccine-enhanced defenses before the immune system can marshal a robust response, said William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Officials said last month that the government was preparing to end the return-to-Mexico policy, without providing a timetable, though several media outlets reported Title 42 would no longer be used on families after July 31. But the explosive spread of the delta variant in recent weeks, and a huge influx of Central American families crossing into the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, have recalibrated the Biden administrations thinking, according to four U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.
Entry requirements: To enter Germany, U.S. residents must present evidence of vaccination, a recent negative coronavirus test or proof of immunity. If youre fully vaccinated, show your Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-issued vaccine card at the airport in paper form; digital photos of the card are not accepted. If presenting a negative test, you may use either a PCR or rapid antigen test. PCR tests must be taken less than 72 hours before you land in Germany, while antigen tests need to be conducted less than 48 hours before arrival. We scheduled a PCR test for our daughters at a Walgreens drive-through two days before our departure. To prove you were infected with and recovered from the coronavirus, you must show a positive PCR test that was taken between 28 days and six months before your trip; you must also display no symptoms.
Dont take risks that could require a rescue. The extreme weather and increased visitors to the backcountry are straining rescue teams, many of which are volunteer-only. They may not be able to respond quickly to every call that comes in or may choose not to respond for non-life-threatening injuries, said Joelle Baird, public affairs specialist at Arizonas Grand Canyon National Park. For instance, someone with a twisted ankle at the bottom of the Grand Canyon may be advised to spend the night and try to walk out the next day if extreme weather might pose a greater danger to a rescue team. The hot weather takes a toll on rescuers, too, she said. There is always a balancing act between looking out for our rescuers and helping people in the field. The park has experienced more excessive heat warnings (issued by the National Weather Service when the heat index is 105 degrees or greater for two hours or more) so far this summer than in previous years. Those conditions demand that rescuers and visitors exercise caution and minimize strenuous activity when possible. In addition to packing first-aid supplies, as noted above, travelers should choose their activities wisely.
Additional research presented at the conference examined whether covid-19 is associated with an uptick in Alzheimers biomarkers in the blood, such as total tau (t-tau) and certain species of amyloid beta. The study authors took plasma samples from 310 patients with an average age of 69 who were treated for the coronavirus at NYU Langone Health and found that their levels of some of these biomarkers were higher than would normally be expected, similar to the biological changes that might be associated with Alzheimers and other brain diseases, Snyder said. She added: We don't understand why people may be having this change in biology. We don't know if this is going to persist.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said this week that he would not hesitate to reimpose restrictions or masking requirements in that city, where transmission is classified as moderate, when and if the time comes from a public health and public safety standpoint. . . . Were hopeful that we dont get to that point, but I will not blink in having to do that to save the lives of Baltimoreans.
Dogs, once the source of pandemic joy for so many people like the Aubrys, are presenting new challenges now that recovery from the coronavirus remains largely underway. Over the past several months, dogs have gone from highly sought-after (and highly effective) coping mechanisms in quarantine to codependent creatures whove made it hard for humans to fulfill social and professional obligations to their own species. If vaccine uptake can successfully slow the spread of the delta coronavirus variant and allow employers to institute more formal in-person work requirements after Labor Day, that friction between the needs of pets and people is only expected to intensify.
Universal masking is a critical factor in ensuring all students can return to our buildings, especially when social distancing is not possible and not all our students are eligible yet for vaccinations, an email to the Fairfax County community said.
In 1977, Mr. Pound joined the Washington Star, then two years later moved on to the Washington bureau of the New York Times. From 1982 to 1993, he was at the Wall Street Journal, where he led investigations of the Iran-contra scandal and corruption at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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At 12:24 a.m. Saturday, July 17, a little over an hour after the shooting, the Instagram account run by Killmoenews, an amateur news service in D.C. that spreads the raw word on the street, posted a bulletin. BREAKING: 6 YEAR OLD GIRL KILLED IN THE 2900 BLOCK OF MLK JR AVE SE. The affidavit suggests that police think this was how Hargraves found out that a child had been inadvertently shot.
The majority of the bills total spending, however, is devoted to closing out the United States two-decade entanglement in Afghanistan. While Biden has vowed to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of August, save for a small garrison in Kabul, the Pentagon and State Department have scrambled to evacuate Afghans who served as interpreters or otherwise aided Western forces fighting the Taliban.
She also makes plain why so many early members felt they had to ascribe to the practice: Brigham Young, among others, taught that those men who were to be elevated to the highest degree of heaven and become Gods were those who entered into polygamy. Later, Wilford Woodruff, the LDS president who ended it, tried to soften Youngs dictum by explaining that men only needed to marry one other woman, not many multiples of women like so many high church leaders were doing at the time.
Tanizaki saw an analogy between the Celts in Europe and the Jomon in Japan, Kawanishi records in her research. That connection informed the development of her tradition. The indigenous people of Hokkaido (Ainu) are considered to be descendants of the Jomon; however, Tanizaki doesnt think they want to be approached from the perspective of modern witches. She remains respectful.
Kamal Kalsi became the first Sikh American soldier to receive a uniform accommodation in 2009 for the U.S. Army, which allowed him to continue to serve while wearing a dastar and keeping his beard. It is a religious imperative for Sikhs to not cut their hair. During the First World War, a ban on beards was put into effect over concerns beards could interfere with the seal of a gas mask. Coincidentally, the conflict was also the first in which an observant Sikh American participated.
These men should never, ever have had to spend a minute in prison, and yet theyve been locked up for two years, said Rachel Denber, deputy director of Human Rights Watchs Europe and Central Asia division. It is never too late for Russian authorities to stop these arrests, release Jehovahs witnesses who are behind bars, stop these criminal proceedings, and quash the convictions that have already taken place.
I dont think China is going to change its zero-tolerance approach. Theyve always set zero as their goal, said Dong-Yan Jin, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong. Some countries are trying to evolve away from zero-tolerance, he said, citing Singapore, but its not clear whether China can safely do so given questions about the efficacy of its main vaccines, from Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Israel can do this because we have the doses, said Eyal Leshem, an infectious-disease specialist at Sheba Medical Center in central Israel. But also, unlike other countries which dont have the regulatory flexibility to say this is an emergency, Israel has decided, strategically, that it is willing to move on with intervention that is reasonable, clinically and scientifically, but not yet proven. Its not the way we traditionally regulate and approve and distribute vaccines, but these are not normal times.
It is the whole struggle of the Palestinians, now over 73 years of ordeal, said Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah. We truly do think that the only viable solution is a two-state solution. And if we lose focus of that, then it might be put into ... jeopardy.
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
Marisa Mecke is a Report for America corps member at Mountain Times Publications. Report for America is a national nonprofit service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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.
Kay Ivey is governor of Alabama. This opinion editorial is part of a series from Governors of the states that comprise the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) footprint, as well as the ARC Federal Co-Chair. The Appalachian Regional Commission (www.arc.gov) is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC's mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
I believe that I could have continued to make a meaningful contribution as a director of Crown and Burswood, including by assisting in discussions for its potential acquisition. The pressure mounts on Poynton Mr Poynton told the Perth inquiry, which is examining whether Crown should keep its casino licence in WA, he was subject to a media campaign by Mr Crawford based on a false premise he could not remain on the board because of his past relationship with Mr Packer. There was nothing in probity in NSW to say that someone couldnt be on a board of a casino company merely because of a previous association of Mr Packer, he said. Mr Crawford, who heads the regulator which now makes the decision on whether Crown is making enough changes to the company to get the casino licence for its unopened Sydney venture, made several media appearances from February 17 to 22 calling on Mr Poynton to step down for a clean slate.

Contents of a letter from Mr Crawford to Ms Coonan on February 22 were revealed in Mr Poytons Perth submission and stated his intention to stay on the board was not acceptable. Mr Poyntons termination of the consultancy agreement with CPH and his stated intention of staying on the Crown board as an independent is not acceptable to the authority as it consults with Crown on whether it can become suitable to hold a licence, it said. The authority understands from you that Crowns own constitution provides that a nominee on the board does not become independent for a period of three years after severing ties with his/her appointer. The Burswood casino operated by Crown. Credit:Philip Gostelow The letter had been given to Mr Poynton by Ms Coonan but his subsequent attempts to convince her and the regulator he should stay on were shot down.

Ms Coonan wrote to Mr Poynton on February 25 suggesting if he did not step down then Crowns casino licence could be cancelled. The cancellation of the casino licence will trigger a breach of the Crown Group lending covenants and adversely affect Crown Resorts interest in NSW, Victoria, and WA and its related companies, she said. As a director of Crown Resorts you are obliged to act in the best interests of Crown Resorts. This is the last time I will informally seek your resignation. If you do not receive written confirmation of your resignation by 12 noon tomorrow ... I will commence steps to deal with this issue. Mr Poynton kept trying to convince the chairwoman and ILGA he should stay on but they did not budge.

He said in his submission it was clear his role as director had been discussed in private by Ms Coonan and Mr Crawford. Loading I was denied the opportunity to defend myself and to explain to the board why I considered it to be in the interests of the Crown Group that I remain on the board, Mr Poynton said. I feel strongly that the chair of Crown acted in a manner that was intemperate and inappropriate in considering and dealing with this issue. Mr Poynton told Wednesdays hearing he thought the ASX guideline for a three-year cool-off period was not necessarily a legal requirement and he could have stayed on.

I have specific expertise that, I think given that $2 billion reduction in the valuation of a company since I left, might have assisted, he said. Mr Poynton suggested his leaving had no impact on whether a licence for Sydney was awarded since Crown still had not got it. But Crown is confident it could open its Sydney casino by the end of the year after ILGA gave an update in May that the company had made significant progress on issues raised by the Bergin inquiry. Deal with Packer had conflict of interest potential Mr Poyntons consultancy agreement with CPH, when he became a nominated director three years ago, came under scrutiny by counsel assisting the Perth inquiry Patricia Cahill SC as containing a potential conflict of interest.

The deal  which saw Mr Poynton receive $50,000 annually from CPH  included clauses that he disclose confidential Crown information on demand even once the agreement had finished, effectively meaning Mr Packer could still find out confidential information about the organisation despite stepping away from the board. Mr Poynton admitted there was potential for a conflict of interest, given his responsibilities to the Crown board, but the Bergin inquiry was already aware of the clauses and he had never made any disclosures of confidential information to Mr Packer. It was never called upon, and I never expected it to be called upon, he said. I didnt regard that obligation as being something that would cause me to compromise my position on the board of Crown Resorts Limited. The role of the Burswood Limited board

WA and Victoria are both running inquiries into the fitness of Crown, which has a casino in each state, following the Bergin report. The Perth inquiry is delving further into allegations Crown facilitated money laundering and whether the operator chased profits at the cost of community harm through changes to its 2000-odd electronic gaming machines. Ms Cahill grilled Mr Poynton, who became the chair of Burswood Limited at the start of 2020, about whether the board did enough to scrutinise casino operations given it did not pick up on the money laundering issues until it was revealed by media coverage. Mr Poynton said Crown Resorts  which operated out of Melbourne  was the organisation ultimately responsible for casino operations and the Burswood Limited board was more of an advisory group with non-executive directors who were like ambassadors. He rejected a question by Ms Cahill that he was adopting a position that everyone but him had a responsibility for casino oversight.

What Im trying to say is the legal structure of this company and the way that the limited board was set up  where it didnt have any employees, it had one shareholder, it had one asset  is not the normal environment that one might see in other places, he said. Mr Poynton said the Burswood board was not told all the things it should have been by staff about the issues facing its casinos. Whether it was the word misled or omission, it ended up in the same place that we were not provided with information ... we should have been provided with, he said. Ive seen the evidence of various people, in various places, it would appear there are two people, [former Crown chief legal officer] Josh Preston and [former Australian Resorts chief executive] Barry Felsted who seem to have been the ones that havent provided enough information. But there are other people in the management chain, people like Ken Barton who appears not to have provided not only information to us, but the Crown Resorts Limited board either.
Fans and Hollywood figures alike are rallying for Bob Odenkirks recovery after the beloved Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul star collapsed on set on Wednesday, Australian time, and was rushed to hospital in New Mexico.

According to Variety, crew members phoned for an ambulance after the actor went down while filming Better Call Saul, a hit spin-off of the seminal drama Breaking Bad centring on Odenkirks character, Saul Goodman.

On Thursday the actors representative told The Hollywood Reporter that Odenkirks condition had improved and he was stable in hospital after a heart-related incident.

Bob Odenkirk in 2017. Credit:AP

Bob and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side, the reps statement read.
Reliance Onlines internal legal battle between Mr Donnelly, Mr Hanson and the companys directors over the questionable firesale deal, which arguably appeared opportunistic rather than strategic, finally went to trial this week. So youve got a backdrop of an enormous amount of debt and the need to generate $1.2 million a month just to meet ends. Reliance Online barrister Martin Bennett Reliance directors and shareholders have defended their position and sought legal costs against Mr Donnelly and Mr Hanson, accusing them of breaching their executive duties by not conducting proper due diligence before signing the deal. Mr Donnelly and Mr Hanson told the court they had been oppressed from earning an income and denied the financial means to defend their position by Reliance stripping them of further control and involvement in the deal. They are seeking financial compensation over damage to their reputations.

During trial, Mr Hanson accused the controlling parties of mismanaging Reliance Online. The way they managed it going forward is of course that there was no way I was acting as an officer of [Vantage Holdings Group], Mr Hanson argued. I was excluded from meetings on a regular basis, I was not consulted in any way on decision-making in relation to [Reliance Online], information of a financial nature have been withheld from me. Kim Hanson outside Perths Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 27. Credit:Aja Styles Further I was actually supervised on a daily basis  I was treated more as a lowly accountant than a senior manager ... and my role was very much based around doing the due diligence and providing assistance to Cover Force in the acquisition process following the signing of the Cover Force agreement on the fourth of September.

Mr Hanson, who was representing himself before Justice Rene Le Miere, said Macquarie Bank was warned in December not to deal with him regarding any business dealings and he was removed as a signatory to all Reliance bank accounts. Both men resigned as Reliance executives at the start of 2016 after the board of directors to Reliances umbrella company, Vantage Holdings Group, learned Mr Donnelly had pursued the Doring deal against their express resolution. The board had decreed in August of 2015 not to make any acquisitions since Reliance Groups companies were already at risk of receivership. On Monday, Mr Donnellys barrister Stuart Shepherd argued that the content of that August meeting and those that followed, as well as the sign-off of meeting minutes, were still hotly contested and his client had acted in good faith in the best interests of the company in what he believed was a good deal at the time. Mr Shepherd argued it was VHG board director and principal shareholder, Jon Fogarty, who was responsible for the aftermath of the deal, which Mr Donnelly believed would have expanded Reliance Online operations into the key and largely untapped area of Mackay.

He said Mr Donnelly had been tasked by Mr Fogarty to get him his money, which at the time included the sale of Reliance Online to Cover Force. Mr Fogartys company Fopar Nominees bankrolled Australian Reliances national expansion to the tune of $13.75 million. Mr Shepherd said Mr Fogarty only joined Reliances board of directors to ensure that as the principal creditor he got repaid, and appointed himself and others into positions of power even though they brought no experience in the world of insurance broking. The court heard Mr Donnelly testified that a team of our guys worked on the deal and he also had PricewaterhouseCoopers look over Dorings financials  demonstrating that he did conduct due diligence. Its one of those difficulties over the course of action, where the court has to put itself in the shoes of the director whose reputation is being impugned, Mr Shepherd argued.

He said Mr Donnellys testimony about carrying out due diligence was never contested, even if there were suggestions that some lying was going on. However Justice Le Miere pointed out the evidence was not accepted by Reliance Online and after the sale transaction, Reliance parties determined this deal is a disaster. Loading Reliance Onlines barrister Martin Bennett argued that before the deal had been signed in November, VHGs board of directors were staring at $24.27 million in liabilities and had explicitly notified Mr Donnelly and Mr Hanson not to carry out any acquisitions without the boards authority. So youve got a backdrop of an enormous amount of debt and the need to generate $1.2 million a month just to meet ends, Mr Bennett said.
An Afghan villager has told the defamation trial of war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith that he hated foreign soldiers and regarded them as responsible for killing innocent people, but he did not support the aims of the Taliban.

Darwan farmer Man Gul has told the Federal Court he was detained for questioning by foreign soldiers with two other men, Ali Jan and Mr Jans step-nephew, Mohammed Hanifa. The court has heard that a man matching Mr Jans description was killed by Australian troops, but the circumstances in which he died are contested.

Ben Roberts-Smith outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Thursday. Credit:Nick Moir

Under questioning by Mr Roberts-Smiths barrister, Bruce McClintock, SC, on Thursday, Mr Gul agreed through a translator that he believed foreign soldiers had been cruel to him repeatedly during raids on his village.

Yes, it is like that, Mr Gul replied. Yes, they killed innocent people and martyred them all.
It turns out that our Federal MPs have the capacity to shoot the breeze and talk gibberish just like the rest of us.

Tim Wilson with Jason Falinski, Celia Hammond and Andrew Leigh. Credit:Illustration: John Shakespeare

On Thursday, the House of Representatives economics committee was quizzing Nathan Jacobsen, managing director of financial services firm Easton Investments, when events took an unexpected turn.

Jacobsens internet stream dropped out and didnt come back, so Liberals Tim Wilson, Jason Falinski and Celia Hammond relaxed with Labors Andrew Leigh over the video hook up and let it all hang out by turning to the only logical thing available: the womens 4x200m relay in Tokyo.

Wilson and Leigh were like all of us as they battled with Sevens smartphone app. Despite his status as a modern Liberal, Wilson only managed to log in as the race was ending.
A Sydney law firm that was admonished by the regulator for urging civil disobedience during Victorias winter lockdown has been accused of spreading misinformation on social media with suggestions that COVID-19 vaccination does not work and testing is nonsense.

G&B Lawyers is drumming up donations for a $10 million High Court challenge to mandatory vaccination.

The firm is run by Kim Glassborow, who was formerly in-house legal counsel at Dial-a-Dump  the garbage empire founded by rich-lister Ian Malouf  and Nathan Andrew Buckley.

Mr Buckley was reprimanded by the NSW Legal Services Commissioner in January last year in a separate matter for sending threatening, abusive or discourteous correspondence.
An infectious diseases expert who has been outspoken against the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has been preselected to run as a Labor candidate at the federal election.

Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah, respected in her field as an infectious diseases expert and general physician, has appeared in multiple media interviews and panel shows expressing her opinions and views on COVID-19 and vaccines since early this year, publicly pushing take-up of the Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax options.

Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah, an associate professor of infectious diseases, has been preselected as a Labor candidate. Credit:Eddie Jim

The doctor has been preselected to run in the Liberal-held Victorian seat of Higgins, meaning she will run against fellow doctor Katie Allen who has been a public supporter of Astra Zeneca.

In February on the ABCs Q+A program  when AstraZeneca trials were showing it was less effective against COVID-19 variants than the Pfizer vaccine  she claimed AstraZeneca had failed in terms of its efficacy.
I hope well be able to set those targets and give more definition to phase two and phase three in that time. But, we have a plan for that. We are setting the targets scientifically, combined with the economic advice as well, and that gets us a roadmap to Christmas, I think, that means that well be living life different at Christmas than what we are now. At the start of July, Mr Morrison revealed a four-phase plan to return Australia to a form of COVID-normal, with open borders and few restrictions. This masthead has reported the Doherty Institutes modelling will have different vaccination thresholds for older and younger Australians. Fridays meeting will be the first time state and territory leaders will have detailed targets on how many of their citizens must get vaccinated in order to end border closures and business shutdowns.

Loading Ms Berejiklian on Wednesday stressed a spike in vaccination rates, along with a tightened lockdown, were critical to Sydney emerging from lockdown on August 28, after the city recorded 177 new cases, its highest number this outbreak. The state also registered another death, taking the number of people who have died in this outbreak to 11. It was fairly obvious, given the way the numbers were going in the last few days, it would have not been possible for us to get out of lockdown tomorrow or Friday, she said. Ms Berejiklian said she personally appreciated the toll the next four weeks would take on the community, but it was necessary in order to keep people safe and hospital numbers down. Please know that Im as upset and as frustrated as all of you that we werent able to get the case numbers where wed like to, at this point in time. Thats the reality. We have to deal with the cards that are here before us.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the recent vaccination figures showed the community was increasing its understanding of the need for vaccinations. However, the state was still a long way short of where it needed to be. Contrary to what some have said, vaccines are definitely a major player in our way out of lockdowns. NSW residents have certainly responded to the breakout by getting more jabs in arms of AstraZeneca and, when its available, Pfizer, he said. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at Wednesdays press conference. Credit:Nick Moir The increase in the willingness to be vaccinated brings hope for the future, but right now the focus has to be staying home and not spreading the virus. Mr Morrison on Wednesday announced income support for people in lockdown would return to the level of the original JobKeeper scheme and those on welfare who have lost work hours will get a $200 weekly supplement under further changes to the pandemic disaster payments.

The arrangements will automatically kick in for the more than 463,000 people in NSW already receiving disaster payments. Those who have lost 20 hours or more of work in a week will receive $750, up from $600 a week, and people who have lost fewer hours will now get $450. Loading The Premier on Wednesday revealed new restrictions for Greater Sydney for the four-week lockdown extension. Under the new rules people in the Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River local government areas are under the same orders as those in Fairfield, Liverpool, Canterbury-Bankstown, Blacktown and Cumberland, with only authorised workers permitted to leave home for work. Ms Berejiklian said imposing harsher restrictions in the most populated parts of Greater Sydney was a big call, but one that could not be avoided, given the growth of the virus in localised areas.

All authorised workers who live in Canterbury-Bankstown must now get a COVID-19 test once every three days in order to leave their home for work. Aged care and healthcare workers who live in Fairfield or Cumberland but work outside these areas must get tested once every three days in order to work outside their local government areas. Loading Year 12 students will be allowed to return to classrooms from August 16, with rapid antigen testing introduced to control the risk of future outbreaks. In COVID-affected south-west and western Sydney year 12 students will also be given priority Pfizer vaccinations with Pfizer doses to be repurposed from NSW Healths rural and regional supply. Other changes include new essential shopping rules restricting people to a 10-kilometre radius from their home, while a singles bubble will take effect from Saturday allowing people who live alone to nominate one designated family member or friend to visit their household. Ms Berejiklian said the extremely harsh conditions on the new local government areas would mainly impact traditional cohorts of critical workers that keep the rest of Sydney running.

Loading That is a big call on our part, but its an important tool. And dont underestimate how harsh that is, she said. That localised targeted response is what we hope will have the desired effect, having fewer people mobile from those communities where we know the virus is circulating. In the past week, the eight local government areas have recorded 879 cases of COVID-19, with more than two-thirds recorded in Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Cumberland.
Washington: China dispatched a veteran diplomat known for pushing back against Western criticism to serve as its next ambassador to the US, an appointment that suggests Beijing is bracing for a period of prolonged tension with Washington.

Qin Gang, 55, who most recently served as vice foreign minister, arrived in the US on Wednesday to fill the post vacated last month by long-time ambassador, Cui Tiankai, according to a statement from the Chinese embassy.

The appointment of Qin Gang (pictured in 2005) to the US has stirred up relations. Credit:Getty Images

He said at a press briefing that he would work to safeguard the foundation of China-US relations, uphold the shared interests of the two peoples, and endeavour to bring China-US relations back on track. The ties that have been opened between the countries cannot be closed, Qin said.

His arrival was accompanied by a commentary from the official Xinhua news agency warning that it was unrealistic to solve the fundamental differences between the two countries quickly, and placing the onus on the US to treat China as an equal.
Jerusalem: Much like the epic hero himself, the ancient tablet recounting the adventures of Gilgamesh has seen its share of wilderness journeys.

The tablet, which bears fragments of one of the worlds oldest works of literature, has passed through dealers in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and most recently the US.

A portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh that was looted from Iraq and sold for $1.6 million to Hobby Lobby for display in the Museum of the Bible. Credit:AP

But the 3500-year-old artefact may be returning to its homeland in Iraq, after a US federal court ruled that it must be surrendered.

US officials say the tablet, which bears text from the Sumerian poem the Epic of Gilgamesh, was illegally brought to the US before it was purchased by arts and crafts firm Hobby Lobby.
Wilmington, DE (19810)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 80F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 64F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Wilmington, DE (19810)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 64F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
A sign advertises open positions at the Speedway store at 2720 Taylorsville Road in Louisville, Ky., on June 19, 2021.
Pictured: fire engulfs a home on Lynn Street near Bradley Avenue off Eastern Parkway in the early morning hours of July 29, 2021. (Photo source: Andrew Timleck).
In anticipation of the looming deadline on an eviction moratorium, several Lexington organizations hosted a forum on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, where frustrated landlords could speak their minds.
Jeffersonville Police are looking for suspects after a Wisconsin man with several gunshots to the head was found on Edgewood Drive in the Oak Park neighborhood in the early morning hours of July 23, 2021.


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Weber State is Out for Blood at 18th Annual Blood Battle

July 29, 2021

OGDEN, Utah  Weber State University will host the 18th Annual American Red Cross Blood Battle Aug. 30 through Sept. 3 in the Dee Events Center on the Ogden campus from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This event pits WSU against Utah State University in a friendly competition to find out which community can donate more during the five-day blood drive. The winner will be the university with the highest number of donations, but the goal is for each school to collect at least 1,000 units of blood.

This is such a unique opportunity for us to come together as a community to help those in need, said Ben Ferney, student body president. I hope students, faculty and community members will take time to participate to help make a difference. After a year of feeling disconnected, this is a great chance for us to unite behind another cause.

The event is open to all, including students, faculty, staff and community members. Donors will receive a Blood Battle T-shirt while supplies last.

As a COVID-19 safety precaution, participants are required to schedule an appointment to donate before arriving at the donation center. To register or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). To register and support Weber State, donors should use the sponsor code: BleedPurple.

Blood donors help avoid delays in lifesaving medical care for patients. Blood is an essential resource used for cancer treatments, surgeries and other serious medical issues. Red blood cells have a shelf life of only 42 days, so donations are constantly needed.

High school and college blood drives account for as much as 20% of donations during the school year.

Hosting blood drives on campus highlights the legacies students can create as blood donors, said Shana Loomis, American Red Cross of Utah, Blood Services manager. A campus blood drive brings meaningful leadership and service opportunities to students while helping deliver lifesaving services and blood products to hospital patients in need.

For photos of last year's event, visit this link.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
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.
NEW YORK (AP)  The leader of Belarus embattled opposition hopes the United States and Europe will impose new sanctions on money-making government enterprises that will lead to the collapse of President Alexander Lukashenkos regime and a peaceful transition that pro-democracy supporters are preparing for because it can happen very fast.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger to Lukashenko in last Augusts disputed election, said the former Soviet Union very unexpectedly collapsed in six days and the same situation can happen in Belarus and ... our task is to be mobilized.

She was interviewed by The Associated Press in New York Tuesday after a round of high-level meetings in Washington with senior administration officials and members of Congress where she urged the United States to take active and non-symbolic measures in response to a crackdown by Lukashenko on Belarus dissidents.

Tsikhanouskaya returned to Washington on Wednesday to meet President Joe Biden who spoke out for pro-democracy forces in Belarus, tweeted that he was honored to meet her, and said the United States stands with the people of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human rights.

Tsikhanouskaya called the meeting with Biden a big step forward, but we still have a long way to go."

She said in a phone interview with AP: I secured the support of president Biden in that the U.S. will stand together with Belarus in our very difficult fight right now." She said they didnt discuss specific new sanctions on Belarus, but talked about the need to ramp up the pressure on the Lukashenko regime.

Tsikhanouskaya said she urged U.S. officials to support negotiations aimed at new national elections under international monitoring, and to provide emergency funding for Belarus besieged civil society and news media.

She said in Tuesday's interview that the most powerful lever to weaken the regime is sanctions, and she is confident the USA will do everything possible to be with Belarusians in this fight.

We will see what will be (the) response, but Im sure that new sanctions are near, and American sanctions, together, of course, with the European sanctions, will have a huge impact on the regime, she said.

Months of protests rocked Belarus after Lukashenkos declaration of victory for a sixth term in the August 2020 election, a vote that the opposition and the West denounced as neither free nor fair.

Belarusian authorities responded to huge post-election opposition demonstrations with a massive crackdown, including police beating thousands of demonstrators and arresting more than 35,000 people.

Leading opposition figures have been jailed -- including Tsikhanouskayas husband who had sought the presidency -- or been forced to leave the country, while independent media outlets have had their offices searched and their journalists arrested.

The West responded to the crackdown by imposing sanctions on Belarus. The European Union and the U.S. ramped up restrictions after Belarus in May diverted a passenger jet to Minsk to arrest a dissident journalist. The government in neighboring Lithuania has accused Belarusian authorities of organizing a flow of migrants from the Middle East and Africa in retaliation.

Tsikhanouskaya explained that Lukashenkos power is based on money and law enforcement, and the opposition is now seeking to put pressure on the economy, which would cut one of these pillars, by urging even tougher sanctions.

Economic pressure on the regime, on cronies, on sectors like oil, potash, steel, wood, financial sphere -- this constant pressure will help to split allies inside the regime, she said.

Any trigger can happen, Tsikhanouskaya said. We are listening to the people on the ground, what they are prepared for, and impatience of people is growing, and nobody know what can be the trigger for new mass demonstrations for fall of this regime.

She said most people in the regime are not loyal to the regime but like almost all Belarusians today they are frightened for themselves, their families and their security because arrests and kidnappings continue to take place.

Tsikhanouskaya said the threat of sanctions previously made Lukashenko release political prisoners and stop violence, so history can be repeated, and we have to impose many points of pressure on the regime.

Sanctions is not (a) silver bullet, she said. Sanctions will not bring our country to democracy, but for sure it will help to split elites in order to make cronies of Lukashenko understand that Lukashenkos time is over."

Tsikhanouskaya said these people will have to decide for themselves: Are they going to be on this sinking boat or join civil society that wants to build (a) new and prosperous, open, transparent Belarus.

Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to Lithuania under pressure from Belarus authorities after the election, said she is in constant contact with the pro-democracy movement in the country.

We coordinate our actions because we have one enemy, and we have to put multi-points of pressure on the regime and this is our strategy, she said.

Tsikhanouskaya said the opposition is undertaking a number of steps just to be prepared when the regime collapses including holding a conference on new elections and working on a platform for negotiations and on economic and constitutional reforms.

Our goal is new elections, transparent, under observation of international observers, she said. This is the only way out of (the) crisis in Belarus.

Tsikhanouskaya said the opposition has called for dialogue with representatives of Lukashenkos regime.

They also understand that there is no way out from this crisis, only negotiations, she said.

While its easy to suppress demonstrations, Tsikhanouskaya said, the protests in which the majority of Belarusians participated changed people, and its impossible for the government to influence them now.

They step by step continue to resist and its unstoppable, she said. They want to build a new Belarus together, and everyone is responsible.

Tsikhanouskaya, asked about her safety, said no Belarusian is safe at the moment.

But even if one day I disappear, the movement will not end ... because everyone is fighting at the moment, she said. We dont need leaders of this uprising because everyone is the leader.

___

Ellen Knickmeyer and Alexandra Jaffe in Washington and Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
MIAMI (AP)  Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing the previous peaks of last summer's surge, prompting calls by local officials for the governor to declare an emergency.

A large hospital system in Jacksonville said its hospitals were at maximum capacity, its emergency centers also at a critical point as the state grappled with the new and more infectious delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

In Brevard County, two hospitals began setting up treatment tents at its emergency departments. And at a Fort Lauderdale park, a long line of cars snaked around a testing site, recalling the first weeks of the pandemic last year.

Florida hospitals reported more than 8,900 patients with COVID-19 on Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Florida Hospital Association said the state peaked at 10,179 cases last July.

The patient number on Thursday was five times higher than a month ago, and it quickly climbed from about 5,500 in just one week.

"Whats extraordinary is the speed at which we are currently seeing new cases, said Dr. Vincent Hsu, executive director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiologist at AdventHealth in Orlando. The slope is pretty steep, and we havent seen the end of it. This is still coming.

AdventHealth said Thursday it had reached a new high on Thursday since the pandemic began with about 1,000 COVID-19 hospitalized patients across its system in central Florida. Twelve hospitals in the state are reporting critical staffing shortages to the federal government.

The state reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an additional 17,500 cases  making one fifth of the national new caseload  and 56 new deaths, raising the total death toll for the state to nearly 38,900.

The rapid rise in hospitalizations and cases has prompted officials in Miami-Dade and Orlando to issue new orders requiring masks at indoor county buildings. The mayor of Orange County, home to Walt Disney World, is forcing all nonunion county employees to get vaccinated by August.

And Walt Disney World also announced this week that it would again be requiring the use of masks indoors.

Just 48 percent of the states population is fully vaccinated, and hospitals say the vast majority of the patients with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

Despite calls for him to declare an emergency, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed not to reinstate any pandemic restrictions. In early June the state stopped providing daily figures of cases and deaths, switching to weekly reports.

He signed a law in May a measure that invalidated local COVID-19 orders and gave him power to nullify future ones.

On Wednesday, the governor mocked new federal guidelines recommending use of masks even for those vaccinated against COVID-19. He also took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, who recently said the U.S. is in an unnecessary predicament" of soaring cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant.

DeSantis said Florida would choose freedom over Fauci-ism."

I think its very important we say, unequivocally, No to lockdowns, no to school closures, no to restrictions, no to mandates, DeSantis said. Well be holding the line. We will not back down.

His words drew enthusiastic applause during his appearance in Salt Lake City, Utah, before the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group that pushes conservative policies in Republican-controlled state legislatures.

DeSantis said he opposes those measures because they were ineffective and had catastrophic consequences" for the economy.

The governor's stance against lockdowns, mask mandates and vaccine passports is a key component of his reelection campaign. The campaign is selling koozies with the phrase How the hell am I going to drink a beer with a mask on? and T-shirts reading: Dont Fauci My Florida.

Charlie Crist, a Democrat challenging DeSantis next year, condemned his speech in Utah in a statement sent Thursday. Crist served as a Republican governor from 2007 to 2011, before joining the Democratic party. He has served in the U.S. House since 2017.

Our hospitals are being overrun by sick patients, families are losing their loved ones, and our children are facing another difficult and confusing school year. But wheres Governor DeSantis? Hes profiting from selling merchandise that demonizes our nations top doctor" he said.
North Branford Police / Contributed

NORTH BRANFORD  Police on Tuesday said no criminal charges will be filed following an investigation into what authorities called a racist social media post.

A video, which went viral on Instagram, showed at least four individuals. Two of those were seen on the video using racist language while speaking about George Floyd, a man killed by Minneapolis police in May 2020.
WESTPORT  Ramin Ganeshram knew that most people walked by the historical marker outside Westport Town Hall without giving it any thought. After all, she said, historical markers largely exist to be ignored.

Frankly the old plaque, I dont know if anyone read it, said Ganeshram, executive director of the Westport Museum for Culture and History. It was one of those things that just become part of the property. But we happened to notice it and thought it was very lacking.

The marker started by mentioning the first white settlement here in 1648, and doesnt mention the contributions  or exploitation  of indigenous people or enslaved Africans. It was very Eurocentric, Ganeshram said. What was missing was the fact that there was a native settlement here for 7,500 years and that the white settlement was predicated on the destruction of that native community.

She said it also omitted that the town was built largely through the forced labor of indigenous and African slaves. The story is not whole in the way it is told in that plaque, Ganeshram said.

A few years ago, Ganeshram and others had an informal discussion with the town leaders about the plaque and how it could be more inclusive. But, she said, nothing really changed until the past year, when the museum was contacted by the First Selectmans Office about providing information for a new, more inclusive marker.

In July, the town replaced the historical marker at Town Hall with one acknowledging that, among other things, the area was once home to native Paugussets who were driven away after the Great Swamp Fight between the Pequot tribe and European colonizers.

The town also added a marker at 22  Main St. to remember the tragedy that befell upon the Black community there in 1949 when a fire broke out in the section of the building used as a church. All of the buildings (primarily Black) residents escaped, but most of the structure and nearly all of the residents possessions were destroyed. Arson was suspected, but there was no investigation.

A third marker with Westports Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity statement is planned and currently underway.

The new markers are a collaboration between the Westport Museum for Culture and History, the First Selectmans Office and TEAM Westport, which stands for Together Effectively Achieving Multiculturalism.

TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey Jr. said adding historical markers and changing existing ones is an idea that had been discussed at several TEAM meetings. Its one of those things that had been floated around for a while, he said.

The idea behind the markers is to acknowledge the sacrifices and contributions of early Black and indigenous residents of Westport, Bailey said, adding that the town is far from the only one where non-White residents where exploited and mistreated.

This was something whole country did, Bailey said. The problem Westport had was the same problem all of Connecticut had and it was the same problem the whole country had.

In addition to acknowledging Westports difficult racial history, the new Town Hall marker also discusses the influx of writers, artists and actors into Westport before World War I, and the growth of a thriving Jewish community in town.

This wasnt about erasing anyones story, but about including the story of everyone who was there at the time, Ganeshram said of the new markers.

In a statement, First Selectman Jim Marpe said the town has a commitment to depict the full picture of its history.

Today we realize that each day, we learn more about our history and new facts come to light, he said. These markers are customizable and can be modified, so that we can continue to tell an exhaustive and inclusive representation of Westports history, from the Indigenous to current times.
Indian American hotel owners are suing two of the world's biggest hotel chains, accusing them of gouging franchisees with fees, penalties and overpriced products. Scores of Indian franchisees have filed lawsuits against Choice Hotels International, the company behind the Comfort Inn brand, and Intercontinental Hotels Group, which franchises Holiday Inn. The first suit against IHG was filed in May, and at least four others have since followed. The suits also claim the two companies discriminate against Indian American owners. An IHG spokesman said the company does not believe the claims have merit. Choice said it has always had a strong commitment to its franchisees' success.
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Spanish ex-king's former lover accuses him of harassment

The former lover of Spains King Emeritus Juan Carlos has filed a lawsuit with a British court accusing him of spying on her
Groups connected to prominent supporters of former President Donald Trumps movement to cast doubt on the 2020 election results have raised more than $5.7 million for Arizona Republicans election audit
Biden's vaccine requirement could 'very well' require troops to get the shot
ABC/Eric McCandless

Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will be back behind the judges' table when American Idol returns on ABC in the spring of 2022. It'll be the show's fifth season on ABC, but its 20th season overall. Host Ryan Seacrest is also on board for this historic season.

American Idol's executive producer and showrunner Megan Wolflick said in a statement, "The chemistry and passion Katy, Luke, Lionel and Ryan bring is second to none. We couldnt be more ecstatic that they are returning for this iconic 20th season in search of the freshest new talent that this nation has to offer.

Auditions for the new season start this Friday, August 6 with the return of the virtual nationwide "Idol Across America" search, which will take place in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The most recent American Idol champ, Chayce Beckham, auditioned via "Idol Across America."

Visit AmericanIdol.com/auditions to find out how to sign up. Here are the dates; you can audition on any date, regardless of where you live:

Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina (Aug. 6)

Connecticut, New Jersey, New York (Aug. 8)

Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas (Aug. 11)

Florida, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia (Aug. 13)

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi (Aug. 16)

Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee (Aug. 18)

Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada (Aug. 21)

Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming (Aug. 23)

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin (Aug. 25)

Open Call: Nationwide (Aug. 27)

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah (Aug. 31)

Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont (Sept. 2)

Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. (Sept. 8)

Open Call: The South (Sept. 10)

Open Call: East Coast (Sept. 13)

Open Call: West Coast (Sept. 16)

Open Call: Nationwide (Sept. 21)

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read more
Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High near 85F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 61F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
In my pursuit of peace of mind, I stopped reading about politics, and Im a better man for it. Well, maybe just a little better. Now, Ive vowed to stop reading about the weather.

My wife insists I have to delete the Weather Channel and all those other apps on my cellphone because theyre not good for my blood pressure. They just cant get it right.

As Mark Twain is once said to have said, but didnt say, Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. (It was actually a Hartford Courant editor who said that.)

I hate to complain, but were plagued by fake science, fake polls, fake news and fake forecasts.

Every day, the temperature has been five degrees higher than forecast. Its like global warming on steroids. Then, they predicted thunderstorms for three days straight, and there were none. Then, there was no rain in the forecast, and we had a downpour.

Does this constitute misinformation? Will Facebook start censoring the National Weather Service? Where are those Washington Post fact-checkers when we really need them?

What I cant understand is that modern meteorologists have billion-dollar computers, global radar and recreational marijuana, so why are there so many inaccuracies? Back to the drawing board, or better yet, back to the Ouija Board.

Where is Big Tech when we need those pinheads? They should spend less time spying and do something productive. And what about Jeff Bezos, who paid $5.5 billion for a 10-minute space flight. Forget the space ship. Spend that cash on better weather satellites.

Meteorologists and investment advisers are the only ones who dont get penalized for bad predictions. Algorithms and computers dont always get it right because if they did, my 401(k) would be in better shape and I could retire.

The guy at the 42nd Street newsstand where I got my New York Post had a better record than Al Roker. Every day Id ask, Whats the weather gonna be? And he told me: Rain... Sunny ... Cloudy. He was never wrong.

I dont want to criticize paid professional weather forecasters because I myself was once a paid professional something or other. Plus, theyve had a horrendous month with a heat wave, poor air quality from the wild fires, and a tropical storm that almost ended life as we know it in Connecticut. And this summer could be the hottest one since the government began keeping records in the 1890s.

Forecasters need to emulate their illustrious forefathers who were involved in the invasion of Normandy on June 5, 1944, during World War II.

Author William Bryant Logan described it this way: Perhaps the most important weather forecast ever made was the one for D-Day, the Allied invasion of France. It succeeded not because of the brilliant work of any solitary forecaster, but because a group of forecasters imitated the weather. They jostled, yelled, scribbled, and cast malevolent looks at one another. They fought it out and voted. And in the end, they were just right enough.

In the olden days, we didnt have weather apps. People got their weather from their morning newspaper. The forecast on Page One said something like Its going to rain. No rainfall predictions or percentages or all that excruciating erroneous detail we get nowadays. Just rain. And you know what? It rained.

I learned everything I know about forecasting from my first editor, the late Chuck Gamzey, who was responsible for the weather at Greenwich Time. He didnt call the National Weather Service or the Associated Press. But just before we went to press, he got up from the news desk, walked to the window, pulled up the blinds and looked outside. And if the sun was shining, he told our readers, Expect sunshine ... blue skies.

Ive decided to ditch the weather apps and get back to basics. Instead of paying for the premium Weather Channel service with forecasts in 15-minute increments, Im going to find a newsstand somewhere on the planet if one still exists. Every morning Ill ask the proprietor, Hey, Rocco, whats the weather going to be? Hell stick his head out and look up at the sky and spot the precipitating nimbostratus clouds and say, Gonna rain. Hell do better than all those computers.

For that matter, I trust my knees more than the National Weather Service because they start to ache when the barometric pressure falls and a storm is coming ... even though the forecast calls for sunshine, blue skies.

Former Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time Editor Joe Pisani can be reached at joefpisani@yahoo.com.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday announced that she's imposing a mask mandate for Kansas state government workers and visitors to state buildings in the wake of a self-inflicted surge in new COVID-19 cases fueled by the faster-spreading delta variant.

Kelly's announcement came after a central Kansas school district mandated masks in its building and public health officials in two of the state's most populous counties recommended that even vaccinated residents wear masks in at least some indoor public spaces. And all of the developments were in response to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changing its guidance on masks because of the delta variant.

The CDC now recommends that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in places where the coronavirus is surging, and under its guidelines, those recommendations would apply to 84 of the state's 105 counties.

Kelly's mask mandate would apply to state workers and state buildings in those affected counties, indoors where social distancing isn't possible, and in public spaces such as hallways and bathrooms. Her order takes effect Monday and applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. It covers almost 39,000 government workers, according to legislative researchers.

We've been brought together mostly through a self-inflected problem, Kelly said at the start of a Statehouse news conference, blaming the delta variant's spread on people's refusal to get vaccinated.

Top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature ended Kansas' pandemic state of emergency in mid-June, citing a decline in new cases. Kelly, a Democrat, had wanted to keep the state of emergency in place at least through August, and new cases began rising again only days after the GOP leaders' action.

Confirmed delta variant cases are doubling every two weeks, reaching 1,543 as of Wednesday, according to state data.

I'm as frustrated as any other vaccinated Kansan, Kelly said. I feel like I did my part and one of the rewards of that was not having to wear a mask, but that option has been taken away.

Some Republicans have criticized the CDC for backing off earlier, looser recommendations on masks. In a tweet, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican running for governor next year, criticized conflicting and ever-changing CDC guidance.

"Bottom line: no mask mandates, no vaccine mandates, no vaccine passports, no more government control, Schmidt tweeted.

Kelly is not planning to pursue vaccine passports. She tried last year to impose a statewide mask mandate but told reporters Wednesday that shes not considering a broader one now. She also said she's not considering declaring a new state of emergency.

Her office plans to issue guidance for schools, but Kelly said decisions about what they do with masks and social distancing will be left to the State Board of Education and local school boards.

She hasn't suggested requiring anyone to get vaccinated but said she supports the right of private employers to do what they think is right for their businesses. That comment came after the Ascension Via Christi health system, which operates hospitals and specialty clinics in Wichita, Manhattan, Pittsburg and Wamego, announced that it will require its its staff to get vaccinated.

The Salina district's board of education voted 5-2 during a special Tuesday night meeting to impose its mask requirement. The district, which has about 6,900 students, appears to be the first outside of the Kansas City area to impose a new mask mandate.

Our goal is having our students in our classrooms, with our teachers, with their peers, district spokesperson Jennifer Camien said, adding that requiring masks is a strategy that underscores that goal and better ensures it.

Shawnee County's health officer on Wednesday recommended that all people wear masks in crowded indoor situations and that indoor events be limited to 50% of a room's capacity to allow social distancing. The Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health department on Tuesday began recommending that anyone age 2 or older wear masks in schools and other indoor spaces. The two counties are among the top five in Kansas in population.

Kansas saw an average of 743 new COVID-19 cases per day during the seven-day period that ended Wednesday, according to state health department data. Thats a fraction of the worst peak in mid-November but more than seven times the average of 96 new cases per day for the seven-day period that ended June 23, before new cases began rising again.

The CDC reported that as of Tuesday, 45% of the state's 2.9 million residents were vaccinated, which put Kansas 30th among states and below the national vaccination rate.

___

Andy Tsubasa Field 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.

____

On Twitter, follow John Hanna at https://twitter.com/apjdhanna and Andy Tsubasa Field at https://twitter.com/AndyTsubasaF
Winchester, VA (22601)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Promising signs of travel recovery are on the horizon for Manitobas largest airport, as multiple routes and airlines are expected to be back in service for Winnipeg.

Promising signs of travel recovery are on the horizon for Manitobas largest airport, as multiple routes and airlines are expected to be back in service for Winnipeg.

Low-cost carriers Swoop and Flair have relaunched popular connections such as Abbotsford, Hamilton and Kelowna for the summer; including new semi-permanent additions Kitchener-Waterloo and Ottawa.

On top of that, Calgary-headquartered WestJet will once again fly from Winnipeg to Edmonton and Victoria, while U.S.-based Delta Air is set to resume starting Sept. 13  paving the path forward for sun destinations, plus Mexico and the Caribbean.

After months of minimal passenger traffic, airport executives told the Free Press rising COVID-19 vaccination rates are to thank for this much-needed dose of welcome news.

"Its still some uncertainty ahead, but we couldnt be happier," Barry Rempel, chief executive officer and president of the airports authority, said in an interview Wednesday. "This is the kind of positive outlook that we havent had for months and months now."

Ever since the provincial government allowed vaccinated travellers from domestic locations to enter Manitoba without needing to self-isolate, volume numbers have seen an uptick for the first time since the pandemic began. In fact, those figures are even higher than last year.

Theres been an almost 12 per cent increase to passenger traffic at Winnipegs airport, which is twice as much as the same quarter in 2020. And consolidated revenue has gone from $9.7 million in the second quarter of 2020 to $11.5 million during the current second quarter of 2021.

Even cargo traffic is seeing significant momentum. An increase of 11 per cent is being reported for second-quarter cargo planes landing at the Richardson International Airport, and gross takeoff weight has jumped by 5.9 per cent compared to 2020.

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"I have to say, weve done a lot of diversification with our assets thats led to this moment," said Rempel. "We didnt have any federal government aid for quite some time, so we had to think on our feet. Now, we not only have that, but were also seeing promise with every other metric, too. Its really quite heartening."

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.

It remains to be seen, however, when the U.S. will allow Canadians to enter that country. For now, current border restrictions have been extended until at least Aug. 21.

temur.durrani@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @temurdur
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new pandemic requirements aimed at boosting vaccination rates for millions of federal workers and contractors as he lamented the American tragedy of rising-yet-preventable deaths among the unvaccinated.

President Joe Biden holds a mask as he responds to a question as he arrives at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pa., Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Biden is in the area to visit the Lehigh Valley operations facility for Mack Trucks and advocate for government investments and clean energy as ways to strengthen U.S. manufacturing. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new pandemic requirements aimed at boosting vaccination rates for millions of federal workers and contractors as he lamented the "American tragedy" of rising-yet-preventable deaths among the unvaccinated.

Federal workers will be required to sign forms attesting theyve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else comply with new rules on mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and more. The strict new guidelines are aimed at increasing sluggish vaccination rates among the huge number of Americans who draw federal paychecks  and to set an example for private employers around the country.

"Right now, too many people are dying or watching someone they love die and say, If Id just got the vaccine," Biden said in a somber address from the East Room of the White House. "This is an American tragedy. People are dying who dont have to die."

President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to the Lehigh Valley operations facility for Mack Trucks in Macungie, Pa., Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

However, pushback is certain to Biden's action. It puts him squarely in the center of a fierce political debate surrounding the governments ability to compel Americans to follow public health guidelines.

The federal government directly employs about 4 million people, but Bidens action could affect many more when federal contractors are factored in. New York University professor of public service Paul Light estimates there are nearly 7 million more employees who could potentially be included, combining those who work for companies that contract with the government and those working under federal grants.

Biden, seemingly fed up with persistent vaccine resistance among many Americans, delivered a sharp rebuke to those who have yet to get shots, saying "they get sick and fill up our hospitals," taking beds away from others who need them.

"If in fact you are unvaccinated, you present a problem to yourself, to your family and those with whom you work," he said bluntly."

President Joe Biden speaks about vaccine requirements for federal workers in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

At the same time, he expressed sympathy for people who have received their shots and are "frustrated with the consequences of the minority that fail to get vaccinated." And he again emphasized that the fight against the virus is far from over, girding Americans to remain strong in the face of setbacks in the pandemic.

"I know this is hard to hear. I know its frustrating. I know its exhausting to think were still in this fight. I know we hoped this would be a simple straightforward line, without problems or new challenges. But that isnt real life," he said.

His comments came as some 60% of American adults have been fully vaccinated. He had set a July 4 goal to get at least one shot in 70% of adults, and is still not quite there. The latest figure is 69.3%. And there remains significant resistance from many Republicans and some unions to vaccine mandates for employers.

Reflecting an awareness of the political landmines surrounding mandates, administration officials emphasize that their plan does not require workers to receive the vaccine but aims to make life more difficult for those who are unvaccinated to encourage them to comply. Biden directed his team to take steps to apply similar requirements to all federal contractors.

President Joe Biden speaks about COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal workers in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

He also directed the Defense Department to look into adding the COVID-19 shot to its list of required vaccinations for members of the military. Service members already are required to get as many as 17 vaccines, depending on where they are based around the world.

Over and over, the president repeated that the vast majority of those falling ill and dying in the new wave of the delta virus are unvaccinated, putting others at risk and endangering the nation's fragile economic recovery and return to normalcy.

"It's an American blessing that we have vaccines for each and every American. Its such a shame to squander that blessing," said Biden.

He praised the recent increase in Republican lawmakers urging those who are not vaccinated  many of whom, polling suggests, identify as conservatives  to get their shots. And seeking to push back against skepticism among some Republicans over the safety of the vaccine, he gave a nod to predecessor Donald Trump, noting that it was "developed and authorized under a Republican administration."

President Joe Biden speaks about COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal workers in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

"This is not about red states and blue states," he said. "Its literally about life and death, life and death."

Biden renewed his calls for schools to fully open this fall, although children under 12 are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine. And he said that public health officials do not yet believe Americans need a booster vaccine despite the highly contagious delta variant fueling the surge.

The new pressure on workers to get vaccinated could work because evidence shows people would rather get the vaccine than deal with burdens they consider onerous at work, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University Law School.

"People would much rather roll up their sleeves and get a jab, than undergo weekly testing and universal masking," he said. "In many ways, this is really not a mandate, its giving workers a choice."

President Joe Biden holds up his face mask as he speaks about vaccine requirements for federal workers in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Thursday's move is not just about federal workers.

The administration hopes it will nudge private companies push their workers harder to get vaccines that, while widely recognized as safe and effective, have yet to receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

"I think weve reached this tipping point, and Bidens announcement will provide a lot of air cover for companies and boards of directors who have difficult decisions facing them," said Jeff Hyman, a Chicago-based business author and recruiter for start-up companies.

Some of the nations biggest corporations have moved to require vaccinations for their workers. Tech giants Facebook and Google announced this week their employees would have to show proof theyve been fully vaccinated before returning to work.

President Joe Biden arrives in the East Room of the White House to speak about vaccine requirements for federal workers in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Delta and United airlines are requiring new employees to show proof of vaccination. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are requiring workers to disclose their vaccination status though not requiring them to be vaccinated.

But fewer than 10% of employers have said they intend to require all employees to be vaccinated, based on periodic surveys by the research firm Gartner.

Still, there is opposition.

State lawmakers across the U.S. have introduced more than 100 bills aiming to prohibit employers from requiring vaccination as a condition of employment, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy. At least six states have approved such bills.

The Justice Department and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have both said no federal laws prevent businesses from requiring vaccinations as a condition of employment and the federal policy would take precedent. But the "medical freedom" bills underscore the resistance such guidance may encounter at the state level.

Government actions in New York City and California have faced resistance from local unions. And prior to Bidens announcement, some national unions were speaking out against it.

Larry Cosme, President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, which represents 30,000 federal officers and agents, said in a statement while the organization supports the vaccine it opposes compelling it.

"Forcing people to undertake a medical procedure is not the American way and is a clear civil rights violation no matter how proponents may seek to justify it," he said.

____

Lemire reported from New York.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is allowing the problem-plagued factory of contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions to resume production of COVID-19 vaccine, the company said Thursday.

FILE - In this April 8, 2021 file photo, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is seen at a pop up vaccination site in the Staten Island borough of New York. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is allowing the problem-plagued factory of contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions to resume production of COVID-19 vaccine bulk substance to resume, the company said Thursday, July 29. The Baltimore factory was shut down by the FDA in mid-April due to contamination problems that forced the company to trash the equivalent of tens of millions of doses of vaccine it was making under contract for Johnson & Johnson. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is allowing the problem-plagued factory of contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions to resume production of COVID-19 vaccine, the company said Thursday.

The Baltimore factory was shut down by the FDA in mid-April due to contamination problems that forced the company to trash the equivalent of tens of millions of doses of vaccine it was making under contract for Johnson & Johnson. The bulk vaccine was contaminated with an ingredient for AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine, which was being made in the same factory.

The process of restarting operations began Thursday, but it will take time for the factory to ramp up and reach the production level of before the shutdown, according to Emergent spokesman Matt Hartwig.

Since April, FDA inspectors have combed the factory and reviewed security camera footage to identify lapses in handling material inside the factory and worked with Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Emergent to resolve a host of problems, including unsanitary conditions and poorly trained workers.

The agency also has been reviewing data on months worth of vaccine substance made in the factory and has allowed several large batches of vaccine doses made from it to be released for distribution.

Shares of Emergent rose $1.31, or 2%, to $66.47 in afternoon trading Thursday.

Emergent is one of several J&J contractors that produce its one-shot vaccine in bulk. The concentrated vaccine then is shipped to other factories for final steps, including diluting them to the correct strength, putting them in vials and packaging them up.

The lapses at the Bayview factory have hampered J&Js efforts to be a major player in vaccinating people, particularly in remote areas and poor countries, given that its the only drugmaker with an authorized vaccine that only requires one dose and standard refrigeration. Its also cheaper than some other vaccines.

The productions problems have forced J&J to import millions of doses from its factory in the Netherlands to the U.S. and to miss supply commitments.

Emergent Chief Executive Robert Kramer said the company had fallen short of the publics expectations.

Emergents factory had a history of FDA citations for problems including mold, dirty walls and floors, poorly trained employees and an inadequate strategy to prevent contamination, yet it was given a huge role in COVID-19 vaccine production by the Trump administration. Emergent was handed a lucrative contract to make many millions of COVID-19 vaccines for both J&J and AstraZeneca at the Bayview factory.

The Biden administration has been working to find a different American manufacturing partner for British drugmaker AstraZeneca, whose COVID-19 vaccine isn't authorized for distribution in the U.S.

Follow Linda A. Johnson at https://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma

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.
CARRY-LE-ROUET, France (AP)  Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against the coronavirus are not taking a break.

Camper vans are parked outside a cultural center on the outskirts of Milan, Italy, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, where people can receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19. A camper van will tour Milan and the Lombardy region to provide easy vaccinations without bookings in an attempt to boost the vaccination campaign. Europes famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From Frances Mediterranean coast to Italys Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

CARRY-LE-ROUET, France (AP)  Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against the coronavirus are not taking a break.

Instead, with lockdowns easing despite concerns about variants and nations looking to breathe new life into their ailing tourism industries, vaccinations are being taken to vacationers. It's all part of an effort to maintain momentum in campaigns to protect against the pandemic that has killed more than 1 million across the continent, including in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Russia.

From France's sun-kissed Mediterranean coast to the azure waters of Italy's Adriatic beaches and Russian Black Sea resorts, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much part of this summer as sunscreen and shades for those who are not yet fully vaccinated.

FILE - In this Friday, July 23, 2021, file photo, people line up in front of a mobile testing site in Paris, as visitors now need a special COVID pass to visit French museums or movie theaters. Europes famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From Frances Mediterranean coast to Italys Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh, File)

The new drive to take shots to tourists is a way of adapting to Europe's annual summer migration, when it seems whole cities empty of their residents for weeks. Those long absences from home pose a particular challenge for many nations European, where public health systems often focus on delivering vaccines to people based on where they live.

In Britain, where 70% of adults already are fully vaccinated, campaigns now are aimed at the younger generations with walk-in pop-up clinics in parks, a recent event complete with DJ at the Tate Modern museum and shots on offer to music lovers at the Latitude Festival.

Mickael Bomard, from Le Plessis-Robinson in the Paris region, recently took his 15-year-old son Nolan to a squat building just meters (yards) from the gently lapping waves of the Mediterranean at Carry-le-Rouet, a popular holiday spot near the port city of Marseille.

Given the measures that are being taken now and the obligations when school starts again in September, we have decided to get him vaccinated, Bomard said.

FILE - In this Friday, July 23, 2021, file photo, people enter a vaccination center at the beach in Carry-le-Rouet, southern France. Europes famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From Frances Mediterranean coast to Italys Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades.(AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga, File)

The vaccination center is giving shots to about 200 people each day  vacationers and locals  says Agnes Gatto, a nurse who runs the facility.

In France, where resistance to the vaccine has been particularly stubborn, a new rule came into effect last week that forces those who want to visit public sites ranging from cinemas to casinos to the Eiffel Tower to get a pass that shows they are either fully vaccinated, have tested negative for the coronavirus or recovered from COVID-19. The measure will be extended to restaurants and cafes from next month. That's part of the reason more people are leaving the sand for a shot in the arm.

It was enough to push Bomard to take Nolan: Not being able to go out for dinner together with the family, go to restaurants, and maybe having to find at the last minute an appointment in a packed vaccination center in September in order for him to go to middle school.

After a slow start to vaccinations, 57% of adults in the European Union are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the bloc's executive says.

Medical workers administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19 to Carlo Picella at a cultural center on the outskirts of Milan, Italy, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. A camper van will tour Milan and the Lombardy region to provide easy vaccinations without bookings in an attempt to boost the vaccination campaign. Europes famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From Frances Mediterranean coast to Italys Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Even so, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is warning against complacency given the well-established presence in Europe of the highly contagious delta variant.

She recently said that the variant is very dangerous. I therefore call on everyone  who has the opportunity  to be vaccinated. For their own health and to protect others.

To that end, flexible vaccination initiatives are cropping up across Europe.

In Italy, a vaccination van is set to start circulating in the popular Adriatic Sea destination Rimini this weekend, following a similar mobile campaign at Lazios beaches, where many Romans have second homes. At Rome's main airport, meanwhile, authorities this week opened a Vax&Go area where any traveler passing through can get a vaccine just before departure.

Ilaria Iannuzzi, a doctor at the airport facility, said Thursday that its main goal is to bring vaccination closer to people, especially by facilitating those who need it, those who couldnt book it or couldnt respect their appointment.

Still, some have complained of difficulties of getting vaccine shots outside of their home regions. Milan residents on vacation along the Ligurian coast have not been able to get a second shot, Corriere della Sera daily reported, for instance. But Ligurias regional governor, Giovanni Toti, said the bureaucratic bug responsible could be ironed out in days.

In Russia, which is struggling with widespread vaccine skepticism, the popular southern vacation destination of Krasnodar, a region home to the renowned Black Sea resort of Sochi, is trying to persuade the hesitant: Starting Aug. 1, it will only let visitors into hotels and spas if they have a negative coronavirus test or a vaccination certificate. Tourists with a negative test will be required to get vaccinated locally within three days of arrival.

We will provide the vaccine, Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said.

In France, the pandemic pass appears to be having the desired effect of pushing some people skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines to get the shot anyway.

I wasnt really in favor of the vaccine because Im young. I havent settled yet, I have no children, etc. so Im a bit afraid of the long-term side effects," said 24-year-old Carry-le-Rouet resident Noemie Cienzo. "But now, with the PCR tests we have to do every time we want to go out, I think I will (get vaccinated) otherwise it will become complicated. 

Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writers around Europe contributed.

More AP stories on the coronavirus pandemic: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  Gov. Kim Reynolds fired the leader of Iowas state-run nursing home for veterans in May after learning he had been overpaid by $90,000 over a nearly two-year period, a state audit reported Thursday.

Timon Oujiri, Commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home speaks during a news conference Iowa's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Johnston, Iowa, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds fired Oujiri, the leader of Iowas state-run nursing home for veterans in May, after learning he had been overpaid by $90,000 over a nearly two-year period, a state audit reported Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register via AP)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  Gov. Kim Reynolds fired the leader of Iowas state-run nursing home for veterans in May after learning he had been overpaid by $90,000 over a nearly two-year period, a state audit reported Thursday.

Iowa Veterans Home Commandant Timon Oujiri told governor's office representatives in May that he was long aware of payroll errors that improperly boosted his salary by nearly $950 per week but that he kept receiving the excess pay, the report said.

Oujiri, 63, said he noticed the overpayments shortly after they began in July 2019 but did nothing to resolve the issue, the report said. By the summer of 2020, he said he definitely noticed he was still being overpaid but was too embarrassed to report the problem by that point, it said.

The governor fired Oujiri, who had been commandant since 2017, the next day and her office reported the financial irregularities to the state auditor.

Reynolds spokesman, Pat Garrett, said Thursday that the governors office was working with the attorney generals office to recover any overpayments Oujiri received during his employment.

The report issued by State Auditor Rob Sand said that Oujiri received $90,000 in excess salary payments and that the state incurred another $15,000 in improper retirement and insurance benefits payments for him from July 2019 through April.

The report shed light on what had been a surprise and unexplained firing.

Reynolds appeared with Oujiri at a news conference in December to praise the outstanding job he and his staff had done running the veterans home, which is Iowa's largest nursing home, during the coronavirus pandemic. In May, Garrett told reporters that Oujiri had been abruptly relieved of his duties as commandant, but he didn't say why.

State officials refused to pay Oujiri $11,625 for unused vacation that he was owed when he was fired and credited that amount as a partial repayment. That leaves nearly $94,000 in improper disbursements, including $14,000 in retirement account contributions that the Iowa Veterans Home is trying to recover, the audit found.

Department of Administrative Services employees identified the excess payments to Oujiri in April while reviewing payroll information for accuracy before switching to a new system.

They found that the problems began in July 2019, when salaried department directors, elected officials, and board members were supposed to change the defaults on their timesheets from 56 hours to 40 hours per week.

While DAS officials sent an email to state agencies instructing them of the change, Iowa Veterans Home payroll assistants reported that they didn't recall receiving it and the email wasnt sent to Oujiri, the report said.

The state changed Oujiris default hours to 40, but Iowa Veterans Home staff responsible for entering his hours in the system overrode the change every pay period and added in 56, the report said.

The result was that Oujiri got a 43% pay hike beginning in July 2019 that increased his annual salary to $172,681.60  far more than the maximum $128,890 salary that he knew was allowed for the job, the report said. His pay was $948.50 per week higher than his authorized salary over the next year, and that increased to $957.57 per week in July 2020.

Oujiri was the only person affected by the payroll change at the Iowa Veterans Home, and the audit found that he was the only state official who received an unauthorized increase in pay.

Oujiri has not responded to messages seeking comment since May and he declined to speak with auditors and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agents looking into the matter, according to the report.

Sand sent his report to county prosecutors in Des Moines and Marshalltown, where the veterans home is located. So far, Oujiri has not been charged.

On Monday, the governor appointed former Marine Corps official Matthew Peterson as the new commandant of the home, which houses more than 500 veterans and spouses and has 900 employees.
MIAMI (AP)  Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing the previous peaks of last summer's surge, prompting calls by local officials for the governor to declare an emergency.

Signage stands at the ready (foreground) in case COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park reaches capacity, as cars wait in line in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile out to West Colonial Drive near the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due capacity limits. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

MIAMI (AP)  Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing the previous peaks of last summer's surge, prompting calls by local officials for the governor to declare an emergency.

A large hospital system in Jacksonville said its hospitals were at maximum capacity, its emergency centers also at a critical point as the state grappled with the new and more infectious delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

In Brevard County, two hospitals began setting up treatment tents at its emergency departments. And at a Fort Lauderdale park, a long line of cars snaked around a testing site, recalling the first weeks of the pandemic last year.

A cyclist passes cars at a standstill along West Colonial Drive in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021, as residents wait in line for COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile to the entrance to the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due to reaching capacity. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Florida hospitals reported more than 8,900 patients with COVID-19 on Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Florida Hospital Association said the state peaked at 10,179 cases last July.

The patient number on Thursday was five times higher than a month ago, and it quickly climbed from about 5,500 in just one week.

"Whats extraordinary is the speed at which we are currently seeing new cases, said Dr. Vincent Hsu, executive director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiologist at AdventHealth in Orlando. The slope is pretty steep, and we havent seen the end of it. This is still coming.

AdventHealth said Thursday it had reached a new high on Thursday since the pandemic began with about 1,000 COVID-19 hospitalized patients across its system in central Florida. Twelve hospitals in the state are reporting critical staffing shortages to the federal government.

A cyclist passes cars at a standstill along West Colonial Drive in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021, as residents wait in line for COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile to the entrance to the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due to reaching capacity. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

The state reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an additional 17,500 cases  making one fifth of the national new caseload  and 56 new deaths, raising the total death toll for the state to nearly 38,900.

The rapid rise in hospitalizations and cases has prompted officials in Miami-Dade and Orlando to issue new orders requiring masks at indoor county buildings. The mayor of Orange County, home to Walt Disney World, is forcing all nonunion county employees to get vaccinated by August.

And Walt Disney World also announced this week that it would again be requiring the use of masks indoors.

Just 48 percent of the states population is fully vaccinated, and hospitals say the vast majority of the patients with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

Cars line up at Miami Dade College North campus' COVID-19 testing site, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Miami. Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing previous peaks reached during last summer's surge. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Despite calls for him to declare an emergency, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed not to reinstate any pandemic restrictions. In early June the state stopped providing daily figures of cases and deaths, switching to weekly reports.

He signed a law in May a measure that invalidated local COVID-19 orders and gave him power to nullify future ones.

On Wednesday, the governor mocked new federal guidelines recommending use of masks even for those vaccinated against COVID-19. He also took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, who recently said the U.S. is in an unnecessary predicament" of soaring cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant.

DeSantis said Florida would choose freedom over Fauci-ism."

I think its very important we say, unequivocally, No to lockdowns, no to school closures, no to restrictions, no to mandates, DeSantis said. Well be holding the line. We will not back down.

His words drew enthusiastic applause during his appearance in Salt Lake City, Utah, before the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group that pushes conservative policies in Republican-controlled state legislatures.

DeSantis said he opposes those measures because they were ineffective and had catastrophic consequences" for the economy.

The governor's stance against lockdowns, mask mandates and vaccine passports is a key component of his reelection campaign. The campaign is selling koozies with the phrase How the hell am I going to drink a beer with a mask on? and T-shirts reading: Dont Fauci My Florida.

Charlie Crist, a Democrat challenging DeSantis next year, condemned his speech in Utah in a statement sent Thursday. Crist served as a Republican governor from 2007 to 2011, before joining the Democratic party. He has served in the U.S. House since 2017.

Our hospitals are being overrun by sick patients, families are losing their loved ones, and our children are facing another difficult and confusing school year. But wheres Governor DeSantis? Hes profiting from selling merchandise that demonizes our nations top doctor" he said.
CRANE, Texas (AP)  Rusted pipes litter the sandy fields of Ashley Williams Watts cattle ranch in windswept West Texas. The corroded skeletons are all that remain of hundreds of abandoned oil wells that were drilled long before her family owned the land. The wells, unable to produce any useful amounts of oil or gas, were plugged with cement decades ago and forgotten.

An oil well worker helps to re-plug an abandoned well on the ranch of Ashley Williams Watt, Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. The wells on Watt's property seem to be unplugging themselves. Some are leaking dangerous chemicals into the ground, which are seeping into her cattle's drinking water. And she doesn't know how long it's been going on. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

CRANE, Texas (AP)  Rusted pipes litter the sandy fields of Ashley Williams Watts cattle ranch in windswept West Texas. The corroded skeletons are all that remain of hundreds of abandoned oil wells that were drilled long before her family owned the land. The wells, unable to produce any useful amounts of oil or gas, were plugged with cement decades ago and forgotten.

But something eerie is going on beneath the land, where Watt once played among the mesquite trees, jackrabbits and javelina and first drove the dirt roads at 10 years old. One by one, the wells seem to be unplugging themselves. Theyre leaking dangerous chemicals that are seeping into groundwater beneath her ranch.

Now 35, Watt believes the problems on her ranch, which sprawls across the oil-rich fields of the Permian Basin, are getting worse. In April, she found crude oil bubbling from an abandoned well. In June, an oil company worker called to alert her that another well was seeping pools of salty produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction containing toxic chemicals.

Im watching this well literally just spew brine water into my water table, and then I have to go home at night, and Im sweaty and tired and smelly, and I get in the shower, and I turn on the shower and I look at it, and I think, is this shower going to kill me? Watt said.

____

A GROWING THREAT

The crisis unfolding on Watts 75,000-acre ranch offers a window on a growing problem for the oil industry and the communities and governments that are often left to clean up the mess. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells exist in the United States. About a third of them were plugged with cement, which is considered the proper way to prevent harmful chemical leaks. But most havent been plugged at all.

Many of the wells are releasing methane, a greenhouse gas containing about 86 times the climate-warming power of carbon dioxide over two decades. Some are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into fields and groundwater.

Ashley Williams Watt watches as a workover rig is used to help replug one of the abandoned wells at her ranch, Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. Some of her wells are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into fields and drinking water. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Regulators dont know where hundreds of thousands of abandoned wells are because many of them were drilled before modern record-keeping and plugging rules were established. They are a silent menace, threatening to explode or contaminate drinking water and leaking atmosphere-warming fumes each day that theyre unplugged. Without records of their whereabouts, its impossible to grasp the magnitude of the pollution or health problems they may be causing.

The problem isnt confined to Texas. In recent years, abandoned wells have been found under brush deep in forests and beneath driveways in suburbia. On the Navajo Nation, a hiker stumbled across wells oozing brown and black fluid that smelled like motor oil. In Colorado, a basement exploded, killing a man and his brother-in-law who were repairing a water heater, after an abandoned flowline had leaked methane into the house.

A Wyoming school shut down for more than a year after students and teachers complained of headaches for weeks. Air quality tests revealed high levels of benzene and carbon dioxide, most likely from a nearby abandoned oil well. A garage in Pennsylvania exploded  a consequence, the state suspects, of abandoned gas wells.

Experts believe the problem is getting worse. Even before the viral pandemic, producers were declaring bankruptcy and abandoning oil fields after spending more on fracking operations than they ultimately could afford. Then the coronavirus halted travel, obliterating demand for fuel and leaving less money to properly plug wells.

President Joe Biden, who has built much of his domestic policy around a transition to cleaner energy sources, wants to spend billions to put unemployed wildcatters to work plugging the wells. But Congress is unlikely to allocate enough money to seriously confront the issue.

If, all of a sudden, we could switch to all green renewable energy, thats great, but these wells dont disappear; theyre still going to be there, said Mary Kang, an assistant professor of civil engineering at McGill University in Montreal who was among the first scientists to call attention to the danger of abandoned wells.

____

TRACES OF BENZENE

After the discoveries on Watts ranch, traces of benzene showed up in the well that supplies her cattle's drinking water. Chevron, which owned at least two of the oil wells that recently came unplugged, began trucking in drinking water while its crews tried to fix the leaks. But Watt worried that her animals might have consumed contaminated water. So she had her 600 head of cattle hauled off to another part of her ranch.

Ashley Williams Watt looks at a flag Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas, marking a spot where soil samples were taken at her ranch by one of the biggest spills she's found. She calls it the "elephant graveyard," named for a barren wasteland in the movie "The Lion King." Rather than hulking animal bones, her version of the graveyard contains the blackened skeletons of mesquite trees. The sand there is dark and reeks of oil. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

At this point," she said, I cannot sell my cattle at market in good conscience, because I have no idea what is in them.

Though Chevron officials maintained that the cattle could safely return, Watt disagreed.

Shes haunted by a memory of crude oil bubbling up in a toilet bowl at her familys ranch when she was a teenager. Horrified, they turned off the well that supplied their water and switched to another well. They never found the source of the leak.

Representatives for Chevron said the company is committed to re-plugging the two wells that recently sprang leaks.

But Watt fears that dozens of other plugged and abandoned wells on her ranch might be deteriorating, and Chevron has no plans to check its other wells for problems. If Watt should inform Chevron of another leaking well, if we have to take responsibility, we will and well do the right thing by the landowner, said Catie Mathews, a company spokeswoman.

Hailing from a long line of cattle ranchers, Watt never thought shed be fighting this fight. After high school, she graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and worked in intelligence for the Marines. Even after she obtained an MBA from Harvard, she returned to the ranch.

She packs a gun, but only on her own land. Though shes passionate about protecting it, she doesnt want to be called an environmentalist  thats a dirty word out here. But she has to save her ranch.

The story of my family," Watt said, "is a story of land, if nothing else.

____

In this undated family photo provided by the Watt Family, Mary Williams Watt rides a horse on one of their ranch properties in west Texas. Watt died in 2018 following a diagnosis of adrenal cortical carcinoma, a rare cancer that affects the glands associated with the kidneys. Though not able to prove it, Watt's daughter, Ashley, wonders if toxic substances from abandoned oil wells on the property contributed to her mother's death. (Watt Family via AP)

LAYERS OF CONFUSION

Dispiriting as her situation is, Watt is luckier than some. She knows Chevron bears responsibility for two wells that recently sprang leaks on her property. But not every well has a clear responsible party. Some abandoned ones are so old and records so scarce that landowners or states are left to clean up the damage.

Molly Rooke, who co-owns a family ranch near Corpus Christi, Texas, faced that predicament in 2019, when an orphaned well blew out on her property, spewing chemicals. The 15,000-acre ranch contained dozens of orphaned wells, with exposed pipes not much taller than her own frame. Some pipes stuck out of the ground. Others were hidden in brush.

We have problems finding the well head, and thats above the ground, Rooke said. Then you have all these pipes underground, and theres no record of where those go.

Her only records of these wells that were drilled in the 1920s were scattered old photos and papers. She tried to contact companies that used to pump oil from the wells. No luck. One well had already leaked into a nearby river.

Rookes father tried for years to get the state to plug them. When he died, she took over the fight. Rooke and the consumer rights group Public Citizen sued the Texas Railroad Commission over its decision during the pandemic to suspend rules requiring operators to plug abandoned wells within a year. After her lawsuit sparked attention, the state sealed her wells.

All the wells were so old, they were ticking time bombs, Rooke said.

_____

SEARCHING FOR LOST WELLS

This undated family photo provided by Ashley Williams Watt shows Watt's great-grandfather, Glen Joseph Allen, and his wife, Helen, surveying land in West Texas. Allen was a cow buyer in Fort Worth and eventually moved to sandy terrain in the Permian Basin to raise cattle. His great-granddaughter, Ashley Williams Watt, is carrying on in their tradition  but worries that pollution from abandoned oil wells on some of her land may threaten the legacy. "What if that history ends with me?" Watt says. (Watt Family via AP)

The first successful commercial oil well in the U.S. was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. But few detailed records survived that early oil boom, which lasted several decades. Not until a century later would the industry develop modern plugging standards, which require filling abandoned wells with cement to prevent leaks.

These days, some abandoned wells have metal casings intact. But others were stripped of metal during World War II, making them hard to find. Still others were constructed from wood that rotted away and left only a hole in the ground.

Pennsylvania has located roughly 8,700 orphaned wells, mostly unplugged and in rural areas. Yet the problem is far larger. Based on historical photos and surveys, Pennsylvania estimates that between 100,000 and 560,000 additional unplugged wells remain scattered around the state.

Were not plugging fast enough to keep up with the wells were discovering, said Seth Pelepko, an environmental program manager in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Our list is not getting smaller. Its getting larger.

Some states have taken to hiring well hunters who specialize in finding abandoned wells. They use metal detectors  first in helicopter surveys, then on the ground  to seek steel well casings. But metal detectors can't detect wells cased in wood. So they fly drones with laser imaging to seek depressions in the ground.

On her Texas ranch, Watt uses some of the same techniques to seek problematic aging wells. She has driven her land, looking for signs of trouble.

Sometimes, she finds a dark patch of earth using a drone. She calls one of the biggest the elephant graveyard, after a wasteland in the movie The Lion King. Rather than animal bones, her graveyard contains blackened mesquite trees.

The sand there is dark and reeks of oil. But Watts worry is the water below. Without it, she and her longtime ranch foreman, Marty White, and his wife  and their cattle  cant live here. Water is the lifeblood of this place and all of West Texas.

I told him, Ill take care of you,  Watt said of White.  Youre going to have to trust me, and I dont know what it looks like, but Ill take care of you. 

Ashley Williams Watt looks at an abandoned well wrapped with locks and chains on her ranch, Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. Some of her wells are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into fields and drinking water. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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LEAKING CHEMICALS AND MONEY

In addition to polluting groundwater, the wells are accelerating global warming. Unplugged, abandoned wells in the U.S. leaked 5,000 times more methane than plugged wells did, according to a 2015 study cited by the EPA. Unplugged wells leak 280,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere each year, according to an estimate by EPA, though experts have estimated far higher totals.

That amount of methane packs roughly the same climate-warming power as the carbon dioxide emitted by all the power plants in Massachusetts in a year, according to Daniel Raimi, a fellow at Resources for the Future, a research group.

Many states require companies to plug wells that are out of production and to post bonds in case they go belly-up. But the amounts are typically far lower than whats required to plug the wells, leaving states or the federal government with hefty bills.

At the end of June, Texas reported 7,268 orphaned wells, up 17% since 2019. An additional 146,859 were considered inactive: They were no longer producing oil, but the owners hadnt yet been required to plug them. Many inactive wells may actually be orphaned wells, said David Wieland, regional organizer with the Western Organization of Resource Councils, a network of grassroots groups focused on land stewardship. Some producers will let a well sit idle for a year or two, he said, and then produce just enough oil to avoid being required to plug it.

That sort of hidden inventory is likely true in almost any state, Wieland said.

Some states, like Texas, use fees collected from the oil and gas industry for cleanups. In 2018 alone, oil-producing states spent $45 million plugging orphaned wells and $7.9 million restoring surrounding land, according to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

CLEANING UP THE MESS

As the financial and environmental tolls of abandoned wells grow, policy makers are searching for solutions. In his initial infrastructure proposal, Biden suggested spending $16 billion to put people to work plugging old oil and gas wells and coal mines. Yet even that wouldnt be nearly enough to solve the problem.

Raimi, of Resources for the Future, estimates that a federal program to plug 62,000 wells over a decade could create 15,000 to 33,000 year-long jobs. At a per-well cost of $76,000, it would take roughly $160 billion to plug all the wells and reclaim the surrounding land, whether it's companies or governments who pay the price.

Wyoming and North Dakota channeled millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief funds into employing workers to plug abandoned oil and gas wells over the past year.

Watts family never owned the mineral rights to the land and thus never profited from these wells, many of which were drilled in the 1950s and were plugged in the four decades that followed.

She isn't looking for a drawn-out legal battle with Chevron or any other oil company with wells on her land. She simply wants assurance that the water is safe for her cattle, and the people in her life, to drink. She wants the land to be restored. And she doesnt know if thats possible.

I do not want to sue," Watt said. All I want is everything cleaned up.

Knowing that benzene has seeped into some of her water, she has a nagging suspicion that the rare cancer that killed her mother might have been related to wells leaking toxic chemicals on her ranch. She will likely never know for sure.

More than anything, she wants justice for the land, her cattle  and the legacy her family bequeathed to her. This is where she spread the ashes of her parents.

My greatest fear when I lay down every night, even before this well became unplugged, is what if I do something to screw up the history of this ranch, thats still being written? Watt asked.

What if that history ends with me?

Bussewitz reported from New York. Irvine, who is based in Chicago, reported from Texas.

The reporters can be reached at @cbussewitz and @irvineap.
BERLIN (AP)  The known death toll from an explosion at a German industrial park grew to five Thursday after authorities said the bodies of three more people were recovered from the chemical manufacturing site.

A dark cloud of smoke rises above the Chempark in Leverkusen, Germany, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. After an explosion, fire brigade, rescue forces and police are currently in large-scale operation, the police explained.(Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP)  The known death toll from an explosion at a German industrial park grew to five Thursday after authorities said the bodies of three more people were recovered from the chemical manufacturing site.

Two people are still missing following Tuesday's explosion at the waste management facility of the Chempark industrial park, located in the city of Leverkusen, near Cologne..

The cause of the blast, which also injured 31 people, isnt yet known. Police began their on-site investigation Thursday, German news agency dpa reported.

Currenta, the company that operates the industrial park, said the explosion was linked to storage tanks filled with solvents.

The explosion sent a large black cloud of smoke into the air and ignited a blaze that took firefighters almost four hours to extinguish.

The environmental authority for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Leverkusen is located, said Wednesday that the smoke contained dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyl and furan compounds. However, it could not yet say how high the concentrations of the chemicals were, dpa reported.

Currenta said pollution measurements had so far not detected any elevated levels of hazardous substances in the air.

City officials warned people not to let children play outside, use outside pools or eat fruit and vegetables from their backyards for a few days.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate has voted to begin work on a nearly $1 trillion national infrastructure plan, acting with sudden speed after weeks of fits and starts once the White House and a bipartisan group of senators agreed on major provisions of the package thats key to President Joe Bidens agenda.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, the lead GOP negotiator on the infrastructure talks, talks to reporters as he announces a $1 trillion infrastructure agreement with Democrats and is ready to vote to take up the bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate has voted to begin work on a nearly $1 trillion national infrastructure plan, acting with sudden speed after weeks of fits and starts once the White House and a bipartisan group of senators agreed on major provisions of the package thats key to President Joe Bidens agenda.

Biden welcomed the accord as one that would show America can do big things." It includes the most significant long-term investments in nearly a century, he said, on par with building the transcontinental railroad or the Interstate highway system.

"This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, Biden said ahead of the vote Wednesday night. We will once again transform America and propel us into the future.

After weeks of stop-and-go negotiations, the rare bipartisan showing on a 67-32 vote to start formal Senate consideration showed the high interest among senators in the infrastructure package. But its unclear if enough Republicans will eventually join Democrats to support final passage.

Senate rules require 60 votes in the evenly split 50-50 chamber to proceed for consideration and ultimately pass this bill, meaning support from both parties.

The outcome will set the stage for the next debate over Bidens 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. Republicans strongly oppose that bill, which would require a simple majority, and may try to stop both.

Lead GOP negotiator Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio announced the bipartisan groups agreement on the $1 trillion package earlier Wednesday at the Capitol, flanked by four other Republican senators who had been in talks with Democrats and the White House.

After voting, Portman said the outcome showed that bipartisanship in Washington can work and he believed GOP support would only grow. Thats pretty darn good for a start, he said.

That group had labored with the White House to salvage the deal, a first part of Bidens big infrastructure agenda. Swelling to more than 700 pages, the bill includes $550 billion in new spending for public works projects.

President Joe Biden holds a mask as he responds to a question as he arrives at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pa., Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Biden is in the area to visit the Lehigh Valley operations facility for Mack Trucks and advocate for government investments and clean energy as ways to strengthen U.S. manufacturing. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

In all, 17 Republican senators joined the Democrats in voting to launch the debate, but most remained skeptical. The GOP senators were given a thick binder of briefing materials during a private lunch, but they asked many questions and wanted more details.

According to a 57-page GOP summary obtained by The Associated Press, the five-year spending package would be paid for by tapping $205 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief aid and $53 billion in unemployment insurance aid some states have halted. It also relies on economic growth to bring in $56 billion, and other measures.

Giving Wednesday night's vote a boost, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell announced late in the day he would vote to proceed, though whether he will support the final bill remains uncertain. The Republican negotiators met with McConnell earlier Wednesday and Portman said the leader all along has been encouraging our efforts.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a lead Democratic negotiator who talks often with Republicans also spoke with Biden on Wednesday and said the she hoped the results showed our government can work."

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.

Filling in the details has become a month-long exercise ever since a bipartisan group of senators struck an agreement with Biden in June over the broad framework.

The new spending in the package dropped from about $600 billion to $550 billion, senators said, as money was eliminated for a public-private infrastructure bank and was reduced in other categories, including transit.

The package still includes $110 billion for highways, $65 billion for broadband and $73 billion to modernize the nation's electric grid, according a White House fact sheet.

Additionally, there's $25 billion for airports, $55 billion for waterworks and more than $50 billion to bolster infrastructure against cyberattacks and climate change. There's also $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations.

Paying for the package has been a slog throughout the talks after Democrats rejected a plan to bring in funds by hiking the gas tax drivers pay at the pump and Republicans dashed an effort to boost the IRS to go after tax scofflaws.

Along with repurposing the COVID-19 relief and unemployment aid, other revenue would come from the sale of broadcast spectrum, reinstating fees that chemical companies used to pay for cleaning up the nations worst hazardous waste sites and drawing $49 billion from reversing a Trump-era pharmaceutical rebate, among other sources.

The final deal could run into political trouble if it doesnt pass muster as fully paid for when the Congressional Budget Office assesses the details. But Portman said the package will be more than paid for.

House Democrats have their own transportation bill, which includes much more spending to address rail transit, electric vehicles and other strategies to counter climate change.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not commit to supporting the package until she sees the details, but said Wednesday she's rooting for it.

Pelosi said, I very much want it to pass.

A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC found 8 in 10 Americans favor some increased infrastructure spending.

Senators in the bipartisan group have been huddling privately for months. The group includes 10 core negotiators, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, but has swelled at times to 22.

Transit funding has remained a stubborn dispute, as 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 congestion and fighting climate change.

Expanding access to broadband. which has become ever more 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.

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.
VALLETTA, Malta (AP)  An independent inquiry into the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia released on Thursday has found that the Maltese state has to bear responsibility for the assassination due the culture of impunity that emanated from the highest levels of government.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018 file photo, flowers and a candle lie in front of a portrait of slain investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia during a vigil outside the law courts in Valletta, Malta. An independent inquiry into the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia released on Thursday, July 29, 2021 has found that the Maltese state has to bear responsibility for the assassination due the culture of impunity emanating from the highest levels of government. Caruana Galizias family had sought the inquiry into the Oct. 16, 2017 car bombing near the family home in Malta. The murder in the small EU country sent shockwaves felt not just in Malta, but throughout Europe. (AP Photo/Jonathan Borg, File)

VALLETTA, Malta (AP)  An independent inquiry into the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia released on Thursday has found that the Maltese state has to bear responsibility for the assassination due the culture of impunity that emanated from the highest levels of government.

Caruana Galizias family had sought the inquiry into the Oct. 16, 2017 car bombing near the family home in Malta. The murder in the small EU country sent shockwaves felt not just in Malta, but throughout Europe.

The inquiry found that there was no evidence that the state played a direct role in the assassination, but said the state has to bear responsibility ... by creating an atmosphere of impunity, generated from the highest levels in the heart of the administration of (the prime minister's office) and, like an octopus, spread to other entities, like regulatory authorities and the police, leading to a collapse of the rule of law.

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 16, 2017 file photo, the wreckage of the car of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia lies next to a road in the town of Mosta, Malta. An independent inquiry into the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia released on Thursday, July 29, 2021 has found that the Maltese state has to bear responsibility for the assassination due the culture of impunity emanating from the highest levels of government. Caruana Galizias family had sought the inquiry into the Oct. 16, 2017 car bombing near the family home in Malta. The murder in the small EU country sent shockwaves felt not just in Malta, but throughout Europe. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud, File)

The report said the state and its entities had failed to recognize the real risk to Caruana Galizias life, given the threats she had lived under, and also failed to take measures to avoid the risk, the report found.

The Caruana Galizia family said in a statement that the inquirys findings confirm the family's conviction that her assassination was a direct result of the collapse of the rule of law and the impunity that the state provided to the corrupt network she was reporting on.

"We hope that its findings will lead to the restoration of the rule of law in Malta,'' the family added.

Yorgen Fenech, a prominent businessman who had ties with some government officials, is alleged by prosecutors to have been the mastermind of the killing. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of alleged complicity in the killing and allegedly organizing and financing the bombing.

In addition, three men have been charged with carrying out the attack, two with providing explosives and another with being the middleman. Trials are under way. One of those charged with carrying out the attack has admitted his role, as has the middleman.

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Joseph Muscat, Malta's former prime minister, stepped down in late 2019 following protests that pressed for the truth about the assassination of the investigative journalist, whose reports targeted Muscats administration but also the opposition.

In a statement on Facebook, Muscat sought to distance his administration from the state of impunity mentioned in the report.

He noted that the arrests of the alleged hitmen within two months and the alleged mastermind a few months later disproves any impression of impunity that the alleged perpetrators may have had. And he pointed the finger at previous administrations, during which he said high profile crimes were committed, but nobody was every prosecuted.

The inquiry report made a number of recommendations to improve laws and better protect journalists in Malta.

During a press conference, Prime Minister Robert Abela, who took office last year, apologized to Caruana Galizias family for the state's "serious shortcomings.

He said earlier that lessons must be taken from the report and reforms need to be pursued with greater resolve.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  Two tribes that joined a legal battle over plans to build a mine at the largest known U.S. deposit of lithium urged a judge Thursday to temporarily ban digging for an archaeological survey that they say would desecrate sacred tribal lands in Nevada near the Oregon line.

The Montana Mountains loom over Thacker Pass in northern Nevada, July 14, 2021. A federal judge on Friday, July 23, has denied environmentalists' request for a court order temporarily blocking the government from digging trenches for archaeological surveys at a mine planned near the Nevada-Oregon line with the biggest known U.S. deposit of lithium. (Jason Bean/The Reno Gazette-Journal via AP)

RENO, Nev. (AP)  Two tribes that joined a legal battle over plans to build a mine at the largest known U.S. deposit of lithium urged a judge Thursday to temporarily ban digging for an archaeological survey that they say would desecrate sacred tribal lands in Nevada near the Oregon line.

The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and Atsa Koodakuh Wyh Nuwu/People of Red Mountain are intervening in a lawsuit that four conservation groups have filed against Lithium Nevada Corp. The tribes say their ancestors were massacred in the late 1800s at the proposed Thacker Pass site that would mine lithium, a key component in electric vehicle batteries. Demand for the mineral is expected to triple over the next five years.

The tribes say the Bureau of Land Managements approval of the project in December during the final weeks of the Trump administration violates the National Historic Preservation Act because they havent been consulted about potential efforts to mitigate damage to their sacred lands.

Building a mine where our ancestors were massacred  where our ancestors bones, blood and flesh form a part of the soil  would be like building a lithium mine over Pearl Harbor, Arlington National Cemetery or the Gettysburg Battlefield, according to an affidavit that lawyers for the tribes filed Thursday in federal court in Reno with a request to temporarily block the digging.

The Paiutes call Thacker Pass Pee hee muhuh, which means rotten moon. Tribal leaders with the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony describe in oral histories how Paiute hunters returned home to find the elders, women, and children murdered, unburied and rotting with their intestines spread across the sagebrush in this pass shaped like a crescent moon.

The tribes request comes after U.S. District Judge Miranda Du rejected a motion last week from conservationists who sought to block the digging based on claims that it would destroy critical habitat for the sage grouse, an imperiled ground-dwelling bird.

She said during a July 21 hearing on the conservationists request that the tribes had a better chance of persuading her to temporarily halt activity at the mine site.

The argument about irreparable harm is more persuasive  the violation of the National Historic Preservation Act itself, she said.

Du has ordered the company and the land agency, which is overseen by the Interior Department, to respond to the tribes' motion by Aug. 12 and has scheduled a hearing later that month.

Lithium Nevada had intended to begin digging trenches this week to gather samples for the survey across about a quarter of an acre.

But government lawyers told the judge last week that some necessary permits were still pending. They agreed to notify Du if they wanted to start digging before Aug. 23 so she could consider an emergency order. She said she doesnt intend to rule on the merits of the overall case before January.

The Bureau of Land Management says it has been consulting with the three federally recognized tribes at Thacker Pass  the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone tribes and Winnemucca Indian Colony  about plans on how to treat historic properties.

The agency said it didnt object to the two other tribes intervening, but Lithium Nevada said it did, partly because it argued Atsa Koodakuh Wyh Nuwu/People of Red Mountain isnt a tribe defined under the National Historic Preservation Act.

The company said a review has included substantial consultation with local tribes that never raised similar concerns, while it spent $10 million on the permitting process for the mine.

Tribal lawyers said in Thursdays filing that the government also should be consulting with at least nine other tribes in Nevada, California and Oregon with ties to Thacker Pass.

Michon Eben, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colonys tribal historic preservation officer, said she told federal officials last month that just because regional tribes have been isolated and forced onto reservations relatively far away from Thacker Pass does not mean these regional tribes do not possess cultural connections to the pass.

Darranda Hinkey, a Paiute-Shoshone member who serves as secretary of the People of Red Mountain, said the Fort McDermitt tribe might not exist if not for the caves and rock outcrops at Thacker Pass where their ancestors hid from American soldiers who were rounding them up at the point of a gun to force them onto reservations.
TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:

TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:

Toronto Stock Exchange (20,311.78, up 81.38 points.)

Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU). Energy. Down 82 cents or 3.2 per cent, to $24.89 on 10.6 million shares.

Lundin Mining Corp. (TSX:LUN). Materials. Down 24 cents or 2.09 per cent, to $11.21 on 6.5 million shares.

Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX:K). Materials. Up 31 cents or 3.94 per cent, to $8.18 on 5.9 million shares.

Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX:CVE). Energy. Up 20 cents or 1.96 per cent, to $10.37 on 5.1 million shares.

Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB). Energy. Up 14 cents or 0.28 per cent, to $49.45 on 4.6 million shares

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Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX:BNS). Financials. Up 44 cents or 0.57 per cent, to $78.65 on 4.1 million shares.

Companies in the news:

TC Pipelines LP. (TSX:TRP) Down 62 cents or 1 per cent, to $61.31  The completion of the Coastal GasLink pipeline could be delayed if TC Energy cannot resolve an ongoing dispute with LNG Canada over project costs, the Calgary-based company said Thursday. TC Energy chief executive Francois Poirier said construction of Coastal GasLink  which TC Energy is building to deliver natural gas from northeastern B.C. to the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat, B.C.  is nearly 50 per cent complete and making good progress after a delay earlier this year as a result of COVID-19 public health restrictions. However, Poirier said his company is now in disagreement with LNG Canada over escalating costs and project scheduling. TC Energy was selected by LNG Canada in 2011 to design, build, own and operate Coastal GasLink. The 670-km pipeline is intended to move 2.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas to LNG Canada's terminal, where it will be converted into a liquified state for export to global markets.

Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX:CVE). Up 20 cents or 1.96 per cent, to $10.37  Cenovus Energy Inc. retired nearly $1 billion in debt in the second quarter as the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and a related commodity price surge provided a lift to Canadian oil and gas producers. The Calgary-based oil producer said Thursday it expects to meet its interim net debt target of $10 billion by the end of this year, assuming current commodity prices and foreign exchange rates hold. Cenovus' net debt at the end of the second quarter was $12.4 billion, compared with $13.3 billion as of March 31. Cenovus, like many other Canadian energy companies, has been focusing on cutting costs and reducing debt after the pandemic-related energy market volatility of 2020. But with energy prices on the rebound as global economies reopen and travel resumes, companies like Cenovus are suddenly awash in cash. Cenovus reported Thursday free cash flow of $1.3 billion as its total production reached 765,900 barrels of oil equivalent per day, up 65 per cent from 465,400 boe/d in the prior year period.

Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX:RCI.B). Down 39 cents or 0.61 per cent to $63.42  The federal government says it raised $8.9 billion in a licence auction for a key band of 5G wireless spectrum in results announced this afternoon. Canada's Big Three wireless companies led the pack, grabbing hundreds of licences for the 3,500 MHz band of airwaves. Rogers won 325 licenses, the largest amount, paying a clock price of $3.3 billion that the company says will allow them to provide service to 34 million people, or 99 per cent of Canadians with 5G. As well as Rogers, Bell and Telus, carriers gaining licences include Videotron, Xplornet and SaskTel. Freedom Mobile, the countrys fourth largest cell service provider, chose not to participate in the auction amid a takeover deal of its parent company Shaw Communications Inc. by Rogers that has yet to be approved by regulators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2021
HOUSTON (AP)  Authorities on Thursday released the names of two workers who died in a chemical leak at a Houston-area plant that also injured dozens of others.

Chemical Plant Leak-Texas Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen speaks near the LyondellBasell facility in La Porte, Texas Tuesday, July 27, 2021. An explosion Tuesday evening killed two people at the facility and left several others injured according to Christensen. (Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP)

HOUSTON (AP)  Authorities on Thursday released the names of two workers who died in a chemical leak at a Houston-area plant that also injured dozens of others.

Dustin Day, 36, and Shawn Kuhleman, 32, died after about 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) of a mixture that primarily included acetic acid was released in the leak that started Tuesday evening at LyondellBasells La Porte complex.

The cause of their deaths was still pending, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Thirty other workers were taken to hospitals and two were still there on Thursday, LyondellBasell said in a statement.

The company said the cause of the leak is under investigation and that it is cooperating with the authorities. The chemicals involved in the leak can severely burn skin and are toxic if inhaled, according to officials.

The leak occurred inside a unit that produces acetic acid and had been shut down for planned maintenance. The acetic acid produced in the unit meets food grade requirements for shipping in the food industry and is also used in textiles, plastic bottles and other chemicals.

Harris County Pollution Control spokesperson Dimetra Hamilton told the Houston Chronicle that a cap had burst on a pressurized line of acetic acid.

In an initial report to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, LyondellBasell said preliminary information indicated that during preparation for a maintenance activity, valve isolation measures may have led to the release.

When asked to provide more information on this possible cause, LyondellBasell referred all questions about the leak to a company statement from Wednesday that said the cause was still unknown.

Various agencies are investigating the leak, including the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The boards investigation team was conducting interviews Thursday afternoon and met with LyondellBasell officials earlier in the day.

On Wednesday, at least 10 workers who were injured during the chemical leak filed a lawsuit against LyondellBasell seeking more than $1 million in damages.

The La Porte Complex, located on about 550 acres (223 hectares) along the shore of the Houston Ship Channel, has more than 600 employees and contractors.

Last week in La Porte, evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were temporarily issued after a chemical release at a Dow Chemical plant there. A tank truck trailer had over-pressurized, causing the chemical hydroxyethyl acrylate to escape through a safety valve.

La Porte is located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
NEW YORK (AP)  Masks, which had started to disappear from store shelves, may be front and center again.

NEW YORK (AP)  Masks, which had started to disappear from store shelves, may be front and center again.

A spot check of businesses and other data sources are showing that mask sales have been rising in recent weeks as Americans worry about the surging cases of the delta variant of the coronavirus. Retail analysts expect mask sales will get another jolt after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Tuesday changed course on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the cases are surging.

Sales of masks rose 24% for the week ended Tuesday, compared to the prior week, reversing weekly declines since May, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index. San Francisco-based grocery delivery company Instacart said mask sales via its online platform have increased since the Fourth of July weekend, reversing a decline that had begun in April. And Google reports that searches for the term masks" doubled since the CDC announcement.

The scenario marks a shift from the past two months when masks were getting heavily discounted and were being pushed to the side on the sales floor following the CDC move to relax guidance on masks in May. Even before then, data from NielsenIQ shows that mask sales started to consistently decline weekly since early April, going from $101 million worth of masks to roughly $37 million for the week ended July 3. It doesn't yet have July sales figures.

People were just not buying them  masks were really fading out," said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail. He noted that even as consumers go back to buying masks, the mask business is still not going to be as big as last year during the height of COVID-19. But he noted that stores face challenges in determining how much they should order and how much they should display them.

No one actually wants to go out and make another big commitment," Saunders said. "No one knows what's going to happen."

For many stores looking to generate sales in an overall retail sales slump last year, masks were a bright spot. Most notably, Gap, along with its portfolio of brands including Old Navy and Athleta, as well as Etsy made millions of dollars on masks.

Etsy, a global online marketplace for handmade goods, has seen its masks go from 14% of gross merchandise sales in the second quarter of 2020 to less than 3% in the first quarter of 2021. The company declined to comment on mask sales trends on Wednesday, noting it's in its quiet period ahead of its earnings release next week.

Since the onset of the pandemic, 3M Co. increased its annual production of N95 masks fourfold to 2.5 billion by building extra capacity. It said that global demand reached its peak in the first quarter of this year, which included stockpiling from governments and hospitals. It's now seeing a deceleration in overall health care demand and is adjusting production, increasing supply to industrial and consumer outlets while continuing to prioritize health care workers in the geographies seeing increased COVID-19 cases and elevated hospitalization rates.

But 3M CEO Mike Roman told analysts on Tuesday that, just like in the past, it is prepared to increase production in response to COVID-19-related needs or future emergencies when needed."

Honeywell International Inc., another big manufacturer of N95 masks, said it continues to produce N95 masks in the U.S. to meet the needs of frontline and essential workers.

In light of renewed interest in face coverings, Vanessa Gordon plans to relaunch later this week her website that sells masks she designed and produces in India. She launched Eastendtastelifestyle.com in September 2020 with Shopify but closed it down in January because she only sold about 50 through the site and another 50 through family and friends. She said there was too much competition elsewhere. She also realized shoppers weren't wearing face coverings as much.

Gordon says she now feels confident she will quickly sell out of her inventory of 1,000 masks and will produce even more.

People are still getting sick  even those who are vaccinated," Gordon said. This is shifting people's mindset. I think we will be wearing masks for a long time.

AP Business Writers Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit and Alexandra Olson in New York contributed to this report.

_____

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Congress overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation Thursday that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives to meet with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., before an event to promote investments in clean jobs, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Congress overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation Thursday that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.

The $2.1 billion bill now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. The Senate approved the legislation early Thursday afternoon, 98-0, and the House passed it immediately afterward, 416-11.

Senators struck a bipartisan agreement on the legislation this week, two months after the House had passed a bill that would have provided around twice as much for Capitol security. But House leaders said they would back the Senate version anyway, arguing the money is urgently needed for the Capitol Police and for the translators and others who worked closely with U.S. government troops and civilians in Afghanistan.

The bill loosens some requirements for the visas, which lawmakers say are especially pressing as the U.S. military withdrawal enters its final weeks and Afghan allies face possible retaliation from the Taliban.

The money for the Capitol  including for police salaries, the National Guard and to better secure windows and doors around the building  comes more than six months after the insurrection by former President Donald Trumps supporters. The broad support in both chambers is a rare note of agreement between the two parties in response to the attack, as many Republicans still loyal to Trump have avoided the subject. The former president's loyalists brutally beat police and hundreds of them broke into the building, interrupting the certification of Biden's election win.

Democrats have said that if Congress didn't pass the bill, money would start running out for officers salaries by August and that the National Guard might have to cancel some training programs.

The U.S. Capitol is seen as people walking on the sidewalk with a fence, in Washington, Thursday, July 22, 2021. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., discussed with reporters her reasons for rejecting two Republicans chosen by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to be on the committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

We cant let that happen, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote. He said the agreement shouldnt have taken this long but that passing the legislation is living up to Congress responsibility to keep the Capitol safe and to make sure that the people who risk their lives for us and protect us get the help they need.

The bills passage comes after four police officers who fought off the rioters in the Jan. 6 attack testified in an emotional House hearing on Tuesday and detailed the medieval battle in which they were beaten and verbally assaulted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested on Wednesday that the hearing had perhaps jarred the Senate to move in a bipartisan way to pass this legislation.

The more generous bill narrowly passed the House in May, but no Republicans supported it and some liberal Democrats voted against it as well. On Thursday, only 11 Republicans and Democrats opposed it.

In the Senate, Republicans rejected an earlier $3.7 billion proposal by Democrats before they negotiated the final version.

Pelosi said on Wednesday that the legislation was months overdue.

Its not what we sent, its certainly not what we need, but its a good step forward, she said. It doesnt mean that were finished, but it does mean that we cant wait another day until we strengthen the Capital Police force, strengthen the Capitol.

The legislation would boost personal protection for lawmakers who have seen increasing death threats since the insurrection, install new security cameras around the complex and replace riot equipment the police lost in the fighting that day. It would fund new intelligence gathering and boost wellness and trauma support for the Capitol Police, as many troops are still suffering in the wake of the attack. And it would reimburse the National Guard $521 million for the thousands of troops that protected the Capitol for more than four months after the siege.

Unlike previous proposals, the bill would not provide money for the FBI to prosecute cases related to the insurrection, for temporary fencing in case of another attack or to create a new quick reaction force within the police or military that could respond to events at the Capitol. Police were overrun on Jan. 6 as the National Guard took hours to arrive.

The White House issued a statement of support for the legislation, saying the Biden administration backs the Capitol security improvements and remains committed to supporting the Afghan people, including by fulfilling our commitment to Afghan nationals who worked for or on behalf of the U.S. Government.

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For the allies in Afghanistan, the bill would allow 8,000 additional visas and provide $500 million for their emergency transportation, housing and other essential services.

Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the appropriations panel who negotiated the legislation with the Democrats, said it would be shameful not to help the Afghan allies and that they could be killed by the Taliban as the U.S. withdraws.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said senators intend to keep our nations promises to brave Afghans who have taken great risks to help America and our partners fight the terrorists.

The House overwhelmingly passed separate legislation last week to provide the visas, 407-16. The Pentagon says the troop withdrawal is more than 95% complete and is to be finished by Aug. 31.

Some 70,000 already have resettled in the U.S. under the special visa program since 2008. Administration officials said this month that the first flights of those former U.S. employees and family members who have completed security screening would soon start arriving from the Afghan capital, Kabul, for a week or so of final processing at Fort Lee, Virginia.

Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
MADRID (AP)  Spain's prime minister on Thursday announced that existing measures to protect the most vulnerable from the pandemics economic fallout will be prolonged until the end of October.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for a news conference at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Sanchez appeared before the press to explain the current political and economic situation and the government's achievements before the summer vacation. (AP Photo/Paul White)

MADRID (AP)  Spain's prime minister on Thursday announced that existing measures to protect the most vulnerable from the pandemics economic fallout will be prolonged until the end of October.

Spain, one of the countrys that was hardest hit at the beginning of the health emergency, has extended subsidies for the unemployed and furloughs for companies that have gone out of business to try to cushion an economic drop of 11% of its gross domestic product in 2020.

As a national lockdown extended in March last year, the government also rolled out a series of social measures, including a ban on leaving impoverished families without utilities and a moratorium on forced evictions for those who saw their income vanish.

During a televised briefing on Thursday to summarize progress during the first 1 1/2 years of his left-wing coalition, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that the so-called social shield will be extended beyond the current Aug. 9 expiration date to Oct. 31.

The change will be approved by the Cabinet next week, Sanchez said.

Our priority is to fight inequality and social exclusion," the prime minister said, adding that the emptying rural areas where population rates are diminishing are a top priority for his administration: "Our goal is that nobody, neither territories nor people, is left behind.

Spain is facing the paradox of being one of the worlds leaders in the uptake of coronavirus jabs, with 55.7% of its 47 million residents already fully vaccinated, but it also has among the highest infection rates in Europe for the past two weeks.

New cases have spread mostly among people under 30, which are largely yet to receive their jabs, although the speed of contagion has plateaued in recent days. Vaccinated people can also become infected with the coronavirus in what are called breakthrough cases.

The country has reported 4.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 81,000 pandemic-related deaths.

Follow APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
CALGARY - Suncor Energy Inc. said Thursday it will produce less bitumen than expected this year from its Fort Hills oilsands mine.

A Suncor logo is shown at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Thursday, May 2, 2019.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY - Suncor Energy Inc. said Thursday it will produce less bitumen than expected this year from its Fort Hills oilsands mine.

The Calgary-based oilsands producer and refiner cut its 2021 production guidance for Fort Hills in northern Alberta to between 45,000 and 55,000 barrels per day, from a previous 65,000 to 85,000 barrels per day. The company also increased its guidance for operating costs per barrel at Fort Hills, to $37 to $42 per barrel from a pervious $25 to $29 per barrel.

Suncor shut down one of its production trains at Fort Hills  which is jointly owned by Suncor and minority partners Total E&P and Teck Resources Ltd.  last year as oil prices collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It restarted the second train late last year and had planned to ramp up to full capacity later this year.

However, chief executive Mark Little said Thursday the company recently identified an issue with slope stability on the south side of the mine. Work to restore the integrity of the slope is underway, but Suncor will not be able to restore the production train to full capacity until 2022.

"This is just a time issue, we dont think it has any fundamental impact beyond just delaying the ramp-up of Fort Hills," Little said on a conference call with analysts.

Fort Hills is Alberta's newest oilsands mine. It started production in 2018 and has an estimated lifespan of 50 years, with peak daily production estimated at 194,000 barrels per day.

Late Wednesday, Suncor Energy Inc. announced it swung to an $868-million profit in its latest quarter on increased oil output a year after COVID-19 prompted an unprecedented decline in transportation fuel demand.

Suncor reported it earned 58 cents per share, up from a loss of 40 cents per share or $614 million a year earlier.

Its operating earnings excluding some one-time items was $722 million or 48 cents per share, one cent per share below forecasts by financial data firm Refinitiv.

That compared with a loss of $1.35 billion or 88 cents per share in the second quarter of 2020.

Suncor's total production over the three months ended June 30 increased to 699,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day, compared with 655,600 boe/d in the prior year quarter due to strong oilsands production partially offset by planned maintenance at Syncrude. The company set a new quarterly record for in situ production, with 253,000 boe/d.

Our operating performance from November to June of 2021 marks the best months of production from our oilsands operation assets in our companys history," Little said on Thursday's conference call. "Thats the best eight months of production in 50-plus years."

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Net synthetic crude oil production increased to 437,200 barrels per day, up from 436,600 bbls/d a year earlier as upgrader utilization increased three percentage points to 96 per cent.

The company says fuel demand in the quarter was about 13 per cent below the pre-COVID period in 2019, but the lifting of many restrictions in July has reduced that shortfall to six per cent.

Little said as COVID-19 restrictions continue to be lifted worldwide and the global economy improves, the outlook for Suncor looks bright.

Demand has recovered significantly, even in July versus the second quarter, so we think were really well set up for the back half of the year," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SU)
CALGARY - The completion of the Coastal GasLink pipeline could be delayed if TC Energy cannot resolve an ongoing dispute with LNG Canada over project costs, the Calgary-based company said Thursday.

Pipes intended for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline are shown in Gascoyne, N.D. on Wednesday April 22, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alex Panetta

CALGARY - The completion of the Coastal GasLink pipeline could be delayed if TC Energy cannot resolve an ongoing dispute with LNG Canada over project costs, the Calgary-based company said Thursday.

TC Energy chief executive Francois Poirier said construction of Coastal GasLink  which TC Energy is building to deliver natural gas from northeastern B.C. to the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat, B.C.  is nearly 50 per cent complete and making good progress after a delay earlier this year as a result of COVID-19 public health restrictions.

However, Poirier said his company is now in disagreement with LNG Canada over escalating costs and project scheduling.

While commercial discussions are ongoing and we remain committed to successfully completing the project, we are nearing a critical stage that requires resolution of the outstanding issues, Poirier told analysts on a conference call.

TC Energy was selected by LNG Canada in 2011 to design, build, own and operate Coastal GasLink. The 670-km pipeline is intended to move 2.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas to LNG Canada's terminal, where it will be converted into a liquified state for export to global markets.

Pipes at a natural gas plant near Fort St. John, B.C., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

In an emailed statement, LNG Canada said TC Energy has proposed cost increases and schedule performance that are "well beyond" what the two companies agreed to when LNG Canada made its final investment decision in October 2018.

"We have been working hard with TC Energy to understand the reasons for the increase in cost and schedule, and we have provided recommendations on improved execution efficiency," LNG Canada said in its statement. "Our priorities are on a pipeline that is constructed safely and on schedule, under competitive terms, in order to deliver this critical infrastructure."

Preliminary construction on Coastal GasLink began in 2019, and the project is currently slated to be complete in 2023.

Also on Thursday, TC Energy reported lower net profits in its latest quarter as it continued to feel some effects from a large impairment charge that will be shared with the Alberta government on its cancelled Keystone XL export oil pipeline.

The company said its net income attributable to shareholders was $982 million or $1 per diluted share in the second quarter, down from $1.28 billion or $1.36 per share a year earlier.

The results included a $2-million impairment charge for Keystone while it recorded a $408-million gain in the prior year's quarter from the partial sale of Coastal GasLink LP.

Excluding one-time items, comparable earnings increased 21 per cent to $1.05 billion or $1.07 per share, from $863 million or 92 cents per share in the second quarter of 2020.

Revenues in the three months ended June 30 increased three per cent to $3.18 billion from $3.09 billion.

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TC Energy was expected to post 96 cents per share in comparable earnings or $3.39 billion of revenues, according to financial data firm Refinitiv.

The company says the net financial impact on it from the Keystone XL termination was $1.1 billion as of the end of the quarter. It took an after-tax charge of $2.2 billion last quarter.

The Keystone XL expansion to an existing pipeline network would have increased Canadian oil export capacity by up to 830,000 barrels a day. It was suspended after newly elected U.S. President Joe Biden fulfilled a campaign promise to cancel its presidential permit.

TC Energy decided to start construction of Keystone XL in March 2020 after the Alberta government agreed to take a $1.5 billion equity stake and provide a $6 billion loan guarantee to ensure work started immediately.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Donovon Rodriguez pursued a career with the state of Texas seven years ago because he viewed the work as public service and a steady income to provide for his family. But lately, his government job hasn't looked so stable.

Donovon Rodriguez, chief of staff for Texas state Rep. Ray Lopez, walks around the Texas capitol with his wife, Jenny Tavarez, and daughter, Evelyn Belle Rodriguez, for whom he is the sole provider, Monday, July 26, 2021 in Austin, Texas. Rodriguez could lose his job by Sept. 1, if legislative budget funding is not restored. Texas. (AP Photo/Acacia Coronado)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Donovon Rodriguez pursued a career with the state of Texas seven years ago because he viewed the work as public service and a steady income to provide for his family. But lately, his government job hasn't looked so stable.

Rodriguez, the chief of staff for a Democratic state representative, is one of close to 2,000 legislative workers who risk going unpaid after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott slashed their salaries from the state budget as punishment after Democratic lawmakers walked out in May to block restrictions on voting.

Paychecks could be restored during an ongoing special legislative session. Thats currently at a standstill after many of the same 50-plus Democrats ratcheted up their political maneuver and fled the state for Washington, D.C. to keep thwarting the GOP's plans for reducing polling hours and ballot access in Texas' already strict voting laws.

The vicious cycle means employees who take calls and emails from constituents, help research and write bills and otherwise keep a legislative session moving wont be working when the new budget starts Sept. 1. Rodriguez and others say it feels like their livelihoods are collateral damage in the nations most visible standoff over voting rights.

There is always somebody who feels left out, who feels betrayed, by the governor when he chooses to veto legislation, Rodriguez said. Unfortunately, it really hits home this time.

Donovon Rodriguez, chief of staff for Texas state Rep. Ray Lopez, poses on the grounds of the Texas capitol with his wife, Jenny Tavarez, and daughter, Evelyn Belle Rodriguez, for whom he is the sole provider, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Rodriguez could lose his job by Sept. 1, 2021, if legislative budget funding is not restored. (AP Photo/Acacia Coronado)

Democratic lawmakers sued Abbott over the June line item veto of more than $400 million in salary funds, claiming the action was unconstitutional. Rodriguez, who makes $73,000 annually, was named in the suit, which is pending before the Texas Supreme Court. Abbott's office declined comment but previously said the Texas Constitution grants the governor the power to disapprove any bill.

It's not clear when the court might make a decision, keeping the state employees in limbo.

Abbotts move is unprecedented, at least in recent Texas history, and sparks an unusual constitutional debate about separation of powers, according to Joshua Blank, director of research for the non-partisan Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.

It is a bedrock principle of both the United States constitution and most state governments that governmental power is divided between executive, legislative and judicial branches and it is very rare to see such open conflict about the operation of one branch or the other, Blank said.

Lawmaker salaries  about $600 a month for the legislators who meet every two years, usually for five months  are protected by the Texas Constitution, Blank said, and therefore can only be changed with a constitutional amendment.

Most Texas lawmakers have other jobs where they make their real money. But for much of their staff, a state salary is how they pay their bills.

Some members of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus have pledged to cover their staffers' salaries themselves. And while Republicans have been less vocal as a group about their staff salaries, the potential pinch has not gone unnoticed.

"The implications to the operations of the House are significant, Republican Rep. William Metcalf, who chairs the Committee on House Administration, said in a memo this week.

Beyond payroll, the memo said, Abbott's veto means staff will be responsible for fully funding their own health insurance. Leases and phone lines for lawmakers' district offices will be canceled. And cleaning and disinfection services for the House Chamber will stop as COVID-19 infection and hospital rates are rising again in Texas and much of the U.S.

For now, Rodriguez will carry on. On a recent workday, his wife and 15-moth-old daughter joined him on the 70-mile trip from their home in San Antonio to his office at the Capitol in Austin. At one point he held the toddler on one side and a phone on the other, speaking softly on a work call as his wife set up a crib. He likes to keep them nearby  a family unit that appreciates the value of hard work and public service.

Rodriguez's boss, Rep. Ray Lopez, is one of the Democrats currently in Washington seeking support from Congress and President Joe Biden to take federal action to block voting restrictions, with Abbott pledging to continue scheduling special sessions until his agenda is approved. But Congress acting is looking less likely, and Abbott is betting that Democrats won't be able to run for much longer.

The governor is clearly to blame for the budget cut in Rodriguez's view, and he said he believes in the principles that drove the Democrats to flee. But he wishes he and others like him had not been caught in the political crossfire.

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old said his family is refinancing their vehicle, considering a move to less-expensive housing, canceling subscriptions and buying baby supplies in bulk selling as they prepare for the coming months.

I think the members are doing the right thing to add pressure in the way that they can, Rodriguez said. But I am very uncertain for what is going to happen, it definitely causes some discomfort for my family to not be certain about our future.

Acacia Coronado 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.
NEW YORK -- U.S. health officials are expected to release new data about the spread of COVID-19 on Friday that led to their decision to recommend that vaccinated people wear masks in some situations, a reversal of previous guidance.

An exile Tibetan teacher invigilates as students write their half-yearly exams at the Tibetan Children's Village Day School in Dharmsala, India, Thursday, July 29, 2021. The students have been attending classes online but appeared for the exam in-person. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

NEW YORK -- U.S. health officials are expected to release new data about the spread of COVID-19 on Friday that led to their decision to recommend that vaccinated people wear masks in some situations, a reversal of previous guidance.

The report, to be released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comes from a recent investigation of a coronavirus outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts, according to a federal official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the plan.

Earlier this week, the CDC changed its 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 surges in new cases.

Citing new  but unreleased -- 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.

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 President Biden pushing federal workers to get vaccinated

FILE - In this Friday, July 23, 2021, file photo, people line up in front of a mobile testing site in Paris, as visitors now need a special COVID pass to visit French museums or movie theaters. Europes famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against coronavirus are not taking a break. From Frances Mediterranean coast to Italys Adriatic beaches, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much a part of this summer as sunscreen and shades. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh, File)

 Brazil begins mass vaccine study in poor Rio neighborhood

 Israel to offer 3rd Pfizer booster shot to older citizens

 Global leaders pledges $4B to repair COVID-19 education damage

 Conservative 31-year-old Missouri man in hospital: Will get vaccine

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

CHARLESTON, W.Va.  West Virginia will begin offering some fully vaccinated people free tests to measure antibody levels against the coronavirus, a move to study whether some elderly and immunocompromised individuals should receive a third booster shot.

Vials of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine sit on a tray at Kabul University as students are vaccinated in Afghanistan, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

State officials said they are following the lead of Israel, which announced Thursday that the country would offer a third COVID-19 booster shot for fully vaccinated people over the age of 60.

West Virginia officials said the state will offer antibody testing for residents age 60 and over, particularly those living in nursing homes, who received their final vaccine dose at least six months ago.

If the results show their antibody levels are low, a booster shot may be recommended to shore up the bodys protection against the virus. The move comes as the more contagious delta variant takes a hold in the United States, leading to the return of mask mandates in some parts of the country.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas Republican governor is calling lawmakers back to the Capitol to lift the states ban on mask requirements in public schools.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday said hell call the majority-Republican Legislature into session likely next week to amend a state law that prohibits state and local government entities from requiring face masks. Hutchinson said hell propose giving local school boards the power to decide whether to require masks in K-12 schools.

This is not a debate about mask mandates for those that can make their own decisions and have the means to get vaccinated, Hutchinson said a news conference at the state Capitol. This is a discussion about the school environment where schools can make decisions about the public health for their school environment and the children they have responsibility to protect.

Arkansas coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in recent weeks because of the delta variant and the states low vaccination rate. Hutchinson also reinstated an emergency declaration because of the virus, two months after he lifted the declaration he issued at the state of the pandemic last year. The state reported more than 2,800 new cases on Thursday.

Hundreds of people line up to receive their second dose of vaccine against the coronavirus at the municipal ground in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, July 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

___ ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota will join in the Biden administrations plan to provide $100 incentives to residents who get COVID-19 vaccinations by mid-August, Gov. Tim Walz announced Thursday.

President Joe Biden announced the rewards as part of sweeping new pandemic requirements for millions of federal workers as he denounced an American tragedy of rising-yet-preventable deaths among unvaccinated people.

Starting Friday, unvaccinated Minnesotans 12 and older who get their first shot by Aug. 15 will get a $100 Visa gift card to spend however they choose. Beginning Wednesday, Minnesotans can verify their first dose and claim their $100 at: mn.gov/covid19. All Minnesotans qualify for free COVID-19 shots through health care providers, pharmacies and other sources.

We have made so much progress to combat this virus, Walz said in a statement. We cannot give up ground now, especially with students returning to the classroom this fall. Getting paid $100 to keep your family safe is a pretty good deal  all you have to do is roll up your sleeves.

Walz said he will authorize up to $2.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funding to launch the program and will seek legislative approval for more money to sustain it.

ATLANTA  Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sought to shift blame to President Joe Biden for Georgias poor vaccination rate Thursday as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continued to sprint upward.

The Republican, speaking to reporters, blamed the Democratic president for not doing enough to push the Food and Drug Administration to upgrade their emergency authorization for the vaccines to a permanent authorization. Kemp said urging people to use masks again is a mixed message that could discourage vaccination.

FILE - In this April 8, 2021 file photo, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is seen at a pop up vaccination site in the Staten Island borough of New York. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is allowing the problem-plagued factory of contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions to resume production of COVID-19 vaccine bulk substance to resume, the company said Thursday, July 29. The Baltimore factory was shut down by the FDA in mid-April due to contamination problems that forced the company to trash the equivalent of tens of millions of doses of vaccine it was making under contract for Johnson & Johnson. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

The governor reiterated his call for people to get vaccinated against the disease, saying he would only seek other solutions if Georgia hospitals began to get overwhelmed. Georgia ranks in the bottom 10 states for vaccination rates.

We know that the vaccines work, Kemp said. I want to encourage people to get vaccinated if youre comfortable doing that.

Democratic State Sen. Michelle Au, an anaesthesiologist with a masters degree in public health, said Kemps approach to increasing vaccination rates is unimaginative and passive.

Georgia recorded more than 4,800 positive tests for COVID-19 on Thursday, the worst number since Feb. 5. The state peaked on Jan. 8, with nearly 13,000 recorded cases.

TOPEKA, Kan.  A COVID-19 surge in Kansas fueled by the faster-spreading delta variant is filling up hospitals in some areas.

A survey from the Kansas Hospital Association said four times as many patients with confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized this week as were hospitalized in early June. The association said that 116 Kansas hospitals surveyed this week reported having 399 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. For early June, 125 hospitals reported having 99.

For about a month, the Salina Regional Medical Center has sometimes has been near full capacity and its chief medical officer says it has struggled to find beds for patients who have needed a higher level of care.

A member of the Capitol Police wears a face mask by a sign stating that face coverings are required, outside a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing, Thursday, July 29, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

COLUMBUS, Ohio  State employees will receive $100 for getting the coronavirus vaccine and their spouses will receive $25 if they also get vaccinated, under a new incentive program offered by Gov. Mike DeWine.

The Republican governor announced the offer Wednesday as state vaccination efforts stall amid spiking case numbers and hospitalizations.

Only about 5.4 million people or 46% of the population have completed the vaccination process as of Thursday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio has risen over the past two weeks from 319.43 new cases per day on July 13 to 874.57 new cases per day on July 27, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Also Monday, the Health Departments chief medical officer said that while Ohio doesnt plan to mandate masks in schools this fall, health officials strongly recommend that students and staff wear face coverings if they arent vaccinated against COVID-19.

WASHINGTON  The Biden administration is announcing new requirements for federal workers and some contractors who do not attest to being fully vaccinated.

President Joe Biden is set to declare that any unvaccinated federal workers are subject to universal masking, getting tested weekly or twice weekly, physical distancing from employees and visitors, and restrictions on official travel.

Zimbabwean vendors hide from the police after they were chased away from selling their wares from undesignated areas due to COVID-19 restrictions in Harare, Thursday July 29, 2021.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

The guidelines are aimed at boosting sluggish vaccine rates among the millions of Americans who draw federal paychecks and setting an example for employers around the country.

Rather than mandating that federal workers receive vaccines, the Biden administrations plan would make life more difficult for those who are unvaccinated to encourage them to get the shot.

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is asking states and localities to offer unvaccinated residents $100 to get their COVID-19 shots.

The cash reward for vaccination was one idea in Bidens latest plan to boost lagging vaccination rates in many parts of the nation. Rolled out Thursday, the core of his new plan is a requirement for federal workers to disclose their vaccination status to their agencies.

Biden is pointing to anecdotal evidence that a $100 reward will get results. The White House says the Kroger grocery store chain tried it and saw vaccination rates jump to 75% from 50% among employees. New Mexico, Ohio and Colorado have also experimented with the idea.

Biden says states and localities can use money from his COVID relief law to pay for the incentive programs.

HARRISBURG, Pa.  Pennsylvanias Department of Health will carry out a text messaging campaign to encourage roughly 254,000 people in the state to follow through and get the second shot of the two-shot COVID-19 vaccine that they never received, officials said Thursday.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. file photo, a woman receives a coronavirus vaccine from medical staff at a COVID-19 vaccination center in Tel Aviv, Israel. Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced the country will offer a coronavirus booster to people over 60 who have already been vaccinated. The campaign makes Israel the first country to offer a third dose of a Western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

The campaign will begin early next week as the resurgent coronavirus in the form of the highly contagious delta variant is skyrocketing cases in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

The text message will tell the recipient that the delta variant is here and encourage them to check vaccines.gov to find a provider nearby. Those receiving the text will have gotten their first shot between Dec. 14 and May 14, said the states acting health secretary, Alison Beam.

Beam said the second dose will provide stronger protection against the delta variant. Its not too late to get it, and its not necessary to start over with the first shot, she said.

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is telling the Pentagon to determine how and when the COVID-19 vaccine will be made mandatory for members of the U.S. military.

Until now, defense leaders have said that the vaccine will remain voluntary for troops around the world until the Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to the drug. The White House on Thursday said Biden will tell the Defense Department to look at when the COVID-19 shot will be added to the list of vaccines already required for military service members.

Biden announced that every federal government worker and onsite contractor prove they are vaccinated or wear masks, stay socially distant and submit to testing once or twice a week. Those not vaccinated also would be subject to travel restrictions. Of the more than 4 million federal employees, nearly half are members of the military. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said at least 70% of the force has gotten at least one dose.

SALEM, Ore.  The state of Oregon will require students and staff in K-12 schools to wear masks indoors come fall.

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2021 file photo, a man receives his second Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from a Magen David Adom national emergency service volunteer, at a private nursing home, in Ramat Gan, Israel. Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced the country will offer a coronavirus booster to people over 60 who have already been vaccinated. The campaign makes Israel the first country to offer a third dose of a Western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

Governor Kate Browns announcement Thursday follows this weeks updated national mask guidance in schools and a spike in COVID-19 cases in Oregon, due to the highly transmissible delta variant.

In a statement from the Oregon Department of Education officials say they are working to create a rule requiring face coverings in all indoor school settings  both public and private  for all individuals two years and older. This includes students, staff, contractors, volunteers and visitors.

Officials say the rule will take effect upon adoption, but the exact date is unclear.

RALEIGH, N.C.  North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday decided to reverse course from guidance he issued last week and will now urge all K-12 public school students and staff to be masked, even if they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

The Democratic governor and the states top public health official, Dr. Mandy Cohen, pinned much blame on unvaccinated people and renewed calls for them to get the shot.

But at a time when nearly all available metrics show spread of the virus at its worst levels in months, Cooper said hell let the statewide mask mandate expire on Friday.

Cooper on Thursday announced that cabinet workers will be asked to show proof they got a COVID-19 vaccine.

Unvaccinated officials will be required to wear a mask and get tested every week, he said.

This order directs state government cabinet agencies to verify whether their employees are vaccinated, Cooper said. Unvaccinated employees will be tested at least once a week and required to wear a mask.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  More than a dozen vaccinated southwest Missouri patients have died of COVID-19 amid a surge of cases that has led the University of Missouri to reinstate a mask mandate and some St. Louis restaurants to only permit the immunized to eat indoors.

High risk, immune compromised and sadly couldnt muster an immune response, tweeted Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth, in announcing Thursday that there had been six COVID-19 pneumonia deaths among vaccinated patients at its hospitals in southwest Missouri.

Another eight fully vaccinated Mercy Springfield patients have died since June 1, spokeswoman Sonya Kullmann said in a text. She said seven of the patients were over the age of 75 and one was over the age of 65.

They all had other serious health conditions, she wrote. For context, weve had 68 total deaths in that same time frame. 88% were in unvaccinated individuals.

Officials at both health systems have pushed hard to get people vaccinated, saying the vast majority of patients arent immunized.

Just 47.7% of Missouri residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, far lower than the national rate of 57.1%, state and federal data shows. Many counties in southwest Missouri have vaccination rates that are less than less than half the state average.

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden will announce strict new testing, masking and distancing requirements for federal employees who arent vaccinated.

Hes hoping to boost sluggish vaccine rates among the millions of people who draw federal paychecks and set an example for private employers around the country.

The move by the federal government  the nations largest employer  comes in a week when major corporations and some local governments are implementing new requirements. But most have not, despite surging coronavirus rates in the U.S.

Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University Law School, thinks the new requirement might work.

People would much rather roll up their sleeves and get a jab, than undergo weekly testing and universal masking, he says. In many ways, this is really not a mandate, its giving workers a choice.

According to the Office of Personnel Management, the executive branch employed more than 2.7 million civilians in 2020, with some of the most significant numbers in Republican-led Southern states including Texas and Florida, where substantial vaccine resistance remains.

About 60% of American adults have been fully vaccinated. Biden had set a July 4 goal to get at least one shot in 70% of adults, and its currently at 69.3%.
Trying to address issues such as income disparity, climate change and racial injustice, not to mention the economic disruption the whole world is facing in varying degrees because of the pandemic, brings all sorts of wildcards into the operation of any kind of business, whether youre running a design studio or a financial institution.

Trying to address issues such as income disparity, climate change and racial injustice, not to mention the economic disruption the whole world is facing in varying degrees because of the pandemic, brings all sorts of wildcards into the operation of any kind of business, whether youre running a design studio or a financial institution.

If, as a business leader, one makes a conscious decision to remain oblivious to all those issues, then you are on your own and if there is any justice in the world, your business will not succeed.

On the other hand, stressed out, over-worked conscientious folks who run businesses may be at a loss as to what actions they could possibly take.

As a way to address those and other issues that could have a positive impact on the world, Andrew Boardman, the founder and CEO of the Winnipeg web design and brand identity firm, Manoverboard Inc., suggests taking the B Corp assessment exercise.

As the San Francisco-based social enterprise says on its website, "Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business that balance purpose and profit."

Manoverboard and Assiniboine Credit Union (ACU), two of seven Manitoba companies that have achieved B Corp certification, were recently recognized as "best for the world" by B Corp after achieving scores in the top five per cent of the 4,000 B Corp certified companies and organizations from around the world in specific categories.

Boardman and Suzanne Braun, the managing director of Relish, another Winnipeg certified B Corp, have formed a Manitoba B Corp local, looking to recruit other Manitoba companies to the movement.

Manoverboard was the first Manitoba company to become a B Corp in 2012. Boardman, an eastern seaboard transplant to Winnipeg in 2005, was drawn to the B Corp model because of a fundamental desire to have a positive impact on the world.

"I had a dream back in 2012-13 that we would have many, many more B Corps in the province," he said. "It is starting to come to fruition, so thats pretty cool."

Brendan Reimer, who heads ACUs values-based banking, said the recognition is an affirmation of what the credit union is doing.

Among other things, ACU is known as the financial institution that goes into neighbourhoods that have been abandoned by other banks and it has been recognized often for its work in supporting low-income Manitobans.

But Reimer said, "One of the things you realize in completing the B Corp assessment is that there are areas you really do well in, in the terms of how they assess being a purpose-driven company, but you realize there are more opportunities to grow and evolve your business model to continue to have an even greater impact."

Assiniboine Credit Union is known for going into neighbourhoods, such as the North End, that have been abandoned by other banks. (Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Boardman believes the B Corp model  which, he admits, involves rigorous documentation and a significant time commitment  is worth the effort, as opposed to unilaterally undertaking a virtuous approach to business.

"I think what is beautiful about the certification is that it provides proof, social and business proof, that the business is walking the walk and talking the talk," he said.

For instance, Manoverboard does work for academic institutions including University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg and Red River College, all of whom take social responsibility seriously.

"From a procurement standpoint, it makes their lives a little bit easier knowing that we have gone through the process," Boardman said.

The marketplace is complicated enough and many business leaders may not feel they have the resources to be able to make the most globally conscientious decisions about every element of their business.

Companies want to make sustainable and responsible choices, like when purchasing business services, and if they can have some certainty about the sustainability or social responsibility bona fides of a supplier, all the better.

"The B Corp certification just shows in a very concrete form some assurance that this company is doing good," Boardman said.

There are only a couple of hundred Canadian companies and only seven certified Manitoba companies  the Manitoba local includes three other companies that have a Manitoba footprint but are based elsewhere  but there is some momentum building.

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(The other Manitoba members of the club as well as Manoverboard, ACU and Relish, are Momenta, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods, Frontiers North and Mondetta.)

Boardman uses the term "not-only-for-profits" as one way to characterize B Corp companies. The point is that most of the organizations are traditional "for-profit" enterprises and gaining certification can be extremely valuable for business development purposes.

"One of the big unheralded aspects of becoming a B Corp is the networking possibility and the community that has evolved," he said.

Granted, gaining B Corp certification would be a challenging proposition for a struggling company, large or small and its likely a road that can be taken only when the time is right. But Boardman said it has helped him grow his five person company because, among other things, its a designation that shows it is a substantially different and interesting company to other companies and organizations around the world.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
HANOI, Vietnam (AP)  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday to deepen cooperation in security and pandemic recovery, after Washington vowed support for Southeast Asian nations embroiled in territorial rifts with China.

U.S Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, third from right, and Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang, third from left, hold a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Austin is seeking to bolster ties with Vietnam, one of the Southeast Asian nations embroiled in a territorial rift with China, during a two-day visit. (Nguyen Trong Duc/VNA via AP)

HANOI, Vietnam (AP)  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday to deepen cooperation in security and pandemic recovery, after Washington vowed support for Southeast Asian nations embroiled in territorial rifts with China.

Vietnam and the Philippines, Austins next stop, are among Chinas fiercest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has ignored neighbors protests and has constructed several islands equipped with airstrips and military installations.

Vietnam has previously accused China of obstructing its gas exploration activities off its southern shores, and the Philippines routinely protests the presence of Chinese fishing and coast guard ships in its exclusive economic zone. Malaysia and Indonesia have also complained about China's activities in parts of the South China Sea that Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.

In Hanoi, Austin and Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang discussed cooperation in resolving the legacies of the war that ended in 1975, including the continuing searches for American MIAs, removal of land mines and the decontamination of the powerful defoliant dioxin Agent Orange used by U.S. troops during the Vietnam War, according to Vietnam's Defense Ministry.

They also discussed non-traditional security cooperation in natural disaster relief and COVID-19 assistance.

Austins visit comes as Vietnam is in the grip of a coronavirus surge, with Hanoi and half of the country in lockdown.

The U.S has donated 5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, part of the 80 million doses that Biden pledged to lower-income nations around the world.

Austin arrived from Singapore, where he gave a speech on Tuesday saying he was committed to a constructive, stable relationship with China, including stronger crisis communications with the Peoples Liberation Army.

He repeated that Beijings claim to the South China Sea has no basis in international law and treads on the sovereignty of states in the region. He said the U.S. supports the regions coastal states in upholding their rights under international law, and is committed to its defense treaty obligations with Japan and the Philippines.
OTTAWA - Afghan interpreters and Canadian veterans say the Immigration Department is failing Afghans who worked with Canada in the war-torn country, despite an announcement last week to fast-track their resettlement.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, right, is joined by Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, second from right, as they arrive for a press conference in Ottawa on Friday, July 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Afghan interpreters and Canadian veterans say the Immigration Department is failing Afghans who worked with Canada in the war-torn country, despite an announcement last week to fast-track their resettlement.

Rahim, who worked as an interpreter with Canadian soldiers via NATO in 2016-17 and whose full name is not being disclosed for safety reasons, says Taliban fighters burned his father's home to the ground on Monday in punishment for his service to coalition forces.

He is staying with relatives in Afghanistan and, like two other former interpreters The Canadian Press spoke with who are already in Canada, fears for the safety of his extended family as the Taliban seizes swaths of the country.

"It is also very dangerous for them to live here," Rahim said of his parents, sister-in-law and four nephews and nieces aged 11 to 23.

"If they capture any person of my family, I am sure they will get revenge on them."

Government officials have told him he must provide documentation of the destroyed home to prove his parents are under threat, he said, but the property is in a district now controlled by the Taliban and effectively inaccessible to those on the run.

On Wednesday the Immigration Department released an application form to be filled out within 72 hours, but veterans groups say it is not clear whether applicants' siblings, parents and extended family members under threat from the Taliban will be eligible for resettlement.

However, in an email sent to interpreters and obtained by The Canadian Press, the federal government said the program applies only to "Afghans who were integral to Canadas efforts in Afghanistan" and their family members.

Family members are defined as a spouse or common-law partner, child aged 21 or younger, or an adult child who "has depended substantially on the financial support of the parent since before attaining the age of 22."

"Thats just not how the Taliban is drawing lines on whos included versus who's not," said Andrew Rusk, co-founder of advocacy group Not Left Behind.

When you start thinking about these restrictions, these timelines and these barriers, youre putting a significant volume of lives at risk. And the moral leadership isnt coming from the government right now; its coming from the veteran community, and that doesnt feel right," said Rusk, whose sister was Canada's first female soldier to die in combat.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday the government's priority remains helping Afghan staff and their immediate families.

"But I can highlight at the same time that we are continuing to expand the family reunification programs available to all immigrants and permanent residents to Canada, and this is something that we will continue to look at," he told reporters in St. John's, N.L.

Robin Rickards, a veteran who served three tours in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2010, said he and other current and former soldiers have been swamped with emails and phone calls for help with the newly released application from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Published in English, it requires up to 10 different document scans and demands Adobe Acrobat in a country with low literacy rates and patchy internet service.

"We are literally drowning," Rickards said. "Had they contacted any of the individuals who were involved with this before they launched this, we could have guided them on how to structure an orderly process that wouldn't have created chaos on the ground."

The 72-hour application timeline is not a "firm" one and submissions outside that window will still be processed, said Emilie Simard, a spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino.

"The requested response time is a reflection of the urgency on the ground to get as many applications as possible as quickly as possible so that we can get people to safety," she said in an email.

"We have also engaged support staff to assist clients with language barriers in submitting their applications and requested documentation ... This policy was developed to be as inclusive as possible."

The new immigration measures, first rolled out Friday by a trio of cabinet ministers, followed growing concern and frustration within Canada's veterans' community after the sudden withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in recent weeks emboldened the Taliban to ramp up its offensive.

The freshly captured territory includes parts of the southern province of Kandahar, where the Canadian military spent the longest amount of time during its 13-year mission in the country and fought its bloodiest battles since the Korean War.

Now the veterans say those Afghans who supported them as well as their families are facing the threat of retribution as the Taliban expands its reach and looks to exact revenge on collaborators.

"We are right now living in a hell that may be from this world, that may be from another world," said Noori, who arrived in Canada in 2010 after working as an interpreter for the Canadian Armed Forces between 2006 and 2009.

Three of his cousins and an uncle were assassinated by Taliban militants, he said. His parents, four brothers and five sisters are still in Afghanistan, but none would be eligible to join him in Canada under the new measures.

Noori, whose full name is not being disclosed for security reasons, said he hasn't been able to sleep properly since a recent Taliban attack on a police checkpoint fewer than 100 metres from his family's home.

"It was all night. My family couldnt get out. They were just begging to God for their protection. But no one could go there to help protect them," he said.

The Taliban knows our family supported the Canadian Forces."

The immigration minister said Friday the government already has teams on the ground working to identify people who are at risk for having worked with Canada, and that immigration officials will fast-track applications for asylum from the estimated several thousand who qualify.

Mendicino also encouraged Afghans now living in Canada to reach out to his office directly if they feel their families back at home are at risk and eligible.

Former interpreters say they've done just that, but have been met by answering machines, automated email responses and a lack of clarity on criteria when a human did pick up the phone.

Khan, a former interpreter with coalition forces and the Canadian Army in Afghanistan between 2008 and 2012, said his father was assassinated in 2009 "because of my job."

They will kill my father, they will kill my brothers, they will kill any member of my family if they cannot get to me."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2021.
The name of the Cornish Library will be reassessed due to its namesakes troubling history with Metis people.

The name of the Cornish Library will be reassessed due to its namesakes troubling history with Metis people.

The facility is named after Francis Evans Cornish, Winnipegs first mayor, who was elected to a one-year term in 1874. Cornish has been scrutinized for his actions, with historians describing him as a racist and a bully. He was part of a mob that "ransacked" a St. Boniface polling station in 1872 and fought a group of unarmed Metis people before assaulting police, according to the Manitoba Historical Society.

JOHN WOODS/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The facility is named after Francis Evans Cornish, Winnipegs first mayor, who was elected to a one-year term in 1874.

He also helped arrest Ambroise Lepine, a key participant in the provisional government of Metis leader Louis Riel, and profited from doing so.

On Thursday, during the official reopening of Cornish Library at 20 West Gate after a $3.47-million renovation, Coun. Sherri Rollins said the issue cant be ignored.

"Its named after the first mayor of the City of Winnipeg, one that has a very difficult history, Mayor Cornish, in particular with the Metis people. (He was a) Metis hater really problematic when it comes to Metis people," said Rollins, councils protection and community services chairperson.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Cornish Library on West Gate which is named after Winnipegs first mayor is photographed Thursday, July 29, 2021. Wpg councillor Sheeri Rollins alleges Cornish was involved in racism and was a Metis hater. Rollins said that the library board is discussing the name and what should be done about it.

Rollins said the violence noted in his history also sparks concern.

"Im not sure what you call it when you get a gang of thugs to beat up people in St. Boniface but thats also part of the documented history of Cornish. That, I think, needs to be acknowledged and its one of the things that were working on with community," she said.

Rollins said the Cornish name is being discussed by the Winnipeg Public Library Board, which plans to consult with Metis people over how it should be addressed. At this point, its not yet being considered through the Welcoming Winnipeg: Reconciling our History process, which considers requests to remove, replace or add written context to city-owned property, including plaques, statues, and buildings.

That policy was created as part of the citys path to reconciliation, with the goal of addressing names that negatively affect the Indigenous community.

Rollins said she doesnt want to rush the discussions to make an immediate recommendation on how the moniker should be addressed.

"Truth needs to come before reconciliation and you actually have to know the full truth of Cornish. A lot of people arent familiar (with him)," she said.

If a Welcoming Winnipeg request is made to alter the name, it would be considered by a committee of community members, who would make a recommendation to city council.

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Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
All visitors to municipal pools, libraries and rec centres should have to prove theyre fully vaccinated in order to gain entry, as should city employees who come in direct contact with the public, Coun. Kevin Klein says.

All visitors to municipal pools, libraries and rec centres should have to prove theyre fully vaccinated in order to gain entry, as should city employees who come in direct contact with the public, Coun. Kevin Klein says.

The Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood councillor is calling for a requirement to display provincial immunization cards at the door in an effort to ensure civic facilities can reopen without increasing the spread of COVID-19.

"The delta variant in the United States is increasing at an alarming pace Were starting to see other private-sector businesses require that people are double-vaccinated. I think that this is what we have to do as leaders to ensure that our economy can come back."

Klein is seeking to have such rules for staff, visitors and guests to all city-operated facilities, including city hall, in place by Aug. 9.

Coun. Kevin Klein would like people to have to show proof of vaccination to enter city facilities. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files) Winnipeg Free Press 2021

"Theres an awful lot of members of the public that would prefer to be in a place where everyone is double-vaccinated so they feel safe," he said Wednesday.

Provincial rules already reserve some privileges solely for Manitobans who are fully vaccinated, including attendance at Winnipeg Blue Bombers games, movie theatres, casinos, museums and galleries.

Klein expects few Winnipeggers would lose access to municipal buildings under this requirement, noting those who have a medical reason to not get vaccinated would be exempt.

"Were really talking about... a (small percentage) of the population that doesnt want to get a shot," he said.

Coun. Shawn Nason (Transcona) agreed: "If were going to meet with members of the public... there should be a requirement."

All visitors to municipal pools, libraries and rec centres should have to prove theyre fully vaccinated in order to gain entry, says Coun. Kevin Klein. (Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files)

However, Nason said hes not sure union and workplace policies would allow such a mandate.

Coun. Sherri Rollins, chairwoman of the protection and community services committee, stressed any new vaccination rule should be led by public health officials, not politicians.

She was also concerned Kleins staff vaccination requirement could violate workplace agreements.

"His blanket policy... (would) be likely deemed illegal by our labour partners," said Rollins.

The push for a vaccination requirement comes as the city council building begins to slowly reopen. As of Wednesday, delegates could appear in-person at council or committee meetings, while council members could attend face-to-face appointments.

Mandating vaccinations could raise concerns over workers privacy and their right to make personal health decisions, says Gord Delbridge, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

The leader of a key civic union also called for the city to let provincial public health officials determine any vaccination requirement.

Gord Delbridge, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500, stressed everyone should get vaccinated, but mandating that decision could raise concerns over workers privacy and their right to make personal health decisions.

Provincial public health officials are best suited to weigh such considerations, not the City of Winnipeg, he said.

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"We have the provincial government guiding this direction. I cant stress enough how important that is."

Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba, also expects the municipal government could be questioned if it opts to allow only vaccinated people to access the city council building.

"I think there will be some people who will feel excluded unjustly... Are we putting some barriers to certain parts of our population as a result of these extra hurdles?" said Adams, noting low-income people are over-represented among those who are not vaccinated.

"City hall is being reopened in accordance with provincial public health orders. There are currently no plans to institute vaccine passports in any city facilities," said a statement issued on behalf of Mayor Brian Bowman.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
Leaders of Manitobas faith-based personal care homes are calling on the provincial government to make vaccinations mandatory for all staff and essential caregivers in those residences.

Leaders of Manitobas faith-based personal care homes are calling on the provincial government to make vaccinations mandatory for all staff and essential caregivers in those residences.

"Right from the start, we saw a lot of outbreaks in personal care homes due to staff," said Julie Turenne-Maynard, executive director of the Interfaith Healthcare Association of Manitoba.

The organization, which represents 31 non-profit personal care homes from different faith groups, "has been asking the government for months to make a decision on this."

The requests have been sent through the Manitoba Association of Residential and Community Care Homes for the Elderly to the provincial government and Manitoba Shared Health, Turenne-Maynard said, adding that the vast majority members of the association feel this way.

Currently, the faith-based personal care homes cant require staff to be vaccinated or even inquire about their vaccination status. This is unlike a for-profit business such as Revera Inc., which is mandating proof of vaccination for all new hires at its 12 personal care homes in the province and requiring current unvaccinated staff to be tested daily and wear full PPE.

By making vaccinations mandatory for staff and essential caregivers, the government would bring staff at the non-profit homes into line with policies already in existence requiring all indoor visitors to be fully vaccinated, Turenne-Maynard said.

That would mean "everyone is on the same playing field," she said. "The province could be of great assistance to us in keeping our residents safe."

"A government mandate would be very helpful," agreed Gary Ledoux, chief executive officer of Winnipeg-based Bethania Group, which includes the Bethania and Pembina Place personal care homes.

Ledoux estimates about 75 per cent of group staff are fully vaccinated, based on voluntary disclosure.

"People dont need to tell us now," Ledoux said, adding even if he knew a staff member wasnt vaccinated "there is nothing I can do."

Requiring staff to be vaccinated is not a human rights issue for him, but a "public health issue."

If some staff quit because they refuse to be vaccinated, Ledoux acknowledged it would pose a challenge, since it is hard to find replacement staff these days.

"But I could live with that," he said. "Its a risk worth taking to keep staff from infecting the residents.

"A government mandate would have been better earlier, but now its especially important if there is a fourth wave."

Laurie Cerqueti, CEO of the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre in Winnipeg, estimates about 87 per cent of its staff are vaccinated, based on voluntary disclosure.

If some staff quit rather than be vaccinated, she believes the centre can handle the extra load.

"There is a lot of public support for (mandated vaccinations)," Cerqueti said, agreeing she would like to see the government move quickly due to the rise of novel coronavirus variants.

If the government mandates vaccination for all staff, all three hope all staff at personal care homes will agree to be vaccinated.

faith@freepress.mb.ca
The masks must stay.

As Manitoba makes significant progress in mitigating the third wave of COVID-19, and the government plots the further lifting of social and economic restrictions, we must not lose sight of the fact the threat from this deadly virus has not disappeared.

Even as we regain freedoms lost for extended period of time while the novel coronavirus ravaged the province, we need to demonstrate the moral and political strength to leave some measures in place.

Non-medical face masks certainly fall into the category of things needed to guard against future waves of COVID-19.

Almost 18 long months into the pandemic, there is little scientific debate about whether mask mandates for all indoor spaces is effective at controlling the spread of the virus and its variants. Social distancing and limiting the number of people who can gather have played a role as well, but no one virus-fighting tool has done as much.

A nationally recognized epidemiologist characterized nonmedical masks as "the least intrusive, mosteffective tool we've had to battle COVID19."

In a phone conversation this week, a nationally recognized epidemiologist characterized non-medical masks as "the least intrusive, most-effective tool we've had to battle COVID-19."

However, even with the combined weight of scientific and anecdotal evidence supporting continued use, many jurisdictions have decided to eliminate mask mandates.

The results have been worrisome.

Alberta, which decided to lift almost all its restrictions on Canada Day, is suffering through a resurgence. This week, the western province once again reached more than 1,000 active COVID-19 cases. Of greater concern is the R-value (epidemiological calculation of how many people a single positive case can infect) rising as well.

Alberta is hardly alone in seeing trend lines move in the wrong direction.

In the United States, the 14-day average for new infections has risen 145 per cent. In some states that lifted mandatory mask orders, along with other restrictions  Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi  new infections are up roughly 300 per cent.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Recent comments by Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, suggest Manitoba hasn't quite lost its taste for throwing caution to the wind.

Based on rising case counts and new concerns about the ability of fully vaccinated people to become infected and pass the virus to others, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week recommended mandatory public mask use for anyone living in an area with high levels of transmission.

What of Manitoba? Over the last month, it has taken a decidedly iterative approach to the lifting of restrictions. Residents are now able to go to more places, in greater numbers, than at any time since last fall. To the credit of the premier and his advisers, mandatory mask use indoors has remained.

Can Manitoba maintain its steady, cautious and scientifically sensible approach and keep its mask mandate in place?

Past experience tells us when Premier Brian Pallister and company are given the choice between going too fast, too far or taking a more restrained approach, the former almost always wins out. Recent comments by Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, suggest Manitoba hasn't quite lost its taste for throwing caution to the wind.

In the first week of July, Roussin was widely quoted as saying with the growth in the number of Manitobans who have been fully vaccinated, "this pandemic's days are numbered." It was a startling claim, particularly since Roussin knows as well as anyone higher vaccination rates, on their own, will not "end" the pandemic.

It's extremely unlikely we'll see an end to the global pandemic until the virus is contained and eradicated.

The more people who get fully vaccinated, the safer we'll all be. But it's extremely unlikely we'll see an end to the global pandemic until the virus is contained and eradicated. Particularly if, as epidemiologists believe, it will continue mutating and presenting new threats.

It is for exactly those reasons  uncertainty about the total number of people who will become fully vaccinated and the evolving nature of the virus  masks are so important. Not a perfect tool, but pretty darn close.

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Face coverings can be unworkable in any settings where the consumption of food or beverages are part of the experience: bars, restaurants, sporting and cultural events, movie houses. But in almost all other indoor scenarios (churches, fitness centres, transit, shopping, offices, schools, museums and galleries, libraries and health-care facilities), they are not only workable, they're essential

The slow, iterative reopening in Manitoba has been a bright spot in an otherwise tattered pandemic response, a sign political and public health leaders may have learned important lessons about moving too far, too quickly. It is important to remember, however, those lessons came at the expense of thousands of new cases and hundreds of unnecessary deaths.

Still, save for a couple of missteps, it's been working.

Manitoba's daily counts on new cases, deaths and hospitalizations have fallen steadily. Pallister and public health advisers shouldn't really need any more proof what they're doing now is working  and they should keep taking the same type of approach well into the future.

All we need is the intestinal fortitude.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
Renowned local businessman Jack Fraser died Saturday, at the age of 91.

After graduating from the University of Saskatchewan in 1952 with a bachelor of commerce, Fraser co-founded trucking company Empire Freightways in Saskatoon with Jim Howe, a friend from university. The company quickly became the second largest trucking company in Saskatchewan.

Fraser and Howe sold it to Canadian National Railway in 1960, and used the money to buy Empire Oil, a petroleum distribution company. After selling that company in 1963, Fraser and family moved to Winnipeg, where he again plunged into a new industry: mens fashion.

For years, Fraser continued to move into new challenges, having a go in plastics, construction and manufacturing.

In 1978, Federal Industries Ltd. brought him on as company president. At that point, its annual sales were about $100 million. In seven years, Fraser helped drive annual sales up sevenfold, as he managed a firm of about 9,000 employees.

Frasers fame in the sector grew, and in 1989, he was named Manitoba business executive of the year. He was known for driving a hard bargain and for his dedication to Winnipeg, according to a profile published that year.

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He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1990.

In 1982, he founded the Associates, a group dedicated to advancing business education at the University of Manitoba.

"Jacks legacy will live on with the Associates and his influence and impact will permeate the halls and classrooms of the Asper School of Business," Associates chairman Andrew Stibbard said in a release posted to the groups website.

Fraser was the "Go-to-Guy," who made things happen, said Stibbard, adding Fraser could captivate a room with his storytelling, and people gravitated to him and to his "endearing smile."

Fraser also served on many boards and committees, both in business and philanthropy.

He is survived by his children, John and Lisa.
Manitobans who want their COVID-19 vaccination record to show two of the same shots for travel purposes will not be offered a third dose.

Manitobans who want their COVID-19 vaccination record to show two of the same shots for travel purposes will not be offered a third dose.

Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead for the vaccine task force, said Wednesday the province will not give a third dose to Manitobans who received a combination of vaccine types or brands for the purpose of satisfying the vaccination requirements of a small number of countries or tourism operators.

"Clinically, at this point theres no clear benefit to receiving a third dose," Reimer said. "In the absence of a clear benefit, we cant recommend a third dose to individuals where we know there is a very small, but not zero, risk associated with each dose of the vaccine."

Reimer said the task force cannot predict how various countries and companies implement policies related to mixed vaccination schedules.

"I do anticipate that while theyre starting with very strict and cautious eligibility, that most countries and most businesses will be expanding to accept mixed schedules, because a mixed schedule is being offered in many countries."

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On Monday, the Quebec government decided it would offer a third dose of vaccine to people who travel for essential purposes to destinations where their immunization status isn't recognized due to mixing vaccine types or brands.

Reimer said the task force would revisit the subject if mixed vaccine schedules continue to cause issues related to international travel.

At this time, she said data on the effectiveness of the two-dose vaccine schedule coming out of Canada and the United Kingdom continues to show good protection at six months and against the highly transmissable delta variant.

"Were still early days in determining whether first if theres a possibility that our immune response might decrease enough that we need a third dose of the same product, as well as whether or not any variants, delta or future ones, might escape the protection offered by the current vaccines," Reimer said.

In Manitoba, 71,289 people received AstraZeneca and either Pfizer or Moderna, and 124,822 people took Pfizer for their first shot and Moderna as the second.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
With staffing issues and limited available beds prompting mental health assessment backlogs in Manitobas criminal justice system, field experts are recommending the province tap into federal rules which allow trained psychologists to shoulder some of the burden.

With staffing issues and limited available beds prompting mental health assessment backlogs in Manitobas criminal justice system, field experts are recommending the province tap into federal rules which allow trained psychologists to shoulder some of the burden.

"If theres shortages in the mental health area, its going to impact the legal system, if theres interplay between mental health and the law," clinical forensic psychologist Dr. Barry Cooper said in a phone call Wednesday from British Columbia.

"Its clearly the case that there are bed shortages, there are assessment delays across the country. Theres little doubt that by adding qualified clinical forensic psychologists to the roster of people able to do this, that would mitigate delays."

Currently, Manitobas justice system is burdened by hospital delays, which leave patients waiting in custody  sometimes months  for a berth at the specialized Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre unit.

There are just 15 beds and three forensic psychiatrists in the unit to manage patients with a range of needs, including: fitness for trial assessments, criminal responsibility assessment, treatment orders, and those who are severely ill and unable to be released to community.

According to a 2019 file review of criminal responsibility and fitness for trial assessments, conducted by psychologists at the University of Manitoba, demand for assessments has risen steadily between 2003 and 2019.

In 2015, the data found criminal responsibility assessments took an average of around 30 days to complete  in line with Criminal Code requirements  but by 2019, the average had risen to 80 days. The Criminal Code mandates assessments take no longer than 60 days to complete.

Cooper sits on a national task force, commissioned by the Canadian Psychological Association, tasked with asking government officials to adjust the code to specifically allow forensic psychologists to perform criminal responsibility and fitness assessments, thereby lightening the load for forensic psychiatrists.

Forensic psychologists are already being called upon to perform specific testing under the banner of these psychiatric assessments, or to provide second opinions for defence and Crown counsel, Cooper explained. Final reports must still be completed by the small complement of forensic psychiatrists.

"Psychology has a lot to bring to the table because we can assess and treat mental illness," he said. "The benefit would be allowing more qualified people to do a job that theyre qualified to do; it would be increasing the pool of qualified professionals."

In 2005, the Criminal Code opened room for both medical professionals and "any other person who has been designated by the Attorney General as being qualified" to perform these assessments.

But in more than 15 years, no province has officially opened the doors to qualified forensic psychologists, said Dr. Jo Ann Unger, president of the Manitoba Psychological Society.

"Right now, nowhere in Canada are clinical forensic psychologists doing this independently, but there is opportunity to make that happen very quickly," she said in an interview Wednesday. "It would help a lot to be able to have them do those independently and increase this access for that really important service."

To proceed, the minister of justice would need to designate clinical forensic psychologists with relevant training as permitted to complete the assessments. Currently, Unger said there are at least five such psychologists working in the province, with ongoing recruitment efforts underway.

Unger said the formal designation from Manitoba's attorney general could provide permanent support for the growing problem.

"The demand for these assessments is increasing every year," she said, "So this shouldnt be a stopgap solution because the gap is going to continue."

In a statement to the Free Press, Manitoba attorney general Cameron Friesen noted the province has taken an "interdepartmental approach" to the backlogged system in order to reduce delays and maximize use of resources. Whether psychologists will be added to the list of qualified assessors, however, remains to be seen.

"While there have been calls by MPS to allow psychologists to additionally undertake these assessments, the issue is complex," Friesen wrote. "The Canadian Psychiatric Association has responded to indicate that there are additional factors which must be properly considered, including; scope of training and practice, resource allocation, and more.

"In the meantime, our government is in the process of hiring additional forensic psychiatrists and working with clinical leadership to address the issue and free up capacity."

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers
Family Services Minister Rochelle Squires was a member of the most powerful cabinet committee in the Pallister government  for five days  until she questioned the premier's comments on colonialism and residential schools.

Family Services Minister Rochelle Squires was a member of the most powerful cabinet committee in the Pallister government  for five days  until she questioned the premier's comments on colonialism and residential schools.

Squires was appointed to the priorities and planning committee with an order-in-council on July 15. The order was rescinded on July 20.

On Wednesday, the Tory government denied she had been removed and said it was instead an "administrative error."

Family Services Minister Rochelle Squires was appointed to the priorities and planning committee with an order-in-council on July 15. The order was rescinded on July 20. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

But, the same "error" also occurred after another powerful woman dared to defy Premier Brian Pallister. Eileen Clarke, who resigned as Indigenous relations and northern affairs minister in response to the premier's remarks concerning Indigenous people and his refusal to listen to his cabinet ministers, was listed as a new member of Treasury Board on a government website, dated July 15. An order-in-council on July 20 rescinded Clarke's appointment.

The acting press secretary for Premier Brian Pallister couldn't say if it's a coincidence that the errors involved Clarke and Squires.

Orders-in-council are legal instruments required to take a range of executive actions, including appointments to cabinet and cabinet committees, said Paul Thomas political studies professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba.

"There is a well-established process to be followed and there are officials within the executive council who are responsible for making the machinery run smoothly," Thomas said, noting that the office has a $4-million budget.

Copies of the documents show that the orders had been signed by Lt.-Gov Janice Filmon and Pallister.

Eileen Clarke was listed as a new member of Treasury Board on a government website, dated July 15. An order-in-council on July 20 rescinded Clarke's appointment. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Pallister's office said last week the online announcement of Clarke's appointment to Treasury Board was a mistake and that she had not been offered the position.

Clarke said in a prepared statement from her constituency office that she had not been made aware of any appointment to Treasury Board, but received an email from the board secretary congratulating her on the recent appointment.

The premier's press secretary said it was an administrative error, with an outdated draft group of orders-in-council regarding cabinet committee memberships inadvertently posted.

The same "clerical error" happened with Squires, and the notice of her appointment to the planning and priorities committee, another government spokeswoman said Wednesday.

"...It appears staff was using an old template from 2019 (when Squires was indeed on this committee) as their basis to draft a new version to reflect the latest membership," Andrea Slobodian said in an email.

"While they swapped out some outgoing and incoming members, they did not remove Minister Squires from the list, though she had actually been removed from that committee in 2020. It was an administrative oversight."

A spokesperson for Squires said: "The minister confirms this was a clerical oversight in which an outdated committee membership list was posted, even though she had not been on the committee since the previous year. The minister did not resign from this cabinet appointment."

Slobodian did not respond to a question about whether the premier and the clerk of the executive council read orders before signing them. When asked if the administrative errors involved only Clarke and Squires or whether other MLAs were inadvertently appointed to committees, she initially wouldn't say.

"You can read the OICs and compare the lists of names on that web page to see if there were any other errors rescinded," she said in an email.

Late Wednesday night, Slobodian pointed out that another order, regarding the economic growth committee, was rescinded on July 21. She said this "disproves the conspiracy theory that Clarke and Squires were singled out as punishment."

Thomas said it's impossible, from the outside, to know what went wrong in this instance because of the secrecy that surrounds decision-making at the centre of government. "The best one can do is speculate," he said.

"It sounds like there's some internal discord happening there," said NDP critic Malaya Marcelino, who questioned the timing of the errors that both involve Clarke and Squires, who were critical of the premier.

"It's certainly a little suspicious," she said.

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The acting press secretary for Premier Brian Pallister couldn't say if it's a coincidence that the errors involved Clarke and Squires. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"Maybe the premiers unfortunate Canada Day remarks and Clarke's surprise resignation created a frenzy in the inner circle, especially when it was followed by a disastrous coming-out event with her replacement," Thomas said, referring to historically inaccurate remarks about residential schools made by Alan Lagimodiere after his swearing-in as minister of Indigenous reconciliation.

"In the midst of this crisis, maybe someone forgot to rescind some pending appointments to cabinet committees that were already 'in the pipeline'," said Thomas. "In the rush to politically manage the exploding crisis, perhaps everyone at the centre forgot to ask 'What is coming up on the executive agenda that needs to be modified in light of recent developments?'" the veteran political analyst speculated.

As issues shift frequently, sometimes even during the same day, the work environment within the executive council is frenetic, Thomas said. "There are tremendous pressures on staff who are often facing tight deadlines," Thomas said.

"It appears that communications at the centre of this government is dysfunctional at times, in part because of the premiers operating style of being 'always on send and seldom on receive' in the sense of not being prepared to listen meaningfully to others," suggested Thomas.

"The premier is a tough, demanding boss to work for and is unforgiving when screwups occur. More junior staff may be reluctant to speak."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
People had their face masks on, vaccination status proof out, and cash at the ready when Club Regent Casino opened its doors Wednesday morning.

People had their face masks on, vaccination status proof out, and cash at the ready when Club Regent Casino opened its doors Wednesday morning.

The Winnipeg location, along with McPhillips Station Casino and Shark Club Gaming Centre, welcomed its first customers since October, when Manitoba mandated gaming sites close as part of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

The casinos were first shut down in March 2020, reopened in July, only to lock their doors again three months later.

Bob Hooper, 83, stood in line for a half-hour before Club Regent's 10 a.m. opening.

"It's good to be here," he said. "It's a change, and for us retirees, it's nice to have some place to go rather than stare at four walls in the apartment."

Pre-pandemic, Hooper said he would visit the casino once a week. He resorted to watching TV, walking the dog and getting coffee at McDonald's to pass time over the last 16 months.

He had a card showing his proof of double vaccination in hand as he waited outside Club Regent.

To enter the casino, patrons must unmask to show their face and flash their ID at security. The guards scan proof of double vaccination on smartphones and physical cards. Then, customers pull up their masks and look into a camera before being waved through by a second set of staff.

Casino employees don't need to be vaccinated, however, though Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corp. has previously stated it strongly encourages its workers get their shots. The Crown corporation did not provide comment by print deadline Wednesday.

Marie Tomchuk and June Lueck chatted as they stood in line, socially distanced from strangers.

The sisters said they appreciate how proof of double vaccination is needed to enter.

"There's still that lingering uncertainty," Lueck said of visiting casinos.

However, the sisters felt safe enough to go out, and were looking forward to playing Fireball, their favourite slot machine.

Inside the building, staff wiped down machines not in use, as masked patrons pressed their luck, feeding bills into machines as they would pre-pandemic.

Al Calvo stopped in to buy tickets for the Winnipeg Goldeyes' upcoming return to the city. Casino reopenings are a sign of much needed normalcy, he said.

Customers started filing into South Beach Casino & Resort (Scanterbury) and Sand Hills Casino (Carberry) on July 17. It was the first day casinos could reopen, according to the province's July 14 pandemic restriction plan announcement.

"We've noticed that there was clearly a lot of pent-up demand," said Victor da Mata, South Beach general manager.

Calls to the gaming centre increased with the population's rate of vaccination, he said  people were itching to get back.

In the latter half of July, the casino, hotel and restaurant have neared capacity often, da Mata said. Casinos are allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity under current public health regulations.

The goal is to not close again, da Mata said.

"Every time you close, it's another hit," he said. "Just imagine you go grocery shopping, and then you let your groceries sit for a few months, and you have to throw it all out and rebuy it. There's no difference for restaurants or bars or casinos."

Manitoba's second phase of reopening, which allows casinos to operate again, began two weeks earlier than planned. Restrictions eased as 75 per cent of Manitobans age 12 and older received their first dose, and upwards of 50 per cent got their second.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca
A Catholic priest has been banned by a Winnipeg archdiocese from speaking publicly after accusing residential school survivors of lying about sexual abuse to get more money from court settlements, of spreading falsehoods about residential schools, and joking about shooting those writing graffiti on churches, among other comments.

Father Rheal Forest delivers a sermon at St. Emile Roman Catholic Church in Winnipeg on July 10, one of several in which he made unfounded accusations about residential school survivors. (St. Emile Parish/Facebook)

A Catholic priest has been banned by a Winnipeg archdiocese from speaking publicly after accusing residential school survivors of lying about sexual abuse to get more money from court settlements, of spreading falsehoods about residential schools, and joking about shooting those writing graffiti on churches, among other comments.

The statements were made over weeks of services at St. Emile Roman Catholic Church, and were included in videos on its Facebook page.

To read more of this story first reported by CBC News, click here.

This content is made available to Free Press readers as part of an agreement with CBC that sees our two trusted news brands collaborate to better cover Manitoba. Questions about CBC content can be directed to talkback@cbc.ca.
The Winnipeg Police Service is set to acquire a pricey dog-shaped robot, to be used in hostage situations, that's already been ditched by police in New York City.

The Winnipeg Police Service is set to acquire a pricey dog-shaped robot, to be used in hostage situations, that's already been ditched by police in New York City.

"Spot" is made by Boston Dynamics, which sells the device for US$74,500. Winnipeg police are spending $257,000 to acquire and use Spot. The 32-kilogram robot "has the ability to navigate obstacles, uneven terrain (and) situations where our traditional robot platforms can't go into," said Insp. Brian Miln at a news conference Wednesday.

The cost will be covered by the province's proceeds-of-crime fund: money and assets seized from criminals which is used to pay for police resources.

The province announced Wednesday more than $600,000 from the fund would be used to pay for the robot and other projects, including training to deal with Indigenous protesters.

Currently, officers use small robots that move on tracks or wheels to record information or assess suspicious packages. The new, four-legged robot dog has the ability to walk up and down stairs, open doorknobs and facilitate a conversation remotely.

The robotic dog "Spot" is seen operating a switch in a video made by its manufacturer, Boston Dynamics. (YouTube)

The funding will help police acquire the device, take training and outfit Spot, so that it can enter a barricaded home or hostage-taking, see whos inside and remotely facilitate a verbal conversation. That currently cant be done unless an officer opens a door, Miln said.

"We're excited to have the funding to get this (as it) prevents us from having to put an officer in harms way."

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The New York Police Department stopped using the robot in April, after citizens complained it was creepy. Democrat representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dubbed it a "robotic surveillance ground drone." The force cancelled its contract for the device, which it had dubbed "Digidog."

Winnipeg police will use some of the other criminal-forfeiture funding to digitize records, increase the ranks of the child-porn task force and train officers to liaise with Indigenous protesters.

"We'd like to liaise with groups that are organizing well in advance of a protest, so our members are being trained to do that appropriately and professionally," Chief Danny Smyth said, adding it would help "identify and meet with organizers, and set the tone so everyone can do their thing peacefully."

Since 2009, the fund has received $19 million seized from organized crime.

"We're pleased to be investing this money in places that will enhance community safety (and) the safety of officers in the field in Winnipeg," Justice Minister Cameron Friesen said.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
It certainly looks like were going to have a fall election. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau started a goodwill tour of the country, leapfrogging over Manitoba on his way west as he tries to build a majority government. Now that Canada has more than 56 per cent of its population fully vaccinated and 71 per cent with its first jab, Trudeau can move from the pandemic on to other issues, including the economy and a post-COVID-19 recovery.

Opinion

It certainly looks like were going to have a fall election. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau started a goodwill tour of the country, leapfrogging over Manitoba on his way west as he tries to build a majority government. Now that Canada has more than 56 per cent of its population fully vaccinated and 71 per cent with its first jab, Trudeau can move from the pandemic on to other issues, including the economy and a post-COVID-19 recovery.

What will be the issues of concern for Manitobans in this federal election? Given that this province is home to the largest per-capita Indigenous population in the country, outside the northern territories, Indigenous issues are no doubt top of mind, particularly as more gravesites are found on residential school properties. Indeed, a recent Angus Reid poll suggests that for 20 per cent of Canadians, Indigenous issues are among the top three issues of concern in the next federal election.

One of Trudeaus big election promises in 2015  to bring clean drinking water to Canadian reserves  is now behind schedule. The federal government will not be able to eliminate all long-term drinking water advisories on First Nations until 2023-24. Still, credit must be given to the Liberals  progress has been made on the file, with 108 long-term boil-water advisories having been lifted since 2015; 51 remain in effect in 32 communities. Two of these are in Manitoba  in Shamattawa and Tataskweyak Cree Nation.

Of course, the economy is going to be front and centre, particularly from the Conservatives point of view. In another poll, this one from Nanos, concerns about the deficit are on Canadians minds as we enter the dog days of summer. Despite their poor performance controlling COVID-19 infection rates, the provincial Tories can pat themselves on the back for the fact the economy is holding its own.

According to TD Canadas provincial forecast, Manitobas economy is stable, with "services industries outside of those directly impacted by the pandemic  likely to post healthy output gains. For example, employment in the finance, insurance and real estate industry is up solidly so far this year, likely garnering support from hot housing market activity. On this front, Manitoba holds an advantage over other provinces in that affordability is still decent by historical standards."

However, the ongoing drought situation has the potential to curtail a good season for the agricultural sector, driving up costs. In addition, forest fires in the North will result in the need for spending and emergency housing, which could create additional pressures on the economy. These both could be a major problem for candidates on the ground attempting to door-knock during a federal election campaign.

But theres another side issue of the economy that will also have to be discussed: the oft-broken promise of a federal daycare program. While this is once again on the agenda for the Liberals, it needs to actually happen, because womens involvement in the workforce requires access to affordable, reliable daycare as an essential service.

During the pandemic, we saw women leaving employment because they simply could not care for their children and maintain a work schedule.

Ottawa is proposing up to $30 billion in fresh spending over the next five years to create a national child-care system. The goal is to reduce child-care fees by 50 per cent on average in regulated learning centres by the end of 2022, and to an average of $10 a day by the 2025-26 fiscal year. However, this requires a buy-in from the provinces, and so far Manitoba has maintained it wants to see more details.

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Affordable housing will also be a topic in this election for many Canadians, according to the Angus Reid poll. In Manitoba, the real-estate market has been breaking records; and while the number of houses offered for sale and the price of houses are up, Manitoba remains an affordable place to buy a house in Canada.

The number of units available for lower-income housing remains an issue. In April, the federal government provided $40 million to build 222 permanent affordable-housing units for individuals and families in Manitoba. Approximately 70 per cent of the units will be allocated to Indigenous people; 88 of the units will be built in Winnipeg as housing for the homeless.

Finally, health care can always be counted on as a topic for discussion in any Canadian election. It will be even more of a topic this time around, given that we have just come out of a pandemic. Most Manitobans have been affected in very personal ways by COVID-19, and health care will surely be something federal politicians will have to discuss on the doorstep during this campaign.

According to the CBC, Trudeau is on holiday for the first week in August and Liberal Party staffers have been told to ensure their vacations are over and theyre back in Ottawa by Aug. 9. Now that we have a new Governor General, a writ can be dropped anytime after that.

Shannon Sampert is a Winnipeg-based political scientist and the former politics and perspectives editor of the Winnipeg Free Press.

shannon@mediadiva.ca
The first thing Premier Brian Pallister must do if he wants to advance reconciliation in Manitoba is retract the false statement he made earlier this month about the impacts of colonialism on Indigenous people. The second thing the premier should do is apologize publicly and unequivocally for the hurt and harm his comments caused.

The first thing Premier Brian Pallister must do if he wants to advance reconciliation in Manitoba is retract the false statement he made earlier this month about the impacts of colonialism on Indigenous people. The second thing the premier should do is apologize publicly and unequivocally for the hurt and harm his comments caused.

Then, and only then, could he begin the process of healing and reconciliation.

Mr. Pallister has not made a public appearance since his new Indigenous reconciliation and northern affairs minister, Alan Lagimodiere, added another roadblock to the reconciliation process. Mr. Lagimodiere falsely claimed on July 15 that residential schools were created with the well-intentioned goal of providing First Nations children with "skills and abilities they would need to fit into society as it moves forward."

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister

He retracted his statement and offered a full apology the following day in a government news release. Mr. Lagimodiere acknowledged his statements were wrong and asked for forgiveness. It is difficult to understand how anyone committed to reconciliation could frame history the way Mr. Lagimodiere did. However, he at least took the right steps toward repairing the damage he caused.

Mr. Pallister has not. He has twice publicly stated that he stands by his statements on colonialism: that people who came to Canada prior to Confederation and since did not come to destroy anything. He has argued vociferously that his comments were misconstrued.

In the meantime, cracks have appeared in the Progressive Conservative caucus over Mr. Pallisters comments and his refusal to retract them. Several Tory MLAs have taken to social media to express concern over their leaders statements. Although they have not addressed his comments directly, it appears they have served notice to Mr. Pallister that his position is untenable.

Combined with the resignation earlier this month of former Indigenous and northern relations minister Eileen Clarke, who said her voice in cabinet was not heard and that "inappropriate words and actions can be very damaging," it is clear many in caucus disapprove of Mr. Pallisters actions.

It is not possible for the premier to advance reconciliation until he first retracts his statement and issues an unqualified apology. Mr. Pallister must ask for forgiveness, as Mr. Lagimodiere did.

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Should the premier fail to do so, Progressive Conservative MLAs would have very little choice but to openly challenge Mr. Pallisters leadership. Otherwise, they would be complicit in the falsehoods he is perpetuating.

To say that newcomers to Canada did not come to destroy anything is to ignore the clear intent of colonialism: to exploit the land and its resources at the expense of its original inhabitants, including the destruction of their economies, languages, culture and identities. The tools used to achieve those policy objectives under the Indian Act, including residential schools and the '60s Scoop, were well known to Canadians. They elected and re-elected the governments who perpetrated this genocide.

It is not possible for the premier to advance reconciliation until he first retracts his statement and issues an unqualified apology. Mr. Pallister must ask for forgiveness, as Mr. Lagimodiere did.

As the Canadian Historical Association explained in a statement published June 30 on why the use of the word "genocide" is accurate to describe the history of violence against Indigenous people, non-Indigenous Canadians have benefited from these colonial policies.

"We are all embedded in the structures of Indigenous dispossession in what is now known as Canada and we understand that while these tough conversations need to be had, it will be our actions that define who we are and what kind of communities we want to build and strengthen and what kinds of histories we research," the CHA wrote.

Mr. Pallisters actions over the next few days and weeks will define what kind of leader he intends to be and what legacy he will leave behind.
Oxen were used both in the field and for going to market. As oxen were slow and could not cover more than 10 to 15 miles a day, they were not so well suited for road work. The slow, swinging gait of oxen could neither be increased nor slowed down. In modern terms we would say that they had two speeds forward  their slow, natural gait, and the gallop, which they resorted to when they became frightened, obstinate or plain ornery.

As a rule, oxen were gentle and easy to train and were dependable for fieldwork. They possessed great strength. It was said they could out-pull a team of horses. They were long-limbed and slender, and often of large size. Oxen needed less care than horses, thriving on rough hay and a few ears of corn.
`"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.
Dells-Delton EMS was called to the complex around noon. The man who had been stabbed was conscious and explained what happened. When responders examined him, they found stab wounds that were about 0.5 inches to 0.75 inches long. They had been covered with adhesive bandages. One of the wounds began bleeding when the bandage was removed.

The officer talked to the man a day later at UW Hospital in Madison. The man had been stabbed three times. Hospital staff said that one was superficial while the other two were very close to his spine and his lungs. The man said providers werent sure how much damage was done internally because they had to see how he moved in a few days.

In an interview with Lake Delton Police Officer Kristi Seidl, Villa Velez allegedly admitted to stabbing the man after he said it was like a demon came through him and he has never done something like this before. In the interview, he said he was scared and had seen people killed in his country. Without his cellphone, he couldnt have contact with his parents or the rest of his family. He said he was scared and not thinking clearly.

From there I lost it and thats when I stabbed him, Villa Velez said, according to the complaint.

He is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing Thursday.

Follow Bridget on Twitter @cookebridget or contact her at 608-745-3513.

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The Sauk County Sheriffs Office has two K-9 units again as the newest addition recently began patrol work.

Sheriff Chip Meister said donor funds that pay for the cost of the dog and deputy training show how invested residents are in the successful operation of law enforcement.

Its really incredible to see the amount of support the sheriffs department has from the public, Meister said. We had this need and the public really stepped up and said, Hey, I want to be a part of that and help keep my community safe.

K-9 units are paid for through a fund not under the constraints of the departments budget. Taxes dont cover the costs of K-9s. Instead, its all donated money. The funds are held by the Community Foundation of South Central Wisconsin in the special projects fund for the sheriffs office, said Robin Whyte, executive director.

The fund includes money for the national lifesaver program, which provides wristbands to more than 20 people in the county who are inclined to wander off, and for the installation of defibrillators in every squad car, which have an annual cost for battery replacement.
HORICON  New faces are being added to the Horicon Police and Fire Departments.

The Horicon Common Council approved the hiring of personnel at its monthly meeting Tuesday night.

Jacob Condon, Mark Frantz III and Garrett Zirzow will join the fire department as paid-on-call members.

Council Member Don Miller said the three candidates went before an executive board and were approved. The membership also voted in favor of the hiring. Horicon disbanded its Police and Fire Commission in March. The hiring process now being used is similar to what it was prior to having a PFC.

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Dependent on background check, physical and drug screening outcomes, the hiring of Alexander Fecord as a part-time police officer was approved, as was the hiring of Rebecca Guttmann as a full-time administrative assistant at the police department.

The council also authorized the posting of an employment ad for an additional two part-time officers to fill the police departments headcount.

The city is still in the process of hiring a new police chief for the HPD. Lieutenant Amy Yahnke has served as interim chief since Chief Joe Adamson retired in April.
Mary and Lucas Goddard each grew up in fishing communities in Southeast Alaska, the homeland of the Tlingit people. Mary is Kaagwaantaan, an Eagle from the Brown Bear clan. Lucas is Kik.sadi, a Raven from the Frog clan. They met working at a restaurant kitchen in Sitka, and now they work together in their own kitchen, crafting amazing meals from scratch based on indigenous values.

Mary started Forest Fresh Alaska, a forest-to-table cooking blog, to help people unlock the potential of local food and ingredients from right outside their doorstep.

Her mission gained urgency when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. When shortages in the grocery supply chain hit Alaska, the importance of being able to harvest and eat close to home hit Goddard in a new way. She recalls family stories of the past, when people went hungry even while living in an environment she feels is rich with food and resources.

People need to know whats out there, she says, in case we need to rely on it.

Mary and Lucas work on recipes combining traditional and unusual local ingredients deployed in delicious, contemporary ways. Here she shares some of her favorite wild salmon recipes, each incorporating a different type of salmon or cooking method to take advantage of delicious and nutritious salmon year-round.

+2 Deer Heart-Wrapped Sockeye Fillets Deer heart greens are essential to seal in moisture in this salmon recipe, but if you cant find them in your forest or market, try Italian kale.

+2 Creamy Coconut-Salmon Chowder An Alaskan take on traditional fish chowders, this salmon chowder recipe is topped with flavorful, crunchy fried salmon skin.

Simply Delicious Grilled Salmon Treat the king salmon in this recipe like a great rib-eye steak  the only seasoning it needs is a bit of salt, pepper and oil.

+2 Smoked Salmon Sushi Lollipops Playful presentation makes this salmon sushi recipe a win with kids and adults alike.
In recent weeks, an athlete qualifying for the Olympics got her 15 minutes of fame by turning her back on Old Glory during the traditional flag ceremony. What this naive lady doesnt know is that it is quite an honor to be in our flags presence. To admire it, hold it, raise it high for all to see. The flag is something special, and nobody knew that better than Sgt. William Carney.

Being a former slave from South Carolina, Carney escaped his way to freedom through the Underground Railroad and relocated to Massachusetts, where he enlisted in the famed 54th Regiment to fight in the Civil War. Carney would return to the state that once enslaved him, this time under the orders of General Ulysses Grant to take out Fort Wagner, considered one of the most fortified and valued strongholds of the Confederacy.

On the morning of July 18, 1863, the 54th began their attack on Ft. Wagner. In total, nine infantry units were assigned to take Wagner, but the 54th elected to lead the charge. In multiple waves of attack, the soldiers fought and crawled at the fort elevated on a steep embankment of mud and clay-covered soil. Taking small arms and cannon fire in a continuous barrage, the feat seemed impossible and casualties mounted quickly and steadily. The 54th continued on, determined to reach the fort and crack the armor of the Confederacys prized fortress.
WASHINGTON (AP) (UPDATED) - The House has passed emergency legislation that will bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.

House passage sends the $2.1 billion bill to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The Senate had approved the legislation Thursday morning, 98-0.

Senators struck a bipartisan agreement on the legislation this week, two months after the House had passed a bill that would have provided around twice as much for Capitol security.
UTICA, N.Y.  Mohawk Valley Health System's St. Luke's campus is now one of just seven in upstate New York to receive certification as a comprehensive stroke center from DNV Healthcare USA Inc.

To get the certification, certain standards must be met for diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and education. These centers are usually the largest and can best handle the treatment of any kind of stroke.

With stroke care, you must have the best clinicians and resources, but also the ability to act organizationally with extreme efficiency because of the time-critical nature of these events, said Dr. Varun V. Reddy, director of MVHS Stroke and Neuroendovascular Surgery. This certification from DNV validates all the effort we have put into this program to ensure the health and safety of our patients.

MVHS is the only comprehensive stroke center between Syracuse and Albany.
INDIANAPOLIS (WLFI)  Starting Thursday, you could put your license in jeopardy by violating the state's Hands Free Driving law.

Indiana State Police hosted a special news conference to talk about the new punishment for drivers.

"Traveling Indiana roads is a shared endeavor that is only made safer when we are aware of the law and making good decisions behind the wheel," said Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Peter Lacy.

That's exactly what lawmakers intended when they passed the law.

It makes it illegal for drivers to hold mobile devices while driving and has been in effect for a little more than a year.

"It's a very prevalent offense," said Indiana State Police Captain Ron Galaviz. "It's a behavior that needs to be changed and needs to be curbed."

Galaviz said 16,000 citations were given to drivers caught violating the law since it went into effect.

"That means that law enforcement had 16,000 opportunities to have a conversation with the motoring public about education opportunities on how to best comply with this new law," Galaviz explained.

Now, drivers are risking more than paying a fine if they break the law.

"It [the law] gave a one year period where there was only a fine and it said that at the end of the first year the points committee needed to make a recommendation," Lacy explained.

Violators of the law will get four points added to their license in addition to a fine, and in Indiana, 10 points means the suspension of your license. Those points stay on your record for three years.

"I think people need to understand and know that this law is being enforced very vigorously," Galaviz added.

He said the goal is to encourage more people to take the law seriously.

"In the end it's not about writing tickets," said Galaviz. "It's about saving lives and changing the behaviors that we're seeing.

The state also created new point systems for school and work zones, and those range from four to eight points depending on speed.

In the past, the points were based on speed only and not the specific area where the speeding happened.

The new point system also starts Thursday.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- Food waste is at the forefront for West Lafayette leaders right now. That's because it's helping fuel energy for city facilities, in turn, making the city more environmentally friendly.

A new food waste collecting bin is really behind this movement. The bin is attached to the back of a city Streets and Sanitation Department truck. It's able to carry several hundred pounds of the city's food waste. It's also helping workers more easily transport that food to the wastewater treatment plant. That's where it's ground-up inside an anaerobic digester then turned into renewable energy that goes back into helping power the plant.

The West Lafayette Go Greener Commission has been working to get this bin installed since 2019. They received a $120,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management after asking for funding for a program they launched that year. The program was designed to expand the city's food waste collecting initiative's beyond just Purdue's campus. The city had been collecting food waste from the campus for 10 years and wanted to open it up to allow all West Lafayette residents to participate.

Through the 2019 program, they gave out free food waste bins that citizens and company owners could have in their households or businesses. The goal would be for them to fill those bins with food waste and drop it off at the streets and sanitation office, which is the only city designated spot to collect food waste.

But through this program, they ran into the obstacle of not being able to easily transport the food waste from the streets department to the wastewater treatment plant. That's why they decided to invest in the food waste collecting bin to help solve that problem. And because of this bin, they're now able to expand even further the amount of food waste they collect.

The city has decided to push this food waste collecting initiative to Greek houses, which is a group of residents Go Greener Commission member Madison Hodges said was one of the toughest to capture. And in addition to the Streets and Sanitation Department drop-off location, the city will also be adding two more locations by this fall. Hodges said those locations will be announced in the coming weeks.

Hodges has been a leading force in getting the city funding for this collecting bin. She said it was really the missing piece in making the city's food waste program work to the best of its ability. West Lafayette's food waste collecting program is contributing to at least 20% of the energy input going into the wastewater treatment plant.

"That is significant," said Hodges. "So however we can reduce our impact in West Lafayette to benefit future West Lafayette citizens, I think we should take part."

She's hoping other communities, state and nationwide, consider moving into this direction of finding innovative ways to reuse food waste.

"I do hope that other communities start to compost, really consider what are we doing with our organic waste, why are we sending it to a landfill when we could be doing something else with it, producing fertilizer through compost or producing energy with an anaerobic digester."

If you're a West Lafayette resident interested in collecting your food waste for the city, you can get a bin for free from the Streets and Sanitation Department. You can go in person and request one.
Nation's 911 Call Centers Struggle to Maintain Appropriate Staffing Levels

While the nation grapples with a shortage of restaurant workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, another kind of worker is reaching critical shortage levels: call center workers. These workers are often low-paid and face an uncommon amount of stress and pressure coping with callers needs all day long while following performance standards set by their employers.

For call center workers who handle emergency calls, the pressure is even more intenseand the pay often isnt much higher. Some in the industry fear the shortage of workers will mean fewer people can count on getting help when they dial 911.

Austin, Texas is one of many U.S. cities facing a critical shortage of 911 workers, according to a recent article by local news source KXAN. After receiving a viewer tip expressing concern about staffing at Austins 911 center, KXANs investigative team began looking into the issue, speaking with current and former call takers, dispatch center leaders and city council members about the staffing challenges.

Staffing turnover at the Austin 911 Communications Center is high, according to the investigative report. According to rosters we obtained through a Texas Public Information Act request, there have been 100 departures since the beginning of 2019. That includes 911 operators, dispatchers, and supervisors under the Austin Police Department. Eighty of those 100 employees resigned.

Worker reported extreme burnout, overwork and being unable to take a breath in between calls.

Very, very often calls do get put on hold, because theres just not enough people to answer, one worker reported. Other employees expressed fears that in the event of a major event, such as a weather emergency, the 911 would fold completely, leaving citizens to fend for themselves.

While many call center workers experience stress, the pressure faced by emergency dispatch workers is extreme. Mistakes can cost lives. Lt. Ken Murphy, manager of APDs Communications Division.

Its call after call. And, its always an emergency, Murphy said. Imagine talking to someone on the phone, one after the other, who is having, in their mind, the worst day of their life.

Murphy noted that one of the reasons for the shortage is that few people finish the training and decide to accept a job. Recently, a group of 11 applicants for 911 call center positions resulted in only two people making it through the process to even begin training.

We average about a two percent hire rate of all applications, he said.

Edited by Luke Bellos
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Singapore property broker Edmund Tie's latest residential price index increased by 0.8% quarter-over-quarter in 2Q 2021, a slight downward revision from the flash estimate of 0.9%. This demonstrated a more sustainable pace of growth compared to 1Q 2021's 3.3%. Residential price growth in 2Q 2021 was driven by the non-landed segment.

Non-landed prices gained the most in OCR, rising by 1.9% qoq in 2Q 2021 after 1.1% in 1Q 2021.The growth momentum was also strongest in the OCR, attesting to buoyant demand for mass market homes, underpinned by the ongoing shift to the new hybrid work paradigm.

Developers launched 2,356 units in 2Q 2021, 36.6% lower than 1Q 2021's launch volumes, reflecting a cautious approach till more visibility is obtained on the vaccination progress. The outbreak of the TTSH cluster and subsequent safety restrictions imposed would also have contributed to a more subdued property market sentiment.

Compared to launches, developer sales fell by a smaller magnitude of 15.1% to 2,966 units. The greatest growth of sales was recorded in the CCR, in line with higher launch volumes in the segment. Strong latent demand was observed in RCR where sales fell by only 37.5% despite a 75.1% drop in launches.

The resale market gained momentum in 2Q 2021, where transactions rose by 18.0% to 5,333 units and the share of the resale market rose to 63.1% in 2Q 2021 from 55.8% in 1Q 2021.

The share of sub-sale transactions rose to 1.8% in 2Q 2021 from 1.1% in 1Q 2021. This marked increase, especially in the RCR and OCR segments, is a cause of concern as it suggests that there is distress in various pockets of the housing market. With the seller stamp duty regime in place, the subsale transactions are likely to be loss-making in this climate.

The unsold pipeline with planning approvals dipped below the 20K mark to 19,384 units, while completed and unsold units stood at a mere 25 units. The low inventory will underpin demand for new project launches although the showroom capacity restrictions may place a lid on viewings and transactions in the near term.

The OCR recorded the highest rental growth of 3.6% qoq in 2Q 2021, supported by tightening vacancies. Nonetheless, rental growth in the CCR and RCR were also buoyant at 3.1% and 2.8% respectively.

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Over 370,000 raised for National Deaf Childrens Society after company inspired by a young boy from Wrexham

A business software provider has raised over 370,000 for the National Deaf Childrens Society after being inspired by a young boy from Wrexham.

Employees at the Access Group, based in Loughborough, voted for the organisation as their charity of the year after a compelling nomination from Adam and Kayleigh Freeman, whose three-year-old son Henry was born profoundly deaf and had received life-changing support from the charity.

Despite the ongoing pandemic the team took part in a wide range of activities including Olympic-distance triathlons, swimming the distance of the English Channel and a group skydive which raised 10,000 alone.

The funds raised were a culmination of two years of fundraising by the Access team, with each pound raised matched by The Access Group.

A total of 376,495 was raised for the National Deaf Childrens Society, which specialises in providing support, information and advice for deaf children and young people and their families, as well as advice for professionals working with them.

Commenting on the fundraising, Henrys parents said: Were still in shock with the amount of money raised.

Its a cause extremely close to our hearts and the money raised will have so much impact on the lives of so many children and their families.

They provide services not available on the NHS or as a government funded programme, such as British Sign Language (BSL) lessons. Henry received BSL lessons as did we, along with his grandparents too.

The National Deaf Childrens Society literally transforms lives.

Theyre a light in the darkness and for that well be forever grateful and its lovely that the company we love so much in Access, can do such amazing things for a charity that has helped us so much personally.

The funds raised will help the National Deaf Childrens Society to continue providing a range of vital services for deaf children and young people and their families. In addition, the money raised could also fund some of the charitys initiatives, such as Deaf Works

Everywhere, the charitys campaign to support deaf young people to achieve fulfilling careers, Deaf Child Worldwide, which helps deaf children and young people access education in some of the worlds most disadvantaged communities, and the Make a Change Fund, which awards grants to deaf young people for community projects.

The Access Group will also be providing further support for the National Deaf Childrens Society team by sharing their expertise in business software solutions on a pro bono basis. In return, the charity has been delivering deaf awareness and British Sign Language workshops to The Access Group staff.

Chris Bayne, CEO of The Access Group, said: I am astounded by the amount our people have raised for the National Deaf Childrens Society, a charity that is so important to us.

Its a testament to how much the team has been touched by Henrys story as well as how other children are affected by deafness in the UK.

Giving back is something thats so important to us as a business which is why we elect a Charity of the Year. Giving our people the chance to decide which charity to support always makes it that extra bit special as it means the whole team can get behind a cause theyre really passionate about.

The National Deaf Childrens Society does such vital work to support deaf children, and weve seen firsthand how theyve supported Adam, Kayleigh and Henry. Were so pleased to be able play our part in helping the charity continue its great work.

An exciting new Access Foundation will be launched this year giving us the opportunity to expand our charitable support in the UK and the Asia-Pacific region.

Susan Daniels OBE, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Childrens Society, said: Id like to say a huge thank you to everyone at The Access Group for a truly fantastic partnership. Its been an absolute pleasure to have worked with you over the past couple of years.

The astonishing sum youve raised will enable us to carry on building a world without barriers for every deaf child, from providing parenting courses for the families of deaf children, to supporting deaf schoolchildren through our dynamic roadshow, to giving sign language lessons to teachers in India.

Finally, Id like to give a big shout-out to little Henry, who has kept us all inspired and entertained throughout lockdown, and his wonderful parents, Kayleigh and Adam. Without them, this incredible partnership may never have happened.
Walking festival to explore regions scenic landscape

Local residents are being encouraged to venture outdoors and enjoy the regions natural beauty spots.

The 2021 Wrexham Walking Festival, which takes place from Saturday 7th August through to Sunday 15th August, invites people of all ages and abilities to enjoy a series of free walks exploring the splendour and history of North East Wales.

Organised by Walkabout Wrexham & District, local Member of the Senedd, Lesley Griffiths has teamed up with the group to encourage residents to take part in this years event.

She said: As well as promoting our areas picturesque surroundings, the Wrexham Walking Festival is all about encouraging people to live healthier lifestyles and I commend Walkabout Wrexham & District for all their efforts.

This summer, as we carefully emerge on the other side of the pandemic, the Welsh Government is advising people to holiday at home and to explore everything Wales has to offer. The Wrexham Walking Festival offers the ideal opportunity for people explore the natural beauty spots right on our doorstep.

Over the years, the festival has attracted walkers from across the UK to visit our region and after spending much of the last year or so indoors, I hope this years event will be the most successful yet.

During the festival, walks take place daily and are graded depending on difficulty. All walks are free of charge and are led by trained leaders. Participants are reminded to wear suitable clothing and boots. There is no need to book or reserve a place  just turn up on the day at the appropriate meeting place.

For updates and more information, visit the website or contact the Tourist Information Office in Wrexham.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - A class action lawsuit has officially been filed against the State of Tennessee for ending federal unemployment benefits early.

News4 first told you about the pending litigation last week.

Pending lawsuit against State of Tennessee for ending federal unemployment programs early A Nashville attorney says they are working on litigation to take the state to court. This comes after the state decided to end federal unemployment benefits early.

The class action lawsuit has been filed against Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Labor Commissioner Jeff McCord.

The lawsuit claims that Tennesseans who are part of this class action lawsuit have suffered the loss of their benefits for three weeks and will continue to suffer until the court orders Lee and McCord to renew participation in the federal pandemic unemployment programs.

When News4 spoke with attorney Gary Blackburn last week, he stated that hes heard the cries from people across the state and feels their arguments are justified.

Blackburn also said hes done research that shows the federal programs are paid to the state and are under state law. Blackburn said theyre co-mingled with the same funds that unemployment benefits are paid and feels they should be used.

News4 reached out to the Department of Labor, which said that it could not comment on pending litigation.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee

At a press conference last week, Lee made it clear that he does not have any plans to change his mind about ending benefits early.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Three Nashville physicians held a press conference via zoom Wednesday to address what they are calling a "Continued Mismanagement of the COVID-19 Health Crisis," and their concerns with the current optional mask policies in schools.

The Governor did not listen to us when we called for a statewide mask mandate. I personally invited Gov. Bill Lee to visit our hospitals in November. I am still waiting for him to be a leader eight months later, said Dr. Katrina Green, MD. Board-certified Emergency Physician.

The press conference comes a day after the CDC announced their reversal on masks guidelines advising schools to wear masks regardless of vaccinations.

The doctors addressed their disappointment in the firing of Dr. Fiscus, the rising number of COVID cases among children, and the importance of a statewide mask mandate.

According to the latest American Academy Pediatrics data dated two days ago, children now make up almost 20% of all COVID positive cases in the U.S. compared to 2% last year, said Dr. Vidya Bansal, MD. Board Certified Pediatrician and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Moving forward, they are urging state leaders to look at it from a medical perspective and make a change.

The Tennessee Department of Education needs to make virtual learning an option. Governor Lee needs to listen to the CDC and the AAP and require masks indoors and at schools so that my children and all children under the age of 12 can learn in a safe environment, said Dr. Mary Kline Barnes, MD. Board Certified Pediatrician.
Julian Assange being dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London

Ecuador has stripped Julian Assange of his citizenship. The move is another outrageous assault on the WikiLeaks founders democratic rights, made in preparation for his extradition to the United States on charges under the Espionage Act. He is currently held in the UKs Belmarsh maximum security prison, pending a case in the High Court.

The decision to revoke citizenship was confirmed by the Pichincha court for contentious administrative matters last week. At the court, a judge backed the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministrys claims that Assanges naturalisation letter contained inconsistencies, different signatures and possibly altered documents, and that fees had gone unpaid.

Assanges lawyer, Carlos Poveda, will appeal the purely political decision, which he argued was based on unsubstantiated allegations. He commented, More than the importance of nationality, it is a matter of respecting rights and following due process in withdrawing nationality.

Assange was not able to appear in the case, nor given the materials needed to prepare. Poveda explained, From the first hearing we have said that Julian was not summoned legally, the documents must be translated because his language is English and that was not respected in all documents.

When he asked for his client to be present at the hearing via a videolink, the Ecuadorian authorities sent a URL, of no use to Assange who is denied access to a computer and the internet.

Ecuador awarded Assange citizenship in December 2017, after granting him asylum in August 2012. He had taken refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London two months previously, seeking protection from the looming threat of extradition to the United States. The government of Rafael Correa asked the British government to allow Assange safe passage to Ecuador but was refused, with London threatening to revoke the diplomatic status of Ecuadors embassy and storm the building. This left Assange trapped in conditions the United Nations condemned as arbitrary detention.

During this time, the Ecuadorian government was placed under substantial pressure by the US and, with a shift to the right following the 2017 presidential election of Lenin Moreno, Assanges position in the embassy became increasingly tenuous.

Lenin Moreno with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 20 July 2019 (credit: State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/Public Domain)

On March 27, 2018, a delegation from US Southern Command visited Ecuador, stating that the purpose of the discussions was to strengthen security cooperation and exchange ideas and reiterate US commitment to the longstanding partnership.

One day later, the Ecuadorian authorities imposed a communications blackout on Assange, blocking any internet or phone contact with the outside world and preventing his friends and supporters from visiting him.

His communications were partially restored in October 2018 under strict, anti-democratic conditions. Assange was required to comply scrupulously with a prohibition on activities that could be considered as political and interference in the internal affairs of other States, or that may cause harm to the good relations of Ecuador with any other State. His visitors were required to provide the Ecuadorian authorities with ID details and surrender their mobile phones and other devicesa procedure that was used to facilitate the US-backed surveillance of Assange and his associates, including his lawyers.

The same month, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to Moreno stating, We are very concerned with Julian Assanges continued presence at your embassy in London and his receipt of Ecuadorian citizenship last year.

The letter made clear that giving up Assange would be necessary for the US to move forward in collaborating with your government on a wide array of issues, from economic cooperation to the possible return of a United States Agency for International Development mission to Ecuador.

In March 2019, Moreno secured a $4.2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, amid a deepening financial crisis and in pursuit of a restructuring of Ecuadors economy. The former Ecuadorian minister of foreign affairs, Ricardo Patino, commented afterwards, The arrest of Assange is part of Lenin Morenos agreement with the IMF. This assessment was echoed by John Polga-Hecimovich of the United States Naval Academy, who explained, Assange impeded Morenos ability to seek technical assistance, international loans, and greater security and commercial cooperation with the United States.

In April 2019, the Ecuadorian authorities allowed British police to enter the embassy in London and arrest Assange, revoking his asylum and suspending his citizenship. The subsequently published diaries of former Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan revealed that this trampling of international law was the product of many months of patient negotiation and watched live in the Operations Room at the top of the Foreign Office.

Dragged through a two-year legal travesty, Assange was given a faux reprieve this January when the judge blocked his extradition to the US on the sole grounds that to do so would be oppressive due to his mental health. This left the door wide open to a US appeal based on promises to ensure Assanges safety, which the High Court has agreed to hear.

Extradition expert Nick Vamos predicts the appeal has a high chance of success. By confirming its revocation of citizenship, Ecuador has removed another possible complication.

Assanges case exposes the democratic pretensions of capitalist governments and parties the world over. US imperialism has swept aside every democratic right and principle of international law and employed every form of intimidation and subterfuge possible in pursuit of its target, all with barely a whisper of protest. Governments have lined up to assist the US, from Swedens manufactured sexual assault investigation and Britains serving as jailer, to Australias abandonment of its own citizen and now Ecuadors withdrawal of asylum and citizenship.

Successive US governments have also been able to count on the uniform support of the political establishment. The Assange manhunt, begun under Obama and escalated by Trump, has been continued seamlessly by the Biden administrationa reality belatedly acknowledged by Amnesty International this Monday.

Speaking with long-time WikiLeaks supporter Stefania Maurizi, Amnestys Julia Hall explained, We had some hope early on, when the Biden Administration first took office in January, and we really thought that potentially there could be a review of the case Then we saw the appeal. It was really quite disappointing, because we did think that possibly there was an opening there, and for reasons that the Administration has not articulated well so far, they have made the decision to pursue.

In fact, the US has made its reasons clear: the destruction of Assange as a warning and precedent for those who would expose and oppose imperialist crimes.

Highlighting the extreme danger of Assanges position, Hall said of the United States promises that Assange will be well-treated: when you look at the assurances and you see that the US government reserves the right to put him in a maximum-security facility or to subject him to Special Administrative Measures, based on his conduct, you are not in a state where the prohibition of torture is absolute.

She continued, The US has made it easy for other governments to use assurances, but what this really does is undermine the international prohibition on torture.

The conclusion which must be drawn from these events is that no confidence can be placed in any government or state institution to win Assanges freedom. This task falls to the international working class, whose developing struggle against world capitalism and imperialism is the only basis on which Assanges safety, and democratic rights in general, can be secured.
Texas State Representative Jake Ellzey of Waxahachie beat fellow Republican Susan Wright on Tuesday in a runoff election for Texass 6th US Congressional District. With all precincts reporting Wednesday morning, Ellzey had received 53 percent of the vote (20,837), while Wright got 47 percent (18,279).

Jake Ellzey (Wikimedia Commons)

Despite an endorsement from Donald Trump, Wright was not able to secure the seat held by her late husband, US Representative Ron Wright, who died in February after contracting COVID-19 while battling cancer.

Wright campaigned on continuing her late husbands legacy as a staunch conservative. She cited her experience in Texas politics, working for members of the legislature and serving on the state Republican Executive Committee. Ellzey played up his background as a Navy fighter pilot and his tenure in the Texas House.

Trump endorsed Wright in the days leading up to the May 1 special election, issuing at least three statements, purchasing ads, starring in a robocall and headlining a telephone rally for her. Wright finished first in the May 1 election, which had 23 candidates, with 19 percent of the vote. Ellzey came in second with 14 percent, beating Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez by just 354 votes. Because no candidate secured a majority of the votes, Wright and Ellzey moved on to a runoff election.

Not only did the Democrats fail to advance to the runoff, but their total vote share also dropped as compared to last Novembers presidential election when Joe Biden captured 48 percent of the vote in the district. The 10 Democratic candidates combined were able to secure only 37 percent of the ballots cast.

The north Texas district, which spans the southern suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth region, used to be a Republican stronghold, but has shifted to being more competitive in recent years. Trump won the district by 12 percent in 2016, but that lead shrank to just three percentage points in last years election.

Trumps endorsement was considered paramount to securing a win between the Republican candidates. A poll by the University of Texas at Austin showed Trumps favorability rating among Texas Republicans to be about 86 percent. Last election cycle, all but one of the Texas Republicans he endorsed in congressional races were victorious.

While campaigning, both Wright and Ellzey embraced Trumps political agenda. Both championed finishing the border wall, preserving election integrity, and standing up for law enforcement among their top priorities, differing only in their sources of funding and political alliances.

Ellzey actively sought the support of the MAGA crowd. He released a video titled Trump Supporters Love Jake Ellzey and attended Trumps and Texas Governor Greg Abbotts border visit last month. He collected the support of numerous high-profile Texas Republicans, including former Governor Rick Perry and Representative Dan Crenshaw. Both have close ties to Trump.

Tuesday morning, the Club for Growth, an anti-tax group, said it had poured $1.2 million into Wrights campaign. But Ellzey outraised her throughout the campaign, bringing in $1.7 million by early July compared to Wrights $740,000. The latest campaign finance reports, covering April 12 through July 7, show that Ellzey nearly tripled Wrights fundraising, $1.23 million to $454,000.

Much of Ellzeys outside funding came from the Elect Principled Veterans Fund, a super PAC that popped up earlier this year to support him in the May 1 special election. The Federal Election Commission revealed that the political action committee has gotten all its funding from the With Honor Fund, a national super PAC that backs veterans running for office.

The veteran also benefited from Democrats who voted in the runoff for the purpose of rebuffing the Trump-endorsed candidate. Though the runoff was between two Republican candidates, it was a special election open to all voters in the district. The 2020 Democratic nominee for the seat, Stephen Daniel, announced Monday that he would vote for Ellzey in the runoff, saying Democrats may be the deciding factor in this election, and we need to do everything we can to make sure the Trump-endorsed Susan Wright loses.

Considering the low voter turnoutjust 39,116 people cast a ballot in the runoff election, compared to nearly 330,000 who voted in the same district last Novemberthe Democrats intervention played a pivotal role in Ellzeys victory. In their attempt to snub Trumps pick, the Texas Democrats helped elevate a candidate who is no less reactionary.
Over recent days, southern Germany, Saxony and Berlin have seen further heavy rainfall and flooding. Heavy flooding was likewise reported in Belgium, the city of Dinant near Namur being particularly hard-hit.

Destroyed cars and piles of rubble at the entrance to Walporzheim (Credit: WSWS)

In the parts of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia hardest hit by floods last week, residents continue to wrestle with the great number of fatalities, injuries and the immense damage caused to homes, businesses, stores, restaurants, hotels, roads, bridges and the entire infrastructure system.

Over 131 people lost their lives in the Ahr Valley of Rhineland-Palatinate. The dead drowned in their houses and apartments or were swept away by the masses of water. The normally tranquil Ahr River became a raging torrent, in places rising eight meters (26 feet) within a few hours. At least 149 people are still missing.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, officials have confirmed 47 deaths from the storm. Here, too, houses, roads and basic infrastructure were destroyed. Belgium has suffered at least 36 fatalities.

Deutsche Bahn, the German railway company, estimates that the damage to tracks, stations and rolling stock in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia totals around 1.3 billion euro. By its figures, 600 kilometres of track, 50 bridges, dozens of stations and stops were affected.

Many areas hit by the floods still lack drinking water and electricity. Mobile phone networks remain widely disrupted. The damage to regional housing and infrastructure runs into the billions.

The emergency aid pledged so far by the federal and state governments, totalling 400 million euro, is but a drop in the bucket. This amounts to 1500 euro for a head of household and 500 euro for each additional family member, up to a maximum of 3500 euro.

Many of those affected doubt this aid will reach them promptly. Based on recent experience, notably the repercussions of the pandemic, residents fear that they will walk away entirely empty-handed, left to figure out how to recover on their own.

Of the approximately 50,000 people living along the Ahr River, more than 40,000 have been impacted by the flood. Emergency shelters for the newly homeless are often in deplorable condition. Mutual help and solidarity among residents has been tremendous; help from the state, on the other hand, is all but naught, as people from Ahrweiler told a team of reporters from the World Socialist Web Site last Thursday.

As explained by the WSWS in previous articles and statements, the disaster is not the outcome of an unavoidable natural occurrence. That the flood killed so many people and caused such devastation is a direct result of criminal inaction by federal and state governments over many years.

By the time residents were swept away by the deadly torrents, the government and authorities had long been warned but remained inactive, refusing to initiate evacuations and other protective measures. They did not even inform the population about the approaching danger.

The British Sunday Times reported that the first signs of the impending catastrophe had been indicated by satellite nine days before the flood occurred. Then, four days before the flood disaster, the European Flood Warning System (Efas) directly warned the German government. Further warnings, a full 24 hours before the event, predicted with pin-point precision which districts would be worst affected.

In its current cover story, entitled Schutzlos: Mehr als 170 Tote - Chronik einer vermeidbaren Katastrophe, [Defenceless: More than 170 deadChronicle of an avoidable catastrophe] the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel explores some aspects of the governments failure to take adequate precautions and warn the population.

Regarding warnings issued by the German Weather Service, meteorologists and scientists about the severe storms and attendant danger, Der Spiegel concludes: So it could have been anticipated. In fact, it must have been anticipated.

The magazine describes how roads were not closed despite the approaching deluge, warning systems were either non-existent or did not work, authorities underestimated the danger and existing disaster control structures did not interact.

The Spiegel report quotes a number of local politicians, among them Hubertus Kunz, the mayor of the small town of Mayschoss on the Ahr, who says he could not have imagined the water rising so high. When suddenly a level of more than five meters was predicted, he said he thought, theyre crazy, that cant possibly be right. At least one in four of the towns residents lost their homes in the flood and at least five people died. Knowing what we know today, we should have evacuated, Kunz said.

Der Spiegel also quotes local residents. They confirm that the warnings came too late and that authorities dramatically underestimated the impending disaster. Achim Lorenz, from the district of Ahrweiler, reports that the water level was already over 5.70 meters in the evening, far above previous flood levels.

All the alarm bells should have been ringing, Lorenz said. But it was not until much later, around midnight, that the fire department issued its first warning by loudspeaker. They simply asked people not to go into cellars and to stay on the upper floors. On this basis, really no one believed that a historic catastrophe was imminent.

For Lorenz, like many others, it is clear that governments and authorities are responsible for the fatalities. There was enough time to adequately warn and save people, he said, venting his anger. If those responsible had acted properly, probably not as many people would have died.

The Spiegel authors expressed concern about the growing anger and opposition among the population. Something has shifted in Germany, they note. It is the question of how safe people can still feel here. Whether citizens have the impression that the state protects them, whether they can rely on it when things get dangerous, life-threatening.

During the pandemic it became clear that Germany doesnt function nearly as well as assumed. The flood disaster now multiplies this unease: it proves how ill-prepared this country is for extreme situations.

Der Spiegel attributes the problems to gaps, omissions and a tussle over competencies between the federal government, the states, and the municipalities, as a result of which expertise is not called upon. This is nothing but diversion and an attempt to conceal the real causes. In both the flood and the pandemic, capitalism and its political representatives are responsible for the suffering and destruction.

In the pandemic, all governing parties deliberately allow the virus to spread and refuse to take the necessary measures to protect the population. Their main concern is to ensure the profits of the financial oligarchy, which enriched itself enormously over the last year. The consequence is over 91,000 deaths in Germany and more than four million, at least, worldwide.

The same inhuman indifference to the safety and lives of the population was again revealed in the flood disaster. Despite decades of warnings from scientists, nothing was done to address climate change. Disaster protection was bled dry, and investments urged by experts, such as a robust nationwide warning system, were ignored. Instead, billions were handed over to banks and corporations and flowed into military armament.

The ruling class is correctly concerned. After the initial shock, workers and youth will begin to draw far-reaching consequences from the experience, the WSWS writes in a recent comment. The struggle against climate change, like the struggle against the pandemic and the danger of fascism and war, is a political question, a question of revolutionary mobilization of the working class against capitalism.
A worker in protective suits takes a break amid graves at a newly opened cemetery for the victims of COVID-19 in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Indonesia is now experiencing more than 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 each day on a seven-day average and has become the epicenter of the pandemic in Asia and globally. With the Delta variant now dominant in the country and only 7 percent of the population fully vaccinated, confirmed daily cases have reached a peak of 50,000. However, because of a lack of sufficient testing, the positivity rate is hovering around 30 percent, implying a gross underestimation of the true extent of the community spread.

Coinciding with this catastrophic surge of cases and deaths has been a disturbing rise in hospitalizations and deaths among children, upending previous data that found that children infected with the virus face lower rates of mortality.

According to the Indonesian Pediatric Society, there have been more than 360,000 confirmed cases among children, accounting for one in eight infections. Additionally, over 700 children have died from COVID-19 in the last few weeks, at a rate of over 100 per week. Shockingly, over 150 children died during the week of July 12 alone, with half of these under the age of five.

Dr. Aman Bhakti Pulungan, head of the Indonesian Pediatric Society, told the New York Times, Our [child death rate] numbers are the highest in the world. Why are we not giving the best for our children?

Health authorities have noted that the rise in childhood deaths in Indonesia has coincided with the surge in the Delta variant of the coronavirus, underscoring the immense dangers facing children worldwide, the vast majority of whom remain unvaccinated in every country.

In Brazil, COVID-19 has become the leading cause of death among children ages 10-19, cutting down at least 1,581 youth in just the first six months of 2021. Another 1,187 children under 10 years old have succumbed to the virus since the start of the pandemic.

Even in more developed countries, where the Delta variant is surging, there is an attendant growth in child hospitalizations and deaths. In the UK, over 40 children are now being hospitalized with COVID-19 each day, alongside a general surge in the number of children becoming infected. Roughly 33,000 children ages 2-16 and 71,000 young people ages 1724 have gone on to develop Long COVID, with symptoms lasting beyond 12 weeks.

In the US, child hospitalizations are also surging. On Tuesday, Arkansas Childrens Hospital reported their highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations at any point in the pandemic, with 24 admitted with the virus that day alone. Officials noted that of the 24 children admitted, seven are in intensive care and four are on ventilators. None of the hospitalized children are fully vaccinated, despite more than half of them being eligible.

Similar surges of child infections and hospitalizations are taking place wherever the Delta variant is surging in the US, including in Florida, Alabama and throughout the South, as well as Missouri and a growing number of states.

Recent data from the UK indicates that the Delta variant has potentially more than doubled the risk of hospitalization within two weeks of contracting the virus over the same rates seen with the Alpha variant, which itself produced higher rates of hospitalization than the wild type of the virus.

In Indonesia, health experts have blamed the most recent wave of child infections on the gatherings and domestic travels surrounding Eid al-Fitr, a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide marking the end of Ramadan, which took place from May 1213. Many abandoned all precautions during these festivities with children in hand everywhere. The rise in deaths among children in Indonesia has largely been attributed to the fact that the health care systems are inundated with patients, which means limited access for pediatric cases.

Dr. Yasir Arafat, a medical physician and public health professional who offers technical advice to Save the Childrens COVID-19 response in Asia, stated in a press statement, Until now, children have been the hidden victims of this pandemic. Not anymore. Not only are countries like Indonesia seeing record numbers of children dying from the virus, but were also seeing an alarming rise in children missing out on routine vaccinations and nutrition services that are critical for their survival, which should ring major alarm bells. It is clear that, for children, the devastation of the past year will be felt long after the pandemic.

It has not yet been scientifically proven that the Delta variants virulence contributes to the relative rise in severity of disease and mortality among children, or whether it is primarily a byproduct of the circumstances around the near-collapse of the health care system, which is leading to delays in obtaining medical treatment. In either case, the capitalist politicians in every country are fully to blame, as they knowingly implement policies that will deepen the spread of the pandemic and lead to further suffering and death among children, adults and the elderly.

Adding to the mounting tragedy confronting the international working class, a recent study published in The Lancet reported that 1.5 million children worldwide have lost a parent, grandparent or caregiver due to COVID-19.

Project HOPEs Executive Director for Indonesia, Edhie Rahmat, based in Jakarta, issued a statement Sunday on the impact COVID-19 has had on maternal and neonatal mortality. He wrote, In Grobogan and Banyumas alone, there have been 85 maternal deaths already this year. That's more than double the rate for 2020. Most of these deaths happened within a two-month time period, directly coinciding with the second COVID-19 wave. Nearly 70 percent of maternal deaths this year have been the direct result of COVID-19 infection.

The statement added, The same areas have also reported 184 neonatal deaths and 231 infant deaths. I am struck by the images and stories Im receiving of dying newborn babies in some of the districts we support. These newborns are being released from hospitals with negative COVID-19 status, but later contracting COVID-19 and dying after being visited by neighbors and extended family members. It is heartbreaking.

Seizing on a slight decline in official infection figures in Jakarta, President Joko Widodo has announced that he will be easing restrictions this weekend, allowing small businesses and some shopping malls to reopen. These include traditional markets, vendors, and small local restaurants, even in the worst-hit regions of the country, despite warnings by health authorities that this will only lead to a resurgence of infections.
Bob Moses, the civil rights activist best known for his determined struggle in the early 1960s to win the right to vote for African Americans in the Jim Crow South, died at his home in Florida on July 25 at the age of 86. His life and contributions exemplify both the achievements as well as the limitations of the 1960s mass movement for democratic rights, and against racial segregation.

Though Moses name was not as well-known as those of Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders of that period, he was held in the highest regard within the Southern movement, and especially among the many Mississippians whose lives he touched and changed. He is best known as one of the organizers of Freedom Summer, also known as the Mississippi Summer Project, the 1964 campaign that drew more than 1,000 student volunteers from around the country to the state. They assisted Mississippi activists in working to register as many black voters as possible. At that time, only 6.7 percent of eligible African Americans had been able to overcome the Jim Crow roadblocks aimed at denying them the right to vote.

Bob Moses in 2014 (Wikimedia Commons)

Also in 1964, Moses was one of the founders of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), which sought recognition as the Mississippi delegation at that years Democratic convention. The convention nominated the sitting president, Lyndon Johnson, who had succeeded the assassinated John F. Kennedy only nine months earlier.

Moses was born and raised in Harlem. Exposed to reading and study as a child, he attended Stuyvesant High School and later went on to Hamilton College and to Harvard for graduate study in philosophy. He was teaching in a New York City high school in 1960 when he decided to move to Mississippi to devote himself full-time to the fight for civil rights. This was to become a truly mass movement, largely working class in composition, in the first half of the 1960s.

Soon joining the staff of the newly-formed Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Moses became known for his personal courage and calm in the face of white supremacist violence, and for his organizational skills and dedication to working on a local level, living and working among the poorest and most oppressed sections of the population.

As the New York Times reports, White segregationists, including local law enforcement officials, responded to his efforts with violence. At one point during a voter-registration drive, a sheriffs cousin bashed Mr. Moses head with a knife handle. Bleeding, he kept going, staggering up the steps of a courthouse to register a couple of black farmers. Only then did he seek medical attention. There was no black doctor in the county, Mr. Moses later wrote, so he had to be driven to another town, where nine stitches were sewn into his head.

This was by no means the only example of such violence, and Moses was arrested and jailed many times. By 1964, he had become co-director of the Council of Federated Organizations, an alliance of Mississippi civil rights groups. In this capacity, he was one of the principal organizers of Freedom Summer, which drew national and international attention, especially after the brutal murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner in late June. These killings were among the most prominent, but there were many more.

Moses was instrumental in rallying the volunteers after this vicious attack that had been organized by the Ku Klux Klansmen within the local police. Although he made clear that any volunteers would not be blamed if they wished to leave, very few did so. The campaign succeeded in mobilizing broad support, one of the main reasons for the passage of the Voting Rights Act, enacted by Congress the next year, after decades in which the ruling establishment of both capitalist parties had accepted Jim Crow restrictions without complaint.

At that years Democratic Party convention, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey only two months after the murders of Goodman, Schwerner and Chaney, and only weeks after their bodies had been discovered, the newly-organized and racially-integrated Freedom Democrats demanded to be seated as the official state delegation. Lyndon Johnson and his vice-presidential candidate, Hubert Humphrey, maneuvered to prevent this. Walter Mondale, future vice president and then Minnesota state Attorney General, announced a compromise, which gave the Freedom Democrats only two at-large seats, without voice or vote, out of a total delegation of 48.

Aaron Henry of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party before the credentials committee of the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City

Martin Luther King Jr., then working closely with the Johnson administration, pressured the Mississippians to accept the deal. The delegation, led by Fannie Lou Hamer, Bob Moses and Ella Baker, rejected this insulting offer, however. By this time, MFDP leader Fannie Lou Hamer had been able to address the conventions credentials committee, in testimony that was televised. Despite the MFDPs false perspective of transforming the Democrats, the proceedings had succeeded in exposing the rotten character of this big-business party.

I stomped out of the room, slamming the door in Hubert Humphreys face, Mr. Moses later recalled, in the book Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project. He called this a watershed in the movement.

Moses moved back to the North, where he became active in the growing movement against the war in Vietnam. Rather than drawing any deeper conclusions from the experiences of the civil rights struggle, however, he withdrew from activity at the wars peak. I will have nothing to do with the political system any longer, he is reported to have said in 1965.

Moses apparently saw the arrogant behavior of the political establishment primarily in racial rather than class terms. According to one account, he concluded that he would no longer work with whites. When he received a draft notice in 1966, even though he was by then five years beyond the age limit for draftees, he strongly suspected government retaliation for his political activity. He soon left the country, living in Tanzania from 1969 through 1976, returning to the US after newly-inaugurated president Jimmy Carter announced an amnesty for Vietnam War draft resisters. While in Africa he worked as a teacher, and also with the Tanzanian Ministry of Education.

Andrew Young, John Lewis and other 1960s civil rights figures entered elective office as capitalist politicians after the collapse of the movement. Moses did not take this path, but he had no progressive political alternative to offer. When he returned to the US, he completed his doctoral studies at Harvard and then began teaching math at a Cambridge, Massachusetts high school. He received a MacArthur Fellowship in 1982, and soon after began The Algebra Project, whose aim was to make students from poorer families fluent in mathematics, and specifically in algebra. As Moses wrote in Radical Equations, The political process has been openedthere are no formal barriers to voting, for examplebut economic access, taking advantage of new technologies and economic opportunity, demands as much effort as political struggle required in the 1960s.

Moses was correct in recognizing that the gains of the civil rights movement had revealed the economic challenges. These are not issues of access, however, but rather ones of exploitation and inequality that are the inevitable product of the capitalist system.

Moreover, as the crisis deepens, the democratic rights that have been won through past struggle are facing dire threats. Spearheaded by the fascistic Republican Party, state legislatures around the country are mounting the biggest attacks on voting rights since the days of Jim Crow. And the Democratic administration of Joe Biden, the president who issued a hypocritical tribute to Bob Moses after his death, made clear just last week that it will do absolutely nothing in the face of the brazen efforts to roll back the rights that millions fought for only two generations ago.

The expansion of educational opportunities is a laudable goal, but it could never be a substitute for confronting the fundamental class questions posed by the crisis of capitalism. In 2021, as The Algebra Project nears the 40th anniversary of its inception, that is clearer than ever. The vast majority of young people, including many, if not most of those trained in mathematics, are unable to use their skills and earn a decent living. The issue is not equipping the poor for the hypercompetitive job market, but ensuring for everyone both high-quality education and well-paying jobs.

The life of Bob Moses raises the fundamental class contradictions of the civil rights movement. While the mass movement in the South was overwhelmingly working class in composition, it remained under the leadership of the middle class, forces which limited the struggle to what the capitalist status quo could afford. What is urgently needed is a class perspective, turning to, organizing and uniting the working class of all races, religions and ethnicities, breaking with both parties of the capitalist system, and fighting for socialism.
The campaign being carried out against mass vaccination is thoroughly right-wing and must be opposed by workers throughout the world. Under conditions of the global pandemic of a lethal virus, which has killed more than four million people, according to official figures (in reality, far more than 10 million), mass vaccination is an elementary requirement of public health and the self-defense of the working class.

Even the presentation of the issue as one of vaccine mandates is false to the core, since it treats the issue of vaccination as if it is some sort of infringement on personal liberty. In fact, no individual has the right to infect others and endanger their lives.

A health worker administers a dose of Janssen Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

The safeguarding of public health in a mass society depends on a whole host of regulations: the wearing of seatbelts and speed limits, proscriptions against drunk driving and smoking in public places, maximum occupancies for buildings, rules for handicapped parking and many other measures. Then there are the achievements won through bitter struggle by the working class (and everywhere under attack) like the eight-hour day and the prohibition of child labor.

It is always the most right-wing forces that oppose the protection of social rights by raising the banner of individual rights, the most notorious of which is the right of profit.

As for vaccinations, this is now a routine requirement for foreign travel, frequently to protect travelers against diseases in the countries they are visiting, to which they may lack native immunity, but also against widespread diseases like tuberculosis and malaria. These are protections against death and severe illness, not infringements on personal liberty.

It is, likewise, commonplace that children are required to have their shots before attending school, including against MMR, polio and other illnesses, despite the criminally irresponsible efforts of anti-vaxxer groups. Once a version of the COVID-19 vaccine is developed that is effective and safe for children, which hopefully is only months away, that should become a compulsory requirement for school attendance as well.

There is nothing in the least progressive about the campaign against vaccine mandates. It is based on appeals to ignorance, fear and anti-scientific prejudice. Those who are campaigning against vaccinations by claiming they are an intolerable violation of personal liberty are peddling anarchism and libertarianism, which has nothing in common with the interests of the working class.

It should come as no surprise that the trade unions, which have done nothing to protect workers against the pandemic, have joined in the campaign. The Service Employees International Union, which refused to fight the wave of infections and deaths in nursing homes last year, called a demonstration last week in New York City against mandatory vaccination of health care workers. There, Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers, who has demanded the reopening of all schools for in-person instruction regardless of the pandemic, mouthed phrases against vaccine requirements because of the need for everyone to feel safe and welcome in their workplaces.

Given the fact that the consequences of an infected person working in a crowded workplace, school or hospital can be catastrophic, the requirement that he or she be vaccinated is entirely legitimate and necessary.

It is unavoidable that anyone who has access to a vaccine but refuses to get it cannot be allowed to work beside others. In such cases, the individual should be placed on furlough, which can be brought to an end as soon as he is vaccinated. This must be combined with a systematic public education campaign, led by medical experts and health care workers, to explain the benefits and insignificant risks of being protected against COVID-19.

To pose the problem as one of individual negligence, however, is fundamentally wrong. It is not workers who are responsible for the catastrophic spread of COVID-19, but the ruling class. A genuine change in public attitudes involving millions of people is possible only under conditions in which there is an industrial and political movement of the working class against the entire policy of the financial oligarchy in response to the pandemic.

The campaign against vaccine mandates is the latest stage in the opposition of the ruling class to all necessary measures to stop the spread of the pandemic. It is truly tragic that many of those who have been entrapped by this campaign, by failing to take a vaccination are placing their own lives and the lives of family members and co-workers at grave risk.

Not only has there been no mass education campaign to promote vaccination, but there has been a systematic miseducation campaign from the ruling class throughout the pandemic, combined with the longer-term promotion of reactionary anti-scientific conceptions.

The entire response of the ruling class to the pandemic has been shot through with deceit and criminality: from the initial downplaying of the danger, to the efforts to force workers back to work even as the pandemic was still spreading, to the lying claim that it was China that was responsible for mass death and not the capitalist oligarchy that refused to take the necessary measures to stop it.

The policies of the Biden administration, building on those of the Trump administration, seem almost deliberately calculated to fuel public skepticism. Trump and his fascistic followers denounced all public health measures from the beginning, attacking lockdowns and pledging to liberate Michigan and other states with even limited restrictions. Republican-ruled states now have the noxious combination of low vaccination percentages and accelerating infection rates as the Delta variant runs wild. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey now blames the soaring coronavirus toll on the unvaccinated, but it was her own party that led the campaign against taking the threat of the pandemic seriously.

The Biden administration set as its top priority the reopening of in-person education, regardless of the impact on teachers and students, so that parents could be sent back to work in factories and offices. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended its regulations on mask mandates following the Biden administrations claim that the pandemic was effectively over. It has been compelled to partially backtrack and advocate mask-wearing for the vaccinated under limited circumstances only because the explosive growth of the Delta variant made some change unavoidable.

Mass vaccination is only one component of what must be a global effort to eradicate the virus, through masking, social distancing, mass testing and the shutdown of nonessential production until the entire population of the world has been made safe. Such an effort, to be paid for by the trillions accumulated by the super-rich, requires the political intervention of the working class against the policies of the capitalist ruling elite, which at every point prioritizes profits over human life and the interests of rival nation-states over the collective needs of humanity.

On a global scale, the vast majority of humanity has as yet no access to vaccines at all, as the vaccine-producing countries in the industrialized world have hoarded virtually the entire supply. Barely one percent of the population of Africa have been fully vaccinated. The rates in South and Southeast Asia are not much better. And the vast social polarization in every capitalist country means that the wealthy and the upper-middle class may have easy access to vaccination, but the poor have virtually none.

This is true in the wealthy countries as well. A major obstacle to vaccination in the United States is poverty, both for those living in urban slums and those in rural isolation. One recent study found that, according to Census Bureau data, more than half of unvaccinated Americans live in households with incomes of less than $50,000 annually. The studys authors remarked that in explaining the failure to get an inoculation, despite an ample supply of vaccines, juggling work schedules and child care could be bigger factors than politics.

The policy of the working class must combine political intransigence and patient explanation. The development of a class-conscious labor movement, through the organization of rank-and-file safety committees in every workplace, would enable workers, particularly those in health care, to become advocates in a political campaign to require vaccination and protect their class from the deadly danger of the pandemic.

The fight against the pandemic is not simply a medical issue. It requires a political struggle of the working class against the capitalist system. The response to the pandemic in the interests of public health requires a global plan and global coordination, which is possible only through the building of an international revolutionary leadership and the taking of power by the working class.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse told a meeting with teacher union officials on Tuesday that the government was not in a financial position to address their wage demands. Over 200,000 public school teachers have been holding a national online learning strike since July 12 to win higher salaries.

Teachers are also demanding withdrawal of the Kotelawala National Defence University Act (KNDUA), which will be debated in parliament next month. If the Act is passed, the military-controlled university will be able to establish more private fee-paying courses. The Act is part of the governments moves towards the privatisation of education and the militarisation of society.

Joint teachers protest outside Colombo Secretariat July 23 [WSWS Media]

The teachers wage demands were rejected on Monday at the weekly meeting of cabinet of ministers, which is chaired by President Gotabhaya Rajapakse, citing Sri Lankas economic crisis. The economy has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse was appointed to head a sub-committee and directed to meet with teacher union officials on Tuesday. Those attending included leaders of the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU), the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-controlled Ceylon Teachers Service Union (CTSU), the pseudo-left Frontline Socialist Party affiliated United Teachers Service Union, and officials from other educators unions.

According to media reports, Mahinda Rajapakse claimed that the government knew that the wage issue needs to be resolved. However, he then said that under the present global situation and the countrys financial predicament, the government was not in a position to rectify the salary issue at this moment.

The prime minister cynically assured the assembled union bureaucrats that the matter would be discussed with the salaries commission and a decision taken soon.

An official statement from the Prime Ministers Office indicates that the teachers union leadership fully endorsed the governments position. They urged the prime minister to take a policy decision to reduce salary anomalies, adding that they had a clear understanding that an immediate increment for the salaries is not possible due to the current economic crisis in the country.

In other words, the unions have betrayed the teachers salary demands once again, and are now working to shut down all industrial action on the basis of another empty promise from the government to reduce the salary anomalies at some unspecified future date.

The teachers unions first called for wage increases 24 years ago, in 1997, and have systematically betrayed every struggle by teachers since then on the basis of bogus government promises.

Addressing a media conference on Tuesday, teacher union officials, who are nervous about the rising anger of their members, did not reveal that they had accepted the governments dictates.

Attempting to put on a brave face, CTSU secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe simply told the media that talks with government had failed. Fearing that any attempt to immediately shut down the strike could see the unions lose control, Jayasinghe said the strike would continue.

Social unrest and working-class anger are rising across the country in response to the efforts of the Rajapakse government and big business to offload the burden of the economic crisis on to the working masses.

Yesterday, university teachers held a one-day strike against the KNDUA. On the same day, hundreds of nurses from several hospitals participated in a lunch-hour protest called by the Government Nursing Officers Union over worsening conditions in the health system.

Last month, the nurses unions betrayed national strike action by 25,000 nurses over 14 demands, including professional and risk allowances, staff grade positions with a legitimate promotion system and the easing of unbearable workloads, after agreeing to similar empty promises from the government.

Starting on July 26, teachers stepped up their industrial action, by withdrawing from practical examination-related duties for GCE Ordinary Levels, Sri Lankas major exams for Grade 11 students. They have also placed bans on preparing student applications for Advanced Level Examinations.

The mainstream media has unleashed a vicious campaign against the striking teachers. An editorial in the Island newspaper yesterday stated that government teachers deserve a better deal but added, the question is whether this is the right time for salary increases in the public sector. The economy is also on oxygen support.

Parroting the governments line, the editorial declared the pay hike would mean tax increases and the aggravation of the woes of the public struggling to keep the wolf from the door. It then praised the Rajapakse administration, stating that it is heartening that the government has paid off a one-billion-dollar bond debt before deadline and is helping to boost investor confidence.

Government, big business and their media are united in their efforts to ensure that profits come before human lives. The struggles of teachers, health workers and other public sector workers further reveal that the unions are aiding and abetting the ruling elites efforts to impose the burden of the worsening economic crisis on the working class and the poor.

The Socialist Equality Party urges teachers to reject the sell-out being organised by the unions on behalf of the government and take up the program of struggle for the independent mobilisation of the working class as outlined in the Teacher-Student-Parent Safety Committee (TSPSC) statement on July 26.

We urge teachers, students and workers to attend tomorrows online meeting on July 30 at 7 p.m. and take forward a discussion of these policies and the vital issues facing the working class. Please register for the meeting here.

Several teachers from across island who plan to attend tomorrow nights TSPSC online meeting commented to the WSWS.

Sadeera, a physics teacher from Colombo, said: While it is important that the school teachers are protesting against the privatisation of education, the trade unions and student unions are not doing anything to unite this struggle.

The number of people participating this time in the teachers action looks higher than ever but it is the same old program. The government is already opposed to a pay rise for teachers so when the government says no to our demands, teachers must unite with other workers and challenge the government.

Dharmarathna, an Advanced Level teacher at a school in Homagama, a Colombo suburb, said: Even though it is a highly responsible job, teachers salaries are very low. This is the result of the slashing of free education by every government.

Although the government has banned protests, alleging them to be a violation of quarantine laws, it has allowed companies to bring workers to factories and sacrifice their lives for the pandemic and boost profits. So far teachers have listened to what the union leaders say but I believe we need to have a completely different program to take forward this struggle.

Pamuditha, a teacher from Matugama in the Western Province, said: The recent struggles of teachers, health workers and peasants reveal a huge social crisis in the country. The pressure on teachers has been doubled down because they have to be involved in online education but without any government support.

Mahesh, a teacher from Polonnaruwa, the second-largest city in the North Central Province, said: Teachers have been forced to fight in response to falling incomes, the stoppage of tuition classes and skyrocketing living costs. We should not allow the trade unions to derail the teachers opposition this time. A wide fighting front should be built by teachers, students and parents against the trade unions betrayal by joining the Teacher-Student-Parent Safety Committee.
A report by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), released this week, has pointed to the severe financial deprivation and social crisis that are being inflicted on working class households as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens in Australia.

The ACOSS report reveals that requests for food parcels, inquiries about financial assistance and online searches for emergency relief have soared since the beginning of the current outbreak of the Delta variant, centred in Sydney, Australias most populous city.

Unemployed workers outside an inner-western Sydney Centrelink office in March 2020 [Source: WSWS Media]

The corporate media has imposed a virtual blackout on the report, which shows that those most affected are people thrown out of work, especially casualised low-paid workers, the households trying to survive on sub-poverty-level welfare payments and international workers and students, who have been denied all government income support.

Thus far, the Delta outbreak has risen to above 200 new infections daily in Sydney, with smaller numbers in other states, not the many thousands of cases in other countries. No less than elsewhere, however, governments are imposing on the working class the full burden of the disaster that they have created by refusing to take the necessary measures to protect the population from the pandemic.

For ten days, after infections were first recorded in Sydney on June 16, the New South Wales (NSW) government refused to impose any shutdown measures, in line with the demands of the corporate elite for no restrictions that could affect profits, only expanding some mask mandates.

The subsequent stay at home orders exempted a wide range of non-essential retail, manufacturing and other business operations. As a result, the outbreak continued to spread across the Greater Sydney region and into the neighbouring states of Victoria and South Australia.

The ACOSS report shows that between the start of the partial Sydney lockdown on June 26, and July 14, online searches for emergency relief services rose by more than 800 percent through Ask Izzy. This is a mobile website that connects people in need with housing, a meal, health and wellbeing services, family violence support and counselling.

Searches for financial assistance on Ask Izzy doubled in Sydney during the same period. Foodbank, which provides food relief, was processing as many hampers a day as it did in a week, before the limited lockdown began2,500 to 3,500 daily.

International students, many of whom normally work part-time but are excluded from government income support, had made 20,000 requests for food hampers since July 6.

The impact has gone beyond Sydney because infections have spread to other areas and because the economic slump in Sydney, a major industrial and logistics hub, affects the entire country. By July 19, Foodbank had a backlog of over 10,000 food relief requests across the state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

As at July 22, Foodbank reported that over 12,163 emergency relief hampers had been distributed to lockdown areas across Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the NSW Central Coast and Wollongong, an increase of 160 percent compared to the previous level of need. Foodbank also reported an overall 37.5 percent increase in food parcel distribution.

Similar signs appeared in Victoria during a COVID-19 lockdown from May 27 to June 10. There was a 120 percent increase in searches for emergency relief, with almost one in four searches relating to food relief. Searches for financial assistance rose by 76 percent.

At the end of March, the federal Liberal-National Coalition government scrapped its JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme, which had earlier given employers up to $750 a week to pass onto their employees, and cut the JobSeeker dole payments back to the below-poverty level of $315 a week, or $44 a day.

Young people, including students who are living independently and entitled to government support, were cast back into an even worse situation. Youth and Austudy allowances are just $256 per week, or $36 a day.

These social security payments are not enough to live on. If a welfare recipient is living in a private rental residence, they may also get Rent Assistance of up to $70 per week. Yet median rent for a unit in Greater Sydney is $495 per week, leaving a huge gap.

The JobKeeper and JobSeeker cuts were a deliberate drive to coerce workers into low-paid work, thus intensifying the use of the pandemic to slash the wages and conditions of workers across the board. The government has since refused to reinstate even the small JobKeeper subsidies and JobSeeker supplements.

Yesterday, in an attempt to head off mounting discontent, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced an increase in Covid Disaster Payments for laid-off workers from $600 to $750 per week, and for part-time workers from $375 to $450 per week. People on welfare who lost more than eight hours of employment per week can apply for payment top-ups of up to $200 a week.

All these amounts still fall far below what is needed to live in Sydney. The state Coalition government in NSW has placed a ban on evictions for now, but there is no rent relief, so many tenants confront soaring rental debts that they cannot pay off.

A related ACOSS survey produced some accounts from people affected by the crisis. Their responses gave a picture of the escalating financial and social stress.

One respondent said: Every fortnight I have to decide whether to use the $40 I have left after rent and bills to buy my prescription medication or food. My landlord hasnt raised my rent since the start of the pandemic, but thats not fair on him and his family. Even with that kindness, I still lose 85 percent of my JobSeeker allowance in rent. How is that sustainable?!

A student who lost hospitality work because of the pandemic, wrote: After $280 rent I have about $40 a week to survive. This barely covers the cost of groceries. On top of that I have medical bills, phone bills, utility bills, car payments and so on. I also resume uni classes soon and will need textbooks, stationery supplies etc., and the costs of transport/parking. This is simply impossible on Youth Allowance alone.

An ACOSS analysis of Department of Social Security figures also shows that the western and southwestern local government areas in Sydney with the strictest lockdown requirements, such as Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown, cover federal electorates with the highest numbers of people on welfare payments and low incomes in NSW.

In these suburbs, which have the highest levels of infection because they are home to the greatest numbers of frontline workers, only workers whose positions are deemed critical are permitted to leave their districts in order to work. These restrictions are being enforced by a heavy police presence, unlike more affluent eastern areas of the city, where the outbreak began.

People in these working-class areas are being doubly targeted. Not only are they being impoverished but they are also being subjected to police-state conditions, designed to intimidate them under conditions of rising social and political disaffection.
The COVID-19 pandemic is surging throughout South Asia, home to a quarter of the worlds population, with more than 34 million cases and nearly 480,000 deaths reported so far. The real figures are doubtless several times of these numbers, which are notoriously under-counted. The main responsibility lies with capitalist governments, who keep the economy open to guarantee big business profits, despite warnings from medical experts and epidemiologists.

People queue up for COVID-19 vaccine in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Despite the spread of the pandemic fueled by the more dangerous Delta variant, governments are abandoning measures to control the virus, including lockdowns, mass testing, or contact tracing. Even under limited so-called lockdowns, non-essential businesses are allowed to carry on daily work, with factories open, forcing workers to go to work under unsafe conditions, leading to further spread of the virus. With underfunded public hospitals overflowing with COVID-19 patients and lacking oxygen and other crucial supplies, the death toll may rise by millions more.

While the official figures show more than 422,000 lives have been lost to COVID-19 in India, the actual figures are likely ten times higher, between three to five million, according to a study by the US-based Center for Global Development. The public health system is so run-down that most Indians rely on the private hospitals and have to pay about 63 percent of their medical expenses from their personal income. Without health insurance, a mountain of medicals bills is drowning ordinary Indians in debt.

On top of this, the pandemic has pushed 230 million people into poverty. Ordinary people are now starting to sell their gold jewelry after failing to find another job or to start a small business. This is especially the case in rural India. The Indian middle class has shrunk by 32 million in 2020, and inequality is soaring. Even before the pandemic, in 2019, the top one percent of India controlled 21.7 percent of the national income, while the bottom 50 percent had 13 percent. The pandemic has further intensified these obscene levels of social inequality.

A new wave of the pandemic is underway. A recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology study predicted that by the end of 2021, India will be the worst-affected nation with 287,000 new cases per day. With the public health care system already strained and almost non-existent in rural areas predicted to be badly hit by the pandemic, a catastrophe is looming.

Pakistan also faces another wave of death, as it passed the one million COVID-19 cases mark last Friday. Already, 23,087 deaths had been officially recorded by Tuesday, the second-highest in the Indian sub-continent. Hospitals are at capacity or turning patients away as COVID-19 infections surge in Karachi, Pakistans largest city and its industrial and financial center. The Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Karachi found that the Delta variant is dominant in Karachi, accounting for as many as 92.2 percent of infections.

The health crisis in Karachi shows what could rapidly engulf other Pakistani cities if the virus is allowed to spread unchecked. Even Pakistans strained urban health care systems are absent in suburbs and rural areas. Amid the global crisis in vaccine production and distribution, only two per cent of the 216 million Pakistan population have been vaccinated.

The disaster in Pakistan is due both to the criminal negligence and indifference of the major imperialist powers who have controlled vaccine production, and the contempt for workers and toilers of the Pakistani regime in Islamabad. Prime Minister Imran Khan has refused to allocate funds and resources crucial to effectively controlling and suppressing the virus. Instead, his government has limited itself to calls to wear masks, and other limited measures.

Even official figures show that Bangladeshs situation is very severe. It recorded a record toll of coronavirus, with 15,192 infections and 247 deaths on Monday morning. On Sunday, at least 228 deaths were reported. The total number of cases now stands at over 1.2 million and deaths over 20,000. If the pandemic maintains its current pace, there will soon be no space left in hospitals for patients, the Dhaka government warned on Sunday.

Bangladeshs health care system is already overwhelmed and facing a shortage of key supplies, such as medical oxygen, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and ICU beds. Oxygen demand is about to exceed national oxygen production capability, and hospitals are struggling to treat the unprecedented surge of patients. Vaccination is very slow: Al Jazeera noted on July 27 that only 2.6 percent of Bangladeshs 165 million population had been vaccinated with both doses.

The pandemic has intensified the already appalling social crisis in the country. Over the last year, a further 20 million were added to the 40 million people who lived below the poverty line before the pandemic hit Bangladesh. An alarming rise of dengue fever has also been reported.

In Nepal, more than 688,000 are infected with COVID-19, and the death toll has reached 10,000, according to official figures. About four percent of the countrys 28 million population has been fully vaccinated so far; only 2.61 million Nepalis had received their first doses by July 8.

The pandemic has led to the collapse of Nepals economy, which relies heavily on remittances from migrant workers and tourism. On July 19, the Kathmandu Post wrote that the central bank Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari warned that external sector stability remained precarious due to an exponential rise in the trade deficit coupled with the unavailability of means to curb it in the near future.

In Sri Lanka, the official death toll is over 4,000 and COVID-19 cases have exceeded 300,000, though the real figures are no doubt much higher. President Gotabhaya Rajapakses government keeps lifting health restrictions, even as the Delta variant spreads in Sri Lanka. It is ignoring repeated warnings by the medical professionals that the country faces a fourth wave of the virus. Facing massive debts and a crisis of its foreign currency reserves, it is desperate to boost exports and has pressed industries to continue operations, putting profits before lives.

Not only South Asia, but the entire Asian region is severely hit by the pandemic. This region was home to the 51 percent of the worlds 688 million malnourished people last year. A report by the World Health Organization and UN agencies showed that the number of food-insecure Asians doubled to 265 million in 2020, mainly due to under-investment in social protections.

It noted that most the worlds 74.5 million stunted children under age five live in South Asia. Even before the pandemic, in 2019, nearly 350 million people in South Asia faced severe food insecurity.
As the Taliban seize large parts of Afghanistan following the US military withdrawal, conflicts are erupting in the Turkish ruling elite over their presence in Afghanistan. Warning of a wave of immigration from Central Asia, the bourgeois opposition parties are attacking the government from the right, seeking to divide the working class along national lines.

Map of Afghanistan's districts, July 23 [Credit: Long War Journal]

The withdrawal of US forces announced by President Joe Biden in April is now 95 percent complete, according to the Pentagon, and will be completed by the end of August. Only some 650 troops are left in Afghanistan to guard the massive US embassy and the Kabul airport. According to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, the Taliban has seized about half of the countrys 419 district centers. Just last month, it held only 81 centers.

Many countries, including Russia and China, are signaling a compromise with the Taliban in anticipation of their likely military victory in Afghanistan. Officials from Turkey, the only NATO power with troops in the country apart from the US and Norway, which operates a field hospital, are stating that they see the Taliban as a potential Afghan government.

On July 20, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: There are some issues that the Taliban are uncomfortable with. By negotiating this process with the Taliban, just as the Taliban made some of the talks with the United States, the Taliban should hold these talks with Turkey much more comfortably He added: I believe that we will negotiate better and agree on these issues.  We have nothing against their beliefs.

While Erdogan hypocritically criticizes imperial powers for their bloody 20-year war in Afghanistan, in which the Turkish ruling elites acted as accomplices, he aims to have a say in Afghan politics by moving closer to the same imperialist powers, especially Washington.

Erdogan then described his governments approach on Afghanistan: We also stood by our Afghan brothers against all imperial powers.  Now there is a new era. Three main authorities are seen here: NATO, the United States and Turkey. The United States announced its decision to withdraw from the region, but Kabul airport has been operated by Turkey for 20 years. And the United States also wanted Kabul airport to be operated by Turkey after that.

Then, he announced the conditions on which his government would serve as a lackey of imperialism, saying: We are currently looking at this positively. But we have some conditions from the United States.  First, the United States will be on our side at the point of diplomacy, in diplomatic relations. Secondly, [the United States] will mobilize their means for us at the logistics point and will transfer whatever power they have to Turkey in terms of logistics. Also Turkey would need financial and administrative support during this process.

However, the Taliban have already said that foreign troops, including Turkish forces, should be withdrawn from Afghanistan and that remaining foreign forces would be considered hostile. Against Turkeys decision to remain in Afghanistan, the Taliban issued an 8-point statement titled Statement of Islamic Emirate concerning extension of occupation by Turkish forces in Afghanistan on July 13.

It concluded with this warning: If Turkish officials fail to reconsider their decision and continue the occupation of our country, the Islamic Emirate and the Afghan nationin line with their religious, conscientious and patriotic dutywill take a stand against them as they have stood against the two-decade occupation, in which case the responsibility for all consequences shall fall on shoulders of those who interfere in the affairs of others and make such ill-advised decisions.

The governments Afghan policy was tactically criticized by the bourgeois opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) despite the CHPs strong orientation to NATO and the United States. In a July 16 statement, partys spokesperson Faik Oztrak said: Our Turkish soldiers are not a shield to be put in front of the Taliban, just because it makes possible a deal with Biden and America. ... Dont do this. Otherwise, Erdogan and his AK Party will be responsible for all damages that [are] suffered [by] our soldiers.

The CHP made clear its nationalist and pro-imperialist orientation, however, by attacking refugees fleeing Afghanistan, with complete indifference for their plight. Oztrak continued: Afghans fleeing the Taliban are transiting through Iran and flocking to Turkey. With whom did you agree to take these Afghans into our country? ... If the necessary measures are not taken, unfortunately, a new and great migration wave awaits Turkey.

Through its long border with Iran, Turkey is a transit point to Europe for refugees fleeing war, persecution and poverty from Central Asian countries devastated by imperialist interventions. Many also seek asylum in Turkey.

Along this route, immigrants face many deadly dangers apart from human trafficking, fraud, ill treatment and racist attacks. Many lose their lives trying to reach the shores of Greece by crossing the Aegean Sea in makeshift boats or while entering Turkey from Iran from Lake Van. Last year, 61 Afghan and Pakistani immigrants lost their lives when their boat sank in Lake Van. The nearly 5 million refugees and immigrants in Turkey, including at least 3.5 million Syrian refugees, represent a significant fraction of the 80 million refugees fleeing war and poverty worldwide.

The Turkish government is moreover building a wall on its Iranian border, following the policies of Fortress Europe and the US in building of a border wall with Mexico.

Turkish Deputy Minister of Interior Ismail Catakl recently announced that with a budget of 108 million euros, which envisages the establishment of 141 surveillance and 109 communication towers, 85 command control centers and 329 wireless sensor sets on the eastern borders of our country, we will have opportunity of uninterrupted and effective surveillance thanks to the observation and communication towers and command control centers to be established on the 560-kilometer Iranian border.

CHP Chairman Kemal Klcdaroglu reacted to these reactionary anti-refugee policies by blaming Syrian refugees for their economic difficulties and threatening to deport them. He said: There are serious complaints. People who cant make ends meet and are unemployed complain about Syrians, and we may face much more serious dilemmas in the coming period as a society. We have to solve this problem.

In reality, the CHP itself bears direct responsibility for the horrific conditions facing Syrian refugees, as it supported NATO operations and Turkish cross-border military operations into Syria that have devastated the country over the last decade.

Recently, a far-right campaign has unfolded against refugees in Turkey, both in corporate and social media, aiming to disorient growing working-class opposition as anger builds at the ruling elites criminal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This xenophobic lynch-mob atmosphere, especially incited by pro-bourgeois opposition parties and media, paves the way for fascistic attacks not only against refugees but against the entire working class.

CHPs right-wing nationalism against defenseless refugees also exposes pseudo-left groups, who have supported it against the Erdogan government as a progressive alternative in last elections.

The fight against imperialist occupation and for the defense of refugees and democratic rights is inseparable from the unification of the oppressed masses of the Middle East and Central Asia, led by the working class in a common struggle for socialism. Borders must be opened and immigrants released from detention camps so they can study, live and work as they please with full democratic rights, including citizenship rights.
The GMB and Unite trade unions, the Scottish National Party government and SNP-run Glasgow City Council, along with business groups, have issued a begging letter to Turkish-owned Pladis food group to save 472 threatened jobs at its McVitie's biscuit factory in Tollcross, Glasgow.

The McVities biscuit factory in Tollcross, Glasgow (credit: WSWS media)

The central aim of the Pladis Action Groups appeal is to divert mass opposition to the closure among McVitie's workers and the wider community, behind a campaign to convince the giant transnational to retain investment in Scotland and thereby secure the interests of the trade union apparatus and the Scottish ruling elite.

According to financial analysis by Glasgow City Council, the closure will cost the local economy 50 million per year, cutting nearly 500 jobs at the plant and a total of 864 full-time equivalent jobs, including those within the supply chain and the local economy. It will reap social devastation in the impoverished working class area of Glasgows East End, which has been blighted by decades of de-industrialisation and austerity. Over 80,000 people have signed a petition calling for the plant to be kept open.

Only the action group members and Pladis' management know the full content of the proposals, which have not been made available to McVitie's workers. Press reports suggest that it involves closing the current factory, built in 1925, possibly selling off the land on which it stands, and using cash accrued to build another plant nearby in the Clyde Gateway regeneration area covering Bridgeton, Dalmarnock and Rutherglen. The proposal is being sold to Pladis as potentially more profitable than its current intention to close the Glasgow plant in the second half of 2022 and shift production to other UK based locations, including Carlisle, Manchester and Harlesden. Pladis intends to shut the Glasgow plant, citing excess capacity at its UK sites.

The proposal underscores the role of the trade unions as partners in workers' ever greater exploitation and the main instrument serving to divide workers on national, regional and workplace lines.

There is no information regarding:

how many, if any, of the current workforce will be retained under the proposal

what wages and conditions workers will be offered

what is proposed to happen to workers between the current factory closing and being sold off, and a new one being built

how much taxpayers cash is going to be handed over to Pladis as a sweetener in return for it ditching reorganisation plans. Pladis is already in receipt of 1 million of public cash, handed over in 2014, for no obvious return.

Nor has any impact assessment been released of the plan on other McVitie's and Pladis workers. Instead, trade union officials and the SNP are appealing purely to Pladis' bottom line. GMB Scotland organiser David Hume told the Sunday Post, We believe the proposal offers Pladis everything it needs to maintain manufacturing in the east end of Glasgow for the next generation, ensuring employment and opportunity for the local community that depends on it.

Unite industrial officer Pat McIlvogue echoed Hume, pledging that a new factory will produce efficiency savings and make this one of the most advanced biscuit manufacturing sites in the UK.

McIlvogue reiterated the basic falsehood on which the entire trade union pitch is based. Unite is asking that Pladis the owners of the factory study and positively engage with us on this proposal because we believe that everyone can win from this most importantly the hundreds of jobs at stake in the local community.

Everybody wins? But the basic operations of capitalism dictate that if Pladis and its multi-billionaire owner 'wins', through being able to extract more profit from its global workforce than under current arrangements, then workers loseeither by facing higher levels of exploitation in the factories kept open, or by losing their jobs. For the GMB and Unite, a new, super exploitative factory in Glasgow, forcing the closure of an older plant in say, Manchester, with hundreds of jobs lost there, would count as a 'win'.

The announcement follows weeks in which the trade unions, and their allies in the Scottish pseudo-left, have worked to divert workers at the factory and their supporters from launching a serious struggle to defend jobs based on an appeal to McVitie's workers in Britain and across Pladis global operation and the broadest layers of the working class. No strike ballot has been called, or even any proposal for industrial action, in Tollcross or anywhere. No appeal has been made by the unions to any McVitie's workers outside of Glasgow.

Instead, while production has continued at all McVitie's plants, the GMB and Unite took to flag waving, while absurdly threatening to campaign for a Scotland only consumer boycott of McVitie's biscuits. The GMB's Hume said Pladis Managing director David Murray is intent on his company turning its back on Scotland and it is understandable that, for as long as the factory is under threat, the people of Scotland may exercise their considerable consumer power and turn their back on McVities products.'

As part of this 'campaign', customers of retail giant Marks and Spencer (M&S) were encouraged to write to M&S CEO Steve Rowe demanding he lend his support in keeping open the Tollcross plant. M&S sells rebranded McVitie's biscuits. This bankrupt appeal is being made to the same Rowe who last year organised 7,000 job losses from M&Ss 78,000 workforce, and earlier this year threatened thousands more if his company was not handed business rate concessions by the Conservative government.

This did not stop Scottish Socialist Party industrial organiser Ritchie Venton from calling on Rowe to solidarise with McVitie's workers! Venton posted to the Scottish Workers Solidarity Network Facebook page, 'There is no middle road for the M&S bosses. They either side with the workers and demand that the multinational Pladis profiteers who own McVitie's halt this closure, or the reputation of Marks and Spencer will be tarnished along with that of the Pladis bosses.'

Aside from defending the reputation of M&S, Venton endorsed calls from the unions for Glasgow City Council to block any planning application to build flats on the site of the McVitie's factory, should it be demolished without Pladis approval for a new factory. This is as close as Venton and the unions come to suggesting that Pladis should bear any sanction whatsoever for its decision to wreck hundreds of workers livelihoods, pitching families and whole communities into deep uncertainty and poverty.

There is no way forward for McVitie's workers with these organisations, or their left talking apologists. The transformation of the nationally-based and pro-capitalist trade unions into corporate allies is an international phenomenon rooted in the globalisation of the production process and cannot be reversed. Scotland has seen countless factory closures where struggles were diverted behind campaigns designed to appeal to corporate social responsibility.

Workers at McVities are posed with developing the means and organisations of struggle in defence of jobs and living standards in which their interests take precedence over the profit imperatives of Pladis. The first step must be the formation of a rank-and-file committee, organised independently of the trade unions. The Socialist Equality Party urges workers to study the call of the International Committee for an International Workers Alliance of Rank and File Committees and contact us to discuss the fight ahead.
When crews battling the massive Bootleg Fire saw wind-driven flames race across the treetops, they had one option: retreat.

"We had a running crown fire, which means that the fire has reached the top of the trees and being pushed by the wind" moving at 30 mph, firefighter Eric West told CNN. "We all had to use our escape routes and pull back to a safety zone."

West and other firefighters spoke with a CNN crew in southern Oregon on Thursday about the hazards of battling the Bootleg Fire, which has consumed more than 400,000 acres and turned into the nation's largest active blaze since starting July 6.

The wildfire's growth slowed late this week, due partly to a change in humidity and lighter winds, and it was 40% contained Friday morning, according to InciWeb, a US clearinghouse for wildfire information.

But dry timber and grass should fuel the fire for some time yet, and firefighters won't relish what could come when gusts pick back up.

"The fire has been pushing us back quite often," West said of the blaze burning through the Fremont-Winema National Forest well east of Medford.

West and his crew were in an area where they needed to clean up spot fires Thursday. Another firefighter there, Dixon Wesley Jones, told CNN he was in a situation where he had to retreat, too, about a week ago.

"It sounds like a train, almost," he said of the oncoming flames. "It sounds like something crashing through the forest."

Adding to firefighters' anxieties in recent days: The fire had been so large and volatile, it was creating its own weather.

It formed pyrocumulus clouds, created when extreme heat from the flames of a wildfire force the air to rapidly rise, condensing and cooling any moisture on smoke particles produced by the fire.

These clouds can act like thunderstorms, with lightning and strong winds -- and they can endanger firefighters in the way.

"It falls apart, but it falls apart much more violently than a typical rainstorm, and winds come down right back toward the ground," Bootleg Fire incident manager Joe Tone said. "The winds go every direction, and they could be 30, 40, 50 mph."

That has pushed flames past containment lines during this blaze, sending firefighters back to safety zones and "start a new plan."

"I haven't ever been on a fire that's had as many pyrocumulus developments and collapses as this one has," Tone said.

More than 80 large fires burning in the US

The climate crisis has made deadlier and more destructive wildfires the new normal. And Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has cited recent fires, ice storms, record-breaking high temperatures and drought emergencies as evidence that climate change is impacting her state.

The Bootleg Fire was one of 83 large fires burning in 13 states Friday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Together, they have destroyed 1.36 million acres of US land, and almost 22,000 firefighters and support personnel have gathered to battle them, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Idaho is home to the most of the large blazes, with 23; Montana followed with 17.

Hundreds more fires are burning in the Canadian province of British Columbia, where a state of emergency was declared this week.

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(CNN) -- President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a number of new steps his administration will take to try to get more Americans vaccinated and slow the spread of coronavirus, including requiring that all federal employees must attest to being vaccinated against Covid-19 or face strict protocols.

The new measures come amid a rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths in the US. The vast majority of those individuals with severe cases of Covid-19 are unvaccinated.

"This is an American tragedy. People are dying -- and will die -- who don't have to die. If you're out there unvaccinated, you don't have to die," Biden said during remarks at the White House. "Read the news. You'll see stories of unvaccinated patients in hospitals, as they're lying in bed dying from Covid-19, they're asking 'Doc, can I get the vaccine?' The doctors have to say, 'Sorry, it's too late.'"

Biden said every federal government employee and on-site contractor will be asked to attest to their vaccination status.

Employees who have not been vaccinated "will be required to wear a mask on the job no matter their geographic location, physically distance from all other employees and visitors, comply with a weekly or twice weekly screening testing requirement, and be subject to restrictions on official travel," the White House said ahead of Biden's speech.

The President also announced that he is ordering the Department of Defense "to look into how and when they will add Covid-19 vaccination to the list of required vaccinations for members of the military," according to the White House.

The administration debuted other efforts on Thursday to incentivize vaccinations, including expanding paid leave for employees who take time off to get themselves and their family members vaccinated. Biden said employers would be reimbured. The Treasury Department said Biden will also be calling on states, territories, and local governments to do more to incentivize vaccination, including offering $100 to Americans getting vaccinated, paid for with American Rescue Plan funding.

Finally, the President called on school districts nationwide to host at least one pop-up vaccination clinic over the coming weeks in an effort to get more kids 12 and older vaccinated.

The federal employee vaccination requirement is not a mandate, officials have insisted, and most federal employees who do not get vaccinated will not lose their jobs as a result, CNN previously reported.

But the decision nonetheless marks a pivot away from encouraging Americans to get vaccinated in their own time and stepping toward placing the onus on unvaccinated individuals.

Several groups representing federal workers across the government are already raising concerns about the requirement, including groups representing federal law enforcement officers, IRS managers and members of the US Border Patrol, among others.

Others groups, like the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, have come out in support.

The goal, aides have said, is to render being unvaccinated so burdensome that those who haven't received shots will have little choice other than to get them. It's an approach being tested by leaders in Europe, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who required either proof of vaccination or a negative test at public venues. And some states, including New York, have also said government employees must either prove they've been vaccinated or be tested weekly.

Biden's aides still say they do not believe he has the power to require all Americans to get shots. But his oversight of the federal workforce, they believe, can be a powerful model to other employers considering their options on requiring vaccines.

The prevalence of the highly contagious Delta variant in the US and low vaccine uptake have led to the federal government to take a number of steps to further mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

Earlier this week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended everyone -- including vaccinated individuals -- wear masks indoors in areas of substantial or high Covid-19 transmission. The agency also recommended masks for all K-12 children in schools, even those who have been vaccinated.

The Department of Veterans Affairs also recently announced it would require frontline health care workers to be vaccinated over the course of the next two months.

The latest data from the CDC indicates that 49.4% of the total US population is fully vaccinated. And despite a previous downward slope in the pace of vaccinations, 389,963 people are now initiating vaccination each day, according to the current seven day average.

This is the highest it's been in more than three weeks, but it's still lower than the pace set by millions who were receiving shots every day earlier this year.

On Monday, the Justice Department determined that federal law doesn't prohibit public agencies and private businesses from requiring Covid-19 vaccines -- even if the vaccines have only emergency use authorization so far.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said Wednesday on CNN that health passes for the fully vaccinated, such as those used in parts of Europe, "may very well be a path forward."

But she acknowledged there was little the federal government could do to require vaccines in the broader population.

The White House and members of the Biden administration have also previously indicated that they support private companies' decisions to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations.

"Those are decisions the federal government is not going to make," US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday. "It's going to be institutions that make them, but I do think that they are very reasonable, because this is a time when we've got to take all steps possible to protect not just ourselves, but the people around us, from Covid-19."

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - New CDC guidance recommends wearing a mask indoors, so to go into some of your favorite local businesses, you may soon need one.

A new normal? Or the old new normal? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its course once again.

Now...Universal masking is what the CDC says you should be doing when indoors.

For one local business, this is nothing new.

Here at Anderson Medical, they never let up on COVID-19 restrictions. Just to get inside the door, customers have to pass a health screening.

"It's just a matter of when people get vaccinated, this thing will end. If they don't, it's not going to end," said David Anderson, owner of Anderson Medical.

He said he's growing frustrated with cases rising and vaccine rates dropping.

"I think people should be forced to get it if they want to participate in society. If they wanna go to their restaurants they like they should have to take it and get the vaccine," said Anderson.

He thinks a universal vaccine passport would benefit his business and the lives of others.

"I think it'd be wonderful to have a vaccine passport, I think it'd be absolutely fantastic. That way I could just go to places that accept the vaccine passport, I wouldn't have to worry about everywhere I go, I might get infected," said Anderson.

We reached out to several local entities where masking has been a huge topic.

The state of Indiana and Vigo county schools did not provide an update on their stance on the new guidelines.

The state of Illinois says they will recommend masks indoors.

Here in Vigo county, cases and vaccine rates are rising.

The health department says things are staying the same, for now.

"So at this point, nothing's changing in Vigo county, but we are now talking about what to do next," said Roni Elder, Vigo County health educator.

As far as what's next for Anderson Medical Supplies, they will be masked for the foreseeable future.

If they could see one thing change, it would be who they think is calling the shots when it comes to covid protocols.

"They shouldn't have the right to do this. I feel as though the unvaccinated are driving public health policy in this country," said Anderson.

Right now there are no mask mandates in Indiana, Illinois or Vigo county.
INDIANA (WTHI) - The census gives Indiana a clearer picture of its population.

With this clearer picture, Indiana lawmakers are able to redraw districts so that every Hoosiers vote carries the same weight. For example, every state senator is supposed to represent 165,000 Hoosiers.

When the population of an area declines, the senator's district will grow in landmass to make up for the declining population.

Jon Ford, Senator for Indiana's 38th district, says that lawmakers want to make sure they hear from the public before changing any of Indiana's political landscape.

"We will have a total of eight meetings where we will hear from the public. We're willing to take any kind of feedback that they have, We're really just looking for input from the public," Said Ford.

To figure out where these meetings will be held, or to join online, click here.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - This week is Hepatitis Awareness Week, and Wednesday, July 28, is observed as World Hepatitis Day. This year's theme is "Hep Can't Wait."

Health officials say every 30 seconds, someone is dying from a hepatitis related disease. They say now, is the time to step up and help bring more awareness to the disease millions of people are living with each day.

Simply put, hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. There are several different types of hepatitis with dozens of different causes.

This includes alcohol, viral infections, auto-immune diseases, and many others.

Tara MacDonald shares her unique story with News 10 on her battle with hepatitis in college.

"I was really sick," MacDonald said. "My skin was yellow, I had jaundice. I was very, very tired. I started itching a lot, which is pretty common with liver diseases. I have all kinds of scars from it, because the itching was just so awful. That was one of the worst things I have ever had to experience."

This all started when MacDonald was in a very serious car accident in college. After doctors prescribed her a specific medication, her liver did not react well to it. Doctors then diagnosed her with a drug-induced hepatitis, a rare form of the disease.

"I had just started my first job," she said. "I was supporting myself. I had an apartment, and I was working every day. I went from being fine, except for migraines, but then when I got sick, I just wanted to sleep a lot and lay around."

There are several different types of hepatitis, but MacDonald says there are often misconceptions about the disease.

"I always thought hepatitis was something that you got if you were an IV drug user," she said. "When I got the diagnosis, at first I was kind of embarrassed. Then I realized there are other ways to get hepatitis, and I don't think people understand that. There's such a stigma that it's IV drug users, and that's the majority of cases, but I don't know specific statistics, but there are other ways to get hepatitis as I am proof of that."

After battling the disease for several months, MacDonald defeated it. Now she's using her story to help bring more awareness to the disease.

"I learned that I am a lot more resilient than I thought I was," MacDonald said. "I had to really learn to rely on myself, put my big girl pants on, and go to work every day, and just muddle through it. I was very proud of myself for doing that."

To learn more about the different types of hepatitis and prevention measures, click here.
The plurilateral WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) is celebrating a dual anniversary this year: 40 years since the first-ever GPA entered into force in 1981 during the GATT days, and 25 years since the first WTO GPA entered into force in 1996.

Against this background, in this panel discussion government experts from New Zealand, Chinese Taipei and Ukraine discuss their experiences since their governments joined the GPA not long ago. What is their assessment of the benefits and impact of GPA accession? Have things turned out as expected or did reality surpass or fall short of expectations? What can WTO members considering GPA accession learn from their experience?

Programme

Moderator: Astghik Solomonyan, Technical Assistance Officer, Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition Division (IPD), World Trade Organization (WTO) Speakers: Karen English , Director, International Procurement and Trade, New Zealand Government Procurement, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

, Director, International Procurement and Trade, New Zealand Government Procurement, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Oksana Kamianetska , Head of International Activities at the Public Procurement Department of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine

, Head of International Activities at the Public Procurement Department of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine Hsiang-Yu Chen, Section Chief, Public Construction Commission, Chinese Taipei The event will not be live streamed but will be made available on the WTO's YouTube channel (World Trade Organization  YouTube). It is expected to be made available on the WTO's YouTube channel on Friday, 30 July 2021. Suggested questions to the panel may be submitted in advance, by email to gpa@wto.org (using the subject line: July public event). Any questions would need to be submitted by no later than Wednesday, 28 July 2021, at 3 p.m. CEST.

 Astghik Solomonyan, Technical Assistance Officer, Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition Division (IPD), World Trade Organization (WTO) Ms Astghik Solomonyan is a Technical Assistance Officer for Government Procurement and Competition Policy team of the IPD. She has graduated with Honor Diploma from Yerevan State University and obtained her LLM degree with Cum Laude Diploma from the University of Groningen. She has an International Masters Diploma from University of Rome Tor Vergata specialising in public procurement. Ms Solomonyan has been awarded a PhD from the University of Nottingham in UK after the completion of a thesis related to public procurement. Before joining the WTO Secretariat, Ms Solomonyan worked for the EU Commission and provided consultancy services to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Sigma/OECD. She has also worked in public and private sectors in Armenia.

 Karen English, Director, International Procurement and Trade, New Zealand Government Procurement, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Karen is responsible for New Zealand's international commitments and engagements relating to government procurement. This includes leading on New Zealand's participation in the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), supporting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with the negotiation of government procurement commitments in free trade agreements and cooperation activities, and ensuring that New Zealand's government procurement and practice continues to be strongly aligned with internationally recognised best practice.

 Oksana Kamianetska, Head of International Activities at the Public Procurement Department of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine Dr. Oksana Kamianetska is currently occupying a position of Head of International Activities at the Public Procurement Department of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. Ms. Kamianetska is responsible for advancing, approximating and promoting the Ukrainian Government procurement policy globally, including at the WTO GPA. Her duties also include monitoring and supporting the implementation of Ukraine`s obligations under the Association Agreement with the European Union and facilitating cooperation with international stakeholders, such as the European Commission, OECD, EBRD, SIGMA, World Bank, etc.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  The U.S. Department of Justice has declined to defend Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama against a civil lawsuit accusing him of helping to incite violence at the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

The Justice Department said in a court filing Tuesday that Brooks was not performing any duties of his elected office when he spoke at a rally that preceded the violence.

The Democratic House manager for Donald Trumps last impeachment trial filed the lawsuit accusing Trump and others of inciting the violence.

Brooks has denied such claims and argued his rally appearance was within the scope of his elected position.
WASHINGTON (WTVA) - U.S. Representative Trent Kelly announced the passage of H.R. 208, which will rename a Tupelo post office in honor of a Vietnam war veteran.

The bill was passed by both chambers in the U.S. Congress and now awaits the signature of President Joe Biden.

It will name the U.S. Post Office located at 500 West Main Street in Tupelo the "Colonel Carlyle 'Smitty' Harris Post Office."

Representative Kelly represents Mississippi's first congressional district and serves on the House Armed Services Committee. He praised the actions of Harris during his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

"Colonel Harris was held as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam for just under eight years, enduring starvation, solitude, and torture," Kelly said. "Despite dire living conditions, Col. Harris introduced the tap code to his fellow POWs to secretly communicate between cells. During his time in captivity, letters he wrote to his wife, Louise, were delivered to the Tupelo Post Office. I am thankful for the support from members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in this endeavor to honor a great American Patriot."

Retired United States Air Force Colonel Carlyle "Smitty" Harris's F-105 fighter-bomber was shot down over North Vietnam on April 4, 1965. He was the sixth American to become a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
BILOXI, Miss. (WTVA) - An accident at Keesler Air Force Base killed an airman, WLOX-TV in Biloxi reported on Wednesday.

The airman was assigned to the 81st Training Wing at the base.

Officials at the base said the accident happened Wednesday at approximately 1:25 p.m.

The accident injured three other people.

The base did not release the identity of the airman and no additional details were released.
Charleston, WV (25301)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. High 76F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy with showers. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
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Morgantown, WV (26505)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
Charleston, WV (25311)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High 76F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Clarksburg, WV (26301)

Today

Cloudy skies with a few showers this afternoon. High 76F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
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/
David Adler , Ph.D., is a noted author who lectures nationally and internationally on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and presidential power. His scholarly writings have been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts by both Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress. Adlers column is supported in part through a grant from Wyoming Humanities funded by the Why it Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Adler can be reached at david.adler@alturasinstitute.com.
COMMISSION

Following an option deal with ITV Studios, Germanys ProSieben has commissioned a local season of MTV reality format True Love or True Lies? This is the first local adaptation of the format since the original launched on MTV in 2018 and the first time ProSieben has adapted an original MTV format. Shot on the Spanish island of Mallorca and locally titled How Fake Is Your Love?, the series will premiere Sept. 7.

Produced by Lime Pictures, True Love or True Lies? is a competitive reality dating show that brings couples from all walks of life together in a luxurious villa to compete for the title of the perfect couple and a cash prize. But theres a twist  the couples soon discover that living amongst them fake couples there to fool the real couples and cheat their way to the prize money.

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APPOINTMENTS

Mike Griffiths is joining ITN Productions as international executive producer and Claudine Parrish takes on the role of U.K. factual executive producer.

Griffiths was most recently at Raw where he was VP of U.S. factual programming. He has developed programs ranging from National Geographics specialist factual adventures Eating with Cannibals and The Witchdoctor Will See You Now to Skys Gadget Geeks and Auto Biography for Discovery Plus.

Parrish, who will join ITN in September, is currently producing the revamped 20-part hit series of Married at First Sight for E4. Her credits also include Inside Poundland, ITNs production for Channel 4, Great British Menu for BBC2, A Berry Royal Christmas for BBC1 and ITV2s Educating Joey Essex.

STREAMING

Streamer HBO GO has acquired dramas The Little Nyonya, Last Madame, and Titoudao from Singapores Mediacorp and will make them available to audiences in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

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The three dramas share a common theme of women overcoming adversity during pre-independence Singapore.

Set in the 1930s, Last Madame tells the story of Chi Ling, a banker, who returns from Hong Kong to settle an inheritance from her great-grandmother, Fung Lan, the last brothel owner in Singapore. She then uncovers the secrets and mysteries behind the inherited shophouse, and reconciles with her roots.

Titoudao chronicles the ups and downs of celebrated theater actor Oon Ah Chiam who had to climb her way up to stardom. In the midst of this, she finds herself in a love triangle with two eligible men.

The Little Nyonya tells the story of how a lady from the Peranakan community overcame different struggles living in a traditional family, along with a jealous cousin who was envious of her many suitors.

The Little Nyonya - Credit: HBO GO

HBO GO

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The last time that longtime friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck worked on a movie project together, they were both young and hungry indie auteurs telling a story about a hardscrabble, blue-collar Bostonian with a ferocious talent for complex math. Since the runaway success of 1997s Good Will Hunting, both actors have, of course, gone on to individual success and acclaim. And this fall, theyll reunite for the first time in almost a quarter-century, teaming up for a Medieval period drama. The Last Duel is scheduled to arrive in US theaters in October  at a time, of course, when the theatrical release business is a shadow of its glory days dating back to the last time they worked together.

The Last Duel, coming October 15

During a new press appearance for his latest movie on his own  Stillwater, which hits US cinemas this weekend  Damon took some time out on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to also talk about The Last Duel. The movie is based on Eric Jagers book The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat.

Damon portrays Jean de Carrouges. Hes a knight whose wife accuses his best friend and squire Jacques Le Gris of raping her. The wife and squire are played by Jodie Comer and Adam Driver, respectively. Its decided that the dispute will be settled via trial by combat  the last such legally sanctioned duel in the history of France.

Its the first movie weve written in 25 years or something, Damon told Fallon during the segment. And we wrote with another great writer named Nicole Holofcener.

The character Affleck plays is Count Pierre dAlencon, who oversees the titular duel. Its all based on this history book we read, and so we adapted that. But we saw it as a story of perspective. And so Ben and I wrote the male perspectives and Nicole wrote the female perspective. And Im really excited about it.

Additional details

In a statement from Damon, Affleck, and Holofcener, they said the film also represented something more. Specifically, an opportunity to tell an old story in a way that would also have resonance for modern audiences. Its a narrative about a brave woman from history who most people wont have heard of. And she displays a heroism and resolute determination that attracted the actors to this project. All the more reason, they decided, to split up the writing duties for the myriad perspectives.

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They all felt that The Last Duel was built around a story that needed to be told and one whose drama would captivate audiences the way it moved us as writers, Affleck, Damon and Holofcener said, in their joint statement about the movie.

Also interesting to note: Damon adds that he and Affleck wrote their part of The Last Duel much faster and more efficiently than when they tackled Good Will Hunting. They even went so far as to outline it this time and approach it as professional writers. Rather than actors trying to write themselves into a movie, like they did their first go-round together.

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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
The Senate swiftly passed the $2.1B emergency security supplemental bill Thursday with a rare unanimous vote in the Senate and only 11 House members voting against it.

The bill now heads to the president for his signature.

PHOTO: U.S. Capitol Police Mountain Bike officers secure the plaza as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy assembles his Republican colleagues on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., July 29, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

The move staves off critical funding cuts that both the U.S. Capitol Police and National Guard were expected to enact following weeks of congressional inaction. Both forces were crushed by the emergency needs in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection, each relying on Congress to reimburse them in the months after the attack.

MORE: Key senators announce deal on emergency security funding for Capitol police

The bill provides $521 million to reimburse the National Guard for the cost of deployment to Capitol Hill and roughly $70 million to the Capitol Police to cover expenses incurred in response to the attack, according to the bill's summary.

An additional $300 million will be used to bolster safeguards for the Capitol complex, including funds for window and door upgrades and the installation of new security cameras.

PHOTO: A Capitol Police Officer walks a police dog across the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building on May 14, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, FILE)

But some Republican lawmakers argued that after spending trillions to battle the pandemic, it would be irresponsible to spend billions more without enacting spending cuts to cover the expenses.

The emergency supplemental bill also has $1.125 billion to cover the Afghanistan Special Immigrant Visa program -- a little less than what the White House requested -- to provide asylum to allies there who aided the U.S. mission and now face retribution from a resurgent Taliban.

The bill makes specific changes to the visa program, including increasing the number of authorized visas by 8,000 and lowering an employment eligibility requirement from two years to one.

MORE: 1st Afghan interpreters to arrive in US as Blinken fails to reach deal in Kuwait

Sen Mike Braun, R-Ind., said, "We need to protect our National Guard -- and we will. And we need to protect our allies who kept our troops safe, and we will. Emergencies arise and the biggest threat to dealing with them in my opinion is fiscal irresponsibility in D.C. We could have easily paid for the major parts of this legislation with offsets within the DOD."

Congress passes emergency security funding for Capitol Police, National Guard originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Tired soldiers take a break from the rigors of monkey combat.

Last year, as quarantine began in most parts of the world, we were shown the terrible sight of Lopburi, Thailands monkeys taking to the streets to engage in a wide scale turf war. In the time since, we naively assumed that a lasting truce had been brokered between the citys rival toughs, their wizened leaders sitting down in a neutral location over a nice bowl of overripe bananas to put a stop to such needless violence.



We were wrong. The Lopburi monkey gangs are back at it again, this time engaging in a pitched battle so extensive that it stopped traffic last Sunday.

Read more

The above video shows the massive scale of the showdown, its description explaining that the brawl involved three factionsthe Phra Prang Sam Yod group, the market group, and the Government Savings Bank lotscrapping over turf. The motive of the battle is yet to be determined, it concludes.



An article from The Indian Express provides more detail. Like last years big dust-up, the lack of tourism at Lopburis ancient Phra Kan Shrine and ordinary foot traffic from locals has reduced the amount of food the monkeys are able to get their little hands on, increasing competition for resources among the thousands of resident macaques.



Wisrut Suwanphak, the man responsible for filming some of the most intense combat journalism, told press that he had never seen so many monkeys wrestling with each other before and likened [it] to a gangster fight in a movie. He also said that nearby humans couldnt break up the brawl and that when people started to honk louder to disperse them, it only aggravated the matter. The fight raged on until the leader of the losing side resigned himself and surrendered, retreating with his simian followers to prepare for the next battle.



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Its only natural that watching such an event makes us want to interveneto find some way to help the monkeys so they no longer need to beat the hell out of each other over access to food. Well leave the wisdom of delivering international monkey aid to the experts, but, in the meantime, we can at least say with confidence: Throwing them Hot Cheetos may seem logical, but its probably not the answer to this issue.



[via Boing Boing]



Send Great Job, Internet tips to gji@theonion.com
TAMPA  Daniel Llorente has the flags of Cuba and the United States tattooed on the back of his hands.

They are my two great inspirations, Llorente said. I have them because I want to see unity between these two countries.

Three weeks ago, Llorente, 57, and his son Eliezer, 21, arrived in the United States, seeking political asylum after a long and dangerous journey that began two months ago in Guyana and continued through Central America and Mexico.

They have settled for the time being in Tampa because they have a relative who lives in Town N Country.

We are very happy to be here, in the land of freedom, Llorente said. But if the Cuban authorities had not taken me off the island, I would still be there, with my people.

Llorente was locked up for a year in the Psychiatric Hospital of Havana, known as Mazorra, and later exiled to Guyana. The reason: He captured worldwide attention May 1, 2017, when he unexpectedly stormed into Revolution Square in Havana during an official celebration and ran through the square for 12 seconds waving an American flag and shouting, Freedom for the Cuban people.

Cuban state security agents took him into custody with blows and kicks, all recorded by international media. The arrest occurred not far from the platform occupied by then-president Raul Castro and other leaders of the communist revolution.

Llorente soon became known as the flag man.

I thought I had to do something big. And, Revolution Square was the right place, Llorente said.

At Mazorra, he said, he lived alongside murderers and other criminals.

Conditions were very difficult. You couldnt sleep in peace.

Still, Llorente said, he painted freedom slogans on the walls and turned out flyers criticizing Castro. His resistance landed him in solitary confinement again and again. He received threats.

They wanted to use electroshock to calm me down, but I told them that if they hurt me everyone would find out. They didnt touch me, but It was a kind of miracle.

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Llorente is a true Cuban patriot, said Jose Batista, spokesman for the anti-communist group Casa Cuba de Tampa.

He had the courage to face the Castro regime in Cuba using an American flag  with freedom, love and heart, Batista said. They couldnt beat him and they wanted to drive him crazy. He is a man who tirelessly fights for freedom.

Batistas comments were echoed by Cuban dissident Orlando Gutierrez, spokesman for the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance in Miami.

He has deep religious and patriotic values, Gutierrez said. He is honest in what he says and I think he speaks for the people.

The Cuban government bought the one-way plane ticket that took Llorente to Guyana on May 16, 2019. He was given 100 Cuban pesos, about $4, and carried only had a Bible and a copy of the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution was a gift from fellow prisoner Oscar Elias Biscet, a physician and advocate for democracy and human rights in Cuba.

At the Havana airport, minutes before Llorente boarded his flight, an agent of the Cuban political police called him a lucky man to still be alive, Llorente said.

Until the last minute, they harassed and mistreated me. That police officer told me that they normally make people like me disappear.

In Guyana, Llorente lived two years with the help of supporters while working in construction. With the sale of the familys house in Havana, his ex-wife, Yudiza Perez, arranged for son Eliezer to leave Cuba. He had been prohibited from working and from leaving Havana. He arrived in Guyana in December 2020.

He was constantly being watched, Llorente said. That was not life.

Confinement strengthened Llorentes commitment to democracy and human rights, he said.

But his disenchantment started when he was young and intensified when he returned to Cuba in 1987 after living four years in the former communist East Germany, where he studied auto mechanics.

I did not like what I saw in my country and used my voice to denounce injustice.

In early 2000, Cuban authorities arrested Llorente for his opposition to the government and he served nine years in the Combinado del Este prison, he said.

I did not stop my protest, he said, holding a Bible that he takes wherever I go.

I am not religious but I am a believer. I have a personal and spiritual relationship with God and I believe he will lead the Cuban people back to the path of faith.

Llorente sees faith in God as the beginning of a democratic transition for his homeland.

That is why I was never part of a specific opposition group in Cuba.

Llorentes arrival comes during a time of uprising in Cuba, where people are exhausted by rising prices, shortages of food, medicine and electricity, and by an explosion in the number of coronavirus cases. In addition, Trump-era restrictions have reinforced the economic toll on Cuba from a U.S. travel and trade embargo that has stretched six decades.

Lorente attended a Cuba freedom rally Monday in Washington, D.C., that was organized by Alian Collazo, 26, of St. Petersburg. Protesters in Miami and Tampa have shown solidarity with the campaign, often marching under the banner, SOS Cuba.

Llorente and his son may qualify as political refugees in the U.S. because of the danger they say they would face if they return to the island. Their applications were received last week by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Now, they await word on whether they can get work permits or drivers licenses while their case is pending in immigration court.

Llorente had waved the U.S. flag in opposition to the Cuban government a number of times before his actions in Revolution Square made him famous.

The first time was in 2015 during the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Havana. He did it again when President Barack Obama took steps to normalize relations with Cuba and visited the island nation in March 2016. Next, he protested when the cruise ship Adonia arrived in Havana in May 2016 and a month later when commercial flights between the U.S. and Cuba resumed.

Llorente was temporarily incarcerated after each protest. But each time, the police returned his American flag.

I did not understand why, he said.

That luck ended when they took his flag after the 2017 protest, he said.

But it doesnt matter. I have that flag tattooed on my hand.
The HelloFresh Market will roll out in the U.S. in the coming months.

HelloFresh, best known for its meal kit delivery service, is opening an online store where consumers can scoop up groceries along with their meal kit.

Thursday, the company unveiled HelloFresh Market, where customers can add items such as fresh produce, snacks or other essentials for their pantry.

The new options will be available to HelloFresh customers in the USA in the coming months.

The market will include food bundles customers can order to pull together a quick meal. It will feature items from partner companies such as Pillsbury, Intelligentsia Coffee and Annies.

Customers who use HelloFresh plans can make purchases through the Market and add them to their weekly orders. The Market launched in the Benelux region  Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg  and allows HelloFresh customers to choose from 150 add-on items to their orders.

We are excited to offer customers an expanded selection of delicious meal solutions and grocery items that will fit their needs beyond dinnertime, especially at a time when Americans are embracing online grocery services more than ever, Uwe Voss, CEO of HelloFresh U.S., said in a statement.

Online groceries: Will Instacart and Shipt continue to thrive after COVID-19 is over?

Facebook, Google censor conservatives? Trump, Republicans bet claims they do will rally GOP base in 2022

Interest in online grocery delivery surged during the COVID-19 pandemic as Americans locked down at home and limited trips to public places. According to supermarketnews.com, 79% of consumers switched to online grocery delivery, compared with 81% who had never bought groceries online before the pandemic.

Services such as Instacart and Shipt thrived during the pandemic, while retailing giants Amazon and Walmart expanded their online grocery options.

Contributing: Keira Wingate

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: HelloFresh opens online store to buy groceries, meals
Jul. 29The Mexican Consulate in Brownsville awarded Texas Southmost College with $12,000 that will go to scholarships for low-income Hispanic students who are living in the United States.

The scholarship is part of IME [Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior or Institute for Mexicans Abroad in English] Becas, a program implemented by the government of Mexico to support organizations that have programs that promote, literacy, adult education, English as a Second Language, GED, computer skills, occupational job training and most importantly institutions of higher education for Hispanics in the United States.

"It will address the financial gap that some of our students have," TSC President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez said. "Being able to receive additional funding to support any segment of our student population is always welcomed."

Rodriguez said having this collaboration with the Mexican Consulate in Brownsville to support students who are from Mexican origin is a wonderful opportunity to move the community forward.

"TSC was established in 1946, that was 95 years ago. We've always embraced and celebrated the richness, the culture and the history of this binational bridge," he said.

"The collaborative spirit that we are seeing today is continued by the signing of this [memorandum of understanding]."

Mexican Consul Juan Carlos Cue Vega said the Mexican government provides the funds for all the Mexican consulates located in the United States so that the local entities such as universities and colleges contact the consulate to be part of the program. The consulate then chooses which universities and colleges receive the funding.

"I'm very happy to be here one more time at this college. We have a partnership with TSC that's very important for us, so important that even our offices are inside the campus," Cue Vega said.

"This scholarship program, IME Becas, is very important and it has been working since 2005. ... The main purpose of this program is to get more Mexican students, or from Mexican origin, access to quality education."

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In McAllen, South Texas College was part of the same program with the Mexican Consulate in McAllen. STC received $10,000 last week as part of IME Becas to increase the educational attainment level of Mexicans or persons of Mexican origin living in the US.

"There is no better investment in a person than through education, and we will continue making an effort to work with Mexico and develop more opportunities for the students of Mexico that are here in the United States," STC President Ricardo J. Solis said.

"We are grateful to be able to implement this project, and we know that we will take advantage and manage it well. I would like to thank you and the people from Mexico for your continued support in helping the students in the RGV."

The scholarship funds will benefit eligible students at South Texas College at $500 per student. Scholarship funds will be distributed and designated to pay for tuition and fees, and textbooks in accordance with the terms outlined in the MOU between the Consulate of Mexico in McAllen and South Texas College.
Blood donors saved a babys life eight times before her first birthday. Now, her family is asking more people to give.
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As for the first time in its history, the LGBTQ march through Budapest was also an anti-government demonstration, opinions sharply diverge on its message.

On Azonnali, Csaba Tibor Toth, Robert-Istvan Antal and Levente Katai write that this years Pride March was particularly important for the opposition.



In fact, their leaders and followers turned out en masse in reaction to the governments announcement that a referendum will be held to support the newly adopted law which bans the promotion and wanton representation of sex and homosexuality for children under 18.



On Merce, Vanessza Juhasz urges opposition parties to institutionalise the approach they adopted by participating in the march on Saturday. Their solidarity, she writes, should become a constant feature of their policies, rather than an occasional footnote.



On Kossuth national public radio, Renata Farago, a leading activist of the CitizenGo Christian association, said that no one need be afraid in Hungary because of their sexual orientation, and in fact the Pride March takes place every year without serious incidents.



She rejected the view expressed by speakers at Saturdays gathering, who accused the government of targeting the LGBTQ community with its child protection law.



In reality, she argued, the law only prevents sexual education in schools from being performed by LGTBQ activists.



This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher.

Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online.

Click here to Share Your Story



Photo courtesy: Budapest Pride
The RBI on Thursday cancelled the licence of The Madgaum Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Margao, Goa, as the bank with its current financial position would be unable to pay its present depositors in full.

The RBI further said that as per the data submitted by the bank, about 99 per cent of the depositors will receive full amounts of their deposits from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).

The Office of Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Goa, has also been requested to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator for the bank, the RBI added.

The Madgaum Urban Cooperative Bank, the RBI said, does not have adequate capital and earning prospects and has failed to comply with various provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Further, "the bank with its present financial position would be unable to pay its present depositors in full; and public interest would be adversely affected if the bank is allowed to carry on its banking business any further", it said while cancelling the licence.

"Consequent to the cancellation of its licence, The Madgaum Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Margao, Goa is prohibited from conducting the business of 'banking' which includes acceptance of deposits and repayment of deposits...With immediate effect," the RBI said.

With the cancellation of licence and commencement of liquidation proceedings, the process of paying the depositors will be set in motion.

Will bank investors get their money back?

On liquidation, every depositor would be entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to a monetary ceiling of Rs 5 lakh only from the DICGC.
New Delhi: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has an ocean of fan following - all thanks to her charm and incessant hard work of entertaining people for more than two decades now. The king of romance, who packed his bags from Delhi landed straight in Mumbai, with big dreams and higher dedication to reach on top - and that's exactly what he did!

A picture of SRK in school uniform with friends by his side has hit the internet and yes, fans can't keep calm! It was tweeted by Bobby, a filmmaker cum animator-illustrator. He captioned it reading: An awkward school kid daydreaming of conquering Mumbai, is the kind of morning WhatsApp forward I'll never complain about.

An awkward school kid daydreaming of conquering Mumbai, is the kind of morning WhatsApp forward I'll never complain about.

pic.twitter.com/B4tkBAqfuP  Bobby (@bob_almost) July 28, 2021

Many have dropped their comments on the viral SRK photo where the star exudes his schoolboyish charm. Actress Richa Chadha called him 'first love'!

On the work front, SRK is busy shooting for Pathan - a film starring John Abraham and Deepika Padukone.

Meanwhile, the buzz is strong that he might be seen with Kajol in a film by Raj Kumar Hirani. However, no official statement has been made as yet.
Srinagar: While there has been many discussions and political debates, following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, several positive changes in terms of progress has been noticed in J&K. Zee News visited Kashmir to know about the latest developments there.

The development of Shopian district

The Shopian district of Kashmir has been one of the worst-affected areas of the region when it came to terrorism. However, the past few months saw a change in situation with the region showing signs of progress. First, the entire 45+ population has been vaccinated with the first dose of COVID vaccine. A new hospital, Shadab Hospital, has come up in this Shopian area. Faizan, an administrator at the hospital, says that it has a total of four floors.

Talking to Zee News, Faizan said that the government is paying attention to the development of Jammu and Kashmir. A sense of awareness is being created among the people and they are being taken advantage of government schemes. Shopian's daughters are also coming out of their homes to work.

'Daughters are stepping out to work'

Many young women working in his hospital are also from this area. One such woman, Ayman Amin, shares, "I work here at the hospital. It is good that I get to work in my district and there is no need for me to go far away from home. My family is proud of me. They feel that the daughter should also work."

This has come as a pleasant surprise as not long back, Shopian district had been infamous for frequent stone-pelting incidents. As situation became dangerous, many families didn't let their girls step out. While some were made to sit at home and do their studies, many were married off young. But there are signs of change now, two after the abrogation of Article 370. More and more girls are now going out of their homes and working outside.

Change is visible everywhere

These signs of change are visible everywhere in Shopian. Earlier, the main market would frequently be surrounded by security forces. In 1989, 55-60 grenades were thrown there. Many in the region now admit that now people's thought process also seems to be changing.

The security forces have also played an important role in changing the mindset of the youth along with the local administration. Social activist Mohammad Mansoor says that many officers have contributed a lot in bringing about the change in the area. SP City Sanjeev Chaudhary would often take the misguided youth under his wings, encouraging them to tread the rght path and join the mainstream of the country. And as Mansoor points out, the end result is that the areas which was known for stone-pelting incidents, is now focusing on education and employment of its youth.

Employment opportunities for youth

Muzaffar Bashir, who lives in Shopian, shares, "I live in Shopian. I was unemployed from 2011 till now. This year, I have managed to take loan for a dairy unit through IDDS scheme. Ther area faces a shortage of milk supply and this is a great business opportunity for young people like me."

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Kolkata: The Assam Government on Thursday issued a travel advisory asking people not travel to Mizoram amidst border tensions. The order was issued by the Home and Political Affairs Department

Given the critical prevailing situation, the people of Assam are advised not to travel to Mizoram as any threat to personal safety of people of Assam cannot be accepted, the statement read.

Also, the order urged the people of Assam currently residing in Mizoram for work to exercise caution. People of Assam, staying in Mizoram due to work related compulsion, should exercise utmost caution, it said.

On the other hand, the Assam Government issued a separate order directing the administrative officials in Guwahati and Silchar to ensure safety and security of persons belonging to Mizoram staying at Mizoram Houses.

This order comes in the wake of violent clashes between Assam and Mizoram Police on the disputed border between the two states on July 26, which left six Assam Police personnel and one civilian dead.

The government, in its statement, said that there have been several cases of violent skirmishes in the border area of Assam and Mizoram which have occurred recently in the three districts of Assam namely Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi.

The latest skirmish on July 26 in the district of Cachar led to indiscriminate firing on the police personnel as well as civilians on Cachar side. In the process, six policemen lost their lives and scores of policemen and civilians were seriously injured, the statement read.

More than 40 Assam Police personnel have been injured in the violent clashes and are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Silchar and Guwahati.

Meanwhile, SP Cachar District Vaibhav Nimbalkar who suffered two bullet injuries on his leg was airlifted and is recuperating in a Mumbai hospital following a surgery.

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New Delhi: It is said that an enemy of an enemy is a friend. Similarly, a friend of an enemy is also an enemy. Ideally, one does not want enemies to wander around their house, but in India, there are some who are making friends with the enemies of the country for the sake of their politics and ideology. On one hand, there is a tense situation at India-China borders with a possibility of war at any time, but at the same time, some communist leaders in India were found celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Thursday (July 29) discussed how the communists betrayed India by participating in a Chinese event.

On Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in India had organised a virtual conference to mark the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China.

The Indian guests of this online seminar included CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI General Secretary D Raja, DMK MP S Senthil Kumar and leader of All India Forward Bloc G Devarajan. The theme of this seminar was Sharing Experience on Party-Building, Promoting Exchanges and Cooperation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Ambassador of China, during his speech, presented his country's side on Ladakh and Galwan issues. At a time Indian leaders should stand with the country, these people were silently listening to what the Chinese Ambassador had to say.

Surprisingly, these leaders, who usually tweet on every matter, did not inform anyone about this meeting. But when the information came out, they started defending it saying theres nothing wrong with what they did.

India was never united on the issue of China. The Indian army is still stationed on the border in front of the Chinese army. The Indian government has banned China's mobile apps, has refused many Chinese companies from coming to India. The Prime Minister of India did not wish the Chinese President on his birthday. The Government of India did not congratulate the Communist Party of China on the completion of 100 years. But the leftists of India are rejoicing in the celebration of China. That is, these people consider the enemy of the country their friend.

This is the reason that when the soldiers of the two countries clash at the border, these people never openly oppose China. Instead, they question the army and government of India.

When China invaded India in the year 1962, many leftist leaders supported China instead of India. Even some of them, who wanted to donate blood for the soldiers of India or help the Indian Army with money, were stopped from doing so.

When some leftist leaders opposed this stand, their position in the party was reduced and they were punished. Not only this, many leftist leaders were even holding rallies in support of China at that time.

During the war, the support from CPI to the Chinese was so much that the then government had to put some of these leaders behind bars. It was after this war that the CPI broke up and CPI (M) was formed.

It is quite clear that the enemies of India are not only sitting on the other side of the borders but are also within the country. Ironically, such leaders and parties even win elections here.

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New Delhi: Stepping up its preparations for the assembly polls in five states due early next year, the Election Commission Wednesday reviewed advance planning with the chief electoral officers of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

While the terms of the legislative assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand are scheduled to end on different dates in March 2022, the UP assembly's term ends in May. The five assembly polls could be held together early next year.

The Wednesday's preliminary meeting focused on various thematic issues including assured minimum facilities at polling stations, ease of registration for voters, electoral roll, timely resolution of grievances, arrangements of electronic voting and paper trail machines, postal ballot facility for senior citizens who are 80 and above, and people with disabilities.

Covid mitigation plan, training of poll staff and extensive voter outreach were amongst the other issues discussed, according to an official statement.

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra in his address said transparency and impartiality are the hallmark of the election process.

He noted that issues and challenges may be different in each state, but election planning needs to have a voter-centric approach and participative decision-making involving all stakeholders.

During his address, the CEC stressed on the significance of the purity of the electoral roll and asked the CEOs for expeditious redressal of all pending applications for voter registration.

He also emphasised the rationalisation of polling stations keeping in view the Covid pandemic and reiterated the need to have basic facilities and infrastructure in all polling stations.

Chandra said all logistical challenges in implementation of postal ballot facility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities need to be identified and resolved for its smooth and transparent implementation during the elections.

Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey, while interacting with the CEOs, emphasised that periodic and comprehensive monitoring on each aspect of election should be done by the CEOs of all the poll-going states.

He highlighted the need to activate the ground level election machinery in the five states to start the preparations.
New Delhi: Ahead of next year's Assembly election in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, the BJP will carry out an outreach programme through newly inducted seven Union ministers from the state in over 200 assembly segments, sources in the party said on Thursday.

BJP chief J P Nadda has asked all the 40 newly inducted Union ministers, including those from Uttar Pradesh, to carry out a 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' covering three to four parliamentary constituencies, including their own, and four to five districts in their states to "seek blessings from the people", a senior leader said.

They have been asked to start these outreach programmes from August 16 following all COVID protocols. MPs from the state where each of the ministers belongs have been asked to help them in these activities, sources said. They said these 'yatras' will act as a launchpad for the party's campaign for the assembly elections in many states in the next few years.

In Uttar Pradesh, where assembly elections are scheduled to be held next year, the public outreach programme will be wider and more comprehensive covering more than 200 of the over 400 assemblies in the state, sources in the BJP said. Earlier this month, seven MPs from Uttar Pradesh -- Pankaj Choudhary, S P Singh Baghel, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, B L Verma, Ajay Mishra, Kaushal Kishor, and BJP ally Apna Dal leader Anupriya Singh Patel -- were made union ministers.

Out of these seven, three each are from OBC and SC categories, while one is Brahmin. So, this outreach exercise by all seven Union ministers in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh will help the party balance its caste equations before the assembly elections.

The BJP has started gearing up for assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh with Nadda has been holding meetings with party MPs from the state in different groups to fine-tune its strategy for the hustings next year.

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Rudrapur: The head of the historic Nanakmatta Sahib Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee Seva Singh along with three other members resigned on Thursday (July 29) after pro-BJP slogans were raised on the shrine premises to welcome CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.

The resignations followed after a video surfaced showing schoolgirls performing folk dances and raising pro-BJP slogans that allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

The Gurbani, which is supposed to be played constantly at the gurudwara, was reportedly stopped for a while to welcome the CM.

The highest temporal seat of Sikhs, Akal Takht, took strong exception to the alleged act of sacrilege. It sent a three-member panel to Nankmatta Sahib to look into the matter.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami had visited the gurudwara to pay obeisance during his tour to Udham Singh Nagar district on July 24 to inaugurate and lay foundation stones of various development projects. The chief minister's assembly constituency Khatima is also located in Udham Singh Nagar district.

Dhami was accorded a warm welcome as he arrived at the shrine for the first time after assuming office. Schoolgirls performed folk dances of Uttarakhand to welcome him and pro-BJP slogans were shouted by some.

This did not go down well with the Sikh devotees, who lodged a complaint with the Akal Takht in Amritsar. They gathered in Nanakmatta, demanding action against those responsible for the alleged act of sacrilege.

The panel members who resigned have been asked to respond to the Takht within 15 days after which a final call will be taken on the matter.

A five-member panel has been constituted to look after the management of the gurudwara.

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Panaji: The gang rape of two minor girls on a Goa beach had sent shockwaves across the city. And now the Chief Minister's comments on the matter has come under scanner. Pramod Sawant is facing flak for remarking in the state Assembly that parents need to introspect on why their children were on the beach late at night.

In yet another case where politicians pass the blame, Sawant blamed the parents for allowing their children to step out - they were on a beach 30 km from capital Panaji - late at night.

"When 14-year-olds stay on the beach the whole night, the parents need to introspect. Just because children don't listen, we cannot put the responsibility on the government and police," Sawant had said on Wednesday (July 28), during a debate on a calling attention notice in the House.

Sawant, who also holds the home portfolio, had said parents have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their children and hinted that they should not let their children, particularly minors, out at night.

Goa Congress spokesperson Altone D'Costa on Thursday (July 29) said the law and order situation in the coastal state has deteriorated. "Why should we fear while moving around at night? Criminals should be in jail and law abiding citizens should be out freely moving around," he said.

Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai said it is disgusting that the chief minister is making such statements. "The safety of citizens is the responsibility of police and state government. If they can't provide it to us, the CM has no right to sit in the post," he added.

"It is shocking that @goacm is blaming parents for allowing their children to venture out in the night claiming that it is not safe. If State govt can't assure us our security, who can give it? Goa has a history of being safe state for women, that tag is being lost in @BJP4Goa rule," tweeted Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte.

"We directly blame police, but I want to point out that of the 10 youth who went to the beach for a party, four stayed on the beach the whole night and the remaining six went home," Sawant had said in the House. "They were on the beach the whole night, two boys and two girls," said Sawant. "Teens, particularly minors, should not be spending the nights on beaches," he added.

Also read: Goa CM Pramod Sawant vows to fight case against Tarun Tejpal till woman gets justice

Four men, one of them a government employee (a driver with the agriculture department), posed as policemen and raped the two girls after beating up the boys who were with the girls on Benaulim beach on Sunday. All the four accused have been arrested, Sawant told the Assembly.

During the discussion in the House yesterday, an MLA had claimed that an "influential person" was trying to protect the accused, while another opposition member had alleged that a minister was calling the police and trying to influence the investigation. Speaker Rajesh Patnekar had expunged the remarks from the proceedings.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi: Amid a significant drop in COVID-19 cases in Gujarat, the state government on Wednesday (July 28, 2021) decided to further relax the coronavirus curbs in the state and reduced the night curfew timings by an hour in eight major cities. The fresh curbs with reduced night curfew timings will come into effect from July 31, according to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

According to an official release, the Gujarat government has also decided to permit celebrations for the upcoming Ganesh Utsav in public places, with a condition that the idol will have to be less than four feet in height.

The decisions were announced after a core committee meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar.

It should be noted that, at present, the night curfew timings in the state are 10 pm and 6 am in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar and Junagadh. Following the implementation of new rules, from July 31, the nighttime restrictions on people's movement will be effective from 11 pm till 6 am in these cities.

Additionally, the restaurants and hotels in the state have been permitted to remain open till 10 pm in these cities.

Read guidelines here:

The night-time restrictions on peoples movement will be effective from 11 PM till 6 AM in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar and Junagadh from July 31. Hotels and restaurants can remain open till 10 pm in these cities. Over 400 persons can now attend public events held in open spaces. During the last relaxations, the government had allowed the water parks and swimming pools to function at 60 percent capacity, in this phase the state government has directed the owners and staff of these water parks and swimming pools to get inoculated with the first dose by 31 July. Non-AC private and public transport buses were also permitted to operate at 100 percent capacity. AC buses can run at 75 percent capacity. It was mandatory for drivers and conductors to take the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, Gujarat on Wednesday recorded 28 new coronavirus cases and no deaths, taking the tally to 8,24,802 and keeping the number of fatalities unchanged at 10,076. Gujarat has not reported any new coronavirus-related death since July 19, an official said. Additionally, the adjoining Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu reported three new cases and five recoveries, officials said.

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New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday (July 29) predicted heavy rainfall in 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh, prompting an orange alert in the state.

The alert is valid till Friday morning, P K Saha, a senior meteorologist with the IMD's Bhopal office was quoted as saying by PTI.

As per the prediction, heavy rains, coupled with thundershowers and lightning, are likely to lash isolated places of Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Datia, Shivpuri, Anuppur, Dindori, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Balaghat, Mandla, Sheopur, Morena and Bhind districts in the state, he stated.

Further, Saha added, "Rains or thundershowers are likely at most places in Jabalpur, Shahdol, Sagar and Rewa divisions of the state. This kind of weather may prevail at many places in Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Ujjain, Indore, Gwalior and Chambal divisions."

Meanwhile, widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy to very heavy falls is expected to continue over Jammu and Kashmir, till July 30, the MeT said on Thursday.

"Heavy rainfall at isolated places over Jammu, Kashmir is likely on Thursday," the weather department added.

In the Udhampur district, the water level of the rivers, streams and local sewers have risen due to incessant showers. The authorities warned people to stay away from the banks of rivers and streams as the water level has increased in Udhampur District.

The IMD has predicted more rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as well as issued a weather alert urging people living in vulnerable areas to remain cautious. Earlier on Wednesday, the water level rose in the Chenab River at Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir due to heavy rainfall.

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New Delhi: India recorded 43,509 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Thursday (July 29, 2021). The country also witnessed a total of 38,465 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery rate at around 97.38 percent. The total active cases of COVID-19 in India have now mounted to 4,03,840.

The country's death toll has climbed to 4,22,662 with 640 daily fatalities on Thursday, according to Union health ministry data. As per the data, Kerala contributed 22,056 cases to the country's daily numbers, followed by Maharashtra with 6.857 cases.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 46,26,29,773 samples have been tested up to July 28 for COVID-19. Of these 17,28,795 samples were tested on Wednesday.

India reports 43,509 fresh infections, 38,465 recoveries in the last 24 hours; Active caseload currently at 4,03,840, recovery rate at 97.38%: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/yAKlSwOFaQ  ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2021

"More than 2.18 Crore (2,18,10,422) balance and unutilized Covid Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs and private hospitals to be administered," said the Ministry of health and family welfare.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,07,01,612, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34 percent, the data stated. Cumulative vaccine doses administered so far has reached 45.07 crore under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Meanwhile, a Reuters report stated that, WHO said, over the seven days, the highest number of new cases was reported in the United States, which saw more than half a million new infections, representing a skyrocketing 131 percent increase.

According to WHO's data, this rise was followed by Brazil - 324,334 new cases; Indonesia - 289,029 new cases; the United Kingdom - 282,920 new cases; and India - 265,836 new cases. "In the last week, global COVID19 cases increased by ~6.5% and deaths increased by ~20.6% Last week >69,000 people died. This is an absolute travesty because we can prevent deaths," said Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 Technical Lead at WHO.

(With agency inputs)

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The poaching of tigers and the generic decline of the tiger population thanks to man-animal conflict has been a point of concern in an increasing urbanised world, with human civilization cutting expanding and encroaching on forest land. So International Tiger Day is marked on July 29 with an aim to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.

This year, on the occasion of International Tiger Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India's commitment to ensuring safe habitats for its tigers and nurturing tiger-friendly eco systems. In a series of tweets, the prime minister said India's strategy of tiger conservation attaches topmost importance to involving local communities. "We are also inspired by our centuries old ethos of living in harmony with all flora and fauna with whom we share our great planet," Modi said.

Greeting wildlife lovers, especially those who are passionate about tiger conservation on International Tiger Day, Modi noted that India is home to over 70 per cent of the tiger population globally. "We reiterate our commitment to ensuring safe habitats for our tigers and nurturing tiger-friendly eco-systems," he said.

India is home to 51 tiger reserves spread across 18 states. The last tiger census of 2018 showed a rise in the tiger population. India achieved the target of doubling of tiger population 4 years ahead of schedule of the St. Petersburg Declaration on tiger Conservation. pic.twitter.com/s8Myy0os0v  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 29, 2021

India is home to 51 tiger reserves spread across 18 states and the last tiger census of 2018 showed a rise in the tiger population, he said. Modi also pointed out that India achieved the target of doubling of tiger population four years ahead of schedule of the St. Petersburg Declaration on tiger conservation.

(With PTI inputs)

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Srinagar: Shopian has been notorious for pelting stones, but the district is witnessing peace, as youth involved in violence are returning to mainstream two years after the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir.

The district, which was infamous for stone-pelting for the past several years, is passing through winds of change as youths here are now concentrating on other aspects of life. Since the life of Kashmir people has undergone a change, let's take you through the key developments.

Prior to looking at these changes, Shopian was considered a stronghold of terrorism, as 50-60 hand grenades were thrown here every day in the year 1989.

As the district is known for having apple orchards, it provided ample opportunity to hide to people involved in the violence. The terrorists had made these orchards their safe hideouts to escape from the security forces.

The majority of people in the district are below the poverty line, but youths here have always been ambitious and due to lack of opportunity and the local politics, they were reportedly disillusioned, therefore, started feeling that nothing is left for them.

In such a situation, unrest, discontent, and anger increased among them, and the terrorists took advantage of it. Because of these reasons, the area gradually became a stronghold of terrorists.

Not only this, but the border with Pakistan also played a key role as it is merely 40-45 km away from Shopian. The geographical position of this border district thereby provided a soft ground for infiltration.

There was so much hatred among youths here that they showed their anger by pelting stones at the Army personnel, but after the abrogation of Article 370, the situation has changed. The government initiative through several schemes attracted youths.

It is said that with the demonetisation, the flow of money from across the border stopped and the government gradually involved people in start-ups, and other employment schemes. The local

youths appreciated this change and started taking advantage of these government schemes.

The youths here have now left stone-pelting and have embarked upon the path of economic employment. Some have started their own restaurant and some have opened their showroom, and are moving forward taking the help of the government schemes. They are also providing jobs to people in the nearby villages.

Some have also started working in local hospitals and some are running their own food vans. The winds of change after the abrogation of Article 370 can be felt on the faces of people here.

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New Delhi: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday (July 29) said that the state government is mulling to bring relaxations in 25 districts, including Mumbai, which have reported COVID-19 positivity rates lower than the state's average.

Tope added that the final decision will be taken only by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. A meeting has been called by Maharashtra Chief Minister with the state Covid-19 task force.

The Health Minister said that the remaining districts, which have reported high infection rates, are likely to face more stringent restrictions in coming days.

Here's what can be expected with the fresh guidelines:

Those fully vaccinated against coronavirus are likely to be allowed to travel by local trains in Mumbai. Currently, only those engaged in essential and emergency services are allowed to travel by local trains in the state capital.

Ease in restrictions in 25 districts, including Mumbai, which have shown less COVID positivity rates

All cinema halls are likely to open in the state.

Timings of operations for all shops, hotels, gym timings are likely to be increased till evening.

However, there will be no relaxation in the remaining districts of Pune, Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Beed and Ahmednagar where the infection positivity rate is higher than the average.

According to the new guidelines, level 3 restrictions will continue in administrative units till the district disaster management authority takes a call to withdraw them. The weekly positivity rate and oxygen bed occupancy formula for lifting restrictions will no longer be followed.
SOLAPUR: Police in Maharashtra's Solapur district have registered a case against the two sons of MLA Rajendra Raut for a violation of COVID-19 norms during their wedding which was, allegedly, attended by over 2,000 persons. The two sons of Raut, the independent legislator from Barshi, got married on Sunday at a single function on the premises of the Laxmi Sopan Agriculture Produce Committee in the town.

Barshi police had earlier registered an offense against Yogesh Pawar, the alleged organizer of the event, under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.

The action raised eyebrows as no case was registered against any member of the Raut family. "We have now added the names of the MLA's sons to the FIR," said senior inspector S D Girigosavi on Thursday.

Only 50 people are allowed to attend a marriage function in the state at present as per the pandemic-induced restrictions.

According to the police, 2,500-3,000 people attended the wedding in Barshi on Sunday and many were seen without masks. State BJP president Chandrakant Patil and some other party leaders were among those who attended the function.

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New Delhi: The Maharashtra government will soon ease curbs in the state in several districts in view of the declining COVID-19 cases. Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope told reporters on Thursday (July 29) that these relaxations will be applicable in 25 districts.

We've decided to give relaxation in restrictions in 25 districts. Relaxation will be given in functioning of shops, theaters, cinema halls, gyms. There would be restrictions in wedding functions etc, we would discourage using an air-conditioned hall, Maharashtra Health Minister was quoted as saying by ANI.

Further, he stated that the Sunday restrictions will continue and the state will soon announce detailed guidelines. Things will be open on Saturdays with limitations, Sunday restrictions to continue. Detailed guidelines in next 2-3 days. Hotels and shops timings will increase till 8-9 pm. But they need to ensure staff is fully vaccinated, they'll be allowed to function on 50% capacity, Tope said.

Earlier, Tope told a TV channel that Maharashtra disaster management department is in favour of allowing fully vaccinated people to travel in local trains in Mumbai. However, a final decision would be taken by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, he added.

As per the current guidelines, only people engaged in essential and emergency services, as categorised by the government, are allowed to travel in local trains.

"Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has invited suggestions and recommendations from various departments while reviewing the lockdown-like restrictions in the state," Tope said,

The state health minister said in 11 districts of the state (out of total 36), the positivity rate is higher than the state's average and the infection spread is also more. These include Beed, Ahmednagar and districts from Konkan and western Maharashtra.

On Wednesday (July 28), the state recorded 6,857 new coronavirus infections and 286 fresh fatalities, which took the caseload to 62,82,914 and the death toll to 1,32,145, a state health department official was cited by PTI. The state currently has 82,545 active cases. The recovery rate in the state stands at 96.53 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.01 per cent.

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New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (July 29) met Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi and discussed several infrastructure projects in the state.

As per PTI sources, Banerjee brought up pending road and transport projects, including the deep-sea port at Tajpur, in her discussions with Gadkari. The sea port, located nearly 200 km from Kolkata, is expected to draw an investment of Rs 15,000 crore and generate 25,000 jobs in West Bengal.

Banerjee will also meet ministers of key departments such as petroleum, aviation, railways and commerce soon to discuss various development projects in the state, sources told the news agency.

Delhi: Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee called on Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today. In the presence of officials, they reviewed various road projects being undertaken in the state. pic.twitter.com/JhorqtSQos  ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2021

Banerjee, who is in the national capital for the first time after her party's colossal victory in the assembly polls this year, called on the opposition leaders on Wednesday. Addressing reporters after her meeting with Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath, Banerjee said, "Sonia ji invited me for a cup of tea and Rahul ji is also there. We discussed the political situation in general. We also discussed the Pegasus spyware snooping controversy and the Covid-19 situation.

On Tuesday, Banerjee had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reportedly asked for more COVID-19 vaccinations for West Bengal. Earlier in the day, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath and Congress leader Anand Sharma had met the Trinamool Congress chief.

Banerjee, whose visit to Delhi is significant in the backdrop of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, further said, We discussed the unity of the opposition. It was a very good meeting, positive meeting. To defeat the BJP, everybody needs to come together. Everyone will have to work together.

She also told reporters that the Pegasus snooping issue was more serious than Emergency and accused the Centre of being unresponsive. Before leaving for Delhi on Monday, Banerjee had formed a two-member inquiry commission to look into allegations of snooping on politicians, officials and journalists using Israeli spyware Pegasus.

We thought the Centre would form an inquiry commission or a court-monitored probe would be ordered to look into this phone-hacking incident. But the Centre is sitting idle... So we decided to form a commission on inquiry' to look into the matter," PTI quoted her as saying.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who in Delhi and meeting several leaders of the Opposition during her stay in the capital, met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence on Wednesday (July 28). Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also present in the meeting, and the talks are being seen as significant with Opposition parties tries to create a united front to tackle the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Speaking to media persons outside 10 Janpath, Mamata Banerjee said Sonia Gandhi had invited her for tea at her residence. ""Sonia ji invited me for a cup of tea and Rahul ji is also there. We discussed the political situation in general. We also discussed the Pegasus spyware snooping controversy and the Covid-19 situation," she said.

The Bengal CM also emphasized on the importance of the Opposition parties remaining united to challenge BJP. "We discussed the unity of the opposition. It was a very good meeting, positive meeting. To defeat the BJP, everybody needs to come together. Everyone will have to work together," Banerjee said.

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress' win over BJP - a state for whose Assembly elections BJP top brass including PM Narendra Modi extensively campaigned - in the recent West Bengal Assembly polls has put the CM underspotlight, with many saying that she can be a credible face of the opposition. However, so far Banerjee has downplayed any questions on the matter. On who could lead an opposition front, she told journalists, "I am not a political astrologer, it depends on the situation."

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New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Education Minister Inder Singh and the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) on Thursday (July 29) announced the Class 12 results. Students can check their results at mpbse.nic.in, mpbse.mponline.gov.in or mpresults.nic.in.

Alternatively, the candidates can also download the mobile-based apps of MPBSE  MP Mobile. This year, nearly 7.5 lakh students had registered for the exam. The pass percentage is 100 per cent.

While the examinations were not conducted for Class 12, owing to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the results for students will be declared on the basis of alternative assessments. Therefore, the best of five subjects of class 10 result will be considered.

Last year, 8.5 lakh students appeared for the higher secondary examinations, of which 68.81 per cent passed. Female students outperformed male students, although the pass percentage for both had gone down. Last year, the MP board for the first time in 30 years, declared the results for Class 10 and Class 12 separately.

In 2020, the Harda district was the best performer with 81.97 per cent of students from the area clearing the exam in regular mode followed closely by Neemuch with a pass percentage of 81.68 per cent in regular mode. However, Neemuch has registered a pass percentage of 31.01 per cent in private mode and Harda has a pass percentage of 30.50 per cent in private mode.

The Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) will release the class 10 results today. Arbind Prasad Singh, chairman, JAC, told indianexpress.com, "The result will be declared today at 3 pm." Students of class 10 can check their results at the official website of the board  jacresults.com, jac.nic.in, jharresults.nic.in, and jac.jharkhand.gov.in. Read LIVE updates.

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New Delhi: The Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) is all set to declare Class 12 results on Thursday (July 29, 2021). The Madhya Pradesh Board will announce MP Class 12th Result 2021 at 12 noon today on its official websites- mpbse.mponline.gov.in, mpresults.nic.in and mpbse.nic.in.

The students will be able to check their scores at some other private portals. The MP Board Result Link will be activated once the results are declared on the official website of the board.

Additionally, the candidates will also be able to check their Class 12 results in the MPBSE Mobile application available on Google Play Store. The MPBSE Class 12 results will be available in the "know your result section" of the Mobile App. To check their scores, the students will be required to log in with their roll number and other credentials.

MPBSE Class 12 Results 2021: Simple steps to check the scorecard

1. Visit the official website at mpresults.nic.in

2. On the homepage, click on the link to check the MPBSE Class 12 Result 2021

3. A new page will appear on the display screen

4. Key in your credentials and login

5. The MPBSE Class 12 Result 2021 will be displayed on the screen

6. Download the MPBSE 12t Result 2021 and take its printout for future use.

The MPBSE had to cancel the Senior Secondary level exams in view of the COVID-19 situation in the state. Earlier, MPBSE 12th Exam 2021 was scheduled to be held from 1st May 2021, but they were cancelled and an alternative assessment policy was adopted by the board to compile MP 12th Result 2021.

According to the new assessment, the MP Board Class 12 students are being marked on the basis of their performance in the best five subjects of Class 10. Class 12 marks will be determined on the basis of best of five marks obtained in various subjects of Class 10. The Board also confirmed that all students, who had earlier registered for their board exams, will be promoted using this method, said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while announcing the evaluation criteria for this year.

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Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with beneficiaries of the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana on August 5, an Uttar Pradesh official said here on Thursday.

Additional Food Commissioner Anil Kumar Dubey said under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, ration distribution will start from August 5 and an "Anna Mahotsav" will be organised.

"The PM will interact with beneficiaries present at select fair price shops in Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Hamirpur, Ayodhya, Barabanki, Shahjahanpur, Kaushambi, Agra and Bahraich through videoconferencing," he said.

The officer said it will be the responsibility of district supplies and marketing officers to ensure the availability of foodgrains at every fair price shop.

On "Anna Mahotsav", the presence of at least 100 beneficiaries will be ensured at each fair price shop.

He said the arrangement of a television will be ensured at every fair price shop so that people present there could watch the interaction.

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New Delhi: Kerala Health Minister Veena George hit back at the BJP over allegations of COVID-19 mismanagement saying that it is a planned campaign by the party and that the state was in a much better position than is being portrayed.

The minister cited data from the recently conducted serosurvey by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that showed that the state ranked lowest in terms of seroprevalence.

There's a planned campaign against Kerala. All experts in different states say that we have a very good defence mechanism. Seroprevalence study by ICMR shows that 44 per cent of people have antibodies in them, shows that our preventive mechanism was very good, Veena George said.

More than 50 per cent of the total population is still unaffected. The type of Coronavirus which is spreading in this phase is the Delta variant, the infectability is more. So, naturally, we are trying our best, she added.

She further said, We're conducting maximum tests these days. Yesterday we conducted over 1.96 lakh tests, today we did more than 1.63 lakh tests. So, we are trying to do more tests. We want to identify every single positive case: Kerala Health Minister on state reporting 22,064 COVID cases today.

She asserted that the state government is trying to trace all positive cases because we want to reduce the cases and also want to make sure that there is no third wave.

We want to bring the situation under control, so we're doing the maximum number of tests, that's why positive cases are more these days, she said.

Yesterday, the union health ministry shared findings of the recent national serosurvey across 70 districts of the country, according to which the seroprevalence was found to be just 44.4 per cent in Kerala while it was 79 per in Madhya Pradesh, 76.2 per cent in Rajasthan, 75.9 per cent in Bihar, 75.3 per cent in Gujarat, 71.0 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, 69.8 per cent in Karnataka and 58 per cent in Maharashtra.

The BJP has blamed "politics of appeasement" for the rise in COVID-19 cases in Kerala and criticised the state government for the relaxations in restrictions it had given for Eid-ul-Adha.

Noting that the state's latest daily tally of over 22,000 cases is more than half of the country, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the Left government there went ahead with relaxations for the festival despite the Supreme Court expressing its displeasure over it.

Also Read: Kerala reels under rising COVID cases, Centre sends 6-member high-level team

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch various initiatives in the education sector on Thursday (July 29, 2021) to mark the first anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He will also address policymakers in the domain of education and skill development, students, teachers, across the country via video conferencing.

Today, on the completion of 1 year of transformative reforms under the NEP, PM @narendramodi ji will launch multiple initiatives that will prove to be a significant milestone in realising several goals envisaged under the New Education Policy and guide us through his address.  Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 29, 2021

The NEP 2020, notably, is the first education policy of the 21st century and has replaced the 34-year-old 'National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986'.

PM Modi will launch the Academic Bank of Credit, which, the Prime Minister's Office said will provide multiple entries and exit options for students in higher education, first-year Engineering Programmes in regional languages and guidelines for the internationalization of higher education.

The other initiatives that will be launched by the Prime Minister also include Vidya Pravesh, a three-month play-based school preparation module for Grade 1 students, Indian Sign Language as a subject at the secondary level, NISHTHA 2.0, an integrated programme of teacher training designed by NCERT, SAFAL (Structured Assessment For Analyzing Learning Levels), a competency-based assessment framework for Grades 3, 5 and 8 in CBSE schools; and a website dedicated to Artificial Intelligence.

The newly-appointed Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will also be present at the event.

"The NEP 2020 is a guiding philosophy for changing the learning landscape, making education holistic and for building strong foundations for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. On 29th July, on the completion of 1 year of reforms under the NEP, PM Shri @narendramodi will address the nation,'' Pradhan tweeted.

The NEP, 2020 is a guiding philosophy for changing the learning landscape, making education holistic and for building strong foundations for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. On 29th July, on the completion of 1 year of reforms under the NEP, PM Shri @narendramodi will address the nation. pic.twitter.com/uSLDb887Lg  Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 26, 2021

The National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) and National Education Technology Forum (NETF) will also be launched.

On 1 year of NEP2020, let us reiterate our resolve to make education holistic, affordable, accessible and equitable. Let us work together to realise the aspirations of a 21st-century #AatmanirbharBharat and to make India a vibrant knowledge economy.  Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 29, 2021

"These initiatives will mark a significant step towards the realization of the goals of NEP 2020 and will make the education sector more vibrant and accessible," the PMO said.

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New Delhi: Days after the elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), India hit out at its neighbour calling it a cosmetic exercise rejected by the local people.

Addressing media on Thursday (July 29), Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the elections were an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation.

The so-called elections in Indian territory, under illegal occupation of Pakistan, are nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation &the material changes undertaken by it in these territories, Bagchi said.

India has lodged a strong protest with Pak authorities on this cosmetic exercise protested and rejected by local people. Such exercise can neither hide illegal occupation by Pakistan nor grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom to people in occupied territories, he added.

Bagchi further said that Pakistan has no locus standi on the Indian territories and called asked it to vacate all Indian areas under its illegal occupation.

Earlier this week, amid allegations of poll rigging by the Opposition, Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party won 25 of 45 seats in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir legislative assembly elections.

An open revolt was reportedly 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.

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New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana in a case related to his alleged involvement in the violence that ensued at the Red Fort here on Republic Day.

Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau granted pre-arrest bail to Sidhana.

Advocate Jasdeep Dhillon, representing the accused, said that he had joined the probe and fully cooperated with the investigating agency.

Earlier, Public Prosecutor Pankaj Bhatia, representing the police, told the court that Sidhana had invited the protesters to the Red Fort and is one of the main conspirators in the case.

Sidhana, however, denied any involvement in the Republic Day violence.

On January 26, protesting farmers clashed with police during the tractor rally against three farm laws and stormed into the Red Fort, hoisting religious flags on its domes and injuring scores of policemen.

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New Delhi: With the revival of Kashmir centuries old Kashmir silk factory with imported and latest automatic machinery, Kashmir silk production will rise from 50,000 meters to 3 lakh meters per year. This revival and boost to this factory has bought also smile to faces of around 40,000 families whose livelihoods directly depend on it.

There is a huge demand for mulberry silk from the Kashmir valley by buyers across the world. However, the main silk factory in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar was completely damaged in the 2014 floods.

But now under the Prime Minister's development package for Jammu and Kashmir, the Jhelum Tawi flood recovery project has restored this heritage factory with modern techniques.

Abid Rashid Shah, the Chief Executive Officer of JKERA/JTFRP said, "World bank funded Jhelum Tawi flood recovery project under the PM development package. We tried to revive the silk industry and link it with the modern market. There was an old silk factory in Rajbagh which was in very bad condition. But it is now fully restored and a beautiful building has been built. Its capacity has been increased and equipment has been brought from outside."

He added, "It will revive the silk trade of Kashmir in the coming time. Our efforts are also to take Kashmir silk in the international silk market." We have hired a consultancy to do Jammu and Kashmir product branding at the international level."

During the 2014 Kashmir floods, the factory was completely damaged, with the livelihoods of thousands also impacted. Out of the total 38 varieties of silk that were produced at the factory, only 8 varieties were produced after the damage. However, now new machines and world-class equipment, warping and new looms have been installed at the factory, enabling it to produce almost 2.5 lakh meters of silk every year now.

Workers of this factory say production increase means an increase of our income too and there will be job opportunities for other youngsters too.

Silk farmer Javid Ahmed Shah says, "At least 30-40,000 people are connected to this trade in Kashmir. There will be a lot of profit by installing new machines. We used to produce around 50,000 meters silk earlier. Now, with new machinery the production will go around 3 lakh meters per year. Appreciating authorities, he said, "It is a very good step taken by the government for Kashmir, the government has taken a very good step. Inshallah Kashmir will emerge again."

Around 40,000 families are associated with the silk trade in Kashmir Valley. And now the world bank has sponsored the restoration of this factory by funding it with more than Rs 18 crore under the PM development program for Jammu and Kashmir.

More than 38 varieties of Silk are produced in the Kashmir Valley. And the artisans working in this industry are happy that they will be able to work again to produce world class silk in the valley. This will too bring kashmir silk on world silk market map.

Artisan Maymoona Mir says, "A lot of change has happened in this factory, we are very happy since this new unit started, we have high hopes. we want our factory to grow more and more."

The factory's restoration is part of the government's plan to boost silk production across Jammu and Kashmir and to generate employment for locals.

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday said the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court has already taken up the matter related to the alleged killing of a judicial officer of Dhanbad and concerned officers in the case have been asked to be present before it.

A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Surya Kant said this after senior advocate Vikas Singh, who is also the president of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), mentioned the matter and said this is a "brazen attack" on the independence of judiciary.

Singh said investigation in the case must be entrusted to the CBI as killing of a judicial officer, apparently for not granting bail to a gangster is an assault on the judicial system.

"We are aware of the incident and we appreciate the efforts of SCBA. I have spoken to the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. He has taken up the case and has asked the officers to be present there. The matter is going on there. Leave it there," the CJI told Singh.

Interference by the apex court in the matter at this stage may not be necessary as the high court has already taken it up on the judicial side, the bench said.

Singh, while saying that video of the incident was also shot, told the bench that if somebody is killed for not granting bail to a gangster, then there will be "no judiciary in the country".

On Wednesday morning, a judicial officer was killed in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district after being hit by a vehicle, police had said.

District and Sessions Judge-8 of Dhanbad court, Uttam Anand, was out on morning walk when the incident happened at Randhir Verma Chowk near the district court in the Sadar police station area, a senior police officer had said.

Around 5 am, a vehicle hit him from the rear and fled, Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Kumar had said.

The judge was found to be lying in a pool of blood by an auto-rickshaw driver, who took him to the Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital where he succumbed to the injuries, the officer had said.

Prior to mentioning the matter before the CJI-led bench, Singh mentioned it before a bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud.

Singh termed the incident "shocking" and said the apex court should take cognisance of the matter.

Justice Chandrachud told Singh to mention the matter before the CJI.

When Singh said mentioning may not be allowed before the CJI, Justice Chandrachud assured him that he would use his "good office" to bring the matter to the notice of the CJI.

After mentioning the matter before the CJI, Singh appeared before Justice Chandrachud-led bench to argue another case which was listed for hearing.

Justice M R Shah, who was part of the bench headed by Justice Chandrachud, asked Singh why was the video of the incident was shot as it could be used as evidence.

Singh said persons involved in this wanted to terrorize people by shooting the video.

"This is tyranny. This was brazen and they wanted to terrorize people. The video is not shot from any CCTV cameras but from a video camera as people can be heard talking and it was even zoomed in several times," he said.

When Justice Shah said what could be the reason behind the incident, Singh said the judicial officer had passed unpleasant bail order against some gangster.

"Anyway, I have mentioned this before the CJI, who said that he has talked to the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court. The chief justice of high court is taking up the matter on the judicial side," Singh said.
New Delhi: Serum Institute has communicated to Kolkata Police that the seized vials with labels of Covishield vaccine in the fake vaccine case in Kolkata were not Covishield vaccine. For further examination, Kolkata Police has sent those vials to Drug Controller for chemical examination.

In June, it was brought to Kolkata Police's attention that a fake vaccination camp was organized by one 28-year-old Debanjan Deb. After his arrest for allegedly setting up dubious inoculation camps in Kolkata, he revealed during an interrogation that he had written to Pune's Serum Institute seeking Covishield vaccines vials. Deb, who had impersonated as a joint commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, also insisted that he had set up two fake camps in the city, and not multiple ones, as suggested by many quarters, the officer told reporters.

"Sleuths, so far, have unearthed eight bank accounts used by the accused to carry out his criminal activities. Ten others, who worked under him at some point, have been summoned for questioning," the senior officer said.

During the investigation, the police also found out that the 28-year-old used to write letters to various government agencies and "put receipt stamps on those to convince people", he said. The Kolkata Police later slapped attempt-to-murder charge on Deb and three of his associates along with other sections of the IPC.

Actor and Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty, who had taken her jab at the Kasba camp set up by Deb, was the first to raise alarm as she did not receive the customary SMS sent by government after inoculation.

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New Delhi: A series of cloudbursts that struck different parts of the Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday reportedly killed 17 and 24 others missing, as per reports from news agencies.

In Jammu and Kashmir the cloud bursts hit Dacchan and Boujwa areas in Kishtwar, the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, Bandipora in north Kashmir. While cloud burst caused devastation at Kargil in Ladakh and in Himachal's Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts.

Seven bodies were recovered from the worst-hit Dacchin area of Kishtwar, while one person reportedly drowned in swollen Saktoi nallah in Rajouri district on Wednesday taking the death toll in J&K to 8, the officials were quoted by PTI.

Dozens of residential houses, several bridges and a mini-hydro power project have been destroyed, the officials told PTI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the bereaved families and said that the Centre was closely monitoring the situation. He assured that all possible assistance is being provided to the affected areas.

While, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and DGP Dilbagh Singh and took stock of the situation arising due to the cloudbursts.

L-G Sinha announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased in Kishtwar, he said the grievously injured would get Rs 50,000 each and Rs 12,700 under the SDRF.

"Seventeen people were rescued and evacuated to hospital. Condition of three of them was stated to be serious," Kishtwar District Development Commissioner (DDC) Ashok Kumar Sharma said.

"There is some damage to infrastructure including three bridges but exact details are awaited," Sharma said. Nearly 60 families were evacuated to safety from the Paddar area.

Police officials said the cloud burst took place at around 4.30 am on Wednesday, triggering flash floods in the village which is located on the banks of the stream.

The search and rescue operation for missing is underway.

Meanwhile, two cloudbursts hit Sangra and Khangral areas of Kargil in Ladakh on Tuesday evening, causing damage to a mini hydro power project. A dozen residential houses and standing crops have been destroyed. No loss of life was reported in the twin cloudbursts, officials told PTI.

In Himachal at least nine people were killed and seven reported missing following flash floods at two places in Himachal Pradesh in the past 24 hours, officials said on Wednesday.

Seven were washed away in a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the Tozing rivulet in Udaipur subdivision in Lahaul-Spiti district, two people were killed in Chamba district.

While in Kullu district, four people drowned in the swollen Parvati river in Manikaran.

Special Secretary, State Disaster Management Authority, Sudesh Mokhta told reporters that the search operation has been on to trace three missing from the flash flood in Lahaul-Spiti.

With the prediction of more rains till July-end, authorities have asked people living along water bodies and landslide-prone areas to remain vigilant.

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New Delhi: Drones were spotted at three different locations in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district late Thursday (July 30) evening, officials said, prompting authorities to issue a high alert in the region.

The first drone was spotted at Samba's Ghajwal police station area and ITBP centre. Police station in charge Rakesh Sharma and police personnel kept monitoring it till the end.

The second drone was seen in the Chliyari International Border area and the third drone was sighted at the Bari Brahma area. A high alert has been sounded in the entire Samba district. Police have launched a search operation in all three areas to see if the drone succeeded in dropping anything.

Border Security Forces fired a few rounds of bullets at the suspected drone near Chliyari International border in Samba. However, the drone managed to flee from the spot. The drones were spotted between 8:30 and 9:30pm. This is the second time in less than a week that a drone has been spotted near the International Border.

On July 23, Jammu and Kashmir police shot down a drone carrying improvised explosive device material weighing five kg in the Akhnoor area of the Jammu district. The drone was flying about seven to eight kilometres inside the border, officials said, adding that it had six big wings and was a tetra-copter. The IED material was attached to the flying object and was meant to be assembled into an IED before use, they said.

Meanwhile, the Centre has instructed all security agencies to be extra vigilant about any flying objects ahead of the Independence Day celebrations on August 15.

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New Delhi: Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul, director of Tibet House has expressed concern about the Chinese communist party (CPC) and said, India and America "should come together" amid the "unpredictability" of the CPC. Dorji Damdul was an interpreter for his holiness the Dalai Lama for many years and was a part of the US Secretary of state Blinken's civil society meeting in Delhi on Wednesday.

Speaking to WION, Dorji talked about the meet, saying that he shared "Dalai Lama's vision of universal ethics" at the meet and if India, US "work together to bring universal ethics to the forefront of education, tomorrow the world is going to be very different.

During his visit, US Secretary of state Blinken also held a meeting with Dalai Lama's representative Ngodup Dongchung. This is the second such meeting between the US government and the Tibetan side in months. In November, While House had invited Lobsang Sangay, the then President of Tibetan Govt in Exile. Asked about the meet, Venerable Dorji said, "I personally see this as a very positive move.

WION: What transpired at the meeting that took place during the visit of the US secretary of state?

Geshe Dorji Damdul: So basically it was a very interesting thing, the first program of the US Secretary of state Mr Blinken, it was that meeting of the religious representatives pertaining to inclusive development, he spoke for 10 minutes of the need for inclusive development; one of the things highlighted was COVID-19 cannot be tackled by one country, one person, it must be done collectively by all the nations of the world. So these are very inspiring words, so all the participants, there was a total of 7 participants-- 6 from the different religions and one as a senior advocate in the Supreme court. So basically the need for all the people of the world, citizens of the world, and the nations of the world to come together for the collective purpose of combating the world crisis.

WION: Your presence in that meeting, do you think is a signal to China?

Geshe Dorji Damdul: So basically my being there is purely, it is by recommendation, and I just received a call from the American embassy three days before. They said Mr Blinken is coming and we would like to be part of this meeting. This is about inclusive development, yes, I thought it is a very important topic, and it is very important. So I accepted and ended up seeing people representing other religions as well. So in a way, although it was more like people from a different religion but what we really thought was on the collective effort, we call inclusive development. So this is a thing very inspiring and then each participant shares their own efforts, efforts they put to bring about a collective and to handle the collective crisis. I said the need is for his holiness Dalai Lama's vision of universal ethics. While modern education is meant to curb the problems of the world and it has already reached an advanced level, and the world crisis is worsening all the time, where are we going wrong? This was the question asked to his holiness. His holiness without a second thought said, there is a loophole in modern education, the loophole is that modern education emphasizes so much on brain development and nothing is there for heart development. So now it is high time, his holiness says, we need to include the program for the development of heart as part of education circular in the modern education. So till this happens, the world is being directed by the leaders and leaders who come from this education system and the system does not really render service and then the future leaders come without hearts and conflict its consequences. So universal ethics and a university in the US has designed a syllabus on that and all the intuitions, colleges, anyone interested in the program and they can contact them and this is provided to you free of cost. I said, that India is a huge country, and the US is a powerful country, and these two giants of the world, if they work together to bring universal ethics to the forefront of education, tomorrow the world is going to be very different and this service and legacy of the two great nations, this is the opinion I shared.

WION: What was the duration of the conversation and was there mention of love jihad or pegasus snoop gate during civil society meet with US secretary of state?

Geshe Dorji Damdul: So basically the duration was a total of 45 minutes and it was just like the representations of the various religious groups. People expressed their grievances and all these things came up, there is always coming up with ideas. How can we curb these problems? Not so much about the snooping, not much about that.

WION: Representative of his holiness and US secretary of state met during the visit. How do you see the increased engagement between the two sides? In November, the then president of the Tibetan govt in exile was called.

Geshe Dorji Damdul: Basically, I personally see this as a very positive move, America is taking a great initiative and India is a great country. India is a land of Ahinsa, if there is nonviolence, this is the country where we can expect it. It is a great message to the world, the need for the world to come together because what happened to Tibet, can happen to many other countries eventually. If today, if we don't look at things far away in the future then what happened to Tibet will be repeated in many other countries--see what is happening in Hong Kong, what is happening in Taiwan, in Nepal, we never know, Bhutan, we never know. Not Chinese, communist Chinese (Chinese communist party) CCP is very unpredictable and cannot be trusted. What can happen to the world we never know, therefore this is the time that the world leaders really.. for example, India, all these thousands of years of heritage of nonviolence and integrity and America, champion of democracy. These two countries are so important, that these two countries should come together. America, is the champion of democracy and India is the largest democratic nation, these two have tremendous potential. If they really come together then, the perspective of enormous destruction of the world in the future can be stopped.

WION: China has reacted to the interaction, which is on expected lines and not positive. How do you see their reaction and situation in Tibet right now?

Geshe Dorji Damdul: The CCP is bound to come up with the reaction, that is true. Even if you do the best thing, they will react, if you do a worse thing, they will react. It is total unpredictability of them. They want you to surrender, they want the whole world to surrender. This is what they expect from you. So the bigger countries, who follow democracy, the rule of law, and who follow human rights must come together and stop this expansionism from the CCP. That is very important.

WION: The civil society meets, how do you see in terms of a positive development or a diplomat of a foreign country engaging here in Delhi?

Geshe Dorji Damdul: In fact, I personally saw that Mr Blinken's talk has a sense of, it reflects a sense of universal responsibility. Talking about the need for us to all come together is so precious. This is the spirit where India is a great example, a role model for this, and America is the champion of democracy, they should, the way they are coming now very closely. They should be more courageous to come out and then speak in the same voice for the need for integrity and be more vigilant as to what is going to happen in the future. We should not be engrossed in what is happening today, we should be able to see what is happening tomorrow for the benefit of one's own country and the benefit of democracy or else the whole democracy is in danger if the CCP expands too much into the world.

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New Delhi: Amid a sharp rise in new cases of coronavirus infection in Kerala, the central government on Thursday said that it will send a high-level multidisciplinary team to the state to assess the situation there.

The announcement was made by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The government is sending a 6-member team to Kerala headed by Director, National Centre for Disease Control. As a large number of COVID cases are still being reported in Kerala, the team will aid the states ongoing efforts in COVID management, Mansukh Mandaviya said.

Central Government is sending 6 member team to Kerala headed by NCDC Director.

As large number of COVID cases are still being reported in Kerala, the team will aid states ongoing efforts in #COVID19 management.  Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) July 29, 2021

The central team will work closely with the State Health authorities in instituting effective public health measures for COVID-19 management. The 6-member Central team to Kerala will be headed by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Director, Mandaviya said in a tweet.

"As a large number of COVID cases are still being reported in Kerala, the team will aid state`s ongoing efforts in COVID-19 management," Mandaviya wrote.

The Central team is expected to reach Kerala on Friday, following which it will visit a few districts, a health ministry release said. Some of the worst affected districts in Kerala are Malappuram, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had earlier written a letter to the Kerala government expressing concerns over Super spreader events observed in Kerala in the past recent past.

In his letter, the Health Secretary also mentioned that COVID guidelines need to be followed properly. Meanwhile, the Kerala government has imposed a complete lockdown from July 31 to August 1 in view of a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.

The Home isolation needs to be observed as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). (ANI)

Kerala had on Wednesday recorded 22,056 new COVID-19 cases taking the infection caseload to 33,27,301, while over 131 more people succumbed to the virus taking the toll to 16,457.

As many as 17,761 people have been cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 31,60,804 and the number of active cases to 1,49,534, a state government release said.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Mumbai: The local trains in Mumbai are likely to re-open soon but with a pre-condition for passengers to be fully vaccinated, the decision in this regard may be taken in the next 2-3 days, Maharashtra state cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh said.

... I am also of the view that person whose two doses are completed should be allowed to travel in Mumbai local, we have also informed Chief Minister about this. After studying the report by the task force, a decision on Mumbai local will be taken in next two to three days," the guardian minister told Hindustan Times.

The matter of re-opening Mumbai local train and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses was discussed in a state cabinet meeting, Shaikh said.

Notably, the local train services are currently operational for just essential service employees due to coronavirus outbreak. Recently, the clamour for resumption of suburban train services for the general public has gained momentum.

The Maharashtra government had permitted residents to travel by local trains for a stipulated time period. They were allowed to commute during non-peak hours, excluding 9am to 12pm and 4pm to 9pm, resulting in nearly 3.3 million passengers (2 million on Central Railway and 1.3 million on Western Railway) travelling by local trains every day.

The local train services in Mumbai was suspended for the general public for a second time since March 2020 after an increase in novel coronavirus cases in the city on April 15.

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New Delhi: With reports of IDBI Bank fully recovering its dues from now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya on Thursday mocked banks for saying he still owed them money.

Posting on Twitter a clipping of a news item that reported that IDBI Bank has recovered its entire dues totalling Rs 753 crore from the airlines, Mallya said, "And the Banks say I owe them money!".

His tweet comes after a British court on Monday granted a bankruptcy order against him, paving the way for a consortium of Indian banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) to pursue a worldwide freezing order to seek repayment of debt owed by Kingfisher Airlines.

The same day Mallya, who's wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges, had also tweeted, "ED attach my assets worth (Rs) 14K crores at behest of Govt Banks against debt of (Rs) 6.2K (sic) crores. They restore assets to Banks who recover 9K crores in cash and retain security over 5K crores more. Banks ask Court to make me Bankrupt as they may have to return money to the ED. Incredible."

The 65-year-old businessman remains on bail in the UK while a "confidential" legal matter, believed to be related to an asylum application, is resolved in connection with the unrelated extradition proceedings.

Mallya, who fled to the UK in March 2016, is wanted in India over a default of Rs 9,000 crore that was loaned to Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) by several banks. Also Read: WhatsApp testing new feature to let iOS users transfer chat history to Android phone

India has been seeking his extradition from the UK. He had in the past offered to repay 100 per cent of "public money" but accused the banks and government of refusing his offer. Also Read: Battlegrounds Mobile India lite APK links are fake! Check how to spot malicious ones

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#mute
Mumbai: Actors Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, Varun Dhawan, and more from the Bollywood have heaped praise on one of the most decorated American gymnast Simone Biles after she withdrew herself from Thursday's all-around competition to focus on her mental well-being.

Deepika Padukone, who herself has been quite vocal about her battle with depression, took to her Instagram handle to give a shout-out to Simone. Sharing the athlete's news screenshot by a news outlet, she wrote, "I hear you..." by adding hashtags: "#mentalhealth", `#mentalhealthmatters".

Alia Bhatt also took to her Instagram story, to amplify Simones voice. Sharing the news, she wrote, "A reminder that your mental health is as important as your physical health. This helps change the narrative regarding mental health all over the world, more power to you."

Priyanka Chopra, who had earlier interviewed Simone Biles, showered love on the athlete for prioritizing her mental health and called her the greatest of all times (GOAT). Simone, yesterday we were reminded why you are truly the GOAT, and why nothing supersedes taking care of ourselvesbody AND mind, wrote Priyanka.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Varun Dhawan wrote, "What an inspiration! An important reminder to take care of your mental health along with your physical! A message for difficult times like these."

For the unversed, American gymnast Simone Biles has cited mental health concerns as her reason to pull out of the women's team final in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics 2020.

The Rio 2016 gold-medal-winning athlete doesn't want to put her "health and well-being" in danger.

"Whenever you get in a high-stress situation, you kind of freak out. I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being," CNN quoted Biles as saying.

"It just sucks when you're fighting with your own head," Biles broke down in tears while explaining her decision in a press conference.The American gymnast said her team wanted her to go ahead and compete but she didn't want to put a medal at risk.

"I was like: I think the girls need to do the rest of the competition without me. They were like I promise youll be fine, we watched you warm-up. But I said no, I know I am going to be fine but I can't risk a medal for the team and I need to call it," said Biles.

Biles withdrew from the artistic gymnastics women's team final citing medical grounds, according to USA Gymnastics.

The American bailed out of a two-and-a-half twisting vault after executing just one-and-a-half twists, taking a big step on her landing.She then left the gym with a medic and minutes later pulled out her name from the remainder of the event.

According to Olympics.com, though Biles had withdrawn from the team final, she is still eligible for the forthcoming individual all-around and apparatus finals.The individual all-around is set for Thursday while the apparatus finals will take place from August 1-3, with Biles having qualified for all four: balance beam, vault, floor exercise, and uneven bars.Last week, Biles had become the first Olympic athlete to have her own customized hashtag emoji on Twitter.
New Delhi: Haseen Dillruba actor Harshvardhan Rane has garnered a huge fan base over the years, thanks to his performances in Taish and Sanam Teri Kasam. Besides acting, Rane is also an adventure enthusiast. While he loves riding motorbikes, he also owns an off-roader, which hes named Jango.

Interestingly, hes owned the 4x4 for eight years and now hes become the face of the brand. Sharing his excitement on being the face of the brand, Harshvardhan took to social media and wrote, From being a (fan boy) customer of 4x4 Mahindra since 2013 to being on the legends timeline. #Dream #Journey. Thank you for the values Anand Mahindra sir.

From being a (fan boy) customer of 4x4 Mahindra since 2013, to being on the legends timeline #Dream #Journey Thank you for the values @anandmahindra Sir! https://t.co/00MxuzFuBx pic.twitter.com/tNEzulLzY8  Harshvardhan Rane (@harsha_actor) July 6, 2021

A fitness freak and a travel buff, Harshvardhan Rane holds Jango very close to his heart and has been on various adventure trails at deserted locations.

In fact, his social media accounts have been flooded with fans comments congratulating on becoming the face of his dream brand.
New Delhi: Superstar Sanjay Dutt turns a year older on July 29 and on his birthday, wife Maanayata Dutt took to her social media to share all the good wishes for him.

She wished him health, happiness, and strength. Maanayata wrote, "Wishing you a day of happy moments and a year of happy days...wishing you love, peace, health and success...may God always play in your team and continue to bless you with the courage and the fighting spirit that you have in your life... love you #happybirthday #love #grace #positivity #dutts #beautyfullife #thankyougod"

Through Sanju Baba's tough times, wife Maanayata has always been a pillar of strength and support.

Maanayata and Sanjay Dutt share an unbreakable bond with each other. Last year, when Dutt was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer, Maanayata firmly stood by him and helped him through the challenging battle. Fortunately, Sanjay Dutt is Cancer-Free now as announced by him in October last year.

Sanjay Dutt and Maanayata got married in 2008 in a Hindu ceremony in Mumbai and on October 21, 2010. The duo is blessed with twins, Shahraan and Iqra.

Dutt also has a daughter named Trishala from his first marriage with Richa Sharma. However, his daughter currently resides with her maternal grandparents in the US.
New Delhi: In a recent update on the Raj Kundra pornography, Bollywood actress and his wife Shilpa Shetty has approached the Bombay High Court seeking action against defamatory content published by media houses on social media and websites in relation to the porn case against her husband.

According to a tweet by ANI, she has accused the media personnel and media houses of 'doing false reporting & maligning her image'. Her case is scheduled to be heard tomorrow (July 30) according to the agency's inputs.

Check out the tweet:

Actor Shilpa Shetty has filed defamation suit in Bombay High Court against 29 media personnel & media houses for 'doing false reporting & maligning her image' in a pornography case in which her husband Raj Kundra is accused. Hearing in the case scheduled for tomorrow (File pic) pic.twitter.com/DGTthMEXGi  ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2021

The plea by Shilpa Shetty conveyed that the defendants are tarnishing her reputation and sensationalizing news to increase readership and viewership, according to a Bar and Bench report.

"The Defamatory Articles and Defamatory Videos have lowered the Applicants reputation in the eyes of the general public including her fans, followers, brand endorsement companies, business associates and peers who have now started believing in the reports being published by the Defendants," the plea read.

As per a Times of India report, she has asked for an apology from listed media houses and the removal of defamatory content. In addition, she requested compensation of Rs 25 crore.

Bar and Bench published an excerpt of the plea filed by Shilpa Shetty in which she argued that the defendants (media houses) are conducting their own investigations on the Raj Kundra case and creating a mockery of the judicial system.

The plea stated, "A bare perusal of the Defamatory Articles and Defamatory Videos amply clarify that the Defendants are publishing/ uploading parallel private investigations and effectively acting as courts to condemn the Applicant and her husband as guilty based on what they claim is evidence found by them from their alleged sources, thereby trying to make a mockery of the judicial system."

For the unversed, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty's husband, Raj Kundra was arrested by Mumbai police on Monday evening (July 19) for allegedly being a "key conspirator" in a case related to the production and publishing of pornographic films through mobile apps. The production of porn is illegal in India. At the centre of the controversy is the HotShots app, which has now been removed from Google and Apple app stores.

Kundra has been named as the key conspirator by the Mumbai Police which has slapped charges against him under Sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 292 and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) besides relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has been missing in action ever since her businessman husband Raj Kundra's name has surfaced in a pornography racket. Kundra has been sent to 14-day judicial custody. Hailed as a power couple in the movie industry with a fat bank balance, the duo's public image has taken a hit after this controversy.

SHILPA SHETTY MISSING FROM DANCE SHOW

Ever since Raj Kundra was arrested for his alleged involvement in creation and production of pornography, Shilpa Shetty was not seen as one of the judges on her dance reality show - Super Dancer 4.

In one of the episodes, Karisma Kapoor filled in for Shilpa and in the next week's drill, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza will be seen as guests on the show.

HUNGAMA 2 DEBACLE

Shilpa Shetty made her comeback after a long hiatus and Priyadarshan's Hungama 2 was touted as her big return to the silver screens. However, husband Raj Kundra's arrest days ahead of its digital release played a spoilsport.

While promoting the film initially, Shilpa's dance on Chura Ke Dil Mera with lead actor Meezan Jaffery made a lot of buzz but looks like it failed to entertain the masses.

NIKAMMA SHOOT

During coronavirus induced lockdown, Shilpa completed the shoot of her upcoming film, Nikamma which is now reportedly ready for release. But due to Kundra's controversy, the promotions have been stalled and makers feel it's not the right time to release a 'family film'.

Also, the lead actress wants to evade glaring media questions on her personal life.



SHILPA SHETTY'S BRAND VALUE DIPPED

The actress is a fitness brand favourite! However, as per many brand experts and gurus, Shilpa Shetty's brand value might take a massive hit due to pornography case controversy. The renewal of her brand contracts will also be affected, as per the expert opinion.

Shilpa has as many as 10-15 brands in her kitty for which she charges around Rs 1 crore. Reportedly, the actress also has invested in the hair and beauty brand Mamaearth.

At least 11 people including Raj Kundra have been arrested in the case for alleged involvement in a case relating to the production of pornography.

Kundra was booked under IPC 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.
Mumbai: Actor Shilpa Shetty's mother Sunanda Shetty on Thursday lodged a cheating complaint in a Rs 1.6 crore land deal case. According to the Mumbai Police, one Sudhakar Ghare has been named by Sunanda Shetty in her complaint.

She has alleged that the accused, with the help of fake papers, had sold land to her for Rs 1.6 crore, said the police. A case has been registered under relevant sections of IPC, added the Mumbai Police. This comes amid the ongoing pornography racked case against actor Shilpa Shetty's husband and businessman Raj Kundra.

Kundra was arrested by the police on July 19 along with 11 other people on charges related to the alleged creation of pornographic films. He has been named as the key conspirator by the Mumbai Police which has slapped charges against him under Sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 292, and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) besides relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, said the police.

On Sunday, the police had informed that four employees of Kundra have turned witnesses against him in the pornography racket case, increasing troubles for him.

On Monday, the Bombay High Court adjourned the hearing on Kundra's bail plea till Thursday. The court has also asked the investigating officer to remain present during the hearing in the pornography racket case.

The court has not given any interim relief to the businessman. Kundra and his associate Ryan Thorpe have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

On Tuesday, Mumbai Crime Branch said that actor Shilpa Shetty has also not been given a clean chit in the pornography racket case yet, where her husband and businessman Raj Kundra is the prime accused. According to officials forensic auditors have been appointed to investigate the transactions in all the accounts of the people involved in the case.
New Delhi: Urvashi Rautela is currently shooting for her upcoming Tamil debut in a yet-to-be-titled Rs 200 crore sci-fi film. The actress will be seen alongside the legendary actor Saravanan.

To surprise her co-star and popular South comedian Yogi Babu on his birthday, the actress ordered a lovely caramel cake weighing 105 kgs worth Rs 1.5 lakh.

The actress uploaded a video on her Instagram where the whole crew is wishing Yogi Babu, she captioned the video saying, "BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS ON MY FILM SET 105KGS BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR YOGIBABU Sir wishing you everlasting happiness ".

Urvashi Rautela also visited the famous Kalikambal Temple in Chennai to offer her prayers and seek divine blessings.

Yogi Babu is one of the most prominent actors in the south industry and has worked in many hit flicks.

Urvashi has learned Tamil fluently and is still practising. The film will be directed by Joseph D Sami and Jerald Arockiam. The film is going to be released in all the major languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and Telugu respectively.

On the work front, Urvashi Rautela will be seen in the web series 'Inspector Avinash' opposite Randeep Hooda in a lead role. The actress is going to play the lead role in a bilingual thriller Black Rose along with the Hindi remake of Thiruttu Payale 2.

She was also seen in Doob Gaye song opposite Guru Randhawa and Versace Baby opposite Mohamed Ramadan.
New Delhi: Bank customers usually need an ATM card or debit card to withdraw cash from automatic teller machines (ATMs). However, HDFC Bank is now allowing its customers to take out cash from ATM machines without a debit or ATM card. Customers who have opened their savings account with HDFC Bank can use this cardless cash withdrawal facility only at HDFC Bank ATMs around the country.

The most valued private lender in India is assuring its customers that the process is simple and safe. Customers need to follow a few simple steps to withdraw cash from HDFC Bank ATMs without a debit or ATM card.

Taking it to Twitter, HDFC said, "Forgot your ATM Card? Dont worry, HDFC Bank Cardless Cash is digitally yours with 24X7 service to withdraw cash at all HDFC Bank ATMs.Enjoy instant and secure mode of cash withdrawals without ATM / Debit Card."

Forgot your ATM Card? Dont worry, HDFC Bank Cardless Cash is #DigitallyYours with 24X7 service to withdraw cash at all HDFC Bank ATMs. Enjoy instant and secure mode of cash withdrawals without ATM / Debit Card. To know more, visit: https://t.co/foq6Uq144f pic.twitter.com/xIJK6YI7do  HDFC Bank (@HDFC_Bank) July 29, 2021

Things to note while withdrawing cash from HDFC Bank ATM without debit or credit card:

- Customers can use the cardless cash withdrawal facility to withdraw a minimum of Rs 100 and a maximum of Rs 10,000 per day.

- You can withdraw up to a maximum of Rs 25,000 per month without debit or credit card from HDFC Bank ATMs.

Steps to follow:

1. Visit your nearest HDFC Bank ATM.

2. From the options menu, select the Cardless Cash option that is usually displayed in the IDLE loop screen.

3. Select the language that you are comfortable in interacting with the machine.

4. Customers then need to share registered phone numbers.

5. The number is verified via OTP for secure transactions.

6. Enter digit order ID and the amount you need to withdraw.
New Delhi: Do you own an Apple iPhone or iPad? If yes, then you may need to update the software of your smartphone to the latest build which is iOS 14.7.1, according to a warning by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). Apple iPad owners need to upgrade their devices software to iPadOS 14.7.1.

CERT-In, which works under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said that the existing software carries active vulnerabilities that are currently being exploited by malicious actors.

In its official statement, CERT-In said that a vulnerability has been reported in Apple iOS and iPadOS which could be exploited by a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code and gain elevated privileges on a targeted system, according to a report by TOI. Also Read: MG ONE SUV full images out ahead of global launch: In pics

Taking advantage of the vulnerability that exists in IOMobileFrameBuffer of Apple iOS and iPadOS, a remote attacker can corrupt your memory with the kernel permissions. However, if you update the software of your Apple devices to the latest builds then the risk could be averted. Also Read: RBI cancels licence of Madgaum Urban Co-operative Bank, check what will happen to investors money

with kernel privileges

Which Apple devices are impacted?

The government agency has raised a high severity alert in regards to the vulnerability discovered in the software of Apple iPhones and iPads. However, the vulnerability is limited to select devices including:

- iPhone 6s and later

- All models of iPad Pro

- iPad Air 2 and later variants

- iPads 5th generation and above

- iPad mini 4 and its updated models
Kolkata: West Bengal extends COVID-19 restrictions in state till August 15, while night curfew hours to remain in place between 9 PM to 5 AM except emergency and essential services.

The State Executive Committee of West Bengal State Disaster Management Authority recommended a further extension of restriction measures as already in force with graded and calibrated approach to relaxations as required after a review of the current situation of COVID pandemic.

Issuing a press release, the state government reiterated that wearing of masks, maintenance of physical distancing and health & hygiene protocol must be followed at all times.

Meanwhile, West Bengal had on July 14 extended the ongoing restrictions until July 30 in view experts warning about a possible third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic by August or September. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced certain relaxations.
Washington: The Taliban are not some military outfits but normal civilians, said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, asking how the country is supposed to hunt them down when it has three million Afghan refugees at the border.

In an interview with PBS NewsHour aired Tuesday night, Khan stressed that Pakistan hosts three million Aghan refugees of which the majority are Pashtuns, the same ethnic group as the Taliban fighters.

"Now, there are camps of 500,000 people; there are camps of 100,000 people. And Taliban are not some military outfits, they are normal civilians. And if there are some civilians in these camps, how is Pakistan supposed to hunt these people down? How can you call them sanctuaries?" he argued.

When asked about alleged Taliban safe havens in Pakistan, the Prime Minister responded: "Where are these safe-havens? There are three million refugees in Pakistan who are the same ethnic group as the Taliban..."

Pakistan has been long accused of helping the Taliban militarily, financially and with intelligence inputs in their fight against the Afghanistan government, but Imran Khan dismissed these accusations as "extremely unfair".

He said that thousands of Pakistanis lost their lives in the aftermath of the US war in Afghanistan when "Pakistan had nothing to do with what happened" on September 11, 2001, in New York.

According to a report prepared for the UN Security Council, about 6,000 terrorists of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are operating on the Afghan side of the border. While the TTP has "distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives", it also supports the Afghan Taliban militants inside Afghanistan against Afghan Forces, the report by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said.

UN monitors note that TTP "has distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives but also supports the Afghan Taliban militarily inside Afghanistan against Afghan government forces".